"Excuse me. Ms. Belmonte?"
The white-haired young woman looked up from her scroll and smiled at the employee who'd opened the small cabin's door. The railroad employee looked apologetic.
"What can I do for you?"
"We noticed you are only using one of the seats in the cabin. I realize we're already underway but could I possibly convince you to share the cabin with another passenger? We'll refund you the cost difference, naturally.", she asked in a way than wasn't really a question, just a courtesy.
'Ms. Belmonte' tried not to roll her eyes. The coach class was horribly overbooked. Clearly someone was without a seat and being offered a free upgrade to a sleeper cabin. Partially as an apology, partially because everything else was occupied. Hikari could feel her fox tail pressing against her body just as the rest of her muscles were tensing up. In some ways she hated the appendage. At the same time, she wanted to feel pride for her faunus heritage.
Not like anything is that simple.
She would have preferred keeping to herself, but refusing in a full train would have drawn more attention than dealing with a single 'roommate' for less than a day.
Do I really get a choice here?
The employee looked at Hikari, hesitant. He could clearly see her frustration.
The train is beyond full. Everyone with the option to do so is leaving Vale en masse. It would be heartless to block off an unoccupied bed in the middle of this.
"Of course. I'm happy to share.", she replied dryly.
It wasn't as if she was going to be able to get any real work done with the CCT down, regardless of company.
The employee quietly let out a breath, clearly relieved. Someone was under a lot of pressure either from his boss or just the company culture.
"I suppose having company could do me some good after…. everything.", she continued. "I'll move my things so this seat mate of mine can get comfortable."
"Thank you so much, Ms. Belmonte. I'll make sure you have time to move your luggage. Also, here's a first-class restaurant voucher as a token of our gratitude."
After the staff member left, Hikari got up from her seat, the leftmost one, closest to the door, and picked up the bags she'd been keeping on the window seat. The somewhat generously sized wooden table between the seats would have to do for smaller things, and her bags would have to go…
Why does this thing have to be so small?
...somewhere. If both beds going to be in use, she couldn't use the top bunk for storage. Giving up, she slid her bigger bag under her seat, and her suitcase under the table between the seats. Lastly, she picked up her jacket from the window seat. Her jacket and her sword.
Dammit.
She had no choice but to hang the jacket on a coat hook on the opposite wall, but the door. Besides the brass coat hooks, a couple a tacky lights imitating gas lamps in the middle, and a small table by the window, the wall opposite the seats was bare. The dark wood faded by endless sunlight, forest green accents and brass everywhere clearly tried to appeal to nostalgia. Oasis Rail hadn't managed to hide the impracticality of the tiny sleeper cabins with their design.. If anything, the dark tones made the cabins look smaller. Giving up, Hikari placed her sword next to her jacket, resting upright in the corner. It wasn't really within easy reach but then again-
There was a knock on the door. Hikari wasn't thrilled about having to have her weapon in its sheath so close to the door for this exact reason. Slow to reach from the seat, easy to steal. Still, she had no choice so she just moved her jacket to conceal it as best as she could.
"It's unlocked, come in.", she called, sitting back down.
The door opened and a passenger stepped in, curiously carrying nothing more than a sling backpack. What really struck Hikari first was the overwhelming bouquet of scents. Deodorant, some cheap cologne, and something else. Something familiar, yet Hikari couldn't place it.
"Hey. Thanks for doing this. They'd double-booked my seat and took forever to get the whole thing sorted.", the newcomer said. To Hikari, there was immediately something off about the young man. His dark green short-sleeved dress shirt and black jeans. Not only did they not go together very well, they looked brand new. His black, spiky hair was probably more gel than hair. The spikes were ridiculously long. A very odd outfit for someone in the Vacuo sun.
Hikari still gave, to her surprise, a genuine sympathetic smile to the stranger.
"It must be crazy for them right now. But hey, you're on the train at least."
The young man, Hikari wasn't sure if he was eighteen yet, averted his eyes and made a face of disgust.
"I guess I am…"
A lot was left unsaid. He was approximately Yuki's age, Hikari observed. His skin was very pale. Too pale for someone to have spent any real time in Vacuo. In Vale, on the other hand... If he'd been in Vale, watching the festival… The gods only knew what the young man seen. Him, and everyone else in the city.
The festival.
Yuki…
Dammit.
Hikari couldn't help it. Yuki had fucked up, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Still, being caught up in the middle of the horror that Vale had become was just… unfair.
What kind of a big sister am I?
The white-haired woman had considered taking the first train from Vacuo to Vale when the tournament broadcast had been interrupted. That had simply become impossible as the grimm attacks had brought the traffic to and from Vale to a halt within an hour or so.
As the newcomer tucked the backpack under his seat, Hikari noticed something the average person would have missed. There was a separate pouch on the side. Long and narrow, useless for most everyday things. Could maybe hold a couple of water bottles, a rolled-up map, soup cans, any number of things that would be immensely useful in the desert. Could also hold more than one knife or dagger easily. The traveler made sure to have the pouch face away from the wall, toward his legs, making sure it was easy to access. Hikari was nearly certain she was being paranoid, her work making her overly cautious of everyone and everything, when she spotted something else. With the young man bending down to position his bag, a minor detail, a single crease out of place in the man's pants leg, caught Hikari's eye. If she hadn't battled the same problem so many times herself, she'd have missed it.
