Chapter 16
Class was getting halfway close to starting, and as usual Ella stood alongside Glynda as they watched the students come slowly pouring in through the entrance. She had yet to tell her about last night's flashback/nightmare, but she figured that putting that off for later would be for the best. Another glance at her watch told her class would begin in half an hour's time. Next to her, Glynda was tapping at her ScrollPad from time to time, and seeing her brought to mind what she was doing last night. The Good Hunter wondered if the blonde huntsman-in-training got back to his dorm without getting caught.
"Oh, Glynda," she got her attention when she looked up from her Scroll Pad, "how did it go with your curfew patrol last night?" She asked cautiously, wanting to know about Jaune's fate without compromising him.
"It went rather… decently, I believe," the professor answered absently.
Ella raised an eyebrow — hoping to look like she found it curious, but trying not to appear too interested. "How so?"
"I've caught some students breaking curfew last night. A few boys were trying to sneak out of Beacon, a lone boy sneaking around the academy grounds, and a boy and girl tried to break into the library."
The mention of 'lone boy' set off an alarm at once, but she concealed it and continued the conversation. "Any reason as to why they tried to get into the library?"
"They explained they were planning to grab a few text books for their upcoming tests next week."
"And what do you think?"
"I believe they were after something else, but I just sent them back to their dorms." She shrugged. It was better not to know what they were actually planning to do. After all, teens will be teens.
"Do you know their names?"
She thought for a bit, recollecting their names before she spoke. "The three boys were Robin Skie, Eric Cider, and Robert Coal. The sol boy sneaking around was Azure LockLein. And the boy and girl were Kyle Macaroon and Sapphire Azul." She then turned to look at her, eyes narrowing: "Why did you want to know about their names?"
"Oh, just… best to keep an eye out for potential troublemakers," she said with a shrug, again hoping Glynda would not spot her relief. Jaune had escaped her rounds and gotten back to his dorm without trouble. She could only hope he reconciled with his partner after the altercation on the roof.
Eventually, it soon became five minutes, and the students were all here early or were about to be here on time or later. Suddenly Goodwitch's ScrollPad went off, catching both of their attention. The teacher looked to see that it was a message and read through the contents, with a hum before addressing her assistant.
"It seems Ozpin wants to see you," she told her.
"Did he say what for?"
She shook her head. "No, other than he wants to see you up in his office right away. Perhaps he has something for you to do."
"Maybe," she shrugged. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't keep him waiting. Good day, miss Goodwitch."
She nodded slightly. "You as well." After bidding farewell, she took the back exit and left the amphitheater to Ozpin's office.
It took her awhile to reach the tower, but she was soon inside the elevator going up to the top. While on her way, she had wondered and assumed three things:
Either he did have an assignment for her to do which may not be surprising, or knew something about what happened last night and wanted to interrogate her. If not either of those then, she hoped, that it would be that he finally found her family. Eventually after a long ride up, the bell finally dinged and opened the sliding door. There Ozpin was sitting behind his glass desk as he looked straight at her.
"Ah good, you're here," he greeted as his hands were clasped together on the desk. "How has your job been so far?"
"So far so good. I would say things have been going pretty well for me." She answered with a soft smile as she walked up to his desk.
"Really, even after what happened last night between you and knowing Jaune's little secret?"
She gasped quietly, but she composed herself when she remembered. "Yes, well… it took me a while."
"Indeed, and I'm glad you showed compassion and wisdom to him when he needed it most, but that is not the reason I had brought you all the way up here. The reason is simply because of the promise I made."
She became surprised and the excitement was written on her face as she leaned in on the desk with her fingers laying on the glass. "Really?!" She then realized she broke her composure and quickly fixed it. "You finally found them?"
He chuckled at her reaction. "Yes I have, and the good news is that they are alive and well."
"That's really good to hear from you Professor," she said with a relieved smile. "May I see them?"
He nodded in agreement, although his expression was blank in return, and he tapped the Scroll laid out on the glass table to bring up the holographic files for her to peruse. She saw several files, lining from family members to medical records. It was obvious she would choose the family folder as it showed almost a dozen surviving members of the Fall family. She was surprised of the number of relatives she still had left, ranging from Grandparents to Uncles and Aunts, and to cousins. What she was really looking for, however, was her birth parents, and conveniently the name "birth parents" was listed in one folder on the corner. She tapped it and revealed the profiles of four people.
Name: Selene Loukas Fall(formerly)
Age: 48
Height: 5'10"
Skin Color: Caucasian
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Blue
Kingdom: Mistral
Status: Alive
Parental Status: Mother
Marital Status: Divorced
Location: Elatorion, Mistral
Her mother looked just like she remembered(from the plane). She looked just as beautiful as a goddess, even if time had given her graying hair. Something puzzled the Good Hunter; the word "Divorced" sounded unfamiliar to her, making her more curious as she read the next profile.
Name: Wilhelm Fall
Age: 50
Height: 6'0"
Skin Color: Caucasian
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Amber
Kingdom: Vale
Status: Alive
Parental Status: Father
Marital Status: Divorced
Location: Residential District, Capital city of Vale
The man had a trimmed black beard, and his features were angular, although she was seeing a few signs of wrinkles. His black, graying hair was curly and short. What made him more striking were his Amber eyes.
