T.W: Cursing and Slight Graphic Imagery.
Today was the day. Tukson's Book Trade's last day open before moving abroad. Tukson could hardly believe it, but knew that it was for the better.
Although it's been more than a month since he heard about the White Fang's failed robbery attempt, nobody has yet come for him. Perhaps they didn't trace the leak to him yet. But whether or not they did or didn't, it still wasn't safe for him in Vale anymore. With how much more activity he's been hearing about the White Fang from underground, it was only a matter of time.
It took weeks, but he had finally procured a ticket out of there and found a neat little place to set-up shop in Mistral (Thank you, Blake's little red friend). Although making business in a place that isn't as tolerant with Faunus was going to be tricky, it was a far better alternative than staying in Vale or, gods forbid, Atlas. Less business was far better than dealing with the business that is the White Fang.
All his things were packed and ready to go. Majority of his book stocks were packaged in boxes and crates in the back. The moving truck would arrive later in the day, meaning he had more than enough time to continue packing while doing business at the front. Fortunately for him, it was a slow day. All he needed to do was make it through the day, and by tomorrow, he'll be out of Vale.
While Tukson continued to store whatever books he could fill in a crate, he heard the jingle of the front door's bell and no sooner did the front desk's call bell ring as well.
"Be right there!" He called out from the back. Still carrying stacks of books, he backwalked to the front desk. "Welcome to Tukson's Book trade, home to every book under the Sun."
Placing down the stacks, the faunus turned to better greet his customer/s. "How may I- "
He noticed the only other person in the store was a tall figure that stood reading a novel before one of the nearby shelves. It was difficult to tell who this person was as their back was turned to him and the thick gray leather jacket and red hood obscured their face.
Clearing his throat, Tukson repeated. "How may I help you?"
"Impressive collection you got here."
Their voice was deep and modulated to a man's voice. That should've been the first sign of trouble, had he not taken notice the windows and shop's lights were dimmed to the outside world.
"Thank you," Tukson responded. "It's been a passion of mine since I was a boy. I take pride in making sure that every book is accessible to any customer who is finding it."
The figure gave a haunting chuckle with their modulated voice. "Really now? I've been around my fair share of rare book selections, so how about I put that to the test?"
Tukson was fearful of what would happen if he said no. "Go ahead."
With gentle ease, the figure closed the book they had in hand and placed it back onto its proper shelf before glancing around. "Alright then. Let's start with something simple: Pride and Prejudice. I know people count it as a 'girly' book, but I'd beg to differ."
"3rd row, 2nd shelf to the top. I have both hardcover and paperback versions," Tukson answered, before asking. "Would you like a copy?"
"No need, I have my own. How about Frankenstein? I saw a box of the newer version upfront so I assume you have the original." The figure said while having a light stroll around the shop, their back still turned to him.
"Rare find, but we do have some in the back."
"Hm, impressive. I'm a huge fan of the works of Conan-Doyle. Would you happen to have any of his pieces? Single pieces, I mean. The collections always cut some details out."
He certainly knows his stuff. Tukson thought to himself. While the work's of the author were easily accessible in that day in age, they were more often reprinted in collections rather than individual novels due to the lengths of the stories. The only time they were individual pieces was during their original printings. As luck would have it, he was able to get his hands on one before it was sent into an incinerator for old and worn books.
"A Study in Scarlet. Condition was a bit poor, so I had it framed and hung it in the back."
"An aficionado of literature as well. I can respect that. Last one, how about," The figure stopped their stroll, their head slightly turned into his direction. "The Third Crusade."
Tukson didn't allow himself to stiffen, but that didn't hide the slight nervousness in his voice, even if he tried to play dumb. "Um, I…don't believe we carry that one."
"Really now? That's quite the shame. I thought you carried 'every book under the sun'."
"It's just a catchphrase." The faunus replied to the approaching figure, their head down and face still covered by their hood.
"You said it yourself: 'I take pride in making sure that every book is accessible to any customer who is finding it'. I wonder if you said something similar to your brothers in the White Fang."
