Cinder leaned up against one of the shipping containers that were scattered around the abandoned part of the dock. In front of her, the police were busy interviewing the whole group for what must be the umpteenth time.
Despite the fact the White Fang threat was neutralized around two in the afternoon, it was getting close to seven now!
For the past FIVE HOURS the cops had ruthlessly grilled Cinder and her team, as well as staff, the man child singers, and other parties involved. They had then roped off the area and refused to let anyone leave until they got multiple confessions for any witnesses and confirmation that there was room in Blackwater prison (a special prison for huntsmen.) for the convicts.
All this activity had drawn a bit of a crowd earlier in the day as well as multiple news outlets, meaning this was going to be all over the news tomorrow. Including pictures of Cinder's face, something she had a sneaking suspicion wouldn't go unnoticed by the teachers at Beacon.
Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about that. Professor Ozpin had been very lenient before when they had stopped to help the Faunus kid, so hopefully he'd overlooked this given the circumstances.
The sounds of voices drew Cinder's attention. Looking over to a medical tent that had been set up when the cops had refused to let even the injured go. Apparently, when the public had tried to get in, event security had tried to stop them. They had assured the cops that everything was fine and that it was probably a prank call or something.
They had been in a pointless stalemate for a few hours before the police got the proper warrants and stalling them was a crime.
Cinder couldn't help feeling suspicious about the whole exchange. Back in Atlas, unless they were special ops, normal guards didn't get paired anywhere near enough to make them want to deal with a life threatening situation. Let alone the paperwork tied to it.
But all that left her mind immediately upon seeing Summer make her way out of the tent where Ruby and Yang rushed into her arms, crying happily now that she was okay.
What had happened was Jiao's semblance had guzzled a lot of her blood, which is why she had been so tired. When she had gone to Ruby after they had rescued her, after the hugging, scolding, and crying, the medical personnel had checked her to, which is how they found out about it.
As for the rest of her tram's injuries, her and Eric were fine. She had a few scrapes and bruises. And while she'd be feeling them tomorrow, they posed no long lasting threats. As for Eric, his aura hadn't even broken during the fight. Apparently, he had a slightly higher amount than normal. Either that or he didn't need as much for his cloak due to his armor.
Adam was the worst off out of team AACE. His leg had been completely punctured all the way to the bone, leaving a very clean hole in his leg. Fortunately, Eric had saved him from any long term problems with his semblance. If it wasn't for that, Chesher wouldn't be the only Faunus who couldn't be a huntress anymore.
Speaking of the maniac, her two conspirators were both arrested and treated until their lives weren't in any danger. After that, they were locked in prison transport and just now, we're taken away. With all the evidence the police had gotten, including the footage from the drone, they would most likely serve life sentences with no change of parole.
Which was better than they deserved as far as Cinder was concerned. If she had her way, she'd have killed them slowly as a punishment for daring to lay a hand on Ruby! If it wasn't for the fact her sister only had a bloody nose and a few scrapes, she probably would have killed them during the wait for the police!
"Cinder. How is everyone?"
The dark haired girl was pulled from her thoughts by Amber as she came over. A few minutes ago, Adam and Eric had gone back to their trailer to rest and recover. So she had assigned them the job of keeping an eye on the Three Dragons. And much to Cinder's surprise, they had complied without any complaints.
"Ruby is safe and while the doctors recommended seeking therapy, they don't think this will have any longer lasting problems." She replied, her voice much calmer than it had been in a while. But with Jiao gone and her sister now safe, for the first time all day, she felt like she could breathe again.
"That's good to hear." The dark skinned girl said with relief. "No child should ever have to suffer or go through something like that. A kidnapping is way too scary for someone like that to go through."
Cinder let out a chuckle and rolled her eyes.
"And yet, here we are being grateful it was just a kidnapping." Cinder said, leaning back against the cool metal, putting her hands behind her back. They were still slightly stained with blood and for some reason, she didn't want her partner to see it. "There are a lot worse things that can happen to kids that make kidnapping look insignificant in comparison. Funny, considering how many times I've heard some old fart complaining about how easy our generation has it."
Amber let out a dry chuckle as she leaned on the container next to Cinder. A gentle smile on her face as she closed her eyes and turned her head up to the sky.
"So, why aren't you with your family?" Amber asked without opening her eyes. "Knowing you, I would have thought you would be all over your sister. Scolding and apologizing at the same time. Those I supposed that would be a tad out of character for you, wouldn't it."
Cinder gave Amber a pointed glare who returned it with a smug grin.
"Oh shut up." Cinder said playfully. "Believe me, I intend to give Ruby more than a piece of my mind, but I just wanted some space first to…clear my head. I…I have a lot on my mind right now and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do."
Amber turned to look at Cinder, her eyes carefully scanning the dark haired girl's face. Trying to read her micro expression. Then after a few seconds, she turned away.
"Is it about killing that Faunus?" Amber asked carefully, keeping her voice low so nobody else could hear her.
The dark haired girl paused for a second, then she gave a slow nod.
A heavy silence filled the air at Cinder's words. Amber knew the weight of taking another life all too well and chose her next words and actions carefully to avoid deepening the wound.
A few seconds passed as the two simply stood there in silence, then, Amber slowly raised her hand and making sure Cinder could see it and had plenty of time to stop her, placed it gently on the dark haired girl's shoulder.
"You did nothing wrong today." She said in a small and quiet, yet reassuring tone. "When a criminal refuses to surrender and continues to attack either civilians or the huntress herself, then you're allowed to stop them by any means necessary. There's no shame in what you did."
Cinder let out a weak laugh as she finally turned to face Amber. A sad and tired smile on her face.
"That's the problem. I don't feel remorse for what I did."
Amber's eyes widened and her head jerked up at Cinder's confession. She was completely caught off guard by this information. She had expected the dark haired girl to be struggling with the weight of taking another life. This was completely unexpected.
Seeing her partner's reaction, Cinder turned away and pushed herself off the container to pace around in front of it, hand still clasped behind her back.
