Chapter 21…
In a moment of deja vu, Team MARS found themselves retracing their own footsteps as they returned to Rifugio. Thankfully, the grimm blood and gore that coated them had begun to dissipate after some time; but their clothes (minus Rust's) were rank and stiff and still needed a good cleaning.
Mauve took point again as they walked, but every step she took was a stomp; Sage knew that she was still pissed at him for the stunt he pulled with Asher's rifle.
"I'll talk with her after," the fair-haired boy whispered into his ear, causing Sage to jump in fright. Asher had his gore encrusted helmet under his arm, his face exposed to the warm sun and cool breeze. "You know she has a bit of a temper… give her some time and it will all cool down."
"Yeah," Sage muttered. "She's acting like I kicked her dog."
"Or splattered her with noxious grimm guts?"
"Touche…"
The two fell into an uncomfortable silence.
"Hey Sage…" Asher began.
"Whats up?"
"If I hadn't handed you my rifle earlier… did you have any actual way of finishing off that deathstalker?"
Sage looked down for a moment, "not really… I don't really have the firepower."
Asher nodded in consideration at his words.
"You know," the grey eyed boy offered. "Mauve has been talking about building a pair of guns using the Beacon workshop… maybe we could build something for you too?"
"I don't know man…" Sage muttered as he looked down at his weapon. "I'm not sure if I want to start pulling this thing apart…"
"We don't have to!" Asher exclaimed. "I carry around three individual weapons… you can't lug around something extra?"
Sage relented with a shrug, "I suppose we could develop something with more power…"
"What about a grenade launcher?" Asher grinned. Sage actually considered this suggestion. He had to admit that a grenade launcher would work, he had the ability to ricochet any object he wanted… provided that it was touching him. A grenade launcher would unlock a whole new realm of tactical opportunities.
"It's not a bad idea…" Sage admitted. "Maybe we can get to work once we get back?"
Asher smiled and nodded, slapping a gore encrusted glove affectionately on Sage's equally encrusted shoulder. Asher then broke away from Sage, jogging ahead to meet with his team leader. On his way he gave Rust an affectionate punch on the shoulder, briefly distracting the big man from watching the treeline for danger.
Asher stopped jogging once he was next to Mauve, matching her pace before finally speaking.
"Hey," Asher began.
"What?" Was the only response from the lynx girl.
"I was just talking with Sage…" Asher paused when he saw his girlfriend tense. "He's interested in building a new weapon… are you still interested in building some pistols?"
Realising that the situation wasn't concerning Sage's stunt back at the cave, Mauve visibly relaxed.
"Well yeah… I've gotten pretty used to firing yours and it wouldn't hurt to have a more accurate ranged attack." Mauve responded, watching a smile creep across Asher's face. "But I was actually thinking about looking into mecha-shift capabilities for my blades… so I'm not stuck fumbling around with sheaths and holsters in the middle of a fight… y'know?"
The smile vanished off of Asher's face, replaced with a conflicted look.
"I can help you design the pistol modes," Asher muttered. "But I have no real experience with mecha-shift devices… never saw the appeal of metal origami…"
"So what do you suggest?"
"I can ask Ruby… she'll know more about it than I do…" Asher exclaimed.
"Heh… knowing her she'll be happy to help out!"
Team MARS had been walking over the uneven terrain for a while and eventually the village was in sight. Spotting the huntsman team, the gate attendants hoisted the entrance open. A few of them gawked at their messy forms and showed concern for them, but Rust assured them that the blood belonged to grimm and that no one was injured.
The team maneuvered through the cobblestone streets, avoiding the throngs of curious passersby. They eventually found themselves outside of the small building that contained Jameson's office, opening the door and piling in. The bearded man was sitting at his desk, surveying what appeared to be construction blueprints. The leader of the town greeted them with a smile… but it vanished when he took in their viscera splattered clothes.
"Oh Brothers… I hope that isn't your blood!" He exclaimed, standing up so fast that he knocked over his chair.
