Holy crud, I'm not dead?!

Hahaha, but on a serious note, I'm really sorry for leaving my readers in the air on whether or not I was going to continue this fanfic. Long story short, I've had a few bumps in my personal life that I needed to sort out along with some much-needed motivation and pondering for the future of this fanfic and its upcoming arcs. That being said, I'm going to do my best to keep this story updated every week, and I'll make sure to note when there'll be a break if I need one.

Although I should mention, that I do have an original novel coming out on Wattpad this coming December, so hopefully that should incite some hype since it's a completed book without the need for added chapters.

So, with that, it's good to be back in the world of fanfiction as always, leave a review if you can and I hope to give you all something worth reading!

Cheers, Searoar.

"Urnf..." Hawkins groaned as the rays of morning roamed the hotel room through the open window.

He had another nightmare again, this one more vibrant than the others and the horrifying sounds that accompanied them could still be heard in faint echoes. Hawkins' right hand clenched and his breathing grew so heavy he nearly passed out. The warmth of the sun his only comfort, the magician opened his eyes and allowed his crimson gaze to roam. Oddly enough, a pair of ocean blue eyes were staring down at him, along with a beautiful pale face with short black hair...

Hawkins blinked and realized that the fingers of his right hand were not gripping the bedsheets, but rather the slender hand of the slave he had freed from last night's encounter. A small, gentle smile on her face, Shyarly sighed softly then spoke.

"I was worried you were going to wake up screaming." She said.

Dressed in a white, long-sleeved shirt with beige buttons that showed off a rather unnecessary amount of cleavage that transitioned into a pair of black, knee-length shorts that covered a pair of sheer ebony tights that trailed into a pair of leather ankle-length boots; Shyarly seemed a tad displeased as Hawkins released the hold on her hand, but hid her disappointment well.

In the magician's mind, Madame Shyarly was rather elegant, he had to admit, but he refused to say these words out loud. Her hair had also taken a drastic change as instead of a Chinese bun, the shark Faunus allowed her hair to cascade freely over her sleek shoulders. However, by the twitches in her eyes and constant brushing of her bangs, Hawkins could tell that Shyarly's hair length bothered her.

"My former reputation has nothing to do with how I feel." Hawkins frowned. "Which brings me to the question as to why you are in my room instead of the one I rented for you."

Shyarly hummed in an amused manner.

"It was that ecstatic partner of yours," she said, "he told me that my savior needed me to hold his hand while he slept... I never would have imagined that a man of your former reputation would need a babysitter."

The shark Faunus giggled with a hand over her mouth.

Hawkins sat upright and glanced at his longsword that leaned against the nightstand and his tarot cards atop it. Shyarly followed his gaze, smiled, and picked up his cards then gave them to him. However, for some reason, the magician showed annoyance at the Faunus' kind gesture.

"I can fetch my things myself, there's no need for you to actually act as my slave."

Shyarly blinked and soon her own pale visage shifted to one of confused anger.

"I didn't give you your possessions because I wanted to act as your slave. I did it because I felt that it was a genuinely good action." She said and crossed her arms over her generous chest. Her nose wrinkled, she looked straight in Hawkins' face and held the stare for a solid three minutes.

For a brief moment, a small smile appeared on the magician's face, but it disappeared in the next breath as he stood from his bed and walked to the nearest window. The sun hadn't fully peered over the horizon, and the sky was colored in an amber hue that stretched over the kingdom of sand.

"Are you truly a Faunus?" Hawkins asked.

"Don't tell me you're one of those distasteful racists as well..." Shyarly's grip on her biceps tightened and she sat perfectly straight.

"I live in a place called Vale. Have you heard of it?" Hawkins continued, denying any reaction to Shyarly's questions that clearly frustrated her.

"It's been mentioned on occasion by the people who took me in. However, I cannot say that I am familiar with that eastern kingdom." The supposed Faunus replied.

"I see..." Hawkins pondered for a moment then turned to meet Shyarly's narrowed gaze. "From where in the grande-line did you inhabit? Or were you born in one of the great seas?"

Shyarly's expression softened and she uncrossed her arms. Shifting her legs over one another, she clasped her hands on her lap and took a deep breath.

"I come from fishman island, a place that marks the split between those who wish to traverse into the new world. Though the history of my people and the scrutiny we suffered is something I'd rather discuss in a more favorable setting with someone I trust."

Hawkins frowned. Fishman island was supposed to be the next pinnacle of his pirating career... but that obviously never happened.

"It's common sense for you to not trust me. After all, the only reason I rescued you was because of my dead career." Hawkins said in a tone that was already well aware.

