Chapter 19: A Day Out
The walk to the bullhead port was interesting, to say the least. The press was still as rabid as ever. One would think they would focus more on the tournament, but apparently the second they stop broadcasting, they go back to trying to get an interview with William.
It was a good thing William's signature attire included a hood. Adding in him intentionally changing his eye color and adding some fangs for extra insurance of no one recognizing him. Further application of his shapeshifting ability had a thick mop of hair covering his ears under his hood just in case.
It wasn't a surprise that the media had found out about his pink hair. More than a few hundred suspects could have told them. Namely students, from Beacon or visiting. Thankfully, his hair had started returning to its normal coloring. Little peaks of his naturally black hair were beginning to show through. Whether it was something to do with him being a Were-Grimm or just the fact he didn't let the hair dye sink in enough he did not care. It was just nice knowing there was hope for his hair returning back to normal.
Still, to be safe he invoked grim from the parts of his head other than where his hair was. This created a somewhat uncomfortable, but manageable wig of black Grimm fur.
Now if the slight discomfort in is gait didn't tip anyone off, he was golden. William had only recently acquired his new weapons- the magnificent pair of wind Dust Kilij, Solar Wind. As such, he wasn't particularly used to the holster for his new weapons that came with them. Each blade could retract into roughly the size of a medium sized dagger. His holsters were strapped one to each leg and were secured like gun holsters. According to Ruby and the others, it would take a few weeks to be able to fully move naturally with them on.
He had to wonder if that was why most students at Beacon either just carried their weapon or had it secured to their back.
Ms. Goodwitch was the one who proposed they take different paths to the hanger. Her taking the direct route and he took the long way around scooting along the edge of the crowd. It was harder for her to conceal herself given that everyone knew who she was. Not that it mattered. The invisible wall parting the reporters, making a path for her, probably helped. Though curiously she had her signature weapon strapped to her hip and instead used an umbrella to focus her semblance.
He had to wonder if there was actually any genuine reason to even have it. Perhaps it was just to help her aim? If it wasn't then that only left one option that he really didn't want to imagine when it came to his guardian. Especially why a huntress who runs around in high heels, with disciplinarian disposition who works at a school full of children would carry around a riding crop….
….Damn Neo for his dirty mind.
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'Uh, that was worse than before." William lamented as he laid back in his seat, enjoying how spacious it was. One of the perks of being Beacon staff is the ability to have a private bullhead ride. The wolf faunus could get used to this.
His guardian could only nod in agreement. "You should see them after the tournament. Whether Beacon wins or loses they will hound our students for months." She said lifting her glasses as she stroked the bridge of her nose. William could sense she was recalling several headaches of tournaments past.
"Is that why you don't stay at Beacon?" William guessed. As he recalled professors Port and Oobleck actually lived on campus in teacher private suites. As did a lot of faculty. If he recalled professor Port and doctor Oobleck each had two conjoined rooms. Apparently for their books and "trophies".
Honesty, he wondered how much the man spent on taxidermized animals made to look like Grimm. Given his ability to kill Grimm without them decaying. He might actually be able to make a pretty decent amount of Lien sowing the chunks of his meals back together.
She paused a moment to think. "No, well, it does come in handy when I want to get away from it all."
He could imagine. For all the stress the woman experienced on a regular basis, he wondered why she didn't just work from home. "I do have my own private suite."
Her expression seemed to brighten up slightly. As did any residual negativity. She must have been remembering something pleasant.
"My house actually used to belong to my mother and my grandmother before her. It has been my family home for three generations now." The blond woman again paused. He couldn't sense her emotions at all now- that fact alone said it was something positive- if the faint smile on her features growing ever so slowly was an indicator. "Just returning there for a day or two helps me destress."
William could understand that better than anyone. Despite the negative emotions, he felt from the students and faculty, Beacon was worlds better than the Valley of Grimm. He cherished those moments where he could just breathe and relax without the constant threats of a Beowulf trying to eat him in his sleep.
"By the way William", she turned towards him, "If you were going to text your teammates, why did you run back to your dorm room to write that note saying you were going to stay over?"
William looked away from the woman, "It's because I didn't remember scrolls could send messages until after I wrote the letter."
"Really?" she eyed him. Her emotions were showing a mix of confusion and something else.
He continued to avoid eye contact. "I know I should know this stuff", he admitted. "I just sometimes forget about it. I mean it's a big step from living in the valley." He lied. Truthfully, he planned it that way so he could leave a message for Neo without alerting his guardian.
His head turned as a nearby lightning strike flashed before his eyes as it ushered in the rain. It was a hard downpour that would soak most people to their bones in a matter of moments. That probably explained Ms. Goodwitch's umbrella.
Wait, did that mean she wanted them to share hers'?
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Neopolitan pressed her copy of her boy-toy, turned something more's scroll against the door, unlocking it. Still camouflaged to be invisible via her semblance, she took one last look around to see that no one noticed the sound of a door randomly dinging with no one in front of it.
There was no one. at least visually. The team Will was a part of were having some kind of weird conversation alternating between loud shouting and quiet talking she could barely even hear.
She couldn't understand most of it, but she pieced together something about the cow titted blonde and the cat faunus not wanting to get it on with rich bitch. Or was it wanting to get it on? She honestly didn't care.
At least she didn't have to kill them for trying to steal Will from her.
She sighed and casually walked in. It had been a looooooonnnng day in her book. Too long. Her torn, cut, slightly charred, and soaked clothing was proof of that.
She'd be using Will's card to charge the laundry mat later.
First, she had to convince a mechanic to finish up the repairs to a floating ambulance a few days early, but not tell the owners.