Ankle holster. He's not used to that thing. Makes the pistol way too obvious to the trained eye the way he's wearing it.
Something about the teenager, the small inconsistencies, made Hikari cautious. It was unusual for hunters, even ones in training, to conceal their status. Most excited newcomers would have carried their combat outfits and weapons everywhere if they didn't need to be in their school uniforms. A solo student hunter with concealed weapons would have been unusual to say the very least. For someone more nefarious than a hunter, on the other hand, the teenager seemed too obvious. Too careless. He was hiding something, though. He was good at it, too, but he was being sloppy.
The teenager tapped on his scroll, opening what looked like an electronic book. He then noticed something and reached into his backpack, rummaging around for a bit.
"Typical…"
His voice was exasperated as he turned to Hikari.
"Sorry to bother you with this but I can't find my scroll's power cable. Must have packed it somewhere stupid in the rush."
Yeah, definitely running from something. Careless. His voice… His voice sounds practiced too. Who the hell conceals their natural tone of-
Again, Hikari couldn't help thinking about Yuki.
Nah. Too far-fetched.
"One second. I'll finish this message to my CO before we lose Vacuo CCT.", Hikari replied, avoiding the teenager's eyes.
"CO, huh? You're military but you dress like a civilian."
The teenager glanced at Hikari's weapon sheath by the door but didn't say anything. The teenager leaned on the windowsill and started watching the endless sand outside. He was probably thinking about what Hikari had just said, and she wasn't sure what to make of that. There were times when she hated the academy-ingrained habits. This was one of them. She'd just given away that she wasn't just a local huntress. Both Vacuo and Vale hunters operated as civilians. It was a good thing Hikari had an established cover story for 'specialist Belmonte'.
"Specialist Vittoria Belmonte. Just got called back from Vacuo but… this is going to be a long trip.", she laughed.
"I can imagine. Just getting here from Vale was an ordeal.", he commented, turning to look at Hikari again. "I… I have to ask, though. What was an Atlas specialist doing in Vacuo?"
Hikari laughed.
"Sorry, kid. Very much temporary, by invite from the Vacuo government, and had to do with the tournament, is all I can say. Didn't catch your name, by the way."
"Just call me Jade.", he said, looking away once again.
"Sure thing... Jade.", Hikari replied.
She had no reason to believe the teenager had given his real name. The one on his ticket, maybe, but that was it. His accent actually sounded vaguely Menagerian, at odds with the name more common in western Anima. At the same time, she knew regional accents could trip her up easily.
Curiously, the teenager didn't ask more questions. Hikari had expected to have to make up a detailed backstory on the spot. He'd also volunteered that he was, indeed, coming from Vale. A Beacon student seemingly from Anima, or a visitor returning home from the tournament. He was a curious one.
Hikari quickly typed up her message to her commander and hit 'Send'. With the time-sensitive report out of the way, Hikari got the charging cable from her bag and passed it to her cabin mate. He went back to reading, and she went back to work. Less than two hours into the trip, Hikari's scroll lit up with a notification.
CCT: None
Local: Oasis Rail
And that's wide-area comms gone.
She noticed the teenager swipe away the same notification slightly annoyed, clearly having been absorbed in whatever he was reading. He then disconnected the charging cable from the scroll and handed the end to Hikari.
"Looks like it's fully charged. Sorry I didn't spot this sooner. Got really into the book I guess."
"Thank you. Oh, don't bother unplugging it from the wall. I need to charge this thing before dinner."
"Oh, okay, sure. Thanks for letting me use it."
"Don't mention it. Kind of convenient that practically everyone uses the same cable.", she observed, trying for a bit of small talk.
"Only because one company dominates the market. Not really a good thing. Just look at the S.D.C."
As Hikari took a deep breath to think of a reply to the abrupt change of topic, she noticed something. Another scent was lingering in the air ever so faintly. The teenager's bouquet of hair gel and cheap cologne was masking something else just like Hikari had suspected. His passion regarding corporate monopolies suddenly made all the sense in the world.
Feline faunus.
Her wolf tail tensed up along with the rest of her body but she tried her best not to shift in her seat.
If Hikari had – eventually – noticed Jade was a faunus, he must have realized her ancestry the moment he walked in. Which meant…
Something's wrong. For a faunus with an activist streak, he took my Atlas military background too well.
"Yeah, well, the S.D.C. is a bunch of crooks.", Hikari simply said, trying to gauge Jade's reaction.
The teenager looked at Hikari, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. He was obviously struggling not to bare his teeth in anger.
"Didn't expect to hear that from an Atlas specialist.", he said, his voice cold.
Let's see what you're really made of.
"Officially, that never happened. Off the record, Jacques Schnee is-"
Noise of the train entering a tunnel drowned out Hikari's word's for a moment.
"-without him. He's literally the worst possible person to be in charge of the S.D.C."
"Could you… repeat that?", the teenager asked, stunned.
His flash of anger and suspicion had subsided, replaced by utter confusion.
"Not a chance, kid. Can we please talk about something, anything, other than 'the Company'?"
