Chapter 3

Billow

I wasn't normally one to turn down free food. However, fish of any kind made my stomach crawl, and the person whose wallet would be supporting this endeavor wanted to sniff out every little secret of mine he could.

So no. I wasn't happy when I stepped in a small sushi restaurant towards the outskirts of Vale. The smell of fish hit my nose, and I resolved to hold my breath for however long this excursion would take.

Alpin was already seated at a table nestled towards the back of the Brothers-forsaken place. He waved me over, an unconcerned smile settled on his face. I seated myself, hands clasped around my lap, around the scroll that lay hidden there.

"You're a few minutes late." he remarked. "I thought you Atlesians were sticklers for time."

"I'm not Atlesian." I grumbled. Alpin's confused yet intrigued stare, and the meaning of those words finally hitting my brain, prompted me to hastily add, "N-not anymore at least."

Alpin hummed in acknowledgement, seemingly preoccupied with the menu. He took a moment to scan the contents, and began his interrogation right as I realized with increasing dread that there wasn't anything remotely fish-less on the menu.

"So, you grew up in Atlas?"

"Yes." I picked my words carefully, rummaging through past memories better left buried. "My mother is a naval engineer. Most of the ships sailing around Atlas are her creations." I took a breath in, aware that my palms were already damp with sweat. "Aalto, my father, is an architect."

Rings glistening in the light, Alpin twisted one around his finger. "So why'd you enter military school? You definitely don't fit the archetype." he smiled apologetically, adding, "No offense."

Still making an effort to breathe in as little as possible, I sighed, "It was a… family thing. My parents wanted me to enter the military to gain more ground for the family company. They wanted to make military ships or something."

"You don't sound too confident in that."

Huffing, I retorted, "The reason was never important. They wanted me to go, so I did."

Alpin scanned my expression for a moment. "That's noble."

"It wasn't my first choice."

"Oh?" there was a twinge of something, some light of curiosity, that flickered in Alpin's eyes. "What was?"

"Doesn't matter." I set my scroll to the side, crossing my arms across my chest, only to drop them back into my lap when the pose was too uncomfortable to maintain. "They sent me to the academy, I dropped out. That's… really all there is to it."

Alpin's smirk grew, and he leaned forward slightly, as if he couldn't hear me fine from where he was. "About that, what made you quit?"

Something within me turned icy, and for a moment I struggled to find the words. "My teammate died. You already knew that."

"Right." Alpin leaned back. "What about the other two?"

Resisting the urge to deflect the question entirely, I said, "One is in Vacuo. The other's still in Atlas… I think. We haven't really talked since… everything."

"Is she not the forgiving type?"

Head suddenly filling with flashes of memories, I muttered, "Not really."

Atlesian Tundra, three years ago…

"I'm so sorry, I really didn't see you there-!" I hurriedly sheathed my spear, trying to aid the victim of my missed strike. The surge of water was meant for the grimm.

Her copper hair was plastered over her face like a curtain, and she brushed it out of the way just in time to glare at me.

I felt my steps slow, then stop when I saw the stranger's face.

She held the same dignified posture all Atlesian socialites were taught to carry, though her eyes seemed to burn with disdain. They were the same eyes that the news outlets only recently got glimpses of, though her name had made headlines long before.

"You're Asha White." I found myself saying, unsure why I sounded so stunned, why I found myself stepping back.

"That I am." her voice was low, yet haughty. "And you are the Grey heiress."

She unsheathed her sword, walking past me and towards the vague outlines of Grimm in the distance. "You are also my partner, per the initiation rules. Don't worry, I'm not thrilled either."

Present…

The reality that the infamous White heiress was to be on the same team as I hadn't sunk in at that point. Instead, the only thought that ran through my head as I watched my soon-to-be teammate stalk away through the incoming blizzard was, "Ice heiress… the tabloids were right."

"Meaning?"

Alpin's voice shook me out of my trance, and I realized I had muttered my initial thoughts about Asha aloud.

"Oh, er, my partner was an heiress of a well known family. Asha White, I'm not sure how many people outside of Atlas have heard of that name, but she was known as the "ice heiress" because of how cold she was. It was an accurate nickname… unfortunately."

With increasing dread, I noticed Alpin's eyes widened with intrigue at the mention of Asha's name. "I've heard that name." he chuckled.

"I saw you in the newspaper." I blurted out before Alpin could get the chance to further interrogate. "Are you part of some fancy group?"

Alpin was silent for a moment, the surprise evident on his face. Then, he laughed. "Of course I'm in the newspaper. Do you really think the press could resist my face?"

"Uh…" I found myself fumbling for a response. "My partner was in the news a lot." I laughed nervously when I realized I had circled back right to the topic I had hoped to avoid.

