Sorry for the wait folks, work has literally been sapping the life out of me and didn't have time to write. Without further delay, the next chapter.
A Re-Cut Gem
chpt 7
Emerald heaved a sigh of relief as she finally filled the last of the insurance forms out and closed the multiple windows on her scroll. She groaned as she stretched in her seat, back popping several times before standing up and looking across the table to Pyrrha who was reading a book idly. "If I see another stupid form again it will be too soon."
Pyrrha smiled innocently and closed her book. "Oh it is only hard the first time around Emerald. After the second time around it just becomes a matter of going through the motions."
Emerald gave a humorless scoff as she glanced at the clock on her scroll, groaning at what she saw. She had just spent the last two hours working on insurance and bank account forms under the diligent gaze of Pyrrha who had at least been kind enough to walk her through the more confusing parts of the ordeal. "If you say so Pyrrha. I still think whoever thought up the concept of taxes should be strung up, covered in Forever fall sap and tossed to the Ursas."
"If it makes you feel any better Jaune and Yang have the same mind set. I swear, they make doing the taxes every year sound like pulling teeth." Pyrrha stated as she began to help Emerald clear the kitchen table of books and loose sheets of paper. "Seeing as it is just past one how about we start on lunch. Would you like anything particular Emerald?"
Emerald shrugged as she accepted a stack of papers for Pyrrha before piling them together neatly. "Sandwich would be fine, I'm not exactly a picky eater. Give me a bit to stack this stuff near the door so that I can bring it back to the guest house." Emerald looked around and furrowed her brow. "Where did Lizzy disappear too? Somehow her being quiet doesn't feel like a good thing..."
Lizzy had only stuck around for the first twenty minutes of working on forms, most of which she had been bickering at Pyrrha as the latter scolded her sister-in-law while rebinding her abdomen with fresh bandages and cold packs. It had been the only point of entertainment for Emerald who had found the sight of Pyrrha going into full mother mode on a grown huntress priceless.
"Knowing her, she is either sulking or asleep on the couch in the family room. Given the lack of profanity drifting down the hall I would put my lien on the latter." Pyrrha chuckled lightly as she began taking several packages of meats and cheeses out of the refrigerator. "Would you mind waking her up once you have stored all your paperwork in the office? I will remind you to take it home later unless you would like us to keep it."
Emerald nodded as she exited the kitchen and down the dimly lit hallway. She paused at the junction where turning left would bring her into the family and right was the closed door of the office. A smirk crossed her face as she heard the faint snoring of Lizzy drifting from the family room and shook her head gently. such peace was still a foreign concept to her but one she was coming to enjoy.
Emerald opened the door to the 'office' and the sight that greeted her caused her eyes to widen. Warming rays of light spilled in from bay windows, shining gently on a antique desk that faced out the window and behind from floor to ceiling was a bookcase that was lined with books. Emerald had always been an avid reader an to see a wall sized book case after only being allowed magazines and other such reading material while in prison was like looking upon the greatest treasure.
Quickly setting the textbooks and papers on the desk Emerald walked almost trance like to the case. She scanned the orderly spines of the books and gently breathed in the scent of aged paper. Books bound in aging leather that appeared decades old jostled shoulders with paperbacks that only appear a few months old. She had never taken Jaune to be a reader other than his love for comics and Pyrrha while academic didn't seem to be one to amass such a collection of such variety and age.
It took physical effort on Emerald's part to pull away from the sight though now that the knowledge of such a collection was at her metallic fingertips she vowed she would return when time permitted. With a sigh she left the office, casting a longing glance over her shoulder before shutting the door and walking into the family room to see Lizzy splayed unceremoniously out across the couch. The wounded huntress slept with all the grace of a drunkard, one leg dangling off the edge of the couch and her arms thrown over her head.
Emerald rolled her eyes before picking up a pillow and tossing it gently at Lizzy's face, causing her to wake with a start and roll off the couch with a graceless thud and several colorful curses. "Common sleeping ugly, we're done with the mental torture and have moved on to lunch."
"A polite tap on the shoulder or just saying my name would have been enough Emerald, was the pillow to the face really called for?" Lizzy asked sourly as she picked herself up from the floor while gently rubbing her forehead.
