Two weeks had passed. Two long, painful, and exhausting weeks. Working in the small shop, Ilia believed she'd only have to man the store and every once in a while make a delivery. As it turned out, Jaune's little shop did a whole lot more than making simple crafted dolls and furniture. The forge in the backyard was used to make armor and weapons, some of which were to be delivered. The weapons were one thing, but to haul the full armor set was something even Jaune couldn't possibly do on his own. And yet he did. Still, Ilia did the work and was always exhausted when Jaune took over for the evening. Aside from the grueling delivery service in the scorching desert heat, the job wasn't all that bad. She could handle the customers, the delivery service, and the requirement to be around a bunch of creepy real-like dolls was enough to handle. But, what came out of left field was something even she didn't predict; a mother. Or more specifically two mothers; Lady Kali, and a woman who apparently adopted the blond. The two were...almost eerily similar when it came to caring for the boy. Though, Lady Kali was more open with her feelings. The other, called by the Belladonna matriarch as Winny, was more subtle with how she expressed her emotions. Though, the uneasiness and distrust she felt over a girl staying with her son while she was elsewhere did unnerve her. A girl, mind you, who did indeed mock the boy for his interests in dolls, and berated him for not caring which types of clothing he was dressed in.
Still, his mother seemingly respected his wishes and trusted him to act accordingly...or at least that's what she said.
Regardless, Jaune handled the two in a way even Amitola found herself at a loss. She knew Lady Kali had a soft spot for the blond, but to so easily subdue the woman who could so easily glare her husband down; it both amused and bothered Ilia greatly. More so that she had to live under the same roof as Winny, only two days mind you, but it was far more than she would've liked. The woman was critical, cold, and oddly enough, still nurturing when the situation called for...or, at least she tried to be. Winny was well enough in combat, as she held lessons for her son in hand to hand combat, and it was clear that he picked up on her subtle, cold attitude towards people of disinterest. Speaking of which, to the mother at least, she fell into that particular category. Luckily for the Faunus, the woman left the day prior, so she had the shop to herself whilst Jaune worked. Though, according to him, now that he had a helping hand in the shop, he could now focus on his work in the forge.
As for Ilia, she checked in with her CO two days prior and caught up on some training at night. It still felt odd to be around the blond, and his creations didn't make it any easier. Now that he had his fun teasing her with dolls, his new hobbies included making life sizes, life-like, and absolutely terrifying puppets. He had been practicing moving a few, their movements mirrored those of rag dolls, but it was still eerie to watch these objects come alive. Though, a little bit of Ilia couldn't help but admire what the boy had been doing since she left. From the forge, to the countless books stacked in his room over aura control, she couldn't help but look back on what she'd done.
She moved to Atlas, enrolled in a school, and generally lived a normal life. At least, for the better half of her time there. Thanks to a clumsy worker, her Faunus heritage was exposed, and thus branding her a pariah amongst her classmates, and even those she considered her friends. In a brief act of fury she...let loose her hatred, and gave her 'friends' a proper lesson in combat. And now here she was, a member of the White Fang, stationed in perhaps the most peaceful and guarded town in Menagerie, with little to no funds from the organization, and working for a boy she used to bully as a kid. Summing it all up; it wasn't really all that bad.
With that said, sitting idly on a stool behind the counter in Driftwood, Ilia kept her eyes on a book she 'borrowed' from Jaune, something about a group of people called 'Reavers'. She'd heard the name a few times in her travels, but didn't think much of it. Thinking it was simply the name of some brand of raiders, she now knew that wasn't the case at all. The Reavers were more than that, and the piece that ran chills up her spine were the passages in which the tribes were rumored to have meddled with taboo arts. Though, the book spoke nothing in detailed accounts, only through rumors and hints at what their people practiced. Another interesting note was the way the book described the Reavers as a separate race from humanity and the Faunus. It was an oddity considering they looked human, but then, therein was a conversation similar to that of the Faunus and human issues in the present day. One chapter kept the young Faunus quite literally on the edge of her seat; Eradication. The detailed accounts of soldiers who witnessed and participated in the extermination of the tribes who went about causing havoc and, according to Atlas, planning a coup d'etat. Against who? No one really had a clear answer. There were no Reaver tribes in Atlas or Menagerie, but the largest concentration of their people was in Mistral. And yet, in one year, their whole clan was hunted to near extinction with only one haven left for them; a small city state created for them in Atlas's southern region. All of one people, punished for the actions of a few, and shoved into a hole they neither wanted nor needed. In some ways, they were just like the Faunus.
