Big Issues
AN: Let's start things off with a thanks to kyash3025 for te fave and follow of this series. Seeing messages like that help keep me motivated to keep the series going beyond my own personal desires.
This is another long chapter, but that is pretty much the norm by now. Plenty of differing views as we go through this chapter for you all to enjoy.
Problems
Kuo Kuana was normally a peaceful place to live with little outside threats. Even the occasional Grimm attack rarely got the populace riled up much, usually taken care of by the Guard. The marine Grimm rarely came after those at sea, with a small maze of shallows and few channels deep enough for larger vessels and creatures. That combination allowed for the few threats to be contained and dealt with far easier, especially since there were quite a few Faunus who lived here with fish qualities that allowed for them to swim and dive very well.
The Huntsman and two Huntresses that recently arrived had been of great help as well, even if they had yet to finish their training, they still eclipsed the Guard in their skills. There were a few known criminals residing in the town that the Guard had trouble apprehending and there were some that had come to Kuo Kuana to escape justice that were almost allowed to go about their day so long as they didn't do anything. The Guard simply didn't have the manpower to go after them all.
However, the Huntsmen turned the tide against the criminals, the trio spending some of their time tracking down those on the wanted lists and bringing them in for their trials and jail time. Honestly, there were only a few who fought back when confronted and fewer still who gave them any real trouble.
Today was no different, with Blake and Sun approaching their target from behind as Itazura moved around the opposite side in case he ran that way. The pair took their time to close in on the man, the scaly lumps on his skin marking him as a lizard faunus of some sort, as he stood at a stall looking at a selection of knives.
However, the man was apparently watching his surroundings and the trackers weren't hiding their intent of targeting him either; leading to the man to draw a pistol from his waistband and fire at Sun and Blake. The two were easily able to dodge the bullets and luckily nobody behind them was hit either, though it was close. On the other hand, luck wasn't on the man's side either as his pistol jammed after the fourth round.
Blake and Sun took the time he used trying to unjam to quickly check the fleeing people around them for injuries before charging the man. With the pair coming after him and fast, he gave up on his gun by throwing it at them, Sun deftly dodging the lump of metal without slowing.
The chase had begun and the man was surprisingly fast and knew the back alleys better than they did, allowing him to keep ahead of the trained fighters. They wove through the tight spaces between buildings, jumping over and around the occasional barrels and trash cans, sometimes building supplies and at one point some kids playing a game with marbles. The man ran out into the main road and ran up the hill, pushing some people out of his way and causing a panic.
Blake burst out of the alley behind him, ignoring that she hadn't dodged the obstacles quite as well as she had hoped, too much junk in the trunk to maneuver in the tight areas at a full run. Sun was better off, being able to get around thanks to being thinner than his companion but had entered the narrow space after her and had to deal with the things she hit as she ran. He was a bit off balance when he emerged on the road, having to crouch low and slid on the dirt just to keep his feet under him.
Their problems grew when their target jumped between a pair of linked carts, cutting the linking rope in the process with the stolen knife and sending the cart rolling downhill.
"GO! I got it!" Sun yells to Blake, who had initially stopped as the cart barreled at them. The cat girl jumped to the side as the monkey boy used Via Sun to create a pair of clones to intercept the cart and slow it down before it got to him and he joined in stopping it.
Blake gave him one last look before chasing after their target who had been over confident with his idea and had stopped to watch. She saw the fear and surprise at the failure that turned to a grimace as she sprinted after him before he ducked into the nearest alley. She didn't have to go far to hear him clamoring up towards the roofs of the buildings and with practiced ease she followed with just a few leaps.
With the chase now at a higher elevation, Blake was closing the distance over the rooftops with the fairly linear path. The small gaps between buildings and the occasional vents, pipes, and decor doing little to slow her down. The same couldn't be said of her target, who obviously wasn't used to having to run for so long and didn't have anywhere near the amount of training she did to continue the chase.
There was a large ventilation pipe raised off a roof that he was heading towards and there was a gunshot that surprised both runners. The perp had the combination of surprise and exhaustion hitting him, causing him to trip and fall to roll under the pipe. The same pipe that was hit by a bullet that was meant for his shoulder and was now blasting steam through the holes and quickly obscuring everything in the area.
"Damn! Missed him!" Itazura cursed as she returned Loki to her back after landing beside Blake just outside of the cloud of hot mist.
Blake was focused on trying to peer through the vapors, briefly spotting a form that looked familiar but wasn't her target. A blink was all it took for that figure to vanish, making her believe that it was nothing but her imagination.
"Where'd he go?" Sun asks as he lands on the roof a few seconds later, having been able to stop the cart and chocked the wheels not long after they had split up.
"I… I lost him." Was all that Blake said as she looked around once more.
"Sorry, it was my fault with the steam." Itazura admitted.
Sun hung his head in frustration; they had spent all day tracking that guy down only for him to be lost just as they were about to nab him. "I guess we'll just get him later." He grumbles.
"And I better help with the repairs of that pipe." The fox tells them before moving to the edge of the roof. "I'll see you back at your place later. Save some dinner for me!" With that said, she drops down to the street to enter the building to speak to the owners.
