Chương 699: 42
Chapter 42:
Present day:
Ruby straightened up, finishing up the last adjustments to her skirt. Looking at the reflection of her silver eyes, staring back at her from the mirror, Ruby smiled contentedly. Seeing as everything about her uniform was as it should be, she decided to don the final piece of her outfit. Reaching up, Ruby pressed her hands to her collarbones, channeling her Aura through them. Sweeping them back, she trailed them up and over her shoulders, red particles streaming out and merging together, as Ruby worked her arms behind her neck, shaping her Aura to form the contours of her hood, while more particles seemed to stream out of thin air behind her, continuing to fuse together to form the trailing folds of her cloak.
Her ensemble complete, Ruby let out a satisfied breath and turned to let herself out of the bathroom. She found herself immediately meeting Pyrrha's emerald gaze, Ruby stepping aside to give Pyrrha her turn in the bathroom to get dressed for the day. Like Ruby had been before, Pyrrha had been wearing her morning workout outfit, a simplified version of her usual battle ensemble. Behind Pyrrha, Weiss and Jaune waited on their respective beds, awaiting their turns in the bathroom, the former occupied with running a file over her nails, while the latter idly browsed a comic.
The routine had become natural to them in the weeks since they'd come to Beacon. They'd all gotten their timing down to a T, working out exactly how long each of them had to primp in the bathroom, before they had to head out to breakfast, then class. That certainly put them a leg above their sister team, RASP always leaving their room to the sounds of scrambling from the one across the hall, often accompanied by frantic entreaties for someone or other (usually Yang) to hurry up and let someone else use the bathroom. While Team RASP arrived in the dining hall at a relaxed walk, Team RYNB typically arrived at a panicked run, often with as little as five minutes before the first bell announced that it was time to get to class.
Still, whatever else, Ruby could say that RYNB's routine, if it could be called that, worked for them. Indeed, Yang and Nora in particular appeared to thrive off the frenetic pace of their particular lifestyle, while Ren and Blake had adapted with impressive ease to their respective partners' behavior. So, while there was always a degree of urgency underlying their actions, it never seemed that neither of RYNB's quieter members were in any danger of losing their patience with their respective partners.
It helped that, within Beacon at least, the fervor over Ruby's sparring match with Pyrrha had calmed somewhat. The pair were no longer the object of constant stares, the second they set foot in the dining hall, though they did tend to attract a considerable amount of attention still. Ruby was getting used to the continuous scrutiny, though she wished she could say that was a good thing. Otherwise, everything was going exactly as it should.
Another day of classes went by. Ruby tried not to worry too much about Jaune during her free period, instead spending it running through some of her katas. If Jaune really could continue to work on his training on his own, then she could afford to work on her own training, particularly when it came to applying Glynda's advice at the end of her match with Pyrrha. Ruby needed to work on bringing the disparate parts of her style together, forming them into a cohesive whole. She also needed to work on refining her technique for lightning. She'd carried the Raikoken scroll all the way to Vale from Onmyo, but she had yet to fully understand it.
After their free period, Combat Class was held. Ruby and the others filed in, eagerly awaiting to see who would fight today.
Jaune grit his teeth, deflecting the mace with an echoing clang. With his impressive wrist strength, Cardin quickly brought it through a short crescent, bringing the heavy weapon back around with speed that belied its bulk. Jaune shifted, deflecting that swing off as well, but the followthrough stroke came just as fast, a constant assault that left him no opening to strike back.
It wasn't much of a surprise that, the moment Glynda had opened up the floor for volunteers, Cardin's hand had been amongst those that had shot up. After multiple sessions of avoiding calling on him, specifically because she knew what match he was going to request, Glynda finally gave in and gave Cardin his chance to make his challenge. Not even Jaune was surprised, already getting to his feet and checking his weapons, before nodding his acceptance and proceeding down to the ring, Ruby and Pyrrha's words of encouragement following him. Just as he had last time, Jaune drew his sword, deployed his shield, and took his stance, ready to take whatever Cardin tried to throw at him.
This time, there was no waiting, no taunting, no baiting. The second Glynda gave the signal to begin the match, Cardin bulled forward, swinging his weapon with all the ferocity he could muster. It had been a whirling assault, the speedy smashes of the mace's flanges against the shield making Jaune's arm ache, while he continued to try and shift the shield to deflect the attacks to keep from having to tank their full power.
Meeting Cardin's eyes, Jaune could see the simmering rage in them. Cardin wasn't going to mince words this time. He intended to overwhelm Jaune's defense with his power and speed, then pound into him when he was vulnerable. But Jaune was just as determined not to let him, standing his ground, keeping his shield at the ready, fully committing to tracking Cardin's every move and responding appropriately. If Cardin wasn't going to give him any chance to counterattack, then Jaune would just have to wait him out, until Cardin's furious offensive lost steam.
