[Bianca Sabbato]

The news brought to us by Alice had sincerely disturbed me, not only a full fledged factory producing drugs en masse. But also combat enhancing drugs that were also extremely dangerous to the user itself... Yeah, it wasn’t hard to see how something like that under control of a street gang would become something really nasty really quick.

Luckily, I had a few rags that would pass in the ground district without deserving a second look. Fumbling between my sparse clothes, I settled on some loose gray sweatpants baggy enough for me to hide my tail wrapping it around one of my legs and still being able to wear them comfortably.
For the rest I opted for a simple black tank-top that showed a little midriff and a hooded gray jacket. For my hair... I was actually in a conundrum, tentatively, I reached for it with a knife in hand, asking myself if cutting my dreads off was worth it or not.

-Yeah right, fuck that-

I finally decided to simply put a black bandana over my head and hide the rest under the hoodie. I also put myself a neck warmer that I could easily use to hide my face if needed.

Reaching the room of the girl named Kishka, I joined her as we waited for the last member of the reconnaissance group, a faunus named Alice who had been the one to come out with the whole Koorlander drugs thing in the first place.

-Sup. I’m Bianca, pleasure to know you. I’ve already prepared but if you think I should use some makeup, I won’t say no- I greeted her while going straight to the point, there would be a better time to make proper introductions.
I had already procured myself a spare spear from the training grounds which currently I carried strapped on my back (Which would made it difficult for the people in the ground district to recognize me since I usually carried it on my shoulder).

-I use a spear, am a lizard faunus and my semblance is earth manipulation- I announced opening my jacket to reveal bags of dirt hidden on its internal pockets. -This probably will work better if I also know what you can do beforehand- Once Alice arrived, I would repeat the procedure with her and ask her what she could do as well. —Well ladies, arriving at the motel should be a piece of cake, we’ll stick to the streets and areas that are safe at day so as long as we don’t attract unnecessary attention we should be fine-

Checking out their outfits, I smiled a little to give everyone (Including myself) some encouragement. —I’m sure you’ll like the motel. It’s... an interesting place-

We were greeted by a hideous abomination of a building. 4 stories tall and coated from top to bottom with eye-pinching bright pink and purple paint. With ample windows jealously shut with heavy blinds and some balconies facing the outward side of the structure.
Passing by a couple of palm trees (Seriously, how did they got those was beyond my comprehension) we entered an equally offensive looking reception were an octogenarian lady waited patiently behind a desk with a phone on her lap and a smile on her face.

-My. Oh, my. Do my eyes deceive me? Is that lil’...?-

-I don’t go by that anymore, miss Fucsia- I cut out the elderly woman before she could say something inconvenient.

-Very well. Very well, and what brings you to my humble abode?- Intoned Licandra Fucsia with the touch of theatricality that was so characteristic of her.

-Your usual. Do you have any regular room free? Top floor if possible-

-Of course youngling, how much time do you need?-

-At least 8 hours, if we need more time we will pay you once the moment arrives.-

Taking a look at my numerous companions, the old lady flashed me a toothless smile like that of a catfish. -Ohhh, looking to get busy in there are you?-

-Believe me... You wouldn’t... Want to know- I told her intoning every world with the care it deserved.

-Ohh, Don't I?- The woman said with a glint of her eyes that told me that she had read between my worlds effortlessly

-Yes, you don’t- I said striking the but of my spear against the floor while my severe gaze was fixed on her. Better for the hag not to get any brilliant ideas.After measuring my gaze with her own, the old lady finally surrendered and conceded with a grave nod.

-And, Fucsia... We are not to be disturbed in any way, least something bad happens-

-Very well girl, you have my word- And with that, the woman took the accorded amount of Lien for the service and left us to our own devices with 2 copies of the keys to the room 31

-Don’t you worry about that old fart. Neutral or not, she knows what tends to happen around here to people with a penchant for talking more than what they should... Let’s just say they’re not very well-received-

Once inside the room, I couldn’t help but sigh... The entirety of it was comprised by a few drawers, a small table with plastic stools, a surely broken tv, some miscellaneous decorating on the walls and a bathroom I honestly didn’t want to check out... Where did people slept tough? Well on the family-sized bed of course!

On the big as balls, brightly red, cheap soap smelling, rose petal coated, mint under the pillows, fucking heart shaped bed that made up for a considerable portion of habitable space on its own.

-Goodness sake Fucsia... I asked for a regular room- I murmured to myself, utterly defeated.

Wanting to cleanse my eyes from all of that... That. I went to the balcony, motioning my faunus and human companions to follow me as I took out a sizable piece of paper representing a map that I had copied with the school printer.

