BLCK

XIII

I sighed, miss Goodwitch had just announced that we would have a field trip to forever fall forest. I already knew the place intimately, as well as the clocktower, the army garrison, almost every park on Vale, and certainly every ice cream parlour to name a few. As I and my team had arrived a month earlier than Beacons opening, Lydia had demanded that she see everything worth anything in all of the city of Vale. She called it 'reconnaissance' I called it 'window shopping,'
For that reason, I was rather bored to bother entering the place again.
We left for Forever Fall and arrived in a few hours time. At this point, I realised something off with Jaune. I queried Pyrrha whilst miss Goodwitch spoke. She only responded with, "cease meddling in things that don't concern you." I sighed, she obviously had feelings for him, I don't see why she didn't just tell him, she was also aware of Jaune acting awry.
I glanced over at Jaune, who was now...remaining beside Cardin? Something was most definitely wrong. As we were ordered to split up and gather some sap, I gave my jar to Kristophe.
"Look after this, and fill it for me." I commanded, "Jaune is acting highly irregular, I wish to divine the reasons for his remaining with the enemy."
"A sound tactical move, my Thane, go, I shall handle your burdens for you."
I nodded, "my thanks for your noble mien, Kristophe. The way you reacted to my victory was most honourable."
This earned me a laugh from Kristophe, "my Thane, I'm happy that I was able to fight properly and lose, that has never happened to me before, hence the titles I earned, but you won, to the victor the spoils. And I am no hypocrite. Besides, from you, I've learned more than my mentors ever taught me, throughout my seventeen winters, I have never seen a warrior as powerful as you. It is, and always shall be, an honour to serve one such as you, my Thane. "
I smiled, "many thanks, my warrior, I shall return once my quest is complete." I then turned and went to find Jaune. I climbed the nearest tree and went to find the blonde boy, jumping from tree to tree until I found him-filling the jars of all of team CRDL whilst they looked on and laughed. I quietly growled as I heard Cardin's next request. "Throw this at her," he said, indicating Pyrrha. I watched as Jaune went to do it, and I switched on my semblance, spinning Jaune around whilst freezing team CRDL. I walked over to Jaune and punched him in the abdomen. He dropped the jar which I neatly caught, it wasn't for Pyrrha, but it still had a target.
"What the hell man!?" Groaned Jaune.
I picked him up by his lapel and held him so that we were face to face. "You are a leader! That means you lead by example! What example do you set being pushed around by Cardin and his people? What have they got on you that's so powerful that you would turn on the people you trust and love?  These are your people! Yours!..." I dropped him, "I learned a valuable lesson last night, a lesson I will remember forever, that my team rely on me, for leadership, direction and courage. We worked as a unit for the first time ever, and I realised then, that as a person, I must improve, if not for me, then for them. I'm not a lone wolf anymore. I'm certainly not alone. I have people relying on me. And so do you." I poked his chestplate, sending him stumbling back. "So fix up! Now, where is this jar going!?" Jaune nodded in understanding,
"In Cardins fat, ugly face!"
"Damned straight."
"Hey Brutus? I know we haven't spoken much, even though we're kinda friends..."
"Yes?"
"...Thanks man, it's a valuable lesson."
"If anyone asks, you got this on your own."
"Thanks man."
"I hate injustice. One more thing, you should pay more attention to Pyrrha, she wants to help you as much as she can, take her up in her advice, and continue your training with her."
He stepped back, "wait, does everybody know about that!?"
I chuckled, walking back to the tree I had leapt from, "no, but don't worry, your secret is safe with me." I jumped back into the tree, smiling thinly, I had simply read his soul as I spoke to him, it's so much simpler when you know what the problem is.
"On the count of three, one, two, three!" I dropped my semblance and watched as Jaune's jar crashed into Cardins emblazoned chestplate. Cardin was surprised for a moment before his features twisted into hate and rage. He grabbed his mace, and stalked towards Jaune. Just then, a giant Grimm stepped out of the bushes, roaring as it scented Cardin, who was still covered in sap. The rest of team CRDL fled as Cardin fell to the ground, defenceless. The monster almost killed him before Jaune stepped in front of the blow, catching it on his shield. I was surprised, before realising that was simply what good people did. Myself? I would have walked away, after Cardin was eaten, of course. I sighed, my work here done, before turning to leave. As I arrived back at my team, I informed them of what happened, before finding Miss Goodwitch and sending her after Jaune, just in case his lessons with Pyrrha weren't enough. We then wasted time exploring until it was time to leave.

