A/N

Sup everyone, I never realized how looooonnggg the previous chapter was until I uploaded it. This one is a quite a bit shorter, but provides some more insight into Mauve's father and sets up the away mission the team must undergo.

Chapter 19...

Bullheads never ceased to amaze Asher. Despite being a common sight in the airspaces of the kingdoms, humanity being able to make several tonnes of metal effortlessly defy gravity was always impressive.

Currently, Asher was sitting with the rest of his team in one of these vehicles. The VTOL was taking them to their mission destination, a small village that he honestly couldn't remember the name of. They had set out an hour ago and the humming of the aircraft's engines would have lulled him to sleep if his mind wasn't preoccupied remembering the scroll call last night….

The Previous Evening…

Asher took in a shaky breath as he tapped the "call" button; Mauve had already given him the number. He had decided against staying in the dorm, despite his friends offering to give him some privacy, it wasn't fair to boot them all out of the room for a scroll call, so Asher was instead sitting on the roof of his residence.

It was a nice evening, the sky was clear and the crickets were chirping… but nothing could quell Asher's anxiety. Asher hoped that everything would turn out alright with Mauve's father… he knew Mauve respected his authority and he didn't want their brand new relationship left in shambles over parental disapproval.

Asher had remembered to put on his neck scarf before he left the dorm. Maybe Rust and Sage could figure out that his neck was covered in hickeys, but Mauve's dad didn't know and he wanted it to stay that way.

The scroll beeped, indicating that the call request had been accepted. In an effort to suppress his anxiety, Asher took a seat on the concrete and morphed his face into a neutral facade.

The face of the man he could only assume to be Mauve's father popped up on screen. His name was "Argent" and Asher could see where Mauve inherited her features from. Argent's hair was a slightly darker shade of silver but his amber eyes were identical to hers. He notably lacked lynx ears, leading Asher to believe that Mauve had inherited that trait from her mother.

"Good evening," Asher spoke in a voice that was thankfully free of cracks, he adopted a light smile. "I presume you must be Mr. Tempesta."

The old man on the screen replied with a light smile of his own, but the kindness didn't reach his eyes.

"Hello, I presume you must be Asher… thank you for calling." Argent said.

"It's no problem… I'll begin by reiterating that Mauve and I began dating recently... I can only assume that this call is regarding that?"

The smile dropped off of Argent's face.

"Straight to the point… very well," Argent muttered. "I'll begin by saying that I trust Mauve to make her own choices… regardless of how this conversation goes. But I have some questions for you, some are basic… the last is personal."

Asher swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Shoot," he replied.

"Good, the first question… what are your intentions with my daughter?"

Asher pondered for a moment before responding.

"Mauve and I got close the first few months at Beacon and we developed feelings for one another. My intentions are to pursue a mutual romantic relationship."

Argent nodded.

"Understandable… I suppose those are decent enough intentions... assuming that you're being truthful." Argent muttered. "Time for the second, will this relationship impede Mauve's ability to lead your team?"

"No sir. Mauve is the leader of our team and I have no intentions of usurping or undermining her. I will ensure that we maintain professionalism in the field…" Asher responded, hoping that his articulate tone would win Argent over.

"Alright, good… this one is a little more awkward but I think it needs to be asked. While I want to respect Mauve's privacy… are you two… uh?" The older man trailed off one the end, an uncomfortable look in his eyes. Asher knew what he was insinuating and quickly moved to deny it.

"I know where you're going with this," Asher muttered. "I'll be honest with you, we've kissed a few times… but nothing further than that…"

Argent slumped down a bit, looking relieved but still uncomfortable. Asher felt a little bad about lying to the man… he and Mauve had been handsy that morning… but nothing further than that.

"Good, good… like I said it's an uncomfortable topic, but I needed to ask. You two are both very young… it's easy to get carried aways sometimes..."

"I understand, sir." Asher replied.

Argent look of discomfort vanished and he peered at Asher closely. Asher shifted as the older man observed him, his eyes flicking around to view his facial features. He finally spoke after a few minutes of tense silence.

"I have one final question… this one is more personal," Argent grumbled.

"Go ahead."

"Mauve mentioned to me in passing that your last name is 'Russet'... is this correct?"

Asher swallowed another lump in his throat, he knew where Argent was going with this.

