Their stay at Menagerie was brief, much to Walker's relief, and they were all back at Mother Base once more. Well, Walker, Red, and Jaune were able to. Blake had to practically beg to stay in Menagerie with Amiya for a couple more days and he granted it. It was quiet in the Metal Throne as he sat in his seat while multiple Skull-Drones hovered in front of him, displaying screens for him to look at. Some were of the farms, both on the platforms and underwater, and others were either of the factories or simply an aerial view of the base.
Over time, the base had taken a somewhat futuristic gothic appearance that he had come to adore. He hummed when he looked at one screen and saw the exterior of the Forge. It was a massive building that produced the weapons and armor of war for the Gears to use. Brock and Simon had control of it right underneath him and the two of them were unrivaled when it came to crafting the equipment for the Gears. To have something crafted by them personally was considered an honor and usually the weapons they made were for senior Gears who had proven themselves.
He looked at another screen to see a group of specialized Gears training with Scorcher Flamethrowers. They wore special armor to protect them from the heat and he was starting to think a few of them enjoyed it. To see the Locust writhe around in agony as the flames burned them was always pleasing to see. Some people would consider this inhumane but they weren't the ones dealing with genocidal monsters on a daily basis.
There was a ping on one of the screens and he saw that there was a notification. He tapped the screen and saw it was about a request to finally be able to enter the Gears' home and he narrowed his eyes when he saw it came from two different parties. The first was from Blake's parents but the second was from Ozpin's party. With some hesitance, he decided to slightly open the doors and let Blake's parents come but immediately shut them when it came to Ozpin.
He knew the reason as to why Menagerie wanted to trade, should they offer manpower and resources to the Gears and BSS then they receive protection and access to some things such as vehicles and supplies. Only two people had the capabilities to manufacture goods, Atlas and the Gears, and the former had to worry about the Locust but weren't willing to let go of the past.
"Walker." A voice called out and with the wave of his hand, the Skull-Drones dispersed a bit, allowing him to look at the person.
"What do you need?" He asked calmly as he rested his head on his right hand.
"I thought you said that you were going to take it easy." Jaune said as he crossed his arms.
"I am taking it easy. Just not the way you thought I would." Walker responded.
"Oh my gods... you-" Jaune started.
"I'm not working, Jaune. I'm just... looking at the place that we all built." Walker answered and with a hand motion, the glove on his hand glowed a bit and the Skull-Drones hovered in front of Jaune, showing him the screens. True to his word, he wasn't working and simply observing.
"So you finally are going to let some people inside?" Jaune gestured to the screen with the notification.
"Figured that it was time. Eventually, we'll need to consider this thing." Walker said.
"I'm glad, how's it going to work out though? It's going to cost a lot of fuel and I'm pretty sure our King Ravens won't make the journey." Jaune said.
"Take a look." Walker said as he bent his index finger and his glove hummed while a Skull-Drone hovered in front of Jaune and showed him an extremely large platform that was being built. It looked large enough to fit a couple airships and still had room for other carriers. There was also another building being constructed near it. It was starting off small but would eventually expand once they got more supplies.
"An airfield? Do we have the funding and supplies for it? Not to mention the fuel?" Jaune asked.
"We do. That substantial amount that we were rewarded from the councils and the amount we constantly earn is enough to pay for it and build it. I wouldn't do this if we didn't have the resources." Walker said as the screen was put in front of him.
"Should have used to that to get more people." Jaune said.
"I'm having more built soon, but the amount of aerial vehicles we have is running out of room to land. Plus... it's only a matter of time before we have to start bringing people here." Walker responded. There was a somewhat depressed tone in his voice but he masked it easily and had Jaune been an airheaded dork like before, he would've easily missed it.
He knew Walker wasn't bitter about bringing people here, he encouraged it sometimes, but he didn't want to have this place overcrowded and eventually problems start to arise from the lack of necessary supplies. Too many mouths to feed and not enough food or shelters was always a problem.
"On an unrelated note, people are starting to get a little bored." Jaune said as he brought up a tablet and tossed it to Walker.
"There's enough to do around here." Walker said as he looked at the contents before handing it back.
"They want an amusement park and-" Jaune started.
"Absolutely not. I don't care how pissed off they get, we're not wasting all those supplies on some stupid amusement park." Walker shook his head quickly.
