AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY
"Shut up."
Talaria flicked her tail, but the guttural chirps continued.
Mercury ignored her. He picked up the final table and held it by one leg over the tower of tables he had already moved. His free hand went to Pandora, angling it so he could use the gravity Dust within to balance the final one on top.
He let go. They didn't move.
Talaria flew over and gracefully landed in the centre of the top table. They still didn't wobble.
There was a man and woman in the room with him, about a decade or two older than him. They were brother and sister: Woody and Dahlia Sparks.
I really don't get it. One had a promising career as a nurse in Atlas and the other graduated as a Huntress from Haven. Why are they working in an orphanage?
The choice of orphanage did make some sense. Mercury highly doubted there were many orphanages in Atlas itself and most Huntsmen and Huntresses tended to stay close to their home continent.
Mercury frowned. "I thought there were only twelve kids here." There were at least twenty bean bags scattered across the floor.
"There are," Dahlia confirmed. "However, at least four more from the primary school are coming too. Is that a problem?" It was almost a challenge.
"No difference, really." It was the same time period. What did it matter if there were twelve, sixteen, twenty or fifty?
Woody had finished with the chair and box at the front of the room. He studied Talaria. "I thought she spoke using Atlesian code? I can't understand that."
"No reason why you should. She's laughing." Mercury shifted one the bean bags away from the door; any kid on it would get smacked every time that door opened or closed.
"Laughing? Why?"
"I'm not the one of our nestmates that deals with hatchlings."
They look at him for a moment. They knew he didn't have any younger siblings (barring Ruby who didn't really count) and, while he did have some experience through his work at the escape rooms, he didn't have much knowledge of children.
"Your dragon has a strange sense of humour."
Mercury glanced at Dahlia. He knew she wasn't happy about this arrangement but neither of them had brought it up. He wasn't happy either.
The Moss Root College was hosting some 'important' people from Atlas today: their investors. Mercury had no interest in meeting them but they had wanted to meet him, so Headmaster Byrd had set up dinner with them.
Mercury had weaselled out the whole day by claiming that he had a prior agreement to spend the day at the local orphanage. He had made said agreement as soon as he learned that these people were going to be in Faymarsh.
When given a choice between kids and politicians, Mercury was always going to pick the kids. At least he could console himself with the fact they were probably going to outgrow their most irritating habits.
At least these kids are nowhere near as bad as the Hogwarts kids.
Most of the kids were even younger than the Hogwarts students.
Even through the closed door, Mercury could hear yelling. He glanced in that direction and blinked into Grimm vision.
That's…the same kid I saw the first time I saw bird Raven.
Mercury was very curious now. One child was significantly brighter than any of the others and had been for a while.
Woody somehow guessed or deduced that something was going on. With a quick "Excuse me," he slipped out of the room. Within moments, the brighter one dimmed a little and the three opposite temporarily became brighter.
Bullying then. People will be people.
He was also quite sure one person downstairs was Dustin. Even if their colours brightened or dimmed, everyone's was still unique.
Dustin is quite bright as well. In fact, it's very close to what it was the night he visited me.
Normally, Mercury wouldn't get involved in other people's business, except when they explicitly asked him and there were no (or very few) downsides.
Given what Dustin's Semblance was, it might be worth asking.
There were twenty five children that filed in and sat down. Mercury quickly studied each in both normal and Grimm vision.
Okay. The bullied kid is somehow more isolated despite the lack of room, so it's probably more than three bullies. The bullies are not with each other but with others, so it is most likely most kids in this orphanage. Dustin is also by himself and the occasional orphan is glancing at him, so he's not well known here. None of the kids are very bright now, so they're quite happy at the moment.
Mercury didn't think that was going to last too long.
The whispers stopped when Talaria glided from her perch at the top of the table tower to the box in the middle. She lay her body down, but her wings remained slightly up.
"Show off," Mercury noted affectionately.
Talaria chirped an agreement.
Two kids chuckled.
Then four more joined in.
Woody relaxed. Dahlia frowned, but her face smoothed almost instantly.
Talaria spread her wings properly and took flight. She performed a nice display of displacement rolls and sharp twists. Her final backflip had her landing back on the box with her wings fully open and a triumphant cry.
All the kids contributed to that round of applause.
Dustin's smiling. He doesn't fear her anymore.
"How exactly am I supposed to match that?" Mercury asked her.
Talaria turned to look at him. She lowered her wings as she tilted her head. Then her wings came up for what could (and should) be constructed as a shrug.
More laughter.
We've been a really bad influence on her.
Mercury sighed and took the chair. "Some people."
"She's a dragon," one of the kids pointed out.
"True." Mercury remained quiet for a moment. "Okay kids. I'm here for a while, so let's get to know each other and then the first game we'll play is hide and seek. With Talaria."
Talaria growled at him. To most, it would sound aggressive. Mercury understood it to mean 'only for a bit'. If he pushed it farther than she was willing, she was going to respond.
He have never found out how, but he let out a long breath that she would take as understanding.
"She doesn't sound happy." It was the same kid.
"I'm higher in the pecking order. Tough."
"Where are we?" This was the ringleader against the boy earlier.
"Lower than her," Mercury grinned. The boy didn't quite flinch, but he clearly didn't like that answer.
Dahlia scowled. She did force a smile as she stepped forward, but the irritation was at Mercury, not the children or Talaria. She stood tall next to him.
On second thought, this may be a little stronger than irritation.
"Now, I know that some of you children are aware of Mr Crawford's profession. Do you have any questions for him?"
"Which one?" a girl asked.
"Either," Mercury answered.
"But first," Dahlia cut in. "We will introduce ourselves to our guest."
The kids went around in the circle, clearly used to this exercise. Mercury didn't care much for these kids, but for the rest of the day it would benefit him to use their names. He knew two already: Dean and Gray from his first day. Neither were orphans.
The very troubled kid was called Jet. Mercury didn't like his quiet tone or the fact he wouldn't meet his eyes.
Dustin introduced himself again, but this time with a surname: Dustin Sky. Mercury thought he was lying but that was none of his business. Following Dustin's lead, he didn't give any hint the two had met before. He was the only one that gave a surname.
The bullying ringleader from before, Ace, started the questions. "What's your Semblance?"
Mercury could easily guess that was going to come up. "That's a trade secret in my case." There were flickers of disappointment. "But I happen to be what is referred to as an Aura Wielder, so I have more than just a Semblance. For example…"
Aura animals always impressed. Given the room he had available, Mercury chose one he didn't really use: coyote.
From the whispers, most of the kids mistook it as a wolf. Mercury didn't bother to correct them.
"How many can you make?" Heather.
"A lot," Mercury replied. "Any requests?"
"A bird?"
Talaria hopped off the box and bounced to Mercury's shoulder. The coyote became mist before reforming into the falcon. It flew around the room before landing on the box. The mist wasn't strictly necessary, but Mercury didn't want to startle them.
The response was a lot of noise, mostly other requests. There were a few he could do, but he waited until Woody got control of the kids again before he changed it.
This time, it was a raccoon. This was one of Mercury's favourites.
"Aww, cute."
Would they be saying that if it was the right colours and more obvious what it was?
"A dog?"
"You've already asked, Heather," Mercury replied gently.
"A dog." Vera. She was next to Heather, so likely a friend.
Mercury did consider going back to the coyote as that was technically a dog, but these were just kids and they hadn't irritated him yet. There was only one species of domestic dog he could make.
