Summer term...that's all I can say. Enjoy a longer-than-usual chapter.
Chapter 18 – Sky's Limit
Blake combed the long strands of hair from her face. Her bangs were starting to get too long again. Fiona had usually taken care of that issue by using a pair of kitchen scissors. However, Blake would have to ask someone else; Gambol Shroud would be out of the question.
Therefore, she had found herself standing outside Moira's (likely empty) room. Blake had turned and was walking down the hall when a White Fang member passed by. It was the chameleon faunus. Her face still remained concealed behind the black wrap.
They locked eyes for a second before awkwardly turning away. But, Blake realized that she might know where Moira was.
"Have you seen Moira?"
"Have you seen Captain Grey?" They said this at once.
Blake shook her head while the chameleon-faunus replied "No, sorry."
Out of boredom and curiosity, Blake asked why she was looking for Moira's brother.
"Commander Sienna has a message for him. I'm not allowed to read it though. Why are you looking for Captain Moira?"
Blake gestured to her overgrown bangs.
"They've become too long. I need to borrow a pair of scissors from Moira."
"Oh! I have a pair! I can cut them for you if you'd like," the chameleon faunus offered, "Are you busy tonight?"
"No."
"Come down by the barracks. I'm in room 204." The girl turned away and left before Blake could say a word.
That evening, Blake reluctantly stood outside the girl's door. She didn't even know the chameleon faunus' name. Blake had reasoned that she had seemed friendly enough; however, Blake was wary. It had been ages since she had last spoken to a girl her age.
Now that she thought about it, the only contact she had with another person was Adam. Had she really become so antisocial? Perhaps she needed this chance to make some friends.
Blake knocked on the door to find it ajar. There were three sets of bunkbeds and a large table. Four faunus sat at the table while Blake noticed the Chameleon faunus sitting on her bunk.
She noticed Blake standing in the doorway and smiled.
"Hey! You came!" The other four faunus (a mouse, dog, sheep, and stag) looked up and stared. Their eyes made Blake feel nervous as she averted her gaze.
The chameleon faunus pulled aside a chair and took out a pair of scissors.
"Here, do you have a mirror, Azul?" The sheep faunus reached into a nearby cabinet and procured a hand mirror.
"Need help, Ilia?" she offered, "I can lend you my comb." It had occurred to Blake that she had not known her name.
"Thanks, Azul." Ilia gestured for Blake to sit.
The dog faunus eyed her. His border collie ears lowered in suspicion.
"Hey, you're Taurus' apprentice." They all jerked their heads to stare at her.
Ilia scowled at them.
"Guys, don't be like that. Blake's just like anyone else. Don't blame members for joining. White Fang needs as much help it can get." Blake stiffened; she hadn't told anyone her name. How did they know it?
"Still, it's not fair…" the stag faunus mumbled.
"Beryl!" Ilia sighed, "Seriously?" Wordlessly, she began combing the strands over Blake's eyes.
"I've been here two years, and this is Taurus' apprentice?" she could hear Beryl say, "He's known for being brutal. And, word has it, he picks her in less than a minute. Everyone else took at least five. C'mon, we're all curious."
She could hear the door open.
"Jett! What the hell took you so long?" Azul chided.
"Spear equipment needed cleaning," a deep voice mumbled, "Who's that?" Blake's cat ears could pick up whispers.
Finally, the hair snipped away, revealing a faunus with black snake scales along the side of his arms. His green eyes studied her carefully.
"You…look familiar…" Blake couldn't recall anything; he was at least three years older than her. But, he couldn't have been old enough to be on the Menagerie base.
"Uhh…"
"Jett, you're going to scare her. I'd like at least one apprentice friend." Jett rolled his eyes and took a seat across from her.
"You, you know Taurus is infamous. Why'd he pick you? You don't look like the type of person he'd take on." No one know about their history, and Blake knew that knowledge would cause a plethora of issues.
"Not sure," she lied, "I guess my fighting style appealed to him?"
Jett studied her closely.
"Okay…" it was obvious that he didn't believe her, "Whatever you say."
