The buttery sun slips farther down a slick orange sky.
"Great people of Vivica," the Elder begins, "I appreciate your gathering here this evening."
The clammering feet and whooshing, loose-hanging clothing of Vivica's villagers stop as the crowd finishes assembling around a charred village square. At the center stands a wooden podium, just in front of the Elder. Behind him are his three grave-faced councilmen.
"As you may have noticed, many things have gone out of order -and out of hand- as of late. First things first, the Grimm have been more active than ever. And if it weren't enough that those foul beasts have been rampaging through our little community, outsiders that bring nothing but trouble have been interfering with village affairs."
Some of the villagers murmur while others maintain blank stares towards the podium.
"Most troubling of all, our favorite problem child, Kanoa, has finally decided to leave us, running off with those two ingrates from before."
Mumbles of disapproval and disbelief fill the air.
"Yes, yes. It seems that it wasn't enough for her to have strong-armed us into letting two Hunters- unlicensed, no less, roam Vivica, which by its own merits of recklessness jeopardizes our entire way of life. She also had the sheer disrespect to abandon tradition- and us in the process."
Everyone goes still. The Elder straightens his back.
"In fact, it begs the question of her being responsible for our most recent Grimm attack in the first place. Look!"
He raises an object high into the air, in plain view of all the people below. Kanoa's radio crackles weakly in his hand.
"This appears to be some kind of sound-transmitter that the girl cooked up. As all of you know, communication with the outside is expressly forbidden."
The crowd gasps.
"For all we know, she could have been attracting Grimm to us this whole time and we would have been none the wiser. In fact, I found this hidden underneath our conference table, which means she must have planted it there for some insidious purpose."
The mumbles become more agitated. Of the audible words, most reflect shock and anger.
"Now, why would she do something as heinous as threatening the existence of our beautiful Vivica, you might ask? Why indeed. You see, the previous Elder was a great man, much greater than I, even. And this is a fact that Kanoa had come to resent. Most of you have witnessed her acting out against our laws, brandishing her contraptions in plain disrespect of everything I stand to uphold. But what the child doesn't know, is that I'm merely continuing the same venerable legacy that her grandfather upheld during his time as Elder. For the finest village in all of Vale."
Nods come from the heads, with some even progressing into cheers.
"It seems that the best thing we can do for the village is to move on and forget those traitors who deem it fit to mock our traditions."
Before the crowd can react, the ear-piercing claws of speaker feedback emanate from somewhere amidst the crowd. The villagers cover their ears, many yelping from the unexpected screech.
"You know what would help the village more?"
The feminine voice follows a raised arm with a radio receiver. It emerges from the back of the crowd as the villagers begin forming a path with electrified whispers.
"Not pretending like anyone who has a problem with the way things are done is a traitor."
Gasps break out from all around again. The faces of the aged council members behind the Elder grow pale, save for one, which lights up.
"Kanoa! You've returned?" the Elder blurts.
Towering above the crowd with an invisible radiance, she stands with one hand on her hip and the other raised pointing towards the podium, the receiver having been traded for her mace.
"I sure did. And this welcome home party sure is something."
The Elder takes a look at the faces staring expectantly back at him and straightens himself out, albeit gritting his teeth.
"Well, you shouldn't have come crawling back! If you're not here to turn yourself in, then why did you return?"
"Like you said, it's because of my heinous transmitter over there- and it definitely came in handy. I've heard everything you and your goons said in the last day. I especially enjoyed the part where you coughed up the plan to frame Rig, Spirit, and I for the Grimm attacks."
The Elder points at her. "You spied on our conversations! Your confession proves precisely the point I was making earlier!"
"Because I knew you would be doing exactly this!" Kanoa argues. She gestures her palms outward, "Elder, how many secrets and secret meetings are you going to hold from everyone? Why is it that if someone wants to question an old tradition or try something new, they'd be shamed for not keeping order?"
"There's nothing 'secret' about them. It's our job to gather as the wisest members of the clan to-"
"Wisest my shapely be-hind," Kanoa laughs, rolling her eyes, "You just think that being in power means keeping everyone as ignorant as you."
"As opposed to endangering everyone?"