'At least I know I have his eyes,' she mentally mused, '...yet still, what is this?' She looked away from the holo display and looked at the Headmaster straight in the eyes. She felt hesitant for some reason, as if her heart did not want her to know what it is, but she had to know. "Ozpin… do you know what a divorce is?"
He tilted his head a bit. "You don't know what it is? Or do you not remember?"
"It's either that, or I don't think the professors covered that subject."
"Hmmm." He pondered a bit since he knew this subject was about to come up rather soon. He breathed in before answering. "A divorce is when two couples can no longer be together due to circumstances. The circumstances can range from parental disputes to even their marriage in general." He could see that Ella was becoming disheartened and troubled by this news, and he could not blame her. "I'm sorry for giving you this troubling news, but your parents are, in fact, living separate lives now. But please, keep reading."
Ella furrowed her brows a bit at him for the demand, but she did so as she returned her sight on the list.
Name: Cinder Fall
Age: 14–?
Height: 5'5"–?
Skin Color: Caucasian
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Amber
Kingdom: Vale
Status: Unknown (Missing since age 14)
Parental Status: Daughter
Sibling(s): Ella Fall
Location: Unknown
Cinder's profile picture was that of a teenager, with a keen resemblance to her if she were her age, proving to her that they may indeed be identical twins. Also, she now learned her name is Cinder, not just Cindy. Perhaps the latter was due to them being little at the time, but what troubled her right now was her sister's status of going missing.
'Just what happened?' She curiously thought as she scrolled down to the last profile; Ella herself. Her profile picture was strangely that of a little child, identical to that of the sister she remembered in her dream. It then became obvious enough evidence that they really were identical, but the silent question was why only that picture until she read the rest of the profile list.
Name: Ella Fall
Age: 6–?
Height: 3'9.47"–?
Skin Color: Caucasian
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Amber
Kingdom: Vale
Status: Unknown (missing since age 6)
—
'Since age 6?!' She thought with shocking incredulity as she stopped reading, but with sudden dread. Her mind then went back to the horrible dream she had last night, the horrid experience of being taken away was still vividly fresh in her mind. Her skin had begun to pale at the realization that her dream was actually a traumatizing memory. She now learned she was six years old when she got grabbed and taken away.
Ozpin was noticing the sudden stretch of silence, and he already knew why. So he stood up from his chair, grabbed his clockwork cain, and went around his desk. "I understand this must be difficult for you.. being gone all those years." He spoke solemnly.
"How long was I actually gone for?" She finally spoke in soft exasperation, but in truth she was asking nobody in particular but herself. She did not turn to look at him, and instead she lowered her head, trying to keep herself from falling apart.
"You have been gone for seventeen years Ella." He gave her the answer, but she already knew. "Anything could've happened in that long span of time. I am sorry for having you keep your hopes up."
"This just… it just isn't what I expected this to be," she commented sadly.
Coming back to Remnant seventeen years later and learning that her family had fallen apart was not something she had been expecting, and she felt like her heart had been stabbed by this knowledge. What was more troubling besides her parent's separation, however, was the absence of her twin sister. How did this happen? Where could she be? Did she get kidnapped the same way she did? Or did she run away? There were growing questions on her mind that were being left unanswered, and she was feeling more crushed just thinking about it.
Ozpin remained silent as he looked at the profiles, giving her time to think things over. Reading those news articles and files was like opening up an old wound. He once took part in the investigation and manhunt for this very criminal, going so far as to send out a trusted team of Hunters-in-training in search of him, but alas, it was all for naught. This event had become one of his regrets. But now...
It irked him to hurt her more since her own revelation, but still, there was something he needed to know, what he needed to solve this cold case. He just had to help her remember, if she already does.
"I know I mustn't ruin this moment of grief, but there is something I need you to confirm." She gloomily looked to him, and listened to what he could possibly want from her. "The investigators, with the help of your sister, had a sketched drawing of your kidnapper."
He tapped the profile back into the folder, and then tapped the news folder to then tap the sketch file. The file revealed two sketch drawings of a tall, sickly looking man (or thing). He wore dirty and tattered rags, and his hood covered part of his pale, emotionless face. His large, bony hand held a large sack over his shoulder. This was the same monster who kidnapped her long ago, and the same ones she killed in Yharnam. It was already confirmed, but looking at this one's face nearly made her blood boil.
"I do believe you've seen his like before, correct?"
It took some effort to bring herself under control, but she soon calmed herself. "...I do, and I've fought and killed those creatures in Yharnam. And believe me when I tell you that they are tough and dangerous in their own right."
"That I know," he agreed as he nodded.
That made her blink as she looked at him curiously. 'Did he know about this?' She wondered, but she remembered the first meeting with Ozpin in his office, that Eileen told him everything there was to know about the other world and Yharnam. "I suppose Eileen explained to you about them."
"Yes, she did. Now, after looking at the information before you, does it help you remember what happened? Anything at all?"
