Chapter 7: Natural Turn
Another chapter, another Sienna… And a little less Kali! And an Arc Perspective!
Sienna looked at the building, dressed to impress as she was. The formal suit and tie combination was a classic for its simplicity and its utility, giving the impression that she would hardly have anything to fear, the emblem of the White Fang worked tastefully on the back.
As she checked her Scroll, her eyes went to the notification of messages, seventeen pictures that had been added to a conversation that she was having. 'I wonder what she wants…' The message was just a simple – 'Check these out!'– the images of Kali in varying dresses was something that could only have come from the Faunus woman, Sienna shaking her head at the sight.
'Whatever…' She was about to dismiss the message when a picture of Kali and Ghira hugging came by, the man looking decidedly warm and comfortable to hug, Kali's broad grin enough to illuminate the room. 'It's not like…'
She looked around, her facial features the perfect image of cool business and calmness. 'It's just a meeting…' The yearning inside her was something that she could not squash, pulling a small compact mirror out and starting to re-do her lipstick, the red contrasting well with her skin tone, adding a sense of beauty to her. 'I'm not lonely… I'm not…'
Her eyes caught sight of the picture again and she mentally tried to calculate when it had been the last time that she'd gotten a hug from a man… well, an unattached man. 'You're lonely, Sienna… Don't think too much about the simple stuff. Just do your job.' The car behind her stopped, her attention turning to her bodyguards, who had stepped into any possible line of fire, ready to act whenever it was needed.
"Siennaaaa!" The cheerful tone of Kali reached her ears before the woman had emerged from the limousine, the look on her face excited and cheerful, the man who was her husband rising from the other side of the car, unconcerned that he would be suffering any incident, the suit that he wore something formal and fitting for the man of his stature.
'He doesn't show much chest hair…' That had been one of the staples of Ghira's outfit. Broad chest exposed, just so that people could see that he meant no harm and wished for peace… Or it was a ploy to show his wife his chest hair… That could be it too.
"Oof!" She felt a bone-crushing grip on her body as Kali nuzzled her head against her. "It's so nice to see you! It's only been… thirteen hours!" Kali's voice was excited, even as the motherly woman pressed herself against Sienna, the latter showing no discomfort.
"We're in public." She said, trying to remind the woman that she should not make such a spectacle.
"Aww, but we can hug! Cuddle! Even Ghira will join in… right?" The woman's voice seemed to inquire, her husband's eyes meeting Sienna's as he shook his head.
"We must have this meeting first." His voice was stoic and with little in the way of compassion, the nature of the man being to grow more introvert when stress grew a little higher in his body. 'The silent panther and the violent tigress…' The nicknames that they had gained amongst their following, mainly inspired by Ghira's reasoning skills and her own rhetorical abilities had been popular calls amongst their kind.
Another ding popped, and she could see that the blonde young man had sent a message. – 'I am ready for tonight.'That the human hadn't been scared off by the rather rough treatment spoke either for his perseverance or just for the sheer idiocy that he seemed to be wrapped up in.
If Sienna had to be objective about it, it probably was a mixture of perseverance and idiocy that spurred the young man on, enough to allow for that lapse in critical judging skills and to actually stick to the plan… But she hardly was an objective woman and a silly human wasn't much to think about.
"Ready to go?" Ghira asked as she tucked the Scroll back into a pocket. The bodyguards that had been assigned from the Menagerian embassy stood around him in a cordon, Kali letting go of Sienna and taking her husband's arm as a dutiful wife should.
"Of course." She said, the business-like mask on her face immediately, her eyes calm and without any emotion as she tried to get herself in the flow of work once more. This was for the good of the Faunus, even if the meeting would be with less than savoury individuals.
As they ascended with the elevator, the burden on her mind started to grow, memories of strategizing this meeting coming to the fore and the minutiae changing every single moment. 'If you prepare for war, you can ensure peace…' Stepping out of the elevator a moment later, a member of the staff led them towards the meeting room in which their meeting would be taking place.
The door opened up, unveiling the room in which the talks would be taking place. Her eyes slid over the people present, the faint hint of something prickling at the senses. 'Hmm… That smells like… Blue Orchid, Orange label?'
The alcohol was fairly strong, yet it was something that she drank on occasion when she wanted to forget the stresses of life, to allow herself to drift off with that pleasant buzz. Her eyes slid over the faces, many of those who were entrenched within the inner workings of Vale, several of which had been frequent contacts, made use of by the general goodwill of the Faunus people to ensure that there was plenty of food for all those who had need of it.
