Fate's Wild Card Ch.42 (Released) (Patreon)

The safe was almost insultingly easy. Neo had to bite back a silent laugh the moment she saw it, an old thing with a heavy keyhole and thick, ornate tumblers instead of any modern lock with a keypad. Not that it would have stopped her either way, but at least with those she would have needed to try.

Who still used a safe that took chunky keys in this day and age? Was the owner a nostalgic fool, or just an idiot?

Both, obviously.

A few twists of her pick, a soft click, and the door swung open to reveal neat stacks of documents inside, making her grin. Easy money. And better than the money, she was going to get to rub this in a certain bunny boy’s face.

Still, it was strange that somebody would store documents on paper instead of a computer or a hard drive. But whatever, none of this was her problem and would never be her problem.

Although she’d come in expecting a fight, honestly. Pryce had gone after the same files but in different location, and it had turned into an ambush, which was exactly how they’d caught him in the first place. He was good, but not THAT good compared to her. Of course, she’d double and triple checked for any nasty surprises, anyway. Nonetheless, there had been none, and she’d succeeded without a hitch. 

She was already looking forward to what face he would do when she told him.

She swept the documents into her secret bag, tucking them out of sight. She had no idea why that bitchy Cinder wanted these so badly, and honestly, she didn’t care enough to ask. The lousy bitch paid surprisingly well, and a healthy balance sitting in her account was reason enough to keep taking jobs.

Her Dumdum paid her too, on top of her nice allowance, but earning her own money was always satisfying.

Besides, the extra lien would come in handy. She had plans for the weekend. Plans to finally finish training her dear kitten. The poor thing still thought she had a shot at slipping away. It was so sweet how she still believed that so innocently. But Neo had finally figured out how to flip that special and really HOT switch, which didn’t need the use of any drug and once that happened, there’d be no more room for escape.

Her bunny was in for a big surprise. And hopefully, if things went as well as she was hoping, there’d be another surprise waiting right after that one.

Neo could hardly wait.

She closed the safe and locked it again, careful to leave the scene looking untouched, then slipped out of the building and made her way to her bike, hidden behind a row of dumpsters. She revved the engine and tore off toward the hideout, ignoring every traffic law along the way. It was an hour’s drive, less if she pushed it, and she obviously pushed it, sending a few cars swerving and clipping each other in her wake. 

Skill issue on their part, clearly.

When she arrived, she let her semblance do the work, slipping through the hideout unnoticed exactly the way she liked it, and set the files down on top of her Dumdum’s cluttered desk before wandering off to a nearby crate to lie down and wait. He noticed the files a moment later, tucking them into his jacket with a smirk, and just like that her part was done. Now all she had to do was wait.

And thankfully, it was not for long.

The bitch arrived flanked by her two lapdogs.

“Did your pet assassin get the files?” She asked with sneer.

Rude.

She should just get a gun and shoot her. Nobody would notice.

“My, my, what’s with the attitude, Cinder?” Her Dumdum drawled, leaning back against the wall with his cane propped against one shoulder. “Short fuse today? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Somebody burn your waffles this morning?”

No, with her aura she’d feel the shot coming and dodge it. Stabbing would be better.

“I’m pressed for time, in case you haven’t noticed.” Number one bitch snapped. “But that’s what I get for putting my trust in third-rate thieves.”

Stab, stab, stab. Definitely the best option.

“Third-rate. Ouch.” Dumdum pressed a hand to his chest, feigning a wound. “And here I thought we had something special, Cinder. You, me, this whole tortured business partnership. I’m hurt.”

But there was no response.

“Hmph. What a boring woman you are,” he added, straightening up. “But here they are, just as promised.” He pulled the files from his jacket and held them out with a flourish, like he was presenting a gift.

The green girl quickly stepped forward to take them.

Oh, right, the greenie was a good pet too. Yet the bitch clearly didn’t know how to spoil the things she owned. Neo would have done so much better with her, given the chance, especially since she’d love the color contrast when she had those legs high in the air or maybe on four or maybe tightly locked around his bunny waist. Though, well, she was about to get a new one, and she didn’t want to split her attention between two pets to train. 

Wouldn’t be fair to either of them after all.

