Been feeling sick these last few days, which sucks when it means going to work, or writing. Or doing anything in general. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Let's go!
Arc 1 – Chapter 6
"What the fuck happened to you?!"
Melanie stared with abstract horror and fury, while Miltia was quick to run forward and examine Hei.
Roman, Neo, Hei and Ruby were currently in Hei's office sitting on the couch in front of a roaring fire while DJ was tending to each and every one of their wounds with crude stitch-work and bloody rags on the floor.
"Not so loud, kid," whined Roman as he tenderly cupped his ears.
"I have a killer headache from being thrown into a rock."
"WHAT?!"
He winced at Melanie's shrill screech, ignoring all eyes suddenly being placed on him.
"Hei! What the hell happened?!"
Hei's chest and arms were bare as he leaned forward for DJ to fish around his shoulder. He had a piece of tightly wrapped cloth in his mouth to bite down on, and a half empty bottle of whisky sat on a tiny round table next to him, along with several bloodied tweezers, scissors and knife.
He let loose a small muffled sound before falling silent.
Melanie, without any care in the world, strode up to him and ripped the cloth out of his mouth.
"Answers, dammit!"
Hei glowered at her, but she didn't budge and returned her own harsh glare.
"You clearly need to learn more – argh – respect," he grunted as DJ removed the last shard of a stone arrow from his shoulder.
"Don't dodge the question, Hei," she snapped.
"Just gimme some time to finish up here. I'll answer your questions then."
His eyes narrowed as he glanced up at her non-too-pleased expression.
"And what are you and your sister doing here? I gave you strict instructions not to return unless I met up with you tonight."
"Because we were worried you dumbass!" hissed Melanie.
Her hands slammed down onto the edge of the small table, nearly upending it. DJ gave a surprised yelp as the tools rattled and nearly went flying.
"What. Happened."
There was a tense silence for a second, until DJ finally spoke up.
"Neo got cut up by a Grimm. Roman rode said Grimm and was smashed against a boulder, if he's to be believed, and Hei was shot by scavengers before that Grimm was summoned."
Hei groaned in defeat, Roman spluttered in surprise and Neo laid on her back sprawled out on his lap and the couch arm as she nursed her bandaged stomach.
"WHAT?!"
"Gods dammit, DJ. I was going to explain to her later," growled Hei.
DJ slightly cowered before mustering his nerve again.
"Well, I just thought I'd get it out of the way. It's not like I'm going to go around telling anyone else."
Hei shook his head with unbelieving disappointment.
Melanie got in DJ's face and gripped him the front of his shirt, pulling him in closely until their noses were practically touching.
"Start explaining. Now."
DJ waved his hands frantically to fend her off.
"I swear that's all I know. Hei hasn't even explained much more to me. I was only just starting to treat their wounds."
"Shoddy job at that if you ask me," frowned Miltia as she inspected his stitching on Roman's back.
Neo narrowed her eyes as Miltia fussed over Roman's stitching.
Roman chuckled nervously.
"I don't think Neo likes you manhandling me like that, Miltia."
True enough, the mute girl's expression screamed 'back off hussy'. Miltia ignored her, however.
Melanie growled at DJ's excuse and was about to start going off again when Hei finally relented.
"We went to look for Ruby's parents. Wanted to just confirm some things about her story."
Melanie eased off on her grip on DJ.
"And how did that go," she spat.
"Oh, fucking fantastic," exclaimed Roman with faux enthusiasm.
"Found a bloody encampment with no bodies around. Which sets alarm bells off, but hey, someone thought it was a good idea to look around, right Hei?"
Hei grunted in contrivance.
"Well, what happened then?" prodded Miltia, curious.
Melanie scowled.
"It's obvious. The camp wasn't as deserted as you first thought. Was it."
Roman clicked his tongue.
"Bingo."
Hei waved DJ off as he sat upright.
"Scavs beat us to the spot. Tried to set an ambush, and nearly bloody well killed me."
He gestured to his wounds.
Miltia shook her head.
"How many scavs were there?! A hundred?!"
Roman snorted.
"Pfft. Honestly, would have been better if there were."
He shot a pointed look at Ruby who was curled in on herself on the couch, fast asleep.
"Once mister dark, brooding and angry appeared it turned into a real shitshow."
"A Grimm," Melanie placed a hand on her hip disbelievingly, eyebrow cocked.