The pale face and the tied-back white hair spoke for itself, as the sharp blue eyes met hers, the two bodyguards that stood behind the woman looking at her with suspicion, even as she approached her seat. A glass which contained the alcohol that she had smelled before was held within a gloved hand, the delicate features of the woman not hiding her heritage, the emblem of the Schnee family resting upon her left breast, the business-formal outfit that she wore something that complemented her naturally pale features.
The woman's hand lifted the glass to her lips again, taking a slow sip. The tension that shot through her was enough, as she sat herself down in the seat that had been assigned to her, the door opening once more and revealing Kali and Ghira, the Menagerian bodyguards filing in behind the couple. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!"
Kali's cheerful greeting was met with little reciprocation, the Faunus woman giving a soft shake of the head whilst her husband sighed audibly. "Good morning." The man said, even as he sat himself down.
The Schnee looked at them for a moment, blue eyes indecipherable, the alcohol draining rapidly from the glass, as she set it on the table again. Her head turned to one of her bodyguards, mouthing the word 'refill', the alcoholic tendency of the Schnee to drink herself into planned ignorance once more showing itself. 'You are here to conduct business, not a vendetta.'
The woman's husband was responsible for the current policies of the Schnee Dust Company. The woman's face showed nothing but the calm exterior, her breath smelling of the alcohol that she'd consumed already, the chemical scent of her breath adding yet another dimension of distaste to it. "You do not mind if Miss Schnee is in attendance, do you?" The one who led the talks was speaking, Sienna glancing at Ghira to check his reaction to the question.
'His word counts for more than mine. They know that.' In the organizational structure of the White Fang, the power of the High Leader was arguably the highest, yet the respect that the Belladonna family had from the Faunus as a whole was not something that could easily be denied. If one were speaking of political capital, Ghira Belladonna had more credit than she herself did.
"Of course not, Chancellor Moon. Menagerie and the White Fang hold no objection to the presence of Miss Schnee."The man's words had been cautiously thought about, improvised in the manner that many would think to be mere business and political, yet the man's eyes met with Kali, who gave a barely perceivable twitch with her ears. 'Codes.'
Kali Belladonna, for her extroverted personality and her rather erratic manner of functioning, was most adept at reading a person's body language. With just a glance, she could spot whether you were really thinking about something heavy or if you were just pretending. "I hold no objection to her presence. The dialogue would be most beneficial to ensure that the cooperation between Humanity and the Faunus remains as fruitful as it has always been."
A politer way to say it really hadn't come to her. Her implication that the natural state between Humanity and the Faunus was one of oppression and revolution did not go unnoticed, as Kali gave her a look, yet did not indicate any displeasure with her words. A grin settled on her face as she leaned on the table, pulling the small briefcase with documents out with a hand a moment later.
"Negotiations can wait." The Schnee said, her eyes fierce as she looked at Sienna, seemingly directly speaking to her. "I want to know, Miss Khan…" The woman sipped her drink, the alcohol disappearing down those well-cared-for lips. "Do you see yourself as better than humanity?"
'Why shouldn't I be better than you?' The direct question must have been a flash of inspiration, as it must have been on the minds of the humans. She could see Ghira give her a warning look, her fingers tapping on the table in an erratic rhythm, her mind working to bring something that would show her stance. 'Act like we are superior and ruin our credibility… The White Fang, officially, is not a terrorist organization.'
"Do you see yourself as better than a Huntsman, Miss Schnee?" The question she threw back, the Schnee's lips twitching into what passed for 'evil smile of Schnee Superiority' in layman's terms.
"Of course not. They do their business, I do mine."The woman's voice was steady and without serious note in it, as her eyes looked at Sienna with a challenge in it. "We are all equal under the eyes of the law. Be it Faunus or human, they will receive their due process. Unless you do not agree, Miss Khan?"
"Everyone is equal under the eye of the law, yet we must not ignore the disparity in prosecution. Faunus have advantages in fields where humans struggle. I did not come here to discuss morality with you, Miss Schnee. Your husband's business practices speak for themselves." Sienna's retort hit home, the Schnee's lips pressed together in a firm line. 'Take that, you horrid woman.'
She had little issue with the sole daughter of Nicholas Schnee, her position within the Schnee Dust Company being co-CEO with her husband, although that was more an appointment in name only as the sole heir to the Schnee Dust Company. Whoever of her children was the next heir, she did not know, nor care. "I am not my husband, Miss Khan."
