I've been a bit ill for the last two days, so hopefully this didn't suffer much. I feel like it did a little since even College Fool pointed out that there were a weird amount of spelling and punctuation mistakes, which I am normally fairly good at avoiding.
Ugh... I hate being sick. I don't stop working during it, but I sure as hell do feel nasty. Blocked nose, sore throat, always tired, the usual nonsense. I don't count it as being actually sick unless I'm vomiting or at risk of passing out though, so it's okay.
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Kegi Springfield
Chapter 27 - The Sheep with Eight Legs
"I want it on record that I think this is a bad idea."
"Weiss, you've said that so many times it wouldn't be a record, it would be an album." Yang ran a hand through her hair, which was a little wilder than usual.
"Well that just shows how serious I am, doesn't it?"
"What, that you're serious about whining?"
Blake rounded on them with eyes narrowed behind her White Fang mask. "Guys, can you take this a little more seriously, please? I'm not sure if you're aware, but we're walking down the street dressed as White Fang. We don't need to be seen right now."
There wasn't much chance of that, what with this being a rundown and almost abandoned part of Vale. He hadn't been here long enough to know such places existed, and had honestly thought Vale was as busy all over as it was on the main streets. There was a certain something missing here. The houses looked rundown, the streets dirty and unclean, and what few people there were looked their way only long enough to increase their pace and move away.
"Lovely area," Remy groused. "The people are so friendly too. It really is a great example of life in the city."
"Be nice, Remy. I'm sure they have their reasons."
"Yeah, probably that you're all a bunch of faunus supremacists at the moment. You know, if you wanted to crush humanity and bring equality to the world, we could have done that without leaving home."
"I don't want to destroy the world," he thought. "Also, equality... really, Remy?"
"Grimm don't judge. Not like humans. We treat everyone equal."
"In that you kill everyone."
"Regardless of race, culture, or additional body parts." Remy somehow managed to sound proud as he said that, which was odd given how much he harped on about humans being worthless. Wasn't that the token definition of racism? "Also, how do you all expect this to work? There's no way they won't have something to check if you're a faunus or not. You can't just pretend to be a Grimm by wearing a mask, so I doubt this'll work either."
Yeah, he'd been thinking the same. It was only the quiet – if strained – confidence Blake displayed that kept him from voicing his fears. If she thought it would work, it probably would. She knew these people better than he did. Honestly, he didn't want to be here at all. This was a bad idea, both in terms of the danger and the eventual promise of running into Torchwick again. On that, he agreed with Weiss. He just wished she wouldn't be quite so eager to chase after the White Fang as well. Between her and Blake, the two teams were pretty much stuck.
It didn't help that Ruby wanted to do the right thing, even if that meant diving into a volcano – and Pyrrha was so ridiculously nice that she'd probably hop straight in after her.
Why am I the only sane one on my team?
"Stop playing with your hair, Yang," Blake snapped. "It took forty minutes to get it looking like that."
"Like I have a thousand split ends? Gee, thanks." Yang growled and crossed her arms, but everyone could see her distinct twitch.
"Yang loves her hair," Ruby whispered to him and Pyrrha. "She spends a lot of time on it, so this probably hurts."
Pyrrha nodded. "I see."
Jaune did too, but mostly because of his sisters. They all loved their hair as well, or most of them did. Sapphire's braid was off-limits, while Hazel and Jade took meticulous care of their own – especially the dyed portions. Yang's wasn't all that bad really. It didn't quite look like split ends, and more like she hadn't brushed it in a thousand years. Bits stuck up randomly, while the edges had a whole range of tufts and raised areas. There had to be at least a full can of hair spray keeping all that mass stood up. Her hair probably weighed a tonne, and that was without the stiff feathers that were woven into it in places.
"I think it looks pretty good," he said. "I like your hair normally as well, but this looks a little wilder, almost like it's more primal or raw. It suits you."
He'd just gone with whatever words he thought might calm her down, but her eyes widened and she took a step away from him. She also glanced towards Ruby, and went red-faced. "Well, I suppose it's not too bad. It's just... why couldn't I wear animal ears or something? Why did you have to mess with my hair?"
Weiss growled something about hypocrites under her breath. Jaune patted her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. One couldn't even really say good things about Weiss' green hair. It didn't suit her at all.
Blake sighed. "You can't wear fake ears because a real faunus would notice. I've told you this how many times? There are a lot of things about animal parts, and replicas don't emulate those. You wouldn't even be able to make them move."
"Yeah, but of all the things you could have made me..." Yang sighed. "Why the hell am I a canary faunus!?"
"Yellow hair."
"People have yellow hair, Blake! I could have been anything else with blonde hair, rather than a god damned canary."
"What's the problem? It's just a bird."
"It's a crappy bird. It's not a predator or a hunter. It's a stupid little thing people take into dust mines to get killed. Why can't I be a phoenix or something?"
"Because those aren't real? Maybe the mines could be your angle," Ren offered. "You want to join the White Fang because of how your people are marginalised due to their canary heritage and the poor working conditions of the Schnee Dust Mines."
"Hey!" Weiss snapped. "Despite what you may have heard, the SDC does have health and safety regulations. We don't purposefully try to get people killed down there! Most die from related diseases rather than accidents, and we offer free treatment!"
"Shame about the low wages..." Blake drawled.
"That kind of treatment costs money!"
"Then it's not free, is it?"
"Okay, okay, calm down..." Ren walked between the two. "Weiss, please calm down. You're not meant to be aggressive. We're trying to make you harder to recognise because you're shy and don't talk much. Blake, Weiss isn't the SDC. Don't criticise her for things she couldn't possibly be responsible for."
