Chapter 36: Human
Coal looked between everyone present. Monica distributed the snacks between everyone but him. Seraphina thrust the deck of cards towards him before circling the table. A part of him wanted to get up and leave, but the shock from the sudden event forced him still. The psychic frowned, looking for a free seat for herself. She continued to ignore the question plastered on Coal's face. Finally, she sighed, placing one hand on her hip.
"Now, hang on. Where's my seat?" She asked.
"You're not playing." Viridian replied as he sorted through his own food with disinterest. Seraphina blinked several times.
"Excuse me? I organized this event. Why am I being excluded?"
The gladiator stared at her with a raised eyebrow. Really?
The psychic nodded in understanding. "All right, fair enough."
"I think it's because seven is a little too many players." Dusk added, organizing his own snacks by type, name, and weight. "You can help Monica understand the rules. I don't think she's ever played poker before." They all glanced at the Faunus, who made a little fortress with her candy. Once she finished her masterpiece, she looked up at the others staring at her.
"Wait, what?" She blurted. "What are we playing, again?"
"Hold up." Coal interrupted. "What's going on?"
"Didn't I tell you when V dragged you in here?" Sera leaned back against the bedpost, smiling. "It's game night."
Ok, so it's not some weird intervention or anything. "So why I am here?"
Sylvia sputtered with laughter. "It wouldn't be the same without ya!"
"She's right." The psychic agreed. "Who better to be the deal the cards?" Please, just humor us for a little while.
"Hurry up and shuffle." Viridian snapped as he tossed a small bag of chips forward. "The sooner I win this pot, the better." Even the brutish gladiator looked laid back, something Coal never thought he'd see. Oh well. A game or two wouldn't hurt. He grabbed the deck of cards, shuffling them without enthusiasm. One or two before I'm out of here. He dealt two cards to each player and watched as they all peeked at their hand.
"Call!" Sylvia tossed a bad of chips into the small pile started by Viridian and Ash. Monica, however, grumbled as she inspected her pile of junk food.
"Uhhh should I know what we're doing?" Seraphina came to her aid, whispering to her and gesturing at everyone's cards. The Faunus lowered her head and peeled her cards back enough to see what they were. A small gasp of realization followed by her going "Oooohhhhh. So, an ace is good, right? I should call?" The psychic brought her hand over her face.
"Are we really going to be gambling?" Dusk asked with worry. "Gambling isn't legal."
"It's just candy." Ash pointed out in case the young soldier hadn't noticed already.
"Sure, but it's still-"
"Shut up and call, pansy." Viridian barked. Sylvia cackled and pointed at Dusk, who frowned at the insult thrown at him. He ended up pushing his cards forward. Sera pointed at his cards, whispering more into Monica's ear.
"I fold." He declared, crossing his arms. Azure was next, quietly pushing some candy into the center. "So, Sylvia. How are the supplementary classes going?" Viridian shoved another small helping into the pot while Ash tapped the table twice with his fingers.
"Oh, that." Sylvia grumbled as Coal revealed three off the top of the deck, an ace and two jacks, throwing in her cards. "They stink. I can't stand the third years, and I'm starting to really hate Winter."
"Check?" Monica blurted, earning a nod from the psychic. Azure hesitated before pushing her cards forward, followed by Viridian doing the same.
"You didn't seem to mind the snow and the cold when Monica and I first met you." Ash added, tossing his cards as well. "Why do you hate winter all of a sudden?" Monica stared at the pile of candy, wide eyed and drooling as she scooped it all towards her. Coal gave a sigh. No wonder everyone else folded, she already blurted about having an ace. He dealt the next hand.
"No, not winter winter," Sylvia corrected after throwing in her blinds. Monica followed suit, looking to the psychic, who nodded in approval. "Winter Schnee, or however you pronounce her name."
"Winter Schnee?!" Dusk screeched, surprising everyone. The game came to a standstill as everyone watched him sheepishly return to his seat and fold. He murmured through gritted teeth, trying to hold back his excitement. "You never told me Miss Schnee was here in the academy." Azure folded while Sylvia snorted.
