P a treon request for an older Arkos rescuing and adopting Cinder from the Glass Unicorn. Hopefully you guys like it.
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Pyrrha practically collapsed on the bed and let out a tired sigh. The place they went to, the Glass Unicorn, was more fancy than their usual choice of hotel, but they'd heard good things about it. Huntsmen received discounts, ostensibly as a thank-you for all the time they spent fighting against the Grimm. The Madame of the place had been all smiles when she and Jaune stepped through the door.
Jaune joined her in bed soon after and she smiled. At thirty years of age, the two Huntsmen partners were in the prime of their lives. The past nine years after graduation had been spent exploring Remnant, and even now, every new adventure felt as fresh as their first-ever contract.
Case in point, the contract they just finished. Taking down an entire Leviathan was no small feat. She was sure that was why the Madame had been so eager to welcome them with open arms. They were the heroes of the hour.
Pyrrha hugged Jaune and was just about to drift off into a peaceful sleep when there was a soft knock on the door, "E-Excuse me. Do you need anything?" the voice was equally soft and Pyrrha's brows furrowed. Years of celebrity decorum bade her to at least greet the employee rather than turning them away without even opening the door.
Ignoring her fatigue, Pyrrha stood up and walked over to the door, which she quickly opened. The woman - the girl - squeaked in surprise and looked up at her in surprise and fear. Gods, how old was this girl? She knew some people started working young - Pyrrha herself started appearing in commercials at fourteen and prospective Huntsmen trained even earlier than that - but those were the exception rather than the norm.
"Hello." Pyrrha smiled down at her. The girl was young, maybe fourteen or fifteen, with dark, choppy hair and an all-white uniform. Contrasting her plain attire was a somewhat ornate metal necklace.
"H-Hello." The girl nodded nervously.
"What's your name?"
"Cinder, ma'am. Is there something you wish for me to do?"
"Hm? No, nothing for now." She'd only gotten this far because she trusted her instincts and something about how the girl was acting set alarm bells off in her head. Pyrrha had to push, "How old are you?"
"F-Fourteen, ma'am, but it won't be a problem with my work."
"That's not what I'm worried about. How-"
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I have to check the other rooms if they need anything as well. Excuse me." She bowed quickly and left. Pyrrha was tempted to reach out or go after her, but she held herself back. As much as her instincts were screaming at her that something was wrong, she couldn't do anything without proof.
She'd just have to pay attention.
"Pyrrha? Something wrong?" Jaune asked from behind her. Even now, she still found herself surprised at times by how quiet her partner could be.
"That girl..."
"What about her?"
"...I don't know, I just feel like something's wrong." Pyrrha shook her head, "I know we said we'd relax and avoid any trouble after our last Hunt, but-"
"Hey..." Jaune raised his right hand and gently cradled her cheek, "We're Huntsmen. Helping people if they're in trouble is what we do."
"Right." Pyrrha smiled and kissed Jaune happily. There was a reason she loved her partner so much. At first, it had merely been because he had no idea of her fame, but it had turned into so much more than that. Jaune wasn't perfect, but he was kind, selfless, and genuinely believed in the ideal of what the Huntsmen were supposed to be. The protectors of mankind, not just mercenaries that killed the Grimm for coin.
So it was that they spent the next day checking to see if her hunch was right.
The first thing they noticed was the utter lack of employees. The Madame manned the desk, and they saw her two daughters spending time in the salon and ballroom, but any other wait staff may as well not have existed. No one but the girl. She cleaned the rooms, the halls, and did the job at least a dozen employees should've been doing. It was difficult and unfair work for an adult, let alone a teenager.
The second thing was how no one else seemed to find it odd. The hotel catered to Huntsmen and the social elite of Atlas and not a single one of them paid the bedraggled teenager any mind. Did none of them think it was odd?
Pyrrha leaned back from her seat on the lounge and took a calming sip of her tea. She wanted to confront the Madame and ask her about the girl, but she knew that wouldn't accomplish anything. Atlas was two-faced. She hated lumping a kingdom together like that, but she spoke from experience. They were a proud kingdom and that meant ignoring or completely denying any sort of mistake or malevolence on their part. Even Weiss admitted that and she was as proud as an Atlesian could be.
"Hey." Jaune sat next to her.
"Hello." She smiled back, "Find out anything?"
"Just a bit. I asked around. The Madame's got a bit of a reputation."
"Not the good kind, I'm guessing?" Her smile turned wry.
"Definitely not." He sighed, "I talked to one of her daughters in the salon, Aurore. I slipped in the question during the conversation. She said that the girl - Cinder - was adopted a couple of years back and she's just helping out the family business. Technically, there's nothing really wrong with that - I did it before I got to Beacon - but how much they're making her do."
"Yeah..." Jaune told her about helping his sisters and parents with the fields or even being taught accounting. He wasn't expected to do all those by himself.
"What's your plan?"
"Maybe we can talk to her by herself? The Madame and her daughters won't say anything, but maybe she will?"
"I'm not so sure, but...I guess we can try."
They nodded to one another and went to find Cinder. It was noon now, so she was likely going to be cleaning one of the rooms now that the majority of the guests were lounging around on the ground floor.
