Nora stood awkwardly in the small living room Valerian had left her in while she'd gone to the kitchen to get something for her to drink. When the woman had suggested they go inside, Nora had assumed she'd meant the Academy but, instead, she'd been led to a small cottage nestled in the shadows of the academy walls. After what had unfolded in Port Skoleinois, Nora was understandably cautious however, the fact that, through the small windows, she could still, clearly, see Shade Academy did ease her concern. In fact, it almost appeared that the cottage had been constructed to be a part of the grounds, though with the air Valerian gave off Nora doubted she was a groundskeeper or gardener.
Nora quietly walked around the living room, the walls were lightly painted and the furniture was also of a pale colour, giving the small area a cool feel even though it was now basking in the hot afternoon sun. A number of complicated looking, hardback books lined the shelves of a library. Nora could see no pictures on any of the tables or shelves and the walls were sparsely decorated, except for a number of pencil drawings that were neatly hung. Nora looked at these in interest, they all seemed to be sketches of flowers and plants, a few of which Nora recognised from her quick inspection of the gardens outside.
Nora half wondered if Oscar would have been able to name a few of these.
She peered at the drawings more closely, noticing that the majority of them had dates crudely written on the side, many dated over thirty years ago. But, for some reason, although Nora had no doubt that they were hand drawn, none had been signed by the artist.
"I wouldn't touch those if I were you." The woman's calm voice washed over Nora, causing her to turn away from the drawings to the woman who was carefully juggling a tray with two empty glasses and a jug of clear water.
"Let me take those." Nora declared, running up to the woman but Valerian waved her hands away, placing the tray down on a small coffee table with a steady hand.
"Bellamy spends hours making sure they are straight every other weekend." Valerian added with a small laugh, resting her walking stick on the side of an armchair before carefully sitting within it. Nora politely did the same in the one opposite her.
"Bellamy? As in the academy Doctor?" Nora asked, looking down at the empty glasses. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't thirsty but recent experience had taught her to be careful when accepting drinks from strangers. However, she sensed no deceit or ill content from the woman, not even back in the garden. She was just a woman who had become hardened by the things life had tossed her way. This brought back memories of the man she'd encountered at Anagelus Village, and the story he had told of a Valerian Carrie. There was little doubt in her mind that the woman sitting before her was the same woman he had spoken of.
"Yep, that one." Valerian laughed again. "It's hard to believe, after meeting him, that anyone would have settled down with him for over twenty years, right?"
"Wait, he's your husband?" Nora blurted out, far more loudly than she'd intended. However, rather than offending the woman, Valerian just laughed louder. It wasn't a cruel laugh, or one born out of mockery, but rather one filled with affection for someone who knew of another's flaws and cared for them all the more for it.
"Although he does pop the question every few years." Valerian admitted, leaning forward and grabbing the handle of the jug, carefully pouring some water into the two glasses. "I always tell him no."
"But why?" Nora asked, politely taking the glass and nestling it in her hands, enjoying the coolness against her skin although still refusing to drink. "I mean twenty years that's just- wow!"
Nora couldn't even think where she'd be tomorrow, let alone in two decades! Would Remnant even be around for that long for her to worry about the future?
"My mum was married but that didn't stop my dad from leaving her and their children behind.'' Valerian explained nonchalantly, raising the glass to her lips and drinking, shrugging as she did so. "You don't need a ring to prove you'll stay."
Nora nodded her head, seeing the woman's reasoning as she placed the now half empty glass of water back on the table. The Huntress watched the woman for a moment, seeing if whatever she'd drunk would have any adverse effect on herself before wolfing down the water in her own glass, the cool liquid stinging her parched throat.
"Must be interesting living together here at the academy." Nora mused, assuming they did so because Bellamy was the academy doctor. If she recalled correctly, although some of the staff back at Beacon had resided in the staff dorms, the majority still opted to live in their homes outside of the academy.
"It can be, at times, but nothing as interesting as being out on a mission." Valerian sighed again.
"Mission?" Nora enquired.