"I've killed five people in my life. I know guys twice my age with less bodies under their belt. And they suffer PTSD from their experience. Yet out of the five, I only feel guilt and pain from one. The others I couldn't care less about." She stopped for a second, looking up at the sky, still trying to avoid looking at her partner. She didn't know why, but she didn't want Amber to think she was some kind of freak or monster. That would just hurt her too much.
"I know people always say every life is important and to choose mercy whenever you can. And I get it. Believe me, I do. I would go crazy if anything happened to Yang or Ruby. Any of my family really. But when I'm faced with the prospect of killing someone, even if they haven't done anything unforgivable. I just can't bring myself to feel…anything for them. No remorse, no hesitation, not even a shred of empathy. I don't even see them as a person, just an obstacle in my way. And no matter how hard I try, I just can't find those emotions inside me."
Cinder paused again, this time looking over to her family with sadness in her eyes. She had never told anyone this before. She had been afraid they would judge her for it. And despite not wanting Amber to view her in a different light, she still couldn't bring herself to stop. She wanted to get this off her chest despite her fear Amber might not want anything to do with her after the fact.
"Don't say anything. I know what you think." Cinder said with a slight chuckle in her voice, even though there was nothing to laugh about. "I'm a horrible person. I'm some kind of monster who doesn't have a heart. I know that, but I didn't really realize it until today. Or maybe I didn't want to. I guess what I'm trying to say is that…I don't know what to do. I don't want to be a villain, but in the same breath, I don't want to change who I am. And I know this really isn't your problem, but I was kinda hoping you'd at least give me a hand when I need it. As long as you're okay with it, of course."
Cinder turned to face Amber, her expression unusually soft as she waited for the girl's answer. And while she didn't show it, her nerves were twitching with anticipation for what the dark skinned girl would say.
A silence fell between the two girls, broken only by the sounds of medical personnel beginning to pack everything up. And each agonizing second made Cinder's heart beat faster until she was sure Amber could hear it.
And even though it couldn't have been more than a minute, it felt like an eternity to the dark haired girl before her partner finally spoke.
"I don't think you're a monster, Cinder. I never have." Amber said as she looked right into the girl's eyes, her own filled with honesty and compassion. "I know not everyone sees things the same as I do, but what I see before me isn't a monster, it's a girl who has been so hurt by the world she learned to hate it. And by proxy, most everyone in it. It's a pain I understand far too well."
Cinder gulped at her leader's words. After reading about the massacre that Jiao attributed to the dark skinned girl, questions about Amber had filled her head and a part of her had been dying to know more about her.
Because as much as she hated to admit it, Jiao was right, she really didn't know Amber all that well.
"When people experience pain, they react in different ways. But one I've seen fairly often is complete loathing towards the object they feel is responsible for that pain. And in your case, I think you blame the world for what you've gone through." Amber turned her gaze away, staring at her hands as she continued, now in a very somber tone.
"That rage manifests itself as a form of indifference to others and their suffering. And with that logic, yes, some people will see you as a horrible person, or a monster. But I don't." Amber turned slightly to look up at the dark haired girl, and once again, she saw that incredible radiant smile on her face. Yet this time, Cinder saw something else in her face, something she hadn't noticed before.
Despite how often Amber smiled, (which was a lot) she rarely had this kind of feel to her. As if she was truly relaxed or at peace, or something like that. Honestly, Cinder couldn't place it, but something about this kind of smile just felt different compared to her others. Felt almost more…personal.
"You've taken notice and want to address it. That's farther than most people ever get. And if they were like anything you did today, then you can hardly be held accountable. People are allowed to kill in self-defenses when necessary. And given what was at stake, I'd say today was definitely necessary. Just as long as you can understand what you're doing is wrong and try to make amends, then one day, you will hopefully be able to forgiv- change yourself. And I'm more than willing to help, however I can. Though I'm hardly qualified to treat mental health issues."
"Thanks." Cinder said, turning away so Amber wouldn't notice the warmth that had rooted in her chest. She was relieved to know her partner didn't think less of her. That would have hurt more than she cared to admit. It felt good to know that through the dark skinned girl's eyes, she was just fine as long as she kept at it, eventually becoming 'normal.' And while that last part didn't really appeal that much to her, she didn't care as long as Amber and her family accepted her, that was more than enough for her.
However, despite the reassurance that Amber would stick by her, the painful reminders of the deal they had made and the thought of taking her position as leader felt like a ton of bricks in her gut.
"Amber, I-."
"What's the meaning of this!?" Another voice bellowed, cutting the dark haired girl off.
Turning, they saw Bobby making his way towards them, Jiao trailing behind him.
"I'd better go deal with that." Amber said to Cinder, trying not to sound exhausted, those the dark haired girl noticed anyway. "I…thanks for opening up to me. I'll be more than happy to see what I can do to help you, but we can talk more tomorrow. And after hearing something like that, I honestly need some time to process all that. So, let's stay the way we are for now, okay?"
Cinder nodded her head as she followed her partner towards the men, biting back her frustration at the interruption. Could those stupid man children wait a few more minutes before butting in?!
"I'm sorry, I think I must have mistyped something in my contract! Because I definitely don't remember paying you to run off and leave my band to go rescue some useless brats!" Bobby screamed coming to a stop in front of the two girls. His face was red and it looked like he was going to blow steam out of his ears.
And while neither said it, both Cinder and Amber kinda hoped he'd hurt himself and not be able to come to work until after their job was over.
"I'm sorry, sir." Amber said, tucking her hands behind her back and respectful looking him in the eyes. "Due to uncontrollable circumstances, a much larger threat appeared and we believe we were the best to handle the situation. If we didn't act, a lot of people would get hurt. So I gave the order to put your mission on temporary hold as this posed a great threat to humanity as a whole. As I just said."
"Put the mission on hold!? Uncontrollably circumstances!? I don't remember telling you to think! I remember paying you to guard my band! Not go off playing hero!" He bellowed, jabbing Amber in the chest. "Ever since your team took the mission, it's been one failure after another! This is why I asked for experienced huntsmen! You'd better have a good excuse for this stunt or I'll send you packing before dawn!"
Amber flinched at his words as she racked her brain to come up with something to save their careers.
"I-."
"They acted on my order."