There was no use hiding it now. Extending his claws underneath the table, Tukson glared down at the assassin in front of him. "I know who you are. Just know that I don't take any pleasure in doing this. But if you want me dead, then you're going to have to work for it."
The sudden modulated laugh from the figure confused the faunus. "Oh, you're not dying yet. You still have something that I want."It was only when the figure looked at him did he realize how grim the situation really was.
It wasn't a grimm mask that stared back at him. There was no face or any other features, only glowing eyes and a red reflection of him.
They were no White Fang, it was the Red Hood.
Everything afterwards happened so fast. One second, Tukson had his claws drawn and dived straight at Red Hood. Next thing he knew, there was a loud BANG! and he was launched straight through the door behind him.
A heavy pain erupted from his chest the moment he stopped sliding across the floor. Reaching for where it hurts, his eyes widened at the sight of blood that covered his hand. That's…That's impossible! His aura was up! There was no way a single shot to have broken through his aura.
His attention turned at the heavy sound of approaching boots. Turning up, he saw the Red Hood, looking over the compact shotgun in-hand.
"Armor-piercing steel slugs, can punch through body armor like wet tissue paper. I figured it functions similar to untrained aura. You would not believe how hard it was to find the materials to make these shells."
"G-Go on," Tukson coughed blood before spitting it at Red Hood's boots. "K-Kill me and get it over w-with."
"You seem to be forgetting that you're still of use to me," Hood kneeled down and moved closer to his face. "The White Fang has gone awfully quiet since the Docks. I need to know where their next meet-up is."
"W-Why would I-I tell you that?"
Taking out a knife, Red Hood aimed the end over his neck and lightly pressed down until it drew blood. "Because you still have a long way to go before you either bleed out or choke on your own blood."
"Wanna see what I can do in that time?"
"What'cha doin?"
Blake was startled by Yang's sudden appearance and her scooting next to her. She barely had time to close her notes before her blonde partner was able to get a look at them.
"N-Nothing, just looking over notes from last semester."
Yang eyed over the secret cat faunus before catching a thrown grape with her mouth. "Lame." She said, mouth still chewing from the snack before catching another being thrown by their sister team from across the other table.
Ruby would grab all her team's attention when she slammed her hands down onto the table. "Sisters, friends, Ice Queen,"
"Hey!"
"With our break coming to a close, and the Vytal festival getting ever closer, I have developed an idea."
"Oh, this outta be good," Yang humored before catching another grape thrown by Nora.
"An idea that will not only bring us closer as a team, but also make the most out of the time we have left!"
Blake raised a brow at her team leader. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm suggesting we end our break with a bang!"
"How about we end it with a Yang? Eh? Eh?" The blonde brawler looked around her for a laugh, but was only thrown an apple to the face and a 'boo' from Nora.
"Look, I know it's been a while since the docks and it's all water under the bridge now, but it's been far too long since we've actually connected as a team. And with more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, I'd want us all to be at 100% the moment classes start back up."
While Weiss nodded in agreement to her team leader's suggestion, Blake was hesitant, her heavy eyes glancing down at the notebook her hands kept fiddling with. Yang, of course, didn't pay her sister too much mind as she was far too focused in retaliation by throwing the apple back, only for it to accidentally hit Ren.
"I…I might just sit this one out." Blake said, barely able to keep eye contact with her teammates.
"Absolutely not!" Surprisingly, it was Weiss who spoke up first. "Whatever Ruby has planned, we should all participate, as a team. In fact,"
"I got it!"
"Nora! Wait! That's not gonna-!"
"I, for one, actually have a-"
Weiss barely registered the pie being thrown until some of it was splattered onto her blazer. Her face would've shared a much worse fate, had Ruby not been quick enough to block the projectile with a tray.
Team RWB turned to their sister team; Jaune and Pyrrha looked on with shock and awe; Ren facepalmed at the act; and Nora was quick to play the blame game and pointed finger towards Ren.
The team was speechless while they eyed one another. They weren't verbal, but each of them understood what the other felt. The fierceness behind Ruby and Weiss' eyes spoke enough, but Blake's melancholy look pleaded to them. A sigh and an eye roll later, it's was almost unanimous that they'll-
Yang didn't care.