The girl handed the files over, and the bitch flipped them open, scanning the pages with hungry eyes. A slow smile crept across her face, and that alone made Neo feel repulsed because that woman didn’t deserve any sort of joy.

“Yes. Finally.” She glanced toward the tall lapdog beside her. “Pay him.”

The boring guy tossed a bag of lien toward Roman, who caught it with a lazy flick of his wrist, barely glancing at it before tucking it away.

“Pleasure doing business, as always,” Roman said, tipping his hat with mock politeness. “Do give my regards to whichever poor soul you’re planning on ruining next.”

Cinder didn’t bother answering. She simply turned on her heel, and just like that, the three of them left as quickly as they’d come.

Neo left Roman to count his money in peace and slipped out after the trio instead, tailing them for hours through the city as they wound their way toward the residential district. 

The area looked comfortable, but not quite wealthy enough to be on the rich side of town, much less to be compared to the upper-class district.

She waited until they reached their apartment, then slipped inside ahead of them. Despite claiming to be the best of the best, big shots who claimed to run half the underworld, none of them could even feel her presence.

That was how she heard Cinder speak freely.

And she couldn’t help but grin when she heard some very juicy plans.

---------------------------------------

-Weiss Schnee-

Weiss sat at her usual spot in the recreational area tables, her pen poised over a fresh set of practice questions for tomorrow’s lesson with Pryce. Around her, the ambient remained mostly quiet and peaceful, but her attention kept drifting toward the sound of laughter a few tables away.

Ruby’s laughter, specifically. Being the usual loud, unrestrained, and currently directed at a red-faced Pryce, which she didn’t think would be possible. The man was a brute as far as she knew, not someone easily embarrassed.

“I’m just saying, for someone who talks big about ‘street smarts,’ you sure didn’t hear me coming, huh?” Ruby said, practically vibrating with barely contained glee. “Guess some lessons you gotta learn the deep and preferably wet way.”

“Ruby, come on…”

Ruby cackled, thoroughly pleased with herself, practically doubling over as Pryce buried his face in his hands, his rabbit ears pressed flat against his skull.

Weiss frowned, her pen tapping idly against her notebook. She had no idea what any of that meant. They had been discussing something about Yang, apparently, and some kind of incident in the showers that had left both Pryce and Yang embarrassed after Ruby caught them. 

Deep and wet? And why Ruby was constantly saying hard this or hard that?

A sparring match?

It could explain a few things. Perhaps some kind of training accident which damaged the plumbing system.

She made a mental note to ask Pyrrha later. Her teammate would happily answer any of her questions, and unlike Ruby’s chaotic explanations, Pyrrha always managed to be thorough and clear.

It was strange, honestly. Weiss found herself studying the exchange with something like quiet bewilderment. A few weeks ago, Ruby and Pryce’s interactions had been perfectly cordial but distant, though Pryce had at least been decent enough to help Ruby whenever she asked when she got struck by inspiration about weapons. Now they seemed to bicker like siblings, and Ruby in particular had developed an entire arsenal of jokes at Pryce’s expense that she deployed with startling confidence.

Confidence. 

That was the word for it, Weiss realized. Ruby had always been endearing but uncertain of herself, prone to rambling and second-guessing everything she said. 

Well, it wasn’t a detrimental change. If anything, Ruby seemed more comfortable asserting herself instead of anxiously deferring to everyone around her. That was progress, wasn’t it? A leader needed some backbone, needed to be able to hold her own even against someone as prickly and sharp-tongued as Pryce.

And it was better that way otherwise that man would do something.

So Weiss decided, after a moment of consideration, that this was likely a net positive for their team dynamic.

“Okay, but seriously,” Ruby continued, apparently unable to let the topic go, “If you are going to have harmless, sweaty fun, you should at least do it somewhere a little more private, don't you think?”

“It was private.” Pryce deadpanned.

“Sure, sure. That’s totally why Yang’s been all meek lately and blushing, I never thought I would see my sis like that.” Ruby grinned wickedly. 

Weiss returned her attention to the questions in front of her, pen moving methodically down the page as she corrected a poorly worded question about Vacuo.

Probably just concern for team cohesion. 

Tomorrow’s lesson would cover the economic policies of post-war Vacuo and their impact on cross-kingdom trade relations, which meant she needed to finalize at least fifteen more practice questions before…

That’s when her pen slipped from her fingers, clattering onto the table.

