TWO DIGIT SURPRISE

[spotto]

AND THE END OF THIS STORY DRAWS NEAR--
Well, arc.

This story is LONG from over. Got at least 120K words more than his, and hopefully beyond that. I'm still in the midst of finishing up arc two myself, but once that's done I'll probably start posting it too. Since this is the end of an arc I'll have some post-fic notes down below.

Also this is stupidly long, so I hope Dreamwidth actually lets me post this. ._.

10

Blake hadn't seen the warden in months, not since the police academy's field trip. She didn't expect him to show up ever again knowing him, but after today the events were apparently significant enough for him to go to work. An ambulance was about to leave the facility, Blake standing by the gates and watching as it was about to turn on its sirens and speed into the streets. That was when the warden showed up at quite possibly the worst time for what he was about to demand. He stomped towards the middle of the gate, blocking the vehicle from exiting. Several guards were confused and some were irate at his action, but none spoke up because they preferred their job security. Blake, the most outraged officer, was the only one to walk up to the warden. She was breathing very heavily, patience thin as a pin, and this man impeding the ambulance from doing its job had dropped the pin.

"What do you think you're doing?" Blake asked, doing whatever she could to speak calmly and politely.

The warden glared at Blake, "Can you not tell? I do not want the patient sent to the hospital. Unless she is going to the morgue, then they may pass."

"Why!?" Blake started, but noticed the level of her volume and tried again, "The inmate is dying in there and you do not want her being sent to the hospital?"

"Because we have a perfectly fine hospital ward in the prison," The warden gestured to the ambulance drivers, "Please turn and take that road instead."

Blake dug her nails into her palm, "Do you not realize the capacity of your own prison!? The hospital ward is only for non-life-threatening injuries! She needs surgery!"

"We have what she needs in the hospital ward," He repeated, "We do not want the patient racking up medical expenses if it's unknown whether she'll actually live."

"You care more about money than lives!? What kind of warden are you!?" Blake was seething.

The warden cast a glare at Blake, "Belladonna you are already on thin ice from the previous incident. Don't go against my direct orders. Besides, if the inmate is sent to a public hospital the security will be far lower and she may escape. We can't have that."

"She can barely breathe in that truck and those EMTs are doing everything in their power to keep her breathing and you think she's going to escape!?" Blake could not stop herself, kicking one of the trashcans over, "And the rest of you are going to stand for this!?"

The other employees stood there, watching, answering her question immediately with their inaction. When the ambulance itself followed the warden's orders instead of doing their jobs and heading off to the hospital, Blake whipped around and left. She knew if she stayed she was really going to do something she regretted, like punching the warden in the face. If only he was one of her targets she could get rid of. She wouldn't hesitate to shoot that man in the head, so angry was she. Blake returned to the offices, trying to calm herself down, breathe in deeply a few times and figure out a plan for what to do next. Whether or not Weiss was going to make it, Blake knew at least one thing. She was in grave danger herself, now that her sanctuary had been invaded. It was one thing to simply end her life and leave her in a body bag, but now they had threatened and harmed many of the people she knew and were trying to help. This was the absolute worst-case-scenario she could have possibly thought of, and she never even expected it!

There was a knock on her door and she wanted to rip the person on the other side's head off, but her words said otherwise, "What is it?"

"There's currently an incident at Cellblock D. It's that blonde you talk to a lot. She's super restless and throwing things in her cell. We're about to move her to C," the guard on the other side explained. She opened the door to reveal the riot gear she was wearing.

Blake pushed off from her chair, "No wait. Let me speak to her first."

"I doubt you can calm her down but alright, please hurry."

She was about to leave the room when the phone began ringing. Blake would've just ignored it, especially in the high-tension situation that was happening now, but she'd probably be fired the next wrong thing she did, so Blake picked up the phone intending to tell the person on the other side to call back.

"Vale Correctional, sorry we are very busy at the moment. Can you call back?"

She recognized the voice on the other side, "Officer Belladonna? Is that you? Sorry about this, but this is really important."

"Lieutenant Nikos? Okay but please be brief," Blake rested the phone between her shoulder and ear, grabbing for the door.

"We just had a missing person's report filed," Pyrrha began, "and we'd like you to inform their relatives that are currently residing in your facility."

Blake was looking ahead to calm down Yang and didn't think of any of the implications Pyrrha's words had, grabbing a pen and paper, "Alright, tell me who it is and I'll jot it down."

"Taiyang Xiao Long did not make it to work today. They called his home and no one answered and they called his cell, also no answer. No one knows where his vehicle is either or when he was last seen," She informed, "I believe he's the father of Yang Xiao Long and...Ruby Rose?"

Blake dropped her pen, eyes widening, "Wait, but he was just here this morning!"

"So he was last seen leaving the correctional institution," Pyrrha noted, "He had work in the later hours of the morning and did not show up. His employers say he's never missed a workday until today."

Blake shook her head, though she knew that wouldn't communicate through a phone, "Maybe there was an accident or he lost his way? If he doesn't contact anyone by tomorrow please call back, thank you."

She hung up, heading out the door to talk to Yang. This was worrisome information but perhaps not an emergency just yet, as it had only have been ten or so hours since he visited. She hoped the man had just decided to do something impromptu while she walked down the corridors towards Yang's cell. She could see a toothbrush and even bottles of shampoo being flung out of the cell, chair legs sticking out and a blanket draped half-way outside. There was a group of correctional officers in riot gear, one holding a can of pepper spray about to let it off into the cell. Blake ran towards him, reaching his arm out.

"Wait! Just a second!" She came just in time, as the guard stopped, standing back up.

"We've told her to stop numerous times or we'll use force, but she refuses to listen," the guard explained.

Blake pointed them to the outside, "Can you give us a minute? I know some sensitive information the offender may not want others to know, so it'd be better if you went outside. If anything happens I'll call you back to do what you were about to, okay?"

They huddled and eventually agreed. They were about to exit when Blake noticed Velvet was inside as well, sitting on the bed as close as the corner as possible away from Yang who was still rambling and banging on the bars, "Oh wait, can you move the other inmate out for a moment?"

Blake narrowed her eyes, eye contact on Yang, "Yang! I need to talk to you alone. Please calm down so we can extract Velvet first, okay?"

"Unless you can bring my sister here right now I have nothing to say!"

"Yang, please!" Blake pleaded, "This is important! Ruby will be okay. She's just at the hospital ward bring treated right now."

Yang crossed her arms, thinking about her options for a moment. Blake was the most trustworthy, most helpful of them all and she was indeed her friend. She was extremely unhappy Blake had kept her from entering the library, but she supposed what she was doing now was going nowhere, "Fine."

Blake pointed at the cell, "Alright, you can bring Velvet out now."

"Are you sure?" The leading riot officer asked.

"If anything happens it's on me," Blake assured. She was putting an extreme amount of faith in Yang.

She didn't have anything to worry about, Yang keeping her hands up as Velvet was pulled out. They transferred the faunus inmate downstairs in the meantime, since there was an empty cell no one was in at the moment. The riot police then exited the building. Yang stood up to the bars, pressing her body as hard as she could into them like she wanted to use her entire strength to break the bars off and burst out of the cell. Her eyes were dead set on Blake, "Well?"

"What are you doing Yang? You're being released in a week," Blake reminded, "Don't jeopardize that!"

"Well what about Ruby then? Is she still going to be released at the time planned too?"

Blake gazed downwards, "It's not likely."

"Then I'm not leaving until she does!" Yang banged the bars again, "I'll punch a guard if I have to stay longer, even you!"

Blake stepped backwards just as a fist came flying between the bars, "Yang. Calm down."

"No!"

Another fist, this time Blake caught it, "Yang."

"Let go!"

"Yang!" Blake bellowed, "Listen to me!"

