Within the heart of the surrounding forests of Mistral, a young blond child sits upon an open meadow, within his hands is a small circlet, woven together through fiber and assorted flowers. Sitting across from him was a brunette with red linings, peach-like skin, and silver eyes. While the boy was dressed in a one-pieced olive green tunic, a leather strap tied around his waist, leather sandals with straps halfway reaching his knees. The woman was more gothic in her attire with only her white cape to contrast the red and black color scheme.
Although the two were surrounded by a tranquil environment, the woman was visibly downtrodden. As the two were both working on their own circlets, the boy's was almost finished, whilst hers still lacked the flowers themselves.
"Mama..." the woman's head perked, glancing to the ocean orbs she both loved, and hated. She loved them, because they belonged to him; her baby boy. But, they also belonged to his father. She had hoped he would inherit something from her, and yet when she looked at him, she could only see a younger version of the man.
All the same, that didn't mean she loved him any less. At least, that's what the boy hoped. Even at his age, he knew from people's glances, how they first perceived him, his tribesmen looked to him similarly on an almost daily basis. When she frowned, he tensed, wondering what he had done to cause such a reaction from her. It was always when she looked at him, that he noticed a change in her demeanor. "Are you ok?" He asked her, meekly.
She stared at him for a moment before faintly smiling and nodding. "Yea, just thinking, sweetie."
And he left it at that, the blond chose to avoid questioning her, instead focusing on finishing his circlet. Although, as with any child, his curiosity pushed him to ask. "Whatcha thinkin about?" The woman stopped weaving her circlet, her eyes fixed on the unfinished object.
Her smile faded for a moment before reappearing once more. "Nothing, just some adult things. Don't fret over it, Qolaas." And with that, again, the boy left it alone. As did the woman in front of him. There was something bothering her, something on her mind that she obviously showed. But growing up with seven sisters...half-sisters, the blond knew enough that when someone wanted to share, they'd do so at their pace.
Though, as she was his mother, he felt the need to ask her something he could never ask the others, as he had an idea over how they felt. "Do you hate me?"
Her head had never turned so rapidly, her eyes filled with...what? Anger? Confusion? Guilt? Anything could've been possible; Jaune knew this all too well.
"What makes you ask that?" She asked, her palms gripping the vines rather tightly. She had an idea as to why he asked that question.
"Just askin." Jaune answered, almost too quickly, as he diverted his attention back to his now decorated circlet.
This wouldn't be left as it was, the woman would make sure to it. She placed her circlet down and scooted closer to the boy, causing him to stiffen when he noticed her closer than before. Her silver eyes were fixed on him, unwilling to allow their previous conversation to simply be ignored. "Qolaas." Her voice was stern, a surprise to the young blond, since he mostly ever saw her with a gleeful grin. "Why would you ask that?"
Jaune's grip on the circlet tightened, his head lowered, eyes glued to the small object in his hands. In an oh so quiet tone, he whispered. "I'm a half-breed." His eyes refused to meets hers, and accompanying the tone of his voice, she could only assume he was ashamed of being what he was. All of this was due to the upbringing of his tribesmen; she saw how they looked at the blonde. She could only imagine how they treated him, the cruel words they spoke of him. She would've taken the boy with her if not for the multitude of skilled Reavers that would be after her for abducting one of their own. Of the many things that confused the silver-eyed woman of these people; while they could openly detest one of their own for being different, the differences are ignored in times of emergency. "Big sis says I'm a freak 'cause I'm different."
And without warning, the young lad found himself in a rather suffocating embrace by the silver eyed woman, though; she seemingly eased her grip after a few seconds. "I could never hate you." She whispered, brushing his hair softly whilst planting a small kiss atop his head. "I love you too much."
This moment of affection, the way she held him, smothering him with love and kindness, it was hard for the boy not to smile or allow himself to be return the embrace of his mother.