And it was working. Cardin was growing more and more frustrated with each blow that failed to make it past Jaune's shield. Stepping forward, he executed a more powerful swing than usual. When Jaune moved to deflect it, he was still sent skidding back on his feet. Cardin followed it up with a much wider swing, bringing the mace around and up, so that he struck down from overhead.
Jaune's eyes widened. Amongst the other things he had been training on, with Pyrrha and the others, gauging the distance and reach of his opponent was one of them. It was all part and parcel to being able to read the path of their attacks after all. After skidding back from Cardin's latest attack, Jaune saw that Cardin was starting his new one without actually stepping forward to keep Jaune in reach. Because of that, his swing was going to fall short, not even grazing the surface of the shield.
But Jaune knew that there was no way that Cardin would make that kind of mistake. He might have been reckless and bullheaded, but a guy who liked to beat on his opponents would know if an opponent was out of beating-range. That Cardin was still swinging, despite the fact Jaune was obviously out of his reach, was a sign of something else...and Jaune knew exactly what.
Sure enough, there was that telltale spark from the fire-Dust crystal set within the mace's flanges. Seeing it, Jaune jumped aside, right as the mace struck down. A wave of flame exploded out from the point of impact, rushing forward through the space Jaune had occupied. Jaune would have been hard-pressed to defend against it, because the line of the explosions would have carried directly under his feet.
But Jaune successfully jumped to his right, keeping his shield up to ward off the heat and shockwaves that billowed out from the wave of flame, while also stepping in and bringing his sword down on Cardin. Cardin's own field of vision was mostly blocked by the fierce light of his explosion. That, combined with his certainty that he'd just dealt a telling blow to his opponent, kept him from reacting until he felt the edge of Jaune's sword bite into the Aura over his shoulder.
Crying out in surprise, Cardin lurched away from the hit, reeling. Following up, Jaune launched a second slash, then a third. Each blow landed, carving sections off the Aura-meter displayed above the arena. Finally, Cardin managed to ward off the fourth blow, taking the shaft of his mace in both hands, and using it like a staff to catch Jaune's descending sword from above. The impact sent jolts of pain down the taller boy's arms, making him grimace. But he still managed to stop Jaune's sword. Following that, Cardin kicked out with a foot, aiming to hit Jaune in the stomach. But Jaune's shield was already there, having come back into position the second Jaune knew his offensive had been stopped. The force pushed Jaune back, but he simply fell back into his regular stance, keeping his shield up and ready.
For a second, the two fighters simply stood there, both of them breathing hard. But Cardin was especially winded, taking great, heaving gasps that lifted and lowered his entire upper body. Jaune was panting too, but managed to relax his breathing to the point where his nostrils flaring was the only indicator that he was breathing harder than usual. Jaune's forehead glimmered with sweat, but Cardin was soaked with it.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, Cardin strode forward with a roar, swinging his weapon in a wide, arcing, upward swing. Jaune deflected the attack, then stepped forward, moving his shield aside and unleashing a powerful sideways slash across Cardin's torso. His attack carried him past Cardin, and Jaune quickly pivoted around, striking with another diagonal downwards slash, while Cardin was still reeling from the previous blow.
Powering through the pain, Cardin spun around faster than Jaune would have given him credit for, unleashing his mace in a backhanded swing, his turn actually causing him to step in towards Jaune. Jaune turned and caught the mace with his shield. This close to Cardin, the mace's head actually reached past the edge, and it was the shaft that struck Jaune's shield. Because of his position, Jaune wasn't able properly deflect the strike, and he was lifted off his feet by the power behind the blow. Then Cardin triggered his fire-Dust again. With the head partially protruding around the edge of the shield, the resulting explosion wasn't completely blocked, and Jaune was launched away with a cry of pain.
Landing on his shoulder, Jaune tried to remember Pyrrha's lesson about breakfalls, and tried to use his momentum to turn his landing into a roll. He succeeded partially, managing to quickly get his feet back under him, but his form could have been better, and his shoulder and back were sore from smacking against the hard surface. The resulting impacts also bled away enough of his momentum that Jaune couldn't rise up easily, instead having to struggle to get his legs to straighten enough to lift him into a standing position. The aftereffects of the explosion had rattled him, which only made it all the harder for him to rise up.
Unfortunately, Cardin was fully willing to take advantage of the situation, already bulling forward with another angry roar, gripping his mace in both hands, and raising it high over his head. Jaune, seeing that he wasn't going to be able to get up in time, instead decided to take advantage of the massive opening Cardin was giving him. Seeing his opponent not yet all the way up, Cardin had once again resorted to a big, heavily-telegraphed move, one that left him completely unguarded.
