Blake POV
The morning rays flooded my dorm room; feeling the warmth as the sun kissed my eyes, followed by the gentle breeze brushing my skin as I woke up to a new day. The skies drained of the darkness and filled with an ocean blue with the sun rising above the horizon painting it with an amber hue.
My teammates were still soundly asleep, undeterred from my awakening. My mind is still filled with what happened at the White Fang rally and Torchwick who has shaken the core belief of what the White Fang stood for. I had to narrow down this investigation as to why. The number of questions skyrocketed since our second encounter with Torchwick, and I was lucky that he piloted a faulty paladin.
I had no time to spare in this endeavor, there had to have been a logical explanation for this. I spent the majority of my morning in the library computer lab, researching patterns on news stories on previous White Fang, Schnee Company shipments the past few weeks, Atlas tech, or anything that can get a lead as to what could. Still, my mind rejected what (Y/N) said when he listened, I refused to believe they would cause a war on Vale. There is no reason, especially with faunus living within its walls.
The days passed and the hours grew long as I stayed up over weeks for this, prioritizing whatever I could scrap together as evidence for their possible plan. My veins ran on caffeine as I scratched my head around this case, giving myself occasional breaks to refill my cup or eat a quick meal. My team was supportive in this case, sending me occasional information like Schnee shipments and recent missing tech that I've already gathered but appreciated nonetheless.
My team was in the library supposedly studying for the weekend, but I'm almost certain they made that an excuse to play their board game again. I was busy reading an article on the most recent introduction of Atlas' military sentries that are almost ready to be deployed in Vale for the Vytal Festival. That was until an unknowing person who lacked peripheral vision in a large hallway bumped heads with me around the corner.
(Y/N): "Oof! Seriously? Watch where you are– oh it's you..." I was less than pleased with what he had to say, swiping my scroll off the ground. "Huh... didn't think you had an interest in Atlas tech as well."
Blake: "Why does that matter to you?"
(Y/N): "I heard the White Fang were rather interested in them, but they had no real use for hard-programmed droids. I don't know much, but that's the word on the street recently." My eyes widened at the news (Y/N) shared, hungry for more information I had to press him on the topic.
Blake: "Who did you hear this from?" For a moment, I saw the corner of his lip curve for a second.
(Y/N): "I don't know much, but I have some reliable sources that they were interested in stealing them."
Blake: "Did they say when?"
(Y/N): "I told you, I don't know much. I'd have to ask my sister for more detail on this information."
Blake: "Can you let me know?"
(Y/N): "I could. However, you should know my sister doesn't work for free and I'm not going to be on her bad side saying I'm doing it just because."
I knew it wasn't going to be easy, especially from someone as greedy as him. However, if it meant that it would expedite my case, then it wouldn't hurt to ask what the price is for some small information.
Blake: "How much for a bit of information?"
(Y/N): "Oh, I don't need money. I need you to do a favor for me. Let's say, each favor you do for me... I will give you five pages worth of information about what you need."
Blake: "What is this favor you need?"
(Y/N): "It's rather simple. I need you to put on some nice clothes and meet me at a designated location that I will send you."
Blake: "Sorry, what?" (Y/N) rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh, his blood pressure must have risen with that face he had given me.
(Y/N): "Wear something nice. I will debrief you on what you need to do if you decide to show up."
He left without another word. My mind rattled with even more questions.
'Is he asking me out on a date?'
The following day arrived instantly, with my morning alarm being from (Y/N) when he notified me of the location upon the warm clear day. It was also a reminder that I had no nice clothing to speak of, having to make a detour for a retail store, I swiped together something that at least looked to be not half-bad and ended with a gray dongtan outfit that was a little over my size with some black dress shoes.
The place he informed me about wasn't what I imagined. I was giving him too much credit for doing something as bold as asking me directly for something out of his mind. The outer edges of Vale are a sight for sore eyes, with crumbling buildings and small businesses hardly holding up with their flickering neon lights and graffitied windows and walls. Few people were out and about the place, with seedy characters in dirtied tees and unshaved faces. The place was crawling with equally looking homeless, with their legs sprawled open sitting on cardboard with donation cups placed in front of them. I kept my attention ahead of me and actively looked for (Y/N) all while sparing no attention to the people staring me down.
Eventually, I found (Y/N) hanging about at the end of the block I was walking down. He wore a white hoodie with a blueish design that led up to the hood itself and wearing black dress pants and shoes. He was too distracted listening to music through his earbuds while focusing on his scroll. It didn't take long for him to notice my presence when I strolled up to him, his full attention on me. His eyes spared me a strange look.
(Y/N): "Not what I imagined, but it will do." He signaled to his left with his leg, kicking a pair of large duffel bags "Let's go."
(Y/N) picked up a bag and left the other for me, picking it up reluctantly. The first thing I noted was that it was remarkably heavy and stuffed, feeling whatever was in the case hardly shifting around as I followed behind him.