This motel in special had not been pickled based on whim, but because it was just a couple streets away from a most interesting area I though could house this mysterious factory Alice had told us about. As I handed the map to them, I rehearsed in my mind the explanation I had already given to them before arriving at the motel.

The zone was an old industrial park where now most buildings were dilapidated corpses of their former selves, from shampoo and tobacco to flour and heavy metal. Still, some factories were still up and running even to this day, so the loud noise of hard-working men and women along the roar of mechanic contraptions still running was as omnipresent as the smell of smoke that coated the air.

Of the few areas Bianca still keep tabs on, some of them were classified as permanent neutral zones like the streets leading to Fucsia’s motel or other important services like the street that housed the firefighting station, the cemetery, the general hospital and the like. If you didn’t cause trouble on these places you could consider yourself as safe as you could be on the ground level.

Others were territories with a lifelong tradition of belonging to a specific mobster family or large criminal organization. In these places you’d have to pay a toll (Often in the form of multiple robberies) to pass without fighting or in some cases you may even be let go as you wanted unless you were a member of a rival organization.

This industrial park was neither, a zone well beyond any form of permanent power were basically everything could happen as far as the faunus girl could tell. Zone had been contested last time the girl bothered to keep track, so now it was a mystery what they could expect there.

-Hey Kishka, you mentioned a certain Francis on the chat room earlier that had a place on the ground district, think he could help us locate exactly where the Koorlander building is?- At that moment I really wished I had brought binoculars.

-We could ask around, but with Koorlander’s reputation and the possibility the factory is under control of the 15K... Maybe we won’t get a lot of responses-


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1377/1377 Words

[Kishka Burzanova]