"You people!" Ilia snapped, "You have no manners."
"Don't blame us," the dog faunus said, "There's a lot of rumors. It's natural to search for the truth."
Ilia glared and led Blake to the door.
"Here, I'll walk you back. Sorry that my roommates are being such assholes."
"We still love you, Ilia!" Azul called out before the chameleon faunus slammed the door behind her.
"They're not usually like this, I swear," she apologized sheepishly. Blake gave her a reassuring smile.
"It's fine. It's better than being alone in your room all day."
"You have a room to yourself? Lucky! They won't shut up until three in the morning! I swear, why can't the apprentices just room together," she bemoaned.
They were silent before Blake spoke up.
"Ilia, how did they know my name?" She paused and looked around nervously, watchful for eavesdroppers.
"Look, Blake, I'm not sure you'd like what they're saying. Apprentices don't mingle very much, so it's natural that we're left out of the loop…"
"Go on," Blake urged, "Honestly, Ilia, I'm not going to blame you for someone else's words."
"I'd imagine you're not familiar with Taurus's reputation, are you? Some of the apprentices and I have listened in on some of your training sessions." Blake stopped.
"What?" Ilia looked guilty and embarrassed.
"Honestly, we were just curious what kind of skill you have that made him pick you so quickly."
"What did you hear?" her mind flew back to their most recent conversation.
"Nothing much, the usual training dialogue," Ilia admitted, "But, Taurus has a different tone with you. To everyone else, he's so intimidating that no one would ever go near him, but to you…it almost seems like he's talking to friend instead of an apprentice." Blake could feel the color drain from her face.
Was that why Adam had her stay alone? So she'd not be troubled by this? The fact alone that their training sessions were listened in on bothered her immensely.
They were already at her door.
"I see…thanks, Ilia. It was nice to know you." Blake trailed off. Ilia wasn't a particularly bad person, and, despite her roommates, she seemed like a good friend. Blake needed someone to talk to; she wasn't sure her books would be enough.
"Hey, want to get lunch tomorrow? Apprentices need to stick together." Ilia's eyes changed to a bright pink.
"Sure, I'll see you there."
Blake had woken up to the sound of a text from her Scroll.
"Meet me by the outside training grounds after breakfast. Bring Gambol Shroud." Blinking tiredly, Blake pulled on her uniform and strapped on Gambol Shroud. She wondered what kind of tasks Moira would have her perform.
In the next half-hour, Blake stood in the middle of a grassy field, waiting for Moira to appear. There was an elevated platform (likely for sniping practice) and an old, battered dummy.
"Good you're on time."
Blake turned around to see Moira striding towards her. Moira's hands clutched a wooden bow and a quiver of arrows were strapped to her back. For someone who liked metallurgy, her choice in weapons was surprising.
Moira took notice of Blake's stare and smirked.
"The wood makes flying easier," she explained, "It's not easy lugging around a hunk of metal when flying. That's Grey's style – not mine. I prefer armor."
Moira procured a green thermos from her back pocket.
"Drink up," she ordered, "I'm not sure if this tea works one-hundred percent, but it's said to help boost your Aura and tighten your focus. I'm going to need you to try something new with your Shadow clones."
Blake uncorked the thermos and downed the tea. It was cold and bitter. Blake made a face as she drank.
"Have you ever tried making your clones tangible?" Moira asked when Blake had finished, "Not just for taking hits but for other stuff, like moving things." Blake tried to think of a time when she had done that.
"No, I don't think so. I've just used them as decoys." Moira frowned and looked like she was contemplating something. All of a sudden, her arm swung outwards. Instinctively, Blake ducked leaving behind a Shadow.
"Don't move!" Moira ordered. Obediently, Blake remained still.
"Crawl a little outwards, keep your focus. Your clone hasn't disappeared." Blake moved out of reach and stood.
It had been a long time since she had actually looked closely at her own Shadow clones. The clone stared off in space with her amber eyes. The inky black hair was frozen into place, going slightly outward.
"Here," Moira took Blake's hand, "Let's see if that tea was worth the money." Slowly, she moved Blake's hand out to touch the Shadow. It felt odd, there was no warmth from the skin, but the texture was uncanny.
