Cinder let both hands rest on the edge of the washing tub with her head leaning back, soaking in the warm waters that smelled like lemon and honey. A stream of bright light filtered unheedingly through the balcony window, illuminating the room around her entirely and bathing it in a warm evening glow. The vampire wasn't even the least bothered.
A young girl, maybe the age of ten, sat quietly on the cushions at the end of Cinder's bed, holding a pitcher. Cinder wordlessly tapped her wine glass sitting on the table next to her and the servant immediately stood to fill it. Cinder sipped it as the girl sat back down. "You're a little one. A bit too old to be serving still. The nobles in Beacon really don't know when to begin truly training you for court." She commented lightly.
The little girl's eyes widened, large and brown, shocked that Cinder would even talk to her, least of all look at her. "I asked to be able to serve you personally, my lady. They said you were very pretty and smart, and I wanted a chance to meet you."
Cinder smiled, amused. "And? Am I pretty and smart enough that it was worth it?" She swirled the wine in her glass.
The servant girl smiled wide in response, nodding. "More than they ever said. I understand," The girl paused, blushing, "I understand why they say all the wives try to keep their husbands from meeting you." She furrowed her brow, clearly wondering if she'd said something too crass.
Cinder laughed gracefully, letting her white teeth show. "I don't blame them." She said with a wink. She set the glass down and stood, letting the water drip from her naked form. "But, don't say those words just anywhere."
The little girl swallowed and looked up as Cinder wrapped herself in a soft, woolen towel. "Do you think I might someday be as pretty and as smart as you?" She sounded excited. Cinder appraised her thoughtfully, pretending to admire the girl's brown curls and her big, glowing eyes.
Wordlessly she looked away and walked to the vanity in her room, peering into the clear mirror framed in gilded silver shaped like autumn leaves. Her skin, as usual, was clear and flawless. Her eyes of amber sparkled, bright and aware. The fullness of her cheeks and lips, the narrowness of her nose, all framed by luscious black hair, made her one of the most beautiful women in all the four kingdoms together. Not a few times she had used that power to her advantage, making alliances and dark deals that had brought her far through life. She didn't find much need for those talents anymore, of course. That didn't stop her from being vainly proud of her appearance regardless, though that person seemed so far away, now.
She turned back to address the little girl, who waited expectantly. "You're pretty, girl. Even clever. I can see it in your eyes." The servant beamed, and her face glowed. Certainly pretty, undoubtedly. "Please, bring me my wine." Obediently it was brought to her, set down carefully next to her hand. "Leave the pitcher. You needn't fill it for me anymore."
With a look of doubt the girl hesitated. "But, I'm meant to serve you. My lady." She added the last bit and bowed her head apologetically.
"Believe me," Cinder said with a smile, "you'll continue to serve me. I have a use for you outside of just pouring my drink."
The girl nodded slowly, setting down the heavy pitcher. Still showing an expression of disconcertment she stood quietly and obediently at her side, like a dog. Cinder sipped her wine and turned back to the mirror. She picked up a brush wholly black and made of glass to fix her hair. As she did she thought of the general Ironwood and what they'd discussed before.
She was very, very excited for the opportunity that Salem had provided her in sending her to Beacon at this time. Fortunate luck, for both of them.
With a happy sigh, Cinder set her brush down. Then she turned to the girl and smiled coyly. "As it turns out I already have some uses for you, young girl."
Her eyes widened and she stood straight. "Please, let me serve you."
Cinder nodded, standing. Her entire body was smooth and lithe, yet under that misleading guise her muscles were rippling steel. Few men or beasts alike held claims to such raw, physical capability. "I need you to take a message for me. Later, though. Not now. Right now I need you to simply stay here, and wait." The girl looked confused.
Cinder ignored her, opening a drawer of the vanity and pulling out a sealed letter. She turned to the girl with a grateful smile and held it out to her. The girl stared at it for a moment, looking as if she might run away. She swallowed and accepted, her small hands taking it and holding it at her side. "Please, be careful with it. It holds very sensitive information."