"You okay?" Sun asks the cat girl. It had been his idea to spend their time tracking down known criminals, calling back to his time with the Vale detectives unit.
"I'm… I'm fine. Let's go home." She was irritated that she had let the team down by losing their target, even if it was Itazura who tried to shoot him and missed, unintentionally providing him cover to escape. And when she got irritated, she tended to take it out on food. Even if she was training with Sun and Itazura in the morning or afternoons when they had the time, either her irritation at things not improving quite how she would like or the stress of wondering what Sienna's response to her fathers letter all but demanding to meet in person had lead to her eating more than needed. Enough that she had upsized her pants… they had been tight enough to be like a second skin when she had arrived in the first place. She just considered herself lucky to have found a tailor who could duplicate the article. Though splitting the seat of them made her glad her coat was long enough to cover the hole in those old pants.
"We'll make sure we nab him next time. Count on it." Sun bumped his elbow against hers as he let his own irritation wash away, making Blake somewhat jealous that he could let his emotions run so freely.
As the sun began to close in on the horizon, they made their way back to the road level and made their way back home together… grabbing a trio of grilled squid on the way with Sun only getting one of them.
—-
If Weiss had been expecting a confrontation while in Mantle, this wasn't exactly how she thought it would be. Right now, she found herself sitting with Marrow and Farkas at a table across from Robyn Hill, the trio of May, Fiona, and Joanna sitting a short distance away to watch from their own table.
Robyn is easily the oldest of those present within the small bar they were in, aside from the barkeeper himself who was occupied with setting up the business for the expected rush from shift changes at the mines.
A tan skinned woman with light blonde hair only a few shades off of Weiss' own silvery-white hair, violet eyes with beauty marks under her right eye and under her mouth. She was nearly a head taller than Weiss, without her heels, The green scarf around her neck was adorned with the bird brooch that the other three girls wore, though with how they looked to Robyn as their leader, it was obviously a sign of their loyalty to her.
But the black sleeveless coat with grey accents over a red vest, under which a grey shirt covered her arms, the right cuff pulled back while the left has a black cuff that her weapon attaches to. A brown shirt with a high neck could barely be seen under her chin and over the scarf while a brown waist cincher with a heavy belt covered the vest over her stomach but let the coat free to move. Her brown pants are tucked into her black boots with brown cuffs. On her hands, she wears a pair of black gloves with the index fingers missing.
Her weapon, like the Ace Ops trainee and initiates, sat on the rack meant for minimizing combat by the barkeep holding their weapons until they were about to leave. That weapon, Weiss had yet to see it in use, but it looked like a bird at rest that sat on Robyn's left arm.
"So… Tell me something Weiss Schnee." Robyn leaned back in her chair with a cup of wine in hand, swirling it slowly. "Why haven't you gone home to your mansion? It's been a while since you've come home to Atlas." She takes a small sip for the taste.
The girl narrowed her eyes a bit at the question. She honestly had been expecting some form of comments from the woman about her weight, being the heaviest of those present and likely close to Fiona and May combined.
"Ah, don't give me that look. I don't mean any harm. I'm just… curious." Robyn was playing coy. Marrow and Farkas sat quietly beside the young girl, playing the part of guards but staying out of the conversation until they felt they needed to step in.
"I don't see why I should go back when I am doing more good outside of the estate." Weiss crosses her arms under her bust.
"Hmm… You see, I actually like that." Robyn smiles, using the hand holding the glass to point a finger at the heiress. "You are putting the people before yourself. Like a real Huntress. That is something that most people would like to have in their leaders."
"What are you getting at?"
"A little sad that you don't want to chat a bit before moving onto more serious topics. Is that how you were back at Beacon?"
That struck a nerve and one that went deep.
"Don't you dare accuse me or my team of anything. We found plenty of time for having fun before Cinder and her cronies attacked." Her voice was kept low but it was cold enough to freeze the blood of those who heard her.
But Robyn didn't seem bothered in the slightest, not even blinking at the threat. Instead, she turned to her girls. "Hey, think you could give us some music to lighten the mood? Play whatever."
May, Fiona, and Joanna blinked at the request before complying, getting up from their seats to go over to the corner where several instruments sat ready for use from a band.
"Your girls know how to play?" Marrow asks as he watches Joanna sit behind the drums as the other two pick up guitars.
"We have many talents, music helps kill the time when we aren't taking care of the people of Mantle."
"I thought that Atlas was helping Mantle?" Weiss asks over the sound of the girls warming up.
The question only made Robyn give a hollow laugh. "Not as much help as you think, Songbird. Those walls that you helped to guard a while ago? Those fell because Atlas refused to make sure they were maintained. We lost a lot of people that night." She trailed off as she thought back to how she and every available person with a weapon rallied against the Grimm.
"But… didn't they help clear out the Grimm?"
"They sent their machines at first but once they turned on everyone at Vale, the council saw fit to deactivate them all. Needless to say, whatever progress we were making to driving back the Grimm then was lost in seconds and then some. It was only thanks to the people here getting into positions to defend Mantle that we survived."
"What?" Weiss almost couldn't believe it.
"I have eyes and ears everywhere and I've been around enough to know how things work in this kingdom. I know that Atlas held back its army and Huntsmen to defend their city, leaving us with only a few token units that were overwhelmed as they called for reinforcements."
