Walking down the road with her mother and her mother's old teammate, Elise excitedly bounced around despite being completely exhausted. "You two are so cool! I can't believe I'm calling mama cool... but oh my Oum! The way you guys go woo chaaa huu waaa! Ah! It's so cool! Real actual Huntress fighting is so cool! I can't believe you'd give up doing that every day! Wait," She blinked, putting a finger on her chin. "You probably haven't moved like that in years..."
"Yeah, I... may be a wee bit sore for the next few days. Or weeks." Eleanor took a deep breath, stretching her shoulders and neck with her nose scrunched up. "It's nothing a hot bath and some warm tea won't fix." She let out a heavy and long exhausted sigh.
"I'm still surprised Sun and Moon are still functional." Aero chuckled a bit, biting her lip as she pushed up her classes. "I have to tend to The Almighties almost every day. And," She scoffed. "I don't think those blades have seen sunlight in more than a decade."
"Wait... Sun and Moon? The Almighties? What are you talking about?" The young girl blinked, looking up at the blue haired woman in confusion.
"Our weapons." She shook her head, her short blue hair and panda pendant swaying. She reached back, grabbing her paint pallet and special paint brush. "This is the Almighty Brush." She twirled said weapon in her left hand. "And this is the Almighty Pallet." She smiled, twirling said object on her finger.
"And these are Sun and Moon." Her mother eyed her hip, glancing at the dim grey and faded golden mountain climber pick axes.
"Oh my... don't tell me..." Elise groaned, rubbing her face. "You guys are one of the losers that name their weapons!"
"What?" Aero blinked. "What do you mean losers? Everyone names their weapons."
"No they don't!" She quickly protested, waving her arms.
"Yes they do." Eleanor crossed her arms. "What's your rifle called?"
"Evergreen. But that's not the point. I didn't name it. Kris did when we were busy trying not to die while fighting a Grimm that possessed a human..." The brunet trailed off, seeing the glare her mother was giving her. "U-Um... look! It's Keegan's house!" She rushed to the door. "This is where we devised our big plan and decided to meet back up after! Though you two could have gone back to anywhere else."
"And leave you to walk the streets alone in the shape you are!?" Her mother mumbled, half panicked. "You're crazy!"
"And I'm not letting her out of my sight again." The blue haired woman smiled, pointing towards her friend.
Elise rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she opened the door. "Whatever..."
Inside, Cheyenne and Maya were sitting on the ground in front of the off holo vid screen. Maya teaching her sister the strategy behind playing chess. The Faunus glanced over, eyeing the brunet before glancing away with a sigh.
In the kitchen, Kris was scooping out balls of vanilla ice cream and placing them into small bowls. To which Dino bounced around excitedly before placing a spoon in each. The redhead acting different than she normally would, but in a good way.
On the couch, Baren sat on the left side. Her legs crossed as she sat on them. Her left hand resting against her left knee as she slouched forward slightly. Along with her ninjato at her side, she still had Kagami's sword strapped to her back.
Said jadette sat next to her, her legs up with her knees tucked into her chest. Her arms wrapped around them as she stared down at her feet. Her combat boots off as she had on a pair of light green socks.
"Um," The young farm girl blinked, glancing around at her friends. "Did I miss something? Why is everyone so down and gloomy?"
"Kagami killed Shinrin..." Cheyenne trailed off, taking a deep breath as she glanced down.
"Wh-What?" She tilted her head as her eyebrows rose. Her eyes trailing towards her team leader.
"And now she's being moody and quiet and pouty and not talking." Baren huffed, closing her eyes. "I've had to deal with a twelve year old and a thirteen year old before, I don't want to deal with this for a third time." Her brow twitched.
Elise was quiet for a moment, staring at her friend. Gritting her teeth, she gripped the sleeves of the green hoodie tight. "But... that wasn't supposed to happen... we were just trying to stop everyone from hurting others..."
Eleanor and Aero both glanced at each other for a moment. The two of them both eyeing Baren curiously. The tone in the small girl's voice though, it was so immensely familiar to both of them. "Elise..." Her mother mumbled, holding out a hand only to flinch as she was cut off.
"Yeah well," Irritation on the pinkette's face. "Sometimes your team's plan doesn't go according to plan. Not every plan works as smoothly as you think!" Her voice began to rise. "Sometimes everything you worked so hard to achieve isn't worth it in the end! Sometimes after years of hard work, all that progression is shot down because of one single thing!" She opened her eyes, about to continue only to blink and glance down.
Smiling brightly, Dino held a pink plastic bowl with ice cream and a spoon in it. He ushered it towards her, smiling more with a nod.
"No..." She half growled, narrowing her eyes down at him.