To his credit, he was quite stubborn. Neo had almost run out of unbroken toes to break. She could honestly appreciate that kind of courage, if it wasn't for the fact, she had to stop herself from killing him due to that sewage trap he called a mouth. Seriously, was he chugging automotive waste or something?
Then there was having to acquire an Atlesian military uniform, or close to it. While she could just create the illusion of herself in a uniform, her clothing was still her clothing. It was common knowledge that Atlesian uniforms have all kinds of ways to interface with their tech. More specifically, her target was either a pocket on their hip, an interface in their helmet, or their gloves. Since they were the world leaders in technology, they probably figured no one could use it but them.
She always liked how the smarter people were supposed to be, the easier it was to steal from them.
Granted, under a normal situation this one was tricky- even for her-, however, luck just so happened to smile on her. As she was making her way from Beacon, the long way through the Emerald Forest, she happened to catch some of Atlas' soldiers patrolling the edge of the city.
Ever since Will became famous, more than a few reports have tried to get an interview. While most are smart enough to just wait at the Beacon Bullhead landing sight which was still part of the city of Vale, oddly enough. There were apparently a few who thought they could get their interview by traversing a forest full of deadly monsters and climb an enormous cliff.
Sometimes you just have to laugh at how stupid some people are.
As you might expect, Beacon wanted to prevent further loss of life, despite they were basically asking for it and increased security. At least for Grimm anyway. Neo could walk right by those buffoons pulling a wagon of drugs and illegal weapons wearing a t-shirt that read "I'm going to destroy Beacon by releasing Grimm into the School", and they would be none the wiser. But she digressed.
By pure chance, she stumbled upon an Atlesian officer getting yelled at some uppity reporter bitching about freedom of the press and some other bull crap. Neo was fairly sure freedom of the press doesn't allow people to trespass through a forest of Grimm.
Regardless, the report attracted some lower level Grimm. Normally the officer's partner would have taken out the Grimm while he kept the civilian safe. However, his partner accidentally tripped over his own feet. Five times.
Honestly, it couldn't have gone better if Neo had planned it herself. Between the reporter, which she will give points for determination, still trying to get through, the three turned eight Beowolves, and Neo having fun as the two lone guards ended up getting shredded, literally. By the time help had arrived Neo was already at a café in Vale eating a well-deserved victory sundae with rum.
The flash drive Cinder gave her had some kind of malware on it. Supposedly it could copy any kind of encryption coding onto itself. A few acts of her unseen hands and one of the soldiers lost their helmet in the scuffle but couldn't immediately retrieve it due to a Beowulf trying to French him.
It was around that time that Neo's day started to sour. Neo was never really one for the whole nine to five thing, but she at least excepted that when she was done with her assignment unless something major happened, then her day was done.
She didn't expect Cinder to suddenly order her to track down and eliminate seven White Fang defectors by tomorrow. Even if they managed to get out of the city, which was already a big 'if', considering Cinder's burning grasp of the criminal underworld, they still had to procure tickets out of Kingdom. Most smugglers worked for Roman- now Cinder- so that was out of the question. That just left the old-fashioned routes. Given the Vytal festival was in full swing, interkingdom travel cost an arm and a leg. This probably meant some were probably trying to flee within the kingdom and then travel by vehicle or foot to their next destination. All of which would be dangerous.
Honestly, she wasn't even sure why on Remnant Cinder was even concerned about them fleeing. Three of them were actually dumb enough to wait out in front of a ticket office, not disguises or anything. Neo didn't expect them to put on the cliched look of a trench coat and sunglass, but they could have at least tried to dye their hair, shave, or put a hat on or something! Anything!
It was clear that none of them were the brains of the operation. Or even the but.
Seriously, the fourth one got run over and cut in half trying to jump onto a train to get out of the city before she even made her move. How have these people lived to adulthood?
One of them might have been a little more intelligent, but she had to stress the word might. The young assassin had to wonder if the young reptilian faunus really believed it would have been that easy to just walk into a police station and confess. Not that he got a chance.
A little application of her semblance and it looked like the fool was an extremist trying to start a firefight with an entire police station. Needless to say, he didn't walk away. Having his aura activated only prolonged his agony. She may have been peeking in from the lobby, but she was pretty sure she saw one of his eyeballs actually rolling down the hall.
The second to last one was a higher-ranking member of the Vale Branch. Two ranks below Adam if she remembered correctly and the former head of the Vale branch- he got demoted for showing up to one too many meetings drunk. Taking advantage of his former status, he tried to take advantage of a White Fang's safe house to lay low.
Big mistake.
Though if she had to give him credit, Normally, he definitely would have been good for a workout. He was a seven-foot-tall gorilla faunus with a combination assault rifle and broad sword. The only problems were that he was in a small apartment with an eight-foot-tall ceiling, barely enough room to swing his weapon around, and reeked like he had been bathing in cheap whiskey.
Maybe he thought they wouldn't look for someone so big in such a small place. She honestly didn't know with these people sometimes. Maybe he just didn't have anywhere else to hide.
She might have enjoyed toying with him, but the idiot had to shoot up the entire apartment and, by extension the neighborhood, like he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. And OF COURSE, that alerted the police and huntsmen!
Why did huntsmen have to stick their noses in other people's business all the time? they always make things more difficult.
Just as she had managed to kill her target and sneak out of the window, one of those said huntsmen began chasing her. Normally, that wouldn't have been a real issue, except she was lucky enough to be trailed by a bat faunus huntress with a flaming tuning fork of a knife who could use fucking sonar.
What the literal hell!
If that wasn't bad enough, her range for teleportation was limited, but after the third try, it became clear that it was well within the huntress' sonar range.
