AN: So... this certainly took super long to write. Word of warning, this is not edited, so sorry for the rough feel to this chapter.
Leaping above the terraces of the frozen city, Pyro Rabbit's scarf fluttered in the air with every hop and step.
Gotta owe Abbot for the upgrades!
Unable to contain his excitement, he let his gravity dust-charged boots do his bidding; allowing him to run across the concrete; bouncing off the walls of every infrastructure with a booster kicker. Let the winds be his, with his scarf in the air and his fedora pinned to his head for the flair of it. Let all matters be damned for these 2 minutes of travel to revel in his flighty feeling of temporary freedom.
Just as he bounced off of a heating vent, he remembered the ominous flowers he received from Nel. It was a mere signal in the form of a small cluster of pink flowers; a sign often given to expect the unexpected on the way back.
Use a scroll for once, you old-fashioned suitcase. Keep up with the times for once.
Not that he could entirely blame the man. What's an ex-noble to do when the man had grown up being watched in his childhood? Pyro could only roll his eyes at the florist's words; 'Too much interference with Atlas tech couldn't be trusted.'
Ironic, granted he'd resort to code messages when it comes to Lathie and Abbot.
As the night sky melted into dawn, he saw a familiar light shining from a far distance. Like a faint beacon from a lighthouse, he didn't need to guess what that was. With a leap and a step, he landed on the rooftop where Nameless was.
He perched a pair of shades on the bridge of his nose; "How's it goin' sunshine! I see you've got your flare on and your face shining like the sun!"
"Good morning, Pyro," Nameless grinned.
"Haa~ why can't everyone be like you sometimes, Nameless," he clapped her shoulder. "Every time I'm around, they'd be acting like I stank the place."
"Maybe if you stop letting your hands do the thinking, they'd treat you nicer."
Pyro shrugged. "I see shiny, I take shiny. Think me a crow, or raven. Not like I stole a crown or anything."
The amnesiac huffed, shaking her head with a shrug like he was a lost cause. He glanced at the glowing crystal in her hand, never failing to be amused at the sight of her abilities.
"Another of that star stuff again huh," he pointed. "For real, though. Isn't that too overpowered to get a cool semblance like that? You sure you aren't from some blue blood family like Schnee with a hereditary semblance?"
"Did I not say before that I'm not human?" she then locked the star crystal inside the small lantern she often carried around. "I'm-"
"-A Starcatcher that fell from the sky," he interjected.
Nameless huffed again with a pout. "No matter what I say, none of you would believe me anyway."
"I can't exactly take a story like that seriously, y'know. No matter how awesome that semblance of yours is, I can't get my head around you bein' an 'alien from outer space'."
Nameless shook her head, folding her arms. "Remnant's what I can't get my head around. 'Dust'. 'Semblance'. And yet you all claim it's not magic? That's even weirder."
"Yeah?" he then remembered. "Ah, that reminds me. What's so important that Nel's decided to deliver me a bouquet?"
"…Ah…" her red eyes averted his gaze. "Well…"
In her hazed mind, Cinder could smell a sweet, floral scent from where she laid.
A sweet musk akin to those high-priced Mistrel diffusers that was only ever used for the high-tier suite. The scent alone stirred her mind to realise how warm the cellar was; or how strangely soft her bed mat was beneath her. Only then did she come to her senses, realising where she was.
She dared to peak at her surroundings with one eye.
Silver beams of morning light spilled from the curtains' split, tinting the room in cold blue. The corner of the room stood a desk with those strange contraptions Nameless had shown her before she fell asleep. The thought of being free from the madam's clutches was enough to make her heart leap.
No more chores. No more nagging. No more of those two pests. No more of those days of torment and fear.
The first thing she wanted to do was to stay in bed and bask in the feel of those soft sheets. Though she had prepared better beds than this, to be able to lie on a proper one was enough for her to roll around its wide mattress. As she continued to roll, she fell off the edge of the bed and landed with a loud thump.
