Hello !

Yes I'm a little late, and yes this chapter is half shorter than usual, there're many reasons to that.

First, I change my computer this week, so it took me some time to adapt to it and transfer all my file and other stuff. I also have a passion that takes me a lot of time, especially my current projects*, so I don't have a lot of time to write and translate.

Second, 10000words chapters are too long to write in only a week, at least I rush it and I don't want. I said it before, I prefer quality over quantity. And I noticed that, because of their size, chapters are to heavy in events, It was fine in part I because I wanted to take one chapter for one year, and atfer Raven's death it was mainly the thoughts of the characters. But now there's more action, writing long chapter doesn't feel right, I can't put two long events in the same chap, it's bad for the rhythm of the story, there's no suspens if everything happen at once, and it's already hard enough to find a balance between action, plot, character's development, differents pov … Well, you get it.

So I will continue with shorter chapters, about 5000words, and make longer ones only when it's necessary, 'cause I'm an adept of "one here is better than two you'll have it" ("a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush", I know, but I like giving you french expressions n_n)

Now, enough chatting, let's start this important part of the fic, with a new character I love!

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It was almost nightfall, and two figures loomed on the horizon, one fleeing and the other chasing after it. Both were moving at full speed in the rocky landscape. The young woman who was trying to save her life struck the ground with her sword, and the Wind Dust in her weapon blew up a large cloud of dirt as she hid behind a rock to catch her breath, keeping her four ears wide open.

She had been ambushed as she and her colleague were on their way to their next mission. The man who accompanied her had been in the business for much longer than her, she just got her Huntress license at Haven after all, so when he told her to run away while he took care of the person who attacked them, she didn't protest… Until the person turns out to be a child, capable of using fire. Powerful fire.

The Huntsman had blocked it with his body to allow her to escape, but at the speed at which she was going, impossible to loose the girl… Normally she should face her, but there was something unnatural about this child, and all her Faunus instincts told her to run as far as possible!

Hearing no noise, the Huntress took the risk to look over the rock. No one in sight… Where did she go? Okay, calm down, she still had her Aura to protect her, her colleague too, the flame wall he just took in the face was not enough to break it, normally, and the girl had chased her directly, so either he could still come to help her, or the attacker went back to him and it was up to her to go help him! In any case, it was two against one!

"Come on, you're a real Huntress now, you can do it!" she cheered herself.

Full of determination to go to help her colleague, the young Faunus walked around the rock and started to retrace her steps, when she felt the hairs on her neck stand on end, feeling a danger. She didn't turn around quickly enough to see the fireball coming and hit her back with full force, smashing her Aura in one shot.

Before her head even stopped spinning, a sword pierced her heart.

"Phew…" Yang wiped the sweat from her forehead, slashed the void to remove the blood and sheathed her sword. Since she met Qrow again, even without talking a lot, her control of her powers had finally started to improve, the size of the flames she could create had increased, their heat and their power too, so that if she put enough energy they could break the Aura of a low level Huntsman in one hit. It would still take several hits for someone like Rook, and surely Qrow, but it was better than nothing.

And for a few weeks now, she had finally been able to control fire from a distance, and even throw fireballs. Fireballs! How many people in Remnant were able to do that, even with Dust? Maybe a few, yes… but hers were magic, so it was cooler!

Rook was very proud of her when she succeeded, telling her she had made enormous progress, but Yang knew she was far from knowing everything about her powers. Maidens could master all elements and more, they had control over nature itself, and they were capable of things that even the greatest Atlas scientists would be unable to reproduce. Yang still remembered the day she saw her mother make a snowstorm disappear by enclosing it in a stone the size of a marble. She must have been only three or four years old at the time, but these images had remained engraved in her memory.

Compared to such a prodigy, being able to throw fireballs that took several hits to break an Aura seemed ridiculous, it looked like an ordinary Semblance, and not a millennial magic power… And on top of that, she still couldn't use other elements.

She still had a lot of work.

"I'm back!"

