Chapter 5: Beauty and the Beast
From the void comes a revolutionary tale, a lesson to be taught.
Once upon a time there was a girl and her shadow.
Hated and despised by the world, simply for being who she is.
She wants nothing more than to live her life.
Raised to try and rise above the hate.
Yet her life continued, unchanged.
So when revolution dawned, choice came with it.
To let things continue how they are.
Or to fight back and change the world.
The orphanage was quiet, not a soul stirred save for one.
She got up from her bed quietly. All the other kids slumbered and if she woke up one of the other kids, then the whole orphanage would awaken and all eyes would be on her. She doesn't want the attention. She grabbed the book underneath her pillow.
She just wanted to keep to herself. Outside was bad enough, she doesn't need that inside too. She went into the bathroom. It was well kept… for the most part. A single person could only clean the bathroom so well. She went into one of the stalls and sat down. She could read in peace in here.
She always woke up early and it got quite boring laying in bed all alone. Well until he woke up anyway. She had about forty minutes of peace before she heard the bathroom door open. She sighed and closed the book. The stall door opened and she greeted him.
"Adam."
"Blake." She was greeted by a grinning red headed boy with small horns barely visible. "Why am I not surprised you're in here? If I wasn't here, everyone would forget you're in there."
"And you're always bursting into the ladies' room. One of these days, you're gonna get in trouble," she retorted.
"Pssh. As if you haven't told me that before. Now let's go. If we hurry we can get breakfast first." He quickly left the bathroom, with her following suit.
As they walked down the long halls, Adam glanced over to the book she was carrying.
"What book did you steal now?" he asked.
"Borrow," she corrected him.
"My bad. What book did you borrow from the library again?"
"It's called The Sun Dragon of the North."
"Is it more of that hippie crap?" Blake punched Adam in the shoulder.
"Hey! It's not my fault I don't buy that White Fang bull that Ms. Silva teaches." Adam never did agree with the White Fang ideals. He argued that their methods let the humans walk all over them.
"You should at least respect her," Blake defended. Ms. Silva was someone she could respect, someone who could firmly stand by their beliefs… unlike… her.
"Yeah yeah. I'll cut her some slack because she runs a whole orphanage. But I know you don't honestly believe that crap," Adam shot back.
"S...shut up."
"Fine, fine. But remember the last trip you told me about? The boycott? Don't know how you could still believe that shit after that."
Blake tried punching Adam again, only for him to dodge it.
"Getting a bit slow, eh, Blake?" Blake gave him a pouting look.
"Don't you try giving me that look." Another few seconds of the look cracked him. "Alright, you win. I apologize for my crimes. How should I repent?" He mockingly shook his hands in the air.
Blake tossed him the book.
"You want me to miss breakfast to put the book back?"
"Yep."
"You're lucky I'm a nice person."
"That's debatable." Adam grumbled a bit before he headed toward the library. Blake went toward the lunch area.
Everyone should be up by now. There was usually a race to see who got the food first. Food wasn't scarce but the most fresh food was typically given to the first in line. It was a scarce commodity. Ms. Silva was already there, wearing an apron over her plain black dress, ready to hand out food.
"Blake." Ms. Silva greeted her with a cheery smile.
It was refreshing. Blake took the food and thanked her. She liked Ms. Silva. All the kids were too busy with that ongoing Kingsman case, it was always so depressing.
She preferred Ms. Silva's optimism. Even though the last time they protested… oh how she wished she could remain unshaken in those values. Adam and the rest made really convincing arguments.
She sat down near the back. She ate quietly as everyone came into the lunch room. The noise was irritating. Adam finally sat down next to her.
"I hope you're happy. I got the crappy food." He gestured toward his food.
"Maybe a little," Blake smiled. They ate in silence. Blake looked at the older boy. He was one of the few friends she had… maybe the only one. Sure, she occasionally talked to others, but Adam was the one who drew her out of her shell. It was nice to talk to someone.
Before Adam arrived at the orphanage it was just her… sitting in the ever-growing dark, isolated.
"So, I heard Silva is finally going to discuss the Kingsman case with us," Adam said, breaking the silence.
"Really?"
Silva, when she taught her lessons, expected everyone to at least be somewhat active in the discussion but that wasn't the problem, Blake spoke when she needed to.
"It's about damn time. Gonna give her a piece of my mind. It's horrible what they did to him. And she has the nerve to defend them." He took a bite of the apple before spitting it out.
While he went off on a tangent about unripe apples, Blake was conflicted. She wanted equality, but that seemed like a far off dream, a hopeful fantasy. Ms. Silva was something of a pacifist, like the rest of the White Fang. Yet… they weren't making any progress, and her hopes were growing more and more distant. Maybe… things had to change with their methods. When Silva brought them to boycott, it had ended in tears.
She sighed. Adam broke off his rant about apples and asked, "Something wrong?"
"No. Just… just drop it."
"But-"
"Drop it."
"Blake-"
"I said drop it." Adam opened his mouth before shutting it. At least he was getting better about boundaries.
They continued to eat in silence. Blake usually stayed in the lunch area before the teachings started, while Adam kept her company. The lunch area was always quiet and peaceful once most of the other kids left. Adam usually grumbled but he didn't let Blake be alone. Still, it was nice… until one of the kids came into the room, shouting for everyone to come to the TV.
There was only one television in the whole orphanage, and much like breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it would be a race to see who could get the best spot. They got up and rushed to the 'TV room'. It was small and cramped, with a single television at the end of the room. From what she was told, it was a relic, as it was neither holographic nor projected.
While most of the other kids complained, she didn't. It was the only television she knew about and had nothing to compare it to. Unlike most of the other kids, the orphanage was all her only home. Velvet came to mind, she had a home before she came here. However, at least she got a new home with the Adels. She was one of the lucky ones. Some humans took pity on poor Velvet. But nobody would want a dirty Faunus like herself. Other Faunus wouldn't adopt them, they would be a burden in this age. She arrived just as the newscaster was announcing the death of Kingsman. Many of the older kids were outraged, Adam included. The younger ones, including herself, kept quiet.
The newscaster seemed nervous about even announcing it, quickly running through the story.
She could feel the rest of the room's anger rising. Blake would be lying if she didn't admit feeling that hate overshadowing her too. It was a miscarriage of justice, no matter how one would look at it, it was a travesty. The way that they handled it, was perversion that it seemed like the world couldn't give a damn about one Faunus. But they cared.
There needed to be justice. Yet as the others cried for retribution, Blake held her tongue, questioning herself.
Should it be eye for eye, blood for blood? But even then, what could they do? They were kids. Protesting, boycotting did nothing. There was no change, and there had to be change, fast. The orphanage was on the brink of decay, and becoming more and more withered.
Nobody wanted a burden because life wasn't fair.
Today's lesson was canceled.
Blake wasn't surprised. Ms. Silva had some sort of plan to discuss it as a recent event but that all shattered when the focal point of the discussion died. Adam and several of the other kids took the initiative and formed small groups discussing the recent turn of events.