"The Ace Ops were sent down to help you! We were there on the front lines with them!" Farkas counters.
"Ah yes, the handful of Huntsmen that are considered the best that Atlas has to offer. You may have been sent down and did your share of defending Mantle, but it was a shit move of your superiors to send ONLY you. Couldn't have sprung for a few ships of the soldiers or fourth-year students to back you up or help us, could they?"
That made the three go silent.
"What are you getting at?" Weiss had to ask.
"Now that is the real question, isn't it?" Robyn smiled before taking a few sips from her glass. Setting the wine on the table, she leans forward to sit tall rather than reclined as she had been until now. "By the end of the year, elections will be held for Council positions. I'm not in the military so Ironwood has that spot filled. Same with the Huntsman Academy thanks to someone enjoying his power a bit too much."
"What about the other seats?" Marrow inquires.
"I'm not much for economics or infrastructure like the old blowhards on the Council. It's the final seat that has my interest, the one that handles the concerns of the people of the Kingdom of Atlas."
"Interests you?" Farkas digs for clarity.
"I want to be the representative of the people." Robyn states plainly.
"Why? Why you?" Weiss asks for her motivation, though she began to suspect the answer.
Robyn leaned back in her seat to drain her glass but nearly slammed it on the table as she leaned forward to look them in the eye.
"Quite simply, the people of Mantle need someone who knows them, has been one of them to be their voice. Someone who will actually get something done for the people who need it the most, without making sure that some snob up in Atlas takes the money and credit while doing little to nothing as they have almost since Atlas left the ground."
"The people here need a fighter for their rights, who will make their lives better. And I feel that I may be the best they got."
"You know plenty of us come from Mantle, right?" Farkas says as he crosses his arms. At some point during the conversation he had finished his mug of mead.
"I know that but you're busy playing soldier for the Tinman. You forgot that he controls both the military and Huntsmen of Atlas and that the Ace Ops falls under both, huh?" Robyn smirks at the wolf, much to his discomfort.
"Who else is running for that seat on the Council?" Weiss asks as she sits back.
"The mayor of Mantle has thrown his hat in the ring but too many people here like him where he is and what he does for us. Can't exactly argue with that but I wouldn't mind if he got the job either. That man has been leading this city for most of my life and he doesn't fool around."
"Anyone else?" Marrow wants to know.
At that, Robyn flops back in her seat with a sigh. "There's been a handful from Atlas making a bid for it but most are doing it for easy advertising. Marigold may be the most serious contender but not everything can be solved by throwing money at the problem."
Everyone at the table scoffed. Even the girls up on stage managed to hear it… or May messed up a chord badly with incredible timing at the mention of the man. She got some odd looks from the other two but they got back to their warmup after a quick shrug.
"There's even been some rumors of Jacques considering on running yet."
"What?" Weiss nearly yelled. She may have raised her voice but it carried through the mostly empty bar.
"Interesting reaction." Robyn observed aloud.
"Are you just messing with me?" The Heiress glared at the Huntress with a touch of ice in her tone.
"Honestly, only partially. You can check if I'm telling the truth by simply holding my hand." She offers her right hand over the table, the limb glowing blue as she activated her semblance.
But Weiss had her doubts about the play, though her ears did pick up on the Happy Huntresses actually playing a song now. Simple but calming. Clearly they were still warming up and this promised to be just the start.
"I'll pass. But I'd rather not have my father be on the Council; they bend over backwards for him and his money enough as it is to get away with questionable practices." Weiss crosses her arms with a huff.
"Then I see we're in agreement on that at least." Robyn smirks.
"Perhaps. But what do you plan to do if you are elected to the Council?"
"Mainly, I'd be the voice of Mantle. This city has been neglected ever since Atlas became the center of focus within this Kingdom. All that we've been seen as and used for is a source of cheap labor for those in power, no matter our skills and contributions." Robyn states passionately. "My plans would be to push for resources to ensure that the walls that protect us are reinforced and renovated completely, clean up the streets by pushing for stronger regulations on the pollution and better working conditions, raising the wages for the workers… should I go on?"
Weiss had to admit that the ideas sounded good and from a few quick mental calculations, she knew that they would go a long way to helping the people. It just would require the will to go through with it. Funds for those projects could be generated partially from raising the taxes on the corporations and the rich, partially from the taxes and increased profits from the people having the Lien to spare. Not to mention that if conditions were improved city-wide, the citizens would be healthier and happier.
"Interesting." Weiss nods her head. "IF you follow through with plans like that, I'll be happy to support you. Though I may be able to help with drafting some paperwork to ensure that those plans could be brought to the Council right away with data and arguments that they can't refute."
Robyn was surprised at the support AND offer to help but recovered well and shook hands with Weiss over the table to seal the deal. "Alright, thank you. I'll hold you to that, so long as it doesn't distract you from your duties."
Some motion from the bar owner caught the table's attention. "But first, let's have some dinner and some good music!" Robyn tells her guests as the plates of steak and potatoes with roasted carrots were sat in front of each of them. Their drinks were refilled as the girls on stage began to play another song.
