Disclaimer: RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, not me.
From Cinders Comes Fire - Making Progress
With a sigh, Lionheart pinched at the bridge of his nose, thumb and pointer rubbing at his forehead, trying to will away the mounting headache he could already feel coming on. This was not how he had wanted to start his day.
He should have known something was wrong the moment the secretary had staggered in, mouth stiff from fear, and left a larger than usual stack of reports on his desk. It was never a good sign when she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.
Now, his coffee was beginning to go cold in its jade and emerald teapot. His cup remained untouched on its coaster, and he'd been staring blankly at one particular report in the stack of documents for approximately ten minutes now.
Concord Village
Population: 529
Status: Unknown, Communication Lost
Grimm Status: Negative; No attacks/sightings reported for two weeks and counting.
Recommend Immediate Investigation to determine reason for lost communication_
This particular report had been from just the month prior. Nothing to really be concerned about, at least in theory. The lack of grimm sightings had been unusual, but not unwelcome. The forests surrounding Concord Village had always been a massive swampland; easy for the grimm to hide and build their numbers out of sight. More than one huntsman had made quite a profit simply by visiting the village for a time to deal with whatever lurked out beyond the villages and their large wooden gates.
Now, his attention turned to the most recent update. The main source of his currently mounting dread.
Concord Village
Population: Formerly 529
Status: Destroyed; No survivors reported
Grimm Status: Unknown — No visual sightings confirmed.
Evidence indicates grimm responsible for destruction of village.
Current whereabouts of grimm unknown_
The report then went on to detail three other villages in the surrounding area. Much like Concord, there was the similar pattern. First a sudden absence of grimm, deemed odd, but nothing too alarming. The next moment, complete radio silence, as if completely cut off from the rest of the world. And finally, by the time anyone came to investigate, the villages were already completely wiped off the map, seemingly in an instant. All without any survivors to report back just what had happened, and no trace of where the source of the attack had disappeared to after the fact. Whatever was responsible for all of this was smart, cutting off anyone from escaping to warn others, then retreating, disappearing as suddenly as it had appeared.
He already had his suspicions just which grimm was responsible for all the destruction.
Four villages, all well versed in defending themselves against the grimm without need from outside aide. And in the span of a month, this single grimm had wiped them all out without so much as a sighting after the fact.
Why hadn't he when seen the warning signs for what they were when he had the chance?
Underneath the reports was a grainy photo of the burning village of Concord. It's large wooden walls, made from the mightiest oaks, had been reinforced over many decades with steel and various technological advancements. Frequently it had been deemed a stalwart defence against the grimm lurking outside its borders, more than enough to ensure no grimm could ever assail them. Completely impenetrable while the villagers stood united against the horde.
Then his attention inevitably turned to the second photo.
The Komodusk had evidently plowed straight through the 'impenetrable gates' without effort nor pause. Now they had been completely reduced to splintered, jagged ruins of splintered wood and mangled metal.
In a column to the side was a list of all those who had died in the chaos. Lionheart recognized many of the names; people that he had known personally, back in the days of his youth. Good people, capable men and women all.
Gone in a single moment.
"Damn it," he whispered under his breath, "Just...damn it all."
The door opened with a hiss, and a moment later Hyacinth entered his office, standing tall in front of his desk. Initially stoic, her expression softened with sympathy as she read over the articles Lionheart was going over.
"Another attack?"
"Several." The headmaster downed the remainder of his coffee, tasting nothing but ash, shaking his head with a grimace. "Unchecked, unchallenged, killing at will. And so far our efforts to locate where it's hiding have been utterly fruitless."
Picking up a report, Hyacinth began reading through it. "No bodies, no grimm in the area… Not even so much as a trail to follow. …Do you think this thing is still a rogue element? Or is Salem deliberately provoking us by attacking villages at random with her newest pet?"
Another sigh, this one seeming to drain a great deal of energy clean out of him as he was forced to admit the truth. "I honestly haven't a clue. She's not known for wanton destruction… yet she could just be trying to draw us into an ambush when she's ready."
He didn't say it aloud, but he couldn't help but wonder. Just how many more villages had to be destroyed before they had an inkling of what their enemy was planning? Or where her monster was currently hiding?
Or how long it would take before they had so much something as an eyewitness account?
"...Whatever her reasons, it's clear the Komodusk is not some mindless creature." Hyacinth turned to the map atop the table, scanning over the markers that lined each location on its southern edge, signifying one of the four lost villages. "Concord… Batair… Verndari… and finally Andro… All these villages are along the southern borders. That puts the Komodusk somewhere in this region." She moved her hand over an area further south, "Near the mountain ranges where the swampland runs dry. Plenty of caves and deep caverns to hide itself in. Have any of Atlas' ships searched the area?"
"A few, but they haven't found anything." Lionheart admitted. "And none have been shot down either. That thing doesn't want to risk giving away its location. It's learned from its previous mistakes."
"What is it you want to do then?"
Lionheart's fingers bridged as he leaned against the table, eyes slightly narrowed. This monster was dangerous, that much was certain. Left unchecked, the Komodusk could very well create an uncontrollable chaos couldn't be suppressed, fear and panic running rampant. The rumours had not quite begun to spread as of yet, but if more villages continued to be wiped out… Another grimace and shake of the head. It was an outcome he did not want to see, knowing their true enemy would only further benefit from it all.