She didn't join, whether from the guilt of those dark thoughts or something else, she wasn't certain. She had known Ms. Silva all her life, and… it would be a betrayal to think any other way.
She tried to read her book in the silence. She sighed and closed the book.
Usually her 'quiet' place helped her calm down. Usually. Everything is changing, a slow change… for sure… but is it changing for the worse? Her quiet place wasn't making things clearer for her. Sitting in the dark usually helped.
Peering through the darkness with perfect clarity helped clear her mind. Yet this time, the unseen dark was cold and foggy.
Her hiding place was unusually chilling. She brought her scarf up. It was the one of the only constants in her life. People came and went, but she would always have this scarf. Even when Adam leaves, she will still be here, with her books and this black scarf.
She wanted to change that… she didn't want anyone else to leave. She wanted Adam to stay… because it always ended up with her being alone. Alone in this pitch black hole in the wall with nothing but her shadow to keep her company.
She wanted to change this… she wanted to know what was like to have family. What would she do to achieve that far-off dream? Almost immediately she answered herself, anything. The more she thought what she might do… the more guilty she felt.
She envied that everyone else had a family, that everyone else could walk in public without shame, that the humans weren't called worthless, less than them. She tossed her book in anger. She should be ashamed! But she isn't!
She… wanted to run from these feelings. She didn't want these feelings! She got up in the cramped space and picked up her book. It was her secret book.
It was the type of book that Ms. Silva disapproved of and would make them stand in the corner as punishment. She glanced at the cover of the book.
She hated herself for reading this. The White Fang did nothing. Yet this book, was the exact opposite of their ideals.
'Peace is to be achieved through revolution. If the humans were to call them animals, then it should be made very clear they were the prey.'
She wanted equality… but more than anything… she wanted the hate to stop. She felt her eyes water a little bit. She used to have such starry eyes with the White Fang ideals.
Until Ms. Silva thought it was prudent that she should bring some of the kids to a White Fang boycott.
When the tear gas came… her ideals were brought to question. So when the radicals came to help… she saw something. The hate ceased, it may not have been out of respect, but out of fear.
A radical secretly offered her this book and… she took it. And when she read it, she didn't know what to believe in anymore.
She looked at the cover in shame. Three red claws marks were predominately displayed.
The title raised high above the marks, The Faunus Supremacist Manifesto.
She had to remain positive.
The first week of the riots have been trying. Her brethren in the White Fang had been fruitlessly trying to protest the riots, trying to get them to stop.
Those dam-… she held her tongue. Those radicals have been causing needlessly damage and destruction. They won't see Faunus as equal if they keep on this path.
They don't need another war. The last thing they need is another attempt to seal them away on some island. Some may recall the atrocities committed by the humans… but she saw horrors on both sides.
She had to be better. They all had to be better. And these riots weren't helping with that. All these ignorant people thinking they were doing good were only causing immense harm to faunus-human relations. Ravaging the city won't help anything.
She needed to keep the children safe. Strict curfews, despite the kids' protest, was for the best. She knew that there were a bunch of looters taking advantage of this. The sad part was that they weren't the worst out there.
Radicals were destroying public property. That led to anti-faunus hate groups going around enacting vigilante 'justice' which translated to lynching any Faunus they saw.
The only ones even remotely keeping the peace were the police, huntsmen, and several other influential White Fang. It was a good thing that the White Fang had several reserve huntsmen and the occasional primary combat school graduate sympathizers.
Then there were others like her, hidden away. Well, not really hidden. She was too old to enroll in a secondary academy, blind to the more advanced aura techniques and her aura wasn't as trained, but her semblance made up for that fact.
Yet… she never used it. There was a no-tolerance policy when it came to… 'enlightened' like herself. As long as she kept her head down, she wouldn't be taken away. If she was younger, sure… she'd be enrolled and given a choice when it came down to it.
But for now… better to pose as a mere 'awakened'. Some were dangerous, and some not so dangerous.
It depended on how much they trained, combat academy or no. If they were never picked up before eighteen, they couldn't really be enrolled in a secondary or primary academy.
Despite the riots, they were probably still going to be subjected to the 'three-strike' law when it came to them.
If they felt the faunus won't be 'punished', then they would dish out their own punishment.. She was quite knowledgeable when it came to this subject. She never wanted any of the children to be enrolled because they might be pressured to be a weapon.
A weapon for peace, but a weapon nevertheless. Huntress or military… she didn't want the children to see the horrors of war. Yet… all of them seem so eager to join in this… 'war'. It saddened her heart. Even Blake, who use to be so firm in the White Fang ideals, showed doubt.
Hopefully the riots will die down soon, and all of this will be a bad memory. She wanted the world to learn from these riots and to better themselves.
Not for them, but for the children. These children shouldn't be filled with hatred…but no matter what she tried to teach them, they felt that violence is the only option.
They need to feel that they aren't a burden or worthless. They need to feel like there can be hope for a better future.
She saw Blake walking by. "Hey, Blake."
"Ms. Silva." Her tone was quiet. Typical for Blake, but she known Blake long enough to know something was up.
"Anything wrong, Blake?" she asked.
"Just thinking about things." And she wouldn't be Blake if she didn't hide everything.
"Anything that I should know about?"
A guilty look, better lighten the mood.
"Is it about boys?" she teased. Usually Blake would blush at that, but she looked down. Well, she failed in lightening the mood.
"Alright. Alright. I'll leave you alone."
"Ms. Silva?"
"Yes?"
"If you had two choices, but you don't know what to choose, what would you do?" Obviously Blake had a problem. She won't pry for now.
"Just follow your heart and do what you think is right." Blake looked unsure before she wandered off.
Adam ran by her and toward Blake. If she had to guess, it was something to do with Adam. The older kid was both a blessing and curse when it came to Blake. The kid was crude and rude but to be fair, he did break Blake out of her shell more than often. Now if only she knew if that was a good thing or not.
Blake was one of the first orphans here, abandoned on the doorstep with nothing but a black scarf and blanket. She viewed all of the kids here as hers. Adoptions were getting scarcer and scarcer. Blake was always a quiet child. Tucked away, none of the would-be parents here would adopt her.
Yet, Blake became outspoken when she found something to believe in. It made her proud to see Blake pick up the White Fang ideals. So many kids hated, despised the situation they were in and wanted to blame someone. Adam was a good example of that. She didn't blame him. Life wasn't always fair. Yet, he lashed out more often than not.
Perhaps he was a bad influence on Blake. Yet, Blake followed him around. It was obvious it was a small little crush, even if Blake isn't aware of it.
Would she be in the right to tear Blake away? She had gotten more quiet when it came to her teaching the White Fang teachings.
No, perhaps she had some blame in it too. Some of the kids insisted that they wanted to do something to make things better. Blake did want to attend some of the protests.
One of the bigger mistakes of her life.
Seeing the kids that she help raise, suffer like that. Something dark in her wanted to praise the radicals beating those responsible.
She chided herself afterward for those thoughts.
The riots were a result when those radicals got their way.