Emerald shrugged gently as she and Lizzy started down the hallway. "No, but it did have entertainment value. How're your wounds feeling? Better I would hope."
Lizzy nodded as she pulled a now warm cold pack from under her shirt. "Yeah, nothing that a little nap didn't fix right up. Wonderful thing aura. So what's for lunch, anything good?"
"Just Sandwiches and whatever else is around, hope that is good enough for your highness."
"Eh, sandwiches are fine. Also the Arc's haven't been royalty since the end of the great war so you can drop the titles, it bugs the crap out of Jaune." Lizzy stated matter-of-factly as the two entered the kitchen which caused Emerald freeze mid-step.
"Wait, what?!" Emerald asked causing Lizzy to look back and Pyrrha up from making sandwiches. The blond and the red head traded glances, Pyrrha looking decidedly guilty while Lizzy seemed confused.
"Wait, you and Jaune didn't tell her? I thought she knew?"
"W-well, we certainly meant to broach the subject but it honestly didn't seem to be relevant nor does it truly matter to me or Jaune." Pyrrha admitted sheepishly as the sandwich preparation seemed to take on a whole new interest to the spartan.
"Can we get back to the part about the Arc's being ROYALTY? I feel as if I might be missing something." Emerald asked with a hint of annoyance entering her voice.
"FORMER-royalty Em." Lizzy clarified as she went about setting out three places at the table. "My great-great-grandfather was the last king of Vale as he abdicated the throne after the war. He changed his last name after helping form the academies and went on to be a 'normal' huntsman, if you can call being so powerful that you were said to have magical powers strong enough to level armies."
Lizzy chortled at the word magic and missed the silent conversation that Pyrrha and Emerald shared looking at each other. Apparently Lizzy hadn't been brought into the loop about magic being quite real despite living down the street from a former fall maiden candidate. Emerald made a mental note to bring the topic up later but for now continued returned to the matter at hand.
"So technically the Arcs are Royalty?" Emerald asked as she helped Pyrrha carry the food from the counter over to the table.
"Ex-royalty but yeah, that is right" Confirmed Lizzy as she gratefully took a plate from Emerald.
Emerald looked to Pyrrha with a quirked eyebrow. "Married up in the world, didn't we?"
Pyrrha to her credit gave Emerald a scowl as the pair sat down. "Do you really think that him being descended from royalty matters to me? To me he is just Jaune Arc, the awkward and lovable boy that didn't know who I was and treated everyone equally from Beacon."
"I was joking Pyr!" Emerald stated with a chuckle as she held her hands up in mock defense."You don't need to bite my head off, I think I've lost enough limbs already, don't you?"
Pyrrha sighed and shook her head at the comment while Lizzy chuckled before biting into her sandwich. "I know you are Emerald but it IS a bit of a sore point for Jaune as is most topics relating to family and his memories."
Emerald's grin faded and she nodded in understanding. "I understand Pyr, I'll not bother him about keeping that little nugget of info to himself." Emerald crossed her finger over her heart before digging into her own sandwich.
The three huntresses ate quietly for several minutes before the front door shuddered under a barrage of knocks that seems to be delivered by a jackhammer. Emerald and Lizzy looked towards Pyrrha with puzzled and slightly concerned looks.
"You expecting company Pyr?" Lizzy asked questioningly as another barrage of knocks sounded from the front door.
Pyrrha shook her head as she rose from her seat. "No, Jaune and I kept our schedules fairly clear for the next few days while we got Emerald settled in. I do recognize those knocks though but I thought those two would be still resting and recovering..." Pyrrha stated as she walked into the hallway.
Emerald nearly lept out of her chair as the sound of the front door crashing open only to be followed by a loud and shrill voice. "THE QUEEN HAS COME TO DEMAND HER PANCAKE TRIBUTE!"
Emerald groaned and held her face in her hands at those words and the walking anomally that they had come from. "oh gods no, not her. Anyone but her..."
Lizzy laughed at Emerald's reaction and patted the Shaded's back and folded wing consolingly. "Aw, what's the matter Em? Can take a little dose of Nora?"
Emeralded lifted her head out of her hands to shoot a venomous glare at Lizzy. "There is no such things as a 'little dose' of Nora. The woman is a sugar rush in a physical form with ADHD!"
