Their tour began in earnest with the entrance to Amity Coliseum. Towers of scaffolding covered the main entrance but it still warranted amazement. Even James was stunned by its wonder from time to time. Leading his guests from Vale into the first seating areas.
"Our current estimates are around five thousand. Maybe six. Our men are working… hard.." James strained at the end. The work was slow in reality, bogged down by endless bureaucratic nonsense and contractors that were out of their league. Such things weren't meant to be known to outsiders. This was an internal, military matter.
Ironwood walked in front of his entourage along with the front row seats. "These are for high-ranking guests, like your Deputy headmaster. He'll have a front-row seat, so make sure to show him what you've learned!"
Team STRQ looked at each other, wondering why someone so reputable was so…. nervous. Ironwood had the sheen of sweat on his forehead. This was definitely not what they were expecting. "Indeed" Ozpin concurred. "I do hope you'll represent Beacon well."
"Yea, we know," Raven said flippantly. Ironwood raised a brow at her attitude. Such a thing would never fly at Atlas Academy. Though, top teams always did seem to have more leeway at all the huntsmen academy. Team GINS was no different.
"Of course we will!" Summer piped up. There was zero doubt in her voice. She was completely sure of herself and her team.
"Right…" James coughed, beckoning them to keep following along. Pointing down to the main arena floor, he began explaining the various elemental arena's to the students. "We've been hard at work to make the natural parts of the arena feel more… real. We're even going to be debuting a new gravity arena, devised by one of our top scientists."
With the tap of a button at his side, the arena began shifting. Emerging from the ground was the new gravity dust arena. Team STRQ widened their eyes at the marvelous sight. "How does it work?" Taiyang asked, curious about its mechanical operations.
Laughing, James shrugged as he spoke. "I'm not quite caught up with the technical aspects of it myself but our chief engineer Dr. Watts wrote a thesis paper on the subject. I'm sure if you search for it you'd find it."
Tai looked like someone stole his soul. The idea of reading a massive thesis on gravity dust application drove him into an early grave. Qrow hit him over the head and returned Tai to the land of the living. Raven only smirked at her brother.
Summer however kept looking at the majestic sight. "Wow…" she murmured. "We really made it to the Vytal Festival." Summer hadn't fully gotten that she was standing here, at Amity, preparing for the Vytal Festival, until now.
"Right. Now let's head onto the next part of the arena."
James moved up the steps of the seating toward the broadcasting box. It was modeled after earlier dust radio broadcasting rooms from years ago. Inside there was full control over the data needed to present a good show to the people. Aura readings for contestants, their team details, the works really. From here the hand-picked announcers, typically professors, would be reading a play by play of the tournament to the world.
Raven rubbed her chin next to her partner. "Hey Summer. What do you think this button does?"
"Dunno. Lemme find out." Raven tried to stop Summer before she pressed a green button on one of the screens. A blaring foghorn erupted across the stadium for a good ten seconds before James sternly put a hand on her shoulder. Summer eeped and looked at the captain. His blue eyes went flat, signifying the activation of Mettle. Ironwood was going to move this tour along, as planned, no matter what.
"Moving on" James deadpanned. Any prior emotion in his voice dried up. Raven glared burning daggers at her partner, one eye even twitching. Ozpin merely chuckled at the unfortunate turn of events. Merely letting James continue, he kept a steady pace, his cane tapping lightly against the floor.
"Over here is the technical room. Our servers, dust control, and all electronic processes take place here." Staring at Summer, he added, "No, you may not go in." Qrow and Tai snickered at their crestfallen leader.
She mumbled a "Shut up!" at the two before scurrying to follow the captain to the next part of the tour. James tried his best to avoid hallways that were clearly still having major work done on them. Despite his best efforts, they did pass by some badly unfinished parts of the arena. Panels that should have been done were left wide open, exposing the internal workings of the entire operation. Dust tubes and electrical wires littered their path. Work ladders, engineers, even opened cans of paint were everywhere.