Mauve replied with a smirk and slapped Asher on the arm. The fair haired boy gently set his helmet down and fished his scroll out of his pocket. Opening up the device and accessing the gallery, Asher set it on the desk. Jameson looked forward to observe the pictures of two splattered and very dead deathstalkers.
A wide smile broke out on his face.
"Well done!" Jameson cried with a clap. "It looks messy! Gave you one hell of a fight, didn't they!"
"Meeny was a pushover," Rust snorted. "But you were right about Eeny… he was a lot smarter than he looked."
"Yeah…" Sage agreed. "He got the drop on me at one point, flung me against a wall!"
Jameson nodded and clapped his hands again.
"This is excellent news! There are still the occasional beowulf attacks but the town can rest easy knowing that two major threats are dead!" Jameson cheered, he gave the team another wide smile, his entire beard shifting. "We counted the eggs before they hatched and planned a little celebration for your return… I hope you will be joining us tonight?"
"What about the walls?" Mauve questioned.
"The walls are back up again and we'll have a skeleton crew watching for danger… besides, the positivity will probably drive them away."
"In that case…" Mauve smiled. "I see no problem with us catching our flight back to Beacon tomorrow."
"Great!" Jameson exclaimed, moving to shoo them out of the office. "Feel free to shower back in the guest house… I'll have some fresh clothes brought over and your current clothes washed!"
"You read my mind!" Asher chortled as he grabbed his helmet and scroll and joined his team in walking out.
Later…
Asher sighed as he pulled a soft button up shirt over his shoulders. It was coloured a nice light gray and was short enough that it didn't require tucking, he rolled the sleeves up like he normally did with his hoodies.
The bathroom door swung open with a click and Asher strolled into the main room of the guest house. He was greeted by a haphazard assortment of bedrolls… one of which his girlfriend was seated upon.
"Where's Sage and Rust?" Asher questioned as Mauve rose to greet him. Like him, she was dressed in some casual clothes they were offered. She was clad in a white floral sundress, her usual boots had been polished and cleaned in the few hours since they had gotten back. Asher felt a catch in his throat when he saw her, she looked more beautiful than ever...
"They left already," Mauve answered, reaching up to adjust the squashed collar of Asher's button up shirt. "This looks good on you… you don't clean up too badly…"
"Mmm, you think so?" Asher replied, he reached and and gently scratched one of Mauve's ears, prompting her to shudder in pleasure.
"It's not fair that you know how to do that…" Mauve half-mumbled as Asher continued his ministrations.
"Are you asking me to stop?"
"Reluctantly, yes…" Mauve shuddered, reaching up her own hand to pull him away. "The people here were nice enough to throw a street party… let's not spoil their efforts by showing up late."
Mauve grabbed Asher's hand and led him out the front door and onto the street, where a full party was in swing. Groups of citizens were wandering around, engaging in loud and boisterous conversation as they sloshed around cups of what was presumably alcohol. In the very center of the village was a cobblestone square where a band had set up and begun to play. Mauve and Asher couldn't recognize any of the tunes, but wandered onto the makeshift dance floor when the slower songs began. It was just like the Beacon dance, the two of them were engaging in a slow waltz to the tune… minus the ferocious all-night makeout session that followed it.
Off in a corner of the square, Rust and Sage were having a pleasant discussion with Jameson. The wiry man had foregone his usual black blazer, instead opting to roll up the sleeves of his dress shirt and unbutton the top collar. Jameson had offered Rust and Sage some of the local brew, Sage had politely declined but Rust accepted some watered down beer, wanting to stay alert in case there was trouble.
"So Jameson," Sage questioned. "How did you become the leader of this place?"
The wiry man took a sip of beer, the liquid getting caught on his whiskers, "Attrition…"
Rust and Sage bristled at his response and a look of surprise crossed their faces. Jameson noticed the looks he was getting and hastily moved to explain further.
