A hand shook his shoulder and Clementine flinched awake. Curtained sunlight blinded his groggy eyes. Through blurry vision he could just make out Spool sitting in a chair beside him. They were in a small rectangle of a room. The featherbed beneath him was shabby yet soft. A horde of old props and items decorated the walls. Some even hung from the ceiling, one being an aged kite attached to a spool.
Clementine sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Where am I?"
Spool handed Clementine a cup of warm coffee. "My room in the back of the theatre. Adriane found you passed out in your dressing room after the concert so I brought you here."
Clementine took a sip and lapped the liquid in his mouth. "I fell asleep?"
Spool raised one bushy eyebrow, "You don't remember? Gods, Clementine. When was the last time you slept?"
"Besides just now? A couple days, I think."
"Why?" asked an exasperated Spool.
"I've been busy."
"Yes, I'm aware. Monnie told me."
"Where is she?" Spool's room was vacant besides the two of them. Outside the open bedroom door, which led backstage the theatre was silent. "Where is everyone?"
"I sent them home."
"Oh?" Clementine set the coffee down on Spool's nightstand. "And why's that?"
"Because I have the grave feeling that you're going to ask me something that shouldn't be heard by anyone else."
"You're not wrong." Admitted Clementine with a shrug, "I know you would want to keep matters like these private so I prepared what I wanted to tell you beforehand, in case there were others present."
Clementine slipped out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to Spool. Adjusting his spectacles, the old man unfolded the paper and read. His eyebrows, which still held onto their dark color despite the rest of him giving way to gray, furrowed as he neared the end. Before long he crumpled the message into a ball and threw it across the room where it bounced on his personal desk.
"You're going to be the death of me." Spool sunk in his chair, exhausted. "Dammit, Clementine. You're playing with fire here. These people you're pitting yourself against…they're not to be trifled with. If you continue riling them up, they will kill you."
"You have it the wrong way round." Said Clementine, "We're not the aggressors here, Spool. Everything that happened yesterday was a…reaction. They armed thugs with military grade guns. Six years ago, they started the fire. We are simply defending ourselves."
Spool seemed to age ten years. "They started the fire? But…but that's impossible. It doesn't make any sense."
"Why? Why do you say that? Tell me." He demanded, "I'm not a kid anymore."
Spool fidgeted in his seat, "Things are the way they are. You know that. I've told you as much before. I don't know why. I suspect not many do. But the policy towards the Mud District has always been one of disregard. For whatever reason, the people in power did their best to ignore you. As long as you stayed in your district and didn't cause trouble then there would be no conflict. So, if what you're saying is true, then something has changed. But why?"
"I don't care why. We're well past that point. Do you know how many came to help when the Mud District burned?" Clementine held up two fingers, "One of which was a recruit in the City Guard going against orders to do so. People don't care about us. If one shop in the Trade District catches fire the whole street helps put it out. The Mud District burns and they kick back to roast marshmallows."
"It's not like that." Insisted Spool, "People try to help. There are always those who try and help. But their efforts are constantly redirected. These are powerful people we're talking about. Together, they own the city. It's a small thing to keep a few good Samaritans from the Mud District."
"Who are these people? I've been all over the city. Nothing you told me is any different. I need names."
"I can't tell you that."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know the truth of it. My word would be just as reliable as the pub gossip."
"Spool…I convinced and pushed the Mud District in taking the Buffer. People have fought and bled and yet I have nothing to show for it. Whatever supplies they had hidden there was secreted away beforehand. We've taken the Buffer, sure, but we won't be able to hold it for long. Not without knowing who we're fighting. I've lost my bargaining power so there is nothing stopping them from marching back in guns blazing. Could be happening right now!" Clementine caught his breath, "I won't return to find my home in ruins…Not again. I beg you, please. I'm grasping for straws here. Anything you can tell me that might help."
Spool pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing up his spectacles in the process. "You've grown up too fast, Clementine."
His weary statement left Clementine at a loss for words. Spool swiveled in his chair and stared at a framed picture on his desk. Behind the glass was an image of a young Spool and a woman Clementine didn't recognize. They held a kite and spool of thread between them. The same ones hanging from the ceiling. Spool didn't move. Didn't even blink. It's like he had immersed himself inside the memory of that photo. He stayed that way. For an uncomfortable amount of time.
Finally, Clementine relented, "Who is she?"
"A friend."
"Just a friend?"
"My best friend. You should find yourself one of those."
"I have you and there's Monnie and Merri."