"Ha! You missed-!"
*SPLAT*
The next one certainly didn't.
There were many things Glynda Goodwitch wanted to do at the moment; enjoy her Lunch Break; relax and drink some Camomile tea; but most of all, strangle Ozpin into the next life.
Instead, there she sat by one of the tables in the newly renovated teacher's lounge, reviewing and grading Pop-Quizzes from her recent Combat class. She wouldn't be doing this, had her schedule not been packed to the brim with work. Damn Ozpin!
"Ah, Glynda!," called out an approaching Professor Port. "I thought it was agreed upon that this was a place to unwind! To leave the work outside! Let's not make Ozpin's renovations go to waste!"
The headmistress gripped her pen and resisted the urge to jab him with it. "If the headmaster decided to finish his paperwork for the Vytal Festival, perhaps I wouldn't be doing this in the first place."
His joyous and hearty laugh would've broken Glynda. Had it not been for Professor Oobleck's sudden appearance, Beacon would've been 1 staff short.
"Professor Goodwitch! Just the woman I've been looking for!" Barty took a quick sip from his thermos before handing her a folder and taking the seat across from her. "Here are the student files you've asked for. Although, I wonder why you even needed them in the first place."
Hearing that piqued Port's interest and got him to take the seat next to his old friend. "Hm, any student of interest Glyn'?"
"Students," Glynda corrected, not taking her eyes off the files she'd been given. "Ms. Sustrai and Ms. Fall to be exact."
Hearing the names was enough for Professor Port to understand her reasons. "Ah, so I'm not the only one who found the pair…peculiar."
"Peculiar?" Bart wondered aloud.
"You hadn't noticed?" Port was surprised, "Those two are practically inseparable. It's one thing for team members to stick together, but they're almost over reliant on one another. Every time I ask Ms. Fall a question, she always looks to Ms. Sustrai to answer."
Now it was Glynda who was piqued, "Quite the opposite during my class. Whenever Ms. Sustrai gets in the ring with an opponent, I've caught her often taking glances at Ms. Fall. And the way that girl eyes every fight, it's almost as if she is evaluating every action taken."
"Oh! Have you graded Ms. Fall's tests yet?"
The reminder of their tests made the Headmistress groan. While Port laughed and shifted through her paper pile to find them, Bart looked confused at their respective contrasting frustration and joy.
"Don't have to be too dramatic. We've all experienced the occasional student with terrible penmanship and spelling mistakes, so I'm sure we can give them some leeway."
Glynda and Port raised a brow at the oblivious professor before the former simply handed him the test paper to better explain.
Glancing over Ms. Fall's paper, the first thing that he noted was the familiar distinctive spelling of her own name. While he had met students with names that spell differently than they're said, it's a first for him to see the name 'Cinder' be spelled as 'CSNDR', especially with the way it was clumsily scribbled.
Other than that detail, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary at first; the bubbles were shaded well enough in the multiple choice section; some spelling mistakes were made; and the familiar almost unreadable penmanship was still present. Nothing too bad, until he reached the essay question at the end.
Instead of written paragraphs to better support her answer, the page was littered with drawings and doodles. It wasn't anything too sophisticated, just simple stick drawings and nonverbal caricatures. He also noticed that the entire drawing was actually the question scenario that was written for the essay. In fact, the more he looked at it, the more he realized that the overall drawing technically answered the essay question, with the minor doodles being the supporting answers. It was, in its own way, both simplistic and sophisticated.
Bart was starting to get a picture on why each of his friends reacted the way they did.
Although not many realize it, Peter Port was actually a complicated fellow. While his ideals and perspective of being a Huntsman were 'old-fashioned', he rarely ever followed simplicity. He often believed that there was more to something than everyone believes. It's often reflected in his teaching style as well, why the lessons he wanted to teach are weaved into the Huntsman stories of his youth. It's no wonder why he enjoyed Ms. Fall's method of answering open-ended questions.
Glynda liked to keep things simple and direct. The weight of a few words is better than the quantity of many. She cared little for style, and only looked at one's substance. It's why she is often strict with her position as headmistress and direct in her criticisms as Professor in Combat Class. She must've been torn when grading Ms. Falls 'essay'. While it hadn't followed instructions, the drawings did answer the given question and did support itself. With all that said and done, how was she supposed to grade this?