He let out a breath through his nose, forcing himself to calm down. Now was not the time to be jumping to conclusions. This was a delicate situation that required care and caution. Ozpin always stressed the importance of preventing a panic… but perhaps they would need a more direct method to ensure things stayed relatively calm and orderly as he desired. He never cared for all out attacking a problem with military might, but this situation was hardly the norm. And this Komodusk clearly wasn't going to stop its attacks using normal means.
All it took was a single error in reading the data, and several villages had paid the price for it. They needed to quickly put a stop to its rampage before they became common knowledge.
"Send a message to Ironwood. See if he can get a single warship to scout the area in place of their drones. It might help speed things up and find its whereabouts. Besides, a single vessel on a simple scouting run will work better than sending an entire fleet."
Hyacinth nodded in agreement, "Better to keep everyone calm, and prevent this monster from destroying any more villages."
"Letting the beast roam free isn't an option. Until then, it will be best if we start investigating the general area, under the guise of fieldwork and studies. While I don't want us rushing in recklessly, we need to locate where it could be hiding with all possible speed. …Assuming you're finished riling up our first year huntsmen and huntresses?" This last part was paired with a pointed look from the headmaster, just barely fighting off the small hint of a smile.
To her credit, the silver haired professor didn't even flinch at the remark. "I only did what was called for to get Ms. Fall back on track. Nothing more or less."
"So you say, Hyacinth. So you say."
"… I'll see if any of the seniors teams are willing to volunteer first. We'll try to get a lead based on the locations of its last few attacks, but if we do find any signs of it, we fall back immediately. They're still kids; better to give Atlas an update on its whereabouts at the earliest opportunity and have them take over from there."
"Agreed. See if Azure or Mordin are able to assist as well. Mordin's familiar with the area, and perhaps Azure can pull his head out of his experiments long enough to find something we may have overlooked."
With the first few steps of a full plan no in front of them, it felt like things were starting to move in the right direction.
Over the next couple of weeks, Cinder found her days at Haven settling into an established routine: Wake up early for morning training with Stone to improve her stamina, followed by morning classes with either Professor Von Shiroe or Revolantis, depending on the day. After lunch, there was combat training with Professor Bles (keeping her head down and her mouth shut the whole time), before the students were dismissed for a quiet afternoon. Once she was done studying her new notes from the day, she would join Stone and practice and improve her technique with one of the forms with him until both were satisfied with her progress.
"Deep breaths… Don't focus on one single spot, but everywhere around you."
Cinder had both blades out, moving in a variation of one of the forms that she had learned from Stone, the steps resembling a stylized dance as she stepped in and out, thrust and withdrew, raised the swords to attention directly in front of her chest before dropping them in a complex series of sweeping arcs, one after another. Left then right, right then left, finally ended with a two-handed thrust. The young hunter's face and hair were slightly damp with sweat, eyes burning with her inner fire, fixed somewhere in the middle distance as she wove and spun around some imagined opponent. Her face was pure concentration and intensity, focused completely upon this single activity and every single motion.
"Relax," Stone's instruction was calm and precise, carefully guiding her on how to properly flow through each step and offering advice on how to improve. The giant huntsmen was a encouraging and patient instructor, quick to demonstrate what she needed to do when asked, but completely unyielding; he wanted her to do the movements perfectly or not at all. He pushed her to the limits of her ability, then slightly beyond. Never too much to be overwhelming, but hard enough that she would have to earn an acceptable result.
She was grateful for that.
At first it had all seemed so alien to her, each step of the form easier said than done. But after what seemed like an eternity of stilted and jarring movements, Cinder's muscles finally seemed to understand what she needed to do; her swing of each blade became smoother, swifter. Not quite outright mastery, but a noticeable progress all the same.
Faster now, trepidation giving way to delight as she continued to move through the steps, punctuated by Stone's periodic instructions:
"Feet just a bit wider."
"Don't cross your legs when you move." A sudden warning as she tripped and stumbled. "Puts you off balance."
"Follow through. Let the weight of your swords do the work."
"Excellent. Well done."
"Keep your blades up."
She listened, did her best to obey, and felt a swell of satisfaction as some of her movements managed to flow with the grace of a true huntress. Still not quite perfect, but a significant improvement from where she had started. Much more than she thought possible with so little practice and training. At last, Cinder stepped back, lowering her blades after completing the final step, panting slightly from the exertions, eyes refocusing on the present. Already she could feel the burn settling into her arms and legs after a hard workout.
"Your form is coming along." Stone's voice was calm and even measured. No pros or cons; simply stating facts.
"It's a bit easier now. Different from what I'm used to, but I like it." A bit of extra versatility would always work out well if in a pinch. She placed her blades on her back, turning to follow after the giant as both headed back towards the dorms. "How many more times do I have to do this before I'm ready?"
Stone shook his head. "It's not about how many times you can do it, or how many forms you know. This practice is a lifelong one. You don't stop doing it just because you think you have the pattern down. Sort of like how you're constantly practicing with your bow. The moment you stop doing it for a time, you start getting rusty. And even if you do practice every day, you won't become the best at it overnight."
"It takes time." Cinder acknowledged as she considered his words, nodding to herself. It did make a certain degree of sense. It just meant she'd have to keep working harder to become the best huntress she could be. Rushing forward blindly would only cause problems down the road.
Some part of her thoughts must have shown on her face then, because Stone suddenly chuckled with clear amusement, getting her attention.
