Tannum "Cooper" Oakwood
-----
Thanks to a certain runaway, Cooper wondered if he'd lost his touch.
After Ruby mentioned what happened two days ago, being the gentleman he is, he offered his services. Be it trinkets, caches, or a man's back pocket, he's always had an unique ability to find certain things.
Now here he was, spending half the day jumping between rooftops and looking at strangers like a confused goat. Did he mention he had to stay out of sight at all times from Team RWBY minus the R and B? Considering Yang's apparent dislike towards him and Weiss' heated opinion on Faunus riff-raffs, it was well enough for him.
Cooper hopped to street level and activated his handy dandy Semblance, snuck behind the search party, and lightly tugged on the leader's hood.
Ruby stopped and feigned surveying the block.
"Still no sign of her, love," Cooper said close to her ear.
Disapproval hummed from her.
"Blake," she cupped her mouth, "where are you?!"
Cooper moved before Yang walked into him.
The heiress strutted behind them, barely saying a word since their departure back to Vale. If he could, a good slap on the rump would remind her what they were here for. Although, it'd be a miracle if he'd still be breathing afterwards for obvious reasons.
Ruby spun, sights narrowed on her partner. "Weiss, you're not helping."
"Oh, do you know who might be able to help?" She smirked and flaunted a hand. "The police."
A growl rolled through her teeth. "Weiss. . ."
"It was just an idea."
"Yeah, a bad one."
What was with this girl and her insistence on making the entire matter worse? Bet she'd actually call those officers in blue even if he couldn't see the point really. They could never catch him, and he was messing about. What made her so certain the local authorities could find someone who didn't want to be found?
"Weiss," Yang said and held her hip, "I think we should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions."
"I think when we hear it," she lifted her chin high and mighty, "you'll all realize I was right."
"I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today."
The leader shrieked as the gals whirled while a tingle kicked Cooper in the rump and made him jump. He fell with a bump but without a thump. Good thing he was invisible or he'd look like a chump. What a slump.
"Penny," Ruby said, "where did you come from?!"
"Hey, guys." The peppy ginger gal with the freakishly permanent smile glued to her gob waved, completely unaware of the fact she nearly committed quadruple homicide by her appearance alone. "What are you up to today?"
None said a word.
Yang sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "We're looking for Blake."
"Oh, you mean the Faunus girl?"
Cooper blinked and made sure his hearing was in check. From the blank stares the other three were giving, he heard right.
"Wait," Ruby's head tilted, "how'd you know she was a Faunus?"
"Duh," she pointed to the top of her head, "the cat ears."
Yang scoffed. "What cat ears? She wears a b—oh. . ."
Imaginary glass shattered and sprinkled the silence as a literal tumbleweed rolled it's jolly way past them.
Cooper grinned. Knew it.
Ruby awkwardly chuckled. "She does like tuna a lot."
Penny passed Cooper a glance for a second too long, and it did no good deed to his heart.
"So, where is she?"
"That's the thing," the leader said. "She's been missing since Friday."
The ginger gal gasped and snatched her. "That's terrible!"
Cooper snickered at the way she squirmed.
"Well, don't you worry, Ruby, my friend! I won't rest until we find your teammate!" she said, arms akimbo. "And I see you even brought extra help!"
Confusion tainted the streets.
"What are you talking about?" said Weiss. "It's just us three."
Penny looked him dead in the eyes and pointed. Dear God, how did she know?!
"You don't see—"
"Penny!" Ruby jumped in front of her. "Uh, I think that's r-really nice of you to help us and all. But the three of us got things handled, right guys. . ."
When there was no response, Cooper checked over his shoulder and groaned at the yellow and white figures curving past the corner of a building.
As unfortunate as that was, his Semblance took its toll, so it was a good thing they were gone.
"Look, Xbox." Cooper reappeared in plain sight and poked a finger into Penny's shoulder which was surprisingly solid. "I don't know how you knew, but you saw me, didn't you?"
Was it a sensory Semblance of some kind? If not, then she had to have thermal vision goggles on her somewhere!
"No," she said and lurched out an odd hiccup.
"Hey," Ruby slipped beside him, "what's an Xbox?"
Cooper shrugged and motioned back to Penny. "Care to explain how you did it, darling?"
Penny grabbed him and pinned their bodies close enough for him to count the freckles splashed across her nose.
"You called me darling." Her face twitched. "Am I really your darling?"
Oh, bollocks.