"You mean to tell me a Grimm appeared, and despite all of that, you walked away unscathed?"
"Unscathed my ass! That son of a bitch beat the living shit out of Neo and I!"
He shuddered. "And the less is said about what it did to those scavs, the better. I'm gonna have nightmares from that."
"It's true," affirmed Hei before Melanie could offer any dispute.
"Once that Grimm appeared, it all went south."
Melanie opened her mouth, but couldn't find anything else to say and so promptly shut it.
Miltia was the one that spoke up.
"Wait, DJ. You said it was summoned? What do you mean by that?"
Roman bit his lip while Hei tensed up. Melanie felt so proud of her sister for being so attentive to the small details. Especially considering the way everyone was suddenly awkward.
"Summoned? Care to explain," she questioned with a sickly sweet voice that promised pain.
"I don't think I should say," began Roman slowly, glancing at Hei desperately.
Hei relented, again.
"The Grimm was summoned. As in, someone created it and brought it into the fray."
Miltia gasped with a sharp intake of air, while Melanie cursed.
"You're not bullshitting, are you," she realised upon noticing the sombre mood.
Hei shook his head slowly, while Roman leaned back into the couch with a sigh.
Melanie's tone took on a more worried one.
"Was it one of the scavs, or was it someone else…?"
"No. It wasn't the scavs. They got ripped apart. It was…" he let his eyes wander to a sleeping Ruby.
Roman was quick to notice.
"I think they have a right to know. Especially since we're going to be sharing the same roof from here on out."
Melanie and Miltia looked at each other confused.
Neo yawned in boredom while Hei grimaced.
"What I say doesn't leave this room. At all."
Now, the twin's curiosity was piqued.
"What are you talking about?" frowned Melanie.
"The kid summoned the Grimm," he gestured to Ruby.
"Fuck off," she snarled.
Miltia was no better. "You're jesting."
Hei frowned.
"I had my suspicions that she was a… Grimm-Whisperer."
"Yeah, after today's excursion, I can say we're all safely convinced," drawled Roman.
Melanie eyed Ruby warily.
"Wait, you mean she can summon fucking monsters, and you brought her back here?!"
Miltia recoiled in shock and horror, while Roman recoiled at how loud her voice was escalating.
"Inside voices people, please," he whined.
"You don't get to talk!" snapped Melanie before suddenly lunging to grab the scissors off of the table.
Roman's eyes bugged out.
"Woah, wait a second!"
Hei, despite his injuries, was fast.
A bloody hand clamped down on her slim wrist before she could make any more moves. He bit back a painful grimace as he spoke while she struggled.
"Calm down, and think rationally."
"I am! It's the rest of you that seem to not be!"
"She's not as dangerous as you think."
"Ha? You lot come back all bloodied and torn up because of her! I beg to differ!"
Roman forced himself to stand up and intervene, lunging for the scissors.
"Bloody hell, girl, are you mental?! Do you want us to get killed?! The whole reason a Grimm appeared was because she felt threatened!"
Dj quickly backed off while Miltia rushed to aid her sister.
Neo was faster however and suddenly tackled her to the ground.
"Get off of me, you psycho midget!" Neo just scowled.
"Oh for fuck's sake, everyone just CALM DOWN!" Roared Hei in exasperation.
Melanie glowered at Hei while Miltia grunted as she struggled against Neo.
"The kid's not going to be a threat, because I will make sure of it," he stated.
"Now, please let go of the scissors Melanie." He levelled a stare to her, but she was uncompromising.
"What are you going to do to make her not a threat, then, Hei?" She shot condescendingly.
"Because I'm not going to have my sister turned into a fucking chew toy!"
"She won't be," Hei placated, gently lowering Melanie's wrist holding the scissors.
"She's just a scared kid, is all. I highly doubt she'll want to rip our faces off."
"Doubt? Doubt?! That's the best assurance you can give?! You doubt she will?! Well, forgive me for saying I doubt she won't!"
Roman interjected.
"Look, I'm sceptical of the kid myself too, Melanie. Especially after what happened. But, and I will stress this, the kid doesn't seem to be a bloodthirsty freak. Just a regular one, like any of us, or the Hunters."
"Oh piss off, Roman," scowled Melanie.
"I need assurances, Hei," she glared at him.
"And I will give them. There will be ground rules for her, and training."