"I..." Shyarly swallowed a thick lump and chose her next words carefully. "You saved me from that slave auction because I threatened to reveal your past as a pirate, and judging by how you haven't offered any kind words, it's safe for me to assume you consider me more of a nuisance than anything else."

"Yes, that about summarizes it." Hawkins sighed. He didn't want to keep this conversation going, and he planned to nip it in the bud right then and there once he made sure that Madame Shyraly would keep her mouth shut about his past.

At least that was the magician's original intent, as the loud cackles of a certain brunette rang from the hallway.

"Get back here you little rascal! I need your body to prove to the kitchen that there are rats in this hotel!" Tyrion laughed as his footsteps thundered over the floor.

"R-Rats?" Shyarly stuttered as her eyes widened and her lips clamped shut.

Hawkins curled a brow at his cohort's sudden shift in demeanor. One second Shyarly was confident yet cautious, but the moment she registered what Tyrion said, she was shaking all over and gripping the bed's headrest so hard Hawkins thought the wooden frame would break apart. She looked like a scared child, kinda like Trifa when she saw one of those centipedes.

Hawkins blinked. Hold on a minute...

Before the magician could piece together a proper plan, a small creature with long whiskers, four skittering paws, and a long pink tail, squeezed through the bottom of the doorway and ran in a panicked frenzy across the floor and eventually found its way toward Hawkins and Madame Shyarly.

Hawkins managed to keep face, as he'd dealt with a fair share of rats since he decided to settle down in Vale's agricultural district. Madame Shyarly, on the other hand, was much less prepared...

"KYAAAAAH!" The shark Faunus wailed in a tone that was similar to a panicked preschooler that had fallen off the top branch of a tree then jumped to the nearest thing she could get her hands on... which happened to be a certain blonde's neck.

"Madame Shyarly!" Hawkins didn't get the chance to finish as his face was pressed against something bouncy and soft.

"HAWKINS!" Shyarly yelled.

His posture slouched by the sudden weight of his cohort, it took all of Hawkins' lower body strength to not topple over and crash against the floorboards. Shyarly, being a Fishman which was reported to be ten times stronger than the average human, paid no mind to the magician's strife as she continued to cry and beg him to get rid of the rat in the room.

Hawkins moved his hands to support Madame Shyarly's waist and threw back his head for some much-needed air. His breath ragged and hair disheveled, Hawkins demanded that she release him so that he could take care of the rat.

"No! Don't let me go!" Shyarly bawled as her tears smudged the magician's crimson eyes and left a nasty sting.

"I can't take care of you and deal with-" Hawkins was cut off again as Shyarly planted her feet against his thigh and hip and tried to climb him as if he were a ladder.

Her long, stocking-clad legs brushed against his muscular chest and then wrapped around his shoulders once she got a proper foothold. This annoyed Hawkins to no end as he had no experience in dealing with panicked women, especially ones with strength that threatened to crack his bones. In an attempt to save his mental, and more importantly, physical health, Hawkins shifted his hands off Madame Shyarly's hips and pressed his palms against her pale stomach.

"Hawkins! Save me!" Shyarly continued to cry as her arms and legs were outstretched after the magician managed to push her away.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, Tyrion's ear was pressed against the door as he cupped his chin and stroked it with his index finger.

"Well... I suppose you've been rather stressed, Hawkins, but I don't recall seeing any condoms in your suitcase when I helped you unpack your things. Oh well, marriage is overrated anyways, and I guess Jaune did want a little sister one way or another."

A lightbulb appeared above Tyrion's head along with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

"Wait, so does that mean I get to name your next child as an honorary uncle?! After all, I am the person you decided to trust to rescue your biological son, and I helped you save that lovely shark Faunus to boot!"

Tyrion laughed maniacally.

"I need to start writing down names that go well with the surname of Hawkins! But before that, I need to make sure this audio recording of Hawkins' morning adventure doesn't go to waste!"

Tyrion's yellow eyes gleamed at his scroll as the recording time had achieved a total of six minutes and forty-two seconds.

Back to the magician and his panicked Faunus friend...

In the midst of their flailing, Hawkins bumped into the window and clicked open the hatch. The rat, stuck in the setting of trying not to get stomped on, saw the chance of escape and made a break for it. Hawkins watched the rat skitter up the wall and onto the windowsill, then with a flick of its tail, it leaped out under the sunlight never to be seen again.

"Madame Shyarly, the rat is gone-mpf!" Hawkins huffed as his pale visage was returned to the smooth confines of the shark faunus' chest. This time with even stronger vigor.

