Tannum "Cooper" Oakwood
-----
4 months after the Fall of Beacon
This was it. Tomorrow was the day.
Inside of their thriving hideout, a fresh waft of life revitalized the once dreary, dirty, dusty shrine all thanks to a good scrub and the embellishment of the priceless items that just so happened to decorate the interior.
Cooper readjusted the painting of Mistral above the altar and admired the collection filling their shelves, ranging from the ship in a bottle and the keycard to various other trinkets and small treasures they've been gathering for the past four months.
"Stupid thing doesn't want to work."
Roman cursed and shook the jukebox for several minutes, ultimately resorting to cane whacking it until the man inside surrendered the music.
A catchy, light hearted song boosted the mood from comfortable to lively in an instant.
"Finally." Roman readjusted his suit and acted like it was no big deal. "Neo, how's the grub looking?"
A sharp sizzle and steam erupted from the portable stove at the makeshift bar, where she chopped veggies, toasted buns, and flipped burger meat. The caramelizing aromas of well seasoned beef and buttery bread rumbled Cooper's belly.
Neo flicked a thumbs up, whistling a broken tune, as she perused the fine selection of party beverages they had on hand.
The fancy chandelier coming down from the low ceiling was draped with chains of crystals and pearls that bedazzled the entire hall in glitz and glamour. It also doubled as a weapons rack for Neo's parasol, Hush, and Merry Outlaw.
Roman hooked Melodic Cudgel on the chandelier. "Neo, if you will."
Neo tossed a bottle of bourbon to Roman.
Plucking a trio of shot glasses, Roman sprinkled a generous amount of whiskey into each before handing them out.
Cooper hammered it down and got kicked in the face by the spicy hooves of liquor and boom, but it swiftly faded, leaving him with the refreshing smooth notes of sweet barley and rye.
"Wow." Cooper fancied another round. "You really know how to choose them, Roman."
Roman cocked an eyebrow and grinned.
"You know, Stripes," he slung an arm around his shoulders, "you're not half bad as I thought you'd be."
"Was that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Take it or leave it. You're not getting anymore from me." Roman refilled both of their glasses. "Now drink up."
The song picked up.
Neo nodded along while chopping veggies and scraping patties off the stove to the beat, Roman shuffled and clinked their shot glasses better than a deck of cards to the rhythm, and Cooper whistled the same melody.
In a strange and unintentional way, the song blended perfectly to their actions.
"Say, I've been meaning to ask," Roman slapped together a burger, "why don't you quit trying to be a boring goody two shoes Huntsman and stay with us?" He chomped his burger and moaned under the crisp lettuce crunch. "There's nothing left for you out there. Beacon's gone, and I bet the other academies are much more picky when it comes to who they let in their doors." He swigged a shot and banged the glass on the table. "Ah."
Cooper hummed disapprovingly at the notion as he assembled his own burger and relished in his big, juicy bite.
Atlas was a definite no, Shade would eat him alive, and Haven meant having to stay in Mistral, and it would only be a matter of time until the underground dragged him back down.
"I. . . I still have my team." Doubt flickered his vocal chords. "I got Ruby."
Neo frowned at the fine edge of her kitchen knife.
"It must've been fun while it lasted, I'm sure, but that's over now." Roman split several shot glasses into rows. "You've all gone your separate ways. Heck, I bet they've already forgotten about you and moved on."
The needles of such a thing porcupined Cooper's heart.
"We're on your side." Roman slid over another glass. "Ride with us."
Cooper drowned the bad thought in more bourbon, and everything went slightly wobbly.
"I wouldn't even be here if you hadn't destroyed Beacon in the first place." The alcohol burned that fresh wound. "Penny's gone because of you lot, and you tried to kill me and Ruby."
"That's where you're wrong." Roman flashed a cheeky smile. "I never wanted anything to do with Beacon."
Neo wrinkled her nose.
"We were there because someone made us do it, and if we didn't. . ." He ran a finger across his throat. "We did nothing to the robot. All I was told was to wait and watch for the signal, I never thought it'd be that, and about Little Red." He chuckled and shrugged. "Okay, I'll admit, I really wanted to throw her off the airship."