But what caught Weiss' attention was that May could sing, with Fiona providing backup when she felt like it. Not only could May sing well, even with the choice of song not likely revealing her true capabilities in that area, but the lyrics were something that really caught her attention.
"Never had a woman
Never had a woman like you
Doin' all the things
Doin' all the things you do
Ain't no fairy story
Ain't no skin and bones
But you give it all you got
Weighin' in at nineteen stone
You're a whole lotta woman
A whole lotta woman
Whole lotta Rosie'
Weiss couldn't help but feel that the song spoke to her in ways that surprised her. But the name and description from those few lines reminded her of the one Rose that she was close to; Ruby Rose. Her determination, the actions she has done, the goals she has… but one thing bothered her enough to make her laugh.
"Nineteen stone?" Weiss whispers to herself as she recalled some of the old and more obscure units of measurements and doing some quick mental calculations, she couldn't help but laugh a little. "Ruby hasn't been nineteen stone since the Breach. Last I saw, she was closer to twenty two stone."
Still, as she listened to May continue the song, she couldn't help but feel a deep connection to it. Maybe she could join them if this was their regular place to come to. And it helped that the food was excellent and there was plenty on her plate to start… and she finished it all.
—-
As much as Pyrrha hated using her fame to things done, she had to admit that it was useful when she did use that notoriety. She was glad that the man she had made the arrangements with to transport her team was either clueless as to what she had done to Penny, forgotten about it, or had seen it as an accident- she had been devastated by the event and she had found that it had been broadcast before Conder had taken over the airwaves.
However, their ride had been delayed nearly a week due to gathering the supplies and people that the Bullhead had been chartered for. That did allow them to gather a few last minute items for their journey and they earned their stay at the depot by assisting with the other transports cargo.
"That's the last box!" Jaune shouts to the pilot as he and Ren dusted off their hands as Ruby and Pyrrha began to secure the load with the cargo net. Nora was assisting the pilot with the passengers, her volume being a great help with giving directions.
"Good!" The pilot calls back. "We're almost done here too." He walks over to them as the last person steps up the ramp. "I'll do a final inspection of everything while you kids get on board."
"Alright, see you in a few minutes." The knight says as he leads the others inside to see Nora standing proudly inside with a hat on her head made of paper with a hastily scribbled 'Flight Attendant' written on it, complete with a name tag on her chest.
"Welcome aboard Air Valkyrie! We'll be taking off soon for Anima, so please take your seats and buckle yourselves in until you are cleared to move about the cabin." She greeted them with a smile on her cherubic face.
"Thanks Nora." Ruby played along before walking down the aisle where a pair of seats on either side were open, reserved for the team.
"Um… Nora? We're short a seat." Pyrrha turns to her much shorter teammate, ignoring that, at least for the three girls the seats would be tight enough.
"Oh yeah! The pilot said we can take turns in the cockpit with him!" The redheaded hammer girl told them.
At that, the four looked at each other with the same thoughts; one being the cool factor of being in the cockpit and the possibility of helping the pilot. The second was worry about the hyperactive girl near the controls of the craft carrying them and the passengers; she had a habit of pushing buttons and elevators weren't safe, having had all of the buttons pressed at once and the system getting confused. Once, they had been stuck in the elevator at Beacon for a few hours because of her doing that. It was good that it happened before The Issue hit them because it was cramped enough then.
"Alright folks! We're good to go!" The pilot announced as he climbs the stairs into the Bullhead, his 'guards' quickly taking their seats with Ruby dashing to the cockpit while Nora was busy saluting her 'boss'.
The takeoff went without a hitch and soon they were speeding through the air over the mountains that guarded Vale from the east. There was the standard detour around Mountain Glenn, if only to avoid seeing the ruined city, but also to avoid the Grimm that congregated there before trying to attack Vale and Beacon.
"Sanus looks so pretty from up here!" Ruby was practically bouncing in her seat, which in turn led to most of her jiggling.
"One of the perks of the job!" The pilot laughs proudly. "We get to see the world differently than most and travel the world."
—-
Glynda sat in her office after watching the team board their transport from a distance. She was equally worried about sending such young students on a cross-continental mission on their own with no way to call for help should something happen. But there was the pride that they were among her best students of their year who volunteered themselves to accomplish this important task.
"Are you sure you didn't want to go with them?" She asks her guest.
"No room." Qrow shrugs as he watches the big blonde fret. The Headmistress leveled a slight glare at him for that.
"Hey! You know it's true. Not unless you want me to reveal things they have no need to know about." He fired back.
"Don't you have to go to Mistral anyway?"
"I just need to wrap up a few things here before I go. They can have a head start." Qrow popped open his flask and took a swig before stowing it away again.
"How has Yang been?" Glynda tried to steer the conversation to a new topic.
At the question, he let out a sigh. "About as good as she can be without any improvement on her arm while effectively being forced to retire early. Add in that Ruby left now…"
"Is there anything I can do to help her?" Qrow picked up on the slight hint of desperation in her tone when asking that.
"Not unless you can use your semblance to fix her arm like before it was nearly cut off by that bastard."
Silence reigned for a few moments as they both tried to calm down.
"At least she's got her best friend by her side to help her out, even if he's running around the island most days to put down the Grimm."