"As opposed to knowing the truth and keeping it all to yourself like a child? All I'm asking you for is an explanation. Earlier, you said Rig, Spirit, and I endangered the whole village, just like how you always tell me my inventions are going to agitate the Grimm. How does any of that work?"
"It just is, as our fathers and mothers before us have warned."
"But how? Do you even know their formal reasons for why we have these traditions? Or are you making all these bold claims without the proof up front to back it up?"
The Elder goes quiet. His eyes dart around the crowd as he resists the urge to turn to one of the other council members. The silence slowly infects Vivica's atmosphere with more unease, as prideful expressions are now replaced with anxious stares.
Somewhere in the distance, a loud rustling ekes its way into everyone's attention. Growing louder by the second, the sound peaks when the treeline parts open and the shapes of Rig and Spirit come flying out, following a distended hookshot. The duo plummet towards the center of the crowd as the villagers scramble to clear some space before they cushion their landing at the last second with a gravity rush.
"Gather everyone! There's-!" Spirit stops himself short once he sees the entire village staring back at him.
"Great- this makes things less confusing!" Rig waves his hands around madly, "EVERYBODY RUN!"
"You two again!" The Elder yells.
"Don't you see what this means?" Kanoa says, casting a relieved smile right behind her towards Rig and Spirit, "Even they didn't abandon us!"
"Silence, Kanoa!" The Elder shifts full focus onto the outsiders, "You two have no idea as to how much trouble you've caused, do you?!"
"Trouble? Wha-?" Spirit shakes his head, "Trouble is coming to us! There's a huge bandit raiding party that's going to come storming through here soon!"
The villagers' shrill voices quiver, their faces twisting into those of abject terror and utter confusion. Before everyone can scatter like roaches from an uncovered nest, the Elder bashes his hand against the podium with a resounding whack.
"Silence! Look at you two, coming here now with your petty lies! You're just looking to pillage our belongings after starting a panic, is that it?! That's just like you outsiders, we won't be fooled!"
"What are you talking about?!" Spirit yells, pointing towards the forest Rig and him just came out of, "Didn't you hear what I said- there's a raiding party out to get us!"
"The disrespect! How dare you speak to an Elder like that?! And did you say 'us'?"
"You, us, this whole town! We're all in the same boat to the people with the torches!"
The Elder puts on a face of pure revilement, "Are you saying that you led them all the way here?"
"What?!" Spirit yells and starts stomping off towards the podium, "We came all the way back to warn you!"
"And destroy our village in the process?"
Spirit's mouth twitches, "You-wha-"
Before he can say another word and take another step, a hand pulls him back. Spirit turns around to see Rig's stern face.
"He won't listen to us. It's not worth getting angry," Rig says coldly.
"Get off me, Rig!" Spirit yelps and smacks his friend's arm off him. He gives Rig a cold, angry glance.
"Spirit, what's wrong?" Rig asks, eyes quivering.
"Back off, Rig! We don't have time for this!"
"I believe you," Kanoa interrupts, coming up to them, "For all that's worth," she adds, staring Spirit down. Continuing, she turns back to the Elder, "Either way, all this panic is bound to attract Grimm for sure."
One of the councilmembers steps up to the podium beside the Elder.
"How about we strike a deal?" he asks, looking over to his superior.
Kanoa, Rig, and Spirit's faces brighten as they recognize the farmer's laid-back countenance. The Elder's face twists before he begrudgingly nods over to his subordinate, who continues.
"Given all the chaos that's been happening, the safest option seems to be to evacuate the village."
Kanoa clenches a trembling fist with determination as Rig smiles.
Before the Elder can react however, the farmer adds, "But- if Kanoa and the outsiders are lying, we will banish them from Vivica."
Those final words ring in Kanoa's ears, and her hand goes limp as she looks away. Rig gulps while Spirit merely stews in his frustration.
The Elder loosens up, scratching his beard as a smile slowly sneaks onto his face, "Alright then. My dear citizens, you've heard it with your own ears. If it turns out that they're making a mockery of us again, they're willing to accept the righteous consequences," he narrows his eyes, looking at Kanoa, "Isn't that right?"
