Word count: 14464 words.

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Lautrec POV

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The streets of Vale were much different than Patch, that much should've probably been obvious to him even before he had arrived. In spite of how late as it was, the sidewalks still held people walking by him in groups, and the roads still had a car or two driving by.

Lautrec sighed to himself, It was one of those things that you never truly appreciate until it's gone, the serenity of a quiet street and dim light guiding your way.

"Excuse me." He walked by a group of club-dressed people. And by club-dressed, he meant skimpy and douche-like.

"Yo, watch it, bro!" The skinny man exclaimed as their shoulders brushed by each other.

Naturally, Lautrec ignored the drunk. Him being the bigger person sadly didn't stop them jeering at him and hollering. It grated his nerves, but Lautrec reeled in his annoyance as he reminded himself that the man was somewhere between levels five and ten, so it wouldn't even be good XP to fight him.

'Truly, Vale was such a step up from Patch. The rude people, the dirty streets, the sketchy corners. What isn't there to love?' Lautrec thought to himself, a scowl taking place on his face. Maybe it was the mixture of exhaustion and just frustration that was souring his mood, but he knew for sure that the total wet-wipes of people didn't help. The boy had just left his only home on Remnant, couldn't these people cut him a little slack? Not to mention him struggling to find Junior's!

He didn't know where it was really, and all he had as a guide was the terrible scroll map and asking strangers, but asking the people on the street didn't usually work out here. 'I really should've taken into account how large Vale is.'

Patch was smaller, and had a lot less people. Maybe a few thousand in comparison to Vale's multiple million. It was ridiculous to think he'd be able to easily walk from the docks all the way to a bar far in the back of Vale.

For reference, when he got to Vale it was only around eleven but now it was pushing past one in the morning, he had been walking for over two hours!

Though, thankfully, Lautrec knew he had to be close. Because his scroll said he was, he could faintly hear music playing in the distance, and there were more people in outfits that looked less fit to be worn in public streets and more fit for a Coachella.

'Huh... it is actually way cleaner here than the other streets... weird.' It was his first thought as he reached the street that Junior's Club apparently took up. Instantly, he could spot it. The Club was a giant building with windows to the street that flickered with a rainbow assortment of lights. The boy cleared his throat and walked toward the front, seeing two men clad in black suits and red ties.

"Hold up." One of them held out his hand. "I need to see some ID."

Lautrec paused in front of the two men, and his eyes narrowed. 'What type of criminals ask to see ID?' He focused on the two, and used Observe.

[Name: John Smithson

Level: 31

AP: 1200/1200]

[Name: Smith Johnson

Level: 31

AP: 1200/1200]

'Oh come on, what type of joke is this?' He groaned internally. 'Only level thirty one though... and with such low aura? I could probably take the Yang approach...'

"I have business with Junior. Top dollar information, I'm looking for." Lautrec settled for that instead, wearing a small and hopefully friendly smile. As if to put a stamp on his words, Lautrec reached into his coat, and pulled out the last five thousand lien in his inventory.

The two looked at each other for a moment, contemplating both his words and his audacious flaunting of a thick wad of lien. Lautrec stood patiently as the two deliberated without use of words, and after a minute or two the two bouncers turned back to him.

[Charisma Check: Passed!]

"Okay... Go in. We'll give him the word." The men opened the doors, allowing him inside of the club. He walked through the doorway, smirking.

"Thanks, gents! I'll be sure to speak well of you two."

"Yeah? Well see if you can't get us a raise, eh?! This job is boring as hell and we get paid bitch bucks!" One of the men called out from behind him, and a small laugh left Lautrec's lips.

"I'll see what I can do. night, gents!"

[OST: "Miss You" by m-flo, Melody -- Start!]

He walked further in, finally reaching the staircase that led him down to either the dance floor or the tables and bar. And it was there he spotted Junior, the informat was pouring drinks for his patrons.

Lautrec took the steps that led down to the bar, approaching quickly. 'You know, I kinda wonder about how in the world he can even hear in this bar. It's so damn loud.' The boy resisted the urge to cover his ears as he walked, the blaring music made him cringe. 'It is pretty good, though.'

As he walked through the crowd towards the bar, a hand placed itself on his shoulder. Lautrec turned his head over to whoever was behind him. His eyes landed on the figure of a woman who looked only slightly older than himself dressed in a sort of short and strapless red and black dress that hugged her form. He could only just barely recall this character, not even really from the show, but the Yellow Trailer.

[Name: Miltia Malachite]

[Title: Musume of Kuroi Kuma]

[Level: 52]

[AP: 4650/4650]

"You're going the wrong way." The thick valley girl accent was the second thing he took notice of. "And you're totally staring." She said, the woman herself deciding to look him up and down as well.

"Sorry, I was just recalling your name, one of the Malachite sisters, I presume?" It was difficult to not look stupid while practically shouting over the music, but Lautrec could hope he managed it.

She nodded, motioning for him to follow her. "Junior is wondering why some rando kid fresh off a boat from Patch is looking for him, hope you have a good answer."

Her turning away from him let Lautrec observe her fully as he followed. Just like in the show, she had the claws strapped and hidden on her dress, the dark red metal blending in with the cloth. It was a dangerous weapon in its simplicity, easy to use, incredibly reliant on wrist strength, speed, and VERY light.

He could respect it. Especially since he could, now that Lautrec was thinking about it, remember that their preferred style was both very Taekwondo and kickboxing heavy. The thought of testing his mettle against someone who was fundamentally different to everyone he had been sparring for the past month did excite him.

"So, you're huntress trained?" He asked.

Miltia turned her head, looking at him for a second before nodding. "Yep, what about it?"

"No reason in particular, if I'm honest. But I just thought I'd ask. Saw the claws, you know?" Lautrec pointed at her waist.

The woman's eyes widened a fraction at his words, perhaps surprised He could see the weapons. "Hm. And what of it? Like, I don't actually believe it was only curiosity. The weapons themselves would be enough to tell!"

Miltia brought him to the VIP Section of the Club, or so he believed. The doors closed, and the music became muted.

"Eh, it was just honest curiosity, but it wasnt my only reason." He paused, taking a moment to acknowledge how quite it became. "Sorry, had to take a second, it feels good not having my ear drums being exploded by music."

She smirked. "You came a to club and expected it to be quiet? That's, like, super dumb."

"I didn't exactly come here for the club, but for who was in it." Lautrec rolled his eyes before continuing. "But as I was saying, the reason was also because I just thought to make some small talk, speak about fighting and all. I don't have my weapons on me," he motioned to himself, opening up his arms. "Clear as day, but I'm a martial fighter. And I assumed you were as well, because the claws and all."

"Hm. Well, you assumed right." She turned around slowly guiding him down the dim hallway, passing several doors. "Though, I'm, like, a little interested in how you saw them. They're pretty discreet, aren't they?"

"They are. But, when you turned around, I was able to see them pretty quickly. They were pretty much right in front of me."

Miltia made a gasping noise, looking over her shoulder and met his gaze. "You were so checking me out, weren’t you?"

"What!? No! I was just-"

"Just so happened to instantly look down at my hidden blades that I made to blend into my dress, and only after I turned around?"

Lautrec turned his head away, his cheeks burning hot as her eyes stared into his so playfully. "B-basically.."

'And that smirk really doesn't help at all... it's hot!' He took a quickl glance back towards her, unfortunately her smug face was still pointed at him, only becoming more so at him quickly looking away a second time.

She stopped, taking the time to turn to him and open the door. Lautrec thanked her softly, just barely able to look her in the eye as he did.

"This is the room I'll speaking with Junior in?"

"Yep!" The door behind him clicked shut, and a slender pair of arms wrapped around his waist. "But for now its just you and me."

Lautrec blushed heavily again, his breath hitching at her actions. Before he could speak, she retracted her arms with a laugh.

"Snrk... you're easy!" The girl giggled as she moved around him, jumping up and landing on the fine leather couch. Miltia looked up, and patted the seat next to her, staring up to Lautrec prettily. "Come, sit."

"I'm not sure I want to, if I'm honest." He managed to speak, in spite of still being flustered. "You're far too dangerous."

"Aw~." She pouted, before making an ‘o’ face and reaching down. "How about this!"

Miltia undid her weapons from her dress, and tossed them onto the glass table. "No weapons, see? Totally not dangerous now."

Lautrec sighed, but did relent and sat next to her. "It wasn't those weapons I'm worried about."

"Stop being such a virgin." Miltia said, leaning back into her chair and sitting with her legs crossed. "It's not every day someone gets to have the Miltia Malachite on their shoulders. You should be thankful, bleached hair."

