A/N: Hi everyone! This is the debut of a character I've been working on for a very long time, haha. She's by far the most fun character to write that I've ever made and that'll probably show. Please leave a review and be sure to follow the fic as more is to come from this fantastic character!
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Night time in Mistral was an interesting but dangerous place, a place where you didn't know what waited for you just around the corner. Around those corners and along different buildings were signs of dangerous criminals too, criminals that liked roaming the night as it was now. One of those signs? A young woman with red eyes, long hair, and distinctive ram horns sticking out of her head. That would make her none other than the odd creature herself… Kallo Aries.
Outside of her crimson eyes it was hard to tell that this girl was anything more than your average huntress, but for one unfortunate soul it was obvious this wasn't the case. He was tripping over himself in the cool night as he was likely running faster than what he was used too. His own breathing louder than his feet that stomped across the paved ground, his pudgy stomach bouncing along the way. This specific individual was easy to track which made for fun game, exactly how the she devil herself liked it.
To make sure he didn't get too comfortable she would leap up above him occasionally, then fall back again as she took in his fear. What a feeling it was, for her adrenaline to be pumping in the thrill of the hunt. The heat rushing throughout her body as she thought about what she would do once she caught him. As she escaped into her thoughts though he tripped over an empty crate that was in his way and he tumbled to the ground.
Lunging forward she removed her blade from its sheath before swinging it down hard in his direction. Of course he did roll out of the way in time to evade her attack which left a crack in the ground, the poor fool taking off away from her yet again. Stretching for a quick moment she chuckled, pursuing the man again. "Oh come now, where are you even going anyway?"
"Stay the hell away from me!" Was all that echoed back to her as he continued to run from her. His scream sending chills down her spine which only thrilled her even more, her skin hardly being able to contain her excitement as she shook.
"Aww… he doesn't want to play." Kallo came to a stop once she got to a roof where she could spot him. "Too bad that I'm the cat."
The time for playing was coming to a close, as he would soon know as she landed ahead of him and kneed him right on the chin. Then as he tried to get back to his feet so he could run she tackled him shoulder first back onto the ground, laughing as they rolled together. He shouted something as he pushed her off, but that would only result in her sending a boot into his gut as he flung back against a wall. Before he could retaliate again there was a sharp and quick sound that filled the air, her sword buried in his gut trapping him against the wall.
"And you're the mouse." She said cheerfully, playing with his hair before kissing the side of his head, him only looking back at her with pained disgust.
"Why?!" Not the most clever question she's been asked, even for someone that was bleeding out.
"Don't pretend to be innocent, Mr… Oh I already forgot your name." Getting lost in the heat of this chase had her forget who this man even was, Kallo holding her chin as she tried to think about who on the hit list she circled this night.
"Larson! My name's… Larson."
"Pearson?" He shook his head slightly, but she just waved it off as she continued to just… antagonize him? "Cool name. You were marked, fortunately for me."
"Ma-marked..?"
"That's right. I don't know what you did but you're going to be a nice payday." She patted one of her buttcheeks where her wallet would usually be to emphasize the financial aspect of what she said.
"Wha- who even are you?"
"Well," She reached into her coat and pulled out what looked like a worn out journal, plopping down on her rear as she opened up and flipped through the pages. "I guess I have the time to tell you."
--
At this point it must have been hours since Kallo first found her way onto this roof. She found her way here after what seemed like an eternity though planning all of this out. First, she would find one of the warehouses where the guards stayed on the plantation. Then she would get the information she needed before going out to find where the slaves were kept, but more importantly where her parents were so she could finally break them out of this hell.
So for now she waited for a lone guard, tossing some rock into the air and catching it over and over again. There wasn't anything significant about the little pebble, just one of the many on the ground down below that was lucky enough to be picked up by her. Her parents would have that same luck tonight, that thought bringing a smile to her face. She couldn't wait to see them again, to hug them again, to just have her life back.
She wouldn't just get her life back either, this was going to be an all new experience that she couldn't help but fantasize about. The first thing she would have them do is take a long rest in her apartment, on a much better bed than the rough mat that she could still remember never being able to sleep on. Then once they were well rested she would be sure to show them her favorite restaurant in Mistral, they served the best spaghetti and she LOVED spaghetti. A healthy, childlike giggle escaped her as she laid there and continued on with her imagination.
