Here's another one of the stories that I've been working on while I get over my writer's block. I hope you enjoy!
The cold, winter air bites deep into her skin as she huddles on the sidewalk, a frayed, ratty blanket firmly wrapped around her as she holds a metal canteen cup out, the small amount of change rattling in it as she shivers.
People pass by constantly, very few giving more than a disapproving glance at her as they hurry by.
A pair of gray wolf ears stick up above her head, having long since been numbed by the cold, much like the rest of her body after spending hours on the street without any warmth.
Dark gray clouds stretch out above the city, periodically dropping snow that sticks to the ground and soaks her thin form.
A gray-haired man in a business suit slows as he approaches, pulling a ten Lien note out of his wallet before depositing it in the shaking cup with a sympathetic nod.
"T-t-thank you s-s-sir." She chatters, bowing her head to him before he walks away.
This had been the routine for her, after two years of living on the streets she had grown accustomed to jackhammering in the cold for hours on end, desperately trying to scrape together what she could for food and maybe new clothes if she desperately needed them.
She pulls the metal cup into her blanket, hastily pulling the paper money out of the cup before stuffing it in a small canvas pouch tied to her belt loop. Something she had learned the hard way several months earlier, when a gentleman had placed thirty Lien in her cup, but soon after a student tripped over her, sending the contents of the cup scattering across the sidewalk. He acted like he was helping her pick up the money, but once she had gotten all the loose change back in her cup he grabbed the paper money and stuffed it in his pocket before walking off, leaving her feeling hopeless and weak.
Once the paper is secured in the pouch she sticks the cup back out and waits, curling up even tighter as her teeth chatter uncontrollably.
After another hour of shivering miserably against the brick wall behind her she puts the change in her pouch and places the canteen cup with her metal canteen on her belt, even through the wool insulated pouch it feels like it's burning a hole in her side due to the temperature of the metal
Reluctantly she stands up, her cold, stiff joints aching and burning as they move for the first time in hours.
She quickly adjusts the blanket around her form before slowly walking down the sidewalk, ignoring the looks people give her as they pass. The soaked blanket does little to protect from the wind that howls through the streets, stirring up flurries of snow as she unsteadily trudges along, her feet protected by mere pieces of burlap that had been sewed together to provide her with makeshift shoes.
Reluctantly she walks into a small coffee shop, relishing in the warmth that envelops her.
The bell on the door jingles when it closes, bringing the store owners attention to the frail form standing by the door.
"No Faunus allowed, we don't serve your kind here."
She looks at him, her soft hazel eyes pleading.
"P-p-please, j-just f-f-for a f-few m-m-minutes." She weakly chatters, her voice shaky.
"No. Get out before I have you removed."
Amelia hangs her head and turns around, reluctantly pushing the door open and walking back out into the bitter cold.
She slowly walks towards the one place she knows for certain she'll be allowed in; 'Tukson's book trade'.
The walk is difficult, she keeps stumbling over her own feet as she jackhammers uncontrollably, a sure sign of hypothermia. But she manages to stumble the quarter mile, taking half an hour to cross the short distance.
When she reaches the book store she practically throws herself against the door to open it, the door opens easily, sending her sprawling onto the warm carpet just inside the door.
The jingle of the door catches the attention of Tukson, and when he sees her ice-encrusted form on the carpet he ignores the customer and jumps over the counter before running over and kneeling down beside her.
"Hey! Stay with me, we'll get you taken care of."
Her head bobs up and down, whether in acknowledgment or from the shivering he's not sure, but he grabs her in a bridal carry before lifting her up and carrying the shaking bundle of ice and wool behind the counter.
The customer gives him an annoyed expression, and he responds in turn by glaring at him.
"If you really think your book is more important than her life, you can get the hell out of my store. I don't need business from you." With that he walks into the back room and ascends some stairs into the living quarters of the building.
"Stay awake for me kid, don't let your eyes close." He pleads as he lays her on the couch and gently unwraps the frozen blanket from around her, carelessly throwing it to the side before he runs into the bathroom and grabs a towel.
"T-t-thanks T-Tuk, I owe y-y-you o-one."
He chuckles as he dries her silver and black hair, brushing ice and snow from it. "You owe me more than one, but don't worry about it. I'm just doing what people should."
