As I entered the Vine and Barrel, I pulled off my cap. My long coffee and cream coloured hair tumbled free even as I made sure the hat didn't accidentally catch on my deer antlers when I removed it.
"Hana, glad you could make it."
I recognised the smooth as old whisky voice of Alto, the rabbit faunus owner of the bar and turned with a smile. "Things were a bit hectic at the restaurant and I nearly thought I wouldn't," I replied, "But I got it under control. Are we downstairs?" At his nod, I made my way to the back of the high-ceilinged, dim bar and opened the door leading to the cellar.
The seven of us met as we always did. Our venue changed from time to time, but that was more a product of convenience than anything else. Although if Titus were to be believed, we should be changing where we met every time, and not just because someone couldn't find a babysitter. Tonight, we were in the basement of the Vine and Barrel, sitting in a circle amongst the barrels of whisky and racks of wine that Alto stored in his cellar. It was a bit musty, but the privacy factor was difficult to overlook and the fact that Alto was a committee member served to assuage Titus' security concerns. I wasn't necessarily pleased about the smell of alcohol, but you work with lots of unpleasant things as a chef and you learn to get over that sort of thing.
Tonight's committee chairman was Cambric, a cat faunus. I always found it fascinating that despite the calico colouring of his ears, his hair was a very uniform brown. I'd never worked up the guts to ask if that applied...everywhere. Then there was Lane, an ox faunus who helped out in the Yard, mostly doing heavy hauling for the metal workers there. While he tended to be quiet, it's usually worth listening if he says something. Citra was a squirrel faunus. She's a fussy one, and quite high-strung. I suspected it was because she had so many children who were very demanding of her. As I descended the stairs, I saw Murphy and Titus in conversation, the latter driving the discussion, his fox's tail whipping back and forth. The miserable expression on Murphy's face and the droop of his dog's ears, said he wasn't happy with whatever was being said. Alto was the last to arrive, coming down the steps and muttering to himself about something as I settled into my chair.
"Everything okay?" I asked quietly, as he hunkered down into the seat next to me.
"Oh, fine fine, Hana. That Leigh fellow's stopped by again, so I've had a quiet word to one of the girls to take care of him when he looks done. He can get a bit strange when he's had too much and the last thing we need is a Human causing trouble with Titus down here," he replied.
I would have inquired further, but Cambric called the meeting to order. All conversation stopped, and we turned to face each other. The Faunus Committee was something that had always existed among the community, although the exact number and composition tended to vary. I'd been a Committee Member for close onto a year, not very long compared to guys like Lane who had been one of the founders when the community moved to Atlas. Our purpose? To take care of the faunus community. We're not a governing body for the faunus community, but we're probably the closest thing to it and lacking recognition from local authorities as people since we joined the Human cities, meant we certainly couldn't rely on them for governance. Faunus take care of themselves, and we've learned through much hardship over centuries that it's in everyone's best interest to try to get along.
But with the move into the Human kingdoms, some of that had been changing. The fox faunus Titus was certainly an example of a change in mindset and attitude. We could usually go through most of the meeting before he interjected with his usual arguments and insistence upon taking the front foot. Unfortunately, we had no such luxury this week.
Despite his amber eyes being ablaze with fervour, Titus patiently waited to be acknowledged by the meeting chair. His ochre fox's tail twitched irritably behind his chair, but there was no other indication that he couldn't have just sat there all night with his hand raised in a motion. Cambric wasn't the type to keep others waiting, though, and twitched one of his cat's ears in Titus's direction, "Member Titus, did you have something for us?"
"Yes, thank you, Chair Cambric." The richness of Titus's voice still came as a surprise to me, at times. It seemed strange for a man with a voice like the most luxurious dark chocolate mousse to also exude such a constant sense of controlled fury. There was a feeling of chained lightning that emanated from him even when he was sitting still.
I had been listening to him call for more aggressive action from the faunus for well over a year now and tonight was no different.
"Brothers and Sisters of the Committee," Titus began, "You have heard this from me before, I know, but I feel strongly that I must persist for the good of our community. The faunus people have been divided since the Humans' Great War led to the discovery of our communities and peoples. Many of us have chosen to move into the Remnant kingdoms, in the belief that it would provide us with additional safety from the Grimm, and perhaps a chance at greater opportunity in the wake of warfare and hardship. Others, however, chose to leave the known realms. Perhaps that is what we should have done as well!"