"Want me to get her autograph for ya?" She asked. The gladiator tossed a pair of candy bars into the pot while Ash entered the other half of his blinds.
"N-no, of course not!" Dusk shouted. "Miss Schnee is much too busy, I'm sure! Her work is far too important to..." Sylvia checked as her partner grew quiet. Coal revealed a nine, ten, and a five. "Do you really think you could?"
"Dusk likes Winter! Dusk likes Winter!" Monica sang, tapping her fingers on the tabletop.
"Admiration is not the same as love!" Dusk shouted, slamming his fists on the table, but his face was beet red. Azure, startled by the uproar, pushed her cards forward. Viridian, Ash, and Sylvia checked to remain in the game.
"Hah, I'll be sure to let her know about your little crush!" Sylvia snickered. "She seems like your kind of girl anyway. So damn strict, it's almost suffocating. You know what she did to me today? She scolded me for trying to give some mushrooms I found growing around the forested parts of the arena to the others!" Another nine was the fourth card Coal revealed. Everyone remained checked again.
"Wha-" Dusk fumbled with his words. "I'm sure she had her reasons! She wouldn't just... Well, to be fair, eating any mushrooms you found on the ground is just dangerous." A queen was the last card, and the chorus of checks swept around again. Viridian won with an ace and a jack in his hand, beating Ash's ace and a seven. The gladiator's hands swept all the junk food towards him and the next round began. Coal had told himself only one or two matches, but he was curious about the story as well. He shuffled, intent on hearing more of Sylvia's day.
"What kind of mushrooms?" Ash asked.
Sylvia hummed to herself, counting them off on her fingers. "Destroying angels, a panther cap, I think there were a couple fly agaric, false chanterelle-"
"Those are all poisonous!" Dusk exclaimed. "I'm impressed you were able to distinguish their appearance and even their names, but the names alone should be enough of a clue!"
"Yeah, duh. That's why I tried to feed em to that Werner guy." Both Sera and Viridian recoiled with their hands plastered over their faces. "What?" Coal decided now was as good a time as any to distribute the cards. Maybe that would take everyone's mind off the fact that Sylvia confessed to attempted murder.
"At least you know how to identify toxic mushrooms." Ash commented. "Knowledge like that is mandatory out in the wild."
"Oh, yeah! I found some oyster mushrooms and even a truffle! Man, those were tasty!" The game resumed in silence until Dusk folded once again after looking at his cards with distaste.
"I thought you were over the whole 'gambling is illegal' junk." Viridian commented, folding as well. "Or do you have no spine?
"I haven't gotten any decent cards." Dusk murmured. "Although I'm still irked about the whole-"
"Let's spice things up!" The berserker cheered, shoving one third of her candy into the center. She snickered to herself, rubbing her hands together. Monica took in the large pile before her, a sparkle in her eyes. She matched Sylvia's bet, as did the quiet assassin.
"I'm out." The burned one said, pushing his cards away. Coal looked between the jittery and grinning pair, and then at Azure, who looked as though she may regret her decision. Once Sylvia checked, their hands were revealed. The berserker held a jack and a king of different suits, while Monica's hand was an eight and a seven. Azure showed her hand to be a queen and a king. Coal dealt out a two, a nine, and a four. Collective groans from all of them. There was some worry in their eyes now.
All eyes watched Coal reveal another card, an uninteresting three. The berserker and the Faunus were on the edges of their seats. One could imagine a drum roll as he placed the fifth card, an eight. Sylvia's head hit the table as Monica whooped and raked in her earnings. Coal hated to admit it as he shuffled the deck again, but this was exciting. A part of him still wanted to head to bed, but he knew it could wait, even just a little longer. Dusk looked at his hand and groaned as he did the last several hands.
"Sounds like poker isn't your game." Ash said. "Don't beat yourself up over it. It's not for everyone."
"Easy for you to say." He replied. "You and Viridian have unreadable poker faces."
"So?" The gladiator scoffed. "Sue me. Not my fault you decide to let your face give everything away."
