Yahto grits his teeth.
Just what I needed in the morning. An obsessed killjoy and her false sense of rational ready to throw me into a pit of Grimm. What could she possibly want today!?
He begrudgingly complies and gestures for the squad leader to show him the way. The guards escort Yahto to the inside of the wall. Led up a dungeon-esque coiling flight of stairs, a scowl deepens on Yahto's with each step. He walks past the guards who surround himand gets up close to the chief. He tries to spark up a conversation with him, who has been avoiding face-to-face contact all the way up the steps.
"So almighty squad leader, what's your name?"
"Stow it."
"Stow what? Don't play the pronoun game."
"Stow your mouth."
"I would if you gave me some food, I'm starving. Didn't have time to get breakfast today."
"Aren't we all?" He flatly responded.
"Oh! You wanna grab some breakfast after this?"
"No need to."
"But I thought we were hung-"
His fist came barreling into Yahto's stomach, making the loudmouth keel over in pain.
"How was the sandwich?" The soldier mused.
Yahto dropped to his knees and coughed.
"Not bad….Think it had a bit too much fist, overpowers the taste of blood..…"
Yahto wipes his mouth up and struggles to get back onto his feet.
"That's a shame. Want to try my second one?"
"No thanks! I don't think I can eat another bite without passing out."
"Well, if you change your mind, just pip up and I'll be happy to give it to you."
"Gotcha."
Yahto shuts hit trap and hobbles up the rest of the steps. A waiting room opens up to them; nothing spectacular. A couple cushioned chairs, a wooden coffee table with a half or dozen or so magazines on it, and a water cooler off to the far left. However, it seems they don't intend to keep Yahto waiting judging from all the shoving. The door to Noir's office was open and he stumbles into the room.
He glanced over Commander Noir's office. Yeah, still the same old militaristic crap hole.
The room was of average size, but what it contained was anything but. At her desk, the woman was feverishly working on something out of eyeshot; a computer was blocking Yahto's view. Occasionally, she looked up to the dozens of monitor screens keeping the forest under surveillance in front of her desk. The monitors were nowhere near state of the art, as their screens sometimes crackle in and out of focus, but they get the job done. Scanning the rest of the room, pictures of the infant Midbay and its settlers hung on the walls. Back when this was just a nomadic settlement, you could count everyone who lived here on a few hands so the pictures had the entire town on display. The walls themselves had a barely noticeable yellow tint; strangely giving a person a headache if one stared at them too long. A thick set of transom windows stare out into the dangers of the forest. Weapons laid scattered about on an oval table accompanied by a swivel stool; padded of course. A sniper rifle here, an assault rifle there, a couple pistol pieces just about everywhere. The commander loved cleaning weapons in her spare time. Though judging by the disorder of the pistols, she hasn't had much. Her favorite weapon, the Double Indemnity, a high-powered golden assault rifle lies on her desk as always. The magazine is a shimmering black, and is a drum barrel that holds 50 rounds. Its design was sleek and smooth, and its bullpup design allows for easy handling in tight situations. Though the higher-ranking officers, due to the caliber it fires, have called it a "minigun in sheep's clothing". Tale goes that when Clara Noir first used the weapon several years back, it took down three Nevermores in a single clip. Unlike the other weapons lying about, it takes no prisoners. Yahto scoffed,
"I suppose like owner, like weapon."
A slight shudder came from the young man as he inspects the Commander. Her back turned to him at the moment, she seems to be finishing up some deskwork along with checking all motion sensors in the forest line. She stood up to height a bit taller than Yahto, finishing the last remaining checks. Her long hair flowed as a blackened waterfall on a cliff, stopping only by the boundary of her waist. Her hair obscures the symbol of the Midbay guards on her back; a golden coffin shield with the steel wall that surrounds the town in the background. She wears an obsidian uniform to go with her hair, but wears a white belt and golden knee-high combat boots as armor to offset the black. Polished to perfection, she also had twin golden shield shoulder-guards, nearly causing Yahto to squint at the reflected light. Her face has a smooth complexion with bangs that reach just above her eyebrows and intense amber eyes. She could still pass for someone in her mid-twenties, besides one obvious quirk. Her eyes, though piercing in their own right, were heavily sleep deprived and the skin darkened around them showing the sands of time Clara has waded through. This gave a ghastly and overall ethereal look to her otherwise youthful appearance. She stared down her visitor with devious intent,
"Morning Yahto."
