Like an Archangel
Idleness was not something she ever really had the privilege to experience; the dutiful side of her always held precedence right after her faith, never allowing her to sit still for too long. Then again, the galaxy rarely gave an opportunity to.
So waking to no pressure from anything or anyone to do anything was still an odd and surprisingly welcome ideal. Actually being able to sleep at all was still a surprise and a novelty to abuse as much as possible before the inevitable took it away. Some would call it paranoid to believe that there was an inevitable disaster, Celestine would call it caution. Or maybe her time with Kataryina was rubbing off on her. The woman has a temper to rival a Deamon...
Either way, the philosophy of 'prepare for the worst and hope for the best' was one she would always live by, whether it manifested as caution or paranoia was but semantics.
She opened her eyes to the familiar sight of the desk and window then intertwined her fingers and pushed them out in front of her with her arms, her knuckles cracking in quick succession with a small grunt through her nose.
She let her harms hang as she pondered over what to do for the day, take Emerald out for hand to hand training and speak to the Guild over how to contact the General up in Atlas.
Qrow and his boss, Headmaster Ozpin, may want to protect her over the belief that she was a Maiden with immense power, but a militia of what equated to unsanctioned Psykers was not what she would want to be near if it went south.
They may be the protectors of humanity here and the elite Grimm killers, but the freedom they held was disconcerting and highly abusable. How many Hunters used their positions for their own gain, and how many wanted the fame but not the responsibility that came with it?
How many lives were lost because they had no care in being a protector, not taking it seriously?
Starting training to be a Hunter at a young age would help mould their minds to perform properly, in the same way, that created so many Sororita's and the best of the Astra Militarum and even in the odd case, an Astartes.
Emerald was too old to go under the exact same training she did back at the Schola Progenium. Trying to impart those teachings would cause more problems with her willingness to continue. But that didn't mean a slower approach couldn't be taken with the girl, all it required was time and knowledge of her physical limits, some of which was already known thanks to the girl's attempts to fight against the Saint with a training sword.
Testing her stamina is of concern as well. Testing my own is also wise as well...also need to collect pay and perform Guard duty for the afternoon...
A small sigh escaped her lips as she rolled over onto her back, though a thwack resounded through the room alongside a high pitched yelp. Celestine quickly lifted her right wing back up to find Emerald glaring balefully at her with a groggy expression covering her face as she rubbed her red left cheek.
The Saints' face heated up and her eyes widened in direct proportion to how far her eyebrows rose, "I am so sorry!" she held her hands out to Emerald in a vain attempt to help but didn't know how, "I did not realise how close you were!"
Emerald's red eyes narrowed in annoyance at Celestine's slowly retracting wings while her mouth pulled into a frown, "I was having a nice dream,"
She undoubtedly would have been after the day before training with the Ardent Blade and it didn't help that it was difficult to wield for the young girl due to its weight and overall size. But if Celestine's theory about Aura users and muscle gain were true, Emerald would have the strength soon enough to use a weapon like the Ardent Blade soon enough. Hopefully, that dream was about training...
"I don't wanna do anything"
Celestine blinked.
Emerald stared back with a frown.
"Okay," the Saint started, confused at the abrupt statement, "you do not want to train or?..."
Emerald moved her hand from her cheek and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, "nothing,"
"You want to sit around all day?" Emerald nodded in response to the question.
Celestine bit the bottom of her lip as she debated letting her get her way; on one hand, she needed to learn to fight no matter the conditions or time of day. But on the other hand, there was the chance of pushing her away if she were to force Emerald to train. And while she had ideas as to what happened to the girl beforehand, Celestine suspected that she never had a choice in what happened to her.
A small weight settled at the back of her mind as she considered her response. She sat up straighter and crossed her legs as she positioned herself to face Emerald, who had now sat up,
"I will accept this on one condition," Celestine's voice was a tad harder, but not harsh,
A mint coloured eyebrow rose as Emerald tilted her head. Celestine continued, "you get this day off, but-" Emerald's face dropped- "you have to do a quarter of my basic workout today and you will accompany me on a run tonight after your dinner,"
Emerald's face morphed into a look of minor confusion, "that's all?"
"That is all," Celestine confirmed with amusement, which grew when the girl nervously took in the Saints body.
