Chapter 1: Azure is Born
New Rushland Police Department.
Captain Jane Maroon dropped her cigarette on the ground and stomped it out before entering the precinct. She had been police captain for almost an entire year, now, and had earned the respect of most of the officers under her command. However, one problem that still plagued her was the "Red Woman" myth and her conflicting opinions about her. As a law woman, she knew it was her mission to bring Krasnaya in, but after seeing the effect she had on the criminal element, she couldn't deny that she was impressed by her progress. Crime rates were beginning to drop significantly, and organized crime was almost non-existent because of the Red Woman legend. It was too confusing for the grizzled police officer.
She was brought out of her thoughts when she spotted Detective Ayisha Cash. "What'd he do this time?" She sighed.
"Ah, some of the boys spotted him hanging around the criminal database again." Cash explained. "As far as I know, he didn't touch anything, but we went ahead and put him in lock up."
"Alright, I'll go get him and take him home." Maroon rolled her eyes and headed towards the cell block.
"Fair warning; he's putting on the usual theatrics." Cash chuckled.
Meanwhile, down in the precinct's holding cells, every criminal groaned in annoyance as a purple-haired teenager raved in his own cell. "This is strongarm facism! Yeah! I was exercising my rights as a concerned citizen, and then these pigs just straight up jump me!" He ranted, pulling on his cell bars in vain. "And what about my Miranda Rights?! Yeah, you hear me, assholes?! I have the right to remain silent! Anything I say can be used against me and all that shit! Oh, and I got the right to an attorney, too, bastards! And since I can't afford one, one must be provided for me by the court-!"
"Ahem…"
"... oh, hey, mom. What's up?" Boris smiled, innocently.
"Why do you insist on doing this?" Jane shook her head, tiredly. "Do you like turning me gray? Because that's what you're doing; you're giving me gray hairs."
"That'd be a bit more convincing if you weren't smiling." Boris snorted, leaning against the bars. "Or are you starting to enjoy seeing me behind bars?"
"Sweetie, are you kidding?" Jane smirked as she reached for her keys. "It's every mother's dream to lock up their kids until they turn thirty." A few minutes later, Jane and Boris made it downstairs where he collected his backpack from the impound and they got into her squad car. "What were you doing in the criminal database?"
Brois shrugged. "Meh, I was bored. They overreacted. I didn't even touch anything."
"That's not the point." Jane replied, sternly. "Boris, you know you're not supposed to be in there. If you keep this behavior up-"
"Mom, enough! Please!" Boris groaned. "I was only in there trying to find a signal! And if you're worried that I'm gonna become a criminal or something, it's only fair that I remind you that I was pretty much dead set on becoming a private detective before someone signed me up for gymnastics classes so I could 'go for the gold.'"
Jane winced as her son emphasized his point with the air quotes. "Boris, we've discussed this; police work is dangerous! I don't want that kind of life for you!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Boris rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, opting to remain silent for the rest of the ride home. Once they got to their apartment, however, he decided to lighten the mood. "Are we still going to that show tomorrow night?"
"Yeah, if you still want to." Jane nodded as she took two microwave dinners out from the freezer. When she turned around, Boris had reached into his backpack and placed a neatly-wrapped box on the kitchen table. "What's that?"
"Happy birthday." Boris smirked, enjoying the slight glare his mother flashed at him. "I know you don't like being reminded that you're getting old, but I'm your son so I get to buy you a birthday present whether you like it or not."
Jane chuckled as she popped the dinner trays in the oven and proceeded to open the box. Her eyes widened in surprise as she examined the watch. "Oh, Boris. This is sweet, but…" She tapped on the glass, much to his dismay.
"What? It doesn't-?" Boris held the watch up to his ear and heard it ticking. "You jerk!" He half-scolded/half-laughed as his mother put the watch around her wrist.
"How'd you even afford this?" She asked.
"Drugs." Boris replied, sarcastically, imitating a southern accent as he spoke. "Ah sale hardcore drugs."
Jane rolled her eyes as she prepared the silverware. "Oh, good. Then you can start paying me rent."
"Psh, you wish." Boris laughed. "Relax, mom. I used the money I saved up from my part-time job at the library."