"Keep focused," Moira instructed, "Try to push it outwards." Blake flicked her wrist, sending the clone a few inches away from her before dissipating into thin air.
"Good…keep on doing that. Try to increase its tangibility." Blake repeated the action, only for part of her hand to go through.
"It's a learning process," Moira gave her a patient smile, "We're going to be here for a while."
It was almost dusk before Blake was able to manage to create a tangible clone three times in a row.
"That's enough for today," Moira announced. Privately, Blake wondered why Moira had her carry Gambol Shroud with her if she was just going to make clones all day. Her back muscles were aching in protest from having it strapped on.
"Think fast!" Moira called out. In the next instant, a brown blur shot past her. Like before, Blake made a Shadow clone. However, the arrow sent out a flurry of red powder; had it been dipped in something?
Looking back, Blake realized that the arrow head had been replaced with a small bag of powder. Moira moved to retrieve the arrow.
"Good, it's instinctual now. I was worried that it was going to take the whole week, but you got it in a day. You even managed to materialize your sword as well. Y'know, enemies would be able to tell which one is a clone if they just stopped and looked."
Blake stared at her, wide-eyed. It all made sense now.
Moira smirked at her surprised expression and patted her shoulder.
"Hey, c'mon. You need your rest. The real work begins tomorrow."
Blake looked down from the platform reluctantly. It had seemed a lot shorter from the ground, but, as the cat faunus stared, the height suddenly became much more intimidating.
"You want me to do what?"
"Use your Semblance to boost yourself back up to the platform," Moira repeated, "Honestly, Blake, it's not as hard as you think. Here, you don't have to keep Gambol Shroud with you for the first time."
Blake gulped and stared down.
"It's only three yards high. The most you'd have to worry about is a bruised butt."
Reluctantly, Blake sat at the edge, dangling her feet. She tried to create a clone below her, but it only appeared next to where she was sitting.
"Hey, Blake, what's that?" Blake lifted her head, only to feel a jolt forward, sending her over the edge.
Too surprised to cry out, Blake could feel the air whistle past her. Then, almost as if her body had a mind of its own, she could feel herself twist in midair. At the next instant, Blake stood squarely on the ground, stable but slightly dizzy.
"See?!" Moira hollered from above, "The worst you need to worry about is getting air sick. Come on back up. Use the force of your Semblance clones to propel yourself upwards."
Two days had passed before Blake was able to perform exactly as Moira expected.
On the third day, Blake, covered in sweat and dirt, hauled herself over the wooden platform. Wheezing and panting, she rolled onto the floor. She could feel a shadow loom over her.
"Finally," Moira exclaimed, "Here, I want you to try something." She pointed at the dummy.
"I want to see how accurate your aim is. Aim for the head." Blake obliged and pulled the trigger, landing the bullet squarely in its forehead.
Moira stood behind her, contemplating.
"Blake, I think we're done today. Go get some rest, I have some big plans tomorrow." The look in Moira's grey eyes made Blake uneasy.
"You look exhausted," Ilia commented. It was dinner time, and Blake was struggling to stay awake. Using her Semblance had drained a lot more energy than she had expected.
"You know, most would expect Taurus to give you the most trouble, not Moira. She seems so easygoing. To be honest, I was expecting more target practice."
Oh, Adam did give her trouble, just not the same type.
"Yeah, I was expecting something easier. It's nice to learn something new, but I'm always so tired by the end of the day. How's Sienna? I'm sure he's not easy either."
Ilia's eyes took on an orange hue.
"Sienna says I'm ready for a Huntsman weapon, well something like it. You know, Moira also qualifies as a blacksmith, and Sienna says she's given him some blueprints to review," she said excitedly, "It's supposed to be kind of like a whip. I'm not sure how it'll turn out, but I know it'll be good."
Out of the corner of her eye, Blake noticed a faunus move over to sit beside Ilia.
"Any word on weapons?" he asked her, his jackrabbit ears twitching, "Khan's been making me practice stealth all day."