"Believe it or not, before I got sick I was a Huntress." Valerian gave Nora a knowing smile, enjoying the surprise on her face. "Don't get me wrong, even with the walking stick I can kick Grimm butt but why worry Bellamy more than I already do?"
"Is that why…" And Nora awkwardly gestured at her own face, it may have been considered rude to ask, but she had a lot of questions she was itching to ask.
Valerian nodded her head, obviously used to people wondering.
"The Scourge, it's unique to Vacuo so that's why you may never have heard of it before." Valerian explained. "It's transmitted through Grimm wounds, hence why it's mandatory to get a check up after returning from a mission."
Nora nodded her head, at least it finally made sense why the academy was so insistent on that then.
"It must be tough, huh?" It sounded stupid even as Nora said it but, she couldn't think of what else to say. Valerian did not look the type to appreciate being told 'I'm sorry' or people fretting about her sickness.
"It was worse for Bellamy." Valerian admitted. "His younger sister had it as well. It hadn't been pleasant."
Nora could only imagine. It seemed she might have greatly misjudged the doctor during their last meeting.
Her eyes unconsciously scanned the shelves behind Valerian once again. It was curious how they didn't have a single photograph anywhere in the room and, from the worn feel of the sofa's cushions and the coffee rings that stained the table, this was most likely the room the pair spent the most time in. The books seemed well read although she was still unable to make heads or tails of their titles. Their leather covers were worn and the golden words on their spines tarnished. However, a single book stood out against the rest, so obviously out of place with its bright yellow cover it was almost comical. Nora tilted her head slightly to better read the title.
The Sloth that Slept On. That most definitely did not fit the medical jargon filled titles of the other books.
"Actually, once there were three of us." Valerian admitted and, for once, the fire in her voice dyed down, her eyes looking so much older and so very tired as hers too fell on the book that had captured Nora's attention. "I blamed the sickness at the time but It's been many years since it happened. It was my fault, I was being selfish and back then we thought I wouldn't live for very long. Against the doctor's better judgement we went on a trip, Eleanora and I. That was her name. We were attacked by Grimm…"
Nora didn't need Valerian to continue, she could finish the story for her. There were too many people whose story had ended like that, lives cut short by monsters too horrendous to be considered nightmares.
Nora reached out to the woman, maybe to place a reassuring hand on her own? But Valerian sat up straighter, clearing her throat as she did so.
"That's enough about me." She declared, her voice only cracking on the first word before returning to its usual vigour. "Tell me, how did you get the Maiden's power?"
"How do you know about them?" Nora enquired, she had been wondering that since the gardens. There weren't many people in Remnant that knew about them, and the select few that did were usually important.
"Tell me your story first." Valerian insisted, pouring herself another glass of water. "And I'll explain that part later."
And so Nora told her. Her story may have been more far winded than she'd intended but the former Huntress didn't seem to mind, she laughed at the right moments and nodded her head approvingly when she'd describe how they'd kick Salem's lackey's behinds.
Her eyes however did soften when Nora explained how the previous two Winter Maidens had died.
"So that's how Freya finally passed." Valerian muttered under her breath.
"You knew her?" Nora asked, surprised.
"I'd met or heard of most of the Maidens over the years." She admitted. "But it seems almost none remain from the old generation now." The woman paused before also, gently adding. "I'm sorry to hear about your friend."
Nora bit her lip, the memory still stung. But this was the part where people would try and console her claiming that Penny would be happy she'd inherited the power from her. They'd try to convince her that she'd be proud of what she'd accomplished thus far. It always made Nora wonder what the truth really was.
"It's never easy." Valerian admitted, surprising Nora. "And I wish I could tell you it gets easier to accept, but I'm not one who likes to lie, even to make people feel better."
Nora looked up at the woman, from the way she spoke, it was almost like she knew the feeling.
Oscar had mentioned back at the village that Valerian was one of the reasons they'd come to Vacuo. Was it possible that this woman...?
"So you've been having trouble controlling the Maiden's power?" Valerian concluded before Nora could voice her question.
"I've gotten better at it." She admitted, opting to ask her about it after. "But it takes a lot of concentration and I'm still getting the hang of it."
"What can you do so far?" Valerian enquired, sitting at the edge of her seat.