The woman herself wasn't anything particularly dangerous. Neo could have probably killed. The problem was her team was always a few minutes behind her. One huntress, she could hand, a whole team…well, she might, but didn't really want to try.
Thank whatever gods there are for trains. the bat huntress was too focused on Neo to be aware of her surroundings. A well-Timed teleportation forced her to use her sonar as a train bellowed past. It still sucked that she had to lure her halfway across Vale just for the chance to get her near a passing train.
The worst part was because of her having to constantly run her outfit was cut and burned to hell. She just got all the blood off her jacket the night before. What was with today!?
She had hoped that at least stealing her wallet could pay for a new one. unfortunately, like most things today, it was a letdown. There was barely enough to pay for a nice cup of coffee…and for some reason a card for an S&M club.
Maybe something to take Will to. 'Silver linings' as they say.
The last bastard wasn't particularly dangerous, or smart. Though she should have probably known something was up when he grabbed a pitcher of water from the waitress at the restaurant he was at and dumped it on his head. Whoever heard of a semblance that boosts someone's speed while wet? Seriously,- for the hundredth time today- what the literal fuck?
If that wasn't the worst part, it started raining. She hated when it rained. She hated being wet. She hated her clothes getting soggy. She hated how they clung uncomfortably to her. She hated how it ruined her boots. She hated it ALL!
Above ALL else, she had to spend forty minutes chasing him through a heavy downpour. By the gods, there wasn't any blood left in his body that wasn't running down the sewer drain by the time she was done by him.
At least she was coming home to her loving cuddly…empty room. What? She looked around for her pet Were-Grimm. She blinked and looked around.
Nothing.
She repeated the action.
Nothing.
Even if he stepped out for a bit, it didn't look like he had touched his bed at all since this morning.
As she walked through the room looking for the faunus who should have been inhabiting it. Nothing seemed disturbed, not the bed, not the stack of boring notebooks on the desk, not the sheet of paper with writing on the desk…?
She looked at the paper on the desk.
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William didn't know why, but there was something about staying at his guardian's home had a calming effect on him. It might have been the fact the neighborhood was far quieter than Beacon both in terms of noise AND negative emotions. It could have been the faint smelling vanilla candles his guardian lit, the full feeling of home cooking, or the fact he could be himself around Ms. Goodwitch without having to worry about Ironwood or his grunts looking over their shoulders.
Honestly, you would think that he would have enough trust her to be able to stop him. Everyone knows, William included, he didn't have to guts to anger his guardian. Heck, she nearly ended him during their last training session. And that was practice.
Didn't that count enough?
he twisted slightly as he looked up at the ceiling from his bed on the couch. His guardian had turned the lights off when she ascended the stairs to go to bed- they had to get up early to make it back to Beacon so she could look over her lesson plan for the day and he could eat breakfast.
He sighed; these were the moments he didn't want to end. Perhaps he really should tell his guardian about Neo and her boss. Sure, there would be repercussions, that would be unavoidable. But it had to be better to be around to experience the repercussions, right? Right?
He just needed to convince Neo, who would automatically reject the idea and probably be VERY angry with him. Probably ending with him being stabbed.
But she would get over it, right?
Sure, it would mean having to introduce her to general Ironwood- who would probably try to arrest her on sight. And sure, it would destroy any chance Neo ever had of saving Roman- who according to the triple colored assassin herself, was the only other person who she ever cared about.
…and he would probably get in trouble himself for… well, he wasn't sure on the technical term, but 'sleeping with the enemy'…literally. Probably resulting in, what he could only pray, was a few years in jail.
…and probably a firing squad…
…okay, so maybe telling Ms. Goodwitch really was a bad idea. Either for the probable incarceration or the likely dismemberment or tearful look of betrayal from Neo. The latter two of which he couldn't decide which would kill him more, figuratively or literally.
He still had to do something, anything.
Then he remembered his plan from earlier. Making sure not to shake the old home, William got up and tip-toed to the front of the front porch. Ms. Goodwitch's room faced the back yard so she probably wouldn't hear a conversation in the front yard.
He took out his scroll and dialed probably his best bet.
"ugah, Wiw-Wildom. Whaz iz dwits." The man on the other end slurred. Looking at the clock on his scroll he had actually called him twenty minutes past midnight.
"J-Jaune, I need to go somewhere no one can hear us talk," William said in a hushed whisper.
The half-lidded eyes of the blonde in question only looked at him, "Why?"
At least he was returning to coherency. "It's important. Potentially changing the fate of the tournament." And probably a LOT more.
Jaune seemed to sober up, even if only a little. There was some movement on the other end showing him a sideways glance of a moving hallway before it cut to a close up of the tile floor.
"Okay, I'm in the bathroom. What is it?" he asked.
William took a deep breath. Here goes something. "I need to know about how you got your fake transcripts."
"What? Do you think one of the contestants has forged transcripts too?"
Sure, why not. "Maybe. I need a little information to help me understand some of the negative emotions I got off of someone competing in the tournament." He lied through his teeth.
Jaune, however, looked almost a mix of elation and disgust, "It's Neptune Vasilias isn't it. I knew there was something off about that guy. No one is that cool. I knew he had something to hide."
William had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "It's not Neptune." At least I think his transcripts are real. "I just need information so I can be sure. I might be completely wrong on this and it is literally nothing."
"Oh, okay. Hey, don't tell Neptune, about… you know."
This time he let his eyes roll. "Your secret is safe with me."
Jaune then explained how he had obtained his fake transcripts. It wasn't as groundbreaking or complex as he might have thought. At first, he just went to the shadier parts of town asking around. By chance, he bumped into someone with connections to a training school in Mistral. After sliding him a few thousand Lien, the guy had some records altered and Jaune was handed his forged transcripts.
