Writing, writing is good... life is currently trying me right now, but writing is good.

Well on to chapter two everyone, I hope you enjoy it as much as everyone seems to have enjoyed the first. Seriously, the stats for this story at the time of writing are about one follow per ten reads and let me tell you, that is an absolutely insane statistic for a story that its first chapter is under the 10k word point. You all are amazing and I hope to live up to the interest that has been shown.

Let get on with it then shall we?

"Hhaaa, this has got to be my most insane decision ever."

Kura whispered these words to himself as he sat in the cargo hold of an Argusian commercial airship. It was in some ways sad that those that were the least bigoted of a person's race were the corrupt and criminal; but for the right price it at least let him get to where he was aiming for. As he stared out the small viewport that showed them currently over the ocean, he knew societal lamentations would just have to come second right now.

Atlas was the last place he wanted to go, but that also meant it would be the only place that Sienna wouldn't try to follow him. Considering the amount of lien that he had to burn to come this far, if he had been anyone other than the brother of the feared 'Khan of the White Fang', he never would have even been able to consider Atlas as a destination. Though he supposed he should first be thanking Mrs. Kali for pounding into his head the importance of savings; otherwise, no matter how large his allowance formerly was, he'd never would've had enough.

From up above him he heard an exclamation: "Whoa! That looks like it's pretty bad." The voice of the pilot then called down to him, "I'd hold on tight if I were you, we've got a nasty blizzard up ahead as we reach the mainland."

Making his way above, Kura came to the cockpit to see a storm that stretched out along most of the coast; like a solid wall of white.

He knew the cold in Solitas was in a league all its own, but this was beyond his imagination. Worried about anything that could be lurking within the opaque depths of the storm, Kura questioned his transporter:

"Wouldn't it be smarter to try and get above the storm? Seems a lot safer than risking the blizzard."

The pilot threw him a glance before shaking his head: "No can do, we're still a fair distance out so it's hard to tell, but that storm is much higher than it appears. My ship isn't designed for that kind of high altitude flying, so I'm just gonna have to deal with basically no visibility. That's not really the issue though, I got instruments to deal with bad weather. I'm more worried about—" A bolt of shining white blazed for a fraction of a second from within the storm. "...that. Thundersnow is ten times more dangerous for a pilot than lightning during a regular rainstorm."

Kura began to look concerned: "Then… what are our options?"

With a sigh the man explained: "Well, an honest person would just cut their losses on fuel and turn the hell around. But considering I've got you, plus an extra shitload of other illegal goods on this ship, I can't really turn back and get my ship reinspected upon landing back in Argus. Going around isn't a choice I can take either, since there is no telling how far off-course that'd take us; it's too high a gamble of running out of fuel. The only option that doesn't guarantee rotting in a cell or wasting away slowly out on the tundra in that case, is braving the storm."

Another flash could be seen, seeming almost like an omen against the fresh decision.

With nothing left to say, Kura returned down below. He knew he'd only worry more if he stayed in the cockpit, and every person, young or old, knew that negativity only brought grimm. Though he didn't have much fear from the monsters after he was taught to fight, the ship wouldn't survive if it was attacked; and being brought down inside a blizzard like the one he saw was not a happy thought.

The viewport grew dark as the ship entered the storm, along with pummeling hail thundering against the hull. The only illumination came from the sporadic flash of lightning, giving the confines of the cargo hold a sense of foreboding. Kura did his best to meditate in order to keep his emotions in check, but a multitude of fears beyond the storm plagued his thoughts enough that he could not calm his mind.

The face of a smiling Sienna looking proudly into his eyes became all he could see as he kept his eyes shut: "You're our power, Kura." The words twisted inside him, as tears swelled in the corners of his eyes.

Did you ever feel anything for me? Was I just a weapon to you after that night? Is my power all I'm worth to you?... Weren't we family?

