"To be totally honest… I don't particularly care what any of you think of me," Daisuke offered with a shrug as he stopped his pacing. "I should likely have been more forward with you all about what Cin has been doing behind the scenes, but… we're White Fang. Doing what we should do is a very recent development for us."
Amaya snorted as she continued cleaning a glass from her spot behind the bar.
"Well, at least he's self-aware."
"If it's my turn to be completely honest with you, Daisuke?" Kali asked as she drummed her fingers upon the table. "We're now at the point where the only thing that really matters to me is what to do from here, not how we got here. All of the fucked up histories and goings-on can either be discussed later, or hand-waved after we've dealt with Salem. Right now, what I want to know is who's going to Atlas. I can handle Kuo Kuana mostly on my own, but I want to have some idea of what I'm doing."
Blake turned to look at Neptune from her seat next to her mother. The teens locked eyes with equally unreadable expressions, until Neptune finally looked away and ran a nervous hand through his hair.
"…I'm going. I have to," Neptune insisted.
"We're going to be crossing the ocean," Blake warned.
"Yeah," Neptune acknowledged in a strained voice. "Yeah, I know, but… Sun's in danger. Salem's agents are headed to Atlas, and our friends might need us. I'll just… close my eyes, or something…"
"Thank you," Blake offered before gently laying a hand atop Neptune's. "You're a good friend, to both of us. We'll keep you safe."
"And with any luck, we'll be crossing that ocean in a plane," Qrow offered. The man was leaned up against a wooden column, his arms folded across his chest. "Once we get to Argus, I'll contact Ironwood. If I explain the current situation with Cinnamon and Salem in blunt terms, I can probably get through to him. We've got history, and there's too much at risk for him to ignore us."
"Good history?" Blake asked hopefully.
"…history," Qrow answered, earning an eye roll from the faunus.
"Great."
"Well… Neptune, I hate to do this to you," Amaya chimed in, "but… I think I should stay, at least for now."
Neptune stared down at the table, his arms resting atop the polished surface.
"…oh," the boy said flatly. "That's… sucky."
"It is," Amaya agreed. "But someone's gotta stay behind and help run shit here. Believe me, I'd rather charge headlong onto the front lines, but all of you know this war better than me, and you do not want me anywhere near tense political negotiations. I'd get us all shot by running my mouth."
"You're sure you're up to helping me with Kuo Kuana?" Kali asked with a raised brow. "It's going to be very boring."
"I am," Amaya answered confidently. "I know the locals like you do, and I'll step on the balls of any former Fang who give you trouble. I'll be your enforcer and barmaid, along with doing whatever else you need done."
Kali chuckled softly and continued to drum her fingers.
"I'd like that. Once we've got a solid routine established and expansion up and running healthily, I'll find you a more exciting role. Maybe something in transport…"
"Don't sweat it," Amaya reassured before nodding to Neptune. "I'll do what needs doing… and I'm sure we'll link back up with you guys at some point."
"I hope so," Neptune agreed. "I know we haven't known each other long, b-"
"But you have a hard crush on me," Amaya finished. "Yeah, not a secret. Use that. Fight so you get to see me again, and if you do good out there… maybe I'll even be impressed enough to swoon for you."
Neptune flashed the older woman a nervous grin before giving her a small nod.
"Yeah, I will…"
"We've all got a lot of reasons to fight," Blake pointed out. "People who mean something to us, knowledge that few others have, the mission of lifting up the faunus… we've got to keep those things in mind. We've got to move quickly to make sure that we don't miss our opportunity- it's going to take at least a week to get to Atlas from here, and that's if we're lucky."
"I'm sensing a 'but' in here," Qrow observed.
"…but," Blake said pointedly, "I'm… going to request we take two days before we leave. We need to pack and prepare for a worst-case scenario."
"We do," Daisuke acknowledged. "I don't do particularly well in the cold… but two days?"