Lizzy continued to look amused as she and Emerald turned towards the voices that drifted from the front door. "well you aren't wrong on either counts there Emmie. Better get used to her as long as you are staying here she will randomly appear and there is no known way of tracking her much less stopping her."
Emerald sighed at Lizzy's statement as she reluctently agreed before listing in on the conversation down the hall.
"Honestly Nora, you and Ren should be back home resting! You are in no condition to be up and about yet after your last mission." Pyrrha's voice was heavy with disproval as Nora laughed.
"Oh pe-shaw Pyrrha! Me and Renny are just fine. Besides, we wanted to see how you and your new guest are! I also wanted to give you something to protect you from her semblance! I made them my self!"
"Well that would explain the tinfoil hat you have on..." Pyrrha stated in a bemused tone.
Emerald brisled slighty, her feathers puffing in response. She knew the topic of her semblance was a bit of a golaith in the room but to have people think she would use it on her friends and hosts was still extremely insulting. The sound of several sets of footsteps ecohed down the hallway though with ever other step there was a 'thunk' accompanying one of the steps.
Emerald's eyes nearly popped out when saw the state Ren and Nora were in as they walked through the kitchen doorway. Nora's head was partially wrapped in bandages and her face sported several partially healed cuts and bruises on top of which sat a captains hat made out of tinfoil. She wore her customary pink combat skirt and white top and bomber jacket, the heart shaped cleavage window showing the skin beneath the unhealthy yellowish color of heavily bruised skin. Her left leg was encased in a cast and brace from the knee down and the huntress was leaning on Magnhild as a crutch with the hammer head tucked in her armpit.
Ren was in slightly better shape that his partner but still showed signs of having been in a tough battle. His face was and head was mostly devoid of injuries save for a few scratches and most notably a lovely shiner of a black eye. Dressed in his green twin taled coat and white leggings Emerald noted that his rght arm was in a sling with the coat arm dangling empty at his side.
What the hell happened to you two!? You guys look like you got run over by a Goliath!" Emerald blurted out as she got up from her seat and offered it to Ren who nodded in thanks.
"Ren sighed and nodded his head werilly. "That is EXACTLY what happened."
Emerald looked at the soft spoken man for several moments as she proccessed his words.
"Wait, what!?"
"If you think WE look bad you should see the other Goliath!" Nora chimed in happily as she flopped into Lizzy's lap as the blond protests went ignored.
Ren shot Nora a stern look at her statement. "Its because of the other Goliath that we look this way."
Nora shrugged nonchalantly as Lizzy wormed her way from under the Red head's surpising weight. "Oh, so I lost track of the second Goliath, easy thing to do!"
Emerald could only look on dumbfoundly at the casual dismissal from Nora. Losing track of a Goliath was akin to losing track to a moving house with a bad attitude. "How on Remnant can you lose track of a Goliath!?"
"It was just as baby." Nora replied almost fondly as she stole the dill pickle from Lizzy's plate and bit into it with a satisfied crunch.
Ren sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut. "That 'baby' was still at least one ton and ten feet tall Nora..."
"I know right?" Nora mumbled around a mouthful of stolen pickle. "No wonder I lost track of the little fella!"
Emerald groaned as she let her head hang down. "How can you be so bubbly and carefree?" She looked pleadingly to Ren. "Please tell me there is some secret way of keeping your sanity around her."
"You just learn to accept that Nora is Nora." Ren stated with an apolgetic shrug as he handed a crestfallen Emerald what remained of her sandwich while across the table Lizzy was in a tug-of-war with Nora over her plate emphasising his point.
"Well Nora being Nora aside, you two really should still be at home resting." Pyrrha admonished as she began preparing to make more sandwiches only to be shooed towards the table by Lizzy shot an annoyed look at Nora as she took over to let her sister-in-law chat with her former teammates "Honestly, you two were lucky to get off light as you did taking on a small herd of Goliaths. These land clearing missions are getting more and more dangerous these days."
"So things really are that bad out there?" Emerald asked as she sat down in the vacant chair next to Ren before finishing off her sandwhich.