The pitbull made an appearance.
"That's Billy!"
"That's smaller than Billy."
Mercury had seen a man walking a pitbull around the town. He assumed the dog was called Billy. It was a further three minutes before their gossiping about Billy dimmed down. Woody had opened his mouth to calm them down again, but Dahlia had given him a look.
"Anything else?" Dahlia asked, with more patience that Mercury suspected she had. "This must be the last one."
The kids didn't look happy with that.
There was quite a bit of discussion on what they should ask for.
The night before, Mercury had called two people. Yang had been the one to suggest aura animals; Aura Wielders were not well known and kids were too young or inexperienced to understand what they represented. Dahlia and Woody may, but that just meant he needed to pick with care. Ironwood had told him that, to their knowledge, the rouge Grimm aura animal had not been near Faymarsh, so there was little risk of them making that connection.
Mercury had suspected the last point, but he needed to be sure. If he could spend more time on aura animals along with the questions and answers, there would be less time to spend actually playing the games. That was far more effort.
It is interesting that Ironwood didn't seem to think that call a waste of time. All he really got out of it was which aura animals on the list they have I can currently create and that I was stuck dining with him and 'friends' today.
Mercury honestly had not known that Atlas Academy also has monetary ties to Faymarsh until after he was a student. It didn't surprise him though.
It was a full five minutes of heated arguments before one voice managed to carry.
"A cat?"
Most of the others turned as one to glare at him.
Jet swallowed, but he didn't match them. He kept his eyes on Mercury.
"That's not our choice," Jay snapped.
"I disagree," Mercury replied firmly. "I heard that from at least six of you. I didn't hear any of the others anywhere near as often."
It must have taken quite a bit of courage for Jet to speak up, especially as neither Dahlia nor Woody seemed eager to comment on the other kids' responding behaviour.
Theoretically, there were five cats Mercury was capable of creating. The kids probably wanted to see the jaguar, panther, lynx or cougar. He had only managed the panther at the moment. The cougar was the one he had made the most effort to create since he learned that was Jaune's Simple Form. For whatever reason, he could not get it to form.
Even if he could, he would still make the same choice. He wanted a different effect than the animals that came before.
There is a big difference between a full grown pitbull and a week or so old kitten.
All the kids fell quiet. The hostility towards Jet vanished.
Mercury tilted his shoulder very slightly. None of the humans would pick it up. Talaria would.
Talaria didn't need the hint. She was very fond of the dubbed 'Merkitty' and enjoyed playing with it for more than the other animals, even the fox. It was something she could rough and tumble with without the need to watch her venomous teeth. The moment the kitten was formed, she angled her body and shot down at it.
The kitten flopped to the side, so her first glide missed. She snarled an annoyed whine at Mercury for the dodge, but landed on the box next to it. Much like two cats would play-fight, Talaria and the kitten began to swipe at each other.
"How do you become an Aura Wielder?" Ace asked eagerly.
"As far as I know, you're either one or you aren't. It's not something that can be learned. Like any other ability, it takes time and training to make the most of it."
"How long did it take you?"
Mercury considered that question. The answer depended on how one looked at the situation.
"Four years official training, but much more before that. My aura unlocked when I was seven, so in total over ten years. It takes time and dedication to get to Mastery level at anything, no matter how much natural talent you have."
Mercury cast his eyes over the kids. They weren't happy with what he said.
"Well Ace? What natural talents do you have?"
He picked on Ace because the boy was clearly the trouble maker. From their body language, the other kids deferred to him, were afraid of him or both.
But Ace just shrugged. "I'm a charmer."
Mercury didn't doubt that. It might be because of Mercury's presence but Dahlia and Woody didn't seem interested in interfering. At the moment, the children's behaviour was shunning and the incident before that Mercury saw through the door suggested it got physical.
In fact, now he thought about it, that book Ace had might not be his book. Objects were very difficult to see with Grimm vision, especially when people were such bright colours. How common was the vine pattern on it?
Do I ask now or later?
Mercury decided later. The idea later was to split the kids up and play games like fruit basket or even hide and seek with Talaria.
"Very useful to get along with people." Mercury was careful that it sounded sincere.
Ace smiled innocently back. He was good at it.
One by one, Mercury went through the kids in the order they had been introduced. Interestingly, only four gave him physical talents: ventriloquism, bowling, singing and long jump. The others were necessary attributes, but they were considered positive.
There was a very slight hesitation when Dustin answered. "Stubbornness."
All the others had given him strange looks, but Mercury had laughed.
"Well, in the right amount, it is sometimes the key difference in a mission."
The others had been simple.
Until they got to Jet.
Jet shrugged.
The others sniggered.
"Jet?" Mercury pressed.
"I don't know."
"Nothing," Ace murmured quietly. The others near him giggled louder.
Okay. I've changed my mind.
"How about art?"
In most other circumstances, Mercury would have chuckled at the way all the kids froze. He pretended not to notice. Dustin frowned, obviously not understanding.
However, Dahlia and Woody were just as still.
So they likely know more than they're saying. That is usually the case.
Mercury spoke again before the other adults could interrupt. "I think I've seen you around town before. You were drawing then." It wasn't an entire lie.
Jet didn't answer.
None of the kids dared to move.
Mercury's attention went to Ace. "That book you have has a few blank pages in it, right?"
"No." That answer was too abrupt.
There was no doubt in Mercury's mind: that book belonged to Jet. Everyone else in this room, except for Dustin, either knew it or at least suspected it.
"Really? That's got to have about two hundred pages. Completing that is an achievement in of itself. May I see it?"
Talaria stopped attacking the kitten. She looked up; straight at Ace.
"Huntsman Crawford," Dahlia stated firmly. "I recognise that you are more fortunate than many of these children, but they do not have many possessions. It is very rude to ask one to part from it."
Mercury's eyes didn't leave Ace. The boy had calmed immensely.
He could back down. The obvious response was to apologise and let the incident go. It was the sensible choice. This was the only day he would visit; he wouldn't be around for the fallout and he knew how bullies operated. There had been many, many of them in Hogwarts and some in Beacon.
Mercury knew his choice.
"Oh? I'm sorry. Where did you get it?"
Dahlia backed down, with a nod of support to him.
Was that a frown from Woody?
Ace had calmed even more. "I don't remember. I've had it as long as I can remember. It's a gift from my parents."
"It must have a lot of sentimental value."
"It does."
"I've never seen anything like that pattern before."
"I know. It's one of a kind."
Gotcha. Idiot.
"One of a kind? Are you sure?"
It was a good reminiscence smile. Most would be fooled by it. "Yeah."
"So don't you think Jet should get it back?"
The smile vanished. "What?"
Mercury gave him an easy smile. "When I said I saw Jet with a book, I remember it because I hadn't seen it before and two of my sisters are very fond of books. One is even into art herself. I was going to ask him where he got it, but Craig there came over to get him for dinner."
Craig's eyes widened. He remembered. It was only two days ago and Craig had then stopped to ask Mercury when their next video was going to be out. Mercury suspected that talking to him was the only reason he agreed to fetch Jet; Craig had practically ignored Jet after his order to head back.
Dahlia was about to speak, but Woody had a firm hand on her shoulder. He shook his head at her furious look.
It took Ace a few seconds to realise that no one was going to help him out of this.
"Charm will get you far Ace, but thievery will not." Emerald had been surviving on thievery. She certainly hadn't been living.