"You really don't have any consideration for second place at all, do you? You're that determined to be best of the best."
"I settle for nothing but the best." A shrug of the shoulders, trying to act nonchalant, even as she was struggling to hide a happy smile. "I want to be a huntress that's second to none."
"Heh, so I noticed. I can appreciate that." Stone adjusted his axe from resting over one shoulder to the next, free hand coming up to run through his hair, looking off to the side. A few more strides passed in silence, then, "If you don't mind me asking… How long have you wanted to be a huntress? What inspired you to work this hard?"
"All my life. I was… It was the one thing I really wanted to be growing up." It was not technically a lie; other than hunting itself, it was the only other thing that she had really been driven to strive towards, all but coveting the image in her memories with every story she read. The more stories she had read growing up with her mother, the more she desired that dream to—
"How long? How long are you going to punish her?" Her mother's voice, slightly strained, afflicted by what she would later realize to be the first signs of the illness she'd never recover from.
"Until she learns her place. So long as she lives under my roof, she will never—"
"She saved your life." A small fit of coughs punctuated mother's statement.
"She overstepped. She should be grateful I don't punish her further for her disobedience."
"Disobedience? Is that what you call it? Or is this more about your wounded pride?"
Silence followed, but the newfound tension in the air was unmistakable.
"The whole village saw what happened. And your tantrum the night after. You're literally the only person being unreasonable about all this. And after what you did to Willem—"
The rest of her words were cut off without warning. Hard. Loudly. The girl she was back then had to cover her mouth to hide her horrified gasp.
"I'm the one in charge of this household!" His shouts were thundering, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Not you! Not that ungrateful brat! It's MY DECISION! MINE! MY OWN! And she will NEVER be a huntress! I will NEVER allow it!"—
"A childhood dream then." Stone's words snapped the memory away, bringing her back to the present. "I admit, that says quite a lot about you, really."
The unpleasant memory still fresh in her mind, Cinder's voice sounded a bit more guarded even in her own ears than she intended it to be. "Really? How's that?"
If Stone noticed the edge in her voice, he gave no sign of it. "You know what you want. And you've pushed to improve yourself where you're lacking. You keep trying even after suffering setbacks, all to achieve your dream. I don't think I've ever met anyone like you."
Cinder stilled slightly, eyes widening. Okay, that… that had not been what she'd been expecting. It was rare for her to be complimented so… so openly like that. She wasn't sure just how to react. A part of her suddenly found herself too embarrassed to look the giant in her eye, a hand coming up to play with a stray lock of hair.
"Thank you... I-I guess. But I'm really no one special."
Her timid response only seemed to encourage the giant further. "I don't think that's true. If anything… I think you're quite… striking."
"Striking?"
"Yes. Absolutely! I find a lot of things about you to be striking! Especially your eyes."
Whatever warm feeling she was experiencing from Stone's words, it promptly vanished in that moment as if someone has poured glacial cold water over her head. She stiffened, the golden eyes in question widening. That was what he thought was her most striking feature? Her eyes?! The eyes she had gotten from… from him?
Those eyes then narrowed very dangerously, hands clenching into fists as her anger began to burn through the chill.
"... There is nothing special about my eyes."
Stone, damn his obliviousness in the moment, did not see the clear warning she was giving him, nor the danger he was walking into. "I disagree. You're eyes are by far your best trait. If I may be so bold…. I think they tell me everything about you."
It should have been a compliment. But to Cinder, it might as well have been a slap to the face.
Images of her father and his cruelty began to flood her mind. How he took everything from her that she ever waned, punished her for his wounded pride through no fault of her own, all while acting like she was the reason for everything wrong in his life. And all the while, his cruel golden eyes would stare down on her with hatred and malice. Golden eyes full of loathing and petty jealousy, blaming her for all his own shortcomings, as if he hadn't done a damn thing wrong to deserve it.
The same golden eyes she saw every day every time she looked in the mirror. Staring back at her with the same volatile intensity day after day after day.
And he honestly thought that was what he saw as her greatest trait?
"... There is. Nothing. Special. About my eyes."
Only now did Stone realize something was wrong. He now wore the look of one finding himself on very thin ice, but without any notion of how he'd gotten there or where the nearest shore lay. "Cinder, I'm sorry I... I swear, didn't mean to… I wasn't trying to upset you. It just—"
"Yeah? Well, you did!" Cinder snapped, her voice raw with the same emotion that had been so painfully evident when she tried to salvage her pride after her defeat against Ivory. "I was given no choice! If I could fix it, I would, but I can't!" Turning, she stalked away from Stone, then paused, her shoulders rigidly tight.
"I want to be alone right now," she said without looking back at him, her voice flat. "Don't follow me."
Then she was gone, leaving Stone alone, the look on his face completely lost.
Something bad had clearly happened.
Cy had suspected something was up when he saw Cinder returning from practicing the forms without Stone, golden eyes burning with the fury of a volcano about to erupt. He had tried to ask her what had happened, but Cinder had stormed right past him, a very loud silence demanding she be left alone and disappeared immediately into their dorm. After a few moments debating wether or not to attempt engaging Crimson's team leader in a comradely chat for answers, he had given up and went looking for the team's giant, trying to figure out from him out what had happened to leave Cinder in such a foul and fiery mood.