"That's different. We see you, what? Once a week? A best friend is constant companionship. An attachment made from personality and ideals. They are the string that keep you grounded. A kite and its spool. No matter how far away the kite flies or how strained and twisted the string becomes you hold on to each other. You hold on…" Spool squeezed shut his eyes for a long moment as if holding back tears. "There is a man. Used to be a pupil of mine. He has the answers you seek. I'll reach out to him. Though it will take some time."
"Thank you Spool, thank you. I can't tell you how-"
Spool cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Next week there is another concert to celebrate the World Theatre's fiftieth anniversary. I want you to conduct."
Clementine was taken aback by this offer. "Me?"
"I'm old, Clementine. Hands don't respond like they used to. I'm not long for this world. I know that. But after I'm gone, someone needs to take over."
"Monnie and Merri." Clementine offered their names up as if they were the obvious choice.
"They're not nearly serious enough."
"What about Adriane? She's plenty serious. Damn scary even."
"Adriane is a great manager and soon, a producer. I have no doubt she can handle the business side. But she has no stage talent. This place needs an artist at its helm. Someone passionate. Someone who can keep this place alive. Clementine, I want you to be that person. There may not be many of us, but some people need this place. For when they have nowhere else to go. Promise me you'll think about it."
"Of course."
Spool's smile was a pleasant sight, "Good. Now next week is non-negotiable. I want you to conduct the concert. You've had plenty of practice. Did you think I couldn't see you off to the side mimicking me all these years? You'll do fine. The whole band knows and respects you. By the day of the concert I would've heard back from my contact. I can tell you what he says then. Deal?"
The two shook hands. "Deal."
"Your clothes may still be damp." Said Spool, "Would you want to wait until they dry before heading out?
"Actually, if it's all the same with you, I'd like to wear the suit from now on. I promise I'll keep it as clean as it can be."
Spool straightened out Clementine's shirt collar, "Looks better on you than it ever did me. It's yours now, not mine. Wear it as you will."
"I don't know how to thank you enough."
Spool shoved a folder of sheet music into his hands. "Just study the songs and show up on time for once. And try to make a friend."
Clementine grinned, "No promises."
Adriane waited for Clementine to leave before emerging from the shadows. When Spool sent everyone home, she grew suspicious and waited. Her time it seemed was not wasted. She left her hiding spot outside the room and entered. Spool still sat in his chair at his desk. In his hands, he held a picture.
"It's not polite to eavesdrop." He said without looking away from the photo.
Adriane moved towards the desk and retrieved the tossed crumpled paper. She unfurled it to find nothing but sheet music. She turned it every which way and even held it up to the light. Nothing. Just a song. Handwritten, margin after margin. "I don't understand."
Spool smiled, but it was short-lived. "It was just a game at first. Back when he was still just a kid. Thought he was handing me some music he wanted to try. Took me a while to understand it myself."
Adriane folded the paper and attached it to her clipboard. "You're going to reach out to Roland, aren't you?"
"You shouldn't call him that."
"It's his name. What else should I call him?"
Groaning, Spool pushed himself to his feet. "Getting old." He complained.
"You've always been old. There's a rumor in the theatre that Monnie and Merri steal your youth. That's how they never seem to age. Some say you were born old and just stayed that way."
"It's not nice to tease an old man."
"I know." Her face was empty of any amusement except for the slightest of smiles.
Spool gave her a curious look, "You fancy him, don't you? Clementine."
Adriane didn't say a word. Not a twitch of reaction on her stolid face.
"Ha!" laughed Spool, "No wonder he's scared witless."
A good amount of City Guard waited for him in the industrious Craft District. Their numbers were doubled by Clementine's count, but they were spread out as to avoid any suspicion. Anything as obvious as a line of defense in the middle of the street would prompt more questions he imagined. They were still setting things up, adjusting to their earlier defeat. Slipping past them was only a matter of timing. The City Guard were expecting another assault from the Buffer, not one person coming from behind.
Still, the sheer amount of them gave Clementine pause. He thought about using his tunnel, but he made two vows. One to stop crawling through the mud and the other to keep the suit clean. So, Clementine decided to bide his time. He waited outside the back entrance of a Vulcan Industries metal works. The orange glow from inside warmed his back.
Clementine observed the guard's movements as he's so often done. He timed how long it took for one patrol to pass another. There were no clear openings. Not very surprising. After all this wasn't some common summer day. No, these guards were on high alert. Their shifts tight, allowing for only the smallest of openings. Clementine tried for it. He walked at a brisk pace. The black gravel ground of the Craft District crunched beneath his bare feet, coating his toes a charcoal shade. The border was only ten feet away. A stone divider separated the gravel and the cobbles. He was almost there.
