I do not own RWBY or any of the images or videos. The art and video belong to their respective owners, and RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum. May he Rest In Peace.

Cinder strutted down the corridor of the new warehouse they were at. Her hands were clenched and there was an intense wave of heat surrounding her. Her eyes sparked with the Fall maiden's power, along with bits of Red Karma. Anyone that passed by the would feel the heat emanating from her, and nearly piss themselves from the glare they received.

She opened a door to where they would keep their Dust if they had any for this warehouse. But, all she saw was empty space and Roman yelling at the White Fang grunts.

"What do you mean we lost another?! Do you know how much Dust we lost?!" Roman shouted over a scroll, one of his hands rested on a cane, bandaged from the loss of his fingers. He groaned as he threw a cigar. "Then find the one that did it and get rid of them!"

"Get rid of who, Roman?" Cinder voiced herself.

"Cinder, great your here." Roman turned off the scroll. "I've been telling you to get better workers, and yet we've lost another warehouse of Dust!" Roman throws his hands up in frustration.

Cinder face scrunches in anger, Red Karma sparks out more so than the Maiden's power. She summons a ball of fire, before throwing it at a passing Faunus. They scream as their clothes are burnt, but Cinder doesn't finish. She sends out a jet of fire scorching the Faunus to a burnt crisp.

She stops her assault and notes the other Faunus watching in both fear and anger.

"Let this be an example! If you fail me, you will wish you would have died! I will not, not accept failure!" A wave of heat blasts out, the Faunus feel the pressure. They all turn away, going back to their work.

"Roman." She turns to the mob boss. "What's our loss on Dust?"

"Before that damn Nar-... before they came and busted our operation. We've lost seventeen percent, and coupled with the last warehouse we just lost we have a total of six percent of Dust." Roman reported, tapping on a scroll.

Behind him were several maps and images all X'ed out. Most of the maps were covered in the X's, as there were little to no area with any Dust left.

"Most of the places in Vale have already been robbed. Dust prices have skyrocketed, and people are becoming scared. Not only that, but we got some vigilante running around." He lights a cigar. "One that doesn't mind the blood."

"Do we have any information on them?" Cinder struts over to the map, her eyes scanning for any areas.

"I have an informant in the police department. He says that they got a survivor from the last warehouse. They haven't interrogated her yet, and that she's pretty shook up." He huffs our a cloud of smoke.

"And why hasn't this been dealt with?" Cinder glances at the mob boss.

"I have Neo on her way here. She'll deal with the Faunus. Hopefully, we can extract her before they make her spill the beans. Maybe we can find out who this asshole is." He huffs out another cloud.

"Good. Have this taken care of, I will be busy for the moment. I want all the Dust to be ready to be transported should we be found out again. We can not afford to lose anymore Dust."

"Hm... we could always have it on ships." Roman rubs his chin. "A cargo ship would be nice have it float around." He suggested.

"What do you mean?" Cinder raises a brow.

"Okay, look here." He points at a map.

"Vale's right here. And Forever Falls Forest is here. Now, most Grimm roams around the Forever Falls, because of the sweet sap they like. We'll set up a checkpoint there, where we'll transport the Dust. After that, we can make our way towards the hideout in Mountain Glenn." He explained.

"What does this have to do with the ship?" Cinder looks at the map.

"See, well I got a little tip that the Schnee Dust company well be delivering some Dust for the lack of it in Vale." He grabs a red marker. He circles a dock at Vale, where the Sea Of Soul is. "They'll be dropping it off here. So, we'll take the chance and scoop the Dust while it's there."

"And then?" So far the plan was going well.

"I'll have the animals swing by with a ship, a boat. Well load the Dust crates on, and we'll make our way to the Forever Falls Forest." He draws an arrow to the red forest. "Where the checkpoint is."

Cinder processed the plan through her mind, searching for any holes or problems. Sure there were some, but those could be dealt with later. "A boat would take far too long, why not use Bullheads?" Cinder grabbed the red marker, she drew some arrows and circles on the map pointing out the small island off the coast of Vale. Patch.