"Hey kid?" Snapping her out of her thoughts, Ilia's eyes shot upwards. She caught sight, firstly, of a pair of red orbs glaring down at her, and almost instantly the overwhelming stench of booze assaulting her senses. She cringed, pinching her nose at the sudden whiff of alcohol. "I'm looking for the owner of the shop, he here?" The crusty voice, along with the clear intoxicated state he was in left the young Faunus stunned, for just a mere moment.
"He's...out...sir." She managed to breathe out, taking caution not to inhale the strong smell. "But I can...help." She had to suppress the urge to cough, if only for this one customer.
The man glanced around and sighed, almost annoyingly. "Fine, I placed an order a week ago."
"Name?"
"Branwen."
Wasting no time, Ilia nearly ran to the back room, searching for any container of envelope with the name Branwen. Luckily enough, there was a medium sized box near the entrance so she didn't have to look too long, though, now she had to conserve what little fresh air she could before having to deal with the drunken man. After regaining her senses she walked out with the box, the sounds of the contents within echoing as she placed the box atop the counter. She reached in and retrieved a small note, reading it off as was written down.
"Branwen, two Grimm plushies; one Beowulf and one Pantera. A custom ceramic scythe blade, a copy of...Ninjas of Love? And a bottle from Shay's Personal Stock." She read that last item as if surprised that the blond was dealing with alcohol as well. Yet, what made her somewhat nervous was the fact that while the other items held a price with their name, the last item didn't. Was there a typo, or was this an item meant to be bargained or given for free? Though, upon reading the last item, the man smiled faintly.
"Heh, so she came through with her promise after all." He reached into his pocket and placed a sum of lien on the counter. Taking her time, Ilia counted the amount and gave the man his appropriate change. Before taking the items and leaving, the man turned to the girl and smirked. "By the way, let blondie know I'm in town for a bit, he knows where to find me. And if his mom calls around here, tell her after tonight we're squared." And with that he walked off, leaving Ilia more confused than before.
And like that, the only eventful moment in her day had just walked out. Leaving her to only ponder what this customer went on about, and return her attention to the book, managing to finish it.
Later on in the evening, after closing the shop for the evening, Ilia and Jaune sat quietly in the living room upstairs, the tv turned to some channel neither was particularly interested in, but left on for the upcoming show. She didn't bring up the customer from earlier, he took quick notice when he came back and caught whiff of the lingering scent of booze. Jaune left almost as quickly as when he arrived, possibly to meet up with whoever the man from earlier was. After an hour or so he returned, seemingly more tired and annoyed than when Lady Kali and his mother were when they were intoxicated too.
Now, he was just sitting with her, he'd placed some stew to cook earlier. And there was another thing, aside from the good pay she earned from working for the blond, the meals here were something else. Among the blond's collection of books were various cook books, seemingly every night was something new for dinner. Breakfast was simple; toast, eggs, choice of ham or bacon, and an option between milk or juice. Yet, from all that could be said, the variety of things the two could talk about, they almost always were silent save for Jaune asking her opinion on the meal. To which she did enjoy the majority of them. Some weren't as tasteful as they appeared, but Jaune didn't seem to take the criticism much to mind. At least none that he showed.
Either way, the two just did as always; sit quietly and wait for dinner to be ready.
"So..."
Then again, maybe not tonight.
"Anything else happen? Or just an old drunken crow?" Was that the man's name, or just some nickname the blond had for the drunk. Regardless, she didn't put much effort into that ponder.
"No, nothing else. But I did hear some interesting gossip from the ladies at Pekoe's." She commented, recalling her brief errand run in the shopping district. Pekoe being a small cafe, serving mostly tea, apparently.
"Oh? I didn't peg you as someone I'd find at Pekoe's, going soft on me?" He teased, for perhaps the first time since she moved in.