Both girls huffed and looked away. Weiss came back over to the three of them, their team forming on the one side, while Nora laughed and dragged Blake away to stand with her. The little bell on the faunus' collar tinkled and chimed the entire way.
At least Ren was there to help break up any immediate fights.
"For a species that is apparently on the brink of extinction, it sure is incredible how much humans argue and fight with one another. You'd think the threat we pose would unite them."
As much as Jaune wanted to argue against that, he couldn't. Remy was absolutely right. Uncle Watts had spent a lot of time trying to teach him about human psychology and how to manipulate them. He hadn't taken it all on board as well as his sisters, but he definitely remembered his Uncle warning him about being perceived as too powerful. After all, he would say, people have a habit of banding together when their backs are pushed to the wall.
And yet, hadn't humanity's back been against that wall for generations now? Even if he was firmly in favour of peace, even he had to admit a certain amount of irritation – not towards Weiss or Blake, but towards those who started and perpetuated all of this.
"You can't blame those two for this, Remy. They're products of the world they're born in."
"Who is to blame, then? You can't have it all your way. Either humanity is at fault, or there are specific parties at fault. If so, who?"
"W-Well, the White Fang...?"
"You don't sound so certain of that. Besides, isn't the poor treatment of faunus the cause of their actions?"
"That's just an excuse, surely. If they really cared about equality, they'd spend their time helping faunus – not harming humans. All they really want is revenge."
"And yet that doesn't absolve the other people, Jaune. The White Fang's numbers would dwindle if there was no ill treatment to drive more people towards them." Remy huffed. "I very much doubt people want to risk their lives in illegal raids. People join because they are desperate, disillusioned, or angry. Who is to blame for that?"
He didn't know. The realisation bothered him. How could he think of bringing about peace between humanity and the Grimm if he couldn't even get humans to make peace with each other? Come to think of it, have I even taken any real steps in bringing peace at all? I've just been messing around in Beacon... That and trying to fit in and not reveal his secret, which had been harder than he'd first expected.
"I'll find out who's responsible, then," he decided. "I'll admit that I've not done a great job so far, but there has to be a way to unite the people."
"Yeah, and then they'll use that united force to storm your mother's tower and slaughter your family."
Jaune's teeth ground together. "I won't let them!"
"It's one or the other, Jaune." Remy said. "I'm your advisor. I'm on your side. I'm just warning you to be aware of the possibility. I wasn't lying when I said Grimm are the only real species that doesn't judge. So long as two humans exist on this world, one will desire something the other has. It is the nature of humans to covet. If you take that away from them, they'll point it in another direction."
Then he would fix that too. It wouldn't be easy... he held no misconceptions about that. Then again, Dad always said that nothing worth having in life was easily obtained. There has to be a better solution than humanity being stuck in tiny settlements as Grimm roam the world and slaughter them. This doesn't benefit either party. Grimm are hunted down and killed in their thousands, while humanity make bigger and bigger weapons and use them on the Grimm and each other.
That couldn't be the only way...
Jaune's thoughts were interrupted as Blake whispered that they'd reached their destination. The others stopped talking too, each of them watching the building with interest. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but this wasn't quite it. Mom always had her tower for things like this. Are these guys really a criminal organisation?
The building was rundown. It looked like an old granary which had been converted into a house, and later converted into a blight on the surrounding area. What bits of wall weren't wet with damp and moss were instead pitted with stones. Windows were smashed and some were boarded over, maybe a desperate attempt by the locals to cover it up. It didn't look inspiring, and definitely didn't do much to make him long for the life of a White Fang member.
"This is it?" Weiss asked. "It's a dump."
Blake hummed. "This is where we were told to meet. Did you expect better? The entire area is rundown, and the last place we met was some kind of pub. The White Fang take what is available. It doesn't need to be attractive."
"Does it not need to be structurally sound either? This is an accident waiting to happen. Don't tell me this is my family's fault as well. We don't enforce poor architectural choices on neighbouring kingdoms."
"Weiss," Jaune whispered.
"What? She's allowed to insult my family but I can't question this... this ruin!?"
Ruby laughed nervously, "Actually, I think Jaune's saying to be quiet because of all the people watching us..."
Weiss stiffened and glanced around, suddenly aware of the fact that were no longer alone, and worse, the people here were dressed as White Fang. They shuffled awkwardly nearby, as though they weren't sure what to do or say.
"These are just more applicants," Blake whispered, her voice only loud enough for them to hear. "We'll need to stick to our roles with the others. If in doubt, just stay quiet. Weiss, your manner of speech is too recognisable. Try not to speak at all."
The heiress looked like she might argue with that, but a quick glance to him and the rest of their team had her mouth clicking shut. This was the real thing. They couldn't afford to be silly or take any risks.
"Except that you kind of can since none of these guys could hold a candle to even one of you."
"True, but we need to find out where the real White Fang base is. That's not going to work if we lose our cover here."
"Isn't that what you want, though? You'd be out of danger if this failed..."
That was an interesting thought, as much as it shamed him to think of it. His goal wasn't to bring down the White Fang. It was to become a huntsman and try to find a way to bridge the gap between humanity and the Grimm. This was Blake and Weiss' personal mission. He glanced to them, and wondered if he could sabotage this without any of them noticing. If he tried and they did, it might lead to suspicion...
A uniformed woman came out and ushered them into the building before he could think anymore on it. The interior was as bad – if not worse – than the exterior, and the moss and mildew that coated the wooden walls hardly helped. Eventually, they were brought to a large, open room, where a man in a mask stood on a raised platform. "Greetings, my friends. Thank you for coming here today. I'm impressed. There are a lot more of you than I expected. Perhaps Vale has its share of brave and honourable souls after all."