-----
Roderick Hill
-----
Roderick wanted to burn everything.
Being trapped in the dorm room doing sadistic homework, memorizing truckloads of scientific terms, and solving stubborn equations that don't want to be solved was fuel for a fire itching to let run wild.
"And the next part of the question," Stiofan peered at the mess of papers littered across the table, "is to solve for the. . . I've lost you again, haven't I?"
Roderick banged his head on the table and waged war with the headache squeezing his brain. "I need a break, man."
"I see no harm in it," he discarded his pen and rubbed the faint bags beneath his eyes. "I'm nearly finished, anyways."
'Yeah, rub it in, will you?' Roderick thought.
"Let's talk about something else." He stretched himself out. "How do you think Alex is holding up?"
"Cooper and I visited him the other day. From what he told us, the contusion wasn't as bad as it seemed. Approximately five more days of proper aid and his Aura should take care of the rest. Also," he cupped his chin, "remember to avoid gifting Alexander bran muffins. He threw the one we offered back at us."
Roderick took note and rolled his memories back to the day his teammate got hurt.
When they asked Alexander about how he managed to lose his Aura, the answers usually were blank stares or a scowl. That being clear enough, they asked Jaune for an explanation, and he said the Ursa Majors caught them off guard, though it was hardly convincing with all his stuttering.
Besides, Ursai were the complete opposite of sneaky.
Stiofan's scroll cried out in a shrap series of beeps, flaring a red exclamation point in the middle of the holographic screen.
"Someone tripped the alarms inside the SDC shipping containers that just arrived today. The androids guarding them are all being disabled. . ." The dual wielder stood so fast his chair skidded several feet and teetered on two legs before thudding back on all fours. "I'm heading to the docks."
Roderick snapped up. "By yourself?"
"The SDC prides itself for protecting both assets and allies." Stiofan grabbed the combat vest and armour he left on his bed and secured the straps around him. "However, the recent activities of the White Fang has left everyone's hands full at the SDC with more important assignments than delivery duty, hence the androids' distress signal calling for any available hands." He clicked the last strap. "I'm the only one within the area that can make it in time."
As if.
Ever since Blake ran away, Stiofan's been off like a sleep deprived college student running head first into an exam, and if he went to the docks that way, he might get into more trouble than he bargained for.
"I'm tagging along."
Stiofan froze at the door. "Pardon me?"
"I wanna clear my head before I get back to work." Roderick took his jacket off the coat stand. "A walk to the docks should help."
Stiofan looked like he wanted to argue, but he settled for a smirk. "Try to keep pace."
"Please," Roderick said. "You're the one who's gonna slow me down."
They shared a laugh and rushed down to the city of Vale.
-----
Tannum "Cooper" Oakwood
-----
For the love of all lien, where was Blake?!
Cooper collapsed on the sidewalk, legs thanking him for the kind gesture, and got pestered by Penny's limitless curiosity and questions about his tail.
From back alleys, garbage bins, cafes, and as far as the seafood aisle at a local grocery mart, they searched every possible place that cat could be. They wouldn't even be in this debacle in the first place if it weren't for the brutally epic argument she had with Weiss, and who could forget the tension between her and Stiofan.
It's as if Blake sweats drama.
Honestly, if she doesn't want to be found, why were they even trying?
"Come on, don't quit now." Ruby knelt and shook his shoulder. "We still got time."
It's a foolproof plan
It's gonna be easy.
It won't take more than a couple of hours.
That well placed optimism Ruby poured over their venture had an endearing touch, but like the oncoming night sky, the bright side to this was fading away.
His tummy rumbled. "Can we eat first?"
She giggled. "I'll buy you something after this is over."
If it were any other day of the week, the idea would be welcomed into open arms.
"At this point, I think it's alright to leave her be."
"Don't say that." She pulled him onto his rump and popped a dazzling smile. "As long she's out there, we'll find her no matter what."
How could she look him in the eye and say something like that? That angelic nature, full of hope and innocence, would make any man in their right mind to not go against her. Bloody unfair.
"I guess you're right." He tilted his hat to shroud the colour rising to his cheeks. "Just wish we had a clue."
An explosion erupted in the distance, columns of smoke billowing high behind a row of buildings.
"Well, will you take a gander at that?" Cooper nodded in approval of its timing. "That's one naughty clue."
Ruby gripped Crescent Rose. "We have to check it out."
Penny pointed at the smoke. "Are we going there, Ruby?"
