"Today nothing goes wrong!" a sharp voice whipped. Deep, commanding and stern, Captain James Ironwood drilled his instructions to each of his lieutenants. "I want hourly reports from your positions. We are a week away from the Vytal Festival and the entire world is watching. No mistakes. No errors. Am I understood?"
A series of stout salutes and "Yes sir!" replied in unison before departing to their assigned units. Captain Ironwood watched them all depart until the very last man left. Standing near him was his shadow, Clover Ebi, wearing a clean white uniform that matched the captains'. Both men wore their navy blue peaked caps that belonged to all officers. The symbol of Atlas was emblazoned on the red accented band that ran around the base of the cap.
Some officers were disgruntled at the transfer of Clover Ebi into the Special Division out of nowhere. Weeks ago he was a washed out huntsman stuck in a dead end military police job and now he was second man to their direct superior. Few complaints had been made but Captain Ironwood had insisted that anything that came from Clover should be treated like it had come from himself. Clover himself tried not to take it personally, but it did get to him from time to time. Whispers behind his back were as commonplace at the Academy as they were in the military.
Everything from his skill to his rank was supposedly due to his semblance. No matter how hard he tried to prove himself, everything would just be waved away as just good luck. But being here, walking with James and looking at his determined face yet knowing how nervous and unsure he was inside gave him comfort. James did not attribute everything to a Semblance. Clover felt he was in good hands.
"Remember what we went over?" Ironwood asked as they headed past technicians in Amity's Halls. Clover nodded his head. Planning the security for the Belladonna twins was going to be complicated. Learning only recently of their arrival in Atlas from Ozpin, James and Clover had deduced that the top brass kept them in the dark to prevent effective security. No doubt they were planning something. On the other hand, Atlesian intelligence had good info that Kuo Kuana was making a move. They were trapped between following orders and trying to stop a war.
So, James and Clover had settled on appearing like they weren't knowledgeable about the Belladonna twins. To do that, the security had to be discreet. Subtle. An overt show of protection would tip off Colonel Rhyt and Ironwood might be replaced as head of Vytal Festival. Too little and the Belladonna's would be left vulnerable. It wasn't just the military that was out to get the faunus. According to higher ups, Mantle was having several anti-faunus protests. As usual there would probably be counter protestors and things could get ugly.
"Like we discussed, you handle the indirect security team. I'll be with them the rest of the time." James and Clover stopped at a junction that led to the docking bays, now fully complete with multiple pads for incoming bullheads.
Saluting, Clover let out a sharp "Yes sir!" before running to rendezvous with his men. Each man and woman on the hand picked security team was painfully checked for anything that might suggest an issue. Anti-faunus sentiment across their records, including on the CCT, were scanned. Ultimately though, it was a strong gamble that the soldiers chosen for the job weren't in on the plan against the Menagerie delegation.
James watched as Clover sped away, leaving him alone to meet with the Belladonna twins. In his pocket, he felt the vibrations of his scroll. Checking to see who it was, James smiled at the sight of a message from Ozpin. The Deputy Headmaster was asking if he'd met with the delegation yet. Replying back Ironwood told the professor that he'd be kept up to date; so long as the information wasn't classified. Slipping his scroll away, James snapped a finger to his comm link and contacted the last member of the security detail.
"Arthur? Are you ready?"
Sitting comfortably in his lab, Arthur Watts ran a finger over his ring. Lighting up cyan blue, he took direct control of Amity's systems. Rather than being decentralized among various tasks, Arthur Watts could, at will, shut or open doors, monitor the cameras, and have logs of all official personnel entering and exiting the different sections of the arena. All the code now directly ran through his little ring, though it could only do so much at one time. Limited control however was better than no control.
And the best part? All of this was perfectly legal, given his position as head of Vytal Engineering, he could take direct command of any electronic system in the name of emergency security matters. They just never specified taking command of everything at once, but who was asking? Being in the military gave him many perks indeed. "Ready as ever James. I'm so thrilled you brought me in on this little adventure of yours!"