She tries to say something, but her teeth are chattering too hard for it to be understandable.
"You poor thing, why do you do this to yourself?"
She shakes her head in response, putting the question off until later.
Tukson sighs and helps her work out of the battered hoodie she has on, which he throws over the arm of the chair next to him.
He spends the next three hours giving her hypothermia treatments, slowly heating her with an electric blanket and giving her lukewarm cocoa as to avoid her going into shock.
Once she's within safe bodily temperature parameters he heads back down to the store, but not without giving her instructions to stay put.
She waits on the couch, having been given a change of clothes to wear while he fixes up her torn clothes and washes them.
She holds her pouch of money protectively in her lap while she waits, and after an hour he comes back with her fixed clothes, they look good as new, aside from the black stitching in places.
He averts his eyes while she changes, and soon she's back in her jeans and black hoodie, the smell of Sea breeze laundry detergent assaults her sensitive nose, but it's a welcome change from the smell of dirt and garbage she's used to.
"Thank you Tukson, I don't know what I'll do to repay you, but I'll think of a way."
He scowls at her before huffing in amusement. "You could stick around. I really could use some help around the store, and you'll get some money out of it instead of having to freeze your ass off begging on the streets."
She stares at him in surprise before nodding quickly.
"Yes sir! I'd love to!"
He smiles and claps her on the shoulder before grabbing the empty mug off the table and walking into the kitchen.
"That's good to hear! Do you have any extended family that you can contact? They might be able to help you out."
She thinks for a minute, her expression turning from happiness, to depression, and then to realization.
"There is one...can I borrow a piece of paper and an envelope?"
He nods and points to a small desk in the corner. "Top right drawer, pens and pencils are top left."
She attaches her pouch of money to her belt loop again and walks over, pulling out a blank sheet of paper, a white envelope, and a black pen before turning the desk lamp on and beginning to write.
Tukson gives her privacy while she writes, and heads down to the shop. She writes for a solid half hour, using three sheets of paper front and back before tucking them into the envelope and sticking the envelope in her hoodie pocket.
Just as she's tucking the flap into the envelope Tukson comes back upstairs. "You need me to mail that for you?"
She shakes her head and turns off the desk lamp before standing up and pushing the wooden chair in.
"No thank you, I'd like to deliver this to his establishment personally."
Tukson scowls at her, but stops when he sees the determination on her face.
"Fine, but you're going to take some warmer clothes before you go back out there."
She nods and stretches her legs gently before cracking her back.
"I'm also going to need my equipment from when you first helped me. Some of his subjects aren't the nicest towards my-err, our kind."
He raises an eyebrow for a second before shrugging and pointing to a small broom closet by the desk.
Amelia opens the closet and finds her equipment neatly laid out on the floor.
A coyote tan plate carrier sits in the center of it all, the seven magazine pouches full, and her custom made rifle sits atop it.
She grabs the rifle and clears the action before expertly flipping her plate carrier on and fastening the sides, giving the straps a solid tug before tucking them under the vest. Then she grabs a tan baseball cap and pulls her hair through the back before adjusting it, her gray ears sticking through two holes in the hat.
The last things she has left to grab include a small gray backpack and a tan holster containing a bulky black pistol.
She straps the holster to her right outer thigh, grabbing the pistol momentarily to check that the holster sits at the correct spot before grabbing her backpack and swinging it onto one shoulder.
She looks around the closet before closing the door and turning to Tukson, who has a black duster in hand. "Here, this should help break the wind, it'll also help keep you warm." He tosses the large oilskin leather duster to her, and she swings it on, pushing her arms into the sleeves.
"It's heavy...and it stinks..." she complains, buttoning up the front after attaching her rifle to the single point sling looped on her vest.
"Yeah, but it's waterproof and it'll keep you warm. That's what matters."
She shrugs and walks over to him, giving him a brief hug before walking down the stairs.
"When will you be back?" He calls after her, and she stops at the bottom of the stairs.
"Three hours, tops. If I'm not back by then...don't bother looking for me.
She walks into the shop and around the counter before pulling the door open and walking out into the snow.
"I must be out of my damn mind trying this, but it's better than doing nothing."
She walks quickly through the streets to the Beacon shuttles, where she's stopped at the toll booths by the guard.