This was more than he'd expected? Even with the eight of us, there couldn't have been more than twenty people in attendance, which hardly seemed enough to rob a store, let alone inconvenience an entire species. It also made life harder for them, since their group counted for almost half of the people there. Not exactly inconspicuous.
"Hey, it's that guy!" Nora yelled. "I remember you."
The man looked their way and smiled. "And I remember you. I believe you ranked me an eight. Have I gone up in your eyes?"
"Nope."
The man stumbled.
"This guy's though," Nora added, grabbing Ren's arm. She dragged him in front of her and grinned. "He's the ten out of ten."
"Nora..." Ren hissed.
"Really, him? I don't know, my dear. I'd rate myself higher."
"Aw, it's cute how wrong you are. Renny isn't a ten out of ten. He's the ten."
Jaune looked to Blake for an explanation, but the faunus had one hand over her face and was breathing through her fingers. The rest of the group just stood and stared awkwardly. Weiss rolled her eyes and seemed content to ignore it all.
"Either way, I see you've brought quite a lot of people," the man said. "Eight candidates between the two of you, I'm impressed."
"My friends are really eager."
"They must be..." The eyes behind the mask narrowed. "What kind of faunus is he, exactly? I don't see any distinguishing features..."
"Really, you don't see his eyes?"
"Pink is an unusual colour, but I'm struggling to think of an animal it might represent."
"Not the colour," Nora laughed. "Look at the energy in them. Look at the emotion, the raw, unbridled passion and action."
The man tilted his head. "I see... none. I see no energy at all."
"Exactly! He's a sloth faunus."
Everyone's faces became blank. Jaune stared at Ren as he stared into the sky, and as Blake stared into the palm of her hand. The White Fang officer simply stared at Ren and Nora. There was no way he was going to believe that.
"Huh, that makes sense." He slammed a fist into his other hand. "I've never met a sloth faunus before, but he certainly looks relaxed enough to be one. It's incredible. He exudes an aura of pure calm and disinterest."
"Yep, and he can make a sloth call too!"
"Nora, I-"
"Really, what does it sound like?"
Ren groaned. He looked to Nora with a raised eyebrow, and then back to the expectant terrorist and those surrounding them. With a sigh, he opened his mouth and let out a short warbling, clicking sound.
Jaune hadn't ever seen a sloth himself, but he felt fairly certain that wasn't what one sounded like.
"Interesting... that's not what I would have expected."
"I know, right? I always thought it would sound like 'Boop'!"
The man didn't look like he agreed, but also had no idea how he was supposed to argue with that. Ultimately, he shrugged and looked past her to the rest of them. "I'm glad to see so many people eager to take up the cause of equality. I hope you're as enthusiastic as your friend here. Although I'll say again, it's not like I can just tell you our secret plans and where to go and take part!"
"But I want to know so badly," Nora whined.
Blatant, blunt honesty... Jaune wasn't sure if Nora was being a reckless idiot, or a genius, but no one seemed put off by her literally saying she wanted their secrets in front of them. Blake hadn't been kidding when she said this was the amateur branch of the White Fang.
"I know, my dear. I know. I want to take the battle to the enemy as well, but we must be careful. Our enemies are many and there could be spies among us even now."
Nora gasped. "Spies!?"
"I don't believe this," Weiss growled.
"Then you ought to, my green-haired angel," the man said, pushing towards her. He smiled charismatically and placed a hand under her chin. "There are ever those who would like to see justice and heroism quashed. Worry not, however... I'll protect you with my life."
Weiss' eyebrow twitched. "E-Excuse me?"
"Speechless? I understand. I have that effect on women. I just want you to know that if you're ever in danger, you can come running to me."
"I-I believe I will be fine," Weiss said. Her eyes were wide, but Jaune could also make out the way her teeth were held tightly together. What might have looked like a smile was much closer to a restrained desire to stab the guy in front of her. She took back, and bumped into Jaune's chest. Her eyes lit up. "In fact, if I were in any danger, I'd only have to ask my boyfriend here for his support. He would be more than capable of helping me, right darling?"
Boyfriend, him!? Jaune looked down at Weiss' pleading eyes and held back a sigh. If his Mom heard of this, he was doomed. Still, he wrapped both arms around her waist in a manner he'd seen his father do to his mother. His chin rested atop Weiss' hair. "A-Absolutely..."
She dug an elbow into his stomach.
"My love," he amended. "I'd do anything for you..."
"You are a couple? I apologise. I didn't know." The man backed away. His eyes flickered to Jaune's, but soon narrowed. "And you, good sir. Forgive me for asking, but you are a faunus, no?"
His arms tightened around Weiss. "Of course."
"What kind...?"
"Well, I'm a... I'm an Octopus faunus..."
"Octopus..?"
Someone else in the crowd perked up. "Does he have tentacles?"
"Is he related to Hentacle?"
"Where are they? Can we see them!?"
"Where else could they be?" Someone added, and pointed at his pants. "We should check just to be sure. I mean, it's for science, right?"
The White Fang officer opened his mouth to try and regain control of the situation, but it seemed curiosity got the better of him, for he too looked down to Jaune's crotch.
Jaune winced. Uh-oh... Nora had told him it would be a good idea, but it looked like they might actually ask for evidence. Surely not..? Surely, they wouldn't? Wide eyed, he looked around for help, but some of the women nearby had already closed in, their eyes shining. What was up with these people and tentacles!? In the end, it was Weiss who came to his defence.
"That's my boyfriend you are all propositioning," she snapped. "Do you intend to molest him in front of my eyes? I won't stand for that!"
"Y-Yes," the man joined, eager for the interruption. "Please, if everyone could respect the couple's privacy and back away. There's no need for such a blatant intrusion into their personal affairs."
"Even if it sounds really kinky?"
"Especially if it sounds kinky!" he yelled, cheeks red. "What they do in their private time – and how they do it – is no concern of ours! And you, my lady, what kind of faunus are you?"