He shook his head back, still smiling as he pushed it towards her more. The spoon moving slightly around the rim of the bowl.
Her brow twitched slightly before she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. After a moment, she gently reached out, taking the bowl. "Thank you." She muttered, setting it in her lap while grabbing the spoon.
"I don't..." Elise gulped, glancing around before slowly walking towards Kris who handed another bowl to Dino who quickly gave it to Maya. "What..." She looked over at her team leader before back at the redhead. "What happened? Why is she so... so..." She trailed off, lowering her head.
She just slowly shook her head, handing the young boy another both. This time, he rushed over to give it to Cheyenne. "Baren said it has to do with how she was raised. The people of Vytal, since its kinda this whole peace island due to the Great War ending there, are extreme pacifist. They would have drilled into her head since she was little not to fight or kill. And as much of a..." She trailed off a bit with a faint smile. "Even with how much she doesn't follow tradition very well, what she was told all the time when she was little about it being bad sticks with her. Plus... just the thought of killing someone..." She trailed off, her voice lowering as she gulped, handing Dino another bowl.
"You know," Aero interjected. "I've actually heard the island of Vytal has changed a lot in the past five years due to the Kingdom of Atlas influencing them more and more." She held up a finger. "I've never been there myself but I've heard a lot of talk about it."
"Well," Eleanor let out a sigh, nodding towards the young Faunus that handed her a bowl of ice cream. "Okay, well..." She exhaled, shaking her head a bit.
The blue haired woman blinked a little, eyeing the pinkette before a lightbulb seemed to flick on inside her head. "Wait a minute!" Her eyes widened a bit. "Baren! That's it! You're the one-!" She was cut off just as Dino handed her a bowl.
The door to the house opening up as Keegan stepped inside. She blinked, glancing around at everyone. "Why... did the number of people in my house double?"
"It's a long story and we're super sorry." Cheyenne set her bowl down next to the chess board before jumping to her feet. "It's been... a lot has happened and we all needed a big enough place to go. We'll be out of here in no time. I promise."
"Hey, where's Nihilus and Thanaton?" Elise raised an eyebrow.
"Long store." The officer exhaled, taking off her shoes as her son rushed over towards her, his alligator tail swaying back and forth. "Thanks." She ruffled his hair before taking the bowl as she stepped forward. "Guess we all need a quick debriefing, huh?"
"That may be for the best." Kris muttered, helping Dino get another bowl.
A while later, as Kagami fell asleep on the couch with Baren at her side, the entire group retold their stories of their fights. The battles and hurdles they overcame and the sheer luck that kept them alive through the night.
"Hold on," Keegan's eyebrows were raised as she held up her dirty and battered red bandana. Dino asleep in her lap. "You're telling me, you managed to defeat Tenebris with this?"
"Yep." Elise nodded, sitting on the floor next to the coffee table. "It was... something for sure. I'm actually surprised I managed to..." She glanced down, chewing on her lip a little.
"And you completely crippled Sin?" The officer quickly looked at the redhead who nodded.
"Yep." Kris yawned a bit, despite the rising sun. "She's... she's not going to hurt anyone anymore. And if she tries to, I'll stop her before she can." She faintly smiled, leaning back up against the couch a little.
The canine Faunus shook her head, eyeing Cheyenne. "And then you have a twin that's... Wait a minute." She blinked, rapidly looking between the two. "Hold on."
"What is it?" The deer Faunus slowly tilted her head.
"You're twins." Her brows furrowed. "Which means you were both born with a Faunus parent. The Faunus Gene is dominant. Both of you should have some sort of animal trait."
"Huh?" Maya glanced at her sister before back at the Faunus officer. "What do you mean?"
"You should both have an animal trait." Keegan thought quietly for a moment. "Unless... you two were really one body and aura combined. Then for some reason it separated in the womb, creating one half with the dominant gene and then the second half without. That's... a scientific phenomenon." She shook her head before staring at the two. "I have never heard of anything like this! It's amazing!"
"Um..." Cheyenne blinked, slowly pulling away as she glanced at her sister who simply shrugged back at her.
"I don't think I've heard of that happening either." Aero yawned, Eleanor leaning on her shoulder and sleeping. "I've been all over and not once heard of it..." She mumbled, dozing off a little.
"It must be a really rare case..." Keegan reached up, rubbing her eyes. "It's really cool if you think about it. They're both each half of the same aura. Incomplete without each other."
"Uh huh." Maya yawned, stretching out her arms. "I think... I'm going to go to sleep before heading back to Natus."
"Yeah, I'm exhausted too..." Cheyenne muttered, slowly leaning back onto the floor. Her sister following suit.