Yang, or Falcon, came out of her thoughts when she saw Rook arrive. She must have finished with the Huntsman. Apparently, she has been strangely receiving assassination missions for random Huntsmen through Anima for about two years now. The payment wasn't always good but it matched with the mission level, so it was a good way to assess how hard it was. Rook liked calling it "pocket money" missions.

"Alright, let's hurry or we won't have time to set up a camp before nightfall."

Yang nodded and followed Rook, leaving the Hunstress's body behind without a second look.

Far away, in a wooden house on a small hill, a cry of rage echoed, followed by the sound of broken glass. The furious man lifted a chair and threw it over his son. The latter dodged it without too much effort, used to his father's outbursts of anger. He had already experienced worse during 'training'.

"That little bitch!" the man shouted, "She thinks she's so smart because she found someone to do the job for her! And she steals all my contracts! RAH!"

This time it was the entire table that flew as the man got even more angry at his Scroll. The Green Rook had always been a thorn in his side, her so perfect reputation pushed clients to go to her rather than him for assassinations, but she was very selective with her contracts so he still had some space, so nice of her. But since she had taken an apprentice, she had become much more confident and took almost all of his missions!

The boy watched his father continue to yell in his corner, on his guard. It was only a matter of time before he would get attacked, he always ended up being attacked when his father drank, and he drank a lot. And he still wondered why people preferred the clean and flawless work of the Green Rook rather than his…?

The man suddenly stopped moving, and the boy prepared to block the first hit. He wasn't at the same level as his father yet, he was still too slow and not strong enough, his body couldn't keep pace for very long, but over time it improved. Maybe one day he would be strong enough for his father to recognize his worth…

The father turned to his son, and when any other time he would have start hitting him, that night, he laughed madly…

"Yeah, of course…" he whispered shaking his head, "The solution is so simple…!"

He staggered as he approached the young boy who didn't even try to step back, knowing that he would just be reprimanded, and put his hand on his shoulder, so hard that a normal child would have fallen, but not him.

"Mercury, I found your first mission." the man said with a wicked smile.

And then he started to attack him. Mercury dodged and sighed internally. That was going to be a long night…

Falcon was sleeping like a baby, hugging her doll against her. Rook smiled as she looked at her. She didn't know what happened this week of Halloween or what friend the little blonde had seen, but it did her a lot of good. She still wasn't very expressive, and she still got angry way too easily on sensible points, even more easily in fact, but she was a little less disinterested in everything, she stopped stagnating on the control of her Semblance, she no longer systematically cried when she was sleeping, and she looked more relaxed overall. Her condition was improving, but it would still take her time to return to her normal state… whatever it may be.

A trickle of drool started to flow from her mouth, and Rook had to refrain from laughing. She had an extraordinarily heavy sleep for someone so… explosive. She could easily be attacked in her sleep, and Rook still had trouble deciding whether it was out of ignorance of the danger or because she trusted her enough to warn her if something went wrong. She really had a weird notion of trust, she agreed to entrust her life to someone who gave her no guarantee not to betray her, but she categorically refused to tell anything about herself to Rook when they had known each other for over a year now, as if these secrets were more important than her own life. Weird.

"There is the witch, so this is where her pawns go to see her in person. He's in the war and chose who to side with. Like everyone else."

If Falcon's little "meltdown" apparently came from a traumatic experience, or at least that was what she concluded by analyzing her behavior and doing some research, this sentence remained completely unexplained and still hadn't left Rook's mind. "Witch"? "War"? Coming from a normal child, she would just assume that they saw a horror film, but coming from Falcon, it was to wonder if it should not be taken literally. But witches didn't exist, so she had to be referring to someone, or something, whom she called a witch. … Something that apparently lived on the unexplored continent… Maybe a Grimm with a vaguely human appearance, like the Nuckelavee or the Apathy, but more feminine.

