It was a warmer day than usual all things considered. The beating Vacuo sun was high in the sky. A perfect day for a funeral. Family, and friends gathered to see off Coaltun Minsk who had died peacefully in his sleep. Natile sat in front with a somber expression while surrounded by her children, and grandchildren. The people of Vacuo tried to make funerals a joyous occasion celebrating a person's life as to not attract the creature of Grimm, but there's always some sadness that comes with loss. Luckily for them the funeral had an unseen guardian watching over them. The centaur's body hit the ground, and dissolved into black mist. Mimi allowed the spear to dissolve away with the dead Grimm as there were no more around to disturb them. The least she could do was give his family a peaceful day. Mimi waited until the friends, and most of the family had left before making her move. The grandkids were sent home with some friends, so only Natile, and her two children remained. The son turned, and gave a confused look as the now robed Mimi approached the grave. He was about to speak, but a firm hand on his shoulder from Natile silenced him.
"Thank you, Mimi," her voice was tired, "I needed a quiet day." Her two children looked confused, but said nothing. Mimi knelt down next to the grave. As the wind picked up she put a hand on the tombstone. Rest easy, Coal. I wouldn't worry about Natile. She glanced back at the family. She'll be alright. You left her in caring hands. As for me… A heavy sigh escaped her lungs as Mimi stood up. I'm sorry, but I can't keep our promise. Natile watched Mimi leave.
"Mom?" the daughter asked, "Who was that?"
A smile played on Natile's lips, "An old friend to you father, and I."
Karsk's streets were bustling with midday activity of all kinds as merchants manned their shops, family's shopped, or people who were just passing through. The robbed figure wove her way through the crowds doing her best to not bump into anyone. Lily's inn wasn't hard to find in the town as it was the tallest building on the block. Entering an inn Mimi was met with an arm wrapped around her shoulder, and a hearty cheer.
"There she is! Haven't seen you in years, girl!" Bengul was in a good mood. Mimi smiled, and tapped his arm to let go of her.
"I'm glad to see you too, Bengul."
"Aye." He gestured for her to follow him, "Sandra ain't here right now; still on her patrol. But, you're more than welcome to join us while you wait." The table Bengul led her too had other members of the Wolves who all greeted her in kind. That was, until, Bengul put his hand on his head, and threw it to the side in a dramatic fashion. "Not a single visit to your old pals, your brothers, and sisters in arms after all these years."
"I was here last month. YOU just weren't around."
"The YEARS without you."
"Speaking of last month," Tom said trying to get Bengul to calm down, "Bengul, how's Sarah?"
"See for yourself," he replied, and took off his glove to reveal a wedding ring. The table erupted into a cheer, and Mimi gave him a pat on the back. "Aye. I was actually hoping some of you would give me a hand with the wedding?" For the next couple hours everyone helped Bengul plan the best wedding they could think of. Eventually, people started leaving for the night until it was just Mimi sitting alone at the bar.
Lily gave a humorous sigh from behind the bar, "I swear, she spends so much time on this town it sometimes feels like she's married to it instead of me."
"You wound me, Lily," Sandra just arrived, and was standing in the doorway with a hand over her heart in mock pain.
"Serves you right for making a girl wait," Lily replied, giving Sandra a kiss as she came up to the bar. Mimi couldn't help but grin.
"Something you got to say?" Sandra gave her a friendly stare down.
"Nothing at all." The three of them laughed as Lily brought out a drink for Sandra who settled into the seat next to Mimi. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Sandra unwound from a long day.
"So…" Sandra finally broke the silence, "Your serious about this?" Mimi nodded. Sandra looked back to her drink as she idly twirled her glass. Lily left to the back room to give them privacy. "It's been twenty years since the war ended." Mimi sat silently. "I understand they were responsible for killing your family…but…even after all this time?" Silence returned as Mimi idly tapped her pencil on the journal parsing together what she wanted to say.
"You say 'after all this time', but when I close my eyes I still see that moment as clearly as if it happened yesterday." It was Sandra's turn to sit quietly. "That may just be because I'm a Grimm, and don't forget negative things, but how am I supposed to go on living while constantly remembering that moment?" Sandra took a large swig of her drink as she collected her thoughts.
"It's not much."
"Anything is better than the nothing I have."
"Alright. First, though, how familiar are you with the current state of things in Remnant?"
Mimi was confused at the question, and cocked her head to the side, "I don't really keep up anymore."
Sandra nodded, "Well, then I'll give you the run down so that what I have for you makes sense." Mimi fully faced Sandra, and had her pencil ready to write down notes in the journal. "After the Great War things were…complicated on the national stage. Atlas, and Mistral were at our mercy, and willing to accept any demands we had. But, the king of Vale took a magnanimous stance. No land was claimed. In fact, what was proposed was supposed to lessen national tensions. Another demand that was made was the establishment of the huntsman academies."
Mimi tapped Sandra's shoulder, "What are huntsman?"
"Oh, right… Well, you've probably met a few of them sometimes while out in the desert. A group of four people with weapons that fight Grimm." Mimi nodded. She recalled meeting quite a few four man teams while hunting Grimm the past few years, but had just chalked them up to be mercs. "Well, their creation was the king's idea. Personally, I don't agree with it. How can you send children off to fight Grimm all by themselves?" Mimi was about to protest, but Sandra stopped her, "Dust runners are a different case as there are always senior members on caravans. They just send kids out like it's no big deal." Her glass hit the counter hard as she took another long swig. "But, I digress. As a show of good faith instructors for these academies would be taken from all four kingdoms. And, that's where you'll, unfortunately, be getting involved."
"Why?"
Sandra parsed her lips, and took a deep breath.
"Defenders of humanity? What a load of shit." The old man shook his head. His guest sat silently at the table next to him. "The academies were designed as a stunt. A way to tell the people: 'Look we're working together. Everything's fine now.' But, it was all an act. Having the kingdoms come together for this wouldn't erase all the lives that were lost during those ten years." His gaze traveled past the wall as his mind wandered to those years. "No… The real reason for those schools…" His hands shook, and clenched as he paused. His guest asked what was the reason for the schools. The old man regained control of himself, and looked his guest in the eyes. "Tell me, what do you know about a man named Ozpin?"
