(March 18 th , Saturday, 7:12 AM, Vale Aircraft Landing Pads)
"Did you pack up shampoo?" Tukson asked. He and Allen were standing just off the line for the security check. It wasn't like they wouldn't see each other for a long time. Video calls were still allowed, and the academy had a literal CCT tower on campus. Still, leave it to Tukson to overreact.
The man had an overprotective and worrying nature that he didn't even know about until he became Allen's guardian. Allen sometimes shivered from imagining what it would have been like if Tukson had any biological children.
"First off, yes." Allen motioned toward the duffle bag on his suitcase. Second, you've asked that four times now, Tuk. I'll be fine. Worst comes to worst, I can buy toiletries at the on-campus store."
"Right, right." Tukson nodded before a sly smirk wormed itself on his face. "...Did you at least pack any condoms just in case?"
"And we're done!" Allen began walking to get a place in line, ignoring the laughter from behind him and the heat creeping up his face. "Don't destroy the shop while I'm gone!"
"Hey! I've managed well before you even came here!" Tukson called out. But instead of being angry, he just looked amused. He waved Allen off and turned around, now making his way to the parking lot with a soft smile before his Scroll rang.
Patting his pockets, he quickly took the device out, and for a moment, looked at it with an expression of confusion. The ringing came again, but from another pocket as his expression darkened. He quickly moved to his car, trying his best to maintain a neutral appearance as he pulled out a black-cased Scroll.
Opening it, the screen flashed from bright blue to red as an image of a snarling wolf with three claw marks appeared before switching to a message with one thing only. A location.
Tukson grit his teeth, letting out a growl for a moment before relaxing. His hands drummed on the steering wheel of his car before finally turning the engine on. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with too much trouble.
By the time Allen made it past the security check, boarding had just begun. It wasn't going to be a long flight either since he was simply heading to Beacon to check in to the dorms two weeks early. The reason was to give General Studies students a chance to get used to life away from home.
After all, unlike Huntsman and Huntress in Training, they were civilians. Normal people just trying to learn. About the world. About themselves. About each other. Even about things that just haven't been thought up yet until they make it themselves. It's that exact idea that enticed Allen so much.
Soon enough, Allen passed through the gate and was met with a large, circular hanger with an open ceiling. In the enter of it was a large airship he recalled being an Air Bus. Three deck areas, two large fin wings on the bottom with two smaller ones on the side, and rotors on each side on the rear end.
Retractable stairs led up to the backside of the second deck for the entrance. Allen passed his bags except one to one of the baggage workers before making his way up and into his seat with 10 minutes to spare. Once the Air Bus began to take off, he allowed himself to relax more in his seat.
Opening his bag, he pulled out a small book of Beacon's founding to pass the time. The duration of the trip was only going to be barely over half an hour, but he still preferred something to do. That, and he might as well get a head start and look over Beacon's history.
Out of curiosity, he looked around at the rest of the people on board. Something he always noticed about Remnant's population. Everyone's hair and appearance were always so... colorful . He'd rarely seen anyone with natural cyan hair or purple eyes. Then there were some with green hair and yellow.
He read somewhere that such colorful appearances were the result of generations of the human aura affecting the pigmentation in hair and the melanin in the iris of an eye even to their descendants. Sometimes the result becomes even more profound.
It was fascinating the effect the soul had when manifested. Like the girl seated next to him staring at the left side of his face with a large smile. Completely orange hair and bright cyan eyes that popped out. Sure, there were normal light blue eyes, he'd seen those before. But nothing so prominent.
…
He quickly did a double take and turned to her so fast, he might have given himself whiplash. On a closer look, the girl's focus was more on the pentagram scar on the left side of his face. Allen didn't know how to respond to the look, so he just made a sound close to confusion.
"Hi!" The girl greeted cheerfully. "Name's Nora!"
"...Allen." It took him a second to reply before he simply decided to smile back. Strangely enough, she leaned closer after, prompting him to lean much more back. "Um."
"Scar." She simply said.
"I'm sorry?"
"How'd you get that cool scar? Did you carve it yourself? Oh! Did someone do it to you? Why is shaped like a star? Are you some sort of secret super Huntsman that got frozen for years and got thawed out, so he started going to school to feel normal again?"