James sighed on his end of the comms. "This isn't a game, Arthur. You're my friend and the only person I trust to monitor the cameras."
"Right. So, you want me to look out for anything suspicious?"
"That and keeping an eye on the delegation." This was one part of the plan Clover had come up with. While they couldn't bring too many guards with them, at least not directly, having eyes on the area would offer them the ability for a quick response team if needed. Clovers men would swoop in and stop any problem that could emerge.
Guess it's almost time James thought, feeling jittery and nervous. While certainly not someone who believed the faunus were inferior, Captain Ironwood didn't quite know what exactly to say with the sons of the Chieftain of Kuo Kuana. He worried that there could be a misstep somewhere along the line and he'd cause a worsening of relations.
No. Everything will go according to plan. Dark blue eyes lost the shine of light that twinkled in them. Emotion fled his body and his face took a stoic, impassioned stare and his resolve hardened. Marching out, James made his way to the closest landing pad, the same one Ozpin and Team STRQ had arrived on. James could only pray things would go as well as that day had. There'd be no tour this time around, of course. Just quick pleasantries and leading them to the negotiation rooms at Amity. Ozpin would then meet them there later and take some trouble off Ironwoods' hands.
The bullhead appeared from the fog, a slow moving beast with great wings flailing in the air. Nearing the landing pad, Ironwood arrived in time to find four guardsmen, all hand-picked by Clover, waiting for him. "No mistakes" he explained curtly to the soldiers.
Surprisingly, he saw Team STRQ loitering around one of the other pads, their bullhead docked nearby. Seeing him, Summer Rose waved to the Captain. James only tipped the short visor of his peaked cap in response. Right now wasn't the time. Quickly realizing that as well, Summer spoke unheard words to her teammates, presumably informing them about the importance of staying out of the way.
The bullhead landed and the landing platform shuddered under its weight, only for a moment before the shock absorbers triggered and stabilized the pad. A soft hissing of mechanical clicks was heard and then the ramp lowered. Exiting the bullhead first were two young faunus men, the Belladonna twins. The first one was as tall as James with shoulders even wide. His hair was jet black, with a patch of white fur on his chest. Some type of bear faunus? James wondered. The other one behind him was similar in appearance, though smaller and less intimidating. He had a more pleasant look on his face.
James was not expecting four other faunus to exit the bullhead. They were young, no older than the teens on Team STRQ. What? Did Rhyt know about this too?! James refocused himself, his semblance disallowing any emotional response from taking over for too long. Putting together a logical response, it was more likely that not even command knew about this. Menagerie had brought a team to compete in the Vytal Festival.
Standing proudly toe to toe with the larger Belladonna twin, James extended a hand. The faunus man looked at him and returned the hand shake. "Captain James Ironwood, sir" he introduced himself. "I'll be your escort today as well as the head of Vytal Security. I assure you that your time at Amity will be safe." Ironwood spoke without emotion, dark blue orbs staring lifelessly, without light.
Nodding, Belladonna spoke. "Thank you Captain." His voice was deep and sharp, a cutting tone that reverberated around James. "I am Shido Belladonna. This is my younger brother, Ghira."
The smaller faunus, Ghira, looked out of place and nervous, wishing he was anywhere else. Ghira mumbled a greeting and held his arm, looking away from Ironwood. James paid it no mind, having suffered from the same in the past before, especially without Mettle aiding him. "A pleasure to meet you both." James looked past them and at the team of young faunus. "I wasn't aware of any huntsmen academies on Menagerie."
Shido looked at him with a haughty glare. James didn't like the look of it but kept silent. There would be no incidents if he had anything to say about it. "We may not have huntsman academies but we too have combat schools. I hope that won't be a problem now, will it, Captain?"
"That isn't my choice to make, sir. Now, if you'd follow me." James waved his hand towards the Arena, beckoning the envoys to follow him. For a tense moment Shido didn't move. Only when his younger brother Ghira spoke up did Shido acquiesce and started moving. Pushing past the captain and his guards, Shido marched forward while Ghira gave James an apologetic look. Standing behind them, Ironwood followed after the guards began marching alongside the diplomats. As planned, Clover trailed them with extra men if needed.
