Shiroi Taka: Prologue

Shiroi did not have an easy life, she lived in the lowest part of the city of Mistral, was a faunus and lost her parents in a Grimm attack at the age of five. It happened a lot in the more impoverished parts of the city. Ever since then she has been on her own, stealing food and pick pocketing whenever she could to survive. That had been her life for the last five years. Her semblance that she had unlocked a couple of years ago,helped in that regard, she hadn't been caught yet. Sure there were a few close calls but she always got away.

As the rain patters against the window of her abandoned warehouse home on the city edge, Shiroi pulls her hood up to cover the feathers in her hair, followed by the green mask. Covering the lower part of her face

"Time to go to work. Let's see what I can get today" she jumps out of the ground floor window and heads to the city.

She always worked alone, it was better that way. Survival of the fittest after all.

As she looks at the busy market grounds she smiles "More people than usual today hehe. I'll blend in nicely". She disappears into the crowds and as she goes through, her hands deftly get to work. Sliding into bags and pockets, she steals plenty of Lien without anyone noticing. Then her eyes spot something sparkling, a pocket watch with a beautiful snake engraving.

She whistles "That looks expensive, I could sell that for a good price".

Shiroi slowly walks over just as the owner is distracted by the seller at the stall, she slips her hand into the pocket and pulls the watch out with ease before continuing on her way. A smile graced her lips under the mask.

-2 hours later-

Back at her home, she counts out the haul for the afternoon. Two thousand Lien which was good but not her best, the true prize though was that pocket watch. She picks it up and admires the craftsmanship in the light.

"Whoever that guy was he has good taste" Shiroi presses the top of the watch causing it to open and a solemn look comes across her face as she spots the photo in the cover.

A man who must have been the watch's owner wore green snake scales on his face and hands, while holding onto the shoulders of a human woman in front. Both of them smiling at the camera, Shiroi curses herself and closes the watch.

"Dammit...why did I have to see that?"

Suddenly the warehouse door opens and her heartbeat quickens. She had been followed, She cursed herself again, pulling the hood and mask up before turning off the office light and tucking the watch away into her pocket.

Footsteps echo inside the empty building as the intruder walks in, whistling a jaunty tune all the while till he stops outside the office and speaks.

"Hello,?I know you're in there. You took something important to me from the market. I would appreciate it if you returned the watch without putting up a fight".

The voice sounded calm but also serious. Shiroi waits by the door, knife in hand and as the door opens she strikes.

The next 20 seconds were a blur, all Shiroi knew was that she had gone to stab whoever it was and escape. But now she was staring up at the ceiling with the snake faunus bending over her, a three section staff held around his shoulders. Smiling

"I did warn you my friend" He was wearing a brown suit with a dark green waistcoat and tie, his white shirt highlighting them. The brown bowler hat was just the cherry on top. She sighs and sits up holding the watch out to him.

"I'm sorry, I just saw it and thought it looked valuable. I didn't know it was personal to you". The suited faunus takes the watch and puts his staff away in the holster on his under the jacket.

"Did you see what was inside?" he asks.

Shiroi nods slowly and looks up at him "Are you going to report me to the guards?".

He looks around at Shiroi's home and says something that takes her by surprise as he sits down on the floor.

"No, I won't. So long as you tell me your name and how you managed to take my watch without me noticing" Slipping it into his coat pocket

Shiroi gulps, lowering her hood and mask "I..I'm Shiroi Taka and it was thanks to my semblance".

Time passed as she told this stranger about her life since her parents died. He was sympathetic and chose to share his own story. His name was Zold and he was a huntsman from the kingdom of Vale. Who was in the city visiting a friend, he explained that the woman in the picture was someone he had loved and lost many years ago. He even spoke about his own semblance called Heat sense, it was a passive semblance and only worked within 10 feet of himself but he could see people's body heat. He could even see them through walls. The two talked for hours till darkness came.

Zold looks out the window and asks "Do you want to live like this for the rest of your life Shiroi?". She bites her lip and shakes her head.

"I thought not," Zold stands and pulls her up. "You have the potential to do more with your life, you could help a lot people with your semblance and your skills are an advantage too".

Shiroi gives him a confused look "What are you saying?".

Zold just tips his hat "You could come back to Vale with me and become a huntress". Shiroi's eyes widen and before she can speak a finger presses against her lips "It is your choice Shiroi, I can understand if you don't trust me. Someone whom you have only just met, but all I'm doing is opening the door for you, it's up to you to decide if you want to walk through it".

After that he just walks out the door, turns to give a bow and leaves. Leaving a note in her hand with a time and dock number on it.

For the rest of the night Shiroi thinks about what Zold had said and wonders if she could do it, she had seen huntsman before and thought they looked cool. But Zold looked different compared to them, he looked suave and honestly charming in his own way. She looks at the note lying down on her makeshift bed and closes her eyes deciding to sleep on it.

-The next day-

Zold looks at his pocket watch. It was 10am already and the airship for the coast would be leaving soon, he looks out at the dock then sees a small figure in a tattered hood running down towards him and a smile breaks across his face. "Better late than never".

For the next four years Shiroi lives on Patch with Zold and for the first time in a long time is happy, no more running away from people she stole from or hatred towards her for being a faunus. That last part took some getting used to as well as learning to read and write again both at school and with Zold who was nothing but patient with her even when she wasn't with herself. Over time the two grew close and cared deeply for each other, for Shiroi it was enough to have someone to welcome her home at the end of the day. Her training to prepare for Signal was difficult, Zold taught her how to handle a spear and three section staff which she picked up quickly.

Shiroi would sometimes steal things from him but it was just out of fun and to see if she could get away with it. Which she never did and they would just laugh about it afterwards. By the time she was due to start at Signal Academy their bond had become so strong that she considered Zold something she had not had since she was five years old. A father and family.