Spider-Woman snapped her utility belt into place with a satisfying click to test to see if it fit her properly. She had to adjust the tightness of the belt once before she was satisfied with it. Her new utility belt blended in with her costume perfectly. It would take some really keen eyes to notice it unless someone was looking for it. The belt had multiple small pockets that had extra dust cartridges, her camera, some spare lien, and even some protein bars for whenever she got hungry. All in all, it was a very simple thing to add to her arsenal, but something that would prove very useful.
Spider-Woman performed a couple of test jumps and spins as well as a few combat techniques to see if the belt moved too much. Luckily for her, the belt held strong and moved minimally. The belt was pretty small, but that was necessary so it wouldn't impede her activities as a vigilante.
Spider-Woman removed her mask and costume before folding it up and placing it in its hidden compartment in her dresser. That was everything completed. She was now fully ready to crash that White Fang recruitment rally and hopefully take care of Roman Torchwick once and for all.
However, the faint buzzing of her Spider-Sense did little to comfort her. It was as if though she could feel a sense of impending doom.
Whatever.
Ruby jumped into her computer chair and rolled across the floor to her computer. After a few clicks, she was browsing the files she had extracted from that White Fang grunt in the sewer. It was unfortunate that she was unable to extract all the information but she got what she absolutely needed.
Ruby's fingers danced across the keyboard as she navigated through the encrypted files, determined to uncover every hidden piece of information about the White Fang's plans. The faint glow from the monitor bathed her in an ethereal light, emphasizing the steely determination in her eyes. As she delved deeper into the digital labyrinth, she couldn't shake the unsettling feeling gnawing at the edge of her consciousness.
It would've been a good idea to look deeper into the files she had recovered when she had actually recovered them. But she had gotten a lot better at the whole superhero thing since then.
Unfortunately for her, there wasn't a lot of useful information left in the flash drive. The only thing inside that she might be able to use were the names of some of the faunus within the White Fang. Even then, she didn't know if the names belonged to anyone of particular importance.
There might've been more useful information on the computer before it exploded that she wasn't able to get a hold of. Shame that guy blew it all up.
The recruitment folder had more than just one future rally for her to crash. There were a few others that were planned that she would also have to take down when they came about. She just hoped that Roman Torchwick would be at the first one so she could catch him sooner. Also, her crashing the first one might just clue them in on the information she had and they would cancel all their other rallies anyway.
Ruby massaged her cheeks and groaned into her palms. Being a superhero was very frustrating. The comics made it seem so glamorous. Instead, she got her ass kicked twice by the same dude. Not only that, but both times he detonated a case full of dust in her face!
What a rip-off!
Ruby powered down her computer and debated hopping in the shower before realizing that she would just get dirty again during her vigilante activities, so she decided to do it later.
The sun was beginning to set, she would step out after grabbing something light to eat. Web swinging on a full stomach was a mistake that she only made once.
Ruby made her way downstairs and opened the fridge. Grabbing a few slices of cheese and two slices of bread, she threw the food together and threw it on a hot pan with some butter. Zwei was wagging his tail happily by her feet. She tossed him a small piece of cheese to make him happy.
"Arf!" Zwei yipped happily as he consumed the cheese in a single bite.
"Good boy." Ruby ruffled his fur, squished his tiny face between her hands, and gave him a kiss on the nose.
Ruby switched on the TV and set the channel to the news. Ruby never watched the news before she became Spider-Woman. Simply because the news was the most boring thing on TV. But she kinda had to watch it now so she could keep up to date on what was going on in Vale. The dust robberies weren't the main talking point of the kingdom anymore. People got bored very quickly. Seeing the same tired old news story ten times would make anyone bored. Spider-Woman wasn't even in the news this time, which was to be expected considering she hasn't done a lot of noteworthy stuff lately.
Ruby swung the hot frying pan over her head and allowed her grilled cheese to land safely on her waiting plate. She sat down at the table with her meal as she turned up the volume of the TV.
"The Vytal Festival is approaching rapidly. Many citizens are concerned about the safety of the festival due to the rise in terrorist attacks and robberies in recent months. With the White Fang still out there, many civilians are wondering if it's safe to host such an event. Some are even concerned that our very own Spider-Woman could be a threat to the populace."
Some things never change, Ruby groaned into her sandwich. The opinions of those who hate me are one of those things. Ruby took a deep breath and let the air swirl in her lungs for a few seconds before exhaling all at once.
"People are also concerned about the infamous criminal Roman Torchwick and his agenda, with many speculating the reason he is collecting so much dust is so he can bomb Amity Colosseum and the public area for the Vytal Festival."
Doubt it, Ruby thought to herself. Roman may be a nut-job but he's not a monster. He never kills unless his life is in danger. Except with me of course. He would never bomb the Vytal Festival simply because there's nothing to gain from doing it. Although, on the other hand, it's possible that he's working for someone against his will who'll force him to do something he doesn't want to. He's also the type of person who will do anything and sacrifice anyone and everyone just to save his own ass.