"Hey!" shouted a guard behind him, "You can't go that way."
Clementine continued forward as if he didn't hear them. The guard and her patrol partner hurried in front of Clementine, blocking him off. Surprisingly, neither brandished their nightsticks or pistols. Instead they looked to him with mildly annoyed expressions as if he were some lost tourist in need of guidance. Clementine instantly found himself in a unique position. They didn't know he was from the Mud District. There were no obvious signs. His feet were covered in soot now, but clear of any mud. He expected that the suit he wore threw them off the most. No one in the Mud District would wear any sort of formal suit. Especially one as clean and stylish as the one Clementine wore.
"What are you deaf?" Asked the guard, a young blonde woman. "You can't go that way."
Her patrol partner, a ginger bearded man looked Clementine up and down with a quizzical expression. Clementine stepped back from them both, giving himself enough room in case things got violent.
"Why can't I pass?"
"Not safe." Said the woman.
"How so?"
She hesitated, "Because, past here we got some construction going on. Dangerous stuff. We got orders to turn around anyone at this point. It's for your own safety. Head home."
"I am."
Clementine's answer left the female guard puzzled. Her partner who didn't seem to be paying any attention was staring at Clementine's naked feet.
"You lose your shoes or something, kid?"
The woman, not as dense as her partner, slowly moved her hand towards the nightstick at her hip.
"Construction." Mused Clementine, "That's cute. Tell me, do you even know why you're not letting anyone pass? I'm asking sincerely. I really want to know."
She gripped the nightstick but didn't move any further. "There was a riot the other day. Some people from the Mud District attacked the City Guard stationed just past here."
"Okay, but do you know why? Has anyone told you the reason a whole district suddenly rose up?" Clementine waited, but when she didn't answer he continued. "It's because we learned the truth. A truth in which you are denied as well by the look of things. Let me enlighten you both. Six years ago, Councilman Colton Moss sent a Dust bomb into the Mud District. It detonated, catching buildings on fire. A fire that consumed the lives of over twenty people. Friends, mothers, sisters, children, all dead as a result. Now just a few days past another attempt was made by your esteemed councilor. He armed violent criminals with guns for no apparent reason other than to help them conduct martial law over the district. They failed and we learned the truth."
Clementine paused, finding himself heavy with breath. He took a moment to compose himself. The two guards were deathly serious. A paleness overtook them both as they listened to his story. The woman glared at him, her face rigid.
"Heard talk from those that were there about some kid. Strawberry blonde hair. Violet eyes. Heard Commander Webb shot him point blank in the chest and yet after the riot they say they saw him walking about."
"You talk to your fellow guard?" Clementine nodded approvingly, "Good. Pass the word along to your friends. You are being lied to. When the time comes and the order is given to retake the Buffer know that we will be fighting for our lives. For justice. You on the other hand will be fighting because you're told to do so by people who don't trust you with the truth."
His words reached them both. He saw that much. What effect it had on them, he could not tell but it was enough to leave them both stunned. Clementine walked between the two guards. Neither tried to stop him. He was past the border without anyone else spotting him. The Mudslingers on patrol almost pounced on him, but they recognized Clementine in the nick of time. Naz gawked at him as if her were some exotic fish that had just heaved itself onto his beach. The older boy looked ready to ask a thousand questions before he clamped his mouth shut and waved Clementine past.
True to their nature the people of the Mud District went about like normal. Old Gran was planting her seeds. Mr. Flood and his wife were stocking their newly renovated shelves in the general store. Greenberg was holding a class lesson outside in the shade. Normal. Clementine doubted that word held any meaning to these people anymore. What was normal to any of them? He certainly wasn't. Clementine's new attire scored him many puzzled looks. It was in those side glances that he spotted it. The tension. It hid itself in the darting gaze of those easily distracted or the nonblinking stares of those consumed by whatever they were doing.
Clementine hurried to the best and only inn the Mud District had. The innkeeper, Coll had a reputation and it was still early morning. Clementine didn't want to unnecessarily disturb the man so he cracked open the front door just enough for him to peek inside. To his surprise, Coll was at one of his tables scribbling something in a ledger. The man's eyes were bloodshot and his hair in ruin. As soon as the light touched him he hissed like a snake and pulled away. Clementine slipped inside and shut the door as quick as possible.
"What do you want, boy?" grumbled Coll.
"Is Runt here?"
"Haven't seen em."
"How about Buckets?"
"He hasn't come down yet so I imagine he's still in bed."
"You mind if I-"
"Go, leave me be." Coll waved Clementine to the stairs.
