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sageywritings · 7 months

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Down in the Second Period

Number 21 of the Devils, 5 minutes for fighting

Chapter 11 of my RWBY oc fic Flames of Change. Check out the pinned post for the full chapter list if you need to start from the beginning, and hope you wingers and web scrollers enjoy!

Auburn Vulpes belongs to me

Team JASR belong to @gruntnuker-rwby

Rin Aozora belongs to @solar-moon-byul

Shadow Stalvinge belongs to @shdwsprtn11

Riley sat in her locker with head down, focusing on twirling a puck between her fingers. The passing by of teammates discussing gameplans hardly fazed her. It was second intermission in front of a packed house tonight, even though a sizable chunk of the crowd were just looking for a brief escape from Vacuo's desert heat. Regardless, it made it all the more frustrating for the goaltender that with 20 minutes left to play her team was facing a 3-1 deficit. The offense was struggling to find a consistent rhythm, so she kicked herself a little harder for giving up a pair of goals she thought she should've easily had covered. But she'd never allow herself to be pulled out of the game. They'd have to rip her away from her position kicking and screaming.

“Hey goaltender.” The voice coming from the doorway that followed a knock Riley was too zoned in to hear brought her eyes upward for the first time in minutes. Sienna stood there, ears down a little. Her usual grin was present, but a bit more muted with a soft tenderness that replaced her loud brashness. Riley smiled back in turn, but it was fleeting.

“Hey she can't be in here! Team personnel only! We don't need distractions!” one of the team's defensemen Aurora growled at the fox-tailed punk. Sienna scowled and stuck out her tongue. Making sure to stare at Aurora the whole time she willfully ignored her, Sienna stepped inside and sat right next to Riley. The heat naturally radiating from Sienna made Riley want to curl up next to her like under the covers on the rare cold night, but she fought the urge.

“God is she always such a bitch?” Sienna asked, semi-hushed.

“She just wants us all to stay focused,” Riley answered in defense before finishing her thought in a mumble. “She and I both know I really need it right now.” Sienna frowned. She knew better than anyone how chill Riley was under pressure. Ice in the veins, especially when it was game time. But she could tell today was different. Riley was bothered, but she couldn’t figure out why. One of Sienna’s hands came to rest on Riley’s thigh, rubbing gentle circles on it.

“Hey, chin up. 3-1 is the worst lead in hockey, right? You got this. And if you don’t, then I’ll just fight the other goalie. If he tries to chirp you, I’ll just get him with a pipe wrench to the kneecap.” The casual madness brought a more long-lasting smile to Riley’s face, which in turn broadened Sienna’s own smile. It did way more to help than vague platitudes of optimism ever could. Just Sienna being Sienna. What could make her happier? She wrapped an arm around Riley’s shoulders for a supportive side hug, and Riley nodded with renewed determination. “Whatever happens, Riley, you know we’re in it together.”

“Hey, sorry we’re late.”

Riley sat on a bench with head down, focusing on twirling a puck between her fingers. The passing by of teammates discussing gameplans hardly fazed her. It was just past dusk, but she could still feel herself being pelted by Vacuo’s desert heat. She paid it as much mind as she did with Auburn and Rin’s arrival. In fact, despite everyone’s wear, the only one who seemed to mind was the approaching husky faunus, slick with sweat after the run there with her jacket tied around her waist. Auburn waved a hand toward Riley’s face after her apology drew no reaction, but again the redhead sat silent. Jade filled the uncomfortable void from behind her.

“Glad you made it.” Amber accompanied her with a soft wave hello. While not as low as Riley, it was obvious neither of them were in top spirits either. They probably spent the past day racked with emotion, and none of them good. But it also appeared to make the three of them equally determined. Auburn gave a nod before turning to face a building across the street.

“This is the place?” she said. The building she eyed was a small and unassuming brick fixture. Nothing about it from the outside screamed it was run by the so-called “force of revolution” White Fang. Though that was probably by design. But, Auburn's dad was sure it was the place, and she knew better than to doubt him. “So what's the plan? We just head in there and bust some asses till someone gives us something useful?” Her right fist met her left palm as she went on.

“Is everything just a bar fight to you? Not only are you gonna ruin an actual soup kitchen, but you're also gonna throw us in a situation where we don't know what to expect,” Riley finally spoke, doing very little to conceal her irritation. Jade placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her, even though she was just as displeased with Auburn's “plan”.

“Hasn't stopped us before,” Auburn mumbled under her breath with a shrug. Riley shook her head before looking up and meeting the green eyes of her team leader.

“What's the plan?” she asked her. Jade recoiled her hand back in surprise. She was always surprised when they asked her, like it was still a shock she was an actual team leader. Despite internally wondering if she should ask someone else, her team always looked to her and trusted her to lead nevertheless.

“The White Fang have these kitchens all over Remnant. It was an initiative the Belladonnas pushed for during the previous regime. I remember there being one in Vale where I grew up. While it was primarily for faunus, they'd give a human a free meal too if they looked down on their luck enough.” She rubbed down the back of her neck until her fingers curled around the ends of her hair. Amber reached a hand out to her, but quickly drew it back when she continued. “Now I doubt they'd be so tolerant. Only a faunus is gonna be our ticket inside.”

“Problem with that,” Rin interjected. “Auburn and I just fought with some Fang guys. What if we get recognized?”

“Not to mention everyone on these streets is gonna know my face by now. It'd look suspect if I just strolled in asking for food,” Auburn added. She was right. With how notorious the leader of the Leash was, no Fang mask could hide her from the dusty, maze-like streets of her hometown. Before Jade’s brainstorming could go far though, someone crashing into her from behind nearly took her off her feet. A scaled reptilian faunus trucked through her before turning back with a scowl like it was her fault. While he was in normal street clothing, the hoodie marked with the red claw marks of the White Fang insignia made it clear who he was with. No mask required.

“Ugh move it stupid human! I’m already late enough!” he said nastily, only slowing down just enough to scold Jade. Auburn’s crimson eyes flared with the trademark rage that usually came before a quick and decisive combination of punches. But before she could pick her fight, Jade acted first. Her face didn’t express anger; it expressed the light bulb above her head going off. In a flash, she drew her weapon: two bladed pistols bound together by chain. She wrapped the chain around the mouthy faunus’ throat, effectively clotheslining him onto the dirt below. Jade followed up with a blow to the temple to render him unconscious, all before the other four girls could even question what she was thinking.

“Help me with this,” Jade said, strained as she began to try and drag the man’s body into a more secluded alleyway. Riley was first to snap out of the stupor and spring up to help her. Rin looked around in hopes they weren’t attracting too much unwanted attention. Not that most Vacuoan citizens cared enough to rat them out to someone that was supposed to stop them. Meanwhile, Auburn was just jealous Jade stole her KO. Once out of sight, Jade fished around through his hoodie pocket and found the missing piece to his ensemble - his Fang mask. The man probably wished he was wearing it. At least it’d cover the nasty bruise under one of his shut eyes. Jade held up the mask to her friends. “I think we just found our ticket inside. The girls then understood. Handing it over to Amber, she then started pulling the hoodie off of him with Riley’s assistance, all while Rin and Auburn stood guard.