Her muscle was noticeable, she knew, but the way Emerald's eyes widened- I am not that muscular am I?
She glanced at her arms out of the corner of her eyes. Were the muscles noticeable? Yes. but they weren't offensive to look at; just what you would expect from someone who fought for a living.
"Do not worry, I will follow along," Two birds, one stone.
Celestine slid off the bed and onto her feet, her wings furled in as close to her body as possible and made her way to the end of the bed. She then pushed the chest around to Emerald's side of the bed.
The gap between the foot of the bed and the bathroom was not as large as she would have liked, but it would suffice for the time being.
Celestine went back to her side of the bed and fished out her Scroll. She let out a surprised 'huh' at the expected temperature and faced Emerald, "you are lucky we are not planning on going outside,"
"Why?"
"It is supposed to reach a maximum of forty degrees today," Emerald's mouth dropped open a little, "I do not believe you would enjoy it much,"
The look of mild horror on her face suggested that she certainly didn't enjoy the idea of the forecasted temperature.
Celestine placed the Scroll on the desk and made sure the curtains were closed as much as possible then took her place at the end of the bed,
"up and next to me," she ordered and Emerald hopped off the bed and Celestine got down on all fours with her hands a tad wider than her shoulder, and straightened her body and arms out, "now mirror me,"
Emerald cast an intrigued glance down at the Saint but complied, her head facing Celestine's with a foot between them.
Celestine lifted her head, "spread your hands a bit and straighten your body," Emerald did so after a few more prompts.
"Now," Celestine continued, starting her own push-ups, "how many push-ups do you think you will be doing?"
Emerald's eyes peeked through her dangling fringe, "twenty?" she asked hopefully.
"Higher,"
Emerald's hope dropped a little, "Thirty?"
"Higher,"
The girl's arms began to tremble slightly from suspending her body up for too long, "Fifty?"
"No,"
Emerald let out a minuscule whimper as another number entered her mind, "one hundred?"
Celestine met Emerald's eyes with her own and a smile on her lips as she lowered herself, "I will be counting~"
Emerald stayed still. Celestine completed another push-up, "one~"
Emerald rushed an attempt at it and the Saint brought herself up, "you need to go slower and lower,"
The girl's red eyes flicked to Celestine then at her trembling arms before she lowered herself at a controlled rate then pushed herself up.
"One!" Celestine smiled at her, "ninety-nine more to go,"
Emerald completed another push-up before speaking shakily, "then...a b-break?"
"Two. Nope, then it is two other things for you," Emerald barely noticed the sparkle that resided in the Saint's eyes, "now continue,"
The mint haired girl did so with a loud groan while Celestine chuckled at her.
The passing hours found Celestine sat on the end of the bed while Emerald was face first on the floor groaning and covered in sweat.
The Saint was impressed with her determination to carry through what exercises were asked of her, even if it was only a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups and as many pistol squats as she could do. Surprisingly, the girl completed twenty-four before giving Celestine the amusing sight before her that had been going on for roughly twenty or so minutes.
Celestine let out a soft chuckle, "congratulations, your permanent training has now been set in place. I will be making addition the further you progress over the next few weeks until I am satisfied with your capabilities,"
A muffled groan of protest sounded from the mop of mint hair and the Saint's smile softened a little, "you did well; better than I expected of you, Emerald,"
She didn't receive a response from the girl, as was to be expected, but she knew it was received. She continued, "you may take a shower if you wish,"
Emerald stayed stationary for a moment then slowly, and most likely painfully as well, hoisted herself up to and made her way into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
Celestine rolled her shoulders then her neck. Emerald opened the slightly and poked only her head through, "u-uh, I don't have any spare clothes…"
Celestine blinked. Washing is a thing...right…
Two sets of clothes were not something one could live with apparently.
A sigh escaped her and she stood up, "continue as you were, I will go get another set of clothing for us both," she balanced perfectly on one leg as she pulled on a shoe, "shirt and shorts?" she then switched legs to do the same as Emerald nodded in confirmation, "I should be back before you are finished,"
Emeralds face wore slight worry, "and if you're not?"