Alpin smiled, all too aware that I had done his work for him. "Is that so?"

Tragically so.

Atlas Academy dorm, three years ago…

Luxia, her pigtails bouncing with her as she moved, gestured to Asha, who was digging through a drawer and practicing intentional ignorance. "I think it's safe to say that everyone thinks she's shady."

I gave a tense sigh, knowing how it was all too easy to agree, but for whatever reason, I was made the leader of BLAC, and this wasn't exactly a good team dynamic. "Listen, I'm just saying it wouldn't hurt if you gave her a little more trust-"

"Trust?" she was nearly stomping as she approached me. "Tall order." I began to backpedal as Luxia started to ramble. "How can I trust you? You're weird. Why do you drink so much water? Why do you take so long in the shower? Why do you get so weird whenever family's brought up? Is yours bad? Are they evil? Do they kill political opponents? Do they run a network of extortion and blackmail? How about-"

Asha slammed a drawer shut, and the room fell silent. Eyes dancing with fire, she growled, "Enough."

For a moment, her and Luxia only glared at each other, a thousand words waiting to erupt forth. Then they huffed and turned away, saying nothing at all.

Present…

I found myself reaching for my scroll as images of newspapers and tabloids and magazines flooded through my head. I was drowning in an ocean of unwanted memories, to put it poetically.

My hands trembled, and I could barely mumble, "I'll be right back." as I stood, nearly lunging for the back door.

The cool air of Vale hit me, and I leaned against the windowless wall, scroll-clenching fist raised to my chest, trying to slow the furious heartbeat underneath. I hit the 'stop record' button that blinked up at me, and my scroll's screen turned blank.

Without thinking, I dialed Pine's number.

"How's it going?" her voice, raspy but level, hit my ear. "Any useful info?"

"No…" my voice trembled.

Pine's voice was hurried, quick to reassure, "Hey, don't worry about it. If he's making you that anxious, then ditch him. I was probably overestimating how much info the guy really had-"

"It's not him. I just… didn't plan on taking trips down memory lane. The moment I finally think I'm done reliving the past, he manages to find a way to circle right back to it." I sighed through gritted teeth as I began to pace. "Whenever I ask the guy a question, he talks a lot, says nothing, then points the questions right back to me."

"It's an acquired skill."

The sudden presence of Alpin's voice sent my scroll clattering to the ground. I whirled to face him, Pine's voice echoing distantly on my scroll. "How much did you hear?" I reached for my spear.

Alpin's smirk only widened. "Every word."

Asha

It was a sunny afternoon when my scroll buzzed in the midst of a stratagem lecture, the brief ringtone echoing through the silent lecture hall. The eyes that fixated on me brought sweat dripping down my back.

"Miss White, perhaps scrolls are tolerated in Atlas, however I'm afraid that's not the case here." The professor narrowed her eyes. "Since your technology is supposedly so important to you, why don't you enlighten us as to what could possibly-"
I had already stood, gathering my things before she could even finish her sentence. While she was insufferable, there was a different reason I was rushing towards the door.

"Family emergency." I said, nearly slamming the door closed behind me.

While not quite as expansive as Atlas, Mistral was a sprawling city, and while my walk was mostly downhill, the walk back was guaranteed to be unpleasant.

After nearly twenty minutes, the space between buildings had grown, and the number of passerby had dwindled as well. There, a large building sat, its exterior well polished compared to the humbler buildings nearby. Above, a distant red light flickered, shining from the top of a tower within the building.

Even outside it smelled faintly of smoke.

Supposedly it was formerly an airship terminal. An ironic correlation to the fact that the building was now dedicated to "Foreign Affairs", as the sign implied.

I shrugged the coincidence off, walking inside as the sliding glass doors parted for me. There was but a lone man inside, seated at the check-in desk, and behind him crates of dust rolled past on an conveyer belt. So it really was a former airport.

The man initially glowered, standing as if to confront me, but after a second glance his eyes widened, and he returned to his seat, silent. I tossed a puzzled glance his way before continuing on.

He wasn't the only one to greet me with surprise. On the elevator up, I heard numerous whispers, and every passerby glanced back twice once they got off the elevator. I would find less passerby on the top floor, though those that did pass did so with sneers.

No matter.

A set of winding stairs led to the tower's peak, and I took a moment to catch my breath before knocking. A moment passed before a dismissive, "Come in." was heard. To my dismay, the voice was male, and I took a moment and a breath before entering.

The former control room was formatted much like an office, with a desk, bookshelves, and holographic screens, all sitting before the fully glass walls.

The room reeked of smoke.

Seated with boots propped up at the table, a man just a few years older fiddled with a cigarette. His eyes were bright orange, contrasting his dark brown ponytail. He smirked at my entry.