"Of course, we are, darling." Cooper changed Merry Outlaw into a bow. "Lead the way, love."
It didn't take long for them to arrive at a rooftop overlooking the disaster raging in the docks.
In the thick of it, White Fang grunts were everywhere, either knocked out, breaking androids, or loading Schnee Dust Company cargo onto bullheads.
Blake and the monkey Faunus from a couple days ago were also there, battling the White Fang and an orange haired man in a white suit with a bowler's hat.
Roman Torchwick.
For as long as Cooper lived, he'd never forget that man's face and how much he wanted to break it.
Blake knocked Roman to the ground. He raised his weaponized cane and shot down a container suspended by a crane. It crashed between the two Faunus, separating them long enough for him to aim at the unsuspecting monkey's back.
Ruby twirled her scythe into the roof. "Hey!"
Roman turned and waved at her. "Oh, hello, Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?"
"Are these people your friends?" Penny said and moved closer.
"Penny," Ruby whirled to stop her, "get back!"
Cooper kicked into motion at the Dust flare Roman shot at her. He nocked an arrow and knocked it out of mid-air. The collision generated a blast of flame, lighting up the night and blinding Ruby.
"What the—" Roman's gaze jumped to him, and Cooper swore he could hear his teeth grind.
"I didn't expect to see you here, Stripes!"
Cooper flipped him off.
"Penny, wait!" Ruby checked her step and tried to find her way around. "Stop!"
The ginger gal marched to the edge of the roof.
"Oi," Cooper said and blocked her with Merry Outlaw, "what do you think you're doing?"
"Don't worry, Cooper and Ruby, my friends." Utter confidence painted her gob. "I'm combat ready."
Something floated and hovered out of her rucksack. It unfolded into a sword, separating like a stack of cards to reveal several more blades. She dropped to the ground and wiped it with any and all White Fang goons in a jiffy. Heck, she went as far as taking down two out of three incoming enemy bullheads with a concentrated green laser beam generated by the blades!
"Will you look at that?" Cooper slung his bow over his shoulder. "I'm starting to see how she got a spot in the tournament."
Ruby rubbed her eyes and ran off. "I'm going to go help her."
White flashed from the side, darting towards a bullhead preparing to take off.
Cooper shot a yellow arrow in Roman's path, forcing him to stop before the flailing electrical tendrils nabbed him.
Roman glowered at him from under the brim of his hat.
"Last time I checked," Cooper raised his voice and matched the glare, "you were supposed to be behind bars? Tell me, do they give free passes to wankers like you?"
He leaned onto his cane. "And last time I checked, you were picking garbage back in Mistral. You're seriously working with a goody two shoes like Red over there?"
"Just what exactly is going on here." Cooper nocked an arrow. "You don't need all this Dust. Making an enemy of the SDC is practically suicide, and there's no bloody way the White Fang are taking orders from you: a human. What have you gotten yourself into this time?"
Roman's eyes narrowed. "Wouldn't you like to know, old buddy."
"I'm not your bloody buddy!"
"Easy, now." He smirked and dusted his shoulder. "Don't wanna wrinkle the suit now, do you?"
Cooper loosed an arrow at Roman, only for it to be smacked away and have a flare fired in return. Cooper dove aside, avoiding the explosion punching the edge of the building and scattering concrete shrapnel.
Jet engines roared, followed by a gust of wind strong enough to blow his hat off if he hadn't clamped it to his head.
From inside the skyward aircraft, Roman's laughter faded in the distance.
"So long, old buddy!"
Police sirens wailed in the distance.
Cooper cursed his luck, and after checking if the gals were alright, searched for a place to hide.
-----
Roderick Hill
-----
"Whoa!" Roderick gawked at a couple bullheads sailing into the sea after getting split by a green laser beam. "Who do you think did that?!"
Stiofan rounded the aisle of containers. "Who indeed."
What they were met with was the aftermath of a big battle. Scorch marks painted the concrete, shipments and broken androids were littered everywhere, and a lot of guys wearing matching masks and uniforms laid unconscious like they decided to have one big random sleepover.
Stiofan rolled a person with his foot, and Roderick's eyes widened at the logo of an aggressive red wolf with three slashes emblazoned on the back of their vest.
Acid dribbled from Stiofan's lip. "White Fang."
Movement flickered between an aisle of shipping containers.
Roderick jogged over, and his heart sank. Of all places in the world for his missing friend to finally show herself, why did it have to be here?
Blake propped herself against a container, taking a minute to catch her breath.