"Ace isn't a thief," Jay replied, almost angrily.
"Denial will get you even less far," Mercury responded idly. He made sure to sound disappointed, not angry. "Ace?"
Ace's fists closed for a millisecond. Then he studied the book. "This is Jet's?" He flipped it over. "Oh. Mine doesn't have this pattern on the back." Ace offered it to Jet. "Sorry Jet. I must have grabbed yours by mistake."
Dustin's eyes narrowed. He didn't buy that any more than Mercury did.
Jet slowly reached out and took it back. "No problem. Thank you."
Mercury leaned back in the chair. "Right. Where were we?"
Woody spoke then. "If you remember Mercury, we spoke about the kids having a competition and the winner's favourite game would be the next one you and your friends do a voice over for."
"So we did. My friends are certainly up for it, from all the schools. Ruby even suggested that the winner themselves say a few lines."
Most of the kids perked up. Ace and Jay were giving Mercury a suspicious look, but their eyes betrayed their excitement. It almost seemed like they had forgotten their scolding only moments before. The others didn't seem interested in the earlier drama anymore either.
"We have spoken to the nearby leisure centre and they've given us use of their field. We have moved some equipment down there."
"So as we agreed. Five teams of five and the teams change after every event. Points are awarded both as a team and as an individual."
Mercury wasn't expected at dinner until 7 pm. He had plenty of time.
"That sounds right. We start after lunch. However, if the questions are over, you promised at least one round of hide and seek with Talaria."
Talaria chittered, obviously feeling a lot more agreeable about the activity than she was a while ago. She looked at Mercury and used her snarl/snap method of Atlesian code.
Mercury turned back to Woody. "She's asking if she is supposed to hide in just this room or the whole building."
"The whole building," Woody stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We have quite a large group of explorers. In fact, let's count this as an extra challenge, in case there is a tie later."
Dahlia stepped forward. "Okay children. Time to go outside."
Woody took the kids out of the room. Five seconds after the door closed, Dahlia turned on him.
"Crawford, that was uncalled for-"
"Which part?" Mercury interrupted idly. His mind was on potential hiding places. While Talaria could hide very easily, they needed to pick somewhere where she would be found, but it couldn't be too easy or too difficult.
"You know which part." She was very angry.
"I think Ace himself put it best."
"You don't know how things work here, Crawford."
"If all orphanages are like this, I'm starting to see why someone I love didn't live in one for the sixteen years she was on the streets."
Dahlia's mouth snapped shut.
Mercury stood up. He looked her hard in the eye. "You're right. I don't know how things work. I do know that book meant a lot to Jet. I've seen him outside this building most of the time I've been here. He always had it. My stepfather got a lot further with me with stern talks and discipline than turning a blind eye."
Her eyes narrowed. "…Stepfather?"
"Yes. Stepfather. Why do you think Headmaster Byrd didn't push me to see the Atlas politicians when I had a prior agreement for coming here? He thought it would be better for a Huntsman that came from a more troubled background to visit at least once."
Dahlia folded her arms and glared at him. Mercury ignored her and left the room. He didn't fancy hiding Talaria in there.
He nearly bumped into Woody. There were no kids about.
"You were stern with my sister."
Mercury kept his tone flat. He faked a sigh. "I can see her heart's in the right place. It's just that she doesn't realise what she's getting into."
"It's only been two months. She needs time."
Mercury knew that, while Dahlia had only been here two months, Woody had been here for eight years.
"What's the situation with Jet anyway?"
Woody sighed, sincerely. "He was left here as a baby, with only the blanket and a blank book. We don't know where he came from; only that his parents didn't live here."
"And the other kids don't like him."
"No. This isn't the first time they've stolen that book. I suspected Ace had it earlier, but now I realise it was Aster and then she gave it to Ace as they went in there. There used to be two hundred and six pages. I don't know how many there are now, but it's not that. They won't do that again. They respect you too much."
Mercury raised an eyebrow. "And here I was thinking that they were going to take it out on him."
"I'll make sure they don't. Again, your visit has helped with that. I think I can successfully threaten that you won't return if you think they're not worth it."
"Nothing against any of you, but there's no guarantee I will visit again."
"They don't know that." Woody wasn't offended. His tone softened. "However, I would appreciate it if you returned or any of your friends decide to visit. Besides, you don't immediately turn anyone away when they approach you."
"I don't make promises I can't keep."
Woody nodded. "Understood. And don't take that tone with my sister again." He turned on his heel and headed downstairs.
Mercury and Talaria headed up.
Ruby leaned back in her chair, trying not to bounce.
It had been a very long journey, but they were almost there.
Their first stop was a little village called Oakenhorn. They were having some Grimm problems not far outside their home. The idea was to stay here for two days before moving on to the next destination.
That was the main plan for their two weeks.
It was interesting. Ruby was used to bigger cities. She had been in villages before, but not really one like this. She knew this was on a major trade route, so it was more established and had more defences than most. The houses in the middle were older and the houses on the edge were newer. The main road was concrete and the rest were dirt.
"Wow."
Some of the houses were small and some were big. All the shops had a triangular roof while the houses were all rectangular. The windows were the opposite. There was even a park in the middle of the village, with little allotments that different families were working on.
Dad would like this place.
"Oakenhorn," Professor Port stated proudly. "Built fifteen years ago for a new, yet simple time."
Now Ruby looked, she couldn't see many scrolls or other technology. Despite all the roads, she didn't see any cars. There were horses, ponies and normal bikes instead.
Yang, relaxed, glanced around. "This is a little different than I expected."
Emerald smiled softly. "I think they get that a lot."
A lot of people saw them. The kids often waved. Ruby waved back.
"So where are we going?"
"The town centre. The village chief is waiting for us."
Ruby counted four allotments they passed. They seemed to be for different things, such as one for cooking ingredients, another for pretty flowers and others for plants Ruby had never seen before.
When Professor Port said 'town centre', Ruby assumed it would be a building and possibly the oldest or most sophisticated building in the area. That had always been her experience.
The town centre was actually a beautiful park, containing six marble pillars and a wooden walkway connecting the areas around the plants. Some sections even had platforms to flowerbeds. Out of curiosity, Ruby began to wander. She noted Emerald and Yang were doing the same; Emerald much more thoroughly than Yang.
She recognised some of the plants, though she didn't know their names.
"Beautiful, aren't they?"
Ruby turned her head and smiled at the elderly man. "They are. It must take a lot of time and patience to grow this."
"It did. The park here is the oldest establishment here. It even outdates me." The tone was joyful.
"Are these tea trees?" Emerald's voice queried. Both Ruby and her new friend looked to see.
"Indeed they are. Not many people recognise them."
Emerald's attention went back to the tree. "I thought these only grew in Vacuo. How did you manage this?"
The man tapped his nose. "An old secret."
Yang rolled her eyes. "Do you know every plant in this large garden, Emerald?"
It was made as a joke, but Emerald gave a significant look around. "Well, actually…I could hazard a guess at some of them. Most of them, in fact. I've only really seen them in a textbook though."
Did this mean that these plants were involved in medicine or did Emerald know them for some other reason?
Ruby glanced back at who she was now sure was the village elder. "May we have a full tour later?"
"It would be my pleasure." He sighed. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid we likely don't have time for it now. Have any of you ever encountered a Geist before?"
"Once," Emerald answered. "But that was in Vacuo and I wasn't involved in the fight."
