Chapter 6

"Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

As a man that has long traveled the world, from the northernmost point to the southmost tundra, Harrison (Harry) Potter was wise to the ways of almost all cultures. He could stand toe to toe with the richest and most powerful men and women of Atlas, while also blending in with the desert nomads that constantly traveled the sands of Vacuo. He knew the moral grey area that society liked to operate in, how a good family can become little more than bandits if enough bad things happen to them, and that the faunus species as a whole got the short end of a very rough stick. He also knew that there were more than a few bad apples among the animal trait bearing species, people that only spoke one language and that language being violence. Then there were others that spoke words of peace, who would trudge through the mud if it meant holding up their ideals on how to effect long term change.

"Mr. Belladonna, Mrs. Belladonna," then there was the current chief of Menagerie, a giant of a man that stood head and shoulders above Harry, and his recently married wife.

Tall, with muscles so large and well defined that he could have been carved out of stone, Ghira Belladonna was the very definition of a predator in humanoid form. His long hair and beard gave him the appearance of a wild man, some would even go so far as to call him a savage, but it was his sharp yellow eyes that betrayed the truth. For if his sharp retractable claws didn't get you, then his smarts and cunning would. After all, you didn't become both a chieftain and the leader of the current White Fang without knowing a few worthwhile tricks.

Then there was Kali Belladonna, no known maiden name, and she was no doubt the shadow to Ghira's burning light. She was beautiful, Harry wouldn't be hard pressed to admit he did find her rather attractive, with her loose hanging robes that somehow accented the well toned body that lay underneath. Though it was the way she stood that gave her away, muscles tense like a cat waiting to pounce and eyes filled with a suspicion that was expertly masked by an almost too friendly smile. If Ghira was the hammer, Kali was the scalpel.

"Mr. Potter, your arrival was...unexpected," Ghira said after a moment, searching for the right words to describe a popular human's arrival in a place known to be almost completely faunus populated; that and the young girl staring up at him from Harry's side with a rather intense look.

"But I hope not unwelcome?" Harry's face didn't even so much as twitch, remaining of perfect polite mask, "After all, the history between my current business partner and your organization is known to be rather...unfriendly."

"Of course. While the S.D.C. hasn't gained any favor with the White Fang, for obvious reasons that we've protested and boycotted, your own reputation is also well known to us. That still makes me wonder why a man of your station, taking an interest in almost everything on Remnant, is here on Menagerie," Ghira sounded formal, painfully formal, as if he was uncomfortable speaking in any other way than casually and didn't have time to prepare for such a meeting.

Harry's smiling mask actually shifted a bid, the slight wrinkles around his eyes gaining some more definition as his smile grew, "If you know so much about me, then you should already have an idea as to why I came here. Menagerie is a new nation, primarily Faunus in nature so most big companies won't do business with you in fear of the S.D.C., and even I know that the majority of this place is a desert occupied by some rather nasty Grimm. All of that being said, I see potential and want to help it grow."

"Is that the only reason?" Kali asked, tilting her head like a curious cat.

"No, I also hope that by helping you it will prevent any more bombs from being sent to the home of two people I've grown rather fond of," Cinder almost shivered at the way Harry's tone changed, the way his eyes hardened into icy emerald orbs, and how there was an imperceptible aura about him that put her on edge.

"Bombs?" Kali glanced at Ghira, her surprise as clear to Harry as freshly smoothed glass, and Ghira shook his head in denial; this was troubling in more ways than one.

"The White Fang doesn't fight our battles like that," Ghira began, a note of frustration in his tone that wasn't there before, "We protest, cause inconveniences for those that try and oppress us, but we've never resorting to something as criminal as sending someone a bomb.

"And yet, in the time it took me to travel from Atlas to here, I've had my people track every step the bomb took to get there. I'll save you the long details of international package delivery, but at the end of it all the trail started in this very city," Harry had a hunch that it wasn't by Ghira's orders that the bomb was sent, but the right amount of motivation could compel the man to clean house; in a manner of speaking.