"We'll deliver the cargo ship to the island, in a small remote area. Have some of the Fang clear out the area. There we'll deliver the Dust to the forest." She explained his plan.

"Why not just take the Dust to Glenn while we have the Bullheads?" Roman flicked his cigar away.

"Because that would draw unwanted attention." She closed the marker. "And besides, we simply need to transport the Dust from the city to prevent more loss." She strutted her away, stepping over the still sizzling corpse. "Emerald and Mercury are still doing a few errands for me. But they'll be here in a few days."

"Ah, great the kids are coming. Well, at least you gave me a warning." Roman's scroll beeps. "Ah! Neo's here." Speaking of the short little devil, Neo dramatically floats from the ceiling with her parasol. A sweet smile on her face as she lands next to Roman almost silently.

"Neo! Kiddo! Don't I have a job for you!" Roman smiled before walking to his table. "Hold up, I have some papers to give you. Just a moment."

Neo patiently waits for her boss, until out of the corner of her miscolored eyes she notices Cinder staring at her. She smiles sinisterly, before strutting over to the fire witch.

"What do you want?" Cinder crosses her arms, staring down the shorter girl. Despite her being considerably taller than the... female, Cinder could never intimidate Neo. She didn't even know much about the girl despite knowing her from before. She just knew of her from her travels with her master. Her previous master before Salem.

She was a small thing, and yet so very deadly. She was a mute, despite having a tongue, whether by choice or birth, Neo would not speak. She was a rather petite thing, haven't grown much since their last meeting. She always had a morbid fascination with human morality. Always trying to push someone's limits before stopping right before... something. Something Cinder didn't bother to care about.

She didn't care about what Neo did in her off time, or what her preferences were. Just because the two women knew of each other, didn't mean they were friends. Or even allies. They held an acquaintance with one another. Along with a hint of respect.

But one thing was for sure. Cinder had no control over the multicolored midget.

And she hated that.

She hated that despite knowing the girl from ten years ago, she knew nothing of her. No strengths, no weakness, no family, no one of value to her. Hell, she didn't even know if Neo was an adult or a child!

Just that she was a mute, little, sociopathic mercenary working for Roman.

And Neo knew she knew. In fact, she enjoyed toying with Cinder.

Neo tilted her head in a cute fashion, smiling at Cinder.

Cinder just sucked her teeth, looking away. Neo took the chance to scoot forward silently, she stopped when Cinder look back.

To Cinder, she just seemed closer, but she knew what was going on.

"What, do you want?" She snapped, her eyes flickering red with Karma.

Neo simply shrugged, before scooting forward.

Cinder let out a small pulse of her will, her Red Karma blasting out insensible. To most, it was just a wave of pressure, should there willpower be weak.

Neo stumbles on her feet, the pulse was small, just enough to tell Neo to fuck off. She felt weak and her psyche felt like it was being crushed.

Cinder grinned at the girl crumbling beneath her will. Until Neo just hopped back up, smirking smugly.

She had duped her. Lol!

Cinder blinked at being fooled, before growling. She let out a larger blast of Karma, focusing her will on Neo. But Neo remained undeterred, a small grin appearing on her mouth as her psyche battled against Cinder's will. Her eyes burned intensely with Karma, the Maiden's power giving an effect of fire. Nearby Faunus felt the power emanating from Cinder, the weaker of them falling unconscious while the other s struggled to even breathe.

But even still, Neo still grinned like a psychopath.

"Neo!" Roman called out to her.

Neo turned to her boss, an innocent smile on her face as she skipped over to the ginger. Cinder was still trying to make the girl crumble, but soon a patch of blood began clotting in her eyes. She flinched in pain as her Aura healed her. She looked up to see Roman's back turned to her as Neo faced her.

She growled at being mocked by the short bitch. How could Neo not even be effected at all?! She was far superior!

"You got that Neo?" Roman asked the mercenary, handing her a vanilla folder with papers.

The mute girl smiled, giving a nod before skipping away. She passed by Cinder, flashing her maniacal grin at the woman before walking off.