"And an arcade." Jaune finished.
"No." Walker denied instantly.
"Walker, just think about it. You really think people are just content with shopping and a several cafes?" Jaune asked.
"..." Walker just stared at him blankly and Jaune sighed a bit before rubbing his face.
"I've been around the residential and commercial district a lot lately. People are glad they're safe but they seem a bit... worn out in a sense. They don't have anything to do and the kids around here are bored. I don't know if you've ever really been bored as a kid, but it sucks." Jaune said. Now that he thought about it, he started to realize that Walker didn't really talk about his childhood and he didn't know what he did for fun.
"Then they can study or read. Plenty of stories to tell." Walker said.
"They're kids, it's either they find a way to burn off that pent up energy or start causing trouble." Jaune said.
"So you expect me to drop what... tens of thousands of lien on some place for... fun?" Walker asked, the last word slid off his tongue unpleasantly for some reason. It felt like the word had a touch of poison had kissed his mouth and left an unsavory flavor. He never really had much to do for fun on Sera, it was nearly a constant battle for survival and the moments he had time off, he'd spend with his family.
"Come on, man. We have time, do you really want to spend it all on focusing on the Locust?" Jaune asked.
"..." Walker stared at him before letting his head drop down a bit.
"It's either that or an amusement park. Do you really want to spend all that time and effort on something that would probably go to waste?" Jaune asked.
"Fine... I'll see what I can do about the stupid arcade." Walker sighed.
"Yes!" Jaune clenched his fist while Walker just raised an eyebrow and shook his head. With the amount of money that he had, building something like this wouldn't even make a dent in his pocket. However, he needed to make it clear that this was something for the time being and they better appreciate it since something like this won't happen again anytime soon.
"Don't make me regret building the damn thing." Walker said as he stood up and started to walk down the stairs. He stuffed his hands in his pockets while Jaune followed after him, rattling off on what he needed inside and started to make a list.
After Jaune had managed to convince him to build the arcade, the news spread across Mother Base like a fire. The older generation saw it as a waste of time while the younger ones were ecstatic about the idea and couldn't contain their excitement. All Walker did was shake his head as he sat in the spare bedroom in his apartment and tinkered with Hal on the heavy duty workshop table.
Music played in the background and he finished upgrading Hal before backing up a bit and looked at his new look. He was a bit more sleek in design but had more durable armor as well as more tools for him to switch from. Walker also added a program for Hal to perform more advanced battlefield surgeries should the need arise. The program and installation was expensive but it would be worth it.
He also added better communication's equipment to him that was able to breach through a Seeder's interference. He'd have to put it to the test though when he went back out and saw one. Other than that, it was the same old bot that Walker had come to adore over the years.
Floating over his shoulder was his Skull-Drone that he enjoyed having around now. Those ominous, curt spurts of code that would be heard made others uneasy but he found a sense of ease wiggle its way into his system whenever he heard it. A sharp claw handed him a piece and he took it before adding it to Hal.
After screwing in the final piece, he turned Hal on and the bot hummed to life before spotting him and giving him several light beeps. Walker just pat his chassis a few times before he stood up and walked out of the room, stuffing his hands in his pockets as Hal and his Skull-Drone followed him.
He let his thoughts wander a bit as he made his way down towards the bottom, thinking about what to do next while also tying up loose ends. The sound of rain hitting the windows on the first floor made him perk up a bit and he saw that there were dark storm clouds blanketing the sky. Faint thunder rumbled in the distance and he rolled his shoulders a bit before clicking his C-Droid and issuing a few commands.
It was stashed away and he stepped outside, ignoring the pelting rain and waited patiently at the entrance. After several minutes, a car approached and stopped, allowing the driver to open the door for him and close it once he was inside. Not long after, the car pulled off and he looked at the tablet in the seat next to him before sorting through several documents. All of them were somewhat important but they were mainly going over something that he's seen before.
He was so preoccupied by the documents that he didn't notice how long they had actually travelled.
"Master Ronin." The driver looked in the rearview mirror.
"What is it?" He glanced at him then turned back to the tablet. His answer soon came when he saw that they arrived at the prison platform and were stopped at the gate by a few guards.
"State your business." The Guard ordered to the driver.
"I'm here to handle a certain thorn in my side." Walker said as he rolled down the tinted window and stared at the guard. He was in his early twenties but it was clear he was new here judging by how he tried to make himself seem more intimidating than normal.