If Pryce passed the next exam, as he almost certainly would, given how diligently he’d been studying under her tutelage, that meant their arrangement would continue. 

That meant another kiss.

Her hand flew to her lips before she could stop herself, fingertips pressing against the skin as if she could somehow feel the ghost of that heated kiss still lingering there. Heat rushed to her face with mortifying speed, and she quickly ducked her head over her notebook, praying no one had noticed her sudden, inexplicable reaction.

She’d told herself it was a simple transaction. Like some educational motivation for self-improvement. Nothing more complicated than that.

But she was once again second-guessing herself, thinking far too much about this unorthodox arrangement she’d created as a response to his lecherous antics.

Weiss stared down at her notes, not really seeing the words anymore as her mind was spinning through increasingly uncomfortable questions. Was this something she should keep confined strictly to kisses, or was there an expectation that things would need to progress further the longer this arrangement continued?

From what little she’d gathered observing senior couples or stray comments she’d overheard from other girls and from the general knowledge she absorbed despite her sheltered and skewed upbringing, she understood that physical relationships tended not to stagnate. 

There was usually some expectation of escalation, especially for someone as apparently... active as Pryce probably was.

And knowing the Faunus brute with his complete lack of manners, she had little doubt he’d eventually want more than what they currently had, if this reward system continued long enough.

Which meant that she needed to be the one steering this. If change was inevitable, if things were going to change regardless of what she wanted, then she refused to simply be swept along by whatever Pryce decided.

That wasn’t how a Schnee operated. 

If she was going to fix this roguish man, refine him into someone worthy of the team, worthy of actual respect and renown that would reflect well on her, then she needed to remain the one in control of every step of that process.

Including this one.

Why did that thought bother her so much? This was purely educational motivation. A transaction, nothing more.

She frowned down at her notebook.

There would be time to analyze her own confusing emotional responses later. -----------------------------------------

-Pryce Locke-

Pryce blinks and puts down his sandwich before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Excuse me, what?”

“You heard me.” Weiss straightens in her seat, arms folding neatly over her textbook. “We will study together all night on Saturday after our team exercises. Next week is our second history exam, in case you have forgotten.”

“No, no, I didn’t forget, but I have a date on Saturday.”

A date with Neo and Blake on Saturday, and knowing his girlfriend, all of Sunday is included too. But he won’t mention that to Weiss for very obvious reasons.

Weiss lets out a sharp breath through her nose. “Pryce, you can always postpone a date. Your academic record is a permanent mark on this team’s combined standing. A date is not.”

“My date is kind of time sensitive.”

“How is a date time sensitive?”

“It just is.“

“That is not an answer, that is a deflection.”

“It’s my answer.”

Weiss opens her mouth, closes it, then looks away from him. Her posture shifts just slightly, and a faint blush creeps up to her face as she smooths a crease on her sleeve.

“Well...”

Pryce cocks a brow and waits for her.

“Ummm...” Now she rubs the back of her neck. “As for your reward. For passing with good grades. I... I will promise to do a little more than kissing.”

That answer creates sudden silence between the two.

Pryce frowns because on one hand he does not want to miss out on what Neo has planned with Blake and witness the results of the faunus training.

But on the other hand, Weiss just offered more than a kiss.

And he is now very curious about what more than kissing means to someone who relatively recently learned how babies are made. Was she talking about using tongues, or would she let him grope her?

“Define a little more.”

“I don’t see why I need to be more specific than that.”

“I’m a details person.”

“You are an insufferable person,” Weiss corrects, her eyes still fixed pointedly on her textbook rather than him, which is answer enough. The blush has reached her ears now, it’s an endearing sight.

“You’re also avoiding the question.”

“I am doing no such thing. I am simply choosing not to reward your nosiness with further clarification.”

“So there’s something to clarify.”

“That is not what I said.”

“It’s kind of what you implied.”

“I implied nothing!” She hisses before she clears her throat. “I made a straightforward and generous offer which you are now overcomplicating to embarrass me and I would appreciate it if you would simply say yes.”

Pryce picks his sandwich back up, takes a slow bite, and chews thoughtfully. The answer should be a no brainier but still, he was going to humor the Atlesian girl.