"Uhhhhh, Hei? Not to sound like I'm on Team Melanie, but how exactly are we meant to train someone that can summon Grimm?" questioned Roman with a confused wave of his hands, releasing Melanie.
Hei gently pried the scissors out of Melanie's hand and set them back on the table, blood leaking from his hand wound.
"By showing her how to better control her emotions and stay calm. And how to use alternative means of dealing with problems instead of summoning those… things…."
Melanie looked him in the eye, searching for any falsities.
"Are you sure that's going to work?" She would later deny it, but there was almost a desperate pleading undertone to her voice.
"It's all we can try. All I know, is that I can't bring myself to kill a kid." He ducked his head down.
"Not again."
Miltia finally shoved her Neo off of her and stood up.
"You've gone soft. If you don't have the stomach to, then I can do it." Gone was Miltia's timid demeanour, replaced with a colder edge.
"Kid, you're missing the whole point," sighed Roman.
Miltia looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"This place is supposed to be a safe haven and second chance for outcasts, freaks and undesirables such as ourselves. If we decide to be selective in who we choose, then it defeats the whole bloody purpose of this orphanage!"
Miltia flinched and averted her eyes, suddenly ashamed as she realised what Roman was getting at.
"Besides," he sat on the couch and leaned back.
"What's one more freak to the mix? Hei's made up his mind, and at this point, I see little reason to disagree."
Melanie eyed him with pursed lips.
"Even after she got you and Neo cut up?"
He shrugged.
"Eh, shit happens. Water under the bridge. She seems sincere enough. So as long as she doesn't make it a habit, I see little reason to be concerned."
Melanie picked up a rag slowly so she could soak up the blood seeping from Hei's hand.
"And what of the other kids? Are you fine gambling their lives like that?" Her tone was much softer and more controlled.
Now it was Hei's turn to purse his lips as his face became marred by a frown.
"Like I said. She'll need some training and help. The whole purpose of this place is to help those with nowhere to go and no one to help them."
"You didn't answer my question." It was a statement.
Hei inhaled slowly, feeling all eyes upon him now. After exhaling equally slowly through his nose, he paused before finally speaking.
"Then I'll do what I must."
Melanie regarded him coolly for what felt like an eternity, before her shoulders slumped and she let loose a defeated sigh.
"God dammit, Hei. I thought we fled Mistral to avoid this sort of shit."
"And we have. Lil' Miss Malachite has no means to find us out here, not so far away. No. Things always pop up, as you should know. This just happens to be one of them."
He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
"You seem remarkably calm about this, Hei," questioned Miltia. Melanie glanced briefly at her sister before nodding.
Hei wheezed out a small laugh.
"I'm not. Really, I am not. I am holding everyone's lives in my hands because I'm too much of a coward to bloody my hands one more time."
"Yeah, well, I for one have had enough of blood for one day," interrupted Roman.
"Now, if you two are done yapping, Neo and I would like to get some rest, so, either make yourselves useful or shuffle along."
Melanie scowled, while Miltia ignored him and looked at Hei.
He merely waved his hand.
"If you want Miltia, we could use your help patching us up. Dj, while I appreciate the effort, isn't exactly at your level of finesse."
"Hey!" protested DJ.
"At least I tried. It's just stitching is so hard," he grumbled weakly.
"Melanie, you might as well bring everyone back. No need for them to stay out for the night."
She scrutinised him once before, before tsking her tongue and storming out of the room.
Hei sighed while Roman lazily opened a single eye.
"That went simultaneously better and worse than I expected."
The rest of the evening was uneventful, and considering the Roman's, Neo's, Ruby's and Hei's injuries, they were quick to retire to bed early, although Ruby remained sleeping in the office with Hei.
The children from earlier were brought back by Melanie as the sun was setting, and after dinner, which consisted of bread, potato soup, and cheese, they were duly informed by Melanie and Miltia that a new member would be joining their ranks, who they'd get to meet the next morning.
Speculation was already rife, with many coming to the conclusion that it was the strange new girl called Ruby.
What many didn't know was what her 'special' abilities might be. Many of the older ones not in the know likely reasoned she either had none, or, like many of the others, she had an unwanted Semblance. Some even reasoned that she just merely an orphan like so many others.
Some of the younger children, however, had wilder fantasies.
What if she breathes fire? Wondered one, only to be refuted by another who wildly imagined she was secretly a Grimm monster.
Melanie nervously chuckled at that one and shot down their chatter so she could usher them into bed.
