Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions
Chapter 2
It was a loud click that woke Robyn from her slumber; the sudden sound reverberated around the room, piercing her dreams and sending a chill up her spine. Shooting up from her position on the couch, she turned towards the hallway just in time to see her friend's large form entering the room. The breath of relief that she let out did not go unnoticed by the woman, who offered her an apologetic look.
"Sorry. Keep forgetting."
Robyn looked around the studio apartment at the numerous stacks of building supplies that littered the space. She felt a little guilty that she was using her friends' house as a makeshift depot, but both May and Joanna had reassured her that they didn't mind.
"S'not your fault," she replied, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "I'll have them out of here soon."
Joanna gave a grateful nod, and an appreciative groan left her as she dropped onto the couch.
"So, how's the wall?" Robyn asked.
Standing up and making her way over to the kitchen area, she filled a small kettle with water and set it on the stove. Hitting the button, she began to prepare herself a coffee.
"Holding," the woman replied and kicked off her shoes. "The patch is tricking most of the hordes for now."
Robyn gave a happy hum. Though the military had almost entirely cleared out the depot, there had been just enough sheet metal left behind to cover the giant hole. Unfortunately, as soon as the Grimm realised that it offered no defence, they would be back to square one.
"For now," she repeated, pouring the hot water into a cup. "That won't last long."
"Mhm," She saw her friend nod out of the corner of her eye. "You got any plans to fix that yet?"
"I'm…" Robyn hesitated. "I'm working on it."
She wasn't sure what she was going to do. Barely anything had been left in Nine's depot, and the two others that supplied East Sector had not faired much better.
"Well, just remember this isn't supposed to be your problem to fix."
"We've already had this discussion," she sighed, picking up her drink and walking back over to sit beside the huntress. "Waiting for the council to help is like waiting for the Grimm to turn into cuddly little pets. It's not going to happen."
"That much I know," Joanna agreed. "What I don't know is how we're going to fix that hole by ourselves."
Though Robyn respected that Joanna was willing to say it, it was a frustrating truth to acknowledge.
"I'm not sure either," she admitted, taking a sip of her coffee. The warmth it provided was far more satisfying than the artificial heating. "But I'm heading down to the harbour today to see if they can spare anything. Wanna come?"
The muscular woman gave an amused scoff and wiped a hand over her face. "The only thing I'm doing is going to bed."
"Mmm, I'll take May instead then. Probably safer anyway since they actually like her."
"Yeah, she really missed her calling as a harbourmaster," the huntress quipped and stood up.
Robyn let out a soft chuck as she imagined her friend's unamused reaction to such a statement.
"Anyway, I'm exhausted. Night."
"Night."
As Joanna's bedroom door closed, Robyn took another sip of her coffee; revelling in the bitter taste. Reaching out to grab her Scroll Tablet from the table before her, she leaned back into the couch and pressed a few buttons to turn on the Holoviewer on the other side of the room. The crystal activated; light streaming out of it and widening to produce an image in midair. Once it stabilised, she found herself staring into the familiar face of General Ironwood.
Her old headmaster was finally starting to look his age. His dark black hair was beginning to grey at the sides, and a scruffy beard covered his chin. Crows feet stretched out from the corners of his eyes, and the blue orbs that had always sent shivers down her spine during her days at Atlas Academy looked dull and tired.
"... know that many are feeling anxious after Beacon Academy's fall," The man was saying, his voice as firm as always, "But I assure you; the kingdom of Atlas remains stronger and safer than ever."
She rolled her eyes and hit the mute button. Just like always, the man was all talk; but what Mantle needed was action. A glance out of the window into the pitch-black street told her that wouldn't be happening for at least a few hours though; so, pulling up the timetable she'd created for the Happy Huntresses, she settled back and set about organising it while waiting for her friend to wake up.
It was only a short while later that the woman walked out of her room. A dark orange robe covered her body, and her long blue hair hung loosely around her face. Offering a morning greeting, Robyn chuckled as May waved it away and disappeared into the bathroom. Moving over to the door, she gave a soft knock.
"What?" The woman replied shortly.
"Morning to you, too," a tut of annoyance was all she received. "I'm heading to the harbour soon. I could use my wisecracking best friend if you're up for it?"
"Can I shower first?"
"Sure, though it's not like they'd be able to smell if you have anyway."
Her teasing earned a hard slam on the door.
"Alright, alright," Robyn laughed. "We'll stop by Crater Café on the way."
"Fine, but you're paying," May replied. "Now, can I shower in peace? Or do you want to uphold this conversation throughout?"
"Hmm. Well, I do enjoy our-"
Another bang on the door cut her off. Not wishing to risk her friend's infamous early morning wrath, she stopped her teasing and walked over to her bag to get ready.
The harbour's market had always been a lively place. The first stop in the morning for any restauranteur or family in search of the day's freshest catch, not day had gone by in Robyn life when it wasn't the first to open. Anglers and merchants effortlessly controlled the crowd, some pushing through to deliver their produce while others shouted over the horde to draw customers to their stall.