Not much to go on.
However, he did learn something interesting. Jaune told him that according to his forger that a lot of Hunstmen academies and their affiliates, and those they pay for services, tend to talk to one another regularly. While on paper that seems like a full proof system, it really wasn't all that was needed was to have someone who could be bribed or just gently "reminded" of events differently and it created a somewhat reliable point of reference. Since field work could extend for years it also helped muddy the water.
The final cherry on top was that while source did connect well, no one really paid much attention. When you thought about it, it made sense. Who in their right mind would go through all the trouble to fake documents to attend a school where you are literally required to fight dangerous monsters and the occasional bloodthirsty criminal on a regular basis?
Aside from Jaune.
…And Neo.
…Neo's team
… and their boss
…okay a good few do, apparently.
All it did was confirm what he already suspected and left him with nothing else to go on. It wasn't like he could tell his guardian Neo's team's transcripts were emitting weird emotions. What he wouldn't give to be a Were-bundle of paperwork right now.
He chuckled hollowly at his own joke.
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William thanked Jaune for his help and told him it was really nothing after all.
Still remembering to enter quietly, William slid open the door and closed it as best he could without making a sound. He then slipped back into his bed on the couch.
The wolf faunus rolled onto his right side, facing the couch, and curled up. The blanket Ms. Goodwitch had given him kept him from feeling cold, but he still wasn't warm. They had only started sharing a bed recently, but he already missed his little hug pillow- not that he would ever call her that to her face- not counting teasing. There was something warm and reassuring about sleeping next to another person. The soft sound of their breathing, the slight vibration of their heart, the smell of their hair as it tickled your nose as you hold them close.
"I miss Neo." He said to himself.
His ears perked up as he heard the wooden floor creak slightly, "I missed you to Will."
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General Ironwood looked over Vale as the Sun rose into the sky. In order to meet up with their new asset as he chose to call it, more for his own sanity than professionalism, and still meet the time table they needed to be up at this hour.
"Do you honestly believe she will be okay with this?" he asked his oldest friend. Despite what Qrow and a few others may say, he did genuinely see the elderly man as one of his few, if only confidants. Even if they didn't always see eye to eye.
The man in question took a deep sip of his coffee. Probably from one of his hidden thermoses. "Glynda cares for her students even if she has no relation to them", he began, "However, William is indeed special to her as he is one of the few things, she has left from one of her oldest friends."
"She may not have told him yet, but Glynda and his mother's teams often fought side by side. They supported and inspired one another."
A confused look wiggled across the man's face. "That sounds like a reason she won't agree to this." He softly pointed out.
The grey-haired man looked at him with his coffee mug raised as he drank down the last of its content. He didn't know why, but he was certain there was an amused smile behind it.
"It is for that very reason she will do this." He said after lowering his mug. "she has already seen what too much negativity can do to William and how it harms him." He said as they both recalled the fear in the sorceress' eyes when William needed to be sedated after Mr. Arc and Mrs. Nikos kiss. It wouldn't surprise him if whatever chaos Salem's operative causes William to go catatonic or worse yet die of shock. "She also knows that, despite your more than aggressive handling of him, that you will not seek to harm him less he falls into the wrong hands."
"Which is why I'm against this. You may have convinced the former White Fang member in your corner to help, but I still don't trust her. She could be a spy." He pleaded.
Ozpin only looked at him with the same look he gave everyone; a somehow perfect mix of a vacant and intelligent gaze. "I would hardly call her a risk, James. She has intentionally halted or otherwise interrupted White Fang activity on two separate occasions."
While Blake Belladonna had proven herself to the general by defending Vale during the breach, that was before he learned of her past. While he initially thought it might have been a coincidence. Ghira Belladonna had inspired many faunus when he founded the White Fang and as such several faunus had taken on his last name making it their surname.
He somewhat kicked himself for not seeing the resemblance though. She was the spitting image of him and his wife.
"She could have done those things as a way of earning our trust."
The other headmaster didn't seem to buy the reasoning. "If she wanted to enter into our good graces like that, she would have informed us about these things instead of only involving herself and her team."
That did make sense. Whenever he needed an operative to infiltrate an organization it was all but required that those in authority take notice. "No, her's are the actions of someone who once supported a cause only for those holding it up to change around her. She cares deeply for faunus and seeks to remedy the situation herself. To not only stop those she once fought alongside, but also to attempt to save them."
"Do you believe that?" The general asked skeptical of his rationale. She was the daughter of the former high commander of the White Fang and raised with it being an integral part of her life since she was young.
"I assure you, James, she is on our side." He took a sip of his coffee. "Though do expect her to ask for fair treatment of her former comrades." He added between the first and second sip, having magically refilled his cup without him even noticing. It might have been genuine magic given who he was talking to.
That one made his eyes narrow, "Do you honestly believe I wouldn't treat my prisoners humanly?"
"Perish the thought," he waved off. "I'm merely telling you what to expect given Atlas' history with faunus. People are not too forgiving of old wounds James."
As much as it burned, the man was right. Despite his own efforts to mend relationships, there were always those in power who simply did not care. He wasn't making excuses or trying to pass on the blame- he accepted that full heartedly- however he was simply torn in too many directions.
He ran the military. He was a headmaster of a huntsmen school. Hell, he couldn't even remember the last time he actually did anything other than work.
"Speaking of which how are things in the latest escapade with the Schnee Dust Company?" He asked holding up a new paper with the headline: SDC Suspected of Human Rights Violations' on the front with the picture of a faunus lying barely alive in a hospital bed covered entirely in bandage save for a few small openings and his ram horns that looked chipped and cracked.
