————
The Swear Jar™ fell on Altair, and then proceeded to fall on the ground, the glass jar was supposed to shatter, but it didn't thanks to magic; not that anyone aside from Altair knew that.
The Yellow-haired young woman, or the resident little sun dragon, the girl abandoned by Raven, the hot-headed menace, and poor pun enthusiast, Yang Xiao Long merely glanced at the Swear Jar™, which was familiar, but she quickly focused on Altair.
"Do you know where Raven Branwen is?"
"..."
Refusing to say anything, Altair and Yang looked at each other, as a silent standoff ensued, and with it, tension rose quickly each second the two refused to speak. One mainly waiting for a response, and another trying to find the right words to say during the moment.
Sensing the danger, Junior quickly ordered everyone out of the bar area, as groups of his henchmen, carrying guns, made their way to the balconies overlooking the bar. The twins were there too, watching the scene unfold.
'Raven really put me in a pinch here.'
Raven Branwen was...for a lack of a better word, selfish and a coward. Leaving her child, and boyfriend (At the time), and choosing a life of crime with her tribe, all because she convinced herself that the fight Ozpin waged was useless.
Altair himself asked why she left her family, and...
"I...I just felt that leaving them was for the best. Forgetting everything else, and coming back here to lead the tribe, all of it."
She said, but from time to time she takes him with her to watch over Yang, completely contradicting herself. When he pointed this out, all he got in return was a swift and decisive thrashing that was disguised as training.
Raven definitely cared for Yang, but when it came to expressing that care, she failed miserably.
A sigh escaped his mouth, as he looked to the side. "If only she were more honest." Altair muttered under his breath, something that Yang caught, leading her to take a step forward. Startling Altair a little, causing the henchmen to ready their weapons.
Yang herself didn't care about the guns pointed at her, instead choosing to focus on the young man in front of her.
"I'll ask again, do you know where Raven Branwen is?"
"...If I say I don't can I get out of fighting against you?"
"...No."
"Okayyyyy."
'I'm not getting out of this one.'
"Um...I'm not able to disclose any informa—"
Yang attempted to grab Altair's collar, which he dodged by ducking to the side with a roll. Picking himself up, Altair raised his hands in mock surrender, a bead of sweat already rolling down his cheek, letting out an awkward chuckle.
Junior pointed a gun at Yang, his eyes promising to shoot her on the spot with no remorse.
"Stop here kid. I don't know what you want with Raven, but this is my club, you wanna fight take it outside."
Yang glared at Junior, her eyes already burning red, as her hair glowed bathed in Yellow flames.
Junior's eyes widened quickly shouting for his men to. "SHOOT HER NOW!"
Too late.
Yang shot forward, vaulting over the counter, a boot already connecting with his face, launching him back through the shelf of liquor.
"We're fucked."
The Swear Jar™ appeared above Altair's head, but having already predicted the jar's behavior, he caught it hurling it towards the nearest henchman, with a fastball special.
Now isn't it counterintuitive to attack the men that are here to help you fight your attacker? Good question, but have you considered that the one they're shooting is the daughter of your mentor? More importantly, she's one of the most important people in Remnant, she dies who knows what happens to this planet, especially with Ruby(GOD) around.
'Basically I'm stuck with an escort mission, protecting a person that attacks me.'
Bullets flew, heading for Yang, though her aura kept her safe she moved, vaulting over to the left side of the bar, dashing for the nearest person shooting at her.
Altair, who was beginning to get shot at by the others, moved mirroring Yang's movements, but he headed to the right side of the bar instead of the left side.
The henchmen weren't idle, as some headed for the two, carrying swords, some other version of a bladed weapon, and baseball bats.
Needless to say, the whole club now became a battle zone, with most of the patrons already out of the building the moment the first shots rang out.
——
Yang's POV
Rage, frustration, and hope boiled inside her.
Rolling to the shady part of town, to the club of a somewhat known mafioso was something her sister, father, or anyone with a shred of care for her, would prevent her from doing.
Well Ruby would understand...probably....No she would be the one who would scold her the most, but still she would understand.
When she reached the club, she was skeptical, but she held the hope, that maybe this one might bring her closer to the truth, to her Mom.
And it sure did deliver.
'The white haired guy? White? No. Maybe Snow Cone. That guy knew where she was...where Mom was.'
Now she's here fighting, because that guy wouldn't talk, or at least that's what she thinks.
