Playing For Keeps - Ch 46 (Adv) - I'll Be Good (Patreon)

DM: Paladin -› Scarecrow | Sunday 14:28

‹Paladin› finally found Venetian Redd, he didn’t know about Lionheart or Callows but the ‘Grimm’ that brought us here is actually someone from the White Fang (hence Grimm mask) meeting with the mafia in Mistral Below

For once, Qrow actually responded. Unfortunately, the nature of that response…

“I thought I saw the devil this morning, looking in the mirror, drop of rum on my tongue-”

Pulling out my Scroll, I answered, “You know, you’re not beating the ‘old man’ allegations if your response to receiving a text is to call.”

“Wha-? Fuck you, it’s a more efficient way of communicating information!” he sputtered.

“Are you under fire right now? Is it urgent that you communicate what you found with me in real time?”

“Why didn’t you just call me? What, are you afraid of talking on the phone like the rest of your generation?”

“No, I just didn’t see the point in interrupting whatever you’re doing to pass information that isn’t time-critical,” I argued. “I’m not saying you’re wrong. Calling is more efficient, it’s just a direct and immediate demand on the time of whoever you’re calling.”

“So what, are you busy right now?”

“Nah, I’m just busting your balls,” I chuckled. “Geezer.”

“Remind me to kick your ass when we get back to Vale,” Qrow groaned. “Now as I was trying to tell you, my sources corroborated the White Fang’s presence… I’m not sure who it is — not that I know too many White Fang leaders, admittedly — but there’s at least two. One of ‘em has big pointed ears, the other has a tail, and they both carry some kind of knife or dagger.”

I rubbed my chin. Those two fox brothers? Why are they off Menagerie? “Do we know where Sienna Khan is at the moment?”

“Not off the top of my head. Why?”

“Because I recognize those descriptions, and if it’s who I think, they’re near the top of the Menagerie branch. If they’re here, it’s either on her orders or they’re here behind her back; if it’s the former we might be able to figure out what she’s after, if it’s the latter then she might like to know about it.”

Qrow was silent for a minute. “One of these days we’re gonna have a talk about how you know some of the things you know.”

Fuck, every time I get comfortable with someone I keep slipping. Maybe I can just wave it off as ‘magic’? But is it even worth lying at this point? It might be better to come partly clean… at least to Qrow. I swallowed. “I won’t be looking forward to that, and odds are you’re not going to like some of the answers, but I will give them to you as long as our infosec agreement holds. I said last night that I trust you and I meant it.”

“I’m not sure I’m looking forward to it either… but thanks,” Qrow sighed. “Now, I don’t think we can track down Sienna Khan in a reasonable amount of time. I might be able to confirm if she’s in the kingdom, but that doesn’t tell us much on its own.”

“It doesn’t,” I agreed. “But I don’t think we have any other leads right n–”

As if the world had been waiting for me to say that, my black Scroll buzzed with a new text. It was from a scrambled number, from what I guessed was a burner Scroll, and contained nothing but an address.

“Strike that, I guess Redd was able to set up that dead drop pretty fast,” I told Qrow, rattling off the address.

“That’s deep in Mistral Below all right. You realize there’s a good chance it’s a trap, right?”

I paused. “I actually hadn’t considered that. Shouldn’t an info broker be too reliant on his reputation being good to double-cross customers that easily?”

“You’re not a local,” Qrow reminded me.

“He knows I’m related to the Roma though,” I pointed out. “Although… I did tell him I wasn’t here on the Familia’s behalf…”

“If just being connected to the Familias was enough to protect someone from Spider, the mob wouldn’t exist,” Qrow said grimly. “Even being related just means they’ll be cautious, not that they’ll leave you alone. If anything, you’re more of a target because you’re from Vale and unlikely to have been raised with the suspicion and politics the Familias take for granted.”

“Joke’s on them, I don’t remember how I was raised,” I smirked. “So we sense a trap; what’s our next move?”

Qrow’s answering smirk was all but audible. “Spring the trap. Duh.”

I rolled my eyes. “If you’re done ‘How do you do, fellow kids’ing, I assume you’re planning to follow me from above?”

“Yeah. There’s a bar a few blocks south of Ninigi Park. Meet me there and then you can head over to pick up your alleged dead drop.”