Although stationary, passion and anger emanated from him like heat. "We are less than people here. The Humans ignore us or treat us like animals. Those few who risk association with us are shunned by their own kind and killed or forced into hiding. And now we begin to hear murmurs that the Schnee Dust Company, one of the fastest-growing companies in all of Remnant, may be contemplating using faunus as cheap labour to exploit! We must teach Humans that faunus are not to be trifled with and that we have strength of our own, that we are worthy of respect and equal treatment."
Citra tittered and stroked her bushy squirrel's tail fretfully. Although she was technically supposed to indicate her desire to interrupt, the rules always seemed more relaxed somehow when Cambric chaired our meetings. Besides, we had all heard Titus' arguments before and none of us was interested in letting him gather steam. We had learned that the easiest way to slow him down was to interrupt with questions of logic. "And what do you propose we do to show them this, Titus?" she asked, hugging her taupe-fluffed tail to herself and peering at him from around it.
"We need to take action!" Titus exclaimed, pounding his fist into his hand. Gesturing passionately with the same hand, he continued, "Protests outside the Schnee offices, pamphlets at the Human schools, concerted attacks on the offices of those who are vocally anti-faunus!"
Heads were shaking all around me and I agreed with them. The faunus were not in a position to take such action; it would endanger everything the community had striven for over the past few decades. And it went against the grain, bringing such attention to the faunus people, not to even begin talking about the fact that Titus' persistence was unwelcome.
I glanced around at the other Committee members and the discomfort in their faces confirmed it was time to move on, if possible. "Titus," I began, "I think we all agree that our people have had a hard time since we moved to live amongst the Humans, but now is not the right time for us to pursue such...extensive action."
"And what would you know about the time before?" sneered Titus, instantly defensive. "You were born here; your family nearly ran into the arms of the Humans. You know nothing of what it's like to be a true faunus."
"Neither do you, then!" I replied hotly, "You were born after the Great War, too! How dare you-"
"At least I don't harp on about staying in our place. I take pride in what it is to be faunus, as opposed to some people, and I'm not afraid to stand up for us!" he replied angrily.
"You go too far, Titus," Alto interjected, reaching over to place a calming hand on my shoulder. "Hana is as faunus as the rest of us. The move to Human cities has affected us all and in different ways, but we are still all faunus."
"Both of you have only known life among Humans," added Murphy gloomily. "The results of our decision to be here become clearer every day. But Hana is correct, Titus. Now isn't the right time. That time will come but we must be patient."
"Patient?" Titus' contained anger was slowly working its way free of his control, his gesticulating becoming increasingly violent. "And how much longer must we be patient? A decade? Five? The Humans are moving now! I know you've all heard the same rumours I have about the SDC. Do you think that's all they'll do? It's only going to get worse! We have to do something before it's too late!"
"Titus." The murmured discussions and building arguments came to an abrupt halt as Lane spoke, "We are not blind. We understand, and also feel your concerns. But there is a time and a place," he said firmly, "And we are not ready."
Calmer, if not exactly placated, Titus clenched his hands into fists at his side, "Then when, Lane? If we put it off for too long, it may be too late. It might already be too late," he finished softly.
Cambric took the opportunity and finally stepped in to try and resolve the discussion. "You know our concerns, Titus. As Lane has said, we feel as anxious as you do. But our people are not yet ready for excessive overt action; they are still trying to find their feet here in these cities and be a community in this new environment. I know you don't like to hear it but we do need to be patient."
Our Chairman for the evening paused and looked around the circle, "Who else has heard the rumours Titus mentioned about the Schnee Dust Company over this past week?"
Grudgingly, I raised my hand and was unsurprised to see that everyone else gathered did the same. The faunus community was nothing if not close knit; years of hardship tended to do that. I didn't know where the others had heard the SDC rumour, but even preoccupied with calling the pass in the kitchen and lending a hand where it was needed, I had pieced enough snippets together over the past few days to lend some credence to the unsettling idea that the lack of rights we had as people might be further used against us. That didn't mean I was happy about lending credibility to Titus' furor-mongering, though. His sentiments were dangerous enough coming from his own lips. Who knew what damage to the image of faunus peoples might be sustained if others joined his cause?
Cambric raised his eyebrows as his emerald gaze met my chocolate for a flickering moment, acknowledging my feelings on the matter. It wasn't exactly a secret amongst the Committee that my views were often in direct contrast to Titus', a slow and quiet burn to his fierce blaze.
"Well, Titus, I believe you have found grounds to begin a protest. We request that you currently only gather evidence to substantiate these rumours. Perhaps it would not go amiss if you, quietly, sound out those who might be amenable to assisting your, ah, proposed action. All those in favour?"
