Part of him didn't know whether he should run away, or cower under Coco's impenetrable gaze.
Normally, having a woman stare longingly at you was the dream of most guys, but unlike most guys, he actually knew what this particular woman was like. Okay, so maybe an entire generation of watchers knew as well, but that was back on earth, and not here in Remnant.
Really, the look of pity Velvet was shooting from behind her partner wasn't all that helpful - not that he would outright say anything.
"Okay. Arms out, now."
Her command was both registered and obeyed instantly, and the trance she'd set him in worked its magic as both his arms shot outwards, perpendicular with the floor and setting him into a T pose. She stepped forward, wrapping a tape around his waist. Measurements weren't all that bad, but when she reached for his waistline, Jay knew he had to intercept.
"D-do we really need to go that far?" Again, he must have been the ultimate weirdo to distinctively not want an attractive fashionista sliding down his shorts - and skirt.
Coco's grin licked the edges of his mind, leaving little kisses of unease in their wake.
"The master never disregards the laws of their practice. Don't worry though." Her fingers tugged gently, exposing his hips just the barest bit and leaving the band of his skirt just above the extra appendage he'd be arrested for waving around in public. "I won't peek; promise."
Carefully, she ran the tape along, supposedly calling him out as she did so.
"Come on now, you weren't half so tense a moment ago."
"Yeah." He admitted, and a shock went up his spine as her hands trailed ever closer to the place they dare not venture. "Well, you weren't so close to stripping me a moment ago."
Upon their arrival, Coco had taken the lead and directed them along, allowing everyone just enough time to greet one another before the whole shindig went down. Being taken into what he assumed was the employee lounge appeared normal at first, and she even had him hang his coat up on a nearby rack before they began, which left him surprisingly less stressed as he was moved over into position near a small counter; he assumed being brought into what was a much safer living space as opposed to Junior's bar had quelled a few of his nerves.
Coco sliding down his leggings didn't really help restore that prior peace much.
Jay never said anything this time; she'd fixed his skirt back up after getting what she wanted, so he didn't have much to bitch about. At least she was sensible in that regard; unlike his previous dresser, she actually put everything back in place, whereas previous experience had him stitching his outfit back together after even a slight brush. Then again, Coco probably saw him as a stranger, which was true, and so he felt somewhat stupid assuming she'd be just as handsy with him as the woman who got him into this cosplay stuff to begin with.
Standing with a pleased puff, Coco's smirk regained its edge, and she addressed him with fervor.
"Not too bad, shape wise. Thin limbs make for fair balance, and your pinchable cheeks will dust nicely." The sight of her licking her lips had Jay holding back the urge to backpedal it out of there. "By the way." Coco then stepped over to Ruby, who'd seated herself next to Velvet at a small coffee table over by the back corner of the room and across from the fridge. The younger girl tilted her head, only to then pale a little as Coco asked, "care to hop up for a second?"
"W-why?" Ruby's little sister senses must have been tingling, because she looked just as ready to bolt as he'd been feeling before. Coco was insistent however, slowly reaching for and taking the girl by the hand, leading what probably was an unwitting Ruby out into the open. Velvet shook her head, and now feeling a bit safer, Jay seized his chance and made his way around the now mumbling clothier and filled Ruby's spot.
"Just give me a quick second." Coco went ruffling through and around Ruby with her tape, lifting bits of cloth and shoving the decently sized cloak out of the way, all the while he and Velvet watched from the sidelines. "I just need a few extra checks."
Jay turned his head towards Velvet, and upon seeing her flat look, assumed his next question was worthless, but asked it anyway.
"She really doesn't know the meaning of the word 'boundaries' does she?"
Velvet sent a half grin, rolling her eyes over to Ruby.
"Hey, you two signed up for this when you agreed to help her. As far as she's concerned, that's consent enough."
That was true in a sense. The first thing Coco asked upon their entry was if they would be willing to help her with a little project. Ruby said yes without hesitation, and he himself just kind of nodded. Personally, he somewhat expected this, but not with the intensity he was seeing and experiencing right now - granted, his time was over, at least until Ruby finished up. Coco was vicious with how close she got, and she wasn't afraid to get more 'hands on' with how she did things. When she commanded you to move, you moved.
Not that Coco had shouted at or threatened them; she was just kind of... forceful with her tone and word choice.
Soon enough, Ruby was measured, and Coco looked both satisfied and starved.