The girl nodded. Her two brows drew together as she pursed her lips, looking as if she was struggling with something internally. "My lady, whom is it for?"
Cinder looked at her sidelong as she held a pure black dress in her hands, silk and featureless. Her frame was all the features she needed. "Later, girl. I may yet change my mind."
The servant girl nodded, clearly curious and looking like it may eat her up.
Cinder smiled, slipped the gown over her nude form, and grinned to herself. Such a brazen, uncourtly thing. Uncouth, awful. Such a dress should be outlawed. She almost laughed, picturing the jealous and outraged thoughts of the women in this awful castle. Something about wearing her skin clearly in the open, as if to taunt them, the world, the gods to do something about it. Something about not even trying to hide made her feel alive. Powerful. Because she was.
She smiled at the girl and winked again, noticing the girl's open surprise on her face. She opened her mouth to say something and instead just smiled widely back. "Do I look nice?" Cinder asked innocently.
"Of course! More beautiful than anyone I've ever seen!"
"Than your own mother?"
The other girl scoffed and shook her head in disbelief. "My mother looks like a pig."
Cinder laughed, and the brush in her hands suddenly dissipated, vaporizing and reforming within seconds as long, black earrings shaped like long thin icicles from her ears. The girl stared agape, openly amazed. "W-Was that-"
"Women like me always have magic, girl." Cinder said. She was amused by the child's doting.
"You're amazing!" The servant girl praised her, completely enthralled.
"I truly am." She admitted, eyeing herself in the mirror once more. She looked like the absolute desire of flesh. The dress clung to her like a second skin, accenting every curve from her bosom to her legs. The neck of the dress hung low in a deep V, displaying her shapely cleavage shamelessly. Her back too was left open and bare, the dress wrapping around her waist.
Despite its tight fit she could move completely unheeded in it. It was, like her earrings, made from her semblance. She had complete and utter manipulation of its form in every single moment. She would never not be deadly. Her eyes flashed dangerously.
The little girl was also staring at the mirror, but not at herself. She wouldn't dare look at herself, too ashamed to be herself. To not be like Cinder. The vampire smiled and so did the girl, even as Cinder silently mocked her. Humankind was all the same. They all wanted to copy and replicate those above them, to be them. They couldn't stand themselves.
There was none who could stand like Cinder, none who would break their chains like her. None who could even bear Cinder's destiny.
"Girl," Cinder said sweetly, turning to her. The girl looked up with an open expression of adoration. "You can spend your entire life trying to be me." Cinder continued to smile brightly, "but you will never come close to being more than a pathetic waste in trying. Don't try to reach for what you can't have. You'll muddy yourself trying, and in the end, you'll look back on a tired life of sullen, empty dreams. You are a rat, and I am a great cat, and yet there are others who would make me play the rat. Do not ever think you can be more."
Cinder hadn't even finished talking when she turned, crystal glass heels forming around her feet as she walked away towards her door. "Be happy, instead."
As she turned the door knob and opened it, she looked back at the stunned girl, who seemed dizzy. Cinder eyed her, and smiled sweetly when she met her eyes. "Make sure to wait here. You still might deliver a letter for me."
With that she stepped into the hall, shutting the door behind her and locking it with a key. With a satisfied smile she nodded to a stationed guard, who's stare flickered from her face to her breasts three times within the space of his nod of acknowledgment.
As she walked away towards her boring meeting she thought of the first person she was going to kill during her visit.
Blake held Adam's arm as she pulled the cloth tight around his forearm. He grunted and smiled in appreciation, his blue eyesmsoft and gentle. She shook her head disapprovingly. "I told you not to go out there today. The riots are getting more and more violent and no amount of you trying to mediate between the humans and the faunus is helping."
"Next you'll tell me how I should just join the faunus." He said. "No, you think I just shouldn't get involved and worry about my own life." He said as she opened her mouth to speak, cutting her words off. She scowled. Stupid asshole. He grinned, recognizing her frustration. "You keep telling me, and I keep going."