To which Ilia responded with a faint chuckle and mild glare. "Dream on, pretty boy." She retorted, gaining a chuckle from the blond as well. "Anyway, I heard from the gossip that some settlement south of the Atlesian capital was attacked by the Grimm."
While grim news, morbid as the pun was, that wasn't exactly headliner material. So, the blond wasn't exactly sure why this caught the Faunus' attention, the two having watched many reports of settlements falling to the Grimm recently. "Sad as that is, why's this one so special?"
"Dunno, they kept shushing each other when they talked about the people of the city, and yes I did catch the name of the city...it's kinda hard to pronounce; Svartalf." Ilia responded, unprepared for the blond's reaction. It was a mix of both shock and utter fear. Two emotions she had not seen in him for so long. To see the normally calm and collected boy in such a way unnerved her.
"I...i see..." he finally managed to utter.
"Huh?" Her curiosity peeked, particularly since the boy had knowledge over the rumors and gossip over what the women spoke of. More so that he appeared to know more than just simple gossip.
"Nothing." Jaune rose and walked towards the kitchen, checking on their dinner as he kept his attention aimed at nowhere in particular.
Running deep in the blond's mind was overwhelming fear. He heard Svartalf was a safe haven for his people. He'd heard from the many tourists passing that all Reavers were rounded up and sent to Svartalf, much like the Faunus were with Menagerie. Just the thought that there still existed a place where his people knew peace was enough for him to strive and someday go and reunite with his own. Perhaps he'd be able to find members from his own tribe, settle down, and maybe rebuild with his tribe. But now, that was no longer an option. And the weight of the news left with him with the overbearing reality; he was, quite possibly, the last of his kind. The last Reaver hiding away in a little shop in Menagerie whilst his people suffered under the weight of a Grimm horde. While death was not something he welcomed any time soon, he still wished he could've been there, with his own, fighting alongside them. At least if he was with them, he wouldn't be feeling this immense tangent of guilt and loneliness building with each passing second.
He was alone now, the last Reaver on Remnant. Pushed to extinction by the kingdoms, the final nail in the coffin was failed city state meant to be their last haven. Was this what the Faunus felt? To be hated to the point that they were doomed daily for simply out of fear? Was that the sole reason for this? It couldn't be, there had to be more. Right?
Jaune felt like an alien, a creature amongst a world of unknown. Well, that might've been an exaggeration, but he truly felt alone now. But why? Why were the Reavers so feared and hated by the humans? The many books he collected stated only accusations of his tribes meddling with taboo works, but no concrete evidence or detailed accounts of his people committing any atrocities. So then why? What was their reason? There was one reason he could think of, something even he found somewhat disturbing when he realized the nature of it. A hereditary trait all Reavers shared, a inescapable trait. But then, wouldn't it be beneficial for the kingdoms? Wouldn't his people's powers be of use to them?
Lost in his though, Jaune failed to notice a hand waving over his face until the sound of snapping fingers broke his trance. He glanced to the owner of the hands, Ilia standing beside him seemingly with a worried expression.
"You ok? I've been trying to get your attention for five minutes." She commented. The blond glanced down, noticing she had already turned the stove off, saving their dinner whilst he was lost in his own thought.
"...y-yea, sorry, I'm...I'm gonna lie down." As Jaune was heading for his room, a rather loud knocking was heard from downstairs. Startled as to who would be at the shop so late, both descended, Ilia with a small dagger in hand and Jaune with nothing. Well, not nothing, he had an arsenal downstairs, as well as a few defenses he had set up outside.
Opening the door to the shop, the blond was greeted by a familiar face from two weeks prior. He wasn't the only one to recognize the woman, Ilia went stiff as she took notice of who was standing before them.
"Good evening." The woman bowed. "Might I come in?" Her eyes were mostly on Jaune. Sensing what he'd say next, she quickly interjected. "I've come simply for a chat, nothing more." Still eyeing her cautiously, the blond stood aside and gestured her to come in. Though, he had to move Ilia one his own seeing as she was still shellshocked to see the woman. Once the woman was in, and Ilia gathered her bearings, the blond led her upstairs.