Sienna's smile was a little fiercer. "The lack of moustache makes it more apparent, yes." The woman leaned forward, her bust shifting slightly in the suit that she wore, a look in her eyes that was one of irritation. "Ladies…" Ghira's voice interrupted, both gazes sliding to the Faunus man, who had decided to speak up rather than watch the cat fight.
"We should speak business." The woman said, announcing it so bluntly like that, the glass set down, empty again. "The Schnee Dust Company is willing to offer better terms." The concession that had to be made would be made, as the documents were put forward, Ghira and her looking through the copy.
'The usual legal mumbo-jumbo…' The words were printed without any sort of embellishment, outlining terms for Faunus labour to be improvised from the conditions that they were in. "Within are the terms as dictated by the CEO." The way that the woman stressed the last word definitely gave the impression that the woman was not very caring about the man who she married. 'This is slightly better than half of the minimum wage…'
The acceptance of these terms would show the people that they were capitulating, even as the briefcase was pulled open and the papers pulled out and slid over towards the pale-faced woman, who looked through the document.
The facial features Sienna paid careful attention to, watching as the woman's eyes scrolled through the terms that were drawn up, the sources that had been cited in order to ensure that the wages would be equivalent to those of humans with special incentives that came with certain levels of labour.
"We are the single largest employer in Remnant, Miss Khan." The Schnee spoke, distaste audible in her voice, her eyes looking at the paper and perusing it still, as she did not move her gaze. "Do you wish us to cease employment of Faunus with these ludicrous terms?" The threat was in the woman's voice, yet Sienna knew how to play this game.
"No, but the Vytal Accord and the Rights Revolution have signed into law that we are all equal. It would be remiss to have us work for less than the standard wage." The Valean branch of the Schnee Dust Company was something that had these terms, despite their mannerisms towards the Faunus. She knew well that the Schnee Dust Company had to apply the letter of the law, lest they face official scrutiny.
"That is true." The woman admitted, her gaze sliding up. Orange met with cold blue, a faint smile playing on the woman's lips. "Whilst the CEO will not be pleased with this decision, you argue for a point that is irrefutable." The Schnee's hand pulled the paper towards her, her eyes going to the glass that had been filled again. "Now that business is settled here, I will dep-"
The clearing of a throat was audible, Sienna feeling something in the pit of her stomach, as she seemed to see the gears turn in Kali's mind. "Are you going back to Atlas immediately?" Her friend inquired, the Schnee looking at her with a look of minor interest, as if seeing her for the first time.
"Who do I have the pleasure to speak with?" Kali's smile was broad, getting up and then stalking in her usual style around the table, shaking the woman's hand. "Kali Belladonna, wife of Ghira." The free hand pointed at Ghira, who sat there like a stone stature. 'This isn't good… Why is she doing this?'
The woman's hand shook the Schnee's hand a few times. "Sooooo… Are you going back?" The woman asked, her eyes shimmering with curiosity.
The white-haired woman was WAY too stuffy for her liking. Drinking like she was some sort of sewer system and going back to the cold chill of Atlas to her husband… that just wouldn't do.
As she stalked around the table, catching sight of the surprise on the councilmember's faces, she knew that she had to act. The unspoken agreement between her and Ghira had been broken up already, knowing that there would be something done about this Schnee woman. "Kali Belladonna, wife of Ghira."
She could feel the muscles of the woman's hand stiffen, the skin a clammy cool sensation to her own hand, as she indicated her husband. 'Ooh, he's looking like he's ready to burst… My poor widdle panther man…' Her gaze looked into those eyes of the Schnee, spotting the fluctuations inside them.
"Soooo… Are you going back?" She asked, as she could see Sienna get her look of constipated 'oh no, all my plans are ruined' that she occasionally had when she decided to meet up with her friend. 'She'll need to get used to the thought of me making sure that she's happy! That's what friends are for!'
"I had plans to go back, yes."The woman said, even as Kali's hand gripped the woman's a little tighter. "That won't do! Come to the gala with us! You can be the representative of the Schnee and we can be the Faunus of Menagerie… Oh, and Sienna as the White Fang representative." Kali paid careful attention to the way that the Schnee seemed to condense her opinion, the woman's eyes glinting faintly in the light of the meeting room, the scent of alcohol clinging to the woman's lips, to her breath.
