Chapter 1: Introduction
"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath, squinting through the heavy rain that obstructed my vision, matting my hair to my scalp. The alley I stumbled into was darker than the depressing grey of the Vale suburbs around me. Maybe not the best place to stumble upon after a failed mission.
My boots squelched in the soupy mud as I walked. Hopefully, this alley would either lead me straight to my RWBY team or spit me out somewhere safer. But that probably wasn't going to happen.
I'd been in enough alleys to know how they typically behave: they like to twist, confuse, and terrorize.
A rustle sent a chill down my spine as I clenched my fist, my eyes adjusting to the shadows through which I could now make out a figure. It was a horse Faunus. Not just any Faunus, but one more built like a linebacker drenched in the season's wettest rain. I gulped, eyeing the broad, muscular chest and long, powerful legs.
His mane was black as the night sky, slicked back and causing his large ears to twitch as the rain ran down them. I hesitated, uncertain if I should approach.
Ren, however, didn't seem troubled by my presence or the fact that I was an atheist. Instead, he simply peered at me with a soft iguanid gaze, size and strength seemingly forgotten for the moment.
"Hey, girl. Need some help?" He spoke casually, light-hearted humor in his voice, yet it seem like he had been expecting me.
How could that be? I was no one special, especially not to a powerful Warrior like him. Was he simply being polite?
I stepped closer, wet clothes plastering themselves against my body. "Don't know," I remarked, trying to mimic his easygoing tone. "Guess we'll find out."
He chuckled, his deep rumbling laugh echoing through the narrow alley, sending shivers down my spine. I couldn't help but feel a strange mix of fear and curiosity. What secrets lay behind those sculpted muscles and deep-set eyes?
I almost shied away, but my stomach growled, having not eaten since the mission started.
"Erm . . . is there somewhere warm where I could--?"
"Oh, come in! I'd invite you to my mansion, but for now, you can stay at my place." He moved aside, revealing a small but cozy home tucked away in this desolate alley.
I bit my lip but entered, following Ren to a table hidden under a dim, single-socket lampshade.
The smell of fresh bread and crackling firewood greeted me as my eyes wandered around his modest home, awe struck. I couldn't believe such a small cabin lay hidden behind the shadows of the creepy alleyway.
"So... you live here?" I asked, pivoting my head between Ren and the room's sparse decor, my heart beating ferociously in my chest.
He chuckled, placing two large steaming bowls on the rough wooden table. "Yeah, I do.
I like the quiet and the solitude. Plus, it's central enough to help those in trouble, should they wander down this alleyway." Ren smiled, returning my gaze as he took a seat across from me.
I eyed my bowl suspiciously. Whatever he'd prepared looked delicious. I was famished after the mission, and this might just be what I needed. I dug into the steaming soup, almost moaning at its tantalizing warmth as it spread through my chilled bones. The savory flavors exploded in my mouth, a relief in my faltering spirits.
I watched as Ren refilled my bowl, eyeing me with a knowing smile. I couldn't help the flush creeping up my cheeks - I'd been grateful and vulnerable, exactly opposite of how I usually appeared to others, even hinting my inner desires to someone I barely knew.
"Thanks," I muttered, scooping up the hearty soup again. With minimal effort, Ren had pulled me in with his charm and vulnerability, and now I was sharing dinner with a stranger.
Although he was a Faunus, and a powerful one at that, he put me at ease. We chatted casually as we savored the steaming bowl of soup.
"So, Yang," he started after a moment of comfortable silence, "why were you in that alley?"
I shrugged, placing the empty bowl back on the table. "A mission gone wrong."
His brow furrowed at this. "Want to talk about it?"
Opening up to someone was always a challenge for me. It was a burden which I had accepted but never fully embraced.