GOMU GOMU NO!~ Okay, so I made a mistake in regards to Fiona Thyme's height. I don't know when this was updated, or if I'm just blind, but according to the wiki Fiona's 5'4". I'll try to find where I mentioned her height and correct it, but I wanted to clear this up before anyone called me out on it.
Other than that slip-up, that's all for this chapter.
As usual, cheers and happy reading everyone.
"I finished my homework, Grandma Carla!" Jaune called from the kitchen table. A scrumptious raspberry pie was baking in the oven and served as the reward for the kind boy's good work ethic.
Jaune performed the usual tarot lessons and tests his father assigned him every morning, it was Carla who taught Jaune and Emerald the alphabet and the calculating conundrums of numbers. While Jaune performed admirably in the topics of literature, it was Emerald who took the spotlight when it came to mathematics.
The senior was a stern teacher, much to Hawkins' approval. She always made sure her grandkids double-checked their answers and finished within a reasonable time limit. Trifa wasn't spared from the studious lessons either. Since she was older than the Hawkins' siblings she served as a side tutor whenever Jaune or Emerald struggled to solve a tough problem. Though the spider Faunus tended to Jaune more than Emerald.
"I can't believe that I have to wear this stupid dress for the rest of the day." Emerald sat beside Jaune and scowled as she punched a few keys on a calculator.
When Carla and Annabel returned with an exhausted Vito, the women were delighted to find Emerald in the clutches of her uncle Kuma. To keep a long story short, the green-haired girl now adorned a light blue and frilly dress that reached to her knees with a pair of black socks with a large red ribbon tied in her hair.
Jaune complimented that it matched his sister's eyes nicely, but that only incited her anger and earned the boy a punch to the gut. Trifa on the other hand was busy in her room fixing the frills on the dress that Jaune said she was cute and did so with a light blush and giddy smile.
"Good on you Jaune, help yourself to a slice of pie but don't spoil your dinner ya hear?" Carla came by to pick up Jaune's and Emerald's papers and left the two to themselves until dinner.
"So what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Emerald asked.
"I'm tired of being stuffed in this house Minty. Wanna enjoy the sun for a bit?" Jaune said with a hopeful glint in his eyes.
"Do you want to be targeted by angry Faunus?" Emerald deadpanned.
"Well, no, but we can have adventures in the nearby forests, and if we bring uncle Kuma there's not a chance that any of the Faunus will bother us!"
Jaune rushed to his room to fetch Funkfreed. It had been quite a while since the elephant had stretched its legs and Jaune was eager to explore the island on his last week of vacation. However, his trusty saber was nowhere to be found! He grabbed his satchel then dashed down the stairs. Jaune cried his pal's name frantically and searched every nook and cranny of the household and the backyard for Funkfreed's whereabouts.
"Grandma Carla, have you seen my sword?!" Jaune yelled.
"Calm down Jaune!" Carla scolded and clamped her palms on her grandchild's shoulders after his third run around the premises.
"Where did you see him last?" The senior spoke softly.
"I left him in my room as usual," Jaune said with his head down.
"Did you ask Kuma?"
"Yes, but he said he hasn't seen Funkfreed since last night!" Jaune wailed.
"Alright, we know Funkfreed isn't the type to wander for no reason. Give him time Jaune, but if you're really that worried about him why not use those tarot cards of yours? Those always seem to get Hawkins out of a pinch." Carla soothed.
Jaune snapped his fingers and furiously nodded. He dashed to the kitchen and snagged his sister by the wrist, and despite her protests, he forced her out of the house and into the streets of Kuo Kuana.
"I don't like this Adam, we shouldn't have taken that sword. It looks really expensive." A girl with tanned skin with dark spots on her arms, legs, stomach, and face sighed. Her brown hair was tied back with a swirl at the end, and she wore blue shorts and a pink shirt with leather sandals.
"Let's be real Ilia, knowing humans, the guy who owns this sword probably stole it." The one addressed as Adam had short spiky hair that was slicked back in conjunction with his black bull horns. He adorned himself in a black shirt and red jeans, with black military boots that were gifted from his father.
