Chapter 4: Shuffle

Another chapter. Another view on the Struggle of the Faunus People and their Glorious Leader.


She could only feel the burning of her calves in the morning, as she roused herself from the bed, feeling the morning's tension slowly burn away from her mind, a yawn that was loud enough to be audible in the next room coming from her mouth, as she glanced at the clock. 'Seven-thirty… What's on the schedule for today?'

The Scroll that she had allocated to her own use beeped once before her fingers tapped in the proper code and it unlocked, her eyes scanning the headlines of the news, nestling herself a little deeper in the warm and protective sheets. On a small side-window, she had her schedule open, as her eyes ran over the titles. 'Dust prices up, thefts increasing…' The news was never that good for the Faunus as a whole, the stray thought coming to her mind that it might be for the best if she were to invest slightly more time into the personal sphere of things. 'It's been a while.'

Her finger pressed the button that would connect her to her assistant. "Good morning, Miss Khan." The voice of the assistant reached her ears, the smug smirk on her face happening without her meaning to. "Good morning. Will you be around at ten?" The schedule had her actually sleep in until nine, yet the alarm clock had been set for eight thirty. This would leave her about an hour of free time, the refreshing tone of her assistant sounding like the clarion call to work. "Of course, Miss Khan. Your daily appointments, are you up to date with them?"

She glanced at the schedule and noticed that the 'dancing lessons' had been penned in for the whole evening. 'The human won't probably spend most of the time allotted to it… maybe it's a good time to hit up the bar again.' "Obviously. I thought I'd call and inquire about your availability today. You've slotted in the whole evening for the dancing lessons." Her assistant seemed to have little compunctions about ensuring that her schedule was filled to the brim with important activities, yet her own say in the matter decided all. 'A whole evening for dancing…' The thought wasn't bad, though. She had been improving, according to the boy's words.

"It is imperative that you show a cultured side. Searches have been made for a partner who can accompany you, of the right sort, obviously." The thought of having to dance with someone who wasn't as skilled at dancing as her, was something that brought only dark thoughts to her mind, as she clicked her tongue. "Where are you getting a Faunus who is skilled in dancing from?" She inquired, and the assistant hesitated for a moment. "There was a Mistralian Faunus who was trained by their human mother in the art of dancing, Miss Khan."

'Mistralians… oof.' She did not hope for too much, as she would need to learn how to match the pace of her partner. "Gender?" She inquired. As a woman, she would have to appear to all other parties as someone who would be able to care for her own, and with a female partner… aspersions about her own sexuality would be made. Not something that she'd like to have stick to her. "Female, Miss Khan. Miss Tae-Xiong would do, yet our search continues." She grit her teeth, audibly grinding them together. 'It wouldn't be so bad if the public image of the White Fang wasn't so tarnished by our clandestine actions…'

An image of a young man, eager to please and easily cowed and intimidated came to her mind. She dismissed it immediately. 'I will not betray my people to dance with a human! Kali would see me together with him and immediately start planning the wedding!' Her voice didn't quiver in the slightest as she spoke to her assistant, though. "See to it that you do." Her body flooded with a warmth, annoyance showing on her face, though the call did not have video. She wasn't that stupid to do so, being only clad in underwear and a shirt. 'It'll be time to tame the kitten.' "I will be with you in two and a half hours. May you rest well, Miss Khan." Her assistant gave her the time to shut down the call, her eyes looking lazily at the scroll and then pulled up the folder with some of the interesting things that a woman might need for a little bit of a distraction.

She got under the shower almost thirty minutes later, her fingers tossing the shirt into the hamper and feeling the warmth wash over her, her body still tingling a little, the gushing heat inside her core making her feel like she'd just been introduced to the pleasure of featuring in one of those videos that you occasionally saw whilst browsing. Her fingers brushed over her nipples for a moment, her head facing the spray, letting the water cascade over her body, her hands bracing against the wall as she stretched a little, the popping in her body audible to her ears, as the water washed her body clean, her sharp exhale coming right at the moment when her ears heard the front door open up.

'She's early.' She thought as she shut the shower off, taking one of the towels and then draping it over her body. The shampoo would be enough for her as she started to dry herself off, the audible creak of the floor reaching her ears, her gaze going to the door opening, her eyes narrowing, as her gaze caught sight of a weapon. 'Fuck.' She pushed herself to the side, the 'pop' sound of a silenced pistol audible, only saved by the sheer agility that she held as a Faunus of the feline kind, the shattered tile bringing the danger to the front of her mind. 'Fuck fuck fuck fuck!'