"Yes sir," Asher responded, a nervous crack seeping in. "That is my last name…"

"I see… you wouldn't happen to be related to Penny and Slate Russet, a huntsman family in Vale… would you?" Argent spoke quietly. Not a single flicker of emotion crossed his face, his amber eyes were piercing… just like Mauve's when she was angry.

Well, honesty was always the best policy… even though he told a minor lie a minute ago.

"Yes Mr. Tempesta… I'm their only son…" Asher admitted. The fair haired boy knew why Argent would be asking. He was the young scion of an openly racist family… Argent probably thought he was only stringing Mauve along for some malevolent reason.

The old man said nothing, a blanket of tense silence settling between the two of them. Asher could have sworn the video froze if it wasn't for the older man's right eye occasionally twitching.

"Indulge me…" Argent spoke in a low and dangerous tone. "Why would the son of two notoriously anti-faunus social activists have any interest in dating a girl who has notable faunus traits?.

"I presume you've had run-ins with my family…" Asher muttered.

"Far two many times than I'm comfortable with… I used to support the first White Fang movement under Ghira Belladonna… they attended every counter-protest. You also haven't answered my question…

"I'm sorry that you had to deal with that," Asher began. "Believe me when I tell you that I do not hold their prejudices, I never did! Hell… I haven't spoken to either of them for a while… we had a falling out over their beliefs!"

Argent watched Asher with a stony look, his face completely unreadable.

"Mauve speaks highly of you… and like I said, I trust her judgement..."

"Mauve knows about my family," Asher exclaimed. "I admitted it to her and the rest of my team months ago… she knows I don't agree with them."

"Very well… I have but one request and then I will drop this issue. Do you swear to me that you have no malevolent intentions towards my only daughter?"

Asher gathered up his courage.

"I swear…"

Argent adopted his previous smile, some of the kindness finally reached his eyes, albeit not much.

"I'll hold you to that… and I'm fine with you continuing a relationship with her… but don't hurt her… I will never forgive it."

"I understand completely, sir." Asher gulped.

"Good, I'll be cutting this call off… it was good to meet you."

"Likewise."

Without another word Argent ended the scroll call, his chiseled face disappearing from view and leaving a blank screen. Asher released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and slipped his scroll into his pocket. Breathing in the cool night air, Asher turned towards the stairwell and headed back to his room. The sun had only just set, so chances were everyone was still awake. Asher was sure that the call went well, but it had been a rough few minutes there.

Reaching his door, Asher slid his scroll across the lock to gain entry. The door was swung open by Mauve, a concerned look in her eyes.

"Hey you," Asher whispered with a smile, which Mauve returned.

"Hey you," she answered, the concern vanishing from her gaze. Mauve pulled Asher into the dorm and shut the door behind him. Asher scanned the room and quickly noticed that their teammates were absent.

"Where's Rust and Sage?" Asher questioned.

"They went off to see their respective lady friends," Mauve answered, taking a seat on her bed. "I would have gone with them to be introduced but I needed to stick around and wait for you."

"You didn't have to…"

"Pretty sure I did," Mauve muttered, her eyes were just as piercing as her fathers. "So… how did it go?"

"Not too bad actually," Asher answered, taking a seat next to Mauve and grasping her hand. "I don't think he likes me… but he said he wouldn't step in nor interfere."

"Good!" Mauve breathed. "He isn't very traditional, I really doubt that he would have stepped in… but at least he approves!"

"He asked about my family…" Asher spoke softly, causing Mauve to freeze.

"I shouldn't have told him your last name… what did you say?"

"I told him everything I told you… the truth. I made it clear that I don't hold those views and that I'm distant from them because of it."

Mauve stayed silent, her amber eyes still piercing as she observed him. Mauve pulled her hand and reached behind Asher, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

"My dad respects honesty… you made the right call by admitting it…" Mauve said in a low tone.

"Uh… I may have been a little dishonest at one point…" Asher mumbled. Mauve gave him a dirty look and he pulled her hand away..

"What did you say?" Mauve said slowly.

"Uhh," Asher rubbed his love-bite covered neck. "He asked me how… far... we had taken the relationship. I told him we kissed- which was true! I left out what happened this morning…"

Mauve's face turned red with embarrassment, she bent over and covered her face with her hands.

"He really asked that!?" Mauve moaned.

"He wanted to know… I didn't tell him that we got handsy!"

"Good… I take it back, screw honesty!"

