Chapter 30 – Argus: Sanctum and Blue-Eyed Mayhem Argent and Terra
The trip back to Argus was relatively uneventful, other than the expected stress that Selene experienced at Mistral and Argus stations. The only really noteworthy events were twofold. The first was when they pulled into Station #3 after leaving Mistral, proclaiming Barret's Point as a possible destination. Cinder stuck out her tongue at the sign and plastered her temporary ID against the window, as if daring the world to argue with who she was, and where she belonged. It had taken several minutes for Garek to stop laughing.
The second was a call from Crystal, thanking them for putting up with her as a guest in their home, and letting them know that she had finally signed a lease on an apartment so she could, in her words, "bring strange men home without scaring the children." That had further raised the mood, as they had been trying to figure out where to put Saphron Arc, if and when she decided to visit them in Argus to test the waters there.
When they finally returned home, late that evening, it actually felt like home. Selene gazed around the first floor as they closed the door behind her, marveling at the feeling. They had added additional furnishings to those initially included with the lease. Paintings that had caught her eye. A potted plant or two. Bookcases, still mostly empty other than a couple dozen books that they or Cinder had picked out. A few additional end tables. A small rug to insulate against the colder floors. Nothing extravagant, but things they could easily afford without feeling guilty with their newfound income.
But still… was this what Dr. Polendina assumed they would be spending the funds provided through his budget on?
She expressed her concern to Garek, yet again, after Cinder headed off to her bedroom to call her friends. "Yeah, I mentioned it to Reggie and Sophia. And believe it or not, they had asked Dr. P the same thing, too. Apparently he just laughed at them, and said that the value he was getting out of their assistance was far beyond the money he was shuttling our way already, and as long as their research kept yielding results, not to worry about, in his words, 'petty cash disbursements'." He shook his head, and plopped down on the sofa. "I'm still trying to come to terms with tens of thousands of lien being 'petty cash disbursements.'
Selene leaned into him, and nodded against his shoulder. "Yes… I do understand that. And I feel like… it is odd. We are the reason that they are able to accomplish these things, and yet we have done the least work ourselves. Are we… showing value?"
"Not as much as I'd like. It feels like we kinda derailed ourselves in Atlas." He felt her stiffen, and added quickly. "Not that I'd change it for the world. It was the right thing to do. It just slowed us down a little. But you think we are okay on time?"
"Yes. As Mother has said, the Queen thinks in terms of decades and centuries, not weeks and months. I feel like… if there were urgency, I would sense it. But we should not become complacent. And your meeting with the Headmaster…"
"Right. That. That's a big deal. A big first step. I have to keep… well nudging him is the best word. Keep me in his thoughts, keep alive the suspicion that I'm someone he should talk to. I don't know how much time we have there."
"Less, I suspect, than for her other plans."
"Right. But that's a huge part of the plan. Lionheart gets us inside info on Ozma or Ozpin or whatever his name is, possible access to at least one Relic, and he's key to our plans for Menagerie. If I screw this up-"
"It is not all on your shoulders, Garek. We all have a part to play."
"Fine. If we screw this up, it's gonna make things a lot harder. We need him. But we need him reliable too, and I just don't know. If he's ripe to betray Ozma's team for Salem's, how do we know he won't flip on us too?"
"That… I do not know. We shall have to find what it is that motivates him, and I cannot just ask the Queen, nor my Mother, nor the Queen's agents."
"And I can't just ask him either, not yet." He sighed. "But at least we've taken the first step. He's gotta be back in Haven going over that meeting, same as us, bouncing back and forth between me just being some overly optimistic nobody Hunstman versus maybe me knowing something, and that maybe I have some sort of angle. That's what I wanted. Just hope it doesn't blow up in our faces."
"I have faith in you, Garek. In us. We will succeed." He harumphed, but hugged her closer anyway.
They sat in companionable silence for almost half an hour before Cinder returned downstairs. She looked pensive.
"Hey guys… Terra's still not answering my messages." She fidgeted. "Selene, I know you said you'd ask Sophia about it. But I'm getting worried. And Argent says her mom's saying she can't go to the Emporium anymore."