James slipped his scroll out to send a message to Ozpin.
J: They brought a team.
O: What?
J: Huntsmen in training. Four faunus students. Atlas will never let them participate. This could be bad.
O: Got it. Thanks for the heads up.
James silently glanced around before putting his scroll away. Along their march the eldest Belladonna deemed it worth his time to inspect everything from the hallways to the way the doors worked. "This is very advanced engineering. I am impressed."
"We've had our finest scientists working on it. Now, please, keep moving until we reach the negotiation chambers." Shido didn't take a liking to the tone Ironwood used, or rather, the lack of it. Without knowledge about Mettle, it looked like they were being escorted by a dry, heartless man. Perhaps they were. It didn't matter. When Mettle was active there was nothing in the world that would stop James Ironwood from achieving his goal.
Right now that meant moving both Belladonna's along as humanly possible in order to prevent anything from happening. If that meant transporting them like prisoners, so be it. "I am merely complimenting your people, Captain."
"And I thank you. Move along." Shido appeared to almost make a move before Ghira put a hand on his shoulder.
"Brother. Let's not waste time. Father sent us to negotiate, not to admire engineering. The captain is right. We need to move quickly." Once again, Shido simply nodded and mumbled an agreement. James could tell the elder brother wasn't a fool. Nobody would start a fight in the middle of enemy territory, but baiting one? It's a gamble yet one that could pay off if successful. James knew better than to give Shido what he wanted. I can't let him get to me.
Finally, after what could only be considered the longest march, did they reach the negotiation table. James stepped past his men and his charges, opening the door to look inside. A long desk was situated in the middle of a clean, white room, with Ozpin sitting in the middle and the representatives from the Atlesian Council, Headmaster Arsène and Colonel Rhyt, Lagune's mouthpiece for the negotiations. Ozpin merely waved to his new friend, a small way of showing thanks for the heads up. James returned a curt nod to both Oz and his former Headmaster.
Nodding to himself, checking everything in the room over again, James turned and exited the room to face the Belladonna twins. "Everything seems in order. You can enter." James stepped aside and let them enter. Ghira walked in without saying anything but Shido glared at James.
"Not going to check us for weapons, captain?" Shido goaded. James didn't respond in the way Shido wanted. Mettle wouldn't allow him.
"No sir, that military already checked you before entering your bullhead" James replied stoically. Seeing that the soldier wasn't going to take the bait, Shido retreated and entered the room, slamming the door shut after giving Ironwood one last glare.
Mettle passively deactivated and Ironwood sighed, holding his head with one hand. Hoping to give Ozpin another warning, he quickly sent several messages on his scroll.
J: Shido and Ghira Belladonna. The elder is more shrewd than he appears. Rhyt will fall for his bait. Please stop a war from breaking out.
O: I'll try my best. Thank you, Captain. Drinks sometime later, good or bad?
J: Sounds fine. Let's hope for good.
The lack of response and the sound of voices from behind the door told him that negotiations had begun and that Ozpin would be preoccupied. Placing his trust in the Deputy Headmaster, James ordered his men to stand guard at the door. "If anyone wants to come in, tell them to see me."
"Yes sir!" they shouted, saluting as Ironwood turned to leave. Walking away from the negotiation room with sweat trickling down his face, he ran into Clover. The other huntsman looked concerned, wondering if something had happened.
"Everything alright sir?" Clover asked. James just smiled weakly and rolled his head, a soft crackling sound bringing him immense satisfaction.
"Everything's fine, Clover. The Belladonna's are safely in the negotiation room." Clover returned the smile and walked with James. Looks like I worried for no reason Clover thought.
"It's just… I always thought I was one of the 'good' humans. I believe in equality between faunus and humans yet here I am marching them like prisoners at gunpoint. Treating them like enemies. We're huntsmen, aren't we?" James said, doubting his own intentions. Clover rested a calming hand on the captain's shoulder.
