Dust to dust; that how it shall end,
One final embrace my dearest friend,
Our bodies now ashes across the sand,
The lost dream to cure desolate land,
Final words before we meet again,
Adieu Adieu Adieu; Now all players take your final bow
Dust & Sand - Epilogue
Chapter 1: Perfect Day
The vibrant yellow sun shone high above the Vale skyline with a warm gentle breeze blowing from the southwest. To Blake Belladonna, the fair skinned faunus, this marked a perfect day. She lay stretched out under the shade of a big tree in the Vale park; with her new favorite book spread open on her lap.
Dust & Sand had become her favorite book ever since it was found on one of her teams recent adventures to the library. It was a book of poems and short stories telling the sad tale of the rise and fall of the last great faunus empire; Babylon.
Her day dreams as of late has been her being able to see such a grand and illustrious empire for herself. To see the faunus race stand tall and united instead of scattered and destitute. Oh to see it with her own eyes would be a dream come true.
Her fingers scrolled across the last page of the book before closing it and embracing it against her chest tightly. A flight of fancy was good every once and awhile for a huntress but it was a trap to always rely on daydreams.
" What ya got there, chickenbutt?" The familiar voice caught her off guard and broke her daydream. Her eyes drifted up towards a bare chested teenage boy with a pile of unrulely sandy blonde hair. The boy was a monkey tailed faunus by the name of Sun Wukong; who should of been back in Mistral.
" Oh um, Sun. I um didn't know that you were back in Vale." Blake stood up and dusted herself off; trying to look some what presentable to the boy she quite fancied. " If I knew you were coming I would of set something up for us to do."
" He didn't know that we were going to end up being here." Another familiar voice came from behind Sun. He walked right next to Sun and straightened his goggles a bit.
" Neptune, you're here too!" Neptune stood next to his teammate and gave Blake his signature cool smile.
" We were asked by the Mistral and Vale governments to be added security for an upcoming faunus empire exhibit thats opening today at the Vale museum." Neptune slid a gloved hand through his blue hair. " Seriously, Sun wouldn't stop talking about all the ancient weapons that are part of the exhibit."
Blake looked almost dumbfounded at the two boys. After spending day after day reading the same book over and over again; to actually be able to see real pieces of the ancient civilization would be a dream.
" Cmon Neptune, there is more to the exhibit that I like besides the weapons. They were the most advanced race during the second age of man." Sun looked at his human teammate and tried to plead his case towards his love of the exhibit.
Blake just looked at them and smiled as the two friends and teammates went back and forth with their arguement about Suns' latest passion. The young man; reckless and carefree in his actions; burned a flame inside of Blake that she thought she lost years ago when she left the White Fang. If it wasn't for her more hesitant and worried personality; she would of already let her feelings be known to the boy.
He accepted her completely; even going so far as to not question her willingness to hide her proud faunus heritage from the rest of the world. Sun was her knight in shiny armor; or in her case; bright white unbuttoned shirt. Maybe one day she'll fully express her feelings towards the boy; but not today...
" Blaaaaaaaaakkkkkeeeeee. Earth to Blake." Shaken out of her flight of fantasy; she saw both of the boys looking at her. " You there Blake?"
" Sorry, got lost in thought there for a minute there Sun. What did you ask?"
Sun just smiled so nonchalantly at her that she even wondered how someone could be so carefree. " Well when I came across you; you were reading that book. I was just curious as to what it was about."
" I didn't know that you were such a bookworm Sun." Suns' smile was just so contagious that she just had to smile.
" He's not. He just likes the person who was reading it." Sun turned to Neptune with a look of dumbfounded rage as he just elluded to Suns' feelings towards Blake. She didn't expect the two to come to blows over it but it did help explain their team dichotomy and dynamic.
" Seriously dude. What's wrong with you?"
Neptune continued looking so suave compared to his less than classy teammate. " Sun, you're like a brother to me. So let me give you some advice. Just ask Blake out already. For the teams sake. Seriously, Scarlet is going to kill you if you don't."
Their arguement seemed to be on a road to a physical confrontation if it wasn't stopped by the sound of Blakes giggles. " I'll be happy to go see the exhibit with you monkey boy."
The anger that covered Suns' face disappeared immediately at her words and turned to a face of exuberation. " Oh my god. Seriously? You and me? You mean you will?! I can't believe this. I've been thinking about this constantly about this over and over again. I've asked Scarlet about her opinion on this at least once a day. I can't believe that you and me and... Wait, did you just call me monkey boy?"
Maybe it was Suns' constant pacing back and forth as he tried to explain. Or how he animated his words with his hands and arms. Neither Blake nor Neptune could really tell what caused the humorous twinge that happened inside of them. Yet both knew exactly when that twinge exploded in all out laughter; Suns' deadpan face when he asked about the monkey boy comment.
"Well if you two are not so busy; we can talk about the book over some tea. My treat." Without even waiting for an answer; she took both of them by their arms and led them to her favorite coffee shop...
The stench of this place made him want to vomit. This 'human' city was filled with nothing but despicable dysphoric display of human decedance. These mongrels took great pleasure in their waste and defilement of the great mother of the earth. They had no clue of the storm that was going to be laid down upon their heads.
This man stood upon the Vale walls with his brown cloak flapping in the breeze. Beside him stood four other men similary garbed. His long ashen grey lion tail with pale white tip curled as a stockier built man stood next to him. " Ajani, control your emotions. You are not the only one who hates being here and not back home. Remember we're on a vital mission for our lord."
