Sun coughed slightly and brought a hand up to his mouth as the group entered the small workshop. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and chemicals, and a not insignificant layer of dust coated many of the books lining the walls of the entranceway. A long corridor led down to a large, brightly lit room from which metallic banging echoed, and Sun soon found himself starting to get a headache from prolonged exposure to the repetitive noise.
"Pietro?" Clover called as he made his way into the room with Hope in tow. "I need to speak to you."
A whole new unfamiliar sound caused Sun to physically recoil as he heard it. The grinding, metallic whirr that replaced the former banging seemed to creep through his very bones, and as he turned the corner with Weiss and Yang at his sides, he couldn't help but stare open-mouthed at the man before him.
Pietro Polendina was an elderly, dark-skinned man with greying hair and an equally ashen beard. He was a somewhat portly individual, and his features held the wrinkles and scars of someone who had experienced quite a lot for one lifetime. His wardrobe was of a simple, earth-toned suit with a curious pink bowtie. He sat atop a futuristic-looking chair held aloft by four, spider-like mechanical legs, each whirring and clicking as its knees bent in rhythm to carry him toward the group from the other side of the room.
"My, my, quite a crowd," Pietro remarked in a warm, kindly voice as he used a hand to adjust his glasses. "And here I was thinking tonight would be a quiet one, until Ms. Calavera showed up."
Maria gave the group a small wave from her place atop a stool on the far side of the room. Sun bristled and hissed as he saw that she had a drink in one hand, and the relic of knowledge in her lap beneath the other.
"Nothing's ever quiet with this group around, Pietro," Maria sassed as she threw back her glass and drained it of liquid. "Though after this, we should be in the clear. Nice to see you kids too, by the way. I'm safe, and all. Thanks for asking."
Sun's heart pounded as he stole a glance at Clover, who had his eyes locked firmly upon the relic. Before anyone else could say a word, the faunus stepped forward and extended a hand to Pietro, along with a winning smile.
"Hi! We're friends of Ms. Calavera's, and we were trying to escort her here before the grimm attacked Mantle," the boy said quickly as Pietro took his hand and shook firmly. "I'm Sun, this is Yang and Weiss, and that's Clover."
"Oh, I know Mr. Ebi very well," Pietro said mirthfully as he folded his hands back in his lap. "And I also know about the relic back there, so you don't need to be overly polite. It's safe, and in good hands."
"While I appreciate your efforts in looking after it during the grimm attack, I need to transport that relic up to Atlas immediately," Clover stated authoritatively as he turned his attention down to Pietro. "General Ironwood will want to secure it within the Academy as soon as he hears of this, and regardless of their good intentions, I'm not about to trust a group of plucky teens with such a powerful artifact."
Yang's shoulders rose momentarily, before she turned her eyes to Sun and found him giving her a pleading look. With a heavy breath, she walked across the room and busied herself with inspecting random pieces of gadgetry laid about the workbenches with seemingly incredible interest.
"Sir… Mr. Ebi," Sun began, "While the rest of my group agrees that we need to get the relic to General Ironwood, it isn't that simple. If Dr. Poledina is trustworthy, then I think we should discuss some things to clear the air, and make more sense of this, now that we're safe."
"The only things that we need to discuss are what to do with you and yours, and why you have a relic," Clover rebuked as he began to stride across the room, toward the aforementioned artifact. "Keep it short and sweet. We can't risk the lamp being out in public for any longer than it needs to be."
Weiss cleared her throat loudly enough to get the attention of everyone in the room, Clover included. The man turned just before reaching Maria and folded his arms across his chest.
"…problem, Miss Schnee?"
"…had you spat my name with any more disgust, one of us would have to clean this poor man's floor," Weiss said as she mirrored Clover's pose and narrowed her eyes.
"I have my reasons," Clover replied cryptically.
"Be that as it may," Weiss said icily, "We have a relic because we stood together to protect Haven Academy. We came here to do our duty as hunters in protecting the people, and saw transporting the relic to General Ironwood as the best move for Remnant at large. Please consider that when deciding your next course of action regarding us."
The room fell silent as Hope finished a whispered side conversation with Pietro, and then made her way across the room to stand next to Clover. Yang saw the android through her peripheral vision and sneered as she clenched a fist. Sun could feel the tension in the room weighing upon his shoulders, and bit his lip as he awaited Clover's response.
"…huh," Clover said with a quick shrug. "That was a lot of words, to say very little… though I really shouldn't be too surprised. Many people came together to defend Haven Academy. That doesn't explain how and why you got your hands on this, why you seem to know what it is, or how you got past the blockade in Argus. All of those facts are concerning, and enough to consider detaining you."
"Now, Clover," Pietro began as his walker carried him closer to the professional, "there's no need to be so harsh with these kids. I even recognize some of them, from the Vytal tournament broadcast."
"We're not kids," Yang seethed under her breath.
"As do I," Clover spat as he turned his eyes toward Yang, who met his gaze, unblinking. "I recognize her from when she assaulted her opponent after he was down, and I recognize Wei-"
"Alright, that's it!" Yang said threateningly as she began to stride across the room, only for Sun to throw out an arm and stop her in her tracks.
"Whoa, whoa!" the boy cried out as Yang shot him a death glare. "Enough! Clover, we… all of us here were in a direct battle with Salem's forces and Adam Taurus at the school, Yang's mother is the Fall Maiden, she opened the vault at Haven, and left Yang with the relic of knowledge, and we worked together with the White Fang to slip past Argus security and bring the lamp here!"
