Quick note: hey everyone. Sorry this chapter took so long, I did some major tweaking on it. Sorry if you don't like it that much, next chapter will be longer and better.
Chapter 8: The Friend
Djarin was in the cockpit of the ship. Last night, he charted a course to a place in Vacuo. Right now, he looked at his computer and saw his destination wasn't that far. Djarin had a friend in Vacuo, someone he trusted with his life. As soon as the Razor Crest was in the farthest reaches of Sanus, he contacted her and let her know he would be stopping by. Soon, he and Cinder could leave the ship without worrying about being attacked.
"Jate vaar'tur, Mando."
Djarin turned around to see Cinder holding a book and looking at him with a smile. "Bic's jate at isirir gar," she said slowly.
Djarin titled his head, confused by what Cinder had just said. "...It's nice to taste me?" Djarin asked, translating the sentence for her.
"Darn it!" Cinder said as she slumped into her chair. "I'm sorry, I'm still looking over this book you gave me."
Djarin chuckled. "Don't worry, you're getting good."
A few day ago, Djarin gave Cinder a book of Mandalorian history, before the Great War. It was written in Mando'a, the language of the Mandalorians. Most clans knew the language, but they chose to speak the basic language of Remnant as time went on. Djarin taught Cinder how to read the book and speak a few sentences in Mando'a, such as 'Jate vaar'tur', which meant 'Good morning.' Last night, Cinder was reading that book for hours before going to bed.
"What part are you on?" Djarin asked.
"I just read about the discovery of Beskar," Cinder replied. "Is it really as strong as it sounds?"
"Yes," the Mandalorian replied. "Mandalore was the only place Beskar could be found. First, we used it in our weapons. Then we made armor like mine."
"And that's what you were... paid? When I went with Watts?"
"...Yes."
"..."
Cinder looked out the window, uncomfortable where the conversation had turned to. Other than the night Djarin came back to rescue her... they never spoke of that night in Atlas. "...I never said 'thank you,'" Cinder said. "For coming back."
"...I never said 'I'm sorry,'" Djarin replied. "For giving you to Watts."
"..."
"Cinder, I... I've done a lot of things as a bounty hunter. Some good, others... questionable." Cinder looked up with a neutral stare as the Mandalorian continued. "But if I knew what was going to happen to you... I wouldn't have done what I did."
When he said this, Cinder could remember what she endured with Watts. The forced removal of her clothes, the needles in her arms. The pain was gone now, but thinking about it still scared her. But the last thing she expected was being saved by the Mandalorian. "Can I ask you something?" Cinder requested, still looking at him.
"...What is it?" Djarin asked.
"Why did you come back for me?"
"..."
Djarin hadn't really thought of a reason for coming back for her. After he saw the news and holding her necklace, something in him snapped. Something told him to go back for her.
"Well... I don't exactly know," Djarin replied honestly. "Before I came... there was something telling me to go back. To help you. I didn't listen at first."
Cinder looked down.
"But I don't regret listening to it."
Cinder suddenly looked up at him, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"But I'm putting you in danger by traveling with me. So... I need to know something. Do you regret coming with me? Or wanting to be a Mandalorian?"
Cinder smiled. "I don't regret a thing. And you don't regret me wanting to be a Mandalorian?"
Djarin shook his head. "It took me a while to think about it, after you told me what you wanted to do. But if this is where you feel your place is... then this is where you belong."
The two suddenly heard a soft beep coming from the Razor Crest's computer. Djarin turned to see a small panel flashing. "We're here," he said as he began to land. "You ready to stretch your legs for a while, you little fireball? No one's gonna find us here."
Cinder jumped off her seat and ran to the door. Once it opened, she was immediately blinded by the sunlight. Her eyes adjusted after a few seconds and she saw the ship had landed in front of a building. Djarin stepped out and Cinder followed behind him. She immediately felt a wave a head hit her as she walked down the ship's ramp. She also saw rocks and sand at the foot of the building. It was clear they were in the middle of the desert. Cinder looked up at the building. She saw multiple windows and a sign that read "Auntie Em's Rest and Recuperation."
"Cinder," Djarin called out. She looked at the Mandalorian holding the door open. "Come on."
Cinder slowly walked inside, seeing multiple empty tables and a bar. Other than it being smaller, she couldn't help but think how similar this place looked to the Glass Unicorn. Where had he taken her? They stopped at the front desk. Djarin was looking around. "Hello?" he called out.