He didn't have to look too far, finding the big guy leaning against a nearby tree, running a hand through his hair, his eyes fixed on the ground ahead of him. All signs pointed to him being lost in thought, almost frantically trying to find the answer to a troubling question. The cause of Cinder's temper most likely. "Something happen between you and Cinder, big guy?" he offered after they had gone several moments in silence.
No response. Not even a shift in posture to indicate Stone had even heard the question. Ouch. Stone must have really screwed up then.
"Why, yes, Cyrus," he answered his own question in a deep contralto butchery of Stone's voice, placing his hands on his hips, tilting his head to the side. "Something did indeed happen with our team leader and myself. How nice of you to notice something so obvious, even as I am lost in thought and not answering you directly."
Stone made a exasperated chuffing noise and shook his head, but Cy did catch a faint hint of a smile touching his lips regardless. "That obvious, is it?" he asked, finally glancing over at him, "Her practice with the forms went well. No issues there, but…"
"… Buuuut?"
A defeated sigh, hand over his face again. "It seems I'm not very good company when talking to a woman. I think that I've talked enough for a while."
"Said something you shouldn't have, huh?" Well, of course he did, but the pained expression that crossed Stone's face confirmed it, as well as confirming that Cy wasn't exactly the best talker either in that moment. He regathered himself, tried again. "Look, I'm sorry Big Guy, but I really need to know what happened. You and Cinder seemed to be getting along quite well actually. If something's happened…" He trailed off, feeling like an utter heel for pushing him. This was why he'd never wanted to lead anyone, but with Cinder wrapped up in her anger and Ivory doing who knew what at the moment away from the rest of the team, he didn't really have much of a choice.
"I wasn't trying to hurt her," the giant sighed miserably. "I just… I said what I honestly thought was a complement. I was praising her, trying to express… how I felt about her, and… all I did was make things worse."
He listened as Stone began to describe the events of the previous conversation, frowning inwardly as the big guy got to the part where Cinder's reaction turned sour regarding her eyes. Nothing Stone had said appeared harmful or demeaning, but Cinder's reaction clearly showed she believed otherwise. Perhaps there was something missing that neither of them knew about, Stone inadvertently picking at a sore spot he had no way of knowing about beforehand. He certainly wouldn't want to hear well-meaning platitudes about his own family life without his express permission, not even from best friends. But Stone had meant no harm, and Cy knew his words would have been entirely sincere as he spoke them.
… So why did Cinder react so negatively to the compliment? That was a question that remained unanswered.
"I had no business trying to talk to her like that..." Stone murmured as he slid down the tree into a seated position. His grey eyes were shadowed with self recrimination. "I'm an idiot... I should have just kept my mouth shut."
"Hey, I definitely wouldn't go that far," Cy assured him, taking a seat of his own next to his close friend. It wasn't often Stone looked so damn crestfallen. "Sometimes talking to a lady you like is like… like… like walking through a minefield, I guess. You can go back and forth, back and forth, have no issue at all. But that one time you take just one wrong step, and…" A pause for effect. "That's all that happened here. You went off the safe path, took a risk, and it unfortunately blew up in your face."
"Hmph. Very helpful..."
"I do my best, what can I say?" He relented a bit, then continued. "... In all seriousness though? I think you just chanced upon a tender topic for Cinder right now. Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm sure she'll have forgiven you by the time we meet up after a little time alone."
"You think so?" Stone didn't look convinced.
He nodded. "From what I can tell about her? Yeah, she gets angry a lot. Tends to stay angry too for a while after. But if you can survive the first five minutes of her being angry with you, you're fine. Just... give her time. Let her cool off a bit. Try again later."
Still not entirely certain, Stone still nodded, acknowledging the advise. "I hope you're right… I am really sorry about what I said, though…"
"You don't have to apologize to me. You didn't say anything wrong. Maybe instead of words, try expressing yourself another way… That being said," he gave Stone a wry smile, "If you hear me screaming when I ask Cinder about this later, I'd appreciate you distracting her long enough for me to get away. Your semblance is better equipped for a barrage of fireballs."
That got a rumbling laugh out of the giant. "Thanks."
"Any time, you big dope."
The silence afterward was much more content, two friends who knew one another so well. Stone seemed a lot more relaxed than before. Now he appeared more content, thinking something over.
"Might I ask you for a bit of a favour?" the giant asked suddenly. "I have an idea. Though I won't be around for a few days."
"… I wouldn't be that much of a friend if I didn't. What you got in mind?"
"An apology. And… And hopefully a better way to express what I meant to say. Like you said."
"Oh?"
Interest turned into surprise as Stone explained his plan. Then surprised turned into appraisal. As he slowly looked everything over, there was now something Cy couldn't help but make a mental note about.
There would undoubtedly be more stumbles along the way, no matter how this all turned out. But it was also good too, in its own way. The two were already teammates, so there was potential there, if the rift between them was fixed. They could both be a huge help to the other overcoming their various flaws.
At the same time… A part of him just hoped the necessary trips back and forth through the minefield wouldn't get anyone else caught in the ensuing blast if — or rather, when — things did take another wrong step…
Maintenance was always one of the more tedious aspects of both a huntsman and soldier's life, but it was vital nevertheless. Dirt and moisture left on her blade would cause it to rust; straps left untended for too long could snap in battle during a key moment, hampering her movement and exposing vulnerable spots. To say nothing of leaving the mechanisms that ensured her weapon transitioned forms as quickly as they did in the middle of a battle with grimm. A Mineko was always vigilant, and always kept their eye on both their equipment and the duties each piece fulfilled, from most common to most vital.