"Excuse me miss, I've never seen you before, are you by chance a visitor?"
"Yes sir. I need to speak with the headmaster."
"Visitors passes are fifteen Lien at that far gate."
Her heart sinks to the pit of her stomach, she slumps her shoulders, and her jaw drops open.
"Please tell me you're joking."
The guard shakes his head, and she grabs her pouch of money from her belt loop.
She pulls it open and counts out her money in her hand.
Her grand total from her efforts earlier in the day tally up to seventeen Lien, and her heart sinks even further.
"Oum damn it..." she mutters under her breath, but the guard understands what she says.
"Is something wrong miss?"
"Yeah, if I pay I won't have enough money to eat today, or probably tomorrow." At the mention of food her stomach rumbles loud enough to be heard over the sound of the airships in the background, and the guard knits his brow.
"Don't you have a bank account? There's an ATM over by the far gate."
She deadpans, anger growing in her chest until she finally snaps and her ears flatten against her head.
"No I don't have a bank account! I'm homeless you moron!"
The guard seems taken aback by the sudden outburst, but he quickly looks around before leaning forward.
"Alright, I'm sorry. I can get you in, but if anyone asks you paid for your pass."
She nods and he leads her down to the gate, quietly whispering to the tender before coming back with a visitors pass in hand.
"Here you are miss, my apologies for earlier. Enjoy your visit."
She gingerly takes the pass and looks at it before turning her attention back to him.
"Thank you so much, you have no idea how much I appreciate the help."
He grins and waves her through. "Not a problem, now get going, the next shuttle leaves in two minutes."
She nods and runs off to the airship, her makeshift shoes crunching the thin layer of snow.
Once she gets inside the airship she finds herself to be alone when it lifts off, and the ride passes quickly as she stares out the window at the snow covered corner of the emerald forest.
When it touches down she runs through the courtyard, only slowing once she gets inside the large doors.
The halls are filled with students, her attire looking completely different from their school uniforms as she walks through the halls, trying to find the headmaster's office.
A half-hour of effort is all for naught, and the halls soon empty as the students go to class, leaving nobody to ask for directions.
That is, until she spots a rabbit Faunus taking a picture of the forest through a window.
Her ears betray her shyness as she approaches unheard, the tips drooping a little as she summons the courage to ask for help.
"Erm...e-excuse me?"
The girl jumps a little and turns around.
"I'm sorry if I startled you. C-could I get directions to the headmaster's office?"
The girl eyes her cautiously before smiling warmly and nodding. "I'll do you one better, follow me!" She puts her camera back in the bag on her shoulder and leads the way, weaving through the halls with Amelia close behind.
"So, are you a new transfer?" The girl asks, her unusual accent making the question seem warmer than intended.
"No... I haven't gone to any of the big academy's."
"Oh, then are you just now applying?"
"No...I don't have enough money for tuition. That's actually why I'm here, I don't have any..."
The words are out of her mouth before she can stop them, and the girl looks at her in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Amelia stops walking and hangs her head, she'd put herself into a bad situation with no easy way of getting out other than the truth.
"I'm...I'm homeless...I have seventeen Lien to my name total."
The girl stops before walking over to her and giving her a hug, which takes Amelia by surprise.
"Wha-?"
The girl pulls back from the hug and puts her hands on Amelia's shoulders.
"You went to Signal right?"
Amelia nods. "Yeah...I graduated with honors."
"Great! I'll vouch for you!
The girl skips down the hall before stopping and turning around.
"Well? Come on!"
Amelia shakes herself out of her stupor and runs to catch up.
"So what's your name?"
"Huh? Oh...Amelia, Amelia Ellis."
"Nice to meet you Amelia, I'm Velvet Scarlatina."
"Nice to meet you Velvet, I'm glad I ran into another Faunus."
"As opposed to a regular human?"
Amelia silently curses her loose lips and takes a deep breath before answering.
"Yeah...I've had some unpleasant experiences with some humans from Beacon..."
"Let me guess, four real big guys, leader had burnt orange hair, blue eyes, treated you like shit just because you were a Faunus?"
Amelia nods and they slow down to a leisurely pace.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Because he's an asshole to all Faunus, he pulls my ears all the time."