KISHKA BURZANOVA

Was it weird that this was almost like a relief to Kishka? Coming off the heels of Rochdale, and the Vytal Festival, there had been a huge lull for her, where nothing much was really happening. It was nice at first- a welcome reprieve. But after a day or two, she was restless, itching for something to do. Something worthwhile. And then, just as she was scrolling through the school chat, she came across some news from Alice- she remembered her from their stakeout mission together, and from that brief interaction, she got the feeling that she was the earnest sort. Not the type to go lying about something that could be as big as this. Apparently there were some gang members in the Ground District that were running around with weird strength-enhancing drugs. It was a pretty disgusting thought to the lavender-haired girl. Or well. Formerly lavender-haired; she'd gotten her hands on some temporary dye, and was now rocking jet black. Dye on dye- She was already dreading how the black was going to fade in a week or so, and leave her with her natural white hair poking through before the black was gone enough to get her usual light purple back, instead of some way darker mix of the two dyes. Annoying, but necessary. She wasn't exactly one to keep a low profile, normally. But tangent aside, the idea of using some crazy drug to get stronger was revolting to her. It was cheating. If it weren't for that aspect, she'd have been fine just letting the proper authorities handle things. But as it was, she felt like the matter was serious, and should be dealt with immediately. Besides, the others would have insisted on going ahead with their harebrained schemes even if she hadn't decided to throw her lot in with theirs. And that just wouldn't do- she didn't know them all personally, but she was positive that few, aside from Clover, and arguably now Alice, had been on any real missions. And from what she knew of Alice, she doubted the girl was as skilled as herself, and she damn well that Carmim couldn't be trusted with something as delicate as this. That idiot would only fuck everything up, she was sure of it. Shaking her head, she finished changing into her outfit for the "mission." It wasn't exactly sanctioned by the school, and they'd probably get in trouble if they weren't fast enough, or successful enough. But assuming they succeeded and made some steps towards bringing down the gangs using the drug, then they'd be doing pretty damn good for themselves, and the academy would be forced to acknowledge that they made the right call, with her at the helm. A knock at the door alerted her to the others' arrival, just as she finished applying a bit of her stage makeup. Nothing too extravagant- just some dirt smudges, a faded bruise on one cheek, and a few dark lines under the eyes. Taking a last-second glance in the mirror, she almost didn't recognize herself- in an unpleasant sense, she half-reminded herself of Nasrin, if Nasrin were a little more homeless. The scruffy stage makeup, freshly dyed black hair kept unkempt and tucked into a grey beanie, with a plain grey hoodie and black denim jeans. Red and white sneakers that looked a little nicer than someone who looked like her could afford- anyone who noticed them would probably peg them as stolen, which was definitely the aesthetic she was looking for. That sort of "Ground District street rat" chic. And tucked into her pants pocket was a plain old extendable umbrella- easy to conceal, and surprisingly sturdy, though not nearly as nice as her own Lucky 13. Honestly, aside from the hair and makeup, she didn't look much different than she used to, as a teen, skulking around the Ground District in acts of stupid teenage rebellion. Not so bad for a spoiled Cloudhead, huh, Pinky? She grinned to herself before opening the door to let Bianca in. She'd never met the girl before, but she had seamlessly jumped right into a leadership role in the group, thanks to her apparent knowledge of the Ground District, and the company they were looking for. Clearly the kind of person who was straight to the point, and her introduction confirmed that assumption. Hopefully she didn't have the kind of ego Kishka often saw in people as confident and self-assured as her; the last thing they needed was a tug-of-war for dominance, out in the field. She nodded, affirming the other girl's simple and direct greeting, before returning the favor. "Kishka Burzanova. I'm sure you've seen my fights in the Festival, but in case you hadn't, my weapon of choice is an umbrella, and my semblance lets me move objects with my mind. Like I said in the chat, I'm leaving my ordinary weapon here, so I won't have my ranged capabilities, but I'd say I'm arguably the most skilled melee fighter among the First Year class. Ideally, we won't be engaging in combat, but in the event that we do-" She grinned, cool, and with the self-assurance of a seasoned veteran. Which, debatably, she might well be considered, after Rochdale. "I can handle my own." Alice entered, and Kishka observed Bianca's repeated introduction to her, though Kishka didn't bother doing the same- Alice had worked with her in the past, and should know her abilities well enough from that experience. She was likewise passingly familiar with hers. She nodded, agreeing to Bianca's plan as they set out for the motel. ...And almost regretted it, as they arrived. She couldn't help crinkling her nose a little at the outward appearance of the place- it was atrocious. An absolute eyesore that wouldn't be seen anywhere remotely close to the Cloud. And the owner wasn't much better to look at. Kishka did her best to stay in the background, out of the way- taking on a don't-give-a-fuck posture, as she idly stared up at the ceiling with hands in her pockets. She didn't really pay much mind to the little exchange between the lizard faunus and the old lady- wasn't like she'd never seen anything like it before. Contrary to the impressions she gave off, and the jabs at Nasrin's stomping grounds she made in the school chatrooms, she had spent some time in Ground. Enough to know a little bit, at least, even if it was still a conscious effort for her to try and fit in among the locals- her head wanted to be held a bit too high, and her stride, a bit too long, every now and then when the mask slipped a hair. She at least fit in better than Clover, anyways. Once Bianca got the keys, she followed her up to the room. Which was just as tacky and cringe-inducing as the rest of the building. Still, she couldn't exactly expect any less from the slums. "Nice place..." She didn't want to know what those stains on the bed were from... Or the ones on the floor, for that matter. She shook her head, with a clearly revolted expression, that gave way to one of relief as they stepped out into the cool, not-so-fresh, air on the balcony. She listened carefully to Bianca's descriptions and thoughts on where the factory might be, as she looked over the map. The industrial zone seemed pretty big, so to think they were looking around there... Well, it was a lot of area to comb over, that was for sure... Luckily, Bianca came to the same thought she had, at about the same time. She nodded. "Yeah, Francis runs a bar down here. The Cutting Edge. The place got totaled by an absolute jackass in a bar fight a few months back, but I heard he got it rebuilt not too far back. Not hard to do when the place was half-assed together to start with, honestly. Not sure if he'd know much about Koorlander, but it'd worth a shot. We can head there first, if you want, see if he knows anything, and if he doesn't, maybe someone there might. Any rate, it's a better lead than asking bums on the street corner." She hoped like hell they weren't going to resort to asking bums on the street corner. That shit sounded sketch as fuck. Still, while they were camped out at the motel, as gaudy as it was, she wasn't in any real hurry to leave until the other two were satisfied with a plan of action. No sense rushing off a minute after they just got there, after all. But if they were ready, then she'd be perfectly fine with leading their little trio a few blocks over, just past the quick stop, to Francis's place. Fortunately, she'd remember to bring a couple Lien in her back pocket. Not much, because she wasn't stupid, but definitely enough for a shot or two, and a bit of info.

Notes// scooby doo time | Tagged// @likezoinks | Aura// 100% | WC// 1520 | TWC// 1520

✬

[*place holder*]

Always remember to smile!

