Cinder looked at her scroll again. She had been waiting for team RWBY to meet her at the docks for over half an hour already, and the huntress was getting irritated at this point. She had made time for them even though she had work to do.
She shook those thoughts away. They weren't being malicious, they loved her, and she wanted to love them; that's why was doing this. Spend time with them, like Ozpin and Qrow had adviced her to.
Many bullheads arrived, letting out a horde of students from different academies, no doubt in preparation for the Vytal festival. Beacon prided itself on being a diverse and inclusive combat school, even if Vale's population was still somewhat behind on that acceptance.
She could see outfits from Vacuo, who were mostly rags, hoods and many, many tools. As expected from the harshest environment in Remnant. The regal and minimalist outfits from Atlas, tough there some some very eccentric ones here and there which sported many light or fancy designs, which made particular students stick out like a sore thumb. The ones from Mistral were the most 'normal', wearing outfits that had the hallmarks of Mistralian design.
Two students seemed to separate from the crowd of Mistral, grey and green approaching her.
"Hey. We are kinda… lost. Could you help us?" Asked the girl, her companion in tow. She could see behind her eyes, she wanted something else; but what she could not discern. Still, she decided to play along.
"Didn't your professors tell you were to go?" Asked Cinder, eyes narrowed. The boy in grey spoke in her place, arms crossed over his chest.
"Those idiots at the school are horrible at directions. They kinda just told us to come here and deal with it." He said with a derisive tone.
"I see. Just follow the crowd, Headmaster Ozpin should receive you at the mess hall, probably make a big announcement." She said. Their lying was so obvious, their expressions so fake. It sickened her, even more so now that she knew true honesty; thanks to her family. Yet they hid their true intentions well enough.
"Hey, you don't happen to be… 'The Ember of Mistral', do you?" Asked the boy. Cinder raised an eyebrow.
"Mercury…" Began the girl, grimacing.
"I am." She said simply. She relished somewhat in her fame, even if she didn't let it show.
"That's awesome. Then… maybe we could spar later?" He asked her, smiling. The girl facepalmed. "I saw you there the moment we exited the airship, but didn't know how to approach you." He added, rubbing the back of his head. So that was why.
"You want to fight me?" She asked again.
"That's right. I've heard so much about you, and wanted to get a taste for myself." Said the boy.
Cinder scoffed. "I'm kind of out of your league," the boy narrowed his eyes, still smiling. He was clearly challenging her.
"Drop it already Mercury," said the girl, clearly irritated. She pushed him a bit, but the boy just laughed.
"Oh, come on Em. Just let me have some fun. Stretch my legs. See if this girl is the real deal," he said. Cinder decided she had enough.
"You can't goad me like that, you know." She said, narrowing her eyes again and standing at her full height.
"Aww, but that's part of the fun. Thought we could learn about each other, share techniques." he said, not getting the message.
"No." She said, voice with an edge that could cut steel. The girl visibly grimaced.
"Ok, ok. You're busy. Later then." He said, backing away from her.
"No." She said again.
"Yes." He answered, using finger guns and walking backwards in the direction of every other new student that arrived. 'Em' just looked at her like she had the worst day of her life.
"I'm so sorry. I won't waste more of your time. Though, you do look tough." She said.
"I am. Now go get acclimated. We expect a lot out of you in Beacon." Cinder said.
"We?" Asked the girl.
"I teach here." She said, looking around, trying to spot any of her sisters so they could get her out of this.
"Wow. That's… disappointing." She said. Cinder glared at her.
"What?" She asked, unable to control her tone. No one called her that. She would not allow it.
"I mean, you are so strong, and yet you are here, teaching people that may not end up doing anything?" Asked the girl.
"I think-" Before she could continue, a burst of petals engulfed her. 'Em' was startled as the petals reformed into a girl.
"Hey Super Sis! Sorry we're late, we got this awesome board game, and it was so cool, you should come play." Said Ruby, speaking at hyper speed. Cinder put a hand on her head, attempting to stop her.
"Alright, I get it. Try to not keep me waiting next time, okay?" Said Cinder.
"You already want to go out again?" Said Ruby, doubly excited. Cinder had to suppress a chuckle. Normally she would call Ruby childish but, she knew that her actions were deliberate. Even if she was naive, the red reaper was not as unaware as she seemed. She simply chose to remain in high spirits.
"We'll see." She said, then turned to Em once again. "You should go. Really." She told the girl, who seemed to be intensely focused on Ruby before being brought back to the present by the huntress.