Celestine moved to pick up her scroll and thought for a moment, "wrap yourself in a towel, I suppose. I will not be long,"
Emerald wore an uneasy expression for a moment then nodded, "okay,"
Celestine smiled to her as she passed by, hoisting the messenger bag up onto her shoulder, "I will be back, shortly"
The Saint left the room and was at the hotel's entrance in no time. Opening the hotels front doors, she was met with a blast of heat and bright light from the sun that sat high in the sky, unaware of just how dark the hotel room really was with curtains closed. Closing the door behind her, Celestine made her way down to the clothing store.
As she made her way down the street, she garnered the usual looks from the hand full townspeople that were out and about and the odd greeting here and there. All far and few between enough to keep the trip short. She could swear she could see heat waves at the end of the road.
An aircraft, a Bullhead if she recalled, flew low on a landing sequence overhead. Are these regular out here? She mentally shrugged, if I am needed, I will be called upon.
With that in mind, her body decided to acknowledge the stickiness of the singlet she had on and how it stuck to her back and sides. She wiggled uncomfortably as she made her way to the door of the store. I never noticed the name...why is it called 'Soup'?
Shrugging it aside, she pushed open the door, the cool air greeted her as she entered and she gave a wave to the clerk at the counter.
On her first trip there, she never took in what the store held, just what basics were needed for Emerald, the second time was to the same section quickly for herself. Now, she took in the sections and was amazed at how many different types of clothing there was; sleepwear, formal, casual, business, male, female, Faunus. Even an entire section is dedicated to Hunter outfits. So many different styles and so many different types. Are there this many in the Imperium?
Probably, but scattered throughout Hives and worlds, while it was all condensed here.
Knowing where she wanted to go and what she wanted to purchase, she started for the section but curiosity took over and she found herself in the Hunters section instead.
A myriad of outrageous colour schemes and mismatched styles hung off coathangers and a couple of mannequins. A truly strange sight. As she flicked through the racks of jackets, that frankly would be way too hot to wear, she caught the sight of one of the mannequins and what was on the top half; a metal gorget that held a white chest wrap in place. What metal it was, she couldn't tell, but it was a nicely polished one that held a blue, diamond-shaped crystal over where the Jugular notch would be on her body.
She moved over to it and checked for a price tag or any indicator of price, certainly looks comfortable enough, I think.
A quick glance around and with no signs saying she wasn't allowed to or change rooms in sight, she took it off the mannequin, careful to make sure it didn't make contact with her body in its current state and held it up to her neck and chest and preformed a rough measurement of the chest wrap. It was nice looking, but there was no need for it.
She put it back on the mannequin and made her way over to get Emerald a set of shirts and shorts, with a brief thought, a set of underwear as well for the girl, then went to the counter. The Clerk tiredly scanned the items and gave the collective price; sixty-five Lien total.
A bit more than expected, but well within her limit of four and a half thousand Lien. She paid it and left with a peasant goodbye and the items in her bag.
Less than five minutes later, she was out of the heat and in the Guild office, the same young man as always.
He greeted her with a worn, but no less genuine smile, "here for your pay." he didn't phrase it as a question as he got up to go to the safe,
"Yes, I am, If it was anything else I would be in my armour," she jibed light-heartedly, garnering a chuckle from him from around the corner,
"I suppose so," he went quiet for a moment, then the sound of metal grinding together could be heard as he opened and closed the safe. He came around the corner again, this time with a stack of Lien in his hand, "three hundred for that the past two days Guard shifts, you'll get one fifty for this afternoon's shift,"
She took the Lien with a nod and placed it in the messenger bag, "I have a request,"
He sat down at the desk, "shoot and I'll see what I can do,"
"Is it possible to contact General Ironwood from here?"
He furrowed his brows, "not directly, no." he pinched the bridge of his nose, "I would say I can put a request through, but we're a different branch to Atlas' Hunter chain, it would get 'lost' in transmission."
"I thought anything to do with Hunters was a unified organisation," her own brows furrowed in confusion.