Lautrec, despite his previous feelings, cracked a smile at her proud declaration. "Oh, so great and wondrous Miltia, thank you so much. I truly did appreciate your touch." He spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He met her gaze, his smile becoming harder to fight. "That good enough for you?"

"Hmph.." She made a so-so gesture, shifting her head and hand side-to-side. "I could've done without the sarcasm and would've liked more groveling." Miltia offered him a sly grin and a wink. "We can work on it tonight, hm?"

"As if. Buy me a drink or two and then we'll see." Lautrec felt more comfortable, falling into a rhythm with the devilish flirt across from him.

"Hm, I'll think about it." She shifted her weight, turning more towards him. "If I remember, you said you were a martial fighter? What do you practice?"

The simple line of questioning was much more in line with what he was comfortable with, and he felt himself relax into his chair. "Kickboxing. Though, recently it's been more kickboxing, dirty boxing, and some grappling. I learned from a family friend that submissions are an amazing way to incapacitate someone, even if they have aura."

"Ooo~. So, like, mistrali jujitsu?"

"Absolutely." He nodded. "Though, it's not something I'm great at just yet, I'm a fast learner. Even my teacher said so, said I'd be a brown belt within a few months if I tried hard enough." A point of pride for the young man. And logically, Lautrec knew Tai was likely exaggerating his skill to encourage him, but still!

"Sounds like he's not a proper teacher, then.” She rolled her eyes. “No way you're that good. It takes years of practice to advance. I won’t say that you can’t go up one or two in a less than a year if you’re prodigious, but getting all the way to brown is a huge stretch."

Lautrec smirked, leaning against the chair to prop up an elbow on its arm rest and placing his head on a hand. "Sounds like a skill issue to me, Miltia."

"As if! If we rolled right now I'd have you submitted under me in less than a minute."

"And I'm sure you'd love that, hm?"

She paused, her eyes widened for a moment before her smile returned. "Good one. I like that."

Lautrec huffed, preening slightly at the praise. "Told you I’m a quick learner. One of my talents, I can pick up anything pretty fast.” This time, Lautrec paused before speaking again. “Though, you probably would have me submitted pretty quickly. Despite how much I’ve trained in martial arts, it’s not my main thing. I’m a swordsman first and foremost when it comes to fighting Grimm or other people.”

Lautrec didn't actually have his sword on him right now, it was stashed in his inventory. That was a piece of advice from Tai, the man having told him that having a weapon visible in public spaces, even having a proper huntsman license and being one of the most well known hunters on the continent, made people nervous. They see someone that is a stranger to them holding or even carrying a giant sword would just make them be wary of you.

”Oh, but that seems so fun! You know I always wanted to have a katana, like how samurai had back in the early years of Mistrals founding! Are you any good with it?” The topic seemed to interest her, and Lautrec wasn’t sure what made him aware of it. Maybe it was the fact she had started smiling widely, or the fact she had bounded across the leather couch and closed the distance between the two of them so quickly he barely had the time to lean his face away.

Nevertheless, he nodded. “Y-yeah, I’m pretty good. Nothing too crazy, but I spar with Qrow Brawnwen, and he’s been a great teacher. I’m sure you know him, he’s around one of the strongest hunters in Vale right now.” Was it a bit silly to piggy back on another persons success to earn brownie points? Yes. But would Lautrec do it anyway? Absolutely.

Miltia whistled, impressed. "Like, no kidding? Qrow Brawnwen? That’s incredible, bleached hair! You know what, maybe you and I should spar sometime, I can teach you all about grappling and you can teach me more about striking. I’m pretty sure Muay Thai is similar in a way to kickboxing.”

At her words Lautrec’s blood pumped, and his own excitement matched hers. “I’d love to! Honestly, I can’t tell you the last time I got the chance to spar with someone who wasn’t just a boxing specialist. My teacher is great, but all of them are pretty much just boxers.”

”Bah! Boxing is fun and all, but you need variety. And trust me, bleached hair, I’m just the spice you need in your life.” Miltia said, her smug look returning as she puffed out her chest and smirked.

‘Oh she’s a battle-lusted person like I am. We are gonna get along so well.’

Lautrec shook his head, clearing his mind to any explicit thoughts he may have had. “Enough with the ‘Bleached Hair’ nonsense.” He stuck out a hand and grinned. “The name is Lautrec, Lautrec Griscern.”

Miltia put a hand to her mouth, hiding her little amusement at his words and put other her hand in his. "A little late for introductions, no? But I’m Miltia Malachite. I'm sure you, like, already knew that, though."

Lautrec shook her hand firmly. "Only in passing, not many places in Patch that have Mistrali gangs to tell your tales."

"Clans. The Kuroi Kuma isn't a gang, we're a family." She said with a clear distaste for the thought. Pulling her hand out of his grasp, she explained. "Gangs are idiots who sling whatever the hell gets them cash, have shoot outs with the badges, and cause no end of issues for the real forces at play. The Valean Family and Mistrali Clans are much more than that. Make sure you don't make that mistake with Junior." Miltia looked very serious, staring hard into his eyes as she spoke. Lautrec could only nod, understanding very intimately how out of his depth he was dealing with members of the now labeled Kuroi Kuma Clan. Especially a head-honcho.

"Understood, I apologize for my ignorance." He bowed his head slightly, before speaking again. "I'm new to this, you see. Never really got involved with ga- Clans or criminal Family syndicates."

She nodded, slightly shifting her position to have her legs over each other. Miltia crossed her arms and leaned back into the chair. "I figured. You were, like, totally polite by Valean standards, but you do not have that Mistrali feel to you. And asking for the Shatei-Gashira as a no-name is as clear a sign as any that you don't know what you're doing." She smiled somewhat, looking to him with her amusement worn across her face. "Made it, like, way easy to tell you aren't a badge, though."

Before Lautrec could respond again, the door opened, The first to step in was Junior, the large man was built like a bear. Broad shoulders that were tightly wrapped in a vest and white collar shirt. His beard only served to make him look more like a bear, it's round and well groomed shape making his face somehow look sharper and larger.

The second was Melanie Malachite, the sister draped in a very similar dress to Miltia, only that it was white and light blue and her weapons were much easier to spot, given that they were just the bladed ends of her heels.

[Name: Hei 'Junior' Xiong]

[Titles: Shatei-Gashira of the Kuroi Kuma, Son of Infamy]

[Level: 92]

[AP: 12,580/12,580]

[Noteable Features: [Brawler], [Demolition Expert], [Blunt Weapons Master], [Sharp Senses]]

[Name: Melanie Malachite]

[Titles: Musume of the Kuroi Kuma, White Death]

[Level: 56]

[AP: 5350/5350]

"So.." His voice rumbled out, the gravely accent to it apparent to anyone who heard him speak. "I hear you're looking for information. You've come to the right spot. What is it you want to know?" The man sat down opposite of him, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

Lautrec nodded and leaned forward in his seat. "Guess we aren't here to mince words, makes sense. I'm looking for a huntress, she should be someone pretty young, maybe in the twenty one to twenty nine age range. Brown hair, and she's most likely known for her prowess in the outskirt villiages of Vale. I'm looking for an Amber Autumn."

There was a flash of something in Junior's eye, a recognition. "Why?"

"Ah! You recognize the name, I see. But you shouldn’t worry, it's nothing that concerns you, sir. I just need to know where she'll be in two months."

Junior nodded, accepting the answer while sinking into his chair. "Do you have the money?"

Lautrec, for his part, reached into his coat once more, pulling out the five thousand lien. He looked over to Junior, locking eyes with the man. He tossed it onto the table that separated him from Junior and Melanie.

"If that isn't satisfactory, I'm a hunter. I could do some jobs if need be." He had to bite back a frown, seeing the five thousand leave his inventory.

Junior grabbed the thick wad of lien, and flipped through each card. He checked for any blemish or mark that could make them illegitimate. And when he found none, he nodded. "Good on you, kid, not trying to snub me."

The boy nodded easily, and leaned back into his chair with a small smile. "Will you be able to find her in a month and a half?"

"Yes. A large majority of the outer villages still track who comes into their settlements digitally through scroll ID. I'll get my men on it." Junior looked to him for a moment, a solemn look in his eyes. "But five thousand won't be enough to cover it. I'll accept this as your first payment. Getting info to and from the outer settlements is a tedious and long process. Five thousand every week until the information is ready."

‘So that is how it is gonna be, eh, Junior?’ Lautrec thought to himself. ‘Maybe if I had lower charisma or weaker wisdom that would have slipped by me.’