A loud commotion from outside the teacher's lounge would interrupt their discussion. As the teacher hurried out the door, a stampede of students screamed in panic and rushed past them from the cafeteria, with some of them even yelling out the root of the problem.
"FOOD FIGHT!"
While Barty looked stunned and Port laughed at the hijinks of the youth, Glynda already felt a migraine coming in.
"Justice would be swift! Justice will be painful! It will be delicious!"
"Yeeeaaaaahhh!"
"Off with their heads!"
The all-out Food War between the two teams was soon coming to a close; Weiss was out for the count thanks to Nora; Pyrrha dealt with Blake via her semblance and a barrage of soda cans; and Yang had been launched into the sky and hadn't come down yet. That left only team RWBY's leader, Ruby.
It was 4 against 1. It would've been an easy victory, had the shutters to the Cafeteria windows not dropped down, leaving the entire place in almost complete darkness.
Pyrrha and Ren were quick to be on-guard while Nora looked around in confusion. Jaune, knowing Ruby's alter reputation, hastily checked his person for anything that could provide light. It took some fumbling, but he was finally able to grab his scroll and turn on its flashlight. The rest of team JNPR noticed their team leader's action and followed in suit, giving them some momentary relief.
That was, until something dropped from the ceiling and grabbed Jaune before pulling him up into the air.
"Holy-!"
"Jaune!"
Looking up, they found their team leader strung upside-down from one of the ceiling supports with sausage links wrapped around his legs. There was no sign of where the perpetrator went or how they escaped.
But they didn't need to look for too long, as a second later, a launched watermelon smashed right into Ren's face and off his feet. Before he could recover, sausage links taut around his ankles and dragged him beneath the tables and into darkness.
"Renny!"
"Nora! Back to back!"
Not a second later did their backs touch and their guard become stronger. Pyrrha was quick to pick-up their predator's tactics, and knew their best chance was sticking together. Using her semblance, she raised a barrier of soda cans to surround them. Nora kept her eyes peeled and tightened her grip on her watermelon mallet. They were already at a disadvantage with the darkness surrounding them, but so long as they stayed group, they should be-
Instinct took over Pyrrha the moment she heard the swish of projectiles heading right towards her. She first tried to catch whatever was thrown with her semblance, but sensed that they weren't made of metal. With a second to react, she was quick to block the projectiles with the soda cans she held, but realized her mistake another second later. What was thrown were Plastic knives and forks, and they pierced the containers of multiple shaken pressurized soda cans.
"Nora! Mov-!"
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
In an instant, the entire world was spinning from Nora's perspective, then everything came to a hard stop. The wind was knocked out of her the moment she landed while her ears continued ringing. Slowly getting her vision steady, she noticed Pyrrha groaning on the floor nearby, her face and uniform covered in different splats of soda. Her condition was the least of her worries as someone turned her over and pointed a baguette in her face.
"Yield," Ruby demanded, her voice dropping a few octaves lower.
Nora merely laughed in her face, "I yield for no one."
"Then perish."
As Ruby raised her baguette for one final swing, Nora closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. Soon, she shall be joining Ren and her team to the after-
*SLAM*
All their attention turned to the loud slam of the cafeteria doors opening and the sudden burst of light that came in.
Glynda Goodwitch was not happy. In fact, she looked irritable by the way she grit her teeth, scrunched her brows, and marched right in.
With a swish of her riding crop, the shutters of the cafeteria opened and the blockade of tables were put right back to where they were. The different plates and utensils were neatly placed somewhere back and the scattered food waste were dumped in the proper bins. Any team member tied or hung were released and let down respectively. By the time the last table was returned, each of the teams settled themselves on opposite sides of the room.
"Children, PLEASE," Glynda scolded while pushing back her glasses, "Do not play with your food!"
Majority of them hid their sheepish smiles and looked the other way. Nora, however, simply burped in response before Yang went through the ceiling and crashed through one of the tables. By then, none of them could keep their composure and began laughing.