The bull Faunus twirled the fancy saber in the air and was happy with its fabrication. It was a tad heavy for a boy to handle, but strength was a trait Adam was particularly proud of.
"Still, stealing is still a crime, I think we should return it." Ilia slowed her pace and Adam frowned.
"Come on Ilia, you said so yourself that you had to use all of your stealth techniques to get past that giant bear Faunus, do you really want to confront him on the premise that we stole something right under his nose?" Adam huffed.
Now, usually, Funkfreed would have transformed and run back to Jaune's side, but he was under strict orders from both his partner and Hawkins to remain in his blade form until ordered otherwise. That and Funkfreed may have been asleep when he was captured...
The two kids continued down the path and found themselves near the entrance of the Belladonna mansion. The white fang meeting had finally swung back in Ghira's favor when Saber, the captain of the guard on Menagerie and his subordinates arrived along with Sienna Khan.
This meant a particular cat Faunus would be waiting for her friends at the back gate, and both Adam and Ilia were eager to see her.
"Blake!" Ilia called and waved her hand to a black-haired girl who stood beside the open gate.
"I like the bow," Adam smirked as a faint blush wormed its way onto the cat Faunus' cheeks.
Blake wore her usual black dress that matched the ones her mother wore, but instead of sandals, she had black leather slippers.
"I like... the sword?" Blake curled a brow at Adam's new blade. The boy had been training with the Menagerie guard since he turned ten, but Blake didn't think they would issue him a weapon so soon.
"Thanks, Blake, Ilia, and I snagged it from the house owned by those blonde humans. Though I think I'll be able to make much greater use of this asset than they ever will." Adam boasted.
He explained how he distracted the giant bear Faunus with random questions, while Ilia skillfully climbed the patio's roof and entered the only open window she could reach. Luckily no one was around, and seeing the fancy saber was the only thing worth any value, Ilia scampered away with it and fled to the meeting location she and Adam agreed on.
The cat-Faunus' eyes narrowed on her friends with a disappointed look. Sure, Blake had heard nothing but bad things about the sudden addition to the island, but the theft was still a blatant crime. Not to mention Adam admitted his misdeed so casually.
"You shouldn't have stolen that sword, Adam. What are your parents going to do when they find out? You can't just say you picked it up off the street." Blake grumbled.
Adam swung the sword on his shoulder.
"Don't think of it as theft Blake. If anything, I relieved those humans of a potential weapon. Isn't that an act of precaution?" Adam shrugged.
"He kinda has a point, Blake." Ilia interrupted.
"Haven't you heard the raging shouts from the aquatic market? The blonde man slapped a sheep Faunus for no reason then chased after her with fury in his menacing eyes."
Adam nodded in agreement and once again Blake was put on the back-burner. She was a naturally quiet kind of person and didn't like having to express negative emotions in public. With a huff, Blake rolled her eyes and conceded. Ruining her day out of the mansion wasn't worth all this bother, and while Adam was a tad strong-headed, he was a dear friend Blake could trust.
"Glad to see you understand my reasons, Blake. So, has the white fang meeting ended yet? Yuma and the Albain brothers wanted to join Ilia and I to see the wreckage that washed up on the island last week." Adam grinned.
"W-Wait, that's not what you told me, Adam. You said we were going into the forest to get some coconuts for tonight's banquet." Ilia protested.
"That's what I assumed too." Blake gestured to a stack of empty baskets with slings. Just large enough for a kid to carry around without encumbering themselves on the walk back home.
"Of course we're going to gather coconuts. I did promise my parents that I'd do the task didn't I?" The bull Faunus sunk his blade into the dirt and grabbed a basket.
"Adam? Blake? Ilia?" Called a few voices from the mansion garden. However, one of them Blake didn't recognize.
"Hey, Yuma!" Adam grinned and waved his new sword to a Faunus with bat wings who wore a black shirt and matching jeans.
"Corsaic, Fennec!" Ilidia grinned at the approaching twins who were adorned in their usual robes when they were with Ms. Khan.