Ruby took a bite of her sandwich and allowed the delicious melted cheese to coat her tongue. How something so simple could be so delicious she would never know.
"Luckily for the public, the council has decided to up security for the Vytal Festival. Military presence will be increased by at least 50%, and law enforcement will be stationed at various points throughout the fairgrounds."
Now there's some good news. Glad to see the council actually taking something seriously for once.
The safety of the people is the most important thing to prioritize in any situation. The heroic spirit in her was glad that the council was taking the lives of the public into consideration. Ruby brought her glass to her lips and took a long drink of water.
"But that's not the best part folks. The council is taking the safety of all of the civilians very seriously. So serious in fact that they decided to enlist foreign aid. We have confirmation that the head of security for the Vytal Festival will be none other than General James Ironwood of the Atlas military."
Ah...General Ironwood. Good choice. Leader of the strongest military power on the planet, Headmaster of Atlas Academy, accomplished Huntsman. I'm sure he'll do a great job of—WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST HEAR?!
Ruby pulled the remote toward her via a strand of spider silk and smashed the volume-up button a couple of times.
"Yes, folks, you heard right, General James Ironwood has been put in charge of the security for the Vytal Festival. Multiple comments from the council as well as James Ironwood himself confirm this. Here is what the man in question had to say about it."
The camera abruptly switched to an image of a tall broad-shouldered man wearing a stuffy-looking white overcoat with a gray undercoat, black sweater, and a red necktie. There was also a white glove covering his right hand.
Ruby felt smaller just by looking at the man, as if his very presence commanded respect and authority.
The general began speaking. "I would like to personally thank the council of Vale for taking security so seriously. I will do everything in my power to make sure that this festival is a resounding success. Rest assured, whether it be a common criminal, the White Fang, or Spider-Woman, there is no threat that the Atlas military cannot handle."
He continued. "I would like to take this opportunity to personally address the vigilante herself. I know you're listening Spider-Woman."
Ruby felt her entire spine shiver, as if her very atoms froze over on an atomic scale due to the chill of his words.
"You are nothing but a criminal, a coward who pretends to care while hiding behind that pathetic mask. You are nothing. Mark my words, if the time comes when we cross paths I will show you no mercy."
Ruby believed him.
Ruby didn't know much about General Ironwood, mainly things that Uncle Qrow had told her about in stories. From what her uncle had told her, Ironwood was a man with a plan and a man who had the tools required to meet that plan. Someone who would sacrifice anything for the sake of justice.
In a way, Ruby could admire someone like that. She was the same in a lot of ways. While she obviously fought against the law in order to help people, she still wanted to help. She wasn't an incredible strategist or rich enough to afford all the tech she wanted, but she tried her best. She liked to think that counted for something. The good general didn't seem to care all that much though. Not that she was very surprised, considering his attitude as well as his position.
Great... on top of everything else, now I have the general of the largest military on the planet going after my ass. And I know damn well he isn't alone. Typical Rose luck in action ladies and gentlemen.
Deciding she had enough of watching TV and being threatened in front of the entire kingdom for one day, Ruby switched off the TV and finished her sandwich quickly.
She then dashed upstairs with the aid of her Semblance, threw her spider suit on under her normal clothes, and made her way to Vale.
Spider-Woman kicked off a street lamp to gain more height and speed before firing a web line which she used to pull herself even farther. She twisted in mid-air to avoid a flock of birds from becoming one with her face before releasing another web at a building to swing herself back up.
She was pretty sure General Ironwood and the Atlas military weren't actually in Vale yet. She was patrolling earlier today and didn't see a single Atlesian soldier or bullhead anywhere. They were put in charge of security for the Vytal Festival so it was unlikely that they would be given any power until the festivities started. Or at least until preparations were underway.
Still, she would take advantage of the time she had left by helping out where she could.
Speaking of helping people, Spider-Woman noticed a man cursing to himself as he examined under the hood of his car. It didn't take a genius to notice something was wrong. Spider-Woman stuck herself to the building adjacent to the car and spoke up. "Excuse me." The man jumped at the new voice before spinning around to the vigilante.
"S-Spider-Woman?!" The man yelped in shock.
"That's my name! Is there a problem sir?" Spider-Woman dropped from the building and made her way to the taller man.
The man looked back to his car and let out a massive sigh. "Yeah, it's my battery. Guess I put off replacing it too long. Doesn't hold a charge very well anymore. It's a miracle that it's lasted this long."
Spider-Woman scanned her eyes across everything that was under the hood. Due to her being an engineer and having enhanced vision, she couldn't see anything wrong with the car itself. He must be right about the battery being dead.
Hmm...I wonder if I can give him a quick jump.
"Let me try something. I might be able to give you enough juice to get home." The man moved to the side and allowed the masked spider to get to work.
