Just to confirm something with you, dear reader, as was brought up in a review. Yeah, Rhodes' former affiliation reveal last chapter wasn't really meant as a big 'wow', for neither you nor the characters. More to open a door for this chapter, so to speak.
Anywho, enjoy! Or don't. I won't take it personally. Much.
Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.
The dull thrum of a clock unseen continued, stirring the otherwise silent air. Hands clammy, Weiss wiped them at the sides of her trousers and swallowed.
Rhodes hadn't deigned to speak after Ozpin outed him and Ozpin hadn't bothered to elaborate yet. Although Rhodes' attention seemed to be on Ozpin, Weiss felt certain he waited for her response. And for his part, Vale's Archbishop continued to watch her in silence. The slight smile on his face betrayed nothing, suggesting only mild curiosity. Amusement? Did he expect her to rally against Rhodes now? To cry betrayal or deception?
Whatever Rhodes had been before didn't matter to her; he had more recent crimes against Weiss herself that took more concern.
No, Weiss' only worry at that moment sat behind the desk, presiding over it as though he owned it. The pale moon kissed Ozpin's hair and turned it silver, a languid glow reflecting off the polished wood and into Ozpin's black spectacles. Weiss tried to figure out if more information awaited her. Whether she needed to beg for it.
Tick. Tick.
Swallowing, she took a step towards the desk. Only a slight one. Her legs quivered beneath her and her chest ached. When her palms refused to remain dry, she gave up on wiping them down and instead tried to weave a rune.
"Your magic has no effect here, I'm afraid."
Weiss scowled and tried again. Not even a spark, nor so much as a whimper. If magic existed here whatsoever then it remained out of her reach.
"Get out of my mind," she hissed. "You have no right to be here."
"As I recall you signed up for this duty, Weiss. While I admit I may have withheld some information about it you nonetheless willingly agreed to become a Warden." Ozpin leaned back in the chair and swirled steaming coffee in his mug. "Besides, I'm only here because Rhodes triggered an alarm of sorts. If you want to be mad with anyone -"
"I did not brand her, Ozpin. Don't try to act as though you're the innocent party here."
"Hm. No, I suppose you didn't." Ozpin's finger thrummed against his mug. "But then you did deceive her, didn't you? Trying to trick her into your ridiculous ploy. Honestly," he sighed and shook his head. "Giving Dust to the civilians? You're asking for accidents, Rhodes. I always thought you were more careful than this."
"I deceived her?" Rhodes' shoulders shuddered, then rolled. His boots struck the floor hard as he stormed to the desk, slamming his palms down against the wood. "You marked her, Ozpin. You lied to her. About magic, about what being a Warden means. Being a Hunter," he hissed. "I left precisely because of the lies you continue to peddle."
"You left because you lack the resolve required to protect Remnant. That fault lies with you, Rhodes. Not me."
"Do not paint me as the villain here! The fact that you still sit there and proclaim yourself a savior -"
"I am no such thing," Ozpin interrupted. Rather than set down his mug he flicked his wrist and it vanished. The chair creaked beneath him as he leaned forward, staring up at Rhodes as the other man towered over him.
"If you still suppose that I consider myself a paragon then you are just as deluded as the other so-called 'rebels' you've aligned yourself with. I do what needs to be done for the greater good, whether that's killing Grimm, telling white lies to the populace -"
"The entire world is a farce because of you!"
"Or doing away with former comrades who would throw Remnant into turmoil," Ozpin finished calmly. "If I must sully my soul so that our kingdoms might survive then I will. I will gladly submit myself to the gods' judgement when my day comes, but not a moment sooner." Frowning, he settled back into the chair. "And only to the gods. Not you, nor Raven Branwen, nor anyone else."
Weiss felt like she should say something. 'Could you not use my mind as a place to squabble' felt like a decent start, but she had become tongue-tied. None of this came as news to her; they'd known Rhodes' former affiliation by the man's own admission. If Ozpin had hoped his proclamation would unnerve her then he'd be disappointed.
Her boots clicked against the tiled floor, goosebumps dotting her skin in the cold air. Cold. That she could feel anything when in this dreamlike state still befuddled her. Could the others feel it too? Did they have their senses about them?