And speaking of her most vital piece...
Retrieving her repair kit from her pack, Ivory seated herself with a familiar, almost automatic movement, going over the most vital piece with a meticulous eye. She wiped down the metal with a dry cloth, tested the inner workings and holographic displays for any signs of a fault, and carefully examined the piece's articulation - the dilation, the rotation, the back and forth slide of each individual part under the gentle force of her practiced hands, her tools navigating the tiny space as easily as a sewing needle through fabric. The minuscule clockwork clicked pleasantly with every part she tested, a confirmation that the part at least physically slid as intended, allowing her to move on to the next part of her inspection.
The movements were familiar, soothing, but she wasn't about to let down her guard, lest she make a mistake. Mistakes were costly, and usually ended up with her needing to send a message to father about requiring a replacement. In Atlas, that meant waiting for about a week at minimum. She wasn't eager to find out how long it would take to transfer replacement parts—or worse, an entire new model—from Atlas all the way to Mantle.
She heard the door open and slam shut loudly behind her, followed by a solid thud as someone slumped rather heavily against the wooden surface. The fiery exhale of breath told Ivory exactly who it was without needing to turn around to look. "Having friendly conversations with Otho again?" she asked, the streak of sarcasm audible in the rhetorical question, "Or did you pick someone else to have a disagreement with today?"
Cinder, for her part, had to resist the sudden reflex to jump in surprise. She had hoped to be alone now, and hadn't anticipated Ivory to be here. Oh well. Nothing she could do about that now. She took a moment to try and calm herself down, running a hand through her hair and catching her breath, pushing herself away from the door, "Ivory."
The sarcasm quickly faded replaced with something akin to concern,"Is… everything alright, Cinder?"
"I'm fine!" She snapped quickly, far too quickly, and Cinder inwardly berated herself. She took another breath, tried again. "I'm alright, just… I don't want to talk about it, alright?"
Ugh, that sounded even worse. She thought, wincing.
Ivory shook her head, still not looking away from whatever it was she was working on. Clearly the Atlesian wasn't convinced by the answer either. Unimpressed, she reached off to the side of her workbench, hit a button on the control panel, and the sound of something powering down echoed throughout the room. Rising to her feet, her gaze on the captain of Team Crimson, Ivory's arms crossed over her chest as she leaned casually alongside the panel. "Cinder, you sound pretty much exactly how you did after our sparring session: Your ego's bruised and you're trying to push everyone away. Again."
Cinder's eyes widened in shock for a moment… but instead of anger, denial, she instead relented. She hadn't anticipated Ivory actually caring about it enough to wonder what her reaction would be when she was angry about something. The shame from her sparring defeat was still fresh after all. Maybe she was just focused on the team over her personal misgivings.
"Am I really that bad?"
"… Do you really want me to answer that?" Ivory responded after a pause.
"… Please don't."
"Very well. All the same, I think it would be better for you to talk about it. What did Otho do this time?"
Another sigh escaped Cinder's lips. She may as well stay and get that chat over with. If nothing else, it would help to recover some of her dignity. "It wasn't Otho. …Stone, he… we were talking, and…"
The silence stretched almost painfully long as she struggled to find the right words. The mouth was opening and closing, but no sound came out.
"For someone who insists she's capable of handling herself in practically any situation, you certainly have a hard time handling things even among your teammates."
Still trying to relax, Cinder shrugged her shoulders, willing herself to calm down and for her heart to stop pounding in her chest, "I don't know what you want me to say, Ivory."
"The truth about what happened would be nice."
Tell her what happened. Better than bottling it all up and hiding it from others, right? Of course it is. Tell her. Tell. Her.
The thoughts were there, but her mouth still wasn't listening, because she indelicately stammered, "He's not—I'm not—He didn't…" She looked up at Ivory directly… and suddenly froze as it registered what she was seeing. "Wait, what the hell happened to your eye?!"
Her blue eye was fine, but the other… it wasn't there!
Instead, there appeared to be… some sort of metal inside? Hollow, the eye missing where it should be like an empty socket.
"Hmm?" Ivory's head tilted to the side for a moment, confused, completely unbothered by the missing organ. Then her eyes — her eye? — widened slightly as she realized what Cinder meant. "Oh, that. Hold on a moment."
She turned back to the workstation, retrieving the eye that she had been working on before, then carefully reinserted it back into place. To Cinder, there was a small hiss, a "snap-click!"… then a mechanical whine as if the eye was powering back up. The Atlesian shook her head a few times, as if shaking off some vertigo, blinking several times in quick succession, then turned back to Cinder, good as new.
"There we go. All better now?"
Cinder blinked, still not fully comprehending what she had seen. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"It's nothing to worry about, Cinder." Ivory gave a small smile, tapping a finger against her temple. In the quiet room with just the two of them, the faintest metallic ping could faintly be heard with each light impact. "I suffered from a variant of cataracts in my left eye as a child. Completely blind in that eye before I was six. So my father saw to it I got a suitable replacement once I was old enough to help me become a Huntress. Apparently tech like this takes a while to get, never mind implement, but…" She folded her arms, a small shrug. "Well, the benefits of being a Captain's daughter, I guess."
"… That's how you were able to contact the professors when we were attacked by the Komodusk, wasn't it?"