"Supposed to be, but Atlas really likes their Hunters and Military being merged, so much so that their Huntsman Acadamy runs on military channels completely separate from what the other Kingdoms use,"
"And the military will not listen to another Kingdoms' random frontier town,"
"Bingo!" he rested his head in his palm, "your best bet? Go to Atlas yourself in your armour and ask the front desk for a meeting if it's that important… then again, you'll probably attract Jacques dressed like that," he perked up quickly, "just before you came in, Qrow stopped by to say goodbye, he was called away by Professor Goodwitch to Mount Glenn,"
Her lips pulled around her teeth and into a line, "thank you for letting me know. I guess Emerald and myself are up for a trip then," she flashed him a smile, "thank you for your help,"
He gave a half-hearted, two-fingered salute as he made her way out, "anytime,"
On the way back to the hotel, Celestine stopped to pick up food for Emerald and when she entered the foyer of the hotel, she paid the due Lien to the elderly manager before making her way to the room.
Upon opening the door, she was met with the sight of Emerald sat in the centre of the bed with her legs crossed. The moment the door closed and the Saint was a few steps in, the girl was on her feet in front of Celestine. Literally.
Celestine looked from Emerald to where she was on the bed and back to her again. The second time she has done that, "I know you have Aura, but do you have a Semblance involving teleportation?"
Emerald's cheeks flushed and she shook her head, "n-no,"
Celestine moved around her and placed the messenger bag on the bed, "Mind warping then?"
Emerald nodded, "yeah, I think it's making people see what I want them to, its-" she paused, worry etched onto her face, but a glance up at Celestine eased it somewhat and she continued in a smaller voice, "its how I escaped the bandits,"
Celestine paused her unpacking of the bag, unsure of how to respond. After a few seconds she settled with, "very well, you will have to show me in the near future so we can work on practising with it,"
The Saint turned to Emerald, new clothes in hand, "go get changed while I prepare for Guard duty,"
Emerald tottered over into the bathroom, while Celestine stripped her current clothes off and began the process of putting the Fibro-Muscle on. A shower would be welcome, but she saw little point in taking one only to stand in the sun for hours on end. When Emerald exited the bathroom, she was only just pulling the first armour piece on.
She looked up from the process to Emerald, "in the bag is some food for you,"
The girl fished through the bag and pulled her prize out; a schnitzel burger and began to munch on it as Celestine continued with her armour at her own pace. And by the time Emerald had finished her burger, Celestine's Iron Halo came to rest in its place behind her head. She stood at full height and turned to Emerald, who sat on the bed with her eyes studying every aspect of her.
Celestine tilted her head, "what ar-"
She cut herself off as Emerald ignored her and stood at the foot of the bed, a meter away from Celestine.
With what could be best described as a flick of a switch, Emerald ceased to be who was standing in front of her and the Saint grasped the hilt of the Ardent Blade in her hand as electric blue eyes stared back at her.
She relaxed as instinct faded, "Emerald, are you doing this?"
"Y-yes,"
"By the Emperor, it is strange to hear someone else's voice from my body…" and it was her body in armour. A near-perfect replica, in fact, the only discrepancies were small details, such as how many feathers the Aquila had or an indentation missing or incorrectly represented. Details that a child would not notice.
She waved her hand through the… illusion would be the best word for it. She waved her hand through the illusion, the only physical resistance was where she estimated Emerald's head to be.
The illusion faded as quickly as it came, leaving a slightly worn and nervous Emerald in its place, "that's what I can do,"
Celestine knelt down to as close as eye level as she could get with the girl, "it is a rather impressive ability,"
And more importantly, the vicious pull that she came to associate with Psykers was not present during its use, so a Semblance may not be entirely Warp related...
Emerald seemed to wobble a little, so Celestine helped her up on the bed, "p-please don't be angry at me…"
"Why would I be?" she questioned as she sat on the end of the bed,
Emerald fiddled with her hands and shoulder-length hair, "I-i didn't tell you what I was d-doing and, and I used you hitting me accidentally to g-get the-"
"I knew what you were doing," Celestine cut her off, "if cared, I would have said so. Besides, I felt bad for it, letting you take the day easier was the least I can do,"
"Does that mean I won't have to run with you later?" a small amount of hope shone through her voice. Is this what a normal child should act like?
She knew Emerald was not a regular child, but then again, it probably didn't help that she held no memories of her own. Just bits of the Progenium, Repentia and as a Saint. Even then, they were memories of select moments.