Hikari regretted her outburst immediately. Going in that deep had had no tactical value. She was risking her cover for nothing more than a chance to vent. And vent, she needed to. She was more furious at the company now than she'd ever been, and that was saying something. Yuki had been in the right, morally, but… fighting the S.D.C. out in the open had cost the skilled cadet a once-in-a-lifetime chance. One part of Hikari had wanted to do anything and everything to protect what little family she had left, another had wanted to let Yuki handle the consequences alone, a learning experience. As much she despised herself for it, she also didn't want to get involved out of fear for her career, both as an Atlesian officer and as a member of Concordia. In the end, the decision hadn't been hers to make. After Yuki had left not only Atlas but all of Solitas, the best Hikari could do was to pull strings with old friends just outside of Vale. Looking at the lone huntsman next to her, she couldn't help but wonder what he'd lost, what he'd seen, to make him run away like this. She couldn't exactly trust him, but he seemed too smart to lie about something Hikari could check later.
"Hey… Can I ask you something?"
The teenager stopped reading but instead of looking at Hikari, watched the desert landscape outside.
"What is it?"
"I- had friends in Vale. Watching the tournament.", Hikari said.
Jade swallowed nervously. It was clear he knew where this was going.
"What was it like? I mean, is there a chance my friends…"
"You're Atlesian military. You know what your fleet can do, what general Ironwood can do. You're a huntress. I don't need to tell you what a grimm invasion is like.", Jade pointed out, his voice dark and harsh.
"Straight to the point. This wasn't a grimm invasion, though. I suppose my friends can take care of themselves well enough, in any case...", Hikari said sadly. "I'm surprised you haven't done anything to me, seeing how we apparently attacked civilians in Vale."
The teenager shook his head angrily.
"That broadcast was pure propaganda, lies from start to finish. I know the terrorists who delivered that speech. They somehow hijacked the Knights. A few months ago, I fought one of the criminals behind the attack. And again a few weeks ago. I could have stopped him then and there. Should have stopped him. Instead, I watched a friend die trying to stop these terrorists. Our team leader… She may not make it. And… my partner… She lost… She..."
Hikari was starting to feel sympathy for the man. He'd been through hell and barely pulled through. The attack didn't fully explain his deception, but losing everything would go a long way toward justifying his paranoia.
"You just have to believe."
The huntsman finally turned to actually look at Hikari.
"Believe?"
Hikari looked past his black-rimmed eyeglasses right into his bright green eyes, quickly realizing the glasses were fake. Flat as a mirror, no actual correction. She wished she was that lucky.
"Believe that it was worth it. That you saved lives, regardless of if you won of lost. That your teammates and friends believed when they went to battle."
The student closed his eyes, fury on his face. He took a deep breath to calm down before opening them again.
"We… we didn't 'lose'. We got crushed.", he hissed between barren teeth.
"Why did you become a huntsman?", Hikari calmly asked.
"What?"
"Why did you become a huntsman? Think about it. Then think about your team. Your classmates. Your friends. Why did they? Would they have regrets after what happened that day? Should they?"
"I-"
Hikari smiled sadly.
"I've lost people. I've lost team members, friends, family members... I've lost people under my command, people I was responsible for. W-"
Jade abruptly got up from his seat.
"I- I can't do this. Thanks for trying to help, and I respect you caring about your friends but… I can't do this right now. All I can say is, they're likely fine if they know how to fight. Going to the restroom. Could be a while."
As Jade walked past her to the door, Hikari cursed quietly. She'd pushed him too hard.
Alone in the cabin again, Hikari had a moment to think. The man seemed… unpredictable. Overwhelmed by anger, fear, maybe guilt, but desperate for somebody to talk to. She started going through the news feeds she'd saved on her scroll since the start of the CCT trouble. She'd desperately tried to archive anything she could get her hands on in hopes of finding clues about how Yuki might be doing. She was hoping something could verify Jade's story, put her at ease about having to sleep in the same cabin with the volatile teenager with an ax to grind with Atlas.
Roman Torchwick dead
Atlesian military sources confirm robber and con man Roman Torchwick has died. Security footage from the Atlesian ship where Torchwick was being held pending his trial confirms his demise in the face of a grimm attack as the city of Vale came under siege-
Useless.
In the aftermath of the devastating attack against Beacon Academy and the city of Vale, Torchwick's involvement in the day's events has become clear. He was arrested some weeks ago for another attack against the city of Vale. Atlas sources now speculate whether the uncharacteristic lack of discretion was a calculated step to gain access to secure Atlas or Vale facilities.
Oh, this mess… How the hell did Ironwood miss it? Torchwick's M.O. doesn't match. He doesn't do terrorist attacks. He'd have sold them the gear and kept his own hands clean. He wanted to be on that train.
Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy maintains that Torchwick was employing lethal force against the students on the highway. His assertion is supported by the history Torchwick shares with the aforementioned hunter teams. The leader of team R.W.B.Y., huntress-in-training Ruby Rose, is rumored to have secured her place is Beacon Academy by thwarting one of Torchwick's robberies. It was also Blake Nightshade and Sun Wukong of teams R.W.B.Y. and S.S.S.N. who stopped a smuggling operation Torchwick was running for the terrorist group White Fang.
Sources have so far been unable to confirm how Ms. Rose came to face off against Torchwick alone on an Atlesian ship. The con man's history with Ms. Rose, her teammate Blake Nightshade, as well as his role in the day's events points to a personal grudge between the two. Like the earlier incidents, team R.W.B.Y.'s victory over the experienced and ruthless robber has been described both as 'incredibly fortunate' and 'an exceptional show of skill'.