“We’ll make sure to keep an eye on you while you’re in there,” she told Rin.

“Wait what? Me?? Why am I the one going in there? You’re the one always showing off how well you know Vacuo,” Rin said, flabbergasted.

“Yeah that’s the problem. Like I said, this whole kingdom is gonna recognize me, and they know I’m not gonna go anywhere near a Fang establishment. Besides you’ve been here long enough. You got this.” But before she could offer any more objection, Riley threw the hoodie at the husky girl. In her mind, they had already wasted enough time. She unfurled it so the Fang emblem across the chest was glaring back at her. Even as just a disguise, it felt… wrong. It felt like something she was grateful Shiina and Hikari weren’t here to see. But, she dismissed those thoughts and put it on, covering up the chain L logo of the Leash on her tank top. She grimaced slightly at that awful heat. How could the others be so used to this weather they can wear leather jackets or hockey jerseys? Then, Amber outstretched a gloved hand and gave her the mask. It was nothing more than a monotone standard grunt mask, but now it was outfitted with a radio piece Amber had retrieved from her backpack.

“Damn, you did that really fast. You must be a tech wiz. I gotta call you next time I’m having computer problems,” Rin said with a soft smile. Her cadence was rocked with nerves she was trying to play off. If anything, the compliment and attempt at humor was to ease her own tension more than anything. But it backfired when all it drew was a shy nod from Amber. Again, Rin couldn’t figure out this girl’s deal.

“Let's go,” Riley said to get them back on track. Rin slid the mask on and tried to readjust her vision through only the tiny slits it provided. With one last pat on the back from Auburn - one Rin didn't see coming - she unsteadily made her way down the alley toward the back entrance of the kitchen. After struggling to find the handle, she let herself inside. Hopefully there would be an actual Fang agent back here where she could get some answers from. So long as she didn't fall on her face in front of them. Outside, Amber tapped her scroll a few times and synced up to the radio she gave Rin.

“Hey Snowdog, ya got me?” Auburn asked into the phone.

“How the hell do they see out of these things?!” Rin came back in a vexed whisper. All she could do was carefully stagger down the hallway toward a faint commotion. It grew louder and louder until upon opening the next door, then the noise blasted her in the face. A cacophony of shuffling plates and volunteers barking for what food needs to be made next. Rin scanned around, overwhelmed without the slightest clue of where to go or who to go to. That was until a panther faunus that was doing most of the directing pointed Rin out.

“You're late!” she said. It took Rin too long of a pause to register she was talking to her not to be awkward. She was just praying she wasn't in trouble after ten seconds of being there.

“Um y-yeah, sorry. Got caught up in a… sandstorm.”

“Doesn't matter, you're here now, we're down on workers and need you serving. And ditch the mask while you're inside,” the panther replied, practically pushing Rin along. Between not listening to her excuse and being allowed to stuff the mask away into her pocket, Rin was at least a little relieved. She was brought behind the counter, behind several different serving options. Spaghetti and meat sauce, chicken noodle soup, bread rolls, a plate of brownies for dessert. She didn't have long to get situated, however, before her first patron greeted her with a soft “how do you do, sweetie?” She was a short, elderly badger faunus whose white hair and face weathered with wrinkles told she had been through hard times. But, her smile was a genuineness Rin had hardly seen before. She reminded Rin of a grandparent who always looked forward to sharing stories of an exciting long time ago to the grandkids. Rin smiled back before filling her outstretched bowl with soup.

“Thank you so much, my dear. I don't know what I would do without you guys’ efforts here,” she said.

“Hey. It's like I always say. Us faunus gotta stick together,” Rin said. It was something she had said plenty of times in her life, but they lacked her usual gung-ho vigor. It just didn't feel right. It didn't make sense. To be wearing this hoodie, to have this mask, and see not shock or horror or outrage, but gratitude. And as she served more people, that continued. Endless gratitude. Full hearts to go along with full bellies. People giving thanks amidst endless swearing that “the scumbag rich in that floating city would never do this” and that’s what it makes it special. Rin couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride, no matter how sick or twisted it could be when viewed under certain lights. She was doing something right, but for the wrong team. Eventually, the dinner rush died down and that same panther dismissed Rin and the other workers so they could get plates of their own. While scanning for a place to sit, a ram-horned woman in the same hoodie Rin was in tapped her on the shoulder. She had been working next to Rin all night, but it was the first time she spoke to her.

“You seem lost. Come sit with me and a couple friends.” Rin nodded and followed the girl, whose striking blue curls made her easy to spot. They ended up next to a pair of faunus clad in Fang garb of their own. There was a girl with panda ears chatting away with a silver-haired man with a goat tail, along with a couple patrons that blew in from the street next to them.

“Ooooooh I haven’t seen you before. You must be new,” the panda faunus leered at Rin, who barely had the chance to set her tray down.

“Um yeah. I just signed up a week or two ago now,” Rin said, trying to play natural.

“We’ve been getting a lot of new faces around here lately,” the goat faunus said. “Seems like the recent publicity spike is inspiring the next generation. That Ospreay raid was a hit.” Rin fidgeted in her chair a little. The thought of people being “inspired” by such headlines wasn’t one that sat easy with her. At least it took the focus off of her, and meant she could dodge questions for at least a few more moments. She knew she was here for info, and now was her chance.

“What did you all think about that raid?” When no one immediately responded, Rin’s ears shot straight up. Did she mess up already? “I-I mean, you’re right it’s what got me to join. Seeing the Fang do that, that was just something else, man.” The Fang trio exchanged glances before each of them had a smirk grow on their faces until the point of laughter. It sounded triumphant, well-pleased, much more so than the shaky chuckle Rin mustered up to join in.

“Those capitalist bastards finally, finally got a taste of what they deserve,” the goat said, reclining away from his almost empty food tray.

“So many faunus have suffered just in the name of making their bottom line a few pennies bigger,” the ram spoke next, her tone carrying a more solemn weight to it. “So many lives destroyed, condemned to the lowest rungs of the ladder.

“A friend of mine worked in one of Ospreay’s factories as a kid, like age 9 or 10. She lost both her parents in an explosion there, and it caused her to get dust particles infused in her eye. She’s blind in that eye now. Know what the supervisors told her? Get back to work, you’re wasting company time.” Rin couldn’t find anything to say. Nothing she could say could make it any less appalling. Nothing could justify it, not to her, and even heartbreakingly less so for the four girls listening from outside. They all sat in uncomfortable silence. Jade pulled her hood over her head. Amber looked like she wanted to plug her ears. But no one was it feeling it worse than Auburn. The empire her team leader was set to inherit, the one he spent most of their time at Beacon flaunting. It was no secret this is what it was built on. It led to many fights between herself and Dash, shouting matches their neighbors JASR could attest to. But despite Dash’s seemingly endless shtick of playing the victim, despite all the yelling at his stubborn brick head, she kept coming back to that phone conversation at Amity. Him standing up to his father for her.

