Chapter VI: Recovery and Rest
Poor Frank's laid up.
Frank laid there on the makeshift bed, having no idea how long he'd been out for, Carmine fussing over something, cursing loudly as she seemed to be mashing something into oblivion, her fingers holding some kind of grindstone, cursing quietly, obviously not happy with what was happening, her cursing growing more intense, as her expression darkened like a cloudy overcast day.
"Work, damn it. I'm made for heroism, killing those Grimm, not doing this stuff!"
He'd reprimand her for her language, yet thought to himself that it was not bad for her learning how to take care of people, since a wife would need to know how to prepare for the husband to return home. Already, he could feel the extremities of his body tingle, like an ill-prepared fate that lurked in the far-off distance, his eyes going to the cursing Faunus woman's hands, as she looked up. Blood-red eyes looked at him, as she narrowed them at him, jabbing the grindstone at him, and several chunks of ground-up root splattered onto the ground.
"You, Stone! Stay put. You're poisoned by those beasty Grimm and I am not going to let you get up for anything. Kleo is out there, getting stuff for food for tonight, and we're moving to one of the bigger buildings. Stay put, damn it!"
She was mouthy, but Frank knew that they had to get going. He couldn't really move, feeling his body ache at the pain that shot through him with every motion, Carmine getting up and then grabbing his mask. He was too weak to stop her, as she stared at his face, at the disfigurement that came with his curse, his eyes looking into hers, as she pressed her lips together in a mocking frown.
"'Oh, you should become a housewife, it's what you're good for.' No, I'm good for keeping you alive, Stone. You're going to eat this."
A bowl with very finely ground-up roots or vegetables that'd been mashed together into a paste, the herbal smell strong, as the Faunus woman gave him a look, Frank pretty sure that she would just feed by the bowl if he refused, and a spoon was put into it.
"I donnnnnnttt nnneehhh-blah."
'Definitely venom in my system. I had forgotten that they have sometimes venom in their claws…'
Every Grimm had a different way of being killed to prevent harm to the Huntsman. He'd heard enough from his adoptive father about the stalker-wolves to know that they carried a venom in their claws that paralyzed their enemies, to torment them before slicing through their tendons and then to slowly give them an agonizing death. It was different from the Apathy, and he knew that he was at the mercy of the two women, one Huntress and the other merely someone with some training.
Awakening her as a Huntress would come later, but her skills in caring for him were not something that he would like to suffer, as she pushed the spoonful into his mouth.
"Stop fussing, mask man. Kleopatra is going to be scouting the vicinity and making sure that it's safe, so we don't get ambushed by more of those beasts. You know, I kind of like you being all quiet and at my mercy. Makes it a lot easier for me to get information out of you. You're going to teach me about stuff, about being a Huntress, Stone."
She was much better suited to become a housewife. Miss Parsley-Trappe was someone that'd grown up to become a huntress, knowing that she would be raising her arms in service of humanity and having a husband, so she'd know her purpose.
A blade with purpose, was a blade that cut deep, as he'd learned the adage from his teacher.
It was not the first time that he'd found himself weakened, though alive. The Grimm that had savaged him with an errant slash in the side three months before, requiring a day of resting in a hastily-made camp, the bleeding stemmed with moss that he'd scrounged before he'd required the resting, had been a wakeup call, but a monster like him was not one that would ever inspire a woman to care for him, more-so as a partner as a Huntsman. A real man would be able to marry a wife, and then beget children, but not him.
"There you go! Food in your mouth! Swallow it, Stone. I've got some water, here, drink."
He was at her mercy indeed, as he swallowed the bitter paste down, feeling with his tongue that there were several chunks that hadn't been fully ground to paste yet, her eyes closing for a moment as she seemed to contemplate on what to scream in his ears about next.
"You can swallow. I've seen you swallow!"
The woman was a shrew, who didn't stop making him feel like he was some sort of burden on her for existing. Not that a monster like him would ever be worth more than just a passing glance by someone like Carmine, who could interact with people without the fear of being judged for the curse that he bore on his facial features, her spoon pulled from his mouth, as he swallowed. Another spoonful of the herbs were pushed right into his mouth, a little 'a-ha!' from the younger woman loud in the air, as she fed him the whole bowl.
"You'll be teaching me things with marksmanship, mask man! Kleo has that cannon of hers, when she fires I'm afraid I'll go deaf! Teach me how to snipe! I've seen you do it! I can do it too, but you need to teach me!"
She was loud.
He could teach her a few tricks. It wasn't formally that she was his apprentice now, but he could teach her a few little tricks, in the case of his body being disabled or Lightning Blitz nowhere to be found on his person. He wasn't going to let her be unable to snipe a target from a long range if she had to wield his weapon. Carmine had her pistol, but she had the aim of a blind bat.
Which was fitting, he supposed.
"Ahhh will…"
He slurred, his head slumping a little as he felt tired. Carmine wasn't going to give this up.
She was a weird Faunus girl.
He was being fussy.
Here she was, grinding up roots into paste for him to eat and then having enough niceness in her body to feed it to him, and he was fussing like a little child! She didn't think that she'd ever have to do something like this, but she was doing it because he was her teacher and she wasn't going to let something stop him from teaching her.
'I'll show him! I don't need a husband! I don't need a kid screaming at me.'
Bad thoughts laid in that direction. It wasn't like she was unaware of how he looked underneath the mask, even though it was some sort of stupid convention that he had, hiding it away! Who cared about some veins?! She had bat ears! She could hear people's breathing every damn moment of the day, or when they went to the bathroom!
'Hm! He'll be a good teacher!'
She was going to kick ass.
She ground the roots a little harder, and added some mint that she'd found near the local shelter, getting the liquid out and then mixing it with the roots. It would heal him up. He needed to heal up, because he'd been stupid and kept her from killing that Grimm!
'I don't feel grateful at all!'
She did it because she felt that he needed to get up to teach her about stuff! Kleopatra was undoubtedly trying to tease her again, with her shuffling back and forth. The bandages actually had come off when she'd went for bed, and Carmine felt a little sting of envy at the woman's scars.
She could get scars from fighting for her life as well! She just needed more training! More training and less caring for Frank 'I am a moron' Stone, the man that was in charge of her training.
'He needs to get better soon!'
She didn't feel anything for him at all, of course. No little heartbeat quickening or small feeling of wanting him to get up and then put his big manly hands on her.
'No. Not at all!'
