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WHO: Jaune Arc, Emerald Sustrai
WHAT: Harvester Bounty
WHEN: A couple of days after the bounty was posted.
WHERE: Nova City, various locations.
WARNINGS: Violence and gore. The bounty's about black market organs, come on now, what do you think is gonna happen??

[ Since the bounty had gone up, Emerald had started a new "job." She didn't plan to stay at it long- it was to get close to someone who'd rather suddenly gotten a pair of eyes that really didn't look human. She said cosmetic surgery, but the facts didn't add up, which meant that she was probably her best bet for figuring out who the mystery doctor who fixed her up was. It was probably the person who has been stealing alien organs without permission.

Which is why Emerald Sustrai is dressed in a pencil skirt, her twintails rolled up into a bun at the back of her head with two of those hair chopsticks in it. She wore a smile that said friendly coworker, but internally screamed that she wanted to kill whoever decided this was professional attire. They were the real criminal here. She was rolling into day four of being the new temp and finally making friends with Sinday Barklay, AKA Miss Alien Eyes. She'd just pulled her into the copy room for a little playful work time gossip to warm her up. It was finally time to ask about where she got that "cosmetic surgery" and make up a story about how she was really looking to get her own eyes changed, considering how many people seemed to get freaked out by red ones.

At least, that had been the plan. She hadn't counted on her lead being the same lead that a certain deputy had found in the case, or what would transpire next. ]

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[Sinday's mundane, small-talk filled day was about to take a turn for the exciting. Jaune knew nothing of the new hire, or that Emerald was going after the same bounty. If he had, he might have practiced more restraint.

Instead, wearing his normal outfit that clearly screamed "I'm Deputy Jaune Arc", he came bursting through the copy room with a scream and a downward strike of his sword that carved the floor. He wanted to catch this living piece of trash off guard, and he wanted to scare her. Stealing pieces of what made individuals who they were, even physical ones, was unforgivable. She deserved more than to have fear put into her. How much fear had those aliens felt before they were cut into and taken apart, one organ at a time? Had they even been lucky enough to be dead?

What he hadn't taken into account was the very familiar bounty hunter in clothes he had never imagined she'd willingly wear.]

What are you doing here? [He nearly dropped his sword, scratching his head and staring.]

Is that a pencil skirt?

[ Annoyance one: Door getting bashed in.

Annoyance two: Oh, it's Jaune.

Annoyance three: Mr. Deputy Guardian here immediately identified Emerald as someone he knew, which made her credibility plummet as someone who isn't at risk of ratting out crimes. It didn't matter what she said to cover, chances were that Jaune wasn't going to catch onto whatever she was saying and any trust would take weeks to recover. Building new trust was far easier than recovering spoiled trust. Cover=blown.

Annoyance four: The thing he identified as priority one was asking her about a pencil skirt.

Whatever pleasant expression she'd had on her face when speaking to Sinday was immediately dismissed and painted over with a look like he'd just given her a headache. It was a very honest expression. Instead of scolding him immediately, Emerald reached for Sinday's hand and held it tightly. ]

I was speaking to Sinday here, but since you've ruined that, let's go to a second location. It's a wonder you ever succeed at your job if this is how you handle it, Arc.

[ She would've just closed the window blinds of the copy room and shut the door, but he kicked it in. Moron. ]

Edited 2017-07-17 05:58 (UTC)

[Emerald looked annoyed. That didn't strike Jaune as unusual, so he was slow to catch on. Still staring at Emerald in a pencil skirt like an idiot, realization only dawned on his face when she mentioned he ruined it.

Well, darn.]

It's not a wonder that I have nothing to hide. [He snarked back.] And I can't wear heels. And I'd probably get fired my first day. [He glanced at Sinday, but there was no warmth there.] Where did you want to go?

[Emerald could have her if she wanted. As long as the doctor was caught, and Sinday spent the rest of her life in prison, Jaune didn't care about any reward.]

You kicked the door in, which means we can't close it. [ The door lock having broken the frame on its way in, after all. ] Being pathetic isn't an excuse.

