We were informed later we were to rest, it was a day off it seemed and I was glad for it, everyone deserved it. Each had something planned, Oscar had a date with Bart, Jaune was joining them along with Weiss. According to what they informed me, they were going to the movies, that apparently, existed in this world. Damian was going to visit Jason. We all knew that in reality he and Neo were going to be together, perhaps romantically. Blake and Yang were going to a dance club with team FNKY. And as for myself? I was accompanying Ruby, Ren, and Nora to a victory party Penny invited us to. I was excited! I loved those! The people were always so kind and happy!
Mantle reminded me so much of Gotham, the dark streets with dime lights, people around them cold and murky. The familiarity unnerved me a bit. But things were as grim as the scenery, Ren mumbling about how this victory party came too soon, and Nora defending it by saying they needed one sure thing.
"Until the Amity Tower goes up and everyone learns what we're fighting for," mumbled Ruby.
"We informed General Ironwood the truth" I confessed making them stop in their tracks.
"Already?" asked Ruby wide-eyed.
"It was better to do it now, if we were to do it later there would be many more risks. Imagine if we decided to do so on an emergency just because we think he is ready by then?" I told them while crossing my arms. "He would go crazy...Believe me, I have seen it happen. I have met people with similar personalities, and countless times it comes to the same grave result, Qrow and Damian were the ones who suggested it..."
"Fine..." mumbled Ruby.
"I know its strange..."I confessed messing with my braided hair, Damian had done it based on a movie called Tangled. "But it would be to our advantage to have him with us! Also, it could make the fact of what we are planning to do to defeat her could be easier!"
"You're right," said Ren with a small smile. "At least, we are giving him hope..."
"Yea! By the way...how is the Oscar thing?" asked Nora. I was glad that for once there was no fighting from those two. Their relationship had been strained lately, and I feel sad about it, I wish to help and fix it.
"Very well, actually the choker he wears is where the second soul is," I said happily. "They won't fuse! He won't be consumed!"
"Really!?" asked Ruby wide-eyed, I nodded. Suddenly Nora and she jumped around squealing.
We arrived at last, happy music filling the air and people having fun. I could hear their relieved thoughts. The votes were projected on a wall, and it seemed that Robyn was winning.
"Ruby? Nora! Ren! Kori!" called Penny appearing in front of us excitedly. "I'm so glad you made it tonight!"
"Hey Penny!" said Ruby nervously.
"It is always better to celebrate with friends!" I said earning a nod from her.
"And the rest?" asked Panny curiously. I interviewed before another fight happened.
"They are going on dates!"
"Oh! That's wonderful!" said Penny happily. "I knew Bart would go with Oscar! But I'm glad everyone is having fun together!"
"Penny? Where did you go?" asked Marrow through a comm.
"Let us leave the lovebirds" I whispered, watching how Nora and Ren were lost in their own world. Penny laughed and Ruby nodded.
When we got there, the Faunus was standing with Altair. When they both looked at us I noticed how Marrow's wolf tail started to wag and Altair hid his chuckle with a cough.
"What are you doing here?" Asked Marrow with a glare, his tail, at last, stopped moving.
"Just having out whit a friend while she's on the job" answered Ruby with a grin, fist-bumping Penny and hurting herself in the process. Again Altair coughed and I giggled.
"Try not to be too distracting" OmG Its Kori! Dammit! Now I'm as distracted as Penny! "We need to vigilant in case-"
"In case what?" A woman interrupted Marrow mid sentence.
"In case someone decides to pose a threat to this party," said Altair seriously. "People who disagree with your candidate could come and try to cause trouble"
"Oh! Funny" said the woman sarcastically. "That's why we're here! So be free to take a hike!"
That was rude...
"Listen!" growled Marrow while Altair sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The general is trying to help! Just because you-"
"What's going on here?" asked Robyn, I blinked she was very pretty up close. Why was Remnant so full of pretty women and handsome men? "Oh! And the pipsqueak is back!"
Ruby growled clenching her fists.
"Oh! We are only here to enjoy this celebration as well as be backup if needed!" I said smiling. Robyn raised an eyebrow since I wasn't wearing a uniform. "Oh! How rude of me! My name is Kori! I apologize if you took offense, but I know your guardians are very efficient, this is only if you are outnumbered by some rascal!"
"I see..." mumbled the woman with a small smile. "Fine you can stay...but tell those" she pointed a Marrow and Altair, "To stay out of the way"
I nodded as she left, and I let out air I hadn't noticed I kept.
"Scam kid we have work to do!" Said Marrow. He was very rude to Penny and us...When he left Ruby stuck out her lounge making us giggle, I was about to leave with her, until Altair grabbed my arm.
"Kori," he said calmly. "Let's go out for lunch tomorrow"
My eyes widened, it had been very blunt, just like Ren is with Nora. I smiled, perhaps things would get better soon. "Of course! Is this a date?"
"Only if you wish it too..."
I laughed nodding going after Ruby trying to ignore the funny feeling on my stomach. I tuned out the discussion Nora and Ren were having, the complaint of Ruby and the speech by the lamb Faunus, she looked like Nate only in female form without black eyes.