'You could probably breathe fire if you lit a match near her mouth.' "Soooo… Come. Dance. If you need to dance, my husband is more than apt!" She boldly grinned at her husband, excitement nearly vibrating her body. She could see that look of 'Oh gods, you DIDN'T just do that' on her husband and Sienna's face. 'Nothing wrong with shaking this Schnee up a bit!'
"I admit that I…" The woman's eyes went to her drink, then back to the woman. "Ah, I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. How impolite of me. Willow Schnee, at your service." The smirk that settled on those lips had been one of mutual understanding, as the grip on her own hand increased with a firmness that seemed to be not for playing around.
"A pleasure! There's this gala, so if you'd be willing to come, there's going to be drinks too." The woman's gaze went back to her drink, before she just threw it back, hardly showing any discomfort as she swallowed it down. 'Fish Faunus, with how much she seems to be capable of drinking. She isn't happy…'
Kali had her sense about that. Sienna wasn't happy, Willow wasn't happy… so, they had to be made happy! If it took some dancing and mingling together to bring Faunus and human together in relative harmony, so be it! "I…" the woman's hand still was shaking a little, Ghira groaning something as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, where his glasses usually would be.
"I'll accept your invitation. Chancellor Moon, if you would be so kind as to make arrangements for me to be able to attend this… Gala?" The question hung in the air, the man who was the chancellor that led the council for the Kingdom of Vale got up. "The charity gala, Miss Schnee." The man added, Willow giving a shrug. "I'll make sure to arrange a suitable donation." The woman said, her voice unconcerned for the amount of Lien that she was going to be spending.
"Good, good!" Kali's smile was warm and friendly as she looked at her husband, letting go of the Schnee Dust Company's co-CEO's hand, nearly skipping back to her seat and flattering herself comfortably on the seat. Her husband's hand pinched her side, a sign that he was not pleased with her, yet her eyes met his own, daring him to say anything.
'I know what's best! An evening of fun, a bit of entertainment and some relaxation!' The woman was stressed, no doubt. She drank so much because of the stresses of her life, which must be different from the stresses that her husband suffered as the representative of Menagerie. 'I have to make sure that I herd these little kittens to their proper rest… The poor dears look so tired… Oh, well… I make sure that my Ghira gets pleeeenty of rest… But Sienna? Willow? They look like they need a good evening off their schedules. It's too much of an annoyance to be always so tense.'
She would be the best caretaker to them. It was what a mother did for those who needed help, after all.
Sienna's eyes blazed as she sat in the limousine that had been assigned to the embassy, the traffic around them shifting slowly under the careful driving of the chauffeur that had came with it, their bodyguards perfectly arranged in the limousine to offer protection.
"What exactly were you playing at, involving the Schnee?" She growled at the woman, whose face held the innocence of a child, as if she were merely playing at the contest of wills that had nearly ensued. The terms had been outlined, the paper just had to be stamped and the Schnee had backed down, either out of pride or out of some sort of realization.
"But Siennaaaaahhh… It's not going to be fun when you just grump and drink." Kali said, her eyes sparkling slightly. "You just look like a grumpy cat, like my Ghira does." The husband was oddly silent, his eyes closed in introspection.
"It was not… urgh." Sienna wanted to hit something, only to get the stress out. Having to deal with a Schnee, who was undoubtedly going to be imposing some harsh penalties as 'new labour codes', she knew that there would be some sort of political fallout from this action that she had made.
"She was right." The man said, stalling any further argument. "Who was right?" Kali asked, as Ghira's eyes opened. "You were." The man said, voice sounding like the wise panther that he was, his gaze going to Sienna.
Sienna felt put on the spot, like her father was looking at her and her mother had gallivanted off yet to another corner. "Sienna, you may not like Miss Schnee, yet it is important that she is seen at the function. Kali, you might be impulsive, yet you had seen it as well, right?" The meeting had lasted for three hours in total. Four bottles of expensive liquor had been drank by the Schnee, whose outward appearance was still unruffled, undoubtedly due to the amount of training she had received in the art of composure, her eyes showing a sense of pained acceptance of her fate.
"She looked so bad, Ghira… Like you when you heard that there'd been a massacre…" Kali's voice was soft, Sienna feeling a stab of something in her heart, emotions that she had rarely felt coming to the fore. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and then thinking about the way that the Schnee had acted.
'I fight for what is right. We deserve the respect of humanity for what we have suffered… Even if some people have to get hurt. A Schnee would never be able to…' The look in the eyes of the woman came to her, when their gaze had met for a moment upon that final goodbye after the meeting had concluded.