Undoing the connectors for the battery, Spider-Woman shuffled the battery around a few times to loosen it before lifting it out of its spot. She didn't want to risk frying something in the engine.
She felt the crackling of her venom bubble beneath her fingers as she called upon her bio-electricity. The crackling symphony echoed through the air as she placed her charged digits onto the battery. The soft luminescent glow of her venom lit up her fingers and the battery with a beautiful neon blue light. Her bug-eyed lenses caught some of the light as well which lit up her mask quite beautifully.
The man leaned down to admire what he was seeing. "...wow…that's amazing."
Spider-Woman smiled beneath her mask and increased her power output. She didn't want to risk sending too much into the battery and causing it to explode, so it would take a few minutes before it was fully charged.
She could feel the electricity fill the battery as she pumped her power into it, but she could also feel what the man meant when he said the battery didn't hold power very well. It was like it was leaking energy.
Still, it was filling up faster than it was emptying so she kept at it.
Around five minutes later she could tell that the battery was completely full. It only had around an hour of charge left on it so he would need to replace it this week.
"There, I think that does it." Spider-Woman lifted the battery off the ground and placed it back into the car before tightening the connectors to the positive and negative terminals. "Try it now."
The man obeyed. Sliding into the driver's seat, he slid the key into the ignition and gave it a quick spin.
The car struggled for a moment as the power from the battery worked overtime to power the car, but eventually, the familiar roar of the engine burst to life and the headlights illuminated the street.
"Excelsior!" Spider-Woman cheered as she shot her fist into the air. She gently shut the hood of the car as the man was exiting his vehicle to thank her. "You only have about an hour of battery left, I suggest you get that changed as soon as possible," Spider-Woman said.
"I know," he replied. "I'm going to buy a new one right now. Thanks so much!" The man grabbed her hand and shook it furiously.
"Anytime sir." Spider-Woman bent her knees and prepared to leap away.
"W-Wait!" The man shouted at her.
Spider-Woman ceased her escape and turned toward the man. "Sorry, but...my daughter is a huge fan of yours. Is it okay if I can get an autograph and a picture? She'll never believe me otherwise."
Spider-Woman smiled beneath her spandex. "Of course!" Spider-Woman reached into her utility belt and pulled out a small slip of paper and a pencil. She scribbled on the note for a few seconds before handing it to the man.
"Thank you. Now just a quick picture if you don't mind."
Spider-Woman shot a web line at the light post that was right above her and spun herself upside down to pose for the photo. The man got right next to her and held out his scroll. Spider-Woman made a motion of firing a web without using enough pressure to actually fire it. The man sent the camera an open-mouthed smile as he snapped the photo.
"Thank you so much." The man shook her hand again. "I'm going to brag to my family for weeks!"
"Glad to be of service. Tell your daughter I said hi."
And with that, Spider-Woman leaped into the distance and fired a web to pull herself further.
"That was nice. I wish all encounters could be like that. It'd get boring but I'd rather be bored than have too much to do. People are safe when I'm bored."Spider-Woman swung through the city for a few minutes. The sun had set by this point, plunging the kingdom into darkness. City lights came on as the night owls began to roam the kingdom looked beautiful bathed in the light of the shattered moon. Her enhanced vision only served to multiply the beauty of the lights.
But as the sun set, the scum of Vale came out of hiding.
"Time to get to work."
"VPD, what is your emergency?"
"Hey, it's me again. Just stopped a break-in on Stacy Terrace. Two-story home with red siding and a lilac flowerbed. Send a squad car over okay? Blah Blah Blah, vigilante lecture, blah blah blah, leave this to the professionals. Just hurry up."
Spider-Woman tossed the scroll in the grass and turned to address the family whom she had just saved from a home invasion. "Everyone okay?"
The wife hugged her two sons closer to her while her husband stood protectively over all of them. "Yes," she said. "We're all fine. Thank you Spider-Woman."
Spider-Woman sent them a wave before leaping into the distance. The night was still young, she was only out for about an hour. She could still do more and get home in time to get enough sleep.
It was quite the eventful hour actually. There were three muggings, two carjackings, a break-in, a police chase, and even helping an old lady cross the street.
Web wings unfolded and caught the wind, causing her to glide safely through the air. It only took another three seconds for her Spider-Sense to flare up again. She shot a web line to the left to make a sharp turn in the direction of the danger.
The streets were just about empty, apart from one man who was stumbling down the street, clearly intoxicated. It wasn't that man that was the danger though, her Spider-Sense was shoving her toward the bar that he had just walked out of.
"Cool, never been in a bar fight before. This will be fun."
Spider-Woman folded her wings back into her costume and began to nosedive toward the ground. At the last second, she flipped right side up and landed gracefully on her feet. The landing could've been softer though. Her enhanced hearing picked up on the sounds of voices getting progressively louder. It was clear a fight was going to break out at any second. Time for Spider-Woman to make an appearance.
