Ember Legacy, Volume 1

Chapter 5: Walking The Town

Kingdom of Vale

"If you dance with dragons, you must expect to burn."

~ George R.R. Martin, The Mystery Knight

Yang couldn't help but grin at the consternation of her companion.

To be fair, she was the cause of said consternation, after all.

"You are incredibly irritating," the Cat Faunus growled quietly, her tail bristling behind her as they walked down the cobblestone street. The early evening sun was still illuminating enough of the section of town they found themselves in, close to the rather seedy docks, so that the lamplighters were just now coming out.

"True," Yang smirked. "But you knew that already when you agreed to work for me."

Blake just let out an unamused huff as she glared at the blonde out of the corner of her eye.

"Look, when the sun sets, we can go with your contacts," Yang explained reasonably. "But for now, lemme try a few more of my own methods."

"All of which happen to be in taverns or pubs or bars," the raven-haired woman noted dryly.

Yang shrugged, once more grinning. "Eh, fringe benefit." Her facial expression reversed course as she frowned slightly then. "I never could quite figure out the differences, you know."

"Er… differences between what, exactly?"

"Between a tavern and a pub and a bar."

Blake shook her head, perplexed. "A tavern, or an inn, has rooms for people to stay. A pub usually serves food. And a bar just serves alcohol." She glanced over at Yang once more, her amber eyes glowing in the shadows cast by the buildings. "How is it there are some things you are so… uneducated on?"

The blonde shrugged again. "Oh, I dunno. Guess I just never bothered to know this kinda stuff. But that's what I have you for!" She reached out and snared the reluctant Cat Faunus in a one-armed hug. "I'm just so excited to have you as my partner!"

"Yes, likewise," Blake deadpanned, causing Yang to chuckle.

This Faunus woman was a source of endless amusement.

"Okay, let's stop here," Yang declared, releasing her amicable hold on the raven-haired woman. It was, of course, a bar. Or perhaps a pub. Maybe even a tavern, though honestly how anyone could tell from the outside was beyond her. In any case, the front of it simply read 'Crow's Nest', and she was pretty damn sure there would be someone here who knew something.

Granted, her hunches had been wrong before.

For years now, actually, but she wasn't one to let a simple thing like the past get in her way.

She shouldered her way inside, the lithe dark-clad woman following her and immediately slipping to the side, keeping to the shadows as she had at every stop so far that day. Granted, Yang cut an imposing enough figure herself that few would even have registered the rogue's entrance.

The blonde wore her usual outfit of a collared cream top over a black shirt, and over all of that was an abbreviated black jacket with mid-length sleeves. Black leather straps poked out from under her short grey skirt to attach to the tops of her black stockings, and the outfit was completed by black boots, a pair of belts, and a purple piece of fabric with lace around the edges that hung from her left hip.

Yang knew it was a unique look, but that suited her personality perfectly well.

Her lilac eyes scanned the room as various patrons glanced her way in brief interest. Among those were some who gave her leers of various vintage, including a group of Dwarves who followed up with a set of particularly lewd gestures.

Been there, done that, she snorted to herself humorously.

But at least she'd been able to dispel that one particularly persistent rumor about Dwarven males.

Her gaze rested upon one humanoid male in particular, blond and wearing only an open white vest from what she could tell. He was sitting in the back, alone at a table, and quite blatantly ignoring her presence. Though he piqued her interest briefly, it wasn't for the reason she was there.

Nobody else seemed to be giving her the correct vibe, and certainly there were no major concerns, though she would have picked up on that before she'd even entered the… pub? Yes, there was a kitchen, but no stairs leading upwards and towards bedrooms. Ergo, a pub.

She grinned to herself briefly, pleased with her newfound knowledge.

Turning towards where she could tell Blake was waiting with barely-restrained impatience, Yang sighed slightly. "Okay, well, this was a bust. I suppose we could try one of your places, then."

"Are you sure?" the Cat Faunus rogue asked levelly, one eyebrow raised. "I wouldn't want to impose upon you."

Yang blinked at her uncertainly. "You're mocking me."

"No, no, not at all. I mean, after all, you obviously hired me for my good looks alone, correct?"

