WARNING: There will be contents concerning race and racial issues. You have been warned.
Chapter 3: The Face of Chaos
Continent of Menagerie
Blake watched with intense fascination as Preston performed a series of fighting moves. Unlike many boys his age, he was a very active person, moving around, doing something with himself, never staying in one place for too long. Even more amazing was that when he did things, he did so without so much as a bad look. How was he about to do things he didn't like and not complain about it? It was like he made of really hard stuff that just wouldn't break no matter how much pressure was put on him.
Yes, it had only been a mere week since the Arc boy and his father had been staying with them, but that single week had left a positive impression upon the Faunus girl. Unlike herself, he seemed so unphased by the possibility of failure and rejection and all the bad things that could result if a good ending wasn't what occured. He seemed just like Adam.
Could I be like that? Blake couldn't help but wonder that to herself. I would like to if I could.
When he wasn't performing unarmed moves, he was using a wooden sword with the same grace and effectiveness as his fists. Not everything he did was beautiful to look at; a few times, he had switched to a more basic and brutal stance and moves that looked aimed to cause as much damage as possible without a care for presentation or flair. Other times, he shifted into defensive movesets, one that provided maximum protection for himself. Nonetheless, regardless of the mood that each style gave off, it was clear that time and effort had been put into all of these fighting styles.
"Blake, good morning." Preston had stopped his exercise and faced her, making eye contact. "How are you?"
"O-oh, I-I'm okay." Blake fidgeted with her hair a bit, feeling nervousness alien to her. "H-how are you?"
"Well, all things considered." Preston moved to where there was a towel and a bottle of water. "What brings you here this morning?"
"I heard something going on, so I wanted to check it out." Blake had done this before, yet this being the first time he noticed seemed odd. "And I found you."
"I see." Preston dried himself off, then took a swig of water. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in my training?"
"I-I'd have to ask my father if it's okay, b-but I'd love to join." And Blake meant that with every word. "I'm sure Adam would too."
"Adam. A friend of yours?" Preston surmised almost with insane swiftness.
"Y-yes." Blake said while nodding her head. "H-he's older than us, b-but he's really cool!"
"Will I get to meet him?"
"One day, sure."
Perhaps the two of them would get along. They seemed driven enough in what they did, something that they could probably bond over, but he wouldn't get to meet them for some time. She hoped that her friends would all get along.
Preston sat down on the ground, crossing his legs. He looked to Blake, then patted the ground next to him. She didn't waste a second in responding to his invitation. Once she had settled down, she fidgeted a little. She wasn't good with small talk, and it showed; the number of kids that she could talk to could all be counted on one hand, two hands in optimistic terms. Furthermore, she couldn't begin to talk to someone who wasn't like her, or at least didn't seem like her.
"How long have you been watching me?" Preston approached his question with a soft voice.
"Uh…" Now Blake felt awkward. "What do you mean?"
"I know you've seen more doing my training more than once." Preston answered with no change in his tone. "You aren't in trouble, but I want to know why."
"I… want to be like you."
"Why?"
"Because you're really good."
Silence reigned for a minute and the two children looked each other in the eyes, yet the girl couldn't help but feel that she had answered wrong when he said nothing to her. As more seconds passed, her unease grew with every second. She longed for an answer so that she could at least know where she was in this conversation.
"What do you like to do most?" He asked next.
"I like to read." She said swiftly. "Books are good, my parents say."
"They are, and you shouldn't stop reading if you can help it."
"I will. So… what about you… what do you like to do?"
"Anything, really. Learning new things is good for me."
"Huh… I get it."
Blake didn't really get it, at least not in the sense of just wanting to learn for no reason. He probably did have a reason, one that he didn't want to talk about, but she was curious now. His motives were mysterious to her. Certainly, he did care for his fellow Faunus and want to help them as best he could, but there was also the matter of his own personal reasons, the ones that she wasn't aware of, yet was curious about.
"Kids!" The sound of Blake's mother reverberated throughout the room. "Breakfast is ready!"
The voice wasn't coming from the room directly, but from the room adjacent to where they were. They looked to the doorway, then back to each other.
"Shall we?" Preston got up and offered a hand up.
"Yes." Blake gratefully accepted his gesture.