She felt his grip falter after a bit, his head nuzzled against her chest as he asked a question that damn near broke her heart. "Why am I a freak?" She gripped him tighter; she could only imagine who it was that ostracized him.
"You're not a freak, Qolaas."
"But I'm different." He added, earning a faint sigh from his mother.
"Yes, you are...but that's not a bad thing." She held him closer, her head nuzzled against his, softly. "People will always find something to dislike about each other, anything different scares them, and there is always fear in the unknown." She raised her head; her eyes watched the drifting clouds. "But you know; I truly believe that someday people will finally grow tired of being afraid, that they'll finally embrace the idea of embracing the unknown with acceptance rather than defiance. I believe there will be a moment in history where the people will finally come together, and in unison they will all say; enough. It won't happen in my lifetime, I'm not that optimistic. But..." her hesitation caused the young blond to glance upwards, seeing the stoic expression of his mother did not unnerve him, but rather, it made him curious as to what occupied her thoughts. "Qolaas, can you promise me something?" Her eyes remained on the clouds, but she knew he was paying close attention to her as he mumbled a yes, anxious as to what commitment his mother would have him dedicated to. "Promise me...no matter what, promise me-"
The blond's eye's shot open as he jumped up, groaning in pain as he felt the stinging ache of his still injured shoulder. Even after allowing a doctor to treat it, the rest of the healing process relied on the blond taking it easy. However, as it showed, he was less than cautious with his awakening. Taking a quick look at his surroundings, he realized he was sleeping on a small bed, near the corner of the room he rented; opposite of him was Ilia, still fully asleep beside him. Due to leaving in such a hurry, this single bed room was all he and his companion could acquire. And due to his injury, she wasn't exactly keen on allowing him to sleep on a makeshift cot, much less the floor. And Jaune wasn't going to let her chose those options either. As such, the single puppet Jaune had taken from his shop was placed between them. Though, as the blond noticed, it appeared as if Ilia had moved the lifeless wood, placing it on the floor beside the bed.
"She…moved…it." Jaune glanced towards his most treasured gift; Summer. The doll landed softly atop his head, her eyes focused on the sleeping faunus. "I…would…too…" She remarked, earning a faint chuckle from the blond. As he sat up, the blond gently massaged the injury Taurus had given him. He'd have trouble moving that particular limb for a while, but he'd adjust, given time.
Although, his mind was more focused on his dream, remembering his mother's last words to him…he brought his knees up to his chest. The memory of her, it had become hazy after the Eradication, moving to Menagerie, starting a new life; he'd almost forgotten the sound of her voice. However, it wasn't until Winter came to him with the premise of adopting him that Summer became more 'active', per se. She moved around before, sometimes without him directly moving her. But, it wasn't until the Schnee became more active in his life that the doll similarly partook in. It was only once she began to speak that Jaune came to a stunning revelation of his people's practices. The old councilman was close in his assumption, but it was a bit more complicated than that. At least, that's how Jaune saw it.
Still, he couldn't deny how happy he felt remembering that moment, her words clear as day. And yet, it was also a bittersweet feeling.
"Are…you…ok…?" Summer floated directly in front of him, her body hunched over as her glass silver eyes were staring directly at him.
"Yea…" His left palm rose up, allowing Summer to sit atop it. "I'm fine."
"You…know…I'm…here…for…you…right…?" Thanks to his little upgrades, the added facial features allowed for the doll to show more emotion, much to the dismay of his companion as the doll appeared more alive now.
Jaune smiled, bringing his doll closer and pressing his forehead gently against hers. "I know. Thank you, mom." Summer closed her eyes while also placing her right palm against his cheek. It didn't take long after the adoption for the doll to make herself known, especially with who she was and her apparent disproval of the proceedings that were occurring in the blond's life.
Without warning, a loud horn blasted throughout the ship, awakening any aboard still asleep and signaling the arrival at their current destination.