Without faltering, she gazes up from the ground, and, with her chin held high, proclaims, "If those are the stakes to save my village, I'll gladly accept."
The crowd murmurs in awe as they watch her stand defiantly beside Rig and Spirit.
"All right then, we'll keep our end of the bargain," the farmer begins, "Outsiders, you'll be responsible for keeping watch over the village.
"Of course!" Rig pipes in, "We'll defend it no matter what!"
Spirit gives him a dirty look.
"You'd do well to honor your promises then," the farmer responds, "And Kanoa, you'll be responsible for the evacuation procedure, considering this situation is your burden."
"Fine. I have something to show you all anyways," she says to the crowd, and walks up to the podium, snatching her radio from the Elder, "Everyone, go grab whatever you can carry!"
The villagers start to rush back to their homes as Kanoa hands Rig her radio receiver, clasping her other hand over his forearm.
"If you guys need help or the coast is clear, you better call me, alright?"
"You're not going to question the bandit thing?" Spirit murmurs from the side.
She turns to him, "I already said I believed you," then looks back at Rig with an earnest expression, "Take care of yourselves."
"Yes ma'am!" Rig salutes enthusiastically before she runs off.
As Kanoa fades into the distance, Rig and Spirit notice that the Elders also slipped away, leaving the two of them alone in the charred square.
"Spirit, I-"
"Let's get some rest at Kanoa's place," Spirit replies, walking off. "Could probably find some tools to repair my hookshot there, too."
Rig neither responds nor begins following. Spirit stops.
"Don't worry, Rig. Kanoa's even smarter than I thought."
"Huh?"
"I have a sneaking feeling I know where Kanoa's going to take everyone. That's why I'm telling you not to worry about her. Come on."
Spirit continues his walk away. Rig lowers his head, whispering to himself.
"That's not who I'm worried about..."
-XX・XX-
"And… there!"
Spirit puts strength into the last word as he makes a hard twist with the screwdriver in one hand. In the other hand, the broken hookshot makes a click as the small, exposed gears are reset back into place. Spirit slaps the cover down before slipping the hookshot back onto his arm and immediately checks the workshop window. Craning his neck to once more be reassured that the rumbling in the room is merely some hidden gadget Kanoa crammed into a high-up shelf rather than the distant rumbling of footsteps, he turns back to his equipment.
"Now let's see," he says, raising his weapon in front of him.
Extending his fingers, the hook shoots out and punctures the wall in front of him. Spirit pulls his fingers back into a fist, triggering the hook to swoosh back. As it returns to its metal housing, the gears sputter and tick. He tries extending his fingers again, but nothing happens.
"Agh! Stupid piece of…" Spirit rests his elbows against Kanoa's workbench as he rubs at his face. He slaps the palms of his hands against the desk. "Screw this. Break time."
Spirit gets up, walking past the various contraptions lying around the workshop. A few of them catch his eye again as he exits. The most notable of them looks similar to an old, Atlesian turret, save for the fact that the turret "gun" is a filed-down pipe and the base is a repurposed trash can. He picks up a worn out magazine laid atop the off-brand device, titled: "Atlesian Autonomous Weapons Weekly."
Spirit places the magazine back where he found it, rubbing its dust off his fingers against his dark blue robe top. He passes through the hallway, briefly glancing at the door leading into the only unexplored room in the entire house before continuing his walk.
Beyond the window netting nearby, the familiar chirps of crickets in the ring throughout the air. Moving his face close to the window, Spirit stares towards the forest for the slightest hint of unusual movement or lighting. As his eyes jump between the trees and the sky, his mind too, jumps between dread and serenity. It seems like no matter where he and Rig travel, the stars still keep their twinkling allure. It's one of the few things Spirit is glad didn't change, even as far as the distance between Vacuo and Vivica.
A small creak from behind makes Spirit spin around. He raises his functional hookshot towards the doorway and freezes only a fingerflick from firing.
"Don't shoot!" Rig raises his arms up. "I'm unarmed!"
"Rig," Spirit sighs as he lowers his aim, "You're up already? It's barely been an hour."
"I thought about keeping my nap ultra short since, you know, you always fall asleep when I'm not awake."