”Thirty-five thousand? For information that would take less than a day to get?” Lautrec scoffed. “Junior, please don’t insult my intelligence like that. It sets a terrible precedent of such a reputable man.”

Junior’s gaze hardened, though he kept an overall neutral expression. “ It’s a fair price. Between the bypassing of the law to break into the check points and the bringing back of the information from the CCT, it’s risky. My men are being compensated likely under what I’m offering you.”

”As if. I saw that look in your eye, you already were asked about her, weren’t you?”

”I don’t disclose information given or taken by previous clients, boy.” The way he spoke that time was much more stern, and it was almost enough to dissuade Lautrec. Almost.

”It was Cinder Fall, wasn’t it? I bet it was. I’ll make you a deal, hm? I’ll provide information on her and her lot and in exchange you don’t try to rip me off, sound fair?” the young man met his gaze with just as much steel as Junior had, neither one cracking under the others gaze.

Somehow, Lautrec didn’t feel like the one with a disadvantage here. Sure, he was incredibly outgunned and outnumbered, the constant presence of Miltia’s hand on his bicep was a reminder as well that he was surrounded. But perhaps that was bad for Junior as well, two of his close workers were present, and his actions would give them insight to the man he was. They’d probably be fine if he tried to strong arm Lautrec, but they might think less of him for it. And reputation HAD to be everything in the underground. Even a whisper or a rumor might damage your standing.

In the end, it was Junior who caved first. “And how can we be sure your information is at all accurate?”

”Well, you could call her up and tell her what I told you, wherein which she will come back instantly and demand to know how you know, and after you tell her my name and my last known location, she’ll kill you before hunting and killing me.” Lautrec explained easily, not slipping or stuttering. An easy smile rested on his lips. “Of course you won’t know for sure if it’s a hundred percent accurate, but it will be because I’m not an idiot who tries to fuck over those I work with. And since I’m feeling generous, I’ll throw in three thousand for today and I’ll pay two thousand each week until the information is ready. That is fair.”

Junior grunted, his cold expression turning into a grimace. “Four thousand now, two thousand and five hundred each week with the information. Good enough?”

”See, this is weird, isn’t it? Do you make a habit of trying to scam people? I made an offer of fifteen thousand plus invaluable information on an incredibly dangerous assassin type huntress, and then you demand nineteen thousand and the information for information that is hardly worth ten thousand to begin with.” Lautrec tossed his head back and sighed exasperatedly. “Three thousand five hundred and two thousand each week. Take it or leave it. Believe it or not, there are other information brokers who would see that offer as damn near a golden ticket.”

”Fine. Deal.” Junior held out his hand, and the two Malachite twins seemed to let out a breath. Lautrec hadn’t noticed, but the grip Miltia had on his arm increased while him and Junior went back and forth, and now it released. “Hand me your scroll, I’ll put in a contact that will message you when the information is ready.”

Summoning his scroll from the inside of his coat, he handed it to Junior, who opened it and began to add a number into it. "There you go. This number, however, won't respond to any messages you send." He held the scroll out for Lautrec to take.

He took back the scroll, and nodded. "Good dealings. I'll be back in two weeks to see how you've progressed, Junior. Please do have an update by then, yeah? Something like if the job has started or the people have already looked into Amber. Please do not dissapoint."

Junior nodded and stood. "If I was untrustworthy, I wouldn't be the most well-known informat in Vale." The man fixed his tie, pocketing the three thousand five hundred and tossing back the remaining lien to Lautrec.

"You could be, if you were famous for giving bad info." Lautrec said also standing up, allowing him to look him in the eyes.

The man shook his head, actually chuckling a bit. "No, because then I'd be dead and someone else would be the Informant. Miltia will see you out, I have to head back to the bar." Junior met Lautrec’s eyes easily, and bore into them. “I do expect that information when you come back.”

"Oh, before you go, I want to introduce myself, as you will undoubtedly see more of me in the coming years." Lautrec, much like he did with Miltia, he held out his hand to the man. Junior looked at him for a moment, his eyes squinting at the extended hand, before reaching out to grab it and give Lautrec a firm handshake. "Lautrec Griscern. I hope to have a good relationship with you and yours, Junior."

The man looked at Lautrec a little differently, and nodded. "Hei Xiong. And I hope the same." Letting go of his hand, Junior turned to Melanie. "I’m sure you made yourself acquainted with Miltia, but this is her sister, Melanie Malachite."

Melanie offered the young man a small bow, her body bending at the waist only about thirty degrees. “A pleasure.”

Junior huffed, amused. “Girls, leave us for a moment. I need a word with Griscern in private.”

And just like that, the one safety net Lautrec had to keep either him or Junior from taking things too far disappeared behind the door. The room may as well have shrunk as Junior looked at him. "What's this about?"

Junior motioned for him to sit again, the man sat down himself and Lautrec followed. He looked down and sighed. "I know you said it wasn't for me to know, but, please, humor me. Why are you going for Amber?"

The air was charged differently than Lautrec had believed it to be. Instead of what he believed to be an intimidation attempt or something, it was a man pleading. "Sir?"

"You seem like a good kid. I ran a background check and you don't have a criminal record, you say you're a hunter-in-training, and you have no marks on your face or hands from gangs or Clans or The Family. I'm a criminal, but I'm not in the business of sending children to their deaths, Griscern. There are other people searching for that huntress, and you shouldn't get involved with it." The man looked tired, exhausted, worried even. Suddenly, the muscular frame he held looked a lot more slack, and his face a lot less sharp and showing its age.

Lautrec chuckled awkwardly, unable to look at the man in his moment of weakness. "I thought you kept all knowledge you shared confidential, ha ha.."

Junior looked up, solemnly as Lautrec's joke fell flat. "I can tell you aren't gonna give it up, are you, kid?"

In Lautrec's mind, images of what the show depicted of The Fall flashed within his mind, all the death, the despair he'd put Ruby through and the trauma he'd let Yang bare if he didn't. "I can't. There's too much on the line for me to let it happen."

"Do what you must, kid, I won't stop you, especially if you already know what you’re getting yourself into. See to it that you don’t die to Cinder, spare me the guilty conscience." Junior walked out of room and Lautrec followed suit.

Melanie and Junior looked at each other and walked away, while Lautrec turned his head the opposite way and met glistening green eyes staring prettily into his.

"You have more balls than I gave you credit for, Lautrec." She said taking a long stride towards him. "Standing up to Junior, even managing to barter for half price. Whew~, color me impressed.”

Lautrec smirked, nodding his head slightly. “Oh, please, it was obvious he was fucking me over. Fresh faced kid off of the well off island of Patch who openly admitted he was out of his depth? I’ll be surprised if the price I got him down to still isn’t overpriced as shit.”

Miltia patted his arm, a teasing smile danced across her lips as she stood closer to him. “It was, just a bit. You called it when you said the information was worth around ten thousand. Did you know it would be?"

"Nope!" Lautrec smirked, his head held higher. "You can call it a lucky guess."

"Why did you, like, say it like that?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"you said it like it was some inside joke in a show, like a fourth wall break."

"Oh come on, not you too. I don't act like a main character." The boy groaned his displeasure, raising and hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "It was a joke, but one for me."

"That's what it was!" Miltia smiled, snapping her fingers. "You totally have a main character complex! Is that why you talked to Junior like that? Couldn't let your fragile main character ego get stomped on?"

Lautrec sighed and shook his head. "Gods... sure, that's why. Not because I was getting totally shafted by the ludicrous price of thirty-five thousand."

"Oh, come on, Lautrec!" She tossed an arm over his shoulder, standing on her tippy toes to do so. "I was messing around, don't be upset~"

He went to retort, but before he could, a tab opened up.

[Item Lost: Scroll!]

"Hey! The hell?" Lautrec pulled himself from her hold, seeing his scroll in Miltia's off hand.

"Wha? You noticed? Ugh, I must be slipping." She rolled her eyes, typing something into his scroll. "I was putting in my number, don't worry. Nothing rude, promise!"

He had to force himself not to be annoyed then, taking in a deep breath to do so. "You could have just asked. Not like I was gonna say no." Lautrec huffed.

"Of course you wouldn't, silly." She stepped in again, her eyes meeting his own. "But why ask at all, then? I already knew you'd say yes."

"That sounds dubious at best, you know that right?" His words made her roll her eyes, her hand quickly depositing the scroll back into his pocket.

"Whatever! You made it sound so much worse than it was. I felt bad, your contact list is so empty, it was basically calling me…” she paused. “Ha, ‘calling me’, see what I did there?” The boy palmed his face, only to hide his widening smile.