The grinding stopped as she inspected the pulp, before she set it down, Kleo entering, and inspecting it. She'd put the mask back on Frank's face after feeding him, so that was just staring up at him.
"He… has… eaten, yes?"
He would be getting more food if he wasn't getting better! She was making another portion for him, to stew a little with the food that Kleo had gotten for them. A rabbit, for them to eat.
"Yes, he has. Bandage woman, get me trained up!"
The older woman looked at her and Carmine got the feeling that she was being looked down upon. Anger burst in her gut as she stared at the older woman, whose expression was somewhat darker than before, clearly not too happy with her demands, but Carmine knew that if the woman was pressed, she would accept.
"Oh… so… you… want… to… be… fit… for your… marriage… day? Oh… that… is… good."
She did not raise her voice to the stupid woman's teasing comment, but she let her displeasure be known with a loud huff, as she jabbed a finger at the bandaged woman, sharply staring at her with a glare. It wouldn't be something that would be easily fixed if she learned, but it was not going to be a time when she didn't keep her teacher safe.
'Who's thinking about marriage, huh?! That woman can go and marry him, if she wants to!'
The thought of Frank Stone walking down to the church and taking Kleo by the hand and making her Kleo Stone was not something that she liked to think about. It wasn't that she might have a teensy-weensy, shriveled hint of maybe, possibly, infinitesimally small chance, impossible except for an small fragment, liking him.
Totally not. Impossible. He was just a bastard that was teaching her how to be a huntress! He was her teacher and she did not have dreams about him putting his hands on her in a way that made her feel like there was a need for a cool dip in a well.
"Teach me, damn it! You are-"
The woman's hand covered her lips, as she was silenced by the woman during this encounter.
"Shhh… he… is…sleeping. Have… you… washed… him?"
She had washed him, of course! The upper body and the legs, not… anywhere else. Kleo let go of her mouth, and Carmien inhaled deeply.
She was a woman, Carmine Adora Von Blut did not make any man's icky genitals her own. If he needed to do his business, Kleo took care of that. It was not her business! Not at all!
'Ugh… I don't…'
Not that she hadn't thought about it for a bit.
She had thought about it and it had been just a wash for him. Just a wash, as his eyes would be going over her body and making her feel awkward.
'I don't like him. He's just a nuisance and he's teaching me! Yeah! He's a comrade!'
"No."
Kleo smiled, shrugging her shoulders a little.
"Want… me… to… wash… him?"
The woman had experience with men. She had been married.
"You're not going to replace your husband with him, mummy woman! I'm not-"
The woman's expression turned troublesome, as Carmine could see something in the eyes change, as she watched the woman's expression shift to something a little more jocular, taking some amusement.
"You… are… not? Oh… The… Joy…"
The small breathy laugh, as Kleo pulled her along with unusually strong hands, pulling her along, and then taking a moment to stride out, the weapon in her hands already shifted, the shield and the sword looking very fierce.
"Come… and… train… Car… mine."
Carmine was in motion, a battle cry from her lips, forgetting about things for a while.
She was exhausted, as she laid in the grass, staring up at the sky. Kleo stood over her, clearly looking at her with amusement and some sort of pity in her eyes, putting her weapon down and then taking a moment to help her up.
Carmine just laid there, the woman sitting down next to her.
"It… was… nice… you know? Living… with… my… husband and… our… dog."
The woman sounded wistful for those days, as Carmine could tell that there was a heavy burden on the woman's back, clearly letting her feel that weight, as Carmine let her eyes glisten, her head turned up to the sky.
"He… was… so… good."
The woman had lost her and her dog to the Grimm, undoubtedly. It was not something that Carmine could really understand, since her family had been dead before she'd landed in these environs, Carmine taking a moment to exhale.
"Are you going to marry Frank?"
The woman's voice did not come, as Carmine looked at the bandaged woman, her pale skin looking like it was a little more alabaster-white than before, a deep sound coming from Kleo's throat, as she stared at her for a while, her hand on her weapon, holding it steadily.
Already, Carmine could feel that she was treading dangerous grounds.
"Are… you?"
A challenge for her, as the woman's eyes looked cool, the sandy look around her shifting a bit, as the woman reached out and touched Carmine's cheek.
"No?! You… You evil mummy woman! I'm not-"
She wasn't feeling a weird tingle in her gut at the thought of his big hands on her, or the baby that they'd be able to have. She was still young, and the thought of herself as a housewife was not…
She didn't have feelings for him, at all. Already, he was lucky to have someone as good as her as a student, because otherwise he'd have no problem with this and- and she wasn't thinking about this. It was bad for her health otherwise! Bad for her health, bad for her own quietness of the mind and she definitely was not thinking about it.
"He… is… not… bad… as… a… husband. Think… about… it."
She wasn't going to think about it!
'Who cares if he'd be a good husband!'
She did, but she'd never admit it!
"Why don't you go and ask him to marry you, huh? You're still young! You can have six babies or something!"
She was getting heated and the woman smiled at her in that way that she hated.
"Oh… I… would not… dare to. You… are… on… a… good… road. Car… mine. Take… your… chance."
She didn't want a chance! Carmine felt her cheeks flush red, as the older woman laughed softly in amusement at her, Carmine's face turning redder and redder with indignation.
"I don't need chances! I don't want him as my husband or something!"
The thought of him being her husband was not one that she'd like!
"Oh… I… see. Then… I… will… go."
'Go and do what?! I hate how you barely speak at a pace faster than sweet honey dripping down a bowl's edge!'
"Do whatever you want then! Train me!"
Carmine was not going to be left behind, as Kleo leaned back, laying herself down on the grass as well, her expression curiously vacant.
"Again…?"
The question was enough, but Carmine's eyes were still at the skies.
"Later. I'm not…"
She was sweaty. A wash would be very nice now, especially with Stone still being unconscious. She wasn't going to bare herself to the man, even if he would insist on something like that.
She had been asked whether she relieved herself of the stresses! A woman shouldn't do that when asked so by a man! That was impolite!
"No. You… smell."
The woman made her even more annoyed with her. She could fight too!
"I'll… make… sure… he… gets… washed. Go and… get… clean."
Carmine would take that as an official suggestion. She did not stink!
'That stupid woman, talking about me stinking! I wash! I keep clean! It's Frank who is smelly now!'
She knew that there would be a bucket full of water at the well at least for her to wash.