"I do but…," she crossed her arms in discomfort from being reminded of her dream last night. "I just don't want to talk about it."
"I see, so you do remember. I will not push on that, but… there is another thing I would like to know. Were you the only one being taken away, or were you not alone in that bag?"
"I was not alone…," she answered uncomfortably. "There were several… or less maybe? I don't know, I was busy trying to escape. Why are you asking me about this? As far as I'm concerned, me and those children were the only ones taken to the other side."
He shook his head, which made her blink. "I see no one has told you about the event which transpired exactly seventeen years ago."
"...What do you mean? What happened seventeen years ago?" She looked at him curiously, wondering what he meant.
"I know with certainty that you and those children were not the first and only ones to have been kidnapped. The man you see here had been infamous for taking nearly a hundred children in one month. It was all thanks to your sister and the survivors who witnessed him, we were able to eventually figure him out and hunt him down. It took a team of my best students and Eileen to stop him, but before we could glean any information in where to find the other children, he killed himself. We saved the children he had in the bag," his tone then changed to being solemn, "but we couldn't say the same for the others."
"So they were never seen again."
He nodded slowly. "His death left a stain on this academy that could never be washed away. That's when Eileen finally came forward and told me the truth." She stayed silent for a moment to gather her thoughts. Eileen had never told her about this. It was either because she was too ashamed to talk about it, or the thought never crossed her mind. Nearly a hundred children taken to Earth; that was quietly unsettling and sad in her case, but there were some things he left out that she needed to know.
"Wait, there are a couple things I need to know. How did he manage to kidnap nearly a hundred children in one month?" She asked, knowing that it was next to impossible to achieve such a goal.
"To both me and Eileen's surprise, the Kidnapper had the ability to teleport from one place to where he came from to the next. He would come back at random places in Vale, making him that much harder to track."
"So how did your team manage to catch him?"
He sighed and answered reluctantly. "They… had to use a child as live bait for him."
"What?" She asked in shock, not believing at first of the outrageous idea. Throughout her months here, she was told that a hunter must never take extreme measures to see the mission through, for it only goes against their code.
"If I were with them I would've condemned the idea myself," he commented with a bit of resentment, "but they were growing desperate for a solution. So they chose to turn his kidnapping of children against him."
"But surely there were other solutions."
"There were, yes… but it all would have resulted in failure and more blood." She now felt distraught by this. This Kidnapper was an entirely different beast, and was going far beyond this world's morality and way of thinking, and the only way to beat him was at his own game. She never knew the Kidnapper would be this capable of chaos, and she wondered if killing them all in Yharnam was more of a blessing to this world.
She remained silent, with no more further questions spoken, and for a while they both looked away and never spoke. It was like a silent prayer to the lost, but it was sullen, and darkened. She never knew the others save for two she could barely remember.
"We both have our scars, Ella." Ozpin finally broke the silence as he then walked towards the glass windows to look out over the courtyard. "But honestly, I have made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this earth."
She watched him in sorrowful sympathy, remaining silent to never interrupt him.
"I do not have the power to heal the wounds of our past," he turned to face her, "but with you, being the first to escape and finally return home, it makes me feel that perhaps I've been given a chance to do what's right." He smiled softly at her, with an idea which had come to mind as she listened more intently to what he wanted to say. "Ella, would you like to visit your family, separate though they may be? That is still your intention, correct?"
She blink and was a little taken aback. "Of course. Are you saying you're allowing me to take some time off?"
He nodded. "With as much time off as you need. To what is always understood, a connection with family gives that person a sense of strength and responsibility. On the upside, this will also help you in recovering more about yourself."
That brought a relieved smile on her lips, and with a hint of excitement growing. "When can I leave?"
"Tomorrow morning. I'll have Eileen go with you for the trip abroad."
"Thank you so much," she thanked him dearly and she bowed slightly with one hand over her heart.
"One more thing; if you ever do decide to retire from your position or decide to come back, simply give me a call."
"I will," she nodded. "Good day, Headmaster."
She turned to leave and headed for the elevator. The Good Hunter was already planning ahead out of both inner excitement and some trepidation once she got inside and went down. Meanwhile, Ozpin sighed, not because of what he did for her, but because she became a reminder of his failure to save those kids. At least he would feel some comfort in the fact that a little hope did eventually come out of the madness long ago.
"Still, it makes me wonder...," Ozpin muttered in wonder as he turned his chair towards the horizon. Questions being resurfaced in his mind since that night which had still been left unanswered, and would continue to be left that way to this day. "Just how many children was he going to take? And just why?
"What did the Kidnapper plan to do with that many children?"
She had returned to her duties alongside Glynda for the rest of the day, and during her time she told the professor what had transpired up in Beacon tower. The news of having her parents finally found gave Glynda relief, though with sadness of the circumstances, but she wished her luck all the same. Of course, the story she had been told about the kidnappings, and the revelation that the Good Hunter herself was one of them troubled her.
