AUTHOR'S NOTES: Kind of a short chapter this time around, all with Sun and Blake. I began writing the meeting between Reaper Flight and Leonardo Lionheart, but it was topping over 4000 words and I was only halfway through, so that will wait until next time.

The Belladonna Lodge

Paisley, Lower Scotland, Menagerie

12 June 2001

Kali Belladonna idly leafed through an issue of Menagerie Today. She was quite proud of the fact that, despite being on the wrong side of 40, she still didn't need glasses. Ghira had to use them to read now, but her eyesight was still as superb as it had been when she had flown for the Royal Air Force.

Somehow, she managed not to leap into the ceiling when the front door suddenly slammed open. Ghira stalked through it, red-faced, enraged, which did not really surprise Kali; Ghira had a tendency to return from Menagerie Council meetings in a bad mood. What was surprising that Sun Wukong was right behind him, equally angry.

"Unbelievable!" Ghira shouted.

"Total bullshit!" Sun added.

"I will not stand for this!"

"Fucking A!"

Kali calmly put down the magazine and smoothed her skirt. "Well," she said with a smile, "at least you two can agree on something."

Sun and Ghira looked at her, then looked at each other. Sun let out a weak laugh, while Ghira just growled and stomped towards the kitchen.

Behind Sun, Blake Belladonna closed the doors. "Hi, Mom. We're home."

"So I see." Kali got to her feet. "So, I may infer from your father's anger that the Council meeting went poorly?"

"That's an understatement," Blake sighed. "Mom, what's with—"

Ghira came back into the living room, a beer bottle in one beefy paw. He tore the cap off with his bare hands and drank a third of it. "We introduced the evidence against Sienna in the Council. I played the tape from Amitola's cell phone. And they just sat there. They just stared at me." He flung his free hand at Sun, nearly hitting the monkey Faunus. "Captain Wukong gets up there and testifies that he saw Sienna leading the attack on Beacon." He then pointed at Blake. "And so does Blake. And I can tell it's tearing her up inside to even talk about this! What, with her friends nearly being killed and her friend Yang nearly dying—"

"Dad, please," Blake pleaded.

Ghira stopped, looked at her, then nodded. "I'm sorry, little one." He took another drink. "And still they sit there! They say nothing!"

Kali put her hands behind her back. "And Sienna? What does she do?"

Ghira snorted. "Denied the whole thing, of course! She said she was at Lecket Hill the whole time, and the Albains can prove it. And of course, those two arse-kissers nod solemnly and say, why yes, Sienna was there, knitting a scarf and going over her donations to the Reedy Creek Faunus Youth Ranch!"

Kali raised an eyebrow and glanced at Blake. "Did they really say that?"

"Not the knitting scarf part," Blake replied. "But yes, they did say she was meeting someone with Reedy Creek."

"And she can provide the names of those she met with," Sun added.

"And she will, and those fools will back her fool story up!" Ghira thundered. "Everyone with an IQ that of their belt size know that Reedy Creek is a White Fang front organization, but no one has the balls to say it!" He finished the beer, stared at it like he wanted to hurl it against the nearest wall, then went over to the recliner and collapsed into it. "Well, I will, by God!"

Kali went over and sat on the arm of the chair, leaning against her husband. "So, what now?"

Blake walked over to them. "It's not as bad as all that. Dad's right—the Council did just sit there—"

"Like a bunch of stunned cows!" Sun snarled.

Blake put up a hand. "Easy, Sun. They did just sit there, but they promised a vote on it tomorrow."

"A vote." Ghira's fists balled, and Kali extracted the beer bottle before he broke it. "A vote to investigate Sienna Khan. Not to arrest her. Not to ban the White Fang. Not even to censure her."

Kali put her arm around Ghira's huge shoulders. "Dear, what would Winston say in a time like this?"

"'Democracy is the worst form of government except all the others,'" Ghira mumbled.

"Well, yes," Kali conceded, "but I was rather thinking the quote about the end of the beginning. It's a start. At least they're investigating."

"Considering an investigation," Ghira corrected her.

"And Charles Tabey did say he supported you, Dad. With his faction behind you, Sienna will get investigated. It may come to nothing, but at least she'll be looking over her shoulder." Blake had grown up close to Menagerie politics; it had been one reason she'd joined the White Fang. Ghira grunted, but Blake could tell her remarks had made him feel a little better. "Everything's going to be okay, guys." She said it with a bit more conviction than she felt, but Tabey's support would make a big difference. And seeing Sienna Khan visibly worried had buoyed Blake's spirits considerably. At least during an investigation the White Fang won't try anything. Not even Adam will risk it then. I hope, she thought.