Cooper glared.
"Don't give me that look." Roman scowled. "I saved your ass."
"Saved my what?" He almost lobbed his burger at him. "Don't be daft!"
"If it wasn't for me, you would've been massacred down there with the rest of those fools." The burger squished in his grasp. "We were completely safe on the airship. The only reason why we crashed was because Little Red just had to be the hero and got on board. If you want to blame someone for trying to kill you and putting us here—blame her!"
By this point, they were brim to brim making mean faces at each other, and Neo, ironically being the sole voice of reason in the room, pushed them apart and flourished those adorable googly eyes nobody could resist.
Cooper and Roman backed off.
Neo lit up, and she furiously typed away on her scroll.
Since we're a team now, we should have a name.
Cooper and Roman groaned.
Neo smugly showed her suggestion.
The Three Flavours of Death.
"Sorry, Neo, but I believe that's a little too much. We need to be discreet, something mundane that won't draw too much attention. Let's go with. . ." Roman rubbed his jaw and smirked. "The Mafia."
"I think that's taken already," Cooper said. "Besides, it's kinda unoriginal if you ask me."
"Yeah?" He gave him the floor. "What do you suggest then?"
"I'm not throwing my hat in this." He sat up on the altar and ate his burger. "Why don't we focus on the job tomorrow, which our very lives depend on, rather than sitting around here thinking about what to call ourselves."
Glancing at their heads, Neo ogled her own hat like it was the most valuable treasure in the world and typed out her idea.
Team CRN (crown).
The beat dropped, and the real music went off.
Roman seemed unimpressed nor against it, and Cooper didn't have to the heart to put a lid on it, especially since Neo was really excited about this.
"We are the best thieves in Mistral," Roman dusted his suit, "so it's only fitting that we deserve the proper headwear."
Neo banged her glass on the table next to Roman's, and the intense pressure of their demands scorched a laser into the middle of Cooper's forehead.
"Are you with us, Stripes?" Roman said. "How about I sweeten the offer and give you a bigger share of our future scores?"
Cooper shrugged. "Fifty-fifty, then?"
Neo squeezed his tail.
"Yeow!" He yanked it away. "I meant a third all around!"
She playfully bowed in appreciation.
"You don't have to answer us now." Roman lit up his cigar and took a puff of smoke. "But you have until after we take the old owl's wings to give us your answer."
-----
After spending countless hours gathering intel and trying to figure out a plan, it was finally time.
The Farmers Festival was a joy beyond all the dancing and singing on a field outside Mistral, right beside the river created by the waterfall from the twin peaks of the tallest mountain in the city itself.
Every year, many hard working farmers were honoured for their backbreaking labours and given their well earned respect. The festival was a place that made them feel appreciated for a single night, and it also doubled as a platform to make extra lien and sell their harvest, the finest produce that can only be found there.
And guess who funds the whole thing?
Old Man Strix.
In the public's eye, Strix was a saint, beloved by the people and even more by the farmers, when actually, the festival was just a ruse for his side gig.
A clever one at that.
This festival was also the biggest black market sale of the year.
Cooper joined the folks going about their merry ways in their fancy, traditional kimonos, tunics, and togas, full of smiles and cheer and baskets filled to the brim with foods and souvenirs.
It would've been quite nice too if the sights weren't washed out by the sea of red paper lanterns getting rid of every handy shadow that could hide a raccoon. Then there were the swarms of security guards patrolling the grounds, hard eyes begging any suspicious persons to stir up a ruckus.
Cooper settled at a stall selling vegetables and beverages.
The menu was innocent enough. Although, to the certain few who recognized the clockwork logo carved into the counter and had the proper currency to afford it, there were several more options up for grabs.
"Barkeep." Cooper rolled a coin between his fingers and clapped it on the counter on the clockwork logo. "Top shelf. On the rocks. And baby carrots to go."
The barkeep swiped the coin, fixed him a glass of lemonade on ice, and handed a bundle of blunt arrows wrapped up in a cloth.
Static buzzed Cooper's earpiece.