The blonde finally froze, noticing Blake's golden eyes. She wasn't upset or even angry at her for attempting to hurt her. In fact, Blake's eyes were watering slightly. Her eyebrows were slanted, but not towards her nose, rather away. It was like Blake knew something Yang didn't, something dire.

Blake slowly let go of Yang's wrist, who dropped her hands to her side, "Yang. Your father is missing."

"What?" Yang's outburst died down, like Blake had just dropped a bus on her beloved pet.

"He never made it to work today," Blake elaborated.

Yang stood, allowing the informaton to be fully absorbed, "No! That can't be true! Dad never misses work!"

"That's why they filed the missing person's report," Blake added.

"But he was just here! This morning! They must be mistaken!" Yang picked up her chair and smashed it back to the floor, "He can't be missing!"

Blake shook her head, "I'm sorry."

Yang took in a deep breath. She had been breathing rather erratically the whole afternoon. She was starting to feel her hair rise, especially the ones at the back of her neck the more she repeated the fact that her father had gone missing in her mind. After a few moments, she turned around, grabbing and surprising Blake by the shoulders, pulling her closer to the bars, "Blake. Whatever you do, please don't tell Ruby."

"What? But she deserves to know."

"No!" Yang squeezed Blake's shoulders, "She's already dealing with what happened to Weiss. She won't be able to take that news. You weren't there when she found out her mom died. She does not react to this sort of stuff well, at all."

"But your father is missing, not dead," Blake reasoned, "I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later."

"Blake, please," Yang pleaded, "don't do it for me, do it for Ruby."

Blake let out a sigh she had been holding in all day, "Alright, but on one condition."

"Anything."

"You need to calm down, don't do anything rash," Blake started, "Ruby needs her big sister more on the outside than here. You have to take care of her if your father isn't found. Do you understand?"

Yang wanted to squeeze her fists hearing what Blake said. It frustrated her to no end, but she wasn't able to move her fingers. She made a tiny nod and said a tiny word, "Okay."

"They'll likely keep you here a week or so longer for that outburst," Blake explained.

A guard stepped into the corridor, arms raised calling for Blake, "Belladonna! Boss wants you to go through the security footage."

Blake gritted her teeth. Was this man going to make her do everything? When he lifted not a single finger to do his own job? She wanted him to be a target so bad. If he was that awful at his job he must've been a terrible man outside of it. She didn't need the White Fang's permission to do freelance work after all, and since she wanted to be out of their business she wasn't required to inform them. At the same time just as she had spared Weiss months ago, no matter how hateful or despicable a person she was, she had decided not to kill anymore. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to keep that personal goal considering how much she wanted the warden dead, but she had to keep focus on that. It was almost the only thing she had left.

Before Blake could leave, Yang had one more question, "Blake."

"What is it now Yang? I've got a lot of work to do."

"Why did that girl mention the White Fang?"

Blake stopped in her tracks, expecting to answer Yang's question quickly as she walked away. She turned back, her turn to press onto the bars, "It's nothing, Yang. Just something they said, like a non-sequitur."

"Blake, the White Fang are the mortal enemies of the Schnee Syndicate. I think what she said is a lot more relevant than you're implying," Yang narrowed her eyes.

"Then we have the prime suspects already, don't we?" Blake distanced herself from the bars, "I'll be going now."

Yang was not finished, "Blake, what do you have to do with the White Fang?"

"N-nothing!" Blake immediately blurted out.

"Listen I'm not going to tell anyone or anything, but if you're associated with them, you're already in deep trouble," Yang warned, "just a heads up."

Blake spat back, "You think I don't know?"

Yang pushed herself away from the bars from the force of Blake's words, "Whoa there. I'm just warning you. If you ever need someone to talk to or anything I'm here. Or if I'm not here you can call me when I'm out. Seriously Blake you never sleep and right now you look like a mess. You need to relax, stay safe. Sleep away the stress. I worry about you too you know?"

"I can sleep when I'm dead," Blake finished, turning around and heading off to her next task without giving Yang a chance to respond.

For her sake, Yang hoped that wasn't anytime soon.

-

Ruby was used to noise.

Back at home, there wasn't a moment of silence. Their house was next to a busy avenue nearby an intersection that occasionally had traffic accidents. A block behind them was the subway station and she would feel the rumblings of the trains travelling beneath her. She had a dog, Zwei, who would bark if anyone unfamiliar came near or howl if their father hadn't come home in a while. The leaky faucet remained unrepaired, her father having expended all their budget on the leaky shower, so instead of being irritated at such a sound, it became a symbol of home. Her own projects weren't subtle whatsoever. She'd built a makeshift furnace underneath her bedroom in a small, unfurnished cellar with two entryways, a trap door from her room or a cellar door from the outside. Their boiler, responsible for heating up the house and the water respectively, had this ancient unused coal burner left behind from centuries ago next to it. It took much longer to meld the tools she needed because even that wasn't as hot as she needed it to be, but eventually she'd create something out of scrap metal. This was a very stuffy and loud experience.

When she arrived in prison, noise levels remained the same. Some inmates stayed up the whole night for whatever reason, mumbling to themselves. The footsteps of guards would never stop at anytime, and one thing she had really grown used to were the soft snores of her cellmate, Weiss. Ruby would be lying if she said she had a full uninterrupted slumber when Weiss was locked up in Cellblock C for a time, but she was lucky she had her sister around to keep the levels of stress low. The months that faded together and finally went by were probably the longest months of her life, but she somehow couldn't complain. Those relaxing, normally infuriating annoyances of noises were what she herself cherished.

So it felt all the worse when she heard nothing at all.

She certainly didn't feel nothing at all. She rubbed her shoulder, still wrapped under fresh gauze, a shallow stab wound having entered near her shoulder blades. Another one was at her thigh, which luckily missed any of her vital arteries that lined her body. She could feel there were more contusions still forming after the beat down in the library. Her last injury was on her fist, the skin near her knuckles sliced open as she did what she could to repel the blades with her own hands. She recalled earlier after she had been hastily fixed up, to face the in-facility judge who gave informal trials and so-called fair sentences to those who misbehaved. Apparently she had broken someone's jaw and shattered someone else's knee. Another of those damned attackers had suffered a concussion under her power, and several more with injuries minor but still inflicted by Ruby. It wasn't enough, she knew. After what they had done pulling out homemade knives in the middle of what she thought was already an unfair eight-to-two fistfight, she wanted to do everything she could to knock them all out, to fling bodies off of Weiss. Poor unprepared Weiss whose only action throughout the ruckus was to protect Ruby.

So there she sat, in the middle of her new cell all alone in the quietest place in the world. If it weren't for her own breathing she would've assumed the concept of sound itself no longer existed. The rare times she heard footsteps she'd stand up, rush towards the door and ask if any of them knew of Weiss' condition. They all ignored her. When she tried asking the other inmates that had to have been in this same building in other cells too, there were no responses. When food arrived it was slipped in and out and the moment Ruby could call for the guard for some sort of update, they had already disappeared. And so there she sat. It must have been several days by now. There were windows, or rather one, that gave a small inkling that the world outside was still turning even as she was idle inside. She already knew she wasn't leaving anytime soon, especially not on the day she had marked on her calendar; a day she had been so excited to reach, yet it never came.

She had toyed with her own sink several times, trying to make it leak, let out droplets every once in a while to remind her that she was still sane. She was left frustrated when somehow the mass-produced institutional faucets were more reliable than the one at her old home. She wished there was a way to open the windows, let in air and a breeze that would blow by her ears, a soft noise that reminded her of how Weiss slept, but her room remained closed off and stuffy. Everything was still, left where they was, going nowhere but here. When they finally allowed Ruby to exit and exercise, as they had called it, she was only sent to a bigger room with an open roof. The blue skies were nice to see, but there were no birds or sounds of nature for whatever reason and the silence continued to torment her. She found no motivation to move around like the hour was meant to be.