"I'll go wash, but you'd better make sure that he's clean! He starts to stink now!"
She would rejoice the day he got off his butt and they could start moving again. He'd be teaching her and they'd be on their way again, when he formally accepted her.
"Oh… he… does… not… smell… bad. My… dog… smelled… worse."
'Bah.'
He wasn't some dog. He was someone with very big hands. She might be young, but there was just that weird nagging feeling inside her when she was touched by him that made her feel a little bit more combative and angry with him.
It wasn't like she thought he was nice or anything. He was not too fast! He was quiet! She had to make sure that he got a good kick in the behind to teach her!
"Make sure he's clean, woman. I'll be back in… not too long."
With her sensitive hearing, she could hear people's breathing anywhere, so she knew whether people were coming. They could just hide in one of the houses, if the need was there. No need to tempt fate and get hurt by bandits or something…
"Do… not… pleasure… yourself… naughty… girl. Mother… does… not… approve."
Carmine's mouth opened and an expletive slipped out at the bandaged woman, who seemed to be amused, cursing a few more times to pound the message into the woman's head that she was most certainly not going to do that.
It was not like she'd known that it would be-
'No. No. I am not thinking about that. I am not thinking about that, I am not doing that, I am not going to do anything like that. The woman is sun-addled, mad in the brain.'
Her corset felt a little tight and her heart was doing cartwheels in her chest, but she most certainly was not going to do anything with her maidenhood.
"Don't… take… too… long… Car…mine. And… wash… your… hands… after."
She would tell the woman where to wash what, as her hands would be punching the woman when she had some time. She wasn't going to get some sort of admonishment from a woman that was not even her mother! This joke had gone too far!
She'd never admit to having enjoyed teasing the older woman a little, to anyone.
Slow women needed to be slow and not taunt innocent Faunus teens with a desire to kill-inate Grimm.
Frank woke up to the sound of someone approaching, his head turning towards the sound, though he could barely move. He tried to get up, instincts telling him to move, but not a single fibre of his being could really move, as he only got half-way up, and he saw miss Parsley-Trappe sit down, her hand having a cloth, as she looked ready to clean something.
"I… am… here… to… wash… you."
The slow way of speaking that the woman had was something that he didn't really question, as he made a sound of agreement, as the woman started to pull his clothes off, a small dip of the cloth in the bucket, as she rubbed it over his skin, the mask remaining on. Not that he could really do much about it if she did decide to go for the mask, but there was only a dutiful scrubbing that his skin got, as she continued to clean him.
Rhythmic motions, the cloth dunked into the water again, and then applied to the skin, rubbing over it and then scrubbing, quietly and without any remarks.
"You… should… teach… her. She… is… getting… annoying."
She was a woman. A boy could be taught better than a woman. Carmine should not have been given the tools of a Huntsman at this age. She would be much happier if she were to go and have a family.
A monster like him deserved nothing but another monster, and Carmine was loud, but she did not need a monster like him. It was not something that he would ever condemn her to, to suffer under him and to make the burden of travelling everywhere and defeating Grimm her own to bear if he passed.
"Now… to the… groin. This may… be a little ticklish."
It was just skin that needed to be cleaned. Frank wondered briefly whether his mother would have done something similar, but this was the first time that he'd ever had the experience of someone washing him.
It was not something that he had ever felt.
"So… that's… clean… now. And… no… reaction? Are you… okay?"
He felt a little better, knowing that the feeling of being clean was something that he had wanted to feel before, as she asked him that.
"I feel tired."
His throat was a little dry, but the woman brushed the cloth over his groin with practised ease, her expression a little thoughtful.
"Hm. How… were… you… raised?"
He had been raised the best he could. He remembered the rules that he'd learned through his early years. Never care. Never stop moving. Never let them get close.
Now, he was starting to break those rules, due to the venom. He shouldn't tell too much, because the marks on his face would show her what a monster he was. It wasn't that he couldn't move his body fully, he felt that he could at least get up, but the swift motions of fending off another Huntsman were not possible.
"My adoptive father raised me."
The man had been everything that he could want for in a father, even if he ran him ragged with the training. Lightning Blitz was a memento, in part, of those days. He had once tried using a shorter-range rifle, only for the kickback to throw his aim off, thus necessitating the longer barrel.
"He was someone that taught me to get an apprentice when I wanted to teach my skills. A boy. Boys respond well and women are not to be given over to this life."
Intimate details, but truths that he spoke without any sort of ill intent. He had been asked and Kleo was there to guard him. If she killed him, he would not be able to raise his hand.
"Ah… the… traditional… attitude. I had… a student… once… too."
The words weren't a surprise to him, as he had heard about it, faintly. They weren't exactly quiet when they talked and Carmine's volume always seemed to be at a pitch that ached through his ears.
"He was… my… husband."
A quiet vigil for her husband would be needed, since he obviously was no longer around. Carmine would complain about it, but he was not going to be a bad companion to the other Huntress.
"I… will… adjust… your… undergarments. Sorry."
The woman did what she had to, as he laid there and her hands pulled his pants back on. It was embarrassing and a little strange to know that she'd basically cleaned him up, making him clean.
"You are assisting me, miss Parsley-Trappe. That's what a Huntsman should do to others in need."
Cutting your losses was one way to deal with something like this, as they had done to the settlement where they'd stayed for a while. Frank Stone was not an emotionless hulk of a man, but even he knew that there would be no peace for someone cursed like him.
"That… is… true. So… are… you… going… to… make… her… your… apprentice?"
He didn't know. Carmine wasn't suited for the life of a Huntsman, despite her insistency that she was. She was a girl, eighteen and still with the idealized notions that the world was fair, that there was something that she could do with the strength that she had. Being a Faunus was tertiary to what she was doing.
"Can't you take her?"
He had no idea on how to teach a woman. He had no idea what most women would consider appropriate, as he'd taught several things that he had learned at a young age, but Carmine opened her mouth and blasted his ears with another fiery tirade the moment that he'd shown her several holds.
You found purchase and then you tore, twisted or did other things. When you were being assaulted by a wild mountain lion, you'd be better-off trying to force it off before going for your weapon, if such a thing ever happened.
'Be prepared to be dead but be prepared to live at all costs.'
"I… don't… think… so. She is… complaining…"
That was a shame. They were going to travel either tomorrow or the day after, his stomach rumbling at the sudden lack of food that had announced itself within his belly, letting him be very aware that he had not been eating very much due to the venom.