A chorus of reluctant 'aye's echoed around the room, my voice the only one withheld. It didn't matter; Titus had his majority and would be permitted to start stirring up trouble in our community. I could only hope that he would reveal his true intent quickly and lose the trust of the other Members. Alternatively, I thought I might be able to make them see the dangerous path this set us down, given a little more time to talk with them privately. own included. I didn't like Titus or his little plans, but I liked to think I could also see beyond my own desires to what would be the best action for the faunus and was willing to accept that the needs of the community were larger than my own. If the proper precautions were taken. And if the Committee was be able to recognise it if Titus took this leeway given him too far. Besides, it was only preliminary action right now and might yet be stopped some other way.
We proceeded onto other matters after that. Now that Titus was sated, we dealt with the more pressing concerns of the community. Conflicts resolved over the week were touched upon briefly, just to ensure relative consistency of decision. Incidents and other rumours were put forward to be examined for patterns or trends and discussed where appropriate. Decisions were reached, a tentative agenda and location established for our next meeting.
Two hours later, we adjourned and began to disperse. Citra hurried off, no doubt to relieve whichever friendly neighbour had been wrangled to watch over her brood. Seeing Citra appear, one of Alto's staff beckoned to him from the top of the stairs and he rushed back to the bar to deal with whatever issue had come up. Cambric sauntered over to Titus and struck up what appeared to be an amicable discussion.
"Hana," Lane rumbled from behind me. I turned halfway up the stairs, tilting my head in question. "I would speak with you. Let's talk outside," he murmured, his voice lowered to a quiet vibration felt and heard. While I normally got on very well with Lane, I was still nursing resentment from Titus' earlier comments and doubted I'd be good company. I opened my mouth to decline but before I could say anything, he added, "I know you'd rather not, but it will only be a few minutes." I gave him a skeptical look, but relented after a moment with a resigned nod, "Alright."
As we left, I saw Murphy burying his nose into a glass at the bar. Prone to bouts of melancholy, he was probably eagerly drowning the fresh sorrows he had accumulated during our meeting. I shook my head, but continued on out the door. You can't fix the world in the one try, my father was always keen to remind me. Collapsed souffle, I had enough on my mind as it was.
Lane and I stopped just outside the doors of the Vine and Barrel. While not an ideal location, I really wanted the walk home to myself and if it really was going to be a few minutes, it wouldn't be a big deal. Although well-lit, there was little traffic at this time of night. It was the lull between the evening and proper late night crowd; patrons were still getting to their preferred state of inebriation, or had already left.
I pulled out my cap and carefully began to tuck my toffee-coloured hair beneath it while working the stiff brim at the front of the cap over my miniature deer antlers as Lane spoke. Given to me by my mother, one of the few things with no strings attached, its round and full body let me fit my antlers in with no discomfort or damage and also still had space to for my long hair as well. I won't lie, I was also hoping fussing with my cap would distract me enough if he said something that might cause my temper to flare.
"You mustn't take what Titus says to heart," he began.
"Not take it to heart? Curdled custard, he questions my very identity just because I don't agree with him! How can I not take that to heart?" I exclaimed angrily, pulling my hands away from my hat. So much for a distraction.
Lane raised his hands soothingly, "We all understand, Hana. It's not fair of him." He placed a solid hand on my shoulder, "But don't let that blind you to what he has to say."
The resentment I had tried to set aside bubbled up again, "What he has to say is wrong, Lane. More aggressive action from the faunus? All that will do is bring Humans down on us and make our lot even harder. We're finally starting to make progress here and build a home. Now is not the time to upset that."
"No," Lane said firmly, "That is what I wanted to say to you. Hana, we decided to make you a committee member because of your practicality and conservative approach. Just as we made Titus a committee member because of his ability to think differently than others and his willingness to speak. The two of you were meant to balance each other out."
To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Some part of that was probably written all over my face because Lane smiled and nodded in confirmation of his words.
"We didn't wish to tell either of you too early, for fear that it would affect how you participated in the meetings, but matters are coming to a head and you both had to be told." He paused and the smile slipped from his face, "Hana, Titus is not wrong. Being cautious is good, but there are times when leaving something for too long is dangerous. This is one of those times. And what we have agreed for him to do is not extreme. If we allow our treatment at the hands of Humans to be considered acceptable and go unaddressed, we will not be able to come back from that."
In just those few sentences, I went from shock to frustration. I clenched my hands, "No," I grated, "It's too soon. We need more time." My voice was shaking, and I was pretty sure my shoulders were as well. "We're still learning and settling."
"Is thirty years not enough time?" Lane's voice was gentle, but his words made clear where he stood.
