During the raiding of Rey's warehouse and the multiple fights going on around them, Ebony and Cheyenne stood at a standstill. The two Faunus both stared cautiously at each other. After a few seconds, the dark haired girl lowered her weapons. She flashed her teeth with a small snarl before looking away.
"I'll take that as a yes." Cheyenne smiled while moving her hands behind her back. "Rey has a stockpile of stolen lien to pay his hired Huntsmen, right? My friends and I, we can take some of it and give it to your parents. I'm sure there will be enough to help them out and hold them steady for a while. And we can hand what's left over out to other people Atlas likes to step on too. That solves one of your problems. You seem really worried about lien."
"And why would you and your friends risk that? Hm?" She glanced at her while shifting her weight to one leg and sticking her hip out. "I'm sure the authorities are going to want all the lien we stole back."
"We'd risk it because it's the right thing to do. Even if the rest of the Remnant disagrees." Cheyenne took a deep breath. "And for your sister, I can talk to someone. I can get them to agree to let her go free and only put you in prison. I promise. She'd be able to go home with your parents with enough lien too." She took a step towards her. "Please, just trust me. I know what it's like to have nothing. You just have to find people who are willing to help you. And my friends are the best at that." She cracked a faint smile with a soft chuckle. She then winked. "Even though they are a bunch of humans."
Lightly scoffing, Ebony shook her head while closing her eyes. Breathing in, she retracted her gauntlets and looked over. "Do you swear on your life that my sister will be safe? Because I swear if anything ever happens to her because of you..."
"I promise." She reassuringly nodded with a smile.
Later on after the chaos had calmed down, Cheyenne very quietly walked through the slums of Mantle. Clutching a shoulder bag tight, she took a deep breath while walking towards a small home. She hesitated for a moment while standing at the door before reaching up and softly knocking. Holding onto the bag tighter, she waited.
After a moment, the lock on the door clicked and it opened up just barely. "Hello?" A woman spoke up very quietly and cautiously while peering through the space between the door and doorframe.
Gulping, she tightened the grip on the bag. "Um, I um, my name is Chey." She slid the bag off her shoulder and then held it out. "Ebony wanted me to give this to you."
"Ebony?" Her eyes widened as she fully opened the door and stepped out. A cat tail swaying behind her. "Is she okay? What happened? Is Ivory okay?"
Hesitating for a moment, she took a deep breath and scratched at her antlers. "Yeah, they're both fine. They're both okay. Um, Ivory should be home later. But they're both fine, I promise." She held out the bag more. "But this is for you. To help with everything. There's um, also a number in here. Have your husband call it. There's a coffee shop hiring. I um, talked to some people who talked to the owner. He should call."
Tilting her head, the woman stared confused. Grabbing the bag, she pulled it close and opened it up. Loudly gasping, her eyes went wide at the sight of the bag half full of lien cards and a piece of paper with a number. In pure disbelief, she quickly looked up with shaky hands. "What's-" She stopped herself as she found herself alone. "What..." She trailed off while quickly looking around. She then shook her head before quickly slipping back inside her house while locking the door behind her.
Elsewhere in the slums, Elise jumped from door to door in her smokey form while leaving behind small boxes on the doorsteps. Appearing in front of a door in a puff of smoke, she smiled to herself while setting another box down. Reaching out, she went to press the doorbell and then disappear only to freeze as she heard the door open. Going stiff, she glanced down at a young boy with floppy dog ears and a winter camouflage jacket.
"Um..." He blinked once while staring up at her. "Mooom!" He called out.
"No. No, no, no!" Elise shouted in a whisper while waving her hands. "I'm actually just leaving you don't need to-"
"What, Gunny? All I did was ask you to check the mail!" Rapid footsteps were heard before a rather tired looking woman moved into view. Unlike her son, she had shorter ears. "Who are you? What do you want?" She breathed out while narrowing her eyes at the brunet.
Softly squeaking, Elise reached up to scratch the back of her neck. "Uuuhhh..." She gulped before nervously chuckling. "Cardinal... Cloak?" She tilted her head while raising an eyebrow.
Blinking once, she took a deep breath while reaching up to rub her face. "Okay... okay." She pointed at the box at her feet. "Is this some kind of Atlas propaganda or something?"
"No, no. No, no!" The young farm girl quickly waved her hands. "It's not! It's just-" Someone interrupted her.
"Mooom!" A girl shouted from the inside. Rushing to the door, she pouted with crossed arms. Her fluffy dog tail swayed back and forth behind her. "You didn't finish combing my haaaiiir!" She twisted her torso around with an annoyed expression.
"I know, I know, Sadie. Give me a minute." The older woman gestured with her hands to calm her down.
"Buuut mooom! My haaair!" She pouted more.
Staring at her daughter, her eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.
"Do you work for the military?" Gunny looked up at Elise while keeping his head high. "Do you know Mr. Amin?"
"Huh...?" The brunet breathed out.