Then one day as she sat still in the middle of her cell, patiently waiting for the seconds to become minutes, minutes to become hours, and hours to become freedom, a correctional officer sauntered pass her door. She did not dash towards it to ask that same question she had been repeating, somehow knowing inside no one would answer, but oddly the inmate and the officer that stood in the hallways were conversing. She could hear their words, words she was glad came from other people than her own. She was tired of her own voice, her own grunts and noises. They were all the sounds she ever heard these days and she hated them.

"You can't put me away just 'cause I asked a damn question!" The inmate protested, struggling in the officer's grasp.

The officer returned with a scolding tone, a tone that sounded nostalgic for whatever reason, "You asked that same question over and over again this week and we've told you over and over again, we don't know! Then you called my colleague the C-word!"

"That's 'cause you guys are cunts! You can't lock us down for this long when everyone in that fight's been caught and sentenced! What the hell you assholes think you're doing!?"

The officer pulled the door open violently, and shoved the inmate in, "This wasn't just another fight! Someone died! We take that type of violence extremely seriously!"

It was like the words ripped the heart out of her chest. That couldn't be it. Weiss had to have made it. Maybe there was a second fight shortly after and someone was killed as a result. Or maybe it was one of the people Ruby had injured and they somehow succumbed to their injuries. She didn't care if that meant she'd be charged with murder, so long as it meant Weiss was still alive. She had to be! She couldn't be dead! She didn't fight for the both of their lives just for all of it to be naught! There was absolutely no way. It was completely and utterly impossible for Weiss to be dead.

The words were like magnets, attracting Ruby right up to the door, "Who? Who died?"

"Bitch! You should know!" The inmate responded, "You're the reason the rest of us ain't got no free time and now I'm stuck in this hellhole!"

"No, you, be quiet," The officer attempted to control the inmate, but she continued.

"That whore of a cellmate's of yours was skewered like fucking yakitori! No way she could've survived it twenty-seven times!"

WHAM!

Ruby bashed the metal door so hard it shook, "Don't! Call! Her! That!"

"Okaaay, we are moving elsewhere," the officer pulled the inmate back out the cell, relocating her to one much further down the hall.

When Ruby dropped her arms back to her sides, she finally noticed the stinging on both forearms. She glanced at them, noticing they had reddened and were going numb. She rocked the solid steel doors so hard she may have bruised her own arms, or worse, but that wasn't her concern right now. She didn't care if she had broken both her arms. She staggered backwards, still processing the exchange that occurred between her and that inmate, the words they traded, the insults they flung, and the only thing that mattered was that Weiss was gone.

She had failed.

Even though her fingers were difficult to move, still reeling from the sensations of the smashing of the door down her tendons, she formed them into fists and she beat them once more, pounding and pounding and pounding the solid stone floors. It was a noise at least, a noise that reverberated through her body and echoed through the halls. The more she punished the ground the less she could feel her arms, the wound on her shoulder stretching out and threatening to reopen. She didn't care. These bodily signals indicating to her she was destroying herself were nothing. Not in the large scheme of things when Weiss was dead, not in a world where this same body wasn't enough to keep her alive. If it was so important she stop she better be smashing her hands into paste.

When at last the banging noises ceased, Ruby remained in a rolled up fetal position for a time she could not describe. She remained in such a state, no thoughts running through her head. Her hands were now damp, but instead of the blood she thought she should've shed, it was just damp with the tears she had dropped to the ground as she slammed it harder. These arms were so useless but yet so durable. For what reason did they need to rebel against her desires to destroy them both? For why do they remain? What could she even do with such pointless limbs anymore?

She didn't need to think very far. Ruby stood up, brushing the dirt and grime that imprinted into her arms as she had abused them. They lived through her punishment and now they needed to become stronger. Ruby entirely had to become stronger. If there was one thing she knew she left at home that gave her any sense of direction after today, it was just one thing. After all, she was going to be stuck here for a very long time. What else was she going to do?

From this day onwards, there would be no more failures.

-

Yang did not see herself down here, in the still empty cell of her sister's, cleaning out her stuff for her. Or on that same note, cleaning out Weiss'. Today she was leaving this place, returning to the streets where life was a lot more unpredictable, but yet she did not foresee this, taking down the photos that were taped all around the walls, grabbing Ruby's little wolf plushie, none of it. The guards had told her to clear it all up and throw anything she didn't want away and for whatever reason this included Weiss' possessions as well. She had heard the terrible news a few days after that vicious attack. Weiss had succumbed to her injuries in the hospital ward. She had no idea why she wasn't transferred to an actual hospital, but Blake was as incensed as she was when she had asked. She wasn't as close to the heiress as Ruby was, but she still regarded Weiss as a friend. She was this tiny little grenade of rage she had a knack for setting off whenever she wanted. And despite the warnings from Blake and others in her line of work about the Schnee's reputation for breaking their deals, Weiss for her part never broke any at all. It was a shame because for a while there, especially near the end it seemed like she was rubbing off on Weiss' demeanour. She had begun actually cracking jokes. Terrible ones as expected from someone who had no sense of humour, but she tried. The biggest question at the moment was how Ruby was dealing with this. She couldn't imagine what state she might be in, and she'd like nothing more to give her a hug.

After today, they all needed hugs.

She rummaged through the cabinet and next the bed. After finding little of interest aside from Ruby's various drawings hidden underneath the pillow, she went through Weiss' on habit as well, expecting to find nothing. She discovered the phone Ruby had asked her to smuggle in, which had been turned off. Yang switched it back on, noticing it lost little of any power due to not having been on at all. It looked as if it was barely used, all the default settings and icons littering the home screen. She swished until she reached the gallery, pulling up any photos Ruby may have taken. She was about to discard the phone into her duffle bag when all she found were stock photos, until she noticed the most recent was one of Ruby's. A picture of her and Weiss had been saved as her younger sister had hoped, and seeing the two, Ruby smiling as always and a hilarious stunned expression on Weiss, caused Yang to squeeze her eyes shut, forcing a tear back. She proceeded to turn the phone off once again and place it in her bag without comment. Yang didn't know exactly what Ruby might have been feeling now, but whatever it was it was not good.

Blake came by a little while later, checking up on Yang to see if she had finished packing, "Do you have everything ready yet? You can leave in about an hour. We'll need to do some paperwork before you can go."

"Are you sure I should be taking sis' stuff? She's going to need them when she comes back doesn't she?" Yang asked, still holding onto the plushie.

Blake shook her head, "They're keeping her in C for an indefinite time. That means until she is released, whenever they decide that will be."

"Goddamnit," Yang cursed, throwing the stuffed animal into her bag, "You know Ruby would do it again, every single time, no matter the consequences." She let out a frustrated sigh, "I should've went with her to the library."

"Yang no, it isn't your fault. These things aren't preventable," Blake said. A lie. Of course they were.

"If only there was some sort of warning," Yang closed her eyes, repeating the day's events in case anything was out of the norm, "I dunno. You'd think an attack of that magnitude would be passed around by word of mouth."

Blake tapped her cheek, thinking, "Well, all of Weiss' attackers were new arrivals."

Then it clicked. Why didn't she realize it sooner? There was a huge warning a couple of hours before the attack. When Weiss had left her cell, she was approached by a multitude of people without any sense of pattern or similarity. That crowd wasn't a part of some gang or clique or anything. Half of them Blake was sure never even spoke to each other once. The one thing they had in common was they were all prisoners who had been around for some time, months, a few even years. In fact a large majority of them weren't even inside for drug charges, so why on earth would they leave dust with Weiss? She wondered if there was anyone in particular in the group she'd remember, and then she glanced up.

"Velvet," Blake said, "Velvet might know something."

"Really?" Yang raised an eyebrow, "Yo Velvet! Can you come down here?"

The demure rabbit faunus hung over the balcony to see that it was indeed Yang who was calling. She nodded slightly and gingerly stepped down the stairs, "Yes Yang? What is it you want? Aren't you about to leave soon?"