"Alright." She tossed out lazily, in complete contrast with her earlier thrill. "You can scoot now."
"Wait, that's it?" Ruby asked, and Jay felt he could understand Ruby's confusion perfectly... because he was feeling the exact same thing.
"Aww." Coco leaned over, patting the girl's cheek and cooing as if gawking at a newborn in their stroller. "I know you're excited to see the new fits I have in store for you both, but I need to make them first." Stretching back into a casual posture, she raised one of her hands, snapping her fingers. "I'll call you both back when I'm done, but it's going to take a few days." Stretching out her jack-o-lantern grin, she teased, "you'll just have to wait."
Velvet crossed her arms, again rolling her eyes in a manner Jay never considered she ever would. Looking at them before opening up, her voice worked to push them away.
"You better get going before she "remembers" anything else." It was here her face eased up, peacefully into the eye of the storm, earning its calm whilst still circled by potential danger. "Don't worry, I won't let her call you back anymore today."
Coco slapped playfully at the faunus girl's arm. "Don't be mean." And then twirled her face back to them. "Ah well. Go on, get going." She shooed, flicking her wrists. "Before I remember where I stored my good eyeliner."
"Okay." Ruby whipped right around, grabbing his arm and dragging him back out to the front. "That's our cue to run." Shooting her free arm up, she waved goodbye. "See you girls later."
"Sure thing doll." Coco called, slipping in a little spice after. "Don't be strangers~"
Jay made sure to hold on tight to his coat, waiting until Ruby got them out into the streets again before risking putting it on; with how sudden she'd tugged, he would have dropped it otherwise. Now that they were out under the sun again, he slid it on over his shoulders, sticking his arms through and feeling the familiar warmth provide a soft shell over him. To be fair, he felt a little gross too, but he was always feeling like shit in some way, so this was nothing new.
"Sorry about that." Ruby threw, scratching her cheek and providing a splintered, uncertain smile. "I didn't think she'd be so touchy feely."
"It's alright." He didn't blame her; at this stage in the story, Ruby was still ignorant and carefree - or, as much as she can be anyways. 'Later Ruby' wouldn't tolerate Coco's more eccentric side without some visible discomfort and a voice of reason. However young Ruby was still very much a 'hero' hero, and so she'd go along with just about anything. Offering a mastered smile, and one he'd practiced time and time again, Jay changed the subject by flinging out in the open a stalwart, "is there anything else you wanted?"
The classic rhetoric had Ruby opening her mouth to speak, and then she paused, before admitting under her breath, "I don't know. I... I kind of thought this would take a little longer."
That was fair. Coco never seemed like the type to only try one thing, but considering they'd been driven off by Velvet of all people, he was under the belief that maybe the rarity of such had been a blessing in disguise. And to be honest, he couldn't say he was all that eager to march back in and deal with whatever Coco had in the backlog.
"That's fine." Besides, Jay didn't have anything in mind either, so there wasn't much reason to let Ruby overheat on the spot about what to do next. "You can always drop by to get me again if you need to." Rolling his eyes, he made sure to remind her, "Coco isn't likely to take long in picking what she wants."
Ruby's face looked to flinch, as if she just realized what exactly that sense of 'want' implied. Through this, he was able to tell that she, to some extent, knew Coco well enough to be afraid. Again, it was a little weird when looking back at the show: CFVY were almost non-existent in the series main run, with Ruby and the others only making fleeting remarks from time to time.
Again, this led credence to the idea that this Remnant differed from the one he thought he understood.
"Yeah, I guess that's true." Shrugging her shoulders, she tossed him a short wave. "Then I'll see you around."
Watching her take off in a flash felt almost comical.
.
.
Stupid stupid stupid!
Ruby wanted to punch herself in the gut, but the stupid thing probably wouldn't feel it. Groaning to herself, and now a good few blocks away from the guy and around a corner, Ruby came to a stop. She leaned on a nearby wall, one hand covering her face while the other held her in place.
What was that?! She whined internally, feeling the embarrassment towards her own spontaneous decision to nope right out of there slap her upside the head. Bending down to her knees, Ruby's hand slid alongside her and left the surface of brick to instead situate itself with its sister, aiding in the effort to hide her face from the world.
Saying she felt embarrassed was accurate, however that strange bout of self conscious doubt laid more in a mix of different emotions, rather than any solitary reason for rushing off. Ruby cringed at having run away from the guy so quickly. What did she even have to run from? Sure, she didn't have any active plans other than taking him to see Coco - which, really, was more of a trap than anything - but that didn't mean she needed to zoom out so quickly.