'I'll think about it when I'm done here.'
Resolute, she launched a kick forward, sending the henchman flying back, as a group ran towards her. A simple one-two combination, followed by an elbow to the nape to another one who closed on her.
A blade flashed, she ducked quickly, followed by a punch with Ember Celica's blast. Using the recoil, she stood up, twisting, hitting another one with a backhand.
She dashed forward again, her elbow propped in front of her, hitting someone in his sternum. The guy was probably reeling in pain, but for good measure, she kneed his face.
A bat coming from the side blocked, but a blast from Ember Celica launched the attacker away crashing towards Snow Cone, who swatted the body away with a stick wrapped in purple cloth.
Frustration boiled over, as she deliberately launched every single one she beat to his direction, only for them to fly away like ragdolls in random directions.
She had to admit that what she saw Snow Cone did was impressive. Especially with how effortlessly he did it.
'Maybe it's his semblance?'
A single moment of distraction caused her, as a sword swiped close to her face, if it weren't for her quick reaction she would've gotten her neck sliced. Though her neck was safe, her hair wasn't as lucky.
"...What."
Yang muttered as she saw a portion of a single strand float in front of her, dancing in the wind taunting her. The flames intensified, her eyes got redder, and she grew silent.
Hair was... important, more so for Yang, than almost everyone. It represented connection with her mysterious Mother, and was a huge part of her identity.
So the fact that her hair got damaged...
Good luck.
(A/N: Listen to I Burn by Jeff Williams if you guys want:)
A stomp from Yang shook the whole club, as the tempered glass dancefloor cracked under. Everyone, excluding Snow Cone—who was busy thinning out the numbers—turned to look at Yang, who glowed brightly, in contrast with the whole club's color scheme of White, Red and Black.
"YOU BASTARDS!!!"
With a roar the dancefloor fragmented even more, as a few shards jumped up from Yang's stomp. Ember Celica exploded, launching forward towards the group of henchmen.
Appearing in front of the henchman, Yang wasted no time. A straight blasted through his face, the force spun him away, to thankfully be cushioned by the others.
Giving them no time to react, she used Ember Celica again and again, blasting everyone in a blind rage.
Whether out of loyalty or fear, the men didn't retreat, bravely facing the rampaging girl with everything they had.
"LET'S GET HER—"
A punch shut him up.
"...HAHHHHHHHH!"
——
"LET'S GET HER—"
'What a valiant effort. Thank you for spending her stamina, your sacrifice won't be forgotten.'
Acknowledging the valiant man's cry, Altair got back to his business of knocking out everyone that can possibly hurt Yang, not that anyone could though.
It was more like occupying himself, and removing any stage hazards from interfering with his inevitable clash with Yang.
'I should knock out Junior again, in case he pulls out that rocket launcher of his.'
A kick knocked the D.J Mouse away before he could pull out his A.K.
'Okay, that's everyone on my side, except for the twins.'
And right on cue, a swipe came from a sharp claw aiming for his face, followed by a blade heel kick coming from the back.
Composed; bored even, Altair caught Miltia's wrist before the claw blade reached his face, with his back facing Melanie, he wedged his veiled katana in between the gap of her bladed heels.
His actions, in his opinion, were efficient and didn't waste time or energy. While in the eyes of the twins, Altair's actions were arrogant, and this irritated them.
With a short struggle, the two broke free from Altair's bind, hopping away from him by a few steps. Their faces showed irritation, and frustration.
'What do I even do when I fight Yang? Well knock her out is the way to go, but what about after that...'
Altair was thinking, tuning out everything else happening in the club, except for the loud blast, and electronic music still playing.
"Melanie who the heck is this freak." Miltia's voice dripping in irritation, as the mean girl tone fused with her words.
"The random bozo who ordered milk, with liquor." Melanie's dry voice responded.
"And Oolong Tea right?"
"Yeah. Mixing whiskey with vodka, what type of divorced dad vibes drink is that."
"Definitely made by a loser with nothing to do with his life."
"If he drinks that, doesn't that make him a loser?"
"Yeah he's a loser and a freak meaning he's a weirdo."
"What a weirdo." They both said at the same time.
'Okay I'll treat her to a meal!' Altair struck his hand over his palm, finalizing his course of action when this was all over, completely ignoring the twins ramblings.
Feeling the twins look at him, he glanced back at the two, finally returning his focus on them. He was confused, the twins looked like they were expecting something, but what?