"Nah I just got a question. On the day Weiss was—er, killed I guess, was there like any sign that the attack was going to happen, or anything?" Yang asked.

Velvet shifted her eyes back and forth, playing with her fingers before shaking her head and dropping her small, strange, most likely nervous habits, "Actually, I guess telling you now won't do any harm."

"Huh?" Yang's curiosity was piqued.

"We knew something was about to happen to her that day," Velvet began, "Some people even said it was the dawn of the Ice Queen's execution."

Yang furled her brows, "Seriously, people were naming it something as cheesy as that?"

"Some of us didn't want her to die," Velvet continued, "So those of us who didn't mind her presence, I guess, grouped together to come up with a plan to save her without having to reveal the attack to authorities."

"Wait wait wait," Yang waved her hands, stopping Velvet in her tracks, "Why the hell didn't I know about this? I know about a lot of the stuff that goes on in here y'know!"

"Well, it would've been a snitch if you knew," Velvet said, "because you were considered one of the Ice Queen's associates. If you knew that meant she knew, which would unravel the attack entirely and someone else was going to be killed for revealing that information."

Yang grabbed at her head, shaking it, "Damn."

"So we thought we'd get her in trouble to the point she'd be transferred to a different cellblock," Velvet concluded, "Drug charges are some of the most serious, so we managed to trade for some, but for some reason it didn't work."

Blake's hidden ears twitched at this new information. She knew exactly why that plan didn't come to fruition. She knew all too well.

"It was a good try," Yang commented, "a valiant effort."

Velvet was about to return to the stairway, "Is that all Yang?"

"Yeah, thanks Velvet," Yang continued to dig through the items in the cell. A majority of the possessions were Ruby's. Weiss didn't seem to own or keep things inside at all. She was about to request a second bag when she found something in the back of the desk's drawer.

Yang pulled it out and began to read it, "Hey! Is this something Ruby drew—oh."

"Hm? What is it?" Blake stepped closer to Yang.

"I finally found something of Weiss'," Yang placed the page down, "Do I have to take this? Can't you uh, give it to her family or something?"

Blake's next response was one she not at all expected, "No. They didn't even come to claim her body. Why would they want that?"

"Hm, even if they did take it they'd probably throw it in the trash," Yang examined the page, "It's all crumpled and it even looks like someone stepped on—"

She did a double-take, "What? They didn't even claim her body?"

"Wait what?" Blake said in unison, taking the page. She had assumed Weiss had sent out or otherwise destroyed all the letters she had written. She scanned through the piece of paper Yang had found and all the familiar words and handwriting remained, especially the footprint.

"Geez," Yang continued, not noticing Blake's outburst, "Where is she buried? I'll give her a visit."

"I can show you where it is in a few days," Blake muttered without really thinking as she kept her gaze on the letter.

Yang shrugged, "Alright. Can you take that then? I don't really want that anywhere near where I sleep. It sounds really, er, heavy."

Blake folded the page into a neat square and slipped it into her pocket. Yang figured the cage was clear enough and zipped up her bags, throwing it onto her shoulder, "I think I've got everything!"

"Well, time to go," Blake slid close the cell door.

Yang shook her head, still not accepting the most recent events, "Ruby should be out there waiting for me, super happy to see me released, none of this."

"Well soon you'll be the one out there super happy to see Ruby released," Blake assured.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" Yang brought a finger up, "How's Zwei?"

With her father missing and no one at home for more than a week, someone had to take the dog in. Unfortunately it was Blake who despised canines. She wasn't allergic to them nor did dogs have a collective vendetta against her, she just really didn't like them that much. Luckily she was able to leave Zwei at the penthouse with Sun and with her penchant for never being home she wasn't around to see the dog much in the first place.

"Fine. When are you taking him back?" Blake hoped it would be soon, such as right away.

Yang dashed her hopes, "My apartment doesn't allow pets, so it's gotta be when Ruby's out." Or when dad was found, but it had been almost two weeks.

"You can't just move back into an empty house to take care of the dog?" Blake suggested.

"Nah, do you know how expensive it is to own a house? Or take care of a dog for that matter? If I'm more stable financially I'll take it back. Real thanks for taking care of him though, I heard you weren't too fond of dogs. Remember when you guys were training some guard dogs for the prison? I saw you from the window being chased around. It was hilarious! I think you were stuck in the tree for two hours!"

Blake glared at Yang. She did not realize she was being watched at the time or that Yang would even bring it up, how unfair. Regardless, their walk to the exit, after filing some paperwork and returning the items Yang came in with, including a screwdriver Ruby had for some reason, went without much event. Blake waved as Yang began walking away to a bus stop some twenty minutes away.

"And don't come back!" Blake called.

"Blake! Remember! If you need to talk to somebody, hit me up!" Yang made a gesture with her hand to her face like that of a phone, and turned around for the last time, disappearing along the windy roads.

-

Three months passed.

To most people living in the city, especially the older folk, three months was nothing. To the children three months was forever, especially when it was three months waiting agonizingly for the summer break. To people trying to escape their gang, three months alive was a relief. To those sitting inside a cell with absolutely nothing to do and no one to talk to, three months was hell.

Well not for Ruby.

Ruby had plenty to do.

Blake had visited Ruby a few times in these three months, but wasn't able to come around with any significant frequency. She had to keep her chats with Ruby brief as well, as the whole point of being in this building was that no one was allowed to talk to the prisoners. Through each small exchange with Ruby, the girl would be different. She was taller now, not to the extent of Yang of course, but she was growing. One would think this might mean the nutrients the prison provided was actually adequate, but Blake would sooner believe a radioactive spill from a plane flying by had caused her growth over the food. The logical answer was of course that Ruby had been spending these several days doing nothing but exercise. On one of the visits, she noticed her shoulders and biceps were visibly protruding. One would say when you were stuck in a place for so long you'd come out of it much healthier, what with the lack of any other activity to do.

But Ruby's routine looked to have a purpose. Just like from Weiss of before there would always be pages strewn all over the floor in her cell. Blake was only able to see them for a few seconds, but saw little words written on them. Instead they resembled blueprints. A few other pages she managed a glance had numbers and letters all over the place resulting from various formulas. Yang had always told Blake Ruby was a nerd, but Blake didn't realize the extent of Ruby's genius. She was glad for Ruby's sake that she managed to remain preoccupied in such a difficult situation, but that still didn't mean her mental health was all there. Anyone who stayed longer than even a week without much human interaction had suffered greatly. The petitions and protests to end such cruel treatment on prisoners were promising, but ultimately were going nowhere with the current government.

All Blake could do was watch and hope Ruby was okay.

Thankfully after three months the people in charge allowed Ruby's sentence to end. She was to be released today and Blake had called Yang to come pick her up. Unfortunately, all she managed was the voicemail. Though she repeatedly called the entire morning with Ruby to be released in the afternoon she couldn't get a hold of Yang. Ruby still didn't even know her father had been missing. As the time for Ruby's release drew near, Blake knew if no one was coming to get her she'd have to drive her home herself. She wasn't about to let her take the bus home or anything like that, only for her to arrive to a completely empty house with no father or dog. Ruby was still sixteen after all, a minor.

Thinking back, Ruby had arrived in prison as a fifteen-year-old, extremely young for anyone especially a prisoner. She was still baffled how they had let a fifteen-year-old go to prison. From what she knew of Ruby's felony in her files, possession of a bunch of weapons wasn't so serious it would send a minor to prison. The weapons themselves were of military calibre, which might explain a few things but still. When a minor had an offence, especially one where it was possession of an illegal product it was usually their legal guardian who was charged instead. She didn't know what exactly happened that led to Ruby herself being punished. For someone to spend their sixteenth birthday in here, well, Blake hoped they had a better seventeenth.

Though it annoyed Blake to no end that Yang wasn't picking up, she did send something to Ruby in the mail that Blake couldn't give her until she was released. As Ruby stepped out of the holding cell, back in casual dress, the exact same clothes she arrived in, she was given the box.