That didn't stop them from being obnoxious little brats, as Roman endearingly referred to them.
Oddly enough, Emerald was the one to shut them all down by calling them all stupid in her typical stoic manner. Miltia wanted to gush and coo over her, but Melanie had to hold her back so as to make sure everyone went to bed relatively early.
Come the morning, there would be plenty of excitement, she had assured them all.
And come the morning, there was….
When Hei blearily woke up and dragged himself to the kitchen to make himself a drink of something, anything, he was greeted by the jovial voice of someone he'd rather not want to interact with.
"Hei!" drawled a youthful and charismatic voice.
Hei's eyes shot wide open and looked with incredulity at the long dining table, or rather, a crudely scraped together row of several wooden bench tops and doors.
And sitting at said makeshift table were two people dressed in leather tunics and garments with a couple of fitted armour plates. A young woman with sharp features resting in a neutral frown and blonde hair tied up in a pony-tail, a mace hanging from a chain belt. And a man of the same age with short messy brown hair and a suave, charming smile meant to disarm hostility and woo fair maidens.
"Benny. Carmine. What the hell are you doing in my kitchen."
Forget coffee, seeing these two in his home was enough of a stimulant as it was. Scratch that, a cause for giving a person a heart attack.
"A little birdie told us that you had a 'problem child' to deal with. And then we later find out you had your kids relocated to stay with Old Misty Pike," he chuckled disarmingly, but Hei instantly saw through it.
"Seems you've been a little busy and, I daresay, proactive? Mind spilling the beans, mate?"
"Who told you all this," he retorted sharply, earning a wicked smile from Carmine and a small laugh from Benny.
Did Melanie…? No, she wouldn't have. But then…?
Realisation dawned on him, and Benny clicked his fingers in a shooting motion towards Hei.
"Bingo. The Mysterious Merchant."
That old fucker, Hei internally cursed, not the least bit surprised at the man wanting to pry into Hei's business, even after he remained vague about why he was purchasing the Flintlock.
"And why exactly do you care, Benny?"
He opened his mouth to say something, but Hei cut him off gruffly.
"I'm being rhetorical. How much did he pay you to pry? And better yet, why are you following his orders? I thought you Hunters were supposed to follow some sort of chivalric code? Not be cheap mercenaries."
Benny leaned back into the wooden chair with a carefree laugh. Carmine, however, leaned forward and spoke up.
"Oh come now. Chivalry is for Atlas and Vale. Out here? In a quiet little backwater town? It's all about survival, babe. And money is the big wheel that keeps our lives rolling and our tummies fed," she rubbed her thumb and index finger together slowly to accentuate the point.
Benny continued once his laughter had subsided.
"And right now, the money has us paying you a visit, because somebody wants to know."
"And what do I get out of it, exactly?" frowned Hei.
Benny's smile turned feral.
"Oh, the usual. We won't break your knees and cut a street-rat's throat. This time, anyways."
Hei bristled at that.
Benny waved a placating hand.
"Now now. No need to be alarmed. You're a smart guy, so obviously things aren't going to go that way."
Hei growled.
"They most certainly won't. You come into my abode with threats of violence, and expect me to cower?"
"Not at all, love," smiled Carmine.
"But before you get antsy, a reminder that we're licensed Hunters. Which means we pack a hell of a lot more punch than you. Including support."
"All that means is that you failed to become proper Huntsmen, and now you make a meagre living scraping off the scraps of merchants, nobles, and whoever the highest bidder is. All because you have a little badge that means you get Aura Shards at a bigger discount than the rest of us."
Carmine's phony smile dropped and Benny frowned.
"Now now, no need to be rude, Hei."
Hei crossed his arms.
"Then don't come in here with threats and intimidation. That shit doesn't work on me."
"Oh, we know. Fucking two-faced criminal," spat Carmine, disdain painted in her eyes.
"Pot, meet kettle," snarked Hei before he turned to face Benny.
"You can tell the old man that our business is concluded, and if he wants to know so desperately, then he can come pay me a visit in person. Otherwise, I have nothing to say to you. And before you even think of trying to threaten me or my kids, let me remind you of what I used to do back in Mistral. I may be reformed here, but I take threats quite seriously."
They clamped shut at that.
"I still fail to see how you get to walk free around here, buddy," frowned Benny.