She pushed herself against the wall, assessing what she had available to her, her hand grabbing one of the bottles of shampoo and flinging it in the direction. 'Goodbye Golden Darkness Balsam, you will be missed.' The grunt of the man who'd been hit by it was enough to clue her in, her head peering past the wall to see the man's centre of mass having a large stain on it, the adrenaline surging through her body, as she grabbed the towel and moved, before the pistol could get into the position again where it would be able to land an accurate shot on her. 'I'm not immune to getting shot. With enough time…' Her Aura would be able to block one bullet, maybe two. Three would definitely stress the limit, which was more than she'd be allowing to pass. 'Come on, Sienna, put some moves on.'

Her body was right in the position to strike, the towel forming into a length, whipping it out. 'The whip's still in the safe.' Her body moved swiftly, as the man cursed, the weapon smacked from his hand as the naked Faunus woman moved, her flat palm slamming against his chin. Dark brown hair, cut in a shaggy style, eyes that were currently crossed in pain, as her other hand hit him in the kidneys. 'You DARE to invade my home and try to kill me?' Aura was only useful when it was activated, after all. She smelled the scent of humans on him, noticing the lack of Faunus traits. 'Fuck.' Her body moved on instinct, her knee rising and slamming into his body, getting him to the ground. "You fucking bastard!" She didn't really need to scream, but it was enough for her, her eyes catching sight of the man as he curled into a ball. Her bare foot hit flesh and she stomped a few times, her eyes going for the Scroll.

The muted sound of a pistol discharging reached her ears and she could feel her body being rocked by the impact, the bullet hitting the ground with a ping, realizing that she'd just gotten herself shot at, a second assassin there, a woman wearing a hoodie including a bandanna tied over her face to hide her features. Sienna acted swiftly, her fingers grabbing a hold of the weapon that the man had laid on the ground, a second bullet hitting her in the shoulder, her aura shattering from the impact. 'Should've gotten myself trained beforehand.' The regret was real, whilst her aim was sure. The pistol in her hand shot its leaden cargo towards the assassin, whose eyes were wide at the swift movements of the Faunus woman. Blood blossomed on the woman's shoulder, spinning her slightly, the bullet that came from the pistol hitting the wall, one of the picture frames shattering in the other room as the bullet went straight through. 'That better not have been the one with my family on it.' She shot another round, the 'pop' sound coming from the weapon as the assassin's body collapsed to the ground, the wound in the gut starting to bleed, even as she walked towards the body. Another pop and the body quietened in its pain, the mess that she'd made not important anymore, her head turning to see the other man groaning, a deep sigh coming from her mouth. 'This just gets better and better…'

Her body moved towards her Scroll, pressing the number for the bodyguard detail that SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE. 'If those fuckwits have gotten themselves bought off, there'll be hell to pay.' Her annoyance level was great, as the call connected. "Miss Kha-" Her voice was sharp. "Why did two people enter my apartment unauthorized and attempt to kill me, Mister Turpentine?" Her voice was frosty, as her eyes went to the man still on the floor. "What? I-" The call disconnected and she could hear faintly the sound of the bodyguards moving to her door, her head shaking a little as she went for the towel. 'Better look presentable, instead of just… nude.' Her eyes went down to her attire, noticing the bruise on her shoulder. 'That'll look impressive tomorrow… whoop.'

She took no pleasure in the act of being nude in the company of others, her eyes looking at the man whilst she tried to guard what modesty she had by arranging the towel a little to fit her form. It would just look rather awkward to others eyes, but it guarded her modesty, the pistol trained on the man on the ground. "Miss Khan!" The bodyguard shouted, spotting her as she stood there, her gaze never leaving the man on the ground. "Find out how they got in here! This was supposed to be a safe place!" The voice she used was one that was used to command, her eyes looking at the man as the two bodyguards pulled him off the ground and started to drag him around. The woman was staining the ground in her apartment with her blood, the décor thoroughly ruined now, as far as her eyes could see. 'I guess I'll be moving again…'

A flick on the button to call her assistant brought the connection out immediately. "Miss Khan, I will be with you shortly." The clipped tone of her assistant's voice showed clearly that the woman was busy with something. "Change of plans. Cancel all my appointments for today. Call the cleaners. We've got a bit of spilt fish here." The voice of Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang, was an imposing one, as she looked at the body for a moment. "Time to go to the loft." The assistant's voice was sure. "As you wish, High Leader." The woman would no doubt be arranging the cleaners to come around, the men and women specializing in taking care of the bodies of those who had died during an attack. Negative publicity was not a thing that she wished to incur on the White Fang, even in a time like this.