On the other two floors, all the rooms were closed and vacant except for one on the third floor at the end of the hall. Clementine moved to stand in its doorway. The window was open, explaining the light breeze that cooled the floor. The modestly small room was littered with loose clothing. Buckets was an indistinguishable lump underneath the blankets. Clementine knocked on the door, stirring him awake. The lump sat up and the covers fell away revealing a bare-chested Kiera.
The faunus stretched her arms above her head, "Good morning." She yawned.
Clementine spun on his heels faster than he's ever done before. "You're naked." He stated ever so bluntly.
"Oh, sorry about that." She stood and Clementine heard her rummaging through the room most likely finding her clothes.
"Its fine." Said Clementine, "Just wasn't expecting it."
Her laugh was teasing, "I bet. Okay, you can look if you want."
Clementine pivoted back around. Kiera sat on the small chest at the foot of the bed, tying on her boots. With the exception of a few curly strands her long black hair was tied back with her blue bandana. Clementine kept his eyes off her by studying the room. She seemed to find that funny.
"Have you ever seen a girl before?" she asked.
"I've seen plenty."
"That's not what I meant and you know it."
Clementine cocked his head to one side as if he were unimpressed. "Kiera, I spent a large part of my life in a theatre. The people there are very open and…confident. Not unlike yourself."
"Any of them stand out to you?"
The image of Adriane flashed before Clementine's mind. Her stern face hidden behind shoulder length pixie blonde hair that fell over her eyes. He shivered, prompting Kiera to smirk.
"Who did you just think of?"
"No one." He snapped.
Kiera pulled one leg up on the chest so that she could rest he chin on her knee as she studied him. "You know you're pretty, what with the luscious hair and striking eyes. I hope you don't mind me saying that even your scar adds an extra something. As far as your new outfit, which I am only now noticing…"
Clementine brushed a hand down his violet suit vest. "What about it?"
"It suits you. Right now, I'd say you look like the closest thing to royalty I've ever seen. You'd be more popular if you did something about that glum attitude of yours."
"I'm not glum."
"Yes, you are."
"Am not." Declared Clementine, "I'm delightful to be around."
Kiera snorted, "I almost forgot."
"Forgot what?"
"How young you are. Some advice, find some happiness while you're still young."
"You're not that much older than me."
"Thanks."
Clementine waved a hand in front of him as if to stop the conversation that had spiraled so far away from what he originally intended. "Have you seen Runt?" he asked, "Was hoping he'd be here what with his home in a ruin and all that."
Kiera clicked her tongue, "Haven't seen him since he stormed off last night. But word is people saw him heading towards the Spine."
"They seem worried to you?"
"We just revolted against our government, so yeah, they're all appropriately worried. I told them that Runt needed some air and wanted to be left alone. Thing is, I don't think he's come back yet."
"How do you know?"
"I was up late last night."
Clementine rolled his eyes, "Where is Buckets anyway?"
"The roof probably. Performing his…routines. Don't ask." She gestured to the window, "It's an easy climb through there. Do you want me to go find Runt?"
"No, I will. I want you to go around the district and spread the word. We're having a meeting tonight. Everyone's invited."
"A meeting about what?"
"Don't know yet."
"Great plan."
"I'll figure something out and if not, you will. It's as you said everyone is worried right now. It's to be expected. Once the first punch is thrown it can't be taken back."
"You want to ease their minds?" asked Kiera.
"No, they should be worried. I want them worried over the right things though. To survive whatever comes next, we need to be prepared in every sense of the word. Can you do that?"
She nodded, "I have a few ideas."
"Good. Now go. I'll be back with Runt as soon as I can."
"You better." Tail wagging, she set out. With her gone Clementine wormed his way out the bedroom window. The ceiling top was a hand's reach away so it was easy for Clementine to hoist himself up. Unlike many buildings in the Mud District the inn had a flat roof rather than the slanted triangle top. What he saw when he poked his head up baffled him.
Buckets was naked except for a pair of soggy underwear. He outstretched his arms over his head like he was about to embrace the sun. Sweat glistened his tanned skin. Like his lover he had a lithe build, fit and agile. He held his sun praising pose for a few moments before moving into another, then another. Each movement seamlessly flowing into the other as easily as water. Buckets didn't stop when he saw Clementine watching him.
He just smiled and asked, "What can I do you for?"
"Don't you two ever wear clothes?"
"Well this is usually our private time. Consider yourself lucky. Could've been worse than what you're witnessing now."
"Are you dancing?"
"Does it look like a dance to you?"
Clementine paused to further study his nimble movements, "Yes."