"Freeze things... not die... oh! And recently I figured out how to fly." Nora ticked these off her fingers as she spoke, Valerian nodding her head approvingly with each one.
"What about manifestations?" Valerian asked, also mentally making a list of what the average Maiden could perform. Nora's case was rather strange. Every new host she'd encountered had almost instinctively known how to make use of their powers. She herself had had no trouble using it to fight off the Grimm the instant she'd inherited it from Amelia, although the damage she'd caused the school had been far more severe than she'd intended. It had cost the then new headmaster quite the pretty penny.
"What?" Asked Nora, unsure what she was referring to.
"Maidens can use the elements to create manifestations of weapons." Explained Valerian patiently. Unlike her, Nora had not been prepared to accept the Maiden's power. She'd had years to be mentally and physically prepared to accept it. Nora had been trying to learn alone and it could not have been easy. "In theory, Maidens can use any of the elements they feel the closest affinity to to create these manifestations. It's the epitome of their power. The closer she becomes to be fully realised, the stronger the manifestations become."
Nora nodded her head, understanding what Valerian was talking about. Cinder, unfortunately, had proven to be quite eloquent with that use of the Fall Maiden's power. She'd conjured numerous weapons without hesitation during the fall of Beacon and hadn't faltered to use one such spear to pierce through Weiss's chest.
"I think that's a little beyond me for the time being." She sighed as she said this, it had taken her months just to unlock the possibility of flight. Conjuring weapons? That felt like it would be on a totally different level
"Tsk." Valerian sat back in her seat. "With a mentality like that, it's no wonder you've been suffering to learn. You've barely scraped the surface of what you can do!" With a knowing smile, Valerian leaned forward, her elbows pressing on her knees for support. "I think the problem with you is that it's all in your head."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nora frowned, was Valerian insinuating she was intentionally being bad at being the Winter Maiden?
Valerian pointed at Magnhild, that was resting beside Nora's chair, with her chin. "A hammer is your usual choice of weapon?"
"Yeah?"
"Then it would make sense that you'd be able to manifest that- no problem."
"I'm not so sure…" Nora began, but Valerian stopped her. She looked at her sternly as she reached out for her walking stick and forced herself onto her feet.
"If you think you can't do it before you even try then you're doomed to fail." Valerian scolded, standing and slowly walking towards one of the windows through which she could clearly see the academy.
"Give it a try." She insisted, leaning against the window frame expectedly. "You may even surprise yourself."
"What? Now? In here?" Nora exclaimed.
"C'mon, just give it a try." Valerian insisted. "Just picture the weapon and the element you want to use to create it and it should work."
"Just try not to move the frames." She quickly added as a side thought. "Like I said, Bellamy spends a lot of time organising them."
Nora blinked at Valerian, unable to deduce if she were being serious or not.
"C'mon." Valerian insisted, tapping the ground with her walking stick, producing a sharp 'tap' against the tiling. "You're wasting daylight."
Although, as she said this, Valerian spared a look outside. She had promised Bellamy and Theodore that she'd leave the grounds the instant these visitors arrived. However, she hoped they'd forgive her, she wasn't one to leave a person in pain on the side of the road.
The gardens seemed deserted, as they should have been and she could see nothing through the academy window that would indicate there was something wrong inside. It was the silence that worried her. Bellamy had promised to keep her updated, irrespective if he found something or not. However, her Scroll remained silent in her pocket.
Best case scenario, he simply had nothing to report.
However, their luck had never been that good.
"I believe we haven't met very often, have we Pluto Hydrargyrum ?" Bellamy observed, reading the youth's name off the notepad he had in his hand. He was almost through with the new arrivals and he still hadn't found what he was looking for. Was it possible their informant had been wrong? No, that was simply hopeful thinking. What if one had slipped past them without him noticing? That was also a very feasible answer.
"Haven't been here long enough to need check ups." Pluto answered, leaning against the examination table.