James gritted his teeth at the display, trying his best to get the students away from the area. Primarily because it was unsafe, and secondly, because it was just embarrassing for him. Seeing just how behind Amity was on progress felt like all eyes were cast upon him, judging him for his failure to ensure everything was on schedule.
Finally, they escaped the labyrinth of unfinished hallways to a more familiar and more completed part of the arena. "My apologies for that. Things have been a little hectic lately. I intend to resolve all issues soon."
"Oh, I understand completely. Red tape?" Ozpin jested, all too experienced with office politics.
"You don't know the half of it," James insisted. "Now, this room is my staff office. All the planning for the security takes place here. Among other things…" His annoyance at the military and their policy towards the faunus population and Menagerie leaked through. "Further down is my own office. If you'd follow me, we can conclude this tour at one of the observation stations."
The observation stations were massive decks that let visitors peer at the large screens that would broadcast the games. Dust-powered lenses sat at the other end for a beautiful viewing experience of Atlas or the snowy tundra of Solitas, depending on which side of the arena you were on.
"It's beautiful…" Summer said. Taiyang agreed with her. Raven tried her best to not look interested, but even she was amazed at the sight of the tundra. Miles and miles of snow and ice, cliffs and mountains topped with their chilly dustings. Nothing of the sort existed in Vale, let alone Mistral. What snow they got, if any, was nothing compared to this.
"I've never seen this much snow before… how do you even survive it!" Qrow marveled, perplexed by the sheer level of ice and snow. James was happy to oblige their questions
"A common question. Without aura, most people probably wouldn't survive. Without it you'd need extensive shelter. Compared to the other kingdoms, we don't have many villages outside the main border of Mantle. Some military bases but nothing beyond that." James kept quiet about the massive buildup military buildup going on as they spoke, or of the faunus villages that had been thriving for years and which were now arming themselves for war. "Our third-year exam at Atlas Academy was a survival test out in the tundra."
Team STRQ almost bulged their eyes out at that revelation. "What? That's so… so hardcore!" Summer practically squealed. "Professor Ozpin, what's our third-year exam going to be like at Beacon?"
Ozpin merely twisted his lips into a mean little smile. That meant it was going to be a surprise. James chuckled. His own professors were just the same. He swore they were all mentally linked in some way, in the same schemes against their students. Only in the best ways, though. Ironwood despised professors that sought harm to their students.
Checking his watch, James decided on giving the students free time to do whatever they pleased before ushering them to Atlas Academy. "Well, we do have some time, so, you can head back to the Academy or hang around the Arena for a while."
Ironwood felt like a massive weight just removed itself from his chest. Far from showing it, the captain was extremely distressed during the entire tour. Worrying about being a good host, about his piling responsibilities, appearing competent and professional. With the tour ending, he could go back to work and escape everything for a little while. Maybe I'll go stargazing soon… just to relax a bit.
"You ask him!" he heard coming from the group of students. It was Qrow with a shrill voice. Raven snapped back and deflected to Summer.
"Me? No way. You do it Summer."
"Wha? Why me?"
"Because YOU pressed the fog horn button!"
Summer's protest melted in her throat. There was no further argument against that. Stepping up to Ironwood, she coughed and spoke up. "Uh, Captain Ironwood sir, we sorta had a question for you."
James smiled kindly at the teenager. She looked like she had a good head on her shoulders. Leadership was never as clear-cut as it seemed, so he wouldn't question why she was made leader of STRQ. "Of course what do you want to know."
"Alright well. We wanted to know about your weapons!" she spilled out in quick succession.
"Huh? My weapons?..."
Summer twirled a bit of her hair, the longest being near her shoulder, and was easy pickings for her nervous hands. "Well, it's because… we all were excited to meet humanity's strongest soldier…"
"Humanity's strongest soldier?..." Ironwood questioned, puzzled by the title bestowed upon him.