"Pussies..." Kris mumbled, waving her hand a little as her head slowly lowered, her eyes closing.
"Heh." Elise scoffed, watching as she dozed off before eyeing the officer. "Hey... can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?" Keegan glanced at her before reaching over and grabbing a tennis ball from the coffee table to fidget with.
"So, since, when... when a criminal dies when being arrested, what happens to them? To their stuff?" She gulped a bit, rubbing her arm a little.
"Well," She spun the ball around a bit before bouncing it. "It truly just depends what happens to them. But I can for certain say their stuff would be logged in and filed in the evidence room. There's stuff there dating back forty years ago or more."
The brunette nodded, slowly standing up. "I'll be back in a little. Don't worry. You don't need to wake anyone. I'll be fine. I just need to tend to one more thing before we're done here."
Keegan blinked, slowly nodding as she faintly smiled. "Should I even try to stop you?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Only if you want to waste your breath." She winked, leaving both her weapons behind as she walked out the door.
The Faunus sighed, shaking her head a little before eyeing the old warrior sitting on the couch. "You know you can relax and sleep too. I could get you a blanket if you're cold."
"I'm not cold." Baren mumbled, keeping her eyes shut as she remained as still as a statue. "I appreciate the offer though, but I'm fine." She took a deep breath, eyeing Kagami before closing her eyes again. "She could use a blanket. Despite her not asking for one. She has trouble sleeping comfortably without a cover."
"Right." The officer stared at the jadette for a moment before glancing down with a soft sigh and a nod. "I'll get one."
In the Vale Police Department's station, more specifically the evidence room, a cloud of smoke traveled through the air vents unseen. The smoke swirling as it dropped down the the floor, spiraling and raising upward. As it dispersed, Elise appeared, panting softly while resting on one knee. After catching her breath, she glanced around while slowly standing up straight.
Walking silently, she made her way down the aisles. Listing the alphabet in her head and on her fingers as she past shelf after shelf, she finally came to a stop. Reaching up and standing on her toes, she pulled a box marked with Monomane, S down. Setting it on the ground, she moved several items around before reaching in and pulling something out.
Putting the box back, she took a deep breath and crouched back down. She moved her hand, gently brushing across the green fabric of Kagami's hoodie before grabbing a cloak made of the same mysterious material. She heavily inhaled, closing her eyes for a moment before standing up. Holding up the cloak, she eyed the dark stain on it before she began to fold it carefully.
At the Bad Blood Bandits' campsite, Jade was one triggering moment away from completely losing all her sanity. Her mental state wavering back on forth on nothing more than a thin wire. As the rest of the tribe was packing up to move to another location, her fingers were trembling as she nervously spun a single throwing knife between them as she paced around.
"No... no, no, no." She shook her head, closing her red and weary eyes as she gritted her teeth. "Dad... dad should be here telling us where to go to next. What small town to raid next." She shakily inhaled, gripping the knife tight before leaning up against a wooden post and sliding down it. She slid the knife back into her boot before slowly reaching up and rubbing her face. She then moved her hands back, running her fingers through her hair with a distraught look on her face.
She already lost her mother, this couldn't be happening too. Her father couldn't be dead. Her limbs began to tremble as she gritted her teeth. Her short green hair slightly messier than usual. "I'm not ready... I can't do this. I'm not ready to lead the tribe yet. I'm not ready. Dad needs to be here..." She inhaled sharply, closing her eyes as her body tensed.
"Hey, Jade!" One of the female bandits shouted, calling her from a distance.
She sighed, exhaling as she pushed herself up. Her limps still weak and uneasy as she began to walk over behind a tent being taken down. "Yeah? What is it?" She blinked, stopping dead in her tracks. Her shoulders squaring as her brow furrowed. After a moment, her eyes narrowed as her jaw clenched. "You..." She trailed off.
On her knees, Elise was softly breathing with a green drawstring bag on her shoulders. Her heart beat thumping like a drum inside her head. Her hands cold and sweaty. What the actual hell was she doing? She was going to die. She was going to murder her and then she'll leave all her friends and family behind. She was crazy. Absolutely crazy. Why in Oum's name was she doing this? Why would she even think about coming here?
Because it's what needed to be done. And that's what Huntsmen and Huntress do. They do what's needed to be done and stand up for what's right, no matter the consequences or the backlash. They do what has to be done.
"Jade..." The brunet bit her lip, glancing up at the young woman as she gulped.
"Y-You..." The bandit trembled, pupils dilating before she reached down and pulled out her Bowie knife. In an instant, she gave off a rageful cry. Her eyes watering slightly before she lunged towards the girl. She snatched her up by the neck, shoving her up against a tree while pressing the tip of her blade against her abdomen. "What?! Do you have a death wish or something?!" She shouted, hands trembling. "Do you WANT to die?!"