"How is Tai doing? I can't imagine that this is easy for him either."
"He's been trying to keep a positive outlook on things. With Yang home with Denko, he knows she's safe. And we're both glad that Ruby was caught sneaking out, we at least got to say our goodbyes and know who she's with and where she's going."
"It would have been greatly appreciated if they would have come to me for the mission." Glynda huffed.
"I can't exactly blame them, you would have denied them and sent me to investigate." Qrow smirks as he crosses his arms. The smirk grew as he saw the woman shift in her own seat, larger than his for obvious reasons.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'll make sure Leo talks to me. We both know he won't tell the kids the full story."
Glynda leaned forward, removing her glasses so she could rub her eyes.
"You okay?" Any carefree confidence he had vanished as concern took hold.
"I'll be fine. I'm just… exhausted from trying to coordinate everything."
"Don't you have some help?"
"I do but…"
"Who to bring in as your Number Two?" Qrow got a silent nod in response. "Pete is getting too old for too much nowadays, brags too much as well."
They shared a laugh at the portly Port. The man is old enough to have gone into teaching by the time Qrow had entered Beacon, having been a teaching assistant at the time. The man has a distinguished Huntsman career as well and his ability to fight his way through the swarms of Grimm at the Vytal Tournament showed that he hadn't let his skills go dull. But the man should be ready to retire soon, under normal circumstances but Glynda would be happy to let him continue teaching as long as he's capable once Beacon opens again.
"Maybe Barty would be best. The man has proven to be quite capable in fights and loyal."
"Not to mention that he probably has enough pieces of the puzzle to know the basics of what we have already." Qrow scoffs with a grin. "If you decide to bring him in, let me know how long he goes on a tangent about missing the big picture."
"Leaving already?" Glynda's smile faded as the Huntsman stood from his chair.
"Sorry, I got some work to do before following after the kids." He says as he moves the wooden chair back to the corner where it was out of the way before moving to the door. "That and the chair was putting my ass to sleep. Not all of us have ample cushioning to make a chair comfy."
It didn't take a second for Glynda to realize what he was implying and she used her Telepathy to slam the door shut, throwing him into the hallway in the process.
"No wonder he has a problem with women." She huffed before turning back to the paperwork on her desk. Hopefully the work would help get rid of the blush on her face.
—-
There were a few things that were rare in Menagerie. One of which being space to build without clearing out the forest. Another was fresh red meat, having to import most of what they ate and that made it expensive and reserved for special occasions.
Today's rare event was the arrival of the private ship for the leadership of the White Fang. It wasn't as though the vessel was as large as the ship that carried a certain trio from Vale nor was it small like the boat that it towed into port that belonged to a messenger that had left the week before with urgency.
While it was noteworthy that it arrived, most moved on with their day quickly. The messenger was the first off the boat, only to go to his own and untie it from the larger vessel, giving a wave of thanks before sailing away to another part of the port for his own dock.
It did get people talking when Sienna Khan stepped onto the dock herself, casually dismissing her guards to mind the ship.
However, someone else was keen to take notice of the arrival of the White Fangs High Leader, moving to get closer as fast as possible without drawing attention.
"Kuo Kuana… it has been a while since I've been back." Sienna says to herself as she lets herself relax while still portraying herself as strong and confident. It had been some time since she had been to the island town, nearly three years. Looking around, she could see how much had changed and the growth of the town in that time.
Honestly, it filled her with pride to see her people doing so well without having to deal with humans back in the four Kingdoms, though Vacuo was distinctly different as they didn't care who or what you are if you could survive and pull your weight. She had some issues with how Vale would turn a blind eye of Faunus hate crimes on occasion as well as having some tolerance for discriminatory businesses but during her time within the White Fang she had seen improvement in those areas.
Mistral and Atlas on the other hand… She shook the thoughts from her head. She was here for business with Ghira and possibly some time to relax and catch up with Kali.
"Sienna? I didn't know you were coming." A voice that she hadn't heard for some time came from behind her, making her turn to face the speaker.
There stood a few steps away a young woman in her teens with long brown hair in a ponytail that curled at the end, naturally tanned skin with a few large darker spots scattered over her body, grey eyes, wearing a black bodysuit with short rolled up sleeves and shorts. Gold buckles held the few straps closed around her clothes, she wore a single black glove on her right hand and a pair of black boots. At her waist is what looked to be a silver pistol attached to her belt.
"Ilia? Is that you?" The older woman asks with a smile. "Looks like you grew a little taller!"
"Really? That's what you say after six months?" Ilia matched her sarcasm.
"What can I say? You've never been very tall so any growth is noticeable." Sienna teases as she gives the girl a pat on the shoulder, laughing at the blushing and grumbles her comment induced.
Ilia took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking again. "But seriously, what are you doing here? We didn't know that you were coming."
"You're acting like I can't take a little vacation once in a while. But I came to speak to Ghira about something while I'm here."
"But what about your guards?"
"What about them? We're in Menagerie, nothing to worry about here."
"But-"
"If you are so worried about my lack of guards, then you can be mine for the day." Sienna declares with finality.