"What the fuck, Sun!?" Yang practically yelled as Weiss followed up with her own glare at the boy.
"Well, there's no putting any of that back in the bag," the former heiress said with a heavy sigh before looking at Clover once again. "But it's all true."
"And that's what matters," Sun said emphatically as he slowly dropped his arm from holding back Yang. "That may be the short version, but that's everything I can tell you about why we're here, and what we're doing. Please, we came here to help- not to endanger Mantle, Atlas, or anywhere else. All I'm asking is that you let us help. Take us to General Ironwood, and I'll tell you both everything you want to know… but you need to take all of us."
Clover was silent for a long time, and simply regarded Sun with a curious expression throughout the duration. The faunus boy jumped slightly as Pietro placed a large hand upon his shoulder.
"…for what it's worth, I think the boy's honesty should be commended. That is what you asked for, after all. While some of what was just said may not be the ideal scenario by any stretch of the imagination, the chips have fallen. Now, it's just a matter of what we do with them."
"…Hope, take the relic," Clover instructed as he kept his eyes on Sun. The android did as she was told as Maria offered the lamp up willingly.
"Good riddance," the older woman said harshly. "Stupid grimm magnet."
"…please," Sun repeated. "We can help. We've been fighting back Salem's forces and the White Fang for months, at this point."
"You also said you worked with the White Fang," Clover reminded as he took out his scroll. "The Aces can handle this scenario. It's what we've been trained for."
"So you're not even going to let us talk to Ironwood?" Yang seethed.
"General Ironwood," Clover said with disinterest as he brought his scroll to his ear. "And that's up to him. All of you are headed topside on account of having the missing Schnee daughter with you. A reward was put up for her return."
"I am not returning to my father," Weiss insisted as Hope strode past her and made her way toward the entrance.
"General?" Clover said into the device as he turned away from the assembled group. "Yes, the grimm on the ground have been successfully repelled, and the source has been located. A group of teens have arrived in Mantle with the relic of knowledge from Haven Academy."
Another tense silence filled the room as Yang began to pace, her fists clenched once again.
'Sun Wukong, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long, Ilia Amitola, and Jaune Arc. They're also transporting a high-ranking member of the White Fang. They want to see you personally, and claim to have information relating to Salem," Clover continued, before pausing as a response came over the line. "I'm in Dr. Polendina's workshop, and he is present. He has a guest. Understood."
"Well?" Yang asked immediately.
"We're escorting you to General Ironwood personally," Clover confirmed as he snapped his scroll shut and headed for the entrance. "Dr. Polendina, Miss Calavera, your presence is required, as well."
"Oh, for the love of… and I just got comfortable!" Maria complained as she hopped off her stool.
"Let's not waste any time," Clover said coldly as he exited the room. Weiss was the first to follow, and then Pietro. Sun put a gentle hand on Yang's shoulder as they lagged behind, and he spoke in a near whisper.
"…I'm sorry for shutting you down, and for… telling him about Raven."
"Don't be," Yang spat as she glared after the mechanical chair ahead of them. "I'm pissed, but I also agreed to let you lead us for a reason. I trust your judgment, and I don't trust mine right now. Keep doing what you're doing. You're getting results."
"Well, the result that I want right now is for you to cool off and feel like you still have a say in this," Sun offered. "I'm no dictator. If you want to vent later, I'll lend you an ear."
"…maybe," Yang considered as they began to walk together. "But I will be having words with the good doctor, after we get done with Ironwood."
"I know," Sun replied. "And then… I won't stop you. We need to do this with total honesty. All of this- with Ironwood, and with each other."
"Then let's hope the others stick to that policy. I sure as hell will," Yang reassured as they made their way to the door.
Sun simply nodded, and walked back out to join the others.
Taiyang Xiao Long let out a long, weary sigh as he brought up a gloved hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. He stared down at the freshly made row of raised dirt with pride and dusted his hands together before removing his soiled gloves and beginning to walk back toward the house, hoe in hand.
"That's enough for one day," he mused as he returned the gardening equipment to its rightful place within the garage. "Now, to worry about dinner for one, as usual…"
As the man moved to step inside of his house, he paused. A strange feeling of pins and needles crept up his spine and arms, causing the hairs upon the back of his neck to stand straight. He held his breath for a moment as he simply listened, only to hear the sound of the refrigerator door open from deeper inside of the cottage.
"…hello?" he called rather loudly, only to receive no response.
Taiyang took a deep breath in through his nose before dipping back into the garage and hastily walking toward the far wall. There upon a simple rack was a long, golden trident inlaid with a blue swirl design snaking its way up the grip. He immediately took the weapon down and carried it with himself as he made his way into the house, walking briskly.
"Ruby? Yang?" he tried as he made his way toward the kitchen and leveled his weapon before himself.
Taiyang slid into the kitchen with his weapon at the ready, only to find the refrigerator door wide open, and nothing else suspicious. The man gently nudged the side of the door with his trident to close it, and began walking through the house once again as he blew out a tense breath.
"Alright, come on. Just make yourself known. I don't want to hurt you," Taiyang called as he walked into the living room, only to feel his heart stop at the sight of the figure sitting upon the couch with a bottle of wine in their hand and a sheathed sword in the other.
"Honestly? I wouldn't blame you if you did," Raven replied before taking a long, slow sip.
Author's Note:
AND THEN THEY FU-
-RD