'Now, who could have sent these people? Is it the rebellious fraction, trying to force change through a bloody assassination?' Her mind started to work, as she slipped under the shower again, washing off any splatters of blood on her body, emerging with a fresh set of underwear and her nightshirt on a moment later. The bodyguards looked at her, business-like, their gaze respectfully looking away as she dressed herself. 'Casual dress.'

"We apologize, Ma'am." One of the bodyguards spoke up, and her head turned, eyes narrowed. "How did they get in my apartment?" She hissed, her blouse buttoned up perfectly, the bodyguard looking down. "Fire escape, ma'am. Jesse went out to get a drink before we'd change shifts and didn't notice them."

'Of all the times…' She could feel the tension go through her, as she exhaled slowly, looking at the body on the ground. 'A filthy human, trying to kill Sienna Khan… This could be used to galvanize the world for us Faunus… But it would not do to make this public without factoring in the different effects that it could have. Strength begets strength… and fear is a method that can be used as well. There are plenty of ways that this can be used, I just have to…' Her assistant arrived, flushed cheeks showing that she'd ran up the stairs, heedless of decorum. "Are you alright?" The shoulder chose that moment to start aching, yet Sienna did not give a peep. "Decently."

That was all that needed to be said. "Prepare to move my stuff to the second location. I want to have guards round the clock there, even if someone has to go get some cup of coffee, I want eyes on all possible entrances and exits." That was the least that she could do, as her shoulder throbbed once more. The bleep of a message being received made her ears twitch, looking at her personal scroll and finding the blonde boy's face staring at her, the message that came attached with the icon showing clearly that he had no indication that there was anything wrong. 'He doesn't strike me as the type to inform others about my whereabouts… and well, despite being human, he has been pretty decent.'

It was a swift distraction, her withering gaze diverted to the scroll, opening the message with a flick of her finger. 'Are you available tonight for dinner? I figured it'd be nice to have dinner before we are to dance.' She snorted audibly. 'Do I look like I've got the time to be worrying about dinner whilst there's a bunch of murderous scum out there looking for my head on a pike?'

Her hand tapped the keyboard on her scroll, typing the words out for him to read when he received the message. 'If you'll let some of my friends come along as well. The guys you met when we first had our dancing class.' Some protection was better than no protection… and the blonde guy looked like he'd be doing the upright thing over the sleazy thing.

"We've got the premises secured, Miss Khan." The voice of her assistant drew her from her thoughts, the woman looking a little out of breath still, her eyes nervously looking to the spot where the body still laid. 'That's going to come out of my lease, I reckon.' "Good. We're going to go and get ourselves situated in the loft." The loft was one of the locations where the upper brass of the White Fang would be able to get themselves a place to unwind, the apartment that she had as her own fiefdom having little in the way of protection. There was, of course, the danger of people sneaking in, yet it had not happened yet before today. 'I should have been asleep around the time that they came in. It was only due to the shower that they had to advance further.' The bottle of shampoo laid there still on the ground, a pitiful sight to her eyes, yet she knew what to do now.

Three hours later, she opened the box with some of her personal effects, looking out over the city of Vale from the high-rise loft, the luxurious surrounding not precisely what she'd have envisioned… but it would do. The accommodations were at least better than those which she'd had at the apartment and there was even a doorman who'd be able to keep the undesirables out… in theory. 'Better ensure that the place is well-secured. A lone gunman on the streets we can deal with. Invaders to our domain…' They should have known about a Faunus' sharp senses, if this had been a targeted hit. They should have known and yet…they had failed, due to a bump in her schedule. 'If I hadn't been awake, my brains would've been splattered on the pillow.' A hint of paranoia infused her thoughts, as she looked at her hand. 'You should have been BETTER, Sienna. You're going to end up dead, betrayed by your friends, if you continue being a silly woman like this.' The human would teach her how to dance, the skills that he had, serving the cause through his lessons.