"You ready, Stripes?" Roman said. "We got one chance at this, so don't mess it up."
Cooper stuffed the arrows in his rucksack and took a gander at the temple on the tall hill by the edge of the valley.
The stairs to it were locked tight, and the only way through that wall of muscle and metal required a ticket, paired with an I.D. check and screening.
Cooper would be shot dead before he could get a foot on a single step.
According to Roman, however, that wasn't the only way inside.
"Are you sure this will work?" Cooper scrubbed the plan for any hiccups, and boy, were there a lot of hiccups. "It seems a tidbit too simple if you ask me."
"Just get to the infiltration point. Don't worry about falling. The Bamboo Forest is rich in gravity Dust. As long as you don't get yourself impaled, you'll be fine."
Across the valley, a cliff overlooked the temple, and the only way to get there was to take the hidden path.
In other words: climb.
Downing his drink in one go, he clapped his glass on the counter and got to it.
Here goes.
After breaking a lot of sweat to traverse the cliffside and cross the valley, Cooper made it to the vantage point with the perfect view of the temple.
Down below, a net of floating rocks and pointy bamboo tips peeked out from the fog in the forest below, and just the idea of taking a spill down there was repulsive, mostly because Cooper wouldn't hear the end of it from Roman if he did.
Binoculars in hand, he surveyed the roof, taking note of the small patrol securing the top.
Five guards.
Cooper whistled a merry tune to himself, withdrew his newly bought bundle of arrows, and dipped the blunt tips in a powder of lightning Dust. Drawing his bow and taking his shots, he scored five for five and lobbed a rope arrow, pinning it above a balcony on the side of the temple.
"The roof's clear." Cooper gave the rope a tug. "You're good to go, Roman."
"Get inside and help out Neo," Roman said. "I can get up there on my own."
"You sure you can get that skylight open without me?"
"Hurry up, already."
Cooper ziplined to the temple, laughing all the way, and let himself inside through the balcony doors.
What greeted him was a grand ballroom in all its majestic and bombastic beauty.
Intricate carving of owl statues swirled along the alabaster marble columns and balconies, rows of high-end chandeliers painted the main floor in a golden shroud, encircled by round tables covered by an ivory cloth, and thick, velveteen drapes towered on either side of the stage.
The lively band going about their musical beats mingled with the chatter directly below, where the delighted guests conversed over champagne, fine wine, and finger foods served up by endless streams of waiters.
Then there was the man of the hour himself, seated off to the side of the stage like a king on his throne.
Strix had the wrinkly face of a grandpa with a grey beard and hair tied back in a messy bun, but he also had an extraordinarily large frame the same size as a refrigerator. Under that pristine gunmetal suit, there was no doubt he had the muscles of a bodybuilder in their prime, and to make it even worse, his bird feet were armed with steel black talons on each of his eight toes.
Propped on a rack at the back wall of the stage for all to bask in its unparalleled glory were the wings, yawning wider than the length of a bus. Every metallic feather was polished and oiled to perfection, glistening brighter than the stars themselves, and the rucksack in the middle that connected the wings made whoever wore it the most dangerous person in Mistral.
The upper floor was nice and empty, so Cooper didn't have to worry much about being discreet when it came to moving on to the next phase of the plan.
"I'm in position." Cooper searched the floor for Neo. "You all set, darling?"
A broken whistle from her answered the question.
"Alright, then." Cooper pulled his scarf up over his nose and checked his wristwatch. "It's showtime."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the distant bang and flash of fireworks hit up the night sky.
Strix and every single guest shuffled towards the windows to get a glimpse of the dazzling display, some even took a step outside for a more enjoyable experience.
Perfect.
Cooper went invisible and hopped down to the ballroom floor, sneaking up on Neo disguised as a servant.
"Hiya," Cooper said close to her ear.
Neo whirled and held her chest in a panic.
"Sorry, darling." He enjoyed every bit of it. "Didn't mean to scare you."
She huffed and undid the illusion of her disguise.
The security team guarding the stage didn't seem to pay Neo any mind, a sure sign it was safe for Cooper to reappear in the flesh.