Of course Ozpin would say that. But… Blake Nightshade. Really makes you wonder. Nah, no way.
Ms. Ruby Rose, an apparent prodigy huntress picked by professor Ozpin himself , was accepted into Beacon academy at the age of fifteen, two years younger than the normal age for enrollment. Variably described as the unluckiest huntress of her generation and the most fortunate of them all, Ms. Rose's classmates have confirmed that she, in addition to her repeated run-ins with Roman Torchwick, faced Cinder Fall and survived.
Ms. Rose's team consisted of herself, her sister Yang Xiao Long, Blake Nightshade, and the heir to the Schnee dust company, Ms. Weiss Schnee. In attempting to learn more from her team, Vale Daily has come to learn that Ms. Rose as well xs her sister were gravely injured in what has now been dubbed the Battle of Beacon, and have been moved to an undisclosed hospital under Atlas military protection. The Schnee Dust Company confirms that Ms. Schnee has safely returned to her home in Atlas. Ms. Schnee has turned down our request for an interview. Regrettably, one member of the team, Blake Nightshade, appears to be missing in action.
Vale Daily wishes both Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long a timely recovery. We are hoping to get the complete story on the team of students whose actions on the both during and well before the Battle of Beacon changed history.
Wait a second. Same team as Weiss?
'I know the terrorist who delivered that speech.'
' A few months ago, I fought one of the criminals behind this attack. And again a few weeks ago.'
'I watched a friend die trying to stop these terrorists.'
'Our team leader… She may not make it.'
'My partner… She lost… She…'
Just who the hell was Jade? He was trying to put together one hell of a sob story. As if he'd been in the middle of it, as if he'd been there with team R.W.B.Y. On one hand, he looked genuinely lost and broken. Hikari had seen enough lost and broken people to know. On the other hand, everything he'd claimed was in the news. He hadn't actually said anything only a Beacon student would know. Hikari's casual concern was turning into anger-fueled determination. The teenager had only started talking once he'd seen they were out of CCT range. He'd thought Hikari couldn't verify anything, and the story would've worked just fine on someone who hadn't kept up with team R.W.B.Y.'s first school year. She was now convinced she was sharing a cabin with someone who knew who she was. It was impossible to tell if she was being targeted for her mission in Vacuo, her status as a faunus working for Atlas, or, worst of all, for being a member of Concordia. If it was the last one, the assassin was almost certainly White Fang. The S.D.C. would have waited until she was at the very least in Anima, more likely in Solitas.
His backpack.
The teenager had left the backpack under the seat. Rookie mistake, but he was clearly shaken up… for one reason or another. Hikari took a chance, bent down and quickly popped open the two snap buttons holding the pouch flap closed. She carefully reached inside and pulled out a slim object. A sword scabbard. A vaguely familiar scabbard. There was a two-part folding sword blade as well as some kind of an attachment mechanism, but no handle. Locking lugs on the peculiar attachment point looked off. Paint had scraped off, the part looked bent and dented.
The attachment points failed. The blade would have...
Cold, quiet dread was starting to fill Hikari as she closed the pouch. The attachment had failed. At the base. Whatever strike had done this damage had gone straight through, guaranteed to hit the owner of the weapon. The pistol this creep was carrying…
The door opened. Hikari, pretending to check her scroll, had her left hand on the fan she was carrying. There wasn't enough space, or time, to reach her sword if the teenager went for the pistol. Then again, Hikari now knew he had no sword at all.
"I was thinking of getting dinner. Got a voucher for the seat mess.", he casually mentioned.
"That's… cool. Got one myself."
The Fang wouldn't be working alone. He was going to meet or signal someone over dinner. Maybe the real assassin. He didn't seem like the type. He was just recon.
"Good thing we have the vouchers. Actually going to the restaurant car for dinner would be a nightmare.", Jade commented.
Oh, right. The dinner vouchers. We'll be dining in the cabin.
Hikari decided to test the waters a little more, build a profile of 'Jade'.
"Don't like crowds much I take it?", she asked.
Jade shook his head.
"Am I that easy to read?"
"I don't know. Are you?", Hikari probed, laughing.
"I suppose I am.", Jade replied quietly, his voice humorless.
"Don't make it sound like a bad thing. Honesty is a great thing to have."
"Yeah, well… Like most great things, there are those who can't afford it.", Jade replied, his eyes firmly on the dinner menu open on his scroll.
Hikari cursed wordlessly. The answer was textbook radicalized White Fang.
Having selected a simple three-course meal, she'd planned to get just water to drink, but had quickly realized the value of a relaxed cabin mate and gotten a bottle of nice white wine and specified two glasses.
Long shot for sure but we'll see.
In all likelihood, the teenager would refuse. Then again, with everything he claimed to have been through, he seemed like the type to have enjoyed his fair share of alcohol well before the legal age.
He's quiet but rough. The partying type who goes there to people watch. The perfect infiltrator.
The half hour waiting for food had gone by in silence. Hikari had followed Jade's example and spent the time reading a novel. Continuing the news article hunt had seemed like bad idea with Jade and Hikari easily able to see each other's scrolls. Eventually there was a knock on the door.
"Ms. Belmonte, Mr. Greene? Your dinner."