That wouldn't last long though, as the little rock smacked her on the forehead and rolled off the ceiling. Rubbing her head she sat up, happy that something had brought her back to reality so that she wouldn't miss her chance. And it would just so happen that as she sat up and looked down in front of the warehouse she saw some middle-aged man walking away from it. Slowly getting up to her feet she stretched for a quick moment before leaping off the building happily.
"Well it seems to be my lucky day."
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"Damn, never thought I was gonna take a piss." Charlie, a guard at the Maxxman Plantation, was happy to finally have a moment to himself out in the cool night. Sure, the cold air made it a little difficult for him to relieve himself but that only made him feel even more accomplished after the fact. That used to not be a problem for him before but now that he was fifty-two years old things were a little different. He chuckled at the thought of his wife pointing out there was nothing "little" about how different he was now.
Shrugging that off though he pulled a cigarette out of his coat and lit it up before sticking it into his mouth. It was nice to stand in the silence, staring out into the night as he smoked away. This time with himself would be even better if it wasn't for what he walked in on at work earlier. He almost didn't even notice the shake in his hand until he pulled the cig from his mouth, holding his wrist to calm himself down.
She was shaking too… that damn faunus as the other guards were… doing to her. Their hands all over her, mainly in areas that hands should never be without the poor girl's consent. Then what bothered him even more was the talk he had with one of them afterwards. He tried telling Charlie that what he saw was normal, and that in time he would see something like that as normal.
In an attempt to push these thoughts and his own rage down he took another puff off of the cigarette, but nothing was going too. As his wife always said there was never a time where he could let something that bothered him just go unsaid. It didn't matter if he had to take this beyond the staff of the plantation, something had to happen. Flicking away the burnt out stress killer away he gathered himself before deciding it was time for him to head back.
He wouldn't head back though, at least not yet as he swore that he saw something… something metallic in the distance move past his eyes. The rest of the guards were busy when he left so that couldn't have been one of them. Even if he had pissed them off with his attitude about what happened earlier they wouldn't bother with coming all the way out here. This was confirmed when he heard the rattling that was all too familiar, some slave had unfortunately chosen to try and make a break for it.
Taking out his flashlight he lit up the area in front of him, only seeing the trees and grass in the distance. A low, tired sigh coming out of him as he took a few steps in the direction of where he thought the sound had come from. But as he did the rattling returned, just from behind him. Irritation settled in and he stormed in the other direction, his light shaking as his hand was at it again.
"Hey, Hey! What's the matter with you? You know what'll happen now don't you?" He meant what he said too, it was impossible to know what they would do to this poor soul. Or what they may force him to do to this slave if they didn't want to get their own hands dirty. It would have been easy for him to just flick off his flashlight and let the faunus get away, that even being what he wished he could do. That would cost him his job though, and that just wasn't an option for him… not at his age.
"I said-" His head was spinning, his body rolling through the dirt hard before coming to a stop on his back. He couldn't hear a thing outside of the ringing in his own head as he held his gut, whatever hit him there must have broken a rib or two. Even for the male slaves that was a much harder blow than anything he could have anticipated. As his vision came back to him he couldn't see much, other than the beaming light of his flashlight that was now away from him on the ground.
His attention was quickly brought to a pair of boots that were being illuminated in the light. As he slowly got up to a knee he felt incredibly groggy, his vision still returning to him as he tried to look up at his attacker. In the moonlight all that he could see was what seemed to be… ram horns?
"Shouldn't have went for that smoke." He ate a nasty, brutal boot to the face. Hitting the dirt as the world around him spun faster than what he could handle. Then as he laid there he drifted off, blacking out fully.
--
There she sat, her legs crossed as she waited for the guard to wake up. Kallo took him deeper into the forest, making sure that they were far enough away so that no one would over hear them. Not that she wanted it to go that far but for her parents she would do just about anything. She wouldn't kill him or anything but if some extra force got what she needed out of him she wouldn't hesitate.
But first she needed to wait for him to wake up. So there she sat, looking him over as she became bored. It was actually kind of funny how much she remembered about their outfits almost down to the color of the belt buckle. Then in the place where she knew it would be was an all too familiar whip resting on his hip.