"That's because you walk like an elephant," Ilia retorted, "Honestly, Jack, you're terrible. I could hear you a mile away." Jack scowled.
"Like you're the one to talk, Ilia. If you didn't have your scarf, you'd be invisible."
Ilia scowled at him but said nothing.
Jack's green eyes shifted over to settle on Blake.
"For Taurus' apprentice, you sure are a lot less intimidating up close. Tell me, why was he so quick to pick you? Are you guys secretly dating, or something?" Taken aback, Blake was left speechless.
"Jack! That's so rude!" Ilia exclaimed, "Apologize." Instead, he shot Blake an impish smile and held his hand out to shake.
"Name's Jack. Nice to meet you, Blake." Out of politeness, Blake shook his hand but remained cautious of the newcomer.
"You don't look like the type of apprentice Khan would pick." Jack chuckled.
"Touché. I was one of the last ones left, and Khan was late." He gestured towards the two of them. "You guys were the pick of the group."
He leaned over and snatched a roll from Ilia's plate, sparking a squabble between the chameleon faunus and the jackrabbit.
As Blake sat at the edge of the platform, she could see Moira approaching her with a brown package and a helmet.
With a flutter of her wings, Moira landed on the platform with ease. Blake stared at the package in curiosity.
"Have I ever told you about what my life was like before White Fang?" she asked. Blake recalled Adam's story in the cabin but shook her head. She didn't want Adam to get chewed out for revealing something personal.
Moira sat next to her but had a faraway look in her eye.
"My brother, Grey, didn't really fit in with our flock," she began, "You see, we are twins and having children in general is difficult for bird faunus. We're a rare case, and I really cherish my brother. He's the only person I have…" Moira trailed off, looking for the right words to say.
"When he became of age, Grey left, and I followed him. Our flock was isolated and rejected modern technology so adjusting wasn't easy. We took odd jobs and were taken advantage of before finding our way to White Fang." Moira unwrapped the package, revealing a spool of ribbon.
"One of the jobs was being a performer at some circus. You see, bird faunus need a good bit of room to be able to take off from the ground, and a circus tent isn't the ideal spot. I tied this to some pretty chunk of metal and tangled it around a trapeze."
"It looks like it'll snap."
Moira grinned and pulled the fabric, stretching it with ease.
"It's made out of some kind of elastic. I've used this for all my performances and it has never broken."
"What are we going to do with this?" Blake had a feeling that Moira was thinking of launching her into the air.
"Give me Gambol Shroud." Blake obliged, and Moira observed the hilt.
"Here, do you see this?" she showed her a slit at the top, "Some Huntsman decorate their weapons. This looks like it was meant to have a carrying strap attached to it." She attached the ribbon with ease, but there was a second, much longer piece…
"Hold out your right arm," Blake obliged, and Moira wrapped her lower forearm with the obsidian fabric. It clung tightly but not enough to cut off blood circulation. Then, Moira handed her a box of blanks and the helmet.
"Today, you are going to use Gambol Shroud and your Semblance to propel yourself into midair."
Oh, this was going to be a long week, indeed.
ADAM
Adam sliced through the metal with ease. The Atlasian soldier sputtered and sent out a flurry of sparks before its eyes went dark.
He turned to face is next opponent, only to see a scattering of wires, cracked helmets, and twitching metallic limbs. Khan had gotten to them and tore them apart like a…savage. Adam didn't want to use the word "animal", but it remained in the back of his mind.
Without a word, they moved to the next car. Khan kicked the door open, sending it flying off its hinges. So much for stealth; it was nonexistent when it came to the tiger faunus.
At once, the Atlasean knights' eyes lit up, and they extended their arms, revealing rows of guns.
"Int-" Adam didn't bother to hear the same warning that he had heard a thousand times. Wilt shot forward, slicing the soldier in half.
"Let's get this over with," Khan growled and sprang forward, claws extended.
Glaring at him from under the mask, Adam unsheathed Wilt and decapitated a row of advancing robots. These soldiers always followed the same algorithm of combat ever since he had first faced one at ten.