The two of them walked side-by-side, both of them looking at each other from the corner of their eyes, as if searching for something hidden. It wasn't uncomfortable. They were both acutely aware that they had answers to questions for each other, but knowing that it was a mutual feeling eased them both.
"Look who came!" Kali greeted the two of them when they arrived in the dining hall. "You two are just in time!"
Without another word, both of them took their seats. Today's breakfast consisted of fish and chips. Living by the ocean, there was more than enough seafood to go around, and the dish looked appetizing.
Blake wasted no time in devouring her food, and her parents had to caution her to eat slowly lest she choke on her food and obtain bad table manners. With some reluctance, she did as her parents asked and slowed down. She was able to enjoy her food more this way. It was just that she couldn't think of any food that was better than fish. It was her absolute favorite food, no matter what type.
Looking across the table, Preston ate his food in a far more restrained and calm manner, but there was no doubting that he enjoyed the food. He ate at a consistent pace, but there was no sign of him not liking the food, and he ate at quite the pace despite him doing so in a polite manner.
"May I have seconds please?" Preston held his plate out.
"Of course." Ghira acknowledged and refilled the boy's plate. "There's plenty where that came from."
As it turned out, that would not be his last plate. In fact, it became quite apparent that his appetite could equal that of several people. Nobody, not even his own father, seemed to know where all of the food went. There wasn't even a trace of all of that food after Preston had finished. It was five plates later that he stopped and put down his plate and utensils. It was quite the accomplishment to eat with the most precise and perfect table manners yet also eat with the swiftness that he did.
How… does he do that? Not that Blake was a heavy eater and not that she wanted to be one, but it was impressive all the same.
"My thanks for the food." Preston wiped his mouth with the napkin provided to him. "It was most delectable."
"Goodness!" Blake heard her mother laugh out loud. "I knew that boys had appetites, but not like this!"
"Don't my wife and I know it." The elder Arc joined in. "We don't know where he got his love for food, but hey, we're not worried about him not eating enough."
Just as the boy had finished cleaning his face, he then put his mouth to his arm to cover up. It was a moment later that a suppressed cough came out, no doubt from eating at a pace that was perhaps not quite healthy.
"Excuse me." Preston grabbed a glass of water and washed it all down. "And thank you once again for the food."
For some reason, Blake's parents couldn't help but laugh at loud at the Arc son's manners. Nobody was discrediting his behavior, but for some reason, it came across as overly polite, even if that was clearly not the intent. An adult doing so might be seen as pandering or being a suck-up, bit a child doing it felt so much more comedic and amusing. Even his father was lightly snickering.
"What?" Preston asked with genuine confusion.
"Nothing." Jasper put a hand around his son's shoulders.
Preston frowned in confusion even more.
RWBY - - - Transformers
The next major rally for the White Fang was to take place within the Kingdom of Mistral. It was said to be quite an event, and no doubt, a major crowd would form. Preparations had been underway for some time, and the recent addition of the Arc patriarch and his son could be worked into the equation easily.
By boat, the journey would take a few days at best and a week at worst, but that was taken into account.
The Belladonna's and the Arc's had boarded the boat and since their departure, they had been finding various ways to keep themselves occupied.
Jasper had just taken leave from a conversation with Ghira and Kali. So far, based on all his interactions with them, he could tell that they were good people and also good parents. That went a long way to him trusting them with Preston. He couldn't always be here to protect his son, but he could at least trust them to protect him.
Speaking of the boy, he noticed that he was on the upper deck with Blake. The two of them were getting along extremely well, but that wasn't surprising. Despite his calm and collected demeanor, Preston had a way of charming others that amazed himself and Daisy. If this kind of behavior kept up, they both had no doubt that all the girls would be chasing him once he began to mature physically.
Actually, they might already like him. Jasper thought back to the times back home. I know all the girls at home don't think he's got cooties.
A thought popped into his mind, one that he should have thought more about before they left. Oh well, better now than anytime later.
It took only a few minutes to find Preston on the ship, and predictably, he was with Blake. With his curiosity piqued, the man stood a distance away and watched the children for a bit. Together, they were reading a book, and it looked like they were both taking turns reading. As he approached, the Arc father took note of the fact that Preston was correcting Blake on words that she didn't pronounce correctly or words that she didn't know about. He was patient with her, and whenever she didn't get anything quickly, he stayed with her until she did understand. She seemed to appreciate the attention.
