"Check in with Torchwick's progress," Ash mumbled to himself as he repeated the order that was given to him by Cinder. He was annoyed that he would have to play babysitter to someone he had only met briefly, but also that he had been called off from his own hunt; if anything, he thought it should be Cinder's job to personally watch these two.
Although the girl, Neo, was a valuable asset for relaying messages quickly or providing transportation with the help of her teleportation, and even if he did have a soft spot for her, nonetheless, she was not part of the original group. However, he did have a prior engagement to get to, so he begrudgingly trudged his way through a forest where the leaves were red all year round, the 'Forever Fall' forest.
As he continued to make his way through the forest, he began to notice that the further in he went, the more he noticed the familiar feeling of bloodlust and eyes watching him, but knew he could afford to ignore it; he continued forward until he finally reached a clearing where all around were tents that were set up as temporary shelter as the group that resided always relocated so as not to be caught.
All around the perimeter were White Fang soldiers who patrolled in pairs, or what Ash preferred to call it, 'packs'. However, what caught his eye was the smoldering remains of a fire that had been put out just a few minutes prior to his arrival.
He took a deep breath, taking in the smell of ash, as he then turned to eye the White Fang soldiers who were cautiously watching him. He found it funny, how most of them looked at him with curiosity, like how most animals would when they spot something, until finally, the curious looks were replaced with ones of horror; as he continued to walk through the camp while they eyed the dried blood that covered his normally soot-covered suit, with two blades that rested on his back in the shape of an 'X', and what amused him the most was that, unlike animals, they did not run.
When he finally reached the largest tent, he peered in through the folds that were left open and saw Torchwick already in conversation with another Faunus, but not the one Ash wanted, as it was only the Lieutenant named Wolfsbane, that always seemed to accompany him. However, a group of guards preemptively stepped in front of Ash, blocking his path into the tent.
"No one is allowed inside at this time," one of the guards said to Ash, and Bane turned his head to look out the tent and saw Ash, but then turned his attention back to Torchwick.
"I have an appointment with your master, 'dog'," Ash replied and pushed through the two guards but froze when he felt something slam into his shoulder. Bane overheard the comment and turned towards Ash with his arms crossed, while Torchwick rolled his eyes at him as he remembered the first time they met and how Cinder was incensed at his arrival. To see how Ash was now riling up the Faunus, made him wonder if this was common with Ash.
"'Dog?'" The guard repeated, a group of soldiers now grouped around Ash and the guards.
"Yes, 'dog'. You are soldiers who follow orders like dogs, and he is your master," Ash said with a sly grin as he then turned towards the guard whose hand was on his shoulder, and stared at him with a wild look in his eye. However, the guard was too angered to notice and pulled his hand away from Ash's shoulder and went to grip his rifle.
"I don't think that's what you meant," the guard said, and the second one nodded in agreement.
"I don't care what you think," Ash said with a low voice.
"I 'think'," the guard said and stepped forward so that he stood just inches from Ash, and even though he was shorter that Ash, he did not step down. "That you meant to take a jab at us being Faunus."
For a moment, a flash of confusion washed over Ash's face, as he looked between the two guards and looked around at the soldiers of various Faunus species. As he thought about what the guard had said, his eyes widened in surprise and he recoiled with a gasp.
"Oh! I – I am so sorry," Ash said, as he raised his hands in front of him and turned to eye each individual soldier. "This is just a big misunderstanding."
The guard smirked, as he saw Ash cower and stepped forward again and tilted his head as he stared down Ash. Bane also smiled behind his mask, even Neo couldn't help but grin, however, it was for a different reason; while Torchwick was the only one who did not find any of this amusing.
"I – I am not a racist! I am totally for Faunus equality, in fact I fight for that, just as you do." Ash said with a sheepish smile, and a seemingly nervous laugh before he stepped forward to the first guard, and put a hand on his shoulder, and another over his heart. Any normal man would react the same way, one man against a group of eight rather angry White Fang soldiers who did not take well to a potential racial slur. "I would never hate someone over their race."
However, looks can be deceiving, as the guard smirked when he thought he had made the human back down, and recant his words. Ash's eyes shifted to each of the other soldiers, which they mistook for a nervous twitch. From behind, Bane still stood with his arms crossed and watched with his two guests; Torchwick tipped his hat and backed away slowly, while Neo really saw what Ash was hiding. The grin that he really wore behind that false, nervous smile.