"We're going to have dinner with the human dancer." She said to her assistant, who nodded in understanding. Her shoulder felt a little sore, still. Her eyes looked over the various knickknacks that she had collected over the years, a laborious sigh coming from her lips at the sight, her head shaking lightly. 'This'll be for the best. An apartment… Well, it was nice for a while.' The Mistral location was much more furnished than this one. The Headquarters… It even had a throne room. A throne room where she could intimidate the human scum that'd come to plead for her mercy.

Her eyes looked at the message, as she read it. 'Sure! What're you feeling for? McSchnee again?'She would have picked something a little more upscale for a second dinner date, but as it was… 'It's just a human. Why should you think that he would have any standards? A McSchnee is good enough for him. A few burgers, maybe some fries and he'll be like a puppy eating out of your hand, dying gloriously for the hopeless cause of humanity.' 'It will do.' 'It's not like we're dating or anything. I have higher standards for my personal company.'

The evening hour came soon enough, the location of the McSchnee once again visited. Her glasses fit snuggle on her face, her hair combed back to give her a different sense of style and the blouse done up in a manner that would cover the tattoos on her arms. He was currently seated on one of the chairs, his eyes shining brightly when he saw her, the excitement in them looking like it was just another moment spent with one of his favourite people. 'Urgh, he's going to be doing some spiel about how genuinely nice it is to see me again… as if we hadn't been dancing together every night.'

"Sienna, it's so nice to see you. That outfit looks good on you." He opened the spot for her, the table kept free for their use by his own design. His eyes looked her over, giving no doubt to her mind that he was already undressing her with his eyes. 'If he was a Faunus…' The heat was a bother to her. It impacted her actions and her way of thinking during those moments when her body had the desire to get itself active in the carnal arena.

She looked at his head, trying to imagine a floppy set of dog ears, a grin appearing on her face. "Did you get food yet?" There was no tray in front of him, his eyes looking into hers without any fear. 'If he's ever got a dangerous thought in his head, I haven't heard of it yet.' The smile on his face broadened even more. "Oh, no, I figured I'd wait for you and your friends first. That's polite, y'know?" His casual air and assumption that he would know better would have riled her up, had the day not been so stressful. "Get me something to eat, will you?" She said to one of her bodyguards, her eyes looking at the menu. "Dust and Delicious platter, with a pep-Schnee." The man hurried along quickly, the human boy looking at her with a look of… was that respect? Fear?

It made her feel powerful to be regarded like that. 'Perhaps you'll know your place below us, Human.' Her eyes met with his own, as she saw the blue challenge her. "Something on my face, boy?" She asked. 'I need a drink, but I can't drink yet. Exercise…' Drinking and coordination did not go well together. With her own agency, she was well aware that it would be another target painted on her surroundings, yet she would enjoy unwinding a little. "Oh, no, I was just wondering…" He looked down, his cheeks colouring slightly.

'He's going to confess that he's been desiring my body and wants me to accept him into my bed, by the grace of his human breed of kindness.' The anticipation to crush that hope ran through her, waiting for that moment when the boy's true motives would come into play. It might have been the heat in her body and the mess that it made of her thoughts intermittently, but she was now just waiting for him to leap to a dangerous fall. 'He'll be so crushed when I say no. Sienna Khan does not fuck with humans.' The savage smile on her lips was dangerous, as her eyes met with his. "Proceed." She said.

His cheeks heated up. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime. I heard there's a beautiful flower show in town, and well… If it wouldn't be too much of an issue with your boss, we could go? I mean, if you don't want to, I can understand, but my mother… She's got a great love for flowers. I want to send her some…" The look on his face was bashful, as he looked down. 'He wants to take me on a date… to a flower show? What's the big deal with flo-' Anger showed on her face as she realized what he might be alluding to, a growl coming from her mouth, as she grabbed his hand. A startled gasp was heard, as her fingers grabbed one of his and started to bend it in a fashion that was not regularly occurring in humanity. "Is this some sly way of getting into my pants, Boy?" Her voice held the loathing that she held for such sleazy tactics encompassed within its tone, as her eyes were frosty and fiery at the same time, her mouth pressed together like a tight line, her gaze looking at him with the frustration in it of a woman who had no time for this type of bullshit.