‘Somehow, I always become friends with girls who like puns. Maybe I should learn some just in case.’ He removed his hand and nodded. “Yeah, I saw it. Good one, Mil.”

"Appreciate you, Lautrec. I'll give you a ring if I'm ever free to spar, 'kay?" Mil said. "Though, you don't have to leave yet, you could totally join me for a dance."

The boy laughed, pocketing his scroll. "Hm, I could. But I was never much of a dancer, really. You okay with me stepping on your toes?"

“This is hardly a formal dance setting.” Miltia scoffed at the idea. “It’s more bumping and grinding. You’ll be fine, Lautrec. Just a dance or two and you can be off, nothing crazy.”

Lautrec may have looked older than he was. While he was on Patch, the young man was regularly confused for grown man well into his twenties. Especially when he was alone, and walking about. Lautrec could almost definitely tell she thought he was older as well.. “Hah… you make it hard to refuse-“

”Then don’t! Come on~, just two songs, a few dances. You’ll survive, I’m sure.”

And just like that, Lautrec’s ideals and morals of telling her his age evaporated. The beauty of a woman was demanding him, and how rude would it be if he refused. The young man swallowed his anxiety and caved. “Fine. But probably no longer than an hour.”

”That works out!” She grinned at her victory, and her hand interlocked with his. “let’s go!”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As expected, the girl dragged him back out of the VIP section of the bar and into the actual club, not without a grimace from Lautrec due to the music. Though the two didn’t make for the dance floor immediately, for some reason, Miltia saw it fit to pull him towards the bar.

”Junior!” She waved him over, the man prioritizing her over the nameless men and women lined on either of their sides. “Lautrec, what’s your drink?

”Uh,” He knew no drinks by heart, his fit life back on earth and the age in which he was brought here made it damn near impossible to have any knowledge on alcohol. “Gin and tonic on the rocks.”

“Two Gin and Tonic’s, please, Junior.” The man nodded and quickly made them their drinks.

Lautrec held his without any intention of drinking it really, though when looking to his side, Miltia was already downing hers. He lifted the glass to his lips, taking small sips of the drink while looking to his other side. Now that he had adjusted to the music, he could more easily appreciate the club. The dozens of people on the floor dancing under the flashing lights and the music. Of course, there were enforcers every other corner and often they moved in pairs. For the likely over a hundred civilians here, they were overkill. It was a weird thought, because Lautrec knew he was much more powerful than them, and yet never felt like he was so much better than the average person, even though he knew that he must’ve been. His level superseded theirs by often five times, and even some of these enforcers were half or just a bit above half of his level.

Lautrec was stirred from his thoughts by a finger snapping in front of his face, his eyes trailing the arm to see Miltia. “You done brooding, space boy?”

“Just about, I was mostly just looking around and taking in the sights of the club. It’s pretty soothing to just see it, I guess. It’s almost peaceful in how chaotic it is. Everyone is just.. kicking back and allowing themselves to relax. It looks fun.”

The girl took another sip of her drink, scooting her stool a little closer to his. “Then why don’t we go out there and join them?”

”Nerves, I guess.” He turned fully toward her and smiled playfully. “It’s not everyday someone gets to dance with THE Miltia Malachite, you know? I need this liquid courage to make sure I don’t screw anything up.” And the small amount of alcohol was doing enough for him already. He could feel it circulating within him. If he was right, this was one of the few drinks had even taken in while on Remnant. That said, he took another deep sip, the glass empty.

”Just leave the glass on the bar, Junior will snag it later.” She placed her glass down and stood from her stool, waving him forward. “Let’s have fun!”

The young man did as he was told, and stepped off the stool. The dance floor had cleared up slightly, on account of it being nearly two in the morning and on a weekday, so the two were able to quickly find a spot to dance. Contrary to what Miltia had said, she did not grind on him, and instead she grabbed his hands and began to guide him into a simple shuffle.

“I thought club dancing was bumping and grinding, Miltia?” The boy asked, slowly understanding the rhythm she was setting.

She smirked. “Disappointed? Sorry, but I’m not that easy.”

”The opposite, actually, I feel a lot more comfortable doing this.” And he really did, even though he had expected something much more sexual. A small smile split his face. “Though I wouldn’t have minded the other option.”

Miltia snorted, and slapped his hands. “Ha! I’m sure you wouldn't have.”

The two fell into a comfortable silence, moving smoothly with each other in rhythm with the music. And as silly as it was, he found himself more and more enraptured with her eyes, how the flickering rainbow lights reflected off of them. Lautrec couldn’t tear his gaze away, and he was almost certain she knew. Miltia wasn’t smirking so dangerously, but smiling, truly smiling. Not a face-breaking grin, but a small and genuine smile. Each step forward or a step back was mirrored well enough by Lautrec, and continued for over thirty minutes. And only ten songs later, did the two retreat back to the bar. Another set of drinks were bought, and then another set of drinks were downed.

”For someone who said they, like, never danced, you weren’t bad.” She took another sip. “I’d argue you were pretty good.”

Lautrec put his arm around her shoulder while taking a drink from his cup. “You made it easy to learn, Miltia, didn’t try to rush the dance or nothing, it was amazing.”

She preened, nodding her head at the praise and wrapped her arm around his torso. “Heh, any time. Been awhile since I got to dance, so I appreciate it as well. You were a good dance partner.” Miltia looked up through her bangs, a sly smile on her lips. “Maybe I wouldn’t have minded doing a little of the bumping and grinding if I wasn’t so tired.”

He rolled his eyes. “And what a shame that is. Maybe next time, hm?” With his arm still wrapped around her shoulder, he shook her softly.

”Next time.” She nodded. “Are you gonna leave for the night?”

”Huh? Oh, yeah, I am. I have to get an apartment to sleep in for the coming months.” He untangled himself from her, stretching his arms up and groaning. “Any recommendations Preferably no love hotels.”

”Lame~, those are the one’s I was gonna recommend.” The girl leaned against him still, her arm having not yet moved from his torso. "I'll make you deal, carry me to a VIP room and I'll give you the best cheap hotel around. Sound fair?"

”Carry? You aren’t drunk from what I can tell, Miltia.”

”That’s because I’m not. But this dress is very open and it’s cold and you’re warm. Carry me, please?” Just the way she said it, sounding like a kicked puppy, made him sigh and cave.

Lautrec pulled his glass to his lips and drank the rest of it. He placed his cup down and stood up. "Alright, come on then. Don't jump."

Her eyes met his, a smirk on her lips. But before she could jump off the stool, Lautrec wrapped his arm around her back and pushed her off, catching her legs in his other, holding her in a princess carry.

Miltia sighed, and closed her eyes. "You should've let me jump... that'd be more fun."

"And it would've been more work to catch you. Not to mention you'd be flashing your patrons."

"I'd have also flashed you, stupid. Learn to not look a gift horse in the mouth." Her words were tempered by the playful grin she wore.

"I'd prefer to be the only one who got to see that tonight, thank you." The young man slowly walked towards the VIP section.

"Heh," She leaned her head into him. "Not bad."

Passing the few dancers left, Lautrec maneuvered his way to the VIP entrance and passed through with no issues. Maybe he looked right enough to not be stopped, or maybe it was because he was holding what looked to be a resting Malachite sister.

"Carry me to the furthest room in the back. It's where Melanie and I crash sometimes." Lautrec nodded, taking a few more strides to reach the room Miltia had desired. He entered, and had to take a second to awe how in the world the two ladies managed to transform a standard room into something like this.

To the place where he and Miltia had sat in the other room, there was no leather couch but there was a bed and a nightstand to the side with a beautiful looking purple lava lamp. Turning his head a fraction, there was a desk with, surprisingly enough, a gaming chair and a monitor on its surface as well as a dozen or so self-care products and makeup. And finally looking to the spot where Junior and Melanie would have sat, thee chair was gone and replaced by a good looking white fur rug and a TV hanging off the wall.

’Damn, I really need to learn how to model rooms, I had the same apartment room for a month and no renovations. They made this look so cozy.’ Lautrec took a step, avoiding whatever small amount of clothes had been left on the floor. In only a few steps, he had reached the bed and looked down to the woman in his arms.

”snnnnnn…” she snored quietly, Miltia was nuzzled against him and her arms curled into herself to conserve heat.

Lautrec bit back a chuckle, not wanting to wake her, and instead looked at the bed, where there were no blankets. He could hear the sound of a washer somewhere near being used, which meant that someone was doing laundry at three in the morning.

He chewed the inside of his cheek, thinking. He looked around the room again and did see their wardrobe, but the last thing he wanted was to be seen snooping in there.