"That's right! You're all over the news in Vale! The Atlesian huntsman captain who always charges into battle against the Grimm!"
Is this… is this what they all meant by reputation? Ironwood had been so tunneled visioned on Amity that he'd barely known anything about his apparently larger-than-life figure outside of Atlas. James was aware of his rising popularity in the military, his firebrand nature, and propensity for leading missions always made him popular among enlisted men, but outside of the kingdom? Sure he made a splash when he chose to enlist at the Academy… but…
Humanity's strongest soldier?...
James knew he was strong. Almost inhuman in a way. His pain tolerance was high, his strength was unparalleled in many ways and his Semblance allowed him even greater single-mindedness in battle and gave him the resolve to carry out the things others couldn't to the bitter end. Thinking about it now, James began to understand how such a reputation began to spread.
It wouldn't be the first time a huntsman became a hit among their peers and upcoming students. They were practically celebrities in many cases. The Grimm Reaper was extremely popular among huntsmen too.
Still, it didn't sit right with him. James only knew himself as… well as a nervous wreck half the time with the military putting responsibility after responsibility on his shoulders. He didn't even believe he was the best huntsmen of his graduating class. That title belonged to Willow Schnee in his opinion. Whom I've been avoiding for far too long….
Among all the current huntsmen out there, James supposed it made sense if he earned the title of "strongest." Being praised like that was… nice, he admitted. Especially coming from where he'd started during his first year at Atlas.
"Well, I uhm… of course." Sharing a glance with Ozpin, clueless about what to do. They were his students after all. Ozpin merely shot him an encouraging look back. Those inquiring eyes seemed to bore into him. Ironwood didn't like that sort of gaze.
James slipped his hand to his holster and spun Due Process out, deftly spinning the revolver. Sleek, with floral patterns and it's white matte finish amazed them. It was simple, yet beautiful. "It has two triggers for standard and modified dust rounds. The cylinder portion fits more than a dozen rounds, while the elemental dust slides into the bottom. The black one is fitted with gravity dust. For… landing strategies." James was very well aware of the Beacon initiation, having faced something similar at Atlas.
Raven took the revolver in her hands. It was heavier than she expected, but the gun wasn't made for her size. The sights were precise, well kept, just like everything about the gun. A weapon spoke a lot about its wielder. They were extensions of one's self according to some. OK, according to Summer.
This weapon was made with the simple intent to kill. Raven examined further, noting the complete lack of any mecha-shifting parts. The heaviness, the sleek, white steel, the floral patterns. All of it was efficient and compact. A weapon that would take any wear and tear, get back up and keep on firing so long as it's owner drew breath. Raven felt a pang of fear, should the Captain truly be such a man.
"Lemme see!" Summer whined, pleading to her partner. Not everyone got to handle a celebrity huntsman's weapon. Snatching it out of her hands, Summer tried to spin it by the trigger guard as the captain had just done. To Ironwood's surprise and nobody else's, she pulled it off expertly without a problem. Perhaps I got the wrong impression of her earlier…
"Uh, Captain Ironwood" Tai chimed in while James took his revolver back, sliding it into his holster. "I was, well, really it was just Qrow wondering that-"
"Hey!" Qrow interrupted after being mercilessly exposed by his partner.
"He was wondering what you use for your melee option. It just… well it just looks like you have two guns only. Sir." Taiyang awkwardly coughed and burned red with flushed cheeks. Qrow didn't look much better either.
James smiled. Such a question had been asked of him by countless huntsmen before, and doubly so during his schooldays. He told them the same thing he told everyone else.
"I am the melee option."
Summer could be heard melting in awe, murmuring "So cool…" before having to be steadied by Raven. Ozpin tapped his cane lightly to signal that it was time for them to depart. Ironwood welcomed the way out. Team STRQ however whined, having enjoyed their time with Humanity's Greatest Soldier and Amity Coliseum.