“Copy.” I hung up, mind still racing with the idea of laying some of my cards on the table, or at least not holding them so close to the vest when it came to my mentor.

I was already working with Ozpin’s group and killing infamous monsters. Now I’m rolling with Qrow, meeting with Raven, and scrapping with Tyrian… If he doesn’t already know who I am he will soon; Watts is free and knows my face and name. If those octopus things aren’t the only Grimm she can see through, there’s even a chance Salem already knows who I am now that I’ve killed a quarter of the Named. I won’t be able to fly under the radar much longer, especially if I want to outright prevent the Fall, and other people have more reach and influence than I do.

Sighing, I set out down the mountain again, following the waypoint on my map back toward the park we’d fought in last night, still pulsing [Detect Aura] every few blocks to look out for Lionheart or Callows.

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

The bar Qrow mentioned was, unsurprisingly, kind of a dive. The bar itself was short, with only a few stools in front of it, while most of the seating was small tables that stood empty considering it was around three in the afternoon. A pair of faunus women softly played a piano and an acoustic guitar in one corner, lending a surprisingly homey atmosphere, but there were enough stains on the floorboards that I had no trouble believing the place got a bit rowdy later at night.

Qrow, naturally, was at the bar itself, nursing a lowball glass of what I assumed was whisky. Pulling up beside him, I dropped into the stool, shifting the Family Sword so it wouldn’t clatter against the wood, and ordered, “Junmai ginjo, chilled.”

Normally in an unfamiliar bar I would stick to a common cocktail until I was more familiar with what they had available, but this was Mistral; from what I’d seen, sake was served basically everywhere.

Sure enough, the bartender wordlessly placed a small, round tokkuri bottle with a narrow neck in front of me, followed by a small cylindrical ochoko cup. His sleeves rose slightly when he reached under the bar, revealing a hint of a tattoo. Idly using [Observe] on the tokkuri to confirm I wasn’t getting getting ripped off or poisoned, I poured it and took a sip.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone your age from Vale who didn’t try to drink sake like a shot,” Qrow observed.

“Do you spend a lot of time looking at teenagers drinking?”

I’d expected him to be taken aback, but he just snorted. “I was a teacher, remember? I couldn’t tell you how many house parties I had to crash.”

I gave him a considering look. “You just confiscated the booze instead of breaking up the party, didn’t you?”

“It’s important for Hunters to blow off steam, even if they’re only Trainees,” Qrow said wisely. “But whether they get to drink before graduation is up to their parents; otherwise, it’s against school policy.”

“And if there were occasions you missed?” I wondered.

“I’m sure there were a few I missed, but that just means they were being discreet and not causing trouble,” he shrugged. “And before you throw out a joke about my nieces, we both know Ruby would rather drink sparkling grape juice, and Yang would sooner die than set a bad example for her sister.”

I took another sip, considering that. “Touché.”

Qrow swirled his drink, staring down at the amber liquid. “I actually hope she gets to unwind a little bit. Hunters getting too tense is bad for everybody.”

“You should take them for dinner in town when we get back,” I suggested. “Amber and I are planning a date night, so Ruby at least will be free from team obligations. Maybe invite their partners as well?”

“That might not be a bad idea.” Qrow scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Tho’ I suppose I’ll have to refrain from teasing the little Schnee. Ah, well.” He drained his glass and stood up, tossing a few Lien on the bar. “I’m gonna take a leak,” he added. “You can head out; stay safe.”

“I’ll be good,” I replied as Qrow wove his way to the bathroom, seemingly unable to walk straight.

I don’t buy it, I thought, rolling my eyes at his back before paying for my own drink and heading back out the front door. He only had one glass while I was there. He’s putting on a show… but is it just out of paranoia? Or does it mean he thinks we’re being watched?

Unsure, but unable to ask, I shrugged and set off again, following the new waypoint set at the address Redd had provided. It was on the other side of the park, and after taking a moment to pop my back and gently loosen the Family Sword in its bandolier, I cast [Detect Aura], confirming Qrow was flitting through the trees over my head as expected.

The signs of our fight were still visible in the park; the turf and trees slashed and the soccer goal slightly dented. I’m not sure why, but for some reason I was expecting it to be fully restored already. No sign of Tyrian nearby either; I suppose he might still be recovering, but it’s safer to bet that he’s already out there again. I guess he’s just more interested in finding Lionheart than me, probably because he’s here on orders from his ‘goddess’. Heh, I wonder if Salem actually hates that assumption, considering her own problems with gods?