'Were they saying something important earlier?'
"...Sorry were you guys saying something?"
The twins froze, while Altair scratched his head in confusion.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Seeing his genuine reaction, they grew frustrated. They were the center of attention when they were in Lady Browning's, they aced the classes they were in—studied the skills necessary for spy work, social engineering, and among other things combat, something they took pride in—the fact that they were here, being belittled by someone in a fight was frustrating to say the least.
"It's fine. It was nothing important."
"We'll be sure to take it easy on you because you're acquainted with Raven."
"Thanks I guess—"
Without warning the two attacked. A calf kick came from the right, courtesy of Melanie, while a swift jab came from the left, coming from Miltia.
"Did I ignore something important?"
A little scared, Altair checked Melanie's kick, as soon as he lowered his foot he transferred the veiled katana to his left hand, catching the claw from Miltia.
In the same breath, Melanie launched another kick, aiming for his face. Seeing this he redirected Miltia away from him, towards Melanie, making the two crash into each other.
BOOM!
Sensing the danger, he acted quickly, to save the trouble of focusing on other people.
'Looks like Junior's still gonna pull out that rocket.'
"Sorry about this guys."
Altair bent down, picking up the twins before, throwing them away from the dancefloor, just right before Yang blasted away from her position. Landing just a few steps away from Altair.
"You finished playing with the strippers?"
A sigh escaped from Altair's mouth, the veiled katana on his left hand shifted to his right hand. He glanced at the Swear Jar™, which had miraculously rolled to a stop right next to his foot.
Taking a look around the club, he saw basically everyone that wasn't Him or Yang knocked out, groaning on the ground in pain, except for the twins he threw, they were still able to move.
He already knew he couldn't get out of this now, especially since Yang's triggered.
'Triggered?'
Altair glanced at Yang, whose hair was on fire, and her eyes glowing red under the influence of her semblance.
'Someone touched her hair.'
There was talking his way out now. The only option was to knock her out, but it didn't hurt to try would it?
"Ahem. I was actually gonna go home now."
Yang grinned, but there wasn't any humor in it, or happiness, as she loaded a few shells in Ember Celica, preparing for the fight she was itching to have.
"I guess you have no intention of doing that."
"Yep." Yang finished loading her shells, she raised her arms up getting into her stance, as the mechanical parts of her gauntlets shifted, expanding with a metallic sheen. "Not until you tell me where my mother is."
Altair sucked air through his teeth, and let out a puff of air. There was really no way of avoiding this fight, not with Yang being this determined.
"...You know, it's not my place to reveal the whereabouts of a person who doesn't want to be found."
"I don't care though. If you don't tell me, I'll just beat out of you."
"Figured."
Altair stripped the cloth on his katana, revealing the black scabbard marked by a Yellow Henbane on its side.
He clutched the handle with his left hand, and slowly unsheathed the katana, as he did, a feeling of dread spread out, felt by everyone still conscious.
"I'll try to end this as fast as possible."
Yang swallowed her spit, feeling a little intimidated, but if it was for the truth, her mother, for Raven's whereabouts, she will beat it out of this guy.
"Bring it on!"
"...The name's Altair Weiss Abaddon, nice to meet you Yang Xiao Long."
"... Nice to meet you too, Snow Cone."
"Whatever floats your boat."
BANG!
Yang made the first move, launching herself forward using Ember Celica's recoil, shooting forward straight towards Altair. Her fist coated in aura, as part of the recoil was absorbed by her semblance, ready to dish out against Altair— or Snow Cone as Yang calls him.
Getting hit by it was sure to incapacitate anyone, but...
"You're too predictable."
'And slow.'
The move was simple, yet effective, but it had its limits. Especially when against anyone with equal physical ability, or physical ability exceeding hers. And unfortunately for Yang, Altair belonged to the latter, by a considerable margin.
Whoosh!
With a tiny step to the right, Yang missed her punch, the air displaced by the punch ruffling Altair's black robes, and hair.
"Don't dodge it!"
"Why shouldn't I?"
Yang growled, pivoting on her heel with another blast from her gauntlet. Using the momentum she unleashed a backhand. When that was dodged, she used flurry jabs, hooks, and straights in combination, each punch and variation accompanied by a symphony of shotgun blasts.
Altair didn't panic, faced with the flurry of shotgun enhanced punches, he deflected, redirected and dodged every single punch. He didn't bother with blocking, that was just a good way to be peppered with holes, or in this case, his aura being shattered.