"I get it. But do consider fighting Mercury. He really could use an ass kicking." Said the girl as she trotted away.
"Nice to meet you!" Said Ruby to the retreating student. She looked back, waved, and then disappeared into the interior of Beacon.
"What's going on?" Said a new voice. Cinder saw the black haired teammate of Ruby approach them. She looked exhausted. There was no sign of either Yang or the Atlas girl.
"Cinder made a new friend, I think. Did you?" She said.
"No. They were just annoying me, I think. Not easy being a known huntress." Said Cinder with a sigh.
"Why not? You get admirers, and you inspire people to be better. I want to be famous." Said Ruby. Cinder snickered.
"You? Famous? Could you really handle that? Crowds, fans, stalkers?" Asked Blake, much more serious than the huntress. Ruby seemed to deflate at that, looking at her feet.
"Well… no. No I don't think so. But the inspiring part is important, right?" She asked. Blake looked away, like the words reminded her of something painful. Cinder noticed, and so decided to divert the conversation.
"Right. And the other two? Where are they?" She asked. Ruby groaned.
"Team RWBY got told to prepare the Beacon Dance; but Weiss pretty much ran us out, since our ideas are not 'refined' enough" Said Ruby, air quoting the last part.
"You wanted to make it mandatory to bring weapons." Said Blake, arms crossed.
"It would be awesome. Weapons tell you more about people than anything else. Everyone would be able to show off their moves and themselves." Said Ruby, looking at the sky like she was dreaming.
"Now that would have been exciting." Said Cinder. She enjoyed dancing, both in and out of the battlefield, showing off her moves and her power. Combining the two seemed a good idea on paper, but she doubted either Glynda or Ozpin would like it.
"See? Even Cinder agrees." Said Ruby.
"Can we just get going?" Asked Blake, pointing to a waiting Bullhead.
Both sisters nodded, and the three women walked side by side to the vehicle.
"Didn't know you enjoyed combat, Cinder." Said Blake as they boarded the vehicle. The doors closed and the interior began rumbling.
"I don't enjoy it by itself. It's a means to an end. To show others how powerful you are." She said, looking trough a nearby circular window. The vehicle was somewhat packed with students and civilians.
"But if you don't enjoy it, what is the point?" Asked Ruby.
"Not everything in life is fun and games, Ruby." Said Blake, taking a seat near her teammate, while trying to keep her distance from everyone else, going so far as to squeeze to Ruby's side.
"I know. You think I like studying all day? But still… if you are going to do something for life, you should enjoy some of it, right?" Said Ruby.
"Some people are more pragmatic than others. Some have suffered a great deal to get where they are, and will continue to do so. And not always by choice. Sometimes life doesn't give you everything you want. Sometimes you have to take some loses." Said Cinder, trying her best to be serious. She really hated to bring down Ruby, but her optimism at times got the best of her, and the last thing she wanted was for her to be hurt. To see that stripped away suddenly and painfully.
"She's right. But I do think having some fun, like now, is good once in a while." said Blake with a kind smile. The red reaper returned it. Cinder looked at the two teammates, their bond clear as day. She felt blessed to have her sisters, in a way. To see them get those same things so easily, it made her chest feel warm.
Her quest for improvement, for strength, maybe it could wait. At least for today.
They arrived in the city of Vale in no time. From the station to the main street, everything was decorated with a variety of balloons, banners and stands all showcasing different cultures coming together for the festival. Even if the main event was still a few weeks away, people were already celebrating with games and food.
"Wow. I've never seen people from Mistral or Vacuo do things like these. It's so awesome. What should we do first?" Asked Ruby as they neared an intersection. One path was narrower but allowed pedestrians to walk the street while the other allowed vehicles but had a slew of restaurants and other businesses.
"I'm kinda hungry." Said Blake, then her stomach growled and the girl turned red. Ruby snickered, but hers did the same in no time.
"Maybe we could try some dishes from Menagerie. You come from there, right Blake?" Asked Ruby. Cinder raised an eyebrow as the black haired girl looked at the huntress with worry. Upon noticing this, Ruby covered her mouth. "Sorry."
"You are a Faunus? Why hide it?" Asked Cinder. Blake looked away for a second, bitterness evident in her face. She knew it very well, that bubbling hate, buried under a sea of justification and morality.
"As progressive as Vale is, people still don't like the Faunus." Said Blake.