"And you know why? Because…"
When the guard turned away for just a moment to flash a nod to his friend, Ash pulled him and head-butted him, shattering his mask; as the guard recoiled away, Ash stepped to the right, and with a quick turn of his body, he swung a left hook and punched the second guard in the jaw, knocking him out instantly.
Ash then reached behind him, and pulled out one of his blades and swung it under the first guard, slicing him behind the knee, and while his body was turned to left after his first strike with another fluid motion, he reached with his left arm behind him and pulled out his second khopesh.
Neo watched as Ash unleashed devastation on the White Fang soldiers while Torchwick let out a grunt of frustration. He turned away and threw his hands in the air, and cursed himself, worried that Ash might ruin the already paper-thin relations with the White Fang.
Bane watched in anger, which was also tinged with horror as he watched Ash continue his attack. When some of the patrols returned due to the distress call, Ash quick connected his twin khopeshes and began to fire blue and red arrows that he spawned between his fingertips.
He ducked down to avoid the first barrage of gunfire, then jumped and spun in the air to avoid the next, landing in front of another soldier, and swung his blades under his legs which launched him into the air; while in midair, Ash then brought down the other end of his blade down on the soldier and forced him into the ground. He then held out his palm towards the fire-pit and closed his hand as the embers reignited and jumped into the air which causes the other soldiers to recoil.
Bane's anger now over-matched his fear, as he stepped back into the tent and pulled out his chain-sword and it came to life as the chain revved down the edge of the blade. He stepped forward to the group of ten of his best soldiers, as they surrounded Ash, who now knelt down over the first guard with his khopesh against his throat.
"Because whether you be human, or Faunus… just know that I! Hate! Everyone! Equally!" Ash growled as he stared down at the first guard. Unlike other soldiers he had fought, the many Faunus he took down all had fiery determination in their eyes, no fear of death, which mirrored their cult-like mindset; as the guard looked up at Ash with an equal fire in his eyes.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you all?" Bane asked, as he placed his chain-sword just inches from Ash's neck, who ignored him and stood up while Bane followed his movements and kept his weapon just inches from Ash.
"If I really wanted to, I would have killed you all," Ash replied, ignoring the Bane's question, and the soldiers who surrounded him looked around and noticed that their comrades weren't really dead, as most just writhed on the ground in pain.
"Now, where is the boy?" Ash asked coldly, as he stared down Wolfsbane.
"Adam is away on a mission, the details of which are none of your concern," Bane responded.
"Doesn't matter to me," Ash responded and walked past the soldiers who surrounded him and walked into the tent to join with Torchwick and Neo. Moments later, all the soldiers dispersed and went to tend to the wounded, but not before they shot a glance at the back of Ash's head and silently cursed him. Ash turned, and eyed Bane as he likewise made his way back into the tent; his hand still gripped the handle of his weapon tightly.
"I was told to come here and ask how the relocation was moving along," Ash continued.
"The Miss' doesn't trust that I can handle a simple move?" Torchwick asked.
"With your track record, I wouldn't trust you either," Ash said with a mocking grin. "Two of your robberies foiled by a bunch of children from Beacon."
Torchwick opened his mouth, and raised a finger, ready to defend himself.
"And judging by the description Torchwick gave, the most recent incident was courtesy of a White Fang deserter named 'Blake Belladonna'," Bane interrupted.
"Small fry; none of my business," Ash said, dismissively, to which Bane responded with an annoyed grunt.
"If that is the case, then why are you here? Shouldn't you be pounding your chest and killing somewhere else?" Torchwick commented.
"Unfortunately, I am not trusted enough to be left to my own devices, either," Ash replied, his attention now fixated on Torchwick as he glared at him.
"I can see why," Torchwick murmured, but looked up with his head held high as he twirled his cane over the crook of his finger. "Well, you can tell the young Miss, that everything is going according to plan."
"That's is all I need to know, but I won't be acting as your messenger," Ash replied and looked over to Neo. "I do have another meeting to attend, so if you would be so kind."
Neo smiled and twirled the parasol on her shoulder as she then tilted her head at Ash. However, Torchwick noticed the looks the two were giving each other and stepped between them.