Weiss tossed her head arrogantly. "I'm a-"
"Peacock," Jaune answered for her. Yang sniggered. "She's a peacock faunus."
"I can believe that," the man nodded, not noticing Weiss' angry glare. The original plan had called for her to be a mouse or shrew faunus, but that was to play around her being shy or quiet. Since she'd been anything but, he'd figured this would work better. "That would explain your beautifully unusual hair as well. You're a lucky man."
Jaune chuckled nervously and tried not to cry out as Weiss ground her heel into his foot. Yes. Lucky indeed...
"Moving on with this, how about the rest of you introduce yourselves briefly? Names are not necessary, and might be better left – but in the interests of avoiding any spies, it might help if everyone mentioned their faunus characteristics and why they believe they would be an asset to the White Fang's cause."
That seemed to break the ice, and some of the other people nearby started to chip in. There was a dog faunus who could track people by scent, and also a hawk faunus with powerful eyesight that might have worked as a lookout. As the introductions went on, Jaune allowed himself to relax just a little. It looked like the worst of the suspicion had passed. "Thanks for the save, Weiss," he whispered. "I thought I was in trouble for a second."
His partner huffed and tilted her head so she could look up at him. She didn't complain about being in his arms, likely because she realised they needed to stick to the roles they'd claimed. She did adjust his hands on her waist a little, pulling them higher so they were over her stomach. "Somebody had to do something," she said, voice low. "We don't need this to turn into a bloodbath."
"What about what Blake said, though? I thought you were going to play shy and quiet."
"I am anything but shy."
Well, he couldn't argue with that. In terms of raw confidence, Weiss probably came in alongside Yang – although in different ways. Then again, Nora took the prize on that front, though with her it was up in the air whether it was confidence or brazen madness.
"Really though... an octopus faunus?"
"I don't know. Nora said it was a good idea."
"That should have been the first indication it was anything but!"
Jaune opened his mouth to argue and then closed it again. Huh, come to think of it, she was right. What had he been thinking?
"W-Well I'm not the one who claimed we're dating."
Weiss' fingers, or more precisely her nails, dug into the back of his hand. Her smile took on a dangerous edge, like she might cut his throat with it. "What was that, darling? Did you say something, darling? Would you like me to lodge something sharp in your gut, darling?"
"N-Nothing, dear," he whimpered.
"I thought so..." Her saccharine tone died and she hissed under her breath. "If you tell anyone about what happened here tonight..."
"I-I won't. I swear!"
She raised an eyebrow.
"My love..?"
It was the wrong thing to say apparently, for her lips peeled back and it looked like she might bite him then and there. Luckily, he was saved by the gazes of every other person at the meeting turning their way. The man had apparently worked his way through the other applicants and now come to them
"And we know about most of you, of course. For why you should be a part of the White Fang, I believe our dear lady's cunning intellect and leadership qualities speak for herself."
"Oh, you!" Nora giggled.
Ren slapped a hand into his forehead.
"As for your associate," he added with a meaningful look towards Blake. "We always have room for more hands. It may not be the most glamorous of work, but even the lowest are valuable to the cause."
Blake's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What about the last members of your party, however?"
"He comes with me wherever I go," Nora said, hugging Ren close. "We're a two for one deal. Or a buy one get one free, one or the other. He's super calm and smart – not to mention he makes the best pancakes ever."
One of the nearby women was suddenly much more interested. "He can cook? Is he single?"
"Ha ha, you're so funny!" Nora slammed her fist into – and through – a piece of wall nearby. Those nearby backed away warily. "He's an awesome cook. That's all he is and will be."
"We could use some culinary expertise around here," the man agreed. "Well, I can't see why he should be refused. So long as he's willing to put the effort in, that is. I understand it might be cruel to ask a sloth to work, but we can't achieve our dream without hard work and dedication. Can you manage that, my man?"
Ren sighed. "Sure... why not."
"Excellent! What about the others?"
Yang stepped forward and grinned. "Yo, I'm a badass fighter. Worked on the local militia for a while back home, but moved to Vale with my sister when things got tough." She grabbed Ruby and brought her before them. "We both have our auras unlocked and are willing to fight. Right, sis?"
"Uh. Y-Yeah!"
"She's socially awkward," Yang stage whispered. The man nodded his head understandingly. "But we're totally cool to fight, and we're strong. Is that enough?"
"What kind of faunus are you?"
"Bird faunus..."
"Bird?" He looked unimpressed.
Ruby came to the rescue. "I'm a hummingbird faunus," she said. She zipped left and right using her Semblance for good measure. The man yelped, but quickly calmed down and soon looked half impressed, half curious.
"I see... instead of outward features like your sister's feathers, you have the internal muscles of a hummingbird. Incredible. How does your body even cope with the energy demands!?"
"You wouldn't believe how many cookies she eats," Yang said. "The worst part is, no matter how much she eats, she never puts any weight on. It's just unfair."
"You're making me sound greedy. I don't eat that much!"
"Sis, you had eight cookies with breakfast..."
"Eight isn't a lot!"
Yang rolled her eyes. "See my point? Anyway, I'm a-"
"Canary, right?" The man grinned. "Yeah, I can see it. It's brave of you to be willing to fight like this. I know you must be afraid, what with how things are for you, but I just want you to know the Fang is a family. We'll look after you... even if you're a canary."
"Y-Yeah. Thanks." Yang's smile was brittle and filled with teeth. The guy probably had no idea how close to death he'd come.
"I have to say, I really like your hair too. Do the feathers match all over?"
"All over...?" It took Yang a few seconds to realise what that meant, and for once it looked like Ruby got it first, for she yelped and darted behind Jaune. When Yang did realise, her mouth fell open. "What, you, I... what!?"