"Ow…" she massaged her aching hip as she got up, making a mental note not to do that again.
"-So I was right," a voice she hadn't recognised spoke loudly. "It was a mistake coming here."
"Pyro," Nel sighed. "You and I know we're running out of options."
"Why can't we stick to the original plan? Bargain info from the madam, trade some half-truths for the vein's location and be done with the damn commission."
"The situation's changed. We'll have to play the lackey for this one a little longer if we're gonna have to survive this hellscape."
"I don't care about that! Screw the law, if that's what it takes be pardoned! They have your niece; your niece as hostage! We'd might as well be bending our knees before the entire council of Atlas!"
"Can you stop screaming for five seconds!" Vix interjected. "Nobody said any of this was easy! Let alone expect that saving the world one mine at a time means any smooth sailing."
"I never said that!" the stranger retorted. "Which one was the better option, huh? Take to the mountains of Minstrel or get seen by a city built by a militia?"
Cinder grew still, as the voices continued their insults, her hand clutching on the door handle with a sweating grip. So far, she couldn't tell if Nameless was on the other side of the door; making it hard to confidently leave the room. The whiplash of their bantering made her tense, unable to feel her feet at their raised voices.
"For gods' sake, you two," Nel finally intervened. "Regardless of what the colonel does to us, as long as we don't lose sight of our goal, the means won't matter in the end. It's either we do this his way, or we'll face the endless wrath of hunters like last night. I hope none of you had forgotten the day Marcus Black reaped the best of us."
The room fell silent.
"You know what happened to Falada. You've seen what he did. If Nameless hadn't been there, we wouldn't be here," Nel sighed. "I promise you. Pyro. Vix. This agreement with the colonel will not be a shackle. If he wants to use us? Heh. Well, we'll make certain we'll use him to the best of our advantage."
To the best of what Cinder could tell, whatever it was they were talking about, she understood they were hiding something. After all, from what she had observed, patrons who come and go often bring with them things that were best left unseen. Which begs the question-
What was Nameless doing in the Glass Unicorn anyway?
The child dared to turn the doorknob, anticipating the glares they'd give her as the door creaked open. Two familiar faces. One stranger who seemed younger than Nel and Vix. Upon meeting their gazes, Cinder found herself cowering.
"…Shit." The stranger smacked his forehead. "You gotta be kidding. This was the reason why we're pulling out of the hotel?!"
Cinder stared down on the floor, gripping the hems of her shirt.
Vix smacked the stranger by the back of his head.
"The hell woman?!" he retaliated.
Nel ignored the other two and smiled. "Don't mind those two, little one. Did you have a good night's rest?"
"Um…" Cinder avoided his eyes before nodding.
"Good, because it's a long day ahead of us."
She turned her head from side to side to find Nameless absent within the space. As if he read her mind, the red-haired adult added; "She'll be back in a moment."
Cinder deflated at his word, but nodded regardless. She eyed the stranger, noting his white hair and blue eyes; from his hat to his clothing choice of wearing a jacket over his hoody. No doubt in mind, she had never seen him among the patrons before, but that wasn't what bothered her the most. His face, if pitted against all four adults who resided here would pass as the plain potato on a table of deserts.
Vix then weighed down the stranger by an elbow, sneering; "Cinder, this is Pyro, our designated delinquent of the family. Don't take whatever he says too seriously, he's just a lost cause."
"I don't wanna hear that from you, fox," he grumbled.
"Says the kleptomaniac."
"A gentlemen thief dammit," Pyro retorted. "I'm not some uncoothed run-around like those street rats."
"Now," Nel clapped his hand. "How shall we begin your morning, little one? Breakfast or would you prefer to hear what we've all decided upon with you?"
"Oi, Nel." Pyro then shuffled an arm's length away from Vix. "We aren't finished with the-"
"-I was getting to that," Nel interjected. "Since the matter involves her, I see no qualms to continue our exchange with her present."