"I still have no idea how they stand this smell," she almost gagged as a fisherman passed by carrying a tray of salmon.
"I know; you would think it's their job or something."
"Haha," Robyn replied dryly to her friend, receiving a smirk in response. "Come on. Let's find Glaucus."
Weaving their way through the crowd, Robyn made her way towards the only stone building in the courtyard. A large sign reading Thrinacia hung over a long, open window, and baskets full of fish lined the walls. Standing inside the building attending to customers was a young, dark-skinned girl with light grey hair.
"Hey, Little Fish," Robyn called as she approached.
"I'll be right with-" The girl looked over, her bright blue eyes narrowing. "You!"
"I take it you're still mad." The merchant's eyebrow raised. "Oh, come on. I paid for the fish."
"You mean I paid for the fish," May scowled before turning back to the girl. "Morning, Sibyl."
"Morning," Sibyl replied, wrapping a fish and waving off the customer. "You still hanging around with this loser?"
Robyn stuck out her tongue at the teen.
"I lost a bet." It wasn't technically a lie. "I'm still paying for it."
"Sucks to be you."
"Alright," Robyn cut in and put a hand on May's shoulder. "I love when you get along with people," she turned back to Sibyl, "But we need to talk to your dad, Little Fish."
The girl let out a small sigh and walked away from the window. Turning around to look back out at the market, Robyn leant back and crossed her arms. Watching the crowd mill around, she appreciated the moment. The laughter as people shared stories, the excited squeals of children playing tag. With most of her energy turned towards supplies and fixing the wall, such things had become rare to see over the last week.
She didn't get long to savour the moment for long, however, as Sibyl quickly reappeared by the side of the house. "He said you can come in."
"Great."
She pushed herself off the counter and walked over to her, ruffling the girl's hair as she slipped into the house. All manner of fishing equipment lined the walls, and the smell of fish increased enough to make her eyes water. A large table sat in the middle of the room, the long block of wood laden with yet more baskets of fish. Sorting through them was a portly man in overalls, his long, erratically spiked blue mohawk swaying back and forth as he reached down for more.
"Glaucus," she greeted him.
"Hill," He replied, his sea-hardened voice booming throughout the house. "And I thought my morning was going well."
He brought a cleaver down on the head of a fish, severing it cleanly and swiping it off the table.
"Still as grouchy as ever, I see," Robyn remarked as May walked into the room.
The man gave a rough grunt and eyed the door. "Just you two?"
"Joanna's sleeping. Fiona's looking after Uncle." May answered, flicking a fish hook that dangled from the ceiling.
He gave a brief pause, and concern flickered across his features. "The old man okay?"
"He's got a cold, but he'll be fine," Robyn crossed the cluttered room and took a seat at the table, the smell of freshly gutted fish making her eyes water. "So, how's business?"
The scowl on his face gave Robyn the answer she expected.
"Dreadful," He grumbled bitterly. "Thanks to the trade embargo, I have ships stuck rusting away in their docks, and the closed borders mean we can't get to the good fishing spots without the military hounding us."
His cleaver came down hard, embedding itself into the wood and sending the fish head flying across the room. Unfortunately, that revelation was hardly unexpected news.
"So, the same as pretty much everywhere else," May hummed. "Garlands shut down earlier this week."
"I heard," the fisherman nodded. "They were good customers, but I know you didn't come here to discuss my business. What do you want?"
Robyn relayed everything that had happened over the last week to the man as he continued to prepare his fish. With each detail, the man's face remained stationary and unsurprised, but Robyn could feel the vibrations that coursed through the table strengthen with each strike of the cleaver. Standing up as she finished recounting the events, she wandered over to the window and looked out at the shipyard in the distance.
Just as the man had said, numerous cargo ships lined the docks.
She turned away from the window, leaning against the frame as she looked back at the man, "I was hoping that you could help."
With a final strike of his cleaver, the man let out a small huff and stood up.
"Has South's depots got anything they can spare?"
"You already know the answer to that." He replied.
Robyn let out a sigh. "You must have something?"
"East isn't the only one lacking supplies," The man shook his head. "And what we do have goes towards keeping the ships in condition and the Grimm from invading the docks. Both of which we're struggling with as it is."
Robyn hadn't expected the answer to be the one she'd hoped for, but Glaucus' refusal still stung. Knowing for a fact that the West Sector would have nothing to share, Glaucus had been her only real hope.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she gave her friend a pleading glance.
"Then forget the depots," The woman said with a wave of her hand. "What about the ships in the docks? They've been stuck there since the embargo, so they have to be full of supplies."
"That's perfect!" Robyn realised what her friend was saying.
The man shook his head again. "Don't even think about it." He warned.
"Why not?" She asked with a scowl.
"Because the other kingdoms have already paid for what's on those ships."
"So?" She shrugged. "Like you said, they're not exactly going anywhere."
"They're still paid for!" The harbourmaster repeated firmly. "Everything on those ships is property of the council, and Mrs Jubilee regularly checks the cargo."
May let out a disgusted scoff at the woman's name.
"Any of that stuff goes missing, it's my crew who lose their jobs."