"Part-time job?" Jane arched an eyebrow. "How are you managing schoolwork, your gymnastics, and a part-time job?"
Boris frowned in disappointment. "Gymnastics? Mom, the program ran out of funding and got dropped. I told you this like a month ago. Thanks for remembering."
"Oh…" Jane sat next to her son, rubbing his back to comfort him. "Oh, Boris, I'm sorry. I know that meant a lot to you, I guess it just slipped my mind."
Boris huffed and headed for his room. "Y'know, dad used to tell me you were the one who wanted kids. Guess you just liked the idea, huh?"
With that, Jane was left to sit by herself at the dinner table for the rest of the night.
The next morning, in the heart of the city, Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck was leading a pitch meeting about the city's reconstruction process. "Now, with the residential and agricultural districts nearing eighty-seven percent capacity, I believe we can shift some of our focus towards the metropolitan areas. Any comments, Mrs. Crimsonoff? Mrs. Crimsonoff…?"
Svetlana Crimsonoff-Kashtonovy, the main benefactor of the city's reconstruction process, was leaning back in her chair. The native Rushian snored, loudly, much to the ire of her fellow board members. Dr. Oobleck took a deep breath, grabbed a ruler, walked over to his former student, and unceremoniously slapped the ruler down in front of her, waking her up with a start. "Huh? W-what'd I miss?"
"Long night, Mrs. Crimsonoff?" Oobleck remarked.
"Uh, yeah, something like that." Svetlana replied, rubbing the sand from her eyes.
Just four hours ago, she had returned home after finally hunting down her father's killer. Unfortunately, she hadn't given herself enough time to sleep and decided to just power through the morning with coffee.
"Well, here's hoping you're more vigilant on your date with Mikhail later tonight," Dr. Oobleck declared. "Odds are that Krasnya won't be able to save you from his wrath if you upset him."
Here Svetlana couldn't help but cringe. "No, no she won't."
Once the meeting was over, Svetlana made her way home to properly catch up on her sleep. At six o'clock at night, her husband woke her up so she could get ready for their date at the circus.
"Now, we are going to enjoy ourselves tonight, dear." Mikhail reminded her. "That means we're going to attend the entire show at the circus, come home for a nice dinner, and then head to bed for a minimum of eight hours sleep."
"Mikhail, you worry too much." Svetlana kissed her husband's cheek. "Now, I already feel guilty enough about missing our anniversary, so I will give you my word that tonight will be all about us."
"Oh, really?" Mikhail arched an eyebrow. "Then repeat after me; 'no crime fighting tonight.'"
Svetlana bit her lip as she rocked on her heels. "No… crime fighting tonight."
"Good." Mikhail smiled and extended his hand. "Now, hand them over."
Svetlana rolled her eyes and pulled her hammer and sickle out from her purse.
"Thank you," Mikhail said with a smirk as he took the weapons in question and hid them away in the closet.
Half an hour later, the couple arrived at the circus and were immediately swarmed by paparazzi. It wasn't until a familiar voice called out that the camera flashes died down. "Alright, you vultures, break it up. Give 'em some room." Jane Maroon escorted the couple into the tent. "Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Crimsonoff."
"The pleasure's all mine, Captain Maroon." Svetlana smiled as she shook hands with the new captain.
"Boris, say hello." Jane frowned as her son fiddled with his scroll. "Boris, put that damn thing away!"
"Ugh, what-?" The teenager blinked as he locked eyes with the taller red-haired woman. "Have we met before?"
"I don't think so." Svetlana shrugged.
"I'm pretty sure I've seen you somewhere, before…" Boris remarked as he held up a hand to block his view of her eyes. "You seem familiar. Something about that jaw…"
Jane rolled her eyes. "Boris, she's Svetlana Crimsonoff-Kashtonovy. The woman who basically funds this entire city?"
"Oooooh, right." Boris nodded. "I must've seen you on the news or something."
"Aheh, yes. That's probably it." Svetlana nodded, nervously. After saying their goodbyes, she leaned over to her husband. "Remind me to talk to Oobleck about a mouth guard for the cowl." She whispered.
"Noted." Mikhail nodded in agreement. "That was far too close."