"There's something else," Blake admitted as she looked over at her mother. "I don't want to leave without a solid plan in place for Kuo Kuana. I think the two of us should sit down with Daisuke and work out the next steps in detail before we leave. I chose to come back here instead of going with Sun to help you turn our home into a fifth kingdom. I… haven't really been doing a great job of contributing, yet. If anything, I've been getting in the way and blaming you for a problem I caused. I thought I was over doing that…"
"Sweetheart," Kali said softly as she rested a hand atop Blake's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over it. I understand why you're so tense and conflicted, but you are improving. At least now, you're calling yourself out on your mistakes and admitting that you could do better. You wouldn't have done that a few months ago, before you brought Sun to us."
"Maybe," Blake considered. "But… still. We need to make a plan. Timeframes, specific people… that's something only people familiar with the town and the White Fang can accomplish. We thought we had time to play it by ear and improvise, but we don't. We may need Kuo Kuana to be ready to come to our aid in Atlas or any number of other locations at a moment's notice. The sooner we get this place up and running and the White Fang currently off the island coordinated and watching the main transport roads and skylines, the better. We need to know if Salem makes a move, and we need to be ready to provide relief and reinforcements."
"Then that's what we'll do," Daisuke agreed. "For now, let's all get some rest, and then tomorrow, we'll embark on the task of putting everything in place before we leave."
"Agreed," Blake said with a nod. "Maybe we'll even be able to get it done in one day, if any of us actually sleep and wake up with energy. Gods, I just want to know that Sun is alright…"
Sun remained sitting in the center of the training room, his legs crossed and his tail curled limply in his lap. Every light in the area had been extinguished save for one illuminating a small circle in the center of the giant room, in which Sun sat alone. Or more accurately, mostly alone.
"…and I dunno," the faunus boy continued as he kept his eyes on the floor. "I'm just starting to feel… trapped? Like I have no idea what my options even are to try to let off some of the pressure. Meditation's not really helping, and Yang's been keeping busy with… uh, stuff. Stuff with Jaune. I'm happy that those two have found each other, even if it's just a physical thing. But… yeah. She and I haven't really talked much, lately. Same with Weiss- she and Marrow have really hit it off, and I think it's only a matter of time before she starts sleeping in his room. It's actually really nice to see her so happy, but…"
Sun paused and looked up to see Blake standing before him, at the ready. One hand was behind her shoulder, ready to draw Gambol Shroud from the sheath oriented diagonally across her back. The faunus girl bounced lightly on her heels as she stared ahead at some nonexistent target, waiting for a fight that would never happen to begin. The bow atop her head shifted subtly with her movements, giving her a silhouette that Sun felt like he hadn't seen in ages. Even her outfit was woefully outdated, harkening back to her time at Beacon Academy.
"…I'm just… lonely. It doesn't make any sense. I'm definitely not alone. Everyone's relying on me, and they trust me, and it feels great to know they have faith in me, but… I don't know how much longer I can keep smiling. They need me to put on a brave face, but seeing Ilia start to crumble and feeling like I'm totally incapable of helping? I don't know what to do. Everyone but her is slowly finding their own support system, and the responsibilities are starting to pile up on me while my own is disappearing. The more we talk to Ironwood, the more I'm starting to feel like we're in way over our h-"
Sun jumped up as the lights came on, temporarily blinding him for a fraction of a second. As he blinked away the fuzziness in his vision from the sudden shift in contrast, he found one person standing near the doorway with their scroll out. It took him a moment to recognize the figure as they approached, their eyes locked on the digitally constructed form of Blake.
"Don't… do that," Harriet warned with a bit of edge to her voice. "Nothing good can come of it."
"I…" Sun began, somewhat unsure. "Do what…?"
Harriet walked up to the faunus and paused before flicking her head to the side toward Blake.
"Use this room to talk to the dead. I know you probably wanted more time or whatever, but it's not healthy, and you're only going to end up feeling even w-"
"She's not dead," Sun interrupted, eyes wide. "She's my girlfriend. She's just in Kuo Kuana right now, taking care of some business with our other friends while I came here…"
"…oh."