They only bred more hate. It was a miracle that the Grimm weren't attacking. During the war, it was a three-sided fight. Human, Faunus, and Grimm. Yet, some of the biggest miracles and displays of human and Faunus cooperating came when they had to fight the Grimm for the sake of survival.
If only the rest of the kids could see those displays. It gave her hope, gave the White Fang hope. Yet, they insist on hating and blaming humans. Were some humans bad? Absolutely. Yet, it went both ways. Some Faunus were just as bad.
Some kids were becoming convinced that Faunus could do no wrong. They had to see that humans weren't all bad. That there was some truly outstanding humans opting for peace.
She could only hope.
Adam saw the news. The riots were still going on, even after a single week, and he felt a spark of hope. They were finally fighting back! And winning!
Showing that they will no longer take the abuse, the injustice, the hate! Silva was a fool to see it any other way. All the other kids would agree with him.
They would probably join in on the riots, if Silva wasn't so strict. She was a real bitch sometimes, both literally and figuratively. The White Fang did nothing and she had the gall to try and say this is wrong.
It's almost like she wanted to roll over for them. Most of the kids came from broken homes, himself included. They know it's all their fault.
He never knew a peaceful life, all because of them. He was one of the more older kids here, despite him being a recent addition to the orphanage. He was ripped from his old life because of them.
Everything he knew was gone. His family deemed 'unfit' and 'criminal'. Just because they wouldn't take the abuse any longer. What type of world allowed his father to be beaten and mugged and harassed nearly every day?
He might never see them again. He kept quiet about that fact when he talked to the other kids. He didn't want to appear weak. He can't be weak. He would rather be mad and angry than to break down in face of this hopeless situation.
He watched the retribution to continue to unfold in the news. He felt weak and powerless nearly his whole life, watching as the humans were able to walk in public, unashamed and proud.
They demeaned him just because of the horns on his head. Thinking that he was just a delinquent that stole and would grow up to be a monster! He wanted them to feel what he felt. And with the riots, they would know what it felt to have everything ripped away from them.
It was only a shame that him and the rest of the kids in the orphanage couldn't partake in this glorious revolution. It was the first time that he actually joined one of cliques in the orphanage.
They shared a common goal. The rest of the gang would sure love taking out their pain and hate back to those racists.
Hosta would sure love to be one of those Faunus striking back at those shop owners, considering that they practically forced his family to bankruptcy and later crime. He felt sympathy for the rabbit Faunus.
He knew that Aster would be one of those people who would be on the front lines, fighting the police. They were part of a corrupt system that needed to be done away with. All it did was perpetuate the hate.
Even the feuding Metarugia quadruplets would take what was truly theirs, those slippery snake Faunus.
Hell, even Blake might show sympathy for their cause. Blake was the one he talked to the most, not about stuff like the riots, but they talked about other things. She was like an annoying little sister but in a good way. She was passionate but conflicted.
He was one of the few people that actually bothered to interact with her. Most people would just leave her, but he wouldn't.
He didn't believe in destiny, but when he saw her alone, isolated and in the dark… he felt something. He wanted to make her smile. No one should suffer alone. He later learned that she was crying because of the memories of that 'boycott'. Her whole world shaken and nearly destroyed. She saw those bastards for who they really were and she suffered for their crimes.
She wouldn't have to suffer alone. Then when he finally got her to talk more than a few sentences, it was pleasant to talk to someone so equally passionate when they got to talk. When she found something to believe in, she should no doubt, no hesitation but there was so few subjects that she was that compassionate about.
So… when she mentioned the boycott incident, she always choked up. It was one of the few times she faltered on her beliefs.
Even if it was those crappy White Fang beliefs, he made it his mission to change those beliefs, make Blake see the things the proper way.
She always had her head into the books. She loved reading fairy tales. It made her believe in a world where humans and Faunus could co-exist, impossible as that dream was. They needed to cleanse the humans away. They couldn't live together in peace. He heard how they tried forcing all Faunus to stay in a single place, denying them a place in their kingdoms. He couldn't see how Blake wanted to live with people like that. It was starting to change, though.
Slowly but surely, she was waking up, no longer believing in those childish fantasies because life wasn't a fairy tale after all.
She paced back and forth, shooting daggers at the man in front of her. She didn't like this man yet her boss instilled in her a sense of 'honor'. A favor was a favor.
"You owe me this, Acid."
"But kids, Winchester!" she protested.
"Have you heard of the saying, 'an eye for an eye?'" he asked.
She shook her head.
"Some of those bastards attacked a normal school. A normal school. Not a combat school, they took defenseless kids. My kid was there! It could have been him! Just because we won't let the filth in so they respond with violence. And they wonder why we don't let them in. I'm not going to let disgusting act go unpunished."
"But..." she tried arguing.
She couldn't come up with an argument.
Who could?
Those animals were destroying the city. The huntsmen and the police could only do so much.
Who else who enact justice for those who were losing their lives because of this riot?
Who else could protect the neighborhoods?
Only the Champak Chabouk Cavalry could uphold the peace, punishing the wicked and protecting the guilty. But for the entirety of the riots, they were on the defensive.
The animals were stepping up their destruction. They could no longer afford to sit on their asses. They needed to send a message.
He looked at the woman before her. She had hollow green eyes with bags under eyes. A look of an addict. Her disheveled dirty blonde hair was short and had the look of a bad haircut day. Her clothes was a dirty and filthy black suit with a red tie. Junior's taste in fine clothing apparently didn't rub off on her.
Despite all this, she was dangerous.
There was a reason why she was one of Junior's enforcers. He eyed her twin rusting gold revolvers, forged by her hand. There was a connection between the guns and her aura. She was one of the few that really trained with her aura. Between her and himself, the CCC had four aura users currently and only two of them particularly skilled . Yet the other two members were really unskilled with their aura.
It was their fault that they didn't even bother to train themselves. They took the cheap way to unlock their aura at the ripe age of seventeen. Then at the good ole age of eighteen, they could legally refuse academy training. It was a cheap tactic.
It would be a smart move but they didn't bother to learn any aura techniques from anyone. The most they could do is have the basic aura setup, a moderate aura shield and enhanced strength. They didn't want to go through the grueling and long process of the training.
Both he and Acid had trained on the down-low, as it was 'frowned upon' to undergo that training and not be in a combat school.
If they encountered someone with a semblance, they would have some trouble. However, every single aura user was valuable should they encounter any trouble.
As noble as the huntsmen were, they still allowed filth into their ranks. He needed her help, just in-case but she was a criminal, and not actually a part of the CCC.
Her allegiance was with 'Junior', but favors were a powerful thing.
"C'mon Acid. Imagine if your nephew on Patch was next."
She looked up with a dark look in her eyes. "Don't mention him. Ever. Favor or no favor, I'll rip you to shreds," she threatened.
"If you're done, call the men. Have them bring the cargo truck out back. We're hitting Silva's Wayward Orphanage for Faunus Youth tonight." She flipped him off before walking out of the planning room.
The planning room was merely the living room, covered in CCC posters and guns casually strewn about.
He picked up the hooded mask. It was a dark orange, with two holes for their eyes. This was to be done in secrecy.