Boris couldn't help but continue watching the native Rushians walk away until he felt a vibration in his pocket. His contact finally replied to him. "Uh, you go ahead and get us some seats, mom. I'm gonna go get us some popcorn." Boris suggested as he made his way out of the tent towards the parking lot. As he'd hoped, his friend from school, Ivy Greene, had shown up to meet him with two DVD's in her hand. "Didja get 'em?"
"Yeah, Maroon, I got 'em." She smirked as he took out his wallet. "Wasn't easy though. You're gonna have to pay me double."
"Ivy, I'd be happy to." Boris replied as he inspected the discs. "Provided these are genuine."
"Hey, you can't fake this stuff." Ivy insisted, pocketing the cash. "Gotta admit, I never woulda thought a cop's kid would be into this sorta thing. You're sicker than I imagined."
Meanwhile, in the acrobat family's dressing room, a young robin Faunus happily admired herself in the vanity as she tried on her new costume. It was a bright blue unitard that accented her dark skin color. She was brought out of her daze when she heard someone creeping up behind her. Instinctively, she leapt into the air as the muscular arms tried to wrap around her, backflipped over her assailant, and made a graceful landing with a smug grin on her face. "Nice try, Tiny." She goaded.
Lana "Tiny" Titanium, the circus' strongwoman, laughed as she turned towards her honorary niece. "Can I still get a hug?" She asked. Cyan happily leapt into her arms, but Tiny gave her a serious expression. "Listen, kid, stay with your parents for the rest of the night, okay?"
"Why? What's wrong?"
"I just had to throw out some punk trying to get Mr. Hayley to sign on for some protection racket." The strongwoman explained as she set the girl down. "For all I know, he's still snoopin' around tryin' to cause trouble."
"The only trouble she's going to be in is if she doesn't put her makeup on before the show!" Mary Robyn chuckled as she began applying the decorative paint to her daughter's face.
"Mom, you're embarrassing me," Cyan cried out as her mother continued to fuss over her.
"Well, that just means I'm doing my job as a parent," came the mirth filled reply. "Just remember, you'll always be our little Azure. Our little hope."
"You're mother's right, sweetheart." John Robyn called out. "Are you ready to make your big debut?"
Cyan just smiled. "Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."
Back in the seating area, Svetlana and Mikhail found their place just as the lights turned down and the ringmaster took to the center ring. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Hayley's Circus! Home of the world-famous Flying Robyns! John Robyn!"
The spotlight directed the audience's attention towards the top of the trapeze. A male robin Faunus waved to the crowd before taking the bar into his hands. He leapt from the platform, swung halfway through the air, somersaulted, and extended his hands to be caught by a female robin Faunus who carried him to the other platform. "And his lovely wife, Mary Robyn!"
The couple basked in the glow of the spotlight as the audience clapped. Svetlana smiled as she leaned towards her husband. "I could do that."
"I know, dear." Mikhail nodded.
The acrobats continued to put on a show, dazzling the crowd with every graceful flip and daring leap. But as the show went on, no one seemed to notice that the wires holding up the bar were beginning to unravel. Not even Cyan noticed, even as she discreetly climbed up to her platform while everyone focused on her parents.
"And now, for the very first time, the twelve-year-old daughter of the Flying Robyns will join her parents in their death-defying performance! All without the safety of auras or a net!"
Cyan took a deep breath and waved to the crowd once the spotlight landed on her. This was her time to shine. She got down into the stance her parents taught her before she would leap into her mother's arms. But as Mary leapt out and John caught her in mid swing, Cyan spotted the wire and her eyes widened in terror.
"MOM! DAD!"
The wire snapped.
While everyone else stared in shock at the dead bodies laying on the ground, Svetlana was the only one to look back up at the poor little girl at the top of the trapeze, resting on her hands and knees as she tearfully looked down at her parents. Once he noticed this, Mikhail simply put his hand on his wife's shoulder, knowing full well that she saw a bit of herself in the Robin Faunus.
A few hours later, Jane had called in the incident to her precinct and an entire forensic squad was now investigating the incident.
