XX: No

"No." Came forth the most common word of the afternoon.

Deputy Mae clicked through to the next page on her scroll. Reading it briefly, there was a similar conclusion reached. She repeated the negative word and pressed next. After scanning the new screen, she said it again along with a strong expletive appended to the front of it.

Sitting alone in her office with the door closed, Maggie had a few hours to herself before her next scheduled meeting. Like any other high-functioning workaholic, she decided to use whatever free time she had to pursue something related to her work.

Previously, she had used similar instances to read or complete learning objectives that her boss had assigned. Most of the resources were superfluous, but she did them anyway to make him happy. This time, she was doing something different.

She decided to conduct an audit of the Sheriff's Office's finances.

Although the junior deputy was not an accountant, she was sure she had the information gathering skills needed to accomplish her goal. Being a Specialist often involved finding what others would try to hide. It came with the job. Part time warrior, part time investigator.

There was an irregularity that she was trying to place. An item that was in her possession that should not have existed. On her desk sat the item in question. A high-powered rifle she was trying to find the monetary source of. It had been confiscated from one of the volunteers during the conflict with the Tocsin militia earlier that day.

When questioned later, the volunteer who had held the gun said it had been provided by Deputy Mal Dwrg. The male deputy, for his part, had said the rifles had been in crates he had found in the Bay Two garage. They were 'up for grabs,' so he had taken them for his posse. Maggie pressing him further caused him to deflect by saying they must have been bought using the general fund.

There was a slight problem with this answer. She could not find any mention of the purchase in the internal ledger. This was important. These firearms looked expensive. All large purchases were supposed to be recorded for internal reviews.

The weapon on the desk, according to the manufacturer logo on the grip, had been produced by Arma. This was the same vendor for the Dillos. That fact good as verified that the Office must have bought them. How that had happened, she did not know.

Every month, the Sheriff's Office ran at a deficit. One of the reasons they had not been able to hire on more deputies was that they were hemorrhaging funds. Cyan had earmarked a few volunteers she would have liked to bring on full-time, but there was never enough lien to go around. Maggie's own job had been the first newly created position in two years.

No one could figure out where the money was going. That always struck her as odd, so she was always vigilant for flagrant expenses to cut. This was the first lead that Maggie had found on her own. She was determined to follow it to wherever it went.

Giving whoever had bought the weapons the benefit of the doubt by assuming they had forgotten to record buying the guns, she changed track. Believing they were recently bought, she pulled out the receipt stack next to the scanner. Starting at the very top and working her way down, she read each pink carbon copy sheet.

This proved futile. It did not produce any new clues, other than that they were collectively buying too many sweets from Taste of Relay. There were not any recent purchases from Arma. She decided to expand the search to include the past few months as well.

To preserve receipts while cutting down on clutter, they had moved to a system of scanning all paperwork older than a month. As such, Maggie had to connect to the local area network with her scroll to view them. As was true of the earlier two hundred pages she had examined, nothing was there.

Maggie again pressed the button to move to the next slide. The new screen showed a new receipt. She let out a ragged breath. Nothing. Still no mention of Arma, guns, or even ammo. At this point, she decided to try one last approach.

Being the Quartermaster came with the benefit of access to the financial data in the small arms and light weapons registry that Vale supported. Arma, as an Atlas based provider, was subject to export control laws. Her homeland had strict measures in place to prevent their advanced technology from falling into the hands of criminals.

Although the method changed, the results stayed the same. The SALW database was not supplying any new clues. There was no record of a shipment of weapons to Relay. It did not mean the shipments did not exist, but it did prove that procedures were not followed to track them. That fact irritated her tremendously.

These guns did not appear out of thin air.

Taking a minute to collect herself, she reviewed what she did know. First, volunteers were given weapons outside of their pay grade to obtain for themselves. Second, the weapons came from the Sheriff's department. Third, there was no record of them being bought or of them even being shipped to Relay. These three facts supported a dangerous hypothesis. Since she had not approved of such an order, that meant there was only one person it could have come from.

The Sheriff.