Instead of trying to keep getting up, Jaune allowed himself to fall forward, before pushing off with his leading leg with all his strength, putting it, and the weight of his whole body, behind the thrust he launched, striking Cardin firmly in the abdomen Cardin's angry roar terminated in a whoosh, as his remaining breath exploded out. His swing faltered, losing its power. His own forward momentum combined with the force of Jaune's lunge to prompt Cardin's body to fold over Jaune's extended sword, his feet lifting off the floor. As Jaune finished extending, he grunted, sending a surge of Aura up his arm, using Flow, and then Projecting it out to add to the physical force of his blow, actually knocking Cardin back halfway across the ring.
Cardin slammed down onto his back with an agonized grunt, the buzzer sounding, signaling his defeat. Meanwhile, Jaune, unfortunately, had extended himself too far, and fell forward, smacking onto the floor with a startled yelp, and a clattering sound from his chestplate. For a second, the two boys laid there, before Jaune groaned, and moved to get his arms and legs underneath him.
"That's it for the match," declared Glynda, bringing down the shield, and striding out into the ring. "Mr. Arc is the winner."
Grimacing, and rubbing his sore nose, Jaune struggled to his feet. Looking over, he saw Cardin groaning and struggling to get up. Collapsing his shield, Jaune sheathed his sword, and attached Crocea Mors to his hip, before walking over, a bit unsteadily, to offer Cardin a hand up. Cardin simply glared at him and slapped the proffered hand aside. From her position, Glynda's eyes narrowed at the blatant show of poor sportsmanship, but she said nothing otherwise.
Instead, she began her critique. "Mr. Winchester, you need to exercise more caution, particularly against an opponent with such a strong defense. Attacking recklessly only undermines your staying power."
Cardin grunted, and averted his eyes, before resuming his struggle to stand.
"Mr. Arc," continued Glynda, focusing her gaze on Jaune. "You fought well. You do need to work on your balance, however. I doubt there are many who could say they won a match by falling flat on their face." Jaune could have sworn he saw the faintest glimmer of amusement in Glynda's eyes, while the corners of her mouth twitched up in the tiniest suggestion of a smile.
"Thank you, Professor," said Jaune, still panting for breath. The soreness of his face, particularly his nose, was already fading, thanks to his Aura's recuperative capabilities.
"You may return to your seats," said Glynda, nodding at the two boys, who began to walk back towards the stairs leading up. Jaune's steps were already steadying, but Cardin's gait was lurching and unbalanced.
Jaune emerged to an enthusiastic hug from Ruby, while Pyrrha cheerfully complimented him on his form...immediately followed by Weiss snarking about his "graceful, diving thrust", which had Jaune blushing. It certainly hadn't been a picture finish. But a win was a win. And, this time, he hadn't simply won through Cardin's own stupidity. Even the members of their sister team were congratulating him, Yang slapping Jaune on the back with enough force to almost send him pitching forward into the next row of seats.
Of course, it went without saying that Cardin wasn't taking his second loss to Jaune, in as many matches, well at all. Cardin's indigo eyes were locked on Jaune, and he glared furiously. Jaune didn't notice, neither did his friends, except Ruby, who watched Cardin warily out of the corner of her eye. Jaune was doing more of his training on his own now, which would only make him more vulnerable to Cardin and his cronies. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep an eye on her partner constantly. This match, at least, had shown that Jaune could hold his own in a straightforward fight. Hopefully, CRDL's punishment for their previous bullying of Jaune would keep them from attempting anything else outside the ring.
There were a couple more matches that session. But no one from Ruby and her group of friends were called to fight. Much to their lack of surprise, people weren't exactly chomping at the bit to challenge Pyrrha Nikos, or the girl that had fought her to a draw. While the match had brought an end to Pyrrha's image of invulnerability, it had also revealed her Semblance, which only seemed to make potential opponents less-inclined to fight her. It seemed that the fact that Ruby had actually been able to match Pyrrha had elevated the younger girl up to a similar level of status, with most students assuming that they had no hope against her.
Granted, this would be one of the last sessions where Glynda would be calling for volunteers for a while. In the next session, she would go back to picking out the matchups herself. Hopefully that would give Pyrrha and Ruby more opportunities to fight.
When the class ended, Ruby and her friends filed out into the hall, preparing to head to the library to get started on their homework. However, Ruby's scroll buzzed in her pocket. Fishing it out, Ruby was surprised to see a message from Ozpin, of all people, summoning her and her team to his office.
