Shade's New Blood - Chapter 17
The night was quiet. During her walk close to the shoreline, a gentle breeze brushed Maron on its way to the sea. Her heavy, tired eyes stared out to the open sea as she returned a few loose strands of her hair back to their place. A single sight escaped her, one full of disappointment both with the results of today. All day she had lazily wandered around the city in a pitiful attempt to look for her team's missing member but she never got close. She wanted to believe Toma and Trya still had a chance at finding her but she also had a feeling that they too would end up going home emptyhanded.
It would be their last night here. Shae would have to be left behind as the rest of them continued on their trip to Atlas. Maron wanted to respect the girl's decision to leave as it was something she too wanted for herself, but Toma's insistence and the pressure that came with it were the reasons Maron was pushed out the door. All day she was met with nothing but frustrations and self-pity, the latter being a growing problem as of late. She was torn between being upset at Frostbite who refused to help as her team started to break apart, and her own past coming to haunt and mock her. Where at first, she believed herself capable of handling whatever problem was thrown her way, was now replaced with doubt and apathy. Her confidence and pride were what carried her in the face of adversity and of course, the Grimm. Now, after her first reunion with one of the monsters which had ransacked her home, she learned her place in the world. She learned that she could do nothing.
"Didn't expect youto stay out so late," said a voice she immediately recognized as Steele's. She looked over to him with a dull look on her face before she turned away again.
"What do you want?" She questioned in a familiar tone of irritation whenever she spoke to him, his team, or even those back at Shade.
"I came to make sure you got home safe; It's getting late you know," Steele said. Maron hated when he acted the part of 'caretaker', as if it really mattered to someone like him. She did her best to ignore him and kept her eyes fixed on the rolling ocean waves in the hopes he would leave her alone, but he didn't take the hint. "I take it you couldn't find her?" He then asked.
"None of you bothered to help, so don't act like you suddenly care."
Steele chuckled at Maron's retort, "Still as vicious as ever, huh?" He changed the topic back to Shae, "What'd you think it would take to bring her back?"
"It doesn't matter," Maron replied. She crossed her arms and, with a small frown, turned her head from Steele, "She made her choice, so, why should we care to bring her back if she doesn't want to?"
Steele smirked, "Say you don't care, yet you still came out looking for her all day."
"It was Toma's idea anyways. Consider it an 'obligation'," Maron told him, "I'm only here anyways to make sure this mission of theirs goes smoothly, got a problem with that?" She glared over her shoulder just enough to see Steele. That irritating smirk of his didn't budge.
He changed subjects again to something he thought more enticing, "You know," Steele began, "Flaye's still out for the night, and the rest of our teams are either at home or wandering around. So, care to join me to finish off the night?" He offered.
Maron scoffed, "Pfft, not your best line, but, why?"
"Just a tradition my team and I do before every mission. We did plan on taking the rest of you out with us, buuut you all never came home. After that, we thought someone should come find the bunch of you."
"Yeah, great job with that," replied Maron sarcastically.
Steele ignored her comment, "Anyways, I found a place I thought you might like. No harm in giving it a try, right? Especially since I'm paying for it," Steele said. Maron wanted stay firm and decline him, but she was suddenly reminded that she—and the others no doubt—actually had skipped a meal while out on her search. Initially, her silence was taken as an answer of its own, which Steele then turned on his heel and started the other direction without her.
"Ugh, fine!" groaned Maron. She couldn't just say 'no' to having her expenses paid for. Be it Toma or Steele, she would gladly take advantage of their offers. With greedy ideas in her mind now, Maron had quickly caught up to Steele, "But this better be worth it."
Tourmaline's nightlife stirred awake as cities often do. Streetlights came alive in unison as the bars and clubs switched on their usual signs one after the other. Maron looked around, hoping to spot the place Steele was taking her to before he pointed it out himself. Unfortunately for her, there didn't look to be a single restaurant or fast-food joint in sight that she had taken a particular liking to. Instead, they seemed to have skipped over much of the entertainment district altogether and headed toward a dimly lit—by comparison anyways—residential area separated by a wide street and a lot of open space. From its appearance, it would seem there was a purpose in putting space between it and the entertainment district it separated itself from.
"Where are we going, exactly?" Maron questioned Steele the moment the lively and colorful streets were behind them.