"Blake," Roderick said and touched her shoulder, "are you okay?"
She lurched and gripped her sword.
"Whoa, easy there!"
"Roderick?" Shock slapped her across the face. "What are you doing here?"
"Forget about that." He searched for a way out of here. "You need to leave. Stiofan's here."
Blake's breath caught as if he said the most offensive thing in the world. Her gaze focused elsewhere, and no matter what he said or did, nothing broke the hold terror had on her neck.
A jerk on Roderick's collar tossed him to the floor. He rolled to his feet and slipped Rex free in one fluid motion. His grasp weakened in the presence of Stiofan. Roderick took a step. A flash of red steel stopped him in his tracks. The cold void of emotion on his face and the alarming buzz surrounding his partner made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on ends.
"The heck you doing, man?!"
"Do not intervene or interfere in any way." Stiofan aimed the yellow sword at Blake's chest. "She's dangerous."
Everything about Blake screamed of a frightened animal wanting to run, and the wind blowing her bow made it look like a pair of ears twitching on high alert.
"Stiofan," she said, "listen to me. It's not what it looks like. I was here to—"
"Enough." Danger rumbled in his throat. "I warned you of this moment. Now, allow me to demonstrate the truth behind my words."
After a few deep breaths, she calmed slightly and held her ground. "I will not fight you."
Stiofan faltered but regained composure. "You. . . Raise your weapon!"
Eyes steeled, she raised her chin.
"So, that is your choice." He exhaled disappointment. "Then you will fall running."
The red sword arced over her head.
If she reacted a half a second slower, she would've lost more than the bow, and as the black ribbon hit the ground, two furry cat ears poked from the top of her head.
Roderick gaped, and when she touched her ears, Blake gasped. The distraction allowed Stiofan a free kick, launching her into the side of a container.
"Hey!" He tightened his hold Rex. "What're you doing?!"
Stiofan punted Blake's ribs. "My duty."
"Stop it!"
"Why should I?!" He pointed the yellow sword at her. "She's been posing as a student this entire time. A threat, a White Fang agent, under our very noses!"
Butterflies fluttered inside Roderick's stomach, and things clicked into place.
The journal made sense. If Blake was a member of a terrorist organization, then the reason her and Stiofan weren't on good terms was way too clear. White Fang. First Guard. Stick those together in the same place and they'll mix as well as fire and ice.
What was he supposed to do? How could he stop this? Maybe if Reynold could give some advi—no. He can handle this on his own.
Roderick swallowed the rough grits of sand scraping throat. "Give her a chance to explain."
"I've already given her a chance." Stiofan bared his teeth like a rabid canine. "Whatever game she's been playing is over. She can't be trusted."
"It's not what either of you think." Blake clutched her side and wobbled upright. "I'm not even with them anymore."
"You think I'll be fooled after what happened here, after all the turmoil you caused in my life!"
The clones helped her evade the red blade ripping into a metal crate.
Roderick rushed forward and pinned his partner into the side of a container. "Blake, run!"
She didn't ask questions, sparing him a shocked look before taking off.
Stiofan struck the bridge of his nose and broke free. "You're not escaping from me again, Faunus of Black."
Roderick shook away the stars and scrambled after them into an open yard. Stiofan was hot on Blake's heels. His yellow sword transformed into a spear, cracking a bolt of lightning. It missed, but the blast sent her skidding head first into a lamppost.
"Blake!" Her lack of a response and movement pumped dread into his veins. "Get up, Blake!"
If she was unconscious that meant her Aura wouldn't be active, leaving her easy pickings.
Stiofan pushed Roderick with a short flurry. "Stop interfering. This is my duty!"
"How could you?!" An elbow drilled Roderick's jaw followed by a knee buried in his chest. He stumbled and fired a bullet which was easily avoided. "She's our friend!"
"She was never my friend." He deflected his shots with a twirl of his spear. "The White Fang are my enemy, and I will see to it that they are eradicated from the face of this world."
Roderick searched past the ferocity for the man he's come to know. "What did she ever do to you?"
"The lives of everyone I hold dear are in constant threat because of people who work under the White Fang like her. I've already lost too much; I fight to keep who I have left." The teal cracked in his eyes, and for a glimpse, Stiofan's expression of rage crumbled into an unbearable pain. "And it's because of her, I'm stuck wasting my time at the academy when I should be out there stopping the bigger threat at large!"