"We're trying our best to follow our orders and do what's right. Sometimes the line gets blurred." Ironwood nodded, though he wasn't sure about that line of reasoning. He'd enlisted to help make a change here in Atlas; to protect the people, yet here he was treating the faunus as second class citizens at best, animals at worst. Clover could tell that James wasn't convinced. "It's out of our hands now, sir. Let's hope Professor Ozpin gets them to come to an agreement. Then we can all go for drinks."
James smiled weakly at his friend's attempt at encouragement. Clover meant what he said, so James figured he'd try and take what he could and keep pressing on. Nothing more could be done now. No one can change the world in a day.
He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his thick black hair before putting his cap back on. Back at the landing pad, James and Clover saw Team STRQ and the currently unknown faunus team talking to one another. Their conversation appeared pleasant, Summer and Taiyang chatting up a storm while Raven and Qrow spoke quietly to each other to the side. Clover and Ironwood shared a quick look. "I guess it's my job to chaperone them?" the captain asked, hoping Clover would save him.
Clover smirked, shook his head and turned the other way, waving a farewell to his friend. "It's my lucky day! See you later, sir." James grumbled several silent obscenities before approaching the students. Raven spotted him first and pointed it out to the other students. James grimaced at the sight of the faunus team stiffening, any excitement they had having wilted away. He felt another pang of guilt strike him.
Captain Ironwood tried his best to appear personable, someone who wasn't going to assume the worst of the faunus, as hypocritical as that may be given the situation he was just in.
Summer Rose was the first one to greet him, waving the captain over with a bright smile. Ironwood returned her smile with one of his own, hoping to try and get the faunus students to relax a bit. "Miss Rose. Sorry for earlier. I was.. occupied. What are you all doing here?" Ozpin was expected to be here. Team STRQ? They were his best first year team sure, but the rest of the Beacon teams had arrived already. He wondered what had brought them back to the colisuem.
"No worries sir! It looked important so we didn't mind! Right guys?" she chirped, causing Raven to roll her eyes and scoff out an "Ugh." Summer just stuck her tongue at her before turning back to James. "Professor Ozpin brought us along. Said we should treat our time here at Amity as a lesson and to take a look at the Arena some more. So we did. Then we met with these guys after you left with the Belladonna's. He also gave us a lecture about equality" Ironwood took his peaked cap off and slipped it between his arms. The explanation was fine, fantastic even. Ozpin was a man that taught the importance of equality to his students, especially his best. If they were to lead by example, it would help inspire other students to do the same. Ironwood approved.
"Please, you don't have to call me sir. None of you are military. I'm glad you're here regardless" James hadn't spent much time with Team STRQ, but they looked like good kids. Privately, he enjoyed living vicariously through them, as if he was a student again. Sadly, he knew he'd never be able to relive his academy days.
The faunus students were still quiet, either unsure of what to say or too scared to speak. It didn't really matter if the end result was the same. "As for you four, I don't believe we've been acquainted. I'm Captain James Ironwood."
Ironwood tried to look incredibly friendly, but realized that he must have appeared terribly intimidating. Tall, muscular and often stern looking, James struck an imposing figure. For his men it was inspiring; For the faunus it must have been terrifying.
Eventually, one braver than the rest stood forward and spoke up. "I'm Ossein. Ossein Amin." She was a tall, dark skinned faunus girl with deep brown eyes and a streak of dyed white hair mingling with her natural brown. James pleasantly nodded and extended her a hand that was only shaken with reluctance on her part. "This is my team. We don't really have huntsman academies on Menagerie, so we don't really follow any team naming rules."
Ironwood rubbed his chin. While Ossein was still guarded and appeared nervous, he couldn't deny it wasn't a start. Ironwood maintained a kind smile. "That's fine. I wasn't aware Menagerie had huntsmen at all, to be honest."
A cutting voice from behind Ossein piped up, harshly judging the captain. "Of course you wouldn't. Why would 'humanity's' strongest soldier think us faunus could be huntsmen?" The boy heavily emphasized the humanity part of his epithet.