By the next morning, Ella went about gathering up her essentials for the trip. She collected and folded some extra clothes in case she stayed for another day or two, a bag of dental hygiene, two water bottles, and her Blade of Mercy. Soon after, she called the Doll over, got started changing herself out of her sleepwear and went about choosing what to wear. A few combinations later, she looked herself in the mirror, making sure that she looked presentable for her first visit. She was wearing her own taste of casual (sophisticated) attire for this occasion: a button down, short sleeved, dark grey shirt, a black, ankle length skirt, black stockings and black heeled shoes. She then turned to the Doll, sitting on the bed watching her. "What do you think, Doll? Does this outfit look better on me?"
She nodded. "I say it looks stunning on you, Good Hunter."
"You really think so?" She looked back at her reflection. Since she was going to be visiting her father first, she wanted to make herself look more presentable with the clothing options she had available. She went through three combinations, and asking the Doll as her critic what she thought of each one. Although the Doll somewhat did not have the same fashion sense as her, at least she appreciated her opinion. She then shrugged. "I suppose this will do."
She already had her extra clothes, her sleepwear and essentials, folded and tucked neatly into her travel case in an organized fashion. It was locked and ready to be carried as it lied on the bed next to her. She walked up to it and grabbed it by the handle.
"I'm going to be gone for a while. Take care of yourself and the apartment while I'm gone." She said as she began to walk out the bedroom door, only to be halted when the Doll gently grabbed her by the wrist.
"Wait." She said.
"Uh, what is it, Doll?" she asked in confusion as she turned to look at her.
"Are you sure you want to travel like this?" She asked.
This puzzled Ella a bit. "What do you mean? If it's the dangers I might face, I have my blade of mercy in my case."
"But wouldn't it be easier to carry more without carrying anything?"
This was confusing her even more. "...Doll, what are you talking about?"
"Allow me to give this to you." She offered cryptically as she stood close to her and placed her porcelain fingers on certain parts of her head. The Good Hunter simply wondered where this was going as she looked into her haunting eyes.
"Doll, what are you—
Then the Doll's fingers glowed, and was caught off guard as the energy surged into her brain. She growled incoherently and trembled in pain as she dropped the case. Symbols and marking were flashing across her vision, but they were going too fast for her to comprehend. Then the Doll released her hold on the Good Hunter, and she stumbled back and crashed against the wall, leaning on it as her vision went spinning and she clutched her head with one hand.
"Wh-wha, wha-what did… yo-you do?" She stuttered as she worked to get her mind back together, and her vision to become clear again.
"I have given you a little gift, Good Hunter." She answered cryptically again.
"Gift… wh-what gift?!" Her mind was coming back together, and her vision was becoming clear thanks in use of her Aura. She pushed herself away from the wall and stood straight again as she looked back the Doll with a hurt and confused expression.
"Think of the coffin and snap your fingers please." She calmly instructed.
She looked at her incredulously, and reluctantly did what she told her to do. She thought of the coffin, and when she snapped her fingers, the coffin appeared from out of the blue and landed against her bed. She was surprised by this, and turned to the Doll for an explanation.
"I have given you the insight to summon your coffin whenever you need it. Do you like this little gift, Good Hunter?" She asked with a serenely haunting smile.
"I… appreciate it but… did you just give me literal insight?" She asked suspiciously, and with a little concern knowing how insight can affect one's mind.
"It is simply knowledge, Good Hunter." Came the reply.
She was still skeptical about it, and it was truly strange of the Doll to give her something out of the blue, but as she thought about it, she could honestly admit that it could prove useful down the line. She looked to the case on the floor, but then another idea came to mind as she smiled a little.
She strolled through the courtyard without her case as she soon reached the air docks, where a casual wearing Eileen was waiting for her next to the Bullhead. She wore a black tank top, a short sleeved leather jacket, denim jeans, and gym shoes. Although she had gotten used to seeing today's modern fashion trend, she still refused to accept it. Seeing her mentor now, however, had made her feel uncertain.
"So, are you excited to see your parents?" Eileen asked with a smirk.
"It would be if the circumstances were better, but yes, I am." She replied with a soft smile.
"Well that seems good enough, but where is your luggage?" She asked when she inspected she was holding onto nothing.
"How about I explain to you when we reach the hotel," she suggested.
She shrugged at the suggestion. "Fine then, let's hop on in and see your father." They both got inside the Bullhead, and were then sitting down and buckling up. The Bullhead soon took off and headed for the air dock at the bottom of the cliff and across the lake.
"So, Ella, what will you do once you meet your father?" The veteran huntress asked.
The question stopped her in her tracks. "... I'm not sure, to be honest," she answered hesitatingly. "I didn't really think that far ahead. Do you think he'll recognize me?"
"I doubt it," she answered. "You'll just have to convince him."
"That's easier said than done, considering I only have a few pieces of memories about them."
"The information you were given didn't help you any?"
"Sadly no."
"Hmm." She hummed with a little skepticism.
Even after it eventually landed, and they were soon inside the residential district by use of a taxi, walking alongside Eileen had her feeling a little uncomfortable, because her mind went wandering back to the kidnappings of seventeen years ago. To know she took part in stopping the Kidnapper was noble enough, but the method they used made her come to question on the values of being a hunter. There had to be some good reason for this she thought, and the only source of information was walking right beside her, but would she be able to talk after that many years?