"Marrow Amin." He smiled from ear to ear while pointing at himself. "Someday I'm going to be just like him."
"No, you're not." His mother quickly turned to face him while waving her finger. "We're not-" Taking a deep breath, she stopped herself. Reaching up, she rubbed her tired eyes. "Is there something you need?" She glanced over.
"Um..." Elise gulped. Staring at the three Faunus for a moment, her brow began to furrow. "You know..." She reached behind her to pull out a second box. "You can have two."
"Two what?" The woman shook her head.
"Just... take them. Please." She held her hand out more.
Very cautiously, she slowly reached out to take the box with narrowed eyes.
As she did, Sadie squatted down and snatched up the box by their feet. Quickly opening it, her eyes went wide. "Hey, mom..."
"What?" She looked over her shoulder and down at her. Much like her daughter, her eyes widened at the small box stuffed with lien cards. Slowly breathing in and out, she whipped her head around while narrowing her eyes. With nothing but the remains of a mist in front of her, she took a step forward and rapidly looked around. Noticing similar boxes on other doorsteps, she stepped back again while looking down at the one she held.
"Evening, Koda." Her neighbor called out while waving his hand.
"Evening..." She half muttered. With a bewildered expression, she ushered both her kids back inside while staring at the box in her hand.
While team MACE was busy handing out lien to the poorer district of Mantle, the crime lord they had just helped put away was not happy at all. Rey was sitting alone in his cell. His body hunched forward as he used his hands to hold up his head. Breathing slowly in through his nose, he began to bounce his leg. An anger burned deep in his eyes as his messy rainbow hair was draped over his shoulders. Hearing a low cackle, his face twitched as he jerked himself upright. "Dion! Listen to me, you idiot!"
Down the hall, said man was laying on the floor of his cell in a straightjacket. Staring up at the ceiling, he flashed his teeth while cackling quietly. "There's no point... we all disappear in the end... never to be remembered..."
"Dion!" The rainbow thief shouted a bit more aggressively while jumping to his feet. "Listen to me! That bitch can't steal your damn semblance! She's just some nobody! You're letting her get in your head, dammit! I need to get out of here and I need your help to do it!" Hearing nothing in response, hatred flicked in his eyes as he kicked his bed. "Dion! Dion!! Come the fuck on!"
Listening to his muffled shouting a ways away, Ebony quietly sighed while laying on her bed. Her hands were resting over her stomach as she softly breathed in and out. "I guess this is my life now." She stared at the ceiling. "This is boring. Hella boring. Ugh, I hate it already." She rolled over onto her stomach and shoved her face into the pillow with a groan. She knew her actions would catch up to her eventually, but gods this place was boring.
She had always wished for silence. Wished for peace. But this kind of quietness in this cell was... lonely. She hated it so much more than everything that had frustrated her up until this point. Gritting her teeth, she pressed her face deeper into her pillow with a groan. She shifted around slowly, her hands moving up and grabbing her biceps. Taking a deep breath, she went to extend her panther claws but stopped as she heard the door open. She let out a groan, not even moving. "What?"
No one replied. After a few seconds, the door closed with a hefty thud.
Groaning more, Ebony pushed herself up. "What?!" She snapped in a harsh tone before her eyes went wide. "Ivory...?" She breathed out before shooting to her feet. "Those bastards! They lied! Didn't they!" She stepped towards her sister. "I'll fucking kill them! They said they'd leave you out of this!" She flashed her teeth as her panther claws extended.
Standing calmly, Ivory kept her hands behind her back. "They did not lie. I went home. And I talked to mom and dad." She stepped around her sister and sat down on the second bed in the cell. Glancing at the blanket, she stood back up and went to smoothing it out.
"Then why the hell are you here!?" The dark haired girl whipped her head around and glared.
"Because," She sat back down. Her snow leopard ears twitching a bit from the shouting. "I... um..." She began to struggle with her words more than usual. "I wanted to be here." She gulped slightly.
With her eyebrow twitching, Ebony took a deep breath and retracted her claws. After a moment, she walked over and sat beside her sister while keeping her distance. "Explain more. Please."
"Well, mom and dad said you would be all alone in a scary place with a bunch or strangers." She glanced over. "I knew you would hate it here all by yourself. I know I would."
"But you don't..." She groaned and reached up to rub her face. "You don't deserve to be here."
"Maybe. But you are here." The cream colored girl leaned over and rested her head against her sister's shoulder. "So I want to be here."
With wide eyes, Ebony glanced at her sister who was leaning on her. Her sister who hated it when she accidentally bumped into people. Closing her eyes, she softly smiled to herself while leaning her head on top of hers. Remnant may have been a world full of hate, but there was always one speck of light, one glimmer of happiness that even her semblance couldn't ruin. "Thanks, sis."
"Oh!" Ivory quickly sat straight. The calmness of the room immediately broke. "I forgot to tell you. Before I came to find you, dad was on the phone with an employer. He has a job now."
"Wait... what?" Her head tilted. Her black hair falling over her shoulder.