"So… yeah. That's about it, as far as I can tell. Dr. Polendina's working on several new androids. Pax is complete, or close to it, and the rest are in-progress. He doesn't like the fact that Hope is soulless any more than we do, but he thinks it's the right call for her sanity, his… and I guess ours. He also isn't worried about this Watts dude interfering with his projects. There's some history between them, but I don't really have details."
Sun listened intently as he nibbled away at the cold pizza in his hand. He sat atop an ottoman, his legs crossed and his tail rhythmically writhing behind him as he chewed. The faunus boy was well aware that the entire rest of his crew was looking his way as they waited for his input, Yang included. After a long period of silence, he finally swallowed and cleared his throat.
"Well… you're not gonna like my answer," Sun warned. "And to be fair… neither do I. Not at all. But… Ironwood and the Aces have clearly been testing us ever since we got here. I think that much is obvious. What isn't so obvious is why, considering we already know about the relics and Salem. I think we now have our answer- we've got personal connections to a lot of what's going on, and this project of Dr. Polendina's is exactly the sort of thing we would normally object to… especially if this Watts guy can do something to manipulate technology."
"The implication then, naturally, is that we should not," Corsac finished for him. "Trust the system, and those maintaining it. Fulfill our role, and leave them to theirs."
Ilia narrowed her eyes at the robed faunus. Her skin still had an unnaturally blue pallor, and she looked rather sleepless and irritated.
"Trust the system? You know, sometimes, I really don't like you."
"And yet the implication there is that sometimes, you do," Corsac replied with a sly smirk.
"…shut up," Ilia countered with a roll of her eyes. "Seriously, though? Where's that coming from? You were Fang. Now, you're suddenly just willing to roll over and gloss over whatever Ironwood asks you to?"
"On the contrary," Corsac corrected. "I'm merely looking at the situation from a different perspective. While I do dislike 'trusting the system', I see no problem with trusting Sun, and his judgment. I suspect you think much the same."
"…you've got me there," Ilia admitted as she looked over toward her so-called big brother. "Even if I don't like it, I'll follow you anywhere. I trust you, Sun."
"We all do," Jaune added. His hair had been combed over to one side and partially matted down with gel in a very businesslike style. Even with the precaution, he still avoided looking at Ilia as he sat on the opposite couch of his suite's living room. "And if you think it's best to just leave this up to our current employers… then I think that's what we should do."
"Agreed," Weiss chimed in as she walked around the couch and sat down next to Jaune, her arms folded. "Though I do think we should keep tabs on the situation, even if we decide to be hands-off about this. There's no harm in maintaining awareness, and it could save our skin if something falls through."
"Right. I think so, too," Sun declared as he polished off the last of his breakfast pizza and slipped off the ottoman to stand upright. "Yang? You said you made an offer to help the good doctor out in the lab?"
"I did," Yang confirmed. "Mostly because I felt indebted to him for making my arm, but… yeah. I did."
"Follow through on that," Sun ordered. "The more we know about Hope, Pax, and whatever else he's making… the better equipped we are to handle anything that might go wrong with them. I do think it'll be fine, and that Ironwood and Dr. Polendina know what they're doing… but games are being played. Chess pieces are being moved around. It would be stupid to keep ours in one spot, so long as we're not knocking anybody else's over. I'm not saying we should jump over theirs, but we should have our pawns ready."
"…I don't think that's how chess works…?" Ilia said hesitantly as she raised a brow.
"…close enough?" Sun tried with a shrug. "I dunno, I've played chess like… once. Blake tried to teach me. I stole her horse or whatever, and then I died."
"…ladies and gentlemen, our battlefield strategist," Weiss declared with a teasing smirk as she took out her scroll and flicked it open.
"Hey, you people keep saying I'm a good leader," Sun reminded as he puffed out his chest. "I'm just playing the role I've been given."
"You play it well," Jaune praised. "I think we're all up to speed, now. Any word on when the Aces are coming for us?"
"They're en route," Weiss answered as she tapped away at the screen of her scroll. "Marrow just texted me. No, we're not dating… formally. Yet… I think? We're enjoying each other's company and feeling out where we stand," she finished as she snapped her scroll closed and pocketed it.
"Where did that come from?" Sun asked as he raised a brow in confusion.
"I know what you're all thinking," Weiss said before letting out a sigh and folding her hands in her lap. "And… I trust you all enough to let you know what I'm thinking and dealing with. If you must needle me over it, I would rather clear the air and get rid of any assumptions you might have. After all… we did have a discussion about what we feel we're missing in life, and what we're worried about. I've never really felt like I had anyone I could allow myself to be entirely vulnerable around, but… I think I may have found that, now. He's been wonderful to me, and I'm comfortable with him. That's all."
Ilia squirmed upon the couch and ran a hand through her hair, looking incredibly uncomfortable as she pulled her legs up under herself and leaned to one side. Weiss gave the faunus a curious look, which Ilia didn't bother to return.
"…is there a problem?" Weiss inquired.
"No, it's just…" Ilia began before lightly shaking her head. "That's adorable. I can't even bring myself to be a bitch about it. You sound too genuine."
Oddly enough, Weiss' cheeks flushed a bright red, and she, too, looked away.
"…thank you."