That was something Ruby didn't know, but then they had only started studying Geists in class. A Grimm that wasn't particularly dangerous in its base form, but possessed other objects to fight with.
"Is this Geist near anybody?" Ruby asked, her mind trying to remember the last lecture. Professor Port had said that was no recorded limit for what a Geist could possess/build, so a lot of people could easily get hurt.
"Not yet," The elder replied. "It has been working its way north over the past week. We are the second village in its path."
"Okay. We'll take care of it before anyone else gets hurt."
Ruby did know that Geists were normally handled by graduates, not students. The reason they were taught in third year was because they were becoming more common in recent years. Many more advanced Grimm had become more common in recent years.
Along with some new species never seen before…
There were no more known sightings of the sabre-tooth Grimm seen in Vacuo and Ruby had checked. She knew that there had been three and only two had been killed. The final one appeared to have disappeared into thin air.
Emerald said Vacuo was good for that; for people, animals and Grimm.
Ruby really wanted to visit more of Vacuo. She was going to suggest many of their next year missions happened there.
"So this Geist…" Yang started.
"An airship isn't a good idea," Emerald mused. "These things tend to become…quite big."
"So we're walking."
They waited until they were outside the perimeter of the village before they stopped. Ruby routed around in her bag for the map.
"Okay. If we can get it here," Ruby pointed to an area of the forest, "I think that will be easiest."
The point was that it was in the middle of nowhere. No one should come across them to get hurt and there would be no collateral damage. This battle was going to need a very large area.
"If this thing really is that big, then it shouldn't be that hard to find," Yang grinned.
The idea was for Yang to use some ammo to go high and scout the area. With Talaria's absence, they had to make do with what they had and they knew they had to fight smarter with a Geist, not harder.
As it happens, it was only a mile away and rather hard to miss.
"Where did it even find those boulders?" Ruby was quite sure she hadn't seen a cliff or any other rocky outcrops nearby on the map.
"Probably near Jewel Town," Emerald replied. She circled around, firing distracting shots.
The Geist was now focused on them. All four limbs were a single boulder. Ruby wasn't sure how big it was, but it was bigger than her home so the specifics didn't really matter. There was no one else around; they could really let loose.
"Okay, let's see how tough you really are."
Ruby started with a basic Semblance and Crescent Rose combo. She was able to use her Semblance to temporarily fly or, as Ruby liked to refer to it: "falling with style".
Crescent Rose did absolutely nothing to the rock limbs. Her scythe just bounced straight off.
All she had succeeded in doing was getting its attention. Which was great but she would have preferred to see some dents or something in the rock as well.
"Quite tough."
There was no damage to Crescent Rose at least.
Yang hadn't had any more success with the legs.
"Well, we tried," Emerald smiled. "Attacking the limbs doesn't work with this."
"No," Ruby agreed. It was expected, but Ruby had been hoping.
They scattered as the 'left arm' was brought down. They didn't go very far at first.
Only to duck and dodge when loose rocks along with uprooted trees came flying at them.
"So it can still use possession powers when it already has a body." Yang smashed one of the smaller rocks into pieces. "And it's smart enough to use them as ammo."
There were not many rocks, but there were a lot of trees. Large, old, sturdy trees. They would be much harder to dodge than rocks.
In theory, they could just keep cutting and dodging the trees (and probably the rocks), but this fight was not going to be won by doing the same thing over and over.
Especially when that thing isn't working…
Why couldn't they break up the limbs? Yang had surely destroyed things sturdier than that.
Ruby obviously wasn't the only one who had that thought. She and Emerald dodged around drawing its attention while Yang continued her assault.
"What is with this thing?"
The Geist was now completely ignoring Ruby and Emerald. It was focusing entirely on Yang.
Ruby and Emerald glanced at each other.
"AT-AT?"
"Yep."
Timing would be key. They couldn't lure it towards a more secluded area; they had to work with this now open plain. They needed to use Ruby's speed Semblance and they only had a small window.
Yang hopped onto the 'arm'.
Before she could aim for the face, it dropped the boulder limb altogether.
Then immediately summoned it to re-attach after Yang jumped off.
That black arm looked quite fragile.
Ruby fired several shots at that exposed arm. Emerald leapt onto the rock and extended the chains. The blades hooked down and one firm pull cut the arm off.
"Yes!"
Ruby's joy turned out to be mixed.
It could no longer gain a new limb, but it could still attract objects towards it.
Fortunately, Yang saw this before she was smacked in the head.
"Not fair!"
Ruby winced, letting out a breath as it missed her sister.
"Emerald. The face?"
It was Mercury that enjoyed reading about Grimm, but Emerald's reading material was much wider than Ruby's. Ruby herself hadn't yet found anything on Geists in the Beacon library.
"I think so. If nothing else, that's what it's protecting."
"Ok. Manoeuvre 2."
"Got it."
Manoeuvre 2. Distract while another attacks. It was the most basic strategy, right under all attack or, as Mercury put it: "Going the full Yang".
In this situation, Yang and Ruby ran interference until Emerald was in position to do some damage.
Many of their other tactics were still works in progress when they talked, but they just worked on the battlefield.
Ruby still wasn't sure practicing them was the best idea when they just knew what to do. It was expected but…
She would think more on it while on this trip.
The Geist didn't seem that interested in Yang anymore. The rock was, for whatever reason, not breaking so she wasn't too much of a threat. Yang could inconvenience it, but not really harm it.
Ruby on the other hand…
Ruby activated her petal slip Semblance, aiming high. Yang could use Ember Celica to get airborne but that would really damage the ground, which had been a real pain when they were sparring against Uncle Qrow. Also, she only had limited ammo that had to last two weeks.
It only had one arm to block.
Ruby had limited ammo too, but she could aim for the face. She knew she wasn't going to hit it but that wasn't the point. The point was to keep the focus on her and away from Emerald.
Although…If it keeps flinging those rocks around, I could use them as bait. Either my bullets or its own rocks would hit it the face and, hopefully, at least stun it…
Something to try if their current plan didn't work.
Emerald was ready.
Ruby landed and ground herself, making it very obvious she was standing her ground. She brought Crescent Rose up, took a moment to aim and fired.
The Geist continued to block. It walked forward.
It raised its rocky, heavy leg. It planned to stomp her.
Ruby held her ground.
The sickle and chain wrapped around the raised leg.
Yang was by Emerald and helped her pull.
The arm went back. The Geist went down. The ground rumbled.
Face up. Blank features.
It only took one bullet from Crescent Rose.
Why am I not surprised it was Ace?
The whole contest was rigged, Mercury could see that. He could also see that not all of the kids were in on the 'Ace wins' idea. It actually came down to the tie-break of musical chairs between Ace and Heather. Dustin had been the one to find Talaria during hide and seek.
Mercury did not like the fact it was Ace, but he had given his word. Besides, there was no actual foul play. It was just that most of the other competitors decided he should win. Sabotage wasn't even needed.
Finally, six o'clock rolled around.
Mercury finally said his goodbyes and headed back into the market. He thought he saw some trinkets that his friends might like. At the least, Jaune and Melody were collectors of random things. It would save him some concern when their birthdays came around.
Birthdays were a real hassle.
Now…blue or green?
"Mr Black."
Mercury caught the man out the corner of his eye. He had planned to dismiss the man, but something triggered his instincts. He half-turned, keeping his guard up.
Predator.
This was not a good man. His eyes, his smile…Wrong. This man was very dangerous.
"Hi. Can I help you?"