Ajani turned towards the stockier man and then turned his gaze to the other three men. " Syllabear, I am sorry my brother. I let my disgust get the better of me. My brothers; now is the hour of our victory. Down in that vile human city lies the relic that we have long sought. So now; I ask one more time, for the last time; lend me your stregnth. FOR VICTORY! FOR BABYLON!"
The other men cheered as they all peered down at the Vale museum; their weapons raised high in the air...
Blake was drinking her tea slowly as she watched Sun flip through the pages of her book with fanatical intent. The monkey tailed faunus rarely showed such an interest in books that to see him enthralled in Dust & Sand was an amazing surprise. Finally he closed the book and placed it down on the table in front of him. His eyes finally lifted to meet Blakes' as she took in his utter exhileration.
" This... this is unbelievable Blake. I mean this book is just... I can't believe it." Rarely was Sun at a lack for words; so to see him like this was a pleasant surprise.
" I'm glad to see that you like it." Blake took another drink as Sun continued.
" I actually remember some of these stories from when I was a kid. I didn't know that they were part of a bigger story." Sun looked almost exasporated when he tried explaining. " My mother told me epilouge almost every night when I was a child."
" Well if you promise to keep the book in good condition; I'll let you borrow it. And if you're really nice; I'll let you read some to me." Both Sun and Neptune was shocked when they heard Blake flirt so openly with Sun. Blake was never so forward with Sun before that it took both of the huntsmen in training by surprise.
Neptune lifted his mug filled with piping hot black coffee to his lips and slowly drank a bit of it down. Personally he considered Vale coffee to be too bitter for his personal taste; nothing like Mistral coffee; yet here he was enjoying every bit of it. He couldn't tell if it was that he was enjoying the conversation that Sun and Blake were having; or that he knew that he wouldn't have to deal with Suns' excessive worrying about being back in Vale. He finally put down his mug and pulled out his scroll. His eyes glanced over to the time display on the scroll first in a passing fancy and then glared at it as he noticed the time. " Crap, Sun we're late!"
Suns' head whiplashed towards Neptune. " What? No no no no. But I want to spend more time with Blake."
Blakes' head turned from Sun to Neptune and then back to Sun in quick succession. " Time for what?"
Neptune and Sun stood up in unision and moved their chairs back under the coffee shop table. Sun sighed as he took one last glance at both the book and Blake; the woman of his dreams. " Time for us to get back on guard duty."
Blake stood up slowly and embraced Sun. " Go. Behave you two."
A colder breeze blew in as she watched the two boys walk away from her; towards the museum. Deep in her stomach; she felt a foreboding unease. What Blake couldn't tell if that feeling of unease sprung from her seeing Sun leave or from something else... something darker.
This thing they called a museum was nothing more than a heartless stone building that defiled the great mother with its' emptiness. Ajanis' team now stood across from the disrepectable building. Across from them; in front of the museum; stood less than a dozen lightly armed guards. To his team they were not even considered a light practice. All Ajani could do was let out a low growl as he considered their best option.
As he continued to consider his options; a slender man stepped forward with a slight spring in his step. " Don't worry about these guys. I'll give them a show to die for."
The man flashily disrobed his brown cloak to expose his modest brown trousers, tan shirt and brown vest. His silvery eyes focused on the guards in front of him as he bypassed the sword at his hip and instead pulled out a very ornate pan flute from his back. His devilish grin was undeniable as he slowy raised the flute to his lips. With artistic precision and grace he placed his lips lightly onto it and began to play a dreadful dirge for the guards and the awaiting patrons. The song progressed slowly and methodically through the opening hymn and increased in intensity till it reached a climax before the chorus.
The music reverberated through the streets; way past the museum. Each person who heard it became enthralled with the haunting grace and rhythm. Most stopped what they were doing and began a slow procession to where the music was coming from. More and more people began crowding the streets as they left businesses, houses, and vehicles to join the parade.
As the climax hit; all the surrounding crowds eyes seemed to gloss over. The slender man took a short pause to savour what came next. He litterally licked his lips before continuing. With a fresh amount of air in his lounges; he began the chorus. With rolling low notes and thrashing high notes the chorus ripped apart the methological opening and changed the dirge entirely.
The crowds reaction wasn't immediate; yet a low chorus of screams starting from the museum began pouring all the way back to where the last stragglers were just coming in. The screams were inhuman, feral and they were increasing in intensity. Finally at the peak of the chorus; the first blows fell. The security guards were the first to throw blows; more and more people joined in on the fighting till the whole mass was embroiled in senseless combat.
The man continued to play till he felt a strong hand lay itself upon his right shoulder. " Robin, don't get carried away. Remember, our mission here is to recover the artifact; not slaughter these wretched humans."
Ajani walked right next to both of them with Syllabear and the fifth cloaked man in tow. " Furion is right, end this madness now. Let these pests enjoy their sleep."
Robin finished his dirge in a flourish of noise that betrayed the rest of the song. With the songs end; ever human who fell under its' trance fell like ragdolls to the hard ground.
The fifth man passed all of them and began the accent up the stairs to the awaiting museum. He released his cloak to reveal his dark grey hair and inhumanly pale white skin. His eyes flashed red as he took notice of a barely clothed figure that stood waiting for him at the entrance to the museum. This boy with his mop of sandy blonde hair and unbuttoned white shirt really thinks he could stand in their way; while weilding a measly staff. The nerve of it all.
To make matters worse is that this boy is a faunus. A betrayer to his own kind; he cohabitates with these mongrels. Oh this boy deserves to face the wrath of a true faunus; he deserves to taste the blade of Lestat...