Saying their goodbyes to their friends on Team RYNB, Ruby and her teammates made their way across the campus to Beacon Tower, taking the elevator up to Ozpin's office. As they waited for the elevator to finish its ascent, Ruby shifted uneasily, wondering if they were in trouble for something.
The doors slid open, and they crossed the expanse of the office to stand before the desk. Ozpin was there, already watching them from his seat. "Thank you for coming so promptly, Ms. Rose," said Ozpin. "I apologize for calling you out here, but I felt that you needed to be informed of this development; Ms. Nikos as well."
"Uh oh," said Jaune.
Pyrrha sighed. "What is the media saying now?" she wanted to know. It must have been something quite scandalous, for the Headmaster to call them to his office.
"Nothing, actually...not yet," said Ozpin. "However, the issue is what they might say, if we do not address this."
"What do you mean?" asked Weiss.
"We've received another request for an interview, from Ms. Lavender, of the Vale News Network," said Ozpin. "Normally, we would simply pass that along and, as usual, leave it up to you whether to accept or reject the request. However, said request was accompanied by a packet of information."
Ozpin tapped the surface of his desk, and a hologram flickered into being above it. A series of files appeared in the air for all of them to see. Ruby gasped as she met the eyes of a picture of herself, a much younger picture. Reading the accompanying information made her heart hammer in her chest. "This is from my primary school, on Patch!"
"And a confirmation of your birth from the hospital," added Ozpin, bringing another file to the fore. "At least, it's a confirmation that there was a Ruby Xiao Long, born to Taiyang Xiao Long and Summer Rose. However, it's not hard to make the connection. There are also police reports regarding your disappearance." New pages flickered up, allowing Ruby and her teammates to see.
"They found all of this," whispered Ruby, horrified.
"Ms. Lavender's investigative capabilities are to be commended," said Ozpin, dismissing the image over his desk. "She has requested an interview with you, at least, and has indicated that the alternative would be to head over to Patch..."
"...And talk to Dad," grumbled Ruby.
Ozpin nodded slowly.
"This is preposterous!" exclaimed Weiss. "This is blackmail...extortion!"
"All Ms. Lavender's information was obtained through legitimate channels," said Ozpin. "Her willingness to try and use this as leverage to entice you into an interview with her is only slightly better than the alternative of her simply continuing her investigation, by moving on to your father, Ms. Rose."
"That's one heck of a mixed blessing, if I've ever heard one," grumbled Jaune.
The look on Ozpin's face indicated he agreed.
"What should I do?" asked Ruby.
"As always, the choice as to whether or not you accept this request lies with you," said Ozpin. "Regardless of what else Ms. Lavender finds, what narrative your father attempts to spin, your place at Beacon is under no threat. However, allowing your father to write the story concerning your disappearance could make things difficult for you in the public sphere, particularly if you ever wish to go into Vale anytime in the future."
Ruby felt sick to her stomach.
"As for that...we would simply have to take things as they come," continued Ozpin. "However, should you decide to accept this request, this is where I would need to advise you."
"How so?" asked Ruby.
"Should you accept Ms. Lavender's request, then the question will invariably arise as to where and how you were trained," explained Ozpin.
"Oh..." said Ruby, realizing what he was getting at.
"Do you not want people to find out about the Mibu?" asked Weiss.
"It's not me, so much as...others," said Ozpin cryptically. "Acknowledging the Mibu is a serious taboo, particularly here in Vale, as they were heading that expedition that the Mibu brought to such a disastrous and humiliating end. If the subject of the Mibu were to come up in the midst of a public interview, there are some powerful...and dangerous...people who would take notice...and then potentially take action."
"How?" wondered Pyrrha.
"A number of ways," said Ozpin. "Furthermore, if it is to silence someone they don't want talking, about a subject they don't want spoken of, then they will not hesitate to target those close to you, Ms. Rose."
Ashley, thought Ruby worriedly. Needless to say, the bulk of her friends were powerful fighters (Jaune wasn't, but was getting there). They were also Beacon students, who spent the majority of their time on a rather secure campus. Even when they went into Vale, they had the advantage of their Auras and combat training, even if they weren't carrying their weapons at the time.
But Ashley was a civilian, going to a civilian school. Compared to Ruby's other friends, she was dangerously vulnerable and exposed. It didn't help that Ruby hadn't been worried about being seen with her, before she had abruptly became famous. Considering the kind of people Ozpin was describing, and the kind of acts he suggested they were willing to commit, Ruby wouldn't put it past them to find out about Ashley, somehow.
"That being said, if you agree to the interview, I urge you to exercise discretion, when talking about your training," said Ozpin. "That includes speaking about how you use Aura instead of Dust. Presently, it is assumed by the public at large that you used Dust for your lightning techniques. It might be in your best interests to do nothing that would disabuse them of that notion."