Glancing at the time on her scroll, she had only a few more minutes before her next meeting. A meeting with the man in question. It would be the perfect opportunity to ask him about what she had uncovered.

Standing from her desk, she straightened out her uniform. It was an ingrained habit from her time in the Atlas military. Those that did not take care of their appearance were told to run laps until they fell sick. There was a pragmatic reason for her formality. There were likely still people outside who had not left for the day. She had to set a good example for how others should act.

Opening the door, Maggie was proven correct. Volunteers packed the rooms, gossiping like schoolchildren. Many quieted down when they saw her standing there. They were undoubtedly discussing something the ex-Specialist would not like to hear.

Striding briskly by them, she ignored the awkward silence. If it were important, they would say it to her face. She did overhear how a group was getting together to have a night out on the town. One loud part-timer yelled they really needed to unwind after what had happened today. She both did and did not understand this impulse.

Deputy Mae had never been one who enjoyed the nightlife. Specialist Ederne, one of her younger peers in the service, had tried to get Maggie to 'let her hair down' on a few occasions, but she had never succeeded. After spending most of her workday on her feet, Maggie did not want to spend her off time doing similarly.

When she had first joined as a new hire, a few pushy volunteers had tried to get her to go out with them. Cyan, who saw that she was uncomfortable, saved her from having to be rude by telling them that they had a training that night.

Once the crowd had moved on, the two women talked extensively. It was at that time that Maggie revealed that she was living out of a shabby motel until she could find somewhere permanent. Without a second thought, Cyan had offered her house as a temporary solution. Months later and they were still living together.

Although Maggie could afford to reside alone now, she had not bothered to look anywhere else. Her impromptu landlady had not pushed her either. She had offered money to put her up long term, but Cyan turned it down. According to her, she liked the company. Even the addition of Commander Corazón to the mix had not dampened her enthusiasm.

That was one of the many things Maggie admired about the most senior deputy. Cyan was always looking out for others. Especially those under her charge.

Sometimes, though, that protective instinct of hers got her into trouble. Like going after a dangerous, no-good, red-eyed, rogue without armed back-up. This was after Maggie had all but implored to be taken along for support. What was the point of all the huntress and specialist training if it was not for instances like this?

Branwen. He was trouble. That overconfident smile and abrasive attitude chaffed Maggie's sense of duty. Everything about the way he carried himself challenged her sense of propriety. She did not care what was in that dossier. He was not a hero.

Cyan needed to realize that not everyone could be saved.

Now standing at the familiar door for her supervisor, she rapped it thrice. There was the sound of movement and rustling papers. After a few seconds, a harsh voice told her to enter. Without hesitation, she opened the door to a smoke-filled room.

"Is it time for our one on one already?" Asked Sheriff Wendeval. She nodded. "Have a seat then."

Over the next hour, they discussed many topics. Chief among them were new volunteer training schemes and concerns over the recent flair up of tensions with Tocsin. Maggie avoided asking about the weapon at first. It was only when they started talking about budgeting that she brought up the question that had been bugging her all afternoon.

"As always, we need to find a way to tighten our belt." He grunted while fiddling with a pin. "Additional revenue will begin to pour in once we have a larger tax base. Until then, we need to be lean and agile."

"How did we miss our target for this quarter?" She finally asked.

"Who knows. I guess the way any organization does. Unexpected costs."

"Like new munitions?" Maggie could not help but ask.

"I'm not sure what you mean..."

With a deluge of words, the deputy laid out what she had found to the Sheriff; The unexpected weapons in untrained hands, Deputy Dwrg's suspicious answers, and the lack of any documentation on the buying of these weapons. As she ran through these points, the eyebrows of the man drew closer together.

Once Maggie finished, she waited for a response. An answer for how this had happened. She sat back in her chair and watched as something indescribable passed the face of her boss. The odd glare he was giving did not seem aimed at her, but at an invisible adversary. The impasse between them passed in silence.

And then he began to laugh.