Garek looked uncomfortable. The situation reminded him in a small way about his Huntsmen team breaking up. Sometimes trauma brought people together. Sometimes people were a reminder of trauma, and it drove them apart. "Cinder… people handle situations in different ways."
"And I did promise to discuss Terra's behavior with Sophia." Selene added. "I promise, I will do so tomorrow."
"Okay… but what about Argent?"
"I will see if I can determine what the issue is there, as well."
"Thanks Selene." And Cinder headed back to her room.
The next evening, Selene and Cinder headed for Pete's Emporium. The place was about three-quarters full, and Terra was manning the counter when they arrived.
Cinder suddenly looked very unsure of herself. "Um… Hi Terra."
Terra glanced at Cinder briefly enough to answer, "Hi Cinder."
"You okay?"
"Fine. You have a good trip?" The question was asked slightly blandly, making Selene frown.
"Good. We… I'm registering at Sanctum next week."
"That's good. That's… what you need to do. Right?" Terra's tone was… all wrong. She'd always been friendly to Cinder, more like a big sister than just some part-timer at the Emporium. Now she was being, well Selene would have used the word perfunctory.
Cinder's fingers feathered across the slight scarring at her throat. "Terra, are you mad at me?"
The older girl huffed. "Look, Cinder, I don't want to talk about it, okay? You should go play with your friends. I've got work to do."
"But I thought you were my friend t-"
"I was looking out for you guys, it was my responsibility. Let's leave it there." She looked away.
"Oh… okay…"
Selene watched her turn away toward where Sarah and Laurel were playing, their backs to the entrance, and the joy on their faces when they turned and saw Cinder, and hers in return, almost made up for what she'd just seen.
Almost.
Sophia came out of the Staff door just as Selene started to express her frustration directly. "Terra… I do not believe-"
"Hey Selene, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sophia asked, her tone making it less request than a demand. The look of relief on Terra's face was eloquent.
"Hmm… I suppose so. Excuse me, Terra."
Downstairs, Sophia sat and nodded to Selene to do the same, her glasses reflecting the light of the terminals on the other side of the table.
"I assume this has to do with Terra's behavior?" Selene began.
"Terra's, and Cinders."
Selene frowned. "Cinder has behaved herself well."
"That's a matter of perspective, Selene." Sophia took off her glasses, and rubbed her nose where the pads had sat. "I saw what was happening, you know. I already talked to Terra, for several hours over the last couple days." She sighed. "I can tell you that Terra feels really badly about the situation, but I don't think she or Cinder are going to be able to fix it."
Selene rested one hand on top of the other on the tabletop, more to give them something to do than anything else. "What do you mean?"
"Look, Selene, you know I didn't see what happened out there. But I had Terra tell me. It was… well, brutal doesn't seem to do it justice."
"I… well I suppose it was. But they were criminals."
"See, that's what I'm talking about. You've been hanging out with Garek, and I guess you've gotten your perspective from him. He thinks like that. Must be a Huntsman thing. But people like us… civilians, Selene, we don't think like that. If someone commits a crime, sure, you stop them. You arrest them. They get a trial. You don't just kill them, no matter how bad they are. You're not the judge, jury, and executioner. And you're sure not a twelve-year-old one." She put her glasses back on. "And Cinder didn't just kill people, Selene. The way Terra made it sound, those men screaming... she hurt some of them specifically to make them suffer."
Selene felt shocked at the words Sophia had used. Then considered. She hadn't fully absorbed this before. She knew she herself was… not normal. She hadn't grown up in a normal environment. Oh, she didn't consider herself a violent person, as evidenced by how she'd handled the bandits in Mistral. And she didn't necessarily like violence. But she understood that Garek had killed hundreds of Grimm, dozens of criminals, and probably others during his lifetime. As a Huntsman, she reasoned, sometimes you didn't have the ability to haul someone from the middle of the wilderness out in front of a judge. You had to make decisions like that. It was normal for a Huntsman. It was not normal for someone like Sophia, nor Terra.
But… "I do see your point. But it is also true that Cinder was only 12 years old, with barely an understanding of her Semblance. It is likely that had she tried to spare those men, she or some of her friends would have been badly hurt, taken, or even killed."