"Ah… You… will… need… to… eat. Can… I… lift… the… mask?"
The question was one that he'd been dreading, as he didn't think she would tolerate a monster like him. Comparing her to those normal civilians would be a mistake, since there was no reason why her attitude would not shift to disgust or to murderous rage.
The look of his face frightened many, with the curse that he bore on his skin.
"I don't want you to see my face."
The woman did not press him, which he was grateful for. She turned her head to her weapon, which had been set at the door. Frank doubted that she could get to it before he'd drawn Lightning Blitz at her, but their fight, if it came down to it, would be something that he would undoubtedly lose.
"I… see. Bad… scarring?"
He would nod if he could. He settled for a vocal response.
"Miss Von Blut does not mind. Sometimes, I think she is not very good at seeing things."
A light snicker from Miss Parsley-Trappe was in the air, the woman shifting her attention to him.
"Oh… I… think… she… may… need… glasses. She… uses… the… sound… to… see… at… times. It… happens… with… some… Faunus. Have… you… ever… loved… someone… Frank?"
The woman was asking about things he knew little about. When things like that were often mentioned, he did not respond, knowing that it was not for a monster to love. The thought of having a wife or something was not something that really surfaced. He didn't know really what some people thought about some woman that came walking by, and that was not something he concerned himself with.
"No."
The brusque answer that he gave seemed to bemuse her for some reason, her fingers stroking over her hair, as she settled in comfortably in her place, leaning against the wall.
"Well… I… have. We were… married… for… seven… years."
That was nice for her, Frank guessed. It wasn't like a woman would ever show interest in a monster. It would probably never become a thing, because of the affliction that cursed him to feel when the Grimm came anywhere close.
"It is… a… funny… feeling. Living… with… my… husband… and…"
A bitter expression came to her face, Frank recognizing it as loss. The emotion was something that he knew, as he knew that with Miss Parsley-Trappe around, there would at least be some security that they would have during the night.
"I… will… tell… her… to feed… you. I… will… travel… with… you… two."
That was at least a good consideration.
"Thank you, Miss Parsley-Trappe."
The woman smiled bitterly, as she got up.
"You… can… call… me… Kleo. I… will… fetch… the… loud… girl."
Carmine could be loud.
"Thank you, Miss Parsley-Tr- ah… Kleo."
Kleo flashed him a toothy grin, before she got up and wandered to his not-quite-apprentice.
Carmine was busy with scrubbing at her skin, letting her body get cleaner, feeling very happy that at the very least, she was able to clean herself, irritating bandage-wearing women be damned. The upper body was always the hardest to clean, her ears properly cleaned out once every two days. The trait was a menace to get clean without a good mirror, but improvisation was key when that was the case. She had her needs of cleanliness, and-
"Ah…"
Carmine's shriek was louder, as she leapt up by the sudden raising of the voice behind her, turning around and looking at the bandaged woman, whose presence she had not noticed before, her eyes staring at the woman as she stood there, holding a cloth and the small bucket that she'd scavenged from one of the houses.
"DON'T DO THAT TO ME, MUMMY WOMAN!"
'I did not scream!'
It was just preparedness.
"Such… loudness… Ah… he is… hungry."
Then it was up to him to be fed, and she would show him a little kindness by feeding him. He was still going to be a moron and leave her to be given no recourse.
"Shut it, Kleopatra! Ugh, I'll have to go feed him."
She marched down to the house that they'd been using, anger running through her body as she should do what was needed to feed the guy.
"Hey… wait…"
Kleo be damned, she was going to go and feed Stone and make sure that he was at the very least capable of telling her stuff, since he was the not-so-loud Huntsman, with a weapon that only rattled her ears at times. Not like the loud 'Boom!' that came with that weird cannon-sarcophagus that she had.
"Stone! It's feeding time!"
She didn't really stop, grabbing the bowl of mashed herbs and roots that she'd prepared beforehand, grabbing the spoon and then jerking the mask up, the confused expression on his face definitely something that he definitely should be wearing, as she shoveled a spoonful of the mashed root into his mouth, making sure to give him another.
'I don't understand why he's not chewing. Maybe his jaw is still slightly paralyzed.'
Joking around with him was not her current objective, as she pushed another spoonful into his mouth.
"Eat, damn it! I made this for you, and you're going to teach me some more interesting things!"
There was still that look of slack-jawed barely comprehending on his face, as she fed the last spoonful, as he swallowed, trying to get it down, and Carmine definitely felt a vindictive feeling inside her chest, as she heard Kleo arrive at the house.
"Hey… you…are… hasty."
The mask was shoved down, without real care for Frank's face, as she turned around, noticing that Kleo had walked up, holding her corset.
'If that's in her hands then-'
A glance down at her most definitely perky, peaky nipples, and things clicked in her mind, as embarrassment and other emotions that were not to be discussed ever, rose.
'* $ #**&$ # &$!^$!$!~'
Kleo actually winced with the volume of her high-pitched shriek. Served her right, for not warning her that she'd just barged at Frank without even getting dressed! The woman was a menace.
"Don't… try… to… go… too… quickly."
'I'll show you quickly!'
First, she had to get her corset back on! Embarrassment tinted her cheeks pink, worrying about how Frank saw her, since she'd literally shown him everything except for her private little garden below.
'This woman is a menace!'
She pointedly ignored that she'd been the one that'd rushed off to go feed Frank.
That was not hypocritical of her, of course. She was going to be a Huntress.
"Youuuuu!"
Frank didn't really understand what the big deal was, but Carmine had been in one hell of a mood ever since she'd fed him. It wasn't really something that he wanted to think about, but it had been kind of awkward to see her sans her shirt. Not that he showed himself unclothed much, since he preferred to wash without anyone's eyes on him. It was luck that the black marks only ran through his facial features, rather than covering his whole body.
'Another blessing, because they would scorn me for it.'
"And… so… is… how… you… prepare… the… bandage. It… helps… for… bleeding… wounds."
Already, Miss Parsley-Trappe was explaining some things, showing to Carmine how certain herbs and bandages went together, Kleo, as she'd insisted he call her, having some skill in weaving, making bandages from grass that had been cut with a little scythe, a mechanical device that allowed her to nearly-instantly weave the fibre of the grass into a length of bandages.
'It requires some Dust to operate, but it doesn't look like it would be a bad trinket to get for those longer forays.'