(Y/N): "Here is the brief. I need you to act as an escort on my behalf. They will take you to a private area with the others."
Blake: "Did I hear that right? I am working as your escort. Count me out." I couldn't believe what I was hearing, thinking what he said yesterday was absurd.
(Y/N): "Don't take this the wrong way. You won't be doing anything obscene. If you need help, there is a device in the side pocket that will send me running to you if you get into trouble, but I prefer you stay out of it. You are the key to entry for this mission and you don't have to do anything as much as lift a finger against anyone if you can help it. In the meantime, we have a little time to spare. So ignore everything and follow close." He began walking, taking long strides with each step as I tried to keep up with him.
Blake: "What am I getting involved in?"
(Y/N): "There is some information involving weapon distributions in an illegal ring. I have some information about it, but not enough to justify busting down their doors. Besides that, I've interacted with them a little, and knowing them, they don't do such things unless it is somewhat safe and profitable. If you can, close your ears to everything. It's for the best for a rich girl like you."
Blake: "I doubt anything will phase me at this point."
(Y/N): "If you say so..."
We continued our path on the littered and trashed outer ring streets. The more I looked around, the more my pity grew for the humans and faunus alike, living in the toxic environment. Dirty children huddled around a flaming barrel and putting their hands up for warmth, people sleeping in the middle of the day on mostly cardboard or lucky to have a blanket with a plastic tarp held up by metal sign poles that have been out of commission with the road being cracked and . Many were surrounded by several empty bottles of either alcohol or processed beverages and empty food tins, holding out a metal pan to extract a scrap of sympathy from us. (Y/N) did no such thing, keeping his eyes forward as he muttered a few lyrics from the song he listened to.
(Y/N): "Renegade. Heavy fog sends shivers up my spine."
If I knew the journey's length, I would have brought music of my own to pass the tedious task of looking away from everyone that I pass who got on their knees for a few coins. One looked to be completely out of hope when he jumped in front of us. His hair looked like a pile of hay with visible bald spots, his neck red with rashes, his eyes looked discolored with yellowish toned sclera, and his voice coarse and smelled of alcohol.
(Y/N): "Get out of the way!"
Desperate Man: "Please, I've had nothing to eat for days. My son... he is sick. You used to be a doctor around these parts, right? Please help me."
(Y/N): "Maybe if you had stopped an thought that buying alcohol isn't what you needed in the first place, you wouldn't have to resort to this."
Desperate Man: "Please... I'll do anything for my son!" My pity was about to give in when I began to reach for my wallet for the man. (Y/N) shot me a quick glance, shaking his head.
(Y/N): "I'm busy right now. But if you are that desperate, follow me."
Desperate Man: "Thank you... thank you."
(Y/N): "Stay in front of me at all times, or you won't get an ounce of charity from either of us."
The desperate man agreed to be our follower, walking along with us on our mission. There was a slight temptation from me to ask of him, however that seemed to have answered itself when we turned a dark corridor filled with discarded junk piles and trash scattered about for the rats to feast on. There was an indescribable feeling that I felt as I trudged along the unfamiliar slums of the back entrances of broken down apartments with the air conditioners spilling out cold fumes.
(Y/N): "I have an apprentice down the streets and to the left. There will be a staircase leading down to a bared door. He will prescribe you with the necessary medication that your son needs."
Desperate Man: "Thank you. I won't forget your kindness." He said with a grin, rushing down the direction that (Y/N) directed him toward with great haste.
Blake: "You were a doctor around these parts?"
(Y/N): "Once... more a pharmaceutical than a life saving doctor."
A blood curdling cry can be heard in the direction of where the man disappeared to. Almost out of instinct, I felt the urge to rush after what could have been the man who was in danger. I was halted however when I felt a firm grasp upon my arm, seeing (Y/N) wearing a stern face.
(Y/N): "Don't."
Blake: "He needs help. I can't leave him or whoever to die." I ignored any further explanations that (Y/N) had, dashing recklessly into the dark unknown in the hopes of finding him.
Upon turning the corner, I discovered the source of the cries. The man we had met was being beaten down by a group of thugs with crudely made weapons from wood planks, scrap iron hammered into a hook, and makeshift knuckle dusters made with cloth and broken chains. The man was in a poor state, his face full of bruises and swells all over.
Desperate Man: "Help me—" His pleading was met with a singular strike to the head from the knuckle duster user, seeing his head split open, skull fragments popping out; leaving an exposed brain to the contaminated air.
Duster: "Idiot."
I had no words for the three scums like him, but my head teetered on the precipice of striking them with the intent of making them regret their actions. In the attempts of drawing my weapon, my head went light headed, my surroundings feeling colder with my consciousness faded in and out of focus. My balance failed me, crashing front first into the ground with my last image being a detached air conditioner with a large dent in its side.