He probably thought she felt yucky being around him.
Which was true, but not in an understandably fair way.
Ruby didn't know what to make of it, and even as she stood and began a slow walk back to the docks towards Beacon, she struggled to piece together a justifiable reason. Okay, so there was the whole "groping incident," but she'd already gotten over that. It was an accident, and she believed that, so she wouldn't count it as a permanent stain to his record.
But that feeling...
Clenching her jaw shut, Ruby shook off the shakes it gave her. He hadn't done anything wrong during the whole visit with Coco, and he hadn't acted upset or pushy when she told him there were no more plans. If anything, he seemed chill enough, so there were no major worries about him trying anything - even if Yang believed otherwise. No no, it all came down to that uncomfortable pressure she got in her chest when she saw him.
Heck, just looking at him was enough to bring up her fighting instincts.
It was fine most of the time, just slipping into the background while Coco did her stuff. When they were alone together, though, now that was when it started to spark. And yet, that's all it ever was, a spark. The longer she remained near him, the stronger it got, but never so much as to warrant real worry.
Until just now, that was.
For a single second, Ruby felt her heart race, as if a deep, frigid shadow had crept up behind her and wrapped its icy cold claws across her shoulder. Jay hadn't even done anything either: he'd just put on his coat, and smiled. That was it, and she couldn't fathom why, right then, she'd felt so afraid to be near him.
Where was the danger?
"Hello. Remnant to Ruby." Something tapped at her noggin, and Ruby snapped back to reality to see Yang pulling a fist away. Her older sister smiled, looking at Blake who stood beside her. "See?" She then rolled her wrist. "Just takes a couple of knocks, that's all."
"Yang?" She must have been wearing a weird look, because Yang curled her brow in response. Instead of letting it settle, Ruby gave into her curiosity and asked, "why are you out here?"
Yang thumbed over to her partner. "Blake's down to pick up another one of her dirty books, and I felt like it was the perfect time to see who's supplying her with the goods."
Sighing greatly, Blake lost any and all intrigue which had previously matted her face. Shadowing her eyes with a hand, she pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly frustrated. Considering she was being tailed by Yang, this was understandable. Ruby knew perfectly well that Yang didn't care too much for reading, so really, it was plain as day her presence was born of a natural desire to weasel some partner bonding time into their schedule.
Sitting on that idea a little, Ruby wondered if she could rope Weiss into something similar; they really could use a bit more time together, if only to better understand one another.
"It's romance, Yang; not smut." Freeing her eyes once more, Blake challenged the blonde sister. "And don't say it like that. You make it sound like a dirty deal."
"Well... You're making deals involving dirty books, so I think it's a fair description." Yang crossed her arms triumphantly, grin wide and looking quite proud of herself. Blake's blank expression did little to chisel off that victory, even if her tone gave away just how much she wanted to.
"And since when do you care about what books I read?"
For once, Yang actually appeared genuinely annoyed, which apparently caught Blake off guard as her faultless mask cracked.
"Since Ruby started hiding some of them under her pillow, which followed up conveniently with her daily showers mysteriously increasing in length by ten or so minutes."
What? Ruby blinked, somewhat baffled.
Since when had Yang started timing her showers? Actually, better question: why the heck were her showers being timed in the first place? It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong? And besides, her showers wouldn't be so long if those detailed parts of Blake's filth weren't so... descriptive. They made her body feel strange, and thanks to all the dirty stuff within that filth happening in water for some reason, the shower always reminded her of those parts, and she'd have to spend an extra few minutes actively waiting for the strange heat to disappear.
Ruby wasn't stupid, nor was she as childish as her big sister liked to think. She knew about sex and... and all the other activities involved in it. She knew 'why' she was feeling strange, but not 'how' exactly she was supposed to feel. All the stuff in Blake's... "reading material" involved two or more - most of the time three or four - people, and Ruby was just one girl.
Plus, she'd never been all that interested in things like boys or relationships; her interests lie in weaponry and their function, thank you very much.
Actually, that reminded her of something.
"Hey Blake." Ruby started, drawing the pair ahead out from their uneasy silence. "Can I tag along?"
Yang groaned loudly. "Not you too." Shooting an irate eye at her partner, she complained. "See what you've done to her?"