The Schnee ought to invest in more research. Combating the knights got old after a year; now, they were laughably predictable.
He could hear the groan of bending metal from behind him; Khan must have grown bored. Quickly, the robot numbers began to diminish, revealing one final knight.
Adam pulled the trigger on Blush, sending a bullet through its helmet. Immediately, the Atlasean knight depowered and slumped to the ground.
Khan sheathed the metallic claws attached to his gloved hands.
"Taurus, we done? This is the last of the cars," Khan asked gruffly.
"We need to stop the train," Adam responded, "There isn't enough time to unload; we'll have to steal the cars." Khan chuckled darkly.
"Finally, these robots are boring."
"I'll go ahead. You stay back." The last time he allowed Khan near a human opponent, the train cabin had been painted with blood.
Adam didn't need more Schnee hysteria. Train cars and shipyards were packed with security for months on end. For now, White Fang needed to keep a low profile; they needed to make it look like the train had been overcome by bandits.
Through the slits of his mask, Adam could see Khan scowl and mutter foul curses under his breath. There was nothing he could do – Adam outranked him.
"Make it quick," Khan snapped.
Adam closed the box car door, mentally preparing himself for the odious task. He didn't particularly enjoy killing. Adam would avoid it as much as possible, but, when it came to Khan…Adam knew he'd have no choice. His enemies at least deserved the mercy of a quick death.
After all, the Schnee dictatorship didn't even bother to arm their own workers. They sent outdated soldiers to defend a sizeable shipment of Dust. If White Fang wasn't going to steal it, then the mobs in Vacuo or Vale certainly would. It was almost like the company saw its employees as expendable as its robots.
Adam ruled his face into a steel mask; there was no use showing weakness here.
He was about to unsheathe Wilt but saw a quick flash of white. At the next moment, his horns slammed against the train raining, almost pitching him over.
Adam could hear a clang as the train detached itself from the rest of the cargo. Untangling himself from the metal bar, Adam could see a hooded figure staring at him from across the widening gap.
As the distance increased, the figure got blurrier. But, Adam could make out two pinpricks sticking out from the fabric.
Cat ears.
The figure smirked.
Blake reloaded Gambol Shroud with powder-filled cartridges. The past days had been grueling work. From sun up to sun down, Blake had been practicing her new technique. Her muscles ached, and scrapes and bruises littered her body. Moira had moved her to the cliffside where Gambol Shroud's blade would lodge itself between the rocks.
Blake shucked off the White Fang overcoat; she might get the fabric caught in her ribbon. Her spirit felt a little lighter.
Again, she folded the blade back and secured the ribbon over the trigger. Blake aimed and threw the gun-blade with all her might, yanking on her end of the ribbon. The pistol went off, shooting it forward and causing it to be securely embedded into the rock face.
Blake propelled herself forward, using the ribbon's elasticity to remain airborne. Jerking the ribbon, she dislodged it. Then, she created a Shadow clone; the force sent the gun-blade back towards her and into her hand.
Her body instinctively aligned itself in midair, enabling her to land squarely on her feet. Blake could hear a series of claps from behind.
"Finally!" Moira patted her on the back, "Your form has improved since yesterday. Congrats, Blake, you've learned the basics. It's up to you now to develop it."
Blake smiled, feeling a warm sense of accomplishment. Paired with her catlike agility and speed, she'd become unstoppable – a valued member to White Fang.
Suddenly, there was a faint roar from a plane engine. Looking up, Blake could see an air carrier quickly approach the headquarters.
Adam was back. Giddiness erupted in her chest, and a smile found itself on her face.
"He's back," Moira commented, staring at Blake thoughtfully. There was a glint in her eyes that hadn't been there before, one that only shown whenever Adam was around.
Moira's face paled.
"Hey, Blake, there's one last thing I need to show you."
Breaking her gaze from the sky, Blake turned to see Moira gripping her own arrowhead, and pointing it just below the left side of her ribcage.
Moira stared at her with a solemn expression.
"Pay close attention, because this is important." Gently, she pressed the sharp end against her skin, causing it to indent.