They settled in the kitchen, a kennel of water was placed over the stove. "Tea?" He offered. When the woman nodded, he glanced to Ilia. The girl took a moment before nodding as well. While the water heated, the blond turned slightly towards the woman. His glare wasn't too intense, but he didn't exactly like the idea of having the leader of a group of terrorists in his home. One fanatical employee was enough for him to handle. Though, Ilia wasn't exactly as fanatical as a pair of twins he ran into earlier that week, far from it, she played the part of foot soldier quite well; oblivious to the bigger picture of the fight, seeing only what her leaders want her to see. And when a people were blinded by hatred, it seemed easier for leaders to 'fix' the truth to their favor.
But then, there really was no reason to point out the obvious. So, the question remained, what did this woman want? His cooperation, to cease speaking out against the Fang...her dagger? Well, best get that out of the way. He reached into a counter in the kitchen, retrieved the still sheathed blade and slid it to the woman.
"Kept it safe for you." The woman eyed the dagger briefly before sliding it back.
"It was meant to be a gift, should you have joined our ranks." She replied.
"No use keeping it then, I'm not joining." Jaune replies, his attention still focused on the kettle rather than the guest.
"Yes, you've said that to me. Twice now. And you have quite a colorful way of describing us, according to Taurus." She hinted with a smirk, somewhat amused at the tangent her subordinate made her listen to about the blond.
"And you're here to...?" He wiggled his fingers; the faint sound of clanking wood drew both Faunus to high alert. Ilia was quick to brush it off, remembering that the puppets would often make those sounds from time to time...then again, with the lack of reason for a lifeless object to make any sound, her hair stood on end as she pictured the puppets the blond made coming to life. In all honesty she should've been used to it by now, but she still held on to the fear that his meddling with giving these dolls life might actually give them...well, life. A rather unfounded and exaggerate fear, but it was still something that kept her up at night.
As for the woman, she had no idea what was coming her way should she choose to act. Which, for Jaune, was his best advantage. And so, he waited, his creations lying in wait for the single itch of his fingertips.
"I'm here to personally make an offer. As I'm sure you already know Taurus is not a people person, much less a negotiator, and so I've come to you in hopes that perhaps I could persuade you to join our cause. Would you care to hear me out?" A movement of silence took over as the blond pondered, he nodded, albeit hesitantly. To which the woman smiled and clasped her hands together. "It has come to my attention that you have obvious quarrels with how I run the White Fang, but you must understand; the violence we've shown is nothing compared to the millennia of hardships our people were forced to endure due to humanity and their distrust towards us. The White Fang was our way of finally voicing the discrimination and inequality our people went through. And what did the governments do? They listened to their donors, ignored our pleas, and sent their armed military to silence us. Our actions have garnered more attention than any protest or rally ever could. My intention is not revenge on humanity, I simply seek to destroy."
"Destroy?"
"Yes, destroy the old, and begin anew. Even if we must be the ones to push the world over the edge; we'll do it. For a better world, a just world. Taurus has his vendetta, I don't agree with him, but his charisma and fighting prowess is essential to our organization. And from what I hear, you've become quite the craftsman." Jaune remained silent, caring little for her accolades. "The weapons, the armor, hell, even your skills with the people have earned you a great sum of respect. It's not secret we attempted to recruit folks from here, but instead of Ghira forcing us away, it was the people who turned us down, talking about how our cause was nothing more than a bunch of children getting fussed over isolated incidents." A rather impressive vein was starting to become visible on her forehead, almost as if she wasn't exactly happy to hear the truth of her 'cause' being spouted from the mouths of her own people. "And care to give a guess who it was that put that idea in their heads?" It wasn't a question, really.
"Quite the mystery." Jaune mumbled, earning a slight twitch from the woman's right eye. "Would you like to hear my opinion?" He offered, to which she reluctantly nodded, gesturing him to...enlighten her. "Regardless of your attempts, the humans will fear and hate the Faunus, and it'll only grow with each bomb you set off. People will finally notice you, but you'll only condemn your people further. Humans don't really look at the good of the whole, but rather, the sins of a few...that goes with anyone actually." The blond replied, now finally turning to face the woman. "Regardless, whether your species or theirs hate one another or not isn't my problem."