"With its built-in military grade communicator, yes." Her hand came up, pressing her temple. Now that she knew what she was looking at, Cinder could see the eye rotating in place, responding to whatever commands Ivory was giving it. "It also helps warn me of incoming attacks in the middle of a fight, as well as a few other nice features. It's pretty useful for just about any purpose I need it for, really."
"… Does it hurt at all?"
"I've had this for over half a decade now. It took some time getting used to, but I promise it won't be an issue out in the field." The small smile soon faded, replaced with her usual stoic expression. "But my eye is not the topic of conversation right now, is it? You were supposed to be telling me what happened between you and Stone."
Cinder's shoulders sank as she blew out her cheeks in a sigh, "Yeah, I know. Sorry, I just... Everything seemed good at first. Stone and I were talking, and… and… He said something that I…"
Gods, why was it so difficult to talk about this?
"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Ivory offered, a small degree of gentleness sneaking into her voice now. "Was Stone trying to upset you?"
"No. In fact, I… I think he was… complimenting me. It was… nice… at first." She shook her head, another heavy sigh escaping her.
Ivory shrugged, "Then what's the problem?"
Don't say it. Don't make it real.
Once again, her mouth chose not to listen to the command and reason her brain was shooting at it, because she replied, "He brought up my eyes."
Ugh, saying it aloud just made it sound all the more ridiculous. But it could no longer be denied. There it was, out in the open. Might as well come to terms with it. That didn't make it any less terrifying, which was made clear by the way she began to pace fitfully across the room.
"Your eyes?"
Unconsciously, her hand came up gripping her bicep. "It's a personal reason. I really don't want to talk about it."
She braced for the scoff, the dismissal the Atlesian normally held for any of Cinder when they confronted one another before.
Instead, Ivory merely looked at her, not an ounce of judgement or surprise in her eyes, listening without a word. In a way, it was almost as if she completely understood, and had even been expecting it, "So he complimented something about you that you didn't like, and it made you angry. He hit a sore spot, albeit completely by accident."
"… Yes."
"And instead of explaining yourself, you yelled at him."
"I... what?"
"You heard me." Ivory's expression remained unchanged, but her words pressed on with cold hard truth regardless. "Instead of explaining why your eyes bother you, you decided to childishly snap at him."
Instead of realizing where she had gone wrong, Cinder's anger flared up again. "What do you know about it?"
There was the scoff she had been expecting. "I don't know, actually. And that's kind of the point, isn't it? I don't know why your eyes bother you so much. But maybe if you cared to explain yourself, I might actually understand the source of your anger this time."
"I said that I don't want to talk about it!"
"Because it's a personal issue to you, and I understand that. But did Stone know that? Does he know why? Did it justify you yelling at him?"
Rebellion still flared briefly in Cinder's face, then slowly began to fade, and she nodded in resignation. "… No," she admitted, then shook her head softly. "It's not his fault. He… didn't do anything wrong…" She gave a look that, while not quite apologetic, was at least willing to listen now. "You and my Mother would have gotten on well, I think."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Cinder noticed the ghost of a smile cross the Atlesian's face before responding with a nod. "Now then… I think it would be best if you went and explained yourself to Stone, before he starts to think you're still mad at him."
"Mad?" She looked up, confused, "Why would he think I'm mad at him?"
"Well, the way I understand it, in the middle of what had to have been a nice moment, you spontaneously erupted in anger for some unknown reason." Ivory explained, "What is he supposed to think after you storm off like that?"
"I... oh." Damn it, Cinder. Since when were you so clueless?!
Ivory couldn't stop her chuckle. "Wow, Team Leader. This really is completely new to you, isn't it?"
"Well, have you ever been in my position?"
"No, I can't say that I have, or that I ever want to be."
"Consider yourself lucky, then." Cinder grumbled, "Because this is torture."
Another chuckle from Ivory, before the young woman prodded her, "So what are you going to do now?"
She sighed, "I… don't know yet. I guess I should go talk to Stone, but I'm not sure yet just what to say."
"Well, do you trust him?"
"I do want to," Cinder responded with only the faintest moment of hesitation. Respect was one thing, but outright trust was never something she had ever given out freely.
"Then what's holding you back? You don't have to tell him everything, just explain your side to him."
"I…" she trailed off with a shake of her head, "I've just never really had to interact with anyone like this before. I spent the last four years on my own. No one else to turn to, just me and my bow. I've strived to be the best every day, and never really had the opportunity to develop any trust with others. No really serious bonds or friendships. It's not exactly a safe profession for us to be in. Me becoming Team Leader was pretty much an accident."
"Well, do you regret it?"
"No!"
"Then what's the problem?" Ivory shrugged, "You want to trust him. He trusts you. It doesn't mean you're married, or anything. Just take it one step at a time. Trust comes later."
There was no denying the relief that Ivory's simple logic sent washing over her, and with every word the Atlesian spoke, Cinder's heart and mind began to calm down enough for common sense to return. She was right. There was no need to explain everything or rush things. She wanted to trust Roderick Stone. Wanted to explain what had happened just now and make it clear he hadn't done anything wrong. There was no need to rush and tell him everything about herself. It didn't have to be a death sentence; it was just another step in forging team bonds.
I have to find Stone.
"Thank you, Ivory. And please excuse me." Without another word, she turned and opened the door and rushed out, disappearing before it had even started to close again.