It took them a few tries before they found the right floor. They stopped in front of room 504 and were about to knock when they heard voices inside, "You call this working?" A sneering voice asked. She and Jaune shared a look and Pyrrha used her Semblance to jimmy the lock open without a sound. They weren't carrying their weapons, though she doubted they'd need it.
Pyrrha quietly nudged the door forward and peeked inside. There was Cinder with her back against the wall, expression alight with fear. In front of her was the other sister, the one with her hair done up in meticulous curls. Castle, if she was remembering right. Her back was turned to the entrance so they couldn't see her expression, but the mocking tone in her voice was enough for them to guess how she looked.
"I-I didn't-"
"Don't lie to me." Castel grabbed Cinder's ear and twisted it painfully. Pyrrha almost charged in right then and there before Jaune grabbed her arm. Without a word said, he raised his scroll and showed her it was recording. Damn it. She hated standing back, but she also understood.
"I-I'm not! Please, I'm sorry-"
"Sorry isn't good enough!" Cinder flinched at her 'sister's' scream. We take your useless behind and give you a home and this is how you repay us? Slacking off when you're supposed to be working?" She let go of Cinder and picked up a book lying on the floor, "What is this? Tales of Huntsmen? Aren't you old enough to stop reading fairy tales, Cindy?" She said the name like an insult.
"G-Give it back, please!"
"No, and just as a reminder of what'll happen if you get distracted again." Castel pulled out a remote from her skirt and Cinder's eyes widened. Before the teen could say anything else, Castel pressed the button.
Pyrrha couldn't hear what happened, but what she saw was enough. Cinder screamed weakly and fell to her knees, hands desperately grabbing for the necklace. It took only a moment for her to realize that the ornate band wasn't an accessory at all.
It was a collar.
Pyrrha saw red. She kicked the door down and stomped in, "Hey, what are you-" She grabbed the abuser by her neck and slammed her against the wall with one hand. With the other, she activated her Semblance and shattered the shock collar into pieces. Cinder gasped, desperately coughing and trying to get as much air as she could. Jaune was on her immediately, gently cradling the crying girl.
"How could you...?" Pyrrha snarled.
"Guh...I was just..."
Pyrrha didn't wait for her reply. She tossed the girl - monster - to the other side of the room. With her strength, she could've easily made it fatal, but she didn't. Instead, she did just enough to ensure the girl would feel at least some of the pain she just put Cinder through.
"Wh-Why...?" Cinder looked up at her and Jaune through tear-stained, bloodshot eyes, "Wh-Why...did you help me?"
"We're Huntsmen. It's what we do." Jaune said. The line was cheesy, but it was exactly what Cinder needed. The dark-haired teen hiccuped and cried, both in pain and relief that she was saved. Pyrrha picked up the fallen book and put it in her armor's pocket.
Jaune healed her with his Semblance and then they walked down through the lobby to the entrance after gathering their weapons. It might've been smarter to find an alternate way out, but they were both through with trying to cater to Atlas' sensibilities.
As expected, the Madame saw them on the way out. Her mask of professionalism slipped and she rushed out to intercept them, "Cinder, what are you-"
"We know what you did." Pyrrha growled. It took everything Pyrrha had not to grab the woman's head and smash it against the wall, "We're not going to let you abuse this girl. She's not your slave or your toy."
"I...don't know what you're talking about." The Madame suddenly looked uncomfortable, looking around at the assembled guests watching the scene with curiosity. None of them would help, of course, which only made Pyrrha angrier.
"Keep lying to yourself if you want, but we have proof. You're not going to get away with this."
Pyrrha shoved her aside and led the way for Jaune and Cinder. The Madame didn't try to stop them again. Credit where it was due, at least she was smart enough to understand that picking a fight with two angry Huntsmen wasn't a good idea, connections or no.
It was only when they were finally far enough away from that disgusting place that Cinder spoke, "Wh-What happens now?" she asked softly, looking at the both of them in turn. There was uncertainty in her gaze, but more than that, there was hope.
"We're going to go to the authorities. And if they ignore us, then...well, let's just say we have friends of our own." Jaune smirked.
"And...what about me?"
"Well...that's up to you." Pyrrha smiled down at her, "We can take you anywhere you want, you only have to ask. Or..." She took out the fallen book and offered it to Cinder, "We could maybe train you. Only if you want, of course." Many Huntsmen didn't start families. The lifestyle of a wandering mercenary didn't leave much time for putting down roots. Many of them instead went with apprentices. Training the next generation more intimately than those who attended the academies.
Jaune and her were the same. They did briefly consider the idea of a family, but their lifestyle made it difficult. Training an apprentice, however, was something they were both open to.
Cinder's eyes went wide as she looked at Pyrrha and then the book. Then she closed her eyes and sobbed, "Y-Yes...!" She cried tears of joy as she took the book back and hugged it against her chest.
"Come on, let's go get you something to eat." Jaune tugged Cinder along gently with Pyrrha following. The next few years were going to be interesting.
Done. Jaune and Pyrrha didn't burn down the hotel, sadly, but at least Cinder was saved before she became a psychopath. Who knows, maybe she'll become the next Maiden because she proves worthy of it. We'll see.
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