Winter was angry.
No, that was an understatement. She was way past the point of mere anger. Winter was livid. But even then, that still failed to compare to the embarrassment she felt.
In mere seconds, everything she had made and worked hard for in the past few years came crashing down when faced with her absolute bastard of a father.
The source of their never-ending despair.
For as long as she could remember, her father was an ever-looming shadow on her life. Life with him was difficult, to say the least. He was manipulative, overambitious, and colder than cold itself. She was never good enough at anything. Too slow, too brash, too loud, too weak, too dull.
She was a failure. And he made sure that she knew that.
At first, she felt hope. If he considered her a failure, maybe he would finally let her be. She thought, and to this day fills her with shame, that maybe he will turn his attention to her little siblings and leave her to fade into the peaceful obscurity.
But he didn't. He got much more controlling.
'You cannot be trusted to take care of yourself. You of all people need to be watched over.' He told her in a dismissive tone.
Winter knew she had to fight back, so she did. At the age of seventeen, Winter left home.
Her father was furious, of course. He called her names, threatened her, and promised to disown her. He told her not to spit in the face of his mercy and generosity.
'You think you've had it hard! Come to your senses, else I show what 'hard' means. I will make your life into a living hell! You're worthless."
Winter never looked back.
Ever since she left the house, she had spent sweat, tears, and blood to grow stronger, in order to escape his grasp and finally become her own person, disassociated with the name of the Schnee family, the damned Dust Company, and above all, her own father.
She had grown strong, far stronger than her peers had, and far stronger than her mother ever was. She quickly rose through the ranks, until she could stand side by side with the greatest huntsmen in the world.
And she learned about the world. She came to know the threats that lurked in the dark, and about the maidens. Suddenly, her world became much broader. She had something noble to work for.
For the first time in her life, Winter's life was bigger and much more important than being the property of Jacques Schnee. Winter mattered.
Until, once again, she did not.
In mere seconds, He came unannounced, beat her subordinate bloody, and made her fall to her knees with a word. Never had she been so humiliated.
But what hurt the most was the General's response. General Ironwood was someone whom she had looked up to. He was a man who was as honorable as he was kind. She worked hard to become a person he can rely on, and she thought she did.
Yet, he dismissed her. The moment her father wanted to talk to him alone, he told her to leave. Between the two Schnees, it became apparent who was the important one.
Her father was right, she was worthless.
No matter how strong she became, how protected and safe she felt, or how far she ran, Winter was always living in the palm of her father's hand.
And so, tired, heavy-hearted, and with shattered pride, Winter sat in the infirmary bed watching her subordinate get treated.
"Eh, Ma'am. Not to be a bother, but… are you okay?" she heard Marrow ask her. She must have made quite the sorry sight for her subordinate to feel pity for her.
"Nothing you need to worry about, Operative," Winter replied with a sigh. "I am just trying to make sense of what happened."
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. It is my entire fault. I know you and your father are not on the best of terms. Had I been able to stop him, none of this would have happened." Marrow apologized, his ears drooping.
That did remind her. "Tell me, Operative. How exactly did it all begin?" Winter asked, curious.
Marrow mulled over her question for a while, unsure of how to recount the tale. After a second, he spoke. "I am not entirely sure how he made far enough to the last floor without being stopped. However, what I remember is
Marrow was confused.
Standing guard on the final floor of the Atlesian Military's Headquarters, He was supposed to remain vigilant. For he is the sole barrier standing between the office of the General and whatever threat may appear. As such, he expected criminals, angry civilians, and even Grimm.
What he did not expect was the CEO of the biggest company in existence to strut into the hallway like he owned the place. He did not seem to care that he was barging into the most fortified military base in the world. If anything, he appeared akin to someone walking in his own house.
'Wasn't he supposed to be dying?'
Even as he reached Marrow, Jacques merely spared him a nod, and a "good morning" before passing him by. The ridiculousness of the situation almost made him forget his duty. Almost.
Quickly catching up to the man, Marrow stood in front of him and blocked the way. "You're a long way from home, . You are not permitted to be here. Please, go back from where you came." Marrow demanded.
Jacques looked at him for a couple of seconds before chuckling. He got a pen out of his breast pocket and turned Marrow's body to display his back. Casually, Jacques signed his name on the back of the Faunus. "It's always nice to meet some young fans. Remember kid, 'failure is not falling down; it is not standing up when you fall.' Here, you can keep the pen." Having said that, Jacques resumed his walk towards the office.
Marrow looked at the departing old man before he sighed in resignation. Can't say he didn't ask nicely. Raising his arm, Marrow extended his index finger at Jacques and channeled his Semblance. "
Stay!"