Immediately both parties froze in shock as Jiao stepped between Bobby and Amber, looking down at the short man with a grin on his face.
"I-! What-?! You?!" Bobby said, struggling to get his words across. His complete bewilderment was shared by the two huntresses as they stared wide eyed at the singer. Was he seriously covering for them?!
"When I heard that Weiss Schnee was getting kidnapped, I knew it was an opportunity of a lifetime." Jiao said, walking a little ways away, "And seeing as you're always telling us to stay in the spotlight, I knew I couldn't let this pass us by. So I gave the order to go retrieve her to put our band in a good spot with Atlas for another gig. It was business, as I'm sure you understand."
Going off his face, Bobby clearly didn't. He was standing in stunned silence, mouth hanging open like a fish as he struggled to find words. His silence let the singer capitalize on his lie by adding a bit of flare to it as he raised his voice and took on a very pompous tone as he spoke.
"Once word gets out that the Three Dragons saved the heiress to the SDC, people will come from miles to interview us! And that will also insert us into an even younger audience letting us stay relevant even longer. Which of course means more money and sponsors for us without having to release that song we've been holding onto. With all these added benefits, I think the risk was well worth it, wouldn't you?"
Watching Bobby stare blankly at his lead singer in utter shock was a sight to behold. Amber was honestly surprised Jiao had managed to shut the short man up. She was a good bullshit artist herself and even she was impressed by his lie. Given both his personality and his career choice, it wasn't hard to believe he'd resort to a stunt like this for publicity.
Grinning at his manager, Jiao took a step to the side, gesturing him back towards the main area of Music Fest.
"Now, you should hurry along back to the trailers." The singer said smugly. "Can't risk damaging my image by being seen with a suit. People will start thinking of me as a corporation, not an individual."
Looking over their shoulders the other three did see Jiao's presence was drawing a fair amount of attention from the last of the emergency personnel who were around. Some had even taken out their scroll to take pictures or videos.
Bobby let out a snarl as he turned away, sending one more furious glare at Amber before storming off. He obviously didn't buy Jiao lie, but couldn't do anything without damaging his image. And even though both girls knew they would probably pay for this later, they both got a sense of satisfaction watching the asshole being unable to act upon his anger.
Once he disappeared, Jiao turned to the two girls, his expression still not very serious, though his tone held both worry and concern that was clear even as he spoke quietly to avoid anyone hearing.
"How the heiress? I heard she got pretty badly injured. Is she going to be okay?" He asked with an unusual amount of concern.
"She'll be fine." Amber replied, if she noticed his sudden shift in tone, she didn't show it. "Her shoulder got torn through, but the bullet passed cleanly. She'll be spending a few days at the hospital under huntsmen protection until she's well enough to return to Atlas. I'm sure her parents are worried sick. They'll probably spoil her rotten as soon as she gets home."
Amber's unintended joke made Cinder and Jiao snort loudly, though for very different reason.
"You don't know much about their family, do you?" The singer asked the dark skinned girl, making her shake her head in response. "They're not exactly the loving type. Especially her parents. I wouldn't be surprised if neither one has even bothered to try calling to make sure she's okay.
His bitter words caught Cinder's attention. The way he spoke, it sounded like he was angry on the heiress' behalf.
And now that she thought about it, this wasn't the first time either. Back when they had gone to the youths event, he had come specifically to see her. And while Cinder was no expert as she didn't follow music trends. And she had never heard of Weiss before.
In fact if she didn't know any better…
"You're connected to the Schnees?" She asked, immediately drawing both Amber and Jiao's attention. Then the singer rubbed the back of his head as he turned away, practically confessing to it.
"So, you figured that out, did you?" He asked, even though no answer was needed. "Yeah, me and her older sister have some history. It's actually how I knew she was going to be kidnapped today."
Both Amber and Cinder's jaws dropped. Neither had expected that this annoying man child would know the Ice Queen of Atlas. A woman who was so cold, she had earned an international reputation before even getting her huntress license.
Seeing their expressions, Jiao let out a sigh, knowing he wasn't going to be able to walk away without answering some questions. So he decided to just start so they could still get to bed early before tomorrow morning's concert.
"To make a long story short, during one of her birthdays, we were hired to sing at the event. This was back when we were pretty new and her father thought it was a good idea to try to appear like he was rationing money because that year, There was a huge accident where one of his mines collapsed. Killing a few Faunus. So I guess this was his idea of being respectful."
Amber raised an eyebrow at his words. We're the rich in Atlas really that out of touch with reality to think it was cheap to fly a band across the continent? But she shook those thoughts out of her head as Jiao continued his story. She could dwell on the ridiculous ideas of the rich later. For now, she was quite curious about how Jiao's story would go.
"During a break, I got to talk with Winter and we actually hit it off. And given how starved we were for connections, we decided to stay in touch after I left." Jiao looked happy as he spoke about the Schnees' eldest daughter. Like how one might remember happier days or a fond childhood memory. He was actually being honest about his relationship with her!
"Years passed and we still text every now and again. Obviously we're both busy with our own lives and rarely talk about personal stuff anymore. But recently she sent me a text, practically begging me to keep an eye on her sister during Music Fest. Apparently, her father didn't approve and was skimping out on security. So she asked me to do it instead. And seeing as one of my guards had access to the security cameras, it was child's play to get access myself and keep a close eye on her during the whole event. Which is of course how I found out about the kidnapping."
"You used the security cameras?" Amber asked, her eyes widening. "How?! In order to predict something like that, you'd need to not only have the ability to read a person's body language and have an existence knowledge of criminal psychology as well as-!"
"Or just see a suspicious person repeatedly talking to the guards around Ms. Schnees' camper."
An awkward silence fell as Amber turned red at the singer's simple answer.
"Oh. I guess that would work too." She said after a few minutes as she turned to look out at the sea. "I guess you thought it was suspicious and kept watching? Something happened last night to tip you off?"
"Guards accepted something from someone who definitely wasn't a part of staff. Not sure what, but it was undoubtedly a bribe of some kind." Jiao reported, his eyes darkening. "And whatever it was, there was enough to go around for the entire staff. Because everyone clearly played a part in it. Not sure if they'll face criminal charges, but even if they don't, they won't be able to find work anywhere in this kingdom once the news gets a hold of this scandal."