Harriet hesitated, a subtle blush creeping up her cheeks as she began to feel very stupid.
"Then… well… whatever, just don't…"
Sun shifted awkwardly before adjusting Ghira's pauldron upon his shoulder.
"Do you… use this tech to speak t-"
"I don't want to talk about it," Harriet snapped immediately. "I was going to offer to lend an ear and maybe get to know you better as an alternative to what you're doing right now, but I don't need any more shit f-"
"Whoa, whoa!" Sun interrupted, raising his hands up to his shoulders in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not giving you shit! I was just… I was going to offer you the same, if… is that why you came down here…?"
"No," Harriet said in a displeased tone that came out as more of a grunt as she put her hands on her hips. "I came down here to train. It's part of my routine every night, while it's usually quiet and the others are already asleep. Why aren't you in bed?"
"Can't sleep," Sun admitted with a shrug. "I thought seeing her might help. I've been getting kinda…"
Harriet watched silently and patiently, waiting for the faunus boy to continue. He didn't.
"Well…" Harriet said to break the silence as she lowered herself to the floor. "Then maybe the offer's still on the table, after all. Tell me about her?"
Sun stared dumbfoundedly as he watched Harriet pull her legs in and cross them into a tight meditative stance.
"…really?"
"Sure," Harriet offered as she began to look over Blake's form. "Consider it the first step of reaching out to you guys and trying to make up for being a bitch. Which… I just was again."
"I don't think you're a bitch," Sun said softly as he sat down perpendicular to Harriet. "I think you're just a little…"
"She's cute," Harriet said the moment Sun left an opening in his speech. She kept her eyes on the construct of Blake, ignoring Sun entirely. "What's her name?"
"…Blake," Sun answered. "Blake Belladonna."
"Oh," Harriet said pointedly as she raised a brow. "Really, now…"
"Yeah," Sun answered with a goofy grin. "I take it you know what that means?"
"I'm Ace Ops," Harriet said flatly. "Of course I know the name Belladonna. Now that you mention it, I think I might have already known… I just didn't put it together that it was you and her. You two must have a strong bond…"
"Yeah. It's…" Sun paused, searching for words. "She's… she's everything to me. Everything I'm not, too."
"Opposites attract," Harriet said simply. "She's lucky to have you."
"Really?" Sun asked. "I thought you didn't particularly like us."
"It's not that I don't like you guys," Harriet denied, finally looking his way. "It's that I like routine. Predictability. I'm good at following orders, solving problems I'm prepared for, knowing my goal, limitations, and resources. When you kids showed up, that's suddenly six new variables in the mix. Variables that I need to account for and feel out, in terms of where you stand. Salem isn't some bush league problem. We had a plan worked out before you came, and rolling all of you into it just threw a wrench in things."
"You could say that," Sun acknowledged with a smirk. "I usually like the chaos, honestly. The unexpected challenges, the struggles where you have to improvise and follow your gut to pull through…"
"I hate that," Harriet said with a scowl as she shook her head. "I don't trust feelings. They change in an instant, and make you act stupid."
"…not always," Sun considered as he returned his eyes to Blake. "Sometimes, they're all that keeps you going."
"Eugh," Harriet groaned with a roll of her eyes. "Makes me wanna gag. You two in love?"
Sun chuckled softly, his tail swishing softly behind him.
"…yeah. Madly. Not your thing?"
"Not at all," Harriet replied. "I fly solo. If I need a warm body for the night, I'll find one, but other than that? I want no part of that shit. Good for you, though. Really. Love works out for some people."
"Don't give up y-"
"Don't go there," Harriet warned. "You and I are nothing alike. You like chaos, I like predictability. You want to lead? I'd rather die than be responsible for any sort of significant power or control. You've got a girlfriend? I'm at my best when I'm alone. We might be inching toward 'friends', but there's some ground that's always going to separate us. We're total opposites."
Sun looked over to find Harriet fiddling with her scroll, her eyes locked on the device.