He tried to close his mind to the ceaseless questions that flowed through his thoughts, but a memory of his training came to the forefront instead:

Sienna had stood over him as he lay prone on a mat staring downrange through his scope towards a metal target at a five hundred meter distance: "Concentrate, Kura. You have to control your energy and charge it gradually, or else you'll overload your weapon. It was your choice to have your kama become a railgun, so it's your responsibility to learn how to use it correctly. No one but you will be able to use your weapon in this form, so make it worth something and master it."

While mastered might be a stretch of his abilities, he knew that he could shatter a person's aura if they were struck full on with only a couple bolts from his crossbow. The look in Sienna's eyes at how he punched a hole straight through the steel target when he first managed to fire a fully charged bolt had been one of awe and wonder; though now he didn't know what he felt in recalling the look.

Unease was swiftly replaced with an even more complicated feeling as he recalled another scene; one of a sunset on the edge of one of Mistral's plateaus, almost a year ago.

"It's such a sad sight." Sienna had sighed but when he had asked what was wrong, he remembered her answer was even more cryptic. "Such a view, only to be enjoyed by a privileged few. I can't even enjoy what this is meant to mean. After all the only other one here is—"

He hadn't been paying her much attention at the time, only having asked to make her feel better. Though when she unexpectedly had paused, his curiosity made him turn to find Sienna staring out at the blazing sky with the cliff-side breeze tussling her short dark locks. She had turned back to glance at him and now he could only remember the sight of how her eyes had appeared to glow golden as she was framed by the sunset.

A voice deep within told him what he felt from the memory, but it only served to make his fury burn hotter as he recalled the rest of the words she had spoken to him before he made his decision to flee. His hatred and resentment swallowing all his other feelings for the moment, left him in a cool rage that brought him back to his senses. Only for them to turn to shock and confusion as the ship shuddered and lurched causing him to fall over.

From above him, he received no encouraging words from the pilot: "Fuck! No no no, come on baby, keep it together! Speak to me! Anything! Come on I need, I need to—Shit! Brace for impact!"

In thanks to his training, Kura pulled up his aura as he was tossed through the air, wrapping his wings around him to protect himself as he crashed into the wall of the hull. He felt like a pinball for several moments as the ship shook and shuddered as it grated against the ground, tossing him between the cargo crates and the hull. When the motion finally came to a stop, he could only groan as he lay crumpled against the wall of the hull. Luckily the strapping had held the cargo down or else he might have very well been crushed during the crash.

He fished out his scroll to see his aura was just under forty percent strength; certainly not ideal, but far better than it could have been. Partially charging his wings, the dancing energy gave off enough light for him to see, and Kura looked around to see the state of the ship. The most obvious matter being the drastic tilt the ship had settled in from the crash, but thankfully the ship hadn't actually flipped and made things more complicated. After some time and odd maneuvering, he did manage to reach the ladder to go up to the cockpit.

The dancing light from his wings wasn't ideal, but he didn't want to waste his scroll's battery if he could; it wasn't something his lightning could charge, after all he'd already tried that before when he was younger. The scolding he had gotten still made him cringe in embarrassment at even attempting it in the first place. But that memory was put aside as he finished climbing the ladder.

He could still hear the roar of the blizzard and the hail that rained down outside, meanwhile the pilot sat slumped against the controls in his seat. Hoping that the worst hadn't happened, Kura called out:

"Hey, are you alright?"

Over the storm he couldn't hear whether or not the man was breathing, though the silence already gave him a feeling. He was forced to stop channeling the energy into his wings so he could get closer, using his scroll's light to see by temporarily. With a couple fingers to the man's neck, he confirmed his fears. A quick glance over the pilot's form told Kura all he needed to know about what had happened.

Shaking his head sadly, he muttered to himself as he searched around the rest of the cockpit: "Just had to snap your neck in the crash. Probably from the impact with the ground if I had to place a bet. He must not have been proficient with his aura."

The corpse passed its silent judgement on him as Kura rooted around for supplies; though besides a flare gun and maybe a day's worth of emergency rations, he didn't find much.