The streets of Vale are an interesting adventure to say the least. One minute you could be in a lovely district, clean and proper with the common greeting from a simple passerby. And the next, you'd be pinned against a wall in an alley, shaken down to the very last Lien. Of course, to those who had a semblance, particularly, ones that made their little crime sprees easier, Vale's urban districts were indeed a hot spot for such folk. Even those without semblance had proven themselves a danger. Of course, most folk tended to stay hidden, keeping themselves from standing out too much. This of course was not what two recent refugees had in mind, as both Jaune and Ilia walked the urban district streets in black cloaks, with golden linings, with the collar covering the lower half of their face. Though, in addition to their incognito status, they also wore straw Kasa, covering a great portion of their upper face. Thus, their identities remained hidden, though; this left the two wanderers with a couple of confused folk staring at them, bewildered by their odd attire. Not to say there haven't been weirder dressed foreigners, but these two resembled those known to Minstrel and Menagerie as Ronin.
"Remind me again why we're dressed like this?" Ilia asked, not solely out of irritation at the glances seemingly following them as they walked, but also for genuine confusion for their chosen attire.
"We can't exactly show our faces at the moment, we're wanted, remember? You by the Fang and I by both the latter and the four known kingdoms." Jaune responded, keeping his eyes forward. "Besides, we're not staying in Vale for long. We just need some supplies before heading out."
"Supplies? We could've got those at the port, or in the upper district." Ilia mumbled, her eyes glanced to her surroundings; the multitude of downtrodden folk grew as they continued their walk further into this district.
"Not the kind I'm looking for." Jaune muttered, his eyes broke from their forward gaze if only for a short moment. He stopped, causing Amitola to do so as well; she cocked her head to the side, confused as to the sudden halt. Though, when she heard Summer whispering, her hands drifted to her weapon. The doll never spoke unless she urgently needed to relay something. In which case, whatever she had to say would be taken with extreme caution. However, even from this close a distance, Ilia couldn't hear anything. And the ever-present silence from the blond did nothing to alleviate her growing anxiety from a possible danger lurking towards them. "Stay calm." Jaune finally spoke, his arm darted to the side, catching...something as he seemingly caught hold of air and twisted it backwards. What followed shocked Ilia as she now saw a dark skinned girl caught in his hold, yelping in pain as her palm wasn't intended to bend the way Jaune was currently holding her. The passerby's took notice of this interaction, and with indifference continued their daily lives, not caring for the thief that was just caught in the act. "Found something." Jaune commented, hoisting the minty-haired girl a little higher as she continued yelping at the way the blond was twisting her arm.
"I noticed." Amitola replied dryly, wondering how it was she didn't notice this girl sooner. The only possibility that came to mind was the girl using a semblance. A damn good one at that, to hide oneself from plain sight or simply create an area-effected illusion were indeed valuable abilities, and perfect for a thief.
Speaking of which, both kept their eyes on the girl groaning in pain, on her knees as she realized she was discovered and would soon face a punishment by these foreigners. Judging by their matching outfits, she could only guess they were either mercenaries or members of some syndicate outside of Vale. She was half-right on both her guesses, though, as she winced and awaited whatever punishment these two would deal out, she found herself instead freed. Glancing towards the two unknowns, she felt the urge to simple bolt for the nearest alley and disappear. But, she felt three pair of eyes directly on her. And two of those spine tingling stares were coming from the blond. She felt herself rooted to the ground, unable to make a move as the blond took a few steps closer to her, his face leaned in ever so. When he did, she instinctively leaned away, though; she couldn't help but take notice of the seemingly glowing ocean blue orbs inspecting her from head to toe.