Sophia frowned. "Yeah. I know that. I think Terra knows that, too. But it doesn't stop her from thinking about how helpless she would be if Cinder ever lost control. It doesn't stop her remembering what that all sounded and smelled like every time she sees Cinder. I don't think this is something she's going to get over any time soon if at all, and frankly she's five years older than those girls, she was going to gravitate away from them anyway. She was mostly just acting like a big sister."
Selene felt another piece of the puzzle fall into place, "And Cinder proved that she wasn't useful for that, either," She mused.
"Right."
Selene sighed. "I shall have to determine how to tell Cinder." This will be unpleasant.
"That's not the worst problem you have." Selene's stomach fell. There is more? "The girls have been complaining about Argent not coming around."
"Yes, Cinder said Argent told her that her mother, Raechel, believes the Emporium is not safe."
"I actually called Raechel." She stood up, and paced back and forth before turning back to Selene. "It's not the Emporium that she feels unsafe about…" Selene felt like throwing up, and her face must have mirrored that feeling. Sophia's expression soured further. "Yeah. I tried to talk to her. Mostly I just listened to her ranting at me. She didn't like hearing about what Cinder did, at all. And she liked the fact that Argent didn't seem bothered by it even less. She thinks that Cinder is a risk to Argent's safety, and a bad influence."
Selene felt anger and frustration bubble up. "Oh… but… that is unfair. Neither of those are true."
"I tried to say that. She doesn't want to hear it."
"I could speak with her."
Sophia shook her head, "She didn't want to listen to me, you think she's going to listen to Cinder's de facto mom?" She threw up her hands. "Feel free to give it a try. I'll send you her contact information, but don't be surprised if she just yells at you and then hangs up."
Selene determined she would wait to inform Cinder regarding the results of her conversation with Sophia until after she had spoken with Argent's mother. She started the next morning attempting to contact the woman.
Sophia had been correct.
Her messages went unread.
Her voice calls unanswered.
Finally, that afternoon, her patience wore out. Selene made excuses to Garek and Cinder, took a bus to that family's townhouse the few dozen blocks away, and knocked on their door. It opened to reveal Raechel Reece. She was dressed in some sort of business attire, clearly recently home from work, and her light-purple tinted hair somewhat disarrayed. She looked… tired. Her eyes widened when she saw Selene, then narrowed. "This is a bad time."
"My apologies, Ms. Reece. Can you tell me when a good time to discuss-"
"I don't have anything to discuss with you." She started to close the door, and Selene pressed back against it gently.
"But, Ms. Reece-"
"What part of nothing to discuss didn't you hear? You will keep your… child… away from mine. Is that clear?"
"Surely, we can-"
And then the door was slammed in Selene's face, knocking her hand back in the process.
Selene had never been treated so rudely in her life. She stood there, shaking, and realized exactly how angry she was, both on her own behalf, and then on Cinder's, and considered exactly how many ways she wished a Grimm would materialize in that woman's bathroom. Preferably when she was on the toilet.
And then realized that would solve nothing, and that there was nothing further she could do. Perhaps Garek would have an idea. She spent the bus ride back going over it all in her head, wondering what she might have done differently.
"Now you know why I spent time hanging out on that island, Selene. People, especially civilians, can be frustrating as hell," Garek said when she returned and explained her 'adventure' to him.
"Thank you for the insight," Selene managed sarcastically, "But what do you suggest I do?"
"I… don't think there's anything we can do," he scratched behind an ear. "Other than just hope she calms down over time?"
"If that is the best you can offer, then you will be with me when I inform Cinder of this. She will not take it well."
Great. Thanks for that. Well that's what being a couple is about, isn't it? "Fine, I got your back. Tonight, after dinner, is actually the least worst time to break the news anyway. It'll give her the weekend to absorb it, and she can still hang out with Sarah and Laurel the next two nights. Then we'll be going to Sanctum Monday and spending the whole day there registering and touring the facilities. It'll help take some of the sting out." He nudged Selene. "Did you hear that Sarah was also going to be applying to Sanctum for next year? That means Cinder will have an automatic friend there."
Selene felt a little of her mood lift. "Ah. That is... fortunate indeed."