She stopped short of the desk. Without magic or her weapon Weiss doubted she could harm Ozpin in any meaningful way. Considering how he'd gained access to her thoughts too she didn't want to provoke him.
Well, not by physical means.
"You made me attack my friends." Admitting it even now made her skin crawl. The way Ozpin's gaze slithered to her lazily, how he regarded her as an afterthought, made her grind her teeth until her jaw ached. "You are a bastard. How dare you make me do such a thing!"
"I had no part in that, Weiss. Not that you would believe me."
"You placed the mark on me!"
"Yes, I did. A mark which links you primarily to Salem, whom I believe you've become acquainted with." Unable to keep the surprise off her face, Ozpin hummed and smiled. Not a revelation again, not when she'd already spoken to Salem a handful of times now. "I do apologize for those, by the way," he continued. "I've made certain to talk to her."
"Talk to her?" Weiss snapped. "I tried to kill my friends because of her! Because of you!" Rhodes' hand pulled her away from the desk before she could lunge for Ozpin, but she yanked herself free and scowled. "If I had my magic, I would gladly set you aflame!"
"You would try, yes. And I imagine it would be a valiant effort, given your talents."
"Is this humorous to you, Ozpin? Her suffering?" Rhodes' face showed pure disgust. "Do you get off on tormenting the children you've trained?"
"And what would you have me do, Rhodes? The world needs Salem. The world needs multiple Salems, in fact, and we would have succeeded if not for your meddling. Remnant could -"
"We were warping people into abominations!"
"They are the keys to protecting Remnant, Rhodes. I thought you understood that."
Rhodes stormed towards the desk. "What I understand, Ozpin, is that you and your allies have forsaken your humanity!"
Humming, Ozpin eased the chair back. "Humanity." He rose from his chair and took up his cane. Clack. The sound of wood striking tile reverberated around the room. The soft scuffing of leather shoes followed it. Ozpin gave them a wide berth as he moved to the center of the room to stand before the glowing ring in the center. Blue light cast his body in a soft glow, more intense than moonlight.
"Weiss? I think we would both agree that Yang is no longer wholly human. Whether or not we agree on whether she's a threat is irrelevant; we both know she isn't simply a girl any longer."
"And? What of it?"
"Do you think of Yang as a monster? Or do you see her for who she is beneath the Grimm's influence? Is she another beast like those we as Hunters are sworn to slay, or do you still consider her to be human, like the rest of us?"
What an absurd question. Ruby's sister, her friend, Qrow's niece. An ally and a confidant through half a dozen life or death ordeals already. Weiss could think of few people she trusted more than Yang. Whether she carried within her a monster didn't change that fact.
"Judging by your expression I think you see her as a person. You recognize that no matter what extra… Baggage a person carries with them, there remains some redeemable humanity within them. The same can be said as miss Belladonna, yes? Someone who might have once tried to kill you is now counted among your friends." Ozpin smiled. "Then you understand of course that humanity comes in different… Forms, shall we say. The world is not black and white, we know this, and I will not presume you're a mindless child and need to be reminded of it."
"Does this have a point?" Weiss asked impatiently. If she could just get a grasp on her magic. Even just a single rune…
"Rhodes proposes we have forsaken our humanity, those of us within the Church, in our pursuit of peace. I would argue the willingness to stain ourselves for the sake of Remnant makes us more human than ever. For what is more humane than compassion?"
Compassion? Ozpin… Did he honestly believe his actions to be those of a compassionate man? Weiss had a few words to say to that. Rhodes had a loud, sardonic laugh to offer too.
"Is warping your own wife into a monster humane, Ozpin?" Rhodes growled.
"Your wife?" Weiss repeated in a whisper.
"Salem. He's referring to Salem."
Ozpin watched her again. Waited for a response. Weiss could only balk at the man, watch as he let Rhodes reveal that as if it meant nothing. When she stared for a long, silent time he sighed and shook his head, cane clicking as he began to pace.