"Well, excuse me for being only human." Dusk answered with a chuckle. But his words struck a chord within Coal. He was completely right, they were all human. He was just as human as all of them. Except maybe Viridian. Coal realized he's just as prone to making mistakes and fumbling as they all are. Have I been too hard on myself this whole time?
"We're all only human." Monica interjected, further confirming Coal's thoughts. "Except me. I'm only Faunus, so chances are I'm better than all of you." Coal found himself snorting at her attempt at humor. He realized the atmosphere of the entire room changed from that moment on. Then the game really set in gear, everyone throwing in their share towards the pot. Coal flipped the top three cards, revealing an eight, a jack, and a four, all spades.
Azure folded first, nervously sipping her drink. Everyone else remained in game to see the fourth card, a king of a matching suit to the first four. Then Viridian raised the stakes by throwing in two bags of chips and a chocolate bar. Everyone did the same, with the exception of the anxious Faunus. Even Coal and Sera were excited for the end result. All the cards were flipped over, and Viridian held the highest chance of winning with a seven of spades, just a close shave above Ash's six of spades.
Dusk moaned and banged his head off the table, joined by Sylvia, also mourning their loss. The last card, a three of spades, tied it all together and sealed their fates. Coal saw a bead of sweat appear on Viridian's face, watching him take a deep breath. Coal chuckled at team Mustard's misfortune and shuffled the cards faster than before. He made them dance between his fingers, performing little tricks with them.
"You all seem like you're having fun." Sera said with a laugh. She helped herself to a bag of jelly beans from Viridian's growing pile, ignoring his glare. "You know, I've always wondered what your Semblances are."
"Have we not used them in Combat Training before?" Dusk wondered. When everyone placed their bets and he folded, he concentrated. "No, I suppose we haven't. Why the sudden interest?"
"It's an interesting topic." She replied, pacing around the room. "Semblance is a manifestation of our Aura, the very essence of our souls. Each one is different, and although many share similarities, they're basically a representation of one's uniqueness, one's personality, even."
"You sound like my textbook." Sylvia muttered, rolling her eyes.
"I've seen Monica's in battle." The young soldier replied. Viridian stole the pot after raising, forcing everyone else to fold. "It's honestly quite impressive."
"Thanks!" She answered. "Mine is so cool, I love it! I go, then I stop, then I go faster!" She tried to use her hands to further emphasize her Semblance, but it left Seraphina and Coal confused. Dusk rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"It's hard to explain. Maybe someday we'll be able to show you in detail what it does. As for mine," He crossed his arms, failing to hide a smirk. "I can use my Semblance to displace the positions of any two individuals. I like to call it 'Master Tactician'."
"I still say it's a tacky name." Monica added, pushing her cards away and dragging her finger across the table in circles.
"And I still say your opinion is appreciated and will be taken into consideration, but I remind you to not get your hopes up."
"That sounds nice." Ash added, also folding. "I still haven't discovered what my Semblance might be, or if I even have one. From what the books say, not everyone has a Semblance." Coal took his words in, wondering what it would be like to be in his shoes. While it was true that Coal's Semblance was the only reason Sorrell let him live, he always hated his Semblance. Coal wondered if it would be better to never know if you have an accursed Semblance or not.
"There's nothing wrong with that." Monica said with a smile. "I wanna help you find it out, and I won't take no for an answer."
Ash tilted his head in confusion. "But why? You don't even know how long something like that would take. I'm all right with finding the answer myself. There's no need to burden yourself with this task."
"Pfft, what're you going on about, Ash?" Sylvia asked, scooping up her prize after winning the hand. "There's no burden or anything like that. We're always gonna be here to help you. That's what friends are for." Her words struck at Coal like lightning, his eyes wide with clarity. He couldn't help but lean forward with his head lowered and laugh. He continued to laugh, at how endearing they were to each other, at how much he had let his dreams choke at his mind. It all seemed so silly now, how he let things go this far.
"Until the time comes when you get to your answer," Coal began, still chuckling. "It can just stay on the back burner?"
