August 20th
Government Offices of the Atlesian Council
Department of Foreign Affairs and Military Action
City of Atlas
Atlas
Downtown
1:34 PM
Emmeline Cecilia Ciel had never felt worse. She was in full dress uniform, walking numbly through the halls of the DFAMA with Emmett by her side. Even feeling his hand tightly in hers only made her feel a little better. It had been just a week since the attack at Haven. Just a week since Leonardo was officially incarcerated for his crimes while he awaited trial. Just a week since she had killed the woman who had taken her father's life amongst so many others. That simple fact was beginning to take a toll on her, and everyone around her knew it. Her daughters and son had taken special care to make sure she was okay, or wasn't exerting herself. Emmett had been nothing short of extremely worried and had focused all of his free time and energy into being by her side. It almost hurt knowing how much he loved her despite the realization that she had taken an eye for an eye. At best, Emmeline didn't know what she felt. She was numb and already struggling to be there for her son and Emmett. He had done everything right, it seemed, while she felt she had done everything wrong and she had been cursing herself since her head had first cleared for not waiting. For not letting someone else kill Kahn on her orders.
"Shh…" Emmett had whispered the night before, holding his trembling wife against him. "It's going to be okay, Emmy. You're okay…"
She had been weak ever since the confrontation and her aura had suffered because of it. Her hands had been shaky ever since, too, and almost everything had become an emotional or motivational struggle. That was why, ever so gently, Emmett began to massage the shampoo and conditioner into her long monochrome locks before helping her rinse it out. He held her close, but was light and gentle in everything he did.
"I'm…" Emmeline had said softly. "I'm a monster…"
Emmett had looked at her in shock. "No," He murmured. "You're not."
"The damn spot —" She had weakly protested, quoting the famous Shakespearean tragedy.
"Emmy," Emmett had said, cupping her cheek. "You did something awful but you were in a state of severe PTSD that whole night. I'm not saying it makes what you did right, but I'm promising you that it doesn't make you evil, or a monster, or whatever the hell you want to call it."
She had blinked back tears and all but clung to him, her knees threatening to give out.
"I know who I married and still do," He had whispered, dropping his hand and lightly kissing her cheek. "And you know something else?"
Emmeline had sighed weakly. "Emmett…"
"The two girls downstairs? The little boy sleeping down the hall?" Emmett had gently reminded her before gently reaching down and brushing his hand over her abdomen. "They're half you, and they're wonderful. A bit mischievous, but still. All three of them grew inside you, and you and I are the reason they're here. Nothing that good could be born out of a monster."
Her mind still racing with Emmett's words from the night before, Emmeline almost tripped in front of the double doors to Elizabeth's office. She caught herself, brushed herself off, and tried to calm herself but it was no use. Emmett was watching her, his brow furrowed in concern, and he quickly reached out to catch her in case she tripped again. Feeling helpless and hating herself for the feeling, Emmeline blinked back the tears that were threatening the corners of her eyes. She had absolutely no idea what to do, not to mention how to feel about what she was almost certain was about to happen. At best, she imagined, she would be put on an indefinite probation and, at worst, put under court martial. After decades of a desire for revenge, after decades of military service, she was unfulfilled and on the brink of having her career amount to nothing. A part of her couldn't believe how gentle and supportive Emmett had been the entire time. She knew he was angry about what she had done and, yet, he was still here, trying to steady her in his arms. Their daughters, though, were much more conflicted. Samara was pissed and hadn't spoken to her mother since they had returned and Lysithea had both praised how diabolical she thought her mother was while also expressing doubt she could justify it. Nothing was right anymore and the world had turned upside down just when they had needed —
"I'll be right here when you get out of the meeting," Emmett promised, reaching into his bag and pulling out a book. "I've got nowhere to be, and my wife comes before being a professor...and, hey, at least I don't have to lecture until this evening."
Emmeline smiled weakly. "Thanks, Emmett."
He pulled her into his arms once more and softly kissed her, wanting the moment to last. Emmett wanted nothing more than to hold her, or kiss her, or make love to her until she was okay but he knew better. Instead, he only held her loosely and hoped there was something he could do to help her stop shaking. Softly kissing her forehead, Emmett tried to soothe her even though he knew little had been a comfort to her in the last week. He had never imagined how vindictive his wife could be but he also knew he would have done the exact same thing to Ashlynn if she had been there, nevermind that Glynda had already taken up the mantle of the Fall Maiden. He had told that to her, he had told that to their daughters, and he had lied to their son over and over to protect him. Eddie was too damn young to know the truth. He had decided that the line needed to be drawn there and no further. Eddie was only eight, after all, and both Emmett and Emmeline had their childhoods cut short by tragedy and their son was still a child. No matter what happened, he wasn't ready. It was all too soon. Sighing heavily, Emmett let her go and step into Elizabeth's office. She hesitated in the doorway but then forced herself to appear as imperious as possible despite the situation and the stares she was receiving.