"I didn't mean that, I-" James tried to correct himself. "I only meant it as an observation. Not as a slight." Ironwood raised his hands which caused the faunus to reflexively cringe away from him.
Qrow and Raven had been dragged from their private conversation at the sound of conflict, Raven walking up to her partner, placing a hand on Summers' shoulder while Qrow stood next to James.
"Forgive him, Captain. He's a bit… excitable."
Qrow raised a brow and crossed his arms. "I wouldn't exactly call that exciting…" James glanced his way and Qrow returned the look with red eyes. "But anyways…." Qrow whistled.
Ironwood sighed and felt the frustration of failure. How could he be a hero, a huntsman, when the very same people he wanted to protect only saw an oppressor? Amin spoke again, keeping her more aggressive teammates silent. "We really hope we'll be allowed to participate in the tournament. I know we don't come from one of the schools, but we've trained just as hard!"
Ironwood felt this was the worst thing to start over on. What should I do? Lie and tell them Atlas forgot all about their race? That a war isn't about to break out between our countries? Or tell the truth?
Amin noticed the look on Ironwoods' face and recognized what it meant. "We're… probably not going to be allowed, are we?"
It was Raven's turn to speak now. "No. You probably won't. Isn't that right Captain?" Placing the onus onto James, the captain guessed Raven wanted a little more mischief added into the mix. Maybe it was just her way of having fun. Summer gave Raven a mean glare that got her to back down. Still, the damage was done. James sighed deeply before answering.
"I'm afraid she's probably right. Beyond the fact your team isn't from one of the four huntsman academies, I heavily doubt Atlas officials would let your team participate. I'm sorry." Ossein looked horribly crestfallen, holding back tears, while the accusatory boy merely confirmed his thoughts.
"I told you this was a waste of time. Why did Mr. Belladonna even bring us?" Staring back at Ironwood, he spat venomous words at the captain. "Your kind keeps asking we prove ourselves, yet keeps us locked up on an island and won't even let us show our skill!"
James wanted to retort at once, but a look from Qrow got him to back off. He was the adult here and even more pertinent was the fact that the faunus boy had a point. "I'm sorry" Ironwood repeated. "If there was something I could do, I would."
Taiyang had an idea pop into his head. Whispering it to Summer, she nodded her head and encouraged him to speak up. Coughing, Tai sheepishly lifted his hand before Raven told him to just say it. "Uhm, you're a famous huntsman right? So why couldn't you try to ask whoevers in charge to maybe let them participate?"
James hadn't thought about that before, only having learned of his huntsman fame weeks ago. However, he dismissed it out of hand. This wasn't some story. As much as he wanted to be the hero swooping in to save the day and making sure the faunus would participate in the tournament, he wasn't some sort of deity. Rhyt and Lagune were already set in their ways and he doubted the council would listen. Headmaster Arsène was the only one that could do anything, but aside from just holding one seat on the council, the captain had left on bad terms with the aging Headmaster of Atlas Academy.
"If only it was that simple. Huntsmen aren't as respected in the military these days. It's out of my hands. I may be a huntsman but I'm also an officer of the Atlesian Military. I have a duty to follow orders." Unhappy that he had to dash the last hope for the faunus, James wanted nothing more than a drink to wash away the guilty feelings eating at him.
Expecting another tirade from the aggressive student, James was surprised that the boy simply gave up. You can only take so much before breaking. James wondered what would be his breaking point before cutting off that train of thought before it went anywhere. I can't ever allow myself to break.
"What I can do is offer you as much protection as possible as long as you're all here. If you run into any trouble, please, just contact me or Corporal Ebi." It wasn't much, but it was the best he could offer. James cursed his inability to do anything. If I was General…
"Thank you, Captain…" Ossein lamented. "I guess we should get going… Come on guys…"
The faunus team, dejected, began to walk away, a short trip back to their bullhead. Summer Rose watched them as they went and then turned to Tai. "I thought it was a great idea Tai!"