❝

To say that things had gotten out of hands would have been the understatement of the year. Even as the young wolf Faunus walked toward the agreed-upon meeting spot of Kishka's room she wasn't quite sure how things ended up like this. It has just started as a simple question about some shady company and even shadier deals had turned into a whole other monster. The more she talked to others more the worry build in the back of her mind about everything she had learn and the worry only grew more with how little she head since turning over the information. While she wasn't dumb enough to think that she would be kelp in the loop of an investigation she had hoped to hear something on the news or something about a drug bust! Something!

A small part of her wasn't so sure that the police and others had believed her story about some craze gang banger hype up on some drug that turned him into a monster. Worst all she had to show for it was a few dead bodies and a Bull Faunus bleeding from every hole in his body. She couldn't even find whatever the man had used to inject himself with the drug. To sink her ship, even more, the only person who could back up her story was the damn person in the mask that no one had even the slightest clue who they were. No matter how much Alice tries to leave it all alone as she was asked to do she just couldn't. The thought of those drugs being out on the street was enough to give her chills.

Which was why she wasn't stupid enough to ever think she could do this alone. While she might not have originally planned on it she was more than willing to join in this fool errand that somehow got started. Which is how she found herself outside the door to Kishka's room giving it a few knocks before entering. Alice knew Kishka from both a previous mission as well as the festival so she was quite sure she knew what to expect from her and vice versa. Bianca, on the other hand, wasn't so sure of as of yet. With a smile, she greeted the two after entering. "Sup! I'm Alice, guess you already know that, but yeah. I'm a spear user as well but didn't really bring one with me, but don't worry. My semblance is Picnokinesis. Basically condenses my aura so unless we run into some monsters I can hold my own in a fistfight." Flashing a grin at the two girls with a wink.

Just like the others, Alice did her best to dress so to stand out as little as possible. That being a plain black tee with an over-size bomber jacket that once belonged to her oldest brother. Thanks to its size and were and tear she looked more than a little down on her luck. Matched with the not store-bought faded jeans and worn-out running shoes to completed the whole runaway look. The only part she didn't like was the gray beanie she had to wear to hide her ears. Still, it did the job of masking who she really was, or so she hoped at least.

Hearing the plan Alice with a nod held the door open for the two. "Then I'll follow your lead." And lead the way she did as Alice was almost starting to question this whole plan standing in front of, she guess, to be the motel? Not knowing what else to do or say Alice just did her best to fade into the background as Bianca spoke to the front desk lady. It was if nothing else, indeed an interesting place on both the outside and inside. Now Alice had stayed in some cheap place in the past while traveling from her village to the city on convoys, but this one was definitely at the top of her list when it came to sketchy. She might even hesitate to guess this was one of the famous "Pay by the hours" sort of places.

Either way, she was greatly thankful they weren't getting it to sleep in. This became doubly so once she saw their room and the oversize heart shape bed taking up much of the room. "Hah. Little disappointed there not a mirror over it..." She couldn't help joke as she joined the others out on the balcony. Trying her best to avoid stepping on some questionable spots and think about anything other than what her nose was picking up. With some fresh air back inside of Alice leans on the railing as she listens to the other two noddings along.

"Its a better start then just walking up to folks. Mask and I did a number on the 15K a few nights ago so they most likely are keeping an ear out for people asking any questions." Growing a little quiet as the night came back to her in a rush as she started to rub her hand on her pants leg. A warm sticky feeling still felt before she shook her head. "I rather start somewhere we at least know there not a 100% chance of someone running off to rat us out. Maybe we can find out which of the abandoned factories the gangs have been seen around." After all, any information is good info when you know jack shit about the area. Pushing off the railing Alice took a moment the shake her body and stretch. Stepping back in to check herself in any mirrors she could find before joining the others.

 ● 945 ● word count

MADE BY MIZO

[Bianca Sabbato]

The human seemed to be pretty confident on her own fighting abilities in regard to the other first year students... Whatever, if that was her roll I wouldn’t get in her hair about it. I had noticed in our chat conversation that this Kishka girl seemed the one to put herself in the spotlight, and the bravado and confidence that she showed when we meet kind of confirmed that.

... It looked a little fake to me, like she was doing it consciously... But it was not my problem to be completely honest, if the others hadn’t challenged her leadership I was not going to be the first one to do it for obvious reasons. Even so, I tough necessary to make it clear from the beginning, as to not be faced with improvised tests of judgement and discreet challenges in the middle of the operation.

-By the way Kishka, It would be stupid on my part to try to take the reins on this one since I practically know no one in our group. So if you’re okay with it, I would like for you or Alice to call the shots on this op since you know how all the students operate- People tended to underestimate the value of a well-established and respected chain of command, even in a small group as ours. As it saves a gang the effort of having to think when they should be acting. So unless this girl ended up being an idiot I would do as she said.