"So…," she started somewhat hesitantly, "I suppose Ozpin told you everything about me then?"
Eileen had a moment of pause before she answered in a neutral tone. "That he did." The Crow Huntress had a feeling she was going to bring this up sooner or later. "And I don't have to guess he told you everything as well."
"Y-Yes, he did." She went quiet for a moment, merely pondering what to say before a thought occurred. "But… what I don't seem to understand is.. how the Kidnapper got those powers."
Eileen knew she was trying to avoid that certain subject. She could not blame her for it, and after all, she was the one mentoring her. The subject of the Kidnapper, however, was an oddly interesting one, if not infuriating first hand. "To be honest, I haven't the foggiest. Perhaps he was given power by the Great Ones, or simply an experiment. Still doesn't explain how he got here and why he wanted children. We'll never know for sure."
"I see, then he must've been difficult to take down."
"You have no idea." She replied slowly, the memories of his ability to go about the battle both puzzled and annoyed her.
"So how did you take him down?"
These questions were beginning to push her patience, but she answered them anyways to entertain her. "It was not easy, let me tell you. When we fought him, he used his power and strength to full effect, leaving two of my teammates injured before beating him at his own game."
"I see. That must've been quite the experience."
"Indeed…," the two became quiet after that, and the hidden Crow Huntress internally sighed, deciding to wait until then.
They spent a while of strolling down the streets of an older part of the residential. It was not old and crumbling per say, and these homes looked maintained enough, but a house was not what they were looking for. They were looking for an apartment complex her father was currently living in, and the duo followed the directions being given which led them here. Eventually, they did find the complex they were looking for and were standing in front of the gate. There were four brick buildings that were four stories high, and forty rooms long.
"Now remember, you mustn't reveal to him where you came back from or mention anything out of normalcy. You don't want to lose your chance of reconnecting with your father, right?" Eileen reminded and asked.
She sighed at the reminder. "Of course I won't. Still, I'm kind of nervous about this."
"There's no need to be nervous. If he asks about it, then simply make it up."
"Easier said than done," she muttered. "All right, let's go."
They headed on through, soon going into the second apartment building. Three floors later, and the two stood in front of the door marked as #145. Ella had been informed that today was her father's day off, and although this was fortunate, for a feeling of uncertainty, she did not move.
"Aren't you going to knock on the door?" Eileen asked when she looked to see Ella being a bit nervous and hesitant.
"...Do you think he'll recognize me?" She asked with uncertainty.
"You won't know unless you knock on it." Came the obvious, blunt answer.
She swallowed down the pang of fear, knowing she was right and there was no point in standing around. She slowly walked up to the door, clenched her fingers together, and politely knocked on the door several times before taking a step back.
"Who is it!?" Came a rough, ornery, muffled reply. She could hear the sound of footsteps coming to the door, though to her guess he stopped halfway. "Ugh, I swear, if this is another one of your business offers, Tom, I'm not interested!"
"A-Actually, I'm not this Tom person." She replied, though had to raise her voice a little for him to hear through the door. "I came to see you."
"Huh? Uh… hold on." She heard the footsteps again as they reached the door. She heard the lock shuffle, and then the knob turned and opened…
"Is there something you want—," to reveal a man wearing a red T-shirt and jeans. His face and hair showed signs of aging, but he had a growing beard than what she saw in the picture. "You look… oddly familiar for some reason. Is.. that you Cinder?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm her sister."
"Wait, sis–," his eyes then began to widen in what she was implying to, but she answered that little mystery for him.
"I'm your daughter Ella." She answered for him as she gave a gentle smile. She hoped he remembered her.
His mind went reeling back memories when she announced her name. Her amber eyes were just like his, but he was uncertain. Though his skeptical mind wanted to doubt this claim, but for the first time his heart was clinging to hope. "Ella?... Is that you?"
It irked her only a little when he asked. She figured there would be some doubt and she could not blame him, for it had been a long seventeen years after all. So she had to prove her identity by reciting the only memory she had of herself and her father. "Father, do you remember the Vytal festival in Mistral? I was riding on your shoulders, allowing me to see everything from a grown ups perspective. I was fascinated seeing all the stalls and games. Then we watched that swordsman dancing and fighting against his own swords. We all had such a great time. Do you remember that father?"
"Yeah, and we were there after Cinder and Ella's birthday two weeks ago," he added, looking back at that memorable moment vividly. She nodded, already knowing their birthday was in late October.
He was now looking at her features with more clarity than before, nearly coming to tears when he finally concluded that she and Cinder were the same if she were at this age. This had been a long time since he last saw the smiling, energetic face of one of his little girls, but now she was standing right there in front of him. It felt like he had just woken up from a bad dream, if only the circumstances were better.