"Then I don't suppose you'd be willing to send us a copy of what you found?" Kali cut in, the way she narrowed her eyes and shifted her weight from one leg to the other, showing just a but of skin was rather...fetching.

Harry glanced down at his scroll for barely even a second, his fingers moving like a blur, and looked back up to meet Kali's gaze, "There, feel free to examine them to your heart's content. Though, if you don't mind, I'd like to explore this place a bit while you do; get the lay of the land as it were."

"For what reason?"

"Have you ever heard the expression you can't make bricks without clay? If I'm going to do any good work while I'm here, which I'm sincerely hoping to do, then I need to know what I'm working with," Harry said, turning away from the two faunus and walking away with Cinder just a step behind him.

Kali saw an opportunity and took it, "Then allow me to give you a tour of our home. It would be impolite to just let you wander around an unfamiliar place.

Cinder didn't like the way the cat lady was looking at Harry, it was like how she used to look at a mark she was gonna steal from. That meant that these people were her enemies, enemies that were to be watched at all times like she used to watch the other street dwellers so they wouldn't steal her food. Although Harry didn't look worried, in fact his ever present smile shifted just a bit as the cat lady seemed to glide over to him.

"Well," Harry began, shifting his cane to his other hand while holding out his arm for Kali to take, "Who am I to say no to such an offer?"

Kuo Kuana was quite an expansive place, having several districts dedicated to housing, markets, markets for faunus with aquatic features, and even a temple dedicated to the god they tended to all believe in. It impressed Harry with how much they managed to build in such a short amount of time, especially when more than half of their new nation was an uninhabitable desert and the fertile parts had to constantly be protected from the Creatures of Grimm. Though nothing was quite as spectacular as the stares he was getting from every faunus they passed.

After all, it wasn't every day that you see a rich looking human walk through the streets with the queen of the island on his arm and a little girl trailing behind them both. Especially when the little girl looked like she could have been their daughter; rumors would reach Ghira by the end of the day.

"So tell me," Kali leaned in just a bit closer, the stares directed their way grew more intense, "Why did you decide to go into business with someone as vile as Jacques Schnee? I'm sure someone of your standing can see a snake even if they're dressed in a fancy white suit."

A deep rumble of a chuckle came from Harry's mouth, "I can see you're not one to beat around the bush."

"What can I say? Being a member of the White Fang has made me a curious kitty cat," if Harry were still a young and hormonally driven man then the way Kali pressed herself up against him would have turned him into a blushing mess in a heartbeat.

"Honestly?" Kali nodded, an eager look in her yellow eyes, "Because I can predict what a snake like Jacques will do. I know how to keep a man like him in line, I know how and when to press the right buttons to make him dance to my tune, and in the end I plan on taking everything away from him. His company, his reputation, and even the name Schnee. He isn't deserving of his wife's maiden name, isn't deserving of even his own name. The truth is, he's just another snake in the grass that came too close to a hungry lion."

Kali wasn't gonna lie, she wasn't expecting that kind of response at all. People from Atlas tended to try and hide their schemes, use fancy words to bury their true intentions until not even they know what they're saying anymore, but apparently not Harrison Potter. It's like he was fearless, like anything the pompous Atlas elites did couldn't even come close to touching him.

If she wasn't already a married woman…

"That's a rather bold statement," Kali all but purred, leading Harry and Cinder through yet another market that had a submarket where aquatic faunus went about their own business, "Aren't you afraid word could get back to your wonderful business partner? Such a thing would no doubt cause you no small amount of trouble?"

"Except he wouldn't believe you," Harry turned his gaze towards a young woman selling some fresh meats, all of which would go great for his and Cinder's dinner that he planned on cooking in just a few short hours, "Because, at the end of the day, Jacques' hatred for faunus will override his common sense. He'd sooner believe that your kind is trying to drive a wedge between himself and his business partners than one of us actually plotting against him."

"You're a very hard man to trust, Mr. Potter," Kali said freely, though there was no hint of anything negative in her tone.

"Oh, how so?" Harry asked while motioning towards a rather juicy chunk of beef, he could see Cinder lick her lips at the sight of so much meat, to which the clearly faunus woman was quick to prepare; easily slipping on a fresh pair of plastic gloves.