He knew that most would be unnerved by death, but he was already far more used to such a sight than he could have wished for in being part of the White Fang. Sienna had certainly not shielded him from the atrocities done to their kind during his combat instruction; for good or ill. He felt it made him more mature for his age, but at the same time he couldn't help but wish that he still possessed some trace of innocence that someone like Blake still held.

Distancing himself from the deceased pilot, Kura returned to the cargo hold in a hope that he could wait out the blizzard. He could already feel the heat from the air being leached away, and that the cold would eventually start to eat away at his aura. Some of it would return before that happened, but experience told him that it wouldn't be back to full before the cold began to sting.

It would be minimized so long as he stayed within the ship, but by his estimates he'd only last two or three days before he'd be frozen dead; and he'd also have to stay awake that whole time, considering a person can't keep their aura active while asleep.

Letting out a sigh as he leaned against a crate, he unwrapped a food bar ration as he noticed his breath was already becoming vapor from the cold. Staring up at the slanted ceiling as he took a bite, he raised his hand with the food in a small declaration: "And so… let the game against time begin."

Minutes… into hours… into the first day, and followed by the second.

Kura shivered as he huddled with his wings wrapped around his knees. The storm had at last broken a few hours ago, but he had been using his aura to fight off the chill for so long that it was below ten percent. If he exited the ship now, then he was sure to freeze before anyone would find him.

The ship had to have been expected by someone, in league with the pilot's dealings. Surely, he believed, the profits from the ship's cargo couldn't just be written off so easily. There must be some search effort that was sent out after they failed to arrive. Though when they would find him was the pivotal question.

Clutching to the flare gun, the only time he moved was to occasionally check the viewport for any sign of another aircraft; a routine that was almost due as Kura tapped his foot. His fatigue was palpable, but he forced himself to remain alert, straining his ears for the faintest sound that might mean his salvation.

He had attempted to warm himself by channeling energy to his wings, since it didn't require a drain of his aura, but quickly abandoned such efforts as the heat from the fleeting arcs was miniscule at best and he had no metal that wasn't directly connected to the ship to conduct it through to generate warmth in that manner. It had occurred to him to attempt to power the ship to return heating that way, but found without direct access to the generator, which required going outside, that it was impossible to do.

There was dust amongst the cargo, but with no apparatus to contain it Kura knew he would be forced to use his aura to manipulate it and drain his stores all the faster. He'd be warm for a while for sure, but unless he preferred burning to death, he'd just be hastening his end by eventual freezing.

Likely there were other things he could have attempted and had forgotten, though considering he could barely keep his eyes open any longer, any frustration towards missed ideas he found was just a waste of energy at this point. Slowly pushing himself up from the floor, he shuffled over to the viewport for what would likely be the final time before he'd run out of aura; it was time to start praying for a miracle.

Raising his tired eyes to the painfully bright blue of the sky, Kura squinted as he scanned for even a jet trail that would indicate something had passed by recently. He stood for a few minutes, but his efforts ultimately proved useless. He turned away and slumped against the wall as he muttered to himself:

"You're down to no more options, Kura... If you're going to go out, what way seems fitting for a thunderbird?"

He stared ahead at the numerous crates, loaded to the brim with dust and other things, just sitting in wait to be put to use.

...The idea that popped into his mind was a ludicrous one, but considering his situation, it wasn't any worse than if he decided for a quiet death. So he rose once more and walked over to a panel near the cargo hatch; the manual release.

Clutching it with both hands, Kura jerked the lever down and heard a screeching hiss as hydraulics fought against the ice that had formed around them and the hatch itself. It started as only a crack, but the rush of glacial air was so much colder than what he dealt with from within the safety of the ship, Kura could have believed he lost half his remaining aura from the gale alone. The crackle of energy sounded around him as he staggered forward. His wings wrapped around him as tightly as he could manage as he trudged forward and out onto the tundra.