"Do you think I should agree to the interview?" asked Ruby.
"I cannot advise you either way," said Ozpin sadly. "Both approaches come with their own attendant risks."
Ruby mulled his words over. She could see what he meant about risks. If she agreed to the interview, she would have to tiptoe around the subject of her training, and where she'd done it. However, if she refused, then this reporter would just go and get a story from her father...a story, not the story. Ruby was already seeing all the myriad ways Taiyang could try to spin this opportunity, from accusing Sasame (he didn't know about Kyo yet) of kidnapping, Ozpin of interference, or even claiming that she was a prisoner at Beacon. While she didn't know how those things would go over, what she did know was that it could make matters uncomfortable for a long time to come.
There was also the risk that her father's remarks could wind up drawing attention to the Mibu in some way or another, even if he wasn't aware of it. Mitarai Sasame wasn't a normal name in the Kingdoms, and her name order indicated further differences, which might be enough to incite a reaction from these "powerful people" Ozpin had warned her about.
"I guess I should agree," said Ruby with a pensive frown.
"That is, perhaps, the best option," said Ozpin. "After all, it will give you an opportunity to shape the narrative, and you need not say anything you do not want to."
"All right," said Ruby. "I'll agree to it."
She felt a hand close around her own. Ruby looked up next to her, to see that Pyrrha had taken her hand with a friendly smile. "We'll agree to it," said Pyrrha firmly.
"A-are you sure?" asked Ruby.
Pyrrha nodded. "If I'm there, it will give them a second person to question, which will limit the time they have for individual questions, making it less likely that they'll ask too much about your training."
"That's an excellent idea," said Ozpin, "and certainly our best hope to avoid any future problems. Hopefully, we can satisfy the media's need for a story, and they can move on."
"Hopefully..." said Ruby uneasily.
Ruby sent in their agreement to the interview, which had probably gone over as something of a surprise to the people at the VNN, this particular invitation having been issued to Ruby alone. Along with it, they sent a request to hold the interview that coming Saturday, so that it wouldn't cut into their school or homework time.
Within a matter of hours, Ruby was already regretting her decision, when Yang showed her and Pyrrha that the VNN had followed up by bombarding advertisements for the interview all over the network. It seemed that the station was going to try and milk this opportunity for all that it was worth.
"So you don't really want to do it?" asked Ashley over the scroll.
Ruby sighed, rolling back on her bed. "Not really," she said. "But they found out a bunch of stuff about me, and, well...if I don't go in, they'll go interview my dad instead, and I don't want to think of what he'll say."
"You mentioned running away from home," said Ashley, recalling their conversation the last time they went out together.
"Yeah," said Ruby. "Unfortunately, I ran into Dad right after I came back from our time at the bakery. He hadn't changed much."
"How bad?"
"He tried to drag me back to his home, pretending I lost a bet to him, a bet I never made."
"Ouch!" Ruby could practically hear Ashley wince over the line.
Ruby let out another breath. "So he's not allowed on campus anymore. Apparently he took a bunch of time off from Signal. No one's sure what that means. For all I know, he could be sitting around, drunk off his butt again, as though that wasn't what caused the problems in the first place."
"Do you want to talk about it?" prodded Ashley.
"Not right now," said Ruby, "not over a scroll, at least."
"I understand," said Ashley. "I guess we're not going to be able to hang out together for a while."
"Probably not," said Ruby not bothering to hide her regret. "I don't want to get you chased around by reporters too. You might want to...uh...not talk about knowing me, for a while at least."
"Um...It might be a little too late," said Ashley, sounding vaguely ashamed.
"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.
"Um...well...you know when that video of your match with Pyrrha first came out?"
"Uh huh..."
"Well...uh, I'd just gotten out of class, when I saw some people watching it. So I was watching over their shoulders, and the first thing out of my mouth was 'Is that Ruby?'"
"Oops," said Ruby, seeing where this was going.
Ashley let out a nervous giggle. "Yeah. And my classmates were like, 'You know her?' And I said, 'Sure, she's my friend.' And then...well...things got...a bit hectic. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," said Ruby quickly. "There's nothing to be done. I just figured you shouldn't talk about it so that you don't get bugged by the press. How are things in school?"
"A little weird," admitted Ashley. "I had a bunch of classmates asking if I could introduce them to you, but I told them you're pretty shy."
"That's not too far from the truth," mused Ruby.
"They backed down after a while," said Ashley. "I haven't had reporters coming banging on my door yet, so I think I'm in the clear, for now. For all I know, they might think I'm just making it up. Either that, or reporters don't want to bother with interviewing a faunus."
Ruby made a sour face, glad her friend couldn't see it. "Talk about your mixed blessings," she said softly.