Neo's Semblance allowed her to create physical yet fragile illusions, which she used to alter her appearance or replicate something and pass it off as real.
In this case, Neo recreated the ballroom with false walls for them to hide behind.
"Gotta hand it to you." Cooper got on stage and went right up to the wings. "Your Semblance is something else."
Neo nonchalantly brushed her shoulder and wiped the sweat from her brow.
As impressive and convenient it was for her to conceal them behind a curtain of illusions, the size of the one she's holding up right now obviously took quite a toll on her.
That meant they had to move fast.
"Roman," Cooper checked the giant skylight right above them, "drop it."
The window pane popped open, and Roman lowered a hook on a rope attached to a portable winch.
Cooper attempted to lift the wings by himself, and he got instant back pain from it. No wonder Strix was so fit. That thing was as heavy as it looked.
Together, Cooper and Neo folded the wings, hooked it, and clung to the rope; Roman reeled the wings like a prized fish, and they went along for the ride.
Once they were on the roof, Cooper and Neo high fived him on a job well done.
Stuffing a cigar into his gob and flicking open his lighter, Roman had a smoke to celebrate their easy victory.
Gunshots peppered the roof.
Whoa!
Roman and Neo dropped to the floor, and Cooper scrambled, given no choice except to take the plunge into the bamboo forest.
Bouncing off the large, floating rocks one after another, Cooper managed to latch onto a bamboo tree and safely perch himself on the tip like a bird on a branch.
Cooper waved the fog out of his face, but as soon as he moved his arm, he was immediately struck by a weird sensation.
A shadow zipped by.
Cooper paled at the giant winged silhouette glowering at him from the moon.
Strix did a nosedive, talons closing in on his skull.
Cooper leaped, fully expecting to hurdle straight to the ground, but to his absolute bafflement, he glided over and landed perfectly onto the tip of another bamboo tree.
Take a look at that. How dandy.
"To think you of all people would pay me a visit." Strix flapped his metal wings to clear the fog and hovered in place. "You're awfully busy for a retired man, Mister Cooper. Was it not to your liking?"
Cooper sighed. "It's a one time gig."
Strix laughed, the deep bass of his old and hoarse voice shivered the forest harder than a bassline drum.
"Ever since you and your friends returned, larceny in Mistral has skyrocketed." Strix narrowed his wrinkled eyes and flexed the razor sharp talons on his bird feet. "Then there's the mysterious break in at my nightclub. You wouldn't happen to know the person responsible for cracking my safe, now would you?"
"Beats me." Cooper stood tall in preparation for what was about to come. "Clubs really aren't my thing. I'm more of an admirer of the fine arts, like paintings and model ships stuffed inside of glass bottles."
Cracking his knuckles, Strix flashed a rather sinister grin.
"You know, I've never really been one for taxidermy," he ascended higher, "but I think my wall would appear much better with a raccoon mounted to it."
Twirling his staff, Cooper got ready for the fight of a lifetime.
A pair of turrets spat hot fuzz and rockets from Strix's wings, and the fiery hot rush of adrenaline kicked Cooper right on the rump and got him going.
"Roman, Neo," Cooper said into his ear piece while avoiding Strix's firepower demolishing the forest. "The wings we nicked are fake. The real ones are literally trying to kill me. Hello? You there?"
Bollocks.
The lack of a response again was worrying, but it was the least of his concerns at the moment.
Going invisible, Cooper skipped across the fog and fired an arrow, striking Strix's leg.
"Ah, you pest!" Strix slapped on a pair of goggles and laughed. "Try and hide from me now, thief!"
Despite being still invisible, Strix still followed Cooper every step of the way.
Infrared. What a pain.
Strix wasn't running out of ammo, and Cooper was very much running out of air. All he could do was jump and run from the gun. There was hardly any breathing room to rest let alone find time to aim and shoot his arrows.
Cooper deactivated his Semblance and whacked a smaller, floating rock out of his way, ejecting it out of the forest faster than a bullet.
Ah. . .
Cooper batted more rocks at Strix, forcing him to take cover behind his wings.
There!