…
"...What?" Allen was... well, he didn't know what he was supposed to feel. He certainly wasn't offended, and that was from years of people asking him about his scar with different levels of reaction when they looked at it.
Luckily, he was saved from having to analyze the situation when the male teen behind the girl gently placed his hands to calm her down. "Nora, remember what I told you about asking people overly personal questions."
"Oh! Oh! Not to ask them stuff that makes them feel uncomfortable." Nora answered with a confident smile and attitude that Allen couldn't help but laugh. The two teens beside him looked at him curiously.
"Sorry." Allen apologized. "It's just that I've never found someone so extroverted before that I can't help but laugh. Anyways, I got my scar from an accident, didn't do it myself, I won't answer that third question because I get the feeling it'll bug you and I kinda find that amusing."
"Hey! No fair!" Nora pouted, which only made Allen chuckle.
"I don't really know specifically why it's shaped the way it is. And for the last question, isn't that the plot of a comic or something?" Allen was sure he remembered selling a comic that had a character with that origin story.
"Yeah, she really enjoys the ones where the main character has some painful past for some reason." The teen beside Nora answered. He had long black hair with a single pink stripe and wore what Allen could describe as an eastern-styled tailcoat. He leaned forward with an outstretched hand. "Ren. Lie Ren."
Allen shook the hand happily. "Allen. Allen Walker. I'm assuming there's a certain naming tradition where you're from where you use your last name more?"
Ren nodded. "You'd be correct."
"Forgive me if this seems strange, but am I to assume you two are here to become Huntsman?" Allen asked.
Nora gasped. "How'd you figure it out? Are you secretly a detective instead?"
"Your clothes." Allen pointed out. "I took a tour of Beacon a few months ago before taking the exam. Most aspiring Huntsman and Huntresses seem to wear very colorful outfits that vary from light clothing for movement and somewhat armored clothing for a little more defense. Normal people don't really focus on that."
The two teens were surprised by Allen's observations until he pointed to something at the edge of their seats.
"Also, the giant hammer with a sack tied to it leaning against the wall is kind of a dead giveaway." Allen pointed out.
"Hey, I wasn't going to let them store Magnhild with all the other luggage." Nora cried out. "Plus, it's convenient to just have my stuff and my weapon beside me this way."
Allen blinked a few times before turning to Ren. "So, I'm right."
Ren nodded. "Yes, you are. We're prospective students though. As for the clothing, most huntsmen have their clothing reinforced with Dust for extra protection. However, even when inactive, it has a very colorful palette."
"I didn't realize that," Allen commented, surprised at the information. "Most I know about dust is that it's used in weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and appliances. Never knew people could wear it. Seems kind of dangerous."
"Not necessarily. Dust-lined clothes are usually more of an added utility than just being expensive clothing." Ren explained. "For example, a low amount of fire dust can be used in clothing to keep someone warm in cold environments. Atlas is a popular example of this since some of their citizens have clothes brightly red on the interior with an extremely small concentration of fire dust."
"Fascinating." Allen smiled. It was always enjoyable learning something new about Remnant. "Sorry if ask a lot of questions. I always enjoy learning something new."
"It's no problem." Ren nodded politely. "Honestly, it's not a thing considering anytime I try and teach Nora something important, she doesn't really pay attention."
Said girl was looking out the window behind their seat before turning back to the two of them with a curious expression that showed she didn't hear what they said. The two of them chuckled at that.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, what brings you both to Beacon so early? If I recall, you have some sort of final initiation in two weeks from now, right?"
"Oh." Ren suddenly had a solemn look on his face. "Well, we don't have a place to stay here in Vale. Not many connections either. So, Beacon usually grants temporary boarding for prospective combat students before the initiation."
Allen could tell there was more to the story but decided not to pry. Between the slight changes in Ren's tone to the smile in Nora's reflection on the window not being as bright, he could feel it might be too personal to ask.
After all, they had only just met. It's not like anyone would just reveal their entire life to someone they barely knew. Allen decided to try and change the subject. "So, you told me that dust-lined clothes are usually more utility-based, but you never explained the protection part."