"Seriously? How much is the SDC paying their employees?" Cinder said, rolling her eyes as she spoke. "How on Remnant did someone from the White Fang manage to pay off an entire security and…whatever else the princess had? Aren't the committee funds locked up tight with only high ranking members having access to them? What kind of heist did Chesher and her team pull to be able to bribe so many people?"
Jiao's frown turned even darker at Cinder's question. Carefully, he pulled out his scroll and began swiping through it before spinning it around when he finally found what he was looking for. Which was a record of the security footage from last night.
"I don't think it was Chesher, take a look at them." Both of the girls leaned forward to get a better look and sure enough, they could tell the figure in the video wasn't the Faunus they had just beaten.
The woman wore a hoodie that was kept up at all times, so they couldn't see her face, but she very clearly didn't have a tail. What's more, while the footage was in a night vision mood, they could see this woman had dark hair, while Chesher, being blonde, would have light hair. As well as her appearing to be a head shorter than the Faunus.
The camera wasn't focused on the intruder or the staff, but they could see the woman hand a large envelope over to the man. And upon opening it, his eyes went wide and he began speaking very quickly and seemingly loudly as the next second the woman put her hand over his mouth and scanned the area with her flash light. Something most Faunus wouldn't need.
"What the hell?" Cinder murmured as they watched the woman and the man exchange a few more words, then the woman disappeared into the darkness and the man returned to the building. "I thought the White Fang didn't work with humans on principle. Why would they be outsourcing something this important to someone they deem as a racist?"
"Well, whoever this is, they've clearly gained their trust." Amber said quietly. Her mind was already racing with the potential of what this could mean. Back when they had been questioned by the police, she remembered both Adam and Ruby mention Chesher had a benefactor who had helped them get in as well as provided them with information on where the heiress was and how to get out.
Was this woman the one they meant?
"Hey, Jiao. Could you send this footage to me so I can give it to the police?" Amber asked, taking out her scroll and giving the singer her number. "I want to give as much details to them to avoid something like this happening again. I'm going to need-."
"On it." The singer said lazily, and immediately began sending over all the info. And as the mountain of data rolled into her scroll, Amber held back a sigh.
Looks like she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.
But the dark skinned girl swallowed any complaints in her throat, clapping her hands to get attention instead. "Okay everyone. It's getting late." She said in her usual chipper tone. "Remember, there's a concert early tomorrow morning and we can't just push it back. Jiao, get to bed. Cinder, wrap up with your family and then get some sleep too. I need you rested and ready for tomorrow! I'm going to send this to the cops then get some shut eye myself."
Cinder and Jiao didn't argue. Neither wanted to get up at three in the morning, but unfortunately if they didn't, they wouldn't have enough time to prepare for the event.
Wordlessly, the singer began making his way back to his trailer, Amber accompanying him. As for Cinder, she didn't even wait for them to disappear from her sight before turning around and heading straight for her family. Namely, Summer who was watching the last of the emergency services finish packing and leave.
"Hey." Cinder called as she approached them, eyes scanning for the younger sister. "Where's Ruby and Yang?"
Summer turned and smiled before pointing over to the ambulance where Weiss Schnee was being loaded onto. There, Ruby was walking alongside the stretcher, seemingly talking with the white haired girl as they went. Yang was standing not far off and while she wasn't engaging in the conversation, she was close enough to hear what was being said.
And as luck would have it, so was Cinder. Most of it being something along the likes of Ruby asking the girl where she learned to fight. And to the older sibling's surprise, the heiress was actually being somewhat nice!
"Looks like Ruby made quite an impression when she tried to save the little heiress." Summer said. "I hope people hear about this. It might be an important first step to mending the relationship between Atlas and Vale. After all, the Schnee hold quite an influence over every huntsmen in the world. Even members of the Eternal Dynasty respect the name."
Cinder rolled her eyes as she watched, though she couldn't keep a smile off her face. As scared as she had been, she had never been more proud of Ruby before today. The little girl had not only faced a trained huntress head on, but even managed to buy enough time for rescue to arrive. She would make an incredible huntress in a few years, something she had honestly been worried about for a while now.
Seeing the smile on her daughter's face, Summer smiled. She knew Cinder was too proud to admit her feelings, but she could read her, as could her siblings. They all knew how she felt, even if she would die before opening up about them.
And on that note.
"So, rough client?" Summer asked. She had seen Bobby and his temper tantrum earlier, even heard some of his shouts. It painted a very clear picture for the woman, she knew those types of people. Even had to restrain Raven once to stop her from killing their then client! Something that had somehow ended up with both her and Qrow having a black eye!
And upon seeing her daughter let out a groan, she knew she had hit the nail on the head.
"Ug! Don't even get me started." Cinder said, though she sounded more tired than angry, which caught Summer off guard. "He's an unbalanced asshole! Guy insisted on doing things his way despite not having a clue about it! And his incompetent boy band isn't any better! They are constantly getting in the way or getting themselves into some kind of trouble, then yelling at us about not stopping their stupidity! Thank fuck this we're half way done with this stupid mission! I don't think I can take another week with these bastards!"
"Language!" Summer chastised, though she found it a bit reassuring that Cinder didn't seem as furious as she had expected. Knowing her daughter, she wouldn't be surprised if she ended up punching one or something rash like that! It was a relief to hear she hadn't.
"Well, the life of a huntress isn't what most think." The older woman said, turning her attention back to Ruby who was waving at the ambulance as it drove away. "It's not near death escape everyday. Or catching the bad guy and stopping the bomb with a second left on the clock. It's a lot of thankless tasks and annoying clients. And don't even get me started on the overtime you'll work! You don't even get time and a half for it! Not to mention the premiums for insurance are sky high! And of course even if you find someone willing to cover you, it's impossible to get a hold of them. Nobody wants to cover a job that puts their client in harm's way! Speaking of, I remember one time Tai actually spent ten hours on the phone to-."
"Mom. You're rambling again." Cinder said dryly, cutting Summer off mid sentence, making the older woman blush slightly.