He blanched as if physically struck, his eyes meeting with hers, frightened like that of a rabbit that'd just been spotted by a wolf. 'The fear in your eyes…' Her fingers squeezed his finger and pulled it back a little. "No, no, I just… Ah, you're hurting me. You're hurting me, Sienna, you're-" She squeezed the finger roughly, her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "What did you want to achieve with that suggestion?"

'Now the real human beast gets exposed.' She could see it in his eyes, that hesitation, that pride of his own race. As if he were ready to pounce on her, a 'darn sexy woman', even if she said so herself, he looked at her with those honest blue eyes. 'If you don't speak the truth now…' The little hints about a person's body language were open to her eyes, as she watched him, clearly gauging the potential for any misdeeds, her gaze watching sharply how his own face seemed to change colours. "I just wanted to go out and watch some flowers with you, I-Ah, that hurts, that hurts. I think you're a good person, even if you a-ahh, stop it, ah, please?"

She let go of his hand, looking at him with an indecipherable look. Her assistant's own body language spoke of her own guardedness, as she let go of the pistol that she'd kept stashed on her person. "Just to watch flowers?" Her voice could cut steel as her eyes met with his own. He seemed to quiver, intimidated by her attitude. "Just flowers. Mom really likes them and well… It never hurts to have some company, right?" She growled at him, a squeak coming from his mouth. "I didn't mean to upset you, I was just trying to see whether I could make you happy. You've been acting stressed all the time, and that isn't good! Mom always says that stress makes people crazy." The bodyguard returned with the platter with her food, putting it in front of her and she looked at her, a look on her face that was hardly readable.

'Would it really hurt to go out to a flower show? It's one of those things where they show off flowers, right?' The woman in her started to comment, yet the leader Sienna Khan also offered a counter-argument. 'This might just be something that'll upset your balance. Right now, you need to consolidate your power once more. One measly assassination attempt and you'll be fresh meat during the feasting of a pack of Grimm, if the rest of the White Fang take note of it.' She looked at him for a while, as he fidgeted uncomfortably before her. "Go get your food, boy. I'll be thinking about your… generous offer." Her voice did not intimate her words, and she saw him get up and walk to the counter, his shoulders sagging, obviously affected by the manner in which she had dashed his dream. 'That's it, little human. Feel the despair that we feel when we mingle with your kind!'

"Is it wise to entertain such things, Ma'am?" Her assistant asked, as her voice sounded low to her ears. Sienna knew well that the man would be bringing back some food that'd smell horrid to her sensitive nose, yet she was sure that her assistant would be primed and ready for the counter-attack. "What harm could it do? If the boy has some spine, well… He might make it through initiation at Beacon." The dismissive snort that she made immediately afterwards showed her opinion on THAT notion.

"I have warned Mister Taurus. He will be with you again tonight." The thought of Adam Taurus with her during her lessons filled her with a sense of distaste. "I see." Her voice did not betray her inner thoughts, as Jaune joined them once more, some childish chicken nuggets looking at her, the young man's face chipper and bright once more. "Tonight, we'll be doing some dances that were inspired by the Mantle style of dancing. You'll have to let me lead." The young man's knowledge as far as dancing went was more than passable. A brief smile appeared on her face, like a dumb puppy that didn't know better than that its owner was happy with it. 'As if I am taking care of some lost pet…'

She felt the irritation in her shoulder surge, even as she heard the beep of her Scroll. Pulling it out, she tapped the message. 'Three more days, Sienna! We'll go shopping together! Have you found a new set of shoes yet?' The message that accompanied the picture of Ghira Belladonna with a set of high heels in hand, looking like a cat that had just been doused in cold water, an umbrella held by Kali's slim hand to guard him from the rain. 'Looks like Mistral Air Port.' Her mind filled in the location immediately, without pausing to contemplate it. 'I'll be waiting for you. Going to a flower show in a few days.'

The immediate writing message that popped up afterwards was as expected, a smile settling on her face as she waited for the message to pop up, the scroll laid on the table beside her, as she started on the burger that came with the food she'd ordered. She could see Jaune look at her with curiosity in his eyes, as his hand dipped the nugget in the chemical disaster area that was his ketchup. 'I guess it'll be a fun distraction, if I can spin it like an improvement to our people.' It might even be fun, with the current climate. Who would imagine that Sienna Khan would be joining a human to go watch some sort of vegetation that just 'looked pretty'?