They didn't have the luxury of an actual mask, but they weren't in this for the glory. He put on the mask and took out his weapon. A simple metal baseball bat. It wasn't his personal weapon, it would be ineffective in channeling his aura. He wasn't expecting any harsh resistance that could be traced back to him. Acid didn't care about that, she could always have 'Junior' handle any legal trouble for her.
From his observations, Blair Silva was a middle-aged dog Faunus and nothing else. He looked at the picture that he got from the website. It displayed a tall figure with black hair and dark brown eyes that seemed to be hiding something.
His plan required taking them, but Blair might be some trouble. If she kept her mouth shut, maybe she would survive.
He may not have any academy aura training, but he had enough experience wielding this weapon. And lucky for him, he hadn't even gotten any strikes against him, but that didn't matter either.
This had to be done. This would send a message to all those animals.
Eye for eye.
Blood for blood.
Blake was in her hiding place when she heard the other kids yelling and screaming. She closed her book and quickly became worried.
What was going on?
She went to the opening and pushed the bookcase away and entered the small library. She crept slowly to the doors as the screams continued. Her cat ears zeroed in past the screams.
"Winchester! We've got a semblance user!" A gruff unfeminine voice yelled.
"Don't use my name! Bitch!" An even gruffer male voice responded.
"Everyone focus on Blair! We only stand a chance together!"
Blair? Ms. Silva! She ran towards the door. It flung open and Blake stumbled back. She realized it was Adam. He was hurt, there was a large gash on the side of his head. She blocked out the conversation and focused on him.
"Adam! What's going-"
"Shhh! You have to run!" He looked around the library. It was enclosed, with the windows barred. A cruel irony, it was to keep them out, but really it was caging them in.
"You have to hide! There's people taking us! It's just me and you!" he whispered.
"What are you going to do?" she whispered back.
He raised a baseball bat that he was holding.
"Don't be stupid, Adam."
"This isn't for debate. You. Are. Going. To. Hide. Now," he said with a stern tone while gunshots echoed outside the library. He gave her a light shove, pushing Blake further into the library.
"You're just a kid," she protested.
"So are you. But I'm older than you. So hide! I don't want you captured! So go!" Adam looked at her with a glare.
His eyes had a small yet roaring fire behind them, it scared her. She didn't protest this time, instead heeding Adam's advice. She ran back into her hole with Adam behind her. He grabbed the bookcase.
"Remember you can't trust them. Stay safe." Then he pushed the bookcase, sealing her in the dark. She heard the library door open through her Faunus ears.
"Hey! We got another one!" The same gruff voice from earlier.
"Eat shit, asshole!" Adam's voice rang out. Slam! She heard what seemed like Adam's baseball bat hit against a sheet of a metal.
"What the fuck are you?!" Adam cried out in shock.
"It's aura, you dumb animal."
Smack!
She heard Adam cry out in pain. She covered her mouth as small tears formed in her eyes.
"Fuck you!"
Smack! She closed her eyes and covered her ears, but her Faunus ears still heard just fine. She tried folding them, but she still heard Adam struggling.
Smack!
Smack!
"Go… fuck… yourself." Then she heard something being dragged out of the room… Adam… She quietly moved the bookcase halfway and saw a hooded mask man dragging Adam out of the library.
"Oh no.. oh no," she muttered.
She never thought they… that they… why would they… Why them? They were kids… They weren't animals…
They were monsters… who would do this to kids? She… she couldn't breathe. She felt anger and panic. Everything was spiraling down. Her whole was changing for the worst. She couldn't hold back the tears as she realized that she was the only one left. The noises ceased suddenly, leaving behind a dead orphanage.
She sobbed into her scarf. She didn't want any of this to happen, but… the book was right, Adam was right. Was it her fault? She didn't know what to think anymore, she just wanted them all back.
After a few minutes, she left her hiding place and carefully exited the library. The hollow orphanage looked like someone desecrated every single inch of the walls. Bullet holes stained the already dirty walls.
Everything felt so numb and empty. She was barely registering the empty halls and then found herself standing in front of a body. Ms. Silva's body.
She felt a stab of guilt. She… didn't deserve this. Silva, who cared for her. Silva, someone she knew her whole life. Silva, the person who fed her, who raised her. Taught her the White Fang ideals. She never deserved this. Blake felt guilty… because she had done nothing.
She spent most of her time conflicted, when she should… should have been with Adam. She could have convinced Silva to do something! To fight back. Instead of waiting for them… to hurt… to kill… she balled her fists.
She couldn't do anything! She was just a kid! She wasn't like Adam, ready to fight… oh Adam. She wasn't like him, ready to fight for her beliefs, whatever they maybe.
She couldn't trust them. The riots… they wouldn't care for her. She couldn't trust them. They would take her away. They wouldn't care for her… they won't help Adam.
So, she did the only thing she could do… run.
She wasn't having a good day. Acid didn't expect Blair Silva to have a semblance. She dodged the rapidly sprouting branches from Blair's hands.
She kept on firing her revolvers at Blair. She jumped onto the wall and kick-flipped as several branches nearly struck her head. She took note that Blair was a heavy semblance user and hadn't shown any advanced aura techniques, yet. If a person had a semblance, then they had the potential for advanced aura techniques unlike any 'awakened'. Ugh… she hated her master's terminology. It reeked of old timeyness. That wasn't a word.
Only huntsmen and certain individuals have a knack for advanced aura skills and semblance, but it was common for untrained individuals to be skilled in only one of the two, such as her.
She may have an untrained semblance, but she made up for it with her developed aura. It allowed access to semblance and many techniques. But the other two fools here, had undeveloped auras. Weak and unskilled, but they should last longer than someone without an aura… and one of them was grabbed by the branches, great.
Blair seemed to be reliant on her semblance, hopefully she wasn't as skilled with aura. If she was, oh boy, Acid's aura skills wouldn't be enough. Blair dodged the stream of bullets. Winchester charged Blair with his baseball bat.
They were the only remotely skilled aura users in this little group, given the fact that they had personal weapons. She landed and ducked behind cover while Winchester kept Blair busy.
She contemplated if she should use her semblance to even the odds. She loaded red Dust bullets into her revolvers. It was just her and Winchester. She looked at the poor fool constricted in branches high on the wall. He was screaming as the branches tightened, squeezing him to death.
His weak aura was the death of him. Still, he did managed to blow a good chunk off Blair's aura with his surprise attack. She would feel pity for him, but she hardly knew him. There should be another guy, but he was probably rounding up the stragglers. She got out of cover and fired at the branches. They caught on fire and she could see the panic in Blair's eyes.
She was screaming something about the children and how they were bastards. Acid tuned that out, like all the other times before, having a conscience during a mission was liable to get her killed.
Winchester let out a yell and charged at Blair while she desperately tried to put out the fire. Acid reloaded normal bullets. He probably put all of his aura into that swing, dangerous and risky. It could backfire if it wasn't his personal weapon. She went through the wall and into the front entrance. Acid dove through the hole, firing the regular bullets at her.
Bang!
Bang!
She stumbled back and fell onto her knees.