I won't but you can ask.
"I'm hoping we can help each other. I understand you are a man interested in the…entertainment value of the Huntsman business?"
If Mercury wasn't already suspicious of the man, those words would certainly have rung alarm bells. While the man was correct that Mercury was more focused on the more interesting jobs of a Huntsman, he wasn't well known or established outside of his peer group or younger.
'Black'. He could have got that name off the Vytal Festival. He may have known or heard of Marcus. He might be in contact with Undesirables.
"I've yet to come across a Grimm I can't kill." He was looking forward to meeting the Apathy. "I find most of them a bit boring." Selective Grimm affinity aside. Did that work on Apathy? "People…There's always something worthwhile there."
"Glad we agree. I understand you're joining us for dinner soon?"
Oh great.
"I wasn't aware you were from Atlas. I thought that was a Vacuo accent, though I couldn't tell you which."
"Oh, I am from Vacuo. I just have connections around the world and Atlas…has its uses."
Mercury knew that feeling. This was also a good opportunity to escape for the moment.
"I should get going. Not entirely sure where I left that shirt." In the third drawer of the cabinet.
He laughed. "I know that pain. I'll see you then."
"Bye."
Mercury picked green. Melody would like it. He handed over the money to the merchant and left swiftly.
He made it back to the inn without further incident. Getting ready didn't take long. He would lock the door behind him, but leave the window open.
"Up to you what you want to do Talaria. Just don't get hurt. Be back before I go to sleep otherwise I'm finding you."
Talaria purred, then took off out the window.
She's known here, will be difficult to see and even more difficult to harm. She'll be fine.
Mercury sighed.
Today was almost over.
He skipped on the tie itself. What he had changed into was formal enough. He had almost forgotten he had this blazer. It had been bought during a shopping spree after he returned from LiaGuard.
Most of my smart wardrobe had been from that, now I think about it…
It didn't matter. It only meant he didn't have to get more.
There were two pubs and one restaurant in Faymarsh. Nothing was far in this town.
Mercury was the first to arrive. That didn't surprise him. Rather than wait in the queue for tables, he headed to the bar.
"Sparkling lime, half pint."
The barman raised an eyebrow. "Long day, huh? How many?"
"You've no idea."
As much as he would have preferred the corner table, the whole point of tonight was to be social. He paid for his drink and waited.
Wonder how my sisters are getting on.
A smile crept onto his face. No doubt he would get a full debrief later when they called, complete with sound effects. They were starting in Oakenhorn. From what Mercury knew, there wasn't much there.
Plenty of jobs around Mistral these days. As long as they're careful and stay away from the bounty missions, they should be fine.
A part of him wanted to be with them. A bigger part of him thought they would grow stronger if he wasn't there. His power and abilities made him too much of a crutch. Maia was a bit like that, but it seemed like Cinder didn't put much effort into anything other than fire and healing. She had a lot to learn.
Starting with learning what exactly she wants from life. She's been okay for a few months now and Yang keeps me updated on anything that might resemble PTSD. Nothing for a long while…except for the fact they still share a bed. They might be okay now.
Third year. They were beginning to run out of easy times.
Even Mercury's time in Faymarsh was beginning to end. Physics, chemistry…He was starting to move onto computer coding, which had not been part of his original plan.
The question he had now was different: did he leave when he was ready or did he wait until Raven attacked?
What is Raven waiting for? Is she waiting for me to leave?
He hadn't seen her for three days now, but he doubted she had moved on. He had heard rumours that her tribe was nearing triple figures. That was a lot of mouths to feed.
Mercury would prefer to kill Raven and be done with the potential problem. He was always annoyed when a situation could have been resolved if more extreme actions were taken at the beginning. The issue was that if he did that while obviously allied with a village, the others would attack anyway.
If Mercury knew where the tribe was staying, he would consider dealing with them before he moved on. At the moment, it was a moot point. His scouting tactics would be caught before he could get what he wanted.
Maybe the week before I leave, I kill Raven and wait for the others to show up.
He shrugged. Faymarsh wasn't his problem after this.
He was getting very bored though. Unfortunately, there weren't any jobs he could take that were close enough to be back to the village by the next day and his chosen syllabus meant he was working on weekends.
If Faymarsh has links to Atlas, why does it not have its own airship?
How did Mercury keep ending up at these stupid formal things? He had already decided to avoid Mantle unless it was mission critical.
He almost chuckled.
If this is how I feel, Maia will hate it.
"Huntsman Crawford."
"Headmaster Ironwood."
Mercury had noticed Ironwood enter, but had chosen to ignore him until he approached.
"I'm surprised to see you here."
"If I had a genuine reason to avoid it, I would." Avoiding things because he hated it would result in not interacting with most of the population and some interactions were kind of necessary.
It was just that today, he was doing a lot of socialising.
Ironwood sat down at the table. "What are you working on that moment?"
Three things; two of which were very questionably legal. The third… "A camera for Talaria. Working it remotely is fine, but there's a few glitches when she tries to active and deactivate it on her own." The third was less questionably legal.
He knew that would catch Ironwood's full attention. "From scratch? Is the problem due to a connection or sensitivity?"
"From scratch and the problem is a little of both. She can do it easily if she's on the ground but struggles when in flight. She uses all her muscles at some point. If it is anything other than gliding, we hit problems."
"What is the camera connected to?"
"My scroll, at the moment."
He was quiet for a moment. Mercury could see he was considering the implications, but he didn't seem to be disapproving.
"How long can the data be stored?"
"I haven't fully experimented with that. So far, the oldest is three days and I haven't had a chance to experiment with how much data can be stored."
Many people would harp on about privacy and rights. Mercury really didn't care; he had better and more entertaining things to do with his time than spy on citizens. If used properly, it could be a very valuable tool. While Talaria may understand Basic fine, there were still cultural differences in understanding and Atlesian code was another translation issue.
I would love to be able to understand Parseltongue.
As it happened, Ironwood knew quite a bit about cameras, both mobile and stationary. He was not able to help with the problem Mercury was having with Talaria, but their conversation did give him more ideas. He would need to sort through what was practical and what wasn't.
Their conversation had turned to Dust use in Atlas when Headmaster Byrd joined them five minutes later.
This, naturally, resulted in the conversation becoming about academics. At least Mercury did learn some productive facts he could use later.
It was another fifteen minutes until the rest of the Atlas crowd graced them with their presence.
Rather than wait for them in the bar seating, the three stood and joined them to be seated at their table.
Perhaps it was done out of kindness, but Mercury found himself seated between Headmaster Byrde and General Ironwood. Two familiar and tolerable people. In fact, Ironwood's features were tense while his gaze remained on the others.
His…aggression? Irritation? It's a result of them, not me. He doesn't consider me a threat in comparison to them. I think I'm insulted.
There was talk of wine to order. Ironwood insisted on water as well. They tutted, but agreed. Mercury didn't say anything on the topic.
He did know of these people. He had seen two of them at Whitley's wake. The other he had never seen before and the final man was the one he had met earlier in the market.
Mercury put a hand over his wine glass.
The waiter didn't comment.
Mrs Barrow did. She lifted her half full glass with a smile.
"Ready to see the world, but not yet a man."
""Mrs Barrows-""
The unknown man laughed, cutting off both Headmasters.
"Mrs Barrows, I've seen his current Huntsman record. It reads far more like a bounty hunter résumé. Remember Lyndon Pastel?"