"No... no." Elise whimpered, her eyes shut tight. Her entire body shaking as she kept her hands at her sides. "I... I just... I brought something for you..."
"She didn't come with anyone else or weapons." A bandit to the side pointed out.
Growling, Jade glared at the girl before pulling back. She sniffled, hands still shaking as she kept her cold glare. "You have ten seconds to change my mind on whether or not I should kill you."
With her knees buckling, she fell down to the ground before reaching behind her back. She swung the drawstring bag around. She paused for a moment, her hands visibly shaking as she slowly opened the bag. She reached in, carefully pulling out Shinrin's folded up cloak. "You... you said that in the Monomane Clan... or, well family... that these were special and passed down from parent to child... and that it's a very important moment... and a tradition that's been happening for thousands of years..." She swallowed, shaking. She was rambling again. Her jaw clenched as she held up the cloak while lowering her head and closing her eyes. "I... this... this is yours... it doesn't belong in an evidence locker... even if you are a criminal... family is important... and so are their traditions... I know I'm not your father... and I'm no replacement... but... I think you're strong enough to have his cloak..." She gulped, remaining still.
There was a very long pause, silence washing over. Elise began to shake more, a cold sweat breaking out across her neck. She opened her eyes to stare at the ground before flinching as she felt the cloak being taken from her grasp.
Staring down at the green fabric, Jade kept her silence. The wind howling against her and blowing her short green hair. She slowly swallowed, glancing at the young girl before looking back down. "Leave." She muttered with a shaky tone, watching as the brunet looked up then quickly scrambled to her feet before running away into the woods. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she brought the item to her chest and held it tight. Her arms trembling as her knees gave in. Falling to the ground, she hunched forward. Tears streaming down her face as she cried out, her fingers digging into her father's cloak.
Her cloak.
Walking through the woods, Elise was visibly shaking as she rubbed her arms. She honestly felt like throwing up. The Battle of Vale was bringing back memories of the Fall of Beacon. In both instances, she needed someone to save her. Both times, Kagami had to step up and do what had to be done. Both times, countless innocent people were hurt and hordes of Grimm entered the city. No matter how hard she tried, everything kept crumbling. Evil kept coming. The bad guys were still the ones getting more out of every battle. Even if the good guys won.
She shakily exhaled, walking into an opening while swallowing thickly. Blinking, her brows furrowed ever so slightly as she spotted a very old man with glasses sitting on a log next to a pond. "Um..." She slowly approached. Upon getting closer, she could see a fishing pole in his hand. The wire thrown out into the middle of the water. "Mister? Are you sure you should be out here alone? Grimm are still prowling around the outskirts of the city."
"Hm?" Wearing a dark green booney hat, he turned his head to look at her. Wearing a matching vintage trail jacket and light brown khaki cargo pants, he began to chuckle softly while smiling. Shaking his head, he looked back at the fishing wire sitting in the water. "Why would I be afraid of Grimm? They should be the ones that fear me."
"But..." She blinked, staring at him for a moment. She then gave a soft sigh, looking at the water before back at him. "Do... do you mind if I sat by you for a while? Papa used to take me fishing all the time when I was younger."
"Go ahead." He nodded, shifting the grip on his fishing pole as she sat down. He then eyed her, tilting his head before looking forward again. "You feeling okay?"
She went to speak, only to stop and go silent for a moment. She then sniffed, bringing her legs into her chest as she hugged them. "...no..." She quietly let out a small whimper.
"You know," He kept his gaze forward. "Life is never completely without challenges."
"I know but..." She trailed off, taking a deep breath before tightening the grip on her legs as she shut her eyes. "It's just... ever since I was little, I wanted to seek adventure. Which lead me wanting to help people. And I keep trying to be a Huntress and do that and be the hero but... people still keep getting hurt. No matter what my friends or I do, we can't save everyone."
"Another definition of a hero is someone who is concerned about other people's well-being and will go out of his or her way to help them, even if there is no chance of a reward. That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real Huntress." He chuckled a bit, smiling over at her.
"But my friends and I... we keep trying so hard and bad stuff keeps happening." She glanced at her, resting her head on her knees. "It's like we have the worst luck in the world." She let out a heavy exhale.
"Listen," He slouched forward, letting his shoulders relax."Luck's a revolving door, you just need to know when it's your time to walk through." He reeled in the fishing wire a few feet before stopping. "We all wish we had superpowers. We all wish we could do more than we can do. No one has a perfect life. Everybody has something that they wish was not the way it is."