"Yes, I can see that. You transferred here from Mistral, correct?" The doctor continued to ask. Pluto seemed to fit the bill of what he was looking for, however his papers also did seem in order, far more than most of the other students they had accepted from the other academies. They'd had no reason to suspect him and, if what their informant told them was true, who they were looking for could be anyone, even someone he'd known for years. From the reports they had been able to rule out Qrow and two of his wards ahead of time, but the rest had to be individually investigated, subtly and discreetly. If only he could find the item, then he could warn Val and Theodore and they could stop this before it got out of hand.
"Should be all there, Doc." Pluto chided, folding his arms impatiently.
"Did you know Headmaster Lionheart?" Bellamy continued to ask. He'd somewhat known Lionheart, for a lion Faunus he hadn't been the bravest but, he'd been a good man. But it seemed Salem could sway good men, either to her side, or to insanity.
"Are we ever going to get to the actual check up or are you going to continue with this 20Q game?" Pluto berated, his eyes narrowing.
"Just a few more." The doctor promised. "Please answer my question and you'll be on your way."
"Only if you answer one of mine." Mused Pluto, leaning forward slightly, a sly smile on his lips. "Is this what you are looking for?"
From one of the inside pockets of his jacket, Pluto pulled out a small, teardrop shaped vial encased in silver feathers. The glass gleamed in the artificial light, just barely illuminating its contents which seemed to be several different coloured strands of something, possibly threads? No, if that was what he had been looking for, those were not threads...
"I don't know what you mean." Bellamy said stonely, however, he still lowered his notepad to his desk, his other hand slowly reaching for his Scroll.
"Don't play stupid, Doc." Pluto scolded, taking a number of casual steps towards him, the silver tread entwining itself around his fingers, the vial rocking slowly as he moved. "And don't pretend I am, I've managed to trick you all for months now, and could do so for many more if needed."
"I honestly don't know what you mean." Bellamy continued to argue.
"Then why have you been reaching for your Scroll?" Pluto slyly whispered, looking down at the doctor's hand which was grasping the small communications device. He just had to press the lock button three times and it would send an emergency message to Theodore and Valerian. Then they would know and they could respond appropriately.
Silence followed the younger man's statement, only interrupted by the first click of the button. Then Pluto seemed to turn into a blur of white, his hand shooting towards Bellamy's as the doctor tried to dodge. He swore under his breath as Pluto succeeded in grabbing the arm that still held his Scroll and twisted his wrist so hard he had to let go. He was no Huntsman, he hadn't been one in a very long time, he couldn't overpower Pluto on strength alone. But, that didn't mean he was helpless.
"You're a doctor, you should know how easy it is to break a wrist." Pluto hissed as his grip continued to tightened, his bones beginning to groan under the force.
Bellamy let out a pained gasp, his grip loosening just enough in response to the pain that Pluto could pull the Scroll out of his hand. He tossed it to the ground and crushed it under his heel.
"Good, now no one will interrupt us." Pluto continued, his mouth coming very close to the man's ear. "Now tell me, you're the Headmaster's brother, do you know where the Vault is?"
"Even if I knew." Bellamy grunted in response, his free hand reaching over his desk behind him. "I would never tell you!"
With reflexes much faster than Pluto had anticipated from the older man, from behind his back he brought out a thick, leather bound hardback book that had been resting on its surface, for the last few weeks being used as a makeshift coaster.
Pluto staggered back, his hand raising to his head where the pointed edge of the book had just hit him. Obviously, it wasn't strong enough to pierce through his Aura, but it was an effective distraction.
Bellamy spared the book an impressed look down.
Books really are the best weapon! He thought to himself before looking down at his crushed Scroll. It wasn't even worth picking up, it was destroyed beyond repair. But, he had to find a way to warn Theodore and Valerian.
"You hit me with a damn book!" Pluto growled, anger flaring within his eyes. He tried to pounce but, this time, Bellamy dodged sideways, running past his desk and towards the door. There should still be a few of the Huntsmen left outside in the waiting room, could they hear the ruckus inside the clinic? Could he call out to them? They'd have a Scroll, they could call their friends near Theodore and he could warn Valerian. He just had to reach them.
"Oh? I was thinking the same thing! About time the others were let in on the secret, don't you think?" Pluto laughed cruelly as he spoke, prowling towards the man as he tried to get away. "Why don't I help you? The more the merrier after all."