She watched as it started as a chuckle and became a rapturous rumble. His round nose became an uncomfortable shade of cherry. As it continued, Maggie began to wonder if he was drunk. Once he began to settle down and catch his breath, he spoke.

"That makes sense."

"Sir?"

"I had completely forgotten about buying those. I was keeping them stored away until we could have a better roll-out in place. Mal must have found them and taken them in his hurry to meet those invading beasts."

"When did you buy them?"

"Oh, months ago!" He chuckled again. "SWORD had a surplus and needed to get rid of them quietly. My contact was able to sell them to us for a fraction of the original asking price."

That explained quite a lot. Maggie had not been looking at sales from Arma to the Vale police force. And it sounded like he agreed that such firepower should not be put in the hands of moderately trained civilians without supervision. Regardless, it was highly unusual to have left her out of the loop. As the Quartermaster, she should have been informed.

"Why was there no record of this transaction?"

"It was an extremely limited time offer." He waved away. "I had to make an executive decision and the red tape got in the way."

"Sir, the procurement process exists for a reason." She protested. "It helps keep the budget balanced plus it is our responsibility to keep track of…"

"Deputy." He chided. "Do please remember that I am the one in charge. My word is final."

She buttoned down her protests at once. He was correct. It was his decision to make. It was still frustrating. Maggie was not the best at hiding her displeasure. One of many reasons she was no longer in the Atlas military. Wendeval noticed and sighed at her rigid demeanor.

"Do you know why I hired you?" The question was rhetorical. He did not wait for her to answer. "Others would look at your background and think that you were too much of a liability to hire. I saw potential."

For added effect he stood from his chair and walked to her position while talking. Now behind her, he gripped both sides of her chair's back rest. Maggie's muscles tensed. Out of instinct, she brushed her fingers along the outline of her throwing knives in her pants pocket.

"Potential?"

"Potential." He repeated. "Surely you have heard the rumors that Relay will soon be a recognized settlement by the Vale Council?"

"They are more than rumors, I take it."

"Yes. A charter is incoming. With all of the perks and privileges that come along with it." His grip tightened. Creaking and groaning noises came from the pressed fabric and wood. "I will be taking a new position to better steer our society towards a brighter future. That will leave me without time to run the Sherriff's Office."

He let go and came back to the front. His hands were behind his back but the intense look from before returned. The overhead light cast shadows from his brow down his face.

"We will need a new Sheriff. My first action in my new job will be to appoint you if you are up for the challenge."

That pronouncement took Maggie by surprise. Luckily, she was not left completely speechless. Her mouth moved to meet the moment.

"What about Cy… Deputy Roscoe? Or even Deputy Dwrg? They have been here longer than I have."

While it was not odd to occasionally promote newer members if they were exceptionally capable, it was irregular to elevate a newcomer to the highest office of a martial force. Doing such a thing would jump several ladders in terms of seniority.

"I considered both. However, they both lack qualities I am looking for. I need someone with vision, but that can also be a team player. You have both of those things."

"I don't know what to say."

"Say nothing." Wendeval held out his hand, smirking the entire time. "Let's keep this between us. There is no reason to create any internal tension. Not right now. We all need to be pulling together in the same direction."

Maggie bit her lip. She had a feeling she knew what he really meant by those statements. He was not being subtle. No more questions about what was going on with the guns. This was a bribe to buy her silence. Could she really do that? Stab her friend in the back, just so she could be Sheriff Mae one day?

Is that what she really wanted?

〇-〇-〇

"Down there." Sappy pointed while handing over the binoculars.

Looking through the enhancement, Cora got a good look at the problem. According to the oral reports, an entire Grimm herd had chased off some farmers from their land. Down in the valley stood a group of black shapes. Just as advertised.

While there were no deaths or serious injuries, the flock posed a problem. The militia usually ignored creatures of Grimm unless they got too close to the inhabited parts of the area, but they had to make an exception. The creatures had parked themselves in the fertile crescent where Tocsin grew its food. They were also too close to the main traveling path to Vale. That effectively cut off their supplies. Within a few weeks, the settlement would starve.