When they told Cinder after dinner, she didn't react the way Selene had expected. Selene had expected anger, or crying, or something.
Instead, Cinder just stared at Selene and Garek for a few minutes, and then went up to her room.
"Cinder…"
"Let her go. She may need some alone time."
When Selene went to check on her an hour later, she found her sitting on her bed, staring at the wall.
"Cinder… do you wish to talk?"
"No… I'm just thinking."
"Are you well?"
"I'll be okay," she answered, not moving her eyes. "You guys go to bed. I've got a lot of things to think about."
That was… concerning. Am I… doing something wrong? First that Raechel woman refused to speak with her, and now Cinder is also refusing to communicate. She considered asking Garek, but based on the previous conversation, she suspected his response would be a shrug and nothing useful. Being a parent is… difficult.
When Selene and Garek came downstairs the next morning, Cinder was already awake and eating a bowl of cereal at the dining table. She didn't look like she'd been crying, but it didn't look like she'd slept well either. They tried several times to draw her out, but she just repeated that she was okay and still thinking.
It didn't make them feel better, and by the afternoon, they decided to go to the Emporium just to see if that would help. And it seemed to. Terra was still stand-offish, but apparently Cinder had decided her previous 'big sister-friend' was no longer the critical issue, or had just accepted the new reality there. Instead, she had met with Sarah and Laurel, and the three had descended into a huddle, and begun talking earnestly instead of playing video games.
They did that for two hours. It gave Selene an unsettling feeling.
"Well, at least she seems to have returned a little more closely to normal," Garek mused that evening after Cinder went to bed early, claiming she had some new books to read. Selene still had her doubts. But Sunday also passed quickly, with Cinder enlisting Crystal to ferry her and the other two girls around Argus, claiming they wanted to visit some shops and see some sights, and Selene and Garek both began to relax.
Early Monday morning, they took an express bus directly from their neighborhood closer to the harbor, uphill to Sanctum Academy. It was a fairly compact campus tucked inside the walls of Argus on the western side, right up against the cliffs. Land being at a premium, the campus focused on building up rather than out, with that odd mix of Atlas 'Modern Tech' and Mistral 'Ornate Architecture' that they had come to identify as particularly Argesian in flavor.
Cinder was practically vibrating the entire ride, and they were relieved to see it. Her golden-yellow eyes took in everything as they worked their way from the small entrance hall to the administrative wing, where a man sat behind a desk with a placard informing them he was "Administrator Burke" and began taking their information and sending them electronic forms to fill out. By the end of that two-hour process, Cinder was threatening to ditch them and explore the campus on her own.
"You will not, young lady." Selene warned, wagging a finger at her. "We want to see it as well. And until we have visitor badges, they will not allow us free movement."
"That's right, young Ms. Scoria. And we're almost done. I promise," Burke said.
"Are you the Headmaster?" Cinder asked, suddenly worried she'd made a bad impression.
He laughed. "No, I am the administrator," he leaned in, "it's a fancy name for secretary, assistant, and anything else they can think of to keep this place actually running."
Cinder grinned. She liked Mr. Burke.
Finally, they had badges with a big V across their photo printed and hung around their necks, and he led them up a two sets of stairs, and then down a hall to a more nicely furnished reception area, before knocking on an inner door that was labeled "Headmaster Phoenix Brand" before he cracked the door.
"Headmaster, I have finished Miss Scoria's paperwork, and it's in the system, and they are here as soon as you are ready for them."
"Ah, please, send them in while I skim over it. No sense in waiting," a deep voice answered.
Headmaster Brand looked to be only a decade or so older than Garek and Selene which put him around forty, and had the build and air of a retired Huntsman about him. He wore a plaid kilt of some sort, combined with a white blouse and leather jerkin, which gave him an air of easy and practical competence. He motioned to chairs in front of his desk. "Please, do make yourselves comfortable. Won't take but a minute."
Cinder found her eyes drawn about the room. There was an impressive saber on a wall-mounted stand behind his head, possibly mechashift. A terminal stood on his desk, and bookshelves and cabinets lined two walls, with the third showing a windowed view north toward the seacoast.
