The Better Part of Valor: Sun

Sun was having a trying week. Now, that's not to say he wasn't used to trying weeks. He was from Vacuo, which was about the most trying place in Remnant short of the lost continent. Still, even a long surviving Vacuo native was entitled to his troubles. Not that his entire team leaving him felt like an entitlement.

It started with Scarlet pulling him aside. His prosthetics had been giving him trouble since he got them. Pen or sword, his grip was awkward and sloppy and his performance in class had been suffering because of it. While Sun was certain this was just a temporary setback and Scar would get used to the change sooner or later, Scarlet had been less than convinced by his leader's carefree optimism. He told Sun he needed to find a more practical career path, something that didn't demand an excellence he didn't think he could deliver anymore. Sun thought that was ridiculous and that Scar would always be excellent, but he had no choice but to respect his wishes. With a handshake that morphed quickly into a tight hug, Scarlet said his goodbyes and parted ways.

A day later, Sage figured he might as well drop the news too. His troubles in class had been less technical than Scarlet's and more of an attitude problem. Since that night on Amity, Sage had taken to questioning everything he knew, whether it was academic or political or what have you. He was getting into arguments with students and professors alike with an intensity that went well beyond simple debate. It took a near fistfight with a senior student for him to decide Haven just wasn't the place for him anymore and that he needed to take the time to find himself again. Sun thought that was a fancy way of saying he wanted to throw away years of training and hard work to bum around for a while, but Sage hadn't been in the habit of listening to others lately. With a curt nod born more from expectation than genuine respect, Sage vanished from Sun's life.

Three days after that, Neptune finally bothered to open his mouth and spill what had been on his mind the whole time this was happening. He wasn't having any trouble in class or on campus. By all means, he was thriving like the scholar he'd always been. Yet, it was only with muted surprise that Sun could react to hearing that his own partner had applied for and been accepted to transfer into Atlas Academy. Apparently that girl with the beret had stayed on his mind the whole time, easily setting a new record for longevity in Neptune's terribly prioritized brain. Sun thought this had to be the stupidest his partner had ever gotten for a girl, but he had never managed to talk any sense into Neptune when the idiot had hearts in his eyes. With a silence too awkward for a pair as close as they had been, Neptune left his leader with no one to lead.

The last two days Sun woke up to an empty dorm room, sat next to empty seats, and did his best to avoid noticing the empty looks so many of his classmates had in their eyes. Haven was obnoxiously quiet at all times, its halls feeling sparse and dead compared to how lively they had been before the Vytal Tournament. Sun just sleepwalked through all of it, not having the enthusiasm to do much more than the bare minimum to get by.

Honestly, Sun had been content to keep doing that for the next several months if he could get away with it, but that was cut short by a surprise summons from Professor Lionheart himself. Thus, Sun found himself standing awkwardly in the administration building of Haven, doing all he could to not look out of place among the rich mahogany and marble statues as he tried to figure out if the headmaster was ready to see him. It was a special kind of hell, but it beat lounging in his bunk with nothing to do but avoid thinking about stuff. At least it did until he was face to face with a familiar man draped in blue and white robes.

"Mr. Wukong…"

"Professor Zaffre," Sun adopted a smile to try and disarm the uptight educator who had just addressed him. Mel Zaffre wasn't exactly Sun's biggest fan; in fact his feelings towards Sun probably entered into the territory of loathing. Zaffre was so by the book he'd modeled his weapon after it. He believed in following the rules, being punctual, and showing proper respect. In other words, he was totally antithetical to the mischievous, truant, and irreverent Sun. Unfortunately, Sun had been too talented a student to justify much discipline.

"Stirring up trouble, I take it?"

"Not at all, sir. Professor Lionheart actually called me for… something…"

Come to think of it, he hadn't the slightest clue why he had been summoned. Just that it probably wasn't good. Well, no… that was pessimistic. Sun supposed it could've been something good, but looking at the week he was having… yeah, no. Not the most likely outcome.

"Giving the kid a hard time again, Mel?"

At the arrival of a familiar voice behind him, Sun went rigid. Slowly, cautiously, doing all he could to keep the fear off his face, Sun turned to face the source of this interruption. "Good afternoon, Professor Indigo. What—uh—what brings you here?"

Sal Indigo quirked a smile in response; equally charming and insidious. Sun had nightmares about that smile born from every sparring exercise that left him bruised, bloody, and broken on the floor. While Professor Zaffre was little more than an authoritative nuisance in Sun's life, Professor Indigo was easily the most terrifying individual he ever had the misfortune of receiving an education from.