"You've got that dance thing going on soon, right?" He asked her, a short nod coming from her head. 'Two weeks.' The date had been a thing that had bounced around in her mind. Normally a gala would be a small thing, yet with the White Fang picking up in the media as a negative thing, her presence was mandated.

She could see his face shift a little with the nervousness of a man who knew that he had asked a wrong question, her lips peeling back to show him her teeth. Her eyes met with his. "Yes. In two weeks. That means I'll need to know how to." He nodded, her scroll beeping once. 'Ooh, with someone? Are you seeing someone?' She knew that Kali was nosy about her personal life. The older woman had been like an older sister to her, warm and friendly and sociable, willing to offer a hand with her troubles if she had voiced them before her, ready with some advice no matter the issue. 'Just a friend. They asked me to come with them so that they would be able to get some flowers for their mother.' The writing icon immediately started, a picture sent, showing a chin and a neck, as the typing of the other woman continued. 'Ooh, you'll have to let me meet with them!'

'Like hell. You'd probably start to interrogate him, unveil some of my deepest, darkest secrets and then make sure that we get some time alone in order to get the secret feelings to come out, listening by the door.' The woman was nosy like that… But Sienna didn't find herself minding that too much. 'A rugged Faunus man, with big hands and a nice big-' her thoughts screeched to a halt then as she asserted herself, the gushing of warmth burning through her loins once more. 'Focus, Sienna. Adam will be there tonight. If you're thinking about some hot man…'

He was a pretty man. He was also hung up on his previous partner, who was SEVENTEEN. 'I'd have to be pretty darn desperate to want to get laid if I had to use Adam Taurus for my bodily pleasure.'Her eyes fell onto her bodyguards for a moment, an immediate dismissal following to her mind. 'Don't fuck the hired help. They'll never be as loyal to you as your own people are. The tabloids would have a field day with that.'

Her gaze rested on Jaune and the notion was only briefly entertained and discarded. 'The day I decide to spread my legs for a human is going to be the day that I officially sever my ties with the White Fang.' The thought was ludicrous. "Is that one of your friends?" He asked conversationally, the scroll picture displaying still Kali's neck and clothes.

"She's a dear friend of mine, yes." She answered in a curt and clipped tone. To his eyes, she was the picture of poise and grace, not ruffled in the slightest by the happenings around her, her eyes looking at the young man for the lengthiest of moments, though the Faunus around her could smell her scent, irritable and fierce. 'You should be glad you don't get these urges, boy. You would be humping every pretty little thing's leg like some mangy dog.' The young man would be a hit with some of the younger members of the White Fang, if he ever had the right traits. Blonde, tall with blue eyes…

'You'd be a pretty boy, getting dates with girls all week long if you'd just stop acting like a doofus.' She watched him look at the picture, smiling brightly. 'Yep. Human mating tactics: Show them your teeth and they'll be all over you. Not today, human!' "She sounds like a wonderful person if you're describing her in such terms." He looked at her, full of innocence and purity as if there was nothing under the heavens that could bring that smile away.

'First an assassination, then a young man smiling at me… What's after this? Going for drinks with him and introducing him as 'my pet human' or something?' The snarky thoughts in her mind continued, as he finished his food. The taste of it wasn't that bad, she mused, as she let her plate be carried off by her bodyguard, not having had to lift a finger. "Let's go, human." She said simply, as she looked at her assistant. "I'll get the car." She said, and as he held open the door, a spike of something surged inside her, her breathing a little deeper, as the car door was held open for her. "Ladies first."

She looked at him for the longest of times, as she got in, seeing him get in after her, his head nearly hitting the ceiling due to his height. He was tall. A human's scent invaded her nostrils, as her assistant joined them at her side. Sandwiched between a Faunus and a human, Sienna felt like she should pick one side and stick with it, her eyes looking at her Scroll, Kali's next reply already on the screen. 'Don't be so cold! Tell me all about it! What's he like? How's he treating you? Have you made love together? You should always remain close! Skinship! We're going to have so much fun when we get together, Sienna! We can let our hair get done, Ghira can help us with shopping and with the additional preparations! I won't even pry too deeply!' The message was worrisome to her.