The tiny bell above the door let out a light rattle as the door pushed into it. Bars in movies were always depicted as either being total dumps or way too luxurious. This bar was actually rather homely. The floors were clean and all the glasses were stacked neatly on the rack. There were two bartenders serving drinks with practiced ease.
The smell of alcohol was definitely prominent, but it wasn't as strong as she was expecting it to be. Actually, there was a faint smell of maple wafting through the air. She was still too young to drink but damn that smelled good.
Still, she had a job to do. It didn't take long for her to spot two men getting into an altercation over some trivial matter she didn't care enough to investigate.
Spider-Women prepared to deal with this matter quickly.
"S-Spider-W-Woman!" Someone yelled out in shock.
In an instant, just about every single pair of eyes turned toward her. Some even spit out their drinks. The two men who were fighting stopped immediately so as to not face the wrath of Spider-Woman.
Well...that's one way to prevent a fight I guess.
No one moved. No one dared be the one to break the silence. It was as if time had frozen simply due to her presence.
Her work was basically done, considering that the men were no longer fighting. She looked ahead at the bar, it was relatively empty, apart from a few patrons who were either sipping drinks or waiting for them.
Ah...screw it. Why not?
Spider-Woman walked past the stunned patrons toward the bar. She helped herself to an empty seat and fished out some lien from her utility belt.
What was that drink that Yang always orders? Oh right.
"I'll take a strawberry sunrise," Spider-Woman said as she slid some lien across the table. "No alcohol if you don't mind. Web swinging while tipsy sounds like a disaster waiting to happen."
The bartender accepted her lien without a word and began preparing her drink. The patrons of the bar gradually resumed their conversations despite the presence of the superhero.
She watched the bartender throw a bunch of random ingredients into her drink with practiced ease. Spider-Woman always loved watching professionals do their jobs so easily. She imagined that someone watching her work on Crescent Rose would feel the same. Although, maintenance for her weapon was a slow process so she doubted it could keep someone interested for more than 30 seconds. It was a very calming ordeal for her though. Kept the gears in her head smoking and kept her fingers busy.
The nice man placed a paper parasol into the drink and slid it over to her with a smile. The drink was served in a tall glass that she believed was called a Collins glass. The only reason why she knew that was because of her alcoholic uncle. It was a light orange drink that got progressively darker the further down the glass it went. There was even a strawberry slice on the rim as a garnish.
Strawberries were her favorite food so this was sure to be delicious. Lifting her mask over her nose, Spider-Woman brought the bright red straw to her lips and took a small sip. The taste of orange juice was the most prominent flavor, with a small hint of strawberry added via strawberry syrup. It was a simple drink, likely due to the absence of alcohol due to her request, but it was quite tasty.
Actually, it was really good. Who knew the combination of orange juice and strawberry syrup could be so delicious? She wasn't exactly sure what the bartender had substituted the alcohol for but she imagined he used sugar water or something similar.
It didn't matter. She took another longer, slower, sip and savored the flavor of her drink.
"Hey, Pipsqueak," a gravelly voice said as someone slid into the open stool next to her. "Been a while hasn't it? Hope you didn't miss me too much."
It really shouldn't have surprised her to find her uncle in a bar of all places. It wouldn't have been much of a surprise to learn he was on a first-name basis with every bartender in Vale. Or that he had tried and failed to hit on every female bartender he came across.
She wasn't sure what he was drinking, but the strong scent of alcohol told her that he was either heavily intoxicated or was about to be. Harbinger rested comfortably on his back waiting to be deployed. There wasn't a law that prevented Hunters from bringing their weapons into public areas but she also didn't think it was the best idea to allow a drunken man to carry a very dangerous and complicated weapon.
Spider-Woman sighed dramatically and slid her mask back over her mouth. "Oh great, it's the pervert."
Qrow choked on his drink, much to the spider's amusement. He at least had the decency to grab a napkin and clean up the mess he made. "Dammit! Cheeky brat… Don't go around telling people I'm some kind of sex pest!"
"Sex pest? Snrk. Just looking at you I can tell you haven't gotten any action in years."
The bartender slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter while the patrons who were listening in didn't even try to hide their laughter. Qrow's hand twitched and grasped at thin air as if he was imagining choking her.
Spider-Woman simply took another sip of her strawberry sunrise and waited for the murderous aura from the Huntsman to fade. Damn, this is tasty.
Qrow's hand fell with a defeated sigh and began to nestle his drink closer to him. "You sure got a mouth on ya. You must make a lot of enemies that way."
Spider-Woman shrugged. "What can I say? I love the sound of my own voice," she said smugly. "It's my gift to the world."
"The world wants a gift receipt," Qrow shot back.