The two sat in awkward silence for a little while before Asher spoke up.

"Do you mind if we do something else? The anticipation of that phone call has been eating at me all day…" Asher requested.

Mauve smiled and twisted her body, throwing her legs onto the bed and laying on her back. She patted the space beside her as a signal to him. Asher followed her lead, leaning back and lying next to her to stare at the ceiling. The two were in close proximity and were content to relax in each other's presence for a while. In a reversal of their usual position, Asher shifted his head to bury it in the crook of her neck. The boy took the chance to inhale her jasmine scent… he found the aroma intoxicating and soothing.

"Oh, so it's weird for me to smell your clothes but you can smell me?" Mauve joked.

"Yeah… I don't really have a defence…" Asher mumbled as he inhaled once again.

An idea suddenly popped into Asher's head, a question he had meant to ask for a long time. Asher removed his head so he could get a better view of his girlfriend.

"Hey Mauve?" Asher began, the lynx girl turning her own head to meet his gaze. "Would it be alright if I touched your ears?"

Mauve gave him a quizzical look.

"You want to touch my ears?"

"Yeah… I always kinda wondered what they felt like… but you can say no if you don't want it."

Mauve observed Asher for a moment before relenting, giving a shrug as she did.

"I don't see the harm… just don't tug on them…"

"Of course!" Asher exclaimed. He propped himself up on his right elbow for easy access and used his left hand to rub one of her ears. They were surprisingly soft and Asher noted their velvety texture as he rubbed with his fingers. Mauve's reaction was instantaneous, sighing and closing her eyes at his touch, sinking deeper into the bedsheets.

After a minute or so, Asher stopped and began to pull away, but he froze when Mauve grabbed his wrist and squeezed.

"Don't you dare," she muttered through half-lidded eyes. "Please… it feels really good when you do that."

Asher wordlessly reached forwards and continued his ministrations, happy to indulge Mauve in her unexpected request. Asher concluded that a faunus rubbing their own ears was like tickling yourself, it would never elicit the same reaction as if someone else was doing it.

When it became clear that this was how the evening would be spent, they changed their position on the bed. Asher ended up pressed against the headboard and Mauve leaned against his chest, sitting between his legs. This new arrangement allowed him to rub both of her ears simultaneously. The simple motions drew reactions from Mauve he had never seen before, he swore he heard her purr at one point…

The two split apart when Rust and Sage finally came back, the young couple not realizing how late it was. Once they were both ready for bed, Mauve surprised Asher by jumping in with him and joining him under the covers. Asher didn't expect the previous night's sleeping arrangements to continue… but he was happy that they did. He learned quickly that Mauve was a blanket hog, but she was warm and her weight felt surprisingly comfortable on his chest...

Back to the present…

"Asher!?" Sage nearly yelled over the hum of the bullhead engines. Asher snapped to attention, realizing that his entire team was staring at him.

"Whats up?" Asher spat in surprise.

"Were almost at the village, Mauve wanted to go over the mission briefing again." Rust explained.

Asher turned his head towards his girl- no team leader and gave her his full attention. He had been truthful to Argent the night before about maintaining professionalism, he couldn't let emotions or imagination cloud his judgement. Mauve had a curious look on her face, but wasted no time in turning her head to address her team.

"Alright!" Mauve yelled over the hum of the engines, she tapped at her scroll to bring up relevant information. "The briefing stated that this village is named 'Rifugio' and it's almost one hundred kilometers from Vale, so backup isn't coming anytime soon. The job description stated that Grimm skirmishes are becoming more common, particularly with two full grown deathstalkers…"

"So what?" Rust yelled back. "Are we just here to eliminate the threat?"

"Officially, yes… but who knows what else this village needs! We can lend them a hand with the defense if it's required." Mauve answered.

"Touching down now!" Called the pilot over the intercom. Team MARS stood up from their seats and began to gather their equipment. Asher slung the Jackhammer over his back and tucked his helmet under his arm, wearing it during introductions could come across as rude after all.

The side door of the VTOL slid open with a hiss, causing sunlight to stream into the cabin. Before Team MARS sat a small but well-organized village. The architecture of the homes were classic Valean styles with modern innovations like gutters and glass. The streets were made from cobblestone. The team saw mostly wagons… but the occasional truck could be spotted amongst the fray.