"To command the Grimm as Salem does requires an individual with immense willpower. Too weak and the Grimm's innate appetite for destruction will overwhelm them and turn them into a beast. Furthermore, only particular variants of Grimm are able to be used. The more powerful the Grimm, the more difficult it becomes for its host to subsume it. It is a tedious process, one which we have spent the better part of thirty years developing and perfecting. Salem was our first success, you see." Ozpin paused to smile wanly at Weiss. "A willing participant, I might add. Someone who had been involved in the process early on and knew the risks. So before you accuse me of forcing this fate on the woman I love, know that she offered herself to it. I had been against her idea from the beginning."
"But not of someone else sacrificing themselves for the experiments' sake. You continued to look even after she agreed. Continued to try and make someone else throw themselves away, their autonomy, so we might have some slight control over Grimm." Rhodes spat at Ozpin's feet. "And you've continued to do so still!"
"Weiss? Did Rhodes tell you specifically what he had done before he left the Church?"
Considering he had invaded her mind, Weiss felt certain Ozpin knew the answer already. She still shook her head though just to play along. She looked around the room once more, at the ornate tiling, the wide-open windows, and the countless volumes lining the walls before her. More than a simple study. Although she had never seen the room before and no view existed beyond the moonlit panes she could guess they were in a tower not unlike Ozpin's. And if they stood atop a tower…
"He was an Archbishop? The Archbishop of Atlas," she whispered uncertainly.
"Close, but no. James has been Archbishop for many years, including when Rhodes remained in our service. No, your new companion here had been a researcher and a Warden. And, once upon a time, an integral part in creating Salem."
"Ozpin, that's enough."
"And back then he was fine with what we were doing. He understood that in order to ensure Remnant's survival, to help curtail the Grimm, we needed to take extra steps. Delve into magic that we hadn't yet explored. When my wife offered herself as the subject he made no qualms of it, at least not to me." Ozpin's smile at Rhodes was dour and bitter. "Yet when we dared to involve a child he took a liking to…"
"There is a gross difference between a grown woman and a child, Ozpin!"
"A differentiation that Merlot had little care for, as you've seen firsthand, Weiss. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and only Vale thus far has been granted a being like Salem. Someone capable of influencing the Grimm enough to stave off attacks. Not that it's a perfect system, mind you. Grimm still operate outside of Salem's control, and her command of herself is… In question some days."
"So yes, we've attempted some morally questionable experiments, I will not deny that. Nor will I attempt to appeal to you or try to justify myself beyond offering an explanation as to why." Ozpin stopped in the center of the room again and studied Rhodes this time. "How is she, by the way? I've noticed you tend to keep her hidden quite well."
"None of your concern! I've told you that she will have no part in this, Ozpin."
"And so you would leave someone else to suffer in her place? But she's shown to be capable of controlling it, Rhodes. Better than even Salem herself. She would remain the same girl -"
"If you ask me again I will come to Vale myself and raze your tower to the ground," Rhodes snarled.
Ozpin hummed. "No, you wouldn't. Your entire existence has been revolving around hiding and protecting her. You'd never risk her by allowing her to go unguarded."
"Her? Who is her?" Weiss demanded. She did not appreciate being left in the dark, not when they were using her as a place of discussion.
"Cinder," Ozpin answered easily. "She would have been Leonardo's own version of Salem, had Rhodes not whisked her away. And to think your idea of providing her freedom is resigning her to travel the seas, well and away from any chance of forming a stable, comfortable life."
"Speaking of which, allow me to offer a trade, Weiss. Secure Cinder for us and return her into Leonardo's custody and I will have your mark removed for you. Your transgressions against us up until that point will be forgiven and, if you come to your senses, you will all be allowed to rejoin us as Hunters, no questions asked. We shall even help miss Xiao Long be rid of her own beast if that should please you."
Trade her freedom for Cinder's. A woman she hardly knew and whose first impression, and second, and third, had left much to be desired. Assuming Ozpin to be a man of his word they could turn Cinder over and be done with it. Rhodes' pleading look? He'd tried to trick her and take advantage of her immediately.
She could be done with it all. All she needed to do was hand over a stranger.
"Rhodes was right, you've abandoned your humanity." With no magic to her name Weiss settled for a vulgar gesture that would've made Yang proud. "If you believe I'll trade someone else's freedom for my own then you don't know me at all."