"We normally elect a leader… but the leader we had three years ago was killed suddenly during a skirmish. The town was in a vulnerable state…"
"So you were chosen?" Rust said as he sipped his drink.
"I was the head of the town guard," Jameson explained. "I already had the experience… so I stepped up to lead. I intended to step down and let the people choose once things were calmer… but I got re-elected in a near unanimous vote."
"You seem to be doing a good job!" Sage congratulated.
Jameson shrugged, "it's a hard job… but there are plenty of good people here willing to work hard and find prosperity… I couldn't ask for a better citizenry."
Jameson's eyes were drawn away from the two boys to the dance floor. His eyes scanned the small crowd until he spotted Mauve and Asher, a small smile creeping onto his face.
"Do those two have something going on?" Jameson questioned, pointing at the young couple.
"They've been dating for a few days…" began Sage.
"But they act like they've been dating for a long time…" Rust finished.
Jameson nodded and took another sip of his drink, turning his attention back to Sage and Rust.
"I hope things aren't complicated between them… it can be hard balancing a working relationship and a romantic relationship." Jameson spoke quietly.
"They're making it work…" Sage mumbled. "So far…"
Jameson excused himself from the conversation when a group of men wandered by, inviting him to a drinking contest. Rust and Sage leaned against the wall of a nearby building, watching the dancers move and sway.
"What were you and Asher chatting about on the walk back?" Rust questioned.
"He was asking about my weapons… he's going to help me construct a grenade launcher once we get back." Sage responded.
"Need any help?"
"You know how to build one of those things?"
"No… but I know some metalworking and craftsmanship… I can help out."
"Sounds good to me…"
Rust and Sage were interrupted when a gaggle of teenage girls walked by. They waved and giggled at the two, mostly at Rust but some of the flirtations were directed at Sage. The two politely declined their offers to dance and the girls sulked away, disappointed that the two boys were already taken.
Meanwhile, Mauve had closed the minor distance between her and Asher and laid her head on his shoulder, her ears tickling the back of his neck. The songs had picked up a little bit, but the two were still slow dancing, content to move at their own speed. Although Asher wanted to stay quiet and enjoy the evening… he had questions that were nagging at him...
"Hey Mauve…"
"Yeah?"
"I had some questions… about your parents…"
Asher felt Mauve stiffen a little.
"Go ahead, Asher."
"Your dad… is he a faunus?"
"No… he's a human. I got my ears from my mother… she was a lynx faunus like I am."
"Guess that explains your hair…"
"I got my silver hair from my father, the purple streaks were from my mother."
"I think you mentioned your mom once…"
"I did… her name was Amaranthine, she passed away during childbirth… I never knew her…"
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked-"
"It's fine!" She interrupted. "My dad was… devastated, when she died. But he had to pull himself together to look after me… he gave up his huntsman career and found work as an electrician so he could be closer."
The two settled into silence, Asher was satisfied with the information he had been given but didn't want to press further. The questions had been nagging him for a little while, but it was a romantic evening and he didn't want to ruin it.
Eventually, it crawled later and later into the evening and the townspeople began to dissipate. Not wanting to make the band players stay later than they had to, Asher slipped some lien into one of the guitar cases and Mauve bid the musicians a good night. The two took a moonlit walk through the cobbled streets to their guest home.
Swinging the front door open, the two were greeted by a snoring Sage and a pensive looking Rust; two empty glass bottles were rolling around on the floor.
"What happened to him?" Mauve asked.
"I offered him some watered down beer… he took a liking to it and grabbed some whole ones… one thing led to another." Rust hissed under his breath, not wanting to wake his inebriated partner.
Asher and Mauve slapped their palms on their faces in almost perfect unison.
"What were you thinking!" Hissed Mauve.
"I don't know… like I said, one thing led to another…"
"Well," Asher muttered. "There's no sense in talking about it now… this is a problem for next morning!"
Asher broke off from Mauve to help Rust drag a comatose Sage into his bedroll.