"Right. Point is, it's a tough job at the best of times." She said, making her daughter laugh.
"Maybe, but I'm pretty sure this one takes the case for the worst first job ever!" The dark haired girl laughed. "The manager almost turned us away at the door! He said he wanted experienced huntsmen and didn't think we could handle it. Although, I kinda wished we hadn't changed his mind. That man is a bit- son of a dog!"
Summer frowned at Cinder's words. That didn't sound right. Correct her if she was wrong but…
"What are you talking about?" The older woman asked. "I don't understand, there's no way that should have happened."
Cinder looked up at her mother in surprise. Surely she was joking. She was the one who always told her that if someone was bothering her, she should just walk away. That money wasn't worth becoming miserable for.
But the look on the older woman's face was dead serious.
"I mean, I don't really need the money right now and I really don't think what we're getting paid is worth all the hell we've had to-."
"No. I mean why were you turned away at the door?" Summer cut in, placing both hands on Cinder's shoulders and kneeling down to her level. "Before any student gets clearance for a job, the client has to approve it within twelve hours before the mission is okayed for launch. If not, the team will get reassigned and the client has to wait for a different team to be assigned to it. He would have known about your team's skill long before you showed up."
"What?! " Cinder snapped, harder than she meant to as her eyes narrowed at this revelation. Bobby reviewed them before they had come?! Then why had he played dumb when they had arrived?!
"It's standard procedure for huntsmen when talking about a job." Summer explained, her confusion now clear on her face. "They send over their profile or meet with the client in person. Then if both parties are satisfied, a price is then arranged and is paid out at the completion of the task. Students are treated as temp workers. So instead of talking to your employer directly, it passes through a third party, the school. And because most of these types of jobs are more for the students to gain experience, it's the employer's decision to hire you or not."
Cinder stared, jaw hanging open. If Bobby had known they were coming, why had he pretended not to know them?! Had he just skimmed over it and approved it without even reading it through? No. The jabs he made at each of them was too personal for him not to have a bit of history on them! Besides, he knew about her killing the Werewolf of Patch. And even if he had heard about it from Jiao, it still didn't make sense as he somehow knew not only about not only her sisters, but also her mother! And while that might be something that would be included in her school profile, there were some things that definitely weren't, like how she was adopted, something nobody could tell just by looking!
"Mom, I think-."
"Mom!"
Both huntresses looked up to see Ruby and Yang running over to their mother, the younger throwing herself onto her in a hug. Making the older woman take a step back in surprise.
"Ruby! You seem really chipper for someone who was kidnapped a few hours ago, something good happened?" Summer asked, hugging her daughter back just a little tighter than normal.
"No occasion. I'm just happy to be back! And guess what?! Weiss thinks I unlocked my semblance!" Ruby squealed happily. "She said she saw me becoming a bunch of petals and flying! If that's the case, that means I have a semblance like your!"
Summer laughed as she hugged her daughter even closer. In an anticlimactic reveal, they had already heard about the incident from the police when talking about the testimony of the heiress. Still, both made an effort to look surprised.
"Wow! That's amazing Ruby!" Summer said, voice filled with happiness. "With a semblance like that, you'll be on your way to becoming an incredible huntress. We can begin training as soon as we get back to Patch. I'm sure your father's going to love it."
"We can't start now?" The little girl asked, slightly dejected. For someone who had just been kidnapped, she had a lot of energy leftover.
"No unfortunately." Summer said kindly as she knelt down to Ruby's level, her voice becoming slightly more serious. "We don't know exactly what your semblance is capable of yet. Best we test it safely in a controlled environment and away from passers by. Remember, a huntress' duty is to protect people, even if it means doing their training a few days later than they would like."
"Aaww! But I wanted to train with Cinder too!" Ruby whined and pouted, but she did understand why she had to wait. And the cute way her cheeks puffed out with a little blush made her just too adorable.
"Don't worry Ruby." Cinder said, drawing her attention. "We'll have time later. I'm going to be home for winter break, so you'll have plenty of time to prepare. Remember, I'm not going to help someone who's completely hopeless. So make sure to get good before I get back, okay?"
Ruby laughed as Cinder reached out and rubbed her head, messing up her hair.
"Lucky." Yang muttered under her breath. But she was so quiet, only Summer heard her, making the older woman feel a twinge of guilt. She understood Yang must be jealous that Ruby got such impressive semblance while her's was lame. (Her words, not Summer's.)
Summer knew deep down, Yang still wanted to be a huntress, she just lacked the confidence to pick herself back up after the encounter with the Werewolf. Not a big surprise. Trauma like wasn't something you could overcome as easily as in cartoons or fairy tales. Still, she had hoped that Yang would be able to recover from this setback and be able to return to chasing her dream. Even if it was a little later then some.
After all, there had been a recent increase in alternatives to those for those who hadn't made it into Beacon.
"Alright, people. That's enough excitement for today." Summer said, clapping her hands to get their attention. "Cinder has more duties tomorrow and she'll need her rest. So let's all get back to our hotel and get some shut eye. I think we can all agree this has been an exhausting day."
"Aww! Do we have to?" Ruby asked, to which Summer gave a stern nod. Something that didn't go unnoticed by any of her children.
Cinder gave her mother a grateful smile. She wasn't going to admit it, but she was dead tired. That battle against Chesher had warned her out and she knew she'd be feeling it in the morning. She was almost happy there was a concert in the morning as she wouldn't have to interact with Jiao until it was over. And there was a vending machine next to her station.
"Don't worry Ruby." The dark haired girl said to her sister as she gently rubbed her head. "You guys have one more day on that pass. And it'll be the last day, so I should have plenty of free time to spend with you. Until then, go home, get some sleep, and try not to let your new semblance go to your head, okay?"
"I don't think you should be giving Ruby advice about not letting things go to her head." Yang said with a smirk. "You're the walking poster for people with massive heads. I've lost count of how many times you've talked about being the top of your class back in Signal."
"Put a sock in it!" Cinder snapped, putting her sister in a headlock. "I'm not the one who always eats with her hands! How about you learn to behave like a human instead of a monkey before you start lecturing me!"
