The Bird and the Garden 2: Restart!

Chapter 15: Forbidden Knowledge

"With Vao," Sasha answered without thinking. She immediately shut her mouth, wishing she had just stayed quiet. Raven growled, shaking Vao again.

"I bet you were getting drunk at that bar again, weren't you!?"

"H-how did you know!?"

Raven began berating Vao for forgetting her Semblance again, scolding him harshly for slacking off and causing chaos at the dance. Y/N just sighed, grateful the woman hadn't walked in on Vao communicating with a mafia. For once, his crippling alcohol dependency saved them all. Tai and Tyrian watched in silent horror as Raven ripped into Vao, for ten minutes straight, finally dropping him to the ground and storming off angrily back into the school.

"Dude... Are you okay?" Sasha asked worriedly. But Vao just laughed and waved her off.

"Oh, this happens all the bloody time! Last time I did something bad at Signal, she chased me seventeen miles down the road in her car screaming that she was going to beat my arse!"

"... What in the name of Dust kind of childhood did you have?" Weiss asked. Y/N snickered.

"He deserved most of it. I mean, look at him!" He pointed at Vao, who wasn't paying attention. He was standing up, adjusting his prosthetic before looking back up at the school and walking away. Team FRSB followed him, waving goodbye to their teachers as they entered the building.

The hallways were mostly empty, aside from the occasional students passing by, deep in conversation. Vao kept checking his scroll, squinting at it before shoving it back in his pocket. As Y/N followed him, he gasped when Vao walked into the library.

"Brother, you're going to read books!? I'm so proud of you!" He joked. Vao laughed sarcastically.

"Oh, piss off you absolute bellend. It's not for me, it's for Verde."

Y/N snickered. "Alright, so what boom are we getting?"

"Something from the restricted section."

Weiss's head snapped up, a scowl forming on her face. "Isn't that highly forbidden!?"

Vao nodded. "Uh huh. She's looking for a specific one that wouldn't be available to students. Which is why we're going to break in."

Y/N wasn't laughing anymore. "Vao, we'll get expelled if we're caught!" He whispered angrily. Vao shrugged.

"Then... Don't get caught?"

Sasha brought her hand to her face, sighing in frustration. "Easy for you to say. You can teleport whenever you want..."

"Sasha, I doubt anyone is going to fuck with the chick who stands at almost seven feet tall, is built out of solid muscle, outweighs her entire team put together, and crushes beer cans with her abs. Cmon, mate. Use your head."

"I don't want to hear about using my head from you."

Vao ignored her, leading them to the very back of the library, out of sight from the librarian. Ahead of them was a thick iron door, blocking their path. Y/N stared at the padlock, hope flickering in his heart.

"Oh, it's locked. Guess we have to turn back. We tried," he muttered. But Vao reached into his long hair, pulling out a paperclip. Why he had a paperclip in his hair and not his pocket was beyond anyone. Vao's logic made about as much sense as an elephant taking driving lessons. The femboy bent it straight, sliding the end into the key slot and wiggling it around. Weiss sighed.

"That's not going to work. The restricted section won't open that easil-"

Click.

Vao pushed the door open, a smug grin on his face. "Oh wow, Snow Angel. Looks like it opened pretty easily."