"Then it's a dance. I do it every morning for two hours."
"Why on the roof?"
Buckets took a deep breath, holding for a moment before slowly releasing it. "Flat space. Open room. What I like the most is I get to see the district wake up. Watch everyone get ready to go about their routines as I do mine. It's a great way to start the morning." He smiled, "Though I have a feeling you didn't come to talk to me about morning routines."
"In a way, I have. On my walk here I saw them, same as you. Going about their morning. Working through the motions. Some can't focus right and get distracted. The rest let their work consume their thoughts so that they think of nothing else. Both cases are a response to one thing. They're scared."
"So am I." admitted Buckets, "Fear is natural."
"It's also chaotic if left unchecked."
"And you want to keep it in check? Can I assume that's why I saw Kiera scamper out of here moments ago? No need to explain she'll tell me later. Ask what it is you want to ask."
Clementine straightened, "During your time as a recruit did you make any friends with the other guard?"
Finished with his odd yoga, Buckets started wiping himself down with a towel. "Of course. None though that could survive a six-year separation. I wasn't particularly close with anyone with the sole exception of one. My Captain."
"As in the Captain of the Rangers? The one in charge of that whole division?"
"You studied your ranks…Yes, that Captain."
"What are the chances your Captain would help us?"
Buckets started to dress himself, "The Rangers are all that's left of the old guard. Their military history could be traced back to The Great war. They're strong willed and honorable to the core."
"So, they'd help us." Clementine couldn't keep the hope out of his voice.
"No, I don't think they would. They're loyal to the very people we're up against. They might sympathize with our plight but I don't think it would go much farther beyond that."
"You're saying there is no chance we have any friends out there?"
"I can't say for sure on anything. It's been six years."
Clementine pursed his lips, "I thought you were supposed to be stubbornly optimistic."
"I'm a romantic, not an idiot."
"Tell me then," Clementine looked out towards the Spine, "what do you think Runt is doing?"
What am I doing? Runt turned away from the Spine probably for the hundredth time in the last hour alone.
"Still nothing?" asked Blind Shan. She sat on what remained of a house, her weight causing the thing to slowly sink into the mud.
"It's been quiet all morning. But I know I heard something last night. I know it."
"You don't have to convince me." She cackled.
Runt kicked up the mud as he paced, mumbling to himself incoherently. Out of the corner of his eye stood six large shadows. Taller than even Runt. They levitated an inch above the mud, watching him. Their heads tracked Runt as he paced.
"Not now." He muttered to the watchers, "Go away."
"Why don't you take a break?" suggested Shan, "You look worse than me, kid."
"I need to know."
"Know what exactly? Do you even have the first clue of what's going on?"
"That's why I need to figure it out!" he shouted at the shadowy watchers, who hovered next to Blind Shan.
"Well, if you're so desperate why don't you climb the thing and find out?"
Runt stopped his pacing and turned back around. Looking straight up he couldn't even see the top of the Spine. He placed his hand against the rock once more, this time searching for handholds.
From the lack of a response Blind Shan called out. "Wait. You're not serious are you? I was joking. That things as tall as a mountain."
"People have climbed mountains before."
"People have fallen and died on mountains before."
Runt stared up the side of the Spine, "I can do it."
"You what?!"
"Climb it, I mean. I can do it."
"I don't doubt you." Said a new voice.
Runt spun around in a frightened state only to find Clementine behind him. He was bedecked in a white dress shirt and solid purple vest. The high class fashion and vibrant color contrasted with the fact that the boy was barefooted and stained with mud up to his calves.
"Though," continued Clementine, "I would like to know why in the first place."
"He's hearing voices." Giggled Shan.
Runt shot her a glare. The shadowy watchers were gone. "No…it's not that. But there are people in there. They're digging through the rock like moles."
"People?" Clementine pointed at the Spine. "In there?"
"Yes. Deep within. Maybe miles away."
"Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds?"
"This could be it, Clementine. This could be the answer."
"Answer to what?"
"Don't play dumb. I know you must've thought about this as well. They-Councilman Moss and whoever is with him…They want us gone. But why? Do they wish to expand their territory into the Mud District? Why not? The place is mostly abandoned anyhow. All they need do is come in and restore the district like the rest of Refuge, then it can be used to their advantage. What's the point of hiding a sore eye like us when they can just fix it? We've done nothing up until yesterday to provoke them. And now that we have, why don't they just storm through? They're trying to prevent a scene. Yes, they want us gone, but quietly without anyone taking notice. Which means-"
"They're hiding something." Finished Clementine, "Something they would most likely get into a lot of trouble for if it became public knowledge. And we…we are just in the way."