"What's this?"

"Yang sent it. I couldn't give it to you until now."

Ruby took the box, but had yet to open it, "Where is she?"

"I don't think she's coming," Blake saw Ruby adopt a forlorn stare, "It's fine. I'm sure she'll see you later today."

Ruby sat down on a bench, ripping open the package without much thought. She unraveled a rose red cloak that was large and somehow fit into the small tiny box. Blake wondered why on earth Yang would send her something like this when Ruby immediately rubbed it on her face, hugging it close and even smiling. That was the first expression aside from neutral Blake had seen on her in months. After holding it for a few minutes a letter dropped out of the box as well, having been flung out by the cloak.

Blake crouched down to pick it up, handing it to Ruby. She opened the letter.

Hey Rubes! Sorry I can't make it to pick you up today, but Blake's a pal and I'm sure she'll give you a drive. I hope this makes up for it, at least a little? You've went so long without your little personal hug that you wore all the damn time every single day. I even gave it a wash because you never do. It still smells a little bit like Zwei though, can't do anything 'bout that. I thought to let you know dad's off on a long business trip to some country I can't pronounce on the map, so at the moment Zwei's at Blake's place. She hates dogs. You should visit and see how she handles him! It's hilarious! Don't worry about me sis! I'll be seeing you soon.

Love, xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo~ Yang

"She wrote both love and the x's and o's again," Ruby facepalmed.

"Sounds like Yang," Blake said.

Ruby stood up, slinging the cloak around and putting it on. Despite her growth the cloak still fit perfectly, but Blake could tell she looked a little ridiculous with it on top of her hoodie and jeans. It was summer after all. She hoped Ruby wouldn't cook inside of that. She put the letter in her pocket and picked up her bag.

Blake felt for her keys in her own pocket, guiding Ruby towards the parkling lot, "There's no need to give me directions. I've been to your house before." And it was horrible. The dog almost ate her face.

"Actually Blake if you don't mind, there's a place I want to go first."

-

Ruby and Blake were weaving between gravestones, trekking towards a particular spot in the furthest of corners at the local cemetery. Blake had been to this final resting place so often she had memorized the layout in the back of her head. They were surprisingly not heading to where Weiss was buried as Blake had expected, but Ruby's strong purposeful gait indicated they weren't here for any shallow reason. She watched as Ruby kept up her steps ahead of her, the wind picking up just as they reached the peak of a small hill, a lone tree blossoming red flowers towering on top. There were a half-dozen or so graves the tree shaded from the harsh summer's sun and once Ruby reached this tree, she crouched down to the headstone closest to it. Blake kept her distance, noting the petals gently rocking in the winds in a strange synergy with Ruby's billowing cape. There were very little people elsewhere visiting the fallen on this remarkable afternoon. The two stood by their lonesome, the lack of noise or murmurs from visitors had they been here rather suitable for the scene.

After a few minutes Ruby stood, twisting around to face Blake. Despite their solemn surroundings she had a smile gracing her face, "Alright! I'm done here. Can you show me to Weiss now?"

They set off for a different direction, Weiss' final resting place almost on the other side of the cemetery. Blake could've and maybe should've taken the most direct straightforward route to the next grave, but she choose a path that purposely avoided some of the headstones that were familiar to her. Either people she knew who were killed in her dangerous and unforgiving line of work, or those whose plots were practically bought by her actions. There were a multitude of reasons she hated this place, numerous memories that resurfaced. Too many of them reminders that the life she led was not the life she desired, and the regrets that filled boxes that lay below.

When they finally reached Weiss, Ruby found it a bit strange it had been a very plain gravestone with little words. From everything she knew about the girl, Weiss was at the very least rich, with a family that could've bought an entire pyramid for any family member that passed. In fact the only inscription on the pearl white stone was her name. Still, even with just the name Ruby placed a single white rose onto the grass, resting its petals onto the stone. She gave a few words under her breath before turning around and noticing Blake had kept her distance a second time.

"Blake? Why are you all the way over there? I know you didn't like Weiss all that much, but I mean," Ruby glanced at the headstone, "she still deserves the words."

Blake hurried up to Ruby's side, "Sorry, I just thought you needed some time alone."

There was a moment of silence as Blake made a brief prayer.

"You know," Ruby began, "after all this time I never figured out why she was inside. She mentioned a few times that she didn't belong there but never brought up details."

Blake had read her files the moment she had arrived, but it would have been nothing but rude to bring it up, even to someone like Weiss, "Do you want to know?"

"I liked it a lot when I didn't know why anyone was there," Ruby peered up, marvelling at the few clouds flying by, "because that way everyone was just another person."

Ruby shifted her cloak, raising it a bit higher on her chin, "But if it's Weiss, I don't think it matters what she did. I'll still remember her fondly." She turned her head to face Blake again, "So yes, I want to know."

Yang, you have an incredible sister.

"Arson."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. She supposed her original image of arsonists being these crazed pyromaniacs might have been a bit off. Weiss never mentioned anything about fire.

"It's why I never believed a word she said whenever she claimed innocence," Blake brought up, wondering if this was an appropriate time to explain, "it is obscenely difficult to frame arson."

But Ruby didn't seem to mind.

"Do you think if I became a firefighter, I'll see her again?"

Blake chuckled, "Not unless she's setting heaven ablaze."

Heaven. Months ago she'd have been convinced Weiss would've went straight to the other place, yet her word choice came by so naturally. Their conversation, moment of peace, was suddenly interrupted by Blake's ringtone. The faunus peeked at the screen and Ruby noticed her eyes widen and ears go erect.

"Sorry Ruby, I should've had it on silent. Let me take this," She had said before she left.

Ruby heard Blake's footsteps grow fainter and fainter as she was left in solitude. She reread the only word, name, left on the tombstone, Weiss. She kept scanning that name over and over again, repeating the sound in her head. Weiss. Weiss. Weiss. Weiss. It then began degenerating from the name it was, resembling a child calling out for their dinner over and over again, asking for those white grains to be granted into their bowl. Ruby took in a sharp breath, closing her eyes, trying to internalize the dull ache that shimmered from her heart. She felt her fingers trembling, her shoulders shuddering as her knees threatened to buckle. The reality of everything that was these past few months, the reality that she had only overheard, could only assume, tried so desperately to deny, and when she finally felt she accepted it was crashing back down on her as if she never realized the truth at all. The worst feeling of all was how familiar this soreness felt, this pressure that built up within her that almost overcame her entire existence once before. She didn't know how she survived that first incident, wondering if perhaps she really survived at all. When the years went by and the memories faded, there were always spurts in her life where she'd relive that pain of loss, of grief, wishing the serene and loving eyes of her mother were still in her presence even today, but knowing they would never open again...

Why did this keep happening? Why would it happen a second time? Ruby grinded her teeth, remembering the panicked widened eyes of Weiss when she had pushed her away. Ruby shut her eyes tight, trying to force herself from keeping the tears inside, but still some managed to escape, defying her desire to keep it within. She had to be stronger than this; she had to push away the stabbing pain that only throbbed the harder she thought about that day. She hated how she once visited this cemetery every single week, sitting by the tree up by the hill and simply spending time by doing nothing at all, hanging around with those who no longer could be. Here she was, standing once again, atop these same blades of grass that blew in the wind as if nothing could possibly be wrong, at a brand new tombstone of a brand new person who no longer could be. Ruby crouched down, her shaking fingers brushing against the name as she could feel how very real this whole nightmare was. Her fingers curled up, digging into her palms, pressing deep into her skin as she fell on one knee, head dropping lower as her gaze fell to the ground.

She opened her eyes, only slightly, her vision blurred from the liquid that invaded her lids.

"Never..."

Her voice was barely a peep, not even loud enough for a faunus to hear and so quiet Ruby wondered if she was really speaking or just imagining.