"But there are so many here." Said Ruby, looking around. Cinder did the same, and indeed the ratio of human to Faunus was more or less even. She had only ever seen so many in Anima villages or the lower districts of Mistral.
"That doesn't mean anything. People could just be tolerating them, hiding their contempt." Said Cinder. She knew that very well. The fake pleasantries, the faces of disgust when a Faunus turned away.
"Oh come on. Not everyone is like that." Said Ruby.
"It's more usual than you think Ruby." Said Blake. The red reaper seemed to deflate.
"I refuse to believe that. It must be some bad apples, that's all." Said Ruby. Cinder did not have the heart to tell her. Or maybe she did, but this was not the time. Looking around awkwardly, the huntress spotted something familiar. A stand serving one of her favorite foods from Mistral.
"You ever taste Sushi, you two?" She asked them.
"Nope."
"Can't say I have. Is it good?"
"It's raw fish with some rice and other ingredients." Explained Cinder. Ruby's eyes narrowed in suspicion and some slight disgust, while Blake's glinted.
"That sounds amazing." Said the black haired girl.
"It is. Shall we get some?" Asked Cinder, pointing to the stand. Blake, upon seeing the funny way the older woman was looking at her, snapped out of her trance and calmly walked towards it, almost as if her previous demeanor hadn't happened.
Cinder and Ruby looked at each other, before Ruby almost burst out laughing as she began to walk towards the stand. The older woman shook her head before joining her two younger companions.
They got their food served quite quickly, and the Faunus man attending the stand was Mistralian in origin. When he saw Blake approach the stand, both of them seemed to form some kind of connection that warmed him to them.
The sat in three stools. Blake immediately dug into her food, Cinder took it more slowly to savor it, and Ruby struggled to pick up even one piece. Noticing her frustration, the older sister went leaned towards her.
"Need help?" She asked.
"Nope. I'm fine." She said as another piece was dropped into soy sauce, splattering everywhere.
"Sure. You do it like this." She said, demonstrating the correct finger positions.
"Really. I don't need help. Maybe if I stab it…" Said Ruby, trying to pinch one of the pieces.
"You need to do it properly! You're embarrassing us!" Said Cinder with irritation as she tried to take the chopsticks away from Ruby. The younger sister desperately resisted, going so far as to keep Cinder away by putting a boot in her face.
"You are embarrassing!" Countered Ruby, still trying to pick the pieces in her own way. Blake could do nothing else but enjoy the spectacle. She had never seen Yang struggle with Ruby like Cinder did. They truly were sisters.
After half an hour of trying to teach Ruby how to properly eat Sushi, the three companions finally started to enjoy their visit to Vale. Ruby was, of course, extremely excited about the various weapon shops that had imported guns and melee arms from all around Remnant.
Ornamental and traditional designs from Mistral, rough looking but extremely complex mechanisms from Vacuo; slick but advanced technology from Atlas. Ruby enjoyed all of it as she was allowed to test a few in various rapidly set up firing ranges.
"Wow. Is this a harpoon launcher?" Ruby asked as a purple cloaked man allowed her to lift a bulky looking weapon sporting a spear in it's firing mechanism. The rest of the weapon was a cylinder where the mechanisms were stored. The weapon needed to be hold by the trigger to be charged, but it would fire it with tremendous force.
"Indeed. Those Sinworms in Vacuo are big an' full a' plates. You need 'dis baby to punch trough them and keep' em from burrowing. A true beauty." Said the man in an accent that Cinder did not recognize. She eyed the weapon carefully as Ruby prepared to shoot it, using her forearm as the support for it. "Can also be used for slicin' an thrustin', and if anyone sees you with it, they'll definitely want some of that. Hehe" Cinder narrowed her eyes at the man.
"Inappropriate." Growled Ruby, completely focused on the weapon at hand. Cinder blinked, the girl truly had grown.
"Ruby, I don't think it's…" Said Blake as the weapon's harpoon was loaded into the main body and the rear began to exit trough the back. The spring holding it in place seemed to stretch out too much.
"Kid… please be…" Too late. The harpoon was shot forwards, piercing trough the hay target and trough a building behind it. The front of it exploded with force and Ruby was flung backwards into another food stand.
"Ruby!" Cinder shouted, going to her sister's side along with Blake. The red reaper was dazed, birds chirping over her head, but seemed otherwise unharmed.