Rig grins as he notices Spirit trying to hide his pinkening face by looking back towards the window.
"How's your hookshot?" Rig asks, changing the subject.
"Oh, right," Spirit snaps his attention back to his equipment, "I couldn't fix it with what was lying around Kanoa's workshop. There was some interesting stuff I found in there, though."
Rig yawns, "Yeah? Like what?"
"All I could tell was that there's a large metal fishing net, some rope and chains. Everything else looks like something straight out of Atlas's junkyard."
"That sounds pretty awesome!"
"Eh," Spirit shrugs, "Anyways, I'll try fixing the hookshot with some power tools later while you're not asleep. Didn't want to wake you up earlier."
"Aww, thanks bud! Good luck!" Rig looks around, "By the way, you know where I can get some water?"
Spirit points to a nearby cabinet, "I remember seeing Kanoa pull out a water jug over there, but she drinks straight from it."
"Cool!"
Rig makes a beeline straight for the cabinet. As soon as he finds the large jug, he immediately opens the top and starts chugging down. When he's done, the first thing he sees is Spirit's shocked face.
"What? It's just water."
"Did you not hear me? I said she drinks straight from it."
"It's fine! I'll rinse it later."
"But you're drinking right after her."
Rig grins again, "You still scared of getting cooties?"
"Never mind," Spirit shakes his head as he walks towards the door, "I'll keep working on my hookshot. You keep watch for the bandits this time."
"Aye, aye, Captain!" Rig salutes, spilling some water out of the jug still in his hands.
Spirit walks back through the hallway, stopping yet again by the unexplored door. Involuntarily, he places his hand over the doorknob, feeling a familiar sensation as he turns it.
It clicks.
The first thing Spirit does is flick on the light switch. The second is immediately go into a coughing fit. Forgotten particles fly everywhere before he can take two steps into the room, making his skin itch as he waves a hand in front of his face. Once the dust settles down, Spirit gets his first good look of the dim room. Dull, gray file cabinets line the far walls, surrounded by bookshelves filled with a collection of titles far more vast than Kanoa's. As his eyes scan the cabinets, they catch the various labels.
Council Agendas
Town Expenses
Family Registry
The last cabinet strikes him- especially seeing as how it's the only one secured by a lock. Just as he kneels by it, footsteps come from the doorway.
"Spirit, are you ok? I heard you coughing back there and-?"
A silence hangs between the two as Spirit turns to him. Rig's face twists up.
"It's Kanoa's grandfather's room," Spirit explains.
"I figured that, but why are you in here?"
"For answers," Spirit turns back to the filing cabinets. "If there's any place that can give us a glimpse as to what's going on in Vivica, it's here. I think the locks on these cabinets tell us that."
"Really? Because I think they tell us we shouldn't be snooping around here," Rig says, still standing by the doorway. "Kanoa probably left this room alone for a reason."
"And it's the same reason we're in it now. Rig, I'm not going to have a moral debate with you on this, especially with the dirty tricks that old fart tried to pull on us earlier."
"But you want me to crack the lock, right?"
"Yes, I do. The one labelled, 'Family Registry'."
"No, Spirit."
Spirit sits quietly. He gets up, walking towards Rig until they're separated by only a few inches.
"Rig. I'm starting to think the reason we had such a hard time finding Nima's village was because this is it. But the only place and chance to confirm that guess is here and now."
He doesn't respond. Spirit places both hands on Rig's shoulders.
"Rig, please. I'm begging you. This is one of our best chances to put it all to rest."
Rig leaves the room.
"Wait- Rig-"
A few moments later he returns, axe in hand. With a quiet and summary motion, Rig raises the axe and brings it down. Spirit sees the dust motes in the air around them plunge downwards before the lock splinters off with a pained clank.
"We don't tell Kanoa about this," Rig says as he looks down at his handiwork.
"Thanks, Rig."
He reaches a hand out for Rig's shoulder again, but Rig moves away. Spirit kneels back down, sifting through numerous manilla folders.
Maraco Household
Davlin Household
Yuei Household
Riena Household
One of the names under the last file grabs his attention.
"Riena," Spirit mumbles to himself, "Wasn't that Nima's family name?"