"Well he's lucky I had someone holding onto my weapons for me, if I had them I probably would've shot him. That bastard stole thirty Lien from my cup right in front of me."
Velvet stops and stares at her for a second in awe.
"You'd shoot someone for thirty Lien?"
Amelia grabs the pouch out of her duster pocket and opens it, showing the contents to Velvet.
"You see that? That's seventeen Lien. I begged from the time the sun came up to the time I went to Tukson's because I had hypothermia. That is eight hours of begging in the snow and the wind. I get ecstatic when someone gives me five Lien, imagine how I felt when someone stole thirty from me."
Velvet's expression quickly turns to one of understanding as she slowly starts walking again.
"Yeah...I get it now..."
Amelia closes the canvas bag and puts it back in her pocket before following.
They walk in silence for a minute before Velvet turns to look at her again.
"What are your weapons by the way? Guns of some sort, do you have them?"
Amelia nods and unbuttons the duster before shrugging it off, revealing her full kit, including the rags on her feet.
"Traditional marksman kit, enough ammo to last me a while, but light enough to move quickly. My rifle is named Snakebite and my pistol is Centurion."
Velvet blinks a few times in surprise before pulling her camera bag around.
"You mind if I take a picture? My camera makes light copies that I can use in combat."
Amelia smiles and shrugs.
"Why not, just leave my feet out of the picture."
Velvet takes out her camera and snaps a quick picture before putting it back in the case.
"Thank you! Alright, let's get you to the headmaster."
Amelia nods and follows her down the hall, a smile on her face.
They soon reach an elevator that Velvet claims leads up to the headmaster's office, and they head up. Velvet stays more for Amelia's peace of mind than anything.
When they reach the top floor the doors open to reveal a large office, behind the desk sits a silver-haired man with spectacles and a cane, talking to a blonde woman who looks like a librarian, except for she has a purple cape and a riding crop.
Amelia folds her duster over her left arm and fearlessly strides forward.
"Pardon the intrusion. I have an urgent letter for the headmaster."
The silver-haired man looks towards her and slightly straightens up in his chair.
"That would be me."
Amelia pulls the envelope out of her hoodie pocket and hands it to him before taking two steps back and halting, her left arm clutching her duster while her right hangs at her side.
He opens the letter and reads it, the blonde reads it over his shoulder.
After a few minutes he puts the letter down and looks at her.
"And how do I know that this isn't a fabricated story?"
Amelia takes a deep breath, and when she slowly lets it out a wispy silver aura glows around her like tendrils of fog.
His eyes widen for a second, betraying his neutral expression to show surprise.
"Well then...this is an unexpected development. How have you been?"
The aura fades and she stands up a little straighter.
"I've been living on the streets for the past two years, hence my ragged apparel."
This genuinely surprises him, and it registers all over his face as he looks her over, his gaze settling on her feet.
"I see...have you been receiving any medical care and meal assistance?"
She shakes her head and pulls the chair out before easing herself into it.
"The most assistance in the way of meals I've received is a diner giving me meat that is freezer-burnt or otherwise spoiled. As for medical care, I have received none whatsoever aside from hypothermia treatment by a book store owner."
The blonde woman gasps and covers her mouth, her eyes displaying alarm.
"Of course you know my name, so I will be acting as your parental figure for the time being."
"Of course, what should I refer to you as?"
He thinks for a moment, running his finger around the rim of his coffee cup.
"How about uncle? It's partially true."
She nods and smiles before he turns to the woman next to him.
"Find her an empty dorm, I'll acquire her a school-issue scroll."
The woman nods and heads to the elevator, quickly entering before the doors close behind her.
"Miss Scarlatina, please escort her to the infirmary, tell them I want her medical record pulled up and she is to have a full checkup including blood tests for everything under the sun."
Velvet snaps to attention.
"Y-yes sir!"
Amelia stands up and pauses.
"I left some belongings with mister Tukson..."
Ozpin nods. "I will call him and explain the situation."
Amelia smiles and walks towards the elevator, where Velvet is waiting for it to come back up.
The doors open when she reaches Velvet, and they enter before Velvet presses the button for the lobby. Once the doors close she turns to Amelia with a surprised look.
"You didn't tell me you are related to professor Ozpin!"
Amelia smiles and leans against the rear wall of the elevator.
"You never asked."