While Jasper was pleased to see this friendly relationship going well, he couldn't deny that in the back of his mind, he was considering Preston when he would begin to mature physically. Daisy was already worry about all the potential girls and women that would be attracted to their son because Gods knew that the boy with blue eyes and hair would grow up to be a looker, something that worried the Matriarch of the Arc family. In her eyes, no girl or woman in all of Remnant would ever be worthy of her son. This was only reinforced by the fact that he was such a stellar child.
Well, that was at least seven years down the road. Jasper would worry about it when Preston turned into a teenager.
In any event, he casually walked over to the seated children. The first to spot him was Preston, followed by Blake.
"Father, did you need something?" Preston addressed him in his usual courteous tone.
"Just for a minute." Jasper looked to Blake. "I won't take Preston away for long."
The Faunus girl nodded her response, and Preston lifted himself up and the two of them made their way to a more quiet section of the deck.
"I wanted to speak with you concerning this rally." The father kneeled down to look his son in the eye. "I assume you're aware of the dangers present."
"I am." Preston did not flinch in his response.
"I know you can take care of yourself, kiddo, but your mom and I are still worried. There's also the fact that some people won't care if you're a kid or not. If you're a Faunus, they may simply mistreat you on that fact alone."
"I understand that and I am fully prepared to deal with it should I face it directly or indirectly."
"Well, in any case, if someone tries to hurt you, do what you must to protect yourself first and foremost."
"...understood."
The split-second was noticeable, but the man simply disregarded it, continuing on with what he wanted to say.
"If you can't deal with it, I will step in. I know that you're confident in your abilities, but you've still got a lot to learn."
"Of course."
"And on the note of safety, there's something else I want to give you." Jasper reached into his pocket and retrieved a scroll. "If you get into a situation that you feel you can't handle yourself, call me."
The six-year-old boy looked at the device for a few seconds before gently taking it into his hands, inspecting it up and down, looking very intrigued by it.
"I will be sure to take care of it." Preston was genuine in his gratitude, yet still level-headed. "Thank you, father."
"You're my only son." Jasper ruffled his son's hair a bit. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't partial to you in that respect."
"I just wish that it did not entail unnecessary protection." Preston sighed a light sigh. "Mother is always so overprotective."
"Best to let her have her fun for a bit."
"But why? If this continues, she may never be able to let me go?"
"I'm not saying that she'll be like this for the rest of your life, but it's alright now. Just let her worry. You are a part of her after all."
"But so are you."
"Women do more of the work in brining a child into the world. Us men simply provide some helping hands along the way."
"That is debatable, father."
"Preston, one day, you'll understand. When you get yourself a wife, you'll understand why it's better to let her win and have her way a few times."
"...if you say so."
The little boy might be very mature for his age, but he was still naive all the same, just like a kid should be.
"Anyway, that's all I wanted to talk about. Off with you, lad. Best not to keep a girl waiting for you. It's bad form."
As Jasper watched Preston return to Blake, he was instantly struck with a sense of nostalgia. While he couldn't claim that his love for his wife came from a childhood connection, he did love her with every fiber of his being. Every strength, every weakness, and everything in-between. Actually, now that he was thinking about, the Arc clan was notorious for strong and enduring relationships, especially when it came to the subject of love and marriage. As the family's generations-old modo decreed, An Arc never goes back on his word.
Undoubtedly, it would be the same for his children when they got spouses and had families of their own. The Arcs had a way of making life partners out of even the most difficult of characters, but even for his eldest twin daughters, they were still quite a ways off from even getting boyfriends let alone families and marriage. Then again, it had been ten years since the elder twins had been born. It wouldn't be long before another ten years went by.
A shaking in his pocket had him retrieving his scroll. It was a call from Daisy, and probably just as well. With the only two boys out of the house, the atmosphere in the house had to be more than a little different.
"Daisy, how are things?"
"The girls miss you and Preston. Speaking of which, where is he?"
"He's busy entertaining a newfound friend?"
"Is it a girl?"
Her question came with no hesitation, and for a moment, Jasper thought to try and manipulate the conversation, but then he was reminded by his own advice. Now was probably not the time.