"Thanks Sum…" he bleated unhappily. Bemoaning his failure, Taiyang looked to Raven for comfort, almost ignoring Summer outside of his thanks. Summer wanted to say something else but didn't.
"That could have gone better" Qrow blurted out awkwardly, hands in his pockets. Ironwood couldn't help but agree. Things could have gone much better.
"You can say that again… I just don't know what I did wrong?"
James didn't expect any serious anwser from a kid that was just seventeen year old, but Qrow surprised him anyways. "Well, I think you tried your best. Sometimes things are just…. unlucky." Qrow sounded sad towards the end. No. He sounded bitter. Like he was blaming himself.
"Uhm.. Thank you for the praise, Mr. Branwen…" James said, not really sure where Qrow was going with this. Qrow patted the tall soldier awkwardly, lanky and much shorter, before retracting his hand in embrassent.
"No problem old man."
Captain Ironwood did a double take a sputtered out a "What?" in a cracked voice. "What?" he repeated again. "Old? I'm only in my twenties! Old?!" James was agape, both impressed and incredulous at the teens jab. Naturally, James moved his free hand through his hair, worried about any would be gray specks in his deep black hair.
"Relax captain! I'm joking. Your hair is still black as night!" Ironwood saw Raven and Summer holding back laughter before bursting into tears at James. The fact he had gotten so worried was peak humor to them. Qrow was smiling and Ironwood realized this was Team STRQ's way of trying to make him feel better. He smiled at this realization before joining in on the laughter. I knew there was a reason I liked these kids.
Laughter was cut short by the vibration of his scroll. As the merriment died off, James looked over the messages and frowned. It was Ozpin. Team STRQ understood at once that something serious came up and it was best if they didn't interfere. Mischievous as they were, Professor Ozpin told them not to get involved with any hijinks with the military.
Using this chance, he fired his parting shot. "I better take this. You kids go have fun."
Summer growled in faux anger. "We aren't kids! We're… we're…" The team leader searched for a word more mature sounding than teenager and couldn't find one until Raven groaned and told her to use the term 'young adult.'
"That's right! We're young adults!" Crossing her arms with self satisfaction she held out her hand for Raven to low-five begrudgingly, yet unable to hide her wide smile.
"Make sure you're all ready for the tournament! Do your best!"
"We will sir!" Tai said back before Qrow whacked him on the head. Rubbing the top of his skull, he complained to his partner. "What was that for?"
"He said not to call him sir!"
"Alright alright, I'm sorry!"
Ironwood waved as they ran off, finally picking up his scroll. Ozpin was on the other side. "Hello? Captain?"
"It's me, Professor. What's going on?" James was very serious. If Ozpin was calling, that meant either things went very well or very bad. Perhaps he was assuming the worst, but that's what he thought immediately.
"Nothing bad. At least for now. We've concluded negotiations for the day. I can't say it ended well, but there's no war for now. I must warn you though, that the Belladonna's are heading your way." Eyes wide, James saw Shido Belladonna and Ghira Belladonna approaching from the main entrance of the arena and towards him and the bullhead nearby.
"Thanks for the warning."
"My pleasure, Captain. Perhaps we ought to get drinks tonight?"
"I have a great place" James said before following with "They're here. I'll send you details later!" he replied apologetically, unable to continue speaking. Hanging up, James clasped his hands behind his back and stood at attention. Shido glared at him as they rolled up. "I hope everything went well there" James said coolly.
Shido looked at the man, ever so slightly taller. "I'm afraid that's up to your councilmen to decide. We have made our terms."
Ghira, while not as impressive as Shido, looked angry as well. "Then let's hope for peace, then."
Shido snorted. "Yes. Of course. Peace. Go on Ghira. I'll see you in a bit." James narrowed his eyes. If this was an attempt in intimidation, Shido would be disappointed. James wasn't cowed so easily. Ghira protested but Shido silenced him with a single look. Frowning, Ghira said a polite but tense farewell to the Captain before entering the ship.