Kali kissed her husband's cheek, then got up and walked towards the kitchen. "I'll get dinner started."

"Mom," Blake called after her, "what's with the Gurkhas around the house?"

"Oh yes," Kali said. Ghira's head came up; he'd been so distracted that he hadn't noticed. "Gurkhas?" he asked in disbelief. "What the bloody hell?"

Kali turned. "I'm sorry, love. I thought you knew. Four of them arrived this morning, under the command of a Regimental Sergeant Major Ganju Rai. He's out front, somewhere."

"Ganju Rai?" Ghira exclaimed, getting to his feet. "They sent us Rai the Python?" He walked briskly out the front door.

Blake looked to her mother in confusion. Kali smiled. "Ganju Rai is an old friend of your father's. It seems that his friends in MI6 believe that our lives may be in danger, and they don't trust an old Royal Marine like your father, much less an old fighter pilot like me, to defend us if the White Fang—or someone else—should attack. So, four Gurkhas." Kali resumed walking into the kitchen.

Blake sat on the couch, quickly joined by Sun. "What are Gurkhas?" he asked.

She gave him a look of disbelief. "You've never heard of them?"

"Chinese Unified Air Force, not Army," he reminded her.

"I thought everyone knew about them." Blake quickly explained the Gurkhas. Once enemies of the British Empire, the British had realized their fighting potential and began recruiting regiments of the tough Nepalese fighters. It had been a good choice: for nearly two hundred years, the Gurkhas had served British kings and queens with incredible courage and fighting prowess. They carried guns like other troops, but were far more renowned—and feared—for their hook-bladed fighting knife, the kukri. Sun's eyebrows went up, impressed. "They sound pretty damn tough. Guess I need to pay attention more."

"I'll forgive you," Blake smiled. Sun had been tough too, she admitted to herself. Whereas even Blake had only referred to Sienna Khan in the third person at the Council meeting, Sun had actually pointed directly at the White Fang High Leader and accused her to her face of leading the attack on Beacon. He'd just drawn a target on his back, but the monkey Faunus could not care less.

Sun grinned back, then grabbed the remote. "Let's see what's on the telly. That's what they call it around here, right?" He clicked it on and settled back. He was tempted to put an arm around Blake—she was close enough—but the thought of Ghira seeing him being forward with his daughter sent a chill down his tail. Sun might not fear Sienna Khan, but he was very afraid of Ghira Belladonna.

Blake leaned back next to him, surreptitiously taking in Sun's pectorals, which as usual, were on display. Her heart began beating a bit faster. She hadn't been with anyone since Adam, and Sun was here, and certainly attractive enough. Heh. I'm so hard up Yang was looking good, Blake thought, then once more tried to put Yang out of her thoughts. Then she asked herself why, exactly, she would. Yang Xiao Long deserved more than to be crammed into a metaphysical box in one corner of her brain. Maybe now was the time to let her out. Sun would be a good one to talk to; he'd been at Beacon, after all.

"Sun, can I—"

"Holy shit!" Sun yelled, pointing the remote at the television. Blake looked, and all thoughts of Yang vanished. Her hands went involuntarily to her mouth. "Mrs. B!" Sun shouted.

Kali came out of the kitchen, drying her hands. "What is it—oh my God!"

The TV was on the BBC, showing an aerial view of Edinburgh Castle. At the bottom, the news ticker read CHARLES TABEY DEAD.

Blake leaned against the balcony of her home, staring out over the woods, across the nearby golf course. A crescent moon hung in the sky, over the distant, dark mountains. Glasgow glowed over to her right. It was a somber town tonight, as Menagerie mourned the death of one of the nation's founders. Kali and Ghira had gone to an emergency meeting of the Council. Sun sat watching TV; he was as stunned as anyone else. He might not have heard of the Gurkhas in China, but he had heard of Charles Tabey.

Blake turned as she heard soft footfalls on the balcony landing. It was one of the Gurkhas, the only female in the group. Blake hadn't known there were any female ones. The woman was short, almost tiny, dressed in her regiment's fatigue uniform. A pistol was on one hip; on the other was the kukri. The woman came to attention. "Good evening, Captain Belladonna. Do you wish me to stay with you?"

Blake smiled. "No, that's all right. May I ask your name?"