She stared at him for a long moment, listening to the birds chirping as the wind howled through the trees. "We keep fighting unwinnable battles though. What's the point if people still get hurt?"
"There must always be those with the fire of rebellion in their blood!" His voice rose as he softly chuckled. "There must always be those who will dare to fight an unbeatable enemy. Only thus can the race of man and Faunus remain strong and fearless." He looked back over at her. "And the only way we will ever be able to grow and evolve into something better than what we are now."
"My team leader is strong and fearless..." She muttered before trailing off a little. "And she's been rebelling against tradition her whole life... but..."
"But what?" He raised an eyebrow.
"She... she's not really talking to anyone at the moment." She took a deep breath then sighed. Slowly, she stretched her legs out and leaned forward. "You see during the big battle last night, there was this big bad green dude. And well, she's like the best person ever. She's the best kind of person you could ever meet and the best friend you could imagine. She's always doing what's right and when we were at Beacon she always managed to keep good grades despite all the running around we did. She's brave and kind and strong and has the strongest moral compass and she's just everything anyone could ask for. Its just... this stupid green jerk... he made her... he forced her to kill him. He was dying anyway and was on a last resort idea and forced her to kill him." She gulped, closing her eyes.
He blinked very slowly, reeling in his fishing pole just a little more before stopping again. "This reminds me of a story I wrote many years ago. Oh what was the boy's name... ah, I can't remember. Anyway, his best friend's father became his enemy, and in the end, after he was beaten, he tried to kill the boy as a last resort but instead he ended up killing himself. The boy took it heavily and blamed himself for it all. It left a heavy mark on his heart considering he was trying to be a hero and save and protect people. It took some time, but eventually he learned to leave with it. He learned that sometimes people have to make hard decisions. Especially those that want to be the hero of their story. Give your friend some time, I'm sure things will be alright." He looked at her before giving a nod and a smile.
She took a deep breath, looking over before smiling a little. She moved her hands, letting them rest against the rough bark of the log.
Seeing her expression lift, he chuckled while reeling in more of his line. "You also seem very fond of this friend." His head tilted. "Are the two of you, you know?" He grinned at her.
"H-Huh?" She glanced over, blinking rapidly as a quick wave of confusion rushed across her. "What do you..." She trailed off as something dawned on her. Her eyes slowly went wide as her face reddened. "N-No! She's just my best friend you perverted old man!" She stuttered, quickly looking away from him.
"Hmm, whatever you say." He waved her off, continuing to reel in his line. "I would like to have a cameo at your wedding."
She rolled her eyes, huffing a little as she crossed her arms. She stared at her feet for a moment before slowly smiling. "Thanks though. I think I feel a little better." She smiled a little more.
"You know, I guess one person can make a difference. 'Nuff said..." He chuckled while trailing off.
"Yeah, I suppose." She took a deep breath. "My name is Elise by the way. What's-" She looked up, blinking. She glanced around, the old man completely gone without a trace. His fishing pole resting against the log. The line reeled in all the way with no hook or bait on the end. She stared at it for a moment, slowly tilting her head as her brows furrowed. He had been happily fishing without hook or bait.
She faintly smiled, looking forward at the rippling water of the pond. She inhaled, closing her eyes for a moment before nodding. She exhaled, opening her eyes as she stood up. "Tomorrow can always be brighter than today. Darkness can't last forever." She nodded more before she began to walk back towards the city. Though one thing she couldn't shake from her head. One thing that was bothering her. The old man had mentioned her and Kagami, but she was just her best friend. There wasn't anything else. Was there?
As evening fell, Elise opened the door to Keegan's house completely exhausted. She yawned, rubbing her eyes as she glanced inside. Everyone who has fallen asleep was still asleep and canine Faunus was now resting too. Though, Baren was still sitting upright on the couch. Her eyes closed as she sat on her legs with her arm resting over them. She raised an eyebrow, shutting the door behind her as she stepped in. "Do you ever sleep?" She quietly asked with a scoff.
"I'll sleep when I'm dead." The old warrior mumbled, glancing up to eye her. "You look exhausted."
"I am..." The young girl yawned again, slouching forward as her head drooped down.
"You should rest then." She straightened her spine.
"I... am..." Elise trailed of, her knees growing weak as her eyes slowly shut. As she fell forward and collapsed, her body fell limp into the pinkette's left arm.
Sighing, Baren shook her head softly while moving the unconscious girl in front of the couch and gently laying her down. She glanced around for a moment, eyeing everyone before sitting back down with her legs crossed. Placing her arm in her lap, she looked over at Kagami for a moment. Staring at the young Huntress in training, she exhaled before looking away and closing her eyes.