Ren nodded gently in response. ""Grimm attacks have been on the rise again lately but to say the increase of Grimm is the sole reason would be incorrect."
"How so?"
"After the crisis the Grimm became extremely disorganized, more so that they had ever been, making them easy to eliminate. This emboldened a lot of people from the Kingdoms to strike out into the outlands to establish new communities." Ren stated. "A lot more people saw these new settlements growing and having lost faith in the councils and the Kingdoms after the crisis left to join communities that 'wouldn't let such things happen' again."
Emerald snorted and nodded seeing what was going on. "So a bunch of people who were at least partially prepared to chance it set up shop. Then people who were scared of another shadow organization or just opposed to the counciled hopped onto the bandwagon and brought all their negativity out with em..."
"Exactly." Ren confirmed with a nod. "The flow of people out of the Kingdoms peaked around four or so years ago and unsurprisingly that is when the attacks started to pick up again."
"It doesn't help that The Lost started to take over leading bands of Grimm not long after we offed Salem..." Nora gently added in a solome tone quite out of character for the normally bubbly woman.
Emerald and Pyrrha flinched at the mention of the Lost. The Lost were the true goal of the parasitic Shade Grimm, near human level intellegent grimm hybrids able to command swarms of mindless Grimm utterly subserviant to Salem. They served as line officers, co-ordinating the usually directionless grimm into a semblance of order making them expontentially more dagerous. Without the controling influence of Salem Emerald wasn't surprised that the Lost had become roving bands of terror.
"So basically perfect storm stuff." Emerald mumbled. "No wonder the Council let me off with what ammounts to a slap on the wrists. The hunter forces must be stretched to the limit and in need of new blood."
"Well I can only be breaking legses in one place at a time." Nora nodded as Lizzy sat down next to her setting a sandwich in front of Ren and herself before smacking Nora's hand as it edged closer to the pile of chips on Lizzy's new plate.
"Things always get worse before they get better. The appearance of the Shaded and the Lost have open doors both good and bad." Pyrrha commented. "Where before Grimm attacks were sporatic and disorganised they now have crude tactics, we can't write them off as mindless attacks anymore."
Emerald frowned and nodded, her face mirroring Pyrrha's as the negative emotions now filling the kitchen gently pressing at their minds. Ren's voice stirred the two Shaded women from their maudilen thoughts with a brighter outlook.
"By that same token, with the help of Shaded we have been able to learn more about the phyisology of the Grimm than ever before. We finally have the ability to hold them in captivity and study them." Ren countered. "Just look at the fact that we have finally been able create anti-venom for king Taijitu and Death Stalker venom."
"Renny is right! We can't just focus on the bad stuff happening, we have to see the good that happens as well!" Nora chimed happily before pointing at Emerald. "Just look at Emerald here! She used to be a no good, horrible, awful, super bad,-"
Nora received a less than subtle jab in the side from Lizzy when she saw Emerald shrinking into her chair as Nora rattled of her descriptions. The hammer wielder took a moment to glare at Lizzy who returned it in kind before nodding towards Emerald who was now looking down at the ground between her legs and the disapproving looks from Ren and Pyrrha.
The light bulb went off and Nora quickly threw up her hands in a placating manner. "W-what I'm say is that she ISN'T any of those things anymore and is a good guy now! I mean she WAS badder than bad before but now is not so bad because she felt bad about her badness-"
"NORA!" Three voices shouted in exasperation as Emerald mumbled her excuses and left the kitchen with a hurried stride.
"Um, hehehehe... Oops?"
Pyrrha shook her head. "Really Nora, you don't need to throw Emerald's past into her face. It follows her her around like rattling chains as it is! Talking about it like that is just pulling on those chains and dragging her into the past."
"S-sorry Pyrrha..." Nora squeaked as she shrank away from the withering glares of her friends.
"It isn't Pyrrha that you should you be apologizing to motormouth." Lizzy snapped. "Look I get that I only meet her yesterday and that she has more than a few skeletons rattling in her closet but she seems pretty earnest in wanting to go strait."
"I'll apologize! I swear on a stack of Ren's pancakes that I will!" Nora promised.
Ren sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nora, let me just make sure that Emerald will be in a frame of mind to actually hear you out. In the mean time why don't you just help clean up from lunch for now."