Really, he did the only thing his silly teenage mind could think to do. Lautrec opened his inventory, seeing the plethora of clothes and coats he had. Some of them were actually pretty expensive and good quality. He pulled out his best, the large coat was big on him so naturally is was massive, almost smothering, on her.

With a bit of luck and dexterity, he was able to put the coat onto her, and practicality swaddled her with it before laying her down on the bed and taking a step back. She seemed happy enough, given the content look on her face. Lautrec nodded, whispering a “goodnight and goodbye”, before leaving the room, and then the VIP area, and then the bar itself. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t get the name of the cheap hotel she would’ve told him about, but it was fine in the end. He was set for the night even if he had to buy an expensive room.

[+2 charisma for speaking to and befriending a notorious flirt without crumbling once]

[CHA 50 Perk: Available for Purchase!]

[+1 dexterity for dancing well for forty minutes]

'Thanks, Game. Appreciate it.' He said with a roll of his eyes, chuckling to himself as he walked down the sidewalk. 'I will have to check out that Perk later.'

The boy continued his walk, aimlessly moving away from the mostly rundown neighborhood that he was in. Opening his scroll, it told him that he was in an area of town called 'Little Mistral', he wasn't sure what to make of it, though. He never really watched past volume four, only tuning in every other season to see what was happening in the show he once loved. It looked only very slightly reminiscent of classical asian architecture, the deep blue-green shingles and the hanging lanterns being the only signs he wasn't in Valean Vale.

Nevertheless, he absorbed the sights and committed them to memory, appreciating the small wonders of the world and the small amounts of uniqueness blended into the buildings and the peoples way of life here.

It wasn't completely silent, not like how it was when he had late night walks along Patches streets, but it was quiet enough. Enough to hear his own thoughts for once. 'Another one of those moments thought provoking moments. Okay, okay. What's next on the to do list?'

Well, his ultimate goal in Vale was to become plenty strong, hopefully over level a hundred at least, and get much higher stats in general. And if he couldn’t rely on levels to do anything other than raise his aura, he’d have to rely on quests for wild points and for levels. Checking his quests, he had a few. But only one that was readily available to be completed. [How the World Works], the quest he had gotten so far back he had forgotten about it. Which, honestly, was embarrassing.

_____________________________________________

[How the World Works]

Objectives:

-Learn about Grimm

-Learn about the Four Kingdoms

-Learn about the history of Remnant

Rewards: +5 INT, +2 WIS, 1000XP, 200 lien, Grimm Slayer's Journal

_____________________________________________

The rewards were damn good. Five intelligence and two wisdom weren't anything to scoff at, not when growing them was beginning to stagnate like crazy.

That was undeniably the next quest to be done...

[Quest updated!]

'oh, wait, there's another one?'

Lautrec clicked out of [How the World Works] and onto the new tab that presented itself.

[Vigilantism in the City: To Protect and Serve!

Objective: Save the group of Faunus activists that are being attacked!

Rewards: +1k XP and +100 lien for each person protected, +500 XP and +50 Lien for every attacker apprehended, +REP with White Fang, +REP with ?.

Time Limit: 4 minutes 21 seconds!]

Lautrec paused, wondering dumbly for half a second if the quest had meant for him to move now, or if it was at a later date. That moment of confusion was ended both when he saw the time limit lower and when he heard a woman scream in the distance. That forced him to move, and move he did.

He didn't dare summon his sword, not when he expected civilians to be the aggressors. Another piece of advice from Tai. If he ever found himself in between two non-aura combatants, it would simply be better for everyone to just let them break their hand trying to punch through aura than risk harming them by accidentally holding a hunting weapon too close to some idiot.

Thankfully, the streets were mostly empty, so the commotion was the only noise being made around here, allowing Lautrec to locate where to go easily. His legs carried him past entire buildings in single strides, and in only half a minute he found the small alley way in which a group of five human men were closing in on two faunus men.

"We saw you! You shoved my pa, you piece of shit! He's an old man!" The oldest of the group spoke, half bald and slurring his words. These men were drunk.

"We didn't do nothing he didn't deserve! That old fuck attacked my girl!" The dog faunus yelled back, the man's eyes were spinning and his feet looked wobbly. It was clear that the two men had been jumped and taken by surprise, one had a laceration that trailed from the bridge of his nose down to the outer side of his cheek and the man speaking back had a slowly forming bruise over his eye.

Lautrec saw enough to make a conclusion, and stepped in. He knew that five on two, all of which untrained, was a disaster waiting to happen. One of the men, he noted curiously, had a broken bottle in his hand.

Using a [Flash Step], Lautrec grabbed the man's arm, his grip impossible to break for someone without aura and restraining the hand holding the broken bottle. "Drop the bottle." He commanded. "I'm a hunstman, don't try anything funny."

The faunus looked relieved, the two men visibly looking at him with a desperate hope, while the humans looked at him bewildered.

"Sir, you got it all wrong! These dogs-!" The main human said the term with such venom it could've easily passed as a slur. "Attacked my old man, we had to protect him, he's seventy for fucks sake!"

The other humen men yelled their agreement, rallying behind their leader.

It was only then that three more faunus, women, walked up and screamed against them. "That's not true! We were protesting the man's shop earlier today, and when we were coming back home these men attacked us!"

The woman in question was brought forward had showed her terrible bruise on her cheek that reached up and swelled around her temple.

"You can't believe these White Fang scum! All their kind knows is how to lie, steal, and attack! We all know this, it's in their blood! Their genetics!"

He'd heard enough, both seeing the bruise on the woman, the injuries on the faunus men, and the absolute hateful nature of these men was more than enough confirmation for him.

"Drop the bottle, all of you men walk out of the alley, go inside the shop and wait for the police to show. You five are expected to listen." Lautrec spoke sternly, in the hopes that his charisma and luck would pull through and make them listen. However, drunkards like these are never smart enough to do so.

"Look out!" One of the women screamed as one of the men threw probably the sloppiest, least technical, most half-hearted cross Lautrec had ever seen. Of course, he let it land, knowing that the man didn't have the power to damage his aura by any significant amount and knowing he could fold him easily.

As the fist hit him, the force of it wasn't even capable of turning his head the smallest amount. The man that threw the punch yelped in pain, quickly reeling his hand back and stepping away.

"F-fuck.... he is a hunter!"

The boy looked at the men with a blank expression. "No shit, I just said that. Are you done?"

"Fuck you, dog fucker!" Despite their harsh words, the five men quickly turned tail, running as fast as their inebriated legs could take them. Lautrec watched, half wondering if he'd get the total two-thousand five hundred experience that came with defeating them.

"Thank you, sir, seriously." One of the men approached him first, the dog faunus. "We owe you. Do you... do you want lien?"

Lautrec titled his head at that, a puzzled expression on his face as the man reached for his wallet. "What? No, why would I? Sir, this wasn't about money, it was about helping."

'And experience points... kinda.' He obviously didn't say that to the group in front of him, but he'd also feel like a liar in a way if he didn't at least tell himself it. Listen, he needed to be as strong as possible, and the XP grind started as soon as he got to Vale.

The women, not including the one who was injured, stepped forward. "If that's the case..." one of them reached into their pocket, and pulled out what looked to be a brochure, the White Fang logo stamped on the cover. The woman held it towards him. "You should consider joining the Fang! We fight for equality, you've probably heard of us. We started in Mistral, but we expanded recently to Vale and Atlas."

[Questline discovered: The White Fang]

[Objective: Become a member of the White Fang]

[Rewards: +REP with White Fang, +REP with ?, To Be Decided.]

"I'll think of it, for sure." Lautrec grabbed the brochure carefully, putting it in his pocket. He looked up, looking at the state of the five in front of them. Two were injured, and one was bleeding. "Do you need anything, an ambulance? Something to help you at all?"

"Um.." The leading man looked to his group, and nodded. "Yeah.. can you stay with us while we call a friend to pick us up?"

Lautrec nodded, pointedly ignoring the screen that popped up, showing that he had gotten all possible rewards for his quest. Another seven-point-five thousand experience, seven-fifty lien, REP bonuses with the White Fang and some unknown.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Time skip - 10 hours

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The next morning was a simple affair. Wake up, brush teeth, shower, eat. Lautrec managed to find a cheap hotel in a shifty place nearby to Junior's. Only sixty lien a night, which wasn't too hard on his wallet, especially after getting the seven-fifty from helping the small group of White Fang.

Weirdly enough, [Vigilantism in the City] hadn't gone away, only gone blank. Which basically confirmed that it was a quest line, leading to what, though, he had no clue. But if he had to guess, it was probably going to be something like stopping Torchwick or Cinder or someone else who happens to be a big player in Vale's criminal network.