"Hey… is everything okay here?" The slurred drunken query startled me into looking up. A well-dressed white-haired Human, looking a bit rumpled but otherwise respectable, was standing a few metres away and squinting at me and Lane.
Ignoring the interruption, Lane sighed and glanced at me, reading the stubborn set of my jaw, "Hana, just think about what I said, will you? I'm not asking for more than that." I nodded silently and he turned and walked away.
"Hey!" Despite Lane's size, apparently the drunk wanted to pick a fight. "Hey, I'm talking to you. Don't just walk away from me." I saw Lane silently raise a hand, part acknowledgment, part dismissal. Lane had always been slow to anger and this was no exception, which left me to deal with the drunk.
"Leave him alone," I said flatly, turning to go as well. I was hoping that would be enough. His judgment was clearly severely impaired by alcohol if he thought my conversation with Lane was anything resembling an argument and the last thing I needed to cap off this night was for some drunk Human to cause trouble over nothing right on Alto's doorstep.
"A thank you would have been more appropriate," he called after me.
Human or not, that was just an idiotic thing to say and my temper had always been admittedly shorter than Lane's. My anger and confusion over the meeting and Lane's words welled up, just to add more to the mix, and it was simply the last straw. I marched back to him, hands on my hips. "A thank you for what? We were having a conversation and your drunk ass-."
"Hey, you're kinda cute," he interrupted.
I threw my hands in the air and gave it up. It was doubtful he'd even remember this conversation in the morning. Quick to anger, quick to...see when something is a waste of my time. Or someone, in this case. I turned on my heel and silently stormed off down the street.
"H-hey, wait up!" I heard him shout, followed by the sound of footsteps as he ran after me. Ignoring the sound of him tripping and cursing, I continued walking in the direction of my apartment. Even though he was a Human in the faunus part of town, he would be fine as long as he didn't pick any fights. With the way we stood in society, no one would take our side if it went to the authorities anyway.
Unfortunately, he caught up with me and despite the alcohol clearly at play, he kept pace. I sped up.
"Hey, listen," he slurred. I quickly shied away without slowing as he reached for my arm. He was still a man and I was still a woman walking alone down a street, after all.
"My name's not 'hey'," I couldn't help but mutter.
This seemed to stump him for a moment. "Okay," he said, pondering this revelation in silence. "My name's Ludwig," he volunteered.
"Hi Ludwig. Please leave me alone and go home," I replied. Hopefully he would take the hint but if he didn't, I was going to start circling the block until I shook him off.
"But…" He paused, something seeming to click in his head, "You never told me your name. That's not fair."
I sighed, continuing to walk on without him. It was doubtful I'd see him again; it wasn't as though Humans and faunus mixed much and maybe it would satisfy him enough so he would leave me in peace. "Hana," I called over my shoulder, "Now go away."
The cold air and walking seemed to have taken some of the edge off of the alcohol, his words becoming more distinct at least as he caught up with me again, "I can't. I'm lost. Could you help me?"
I stopped and turned, crossing my arms. "Melted ice cream, are you serious? You don't know where you are?" He shrugged broad shoulders helplessly, and smiled in what he seemed to think was a charmingly sheepish manner which quickly turned into bemusement.
"I know it's the faunus side of town… Did you just say 'melted ice cream'?" he said confusedly.
"How did you even get here in the first place, then?" I asked, exasperated by his cheerfully drunken oblivion and evading his question about the fact I swore by ruined desserts.
"Well, this guy I know wanted to take me to a faunus bar and we had a drinking contest which he lost but he's a sore loser and went off with what I think was a cow girl and left me at the bar and now I want to go home but I don't know for sure where I am because I don't come out this way and-"
"Okay okay," I put a hand over his mouth and looked more closely at him. Puzzles, unfortunately, fascinate me and while this wasn't a complex one, helping him seemed like the easiest way to make him shut up and leave me alone.
"Judging by your suit and shoes, you look like you're from the upper crust. But that's a business suit, not one for leisure. If I give you directions back to downtown Atlas, will you be able to find your way?"
With my hand on his mouth, all he could do was nod.
I took my cap off and began to chew on a strand of hair as I ran through what I knew of the city in my head. As a chef in a relatively nice faunus restaurant bordering the invisible line between the Human part of Atlas, I was pretty sure I knew the way he had to go.
When I looked up to give him directions, however, his ice blue eyes were wide and he was staring at me like I had grown...oh.
"You're a faunus?" he asked.