"Um, hello?" Blake awkwardly smiled and greeted a young Faunus with bright orange hair and a pair of short deer antlers. The girl wore a simple teal shirt and maroon shorts.
"Alright, just to get awkward introductions out of the way, this is Deery everyone. She and her family moved here a couple of days ago." Yuma announced.
"Hi everyone!" Deery said with enthusiasm. Though when she turned to greet Adam she did so with a tad more energy.
"Is everyone here? Alright, grab a basket guys, and let's head out!" Adam took the leadership role despite not being the oldest of the group. However, from his dedication to his training and strong determination, the others had no trouble trusting his decisions. Though they did offer comments that swayed his opinions from time to time.
"Are you ready to head out Ghira?" Sienna stacked the last of the white fang pamphlets into a bin.
The meeting room was cleared out in an ordered fashion thanks to Saber. The captain along with a handful of soldiers waited for their chieftain at the end of the hallway with their weapons holstered on their hips.
"This isn't how we should approach the blonde man and his family Sienna." Ghira groaned.
"You read the same wanted poster I did right? If this Hawkins fellow was a peaceful man he wouldn't have a bounty worth more than our island! Not to mention the substantial benefits, you can't deny that we've been strapped for lien since we expanded our white fang protests into Vale."
The chieftain hated to admit it, but success always had some form of price tag on it. In this case, it was in the form of lien bills and coins.
"We can't trust everything that's on paper Sienna. Besides, I ordered everyone in the meeting to keep a safe distance from the home Hawkins is staying at, both as a precaution for our fellow Faunus and to protect the humans themselves." Ghira grunted.
The chief stacked a handful of papers into a box on his desk and sighed. He earned many negative points after issuing that order, but the citizens were loyal enough to respect his word.
"Is that why you made up that new law? Ghira, with all due respect we outnumber those humans a hundred to one. We could easily scare them out of Menagerie without having to spill any blood." Sienna put her hands on her hips and waited for her superior's opinion.
"Give me time Sienna. I will take it upon myself and approach this human who has, as you put it, soiled our land, and see if he really does mean us harm."
Sienna's jaw slacked a bit.
"You can't do that Ghira! You're the head of Menagerie, if you meet your end because of a careless mistake the entire island will grieve your death!" Saber was the one to interrupt the conversation. Worry in the gerbil Faunus' eyes, he walked over and claimed it would be best if he went in Ghira's stead.
"I won't allow that Saber. This is my final decision, am I clear?" Ghira's gaze narrowed and his loyal friend hesitated but agreed to remain on the sidelines until ordered otherwise.
"By the way Saber, have you seen Kali? She left halfway through the white fang meeting and I haven't heard of her since." Ghira curled a brow at the captain's uncomfortable expression.
"I hate to admit it, but Kali managed to slip past us during the second outcry when Hawkins was mentioned. I'm sorry Ghira." Saber rubbed his neck and offered a slight bow of apology.
"Well, my Kali is fearless, but she's not stupid. Wherever she is I'm sure she's safe." Ghira hummed as a thin smile spread on his lips.
As for the faithful love of his life, Kali Belladonna decided to ease her husband's tensed nerves and perform her own investigation. She took a warm bath and put on a fresh batch of clothes and even spritzed a few puffs of her favorite perfume on during the meeting, then headed out onto the streets of Kuo Kuana.
Every person she passed was confused, why was Ms. Belladonna out during a white fang meeting? But they decided to keep to themselves out of respect for the kind and passionate woman. With most of the streets emptied, Kali approached her destination and raised a brave fist. She knocked on the door a couple of times, and loud conversations bloomed behind the walls of the humble home.
"Hawkins, can you get the door, I'm busy with the stew for tonight's dinner!" An old womanly voice shouted.
"Come on Hawkins don't be so stubborn! All the other adults are out and about. Even Vito managed to convince Kuma and Fiona to join him on his afternoon stroll. Plus, Trifa went out to look for Jaune and Emerald. That leaves only you and me 'magician' so get off your butt and go see who it is at the front door!"