'Good combination. Still her semblance really makes the variations predictable, and telegraphed.'
Another punch passed by.
'She isn't even mixing in kicks.'
Clink!
"Hmm?"
Dodging a hook, Altair glanced at the Swear Jar™ rolling around the dancefloor.
'It might cause me to lose.'
With that thought in mind, he dodged another hook, followed by an uppercut, before Yang can recover her fist, Altair wrapped his katana's handle on her extended arm and pulled, causing Yang's weight to shift forward, tripping her.
Taking advantage of the momentary break, Altair picked up the jar, and hurled it away before redirecting Yang's punch away from his face.
BOOM!
The gauntlet blasted beside him, the noise causing a sharp pain in his ear, but it didn't show as he kept his neutral expression facing Yang.
"JUST STAND STILL!"
Frustrated, Yang used the momentum to spin into a powerful leg sweep. It was fast, fueled by not only frustration, but also by the recoil she absorbed coming from her gauntlets.
But it was dodged with a quick hop.
"Sounds like a skill issue to be honest."
"RAHHHH!"
Insulted beyond belief, Yang retreated a few steps, clashing her fist against each other, she gained another charge for her semblance. And then she punched the floor.
BOOM!
The dancefloor collapsed inward, with Yang as the center, sending chunks of tempered glass, and concrete up in the air.
Expecting Altair, to be in the air with no footing, she looked up only to find him still standing in his spot, the ground he was standing on seemingly unaffected by the attack she made.
"Since I already know what your semblance does I think I should tell you mine to keep things fair."
Altair saw Yang's shock, so he decided to explain why he wasn't affected as a foundation for peace talks.
"My Semblance is Axis Shift. My semblance has a lot of complicated effects so I won't bother you with those, the only thing you need to know is, I was meant to go up, but I made it so that for me up is down."
"...What?"
"Don't think too much about it. Anyways I'm gonna end this now, so try cathing a glimpse of me when I speed up okay?"
Yang grew tense from Altair's sudden warning, though irritated because she was being looked down upon, she couldn't underestimate Snow Cone, especially with how easily he dodged her attacks earlier.
Extra focused, Yang readied her fist, not blinking as she observed Altair. Noticing this Altair smiled, shaking his head a little, before dashing forward immediately disappearing from Yang's sight.
"Wha..."
Yang grew tense, frantically scanning her surroundings for any sign of Altair. Turning around she saw... herself?
She was confused, behind her was a mirror, or at least something she thought of as a mirror. Otherwise how could someone explain another version of herself mimicking her every move, and expression right down to the clothes she was wearing?
"When did a mirror—"
"There was never a mirror."
"!!!"
Before Yang could react, she felt her neck take a hit, suddenly blacking out, all she could she was Altair standing over her with a smile on his face.
Yang dropped beside him, unconscious, but fine. In her state she would be conscious in just a few minutes. Few precious minutes that would help Altair to think about what to say to Yang, when she asks about Raven again.
"...What a hassle."
A sigh of exhaustion left his mouth, as he picked up Yang over his shoulders, picking up the cloth for his katana, Altair went to exit the club without any care in the world.
"Stop whatever it is you're about to do, Junior. If you reach for that rocket launcher, I might actually have to kill you."
Junior froze, his hand inches from the hidden compartment under the bar. He looked at the ruined club, his unconscious men, and the monster in the black robes. He slowly raised his hands.
"..."
"Thanks!"
With that he left the club in peace.
——
Yang groaned, her eyes fluttering open as she felt the cold brick of a wall against her back. Her head was pounding, but the rage had cooled into a dull, throbbing ache.
Altair was sitting on a crate opposite her, calmly sipping a juice box he'd scavenged from somewhere.
"You're awake. Good. You have a very hard head, you know that?"
Yang scowled, clutching her throat. "Raven. Tell me."
Altair tossed the empty juice box into a nearby bin with a perfect arc. He looked at her, his expression softening just a fraction.
"Look, she's a complicated, flighty, occasionally terrifying woman. But if you're worried she forgot you exist... don't be. Your mom watches over you at least once a week."
Yang's entire world seemed to tilt. "WHAT!?"
"Yeah, I know. Creepy, right? Total stalker vibes," Altair said, standing up and dusting off his robes. "Just think about how many birthday presents she owes you. It's a gold mine, really."
——