"A-Ah, Lord Commander. We didn't expect you to be here." The Guard said as he rubbed the back of his neck. His grip on his Police Lancer tightened and he saluted Walker stiffly.
"That I am." Walker nodded.
"Well... I hate to do this but I'm going to need some identification." The Guard said uncomfortably.
"It's the Lord Commander-" The Driver bristled but stopped when Walker tapped his shoulder lightly.
"It's alright. He's just following protocol and doing his job. No reason to fault him." Walker said calmly as he reached into his pocket and brought out his wallet. He took out his ID and handed it to the guard.
He took it and went back to the kiosk before putting it the information into the computer. After making sure everything checked out, he walked back to the car and handed the ID back to Walker before backing up.
"Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to offend you." The Guard said.
"No offense taken. Take it easy." Walker said cordially before rolling up his window and the driver waited for the gate to open. Once it was fully open, he drove the car into the prison entrance and parked right in the front. Before he could get out and open the door, Walker was already out and telling him to park nearby.
Once he saw the car start to disappear around the corner and park in one of the spots on the left side of the prison, Walker stuffed his hands in his pockets as he made his way to the front entrance. The buzzer was louder than what he originally thought and the heavy metal doors started to open inwards. When they were finally open, he slowly made his way inside.
The guards and warden knew why he was here and they felt relieved that he was finally getting rid of a particular thorn in everyone's side. He was escorted through the complex and glanced at the numerous cells that were filled with prisoners. It was stupid of people to think that there wouldn't be a few bad apples amongst the bunch and the Security Team had to deal with them accordingly. The only difference was that he didn't train the Security Team, that was usually left to Gears who volunteered or was had some experience in police work.
His thoughts were interrupted when they arrived towards the more secure cells on a lower level and he saw a pristine hallway. There were two cells towards the end and the one on the left was slightly dirty and a single light hung above its occupant's head. The cell on the right was cleaner and its occupant had everything they needed to live.
"Open it." Walker ordered as he approached the cell on the left. The guard nodded and slid the keycard into the slot and a loud buzzer went off before a series of locks were heard. The door creaked open and Walker grabbed a nearby wooden chair before sliding it across the floor, creating an unpleasant sound to the person's ears.
He slammed it on the ground before sitting in it and putting his right ankle over his left knee. It was quiet with the exception of the dull buzzing of the light above them and Walker glanced at it before turning back to the gauntly figure right in front of him.
Lucas Reed sat in his chair, his skin clinging to his bones, his body caked with sweat and dirt, and his eyes hazed over. He looked tired, defeated, and generally an empty husk of what he was previously. He was fed just enough to keep him from starving but weak enough so that he didn't have any strength to fight back. His punishment was long and agonizing, but it was nothing compared to what the Locust would have done.
"..." Lucas barely glanced up at Walker before his head sagged down once more.
"..." Walker remained silent as he unlocked the cuffs on Reed's wrists and dragged him out of the cell by the back of his shirt. He felt just the tiny bit of resistance from the Faunus but it was quickly snuffed out when the latter realized he had no strength.
The sound of dragging was faintly heard across the ground and Walker ignored the stares as he continued to slowly drag Reed towards the entrance. Everyone knew what he was about to do and turned a blind eye before continuing on with their day.
"Where... are..." Lucas struggled, his voice was hoarse and dry.
"Don't worry about it." Walker said after he decided to grace the scumbag with an answer. The sky was dark at this point and the grey storm clouds blanketed the sky. Lightning and Thunder struck in the distance but he paid no mind to it as it pelted him. For once, the rain felt phenomenal and he hummed a bit as he continued to drag Reed to a certain location.
It was a section away from prying eyes. The whole section was large enough to fit a Bullhead, but still remained largely unknown to the mass of people with the exception of a few. It's flat surface was enough for him to do what he needed to do and move on with his next set of objectives.
Reed was thrown towards the edge and he coughed weakly before trying to flip onto his back. He could hear the sound of something heavy being dragged across the surface of the small platform and chains rattling before being tossed next to him.
"You know, I should be angry with my Gears for treating you in such a manner..." Walker started as he roughly forced Reed's feet together and began to wrap the chain around his ankles.
Lucas couldn't even respond and whatever noise that escaped his mouth was hoarse and painful.