"You refer to humans and Faunus as if they were separate to you. Are you human?" She asked with a mild hint of venom in her tone. When the blond shook his head, the tension in the room suddenly relaxed, albeit faintly. "So a fellow Faunus then." When the blond shook his head again, the two women were now more confused than ever. Neither human or Faunus, what else was left?
"Well, this is interesting. You're full of surprises, aren't you?" she teased, her interest fully peaked. Her assumptions about him were almost on the lien, all she needed was one last trait.
"I could say the same of you..." Jaune wiggled a few fingers, the sounds of clanking wood were much louder now, the two Faunus were now on the verge of jumping off their seats as they heard what sounded like struggling, grunts, and lastly a body crashing through the nearby window. The newcomer was dressed in pure black, long ebony hair, and a familiar pair of feline ears. Though, the blond cared little for resemblance as he wiggled his fingers again, this time, a puppet followed from outside. It was made from some type of wood, that much was certain, but the facial features were so lifelike, and each movement it made, that same sound of clanking wood was heard. The puppet was dressed solely in a dark brown tunic with fur lining the collar and sleeves. It seemingly floated for a moment before its palms stretched backwards, allowing a blade to emerge from each wrist. Without much warning, the puppet then dove down and embedded its blades into the open palms of the downed unknown. From the cry of pain released, it was clear this was a girl, possibly too young.
After the sudden shock of what just occurred had past, the water started to boil as the blond turned off the kettle and began serving the tea. All of which he did calmly.
"I'm tired of having to reject your offers, I thought I made it clear I want nothing to do with your White Fang, Sienna Khan." Placing the tea on a tray, he walked, again calmly, towards the table and served the tea. "So let's make sure you actually get the memo this time." He then smiled, in such a manner that made both the two women and the currently injured Faunus shiver for a moment.
"An interesting display, you caught my escort." Sienna compliment, taking a quick glance at the puppet visibly holding the trapped assassin in place.
"So then, the other six aren't yours?" That comment indeed earned a wide-eyes reaction from the White Fang leader. To find one was one thing, but for him to detect and take down the others without so much as moving more than a few fing...and just like that, she had her answer.
She smiled, catching the blond off guard, as his smile almost instantly deteriorated. It was almost as if she had completely forgotten about her possibly dead subordinates. Although, given the reports of this boy's resistance to participate with the Fang due to their violent ways, it would be hypocritical for him to just kill off her men.
"They're not dead, by the way, just knocked out." Right on the lien, her hunch was spot on. "I've lost my patience at this point, I've told you and your men time and time again I want nothing to do with any of you. And right now, I'm in no mood for your tricks, threats, or promises of glory and grandeur." The sounds of wooden clanking echoed in the house, particularly, above them. All eyes glanced slowly upwards, meeting the half dozen lifeless eyes of puppets similar to the one holding the assassin down, crawling around the ceiling like a swarm of insects. Within seconds the puppets surrounded the woman, all of which were designed the same and yet they each took different stances. Perhaps due to having to constantly be around these things that Ilia wasn't too put off by seeing these puppets move. Although, that didn't mean she wasn't distubed to see these normally lifeless objects move so jaggedly. It made her skin crawl, more so when she looked up and saw them move about like possessed corpses. The clanking wood noise they made only added to the spine-shivering feeling. One would ask; why would she live in such a place if the owner was fond of having these things move about like ragged corpses on strings? Well, aside from the job with decent pay, rent-free room, and home cooked meals, she couldn't deny that being here made her feel safer than being the opposite end of Jaune's creations. Putting it simply, making amends with him was something she had planned out before coming home. The rest was just an added bonus.
As for Sienna, she was truly impressed, wondering how it was he was able to operate so many at once. Aside from the eerie look of these toys, she wasn't exactly frightened by such things, though; she couldn't really say she was comfortable being surrounded by them. Of course, there was also the puppet currently subduing down her subordinate. If these were anything like that particular puppet, then all she had to do was avoid the arms. Or cut them off.