Hikari opened the door with her left hand, her right on her fan. Seeing a staff member with the ornate first-class service cart made it seem like everything was probably fine. On the other hand, dinner service would have been the perfect cover for an attack. Hikari sat back down, her hand never leaving her weapon. The server handed what was essentially a breakfast tray with legs to Jade, then to Hikari.
"We do apologize that the basic sleeper cabin does not quite offer enough space to dine in the comfort a first-class cabin would afford. We trust you'll both find this satisfactory.", the server said, no sincerity whatsoever in his words.
Yeah, sure, you can go back to serving first-class snobs and leave us peasants be with the food you feel we don't deserve.
Rationally, she knew it was impossible but she couldn't shake the feeling the waiter was talking down to them because they were faunus.
"This is absolutely fine. Thank you very much.", Hikari replied out loud, every muscle in her body tensed to react should the server turn out to be an assassin.
"Very well, ma'am. Sir. Don't hesitate to call on us should you need anything."
"Certainly. Thank you.", came the reply, this time from Jade.
He seemed sincere in his gratitude. His manners also looked like he was somewhat used to high-class dining. As the waiter went to pass the first tray to Jade, reaching over Hikari, she took hold of it instead.
"Allow me."
The waiter, somewhat surprised, let go as Hikari passed the tray to Jade. Taking a clandestine look for notes taped or tucked anywhere revealed nothing.
Hikari watched as Jade started on his elaborate green salad. It hadn't seemed like there had been hidden messages or anything on Jade's tray, and he hadn't had the chance to pass anything to the waiter.
"If you don't mind my curiosity, what did you have?", she asked.
"Just something simple and light. Bistecca di tonno con le patate e l'insalata del pomodoro. I've been sitting down all day so something light seemed like a good choice."
"Ah. Quite the meal. So mundane on the surface but I can't imagine either potatoes or tuna are easy to come by in Vacuo."
"Imported from Vale, I'd imagine. I am a little confused by the salad, though. I didn't misunderstand the menu, right?", he replied, looking at Hikari and casting a smile.
"You did. That is definitely not the tomato salad the menu described.", she replied.
Jade shrugged.
"Never been a huge fan of tomatoes anyway. I'm almost glad they messed that up."
Hikari laughed.
"At least they got my salad right. Let's hope it's actually salmon waiting for me on that plate."
Hikari opened the wine bottle. She was, frankly, a bit confused and concerned. Jade had tested her cover story. If he was after her, what good did poking holes in her cover do?
"Two glasses?", Jade asked.
"It felt so rude having wine by myself. Besides, in a way, you're the one who got me the meal. Consider this a thank you.", Hikari joked.
Jade hesitated. Granted, it was impossible to tell why, but his next move would reveal a lot. If his reasons were anything like Weiss, he'd eventually refuse. If, on the other hand-
"Thank you.", he said, picking up one of the glasses.
Thought so.
Much of the meal went by in silence, both enjoying the excellent food. They'd gotten well into their main course before Jade spoke again.
"Sorry about earlier."
"What do you mean?"
"Running off when you asked about Vale."
"I get it, don't worry about. I have some idea how terrible it must have all been."
"Still, I shouldn't have just run."
Hikari had a feeling he wasn't just talking about the conversation earlier. He was opening up, whether he realized it or not.
"I appreciate it, but don't do that to yourself. Don't second-guess your decisions. Make a plan, execute it, and evaluate. When something changes, make a new plan. Repeat as necessary."
"I… wish I had your courage.", the teenager commented.
Hikari laughed humorlessly.
Looks like I'm getting somewhere. I'll figure you out eventually,'Jade Greene'.
Hikari cut into her fish, taking a small bite.
"It's not courage. It's survival. You know how humans treat us. Atlas is the worst by far. All of Solitas, really. It's a good day when grimm are my biggest problem."
"I know. As good as Vale is about it, I…"
Jade paused, his words getting caught in his throat.
"I hid who I was in Vale, in Beacon. For months, my own team didn't know I was a faunus."
Hikari looked at the teenager with genuine surprise.
At least you're openly saying you're a faunus now. Now if you only said the rest.
"That's impressive, honestly. Terrible that you had to do it, but impressive that you were able to."
"You… I honestly expected you to say I betrayed our kind."
Hikari scoffed, then shook her head.
"Kid… My mom did the same. Hid who she was from the world. Sometimes you just don't have a choice. It's getting better, but sometimes you still don't have a choice. And seriously, do you think I can condemn anyone for anything? I'm a faunus working for the Atlesian military."
Jade was focused on the food, clearly buying time to think of a reply.
"You remind me of someone I know. A friend. A faunus. Someone who, relatively speaking, had it all. Security, influence, wealth. A voice to change things. Someone who suddenly left everyone and everything on Menagerie behind to go work in Atlas.", Hikari offered.
Jade let out a tiny gasp. If she hadn't been looking for it, Hikari would have missed it.
"He was branded a traitor. I think his adopted family still refuses to acknowledge he ever existed. The few who know about him still blame him for leading one of his younger siblings down the wrong path. It's the price he paid, knowingly, to get inside Atlas. To figure out what they were doing, to find a way forward through intelligence and information. Through technology. And now he gets the blame for betraying his family's name and provoking extremists.", Hikari continued, watching Jade intently.