"Although, you seemed to have it coming in some way shape or form. I read your file, and I have to say that you aren't all that chalked up to be." Walker continued as he tightened the chain painfully before attaching the other end to a cinderblock.
"..." More wheezy noises came from Lucas' throat as he struggled a bit. He heard a faint noise and shakily turned to see the Obsidian Guards standing nearby, as if they were attack dogs waiting for the call.
That's what some would often chalk the group up to be. Walker's personal attack dogs, his death squad that followed his orders without question and nearly always completed their mission. However, he didn't treat them like that. He treated them like people and they in turn treated him as their sole leader. Not even some of the higher ranking Gears were able to control them.
"The only thing you have going for you is your two semblances. You can't exactly fight from what I've seen in footage, and you most certainly can't lead like others. You're simply just there. A mere body to add to the list of names amongst the fallen." Walker said as he forcefully sat Lucas up and stared at him.
"Where... is... Cath-" Lucas choked on his saliva and some dribbled out of his mouth when Walker slammed his fist into his stomach. His head was tilted back painfully and he saw nothing but those blue helmet lights.
"The only difference is that you'll be forgotten. Your name won't be written in the archives and even Atlas scrubbed your files clean. The last thing they wanted was a failure of a spy on their records." Walker finished as he let go of Lucas' head before standing up and walking over to the cinderblock. He stared at the man before setting his foot on the block and adjusting himself a bit.
The Obsidian Guards surrounded the two of them and they stared at Lucas calmly while their grips on their weapons remained firm. None of them said anything as they watched Lucas squirm around and weakly try to escape. His weak fingers desperately clawed at the surface of the platform and he barely went anywhere.
Walker just stared at him and gave a whistle, causing the other man to freeze and look at him from over his shoulders. They stared at one another for several tense seconds before Walker shoved the cinderblock over the edge, sending it plummeting to the stormy water below.
The chains clattered and slid along the surface they were standing on, creating an alarming and haunting noise. Lucas could only watch in dread and terror as the chains tightened and he started to crawl but felt his ankle dislocate as the chains reached his leg. He barely had the chance to give a howl of agony as he was dragged towards the edge rapidly.
The last thing he saw was the dozen red eye lights of the Obsidian Guards' skull helmets and the one pair of blue helmet lights from Walker. He didn't even get to scream before he was dragged and sent plummeting into the water. A colossal splash was faintly seen as his body was sent to the inky darkness below.
Walker just stared at the place where Lucas fell into and raised his right hand. He made a gesture for the Guards to grab their diving equipment and put it on. They barely said a single word as they departed silently, finally feeling a sense of ease as they had the experience to see Reed's demise. Now all they had to do was make sure he drowned and they could relax.
After a while, he just turned around and made his way towards the other side of the platform. He had one thorn in his side dealt with, now he had to deal with some others and he'd be right as rain.
Nobody actually expected Walker to open the doors for trading. They mainly assumed that he would keep everything specifically to the Gears and BSS, but when news spread that he would start to trade with Menagerie, multiple groups started to wait in line. It was mainly groups from Atlas since two kingdoms were officially under Locust control and Vale wasn't what it used to be. Menagerie was merely testing waters when it came to trade and he still needed to figure out how this would work efficiently.
Although the BSS and Gears' presence was on Menagerie, the two mercenary companies never really talked about trade agreements. Sure they had treaties about their occupation on the continent, but they didn't talk about what Menagerie could offer in return besides a place to stay. So Ghira sucked up a bit of his pride and offered the continent's resources.
At first, Walker was going to refuse but he eventually saw the mutual benefits that would arise out of the agreement. Despite what some thought, Menagerie was rich in resources that could be processed. In place of human labor, robots would be used, which was why Walker had purchased hundreds from Atlas surprisingly.
Raw materials would come into Mother Base and manufactured goods would come out and be distributed. While it did sound failproof, there were bound to be some sort of complications.
Blake sat in her seat on the Gears' version of the Dropship. Due to constant modifying from the staff, it was faster by leagues and had more armor. It was still slower than a King Raven, but it wasn't at a snail's pace like its predecessor. Flying next to them was a few Air Buses that Gears had modified as well and would often use along with the Bullheads to deliver passengers and supplies to the mainland. The Air Buses were meant for long distances for civilians for the most part, while the Bullheads and King Ravens were mainly used for rapid deployments.