Night came and went as the group took the time to rest. Groaning softly as she awoke, Kris' nose twitched as she shifted around. Stretching out her arms and legs, she let out a yawn before opening her eyes. Sniffing the air, she purred softly before sitting up. "I smell food."
In the kitchen, Eleanor and Aero stood side by side in front of the stove. In a very large cast iron skillet, a large mass of scrambled eggs was being mixed and cooked by the bluette. "Now add the sauted onions, bell peppers and mushrooms to it." She pointed over towards Eleanor who was at a much smaller skillet making and omelette.
"And no ham or bacon? Oum, that is weird." She muttered, taking a rubber spatula around the edges. "You have to at least add some sausage or something or it isn't breakfast."
"Nope." Scrambling the eggs with one hand, she reached over and grabbed several bottles of seasoning before sprinkling it over the vegetables. "But add this. It'll make it taste better. They would do this in Menagerie and mhmm, it was amazing." She nodded with a grin.
"Whatever you say." Eleanor shook her head, adding some shredded cheese before rolling the omelette up. "But I'm sure the ham in the oven will taste a million times better."
"Yeah, only because I helped you season it." She softly chuckled.
Shaking her head as she rolled her eyes, she slid the egg and vegetable breakfast onto a plate. "Whatever." She mumbled, setting the skillet down before adding cut chives to the top of it. "If that helps you sleep at night, sure go ahead and tell yourself that." She slid the plate aside, reaching out towards a pot with eggs drop soup, green onions and mushrooms in it. Gently stirring, she glanced over at her old teammate. "Is the tea ready?"
"Almost." Aero eyed a teapot on the stove, seeing it begin to steam slightly. "I still don't understand how you three would drink this stuff. It's so... not sweet. And bitter. And disgusting." She shook her head with a small shiver.
"Hey, it's no better than that black death." She pointed towards a coffee pot that was brewing. "I'll never understand how anyone drinks that caffeinated nightmare."
"Well we can both agree on that." She smiled, taking the cast iron skillet off the stove as she dumped the scrambled eggs onto a large serving tray. "I'll just stick with hot chocolate. Which I still need to make." She set the skillet down, sliding backwards towards the fridge.
"Still bad for you." She pointed out while putting a pair of oven mitts on. Bending down, she pulled out a perfectly cooked ham from the oven. Setting it down, she moved the hunk of meat to a large platter before she began to cut it into thin slices. "Is there anything we're missing?"
"Not as far as I can tell." She mumbled back before stepping over towards a cabinet and grabbing seven plates along with a bowl. The bowl which she set down next to the vegetable omelette.
Groggily walking over, Kris rubbed her eyes while walking up towards the two. "You... guys made breakfast?" She stared blankly at them with a hint of confusion.
The two women both glanced at her, simultaneously nodding.
Staring at them for a bit longer, the redhead eventually shook her head. Her messy bed hair spiking outward a bit. "Can I help?" She quietly asked while stepping forward.
Aero blinked, glancing at Eleanor before shrugging. "Here you go." She held out the stack of plates towards her. "Baren-sama won't eat even if we gave her a five course meal, then you and Kagami have your own."
"My own?" She blinked, tilting her head before she started to set the table.
"Well you can't just eat eggs for breakfast." Eleanor glanced at her. "I mean meat and eggs would be better but I suppose since you're so small and skinny vegetables and eggs will do."
She let out a soft growl, glaring before letting out a huff of air as she sighed. "Whatever." She mumbled before half smiling as she grabbed forks.
Later on that morning, as Baren remained sitting on the couch with a cup of tea resting in her hand, the rest of the group managed to squish themselves together at the table. Kagami with a bowl of egg drop soup along with a cup of tea as Kris had her vegetarian omelette with straight black coffee. The rest of them scooping out spoonfuls of scrambled eggs from the plate in the middle of the table or stabbing slices ham to bring to their plate. Dino drinking milk, Keegan having her usual mixture of coffee and wine, Aero with peppermint hot chocolate, Elise and Eleanor with tea, and Maya and Cheyenne drinking coffee and creamer.
"Oh Oum!" Elise grinned from ear to ear as she took slice after slice of ham, piling them onto her plate. "I love it when you make breakfast ham! It's so fucking good!"
"Hey, language." Eleanor glared while eyeing Dino. "There's a kid here."
"Oh, we've been over this." Cheyenne half chuckled while taking a small bite. "It's fine. He can't repeat the words anyway."
"Huh?" Maya eyed her with raised eyebrows before glancing at the smaller alligator Faunus. "You really can't speak? I thought you were being shy?"
Dino glanced up at her, quickly shaking his head before going back to eating.
"So you're a mute." Aero leaned down towards him. "How did that happen?" She blinked, tilting her head.