"It's so hard to get reliable help nowadays. Luckily Neo is the best at what she does." Roman stood next to the flame witch. "What do you think?"

"I'll kill that bitch." Cinder growled.

"Hm? What's your problem? Is it that time of the month already?" Roman chuckles, only to get a ball of fire blasted at him. He shouted as he patted away the fire. "Sheesh! What's her problem?!" He dusted himself off as Cinder stormed off.

~ ~ ~

Ivory made her way into the large white hospital, a bouquet of flower in on hand. She walked through the sliding doors, a little girl passing by her.

She walked up to the reception desk, where a hologram of an A.I. sat. When she walked up to the desk, the A.I. looked up at the dark-skinned woman.

"Hello! Welcome to VMC, Vale's medical center! How may I help you today!" It voiced our, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a Emily Doe, she's one of them Faunus. She was brung in by, uh, VPD." Ivory answered though she did her best to keep her voice down.

"Of course! She's a White Fang terrorist that was hospitalized after being arrested!" The A.I. announced loudly like a bitch. "May I see your identification, please?"

"Yeah." The officer pulled out her badge and allowed the A.I. to scan it. There was a humming sound as the A.I. processed the information.

"Welcome, officer Black! Miss Doe is on the fifth floor, room 617. You can take the elevator to the floor and sign in with our receptionist there!" The A.I. smiles happily.

"Yeah, thanks." Ivory made her way to the elevator, a short girl walking next to her. She was a short thing too. The two got into the elevator, and she reached out to presses the button but pauses.

"Where ya heading kid?" Ivory turned to the girl. The girl smiled before raising five fingers. "Same place huh? Alright." She pressed the button before the doors closed.

The two rode the elevator in silence, as the wires and pulleys silently hummed.

"Visiting someone?" Ivory glanced at the little girl. She had Brown hair, along with a short little red dress. She had a little umbrella and a lollipop in her mouth.

The girl looked up at the police officer, her brown eyes staring into the officer's ruby red eyes. She nodded at Ivory, with a smile.

"Cool. I'm visiting someone too. I don't really know er', but she was attacked. And from what I know, she was spooked pretty bad." Ivory scratched her chin. "I got her these here flower for her. Wonder if she's awake yet."

The elevator soon beeped as it reaches its destination. The doors opened as the two walked out. Ivory turned to the girl but was surprised to see her walking ahead of her.

Ivory walked up to the reception desk, with an actual person there. The man looked up at the officer, giving a warm smile.

"Hello, how can I help you?" He asked.

"Uh, Yeah. I'm looking for ah... Emily Doe. She a Faunus." Ivory looked for the girl but was surprised to see her gone.

"Ah, yes give me a moment." He typed away on the keyboard, before pulling up Emily's file. "Ah yes, she's a... White Fang terrorist..." an expression of worry fixed on his face.

"Vale police department, officer Ivory." She flashed her badge, easing the man. "I'm here to interrogate her, see if I can get any info." She explained.

"Ah, yes! Of course ma'am." The man types in the name, before pressing a button. A buzzer rang as the doors unlocked. "Thank you for coming. Oum knows we need more people like you to keep those animals in their cages." He commented.

Ivory ignored the comment, making her way into the hall. She passed by doors leading to other patient's room until she stopped at room 617.

She grabbed the door handle, and took a breath, before walking in. The door squeezed opened as she walked in. The room was just as cold as the rest of the hospital, the same white walls covered the room.

Ivory walked past a curtain and saw the White Fang girl sitting in bed. She had an arm handcuffed to the bed's railing, preventing escape. She had a look of fear, but it lessened when she saw it was just Ivory.

"Uh, hey." Ivory awkwardly smiled, giving a small wave.

"Hello." The Faunus greeted back. Her tone flat, and her gaze neutral.

"I, uh, came to check up on ya." She walked over to the seats next to the bed. "Brought some flowers too." She placed the bouquet on the small coffee table.

The Faunus stayed quiet, simply watching the human with her brown eyes.

"So, uh... I'm Ivory. Work for the Vale Police Department."

"Yes, I remember you... I think." She spoke.