"Dad, why are you in a suit?" Blake asked as she looked up at her father from her seat.
"First impressions are important. Although... I can see your point." He said as he adjusted his tie. Due to his size, his suit was larger than most and had to be modified in several spots.
"You've met Walker before, I don't think he'll be too upset if you dressed somewhat casual." She said.
"Your father's point still stands. Impressions are everything." Kali said as she looked down at Amiya and stuck her tongue out. There was the sound of childish laughter and it made her heart beat joyfully.
"Mom, can I have her?" Blake asked asked as she reached towards Amiya.
"Let me enjoy this, Blake." Kali said as she rubbed her face up and down against Amiya's.
"I guess." Blake sighed and rubbed her forehead. The moment Kali saw Amiya, the older woman instantly fell in love with her and spoiled her rotten at every opportunity. Whenever the toddler did something bad and Blake tried to scold her, Kali was there to whisk her away and save her.
"Let her enjoy this, it's going to be a while before we see you again and you don't know how long she's wanted to spoil someone rotten like she did with you." Ghira said.
"I wasn't spoiled rotten, dad." Blake huffed as she turned away and scratched her cheek.
"Are you sure?" He raised an eyebrow and she scratched her cheek a bit harder and kept her gaze in another direction.
Now that she thought about it, she was a bit spoiled as a kid. Her parents actually gave her a very easy life compared to some and she only realized it when she met Walker and started to stick with him. She thought about herself before she met him, a girl who was technically considered royalty and wanted to make a name for herself; but the way would have gone about it would've done more damage than good.
He laughed a bit at her reaction before turning his gaze towards the window and froze when he saw the home of the Gears. Kali was about to ask him what was wrong before she followed his gaze and looked out the window as well. She froze too and Blake used this opportunity to snatch Amiya from Kali's arms before pulling her into her chest and looking out the window.
Ghira and Kali saw what they had concluded was nothing short of a behemoth fortress in the shape of a cog wheel. At the center of it all was a large tower-like structure on a huge platform with a couple of facilities. The Command Platform was considered the brain of the base and it was where it all the heads of each platform met with Walker to discuss the current status of their home and future plans. Connecting to it was several long bridges that were attached to different platforms. Those platforms were connected to even more by bridges, branching out like a spider web.
The residential area was slightly packed, but remained comfortable oddly enough. Due to its large size, it was broken into different sections for better organization A tram system could be seen taking passengers to their destinations at a decent pace and the two could faintly see workers maintaining it or making improvements.
To the left of that was the commercial district. Dozens of shops, restaurants, offices, bars, and other buildings were seen from above. People could be faintly seen walking around the sidewalks and into the buildings while a few cars drove in the streets. Since it was in the evening, multiple evening shops were opening and the lights flickered on while others closed for the day.
The more they looked at the place, the more they realized how impenetrable it seemed, with the amount of fortifications and guns. Not to mention the patrol boats that constantly sped around the waters. It was a behemoth that had a gothic, somewhat industrial appearance.
"That's where I usually work." Blake pointed towards the Intelligence Platform. Her parents followed her finger and spotted a large building on one of the platforms closest to the Command Platform.
Before they could say anything they started to descend towards one of the platforms. As they lowered, they noticed a particular building that had the appearance of cathedral and saw Blake's expression change a bit. As much as they wanted to ask, they felt that now wasn't the right time.
A couple of minutes went by and they finally landed, the pilot had informed them that they were able to leave. Blake stood up and grabbed her bag with one arm while holding Amiya in the other. Ghira and Kali collected their luggage as well before making their way towards the door as it opened and the ramp lowered. The setting sun glared into their eyes and they had to momentarily shield them before stepping onto the metal surface of the platform.
Waves crashed against the metal foundation of the platform and the warm air tickled their skin pleasantly. There was a sense of safety and security that seemed to work its way into their systems and they looked around, seeing they were on the platform with the large tower.
At the front of it was a large skull inside of a cog wheel, a pair of glowing blue eyes seemed to stare at the entirety of Mother Base, as if watching over it.
"Why did we land here instead of the platform?" Kali asked and pointed in the direction of the commercial platform.
"Well, we really don't have a hotel or anything around here. Plus I have a spare bedroom." Blake answered as she adjusted Amiya a bit.