The smirks on the others faces dropped instantly.
"That was you?" That was definite disbelief from Mr Yale.
"Among others." Something was very off about this guy. "Including Apricot and Olive Steel." He pretended to think. "Ashiel Thunder. I could go on."
"Ashiel-" Mr Yale stared at Mercury. "How?"
Mercury gave a very innocent smile. "They all made your mistake."
Headmaster Byrde shifted. Mercury could certainly sense his amusement. Ironwood remained stoic. A bit too stiff for Mercury's liking.
Mrs Barrow raised an eyebrow. "With…help?"
Mercury pretended to consider. "Hmm…No. I work best alone." Although…He shrugged. "Save for Talaria, my dragon. Otherwise, I work alone."
"Except for your team."
He did not press on the dragon. That wasn't good. "Them too. I didn't get your name?"
"Brock Seam."
Seam.
Now Mercury understood what Ironwood was doing here. He had told him during the Beacon Vytal Festival that a lot of Marcus Black's informants and allies used the alias 'Seam'.
For 'Brock' to use it now, it was a clear message to Mercury himself.
"Good to meet you."
"Likewise…Huntsman Crawford."
Ally. He wanted Mercury as an ally. He had also done his homework on Mercury's official records.
Interesting. How much does he know about my unofficial record?
Ironwood looked at him in the corner of his eye; just for a moment.
Now he's afraid of me. Is he worried I'll work with 'Brock'?
"Why the name change?" Mrs Barrow really needed a filter.
"Why not?"
Ironwood interrupted at this point. "How was your day, Huntsman Crawford?"
"Kids left happy. I'd call the day a success."
"Agreed. In the half an hour since you left them, three of the children tried to submit an application to Atlas Academy."
"Oh." Sea bass. Mercury had never had that before. "Any promising candidates?"
"Not yet."
He hadn't tried herring or venison either. "Is that due to age or potential?"
"Both."
Mr Royal (which Mercury highly doubted was his real name) scowled. "That thing should be in a cage or a lab."
"Good luck getting her in there." Mercury met his eyes for a moment. "But I would strongly object." Pleased with the fear flickering in his eyes, Mercury returned his gaze to the menu.
"She is not a danger without extreme provocation," Headmaster Byrde stated.
"Nor is she out of your control," Ironwood added firmly.
"Correct." Those statements may not have been phrased as questions, but Mercury suspected they were trying to allay the others' fears.
Ignoring the fact she's flying around free right now.
Talaria would be safe.
"I haven't seen any reports on where you found her?" 'Seam' pressed. There was a slight pause before the 'her'.
"That's deliberate." Sea bass. Definitely. "Everyone would want a dragon."
He chuckled. "Agreed. So…nothing on other dragons?"
"Nope."
"None made?"
"Nope."
"Is that a 'no' meaning 'no other dragons made' or 'no information at all'?"
"Yes."
Seam was amused.
"What authority do you have to keep it?" Royal demanded.
"Imprinting and training. Her name is Talaria. What authority do you have to question anything about her? Your life is vehicles. Very impressive, but not husbandry or military."
"Settle down," Byrde chimed in. "Mr Royal. Remember your place."
Royal was the man Mercury didn't know. If Jacques Schnee invited the most influential people to Whitley's wake, then why was Royal not there?
Because back then, he was a nobody.
Royal opened his mouth.
"Huntsman Crawford, Talaria may be fine but she is still a wild animal."
Talaria was more than that.
Mercury accepted it as the rebunk even though it wasn't.
"Understood Headmaster."
Royal did relax. Maybe he was happy he wasn't the only one mildly scolded.
"These kids…" Seam stopped.
"Yes?" Headmaster Byrde had almost inaudible tension.
"Honestly now. Any with potential?"
"All children have potential." That was definitely curt from Ironwood.
Okay. Now I'm very curious about what this particular guy specialises in.
Depending on what it was, he could be Mercury's ally as well as Marcus'. Not very likely but possible. For him not to be arrested in a long time period, he must be very good or more of a benefactor.
"Ace in particular." Mrs Barrows took a sip.
Mercury glanced up. "You know Ace?" Why did she know any of the kids' names?
"I have been told he is exceptional."
No one said anything to that.
Mercury listened to the conversation, but didn't feel like contributing. They all paid attention to him at different points during the meal, but no one forced him to say anything. Mercury was reminded of a saying he had heard in Hogwarts: 'children should be seen and not heard'.
He still didn't get why they wanted to see him, but he was happy to ignore them as they ignored him. It wasn't Seam's idea; he had tagged along because Mrs Barrows had asked him. Mercury had been asked here by Royal. He didn't care why.
Ironwood and Byrde fielded nearly all of the questions relating to him.
Royal: "Where did you grow up?"
Byrde: "Mistral."
Barrows: "Who were your parents?"
Ironwood: "People who were experts in their respective fields."
Royal: "What were their respective fields?"
Ironwood: "That's classified information none of you have clearance for."
Barrows: "What is your greatest achievement?"
Byrde: "We discussed his bounty jobs earlier."
The basic facts. Nothing scandalous or really interesting. They didn't seem to care who told them; only that they received answers.
Until they were looking at the dessert menu.
Then Seam joined in the questioning and he didn't start small.
"Why not use your Guardian Form to get to jobs around the area?"
It was very obvious that none of the others, save Ironwood, knew what he was talking about.
Mercury put the menu down. "It's too obvious. The kids would never let me hear the end of it. Talaria's bad enough. How do you think they'll react to that?"
If Mercury had to reveal his Guardian Form, he would much rather do it when it was guarding something. He was expecting to need it when Raven came visiting. People would ask less questions about its origins and trustworthiness then. If he just used it to get around, people might get very nervous. Right now, he had so many opportunities because people liked playing nice with him.
Seam smiled gently. "Point taken."
The point was that Seam knew what it was and what innocent applications it could have.
"Guardian Form?"
"I'm an Aura Wielder," Mercury replied to Royal. "You know, I'll pass on dessert and coffee."
"Aura Wielder." Seam also put down his menu. "I'll pass on dessert as well, but I'll take a cappuccino. Managed to get much practice on healing yet?"
Healing. That was what he asked about.
Definitely quizzing Ironwood about this guy.
"Not much yet. That is something I can't practice on my own. You might want to wait a few years before asking for my help on that."
"I'll keep that in mind."
That was what Seam said. What he meant was quite the opposite. Mercury could tell that from his tone.
Mercury's scroll buzzed. It was a call. He glanced at it: Jaune.
I could take this and ditch this event.
"Huntsman Crawford, if you would allow, I would like to accompany you to our hotel." Ironwood stood up. "I too will skip dessert and coffee."
"Sure." Mercury followed his lead, making sure not to seem too eager. "It was good to meet you all. Again, in some cases."
"Have a good evening, Huntsman Crawford." Seam appeared to be in a genuinely good mood.
The same couldn't be said for the other three, but they bid 'good evening' in pleasant enough tones.
Once outside, Mercury glanced at Ironwood. "So…who do I pay?"
Ironwood didn't look at him. "In this case, you were an invited guest and met your host properly for the first time tonight. You don't pay."
"Weird rules."
"If you keep attending Atlas events, speak to Miss Schnee regarding the expected etiquette."
"I'll stop as soon as I stop getting invited before I can make a proper excuse."
Ironwood was quiet for a moment. "Is that a call you need to answer right now?"