It looked like she'd shut down, so Jaune decided to do as Weiss had to him and offer his support. "Isn't that a bit of a personal question?" he asked. "I mean, that's not any of your business, is it?"
"Well, I admit I was just a little curious..."
"Be curious elsewhere," Yang said. She sidled up to Jaune and grabbed his arm. "I'm taken."
"But... isn't he with the other one...?"
"Tentacles," someone whispered. "An octopus does have eight."
"Even if his arms and legs count, that's still four extra. You think they...?"
"Oh yeah, I mean, how else could one guy have so many? It's the closest to Hentacle you can get."
Yang's neck turned steadily redder, and it hardly helped that Weiss was glaring at her. Behind him, he could feel Ruby press her face to his back. This was hardly fair! Since when had he become the default person to use as a human shield? It wasn't like Ren-
Oh wait, never mind. It looked like the guy had tried to turn his charms on Blake, and she'd quickly positioned herself behind Ren and Nora. Ren looked far more resigned than Jaune felt, but maybe he'd become used to it all. That or he was just resigned. People were whispering about him too, and quite a few looked at Blake's collar and said something about 'pet play', whatever that was.
Was it like when his mom made his dad walk around on his hands and knees with a gag in his mouth while she rode and whipped him? She'd told them that was Dad pretending to be a pet at the time, though Cinder had refused to ever talk about it again, and often went white in the face when she saw a horse or it was brought up.
"And you...?" the man valiantly tried on their final member.
"I'm a bat faunus," Pyrrha said. "I also claim the fourth one..." She moved over to place a hand on Jaune's shoulder and smile. It was probably the most awkward group the White Fang had ever seen. It was all Jaune could do to shrug when every single person there stared at him.
"You... with all four of them?" the man asked.
Jaune shrugged. What else could he say?
"Yep."
Weiss dug her heel in. Yang squeezed his arm with her nails. Pyrrha clamped down on his shoulder, and Ruby drove a fist into his back. He winced and bore it all. "Why? They're the ones who did this."
"The mysteries of women, Jaune..."
"W-Well, everything seems to be in order. I must say, it's unusual, but who are we to judge what you do with your spare time or how many people you do it with?" The speaker stammered and fought for control.
"Oh, it's more than in order," a woman giggled. "I say we ask for a demonstration~"
"No such thing is necessary!" The man coughed and clambered up onto a raised platform. He threw his arms into the air, and it looked like some of his confidence had returned now that he wasn't busy being rejected by every single woman there. "Brothers and sisters, I thank you all for coming here today. Know that your bravery will not go unrewarded, and blame not those who felt too afraid or uncertain to attend. Doubt may have eaten away at them, but we shall fight in their name!"
Yang, Ruby and Pyrrha let go of him, while Weiss shuffled awkwardly in his arms. Jaune watched with wary interest. The man was good at riding the crowd, and already several were nodding along.
"The time will soon be upon us where great leaps can be made in terms of what we can achieve. For too long have we languished in the shadows, blamed by a corrupt Government as the source of all that is wrong in this world. Soon, the righteous hand of justice shall strike, and bring true equality to Vale!"
The crowd cheered.
"Our brethren in the White Fang have been hard at work, and have already secured great victories." He smirked and leaned forward. "What victories, you might ask? Well, I have been authorised to tell you of one that even the Council of Vale has wanted to keep quiet. Something you will not have heard of in the news. Our brave warriors were successfully able to intercept a shipment of weapons from the Atlas military – and even secure several of the latest hi-tech battle suits!"
Weiss gasped, going stiff in his arms. The reaction might have been suspicious had it not been for the reaction from the rest of the crowd, who looked amazed. Jaune looked down to Weiss. "What's wrong?" he whispered.
"Atlas battle suits are military hardware. If they have access to those, then the damage they might cause is so much higher than we first thought." She bit her lip and looked straight ahead. "The local authorities would have no hope against such things. If they attacked the city with those, then the damage would be devastating. Hundreds of lives could be lost... thousands, even."
Jaune's stomach squirmed. So many people...? There went any hope of convincing the others to ignore this, and in truth, he wasn't sure he could ignore it any more either. Is Cinder involved in this...? No, of course she isn't. She wouldn't do that.
The White Fang had to be stopped. Even if they weren't entirely to blame for the cycle of hatred that seemed to grip humanity, things wouldn't be helped by giving them weapons of that calibre.
"With these mighty weapons, we will create our own path," he went on. "We will create a path to a new future. A brighter future!"
"You'll create a new path, alright," a dog-eared faunus piped up. He stepped forward, and took off his White Fang mask. "A path straight to prison! VPD! Nobody move! This is a raid!"
There was a short, serene moment of silence. One in which he was sure he heard Blake mutter something about how this was probably Nora's fault.
"POLICE!" one of the White Fang screamed. It was followed by the sound of sirens, and also of a Bullhead that whizzed by overhead. Panic and pandemonium rained, and it hardly got better when figures appeared in nearby windows and opened fire.
One officer even opened fire on them.
Jaune moved immediately, turning and pulling Weiss behind him as the bullets struck his back. They hit hard, but not as hard as real ones, and as they fell to the floor, they didn't clink, but instead bounced.
"Rubber bullets," Yang said, then yelped as one struck her arm. "Ow! Son of a-! Argh, we have to make a run for it. We can't stay here."
"Run!?" Ruby gasped. "But they're the police!"
"And right now, we're White Fang," Ren said, dodging over and pushing over a wooden table to use as a shield. The sound of rubber pellets striking it didn't do much for their confidence. Blake hopped over it a second later, a huge frown on her face.
"Looks like we weren't the only ones to take notice and infiltrate this place."