Ren blinked and then chuckled. "I guess I didn't. You see, different types of Dust can have different reactions depending on what other types they're mixed with and the amount. For example, some people could wear a metal plate armor lined with fire dust to repel Grimm that try to grapple them."
"I see. But I'm guessing that there's a downside somewhere?" Allen questioned.
Ren nodded. "Yep. For that combination specifically, it can affect the metal's integrity and burn the user if not handled correctly. There have been known cases where said armor has broken from minor impacts after the metal was heated and then cooled too rapidly."
"I see." Allen nodded.
"There was also a notably sized explosion in a Dust mine where they found a room with Grimm that could burrow underground and filled with explosive gas. The Huntsman that was hired to defend the miners used fire-lined armor, and you can guess the outcome."
Allen winced. He can only imagine what it would be like to be killed by something you relied on to defend you. Shaking those thoughts, Allen looked at Nora's hammer, leaning against the wall at the end of their seats. "So, that giant hammer is Nora's weapon, but what about yours?"
"I stored mine in my luggage, safely disassembled as well," Ren explained. "But I'm guessing that you're asking what kind of weapon I use."
"Just curious," Allen explained. "I'm mostly trying to make conversation. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Ren shook his head with a smile. "It's fine. As for your question-"
"Wait, Renny!" Nora interrupted. "I just had a fun idea. What if, instead of us just answering the questions, we make it a game where the person asking has to guess the answer and the person they ask can only say if it's right or not!"
Allen looked at Nora and shrugged. "I don't mind. I was mostly just going to read a book to pass the time anyway."
Ren shook his head, amused. "Alright. That sounds kind of fun. So, who goes first?"
"Oh!" Nora raised her hand. "I'll go. I wanna see if I'm a better detective than you, Al!" She pointed at Allen, who only tilted his head slightly out of curiosity."
"Al?" He questioned Ren.
"It's basically a way for Nora to say that she's adopted you," Ren explained amusingly.
"People seem to be doing that a lot," Allen mumbled before turning toward Nora. "Okay, let's play."
By the time the airship landed, the game had barely progressed. Nora had only managed to guess that Allen worked at a Book Store, which took her two-thirds of the trip. Allen hadn't found out much about Ren's weapon except that he dual-wielded.
If he had a Lien for every dual-wielding huntsman in training that he met and befriended, he'd have two Lien. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened twice.
Three would be even weirder, especially if they were blond. But what were the odds of that?
Once Allen got his belongings from the staff unloading the cargo, he and the arriving students waited by the front gate of the main hall. Their attention became slowly focused on the pair of more senior students approaching them.
One was a short female with red hair and tan skin holding a clipboard and a tired smile, showing that she probably didn't like being awake on a weekend. The other was someone Allen was familiar with.
"Oh! Velvet!" He waved with a smile.
"Hm? Allen!" The Rabbit Faunus cheered. "It's been a while!"
"I saw you and your team just last week," Allen commented.
It might be best to explain how the two of them knew each other.
2 months prior...
Yatsuhashi and Velvet sat in a booth at a café called 'Hidden Rest', waiting for the rest of their team when the bell for the front entrance rang. The two looked up to see their team leader, Coco Adel, walk in with two shopping bags, a grin, and Fox Alistair in tow.
"Coco, you two were supposed to be here half an hour ago!" Velvet cried while Yatsuhashi remained silent as he looked over the menu.
"I know, but I did get a killer steal at some stores here. This neighborhood is a goldmine, despite none of them being brand owned."
Velvet turned her attention to Fox, who raised his hands in mock surrender. "I tried. I really, really tried."
"Where are you even going to put those? Your wardrobe in the dorms doesn't have any extra space."
"My wardrobe? Oh. V, no. These aren't for me. They're for the rest of you~."
Yatsu set down the menu and looked calmly at Coco. "...How did you get our measurements?"
"Not important." Coco and Fox sat on the opposite side of the booth. "Now, someone pass mama a menu."
"I pity the child you'd raise," Yatsu commented as he slid his menu to her.
"I'd be an awesome mom, and you all know it. You're all just jealous you weren't raised by someone like me."