“Personally, I think they shoulda killed Tone’s brats already. I don’t get this whole ransom play. The only way they’ll understand us is through fear. Eye for an eye,” the goat said resentfully. Auburn stared at Amber’s scroll like she was ready to smash it. She marched forward, ready to vent into it loud enough for everyone to hear through Rin’s earpiece. But thinking quickly, Jade clasped a hand over her mouth.

“So they’re still alive. Alright,” said Rin. Auburn pulled Jade off of her and, after a staredown, her shoulders relaxed. She was happy to hear they were alive. Jade was happy Auburn kept her mouth shut. The next few minutes passed uneventfully, just casual back and forth among friends that Rin couldn't add anything of substance to. She was too deep into reflection of what they said about Atlas’ cruelty anyways, right up until they began rising from their chairs. It was nearing closing time, and most of the cleanup was done.

“So new girl. If you don't have any plans, you're welcome to come with us. We're heading to the Estates to watch the Underground fights tonight,” the ram offered. Rin froze as she stalled in search for an answer from the whispering voices secretly in her ear.

“What's that?” Amber said.

“A fight club that goes on at the Sunshine Estates every week. Bounced around in ownership a bit recently but still always a reliable show. Or a way to make cash, if you can win,” Auburn said. None of them needed to question how she knew all this.

“I don't know, guys. Maybe we should call her back. The longer she's there the more likely she gets figured out,” Jade stated.

“No! She's hardly learned anything yet! We need to see if we can get any lead on Sienna,” Riley retorted in defiance to her leader.

“Uh hey. You in or what?” the ram asked again.

“Uhhhhhh yeahhhh. Yeah I'm in.” After a moment of just stammering, Rin took it upon herself to make the judgment call. She wasn't too worried about being caught. But she couldn't shake a sneaking suspicion in the back of her mind Jade had a point. Despite that, the crew was on their way to the Estates, excitedly led by the panda faunus. Rin brought up the rear. Meanwhile, Amber and the others were being confronted by the soft but growing hum of static.

“Guys, this radio isn't built for long distances. I didn't expect her to be moving,” Amber said. Auburn motioned for them all to follow as she assuredly started leading her own trek. They followed behind the Fang pack by about a block, keeping their distance but still close enough to see Rin lagging behind. She was trying to find an opportunity to radio back to them, but there was no way to do it inconspicuously.

“We need more. Get anything you can, please,” Riley pressed despite the husky's attempts at contact. Her ears lowered, though they snapped back up when the ram girl slowed up to wait for her. She wrapped an arm around her to bring her forward, questioning what was on her mind.

“Sorry, I just… can’t get what you guys said at dinner out of my head. All the crap about the Ospreays. I gotta know, since that’s why I’m here, how do I get missions like that?”

“Pay your dues, work your way up, and show undying devotion, and trust me you’ll get noticed,” the ram smiled at Rin’s eagerness. “Besides that, I really don’t know specifics. The big missions like that are kept completely under wraps. Those probably never leave Mistral HQ. But I did hear a rumor that the person who led that mission is from Vacuo. Granted, I also head they were picked because they knew an Ospreay, but still means there’s hope for you.” Riley deflated, to the point where she almost slowed to a stop. Jade had to make sure she kept walking. Her mind raced too much to focus on keeping her legs moving.

“Could that be… Sienna? No, there’s no way. The Sienna I know wouldn’t do that. She might not have liked Dash, but… No, it has to be someone else.” Jade swallowed hard, while Amber kept herself glued to the screen. It unfortunately lined up with what Auburn had told them. Even more unfortunately, they never had the chance to share that news with Riley. Even if they wanted to, after last night, how could they tell her that? A short jaunt later, they arrived at the former gated community the Sunshine Estates. Inside the small checkpoint building at the entrance was a lone guard, the last one of his kind appointed by Vacuo public officials to keep loiterers and trespassers out. Those same officials, however, had very little power to stop his pockets from getting fatter from all the bribes he was accepting. The truth was every crew in the city had him under their payroll, and that included the White Fang. They passed by, only receiving a downward head nod for their troubles. Then, it was the girls’ turn, with Auburn still leading. The man stood up from his post and directly in the middle of the path inside.

“Auburn,” he spoke directly with a gravelly voice. Auburn smirked, her tail swishing. She seemed entertained more than anything by his attempt at intimidation. His size difference to the average person would have most thinking twice. But Auburn wasn’t most.

“Heya, Blaze. Glad to see the new owners kept you around. How’s the bank account looking these days?” The guard gave a small nod in acknowledgement that business was good, but he didn’t budge. “Look, I already got a date here to see the fights, but if you wanted to join, you just had to ask.” She pointed to Riley on her right at the word “date”, drawing an eye roll from the hockey star turned huntress.

“You know the drill. No weapons,” he said firmly. Riley stepped forward, almost instinctively squaring up to push her way through. She was already tired of wasting time they didn’t have. Auburn’s hand meeting her chest stopped her. “Hm. I see why you picked her as a date.”

“What can I say, she has a thing for abrasive fox faunus. So, this ‘no weapons’ thing. You told the same thing to your Fang buddies up there?” The man kept his ground and gave no answer. Auburn did the same. No one moved a muscle, apart from slight trembling from Amber. Leaning over slightly, she could see the submachine gun he always kept stashed under the desk of his office. With a sigh, she yielded and withdrew a stack of lien from her jacket, the same lien she had won from pool earlier in the day. This finally granted them access to join the growing audience.

Between two of the buildings led them to a packed courtyard. It once housed a playground and blacktop basketball court in view from plenty of rooms from their balconies to watch their children as they played. But today, it held a makeshift ring encased by a sea of rowdier growing spectators, and those same balconies served as viewing platforms for tonight’s main event. A lot of them of the ones watching from above were doing so behind White Fang masks, here to support one of their own. Auburn stretched to her tippy toes to look over the heads in the crowd, first spotting a wolverine clawed faunus in a specialized Fang mask of his own. In the other corner sat a familiar eagle faunus; Shadow was staring bullet holes into his opponent. Auburn figured he needed to make up for his losses. She found no sign of Rin though. Meanwhile, Amber had ducked away under a balcony along a graffiti coated wall.

“It’s too loud, I can hardly hear!” she shouted to the rest of her party. As if on cue, the problem got worse as chants of “Kick his ass!” broke out after ring introductions ended and the fight got under way.

“I lost her. Anybody know where she is?” Auburn said. Riley, using her height to her advantage, tapped her and pointed to the other side of the crowd, . They saw Rin, too busy taking in her first experience to do any investigating. She watched as Shadow ate a punch to the cheek before firing back a retaliatory shot. After a moment of playing with settings, Amber got the audio to come in a bit clearer, though it was still a struggle to put the noise aside.

“There's so many people! Are these fights always this packed?” Rin said.

“No, it seems like every crew in Vacuo is here tonight,” the ram said back before hollering in response to a vicious looking left jab from the dark-haired eagle faunus.

“What do we think of these other crews? Are they cool or?” Rin asked again.