Ozpin didn't look angry at her rejection. In fact he smiled, chuckled, and nodded to himself, as though he had just confirmed something.
"Excellent. Carry that virtue with you, Weiss. See how idealism serves you in the future."
"I would rather be idealistic than heartless," Weiss shot back.
"Pragmatic is the word I prefer. But again, far be it from me to try and tell you differently. You've made your choice." Ozpin clicked his cane against the floor once. The blue ring behind him pulsed and he stepped back into it, adjusting his spectacles. "I don't enjoy this, Weiss. You'll lead them to ruin if you pursue this path."
Weiss tried to draw a rune again on a whim. Nothing. Her teeth ground and she stepped towards the growing barrier around Ozpin. "I'll do no such thing! You and Salem are responsible for our ills, not me. You." She glared through the blue veil and planted her palms against it, magic pulsing beneath her skin.
Magic.
She drew at it, pulled. Kicking and screaming it came towards her, slowly ebbing into her veins and yielding to her will. Ozpin's barrier flickered and his eyebrows rose, more energy flaring at his feet as he reinforced it.
She drew from the well that was Ozpin. Siphoned from it. With a smile she dragged one finger across the surface, then another, watching as her runes began to pulse on its surface.
"I probably can't harm you here, not like this," she whispered. "But I'd like to try anyways."
"I'm certain you would." Ozpin regarded the runes around him with passing interest. "It's a shame that James was always so fond of you. Learning of your fate is going to hurt him quite dearly, I fear."
Ironwood. Weiss knew that Atlas' Archbishop had been working with Ozpin. Understood that he'd probably been aware of what would be done to her. To her friends. Family. She knew that Ironwood had lied to her and used her just as Ozpin had.
Frost crept up the barrier's walls. Slowly. Layers upon layers forming, overlapping one another to become chilled scale mail. A frozen tomb.
The almost feral scream that came out of her was born of more than just anger. And as she watched ice erupt inside the barrier, spires and plumes missing Ozpin as he finished, she dumped what little magic into the space until it shattered beneath her hands. The air that seeped from inside bit at her skin, so cold that her palms hissed in protest. Shuddering, she slammed her palms against rough ice and lowered her head, biting back another frustrated scream roiling inside of her.
"Weiss," Rhodes called from behind her gently. "Thank you for refusing him. Thank you."
She pulled her chilled palms away and stepped back, glaring at the pillar of ice for a moment. Wishing that she had somehow trapped Ozpin inside. When no amount of wishing turned her dream into a reality she huffed again.
"End it. I want to go back."
Before she tried to conjure magic again and unleash it on someone else this time.
Rhodes nodded stiffly and Weiss focused on calming herself as runes formed around them. They formed rings, swirling around them, pulsing with energy. The familiar scent of lavender washed over her and the washed-out room around them began to melt away. An invisible force tugged at her and she could feel her mind being dragged with it, two threads slowly reconnecting.
"I'm going to the city when we get back. I'm leaving," she stated under the hum of magic. "If you try to involve us in your plans again, Ozpin will be the least of your worries."
Nodding, Rhodes continued his spell, hands outstretched, face blanched and glistening in concentration.
Weiss liked to think she caused some of that too as the dreamworld vanished around them.
/+/+/+/+/+/
Chains rattling. Cold, uncaring stone. The faint smell of piss-stained blankets.
Blake gasped, sputtered, and nearly retched as she came to. Stale air cloyed at her lungs and, and…
Her face hit a soft pillow and she paused. Sunlight poured in from a window nearby and filled the lonesome cell she'd been thrown in with warmth. The bed didn't make a sound as she shifted, sinking into a feathery mattress. As her mind tried to reconcile the two things, what she expected and what she now saw, she pushed herself up to rise from bed. Besides a dull ache above her right temple, she felt fine. Fatigued, lightheaded, but unharmed otherwise.
She pulled at her legs one at a time and no manacles rattled. Her wrists too here unbound and free. Through the pounding in her ears, she could hear birds singing just beyond the window, the rustle of leaves in the wind.
"I'm… Not in a cell?"