"Because despite your fancy title as a Hunter, there is no law and order around here. Only business, and like you said, money talks big. And you're not the only one with money, or connections. So if you have nothing else to say, kindly get the fuck off of my table and march back down to your barracks."
Carmine stood up with a huff, while Benny was a bit slower.
"There was one other thing, actually, Hei," began Benny slowly.
"Your little Void-freak stole some money from one of my boys the other day. And I know you let the little cunt live in here. Hell, he's probably listening right now. He can either pay back that money, plus some interest, or when I catch him, I'm going to break every bone in his slippery, slimey little hands."
Benny leaned in close to Hei, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"And from what I hear, little Void-walkers like him take a reaaaaal long time to heal."
Hei's gaze hardened and he slapped Benny's hand off of him.
"Get out."
Benny just laughed as he walked towards the back door, Carmine trailing behind.
"Sure thing, Hei. Catch you around, big guy. Later!"
And with that, he closed the door behind him, leaving Hei alone in the kitchen to stew.
After a minute had passed and the two Hunters were long gone, Roman nervously popped his head through the doorway.
"I presume you heard all of that?" Sighed Hei.
"Yeaaaaah. Kinda hard not to," chuckled Roman nervously.
Hei took a seat at the table, exhausted both physically and mentally.
"Then it doesn't need repeating that you should be careful and lay low for the next couple of days until things cool off. Seriously, Roman. What the hell were you thinking?!"
Roman averted his gaze. "Whaddya mean?"
"Robbing Benny's group of all people?! Any of the other Garrison members is bad enough, but the most they'll dish out is a beating. He'll cripple you permanently. Do you want that?!"
Roman brushed him off.
"It's not like he has proof it was me."
"It doesn't change the fact he has his eyes on you, and he'll take any excuse to flaunt his badge. And the worst part is there isn't anything I can do about it. Not without jeopardising the orphanage."
Roman bit his lower lip as Hei ranted.
"Do you want Neo to go through that?!"
Roman's eyes quickly met his.
"That's not fair, Hei," he muttered.
"Is it? I'm taking enough risks as it is here, Roman. I don't need to worry about you, too. I stress out enough as it is for your sake. Now I have to worry about Benny wanting to mutilate you over some money! We left Mistral because of that vicious life. Don't bring it back into our lives, Roman!"
By now, Hei was shouting, hands stretched out on the table and panting.
Roman didn't respond, instead shutting down into himself as he refused to meet Hei's gaze.
There was an awkward silence until Hei finally calmed a bit and spoke up again.
"Ignoring that, I think it's time we look forward to more pressing issues. First off, how many supplies have we burned through in the last couple days?"
Roman was quick to jump aboard the topic change.
"Well, from Miltia's griping, I'd say we are nearly out of sterile rags and bandages. We have no alcohol to disinfect, save for whatever is left in your stash."
Hei frowned.
"I only had the one bottle."
"Well, you better get some more then."
Hei narrowed his eyes.
"This better not be an excuse for you to drink."
Roman shrugged. "Eh, semantics," before turning more serious.
"We are low on Aura Shards, though."
"That's what I feared. What's the number?"
Roman slid into a chair adjacent Hei.
"Well, you used one on Red the other night. Neo had to use one when fighting that Grimm, and you may or may not remember, but DJ did end up grabbing a third one to help treat your injuries. Mostly because you had lost a lot of blood, surprisingly."
"So three." The number left a sour taste in Hei's mind. Aura Shards were expensive to acquire, and using them willy-nilly was not advisable. Not unless one was a Hunter, or had a lot of money to burn.
And he had just spent 10 grand on a weapon yesterday, so there wasn't a whole lot of money left. And what little he could afford likely had to be spent to pay off Benny now.
Things just can't be easy, can they….
"How many does that leave us, then?" He dreaded the answer.
"Ahhh, two."
"Brother gods be damned," he bit off.
"Is there any good news?" Hei wanted to hope, but Roman shook his head.
"If you mean other than us still all being in one piece, then no."
Roman leaned back with a sigh.
"Neo and I will have to probably hit out over the next couple of nights. See what we can scrounge up."
Hei shook his head.
"Absolutely not. Benny's on your ass, and likely will be for the next week. He catches wind of you stealing again, and he'll organise a posse to track you down."
"Well, what exactly am I supposed to do then, Hei?" He flashed the older man a look of irritation.
"I can't exactly fight, not considering my… state," he swallowed distastefully. "And I can't let Neo do all of the heavy lifting."