“Depends on if they're smart enough to realize the White Fang is out of their league and stay out of our way,” the goat faunus said from behind them. “Some are, but then you get the few that wanna play big shot. Like the Leash.” Rin went rigid. She tugged on the bottom of her hoodie a little, just to make sure the Leash shirt underneath stayed hidden. “I swear the chick that runs them is dumb as hell. Likes to think she runs this city. She beat the shit out of me cause I was wearing Fang colors in her daddy's little bar. I'd love to kick that bitch's ass back to that excuse of a huntsman school she went to.” He had hardly finished what he was saying before Auburn started pushing her way through the crowd. Her blood was scalding hot. Amber tried to call out to her, but she either couldn’t hear or didn’t want to hear. All she saw was red.

“Auburn! Uhm guys?!” Jade and Riley, who had their backs to them to watch the fight, both spun around and instantly noticed the missing fox. Riley cursed loudly and started trying to chase her down. But it was in vain with how much of a head start Auburn got. The goat faunus felt a tap on the back. He turned around. Directly into a teeth rattling uppercut from Auburn that sent him flying into the rest of the Fang, Rin included. It also had the side effect of grabbing the attention of the section of people around them. And the attention of some of the Fang-affiliated onlookers above.

“You lookin’ for me? You wanna talk shit? Well here I am,” Auburn yelled.

“Auburn?!” Rin said impulsively before catching herself. Her tail tucked between her legs. Oh shit…

“Where the hell did you come from?!” the goat said, holding his jaw on unsteady footing. “How did you- wait, you know her??” He, the ram, and the panda, who were all squaring up ro defend themselves, all turned around to face Rin. Rin backed up protectively until her back bumped into someone else in the crowd. Rin shot a look for Auburn’s way hoping she had some kind of a plan of attack. No escaping now. The Fang member looking down from behind her had no intention of letting get that far as he drew his rifle and aimed down sights at the back if Auburn’s head. Jade and Riley saw this too. Jade drew her pistols, but had no clear shot. So instead, Riley took a puck from her pocket that was glowing red in the center. Pulling out her stick, she lined up her shot like it was a goal before tossing it to herself and smacking it at the bottom of the balcony. If the iconic sound of stick meeting puck didn’t alert everyone, the resulting explosion destroying the balcony sure did. Everyone turned around and collectively gasped.

“Thats the plan. Fuck it, bar fight!” Auburn called to Rin. Confusion reigned for a moment before panic set in. Some blitzed for the exits. Others began fighting amongst themselves. It was a full brawl, with Auburn at the center of it. The panda girl growled and brought out a collapsable bamboo styled bo staff, pointing it right at Rin’s throat. Rin flicked her wrists, snapping her arm blades out as she stood side by side with her Leash sister. The goat angrily charged Auburn with a few sloppy haymakers. She easily dodged and shoved him into another brawler, who turned around and decked the haphazard goat back toward Auburn. Drawing her new chain, she wrapped it around his wrist and used that momentum against him by kicking him away in the back.

The ram faunus paired off with Rin, unable to put her visibly distraught feelings into any words when she clashed with Rin’s blades. So she instead made her emotions clear with a hard headbutt to Rin, causing her to stumble back to. Back to a pole that once held a basketball hoop, Rin’s eyes widened before barely sidestepping a punch aimed at her nose. The ram’s knuckles met unforgiving steel, allowing Rin to kick her aside for the moment. Two more onrushing Fang members armed with swords were coming at her next, so she decided it was time to try out her upgrade. Her blades detached into two boomerangs. She threw them at the two assailants, with the left one sweeping one guy’s legs, while the right one initially missed only to nail the other guy in the back of the head on its return course. Rin caught them and they locked back onto her arms.

“Ditched the crossbow?” Auburn called out.

“I wanted to leave the sniping to… someone else,” she said. The panda faunus came at them with a war cry but Riley intercepted her, hooking the blade of her scythe on her staff. Auburn could feel the frost from the cold shoulder and supplementing unfriendly glare. Auburn wrinkled her nose a little, before a kick to the gut put her on her back. The wolverine faunus that was once one half of the show’s main event had climbed out of the ring to aid his Fang brethren. He had been trying to keep one eye on his opponent, but Shadow had mysteriously disappeared, faded from his peripheral vision into a dark corner. However, as the wolverine tried to stand over Auburn, Shadow materialized from the unlit shade along the building and cinched in a tight sleeper hold. As Auburn dusted herself off and got to her feet, the two exchanged a nod before she left Shadow to collect his winnings. Meanwhile, Jade was trying to keep the marksmen up top busy by firing pot shots at them. But, she saw two more on the ground charging toward Amber.

“Amber! Agh!” She groaned as a bullet struck her in the shoulder, her aura flickering green around her body, absorbing most of the blow. Amber froze in the middle of scrambling to pull something out of her bag. Right as the two goons got close, she brandished a handful of knives between her fingers. She yelped and chucked them at the attackers, but they all missed. They laughed in Amber’s face before one of them backhanded her, dropping her to her hands and knees. They taunted over her, until she raised a gloved hand that began to glow with orange circuitry-like webbing, and the knives retracted back to her, striking the goons in the back like hail.

The ram honed in on Rin again, but this time Auburn stepped in. Suddenly her chain split in two, each half locking onto a metal bracer on her fists. One hand wrapped its chain around the ram’s horn. She widened her stance and held serve, so Auburn used it as leverage to propel herself to her, nailing her with a superman-esque punch. The goat and the panda, now reunited, tried to coordinate a combined attack that would isolate Auburn. Riley knelt down, though, and activated her semblance. With a wave of her hand, the ground they ran on suddenly became a 20 foot long sheet of ice. As they slipped in place, concentrating all their effort in just staying upright, Riley deployed skates from her boots. With no grip, neither of them stood a chance. Slash after slash, she dashed back and forth like it was a practice drill, unleashing more punishment with every swing of her scythe. With both down for the count, Riley skated over to the goat. She towered over him with a terrifying glare.

“I’m done with games tonight. If you don’t recognize the name Sienna Umberon then you better point me to someone who does,” she bellowed. The pained goat faunus tried to a menacing scowl, but it fell flat. He tried to frantically move away, but the ice just kept him slipping in place.

“Wh-who?” was all he could croak out in genuine bewilderment. Riley lifted her skate so the blade was lined up right between his widened eyes. His thrashing intensified, but he still couldn’t get away. Auburn and Rin looked equally shocked.

“Hey whoa!”

“Riley!”

SLAM! She brought the skate down. After a moment of expecting to see the heavenly glow of the pearly gates, the goat opened his eyes to see her foot a mere few inches from his left ear. Riley turned and glared again at Auburn specifically, before a swift kick to the side of the head knocked the White Fang member out cold. She knelt down and started rummaging through his pockets, drawing confused glances from the rest of her team looking on. After grabbing his phone, she walked away and past Auburn. Again, the shoulder made Atlas feel like the desert.

“Did you really think I was gonna kill him?” she said icily. When Amber approached, she handed her the phone so she could store it away in her backpack. “Now let’s go. We need to get out of here.” The sirens they could hear advancing only served to prove Riley more correct. All the girls broke into a full sprint. Out the courtyard, out the Estates, past the armed guard who was too busy preparing for his own police troubles to care about them. Using Auburn’s extensive knowledge of the city’s layout, they kept to the back streets, making sure to steer clear of any main roads. Their pace did not waver all the way to a hideout Auburn knew would be empty and secure enough to lay low for a bit. They barely made it in the door before the toll of the run caught up with them. Amber was bent over, huffing heavily. Jade was still holding her shoulder where she got shot. Rin stripped off the hoodie and threw it at the wall in disgust before laying on the ground.