An annoyed scoff reached the other side of the door, and when the knob clicked and the frame creaked open, Kali was surprised at the size of the man who rivaled even her husband. His crimson eyes peered down to the Faunus before him, and his golden locks glistened under the sun. His skin was pale, and his ruffled green cloak did his nickname of magician justice. In Kali's eyes, he did seem like some sort of performer.
"What do you want?" He sighed. The magician was already sparse for energy after the hectic run around the city, he didn't want to waste his breath on a random woman he didn't know.
The rude tone was to be expected, as Kali had heard many Faunus before her had sent many threats and even trespassed onto, who she assumed to be, Hawkins' property.
"Good evening, my name is Kali Belladonna, I'm the wife of the chieftain of Menagerie. May I speak with you in private for a moment?"
"...No," Hawkins said bluntly and closed the door.
Kali's expression darkened and her fingers gripped the strap around her waist. Well, Hawkins lived up to his rude reputation that's for sure. But Kali was a persistent woman as Hawkins was about to find out. She knocked on the door several times until another figure revealed itself. An old cow Faunus with white hair, she was much more polite than the blonde man and warmly insisted that she come in for some freshly brewed tea. Seated at the kitchen table, Kali took casual sips from her cup and examined the house.
"I'm sorry that you and Hawkins got off on the wrong foot, but you must understand that he's been under scrutiny ever since he set foot on the island." The senior named Carla was a kind woman, but even she had her grievances about Hawkins' behavior.
"Actually, he's sitting outside on the backyard patio, if you go out there now and corner him he won't be able to go anywhere else," Carla said with a mischievous smile.
Kali giggled and finished her tea. She left Carla to finish her dinner preparations and headed out to the backyard. Surely enough, the blonde man was there, but not all appeared to be well.
He sat on a wooden rocking chair, but his eyes were shut tight and his body was covered in sweat. His hands clamped on the armrests of the chair, Hawkins' chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. Kali had seen these symptoms before, when Ghira had come home a few days ago after experiencing the close calls of slavery, he too appeared in the same distraught condition as Hawkins.
The only difference between Hawkins and Ghira however, was that the chieftain of Menagerie had his lovely wife and child to depend upon. Kali took slow steps and rested a gentle palm on one of Hawkins' hands. The magician's expression lessened in intensity, and his clammy fingers wrapped around Kali's pleadingly.
"Cap..." Hawkins mumbled.
Kali curled a brow but continued to simply comfort the distressed man.
"Captain?" Hawkins said louder.
His grip loosened, and Hawkins' pulse grew weary. His breaths sagged and his head tilted downward.
"...Hawkins?" Kali's ears perked up and her eyes narrowed on at the face of agony Hawkins produced. She shook him violently until the lids of his eyes came around.
When the Faunus witnessed those dull and hollow eyes, she had to admit that she was frightened. Hawkins' face was already intimidating, to begin with, so dash in a bit of a scowl and you have the perfect traditional villain.
"Ms. Belladonna?" Hawkins mumbled.
"Hah... Thank Oum for that Hawkins. You scared me for a minute." Kali sighed.
"Could you release my hand?" He grunted.
Kali giggled and did as she was told. She took a seat on another rocking chair across the blonde man and clasped her hands on her lap. Hawkins rubbed his temples and untied his sash to use it as a handkerchief for his sweaty forehead.
"Are you here to give me a set date to depart." Hawkins deadpanned. The Faunus was the wife of the chieftain of the island, so it only made sense that she would be used to coerce the magician into leaving sooner rather than later.
"Nothing of the sort. I just wanted to see what the 'menace' of the island was really like. By the looks of it, you're not the disgusting piece of garbage that everyone talks about. I didn't believe or spread those rumors mind you, but I'm sure you've realized that the world of Remnant isn't fair for Faunus folk." Kali explained.