Brand pecked at his terminal and Hmmmd and Mmmmd several times, before finally turned back to them with a smile. "Well, everything here seems to be in order." He made a few clicks. "When you come back to the front desk after the tour, you will complete tuition payment, and Miss Scoria will have a school badge and uniform available for you to take home, along with the standard class schedule. Classes will begin for her after the new year, though she can stop by any time before then if she wishes to set up counselling with one of the instructors."
The three of them traded looks and broad smiles. This is happening. This is really happening.
"Now, I see you are not requiring on-campus housing, and Huntsman Grae, I have verified your Mistralian License. You indicated on the forms that you have been training her already, and that she has her aura unlocked."
"That's correct, Headmaster Brand."
"And you also indicated that…" and he peered at Cinder "you, young lady recently realized you have a particularly powerful semblance you have dubbed Scorching Caress."
"Yessir."
"That is a good name."
"Thanks!"
Brand chuckled. "I like your spirit, young lady."
"Thanks!" She was about to break her face in half if she smiled any larger.
He laughed.
Garek added, carefully. "Ah, you should know that Haven Headmaster Lionheart stated that we should give you some additional background regarding that Semblance, and not to delay getting her registered. You should also know a little about Cinder's upbringing."
Cinder bore Garek's summarized explanation stoically. She was beginning to really internalize that her childhood had not been normal, and that it had caused her to be… not normal either. The Grimmslayers had been really helpful for that, and they also hadn't judged her. It was one of the reasons they were so important to her. Terra… well she was at the point where she figured Terra just didn't get her, and that hurt, but she wouldn't eat herself up over it. She was Cinder Scoria, and people just had to deal with that.
If Rhodes could have heard that internal dialogue, he would have been over the moon. She was a far cry from the cringing waif they'd rescued from the Glass Unicorn four months ago.
Garek had wound down his explanation while she mused. "….and I also brought you a copy of the police report. It was… pretty gruesome, but we need to make sure you understand what you're dealing with." He handed over a hardcopy of that material. "I can send you electronics if you want."
"This is fine." Brand read through the report, including the photos. "Oh… Oh my," he stated as he worked his way through the report. Garek and Selene shifted, and Cinder's smile might have faded slightly. "Well… that is indeed a particularly devastating use of Semblance." He smiled disarmingly. "But fear not, Huntsman. We have dealt with strong Semblances in the past. And as Headmaster Lionheart suggested, you are making a wise choice in enrolling her immediately." He stood, walked over, and knelt down by Cinder. "Young Miss, I can promise you that we will help you to not only learn how to use your Semblance as a finely honed instrument rather than a blunt tool of destruction, but that we will also help you understand when it is appropriate to use it." He nodded. "How does that sound?"
"I'd love that, sir," Cinder beamed. Selene and Garek exhaled softly. This would be yet another big step toward Cinder becoming not only a powerful Huntress, but also a fully socialized person.
"Wonderful. Now, Mr. Burke will provide you a tour of the facilities, and will use breaks between classes to introduce you to our staff. Please bear in mind that we are nearing the end of the second Semester for all except our fourth years, who have already sadly moved on to their Academy initiations. So, all classes will be operating, though at reduced capacity and they will be used to visitors like you."
The tour took most of the rest of the day, not because the campus was large, but because they had to essentially follow an entire day's schedule if they wanted to catch all of the instructors between classes. By the end, Cinder felt a sense of awe and maybe a small amount of anxiety.
"There's so many different classes…" she murmured. There had been Grimm Studies, History and Government, Weapons and Tactics, Outdoor Skills, and Aura and Semblance Studies, along with other basic school stuff likemath and reading. And they had gotten to see the Sparring Arena, which wasn't as large or complex as the ones Garek remembered from Haven, but still had the safeguards you'd expect. That had Cinder's eyes practically glowing, especially when she got to watch two students, about three years older than her, going at each other in the arena with weapons. All with the Combat Instructor, whose name had been Ms. Raspberry Regalia, supervising.
"I'm almost as good as they are…" she whispered to Garek during one match.
He grinned and answered as quietly as he could. "Well, you've gotten personal training by two very skilled Huntsmen," Selene punched him lightly on the shoulder at the self-praise, "especially over the last six months. Most of these kids, they started their training here. So don't be surprised if you have a little leg up on them your first year." The instructor gave them a stern eye, and Garek and Cinder both stiffened and halted the conversation.