'Knowing her, she'll get excited and blab all about what I should do in the bedroom.' A scrutinizing glance at Jaune, as she took his measure. 'Needs more muscle and a lot more alcohol in MY system before I can even think about it.'

Dancing lessons were, as a general rule, intense on her muscles. As she was twirled around like one of those professional tarts with their high heels and their perfect poise, she allowed herself a moment to glimpse over at Adam, seeing the scowl on his face, as Jaune pulled her close once more. "Your boyfriend is looking at me again." She frowned, but moved with his direction. The music was loud enough to drown out the sound of his words, even with his body guiding her through the next few steps. "Let him." She said, as she continued along.

After the practice was done, she let herself unwind a little. Adam was nervous and twitchy, his hand never straying from his weapon, whilst Jaune stood there like a statue, waiting for her to dismiss him. 'You can learn respect, boy…' The smugness was hardly hidden, as she stretched, yawning a little, her arms moving slightly to get more movement in them. The bruise on her shoulder was enough, as she felt the ache of the muscle. "That looks bad. You should get some cream on that."

His advice made her look at the young human, his eyes full of concern and care. "If you want, I can get you some cream." Her mind immediately leapt to a conclusion once again, yet she calmed herself. "Oh?" She said, her voice frosty in tone. He shrank back like a scared kitten, her eyebrow raised. "I've got some left. Mom makes sure that we never leave the house without it." He walked to his bag, returning with a jar filled with some white cream. She sniffed the air, the smell of some herbal blend mixed with what seemed to be milk as well as… cinnamon? 'What are you playing at, boy?'

"Rub that on your bruise and it'll clear away in a day. Mom's cures are the best." He smiled at her encouragingly, holding the jar out to her. She took it with a sound deep in the back of her throat, her hand pulling the jar to her chest closely. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that he'd be getting excited about her being friendly to him. "I'll use it. If it works, it'll work. If not…" She trailed off, the threat audible in her voice.

He looked like a startled mouse, looking at her. "But it'll have to work! You're someone important, so you'll have to look good. I'm sure that you might've just stumbled into something or the other, it happens to me all the time. My sister calls me clumsy, hehe." He chuckled, embarrassed for his words. She looked at him with a stare that would not look out of place in a battle for the leadership of the White Fang, her pride roused. "I don't think I am clumsy… and if you'd like to keep breathing and enter Beacon, you'll do well to keep your cheek in check, human." She paused for a moment to let her message sink in.

She was Sienna Khan. She led the White Fang and no human with his cream could bring her to feel kindness to the humans who so seemed to have made it their duty to ensure that Faunus were oppressed. 'Now… Let's see how you bounce back from that, little sunshine.' The look on his face faltered for a moment, his lower lip quivering, the sadistic glee in her body winding up.

"I'm sorry, Sienna." He said, his apology sounding loud, as he took a moment to muster up whatever passed for confidence for him. "I'll not do that again. Just…" She looked at him and then decided to toss him a bone. 'Let it not be said that Sienna Khan does not know mercy.'

"I'll go with you to that flower thing." She said, her voice not rising in the tone. "Y-you would? I mean, you will?" Hope seemed to come to his heart, as he seemed to stand up a little straighter. 'I've already told Kali that I would… and it's not like the little human would be able to fight me off.' She would be well-guarded at all times, now. "Consider it… a treat. You get to take a beautiful woman out to your little human event and I…" She swallowed the distaste of saying it as such. "Get to go see some flowers. It can be…"

She looked at her assistant. "Searching for something to accentuate my dress." The voice she spoke with was curt, as the gears already started to work. With a flower to add charm to her style, it would detract from the fierce appearance that she struck, even whilst wearing a dress. 'I get to look at flowers, the boy gets his mother something nice… And maybe some promotional shots can be made for a campaign advertisement or something.'

Public Relations were a nightmare to navigate. She would do one thing and then the papers and other magazines would publish something like 'Khan destroys hope!' 'Khan brings despair to Mistral!' 'Khan in scandal! Illegal sex parties under Faunus leadership!' Her face frowned at the thought, her eyes looking at him. 'A little bit of scoping out flower arrangements would not be wrong… Being aware of those subtle accents might help, somehow.'