"Never...again..."

Ruby could not fathom a third time. What if it were Blake, who stood innocuously off to the side? What if it were her father? One parent already ruined her. What if it were...Yang? A short breath escaped her lungs, the very idea halting her thoughts immediately. Her balled fist was shaking now, as her frustration, hate at oneself was pumping her blood so hard her heart felt like it could burst out at any second. She finally let the tears fall onto the ground, above where Weiss lay as she took in a momentous breath, filtering the air through her teeth now. Her left hand scrunched up the grass beneath her, wanting to rip it out over and over and over again, so the perfect angel that would never move again could be free from the restricting dirt, able to open her eyes once again, to come at her, to hug her, to tell her it was okay. That nothing had gone wrong at all; that paradoxically, they were both still sitting in a prison cell, in a place and time that would return all the happiness that once was into her body.

It was a pipe dream. Something that would never happen.

Ruby let out the breath.

"....I...promise you."

All the sounds in the world Ruby had ignored came roaring back when she heard Blake's voice re-enter the scenery.

"Ruby? Are you alright?"

Ruby picked herself up, stood upright almost instantly, "Uh, yeah. I'm...I'll be okay."

"...sorry, I had to take that call," Blake looked distant, as if whatever conversation she just had upset her in some way, and she was hiding it poorly, "Would you like to go home now?"

Ruby gently nodded, though her eyes lingered on the grave as they began their silent trek to the car. They were entering their vehicle and while Blake was strapping on her seatbelt, Ruby mentioned one last thing that she had been protesting in her head for the last few months.

"There's something I want to show you."

-

Yang sighed as she shut her phone off, dumping it into one her pockets. She stretched her arms before facing a gentleman who had been seated at a desk. There were several other men and women lining the office, some at the doors while others stood by the shelves. Yang for her part stuck out like a sore thumb among the group, not at all dressed in the formal wear everyone else was in, but she didn't look out of place in terms of her demeanour or expression. The lighting was dim, on purpose perhaps but not especially practical if anyone wanted to get anything done inside. The man Yang spoke to was only a few years older than her, and while he sat on a desk he looked nothing like the stereotypical office worker. His hair was a frenzy, his suit poorly maintained, and his posture in the chair wasn't even upright. She stepped closer to the desk, putting her hands onto the top and bending towards the man sitting down.

"So anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. Am I in, or am I in, or what?”

The man could do nothing but press his forehead into his palm, sighing as he pushed his chair back to stand up, “You cannot be serious.”

“What?” Yang shrugged, genuinely confused at his hesitance.

“You barge in here, breaking the door, knocking out three of the guards to get in here, then before I get so much as one sentence in, you make a call in the middle of all this, and you want to join us?” The man slammed a fist on the table, “Get out.”

Yang puckered her lips, “Wow, you sure are a terrible recruiter if you can't even acknowledge my skill.”

“What skill? It's certainly not persuasive skill, I'll tell you that.”

“Well, I'd make a better guard than your guards,” Yang whistled, taking a moment to gather her thoughts, “and I'm willing to bet I'm smarter than them.”

No matter how much this man hated to admit it, the blonde did have a point, but it wasn't one he was going to give any attention to anytime soon, “All I can see is brute strength and a bimbo. Nothing of worth or anything we need. Why would you even join us? Do you have ties to the boss? Or somehow a business degree within that hurricane you call hair?”

“Well, I dunno. I see you guys are having a bit of trouble.”

“We are having no trouble and allowing you to join our ranks will do nothing to affect it,” the man denied, his mouth twisting into a snarl.

Yang tapped on her chin, pacing about in the room as if she had free-range to waltz wherever she wanted whenever she wanted, “You guys recently lost the piers to the White Fang, didn't you? That's a pretty important port. It's got alcohol, stolen goods, counterfeits, why, even dust! That's a pretty large piece of your profit!”

“So you know a little bit about the streets, that doesn't mean anything,” he insisted, still refusing to give Yang any light of day.

“I know the White Fang is moving their main base there,” Yang added, “which is a pretty bold move. I guess their little place down by the river was too remote and tight for 'em.”

The man was about to deal with the disrespectful blonde himself, but stopped when she continued casually revealing information not everyone knew, especially not some random lowly gang-banger on the streets, “How do you know such things? Do you work for the White Fang?”

He felt for his revolver on his back pocket, not particularly desiring to stain his office with the body of a girl, which would be difficult to explain to his boss. He wasn't fond of spontaneous violence after all, but if someone who used to work for their mortal enemies was allowed within their organization, it would have been a huge security issue. Not that secrets were regularly passed around those on the bottom of the hierarchy, but it was never a mistake to be cautious. Besides, those who were affiliated with those wild lunatics would be executed under the boss' orders anyway, just in a far more delicate and less messy manner.

“Why would I work for them? Do I look like a faunus to you?” Yang tilted her head as if she was questioning the intelligence of the man before her silently, “I've just had run-ins with 'em a few times. Obtaining information is just one of my many specialities, after all.”

“Fine, but you still haven't said why you have an interest in us,” he glared, still far too suspicious of this violent stranger.

“Like I said, I obtain info. I got a small personal stake in the stuff you do, looking for a few people myself,” Yang shook her head, “Don't worry, I ain't a cop or anything. Quite the opposite after my recent stint inside. Y'know the White Fang took over Vale Correctional recently? You guys have almost zero presence with the politics there. Hell, the one person I think you had was freshly killed, like she was a spoiled piece of skewered lamb. I know you think of those already caught as worthless, but you'll be surprised how much influence you'd have if you had some control of the prisons.”

The man turned around, observing the city through his oversized window for a few moments before responding, though without facing the blonde, “Don't think just because the heiress is dead you can swoop in and take her place, just like that.”

“Oh, I'm not the ambitious type, don't worry! Like you said, all I'm gonna offer is brute strength!” Yang punched the inside of her palm, “For example--”

“Wait, stop!” But it was too late, as Yang threw one of the men standing around the room into a shelf, knocking it over and breaking the wooden structure in half.

The recruiter almost wanted to slap the blonde straight in the face, “You think injuring my men and breaking my stuff is going to give you any favours!?”

“Favours?” Yang said just as she pulled out a wire from beneath the fallen minion's shirt, “You mean this?”

The man's eyes widened, seeing the familiar device that Yang had ripped out, “A rat!”

“Not a very good one either. I could feel his anxiety bouncing off my side the moment I got here,” Yang laughed, “So, am I in now or do I need to make another call?”

The recruiter grumbled, still hesitant but now acknowledging Yang's abilities, “Fine, but one wrong move, one attempt to one-up us and your head will be mounted in the boss' office with the rest of them.”

“Hohoho, not pulling any punches here, now are we? I'm glad we can come to an agreement then,” Yang offered her hand to give him a shake, but the man only squinted his eyes before he exited the office before her. The blonde shrugged, resting the back of her head to her hands as she followed him out.

-

When they arrived at the house, instead of Blake dropping Ruby off and driving away, she was now being lead into the dampest, darkest, defunct little hole she had ever seen. She felt like she was being guided towards the end of the tunnel where a judge would reside, sorting through her sins and deeds to determine where in the afterlife she'd go. She wouldn't have been surprised if they were ambushed by some sort of oversized scorpion that lived at the end of this dangerous cave either, but instead it was really just a cellar beneath the house that had access to the sewer system and other utility pipes for whatever reason. Before Ruby turned the lights on, she pivoted to face Blake so she could flick the switch.

"Huh, Blake. Did you know your eyes glow?"

Blake almost jumbled on her words, "O-oh! Uh, cataracts."

"What?"

"I mean, I have an eye infection. Been using eyedrops, it makes my eyes shinier than normal."

Ruby tilted her head in sheer confusion, "On both eyes?"

"Yeah, I know, um. If you don't mind I'm a bit sensitive about it," Blake was wondering when the day would come when she didn't need to lie on a daily basis.