Blue eyes that held depths, their pale luminescence speaking of pain and loneliness, circumstances that could be attributed to the gossiped about spat between her and her husband. 'Is it so bad for the woman that she drinks in order to forget the pain?'
Sienna would not feel sorry for the woman. She was the wife of the enemy, the one who bred more of those little Schnee bastards who would be slaying good Faunus for their sick Semblance. Inherited Semblances… pah!
"Just… Don't do that again, Kali." Ghira said, his voice sounding as calm and collected as it could. 'Sense, it has been restored.' "She just needs a friend…"The woman sounded calmer, as she let her eyes rove over Sienna, a teasing smile on the woman's lips. "Just like Sienna needs to show me her boyfriend."
Ghira's eyebrows rose as he sent her a look, Sienna's gaze fastening itself on Kali. "He is NOT my boyfriend!" She hissed, her anger showing in her tone.
"Suuuure… and I'm your lesbian lover! Tell me another thing!" Kali's eyes sparkled as she leaned forward. "There is nothing between us but the teaching thing. I need to learn how to dance."
Kali's grin was broad as she licked her lips. "Ghira, we should check out her boyfriend. He will be good for her!" The man sighed deeply, placing his hands on his hips. "I made your father a promise, Sienna… " The man sounded like he was genuinely considering it.
A spark of fear lit itself in her heart. If Ghira was going to replace her father in a conversation with Jaune, her whole act as the tough and rough Faunus Leader of the White Fang would be seen as a joke. A Faunus and a Human… what madness is this?
The man's face showed a smile as he patted his wife's shoulder. "Enough of your jokes, Kali." The woman pouted. "It isn't a joke. She's been getting sexy hidden messages from him! I've been tempted to just send him a screenie of her in something sexy, but she's not let me near her Scroll again." Ghira's face seemed to cloud over, as Sienna let her gaze rest on the woman, restraining the urge to say something about the audacity of the woman for immediately going to interfere in her relationship (not that it existed, of course) with others.
"Kali…"Her husband said, Sienna feeling a little heartened by the way that his tone was strict. "That Sienna has her boyfriend hidden from you does not mean that she is willing to be open about her relationship towards others." The man's smile was that very same smile that would give her thoughts, as she watched him shift slightly in his seat. "Don't worry… Your secret is safe with me." The man nodded, as if he had just given her permission to date.
"Y-you!" She screeched at a louder tone than intended, Ghira's chuckling loud, as Kali smiled. "What you do is your own business, Sienna. I will restrain my wife." Kali's head turned to her husband as she pushed herself against him. "Right here, dear?"A look that she sent at Sienna, her face teasing. "But what of Sienna… She can watch, right?"
The man snorted, the sight looking different with the business suit that he wore. "No more jokes, Kali. Leave the poor girl alone."
Sienna supposed that this would be it for now… Her own sanity, destroyed by one meddling friend and her husband.
He looked in the mirror, the fancy suit that he had rented from one of the cheaper rental stores packaged still in the plastic wrapping, his eyes looking at his reflection, trying to put himself in the proper mindset to do as he must. 'I don't understand why she'd want to have a practice run…But if this is some important thing for her…'
She was a mystery to him, most of all. A young woman who might be a few years older than him, one of the workers of an organization that worked for Faunus Rights. Whether there was something about those rights to be said, he didn't really know. As he checked his appearance once more and pulled the coat a little tighter around him, he mentally thanked Adam for being nice enough to get him in contact with the store that sold the coats. It wasn't like those coats could easily be bought for a cheap price, after all… but the discount that he got for simply being a 'friend of the revolution' was something that he knew he'd earned through getting Miss Khan those lessons.
Sure, she was a little stressed out and grumpy at times, acting like she bore some huge burden and was the sole possessor of wisdom in the world, but she was still a very interesting young woman to hang around with. A little like his oldest sister in nature, despite the age probably being a little far off. 'She couldn't be much older than twenty-three or something. Big sis always said that women like a man who can dance…'
Grabbing the bag that contained his gear and his cd's, he checked whether everything else was present, lugging it onto his shoulder and then walking out the room, the room that he'd rented in a bad part of town, apparently. The Faunus that lived here were mistrustful of others, he'd found. Being called 'human' had not been uncommon, Miss Khan's favourite term to refer to him not uncommon at all… as if it meant something special when it was spoken by a Faunus.