The blonde snorted out a laugh. "Okay, yeah, I get it. You're the expert, I'll just let you do your thing. So, where to?"

Blake looked away, a brief flash of crimson dusting her cheeks. "Er… here is fine, actually."

"Here?"

"Yes, here."

"As in, a pub, like the ones you were just complaining about my dragging you through…"

"Yes."

"...Kinda like a tavern, though without rooms, oh, or almost like a bar, but serving food…"

"Yes, Yang."

"...And it just happens to be the one I entered."

Blake rolled her eyes, visibly trying not to growl at the smirking blonde. "Yes... Yang..." she gritted out with precise enunciation.

"Well, okay then, just wanted to be clear on that." Yang's smirk was firmly in place as she stepped aside, gesturing grandly. "After you."

Blake brushed past her, grumbling under her breath several choice opinions of Yang's parentage, mating habits, and preferred anatomical familiarity. All in extensive detail and color.

By the time the pair of them reached the back of the pub, Yang was turning red from suppressing her laughter.

Gods… all sorts of fun, this one...

They ended up standing by the table where the blond boy sat. He was still studiously ignoring them, though his left hand, the only one visible, was tapping restlessly on the top of the table next to a mug of some sort of drink.

"Sun," the raven-haired girl greeted him tersely.

He shook his head. "Sorry, don't know anyone by that name."

Blake growled quietly, leaning forward with her fists on the table's surface. "Don't give me shit about this. I know it's been awhile."

"It's been a fucking year, Blake," the boy answered with a grimace, still not meeting her gaze. "How do you expect me to act?"

"Like you're happy to see me?"

Sun stood up quickly, the chair banging to the floor behind him. Now that he was on his feet, Yang could see he wore a pair of blue trousers. Of greater significance, though, was a golden tail that swished behind him angrily. Ahh, so a Faunus… Monkey, I think?

"Why should I be happy to see you?" he snarled, his right hand clutching the end of a staff that had been lying across his lap. His face stilled quickly, causing Yang to tense up in a way that his earlier sudden movement hadn't.

"Are you here to kill me?" Sun asked, his voice deathly quiet.

"No, Sun," Blake answered through seemingly numb lips. Her face was momentarily stricken by anguish that he'd even had to suggest such a thing, but it was quickly wiped away to be replaced with her usual neutral expression.

"Then what do you want?"

"Information. This is my employer. She's looking for someone."

Sun snorted out an unamused laugh, kicking the fallen chair upright with his foot. His tail caught it and set it underneath him, and he plopped back down again. "What's in it for me, then?"

"What do you want?" Yang asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Hmm." He glanced over at her, his dark grey eyes suddenly interested. "Smart, for a Human."

"Eh, I have my moments," the blonde shrugged modestly. "So, what are you interested in?"

"Not going to offer me lien right off the bat?"

"Not unless that's what you want, no." Yang sat down and leaned forward, her chin resting on her open palm. Blake took a seat next to her, eyeing the both of them cautiously. "But I have a feeling it isn't."

Sun nodded slowly. "I trade information. I help you, you help me."

"And if you don't know what I want?"

"Well, then, you'll just have to take that chance."

Yang grinned widely, flashing her teeth. "I have a better idea. I trade you information, and if you don't know who I'm looking for, you keep your ear to the ground and your eyes open. You do find this person, then you let Blake know." She glanced aside at her companion. "I assume you two have a way to communicate, since you're apparently old buddies and all?"

Blake just nodded slightly, but Sun spoke up. "Yeah, yeah we do. Alright, deal, but my effort depends on your information."

"Fair enough." Yang sat back, interlacing her fingers behind her head. "How about… the location of a tidy little cache of gems?"

Sun smiled slightly at that. "How little?"

"Roughly half a million lien."

His smile dropped, to be replaced by a rather awestruck expression. "That's… not so little."

"Not so much, no." Yang grinned knowingly once more. "Know of a minor noble named Port?"

"Yeah, petty little retired adventurer, likes to talk people's ears off about his younger days…"

"That's the one. Master bedroom, fourth panel to the left from the window. There's a knot in the wood at about waist height, press it in."