"Any news on what will happen to her?" Svetlana couldn't help but ask as she looked towards Cyan, having wandered over to talk with the police captain a few minutes ago.
Jane just sighed. "Unfortunately nothing good. So far there hasn't been any news of anyone who'd be capable of taking her in, and even if there were, who knows how long it would be before the ones responsible are put away. Add to that how she's a target now and it'd be a bad idea to just put her in foster care."
"Well, if it's alright, I'll look after her," Svetlana replied. "James Ironwood was able to help give me a place to recover during my time of need: it only feels right to do the same for someone else who needs it. Besides, Mikhail and I had been talking about having kids at some point."
Before Jane could reply, Detective Cash called her over to inspect a piece of evidence. After the police captain politely dismissed herself, Svetlana took out her scroll and activated a feature that Dr. Oobleck invented which allowed her to overhear their conversation.
"What am I looking at, Cash?"
"According to Hayley, he just bought brand new trapeze wire and that the acrobats tested it themselves. So we have two options; either Hayley's lying about getting cheap wire and the Robyns weren't as competent as they should have been, or someone sabotaged the trapeze."
"Alright, I want every employee at this circus questioned. Try to come up with a motive."
"That's the thing, Jane: you might not have been too far off regarding your comment to Mrs. Crimsonoff about Cyan being a target. According to some of the staff, the circus was approached by some sort of protection racket before the show had started, one which the Robyns chased off."
"...and thus this racket had the Robyns killed to set an example."
"We admittedly don't have any concrete evidence just yet, but yeah: that certainly seems likely."
Svetlana scowled in anger. After all these years, there were still people so selfish and cruel, that they would actually orphan innocent children for something as menial as monetary gain. Krasnaya had a new mission, now. She pocketed her scroll as Captain Maroon approached her again.
"I think we'll take you up on your offer, Svetlana, if for no other reason than right now your home is the safest location in New Rushland," Jane remarked. "Hey, have you seen Boris?"
At that very moment, the purple-haired teenager was watching the orphaned girl from afar as the strongwoman looked after her. When Tiny left to get her some water, Boris made his way towards the girl. "The worse the death, the more painful the memories."
Cyan looked up, wiping her eyes. "W-who are you?"
"My name's Boris." He sat down beside her.
Cyan just sniffled in reply. "Cyan, but you already knew that."
"Yeah. Don't worry: the pain will get easier to deal with over time."
"He's not wrong," Svetlana declared as she came over, having heard the whole thing. "Believe me: I know."
Cyan simply gasped as she recognized the woman before her. "You...you're Svetlana Crimsonoff."
"That's right, and I'm hoping to extend an invitation to stay over at my home for a little while until everything is sorted out," Svetlana remarked.
Cyan simply gave a quiet nod in return. "Okay."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mikhail couldn't help but ask some time later. "She's not you, you know?"
"No, but that doesn't mean that I can't help her out regardless." Svetlana remarked.
"That's fair, I suppose. By the way, you brought some of your equipment with you, didn't you?" Mikhail asked with a raised eyebrow, referring to his wife's scroll.
"I promised I wouldn't go out and fight crime: I said nothing about putting in some detective work if something went wrong with this performance...and seeing how you brought your whip along, I can't say that you were expecting things to go perfectly tonight either." Svetlana declared with a deadpan expression.
Mikhail simply blushed as he put his whip away, having unconsciously taken it out a little while ago. "Touche…"
A few days later, after Captain Maroon informed Tiny of Svetlana and Mikhail's interest in adopting Cyan, the strongwoman arrived at the city's founders' home with a manilla envelope. "Here… birth certificate, social security card, medical info… everything you need to take care of her. If anything happens to her, I'll rip you in two," Tiny growled out.
"If anything happens to her, I'll let you." Svetlana readily replied.
With that, Tiny squatted down to give her honorary niece one final kiss on the forehead. "Take care, baby bird." She sniffled as she hugged her. "Keep in touch. Don't make me hunt you down."
"I'll miss you, Tiny," Cyan admitted.
"I'll miss you too, little bird," Tiny proclaimed before taking her leave.
"So, are you enjoying yourself so far?" Svetlana called out to her new ward sometime later.