Bandages could be instrumental with things that could weave them easily. Frank knew that his fingers were not dextrous enough to have any sort of meaningful effect, so such a tool would be nice to have.
Wounds required bandages, as miss Parsley-Trappe wore as her attire. With how she looked, a little like a cat, it was probably for the best that he'd let things just be, unless she was interested in sharing the technology.
"I don't get it. How do you soak? Doesn't it grow all soggy and weak?!"
Carmine didn't seem to think it was very good, as she pointed it out. Frank wondered a little about how things would continue between Carmine and Kleo. Already, he supposed that he would need to be the one to activate Carmine's Aura, in order to keep the young woman from getting those ideas that there would be some sort of hidden trick. She could not be his full apprentice, but with Kleo, he could probably take upon him the duties of a Huntsman. She had requested some information about his training earlier, so that might be why the thought of training Carmine into a Huntress or perhaps some 'slightly more martially-inclined housewife' was not too far out of her mind now.
"It… also… helps… with… the… flow. You… can… use… these… to… harden… and… stem… the… blood."
'That makes sense.'
He supposed that it would be a good investment to ask Kleo to make several of them for them all to use. You never knew when a scrape would need healing the natural way, rather than forcing Aura to do so. With his own aura not being able to take many hits, he knew that he was not going to be able to always rely on the natural ability of Aura to recover.
"I don't get it! I am not dumb, but-"
Kleo leaned over and whispered something in Carmine's Faunus ear that sounded like 'riod', Carmine getting redder in the face, as she hissed at the other woman in anger.
"I don't need THAT!"
They were talking about things he knew little of.
Kleo pulled a set of bandages out and then handed it to Carmine, who snatched it from the older woman's grip and tucked it somewhere in a pocket, her flushed face definitely looking like she was not going to be letting anything slip, or anything like that.
"Do you have one of those bandage-making devices for me?"
He thought that asking was better than to leave it be. Technology like this was something that could be aiding him when he was alone again. Carmine and Kleo would be able to make a name for themselves. He worked best alone.
"Ah… sure… I… made… it… with… my… skills. It… works… with… my… weapon. It goes… through… a lot… of fibre."
There was that, of course, as Frank had thought about the requirements for a bit. Within the arid circumstances of Vacuo there would be a lack of fibre to be used for the bandages, but it would be a necessary tool for those who came from those lands, like Kleo had.
"Thank you, Miss Parsley-Trappe. It is not exactly something that I can pass up on. The way to make bandages easily would be a very good thing for injuries and other things."
Already, he could tell that Kleo was thinking about how to make one, as the woman looked thoughtful, her head nodding slowly, her hair falling loosely over her features, the sharpness of her eyes only outlined by the accents that she had on her eyes.
'It wouldn't be a bad thing to bundle our forces, once I can move without impediment again.'
"You'll be teaching me things first, Stone. I won't let you get away, now that you've seen more than you should have!"
He didn't really understand what. It wasn't like there was a big difference between boys and girls, except that the latter usually tended to want to settle with others. He could tell that Carmine would be much better served with a husband or someone that would be able to tolerate her loud ways and habits.
'Maybe in the next settlement, Kleo would take on the primary duty of teaching.'
"Fine."
He answered to Carmine, whose self-satisfied smirk was definitely something that he didn't really like on her. She was loud and fussy, as Kleo looked like she'd accomplished something with her own smile, her eyes glinting a little, as she got up.
"We'll… go… and… take… the… night… shift. Sleep… well… Frank… Stone."
He supposed that he'd go and sleep then, since he couldn't really do much more than move slowly with a little pain shooting through his body.
'Not something that I'd like to go through every time I move…'
The venom must be still trying to find a good path through his body. The Stalker-Wolves were kind of an annoyance, but there was nothing that he could do about their predatory nature with just his wishes and desires, knowing that the Grimm moved to their own destructive desires.
Carmine gave a loud 'yaaahhh!' as she attacked the older woman, Frank offering tips and orders to fight.
"To the right. Catch her weapon on your own and then shoot."
Kleo was taunting her with her own motions, moving a little slower than she usually would do in a combat situation, taunting her with a smile that knew, a smile which knew that she'd embarrassed herself for Frank's eyes.
She was confident in her looks, she had to be, being a Huntress in training and the like, but to bare herself fully to Frank Stone was not something that she had intended.
There would be a declaration of intent from him first, and then she would graciously allow him to touch her, to let her be claimed by the man that was her teacher and 'master' of sorts. It was the old-fashioned type of thinking that made her feel a little weird at times when she saw him move, when she could see the muscles below the coat that he wore to shield his body from the blows.
She was almost convinced that he was just taunting her with his face being hidden like that. She didn't see the huge issue of a few marks on his face. It was not his face that she thought to be something of a lure, but the power that he could offer her to become the best Huntress in the world.
'We'll have to make some sort of schedule.'
He would teach her, as she blocked with her weapon, the weighty strike that Kleo gave her barely unbalancing her with the weight that it placed on her, as she leveled her pistol at Kleo, mimicking firing, and Kleo pushed back a little.
"That would kill anyone. Remember, bandits do not care about your life. They will not consider you more than a corpse worth looting, so you must kill."
The words of advice were something that she knew already, knowing that there was nothing that he could teach her on that front. Bandits were the scum of the earth that needed a firm poking and stabbing and a long and drawn-out death.
"Got it, Stone. Now, teach me more!"
He was already getting more mobile, which meant that he did not need her to take care of him.
She had not really thought too much about the thing that they'd suggested before the Grimm had come to them and had messed everything up with Frank being disabled due to a Grimm bite, so it was for later contemplation.
'I will make sure that he teaches me everything. That weird glowy thing too. It looks useful.'
It blinded her eyes a little, but that was tertiary to the power that it gave her. She wouldn't be weak, she wouldn't be frail and she most certainly would not be someone's housewife.
A brief flash of mask-wearing kids and her being pregnant with number six later, and she adjusted that a little. Kleo had been hinting about marriage between a Huntsman and his apprentice and it would be nice.
Not that she wanted that, of course. Not before she'd made a name for herself as Carmine Von Blut, Huntress.
'Hm. I am not some frail wallflower!'
She was going to be strong! She was going to be someone that made people safe from Grimm attacks. She was very sure that he'd be the man that she could speak of proudly as the one that taught her all the things she knew to some kid that she'd teach when she was a little older.
'Hm.'