"Ah." Her parents said in unison. They followed Blake towards the Command building and saw Gears patrolling, staring at them momentarily before continuing on with their day.
They entered the building and people could be seen making their way out of the building, leaving for the day. Others stayed later because they wanted to get a head start on the next day, and some just stood around the lobby area, conversating with one another. One of the most noticeable things however was the state they were in. Not a single one of them looked to be overworked. A little tired from the day, and some even stressed about certain things, but never overworked.
Before they could step forward, Blake had to inform them that they had to go through inspection. Despite being her parents and numerous people knowing that they were arriving, they still had to go through a thorough inspection just in case. It was standard protocol and it was better safe than sorry.
The inspection wasn't anything special, just several questions and checking to see if they had explosives, weapons, or any form of tracking devices. While Blake had to admit the last one was a bit odd, she could understand in some ways. Walker made sure to take nearly every precaution when it came to preventing their location being revealed to the Locust.
After several minutes, they were finally cleared and wished a pleasant stay before they walked next to Blake.
Amiya bounced in her arms a bit when she recognized the place and pointed at the elevator while tugging at her collar. Blake smiled at her and adjusted her before stepping close to the elevator and pressing the button. She looked above the elevator doors and saw that the cabin was descending, stopping momentarily to drop off its occupants before continuing its descent.
With a chime, the doors opened and an empty cabin was what greeted them fortunately. They all stepped inside and Blake pressed the button two floors from the top level. The doors closed the cabin started to lift. Some music played softly in the background and it was quiet on their part. Amiya looked at Kali and smiled when the latter stuck her tongue out and made a face.
"Da?" Amiya tugged at Blake's shirt and looked up at her.
"Let's drop our stuff off first, then we'll look for him." Blake said, perking up when the elevator doors opened with a chime. She walked forward and started to lead them down the hallway. Her parents followed close behind her and instantly picked up a hint of cinnamon in the air from the air fresheners. The scent tickled their noses a bit, it wasn't too strong, but wasn't faint either.
Blake adjusted herself a bit and reached inside her pocket before pulling out her keys. She unlocked the door and opened it before squeezing inside, adjusting Amiya as she took her shoes off and set them neatly at the front door. Ghira and Kali did the same before looking at their daughter's apartment.
It was clean and barely had any dust built up on the shelves and counters. A bookshelf was seen in the living room that was full of her favorite novels while a TV was seen on the wall opposite of the couch. Two lounging chairs were seen adjacent to the couch and had blankets folded neatly on them.
To their immediate left was the kitchen area and around the corner from the kitchen was the hallway that led to the bedrooms, bathroom, and laundry room.
"Which one is our room?" Ghira asked.
"It's the room on the left, right across from mine." She answered as she set her bag down in the living room and pointed.
After making sure they were all set, she put her bag in her room before scooping Amiya into her arms and leaving the apartment. She knew that her parents wanted to discuss trade agreements with Walker and the others, but she knew they were tired and she was too. The only person who probably wasn't tired was Walker, and she had a hunch she knew where to find him at this time of the day.
It didn't take long to reach the top of the building and she walked down the hall, spotting his office on the left side. She saw a silhouette inside and opened the door, peeking inside to see Walker at his desk.
He was slumped forward and his helmet was set to the side. His shoulders rose and fell slowly as he slept and there was three stacks of paper next to him. Several documents were in the shredder and her expression softened when she saw him. There were times when she couldn't help but sigh in exasperation at his antics.
This wasn't the first time he's pushed himself to the point of passing out. While she had to admit that she admired all of his hard work, sometimes he went beyond what was necessary. She missed the times when her and the other two could hang out with him. She wanted to have dinner with them or just watch a movie together, but that was nearly impossible now.
Ever since the death of the Scarlatinas, he closed himself off for the most part. If it wasn't related to Amiya, managing Mother Base, or the Locust and Glowies, then he never paid any attention to it. Political turmoil and other trivial problems that the mainland was faced with didn't concern him in the slightest. It's why she was surprised when he agreed to trade with Menagerie.
Before she could shake him awake, a loud notification ping came from the monitor and he stirred a bit before waking up and rubbing his eyes tiredly. It took several seconds for him to get his bearing a bit but he noticed someone standing to his right and looked to see Blake and Amiya, the latter was sleeping however.
"Hey..." He yawned and rubbed his right eye some more.