If Zaffre was the headmaster's straight laced and responsible right hand, Indigo was his devious and amoral left hand. He had little taste for the traditional academic environment, instead preferring to lay waste to his students in and out of the sparring room under the pretense of "keeping them vigilant". On a given day, he might pick a student's pocket to see if they noticed, or hurl a piece of aura infused chalk at their head to test their reflexes, or detonate a live grenade during warm-up drills because he thought it might be funny. The worst part was that his weapon was staff based, which meant Sun had to suffer through extra helpings of punishment whenever it was time for specialized weapon training.

"Eh, the usual. Bunch'a faculty crap that doesn't really matter."

Professor Zaffre seemed to take exception to that and opened his mouth to retort, only to be cut off before he could make a sound.

"No one cares, Mel. Trust me."

Zaffre closed his mouth with an offended hmph but otherwise stayed quiet. Sun had long come to accept that the relationship between these two men, who had apprenticed under the same master for years but barely seemed to tolerate one another, was much too complicated for him to make any effort in understanding. It wasn't his business and he was more than happy to keep it that way.

"Anyways, if you're here to see the headmaster you better go now. I just left his office and he was practically glaring at the clock. You're probably late."

Sun didn't even bother with a polite farewell to either man before he vaulted over the reception desk that flanked them and took off down the hallway like he'd just robbed someone. So much was already going on, he really didn't need the headmaster of all people subjected to his tardiness. He didn't need his acrobat talents to cross such an insignificant distance, but he'd use it anyway if it meant getting there quicker.

In less than ten seconds he had made it to the double doors leading to the headmaster's office. With no time to knock, he flung them both open.

"Professor Lionheart, I'm sorry I'm—" The words died in Sun's throat when his eyes found the headmaster's face. There was no tight frown, no grit teeth, no narrowed eyes. There was nothing to suggest any kind of anger or offense in regards to Sun and his punctuality.

There was only the all encompassing terror of a man whose workspace was loudly and violently breeched by some over-excited intruder.

As Sun composed himself and prepared a new apology for startling the man who ran his school, he swore to himself that he would get back at Indigo for this debacle. Just… hopefully without the man knowing Sun had done anything to him.

Professor Lionheart calmed himself and looked to Sun with a gentle, if shaky, smile. "Mr. Wukong," his greeting came with a simple gesture to the empty couch on the west side of the room. "Please, have a seat."

Sun took the invitation with a sheepish grin and sank into the cushions with a muffled whumpf. He took a second to survey the area as he adjusted in his seat. The office was half-library and half-storage space with a few bookcases flanking either side of the doors and an upper shelving unit supported by marble columns. A soft glow of amber light filtered in from the dozen or so windows lining the wall in a semicircle. Strewn about on nearly every surface were books and papers of all sorts, betraying the headmaster's inability to maintain order within his own space. It was cozy, but a little out of sorts.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Wukong," Professor Lionheart stood up from behind his desk and began moving about the room, collecting a tray and tea kettle that was sitting on his side table and bringing it over to the seating area. Despite the instability of his one handed grip, the headmaster's left hand remained limp as his side. Sun's eyes were drawn to Lionheart's wrist and he could just barely make out a hint of some off white compression tape barely peeking out from the headmaster's sleeve.

"Of course sir," Sun returned politely as he averted his gaze from what were probably extensive injuries concealed by the cloth.

The old man began to pour into a pair of empty cups. "I hope you don't mind a poppy blend. I find it soothes nerves and joints alike."

"I'm not sure," Sun glanced at the dark, warm liquid that sat in front of him. He liked tea well enough, but it wasn't something he had often. He tried to recall the last time he'd enjoyed a cup, only to hit the brakes on that thought process when he realized it had been with Blake. Briefly, he wondered if she was doing all right, but figured he wouldn't know either way. They hadn't texted each other in a while.

"Professor," Sun spoke to distract himself, "I'm not really sure why you summoned me. Did something happen?"

"Among other things," the headmaster started as he eased into the neighboring seat and took a deep sip from his own cup, "I was hoping to discuss your future in Haven. From what I've heard, your other teammates have all elected to leave our school, correct?"