"You could try actually trading with the merchants instead. Learn carpentry and net in some money. I hear old Jensen is looking for – "
Roman cut him off with a sad shake of his head.
"You and I both know I'm not cut out for any of that sort of work. Besides, folks around here already look at me with disgust just for being what I am. And the rest already know I'm a thief. No. It's what I do best."
Hei pursed his lips.
"I just worry for the day you get caught and there won't be anyone to pull you out."
Roman chuckled. "That's why I got Neo! She doesn't let anyone touch me. Overprotective like that, she is," he rubbed the back of his neck.
Hei regarded him slowly, until he relented.
"Fine. I can't stop you, and you do bring in some good money at times. And the kids need it for sure."
Roman smirked.
"But I want you to promise me you'll avoid Benny and the Garrison."
Roman's smile tightened.
"Yeah. No need to tell me twice."
"Apparently I do since you robbed one of them blind," came Hei's retort, followed by a defeated shake of his head.
"Um, mister Hei? Is everything alright?"
The two of them turned to face a young Ruby who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, hugging the frame tightly.
"I'll take that as my cue to leave," began Roman, the chair making a loud scraping noise as he stood up.
"I'll see you around, Hei. Later Red," he inclined his head to the small girl as he walked by her and out of sight.
Ruby watched Roman leave before turning back around to look at Hei.
"Um, mister Hei?"
"It's just Hei kid."
"Oh, um, then I'm just Ruby," she fumbled awkwardly. "And I'm not a little kid," she protested under her breath.
Hei raised an eyebrow.
"And how old exactly are you?"
"Five….?"
Hei snorted.
"Then you're a little kid. But fine, I'll indulge you, Ruby. Come," he gestured to the table.
"Grab a seat, and I'll make you something. And then we can talk."
There was a pot of potato soup from last night left over, and some rough slices of bread. After quickly starting a small fire in the stone oven, he set the pot on top of the steel plate and let the soup slowly warm up as he threw some bread onto a plate.
"Is this about what happened yesterday?" timidly asked Ruby.
"In part, yes," responded Hei as he returned to grab a seat.
"Look," he took a breath before beginning. Ruby fidgeted slightly in her chair, alternating between clutching her shoulder, the hem of her new tunic and the chair seat itself.
"What happened yesterday can't happen again. Now, I know you said you didn't mean for it to happen," he cut her off before she could protest, "but that is wherein the problem lies. You don't have control. Not as much as think you do, or would like to."
Ruby lowered her eyes.
"I said I'm sorry."
"And I believe you," he reassured her.
"But summoning something you can't control is a recipe for disaster, as we all saw yesterday. That's why, from here on out now that you live with us, there are going to be some ground rules."
Ruby looked up at him guilty eyes.
"You are not to summon anything at all. If you are concerned for your life, then get myself, Roman, Neo, the Malachite twins, or any of the other older kids her to help you. Only summon as an absolute last result. Understood?"
"But what if the bad man shows up?"
"He's long gone. The camp was empty, so either he died when you summoned your… Grimm. Or he ran off."
He still had a hard time accepting that this little girl before him could summon giant monstrosities capable of sundering flesh and bone with ease.
"Either way, no summoning."
"Yes, Hei," she conceded meekly.
"Good girl," he nodded.
"Now that brings us to the second point. You are not to tell anyone, and I mean anyone, that you can summon Grimm. You have to keep that a secret."
"But why?" she cocked her head in confusion.
"Because there are people out there that will try and hurt you based on what you are solely alone."
Like I was going to, he thought grimly.
"But why? I don't want to hurt anyone!"
"I know that, kid. But people are fickle and paranoid out there. And for good reason. Which brings me to my third point. Your education."
"Ed-joo-kay-shon?"
"Yes. You need to be brought up to speed on the way the world works. Where we are, who the different kingdoms are, and what the major different factions are. Basic enough knowledge, but something I assume you probably don't know a lot of considering you spent much of your life camping out in the wilderness as a nomad. Correct?"
"It was home!" She decried weakly, before her interest piqued.
"What's a nomad?"
"See, this is what I'm talking about. You need to be brought up to speed. And that's what an education will offer."
"So, like a teacher?"
"Exactly," nodded Hei.
"Although," he added, "You won't find many actual official teachers or learned people around here. Instead, the best way is to learn from different people and see what they have to offer."
She looked contemplative.