It was not bad, if you looked at it. The owner let him rent the room and didn't complain about his erratic schedule. He walked down the street towards the gym that he'd gotten the space to practice his dancing in, wondering briefly whether he had enough time to run Miss Khan through the final steps.
As he entered, he caught sight of the owner of the gym, a man who gave him a nod that seemed to hold some smidgen of respect, a young Faunus man passing him by with a grunt, as he walked towards the changing rooms. He shed the coat and then started to get himself ready, checking himself in the full-body mirror for a moment, twirling around. The tie looked a little stuffy, yet he knew well that it would be the finishing touch if he'd have to woo a girl. 'A nice girl with a good personality and maybe some skill in the kitchen… That'd be nice.'
If he'd voiced such a desire, his sisters would have beat those desires out of him, yet he knew well that a good girlfriend would at least know how to cook… Which was why his mother and he knew how to cook and his sisters generally avoided the kitchen in most capacities unless it was time for dinner. 'We could make lasagna… I wonder if Miss Khan likes lasagna…'
She was a Faunus, so she undoubtedly had some preferences as far as food went. His oldest sister Violet (often nicknamed Violent because of her temper) had often said that the Faunus had a taste for some good old-fashioned human sausage, though why she had snickered after giving him a look and the ensuing commentary by his older sisters, was beyond him.
"You're here." The tense voice of Miss Khan came from behind him as she stood there, her body clad in a dress that looked hardly better than the summer dresses that he'd seen his younger sisters wear when they were trying to look like a less affluent family. It was only through the recognition of the garment's state that he had realized that she'd dressed up in a less than impressive dress, just to get used to the feeling of dancing in it.
"Are you ready to get started?" He asked, offering his arm to her, ready to adjust his steps for her. Her progress in dancing was good, even as they moved with the practised steps of a pair that had just started to get used to each other, his height contrasting to her shorter stature, the woman's steps elegant and catlike in their manner. Her eyes met his own for a moment, their orange gaze mystifying.
'If I didn't know better, I'd say that she's entranced by me… But that probably won't happen. I owe her too much, and Viv says that you shouldn't shit near where you eat… or something.' He twisted her around, as the dance dictated, her body moving with a grace that was near supernatural, her heels clicking on the ground, as she moved with a dancer's grace to pull herself close, leg in the air and a little twist, pulling him along.
"Good little human." She said, with a hint of something that could be seen as pride surfacing in her tone, as she took a deep breath, her eyes looking him over.
She stepped away then, taking a moment to gather her breath, the movements of dancing not being too difficult for him, yet the breathing having a different stroke to it than regular breathing or breathing when exercising.
"You clean up well." The woman's voice was pinched and with little inflexion as she looked him over with a look that he'd seen in the eyes of his mother if he'd done something she did not approve of, as if he were but a hunk of meat to be dissected and put to work in some sort of dish. Her orange eyes looked sharp and dangerous as she seemed to consider something for a moment, nodding her head and then pulling something out of the small bag that she had. "Keep this with you. Do not be late."She said, her voice strict.
'If I liked women who bossed me around, I'd have stayed at home… Not like they'd want the man of the house to be that far away… but ever since Dad died…' The mission had been a failure. The memory of the man who had raised him had been tied to the shield and sword that he now held as his inheritance. Violet and Vivian had been Huntsmen for a while now, earning their keep, their mother a housewife with little impact on the world, save for rearing eight wonderful children.
"I will, Miss Khan." He said, as was expected of him. 'She demands a lot from the people around her. Her boss looks like the type of woman who would accompany her everywhere, with how strict she seems to be with the schedule, almost like a professional manager of sorts…'
"Good human." The woman said, seemingly dismissing it from her mind, clicking on her Scroll for a moment, the flash blinding him. An image on the screen was shown, his face clearly outlined. "A picture. For the pass." The woman said, as she looked him over. "You will do. Sit."
She pointed to the ground, demanding that he sit down. His eyes looked up at her as she stood there, the dress outlining her womanly features as much as it seemed to be more intimidating, her eyes sharply peering at him.
"You will not embarrass me in front of the people. This charity gala is important for my people. You messing things up by being a racist douchebag, doing as you humans are wont to do… You'll never get into Beacon. My signature is on that document. I can withdraw my permission whenever I desire." The words that she used were deadly serious, an intimidating look sent at him, her eyes burning with passion and a fierce determination.