I greeted the faunus girl with the same amount of professionalism that I had granted Kishka, there would be other time for friendly get together and shit. But now we were in business mode so better to keep things simple and easy to understand. I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what kind of faunus was she. Judging from her beanie probably something with distinctive ears or horns. Anyway, the fact that I couldn’t tell was a good thing on its own, it meant no enemies would be able to tell either.

Well... To be honest I had no Idea what pictokinesis meant or what “condensing aura” entailed, but if the girl said she could handle it, she could handle it. I knew that if worst came to worst I could try to compact my earth to create a stone spear for her to use as long as I kept myself close to her.

..
...

Back at the balcony, things were going as copacetic as they could, Kishka’s idea seemed fine and Alice had no problems with it so it looked like we were doing that.

-If Fucsia hasn’t put any mirrors in here, I assure you it’s more because of a lack of Lien than an unwillingness on her part- I absentmindedly commented as I used the but of my replacement spear to gently depress on corner on the mattress eliciting a squishy wet sound whose origin I honestly didn’t want to know. —Damn, I’d prefer to do it on a corn field before giving this place a chance...-

Shaking some unsavory images from my mind, I started making my way to the door if everyone else agreed with the plan. The familiar nervousness of retracing my paces in a known land invaded me like a creeping sensation in the back of my head... Fear of being recognized was a slow and insidious killer that ironically would make me worse at keeping my facade if I let it take hold of me.

Sighing deeply, I couldn’t fail to notice my faunus companion giving herself a little check on the bathroom mirror, maybe I was not the only one nervous for our incoming endeavor -You’re fine girl, look like a total heart breaker already- I teased jokingly to alleviate the building tension in our little group, or maybe just the one in myself.

Exiting the building, I gave the owner a nod of recognition as we made our way to the “Cutting edge” And I not for the fist time tough of how cute it was for establishments on the ground area to have such edgy or hardcore names.

What I did not do, however, was to stay idle on my way there, for as I walked I was actively using my power to draw as much earth I could to my proximity without making it obvious. Small formations no bigger than a coin jumping from corner to corner in a way that most people would take them for flies of mosquitoes. Thin lines of dirt creeping in the shadows like worms and cockroaches, even small particles that I deposited into my clothing (And discretely, in those of my companions) to have a reserve as big as I could get in case a confrontation would take place.

After all, every little detail counted, and an extra gram or two of compressed earth could mean the difference between a projectile piercing a bulletproof vest and bouncing harmless from an enemy.


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831/2208  Words.

[Kishka Burzanova]