There was no response.
"Anyone?" Djarin asked.
Cinder suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat as she quickly turned around. A brunette woman with green eyes wearing a scarlet skirt and a white blouse was looking at the duo with a smile. The Mandalorian turned around when he felt Cinder bump into his leg. But he lowered his guard once he saw the woman. "Auntie Em," he greeted her.
"Mando, welcome back!" the woman said as she gave the Mandalorian a hug. He patted her on the shoulder and she let go. The woman turned back to Cinder. "And this must be Cinder."
"That's right," he replied.
"Sorry for scaring you, dear," she said. "Welcome to Auntie Em's Rest and Recuperation. Are you hungry?"
Cinder and the Mandalorian were sitting at a table while Auntie Em was making something for them to eat. "So Mando... is she really your aunt?" Cinder asked.
"No, it's just a nickname everyone calls her," Djarin replied. "She opened this inn and lets me stay from time to time."
Auntie Em came to the table with a sandwich for Cinder and a bowl of soup for the Mandalorian. "Thank you," Djarin said as he slightly removed his helmet with one hand, just enough to eat without showing his face. He ate some of the soup and lowered his helmet.
Auntie Em turned to Cinder. "Anything else I can get for you?"
"No... I'm fine." Cinder reached into her pocket to pay for her food but realized she didn't have any money.
"Oh, your money's no good here, dear," Auntie Em said with a smile. "Any friend of Mando's is a friend of mine."
Cinder turned to the Mandalorian, who explained what she meant. "I helped her with a small problem a year ago."
"A 'small problem?'" Auntie Em asked with a laugh. She turned back to Cinder. "A group of bandits used to come here once a month, said they would 'protect' my inn if I paid them a handsome fee. There was only one time when I refused, and things... didn't go well. But Mando here took care of them when they tried it again." Cinder smiled at this, respecting what Djarin did for her. "So what brings you two out here?" Auntie Em asked the Mandalorian.
He took another sip of his soup and lowered his helmet. "Cinder and I were hoping to lay low for a little while."
"Stay as long as you like," Auntie Em offered.
"I was also hoping to find some work."
"I'm sorry Mando, but that Guild you work with doesn't operate out here. Won't find much work out here." Before she walked away, Auntie Em put a key on their table. She then turned to to Cinder with a smile. "Enjoy your stay, dear."
The Mandalorian decided to continue training Cinder the next morning. This time, she was fighting him with her Semblance. He told her not to use her powers at the moment, in case there were people watching. So Cinder stuck with her Aura and Semblance.
But even with both at her disposal, Cinder was having a hard time.
*THUD*
Cinder fell to the ground as Djarin threw her over her shoulder. She got on her knees, panting as the Mandalorian walked up to her. "Your Aura's in the red, Cinder," Djarin said as he was looking at a screen on his gauntlet. It showed a yellow bar for him and a red bar for Cinder. "You're using too much of your Semblance."
"Your armor... covers... almost everything," Cinder said between breaths. "Can't find... a good spot."
"That's when you have to change strategies," Djarin said as he extended a hand. Cinder took it and felt herself come off the ground. "My armor covers vital spots, that's true. So you need to think of another way to use your Semblance."
"I can't burn you if I can't touch you," Cinder retorted, finally catching enough breath to speak in complete sentences.
"That's right. So you need to think outside the box. Think about what you have in front of you. Use it if you can." Cinder looked at the ground and took a moment to think about this idea. "And don't forget your Semblance can evolve. I could only teleport myself before mine evolved. Now I can teleport one other person with me."
Cinder nodded, still looking at the ground.
Djarin had noticed a change in Cinder's behavior from the other night. Ever since they arrived at Auntie Em's, she had been a little withdrawn. Slightly on edge. She seemed... paranoid. "You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," Cinder said. "It's just... are we safe here?"
"We should be. No Guild, no Watts, no Atlas. Why wouldn't we be?"
"But... can we trust her?"
"Auntie Em? That's what this is about?"
Cinder nodded again. "I'm sorry, it just feels... weird... being here with her."
"Why's that?"
"Well... besides the accent she speaks in, she looks a lot like the Madame from the Glass Unicorn."