"I keep being right and you keep getting hurt." She deadpanned, gesturing to his bandage. He shrugged and rolled his shoulders, then flexed his wounded arm. His expression stayed smiling and he never winced.
"See? Nothing really wrong. Now I just look like I'm doing something. Like a martyr." He grinned at her, blue eyes sparkling. Blake glared daggers and her ears twitched. Damn him and his stupid, ugly, shitty and pretty smile. She had to squeeze her mouth shut to stop the grudging smile that was clawing its way to her face. He noticed and only grinned wider.
With a massive sigh and a roll of her eyes, Blake threw her hands up in the air and threw the roll of cloth at his chest. It bounced off harmlessly as he caught it with his hands. "You're impossibly brutish Adam Taurus. You're going to get yourself killed and you know it."
He shook his head. "No, I'm not. I wouldn't let that happen. Who else would spend their days making sure you don't do something rash and thoughtless." He waggled his eyebrows at her and she wanted to hit him.
"Adam, I swear to the gods, you and your inability to take me seriously is what will get you killed. I swear it."
His grin turned into a sheepish smile and he held his hands up in apology. "Sorry, Blake. You know I take you seriously." He relaxed next to her, leaning against the wall behind the bench they sat on. "And you know I'm not just out there to get myself hurt. I really think that, if we give Ozpin enough time, things will be okay. We can save the people in this city before it becomes a civil war. We just need to give him the time he needs."
Blake shook her head, doubtful. "Ozpin invites the Atlas royalty and military into this country and houses them in his castle, feeding and entertaining them while the entire population of faunus struggles just to eat during one of the worst winters we've ever faced because all the humans can't be bothered to give a shit." She looked at him directly, her eyes flat. "And you think that somehow, they can and will fix it." She snorted, glaring.
"I really do think so." Adam said, his expression determined. He truly believed it, without a single shred of doubt. The earnest honesty in his eyes, the way his jaw clenched when his position and faith were challenged, never in anger but in conviction, made Blake soften and smile, warm.
"You're an optimistic fool, Adam Taurus." He grinned happily at her words, clapping his hands in victory.
"Victory against the Belladonnas once again!" He joked, and Blake scowled again. He jabbed her gently with his elbow, and she shoved back playfully. As she pushed against him his arms wrapped around her shoulders and waist, pulling her close.
"Adam!" She hissed, flushing as he pulled her against him and brought his grinning, stupid face close to her's. Her face burned with her skin.
"Thanks for always having me, Blake. For believing." He said, earnestly but still with his ruggish grin. She looked away to the side, shrugging. He laughed lightly, planted a kiss on her forehead, and let her go. She waited for a second, secretly enjoying being close and smelling him, before pulling away. She didn't look directly at him, knowing he noticed.
"Whatever." She mumbled, and he laughed again, with genuine mirth and happiness. Despite herself, Blake giggled alongside him. Despite how dark and awful things were, he always somehow brought a light into her world. Something to cling to, to wrap herself up in. So effortlessly he whisked her along, everyday. Offering a hope she didn't know she believed in, but didn't know how not to believe in. With a sigh she smiled, simultaneously drawing her brown linen cloak around her body. "Fool." She said, nodding to herself.
They remained quiet in each other's presence, reflecting on the morning. What had started as yet another peaceful protest outside the marketplace before dawn had somehow shifted into a violent conflict between the aggrieved faunus and the humans.
How dare you make nuisances of yourselves, day after day, and yet demand we put up with and accept you?
Demand? Put up with us? You're all delusional! We wouldn't be here right now in this cold if it wasn't already a misery living here with people like you! You complain we demand things when you refuse to accept that we live here too! You deny us entry to stores, let our young and old go sick, letting us go cold and hungry in the winter even as our people are the ones who work the farms and stock the markets with their fish that make it to your bellies! And then you complain when we don't see the fairness you believe is there. Ignorant bastards!
The situation didn't remain peaceful for long after those words. The faunus that had spoken had a raw fish thrown at them, followed by a pelting of rocks. Then his compatriots had tackled the humans and the entire protest had broken out into a brawl.