'More like relieved', the rest of team CFVY thought to themselves.
Fox tapped on the table, waiting. "So, Yatsu, what would you recommend?"
The large man shrugged. "Can't say. I've only been here once before, but they have a decent selection. Caffeine or not?"
"Little on the nose there, Yatsu?" Fox commented and then sighed. "I'd prefer something warm but relaxing after being dragged by Coco."
"Hey, we found you some awesome new outfits, remember?"
"No, I don't remember. I can't exactly 'see' the designs."
"Oh, you know what I mean."
"They're not even dust-infused. They offer no benefits in a fight."
"It's about looking good when we go out."
Yatsu sighed and moved the conversation back to the menu. "I recommend the hot chocolate. It's a classic and it's what I got last time I was here."
"How did you find this place, anyway?" Coco asked. "It's not far from the Bullhead docks, so we can head back to Beacon easily, but it's not close to the mall or any popular outlets."
"A friend recommended it to me. He works here."
"Huh. Well, there's decent eye candy." Coco's attention turned toward two baristas working behind the counter. One was a girl with black hair and a side-swept cut. Looked like the average teen punk girl who would work at a café.
The other, faced away from them, had long white hair that was tied into a ponytail that went down their back. Coco lowered her sunglasses as her eyes traced the hair down to their waist with a grin. "Thin frame, good waist, and the jeans accentuate the butt nicely too."
If Coco looked back, she'd see Velvet with an incredibly shocked face move to speak, only for Yatsu to place a hand on her shoulder and shake his head, holding back a laugh with a strained grin.
"So, Coco," Yatsu's voice cracked slightly, barely noticeable except to Fox who raised an eyebrow. "Have you decided yet?"
"I'll have a latte," Coco answered and then grinned. "And maybe the white-haired girl's scroll number if I can get it."
Yatsu nodded. "Hey, Allen!"
The white-haired 'girl' in question turned around. The skin on Coco's face paled and Velvet groaned into her hand. "Almost done with Velvet's order, Yatsu!"
"That's fine. Rest of us are ready to order is all."
Allen nodded and turned to his coworker. "Hey, Emily. Can you finish this up for me?"
"Pour a drink when the machine beeps while you take care of social interactions with the customers?" His coworker grinned. "I'm in."
"Thanks." Allen grabbed a notepad and walked to the booth, brushing some of the hair that he kept forgetting to get cut behind his ear. "So, what can I get for you two?"
Fox's face turned toward Allen. For a moment, he flinched, but Allen couldn't tell why. It slowly dawned on the teen as he turned back and forth from Allen to a shocked Coco before he gained a wide grin. "Oh, I get it."
"...Get what?" Allen asked although he wasn't answered.
Yatsu leaned on the table with a grin and whispered. "Still want that number?"
Coco turned and whispered back. "I hate you so much right now."
…
"Hey, order of Hot Coco's done!" Allen's coworker called out with the drink in hand. For some reason, that made everyone at the table laugh, save for Allen and Coco Adel, who the latter proceeded to hide her face in her hands.
"I don't really understand. From what Fox and Yatsu have told me, she's normally a forward person." Allen pointed out. "Why would mistaking me for a girl matter that much? She isn't the first."
"It's not that. It's that she couldn't play it off as a joke or just being her usual self." Velvet explained. "This gives Fox and Yatsu something they can tease her about."
"And do you join in on the teasing?" Allen raised a brow as he looked at her.
Velvet turned away with a blush. "Ah, well... sometimes...?"
Allen chuckled, twirling one of the long strands of hair growing on the side of his face. "In all seriousness, I should probably get a haircut."
"Coco's good at styling, if you need advice from her," Velvet suggested.
"Is this just so you guys can mess with her again."
"What! No..." Velvet paused. "Mostly no."
Allen rolled his eyes in amusement. "I think I'd prefer a barber that has steady hands because they're not being teased by their friends."
"Ahem." Allen and Velvet turned to other Senior Student that came with Velvet. "Hate to break up this lovely conversation you guys have going on, but we're here."
The two of them looked around and noticed that they'd arrived at the dorms.
"How long were we talking for?!" Allen shouted.