The Grimm had to go.

"I see them." The Commander confirmed. She pulled out her scroll and switched it to its shortwave radio function. "Everyone ready?"

Off in the distance, she could see a green flag being waved. Kohl was in position. There were then a few confirmations from the other captains who were standing by to help. If everything went right, they would not need the aid.

"You best get somewhere safe." The Commander directed.

"Good luck, ma'am." Captain Sapphire saluted.

Lowering herself from the lookout using a rope ladder, Cora hit the ground with a soft thud. Hunkering down close to the ground to hide in the brush, she made a silent approach. With slow, steady movements, she inched towards the unsuspecting horde.

Although not a trained huntress, the Tocsin Defender knew a few tricks to hide from the Grimm. Besides using their natural senses, they also tracked through negativity. Fear, anger, and loathing was like BBQ sauce to the monsters.

To counteract that, she tried to stay positive as she skirted them. Cora thought of her parents, Cyan, and DJ Yell3r. She even thought of Maggie. The memories were light and focused on the good times and fun they had together.

It was not a perfect method.

At one point, while recalling her mother, Stella Lee's face popped into her head. The sudden flood of disgust turned a few monstrous heads in her direction. Swearing quietly, she flattened herself on the valley floor to avoid detection. After a few minutes of only hearing her heartbeat in her ears, she began to move again.

It took a half-hour to get in the right spot between the Grimm and where she wanted them to be. Sweat dripped down her nose but her nerves were cool and settled. There was a localized feeling of excitement, but it was muted. Once in position, she took a deep breath and took off her beret. The fabric felt cool as she rubbed it across her forehead.

She stood on the precipice. The trap was set. Her people were armed with the proper tools. Now she just had to get the creatures to them. To do that, she was about to do something incredibly stupid. Cyan could never find out.

Cora stood up.

"Hey uglies!" She shouted while performing jumping jacks.

One of the uggos, a black bear-like creature with white bone plating, looked at her in confusion. It must have never met prey that had come to it willingly before. This lack of experience left it with no idea on what to do. It cocked its head.

The woman suddenly felt kind of silly as they stared at each other. Was it not going to do anything?

Thankfully, another, smarter, Ursa spotted her. This one had a trowel with a red handle sticking out of its hide. It stood on its hind legs and let out a beastly roar. This gained the attention of the others. The chase was on.

"Come and get the pretty kitty!" She declared playfully as she turned and fled.

Her heart pounded in her chest as her feet struck the ground. The sound of more roars showed that they had all seen her now. She dared not turn to look and confirm what was happening. A hundred legs trampling everything in their path as they slowly gained on her.

One thing did cause her to break that rule. A much closer snarl than the others. Juking to the left just in time, a black mass pounced on the space she had just occupied. The Beowolf, not expecting to miss, crumpled to the ground in a dark puddle of rage.

"Gotta be faster than that!" She taunted as she ran by it.

Cora had no idea if they could understand her speech. To add insult to injury, she made sure to kick dirt in its face. That did the trick. The monster struggled to its feet in agitation to continue the pursuit.

Still in a dead sprint, she was breathing hard now. The goal was in sight. Two tall rocks that narrowed the path, creating a natural choke point. She could spy a few of the militia member's heads poking out to watch the cartoonish chase.

The murderous noises were catching up. The wave of death would soon overtake her and tear her to shreds. Cora dug deep to keep going. She refused to die doing something this dimwitted. Giving Ms. Lee the satisfaction of outliving her was low on Cora's list of priorities.

With a last bit of desperate acceleration, she made it to the pass. She heard a few yelps and a crunching noise. Since they all could not fit at once, some of the monsters must have run straight into the rock entry way. That bought Cora a few spare seconds to get to safety.

With the running head start, she used a stone as a step to propel herself up the left side of the rock wall. Her hands went up, trusting there would be something to grab on to. The blind faith was rewarded.