Of course, the brawl hadn't lasted long. Humans don't often win much against the faunus in a brawl thanks to their extra traits. Then the rioting had started as the faunus began to tear into the market. City guards had tried to get involved but the sheer volume of faunus versus them had made them too cautious to step in directly. They merely tried to catch the stragglers on the outskirts, trying to make a lesson out of them.
Adam had both helped catch those faunus and worked tirelessly to make sure the guards didn't treat them harshly. One faunus had struck at Adam, calling him a traitor and a human sympathizer as she scratched him with sharp claws. He didn't return the wound, instead detaining her and holding her still so the guards could bound her wrists.
They thanked him, each and every one of them. Adam shook his head, said not to thank him. "Just try to help the faunus instead. Don't let these protests turn into riots. Be there when the humans strike at them, so the faunus don't have to strike back themselves."
They had promised to do better. Claimed it wasn't their fault, that the guard captain was under orders to watch other parts of the city. Mainly the castle gates. Adam had promised to go speak to the captain for them. Blake had rolled her eyes and glowered at the guards.
If it was her choice, she would have been with the faunus, tearing down the stalls and throwing the smelly human merchants into the water. Bastards. But she had promised Adam to keep out of such things and let him try to find more peaceful options for the conflict. She was beginning to doubt it was possible.
As her thinking came to an end, she wiggled the ears on the top of her head and looked up at the sky. Clear, blue, cloudless. Not anything at all like the grey in her heart. Then she remembered meeting Yang today and stood abruptly. Adam looked up at her, questioning. "I have to see Yang. We're going to look some more for her sister."
Adam nodded, his happy-go-lucky demeanor darkening as if a cloud was passing over. "Right. That poor girl. I hope she's okay." Blake nodded, her stomach tightening. The anxiety was gnawing at her, making her feel thinner and thinner each day Ruby was missing. "I'd come with you but I have some people to meet as well."
Blake narrowed her eyes. "You're not meeting anyone dangerous, right? Don't tell me you're going to try and talk to some gang leaders. Don't be a fool, Adam. Your charm can't carry you through everything."
Adam shook his head, but Blake could see the mischievous glint in his eyes. "Not gang leaders. Nothing like that. Better." He grinned.
"Ugh." Blake rolled her eyes. "Just don't do anything to get yourself killed." She sighed, and Adam nodded solemnly. Blake glared and looked away, shaking her head. "All right, Adam. I'll see you later."
"See you later, cool cat." He grinned.
Yang was standing alone, apart from a crowd outside of the market. It had been a few hours since the riot had ended and now order had settled in as the human run market was being repaired. Blake couldn't help but admire the strong form of her friend. Even in the face of all that she'd been going through with Ruby's disappearance she held an air of unbeatable power, from her core to her face. She emanated sturdiness and defiance. A lot like Adam, she mused. No wonder the two got along so well.
The blonde woman stood straighter when she saw Blake, flashing a brief smile as she waved from across the square. Blake nodded back, smiling. Despite the cold Yang had come dressed in a short sleeved tunic. Her bare arms were thick and muscled and even when hanging loose by her sides they seemed flexed. They didn't look at all out of place on her broad shoulder frame.
Yang embraced her as Blake got close enough. Blake hugged her back, sensing her friend's need. She was putting on a tough face, and it wasn't all for show, but she was still sensitive. Especially as the days continued to pile up since Ruby vanished and her hope was beginning to become less honest and more in defiance. Blake didn't say it but she was already preparing for how to talk to her friend in order to console her when she finally gave up.
"Any luck at all?" She asked.
Yang pulled back and shook her head. "Nothing. The guards are looking, and Qrow and my dad, but she seems to have just…" She made a poofing motion with her hands, waving her arms in the air. "Just gone. Not a trace. Nothing that even two hunters can track." She shook her head in disbelief and Blake's ears lowered with her mood. "I just can't believe she may be gone, Blake. It doesn't make any sense at all. I know she wouldn't run away."