"You see this spot here?" Blake nodded, watching closely.
"Tell me, Blake, have you ever engaged in real battle? Not against a Grimm, but another person?" Blake paused; no, she hadn't, not at all. She never realized this until now. Blake had never faced off against a human opponent, not in a legitimate fight.
"No…" the hawk faunus's face darkened.
"Good, let's hope you don't face against a real one for a long time." Removing the arrowhead, Moira reached out and touched the same spot on Blake's abdomen.
"Blake, do you know what organs are on this spot?" Blake tried to recall but came up short.
"I don't know," she admitted, "Is it part of an intestine?"
"No, there's nothing important there, actually, just some muscle." Blake looked at her in confusion; Adam had always shown her the most vital parts to strike.
"Tell me, has Adam taught you the most vital places to aim for?" She read her mind.
"Yes." Moira's eyes clouded over.
"I see…Blake, I want to ask you an honest question. When the time comes, because it will eventually, do you think you are capable of landing a killing strike?"
Blake remained silent; she didn't know what to answer. Could she really, truly kill someone? Even if they were relentless?
Moira reached out, touched her shoulder, and gave her a reassuring smile.
"I'm not going to make you answer that until the time comes so don't lose too much sleep over it, alright? But," she pressed down on the area, "I call this a theatrical strike. You, see if you drive your blade right here, you can't kill, no matter how hard or deep the wound is. Well, unless they don't seek medical attention, but bleeding out takes longer because there's no major arteries. The point is, if you get stabbed, a sane person would lose their will to fight immediately."
It was the perfect strike zone – frightening but not deadly.
"How do you know about this? Were you a healer for your flock?" Moira gave her a vague smile, but her eyes held something much different.
"No, I learned it through practice." Blake stared at her in disbelief. Moira couldn't have possibly…
Moira swallowed and stared at the ground. The feathers on her arms quivered; she was trying to suppress her shiver.
"…lots of practice," she whispered to herself.
Moira's words haunted Blake late into the night. It never occurred to her how many people might have actually been killed.
Blake wasn't naïve – she knew that White Fang members faced off against human opponents. Without a doubt, Adam had probably killed someone. Her mother and father would have faced a relentless opponent as well. And Fiona…well, she played a role in an assassination.
Blake stared at her reflection in the bowl of stew. Killing was part of the job – she knew that. It's kill or be killed, even if the dream of peace was farther than ever.
"Are you trying to burn holes into your supper?" a voice teased. Across from her, Ilia and Jack sat down. Ilia's gray eyes looked at her with concern while Jack observed her with an amused curiosity.
"It's nothing," Blake dismissed, "I'm tired, that's all."
"You honestly need to get better at lying," Jack said, his ears twitching, "Your voice pitch changes slightly. Any faunus with animal hearing can tell a mile away."
Blake scowled at him.
"Jack, mind your own business," Ilia scolded, "If she doesn't want to talk about it, then she doesn't have to."
Maybe she did need to talk about it; Blake didn't want this heavy feeling bothering her late in the night.
"Hey…guys…why did you join White Fang?" They both gave her surprised expressions.
"What is this now, some kind of recruitment interview?" Jack teased, attempting to ease the tension, "I mean, all of us have their own individual reasons."
Ilia blinked at her but remained silent.
"I feel like I've been ignoring something important," Blake admitted, "And the reality of the potential consequences have just started to settle in."
Jack shrugged.
"I try not to think about the serious stuff until the actual problem shows up," he admitted, "Although, I'd say that explains why I'm always caught short on what to actually do when the time comes." Jack's ears twitched nervously. "To be honest, my reasons are as simple as anyone else's – to stay alive."
Blake's ears perked at his explanation.
"What? What do you mean?"
"My family were traders in Menagerie's desert," he explained, "Well, times were hard and work dried up. I joined White Fang for food and a roof over my head and send the small paycheck back to my mom to raise my little siblings. A lot of us poor Faunus join White Fang for the money and good living conditions. Hey, some of us might have to hand over our lives for it, but our lives would have been shorter if we didn't."
"Do you actually believe in the cause it stands for?" Jack shrugged.