"Is that even wise?" Vix folded her arms. "The kid just survived some killing volts y'know."
"When an apple is ripe, it cannot return to the greening, my fair lady," he smiled. "Just as a child will eventually need to ween off their fantasies for them to survive reality."
Nel bent down to Cinder's eyelevel, his violet eyes bore a strange calm that was neither kind nor cruel. "The madam who bought you have done many cruel things onto you. Tried to train you like a slave, but, alas. Even fortunes share the same face as misfortune.
It isn't hard to see your immediate fondness for our company. But I fear if you stay with us for too long, your fate will be much crueller than what you have known imaginable. There will be hunters like last night hunting you. Crueller, and more violent men will be after you and your life in almost every waking turn. You will always be on the run, with your safety be forfeit in a moment's notice."
"Nel-" Vix tried to say more, but Nel waved a hand at her to stop.
"I understand that you may be too innocent a mind to grasp the gravity of the situation," he persisted. "But I ask this of you, Cinder. Even with all I have said, do you wish to come with us? With me, Nameless and the rest of my crew?"
The ashen girl blinked, shifting her gaze away from Nel's. Adults had always been liars. Too forceful; too selfish and unfair with their promises. But the sound of 'Nameless' spilling from this adult's lips was enough to convince her to nod at his question.
Nel frowned at her answer. "Are you truly, certainly sure you want to stay with us? The madam might be cruel, but you never know if an opportunity-"
"I-I don't want to go back," Cinder retorted with a quivering lip.
The red-haired man opened his mouth, only to close it and pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded. "I see." -Nel stood up and turned towards the others- "And there we have it. We shall cut ties to the Glass Unicorn and secure our information elsewhere."
"You cannot be serious," Pyro hung his head back.
"We've already discussed this, Pyro."
"I know, I know. But can you honestly believe things will come out clean, while knowing there are strings attached to them?"
The red-head sighed, closing his eyes while pinching the bridge of his nose again. "I don't know. For as long as they don't know Nameless abducted this little one here, we can only say to them that the deal is off. If that's not enough to convince them, we can always show off Vix's paw."
"Hey, not funny," Vix pouted.
Cinder glanced at each of them, swallowing hard before she dared to ask the question; "What did you all want from the Glass Unicorn?"
All eyes turned towards Cinder.
"Information." Pyro answered. "But I ain't trusting you with the details."
Feeling braver, she frowned with the question; "Why?"
Pyro ignored her, "Not to put a dent on your 'gentry' attitude Nel, but you can't put your faith in a starving kid. Survival's all they live for and would do anything for their next meal."
"I'd agree with you," Nel's smile grew devious. "But are we not gentlemen? Despite my prior protests, what good is saving the world, one dust vein at a time, when we have failed to do the simplest act of kindness. In the end, sometimes it's worth being reminded that even a charitable fool could teach the prideful wise a lesson."
Nel then patted Cinder's head as Vix laughed; "Pfft. What was that, Nel? You sounded cool just then."
"What ever do you mean, my lady?" he remarked. "But in all seriousness, there are greater matters to get by, and things are certainly going to get bus-"
A loud crash of metal on glass shook the floor of the entire building. Everyone froze, as the deafening sound of shattered glass followed. The sound of weighted steps approaching the stairs was enough to have Vix instinctively clutch Cinder's shoulder.
"Open up, open up~!" a voice beneath them boomed. "It's time to open up shop, villains!"
"Augh," Pyro groaned, gritting his teeth. "What did I tell you?"
"I thought you said you called the colonel!" Vix hissed in a loud whisper, slapping her paw onto Nel's arm.
"I did call the man," Nel hissed back.
"Sure's hell doesn't look like it!"
"Anyone on the house?" the trespasser mocked. "Little pig, little pig~! Come and play~"
The wood of the stairs creaked as each step approached them. Cinder immediately grasped the fabric of Vix's blouse, her grip trembling in anticipation. Nel shuffled his footing to one of the sofas and stuck his foot beneath it, followed by the sound of a latch being released before a sword dropped on the man's foot. With kick, the sheathed weapon flew mid-air before Nel caught it and tied its belt around his waist.