After a moment’s consideration, I pushed the Family Sword back into my [Inventory] before stepping out of the treeline. I personally preferred keeping it out most of the time, even when I wasn’t wearing my armor, but since I was playing bait at the moment it was probably better if I appeared unarmed.

The neighborhood on the other side was even rougher; with graffitied webs everywhere. There were barely a handful of people on the street, though I saw a lot of curtains twitch as I walked by. A glance at a window ahead of me showed a couple strolling behind me, hand in hand: A tall, bearded man with an undercut and a lithe brunette in a belly shirt and daisy dukes despite the January chill. [Detect Aura] ticked over, and I sensed someone a block over who seemed to be keeping pace with me. That makes at least two tails on me, do I hear three?

I reached up and scratched the top of my head, tapping three fingers against my crown, and nodded to myself when a crow cawed back thrice a moment later. Three it is. Not a single unlocked Aura in the bunch. I closed my fingers into a fist briefly — Hold position. — before slipping my hand back into my pocket.

At last, my map’s waypoint indicated I was in the right place, and I turned into… a narrow alley, where a dumpster was dragged out so that I’d have to squeeze past it. If we hadn’t guessed it was a trap already, I think it would be clear by now. I can’t imagine anyone falling for this, but I guess there’s an elegance in simplicity.

I walked into the alley without glancing back, sensing the couple closing on the gap in the dumpster. Behind me, the man stepped in front of the dumpster while the woman planted herself in the gap we’d all passed through. She slows a runner down, her partner pins them to the wall; and that ignores the third person involved. Ahead, at the other end of the alley, my other tail stood silhouetted against the buildings visible across the next street.

I came to a stop halfway down, watching calmly as the man approached. He was tall and broad, plainly an enforcer; there was a pistol on his hip, but it was strapped in and his hand wasn’t resting on it. Instead his right hand was held casually, while the left was in his own pocket. Unlike the two behind me, he wore a pleasant smile.

‹Wolf Spider›LV 19Brick Ironstag

“Gentlemen,” I greeted them. “And lady,” I added, glancing back at the woman. Her expression didn’t change. “Have you been helped?”

“Our employer would like to speak with you about a business proposition,” said the enforcer, remarkably politely. “We’d appreciate it if you came with us.”

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

Name: Jaune ArcLevel: 61 (Next: 63.35%)Title: Academy StudentRace: HumanAge: 18Job: Journeyman HuntsmanClass: PaladinSemblance: The GamerHP: 8202/8202MP: 4456/4456STR: 223 (100)CON: 279 (102)DEX: 162 (54)INT: 136 (51)WIS: 110 (52)CHA: 151 (52)Points: 112Money: 1,008,990LStatus: Cursed – Yellow Death [High]

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

A/N: If you’re enjoying this story, feel free to check out my discord server at https://discord.gg/H6V854Fvbg

Title comes from the Jaymes Young song (also Qrow’s ringtone) of which I saw a very good lyricstuck video on YouTube (gJSoBUTB-TM) by Tumblr user Nedzuku.

Junmai Ginjo-shu (純米吟醸酒) is sake where the rice grains are polished to at least 60% (sometimes even lower) and where the brewing process consists of nothing but rice, water, and koji (the fungal culture used to brew Japanese liquor).

I know fanon tends to paint Yang as a wild child, but while she absolutely gives off that vibe I think it runs counter to the backstory we’re actually presented with. Her mom(s) were gone and her dad fell apart; even if she didn’t have to help support the family financially she still had to step up and play sistermom to Ruby. If she did any sort of partying, it could only have been in the last year or so once Ruby was 14/15 and able to take care of herself. She talks a big game, but I honestly don’t buy that it’s more than just talk.

She might have been planning to let loose a bit more during her first year at Beacon (a normal and common thing for kids going away to college) and even that got a bit lost in reaching out to her teammates (both in canon and in PFK).

According to the wiki, Spider does have a ‘tall and broad man’ named Brick working for them; I gave him a surname based off the running joke from the MST3K episode 820 - ‘Space Mutiny’.