Amiya absentmindedly played with the rings on her fingers. Not much else she could do while they were flying towards Vale. Neither of her companions were much for idle conversation either.
Rosmontis wouldn't make conversation with anyone but her, and was asleep besides, while Adam was not the talking type in general. The Cautus Queen glanced at her red-headed companion, feeling the roiling emotions just beneath the deceptively calm appearance he put on. Her ability to read his emotions was perhaps one of the biggest reasons she managed to win him over.
A second of static followed by a voice speaking into her headset cut her from her musings.
"Your Majesty, ETA in 10 minutes. Noting heavy Atlas' presence in the drop-zone as well. Looks like you were right on the money."
Amiya spoke into her earphone, relaying her thanks. "Also," she added, "there's no need to call me your Majesty in private, McGregor."
The pilot responded with a chuckle. "Naw, no can do, gotta get used to it soon or I might slip up in public! Wouldn't wanna embarrass myself in front of all those important people after all."
Though he couldn't see it, Amiya rolled her eyes, though she was smiling as she did so.
She turned to Rosmontis, the girl napping as she leaned to the window side of the Bullhead, and gently shook her awake. After a moment, the bluenettes eyes fluttered open. Yawning, the Feline stretched out her arms in front of her, palms facing forward.
Amiya giggled and Rosmontis turned to her, head tilting in confusion.
"Sorry, you just look so much like a cat when you stretch."
Still looking confused, Rosmontis nevertheless accepted the comparison as a compliment, and resolved stretch more like a cat, if it made her happy. Amiya meanwhile turned to their third companion.
"Adam, ETA in 10. Noted heavy Atlesian presence as well." Though her voice was still as soft as ever, Adam saw the look in her eyes, warning him to be on his best behavior. The bull Faunus rolled his eye, ignoring the pout the Queen of Babel sent his way. He wouldn't start any trouble, but that was as far as he would go. He had already agreed to taking off his mask, he wasn't going to compromise any further.
He idly fingered the eyepatch he was given to cover the brand on his face. This conference would be televised, and revealing the atrocity the SDC committed on him would be incendiary – perhaps enough to cause serious backlash against Atlas and the SDC. It would also be harmful to their extremely precarious position right now.
Menagerie – or rather, Rhodes Island, as Amiya wished to call it, though the reasoning behind the name escaped him – was stable for now, the shock and negativity of replacing that useless oaf Ghira largely replaced by awe at Romsmontis power, and surprised satisfaction at Amiya's capability in leading people.
But that wouldn't last. Menagerie in the first place had very little natural resources asides their sea-based ones, and even those were unreliable due to the Grimm that were lurking the waters surrounding the island, and the lack of power to combat them.
When Menagerie was first given to the Faunus after the Great War, it was hailed as a victory for their kind – their own land, from where they could make a society for themselves where they could be treated as equals to humans.
It became clear rather quickly that that was not the case.
Menagerie was a prison, meant to isolate the undesirables of Human society. They would be exiled there, with few being permitted to leave. The lack of actual resources to develop meant that starvation and sickness wracked the population chronically.
The Faunus Rights Revolution was supposed to have put a stop to that, but the Humans simply shifted strategies.
Though Faunus could come and go as they pleased, the discrimination against them had become subtle – lower wages, uneven hiring practices, refusal of certain services based on the thinnest of legal fictions, and general mistreatment would see most Faunus go back to the island, choosing for themselves isolation from human society.
Then the lack of resources would force the Menagerie to trade with the other Kingdoms, the closest of which was Mistral, who were more or less extensions of Atlas' will. The conditions for the trading of goods were lopsided, but with Menagerie had no choice to accept, if they wanted to keep their people alive.
It surprised Adam how quickly Amiya grasped the situation, especially with how little of Remnant's history she knew.
He was no longer 'Adam of the White Fang', but rather 'Adam of Babel', and truth be told he was having difficulty reconciling the two. He had fought all his life because it was the best way to further their cause, but now, if he were to use force it would put the legitimacy of Amiya's rule into question, and he wouldn't risk that. Solidifying Amiya's status as their leader was absolutely critical to the uplifting of the Faunus.
The him from scarcely three months ago would hardly be able to believe it, but it was the truth.
Even now, despite how precarious their position was, she had done something that he had always thought of doing, but never actually acted on – taking leadership from that soft fool Ghira by force, and having the Faunus on Menagerie acknowledge her leadership. And that was not all of it, she had plans far beyond that, and Adam found himself thinking to that pivotal moment, when she outlined her vision for the Faunus people.
When she first proposed her plan, Sienna thought her insane, or at least foolish, but for Adam, that was the first time he felt that they could see eye-to-eye, and that it might not be so bad to call this little girl who scarcely reached up to his chest 'Queen'.
"Approaching landing pad, everyone, we have arrived at Beacon Academy"
The voice in their headsets announced their arrival. Closing his eyes he took a long, deep breath, steeling his nerves, readying himself to reign in the rage that would no doubt come. When he opened his eyes again there was Amiya, already out of her seat and getting ready to step out, Rosmontis following closely behind her, the jostling of the Bullhead a telltale sign of her grabbing hold of the weapons stored in the back with her Semblance.
Wilt and Blush at his side, he took the spot to her left, and she gave him a small smile.
"It'll be okay, don't worry."
And if it won't? His face all but asked.
"You should have more faith in people Adam. Especially your enemies. You never know when there's a potential ally underneath."
Once again, she sounded as though she were speaking from experience, and once again, Adam was sure that she was, even if he didn't know how.
The door to Bullhead slid open, and on the other side was the Headmaster of Vale, accompanied by a blonde woman, beside them-
Adam narrowed his eyes and a flash of anger rushed through his body, his grip on Wilt tightening. The targets of his anger noticed the action and reacted accordingly, the white-haired woman's own weapon drawn in an instant, the look on her face relishing the thought of what she most likely thought as enacting justice.
A small hand touched the one gripping his sword, and he looked at Amiya, her eyes looking in the same direction he was a moment ago. Slowly, the red receded from his vision, and his gripped loosened, though the scowl on his face never left.
Winter Schnee glared at him with a look that promised death, while James Ironwood stood, face impassive as their party approached them.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person Miss Amiya," said the General suddenly. Ozpin and his blonde associate turned to him, the former with a raised brow, the latter with a glare. "Allow me to-"
"If you must address me, call me either Your Majesty or Queen Amiya."
Her sudden interjection was met with a stunned silence, and Adam chuckled inwardly. He suspected they knew very little about who, or what they were dealing with, if they expected her to be docile.
"Regardless of your misgivings towards me personally, or monarchy as a system, I am one and all considered the Queen of the Faunus of Babel. My title reflects the trust they have placed in me to elevate our people, and such trust must be respected. Address me with the same respect as I would do you, General Ironwood, or this meeting will not prove the least bit useful."
She said his title like it was a challenge, and the look of absolute outrage on the Schnee's face even as she was unable to do a thing would be a measure Adam would treasure for the rest of his life.