"Oh...this will be soooo much funnnn!" A sinister thought caught my attention, I turned towards the source hearing Ruby grasp as a metallic scorpion tail swung through the crowd.
"Watch out!" screamed Ruby. I immediately made my fists glow and connect my thoughts with Ren's, Nora's, and Ruby's. The lights were out. I heard screams and ran towards them.
"Nora! Ren! Evacuate people! Ruby! I think Penny will protect Robyn! The military is here as well so we might as well trust them! You and I should confront the enemy"
I heard agreements in their thoughts, I grabbed the scorpion's tail and tugged it ripping it from the base and making him scream. People were not out the floor I threw him through the window, but it was too late when I came back, for people were scattered on the floor even our team. I looked at Penny, she stood there with the lights on. It hit me, they had framed her. Jaques Schnee gave a speech about how he had won and how happy he was. Ruby told us it had been Tyrian and Penny leaving us in the dust.
The next day things were worse, people wanted to deactivate Penny, Ironwood had made everyone in Mantle stay home. As for Damian, he was frowning at out information, trying to find a way to help clear Penny's name. As the son of the greatest detective, Prince of the shadows and now Winter King, he had a lot on his shoulders.
"This is the worst-case scenario! People are de-"
"No, they are not" Damian interrupted. "Kori healed them all before anyone died, so nobody is dead. Though some things cannot be healed like mental scarring. Penny has been framed"
"Good, thank you, your majesty, for the information...But still!" General Ironwood continued his rand from where he left off before the interruption "Somehow, Jaques Schnee is sitting on the council"
"Its the second shipment today, it seems election night was the last push Robyn needed to go from town hero to full-on vigilante," said Clover worried.
"I'm afraid the problem is more complicated than that" said Winter.
"Vigilantes look for the justice they know or feel the law is not giving," said Damian thoughtfully. "They have strong beliefs that are hard to take away..."
"They are refusing to sell us the supplies, and with Robyn distributing the items she has stolen, the amity project is stalled," said General Ironwood, and Damian, of course, was mad.
"I will handle this, for you have no love for the people who do not live in a floating piece of metal" growled Damian.
"Your maje_"
"No! I'll handle this, as it seems all are too incompetent to deal with this. I have enough experience dealing with this brand of vigilantism. I am taking Xiao-Long, Belladonna, and Kori with me."
"We need to finish the tower," said General Ironwood.
"There has to be a way..." said Ruby worriedly.
"I will help finish the Tower, I know where to get supplies, but first we need to deal with this situation and get the people on our side, or the resistance will be our doom," said Damian looking at everyone.
"Is communicating the world more important? Or appeasing a few city blocks?" asked the general to Damian, I looked at my friend worriedly.
"Don't make it sound trivial when you know it isn't!" said Nora with her voice trembling. "You keep saying how we need a little more time! But you are not the be having the struggle!"
"Sacrifices must be ma-"
"Do not speak of sacrifices to me!" growled Damian much to the surprise of everyone, the wind outside whistling as a storm was coming close, temperatures dropping by the minute. "These are my people! Our people! They bare all of the burden of this matter! And, they could be great resources! You can make them by at our side! And if they are, they will help with the tower of communications! But you cannot fit it through that thick skull of yours! Thus! I am assigning someone else as General soon."
"What?" The general was not happy, but everyone in the military was aware Damian was the king.
"I will inform the people, and we will train them to defend themselves. Thus giving them a chance to be brave and making less grim our problem. They will trust us" the storm was slowly diminishing. Suddenly Damian pressed a button in his communicator, and in came Nate, Tanya, Mihael and Altair with a battered beaten Tyrian, he had all the injuries I made, Damian seemed to have broken his legs and arms, perhaps even left him unable to walk forever, he was bound by ice casts, to make him suffer while his bones slowly got repaired. "And Tyrian will no longer be a problem for us"
"What did you do?" whispered Ruby, Nora gasped in horror but I only stood looking at the criminal.
"I interrogated him," said Damian "And Kori had detained him back in Mantle, thus how he had his tail ripped off and broken ribs. She accidentally used too much strength but I attribute it to the adrenaline."
"H-He works for Salem" informed Ruby.
"He told us the one responsible for the hacking was Arthur Watts" added Altair.
"We found out that a woman named Cinder Fall is coming to absorb the winter maiden's powers. They are unaware that that doesn't exist anymore" said Tanya looking straight at the general.
"I want Robyn hill in custody, we can offer her a deal if she is wishing to cooperate," said General Ironwood. "Everyone else not involved in that I want you to find Arthur find where he's hiding, what's he planning, and how that video of Penny spread around MY kingdom"
"This is my kingdom, not yours anymore General. And, what you are planning to do with Robyn will not work," argued Damian. "And like it or not, I shall be informing the people about everything. And I will help us be ready against the Grimm, I have no time to deal with an imbecile like you. DO whatever you want with Tyrian, but we are going to find Robyn before you do and help the city of Mantle. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes your majesty" everyone said, some reluctantly. I sighed, following Damian, Nora seemed calmer along with Ren, Ruby, and Qrow. Perhaps it was that Damian was doing this for the people, or simply because they hated the general, either way...we had a lot to do.