"You do? Good, good. That's, uh, good." Ivory nodded the awkward silence tense. The only sounds that's filled the room were the beeping of the heart monitor and the soft breathing of the two women.

"... are you here to take me away?" The girl broke the silence.

"Uh, no. I'm actually here to see if you can tell me anything about... what happened." Ivory scratched her cheek, trying to not sound strict.

Emily lightly clenched her hands, the memories coming back. "Typical humans..." she murmured.

"Look, I know it's hard for ya to talk about, and I understand-"

"You understand what?!" She snapped. "You understand what it's like to be oppressed?! To always be pushed around and treated as a second class citizen?!" The Faunus raises her voice, her heart pulse raising a bit.

"You humans don't know anything! You weren't there! You did get to see all the carnage and bloodshed caused by one person! You didn't get to see your friends and family murdered right before your eyes!" She tried to sit up, but the cuff held her down.

"To be defenseless! And be reduced to a scared animal!" Tears were freely dripping from the girl's brown eyes. "You didn't-, you didn't watch as your own kind get slaughtered like animals. Just because we were affiliated with someone." She was sobbing now.

Ivory stood still, her head hung down as she clenched her hands.

"You don't understand anything."

"You're wrong."

The girl raised her head to face the human, her ears picking up the officer's mumbling.

"I'm wrong? What do you know?"

Ivory raised her head up, her eyes tearing up. "I fully know what it's like to feel powerless. To have everyone I love killed. I know." She clenched her hands, her nails digging into her palms.

"I know because I went through that bullshit. I couldn't do shit! And still! People died! The Grimm! They...! I was supposed to protect them! And they, all of them! They all died."

A silence hung between the two species. The Faunus stays in her bed, her eyes red, while Ivory sat in the chair.

"I know, and I'll never forget. I'll never forget how I failed those I was sworn to protect. Each one hundred and fifty-seven. Human and Faunus." Ivory gripped the girl's wrist, staring into her chocolate brown eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. Your kind-, no, the White Fang killed them. But I don't hate your kind, and I don't know what you went through, but I need you to help me so it won't happen again. To anyone else."

The Faunus stared at the human, her brown eyes staring into the ruby red eyes. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a breath, before opening them again.

"It was... it was a late night, around 3:45. Our little group had been ordered to transport Dust on some trucks. I don't know why we had so much, or where it was going. Only to just do our job."

Several Faunus are walking about the warehouse, some carrying crates of Dust, while others barked instructions.

Emily was with a group of four other White Fangs. Four males and one female. They were ordered by a higher up to begin loading the Dust crates into a truck.

"Hey." Simmons, a dog Faunus spoke.

"Yeah?" Grif, a deer Faunus, perked up.

"You ever wonder why we're here?" He asked, grabbing a crate.

"It's one of life greatest mysteries, isn't it? Why ARE we here? I mean... "The deer Faunus began, hefting up a crate onto a truck. "Are we the product of some... cosmic coincidence, or... is there really a God? Watching everything? Y'know with a plan, with a plan for, and stuff. I dunno man, but it keeps me up at night."

Everyone in the group was staring at the deer Faunus, unable to answer such a deep question. Why are we here? Is there really a Go-

"What? I meant, why are we out here in this warehouse loading up Dust?" Simmons interjected.

"Oh, huh... yeah."

"What was all that stuff about God?" Church, a cheetah Faunus asked.

"Uh... hmm? Nothing."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Sarge, a bear Faunus, snapped. "Get back to work!"

"Got it, boss!" Emily, the deer Faunus, hefted a crate up. "What the hell was that, Grif?"

"Shut up, Em. I don't wanna talk about." Grif grumbled, lofting a crate.

"Ugh, your such a dork." Emily flicked her brother on his mask.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Come on, we gotta finish this load, then move on to the next." Church, a bull Faunus told the two guys.

The group walked off to another part of the warehouse, the group animatedly talking to one another.

"Okay, so we gotta load these up and-"

A noise somewhere in the distance cut off Church. The group looked at one another, wondering what the noise was. Church looked at Tucker, a cat Faunus, and beckoned him to go check it out.