A few hours later, Allen had just finished unpacking into his dorm and organizing his belongings. The room was small and consisted of a small dresser, a wall-mounted holo television that could connect to his scroll, a desk, a bed, a closet, and a small bathroom.
Necessities and, as he realized once his back hit the bed, comfort as well. Beacon truly did not spare a dime when it came to its students.
Grinning, he pulled his Extension out and dialed for Tukson. The device rang for a few moments before clicking.
"Hey, Tuks! I just finished unpacking and-"
"This is Tukson Zure of Tukson's Book Trade. I'm currently unable to answer but give me a call back later."
Beep*
'Right. He's going to be out today.' Allen sighed. 'Now that I think about it, what does Tuks do when he's not around? Hm. Probably a hobby or something.'
A sudden burst of knocking came from his door. Allen quickly got up and hurried, opening it to the sight of a familiar orange-haired girl and a familiar, tired, black-haired teen beside her.
"Sorry." Ren apologized. "Hope we're not intruding."
Allen shook his head. "Not at all. What can I help you both with?"
"Well, me and Renny found out that there's a game room on the other side of the school and wanted to see if you'd come along!" Nora explained. "Mostly cause you're the only other person we know here."
Allen winced. "Did you really have to add the last part?"
"Nope."
Sighing, Allen thought for a moment. "Wouldn't going to the library be more beneficial? I know we can access the lessons on the Terminals-" He was quickly shushed by an index finger on his lips.
"Nope!"
"Nora, I think that's worth considering-" Ren met the same fate, his words shushed by Nora's other hand.
"Nope!" She proceeded to grab them by their sleeves. "Come on. I heard they even have some gaming consoles."
"What's that?"
Ren and Nora froze and then slowly turned to Allen with expressions of confusion and shock.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
Forever Fall Forest...
The Forever Fall forest was one of Vale's more popular sites, despite the danger. Rich couples on a honeymoon with the protection of a private huntsman. Villages would open their arms to senior huntsman students from Vale for their field training. And the sap from the trees was reportedly heavenly.
Then there was the darker side of its history. Forever Fall was recorded as the forest of blood. A place where great massacres and battles were recorded.
Ruins and temples were littered in small areas as pieces of humanities history before the cities. Rusted weapons could be found from Mantle's attempted invasion during the Great War. These areas in particular were no man's land. Place's left alone as a sign of respect.
That same respect was disregarded by the White Fang encampment in the region. Several grunts walked around on patrol. One picked up an ornamented sword, the gold-covered in green rust, and the gems cracked.
"Hey!" He called to one of his allies. "Have we ever tried selling any of these?"
The grunt's ally growled, stomping toward him as he took the old blade from his hands and stabbed it back into the ground.
"Have some respect, idiot. Only true warriors battled here, and these swords are practically markers."
"Who cares about the weapons of long-dead humans..." The grunt grumbled.
"It wasn't just humans. Faunus fought alongside Vale's old army nearly a century ago, right here." The Fang member explained. "The soldiers were brothers in arms. They ate, fought, and bled together. No discrimination when it came to war."
The grunt looked at his ally and then back at the sword and clicked his tongue. "Typical. So, we only get treated equally in battle or when it's convenient."
The Fang member beside him shrugged. "It's how the world works. It's why we fight to change it too."
"Still didn't answer my question. Why don't we sell the weapons? They're antiques, sure. But wouldn't that make them kinda valuable in the market?"
"That's Vacuo, mostly. They kind of like to one-up Atlas by using the ruined weapons from their desert to show off who attacked who."
"That seems petty."
"It's Vacuo." The Fang member commented like one would comment on the weather. "They hold grudges beyond the sands of time."
"That was bad." The grunt commented. The Fang member paid him no mind.
"Anyways, the reason we don't sell these weapons is because of Emblems on the pommels and handles. It tells who they belonged to. They got an entire record of each insignia for reference so they could look up both the weapon and the owner. The major red flag gets waved when it shows that they died in Forever Fall."
"They're just rusted pieces of metal!"
"Yeah. And like I said, they belonged to great warriors. We're camped out in a literal graveyard. That's not exactly legal. Vale classifies this as grave robbing." The Fang member explained.