KISHKA BURZANOVA

She smiled as Bianca entrusted her with the position of leader. Of course, there was no real alternative; and in fact, she had made that abundantly clear via the group chat. She was on this off-the-books mission to act as team lead, and it was a duty she planned on taking very seriously. She'd seen Bianca and Alice's Vytal fights, and was aware that they were at least decent combatants, but she hadn't seen much leadership coming from either of them. Maybe it was simply lack of opportunity to showcase those skills, but it definitely seemed to her that they would do much better with someone else taking the reins and calling the shots. Once Bianca and Alice were agreed on going to check out Francis's place first, Kishka gave a little nod, and lead them back out through the horror show that was allegedly called a motel. It was seriously disgusting that they had to base their operation out of a shithole like that, to be honest. But it did get the job done, as did their less than stellar fashion choices. Actually... She briefly wondered whether or not Alice and Bianca dressed this way on a regular basis. She didn't often pay much mind to clothing choices that weren't super outlandish, so she had a hard time recalling what their normal attire was like. Certainly nothing like her own clothing- as far as she could tell, neither of them were from the Cloud District, and so neither of them were very likely to own the kind of clothes she wore on a normal day. Once back out on the streets, it was simple enough to orient herself to her surroundings, after a moment of trying to recall which way the Cutting Edge actually was, in relation to the motel. It helped that she had been in the Ground District a bit before. Mostly back in her Sanctum days; she knew the seedier parts of Argus way better, but when she came home to the Cloud, she never stayed long. And Francis's bar was one of her hangouts back then. The old bastard didn't take any shit, and he didn't especially care too much about checking IDs, as long as you had the Lien- it was good enough for her, back when she was trying to be a street punk, just as long as she didn't start too many fights outside his place. Which she inevitably did. After a bit of walking, the trio came upon the new and improved Cutting Edge, this time featuring four whole walls, as opposed to the more open setup of the original bar, pre-Solomon Moon. Damn, she wanted to kick that fucker's ass... Hopefully she could, someday. It took Frank a good few months to get a new place up and running again. It didn't look terrible, for a Ground District venue, really. Same smithy-themed decor, like the place was once an old forge. Hell, even the same burnt charcoal smell. Seemed the anvil had survived, anyways, as had the hulking warhammer hanging up behind the bar. In front of it stood the man of the hour himself: Francis. The grizzled barkeep tossed a curious glance in their direction as they entered, not bothering to stop wiping down the mug in his hand. Kishka stepped right up to the bar, evoking a sigh from the tall man before she could even speak. "Gracing us with your presence, huh? I'd say I'm surprised to see you here again, but I'm not. Better not cause me any trouble today, princess" She rolled her eyes. "How the hell did you recognize me so fast?" "Nobody else just struts in here, kid.What's with the getup? Daddy cut you off?" Electric storms glared back at him, like purple daggers. She opened her mouth for a rebuttal, but Francis didn't give her the chance. "Usual?" She sighed. It had been so long since the last time she'd been here- she'd forgotten how irritating he could be. "Make it a single- here for business, not pleasure." He nodded gruffly and reached to the top shelf for a bottle of what was probably the nicest thing he stocked, and easily bottom shelf in the ritzy Cloud joints- Burzanova Silver, her family's budget line of vodka. Not her favorite, but it beat the hell out of anything else on the menu. He poured a shot of that, and a shot of likely-watered-down coffee liqueur over ice, and slid it over to his only customer of the moment, as she tossed a few Lien on the counter for him. He glanced up at Bianca and Alice, as if finally noticing their presence. "You two want anything?" Whatever they answered, he'd make the drinks while Kishka talked. "So Francis, we're here looking for information. And I figured if anyone would know something, you might, yeah?" "Maybe. I could be persuaded. Ain't got as much business as I used to, since this place got a reputation for gettin' smashed up. You damn Haven kids caused that, y'know." She groaned and slid a few more bills across the counter, before knocking back a swallow of her drink. "Koorlander. Old drug company down here in Ground. Know anything?" "Like I said, maybe. What do you wanna know?" Kishka nodded in Alice's direction; she was the one who knew the most about what was going on, and what they were trying to find, so it made since to let her ask the questions. "Alice?"

Notes// good ol frank | Tagged// @underagedrinkinghellyeah | Aura// 100% | WC// 923 | TWC// 2443

✬

[*place holder*]

Always remember to smile!

❝

Staring into the mirror Alice adjusted the cap for the hundred times that day. She honestly could not help it when she was not doing anything to take her mind off it. While it did its job of hiding her ears, she could not say the same for it comfort levels. Not to memento it oddly made her feel trapped of all things. Like how it felt when someone held your arm in place for too long. Either way, it was just something she would just have to get over.

It seemed the other faunus was not the shy sort as they joked about the room along with her. “Cornfield? Better then some cold wall…” She paused quickly shutting up as she shook her head. “Umm forget I said that!” As she once again pulled the cap back down with a grumble. “You think? Don’t know if that’s a good thing or not then.” She gave Bianca a smirk back at of comment pushing away from the mirror. She was tired of fusing with it and it seemed the others were ready to go as well.

As they once again slipped back onto the streets Alice went back at doing her best to fit in and not stand out. Hands in pockets with a nice slow pace behind Kishka and Bianca as they walked. Only ever so offend peeking around at the few people they passed by or those that seemed to be watching. Then a group of ladies walking offends caught the eyes of guys. For better or worst. Either way Alice did not really care as they thankfully made it to the bar Kishka had spoken about.

Thankfully, it seems it was a slow day for the bar without too many day drinkers as the trios approach the grizzled barkeep. Coming to a stop next to Kishka Alice could not help raising an eyebrow as it seemed the man picked her out instantly. Either Kishka was well known to the man or to the area to be picked and Alice hoped it was only the first. Still, she left it up to the team leader as she took a seat at the bar eyeing the hulking Warhammer. Wondering if it was for show or maybe this old man was more than just some barkeeper.

It seemed the two went a bit back with how Kishka spoke, but to be fair Alice did not know her team leader that much outside of their few missions. This could be just how she was with everyone Alice thought as she waved a hand at the question for a drink. “I’m good. Maybe later.” Instead, she pulled a small pack from her pocket before tapping it against her open hand. “Smoking okay in here?” She asked flipping to top open and pulling a cigarette with her teeth. However, she pauses at the call of her name as it seems it was her turn to talk now.