Pyro dug his hands into his inside pockets to produce a small magazine of dust and shoved it into the soles of his boots. All three adults in the room nodded at each other before Pyro and Nel rested their hands on Vix's shoulders.
A big, tall man in combat gear reared his wolfish grin the minute he arrived at the floor. Cinder immediately recognised him as one of the hotel's patrons. A bald man with a thick beard, armed with a chain and sickle that hung on his side. In that instant, she knew what he was there for.
The hunter turned his head, his amber eyes gleamed before he thrusts his sickled chain straight towards their direction. Nel jumped forward, deflecting the impending strike with his sheathed weapon.
"Heh," the hunter sneered, yanking the chain back into his grasp. "There you are-"
With a pounce, Pyro's feet flew straight towards the hunter's direction, his boot ready to slam straight into the big man. The hunter made a long huff and blew a gale from his own lungs, pushing everyone back right before Pyro's boot smashed the man's face. The hunter recoiled upon impact, only to grab Pyro's foot with an attempt to twist his ankle, only for Pyro to stomp on the hunter's shoulder with his other foot; loosening his captor's grip.
Pyro made boastful smile before he bounced straight to the wall and stood there; tipping off his hat at the hunter.
While distracted, Nel charged in, the scabbard of his sword glowed in golden-brown runes. In seconds, his entire weapon sprouted lines of thorned vines, chasing after the hunter's large figure. A swift swing of his blade, the hunter sliced those vines like a knife through butter; enough time for Nel unsheathe his weapon to reveal a gleaming glass blade to strike at his opponent's side.
Cinder, despite her clutching at Vix's side grew wide-eyed at the spectacle. The fluid motion that Nel makes, his glass blade barely visible to the naked eye began its first assault upon the hunter. The hunter in turn, surprised at the sight of the clear glass, recoiled upon its impact as the aura that protected him began to crackle. The hunter makes his recourse, the chain of his weapon retracted into a short spear with the sickle's blade sticking out like a strange hook and lunges his weapon at Nel's throat with ferocity. In a flash, Pyro's hat spun straight into the weapon right before the spear could reach the skin of his friend's neck, misdirecting the hunter to thrust his weapon into the air.
The runes of Nel's scabbard glowed anew, its surface branched out tangled coils that wrapped the hunter's hand that gripped his weapon. A hard yank pulled the hunter's arm away, wrenching it at an unnatural way right before Nel plunged the glass blade straight into the hunter. Cinder could hear the hunter's aura cracking under the weight of Nel's strike, right before the hunter inhaled and huff out a powerful gust of wind; pushing Nel back as the vines' tangled grip tore free from the bald man.
"What… the hell did you do?!" the hunter grunted, his hand covering the side where Nel had struck.
"What else does it look like?" Nel asked with an eerie poise.
With swift arm, the red-haired swordsman struck straight onto his opponent's gut, the point of his glass sword slashing the pitiful remnants of the hunter's aura into oblivion. The strike earned him the hunter's howl of pain, crouching onto the floor, his hand trembling at his grip of his weapon.
"I-impossible-" he grunted. "There was no way in hell… krgh… that a person can wield two… s-semblances-"
"As much as I'd like to indulge the very idea, my good sir," Nel pointed his sword at the man's bald head. "You are sorely mistaken. Now, I have my guesses, but I'd rather ask the messenger myself. So, my bald friend: was it the madam, or was it our shady friends of Mistrel?"
"Who else did you think?" the bald man spat. "The madam demands she'd have her goods returned."
"Ho?" Pyro bounced off the wall he stood on and onto the floor, then pressed a boot onto the hunter's hand that gripped his weapon. Turning to Nel, he gave out a long sigh and a shrug; "And this was exactly the kind of thing I warned you about. In less than a day we've got this shit to deal with."