Stiofan cracked Red Fury's pommel against the side of Roderick's skull. He dropped to a knee, vision blurring.
"I wish to not harm you any further. Wait here." He stomped towards Blake. "I'll be sure to end it quickly."
Roderick snapped Rex around the red sword and yanked it out of his grasp.
Stiofan gasped, but his surprise quickly balled into shaky fists. Like a rocket, the First Guard launched over and crashed his spear into Roderick's thigh twice. He collapsed, losing the entire feeling in his leg.
Paralysis; two minutes of pure immobility for any body part he tags a couple times.
Stiofan kicked Rex away and pulled him up by his collar. Their faces were so close, he could trace the line of conflict, a civil war, splitting his partner's face in half.
"You don't know what it feels like." He shoved him to the ground, and he slid into a container. "Have you ever dedicated your life to a single cause, train years and years, only to fail the moment you're given the opportunity to prove yourself all because someone yanked the rug out from under you?"
Those words tore into Roderick.
Day in, day out, he knew exactly what that was like. The way life dragged his heart through the mud, and how life, no matter how much he struggled or believed, denied everything he's worked so hard to achieve.
Stiofan jabbed a finger at her. "She robbed me of that, and this is my one chance to rewrite that wrong."
"Do you even understand what'll happen to you if you do that?!"
"That woman is full of lies and clever tricks in order to lower your guard, and when the moment comes, she will strike with ease and without hesitation!" he said at the top of his lungs. "Why can't you see it, Roderick?!"
"Blake's innocent." He smacked the container. "Can't you feel it in your gut?!"
"I spent an infuriating amount of months watching her." The First Guard spat. "I know enough."
Roderick choked on the dying humour and watched his past play across the ground like a video. "You don't know a thing,"
Stiofan chomped on a ball of frustration. "What was that?"
"You said I don't know what it's like, but you're wrong," he said. "All my life I lived beneath a shadow after I lost my arm. Fear made it so I couldn't even go outside without thinking I'd lose something else. The only reason I got over it was because I had some great people looking over me."
If it weren't for Reynold and Yang and Ruby's family, Roderick would still be hiding in the corner of a room.
"Next was my brother." A bitter laugh left his mouth. "People like to compare me to him, you know. 'One of the best Huntsmen to ever walk Remnant.' " He banged his fist on the ground and ignored the sharp ache running along his arm. "How am I supposed to measure up to that?"
"Roderick, that's—"
"So, I trained until my muscles hated me and fought in the Mistral Tournament to make a name for myself there." Five sets of fingernails dug into his one fleshy palm. "Then Pyrrha came along and shot that dream down four years in a row!"
In all honesty, how could he ever forget? Each time he met her on stage he could barely hold his own. They were friends, rivals, training buddies, and yet no matter how much he strived, she always outclassed him in every way possible.
"So, yeah," Roderick popped the envy bubbling inside him once again, "I felt lost, angry, and helpless for a while, but you don't see me taking it out on anyone!"
The spear loosened in his hand. "I. . ." He clenched his teeth and tightened his grasp. "This is different. She's a threat!"
"You're the threat!" Roderick stood on his good knee and thought of the hopes Blake poured into that journal. "She came here to change and follow a new path. Make friends, to be treated like everyone else, and read some really weird books. Most of all, she wants your trust. Understand that she's not the person that you think you know. She's better than that, and so are you! Give her a chance, damn it!"
"Enough!" Stiofan spun, and the SDC First Guard logo on the back of his vest glistened in the lamplight. "I know what you've been doing. Did you think I wouldn't keep count?"
Roderick gasped. "Stiofan, please, don't."
"No more," he continued his march, unwavered and determined, "this ends now."
What was he supposed to do? Talking didn't work, Blake's not going anywhere, and hobbling on one leg wouldn't do any good.
There was no option left.
Roderick drew Tyrannus and switched it into gun form. His aim wrestled the wild nerves swaying the revolver's sights. The air grew still. Only his ragged breaths, and the thumping in his chest filled the dead silence.
The spear reared high above Blake, only to pause for several heartbeats.
"What is she to you?" Stiofan said, his voice a whisper in the wind.
"Don't you already know, man?" Fun flashes of the short time they spent together filled his head, and every second of it was a treasure assembling inside him. "Like I said before: she's our friend."
"I see." He lowered his arm and stared at the shattered moon. "Whatever you're about to do, I'm leaving my fate in your hands."
Stiofan drove down the spear, and Roderick squeezed the trigger.