Jade's eyes flickered between intense fire and sadness. To her shock, Hikari could see his eyes getting misty.
That's… not the reaction I expected. I- I need to know.
"I kinda love the tattoo on his left ankle. A reminder that no matter how badly you get burned-", Hikari started, trying to see if 'Jade' really-
"-you'll always rise back up. Sometime, somewhere in the future, you'll come back, better. Just like a phoenix. And it's on his right shoulder. Stop testing me.", Jade finished quietly.
Hikari was discreetly gripping her fan, ready to extend the blades in a blink of an eye. This teenager not only had Blake Belladonna's weapon and had taken credit for Blake's team's work, he knew Ash. Knew deep in thought, he went back to his tuna. Hikari moved her fan to rest on the seat, under her right thigh. If something were to happen, that would be the fastest spot to get to it in the tight seat. Not that that seemed likely. His reaction had been sadness, not even anger. Still, he knew the story. He somehow knew Shiro.
Then, Jade dropped his fork.
"Whoops."
He reached down to get it. A completely harmless action, if it hadn't been for-
"Stop!"
"Don't do it!"
In the next instant, Jade's hands rested on his lap, a napkin covering the obvious shape of a handgun. Hikari's right hand pressed the hand fan against Jade's ribs.
"You're dead in seconds if I extend the blades on this fan.", Hikari warned quietly.
"You have a pistol pointed at you. You don't have seconds. I didn't want to do this but I need answers.", Jade snarled.
Hikari scoffed.
"You need answers? You're the one pretending to have been there with team R.W.B.Y., carrying pieces of Gambol Shroud, and now you seem to know a certain friend of mine. I-"
'Jade' raised the pistol a tiny little bit, as if Hikari needed to be reminded of it.
"How do you know him? How do you know about him?"
Hikari pressed the fan against the teenager's ribs.
"The gods only know how you know about the tattoo. But you haven't even said his name. You're fishing. I'm not going to let you walk away from here, let alone give you his name. I don't think you actually get the kind of damage someone could do, staging attacks or just simply contacting the right people, pretending to be the chieftain's family. You're in over your head, kid.", Hikari hissed menacingly.
Something flashed in the teenager's eyes.
"I'm going to use my right hand to take off my contact lenses. My left hand stays on Gambol Shroud, what's left of it, ready to drop you if you even think about trying anything. When I'm done, you're going to tell me exactly how you know Ashton and why you've been trying to get to me this whole time.", Jade replied in a flat, ice cold voice, baring his teeth.
Hikari tried to talk, to voice some of the million questions she had, but a pistol barrel to the ribs silenced her. 'Jade' did know Ash's name, and was apparently willing to shoot to protect his secrets. Hikari could take a fair amount of shots at close range, but point blank, too slow to move away the tray on her lap and boxed in by the small cabin? If the teenager was packing fire dust, ten rounds could take her aura. She was at a disadvantage with her sword too slow to reach. She just watched. She watched as the teenager took off the green contact lenses, revealing deep, glimmering amber.
"Wh- Is this some kind of a sick joke?", Hikari could only stammer, turning pale.
This was the very last thing she'd have expected.
"Now, back to my question. How do you know my brother?"
The amber eyes of Blake Belladonna, fire raging in them, were piercing into Hikari.
Well, I was sort of right… This is a fine mess.
Hikari took a long calming breath, hoping to calm down both herself and 'Jade'.
"I didn't mean to threaten you. I thought I was in danger. I leave Vacuo and as soon as my back is against a wall…" Hikari tapped the wall behind her with her free hand. "...some mysterious passenger shows up, clearly rushing, with a backstory that has more holes than Avalon cheese. The whole thing screamed radicalized White Fang. I was trying to figure you out, trying to figure out what kind of trouble I was in this time."
"You didn't answer my question.", Blake pointed out coldly.
Hikari pulled the fan back, rested it on the armrest, and picked up her wine glass with her other hand.
"You're the one who started talking about Team R.W.B.Y. Not by name, but you did. Just like I said, it sounded like someone was trying to steal Blake Belladonna's identity. And then I found Gambol Shroud, in pieces."
Blake cursed, looking at the bag under the seat. Hikari continued.
"You called Ash your brother. The last time I talked to him, it sounded like the Belladonna family is still pretending he never existed. I have to ask, what's going on with that?"
A sea of emotion washed over Blake Belladonna's face. Eventually, they lowered the pistol, still gripping it tightly.
"You- you really know him? If this is a trick-", Blake gasped.
"That's my line… Blake. I'm ninety-nine percent certain it's really you traveling under an alias, but I've seen fakes on fakes before. I'm not going to feed you more info until I know you're not a Red Fang impostor pretending to be Blake Belladonna pretending to be Jade Greene. Awful cover, by the way. No thought put into it."
Blake scowled at Hikari, and she could now see Blake's ears flattening against their head.
"Everything I told you about Beacon was true. I… lost everything. I don't have any covers to use, in any case. I left that life behind."
"Until it found you, apparently.", Hikari pointed out.
Blake, in cold, silent fury, looked like they were contemplating shooting Hikari then and there but never raised Gambol Shroud. This looked less and less like a cover story. The splinter group, 'Red Fang', had made contact with Blake during their attack on Beacon. The past had somehow caught up with the Belladonna.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring anything back-", Hikari tried to back down.