That had to be a first. Being knocked out cold on a rooftop tended to lead to one of two outcomes, neither of which were pleasant. Being alive after that should be a pleasant surprise, she supposed, but it made no sense. Rising onto her knees she gave her cheek a pinch for good measure and winced; awake, not hallucinating. Probably.
Where in the hells did she wake up then?
As far as confusing mornings went, waking up in a four-poster bed still fully clothed had to be at the top of the list. Just to be sure Blake patted herself down and breathed a sigh of relief; nothing felt out of place or tampered with.
She had been disarmed though, her daggers nowhere to be found. Not the worst thing when you had magic but still a nuisance.
Right. First things first, get a sense of your surroundings. Basic training. Heck, basic survival. Blake had always thought that facet of Adam's training, what to do if you woke up somewhere alien, would be a complete waste. Loathe as she was to admit it now he might have been on to something.
As for her surroundings, well, she couldn't say much about them. The bed she'd woken up in turned out to be the nicest part of the room. A dresser missing its drawers, dark paint faded in pale splotches. A couch with two legs, leaning awkwardly like a drunkard, leather peeling back like an orange rind. Hideously orange too. And that made up the room. Nothing splendid about it, really. The cobwebs in the upper corners didn't help either and a glance at the window revealed a cloud of dust lingering in the air.
Clean linens. An old musty room.
Someone had brought her here to rest and provided the sheets. In a hurry. Blake didn't know whether to thank her captor for the small gesture or spit in their face for bringing her here in the first place.
Her feet touched the cold tiled floor and though it made no sound her steps remained tentative. Only one door out, only one window. The latter it turned out sat rather high up the building too, second or third floor at least. Not a hundred yards beyond the building a sheer drop awaited her. "Not leaving that way," she mumbled, stepping back.
One door. One way in, and one way out. Unless she wanted to spring from the window and use magic, but she figured that should be a last resort. That, and she wanted her damned daggers back.
Speaking of which she sorely needed something to use as a weapon. Whoever had dumped her here made a point to leave nothing even remotely usable for her. She could break off one of the bed posts, sure, but bludgeoning someone only went so far. If it snapped right she'd have a nice pointy stick, great for stabbing one person. Assuming the building she found herself in had more than one inside, well, she'd need a lot of pointy sticks.
Nothing beneath the couch. Her hand came out grey with dust and she coughed, fanning the air and sauntering over to the dresser. A few old garments yellowed with age but nothing that screamed 'weapon' to her.
She did have her fists. Everyone in the White Fang learned unarmed combat just to be safe. To varying degrees of success. She could manage it, if pushed, but Blake didn't count it as one of her better skills. She certainly lacked the raw physicality of Yang. Much as she loathed to admit it her hand-to-hand would probably be better compared to Ruby's. Or Weiss'.
I'll take a bobby pin. A loose nail. Anything sharp.
She combed the room from floor to ceiling and came away dusty and rasping.
So, Blake settled. After some tugging and a lot of effort on her part she managed to break off one of the bed's posts. Which naturally sent the canopy tumbling down and threw dust everywhere. One sneezing fit later and she had herself a weapon, a runny nose, and no real plan beyond hitting the first person to enter the room.
"Maybe I should try the window…" She could misjudge her descent and fall, breaking bones and rendering herself helpless. Someone might see her and attack her. Blake had her magic but that would be all she'd have. And with no idea where in Pradalia she might be, if she were even in the city anymore, getting off the property would only be a start.
"Getting real godsdamned tired of us getting kidnapped," Blake growled. Casting an accusatory glare skyward she waved her makeshift weapon. "Do you enjoy this, gods? Is this a game to you?"
She heard the doorknob rattle before she noticed the voices outside the room. Cursing, she slipped towards the couch and crouched behind it, post clutched in both hands.
If the gods were making a game of this then they were real assholes.
The door squealed open. One of the hinges snapped and someone drew a sharp breath before spitting out a string of curses.
"I told you this room was no good! That door was barely holding on!"
A laugh, followed by another curse. "It was short notice! You can't expect us to have a prison cell at the ready!"
"We should have posted guards!"