She cast a sly smirk at her, "I said 'felt bad' not 'unendingly apologetic', Emerald,"
The pout the girl gave could be described in only one word; cute.
Celestine gave a small head pat causing her pout to deepen, "there are a few other things we need to discuss, but I need to report for guard duty," she stood from her spot, "I will leave the Scroll here for you,"
"Okay,"
"If there is an emergency, I will be at one of the gates, if you can not find me-"
"-I go to the Guild, right?
The Saint gave a bright smile at her, "yes, you remembered. Anyway, I must be off,"
Guard duty.
A truly strange position to be in after being a frontline soldier for centuries. The literal stillness of it compared to the constant life or death of the Crusades and Warp was astounding, not to mention the quiet.
Or at least as quiet as being with Marie could be.
"Hey?"
"Yeah?"
"you ever…"
Silence stood between them.
"...what were you going to say, Marie?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry, you ever gotten laid?"
"Uh...yes, once or twice…" Celestine responded with confusion scrunched onto her face, "I, however, have never had the time to pursue anything, sexual or otherwise further after my ascension, nor have I been particularly interested,"
Marie held her head back in mild shock, "oh, so you don't have vows of celibacy then?"
"No...what gave you that idea?" for Celestine, this was by far the strangest conversation she'd had in recent years,
Marie shrugged, "being a saint and all, I thought you would have…"
A chuckle left her as understanding washed over her; curiosity, boredom… heatstroke; all led to many odd things and conversations, "some of my sisters have imposed such restrictions upon themselves, others…" she trailed off with a glint in her eyes,
The glint spurred Marie on, "Ooh, I'm sensing a story there~" the Faunus' eyes lit up further, "was it a three-way!?"
The Saint laughed loudly, "no, no, nothing like that," she glanced over the road leading up to the town, not finding anything she turned back to Marie, "for you to understand, my presence alone is worshipped by my sisters and fraternisation is strictly against the rules,"
Marie lent against the wall, her eyes locked in rapture, "oh, you're a rebel~"
Celestine rolled her eyes and continued, "I was moving down the halls of a convent we had set up. All of us had returned from combat and had a week of downtime projected before our next assignment,"
Celestine took another glance at the surroundings. Nothing, she continued, "so the halls were empty as most Sororitas were bunked, washing themselves or their gear, so imagine my surprise of hearing something clatter as I strolled past a closed door,"
Marie grew a grin,
"I paused. Then a tiny sound. A moan."
"Oh nooo!"
A small giggle left Celestine, "at that sound, I decided to investigate. I was also still in my full armour, Ardent Blade in hand. I gently open the door…" she trailed off much to the disappointment of Marie,
"And? And!?"
"Armour was scattered across the floor, the Fibro layers were tossed aside, and in the corner of the small supply closet-"
"Because of course, it was a supply closet,"
-"were two sisters, one standing, the other on her knees. The one standing went as pale as snow when she saw me and shakily tapped the other on the head. She took it for wanting more than to stop; it took the standing sister to yank her head away for her to notice I was there,"
"Oh, this isn't looking good for them," Marie giggled into her hand,
Celestine laughed with her, "no, it gets worse, for you see, the Emperor must have wanted entertainment, for their Canoness was making her way by as well," at the confused look she explained, "A Canoness is the equivalent of a Captain,"
Marie's mouth dropped open, "uh-oh"
Celestine nodded with a sly grin, "uh-oh, indeed. Thankfully, the Canoness was below average height while I am the opposite. Anyway, her armour was heavy against the floor and with each resounding step, the worse the two sisters looked; they became so incredibly pale to such a point I became concerned for their health.
"I quickly left the room, closing the door behind me so the Canoness would not see inside. She stopped by me to ask what I was doing in there, I responded by saying that I heard some things fall over as I walked past and decide to clean it. And being a Living Saint, she questioned none of it and moved on."
Marie whistled, "they're lucky you didn't turn them in,"
"No I did not, but what I did do it go back in, making sure the door was closed behind me, and they got on their hands and knees and began kissing my sabatons and singing prayers, still completely naked, mind you,"
"They actually did that nude?" the Faunus' eyes widened,
"Yes, they did," Celestine nodded with a shy smile, "I have never been fond of actions like that, but I delt. In the end, all I did was ask them one thing,"
Marie's head tilted, "oh?"