The mere sight of it made her eye twitch, drawing a cringe from her as she could vaguely feel an ache in one of her horns. As if it was instinct her hand moved to her horn, her fingers caressing the smoothness of her animalistic feature so to ease the pain. Shaking her head she sighed, this wasn't an uncommon occurrence after all. Anything that reminded her of that awful… awful past of hers would often draw a similar reaction from her.
Choosing to bury that though she took another look at him, this time getting closer to him as he slept soundly against a tree. From the look of his skin and hair he must have been a little older which wasn't out of place here on the plantation. They must have always hired people that would have a low profile, and an older man would likely fit that bill. Really… the longer she looked at him and thought about him, she felt more and more upset with herself about taking him out of the blue like that.
Reaching out she gently slid the back of one of her hands against his cheek, her eyes softening for the man. That was quickly shaken from her though as he coughed and his eyes began to creep open. Then he began to move around slightly as he started to come back around. So she took a few steps back and gave him some space, which he would need.
As soon as he seemed to realize that he wasn't somewhere he knew his eyes shot wide, panic setting in as his head shot around to take in his surroundings. His attention quickly going in Kallo's direction as he must have seen her. "Who are you?! Where am-"
He was cut short as he tried to get up and approach her, being jerked back down by the rope that had his hands tied behind his back. The other end securely tied around the tree behind him. However this realization only made him panic more, as he tugged on the rope over and over again. Clearly wanting to get out of this situation as fast as he could.
She had to admit that she found his attempts amusing, but she wouldn't get anything done watching him like this. "Calm down, I just need a little bit of information and you'll go right back to your life."
That didn't help though, as he just kept trying to break the rope over and over again. Getting closer to him she repeated herself but again she fell on deaf ears. Blinking she stood there for a moment thinking about how to peacefully calm him down. Then she stepped right up to his and pulled his head close to hers, kissing the side of his head and shushing him.
"Hey, relax. All you have to do is tell me something and you'll be fine. Alright?" That seemed to do the trick as his attention went to her alone. She felt relieved as he sat down, seeming to understand that she didn't mean him any harm. So she took a step back and let both of them take a moment to themselves before she began the questioning.
"Now, does the name Aries ring a bell?" She added emphasis to her own name, wanting it to sink in his mind.
"Arieth? No, Arieth doesn't sound familiar." He shook his head, having no idea that he had just misheard her.
Kallo was aware that he was an older man but it still bothered her regardless, so she reached out and tugged on his collar so to make him pay better attention. "Aries. Not Arieth."
"Oh… oh. Aries, I think I might. I'm not sure."
Rubbing her eyes she felt frustration building up inside of her. So much so that she pulled her bangs back and slid her hands through her hair, tugging on the ends of her hair to try and not be too aggressive. Scaring him at this point would only make things worse and she knew that. "You need to try harder. DIg, as deep as you can for that name."
"I don't understand. Why? What's so important about-"
That was enough, her nails digging into his shoulders as she shook him like a rag doll and her anger poured out onto him. "Maybe it's not important to you, but that name means everything to me! That's my parents name, damnit! And they 'belong' to this damned place."
Her eyes were near bloodshot when she finally let go of him, nearly tossing him as he hit his back against the tree behind him. She didn't like it, but there was almost a cathartic feeling washing over her after resorting to some violence. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry… just let me think."
Nodding she took a few steps away from him, pulling on some of her hair until the ends were placed between her fingers. She took the moment to relax, after all everything would be fine in a matter of moments once he told her where they were. Then she would finally be able to see them again. Now she wore a smile, still playing with the ends of her hair as that was one way she could always calm herself down.
"Oh… I remember now." Her hair fell from her hand as she heard his words, something off putting about the way he spoke.
A shake formed in her hands, but she ignored it and pushed on. "Okay, where are they?"
Silence filled the air as he chose not to speak. Leaving Kallo to her thoughts as so many different scenarios played out in her mind. But she ignored them all, lying to herself so to try to stop the shake in her hands. "I asked you where they were."
"I know… I know. Listen, I…. They were an older couple. They… couldn't produce more than their worth, as the other guards put it." Her breath beat him in the face over and over again, the panicked breathing that left her sounding foreign to even herself.