"Hmm, I like what I see." With confusion being the primary emotion, the minty-haired girl flinched when he said that. Now more than ever she felt like bolting, though she wouldn't mind giving him a piece of her mind before she left. "Patient and cautious, pick-pocketing skills are obviously above amateur. Stealthily enough to move unnoticed, a semblance perfect for a thief...speaking of..." he reached into his cloak, retrieving both his wallet and a small leather satchel. Judging by the widened eyes of the thief, it was safe to assume that satchel was hers. "Nice try, 'A' for effort and execution." He complimented her again. Rather than berate or attempt to punish her in the way most that caught her did, as few as there were, the minty-haired girl was at a loss for words. She wasn't exactly sure what to say. In a way, she assumed he was simply saying these things to get her to drop her guard. Which worked, if only for a few seconds, as she quickly regained her senses, knowing full well she couldn't trust these unknowns.
Yet.
"I have a proposal for you."
~growl~
And just like that, the girl's face had burned a bright crimson that would put her eyes to shame. Ilia glanced away, her body visibly shaking. Jaune, openly chuckled, albeit dryly, before turning back to the direction of the upper district. "Before that, why don't we get some food? My treat." The girl glanced between the two, her mind kept nudging her to bolt out, to run and never look back. But, they were offering a free meal, something she hadn't had for a while now. Still, for all she knew they were probably leading her into some trap...but then, if they were, it seemed complicated to just simply do so now rather than in the upper district. After all, here no one would bat an eyelash at her kidnapping, whereas in the upper district at least the law did its damned job. With another insisting growl from her stomach, and against her better judgement, she nodded. And from the limited portion of his face she could see, she could've sworn she saw him grin.
All the while, Ilia was becoming hesitant of the sudden inclusion of some unknown into their little traveling party. And she wasn't subtle with her feelings over Jaune's actions.
"This the 'supplies' you were looking for?" She asked, the hint of annoyance in her tone was as clear as Kuo Kuana's ocean.
"Something like that." Jaune responded, stoically.
"You gonna pick up every stray we come across?" She sent a mild glare towards him. "Or just the pretty ones?" Her last comment didn't go unnoticed by the newcomer as she felt herself tense up at the angry short girl's comments.
"No." The blond responded, his turned sideways, his eyes staring directly at the minty-haired girl. "This one has potential." And with that, his eyes glanced back forward. The minty haired girl felt a tint of pink spring on her cheeks at his comment. Though, she felt as if they didn't care whether she was listening to them or not, considering they made no effort to make their opinions subtle. She flinched when she noticed the female's eye staring at her, unimpressed, if she had to guess the expression hidden by the kasa and cloak.
"She is cute." She commented, turning her eyes forward, leaving the girl again with a great deal of confusion and growing anxiety. These compliments felt genuine, but she knew next to nothing of these two. Her first impression indicated they were perhaps from some foreign syndicate looking to spread their reach to Vale, perhaps even mercenaries looking for their next target or meal. But, their interactions so far were closer to just two friends looking for...
An idea dawned on her, where they looking to recruit her? The blond showed more interest in that particular idea, his friend; not so much. But, that left the thief with an unnerving amount of questions stockpiling. From their initial encounter, she was thoroughly shocked when he caught her, even more so when he did so without even having to activate his aura. Still, that raised another question; how strong were these two? And why exactly were they looking to recruit kids off the streets. Her questions would have to wait as she noticed they had stopped in front of a small noodle stand. It was obscure, and blended in with its surroundings, surprisingly.
Jaune turned to the girl. "Name's Jaune, by the way." He hesitated on that little bit, if only for a second.
Introductions it seemed, and judging by the way he hesitated only sprung up red flags. Even so, the thief introduced herself as well. "Emerald."
"Ilia, if anyone cares." Amitola threw in, noticing the pink tints still present on Emerald's cheeks. Which, for some reason, made her edge closer to the blond.
"So that's your name." Jaune chimed in, earning an elbow to his ribs, albeit playfully.
These two weren't at all what they appeared to be. Their outfits might've given off a menacing vibe, but hearing the banter between them, it left little to be frightened of.