Honestly, he had seen soldier battered by Grimm that looked better. "Not well, I'm afraid. Both sides are saying the other is lying and have dug their heels in ready for a fight."
He could send inspectors, operatives, and even a few spies to unearth any ethical treatment of faunus. However, by the time the information reached him or made it to trial all witnesses, and even a few of his own had been bought off or just mysteriously disappeared. Provided all the evidence didn't equally as mysteriously disappear.
Even when that wasn't the case there still needed to be a trial. Many of the chief offenders- Jacques Schnee- had the best lawyers money could buy and a PR division that could seemingly turn them snapping a child's neck into a positive and make people believe it to be so.
On the rare few occasions, they yielded any genuine results it ended with a fake smile, a sacrificial figurehead losing his position, being replaced with a corporate doppelganger, and a hollow apology. They might even update their safety policy to look better, but only enforce, or pretend to enforce it, until the cameras and eyes stopped watching. Then it was back to business as usual.
Provided the faunus of Atlas didn't start rioting at the first sign of any of the above.
Perhaps this was something that could help alleviate the pulsing gap between humans and faunus. If only just a little.
Mayb- his thoughts were cut off by the sound of three people exiting the elevator.
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"You want him to go on date with Blake to spy on the White Fang?!" Glynda Goodwitch shouted so loudly that it echoed through the entire office. Most were fairly certain the windows might have broken if not for them being reinforced.
When Ozpin had sent her a text message to bring William to his office first thing this morning. This was not what she was expecting to hear.
"Y-yes Glynda that is correct," Ozpin replied softly rubbing his ear, probably trying to gain some hearing back in it. "With William's ability to sense negative emotions he would be instrumental to our plans."
He looked at her ward, "provided he can still hear us." He added causing her to turn her head. Both Blake and William were rubbing their faunus ears in a similar fashion to Ozpin. "Sorry about that." She blushed from embarrassment.
"Glynda I don't like it, but we don't have a lot of options." James spoke up as he moved to pass Ozpins desk, "We understand-" he was cut off as a riding crop came to rest on his adam's apple. "No James, no you do not."
"I especially do not want to hear it from the man who has been at odds with him so often and so eager to incarcerate him at every turn." Her green eyes dared him to try and continue. However, he took the smart route and said nothing.
She turned to her employer, riding crop still pointed at the man's throat, "I believe I have already made my stance on the matter clear. It is too risky." He said in her usual commanding tone. Anyone who even remotely worked for or interacted with any part of Beacon feared that tone.
However, behind it was not her usual confidence, but apprehension. This morning she had awakened to William having grown a massive excess of Grimm fur. It looked like someone had taken his head and placed it onto the body of an obese Ursa crossbred with a Keeshond. Though the most troubling part was him refusing to dispel it. He claimed he was cold, but that did not account for his tiredness. Nor the bags under his eyes. His trouble walking, his inability to keep coherent thought, and the way he jumped at even the slightest unexpected sound like a spoon dropping. It was clear to her he was having nightmares again. And while he did not fully transform, he had remained in that state because he could not revert back.
Had his nightmares scared him so badly. It was clear he put on a brave face and pretended to be alright, but she knew the signs by now. William had remained in that state for almost the first hour and a half that he was awake. Only returning to normal after she reassured him, she would always keep him safe and that she loved him before he entered the shower in the upstairs bathroom, did he finally return to normal.
It wasn't just the vow she made on Dawn's grave that she would protect her son, but a vow she made to herself. If William was not in the right mental state…she didn't need to imagine it to know it would be bad. Any and all damage would be laid at William's feet alone. Beacon and Atlas may experience some backlash, but it would be his blood the public would be calling for. The protest prior to the festival had already laid the groundwork.
She won't let that happen.
"I think we should do it." A voice said behind her causing her to turn around. It was William who had said it, his eyes seemed to empathize with her own, but with something else in them.
"Ms. Goodwitch, I know you're worried about me. I'd be lying if I said I trust general Ironwood after everything that has happened." The general still didn't respond as she had yet to lower her weapon.
The wolf faunus looked his guardian in the eye. "I'm tired of waiting for the next thing to come and smack me in the face. I'm tired of being on the defensive. I'm tired of people thinking I'm a monster!" He shouted, his face quickly saying he hadn't meant for it to be so loud. "I just…" he began quitter than before. "I'm tired of being locked up waiting for something horrible to happen and not being able to stop it. If I want to be seen by everyone as a huntsman and not a monster, I need to act like it." He shakily finished.
The young man was worked up. The words came out clumsily, but there was an honest rage behind them. For someone who tried, despite failing half the time, to keep their emotions under control it seemed to just flow out. His red eye told her as much.
So this is what it's like being a proud parent with a stubborn son.
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Blake exited the bus with her 'date', William, stopping in front of a small neighborhood with a faded arch over the entrance that read "Little Menagerie". The buildings were worn, but not decrepit. There were people, faunus, up and down the street smiling and carrying on with their daily lives as the walked past numerous murals depicting wise sayings and notable faunus figures backdropped by a seeming tropical oasis. All of it was uplifting and made her smile.
The gist of Ozpin's plan was twofold. While she showed William around Little Menagerie under the guise of helping him connect with his roots- having never been to Menagerie.
In all honesty, she had actually been planning to do something like this since she learned of William's path. It's always important to know where your people come from.
While she is giving him a tour, Atlas will have some soldiers asking around about a made-up car accident. At least that's what most people will see. General Ironwood will have several soldiers skilled in stealth and surveillance to keep watch.