The rapid, heavy thumps of her heart vibrating against his cheek, Hawkins felt a nerve twitch above his forehead, but he understood that he wasn't getting anywhere unless he calmed Madame Shyarly down. Words wouldn't get him anywhere seeing that his cheek was smushed against her breast, but he did have control over his hands and legs to some extent.

Thus, with the training he'd received from Sam and Carla on how to deal with a crying child, Hawkins eased Shyarly into a comfortable embrace that allowed her feet to touch the floor. His arms still wrapped around her torso, Hawkins felt the large shark fin that protruded out the back of Shyarly's blouse and remembered Carla stating that Faunus with softer appendages tended to be very sensitive, unlike antlers, hooves, and claws.

So, while Shyarly's head sulked atop the magician's shoulder, the man patted her back and drew small circles over her shark fin. Shyarly jolted at the sudden contact and felt the corners of her mouth twitch upward. A soft giggle escaping her lips, Hawkins curled a brow and slowly guided his cohort toward the bed where she could rest. He didn't stop rubbing her back and fin, however, and unbeknownst to Hawkins, Shyarly was actually absurdly ticklish which most people wouldn't expect from a woman her size.

After a few more muffled giggles, Hawkins had achieved his desired outcome and Shyarly seemed to have settled down and reached behind her back to grip his wrists. Silence ruled over the room due to neither person having the desire to speak; Shyarly out of embarrassment and Hawkins out of inexperience, thus when Shyarly removed her chin from the magician's shoulder and stared him straight in the eye... she found her heart skipping a beat at the sight of his flushed cheeks and sharp crimson eyes.

Hawkins... wasn't exactly what a woman would search for in terms of attractiveness, but there was a certain allure to his demeanor that Shyarly couldn't quite place. Oddly handsome? Yes, that term seemed to fit the bill given the stoic stare she was currently observing. Yet... there was something else in those crimson eyes that foretold a looming sadness that followed the slight downturn of Hawkins' lips.

Shyarly had seen a similar gaze of dread before when she and her half-brother Arlong were abandoned by their father and left to fend for themselves in the downtrodden sections of the deserted parts of Fishman island. However, there was no malice in Hawkins' eyes, and perhaps Shyarly was jumping to conclusions due to her own experiences. The longer she looked, there was a flame, small enough to be ignored at a mere glance, but the embers that burned in that crimson complexion were one of determined focus.

"Madame Shyarly... are you alright? Would you like to sit down?" Hawkins offered as he'd grown tired of supporting her trembling body.

Shyarly took a deep breath and exhaled. With a curt nod, she followed Hawkins' footsteps, but as the two neared the bedside, Shyarly's wobbling legs betrayed her and she tripped. Luckily, Hawkins' reaction was spot on and he wrapped his arms around the shark faunus in case they didn't land on the bed.

In the aftermath, Hawkins had his arms set on either side of Madame Shyarly's shoulders with his bare chest -thank Oum he'd kept his pants on- and long golden hair obscuring her view of the rest of the room like an unruly curtain. The tips of his hair tickled her neck, and Shyarly couldn't hammer down the hot blush that flooded her entire face.

"H-Hawkins..." Shyarly whispered in a raspy breath. "T-This isn't the kind of position that I'm comfortable with... and I barely know you and this is a little too intimate for strangers don't you think?"

Her chest rising and falling, Shyarly's navy-blue eyes shuddered in fear as to what could become of her current predicament. She didn't think of Hawkins as the type who was motivated by his lust, but he was still a complete stranger other than in name.

The magician was more than happy to comply and give his cohort her respective space, but as he lifted himself up, his foot slipped on the bedsheet and he descended rapidly. He managed to stop himself from knocking skulls with Madame Shyarly, but now the distance between them was no more than half an inch.

"You're very pretty..."

"W-What?"

Hawkins blinked foolishly. The voice that came first was undoubtfully his, and there was no Bastion or anyone else who forced his mouth to utter those words. This lack of speech discipline would not stand, and Hawkins would severe his previous claim before there was a misunderstanding.

"I apologize." He said firmly and slowly removed himself from the bed immediately. He refused to make eye contact with his bewildered aqcuaintance, and he was happy when she decided to remain silent thus allowing the man to gather his thoughts.

His recent words and actions were not appropriate, especially for a woman who'd just been dragged into a slave auction whose sellers planned to demote their fellow humans to mere pleasure tools. Shyarly was kind, and perhaps the stress of not finding Jaune had started to affect his meticulous way of thinking and calm approach to his issues.