Alone, James and Shido sized the other up. Neither was able to find a weak point to exploit, not an easy one at least. "I've heard of you, Captain. Even in Kuo Kuana we know about Humanity's strongest soldier. But I wonder, if that's just another human lie to make them feel superior?" Shido was rather blunt in how he spoke, yet Ironwood doubted there was nothing between the lines. "I wonder if you really are as strong as people say! I'd love to see you in a fight someday."
With you? James assumed the unspoken words. Shido was smiling like he'd just heard the punchline to a joke that hadn't arrived yet. James didn't like the smile one bit. Keeping his eyes trailing on Shido, he responded.
"I don't pay much mind to what the people say, Mr. Belladonna. I only do what I'm ordered to and what is right as a huntsman." Pride filled his voice. What's your game Shido? You didn't come all this way to leave with nothing, did you?
Shido bellowed a deep laugh. "I like that! Huntsmen ought to be confident! I only wish some of the students we have on Menagerie showed the same fire!" James was taken aback. Shido had just been so serious and broken into complimenting him? James wondered whether to trust Shido or not, and decided on for now, trusting the faunus a bit. After the debacle with the students, Ironwood figured it was better to give the faunus delegation the benefit of doubt. For now.
"Right… thank you…"
Shido pressed onwards, recognizing he had Ironwood on the wrong foot now. "I hope that your huntsmen share the same spirit. I would hate for the great kingdom of Atlas to suffer an embarrassment in the tournament. Make sure yours wins some eh?" James ran a finger across his caps visor.
"I know they will. My hope is that you and your brother will be able to enjoy the tournament to its fullest. There's so much going on and it's often crowded, so I hope you'll get the seats you want for the event." James was sincere in his well wishes. A Vytal Festival tournament was not something you could experience every day.
"Oh we intend to. The Vytal Festival is well known even on Menagerie. They'll be watching very closely too, I wager. Very closely."
What is that supposed to mean? James wondered suspiciously.
"Brother! Let's go! The kids are getting hungry!" Ghira shouted from inside the bullhead. The younger brother had no patience for the elders' games. Shido merely accepted and extended a hand to Ironwood. His hands were wide and there was white fur matted on the top of them. Shaking them, James felt the sudden tear from his uniform, a piece of his cuff being shredded. Shido appeared to have clawed them off.
"My apologies. Sometimes I forget myself. I am faunus after all, so I always shake hands with my claws out. Forgive me." James narrowed his eyes at the Belladonna, watching as he entered the bullhead.
"No apology needed. Accidents happen."
"That they do. Farewell captain. I hope we meet again when peace is secured." With that, Shido closed the door and sat with his brother. Ghira looked expectantly at his eldest, waiting for his assessment.
"The captain is a dangerous man. He does not trust us."
"But why? The students tell me he doesn't seem to hold anything against the faunus." Ghira was puzzled. If anything, this Captain Ironwood would be a useful ally in their cause for peace. Yet Shido still wants to keep me in the dark. Some diplomat I'm turning out to be. Just nodding whenever he wants me to!
"Yes, but there is a danger to him. I can't tell what just yet but that is what I gleaned from him." Shido rubbed his white chest hair in deep thought. Humanity's Strongest Soldier may very well become a thorn in our side. If he gets in the way of the plan… he has to be removed.
Shido looked out the bullhead window to see the captain still watching with accusatory eyes, two deep blues swirling with mistrust. Shido glared back with narrow black eyes.
The bullhead roared away and then disappeared back into the Atlesian skyline. It flew into oncoming rainclouds that would soon begin dousing the arena, which sat outside the aritifcal climate of Atlas. James may have felt guilty for not trusting the faunus students earlier, but no matter what was to come, James Ironwood did not trust Shido Belladonna.
Something was very wrong and he could feel it. I just have to move forward. The tournament is in a few days and I have my orders.
Sliding out his scroll to send Ozpin details for later, James took in a long, deep breath.Drinks with some friends was just what he needed before the festival began.
A/N: Please follow/favorite and leave a review. Reviews of any kind are always useful and give authors massive boosts of energy.