"It really is you, isn't it." He said trembling with his words, tears now threatening to burst open from his eyes. She nodded again, this time with the expression of a saddened smile, though it was not of sorrow, but of a feeling of reunion. She, too, was struggling to contain her feelings. Not wanting to stand around, and instead he closed the short distance between each other and embraced his daughter with a hug, somewhat tightening around her as if she might disappear again. His tears were finally leaking down from his closed shut eyes.
She returned the gesture in kind, feeling a warmth within herself that felt familiar yet foreign to her. Suddenly a small flashback popped up in her mind. She was a little girl again, and she saw her parents coming up to the house. She was ecstatic to see them again and ran up to them. She was hoisted up by her father, laughing with joy as she was spun around one time before being held in a hug. The memory reminded her what the feeling was, the feeling of being welcomed home from a long absence, and she nearly burst into tears as she tightened her grip.
"My baby girl's come home." He said as he sniffed. The two held each other for what felt like forever, but it was only a minute. Reluctantly, he loosened his hold to laying his grip on the sides of her shoulders.
"I'm sure we have a lot to talk about..." He said as he softly smiled, but then he realized the other woman standing behind them the whole time. "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't think you've introduced me to your friend here."
She looked behind herself as he let go and stepped back a bit. "Right, this is my friend and mentor, Eileen." She introduced as she looked back at him.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fall." The hidden Night Huntress greeted.
"Likewise… but hold on. Did you say mentor?"
Ella nodded. "Yes, I've been her pupil since I was found three months ago, and while working as an Assistant Professor at Beacon."
"Working at Beacon? Since this summer?" He was being a bit flabbergasted by the information given, but felt proud of her all the same . "My word, you've gotten quite far up the ladder haven't you? And it took you this long to find me." He suddenly raised his hands up in defense after realizing what he said. "Of course, I don't blame you. A-After all, your mother and I… are.."
"Living separate lives for quite a while now." She answered for him, which surprised him a bit.
"Oh… so you know about that." He said solemnly.
"Ozpin was gathering information for me. That's how I found out."
"I see." Then he sighed as he rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "It must've been quite hard on you, and I'm sorry you had to learn about this new circumstance."
"It's true that it's hard to accept it… but like my Headmaster said, anything could happen in seventeen years."
He hummed in grim understanding, and a moment of silence lingered in the air, save for the occasional muffled yelling coming from somewhere else, until he broke the silence to cheer her up. "Well, no matter the circumstance, what matters most is that you've come back, and I couldn't be any happier for it. How about you two come inside, I'm sure you have a lot to talk about." He gestured through the door, and the two Huntresses walked on in, with Eileen coming with her for the reason on clearing things up or so.
His home was as clean as one would have expected sort of. There was a small pile of papers on the kitchen table on the left side of the room. Looking at the living area to her right, she saw a few empty beer bottles on a coffee table. And at the kitchen counter, there were a pile of dishes in the sink, and by the look of the suds, he was in the middle of cleaning when they showed up.
"Please, have a seat." He gestured from the kitchen to the single couch in the living area. "Can I get you anything? A drink maybe?"
"No," Ella refused politely, "but thank you."
"I'll pass," said Eileen in nonchalance.
"Well alright then." He walked back to the living area. Ella and her father were sitting on the couch, and Eileen pulled up a chair from the dining table and joined them.
"So, how has your school career been going for you?"
"It's been going rather well." She answered gladly. "I do enjoy working with the students, of course."
"That is good to know. And I'm assuming you've gotten quite proficient at it."
"For the most part. I've even done substituting a couple of times." Then it was her turn to ask. "So how have you been?"
"I've been getting by, for good or bad." He answered. "I'm still working the factory job in the industrial district. The money I gain is enough to pay the bills for the most part."
She silently nodded. There was info on her father's manufacturing job. He was an associate of manufacturing furniture, and like he said, the pay he had been given was enough to get by.
"It's funny," he chuckled, "You were just a little girl when I last saw you. Now look at you, you're all grown up right front of my eyes, back all safe and sound."
"Yes, well, even though I've changed."
"I know, but I can clearly see you've been taking well after yourself." He chuckled again as a memory then surfaced. "I remember when you two had yet to understand how to tie your own shoes when you were five. Do you remember those times?"
She made to answer but… her mind went blank. She struggled to remember. She thought that his words would trigger something, but sadly, nothing came.
"...Are you all right?" He asked with concern.
"Mr. Fall," Eileen garnered his attention after witnessing what was happening and taking the opportunity to fix the situation. "There is another reason why she came to see you."
"What is it? Is there something wrong?" He was becoming a little more concerned.
"It's nothing too serious, but your daughter has amnesia." He looked at her perplexed as she continued. "We found her a few months ago in a fortified village outside of Vale, with no recollection of her past but her first name and her skill to slay monsters. It took her three months to recover bits and pieces of her memories on her own, and lucky for us, she remembered her family name.
"The reason we found you is simple; she wants to recover her past."
He looks to his daughter being a little distraught. "Is this true?"
"Yes, it is. Do you think you can help me, father?" Ella asked in small pleading.
Wilhelm took pause to think for a bit, but it did not take long to come to terms. She was his daughter, and he would do anything to help. "Of course. I'd be glad to help you." But he did not know where to start, so he looked to the Veteran Huntress. "Is there any way I can help?"