"You'll see soon enough," Answered Steele, "It's best left as a surprise, trust me on this one, but I believe it'll be worth it to you."
The deeper the two traveled into the neighboring residential district, the more Maron noticed the change in architecture. When they first entered, there were more common Vacuo housing designs if with the added Tourmaline expenditure put into their structure and décor. However, the multi-storied structures were eventually replaced with grander and grander manors. From the fine wood and stone, to the grass which spread far as their respective estates would allow, to the tall, spear-like fences that marked the boundary, these 'homes' were different enough to make one forget they were in Vacuo.
Quick was Maron to grow impatient with Steele. Her eyes wandered around the empty streets of the new residential zone out of boredom but there was little to see. The place was desolate, she could have even mistaken it as an abandoned area just like the old industrial block back in the city of Vacuo. However, Steele had a brief pause in his tracks and gently grabbed Maron by the shoulder before she could step too far.
Maron was about to scold Steele when she caught him staring through the gaps of the fence beside them. She followed his gaze and within the estate grounds she saw a vibrant garden of colorful flowers, short hedges trimmed into clean shapes, and potted shrubs that stood in pairs along the sides of a grassy path. A slim, polished pillar stood at its center with only one visitor. Standing below it was a raven-haired girl dressed in a simple, black sundress carrying something just out of Maron's sight. "You… can't be serious…" Maron uttered as she then looked to Steele. She recognized the girl's profile even from the distance. Her hair, her face, even that tiny glint of blue in the one eye she could see. However, Shae was oblivious to either of their presence. "How did you—" Maron began.
Steele cut her off, "Don't worry about that. You don't have much time, remember?"
Maron looked back to the distant sight of Shae, at a loss of words. "I…" Maron started again, "I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because we aren't—we aren't close," Maron quickly told him with a second of hesitation in her words. Her hands trembled at the responsibility presented to her as were her legs heavy in keeping her up. She knew what she supposed to do, but there was no denying her misplacement there. "I-If it was Toma or Trya…" Her voice trailed off, "Not me. I'm not the person for this. The others have a better chance; I… I didn't even want to be here in the first place."
"Then don't go," He replied, "Let's head back home then." Without a fight, Steele had already begun to walk the other direction when Maron stopped him.
"Wait!" She called out. "What about," Maron looked over to the garden again, "Her? Shouldn't you talk to her?"
"Maron, it wouldn't be my place. Bringing you this far is the most I can do; the rest is up to you."
The girl's mind and heart started to panic, "W-What am I supposed to do?" she desperately asked, "I know she won't listen to me."
Steele looked up to the half-crescent moon and took in its sight with a mild look on his face. He took in a deep breath before his attention turned back to Maron, "Something tells me that won't be true. It doesn't matter how 'close' you are or aren't. You're together as a team, and sometimes that's the best you can ask for, especially nowadays, especially in Vacuo. I think it would mean more if it came from you." Maron's shoulders sunk as she glanced away from Steele and toward her old team member. "I'll wait for you at home. Whatever happens next, is up to you," Steele finished. He shared one last look with Maron and gave her a small nod before leaving her alone at the single entrance that led into the estate. Maron watched Steele leave with the vain hope that he'd turn around, change his mind, and help her, but it became clear that she would have to do this on her own.
After a quick refresher to calm herself down, Maron eventually took the first step into unknown territory. Maron then passed through the pair of light brick pillars and low walls that made up the entrance and held open the gate. She followed the trail before her with shaky steps. The closer she approached the garden with Shae, the greater her heart raced no matter how hard she tried to put it at ease. Step-by-step, she grew closer, she grew more uncertain. However, it was Shae who would speak first and startled Maron.
"Yes, yes, I think I'm done now. So, how did that meeting—" Shae turned her head to see whose footsteps it was that approached her, but her face dropped when she saw Maron standing there, "—go…"
"H-Hey…" Maron forced out a greeting.
In a blend of fury and surprise, Shae grabbed her sheathed weapon from atop a stone and charged Maron, crashing the two of them onto the ground with Shae on top, holding the scabbard of her weapon up to Maron's chin. "What in the hell are you doing here?" She exclaimed, "No—How did you—Urgh! Didn't I tell you I wasn't going with you? Or were you just looking for a fight before you left?" Shae growled.