[ Sinday looks like she's ready to scream so Emerald thrusts her hand out. ]

Arrest her and march her out. You already broke the door, so if we leave without you making it official business, they're going to call the police and both of you are going to get in trouble and none of us are going to catch the bad guy. I'll tell you where we're going after we're out of the scene you caused.

[ And Emerald was just here so the worst thing she's done was stand around being pissed off. She'll happily get Jaune in trouble at work though. ]

I could have put it back up. [He starts to try and do so but gives up, leaning it against the wall.] You shouldn't make fun of my poor balance.

[His expression grows serious. Nodding, he approaches Sinday, pulling out a pair of cuffs and yanking her wrists down with more force than probably necessary.]

Sinday Barklay, you're under arrest for possession of illegal possession of organs and acting as an accessory to organ trafficking. [Cuffs on, he pulled Sinday up--again, more roughly than he needed, and started to guide her out, nodding back at Emerald.]

Come on.

[ Emerald kind of wishes she was more of a planner. She's okay at it, but when things go wrong, she looks to someone else for help. It's at this point that she's kind of thinking she should've just punched him and acted like they needed to escape. Then she'd have less of a headache and could maybe pass it off as a fellow-criminal-for-vanity sort of deal.

On second thought, that sounds annoying.

Emerald waits for Jaune to do his thing, following them out and waving to her boss on the way out. ]

I quit! You might want to find a new Sinday too.

[ She's probably not coming back there. Once they're at the elevator, Emerald hits a floor button and lets it move for a moment, then presses the emergency stop button once they're probably mid-floor. No help coming there from normies. Much more privacy, much better. ]

[It's kind of sad to think about, but working with Emerald already feels easier than working with his fellow deputies. There are still times when he can't stand her, and there's always the painfully inconvenient risk of getting shot (which to be fair, is mostly his fault), but other than her initial irritation, there hasn't been much arguing. They're not constantly questioning the other's decisions, Jaune personally too focused on their goal to care.

He scans the elevator for surveillance, and seeing none his posture tenses as he looks first at Emerald, and finally Sinday. There's none of the uncertainty normally found in his voice; his tone has become hard and unforgiving.]

If you want to leave this elevator, start telling us everything that you know about the doctor who performed your surgeries.

[His height, which can often hinder him, is also something he knows that can be intimidating when used right. Still holding onto her, he looms over Sinday, leaving little room for her to move.]

Now.

[ She kind of stares at Jaune for a moment as he gets intimidating. It's nowhere near the finesse she and Mercury use. He's using his size and anger, which still works, but it's unrefined. Still, it isn't exactly the kind of goody two-shoes quality she expects from the brats. Even Jaune with all his salt hadn't quite crossed the line yet, but maybe he just needed a little push. Emerald stayed quiet for the moment, just observing.

Sinday looked unnerved, terrified, but if she didn't admit to anything, they must not have had evidence beyond rumors, right? She shook her head and insisted she didn't know what he was talking about.

That's when Emerald pipes up, sounding far too cheery for the moment. ]

Really? That's too bad. Everyone you know already thinks you're a criminal now that you've been dragged out by a Deputy Guardian, but what if we let you go that easily? We can just say you cooperated, see who comes after you. If you really are clean, it won't matter, but if you aren't..

[ She's trying really hard not to give into her desire to push Jaune to do more, but if that doesn't work she might as well see where it goes. She can at least say she tried to play nicely this way when Jaune rats her out to his friends though. ]

[Sinday looks so scared and he finds himself not caring. If she was innocent, he might feel some regret, but as far as he was concerned she shared almost if not just as much guilt as the one doing the murdering. His eyes narrow and he's ready to retort, continue to threaten, when Emerald speaks up.]

...Yeah, what she said. [His voice is quiet. Emerald's words feel much more threatening than his attempts at intimidation, so he'll go along with her implications. Moving away rather suddenly, he walks over to guard the elevator door, arms folded.]

There's no point in playing along if you're going to make this harder for us. Maybe we should let someone else do all of the work. Me and my teammate can just go wait somewhere, maybe get something to eat, and wait until we hear about the tragic accident at-- where was this place again? [He glances at Emerald, confused, before moving on. Whatever. They're just threats right now, meant to scare Sinday into revealing the truth. He hasn't hurt anyone.] Unless you give me a really convincing reason why I should bother protecting you.