"Hey." She greeted back and he looked around a bit before rubbing his eyes some more.
"When did you two get back?" He asked.
"We got here an hour ago. My parents are in my apartment by the way." She said.
"Shit." He said as he looked at the calendar and sighed when he realized that it was today that he was supposed to discuss trade agreements with her parents. A lot has been on his plate recently so something like this completely slipped his mind surprisingly.
"We can always discuss this tomorrow." She said.
"..." He nodded before hopping back on the computer and looking at the notification. It was an effort to not roll his eyes but he managed to do so and delete the email.
"More trade offers?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Unfortunately." He drawled and glanced at her before taking Amiya from her arms and bringing her into his chest.
"How long have you been here?" She asked as she looked around the office. With the amount of papers that were stacked on his desk, she assumed he had been there for longer than what he was supposed to be.
"I don't know." He shook his head and went to go click on something but stopped when she put her hand on his forearm.
"Just take it easy." She said.
"..." He looked at her some more before nodding and saving his work before beginning to shut down. Now that Amiya was back, he had to go back to his adjusted work hours again.
He stood up after shutting everything off and put his helmet on before he followed her out the door, locking it on the way out, before following her towards the elevator. The two waited for the elevator and he adjusted Amiya a bit before reaching in his pocket and bringing out the C-Droid, cycling through the holographic tabs and looking at the status of projects.
"Where's Red?" She asked as she entered the elevator and entered it.
"I don't know." He shrugged.
His lack of tone made her press her lips together a bit. If anybody had the most trouble talking to him now, it was Red. No matter how many times she tried to talk to him, something always came up and required his attention or he'd be too busy to spare her any time. So she just stayed in the background like how she used to.
"Talk to her." She said.
"There's nothing to talk about." He looked at her.
"I'm not stupid, Walker. There's tension between you two and it's almost impossible not to see. Jaune and I already forgave her" She said.
"I forgave her too." He said.
"Then why are you avoiding her and not talking?" She asked and he stopped in his tracks for a second before continuing to look at the screen.
"..." He stayed silent.
"Walker, she regrets it, all of us do. But you avoiding her like this is eating away at her. I know you've noticed that she's been taking on more dangerous missions in hopes of you forgiving her." She said.
"..." He just looked at her before turning his gaze to the elevator doors, perking up when they opened up. Without missing a beat, he started to walk out and towards his apartment.
"Talk with her, Walker. Please talk with her before something happens. Don't let everything we all went through be burned to the ground." She pleaded as she stood in front of her door before unlocking it and entering it.
"Goddammit..." He sighed quietly. There were times when he felt like he was being petty avoiding Red, but other times he didn't know how to approach the situation. Whenever the two of them were alone, it was awkward now and neither of them had a clue on how to handle everything. Usually whenever that happened, someone always contacted him at the right time and directed his attention somewhere else.
He wasn't dense by any means. All her deeds to earn his forgiveness, such as going on reconnaissance missions so others wouldn't have to, or simply helping him with office work to the best of her ability, weren't unnoticed. It was clear she was trying to patch things up to the best of her ability, but neither one felt like it helped. They still avoided one another and he had admit there was still a bit of tension in between them.
Blake was right when it came to one thing... neither of them talked to one another.
Neither him nor Red sat down to discuss things over and come to an understanding. Sometimes he didn't know if he wanted to, even though she probably wanted that more than anything. She wanted to be close to Walker like how she was before the incident in Atlas. Every injury she gained, every Locust she killed, even to the amount of missions she undertook for others.
It was all to earn a scrap of his forgiveness. A good bit of people had already forgiven her for her actions, and some even said that what she did wasn't that serious and she didn't need to recklessly throw herself into danger, but to her it was. What she did was considered unforgivable to her and nothing would change that despite all her actions.
Walker sighed as he entered his apartment and quietly tossed the keys on the counter. He'd think about how he was going to talk to Red as he put Amiya to sleep for the night. While he was doing that, he'd also start thinking about how to get back home to Sera.
I apologize for not updating recently. I was in Japan for most of May and some of June and I've been rather sick these last few weeks. Recently I've been asked about giving Walker an aura and the answer is no, I'm not giving him one. He hasn't had one this entire time and if I did give him one then I'd forget about it half the time.
Anyways, see you guys later and thanks for reading.