"I know, right!?" Despite what she'd just said, Ashley seemed to consider her remark more of a jest than a serious statement.
"Well, I'll still be watching," said Ashley, her tone softening. "Let's hope this gets the press to let up, then we can find some time to hang out again."
"I'd like that," said Ruby. "I also want to introduce you to my teammates, if I can get the chance."
"I'd really like that," said Ashley eagerly, making Ruby bite back a giggle, figuring that the fact that Pyrrha was on Ruby's team was probably one of the main factors behind her friend's enthusiasm.
"Talk to you later," said Ruby.
"Bye," Ashley replied, the two of them hanging up.
Ruby fell back onto her bed with a sigh, staring at the ceiling. It felt good to be able to talk to Ashley, even if it was just over a scroll. Ruby figured that having this kind of connection, a friend she could chat and gossip with over the scroll, was one of the things she'd missed out on, running away from home. Sure, she'd been able to talk with her friends, back in Onmyo, but they'd always had to be in the same place in order to do that. There was definitely something nice about being able to talk to Ashley on a whim, without needing to worry about meeting up with her in person, while dragging a gaggle of reporters and photographers in her wake. All Ruby had to do was pull the device out of her pocket and, like magic, she could talk to her friend in the Faunus Quarter of Vale as though they were together in the same room. Of course, given the way her father had been acting, back before she'd left, it was likely that Ruby would have missed out on this sort of thing anyway. She doubted that Taiyang would have even allowed her to have her own scroll, and his decision to pull her out of school would have left Ruby without any friends to call.
She was of two minds about the upcoming interview. Saturday couldn't soon enough, as doing this would hopefully allow her and Pyrrha to put this ridiculous matter behind them and move on. However, she also wished she could put it off indefinitely. She hadn't come to Beacon to get caught up in media sensations and false scandals. She wanted to become a Huntress, and go out to fight the Grimm. That such a huge affair could be made out of a single sparring match was galling in the extreme. On top of that, there were the worries about what might happen, if she allowed it to slip that she'd been trained by the Mibu, Ozpin's dire warnings lingering in the back of her mind.
Still, the die had been cast. Now all Ruby could do was hope that this interview would help settle things sooner.
As a man of action, Adam Taurus didn't like to be kept waiting. Every minute spent standing around was a minute that could be spent elsewhere, doing something productive. There were attacks to organize, raids to plan, a host of matters that demanded his attention. Just about any of them would have been preferable to standing here, on a rocky outcropping that jutted out into the sea, like a natural pier.
Of course, as the leader of Vale's branch of the White Fang, Adam Taurus also knew a thing or two about patience, about the need to wait. An optimal attack always relied upon finding the best time to strike, and Adam was someone who knew how to execute a perfect attack. That ability to wait, and strike at just the right time was even critical to his style.
The wind blowing in off the sea ruffled the short, spiked, red hair on top of his head, blowing between the curving arcs of the two horns that protruded from his cranium. It also caused the tail of the black suit-jacket he wore to billow behind him, making the red shirt he wore beneath it more visible, as well as showcasing his black pants and shoes. The moonlight gleamed down, illuminating the symbol of a wilting rose embroidered in red onto the back of his jacket. However, the aspect of his appearance that commanded the most attention was the white mask, decorated with red, which rested over his face, covering his eyes and obscuring his appearance. Since he had introduced the concept, the white mask, based upon the Creatures of Grimm, had become the hallmark of the White Fang, particularly here, in the area around Vale.
Taken altogether, Adam looked like a monster. And he supposed that he was one. He was proud to call himself a monster. As far as he was concerned, monsters were what the humans deserved. He was a monster, leading other monsters, monsters that, like the Grimm, would ultimately descend upon and devour the human race, leaving a world where the faunus would rule.
Of course, accomplishing this took a good bit more doing than Adam would have liked, hence why he was out here, waiting for an ally to bring in the supplies he needed. It irritated him to no end to be so dependent on humans, it hadn't helped that he and the White Fang had been forced into this dependency under duress. However, he also had to admit that these humans had their uses.
Beneath the night sky, away from the lights of the Kingdom, the sea was dark. However, before Adam's masked eyes, the section of the sea grew darker still, a black shadow becoming visible beneath the surface, slowly approaching the point he stood upon. Adam tensed slightly, the fingers of his left hand tightening around his weapon, a sheathed chokuto. Both the sword and the sheath were weapons in their own right, named Wilt and Blush respectively. If the need arose, Adam could draw his blade in a crimson flash, cutting down most foes before they could even blink.