"Ashes. Been a while."

"Where's Aphanite?" I growled. "We have much to discuss."

Cole's smirk turned sharp. "Indeed." he sneered. "Your manners, for one." He stood, the red lines on his gloves alight with flames. He threw a cloud of embers at me, and raised a brow when I dodged with ease.

"Huh. I'm out of practice." he shrugged. "It'll be an accurate strike the next time you talk down to me."

"Aphanite was the one who asked to meet." While I had maintained my upright stance despite having flames tossed at me, my hands were clenched into shaking fists.

"I'm surprised you didn't catch on." Cole brandished a scroll, setting it besides another that rested on the desk. "You hate me. Why bother texting from my own number, which is blocked, as opposed to using someone else's?"

"Where. Is. She?"

Cole chuckled. "Take a seat Ashes, she won't be back for a bit. She's out collecting some payments. Left her scroll with me cause damn things are easy to track." He brushed the scrolls to the side. "Anyways, I just wanted to ask… what the hell are you doing here?" Cole's "friendly" demeanor had vanished, and there was now a heated glare in his eyes.

For a moment, I couldn't conjure an answer. I could only sit, knowing only the truth, the one thing that couldn't be said.

"I wanted a change of scenery." I leaned back, sighing, "The empty dorm and invasive classmates weren't conducive to learning."

Cole only stared for a moment. He crossed his arms and suddenly was smiling again. "Figured you'd get burned out on Atlas. Cocktail parties, galas, all the glitz was Mother's thing, not mine." He smirked at me, and the apprehension on my face that surfaced when he blew out a puff of smoke. "Why are you even bothering with Haven? It's just gonna throw you back to Atlas. Wouldn't you rather work here? We're powerful Ashes, and the people here know it."

"I refuse to let the last four years go to waste."

He shrugged, standing and heading for the door. "If you prefer to get ordered around by… I believe the name's Barusai… then be my guest."

Cole opened the door, holding it open for me with narrowed eyes. "Just keep your nose where it belongs." he sneered as I walked past.

The moment I returned to the stairwell, the door slammed shut behind me.

The walk back to the academy was silent. Silent enough for me to hear the distant footsteps echoing mine.

After several minutes, I finally sighed. "I know you're there."

Pyrite tumbled from her hiding place (that being some bushes lining the road) with a yelp. She managed to take Marcas down with her.

I glowered over the two. "Explain why you followed me when I insisted on taking this excursion alone?"

Marcas glowered back, whereas Pyrite waved her arms, exclaiming, "Aw, come on Ash! You got this weird look on your face, and suddenly stormed out of class, I thought someone died-"

"You have no need to worry." I grumbled. "I was reconvening with a distant relative."

"How distant are we talking?" Pyrite's expression was curious now. "Like, is he interested in blind dates? I guess good looks run in your family."

I crossed my arms across my chest, huffing, "Cole and I aren't related by blood. And sorry to disappoint you, but Marcas would have better luck. Cole doesn't swing that way." I sighed. "And even if he did, he's engaged to his work."

Pyrite grumbled, "Thanks for crushing my dreams Ash."

I sighed and followed her back to the academy, Cole's warning still ringing in my ears.

"So you mean to say that your investigation yielded nothing?"

I struggled to bite back the irritation as I replied, "I was expecting to meet with Aphanite, not Cole."

"Right." I could hear the sound of shuffling papers, no doubtedly the midterm exams from Camphor's toxicology class. "However, I find it hard to believe that you were allowed to walk right into their layer and yet still chose to do nothing."

"I wasn't alone. If I attempted to investigate, surely they would've-"

"Faunus or human?"

Camphor's question appeared so out of the blue that it took me a moment to register the question. "What?"

"Were the people you mentioned Faunus or human?"

"Mostly human," I answered, somewhat unnerved, "I don't recall encountering any Faunus, at least ones whose traits were visible."

"That rules out an alliance with the White Fang," Camphor pondered. "Was there anything of note about the base?"

"Well, it's a former airport." I paused, then added, "There were crates of dust inside."

The sounds of typing reverberated from my scroll. "No doubtedly smuggled. I suppose their choice of building to inhabit does work well with those types of illegal acts. Anything else of note?"

For a moment, I sat in silence. "Cole asked me to join him."

The typing noises stopped.

Camphor's voice was a little slower when he asked, "And what was your answer?"

Something about that made me pause. I caught a glimpse of a yellow glow from the corner of my eye, but turned to find nothing there.

"Asha."

"I refused of course." I said, a little too quickly, turning back towards my scroll.

The traces of a faint sigh could be heard from the other end of the line. "Good." Camphor's voice was back to its usual self.