Blake nodded in agreement. Once, the sisters had run away together when they were kids, to find their mother. But even then they did it together. Inseparable and insufferable together. "Hunters are the best there is. With two looking, there's no way they wouldn't be able to find her." Assuming there's something to be found. She didn't voice the entirety of her thoughts. She didn't need to.
Yang took her unspoken words in silence, looking out over the crowd of people. She seemed lost in thought. Above them seagulls cried as the infant children of mothers fighting with guards to let them into the market to do their shopping did. It was a cacophony of awfulness. Blake frowned at the dreary city she lived in. "I think I want to go out and look for her myself soon, Blake." Yang admitted quietly. Her voice sounded strained. "I know that you'll tell me it isn't worth it, that there's nothing I can do that my uncle or father hasn't, but I…" She trailed off, shrugging in the defeat of her own logic.
"You're right, I would say that." Blake agreed, though her tone was soft. Yang looked at her, almost pleadingly. Blake's heart cried for her friend, desperate to offer a solution for their troubles despite knowing there was none. It tore into Yang's thick skin and made Blake want to scream at the injustice surrounding her life. "Maybe we just need to be patient and wait, Yang. They won't give up looking for her. What if we just end up getting in the way?" Yang turned away, and Blake knew that her words were falling on ears defiant. "What if we go missing as well? Then they're searching for three people rather than one."
The blonde stared out over the crowd and watched the horizon. Blake knew she was listening but not really taking her words to heart. As far as she was concerned she was already out searching for her sister and there was nothing that she would let stand in her way. It was, Blake knew, not in Yang to just hold tight and do nothing. It just wasn't possible for her to give up on her little sister and pretend that life could go on. "I'm not going to be like my mom, Blake." She said quietly, and Blake lowered her head and stared at the cobbled stone beneath her feet. She knew how Yang had been abandoned by her mother not once but twice. She wouldn't abandon her sister. No matter what the circumstances were.
Even if it got herself killed. Blake clenched her fists and sighed. The weather was getting worse as a brisk wind blew in from the north and across the square. "What do you want me to do, Yang?"
"Nothing. I just want you to know." She said, still not looking at her.
"At least don't go yet. Qrow and Taiyang are professionals and they care just as much. At least let them determine whether there's any point in it." She suggested. She knew it was pointless, but she couldn't bear to let Yang walk out into the wilderness alone during the cold. It would get her killed.
"You know they'll say it. I know it. We all know it, damnit!" Her voice rose with her anger, and Blake glanced around at the crowd. No one was paying any attention to them at all. "She's probably gone, she probably fell in the bay, or something stupid and awful and hopeless." Yang turned to her, face red as she leaned close. "But I'll be damned if I'm not going to at least try for her." She grabbed Blake's arm, and the faunus stiffened. "I'm not going to be able to live with myself if I just let her go so easily."
Yang's anger was contrasted by the wetness that threatened at the edge of her bottom eyelids, the desperation in her voice almost painful to hear. Blake frowned and gently placed her hand on the hand gripping her, prying it off. "I get it, Yang. I get it." The blonde let go hesitantly, looking away as if she was ashamed of her small outburst. "I just… Don't know how to help you. I think you're just going to get yourself killed. Then, if Ruby is found or comes back? You'll have abandoned her anyway." Her words were harsh, and she hated saying them. But they were necessary, just as most awful things in life were. The blonde seemed stricken by the words, taking a step back as she considered what Blake said to her. Then her face hardened and Blake watched with despair as her friend made up her mind.
"I'll be leaving in a few days. I just wanted you to know. At least don't tell anyone about it."
Blake cursed. "Damit, Yang! What the hell, do you not care about anything I've said? At all? You're needed here, too. Your dad, your uncle, they're also your family." The blonde wasn't listening though, or if she was she didn't dain to entertain Blake any longer.
"I'll come back with Ruby or I won't come back at all." She said, as if it was final. Blake scoffed, feeling her own anger rise. Why was she like this? Why was she so goddamned infuriatingly stubborn, so desperate to pretend she was the only one who could accomplish things? So stupidly proud.