Hawkins examined her features and deduced that she was harmless enough. The cat Faunus was surprisingly inciteful and understanding. She never questioned Hawkins or interrupted him when he spoke. After learning that Hawkins was indeed innocent of all the crimes pinned against him, Kali felt a pang of guilt throb in her stomach but shrugged it off for now. After all, she wanted to know more about the 'bloodthirsty' criminal that this Monet woman had spoken of during the white fang meeting.
"Hawkins, where are you? I have the medicine for your headaches!" Called a feminine voice.
"Ms. Thyme?" The magician groaned and lifted himself from his chair. He dragged his feet to the door but was smacked by it when an excited sheep Faunus pushed it open.
"Ah! Hawkins' I'm so sorry!" Fiona panicked and ran over to help the staggering blonde.
Unfortunately for Hawkins, and fortunately for Fiona, the sheep Faunus tripped on her way to assist the magician and crashed into him sending both to the floor with Hawkins on his back and Fiona on top. For Kali who sat idly on the sidelines, she found this the perfect opportunity to tease the newcomer.
"Oh my, so direct Ms. Thyme. Tell me have you read the novel ninja's in love?" Kali's smirk grew when a pair of embarrassed olive pupils snapped up to her then back down to the muscular man she was straddled on.
"I-It was an accident!" Fiona wailed and jumped off Hawkins. She fled back into the house so fast Kali had trouble tracking her.
"So Hawkins, that's a nice friend you have there." The cat Faunus laughed.
"She's an acquaintance I can barely tolerate," Hawkins muttered and lazily picked himself up.
"Ms. Thyme-rero?" Another voice made itself heard in the house and was followed by a loud oof.
Staggering through the door was a chameleon Faunus with a long and curled tongue. He offered a polite hello and introduced himself as Vito. Behind him was a boy with blonde hair and a girl with dark skin and green hair.
"Dad! Funkfreed's missing!" The boy said in a worried tone.
"I'm fine Jaune. Don't bother with me." Hawkins sighed.
The boy named Jaune quickly noticed the cat Faunus who stood behind his father and immediately straightened himself out. He flashed Kali a goofy smile and greeted her in a chirpy tone.
"Hello, my name's Jaune F. Hawkins, and this is my sister Minty!" The boy grinned but winced when his sister jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.
"M-My bad Minty. Sorry, this is Emerald S. Hawkins, and she's pleased to meet you."
"Kali Belladonna dear."
The cat Faunus couldn't help but chuckle at the sibling's antics. How wrong she was to suspect that the rumors about Hawkins had any merit to them. She looked to the sun that was close to tucking itself behind the horizon, and she knew her time at the blonde man's household had come to an end for today.
"Well, it's been nice speaking with you Hawkins, but I'm afraid it's almost time for dinner." Kali shook hands with her new blonde friend and flashed him a kind smile. Though all she got was an irritated huff, Kali knew this man wasn't the perceived monster that everyone claimed him to be. Boy, did she have a lot to tell Ghira.
However, the news Kali amassed would be told much sooner than expected. When Jaune opened the door to allow the cat Faunus a polite goodbye, Kali was confronted by the very man she had devoted her life to be with.
Ghira straightened the purple sash tied around his waist and scratched his chin. It was a late afternoon in Menagerie, and after he and Sienna had filed the last of the meeting documents, they decided it was time to confront the criminal Monet had informed them about.
"We should have brought more guards Ghira. I heard this Hawkins fellow assaulted a sheep Faunus yesterday, so it's already proven that he's violent."
As a precaution, Ghira brought along five of his most loyal and competent guards, which included Sienna Khan whom the tribe leader considered as his temporary replacement. However, this time around he was hesitant to allow the tiger Faunus to join him. Something about her anxious expression didn't sit well with the chieftain.
Ghira approached and knocked on the door. The sound of light footsteps echoed across the hallway, and the chief was greeted by a young blonde boy with ocean blue eyes. The Faunus curled a brow when his sights landed on the child adorned in a blue bunny onesie, his face seemed familiar, had Ghira seen him before?
The boy's eyes widened and his body trembled. Sienna and Ghira glanced at each other in confusion, but the boy's attention seemed only to be on Ghira.