"What if there is no one to learn from?"
It was only through several years of handling young children through the orphanage that he knew how best to handle them. So he answered honestly.
"Then you have to find out for yourself. And learn through experience."
He pursed his lips, and Ruby went deeper into thought as he spoke.
"Sometimes, there are no right or easy answers. And sometimes, the answers we seek take a lot of pain and hardship to find."
"Is that why mister Roman was upset, then?"
Now it was Hei's turn to look confused.
"Pardon?"
"Why he seemed upset when the mean man called him a mean name?"
Kids, he shook his head. Either they were so naïve they couldn't understand or grasp even a basic concept, and then other times their intuition surpassed that of grown adults.
"Roman is… complicated. Much like you, he is unique."
"Unique?"
Hei sighed.
"Think like he's special. Only, unlike you, he has no abilities or powers. He lacks a Semblance, and has no Arcane affinity."
"What are those?"
"Riiight," began Hei, realising the scope of what he was dealing with.
"I'll have one of the others go over it with you later, but in summary, a Semblance is, usually, a unique ability that everyone is capable of manifesting. Arcane Potential, or affinity, is the overall strength, or likelihood of a person to manifest a Semblance." He hesitated for a brief second before continuing.
"It also lets a person manipulate the Arcane arts."
"So, like magic?" Ruby almost seemed in awe, fresh fantasises no doubt playing in her mind.
"I… I can't say. Simply because I don't know too much about that. That's something Hunters and Huntsmen deal in. I'd say it's probably different to magic, but to folk like us, I'm sure there's no difference."
"Oh," came Ruby's voice, dejected.
"Then what about mister Roman?"
"Like I said," Hei sighed, "Roman is a special case. He is what is technically called a Wound. But to many people, they simplify it by using a more cruel term. A Void-freak."
Ruby slightly curled in on herself, captivated and frightened at the same time.
"A Wound," he explained, "is a person that is born with no Arcane Potential. What that means, is he cannot ever manifest a Semblance. It also means he cannot use the Arcane Arts. If anything, it makes him more vulnerable to them."
"And that's a bad thing?"
Hei hummed a little bit as he considered what she said.
"Not per se. At least, not if you looked at it from that perspective. However, from a perspective like his, it means he is more likely to be injured, and worse, his injuries cannot be healed using Aura Shards, or anything related to the Arcane. At best, it would have no effect. At worst, there could be a dangerous rejection from his body."
Hei closed his eyes and let loose a shaky breath.
"The fact a Wound has no Arcane Potential means many people, especially from the more elite or attuned castes of society, automatically look down on him as less than dirt. The fact that a Wound can not only reject the Arcane Arts, but also potentially undo them, downright terrifies some people. Not many, mind you. But some people are."
Ruby looked understanding.
"Is that why you're scared?"
Hei snorted.
"I'm not scared of him. I'm scared for him."
He leaned back in his seat.
"I've known Roman for years now. The kid makes up for his shortcomings with pure tenacity and grit. I'll tell you that much. That makes him stubborn, however. And that stubbornness, combined with his habits, leads him into trouble."
There was a pause as Hei looked lost for a second.
"And I just worry one day he'll wander into something that not even I can help him get out of."
The chair creaked as he leaned forward, resting his hands on the table.
"But that's not here, nor now. Now that we've gone over the basic ground rules, it's time to get you settled in. I think your breakfast is done," he glanced over at the now boiling pot of soup, the aroma of boiled potatoes wafting through the kitchen.
"After you eat, I'll show you around, introduce you to everyone, and then get you to help some of the older kids out."
"Like doing what?" She asked, curious.
"Like I said, eat your breakfast first, and then we'll get started. I'll also see that between Roman and I you get caught up to speed on the basics. And remember," he warned as he stood up.
"Not a word about your abilities."
Ruby mimed a zipping motion over her lips.
"I won't. I promise!"
"Good girl," nodded Hei.
"Oh, and one other thing. Don't go mentioning any of what I said about Roman to him or anyone. It's kinda a sore point for him, and for good reason. It hasn't stopped him, but it's not something that should be shared casually."
"Then why'd you share it with me?"
Hei shrugged.
"Figured I could trust you, and let's just leave it at that."
Ruby nodded, and within the next minute, once Hei returned to the table, she tucked into her breakfast with reckless abandon, no longer caring about the bland taste.
Next chapter: 11th September