By the time they took the express bus back mid-afternoon, Cinder was giddy. She ran off to her room immediately, changed into her school uniform, and sent selfies holding her School Badge to her friends.
It was the next day when all hell broke loose in Argus.
The knock on the door was expected.
The sheer number and volume of people was not.
"SURPRISE!" Yelled most of the youngest in the crowd of faces. Grace and Rorson Grae, standing closes to the door, had the most offensively happy smirks Garek had ever seen. Nicholas and Juniper Arc, along with Saphron Arc, at least had the presence of mind to look sheepish.
"I tried to convince them this was a bad idea…" Saphron protested, stammering. "I swear I did."
"Oh nonsense! Garek just loves surprise visits. Don't you son?!" Grace leered. "In fact you give them to us all the time! Don't. You. Son." She tapped her foot in time with the last three words.
"Ma…"
"See, he's nearly speechless with joy and-" Grace's ears swiveled full forward and perked. "Oh my gods is that young Cinder!?" Grace had just caught sight of the teenager, who had fortunately or unfortunately decided it would be really totally awesome to wear her Sanctum uniform around the house. "EEEeeeeEEEE look at how cute she looks!" and his mother forgot all about him, other than as an obstacle, and barged her way into the house.
Garek saw that Selene was immediately next to Cinder, whispering in her ear, probably making sure she didn't defensively use her Semblance against the onslaught of Grace Grae. Would have been totally justified, he groused, knowing his mom had aura. But would have torched the furniture.
He should probably have been amazed that Grace stopped short of a tackling hug, and instead his mom paused before the girl. "You are just adorable. In case Garek hasn't said, I'm his mom… which makes me…?"
"Garek's mom?"
Grace scoffed. "It makes me practically your grandmother. Which means I have a contractual obligation to spoil you rotten!"
Cinder looked back and forth between Garek and Grace for a few seconds, and then decided to run with it. "Cool…"
"Sorry son. As soon as I mentioned that Nicholas had insisted on escorting Saphron to Argus, the battle was lost." Rorson patted him on the shoulder.
"Still could have warned me." Garek grumbled.
"Your mom would have killed both of us," Nicholas added, grinning. "She insisted on making it a surprise." He looked at the crowd. "Okay if we let the kids introduce themselves to Cinder?"
Garek looked back at Selene, who smiled and shrugged helplessly. "I guess so." He waved them in. "Every kid for themselves."
Soon the bulk of the downstairs was literally covered with blond-haired, blue-eyed, Arcdom. Saphron hung back to talk with the adults. Of the others, 15yo Sable and the 11yo twins Hazel and Jade were the closest in age to Cinder, and quickly formed a mass of chattering girls around the dining table. 12yo Coral Arc merely rolled her eyes, and, spying the bookshelves, quickly found reading material to entertain herself with and plopped down across one of the armchairs.
The three youngest Arcs, 8yo Jaune who was the only boy, and 7yo Lavender and 6yo Amber, hung closer to the adults, staring around wide-eyed.
Garek and Selene found themselves again the center of attention. "So," Selene said politely, "how were your travels here? I trust it was uneventful?"
"No problems at all. Caught a caravan returning to Argus. Only took a few days to get here, and not even much in the way of Grimm."
"Grace and Nicholas signed on for escort duty," Rorson added. "Basically paid for the whole trip here."
Garek eyed the pair of curved knives sheathed on either side of Grace's hips. "Ah. Still got the touch, ma?"
"She was a little rusty," Nicholas Arc said, with eyes crinkled, "But she loosened up fast."
"Hmph. Not my fault you stole my first three kills, Arc." Grace's rounded ears flicked in what was either humor or irritation.
"Stole… got to them first… potato, tomato."
That set off some good-natured bickering between the two retired Huntsmen, and Juniper took the opportunity to move over closer to Selene, patting her on the leg as she looked around the room. "Nice place you have here, Selene. Gonna be a tight fit though, finding bed space for everyone," she squinted as if measuring floor space.
Selene's eyes widened.