Djarin took a moment to think about what she said... and realized that she was right. Auntie Em had the same hair and was wearing similar clothes; he was surprised that he hadn't noticed the similarities between them. But Cinder spotted them easily. He knelt down to her level. "Cinder, listen to me. She's not who you think she is. Auntie Em has helped me more times than I can count. I trust her, so you can trust her too."
"But she could just be acting nice," Cinder replied. "What if-?"
"She doesn't fake her behavior. She acts like that every day with everyone she meets. Don't worry, we'll be safe here. Okay?"
Cinder nodded.
"Mando!" The duo turned around to see Auntie Em running towards them. "Are you still looking for work?" she quickly asked.
"You have something?" Djarin asked.
She quickly took out her Scroll and showed the Mandalorian a picture of a blue haired woman with gold eyes. "A bounty hunter came in and asked if I've seen this person. A runaway from the capital. The police are apparently going to pay big for this one. I asked for the picture and name if I saw anything."
"Where's the hunter?"
"He just left, he went that way." Auntie Em pointed north. "If you hurry, you might catch him."
"You still have that speeder?"
"In the garage."
Djarin grabbed his rifle off the ground and ran to a garage off to the side, Auntie Em and Cinder joined him. Once they reached the garage, the Mandalorian was on a speeder bike, powered by Gravity Dust.
"Cinder, stay here. I won't be long."
"Wait, let me go with you!"
"I need the room for my target."
"So let's take your ship!"
"The hunter is going away from the city. I know a group of people out there that won't like a ship landing out there. Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
Cinder slumped in defeat. "...Be careful."
The Mandalorian turned to Auntie Em. "You'll keep an eye on her?"
"I will. Don't worry about a thing."
"Thank you." Djarin turned to Cinder, who had a skeptical look on her face. He rubbed her head and she smiled. "I'll be fine."
"Good luck."
Djarin took off.
"I'm warning you, get out of my way!"
"We have you three to one."
"Never tell me the odds."
A human man with black hair wearing a blue vest over his black shirt was pointing his pistol at two Faunus and another human. One with snake skin and another with horns on his head. They were all wearing beige robes and were pointing rifles and tipped staffs at him. The human was trying to cross into their "land", but they wouldn't let him go. If he needed to shoot them, he was prepared to take that chance.
He slightly lowered his gun, as did the robes figures, when they heard the sound of a speeder bike come from the distance. It stopped next to the one the human brought with him and a Mandalorian stepped off. He walked to the human. "Were you at an inn earlier today?" the Mandalorian asked.
"Yeah, so what?" the bounty hunter replied.
"So you're looking for her." The Mandalorian showed him the picture of the woman Auntie Em sent to him.
The man suddenly pointed his gun at the Mandalorian. "Hey now, that chick's my bounty. I'm collecting it on my own."
"I can see you're off to a good start."
"Watch it, Mando," the bounty hunter warned. The robed people kept their weapons on the man, but not the Mandalorian. It seemed they weren't together.
"What did you think would happen?" Djarin asked. "That the Tuskens would let an armed hunter cross their land by threatening them?"
"You try it then, if you're so smart. Go on."
The Mandalorian turned to the Faunus. He had crossed the Vacuo Dust Bowl before. He had also met the people who lived there, who called themselves the Tuskens, or the Sand People. The capital city of Vacuo was the only place in the kingdom with law and order, the rest of the kingdom mostly governed themselves. But the sands of Vacuo were cruel and unpredictable, they destroyed most cities with sandstorms and buried them under the sand mounds. Groups of Faunus and humans isolated themselves from the capital and managed to survive the harsh desert without creating a... proper civilization like most.
Djarin needed to go into their desert once again, so he began to move his hands. He was communicating to them in sign language, not wanting the other bounty hunter to hear what he was saying.
"I'm not here to hurt you. I want to request passage across your land."
The snake Faunus lowered his staff and moved his hands as well.
"So you're not with this trespasser." Djarin shook his head. The Faunus knew if the new visitor was with the other hunter, he would have said "we" instead of "I."
"I'm alone. I'm looking for a blue haired human that may have passed here."
"She is here. We granted her passage yesterday."
Djarin pulled up the picture again. The snake Faunus moved his hands.
"Yes, that is her. But we cannot allow you to join her. Without payment, that is."
"What are you doing?" the hunter asked.
