Mistral had changed since Emerald had last been there. Not a lot, just small differences here and there. Things you wouldn't even be able to notice unless you were looking for them. Unless you knew what the city had used to be.
It was the fear. She could see it in everyone as she passed crowds in the streets. The way their eyes were cast downwards, never looking at anyone for too long. The way they kept their hands firmly in the pockets, keeping everything close to them.
Paranoia was rife making it easy for Emerald to slip through the crowds. A girl in a long hooded coat hardly stood out in the winter weather so she could hide the hair that betrayed her name with little effort. She was just another pair of boots walking through the snow. It made it harder to pick pocket true, but not impossible. Especially not for her.
The buildings were still the same though. Towering structures in the middle, home to the rich and the elite. Haven itself the biggest of all, all to facilitate the CTT system nestled at the top. The height of buildings dropped as you entered the slums. A maze of side streets and hidden alleyways. Straying down that area of the city was asking to be robbed. And that was if you were lucky. Many people simply never came back at all.
But it was in neither slums or skyscraper that Emerald was headed to. She couldn't. The upper end of the city would be safe but security would pick her up with a few days. Then she would be right back to square one.
Maybe she could disappear into the slums and the criminal underworld. The thief doubted that she would be turned in to the law there. If she dyed her hair and changed her name, Emerald could hide forever. Or she would end up with a knife in her gut, stabbed by some asshole who had family in Vale.
No the middle ground between the upper and the lower districts was her only shot. Refugees were still arriving every day. People desperate for safety and security. Emerald could use that. Blend into crowd or take what little she could get her hands on. Then try to ignore the fact they were only here because of her.
If she could play her cards right, lie low and disguise herself she had a chance. As long as she didn't draw any attention to the area then maybe she could last... A few weeks.
Her heart sank as the realization hit her. For all she knew Cinder was already here. Even if she wasn't how long could Emerald realistically hope to last. Whether it was Mercury, Cinder, Roman or Neo, someone was going to find her.
Walking through the streets, her sigh attracted the attention of her now ever present companion.
"Is something upsetting you friend?"
Emerald ignored her.
"You seem rather down Emerald," Penny said regardless. "If something is wrong then I would like to help. That is what friends are for, are they not?"
"You're not my friend," she muttered. "You aren't even real."
"Then what am I?"
"I don't know. Some gir- machine that died back in Vale."
"But that can't be right," Penny said cheerfully. "How can I be with you now if you killed me in Vale?"
"I didn't ki-"
Emerald started to shout before stopping herself. Too late. Eyes were already upon, whispering about the person yelling at nothing. Not giving them time to stare, Emerald continued to walk.
"I didn't kill you," she said again more softly this time. "I'm a thief not a murderer. You weren't ever really alive anyway. You were just a puppet pretending to be alive."
Penny didn't reply to that. Instead she just continued to walk along beside Emerald as she made her way through the streets. Occasionally, she would try and strike up another conversation but this time Emerald kept her mouth shut.
It was getting late. Emerald needed to find somewhere to stay for the night. The inns and hotels weren't an option. She didn't have the money and even if she did, there was too high a chance of being recognized. Breaking into a place was too risky.
"You could always ask for help."
Dust she hated when Penny did that. Chiming in as though she could read her thoughts. Emerald rolled her eyes. She's a figment of your imagination, she can't just read your mind, she's a part of it.
And it was a stupid idea anyway. Who could she ask? A stranger? That would go down well. Hi, I'm a wanted terrorist who is responsible for the destruction of Vale. Can I crash on your couch? Anyone who she had used to know from Mistral would turn her in to the police and Mercury would be there within a day to collect her. No, Emerald had no one.
So that meantime had only one option. Spend the night in an alley somewhere and rely on her Aura to keep her warm. Just like the old days.
"Never thought I would be doing this again," she muttered as she turned down one of the streets. "Guess this is as good as place as any."
"And tonight you won't be sleeping alone."
"Yeah," she muttered sarcastically. "Thank Dust I have you..."
Emerald trailed off as she realised she recognized the street. How could it have taken her this long? She had even passed the jewellers. Still going strong. Turning around, the thief looked up to the sign that would confirm her location.
Sustrai Street
This was where everything had started. This was where she had met Cinder. This was where she had been saved.
"I'm sorry Cinder," she whispered. "I tried to do what you wanted, I just... I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't good enough for you. I'm just didn't think it would be like that."
Closing her eyes, Emerald began to focus. Breathing in and out, she was able to block out the ghost that haunted her. It wouldn't last long. It never did, but it would last just long enough for what she needed. Focusing on herself, Emerald opened her eyes.
Cinder stood before her, looking exactly like the day they had met. Back before Beacon and Roman. Before Maidens and Amber. Back even before Mercury. So long ago, when it had just been the two of them. Her angel Cinder, the woman who had saved her.
Her illusion smiled at her, raising her hand to gently stroke Emeralds face.
"My Emerald," she said.
And then she was gone.
The night passed without further incident. It was cold and she barely slept more than a few hours but the worst part was simply the fact, the morning brought a new day and old challenges. Emerald was hungry. It was a familiar feeling. One that she had felt for years until one woman came along and replaced it with fire. A fire that sustained and nourished her, never asking for anything in return
"That's not true."
Gritting her teeth, she tried to ignore the voice of her new travelling companion. The irritating little ginger that seemed to exist only to torture her. If a machine could have a soul, Emerald might have thought she was being haunted but they couldn't.
How comforting. It wasn't spiritual crisis, Emerald was just slowly suffering a mental breakdown over the course of several months.