And just like that Ruby dropped it, "Oh okay. Sorry." She flicked the switch.

Unbeknownst to Ruby, Blake with her glowing faunus vision had already seen what the cellar had to offer. She saw a few things expected of a cellar, like a boiler and a washing machine, but when they arrived to this almost hidden area of the basement, she saw a scene one would expect to see more often in the middle ages than anything. There was an ancient forge, a makeshift anvil Blake was sure was made out of rail tracks or something similar, several other tools including all sorts of hammers and various half-finished melded pieces of iron sitting on some tables. A toolbox with more modern equipment sat open at the corner of one of the tables as well. There were a few cabinets that hid whatever items or tools inside. Her night vision was not strong enough to be x-ray vision, unfortunately. Ruby let out what sounded like a squeal when the lights opened.

"My stuff's still around! Yes!" She hugged her anvil in particular, "I missed you so much Mr. Anvil."

Blake stood dumbfounded, still waiting for what exactly Ruby was about to show her. She had an unusual hobby sure, but that didn't seem like the kind of thing she needed to see right away like Ruby had worded it.

"Now let's see if they missed this," Ruby went on her knees, crawling underneath one of the tables and smacking the ground a few times before they both heard a typical hollow noise. She lifted up a panel and let out this time a very distinctive squeal.

Ruby grinned, "It's here! They never found it! It's here!"

Blake's jaw dropped when Ruby pulled out what was quite possibly the finest engineering marvel she had ever seen. It was large, oversized even, reminiscent of those absurdly long katanas various fictional characters would wield, which was not at all possible in the sane realm of physics. She could tell it was some sort of rifle, the shape of a sniper rifle but the way its triggers were crafted it did not look like its only purpose was far-range shooting. It still looked unfinished in terms of its aesthetics, from afar it'd only look like a long lump of metal, but Ruby was able to test its components as if it was mostly finished. She even pointed it directly at Blake for a moment who leapt away from its sights on instinct.

"U-uh Ruby, that's really, really impressive," She started; this girl was not human, "but are you sure you should be showing me that? It's also very, very illegal."

"I didn't realize you were a police officer, Blake," Ruby said as she smiled.

The officer, though not of the police, frowned, "No, but I could easily report this to them."

"I wouldn't be showing you this if I knew you were going to tattle."

Blake furled her brow, "What makes you think I'd keep this all a secret?"

"Well..." Ruby said as her back was facing the faunus. The shorter girl then whipped around, revealing a mask on her face. It was nothing fancy, almost as if one had carved out holes from a sleeping mask. However if it weren't for Blake's excellent vision one could mistaken the mask as simply the shadow being cast from her hood that she now had over her head. Ruby repositioned her rifle, the barrel parallel to Blake's eye line once again. A beat of fear coursed through Blake's nervous system as she took a second step back, but she could still see a calm, relaxed smile as if nothing was wrong on Ruby's face.

"Let's pretend," Ruby began.

Blake's ears twitched, "What?"

"Role-play," Ruby emphasized, "How about you be a crook, someone running from the law."

The faunus' fingers moved uneasily when she waited for Ruby to continue.

"You know, let's make up a crime or whatever. Maybe you just attempted to kill someone."

Blake could feel a tingle shoot down her neck, any fine hair raising up in caution.

"...okay..." Blake finally said, the pauses between their chatter growing in length as they went on.

Ruby began to wave her gun around, "And you're trying to run, right now. Like, go ahead and do it. Run."

"Run?" Blake hesitated.

"Yeah. Whatever you think you'd do in this unlikely situation."

Blake let those last few words go over her head as she eyed a small window high above them just behind Ruby. Revving up her cat-like instincts, she darted towards a corner, wondering what Ruby had in store for her before pushing herself off the wall and launching herself up towards the opening. She saw her fingers about to brush the windowsill when she suddenly found herself propelled from the air straight down into the ground in seconds. The pain that travelled up her back forced her eyes closed momentarily, and when she opened them Ruby was right on top of her, gun pointed right between her two eyes, her knee pressing harshly into her abdomen, pinning her to the ground.

"Urk...what..?" Blake grunted, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

Ruby beamed, "Yay! It worked!"

"You, you stopped me," Blake exclaimed. The faunus' eyes were widened just a little too much which Ruby had noticed, but she quickly caught herself, the brief thought that all of this might have been real dissipating from her mind.

"Well, I've been working on my reflexes and fighting ability," Ruby explained, "especially when you're stuck in one place with little to do for months."

Blake recalled the injuries those White Fang convicts she had fought off during that fateful day when Weiss was killed. Though she had failed to save the princess, she had done considerable amount of damage to her assailants. Since then, it seemed Ruby had improved tenfold, surprising Blake herself to the ground as well. That flash of fear that surged in her body just after Ruby had tackled her to the ground resurfaced deep within Blake's heart. Ruby had some serious ability to take down anyone she wanted, and the way she had worded their little 'role-play' was too close for comfort. She was starting to understand what Ruby was wanting to do.

Ruby raised her chin high, her arms akimbo, "What do you think?"

"I think you're out of your mind," Blake said as she slowly stood back up.

"But I knocked you down! I got you!" Her confident pose dissolved into the slouch of pleading.

"Yes, you do have the physical prowess required," Blake started, "which is highly impressive, but that's all you have."

It was one thing to see Weiss glare, and Blake had a pretty recognizable one herself, but to see Ruby glare was a rare sight to behold. She pushed her weapon into Blake's face, almost trying to physically shove her reasoning straight through Blake's nerves and into her brain to get her to understand how totally prepared she was.

"I have guns as well!"

"Are you implying you're going to kill the crooks?" Ruby's weapon was suspiciously similar to a sniper rifle after all, which was something Blake was very familiar with.

Ruby laughed the moment Blake had said that, "What? I'm not going to kill them Blake! What monster would do something like that?"

"Y-yeah, what kind of monster..." Blake's voice dropped to being barely audible.

"But this barrel here, these triggers, these bullets, these mechanisms!" Ruby spoke with the enthusiasm of a ten-year-old dancing around the interior of an ice cream factory, "They're my life's work! I might be able to rebound off walls like a basketball, but they're nothing compared to what I've been chiseling out these past few years. They are the real key to success."

"Wait a second," Blake had just realized, seeing all of the tools of trade Ruby had inside this cellar, "You said you were arrested for gun possession, and no one believed you when you claimed you built the weapons yourself."

"Yes?" Ruby had no clue what Blake was going on about now, much preferring their first subject.

Blake gestured to the whole room with her arms, "But all the evidence is right here! Why didn't you just show them this room? Your charge would've been dropped to a misdemeanour at best! You didn't need to risk jail time!"

"But they would've taken everything away."

Time almost stopped when Blake brought her eyes back towards Ruby after waving at the cellar walls, "...What?"

"I couldn't let that happen."

Blake couldn't believe what she was hearing, "You went to prison...on purpose!?"

"That's not..." Ruby took a deep breath as she struggled to find a way to explain, "No one would want to go there on purpose, but I've worked too hard on this room for it to all be taken away. I didn't really realize at the time how much I was risking to keep this place, but knowing what's happened I don't regret my decision one bit."

"This is serious Ruby! You have a felony on record! That makes job-hunting extremely difficult, almost impossible! Schools would be running background checks and rejecting you for--"

"I know!"

The ensuing silence felt louder than any of the words they had exchanged thus far.

Ruby gripped her weapon tighter, hugging it to her chest, "I know...but I've decided. This is what I want to do. This is what I felt I've always had to do!"

Blake didn't respond, Ruby's words still echoing in her mind.

"Especially now that Weiss is gone," Ruby continued, "I had the opportunity to stop them. I couldn't. I should've, but I couldn't!" Her voice became shrill at her last word, "The uselessness I felt...who cares if I broke some bones or caused some bruises...I failed..."