"T-Thank you for the apology..." Shyarly didn't know what else to do, so she simply allowed her head to sink slightly into the fluffy pillow beneath it and clasped her arms on her clothed stomach.

What could she say to break the ice? Then again, Hawkins didn't appear to be the chatty type and his mood was definitely not in her favor. Thus, the silence between them continued, that is until the gentle knocks from the door echoed across the room.

"Tyrion?" Hawkins asked.

"Yep, that's me!" Came the giddy voice of his cackling partner.

"I just wanted to let you know, that the rat has been dealt with and the people at the front desk were nice enough to lend us our rooms for another night for free after a weaponized threat or two."

Tyrion's scorpion tail twitched in glee.

"So why don't you take some time to clean up and gather your bearings? In the meantime, I need to check up on the green-haired girl to make sure that she didn't steal anything, then I'm off to the shadier parts of the city to gather a few more pieces of Jaune's potential whereabouts before we head off into the wildlands of the kingdom."

Tyrion snapped his fingers.

"Oh, and if you do plan to give Jaune a younger sibling, promise me that I get to be the one to name them, okay?"

With that, the brunette skipped down the hallway with his hands on his cheeks while declaring the inevitable flower of love that had bloomed in the span of six minutes and forty-two seconds.

Back in the room, Hawkins facepalmed in fury as this unfortunate event would no doubt come back to bite him. He glanced at Madame Shyarly through the gaps in his fingers, and he assumed that she agreed with his anger.

"Please ignore the statements of my colleague, as I'll personally see to it that his misunderstandings never gain traction. If you'd like to rest, I'd be more than happy to leave you here while I head to the other room that I rented..." Hawkins sighed and put on his boots and ruffle-collared cloak.

He fetched his saber that had been cast to the corner of the room then walked back to the nightstand where Raven's sword was still leaning against. Spotting a few of his tarot cards in the process, Hawkins picked them off the floor and then made his way to the door.

He glanced at Madame Shyarly who met his gaze, and after a curt nod, the magician left and gently closed the door behind him. His footsteps no longer audible, Madame Shyarly felt all the tension in her body disperse after one very long sigh and closed her eyes.

However, something had fluttered down from the headrest and landed in the cleavage of Shyarly's generous chest. Navy-blue eyes blinking open, Shyarly curled a dainty brow at the decorated piece of paper and promptly plucked it.

"How careless of Hawkins to forget one of his cards. Perhaps the magician was more riled up than I thought seeing he left behind one of his personal treasures." Shyarly let out a genuine giggle and flipped the card over.

Then she bit her lower lip, widened her eyes, and froze. Now, Shyarly wasn't too familiar with the way of the tarot cards, but she did possess a talent for scrying through the medium of a crystal ball. That being said, none of those statements mattered right now as the bold letters at the bottom of the tarot card was more than self-explanatory.

The image displayed on the card was that of two swans, the one on the left black with a tree filled with snow-colored flowers behind it, and the other white with a tree whose branches were stuffed with ripe peaches. The swans floated over a clear blue lake with the tips of their orange beaks touching while their sleek necks were bent in such a way that one could make out the shape of a heart.

Madame Shyarly's breath hitched as she whispered the title of the tarot card aloud...

"The l-lovers..."

Clutching the card but being mindful not to bend it, Shyarly held it close to her beating breast as she processed the emotional rush coursing through her mind. She and Hawkins weren't a pair at all, they were too different to be lovers and the entire notion of them being together was ridiculous.

"That's right, all Hawkins did was save me from serving as some lecherous lout's whore... Like a prince would from a fairytale..."

She rubbed her thighs together as her nylon-clad toes scrunched up. No, she was overthinking it. It was impossible for Hawkins and Shyarly to be a couple as they barely knew each other. That being said, it wasn't like Shyarly was completely against having Hawkins as a friend, as the man showed no mockery of her fear of rats and instead helped calm her down with soothing back rubs and gentle words.

"S-Stop thinking like that, Shyarly!" The shark Faunus shook her head ferverishly, put the tarot card on the nightstand, and proceeded to cover her blushing face with both her palms. She kicked her legs and let out a muffled scream.

Shyarly wasn't in a fairytale, she repeated to herself, just in a strange world with an oddly handsome blonde man to come and literally sweep her off her feet and escort her to safety that also happened to be his chambers...

"Gyaaaah!" Shyarly cursed her vivid imagination as the scene of a panting and sweaty Hawkins looming over her flushed face came rushing to the forefront of her mind like a runaway truck.

Least to say, this morning would prove to be one of Madame Shyarly's most complex in the world of Remnant.