Ivory let out a sigh of her own, shaking her head. "That girl is totally hopeless." She settled back down in front of the workbench, moving to remove her eye to continue her maintenance. "But at least she's willing to listen to others' advice now."
Unfortunately for Cinder, finding Stone quickly turned out to be a lot easier said than done. The big man had seemingly vanished from the school grounds, not a trace of his large frame to be seen. She tried searching for him near the markets, the training fields, even the secure area where they had been practicing the forms together. Nothing. He had completely disappeared.
She had hoped to possibly talk to him when he returned to the dorms later that night, but it was Cy that she ran into instead, all by himself. Apparently Stone was going to be visiting some relatives over the weekend, thus wouldn't be available until he returned. When she inquired how long that would be, Cy merely shrugged, admitting he had no clue, but told her not to worry. That advice worked for all of a few minutes before she had tried to call him with her scroll, or at least leave a message. But either Stone's scroll was turned off, or he simply wasn't replying, as it only rang once before it went straight to his automatic message.
… Was Stone avoiding her because of what happened?
On the third day, Monday, Stone was again absent, something that did very little to ease Cinder's growing apprehension over recent events. Try as she might, she couldn't just distract herself completely by focusing on the lessons going on in front of her. She knew she was not setting a good example for team leader to Ivory and Cy, but she couldn't help it. Thankfully, Cy was completely understanding and reassuring, answering Cinder's unanswered questions with assurances Stone was fine. Any misgivings on Ivory's part seemed to have lessened since their conversation, so long as she remained focused on her classwork.
The day as a whole was a monotonous yet anxiety-filled blur, and she was relieved when it was finally over after what felt like forever. The relief soon faded as she returned to the spot where she would practice her forms with Stone. Once again, the big man was nowhere to be seen. Somehow his absence made the forested area seem hollow and unwelcoming, despite the promise of secrecy still well maintained.
She tried, but couldn't even pretend to think that her solo practice for today went well. She was sloppy and she knew it. The cause was obvious, and her frustration mounted with each blunder, to the point she nearly threw her blades with a snarl after a particularly awkward sweep of the blades caused her to stumble and nearly fall over.
Where the hell is he?!
Another attempt to move through the current set, and she finally gave up, sheathing her blades on her back with teeth clenched. Her head simply wasn't in the right state to be practicing like this. Turning away, she strode out of the trees and towards a nearby stream. Laying her swords aside, she scooped water into her cupped hands and splashed it onto her face, her body all coiled tension and taut lines. She repeated the action several times before her temper somewhat cooled, before reclaiming her swords and moving back to the dorms.
She must have walked ten minutes out from the forests before she finally reached the dorm area… and it was then that she finally caught sight of the giant in the hallway.
His back was to her in that moment, one moment sitting alone atop one of the stone benches, as if gathering his thoughts. The next, he suddenly stood and began pacing back and forth, his mouth moving as he murmured something to himself, but she was too far away to discern what it might be. So caught up was the giant in his silent conversation, he didn't notice as she slowly approached, curious despite herself at his strange behaviour. As she drew closer, she noticed the red cloth bundle in his hands, his grip firm so as not to drop it, yet also gentle to avoid crushing it. From this angle, she couldn't gleam any insight as to what it might be, but whatever it was, it was clearly something important to him.
Briefly her eyes flicked around the surrounding area. It was just the two of them. No one else was around. It was as perfect a time as any to talk to him. She moved to approach him. Somehow, despite not exactly trying to be stealthy, he seemed completely oblivious even as she leaned to look around his arm to the cloth bundle in his hands.
"Okay…" Stone was murmuring under his breath, as if coaching or rehearsing to himself. "What have I forgotten this time… Okay, one more time… I'll try and again, then go find—"
"What are you doing?"
"AGH—GEEZE!"
The giant nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Cinder's voice, the cloth in his hands near slipping from his grip and up into the air. His sudden reaction and outburst were so loud, it startled Cinder too, jumping back in surprise with a similar reaction. The next few seconds were spent with Stone juggling the cloth in his hands, trying not to drop it, and Cinder trying to still her now rapidly beating heart.
The next few seconds following that were spent in an awkward back and forth, both quickly apologizing to the other.
"Cinder! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you coming… I didn't mean to scared you like that."
"No, no, it's okay. Really! I didn't mean to sneak up on you either. … …What's that you got there?"
Stone's hand immediately retreated behind his back, more out of reflex than conscious thought, keeping the cloth out of sight. "It's, uh… um…"
Why were Stone's cheeks suddenly so red? "Are you alright? I can come back later if you need more time to—"
"Yes! I-I m-mean no! Er, crud, I mean…" The giant stopped, his free hand running over his face as he took a deep breath, then just as slowly released it. "Let me start over: Please stay, it's fine."
Cinder nodded, confused at Stone's reaction, but listening. "Okay…"
An awkward few seconds more ticked by at an agonizingly slow rate, neither one able to quite look the other in the eye. Again the giant's hand came up, rubbing at the back of his head. He still hadn't moved the cloth from behind his back in the entire interval. Just when Cinder thought Stone wasn't going to say anything more, he finally opened up.
"I'm sorry about leaving so suddenly." He started, his voice slow, measured, testing the waters in front of him. "I should have let you know I would be away for a while, but… When… When last we spoke… I wasn't trying to upset you. I am skilled with fighting, not with words."