"Negotiating," Djarin answered as he moved his hands. "I have a working Scroll."
"We could take that. Or perhaps that Beskar."
"I am Mandalorian. I won't give my armor."
"The Scroll, then."
Djarin threw his Scroll at the Faunus. After he caught it, he moved his hands again. "And what about your friend?"
"What about him?"
The snake stepped aside. "Safe travels."
The Mandalorian walked back to his speeder. "You're not coming?"
The hunter slowly walked to his speeder. "Screw this, I'm not giving these freaks anything!"
"Have it your way."
The Mandalorian sped off, and the bounty hunter got back on his speeder. But before he left, he realized that Mandalorian looked... familiar. He looked at his Scroll.
"Well... how about that?"
Auntie Em was placing glasses behind her bar and cleaning the countertop. She had just placed a pitcher of lemonade on the countertop when she noticed Cinder sitting alone at a table. She looked worried and afraid.
"He'll be fine," Auntie Em called out. Cinder looked at her. "Mando's done more dangerous things than this."
"I know," Cinder said. "But... it's not the first time he's done something dangerous without me."
"Don't take it personally, dear. He just has more experience with this sort of thing."
"..."
Auntie Em had also noticed Cinder's withdrawn behavior. Unaware of the reason behind this, she continued to speak. "But that's not the only thing bothering you, is it?"
"...No," Cinder replied.
"Why don't you come here and talk about it?" Cinder slowly walked over to the woman behind the bar. She continued to clean and talk. "What's on your mind?"
Cinder didn't want to talk about the similarity Auntie Em shared with the Madame from the Glass Unicorn, unsure of how she would take it. The Mandalorian said she could trust her, so Cinder decided to put this claim to the test. "I was in a...bad place before I met Mando," Cinder began. "When he helped me leave, he did everything in his power to look after me. He's been teaching me, training me, and he's made me feel safe." Cinder smiled when she was saying all this. But her smile faded once she discussed her problem. "But whenever he leaves... it's hard to feel safe. It's like... my safety leaves with him."
"You're afraid," Auntie Em said. "I can relate, dear."
Cinder scuffed at this. "I doubt that." She felt a tap on her hand and looked up to see Auntie Em pointing to a picture of a young man with brown hair and blue eyes.
"That's my late husband, Henry. Before he died, he was in a car accident in the city. Fortunately, he wasn't hurt. But I remember feeling so scared whenever he left for work. Whenever he left... I cleaned to get my worries off my mind. I got into this rhythm, this routine of cleaning whenever he was gone. And he would always come back home safely." Auntie Em gave a short laugh before continuing. "I had this irrational belief that if I broke my habit, Henry wouldn't come back safely. Maybe not at all. He learned about this, and convinced me that I was acting silly. So one day, I didn't clean. I went to see some friends, read a book... I did everything except clean. And you know what happened?"
Cinder shook her head.
"He came back home safely," Auntie Em said with a smile. "Now, you say this isn't the first time Mando's left you. But can you think of a time when he didn't come back?"
Cinder opened her mouth to challenge her... but no words came out. She had a point. Mando always came back, no matter how long it took. He came back when she was trapped with Watts, in Kuroyuri, at the prison, and there was a good chance that he would come back again.
"See what I mean?" Auntie Em asked politely.
"I... I do," Cinder said. "So, there's a way to feel safe when he's not here?"
"It takes time to realize that, but yes. One minute he may be gone, but knowing he'll be back can be reassuring. Even if it takes a long time, he'll be-Oops!"
Auntie Em was moving her arms to emphasize her idea to Cinder, but accidentally knocked over the pitcher of lemonade she made. A majority landed on the countertop, but some fell and stained the rug. Cinder quickly grabbed some napkins and cleaned the countertop.
"Oh, thank you," Auntie Em said with a smile. She looked back at the ground. "I'll have to get something for that." She went to a closet and took out a bucket, liquid soap, and a handheld floor scrubber.
Cinder immediately remembered the Madame giving her those things and telling her to clean the floors the first day she arrived at the Glass Unicorn. She started to tense up when Auntie Em approached closer to her. But she started to relax when Auntie Em walked right past her and filled the bucket with water and soap. She went to the spot and began to kneel down. Cinder noticed she was having a hard time getting down.
"Are... you okay?" Cinder asked.