"You're being a fool and an asshole, Yang." She said, crossing her arms. Yang regarded her with little attention. It only pissed her off more.
"Done yet? I have things to do. I hope to see you before I go, and I hope you won't spend that time insulting me."
Blake wanted to punch her. "Fine Yang. Fine. Do your stupid hero act and leave. I'm sure Ruby will thank you when she comes back to find you gone." She knew she was saying it just to dig at Yang for being obtuse and moronic, but she couldn't help the fury she felt at her.
For a moment she thought Yang might be the one to hit her as her eyes burned like coal. She was breathing hard through her nostrils, and the faunus tensend. Then it passed, and Yang glowered at her. "Fuck off, Blake. You're a coward. Don't blame me because I'm not."
Blake opened her mouth to tell Yang to stuff it up her ass, but the other girl was already walking away. It left her shaking with anger and regret, as tears of frustration burned in the corner of her eyes. She watched as Yang walked away from the market into the streets, disappearing into the city and leaving her cold, angry and alone. Blake swore, digging her nails into her palms. "Asshole." She muttered.
Shaking her head in defeat, Blake turned back the way she came and walked into the alleyway. She sat on her bench, now alone, deciding to wait for Adam to come back.
Jacques Schnee was every bit as pompous as she remembered him. Sitting next to Ozpin, between him and Ironwood, he looked like a tiny insignificant man. His ridiculous mustache bounced with every nerve grating word he spoke, and Cinder fantasized during the entire procession about killing the frustrating man. Salem would have her head for it, of course, but it would be satisfying for the moment.
"Considering the political climate in Beacon right now, I do see it as opportune to bring some… festive distractions." The Atlesian King said, smiling. He was pushing to host the Vytal festival here in Vale, Beacon, this year. It was a little strange to abdicate for it being held in a country other than his own, and his goodwill-helping-his-friends pitch wasn't being bought by any of the other table members.
However, Ozpin nodded quietly. "I do fear greatly for my citizens these days. The turmoil in the streets is growing ever more pressing." He shook his head. "All this talk about Faunus and human hatred. It concerns me deeply. I do agree that something to bring in better spirits would be prudent."
Jacques nodded sagely, and Cinder almost rolled her eyes. "I would of course love to have it in Atlas in most other cases, but well, we're trying to improve relations with our own faunus population. The difference is that they've become already too difficult to manage. We can't afford to have the festival ruined by those who wish harm."
"Right. What are you doing to improve the relations your people have with your faunus in Atlas, King Schnee?" Glynda Goodwitch said, Ozpin's counselor and a woman renowned for her power in the court. She didn't pretend to like the Atlesians in the slightest. If it was her choice, she probably would have had their fleet denied entry at the gates and left in the water. Jacques regarded her with a tired, bored expression.
"Whatever we can." He said flatly. Glynda stirred at the response, leaning forward in her chair and opening her mouth to speak. A quiet, well placed hand on her shoulder from Ozpin placated her, and she sat back down with a dark glare directed in the Atlesian King's direction. Cinder wore her amusement plainly on her face. Jacques smiled politely, though his eyes looked like those of a snake. "When the faunus are ready to act less like animals I'm sure we'll achieve peace." He gestured out to the table with widespread arms, hands palm up. "Until then there is little we can do aside from striving to keep the peace."
"Your methods of keeping the peace are well known and documented, Schnee." A low, gruff voice replied. It was like a deep growl. It didn't sound threatening, but even Cinder's expression became cautious as she let her grin fall. Ghira Belladonna, the chieftain of Menagerie, sat directly opposing the Atlesian king, arms crossed against his exposed chest. He was five times the size of the small man, who glanced sidelong at the imposing faunus.
"We do only what is necessary, Ghira. You know this. You've come many times to Atlas for your diplomatic trips." He said quietly. He did sound threatening, and that made Cinder grin again. The chieftain raised a thick eyebrow, his lips turning down in a very heavy frown. The King tried to hold his gaze and failed, looking away to Ozpin.