"…maybe not as much as you think."
"Yeah? How's that?" Harriet asked boredly as she continued to tap at the tiny screen.
"I… lash out, occasionally," Sun said carefully. "When I get frustrated by injustices, mostly, or when people I really care about are in danger. There's a whole other side of me that I don't like that just comes out sometimes, when I'm at my limit and feel like I'm not in control of a situation. It makes me feel desperate, and like I'm not good enough to handle whatever's going on. It's spontaneous, intense, and… kinda ugly. I hate it."
Harriet took a deep breath in through her nose, one of her knees bouncing slightly with nervous energy.
"…and you think that's how I am, too? Boiling over every so often and unable to contain myself when I feel like a situation is going to shit?"
Sun swallowed hard, trying to figure out what exactly to say. After only a few moments, he took his own scroll out of his pocket and stood, disengaging the construct of Blake as he did so.
"Sorry, I… probably overstepped," Sun admitted as he began to make his way toward the door. "I'll let you do your thing, a-"
"I didn't say you were wrong," Harriet called, causing Sun to stop in his tracks. "You can go if you want to, but I'm not chasing you out of here, either."
Sun turned around immediately to find Harriet standing as well, her arms folded defensively across her chest.
"Then I'll stay, at least, for a little bit," Sun offered.
"Good," Harriet replied before taking a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling with the motion. "What spurred you to conjure up Blake tonight? Other than being unable to sleep. There must be something…"
"…leadership stuff, mostly," Sun admitted. "That, and feeling kinda lonely. It's no big deal."
"Sounds like it could be to me," Harriet tried with another shrug. "You'll be a lot less lonely, soon. Word up top is that jobs in Mantle are being posted for you and yours as soon as tomorrow. You'll be partnering up amongst yourselves, and the Aces. Plenty of quality time to be had there."
"I'm honestly looking forward to it," Sun said with a grin. "Sometimes it is nice to just… have orders and carry them out. I'm about ready for that to become a consistent thing. Leading our little squad of misfits has been kinda rough."
"I can imagine," Harriet replied. "Leadership… I don't know how you, Clover, and the general manage. Or… other people. Are you somehow feeling better yet?"
"A little, actually," Sun admitted. "It's nice to know you care. I can tell that you actually do, and you're not just doing it out of obligation."
"I do care," Harriet agreed, sounding almost angry. "I just… I have strong opinions, and I'm a very private person. I also get flustered easily, so I'm about at my social limit for the night."
"Then I'll take my leave," Sun reassured. "I really do appreciate it, though. Can we… maybe take a job together, sometime soon?"
"Yeah," Harriet agreed. "Yeah, we can do that. Maybe talk a little more while beating the piss out of some grimm. It'll let me blow off some steam and recalibrate if you knock me off balance again. Now go to bed, rookie. You look like shit."
"I feel like it, too," Sun joked. "Thanks again, though. I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully!"
"Yeah, yeah," Harriet said as she waved the faunus away. "Shoo. I want to punch things."
Harriet watched as Sun made his way out of the training room. She waited for the door to close entirely before taking out her scroll and navigating to the app to control the training room. Within the space of a few more taps, a database list of possible opponents had popped up. Harriet stared at the pinned favorites at the top of her list for a long while, fixated upon the name and icon that came first.
A bald man with a blue marking in the center of his forehead stared back at her, his expression one of eternal calm. A red sash wrapped diagonally across his chest from the shoulder was barely visible within the portrait, and the name VINE ZEKI was displayed just below it. Harriet's finger hovered just over the digital button for a moment before it started to shake ever so slightly. Suddenly, she navigated away from the menu and began customizing the arena around herself instead. A few deep breaths later, and Harriet could feel a distinct, infuriating sting at the corners of her eyes.
"Damn it, rookie…"
Author's Note:
Things are getting more and more unstable. Sure would be a shame if some catastrophic events started taking place soon while our heroes are feeling vulnerable.
-RD