"She's teasing you, Selene." Garek looked around at the mass of Arc. "You're teasing, right Mrs. Arc?"
That got Nicholas' attention. "Yeah, she's teasing. We're staying at a hotel out in Springhill, just outside town. Lot cheaper."
Whew.
"But we were hoping we could stay with you, if there's space," cautioned Grace.
"Of course, you are very welcome," Selene smiled. "We would love to have you stay with us. We have two spare bedrooms at the moment. You can use one, and Saphron can stay in the other."
"So how long?" Garek ventured.
"We figured we'd spend a few days, make sure Saphron got settled in." Nicholas said.
"Ah, about that…" Garek started, and Saphron's blue eyes locked on to his face. "We talked to Pietro, that's Pete, and he was wondering if you'd be interested in running his Gaming Emporium. And you could stay here with us, until you get your own place of course."
"What?!" they heard Cinder yell happily from the dining room table.
"What?!" Saphron asked, shocked.
Garek lifted his hands. "It'd just be temporary, until you find something else you'd rather do. But it'll pay well, and you'd be doing him and Sophia a favor, since they are getting busier with their other work, and Terra's only able to work part time due to her increasing responsibilities at the Argus CCT Relay. Give you a chance to get on your feet, save up some money."
"I think that's a great idea," said Juniper. "Don't you, Nicholas." Saphron's dad just grunted, and Garek half suspected he'd hoped not to make it quite so easy for Saphron. It was hard letting kids move out of the house, much less to the big city several days travel away.
Saphron looked bewildered. "I don't know how to run a… what did you call it?"
"Pete's Gaming Emporium."
Suddenly Cinder was beside Saphron, grinning like a madlass, with several younger Arc girls behind her. "Oooo you're gonna love it. Pete's is the best place everrrrr, and I can show you the ropes." She frowned, then grinned again. "I'd be jealous even, but I'm gonna start Combat School in January and I'm only thirteen, so I can't run the counter."
"Oh… well, I guess…"
Cinder grabbed Saphron's arm. "Seriously, it's the best. Just say yes." Her expression didn't allow for argument.
Saphron glanced at the adults, a little shocked by the intensity of Cinder's reaction, and finally nodded. "Okay?"
"Awesome! I get to introduce you guys to the Slayers!"
"The… what?"
"The Grimmslayers. It's Cinder's online tournament group," Garek explained, as Cinder led her newfound friends up to her room, the youngest following in their wake, leaving only the adults, Saphron, and Coral downstairs.
Selene leaned in and added quietly, "Well at least three of the four. One of the parents is being… unreasonable because of how Cinder used her Semblance." That got narrowed eyes from Nicholas and Grace in particular. "But that's a story for another evening. Perhaps we should see if there is something we can find to occupy the children for the rest of the day..."
"Before they tear your house down?"
Saphron coughed. "Do you think we could… visit the… Emporium?"
"TONIGHT! WE SHOULD ALL GO TONIGHT!" came a yell from upstairs, to the cheers from a half dozen voices.
"Good grief." Rorson chuckled. "The ears on that kid."
Grace looked enraptured. "Almost like she takes after someone. It's got to be justice for all the years I had to put up with you, Garek." She leaned back. "Selene, did I tell you about the time Garek…"
It was going to be a long few days, Garek decided, not unhappily.
[A/N] So, a lot of interactions this chapter, not a ton of action. We find out that Argent is probably not going to be coming around any time soon, since her mom is clearly having none of it. And Selene finds herself powerless in the face of motherdom.
Cinder is officially registered for Combat School! Woot! The names of the Headmaster and Combat Instructor are both creations of someone at the RWBY Roleplay Fandom site. Administrator Burke is my own addition, and the descriptions of campus and those characters are all mine.
And finally, a wild… horde of Arcs appears along with the unstoppable force of nature that is Grace (and Rorson) Grae. And among those number, we finally get a minimal amount of 'screen time' for 17yo Saphron Arc. Who just happens to have been offered a job at Pete's Emporium… where Terra works part time and hangs out. Which can't possibly lead to anything… I mean it's not like those two end up married with a kid in canon or anything.
What's that you say? Huh, who woulda thunk…
