Ch. 14 Noir

Alabast was looking for Roman as he walked through the usual spots he would set up shop. He may not have known him that well, but Roman was a criminal so that made his movements restricted while in populated places.

Alabast doesn't have Nights Fall but he has Bestia Fang and his semblance so he was confident in defending himself if he had to.

Alabast walks through the doors of an abandoned warehouse and hears voices from inside.

"Are you kidding me? This better not be him"

Alabast takes out the black rectangular device that he dropped earlier. He held it in his right hand and pressed 3 diferent points on it. It unfolded to his Black Wolf mask that is black with silver lines.

He slips it on beneath his hair. He hasn't worn it in a while and remembers when he first got it. He used to have the regular white and red mask but when he started proving his usefulness in hunting down targets and completing missions alone he had been given this mask.

He had used his darkness to make sure it wasn't bugged with anything. He did find a tracker and was kinda furious with Sienna at the time but just destroyed it so she knew it was found. She didn't try that again when he got Nights Fall.

Anyway, he stops reminiscing about the past and focuses on the present. He wraps himself in darkness and moves through the shadows to see who and what is inside.

Inside he hears a man talking and somebody writing on paper. There weren't any other sounds really. There were two options. One, Roman had finally gone insane and is talking to himself out loud. Or two, his little sidekick is here. I guess in their situation he might be the sidekick? Alabast didn't know enough or care enough to think about it further as he slinked into the room stealthily.

He saw Romans bright hair with his hat on top standing over a table with a map. Then he saw a girl with pink and brown hair. Split right down the middle of her forehead. Her hair reached just past her hips. She also wore the same hat as Roman. She had an umbrella next to where she was sitting. She seems to be about maybe 4 foot 7. It's hard to tell since she is sitting down and writing her responses on paper. Her names Neopolitan. She's a mute. And she's got a good body…..damnit, those girls really messed with his head. Her body is like Ruby's but shorter. Ok….that's enough. Alabast walks out of the darkness revealing his frame to the singular light hanging from the ceiling illuminating the table and Roman.

Alabast's eyes glow red behind the mask. Neo jumps from her seat and grabs her umbrella and gets into a stance. Roman looks at Neo and doesn't turn around.

"I still don't have the dust requirements Cinder" He says cockily and annoyed without turning around.

"Where you expecting someone else?" Alabast says as he steps into the bright light instead of just the dim light.

"Who?!" Roman turns around quickly and takes aim with his cane at Alabast's figure.

"What are you doing her 'Mad-Dog' of the White Fang. And didn't you run away with your tail tucked between your legs?" Roman kept the cane pointed at Alabast.

Alabast fully steps into the light revealing his new clothes to Roman and Neo.

"At least it seems you gained a sense of fashion while you were away" Roman sarcastically said.

Neo was still holding her umbrella at Alabast but relaxed her stance. She looked him up and down and sensed something different about him. He seemed to hold himself differently, like he was more confident or something. She also didn't see his huge sword attached to his back. She had to say that the 'Mad-Dog' definitely earned some fashion points.

"Roman, I'm here on personal business"

"Of course you are. So what does the puppy want now?"

Alabast's black aura surrounds him and causes his beige jacket to flap around like it's in the wind. His red eye gets brighter as he takes a few more steps towards Roman. Roman lowers his cane and puts it on the floor in front of him.

"I'm here to see if you happened to hear anything about my father, mr. information broker. You've still yet to pay back that favor I cashed in" Alabast says looking down into Romans green eyes.

"You and your semblance. You rely on it to much my dear guard dog. I prefer not to rely on anything besides my wits and charm" Roman stands tall and looks into Alabast's eye without fear.

"And that's why you will always lose to me Roman. And answer the question. Last time I talked with you there was nothing and you said you were close to something. That was a while ago Roman. What did you find out?" Alabast talks calmly and slowly.

"Jeez, so impatient. Haven't you heard of not biting the hand that feeds you?"

"This 'Dog' doesn't have a collar or leash anymore Roman. Remember that as you choose your next words carefully" Alabast takes another few steps forward, he reaches the table now and sees a map with various scribbles on it.

"Sheesh. Always so serious, you should learn to relax. And about mr. Noir. Daddy wolf seems to be like a ghost. Information on him is harder to find than trying Neo here to talk, or getting you to loosen up"

"Roman, I'm sure I can find a way to make Neo sing like a canary. So tell me what you found"

Roman nearly fell backwards and Neo gained a blush across her face as she sat back down.

"Wow! Is the moon whole tonight or what?! The dog did come back a changed…..well….dog"

Alabast doesn't respond but just takes a few steps closer to Roman. He's within hand shaking distance now.

"Ok! Ok! No need to go all "silent, strong and mad' on me. So about Daddy Noir. He really know how to cover his tracks, but the amazing Roman Torchwick was able to put some things together about him. It's not much though, but it's the best you'll get" Roman gauges Alabast's response but doesn't see any visible change. "So!" Roman adjusts his hat and continues. "Mr. Noir is not known by many. We do know that he married a Bianca Albescen and had a wonderful little wolf cub named Alabast Noir. Wasn't too hard to find your name by the way. His name was...."