Their faces were close, their eyes both clashing with one another. Maron put all her strength into holding the girl and her weapon back, "I just wanted to talk," she said to Shae.
"'Talk'? You? Hah!" Shae scoffed, "You're no better than the rest of 'em at Shade! So, why would you want to 'talk'?"
"I just—" Maron hesitated as words slowly dripped out if just to stall for time, "If you can just get off of me—" Maron continued to delay until an idea came to mind, "Just—one thing"
"I already told you," Shae hissed, "None of us are fit to be Huntresses! Certainly not you, especially not me."
"Then why enroll at Shade?" asked Maron. Shae froze. She eased off Maron and sat back, still on Maron's legs, but Maron was at least able to sit herself up somewhat.
Shae paused for a moment, "Family." She turned behind her to look at a small stone, squared and polished with an inscribed plaque.
"There's got to be more to it than that," stated Maron after Shae got back on her feet.
"What do you care, Maron?" questioned Shae as she returned to the stone.
Maron picked herself up, "Because I'm…" She hesitated as the words got caught in her throat. It took some effort in convincing herself, but Maron pushed on to continue, "I'm here because of family too."
Shae gave her a quick, small frown of disapproval, "I didn't enroll out of 'pride', Maron," Shae said with venom and disgust when she said the word, "I'm not aiming to be like those imitations who call themselves professors nor those disgraceful students vying for 'first place' at that academy." Shae's hands trembled with barely subdued rage, one of which squeezed her weapon's scabbard. She looked down on the stone in front of her. "I don't care for the fame, nor for the money, not even for the power Shade desperately cries for," stated Shae, "I did it for my grandfather, the greatest Huntsman I've ever known, the one I looked up to and sought to be like… and the only one who believed I could." Maron approached Shae and watched as set her weapon down in front of what she now saw to be a gravestone. Shae held the weapon for one lingering second before finally letting it go. "If that's all, then go home, Maron," Shae told her.
A moment of quiet befell them as Shae said nothing more. There was lull and small breeze but Shae didn't bother to tell Maron off for sticking around. She didn't care. Seconds passed before Maron broke that silence between them and spoke, "I think I understand."
Shae snapped at her, "No, you don't! You—"
"I lost everything," Maron cut her off, within her stirred a newfound courage, "My family, my friends, my home, everything," She emphasized with a tense stance and glare. She tried to relax herself again to middling success, "It was my grandmother who took me in and taught me all that I know," Maron looked down at her hip with a pat of her quiver, "And then, just when I thought things could get better, a mere week before our initiation, I lost her too. All because of one damn 'Huntsman' who led Grimm to our village. So, don't try to tell me I 'don't understand'," Maron spat.
Another moment of silence. "Then why enroll?" asked Shae after both girls recomposed themselves.
"It was her last request," Maron answered.
"To find the one responsible?" She turned and asked.
"I don't know," Maron looked up to the moon, "She never did tell me why, and I never got the chance to ask before it was too late." Seconds passed until Maron went on, "So yeah, I'm here because of family. You may be right about my intentions, but whether I like it or not, I'll at least see this trip through to the end, it's the least I can do for my family," Maron looked down to the clean headstone almost felt a connection to its owner, "For my grandmother."
The two stood together for a moment before Shae gave her response, "Do you think we can ever be like the Huntresses from those old tales?"
Both of the girls shared a long look as Maron gave the question some thought. However, she decided to take a page from one of the others as her answer, "I think so, but you won't live up those tales if you've already quit. Unlike me," Maron looked down to the headstone again, "You at least have someone else who believe in you." Maron turned on her heel, "Whatever your choice, Shae, it'll be up to you."
Maron started her walk only for Shae to speak out to her, "I think," She started as Maron turned to the girl pick up the sword from the ground, "I think I'd like to try again." Maron's lips cracked a small smile as Shae joined her, "My grandfather left me this, my most cherished gift," Shae held the sheathed weapon with both hands in front of her, "It's be a shame to let it go to waste, wouldn't it?" She asked Maron with a small smirk.
"Yeah," Maron agreed and grabbed the top of her still holstered staff for comfort, remembering where it came from, "Same here."
The two left, side-by-side and without another word. However, from a distance somewhere up high, a pair of fiery eyes, satisfied with what they saw, vigilantly watched over them.