"No returns or refunds I'm afraid. Besides, pissing off stupid criminals is one of my favorite pastimes," Spider-Woman giggled. "Pissing off criminals is hard though. It's hard to get someone mad at you when you're as beautiful, charismatic, funny, charming, and adorable as me."
"Aaaaand you've got a hell of an ego too." Qrow's palm met his face. "Should've seen that coming." Qrow took a small sip of his drink, being careful not to spill it this time.
Spider-Woman didn't respond – not immediately anyway. She stared into her glass as she placed it down – her murky reflection rippled along with the drink. She watched a small bead of water trickle down a larger ice cube before it diluted into the sugary concoction.
Eventually, she decided she should be the one to break the silence. "Sorry I haven't called. I can handle most threats by myself so there was no need to get you involved."
Qrow grunted in acceptance into his drink. "I get it, hell, I prefer if you never called. That means people are safe right?"
"Ha! You're damn right." Spider-Woman lifted her glass and held it over to Qrow. Qrow understood immediately and tapped his glass against hers.
Spider-Woman lifted her mask and took another sip. She had to be careful to only speak when her mask was over her mouth. She thought ahead and planted a voice muffler in her mask so no one would recognize her voice. Someone like Qrow would recognize her voice immediately if she wasn't wearing her mask.
"What's new?" The drunken Huntsman asked. "Take down any evil organizations threatening all life as we know it?"
"Nothing quite that flashy I'm afraid. I helped an old lady carry some groceries to her car, helped someone charge their car battery, and got some cat out of a tree," she said in between sips.
"So, business as usual?"
"Yep. Oh, also, I stopped someone from stealing an Oscorp truck carrying enough grade-D dust to detonate an entire city block. Just another Tuesday."
Qrow stared at her, gobsmacked. "You're kidding… Tell me you're kidding." Her silence was telling. "Holy s-shit."
She shrugged. "Believe me, you run into crazy things on a daily basis when you do what I do. Between cases full of dust and bloodthirsty lunatics on flying gliders, there's no shortage of things to keep me busy."
Qrow nodded in acceptance and took a swig of his drink. "Sounds like you get more action in a week than most Huntsman do in a month."
She was only a Huntress-in-training but it was true that she was never this busy with Huntress work. Being Spider-Woman was very busy work. "Some days are slower than others," she said. "But I like to think that it's because I'm making a difference."
"Crime will always exist, no matter where you are or who tries to stop it," Qrow said. It was the truth, Vale wasn't the worst city in terms of crime but it wasn't the best either. Atlas was the worst by far with most of their crimes being racial. Atlas was hit hard in the great war and just about everybody there was still bitter about their loss. So they decided to take it out on the faunus who had nothing to do with it.
"By the way, did you hear the news about General Ironwood?" Qrow sent her a questioning look.
Spider-Woman responded by groaning into her drink. "Ugh...don't remind me. Did you hear those things he said!? It's like he plans to send the entire Atlas military into the streets just to apprehend me!" She started massaging her temples to ward off an oncoming headache.
"I doubt he would be that extreme," he tried to reassure her. "Although...him sending the entire Ace-Ops to take you in wouldn't be too far-fetched. Maybe a couple hundred Atlas drones as well."
"This isn't making me feel better!" Maybe I should've asked for alcohol after all. Who am I kidding, I'm too young to drink anyway.
Qrow started laughing at her suffering. Spider-Woman had to resist the urge to punch him. "What are you gonna do? Lay low until the festival is over?"
Good question. Laying low was out of the question. There were too many threats to the festival itself to even think about not helping. The White Fang and Roman Torchwick were only two examples. Not to mention the standard baddies that she takes down every day. She had to do her part to make sure this festival went smoothly. Sure, they didn't need her to do anything for the Vytal Festival, all the other ones happened with little to no problems. But tensions were higher than ever and the possibility of something happening was higher than she was comfortable with.
"I can't lay low. It's…" she sighed. "Protecting Vale is my job. With the White Fang all over the place, I can't just do nothing. What if something happens and I have the power to do something but I run away because I was afraid?"
She couldn't run and hide, because with great power, there must also come great responsibility.
"You sound like my niece," Qrow said, which caused Spider-Woman to flinch. Not that he noticed with his face in his drink. "She's training to be a Huntress, but all she really wanted to be was a hero."
Yep, that sounded like her alright. Being a Huntress wasn't her goal, her goal was just to be like her mother, a hero who saved everybody. It just so happens that being a Huntress was the easiest way to achieve that.
Well...until that fateful encounter with a certain radioactive spider.
Spider-Woman took one final sip of her drink until she sucked up nothing but air. Perfect timing too, as her Spider-Sense went off and the sound of police sirens sounded from Vale.
Qrow noticed the way she tensed up and turned to her. "Duty calls?" He asked.
"Yep, and I'm not getting paid overtime," she said as she made to leave. She stopped just short of grabbing the door handle as a thought came to her mind. She turned back to the drunken man gesturing to the bartender to refill his glass.