The migraine that plagued Glynda's head started to grow. Before she could start a stern lecture, a hand lightly rested onto her shoulder to stop her.
"Perhaps it's best that we let it go this time, Glynda," Headmaster Ozpin appeared before taking a sip from his mug.
Glynda eyed her superior before releasing a deep sigh. "We shouldn't let them goof around and slack off. They're supposed to be the future defenders of the world."
"And they will be," Ozpin assured, "But sometimes it's good to let loose and appreciate whatever childish moments that may happen."
Contemplating his words, Glynda looked back at both teams; Each of them were smiling and laughing, disregarding any injuries they sustained or actions done just previously. It's not hard to look at them now and forget that each of them faced hardships and pain in their lives before heading to Beacon.
As Ozpin walked away, he left a couple final words for the headmistress. "Afterall, those moments become few and far between the further we go."
Junior Xiong was starting to get anxious while waiting in the warehouse, and there were multiple reasons why:
First was the unexpected call to a meeting between Crime Syndicates in Vale. Rarely do they ever meet-up in person, only during certain emergencies that may affect them all operations. But with the rise of White Fang activity disrupting their business and the sudden appearance of the Atlas Vigilante in town, along with rumors about an unknown third party, it was more than enough reason to gather to discuss their next steps.
Second was his current lack of protection around him. One of the Malachite sisters, Miltia, failed to show up at the rendezvous before heading to the meeting. It's slightly concerning because she has often been the more studious one and has never been one for tardiness, let alone absence. Melanie grew more concerned about her sister's whereabouts as any message she sent was left unread and every call sent to voicemail.
Lastly, the other attendants to the meeting. Sure, it's been agreed upon that a temporary truce is made whenever a meeting between them happens. But based on the past between his family and Lil' Miss Malachite, any agreement made meant jack-squat to her. He didn't blame Roman for not showing up (He would've arrived far earlier than anyone else); Lil' Miss probably would've shot him on sight, regardless of any agreement. That left only one other person, and he hasn't even shown up yet.
"Melanie, quit fidgeting," called out Lil' Miss from across their round table, "I'm sure your sister is fine. She probably lost track of time again."
Her mother's assurance didn't ease Melanie's worry. "But mother, Mil' has never ignored my texts and calls-!"
"Then her scroll most probably died. If not, then I'm sure she's capable of taking care of herself. You both share the same skills, so have faith in your sister."
Melanie wanted to argue further, but the look Lil' Miss gave her made her relent, "...Yes, mother."
Right on time, the tapping of many approaching footsteps was heard, and not too long later did a group of people come walking in. Each of them wore different styles of black suits, but almost all of them wore the signature black skull mask. The one ahead of the group, a woman in a lighter suit and glasses, stopped before the table and turned her Scroll tablet around for them all to see.
On screen was a video call with the final man they were all waiting for, Roman Sionis, the Black mask.
And he did not look happy.
"Colleagues, Acquaintances," Black Mask started, his voice was calm, but had an edge to each word. "Mind telling me which of you worms decided to call this meeting? Because if you haven't noticed, there's a little damn birdy in town and she's far too eager to catch any one of us."
Junior and Lil Miss' eyed each other with both confusion and suspicion. The entire time, they thought he'd been the one to call it. Or maybe perhaps one or the other did, but there was no proving that unless they had all their cards on the table. Nonetheless, both of them knew to start talking before Black Mask would do something drastic.
"I wouldn't be foolish enough to call the meeting in Vale," Lil Miss Malachite admitted, gesturing to her Spiders to be on guard.
Junior shook his head, "Wasn't me. The cops are already sniffing everything I've got since Torchwick's incident at the docks."
Hearing them both out, all the pieces started to fit before Black Mask, and he didn't like the picture it made. Fortunately, he wasn't physically present.
"This is a set-up."
"Indeed it is, Roman."
All heads turned to the catwalk above them; all guards aiming their weapons towards where the voice came from. Standing there was a figure cloaked within the shadows, holding something that they couldn't make out.
"It's MY meeting. Now, sit down."
"Oh, to hell with this," with a snap of her fingers, Lil' Miss ordered her Spiders to open fire.