"Is it out of love?" she gave a small smile at the 'aww' from Marie, "they both immediately blushed heavily, and I can say it was a full-body one at that." her smile dimmed a little,
"What was the answer?"
"I don't know… the projected time was false." her smile faded completely, "And we never left our convent for combat, as lifeless Xenos burned it all to the ground…" the sights and sounds of crackling green energy and their pained screams were shaken from her mind gently,
"I know that they loved the Emperor with all their heart, and possibly, even each other just as much, but I will never truly know how far their devotion for each other went…" whatever mirth they held had long since evaporated into still silence.
Marie stood with her arms wrapped around her waist, her Lynx ears pressed down, "I'm sorry," it was barely above a whisper, "that must have been terrible,"
"They may have not died in combat under the hymns of the Echesisarchy, but instead in each other's arms when they expected it the least," a melancholy sigh, "the Emperor can not fault them for that, I know I do not,"
Marie looked up to Celestine, "well, they're probably partying with this 'Big E' now, right?"
Celestine let a fragile smile cover her lips, "yes, I suppose they are with the Emperor now…" her smile grew more genuine, "I have never heard anyone refer to Him as 'Big E' before, rather ridiculous if you ask me,"
"Good thing I didn't ask then!" Marie stuck her tongue out,
The Saint shook her head in exasperation, "but I must ask you, please do not refer to Him as such, I find it disrespectful,"
"Sorry," she replied sheepishly,
Celestine waved it off with upturned lips, "it was an attempt to lighten the mood, I can appreciate that, and I can not imagine He wouldn't either,"
From there the two drifted off into silence and the odd small talk every now and then as the sun slowly fell from the sky. Only a few travellers came through, some staying the night, others to pass through or for a quick supply run between towns. Overall, nothing special unless Marie getting sunburn along her arms counted as exciting.
Once the orange hue of the afternoon sun dipped behind the trees, the temperature gradually began to drop and a pair of guards came to relieve them. The two made their way into the town and parted ways at the hotel's front doors.
When she entered the room, for the second time that day, she found Emerald sat in the centre of the bed, but this time she sat with her back facing the door. Surprisingly enough, with her shirt not on her body, but in her hands, folding and twisting it in different patterns.
The sound of the door clicking shut caused Emerald to jolt, clearly not having heard Celestine open it. Celestine walked past Emerald as she fumbled her shirt on, "what are you doing to the shirt?"
The girl ended up having it on backwards by the time she responded, "I-it's hot and sticky...and without my singlet, I thought I could fold it into one…"
The desk creaked as Celestine lent on it. She began stripping her armour off her top, "like a chest wrap?"
Emerald nodded silently with her face flushed. Celestine pulled her mouth into a line as she thought for a moment, "I can just go buy som-"
"-no."
The Saint continued removing her armour from her arms, welcoming the cool air "why?"
"I don't want you spending money," Emerald mumbled,
"But it is no problem," Emerald showed no give. Celestine pushed herself off the desk, placed her final grieve on the desk next to the other bits, leaving her top half in only the Fibro layer. She took a seat on the edge of the bed, "if this about running out of...Lien, I can assure you, we will not,"
"I don't want you to spend money on me,"
Why is she being difficult over this? Celestine sighed and laid herself across the bed, propping herself up with her forearm, "Emerald, if it is a necessity or for comfort, I do not mind,"
Red eyes bore into her, "but I do,"
Celestine kept her face neutral, "why?"
Emerald glared into her lap for a moment before speaking, her voice heated, "I'm not worth it,"
Thrown for a loop, Celestine let her neutral expression dim into worry then confusion, "I don't see how that is true…" she was not like this this morning...what happened?
"J-just don't,"
Celestine's eyes searched Emerald for any way to help or for anything to do, but all they found was the now hunched form of a scared girl who would not meet her gaze. I wish Branwen was here, he has experience dealing with children.
"I-" She opened her mouth to speak but closed it when the correct words never came. Instead, she opted to say what she believed to work, "I…what do you want me to do?"