He was prepared to execute just such a strike, just in case. Normally, the seas around Vale were too shallow to support the movement of especially large aquatic Grimm, except for particular points like this one, where the seafloor was virtually nonexistent beyond the rocky projection Adam himself stood upon, marking the beginning of a rapidly deepening trench that extended out into the open ocean. Such a space was a conduit where large, ocean-faring Grimm might be able to get closer to shore than usual in this region. However, it was also this unique piece of oceanic topography that made it possible for Adam to treat with his ally effectively.
So it was that Adam relaxed when the dark mass that rose up from below did not explode upwards with a bloodthirsty roar. Though his tension peaked when the moon gleamed off the white of a massive human skull, leering out of the water at him with black, empty eyes. It rose up smoothly and softly, water spilling down the gentle slope of a curving hull of black metal, upon which the image of a human skull had been painted in frightening relief, so that those empty eyes stared out from the hull just over the ship's pointed bow. Aside from the splashing of the water, there had been virtually no sound to mark the vessel's arrival. It had risen up from the depths as silently as a wraith, a silence that completely belied a vessel the size of one of Atlas' Seraphim-class warships.
Even though he could only see the topmost portion of it, Adam found himself admiring the submersible's graceful design, noting the smooth, continuous curve of its elongated body, undisrupted by anything that might have been a bridge. The front portion of it narrowed down to an almost dagger-like point, which came to rest mere inches away from the edge of the natural pier that Adam stood upon.
A soft hiss accompanied a spray of water along the centerline of the vessel's hull. A seam appeared, and the front portion, the narrowing part of the submersible's dorsal surface, split open, the two curving portions of the top of the hull sliding away from one another, giving Adam a view of a cavernous interior, like a hangar. Having fully emerged from the deep, the metal plating of the floor within this open section was now almost perfectly level with Adam's perch. He could have stepped forward onto the deck of this vessel without the slightest bit of difficulty.
However, he did not do so. The blue-haired woman in the red greatcoat standing directly in front of him would have made that difficult. At the sight of the woman, and her gaudy outfit, Adam suppressed the urge to growl. Most of their human allies were irritating, at the best of times, but this particular woman was insufferable. It didn't help that, at the sight of him, the woman broke out into a particularly covetous smirk.
"Adam Taurus," she said, a husky tone to her voice, "so good to see you again."
"Morgan..." growled Adam, gritting his teeth. "Let's get this over with."
Morgan Bloodworth chuckled. "My my, still such a contrary fellow, Adam. You could stand to loosen up a little. You should spend some time at sea with me."
"Not a chance," growled Adam. "Have you got the goods or not?"
"Of course I do," said Morgan, adopting an expression of resigned good humor. "When have I ever let you, or her, down?"
Adam had to admit that she hadn't. "I suppose you're more reliable than Torchwick," he said.
"Come now, dear Roman was very reliable," said Morgan. "I can attest to that. What I am to the high seas, he is to the streets of Vale."
"Was, you mean," grumbled Adam.
"I suppose," said Morgan. "Although that speaks more to the quality of the one that managed to bring him down than any lack of quality on his part."
"I'm not interested in arguing over that," grumbled Adam. "Get your cargo unloaded, then go off and keep doing your pirating."
Morgan sighed dramatically. "Still no appreciation for the finer things in life, I see, like congenial conversation." She shrugged. "Oh well." With that, she turned and shouted into the hold. "Oy! Get those crates unloaded, you swabs!"
Adam turned and stalked back down the rocky projection. As he left, several other members of the White Fang filed in in his wake, forming a line along the point, while the members of Morgan's crew did the same from the other side, forming a single chain of people, along which they passed several crates out from the submersible, and down the point, where more White Fang members loaded them onto the bays of waiting bullheads.
For her part, Morgan took a couple of skipping steps forward and to one side, practically jumping off the deck of her ship. She landed on the curving hull, sliding down along its length to where it met the waters that embraced the point. Upon reaching the water, Morgan didn't hesitate to step forward. However, rather than plunge right into the unusually deep water, the liquid beneath Morgan's boot solidified into ice, accompanied by a flash from the blue, jeweled cufflinks on her sleeves. She continued to walk forward, new footholds of ice appearing beneath each step as she walked along the point, before she reached the main portion of the shore, where the ice beneath her feet rose up into a column that allowed her to step off onto dry land.
"You want something else?" growled Adam, glaring at her as she moved up to stand next to him.
"Merely to ask how things are going for you," said Morgan cheerfully. "Has our mutual employer been as grating for you as she has for me?"
Adam snorted softly. "You're fortunate you hardly have to deal with her."
"True enough, I suppose," said Morgan with a grin. "I also wanted to inform you of an opportunity."
"What opportunity?" growled Adam.