“Well. Coulda gone worse,” Auburn said, still somewhat chipper. Riley, still using her stick to steady herself as she caught her breath, slowly, frightening slowly, brought her eyes up so Auburn couldn’t deny the seething frozen fury in them. Auburn’s head tilted slightly.

“That’s all you have to say? ‘Coulda gone worse?’ Tonight was a disaster! We didn’t even learn anything about Sienna yet!” Riley said with an unnerving amount of rising anger.

“Eh we weren’t getting anything else from those foot soldiers anyways.”

“So that just means blow our cover? All you wanted to do since the night started was pick a fight. You were itching to do it, and it’s the only reason you thought tonight went ok. Cause you got what you wanted!”

“That’s not true!” Auburn fired back, showing her teeth. “I learned my team leader is still alive, and probably in Mistral.”

“A massive continent half the world away. Good job, Auburn, you sure found him.”

“What the fuck is your deal? We got what we could tonight.” By this point, the two had inched closer and closer so they were in each other’s faces. Jade tried to squeeze between them with her shoulder, focusing on keeping Riley back. But Auburn wanted none of it. “Nah Jade if she wants to keep acting stupid then let her find out what happens.”

“You really think I’m supposed to be calm about this? I haven’t seen the woman I love in months. I didn’t even know if she was alive! Now that I know she is, why should I stop? You just think I have to always be the calm one because I’m not as ‘chaotic’ as her.”

“Well you weren’t dumb enough to join the White Fang so.” Riley immediately slammed Auburn with a right hook to the chin. It was fueled by rage-driven instinct, one she had broken out a few times before when she was prepared to visit the penalty box. Jade jumped in further, as did Rin, who sprung up and hooked Auburn’s arms to prevent her from fighting back. She was too stunned to do so yet, but Rin knew it was coming.

“Why aren’t you more worried about her?! You two were best friends at Beacon! You were closer to her than you were to Dash, but now he’s your only concern? I heard all the arguments you two had at school, but now you’re all buddy-buddy with him? He’s been missing for weeks, but now you decided you’re motivated enough to do something about it?”

“We fought together. He stood up for me. And he didn’t abandon us!” Auburn’s voice was a nasty growl, as she still held her bottom jaw.

“He finally got you to believe his victim playing routine?”

“You saying he deserves this?!”

“No!” Riley snapped before pausing. She came down a little, the adrenaline subsiding momentarily with a deep breath. “I’m not. But don’t act like he’s our only priority.”

“Like you’re not doing it with Sienna? Sorry I have more sympathy for the kidnapping victim than the woman who carried it out herself!” She shook her head and looked away in refusal. She thought Auburn was just trying to provoke her more. Half her mind wanted to shove Jade aside and hit her again for saying such a thing. “I heard it straight from Sienna’s mouth. Just ask Jade and Amber.”

“Enough!” Jade screamed, her voice rippling. The argument finally ground to a halt, at least for the present second. She sighed. “Okay look, we’re all tired, and we’re all missing people. Why don’t we just rest so cooler heads can prevail tomorrow.”

“You’re right. But Auburn’s right too,” Rin spoke up.. “That’s not an excuse to let our emotions get the best of us. Like you said, we’re all missing people.”

“Amber’s been missing Sol for all this time, you don’t see her fuckin’ going on a rampage about it!” Auburn said.

“That hasn’t stopped me from trying though.” Amber’s voice was still soft, and her body language was reserved. Her eyes were cast downward. “Every day I work to get comms fixed again just so I can see his face. It’s selfish, but I’m doing it cause I miss him. I love him…” She was desperately trying not to cry at this point. “He made me feel like I didn’t need to be so shy at the world. But so does JASR. Sienna is a big part of that. She thought she could face anything, so when I was with her I thought I could too.”

“When I came to Beacon,” Jade stepped in to alleviate some of the pressure off of Amber’s shoulders, “all I had was my weapon and the clothes on my back. I didn’t know anyone, so when I got picked to lead a team, and that team put their confidence in me, I swore to give them my everything. Cause they were all I had.” She stopped as if to correct herself. “My friends are all I have. And that does include Dash. I stood up for him, I thought there was good deep down in him, and I still do. I want them both back.”

“See though, you can have these feeling and not be a cheap shotting bitch about it,” Auburn reiterated, never breaking eye contact with Riley.

“There you go just assuming I’m always the chill one. You realize I was always by her side right? I loved her fun mischief because it made Sienna Sienna. I never stopped her,” Riley said, calmer than before, but not by much.

“If you did maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation right now!” The silence that followed Auburn was as deafening as a grenade. They could hear a pin drop. Everyone in the room turned to Riley, but she met none of them. Her head fell downward, her face now hidden to Auburn under her jewel-toned hair. Her fists were clenched to the point where her knuckles changed colors.

“So it’s my fault…”

“Riley you know I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just-”. Riley didn’t think she deserved the luxury of being heard out. She had decided whatever Vacuo police presence was outside was more favorable than being here any longer. She stormed out the door without another word. Amber looked back just enough to see the crestfallen tears on her cheeks before she rushed after her teammate. Lastly, Jade’s eyes pierced the fox faunus harder than bullets from her pistols before making her exit. Rin turned to Auburn. She wanted to ask Auburn if they should go after them. She wanted to hug Auburn or pat her back or tell her to lie down. But she knew Auburn wouldn’t accept any of the above. So, she stood there, statuesque, left alone to wonder where their friend group from Beacon, the same one that thought they could take on the world and all the grimm in it, fell apart so badly.

#rwby #oc #rwby fanfic #rwby fanfiction #rwby oc #wf!sienna #flames of change #sienna umberon #auburn vulpes #jade meadows #riley currant #amber himmel #rin aozora #shadow stalvinge #team jasr #jasr

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sageywritings · 1 year

Text

Home Turf

After what she would call a productive few weeks, Sienna returns home. And besides the barrage of memories, she’s faced with faces both familiar and new.

A loooooong overdue follow-up to the post-fall of Beacon storyline I started years ago at this point. Major shoutout to all of my friends who allow me to use their characters and show me more patience than I probably deserve. Thank you for being a big reason I write. Hope you enjoy, and read Home Invasion and Back to the Streets before this if you haven’t! (check the main blog)

Auburn Vulpes (mention of Dash Ospreay) belongs to me

Sienna Umberon and Amber Himmel (mention of Riley Currant) belong to @gruntnuker-rwby

Mention of Alex Umberon belongs to @wetsliceofbread

Rin Aozora (mentions of Hikari Izumi) belong to @solar-moon-byul

The desert sand and unchecked factory activity in the air overwhelmed Sienna’s senses with familiarity. She was too accustomed to hearing the alleyways bustling with the usual gang deal that was just waiting to break down. She could vividly remember her brother trying to get her out of those situations. But even with Alex trying to pacify her flames, he couldn’t stop her from learning the streets’ tricks and trades. A smile crept across her face as she remembered using some of those tricks at Beacon, especially on Dash. His arrogance was always just begging for a taste of comeuppance. The only difference was that it was usually Riley that had to cool her flames. The smile quickly faded.