Ren pushed himself away from the table and out of the kitchen after Emerald while the others began to clean up the kitchen. Walking into main hall Ren noted that he hadn't heard the front door being opened or closed meaning Emerald was still in the house. As he walked towards the family room He heard gentle rustle of feathers coming from the office and saw that the door was slightly ajar.
He knocked softly before entering, catching site of Emerald siting in the bay window facing out into front yard. Framed in the rays of the afternoon sun and seated in a cross-legged position Ren would have said she looked almost serene.
"Emerald, I would like to apologize on Nora's behalf. She tends to talk before she thinks more often than not." Ren spoke in his soft tone as he stood a respectful distance behind Emerald.
Emerald was quiet for several moments and Ren noted she was controlling her breathing in a pattern he was familiar with from his own meditative practices. She turned her head to Ren and opened her right eyes, revealing black sclera and glowing red irises.
"Mind giving me a little time to get myself centered? Not exactly in the best state of mind at the moment..."
There was a strain to her voice as she fought to keep her Grimm nature in check. Ren had witnessed both Pyrrha and Jaune in similar states before when stress and emotions had finally caught up to them and things came to a head. Thankfully he was a person uniquely suited to helping. Ren smiled gently and held out his hands in a peaceful gesture as he slowly approached Emerald as one would a agitated animal.
"I can help you if want." Ren stated gently and held out his had slowly. From personal experience he knew that when a Shaded was struggling to control themselves than even a kind and level headed person like Jaune was more likely to act irrationally and violently at the slightest perceived threat or provocation.
Emerald's feathers bristled and wings slightly unfolded in preparation to launch a hail of feathers as one eye trained on the offered head while the other tracked what the Grimm in the back of her head told her was a potential threat and prey. With hesitance the Shaded turned slightly and reached out with a metallic hand and took the offered hand. Emerald's eyes widened as her body's coloring slowly became washed out and muted starting from the hand that held Ren's. For several moments Emerald felt the ever present pressure of emotions that had pressed upon her since her conversion into a Shaded lifted and the gnawing insistence of her darker instincts silenced. For several moments she felt human once more.
And then it passed. Once more she felt emotions press against her senses and once again became aware of her Grimm instincts though the latter was once more placated and under her control.
"W-wow... That was pretty amazing Ren. How'd you do that?"
"It was my semblance" Ren explained as he sat down in the bay window next to Emerald. "I can calm emotions and put people into a calm state of mind."
Emerald gave a weak smile before turning her gaze back out the window. "Well that is why I can't sense your emotions. You don't even register to me sitting there, must come in handy sneaking around Grimm."
Ren chuckled gently and nodded. "It has come in handy on a few occasions."
The two sat in a neutral silence for several minutes before Ren broke it.
"I feel like your struggle with your nature wasn't caused just from Nora not so gently bringing up the past you." Ren stated as he leaned forward to rest his good arm on his knee as he stared gently at the wall covering bookcase. "I've always been the one that the others have come to to vent or ask advise from. I might not be a trained therapist but I apparently make a good sounding board, if you want to talk I am willing to listen."
Emerald sat silently, gently holding herself as she gazed out the window for several moments before speaking.
"I... Everything just kinda finally hit me I guess. It was pretty much a blur yesterday so things just didn't have time to sink in. I'm trying to go strait and make up for as much for all the shit and mistakes I've caused and made. While that sounds really noble and saintly n' crap Nora making me remember about just how much I have done makes me realize just how utterly, massively, impossibly HUGE a task that really is."
Emerald shifted her position, bringing her knees up to her chin and winced as she heard the sound of tearing fabric as her talons slashed the cushions of the bay seat but didn't have the emotional energy to care.
"That itself would be enough to make most people have a breakdown but throw in that I have a monster that is drawn to and feeds off of negative emotions and wants to destroy humanity living in the back of my head... Well it doesn't really help. Gods know that the only reason you or anyone else is giving me this chance I don't deserve is because of Jaune, Pyrrha and Ruby vouched for me."