Grasping a pair of hands, she met a familiar face. Kohl had pulled her up just in time. The unusually worried expression of her mentor was a welcome sight. She felt wind pass under her feet on the way up. Looking down, she saw that the Beowolf from before was trying to climb up after her. Without a helping hand, all it could do was scratch and claw at the stone in bloodlust.

Her fighters watched on in shock. They had not thought that she would be in that much danger. It had made them forget that the job was only half done.

"What are y'all waiting for?" The Commander of Tocsin asked. "Get at 'em!"

A new roar went out. The people on the rockface let their improvised weapons fly. Large stones and spears flew down into the kill zone. Painful yelps and whimpers rose from the Grimm as they were crushed and impaled. The one that had been trying to get at Cora was now trying to escape but was crushed by a boulder.

Some tried to escape back the way they came in. If the Grimm could have organized themselves into a single file line, it might have worked. In the panic, the creatures were instead trampling one another. Stopped short by the bodies that surrounded them, they bucked and knocked each other down. Easy pickings for the armed force.

It was an absolute slaughter.

After only a few minutes of action, it was over. There was no more noise below them. Only black smoke from the rapidly decomposing bodies filled the air. Looking around, Cora could see the adrenaline draining from the faces of her people and the realization of what they had done. What they had just accomplished.

"Everyone alright?" She asked. There was a quick role call conducted.

"No casualties on our side." Kohl dutifully reported. There was pride and awe in his voice. "You did it!"

"No. We did it!" She corrected.

Once it had been said, there was a new cry that rang out. Celebratory hooting and hollering echoed in the valley. There were some exchanges of high-fives and lots of dancing. Some of the faunus were getting a bit too friendly. Looked like there was going to be a minor baby-boom soon. Cora made a mental note to meet up with the settlement planning group later to discuss more space for family quarters and homesteads.

There was also another noise. An unexpected one that she had to strain her ears to hear. It was faint, but it was there. Clapping. An actual ovation to the battle that had taken place. Looking around for the source, she found it looking out over the plane. She grimaced.

Down below, on the other side of the rocky overlook, was a familiar motorcycle. Straddling it was Cyan. She did not look amused. Behind her sat the applause generator. Qrow Branwen, who Cora thought was long gone, looked to have enjoyed the display. He only stopped his actions when the deputy turned her head to look at him in disapproval.

Shrugging, the huntsman was the first to dismount while her friend followed behind. They both began to walk towards the militia position. Knowing her friend was going to chew her out, she decided to talk to them before they got within ear shot of the celebration. It would only hurt morale to see their leader taken to task by a woman three-fourths her size.

Sliding down the rock-face, she met them at the base of the formation. The triangular meeting began when Cyan put her hands on her hips. Qrow sported a half-grin. He also now had an odd piece of jewelry around his neck she did not recognize, but there was no time to question that now. Both were waiting for Cora to start talking.

"Hey." The faunus woman waved lamely.

"Don't 'hey' me." Cyan fired the first shot. "What was that?"

"A successful militia operation." Cora tried gently. "As you can see, we have eliminated a large Grimm gathering that was threatening our crops."

There it was. Succinct and to the point. There was absolutely nothing to argue about. That is what Cora hoped. The way that the blue-eyed woman vibrated in place made it look like the dispute had just started.

"Okay, but why were you down there in the muck without any reinforcements?"

"Someone had to be the bait that led them into the ambush. And I did have reinforcements. They were up there, on top of the rocks."

"If you were in trouble, no one would have been able to help you in time."

"I was completely safe."

"That is a bold-faced lie! I saw you, with my own two eyes, almost become Grimm food!"

Cora's feline ears fell flat against her head. For some reason, Cyan's outbursts always hit her the deepest. It had always been that way since they were kids. Maybe it was because she rarely ever had them. She was usually so even keeled in temperament.

"But I didn't..."

"That is no excuse. You were only one stumble away from disaster!"

"Yeah. Like you are one to talk about doing something dangerous without backup." She pointed at Qrow. The man in question had lost interest in their squabble. He was now cleaning out his left ear with his pinky finger. "Or did he just happen to come back after you took a mysterious trip yesterday?"