Of course. Sun had totally forgotten what else this total upset to his life was going to mean. He needed a new team. Mostly likely, he would be reassigned to a first year group that was a member short. There was no chance of him reclaiming a leadership position, though that felt more like a blessing to him than anything else. No more begging or bartering to get his friends to do their jobs. It wouldn't be his responsibility if they screwed up. That would be a nice change.

"Right, sir. I figured I would just get picked up by another team, right?"

"Usually, yes. In this case, though? Well, the circumstances are unusual."

"What do you mean?"

"It's concerning your history with one Ruby Rose."

"Oh." He might not have been expecting this discussion, but Sun wasn't exactly shocked it was happening. Aw well, it looked like his school career was over. That sucked, but hey, not like it was the end of the world. He'd find work as a bodyguard or something, maybe pick up his schooling at one of the lesser known academies. It would be fine. Life would go on.

"I was wondering if you might be able to fill a special position, one that's a little different from a typical student."

"Of course, sir. I understand it's better not to keep me and—Sorry, are you offering me a job?"

"More of an internship, really. You would still be given a Haven education, just with certain allowances to leave you free to attend to some new duties."

"I don't–I'm not–why would you–"

"You seem a little confused. Were you expecting expulsion?"

"Well, I mean… maybe a little," Sun finished in a small voice. "When you bring up Ruby like that it just—well with everything going on around her she—"

"Is something of a controversial topic within the academies," Lionheart offered to his stammering pupil. He took another sip from his cup, then gestured for Sun to do the same. "This is true. Politically, our kingdoms are ready to explode and Miss Rose might just be the match that sets off the payload. Ignoring that, she also commands destructive capabilities only exceeded by said kingdoms. That's why I need you to act as my liaison to her."

"Liaison… You're working with her?" To say he wasn't prepared for this conversation would be an understatement. Really, this wasn't something he expected to hear his whole life.

"Not officially but… somewhat." There was a guilty look in the headmaster's eyes, like he'd admitted to a crime. In all fairness, he had. "No matter what happens, Ruby Rose in possession of Amity Coliseum is going to play a major role in the state of the world over the coming years. That's why Mistral needs to establish a relationship with her and you are our best option to do that."

"Me?" Sun wasn't an ambassador or spy for that matter. He was just a first year huntsman in training and a failure of one at that. What could possibly make him a reasonable choice for such a delicate position.

"Who else?" Professor Lionheart seemed to grow more calm with every sip from his tea cup. His hand was steady, his motions were smooth and intentional. "Ruby Rose has very few people she can trust at the moment. She only has a single ally with her aboard the stadium so far as we can tell and she'll be wary of any new faces for some time. You are not a new face, though. You've spent time with her, even fought side by side a time or two. She'll let you in when she would deny others."

But would she? It wasn't like Ruby had let him in on the big secret while it was happening. They hadn't even hung out all that much. A few lunches here and there, one or two light sparring matches, maybe a late night cram session no one else had the energy for. Oh, and the time she begged to get a closer look at his staff. That had been awkward for neighboring students to suddenly hear outside of context.

The headmaster seemed to pick up on Sun's hesitation and set his cup back on his saucer with a soft clink. "You seem unsure, but I'm certain you can reach her. There's a reason you were made the leader of your team."

That was cold comfort. Sun was pretty sure the reason he was made the leader was because it would be weird if Sage or Scarlet were in charge of a team called SSSN instead of him. His leadership ability hadn't exactly kept them around. "I don't know, sir. This doesn't seem like the most reliable plan."

"Maybe not, but I assure you it's the best option."

"..."

Professor Lionheart was quiet a moment. He could recognize the current approach wasn't getting him anywhere with his skeptical pupil. He pondered something with a serious expression on his face, lifted his cup to take another sip, then moved to speak again.

"Have you given much thought to the nature of our semblances? Where do they come from? Why do we have them?"

Well, there was the Haven headmaster for you. Unlike Atlas' rigid uniformity or Vale's focus on cultivating individualism, Haven was all about asking why. Why do we fight Grimm? Why do we have aura? Why do we need weapons? These why's weren't strictly practical. Left unguided, a Haven classroom could devolve into bickering about the societal implications of a screwdriver. That being sad, there were plenty of useful applications to philosophy if you could keep grounded enough to figure them out.

Sun's family had thought that sort of education would benefit him. He had been a natural fighter all his life, but it had been said he was also rash, impulsive, and quick to anger. While he would have excelled in combat no matter where he went, they were sure he would suffer if he didn't gain some introspection to balance him out. Unfortunately, all the philosophy in the world was never enough to stay his temper when it mattered.