Step by step he trudged until he finally reached one hundred paces and turned back. Unfurling his wings, he shivered once more as he raised the flare gun to eye level, pointed towards the ship. He raised his other hand with it and felt a prickling sensation cascade down it as he charged energy into it. He couldn't charge the same level of energy when not focusing into his wings, but that would have required more concentration and just wasn't necessary in the present moment.

He gave a silent prayer for the pilot, and with a squeeze of the trigger watched the flare soar towards the open cargo bay. In the half second it took to travel the distance, Kura then unleashed a bolt of lightning from his hand aimed straight for the red flare. It struck, lit, and chained an explosion to every speck of dust remaining in the ship.

The detonation was more grand than he predicted as the shockwave from the blast slammed into him and carried him another several meters. His aura as he landed flickered slightly before it finally gave up the ghost and shattered. With it finally gone, the ice and snow around him felt multitudes colder as he dragged himself into a sitting position.

The wreckage of the plane was now a brilliant blaze with crags of stone jutting from it in ten different directions, as residual arcs of lightning dust crackled within the giant plume of smoke that rose like a black monolith into the ice-blue sky of Solitas. It was also a dying source of warmth that would surely be gone in only a few minutes, but with his aura broken it was the only few minutes Kura would get before inevitably freezing to death.

The snow turned to slush as he got closer, basking in the wonderful heat even as fleeting as he knew it to be. He stood there, in the strange dichotomy of heat and cold from the blaze in front of him and the chill of the tundra's gales trying to strip it away, and looked up at the sky before he whispered to himself:

"I made a foolish decision by leaving, and it's one I'm going to live with for the rest of my life. Just never thought it'd be such a short—"

A glimmer at the corner of his vision snapped his gaze over to the horizon inland. He wrapped his wings around him as he gripped his weapons, ready to activate them from their standby mode at a moment's notice; but his grip soon laxed as he watched the glimmer grow in size and revealed it to be a ship.

With a slight gasp of disbelief, he watched as the silver ship closed in on his location. Circling above him a few times, he walked around the blaze as to make them aware of his presence; without needing to necessarily reveal his status as a faunus. It did the trick, as the ship did indeed touch down after another pass, though a fair distance from him.

A reasonable move considering the nature of things he supposed, but he knew his judgement was more than a little impaired from fatigue.

The side of the craft opened and from it a man with lightly bronzed skin and huntsman garb stepped down while two others remained in the ship. As he approached, Kura's weariness was overridden by his training to observe any potential threat as he took stock of what he could readily notice:

Two swords at his hip, another pair of handles over his shoulders, relatively light armor, confident gait. If I couldn't be sure the man was a huntsman before, I'd say I'm fairly certain now.

Kura was on edge, but the man stopped about twenty paces away and called to him in a deep rough voice: "You're looking a bit cold there, son. What happened?"

With a snort, Kura shot back: "It was getting nippy, figured I'd light a fire to stay warm."

The tension in the man's shoulders slacked slightly as he took a couple steps closer: "There was meant to be a ship out here. Transporting some dust, among other things. If I had to wager, I'd say that toasty blaze behind you is what's left of it. Now since you don't exactly look like a pilot, it makes me wonder what you're doing out here in the middle of nowhere, conveniently next to the remains of the ship I was tasked to find."

Watching as the man fiddled with the hilt of one of his swords, Kura matched the man's gaze and stated: "I'm one of those 'other things' you mentioned. There was a blizzard when we reached the mainland, one with lightning, and we crashed because of it two days ago. The pilot snapped his neck in the crash. Died instantly. My aura kept me alive and allowed me to hold out against the cold for the last couple days. I was running out when I decided to at least go out with a 'bang'."

The man had closed in to half the distance they started with as he countered: "And? What reason do I have to believe anything you've just told me? You could have stowawayed, killed the pilot, and been planning to make off with the cargo, but crashed thanks to the blizzard after that. Any proof you would have had to the contrary is currently a slowly dying fire behind you."

With a realization, Kura fell into a combat stance: "So Atlasians are as disgusting and vile towards the faunus as the stories make them out to be; and here I thought it was all an exaggeration. But here you are, ready to murder a crash survivor just because he's got an extra set of appendages."