Footsteps. The pair entered the room and Blake listened, following each footfall with a twitch of her ears. Slowly on her hands and knees she crept forwards to the doorway.
"Why, it's not like," They stopped, and Blake stopped with them. "And she's gone." The second male whistled, and she heard the bed being shifted around. "Broke the bed too. Bummer, I liked that bed."
"Focus! She ran off somewhere. What if she attacks someone else?"
"I mean we did sort of knock her out and drag her here. I think a little anger would be normal, don't you?"
"She attacked us first!"
Blake crept forward until she rounded the corner of the couch. Keeping the post in one hand she inched forward, peering around the couch at the men in the room. One, a broad-shouldered, armored sort rifled through the bed, throwing the ruined canopy aside as he unleashed every curse word known to humanity. The other watched on with a bemused smile, hands in his trouser pockets. A yellow tail swished lazily behind him, and she caught a glimpse of curling black horns on the armored one's head.
Faunus. Too well dressed to be servants. Which only left one explanation and it made her skin crawl. They're here too? Just my luck.
Although her luck looked to be turning. The pair moved towards the window and the door, which they had left wide open, beckoned. She could slip out unnoticed, race out of the building. She'd still be lost in a new city but from there she could at least make her way towards the bay. No way would these simpletons try to attack her in broad daylight, not unless they wanted the city guard coming down on their heads.
Blake checked the window again and the pair had begun arguing over going out it to check for her. A wry smile worked its way to her lips and she lifted herself into a crouch, legs tensing. Taking in a single breath she looked at the door and counted down from three, bouncing on the balls of her feet, and took off.
Right into someone else.
An unseemly yelp erupted from her as she collided with someone in the doorway, toppling head over heels and ending up splayed out on her back. Her head throbbed again and she groaned, squinting as she grabbed her skull. Possibly concussed, if she hadn't been before. Great. While the room spun she rolled onto her side to look at whoever the hells she'd barreled into and loosed a low, angry hiss. The same boy from the night before now stared at her, face ashen and blue eyes wide as he pressed himself against the wall.
Blake finally noticed the black scales creeping up from the boy's collar, dotting the bridge of his nose and his cheeks. She also noticed that the world suddenly went upside down. Her hair fell around her and she sputtered, kicking with her free leg and flailing. Her fist struck metal and she winced.
Oh, she was upside down. The floor grew distant and she felt herself being lifted higher, coming face to face with the armored man scowling at her. "You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?"
Blake smacked both her palms against the man's head and yowled as she fell. Air rushed from her lungs and her vision flickered. A wheezing gasp slipped free before she became choked for air, a boot slamming into her back and pinning her down. So much for disorienting the lout.
"Hey, hey, easy there! Don't hurt her!"
"Hurt her? She had a weapon!" the man spat above her. Her bludgeon! Blake grasped for it and whined as the boot pressed down harder, her spine groaning in protest. "And she tried to kill Silva!"
"This is all a big misunderstanding. Relax, Manon." Blake turned her head, arms trembling as she tried to push herself up. No luck. The less-jerkish of the duo had a stupid smile on his face and she couldn't make out if he looked amused at her misfortune - "If you promise not to kill us we'll let you up."
Okay, no, he was just an idiot.
"Kill you?" Blake smiled tightly. "Why would I do such a thing?"
"Well, we did kind of knock you out and bring you here."
"Am I speaking to the wall?" Manon said. "She tried to kill one of us, Sun. Why am I the only one here angry about that?"
Sun laughed, waving off Manon as he squatted down to meet her. Flicking blonde hair from his eyes he studied her for a moment before grinning. "She's fine, Manon. Let her go."
"You're an idiot!"
"I'm also in charge." Sun looked back and smirked. "Let her go. Go get some fresh air or something." He reached over and patted the boy, Silva, nodding down the hall. "Go ahead and get breakfast, then see to your chores, alright? I'll handle this."
"Sun, you really shouldn't -"
"Wow, your footsteps sound a lot like you talking! Weird!"