That White Fang rally is this Saturday. I really don't want Torchwick to get away again, but I also really don't want to get Uncle Qrow involved in my problems. But at the same time, he's a professional Huntsman so this is his job.
"Hey, Qrow?"
Qrow spun around. "Hm?"
Dammit, guess I could use all the help I can get.
Spider-Woman approached the veteran Huntsman. "This Saturday, some really bad stuff might go down. I'm hoping to deal a massive blow to the White Fang."
That piqued Qrow's interest. "Oh? Care to share with the rest of the class?"
I can't tell him exactly where and when this will be happening because I plan to sneak in there as Ruby Rose, if he sees me then it's all over.
"Just...make sure you're in the southern industrial district of Vale after dark. Be prepared for a fight."
Qrow lowered his drink from his lips and narrowed his eyes. "That sounds...ominous. Anything I should know?"
Should know? Yes. Still, I can't give out too many details.
"There's a chance that Roman Torchwick might be put behind bars for good this Saturday." Qrow's eyes widened. "A chance, I said. I'm not even sure if he'll be there. But I would feel better if you were in the area in case something went wrong. Just make sure you're sober this Saturday, okay?"
Qrow looked very serious all of a sudden. "I get it. I'll be there. Can't promise I'll be sober though," he teased.
"If all goes well then you won't have to lift a finger," Spider-Woman said. "Also, don't tell the police about this. They'll ruin everything, I've got one chance."
She didn't wait for a response. Spider-Woman made her way to the door with a wave. "See ya around bird brain. Stop creeping on girls, kay."
"You son of a-"
The door closed behind her before Qrow could finish.
She sent a quick pulse of her Spider-Sense in every direction before locating the source of danger. "No rest for the spider I suppose."
Thwip!
Yang could feel an oncoming headache as Blake continued to pitch her stupid idea to the rest of the team. "Blake, I know I've said this already, but I feel like I should reiterate that this idea of yours is insane."
Blake rounded on Yang with amber eyes blazing with fury. "No one else is willing to do anything, Yang!" She roared. "Everyone else is content with letting the White Fang get away with their crimes. I was wrong about them and Torchwick but that only reinforces the idea that we need to do something."
Penny looked between the two before deciding to speak up. "Friend Blake, there exist numerous Huntsman within Vale's borders presently. Furthermore, General Ironwood has been assigned security oversight for the Vytal festival. The assertion that the White Fang's threat is not being considered seriously is baseless."
Yang still had no clue why Penny talked like that but she had gotten used to it over the last two months.
"Then why is the White Fang still active in Vale? The White Fang have been around for years and no one has done anything," Blake began pacing around the room. "I used to be a part of the White Fang, I know how they operate, I know who's in charge, I know their strategies. I'm the only one that can take them down."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Yeah, as if one first-year Beacon student is more capable than the entire Atlas military," Weiss scoffed. "My sister is the right-hand woman to General Ironwood himself. I'm sure I could speak with her regarding the threat if it'll make you feel better."
"General Ironwood is only in charge of security for the Vytal Festival, not now or after. The White Fang need to be dealt with and they need to be dealt with now!" Blake started to get heated.
Yang stood up and spread her arms wide. "So what do you want us to do? In case you haven't realized, we're still only kids Blake. What are four Huntresses-in-training going to do about a terrorist organization like the White Fang?"
Blake was caught off guard by that question if her stuttering was any indication. "I...well we...w-what about?"
"See!" Yang interrupted. "You don't even have a plan. You want to go take down a terrorist organization without any clue where to look."
"Finding the White Fang won't be hard. I attended their rallies before, I know where to look."
Yang pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled loudly. "Look, Blake, I'm not against the idea of doing something about the White Fang, but I really think that we need a plan of action before we run in guns blazing."
Blake looked around the room to her other teammates. Her eyes came to rest on Weiss. "Blake, we aren't telling you this because we don't care about the White Fang, we're saying this because we care about you. First of all, there's no way you're doing this alone, second, we're not letting you do this without a plan."
"It is precisely as friend Weiss says!" Penny beamed. "We're more than just a team Blake, we're family now, and family means no one gets left behind. I heard that in a movie once."
"Y-You guys…" Blake looked like she might cry. "O-Okay, you're right, we need a plan before we do anything." Blake was starting to think logically.
Yang got closer to Blake's face, she cupped her cheek and leaned closer as if to kiss her, but stopped just short. "Blake...have you been getting enough sleep? You have bags under your eyes. They're red and glazed over too."
Blake pulled away from Yang and turned toward the window. "I'm fine, just a little tired is all."
"Judging by your facial features, your poorer than average cognitive function, poor reaction time, irritable mood, and constant yawning, I suspect that the last time you slept was approximately 32 hours ago, and the last time you got at least six hours of sleep was four or five days ago," Penny examined the tired faunus.