“Like they’d take me back now…”

Sienna stood in front of a corner store, leaning on the wall with head down and arms folded. Her White Fang mask was in her pocket, a plain black hoodie doing the job of hiding her identity instead. After the raid on the Ospreay facility at Izolim, the higher ups granted her some time in Vacuo for what she justified as “scouting purposes”. In reality, she wanted to take the time to get out of the White Fang uniform and take in her old home for the first time in what felt like forever.

To her left was the Sunshine Estates, a suburban neighborhood built by foriegn dust companies to house their workforce. But, as the natural resources were drained, and the “investors” pulled out, it had been long left abandoned - apart from the gangs that were willing to bribe the guards for access. Downtown was on her right, with Shade Academy towering over everything as the only source of control in the kingdom. Nothing was there to stop the flooding memories. The nights in the JASR dorm she spent keeping the girls awake until 3 AM sharing stories. Seeing them for the last time the night Beacon fell. Standing over a bruised and bloodied Ospreay backed by her squadron. Happiness, sorrow, pride. It rushed her all at once.

Sienna knew she was flawed. Just like Vacuo. But that’s what made Vacuo so special. It made it home. A home that would accept her. A home where if you could survive, you are welcome. She could take comfort in that at least. It’s the place that taught her how to handle anything thrown at her. Including a man almost knocking her off her feet as he raced down the street in a crazed rush.

“The fuck is the hurry?” she said to herself, glaring his direction upon jolting back to reality. Two more ran past, one on each side of her. Both were faunus females who looked like they were in hot pursuit of the man. She zeroed in on the one of the left: wavy brown locks whipping in the wind, fox ears, black leather jacket, chain dangling from her right hand. Sienna’s eyes widened.

“Again? Damn, Bubblegum, what the hell?” Auburn’s voice was an exasperated sigh at reading yet another headline of White Fang activity. Seeing her team leader’s family name as the center of critical media reports was nothing new to her. It almost always solicited from him the same rant of how he was innocent, powerless to stop his company’s ways. Auburn always tried to distance herself from his talk, not wanting to create more friction within their team than their clashing personalities already caused. But for the first time, the news reports about Dash brought sympathy out of Auburn rather than rage.

“I never wanted this. Maybe it coulda been different if I had stood with you. Like I’m supposed to.”

“Hey, I’m... really sorry about your friend. He might’ve been an ass but that’s just not right.”

The voice didn’t serve to snap Auburn out of her haze, but instead to easefully goad her out of it with a genuinely caring tone. She turned around to face the speaker: a husky faunus that stood a few inches taller than her with a mess of black and white hair tied into a ponytail. Heterochromatic eyes looked at Auburn with as much concern as they could offer.

“Thanks, Rin,” Auburn said softly.

“The White Fang have always been too shady to be trusted, and now everyone knows. You know I got your back. Us faunus gotta stick together right?” Auburn let out a chuckle.

“Yeah, you’re definitely a good fit for the Leash.” Rin proudly straightened her jacket and fixed the collar around her neck before giving her new “boss” a silly smile and a thumbs up.

“I’m just surprised that you and the others let me join. Must be weird considering we had really just met,” Rin said on a more serious note despite maintaining her smile.

“We don’t turn anyone that’s willing to help. They were especially on board after I told them about what you did at Vytal.” It felt like everyone at the Amity Colosseum knew about Rin Aozora.

It was only because of Sapphire that they had met in the first place. After facing off against Haven’s Team SPHR in the first round of the tournament, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to meet such a beautifully named team. She eventually turned her focus to getting to know their team leader Shiina, leaving Auburn to meet two of its other members, Rin and Hikari. Off the bat, she could tell the two were an inseparable duo. One would pick up and play with the other’s little habits and quirks. Their communication was the best it could be, especially considering Hikari was mute.

While Hikari was off taking pictures of the arena, Auburn got to know the girl under the husky ears a bit better. How she met Shiina before their time at Haven. How comfortable she was having spent the whole day with a group of faunus. And most importantly, the lengths she’d take to protect Hikari. Which became to evident to Auburn very quickly.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Say something!” The loud, burly voice snapped both of them to see Hikari backed into a corner, shying away from someone harassing her. Auburn never quite learned the exact details, or anything else the bully said. She only watched and served as unnecessary backup as Rin marched forward, turned the guy around by his shoulders, and nailed him with a rattling uppercut that sent him crashing into a concessions stand. Most of the crowd erupted into cheers, but Auburn was the first to congratulate Rin with her signature rock horns.

After the dust had settled at the Battle of Beacon, Auburn’s teammates were split up. Sapphire was seperated during the battle, Dash was forced by his family to retreat back to Atlas, and Solomon was placed on a team tasked with repairing the CCT. She stayed on campus as long as she could, even refusing the local huntsmen when they tried relocating her to the Vale refugee site. But, nothing could keep even part of her team together. She hated the idea of admitting defeat, but with nothing and no one left for her at Beacon, the only logical place Auburn felt she could go was home. However, the moment she decided on getting a plane ticket back to Vacuo, she found Rin. She told the SPHR member about her plans, and Rin almost immediately asked to join her, to Auburn’s shock. Rin wanted to see new places, and she figured what better time than now. So, Auburn took her in and brought her into the Leash.

“Hey Snowdog,” Auburn said. “I never did ask. Why didn’t Hikari come with you?” Rin’s expression almost instantly sombered and her eyes darted down to her feet.

“Hikari… always thought she was holding me back. She always thought because she was mute she was always a problem, a burden.” Rin’s eyes downcast to her scroll. She was met with a picture of her and Hikari at the top of Haven Tower, the moonlight illuminating their warm embrace. “When I offered to cover her plane ticket and everything, she still refused. She was so scared she even tried to break up with me. I flat out didn’t allow that.”

“So long distance? Must be hard, even with normally functioning comms,” Auburn said. “My nerd’s working his wizardry I’m sure.”

“I’ve been trying to learn as much sign language as I can. That way she doesn’t have to spend so much time writing down her words and showing me.”

“Wow. I’m so sorry,” Auburn said with ears flattened. She wasn’t even certain why she was apologizing. She just knew in her heart that Rin would not let her relationship disappear, all but confirmed by the husky faunus’ gung-ho thumbs up. Before the Leash duo could share any more, their attention was brought to a cry coming from around the corner. One peek to its origin saw a man waving a stack of lien over a small boy, the latter clutching his squirrel tail to his chest.

“C’mon, whattya need this for? Rats just scrounge for food, don’t they?” the man gruffly guffawed.

“Hey!” Rin yelled, wasting little time in making their presence known. “I know I’m new here but if you’re scared of a little squirrel I don’t think Vacuo is the place for you”

“Really? This again, Lucky? Didn’t learn your lesson last time?” Auburn chimed in.