The entire hamlet was surrounded by a tall wall, made from erected tree trunks with sharpened tops. While it would not provide the same defence against Grimm as metal or concrete, it still provided a barrier between the village and the untamed wilds.

The bullhead decreased its altitude until it was hovering about two feet above the ground. Ahead of Team MARS, a large gate creaked open to allow entrance to the village.

"Mission briefing says to give you two days," the pilot rumbled over the VTOLs loudspeaker. "You can contact me by scroll if that needs to be changed."

With a final wave from the team, the aircraft ascended back to a safe altitude and hovered back in the direction of Vale. From the village's now open gate strode a tall and wiry man, his weather beaten face obscured by his long grey beard. Despite his wild scruff, the hair on his head was pulled into a neat ponytail. He was dressed in a simple black suit, the threads a little worn out but impeccably clean.

Asher noticed that the man walked with a limp. His right leg seemed less agile than his left and a metal clang was heard every time he stepped down on it.

"I presume you're the Beacon team!" The man called, offering Team MARS an easy smile.

"Yes sir," Mauve said in a professional tone. "And you are?"

"Jameson… I'm the leader of this place," the now identified man replied. He stuck out a calloused hand and gave everyone a firm handshake. In return, Team MARS shared their own names so everyone was identified.

"Follow me," Jameson called, hobbling back towards the village gate. Team MARS fell in behind Mauve as they obeyed the man's request. Once they were all inside Jameson motioned to the gate attendant to shut the entrance. "I presume you already read the briefing?"

"Yes," Mauve replied. "We learned that this village has been receiving an increased Grimm presence? Also, deathstalkers were mentioned…"

Jameson nodded gravely as they all weaved around throngs of civilians. The small group stopped on one of the cobbled streets, following Jameson as he ducked into a nearby building. Directly inside was a quant little office space, a simple desk and a small bed shoved into the corner. Jameson took a seat at the rickety desk and motioned for Team MARS to sit on a couch parallel to it.

"That's correct…" Jameson muttered. "We've been experiencing increased beowulf activity… they've been scratching at the walls, we keep having to replace the timber."

"Wait," Rust interjected. "Your walls are failing?"

"Mhmmm," Jameson replied. "The walls are tall enough to keep most grimm out… but a very determined pack could scratch through if they were given enough time. We can normally kill them all before that… but the Western wall has been taking a beating as of late."

"I might be able to help," Rust offered. "I have some construction experience if you need an extra set of hands."

Jameson offered Rust a smile.

"That's kind of you son… pop in when you get a chance and tell them I sent you, they'll appreciate the help."

"Hate to interrupt," interrupted Sage. "Could we talk about the deathstalkers?"

"That's right!" Jameson replied. "There are two big deathstalkers that live west of here… we named them 'Eeny' and 'Meeny" Jameson chuckled.

"Eany and Meeny?" Asher grumbled.

Jameson shrugged.

"Had to name them something… they aren't ancient deathstalkers… but they're fully grown. Normally they stay in their cave and do… whatever it is they do. But the recent attacks have lowered morale and they've been sighted closer than usual." Jamson clasped his hands together and leaned onto the desk, a serious look in his eyes. "Make no mistake… we can handle a few beowulves… but those two would smash the walls into tinder… we need them out of the picture."

"Leave it to us then," Mauve spoke confidently. "We'll stay here and help defend the walls for today. We can set out tomorrow morning to search for the two major threats…"

Jameson leaned back into his chair and smiled.

"Good… I'll write up a small report on their whereabouts and habitat for you."

"That would be appreciated," nodded Rust as he stood up to leave. "If everything is said and done… I'll go check out the construction project…"

"I'll come too," muttered Asher, also standing and adjusting his rifle. "If I can't help then I can at least stand guard."

Mauve observed the two for a moment, letting her gaze linger on Asher longer than Rust.

"Alright… I can look into accomodations for the time being and join you later… what about you Sage?" Mauve spoke.

"I'll go with Rust and Asher," Sage replied, standing up off the couch to join his two teammates. The three offered quick goodbyes to their leader and Jameson; Asher gave Mauve a light smile that she returned. As he walked out Asher slipped his helmet over his head, twisting it around so it was comfortable. He tugged at his neck scarf to make sure it wasn't caught in the seals.

Asher knew Mauve to be confident and professional when she wanted to be, her behaviour today had been no exception. Still, he would take the chance to speak with her when they had some downtime… he didn't want her to think that he was being distant.