"Please, take a seat, General Ciel."
Across the table from her, Emmeline saw Elizabeth who, though having spoken as clipped as ever, seemed rather discomposed. Also present were Blake Adel, the head of the Department of Justice, and Tara Sparks, the head of the Department of Local and National Law Enforcement.
"Ordinarily, the head of the DFAMA and a close military colleague of yours would be present as well," Elizabeth went on. "However, both Karissa Mar and James Ironwood have recused themselves from this matter. Madame Mar filed for recusal because she's your sister in law and General Ironwood did so because he was a witness. Now...Director Adel?"
Blake nodded shortly. "General Ciel," He began, pausing for a moment to clear his throat. "You assassinated Sienna Kahn on the fourteenth of August, year two-thousand and twenty-two at approximately two thirty six in the morning. This was after being directly ordered not to and being denied the capacity to order such an assassination. Do you contest any of this?"
Emmeline weakly shook her head and tightly clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking.
"I…" She forced out. "I've spent decades in military service, doing whatever it takes to keep our kingdom and its people safe...and to court martial me —"
"General Ciel, please," Tara Sparks said calmly. "The security council is not putting you under court martial, nor are we discharging you from service. We are here today to ensure the report we received is correct and to discuss your mental state. You have been diagnosed with PTSD before, although the non-confidential records we were able to recieve from your therapist suggest you were recovering. That seems, based on these events, to require reconsideration and, possibly, a re-diagnosis."
Elizabeth allowed for a brief pause but she quickly turned back to Emmeline.
"Do you have anything to add that is not already known and/or recorded regarding these events?"
Emmeline shook her head. "No."
"Well, then," Elizabeth sighed heavily for a moment. "General Ciel, unless this counsel defers, I am ordering you to be removed from combat for the next six months, during which time you will have a chance to commence recovery. We will address your abilities for combat after that period."
"Of course," Emmeline shakily replied.
"We will not forget all you have done and sacrificed, General Ciel," Blake Adel said cordially. "Again, thank you for your service and, please, feel better."
August 23rd
City of Vacuo
Vacuo
Downtown
7:22 AM
"So, I gotta wonder…"
Roman Torchwick grinned devilishly at his new teammates, if that was what they had become, causing his, albeit functionally mute wife, to stab him in the foot with the pointy end of her sheathed umbrella-sword. He scowled and rubbed his foot but didn't yell at her the way he would have if Gina Adel or Monster also known as "who-fucking-cares" had tried the same damn thing. More to the point, he was waiting for Neo to get aggravated enough to do something — anything — disgusting to Monster that would put the dumbass in his place. Roman was more than secure in his position (even though it had come from Karissa Mar of all people) as the leader of Team RNMG, or rouge, as he referred to them. After all, he was a criminal mastermind with a record other crime lords envied.
Even more than that, he was in the position he had always wanted. Over twenty years prior in their academy days, he had been almost irrelevant while James was the team leader, Glynda was formidable at best (although he had always thought she was often terrifying), and Emmett was the pretty boy with a sword. Roman was more than grateful to have met his wife; the mere memory of having dated Emmett Schnee of all people absolutely disgusted him, especially knowing the things he was sure Emmett had since done with Emmeline Ciel. The youngest of Nicholas Schnee's kids certainly struggled to keep his dick in his pants when it came to Ciel: of that, Roman was most certain. Shuddering at the thought, he looked back to his lackeys (excepting his only equal, Neo) and winked.
"But, seriously," Roman went on, scowling at then. "How the fuck do mermaids have babies?"
Marshall began laughing, not even trying to think of a come back or sleazy joke. He was so out of focus that he barely realized until it was far too late that he had slammed into a woman examining a necklace at a jeweller's market stand.
"Sorry, dahlin'," He said, reaching down to help her up.
The woman quickly pulled her hood down over her face, presumably embarrassed.
"I'm fine on my own, thank you very much," She snapped, not meeting his gaze while she stood up and brushed off her now-dusty hooded cape. "I don't need help from a lowlife like you."
Marshall smirked and gestured grandly to Roman, Neo, and Gina.
"Everyone in this town's a lowlife," He countered, smirking even more. "Looks like you are too, or were ya not eyeing that supposedly cursed necklace?"
Refusing to dignify him with a response, the woman huffed and turned back to the jeweller, speaking rapidly with them in one of Vacuo's many traditional dialects.
"I want a cursed necklace," Gina muttered to Neo, who rolled her eyes. "Don't sass me, mute. I could use it to —"
"Raise yourself above your shitty family?" Roman suggested. "Or, maybe your mysterious powers —"
"I'd get a real kick out of using them to do away with you," Gina snapped, activating her hidden powers in sheer anger. She felt no fear; after all, the merchant and the older woman couldn't possibly know what they meant. Not if Roman and Neo couldn't figure it out. "You irritate me to no end! Are you trying to —"
"You want me to get you arrested?" Roman winked while Neo smacked Marshall a few times with her umbrella. He had apparently been chewing on her nerves too. "I'll do that to you and Monster, actually."