"Spit it out or you'll be spitting out your teeth Roman" Alabast said. It wasn't a threat, it was a promise.

"His name was Rafe Noir. Isn't that wonderful? That was the hardest thing I've had to do in a while"

"Is that it?"

"Fine, the reason the info was so hard to get was because it was scattered"

"What do you mean scattered?" Alabast took another step into Romans personal space.

"I mean-" Roman takes a step back. "It was litteraly scattered. All around, some here in Vale, a bit over in Atlas, a tad bit in Vacuo, and the most came from Menagerie. I know shocking right? A Faunus has the most information come from Menagerie where most Faunus go to be safe or get away from humans. Anyway, not much more information besides that. We still don't know why your mother took you to that White Fang peaceful protest gone wrong. And still no other family members"

"I'm actually almost kind of impressed Roman"

"You should be! I am me after all!" Roman has puts a nice and friendly smile on his face.

"I said almost"

"Well, maybe this would help get you off that fence"

"I'm listening"

"Good because I'm giving this for free and will only say this once. It's not anything special but that's for you to decide"

"Still listening"

"Good!" Roman takes a few steps back and then walks around to the opposite side of the table and stands next to Neo who is still sitting down. He puts his hand on a smaller map of all the known lands, including the Land of Darkness where the Grimm are stronger and more concentrated than anywhere else.

"I've been trying to figure out what makes you so special. Just a little boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. No known living family at all. Just a crumb of a father in the wind. The boy is a Faunus with multiple traits of a wolf. And has a stupidly powerful and versatile Semblance. There is no information on your traits or semblance. Not even a story like the Four Maidens. Not even a story that would be like magic. Not a whisper. The world doesn't know why you have multiple wolf traits when every single other Faunus only has one trait of an animal. There's not even a story about a wolf beside the big bad wolf or anything like that that could be real. But why doesn't the world freak out about you. For the Gods sake, you are attending Beacon and the news isn't flooded with information and pictures about a Faunus with multiple traits! This is big news! Sure people will point and stare a little more than regular Faunus, but they don't do more than that! They treat you more like an exotic Faunus than a bloody abomination air whatever you actually are! I'm not saying this to be mean, I'm just extremely curious how you just sit in broad daylight but hide in the shadows! It's amazing! Truly! And it won't be answered anytime soon or even at all but gods man, this is crazy and it drives me wild. This is one of the few things I haven't been able to figure out when I really try. And believe me, I tried hard"

"That...is useful information….." Roman seemed extremely happy and full of himself

"Righ-!"

"….If I actually cared". Roman was shocked to hear this.

"You, you aren't curious about this at all. What makes you unique?"

Alabast walks around the table towards the duo. "Listen Roman. I don't care what makes me unique because at the end of the day it's still me and it won't change anything. Who believes about mere fairy tales anyway. Do you Neo? Do you believe? What about 'The Little Mermaid'? Tell me Ariel, for whom did you sell your voice for?"

Neo sets mad at Alabast for trying to make fun of her. Her pink aura flicks to life around her showing that she didn't appreciate it.

"Oh, did I hit a sore spot? Well, hopefully your Prince is worth it. If you want to find your voice, you'll know where to find me" Neo stands up and is about to attack Alabast when she notices he walks over to one of the crates lining the wall. She watches as Alabast opens the case to reveal dust.

"Still in the dust business I see. Well, good luck with Cinder, it feels like I know the name from somewhere. Oh well" Alabast closes the case and goes back into the darkness and leaves.

Roman pressed his buttons so he pressed some of his and Neos. Alabast knows that Roman will need that cane of his the next time he sees him.

He exits the abandoned building that has enough dust to wipe out everything in a 2 mile radius. He takes his mask off and folds it back into its compact rectangular shape. He slides it into his pocket and goes to the bullheads. He makes the last bullhead to Beacon and just wastes time. He lets the others know he's on his way back.

They text back that they are thinking about just relaxing tomorrow. That makes it easy for Alabast. Then he remembers that he has a bunch of new clothes to sort through and store somewhere. Such a fun Sunday he has ahead of him.

He gets back to his dorm and when he opens the door he doesn't see anyone inside. He checks the common room but there isn't anyone there either. He sees the shopping bags full of clothes on his bed though.

He goes over to team RWBYs room and knocks on the door.

Ruby answers it in her pjs.

"Hey Little Red, is my team inside?" He sees Ruby wearing a tight tank top with a pink heart that is supposed to resemble a Grimm or something. She also has white pj pants that have pink rose petals on them.

"Oh, hey Ashy! Yeah, they're inside. We're having a sleepover! You should change and then come back over! We have snacks!" Ruby makes sure to emphasize snacks.

Alabast nods and then goes to his dorm and changes into his sweatpants and compression shirt. He grabs a pillow and a blanket then heads back over.

He goes back over and Ruby lets him in. He sees that their beds are turned into bunk beds. One is held up by ropes attached to the ceiling and the other bunk bed is raised into the air by books in-between the bed posts. That seems like it would be very team RWBY.