"Now now, we still have to get settled at Atlas Academy. Go on, I must speak with the Captain for a moment."
Summer Rose took the initiative and confidently led her team back towards the landing pads where their bullhead was still warm.
"An interesting bunch, aren't they?" Ozpin asked, watching them walk off. James couldn't help but agree. They seemed like good kids, and he hoped they would have a strong performance during the festival. Noy as well as an Atlas Academy team, but well enough.
"You've got a good team it seems" he nodded along. "But, I'm guessing you don't want to talk about them?"
Ozpin chuckled and shifted to face James. Adjusting his glasses, he smiled. "Perceptive aren't we, Captain? That is right. I'm not here to talk about them." Ozpin walked over to the edge of the observation station, the side that looked out into the tundra. "I'm here to hopefully talk about the war your kingdom wishes to spark."
With crossed arms behind his back, Ironwood walked with the Deputy Headmaster and gazed out into the deep, cold, and lifeless tundra. "I'm afraid I cannot discuss anything regarding our relations with Menagerie."
Ozpin sounded understanding when he spoke. "Of course. I wouldn't dare ask for military information." Relief flooded through James. It would be incredibly unfortunate for Vale and Atlas should the Deputy Headmaster be pressing for state secrets. Ironwood would never have given anything up and a scandal would have probably emerged. "I am merely here to act as a mediator between your two peoples. Your council approved of it weeks ago, though I'm afraid General Lagune was the sole dissenting voice."
Both men understood they were on the same side here, allowing them to loosen their guards a bit more. "I'm afraid I can't help you there, Professor. My hands are tied down by many things. Managing the festival is one of them."
Ozpin again nodded in supreme understanding. Such an enigma the Deputy Headmaster was that Ironwood could not get any sort of read on him. "I'm sure you've been told about the envoy coming from Menagerie. The Belladonna twins, if I'm not mistaken."
That was news to him. What? Why wasn't I told? And how does Professor Ozpin know before me? Millions of thoughts ran through Ironwood's mind, all wondering what to do with this new factor. "I'm afraid I wasn't told." James grit his teeth.
"Well, that's a surprise" Ozpin mused without sounding surprised at all. "I thought you of all people would know. They will be attending the Vytal Festival after all." Another gut blow fell upon the captain.
Was this?... Does General Lagune not want talks to succeed? If I didn't know…
Had he not been told, James wouldn't have accounted for providing any security to the faunus delegation. Things could get bad and someone could be hurt, giving Kuo Kuana all the justification they needed to start a war. Even worse, Lagune might have been planning something himself. Ironwood didn't think the General was smart enough to come up with the idea, meaning the men around him probably came up with the scheme. Worst case scenario? Both sides would make a play and innocents would get caught in the crossfire.
"Well, I suppose I must thank you for the information, Professor."
Captain Ironwood had yet another issue put upon his shoulders. Stirring inside him was Mettle. Emotion drained from him and his eyes dulled, his decision made. The Vytal Festival would have to proceed, and he would make sure the Belladonna twins received adequate security. However, he swore an oath and would obey the chain of command to its fullest. No matter what happened, he would do both.
"Well, Captain, I do hope talks between your two nations do go well. The world is watching, after all." Ozpin gently put a hand on the massive man's shoulder, giving a friendly pat on the back. "Perhaps we should stay in touch? Does seem that both of us have tremendous burdens on our shoulders.. " Ozpin handed Ironwood his scroll to exchange ID's. While they weren't the same type of scroll, one from Beacon and the other military standard, Ironwood accepted. Ozpin was on the side of peace just like himself, so it was best to be in contact with the Professor.
"I guess we'll see each other some other time then, Professor Ozpin." James extended a hand that was swiftly taken up and shaken. "Maybe when this is all over, we could get drinks together."
Ozpin eagerly accepted the proposition. "Another time certainly. I have to say though, I can hold my drinks well."