I rolled my eyes, feeling defensive, "Are you so drunk that you didn't put that one together? Faunus bar, talking to a faunus guy…" Okay, I was maybe being unkind but I'd had a bad day and the so drunk I'm stupid thing was really wearing thin.
"Never mind," I waved my hand dismissively, "you want to go down that street there until you get to the park. Take a left at the corner and you should be able to see the lights of downtown from there. Just keep walking towards them."
"I-," he stopped and tried to compose himself. "Thank you. Sorry… about the faunus thing. I didn't mean to… it was just a shock. I, er… better go. Thanks again." Before I could reply, he had turned and taken off at nearly a run.
He seemed embarrassed, but genuinely apologetic. Nice, I suppose, for a human.
"Try not to get lost," I called helpfully before I turned and made my own way home.
Home was a semi-spacious apartment in a medium-sized brick building that was only a few degrees colder than the outdoors at the moment. In the summer, being brick and all, it was often uncomfortably like living in an oven. This was a good thing for me, because it meant I spent a lot of time working overtime in the summer so then I had extra money for the rest of the year to spend on luxuries like blankets and food.
I had my dressers set up in one corner, my bed on the far wall near the window, and the kitchen tucked into the corner nearest the door. Just about everything else was minimalist as far as furnishing was concerned. I dropped my bag and hat in a pile on the crate nearest the door, exhausted but grateful I didn't have a morning shift tomorrow. If I didn't smell so strongly of bar, I probably wouldn't have bothered to shower before falling asleep onto my bed but as it was, I headed for my tiny bathroom with its tiny shower instead.
As the warm water fell over me, I sighed and tried to clear my mind of everything, focusing on the soothing rhythm of the water. It was an old trick someone or other had taught me once in an attempt to help me control my temper and while it didn't work for that, it did help me relax at the end of stressful days. For at least a few minutes, it gave me a break from Titus and the plight of my people and the Committee and slightly odd drunk humans and what it all might mean.
Of course, it all came rushing back once I stepped out and back into the main room of my apartment. Well, the only room of my apartment. But once you got past that fact, it was a lot of space for one person. Even getting a few minutes' break from the thoughts chasing themselves around my brain was a relief though.
I threw myself onto my canopied bed with its fluffy comforters. Although they were as light as cotton candy, they kept heat in very well and were perfect for a cold night like tonight. Snuggling in, I started turning over the events of the evening again. There was no point in lingering over what Titus had said so I set it aside as brooding material for later. Even if what Lane said was true and we were meant to balance each other, it didn't mean I had to like it or how my supposed opposite number went about it. And the implication that I was only invited to join the Committee if Titus had also accepted, rankled.
Growing up as a faunus in a Human world can affect a person's perspective on your place and what you can be. I've seen it in others my age. It's so hard to see past what the beaten down, worn out people around you are living and not conclude that's your logical place in life and that it's acceptable. Despite not agreeing on almost anything when it came to my life, my parents were united on one point: Aspire to more. More than what they had found upon moving to Atlas. More than just getting by and paying the bills. More than what the world said I should be.
I had genuinely thought becoming a Committee member might have been a step in that direction but it turned out I hadn't been invited based solely on my merit at all. And to be a counterweight to someone like Titus, someone who sought to limit what I could be because I wasn't the 'right' kind of faunus in his eyes… Those people had been around for most of my life. They saw things like covering my antlers with a hat and having anything that wasn't hatred towards Humans as implicitly condoning our treatment at their hands, and a secret desire to pass as Human. We had enough troubles with Humans without having to deal with that so much distrust and infighting in our own community.
And while I thought overt action was a bad idea right now, I did agree with the Committee that the rumours over the last week were concerning. Humans didn't think of us as people, they thought of us as the animals we resembled, and justified their treatment of us accordingly. It was unusual to find Humans who looked beyond our physical characteristics and rare to find those who willingly interacted with us like we were normal. If things continued like this, what would be next? Deciding they didn't have to pay us anything?
Thinking of Humans, what was with that Ludwig guy? I mean sure, I work in a restaurant with a 80-20 percentage when it came to faunus and Human clientele, and I might not have a lot of exposure to Humans beyond those who wanted to be seen with faunus, but that guy Ludwig was strange. Drunk, but definitely still strange even for that. Misguided chivalry I sort of get, but mistaking me for Human? And then apologising for being shocked? Was that even what he was apologising for? Who does that anyway?
I rolled over and burrowed further under the blankets. Clearly I needed a good night's sleep to put this all behind me.
[A/N: Thanks for reading this far! Feedback appreciated. As you can see, I'll be alternating first person perspective. Please let me know what you think as we go :)]