"If I fire it backwards, would I be the harpoon?" The girl asked as Cinder was checking upon her. Upon hearing her ridiculous words, and knowing she was quite fine, the older woman couldn't help but snicker. She covered her mouth, but she could not contain herself and openly laughed. It was enough to snap the red reaper out of her daze.
"Wow, either I'm in a delusional coma, or Cinder really laughed." She said, at this Blake laughed, but Cinder stopped, now looking at Ruby with a stone face.
"You okay, then?" She asked her. The girl rose to her feet with one jump, apparently unharmed.
"My cabbages!" Said an old man, gripping a bunch of crushed green vegetables in mourning. "You monsters! You better pay for this!"
And she did. Cinder literally paid for the damages out of pocket. She had accumulated quite a sum from hunting in Mistral, but it was still unpleasant to have to part with it.
As they continued on their small trip in the fair, they tasted more food; or Ruby did at least. They checked weapons and clothes, talked small, and enjoyed the new faces in the crowds.
Cinder couldn't believe it, but she was actually having fun. Using her training to win pointless games, wasting her money on food that she was not eating, spending her time with her sister and her friend instead of practicing or working. As long as she was with Ruby, she felt good. She felt it was worth it.
That was when a cage suddenly fell on her; the realization hitting her in the face.
You are unworthy of this.
You are a killer.
You are a murderer.
You are a slave.
You are powerless.
Even now, you are nothing.
"Cinder?" A voice pullet her out of her trance. It was Ruby.
"What?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.
"You suddenly stopped, you okay?" Asked her younger sister.
"I'm fine. You?" Asked the older woman, Ruby looked like she was about to expel something from within her.
"I might have had a little too-" She began, but a burp escaped her mouth.
"If you throw up in the dorm, Weiss is gonna kill you." Said Blake.
"Sorry." Replied Ruby.
"What were we doing now?" Asked Cinder.
"I'm gonna go pick a book from a nearby store. I heard they have The Archer of Inferno." Said Blake, guiding them towards the streets.
"Don't you get tired of books? We already have thousands from school." Said Ruby.
"Reading is good Ruby. It boosts your brain and imagination." Said Blake.
"I think she already has enough imagination as she is. Especially when it comes to weapons." Said Cinder, glaring at Ruby.
"Don't look at me like that. The grenade sling was awesome."
"You nearly destroyed the house. I can't believe Yang allowed it."
"No one can resist my puppy eyes."
"I can."
"I've been practicing. You'll see soon."
When the three women arrived at the bookstore, it turned out their destination had been somewhat compromised. The street was blocked off by barriers and police tape as various armed guards stood near an ambulance.
Seeing this, Blake ran forward, but an armed policeman stopped her.
"Stop. This is a crime scene."
"What happened?" She asked, clearly distressed.
"Stay clear ma'am." he said. Cinder didn't like this. Blake was clearly worried about something. She didn't often get involved in criminal cases, but as a huntress, she had to set a good example for Ruby at least.
"I'm a huntress. Who is in charge here?" She asked with a commanding tone. The man tensed.
"N-no one. We've just labeled this a murder by White Fang." Said the policeman, his voice meek.
"White Fang?" Asked Ruby.
"Yes. This man apparently deserted. So we ruled it as that."
"So it's getting worse..." Whispered Blake.
"And there are no suspects? No anything?" Asked Ruby.
"We don't have the time or manpower to deal with what is clearly a faunus issue. The Vytal Festival is upon us, and that takes precedence. Now move along." he said, regaining his composure. Seeing Blake's agitation, Ruby stepped in.
"But you are supposed to help everyone." Said Ruby. Cinder glared at the man. It was not his fault on one hand, but on the other, following orders only got you so far. Still, this was not anyone's problem anymore.
"Let it go Ruby." Said Cinder, her tone stern.
"But…" The girl protested.
"Now" She said, a dangerous edge to her voice. For the first time in a while, she felt the girl glare at her. The red reaper turned tow and started walking away from the scene, along with Blake who looked extremely down. Cinder sighed; she would talk to Ozpin.
She looked back at the bookstore, and at the white sheet covering the body that was being taken away. If things were getting violent, then she had to protect her sisters. It's the least she could do.
She closed her red coat, and followed her two companions.
The three women walked in silence. The crowds were becoming more and more robust as the day progressed into dawn, but Beacon still had curfew rules and so they decided to head back. Of course Cinder could ignore those, but Ruby and Blake could not.
Blake had remained in a silence, looking as if someone had died, with Ruby looking at her companion in concern.