"Please, let us be productive." Ironwood said. His clean cut, chiseled face was a drastic contrast to the gruffness of Ghira, yet the two held the same air. Ghira held his presence through being unabashedly forward and aggressive, while the general strove for a more subtle yet steel hard composure approach. Both were effective, and both were like pitting two big hammers against one another. Ghira stared at him, holding his eyes, and Ironwood stared back. A quiet tension filled the room.
Then a nervous cough interrupted, and another faunus, Leonardo Lionheart, the current
ruling figure in Mistral, spoke. He was a reagent, only the uncle of the king meant to take the throne in a few years. He looked warm, not as barbaric as the Menagerie Chieftain nor as produced and stiff as the general. He too was a broad, large man, though his face was soft, framed in his large beard and thick long hair, making him appear to have a lion's mane. If he wasn't such a spineless coward, Cinder might have bothered to have an opinion about him. "As another faunus on this council, I must admit that I too have other pressing matters to attend to, soon. How Atlas conducts their business is of little concern to us." He said it with fake sternness. Cinder could feel the fear that always seemed to emanate from the man, like his entire form was a clever disguise.
Jacques nodded in agreement, and so did Ironwood nod his head. Ozpin dipped his head towards the Mistral leader and sighed, letting his shoulders slump. "Very good. Then, we'll try and see about hosting the Vytal festival this winter. I must request gently, however, that you Schnee royalty stay out of the public eye. Their ire is easily gained these days, and while I'm sure you mean no harm, we are hoping to remain at peace long enough to settle the matter."
Jacques smiled, nodding. "But of course, Ozpin. We wouldn't want to cause any issues. Now, about that trade deal we were discussing?" The rat was fast, Cinder mused.
"Done." Ozpin nodded. A few glances were shared around the table. Cinder didn't know the details about this either, and it seemed a private matter between the two monarchs. No one asked.
"Very good." Jacques smiled. Something in his eyes sparked, and Cinder became deeply curious.
"Right. Then, please, miss Fall. You may speak of the matter you came here with." Ozpin turned to face her, directing the attention to her. All the faces in the room glanced at her momentarily, and not one of them didn't look again with wide, judging eyes. Cinder stifled a smug smile. From the corner of her eye, as she stood to face Ozpin directly, she could see Jacques appraising her with open lust. It made her feel ill to have his rodent eyes upon her.
Perhaps the guard would wait.
"As you're aware, I come not as any form of royalty but as a representative for the trade guild based in Vacuo, Menagerie and Vale, the White Fang." They all nodded now, as if they remembered her. Cinder smiled. "While we have operated and worked out favorable deals between all our parties," She nodded to the present monarchs, all of them but Vacuo's queen. There had been little information about what had happened to the girl, or why she had suddenly withdrawn from all global politics without a word. Cinder knew. "We believe there are ways to still improve the smoothness of our operations. You see, we've been experiencing quite a wave of fresh banditry and Grimm presence in the wilderness between cities. Even the seas pose a threat now."
They all nodded. Not a single country hadn't felt the effects of the brutal winter. The last few months had been testing indeed. Cinder nodded. "Well, in most cases we outsource our protection and caravan guards to trusted mercenary bands, or skilled hunters. However, as you all know, skilled hunters that aren't serving some lord are becoming… harder to find. And I say that without meaning to blame anyone in this room. It is a simple fact and necessity. We understand." She admonished, dipping her head low. No one else spoke.
"And so," Cinder continued, and now she let her aura spread thin like spiderwebs, reaching out to and lightly touching the auras of the other attendants. They all felt a little tense, but none seemed combative. "I have come on the behalf of the guild to seek the kingdom's blessings that we begin to build our own standing force to protect our goods, rather than trusting in the availability of capable strangers." She smiled pleasantly. "We are thinking of using the large populations of faunus that find it so hard to survive comfortably in your kingdoms."
A murmur went through the room, and the air grew heavy indeed.