"They don't have jobs right now anyway." Robyn countered. "But those supplies can help people."
The man let out a growl and stepped forward. Annoyance at the action rose with her, and her hands curled into fists, but she remained leaning against the window. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw May's hand move to the bladed staff on her back.
"Do you have a barnacle for a brain, Hill?" He sneered. "The only thing that's keeping my crew in high spirits is knowing that once Jacques is in office and he breaks this tied vote, they can get back to work and earn a living again. If you take that away, we both know what'll happen."
Robyn looked into the man's hard, grey eyes. He was right, and she knew it, but she needed those supplies.
"And if we don't fix that hole," She argued back, trying to keep her voice steady, "Then the Grimm are going to tear through that bandaid and run wild through the streets."
Robyn saw it, the flicker of regret that entered his eyes. She saw his shoulders drop and the same concerned look that had passed over his face when hearing Uncle was ill returned.
"Please, Glaucus," she pleaded with him. "We can't hold them off forever."
His eyes stayed locked onto hers for a few seconds, but he soon let out a low sigh. The sound made her heart drop.
"I'm sorry," He grumbled and turned away from her. "You know I want to, but I just can't."
There was a finality to the man's voice as he sat down. The conversation was over, and Robyn knew that there was nothing she could say to change his mind. As he pulled his cleaver free from the table, she felt anger beginning to well inside of her; her fingernails digging into the palm of her hand as she restrained it.
"Fine." She muttered. She walked towards the door and threw it open with more force than intended, the wood slamming against the wall and rattling fishing equipment. "Come on, May."
She stormed out into the chilly market, determined to put as much space between her and Glaucus' store. Pushing her way through the crowd of shoppers, she made her way towards the dock exit came to a stop at the overlook. With a frustrated groan, she gripped the railing and closed her eyes.
Her blood was pounding in her ears, and the smell of salt invaded her nose as she took a deep breath, trying her best to calm her racing mind.
"I'm pretty sure the railing isn't the one you're angry with," May's voice said behind her. "No need to destroy it for something it didn't do."
Opening her eyes, she looked down and saw her fingers digging into the hard wood. She hadn't realised that her aura had activated, but a soft lilac light gathered around her hands as the barrier protected her from damage.
"Well, I can't exactly punch the council, can I?" She pulled her hands away, leaving behind a clear imprint.
"Mhm," The woman hummed in an unconvinced tone. "I'm sure that's who you're angry with."
Her friend leaned against the railing at her side, and Robyn cast her a glance. A knowing look was in the huntresses eyes as she looked back, causing another sigh to escape her lips. "Maybe Joanna was right," she grumbled.
"Miracles do happen, I suppose," May remarked. "But at least you're doing something. That more than anyone else can say."
"Something isn't useful if it accomplishes nothing."
"You gave your apartment to the Boysen's. That's not nothing to them."
"They needed it more than I do, but that doesn't help with fixing the wall."
May remained silent, and Robyn ran a hand over her face. Her head turned upwards, looking out at the numerous ships lined up at the docks. She needed what was on board those vessels, but she knew Glaucus was right about what effect taking them would have; and as much as she wanted to fix the wall, there was no point if the cost was endangering a different section of the city. Joanna was right; she needed a real plan before she could act.
"So," She eyed her friend curiously; and cautiously. "I take it you know this Jubilee woman?"
"Personally? No," The woman shook her head. "But she and the Marigold's are business associates. Horrible woman."
"I figured that part." She stood up and gave her friend an apologetic look. "You know I hate to ask-"
"But you want me to use my old contacts in Atlas to get a meeting?" May finished the sentence for her. Robyn nodded. "It's alright. If it's for Mantle, I suppose I can talk to a few old friends; but don't expect much. Even if I can get you one, she's not exactly known for having a heart."
She gave the Huntress an understanding nod.
"Then we'll have to think of a way to appeal to something else," Robyn replied. "See what you can do first. I'll pick up Fi and have Joanna meet us at Brian's Bar when she wakes up. We can figure out how we're going to go about this there."
"Joanna will be happy to have a plan," May smirked. "I'll meet you there."
"Thanks for this."
With a reassuring nod, the woman walked away and disappeared into the crowd. Left alone once again, she turned back to the ships and took a deep breath. Dealing with Atlas' elite was never her favourite thing to do, and she'd always made sure to avoid it where possible, but she no longer had the luxury of comfortable decisions. Not when Mantle was at risk.
She needed those supplies, and she was going to get them. No matter what she had to do.
A/N
Hello, everyone.
So we're back with another HH chapter. I know the last one was a little rough and spotty, especially regarding grammar, but I am mostly self-taught and have my own kind of style I guess. However, as I said, this is practice for my own works, so I buckled down this time and tried to make it look a lot neater. Hopefully, you liked it. I know its not as descriptive as my usual style, but I'm trying to keep the same feel regardless :)
As for updates on this fic, I'm not sure when they will be. I will try for at least once a month, but there are no promises there. So if you want to stay updated on this fic, be sure to follow it :)
Anyway, that's it from me. Thank you all for the feedback :)