Pushing thoughts from her mind, Emerald tried to focus on the crowd. The hunger was all the mattered right now. She needed to find a mark, so she could get some food. Wouldn't be hard, it was her after all. Emerald could steal a lighter from a criminal king pin, refugees were no challenge at all.
Yet here she was, standing and watching instead of taking what she needed. This was stupid. Emerald was damned anyway, what was a couple more stolen wallets on her mountain of sins.
"Stealing is wrong."
"Shut up," she muttered.
Emerald stepped forward into the crowd, quickly followed by a smiling Penny. That was the worst part about the girl. It was damn near impossible for Emerald to piss her off while Penny could do it by just breathing... so to speak. And that just annoyed Emerald even more.
Soon she found a target. A rich looking woman too self-absorbed to pay attention to anyone. Mistralian local probably judging by the way she turned her nose up at the refugees. Suppressing a smirk, Emerald walked forward and bumped into her. The reaction was predictable and instantaneous.
"Watch where you are going!"
Rolling her eyes, Emerald dropped her face and quickly fell into her act.
"I'm so sorry," she said in a panicked tone. "I'm just trying to find my sist-"
She didn't get a chance to finish her script with the woman already walking away. Why should she care about one scared street rat looking for another? People like that were the reason that she didn't feel guilty about stealing. No one really gave a damn about anyone else so why should she?
Heading down a side street, Emerald quickly pulled out the Lien and ditched the wallet. There was no need for it after all and on the odd chance she was stopped by someone who didn't recognise her, it was clear that the purse didn't belong to her. Evading the police would take time and would attract attention she couldn't afford.
From now on, Emerald would play things safe. Steal only what she needed. Avoid confrontation and keep a low profile. Do that and she might just last the year before Mercury found her.
"Why Mercury?" Penny asked her curiously. "Why not Roman and Neo? Why not Ci-"
"If you are going to be in my head," she interrupted. "Save me the trouble and go through all my thoughts, not just some of them."
"I'm sorry Emerald, I do not know what you are referring to."
In the blink of an eye, Emerald had deployed her weapon and slashed it through the young girl's form. It passed right through without so much as a flinch. Penny just stared at her unblinking just like every other time that Emerald had tried to prove her ethereal nature.
With a sigh, Emerald sheathed her weapon. It had been worth a shot. One of these days it might just work.
"It has to be Mercury," she muttered. "Roman isn't good enough, Neo is too much of a wild card and Cinder... Cinder wouldn't concern herself with me. Not directly. She has better things to do."
It hurt more than she cared to admit. Fortunately, Penny didn't seem to be able to access this part of her psyche. She never seemed to bring her up and Emerald was grateful for that small mercy, if nothing else.
"It has to be Mercury. He was my partner and helped train me. He knows my semblance almost as well as I do and he knows how to see through it. No one else makes sense."
"And he's an assassin," Penny said cheerfully.
Emerald swallowed.
"Yes, he's an assassin."
Penny didn't get to say anything else as the sound of crashing metal sounded from a small alleyway. Then she heard a grunt of pain and a yell. Probably a mugging. The red haired girl turned to her, concern evident in her green eyes.
"Someone's in trouble."
"This is Mistral; someone is always in trouble."
"We should go help."
"Yeah," Emerald said, turning to leave. "Go right ahead. I'll back you up."
Before Penny could respond, there was a yelp of pain and small girl darted from the alleyway. She looked about twelve, maybe thirteen at most. Dressed in rags meant orphan and the puppy ears above her head explained why. Faunus, maybe a refugee or just one of the many Mistralian street rats.
The girls head darted to one side before noticing Emerald and running towards her. Then three older kids appeared from the alleyway. Judging from the way the dog was hiding behind her legs and the newcomers were staring at her, she had just stumbled into a racial assault. Perfect.
"Please help me," the girl pleaded. "Don't let them hurt me."
"You better stay out of this girl," the leader of this group growled at her. "This doesn't concern you."
"Girl?" Emerald couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. "You're what fifteen?"
"Sixteen."
"Oh my apologies," she smirked. "You're a child acting out because mommy and daddy are too busy to pay attention to you right now. You're pathetic."
"Why are you defending her?" One of the others spat. "She's Faunus. You know what her kind did to Vale."
"I'm not from Vale and I'm not defending her. Do what you want?"
Behind her legs, the young girl let out a whimper. She even sounded like a dog.
"It's going to be okay," Penny said, trying to comfort the girl who couldn't even see her. "I'm not going to let them hurt you."
Like she had any say in the matter. Emerald could walk away right now and Penny wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it. Maybe hearing the puppy screaming in pain would get rid of Penny for a while. Then she could focus on staying alive. At this stage Emerald would just settle for some peace.
It was at that point one of the boys pulled out a knife.
"Last chance Minty," he growled, in a clear attempt to sound intimating. "Get out of the way."
"Now you see that was just stupid," Emerald said slowly. "I don't give a damn about the mongrel, but you really shouldn't have threatened me."
In a flash, her blade was in his hand and pointed it at the group. Their faces paled as they really what her weapon meant. This was not a weapon of some civilian. This was a weapon of a Huntress. Emerald might not be one but they got the message. They had realised just how outclassed they really were. They had knives the size of their palms against her sword. They were already running.
For a moment she considered chasing them, taking their wallets and making this worthwhile. She let them go. They wouldn't go to the police so there was no point following them. They were just kids after all and she was a thief, not a butcher.
The Faunus girl was already gone. Probably scampered away the moment the others did. She wasn't even getting a thank you. So much for gratitude. Honestly why had she ever wanted to be a Huntress?
"Because we get to help people," Penny's voice rang in her ear. "Isn't that enough?"
"I prefer to help myself," she said nonchalantly. "That way I know if the person is worth it."
"Are you?"
Emerald didn't answer.