"And that something, is out there. I can feel it."
"Take me with you." Said Clementine.
Blind Shan almost lost balance and fell, "What?"
"I can't climb that myself. Can you carry me, Runt Braun? I don't weigh much."
Runt straightened, "I can."
Blind Shan broke into manic laughter, "You two…The piggyback ride of the century."
Clementine smiled at her, but it was a guarded one. As if unsure. "Long time. Thought you'd be hiding out here."
"Hiding? From what? I just prefer it out here is all."
"Well if that's the case then I hope you won't mind heading back. I need you to deliver a message."
The going was more fast paced than Clementine expected. Runt's arms propelled them upwards at an astonishing rate. More of a leap than a climb. If he couldn't find any solid holding, then he simply jammed his foot or fingers into the rock as easily as if it were made of clay. Clementine clung to his back, arms wrapped around his neck. If Runt struggled with the added weight he showed no sign of it. A little more than halfway up the Spine Runt stopped for a breather.
Clementine craned his neck to peer down below. For the first time he saw Refuge in its entirety. From the slums of the Mud District all the way to the imperious Administration District. The Vulcan Express train was just starting to pull out. Its tracks snaked across the glades outside the city, stretching past the valley landscape farther than Clementine could see. He whistled, "Do you imagine anyone is looking up at us now? What must we look like to them?"
"A fly on the wall I'd think."
"You're much too large for a fly." Joked Clementine.
Runt grunted, "Distance has a way of changing things."
"True…Refuge has never looked so small to me before."
Another grunt and Runt went back to work scaling the cliff face. His movement was similar to one of Vulcan's machine's Clementine had glimpsed as a child. Rigid but seamless. His muscles were steel folding over each other like armor. On a physical level no man or woman even came close to Runt. Clementine believed the giant to be on a level of his own. He was glad Runt was on his side.
Reaching the top, Clementine slid down onto shaky knees. This high up the wind buffeted him. He stumbled back and almost fell right over the edge, but caught himself just in time.
"You alright?" breathed Runt who knelt, his palms on his knees.
"Just a bit dizzy. You?"
Runt wiped the rock dust onto his pants and spat over the edge. "I'm fine."
Woods limited their view of what laid ahead. The top heavy trees swayed in the gusting winds.
"Not much to see, is there?" observed Clementine.
"Did you expect we'd find what we're looking for just over the top?"
"Buckets is wearing off on me. I practice optimism from time to time."
"Whatever it is, it's probably miles ahead. Come on. We've got a lot of walking to do today." He set off at a brisk pace, forcing Clementine to jog to catch up. Even then Runt didn't bother keeping a slower pace to match Clementine. His longer strides kept him ahead.
Runt bulldozed through the woods, eyes fixed forward. His unwavering focus mirrored that of the worry stricken people Clementine passed earlier. While he trudged forward Clementine stared wide-eyed, taking in every detail. The solid ground was uneven and layered with cracks from whence many of the trees sprouted from. Their roots covered the surrounding rocks like veins. The leaves were a rich summer green. The heavy wind sometimes tore them free at the stem. They twirled and danced through the air, not one ever touching the ground.
Runt glanced back at him, "What is it?"
"Huh?" replied Clementine.
"You're smiling."
"Am I not allowed to smile?" He caught a leaf as it blew past. "Look where we are, Runt. This is the first time I've ever left the city. Each step is a new record. I've never even seen this many trees up close before."
"It'll grow dull after a while. Soon enough, each tree will start to blend with the next and they all start looking the same."
Clementine released the leaf and let it join the others in their dance. "You've been out of the city before?"
Runt turned away and continued walking. "A long time ago."
"Care to elaborate?"
"No."
"What a lovely conversationalist you make." Drawled Clementine, "Help me out here, Runt. We barely know each other but here's a fact. We are partners in this conflict whether you like it or not and if we want to stand a chance of winning then we must learn to understand each other. It's my hope that one day, you will trust me."
"How do you plan that?"
"I admit; I'm still working it out. Yet, I suppose all good relationships start with the truth. So here it is. I did not push for the attack on the Buffer just to kill that guard. Though I knew Commander Webb would be there. It was an opportunity that I saw and I took. A man like that in a position of power would've put everyone at risk. He had to be dealt with and at that moment I could've done so without making everyone feel guilty over the death."
Runt laughed, "I agree, but that's not why you tried to kill him."
"What do you mean?"