"You think!?" Yang growled. "What was your first warning? We need to get out of here."
"We can't," Jaune said. All eyes turned to him and he winced. "If we leave now, then the others will be arrested and we won't be able to find out where the main White Fang are. If they really did steal some kind of super weapon, then we can't let that go."
No matter how much he wanted to avoid another potential run in with Roman. This was too big to leave be. The others seemed to realise that as well, or were maybe just not willing to let all the work they'd put in be wasted.
"Jaune's right," Pyrrha said. "The potential harm those machines could cause outweighs any benefit the police here might gain by arresting these people. As Blake said, they're nothing more than pawns. They won't have any information the Kingdom can use. We..." She hesitated. "We may need to help the White Fang out..."
"You want us to fight against the law?" Weiss asked. Her eyes were wide. "Do you have any idea what that would mean? My sister would kill me!"
"Mine too," Jaune moaned. While Cinder was all for him not being a goody two-shoes, he had a feeling she'd be less than thrilled to hear about this. "But Pyrrha's not wrong. Can you honestly say you'd be willing to let the White Fang have Atlas weaponry?"
Weiss gnawed on her lip. She couldn't answer.
Ruby whimpered too, trapped between her desire to save lives and the reality of asking them to fight against the good guys.
"Ugh, things seemed a lot more black and white back in Beacon," Yang complained. "Right, fine, whatever... how do we do this?" There was another barrage of gunfire that struck their table, and she pressed her back against it so it didn't fall. "They're going to flank us if we sit here. Ren, you got any ideas?"
"We don't necessarily need to harm the officers..." Everyone perked up. That sounded like a better idea already. "If we help the main ringleader escape, it might be enough to secure our position. We can allow the others to be captured, and that will mean the least amount of harm done to the police."
"Eh, a better idea than I had," Yang shrugged. "Those guys are just doing their job."
"Time for us to do ours," Nora laughed. She drew out her scroll and made to call her locker, but for Blake placing a hand over the device.
"We can't use our gear. It might be recognised."
"Not even a little bit?"
"Those are Beacon lockers, Nora," Ren pointed out. "They're not exactly inconspicuous."
"Aw..." Nora put her scroll away. She placed one hand atop the table and sighed. "This is going to suck..."
She vaulted over and into the hail of bullets.
Blake stared open-mouthed at the barrier. "Did she just...?"
"Well, they're rubber bullets. It's not like they can break through our aura." Even saying that, Yang didn't look like she wanted to face them anytime soon. Rubber or not, those things hurt. "Can we just leave it to her?"
Ruby's eyes narrowed. "Yang..."
"What? It's Nora! She does stuff like this all the time. She'll totally be fine."
"Fine or not, we'd best help her," Weiss interrupted. "Ruby, I want you to secure and guard an exit for us. Don't argue. You're next to useless without a weapon. Everyone else, focus on creating a path for Nora and the leader."
They all nodded and pushed out from behind the barricade. Jaune took in the scene in an instant. Officers had taken over a motel on the other side of the road, where snipers fired down with pellets and small bags of sand. Some White Fang applicants were already on the ground, clutching parts of their body and moaning. More worrying were some members of the VPD being dragged behind barriers and cars by their colleagues. Hopefully, they'd be okay.
Naturally, as he noticed them, so too did they notice him. Several turned guns his way and opened fire. He sprinted to the side, following after Weiss, and also covering her with his body. Several pellets struck his arm and shoulder, stinging badly, but none hit his face – a perhaps deliberate effort on the police's part not to harm the offenders.
Up ahead, Nora had almost reached the stage, where the faunus who was part of the VPD had almost reached the main speaker, huddled behind a cabinet. She dove in and pushed the undercover officer back, giving him a light – for Nora – kick.
It still sent him flying.
"Nora's got the idiot," Weiss snapped. "We need to make an exit and get out of here. We can't afford to get stuck in a protracted chase."
Jaune nodded and turned back, only to see two people in uniform approaching Ruby. The younger girl backed up, hands held before her. It was obvious from the look on her face she didn't want to hurt the two – if she could. Ruby wasn't exactly built for unarmed combat. "Ruby," he gasped, catching Weiss' attention.
She looked back and cursed. The two of them turned and sprinted towards her, even as one of the officers shouted something to Ruby and pointed down at the ground. Ruby hesitated, and he watched as the man moved to squeeze the trigger.
"No!" Weiss growled. A glyph sprung to life beneath her, propelling her forwards. Like a flash of white light, she appeared before her teammate. The shot took her in the chest and she collapsed to the floor in agony. "ARGHH!"
Weiss!
Jaune's eyes flashed red. He covered the remaining distance in no time at all, and his hand gripped the first officer by the throat, lifting him from the ground. The man's legs kicked wildly as he fought for air. He looked to be in pain, but that was nothing compared to the sounds Weiss made. He squeezed tighter.
The other noticed, firing off three shots into him. The bullets bounced off his chest, ignored as he focused on the one who'd opened fire on his partner.
"M-Monster..." the man croaked, staring into crimson eyes. "Y-You're a monster!"
"Am I?" he snarled. "I'm not the one who shot an unarmed woman. I'm not the one who tried to shoot a young girl." His voice deepened, growing darker as his hair rippled and started to turn a platinum blonde. "What should I do with you, I wonder?"
"Snap out of it, Jaune. You're turning!" Remy's voice cut into his mind. "Calm down or you'll reveal yourself in front of everyone. You need to stay in control!"
Calm... yes, calm... Jaune's eyes fizzled back into a dark blue, his hair reverting back before anyone had a chance to notice. The red haze before his vision lifted, to reveal the man in his arms weakening – almost passed out entirely. Startled, he threw him at his friend, sending the two to the floor. The one he'd choked coughed and hacked, fighting for breath.