Monica smiled at him, her childish, lovable smile, and nodded. "No sense worrying about something if it's not helping ya."
"Not that I was losing sleep over it or anything." Ash added, sending Coal into another fit of contagious laughter. He needed that. He didn't realize how badly he needed to hear something like that. His lungs started to hurt from all the laughter, and he leaned back, his eyes staring into the cieling. After letting out a long sigh, Coal returned to his normal position, shuffling the cards with a grin.
"All right, now who was on a winning streak?" He asked his comrades. The rest of the evening was filled with laughter, luck, and joy. Coal could almost kick himself over how much he let those dreams bother him. They still did, and even though he felt like he was close to getting some answers, those answers can wait. They'll come to him in time. But for now, he would live and enjoy the life he has. And his friends were there to help him overcome any kind of challenge. There was the possibility Coal might never learn of the answers about that dream, but that didn't seem so bad anymore.
(-)
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, lived a very gentle witch. The Witch helped those in need who came to her, for that was her job. To help others, day in and day out. But one day, she learned that people did not need her help anymore. And so she waited, all alone, for anyone in need.
One day, the Witch found a wolf on her doorstep, weeping with sorrow and in great pain. She healed the wolf, kindly tending to its wounds. But the wolf still wept. The Witch asked "Dear wolf, what is wrong?" To which the wolf answered "It is the humans. The humans are very cruel. They hunt me and hurt me and kill me. I hate the humans for what they do."
The Witch felt pity for the defenseless wolf, and offered her help to the one in need. "The humans are very cruel, then. They are like monsters. It takes a monster to fight a monster, and so I bestow upon you a power. The power of Bone."
The Witch cast a spell on the wolf, and it became a monster. Its grey fur turned black, claws and fangs grew, and its eyes turned red. Bone spikes sprouted from its back and its legs. The wolf thanked the kind Witch, and set out on its quest. The Witch was glad to be of help to someone in need, for that was her job.
The next day, she found a boar on her doorstep, weeping with sorrow and in great pain. She healed the boar, as she had done for the wolf. But the boar was still sad, much like the wolf. The Witch asked "Dear boar, what is wrong?" To which the boar replied "It is the humans. The humans are very cruel. They eat me and hurt me and kill me. I hate the humans for what they do."
The Witch felt pity for the mistreated boar, and once again offered her help to the one in need. "The humans are very cruel, indeed. They are like monsters. It takes a monster to fight a monster, and so I bestow upon you a power. The power of Bone."
The Witch cast a spell on the boar, and it became a monster. Its skin turned black, tusks grew, and its eyes turned red. Bones grew from its back and its legs. The boar thanked the gentle Witch, and set out on its quest. The Witch was glad to be of help, and expected another in need the next day.
And on the next day, just as she expected, a bird was on her doorstep. The bird wept with sorrow and great pain. The Witch carried the bird in her gentle embrace, asking "Are you all right, dear bird? Is it the humans?" The bird replied "Yes, it is the humans. The humans are very cruel. They cage me and hurt me and kill me. I hate the humans."
"There, there." The Witch told the poor bird. "You are not alone. I bestow upon you a power, the power of Bone." The Witch cast her spell for a third time, and the bird became a monster. It's feathers turned black, and it's eyes turned red. It's talons grew sharp and turned white as bone. The bird thanked the witch and also left on it's quest. The Witch wondered who will appear the next day.
The Witch was glad to see another visitor to her home. It was a child's toy, abandoned and broken. Though it had no voice, the Witch could sense the feelings within. It was loved and valued, but now it lay discarded. The love it absorbed had become scornful. The Witch cast her spell once again, and the toy crumbled from within, a ghost emerging. The ghost silently thanked the kind witch and set off on its quest.
Time and time again, the gentle Witch found a visitor, always in pain and full of hate. And time and time again, the Witch cast her spell and transformed them all into monsters. The Witch was pleased with her work. All her patients could protect themselves, seek their happiness. It wasn't until they stopped coming did the Witch feel truly alone.