"Yes, it's a girl. A cat Faunus actually. Her name's Blake Belladonna."
"Belladonna? As in, related to Ghira Belladonna, the leader of the White Fang?"
"The same one. She's his daughter."
"...I see."
"That was a strangely tame response."
"...I get the feeling that if the girl's anything like her father, than the most important thing to her other than her family is the White Fang."
So she hasn't really changed, simply how she chooses to view the situation. Jasper felt a bit of disappointment.
"And Preston? How is he doing?"
"Normal. He's sincere about wanting to participate in the White Fang, but now that I think about it, I get the feeling there's more to it than simply wanting to help other Faunus. I just can't quite put my finger on it."
"Another mystery about our son? We've got enough of those at home, and he's been in our lives for six years. What does that say?"
"Too much, Daisy. Far too much."
Silence on both ends reigned, and they knew what it was. It was that little alarm in their heads that were there, but with nary a reason or explanation for being there. It was unbearable.
Transformers - - - RWBY
Primus steeled himself to behold the sight in front of him. He stood alongside Blake as the two of them participated in a protest rally. It was the first of what he hoped to be many demonstrations. Being part of this was not only important to the attempt of helping other Faunus, but it would also give insight as to the cause and effect in regards to the relationship with Humans and Faunus.
There was a considerable turnout of other Faunus who were taking part in this rally, which might be a good or bad thing, good that there were so many Faunus that seemed to support the White Fang while bad if things between Humans and Faunus became confrontational. In any event, if it came down to violence, Primus would do what was necessary to limit casualties. Of course, he wouldn't make a show of it.
To his side, he saw Blake holding her sign up high and chanting the words of the crowd with conviction and certainty. This was far from the girl that he was used to seeing in her home. That girl was aloof, timid, and shy, but the girl he was seeing now was passionate, fiery, and outspoken. Like the rest of this crowd, she was here to promote a good cause, to help others who needed help, to help those were far less fortunate than herself.
Primus could sense Jasper nearby. As per their agreement, his father would hang back and only interfere should there be a violent confrontation, one that the disguised God of Creation couldn't handle alone. He reminded himself that it was a rather moot plan, but it wasn't insurance for himself. It was for his family. Never once had he feared for his own life. It was not in his nature. However, the few times that harm had come to his body… his mother had been more than a little overbearing. As for his sisters… he wasn't quite sure how classify their actions and responses.
If there was anything to be concerned about, it was how this entire situation could turn on a dime. While there were a numerous amount of Faunus in this protest, there was no denying the danger that was present. Due to the wariness and fear that Humans had for Faunus, there was the likelihood that a police force or some disciplinary means would stop them, subdue, or otherwise dissuade them from their action. The thought of injuries or deaths did not sit well with him, and he would not stand by if someone needed assistance. If push came to shove, the Order-Bringer could use some under-the-radar abilities to subtly influence others and stop a fight before it began.
Primus once again chanted some words that the crowd was saying, although he kept his tone to a mere speaking voice, and not the shouts and cries that everyone around him was displaying. While he did indeed feel that Faunus injustice was very real, the reality of it hadn't really come to him. He needed to see it with his own eyes to not only have a real reason to fight against the injustice, but also for the sake of his own need to obtain knowledge. Humans and Faunus, much like Cybertronians were people with differing ideas, but wheas Cybertronians fought on ideological, moral, and political grounds to name a few points, Humans and Faunus in this case fought for things like race and physical traits.
On the surface, it was shallow, and even superficial at times, but when considering the circumstances, it was understandable to a degree. Still, the level of animosity that could result based on being Human or Faunus was rather ridiculous, illogical, and plain baffling. Yes, it was important to acknowledge differences and work with those differences so strengths and weaknesses could play into each other, but to use those differences as an excuse to display such hostility that seemed to have no logical foundation? It was simply ignorance at its core. Frankly, the very idea of Faunus racism was an alien concept, hence the reason for the need to see it to believe it.
Preston then noticed that aligned on the street were people, mostly Humans. Their expressions ranged from indifferent to disgusted and everything else in between. It was then that he realized that the shouting had begun. His skepticism slowly washed away, replaced by the harshness surrounding them.
"GO BACK TO MENAGERIE WHERE YOU BELONG!"
"FILTHY ANIMALS!"