Sun looked at her a tad suspiciously. "One, how do you know this, and two, how can I trust you?"

The blonde woman barked out a quick laugh. "Well, I know all kinds of strange shit, best not to ask. And as for trusting me?" She tossed her hair over her shoulder negligently as she dropped her hands back down. "Well, I certainly wouldn't trust me. Figure it out for yourself. I'm sure you're only gonna use it to trade to someone else, anyways. Now, you ready to hear what I want?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

Yang nodded, resting both of her arms on the table in front of her. "I'm looking for a girl. Can't tell you her description as I've never met her. But she'll likely be young, or at least around my age or so. But the one thing that will set her apart is her presence."

"Her… presence?" Sun asked skeptically.

"Yes." Yang leaned forward slightly and allowed the crimson to color her eyes briefly. "Her presence."

"I see," Sun replied, licking his lips uncertainly. "Okay, then… Yeah, obviously I don't know anyone like that, but I'll let you know, or at least I'll let Blake know, okay?"

"Sounds good!" she replied cheerfully. Standing, Yang gave him a brilliant smile. "Pleasure doing business!"

"Right… you too…"

Yang turned and headed over to the bar, sensing that her companion was following her as Sun slipped out the front entrance. The blonde hopped onto a stool, motioning the bartender over. She wanted something to drink before the inevitable questioning started.

"You don't even know what she looks like?"

Orrr… we could just dive right into the questions.

"Nope, sorry," she replied levelly, greeting the Gnomish bartender with a grin. "Two meads, please."

"Make mine a wine, Mistralian green," Blake interjected crossly.

"Well, the meads were both mine, but yeah, okay. Add in a wine for the lady here."

The Gnome grunted at them, his beady eyes evidently satisfied with their ability to pay for their tab. As he waddled to the side to grab appropriate glassware, Yang peeked over the edge of the bar, confirming that the short man had a raised plank to walk across.

"So, explain this to me," Blake tried again. "She's your sister, but you don't know what she looks like."

"That about sums it up, yep."

"What about her name?"

"No, not even that."

"And… you don't know where on all of Remnant she could be?"

Blake's amber eyes were a little wild at this point, as if she were seriously regretting throwing her lot in with what must have seemed to be a rather deranged women with highly unrealistic delusions of her own investigative abilities.

Yang shrugged once more, snagging the handle on the mug that was slid her way. She chugged the mead quickly, slamming it down just in time to catch the second one. "I'll know her when I see her and talk to her," she replied, finishing off her statement with a loud belch.

"You are impossible," Blake muttered.

"So I've been told."

The raven-haired rogue sighed as she lifted her goblet, swirling it around before she took a sip. Her eyes closed in satisfaction, bleeding away a considerable amount of her ire.

"Why am I even here?' she asked quietly.

Briefly, Yang wondered if she were thinking rhetorically, or perhaps even existentially, but decided to err on the side of caution and go with the literal for a change. "Because I need your skills and your knowledge."

"So far, all I've done is point you in someone's direction."

"And that's been enough, as you say, so far. There's more you can tell me, though."

Blake nodded slowly, taking another sip of her malachite-colored wine. "Such as?"

Staring into her mug, Yang pursed her lips. There were a number of things she still hadn't uncovered, unsure as to what could be relevant to her stay there in Vale. Or what could possibly lead her to new clues.

But there was one particular bit of information that had been vexing her for some time now.

"Does the name… Torchwick... mean anything to you?" Yang asked, glancing at Blake out of the corner of her eye to judge her reaction.

Sure enough, the Cat Faunus stiffened slightly, and her immediate look of chagrin indicated she realized Yang had caught that.

"Yes," Blake murmured.

At that, Yang turned halfway around on her stool, gesturing for the Cat Faunus to continue.

Her companion sighed softly, resuming in the same quiet murmur so as not to attract attention.

"Roman Torchwick is the head of the Thief's Guild. Human male, in his forties or so, very connected, just recently rose to his position after the previous Guildmaster was… removed."

"Hmm," Yang mused. "And by 'removed', you mean assassinated."

"Quite likely, yes."

"And you're part of the Thief's Guild."