"Well, certainly the timing couldn't have been more perfect, I'd say," Nel remarked. "A mark of desperation, no doubt, to send head-hunters the moment she lost sight of her precious commodity. Poor shame. If she had known the true value of souls, none of her misfortune would have come tenfold within a matter of minutes."
"What?" the hunter grunted.
A scroll rang, prompting Nel to brandish his device with a free hand and widened his grin. Cinder then saw the hunter draw in a deep breath, taking advantage of Nel's distraction.
"Nel!" the girl screamed, releasing her hand from Vix as she pointed.
A gale shook the entire house, throwing everyone off their feet as the hunter blew. Nel stabbed the ground with his blade to hold himself down, raising his head up to see the hunter staggering to stand up. Pyro lost his footing, as the winds threw his back against the wall. Vix cursed as she clutched Cinder in her arms, crouching on the floor. As soon as the wind ceased, the hunter raised his weapon and began to swing his chain in the air. Around and around the sickle went, the chain whistled in the air for every turn as its weight picked up its speed; till both chain and sickle were no more than a blur of images.
"Nothing personal, pigs," the hunter growled.
Specks of ember, like tiny flakes of fire began to rain upon them from the end of his weapon. The sparks fell upon the ground, igniting tiny flames that grew bigger by the force of the hunter's winds. The entire floor was lit aflame, its flickering tips scourging the fabrics as small embers feasted upon the wood of every beam and furniture.
In that moment, something fell from the roof of the apartment, crash landing onto the floor and bringing forth a cloud of debris. What followed was the sight of something Cinder had never seen.
An olive-skinned woman with pea-green hair charged in from the cloud of dust and threw her palm straight to the centre of the man's chest. With precise control, she wrenches her gloved-palm against the man's armour, summoning a shockwave of lighting. The hunter's body quaked, screaming in pain before he lost his grip over his flailing weapon and fell to the ground.
"Y-you freaks-" the man gave a haggard look, his body now swaying from side to side. "Are with the Altlesian military-"
With a loud thud, the wolfish hunter fell face-first on the floor. From the floor beneath, a flurry of footsteps climbed the stairs as two or more soldier dropped down from the hole of the ceiling. Cinder now clung tightly against Vix, her blistered hands shuddering as they were all surrounded by flames and faceless men in uniforms, save for the woman in green hair.
"Ever at the darkest hour of rescue," Nel laughed, picking himself up to sheath his blade.
"Of course, you of all people would be smiling despite this hellscape I just jumped into," the green-haired lady sighed. "But let's get these formalities out of the way, shall we?" She turned to the flames surrounding the floor, "Put out these fires fast! There are citizens in danger here!"
"Yes sir!" with a solute, the squadron took up the task, with their guns, they loaded ice dust crystals into their barrels and began firing jagged spikes of ice where the fires once laid.
"Lathie!" Pyro had his arms wide in the air, running towards her while wearing the widest smile Cinder had ever seen. "You're ba-"
She raised her gloved hand before him, the pads of its design emitting visible sparks of static. "Take another step. I dare you."
The child could've sworn she saw Pyro slump his shoulders like a disappointed dog, sulking at her cold-hard rejection of his embrace.
"So," she turned towards Nel, crossing her arms before him sternly. "You ended up taking it."
"Aye. That I did," he nodded.
She huffed, "And here I thought I could finally take a good vacation too." Despite her words, a wide smile grew on her lips, proceeding to salute before Nel. "Colonel Ironwood squad leader, Lathyrus Phyllis, reporting in for support reconnaissance. Pleasure to be working with you, Pimpernel Scar."
"Hmph," Nel raised his lips with a nod. "I've said this once, I'll say it again. Welcome aboard, miss Phyllis to the Dust Gentry."