The hope of the plan is that Atlas' presence will result in detectable negative emotions. Whenever William detects negative emotion that might be related to the White Fang he will signal into his mic and Ironwoods hidden operatives will place them under surveillance.
It was by no means a plan she enjoyed. Nor was it even a plan she wanted to be a part of. Nevertheless, if she had to choose between the White Fang attacking Vale and the resulting backlash against faunus or this…she could tolerate it. If nothing else she felt a small bit of responsibility for things having gone this far.
She saw the writing on the wall before leaving and coming to Beacon. She saw what the Fang was becoming; what Adam was becoming. She could only laugh at her former self. She thought by simply becoming a huntress she could save them all.
How wrong she was.
"Its good to see you trusting others and not taking the world on by yourself," William said bringing her back to reality.
"I think you had something to do with that." She smiled. William may be unusual, if not intrusive, with his abilities, but he had helped her. And others. Before she had held so much inside of her. Looking back, she was surprised all those pent-up emotions hadn't crushed her.
If not for William she might have still been running. It was him getting her to open up to her team that led to her feeling so…happy. Probably not the best way to describe it, but she was sleeping full nights- minus her cuddle time with Yang-, not collapsing from exhaustion, and was even in a genuinely healthy relationship.
She had forgotten what it was like.
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After observing a few street performers, Blake took William to her favorite haunts "Sumatran's". It had started as a small convenient store, but rapidly expanded to nearly five times its original size and became a place for the faunus of the city of Vale to gather. Somehow, the four surrounding buildings allowed Sumatran's to expand into, and connect, to their first floors. There was an arcade, bookstore, pool hall, grocery store, automotive store with a functioning garage across the street, and a diner that serves cuisine from Menagerie. They even held a small farmer's market in front of the store on the first and last of every month.
As they entered, she looked for her favorite thing about Sumatran's. "Blake!" an elderly man cheered, jumping from his stool behind the counter. He was a balding orange hair orangutan with abnormally long arms covered in orange fur. "It's so good to see you."
Blake ran up to hug him. "It's so good to see you, uncle Lou."
"It's good to see you too baby girl." He beamed pulling back far enough to look down at her eyes, but still didn't separate entirely. His long arms making it seem rather odd how he was holding her. "I saw you in the tournament, your dad has probably bragged to every single faunus in Menagerie a dozen times over by now." He beamed.
The cat faunus waved it off, "yeah." She seemed to blush a little.
"Oh, Uncle Lou, this is William, he's an auxiliary member of my team." She introduced.
"Hello sir, I am William Beorthwulf." The young man extended his hand. The man just seemed to look at them before releasing Blake and standing in front of him.
William wasn't exactly short, but the man before him still forced him to look up to meet his eyes- something, she was used to at this point given her father.
As William lowered his hand, the older faunus put both hands on his shoulders. Blake knew her uncle, he was going to embarrass her. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. William's ability to sense negative emotions was probably affecting him as it showed on his face as the older man loomed over him with an intimidating presence.
Her Uncle Lou, to her honest surprise, had at one point been one of the more feared members of the White Fang. He only retired because of his back.
"Now listen, I trust Blake to make her own decisions, but I don't trust any boy I don't know." He said taking a tight grip on the wolf faunus' shoulders, making him flinch. "If you think you're worth it, you had better give me a DAMN good reason." His grip tightened further, this time causing William to latch on to his arms in an attempt to wrench him off. To his credit, he was forcing Lou to visibly try to keep hold of him.
This is not going to end well. "Uncle Lou stop." She tried, but he was set in motion.
"What are you even talking about?" the younger man growled forcing the older man's arms off of him. Lou taking a step back at the sudden change in his right eye.
This isn't good.
The surprise only lasted a moment as he began forcing his arms back towards him. "If you think you're good enough to be my niece's boyfriend you have to prove it." He rumbled clasping hands against the younger man, trying to force him into submission.
"What?! I'm not her boyfriend!" he exclaimed, probably a mistake. The surprise caused a lapse in their focus causing the two men to fall to the ground.
"You're not her boyfriend?" the orangutan faunus asked bewildered while laying on top of the younger man.
"No!" Blake shouted, "Uncle Lou, William grew up isolated from other faunus, so I wanted to help him connect to his heritage!"
The older man just looked at her. Then back to William. Then back to her. "So, he's not your boyfriend?"
"No!" the two answered in unison. "And get off me." William pushed him up.
"Oh, sorry." Lou apologized climbing off.
"I'm sorry young man." He said helping William up. "Blake's been like a niece to me. I just want to look out for her."
William just turned to her. "You haven't told him, have you?" This made Louie do the same.
"Tell me what Blake?"
It's okay, Uncle Louie is a good guy with an open mind, "I'm dating one of my teammates."
That's when the older man looked her dead in the eye. His face was unreadable. No anger, or concern. It was just as if he was made of stone.
"Which one?"
"Huh?"
"Which. One. Are. You. Dating?" he punctuated.
"Yang Xiao Long." William blurted out.
The older man paused scratching his head for a moment before turning to William. "Which one was that again? I'm not so good with names."
William just gestured to his chest like he was lifting up two large fruits. Blake was half torn between embarrassment and shock that that was how William chose to describe her girlfriend.
"Ooh. You've got good taste Blake." Louie gave her a thumbs up.
Uuh, she wasn't going to hear the end of it.
"She's also dating-" William was cut off by a sharp elbow to the ribs.
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Blake and her uncle talked for a while longer. Mainly him just teasing her about scoring such a hot girlfriend and to bring her around sometime.
Aside from Ruby and Yang and Winter and Weiss, he didn't have a lot of experience watching families interact with one another. It was honestly rather perplexing. Blake was feeling embarrassed, but happy at the same time. he wondered if his mother had been alive would she do for him that Lou did for Blake.