"You will be present there at the right time. You will be there to open up my limousine door and greet me as you would a partner. You will not act like some juvenile child, despite your age, Mister Arc…" Her eyes met with his, a deadly challenge within. Jaune thought that she looked particularly striking, despite the dress that she wore.
Her words were sensible, yet she seemed focused on his own failure. He couldn't help but feel the pressure on him, as she seemed to regard him with the worst of suspicions. "I'm sure it won't be that bad…"He tried to mediate, only for a feline hiss to come from her mouth. "Won't be that bad? Human, if your face isn't on VNN by Sunday, I'd be surprised."
What the Vale News Network had to do with the charity ball he didn't know, shrugging. "I'm just here to dance with a pretty woman." The words were inspired with the confidence that he had been taught to have by his father, to show a woman that she was in his eyes, something that was to be cherished. 'Yeah, confidence is the key!'
Her face schooled itself, despite a splattering of red on her cheeks, her eyes glinting in a way that many would be uncomfortable, as her finger poked against his chest. "Do NOT flirt with me." Her bristling voice seemed to contain an infinite loathing, her eyes glistening with that anger, as she inhaled and exhaled, her chest doing interesting things as she did. "Do NOT shame me in front of the people that we meet. You are there as my dancing partner, not as someone who makes any sort of waves in the world of politics."
Her eyes held that intriguing quality that seemed to be some sort of burning passion, as the finger prodded against him once more. "You will remain silent, dance and not mingle with any people." He felt indignation rise up inside him, his mouth opening up to protest. "You will NOT. This is politics. Your presence alone is enough to raise eyebrows."
She used that as a threat and he bit his tongue. His eyes looked into hers, trying to convey the message that he wanted to send her, even though her attitude seemed to be harsher now, he could spot the twitches of her own nervousness. 'She's nervous about something.' "Of course. I won't do something that'll cast you in a bad light."
She seemed to take the answer as it was, her eyes looking into his own for the longest of moments before she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I shouldn't have…" The woman looked so tired, as she sat down opposite of him, the mask of strict control shattering. 'She looks exhausted.'
He got up, walking to his bag and then checking the time. "What are you doing?" She hissed at him, her voice rearing back like a venomous cobra, anger infusing it with the greatest fury that she seemed capable of mustering. He looked back at her and then shook his head. "Expose your shoulders. I'm giving your shoulders a massage. You're too tense."
It worked with his sisters. Violet often complained about the backaches of stress, about how her body needed some time to recharge. Indignation showed on Sienna's face as she opened her mouth, ready to cut into him with her words before she caught herself. "No funny tricks, boy." Her voice was sharp, even as she exposed her shoulders to him, the dress sliding down a little to her lower shoulders. The bra that she wore below it was a fitness bra, so it did not show anything untoward.
He rubbed the muscles to warm them up a little, feeling the tension in them. Smelling her scent, a floral one that seemed to have many different floral patterns in it, he allowed himself to think a little on this woman, whose acquaintance he had only held for near a month.
She was willful, decisive and without any sort of pity for the plight of others that did not adhere to her personal philosophy. When he had been with her at the flower show, he had seen the side of her that held the speech, her words chosen perfectly to speak on the equality of the Faunus and humans, with the hope that she had for the world… It was not always so cheerful when she spoke. Her eyes held the stresses of a life which had seen dark days, he felt.
His hands pressed to the tense muscles, the woman's ears twitching slightly on her head, the human ears showing little response, yet the Faunus trait she had showing clearly a quiver, her slow exhale halting for a moment as his fingers kneaded the muscles in her upper back, right at the base of the neck.
He could feel the tension in her back as he massaged the muscles, her voice sounding a little weary as she spoke. "D-don't think this makes you a-anything s-special." The low groan coming from her mouth was something that seemed to be an instinctual reaction, her whole body shuddering visibly.
"I'm just trying to give you a little bit of relief… My sister's had terrible back pains because of…" He coughed, not sure to explain politely that his sister was the proud owner of a rack of frontal bumpers that'd be the envy of most movie stars. Whatever they fed you at the Huntsman Academies, it certainly did wonders for the beauty of the people eating it.
"Ahh?" The Faunus woman made a sound, as she seemed to contemplate saying something. His eyes caught sight of the skin under his fingers, the contrast of her darker skin to his lighter skin, the oily texture of the skin showing to him that she definitely applied plenty of products to her skin. "You should perhaps have a bit less skincare on your back." He suggested, her head whipping around.