Her aura shielding shimmered, signifying that her aura was no longer protecting her. Often times, most people won't notice that their aura is gone in the heat of battle, but Blair seemed to know. Blair crawled on the floor, begging them not to hurt the children. She shot the dog Faunus in the head. A small mercy.
"We lost Larkspur," Winchester informed the other guy. She looked at the other guy, he was dragging some unconscious redhead bull Faunus kid.
They went outside and threw him into the back of the container. Winchester took off his mask and went into the driver seat alongside the other guy. He rolled down the window to talk to Acid.
"We're even."
"What are you going to do with the kids?" Acid asked.
"What we do with the filth is none of your business," Winchester retorted before he drove off, leaving Acid with a huff.
This was bad for business all around. She threw the stupid mask down to the ground. She wasn't stupid. Hopefully someone overheard Winchester's name and notice the mask.
She heard the sirens and gunfire echo in the city. She better run… or drive off. She hopped onto her orange and grey motorcycle and sped off. She arrived at Hei's club, it was heavily guarded, but the guards let her in.
"Where's Hei?" she asked the bartender.
"He's out."
"Doing what?" she asked.
"He told me to keep quiet, but it seemed pretty big."
"Mind telling a gal?"
"Nope."
"Uuuugh!" she slammed her head into the bar.
"Rough day?" a familiar voice asked.
She lifted her head and saw her friend. An olive skinned woman with light grey hair was wearing a guard's outfit. A bullet-proof vest with a logo over a dark blue collared sweater.
She responded. "Yep. How's the gig at Charon Apartments?"
"Surprisingly boring. The riots haven't reached that district yet."
"Please, you'd get your ass kicked."
"Whatever, Sparks. At least I don't have to worry about getting a life sentence without trial if I get caught."
"Pfft. I'm too good for that, you should know better Umber."
"Look at Miss Druggie over here." Umber slurred out.
"You're drunk again. Can't even hold your alcohol, how the hell are you even suppose to hold up in a fight?" Acid asked.
"Please. I don't need an aura or a semblance."
"You're just jealous."
"Whatever," Umber replied.
Acid drank alongside her friend.
"I think I need a vacation," she muttered to Umber.
"Take one then. You could afford it. I'm sure Hei's other gal could handle things. Visit your brother on Patch for a week or so, it'll do you some good," Umber said with sincerity. She was always smart like that. Always kept her stupid ass from… well doing insanely stupid shit. She was a good friend.
"Yeah… you're probably right."
"First time you admitted I was right. Now if you could only say the same thing about your drug problem," Umber joked.
"I don't have a problem," Acid protested.
"So you say." Umber laughed and took a sip of the beer.
Perhaps she will visit Patch. A week away from the madness of the underworld and the riots will keep her from going insane.
"Columbine, I'm very disappointed that you didn't meet the quota."
The deer Faunus before him cowered. Whether it was his group's reputation or his opposing presence, it did not matter.
"But Tavern-" He held up his hand and Columbine shut his trap.
"Ten human kids. And you got me five."
"They got to the school faster than I could take them," he protested.
"Take him." Columbine went to punch him but Tavern's aura protected him. The two guards hauled the protesting Faunus away. This was bad business. He didn't want to resort to children, but as the fear and hate rose, he must outdo their cruelty. He got both human and Faunus kids. Nobody would suspect his group. They wouldn't believe that his group would go for both of them, they would rather blame the other.
Children were especially prone to fear and suffering. He'd like to pretend he had some degree of morality to this, making the horrible people suffer horrible fates. Yet… morality had no place here. Dirty business.
"A Mr. Winchester is here to see you," his wife said.
"Thank you, Cloche, dear." His wife left the room and soon a man with burnt orange hair entered the room.
"Mister Winchester," he greeted the man.
Unlike the previous guest, he stood his ground with some arrogance.
"I heard you wanted some Faunus? Young?"
Tavern nodded.
"I got about fifteen. Need a place to dump this filth."
Bad business.
"Excellent," Tavern said with a wide grin on his face.
Horrible business.
"So, is the Strangerhood really bad as they say?" Winchester asked with a sick sense of curiosity. It was intriguing to see how his vendetta hold up against the Strangerhood ideology.
Of course, it wasn't as bad as they say. He'd like to have some sense of human decency. No indecent perversion, prisoners were going to suffer, at least they can have some dignity in death. Of course, the general public didn't need to know that.
"Oh, it's a fate worse than death," he leaned into whisper.
Better to fear the Strangerhood than the Grimm. A thankless job. Winchester gave a small chuckle, empty and hollow. At least he wasn't heartless. Still…
"You're dismissed, Winchester. Tell our associates where the kids are and we'll be on our way." Winchester nodded and left the room.
Now, he needed to make some hockey fake rituals. Unfortunately, only a selected few knew the Strangerhood's true goals. Yet, people wouldn't do horrible things for the right reasons, but they would do it under the veil of mysticism. He sighed quietly. The next couple of weeks… he pitied the kids, Faunus and human.
"For the greater good," he muttered quietly.
His scroll began ringing.
"Hello?" he answered.
"We've got a problem," a panicked yet surprisingly light voice that he had known nearly half of his life rang out.
That wasn't good. Huntsmen? Huntress? Dropout? Freelancer? Rouge?
"It's Lopez."
"Who?"
"The wolf Faunus! He's planning to out our camps!"
"Thought he retired," Tavern responded. Keep calm.
"It doesn't matter! If he outs the camp at Mountain Glenn-" The Grimm would attack Vale.
"Alright," his tone dripped with finality. The voice on the other end silenced in shame.
"Sorry, father."
"Thank you, Margaret." He closed the scroll. This was bad. Bad, bad, bad. He might have to spend some of the wealth to solve this problem.
"Clocke!" Tavern called out.
"Yes, dear?" His wife entered the room.
"I need a list of drop-outs and freelancers available in the area." Clocke nodded and left the room.
He began pacing. How dare he try and expose them? He was going to concoct some inane ritualistic punishment for the Faunus. His wife entered the room again.
"Dear, there's only one mercenary in the area."
"And their name?" he asked.
"Felix."
Blake hated the streets. The riots may peak during the night, but during the day it was almost as bad. Everywhere she went on the first day, she saw the worst of humanity. Then in a cruel fit of irony, she met a friendly shopkeeper, who'd given her some food and a place to rest before they showed up.
After the beatings, she left to spare the shopkeeper any more pain. She learned on the first day, that nearly all humans hated and despised Faunus.
'For every single act of kindness by one of them, there are thousand more atrocities.'
On the second day, she experienced starvation and dehydration. She felt like she was going to die on the blackened streets like some animal.
Her stomach twisted and shriveled while her throat became drier than Vacuo. She watched them lavishly drink and eat. They had the impunity to watch her suffer while they lived like kings and queens.
'There is a system of oppression implemented to keep the Faunus down. They take pleasure in our suffering.'
On the third day, she stole for the first time in her life. Desperation overrode any sense of civility. They didn't understand her plight and condemned her. Her body still ached when they threw her down to the ground and kicked her in the stomach.