"Long story." Keegan let out a breath of air. "People... really aren't nice to Faunus in the underground webs of crime." She shook her head, tearing off a piece of ham with her teeth as her canine ears titch. "Damn that's good." She mumbled while chewing.
"It always is." Elise chuckled before glancing over at her team leader she was sitting next to. She exhaled, slowly leaning over and nudging her. "You know, you don't have to eat some sort of Mistral styled food every time we eat." She mumbled then grinned. "You could always eat a chunk of meat like a true carnivore!"
Kagami glanced over at her, a blank expression on her face before she sighed. She slowly looked away, raising her spoon as she sipped down some of the soup.
The brunet sighed back, slowly pulling away as she glanced down. "Or... not."
"So," Keegan wiped her mouth, glancing at the four girls. "What's your next plan of interfering with everyone's affairs?"
"What do you mean?" Eleanor cocked her head. "They're going to rest now after everything."
"Would we have rested?" Aero grinned, gulping down hot chocolate as she eyed her.
"That's... a good question." Kris blinked slowly while taking a bite of her omelette. She eyed Kagami before quickly looking between her two other teammates. "What is our next move?"
"I would actually agree with relaxing." Maya pointed out before rubbing her arm. "I'll be heading back to Natus soon to go back with mom and dad. I'd suggest you four relax and do the same."
"We tried after the Fall of Beacon." Elise mumbled. "It didn't work out very well... we're not good at staying still and doing nothing."
"Maybe..." Cheyenne bit her lip before glancing up. "Maybe we should do what Maya said. Well, sorta. Go somewhere different while still helping people out but relaxing too"
"Huh?" Kris tilted her head. "Like a vacation?"
"Yeah. Sorta." She poked her fingers together. "Nihilus and Thanaton haven't been home, they don't even know if their parents are alive. And that's... a terrible feeling." She swallowed. "What if we took a small trip to Mistral so we could discover the truth?"
At the sound of the Kingdom's name, Baren's eyes quickly opened as she glanced over. Her body stiffening as her jaw squared.
"But what about Vale? There's still a lot of people that need help around here. And bad guys to stop." Elise quickly pointed out.
"Don't worry." Keegan reassured. "You four have done more than enough. You girls deserve a break away from the city. Try not to be too long though." She playfully winked. "I'd hate to admit it, but it's nice having you guys around. Helpful too."
"Then it's settled?" Kris looked at her team before eyeing her leader.
The jadette glanced up, giving a very small shrug before lowering her head and taking a sip of tea.
Elise blinked, her body tensing a little. Maybe helping the two twins find their parents would help get Kagami back on her feet. That's what truly mattered at the moment. She took a deep breath, giving a nod. "It's settled." Baren wanted to make sure she, Kris and Cheyenne were strong enough teammates to help hold up Kagami, and she was damn well going to be one. They were her best friends after all. "We're going to take a trip to Mistral."
Later that day after Maya had left to go home, as team MACE was informing the twins of their new adventure, Eleanor was nervously washing the dirty dishes at Keegan's. The officer already having left for work. She swallowed, feeling her hands shake before setting the plate she was washing down. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.
"You're worried about them going to Mistral, aren't you?" Aero quietly asked while wiping down the table.
"Why wouldn't I be?" She mumbled back. "That's... that's the place where everything went down hill with us. And they're younger and far less experienced..."
"Don't worry." Baren spoke up, now laying down across the couch with her arm resting over her chest and eyes closed. "I'll go with them to make sure nothing happens."
"Really?" Eleanor looked over at her, confusion washing over her.
"I thought you completely hated Animus, Baren-sama." Aero blinked. "Midori said-"
"I do." She interjected before taking a very long deep breath. "Which is why I'm going. To make sure nothing happens to them. Or Kagami." Hearing footsteps, the lone warrior opened her eyes to look over at Dino who smiled at her. "Go away." She hissed.
He simply smiled more, his tail swaying before he held out a pink fleece blanket towards her.
She growled, quickly snatching the blanket with a huff and pulling it over herself. Letting out a sigh, she rolled onto her side then eyed him. "I truly hate you, and despise everyone your age." She went silent for a moment. "But thank you." She grumbled, closing her eyes again.
"See, they'll be safe." Aero smiled at her friend while ringing out a rag. But you know, if they're going somewhere..." She trailed off.
"No, I can't." Eleanor looked at her. "I have three little boys and one big boy I need to take care of. I can't."
"Not right now." The bluette gestured her arms in defense. "I've waited nearly two decades. I can wait a little longer. What if you prepared? Made sure everything would be fine while you're gone? Could we travel to Vytal then? Just for a little? Maybe?" Her voice softened as she pushed up her red framed glasses. Her panda pendant swaying across her chest.