"You can give her details of an event, or perhaps some photos or.. items of personal value would help." She advised.
That could be easily done he thought, he already had some items to remember them by, and he could remember some events in detail. "Yeah… yeah I have a few of those." He agreed after thinking back. Then he got up. "Hold on, I'll be right back."
He walked away from the living area and into the kitchen, and after grabbing a couple photos off the refrigerator, he walked to his bedroom. "I was able to keep a few things to remember." He explained from the room as he rummaged around. "Your mother had taken most of the photos and memorabilia with her back to Animus."
He soon came back out with both of his hands full with photos and a single object. He sat back down and set them all on the coffee table, all spread out for her to see.
"All right, where to start…," he muttered as he pondered where to start. He soon chose one and picked up the photo of two girls sitting together in front of a birthday cake (the candles already blown out) while their father stood over them, all three of them smiling happily, but there was something goofy about the picture which made him chuckle a little. "This one was taken on your sixth birthday."
He passed it over to Ella, and she took the photo and looked over the details. The two of them looked happy together, but she giggled when she saw why. Their noses were covered in frosting, and so was Wilhelm. Her father began to explain the event in detail, but it proved unnecessary — the picture triggered a vivid flashback and memories came rushing in:
They were at a table, and her parents were singing happy birthday to her and her sister while the candles were still lit. When the chorus was over, the two simultaneously blew out the candles and the parents cheered. Their father Wilhelm went to the kitchen to do something, likely to grab a knife to start cutting up the cake. Then suddenly, Cindy thought it would be funny to put frosting on her sister's nose as she did just that. Then she whipped up a piece of frosting from the cake and placed it on Cindy's nose. Then the two just laughed, and when the parents saw this, they giggled at their little antics and the mother decided to take a picture along with the father. What happened made their mother laugh when the twins decided to give their father a frosting on his nose.
"Okay, everyone smile~!" Her mother said as she aimed the camera. When the flash came, Ella was snapped back into reality.
"Ella, are you there?" Wilhelm asked her.
"Me and my sister were sitting at the table, with a cake being lit with candles," she recounted, her voice fragile as crystal. "You and mother were singing for us. After we blew out the candles, Cindy thought it would be funny to put frosting on my nose, so I did the same to her. We all laughed, and we put frosting on your nose as well." Wilhelm chuckled at that. "That's how we got this picture," she finished, her voice a bit steadier now and a smile on her lips.
"I'm glad." He said gladly as he patted her shoulder. "I'm very glad." She warmly smiled back for the appreciation.
"How about we try this then." He said after pulling his hand away and grabbing the only object he brought in. "I made this for you and Cinder as a Christmas present when you both were five." He explained as he handed it to her. It was a wooden model of a horse the size of her hand, and she could tell it looked to be maintained as it shined.
She put the photo back on the coffee table and took the wooden horse. She softly rubbed her thumb along its surface, feeling the smoothness which told her he put time and effort into it.
"To be fully honest," he added, "it was the first toy I ever made for you girls."
She suddenly had another flashback.
She was in a living room with her whole family present. A Christmas tree, covered in decorations and wires with colored light bulbs, stood colorfully in one side of the room, with many presents sitting under it. Soon they were passed out to the family, including her and her sister. Laughter and good conversation, a lot of torn papers on the floor, cameras flashing, and the twins finally got their chance to open their presents. They had a music cd, two different backpacks, and low and behold, they both had well carved, wooden horses. She and her sister were so happy when their father told them they were made by him.
Then another flash happened, and she was brought back to the present day again.
"We were all in the living room, the whole family gathered." She began her story. "There was positive energy in the air, lots of presents under a tree. I remember seeing torn papers everywhere on the floor. And you had that new toolset you always wanted."
"And they helped me pretty well," he commented as he listened.
"Eventually, me and my sister were next. We had ourselves a CD," she shook her head, "...I can't remember the name. Then we had our own backpacks."
"They were meant for your first day in school."
"Then our last present was a wooden horse. We loved it, and when you told us you made them… we were all happy..." Suddenly, a tear leaked from her eye and down her cheek. An emotion she hadn't felt before as she swapped the tear from her cheek.
Recovering memories was like digging buried treasure, she just would never know what kind of response she would get. As for Wilhelm, reliving those good times as she recited them as best she could felt like the best thing he would ever hear. What was even better, was that she was here, sitting right next to him.
"Hey," He said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "It's good to have you back, Elly." She looked back at him with a warm smile, even at the nickname she hadn't heard in a very long time. "Now, how about we go over another photo, shall we?"
Then a thought came up which made her frown a bit. Seeing her twin sister in her memories, and remembering the profile showing she was missing, had made her wonder just what happened.
"Father, what happened to Cinder?" He halted midway hearing her name. "The files say she was missing."
His expression faltered, as he thought back on that day. "It's not that she was missing… it's just that.. I think she ran away."
"What do you mean she ran away?" She looked at him confused. "Why would she do that?"