"What!" He whispered shouted. "Why me?"

"Because you're the one with the damn sword!" Grif whispered shouted back. Is that even a thing? Whisper shouting?

"Ugh, fine!" Emily relented. "But it's on you if I die." The Faunus stalked over to the noise's origins, his sword out and ready.

She walked behind some crates, the shelves blocking the light. Her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, as she searched for the noise.

"What do you think's in there?" Tucker asked, his legs shaking.

"Oh, don't be such a scaredy cat. We're in the middle of an abandoned warehouse. There's no one that knows we're here, and who's stupid enough to waltz in here-"

Suddenly a shadow lunges out at the four making them all jump in fear. The shadow stopped at Church as the light revealed what it was.

"It's just a stupid cat." Emily walked forward, her sword sheathed.

"Oh Oum, thought it was something-"

A scream was heard throughout the warehouse, along with another. Gunfire and fighting soon followed as people began converging onto that one place.

"What the hell is that?!" Grif exclaimed.

"How the hell should I know?! Did someone find us? Are we under attack?!" Church began pondering the possibilities.

"What the hell are you idiots doing?!" A White Fang soldier shouted at them. "Get a weapon and fight!" He grabbed a rifle and tossed it at Simmons.

"Bah! Wha-?! I don't, I, I, I-"

"Go! Get your asses and fight!" The Faunus yelled making the group run forward.

The gunfire grew closer followed by a few explosions. The group charged ahead, two rifles and three swords.

"Church!" Tucker shouted.

"I don't know, man! I didn't sign up for this shit!" The Faunus yelled back. The mask hid his panic in his eyes.

The group soon made their way to the fighting. A red blur dashed around cutting down soldiers like they were nothing. Blood spewed out like a fountain, as the blur moved onto the next target.

The White Fang tried to fire at the blur, but they either dodge the shots, resulting in friendly fire, or they deflected they bullets.

"What the hell is this?!" Church shouted as he tried to fire a shot at the blur, but he just missed.

"I don't know, but that thing's killing everyone!"

A man charges forward with a sledgehammer glowing hot with heat. He slams the weapon down, a concentrated wave of heat shoots forward at the blur.

The blur spins around a weapon, a sword. It changes from a deep red to a cool blue. They slash forward as a wave of ice crashes with the heatwave. A cloud of mist fills the area as visibility drops down.

"Shit!! Can't see anything!" Grif cursed as he searched for the red blur. Even with his enhanced eyesight, he still couldn't see much through the mist. He heard a grunt next to him, so he turned to see Church with a blade stabbing through his abdomen. Ice was beginning to spread out, freezing the flesh. the blade was yanked out, leaving Church to drop down.

"CHURCH!" Grif grabbed his dying friend, blood staining his clothes.

"Guh, hah, Gifff..." the cheetah Faunus croaked out, blood began spilling out of his mouth.

"Hold on bud, I got you, I got you!" Grif removed the mask from his friend's eyes, but when he did all there was left were dead soulless eyes. "Church? Church?!"

Another scream caught the boy's attention. he turned to see Simmons firing at the blur but his shots only missed.

"Where in the hell are you?!" he screamed as his rifle's magazine emptied out. The blur passed by him, followed by a slash. He stood still for a moment a red line forming on his neck until his head was knocked off.

The decapitated head flew through the air until it landed in Grif's lap. He looked down to see Simmons' fear-ridden face staring up at him. He shouted throwing away the head. he backed away, his breathing picking up its pace. The mist had settled down and there were still White Fang soldiers running around searching for the killer. One by one the men were cut down, the pattern heading straight for...

"EMILY!" Grif shoved away from his sister just as the slash reached him.

Emily fell onto her butt. she shook her head and stared up to see Grif with a sword stabbing out of his abdomen. and holding that sword was a woman.

"I didn't get to see her very well, but she wore black and red. Her hair was a deep red color with black in it. She wore a mask like one of ours, except it was a bit darker. You guys compare us to monsters like Grimm, if that's the case then she's a demon." Emily shook in fear, but Ivory placed a hand on the Faunus' shoulder.