"I already told you," Emerald mumbled, her voice breaking a little,
Celestine's eyes flattened, but her tone did not, "asking me to not spend Lien on you is unrealistic, Emerald, how else would you eat or have this room to sleep in?"
The girl stayed quiet. Celestine took it as the cue to continue, "I have a lot of Lien, spending it on you takes very little out of it," a rush of air was pushed out her nose, "if the Emperor does not protect for whatever reason, I do."
She still didn't get a response from the Emerald who began to shiver. A worried frown worked its way onto her lips. Skipping over words, she sat up and positioned herself on the bed entirely and shuffled her way over to Emerald and wrapped her arms around the girl. While she knew the Fibro layer was not the softest thing, it was far better than her armour.
Emerald began to tremble as she curled up in a ball, Celestine, worried and not knowing what else to do, tightened the hug.
The girl's hands frantically searched for purchase on Celestine's chest as she buried her head there. Sharp jolts racked her body and fairly soon, sobs and heavy breathing followed, all while Celestine sat helpless with the girl in her arms. She didn't say anything or move.
She just let Emerald collapse in her arms, confused at how it all happened so quickly.
"I-I'm- I'm s-scared.." she cried into Celestine's chest, her voice truly frightened and broken by her sobs. Celestine stroked her mint hair,
"Scared of what?" her voice was soft and composed as it gently prompted,
Another series of sobs jolted through Emerald's body and her hands continued to frantically groped and scratched at Celestine, only when they gained an asymmetrical grip on her, did Emerald fine the courage to try and speak, "'ings th'y did,"
It was muffled and scratchy as the girl shoved her face into Celestine's chest, but she caught what was said. Her eyebrows tilted into each other as the realisation of just what that meant sunk in. She thought the dots that connected days ago were an insight into what had happened, but now it was a lot clearer to her, it was not just regular abuse, was it?
Her arms tightened around Emerald further protectively, "I'm sorry, Emerald," she whispered as she rests her cheek on the top of Emerald's head. Anger at those who did this rose, but it was washed away by the choked sobs,
"I-i'm sc- scared,"
That single phrase was repeated over and over and over again for the next hour, progressively getting weaker each time as her sobs slowly evened out. Her breathing remained harsh and borderlined on hyperventilation at times. Celestine held her the entire time, even using her wings as a protective barrier around the girl.
Her death grip on Celestine eased and the woman took Emerald's hands in one of her own gently, then used her free hand to lift Emerald's head to face her. The girl's face was flushed and tear-stained, whites of her eyes were blood-shot and her upper lip cracked and caked in fluids from her nose while her cheeks, nose and forehead held indents from where she pressed into the Fibro layer. Even bits of her hair that framed her face were clumped together by dried and gooey snot.
"Emerald," her glassy eyes flicked to Celestines clear, electric blue ones, "I'm going to prepare a shower, okay?"
Emerald shook her head violently out of Celestine's hand, tears building at the edges of her eyes in protest as her breathing quickened,
"Emerald,"
Getting no cooperation or response, Celestine repeated while gently grasping her hands tighter, "Emerald," the girl slowed enough to keep her attention, "I'll be here, I'm not leaving and I'll be in eyesight the whole time,"
Emerald appeared to relent, but every time she moved the girl would hold tighter. Ten minutes of back and forth passed before Celestine was able to leave the death grip of Emerald. Once she was on her feet, she removed the rest of her armour, leaving her Fibro layer only, and began collecting spare clothes for the girl.
Emerald obsessively tracked every movement through her hazy, blood-shot eyes, and when their eyes did meet, Celestine noted the blank haze in them. Like the girl was not there but left her body on autopilot to function.
On closer inspection of Emerald, she found that the front of her shirt was in just as bad, if not worse, condition than her face, "Emerald, your shirt is a mess, you're going to have to take it off,"
The only thought to enter the Saint's mind as Emerald peeled it off was that the girl was worse than she thought, she has never allowed me to see more than her arms and legs…
That thought drove home what she missed and rose the hatred for whoever did this.
Celestine took the shirt in one hand and used the other to guide her to the bathroom, Emerald's first few steps were unstable and wobbly but they evened out to a clumsy and distracted walk. Once they were in the bathroom, Celestine closed the door behind them and tossed the ruined shirt into the hamper, and manipulated the shower knobs until the showerhead was spraying warm water that steamed.