Shit Ironwood thought. He was a terrible drinker. Maybe I could use Mettle…. Nope. Nope, that's a terrible idea!
"I know a great place. The Glass Unicorn. Hopefully, we'll be drinking to your successful mediation of peace." Ozpin grinned widely. James returned the smile and the two shook hands again.
"That would be my hope as well! Well, I ought to be catching up with my students. I'll hold you to those drinks, Captain." Waving, Ozpin tapped away with his cane until the sound dulled away, leaving Ironwood alone at the observation station. Left with nothing but his thoughts, he slowly made his way back to his office. Work had to be done. Security, the arena's completion, the two divisions of men under his watch. A lesser man might have cracked, but James did not think he was a lesser man.
They said I was Humanity's Strongest Soldier?... Alright… I'll show it. First I need more coffee though…
It would be a long workday. And worknight. James wrote off sleeping for a few days at least. Coffee power would help him and Mettle could carry the rest.
Powering through was much worse than initially thought. After distributing various tasks to his staff, Ironwood locked himself into his office with Clover to work through everything he needed.
Now in Special Divisions, Clover Ebi had jumped from lowly military police to being the unofficial right hand of Captain Ironwood. Together they burned through security, management, and even the most mundane seating arrangements for high-value guests.
Truly nightmarish, James and Clover had drunk their way through the entire coffee supply of Amity and had to place a requisition order during their second night of work. "So, the Belladonna twins…. We should put a dozen or so men to shadow them at all times with about four guards with them at all times'' James suggested. Clover disagreed. Ironwood had let him in on the arrival of envoys from Menagaire a few days ago.
"Too many guards and they'll feel like they're being corralled. Might trigger an incident." Clover raised a fair point, but James still felt it was better to be overly protective rather than risk the delegates.
"Too many and Kuo Kuana might act and too little might bait Lagune into action!" James groaned in frustration, pulling at his hair furiously. The pressure was mounting up. "Alright. Alright," James said, pulling himself together, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Give them two guards and only nine shadows. If you can, find out everything about the people we give them. Don't want to give the general his man in." Clover nodded and pulled out his scroll and entered some data that James could only presume was personnel information. Being promoted to the head of Vytal policing gave Clover some perks.
"Alright so… next… the matter of Rhyt's damn troops. Right now they're reinforcing a pointless salient and building trench lines in general." Deep-seated tiredness came through each time he spoke. More coffee was needed. Mettle could only do so much while he was awake. Pushing himself, James shook his head and jolted. Drowsy eyes resumed their work.
Clover looked at James with concern, though he also had to look after himself too. Captain Ironwood's sheer willpower in staying up and doing his duty inspired Clover to keep up the pace. That didn't mean he wasn't tired and feeling like a dog in the mud. Interlocking his fingers, a satisfying crack of joints kept him awake.
James' office was slightly larger than the staff room, but almost as messy. Ironwood had tried his best to keep things neat and tidy. The past three days ruined any attempt in cleanliness. James and Clover only ever took breaks to eat and smoke. Besides that, it was working without ever paying mind to their surroundings. Clover really was surprised just how far Captain Ironwood would go to get the job done. It certainly wasn't healthy, that was for sure.
But a promise was a promise, and James did follow through on bringing him into the Special Operations Division. "So what can we do sir?"
"Worst case scenario we can't do anything. Best case… best case is we get a reduction of manpower there. No way we're getting Lagune to stop with this buildup, but maybe we can reduce it."
"So what's the plan?" Clover asked, arms crossed and leaning against one of Ironwood's bookshelves. They were filled with tomes on astronomy, one of the captain's loves.
"We shuffle men around. That's my hope at least. Make it seem innocuous enough so Rhyt won't catch on." If Ironwood was being honest, he didn't think the plan would work, already writing it off as hopeless in his head. They'd just have to deal with it.