"You don't have to keep going." the dark-skinned woman gave a comforting smile.

"... thanks." Emily wiped away a tear.

The woman pulled out her blade from the Faunus, flicking away any blood. A shout came from behind, and the woman turned just in time to block the roaring teeth of a chainsaw. Sparks flew as a muscular Faunus pushed against the woman's blade with his chainsaw. He was shoved away and was punched away like a ball.

"Lieutenant Marlow!" a White Fang shouted. She turned to the woman, her body glowing with a golden Aura. She pulled out two blades and charged at the woman with incredible speed.

She slashed away at the woman, her eyes full of murder and fury. her blades were blocked or either dodged until a hilt popped her in the face. But she didn't even flinch as her sword nicked the woman on the shoulder, but it simply glanced off with Aura.

The woman growled before dashing forward like a bullet, red spilling out like a glow stick. She delivered a series of slashes at the cheetah Faunus, her blade cutting through the woman's body like wood. The cheetah exploded into bits of red and gore, the life liquid painting everyone nearby red.

The woman huffed as she seemed to be exhausting herself, but she raised her sword in a stance and continued on.

Meanwhile, Emily scrambled away in fear. She hid behind some crates hoping to Oum that she wouldn't be found. She just simply watched from her hiding hole as the woman massacred the rest of her kind. Holding her breath every time the murderous woman came nearby.

It was just anger and hate irradiating from the woman as she made every kill. A shout and a yell with every attack she met, her teeth bared out like an animal.

Emily didn't know how long she stayed in her hole or when the woman had left, but she had cried herself to sleep, blood covering her body.

"And that's all I know..." Emily raised her legs to hug them, but she was surprised to feel Ivory hug her.

"I'm sorry." was the only thing she said.

Emily sat in silence as she processed what was happening. What would she do now? Could she live a normal life? Or would she be branded as a criminal for the rest of her life? She didn't know, she had no one left.

But maybe this human could help her.

~ ~ ~

In an apartment in Vale, Ebony the detective was working hard. She sat in her basement, staring at a bulletin board that hung on her wall. Several photos, lines, strings, and markings were on the board, each tied with one event or another.

The bags under her eyes had grown, and her hair was frizzled. There were several cups of coffee in the corner of the basement, along with a pot of coffee. The room was a mess there were crumple dup papers everywhere, torn photos, and empty bottles of medicine.

Ebony sat in her chair, her green eyes still staring up at the bulletin board as she tried to connect each event with one another. But she was stuck, she had no more information and no more leads. The department archives had little to nothing and she could only trust so many people.

Her hands clenched as her brow furrowed. She clenched her teeth, her veins bulging out of stress. She jerked up from her chair and grabbed her table. She flung the table across the room, papers and files spilling throughout the room.

Why couldn't she find anything?! How could one person, one person hide so well for the past thirty years?! There was barely any events connecting to the Second Narrator, and any leads that do are controversial at best!

Ebony flopped down onto her chair, dragging a hand down her face. She couldn't work like this. She needed some coffee. She stood up and walked over to the small table where the coffee was. She grabbed a mug and reached for the pot of coffee. But it was empty, and so was the canister to make more.

The detective stood still for a moment, before shaking. She yelled out in frustration. She threw her mug at the wall, the ceramic shattering. Next, she grabbed the coffee machine and threw it as well. The glass pot shattering as the machine broke open.

Ebony grabbed the table and threw it as well. She needed to vent out at anything, be it her work or her furniture. She grabbed a set of file and began tearing them up, the papers ripping with a satisfying sound. She grabbed a wrench and threw it at the bulletin board, the board falling down. She grabbed her chair and threw it at the wall, the chair breaking apart upon impact.

Next, she pulled out her pistol and began firing at the walls and floor. She was underground so the bullets wouldn't go anywhere. She fired all of her bullets, and when she ran out she punched the basement's wall. But she didn't stop as she continued to punch the wall even when her fist turned red.

~ ~ ~

Ivory walked, a pair of keys in her hands. She had managed to convince Emily that she would help her when her trial came to be. So she stopped to get some chow, Mistralian food and made her way home. She lived with Ebony, the two having grown comfortable with one another.