Exhaling, she slowly shook her head. Biting her lip, she began to wash dishes again. "Maybe."
Sitting inside her nightclub at a table, Sanguine swirled a glass of wine around. Her eyes watching it closely. Her daughter sitting across from her. The of them sitting in silence for the longest time before she slowly raised her glass, the rim pressing between her lips as she took a long sip. Setting it down, she slowly rubbed her chin. "So, Miss Sin is no longer of any use to us?"
"Nope." Katie mumbled, keeping her head low. Her dog in her lap. "Nihilus and Thanaton are out of the question too. That stupid girl got to him. Or something, I don't know." She heavily grumbled.
"Hmm." She gave a slow nod, picking up her glass again. "I see." She took a deep breath, straightening her spine before glancing over at the muscular waiter rushing over in nothing but his golden bow tie and underwear. "Speak." She set her cup down, crossing her arms.
"It's about Mr. Tenebris, ma'am." He panted softly. "It seems someone was able to take him down. He's currently in Vale's maximum security prison. I've tried contacting Dion but it seems he already escaped beforehand.."
"Guess you'll have to work some of your magic, mommy." The spoiled blonde brat mumbled, eyeing her mother.
"No. He can stay where he is." She said plainly, taking another sip of her drink.
"What? But... Tohopka one of our strongest. We can't just leave him in prison." Katie's brows furrowed as she held out her arms. "We need him to keep out all those pest from getting in here-"
"We don't need him, understand?" The crime boss narrowed her eyes. "I can deal with those things myself. Besides," She leaned back a little. "I owe someone a couple favors."
Her daughter stared at her for a few seconds, blinking before slowly before eyeing the waiter who shrugged before turning around to walk off.
"Wait." Sanguine glanced at him, holding up her empty glass. "Refill, please. And..." She faintly began to smile. "I'd like a bounty all across the continent of Sanus. Those four girls that interfered. I want every person in the underground to know of them. Do not let them set foot on this continent without them having to deal with being hunted. And make sure that cowboy in Vacuo knows. The one with a daughter and a boyfriend that won't hit a lady. The one that only accept those worthless gold coins as his payment for assignments."
"Of course." The waiter quickly nodded before stepping aside to grab a bottle of wine. "I'll send word to Mr. Black as soon as I possibly can."
"I don't think I have every felt so uneasy in my life." Nihilus mumbled, trying to stop himself from trembling as he sat on a boat. The continent of Sanus now barely visible as water surrounded them.
"Or it's your concussion." Thanaton joked with a half smile.
Val sighed, shaking her head a bit. "You think you feel uneasy? I shot your mother and kidnapped you two." She rubbed her face a bit.
"Welp," Elise clasped her hands together, Kagami's sword strapped to her back. The jadette sitting quietly beside her. "We're already off to a great start."
"I know you two are scared," Cheyenne softly muttered. "But you'll feel better knowing the truth. I'm sure your father will be ecstatic to see you two."
As the brother went silent, the twin sister slowly rubbed her arm. "Do you even think he's still alive? Or... or if our mother made it?"
"That's why we're trying." Kris smiled. "We'll be here to support you the whole way." She smiled at the two siblings then eyed Val. "And you too."
She looked up at her, brushing her pink hair aside before looking down.
"And I'm coming with to make sure nothing bad happens in general." Baren's voice shook the air around them, making everyone except Kagami and Nihilus jump.
"Wh-What? Where did you come from?!" Elise yelped, scooting over a little as she sat down.
"Just be quiet. I'm here to make sure nothing bad happens to any of you." She mumbled softly. "Animus is a very dangerous place to be."
"How would you know?" Kris asked.
The question gaining a small response from Kagami. She looked up at her friend before quickly looking at her mentor then back down.
Sighing, Baren rubbed her face a bit before letting her arm rest on her knee. "I will tell you the story once and only once." She narrowed her eyes.
"Who is she?" Thanaton whispered to Nihilus.
He shrugged back. "I have no clue."
"Wonderful..." Val rolled her eyes.
"Story? What story?" Cheyenne tilted her head.
Taking a deep breath, Baren closed her eyes for a moment. She went silent before quietly speaking. "The story of my team. And why I won't allow you to go to that continent alone. Nearly forty-five years ago..."
"Wait. What? How old are you?" Elise blinked before flinching at the cold glare she was given.
"Don't call me old." The pinkette hissed before regaining her composer. "As I was saying, forty-five years ago, when I first started Haven Academy..."
"The only advice anybody can give is if you want to be a writer, keep writing. And read all you can, read everything."
Excelsior!