"I...it's okay, I suppose, Cyan replied.
"I know this is all a bit sudden, but I want you to know that I'm here for you if you need it." Svetlana declared with a sigh.
"Thanks Mrs. Crimsonoff," Cyan said with a nod.
Svetlana simply shook her head in response, a light smile on her face. "Please, call me Svetlana."
Cyan simply nodded, now sporting a tiny smile of her own. "Okay: Svetlana then."
But as the days went by, the young robin Faunus noticed that Mikhail spent more time with her than Svetlana. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered her, but she was a bit confused since Svetlana was the one who insisted on caring for her. One evening, Cyan was just finishing her homework when Mikhail knocked on her bedroom door.
"How're you holding up, Cyan?" He asked. Cyan didn't answer so the native Rushian allowed himself a peak over her shoulder. As he'd suspected, she was staring at a picture of her parents. Sitting down next to her, he spoke up. "Would it make you feel better if I told you a secret?"
"What?" She looked up, curiously.
"I was adopted, too."
"You were?"
"You haven't been told the whole story about this city, have you?" After Cyan shook her head, Mikhail explained. "When Svetlana and I were not much older than you, the White Fang attacked the original Rushland. She and I were the only ones to survive, but we were separated during the confusion. While Svetlana was saved by huntsmen, I was lucky enough to run into a kindly stranger who took me in. And I wasn't related to her at all. But over time, I came to see her as a second mother. So, I understand this situation must be very difficult for you, but I promise it'll get better over time."
"Thanks." She replied, softly.
"Now, are you ready for dinner?" Mikhail asked.
"I suppose so, though I'm guessing that Svetlana's working late again tonight?" Cyan asked, disappointed.
"She's a very busy woman." Mikhail assured the girl. "But I'm sure she's thinking about us, right now."
Meanwhile, back out in the city, Krasnya had to hold off a sneeze as she briefly wondered how Mikhail and Cyan were doing back at the manor. However, the Red Woman redirected her focus to the criminal punks smuggling guns into her city. She needed to find information about whoever murdered her new charge's parents. If there was a protection racket being run in the city, these people would know where to look.
After dropping a smoke bomb into one of the crates, she put Oobleck's latest gas mask over her mouth and watched the rats scatter in fear. With all of her prey disoriented, the Crimson Crusader swooped down with her hammer in hand and attacked the thugs. Using her sickle, she sliced all the guns in half and converted it into a pistol to fire a flame dust cartridge at the crates, setting their weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and most of the warehouse ablaze.
With all of the criminals subdued and the fire department on the way, Krasnaya grabbed the lead dealer and took him up to the roof of a nearby building. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the pavement… fifty feet away from his face. "AAAAAAH! AAAAAH!" He screamed in horror once he finally noticed his captor. "YOU'RE CRAZY! YOU'RE FRICKIN' CRAZY!"
"Where are they!?" Krasnya growled out. "The ones responsible for the Flying Robyn murders! Where are they?!"
"Y-you can't do this!" The criminal screamed, fearfully, as she dangled him over the ledge of the roof. "I've got rights! And you're supposed to have a warrant or something!"
"Do I look like a cop?!" Krasnaya snarled as she released her grip on her captive, only to pull him back up with her grappling line. "Now tell me where they are!"
"I-I don't know! I swear to gods, I don't-!"
"Swear to me!" She snapped, dropping him again, and pulling him back up.
"Y-you! I-I swear to you!" The criminal stammered, actually wetting himself in fear. "I don't know nothin'! Nothin'!"
"That's a shame." She remarked, darkly. "I don't think my cable can take another sudden stop like that. And my arm is getting tired."
The street thug looked back down at the pavement. At best, if he were to fall for real, he'd be crippled from the neck down for the rest of his life. Up until tonight, he had only ever heard legends of the Krasnaya, and had no way of knowing whether or not she would actually kill him to get what she wanted. At last, he cracked. "Zokine!"
Krasnaya threw the punk back onto the roof, holding his leg. "What?"
"T-Tony Zokine! He runs a protection racket in the city! All small businesses pay up to him! He's supposed to be set up somewhere in the financial district! And that's all I know, I swear!"