As Lautrec stepped out of his shower, the Blessed Dew Talisman he got from breaking Tai's aura and the Ring of Mana he got for reaching Mana level twenty were both sitting on the sink next to his scroll.

The boy dried himself off and dressed himself quickly. He had a plan for today.

"Visit Tukson's Book Shop, talk to Tukson for a bit, get on his good side, and complete [How the World Works]. Easy peasy." He ran a hand through his hair. Looking at his reflection, Lautrec took a second to admire himself. "That work with Yang, running with Ruby, and heavily monitored eating is doing me wonders... I look good."

His face had slimmed down, the small bits of fat he had on his jaw had burned away, leaving only his chiseled face. He looked sharp, the part of a proper huntsman. Ready to fight, no excess weight holding him back, just him at his peak. He never looked this good back on earth, even when he was competing he never got this lean really. "Guess it helps that I don't really have the impulse to eat sugary or super processed foods."

[Gamer's Body] really was a gift. He only felt the need to eat what was the bare minimum. Two-thousand and seven hundred calories to maintain him, and all his work hunting and training cut away at his fat.

Though, eventually, his eyes turned upward, looking at his hair. A groan came from his lips, and he rolled his shoulders. "I really have to do something with my hair, this white needs to go." Though, probably not now, he had a very many things to do.

The boy tossed his towel onto the sink, slipping on underwear, pants, and a shirt in quick succession. Afterwards, Lautrec reached forward onto the side of the sink and picked up his Ring of Mana, putting it onto his right ring finger.

[Ring of Mana]

[Description: A Ring with small runes etched into the inner side of it. Grants +15% more mana and +5 levels into [Mana Manifestation]]

[Max Mana: 4350/4350 MP -> 5003/5003 MP]

Lautrec then grabbed the Blessed Dew Talisman and looked at it for a second. He had no where to put it, he realized. "Guess that's another stop, a jewelery store to by a chain I can put this on."

[Blessed Dew Talisman]

[Description: A Talisman created by Ozma four thousand years ago in the hopes to protect a Maiden. It is imbued with magic that heals and acts as a mana-recourse tool to protect from [Mana Exhaustion] when she was still learning. Grants [Minor Regeneration]]

"That's pretty good... depending on HOW minor the regeneration is. And assuming no one recognizes it. For all I know, Salem has a Museum full of Ozpins relics and will notice this one is missing." Stashing it away in his inventory, Lautrec took a step out of the restroom, and opened his scroll. He took a quick selfie of him smiling with a thumbs up and sent it to the groupchat. "Made it to Vale and have a home, pretty good start so far. How are yall doing?"

After, he walked out of his room and then out of the hotel. Of course, he again underestimated the distance and the time it would take him to walk all the way to Tuksons'.

'I hate this city. I mean, seriously. Why is it so damn big.' He frowned slightly, more than a little peeved at the long walks. 'Like I could run and get there in a few minutes max, but wouldn't that be really weird to do?' Lautrec thought, breathing in the cold air. A man speed-walking by accidentally collided with Lautrec, and spun as he got shoulder-checked. "Sorry, sorry. Didn't see you were in such a rush."

Lautrec apologized several times, helping the man up and spacing out as the man scolded him before continuing on his way. 'Not to mention the people who aren't paying no attention. I'm one of them, but I have aura and am well over six-feet tall. I'm allowed to be reckless because I'm an unbreakable flag pole to these people. They should be able to move out of the way of me.' Though, that's probably a bit rude in itself. Nevertheless, he did think it.

'But now that I'm thinking in general. Let's actually think about what we know for the future. Cinder and some accomplice of hers have already been asking around for Amber, but she only has one accomplice right now according to Junior. Whether that's Emerald, or the mystery guy is unknown until Junior gets me that file on the two of them.' Lautrec grabbed his scroll, opening his music app and looking for a song to play while he thought.

[Song Playing: "Remember Summer Days" by Anri - Start.]

'Its tempting, I won't lie. Maybe I could beat the two of them if I chased them now and put all my points into stats. But Cinder is likely above Junior in danger level, like if hes a six, Cinder is probably a nine or ten. But if I can stand with Tai... '

the boy shook his head, this was a dangerous thought to have. But it made sense, didn't it? How strong could he become in six weeks, assuming it would take two weeks of travel to catch up and actually find Amber? Would it be strong enough to match two more combatants, especially one with illusions and one who was a kickboxer so good he could practically toy with Beacon Yang?

Tai right now could probably beat Cinder, and Lautrec could stand and trade equally with Tai for the fifteen seconds he had [Time Slow] and [Vampirism] of the Nights Edge. And the whole two new perks he got from Ruby and Yang, those would help a great deal, especially [Adrenaline Burst].

"But fight math never adds up." Lautrec scratched his cheek, feeling the small hairs that were starting to grow in. 'Maybe I can go toe-to-toe with Tai because I'm more skilled than him in striking in general. But with Cinder, she's bows and swords, things I'm not very skilled with. And with someone else on top of that, I'm pretty much guaranteed to have to rely on the fifteen seconds of [Time Slow] to keep up. And then there is the whole illusions as well. I'm not sure if [Gamers Mind] would help with that. It has only really kept me from having super high volumes of emotions or mental breaks or PTSD. Would it even recognize something as mundane as an illusion as a problem?'

The boy continued to think, going over the many possibilities, the pros, the cons, and everything else of fighting Cinder now or Later. It gave him something to do during his walk to Tuksons'. About an hour later, he found the shop on a small street near a quite road. Possibly the only quiet road he'd found thus far in Vale. Lautrec stepped inside, the chime echoing in the store.

The boy walked in, and was hit by the heater inside and the scent of aged pages of books. Though, he didn't really know where to start on the inside, so he instead moved ahead to the front desk and clicked the bell.

"On my way!" The easily recognizable voice of Tuksons rang out from the back. The sort of average voice with just a hint of that gravelly, more guttural and deep tone. The faunus walked out from the back, a small smile on his face. "Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun. What can I get for you, sir?"

Lautrec smiled back. "I was looking for something on a bit of everything if I'm being honest. Something over history of Remnant, the Grimm, the four kingdoms. Topics like those."

"Hm, interesting." Tukson powered on his computer, and began typing. "Any reason in particular, sir?"

"I'm a hunter-in-training, felt the need to learn before I applied to Beacon, you know? Just to see if there were better opportunities else where." Lautrec said, happy to make small talk. "I heard the Grimm in Atlas are way different than the ones here, and the same is true for Vacuo and Mistral. I'm just super interested you know?"

"Yeah, I do. Have a girl the exact same way. She travels a lot, and spends a good deal of time camping usually. I have a few copies of 'Valean History', 'Grimm Anatomy', 'History of Atlas', 'History of Anima & Mistral', 'Vacuan Culture & Customs'." He looked away from the computer and back to Lautrec. "You want them all or...?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, how much? Don't tell me they're super expensive, money is a little tight right now."

"When is it not with Garrett Rindstone as our Head Counciler?" He chuckled, ringing up the price of all five books. "Hundred thirty-three and fifteen cents for the five."

Lautrec handed his the money, producing it from his coat pocket. "Thanks for the books, brother. This is a cheap price as well, no?"

The name looked happy to say yes, nodding along with Lautrecs words. "Yep!" He popped his 'p'. "At the Emerald Library, you'd probably be looking at like two hundred lien to purchase and an extra ten for a membership card."

"Then thank you even more, Tukson, seriously. This helps me more than you know"

"Ah... It's nothing, sir. I just like to do my part, you know? I can't stand people like Rindstone. He's been head counciler for twenty five years, you know? I remember a time when the Emerald Library used to be free and only needed a single five card of lien for membership to be able to take books out." Tuksons face grew sour, his hands gripping the counter top tight enough for his knuckles to lose color. Lautrec listened, genuinely interested, but Tukson exhaled a more defeated look on his face.

"But what can you do? Rindstone is a crook, everyone knows it, the elections are all rigged. But no one can prove it."

Lautrec tilted his head. "Has no one tried to protest it? Couldn't a rally be held to re-open it?"

Tukson looked at him, his eyes seemingly tired. "People have tried. But, when the news is in the back pocket of guys like that, suddenly every rally is 'inciting violence' and 'a brutal riot'. It's how you turn people away from protesting, calling the people who do protest 'one step from terrorism' is just the way to make the common man think that maybe he doesn't need to be informed if it means not being judged by his peers."

"Interesting..." Lautrec massaged his chin, finding that tidbit of information incredibly thought provoking. 'Was that why the group of Faunus were assaulted? The reason for The White Fang changing?'