[ Unfortunately, Jaune's screw-up with the name makes the threat a lot less intimidating. Incompetence is not scary for anyone except your own partners, which for better or worse is Emerald right now.

"I didn't do anything s-so no one's going to come after me if you do that, so you can let me go!" Sinday says, her voice trembling a little but otherwise remaining confident. Emerald is trying not to sigh behind Jaune's back.

Emerald claps her hands together suddenly, her eyes lighting up like a child on Christmas. The clap almost seems to cut the elevator's atmosphere like a knife, louder than a clap should be. ]

Sinday, let's make a wager. See, he's a deputy but I recently learned that he's been living on the edge. Just little things. Isolating himself, destroying routines, breaking little rules..

[ She moves over to Sinday's side and takes her hand, examining it for a moment before letting her eyes slide over to Jaune as her fingers slide between Sinday's. ]

I ruined his life where he's from. I killed one of his friends, made the girl who loves him believe she was a murderer so she felt the need to make it up. But he can't hurt me, because I haven't done anything to him here. I've even helped him out before... and I think he doesn't want to push himself too far, but he has a lot [ As she punctuates the word in her sentence, she starts pushing her hand forward, her fingers digging into the girl's knuckles painfully, holding them just before the breaking point. ] he needs to work out.

The bet though, see, I think he's going to let me do this to you. I don't think he's at that breaking point yet, where he'll do what needs to be done himself. He'll keep letting the wrong people get hurt, because he's too scared of the darkness. See, if you don't tell us, more people will get hurt... and if I break your hand, it makes me a criminal again. What about if a deputy guardian does it though? No one's going to believe a woman who's not even seeing the world through her own eyes if she says an idiot like Jaune hurt her.

[ She grins and flops back against the elevator wall, holding the hand just before that breaking point and looking at Jaune as she speaks to Sinday in a calm, almost playful tone. Like the bet she's making is just over what Jaune's going to pick for dinner or something. ]

Are you in, Sinday?

[Rolling his eyes, Jaune leans against the elevator.] The tremor in your voice is what makes it really convincing. We're not stup-- [The sudden clap nearly has him jumping, but he tries to play it off as adjusting his equipment. He's silent as Emerald talks, but he stares at her, increasingly concerned.]

Why are you-- Don't tell her that.

[His voice falls into something much more anxious than before. But he doesn't intervene when Emerald takes Sinday's hand. He just watches. And then she mentions Pyrrha.

Stop.

He wants to scream at Emerald, tear her away from Sinday and hurt her, but he can't move or speak. His eyes start to burn. As much as he's tried to move forward, the past still lingers and now its slammed the breath out of his lungs and he doesn't know where the numbness ends to meet the hatred that's been eating away at him like some acrid poison. What gives her the right to tell him he has issues? She's sick. Only someone deeply messed up would casually talk about murdering someone and indirectly helping murder someone very dear to the person working with her in order to prove her point.

He doesn't want the wrong people to keep getting hurt. He watches, eyes round and terrified. It's his fault. Pyrrha's death was his fault and it would be all his fault if he let Sinday get away with her crimes and more people got hurt. He has to do something but he can't move. He feels like there's a barrier keeping him from Emerald, allowing him to watch but not get involved. Please. He stares at Emerald, almost as if he's looking through her, and then focuses on Sinday. He'll never make up for Pyrrha's death, he can't hurt Emerald and Cinder isn't here. But there are people he could still save. He won't let Sinday stand in the way of that.

It's just a few feet to Sinday and Emerald, but every movement is forced.]

Move.

[It's directed to Emerald, but he doesn't wait to see whether she will. Regardless, he's reaching to grip Sinday's hand himself and finish what Emerald started, his voice cracking.]

I'm tired of letting you drag this out while there are people who are dead now, or who might be, the longer you keep stalling.