Ren turned and looked to Emerald, causing her to return the gaze. "In all honesty Emerald you DO have a mountain in front of you and only have yourself to blame for it. I was not initially in favor of you getting this chance, let alone helping you. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that I still don't fully trust you or that the only reason that I am even talking to you is because of the word of three people who I trust with my life."
As Ren spoke Emerald shrunk from Ren's steady gaze, breaking eye contact and hugging her legs back to her chest. Ren paused and took a breath and continued.
"However after thinking about things since then I can't say that you haven't earned this chance. You turned against the people who took you in once you saw just what their plans truly were. You saved three of my friend's lives and lost everything." Ren placed a comforting hand on Emerald's shoulder. "Even your humanity. Now having seen that you do really understand the scale of your task but still seem willing to try despite that I think giving you this chance was not a mistake."
"Gee, glad it only took a minor emotional breakdown and my nature rearing it's head to convince you." Emerald stated dryly though the ghost of a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"It didn't hurt, though you still have a ways yet to fully convince me that you truly intend to stick to your new path. I and the others of our group are still watching you Emerald, there will be no second chances if you hurt our friends again." Ren's face hardened and his words held an edge to them that was impossible to miss but as quickly as they had appeared they were gone, replaced by a warmer look and a gentle tone.
The soft spoken man stood from his seat and once more held out his good hand to Emerald. "You have shown me that you have started on your new path in life. Now all you have to do to convince me, and the others, is keep putting one foot in front of the other as cliche as it sounds."
Emerald smirked and took Ren's offered hand as he helped her up from her curled position on the bay seat. "Thanks for the ancient wisdom Mr. Fortune cookie, you have opened my eyes to just how simple things really are."
The sarcasm dripped from Emerald's words but there was no real malice in her eyes and her voice softened. "Though seriously, thank you. I know that just trying to look past my, well, past is a massive leap of faith for you guys. It still feels like I am going to fail miserably at convincing you people but I will try."
"As long as you try and continue to do so is what matters. You've made a good start and I mean it when I say good luck with continuing on."
Emerald smiled and nodded, feeling better that she had in a while. She wasn't naive or stupid to know that Ren or any of her former enemies would trust or believe her intentions from just a simple talk but it was a start. She just had to keep proving she meant to stick to her decisions.
The moment was cut short as the sound of engines, the crunch of tires on dirt and gravel, and what sound like a small stampede attracted the attention of the two hunters back to the Bay window. Outside Emerald could see Jaune's truck cresting the top of the drive but her attention was fixed on the vehicle that loomed behind it. In a previous life the vehicle was more than likely a humble six wheel drive heavy cargo transport but whoever was driving it had given it a new purpose. Heavy armor plates had been skillfully welded, riveted or otherwise attached to the vehicle, pronouncing it's blocky design by giving it hard angles clearly was meant to deflect incoming fire. the front of the truck and cab was covered in jutting spikes and coiled razor wire above which sat heavily reinforced glass and protective armor panels that sat propped open to grant a better field of view but could slam down at a moments notice to reduce the exposed windows to mere vision slits.
The bed of the truck had been replaced with a squat armored troop compartment that had firing slits and looked big enough to house at least a dozen well armed soldiers, even from this distance Emerald could make out the movement of several forms through the firing slits. A top the armored compartment sat a turret from which four heavy caliber guns were mounted on the sides, armored feeder belts snaking their way to the actions.
By now the rest of the Arkos household and guests had made their way to the office, drawn by the commotion. As both vehicles ground to a halt out front the source of the sound of dozens of paws moving at a gallop appeared in the form of a pack of wolves. While this would have been intimidating enough by itself the fact that these wolves were the size of large ponies, compounded the terror value.
"Uh, you weren't expecting a pack of over sized wolves following overkill on wheels for company where you Pyrrha?" Lizzy asked as the back hatch of the armored vehicle opened and several men and women dressed in an array of armor, leather, cloth and fur pelts jumped from the back.
The former champion shook her head as a massive wolf approached the window, it's hot breath fogging the widow as it's scared visage peered in before a sharp whistle called it away. Behind it Jaune stepped from the cab of his pickup truck and noticed the group standing in the window. He gave one of his iconic lopsided grins and waved cheerfully as he walked towards the front door, raising his voice to be heard through the window.
"They followed me home from work, can we keep 'em?"