"We've got your back," Yang reassured as she leaned over the back of the couch and shot Weiss a wink. "And I totally won't embarrass you in front of Marrow when he gets here."
"Yang!"
Weiss quickly steeled herself and put on a stoic expression as the door to the boys' suite slid open. Clover was the first to step inside, followed quickly by Harriet, Elm, and then Marrow. Try as they might, neither Weiss nor Marrow could avoid giving each other a welcoming smile, to which Ilia dug her nails into the fabric of the couch and squirmed once again.
"Morning," Clover offered as he and the Aces spread out before the assembled teens. "As I'm sure you've heard by now, your first official assignments as huntsmen and huntresses start today. We've come to explain the process and walk you through how you can sign up for contract work in both Mantle and Atlas moving forward. We won't be babysitting you every time you go out… but today, we will be."
"We're ready," Sun reassured. "Just show us what to do, and we'll figure out where we're needed most."
"Not this time," Harriet corrected with a shake of her head. "On your first outing… we're going with you and choosing the jobs for you. There are several things that need doing, and we want to get a feel for the six of you one-on-one, as best we can. Xiao Long- you're with me."
Yang remained leaned over the couch as she gave Harriet an impartial look.
"…sure. Fine by me."
"Sun and Weiss," Clover proclaimed. "Robyn Hill has been stirring up trouble down in Mantle and poking her nose where it doesn't belong. She's been particularly interested in records of dust shipments going up to Atlas and tracking their contents as closely as she can. Between that and Marrow's public support of Jacques Schnee in the upcoming election… she's requested a meeting with the general. That's not going to happen. Harriet was going to be the one to accompany you when you're dealing with her, but today, I'll be filling that role. I want to have the two of you try to talk her down, and make her see reason. I'll provide support, and play 'bad cop' as needed."
"That's… fair, honestly," Weiss said with an air of defeat in her words. "We're partially responsible for making that mess. I suppose it's our responsibility to fix it."
"And we will," Sun resolved. "With the three of us? We can absolutely do this and turn the situation around. We'll make her see reason."
Clover chuckled softly to himself and folded his arms across his chest.
"There's a first time for everything, I suppose. Still… we have to try."
Elm took a step forward and nodded, a smirk plastered upon her face.
"Jaune. You and me. A simple patrol and inventory job along the outer wall of Mantle, but an important one nonetheless."
"Yes ma'am," Jaune confirmed as he stood up out of his seat and snapped into a salute. "I won't let you down!"
"That's the spirit!"
"And that leaves us," Marrow declared as he stepped forward. "Ilia and Corsac- the three of us will be running defense alongside shipments of dust being carted from the mines toward transport up to Atlas. Grimm and thieves alike make a habit of attacking dust convoys. Normally, we'd leave security to the S.D.C. and not worry about it… but with the Amity project, making sure that dust gets from there to here is critical."
"So you're saying we'll probably get into a fight," Ilia reasoned with a smirk.
"…very likely, yes," Marrow confirmed.
"Excellent."
"It has been quite some time since we've fought side by side, Sister Ilia," Corsac reminded. "This should be… interesting."
"Interesting is a good word for everything that's likely to happen out there today," Clover suggested. "Let me run you through how to register for jobs using your scrolls, and then we'll head on out."
A guttural scream escaped from Cinder's throat as another wave of shooting pain coursed through her. She barely remained upright as she was hunched over upon the floor, her entire body writhing and spasming in agony. Her exposed flesh felt as though it was boiling, or being flayed from her all at once, over and over again. She could feel herself shaking, unsteady as she pressed her palms down into the floor of the citadel. Just when she thought that she would collapse, the crackling sound of magic from above and behind her ceased. Even in the absence of a direct assault, her entire nervous system burned.
"Breathe," Salem commanded in a harsh tone, her hand out and aimed down at the pathetic, unclothed woman before her, quivering upon the obsidian floor. "I still have much left to give."
Cinder took greedy breaths as she stared down at the black stone beneath her. Her chest heaved with effort, and fuzzy dots danced within her vision. Slowly, she raised her shaking right arm into her field of vision. She knew what to expect, and yet, actually seeing it filled her with a strange mixture of both excitement and dread. A black claw with nails of bone greeted her, mirroring her other arm. Cinder placed the hand back down against the floor before taking a deep breath in and trying to focus through the pain. She tried to find something, anything to distract herself with as she readied for another onslaught.
Suddenly, she found it. She flexed the new appendages upon her back, curling them inward and around herself. The fleshy, membranous wings encircled her blackened chest, rubbing up against the jutting bone spikes all along her upper arms. It was a new, comforting sensation. A reminder of her new capabilities.
New power.
"Again," Salem said boredly. "Soon, you'll be ready. Excuse after excuse for failure after failure. With this, there will be no reason you cannot succeed. You will lead the charge and clear me a path… or die trying."
Cinder took one final breath in and clenched her jaw to prepare for another magical assault.
"Y-yes," Cinder acknowledged as she wrapped her wings tighter around herself. "None of them will survive…"
"Assuming that you do," Salem said with a hint of amusement.
Another torrent of corrupting magic flowed from the witch's palm. Another scream echoed throughout the dark citadel.
Author's Note:
Fun times!
-RD