"Oh, don't worry about me," Auntie Em said. "Just a sore knee. I'll be fine."
Cinder felt guilty as she watched the woman try to kneel down. Hearing the woman groan and take quick gasps made her feel even more guilty. Auntie Em was nice enough to feed her and listen to her, so the least she could do was help. "I... I can help you." Cinder offered.
"Oh, I can do it, dear. I'll just be a minute," Auntie Em replied.
"No, it's fine," Cinder said as she jumped off her seat.
A little voice in the back of her head was telling her to stop, to not risk experiencing the suffering of being a slave again. But another voice told her that Mando trusted Auntie Em. So, she decided to listen to the second voice. For now.
"Are... are you sure?" Auntie Em asked.
"I've done something like this before," Cinder replied. "I can help you."
"Well... thank you." Auntie Em smiled. She stood up and Cinder knelt down. "Oh, I should give you something before you start. I'll be right back."
Auntie Em turned around just in time to miss Cinder's jaw drop. Cold sweat ran down her forehead as she began to panic. The first time Cinder did this job at the Glass Unicorn was the first day she got her shock collar. What if Auntie Em was getting another one for her? What if she would use it if Cinder wasn't fast enough?
"It's a small spill, I can clean it quickly," she figured. So Cinder scrubbed as fast as she could and managed to get the entire spot covered in soapy water before Auntie Em came back.
"Oh dear, you should have waited."
Cinder looked up to see Auntie Em holding not another shock collar... but a pair of gloves. "Now you probably have splinters from the brush," she said with some concern.
"Oh... I'm fine." Cinder said as she showed her hands.
Auntie Em looked at the ground. "You work fast, dear," she said with a smile. "Thank you for helping."
Cinder smiled back as she stood up. "You're welcome." Maybe she could finally stop worrying and listen to Mando. Maybe... Auntie Em wasn't like the Madame after all.
A few hours later
Things had gotten quiet at Auntie Em's. Cinder decided to take this time to practice her combat. She couldn't stop thinking about a way to think outside the box as the Mandalorian suggested. But Cinder also knew that the only way to use her Semblance properly was if she was touching something.
So, she decided to focus on her powers. She had already gotten used to using fire, so she decided to see what else she could do. She could feel her powers building up, a fire burning in her veins. But instead of letting the fire out, she thrust her hands out. A strong wind escaped her hands and she fell of her feet. But it also blew the sand around her forward. She stood up and tried again. Same result.
"...Think outside the box."
Cinder then began to think about the sand around her. She could use the wind and sand to disorient her enemies, to confuse them. Then she could use hand-to-hand to finish them off. Or maybe... there was a way to use her surroundings and her Semblance.
Cinder took a handful of sand in her hand and began to heat it. She suddenly felt something stab her hand, which caused her to drop the sand. Or rather... the product of the sand and heat. Cinder looked at the ground to see pieces of glass. It seemed sand and heat makes glass. Maybe she could use this to-
A familiar sound made Cinder look up from the glass. She could hear a speeder stop in front of the inn. She quickly ran from the back of the inn to the front and saw a speeder bike. Cinder looked in a window to find the Mandalorian.
She instead found a man pointing a gun at Auntie Em.
"Wait, you don't need to do this," Auntie Em pleaded.
"I just want the girl. Where is she?" the man replied.
Cinder stayed where she was and listened. This man was looking for her, but why? Was he a bounty hunter? Did the Guild find them? And more importantly... what was Auntie Em going to do?
"What girl?" Auntie Em asked.
Cinder sighed in relief and slowly made her way to the front door, she could use her powers to help if she needed to.
"The one with the Mandalorian!" the man answered. "I saw his airship here, so don't bother lying."
"She's... she's not here." Auntie Em replied.
The gun clicked. "I told you not to lie."
"No, I'm serious! She went into town to run an errand for me, she just left! If you hurry, you might catch her!"
The hunter made his way to the door. Cinder hid behind a barrel as she watched him go towards his bike. She quickly ran back inside to see Auntie Em holding her chest and taking deep breaths. She saw Cinder come in, so she pointed to the stairs.
"Cinder, go upstairs!" Auntie Em yelled. "I'll let you know when he's-"
"Gone?"
An arm wrapped around Cinder's neck and kept a tight grip. Cinder could feel something metal press against her head and saw Auntie Em cover her mouth in fear.