"Not right this second." They passed down the next road, taking a detour to the hotel. This made the walk longer. Mercury was hoping to wrap this up before they arrived. "This is about Seam, isn't it?"
"It is. However, I do not wish to discuss it out here."
"Fair enough. One moment." Mercury slipped between two buildings and knelt down. "Hey Jet."
"Hey." The voice was quiet. Jet was drawing in his book. He made no move to get up.
Keeping his distance, Mercury tilted to see what the boy was drawing. Jet was very good at drawing people. Even only half-way done, Mercury could see that this was the scene from this morning when Mercury visited: himself in the chair with Talaria on his shoulder. The aura animal on the crate was the cat.
"You have real talent there." He was no artist, but a good drawing was a good drawing. He didn't need to be an official critic to know that.
"Thank you." Same quiet voice and slight hesitation.
"Jet…I can't leave you out here."
"…I'll head back when I'm done." He added more lines for the shadow from the window.
"I'll be back tonight to check on you."
Jet didn't reply. His focus remained on his book.
Mercury stepped back and headed back to Ironwood. The man was frowning.
"…Thanks. For before."
Mercury glanced back to Jet and smiled. "It was the least I could do. I'm sorry if I made it worse."
"Not yet. Goodbye."
"Goodnight Jet."
Mercury led the way back to the hotel.
"We shouldn't leave him out alone. Where does he live?"
"Orphanage. Faymarsh is quite safe." For the moment. "Like I said, I'll check on him before I go to sleep."
"What was he talking about?"
"Ace and the others bully him. I see him far more outside the orphanage than inside."
"That…does not sound good."
Mercury didn't know. After all, most of the kids didn't stay at the orphanage during the day. They loved playing outside. Jet wasn't the only kid to stay out overnight.
They walked in silence for a while.
"You can guess why I wanted to leave early. What about you?"
"This is not the first time I have left early; I am a busy man and it is expected of me. We will discuss more shortly."
Great. He wants a proper meeting.
"My room or yours?"
"Yours. I need to know which it is."
Of course you do.
Ironwood was a lot of things, but he was also a man of honour. If he needed Mercury dead, he wouldn't do it while Mercury was sleeping. Potential ambush maybe, but he wouldn't use what he thought were the methods of a coward.
No matter how practical.
Mercury waved to the chair, which Ironwood rejected. Talaria flew into the room not five seconds after Mercury sat down.
"Have a good night?" Mercury asked as he checked her over. No damage or stressful behaviour.
The happy chirp was answer enough.
Ironwood then closed the window. "What do you know about 'Brock Seam'?"
"Nothing." Mercury's attention went back to Ironwood. "I met him in the market today. He didn't use a name then and called me 'Black'. I don't think he noticed that you were that suspicious of him. I've already told you that I don't know Marcus' contacts."
Ironwood was quiet for a few moments. "…That was not the only reason I thought you may have heard of him. Another name he uses is 'Shiva Mortem'."
Clearly, Ironwood was hoping for a reaction.
"Still never heard of him. What's his use to Marcus?"
"There are rumours that he is involved in many unethical things, ranging from black market deals to bandit tribes. One person even suggested he has ties to human trafficking. Officially, he is an upstanding citizen."
"Right. Unofficially, he is dirty."
Again, Ironwood hesitated. "He has operated in many locations. Some were quite small villages but most were larger settlements. Vacuo is his main base; however, I suspect he has connections across the world. I have information that he remained in Vacuo for over ten years. However, he left abruptly four years ago on the 19 April."
Ironwood put emphasis on the date.
Mercury considered.
Then he understood.
"Ironwood, I probably wouldn't give you an answer even if I knew. What's the issue with just killing the guy?"
"He is important enough in all the Kingdoms that a full investigation would be made into his murder but not into his activities."
"That ignores a lot of suspects with motive."
"That is not the problem. The problem is that those involved in his activities would also investigate."
"There is that." That meant if Mercury wanted to kill him, he would have to make it look like an accident. While possible, it was extremely frustrating and life had an irritating habit of throwing him variables he couldn't have foreseen.
He would probably commit the murder and get away with it easily. Then the subordinate of the subordinate of the subordinate would take the helm and run things even worse.
Mercury may have never learned his name, but many of his problems could be tracked back to his accidental killing of the man in the van in Glade Town. It made him more hesitant of immediate killing if there were other options.
"How long are you staying in Faymarsh, if you're not going back with them?"
"The plan was for three days." He did not elaborate on why.
"I get the impression Mortem was sticking around for a while as well."
"He is very interested in you."
"He asked about healing, my Guardian Form and my control over Talaria. He wants an alliance."
Ironwood said nothing. He did not instantly press.
"I had already decided to keep an open mind considering Marcus' allies. This is one I want nothing to do with. If he pushes, like I think he will, I will eventually consider him enough of a threat."
"He asked about your teammates. He wants Emerald."
Emerald.
She left Vacuo because she had angered and was being chased by someone influential.
She left Vacuo four years ago on the 19 April.
Emerald had a Semblance that produced hallucinations. There was no limit on the illusion; only Emerald's imagination.
Can you even put a value on that in the black market?
"I know. He won't get near her."
"Haven-"
"He won't be a problem at Haven. I'll deal with him long before then."
It might be Mortem she was afraid of; it might not be. Either way, he wasn't getting near his sisters.
Even if that means they don't come here.
"Understood. I will take my leave for tonight then."
"Goodnight General. Thank you for tonight." The man had done his best for Mercury tonight.
"Huntsman Crawford."
Talaria chipped a farewell as the man left. She had followed Mercury's lead of 'no hard feelings' concerning Ironwood and the Beacon Vytal Festival.
Mercury let out a long breath.
Almost done for the day.
Hopefully Jaune could lift his mood.
There was also a message from Ruby asking him to call her.
Jaune answered on the first ring. "Mercury. Are you okay?"
"Fine. It's just been a very busy day. I'm not going into it. How was yours?"
"Good, good. Well…um…Me and Pyrrha…err…"
"Yes?" There were many ways Jaune could finish that sentence. If he finished it the way Mercury was expecting, then Mercury had lost five lien.
Jaune took a deep breath. "We talked and we decided to give it a go."
Yep. There goes that five lien. Which would mean…Weiss won. Actually, I think Glynda was the closest in the teacher's betting pool…
"I don't normally comment on these things, but good for you. I think you'll be good for her." He meant that very sincerely.
"T-Thanks. I-I'm thinking about that new musical theatre in Vale then dinner. What do you think?"
Mercury was thinking that he hadn't heard Jaune this nervous since he was launched off that cliff for Initiation.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because Ren and Nora still aren't dating and well…girls…"
No elaboration needed there.
"All the other guys had flings, except for Nyall. We don't want a fling. You had a relationship and tried to make it work. I mean, it didn't work out that way but…"
Now Mercury understood. Jaune wanted to talk to a male friend, but only Mercury and Nyall had been in serious relationships and Jaune had only met Nyall at the Vytal Festival. He didn't know him well.
"Do you like musicals?" Yes.
"Yes?"
"Does Pyrrha like musicals?" Yes.
"Yes."
"Then it should be a good night."
"Err…"
Mercury sighed. "Look Jaune, I get it. You don't want to ruin your friendship by going further if it's not going to work out." He paused a moment, but Jaune did not comment. "What I can say is that you're both mature enough to talk and respect each other enough to tell the truth, even if the other won't like it. Did you tell her you forged your transcripts or did she work it out on her own?"