Apparently the change startled him, as the man took a step back, but yet he still didn't make any attempt to draw his weapons. In fact, after recovering from the shock of Kura's outburst, the man smiled:

"That, tells me all I need to know." He raised his hands in a show of good faith. "I had my suspicions of what you are, but your reaction just now not only informed me, it exonerated you of any skepticism I had towards why you were out here. Now, with all you've told me of how you're even alive after two days out here in the tundra, I'd imagine you're about two steps from passing out."

Surprise was a mild word for what Kura felt as he stared at the odd man, before his tired mind finally caught up with the fact that he had just been played like a fiddle. He came out of his stance and took a deep breath, followed by a shiver. Looking back he saw that the fire from the wreckage was nearly completely burned out, giving him little time to decide what to do.

Reminding himself that there were at least a couple over on the ship, Kura just gave a small nod and a statement: "Keep what I am to yourself."

He moved to walk past the man towards the ship when his world began to spin. Just as he lost all feeling in his legs, his freefall was halted by the arms of the huntsman catching him around the middle.

Chuckling to himself, the huntsman supported Kura on their way back to the ship. In a low tone, he said to Kura: "Don't worry, I'll get you to Atlas. Even keep the reason for your 'fancy feathered cloak' to myself. Sound good to you?"

Kura's vision was hazy as he neared the ship, his energy to form words, let alone sentences, was nearly nonexistent; mumbling an affirmative was the best he could give the man. He was helped aboard, before being wrapped in a blanket and laid carefully in a corner. The voices of his rescuer and the others were muddled to him as his exhaustion finally claimed its victim; thankfully in a place that Kura was at least relatively sure he would be able to be afforded the luxury of waking back up.

"—got to be kidding me, Rhodes! We aren't going to earn a single lien from this for coming back with nothing, and you know it. It's not like he's some prince that we'll be rewarded handsomely for saving. Just drop the bum down in the slums and be done with it!"

Kura knew he couldn't have slept for long, as he could still hear the hum of the ship's engines, but he kept his eyes shut as he listened in on what his 'rescuers' were plotting. He could feel the vestiges of his aura returning, but that didn't mean much against experienced huntsmen. For now, he'd just wait and see what they were saying as he had obviously been awoken during the middle of their argument.

The next voice was the same deep one of the man who had actually came to talk with him out on the tundra; apparently named Rhodes:

"That 'bum', as you called him, just spent the last two days out in the tundra with no heat and probably almost nothing in the way of food, and that was after surviving a crash. Tell me, Wave, do you believe your aura would be holding out well if you were in the same position? We probably got there just minutes too late. That explosion he made was his last stand at feeling heat before resigning himself to death via freezing in the tundra. It's unfortunate for sure, but we are huntsmen, things don't always go our way. I know how you live, missing one payday isn't going to ruin your life. You'll just have to go without a touch-up to that spray-on tan you like to sport for a couple weeks."

There was the sounds of a scuffle as the other participant was restrained by a third party, urging them to calm down, but it fell on deaf ears as the voice of the man named Wave shouted: "Fuck you, Rhodes! You think I don't know about that fancy hotel you swank around smoodging up to all those dumbfuck elites!? I bet you're in the owner's bed letting her do you in the ass to keep up with your bills for hanging around there for so long! No legit huntsman could keep up with that sort of upscale place on mission board lien alone! Especially not for how long you've been doing it! What's it been now, huh? Almost five years you've been fancying that whorehouse!?"

Silence hung in the air for a few moments, only the sound of the man called Wave muttering as he shook off the person that had been holding him back could be heard. Tension was thick as Kura pictured the two staring each other down, but that tension shattered like glass in an instant as he heard a half chuckle from Rhodes:

"Heh, you think I can't get by on mission money alone? Well I suppose for someone like you that's a fair assumption, but have you ever looked at some of the rewards meant for three or four-person missions? That adds up pretty quick when you're able to accomplish it by yourself."