"What's the venue like?" She inquired, her voice harsh and demanding the answer right here and now. Jaune's eyes were wide, like a rabbit caught within a snare. She could feel the dark predatory nature of her blood rise up, as he seemed caught off his guard. "Just down at the market! I heard this older Faunus lady talk about it when I was shopping for food."

'Did he overhear a woman talk about it and thought of me? Does he think we are all interchangeable, like dolls that you can just place wherever?' Her anger swelled. "The Vale Faunus Flower Festival?" Her assistant inquired, having undoubtedly looked up the places where such a thing was being held. 'Just what I'd need in an assistant.' The thought was enough, as she looked at the young human that stood there. "Oh, that one, yes. It's apparently there to bring happiness and cheer, and it's open to all that want to come." The assistant's eyes looked a little conflicted, as she motioned for Sienna to come closer.

The garish picture of flowers appeared, with several smaller lines that had been made just for the reading of those with enhanced vision, her tongue sliding over her lips. 'It's Faunus-only, so I guess…' She looked at him, a fierce grin on her face. "Very well, boy. We'll go to that festival with you." The look of surprise on his face was enough, as she glanced at her assistant. "Arrange for a PR session. We're going to make this flower show a hit." A Faunus-only show would not regularly allow for the presence of a human, but with his invitation… well, it wouldn't be too bad to get a human into the mix. That cooperation thing would be… something. 'With just a- Actually, we can just get him some shampoo. There are plenty Faunus who do not have their trait out in the open.'

"I do have some demands for you, though." Her voice was sharp as she spoke, a savage grin on her face. "Adam?" The man scowled at her, as he half-knelt. "Yes, Sienna?" She had used her voice as High Leader, looking right at him. "Ensure that we get proper protection arranged. Get Jaune some… blocker, if you would." Her body tingled a little, as she looked at him for a while.

"Sienna, I really would not-" He started, but he was cut off with a snarl from her. 'Who do you think holds the power here, Adam Taurus? Do you think that YOU are the High Leader now?' She looked at the man, clearly there to do her bidding. "Get him the shampoo. I need a fresh dose as well or I'll be smelling like…" She made a frustrated sound, the aching between her legs starting to act up. 'This just needs to pass… Another two days or so, and I'll be back to normal.'

"What's this about shampoo?" The human boy asked, her smile predatory still as she looked at him, her eyes glinting. "Faunus, as you might be aware, have heightened senses. The blocker shampoo is good enough to block out your human scent, at least for a short while. It's what we regularly use in order to make sure that we can pass through a human settlement without upsetting the senses of those around us." Skunk Faunus' were known for such a thing. The oily liquid that they secreted through their pores was often considered to be distasteful, as well as ill-advised to actually have air out in public. They have great skin generally though, no doubt due to the secretions.

The benefit of the shampoo was also that it negated most of the scent of a woman's heat to other Faunus. An ill-thought-out moment could lead to nine months of hell for her, which was NOT a path that she would enjoy going into and staying on for a while. 'I will not be getting pregnant whilst the White Fang still needs me.'

She looked at the human, then cast her gaze at the disgruntled Adam. 'He'll need to be spoken to. His attitude is out of control. I can forgive a lot, but doubting my orders…' The anger simmered below the surface, aided by her own emotions and the heat of them. Her gaze was like a firestorm as she looked him over, inhaling and exhaling slowly to get the order back in her mind.

She would be going to that flower festival, do a bang-up job of making sure that the Faunus would accept the White Fang as their path to salvation and ensure that the human would get his little wish of finally taking a girl out to someplace nice.

'Aren't I a wonderful person? A strike for the White Fang AND human-Faunus cooperation in one go!'


Sienna… well, I can say that under regular circumstances, her own mood would not have let her accept the offer that Jaune so casually dangled in front of her. To his eyes, it's just going to watch some flowers with a friendly person, he doesn't mean anything by it (He's giving Sienna the Pyrrha Treatment!), yet Sienna… Her mind is turbulent and thinking the worst, not in the least due to the assassination attempt.

She's genuinely fun to write. She's got her own prejudices and opinions and doesn't easily change them. Kali, compared to Sienna, is MUCH more easy-going around humans. Sienna has a lot of anger inside her, the anger bubbling to the surface sometimes, yet when she's relaxed and at ease, she can be pretty nice and friendly.

Next time… Flowers. And another dance. Leave a review! Let me know what you think of this story!