Ilia was gobsmacked at the turn of events that she spent the next few seconds gaping like a fish before relenting with a bow of her head. "If that is what you wish."
"Then let's get going." Together they walked up the stairs into the main part of Kuo Kuana. "Have you been here long, Ilia?"
"I've been stationed here for a few months but had a mission that took me to the mainland for the past few weeks. I only just returned yesterday and haven't caught up on anything new going on here yet."
"Hmmm… so we both will be in for a surprise from Ghira and Kali." Sienna grumbles loud enough for her guide to hear.
"At least it's easy to find where we need to go." Ilia tries to lighten the mood. It was easy for them both to find the Chieftain's home, being the largest home on the island and among the largest buildings. Not to mention the central location in town at the end of the main road coming in.
A quick walk for the pair found them at the front doors where Sienna idly noted a few claw marks near the edges of the frame and doors themselves. That didn't stop her from using the knocker in the brass cat head mounted on the wood.
"Sienna?" Was the first word she heard once the door cracked open before it swung further open to reveal Kali Belladonna standing there with a smile, if troubled slightly.
"Kali, it's been a few years." The tiger Faunus greets her old friend, accepting a brief hug from the older woman.
"It has been a while. But please, come inside and I'll get the others." Kali motions them inside. Ilia didn't get far before she was wrapped in a quick hug from the cat woman as well. "It's good to see you too, young lady."
They were promptly sat at the table and drinks and snacks provided to the guests, Kali disappearing into the home to fetch Ghira.
"Any idea what we are in for?" Ilia asks her leader, idly biting into a cracker.
Sienna drank some cold tea, soothing her throat. "I could take some guesses but I'll wait until Ghira narrows it down."
"I'm glad to see you've come quickly, Sienna Khan." Ghira Belladonna greets the High Leader who took control of the White Fang after him, the pair shaking hands before the man sat down.
"The kids will be down in a moment." Kali says as she brings out a new tray of drinks and snacks.
'Kids?' Ilia thinks to herself. She didn't recall Kali having any other children besides Blake. Still, she couldn't help but to feel intimidated by Ghira, the man being nearly twice her height and known to have a temper behind his usual kind demeanor.
"I suppose that I should get straight to the point about this." Ghira clearly didn't feel like making Sienna wait or waiting for the others to join them. "The White Fang was heavily involved in the Fall of Beacon."
The bluntness of his words hit both women like a truck. Sienna had her eyes go wide and fingers dug into her legs. Ilia was much less discreet, turning white from head to toe.
"They took part in the attack and apparently provided the numbers required to conduct an attack of such scale. Even before that attack, they were the primary antagonists for an event known as 'The Breach'. They had used a train to break through the barriers between Mountain Glenn and Vale, setting off bombs to create openings for Grimm to enter the tunnels and aggravating them to follow the train into the kingdom."
Both women sat in shock as what was said sank in, even if it was the bare basics ilia in particular was looking green… literally turning a sickly shade of green. Sienna was getting angrier as her predecessor spoke.
"Just where did you learn of this?" The tiger demands.
"From me." A voice spoke from the door.
The two newcomers looked over to see Blake Belladonna standing in the doorway with a blonde monkey Faunus by her side. She had given up on her coat at this point, afraid that she'd ruin it if she wore it any longer, leaving her in just her crop top covering her upper half… sorta.
At her size, the crop top acted more like an extra bra for her, not that it would have been much better with its design if she had lost all of the weight. Her hips certainly filled the door well enough, the chubby boy next to her having just enough room to stand next to her in the frame comfortably.
The pair couldn't see the shelf behind Blake but given the thickness of her thighs and the black pants that looked to be squeezing them tightly like a second skin, there was little to left to the imagination of their softness.
Both youths were barefoot in the house and both padded over to the table to sit down with the others. Blake's steps were surprisingly quiet, even if her drop onto her large rump wasn't so. The boy next to her was either used to her spreading out and nudging him or didn't care or enjoyed it. Probably a combination.
Across the table, the active White Fang members were at a loss for words, unable to comprehend that such a lithe girl who was among the best fighters, saboteurs, and spies that the organization had was now looking as though she had eaten herself… twice over and then some.
"Blake?" Sienna was the first to find their voice as the parents seemed indifferent to the size of their daughter.
The cat girl sighed as she dropped her face into her hands. "Yes, I know I got fat. No, it wasn't intentional. And yes, I'll explain everything."
"Okay then… we have time." The tiger says as her companion stayed silent, if looking a bit pink now.
"I'm Sun Wukong, just so you know." The blonde adds to fill the relative silence after a few seconds.
"And I'm Itazura Vulpes." A fox Faunus greets them as she walks into the room and drops into her place nearest to Ilia. "We got plenty of evidence to back up our claims and I hope you're ready for a long story time; there's a lot to cover."
—-
It had been a few days since Ruby had left home for her mission to Anima with Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren. She knew that her sister was in good hands with friends that they both knew and trusted. Yang had laughed at the text on her scroll before Ruby had left the island to tell her that they had come up with a team name; RNNJR.
But there were some problems with her sister gone for Yang. While there was less food to make and shop for and less laundry to wash and dry, this was essentially the furthest she had ever been from the girl she had been both a sister and mother to. Summer Rose had left some big shoes to fill and Yang had spent the last thirteen years doing her best in her place.