"GET OFF THE STREETS!"
"ANIMALS DON'T DESERVE THE SAME RIGHTS AS US!"
"FUCK YOUR KIND!"
"THE FAUNUS ARE NOT OUR EQUALS!"
Primus was able to process each and every comment with perfect clarity, and perhaps for the first time in his entire existence, he did not consider his all-powerful presence to be helpful nor positive. he was rather unnerved by the level of hatred that was emanating from some of these Humans. Some of it might be merely stemming from passed-down hatred, but a lot of was genuinely emotional and came from personal experience, which made remedying this sort of situation all the more difficult.
Regardless of the numerous insults and slurs and such that was thrown onto the Faunus protesters, they still marched forward. This only served to enrage those who were looking for a response back, but then again, it was public knowledge that the White Fang practiced non-violent means of protest, so maybe there were no conflicts happening because of that fact. There was also the possibility that any violence that did break out would be one-sided, and that would be a worse-case scenario. The line was very clear. There was to be no violence unless it was done so in self-defense, nothing more and nothing less.
The sound of objects clattering against the ground was the first sign of the impending danger. Nobody had been hit with anything thrown, but that was a warning. If they continued, there would only be a greater chance of injury. Still, there was no turning back. If you made a loud enough noise, people would come to see what the fuss was about, and maintaining that loud noise meant enduring all the potential peril that came with it.
Glass against the crowd ramped up the tension in the air. The White Fang might not resort to violence, but that didn't mean the people within weren't somewhat intimidated and frightened. If not for their large group, some might not have even dared to join the White Fang, and conversely, that same large group was deterring any extreme showdowns between the two races.
"ANIMALS SHOULD OBEY!"
"THE FAUNUS DON'T DESERVE FORGIVENESS!"
"WE WILL NEVER BE EQUALS!"
A hand on his shoulder had Primus turning his head to face whoever had made contact with was a boy about five years older than himself. He was a Bull Faunus with red hair. He seemed rather eager to be here. He knew this boy to be Adam Taurus, another of Blake's friend, a boy with some serious passion for the rights of the White Fang. Apparently, he had been long-time friends with Blake, the White Fang being their shared connection. The relationship wasn't elaborated on further, and it didn't take the Order-Bringer long to realize that maybe Blake like him because he reminded her of Adam.
The two boys weren't able to speak over the chanting and the hate speech being thrown out, but they exchanged a look to assure each other. It was a small gesture, but it was appreciated nonetheless, a sort of promise between brothers in arms in a sense.
Then the came the real problem: the police. As predicted, they were having none of this fighting. The major disruption of the normal flow of the day was seriously getting in the way of what should have been another day in the life of Remnant. Especially considering that this was the Kingdom of Mistral, that only made dispersing any negative emotions even more important. There was only one question: who would be forced to leave?
"DISPERSE!" The sound of a voice coming through a megaphone could be heard clearly. "DISPERSE OR WE WILL USE FORCE!"
The decency to warn participants before using said force did absolutely nothing to deter the White Fang. As it had been said by Ghira Belladonna many times, if one was to affect change, one had to stand their ground, even during times like this. Bowing out and giving in would only communicate a lack of a backbone in the White Fang, and the Faunus were tired of being treated like second-class citizens.
Primus still could not fully approve though. At what point did pride become too much that it would have people potentially sacrificing their own lives for the sake of a goal. To the God of Creation, every single life was precious, and though he could not save every single life on Remnant as he was now, he vowed to never be the direct or indirect cause of the loss of life unless circumstances forced him to do otherwise.
Police forces could be seen, and judging by the gear they were carrying, they intended to use whatever means possible. From simple fire hoses to riot gear, nothing seemed out of the equation.
I am sorry, father, but I cannot ignore this. Primus felt his entire body ready itself. Anyone who is hurt, I must attend to.
Even in his Faunus form, Primus still had access to his many powers, and simply had never chosen to use his powers before because there had never been a need to. Yes, he could use his powers to grant instantaneous results, but this went against his ultimate reason for having this life to begin with. The Autobots did not have his powers, and they had won, so he would find a way to win without them as well. Now that he was here, he began to realize that this self-imposed rule only applied to himself, and not to the protection and safety of others. Thing had changed.