"I-It's not that!" Ruby could tell exactly what her sister was assuming, and she chose to put a stop to it immediately. "I just want to see if any new weaponry is making waves!"
Blake furrowed a slightly perplexed look her way. "We're headed to a book shop, not a smithy; I don't think you'll find what you're looking for with me."
Now it was Ruby's turn to slip on her 'are you serious' face, but before she could act on it and tear Yang's partner a new one, that one and only sister placed a caring hand on Blake's shoulder, drawing the woman's wandering expression of befuddlement.
"There's this magazine she's really into featuring new developments in weapons engineering. Hunters send in their designs, and the highest rated are given an article explaining how it came to be, and what challenges their creators had to overcome while building them."
"A magazine. Okay… I get it." Blake was satisfied for all of seven seconds before she inevitably asked, "so… is it the technological developments specifically that win the magazine's focus, or does the uniqueness of the design count?"
Yang's response was a cool smile, and some fairly unfitting words.
"I have no idea."
.
.
"Hmm?" Tukson bore a pleasant, if slightly intrigued, look on his face. "Blake… Never thought I'd see you again so soon." Setting his arms on the counter and now visibly relaxed, Tukson laid out what was on his mind. "Did you run through your previous selection already?"
"Not quite." There were still plenty of books she hadn't even begun, but she wasn't exactly here just to take out new midnight selections. However, with the sisters having tagged along, she was forced to spend a bit more and take home some extras. On the bright side, her team's leader was currently pestering her elder sister over a new issue of that magazine she was so set on, leaving Blake to her own devices. "But with those two over there, I'm kind of stuck grabbing a few more."
"Ah." He gave a knowing nod, smiling a little easier. "So I assume they're part of your new team."
She nodded, and he squinted while eyeing around his shop. Tukson's Book Trade was a fairly quaint and cozy little setup; for a terrorist front that was. However, and unlike the rest of her previous group's setups, he wasn't all that involved in anything solid anymore. At most, he passed info to the new recruits, and helped hide them when they caught the heat of local police.
"Say." He began, returning his wandering eyes back to her. "Wasn't that Schnee girl one of yours two?"
"Weiss, and yes, she is." Blake noticed the hard line which chipped its way across his lips, but there wasn't much she could realistically do to quell any uncertainties he may have been, or rather was, feeling. The Schnee family, proprietors of the Schnee Dust Company, weren't exactly well liked by the faunus community, for a multitude of reasons. From shady dealings, including rumors of involvement with underground faunus trading rings, to general poor treatment of their faunus workers, it was a wonder there were even any faunus who openly supported and stood up for the company.
"And how does she fare?" Tukson though? He wasn't like most others. Rather than get upset and blame the group as a whole, he painted his targets on the backs of each individual he knew had been involved.
When news of a scandal spread across the globe, he looked to the names of those who were a part of it, and held them accountable in his mind. A few of his fellow soldiers, or so they would align themselves, saw the idea as far too merciful. They argued that everyone had a part to play in the trouble dug up by the few journalists with the courage to seek out truth over fame, and while that was true to an extent, there was only so far to go with blame before it became unreasonable in and of itself.
And that was where his true interests lay. Weiss Schnee, being a Schnee, was naturally criticized along with the rest of her family. While Blake herself knew it was unfair to lop all the business's underhanded interests on her shoulders, that wouldn't stop Blake from making a profile of the girl's personality.
"A little picky, but otherwise fine." Surprisingly, she meant that. Weiss had, at first, appeared every bit the entitled brat Blake was expecting her to be, but with her focus set on the importance of proper devotion to both her studies and the team's overall wellbeing, Blake had to admit defeat and accept that Weiss had a fair few decent properties. Coupled with that was her reaction to Cardin's bullying towards Velvet, and Blake was forced to confront the fact that Weiss may not have been such a bad person after all, as heretical as that may sound to a good many fellow faunus.
Did that make Weiss a saint? Heck no. For as sensible as she may have seemed, Blake could still see the odd looks she tossed towards faunus in particular, and the way she intentionally kept her distance, as if to avoid catching something. Tolerance did not equate to acceptance, and it was clear that while Weiss may not have enjoyed seeing them treated poorly, she wasn't one to mingle with what she still viewed as lesser people.
"Picky eh?" Tukson chuckled a little, shaking his head faintly and picking up his mood with a grin. "Well, give her some time and I'm sure she'll come around."