It couldn't be anything else, no one could live on this continent, too many Grimm. However, this Atlas scientist wanted to go there… "This is where her pawns go to see her in person". Was there really anything other than monsters there? Something unknown to the public, that only a few people were aware of, like some kind of government secret? It was… possible. Incredible, but possible, everything was possible with these atlasian assholes. Except that Falcon said something about a "war", and even if the world was not as nice and peaceful as children were told, there was nothing like a war in the proper sense of the word. Again, nothing known… So a hidden war? That would imply a witch with a base on the not really unexplored continent?

"What did you get yourself into kid…?" Rook let out a long, tired sigh.

BIIIIIIIIIIP~

Rook pulled out her Scroll and frowned at the sender. Marcus Black hated her because she "stole his work". Absurd, there shouldn't be any competition for who kills the most or the best. Her eyes scanned the message quickly, and she hesitated. Just like the mission on the unexplored continent, she should refuse automatically, it was obviously a trap, the old man didn't know what the word "discretion" meant, and she didn't want to risk the life of her pupil unnecessarily. Unlike him, she wasn't a heartless killer, and she let her feelings and emotions speak more than her reason, which had sometimes prejudiced her, even Falcon had already pointed it out to her…

But… A mission for two with Marcus' son to make him gain experience? If she didn't trust him at all, she couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't be a good opportunity for her student. Falcon would experience a mission without her and with someone she doesn't know, and if she did well she might even start doing solo missions after that. She already had a good level. Ah, they grow so fast…

As for the boy, Rook didn't know how the man educated his son, but she doubted that it was by singing him a lullaby before going to sleep. She knew enough about this alcoholic and his excess of anger. Poor boy… But would it be worth it to dive head first into a trap? Worse, send Falcon in? With her heavy sleep and her weird trust issues, she would easily be stabbed in the back at night.

Then Rook got an idea. Searching through her list of contract offers, she quickly found the ideal mission, and sent it to Marcus. The answer came quickly, even in the middle of the night, and the young woman smiled when she saw he accepted. What an idiot, unless his son was Remnant's best assassin ever, his trap would not work on a mission like this. He was like her after all, arrogant, with his eyes bigger than his stomach.

Rook put away her Scroll and sat more comfortably against her rock.

"I'm dead …" Summer mumbled as she walked in her house.

"Tell me about it…" Qrow followed her, and they collapsed simultaneously on the living room couch and chair, grateful that Ruby was at school at this time, because neither of them had enough energy or patience to handle the overexcited little girl, especially when she hadn't seen them for over than two weeks because of a mission. For a few minutes, the only noise in the room was the breathing of the two Huntsmen, until Summer laughed. Qrow turned his head towards her, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, it's just… I missed going on a mission with you." Still tired, Summer managed to get on her back and looked at the ceiling as she talked. "I've only done solo missions or with strangers for a few years now. Between you always being on a secret mission for Oz and Tai who is a teacher at Signal…"

Qrow chuckled and took a sip from his gourd, which made his partner frown, although she didn't comment. He calmed down a lot since he visited Raven's grave, he still drank but didn't end up completely drunk in a random bar every three days, he smiled more often, started playing with Ruby again, and had even been able to to go back on missions, although Oz waited a little longer before sending him back to spy. Things were returning to normal, slowly but surely.

Summer frowned. The only thing that hadn't improved was his relationship with Tai. They hardly talked, always with that uncomfortable tension, they didn't seem to be angry with each other, but the atmosphere immediately became heavy and uncomfortable when they were in the same room, Qrow never looked him in the eye and always looked guilty, and Tai seemed to want to be everywhere except near him. Unconsciously, even knowing that it was unfair, Tai blamed him, the only person present that night, the only one who could have saved Raven…

Summer didn't like to admit it, but she knew he never completely got over Raven, he still had feelings for her. He had been madly in love with her when they were together. He had remarried to forget, not out of love. Maybe he really loved her now, but originally, Summer was just a bandage on a wound that never really healed. And now the wound had reopened, so that it expended outside of the bandage, and it hurt, as much him as her.

"… -mmer … Summer!"

Summer jumped when she heard Qrow calling her, and saw that he was no longer in the chair, or even in the living room, his voice was coming from the kitchen. The light in the room was dim because it was the end of the day, she must have fallen asleep. Their last mission wasn't particularly hard, but it had put their endurance to the test.