For the very brief moment of not getting showered by firepower, Cooper moved behind Strix and let loose a volley of arrows into his back.
Strix screamed and gnashed his teeth, only to eat an arrow doused in flames.
While Strix was busy flailing and swatting the flames away, Cooper launched up at him, grabbed onto his talons, and climbed, which caused him to lose his balance in the air.
"You damned raccoon!" The unbridled rage roaring out of Strix was enough to make any lesser men wet themselves. "Get off me!"
"Sure thing, mate." Cooper slipped a vial of green Dust into Strix's pocket, broke it, and slashed off the shoulder straps of the wings with an arrow. "Be seeing ya."
A violent gust of wind ejected Strix out of the forest, vanishing completely before his scream followed suit.
Holding onto the wings staying steady in the air, Cooper fiddled with it until he got them to fly him out of there and back onto the roof, laughing his heart out the entire way.
Let's agree to never do that again.
"Look at what I got!" He gently set himself down. "Pretty nifty, ain't it?!"
The silly grin he had melted off in an instant, and a horrifying chill crawled down his spine, numbing him all the way from the tip of his fingers to the tip of his tail.
Roman laid in a puddle of blood, motionless, and Neo sat there sobbing, doing whatever it took to keep him alive.
-----
Several speedy minutes later, Cooper kicked open the doors to the pub of Spider, entered as if he owned the place, and dumped the folded up wings on the table.
Lil Miss Malachite glanced at Cooper, clearly both impressed that he actually did it and annoyed for barging in unannounced.
"Well, well." Delight sang out of her. "Colour me surprised. Nice work."
Lil Miss gestured to one of her lackeys and ordered them to bring out the drinks.
With an overflowing shot glass in hand, Cooper shared a toast and threw it down the hatch.
"As per our deal, you brought me my merchandise," Lil Miss caressed the wings, "so in return, you and your associates have your immunity and full access to any and all services and resources provided by Spider." She quirked an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, where are the other two?"
"Bring out the best doctor you have." Cooper slammed a gold coin on the table and put a siren of urgency in his tone to get his point across. "Now."
Not long after Roman was taken by the medical team of Spider, Cooper and Neo were forced to sit in the pub and do the worst thing imaginable.
Wait.
They should be savouring the sweet, sweet flavour of victory and freedom right about now, yet all they could do was endure the excruciating seconds that became hours and wallow in unwanted blood and bitterness.
Literally when it came to the former.
Head down and restless fingers squirming on the table, the distress screaming from under the brim of Neo's hat was a clear cut sign she needed all the relief and comfort in the world, anything to help her get through the tribulations of this tragedy.
Seeing her like this was a stake to his heart.
Roman was scum, who may or may not deserve what he got, but at the end of the day, no matter how much Cooper wanted to hate him for the thing he's done, they were still mates.
These last few months together made him well aware of that, which he'll never admit out loud.
Neo, however, was a different case.
Sure, she was a bit of a nutcase, yet Cooper held no will against Neo. Certainly felt better about her than Roman.
That's why, out of respect for the both of them, Cooper would send his best wishes to Roman and personally give Neo the perfect remedy to soothe her woes.
Reaching across the table to hold her hands, he let out a merry whistle, snapping her from her dejected daze.
"Let's pray." The gentle touch he put on his words could lift the spirits of any forlorn soul. "What do you say? I have a feeling fate will be on our side today. Yay or nay, Chihaya will come out to play. Just remember." He showed off his tail and slapped some lien on the table. "Always bet on grey. Don't worry. I'll pay. Team CRN all the way."
Staring as if he were the biggest idiot in the world, Neo sat there speechless (no pun intended), until tears slipped free down her cheeks.
Oh, Neo.
She sniffled and wiped her eyes to make space for a brave face, finding it in her to even let out one more attempt at a whistle.
So, without further ado, Cooper bowed his respects and said his piece of prayer to Chihaya for not only Roman's sake but for Neo and himself as well.
Cooper planned on returning to Vale after this job, but from how things were going, it looked like he was gonna have to stay a while longer.
And honestly, he didn't really mind that at all.