“Right then.” She said while receiving a flip lighter from the same pocket. “I’m guessing you know about the 15K, right?” With a flick of her hand, Alice pops the light open lighting it small flame. Holding it to the cigarette end Alice took a long deep drag before blowing out a large cloud of smoke, away from everyone of course.

“Seems they’re don’t a bit of either drug running or buying of some real nasty stuff with Koorlander help.” She said being sure to lower her voice at certain parts of her story. “Stuff that will make people live a whole lot of worst. So just want to know if you heard of any places that might be hinting at such sales? Figure a good starting point.” At least she hopes they would be she thought while tapping the ashes into a nearby ashtray.

639/1,584 ● word count

MADE BY MIZO

[Bianca Sabbato]

-Black beer, please- I told the man in a leveled tone. I didn’t want something so strong that would get me drunk for what was to come, and something cold and hearty sounded good enough.

Come to think of it, It had been a while since the last time I drank. It could even be said that I had left alcohol altogether if only I was the kind of person to give a fuck about something like that. I had not drank simply because I had gotten bored with it, but it was not as if my tongue would melt just because I drank a little beer.

As was customary and encouraged by the sacred scriptures of all religions known in remnant, I took a handful of peanuts from a nearby put and started absentmindedly going at them one by one, savoring them slowly and methodically in between sips of the bitter and dark drink.

The beer was alright, not great but passable, and I could have taken it a little colder but I wanted for things to go as smoothly as possible, so I reasoned there was no real justification to delaying the conversation only to have a couple ice cubes thrown down into it.

As the other girls talked to the rugged man. I adopted a relaxed posture facing the opposite way of them, specially at the entrance door. Acting as an impromptu guard and letting it show in my body language just enough to look as if I was trying to hide it but failing. Pretty standard protocol if I said so myself.

That way, I could both scout the room with my eyes in search of suspicious elements and seamlessly rejoin the conversation if the necessity arose.

“Everyone knows about the 15' these days. Fuckers been hoarding a lot of the good territories lately, a lot of the good business to, although more info on that regard will cost you quite a bit”.

We didn’t need that information at least for the time being, so I didn’t interject when the other girls signaled him to move along.


“Indeed... Some chumps were bragging about some new combat drug running in the fighting circuit. Boasting about how it’s going to be the new big thing around here, and how they know a friend of a cousin of a brother that is going to get them in the game or some bullcrap.”

That seemed to be it. Turning slightly in his direction I gave him more of my attention as I finished the last handful of peanuts.

“I may know of a place... But you know, my memory it’s not what it used to be. Probably the stress from having to fix this place up any time one of you Haven kids decide to blow up a hole in my walls” The rugged man said, leaning slightly in Kishka’s direction with his permanent grimace still painted on his face.

Grumbling, I saw her produce a couple lien from her pouch and slide them in the barkeeper’s direction. That seemed to please the man as he smirked at the money before continuing with his narration.

“A couple blocks from here, in Cornucopia street between the Ozmos avenue and the cemetery. There is an alley marked with a yellow garbage bin at the entrance. Go in there and know on the only door not barred with wooden planks, there’s an active fight club were the drug is being used for exhibition battles” Said Francis in a low tone as his eyes discretely scanned the rest of his mostly empty shop.

Still, there was the question of how to get in there in the first place. Knowing where it was would do us no good if we weren’t able to get past the door.

-Would they let us in just like that?- I said returning the glass to him with a satisfied nod.

“They probably will ask you who sends you or some kind of identification... I could teach you some useful coding or names you could mention for them to let you in, but that would...”

-Will this do the trick?- I interrupted, extending my hand in his direction and waiting for him to shake it. It was a wager at best, but it was worth a shot.

A little surly, the man gingerly took my hand with a not too light but not too harsh grip. And I could see one of his eyebrows raise when he felt my three central fingers play a seven note code on the back part of his hand with my three central fingers.

A little something my group used to use as an identification code, I was fearing it was already outdated, but judging by the man’s reaction, it was still usable.

“... Ye, that would do... People are going to ask questions tough” Said the man shooting me a stink eye.

-No worries, we’re not planning on staying here for long, right?- Yes, using a gang’s characteristic code to impersonate a member was probably not the brightest idea, but we were not going to stay in the slums long enough for it to matter. Besides, even if they questioned us, I had enough veritable knowledge of the gang to pass for one of them any day of the week.

... Still, the fact that the handshake was still usable was something that disturbed me greatly for the implications such discovery could entail...

Dispelling those shadows from my mind. I turned at my companions, I waited to see what were they going to do. From my part it seemed like the course of action was clear, but I didn’t want to impose if they felt like asking something else.