"Too bad, I will need a ride out of here," Torchwick said, and he slammed his cane down on the ground, signaling that he wasn't going to compromise; while Neo peered around Torchwick and simply shrugged at Ash as she held her smile. Ash, likewise responded with a shrug, leaving Roman unaware that he was using every ounce of willpower to not fly into another rage-induced bloodlust.
"It's alright, it will give me time to think, anyway," Ash responded, and he turned to leave, and as he stepped out of the tent, he ignored the glares from the soldiers, who watched him leave. Most of them went back to their prior duties after helping the wounded, which was the only hint of evidence that he had been there at all.
Zed and Vaughn were alone in their dorm as they both were getting ready to go for a night out with another team. It was quiet between them, as Vaughn was usually not one for small talk and Zed honestly didn't know what to say. His mind was still fixated on invoices that he nabbed from their mission, and he desperately wanted to ask Vaughn for his help, but didn't know how to ask.
"Hey Vaughn, can you help me decode these invoices so that I can find Torchwick?" Zed thought in his mind as he humored how to ask him. However, he let out a deep breath as his thoughts then switched over to what Blake had told him before.
"Zed; don't get involved," he remembered.
"Zed, everything alright?" He heard Vaughn ask, and he turned to see Vaughn still ironing his uniform, standing in a white tank top; finally looking towards Zed through the corner of his eye. "Something seems to be bothering you."
"Yeah," Zed answered under his breath.
"Is it the White Fang?" Vaughn asked, but Zed didn't respond. "Torchwick?"
Zed swallowed when he guessed his thoughts and froze as he knew that Vaughn had more to say.
"You always look down when you think of Torchwick or the White Fang. It's not that hard to read, honestly," Vaughn continued.
"Yeah, actually, I wanted to ask you something," Zed revealed, and Vaughn picked up the iron and looked up at him curiously. "I was wondering if you can help me decode some invoices."
"The ones you nabbed from the mission?" Vaughn pointed out.
"Yeah, they might help me in finding Torchwick," Zed said.
"I thought you promised that you would drop this, Zed," Vaughn stated.
"Yeah, yeah, you are right," Zed swallowed, and again, took a deep breath in order to calm himself. "Besides, today is supposed to be a good night!"
Zed looked over with a soft smile, aside from his normal grin, and Vaughn smiled back in response.
Ash stepped into the familiar enclave, where he and his comrades had made their home. Strangely enough, despite his own insanity, he felt a hint of calm as he entered it and he immediately knew why; however, a pang of fear swept over him as he knew that he was going to ruin that soon enough. The citadel was empty now, as every member had now dispersed so as to fulfill their own objectives and their respective roles in their plans.
The hallway echoed with each footstep, each one ringing in his ears as he knew that his master would hear his approach, and was awaiting the reports from the moles that he had carefully planted. Although the intel would prove valuable, Ash knew that there would be one detail that he would not like.
At all.
Ash took a deep breath, as he stepped in front of two doors that lead into his master's private suite. The hesitation allowed him to calm himself and collect his thoughts, and a new wave of lucidity washed over him; he knocked on the door, and slowly opened it as he stepped inside, then closed the door behind him and waited.
"Welcome home, Ash. Come," the hooded man said as he reached his hand out and beckoned Ash; as Ash stepped forward, the calm feeling that he felt intensified with every step. When he stood at the side of the armchair, Ash put his hands behind his back and watched the fire. The sun shone brightly through the windows, as it was only the afternoon but the fire still burned brighter than even the sun that radiated into the room.
"Some of my seeds have sprouted, but some have wilted and died," Ash said.
"Unfortunate, that some would be blinded by this false hope," the hooded man responded. "Have those who have remained loyal reported anything of use?"
"None that would interest you I would think; however, Cinder and I will make use of it," Ash responded again, his gaze still on the fire as he tried to avoid looking at his master. His fists tightened as he knew it was a lie, and his master knew that too.
"What's wrong, Ash?" The hooded man asked quizzically, seemingly with a chuckle. "You know that you cannot hide much from me."
"I- I might have something that you need to see," Ash said, and pulled out a Scroll, spreading its sides into tablet mode and opened up a file that was only labeled as 'P.E.N.N.Y.'
The hooded man gently took the Scroll, and began to review its contents, taking a few moments to read over every detail, and look over every graph on the file that Ash had given him. All the while, Ash stood nervously, and began to feel a chill in the air as he noticed slight movements coming from his Master. His eyes darted from left to right as he continued to read over the information, and his fingers gripped tightly onto the Scroll.