Weiss stood up and walked closer to the faunus. "Blake, you need to take better care of yourself. You're talking about fighting the White Fang when you haven't gotten a decent rest in days. You're pushing yourself too hard."
Blake scoffed and pushed her away. "I don't need sleep, I need answers. There's too much work to do. I need to-" Blake was cut off when a powerful but gentle hand gripped her wrist.
"You're right Blake, we can't afford to sleep right now," Yang agreed, surprising Penny and Weiss. "So, the White Fang. We need more information. Why don't you tell us everything you know about them so we can form a solid plan."
Weiss looked suspiciously at Yang before the blonde brawler winked at her.
"O-Okay. Yeah, the White Fang." Blake allowed Yang to pull her toward her bed, not that she had the energy to resist anyway. Yang pulled Blake close to her as they sat down.
"So, let's have our first team PWBY strategy meeting. Blake, you said you might know where to find the White Fang?"
Blake's faunus ears perked up. "Yeah, they leave signs in areas where they frequent. It's always three claw marks slashed into a wall or something. That's the sign of the White Fang's presence."
"Hm, That's good intel. Penny, take notes."
"I am recording everything and saving it in my internal memory banks. I can store up to 2.5 million gigabytes of data, which is equivalent to 2500 terabytes."
"..."
"Correction, I have a very good memory. Hic!"
"Riiiight," Yang trailed off. "Anyway, are there any places that they would be more likely to be than others?" Yang asked as she began to rub Blake's head between her ears.
"Y-Yeah, places that are more abandoned during the night. So...we should stay out...out of the commercial district. Abandoned warehouses are a good place to look."
"Any particular size we're looking for?" Weiss asked.
"No," Blake responded, ears flattening against her head. "The smaller warehouses draw less attention but the larger ones can hold more people. I can't know for sure which ones they'll be using."
"Hm," Yang grunted as she pulled Blake's head closer to rest on her shoulder. "So, we're looking for three claw marks slashed into a wall in the industrial district of Vale near places like abandoned warehouses."
"Hm," Blake grunted in confirmation, eyelids drooping.
"Ok, good, now we know where to look," Yang cheered quietly. "Now we need a plan for what to do once or if we find them."
"It would be unwise to challenge the White Fang by ourselves, even if our strength far exceeds theirs," Penny explained, eyes seemingly glowing. "I deduce that the best course of action would be to contact our superiors for backup once we have located the threat."
Weiss nodded, content with her leader's idea. "I agree, we shouldn't run into conflict without backup."
Yang turned to look at her partner. "Any objections Blake?" She asked quietly. There was no response from the feline faunus. "Blake?" She called quietly. Yang was about to push Blake away from her when the sound of soft snoring reached her ears and Blake's even breaths hit her shoulder. "Don't need sleep huh?" Yang whispered to her friend, not that she could hear her. "You need to take better care of yourself." Yang gently caressed her partner's head as she slept soundly.
"I'll admit," Weiss began. "That was pretty smart. She must've been really tired if she fell for such an obvious trick."
"I've had to use it on Ruby on more than one occasion," Yang said as she gently maneuvered herself around Blake to pick her up and slide her into a more comfortable position. Sliding the blanket over her shoulders, Yang tucked her into bed. "She's always pushed herself way too hard after mom died." An aura of sadness washed over the young Huntress, her eyes became dull, and distant, like she was remembering something from days long past.
"You... you don't talk about your family much – apart from your sister that is," Weiss said with hesitation clear in her tone.
Yang smiled, though Weiss could tell that her smile was empty. It was more of a smile of reassurance than happiness. "It's... It's complicated. My family, I mean. Dad kinda didn't want to be a father for a while after what happened. So it was up to big sister Yang to pick up the slack." She could still remember the first few months after Summer died. "It was... hard at first. I was only eight when she died and Ruby had just turned five. I wasn't ready for the responsibility of being a mother but Ruby needed someone like that in her life. Whether I liked it or not, I had a job to do."
She turned her head slightly to her desk where a picture of her and her sister rested. It was taken a few years ago when Ruby had turned ten. Ruby sat in her sister's lap with a cookie in her mouth while Yang had her arms wrapped around her. Wide smiles were clear on both of their faces.
"I had no idea what I was doing, I was just a little girl myself when it happened. I wasn't even sure if I was doing a good job, I'm sure I could've done better. I made mistakes in raising her. Thought it would be best to protect her rather than let her live her life. That caused her to be anti-social."
Making friends in school was a constant struggle for her sister. She always tried so hard to talk to others but would always end up stuttering and going red in the face. She could clearly remember Ruby crying after each and every failed attempt. Eventually, she just locked herself in her room and worked on Crescent Rose instead of talking to people. That was probably where her obsession with weapons came from.
"I am so proud of her. Despite all the shit that life has given her, she still finds a way to smile at the world. She's just like Summer in that way. Always sees the best in people, always looking on the bright side."