"What?" she asked groggily.

"It's almost time to go get Ruby at school." he reminded her, "Feel like you can move or do you want me to go?"

"I'm going, just give me five minutes to get up…" Summer sighed as she buried her face in the pillow again.

Qrow laughed and returned to the fridge to help himself as if he was at home. Summer got up after another two minutes, with the agility and grace of a Goliath. If she could have gone to pick up Ruby by rolling on the ground, she would have done so without hesitation… Let's just hope her adorable daughter would not ask her to carry her on the way back, or they would never get home… Why were nine year old children so unruly?

"Here they are." Marcus turned to his son with a stern look. "Don't even think about failing."

Mercury nodded, readjusting his bag. He wasn't stupid enough to show it to his father, but he was very nervous. It would be his first mission, alone, a very difficult mission, to do in duo with someone he didn't know at all. He was so stressed, and let's not even talk about the fear of what would happen to him if he failed. In an excess of rage, his father would be able to kill him, alcohol always made him unpredictable.

But on the other hand, if he succeeded, if he could show that he had learned from the constant beatings, if he could prove his worth…!

Finally, the two girls arrived. One was an adult hiding her face behind a large green scarf, and the only reason the boy knew she was a woman was because his father told him, otherwise he would have easily mistaken her for a man. As for the second, she was one or two year younger than him, she had long curly blond hair on which were reflected the dimmed lights of the picturesque tavern in which they had set up the meeting. And her red eyes shone with an almost unnatural glow, reminding him of Grimm's eyes. Mercury swallowed as she sat quietly in front of him, next to her mentor. How could she be so comfortable in this situation when he barely hid his tremors?!

"Rook. It's been a long time. I would like to say I missed you but it would be a lie." his father started with sarcasm flooding his words.

"I know, and you know I appreciate honesty." the woman, Rook, responded with the same tone, and looked at the boy, "And here's your boy. Mercury, right?"

He nodded, trying to look confident. The woman looked at him for a moment, then turned her attention back to the other adult. Mercury let out a sigh of relief. He never had so many people around him, he hadn't left the surroundings of his house for… How long?

The two adults began to discuss the details of the mission, and the more it progressed, the more he panicked. A member of the Atlas council? For his first mission? He would never make it out alive! Reaching her would be a pain, and leaving even more! Especially if he also had to …!

His gaze fell on the blonde girl, Falcon apparently. She was still so calm, listening attentively to the discussion of the adults, perfectly in her element. Mercury knew from his father that she already did many missions before, she had more experience than him, and she seemed so comfortable in this situation, sipping her tea while he didn't even dare to touch his glass of water, which was only there for the form. She wasn't like him, she had more experience, more knowledge, and yet she was younger. It was frustrating, and scary.

When their discussion was over, the adults got up and left the tavern, followed by the two children, and Mercury swallowed when he saw the weapon Falcon had on her hip, partly hidden by her coat. He knew the size of a weapon had nothing to do with the danger it represented, but he couldn't help but be a little afraid of what the girl could do with it… Unlike him, she already killed.

"Hey pipsqueak!" Mercury almost jumped when Rook called him, so much that he didn't even care about the annoying nickname, "Try not to get in Falcon's way." she said with the most condescending voice he had ever heard.

This time he got angry, but tried not to show it too much. He could be better than a child, even if she had more experience! And obviously his father didn't like the clearly degrading remark either, but restrained himself, and grabbed Mercury's shoulder firmly before throwing him in the direction they should take, as if to tell him to hurry to leave. Rook nodded to her pupil, and the latter also started to leave.

The two children walked side by side, and Mercury had to restrain himself from looking behind him. Falcon, on the other hand, was still so calm, she hadn't uttered a word yet, and was advancing at a steady pace, looking straight ahead of her, almost like a robot.