As they ate, Ilia and Jaune retained their kasas, Emerald assumed they were attempting to remain incognito; however, they still stuck out like a sore thumb. Thankfully, the folks that stole a few glanced simply gave them a weird look and then simply moved along. And to say they ate a lot was simply understating it. The thief was told to order as much as she wanted, and she did, but these two had three stacked bowls to the side whilst wolfing down their fourth. Meanwhile, the minty-haired thief was barely finishing her second. While the two ate, she couldn't help but feel an extra pair of eyes on her. The odd thing was, she felt those same pair when she used her semblance to try and pickpocket the blond. And what made the feeling all the more uneasy was the fact that the doll currently laying atop the blond's kasa, on its belly, was looking at her. She knew she wasn't crazy when she assumed the damned thing was actively eyeing her. She could feel it; the constant stare coming from two seemingly lifeless eyes. It only unnerved her more when, and she swore she had seen it; the doll's eyes drifted away. She almost recoiled off her chair had she also not noticed Ilia's eyes on her.
"She looking at you?" Amitola whispered to the minty-haired thief. When she nodded, albeit hesitantly, Ilia gave a faint grin. "Been there, you get used to it."
"That's if she accepts my offer." Jaune noted. The shopkeeper was busy in the back of his stand, probably preparing more food as his current customers had practically devoured their meals with little resistance.
Another thing Emerald kept in mind was that he had yet to return her satchel to her. Perhaps as either a bargaining chip, or to keep her from running off.
"Emerald..." Jaune stacked the now empty bowl atop the other three, glancing towards the visibly awkward thief. "If I ask how you see the world, what would be the first thing that comes to your mind?"
She only needed a moment to think of an answer, that wasn't much of a surprise. "It's fucked up."
"Language."
"There's little food to go around the urban districts, meanwhile the fat fucks up in the upper throw what little scraps they have our way. Food and money are in short supply, and people drop like flies pretty often. Do you know how long it's been since I've had an actual me-" her voice stopped dead in its track, her brain catching up to the sudden echo like voice that scolded her for her foul language. Only, that voice wasn't Ilia's or Jaune's, and it certainly wasn't the old shopkeeper's.
"You were saying?" Jaune asked, leaning towards her, and it was then that the thief realized something she failed to notice before; the doll was no longer atop the blond's kasa. Rather, when she turned her head, to see if it had fallen, she felt something lying atop her head. Her hand, shakily, reached up, recoiling as she felt the soft fabric and shape of a doll atop her head. The small toy fell, but before hitting the table, it remained suspended in midair, a few inches from the counter. The doll's body shifted to an upright position, dusting its clothes, and hovered over to Jaune, landing softly on his right shoulder.
She had the floor to speak, but she felt herself unable to do so. How could she? She had just seen a toy move about, seemingly autonomously. Adding to it, she also felt something warm atop her head. But as she reached over to where the doll had lay, she found herself unable to move. Instead, she remained frozen, with her hand midway to her head. She began panicking, especially since, when she glanced to the blond, he was still smiling, from what little she could tell. A thin blue string was emanating from his right pointer finger, the string extended seeming to the top of her head where...the doll was.