"Yes, you did. You're still testing my story.", Blake growled. "Well, test this. Adam was there... in Beacon. Adam Taurus tried to kill me. He- he attacked my partner-"
Blake choked up. Hikari chose not to push.
"-and my partner lost her arm, protecting me, saving my life from him. Is that real enough for you?!"
Weak. Vulnerable. On the run. Paranoid. Hikari had been right on all counts, except of course someone having stolen Blake Belladonna's identity. She poured Blake a glass of wine, attempting to calm the young hunter down.
"Okay, I think we've established neither one of us is 'Red Fang' out to kill the other. My nerves are shot, to be perfectly honest with you.", Hikari mentioned, glancing at Blake.
"I'm glad we're on the same page there. Would've been nice to get here without you rummaging through my things and the two of us nearly killing each other, of course.", Blake spat.
"Blake. I'm not trying to start a fight. I'm sorry. I got paranoid and acted like an ass. Let's take step back, see if this key lime pie is any good, and talk about Ash if you feel up for it. Or anything else. Looks like we're on the same team." Hikari paused for effect. "Finally."
Hikari took a bite of the pie, then washed it down with a sip of wine. Blake looked to be wordlessly doing the same.
The silence lasted for as long as the dessert did. Neither traveler was all that serious about their weapons anymore, but also too suspicious to actually let go of them.
"So, you really know Ash.", Blake said, setting their wine glass down.
The Belladonna had gone back to looking out a the fading lights of the desert, their food tray now on the small table by the window.
"Spoke to him just hours before… Before long-range communication became impossible that day. Asked him to dig up everything he could about… someone at the festival. And to see if he could put together some intel about, well, a high-profile terrorist, let's say.", Hikari explained.
"Adam- You're talking about Adam. He was targeting Vale. And Beacon. He was hired to create a smoke screen, a distraction for someone else's plan. Looks like he jumped at the chance to hit one of the most faunus-friendly cities on the continent. Apparently, faunus shouldn't have to put up with the "humiliation" of living side by side with humans.", Blake scoffed. "I mean, Vale's far from perfect, but it was heading in the right direction."
Hikari nodded silently. The attack 'Red Fang', as Adam's bloodier splinter group had been dubbed, had honestly failed to put themselves front and center. Atlas had ended up looking like the aggressor, but some were very much latching on to the Fang's involvement.
"I don't recognize him anymore. I'm starting to think I never did.", Blake suddenly commented, looking at Hikari with hollow eyes.
"Don't beat yourself up. From what I've seen, the Adam Taurus that recruited you in Kuo Kuana was a different person from the Adam you left on those train tracks a year ago."
"It's been more than a year.", Blake commented. They then cast a steely glare at Hikari.
"And how, exactly, do you know anything about any of that?"
"We… the group I work with, the group both the Fang and the S.D.C. are hunting, has kept eyes on many key players. As long as both sides keep up this violence, this senseless killing that sees innocent civilians get caught in the crossfire practically every time… We'll have our eyes on the decision makers. Including Adam Taurus and his second-in-command.", Hikari replied, giving Blake a pointed look.
Blake cursed under their breath.
"Now you're telling me everything we did, everything we sacrificed to stay hidden, was for nothing? Your mystery group had us under surveillance the whole time? And still, you didn't stop us. What are you doing?"
Hikari let out a humorless laugh.
"We… we're the ones who failed. We saw you escape, but soon after, in the chaos that your disappearance caused, we lost our eyes and ears on the inside. Adam was… on edge. Convinced that there were traitors and spies all over his camp for a long while."
Blake eyed Hikari with a sardonic look, bending down for a moment to finally holster their weapon.
"Nothing but baseless paranoia, clearly."
Hikari scoffed, hanging her fan back on her belt.
"Anyway… Ash wanted us to recruit you right there and then. He figured you'd still be willing to fight for the Faunus… If the cause was just. That you could be convinced to work to protect both humans and faunus from the violent extremists. But you'd disappeared. The next time you reappeared, you were in Beacon. Before we could do anything, you'd been assigned to a team… with Weiss Schnee. That's when the boss decided you were exactly where we needed you. Opening a dialogue with the only Schnee who both had access and might be convinced to change things. To stem the endless violence."
Blake clenched their fists.
"Brilliant plan… If I hadn't just left Weiss Schnee out there and thrown away my goals and principles, to run away. We could have changed things. Weiss and I could have changed the world. But I fucked it all up."
Hikari shook her head.
"Blake… There was only so much anyone could do in the middle of the nightmare you all went through. Honestly, no one could have kept Jacques from getting Weiss. We actually tried, but you saw firsthand how well that worked out. Ash was tracking Jacques' movements, and we noticed he'd actually taken off from Atlas practically the moment the tournament got interrupted. The moment he had an excuse to take Weiss back. And now Jacques is doing everything he can to keep Weiss under his control. Ash is trying to get as much information as he can, maybe reach out to Weiss, but we all know that may be impossible. The mansion is a fortress."
"Who exactly is Ash to you? Who is Ash these days?", Blake demanded.
Hikari looked down at her hands, contemplating her options. How much could she reveal? How much should she reveal? Blake was obviously not thinking clearly.
"You probably know he graduated from Atlas Institute of Technology a few years ago. He'd taken the first step. Get inside, get to know their systems. He figured he could do something, even if he was alone.", Hikari explained.