The Witch waited and waited, all alone in her small home. She waited for anyone and anything in need of her magic. But all the animals had already visited, and left with their power of Bone. And now her job was done, but still she wished for anyone. And one day, long after the wolf had first come, a visitor arrived. With glee, the Witch opened the door, only to find a human, hurt and sad.
"I am in great pain, miss witch. There are monsters everywhere. They stalk us and hurt us and kill us. Please, help us." But the witch had heard this story many times in the past. And only one detail was different from their stories. "Do you hate them? The grim monsters that hurt you all?" The Witch asked, to which the man nodded.
"Then I am sorry, but I will not help you." Said the kind witch with a smile. "Humans have created their problems, cruelty has birthed your monsters. I will not help an enemy of my past patients. Goodbye, selfish human." She closed the door, and left the human to the mercy of the monsters it helped create. For all the monsters lived here, now. In this faraway land, with the gentle Witch who was no longer lonely.
(-)
As Sorrell read the last line in the children's book, a faint smile crept onto his lips. The story irked him every time he read it, but the morbid feeling was something the aristocrat found himself craving every now and then. His eyes scanned the appropriately juvenile drawing of a lady in black clothing and white hair, smiling and surrounded by Grimm. He closed the book and stared at the title reading 'The Gentle Witch'.
"Such a morbid children's book." He muttered to a near empty room. Midna was with him, as always, standing to the side as the aristocrat read the book while standing. "This book, written over half a millennia ago, was pulled from almost all public shelves. Ostracized for being such a gloomy fairy tale. But many fairy tales contain naught but truth. It is one reason why they are told countless times, to generation after generation of infants."
He placed one of the last existing copies of 'The Gentle Witch' back onto the shelf, departing. Midna followed, faithfully as always. "The Tale of the Two Brothers, the Story of the Seasons... folklore, myths, and legends all stem from truth, just... Adapted to suit the readers. I believe the Gentle Witch was one that received the least change. Did you ever read any to Azure when she was little?"
"No, sir." She replied.
"A shame. But I suppose her father might have." He continued his venture, recalling more of the story and the details not mentioned. It was written by a man who recovered from a harrowing event, but was driven mad by something he had dreamed of. He tried to make sense of it, jotting down any and all details he could recall. Someone found his notes after the authors demise and revised it.
Shortly after, it was rebuked as a story ill suited for children and infants, and even the theory that this witch created Grimm was laughable. But still, something about it seemed irresistible to Sorrell. It might've been the poetic justice carried out by the witch's monsters. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. With a chuckle, the aristocrat couldn't deny that the old saying inspired most of his movements and decisions.
As he reached the door to the central chamber, his Scroll rang in his pocket. Roman Torchwick, splendid. I've been wondering how the White Fang has been doing since he rescued them. "Good evening, Roman. Awfully late, isn't it?"
"That's the best time of the day, when people lock up until morning. Just leaving their valuables behind easily breakable locks and doors."
"How is Mantle?" Sorrell asked, seating himself in his throne. "I hope you're playing nice with the locals."
"Me? No, never. Thought I'd call and let you know how we're all doing. Our hauls have been a little dull and arid, but the White Fang are more than happy to be attacking the Schnee's business at its roots."
"It's pleasing to hear you've mixed in with them seamlessly. This time for sure, I hope."
"I guarantee, you've got nothing to worry about this time, boss. With one exception." He added. The aristocrat sighed, waiting to hear what the bad news was. "We're hitting up everywhere we can, but the law enforcement is doing nothing to stop us yet. Atlas isn't going to sit still forever, and neither will old man Schnee."
"So, you're requesting I make some sort of diversion, keep the wool over their eyes?"
"That is one amazing idea, boss! No wonder you're in charge around here." Roman replied. Sorrell scoffed at the crime lord's flattery. Though this did make a great opportunity. It was about time he got to the bottom of this Polendina Project that James refused to tell him about.
"Tell your furry friends they have nothing to worry about. It believe it high time Mr. Basklef returns to work, anyhow."
"Give him my regards, will ya?"