"Waaah! I'm sorry about yesterday!" The kid fled down the hallway with moist eyes.
Ghira blinked, that was definitely the same boy he'd seen in the markets. However, an ominous breeze crawled up his spine and he turned to a very annoyed Kali.
"Kali? What's going on? Why are you here?" Ghira asked worriedly.
"Ghira, you told me that you didn't do anything to that poor boy. But it looks like you lied to me." She growled. A bead of sweat trickled down the man's chin as he tried to shift back to the main topic.
"I came to visit the so-called 'evil' that's plagued our island. Now you tell me, dear, what are you and the others planning to do?" Kali huffed.
Kali gestured to Saber and Sienna who had a gathered mob of Faunus behind them. Resting a hand on her hip, Kali blocked the doorway of the humble home and met the questioning glares being shot her way with one of her own. One look at his wife's fierce visage and demeanor was all it took to convince Ghira that something was amiss.
"Is everything alright?" A low and calm voice called from behind the mob.
All Faunus, especially Sienna, felt their hearts spin into high gear when a towering Faunus with bear ears greeted them.
"Ah, Ms. Khan, you came back I see. Have you met up with your friend Hawkins?"
Sienna's blood went cold when all eyes darted toward her.
"Sienna, you didn't tell me that you knew Hawkins." Ghira crossed his arms and curled a brow. As did every other Faunus present.
"W-Well it's a long story," Sienna grumbled and rubbed her arm.
"You can explain everything at a later date. I'm sure we're all tired and in need of some well-deserved rest. Saber, call off your men for now and we'll speak about this tomorrow." Ghira made no exception and ordered everyone to leave the premises.
This was not the outcome the chief was expecting, but he thanked Oum that it was the one he got. Though, by the agitated glare from Kali, it was clear he had a lot of explaining to do.
"Monet, what took you so long?" Vergo pocketed his scroll and picked up another biscuit from the coffee table. The door of their shared room creaked open and in came a bird Faunus with amber eyes and green hair.
Unlike Hawkins, Vergo avoided the island's scrutiny due to a fib that Monet had devised on his behalf. With there always being a piece of food stuck to the man's cheek, he passed as a frog Faunus who had sticky skin. In fact, he had an apple core on his left cheek at this very moment.
"I was at a white fang meeting, and you wouldn't believe how lucky we are," Monet smirked.
"Does it have anything to do with that fake bounty poster you created?" Vergo asked.
"Yes, as it turns out a former member of the worst generation has also arrived in Remnant."
"Is it straw hat Luffy or Trafalgar Law?" Vergo stood himself up with a frown with veins bulging from his forehead.
"No, instead we have a blonde magician on our hands, Basil Hawkins. I'm sure you've heard of him Vergo-san?"
The trench-coated man nodded.
"If we play our cards right, we can arrange for him to take all the blame for Ghira's murder." Monet giggled.
"I don't get it, Monet, why not just kill off the chieftain and be done with it? We're supposed to enact the assignation tomorrow night anyway with the guns Doffy provided us." Vergo sighed.
Monet deadpanned. "Vergo-san, Doffy never issued us any kind of firearm."
Vergo blinked. "Ah, you're right. I'll just pummel Ghira to death then."
"Anyways, have you seen the hostility on the streets? Everywhere you go the topic of Hawkins being the villain on Menagerie is a story everyone believes. If we orchestrate a situation where Hawkins is claimed as the murderer, even more Faunus will slink away from Ghira's peaceful approach to Faunus rights which will allow me to coerce them into joining Doffy's 'noble' cause." Monet snickered.
"Okay, but how do we arrange such an event?" Vergo picked up another biscuit and took a bite.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I've whispered a few falshoods to Kali, the chieftain's wife, and she's done her job nicely. Believe me, Hawkins will be in the Belladonna mansion before Ghira leaves for the western isles, and he'll soon find his hands covered in Ghira's blood. Whether the magician likes it or not."
For the rest of the night, Monet had to remind Vergo that he didn't wield an axe...