"A little, I guess," Sun responded vacantly. "They're a defining aspect of our identities. They awaken during a formative experience, right?"

"That's correct. There's a discourse among scholars in regards to whether our abilities can be predicted by our innate nature as individuals. Many dispute this concept, but I'd wager that's because they never awakened a semblance of their own."

That made sense to a certain extent. All the thought experiments Sun had to sit through in class had shown him plenty of kids who assumed they knew everything about the world without ever having to go hungry. However, the debate was more complicated than that. "Or maybe they didn't like what their power was."

The headmaster quirked an eyebrow, "Really? What makes you say that?"

"Most of the time your semblance is the thing that saves your life. Most of my friends had theirs awaken on the field," Sun frowned as he pictured Neptune's terrified face on a rainy day. "Some of them have… complicated feelings about the way it happened."

"That's an excellent point," Professor Lionheart conceded. He looked into his cup, surprised to find it drained already. Reaching for the pot, his eyes wandered to the bracers he'd left on his desk. "If you wouldn't mind, what led to your awakening?"

Sun furrowed his brow, trying to recall the details, "I don't really remember… I was… trapped. Yeah, that's right. I knew I was gonna die if I didn't… so…"

"You made your own help," The headmaster offered gently, again gesturing for Sun to have a sip.

It took him a second, but Sun realized his hands were shaking. He took the cup in his hands for the first time and put his lips to the rim. The initial bitterness almost made him choke, but it was quickly chased away by some other flavor. He thought it might be licorice, but he couldn't make out if it was black or red. The liquid was warm and soothing, passing through his throat and easing the tension in his chest. It was like a burden he hadn't known he was carrying was being lightened.

"What about you, sir?"

"Pardon?"

"Your semblance. How did it happen?"

"Ah," Professor Lionheart nodded in understanding as he adjusted his posture for easier storytelling. "I was a boy, younger than you no doubt. My family lived outside the kingdom in the forest. It was hard, but we'd long since learned the key to surviving without walls to defend us.

"A pair of men came one day. They meant no harm but they… they had suffered greatly in their travels. Their convoy had been worn down by bandits, weather, and Grimm until it was just the two of them. It was not the wisest decision, but we offered them shelter until they recovered.

"Needless to say, their despair attracted the Grimm. There were so much more than we had ever had to defend against. We were overrun in a matter of hours."

The headmaster looked down at his cup wearily, before downing it all in one gulp, "Most of us were dead by the time the survivors retreated into the cellar. When the Grimm broke through, the doors came off their hinges. I hid under one of them, cowering while my friends and family were slaughtered around me.

"The Grimm turned on me in my fear. A number of them began to claw at the door and I was backed into a corner. I hated that door. I hated it because it was protecting me. It kept me safe while I was too cowardly to act in anything other than my own defense as all those I loved were suffering around me. That's when it happened. Every claw, every bite, every blow to the door made it glow brighter and brighter. The wood began to splinter, my hands began to bleed, and the door was shaking. Then, all that collected violence was let loose in an instant."

Professor Lionheart was smiling now; a fierce, almost manic grin that Sun had only seen on brave men close to death. "When a nearby team of huntsmen found our settlement, the house above the cellar had been demolished. The recoil from the blast had broken both my wrists and four of my ribs. That was the price my soul had assigned for cowering behind a shield. From then on, I chose the path of the huntsman."

"That's…" Sun had no idea what to say to a story like that. He'd heard of the way settlements outside the kingdoms could vanish in a single night, but he'd never been in one when it happened. It was a kind of loss so vast in scale that there was no way he could have really understood it unless he actually experienced it.

"It was the start of my real life," the headmaster supplied. "The day I decided I would face my enemies no matter my fears. Because the longer I give into my fears, the more innocents lose their lives."

"...What exactly would I be doing while I met with Ruby?"

"Nothing too extreme. You'd collaborate with her where Haven assistance is appropriate, socialize to ensure our relationship is proceeding smoothly. You won't need to manipulate or spy on her, though do try to dissuade any particularly destructive actions. It wouldn't do for her to attack a kingdom, after all."

"Okay, that makes sense."

"So," Professor Lionheart sat up and met Sun's eyes, ready to reel in his catch. "Will you accept this position? You won't be punished of you decline, but—"

"Yeah. I think I will."

"Then, welcome to Haven's inner circle, my boy. I'm positive we'll achieve great things together."