The family laughed as they watched the two's antics for a little while. Then Summer took the two younger sister and together they walked back to the exit just in time to see the other emergency services leaving. It seemed everything had finally been wrapped up.
12:30 am.
Amber yawned as she made her way back to the trailer. She had just finished putting together the evidence of a fourth member involved in the kidnapping and had given it to the police who were planning on looking at it in the morning.
As she rounded the corner to the team's trailer, she came to a stop as she spotted a lone figure standing in the lot, his arms folded as he stood, clearly waiting for her to appear. And while she may not have night vision like Adam, she could still make out the figure as Bobby Rocks tapping his foot impatiently.
Amber bit back a sigh as the man saw her and immediately began walking towards her. What did this cockroach want now?
"Ms. Alsprings! Perfect timing. I have something I need to talk with you about." He said, pulling his scroll out of his pocket as he made his way over. He was smiling, which wasn't a good sign. Amber just hoped whatever he wanted, it was quick. She was too tired for this shit.
"Tell me, do you know what this is?" The man asked as he came to a stop in front of her and turned his scroll to show her the screen revealing a file with several videos in it.
Immediately Amber felt her heart sink as she saw the footage of Cinder punching Jiao. Next to it was another video, one of Cinder seemingly threatening Jiao at night outside the restrooms, (something she didn't know had even happened!) And one of Adam dropping his charge off with event security before running off.
There were other videos as well, each one of one of her teammates doing something that looked very scratchy. Adam sneaking into a building from the roof, Cinder walking away from her post to check her scroll, Eric dragging his charge through Music Fest and practically throwing him into his trailer, Cinder taking pictures of behind the scene at one of the stages, herself letting the Rose family into the security booth, and Cinder stepping back and letting Jiao approach a woman holding a gun.
"This right here is the end of both your careers and your academy's credibility. One touch of a button and all this gets sent to multiple media outlets. I can't even begin to imagine the fallout from something like this going viral, can't you?" He asked with that horrible smile he always had when he was threatening somebody, making the dark skinned girl sick.
"What do you want?" Amber said through tight lips, her mouth now a scowl as she looked at the disgusting man. He wasn't even bothering to hide the fact he was blackmailing her. And her own powerlessness was infuriating.
"What do I want? Why just what I paid for!" He said with mock surprise, before he leaned forward, his voice becoming dark as he spoke. "I want you to do what I say."
His voice was filled with malice and ill intent. His teeth bared and nostrils flared, eyes dilated due to the darkness making him look much more intimidating than he normally did, making him look not that difficult than a Grimm.
"Here's how this is going to go, from this point forward, you are going to do everything I say. No comments, not criticism. Stick so much as a toe out of line and all this evidence is going to be the top story for weeks to come." His voice was calm, yet deep hidden glee filled every words that came from his disgusting mouth. And as he took another step forward, she felt more and more uncomfortable.
"I know you don't have parents or people who loves you, but I do suggest if you need motivation, try to remember those who will suffer if word spread of your teams incompetence. After all, if people were to ever even start losing faith in the huntsmen academies, that would spread fear through the population! And-." He paused there, eyeing Amber up and down as he grinned at her. "Well , I'm sure you can guess what would happen if a massive city started to be filled with fear."
Amber bit her lip and remained silent as she stared at the ground, her hands clenched into fists. Of course she knew what would happen. Everyone did! And while she deserved this, the innocent people who would suffer from this didn't. Her hands were tied and they both knew it.
Smirking at his victory, he calmly put his scroll away and walked towards his trailer, bumping her aside as he went.
"Glad we were able to see eye-to-eye." He called back without turning or stopping. "I hope next time we talk, it'll be in much more pleasant conditions. Maybe even during our off hours. After all, I can't send this in whenever I want. Even after your mission ends."
Amber shuttered at the creeping tone his voice had taken. She wasn't stupid, she knew what he was getting at. And the fact that he had this to hold over her for a very long time, she knew at some point, he'd use it to get her to agree. And just the thought made her sick.
Without looking back, Amber raced to her trailer. Throwing open the door before slamming it shut! Then, she slid down the door as her trembling legs couldn't support her weight anymore. She clamped her hands over her mouth to stop herself from throwing up as she tried to steady her breathing.
This wasn't fair! She wasn't the one doing all that crap! She had explicitly told her team, multiple times, to behave and not be rash! But no! Everyone knew better than stubborn little Amber! They would do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted! And now it was her duty to pay for their mistakes!
Was this her punishment? To be stuck taking the blame for her hotheaded team? She supposed it was a fitting punishment for her, though it almost felt ironic. All this time trying to punish herself for her actions, while being told it wasn't her fault. Now she was being punished for the actions of others!
Honestly, it was fitting. Thinking back, none of her other self inflicted punishments had hurt like this. There were just some things that needed to be inflicted by others to have this kind of bite. And being forced to make up for her team's mistakes definitely held more.
As she sat there, she felt her mind taking her back in time once again. It did this sometimes, taking her back to a critical moment in her recent memory. A moment when she could have changed everything.
And this time she found standing on Beacon's balcony the morning before she had met Cinder's family. A moment she had been revisiting a lot recently due to the stress of her mission. She had just waved goodbye to Fang and turned to look back at the sunrise, thinking about how she didn't deserve to let someone else help carry her burden.
However this time, she looked down. Straight down past the cliff below and to the city of Vale. (Though she didn't remember it being there.)
It looked so small down there, so tiny. From this high up, she couldn't see any other people down there, couldn't hear them. It was the total opposite form the cacophony of face and screams that wouldn't get out of her head. They cursed her relentlessly if she wasn't doing something, constantly demanding to know why he had killed them no matter how much she cried she didn't mean to. She wished she could be like Cinder, just viewing her problems from on these heights.
From these heights, not even her aura could save her if she fell.
The idea popped into her head before she could stop it. Like an old itch just begging to be scratched. And while she normally just shook those thoughts away, tonight it felt a bit more tempting than normal, more inviting.