[ Oh, good. It was a risk, since there was a chance he'd attack her instead. Emerald had the biggest hunch he wouldn't though. As much as he probably hated himself for it, he'd been spending time around her. He'd started to like her, despite what she was, and Emerald knew that. It didn't mean she liked him back- but it did afford her some level of protection, and some confidence that she wasn't the one he would direct his anger at.

'Good' people were so predictable with the people they cared for, even against their better judgment.

Sinday screams as her knuckles break under Jaune's touch, Emerald sliding out of the way at his command, as if Jaune were the one with the power here. He is, over Sinday, but not her. But that's not the point. The point is to make him feel it, to make him want it. To bring him down to her level, or even just a little bit closer. The woman's sobs don't seem to bother Emerald at all and she even slides in on the other side, hopping up to rest against the elevator's rail. ]

We can't understand you if you're crying like that, Sinday. Tell Jaune what he wants to know, or he might not stop at your fingers.

[ Sinday's trying to speak but she's crying too badly to get it out- but Emerald wants to see if she can push Jaune to choose what he wants to do to Sinday instead of following directions. ]

[It's the sickening crack that gets Jaune to stop, Sinday's screams resonating with him. What he's doing isn't wrong. It's just like when Ruby severed Tyrian's tail. Sinday deserves it.

So why does he feel so sick to his stomach?]

Do you know what it feels like to die, Sinday? I don't recommend it. Those innocent a--people, they didn't get a choice. [His voice and hands are shaking.]

I don't think you want to join them, as another one of the doctor's victims. He won't care if I break both your hands. He wouldn't even care if you died. What happens next isn't up to me, it's up to you. Just stop crying and speak more clearly, and this can be over.

[ Emerald watches Jaune carefully, making sure he's not going to go overboard. They're both going to get in trouble if Sinday ends up dead-- there's no reason she should be, but if she accidentally broke her hand while trying to escape custody, that's easy to write off. No one's going to look into it, especially if Jaune's the deputy on the scene. He wanted to be a hero.

Sinday's practically hyperventilating trying to get her voice under control, falling to her knees in front of Jaune. Emerald kneels down next to her and pats her shoulder comfortingly- "comfortingly"- as if she's trying to play the good cop to Jaune's bad cop. It's far from comforting though, as Sinday already knows she's the one who started all this nonsense. Emerald's gentle smile as she looked at Sinday was probably most unnerving, but eventually the poor woman looked up at Jaune with those stolen eyes and confessed to where she went to have her surgery. She didn't know the man's real name or anything, but she knew where the patients went. ]

Good girl.

[ Emerald looks up at Jaune. ]

What do you think? Want her to return what she stole? You're the justice here. [ Sinday looks absolutely terrified again, and Emerald has a sly look on her face, almost predatory. The woman's eyes weren't hers though, why should she keep them? How much can she get Jaune to concede to? ]

[Nails digging into the leather of his gloves, Jaune lets Emerald do the convincing for Sinday. His jaw is clenched and he's trying to reign himself in. As soon as Sinday gives them an answer, he's already moving to the elevator door, intent to leave. Emerald's suggestion shocks him still and he can't hide the fact that he looks physically sick at the thought.

He doesn't say anything for a moment, he just wonders why the word justice feels so hollow now. He stares at Sinday blankly, his voice soft and without inflection.] Does he still have your original eyes?

[Taking the eyes she stole would be torture. A broken hand would heal but that would make him no better than Battler. He adds with a hint of irritation, no longer talking to Sinday.] There are probably artificial implants somewhere in this city too. Maybe we can get those for her.

She doesn't get to have her old one's back, Jaune. She didn't want them, she doesn't get them back.

[ Emerald thinks for a moment though on what Jaune says, then takes out a pen from her pocket, then leans in to write on Sinday's face. Sinday lets out a desperate cry while she does, but Emerald doesn't make it hurt. She just presses firmly enough that she can write on her skin, circling the eyes and writing a note that says "Replace w/ artificial trials @Aster" ]

They're probably working on something visiony, they do all the cybernetics there. I'm sure they'd be happy to do it if she offers herself up for a trial. They might even pay you, Sinday, isn't that great?

[ She lets her go, then goes to start up the elevator again. ]

Let's go drop her off at Aster and find Doctor Frankenstein.

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