"Ash, what is this?" The hooded man asked, a quiver of rage in his voice.
"One of my moles was working with an associate who had a hand in… 'that'," Ash replied.
"But what is it?" The hooded man demanded loudly, and stood up from his chair as he glared at Ash through the bottom of his hood.
"It was an experiment in Aura, from what I understand from the information given to me, it is artificial Aura," Ash reluctantly replied again, and at that moment, the hooded man threw the Scroll and it shattered immediately. Ash remained calm as best he could, as he maintained his posture, but grew wary as he saw the dark Aura envelop his master.
"Artificial Aura? Are they so arrogant that they think they can create something that was gifted to us?" The hooded man yelled out and began to curse to himself loudly.
"Our Aura is the manifestation of the power within us all! Received when a new flame is born! The fire that burns and lights the way in the darkness; it cannot be passed off and given like some cheap trinket!" the hooded man exclaimed, the dark Aura growing bigger and bigger, until he finally took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he thought. As he remained in thought, the Aura began to die down and he took his place back in his seat.
"You see, Ash? Do you see how when everything is at its darkest, that they still do not realize the importance of our fires?" The hooded man asked, but Ash remained silent.
"They do not deserve this gift," the hooded man continued, and for a moment, a grin fell on Ash's face. "They will pay for this travesty in time, but we must not let this control our emotions and our thoughts. We will continue as planned, and deal with this revelation accordingly."
"Of course, master," Ash replied and bowed. However, he was not dismissed, and stood patiently beside his Master.
"I have had dreams, Ash," the hooded man said, which then caught Ash's attention. "Dreams of our lives before we realized the truth."
Ash kept silent, and waited while his Master spoke.
"I dreamed of our friends, our comrades who fought beside us," the hooded man continued, and Ash lamented the words. "And our friends and comrades who have sided against us."
"Yes," Ash replied.
"It pains me that we must do this. I do not enjoy killing for the sake of killing, as you do. I have lost many friends, Ash. Especially those who have fought against us, as I still consider them my friends," the hooded man finished and he let out a sigh. He took a few moments to think again, before he lookedat Ash through the corner of his eye.
"There is a town outside of Vale, Mesteria. Destroy it," the hooded man commanded. "And when you are done, assist the White Fang at Mountain Glenn."
Ash took that as a sign that he was allowed to leave, and he turned towards the door and began to walk away from the armchair. He raised his hand for the door, and touched the handle, and just as he was about to pull, something stopped him.
"Ash, I have always wondered ever since you killed my friend, Snyegh," the hooded man said, his head slightly turned towards Ash's direction. "She had a friend with her, did she not?"
"Yes, but she was just another enemy," Ash replied, but didn't turn away from the door.
"That is the thing, Ash. Two well known Huntresses against one man who, for all intents and purposes, was not considered a Huntsman," the hooded man continued. "How did you manage to kill them?"
Ash smiled to himself as he recalled the memory, how sweet it tasted in his mouth and he almost licked his lips.
"I lead the Grimm to Snyegh's home. They did hear that I was coming, but the Grimm had surprised them, and managed to whittle them down just enough, and when they didn't expect it, I killed them," Ash replied.
"Interesting. I didn't realize that even you were not above such underhanded tactics," the hooded man nodded and turned to face the fireplace again.
"In the end, two enemies were taken care of and that's all that matters," Ash responded, then pulled the door open and exited the room.
" Indeed," the hooded man responded, just out of Ash's earshot.
(A day before the start of the next semester.)
In the wealthier part of Vale, the restaurant, Candella, was especially busy as tourists came to try out the many sights and tastes of the Kingdom. The subtle clatter of utensils and plates was drowned out by the murmuring of the many patrons who sat and softly spoke with one another.
Loud laughter could be heard in the corner of Candella, as Team HAVC and CFVY sat together in a circular table, celebrating getting through the first semester without a hitch. It was a rather interesting day, while HAVC and CFVY were welcoming the students coming from the other academies, as per Ozpin's request, there was a giant food fight in the schools dining hall, which had rattled Glynda for a short while. They had met a few of the teams from Haven, especially a team called 'SSSN', where one of the members was a student named 'Sun', who was revealed to be with Blake when Zed called HAVC and CNBR for help.