The first form of force came with a spray of water. While the force itself was not nearly enough to harm a person, it was certainly enough to cause some shouts and screams. The more able-bodied White Fang members tried to shield the children, adolescents, and teenagers. The Humans on the sidelines reacted in several different ways; a few immediately took leave of the area, a few stayed and watched, and a few more daring ones decided that they had a right to take part in the suppression effort.
Chaos was beginning to tear through the streets as what remained of order crumbled into dust and was blown away by the water being shot everywhere. Not only was this bad directly for the White Fang, but there was a risk of Grimm reacting to these negative emotions. Even if this was Mistral, a long-standing kingdom, the Grimm were the most dangerous creatures on this world.
The Order-Bringer's first instinct was to protect Blake by placing her behind his own body, a move mirrored by Adam Taurus. The three of them in turn, were backed up by other adults.
His scroll began to buzz and he retrieved the device and saw a single from his father: GET TO SAFETY!
Primus looked left and right for Ghira Belladonna. He, Blake, and Adam were quick to back up from dangers. Just because they were Faunus children, they were no more safe than the older members of the White Fang. As their parents had all told them, their own safety was now their primary concern.
"This way." Primus guided the two of them backwards.
"But what about the others?" Blake demanded. "We can't just leave them."
"We will help them when we're in a better position to do so." Primus assured her calmly. "We cannot help them if we cannot help ourselves."
The black-haired girl seemed to want to argue back, and for a few moments, she contemplated.
"Blake, we need to go." Adam, too, concurred with Primus. "We can help later."
Caught between two friends who shared a similar thinking, she eventually relented. With that, the three kids skillfully dodged, ducked, and weaved through the crowd. The next minute was spent trying to stick together, made all the more arduous by the numerous chaotic elements. This needed to be calmed down ASAP.
"You two, remain here." Primus told both Blake and Adam. "I will go get help."
He was lying, but they did not need to know that, and before they could do anything, he was on the move.
Let peace not come from war. Let peace not come from strife. Let peace not come from plagues. Primus recited some of his own self-discovered knowledge. Let peace come from harmony. Let peace come from compromise. Let peace come from joy.
For the first time in his years on Remnant, he called upon his powers.
RWBY - - - Transformers
Somewhere on Remnant...
What was that feeling? It felt like a beacon of pure light. No, it was not a light; a light was small, insignificant, and ultimately short-lived. No, this was the power of the sun multiplied a billion fold. This was power unlike anything she had ever felt.
She opened her eyes, made herself stand up from her seat in the room, and moved to one of the open windows. Her eyes looked left and right, as if scanning the entirety of the world for the immense disturbance upon her conscious mind.
"This power... it compares not to anything I've ever felt. Ozpin's power is but a grain of sand in this power that is a sandstorm."
The game had changed.
The Creatures of Grimm now knew an enemy that was far more dangerous that that of Mankind and the Faunus.
Transformers - - - RWBY
Beacon Academy...
He lifted his head from his folded hands and thought upon the moment he had felt. It was power, but not one that was familiar with, and with millennia of life and experience, he had seen virtually everything that this world had to offer.
It felt like divine power, but not any sort of divine power that he had ever been in contact with. It was alien to him, and he could only associate this power with divinity due to its sheer presence and substance, even if felt only for the briefest of instances.
"This has to be a new game piece. I have never encountered anything like it in all of my time walking on this world."
The game had changed.
Mankind and the Faunus now had a potentially war-ending piece to play that could end the Grimm forever.
Finally, I got this chapter finished.
So for some thoughts and notes, let's talk about Primus and his response to a terrible moment. When faced with a situation where violence and conflict is but a power keg away, the easiest thing to is to respond with all your power, especially when you know you can do something about it.
But remember that his choice to use his power, even if only for a short time, will have consequences. Primus is the God of Order, Creation, and Good. The use of his powers has to be immense, and as a result, his presence is no longer secret. Even if Primus can't be found easily, he is now a target.
In response to some readers already shipping Primus with other characters, I will say this. I've got all kinds of character dynamics planned for Primus, so don't assume too quickly. Still, it's fun to consider and picture. So far, I've got shippings for Blake and Pyrrha, so there's that.
So what did you guys think? Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!
I hope you all enjoyed reading.
"Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay."
Simone de Beauvoir