Kura barely kept his state of lucidity under wraps as he stifled a laugh at what he could imagine the other man going pale and then red in the face as he heard him stutter in an attempt to form words.

"Y-you're lying! Multi-person missions are that way because the threat area can't be contained by a single individual! Yeah you'd get by on rewards like that, but a dead man can't spend any lien if he doesn't make it back!" Wave then dropped to a dangerously low tone. "Your iron skin semblance is powerful, Rhodes. I'm not ignorant of that. But if you expect me to believe you take on those kinds of missions on the regular to support your high-flier lifestyle, then either you're taking me for a fool or you're living closer to a deathwish than any person alive could be called sane for."

A voice came from a further distance than Kura heard so far, likely the pilot of the ship, saying: "Whatever you huntsmen are bickering about back there, you better wrap it up. We'll be back on Atlas in ten."

One of them huffed, Wave from the sound of it, which was quickly confirmed as he ended the conversation by saying: "Do what you want with the stowaway scum, Rhodes. You and your bleeding heart can take a dive off Atlas' ledge for all I care. Go open up an orphanage down in Mantle, it would suit you with all the riffraff you like to take pity on. Just know that if you ever need to call on me again, I won't be there; and I'll enjoy reading the news one day of how you drowned in your own blood from your own stupidity."

No more words were shared for a time. Kura near legitimately fell back asleep with the lack of angered slurs being tossed to entertain him, but this was halted when someone came over to gently shake him.

Cracking his eyes open, he was surprised to see a dark-skinned woman with a small smile greeting his vision. Her equally dark hair and chocolate eyes were brightly contrasted with the leaf green jacket she wore. She somewhat coldly looked behind her for a moment before the warmth returned to her gaze and she softly said to him:

"Hey there, sorry to wake you up so soon, but we're just a couple minutes from landing. Rhodes, the purple-haired man that saved you, wanted to make sure you're up." She then threw an additional comment behind her more loudly: "Though why he couldn't do it himself is still a mystery."

Raising his head, Kura found the man in question standing just a few feet away with raised hands pleading innocent.

"Easy now Daun, I just figured it'd be better for him to see someone easier on the eyes than my rugged mug. I'll take it from here now that he's up." He earned a half-hearted glare before the huntress stood and stepped over to him, slugged him in the arm in a friendly way, and leaned herself in the spot next to where he had been as Rhodes stepped over towards Kura. He had an easy smile on as he knelt down: "Don't mind her, she's just a bit shy around strangers. More importantly, how are you doing?"

Kura realized when he went to reply that his mouth felt incredibly dry, causing his words to come out as a rasp:

"Warmer... and thirsty."

The huntress behind Rhodes retrieved a bottle of water and passed it along, Kura draining its contents in a matter of seconds before letting out a relieved sigh. Rhodes looked on with a smirk before standing and saying:

"Let's get you on your feet, I'm sure you're eager to get to a place you can rest and eat. Lucky for you, I know a place that does well at both." Helping Kura up, Rhodes leaned in and whispered: "Just keep your emotions in check when we get there, it's not a place that likes what that fancy cloak of yours actually means."

Declining to answer verbally, Kura looked the man in his eyes and gave a firm nod; it wouldn't be the first time he had to turn a blind eye from injustice due to it being in a place that meant no victory. If he could, he would rather avoid such places and let them die a slow death if they didn't change, but since nothing had really gone according to plan for him that choice was out of his hands. There would be a time where he could find a way to have a life in Atlas, and then he could choose how to live.

Past the huntsman, he could see out the front of the craft into a flight bay. Moments later, they felt the ship jolt slightly as it touched down. With an arm from Rhodes around his shoulder, guiding him and also signaling to those around just whose sanction he had, Kura stepped down from the ship and could officially say that he had arrived at his destination.