"H-How did you…" Jaune groaned. He took a deep breath. "I told her."
"And?"
"She…started to tutor me."
That would explain Jaune's sudden improvement in first year.
"She kept your secret and helped you earn your spot. You must have told her quite early."
"Yeah…She even managed to convince Weiss to help me as well. I was never sure how but…"
…
"I won't say it will work out Jaune. I hope it does. But I am sure that even if it doesn't, Pyrrha will always care about you." He rose his voice to a more cheerful tone. "Everyone has been saying that for years."
"…Is that an 'I told you so'?!"
"Of course not. You know me." Mercury never said 'I told you so'. He might imply it heavily, but he'll never come out and say it. "I mean it Jaune. Congratulations…That is the thing to say here, right?"
"Right." There was the confidence Mercury wanted to hear. "So…your busy day?"
"Playing with orphaned kids and dinner with a bunch of Atlas snobs…and someone I want to strangle that wants to recruit me."
Mercury could almost hear the wince on the other end. "Oh. Sorry I asked."
"Hey, I'm glad you called. You got me out of there and things are going well for you. Are you still coming to Haven?"
"Yeah, we're signed up and ready to win."
"Heh. We'll see."
"Yes we will…Thanks Merc."
"Anytime."
Jaune stayed on the line for a three seconds before hanging up.
Okay. My first guess is that Ruby wanted to tell me that these two are finally dating. How am I going to say I don't want them here while Mortem is around?
Mercury made sure to lower the volume on his scroll before he rang Ruby.
"Hi Mercury, how was your day? You didn't terrify the kids too much did you?"
Okay, so far so calm…
"Well, no complaints yet. They're tough kids."
"Yeah…JauneandPyrrhaaregoingout!"
Even expecting it, Mercury flinched a little. The beginning squeal was a little too high-pitched.
Talaria jolted and snarled.
"Sorry Talaria. It's just that we've been expecting this for ages!"
Talaria hissed something that even Mercury identified as Parseltongue. He didn't ask for a translation. He idly wondered if Parseltongue even had swear words.
"Seriously though Mercury, are you okay? I know today wasn't great for you."
"…I will say this: dealing with the kids wasn't as bad as I thought. As for the dinner…" Mercury considered. "Ruby, I don't think you coming to visit me now is a good idea. I would much prefer if you didn't."
He could imagine her frowning on the other end.
"…Why? What's changed?"
Ruby didn't sound upset. She just sounded curious.
"The Atlas brigade brought along someone who almost certainly worked with Marcus Black. He's sticking around for a while. He's already approached me once and asked about my teammates. I don't want you to visit until after he's left."
I am quite sure Raven won't attack if any of 'her possessions' are here. Mortem is very different, especially if he was still connected to his old business as Ironwood seems to believe.
Ruby was suspiciously quiet here.
Mercury had been expecting her to be forceful and refuse. This was different.
"Do you know when he's leaving?"
Attagirl.
On one hand, Mercury was pleased that she was thinking things through. On the other, he wished she hadn't picked now to start behaving like a mature adult.
"As soon as I can make him."
"Okay."
That was surprisingly easy.
"We weren't planning on coming until the end of next week at the earliest, so we can talk more then."
Maybe not.
Still, it was fair enough. Mercury was planning to get rid of him before they arrived. "Sounds good to me. Just letting you know."
"Thank you. You're worried about us, but what about you?"
Mercury considered that properly. Mortem wanted an ally and Mercury had every intention of saying no. He was aware of Mercury's Guardian Form and official records. If he didn't know about the unofficial ones, he had connections that could find out. Thinking it over…
"No Ruby. I'm not. I'm only 20 and just getting out in the world. He would accept it now and wait to see what happens. I'm far more of a threat to him than he is to me. These are the kind of people that think short and long term."
He may be laying it on a bit thick, but he knew they worried about him a lot.
"…We'll talk about this next week."
"I know of two names: Brock Seam and Shiva Mortem."
Ruby would mention that to Emerald and Yang. It could be that Emerald had never heard of Mortem. It could be that Mortem left before their visit and this whole problem wouldn't exist.
"I'll talk to them."
"Now or after our next chat?"
"Well…they'll be on the call next time and I know Emerald rings you at least every other day anyway so…I'm not going to tell them until we're closer. Especially if it turns out he's not there. Can't the police or General Ironwood or someone arrest him?"
"No, for a lot of reasons. For starters, they need evidence and there is none. He's also too well known to just 'diisappear'. It would have to happen through legal channels. Understand what I mean?"
"…I get it."
LiaGuard.
Ruby knew enough about it.
For many criminals, it had been necessary, regardless of what ended up happening. Ever since the prison escape, it had become quite apparent the damage that these legally innocent people would do.
"Have you given Weiss the money yet?"
There was a brief silence as Ruby tried to understand what he meant. "Weiss…? Oh. Not yet." The joy was back in her voice. "Jaune and Pyrrha. Finally."
"I bet Melody's happy."
"Very, very, very, very happy."
I can only imagine.
"I'm told Ren and Nora are still just friends."
"…Okay. Very, very happy."
Mercury laughed. "And you Ruby? How's your day been?"
"Pretty good but…I don't know about Emerald. She's…I know she never wanted to be a Huntress. This morning we took down a Geist. This evening, she walked along this garden and it is a beautiful garden Eris. So many different flowers and plants and trees and…She was a lot happier in that garden than she was battling the Geist or on any of our other Grimm jobs."
There was a point to this. Mercury waited patiently.
It didn't surprise him. He and Emerald had been having variants of this discussion since before they started Beacon.
"I just…I'm not sure how to help her decide. I'm trying to get as many difference experiences as possible…but…"
"But as third years, you're rather limited."
"Yeah. What do you think?"
"Ruby, we may be new to this compared to you and Yang, but we live by the Sibling Code too."
"I know, I know. I mean…Maybe…Is there a way to tell which missions…"
"…Which missions…?"
"…I honestly don't know how to finish that. With words anyway."
"I think what you're doing is the best you can do at the moment. The more places you go, the more Emerald gets to see. You've noticed that villages differ a lot in Vale alone. The other continents are the same. Emerald has to decide what she wants."
"I know."
"Yang is quite easy. She'll travel to different places, normally events or something like that, and help out where she can along the way."
"Like you were. Before you stayed at Faymarsh. And after you leave."
"Exactly. You on the other hand have been awfully quiet these past few months about your future heroine actions."
There was mischief in her tone now. "It's not really a phone conversation and it'll take a while. I'll need your help though."
That was new information. "In what way?"
"…Information and maybe money."
"Well, you'll probably get the money." He had a lot already from his jobs and he lived very, very below his means. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be with the information. What do you have in mind?"
"Mercury, I'm still working on it. Please don't push."
"…Okay."
"I'll let you go. It's near midnight and you've had a long day."
"…You sound like Tai."
"Good."
Mercury chuckled lowly. "Goodnight Athena."
"Goodnight Eris."
Mercury waited a moment before hanging up.
Right. Ruby's keeping secrets, Emerald's having an identity crisis and nothing's changed for Yang. Jaune and Pyrrha are now dating. Ren and Nora are still in denial.
Why did I ever think I would escape all this after I left Beacon?
As soon as he hung up, he left the room to check on Jet.
Jet had already returned to the orphanage by then.
AN: Thank you for all of your support. I hope everyone is staying safe in these uncertain times and that this story will help cheer you up.