'They will never attempt to understand our situation. And for that, they cannot be trusted.'
On the fourth day, she was too weak to move. She felt so powerless and she hid down in a dark alley, staring at her shadow. She wished things weren't like this. She wondered what she was even doing. How could the world be so cruel to her… to Faunus?
She had done nothing wrong! She used to uphold the White Fang ideals and they spat in her face. She was beginning to think that human and Faunus simply couldn't coexist.
No!
She shouldn't think like that. She didn't want anything to change. She repeated the White Fang creed to herself, trying to cling onto any remnant of her old life.
"To be White Fang means that you must humble yourself," she rasped out.
Is this humble enough for you?! she wanted to scream out.
No. She couldn't think like that. She had to stay positive. Things could still go back the way they were… she lied to herself.
"To be White Fang means to stay your hand where others will lash out," she once again muttered to herself.
This wasn't helping! She stopped repeating the motto. She wanted to believe that life wasn't like this. She desperately tried to imagine a life where she wasn't here. A life where everyone could live in harmony. Adam would call that a fool's dream, a pitiful fairy tale delusion.
The Manifesto would agree with him, but Ms. Silva would shame them both. Yet… for all her talks of peace… she began to sob. Equality… would never happen… without revolution. She will never live a normal life… The Manifesto and the White Fang beliefs conflicted way too much.
'They call us animals– monsters, then we shall show them all.'
'Human and Faunus must learn to coexist for the good of all.'
She wanted to believe in both of them, but she couldn't.
On the fifth day, a creeping chill spread across the land. She weakly stumbled through the chaotic streets with her scarf providing very little warmth. She found herself begging in front of a small store with a symbol of a snowflake.
Help me. She begged and pleaded.
Yet they did not help, claiming they weren't a charity. She hated them.
"Hey, you alright kid?" a calm voice asked. She turned to face the source of the voice. An older man with messy brown hair in a brown leather jacket greeted her.
He was calm yet looked tall and ferocious as a wild bear. It was an oddity amongst the yelling and screaming in Vale. The riots flared and calmed down with a sporadic sense of timing. She sputtered out something incomprehensible.
"You look like you could use some food." He was holding some bag with a label called McDoyle's. He gave Blake the food. She looked with awe… how could someone like him do something that nice to her? Maybe Ms. Silva… bless her heart… was right about something.
"Mogar! You done scoping out the joint?" a voice yelled out in the distance.
"Be right there, Geoff! Sorry, kid. Gotta run. The streets are no place for ya. Stay safe." He ran off to join his friend.
She felt something. A spark. She turned around back at the convenience store. She saw their evil judging faces. The spark extinguished.
Shouts of protest echoed behind her. She turned to face the streets. Faunus rioters were charging toward the approaching riot police. She ran.
Perhaps… if had to come down to it, the evil ones have to suffer. While some others… they were good.
On the sixth day, she was feeling a bit better. The world wasn't a happy fairy tale like Ms. Silva would want nor was it as cynical as Adam implied. Humans were a bit of both good and bad unlike Faunus. She understood that now.
She felt like the world was no longer cloaked in am unclear veil. The future needed to change, all the other Faunus were working to change this cruel world.
What was she doing? She wasn't begging for food, but rather… she looked at the stolen food before her.
The world needed to change fast if it was cruel enough to force her into this unfair situation.
The seventh day was when the world gave her the tools to change the world.
"Damn, damn!" She stepped on something sharp, cursing at the fact that she didn't have any shoes.
Cursing was a weird thing. Foreign words felt weird in her mouth. She never understood the appeal that Adam… found in… it. Adam… she missed him. She clung onto the single hope that he wasn't… dead like Ms. Silva.
No! For too long she did nothing! She had to find him! She had to do something! But she didn't know what to do! She had to think like those detectives like in those mystery books. Think! Think! All she could hear was Adam's cries of pain… and that name!
What was the name?! She walked out of the dark alley. The damp and dirty alleys were one of the only safe places to sleep. The streets were dangerous and night made it particularly dangerous to transverse. Yet… when there was a rare moment of peace… it was quiet beautiful… the dark night sky. It gave her clarity, helped her think. Now, what was the name?
"Hey, little kitty kitty." She turned around. A guy wearing a paper bag over his head with a purple hoodie was leaning on a lamp-pole. He was wearing two watches… then he pressed a button on both of them.
Tiny metal sheets shot out of the watch and covered his hands like a glove. Large knives popped out like claws on his fingers. Blake began to turn to run but the guy raised his hand and a tiny ball that seemed to distort the very air swirled in his hand. He threw it at Blake. Blake tried to dodge as the ball slammed into the ground, encapsulating her in a bubble of distortion. It felt like her body was fighting to move, as she felt her heart slow down.
The man laughed as he kicked her out of the bubble. She felt something crack within inside her. It was like someone was crushing her insides. The man raised his claws high mockingly as he crept toward her. She couldn't help but see the mockery. Only Faunus should have those claws, he was mocking her… and every other Faunus! And if he thinks that he could just do whatever he wants because he's human! They take and they take! Thinking that they could get away with it! For too long she has been docile, she has to rise up! There has to be justice for Ms. Silva!
There has to be justice for all Faunus! Starting with filth like him! She got up despite the increasing pressure on her chest. She dug her nails into the palm of her hand, once blood was drawn, she let go. Something feral woke up inside her. Blood slid down her fist and onto the street.
Then more blood exploded onto the road. Her fingertips coated in her blood and on her... claws. The man seemed amused. He gestured for her to come over there. She sped towards him, claws first. He dodged with inhuman speed and Blake growled in frustration. He laughed, she charged again. He grabbed her by the wrist and lifted her high into the air.
"Gonna cut you up," he said with hunger in his voice.
No!
She had to fight! She swiped futilely at him with her free hand. He slashed her stomach and tossed her to the ground. Her body recoiled as she tried to stop the blood. She should be better than this! How can she help make the world a better place if humans like him lived while Faunus like her are begging beneath their feet. She won't ever stop.
There will be a better world because… of Faunus like her getting rid of filth like him. The man stepped back as she was coated with a thin veil of shadows before it dissipated. Could it be? Aura? Like the stories of old? Heroes righting the wrongs of the world. The man conveyed a heavy sense of disappointment.
"Well, this got boring. If you ever become something kiddo, try to find me and we can have a rematch. Toodle loo." She charged at the man once more with a previously unknown vigor to her muscles. The man merely hopped several feet into the air and onto a rooftop.
"Get back here!" she screamed. She went to the building where he jumped on and slammed her fist into the brick wall. It shattered beneath her fist.
She took several deep breathes… she shouldn't get angry. She inhaled, exhaled. A simple calming method Silva taught her. She will honor her memory by bringing back a world where the evil humans are punished while the good are spared. Equality. It wasn't a pipe dream anymore. The sick and evil man that attacked her didn't matter right now. She smiled as she remembered the name of the 'man' that stole her friend... Adam.
She would save him from Winchester.