"I'm not as dumb as I look, lady," the hunter said with a grin.
"Please... don't hurt her," Auntie Em pleaded as she slowly left the counter. "She's done nothing wrong, she's just a child."
"I don't need to hurt her," he replied. "As long as you stay still, nothing bad will happen."
The hunter began to slowly drag Cinder out the door, heading towards the airship. When he reached the door, the two could hear another speeder coming fast.
Djarin launched himself off the bike and landed feet first on the ground. He immediately looked up to see the bounty hunter he met earlier holding Cinder. "Didn't take you long, Mando," the hunter said.
Mando put his hands up and slowly made his way to the bounty hunter. Auntie Em ran up to him as well. "Don't move!" the hunter yelled. Auntie Em stopped.
"Put the gun down," Djarin demanded.
The hunter laughed. "Oh, that's not how this works, Mando. I'm calling the shots now."
"If you hurt her... there won't be any place on Remnant you can hide from me."
He looked down at Cinder. "So it's true. This is the kid you helped escape. She's the reason you betrayed the Guild?"
"..."
"I don't need to hurt her, Mando. If I bring her in, someone who travelled with a Mandalorian, I'll be a legend in the Guild."
"Let her go."
"Give me one good reason why."
Cinder looked up at him. "How about I do something for you?"
The hunter looked down. "Which is?"
"Watch."
Cinder showed him her hand. She was holding some sand she grabbed from the barrel outside the front door. She raised her hand and struck his wrist. Her captor yelled in pain as he dropped his gun and let go of Cinder. He looked at his hand to see a giant shard of glass sticking out.
A red blast hitting his chest prevented the hunter from doing anything else, except fall to the ground.
Djarin quickly lowered his blaster and ran to Cinder, Auntie Em following behind him.
"Are you alright?" Auntie Em quickly asked.
"I'm fine," Cinder said as she got up. "Nice shot, Mando."
Djarin got a look at the Guild member's hand and noticed the glass shard. "What did you do?" he asked Cinder.
She picked up some more sand and turned it into glass. "I thought outside the box."
Djarin smiled under his helmet. "Not bad, kid."
Watts looked up from his desk to see his Scroll ringing. He put his tools down and answered it. "Yes?"
"Doctor Watts. I wanted to check your progress," a modulated voice replied.
"I'm afraid results are scarce," Watts replied honestly. "And after Aurora's little accident, I've been forced to hold off until we find more disposable subjects."
"Never mind that. I want to hear about your side project."
"Which one?"
"The new Atlesian Knights."
"I started the process of making a prototype today. I can show you in two weeks."
"You have one."
"One?!" Watts yelled as he sprang from his chair. "Why so soon?"
"There's been a change of plans on my part. And we may need more."
"And what makes you think I can make something like this in one week?"
"You're smart. You'll figure it out."
Author's notes: I can expect most of you not liking this chapter. Part of it was kind of an experiment to mix some Star Wars and RWBY lore together. And it was shorter than I wanted it to be. But things will get much better next chapter, and it'll explain some things about Atlas.
To D.N Works, glad you liked the jailbreak. And you're right about Gideon, he'll be trouble for our protagonists. Glad you liked Winter as well.
To Mandalorian00, your letters really crack me up. I think you may have one to write next chapter.
To Marc Ello-Re Yes, I'm glad you saw my inspiration! As for Cinder's weapons, you'll have to wait and see. And I'm glad you liked Clan Wren's views, it shows how divided the Mandalorians are.
To 54godamora, glad you liked Kuroyuri. Yes, it'll be sad about Ren's mother. And Weiss was already born here (there's about a seven year age difference between Winter and Weiss, so they're 10 and 3).
To GojiraFan455515, glad you liked the name drops. Sorry I didn't do any this chapter.
To The Avenging Titan, I was inspired by Telltale Walking Dead there. As for the new weapons, you'll have to wait and see. As for Clan Wren, I understand why you were upset (and that you may be upset with this chapter), but it shows how divided the Mandalorians are. I'm glad you liked Cinder making friends with Winter, she definitely shows sympathy (which is one of the reasons she shot Jacques).
To hirshja, I understand, but this will be explained and dealt with next chapter.
Anyways, that's all I have. I hope to see you all next chapter. Things will get better there, trust me. Thanks for reading.