"Alright. Sounds good. I'll write up a-" Clover was interrupted by the sound of thumping against their door. Someone must have been either kicking with their feet or pounding with their back. James and Clover shared a look, neither knowing who it was.
James lifted Due Process from where it lay on his table, his sleep deprivation leaving him paranoid for a moment. Clover put a hand on his arm and caused him to come to his senses. Sliding the gun into his holster, James walked to the door.
"Uh, who is it?"
Willow piped up from behind the oaken door. "Gueeeess what I have!"
Willow. Willow is alright! James dashed to the door and opened it up and let his partner in. Radiantly, she smiled at him and the pair stared for a moment before he stepped aside and let her in. "Who sent you?" James asked, suspecting Clover was behind this. Clover, however, raised his hands in surrender.
"Arthur did. He has my number somehow and told me he was worried about you." Arthur… James softened, smiled, and walked back to his desk.
"Like I said Clover, he's not so bad once you get to know him!"
Willow set the coffee pots down and moved up to sit on the table. Crossing her legs, she watched Clover and James drink down the brown gold greedily. Their faces perked up with the boost of energy pouring through them.
"You're an angel" Clover hummed contentedly, holding his warm cup cheerily close. Sipping, he thanked his good luck. The coffee was a good brew and made the lack of sleep tolerable.
"A snow angel" James concurred. "That's what we called her at Atlas remember?" Clover snickered, trying not to burst out laughing this late at night. James sat back in his chair comfortably with his coffee, allowing himself to relax for once in the past three days.
Willow scrunched up her face and burned red as the two men teased her. "Let's not start with that again James!" she squeaked in adorable fury. The floodgates broke and the two started cackling. Willow protested by punching Ironwood's shoulder without much effort. Decided to turn the tables, she shifted the teasing back onto her partner.
"If we're going to bring back nicknames, let's not forget your's James!" Ironwood paled, silently begging Willow not to crack open their embarrassing past. Willow looked at him, considered his plea, smirked, and then crushed it brutally. "Vomit Boy here spilled up half his stomach onto my dress during the dance in our second year. Poor James here couldn't get his nerves together to ask Glyn for a dance! I had to take care of him the rest of the night!"
Clover widened his eyes, turned from Willow to James, and then ever so slowly started breaking into hysterical laughter. "You couldn't get a date for the night? You? And you threw up all over her dress? Oh, that's just-" Clover couldn't finish his train of thought as he just kept laughing at a now equally embarrassed and teased buried his head in his hands out of embarrassment.
"It's only fair James! Besides, I got a dance out of him in our third year. Before he and Glynda got together." There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere of the room. Willow had an echo of longing in her voice. A certain sadness that couldn't be avoided. She looked at James, the two sharing a long glance. Ironwood broke first, slipping a smoke out and lit it.
"Anyways," Clover stepped up to break the ice chill that settled in the room. Some tension that existed between the two was getting in the way and while Clover had a pretty good idea, he figured James was so thick-headed and hyper-focused he would probably miss it and make things worse.
"Thank you so much for the coffee Willow. We've been pretty beat in here." Successfully getting Willow back to an upbeat mood. She beamed under the praise, grinning mightily. Her bright eyes shined in the glistening moonlight.
"Be careful, once she gets you with that look, she'll get anything out of you!" James warned, jokingly, puffing out a cloud of smoke. Clover decided to join his boss and pulled out his own packet. Shaking the little box, Clover thought he was out until he checked. Luckily, there was one left. Ironwood passed their shared dust lighter to him and he ignited it. Soon a little smoke stream was airing up the room again. Desperately, the filters in his office tried to weed it out.
Willow didn't disapprove of their smoking habits. It's not like she didn't have her own vices when it came to taking the edge off. Raising a brow, she asked a question that had been on her mind for a while now. "When was the last time you got to sleep?"