"You aren't as discreet as you would like to believe." Jaune muttered, his softened tone was replaced with something that even Ilia felt send a shivering tingle crawling up her spine. Emerald felt it worse as she was on the receiving end of whatever this blond had planned. "Your little semblance allows you to pull off heists rather easily, and often from right under the noses of your victims, literal in some cases." Jaune reached for a glass of water, downing its contents slowly, adding to Emerald's growing anxiety. Never in her life did she feel as helpless as she did now. "You're much better than an amateur, but you got cocky, you slipped up. Rumors began to spread, and news of your little stunts reached my ears all the way in Menagerie. But, I believe your powers could be put to better use than petty larceny. So I'll get straight to the point; I want to change the world, and you would make a useful addition to our group." The tone had shifted from a faintly awkward, lightheartedness to one of chilling determination and hardened ambition. "War, hatred, famine, disease...you can list an abundance of reasons as to why the world is the way it is...but the simple fact of the matter is no one ever takes action, and those that do, are most often inadequate to change the world itself. You can start a revolution now, but in less than a few years, the people will forget why they fought, and eventually they'll return to how they were before. The problem is the easiest to identify, but the solution…" Jaune wiggled his fingers, bringing Emerald closer to him. Her pupils dilated as she was now mere inches away from his face. The lower half of his cloak reached up to his nose, so that was a weight off her mind. However, what she came to stare upon were blue orbs, or rather, one blue orb. Jaune's right hand was over his left eye, seemingly removing a contact from his pupil before revealing a silver eye. "Well, that right there is where the hardest decisions must be made." The heterochromia wasn't unsettling, it was the fact that Emerald felt no control of her body, whatever move she tried to make, she couldn't. "Emerald." She flinched, hearing her name being uttered by this guy. "I'm going to make you an offer, but first tell me; what is it you want most?"
And for a clear moment, the thief thought on it, doing so only for the fear of what he would make her do if she chose to give them the common 'I don't know' response. Food and money were covered, that wasn't much of an issue. Though, her illusions would only last for so long, and only in controlled circumstances. But like the blond said, she got careless one time, and if this kid knew of her, no doubt she'd caught the attention of others. And they'd come for her, just like him. Though, she doubted she'd have it any easier with them than she did with the blond.
"I don't want to be weak." She admitted. She knew this was a mistake, letting this unknown know a fear of hers left her vulnerable. And yet, with the many chances he had to kill her, he didn't. Knowing her illusions wouldn't work on him a second time, and with no control of her body, she decided to simply play along. What she didn't expect was nearly dropping to the floor after regaining control of her body. That didn't stop her from falling to her knees, however. Relishing in finally being able to move her limbs freely, Emerald glanced up when she caught sight of a shadow looming over her. The blond was handing back her satchel, she could still see his silver/ocean eyes, staring intently at her.
"My people had ways of enhancing aura, to a degree that even I found impossible to believe. But, I can teach you these things, I will help you become stronger than you are now. All I ask in return is for you to stand by my side." Ilia watching intently from the sidelines. She couldn't believe this blond was recruiting some girl he only met that day. Given his little stunt just now, no doubt the girl would realize the level of power he had, to be able to control a person with only the movement of ones fingers was an unnerving thought.
Oddly enough, when glancing at Emerald's head, where Summer was, she caught sight of an odd glyph, seemingly painted on to the girl's head, and there was a faint, extremely faint, sign of a light blue string within the center of the glyph.
"Why me?" Emerald asked, to which Jaune grinned.
"Like I said; you have potential." Though, in an odd twist, Jaune tossed the girl her satchel before turning to walk away, but not before leaving a hefty amount of Lien on the counter. With Ilia following closely behind, Jaune turned once more to the minty-haired girl. "Tomorrow my friend and I will be leaving through the northern gate no later seven in the morning. If you wish to take me up on my offer, then I will see you there. If not, then I wish you luck in the slums. Who knows, perhaps our paths will cross again someday…I just hope we're on the same side should it come to that." And without another word left to say, Jaune and Ilia left. Emerald remained on the ground, her brain busily processing what just occurred. This encounter was, odd to say the least, and with a dash of unnerving wary. She wanted nothing to do with these two. The blond was more trouble than she could handle, the other was a clear unknown. However, she saw opportunity in this. The power he displayed, and the willingness to take her on as an apprentice; she foresaw a great deal of riches, more than a few Lien from old worn out wallets. Not to mention, she would have two companions to watch her back. Although, even she had to wonder over what would become of her should she decline and the two were on opposite sides. Her body shivered at the thought of losing control of her body again. As she rose up with her satchel, and a few of the Lien the blond left behind, she pondered more over what to do as she returned to the slums. All the while unaware of a pair of amber eyes focused on her from a distance.