The annoying and rather persistent bad thoughts that were undoubtedly an effect that had been left on her by Kleo's annoying persistence in teasing her, were to be banished. She wanted to live the free life.
'But am I going to be happy?'
Undoubtedly. The nagging doubt inside her did not make her feel bad, it did not make her feel weak!
She didn't feel weak at all! She didn't feel weak at all, nor did she feel any sort of things that any girl of a village that might have had some weird fantasies of the storyteller's tales of heroic Huntsmen.
She was going to live her life and then become a wife.
No masks on in the house, though. That would look weird, with her bat ears.
'I don't think that a mask would really look all that great… But Kleo would look decent with one.'
That woman could do something with masks. Stone would teach her and she would suggest marriage sometime down the line. Maybe ten years later.
'Settle down and have a husband… bah!'
She was going to learn everything that she could from him and he would not get rid of her that easily!
"You… should… rest. Too… much… training… will… make… you… pained… in… the… morning."
Kleo spoke up and Carmine grumped, aware that the woman was right, as she had been a few times. With her advice, things had become a little more bearable. It wasn't like Frank was much of a talker and even though Kleo spoke slowly, the woman had been a source of advice about some Huntsman things.
Like getting your breasts properly restrained so you didn't accidentally flash your fellows. That had been something that she'd actually accepted as pretty good advice, before Kleo had remarked something about her 'never needing a man to have a pillow in bed', which had taken a few moments before it'd sank in.
It'd sank in and she'd made some threatening gestures, though she knew that Kleo was much humbler in her chest than she was.
Some things had to be maintained, obviously. Superiority in this area was worth it.
'I am not getting envious of a woman who could be my mother.'
The woman had had her family and her pet hound, so it was undoubtedly going to be her and Frank if Kleo decided to settle down somewhere and make house with some unfortunate guy.
She settled into the comfortable wrappings that she'd furnished an impromptu bed from, after being told how to use that little tool. It was pretty handy, and Carmine kind of had to admit that it was beyond her skill. Even Frank seemed to like it, which was nice to know.
Nice to know and feeling a teensy spark of envy.
"Sleep… well. Don't… dream… of… boys."
Kleo would get what was coming for her, of course!
They travelled once he was fit enough to move, fighting a minor battle against Kleo, testing his strength. The settlement was left behind, several markers already placed on the church and showing that there would be no shelter there.
Travelling with Carmine taught him how the need for defensive methods was growing more intense. Solo travel and solo Hunting was something that he had been used to, but now, he would need to prepare defenses for a group.
'If they knew what lurked behind the mask…'
He had managed to guard his features from Kleo thus far, and he knew that he'd have the time to do some more whittling of a new mask. Wood was much cheaper than metal, as metal would allow things to lodge inside it and to slam into the skin.
It also was commonly available. When in doubt, chop down a tree.
He had an axe for a weapon, so why should he not use it?
Another settlement that had been abandoned loomed in the distance, and he felt the marks on his face ache. Already, they would need to settle down for the night, as the sun was sinking already.
"Grimm, somewhere up ahead."
It was a small itch that came to become a buzz inside his mind, as he could see the gangly forms of the Apathy slowly ooze through the town. Already, he was calculating the amount of effort that they'd have to expend for them to mow down the Apathy.
"They travel in packs."
He warned Carmine, who looked like she wanted to fight. That was not going to happen on his watch, though. They could deal with several Apathy if they were prepared and dealt with in swift motions.
'Slow, but with no great combat strength.'
They could do this.
"Get ready. We'll take out as many as we can. They have an emotional disturbance around them."
They could take them out. Even Carmine would be able to do so. They were only a threat in massive packs that would swarm in underground terrain. Frank knew that there would be a problem if they had to dig out a pack from some well or something, but at times like this, it was better to deal with as many as they could while the daylight was still there.
"Their scream paralyzes your muscles a little, so you need to be prepared. Take down…"
He pulled up a looking glass, checking their numbers, mentally counting the pack, about thirty individuals moving slowly.
"Six. There are thirty-two of them. Let us take care of the others. Are you able to do so, Kleo?"
The other Huntress nodded her head, her weapon ready, Carmine's feisty look worrying Frank a little.
"Get ready."
They were in motion. With Apathy, there usually weren't any other major Grimm around due to the emotional blunting that Apathy caused.
'We can keep the settlement for shelter, if there's a need. They usually track their targets… So we may have company.'
They'd deal with them after they got rid of the Apathy. Scavenging through the settlement would allow them to get some firewood and maybe one or two unused Dust crystals that'd gone unused by the original settlers.
"I'm going to take down seven!"
Carmine seemed to be very eager to fight.
Carmine pulled her rapier out of the dissipating Grimm's body. The screams were really high-pitched, but she didn't care about that, Frank cleaving through one of the Grimm with his axe, his rifle already starting to charge again as he delivered a blast of lightning at one of the other Grimm.
When in motion, they made a beautiful dance of death, Carmine had to admit, as she pulled herself out of the way of a strike from the Apathy, the biting teeth of her rapier cutting through the reaching arm, as she stabbed it into the face of the Apathy, the grinding teeth of her chain carving through its stupid face.
'Yeah! Take that!'
Frank was in motion, Carmine letting him never quite leave her sight. He was strong in his fighting style, as he cut through the Grimm with the practised ease of someone that could teach her a lot more. Kleo was trying to hide her smile when they had their own 'practice sessions', where the older woman kept on infuriatingly taunting her with how he was a man and how they might end up together!
'I don't like him like that!'
He might have big hands and a bigger body than she did. It wasn't like she was blind. She had some vision problems, sure, but that didn't mean that she was blind to what she had in front of her. He wasn't handsome, like some of the men that she'd seen in their travels, but he was attractive, which she'd generously admit.
He was still a massive jerk though. A massive jerk that didn't teach her enough. Kleo had hinted that the shiny thing that covered her at times was something that was earned, and she had damn well earned it! She was going to press Frank about it later, if he had the time.
It wasn't like she had the weird tingle inside her gut whenever she was around him when he was explaining things. It was better than before, when he was a little distant but now, it was like a tingly-wingly tingle feeling that made her feel weird.
It wasn't love or anything. She wanted what her due was. Her due was 'full huntsman training, no excuses' and 'no more whining about her going to marry some guy'!
If her kids wanted to wear a mask like him, they'd make their own masks! She was a Faunus and she was definitely not going to go back to being someone's slave, like her parents had still remembered due to being alive before the Great War's resolution.
'Stupid- stupid, I'm not-'
She dodged out of the way of one of the grasping talons, as her body twisted around, fingers grabbing the hilt of her rapier and then delivering a few stabs into the Grimm's body.
'Die, damn you! Die!'
She couldn't be distracted by weird thoughts of being someone's wife or something weird like that! She was going to be the bestest, kick-assest Huntress in the world! She was going to show Frank Stone that she was a good Huntsman student!
"Carmine! To your right!"
She barely dodged in time to avoid the leaping Beowolf, one of those creatures that just took you aback, as she cursed loudly.
"OH NO YOU DON'T, YOU F*# $& !"
It wasn't polite, but she didn't like being caught off her guard, as she shot into the Beowolf's hide, making sure to deliver a finisher to the softer bits, as she saw Frank sweep his axe around, his expression making her feel that tingle shoot down her spine.
It's not fair to her, in her mind, that he'd hide that glowy thing from her.
'We'll have words!'
She could hear their heartbeats loud, all four of them. It was a bit weird, but she didn't question it, as she continued to fight, striking at the Grimm that were around, her fingers switching the grip on the rapier to deliver a downward blow, her challenging 'YEAHHH!' loud enough to bounce from the houses.
'This should be enough.'
She wasn't going to let her whole day be ruined by Frank 'I am too stuffy to teach Carmine' Stone!
She had plans to make!
Stuff to learn.
As they continued to barrel through the herd of Grimm, Carmine could see Frank take his time to finish them off, their ghastly cries only stunning her very briefly due to the volume, but her ears still primed to pick up any deviation.
"We… are… done… ah. Good… job… Car… mine."
She didn't feel proud, of course. She might have just smiled at the other woman, to show that she wasn't too unsympathetic to praise. Kick-ass Huntress, Carmine Von Blut, killing stuff good!
'I should catchphrase that… Ha!'
"Let's… make… a… shelter."
Her face fell as she realized that there'd be more work to be done. Still, Frank would teach her.
She'd make sure that he did.
"I will be relieving myself."
He announced to them after they'd made their shelter for the night in a decrepit house that had functioning walls to keep the wind out and offer a bit of shelter, just to show the others that he would be taking a moment to go out. Carmine made a face, as she looked combative and ready to give another speech about propriety, as if that mattered somewhat when you were taking a piss. He had to make sure that he found a good spot to do that, since Carmine was a Faunus and he had gotten a few comments about him 'making sure that he didn't smell like it!', as she'd given him that scathing comment when he'd returned.
"Don't do it too much! Wash your hands afterwards!"
The expression on Carmine's face was fierce, her pale cheeks puffed up with redness, as he had gotten familiar with, her corset creaking a little when she did that.
"Of course."
He had started to get more casual with them, maybe having let them into his heart, if one were to use such terms, walking a little way away, and then getting his pants down, to get rid of his bladder's contents.
It was only with the reflexes that came with having been a Huntsman for many years that he heard the click and then threw himself to the side, landing on the ground and avoiding the shot, getting up after a roll and then pulling his axe from his belt, still with his pants on his ankles, ready to face whatever bandit had found their way to sneak up on him.
'I should've been prepared… I should've been aware.'
The mask didn't help very much with the peripheral vision, but his face was terrifying to many as it was, so he wore it, the attacker looking not very much like a bandit, Frank had to say. The boom had been loud, but the shotgun that was being reloaded didn't look like very much of a weapon that'd be able to face off with his own, as he saw the shell being reloaded, aware that there was a moment for him to strike. The 'bandit' looked like a young man, maybe around Carmine's age, a leather jerkin of sorts worn, and what seemed to be wolf pelts stitched together crudely, as the shell finally clicked in, and Frank could see the pale eyes.
'I don't think they tried this before…'
It would've been easy for the young man to take him off his guard, but there was no need for that yet, as Frank tallied up his chances. He had checked the shotgun, finding it to be standard-make.
A bow was slung over the shoulder, with a quiver that came with it, obviously showing that the preferred weapon was a bow, which made some sense. Frank could tell that the attempt to kill him was made because a bow would not be able to puncture through his coat easily, with how reinforced it was.
'Should've waited for me to turn around… sloppy work.'
"Put the shotgun down, kid."
He growled at the young kid and the young guy aimed at his chest, Frank dodging the next shot, seeing that Kleo was in motion already, the massive shield-coffin slamming into the young guy, who went flying.
"Are you alright? Stone!"
Carmine's voice was shrill, as he saw the guy down on the ground, out cold. Frank supposed that they'd have to ask some questions, knowing that they had a prisoner… and probably no others that'd come along. In the darkness, he wasn't really all that adept at fighting, mostly working by daylight, but still aware that there were things in the dark that only moved in the dark.
"I'm okay. Kleo?"
The woman flipped the guy over, the guy out cold. Dark hair, brown probably, if the light tints warned him enough, his eyes glancing at Carmine, who had the best vision in the darkness.
"Out… cold. I didn't… hit them… that hard, so they… should be… waking up. Alright, pull your… pants up."
Carmine was making spluttering noises, as he did as Kleo asked, knowing that she had a good head on her shoulders, aware of what a reasonable man would do in this situation. Of course, he was trying his best not to offend Carmine, who seemed to take everything as an offensive thing.
"Put that thing away! Now- I don't hear anyone. Hm… I guess that was the fourth heartbeat I heard."
'Someone that survived the Grimm herd…'
That explained how the Apathy had come to go through this town, as well as the Beowolf that Carmine had taken down during their fight.
He picked the guy up, feeling the rather light weight, Kleo giving a quiet little 'hnn' as she picked the bow off the ground, testing the string experimentally.
"Ah… Maybe… they… hunt?"
Frank could feel the fuzzy fur brush against the side of his neck, as he carried the unconscious guy to their shelter. There was no need to kill someone before they had information about how things were around this area.
It wasn't time to just kill the guy yet.
"Do we kill em? I want to kill em!"
Carmine raised her weapon, and the whirr of the teeth of the chain came, as she looked rather bloodthirsty.
'Well, I suppose she's got the adrenaline running through her system.'
"We're going to ask them whether there are more packs of Grimm around. I trust you to be able to fight them."
He set the guy down, getting some of the Huntsman-grade rope out, tying the wrists behind the back of the guy with a huntsman's knot, Kleo taking a seat after she patted the guy down and reached into the guy's clothes, before Frank got himself comfortable, as Carmine glowered at the guy, clearly not happy at all. Carmine was holding the shotgun, Frank recognizing it as the type that was available for civilians to use in case of self-defense against Grimm, nothing that'd be specialized for Grimm-slaying like their own tools.
"Hey! Don't go trying to hide that you're awake! Your heartbeat picks up when you're awake!"
The lamp was pointed at the young man, Frank seeing slightly coarse features, freckles on the face, and auburn-reddish hair, eyes looking darkly at him. He'd mistaken the color for brown in the dim lighting, and the struggling started.
"Let me go!"
The impudent sound was much like Carmine, as the young man looked at Frank with frustration, as Kleo shook her head slowly.
"We… can't… do… that. Why… are… you… here?"
Their captive struggled.
"I've got friends! They'll see that I'm missing and they'll go and kill you all!"
Carmine made a sound that sounded more like a groan.
"Shut it, you little tramp! There's nobody out there and you're lying! Don't lie to us, we're Huntsmen!"
'Not quite in your case…'
If there was nobody nearby, as Carmine said, then this could be an opportunity.
"Did you make the bow yourself?"
He asked, their captive nodding, looking very guarded, clearly not going to be answering his answer vocally.
"Did… your… caravan… get… robbed?"
Surprise came to the face of their captive, as Kleo asked that, holding out something that looked like a caravan's identification chip. A slate of metal, etched with the markings of the caravan, an identification plate, which said Golden Sun Trading Company, with a number that was the identification.
"I don't have to tell you that! Now let me go!"
Frank supposed that for a civilian, the young man was definitely was lucky to have a shotgun to defend themselves. Their lack of skill in reloading made him realize that they were essentially a civilian, someone like Carmine at their first meeting.
'Not bad…'
It wasn't too bad, for a civilian. The shells were limited, but the bow looked like it'd been crafted with some knowledge of fletching and archery.
"Did you use to hunt?"
He asked, and there was a surprised look on the young man's face. Carmine looked like she was looking at something foul, her pistol still aimed right at the young man's torso, like how he'd taught her with Kleo.
'Something to be said about her way of aiming it though…'
"The bow was well-made."
The arrows had been fletched pretty decently as well, with feathers from birds, though it was not a weapon Frank really liked. Lightning Blitz did the job very well.
"You… can… travel… with… us… to… the… next… village."
Kleo offering that was surprising, as Frank shot her a glance, as Kleo got up to her… not very impressive height.
"We… don't… mind… taking… you… along. It… is… not… bad… to… help… out… a… child."
Anger in those eyes.
"I'm eighteen! I'm not a child, you- you slow-speaking retard!"
Kleo laughed, in that slow manner. A 'ha… ha… ha…' that only seemed to frustrate the young man.
"And… what's… your… name… huh?"
Kleo seemed to take it in stride, as she asked that, Carmine looking like she was going to commit murder. Clearly, it wasn't something that Carmine tolerated.
"I'm not giving you anything! I'm not going to let some creepy guy in a mask and some retard boss me around, while your pet Faunus is giving me the evil eye!"
Carmine looked like she'd be really loud with her retort to that, Frank raising his hand to silence her, only partially successful at that.
"OH, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
Frank winced at the volume that she used, as he saw the young man wince.
"We're not going to be killing them, Carmine. This is my… apprentice, I guess you can call her."
The jury wasn't quite out on whether that'd be the first thing to call her, but Carmine looked proud, as Kleo sneezed loudly.
"Ugh… Did you… run into… any dogs… or wolves…?"
Their captive, or their prisoner scowled.
"Do you have anything against Faunus, retard?!"
Frank noticed the tail, having thought it a part of the wolf fur clothing that the young man wore, as Carmine made one of those bat-hisses.
"Shut up! I'm a Faunus myself! Who needs someone like you to insult her, huh?! Who gave you the right?! I'm going to make you into a roasted mutt, you-"
He headed Carmine off by laying his hand on her leg, Carmine's expression murderous and reddening.
"What's your name?"
A glare he got in return, as Kleo sneezed loudly again, frowning, her eyes a little teary, as she seemed to be showing some signs of irritation.
"Rudolph Rot, creep. Going out and doing something like that, and putting me in these binds- I bet you've got that bat creep worshipping the ground you walk on, don't you?!"
Carmine's red eyes flashed, as her bat ears fluttered a few times.
"She's my student."
Admitting that hurt a little. Making sure that Carmine settled down was a good plan, so this civilian could probably be a good hint in the right direction. Carmine was loud and opinionated and entirely too forceful. She kept on accusing him of things that he did not do.
"And since my associate has decided that you will be coming along with us, I guess that makes you my student as well. You will not be trusted immediately, but we will make sure that you can at least defend yourself a little with the weapons that you have at your command."
It wouldn't be too difficult to furnish another weapon. Trust could come with some additional effort… But Carmine could deal with that.
A civilian with a bit of training…
Frank scrutinized the features of the young man. Similar in age to Carmine, a similar nature that made him wonder a little about whether that was a Faunus thing and the looks that were mistrustful in the extreme.
'If she decides to settle down with this guy, that's one worry off my back.'
He was a monster, so having a student who was a young woman would not suit him. A young man, however, like his adoptive father had said, would be better… and it would get the issue of Carmine out of his life. Kleo would not stick around for long either. A monster like him deserved to live alone, after all.
"Mister Rot, welcome to the team. Carmine here will be your guardian."
Carmine looked like she wanted to commit grievous harm on him, as Rudolph looked at him with mistrustful eyes. That was normal, for most sane people. A monster like him did not need pitying looks, even if Carmine had been relatively nice when he'd been immobilized due to his health.
"I don't need your Faunus pet bedwarmer, you masked creep!"
Carmine did not agree with that, and let it be known.
Loudly.
"YOU LITTLE BITCH, I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I-!"
'Students are a bother…'
Frank caught Kleo sneezing again, and he hoped that the argument would simmer down. Kleo was wiping her nose, shaking her head quietly, as the young man called Rudolph retorted to the latest slew of insults.
"Well, if you'd get your face out of his ass for some time, perhaps you'll be smelling differently than some randy bitch in heat, bitch!"
'They definitely are a bother.'
There's now a Rudolph. Not a reindeer. Should be fun to add to the whole bunch of monsters, aye?
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