However, the two teams, HAVC and CFVY, decided that they wanted to share some time with one another, as the last day of break was coming to a close; all while remembering the first semester.
"Dear God, I almost forgot that the first semester is always the hardest," Coco said, her eyes closed as she leaned her head back in her seat. Just having finished a nice hot meal, courtesy of Zed, who invited them over to celebrate, although was a little saddened by the fact that JNPR couldn't make it; they went to celebrate on their own with Team RWBY, from what he was told, so at least they were having fun. He also wanted to invite CNBR, but they already had their own plans.
"Yep, and now here comes the fun part of the year," Zed said, as he leaned into the table and everyone nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, missions during the first half of second semester, and then the rest is preparing for the Combat Tournament for the Vytal Festival," Velvet added.
"Smooth sailing from here," Cecilia joined in, and picked up her drink to quaff it, but Zed stopped her just as she put it to her lips.
"Cheers, mates! To a good year! And may we kick arse in the tournament! For Beacon!" Zed announced and raised his glass.
"For Beacon!" Everyone at the table answered, and they all pressed their glasses together, and they could have sworn that some people in the restaurant joined in as they shouted as well.
"'I had a different idea in mind for fun," Coco said, and looked to everyone at the table; her sunglasses were off now that she was indoors, and a grin fell on her face. "Guess who was asked to prepare the dance this year? Again."
"No way!" Velvet exclaimed.
"Yep! Now we have to plan something big this year, you guys!" Coco said and leaned into the table, with everyone leaning in as well with grins on their faces. "We will be hosting for the other Academies as well; it's literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"Yeah, you really blew it out of the water with last year's dance," Vaughn said while Haiiden nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, the club motif that you had was great. Glynda had a headache for a couple days after that," Haiiden said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, but this year, I think we will be going with ballroom dancing this time," Coco said and sipped her drink through a straw.
"Ballroom dancing? That would sound like fun," Haiiden said softly, remembering the dance he shared with the blonde woman back in Mistral.
"Yeah, it would! In fact, Byeli and I could share a couple of dances ourselves," Zed stated and climbed onto the table; it shook as the weight shifted, while Yatsuhashi pulled his plate from off the table. Everyone stifled a laugh as they saw Zed dance with an imaginary person, his footwork careful so as not to knock over anything, although his heel did bump into something a couple of times.
"Zed, I didn't know you can dance," Fox said, clearly surprised by this.
"Yeah, well," Zed said with a sheepish grin, as he looked down at Fox. "I knew a girl who taught me how to dance."
"Get down, before the staff sees you!" Cecilia grumbled and swatted her hand under Zed, which made him fall from the table and stumble to the floor with a loud grunt. Some of the other patrons of the restaurant looked at them curiously, while others had expressions of disgust and contempt; the two teams ignored them however, as they were too busy laughing loudly as they watched Zed slowly get up.
"Ow, killjoy," Zed mumbled, and Cecilia gave him a harsh glare before shaking her head and hiding a smile when she put a cup over her mouth to drink.
"Yeah, now Velvet and I have to go out again and get another outfit for the dance," Coco said and pointed at Haiiden, who almost jumped from his seat when he noticed. "And you are coming with us!"
"What? Why?" Haiiden asked, a hint of defensiveness in his voice.
"Cus I will bar you from the dance if you come in dressed like that," Coco said with fires of determination in her eyes.
"You are still freaking out over this?" Haiiden asked, examining his clothes just as he had when they first went out into Vale.
"This is not freaking out, Haiiden," Coco said, with a perturbed look on her face. "Zed and I have been talking, and even he agrees with me."
Haiiden immediately turned to Zed as he sat back down, and Zed responded by raising his hands in the air, defensively.
"At least just for the dance, mate," Zed responded.
The night was still young, after their time at the Candella, the teams discussed how else they should spend their night. Cecilia and Vaughn positing the idea that they should all go out to the shops, and possibly find something for the dance, while Zed had a developed a buzz since he had used his fake ID for alcohol, and went to the nearest port to take a ride back to Beacon.
As he began to walk away, Haiiden though he would go with him, but Coco grabbed him by his shawl and tugged at him rather harshly, which made him choke as it pulled against his throat. "H–Hey!"