Blake nodded somberly, answering even though it was clearly a rhetorical question. "I am."

"Don't seem to like him much."

The Cat Faunus screwed up her face, which Yang actually thought to be pretty adorable, not that she'd ever tell the reticent rogue that.

"I… have some objections regarding the new direction he's taken the Guild."

"Ahhh," Yang sighed softly. "Now we're getting to what I want to know. What is this 'new direction' you mention?"

Blake took another sip of her wine, closing her eyes briefly. "There have been numerous… incidents. Seemingly sloppy robberies with coincidental fatalities. But they're not, they are very targeted."

"And what do you find objectionable?" Yang asked, sincerely curious.

"We are not the Assassin's Guild," Blake spat out heatedly, her amber eyes flashing with barely suppressed anger.

The blonde nodded, opening her mouth to ask some more questions, but she quickly froze.

Something… no, someone was coming.

Briefly she felt an elation that it might be her sister, but before the front door to the pub had even opened she was able to discern who exactly it was. Or rather, the pair of familiar someones.

"Oum's blood," she growled, turning in her stool to face the door and leaning back on her elbows. "Blake, get on the other side of me, away from the door."

"What-"

"Do it, now!" she hissed. "No sudden moves. And don't say a fucking thing unless I tell you to, got me?"

Blake clamped her lips shut, noiselessly slipping to the other side of Yang as ordered, wine in hand. The blonde did peripherally note with some humor that the rogue had slipped a knife into her free, concealed hand.

But her focus right now was on the door, waiting for it to open.

When it did, a rather unassuming pair of individuals strode in as if they owned the establishment. The first one through was a tanned slender girl with shoulder-length light green hair and crimson eyes, dressed in a brown halter top that exposed her abdomen, short white leggings, and sandals with straps that laced halfway up her calf. The hilts of twin long daggers showed behind her waist, attached to a leather belt with an ornate buckle.

The second person to enter was about Yang's height, with slate grey hair and matching eyes. He was dressed all in black and grey, from the jacket to his shirt to his trousers and boots. He did not, as she expected, appear to be armed.

The pair didn't hesitate at all in approaching Yang, though they slowed to a halt at a respectable distance from where she slouched.

Well, at least they're cautious this time. Took 'em long enough to learn.

"Emerald, Mercury," she greeted them nonchalantly. "Been awhile."

"Not long enough," the green-haired girl growled. "What are you doing in our town, Yang?"

"Your town?" Yang laughed lightly. "Oh, well now, that's news. Are you the welcoming committee, or the bouncers? 'Cause I sure as Oum know you ain't the ones in charge."

"You know the two of us can take you on," Mercury stated levelly.

"Maybe," Yang smirked. "But here? In front of all these… witnesses? You willing to go there?"

"Oh, I am so willing to go there, you piece of Kobold-shit," Emerald snarled eagerly, reaching behind her.

Yang's smirk widened as Mercury placed a restraining hand on his companion. He didn't say anything, but if the look of pain that flashed across Emerald's face was any indication, he had her arm in an iron grip.

"Lemme make this easy for you," Yang stated with a bored tone to her voice. "I'm not setting up… shop. Or anything of the like. Just passing through like before."

"This isn't Atlas," Emerald gritted out, pain lacing her words.

"No, and that means he doesn't have the advantage here," she retorted, inclining her head towards the male.

Mercury finally released the green-haired girl, stepping in front of her as she sagged back slightly. "You going to cause trouble?" he inquired. His grey eyes briefly flashed a dark violet color.

"Not unless you do," she retorted, allowing her own eyes to flash crimson in warning.

The grey-haired man gave her a brief nod, then turned and pushed Emerald ahead of him. The pair left without further incident, allowing Yang to release a large sigh of relief.

"What was that all about?" Blake asked, her voice subdued.

The blonde simply turned and tossed back the rest of her drink, signaling the Gnome for another.

"Yang…"

"I need you to promise me something, kitten," Yang began, her serious tone belying the playful nickname. "If you ever see either of those two again, and I'm not with you, you run. Doesn't matter who you're with or what you're doing, you run and don't look back."