Blake felt the foot press down on her back a little harder, enough that breathing became unpleasant. She reached for the bed post again and her fingertips grazed it, then she watched as it rolled further out of reach. Just as she began considering using magic the pressure on her back released and coughed as her lungs filled to the brim. Her hand drew back in a hurry when Manon almost crushed it beneath his heel and she remained prone to let him pass. Silva stole another look at her before darting after the man, keeping arm's length away from the hulking brute.
"There, that's much better, don't you think?"
Blake's fingers wrapped around the post and she rolled, swinging her arm as hard as she could. Which made it all the more disappointing to see Sun catch it in his hand and smile at her. He held firm as she pulled on it and to her surprise he wrenched it free from her grasp, tossing it into the room behind him.
"Hey, I'm not your enemy here, alright? Lousy first impressions aside we're on the same side!" Grinning, he stood and offered her a hand. She stared at it, at him, and remained firmly seated where she was.
"You know I could kill you with magic, right?"
"Mhm, sure do!"
Blake narrowed her eyes. Either Sun had more power than he let on, magic of his own, or he was just an idiot. She really leaned towards the latter. Most people didn't smile when you threatened their lives. And none had ever offered to help her up after she'd just tried to brain them.
Although all things considered Blake supposed she'd never tried to bash a skull in with a bedpost before either. First times all around.
"I know that floor isn't too comfortable. Come on, there's a sitting room one level down we can go talk in, if you'd like."
"Come a little closer, maybe you'll find you like the floor."
"Mmm, nah. Been laid on my butt a few times, I know it sucks." Sun laughed and leaned further down to offer his hand. He waved it and smiled toothily. "Come on, up you go."
This guy had to be a complete nutcase. Who captured someone then acted all chummy with them? Considering she had started to lift her hand Blake figured she might be crazy as well. Although the throb in her head played a part in that.
She yelped as she rocketed to her feet and might have fallen over if Sun hadn't caught her. Leaning into his arm she felt blood rush to her head and her vision went out for a second like a snuffed candlelight. Up much too quickly. She swayed, groaned, and gripped his arm for support despite herself.
"For someone who slept on a stinky bed, you don't smell half bad."
Blake's palm managed to rake across Sun's face as she stumbled back. The satisfying crack of it might have made her smile if the room would stop spinning for a godsdamned second. Her palm tingled at her side and she scowled, trying and failing to stomp on his foot. "Pervert!" she hissed.
"What? No, I didn't mean it like that!" Sun went pale and held up his hands. "I'm just saying you don't stink like an old bed! Which I guess makes sense since we put new sheets on it but still. Oh, how's the head, by the way?" he asked, as if her swaying on her feet were an afterthought. "Sorry about the knock to the dome, by the way. Had to act quickly before things went bad."
Her eyes watered and Blake leaned back against the wall. In and out. Breathe. Her nostrils flared and she glared at Sun through her bangs. "I should kill you for that. And for kidnapping me."
"Kidnapping? I brought you back here so you wouldn't be out in the city unconscious!" Sun pouted. Actually pouted like some child being scorned. "And I said I was sorry!"
"Still not hearing much of a reason not to kill you."
"Because we're on the same side!"
A pause. A long, drawn out moment of awkward silence that left them staring at each other. Blake blinked as her vision finally settled, steadier on her feet at long last. "We're what?" she whispered.
"We're allies! We're both after the same thing!" Grinning again Sun raised his fists and threw two punches before smacking one fist into his palm. "I mean it's pretty obvious in hindsight. Sure, you're not from here, but I knew who you were from the second we met!" Her heart readied itself to leap from her throat. "It's why I didn't have you locked up!"
Carefully, and trying not to let her voice tremble, Blake asked, "And who am I, exactly?"
"I didn't hit your head that hard, did I?"
"Answer my question!" Blake snapped.
Sun stepped back and held up his hands. "Alright, alright, sheesh. Blame a guy for being concerned…" He shook his head, then smiled easily at her again. "I mean it's pretty obvious you're not from around here with that getup," he explained, gesturing to her. Says the idiot in a ripped tunic and trousers. Sun chuckled. "You're a Faunus, you're dressed pretty well, and you know how to fight. You're one of us: a member of the White Fang!"