"At some point, I guess we all do," he admitted, "We got the short end of the stick in history, and I'd love for humans to give us equal hiring rates. But, that's just not going to happen unless we stick up for ourselves. Sometimes, it means thievery…and I guess in some cases, killing. For a lot of us though, it's just a job we do to get by."
Ilia removed the dark scarf, revealing her brown-spotted tan skin. Her grey eyes studied Blake carefully as she tried to find the right words to say.
"I guess I joined for the same reason," she admitted, "I couldn't find any reputable work, and White Fang is a better option than others…" The implication made Blake shiver.
It was then that she realized that Fiona and her parents had done everything in their power to protect her from that kind of life. Fiona had banned her from some parts of town; now she had a good feeling why.
Ilia sighed.
"But, I still believe in their message as well," she admitted, "I guess it's good to get this off my chest, but I joined White Fang to disrupt the Schnee Dust Company as much as possible."
"That's a unique reason. Please, elaborate," Jack urged. Ilia's skin tinged blue.
"Well…my family and I were nomads. We never remained in the same place for long and avoided large establishments. Occasionally, we'd offer to work for a farmer for some pay, but we kept away from most places." Ilia closed her eyes, losing herself in her memories. "My father always complained about how the trees were being cut down and the smell of pollution from the refineries. One day…" She paused and swallowed, fists clenching the fabric of her uniform. "my family drank some water from the river while I had some leftover in my canteen. They were all dead the next day.
A haunted look came over her.
"I know I'm not capable of going against them by myself, but White Fang is the only organization that will."
Blake had tried not to stray too far from the truth when they asked her, simply stating that her family used to be in White Fang and that she was there to continue her legacy after they passed away.
Jack and Ilia had shrugged. Jack had said something along the lines of, "That's a common reason too…" And, Ilia had busied herself with her stew, lost in her own memories.
Blake was quick to leave the table. Moira's conversation had left her exhausted, and Ilia's story seemed to wear her down.
To Blake, they had always seemed to be kind and friendly, the type of people who couldn't truly harm anyone. But, she had forgotten one crucial detail…they had willingly joined White Fang and not for the pay. What other dark secrets did the organization members hold? Blake's mind immediately flew to Adam.
Unwilling to think about the idea, Blake readied herself for bed. She dressed in an old yukata (one that Ilia had lent to her) and turned off the lights.
Blake was on the cusp of deep sleep when her cat ears detected a faint shift in the air. Someone was in the room with her. Opening her eyes, Blake sat up, grabbed Gambol Shroud, and leapt to her feet. Groggily, she wrapped the ribbon around her arm as her amber eyes scanned the room.
The red-accented Grimm mask stared up at her. Heart pounding, Blake's hand moved to Gambol Shroud's handle. However, she came to her senses and relaxed. Those were the markings of her mentor's mask. Moira's words and Ilia's story had made her forget about the fact that her mentor had returned.
Adam switched on the light.
"The masks still bother you," Adam stated, removing it from his face.
"It's good to see you too," Blake retorted with sarcasm. Adam's face relaxed into a smile.
"Moira tells me that you've learned something new." Blake could feel his eyes linger on the ribbon around her forearm.
"I have," Blake said with pride, "Moira showed me this cool way to use the gun." Excitedly, she unsheathed the blade and showed him the ribbon. "If I put this on the trigger, I can use the force of the shots to move the blade around."
"It's almost like a deadly yo-yo," Adam commented, "I didn't really think of that. That's good you're developing your own fighting style."
"How was your mission? Did it go well?" Adam seemed to pause for a moment.
"Yeah, no hitch. It was boring." Blake then realized that he had come into her room, unannounced in the middle of the night. Without being invited in. How had he gotten past her door? Did she forget to lock it?
"Why are you here, Adam? Can't you wait until tomorrow?" Blake chided, "It's past midnight."
"Can't I check in on my apprentice?" he teased, "You failed a basic test, Blake. You forgot to lock your door; I expected more of you."
"Couldn't you have scolded me tomorrow?" Blake retorted, "Seriously, what's so urgent?"