She shook him by his shoulders again, this time with the strength of a toddler as she became lightheaded from her own uncontrollable breathing. "And?! Where… where are they?! Were they relocated?! Tell me!"
"I'm sorry, sweetie I am. They… they were put down. Standard gunshots to the head, I'm sorry."
Thud! Then another and another as she beat on the sides of her head. Down on her knees and away from him she dug her nails into her scalp, red hot tears scorching her cheeks as she let out a horrifying scream that echoed into the night. She could feel her fingertips becoming dripped in blood, her own blood. That much being confirmed as she pulled her hands before her eyes and became terrified of herself.
Shaking her head she pulled on the ends of her hair, playing with them frantically to try and calm herself again, tears still falling as she shook. "No… no no no no no."
"Girl… I'm sorry. But my wife is gonna worry. You gotta let me go."
Something clicked, or unclicked, as Kallo gripped the hair in her hand in a tight fist, screeching as she ripped some of her own hair out of her head.
"Girl… please. I need to go home."
Spinning around she faced him, the man jolting back in fear. She didn't know if it was a laugh or just a miserable shout that left her as she slowly got up to her feet. Of course he was scared of her, he should have been scared of her. He knew this entire time, and he just didn't want to admit it. He knew what would happen once he told her. "There's no such thing… as home."
At that very moment her eyes fell on the whip again. The ache close to her horn now an intense burn as she focused on nothing but that. So much pain came from that thing, so much that she never thought another pain would ever even get close to what that felt like. What a fool she was to actually think such a thing.
In a flash she had the whip in her hands, then she was wrapping the end of it around his throat. Her actions happening before a semblance of a thought could come to her. Now she was simply moving, being driven by the burn that only got worse and worse. "No, no no. Please, I know you're upset but you can't-"
She tied the whip so tight that his words were now his own attempt to take a breath, only slightly being able to as he strained and strained. This continuing as she staggered back, still holding the whip but only vaguely. Looking down at her hands then back at the man, the panic on his face overwhelming her as she fell to her knees. Her tears now hitting the grass below as she became ashamed of whatever she would have done if her rage hadn't quietened down.
Slowly she began crawling over to him, to untie him and let him go. Her entire body feeling heavier than what was possible as her mind was flooded with the truth. That her father wouldn't ever be able to sit her down and teach her the bits of knowledge that he had. That her mother wouldn't ever be able to hold her after another brutal beating at the hands of those vicious guards….
Shrieks, miserable shrieks filled the air as she picked the whip back up, holding the handle in a vise grip so intense that she drew more blood from herself. He may have been scared, or even terrified that she went back for it… but she wouldn't remember. As she stood there, even if it was for just a moment, all of her nerves came to a stop and she stood there completely numb. Smack! She pulled hard on the whip, his head crashing into the dirt.
First her lip quivered as she yanked again, his head bouncing off the dirt again. Second her teeth showed, which could have mistaken for fangs as her rage boiled over and punished him again. Then she shook vigorously as she pulled the whip over her shoulder and pulled with all her strength. The rope that held him to the tree snapping as she finally felt some sense of relief, he on the other hand having a mouthful of dirt from how forceful the slam into the dirt was.
There she stood, her feelings out of control but her face calm as tears kept a steady stream down her cheeks. For years, for nine years she put so much effort into this night. Doing all she could to be prepared to save her parents… but she was too late. "I… I failed. I'm sorry…."
A high pitched whistle howled through the night, Kallo's body seemingly vanishing into thin air. But she didn't vanish, she had just moved faster than what the human eye could follow. Then once she stopped her moment with the whip still in her hand the guard was flung through the air before colliding with a tree, a sickening crunch filling the air. The guard now a corpse after she used her semblance, dropping the whip and heading away from what she just did.
Sobbing as she walked she played with her hair again. She even bit on it as she walked, something that was new to her. All of this was new to her, and she really had no idea what to do with herself. And what was even worse was that she didn't know how to handle what she had just done to that poor… poor man.
--
"So you see, that's what happened." Kallo closed her journal, tucking it away in her coat as she got up to her feet. However she must have dragged on longer than usual, Pearson having bled out and died at some point before she was done. Shrugging she removed her sword from his gut and put it away, deciding to go for some ice cream. "The money was only good if I brought him in alive, damn."