Yang ran her hand through her golden hair, contemplating what to say next.
"Don't tell Ruby I told you this, I've actually never told anyone this so I'm trusting you to keep it a secret. But... one time when Ruby was about nine years old she worked herself a little too hard when she was training, so I had to carry her to bed. When I tucked her in and said goodnight... she…" Yang was beginning to tear up. "She looked me right in the eyes and said, "Goodnight mom, I love you.""
Weiss' eyes widened slightly and Penny's eyes softened.
"I almost broke down right then and there. I made it to my room before crying myself to sleep that night." A single tear slid down Yang's cheek. "She never mentioned it again, I can only assume she forgot about it considering how tired she was."
"I've never been more proud of myself in that moment. I knew I made mistakes, anyone could've seen that. There were times when I doubted myself and Ruby suffered because of it. Some mistakes were small and others were much worse. There were even times when I thought I did a bad job in raising her."
Yang once again turned to look at the photo of her and her sister. "Turns out I don't need her to be perfect to prove I'm a good sister. 'Cause if that little kid likes me, how bad can I be?"
There was a surprisingly comfortable silence that fell upon the room. The only sound that existed was Blake's soft snoring. Everyone felt closer to each other at that moment.
"I can't take all the credit though," Yang continued. "It's only because she works so hard that she's come so far. A very small part of that was because of me. But anyway, sorry for getting all emotional on ya."
"Not at all," Weiss reassured her. "It was...nice...hearing how much you care for your sister. I only wish my relationship with my own sister was like yours. She's a special operative for the Atlas military. I feel like the harder I try, the further apart our skills are. It's like she has this rule where she won't compliment me unless I do a better job than her."
"Winter Schnee is an excellent combatant and highly respected soldier in the Atlas military," Penny piped up. "I've had the pleasure of meeting her on more than one occasion."
Weiss' eyes narrowed at the ginger girl. "You've never mentioned you met my sister."
Penny's smile never left her face. "That is because you never asked, friend Weiss."
Yang giggled and stretched her arms high above her head. "I need a shower." She turned to look at the sleeping form of her partner, her ears slightly twitching on her head.
A mischievous smile spread across Yang's face. Her eyes promised nothing but humiliation. "But first…" Yang slid open a drawer and pulled out an object that was sure to spell doom for the sleeping cat faunus. Weiss immediately knew what was about to go down while Penny still looked oblivious.
"Let's have a little fun."
Yang popped the cap off the marker.
Spider-Woman sat perched on the corner of a building overlooking the ground below. Several workers were carrying large boxes into a warehouse with some even operating forklifts to get pallets with larger boxes inside. A massive box truck carrying god knows what backed into the open garage door, just barely fitting inside.
Several workers were taking breaks in various locations, eating snacks or just chatting with others. Most of the lights around the warehouse were either dimmed or off completely.
None of those things worried her though. The thing that worried her most was the fact that every single worker was a faunus wearing a White Fang mask. There were faunus of all types roaming around and working.
Some of the open boxes that littered the ground had brand-new White Fang masks sitting inside. There had to be hundreds.
She could easily shut this place down right now, all she would have to do is sneakily take down all the workers who were outside, then web up all the exits before taking down everyone inside. Piece of cake.
But Spider-Woman had no intention of doing that. Because if she did then she might miss her only chance to apprehend Roman Torchwick once and for all.
The location she was currently at was the location for the next White Fang recruitment rally that would take place in a few days. This Saturday. She had no clue if Torchwick would even show up, but she had to take the chance. These terrorists weren't actively hurting anyone so she could afford to take the risk and wait.
Also, there were sure to be more terrorists here this Saturday anyway, not to mention all the faunus who wanted to join. She could easily get a much larger haul just by waiting a few days, even if Torchwick didn't show up, it would be worth it.
Still, just walking away from this situation was hard. She's a hero and she has sworn to protect people. A promise she made to her mother and one she'd die to keep.
The glow of the shattered moon was the only thing that illuminated her small frame as she stood at her full height. The spider insignia between her breasts shone brighter than any star that night.
I hope you can forgive me Mom, but I can't ruin my chance. With great power, there must also come great responsibility. I'm determined to live by those words you taught me, and I promised that I'd never forget them.
Spider-Woman turned away from the crime and looked toward the sky. "I really hope I'm making the right choice."
She turned back once more to see the White Fang going about their work. She waved at them, even though no one could see her. "Bye, guys! See ya soon!"
Spider-Woman jumped away and swung home.
AN: Slow chapter this time but the next chapter is NOT going to be slow. Almost 16K words too.
I'm really trying to emphasize the relationship between Ruby and Yang in this story. I feel like most stories just mention that they're sisters without delving further into their past and relationship. I knew I wanted to go further into that before I wrote chapter one. Am I doing a good job? I don't really know but I'm trying my best.
Review if you want.
Or don't.
I don't really care.