She stopped the line of thought to rub her right side along the corner of the couch to scratch the itch that had been bothering her for the past few minutes while getting the laundry from the basement.
Once again another reminder that she couldn't use her right arm. And she knew why she itched; she couldn't reach around herself to properly clean that side. Ruby used to assist her with that and in turn Yang would get her sisters back.
But now after a week without a proper scrubbing, she was getting irritable and she could only ask Denko to scratch her side so much before he began to make jokes about having fleas.
Then again, she found herself in his bed after nightmares often enough. She hated those dreams of Adam taking not just her right arm but also other limbs so she'd be forced to lay on the ground as he dismembered her team and friends. Then there were others of Blake running away without a word, Weiss taken by her father to be under his thumb as long as he lived. Pyrrha dying. Ruby and Weiss being eaten by the Grimm Wyvern. And others.
She hated those sleepless nights and how they came far too often, especially since they've been every night since Ruby left. But Denko was almost always available to comfort her so she could get some sleep. The nights where he was on patrol when they hit… let's just say that the ice cream tended to be emptied a fair bit as a movie or two or three would be watched.
Folding laundry with one arm had proven to be a challenge at first, once she felt well enough to get up and pull her own weight around the house. Now, she could do it blindfolded… if people didn't mind mismatched socks.
Cooking was almost second nature to her too, especially since she ate more than her fair share, much to her waistline's dismay. It wasn't hard to find the blonde with some snack nearby, though it varied from carrot sticks to cookies.
But the damn itch!
At least she couldn't tell if her right arm was itching in its cast, still no feeling but with the cast in the way there would be no way for her to scratch it anyway.
She dropped the last pile of clothes on the owner's bed, wiping the sweat from her forehead. It was a new thing for her to be sweating so much from such mundane activities, proof that she was out of shape aside from growing rounder. As much as her expanding waistline irritated her, she turned to her snacks as a distraction.
And the cycle continued.
At least that was her last chore for the day before getting a shower herself and it was off to bed. And Denko had just finished his own shower too.
She left her dad's room for her own to gather up her clothes to change into after she was washed, still managing to find black shorts and an orange tank top to fit her as well as her underwear.
She passed the young man in the hall wearing a pair of black shorts, his hair and body still damp from being washed and the steamy room.
She couldn't stop her eyes from wandering over the muscles and scars on his body. He was certainly not afraid of hard work or pushing his body beyond its limits or putting his body on the line for others. The number of times at Signal where he shielded younger students by jumping in the way of a weapon or object were actually too often to keep an accurate count of. He didn't always get hurt from the interception but it was a demonstration of his durability and morals.
Once she made the short walk to the bathroom, still warm and moist from the previous user, she shed her sling and dropped it on the counter, the removal making her right arm dangle as limply as the cast allowed. Following that went her sweat pants and shirt, clothes that easily accommodated her large body and were warm to stave off the cold when she had to go outside in the snow to get the mail. Anything more and she'd add a coat.
She could see herself in the mirror easily despite the condensation on it, a rather pale ball with a pair of smaller balls attached to it with a third the same size on top with a mass of golden strands. All of that held up by a pair of pale cones.
Not an inaccurate description of the girl but she also didn't feel like wiping the water away for more details. She already knew that her lilac eyes had dark bags under them from the restless nights and she hadn't bothered to take care of her skin like she used to, though the men around her weren't bothered by her skipping that part of her routine.
Then there was that damn itch again!
"Ah! Cold!" She yelped as she rubbed her side against the counter.
Standing upright once the irritation was temporarily removed, she could see that the right side of the biggest pale ball was now red from the rubbing, it had been a bit on the pink side before the latest round from all of the earlier scratches.
Her eyes flashed red as she spun away from her reflection and took the two steps needed to the shower and turned on the water, warm liquid spraying invitingly. She took the few seconds for any of the cold water to work itself from the pipes to put on her plastic glove to cover the cast and nearly dove into the refreshing cleaning stall.
She had figured out a routine for washing most of herself with her lone working arm and soon had suds over most of her soft skin and her hair shampooed but nothing was rinsed off… she was wrestling over something in her mind.
"Screw it." She mutters before pulling the curtain back to poke her head out, careful to keep her hair from dripping on the rug and tiled floor as much as possible.
"Denko!"
Yang's call could be heard through most of the house, though the boy in question jumped at the sudden noise and fumbled with his scroll, barely catching it before it tumbled to the floor. Quickly saving his work and tucking the device in a pocket, he left his room to answer the call.
He knocked on the bathroom door. "Yang?"
"Denko?"
"Yeah? You yelled?"
"Come in here."
He blinked at the request. "What?"
"I said come in here." Her voice betrayed her nerves about her idea. "I need your help."
Once again he blinked in confusion. "Are you decent?"
"I'm in the shower, just come in so we're not talking through a door!"
Denko took a deep breath and followed the directions of his best friend and entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him, though not without having his eyes mostly closed, trained on the floor, and a hand over his eyes to ensure that he could only see the floor.
Yang watched him enter like that and couldn't help but smile at his awkwardness combined with respect. Though he stopped just inside the door. "Come on over here. You won't see anything."