After embarrassing Blake for a few minutes, they turned to give William the rundown on some local places for him to visit; the city of Vale's history museum was featuring a faunus art exhibit, he recommended the diner next door for breakfast, and there was going to be street fair the day after the end of Vytal Festival. To name a few of several dozen.
The way he talked most people would think he was the sole spokesmen of every faunus-related activity in Vale. The kingdom. Not the city.
He then wondered if anyone ever got the two mixed up.
While Lou continued to list events, having gone eight minutes without a breath- seriously, did he have a semblance that allowed him not to need air? - William was keeping note of any spikes in negative emotion. While his range wasn't at its maximum, it wasn't by any means small. He could sense any form of negativity within at least three hundred to three hundred fifty feet.
The older faunus eventually finished listing everything and before he started listing every reason to visit Menagerie- which William could tell was going to be a long list- Blake became his new favorite person. "Uncle Lou, we only have today as a break before the tournament starts up again and we should get started on your list."
"Oh, yeah you're right. You two have fun and don't forget to bring that girlfriend around sometime. Heck, bring the whole team. Human or faunus, people tend to go to places if they think hot girls go to them." He chuckled loudly while Blake rolled her eyes. William got a feeling this was how they always were.
"Oh wait." Lou stopped them before dashing behind the counter retrieving a large paper bag, "Don't forget you usual Blake. A packet of Fae Bread, a box of Tam Tims, and the latest volume of your, um, combat book.", he winked awkwardly.
Blake could only feel her face start to glow red.
/-/
The operation had only begun forty minutes, most of which were establishing their alibi. His fingers tapped on the consul next to the two manning the listening equipment with Winter standing to his side handing him a cup of hot coffee- he needed this.
While he agreed to follow Ozpin's plan, but he refused to leave ANYTHING up to chance.
As an added precaution, he had the two-way coms given to Blake and William modified so they could continuously transmit everything they were hearing.
"You know he knows something right?" William asked Blake as the two entered the diner. Though connected to the rest of the structure, the door and walls that separated the two facilities were soundproof. Probably so people could enjoy a good meal without worrying about the sounds from the arcade.
Both of the faunus were equipped with miniature cameras to transmit visual feed. In this case, they were transmitting the image of William's concerned face. "There's no way he is involved." She said in a hushed, but harsh tone so as to not alert anyone.
"I'm not saying he's involved, just that he's concerned about the White Fang. When you mentioned it, he was worried about you and a lot of other people. He knows something, or at least is aware something is going on." The general recalled how the man had been so quick to change the subject. It seems his suspicions were correct.
The two ordered their food and the waitress left to fetch it. When she was out of earshot, the two continued. "Don't involve him."
"Blake, we don't have to have someone spy on him, just question him- like an informant."
"No.," she said coldly. "Why are you so persistent?"
"Because Ozpin's nervous." He replied calmly.
Both Blake and Ironwood's expressions were incredulous.
"I thought you couldn't read his emotions."
He checked his mic to make sure it wasn't on. "Normally I can't, but for whatever reason…I don't know, it's like something from his past has him riled. He kept a calm face, minus when Ms. Goodwitch almost snapped them in half." He couldn't help giggling at his own joke. He would need to remember this for later. "Something or someone more dangerous than the White Fang is lurking in the shadows."
The former White Fang operative's features narrowed in the camera's view, "What do you mean?"
The disturbance off William's camera for a moment, possibly suggesting a shrug. "I don't know. I just know someone is pulling the strings and they've got Ozpin- the guy I haven't been able to read since I've met him- to worry. We can't let anything slip by."
For once the general would agree with the young man. While it was disturbing how close his abilities allowed him to glean the truth, but it is at least reassuring that his allegiance was to their cause. Perhaps this could be beneficial to them.
Perhaps, just perhaps, this could be the edge they needed.
Returning from his thoughts it appeared as the two had changed the topic. "So how did things go about you, Yang, and Weiss being in a threesome."
"Aaahhh!" one of the people working the equipment screamed as Winter's coffee slowly poured onto his lap while the cup's holder stared at the screen with an expression of complete shock across her face.
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The two continued their tour of little Menagerie. Blake took William to all of the recommended gathering places they could visit today. Most places did not result in any negativity, which seemed to put Blake at ease. Despite the half dozen or so targets that responded extremely fearful or angry towards the presence of Atlas soldiers. There was also something.
It wasn't much, but it was something. They had managed to gain a few possible leads. Blake even agreed to ask her uncle about any potential information later. Something like a private informant that the general wouldn't know about.
Yeah, it seemed like everything was going gre- William suddenly stopped and turned one hundred and eighty degrees.
His head rapidly darted around trying look for something that was setting off all kinds of alarms. However, at seven at night, the street was empty as the streetlights flickered on.
Blake looked at William's stance. It was one of a person ready to be attacked. His hands were hovering over the weapons strapped to the exterior of his thighs. "What's wrong, William?" she asked reaching for her own weapon.
The male faunus lifted his left hand to his com while his right still hovered over his weapon. "General do your men have visual on anyone in the direction I'm looking?"
The com clicked, "All of them appear to be civilians in their apartments. With so many people having their heaters on for Fall, thermal readings are difficult to interpret. Did something happen?"
He looked at Blake and quickly grabbed her hand before pulling her towards a more centralized part of Vale, away from Little Menagerie.
As he pulled her, he clicked his com again. "I don't know who, but someone had some serious anger directed at one of us. I almost shifted into Grimm form on reflex. Keep an eye out for anyone following us. We're getting out of here."