"It was a calculated risk." Cyan deflected a valid point and, judging by how she looked away, knew it. Cora knew she was onto something now.

"Well, so was mine! Calculated!" Cora felt herself becoming a bit heated now.

"There was nothing calculated about what you did!"

"What would you have preferred me do? Let the Grimm have our food!"

"I would have preferred if you had come up with a better plan than hoping you were faster than the beasts that were chasing you. A plan that didn't put you in needless danger."

"There was nothing needless about-"

"Uh, ladies?" Qrow interrupted, having entered the conversation at last. He looked to have instantly regretted it.

"What!?" They both shouted back.

"I think we are being left behind."

Sure enough, Cora's command was marching away. Kohl looked to be at the front, leading them in a battle hymn. He must have seen her leave to talk to Cyan and had decided to lead the troops away. Smart man.

"I guess we should catch up." Cyan spoke, all fight having left her. "We need to head that way anyways. We have business in Tocsin."

They began to follow the mob. The entire walk back, the three of them stayed back. Cora did not know how they would react to a Relay deputy being among them, so avoided drawing attention. There was bound to be a lot of misinformation floating around. While it was unlikely anyone would try anything with their commander around, she did not want to tempt them.

"Why are you here? Is this about what happened this morning?" Cora asked after some time had passed. She tried not to make the question sound accusatory. The two had avoided looking at each other the whole way.

"Partially." Cyan answered. "We will need to talk about that at some point."

"What else is there to do?"

"We have some questions for Cobalt's guardian."

"Gosh. Way to dampen the mood even more." Cora caught on to who they were talking about. She did not approve. "Has Maggie been giving you lessons?"

Cyan cracked up at that. Luckily, the frumpy woman was not around to see it happen. It would have broken her little icy heart. Or it would have made her storm off in a huff. They were both equally likely.

"Did you have to put yourself in harm's way?" Her best friend asked. "As the one in charge, aren't you too valuable to risk as a live lure?"

"I did not want to ask someone to do something I was not willing to do myself." She whispered. "Would you really have done any differently in my shoes?"

The silence that followed was telling. They both had been bitten by the civil service bug at an early age. Even if Cyan was not the Sheriff, she still felt the chains of responsibility. It was hypocritical to the extreme to criticize each other for caring too much.

"Fine. I will let it go. But there is one other thing." Cyan turned her last bit of ire towards Qrow who had been following them closely. "Why didn't you rush in and help, Mr. Huntsman?"

"Eh, they looked like they had it handled." Both hands were in his pockets. Cyan did not look like she respected that answer. It did sound a bit lazy. "Besides, if I had gotten involved, it would have robbed them of the victory. Nothing boosts morale and drives down negativity like believing you can handle problems on your own. Just listen."

Up ahead they could hear the celebrations continue. The battle hymns had given way to pop songs and jazz hands. Kohl was giving out pats on the backs to the younger members while Sappy was probably being chatted up to go out dancing tonight. They were all blissfully unaware what was being talked about only a short distance away.

Cora smiled. It turned out that she and Qrow had similar thoughts on the matter. There were other plans they could have gone with, but this was the one that put as few people at risk as possible. They needed this decisive win after what had happened in Relay. Cora made a bet on herself and it paid off.

Sometimes it was important to show you were not afraid of the darkness. Even when you should be.

The gates of Tocsin were now in sight. Qrow whistled at the scene. Fit snugly between the black hills, it never failed to bring a smile to Cora's face. It had stood since before she was born. The original wall had been built by a mining company using leftover materials from when Vale's walls were created. The gates were old and rusted in places, but they stood firm.

The large doors opened to allow the group in. They had to enter in columns of two due to the narrowness. The militia, having trained in marching formations, cut the celebration short and formed up instinctively. The three stragglers were the last to enter. They were also the last to see that they had been met by the last person Cora wanted to deal with right now.

"Based on the commotion, I take that the culling was successful?" Stella Lee called from her seated position on the bottom most stair leading to the top of the wall. The whoop from the crowd confirmed what she wanted to know. "Then I congratulate you. The first round of drinks is on me. I have already informed the provisions tent."