He shuffled over to stand by the curtain next to her but kept his eyes hidden. "What do you need?"
"I-I just need a hand." Yang was blushing hard, glad that he couldn't see her. Likewise, Denko was glad he was facing away and had part of his face covered to hide his own overactive capillaries.
"Just reach in, I'll give you the sponge, and you start scrubbing. I'll tell you if you're going too far."
Neither of them had experience in something like this. Not even when they were kids together did they bathe at the same time, just had gone swimming in the lake, ocean, or Signal pool. The closest that Denko had done was when he and Itazura were still at the orphanage and on the road occasionally. For Yang, it was with Ruby when they were kids and lately when they were recovering from their injuries.
"O-okay." He stuck his right arm in around the other end of the curtain, still using the other to keep his eyes from wandering. He respects her privacy and knows that she could and would hit hard, any strength lost from the lack of training would be made up for by the weight she could put behind the blow.
Yang pulled her head back in and picked up the wash cloth, setting it in his hand. She quickly popped open the liquid soap and squirt some on. The shower was still running, ensuring that she was well soaked and ready for the scrubbing.
"Okay… just reach in a bit further." Yang instructs as she shuffles a little closer to his hand as it closes the distance in turn. She lifted her right arm at the shoulder, the only way she could move it, and crossed her arms to leave her side exposed and it protected them both from an accident.
"Ready?"
"I guess so."
A final shuffle and stretch and contact was made, inducing red faces… redder faces. After the initial flinching from the contact, the scrubbing began over the soft skin. The relief was almost immediate as the irritation was literally washed away.
The hand that had spent years slaying the greatest threats to humanity, toughened from combat and scarred from life, was extremely gentle as it made small circles with the soapy wet cloth. There was a lot of area to cover but as they were both getting comfortable and used to the positions they were in, it was over.
Not that Yang really had much in the way of rolls but every curve from under her arm to hip and from the middle of her back to a generous area of her belly were washed better than they had in days. And there was no feeling of the itch at all anymore.
Yang almost didn't notice until after it happened, but she turned to face Denko, the cloth gliding over the large curve of her stomach with ease, only pulling back when his hand slid to her other side.
"Sorry!" They apologized in sync.
Then what just happened caught up to them and they laughed at it.
"Thanks, Denko, I really needed that." Yang was sincere as she took the cloth from his hand and rung out the soap under the water, her arm being allowed to hang loose again.
"No problem." Denko felt the cast hit his hand and instinctively caught it. But as he held it, he noticed something odd.
"Well… I just need to rinse and dry off before getting dressed. You planning to stay and help me?" The last part had been filled with the teasing charm that had been largely lacking since Beacon. It was strange how much he missed that but he took that as a sign that she was recovering mentally.
He also took that as a cue to leave, only pausing to dry his arm on his towel, his face hot enough to dry the limb if he held it up.
Yang laughs when she heard the quick steps and the door opening and closing. "I was just teasing him but I wouldn't mind a hand with this…"
It would take a few minutes to dry and get dressed, filled with a lot of bouncing and jiggling but she was soon ready for a drink before bed. Maybe Denko would be up for a snack.
—-
As for the blonde hair in her thoughts, he sat on the couch staring at his hand. It wasn't so much that he was bothered by having to help Yang get cleaned up, he had felt her body plenty of times over the months since they had been reunited at Beacon and how she had grown over that time.
But this wasn't a spar, time in a pool, or just hanging out on a couch together. And it wasn't comforting her from a nightmare or her doing it for him that resulted in them sharing a bed for a few hours as it passed.
The shower was something far more intimate, especially for someone like him who had a very short list of people who he was even comfortable with touching him at all that wasn't a result of a fight.
There was nothing between them but a piece of wet cloth in his hand and a flimsy curtain blocking their view of each other.
And he found that he'd be willing to do it again if she asked.
But what was bothering him was the lack of activity in her right arm. It was a part of his semblance that he could feel electrical fields, helping to guide his use of the electrical power when needed. But the complete lack in her arm, specifically below the injury site, troubled him greatly.
The frequent close contact with Yang had given him a feel for her nervous system, not that he'd be able to tell her from Taiyang if blindfolded and only using that ability. Unless he 'felt' their right arms. Yang was fine all over until that part of her. He'd seen the site of stitches above the spot where Adam had slashed her and they had healed over well enough that they were barely noticeable now.
"Maybe I'll mention it to Doctor Hemo next time I see him."
"What was that?" Yang asks as she walked down the steps, dressed and arm in its sling.
"Nothing much."
"Okay." She shrugs. "Wanna have some popcorn and a movie before bed?"
"Sure. I'll find a movie that looks interesting."
AN: Now that I'm done with a family vacation, I'm hoping that my family will allow me to have time to work more on my writing. I have a special chapter planned with a due date but I have some chapters between now and then to pump out. I'm hoping to make that date on time but I'll also be happy with only being a few days late if needed, I'm not gonna rush out shoddy writing just to make that deadline. Though it does help that part of it is already written by a friend. Exactly what it is will be a surprise for you all. ^_^
For now, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are eager for the next one. As always, reviews are welcome!