"He-"
"Never turned on you. Never went to Atlas just for fame and glory. He did it to undermine the enemies of faunuskind. To get revenge for… you know exactly what. Sounds kind of familiar, honestly."
Hikari gave Blake a pointed look. Blake was staring at the wall, open-mouthed.
"But he told us-"
"Exactly what the ears in Kuo Kuana needed to hear. He figured a Belladonna was never going to get accepted into a prestigious school like that unless he'd… changed. And he needed a way to show that."
Blake winced.
"By turning on his friends and family."
"A bit of a Belladonna tradition, clearly.", Hikari laughed before becoming dead serious.
"What he did to you and your parents is eating him alive. Has been all this time. He's still not convinced it was worth it to throw away his life for revenge."
"I-"
"Have no reason to believe me. Of course not. You'll find out the truth eventually, bit by bit."
Blake downed the rest of the wine in their glass.
"Can you stop-"
"Interrupting you? Sure, Blake, sure I can.", Hikari laughed.
She simply lifted the bottle and poured the Belladonna another glass.
Blake took a long sip, stopped, and stared at the glass in their hand before taking another long sip.
"Why? How", they asked.
"Mhmm?"
"Why didn't he tell us the truth? Why didn't he- Did I-?"
"Blake, breathe."
"Why didn't Ash tell me? You people knew what happened with Adam. You knew why I was out even if you didn't know where I was. Everything I've done, I've done to help the faunus. I've... made mistakes, sure. Done and said things I can never take back. But you know I draw the line at hurting innocent bystanders. Didn't you say that's what you do? Stop attacks against civilians?"
"He wanted to. We wanted to. The boss... It was the boss who said contacting you was too risky. That we didn't know how you react. She said you could bring the whole thing down on top of us if you wanted to. And why wouldn't you? Your traitor of a brother contacting you out of nowhere... has to be trap, right?", Hikari explained.
"Gods damn it. This is a mess."
Hikari laughed.
"I won't disagree."
"I suppose you're still not going to tell me why you're here?"
"Not much to tell. Got called back to Argus when the General gave the order to retreat from Vale."
"And we're just going to ignore the Vacuo part?"
"Please do. I need my position in the Atlesian military to have… access.", Hikari half jokingly replied." But I honestly can't let this go… How is Vale doing? You must have seen something before you left."
Blake sighed.
"Your friends? Like I said, if they can fight, if they know when to retreat, they're fine. Beacon is badly damaged but mostly standing, and it got hit worse than the city. Anti-faunus assholes have gotten a lot bolder without the influence of Beacon students in the city. They blame the faunus just because some faunus were involved in the disaster. The Red Fang pushed us back by years… again."
Hikari's eyes darkened.
"Please tell me the bigots don't actually have the numbers to hurt the civilian faunus population."
"I may have fired a few shots from the shadows to save faunus who were being attacked by these racists. Locals have it rough but a lot of Beacon hunters are getting out there, protecting people from looters and… other threats."
Blake's story was starting to look solid. They were angry, but in a way that looked constructive. Just what everyone had come to expect from 'Blake Nightshade' the Beacon student.
"That's honestly a relief. My sibling is a more than capable fighter. Better than most hunters, honestly. The other person is a friend of a friend… of a friend. I don't know much about him but I'd assume a small village blacksmith can defend himself."
"They're both okay I'm sure. It was defenseless civilians who… didn't fare so well.", Blake commented quietly.
Hikari grimaced.
"I see. All I can do is hold out hope I suppose."
"I suppose you're right."
Hikari had barely noticed the staff coming to pick up the dinnerware. She was just that tired. This was the first time in days she'd had a chance to relax, to calm down and just read a good book. The irony of being so relaxed hours after what could have been a fatal altercation didn't escape her. She was pulled from her thoughts when Blake got up.
"I'm going to take a shower before bed. Can you make sure no one disturbs my things? And I do mean no one.", they asked, giving Hikari a look.
"Ha. Don't worry, I don't have any reason to go through your stuff. Anymore.", Hikari joked.
Blake laughed, their voice now free of the tension it had had for most of the night.
"Thanks, Vittoria. Though I suspect that name is about as real as 'Jade'.", Blake laughed.
"Akiyama Hikari. Though if you ever hear Ash mention 'Luz', please remind him I hate that nickname."
"Clever… not. I really hope he didn't come up with that one himself.", Blake chucked.
"He did. Everyone else just calls me Light. You brother is a doe-eyed goofball... and we all love him for it.", Hikari sighed in mock exasperation.
"At least there's something about him that hasn't changed. I'm glad someone is keeping their spirits up in the middle of… everything you're doing."
Hikari could hear Blake's voice waver.
"Yeah, that's him. Always the optimist… despite everything he finds and sees. There's always one like him in a group, the voice of hope and optimism."
"He'd probably get along great with my… former team leader.", Blake commented.
Hikari was about to protest, but Blake had stepped out and headed for the shower. It would probably be for the best if she took the opportunity to get ready for bed. The chance encounter had opened unexpected doors, for both Concordia and Blake, as well as Ashton. They needed to talk more. Still, it was obvious they were both too tired to talk about the future.
Hikari was suddenly having trouble staying awake, and Blake almost certainly needed time to think. Breakfast would be the time to make plans.