“Oh shit!” Without any hesitation, the crook called Lucky bolted down the street. Both Auburn and Rin quickly gave chase, their loud footsteps terrifying the crook into not looking back. He tried to use everything on the sidewalk as an obstacle, throwing newspaper stands, trash cans, even people in their way. But, right as she hurdled a trash can, Auburn found her opening. Pulling her chain whip off of her waist, she cracked it at his legs. It wrapped around one of his ankles and tripped him, forcing him to crash hard into the pavement. Auburn quickly pounced on him and wrenched his arms behind his back until he dropped the lien. That allowed Rin to scoop it up and run off to return it to the boy.

“Fuck, the cops really should start thanking me. You assholes never make it easy,” she said while making her way through the small crowd that had formed. Suddenly, the last person she passed grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and pulled her into an alleyway. As soon as they were out of sight from the street and Auburn could fully realize what was happening, she broke free and elbowed her assailant in the stomach. She spun around with a punch aimed at the head, but the hooded figure ducked.

“Easy, easy, Hellfox,” she said in a instantly recognizable voice that caused Auburn to freeze in her tracks. The hood lowered to reveal the same pierced fox ears and bright blue and green hair that joined Auburn in so many escapades at Beacon.

“Sienna?!”

“Miss me?” She could barely say any more before Auburn wrapped her into a bonecrushing hug. Despite her fellow faunus’ strength, Sienna handled the vice grip well and hugged back. “Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft.”

“Shut up,” Auburn said back upon stepping back and meeting Sienna’s audacity with a light glare. “I get a pass since I haven’t seen my partner in crime for so long. Jade told me you went missing after Beacon, what happened?”

“I did. I… needed some time alone. Take care of things y’know? I would’ve told them, but… it was just too hard. I couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye to them. I doubt they even wanna see me.” Her eyes darted down and her ears flattened, but only briefly before Auburn’s fiery response brought her focus back up.

“Bullshit they miss you! They just want you to come home! Wait, that means you haven’t seen them yet?” A slight shock hit Sienna before she softly shook her head. “Then why are you here with me? C’mon let’s get Team JASR back to kicking ass as a unit!” Auburn had no idea where to find Jade, Amber, or Riley. But, it didn’t stop her from grabbing Sienna’s by the wrist in an attempt to lead her to no set destination. However, Sienna didn’t budge.

“We can’t!” she said sharply. Caught off guard, Auburn let go of her.

“Why not?” she asked.

“Because-” she started before her eyes peered over Auburn’s shoulder to see someone approaching. “Because of something I’d rather say in private.”

“Huh?” Auburn said, turning around to see Rin returning. Unsure of who Auburn was talking to, she stayed back, leaning on one of the walls near the entrance of the alleyway. “Rin’s a friend, anything you gotta say will be safe with her.”

“If you’re a friend of Auburn, then you’re chill with me,” Rin said, giving the leader of the Leash a thumbs up. Sienna wouldn’t even meet them with eye contact.

“Fine,” Sienna said. A certain gravity loomed in her voice, followed by a long pause. Not used to this coming from Sienna, Auburn’s curiosity and worry simultaneously grew. “Auburn, what do you think of the White Fang?”

“Are you serious?” The brunette fox faunus was slightly taken aback. Given the weird behavior, she didn’t expect it to culminate into that question. She even lightly laughed it off, not taking Sienna seriously. “I think they need to give me my Ospreay back. No one’s allowed to mess with him but me.”

“Oh. So you’re ok with all these atrocities he’s committed to the faunus.”

That knocked the smiles right off of both Auburn and Rin. Sienna finally looked up again, and her eyes held no jokes to be found. Her ears twitched. Rin stepped up until the point where Auburn extended an arm to keep her back.

“He’s not the one calling shots at the head of the company,” Auburn said.

“Yet he just stood by and let it happen! Not even a word on trying to change anything!”

“He can’t exactly say stuff like that when he’s under his dad.”

“And was Daddy stopping him from talking to us at Beacon? Tell me. Did he ever mention a word to you about wanting to change anything?” Auburn’s crimson eyes glanced downward, the pained expression on her face evident of the truth she did not want to admit. “That’s what I thought. He’s just as guilty as the rest o-”

“What’s your point? You really gonna side with the terrorist organization that’s making us all look bad?” Rin interjected. Sienna’s ears perked up before she turned fully to the husky faunus. She eyed her up and down and her expression of indignation quickly gave way to a grin creeping across her lips. It was like a hunter first spotting their prey.

“You. I remember you. From the Vytal Festival. That was awesome,” Sienna chuckled. It did nothing to calm Rin. “You’re a Vytal legend in my book, and you didn’t even have to win your match. That’s impressive. But you of all people should know why I fight.” She dug into her hoodie and finally revealed her ornately crafted White Fang mask, a Woodland Recon mask modeled after an ursa. “You know why I struggle more than anyone. Lemme ask you this. Your girl, where is she right now?” Rin’s ears lowered and her previously icy glare softened.

“Rin,” Auburn spoke up with rising concern. “You know Hikari wouldn’t want you to do this.”

"So you don’t know. You’re separated. You understand where I’m coming from then. And what about you, Auburn?" Sienna snapped her attention toward her fellow fox-eared brawler. "You're one of the, if not the strongest Beacon had to offer. You know it, and I know it! But you also know they're never gonna give you the opportunity to prove it. Not as long as people like Ospreay are in your way."

"I can make my own opportunities," Auburn firmly said. But, before she could go on, Rin stepped forward. Trancelike, she approached Sienna, contemplative to the point of not listening. It took a moment for her gaze to leave her feet and focus on the Fang lieutenant. Then, she slowly extended her hand. Sienna smirked.

“Faunus like you and me, we gotta stick together, right?”

"I knew you'd see what I see. Don't worry, both you and your girlfriend are both welcome with us." However, when Sienna went for the handshake to finalize the deal, Rin's outstretched hand turned into a middle finger right in Sienna's face. Just like that, Rin thieved the smirk off of Sienna. The burst of laughter from Auburn was the only thing masking Sienna's growl.

"So much for sticking together," she grumbled to herself. Before the laughter had even stopped, Sienna suddenly clocked Rin with a hard punch, causing her to stagger back a couple steps. Where Sienna's fighting capabilities and strength had improved since Beacon, her notorious temper did not. Auburn quickly got between them, perhaps for the first time in her life trying to stop a brawl as opposed to instigating it. Rin stared down the former JASR member while holding her jaw. Then, with one quick jolt of her arms, two elbow blades that ran up the length of her arms emerged. Sienna responded in kind by extending her claws.

"Boss. You're not gonna defend this shit, are you?" Rin said to Auburn. Without a word or a moment’s hesitation, Auburn spun on her heel to nail Sienna with the same treatment she gave Rin. Sienna fell to one knee, but was only kept down very briefly. She snarled as Auburn continued.

"That answer your question? You wanna play Fang Sienna? I'll treat you like Fang. And when I'm done, I'm dragging you back to your team to show them you've lost your mind."