Silence echoed, and for a moment I assumed Camphor had hung up. He was never one to announce his departure.

Then, "I received a report that you were seen running through the streets of Mistral sword unsheathed." He paused, before adding, "I do hope you weren't doing anything foolish."

"There was a street thief. I chased them down, however, they escaped." For a second, I pondered whether or not to tell Camphor about the emblem, before ultimately deciding he didn't need to be aware of that.

I didn't need his help afterall.

After a few more minutes of mundane reports, I was finally left in silence. I stood, walking a few paces before turning back to the desk and noticing that the notepad I kept nearby was partially disintegrated.

Sighing, I swept the ashes into the trash can, and a thought hit me.

Cole had information on nearly everyone in Mistral. And since the White family emblem was on that cloak, Cole likely knew about the individual, assuming the individual didn't work for Cole directly.

So why was I so quick to refuse his offer?

I'd have every thread of information at my fingertips. Bringing in the crook and interrogating them would be child's play. But still, something about the thought of interacting with Cole and Aphanite made me feel sick to my stomach.

I didn't need their help either. I could find the crook all on my own strength, with my own two hands.

Conifer

"Are you sure this will work?"

Sweat dripped down the back of my neck, and despite it being relatively early in the morning, it was suffocatingly hot.

Lime, unfazed by the heat, scoffed at my hesitance. "You'll be fine, Sapling. I didn't bust my butt training you just to watch you lose."

"But I-"

"Shush." Lime pointed her dagger a little too close to my face. "No more whining, it's annoying. You got skills, start acting like it."

Fearfully, I nodded.

Sheathing her dagger, Lime watched other armed competitors walk past before turning back to me. "Remember what I told you. First round, focus on the grimm. If you get into a scuffle with another huntsmen, I will murder you."

"Right." I subconsciously clenched my injured hand. "No fighting."

Lime finally smiled, and nodded in approval before turning to examine the Vacuan wilderness. A crowd had begun to form, with combatants carrying guns, swords, and just about everything in between.

"Don't lie about how many grimm you get. Just don't."
"Why on Remnant would I cheat?"

Lime shrugged. "You'd be surprised. Anyways, you should get ready. No one usually makes any announcements, once you hear the gunshot, start running." Lime patted my shoulder as I unsheathed my bow. "You'll kill the competition, so don't sweat it Sapling."

"K-kill?"

"Figurative speech." Lime sighed. "Remember what I said about getting into fights."

Before either of us could say any more, a gunshot reverberated through the air, and the crowd was suddenly alight in a spur of moving feet and kicked up dust.

"W-was that really it-?" I questioned before I was abruptly shoved forward.

"Doesn't matter Sapling, start running."

I ran, but navigating sand was like navigating sludge. While others practically flew across it, I was tripping over my own feet.

However, those ahead didn't realize that the ground was literally moving. I barely had enough time to jump out of the way before a snake grimm surfaced, already snapping at my ankles. Barely managing to stifle a yelp, I loaded an arrow and fired, managing to hit the snake's rattle.

I was readying another shot, preparing to aim for the head, when a knife zipped through the air, barely missing my head and landing right where I intended to fire.

By the time I turned to see who had thrown the knife, they were already running towards another grimm. I glanced at the knife they left behind and shook off the feeling like I had been cheated.

That feeling would last. First it was the snake grimm, then it was the beetles, even the Blindworm that nearly broke my aura was stolen at the last second. By the time I heard the second gunshot, I was stumbling back on trembling knees and desperately trying not to cry.

"Sapling, how'd it go-" Lime stopped short when she read my expression. "That bad?"

I nodded.

Joining the line of other competitors, Lime made sure to remind me once again, "No matter how you did, don't lie."

"I know." I clutched my bow to my chest with sweaty hands.

By the time we reached who I assumed were the judges, the sun had begun to set.

"How many?" a judge asked, impatiently tapping a clipboard.

"Five." my voice was quiet, but the judge's cat ears were capable of hearing me loud and clear.

"Right." she mulled over the clipboard for a second. "You've moved on to the second round. Congrats."

Throat dry, I nearly dropped my bow in shock. "What?"

The judge merely nodded and gestured to the arena, which was little more than a clearing roped off by fence. "You're number seven. You'll be called when it's your turn. Good luck."

The sun had nearly set by the time I was called.

Gathering up my weapon, I stood from the dusty ground and nudged past people, murmuring, "Excuse me, I'm so sorry-"

Perhaps the crowd was thinner where I had waited, as I reached the arena first.

I wouldn't have to wait long for the fight to begin.

I felt my knees go weak as my lavender haired opponent entered the arena. She smiled and laughed upon reading my expression.

"Found you."