It was going to be a long mission…

When they got to the aerodrome, there weren't many people, they left the adults in the middle of the night, so by the time they got there, the sun was barely rising. Yang went straight to their flight, but stopped, realizing that she could no longer hear Mercury. Rook had told her that he would surely try to kill her during the mission, so she put herself on guard as she turned around. It was stupid, there were too many people around for him to try anything now, but she didn't want to be reckless. … For once… Fortunately she seemed to worry for nothing, because the gray-haired boy was only a few steps behind her, standing in the middle of the hall looking around him in awe. He had never seen a departure hall before?

"Mercury!"

He jumped, and joined her quickly, scratching the back of his head, "Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts."

"Don't let it happen too often. The next departure for Atlas is in fifteen minutes." She continued to move towards their transport, hearing the steps of the boy just behind her. It was apparently his very first mission, so he still couldn't walk without making the slightest noise. Yang herself had taken a long time to do it perfectly, but she had trained on the forest floor, with twigs and leaves on the ground. Tiling was child's play for her.

The two children arrived at the entrance to the boarding pass, and Yang began to slow down. They were about the age to be in combat school, so it wouldn't be suspicious that they had weapons with them, even large ones, but the description of Raven's sword, although imprecise, was known by law enforcement, so if the guards looked too closely, they might recognize it. It was bad for her…

Mercury noticed her hesitation and looked at her confused, "Falcon?"

"My weapon risks making us spotted. I'm looking for a diversion." she said looking around for any idea, then her gaze fell on the vending machine near them. It would do the trick.

"Why would your weapon-…" he tried to ask, but she cut him off.

"Do you want something to drink? It's on me." she asked with a fake smile.

Mercury seemed to hesitate, visibly surprised by her sudden change of tone, but nodded anyway. She was the one leading the mission, he knew it. Without wasting a second, Yang walked to the vending machine, pulling out a few Lien from her pocket. She took two cans of soda and a can of alcohol, which she hurriedly hid in her sleeve. She put a can in her bag, then tried to open the other with one hand, without success.

"Can I help you girl?" a young woman approached her smiling.

Yang gave her her cutest childish smile, handing her the can with an embarrassed look, "I'd really appreciate, thank you."

The young woman opened the can and gave it back to her, "Here. Tell me, are you all alone here?"

"No, I'm traveling with my friend. In fact, he's waiting for me, I have to hurry, thanks again!" Yang waved at the woman and quickly left.

"You're welcome." the woman smiled as she watched the innocent little girl walk away to join her friend.

Yang returned to Mercury with a satisfied little smile. The boy didn't ask any question, even though he probably had a lot. They walked calmly towards the entrance to the corridor leading to their flight, when Yang bumped someone on her left side, spilling liquid on him with a broad arm movement.

"Oh sorry, I didn't watch where I was going." she apologized.

"It's okay, it's no big deal." the man reassured her.

"Sorry…" Yang left with an embarrassed look, which she lost as soon as she turned her back on the person she just crossed. Mercury still made no comment, even though he apparently didn't understand her plan. He seemed very curious however, it was time to show off what she could do.

The children only had time to take a few steps, when a cry of terror echoed behind them. All eyes in the hall turned to a man who was hitting the burning sleeve of his coat calling for help. As people backed away for fear of the fire spreading surprisingly quickly over his clothes, the guards posted near the corridor rushed to help him, and Mercury and Falcon took the opportunity to go directly to their flight by pretending to be afraid, one a little more sincere than the other, until being in the ship. Infiltration succeeded.

As they walked, Yang realized that they weren't the only ones wanting to go unnoticed, as she heard footsteps right behind them, two or three people who had taken advantage of her diversion to also pass.

"Always a pleasure to help I guess." she mentally shrugged.

Once inside, the children found two vacant seats near a window, and Yang handed the already open but strangely full can to Mercury.

"Thanks …" he took the can and looked at it for a moment before speaking, "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" she asked innocently.

The apparently annoyed Mercury, because he raised his voice, "Don't take me for an idiot, how did you put this guy on fire?"

"Lower."

Mercury blushed when he realized that he did speak too loud, though luckily no one seemed to have heard him. As Yang took the second can out of her bag, he spoke again, lower, "How did you do put this guy on fire?"