"You ask to build a military." Ghira said flatly. She knew how he was going to react the moment she'd finished speaking. She felt his distrust and suspicion flare up. "You wish to build a standing military, while managing most of the trade routes of three different kingdoms, and you want a sanction to build a military." He laughed, incredulous. Cinder regarded him with no emotion on her face.
"We have grown rather tired of losing our investments. We do not wish to hold any of our partners capable, but if you cannot find a way to protect your roads and borders from threats and also refuse us the means to protect our goods ourselves then I see no other parties to blame. Do you?" She spoke with little friendliness. Indeed, the White Fang had been putting up with quite a bit of harassment lately. It wasn't nearly as bad as it was painted out to be, but the kingdoms didn't know that for good reason.
Ghira scowled. Jacques Schnee was looking at her closely, now, eyes narrow. He had momentarily forgotten his carnal desires to actually look at her as a person. She wanted to spit on him, but she could feel how he felt. The man wasn't suspicious of her. Nor did he seem even remotely interested in her proposal; after all he had no relation with the White Fang. No, he was curious. Perhaps he could be useful.
Ozpin cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him. He looked at all the attendants each, and they looked back. "There are good reasons we don't allow trade guilds to hold standing armies of their own. Very good reasons. However, Miss Fall raises a point. We are already spread so far thin that we can offer little to no protection for the White Fang. It hurts our own economies to let this continue further. However, I do have my own concerns and proposals to offer. Firstly," he turned to Cinder directly now. She tried to sense his emotions, yet they remained hidden. Interesting. "I do not sanction that the White Fang be directly in control of these forces. Rather, I'd have you work with another kingdom. I was thinking of Menagerie."
Ghira snapped his head around to look at Ozpin. The faunus was shocked.
"Absurd." Jacques interjected, scoffing. "You're going to hand a single kingdom the wealth of the White Fang to build an army? Are you kidding?"
Ozpin shook his head. "No. The White Fang's forces will be led by Ghira, and their wealth would remain under their own control. They may do with it as they see fit. And Vale would also have their own sect of White Fang military, if not to keep the balance then to make sure the guild may find their forces where they must be. Vacuo, as well, if they so design to weigh in. But if Menagerie agrees to this proposal, it will be majority."
Jacques laughed. "You're arming yourselves and taking control of a merchant guild while leaving your neighbours out to swim. The fact that you would even suggest it is… Well, shocking."
Ozpin looked at Jacques calmly. "These are difficult times, and difficult times demand for strange solutions. I can think of no other way to continue growing our economies and to prevent giving too much power to any one party. Our armies are spread thin and our roads become dangerous. The threats that Atlas face are quite different from those in the warmer, less elevated areas of our world."
The Atlesian king sneered but said nothing. Ghira was still silent, pondering the proposal. Leo had remained silent, mostly because he didn't care. His kingdom had excellent relations with most others in the world. Only with Atlas were his people a little estranged, mainly for their large faunus population. Jacques was now furious, fearful. Good. Ozpin was still guarded, shielded from her ability to touch and understand his aura. She wondered about it but it had turned out to be not so relevant. He was working with her regardless. Ultimately it didn't matter what would occur here today, so long as the White Fang was permitted to build their forces. The details mattered little after that.
Ghira was ponderous but she could feel the anger that was bubbling under his skin. He really, really hated Jacques. Cinder smiled when he looked up. "Very well. Menagerie will agree to work with the White Fang in this."
Ozpin nodded, then looked to Cinder. "And does the White Fang accept our proposal?"
Cinder smiled wide. The fools, because fools they were, couldn't picture the future they had just written for themselves. "The White Fang graciously accepts." She said, bowing.
Ozpin nodded. "Very well. Is there anything else we must discuss?"
Jacques sat back in his chair in disgust. Ironwood's face was unreadable, and Glynda didn't seem at all troubled. Instead, a figure suddenly stepped out of the shadows, emerging from a dark corner to stand next to Cinder. The woman almost jumped.
"Yeah. Vampires." The person said.
Ozpin was looking at him intently. "Very well, Qrow. Tell me what you know."