Yatsuhashi and Fox waved goodbye as they made their way back to Beacon as well, while Cecilia, Vaughn, Coco, Velvet, and a reluctant Haiiden stopped by some of the shops that were still open this late. Velvet marveled at some trinkets through the windows of one shop, while Coco stood with a smile on her face, nodding at every one of her comments.
"You guys go ahead," Cecilia said, as she stood outside of the door of a shop, with her hand on the handle. "I'll catch up with you soon."
The shop they entered had a variety of different clothes for formal occasions, with tuxedos and suits lining the walls, along with a variety of dresses that flashed with different colors. Velvet gladly walked around for a while to look for something for herself, while Coco dragged Haiiden along by his shawl. As her eyes flitted over the different suits, she would pick a few up and present it to Haiiden for him to look at, and had begun to get slightly annoyed that his only answers were either a shrug or a shake of his head.
Before long, she just grabbed a random white tux and forced it into Haiiden's hands, and pushed him into the changing room, leaving him with a confused look on his face. After he had accepted that he was not going to get out of this, he began to change out of clothes and into the tux. It felt strange to him, he had become accustomed to wearing nothing else, always prepared for battle; changing into something new felt foreign.
A knock on the door disturbed his thoughts, and he peeked his head out of the door to see Coco with both of her hands out; one hand held a black tie while the other had a red one. He didn't need to be told what she was thinking, and he took a few moments, with his eyes darting between the two ties before he reached out and took the red one.
"Good choice," Coco said with a smirk, and as Haiiden closed the door, Velvet appeared gleefully with a couple of choice outfits in hand, as they both began to ponder what would best suited for the dance.
Haiiden then left the dressing room, and the pair's attention diverted to him as they looked him over from top to bottom while he stood with a perturbed expression. He still wore the brown leather glove over his right hand, but Coco thought that could be fixed easily; his boots as well but what bothered her the most was that he still wore the clawed gauntlet on his left hand.
"Take that off for just a moment," Coco said, and Haiiden looked down at it for a moment, then looked around until he found a piece of fabric in a small corner of the store and draped it over his shoulder; the fabric fully covered his right arm. Vaughn watched from behind a couple of racks of clothing, and he raised a thumb into the air to signal his approval.
"I guess we can go with that," Coco responded, along with a dismissive shrug as she turned around and went towards the register. Haiiden went back into the room to change back, and emerged to see Velvet still standing with a gleeful expression.
"I can fix it up so that it fits you just right," she said as she took the tux and fabric from Haiiden's hand. Once they had finished their purchase, they made their way out of the store, and back to Beacon.
Zed groggily walked down the hallways, often catching himself as he almost fell into the wall; using his hands as a brace as he began to crawl against it, towards his dorm room. When he finally reached his door, his imbalance was shown further, as he began to scramble for his keys, but despite all of this, Zed wore a smile.
When he finally managed to open his door, he stepped inside and rushed for his bed, almost stumbling just as he made it, and was able to fall onto the luxurious softness; without even bothering to take off his shoes, he rolled onto his back and draped an arm over his eyes as he took in a deep breath.
The smile still adorned his face, as he thought about the day, for the first time since the incident at the docks, his mind was clear and he enjoyed every moment of peace. Although the room was silent, the distant sounds of the Kingdom of Vale could be heard through his open window, but he paid no mind; his mind was at rest, and his eyes began to feel heavy as he slowly drifted to sleep.
That is, at least until a loud buzzing could be heard, and he shot up bolt upright in his bed, startled by the sound; for a moment, he looked from side to side to find the source until he realized that the buzzing was coming from the Scroll in his pocket. Being a Faunus, his eyes were attuned to the darkness, so when he opened the Scroll, he squinted as the light blinded him.
As the burning sensation subsided, and Zed was finally able to open his eyes, he saw the familiar portrait that appeared which signaled who was calling; and just underneath the portrait was the name of his father, 'Vulpes Ignis'. After his finger missed the 'accept' command a couple times, he finally managed to accept the call and raised the Scroll to his ear.
"Hey, dad," Zed said groggily.
"Hey boyo; how are you?" The familiar, and boisterous voice of his father yelled into the Scroll, which made Zed pull the Scroll away, but he couldn't help but smile, as this was how his father normally acted.