[AURA]
[0 seconds]
Immediately, the white-haired man's body froze in the middle of a step. Marrow approached the older man. "You just had to make it difficult I really don't like you on principle, being a Faunus and all." He said with a tired tone. "But, I'm still a soldier, so I rather not use my abilities on civilians, but you left me no choice. I asked you nicely, and rather than comply, you started a farce."
Jacques was silent for a dozen seconds before he replied. "That farce as you called it was me giving a way out. But it seems you're too thick to take the hint, so I'll lay it clear. Fuck off, brat. I have no time for you. And the next time you use your Semblance on me, I will beat like the dog you are."
With that, Jacques was able to move again out of his own accord.
[21 seconds]
In hindsight, the fact that he was able to talk in the first place should have been a clue that Marrow should call for backup.
Marrow paid Jacques' words no mind and removed the cuffs from his belt. Once again, he used his Semblance, this time with a stronger intent.
"Stay!"
For the second time, Jacques was immobilized.
For two seconds.
Before Marrow could even lay a finger on Jacques, he was forced to hastily put a crossed guard up to protect his midsection as Jacques twisted to deliver a back kick. The Faunus had little time to be shocked when Jacques' foot impacted him with the force of a freight train. 'Heavy! His physical strength might even exceed Elm's!'
Marrow jumped back to avoid receiving any additional damage. Landing on his feet a couple of meters away, Amin looked at the man in front of him. His semblance had succeeded. There was no denying that. Hell, he could still feel his Aura drain little by little. His Semblance was currently in effect!
'So, why the hell is the bastard still moving?!' Marrow wondered.
Seemingly done with waiting for Marrow to get his bearing, Jacques was on him again with a cocked fist. Jacques extended his fist aiming for Marrow's chin, but it hit nothing as the younger male ducked at the last second.
[49 seconds]
Marrow grabbed the wrist of the flying limb above him and brought his arm down knocking Jacques off his balanced. Marrow wasted no time delivering a heavy liver blow.
"Grhk," Grunted Jacques in pain before cocking his head back and bringing it down on the younger man's forehead.
Marrow's head exploded back, a concussion threatening to take over. Forcing himself back into a battle stance, he expected Jacques to lunge at him again. Yet to his surprise, Jacques was still in his place, his movements seemingly stiffer and more robust
'His immunity is compromised! My Semblance is still affecting him.' Marrow realized. However, it was clear that it would only hold Jacques for a second. Though he hated overextending his Semblance, he had no choice.
However, Jacques quickly realized what the other was thinking, so he pushed his Semblance.
Both opened their mouths at the same time, but one was a fraction of a second faster.
"ST-!"
[SOUND]
Upon Jacque's command, a transparent sphere spanning a dozen meters expanded. All sound in the vicinity became worthless.
[60 seconds]
Marrow could not speak and his semblance became inaccessible. His last gamble failed. And unbeknownst to him, in the minute since the timer began on his AURA, Marrow could not once reach the initial price again.
Therefore, his Aura's worth dropped, while Jacques' increased.
Jacques threw a punch, and Marrow blocked.
Their Aura levels were the same, but their worth was different. As a result, Marrow's guard was blown apart. Jacques's fist hit him with the force of a canon, and the Faunus launched across the hall. His back impacted the steel door with a loud THUD
"Gahk!" cried out Amin in pain. Sound once again available as he left the sphere.
'Shit!Shit! SHIT! What the fuck happened?! Something is wrong with my Aura!" He thought in terror. He lifted his head and spotted Jacques jumping and speeding towards him. Marrow opened his and channeled his Semblance one more time.
"Stay!"
But alas, it was worthless.
Jacques's feet dug into Marrow's chest and felt both Aura and bones crack under them. The force of his attack knocked the steel door off his hinges and sent it flying inside the room. The door collapsed with a crack, and atop it, Jacques stood victorious.
"I told you not to get in my way!"
"-and that's more or less it. One second I was winning, and the next I felt like my Aura was breaking useless." Marrow said as the medics were finishing bandaging him up. "That's the confusing thing, Ma'am. My Aura didn't break. It was still intact, the same with my Semblance. It just didn't work against him."
Winter contemplated his words. His Aura couldn't have been broken through. Morrow had impacted the door with enough force to make a dent in the steel. If his Aura was gone, there was no doubt he would have been nothing more than a smear of blood.
'the same happened when he used it against me.' Winter remembered. Her father had clearly uttered the word "Air". But he couldn't have removed the air from the vicinity. There was definitely air in the office, and yet...'I couldn't breathe.'
Her father's ability was a fearsome one. She had a couple of theories on how it worked.
But the only way to make sure was to hear it from the man himself.
Had to repost the chapter because it kept getting messed up.
Anyone who can figure out the rules of Jacques's semblance gets a cookie.