Maybe it was because of the stress of her current situation, but thinking about taking the single step was sooo inviting right now. No more responsibility, no more getting punishment, no more having to put on that stupid fake smile. And if she was lucky, she might even see her parents for a brief few seconds, more than enough to apologize!
All she had to do was take one measly step and it would all be ove-.
"Amber?"
Immediately the dark skinned girl snapped out of her head, returning to reality where she was still slumped against the door to the trailer. Above her, she saw Adam looking down at her, concern in his eyes.
For a split second, Amber thought he had somehow seen what she had been seeing in her vision, but quickly remembered he didn't have the power to read minds. He must have just been concerned as she did look really strange just sitting against the door.
"H-hey, Adam. What's up?" She asked, getting to her feet, her brain racing to put together an excuse, quickly latched into the first thing that came to mind.
"Sorry for worrying you. I'm just exhausted. You'd think being on security cameras would be boring, but I think this is one of the most stressful jobs I've ever had." Amber mentally face palmed at her excuse. Tired from watching security? Seriously? After her team had just spent the day fighting for their lives? Now she sounded both selfish and petty.
Fortunately for her, Adam seemed distracted and didn't call her out on it, instead turning to face the wall, letting the girl let out a sigh of relief. Luck was on her side tonight, she could easily play this off and avoid any awkward questions.
Innocently smiling, Amber tucked her hands behind her back and cocked her head to one side as she smiled at Adam, her face portraying none of her inner turmoil. "So, did you need something?" She asked, moving her head as if she was trying to catch his eye. "Because if not, we should get to bed. Remember, we have a big concern tomorrow and can't afford to slack-."
"Actually, there is something I want to talk about."
Amber's smile twitched slightly, she had hoped he would drop it, but it didn't look like that was happening. In all honesty, she had actually expected him to fall into an anti-social mood, avoiding everyone as he sulked hidden away somewhere they wouldn't be able to find.
After all, it was his people who had caused the whole mess. Or at least played a big part in it.
"Okay, if it's that important, go ahead." Amber said, gently reaching up and putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'll listen, but I can't promise to do anything tonight. We just finished a big battle and I know fighting other Faunus must have been hard for you, but you did nothing wrong. Huntsmen are supposed to protect people, sometimes by…less than enjoyable means. And what you did saved the relationship between-."
"No, it's not that." Adam cut in, eyes glued on the ground as he seemed unable to meet Amber's gaze. He shifted around uncomfortably as he paused once again, still pretty unsure of how to proceed.
After a few more minutes of silence, he finally started to speak, only he chose his words very slowly, hesitantly. Like a scared child who knew they were about to get in trouble.
"Look, earlier this week….well technically at the start of our mission…I might have noticed something going on with the clients and…sorta…didn't report it to you." He looked almost ashamed as he spoke, eyes still flirting around wildly, trying to look anywhere but at Amber.
"Back then, I arrogantly assumed you weren't capable of being leader, so I went behind your back and made my own decisions, assuming I was more suited for the role. But today has proven my own incompetence." His eyes fell to the ground as he clenched his fists, a new shake in his voice as he continued. "When it came time to make a decision, I froze. I couldn't bring myself to strike down another Faunus and because of my own inability to act, I nearly caused an insurmountable rift between humans and Faunus."
Ashamed, Adam closed his eyes and turned away, now biting his lip to try to repress his emotions. "I thought when the day came, I would be more than qualified to become a squad leader for the White Fang, but now I see how hard it really is. And I now think I'm starting to understand your struggles. And so, I want to apologize for my-."
Adam stopped as Amber stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, gently smiling at him as he opened his eyes and stared in stunned surprise at her.
"You have nothing to apologize for." She said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "You didn't think I could handle it, and that's a far worry. Believe me, I've been questioning that for months myself. So don't beat yourself up over having doubts."
Adam felt the weight in his chest double at her words. It almost astonished him that somebody, a human no less, could be this pure and good hearted. Blake was the only other person he could think of who was this innocent. And even then he hadn't seen her like that for a few years now. Not since human abuse had broken that part of her.
Yet standing right in front of him was a girl his age, who had yet to give up that childlike innocence, even after seeing the depths that people, both humans and Faunus would willingly fall too to get their way.
Seeing the change on his face, Amber gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before taking her hand away and stepping back.
"I'm sure you found something interesting after your little act of insubordination, but you can tell me all about that tomorrow." Amber said, stifling a yawn. "But we've had enough excitement tonight. So for now, let's get to bed. We need to be up by three in the morning, so we've roughly three more hours. Let's put them to good use and we just might feel like we got to sleep in!"
Adam let out a weak laugh at Amber's joke. And while this did little to absolve his guilt, he didn't protest. Together they made their way to the sleeping area where they found the other two members of their team already out like a light.
Normally, Amber would have someone monitoring the cameras at all times, but tonight she doubted anyone would try anything as local huntsmen were on high alert and several were patrolling the area not far from the docks.
And so her and Adam quietly changed and got to bed, falling asleep within minutes. And while they were far from being relaxed, the whole team could take comfort in knowing the worst was behind them and now they just needed to put up with the man children for another few days and they could get back to their stupids at Beacon.
If only they knew how wrong they were.
1:00am.
The docks of Vale stood abandoned by all. The massive fight had left scars and the police had advised nobody to go near the area until it could be either dismantled or any dangers could be dealt with.
So when the sounds of a bait engine broke the silence, most people would be surprised, if there were any people in the area to be surprised.
However, when the flash of a light shown from the top of the now destroyed crane, signaling them to come in, it would become clear that this was a very carefully thought plan.
Upon seeing several boats nearing the shore, a lone man leapt from the top of the crane, using a Kusarigama to slow his descent until he landed safely on the ground before making his way over to the incoming boats.
All around him, people in masks were quickly ruching over from the main area of the docks, pushing dollies towards the boats as other masked men inside the boat began unloading
"Need a hand, my lady?" Igor asked sarcastically as the figure of Adelaide stood up in one of the boats, holding a crate of dust rounds that she set carefully on the ground before shooting a glare up at him.
"As a matter of fact, yes I could." She said shortly, this time grabbing a much larger crate filled with clothes and tossing it to the man, making him stumble backwards as he caught it. "Hurry up and take that to the hideout. Remember, we have a very narrow window of opportunity to pull off this heist, so we don't have much time. Everything must be perfect as failure isn't an option."