I stepped into my room. My team awaited me, all geared up and waiting. Their weapons sheathed and holstered. Lydia stepped up and handed me my weapons. The master thief had swept in and out of the armoury rather quickly, and now, about an hour later, an alarm had yet to sound.
They all nodded at me as I gestured to the door and we all stalked out of Beacon together.
We were team AQCN

The photographer was a man known only as Shadow. He was a man with many enemies and few friends, though he had a few close confidants. Sadly for him, however, one of them had been Lady Za'karr. We moved up to the house, King Cobra covering us as we swept up the front garden. The Bladed Queen stepped up to the lock and brushed it gently, causing it to liquefy. The king of the North stepped inside beside me, him searching the downstairs area for our target whilst I crept upstairs. I swept into his room to find it empty with the window ajar, and a bomb on the bed. It exploded. I hit the floor, falling through and into the kitchen below.
"It's a trap!" I called into the squad comm-unit I bought, "he was ready for us!"
As I said this, I heard the thunder of snakebite outside. I tore myself free from the wreckage, accepting Kristophe's proffered hand. Watching as Lydia was mowing down some henchmen with one of their own submachine guns. Kristophe roared and charged into the fray. I got up and found the leader, a man in a black suit with a bat which seemed to switch to a rocket launcher. I vaulted along the broken window pane and went to kill him, so that the body may follow. Just then, Charles intoned in my ear, "target spotted fleeing at your three o'clock."
Procedural, when he wants to be.
"Understood, moving now."
"Parameters changed, he's in a vehicle, you won't be reachin' 'im! Permission to fire?"
"Granted"
Thoom!
Click Clack!
"Objective complete."
I nodded. "Team AQCN, fade to BLCK."
We all split up, each heading to a separate place in the city where we had stashed an extra uniform and money, alongside anything else required for a two-week journey should we need to flee.
By the time an hour had passed, we were all back in our dorm, the two men drinking some wine whilst I sat and texted Cinder of another job completed, her reply was quick and positive, and spoke of her happiness. Lydia was changing and preparing for bed. I turned to the other two as my conversation ended.
"You two, to bed, now. Tomorrow's Friday, you can drink yourselves silly tomorrow, not tonight, that's an order."
"Cool, cool"
"Your will be done."
They both went over to their beds and immediately fell asleep.
I lay on my own bunk, as Lydia lay in hers to my left.
"Hey Brutus?"
"Lydia?"
"About what you said in menagerie..."
"I was wrong. You were not to blame for your fathers teachings. You were biased based only on the lies you been taught by the ones you respected. You are not at fault. Your fathers pretence that the consequences of his actions do not exist is to be reviled. But I have come to learn, that even in some of the most blackest souls, lies a little good. Kristophe, a mass murderer, has courage and honour that we all lack. Charles, despite his devil may care attitude does care for others, remember his outrage at Cardin's treatment of Velvet? Even you, a noble gone rogue, a killer and master thief, have morals and a code of communication with those you designate friends."
"And you?"
"I'm an arse, plain and simple, I have no morals, and the only code I follow is that of a completely callous and pragmatic person. I kill, and feel nothing. And I kill for no reason. You killed for necessity. Charles because he was brought up in a family of killers and Kristophe out of vengeance. I do it because it is easy. I am the end of many people, though I suppose I do have a plan for the end."
"Which is?"
Kill all of you, take your possessions and share of the reward and become even richer from my family's own fortune.
"I won't say. Goodnight."
So we slept in silence.
No. Kill Cinder, then the White Fang. Then maybe retire. I can't kill my comrades.
No, I shan't kill my friends.