"If you're lying I'll break the other one." She threatened.
"The other wh-AAAAAUGH!" He screamed in pain as she broke his leg with a strong punch.
Checking her utility belt, she groaned at the sight of her depleted dust cartridges. Without knowing how many hired guns this Zokine had under his thumb, she couldn't risk taking him on empty-handed. Reluctantly, she retreated to her Warthog to get a night's rest before starting again tomorrow. As she approached her farmhouse, she pressed a button on her dashboard, sending a remote signal to open the secret entrance to the cave beneath her property. She dismounted her ride and changed out of her costume.
After a quick shower, Svetlana put on her pajamas and slowly climbed out of the cave, locked the entrance, and made her way up to her bedroom.
"Svetlana?"
The Crimson Crusader froze in shock at the sound of the soft cry. She turned around to see Cyan standing in the hallway, rubbing the sand out of her eyes. The vigilante mentally thanked the gods that she had changed out of her costume before replying. "Cyan, what're you doing up? It's way past your bedtime."
"Uh… actually, I…" The young robin Faunus nervously drew circles with her feet, avoiding eye-contact with her foster mother. "I… I had a bad dream."
Svetlana blinked in surprise. "Oh… uh… Mikhail? Mikhail." She gave the bedpost a soft kick, waking up her husband.
"W-what…? Huh…?" Mikhail groggily sat up. "What'd you wake me up for?"
"Cyan had a bad dream."
Mikhail was now fully awake as he stared at the girl's frightened face. "Aaaaw…" A soft smile spread over his lips as he pulled the blanket up. "Why don't you sleep up here with us tonight?" He offered.
"Thank you," Cyan said with a light smile as she snuggled up into their arms. "...I'm not ready to call you Mom and Dad."
"We've never asked you to," Mikhail easily declared. "Believe me, the last thing we want to do is replace your biological family. All that we wish to do is give you a safe place to live until you're ready to spread your wings and fly towards your own destiny, as it were."
"And I know I haven't been around as much as I should." Svetlana admitted as she adjusted the blanket. "Tell you what; how about we plan a weekend trip to Atlas? I have a friend who could set us up with a hotel and everything."
"You have a friend in Atlas?" Cyan asked, impressed.
"I used to live in Atlas." Svetlana smiled, proudly. "I even know an artisan restaurant you will love."
"What's an artisan restaurant?"
"Well, whereas most restaurants only make food, artisan restaurants craft their dishes with only the finest ingredients Remnant has to offer." Svetlana explained, passionately. "Such as steaks imported from Animus, seafood from Vacuo, the best vegetables that Vale has to offer, and, of course, Atlas' very own seasonings and spices all brought together to form an elegant meal you are likely never to forget."
Cyan could only stare, blankly. "... huh?"
Mikhail rolled his eyes. "It means 'fancy.'"
"Oooooh!"
The next day, Cyan woke up in an empty bed to find a note next to the pillow.
"Dear Cyan, Svetlana had work and I'm in the kitchen making breakfast. We didn't want to wake you up. Come down when you're ready. - Mikhail."
The robin Faunus smiled at the sentiment before engaging in a morning stretch. After brushing her teeth and changing into day clothes, she marched downstairs towards the kitchen. On her way, she tried to amuse herself by twisting every door knob she passed until she came upon one that wouldn't turn. Curious, she kept trying to open the door, but to no avail.
"Oh, good. You're up." Mikhail smiled, warmly. "Come along, Cyan. I made hash browns."
"Hey, Mikhail? How come this is the only door in the house that's locked?" She asked.
"That happens to be the door that leads down to the wine cellar." He replied, patting her feathered head. "And we don't need you trying to sneak down and take a few sips of my family's vodka before you're eighteen. Now come on, we have a guest I think you'd like to meet."
While her focus was still on the locked door, she let Mikhail lead her into the kitchen where she saw something that nearly made her eyes pop out. Sitting at the counter, munching on Mikhail's hash browns, was the world-famous part-Grimm, part-human, and part-cat Faunus hero of Remnant. "Gods-damn, Mikhail, these potato things are delicious!" She praised in between mouthfuls before noticing the robin Faunus. "Who's this?"