The huntsman groaned as he set the heavy crate onto one of the dollies. "Look, I get you want to avenge your husband, your best friend, your teammates, your parents, your…everything else. But just remember, I'm in your little angel club for my own reasons. I couldn't care less about your wants. So stop getting all pissy with me just because I treat things that don't interest me as little more than a distraction."
The silence was shattered as the leader of the Enlightened Seraphim slammed a crate containing several melee weapons onto the ground before pulling herself onto shore and closing distance between them in a second.
"Look here, you annoying psycho! I don't care how many innocent people you slaughtered just to boost that insufferable ego! You still have to listen to me!" She snapped, grabbing his collar. "You need my organization for your goals. So you will listen to me! If not, I have no problem kicking you out and leaving you back in your psych ward!"
She pulled the taller man down to face level with her as she glared into his eyes. Her tight fist accidentally triggering her semblance which caused an extreme cold to rip through his clothes (aura and all.) and begin to freeze them solid!
"Remember, without my… spooner, you'd be locked away for the rest of your missable life! Though I don't see what he saw in you to make him think you'd be an asset."
Igor grinned, completely unafraid, even as a part of his aura was literally frozen!
"Maybe your sugar daddy isn't as smart as you give him credit for." He leered, immediately making Adelaide's grip tighten and the cold to start spreading into his skin!
But he simply opened his own hand, his own purple aura glowing in it, making sure the woman could see it and could very easily tell that even if she did manage to beat him, it wouldn't be without serious cost.
Something that didn't go unnoticed by the experienced huntress.
"Look, all I'm saying is things aren't exactly going the way he planned, are they?" Igor continued with a smug smirk. "The animals he hired failed to capture Schnee, meaning instead of huntsmen running around Vale looking for her, they all gathered around here, making it infinitely more difficult to pull off our own little kidnapping. And even then, it definitely has caught the eyes of some very powerful people. Just saying for an old warrior, his plans don't seem that solid."
Adelaide let out an angry sigh, but let go of Igor and turned away, her hands balled into fists.
"Unfortunately we don't have a lot of options left." She said dryly as she made her way back to the boats, grabbing another crate and setting it on a dolly. "When Music Fest ends, the Three Dragons go back to Mistral. And with their underground under the control of the Phantom, we'd never get a hold of that stupid boy band singer. And we need his semblance to stop the Eternal Dynasty."
Igor rolled his eyes at the leader as he followed, coming to a stop next to the dolly.
"I still don't see what the big deal is. They predate the Enlightened Seraphim and they've never been viewed as a threat. So why are you suddenly so worried about them now? You've been preparing for war with them for what? Three, four years now? Why are you suddenly so obsessed with them?"
The woman let out a chuckle as she loaded another crate onto her dolly. "You're right. They've never been much of a threat before, but that was because their leadership was fractured. And a few years ago there was a new development. Now, they are no longer just attacking Faunus protests. They are mustering their forces and preparing for something, something big."
Adelaide paused for a second, her hand moving to her heart and gently giving the skin above it a tight squeeze. Her eyes shining with determination as she looked over the members of her organization. She knew what was on the line. She wouldn't let those Atlesian dogs take anything else from them! Not from her kingdom, not from herself. And definitely not her son's future!
"The kingdoms are still weak after the war. They can't go out and stop the Dynasty before they are able to build up whatever their planning, they just don't have the resources to spare. That's why we exist. To stop them before they can get on their feet." She said, still not looking at Igor. "And that's why we need that brat's semblance. I can't think of a more perfect way to stop them than to find each and every one of their leaders and kill them all at once, can you?"
Igor looked blankly at Adelaide for a few seconds, then let out a dry laugh.
"Hey, I'm not going to complain if you want to start a mass murder session. Believe me, I'd love nothing more." He said, reaching down and picking up another box and setting it on the dolly. "But I'm guessing you have a good reason why you can't just ask him to help you willingly. Seems a lot easier if you ask me."
The woman let out a huff in response as another member grabbed her now full dolly and a different one was placed in front of her.
"Unfortunately with the Phantom running around, it's too risky to set up an official meeting. And I don't trust that brat to keep a secret long enough to get the info out of him. Much safer to just abduct him and take him to one of our hidden bases where we initiate operation stratosphere, keeping an eye on him in the meantime." She paused for a second before letting out a dry chuckle as she shook her head.
"And besides, given how close he is to a Schnee, I highly doubt he'd cooperate." She said with a grin. "Ironwood's made it very clear that he doesn't consider them an enemy, otherwise he had dealt with them by now. Either that or-. !"
Suddenly Adelaide and Igor both dropped their boxes, jumping back, hands flying to their weapons as they got into their battle stances. Carefully, they scanned the many shipping containers, looking for the slightest hint of movement.
They both could have sworn they had just felt a powerful aura nearby. One dripping with malice and pure evil! One that definitely didn't belong to anyone from the Enlightened Seraphim.
But as they looked around, they didn't see anything. Nor could they sense the presence when they tried. Yet they both knew they had felt something, though they had no idea why they couldn't locate it now.
"Igor." Adelaide began, but she didn't even need to finish her sentence as the man already drew his weapon and made his way into the maze of shipping containers, leaving Adelaide to stand guard over the supplies.
And despite the fact the huntsman returned not finding anyone, and nothing more happening for the rest of the night, they pushed for speed above everything else.
And while neither could explain what had happened, they both couldn't shake the feeling something was very wrong.
So What I am going to say is that what Amber is doing is not healthy! She need professional help or group therapy, or literally someone to confide in! Anything!
Either way, I hope you…read and understood how not to deal with depression. If you or someone you know has issues like this, consult a professional. I'm not qualified to give advice on hard subjects and everyone is different.
There's nothing wrong with needing time to find something that helps with these kinds of thoughts. Take as much time as you need and once you find something (heathy) that works, keep at it.
I can't really say much more without getting into a topic that I really shouldn't be talking on, so I'm going to shut up before I put my foot in my mouth.
Bye.