"I don't know." He sighed, and breathed in before he spoke. "When Cinder wanted to apply to be a Huntress, your mother flatout refused to let her go there. She couldn't get over what happened, and neither did your sister. She begged, and I had to step in to let her do it. Your mother gave in eventually, but then things got more uncomfortable as the years went by. On that night, your mother and I got into a heated argument over her future, over our future. And that night was the last time we saw her. Must've grown tired of us and just… went out to find you I guess." He rubbed his forehead to calm himself before continuing. "The Hunters couldn't find her. And eventually, she and I… she and I filed for divorce."
She did not know what to say. She simply remained in absolute silence.
"I know there's nothing I can say, for everything that's happened. I'm sorry."
For a moment, she did not say anything, only reminiscing on the information given. It would seem she ran away, just to find her, maybe. It would have been fruitless, but the thought of her being gone for so long would make her wonder; was she lost, or was she… she mentally shook it away. She had to be out there somehow, somewhere. Right now, though, this was still an opportunity to recover lost memories, and seeing her father in this state of reminisce made her feel guilty. So she changed the subject, though the info of her sister's disappearance was shelved in the back of her mind.
"Father," she garnered his attention, "let's go over the other photos, shall we?"
"Of course." He obliged.
After going over whatever memories she could recover, the next several hours were spent talking about their lives so far. They explained to each other how they had gotten to where they were, even though she revealed nothing of where she came back from. She did, however, tell him how she got motivated to find her family as she showed him the heart shaped necklace. He told her they were a gift to them on their sixth birthday. The three had dinner in his apartment, and eventually, at 7:35 pm, they said their goodbyes. She promised to come by sometime, and gave each other their number to talk to one another.
So Ella and Eileen headed to a hotel to sleep in for the night, and get ready for the airport to Mistral. But before they turned themselves in, however, Eileen was standing in Ella's room, waiting for an answer to their previous discussion.
"So," Eileen started with her arms folded, "now are you going to explain why you didn't bring your luggage?"
"Yes," she nodded. She then looked at the wall behind her teacher and raised her hand, and when she snapped her fingers, the coffin appeared and thudded against the wall. Eileen got caught by surprise and turned her upper body and head around to see the coffin laying against the wall.
"Did you just summon a coffin? Without the Doll being around?" She asked befuddlement.
"That's right." She confirmed with a smirk.
"As much as I'm amazed you can do that…," she turned back around to face her with a look of suspicion, "care to explain how you acquired this talent?"
"The Doll gave this knowledge to me." She shortly explained as she walked up to the coffin as she watched. She opened it, and pulled out her luggage and showed it to her. Then she snapped her fingers again and the coffin disappeared.
"You mean she gave you the insight to do it?" She grew more suspicious.
She set down the case, raised her hands defensively and shook her head. "No, It's not literal! She simply gave me the knowledge to do it. That's all."
"Hmm," she hummed with doubt, not truly believing directly at her apprentice, but what the Doll said to her. She would want to investigate this matter, but that curiosity would have to wait for another time.
"We'll talk about this some other time. And you should also inform Ozpin about this when you get the chance."
"I will."
"Good, then let's get some rest." She concluded, then she walked to the door. "Rest well, Ella."
"You, too." Once the door closed, she decided to lounge for bit. After that, she eventually got changed and got ready for bed. As she got in bed, she looked over at her nightstand, looking at her wooden horse she was given back from her father. Then she grabbed her silver heart pendant and opened it to look at the picture of the twins.
Learning about her sister running away had put a wrenching feeling in her heart, as if the closer she got, the more she would realize how far away finding her would be. She was not even certain if Cinder was still alive out there. Then she thought of her mother, how she never got over it and grew to be overprotective. The Good Hunter could not blame her. She just wanted to keep their precious treasure safe. She wondered what would happen if they meet again. Would she recognize her girl right away? Would she be happy to see her again? She shook the last thought, of course she would.
"Cinder… where are you?" She wondered out loud. She closed the locket and set the necklace back on the nightstand before turning off the lamplight. She needed to ready for a long journey. Good thing she would not be heading out defenseless.
A/N: All right, chapter 16 is officially and finally here. This time, Ella finally gets her information on her family, though sadly not turning out as she had hoped. She meets up with her father first and now they are heading to the kingdom of Mistral, which need I mind you that it would be taking them days to reach the village, their destination after the airport. So yeah, things are going to somewhat be looking up for her. And the action will be returning soon, I promise.
I did say in the Summary that things are not as simple as they seem.
Now, the poll results you all have been waiting for.
A Lost Bloom in the Snow: 16
Agents of Light: 12
Rosario + Vampire: Cold Fury: 9
So the winner is "A Lost Bloom in the Snow"! Sorry for those who wanted to read the other two, but Skyrim beats them to the punch. I'll be publishing the first chapter soon after this, and I hope the hard work gives off good results.
Oh yeah, if I got Cinder's height wrong, I apologize. I just tried to understand what her height would be if she were 14. But no need to worry, she'll still be 5'10"/11" when she's grown up.
Shoutout goes to, as usual, CruxMDQ for his beta reading and suggestions.
This is Kyro2009, signing off.