"Well, this certainly puts us in quite a bind. And I had hoped we could've come to an understanding." Sienna spoke with much confidence as she moved from her side of the table. Though, her tone would shift in just a mere moment. As she kept her eyes on the blond, she let out a faint but audible hiss. She glanced down, only noticing the small brunette doll lying idly by her finger tips. A knife was beside the toy, but, it didn't appear to be in the blond's control. She managed to cut herself on the edge of the blade, presumably when she awoke; however, she was momentarily confused as to how she didn't notice it before. That is, until she recognized the doll; the same one she saw the first time she arrived.
"I don't know how many times I'm gonna need to tell you, and Taurus, and every other White Fang that knocks on my door every other week; I. Don't. Make. Deals. With. Terrorists." He flexed his fingers again, this time the doll on the table sprung into the air, gliding over and landing on Jaune's head calmly. "I should point out that puppet's blade, as well as the one my doll cut your hand with are coated with Mima dew. If the widened eyes of the pinned White Fang girl was anything to go by, the blond had played a hand that was either going to finally give him his peace, or place him on high on lists he'd probably never think twice about once he's six feet under.
"I assumed you of all people would understand." Though, it might not be the blond who'd be placed six feet under this time around. Ilia stood idly by, unsure over whom to side with. On the one hand, her boss who gave her a chance to make a life for herself and acted as good company for the better half of her stay. Or, an organization that, now that she thought on it, was mostly filled with angry folk looking for a fight, whatever the reason. And yet, the White Fang stood up for the abused faunus, Jaune didn't seem to care either way. But then, what did Sienna mean? "But I suppose I was wrong. You've lived here, in the protection of the chieftain all your life. You know only comfort, you know nothing of pain, of loss, of sufferi-"
Without warning or hesitation, a dagger flew a mere inches away from the woman's face, cutting her cheek ever so. The blade itself flew until embedding against a wall behind her. Though, it wasn't the blade that disturbed the woman, but the current aura emitting from the one who threw it. "I don't know pain?" Jaune muttered, his tone sent a massive chill up Ilia's spine, as well as unnerving the White Fang leader. The aura he emitted was growing, much too strong for either of the faunus to handle. Though, as Ilia took quick notice, beads of sweat had begun forming on the blond's forehead. "You sit on your throne and cry for justice for your people, well what about the people you kill? Where is their justice? You kill them in the name of your cause, but when a human does the same to you, you'll cry out that racism. I want no part in it. I don't want to see another massacre. I just want to be left alone." With each word his tone grew darker, the puppets themselves had glowing eye sockets, holes that should be hollow mind you. "By the way, that Mima dew isn't exactly a pleasant toxin; I'd suggest you treat it quickly." From, who knows where, the blond had retrieved a few extra daggers, aiming them at the White Fang leader. "Or would you rather I increase the dosage?" He asked with a rather unsettling smile. But it was faltering, thankfully, Sienna didn't notice, but Ilia did. Jaune was putting up a front, he wouldn't be able to hold his puppet trick up for much longer than five more minutes, at best.
"Insolent little…" As she reached for a weapon, she felt the tip of steel poking at her. Turning to the source, she was surprised to see the owner being that of a fellow faunus. And judging by her expression, she was not exactly planning on joining in on this dispute. And yet, here she stood with a weapon aimed at her leader. Whatever reason she had been thinking, it was obscure when she slowly realized what she'd done. But, it was too late to sheath her blade now.
Seeing no reason to push, having already gotten what she wanted, Sienna stood back as the puppet arose, removing it's blades from the trapped girl. She too arose, too quickly, with only but a faint glare thrown at the blond, she and her leader took their silent leave. A faint smile still plastered on Sienna's face, as if, even in retreat; she won. Once the White Fang had finally left, Jaune sighed heavily, in mere seconds his breathing had gotten heavier as he collapsed on the ground without warning. Ilia rushed to his side, panic overcame her senses as her calling his name received no responses. The puppets and dolls all collapsed not too soon after he did. When they did, the young Faunus found even more reason to panic.
"Oh great, he overdid it again." That voice and that smell that followed. Her head turned to the open window, the old man from the morning was sitting idly on the window sill chugging down a flask of some kind of alcohol. Though, what he was drinking, or the fact that he just appeared out of nowhere wasn't important at the moment, it was what he said that made her both confused and somewhat relieved. If this had happened before, then perhaps it meant he'd be fine. Right?