The blonde did not answer, and easily opened her can with one hand using her thumb, then took a long sip before turning to him and plunging her red eyes in his gray eyes, a sly smirk on her lips.

"Don't worry, sir, medical help is coming, everything will be okay." the guard reassured the man who was burnt.

The man nodded as he was taken to a stretcher, his left side severely burned. As one of the guards drove the audience away, the second gathered the wounded man's belongings that had fallen from the pockets of his coat when he removed it in panic, ripping his skin off because of the synthetic fabric lining that had melted. He picked up a wallet, spare glasses, a Scroll, and a … burnt can?

"Alcohol is a highly flammable product, keep out of reach of children."

Yang started to sip her soda again, while Mercury looked at her with round eyes. After a few moments, he began to drink his own can, avoiding any eye contact. Maybe she scared him?

"Welcome to Atlas." a voice in the speakers announced as the passengers got out of the ship and dispersed into the hall.

For his part, Mercury simply followed Falcon to the shuttles to Mantle. They had to find shelter for the night, and the accommodation in Atlas would be much too expensive for them, and above all too supervised, the two children had to leave as few traces as possible of their presence.

As they walked, Mercury couldn't help but feel a chill go down his spine. Falcon may be younger than him, but she had the same dangerous aura as his father. No, she was even worse, because he knew what his father was capable of, he knew that at worst he would only attack him and beat him until he faints, he was just an alcoholic old man. Falcon was sneaky and discreet, she used her head, she knew how to act, she could kill without people even knowing what hit them! No wonder why she and the Green Rook take all the contracts! How was he supposed to kill her?! He had never even killed before!

"Mercury!"

"What-…?" Not looking where he was going, Mercury only noticed the post when his nose came into violent contact with it … "Ouch!"

He rubbed his nose and winced when he saw some blood spilling out. He wiped it quickly, and ran to catch up his partner. The latter looked at him strangely before continuing to walk, without a word. Mercury kept following her, a little pissed off that he ridiculed himself in front of a little girl, his target. At least he was grateful that she didn't laugh at him, because he would surely have attacked her on the spot, and their infiltration would be compromised … And there was no room for error.

The two children got off the shuttle and started looking for a hotel. Unfortunately, all of those they had found so far were full or too expensive. In addition, the sky itself decided to make fun of them, and it was starting to rain … Mercury really had a bad feeling about this mission.

"Can't we just find a shelter in the streets? I'm seriously getting tired of walking in the rain…!" he complained, completely soaked.

"Don't you see the number of people sleeping outside? If there're shelters, they're all already taken." Falcon explained. She seemed calm, but she sounded just as tired and annoyed as him.

"Screw them, can't you just tell them to fuck off? And don't try to tell me you can't, I'm sure you can do more than just set a coat on fire!"

Falcon finally stopped and turned around with a hard look. "Do you even know what 'low profile' means? And you're trying to be an assassin?"

"Well sorry for not already having a full year of internship in the murder industry!" he snapped at her. It was only his first mission!

"Three years."

"What…?"

"It's been over three years since my first kill." she calmly corrected him. He didn't know what to say … "We still walk a bit and then it will be okay. You can wait here if you're already tired."

And she left, leaving him behind. Mercury had to run to catch her, trying to refrain from strangling her right here in the street. He knew he had no experience, no need to look down on him like that!

As Falcon had said, they didn't walk very long before arriving at another hotel, that looked exactly like all the other ones they had tried so far. They entered, and Falcon immediately headed for the counter, motioning for her partner to stay at the entrance.

The receptionist seemed ready to fall asleep before she rang the little bell right next to him, "Who what?!" he woke up with a start, then quickly regain his composure after realizing he had a client, "Oh, excuse me. What can I do for you?"

"I need a room for three nights." Falcon asked and placed the sufficient amount on the counter without waiting for an answer, and Mercury swallowed. It was more than their budget! The man counted then nodded, and gave the blonde girl a key, before going back to sleep immediately. The two children went up to their room, it was small and had only one bed, since the receptionist thought Falcon was alone. A room for one person had to be cheaper… Clever, but they still missed one-…

"You can take the bed, I have a sleeping bag." she said before locking herself in the bathroom.