James looked to the digital clock on his scroll. It was four in the morning. "We've gone about… three days without sleep" he replied lethargically Willow was dumbstruck. Surely they were joking? Realization dawned on her when their sleep-deprived faces stared at her with deadpanned looks in their eyes.
"You're… completely serious? Oh James…" she sputtered out. Willow looked at her former partner and only saw him as he was, a boy pushing himself harder than anyone else. There was a motherly concern for him.
Peering into James' eyes, Willow could see past the bags that had formed, past the sleep deprivation, and what she saw were those dull, lifeless blue orbs. His semblance, that which he let Willow in on. Willow never thought she'd be trusted with knowing about Mettle, but she'd been the only one he'd ever told, back when they were partners. "Don't tell me you're using it for this… James." Willow leaned in to try and cup his cheek, and Ironwood hesitantly tried pulling back. Willow frowned at his jumpiness. Lack of sleep was truly getting to him. You're always so stubborn James.. Why didn't you just see how I…
"That semblance is going to get you killed one day…" Willow murmured to him softly, kindly. "James… please. Sleep."
Ironwood shook his head. "I can't. I'm almost done. Just a bit longer and I'll have everything done."
"Please. Do it for me. Your partner! Your friend!"
James paused and felt uncomfortably close to Willow. Pulling away, he puffed out some of his smoke. Unsure of what to do, he looked to Clover for guidance, who could only nod his head in agreement with Willow. "Alright… alright. I'll sleep…" Willow beamed at him and ruffled his thick black hair like she used to.
"Alright. I trust you" she smiled, stepping back and nodding at Clover. As a signal of her utmost trust in her friend, she left the coffee pots there, still warm, but knowing James would do the right thing. He always does, though. I just wish you saw me… she thought sadly, before turning to head out herself. Clover gave her a brief thanks for getting them to sleep and turned to make sure James would in fact get to bed. There was no way they were going back to their base at this hour, so the pair decided on creating makeshift beds in Ironwood's already cluttered office.
Giggling at the way the two argued over bunk beds or just lying on the floor, Willow stepped outside and leaned against the oak door. Feeling a bit of wetness on her face, she realized she had started crying, silently and softly. Taking out her scroll, the huntress sent a message back to the doctor who'd been sending her messages about James and Clover's predicament.
Dr. W: Is he sleeping?W: Yes.Dr. W: Thank you. He needs sleep. Sorry for breaking into your scroll ID. There are few people James will listen to. You're one of them. Anyways, good night.
Willow smiled weakly, knowing she'd done something good for James, but in the end, it wouldn't mean much. James just kept marching on, and with Mettle, he'd just never stop. One way or another he'd be back to work soon, pushing himself always. Never any time to see who was right in front of him. But just.. why her? What did he ever see in her...Walking off into the night to return home, the lone huntress wiped her tears away.
Another message rang in her scroll. Flipping it out, she saw it was from Jacques. That made her smile. She'd told him that James needed her help and he'd been extremely understanding. Even he'd been worried for the captain. They weren't exactly friends, but Willow was of the opinion Jacques wasn't so bad once you got to know him.
J: So, how'd it go? ? J: You're kidding?
W: Promised he'd sleep. I trust him.J: That's good. You feeling better?W: Yea. Thanks for helping with the coffee.J: No problem.W: :D
Willow found herself smiling in real life too. Jacques was reliable like that. He had been a great help while she was recovering from the Taijitu, as had James. Willow walked all the out of the arena and to her private Schnee Bullhead. There was a rotund, young, about her age, butler waiting for her. "Thank you for waiting, Klein."
"It's alright ma'am. I take it everything went well with Captain?"
Willow thought back to how she held his clean-shaven cheeks, staring into those deep blues that mesmerized her so. "Not everything. Let's go home."
The bullhead took off, roaring its engines and shooting off to return to Schnee Manor.
AN: Hoped to show off more...mundane uses for Mettle. Please leave a review and favorite/follow!