"I am much better now, in fact," Zed answered, and to him this was true. He was already having an amazing day, and to receive a call from his father only made it better, as a warm feeling swept over him.
"Good to hear! I hope you don't mind if I check up on you?" Vulpes asked, considerately. "I know it might be a bit late, so if I got you in bed or something, I can call back another time."
"No! No, I can talk, in fact the rest of my team is away celebrating, so we aren't bothering anyone," Zed replied.
"Celebrating? Celebrating what, and why are they celebrating without you?" Vulpes asked.
"Celebrating the end of the semester and that we all passed; I decided to treat my team, as well as another team for the night, but I just got tired early and decided to head home for the night," Zed replied.
"You decided to 'treat' your team?" Vulpes asked, a hint of curiosity in your voice. For a moment, Zed sat silently, as all of his money came from his dad, so technically, it was his dad who was treating them.
"I hope you spared no expense!" Vulpes finally said after a few moments of silence, and he erupted into laughter, which further warmed Zed's soul.
"Nope, I went all out with the best restaurant in Vale, Candella," Zed responded.
"I'm impressed! Good! Good, you deserve it Zed, you all do. I am proud of you," Vulpes said with a chuckle through his voice; Zed was unable to contain himself anymore as his fox ears popped out of his hair and wiggled in the air.
"Thanks, dad," Zed replied. "How are you?"
"I am well, thank you," Vulpes answered, but then Zed heard a yawn from him.
"You tired?" Zed asked.
"Yeah, been working nonstop, and even pulling all-nighters," Vulpes responded, and Zed recoiled when he heard that. He knew what it meant when he was working this hard.
"Dad, is everything alright at work? What happened?" Zed inquired.
"Oh, it's just that President Schnee is not the in best mood, Anders, which means more work for me. You know how it is: If he isn't happy, then I can't be happy either," Vulpes responded, and Zed could hear the sincerity in his voice.
"Yeah I know how it is, but Dad, what happened?" Zed pressed.
"Oh, it's just- the White Fang stole another shipment that was meant for Vacuo," Vulpes said, reluctantly. "Which means it's up to me to work my magic and see how we can recover from this."
Whatever warmth Zed felt, had immediately left him and he pulled the Scroll away from his ear and pressed his hand against his forehead as he thought.
"Dad," Zed asked, as he placed the Scroll back next to his ear. "Can't they get someone else to do that? Every time something bad happens, they always ask you."
His father, a businessman for the Schnee Company, lived in Atlas, while Zed and his mother lived in Vale. He was transferred so that he could work at headquarters personally while he supported them by sending them money; he would visit four times a year, but lately the number of visits had gone down as the White Fang became more active.
"Anders, you know how things are," Vulpes answered with a chuckle.
"I know that they don't thank you for what you do," Zed interrupted, and he heard a sigh of exasperation on the other end. "Why do you work for a company that doesn't appreciate you?"
"I think they appreciate me, even if they don't outright say it," Vulpes responded. "I worked for a small Dust shop in Menagerie before they asked me to come and work for them, remember?"
"Yes," Zed responded.
"It brings in a lot of money, Anders," Vulpes pointed out.
"I'd prefer a dad who can work comfortably and see his family whenever he wants to," Zed blurted out and recoiled once he had realized what he said. "Dad! I am sorry, that came out wrong."
"It's ok, Anders, I understand," Vulpes responded. "I appreciate the opportunity to work for the Schnee's; without them, we would never have gotten out of Menagerie."
Zed didn't know how to respond after that, and all he heard was the breathing from his father on the other end.
"Anyways, boyo, I have to go, alright? Don't get into any reckless fights, but if you do, beat them down," Vulpes said, the tone in his voice changed to what Zed found familiar. The same happy and loud tone that he always heard. "When I am less busy, I'll call you again."
"Ok dad. Love you," Zed responded.
"Love you too, son," Vulpes said before a click could be heard, signaling the end of the call. Zed let out a sigh of exasperation, before he hid his face behind his hands. Before long, his eyes glowed orange in the darkness, and he reached over to his nightstand, pulled the drawer out, and took out the invoices.
(Although there is no name for the White Fang Lieutenant in the wiki, many have come up with rather unique names for him, and one caught my eye. After a message or two later, the creator of the name, "ZeroXSEED" on the SpaceBattle forums, as well as on FanFiction, allowed me to use the name.)