That was close. He'd almost lost control, and worse, he might have done something irreversible. Damn it. Another attack, and so soon after the last one... both times had been when someone he cared for was threatened, but this had been much more visceral than Blake's moment.
"Think about it later. Just stay calm for now and we'll sort this out when we can."
"You're right, Remy. Thanks for the save."
"Any time."
"We've got him," Yang yelled, and ran past. She stooped to snatch up Ruby over her shoulder and bounded away without breaking stride. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
Snapping out of his rage, Jaune rushed over to Weiss and knelt beside her. More shots pinged off his back, but he ignored them. Weiss' aura, what it was, must have been lower than his, for it looked like she was having trouble breathing. The pellet had struck her below the throat, right on her breastbone.
"I'm- I'm okay," she rasped. There were tears in her eyes, but it was probably from the shock. "It just... stings a bit."
"You're not okay," he said. His arms came beneath her, lifting her up with one arm below her legs, and the other her shoulder. He pulled her against his chest, covering as much of her body as he possibly could. "What happened to not being reckless?"
"They were going to shoot Ruby," she coughed. "I'm the team leader. It's my responsibility to look after everyone."
"Not at risk to yourself..."
Weiss didn't respond, the stubborn girl, and instead focused on regaining her breath. He didn't know if he should argue more or leave it be, but it was clear Weiss wasn't going to change her ways. In the end, he sighed and rushed toward the exit.
Ren and Pyrrha stood by a back door, holding it open so they could fit through. Nora barrelled through as the last, the wailing White Fang member over her shoulder. "We've got to go," Nora yelped. "They really want this guy and I think they're chasing me."
A rubber bullet pinging off the wall opposite the door confirmed Nora's words, and the shouting from inside hardly helped. Yang growled and grabbed the White Fang member by the hair, lifting his face up.
"Don't you have some kind of escape route we can use?"
"N-No. I'm just in recruitment..."
"We can't stay and fight," Ruby yelped. "We need to run."
"They have a Bullhead and cars." Ren said. "They'll catch us."
"Not if we make a distraction!" Yang reared back and cocked her fist. Though she lacked Ember Celica, her aura and Semblance was still in one piece, and she slammed her fist into the wall with a mighty roar.
For a moment, it looked like nothing would happen. Yang's fist was, after all, just a fist – and this was a solid brick wall. There was a crack a moment later, however, and the crumbling and already weakened building let out an ominous groan. There were startled cries from the other side of the door, and brickwork began to rain down, creating a thick cloud of dust. Fortunately, Yang's punches couldn't level buildings – broken or not – but it did cause the floor above the door to collapse, blocking it off entirely.
"Let's scram before they think to loop around," Yang hissed. "The sooner we get out of here, the better."
/-/
"Incredible," the White Fang member gasped. It was less than fifteen minutes after their impromptu flight from the law, and somewhere on the way, the idiot had regained his bravado. "That'll show those bastards we're not to be trifled with. The White Fang will reign supreme!"
"Can you maybe not shout that out loud?" Pyrrha asked, gesturing to the nearby streets which weren't at all as abandoned as the ones they'd been on before. They were currently in an alleyway behind what Yang claimed was a club owned by some guy she knew.
"I apologise. I didn't mean to hurt your sensitive bat hearing."
"That's... not exactly what I meant."
"We helped you get away from the raid," Nora interrupted. "That means we're in, right? We're part of the White Fang?"
"After your display back there? Absolutely! There can be no doubt." The man patted himself down and drew out a scroll. "Here, give me your contact details. When I receive instructions on where to send the recruits, I shall pass them onto you. You'll then have a chance to meet with and be accepted into the White Fang officially."
"Use mine," Blake said. "I'll inform them when it's time. There's less risk this way."
The man nodded and took down Blake's details, adding his own onto her scroll. Once he was done, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked around nervously. "I need to go now. I will see you again, brothers and sisters. Until then, I thank you for the help. I shall not forget it." He removed his mask and darted out of the alley a moment later. Only once he was gone did they all deign to remove their own.
"Well, that's technically a successful mission," Ren said.
"Successful!?" Weiss almost howled. "We were chased by the police, shot at, forced into helping a criminal escape and Yang collapsed a building."
"We collapsed a building," Yang amended. "I really think it was more of a team effort."
"We attacked the police!"
"Say it louder why don't you..."
Weiss growled and gripped her head in both hands. She was still in his arms, although mostly because there hadn't been time to put her down. She tapped his shoulder, and then pushed herself back onto her feet once he'd knelt. "Thank you, Jaune," she demurred. When she turned back to the others, her expression was far less kind. "This night was a complete mess! It's only those stolen Paladins which makes me think we should continue this, but tonight... if anyone asks, that did not happen."
"Yeah, I think that goes without saying," Pyrrha said. She winced at the sounds of distant sirens. "My sponsors probably wouldn't be very pleased if they knew I'd been involved in terrorism. Especially faunus supremacy..."
"And you think my family would?" Weiss asked. She held a hand to her forehead. "I can imagine it now. My God..."
"Yeah, Dad and Uncle Qrow would probably be annoyed too," Ruby admitted. The others agreed in their own ways.
"Their parents aren't very supportive. Your Mom would be thrilled."
"Not now, Remy..."
Ruby cheered up a second later. "Still, it's not like any of them have to know, right? Like Ren said, it was technically a success. We got what we came for – and we're not going to let the White Fang escape next time. This is mission accomplished, right?"
"Technically..." Weiss huffed.
"Technical mission accomplished!" Ruby cheered. "No one even got hurt."
"Excuse me?" Weiss gestured to herself, but she was hardly the only one. Yang's bare arms had a few bright welts on them, and he was fairly sure his back didn't look much better. With how pale Weiss' skin was, he dreamed to imagine the bruise that must have formed.