"Everything you said is true." Said Runt, "A cruel man like that drunk would've been a risk to everybody. But we weren't in your heart when you stomped down on his throat. That was vengeance for what he did to you all those years back. You convinced yourself of the reason behind the act and don't get me wrong, there is reason, but that's not the truth of your intention."
"What of your intention, hmm? When you tried to end Sned's life."
"I didn't lie to myself. The truth of my violence was plain and unmistakable in my heart."
"Then how are you any better than me?"
"I'm not saying I am, but at least I accept the truth of my actions for what they are. You on the other hand, hide behind things like reason and logic. What happens when you start to see reason and logic where there are none to be found?"
Clementine smirked, "If what you say is true and that day comes, I expect you'll be there to put me in my place."
"Perhaps I will."
They continued on in silence for a time before Clementine spoke again hoping to coax Runt into a personal conversation.
"I never knew my parents. They were gone by the time I could remember anything. Risa, my sister, she told me they went out of the city to find work and never came back. So many things could happen on the road I'm told. It's anyone's guess what happened to them. How about you? Got any family?"
"Stop."
"What? I'm just trying to make conver-"
"Don't move!" He barked. Runt crouched low to the ground. His body shimmered a brown aura. If Clementine blinked he would've missed it. "We're being hunted."
"By what?" whispered Clementine.
Runt's vibrant blue eyes darted between the trees. "Grimm."
Over the rustling wind Runt could make out their bone claws scraping against the rock as they moved. They were everywhere. Hidden in the dense trees. It was impossible to tell how many. Runt was stretching the limits of his powers by deafening any sound he or Clementine made while at the same time amplifying the rest to his ears. Doing both at once made it difficult to weave through the tangle of sounds. The most distracting of which being Clementine's thudding heartbeat. If he could just-
There. A snap of a twig. Runt dashed towards a large boulder for cover, gesturing for Clementine to find his own hiding spot. He waited, his back pressed against the rough stone. The scraping footsteps came closer. Out of the corner of his eye the Grimm's snout appear. A Beowolf. Its tongue licked the air as if tasting the fight to come. Runt reached out, his movements deaf to all around them. One hand clasped around the Beowolf's snout, snapping it shut and stifling its roar while the other hand gripped the back of its skull. With one savage twist the beast went limp. Runt didn't wait for it to fall. He rushed to the next cover, hiding himself once more.
The dead Grimm dissolved into black mist and was taken by the wind. Spotting the smoky remains of their fallen kin, the rest of the pack converged. None had seen Runt or even heard what happened. They sniffed about, curious. Six were left. Beowolves. They Circled around on all fours, black fur bristling. Clementine's heart beat quickened. All at once their head's turned, their blazing red eyes set on Clementine's hiding spot behind a tree. With their backs turned towards him, Runt advanced. As quiet as a ghost he came upon the closest Beowolf, snapping its neck much like he did the first one. Before its body hit the ground Runt was upon the next one.
The Grimm saw him just in time and let out a roar. A bestial sound filled with rage. But none heard its cry. The simple beast looked confused as Runt's fist came down upon its face shattering its bone mask. Thanks to Runt's semblance the roar was quieter than the wind to the rest of the pack. The remaining four were enclosing on Clementine, their hackles rising. Runt slipped out his carpenter's hatchet from the belt loop and leapt to the next Grimm. He drove the sharp edge deep into its back. It let out a roar, but this time Runt amplified its screech to its brethren. The other three Grimm flinched and whirled around in a frenzy. One lunged for Runt but he got out his hammer in time to knock it to the side. The metal head however, snapped off the wooden handle and flew spinning into the woods.
The remaining two hesitated in their attack. It gave Runt all the time he needed to discard the useless handle and finish off the one still beneath him by burying his hatchet into the top of its skull. Emboldened by their kin's death, the two attacked. Runt dodged one and collided with the other. Jaws bit down onto his shoulder. Jagged teeth cracked against his aura. The resulting shockwave numbed his arm, but his shields held. He drove his fist into the Beowolf's stomach, grabbing one of its bony ribs and ripping it out. The beast fell onto its back writhing in pain. Runt spun around just as the one he dodged reached him. He jammed the rib bone into the Grimm's forehead, right between the eyes. It fell and dissolved on the spot.
Runt stomped down on the writhing one's rib cage, finishing off the Beowolf. Another roar. The last remaining Beowolf, the one he knocked aside with his hammer came charging back. But not for Runt, for Clementine who stepped out from his hiding spot. The scrawny boy positioned himself in an unfamiliar stance, palms open, ready to counterattack. His opportunity to do so revealed itself when the Grimm jumped the remaining distance between them. Clementine lunged underneath the creature of Grimm, poised to strike at its nonexistent heart. Then he froze. That small hiccup of hesitation caused the man and beast to slam into each other. Clementine was knocked to the ground while the Beowolf continued to tumble through the air.