Could Weiss really "come around" given time? Blake thought so, but it wouldn't happen without some outside help. Weiss was... decent, as an individual, and while that didn't mean anything when said about ordinary people, Weiss was not an ordinary person. She was a Schnee. If Weiss could change her attitude away from distrusting faunus by proximity, then pretty much anyone could. That alone would prove there was hope for even the worst of the worst to change, and subsequently justify her feelings against the current direction of the White Fang in one fell swoop.
Still, it was too early to judge, and so Blake offered up a minor nod.
"Probably." Tossing a glance behind and seeing both Ruby and Yang still chattering over magazines, this time with the blonde leering over a new one as her little sister appeared unamused, Blake decided it was now or never. "Hey." She said in a hushed whisper. "Is there anything new going down?"
Like that, his previously playful mask began to contort, and his aura grew grim. Eyeing around his shop once again, particularly towards the entrance, he leaned down. "Yes, but it's not something you'll like."
"What's wrong?" Blake knew that look, the way his brows furrowed and his shoulders straightened out, forming a hard line in sync with his jaw as he leaned down: the White Fang had done something, and not your ordinary something. Attacks in public spaces were one thing, but those were fairly regular by now and Tukson didn't really need to catch her up to speed on them. He would, however, inform her of any plans they may have in motion that involved less… direct and immediate attention.
In the end, the problem Tukson presented her was a little less preventable.
"Here." He slipped her a small piece of paper, and on it was... a web link? "You can borrow my scroll." Tukson pointed to a door over by his left and past the main counter: the washroom, if she was remembering right. "You'll need some privacy."
Clutching the scroll close to her chest, she made her way in, and after locking the door, proceeded to type in the link. She could have very easily done it on her own scroll, but the fact Tukson handed her his said enough. Whatever he wanted her to see, she'd probably get in trouble if anyone found out.
"By the gods..." Blake covered her mouth, as if to fend off the urge to expel her breakfast, or keep from screaming. It didn't much frighten her beyond the initial shock, as she was used to these types of execution videos, but that didn't make them any easier to watch, especially when you knew just how real they were.
Featuring three grunts, a man tied to a table with his head hanging out over the end, and an old fashioned hack saw; it made for an inhumanely perfect combination. Blake didn't want to, but she watched it anyway, just as she had every other video the Fang put out into the wild; she owed the victims that much at least. Many of the others back in the group supposedly questioned why she felt the need to leave, according to Tukson at least, and so many times she just wanted to pop back in for a single day and force those people to watch what their comrades were up to in the background.
Even if she knew a few would simply cheer.
That was the worst part about the White Fang: there were some decent people inside who had just been caught up in the wrong crowd, but an equal amount of those people were the wrong crowd. Rage and hate went together like bread and butter; a mix so masterfully perfect you'd swear they were made exclusively for each other. Blake hated the inequality of the world, she hated it with all her heart, but it was acts like these which reeled her back in and showed what would become of that hatred should she let it consume her.
She wanted justice, not revenge.
Truthfully speaking, Blake couldn't exactly claim to be surprised by the Fang's newest victim all that much, not when he was so infamous for his political policies. Raed Onixis had constantly been pushing for more and more restriction of Vale's faunus population and their rights in both the workplace and social spaces, so it was a wonder it took the White Fang this long to try anything.
Well, they tried something alright, and while Blake couldn't exactly claim to mourn for the man, even when the sight of her old companions' barbarism remained a testament to the necessity of her departure. Someone had to stand up for equality, and while none may look up to the murderers tainting her old alliance, they would look up to a huntress who showed her conviction. There was more than one path to the future, and part of growing in both age and as people involved being able to know what splits at the crossroads to take.
Blake could only hope she'd chosen the right one.
Author's note
...
Here we go again.
This time we got Coco showing her stuff, and a side to Velvet not often seeing the light of day. Bunny girl sass aside, we got a more reserved chapter here, before things inevitably pick up again.
Ruby also made for a decent change of pace.
Both Yang and Blake also make an appearance, with the latter having to, yet again, learn her previous group is up to no good. Probably not great for her head, but what can you do?
Not much to say for reviews this time. We've got one with a bit of something, but all it does is say Josh is dumb if he thinks the only thing alcohol changes is how someone acts. That's true in a literal sense, but I feel like this reader missed the core of what Josh was trying to get across. Now whether Miltia can decipher the actual warning remains to be seen.
"It's fuking garbage" wins, by the way. This is my new favorite review, solely for the spelling mistake alone.
Until next time.