Days lost their meaning when the sky changes but the screams don't. She couldn't really keep track of the days. She counted the sunrises and the sunsets, and the sounds of revolution never ceased. Neither would her. She had been given a gift to change things for the better.
She liked this feeling. It was like before… when she was in the orphanage before her beliefs were tested, but they came out even stronger… and modified ever so slightly. Living on the streets had been her crucible and she had emerged stronger and even more convicted.
It was like… destiny. She delicately traced her claws along her leg. She couldn't retract her claws, but that didn't faze her. She instead took it as a sign that her mission was not yet done. She had been roaming around the city even more and more, no longer bound.
She stayed in the vicinity of the orphanage during her first week on the streets, but after getting the tools to do some real good, she found the orphanage abandoned, police tape fluttering in the wind. It was better than sleeping on the streets.
Her home was empty and swallowed up in a well of despair. Everything had been either looted or vandalized. Graffiti stained her former home.
She cried herself to sleep the first night back. And the nights that followed. For a whole week, she cried herself to sleep. She was alone. The circumstances that forced her here had to change. She wanted give… take… do anything to have another night with all of them.
She would have another night with everyone. She would save them. She would save Adam. The world was going to change. The world would transform into something new. A world where she no longer needed to steal food to survive. A world where she didn't sleep in a destroyed and empty home. A world where Faunus would no longer forced to live like this.
A world where Faunus could live like...and with human. The second week, she took it upon herself to track down Winchester. The riots died down but not the fires of revolution. They could no longer ignore the problems, the corruption, the hate! She arose from the darkened well, like a new woman coming out of the dead shell of her former self.
The night was cold and a black sea of fading stars. She couldn't move during the day. She knew more about aura than the rest of the kids. Adam never paid close attention to the lessons on aura. She did. It was like the books she read, the ability to change the world. Silva would tell them stories about how great men and women changing the world for the better.
They fought when they needed to, and when peace came, they brought an age of prosperity through mere words. The riots were just that. Perhaps now, things could change for the better. But she wouldn't experience that alone. She needed to find Winchester and save them. So, she found herself lurking in the shadows, looking for anything.
This aura gave her the opportunity to do some good. No longer would hate go unpunished. She sunk her claws into the wall and climbed as tiny bits of energy channeled through her fingertips. She had no idea on how she was going to find Adam and the rest, but she couldn't do nothing.
A cry of pain echoed the night sky. The riots were over… yet she heard a scream, a desperate plea as cruel laughter overtook it. She had to do something! She brought her scarf up, covering her face. She sped toward the source of the distress.
She found herself looking down, judging the monsters harassing the innocent. She heard their curses and threats against the Faunus. She descended down like an avenging angel onto the two filth. She barely managed stick the landing and hobbled slightly.
The first monster went down while the second one pulled something out, a knife. He slashed, she blocked with her arm. It bounced off and she slashed and slashed. The man blocked with his arms.
She managed to cut at the man's chest but before she could cut any deeper, she was pulled away by the second monster. She was thrown to the ground, and she felt something shattered.
He got up, beaten and battered. Being a pacifist was never easy. Manually lowering his aura was a relatively easy task. Aura never turned off unless one willed it. Getting beaten was another story. He had to be careful. He was on his second strike, another one and he would get a life sentence. Then there was him and the White Fang. He was in hot water with the rest of them.
Yet… when a tiny cat Faunus leapt out of the shadows and attacked the two men, he knew what was going to happen. A child gets aura, thinks they can take on the world, and they either die on the street or get picked up. The men swarmed upon the child when her aura shielding shattered. Maybe she would have had a chance if she had some training. All it took was a couple of hard punches and her aura was gone. He wasn't going to stand-by.
He inhaled as his aura returned. The girl was down on the ground as they kicked. To save a child, he would break his pacifism. He wasn't going to kill them, that was only to be used as a last resort. He jumped in, pushing the two men away. He punched one man's throat, while another took a swing at him. He ducked and with his fists, uppercutted the man. His aura enhanced strength knocked him out in one blow.
It was easy… so easy to kill them. Of course, death was reserved for the ones who deserved it. To be a true pacifist was insane, because the world didn't work like that. However, the White Fang would disagree.
He looked to the cat Faunus. She was bleeding from the side of her head with it slowly trickling down. Bruises marked her face, swelling over her eye. This was just her face, hopefully the bruises weren't over the rest of her. This kid must be seriously messed up. Well, aura did give people the power to act out their wishes and fantasies. The kid needed help. He picked up the girl and kept to the shadows as he made his way to the motel. He placed the girl on the bed and rinsed his hands. He then took out his medical kit and started stitching up the kid. Children's aura couldn't help for this.
The kid was trouble, but she needed help. He pulled out a chair and started reading a book, Inter-dynamics of Human and Faunus. His White Fang brothers would disagree with his methods. There were times to fight and times to stand down.
That was the main problem with the Fang. They never ever fight, not even as a last resort. They would probably condemn him because he had to save the child. At least some of them were understanding, like that Blair woman. If only they understood that. The child began to stir.
"Where… where am I?" she asked.
"You're with me, kid."
The girl sat up, groaning in pain. "I… who are you?"
"My name is Tukson. Now would you mind telling me who you are and why you're lurking about, playing 'hero'?"
"I'm… Blake. And they were bad people!" she argued. "They were hurting you! They deserved it."
"Did they really deserve to get beaten up? They're just small fry." he asked.
"Yes! They're bad people have to be punished." A naive yet noble viewpoint. Still… there was a reason why he didn't fight back.
"You know why I didn't fight? Because it would only made things worse. Some people can't be persuaded to change. Besides they're a symptom, not the disease."
"But they… they're like the people… that took my friends! People like them… they don't deserve to live a happy life." She was beginning to sound like a radical… but… what happened to her 'friends'?
"Do… you have a family to go back to?" he asked sincerely.
"They… they… took everyone I know. And they killed her."
"Killed… Ms. Silva."
"Wait… Blair Silva?" She wiped her faces, trying to stop herself from crying. She nodded.
"Shit." He sunk into his chair. She was a good woman, honest with her beliefs. Yet… if she died… this was one of her orphan kids. Nobody heard from her since the riots began. Everyone feared the worst.
"Where… what happened?" he asked.
"I don't know!" she cried. "I hid like a coward. Then I… ran. I could have done something."
"Hey, hey, hey. It's not your fault. Do you know who did this?" Maybe he could round up some more like minded friends and… Nobody should do that to kids.
"Winchester," she mouthed the word.
"And they took your friends?" Another nod.
"Well… shit." They sat in silence.
"I have to do something." Blake shattered the illusion of silence.
"No," he said sternly.
"But-" He raised his hand.
"Listen, you're a kid. A kid with aura maybe but a kid nevertheless."
"I have to do something," she protested.
"No, you're not. You're untrained, undisciplined, and liable to get yourself killed."
She sunk onto the bed. "So, I get this power to help people, and I'm suppose to do nothing with it?"
"Yes."
"Why?" she questioned. She was a child after all, he shouldn't expect her to be knowledgeable in the world.
"Do you know what you just did when you… 'saved' me?"
