A sprawling city, an endless ocean, a roaring Ursa…

River awoke suddenly.

She sat up and looked outside. It was still night and a light flickered outside the window. Wrapping a blanket around herself, River walked across the room and looked out into the clearing. Nick was sitting on the stump, tending to a pot over the fire. River took her walking stick by the door and walked outside. Nick turned around and smiled.

"Hey, you are just in time. Just got some dinner ready."

River leaned on her walking stick and made her way to a large rock by the fire and sat down. Nick ladled a bowl of soup and handed it over. River took it in both hands and sipped, staring into the fire.

"Remember anything?" asked Nick.

"No," sighed River.

"Well, it has only been two weeks," said Nick. "I'm sure you'll start remembering soon."

"It's the same thing," said River in frustration. "Houses, Grimm, people, but nothing I can act on. Are you sure nobody in town knows anything about me?"

"The people that I talked to have never seen you as far as they can tell," replied Nick. "Once you've recovered enough, maybe we can both go into town and talk to other people."

"Who else can you talk to?" asked River. "I mean, I thought you've been talking to everyone."

"Everyone that I can," said Nick, kicking a stone. "But some people don't like talking to me."

"Why?" asked River.

Nick winced. "Sorry, I have trouble keeping track of what you remember and what you've forgotten. People in town don't trust Faunus. That's why I live out here. Easier for everyone; I'm out of sight and no one picks fights with me."

"Isn't it dangerous to be out here all alone?" asked River. "What about Grimm?"

"It was at first," smiled Nick. "But the most of the Grimm leave me alone. I do have to fight one or two occasionally, but they've learned I am not one to mess with."

River shifted guiltily on her seat. "Are you sure you don't want your house back? We can share or I can sleep outside."

"No way," said Nick firmly. "You need your rest and space. I'll be fine. I got Crimson to protect me."

He patted a katana strapped to his back. River glanced at it. She remembered him showing her the short, bright red blade that could extended another three feet when unsheathed. It made her miss…

"OW!" she exclaimed, clutching her head.

"You okay?" said Nick with concern.

"Yes, just another memory spike," said River. Spikes were the only thing she could describe them as. "I remember…something on my wrists," she held them out as if expecting them to appear. "A weapon, or equipment…"

Nick hesitated, then stood up.

"Be right back," he said.

He ducked into his tent and less than a minute later appeared holding something in his hands. "These were on you when you washed up. I tried to fix them myself, but I've never seen something like this before."

He handed over a collection of metal. River turned them over and examined them. A faint memory tugged at her and she followed her instincts, putting various pieces together until they formed two gauntlets. There were pieces missing, some bent beyond repair, but they looked familiar.

"Yes…" she said slowly. "These were weapons." She turned them over again and they fell apart. "I can probably fix them, but I need some tools and some materials. And Dust."

Nick frowned. "That is not going to come cheap. Especially for me."

Now it was River's turn to frown. "What do you mean, for you?"

"Like I said, people in town don't trust me. It was hard enough getting the ingredients for your medicine, never mind asking them for weapon parts." He winced again. "Sorry, I didn't mean that you were a burden."

"No, I get it," said River. "But that's not fair. Are Humans here really that prejudice against Faunus?"

"Well, there was a war—"

"That is something I do remember," said River suddenly. "That's right; the Faunus War."

"Yeah, well, it really wasn't that long ago," said Nick. "So everyone is kind of being cautious around each other. That is another reason why I moved out here, trying to be part of the community without being in the middle of it. But despite our Equality Treaty, there is still a lot of distrust. I'm not the only Faunus nearby," he added, nodding around the woods. "There are a few with the same idea, living on the outskirts, trying to make a living. We are trying not to make trouble, but it certainly is hard when the town charges twice the amount for a loaf of bread, just because I happen to be a little…wolfish," he said, grinning slightly.

River finished her soup and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Well, I want to try and get into town tomorrow. The sooner I get there, the sooner I might find someone who knows where I came from."

"Tomorrow?" asked Nick. "I don't know if that is a good idea. You're still recovering."

River smiled and socked him hard in the shoulder. Nick yelped like a wounded dog and rubbed the spot furiously.

"Okay, okay, you didn't have to hit me to get your point across."

"Thanks, Nick," said River, smiling innocently. "I knew you would agree with me."

The next day, River deeply regretted her actions the night before.

"Coming?" asked Nick cheekily, walking just a step ahead of her.

"Thought you said this town was close," panted River.

"It's just a couple of miles," said Nick. "Sure it's at the top of a series of hills, but I thought you said you were up for it."

"I am," said River stubbornly, planting her hiking sick to the trail and adjusting her backpack.

"I can take a breather if you want," said Nick, walking backwards up the trail. "Or I can jog back home and come back, see if you made it."

"I swear if you were two feet closer, you would be regretting those words," threatened River.

"Well, it's only two feet," said Nick reasonably, milking the moment. "You should catch up in no time."

River considered throwing her stick at him, but realized she would probably collapse without it. Nick must have thought the same, for he grinned and dropped onto a log on the side of the trail and opened his bag. "We made good distance for your first walk. Take a break. Town is just on the other side of the hill," he said, nodding to the trail that disappeared over the crest of the hill about fifty feet from where they stopped. He pulled out a container of water and tossed it to River. River dropped onto the log next to Nick and chugged it down, then leaned back against a boulder.

"The only reason why I'm not hitting you right now is because I don't have the energy," she said, closing her eyes.

"Yeah, I figured," said Nick, sipping his own water. "I'll just assume you'll save it for later."

River laughed.

"I owe you one."

"Exactly."

River looked over at Nick, dressed in a black shirt and blue jeans with his combat boots and Crimson strapped to his back. He had lent River some clothes that he had stored in his shed, so now she wore a faded white shirt, jeans of her own, and brown work boots. They fit surprisingly well.

Suddenly, there was a series of snaps and crunches as something made its way through the woods. They looked up to see another Faunus making his way toward them. The Faunus was dressed in a brown hunting jacket and had a set of antlers on his head. He carried a bow over his shoulder and was holding a bag.

"Hey Nick!" said the Faunus. "How have you been?"

"Dennis!" said Nick, grinning. "Doing well, you?"

Dennis raised his bag. "Got about half a dozen squirrels today. Hoping to sell a couple pelts in town." He noticed River. "And who is this?"

River held out her hand. "Hi. Call me River."

The Faunus looked in surprise at her outstretched hand, then shook it. "Nice to meet you. I am assuming you're new around here?"

"You could say that," said River. "I had…an accident recently. Nick has been helping me get situated."

"She's lost a lot of her memory," explained Nick. "We are going into town to see if anyone recognizes her."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," said Dennis. "And I'm afraid I don't recognize you either. Can I ask what happened?"

"That is part of the problem," said Nick. "She doesn't know. I just found her floating down river a few weeks ago."

"Well if you don't find anything in town," said Dennis. "You should backtrack upriver. Maybe you might find something."

"I'll do that, thank you," said River.

"Good luck to you," said Dennis.

"You too," said Nick. "Hope you get a good price."

Dennis frowned slightly. "Here's hoping." He walked away.

"He doesn't look very confident," said River.

"He'll be fine," said Nick. "I think."