"Chatushkami Tamang, ma'am. Corporal, 2nd Gurkha Regiment." A brief smile, revealing just for a second the twenty-year old girl behind the uniform. "It is a bit of a mouthful."

"I appreciate you being here."

Tamang gave a short nod. "My duty, Captain. And an honor."

Blake realized she was waiting to be dismissed. It had been awhile since anyone had been under Blake's command; the only people she'd given orders to since officers' school was her ground crew at Patuxent River and Beacon. "That will be all, Corporal." Tamang snapped back to attention and saluted, palm outwards in the British fashion. Blake did the same, palm-down in the American style. The Gurkha then left, retreating back into the kitchen and to her guard post out front.

Blake returned to staring over the balcony, then sniffed the air. "I know you're there, Ilia," she sighed. Ilia Amitola appeared as if conjured, climbing up from under the balcony, her skin returning to its natural color; she wore her usual black jumpsuit, and the white White Fang mask. She stood on the railing of the balcony. "You might want to get down," Blake advised her. "Those Gurkhas are likely to get nervous."

"Gurkhas." Ilia shook her head. "I admit it's better than the no security at all you had here. Still, there's only four of them."

Blake leaned nonchalantly on the balcony. "And myself, and Sun, plus my father and mother. We won't die easily, Ilia, and I guarantee there will be a lot of dead White Fang preceding us into the afterlife."

Ilia put up her hands. "I just came to talk, that's all."

"Which is why you were wearing that perfume of yours. So I would smell it, and not have Corporal Tamang come back here and cut your head off when you sneaked in here." Blake couldn't avoid the venom in her voice. Ilia had been her dearest friend, as close as a sister, but she'd also been part of the attack on Beacon, and either directly or indirectly responsible for all the dead fighter pilots, and Yang's crippling.

Ilia seemed not to notice. "You bought me that stuff on the Paris job. I kind of like it."

"I don't feel much like talking about old times, Ilia. I had enough of that today." She shook her head. "Why, Ilia? Why do you stay with the White Fang? We played what was on your phone today to the Council."

"I know," Ilia said.

"Then you know that the Albains and Sienna have sold you out!" Blake hissed, trying to keep her voice down. "They're blaming it all on Adam. According to them, Sienna never left Menagerie. She wasn't with you when you hit Beacon—or the convoy in Iowa, or Mountain Glenn." Her lips peeled back in anger. "But we know that's a lie, don't we, Ilia? Sienna was in all three places. That was her voice that broadcast after Penny Polendina got killed."

Ilia looked away. "You can't prove anything, Blake." To Blake's surprise, the tone in Ilia's voice was apologetic, not defiant, as if she was genuinely sorry Blake couldn't prove it. "And with Tabey dead, there's not going to be an investigation of Sienna. Everyone's going to be too busy…and Tabey promised Sienna his seat on the Council."

Blake fought down the urge to punch Ilia between the eyeslits of the mask. "Oh, you've got it all figured out, don't you? Did you come here to gloat?"

"No!" Ilia insisted. She pulled the mask off. Her eyes were wide, pained, and pleading. "Please, Blake. You've got to leave Menagerie."

"Why? Is Sienna going to attack us? Is Adam?"

"I don't know. They're not talking to me. That's what scares me." She reached out and took Blake's hands. "Please, Blake," she repeated. "I know you hate me, and maybe you should. But you've got to leave. You, your mom and dad, and that monkey guy in there with ripped abs."

The comment would've been enough to make Blake chuckle under normal circumstances, but she was too angry. "So you want me to run away again, is that it?" She stabbed a finger into Ilia's chest. "You can take that and shove it up your ass, Ilia. Go back and tell Adam that I'm through running. I've run too far as it is." She pushed Ilia away. "Get out of here. I know Dad. If the Council won't cooperate, he'll go straight to the Faunus as a whole. And they'll follow him. Tabey or no Tabey. You know it too, Ilia." Blake fixed her former friend with a murderous stare. "If you want us to leave Menagerie, you're going to have to force us."

Ilia looked down, sadly. "I know, Blake. I know." She put her mask back on, leapt into the woods, and was gone.

AUTHOR'S END NOTES: Having the Gurkhas show up was kind of a whim, after watching the scene between Ilia and Blake in canon RWBY. I realized that the Belladonnas don't have guards like in the show, and the idea "Let's have some Gurkhas show up!" just sprang into my mind.

There are female Gurkhas IRL-or there will be. The regiments began recruiting women this year for the first time. But in the RWBY Wings universe, there are a lot more females in the armed forces than in our world.