"Schnee is adapting his strategy," said Morgan. "Of course, one vessel, even one as splendid as mine, can only be in one place at a time. Schnee appears to be aware of that. He's been sending some of his latest shipments around the east coast of Sanus, and having them carried overland to Vale. Of course, it's more expensive than shipping them to Vale's docks directly, but that's still preferable to having me get them."
"So change seas," growled Adam.
"Were that so easy," said Morgan with a laugh. "Of course, Schnee is still sending shipments down this route. The problem is, whether he goes east or west, some of those shipments are decoys...empty holds, stacked with fake ballast to throw us off. I've found two already."
"So keep sinking them," growled Adam. "Schnee won't be able to waste his cargo-space on decoy containers if he doesn't have the ships to use as decoys."
"I could, darling," said Morgan. "However, as magnificent as my vessel is, it can't be in two places at once. I can either patrol along the western coast of Sanus, or the eastern side. In either case, it means that more than a few ships are bound to get past me. On top of that, we shouldn't destroy all of Schnee's ships. After all, even if it's unwillingly, he is still our chief supplier. That being the case, I have a proposition for you."
"What is it?" growled Adam.
"Why don't I hold down the fort on the eastern side?" said Morgan. "I'll handle the ships that come that way. You, however, already have your people in the Kingdom. They were supposed to be helping Roman pull off heists there. Of course, now that dear Roman has been incarcerated..."
"You're saying that I should have them rob the shipments brought in through the docks in Vale?" asked Adam.
Morgan nodded, grinning. "Think about it. The SDC will be so relieved, simply by the realization that their ships are making it to port, that they probably won't even think about upping the security at the docks. All those lovely containers of Dust, just sitting there, waiting for some enterprising White Fang to remove them..."
"I'll consider it," growled Adam.
"Oh dear, are you worried that much about losing Cinder's approval?" asked Morgan teasingly. "Don't worry, Laddie. We're only improving upon her plan. Or are you just that afraid of her?"
With a click, Adam's thumb pushed against the hilt of his sword, baring a crimson inch of the blade within the sheath, while his lips pulled back to reveal his teeth. "Tread carefully, pirate scum," he snarled. "Don't speak of fear, when you serve her for the same reason."
Morgan threw back her head and laughed. "Oh Laddie," she cooed, once she calmed down enough, "I don't fear Cinder. For sure, she has power, and a lot of it. But I have seen far worse." She fixed Adam with a feral grin, her sole visible eye taking on a manic quality. "I've seen the sea literally come alive and devour an entire fleet of my ships. I didn't lose this arm to a Grimm, I'll have you know." She pulled back the sleeve over her left arm, reveal plates of black metal. "Compared to that, Cinder throwing out a few sparks isn't anything to get worked up about, even if she doesn't need to use Dust to do it."
"Then why do you serve her?" asked Adam.
"Isn't it obvious?" Morgan retorted, gesturing to the state-of-the-art submersible still being unloaded a short ways away. "It's because I've been so handsomely compensated. Look at her! A beauty like this would be the envy of even Atlas' navy. With her to helm, me and my crew have become ghosts of the depths, swallowing ships into darkness, with no one any the wiser.
"On top of that, Cinder's little 'arrangement' with you makes it so much easier for me to offload the loot from my raids. You'd be surprised at how hard and complicated it can be to sell illicit cargo, under normal circumstances."
Morgan certainly didn't mean for her manner and words to calm Adam. But he still sheathed his sword, mostly because, however much he despised this woman, associating with her was a necessity. It helped that, while she was undeniably a self-serving witch, at the very least she wasn't discriminating in her selfishness. The faunus members of her crew were treated just as well as the human ones, even if the faunus were the minority. Just to be sure, Adam had a few of his own people subtly 'chat' with some of the faunus members of Morgan's crew during a couple of their earlier liaisons. It turned out that the one case of racism being exhibited by a human aboard Morgan's vessel had ended with the human being flogged to within an inch of his life by Morgan herself.
"So...what do you think?" asked Morgan. "You can run it by Cinder, if you like. But I intend to head east after this."
"Fine," huffed Adam, glancing over to see that his soldiers and Morgan's crew were offloading the last of her cargo.
Morgan flashed him one last teasing grin. "It's been a treat, as usual, Adam. We'll see each other again, I'm sure."
"I'm sure..." agreed Adam, reluctantly.
Morgan kindly waited for Adam's subordinates to get out of her way, before heading out along the rocks, and stepping smoothly onto the deck of her ship. She walked into it without a glance back, the curving plates of the hull sliding closed once again. Adam watched as the submersible sank out of sight, locking gazes with that painted skull, until it too vanished.
"Vale...hmm?" Adam mused as he turned away to head towards the bullhead that would carry him and his men back to their next staging area. It's just as well, he thought. After all, that's the most likely place to find her.
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