"Blake? You ok?" Asked Ruby.
"I'm alright. I just wish… the White Fang is lost. Now they're little more than terrorists, it's hard to see what it has become." She said.
"It's not your fault." Replied Ruby.
"I know. But… I can't help but wonder how this happened?" Asked Blake, hugging herself.
"Hate can warp anything." Said Cinder. Both girls looked at her.
"I know. It's just hard. They've…" Said Blake, before stopping herself. Cinder arched an eyebrow.
"You were with the White Fang. I don't mind." She said. It had been obvious due to her reaction.
"Why?"
"I know what it's like, to be seen as less than human." Said Cinder, remembering her time. Only then did she realize in front of whom she had said it.
"Cinder? What do you mean by that?" Asked Ruby, a look of horror in her face.
"Nothing. I've just seen some stuff in Mistral. That's all." Said Cinder. Lying came easy to her now, not that she enjoyed it.
"Oh. So it's like that everywhere huh." Said Ruby, tone somber.
"Yeah. The world can be a very bad place." Said Cinder.
"But it doesn't have to be that way." Said Ruby, looking forwards. The older woman looked at her step sister.
"What? You gonna change the world?" She asked.
"If I can. And I'll start now; by stopping the White Fang from hurting anyone else." Said Ruby, looking at Blake, who smiled at her in return.
"Wow Ruby. You never lose hope, huh." Said Blake.
"Nope. Especially not when a friend is in need." She said, taking Blake's hand. The black haired Faunus looked away with a blush. Cinder looked at the display with a stone face. Her sister was impossible to crush, it seemed. She knew it could not last, and that saddened her.
"And how do you plan to do that?" Asked Cinder as they approached the bullhead station.
"We'll think of something. Maybe some detective work." Said Ruby.
"You know no teacher is going to allow that, right?" Said Cinder.
"Good thing one of our teachers is my dear Sister, who would never betray us." Said Ruby with a very sarcastic tone.
"Right. Maybe I'll be too busy with the exams and the festival to keep watch." Said Cinder, faking a worried voice.
The two girls laughed as they boarded the bullhead and set off to Beacon.
"But seriously…" Said Cinder, addressing both Blake and Ruby. "… I'm glad you decided to take this into your hands, but try to not make me lose my job." She said.
"So you won't help us?" Asked Ruby.
"I'll fight in my own battlefront." Said Cinder. Yes, she knew getting trough to Ozpin about anything was like slamming against a brick wall, so she would take matters into her own hands.
"Speaking of battlefront…" Said Blake, looking out the window of the bullhead. "… Are those atlas battleships?" She asked. Looking at each other, Cinder and Ruby joined the black haired teen on the window. Indeed, there was a fleet of Atlas ships approaching their school. Many of the other passengers had joined to observe as well.
"What the hell?" Whispered Cinder.
Her scroll rang, and taking it out she could see Ozpin was calling her.
"Headmaster." She said, curtly.
"Professor. Please come to my office. There are important matters to discuss."
"Damn, did you see that bitch? Ice cold." Said Mercury, pacing around the room.
"Will you stop it with that?" Asked Emerald, clearly irritated.
"Hmm. It's outright disrespectful. At least the redhead should prove a nice fight." He said, sitting on one of the beds of their room.
"At least you get the easy job."
"C'mon, how hard is it to fool people?" He asked, smiling at her with sarcasm.
"Harder than it looks. Once screw up and we're dead. Meanwhile you-"
"Cut it out, both of you!" Said a voice on their window. Both teens jumped, frightened at the dark cloaked figure standing there.
"Jeez! I thought it was cool at first, but now it's just creepy." Said Mercury.
"Did you locate the girl?" Asked the woman to Emerald, ignoring the boy.
"Yeah. Seems easy enough. The older one didn't take the bait though." Said the tan girl.
"No matter. Make sure they meet our operative in Vale." Said the woman.
"But how will we lure her?" Asked Emerald. The woman seemed to smirk.
"Torchwick will see to that, just focus on the teacher, report her every action. Our mistress is very interested in her." Said the woman.
"She's kinda hot." Said Mercury, only to get slapped by Emerald. When both teens looked back, the woman was gone.
A/N: Kinda short chapter. Next one, Cinder decides to investigate the White Fang. Can you take a guess as to who this secret person is? It's not an OC, I'll try to keep them as far away as possible. With the exception of Ishinn. Chiao!