"Oh, go to hell!" Gina snapped, fluttering her hands in front of her eyes while she deactivated her powers as the reclusive, violent Summer Maiden. "Or shall I send you there myself?"
Roman and the others chortled but what Gina should have realized was that the violet-eyed woman in the hooded cape was Rosalinde Diana Varna who, if she had seen what she believed she had, was suddenly desiring a way to cement her power even further.
August 29th
City of Lowell
Atlas
Downtown
11:45 PM
It was chilly in the apartment, with the wind blowing through the threadbare fabric that hung over the windows. Yet it had to do, for the time being, considering that both of the men squatting in it were enemies of the state. The second the Atlesian Council realized they were there would be the same second from which all hell would rain down. No, despite the loathsome situation in the city of Lowell, right on the edge of the upper east coast of the kingdom of Atlas, it had to be accepted. If it weren't, both men could sign the warrants for their lives in prison. The only small consolation was that the previous owners had clearly left in a hurry, hence all of the furniture and even a decent amount of food still in the run-down apartment. Coupled with the technical skills of the notorious Arthur Watts, the TV worked too. Adam Taurus held the man in contempt, but even he had to applaud his accomplice for giving them access to the Atlesian news and even pay-per-view, through which he had already watched many raunchy films to the abject disgust of his accomplice.
"Boy!" Arthur Watts called from the other room. "This is important! You ought to come see it!"
Adam angrily stormed into the room, something which was only compounded by the breaking news headline on Atlas' very own MSNBC. He exhaled heavily, causing Watts to shoot him an irritated look, but he set that aside for the moment to listen to the news broadcast.
"Jacques Gelè-Schnee was officially cleared of all charges by the jury this afternoon during his sentencing. This has caused quite a bit of embarrassment already on the part of the cases' lead prosecutor, Kiara Davis, especially considering that Madame Davis is the head of the Department of Civil, Criminal, and Corporate Prosecution. While he has recently lost custody of his son in the divorce from his wife, Willow Schnee, it seems that Jacques is about to become, once again, a free man and the leader of the world's largest energy corporation."
Adam turned to Watts in a frenzy.
"You know him!" Adam roared. "Do something!"
"In case you couldn't tell, I can't at the moment," Watts nastily replied. "And I lack a reason to anyways. He can't give me anything without raising suspicion and that would be the end of me, especially if the Ciels or James Ironwood found out about it."
Adam reached for his weapons but thought better of killing Watts for being cheeky. Instead, he settled for grabbing a grinding stone and sharpening his sword.
"I have to say," Watts went on, paying little regard to anything around him. "Your temper is quite interesting. I'd enjoy...dissecting your brain for research purposes."
Adam looked up in annoyance. "And I would like to kill a number of people in a variety of ways, but I don't have that option, do I?"
Watts raised an eyebrow. "Does that include the baby Ironwood claimed you had with his daughter?"
Adam pursed his lips. "Yes...or, at the very least, smack some sense into my ex. Ivy was a number of things, not to mention great at sex, but she betrayed me at Beacon. Besides, using her was a great way to stick it to the Schnees. Even their closest friends weren't made of steel...and the idea of me having any connection to them, let alone indirectly, is amusing. An excellent form of revenge, actually, for what the SDC did to me and millions of other faunus around the…"
"If you hate them so much, keep tabs on them," Watts suggested, gesturing to the TV. "Instead of pestering me with your folksy tales about the wrongs everyone has —"
"Shut up!" Adam shouted upon seeing the live broadcast overtake the screen.
"This has been quite a disturbing production that has been, more than clearly, for the sole purpose of defamation," Jacques paused but then went on, looking perfectly composed. "I have always expected more from our leaders. We must hold ourselves to a higher standard than the rest, and we must remove anyone who has become lustful for power. This is why, despite only having my name officially cleared today, I am making a bid for a position in the Atlesian Commons. I know my opponent — Robyn Hill — is well-liked but I intend to remove personality from the political game and, instead, move to bring Atlas back to where we are meant to be. I will be the one to restore what we have all lost...most especially since the Ciel family reclaimed power."
A moment passed between the accomplices in uncanny silence. Then, having had enough of hearing Adam's almost violent breathing, Watts smirked.
"This does raise...interesting prospects," He noted mildly, ignoring Adam's increasingly angered gaze. "Actually…"
"How dumb are you?" Adam snapped. "Are you going to do something? For fuck's sake, what does this even mean for —"
Watts snorted. "I believe, boy," He said, rolling his eyes while Adam continued sharpening his blade. "That a visit to the capital may very well be in order."