That confirmed her suspicions earlier then. Blake loosed the breath she'd been holding and shook her head. Wrong, although in a sense correct too. Did she really look the part still? She hadn't considered what her outfit might have suggested to others; the apothecary hadn't treated her like she might belong to the Fang.
"I figure you're probably new to Pradalia and got spooked. Which hey, it happens, no big deal. Once we realize who you were we brought you back here to rest up." Sun sauntered forward and tried to sling an arm around her shoulders. She glared at him enough that he stopped himself and coughed into his fist instead. "Anyways, that's the story. Sorry again for the rough introduction but I've gotta protect my guys, you know? Especially kids."
Kids. She'd nearly murdered a child last night, hadn't she? A fresh bout of nausea hit her and she covered her mouth, closing her eyes and shuddering. The sort of thing Adam might do. Sienna.
People that Sun still affiliated himself with. No matter how affable he might seem, that made him a monster just like them.
"Hey, you okay? Aw jeez, hang on a sec, I can get a healer!"
Shadows swirled around her feet. Monster. Even if her tenure as a Hunter had been brief she agreed with at least one tenant of the job; kill monsters. Amber eyes settled on Sun and the shadows around her coiled up, creeping towards the box windows in the hallway to blot out the sunlight.
"Er, you do realize I didn't kill you, right?" Sun chuckled uneasily and took a step back. Shadows slithered along the floor after him. "Hey, come on, we're pals here!"
"I'm not 'pals' with a killer," Blake hissed.
One quick spell. She could strangle Sun and have him dead in seconds. Throw him out a window, break his neck.
The front of the building shook with an explosion and Blake quickly forgot all about her plans to murder the man before her. As smoke shot up the side of the building and flames rose into view she raced towards the window and leaned out for a better view, shying away from fire lapping at the pale white walls.
Yang stood down below in a ruined courtyard, flames licking at her skin as she stalked forward. A small group of men and women backed away from her, armed with pitchforks and hoes, a rolling pin and… Was that a fish?
Civilians. Not combatants. People like Opal.
"You assholes have ten seconds to give us Blake back before I turn this place to ash!"
The ground at Yang's feet had gone black, incinerated in the blink of an eye. Not far behind her Ruby stood with a spear in her hands, prodding and poking at anyone who tried to creep closer to them. Doors threw open and she watched Manon storm out of the front of the building, a warhammer resting on his shoulder.
"Who the hell are you?" he roared.
"Your worst nightmare if you don't give me my friend back! Five seconds!"
The civilians tried to scramble inside past Manon. The hulking Faunus lowered his hammer and the earth at his feet began to rumble.
Innocents and children caught in the crossfire. All because of her. Blake scrambled to find a way out and spotted a balcony further down the hall, taking off in a spring to it with Sun on her heels. Let him try to stop her. She would gladly cast him out ahead of her if he wanted to follow.
She burst onto the balcony with a gasp, hitting the stone railing and leaning over it. "Yang!" she called. Lilac eyes found her and she shook her head. "Don't attack, there are kids in here! I'm fine! I'm -"
Falling. Something slammed into her back and for a second Blake felt the weightlessness as her body left the earth. She saw the roof, then the ground. The top of a peach tree. A bush speeding towards her.
The saying went that cats always land on their feet. Blake, despite her Faunus heritage, was not an actual cat. She tried like hell to land on anywhere but her head or her back; she'd suffered enough near head trauma for one lifetime already. She missed the bush but her fall hadn't been as painful as she'd expected. Something soft broke the impact but the air still left her lungs in a whoosh, groaning as she settled in a heap.
The ground groaned beneath her too. Except the ground didn't have a blonde monkey tail to wave in her face.
Sun wheezed and coughed, trying and failing to lift both of them up. Blake rolled off more by his struggling than her own efforts, splayed out on the grass as her chest heaved.
Not dead. For the second time that morning she felt rather pleased at that turn of events.
As Ruby and Yang rushed over to her, she could only hope it stayed that way.
Sorry if this chapter ends abruptly or feels a bit messy. Had intended to write more/refine it better over the weekend but it was a lousy one culminating in my burying a 9 month old cat after scraping it off the road, so... Forgive me this once if the writing lacks a bit.
See you all next chapter.