"I keep telling 'em; know your limit, overdo it and you're gonna get yourself killed. He knows he can't control of those things at once, but does he listen?" Branwen walked over to the two, kneeling for a moment to inspect the blond. He said nothing for a few seconds before sighing, almost as if annoyed, and took another swig from his flask. "He's passed out."
And with that confirmation, Ilia let out a sigh of relief. Though, she had little time for peace as the grown man lifted the blond up and walked to the boy's room. Clearly he'd been here before seeing as he knew where Jaune's room was...but then, why was he headed to ilia's room?
He stopped for a moment before turning back to Ilia. "By the way, where's his room?" Apparently not, and so the young Faunus led the man to the boy's room. She never went in, for obvious reasons, but those reasons didn't matter at the moment. As she entered, she found...nothing. Or rather, the room only had a simple bed, a small desk with a lamp, and a small bookcase with titles ranging mostly over Remnant's history. Lost in thought, she failed to notice a pair of feet nudging her until she heard the man grumble. "Ey kid, any day now." And like that, she moved aside, allowing him to enter and place Jaune on his bed. After which, Ilia felt a faint nudge on her back again, she turned but failed to see anyone. Odd, but then, she might've still been jumpy from the recent interaction. Thinking back on it, she was certain that she'd be getting quite a bit of flak from her CO for simply standing by and not standing up for the Fang. But then, looking back on it, she honestly felt like the blond had a point.
'What do you know of our pain, you're not even a Faunus!'
No, he wasn't. He admitted, he wasn't Fauna. But, he also wasn't human. So then, what exactly was he then?
'I don't want to see another massacre…' The way he said it, she knew of this, vaguely. When they were little, he talked of losing his home, his family. But, who killed them? The only hint she had was; humans killed us. But that was it, he never spoke of it, and she never blamed him. However, with his actions today, no doubt the White Fang wasn't going to simply look the other way anymore. And what of her? What would she do? She wanted to stand by her brethren, that much was certain, but what of him? Then again, having actually seen his family killed; wouldn't he feel compelled to take revenge as well? Why didn't he? Why was he so easy to just cast away his hatred? And then, there was the issue of him being neither human, nor faunus. If this was truly the case, then what was he?
The more she looked at him, the more she wondered what more secrets he was keeping. And the more she thought on it, the more her curiosity peeked at the idea of staying here a little longer.
"Hey kid." And then she remembered she wasn't alone. Her eyes turned to Branwen who, unsurprisingly, was chugging down some sort of alcohol. "I'm head out now, when he wakes up, tell him those six guards are alive, left them sleeping in a few nearby bushes." As he was about to walk out the door, he turned one final time. "Oh yea, and now; he owes me one. He knows what I want, tell him to think it over carefully now, but not too long. Ozpin's a patient man, but I'm not." And with that he walked out, hopefully never coming back. At least not smelling like that.
"He's...gone…"
Ilia nodded. "Thankfully…" Her eyes widened. That voice, obviously not Jaune's. But then, who? Her head cocked slowly towards the blond, stopping only when her eyes set on Summer. It stared at her. Directly at her eyes, as if it was looking at-
"What's…wrong…?...You…look…like…you've…seen…a…ghost…" And like that, both had passed out. Leaving only the doll to ponder at the girl's sudden faint of heart. "Was…it…some…thing…i…said…?"
And like that, a new chapter. So, I've been watching some of the scenes with Sasori and any another I could find with puppets. I gotta say, there were a lot of ideas I had, but many more I picked up. Thanks for sticking with the story so far, as for the pairing thing; I had the idea of having the pairing be with Blake, Ilia, and Jaune; a little three-way if you will. But I keep going back and forth over whether to keep it or not. It won't play a big role to the plot. Although, I would like to work on a pairing consisting of three people.
Well, regardless, I'll say this now; on the case of the hereditary power the Reavers had, some of you were half right, others a little close to what I had in mind. But, if you'd like to know what exactly they are, stay tuned. Also, I plan to stay in the past just a bit longer, mostly to build more character and fun. Thanks for reading folks! Ciao!