And there she went. The ultimate politician. Buying allegiance with communal supplies and pretending like it was hers to give.

No one questioned it as they stampeded away. That left only six behind in groups of two. A hag and the two guard dogs that followed her every movement were in one group. The other consisted of a militia leader, a deputy sheriff, and a huntsman.

"So, you have returned with victory." She directed at the leftovers as she stood from the step. Both men tried to help her up, but she shook them off. "And you brought guests. I recognize Cyan, but who is the other?"

"He is Qrow Branwen. A huntsman who is helping me with an investigation." Cyan responded before anyone else could. "If we could have a few minutes of your time, there are a few things we would like to discuss with you."

"Very well. Let us talk back at my residence." The crone inclined her head towards one of her chaperons. "Colorado, could you lead them there?"

The masked man brought his fist up to his chest in a faux salute and bid Cyan and Qrow to follow along. The huntsman looked a little wary to be following someone wearing a face covering, but he decided to do it anyway.

"Onyx, dear, could you give us a few moments so I can catch up with my kin?"

The other man turned away and walked towards the other side of the gate. Far enough to not eavesdrop, but close enough to respond if something happened. The old bat drifted closer but remained in the shade provided by the protective barrier of the town.

"It is good to see you are safe." The younger woman did not react. "I know our last conversation did not end on the best of terms, but-"

"What do you want? We have nothing to discuss." Frustrations wormed their way out of Cora's mouth.

"Didn't you say we would talk later? I decided not to wait for you to come around this time."

If she wanted to catch her granddaughter off guard, this was the correct time to do it. After stopping a clash of two settlements, outrunning murderous Grimm, and arguing with her bestie, Cora's temper was already frayed.

"It doesn't matter what I say." Cora felt defeated after such a long day of one crisis after another. "You are going to do whatever you want, and everyone is just going to let you."

"Don't be so dramatic. Although I can be... persuasive, you are still a valued member of our community."

"My community." The local reminded the transplant. "You didn't seem to care back when you were busy trying to run Menagerie behind the Chieftain's back."

"That was a simple misunderstanding on his part."

"Your 'bodyguards' say differently."

The one called Onyx turned to regard them as their voices rose. He then spun back to his own business once he decided everyone was behaving themselves. As though he could do anything if it came to blows between the two blood relatives.

"We will agree to disagree on that." Cora saw a new calculation going on the head of the other woman. She was on guard at once. "Today has been trying. Why don't you take the rest of the day off to rest?"

"I'm not tired." She lied like she was five years old all over again.

"People need rest. Especially those that carry such heavy burdens. Why don't you leave everything to me?" Stella Lee implored. Begged. Her eyes seemed to glow in the shadows as her granddaughter's head began to spin. "I have always known what is best for you."

Cora felt like she was submerged in water from the neck up. The echo of the words bounced around inside her skull. Despite every fiber of her being resisting the invisible force, she felt herself giving in. Surrendering to the reassurances of a close family member.

She's right. I should leave everything to her.

"No." The younger woman spat out as she was being pulled under.

"No?" Her kindly abuela asked. Curiosity laced the words.

Turning her head away, Cora reached deep inside herself. She needed strength. She needed her Aura. Her soul was not providing it. Like sand through a sieve, it kept escaping her grasp. Always just out of reach.

"No."

"Don't you trust me, little Key?"

There was finally a breakthrough. Just when Cora had almost given up, she found what she was looking for. The power she needed flooded her system. Stella Lee stealing the nickname Cora's mother had given her broke the trance. The haze cleared away just in time to throw a rebuttal.

"Stay out of my head." The Commander said with bared teeth. "You try that on Cyan, and no one will be able to stop what I do to you."

Ms. Lee looked on as her kin turned their back on her and walked away.

"You didn't answer my question." There was some desperation in her voice. Like someone who cared. Cora kept on walking. "Don't you trust me?"

"No."

Chapter Next: Tell It Like It Is (9/04/20)