A blur of events followed, with the uniformed soldiers putting out the fires while a few others took in the unconscious hunter with them. Cinder watched these things unfolding in silence, idly standing there as these adults made their way around the destroyed surroundings. As soon as the soldiers left the room, Cinder found herself releasing a long breath.
"-Ah, but you know," she overheard 'Lathy' say to Nel. "I'd never think you the sort to turn in a big nest like the Glass Unicorn over to the authorities."
"The owner was getting too ahead of herself," Nel shrugged. Upon making eye-contact with Cinder, he smiled and gave her a wink before returning to their conversation. "It was only a matter of time before the authorities would get wind of their illegal business in the first place."
"Ah, but still," Lathy tapped her forehead thoughtfully. "Acting like an information broker in a civil society like Atlas? What did they take us for, a second Mistrel?"
"Haha…" Pyro chuckled to himself, a sweat drop trickling down his forehead. "If only she knew."
As the two continued on their conversation, Vix handed Cinder a sandwich, patting her head. Cinder eyed the meal in her hands, eyes brimming with delight at the sight before she took a large bite from the corner. Seasonings of herbs, and creamy mayonnaise greeting her tongue; the salt of the cold ham and cheese balancing the taste of its spices. The child consumed the meal in seconds, happy for the meal and easily warmed up to Vix a lot easier now.
It took a while until she heard thumping footsteps climbed the stairs, and immediately recognised the golden locks that appeared. Nameless's hands were full with two covered baskets hanging on her elbows, while carrying a bag with two hands. To her slight surprise, the new arrival didn't have her skin glowing as bright as before, instead, her glowing skin now dimmed into a dark shade of olive, her bright, red eyes now reduced to a wine-coloured shade.
"I'm hoo- whoat the?!" Nameless stumbled back, wide-eyed at the state of the charred furniture. "…Looks like you all had too much fun this early in the morning."
"You're late," Nel called out. "You missed the party."
"Some party you got no less."
Cinder found herself smiled, unable to control her steps as she ran towards Nameless.
"Hey, sprout!" Nameless greeted, setting the bundles onto the surface of the only surviving furniture of the room. "I didn't make you wait too long I hope?"
The girl shook her head. The golden-haired adult chuckled, ruffling Cinder's head.
"Up and arms, everyone, I brought home the bacon!" Nameless announced. Removing the cover of the bundles she brought, revealed a pile of gadgets and pieces of gear that Cinder had never seen. Some were made from clear, glass-like materials, others were plated in shining metals. She couldn't help but wonder if these glass items were crafted from the glass threads Nameless had shown her the night before.
Vix gasped, dashed straight towards the table with excitement; "You just came back from Abbot's pigsty, right?"
Pigsty? Cinder wondered.
"From the one and only," Nameless puffed her chest with pride. "Let me tell you, I didn't need incentive if the man had too much fun crafting from the spools." She then took out a specially wrapped bundle, removed the cloth to reveal a black, shining gauntlet before the faunus woman. "And yes, yours truly."
Vix's smile grew devious, taking the gauntlet from Nameless and immediately covered her paw with it. The gauntlet's fingers moved stiffly at first, one finger wiggling before Vix experimented on moving its joints and grip.
"Abbot's huh," Pyro crossed his arms. "Then that can only mean-"
"Yep," Nameless gave a nod. "We can start operations when ready."
Upon this answer alone, after all the excitement had finally died down, for Cinder at least, she then asked everyone; "What is it that you guys do anyway?"
Nameless blinked, tilting her head, "Oh? Did I not tell you last night?"
Cinder shook her head.
"Hmhm," Vix smirked. "Long story short, we're here to save the world by gathering twenty-percent of the dust across all of Remnant and store it in a vault before the day of reconning arrives."
Fairytale/story classic characters:
Nameless:?
Pimpernel 'Nel' Scar: Percy Blakeney/The scarlet pimpernel (yeah, not quite subtle on my part)
Pyro Rabbit: Arsen Lupin
Vixen Vella: Zorro
Lathyrus Phyllis: the princess of Princess and the pea
