Rohan Verde

The harbour bustles with life as dock workers move back and forth loading supplies onto the ships heading for Anima. A line of passengers are slowly walking up a rampart, showing their tickets to the captain for passage as a mother and child get closer. The child stops and looks back in the direction of Patch a solemn look on his face.

"Mum, will we ever go back?" he turns towards his mother as she walks over and kneels down to him.

"Of course dear, someday we will I promise" she smiles, putting a hand on his head "I know how hard the last year has been for you Rohan, you were very brave. But trust me you will love Argus just as much as Patch, it's where mommy grew up after all".

Rohan looks into his mothers eyes, wiping away a tear and holds his right little finger out "Promise?" Scarlett wraps her little finger around his and shakes it with a smile as the wind blows her long red hair.

"I promise with all my heart". The two of them laugh and start to walk up the ship's rampart, it was going to be a long journey.

The last year has been very difficult for the Verde family. Before then Rohan would spend his days in the forest near his home, catching bugs, observing the different animals and playing with his friends while having a cheerful home life. However everything changed when he was nine, his parents would argue almost every night when Rohan's father would come home late from work and Scarlett would ask where he had been. Everytime it was the same excuse.

"I had to work late" his father would say. Four months later his father had been exposed as having an affair with a co-worker and not just for a short time. It had been going on for an entire year. When Scarlett found out she was well...furious would be an understatement. She promptly threw her husband out and started filing for divorce. While Rohan's father started living with his mistress.

It took months for the divorce to go through. Scarlett got the house and full custody of their son with child support from her ex husband. During that time and thereafter Rohan could see how lonely and upset his mother was and would do everything he could to make her smile. While putting on a brave face of his own, he understood what had happened as best as he could. It felt odd to just have him and his mother in the house. Then came his tenth birthday, it had been a happy occasion up until Rohan started opening the presents but received nothing from his father, not even a card. That finally broke him and he just burst into tears in front of his mother, friends and family. An entire year of built up emotions and stress released as he cried. Scarlett held her son in a tender embrace, letting him cry and sob into her chest as tears slowly trickled down her own cheeks. It was then she made the decision to leave Patch, to take Rohan away from the pain, grief and anguish the last year had caused them and start anew in her hometown of Argus.

After finding a buyer for the house and talking with her family about staying with them till she could find a home for Rohan and herself, Scarlett bought their tickets for the long journey ahead.

One long boat ride, airship and Argus express train journey later. Which Rohan loved every step of, they finally arrived in Argus to quite a fan fair by Scarlett's family. He had only met some of them once or twice in his life up to that point and never knew his mother had come from such a large family, having four older brothers. He did notice that they all had one thing in common. Dark, fiery red hair. Rohan looked at the tips of red on his own dark brown hair and smiles, before being surrounded by every Blaze family member asking him questions and laughing as his Uncle Crimson ruffles his hair with a smile.

"You're a Blaze alright Rohan and definitely my little sister's kid".

Rohan smiles and laughs with them all as he answers as many questions as he could from his younger cousins.

A whistle pierces the air, followed by a clap of hands from his grandmother "Alright that's enough from you all, they've had a long journey and need to rest. You can talk with them at dinner, boys grab their bags please". Three of the brothers do while Crimson lifts Rohan onto his shoulders and smiles through his heavy red beard.

"We know how tough it has been for you both. Argus may not be Patch, but we hope you will consider it a second home".

Rohan nods slowly "I'll try Uncle"

Two years passed and Rohan did just as he had promised, Argus had become a second home to him and he loved every part of it. There may not be any forests to explore but he had grown very fond of the city with help from his family, exploring it and learning all the nooks and crannies. Eventually he knew Argus like the back of his own hand.

Not to say there weren't a few hiccups though, his mother had been over protective during the first year to the point where he felt suffocated. It took a stern talk from his grandmother to make Scarlett realise that Rohan needed to have some freedom in his life and that she needed to trust him more. After that she backed off and started to act more like the mother he remembered.

Then there was the time they were eating lunch at a cafe, where they watched a young faunus couple being turned away by the owner. Rohan asked his mother why. Did the couple do something wrong? To which she replied.

"Some people just think that because you have an animal trait that makes you an animal too".

This did not sit well with Rohan at all and he quickly without fear of the consequences smashed his slice of whipped pumpkin pie into the owner's face as he walked past. Earning a chuckle from his mother and praise from the other patrons. After that he loathed anyone who looked down on another for being different. Especially if they were faunus, whom he admired and respected. Reminding him of the animals he used to watch on Patch.

One day Rohan was eating lunch with two of his older cousins at school, when they hear a commotion going on nearby and go to investigate. They see a group of four older students, huddled over a rabbit faunus girl. Pouring water over her as they laugh and taunt her.

"What's wrong little bunny gonna cry?" The largest student with the bottle laughs."My pa lost his job because of your kind, only fitting I get some payback for him".

Rohan turns his flat cap backwards ready to intervene with his cousins, when a female student his age with a lion's tail stands in front of the bullies. A fierce but calm look in her eyes as she grabs the leader by the scruff of his shirt, sweeps the legs out from underneath him. Tossing the leader to the floor, Rohan is amazed by how quickly and easily she moved. Then he sees one of the other boys is about to throw a punch. Rohan runs out and tackles him to the ground holding an arm behind his back. Throwing a cheeky smile at the lion faunus.

"Need some help?". After a small tussle they manage to scare the bullies off with help from his cousins who gave pursuit.

The girl helps the rabbit faunus up and offers to take her to the nurses office, Rohan offers to help too and introduces himself. Unaware that his whole life was going to change from that day onward.