"If I was better...stronger, more capable," Ruby glanced down at her hands, silently cursing them, "But I realized my strength isn't in my power. That's Yang's territory," she raised up her rifle, "it was this that I didn't have, that I wish I did...which might have changed the outcome entirely."

Ruby brought her eyes back to Blake, "After all this, are you still going to stop me? Are you still going to tell the police what I have, or what I'm going to do?"

Blake's pained eyes gave Ruby all the answers she needed as the faunus remained still.

"You have the same passion in justice as I do, don't you?" Ruby said, "You are a correctional officer. It's your job to keep the bad guys in."

Blake rubbed her shoulder, still unable to speak.

"No one deserves to die. Not even the bad guys I take in. But I have to stop them. I have to stop those misguided people who treat lives as if they could be taken like the people they rob as nothing. Every life has a value. It doesn't matter if they have family or don't, or people who may be filled with grief or not. That's still a whole individual, a whole viewpoint, a whole conscious, unique person whose life has suddenly gone black. I can't imagine what goes through someone's mind when they choose to end a life. I can't comprehend it. It's almost like they're...inhuman," Ruby finally said, her arms returning to her sides as her tension began to fade away.

".....okay."

Ruby blinked in surprise, "Wha?"

"Someone has to do it," Blake narrowed her eyes, "And the police aren't as useful as you think they are."

"You're really gonna--"

"But only on one condition," Blake stepped forward and pulled the crimson rifle out of Ruby's hands, "Start small. Stop the little guys, the petty thieves, the teenage drug dealers in over their heads."

Ruby nodded.

"Without your gun."

"What!? But--"

Blake did not let Ruby finish, "You just manhandled me without your weapon just now. You underestimate your physical ability."

"Yeah but still, didn't you listen to a word I--"

"Let me finish, Ruby," Blake said, "It's in your best interests."

Ruby clamped her mouth shut.

"And after you've proven to me you're able..." Blake felt the smooth finish on Ruby's prototype, "I'll give this back. Only then can you go after the big ones."

The aspiring hero didn't need to think twice about this deal, especially when it was this or return to jail, not to pass go or collect any sum of money at all. Blake was being rather logical about this too, as if she were taking a test or going about this one lesson at a time. It made sense.

Ruby smiled, nodding, "I'll do it!"

"Now, let me make sure there aren't any live rounds in he--"

"Blake no! Don't touch that compartment!"

She had little time to think more about this however, when gas began filling the cellar. Coughing and hacking was heard in an instant, the two of them flailing their hands, Ruby in particular trying to feel her away to the mercy that was the outdoors. Blake was not at all prepared for this and that same horrid feeling, like that of the deepest depth's of hellfire surging through her entire face, nibbling and chewing off all her pores returned. At least last time when she had maced herself, the irritant was condensed to the front of her face; now it was as if smoldering pins and needles had enveloped a gas chamber, excavating her very nerves to offer up the spicy delicacy to the highest bidder, Satan.

It was safe to say the moment the two were able to crawl out of the cellar doors did they remain on the ground, sputtering as they did, choking up and attempting to breathe in the real oxygen their lungs so desperately needed. It was Ruby who was able to regain her composure first, still gasping for air as she turned to face Blake.

"Well, a-at least now I--kf! ..know it w-works..."

Ruby somehow, after being stuck in a washing machine of red hot nails, was able to smile.

-

Out of breath and heart fluttering, Blake forced her legs to move as she slowly stepped down the halls, clinging onto the walls. She cursed everything, everything that led to Sun's penthouse being on the top floor of a high-rise building forty storey's high and somehow every elevator breaking down at the same time. Apparently a bratty child had pressed all the buttons in all the elevators numerous times which caused them to visit every single floor, and a repairman came in to patch up this loophole. He instead inadvertently jammed them all and was let go from his duties a few hours back. Blake, not wanting to loiter especially when she probably had enemies watching at every corner, decided the wisest thing to do was to storm up the stairs, especially after having experienced the tear gas still irritating her eyes and lungs. She admittedly probably shouldn't have skipped every other step, but when Sun called her about the stove refusing to turn off and one of the counters being set on fire, she pushed herself even harder. How did all these things happen at once?

Maybe it was karma?

She shoved that thought back to the darkest depths of her mind, pulling out her keys and missing the keyhole a few times before jamming it in, in rage. The door finally unlocked and Sun was right there waiting for her, holding a fire extinguisher.

"It's okay Blake! I got it!" He lifted it up to show her.

Blake wanted to murder someone.

"Why didn't you—" she took another breath, "call to tell me?"

"Oh, but I just put it out," Sun explained, "Er, what happened to you Blake? You look like a mess. Did you run up the stairs? I thought you were fit."

Blake entered the living room and fell onto the couch, "It's—nothing," a breath, "how did the fire start?" She managed to say.

"It wasn't me!" Sun quickly defended himself, "I was just minding my own business practicing a game of pool, damn Sage took all my money during our last hustle, when the smoke alarm went off!"

"Sun, an explanation is not your life story," Blake was not in the mood, taking a sip of water from a mug that was conveniently sitting there. She was too tired to care about whoever had just drank from it.

Just then, Weiss came running out of the washroom, holding a large bucket of water; she stopped just short of the stove, "The fire's gone?"

Sun lifted up the fire extinguisher, beaming with pride, "I got it. I got it."

"Why did you tell me to grab all the water possible if you had that you idi—" she glanced at Blake, "Good heavens! What happened to your face?"

Oh water, sweet merciful water. She didn't care that normally she'd avoid water at all cost. When her face felt like it had been pressed into smouldering coal for the past hour, water was nothing. She pulled the bucket from Weiss' grasp and let the liquid flood onto her face, bucket and all.

Weiss scrunched up her face, "Blake! Why'd you do that!?"

"Relief."

"But the sofa!"

"You can replace it right? You're rich," Blake murmured, her exhaustion forcing her into a drowsier state. She knew she was soaked, but sleep was more important.

Weiss however, was not allowing that to happen, shaking the faunus like mad, "Blake! You know I'm in no position to withdraw anything! Hey! Wake up! You'll a catch a cold! Blake!"

As the welcoming embrace of the unconscious took over her, she was reminded of her new roommate, who had been living with them for about three months. It was one thing to live with Sun, especially his messy unorganized and very stereotypically male habits, but then there was Weiss, who was the complete opposite to the extreme. Despite these two enigmas keeping the place as rowdy as possible, not helped by Zwei's attempt to participate via barking, their location was still hidden being so high up in the air. She didn't mind the arguments that erupted between the two, or her own occasional disagreements with Weiss as well. For whatever reason she was drawn back to the penthouse more often than not. Perhaps because this was her final sanctuary from the White Fang, the detention centre now brim with its members. Or perhaps she was comfortable knowing, after the whirlwind of emotions the organization had put her through, that she finally managed to dupe them instead.

Officially, Weiss was dead.

Unofficially, it was Blake who killed her.

-

END OF ARC ONE

Ha! You thought it was a prison AU? NEVER have I called this story a prison AU, not once! No, it was in fact an ORIGIN STORY! TO MY SUPERHERO STORY! What's the best place to beef up your body and develop a tragic backstory? Why, PRISON! But it's not just a superhero story. The folder this was all in originally (before I moved it to dropbox and named it lambchop because I am eight-years-old) was called "Super Syndicate AU" from the very beginning! I don't even know why I compared it to my old Negima story which actually is a prison AU, I guess I wanted to keep it a surprise. I hardly think I can come up with three giant arcs and over 200,000 words for a prison AU. I mean prison is in reality really really boring, so.

Anyway that's why you don't have like, every named character in canon taking up some role in the prison like my Negima story did. The plot was wrapped around these four characters and I basically kept from developing or naming anyone irrelevant/unimportant. That also meant I didn't go into much specifics on prison itself, considering it wasn't important from the get-go.

Anyway that is all from me, thanks for reading this first arc. I'll have the second up...eventually.