"Two evil monsters got punished," was the immediate reply.
"No, you just caused a whole myriad of problems. First off, you could have gotten killed. Aura isn't a free pass. It requires focus and training. Second, do you realize that-"
She interrupted this time.
"People like them deserve to feel the same pain I feel! It's not fair!" She almost shouted. Hopefully nobody else heard that.
"People like what? Human?"
"Evil humans." Well, her viewpoint wasn't completely black and white. He shook his head. Sadly, he's seen this before, child soldiers were a sickening sight. This kid was on the road to being completely fucked up, not understanding how the world works… or even the value of another person's life. She needed to understand that violence should be a last resort. He had to do something.
"Kid, my point is that people are going to be suspicious. And it's going to be harder on all of us. I'll be the first to admit that some people do deserve punishment. But you can't just run around playing vigilante- especially you, given your age. Your aura is durable but weak. And you can't even pop those claws back in. You could do great things. And you squander it."
She let out a cry of protest and moved to get up, her body fought against her as the pain flared across her body. She ceased her attempt to get up as the cries of protest turned into small yelps of pain. She was frustrated.
"Then train me!" she shouted.
He thought for a moment. On one hand, he could turn her in to the authorities. Then she would be trained to become a huntress. A noble pursuit, given the right individual. Blake did seem to want to some good. The option that he never would pick is let the kid go. Blake would probably be dead within a couple days or picked up by the authorities.
Or… he could go with the kid's suggestion. He wasn't the most qualified to be a teacher and he wasn't the best person to raise the kid… but the kid… she had probably been living on the streets for weeks on end. That could really fuck up a child, he didn't trust the system to understand the kid's plight. He was worried that the kid might not see the value in life, could the system change that?
Perhaps. Yet perfectly, normal people with families could flip a switch and be perfectly fine with murder. With the way the kid was heading, this could be her future. That shouldn't be the case for this kid.
However, he felt a sense of obligation anyway he can. Maybe he can just train the kid a little bit. Train a sense of discipline into her and once she was ready, she could decide her own destiny.
He made his decision.
"Hey dad, you alright?" his son asked him.
"I'm fine, Cardin."
"Are you sure you don't to come with us to the movies?" Cardin asked.
"I'm sure." Cardin waved good bye to him and went off with his mother and her.
He closed the door and wandered his empty house. It seemed like yesterday that he had some CCC stuff set up here and they were planning on how to take some Faunus kids. It's been four weeks, and he still hasn't gotten any sleep.
Perhaps he went too far? Maybe he should have gone after the ones responsible. Maybe he should have done something other than giving those kids to the Strangerhood. Punishing them was one thing… but maybe that was too much for him. Why should he feel guilty? He hated that… and hated them.
Look how much damage those riots caused… but maybe he was too caught up in the moment? Acid, for all of her strung out and bitchy self, perhaps had a point. They were just kids. He shouldn't have condemned them to a fate worse than death, but what could he do?
The deed was done, nothing to be done. Their fates written in stone and that wasn't the worst of it. He got Larkspur killed. He had to leave his corpse at that orphanage.
Of course, nobody knew the true story but he died with a stain on his family. He had to comfort his daughter because he was her godfather. Whenever he peered into those bright green eyes, he was reminded of Larkspur's death. The man was a party animal, and he had many fond memories of that bald bastard out-drinking him. He went into the kitchen and got out a small bottle of beer, cheap probably. He popped open the cap and raised it high.
"For you, Larkspur Fir. You crazy bastard."
This was something of a tradition for him now. He drank the beer before pouring the rest down the sink. He then made his way to the guest room where his god-daughter was staying. He looked at the necklace that held the Fir family symbol.
It was the only thing that Delphis had left of her father. Family symbols change over the generations, often getting modified or even changing entirely. It represented one's whole lineage, no matter how much it changed. He looked upon the purple-colored necklace. It had a one big, purple leaf with a trail of smaller fluttering behind it.
It was like a simple autumn wind. He doubted that Delphis would change the family symbol, maybe modify it slightly. She would wear that symbol proudly, in honor of her father. He could never hope to replace the man. All his fault. Yet, he knew what he had to do. He was going to make sure Delphis was safe. It was going to be penance for his failure to protect him.
The world was becoming more and more violent despite the riots ending. Just last week, two guys were attacked by Faunus but that was in the agricultural district. He wasn't wealthy so to speak, but he did live on the edges of the upper-class distract.
He wasn't worried for his family's safety even this late at night. Vale was in remarkably good shape despite the damage done in the riots, given the fact that it the majority of the damage was done in the more lower class areas despite the occasional attack outside that district.
He left his house and took a walk. It helped, gave him time to air out his thoughts. The CCC was the anti-White Fang in a sense. It was a noble cause. The death of Larkspur made him consider his position. Would he end up like his friend? Sure, he wasn't like Larkspur, a single father but… he would leave his wife behind, his son behind… his god-daughter behind. Perhaps it was time to cut ties. He walked pretty far from his home. He found himself in front of a convenience store, SDC owned. He heard that they were expanding away from Dust, but the convenience store business? Pfft. Hopefully they sold energy drinks here, alcohol did tend to numb him down. Besides, it was better to be over-active than a sad drunk.
A father had a duty to be the best in front of his kid. There was an old, balding man at the counter. He seemed to be anxiously looking at him and glancing at the backroom.
"Don't get many customers."
"Well, your location doesn't help."
"Hehehe. Yeah." This small talk got awkward. He took the drinks and began walking home. With his scroll in hand, he made a call.
"Hey, Purity?" Hopefully his contact in the CCC wouldn't mind him leaving the organization. He'd rather spend time with his family now.
"Mister Winchester, to what do I owe this pleasantry?"
"I'm leaving the CCC."
The voice on the other end seemed surprised and disappointed. "Oh… that's a shame. May I inquire the reason?"
"I just want to spend time with my family, not taking any risks and whatnot. Nothing personal."
"A real shame. Though, I do hope you consider rejoining in the future."
Heh. When he was needed, he'd answer the call.
"You know what they say about the future, twisted and uncertain. But I tell you what is certain, if push comes to shove, I'll be there."
"Glad to hear it, brother. Stay safe. I'll inform Dawn about your decision." The call disconnected. He found himself at the front door.
He set the drinks down and plopped in front of the TV. After several minutes his scroll chimed.
'On our way home.'
He got up and stretched.
SMASH!
It sounded like a window broke. He ran to the source of the sound.
A tiny cat Faunus with a scarf covering most of it's… her face and she wore angry eyes.
Eyes of a predator. He got the feeling this was the result of the attack on the orphanage.
He was already serving punishment by the guilt and the regret of looking at his god-daughter's face everyday.
This was no ordinary Faunus, he could tell.
Aura made this kid cocky.
She popped out a pair of claws from her fingertips. She adopted a stance, one borne out of an animalistic like desire but with a certain level of restraint. Trained too. He cracked his knuckles. He wasn't dying here.
They charged at each other.
Beta'd by /u/Spartacus400, Edited by /u/shandromand
Next chapter: Gaston