Mercury dropped his bag on the floor and hung his wet coat on the coat rack, then took off his shoes and socks, before throwing them against the wall, growling in anger. Was she making fun of him?! At one moment she would completely ignored his existence, at another she would make him pass for a fool, and now she was trying to be nice?! What was wrong with this girl?!

The boy sank onto the only bed in the room, sighing. He would never make it…

Mercury could hear the sound of the water from the shower, and he regretted not going first. To pass the time, he observed the room, it was very small, apart from the bed there was only a small desk on the other side of the room, a chair, and a lamp, all in good enough condition. There were a few shelves above the bed, and above all a large window which gave a magnificent view of the city. It was dark outside, and as everyone had come home because of the rain, so all the lights in the buildings were on. It was beautiful, full of small dots of light shining in the dark, distorted by the water on the glass…

Having never left the area around the house he shared with his father, Mercury had never seen a cityscape, he had never seen such a bright night, he never went on a ship, he never flew over the sea, he never even drank soda! In fact, if he didn't have a mission, he could even have fun…

No, he had to stay focused!

The bathroom door opened, taking him out of his reverie. Falcon was in pajamas, she had a towel on her head, her hair was still wet, and even more tangled. How could she untangled it? Especially with-… Wait.

"You only have one arm?!"

She gave him a neutral look, not offended, not surprised, just neutral, "You didn't notice?" she asked as if it wasn't the first time it happened.

"I wouldn't be surprised if I'd noticed!" How did he miss it?! Okay she had a big coat but still! Was he really so bad at observing?!

Afflicted by his own stupidity, Mercury facepalmed, before bitterly regretting it when the pain in his nose returned. He even felt blood start to flow again. What an idiot…

Falcon sighed and pulled the chair to sit on it backwards, her Scroll in her only hand.

"Okay, did you listen to the briefing?" Mercury opened his mouth to answer, but froze, remembering that he had been too nervous to listen… Shit. "That's what I thought." she sighed.

"Oh shut up…" he looked away trying to hide his blushing.

Falcon ignored him started to read on her Scroll, "I'll make it short, the target-…"

"I know the name of the target!" Mercury crossed his arms.

Falcon just raised an eyebrow, "Which is?"

"Layla Halstom."

"Hailstorm."

"That's what I said."

Falcon rolled her eyes and projected a map with her Scroll. It was a map of Atlas, with a building in red and a route from that building to the entrance of Atlas Academy, with several yellow dots along the way.

"Okay, so here's the plan…

Without wanting to be mean or arrogant, Yang seriously doubted Mercury could succeed in this mission. He tried, she could tell, but he had no training, he made noise while walking, he was distracted by anything, he didn't even know how to fend for himself! At the aerodrome, she was the one who had a problem so she solved it alone, okay, but for the hotel, he had done nothing but follow her and complain! Okay, that was his first mission, okay, she was the experienced team leader, but there were limits to what she could handle at once! She wasn't Raven!

Yang turned around and buried her head in her pillow. She had to sleep and stay focused on the mission! At least she didn't have to worry about being stabbed in her sleep, maybe she was a heavy sleeper, but Rook had voluntarily chosen a mission Mercury couldn't do alone, and now that they were on another continent, he would need her help to come back, the poor boy who had never taken a ship before. He really better knew at least how to fight…

"The weak die, the strong live."

From what she had seen so far, Mercury was already dead.

Hey !

So, what do you think about Mercury ? I didn't know what character he could have, at first I imagined him jalous, then shy, I needed him a little curious ... This Mercury is very young so he's not the same as in the show, and with an alcoholic abusive father, I thought he couldn't be very selfconfident. He's both funny and a pain to write, but I like him n_n

Anyway, I hope shorter chapters doesn't bother you, and see you next week !

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*When I said "current projects", just know that one of them is a cosplay of Raven, weapon inclued n_n