"Ha... interesting is one way to put it. I'll go get the books. Talking about this put me in a sour mood." He moved to turn, only to be interrupted.

"Before you do, is police violence... common against protesters?" Lautrec asked.

Tukson looked at Lautrec, a mirthless smile on his face. "They'll call it self-defense against dangerous rioters, but yes. Far more than you can know." The man then walked into the back, vanishing behind the door.

[Quest Created: The White Fang; Faunus Friend!]

[Objective: Join the White Fang rally at Vale Central at 3 P.M. and protect the faunus protestors from police brutality, help them gather some food and drink, talk to the locals about Faunus Rights.]

[Bonus Objective: Successfully convince 5 Humans to join the White Fang.]

[Rewards for Success: +20 REP with ?, +15 REP with White Fang, +1k Lien, +1k XP for every Faunus protected.]

[Bonus Rewards: +15k XP for first 5 humans, +1.5k XP for any extra, +1k Lien.]

[Time Limit: 1 hour and 52 Minutes]

"Huh..."

'I wonder... is that mystery reputation Blake?' Lautrec stood by the desk, waiting for Tukson. 'It makes sense, doesn't it? At night, they were there watching over a group of Faunus, that fits the ninja aesthetic. And a White Fang rally as well? It's certainly possible. Maybe this is [The Game]'s way of making me meet all the main characters.' It would certainly be welcome. Blake was definitely not his favorite character, but she was skilled, and all the help he could get would be needed to get him on par with Cinder and her team.

The door opened once more, a small stack of books held in Tuksons arms before he placed them down for Lautrec. "Alright, here you go. And since you already paid, you're all set to go."

Lautrec grabbed them, holding all five in a stack. "Thank you, again. But, if I could ask you just one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Do you think a human would be accepted if I went to help in a White Fang rally?" Tukson looked shocked at the question, sputtering somewhat before responding.

"Absolutely! That's what the White Fang is all about equality. They'd be happy to have a human to help, it'll progress the- their cause." The man said, his passion bleeding into his words and making him almost forget he was supposed to be hiding that he was a Faunus.

'Like that matters when I have meta knowledge.'

"Okay, okay. That's all I had for today. I heard there was a rally taking place later today, I think I'll be heading over there. Maybe I can help keep the police at bay, you know? Cause I'm a hunter?" Plain as day, Lautrec was using Tukson to just make sure he wouldn't cause too many issues legally for himself or the White Fang. If the police can get away with attacking innocents, then they probably could get away with attacking a rogue hunter if they could spin it that way.

"That would be... that would be amazing. Please, do that, it would help them a lot." And with Tukson raising no issues with the plan, Lautrec nodded.

"I will. Goodbye, Tukson! See you soon, sir." Lautrec tilted his head toward Tukson, before walking away and toward the exit. As he was leaving, he used [Observe] on the man.

[Name: Tukson Mayes]

[Titles: White Fang Informant, Son of the Midnight Sun]

[Level: 17]

[AP: Locked]

'Son of the Midnight Sun... interesting. And totally not confusing.' That was new. 'Midnight Sun... is that a branch of the White Fang? Tukson is still apart of the White Fang, given the title of being their informant... weird.'

Lautrec shook his head, walking into a nearby alleyway and putting the books into his inventory. With an hour or so to go until he needed to be at Vale Central, he walked slowly.

'If it is Blake, maybe I should get some fish or something so that she can see we have similar interests. Or I can put my sword on my waist so she can tell I'm a hunter and am willing to stand up to police for them?' Lautrec equipped his sheathe and the Nights' Edge. Against his Revengers shirt, the dark leather sheathe looked completely out of place.

"Maybe I should get actual hunter clothes as well. Like a trench coat, some gloves, actual boots and not just tennis shoes. I don't look the part of a hunter right now." He mumbled to himself, rambling on. "Not like it isn't common for my clothes to get ripped either. I lose a shirt or pair of pants ot even shoes every time I go out to hunt. Hunter clothes are probably more durable, right?"

'In the show, it wasn't like skirts or tops or jeans or shirts were getting torn up by bullets or claws or teeth. So probably.' Lautrec tapped his chin, humming as he walked. 'I mean, if I can keep the sharpest points of a beowulfs claws from my skin, I'll be saving my aura for actually dangerous attacks.'

Had he screwed himself over in the past by not getting some sooner? Probably. Would he be making the same mistake in the future? Fuck no.

"Better to invest my lien into clothes that will actually last." Another thing to add on the to-do list.

Lautrec continued his walk, mostly uninterrupted as he thought to himself. Finding the Vale town square was a simple affair, just a simple following of his trusty scroll and another hour and a half walk.

'I am actually getting bored of walking. Why in the whole nine hells did they ever make this city so damn large? Oh, I don't know, Lautrec, maybe because there's over a million people living here? Yeah? Well I didn't ask you, internalized voice of Yang.' He monologued in his head, Lautrec having just barely reached the town square.

It was there that he had seen it, a small stage in the middle of the square while a squad of Faunus set up shop on top of it. A microphone, speakers, even an ice chest full of drink were placed and set up. Lautrec watched on curiously, popping observe on a few of them. Obviously, none of the names really meant anything to him, none even really passed into potential Hunter or Hunter-in-Training territory in terms of levels.

'None are packing aura either.' Just thirteen Faunus men and women working diligently to set up their stand, ignoring the many side-eye looks or upturned noses that landed upon them.

Lautrec watched for a few minutes, before sighing to himself and walking over. As he approached, he could feel the many stares that were aimed at the group now turning to him.

"Hey!" Lautrec called out, causing some of the group to look at him. "Do you guys need help?"

A man near the microphone looked over to Lautrec.

[Name: Jakob Myerwitch]

[Title: Symbol of Resistance, Co-Leader of the Valean White Fang]

[Level: 19]

[AP: 600/600]

On the first glance, nothing special, an ordinary man who just so happens to have aura. But, looking at him more, Lautrec could tell he was undoubtedly the leader of this group.

He wore a clean looking brown suit, the tie under it was of matching color. Along with the suit, he held cards in his hands, likely his talking points. On the very top of his head, very ornate, large deer horns sat on his head. "Are you offering, sir?"

Lautrec kept himself from a sarcastic response. He had to hastily remind himself that, yes, these people were genuinely unused to a human being kind. "Yeah, was told that there would be a rally over here and saw you all setting up. Figured I could at least try and help out a bit."

Jakob chuckled and shook his head, before waving him forward. "Ah, well, there isn't much you can do. The good men and women of the White Fang here are already have their jobs and they know what they're doing." There was a casual confidence in the way he spoke, not a hint of nervousness, not even when his eyes landed the the large grip of the Night's Edge poking over Lautrec's shoulder. "Though... that sword.. you must be a hunter, no?"

"I am, sir."

"Huh.... then maybe you can help, if in a different way than you were thinking of before. Why don't you stand near me when I give my address, use that big ol knife of yours to slice anything that may be thrown, eh? Give you a little target practice, sound good?"

Lautrec smiled slightly before nodding and moving toward him. "Is that a usual occurrence at your protests?"

"Ah, yes. It is, unfortunately. Keep it a secret, but it's my second least favorite thing about these rallies." The man straightened his tie a held a hand out to Lautrec, which the boy easily took.

"What's the first?"

"When I get hit by a lucky bottle or fruit." He said with a smile, giving Lautrec a firm shake. "Jakob Myerwitch, Volunteer Leader of the Valean White Fang."

"Hah! Lautrec Griscern, sir. Huntsman-in-training."

"Good to meet you, Lautrec, and happy to have you aboard." They let go of each other's hands, Lautrec nodding his head once as another, smaller sign of acknowledgment.

"So, Mr. Myerwitch, what are we protesting for today?"

The man turned halfway, raising his arm to point at a shop directly in front of where the podium was. "That Café right there recently added policies that allow the workers to deny service to unclean or suspicious individuals." At Lautrec's confused look, the man chuckled.

"Heh.. see? You don't see it as an issue, and in a perfect world it wouldn't be. However, let's just say you were a Faunus, and because of your ears or-" Jakob reached up to grab his antlers. "Antlers you're unable to do your hair in a style indicative of human professionalism. Suddenly, you're unclean and a threat to the sanitization. Of course, this is a small thing, but Café Supreme has been a thorn to Faunus for years now. Another interesting fact to take note of is that in the twenty-two years it's been around, not a single Faunus has ever been hired or even outsourced to, despite the closest baked goods being faunus made."