"Negative William continue the mission."
The Were-Faunus growled, "No. We're getting out of here now! That, that was genuine bloodlust from someone who has killed a LOT of people and really wants to kill someone." He said pulling Blake at full speed towards the extraction point.
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Back at Ozpin's office the faunus pare were being debriefed by the general in front of Ozpin, Ms. Goodwitch, Ruby's uncle Qrow, and Winter.
"Now do you mind telling me why you decided to abort the mission?"
No one missed the faint glow of red flickered across William's right eye. He took a deep breath. "For one the street was all but deserted." Winter looked like she was about to say something, but Ms. Goodwitch moved to stop her. "Please continue William."
"I don't know who it was, but someone was definitely watching us, and they wanted one or both of us dead." His flesh wiggled a little. While William had gotten better at preventing his instinctive transformations that were limited by his state of mind. "I've felt anger before, but this… this was something different. I've never felt such pure hatred before."
"Do you believe it was Adam?" Blake asked. The speed by which she asked was all everyone needed to know about her thoughts on the matter. Blake had told him that she was still terrified at the thought of Adam continuing his pursuit of her. If even half of the nightmares she had about him were any clue he was more of a monster than even Grimm were.
He wanted to tell her it wasn't him. That he was a million miles away from her and would stay away. That someone as kind as her only had happiness ahead of her.
But he couldn't.
"I-I don't know. All I know is that person was dangerous. You don't get that kind of killing intent by just being pis- angry." He corrected remembering how his guardian didn't want him to curse. "They wanted one or both of us dead!"
"Do you believe you or Blake were being targeted? Specifically, I mean."
"I don't know. It was so, so overwhelming. If someone like that had shown up before I would have immediately noticed. Just to be sure, Blake", he turned to his fellow faunus, "Do not go anywhere alone."
The reason was clear. Blake was exuding an aura of dread. By the gods, it was flashing before him. The love turned to abuse. The downward, self-destructive spiral, him taking out his insecurities on her. He could see him forcing himself on her, through Blake's eyes. That fear was so deeply ingrained into her heart.
She had always held it as a possibility in the back of her mind. But it was clear to all that her fear was real.
William was genuinely having trouble keeping himself from transforming due to the sudden shift in negativity.
"Blake for the love of my sanity, please think of Yang!" William shouted seeming out of the blue. "Think of Ruby. Think of Weiss. Think of…Yang naked holding a fish."
Everyone turned their heads towards him then to Blake and back to him. Looking at both like they had grown two heads while Blake's face turned four shades of red in an instant.
"Do you really think I'm into that kind of thing?" she asked clearly flabbergasted.
If the emotions from half the room telling him he'd screwed up, the look in Blake's eyes told him to choose his next words very carefully.
"I know you like Yang naked and I know you like fish." He awkwardly shrugged.
The moment he uttered those words Qrow took a spit-take on the back of Winter's head. The rest just looked at him, mouth agape.
Damn. You. Brain.
Well, at least Blake wasn't scared anymore.
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After walking back to their dorms as inconspicuously as possible the two entered their temporary dorm room, locked the door and began debriefing their leader.
Cinder was sitting on the bed admiring her freshly painted fingernails. "Report." She commanded in a calm but weighted manner.
Mercury moved to speak, but Emerald moved in front of him, believing she asserted her place in the pecking order. "Bad news. One of White Fang informants reported seeing Blake Belladonna in Little Menagerie."
Her boss didn't look amused, "That's hardly anything unexpected or our concern."
This was Mercury's turn, "It is when she's walking around every square inch with William Beorthwulf in hand."
This got a reaction out of her. She looked up from her activity. "Are you sure?"
Mercury saw that glowing look in her eyes, again. That was the look that meant tell me something, so I don't run a sword through you and then superheat it to roast you from the inside out. "Unfortunately. One of Adam's guys said he saw a pink and black-haired wolf faunus missing half an ear with Belladonna. Not exactly the easiest kind of guy to miss."
She put her finger between her chin and lower lip, "What of Adam's location?"
The silver-haired boy relaxed before Emerald entered the conversation again, "He was out capturing Grimm for the plan. He's already reached his quota too."
"I see. That's good, his deteriorating mental state would have made him easy for William to detect."
As she said those words, she saw the nervous expression on the two teens. Ever afraid of her, and while that is how things should be if something was amiss that would affect her plans their eyes told her so. "What is it?"
"Jacob almost gave us away. He was ready to charge them if it wasn't for a senior member incapacitating him."
Cinder only sighed as she rubbed her brow. It was one thing that she had already had to ask that self-important, arrogant, and condescending prick- thrice now- it was another when the people he recommended caused problems. When he mentioned Jacob Callisto after hearing Heather's report and the fact he was already in the White Fang, easily accessible for Adam, it seemed too good to be true. The potential Jacob had could potentially accelerate Heather's and her plans.
Unfortunately for Ozpin, his actions are too little too late.
"We will proceed as scheduled." She said to no one and everyone. "Tell Neo to come see us tomorrow and tell Heather to have her pet ready for extraction."
Okay regarding Blake's "usual order"; fae bread and tam tims are actually snacks from Australia called fairy bread and tim tams; which I recommend everyone try at one point, they are delicious. Menagerie may have been advertised as Remnant Hawaii, but we all know it is Remnant Australia, so there.
Also, if anyone didn't get it, Lou(ie) is a reference the Ghira and Seinna being based on characters from the Jungle Book.
I know some of you are wondering what happened with Bee's Schnee and why I teased about it so much this time around. Well, I have my reasons.
Yes, I'm just going to leave it at that.
Remember to review and comment. Every little bit helps me improve.