*CRA-ACK-ACK-ACK*
Bullets were fired, the rest of the other mobs dived for cover, and some of Lil' Miss' Spiders dropped to the floor, their blood pooling at their boss' feet.
"I said sit down!"
Stepping out of the darkness, they knew in an instant who they were dealing with. Whether they noticed the brown leather jacket or the red helmet first, there was no mistaking description they had of the Red Hood.
"Do you wanna die!?" Junior called out and pointed at their attacker. "There are easier ways to get yourself killed!"
"Yeah, like yelling at the guy who's pointing the machine gun at all of you."
"Xiong, shut it!" Black Mask was quick to try and de-escalate the situation. "Hood! Since we're all not a splattering stain on the floor right now, I assume you want something."
Red hood chuckled with their modulated voice before raising the AR. "And right you would be, Roman. Now listen to me you sorry sacks of shit. You're all here because each of you are the heads of Vale's Crime Syndicate. And with how things are going with the White Fang and Atlas' own vigilante in town, I'm here to offer you all a deal."
Each of the Crime heads looked between another, but it was Black Mask who had the final say in it all. "...What are you offering?"
"Protection. Robin and the White fang, I'll deal with. Whatever business each of you has can continue, all I need are materials, supplies, and information to let me do my job."
Protection against both? And without a cut of the profits? It was a simple enough deal, almost too good to be true. But, it also begged the question. "And what's the catch?" Lil' Miss questioned aloud.
"Roman Torchwick and his sponsor."
She saw the knowing look Black Mask and Junior gave one another. Whatever relationship they had with Roman, she didn't care. That man could rot in hell for all she cared!
"Cut them off. Whatever business you had with them, it ends tonight. And if I hear any of you contact either one of them or continue supplying their cause, you're dead."
"Alright, Crazy man. This is all very generous," Junior sarcastically said, "but why should we believe you?"
His skepticism was answered by a large duffel bag being dropped in the middle of the table between them. One of Black Mask's guards approached the bag, opened it, and looked inside before moving to the side and promptly puked his guts out. The bag was open enough for the rest of them to see, and the sight was enough for them to look on in horror.
"Those are the heads of all your number 2's. I did that in just 2 hours. Want to see what I can do in a whole evening?"
While the majority could barely keep their gaze at the bag, only few were more concerned with its other contents. More specifically, Junior and the Malachites.
"Oh gods," Junior couldn't believe what they were seeing. Reaching inside, carefully trying to not touch the heads, he pulled out a familiar beaded chain necklace.
Melanie covered her mouth and stared aghast. She could almost cry, "...Miltia…"
Lil' Miss Malachite barely contained her tears before lashing out towards the Hood, "You no-good-sonuvabitch! When I get my hands on you-!"
"You will do nothing! Unless you want to see your daughter still breathing."
Without looking away from them, Red Hood tosses a scroll to Lil' Miss before aiming the AR back to all of them.
"Make no mistake. This isn't just a deal; it's a warning! Go after me or get in my way, you'll be lucky if Robin gets to you before I do."
*CRA-ACK-ACK-ACK*
As a closing remark, the Red Hood once again shot up their table and disappeared in a smoke once they turned back up.
While the remaining Malachite family made haste for the scroll's pinned location, the remaining Mobsters looked to one another in regards to their decision. Black Mask gave out a heavy sigh before his shoulders went slack.
"I hate dealing with masks."
Volume 2 story is here! I'm pretty excited to show off what I've planned for this Volume and story, especially with what I've mixed with the RWBY and Batman canon. Twists and turns for this story that I hope everyone would be surprised of and enjoy! I certainly enjoyed writing Red Hood's scenes and hope that the mystery is enough to keep people interested.If my time management goes off well, this should be released close to the "Sins of our Fathers" update.
Speaking of, if you've come from my previous story, thank you so much for sticking around! If you're new, thank you for checking this out and be sure to check out my other ones! Once again, thank you for reading! Please leave a comment or a review if you liked it!
I do not own any of the characters. All characters and names used are owned by either Rooster Teeth and Detective Comics (DC).