With a hefty kick in the stomach, Bellamy was sent stumbling backwards, unable to breath as a result of the impact. He'd dealt with strong Huntsmen before but, as he fell back against the door, the momentum of his fall forcing it open, he thought- That had not felt like a kick made by a leg of flesh and bone.
Bellamy staggered to a halt, bent double, struggling desperately to regain his breath. His eyes watered as he looked up at the man who had attacked him, the movement slow as his wings brushed against the ground.
"What's going on?!" Jaune exclaimed, jumping to his feet alongside Ren, Weiss and Neptune who had also been waiting for their turn with the doctor. None had anticipated Bellamy's abrupt appearance.
Bellamy opened his mouth, desperately trying to warn them about Pluto. They had to contact their friends. Maybe they weren't too late, maybe they could still stop the attack. But the only thing that escaped him was an incomprehensible gasping sound.
"Woah!" Yelled Neptune, his eyes widening as he saw Pluto carefully emerging from the clinic, his sword, which had previously been in its belt form, grasped in his hand. The pendant continued to sway in the other. "Chill, dude! I've no idea what's going on but put the sword away. The doc's a bit odd but he's a good guy!"
Weiss ran up to Bellamy, putting a hand on his shoulder and trying to help him stand up. Her blue eyes darted between the doctor and Pluto, like her friends, unable to make heads or tails of what could have happened within the infirmary.
"Pluto, just calm down." Jaune coaxed, his hand very slowly falling to the sword that was still strapped to his side. Pluto had admittedly been an odd one to travel with across the Wastelands, but was not prone to attacking people unprovoked.
No, that wasn't true.
Oscar had told him in secret that he'd seen the man aiming the turret back at Petaha Harbour at Ruby. They'd assumed it was a mistake, that's why they hadn't told the others, but what if it hadn't been?
Bellamy tried to speak again but the only sound he could make was that of a bewildered frog.
"Don't try to speak just yet." Weiss calmly advised. But she didn't understand, none of them did. They had to warn Theodore.
He struggled to take a breath in.
"Not… him." He gasped out, his voice so low Bellamy was worried the Huntress beside him had not heard him. But she had, but his words still made no sense to her.
"Not him?" Weiss looked towards Jaune. "That's what he said."
"What does that mean?!" Frantically yelled Neptune, still unable to understand what was happening.
"Why don't you explain it to us?" Ren calmly asked, though his hands were already resting on the hilts of his blades, something in the air did not feel right. It had suddenly become very cold .
Pluto raised the hand holding the pendent to his chin, feigning thought, openly mocking the small group with his actions.
Jaune opened his mouth again, to repeat Ren's question but he was silenced when an ear piercing scream echoed out of the corridor behind them, their blood turning to ice as the scream was suddenly cut short, the silence that followed humming with uncertainty.
"What was that?" Weiss gasped, looking back at the door. That had been a woman's scream, and one not too far away from them but it was impossible to tell who it had been.
"Seems it's time for the real show to begin." Pluto answered, his smile becoming more wicked "And it's time to reveal the first of our celebrity cast."
Pluto bowed flamboyantly as he said this but, to the other's mesmerised horror, his large white wings had begun to recede into his back until all that were left were the slits in his jacket. His hair became darker until it was almost a metallic grey.
When he rose again to face them, the same mocking smile played on a different face, but one far more familiar.
"And I'm not even the most shocking reveal." Laughed Mercury Black, savouring the looks of disbelief and horror that masked the Huntsmen's faces before him.
And that's another chapter, thank you so so much for reading! I know I did a real horrid job keeping who the traitor was secret (a typo two chapters ago did as much) and someone did call Mercury out quite a few chapters before. There were actually 2 clues to this, first Pluto's name, like Mercury's, is inspired by a planet and Roman mythology and in all honestly it just fit with the theme used for the naming of Team SSSN. The second clue was in his surname- Hydrargyrum is actually the original chemical name for the metal mercury. (Yeah I'm a bit of nerd but thought you guys would like to know 😁)