"Morning Ms."
"I'm told that you were outside the village walls with a cargo of some odd number of beowolves heading East down the road. Is that true?" Her voice carried with a sharp and distinct feminine edge, like the thorn of a rose.
Yahto frustratingly thought to himself,
Of course it is, you already know where I'm going. What else would I be doing them?
"Yeah. I was heading to Capture Corp."
The commander gave a demanding look. "You will refer to me as Commander, Commander Noir, or Ma'am. You will also speak to me in a formal manner. I have no sympathy for your casual and weak dialogue; especially your choice of dressage. Understood?"
Yahto's face reddens, remembering he is still wearing his sleeping ware. He exasperatedly responded, "Entirely…Ma'am."
"Good. Men, attention!" Shooting a glace to her subordinates, the men all perked up and stood as straight as their body would let them. She sneered continuing,
"This child's name is Yahto Tiama. He is the only one allowed on our grounds to have a hunter's weapon and use the inept soldier's crutch called aura. He is not to be interfered with and can access the city. However, if he happens to be in the way or becomes a detriment to the safety of the settlement, you have every right to open fire."
Sneaking venom into the next bit, Noir causes Yahto to grate his teeth. "Trust me cadets, I wish to exile him as much as you do. But he has good ties to our…..esteemed partner, Jakob Cobald. Now, can any of you greenies tell me who he exactly is?"
All the newbies couldn't hold Commander Noir's expectant glare, so they hung their heads down to meet their only friend, the floor. Afraid to say an incomplete answer or because they plain didn't know, their gaze became infatuated with the black tile.
She scoffed, "Honestly, I know it's your third day, but this is unacceptable; expect a surprise training regimen at the crack of dawn tomorrow."
Noticing the palpable anxiety from her lower ranks, she went on. "Jakob Cobald is head of Capture Corp. He is responsible for our rapid growth from small refueling and trading village, to an armed and powerful force. The wall that protects are city from the Grimm was built upon the wealth we received from him. That wealth is given to us by our partnership. With the help of our villagers, he takes the Grimm we have incapacitated and sends them off to the Hunter schools of Vacuo and Vale. With our strength ever growing, we have been able to set up our own economy, own rules, and regulations free from the kingdoms of Vytal. Their untrustworthy and spineless representatives are not needed nor are they welcome here. That is the baseline explanation, but I expect you to know the intricacies of the supply and demand of our partnership, and what their corporate goals are by next Friday."
She eyes Yahto again, who has one arm behind his back; fist clenched out of sight and jaw sealed shut, managing to keep a straight face. "This wannabe hunter is just a pawn of Mr. Cobald…mostly. So, to summarize, leave the hermit alone and he won't bother us."
She gave a cheshire smile, "Also, remember not to mention the legendary failure of the hunters from years past around the child; specifically, that of Tali Sterling. He wa-"
Yahto's whole being burned and retorted back, "Her name was Taini, if you actually knew what you were talking about, you would know that. Also, I am nobody's pawn. My actions are my own and no one else's. Now if you don't mind Commander, I have heard enough of you trying to demonize my choices."
Commander Noir let loose a delighted chuckle.
"Yes of course, you are free to go."
Yahto immediately turns his back to her and starts for the door when Noir declares,
"However, you interfered with our catch of the day. Therefore, a toll must be taken. 5 of your beowolves have been appropriated as tribute."
"You can't do that! I didn't even fire upon those dumb teddies!"
The Commander scowled, "I can, I will, and I have. If you want any of your remaining cargo to make it to your good friend Cobald, I suggest you leave now with no further complaints."
She bitterly emphasized each following word,
"Is. That. Clear?"
Yahto's face darkens and loses any signature of retaliation.
"Yes ma'am."
He passes the cowering guards and walks down the coiling staircase, eyes burning with a menacing blue spark and mouth wired shut. Unlike the time with the driver, he wasn't choking back laughter.