"NO!" Sienna lunged for Auburn with her claws right as the Leash leader was reaching for her chain whip once more. Realizing she wasn't going to arm herself in time, Auburn ducked the strike and went to aim a counterpunch at Sienna's stomach. But, Sienna was too quick. A second slash forced Auburn back. Then, the barrage of punches started to come in. Auburn put up her hands in a defensive boxer stance. It could only do so much to defend herself from Sienna’s fiery claws though, her aura was left to absorb the rest of the damage.

Rin took her chance to launch forward and get in Sienna’s face. The first swing had her blade missing Sienna’s chin by only a mere few inches. The next punch connected to the fire-wielder’s gut. Then, Rin began to start raining in punches of her own. A few connected, most didn’t, but they all kept Sienna on the back foot. Then, with her back pressed to the steel of a dumpster, Sienna quickly pounced back. A wayward miss from Rin caused her to be just off-kilter enough for her to slide between the husky faunus’ legs, slashing both knees as she did so. Rin dropped off her feet right into a knee strike from Sienna that caught her right in the nose.

However, before a fiery claw could follow up, something yanked Sienna back by the wrist. Auburn’s chain had found its way wrapped around it, giving Rin access to nail a strike to grant her some breathing room. Sienna caught Rin’s next punch with her left hand, then caught one from Auburn she saw coming with her peripheral version with her right. With a primal scream, a ball of flame suddenly burst from Sienna briefly engulfing all three girls. It seemed to do just as much damage to Sienna as it did her opponents. But, she was still first to her feet, catching her breath as she eyed Rin laid out on the ground with her aura flickering.

“You two are only proving my point. You’re both so strong and capable. Imagine what we could do if we-”. A war cry from Auburn interrupted her. She turned around just in time for the Hellfox to pick her up and drive her into a spear tackle. They both ended up crashing through the door of the abandoned warehouse next to. The old door splintered and easily gave way as both the fox bruisers landed on a layer of dust coating the floor that had sat undisturbed for years. Auburn barely had a chance to even roll over and gather her surroundings. Sienna was first to her feet again and sprinted over to aim a penalty kick at Auburn’s head. Eyes wide, she rolled out of the way at the last second.

“Cheap shot! And that’s coming from me!” Auburn remarked, still on one knee with whip in hand.

“Says the girl who sucker punched me,” Sienna snapped back. Auburn again flung her whip into action, this time wrapping it around Sienna’s waist. Forcing Sienna to her, she grabbed her and tried to throw her over her shoulders for a suplex. Sienna was able to tuck and rotate her body enough so her head and neck only absorbed some of the damage. Auburn’s next attack was intercepted with a fist of flame, causing her to growl and wince. Sienna shoved her back with her semblance active.

“Commander, where are you?!” Sienna’s ears shot straight up when her earpiece echoed to life.

“Ambushed! I’m in the old Arashi warehouse!”

“Roger. Sending backup your way!” the voice responded.

“Negative! Prepare an evac. We need to get outta here before we attract more attention. Meet me on the roof!”

“Roger that.” Sienna wasted no time in going for the stairs that led her to a series of catwalks once used to survey the manufacturing floor of this building. By this point, Rin had gathered the strength to give chase once more. She locked eyes on Sienna. Then, she detached both of her blades and clasped them together to form a crossbow. As the weapon whirred with transformation noises and loaded, she icily aimed down sights and fired. An arrow caught a direct hit to Sienna’s calf, causing her to stumble to the floor.

“Auuuugh!” she cried in both pain and frustration. Rin fired another couple of bolts. One whizzed past over her shoulder, another pinged off the railing. But, this holdup gave Auburn enough time to catch up. She swept Sienna off her feet again with a constricting bearhug. She desperately tried to kick and squirm free, but Auburn’s chain was around her neck. Auburn wrestled her to her knees as Sienna grabbed at Auburn’s whip with both hands. Her destination, the fire exit that led to the roof, was a tantalizingly close. It was only a straight run of a few dozen yards.

“Do you have any idea how worried Riley and Jade and Amber are? Do you have any idea how much I’ve worried for you?! We all thought you could’ve been dead!” Auburn cinched in her chokehold tighter as her emotions boiled over. Rin had joined her, standing behind as backup.

“They can think I’m dead. I might as well be,” Sienna said amidst her strain.

“Cut the crap, Sienna,” Auburn fired back.

“This world wouldn’t let me be with Riley! Be with any of them! You heard the things your precious team leader Bubblegum said to me and her at Beacon. So I’m fighting for a world that will. And taking some pleasure at getting back at that little shit Ospreay for how she treated her.” Auburn’s eyes of crimson suddenly widened with flared anger. Even though she was first to start a fight, even she had never felt a rage-induced adrenaline rush like this. Everything around them began to cloud.

“What?”

Sienna scoffed.

“How do you think the Ospreay raid was so successful? They had to have someone that knew the target well. Too well.” Auburn sat there incredulously. She didn’t say anything. “Need me to spell it out for you? I led that mission. I took him prisoner. And I’m making sure he repays the favor for how he treated Riley.” While this was going on, unbeknownst to Auburn thanks to her haze, Sienna’s semblance was kicked into high gear. Auburn’s chain was beginning to melt and twist and warp under Sienna’s grasp.

“Auburn!” Rin’s voice brought Auburn harshly back to reality where she focused in on two armed men clad in White Fang armor bust through the fire exit door. Rin had her crossbow aimed at the two soldiers in return. Then, Auburn’s weapon finally gave way, breaking into several mangled pieces. Sienna elbowed her captor then slashed at her, allowing her to make a break for freedom. The two cronies gave her cover with a hail of gunfire. Acting quickly, instead of pursuing Sienna, she activated her own semblance, Kinetic Armor. An energy overshield formed around her as she rushed to Rin to serve as a bulletproof shield for her. All of the bullets ricocheted off of her, but it kept both her and Rin pinned down long enough for Sienna to disappear into the stairwell. They both chased after her and the other Fang members, but once they reached the roof, there was no sign of anyone. All there was upon first survey was the Vacuo sky beginning to tinge orange for sunset.

“Dammit!” Auburn cursed. She went to the edge of the rooftop and looked down to the street below. The only potential clue left for her was a black SUV speeding southbound. After a moment, she felt a hand touch her shoulder, the same calming hand from earlier.

“Thanks, Auburn. You really saved my tail back there. I really don’t know what to say,” Rin said.

“Don’t gotta say anything. That’s just what faunus sticking together looks like, right?” The pair of newly made partners exchanged smiles then firmly clasped their hands together. It was almost therapeutic to Auburn. A sign of loyalty. Something she valued above all else, something that was in short supply. She was glad to have picked her friends correctly in Rin. Speaking of friends-

“Auburn?”

A familiar voice coming from the street. One that brought Auburn the same wave of nostalgia Sienna’s did, despite this one being much softer spoken than the other fox’s. She peered down to see a girl with bright orange hair with a cat shaped backpack slung over one shoulder. Another friend she had missed from Beacon in another member of Team JASR, Amber Himmel.

“Amber!” Auburn called out.

“What are you doing up there?” Auburn’s ears instantly slicked back.

“Amber…” she repeated, this time her voice carrying a weight of disappointment in it. Like it was weighed down by something on her mind she didn’t want to share.

“What’s going on?” Amber said one more time.

“We need to talk.”

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