---

953/3161 Words.

[Kishka Burzanova]

KISHKA BURZANOVA

One thing that was always interesting to Kishka was getting to know her classmates, outside of classes, in the field. She didn't really remember much of her and Alice's mission together, but she definitely didn't remember the other girl taking a smoke break- she hadn't pegged her as a smoker at all, actually. Whereas she could have guessed easily that Bianca would go for a heavier beer. She sipped at her drink thoughtfully, as the wolf faunus explained the situation. Part of the reason she had let Alice tell Francis what was going on was because Alice knew the story better, but partly, she wanted the space to sit back and be aware of their surroundings. The Cutting Edge wasn't the shittiest dive in the Ground, but it wasn't exactly La Diamant either. Place was mostly empty when they came in, except for one grizzled old drunk, drowning his life away in the far corner. Far enough from them that he wasn't likely to eavesdrop, and so damn trashed, she doubted he'd be capable of it anyways. Regardless, she wanted to keep her eye out for any sign of trouble- and was thankful that Bianca seemed to be doing the same, while snacking on the bar peanuts. Plus, she got the opportunity to watch Francis's face as Alice spoke to him, for any tells she could pick up on. Seemed he was keeping on the level with them, which was good. And the info was good. Much as she'd expected from the gruff barkeep. "Fight club, huh? And where might that be?" Ugh. And of course, he was going for the more-info-more-payment spiel. She should've guessed it. Whatever. She coughed up the dough, sliding a few more bills across the table to him. "Here's a little stress relief for you, then. You were saying?" Cornucopia Street, by the cemetery? Huh. She wasn't entirely sure where that was, right off. Not really one of her old Sanctum-days hangout spots, like The Cutting Edge. Watching Bianca's coded exchange with Francis was intriguing enough to distract her from any thoughts of the fight club they were no doubt about to try and sneak into. Yet another thing that she didn't know about the other two girls. Apparently Bianca either had some less than savory connections down here, or something else was up. That much, Kishka could gather. Though she didn't have nearly the experience in the Ground District to actually be able to say for certain what exactly Bianca was doing, or which, if any, Ground gang she was affiliated with. She'd have to ask her about it when they left the bar. Huh. Well, either way, seemed like things were done here. Kishka tossed back the rest of her drink, and set it back on the table, with a sly smile. "Nope, not long at all- got other business to attend to, and then we'll be on our way. Take care of yourself, Francis." The barkeep grunted, returning his attention to the much more pressing issue of tending to his business. "Come back any time- your money's always good, princess." He turned a wary eye on Bianca, and added, "And don't go screwin' around with shit you shouldn't be." As long as Alice and Bianca seemed ready to go, Kishka went ahead and headed out of the bar, minding her gait a little more- there weren't too many people down here who'd recognize her, but from her interactions with Francis just then, seemed like there were enough for her to be extra cautious. As soon as they got far enough out the door, and away from anyone's ears and eyes, she turned to the lizard faunus. "What was that all about, Bianca? With the handshake?" It wasn't phrased aggressively, or in any way like a demand or anything- more just a slightly delicate question, out of curiosity. After all, it paid to know more about her temporary teammates. Right? In any case, they had a plan of action now. One that she wasn't entirely sure how to get to, but hopefully Bianca or Alice could get the three of them there. "Anyway, that fight club. Seems like as good of a lead as we've got, right now. We thinking about checking it out? Or do you guys think it'll be too dangerous?" It was a good question- and one she definitely wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page with. She figured she could take a couple of rowdy punk assholes hanging around in a backalley brawler's club, if she had to. Hell, she'd beat up Nik's friends plenty of times, and all those meatheads did was kick the shit out of each other for fun. But if Alice or Bianca didn't think it was a good idea, or if they thought there might be a better approach than just waltzing in and asking around for answers, then she would be fine with that too. She had vague ideas about their respective strengths and skill levels, and honestly, she wasn't trying to pressure them into a fight they didn't think they could handle. Not that she planned on having to fight, of course. The objective was to gather intel, not to go bang some heads together in a shitty fight circuit somewhere. That was their top priority, and drawing attention to themselves would only make shit harder in the longrun. But worst case scenario, there was no guarantee that those guys would just give up the goods easily.

Notes// gritty noir movie time | Tagged// @kishfeelincoolaf | Aura// 100% | WC// 922 | TWC// 3365

✬

[Jay]

XP Distribution:

Kishka Burzanova: 33
39 + 33 = 72

Bianca Sabbato: 31
305 + 31 = 336

*place holder*: 15
194 + 15 = 209