"That's so stupid."
"It's respect!"
"Well... why can't we just arm ourselves with them? There are bound to be some usable weapons around here. Maybe even train recruits with them."
"Can't."
"Why the hell not!?"
"Remember how I said it waves red flags if we try and sell them? Imagine if some hotshot recruit gets arrested with one. Practically tells all of Vale where we exactly are."
"Okay, now I think you're exaggerating."
"All the grave sites and places of major battle are recorded and documented. We're basically hiding in plain sight."
"W-what the hell!? So, any human can just walk in here like a tourist!?"
"Yeah, but that's rare. Plus, if a human sets off any of the sensors we buried out in the forest, we just disguise ourselves as historians and hide our gear. It's all in the handbook."
"...Wait, really?"
"Yes. It's in chapter 4." The Fang member looked at the grunt, a single brow raised. "You did read it, right?"
"I-I mean. I skimmed it?"
Whatever the Fang was about to say was cut off by the sound of a vehicle approaching. Multiple members had their guns trained at the source before a convoy truck bearing their emblem drove out into the camp's clearing.
Still, no one relaxed and had their guns carefully trained on the vehicle until fellow members of the Fang began to exit from the back.
"Huh. Guess the recruits arrived." The grunt from earlier pointed out.
The passenger side of the vehicle opened, and a large man walked out. Unlike the usual White Fang outfits with a white sleeveless jacket, and a sleeveless black hood, this man wore a full long-sleeved black hooded outfit and an equally dark Grimm mask that covered his whole face.
The Fang member that spoke to the grunt earlier approached the man. The only acknowledgment he got was a tilt of the head. Wordlessly, the two moved away for the convoy as the recruits were welcomed and taken for the orientation and orders.
The two of them moved into a tent, where a bull Faunus with two reddish-black horns, red hair, and a black blazer looked over a large map with a chokuto-styled hybrid weapon leaned against the table that held it. The two that entered placed a fist over their chests, waiting for the man to acknowledge their presence.
The bull Faunus looked up, first at the Faunus in all black like himself and then to the Fang member, simply stating one word. "Leave."
The other Fang member was more than happy to oblige, leaving the two dressed in black in the tent. The taller took off his mask and pulled his hood back.
"...How many today?"
"72 new recruits. We slit up the convoy, so they're headed to some of the other camps, by your instructions Adam."
Adam Taurus. The leader of Vale's White Fang branch. That very same man, the same Faunus , growled. The Fang member in front of him raised a brow.
"You seem... more irritated than usual."
"Oh really? I hadn't fucking noticed, Tukson."
Tukson scratched one of his sideburns, avoiding eye contact and maintaining a nonchalant expression. "Alright, I'll bite. Does this have to do with why we changed locations recently?"
"...Blake has gone turncoat."
That, right there, practically silenced the tent. Blake Belladonna. The only child of the founders of the White Fang. A loyal member. Adam's now former lover. And the fact that she was higher in the White Fang's ladder and the daughter of Menagerie's chieftain?
The older members of the Fang would start to doubt Adam. Hell, even Tukson was already doubting the man. That girl had no greater loyalty than to the equal treatment of Faunus. If it got out that she had left, people would look for answers.
Tukson was aware though. He knew the exact reason. The Fang had changed over the years. More so in recent. Between the attacks on rich families in Atlas to shipments of Dust over the years, things had been brutal.
Torture, arson, assassinations. If you could name it, it was probably recorded on the White Fang's list of crimes. It was no wonder Blake had left, yet Tukson couldn't help but feel angry.
Not at her, but at himself for not leaving. Then again, it's not like he could anymore. They knew where his sister was. Chances are that they even knew about Allen. If he disappeared or betrayed them and somehow didn't die in the process, they'd try and hurt him another way.
"Are you listening to me?!" Adam yelled. Tukson quickly realized he had stopped paying attention.
"Sorry. Lost my train of thought from the shock. What did say?"
"I said that I wanted you to keep an ear out in the city. Try and get to your contacts in Vale's police force. See if they picked up anyone matching Blake's description." Adam's fingers drummed on the table. "Ask your... son ... to keep an eye out in Beacon."