"Honey, I'm home!" she joked. The two were always teased about being a couple, though they actually didn't date. The police officer walked through the kitchen, dropping the food on the table. She searched for the detective but didn't find her anywhere. "Hm, where she at?"

The sound of stuff breaking and shattering caught the woman's attention. She brought her guard up, her hand hovering over her revolver, Law. She slowly walked forward, her hand ready to pull out her gun.

"Ebony?" she called out, "Ya in here?" she walked forward, the sounds had stopped for a moment until gun fire followed. "Shit! Don't worry I'm coming!" She ran forward, her gun out and ready.

The officer moved forward noting the noises came from the basement. She made her way forward, her face serious. She walked down the stairs of the basement, the lights were on, but the room was a complete mess. There was a grunting noise along with a meaty slap.

'Ebony, ya better not be fuckin' a guy down here.' Ivory made it down the stairs to see the pale-skinned woman punching the wall. "Ebony?" she called out, but the woman didn't respond. Ivory walked forward, her gun was lowered, but her guard was still raised. She placed a hand on the detective's shoulder. "Hey, you okay-?"

Ebony shouted as she swung at the officer, her fist smacking into Ivory's face.

"What the hell, Eb?!" Ivory tackled the woman holding her down as she flaied around. "What's gotten into ya?!"

"Gah! Let me go!"

"Not until ya calm ya ass down!"

"I won't let you kill me! You won't kill her! I swear it!" Ebony cried out, trying to free herself.

"Ebony, it's me, ya dipshit! It's me, Ivory!" the officer shouted. Ebony struggling lessened as she listened to her partner's voice.

"Ivory...?"

"Who else dumbass?" she got off of the woman, helping her up. "The hell is wrong with chu?"

"I-I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else." she confessed. "I think I'm seeing things."

"when's the last time ya slept? And Oum! Ya look like absolute fuck!"  Ivory didn't hold back any punches. She grabbed her partner's hand and dragged her out of the basement.

"Where are we going?" Ebony mumbled out.

"You are going to take a damn shower. Cause you smell like ass." The two made their way up stairs and into the bathroom. "Take ya clothes off." she ordered as she began to set the water.

Ebony, to weak to fight back, obliged and began taking off her clothes. The tub began filling up with warm water and the detective sat down. The warm water splashing against her. Her body then felt all of the tension begin to melt away. The sweat and musk washing away.

"Imma get ya some clothes, okay?" Ivory stated and walked out the bathroom, closing the door.

Ivory just grunted in response as she laid back in the tub, the water feeling so good. She sat there for a moment, her eyes feeling heavy as they drooped down. She felt bad that she had made ivory take care of her like she was some disabled person. She closed her eyes, the muscles in her eyelids aching in pain.

The door opened agains, but she paid no mind to it. Ivory must have gotten her clothes. She heard a bit of shuffling and something drop down on the floor, but still she paid no mind. Then, Ebony felt the water rise as she felt a body sit right behind her. This thought didn't process with her until a moment later.

Her eyes shot open as she felt the woman's skin against her own. "I-I-IVORY?!" she jerked up to see the dark-skinned woman just as naked as she was. In the same bathtub as she was. "Wha-, wha-, wha-, what are you doing?!" The woman raised a brow before grabbing Ebony and pulling her down.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm taking a bath with you." she bluntly explained as she grabbed a bottle of shampoo.

"I-I know, but why?!" the Faunus' face was so grateful the hot water made her skin pink, because she was sure her face was so red.

"Because knowing your dumbass is too tired to wash yourself. You were already sleeping in the tub. Now shut up." She squirted some soap into her palm before rubbing her hands together.

Ebony held her breath as Ivory began washing her hair. She closed her eyes as she could feel her partner's hands scrub away at her head. She tried to ignore the woman, but when she scratched a certain part, it felt so heavenly.

She let out a moan as Ivory washed her hair. Her face dopey as she washed out the soap. but she closed her mouth realizing what noise she just made. Whether or not Ivory heard it(most likely), she didn't show it as she finished washing her hair out.