Adam shrugged, turning to the door.
"I see a caring friend can't visit and ask about his friend's well-being without her questioning his intentions."
Blake scowled. Had she really been that aggressive?
Adam paused and looked back at her with a mischievous smile toying at his lips.
"It's obvious, you dense cat. I missed you." The lights flickered off, plunging the room into darkness.
However, Blake could see the faint red outline of his Grimm mask in the distance.
ADAM
Adam opened a conference room door to find Moira and Grey staring up at him expectantly. In the corner, Sienna Khan observed the two hawk faunus while a Scroll screen had been brought up, revealing Bane. The image and sound quality was terrible, but it was the price that had to be paid for proper encryption. Adam just hoped that Grey had secured the connection properly.
"Well, did the mission go as planned?" Bane asked sternly, "Has an adequate amount of Dust been seized?" Adam nodded.
"More than enough. They're being transferred to you as we speak." Bane nodded in approval.
"Good, good. This will set our supply for half the year with surplus to sell."
"Great, I love the black market. Time for some rallies," Grey said excitedly, gray eyes lighting up. Just like his sister, his wavy black hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and brown feathers sprouted from his mocha arms. However, his body was littered with scars, and a few feathers on his wing had been replaced with metal tipped synthetics.
When no one thought he was looking, Bane spared a stray glance at Moira. She remained facing forward, not sparing him one glance. If he were younger, Adam might have felt sadness over this. Not any more; he just didn't want to get involved.
"Sienna, has there been any updates on infiltration?" Sienna sighed.
"None yet. Our spies haven't been hired into the company. We still need more time."
"As expected of those low-life Schnee," Bane muttered, "If that technique fails, have them pose as cleaning duty. Any information is better than no information." Sienna nodded.
"Is there anything else, Commander?" Moira spoke up, looking bored and tired. Something flickered in Bane's eyes, but it had vanished before Adam could decipher what.
"No," and, with that, the transmission ended. Grey made a face.
"Aw, come on, Sis. The least you guys can be is civil…" The glare Moira shot at Grey silenced him while Adam could have sworn that Sienna smiled.
"It's late," Sienna intoned, "I'm going to bed." Grey murmured in agreement while Moira held back, waiting until they had left before speaking.
"Did Khan go crazy?" she asked, "Word has it that he's in the infirmary."
"He grazed his hands from ripping apart robots. He'll be fine," Adam said flatly, "Did Blake do well while I was away? It seems that you've given her your old ribbon."
Moira smiled.
"Yeah, I have. Like the black dye? It's better than that horrid turquoise. No matter how many times I scrubbed, those bloodstains would never come out. I'm glad that she's put good use to it. The new technique has a lot of potential if she practices."
Adam scrutinized her carefully.
"You know, Adam, I think it's time for her to join you on a mission. Sienna and I have already planned to take our apprentices to the rallies. Maybe you should as well, show Blake the ropes. One day, whether you like it or not, she'll have to go on her own solo assignment."
The bull faunus mulled over the idea. Moira had a good point, but he was still reluctant to let her leave. Blake would see some of the lesser sides of White Fang; the part that sold counterfeit Dust and willingly stirred up riots. Did she know about those? Or, had she just been too busy to check the news?
Some of the apprentices would turn a blind eye to it all – the black side of White Fang, but not her. Never her.
It was something about her Adam both loved and hated.
I recall that a reviewer asked if Blake already had the ribbon. Good eye! She gets it in this chapter.
Sorry if this is a bit more training-centric, but I needed to move the plot along and introduce new characters. Also, I wanted to highlight the fact that a good portion of White Fang members join out of necessity and not just ideology.
Also, yes, there are two Khans and both are tiger faunus. They are distant cousins and know about their relations (they aren't extremely friendly with each other though). For clarity's sake, I will use Sienna Khan for Ilia's mentor and Khan for Jack's mentor (he has a first name that will eventually be revealed).
There will be more Adam and Blake scenes in the next chapter (It's called "Master and Apprentice" after all). Look forward to it!
Thank you for the support!
-raining-indigo