"I think so?" Rig half-answers, now looking over Spirit's shoulder.
xxxx
Riena Household
STATUS: EVICTED
REASON: UNDERMINED AUTHORITY, BROKE TRADITION
xxxx
M. Ardavin Riena
Traits: Claws
STATUS: SUPPRESSED EVICTED
xxxx
F. Llynelle Riena
Traits: Pointed Ears
STATUS: SUPPRESSED EVICTED
xxxx
M. Magar Riena
Traits: Tail
STATUS: SUPPRESSED EVICTED
xxxx
F. Lachnima Riena
Traits: Spots, Tail, Furred Extremities
STATUS: UNKNOWN
xxxx
"'Suppressed'? 'Evicted'?" Spirit asks in a louder voice, "And what does 'Unknown' mean?"
Rig takes a different folder out and flips through.
"'Traits: Wings. Status: Evicted. Reason: Traits deemed unsuppressable by Elder Haheo. Traits: None. Status: Suppressed.'"
"R-Rig. Hold on a sec. Where's Nima?"
Rig looks over at the folder in Spirit's hands, "Lach-nima?" he trails off.
Spirit freezes for a moment, only to be set in motion as they start rapidly going through the other manilla folders.
"'Rula Man, Traits: Floppy Ears, Status: Suppressed,'" Rig reads.
"'Garith Rane, Traits: Hooves, Mane, Status: Evicted. Reason: Traits deemed unsuppressable by Elder Haheo,'" Spirit responds.
"'Suppressed.'"
"'Evicted, Unsuppressable,'" Spirit stops after.
"'Suppressed,'" Rig says, "'Evicted. Evicted. Evicted.'"
A shuffle of papers from his side makes Rig turn his head. When he looks at his partner, he realizes the papers and the folder Spirit was holding onto are now on the ground in one big mess.
Spirit gets up and turns for the door.
"Where are you going?" Rig asks.
Spirit keeps moving. Rig grabs at his arm, only to have his friend's sleeve slip through his hand. He rushes up, slipping between the open doorway and Spirit.
Spirit stops.
"Move, Rig."
"No."
Spirit's voice lowers into a whisper as he narrows his eyes, "What?"
"I don't like that look on your face."
"I don't care what you want my face to look like, get out of my way."
"What are you going to do if I do?"
"What do you care?"
"Spirit."
For a moment, Spirit hesitates. He still speaks.
"I'm leaving. This place can burn to the ground."
"No, you're not."
"Yes, I am. They did this to themselves. Why is that our problem?"
"Because it'll be Kanoa's problem."
They stand in front of each other, motionless for one second. In the next, Spirit jabs at Rig's face. Though Rig reflexively turns his head, he doesn't budge, and only the look in his eyes changes. Whether that look says, "try again" or "try me," Spirit isn't sure how to read it. Instead, he grits his teeth.
"Move out of the way!"
"We're not leaving," Blood trickles down the left corner of Rig's mouth. "We made a promise to Kanoa."
"Why?! So we can defend this dump?! So that more Faunus like Nima can be mutilated?! So that she can become a part of it?! How do we know everyone's not already a part of it?! How do we know Kanoa isn't?!"
"Spirit. If you leave now, I'm not coming with you."
Spirit storms back to the far wall of the room. With both arms, he pulls down the filing cabinets, screaming loud enough to make the walls shake and turn his face red. When he's done, both of his fists are balled up in front of himself. His arms fall to his sides as he glares back at Rig.
"You're just a guilty piece of Atlesian garbage."
"Huh?"
"I should've known," Spirit rambles on, his hands going into the same prayer-like fashion he uses for his explanations, "I should've known. You probably never liked Faunus in the first place, did you?"
Spirit points at Rig. "You and that stupid fake attitude of yours, all being nice to everyone without actually meaning it! That's why you feel bad and that's why you want us to stick around here and protect these monsters!"
"You're not thinking straight-"
"I'm not thinking straight?! No, no, no, no, Rig!" Spirit marches towards Rig, finger still raised, "You're not thinking straight, understand?! All of this is your fault! It's Atlas's fault! People like you make others treat people like Nima and Flora like trash! Like none of them even mattered!"