"Y-you… y-you're the… the Savior." Cyan stammered in amazement.
"Nope. That's what the Dopplegangers call me." She offered her hand with a smile. "My name is Holly Xaio-Long."
Cyan nodded as she shook her hand in response. "Right, sorry about that. Anyways, my name is Cyan Robyn, and...well, actually, now that I think about it, I hear that your Mom and my guardian are old friends or something like that."
"They are, which means I've got all kinds of dirt on them if you're interested," Holly said with a grin.
Cyan laughed. "Oh, you and I are going to get along just fine."
"Those two seem to be getting along quite nicely," Mikhail couldn't help but remark after Svetlana had been informed of how Holly had come over to visit again.
"Indeed: it wouldn't surprise me if we're seeing the second coming of the 'World's Finest'," Svetlana declared with a slight grin as she thought back to what the public had been calling her own friendship with Yang.
So, over the next few days, Holly became a regular visitor to the Crimsonoff household. And she and Cyan did indeed become fast friends. One day in particular, Svetlana was about to head down to the cave when she caught the hybrid leaving.
"Nice having you over, Holly," Cyan remarked. "I hope to see you again sometime."
"Don't you mean 'Cyan you again'?" Holly called out with a grin, causing everyone else to groan in response.
"Does she always do that?" Cyan couldn't help but ask.
"She gets it from her mother." Svetlana declared with a roll of her eyes. "Which reminds me: be sure to say hi to Yang for me when you get the chance, Holly."
"Will do." Holly considered telling the couple about Cyan's bizarre fixation with the vents, but she wanted to get to the bank to discuss getting a loan for that bar she wanted. As she leapt into the sky, Dr. Oobleck drove up to the house and let himself in through the secret entrance.
Meanwhile, the robin Faunus stealthily made her way through the ventilation shaft. "Heh-heh, Tom Blues ain't got shit on me." She chuckled to herself before the grate beneath her swung open. "Ugh, I'll need to remember to make a map of this place at...some...point," she slowly declared with her eyes widening as she took in her surroundings, especially the high-tech gear that lay about the area. "Whoa, okay: this is impressive."
"Some of my finest work, I must say," Dr. Oobleck suddenly remarked from behind her, causing the Faunus to turn to see him and Krasynya standing there with stern expressions.
"Uh, I can explain?"
"I'm sure you can," Svetlana declared in response to Cyan's nervous remark, before giving a sigh before taking off her cowl. "Though perhaps you deserve an explanation of your own."
"You...you're Krasnya." Cyan called out in surprise.
Suddenly, the robin Faunus heard the very door she had been trying to get past unlock, followed by footsteps. "Svetlana, I heard an alert. I think someone's sneaking through the vents-" He paused once he saw the girl. "Cyan… it seems you've discovered our little secret. Very well, yes, I admit it; I am Krasnaya."
Cyan arched an eyebrow at her foster father before Svetlana patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay, Mikhail. I got this."
"If you insist." Mikhail called out with a sigh. "Though now that I think about it, you're taking this rather well, all things considered."
"She's been living under our roof for a while now and has already expressed more than a few suspicions about a few things that were going on around here: I'd honestly be more surprised if she hadn't discovered my identity," Svetlana said with a shrug. "Besides, I was actually debating telling her at dinner so that I wouldn't have to keep lying about my disappearances, as that's the last thing that she needs right now."
"Wait, that means that...you're going after the guy who killed my parents…?" Cyan's eyes scanned over the computer screen as she clenched her fists. "Alright, I want in!"
"Out of the question!" Mikhail snapped. "You haven't even unlocked your aura!"
"Well then, I guess that we'll just have to unlock it then." Svetlana declared.
"You can't be serious!" Mikhail growled out even as Cyan gave a smile at this suggestion. "She's a twelve-year-old, recently orphaned, little girl! And you want to draft her into your fool's crusade?!"
"Mikhail, Cyan needs to do this." Svetlana replied as evenly as she could. "She needs to find the man who took her parents and bring him to justice."
"So she can end up like you?" Mikhail snapped.
"... so that she won't."
"...okay, fine, but she's not going out onto the streets right away." Mikhail said with a disgruntled sigh.