Nudged forward, Kura walked with Rhodes, but not before looking back to see the huntress Daun who at catching his eyes gave a small wave as he was led off. Next to her was a man dressed primarily in red, his fiery hair and grim expression made Kura feel like he was looking at a walking firecracker; this man of course had to have been Wave. Yet as he was guided through the bay past workers in military uniforms, Kura found he couldn't care less about the crass huntsman. Any negativity from the man was put out of his mind, especially at the sight he beheld when Rhodes finally guided him outside the transportation building.

People could access pictures and videos of Atlas in bulk through their scrolls, Kura had done so plenty himself; but he had to admit, an image was a meager representation when presented with the real thing.

Buildings rose higher than he had ever seen, all without the assistance of natural rock and stone to elevate them to their grand heights. The architecture was elaborate, but clean, a careful balance between fanciful and practical. Everything had a sense of age to it, though with how clean and unblemished each building appeared, they all could easily have been mistaken for having been brand new. It was night now, and while the stars shone brilliantly, they did not quite catch the eye compared to the giant arc of hardlight energy that stretched across the visible sky.

While Kura knew the tales and even met the occasional resident of Altas back in Mistral, he felt like, at seeing the kingdom's capital in person, he could somewhat better understand how its citizens became known for their excessive pride; anyone would have at least some ego being from place as visually appealing as what he saw all around him. Unfortunately, the time to admire the scenery disappeared all too soon as Rhodes guided him towards a car and they both entered. A partition rolled down and Rhodes gave an address, to which the driver gave a professional nod before returning the partition to its rightful place. Though even with it up, Rhodes chose to whisper to him as they traveled across the city to whatever destination he intended:

"Just keep quiet as much as you can; I've been thinking about how to deal with explaining your appearance, so that shouldn't be an issue. So long as no one manages to try and 'pluck' you so to speak, I imagine keeping up the farce won't be overly difficult. We'll have you largely keep to yourself and over time you'll just come to be seen as an eccentric that likes his feathered cloak a lot. A small price to pay for privacy, honestly."

Gathering up his voice, Kura answered: "While I appreciate your efforts to assist me, Mr. Rhodes, I will say that I do have my own expectations of existing in Atlas. I'm not so ignorant to ignore what you're doing, and I'll certainly go along with it for now seeing as I'm slim on options for the moment. But I ask that you remember this one thing… don't underestimate what I'm capable of."

Kura's words clearly had an effect on him, as the Huntsman leaned back slightly and appeared to reexamine him. Though in terms of an actual response to his words, Rhodes replied: "You'll do just fine around here. So long as you can keep your head down, your presence will become just a passing thought. Then, you will see freedom that even I can't reach anymore."

Small conversation carried the rest of the journey, which lasted no more than a handful of minutes, to where the car parked in front of an impressively ornate building. Upon paying the driver, the two of them stood at the steps to the entrance as Rhodes allowed Kura to soak in the details of their destination. It was the hotel he had stayed at for many years now for… personal reasons, and would serve as Kura's temporary home until such time that he could manage a place for himself.

Though with all the beauty of the building itself, it did not concern Kura in the least as his eyes focused on the name of the establishment. A name that held no real significance, but to Kura he couldn't help but shake his head at the irony for the choice of animal to represent the place when he thought about the trait he shared with it; both being mythical things that shouldn't exist.

The 'Glass Unicorn' was certainly the name of an interesting place to stay.

WRW

Ah worldbuilding~, an author's favorite pastime.

Yonder

Yeah yeah, this is great. Now on with the exciting bits!

WRW

Hey! I thought there was a good bit of excitement here!

Yonder

It was ok, but you know...

WRW

...You want to see Cinder in the next chapter, don't you?

Yonder

*Smiles* It's like you can read my mind.

WRW

Or you can read my planning doc...

Anyways!

Thank you everyone for making it this far and I hope the chapter was to your liking. Be sure to let us know with a review, we always love the feedback. If you haven't, make sure to hit that follow and/or fav button so you know when we update. We hope to see you then.

Stay awesome everyone, WRW and Yonder out.