"Since you managed to get in the good graces of someone like Jacques Schnee, a shrewd man given how high he was able to rise in so little time, then that means you must have made him think you shared more than a few of his ideals. Now here you are, in the heart of the faunus nation, trying to get into my husband's own good graces to expand your business here. So it makes me wonder; who is the real Harrison James Potter?" Kali pulled out some coins from somewhere on her person, Harry's gentlemanly mind wouldn't dare imagine where given her lack of pockets, and paid the woman before Harry could.

The three of them continued on their walk, although Cinder all but snatched the rather sizable chunk of meat from Harry's hands, and settled into a comfortable silence until they reached the large walls that surrounded the whole of Kuo Kuana; walls that were manned by rifle carrying men and women. They eyed Harry for all of about a second before their gazes landed on just who he was with, which seemed to settle their nerves just enough to go back to their jobs.

"I'm the type of man that sees potential in many things, even when people themselves don't. For instance, I'm sure many see this nation of yours as just a place to placate the faunus as a whole, that way they can't say they aren't being treated like the other kingdoms, but I see a place that can thrive just as much as any other. Where you see a vast desert with no real use, I see land ripe for development. I can name no less than ten vegetables that could be grown in such climates and all that is needed is the right resources to do so."

"At a price, you mean?" Kali pointed out.

Harry resisted rolling his eyes, "Everything comes at a price, nothing is for free, but that doesn't mean it has to be as harsh for your people as it has been over the years. That and I find that honey often works better than vinegar."

"Are you calling is flies, Mr. Potter?"

"Never," Harry's mind's eye viewed the vast land before him and imagined all it could be.

He saw rows upon rows of insulated farms, their glass roofs allowing the natural sun to shine in on the plants while the climate was controlled precisely so that specific crops could be maintained. The giant mechs that Atlas liked to use were converted to heavy duty mining machines, extracting ore from deep underground. Solar farms, technology surprisingly not that wide spread outside of Vacuo, provided sustainable energy for all of the faunus nation without relying on imported dust from around the world. Even the city expanded out past its current limits, tall industrial buildings blending in rather well with the nature around it.

"I'm simply noting that working together is much better than working against one another."

"I don't like her, or the way she looks at you."

It was early in the evening, the sun was already beginning to set, and Harry found them a rather nice place to rent that sat almost right on the beach. While the kitchen that came with their temporary home was nothing special, clearly not up to the same standards as the one back in Atlas, Harry nonetheless made due and wasted no time starting their dinner. While this was going on, Cinder tried her best not to think about the cat lady.

It clearly wasn't working.

Harry glanced her way for just a moment, the lump of beef sitting on his cutting board and a very sharp knife in his hand, "Oh, I assume you're talking about Mrs. Belladonna?"

"Who else would I be talking about?" a bit of heat crept into Cinder's voice, though the way Harry raised his eyebrow quickly doused the flame before it could grow into something bordering on rude, "She's a survivor, like me, and she looks at you the same way I used to look at someone I'd steal from and maybe stab if they caught me."

"Ah," his features grew soft as his hands went back to work slicing their meal into long, slim, and yet wide pieces, "So you're worried that they might try and hurt me? I'm touched, truly."

Cinder felt heat crawl up her cheeks, deciding the wood floor was far more interesting than the man who took her in off the streets, "If something happens to you then I'm back on the streets again, but this time I'm in a place I don't know…"

Another slice of meat was put aside, the sound of Harry' cleaning his knife and setting it aside was oddly comforting for Cinder, and he made sure to properly wash his hand before moving onto the next part of their dish.

"Don't worry, little one, nothing is going to happen to me," Harry grasped another knife, this one slightly different than the one before, and started chopping some carrots into evenly spaced chunks, "And I promise you, you'll never spend another night on the streets."

"Don't make promises that you can't keep."

"I don't," his mood shifted, "Now, how would you feel about helping me with the next part?"

Little Cinder was by his side in an instant.

Their meal was wonderful.

Was this what it was like to have a father?