Ruby takes him to their common room and opens the door. He sees the others inside with their blankets and pillows around a bunch of snacks in the middle.

"Tada!" Ruby presents him the room with jazz hands and waits for him to enter. Everyone's pjs are very them. Weiss has a light blue nightgown. Yang has a yellow tank top and short shorts. Blake has a black yukata style type shirt with a matching skirt. She also has an obi wrapped around her waist. Pyrrha has a brown long sleeve button down pajama shirt with matching pants. Nora has a dark gray tshirt with 'boop' written on it with pink shorts that have white thunderbolts on them. Ren has a dark green yukata on with a pink lotus flower on each shoulder and a big lotus on his back.

Alabast walked in and took a spot between Yang and Pyrrha.

He put his blanket down and laid on it stomach down. His tail was moving just above the ground and his legs. He faced the snacks or center of the room.

"So how was you acquaintance Ashy? Still a prick?" Yang asks as she rolls into her back and props her body up on one arm so she can see his tail better.

"More so now" Alabast replies clearly disgruntled. His tail flicks more and nearly hits Yang. Yang reaches out to touch it but it goes over towards Pyrrha immediately

"At least you caught up with them!" Ruby says jumping down next Yang.

"True" Alabast flatly says in response. He crosses his arms in front of him and sets his chin on them.

"Are you doing alright Alabast? You seem off" Pyrrha wonders what happened to make Alabast so unresponsive. And what type of person had he met to have such a low opinion of them.

"I'm meh honestly. I finally found out what my fathers first name was but that was it. Nothing else. I'm honestly surprised to even be told a name. On the bright side I now have the names of bothe my parents. Haven't ever met my father ever and my mom, well, I won't be meeting her for a while hopefully"

"Why, was she bad?" Yang asks

"No, I think she was great. Can't remember her" Alabast says and thinks back to the day she was beaten to protect him. And as she was continued to get beaten he ran away. He gripped his biceps tightly.

"If she was great then why don't you want to meet her!?" Yang was a little upset. She wants to find her mother and she sucked. So why wouldn't Alabast want to find his mom when she was great.

"Don't feel bad about this Yang, but the reason I don't want to see her anytime soon is because she's dead" He moves his tail over to Yangs lap and lets it rest.

"Oh…I didn't me-" She put a hand on his tail.

"That's why I said don't feel bad. You didn't know. I assume there's a reason why you got upset?" He looks over to Yang but can only see her long hair and tank top.

"Yeah…" Yang runs her hand through the fur of the tail. It was really fluffy. She could feel the strength of the tail as it slightly moves side to side while in her lap. It's calming to let it, and she doesn't really want to talk about her issues currently.

"That's unfortunate" Is all he says as he looks in front of himself and sees the snack. It's a shame he doesn't have an appetite.

Everyone can tell that nobody wants to continue that conversation but can't really think on how to transition.

"Alabast?"

"Pyrrha" He turns to his other side and sees Pyrrha on her side looking at him with her head propped on her palm. Her red hair kinda messy unlike it's usual neat braid.

"Can I scratch your head?" She asks while trying not to blush. She saw how he enjoyed it when Ruby did it and wanted to do it herself. There hadn't been an opportunity and it might be able to cheer him up.

Alabast looks at Pyrrhas pale unblemished face and sees her start blushing. He rested his cheek on his arms so that Pyrrha can have an easier time. But he won't ask her to or give her permission. He's feeling difficult currently.

Pyrrha doesn't hear a response but decides that since he turned his head towards her she could. So she gently starts running her fingers through his hair. She eventually starts scratching behind his ears and his head in general.

Alabast won't admit that he enjoyed being pat and scratched. He soon found his eyes heavy and fell asleep.

Yang went onto her side like Pyrrha but let her head rest on her pillow. She saw Alabast's face with its sharp facial features. And his hair that always covers his left side of his face.

Since she's on her side now his tail is in her embrace until her neck. She holds it and keeps petting it. She treats it like her hair. Anyone can tell you that Yang takes amazing care for her hair. And she's very protective of it.

Ren and Nora are talking about whatever. It's mostly Nora talking and Ren correcting her or adding a bit of info. But they talked after they watched Alabast fall asleep. Nora took another photo. Or photos because there were many moments she captured. "More to the collection" we're her words to be exact.

Ruby was getting jealous of Yang and Pyrrha for hogging Alabast. And Weiss wasn't far behind. Weiss was better but she wanted to see his face again, without the hair covering it. She understands why he covers it but she still wants to see it again. And she can't explain why, maybe it's because he fascinated her.

And Blake is watching the 'Mad-Dog', the 'Black Wolf' of the White Fang get petted and fall asleep. She was curious who he went to see and it had apparently been someone who knew how to gather information. And apparently quite well based on the difficulty of finding just a name. There were a lot of people that could gather info in Vale, but few could do something of that level. Blake didn't want to think Alabast went to would do something shady while he attended Beacon but knew he did something. She watched his face as he fell asleep and really couldn't believe who he is, or apparently was.

Alabast didn't have a nightmare. It was actually a good dream. A really good dream that involved 5 ladies and himself. It was something he hadn't experienced in a long time.