"Will you at least-"

"No, Blake. Swear this to me, and then let the matter drop. Please."

The Cat Faunus sighed as she faced the bar once more, finishing off her wine. "Very well, Yang. I swear it."

"Thank you," the blonde murmured into her fresh mug.

Still, after that encounter, she felt incredibly off-kilter. Restless, even, her adrenaline having been raised with no outlet for release.

"Know what we need?" Yang stated with the beginning of a grin.

Blake glanced over at her companion, nonplussed. "Er, what?"

"A bar fight."

"We… do?"

"Absolutely," Yang continued, her grin widening. "Just the thing to cheer us up."

"I honestly can say I don't need cheered up all that much."

"Oh, sure you do. All that pent-up energy and moping…"

"Yang, I do not mope."

"Yep, you're a mopey kitten."

"I swear to Oum, Yang…"

"Now, now," the blonde snickered, Blake's irritated glare sliding off of her like water. "Save that for the brawl."

"Can you at least allow me to leave first?"

"Mmmm… nope." Yang turned around to regard the trio of Dwarves who had leered at her earlier. "Hey, mud-digger! I hear your mother was a beardless Orc-lover!"

"Oum's sodding balls," Blake groaned, sliding off of her stool. Just in time, as it turned out, to avoid the chair thrown by an enraged Dwarf.

The melee that ensued was remarkable for a number of reasons. First was the sheer size of the brawl, as Yang had the uncanny ability to piss off people regardless of gender, race, or determination to stay out of the fight. Also there was Blake's rather impressive abilities, which Yang managed to keep an eye on even as she was tossing bar patrons onto tables or through walls. As she slammed her fist into the bearded face of one of the Dwarves, she spied the Cat Faunus somersaulting over the heads of a pair of Humans wielding makeshift clubs. As she soared over, she brought their heads smacking together, rendering the two of them unconscious.

But perhaps the most notable feature of the bar brawl was Yang herself.

The golden bruiser waded gleefully through the combatants, seemingly unable to be touched. She fought with her bare knuckles only, but her prodigious strength pummeled anyone who stood in her way. Eventually people would quail away from her in fear rather than face her wrath, no matter how much they would normally loom over her in height.

Eventually, as the sounds of fierce roars were replaced by pitiful whimpers and moans of pain, only Yang and Blake remained on their feet. The latter was panting heavily, the sleeve of her purple blouse torn and her hair disheveled.

The blonde, on the other hand, looked as if she'd just had the time of her life.

"See?" she exulted, grabbing her companion around her shoulders and giving her a one-armed hug. "Just what we needed!"

"You…" Blake gasped, still trying to get her breathing under control, "...are… deranged…"

"Flatterer," Yang snorted, hauling the raven-haired girl over towards the bar where the Gnome was cowering behind still. She pulled out a handful of lien coins, tried counting them out but eventually just shrugged and slapped the whole handful down on the counter.

Without another word she turned, Blake still being towed along, and exited the bar.

After a block, Blake shrugged the blonde's arm off of her shoulder and glanced at her, an unreadable look in her amber eyes as she tried to straighten her torn sleeve and adjust her black leather vest.

"How is it you can be that strong?" the Cat Faunus inquired. "I saw you toss two fully-grown Human males, at the same time, across the room."

Yang graced her with a cheeky grin. "It's all the country air where I grew up. Did wonders for me."

The raven-haired girl snorted inelegantly. "You are so full of Ogre-shit."

"So I've been told."

A/N: Hmm, more players emerge, but not the ones we expected, eh? Don't worry, Em and Merc will make future appearances… Oh, and in case it wasn't obvious, Yang's default outfit for this fic is her Hunter variant.

No update for Pearls this week, so figured I'd advance this story a little bit. Next chapter, let's add the last pair to the party...

Hugs to my Betas for this story, KellyConnely and PandaAnimeLover! Plus much love and Cat Faunus cuddles to those who have reviewed: Heil96, AntonSlavik020, FoxyFoxation, Martin Hooper1, Arcredemption, Commando2341 and Wolfenheart. Thank you all for the kind words, and I'm glad Jeanne has been so well received so far!

Stay shiny!