Tukson clenched his hands, nails digging through the fabric of his cloves but went unnoticed or ignored by Adam. "Why do you think she'd be there?"
"The Headmaster, Ozpin, is likely to offer her sanctuary. Her chances are better there considering she'd more than likely be arrested and thrown in jail if Vale's government discovered her prior enlistment." Adam smirked. "Besides, this would be a good time for your ward to prove his loyalty to the cause."
"He doesn't know what I do. I can't- I won't drag him into this."
For a moment, things were silent except for Adam's breathing. "Let's put it this way. The Fang will be seeing an increase in activity in the coming months. Do you know what will happen?"
Tukson thought for a moment. "Increased police activity. Probably searches and a curfew."
"You forgot to add confrontations focused on mainly Faunus. They'll do background searches, and bring them in for questioning. Not like they'll find anything concrete. We don't have much of a presence in Vale except for a few contacts. Most of our numbers are at base camps."
Adam walked around the table, continuing. "Soon enough, public opinion drops. The idiots on the Council will get desperate. Then the idiots on the police force. Then things get violent. Do you honestly think the kid will avoid all that without assistance we would gladly provide?"
Now, Adam stood in front of Tukson, letting his words sink. The message was clear. 'Do what I say, and your kid gets to keep his peaceful life.'
"...Alright. I'll tell him." He lied through his teeth. There was no way in hell he was going to involve Allen in this.
"I knew you'd see it my way." Adam had the audacity to smirk. "Try and increase the number of recruits from the rallies too. We're going to need the numbers soon."
Tukson nodded. Placing his mask back on and covering his head with the black hood, he walked out of the tent and returned to the convoy truck. From there, he was dropped off a couple of miles away from one of Vale's gates.
Changing into an outfit most tourists would wear for hiking and handing his Fang uniform to another member, he made his way back. He did his best to keep his emotions in check to avoid attracting a stray Grimm.
Vale wasn't the picture of equality for Faunus, but it was close. They hardly faced discrimination here, so why would Adam be planning attacks? And now this strange need to find Blake? The girl did bring in a boost of morale and drive to the Fang, but she wasn't privy to most plans once the leadership changed.
At best, she could point out members like himself from his meeting with her parents way back then. Maybe even the usual contacts in Vale. But then she'd be making enemies with the entire Fang. She'd be heavily outnumbered. It'd be completely stupid.
Then there was Adam. He was becoming more erratic than usual.
...Hungrier.
And the entire Fang was following him. Like a pack with an Alpha. They've had a taste for blood. And despite the attempts of Ghira, Blake's father, to turn them away from it, they went headfirst in.
As his frustration grew, Tukson only wondered... why? Why did he have to go and take in a kid? A teenager for that matter? Was it pity? No. Understanding? Hell no. An attempt to redeem himself for what's to come? Maybe.
He was too far past the line anyway. Maybe it was just the need to do one good thing. Still, it'd be better to have a failsafe. Maybe he should prepare to leave Vale, and make contact with Sienna, the White Fang's High Leader.
Damn the bloodthirsty idiots and recruits here. There was no way she'd support attacks on Vale of all things. Sure, it was just SDC's Dust Shipments, but store owners and civilians were suffering from the shortage as well.
And that map in Adam's tent. Those marks are in popular areas. Things were going to get worse. And all he could was ride the wave.
Once he made it back into the city, he wished he could scream at how crazy things were behind the scenes. Every person he walked past was oblivious to what was coming. He couldn't help but wonder how disappointed his sister would be in him.
This internal breakdown continued for a while until he made it back to his shop. He was barely at the front when he saw someone standing outside of it.
A female figure wearing all black, low-heeled boots, and a hoody with her equally dark hair spilling out from the front. Tukson coughed to get her attention and simultaneously wished he hadn't.
Amber eyes looked at him, a face that was almost the spitting image of her mother with pale skin. It took a few moments for the shock to wear off before he finally groaned.
"God damn it, Blake. What did you do?"
She looked down at the ground for a moment, as if choosing her words. "I... I need your help, Tuk."
Tukson looked around for a moment and then back at her. "Inside. Quickly."