"Obviously, it's easy to scrape those accusations off as the people applying are unqualified or that the goods that the good Faunus of Vale Central make aren't the ones Café Supreme are looking for." A smirk grew on Jakob's face, a dangerous look in his eye. "But we have proof that it's discrimination. We had one of our younger volunteers apply with an exceptional resume, dress well, and record the conversation on their scroll. We plan on playing the conversation on speaker during my presentation, to deface the company for its disgusting practices."

Lautrec whistled lowly at that, a little shocked at the amount they had prepared. "And what happened during this interview that made it so incriminating, Mr Myerwitch?"

"Please, call me Jakob. Mister Myerwitch makes me feel old beyond words. And what was said, Lautrec, was horrid. You see, the interviewer seemed to be on a power trip, maybe seeing such a young faunus dressed to the nines made the old geezer feel some type of way. And the constant politeness of our young hero likely only fueled his anger. For the man spoke down on him, continued to berate him for every small question, and when the lad didn't break down, the interviewer grabbed our brave associate by the ear and demanded that he inform any dogs like him that they weren't welcome to work in that human establishment."

"What?" Lautrec blinked, more than a little lost in the long tale.

"Hm? Was I too indulgent in the story? The interviewer assaulted our volunteer, insulted his race, and demanded that he tell all faunus he knew that Café Supreme was not catering to faunus." Jakob shook his head with a sigh. "I know I bloated the story, but usually that's how these rallies work, you know? Speak a lot and spark the crowds anger by dramatisizing the story and dragging it out to make it seem even worse."

The boy sighed, and nodded. "No, I got it. It's just how would this have gone unnoticed for so long? That type of abuse?"

Jakob leaned against the podium moving toward the mic, tilting his head slightly. "It's not as simple as knowing that it's happening, Lautrec. We need to be able to prove it without leaving any room for it to be questioned. That's why the young man had to go into the interview with that man, while making sure he didn't know he was being recorded. Don't get me wrong, of course this type of evidence won't stand in the court of law, but we couldn't win a court case against people that resourceful anyway." He laughed mirthlessly, the empty sound ringing out like a marble in a tin can.

"You just need to damage them, weaken their support base and make them bleed money." Lautrec shook his head. "Money talks."

"That it does. And when they lose money, they'll need to start treating us right. Pay us right. Know that they can't assault us without us biting back." Jakob stood tall, and looked forward.

Lautrec did as well, and he saw now that there was a crowd forming, at least a few dozen faunus listening in on the conversation, along with a handful of humans. He hadn't even realized his quest had started, nor had he seen the crowd amass in the first place.

Jakob stared forward, his eyes steeling as he met the mass of people. "That is our goal! To remind people as cruel as Robert Grant that he cannot get away with treating us without the respect of a human. We, as a people, cannot allow our fellow man or woman to be attacked so ruthlessly nor can we allow men like Robert Grant, owner of Café Supreme, to enable that very same prejudice!"

'God... I am standing right next to this guy preaching, and man is that crowd only growing.' Another thing he didn't really like, as it turned out, was large groups of people. Even if Lautrec could tell he was, at best, a secondary target for their attention. Jakob was speaking, he was the man drawing all the attention, and so Lautrec was able to put on that cool facade, that approving and confident smile that he always found himself drawn to when he was out of his depth.

"It was only a week ago then, that it happened, a young man assaulted by an interviewer at Café Supreme for no crime other than simply wanting to work! How many of you can relate? Being down on your luck and just wanting to be able to find a job that doesn't hate you? A job that will allow you to make enough money to support you or your family? And then, I ask you all, how many times has that same job you searched for been ripped from your hands by the abuse and racial discrimination that is oh so common in today's day and age?"

Jakob's words stirred the crowd, many of the people furrowed their brows and clenched their jaws, shouting their support. It was almost awe inspiring the way Jakob was able to pull the crowd into his speech, Lautrec himself felt almost compelled to stomp and shout out along with the many people below.

"Understand that I did not come here today to spout accusations, either. I am here in front of you now as a man with proof of how the corrupted minds within Café Supreme runs deep. One of our brave volunteers interviewed with them, and recorded the entire conversation. To which we have cut down so as to not waste your time. Please, lend me your ears for only a moment longer.”

Jakob reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll, moving it close to the microphone.

“You understand that this position requires a talent you lack.” The audio started, likely near the end of the interview given how done the older man sounded, the barely hidden anger in his voice.

”But my resume is strong! I have years of experience in customer service, with respect sir, all my previous employers would absolutely vouch for me.” A second, younger voice spoke.

”Are those previous employers Faunus?”

”Most, yes, bu-“

”Then tell me why in the hell I’d trust them to tell me the truth when I ask about you? Everyone worth any salt in my position knows damn well you Faunus are all of a piece. Covering for your ‘brothas’ and ‘sistas’, pests that infect anything you touch.” The man put on a voice to mock the stereotypical Faunus dialect.

”Sir, I don’t appreciate how you’re speaking to me, it’s unbecoming of a-“

”No, what’s unbecoming are those fucking ears, stop twitching them, stop moving them, keep them still dammit!” There was a ruckus for a second, before a pained yelp would sound out from the younger man’s voice, asking the man to let go and telling the man to stop.

”Just keep them still, damn you, stop moving!” There was more crashing from the video clip, presumably the young Faunus struggling to get his ears free and the old human man fighting to keep his grip.

The clip ended then, the audio cutting off. Lautrec looked to the crowd, and he didn’t see a man in the crowd that didn’t look either uncomfortable, angry, or disgusted. When it came to things like this, everyone wore their heart on their sleeve, and Lautrec understood then that Jakob knew that. The deer Faunus looked to the crowd, seemingly meeting all their eyes at once, a strong gaze met theirs.

”Café Supreme has given men like the one abusing the poor Faunus in the recording since its inception. Will you allow them to continue this behavior?!” The crowd roared its disapproval. “Will you continue to support Café Supremes’ oppressive order over Faunus?!” The crowd was practically jumping over themselves to say no.

Lautrec had to admit, this guy was good. He managed to rally well over thirty Faunus and maybe eight or so humans to listen, to approach and to agree. Sure, most of these people probably already agreed to an extent, but he seriously doubted that they ever saw themselves jumping up and down in a small mosh pit in the middle of the Vale Square.

Not too long after that Jakob called for the handing out of White Fang flyers to those who wanted one, which was practically the entire group save for one or two.

”Join me Brothers and Sisters in revolution, to boycott Café Supreme for three hours today, we will provide food and drink for all those that stay.” Jakob called out, and then he turned to Lautrec and smiled. “Are you going to stay, Brother?”

Lautrec nodded. “Yeah, I think I will, if only to keep everyone out of trouble. Mob mentality is too dangerous to just leave now, especially when everyone feels strongly about a cause.”

Jakob took a step off of his podium, motioning for the other White Fang member to begin moving the food and drink out to the participants. “That it is, that it is. And I’m grateful for you, I doubt I’d have the confidence to scream out like that had I not had a huntsman next to me.” The man took a few steps away and grabbed some flyers of his own. “Take a few and walk around, see if you can’t convince a human or two to join our cause, they might listen to you.”

”Aye aye, cap’n. I’m on it.”

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Time skip - 3 hours

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It had just passed six in the afternoon, and Lautrec had convinced a solid eight people, talking about ethics, rights, and just making small talk to try and get to know people as they discussed the nature of Faunus rights. The sun was already meeting the horizon, and the cool breeze had begun to sweep the streets. As the young man sighed, he smiled.

[Quest Completed: The White Fang; Faunus Friend!]

[Objective: Join the White Fang rally at Vale Central at 3 P.M. and protect the faunus protestors from police brutality, help them gather some food and drink, talk to the locals about Faunus Rights.]

[Bonus Objective: Successfully convince 5 Humans to join the White Fang.]

[Rewards: +20 REP with ?, +15 REP with White Fang, +2k Lien, +23.8k XP.]

[Due to there being no attempts at Police Brutality, you were award +100 XP per unharmed Faunus Participant and not 1k XP.]

[You have Leveled up! +3 Wild Points, +5% Max Aura]

’Oh? I’m back to getting wild points for leveling? Today is full of good news.’ Lautrec stood up from the grassy hill he was sitting on, and looked to the approaching form of Jakob.

”Want to come with us, Lautrec? The White Fang usually like to celebrate such successful rallies and recruitments with a night out.” Jakob wore a friendly smile. “I’m sure everyone would feel more at ease as well, knowing that there was a hunter we could rely on."

"Hah... maybe. I was thinking about going out hunting later today, but I guess it is already too late for that." The boy thought for a moment, before nodding his agreement. "Sure, what's the worst that can happen?"