Clementine was slow to recover, while the Grimm pounced almost as soon as it landed. Runt seized the beast's tail, causing the creature to flop onto the ground just out of reach from Clementine. He dragged the Grimm away, its claws raking the dirt. With a yank, Runt threw the Beowolf back where it slammed against a boulder. Its head cracked against the rock and bounced back only to meet Runt's fist. The boulder groaned and splintered from the punch. Runt sighed and stepped back as more black dust swirled in the air.
He turned to check on Clementine. "Are you good?"
The blood had left the boy's face leaving him pale and sickly. "Yeah, fine."
"Then would you mind explaining to me why in the world you left your cover? Were you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Clementine wilted under Runt's admonishment, "I thought I could help."
"Help?" Runt spat the word back out at him.
"I've never seen Grimm in real life before. They caught me off guard. It won't happen again."
"Damn straight."
"Look Runt, I can handle myself."
"Oh really? Tell me, where did you learn to fight?"
"I've studied martial arts for years now. Several styles spread across several volumes. The same stuff Huntsmen read at Haven. Practiced on my own and against any idiot who tried me."
Runt scoffed, "Books? Fighting isn't something you can study. Left foot there, right foot here, arc your back just so. Worthless. More than half that crap goes right out the window in a real fight. You may be able to handle scraps with thugs, but you forget, these are monsters. Monsters that will not hesitate to tear you limb from limb!"
Clementine leaned against a tree, taking the weight off his right leg. "Are you done?"
"What's that?" growled Runt.
"You're worked up, I understand. You had to kill six Grimm with your bare hands. Now I appreciate you saving me just now, but let's get something straight here. I am not someone you need to protect. Spare me of that, if you please."
"Are you saying you don't want my help?"
"No!" snapped Clementine, "Dammit. You wouldn't understand. When people look at you they see strength. Bravery. Hope. All that shit. They look at me and see weakness. Something broken. Their glances are instilled with enough pity to choke on. You in particular. But it's something different in your eyes. Not pity. Hate? Perhaps even guilt. A mountain of it hangs around your neck. I've seen it wear on you. I won't pretend to know why. It stirs awaken only when I'm in your presence." He paused to catch his breath, "Whatever I did to upset you…I am sorry."
The anger that had momentarily gripped Runt dissolved away just as easily as one of those Beowolves. His massive fists uncurled. He staggered and straightened.
"It's not what you did." said Runt, "It's what I failed to do. I couldn't save her."
"Who?"
"Risa." That name was powerful enough to leave both of them pale in the face.
"You knew my sister?"
"Intimately."
Clementine flinched. His mouth gaped open without a sound coming out. He stayed that way. Stunned silent. Runt could do nothing but watch the realization slowly work its way through him. When it ran its course, Clementine sagged against a tree as if his right leg were broken.
"She never told me."
"She wanted too. But I was afraid. Kept pushing it back. Someday, Next week…Tomorrow. By then it was too late."
"You tried to save her?"
"I did and I failed. That failure will haunt me to the end of my days."
"That's why you said-The other day…At least you tried." Said Clementine, his voice thick with remorse. "I never even made it back to the Mud District. Webb saw to that. Even if what you said was true and I didn't stand a chance, I still would've tried."
The pain in the boy's tone threatened to bring Runt to tears. He wanted to comfort him, but he had nothing to say but, I'm sorry. He could tell, Clementine was done with apologies.
"Do you know what the worst thing is?" asked Clementine with a humorless smile, "I'm not even sure if my memory of her is accurate. I remember so little from when I was a boy. And those things that I do recall I feel are painted differently. I am forced to wonder ten years down the line…Will my image of her be even remotely close to the truth?" his smile faded and his eyes went wide as if he just realized. "I can't even picture her face."
"You look like her. Same complexion. Strawberry blonde hair. Her purple eyes were lighter than yours, like lilacs. But your similarities go far beyond the physical. You have her strength of will. One that dwarfs my own." Runt's voice was so quiet the wind threatened to snatch his words away. He wasn't even sure if Clementine heard him or not. The boy shifted back onto his right leg as if he were unsure it could support his weight. The effort strained him.
"Whatever your relationship with Risa, you owe me nothing. All I'm asking is you treat me like you do Kiera and Buckets."
Runt had no words to answer him. So, he nodded and continued onwards.
"Come on, then. We're losing daylight."