"It's not your fault, Spirit."
Spirit's face dissolves from anger, tightening into shock. He clears out his throat as he tries to rebuild his rage, failing miserably.
"This is where I came from all over again!" Spirit yells, "Traditions like these just make people miserable! They spoonfeed you cultish hogwash about what to think and how to feel about the whole world! You believe in something that's supposed to protect you so much that you end up forgetting everything else! And look at where it's gotten us! Look at what happened to Nima!"
Spirit's eyes widen more as he runs both hands against his hair, "Nima. All this time, she must have been looking for this village. What would she have done if she found out about all this and we weren't around? This miserable sect treated her family like trash. The whole place should just burn to the ground!"
Spirit can't find anything else to knock to the floor. He walks over the family documents instead, crunching them under his feet as he hyperventilates.
"Spirit, you need to stop blaming yourself."
"Blaming... myself?" His glare devolves, "Yeah. Yeah, that's it. This is all my fault. I'm the good-for-nothing that made things this way. I treated Nima like trash when she could have opened up more. And you and Flora too, like none of you even mattered. I was the leader and I didn't learn a SINGLE THING ALL THAT TIME!"
Spirit cracks the old wall as he smashes his fist against it. He drops to his knees, sobs now becoming audible.
"Rig. Every single memory I've had about the old days when things were so much simpler, all I can remember is just how much of an awful person I was to everyone else. And every time I remember that in the present, I turn back into my old self." Tears begin to obscure his vision. "I hate it. I hate myself so much, Rig. If there was anyone on our team who should've died at Beacon, it should have been-"
"Stop," Rig finally moves from the doorway and towards Spirit, "Nobody deserves to die, including you. You said and did some hurtful things to a lot of people, sure. But you're not helping anyone by hurting yourself."
"But I was the leader, Rig."
"So?" Rig sits down next to him, "Making a mistake doesn't matter. It's learning from one that counts. If not for yourself, then at least for the people you hurt. Giving up won't bring them back and continuing won't either. But at the very least, you can give yourself some peace."
"But how?"
"By staying here. You're protecting your last chance to feel better. And maybe even make things better here, too."
Spirit sniffles as his eyes go back to the ground, "We have to tell everyone about this, Rig. Including Kanoa."
"Ok."
He stares at Rig, expecting something more. A condition. An exception. Anything.
But nothing else comes.
"Rig…" Spirit's face contorts, "Rig, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Rig. I'm so sorry…"
"It's alright," Rig wraps his arm around Spirit's back, "You're not a bad guy. Besides, 'Atlesian garbage' is one of the nicer ones I've heard."
Spirit laughs. He wipes his eyes off with the side of his right robe sleeve, knuckles red from punching the wall.
"You idiot..."
One of the files catches Rig's eyes. He lifts it up, showing it to Spirit.
Spirit frowns, "Should we…?"
"No," Rig places it back down, "Let's wait until after. For now, just get some sleep."
Spirit nods. He gets up, stopping by the doorway.
"Thank you, Rig."
"Thanks, me!" Rig says before Spirit walks away. He turns back to the mess of papers, folders, and cabinets in front of him.
Rig starts by putting the cabinets back in place.
-XX・XX-
"Spirit, wake up."
Spirit groans, turning on his side. His body is immobilized by the warmth and coziness.
"Spirit, they're here!"
It takes a few seconds for him to process who "they" are. Once he does, he shoots up from the sofa, pushing off the blanket Rig evidently had placed on him. As his bloodshot eyes refocus in the dark, Rig's figure becomes clear. Rope dangles over one of his shoulders and his clothes are covered in sawdust.
"Already?! Wait, how long was I out for?!"
"An hour, I think," Rig replies, "You see those lights in the forest? The bandits haven't cleared it yet, but we don't have much time."
"Rig, what are we supposed to do?!" Spirit falls off the couch before he quickly gets to his feet, "One of my hookshots doesn't even work! We're not ready!"
"Yes we are," Rig grins, "Don't worry, you're gonna love this next part."
Spirit opens his mouth, but no words come out. He sighs instead.
"Alright," Spirit nods, "You take the lead."
-XX・XX-