"I wasn't planning on it: she'll need to be trained first." Svetlana remarked. "And if she's serious about this, she'll need to think of an alias that she could use, as I'd rather not have her use her own name out in the field."
Cyan couldn't help but frown at that, disappointed that she wouldn't be able to help right away, but allowed herself a hint of satisfaction that they weren't completely opposed to the idea. As to that bit about the alias though… "Azure."
"Pardon?"
"My alias: call me Azure." Cyan declared with confidence as she remembered her last conversation with her parents.
Svetlana simply smiled in response. "Sounds good to me. In any case, though, let's unlock that aura of yours." With that, Svetlana placed her hands on Cyan's head and shoulder and began to chant. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in wisdom and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."
Cyan's eyes sparkled in amazement as her skin shone with a brilliant blue hue. "Coooooool… what happens now?"
Svetlana took out her hammer and converted it into its firearm-mode. "Now, I'm gonna shoot you."
"WHAT?!" Cyan and Mikhail yelped.
To Be Continued!
Epilogue:
"If I may, Captain." Dr. Ember called out. "I believe I have the perfect candidate for your new security chief."
Jane put on her reading glasses as Octavia handed her a photograph and psychiatric file. "Who am I looking at, doctor?"
"His name is Solomon Navy. One of my first psychiatric patients." Octavia explained, happily. "You see, his younger sister was placed in foster care after his mother died due to the fact that he was deemed unfit to take care of her, himself. The courts say he needs a steady job and proof of psychological recovery before he can acquire custody of her. So he came to me for help, and it didn't take long to figure out why he was judged so harshly."
"What, is he…?" Jane made a circling motion with her finger next to her head.
"Oh, no. I diagnosed him with clinical anxiety and acute paranoid personality disorder." She elaborated. "He's been my patient almost ever since the whole Menagerie War thing."
"And that's why you think he'd make a good chief of security?" Jane arched an eyebrow. "Because he thinks everyone's out to get him?"
"No, ma'am." Octavia cleaned her glasses and took out her notes as she continued. "I have every confidence that Solomon has recovered. Sure, the road to recovery was long, but every so often we'd make a breakthrough. I have a small list of milestones I can tell you about without betraying patient-doctor confidentiality. Ahem. Session sixteen; he told me his name. Session thirty-one; he showed me his face for the first time. Session forty-four; he told me he stopped covertly recording our therapy sessions. Session fifty-two; he told me his real name. And session fifty-six; he stopped covertly recording our sessions. I helped him overcome his paranoia, and as a direct result he was able to land a steady job at a warehouse. But now, I believe he's ready for a career."
Jane thoughtfully considered as she read through the file. At last, with a click of her tongue, she relented. "Alright, send him in."
Octavia opened the door to Jane's office, and a tall, lanky young man walked in. He was wearing a blue hoodie that was two sizes too big over a neatly pressed dress suit. "H-hello, Captain Maroon." He nodded as he extended his hand. "I'm… very grateful that you've agreed to see me."
"No problem, son." Jane nodded. "So, what makes you think you're right for the job?"
"Oh, uh, my semblance." He replied, pointing to his ears. "I inherited it from my mother; my hearing is fifty times more powerful than the average person. You think it's quiet in here? Well, to me, it isn't. Right now I can hear… two officers dragging a drug addict into the holding cells. Another officer, trying to get a bag of chips unstuck from the vending machine. There's also… a kid in the basement typing on a laptop."
Jane was most impressed. "Well, that's neat and all…" She remarked. "But it's hard to overlook this record."
"Please, ma'am, all I want is to get my sister back." Solomon pleaded. "Do you have any idea what it's like to have your family torn apart? And how helpless it makes you feel?"
Jane's glance automatically shifted over to a framed photo of a younger Boris and his father. With a heavy sigh, she stood up from her desk and shook the young man's hand. "Alright. We'll give you a probationary month and see how you do."
"Thank you, captain." Solomon nodded and headed back to the door before he turned around. "Oh, and by the way, ma'am? I don't think everyone's out to get me… I just don't know who is, and who isn't."
Jane felt herself blush from embarrassment as the young man left.