Next, she grabbed a bar of soap, and lathered it in her hands. When she was done, she then began washing the Faunus' back, making the latter let out another moan.

"Man, you must be real stressed if ya making all these noises." Ivory commented making the Faunus face go red again. "Here let me..." She leaned forward, pressing her chest against the pale-skinned woman's back. She wrapped her arms around her body as she began washing the rest of her partner's body.

"I-Ivory!" Ebony moaned out.

"What? Am I being too rough?" she asked, stopping her hands.

"Nh, n-no, it's nothing."

Ivory nodded, before continuing to wash the Faunus. Ebony did her best to keep her moans down, but Ivory's hands just felt so good against her body. The way they skillfully caressed her skin, and the feeling of Ivory's breasts against her back. Her breathing right next to her ear. If Ebony didn't know any better, she'd say she was in heat and Ivory was taking advantage of her.

But she knew better. Ivory would never cross her boundaries unless she had permission. And even then , she would never abuse them. They had been friends for over a decade, and the thought of one of them making a move of the other never crossed their minds. It was something she admired about her human partner.

Even in the most embarrassing situations, Ivory kept her cool. be it half or fully naked. covered in shit, being mocked by everyone, or even that one time she had literally inhaled aphrodisiac, she stayed professional. She may have been a rough and tough kind of woman, the shoot first, shoot later, shoot some more, and maybe shoot the bodies a bit more, but she knew what mattered and what she valued. And she was one of those things Ivory valued.

"And done. You can wash ya boobies and vajayjay, but other than that I'm done." Ivory pulled back her hands before pulling her body back as well. She stood up undoing her ponytail, her white hair falling down on her shoulders. "Now you do me."

"U-um, okay." the two turned around, Ebony squirted some shampoo on her hands and began washing the dark-skinned woman's hair. Her hair was nice and long, some tangles here and there, but was silky. It was a nice shade of white, the hair appearing as if it was bleached.

"... you have nice hair." Ebony commented.

"Thanks, I don't really do anything, but it still looks nice somehow." Ivory closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of her back being washed.

The two stayed in silence as they washed one another. The only sounds being the shower running.

.

.

.

"I'm sorry." Ebony suddenly said.

"... for what?"

"For, not taking care of myself." Ebony leaned forward. Sh wrapped her arms around her partner, her breast pressing against the woman's back, but made no other move. "I'm sorry that I made you worry. I'm sorry that I hit you, because I thought you were the Narrator. I just..." she took a breath.

"I just really want to find this bastard. to put him , her, they in jail. To make them pay. And I know I can't do that if I'm dying, I learned that last time we got a lead on them, and yet here I am throwing a tantrum like a child." she laid her head against Ivory.

"... I forgive you." Ivory spoke, not turning to the woman.

"... you do?" Ebony didn't move, keeping the woman close to her.

"Yeah, I do. And I understand too." Ebony felt the woman take a breath. "I know how important this is to ya, and I want to help ya. But, I don't want you to destroy yourself. I don't know if this person is still alive or if this is a new person, but I want you to be happy."

"You're important to me. So, take it easy, whether we find this bastard or not, I just want ya to be okay."

Tears fell from Ebony's eyes, they mixed with the shower's water as she sniffed. She pulled back wiping away her tears. Ivory turned her body around taking the Faunus' hand in her own.

"You such a crybaby, y'know?" Ivory smiled as she pressed her lips against Ebony's forehead. "come on, the water's gettin' cold." she stood up, some leftover soap washing off. "I got us some Mistralian food, though I think its a bit cold." she turned off the water.

"Is it mild?" Ebony wiped her eye.

"Just how ya like it." Ivory stepped out the shower, popping her back.

6712 words, excluding disclaimer and Author's Note. I will accept criticism and opinions. Welp, seem things are going swimmingly with our villains and our dynamic duo. And our little mystery character has made her appearance again! Wonder what she wants?

Next chapter we'll be checking back on our cast as a few weeks have past by. As we now move onto the Jaundice arc.

Au revoir!