Cinder felt herself inwardly flinch, her gaze drifting down to her boots. ""I'm sorry, too. It wasn't right for me to yell at you like that." She needed to tell him the truth. Let him understand what had really happened that day. Maybe not tell all of the truth, but at least enough to let him know it wasn't his fault. "Stone, when you mentioned my eyes, it—"
"Y-You don't have to explain yourself!" Both of the giant's hand flew up, cutting her off. "I was in the wrong! It was completely my fault!"
That… wasn't what she had expected. To have spent so long worrying over the issue, only for Stone to stop her from explaining… In fact, she had never seen Stone so timid before. Normally he was such an imposing and intimidating individual without any effort on his part, his height and large bulk more than enough to make others falter. She didn't think he had such a nervous streak to him. It left Cinder completely unprepared, unsure just how to respond.
Stone cleared his throat. "So I… I wanted to try again." He cleared his throat a second time, looking as nervous as Cinder had ever seen. His hands were still carefully gripping the cloth with a mix of gentle worry as he presented it to her. "Perhaps… Perhaps this will help explain what I mean to say where my words can not."
Habit made Cinder pause. She wasn't used to being offered gifts like this. She had always kept her distance from people, something that hadn't changed even after becoming part of a huntsman team. It was all so different from what she was used to, and four years worth of instinct, living on her own, nearly made her reject his proposition outright.
"Please?" Stone's eyes was almost pleading, an unsaid apology hanging in the air between them.
The entreaty in Stone's voice was enough. Carefully, Cinder took the cloth from Stone's hands. Whatever it was, it was lighter than she had expected, but she could feel something hard and unmoving underneath her touch. She moved to sit on the bench, taking a seat without turning her focus away from the cloth bundle. Stone likewise took a seat beside her, saying nothing, still not quite able to look at her.
Slowly, carefully, Cinder moved to unwrap the bundle of cloth, not quite sure just what she would find. Focusing on the hardness in the centre, she pulled back the last fold… and her eyes widened in shocked awe, the breath escaping from her. Oh, wow… This is… It's…
"Beautiful…" The single word slipped out between her lips.
The hard centre she had been feeling turned out to be an amethyst gemstone, diamond-shaped and large enough to fit snugly within the palm of her hand, encased in a golden cover. The entire gemstone was adorned with a plethora of exotic feathers, each one flaring out almost like a bird's wings. Each one of the feathers faded through several colors; near the gemstone they were a rich and deep forest green, but as they went further out they faded through into a darker blue that bordered on violet near the tips. She wondered briefly if that was natural or not.
"I'm… sorry it took so long." Stone's voice broke through her revere. He had a hand rubbing the back of his head, the faintest red visible on his cheeks as if he was embarrassed. "I needed some help from others to come up with the overall design. Putting it together took longer than I expected too…
Cinder's eyes widened even further. Had Stone… made this for her? Completely by hand? She had no idea that Stone had such an artistic side to him.
"Do you…" He swallowed, tried again. "Do you like it?"
She also had never seen him so nervous before. He could challenge grimm without a trace of fear, willingly threw himself in front of others to shield them from harm, but now he was almost afraid of how his efforts would be received. The contrast was surprising to her.
Surprising, yet also very sweet.
"It's wonderful." She moved and shifted the brooch in her hands, watching how the light shimmered and reflected off of the gemstone. "Wow, I… I honestly don't know what else to say. This is amazing, Stone." She lifted her eyes, giving the giant a quizzical glance. "Did you make this?"
Stone smiled and nodded, seemingly mollified by the reception of his gift. "With some help, yes. I didn't want to just buy something. I felt like this would have been more meaningful this way." Another small shrug, looking suddenly shy again. "I thought you might appreciate that more."
"Very much so," Cinder said softly, staring wonderingly at the brooch for a moment longer before suddenly throwing her arms around Stone in an impulsive hug. "Thank you, Stone." she whispered.
Stone froze a moment, stunned by the unexpected contact, then gently returned the hug. "You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."
They drew back at the same time, smiles visible on both their faces. Turning her attention back down to the brooch again, Cinder affixed it to her jacket, the amethyst gemstone shining brightly directly over her heart, the feathers flaring up and away from her left shoulder. Her smile grew a little bit wider as it fit snugly in place, neither obstructing her arm or slipping from its spot as she gave a few experimental twists and turns.
"So… Are we good then?" Stone rose to his feet, offering her a hand.
Cinder gladly took it. "We're good." The smile faded somewhat, but only for a moment as she pushed herself forward. "And Stone? I really am sorry about how I acted. I promise it won't ever happen again."
Stone smiled as well. "Apology accepted. Though you honestly don't need to. The fault was mine to begin with."
"You had no idea why I got angry. And you still don't, by the way."
"And you have no reason to tell me. It's fine. It's over with."
Cinder shook her head. "Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that."
"If you say so."
The journey back to their dorm continued with a similar back and forth. As she bantered with the giant, Cinder briefly took one more glance down at the brooch, gingerly touching the gemstone resting over her heart. Stone's gift was beautiful, there was no denying that. Just looking at it was more than enough to brush aside all negative thoughts that had been plaguing her as of late. Stone was back now. He wasn't angry with her. He had forgiven her, the outburst all but forgotten to him, and even made a huge show of support towards their partnership. The gemstone brooch was proof of his trust and support in her. Both as a close friend, and as a partner during the journey ahead.
… And for some reason, that thought lingered with her well after the fact.
She found she liked it very much.