"And what is wrong with that, boy?" She hissed, her eyes blazing. It was like looking at his elder sister when he'd made a boneheaded comment, those eyes full of fury and anger. "Did you think I was making myself pretty for someone like you, human?" Her anger seemed to override the decency that she had, her eyes blazing with the fury of a woman who possessed the skills of a practised Huntress, administrator and general orator.
"No, no, I just have…" The eyes pierced his with a fierce gaze, as his hands stopped on her shoulders. "I've got sisters…" He said, her eyes softening a little, as a melancholic look came to her face.
"I… see." The woman said, her voice softening as if she had indeed gathered herself once more, trying to recompose herself to such a level that she'd be functional again.
"Do you often massage women?" She asked suddenly, turning her head back again. Her ears were perked up and twitching, as she bent forward a little so that he could reach the spots lower. "N-no?" He said, as he tried to recall anyone else who he'd laid hands on in this manner… and finding none.
"She's going to fucking love you, I just know it…" He could hear her mutter, displeasure in her voice shown, yet an awkward fondness also equally present. "I guess I'm the first non-family member that you've touched." Her voice sounded like it'd regained some grit, as she gathered herself once more.
"Y-yes?" He said, hesitating to say more. Whatever she was getting at, he didn't quite get. Her head turned, fixing him with a look. "Well? Come on, continue. My back hurts." The woman's snappy tone was not to be refused, as he put his hands back to work, trying to work some gentle sensation into the woman's back once again.
As she rose from her seated position, she rolled her shoulders, turning around to him and giving him one of those smug grins that both riled him up and let him feel that she was on an entirely different level. Her finger tapped against his nose. "Just another day and we'll be out of each other's hair." Her face showed her confidence as she said it, the admission for Beacon's students in just a few days after the event that she went to.
He could feel something inside him break as she said that, the manner in which she'd automatically dismissed any chance of this strange relationship that they had from continuing as it had been. He had not minded her occasional snippy commentary on totally obvious things, her words not having any great impact, because he could feel that she wasn't that bad…
It was more intuition than anything else. If the world did not have a few bad people in it, it would not need heroes to save it… but Sienna, when it came down to the barest details, was focused on her people first and herself last.
'She's going to be some sort of superstar… With her attitude and drive, there's no way that she won't be someone who's known to everyone.' A lot of the Faunus seemed to know her, yet her boss seemed to keep her on a very short line. Even that Adam guy, who was broody and dark in his emotional expression at the best of times, had nothing but positive things to say about her, if he wasn't talking about how much he missed his girlfriend. Blake, such a weird name for a girl to have… but it wasn't like he was any different with the Valean translation of Yellow.
"I can text you from time to time, right?" He inquired, the woman's mouth opening immediately with what seemed to be a no, before her eyes narrowed and she struggled with the thought. Her body language shifted slightly, even as she stood before him, a grin on her face appearing, as her finger tapped his nose once more.
"Earn the right by doing as I say, human." Her voice held a teasing tone, her eyes looking a little happier, even as she rolled her shoulders, a soft sigh coming from her mouth, mumbling something about having needed to try something out like that before.
It was at least something that she was willing to consider, which was a good thing in his book. Too much stress made women look like they always had something against you.
'I guess she must be some important businesswoman then, working pro bono for a Faunusitarian organization… That's pretty cool. Maybe I'll encounter her when I've graduated from Beacon on a mission.'
Little did he know at this time, that his troubles with Sienna Khan were just about to start.
Another chapter! Sienna's business-side is explored and Kali's unconventional measures in order to fix what she thinks as not suitable are exposed! The readers get a look at how Jaune thinks! Right now? He thinks of her as a sort-of-friend, because he never seemed to have much of an issue with the Faunus before in the canon.
Of course, Sienna being the paranoid Faunus Rights Leader that she is, would have held doubts about the massage at first… But her reasoning will be explored in the next chapter! There's a reason why, and like with A Grimm Tale, perspectives may not align with the perceived opinions of the characters.
It does however show how comfortable Sienna has gotten around Jaune. Adam would never have touched her or given her a massage. Jaune is… frighteningly ill-educated about some of the societal issues. (Him not quite knowing Remnant's history in the canon was… pretty telling. I'd imagine that in the span of 80 years, there'd be some coverage. We still learn of WW1 and WW2 in schools.)
In two weeks the gala! It'll be fun! Schnee shall be seen! Kali meets Jaune! Jaune meets… generally more interest… and Sienna is going to show you all why she consented to the massage.
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