"Well, not seriously injured. We can still go for ice-cream."
"Sorry sis, I'm off for a shower," Yang said. "I have about ten bottles of hair spray and some tacky feathers to deal with."
"And I have a natural hair colour to regain," Weiss growled.
"Sorry Ruby," Pyrrha chuckled. "I'm not exactly in the mood myself. I took a few hits on my legs, and they're not feeling so hot right now."
"We're also in the same outfits several confirmed terrorists were just in," Blake commented as she walked past. "I don't think being in Vale is a good idea right now."
"Maybe next time," Nora giggled, following Ren as he walked away.
"Aw..." Ruby stood in the alley way with a pout on her face. She turned to him, eyes wide. "I just wanted to try and cheer everyone up..." She sighed, and then smiled a little. "The two of us could go for an ice-cream?"
"You two are still grounded," Weiss called back.
Ruby's face fell. "What!? But we've been on best behaviour!"
"Tell that to the police. Besides, I just took a bullet for you."
"It was rubber..."
"It still hurt! Why didn't you dodge!?"
"I didn't know what to do..."
"DODGE!"
"No, I meant at the time. I was startled. They were police..."
"And I got shot."
"Would it help if I said sorry?"
"No."
"Would ice-cream help?"
"NO!"
Jaune watched the two bicker and argue, Pyrrha beside them and the other team ahead. He sighed and shook his head, but couldn't find it in himself to feel upset. The night was a weird one, but at least where everyone else in the world struggled to make peace and be friends, their teams were perfect examples of the fact it could work.
He took a step after them but paused. Idly, he looked up towards the top of the nearest building. Something fluttered there, but soon passed out of sight. His eyes narrowed.
Odd... he'd had the strangest feeling they were being watched.
"Jaune, you're grounded too!" Weiss yelled. "Get over here before I come and collect you."
"Aw, what's the matter princess? Need your bridal carry again?"
"Xiao-Long, I warn you..."
Jaune broke off his staring contest with the building and rushed over. "Sorry," he called. "I'm coming!"
Maybe he'd just imagined it.
/-/
Atop a nearby building, a figure with red eyes and black hair watched the drama unfold below. The local law enforcement had given up the chase in favour of collecting what prisoners remained, and it was of no interest to her to change that fact. Her business was not with terrorists or police.
Her business was with the blonde figure below – and not her daughter.
Jaune Arc, the one her brother had warned her of. The one Salem wanted. Raven's eyes narrowed as she watched him remove his mask and say something to the others nearby. Why they'd chosen to attend such a meeting with fools like this, and why they'd chosen to rescue one, was none of her concern.
Nothing but the Tribe was, and if she wanted to protect them, then it would mean ensuring that whatever Salem wanted him for, she did not get him.
It was a shame this 'Hentacle' had not been present tonight.
That had been the reason for her presence, after all – and it would have made for a convenient end to this foolishness. She could admit to a tiny bit of curiosity as well. How would her child have fared against such a creature? Had her spawn grown strong in her absence, or had she allowed weakness to take hold of her?
As always, it was a passing thought at best.
"Hmph. Perhaps my foolish brother dreamed up this creature of his."
Raven turned away and flicked her sword to the side. A portal swirled into being before her. What a waste of her time. Part of her wondered if this wasn't another asinine attempt to make her interact with her daughter.
Did she dare take that risk? No, she did not. This 'Hentacle' would receive a stay of execution this night, but only until he showed himself.
Still, does that remove the issue of Salem's interest in the boy? Raven's lips thinned. If she felt it prudent enough to send something so powerful to collect him, then was there not the chance it could happen again? Qrow said he would train the boy to be strong, but I've seen the fruits of his training. Summer's brat is hardly a shadow of what she was, and I doubt my own is much better.
The boy would die without help, and while that would not normally have bothered her, it might mean problems for her tribe if Salem gained some advantage from it. On the other hand, she could not – and would not – dedicate her life to being his silent bodyguard.
Her eyes glanced back down off the tall building she stood upon. It would be a simple matter to kill him now and remove the threat he posed. Simple, but for the chance that might play into Salem's hands. If this were anything like the Maidens, then death was not an answer.
Protection, perhaps? If she could not dedicate the time to watch over him, then finding one who might be capable of it would be wise. Why search for such in a land of weaklings like Vale, when her tribe was filled with strong people?
He could thrive there. Grow strong. Be kept away from Salem. With how often they travelled, and their lack of any fixed location, it would be all but impossible for her minions to locate them. It would remove the problem once and for all. In fact, the more she thought of it, the more enticing the option seemed.
Qrow and Ozpin would never agree, of course.
Worse, they would not let it happen. If she were to kidnap the boy, then Qrow would be able to find both her and the tribe, and that might bring trouble if Ozpin mobilised to rescue him. Such attention might draw Salem's gaze as well. The matter would become complicated indeed. Abducting him was out of the question.
Unless... what if she could make it so the boy did not desire to leave?
Ugh. Sickly Coeur is miserable Coeur. Actually, I'm not much of a whiner when like this, but I do get impatient with people – especially when they ask me things they really ought to already know. Things like "where are the holiday forms?" when they've booked a holiday like a hundred times before and KNOW full well I don't keep them in my drawer of all places.
Or when some salesman calls my line and I pretend to be the secretary so I can find out who it is, and I ask what it's about and they get snooty. "I'll only speak with the Director. I'm not paid to speak to a personal assistant."
"Oh, will you now...? Hmm, yes. Interesting to know how you talk to MY staff. Let's talk about all the business I won't be doing with you."
Sickly Coeur is angry Coeur.
Next Chapter: 27th July
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur