Chapter 11: Divergence
Shion, Southwestern Anima, Remnant
78 AGW, May 9th, 6:23 am
Adam cherished the sensation of a hot shower that could wash away all his tiredness and stress. After an intense day of training, his muscles would ache, and his mind would be clouded with worries. But when he turned on the shower and the water began to pour down, it was as if the world faded away. The steamy water seemed to dissolve all his worries and anxieties, and the sensation of the hot water on his skin was like a balm on his sore muscles. It was a rare moment of peace that he cherished, and it made him feel renewed and ready to face whatever came his way. The only other time he found this level of relaxation was when he spent time with his darling, Blake.
For that reason, Adam hated this room with a passion. It had been forty-eight hours since the motley group had checked into the dingy motel with a broken neon sign flickering above the entrance. Adam had hoped for a relaxing stay, but his hopes were dashed the moment he stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Only cold, icy water came out, making him shiver and curse under his breath. He had nearly given up on showering entirely. A remedy by way of someone fixing it was never going to happen, thanks to that Gods-forsaken monster passed out on the floor.
Adam found putting on and taking off his clothes to be a daunting task after losing his arm. He struggled with activities like buttoning his pants and tying his bootlaces, which he used to take for granted. He had never realized how easy it was to do these simple tasks when he had two hands. Now, it took him an unacceptably long time to get dressed. He knew that practice would make him better at it, but it would take time to get used to doing things with only one hand.
Adam hated that, too.
Finished with drying his hair, Adam exited the bathroom, not bothering to cover his scar. It was dark, with not even a glow peeking through the blinds. Everyone else was still asleep at the moment, though soon they would be up and training. Wilt and Blush were grabbed from the sink counter and attached to his right hip; fighting with his left hand was still uncomfortable. Plesskin slept in the stained chair next to the TV, using one of the team's packs as a footrest. It was the only place available for the older Faunus, thanks to the infant kaiju taking up space on the floor in front of the girls' bed.
Adam's gaze fixated on the human sleeping beside Trifa. Amber lay on top of the covers, snoring softly with an arm across her eyes. She wore red sleep pants and a tan long-sleeved shirt, leaving her feet bare. Adam approached her silently and was relieved to find her on the side of the bed away from the window. He sneered at her, wondering why she was still with them.
For the past nine days, she had been a part of their group, and for the last two days, they had been staying in a shabby motel. On the first morning, the rest of the group had gone to town to restock their supplies as instructed by Plesskin, their leader. Since then, they had spent their time either practicing their combat skills, wandering around town, or cooped up in the dingy motel room, staring at the TV. Adam could understand why Trifa and Yuma were being trained; they had no prior experience in combat. However, he couldn't quite fathom why this particular human was included in their training.
Adam hated the fact that Plesskin was training Amber; she had no right to train with them! Plesskin put the other three through the paces each day with two hours of cardio and strength training in the morning, and two hours of hand-to-hand and conditioning at night. The older man never shunned Amber or treated her as the outsider she was. Such actions were further proof that the snake deserved none of Adam's respect.
Humans had no place in the White Fang. It was one of the many mistakes made in its early days to even have human associates. A group created by Faunus, for Faunus, should remain free of those who oppressed them. Seeing the rest of the group treat Amber like one of them as if she were another Faunus fighting for freedom made Adam's blood boil. How dare they spit on everything the White Fang stood for!
Amber moved her arm, softly groaning. If the grimace on her face was any indication, the human was likely having a bad dream. Another groan escaped her as she mumbled, "Grandma…"
Adam knew that Amber's staff was gifted to her by her grandmother, according to the story told to them days ago. Aside from that, Amber never spoke about her. It was reasonable to think the woman was dead, and the girl didn't like to talk about it. Whatever imagery was plaguing her was clearly upsetting. Adam couldn't care less for Amber's woes, however. Just the sight of her face made him angry. Beyond the fact she was being treated as though she was a member of the White Fang, Amber's presence was a constant reminder of his love's absence. Adam wanted Blake by his side, and he hated how the human tried to take her place among them.
He slowly pulled Wilt free of her sheath. He'd happily accept the responsibility if those around him wouldn't deal with her. Wilt was raised high, aimed for her chest. All it would take is one thrust through Amber's heart, and this human would finally be gone from Adam's life. Just a mess for someone to clean up.
click
Adam knew that sound well. Looking towards the TV, his eyes locked with Plesskin's. Throughout his life, Adam had seen aggression. When he'd run humans through, they'd defiantly glared right up till the light left their eyes. If a store manager told him to leave, they never failed to look at him like you would a roach. Such looks became ingrained into your mind.
Adam felt a chill run down his spine as he saw Plesskin's eyes open. He was now sitting upright on his chair, holding a silenced pistol that was pointed directly at Adam. The atmosphere was tense, and neither of them made a move. The silence was only broken by the sound of their heavy breathing. After what felt like an eternity, Plesskin slowly shook his head, telling Adam that he was not to be trifled with.
Not willing to show weakness to the man, the younger Faunus waited another second before sheathing Wilt and backing away from the bed. The faintest bit of light from the morning sun shined behind the blinds, signaling the start of the day. Had he not stopped to murder Amber, he would already be heading to his training site in the wilds outside town. Even when she slept, the human was causing him problems.
Having had enough of the situation, Adam headed for the door. Just as he unlocked the chain, Plesskin quietly spoke up.
"Next time there won't be a warning," the man promised.
The threat went in one ear and out the other as Adam left the motel.
Shion, Southwestern Anima, Remnant
78 AGW, May 9th, 7:41 am
Going through the cool-down stretches, Amber followed Plesskin's instructions as their group completed their run. Although Amber's Aura had been unlocked previously, this was her first time truly training her body. The group had spent the last hour running up and down the road leading into town, with a one-minute sprint every ten minutes. The pace was steady, as all three trainees were not yet at a minimum standard Plesskin deemed acceptable and needed time to get into shape. They exercised under the mild heat of the morning sun, forced to acclimate to undesirable conditions.
Amber enjoyed exercising with her friends, whether it was running, doing crunches, or practicing takedowns. It was a pleasant experience for her as nobody was left behind or ridiculed. They all worked together and helped each other out. Plesskin was a fair instructor who treated everyone equally. Amber was happy being a part of the group, but she had a question for Plesskin that she wanted to ask today.
"Alright, take five minutes to hydrate. After that, it's time to start your exercises. You know the drill," Plesskin had ordered.
"Yes, sir," the team replied, making Plesskin's eye twitch.
"I told you not to… never mind," he sighed. Either they didn't remember or they didn't care to listen. Soon they were doing push-ups, quietly counting each rep. The routine was 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 50 crunches, 150 squats, 50 chin-ups using a tree branch, and 100 knee lifts. The goal was to complete as much of the workout as possible in an hour. So far, no one has accomplished that, but the number of reps they achieved grew each day.
Amber had a slight edge over Trifa and Yuma in cardio exercises, mainly due to her frequent travel experience. However, the difference was not significant enough to make a substantial impact. It was more like drinking two-and-a-half milkshakes as compared to someone drinking two. Nevertheless, Amber's teammates were making progress as well. Yuma was able to do more squats and knee-lifts than Amber, and Trifa was ahead of Amber in push-ups. With time, their team would be in top shape and ready to take on any challenge that comes their way.
The hour went by relatively quickly; Plesskin signaling the end of their training with a conjured whistle. Plesskin allowed them to hydrate once more, then stated, "I'm still trying to find someone to take us out of here, but the situation isn't looking good. There's a real possibility we might be stuck here for a week or two."
Yuma's wings twitched, an action Amber noticed him do when something made him nervous. The young man spoke up, "Do we have the money for that? You said you only paid for four days."
Plesskin grimaced, then he answered, "I can ask Sienna to wire some money. If she says no, we'll have to stay in the woods."
"Aw, man," Trifa huffed next to Amber, crossing her arms. "Sleeping on the ground sucks."
"I know," Plesskin replied, "but you'll live."
"Maybe," Trifa muttered. The small grin she had let them know she wasn't being completely serious. Plesskin grinned back, before getting serious.
"For now, just focus on keeping out of trouble and being back here for tonight's training. It'll work out, we just have to be smart," he assured the team.
"What about heading to another town? Couldn't we head to somewhere north?" Amber asked.
Plesskin shook his head, explaining to them, "It's better for us if we stick to the smaller settlements in the south. Cities up north are larger, and that will mean more authorities and an RDF presence. Even if we're not running around in masks, avoiding their attention is our safest bet."
Amber nodded, accepting the reasoning. Then she threw in, "Hiding Chomper would be impossible, too."
"That's right," Plesskin agreed. With everything finished, he waved them off and said, "You're dismissed."
"Yes, sir!" they yelled, before running off so they could shower and change.
"I said- ugh, forget it," Plesskin grunted. Pulling out and lighting a cigarette, he followed after them at a sedate pace.
"Got an idea of what we can do today?" Amber asked Trifa. She was sitting on the bed, feeding a scrap of last night's leftovers to Chomper. The infant Gorosaurus didn't enjoy the potato as much as the chicken leg, but he ate it regardless.
She and Trifa were waiting for Yuma to get out of the shower. Adam was still gone, and Plesskin was outside smoking and talking to someone on his scroll. Once Yuma was ready to go, the three would head into town for some fun.
"I was thinking about checking out the music store over by Fritter Fry. Their reviews online said they have a decent selection of older stuff. Thought I'd see if they have any Hunt Tress albums," Trifa explained as she put on a long-sleeved blue shirt. She was standing next to the mini-fridge, having finished her portion of last night's leftovers. While Plesskin hadn't told them how much money the group had at the moment, he apparently had enough to give 20 lien to each of them to spend at their leisure.
"Hunt Tress? Who's that?" Amber asked, having never heard that name before.
"They're a nu-metal group that used to be big. I got introduced to them back…" Trifa trailed off. Her face was conflicted for a moment, before shaking her head and continuing, "A few years ago. They've made five albums, but I've only heard their second and third."
"Ah've never heard of'em. Ah didn't get to listen to much music back home," Amber admitted. Trifa smiled at her as she pulled a pair of black gloves from her pack.
"They're still around, even though nu-metal isn't super popular anymore. People like that Achieve Men crap now." Trifa rolled her eyes at the mere thought of the sanitized and commercialized group. She put the gloves on, covering the grey of her hands. She grinned at Amber and said, "They're not for everyone, but I think you might like them."
The human girl smiled back. Her mind conjured an image of them sharing a set of earbuds connected to Trifa's scroll. Amber was about to ask what other groups her friend liked to listen to but stopped short when Trifa pulled at the neck of her shirt. The smile Amber had slowly faded, seeing her friend making sure that the material covered the grey lines on her chest.
"You don't have ta do that. There's nothin' wrong with your markings," Amber gently assured. Trifa's grin disappeared, replaced with a neutral look.
"I told you, I don't like how people look at me," Trifa calmly said.
"But you didn't cover up when Ah met you guys," Amber pointed out, hoping that it might change Trifa's mind.
"That's because we had to worry about Grimm. It wasn't really important, then," Trifa countered. She was trying not to frown, but they'd already had this conversation twice since arriving in Shion. Looking away from Amber, she added, "You were cool with them, but everyone else isn't you."
"Ah know that, but you're beautiful. Ya shouldn't have ta do this," Amber pleaded with the other girl. Trifa's angry look told her the situation was deteriorating, but she still said, "Cain't ya just give it a try? Anyone says anythin' and Ah'll make'em wish they hadn't."
"No. I don't want anyone to see them. People look at me like I'm-" Trifa cut herself off. She didn't say anything for a moment, instead focusing on Chomper. The man-sized dino was anxiously looking between Trifa and Amber, clearly aware something was wrong. Finally gathering her thoughts, Trifa continued by saying, "You wouldn't understand. You look 'normal' compared to what I look like. I'm done being treated like a freak."
"But ya don't know fer sure that everybody's gonna treat ya badly. Hidin' who ya are ain't right, an Ah don't think ya should pay'em any-" Amber suddenly stopped, much like Trifa had before. She worked her jaw side-to-side a few times, biting her lower lip hard enough to turn it white. Taking a deep breath, Amber tried to convince her friend once more and explained, "Hiding who you are isn't right, and I don't think you should give any of those jerks what they want."
Trifa couldn't help but stare at Amber in disbelief. The human was telling her what she needed to do with herself, but couldn't be bothered to follow her own advice. Clenching her fist, Trifa scowled at her teammate and spat, "Maybe I'll stop hiding my Faunus traits when you stop hiding your accent!"
Without giving Amber a chance to say anything else, Trifa angrily stormed out the door. Not caring enough to keep her strength in check, the door handle lodged itself into the wall. The outburst left Amber frozen in shock, unable to follow after her friend. Sensing his Mama's distress, Chomper gently nuzzled Amber's cheek. This snapped her out of it, and she buried her face in his purple scales.
A concerned-looking Plesskin watched an angry Trifa head for town. He didn't try to stop her, however. Stepping inside and closing the door, Plesskin put away his scroll and sat in his chair. Neither he nor Amber said anything at first. He was a patient man and had enough experience to know when to prod and when to wait. Yuma was out of the bathroom now, fully dressed and looking at the hole in the wall with concern. The 18-year-old was at Amber's side before Plesskin could stop him.
"Hey, what happened? I heard Trifa yelling…" Yuma asked, sitting next to his teammate. Amber didn't immediately answer, choosing to keep her face hidden against Chomper's skin. Just as he was about to ask again, Amber finally responded.
"Ah messed up," she mumbled, still not looking at them.
Yuma wasn't sure what she meant by that and looked to Plesskin for guidance. The older man raised his eyebrows and nodded towards Amber. Even after a week with the team, Yuma was not used to situations like this. When he was gaming online with his clanmates, it was a lot easier to deal with this kind of stuff. Doing the same in person was something that he found vastly uncomfortable. Being able to retreat was an option he would like, but the way Plesskin was looking at him said this wouldn't be allowed.
Their teacher was showing him the path. Yuma just had to be willing to walk it.
"Um, what do you mean? How'd you mess up?" Yuma forced himself to ask. Amber finally pulled away from Chomper, wiping away at the mist in her eyes.
"Ah tried to get Trifa to go outside without covering up her marks. She got upset when Ah wouldn't leave it alone," she explained softly. Amber couldn't look either of them in the eyes, instead keeping her gaze on the wall next to the TV.
"That… Well, I get why she would do that," Yuma awkwardly responded. His wings seemingly fluttered on their own as he said, "It would've been best to drop it completely the first day we were here."
"Why?" Amber asked as she finally looked at him. "There's nothin' wrong with her, and we can back her up if anyone says anythin'. I'm just tryin' ta help…"
Despite still being out of his comfort zone, Yuma could feel the wheels within begin to turn. Running a hand through his hair, he asked, "Have you ever noticed that most of the Faunus in movies, cartoons, and video games have a specific look to them?"
Thrown off by the randomness of the question, Amber frowned at him, muttering, "No… What are you talking about?"
"Think about all the Faunus you've seen in that stuff. What do they look like?" Yuma provided, then answered his own question. "Most faunus representation we get to see is ears and tails, usually from the cuddlier or cooler sort of creatures. People are smacked in the face with this idea that all the Faunus in existence look… I think 'acceptable' is the word they'd be comfortable with. So when they see Faunus like us, with wings or scales or whatever, we're not normal to them. We're freaks."
"But grandma wasn't," Amber started to say, before thinking better of it. She was unable to keep the sad look off her face, and said to the duo, "Ah didn't know that. Ah'm sorry…"
"H-hey, you don't have to apologize to me. I… I get it. I'm happy you don't look at us like that," Yuma assured her. His words managed to draw a grateful smile out of Amber. By now, Yuma was feeling much more sure of himself. Thinking over his own feelings, he spoke further. "My wings have been something I'd get bullied over when I was in school. The other kids would put bugs in my locker, or make jokes about me being blind. Stuff like that, it gets to you. People think it's funny that I have to sleep a certain way just to be comfortable, or that I have trouble putting on shirts. I don't know what Trifa went through, but it must have been rough."
Amber didn't speak again for a few seconds, thinking over her friend's words. Eventually, she took a deep breath and said, "Ah'll apologize to her once she's calmed down. Wouldn't do any good ta talk ta her right now."
"Yeah, let her run around town for a bit to cool off," Yuma agreed. Glancing at the door, he nodded at it and asked, "You ready to go?"
"Yeah. I," Amber paused for a second, then went on, "I think Ah'm gonna track down Adam. I don't want ya to think Ah'm tryin' ta ditch ya, but he shoulda been back by now."
Yuma waved her off, his smile showing he wasn't offended. "I'll be fine. I want to look around for a tech store; I'm tired of us not getting any good channels or a decent connection to the net. By the time we have dinner, I'll have a sweet setup going on, if I can get my hands on a few things."
Plesskin took that as a sign to chime in by saying, "You two get out of here, I'll watch over Chomper."
The teens happily took his advice and left the motel, eager to lift their spirits from the moody morning.
Plesskin counted five minutes after they left, wanting to be sure they weren't coming back before he dragged Chomper out into the woods bordering the road leading to town. The infant kaiju had been fed by Amber, but Chomper was a beast that needed to hunt. With the amount of food their squad cooked each day, Chomper's main diet came from leftovers. Once the Gorosaurus reached a certain size, that would no longer be feasible.
There was another reason he went to the woods, however.
Watching Chomper wander off in search of some scent he detected, Plesskin pulled out his scroll and called someone he'd been hoping to avoid for a little longer.
After a few rings the call was picked up. The woman on screen wore a hooded cloak and covered her face with a Fang mask. Other masked figures worked in the background, unloading weapons and various supplies from large metal crates. While he wasn't aware of their exact location, the swaying palms told him it was likely somewhere back home in Menagerie.
"Snake, it's been a while since you reported in," the woman noted. Her tone was not harsh or demanding, which was always a good sign. Especially due to the news he was about to deliver.
"Yeah… I'm afraid we've hit a bit of a snag," Plesskin grudgingly admitted. Sienna would not be pleased when she learned of the situation regarding Adam and Blake.
Nine days.
Blake Belladonna had spent nine days on her own after running away from her group during the incident with the Grimm ambush. After arriving a few days ago, she had taken stock of Shion to get her bearings and resupply ammo and food. No one gave her scornful looks due to the bow in her hair hiding her feline ears. A majority of people had either given her light nods in greeting or cautiously gave her space upon seeing Gambol Shroud attached to her hip. Unsure of why her weapon made them nervous, she gladly took it over hateful glares from racists. A small voice in her ear – it sounded uncomfortably like Adam – scolded her for her cowardly attempt to blend in with the humans.
It went ignored, despite how much she agreed.
Walking amongst the populace as another 'human' let her see what things were like here. Shion was a small city with a population of around 16,000 people. Many would instead consider it a town, but Blake saw multiple signs and murals proclaiming Shion as "The City That Has It All". A statue in the literal center of the town said it was founded in 22 AGW, so perhaps over time, they did have a little of everything, adapting to whatever forms of entertainment came with the changing times.
It was unfortunate that the statue was of an Army General who served Mistral during the Great War. The town seemed to see no problem with honoring a woman who fought for the repression of expression.
Shaking her head to clear it of such negative thoughts, Blake refocused on her current task. It was a stroke of luck that Shion possessed a small travel station, even though the size of the building told her it was likely she wouldn't be getting what she wanted.
Walking into the one-floor station, passing a blonde girl in black clothes talking on a scroll, and approaching the balding middle-aged man behind the ugly tan counter, Blake quietly asked, "Excuse me, but do you have any flights that are going to Menagerie?"
"Nope," was his immediate answer, popping the 'p'.
The rapid response took Blake off guard for a moment, until she shook her head and continued with, "Well do you have anything that could take me to the southern coast so I can catch a ride on a ship?"
"How much do you have?" The attendant started typing into his scroll.
"I… " Blake paused to look into her pocket, grimacing at the sight of the single card she possessed, finally answering, "I only have 100 lien with me. What will that buy me?"
The man didn't immediately answer, still typing into his scroll, before he tapped one last icon and said, "That'll take you to Mizuho, two towns Northwest from here. The trip you're looking to book is going to cost 600."
"600!? Why is it so expensive?" Blake blurted in shock.
"Prices go up every time there is a kaiju attack. Damn animals ruin everything."
Blake wondered if he would have used such a word if her cat ears were visible.
"And Mizuho would have a flight?" Blake hoped that his next words would be a 'Yes', feeling as much hope as she dared.
"Possibly. Their travel station is large enough for it; Mizuho has three Express-class transports in their airfield. I can't make any promises, unfortunately," the attendant clarified.
Not the best option available, but it was the only one besides walking.
"Fine, I'll buy the ticket." Blake punctuated the statement by handing over the chip, sighing at the fact she was completely broke now. Accepting the ticket, she stepped outside to plan out her next move.
If Blake could manage to get a flight from Mizuho to Menagerie, she would be able to reunite with her parents within a week at the latest. However, if she failed to secure a flight, her only option was to walk to the coast, which could take weeks and put her back in the dangerous territory of the Grimm. This was not a favorable outcome for her. There were a handful of options she could fall back on, like working to get the money or – Gods forbid she need to do it – begging for it, whether from strangers of for a wire transfer. Every option she could think of going forward was just different shades of grimness.
That's when she heard his voice.
"Hello, darling," Adam hissed in her ear, like a snake ready to devour its prey.
She turned slowly, trying to mask her fear, but her terror was evident when she saw Adam's disfigured arm. He was partially masked by a dark bandanna, but she recognized him immediately. "Adam..." she whispered.
So, for those wondering why this took so long, I'll explain as I did in another story. I had been in a really bad living situation that left me mentally drained and completely depressed. My ability and passion for writing was gone, and only got better after moving to another place. Also, one thing I'm going to do is write shorter chapters to get more out faster.
For those that have been patiently waiting: X and the Grimm will be making their return next chapter.