With a gentle motion of her hand, she encouraged Emerald to enter. The girl took a step forward then froze, for a moment Celestine worried that something was wrong, but it abided when the girl removed her shorts and got under the water.
Whether the removal of the shorts was an automatic or subconscious action, didn't matter as the glassy haze eased under the torrent of warm water. Celestine followed once she removed the Fibro layer, whatever is on it can be cleaned tomorrow.
The shower was small, but it had enough room for Celestine to ger on her knees in front of Emerald and begin to clean as much of Emerald's long mint hair as possible with her hands before she began on her face then the muck on her clavicle. through out the process, not once did Emerald protest nor meet Celestine's eyes.
The Saint once more lifted Emerald's head by her chin, and when Emerald's eyes finally met hers, she cast a small, vulnerable smile to her. The girl's lips parted as if she wanted to speak, but abstained and she took a small, timid step forward. Then another.
She abruptly threw her arms around Celestine's neck and buried her head behind the Saint's ear. She didn't speak when she pulled away no further than her arm's length. There wasn't a smile on her lips, no matter how vulnerable it might be nor were her eyes back to the vibrant dark red they were, but Celestine saw a strange, warm emotion on the girl's face.
Without a word between them, Emerald let Celestine finish washing her hair and then dry it once they got out of the shower.
While Celestine began to dry herself off, Emerald finished and dressed with little difficulty, though it was obvious that she was worn with how she fumbled with getting her leg through the leg hole of her shorts.
It was as Emerald left the Bathroom slowly, that Celestine realised one crucial thing. Her singlet and shorts were still damp with sweat, making them unwearable to bed. I only have those sweat pants…
Celestine sighed and tossed the used towels into the hamper before following after Emerald, who stood just outside the bathroom waiting. As she passed Emerald to where she kept most of their clothes she spoke over her shoulder, "I only have the sweatpants left, my singlet and shorts are dirty,"
With no response, she finished pulling her sweatpants on and turned to the bed, expecting Emerald to be sitting on it but found her less than half a metre away staring up at her. Her eyes no longer seemed hazed, just tired. And as if to accentuate the observation, the girl grabbed onto Celestine's hand and pulled her over to the bed and got in. she does not seem to care for my lack of clothes…
Before getting in her side of the bed, Celestine pushed the chest back to the foot of the bed and made sure to furl her wings. As she reached her side she looked to Emerald, "are you sure you are comfortable with me like this?"
Emerald nodded gently, though her cheeks darkened a little. Celestine took it for face value and slid under the covers and no sooner did Emerald wrap her arms around the Saint and buried her head under Celestine's chin. Emerald scratchily mumbled something but was asleep before she finished it, leaving Celestine to ponder on how the bandits would die.
Painfully, she knew that much.
With that being the beginning of a plan, she wrapped her own arms around, and even a wing over, Emerald protectively and let sleep come.
If she were awake for fifteen minutes longer, a psychic would have been felt from the edge of the town.
A/N:
God damn, that got depressing fast in the last bit… though Celestine mothering Emerald as much as she knows how after her breakdown is wholesome.
I cackled at the thought of Celestine accidentally whacking someone with her wings for a long time now so I'm glad I finally got to do it, though poor Emerald. But she got leverage for a day off using pity points. Or she thought she got a day off…
It unintentionally became the obligatory "crossover character goes clothes shopping" trope, only this time it wasn't to show off that one dress I saw on Pinterest four years ago, but because another character needed basic clothes.
You can't tell me that Celestine hasn't had a moment like the story happen to her. Maybe not the exact same or with her as lenient, but it has to have at least once in her life. It was too funny to me to not include it and it just makes her a little more human and relatable as a character. I like to think that she's bent a few rules here and there for her fellow sisters.
The dark ending to Celestine's story is the only reason why Marie didn't ask questions like "what the fuck are you talking about? Convents? Canoness? The fuck is a Sororita and why haven't I heard of them? Xenos? You mean Grimm right?...right?..."
Like, it's kinda rude to ask about that once it's implied they're dead.
Yeah, I created Marie's tendency to make nicknames for the sake of using 'Big E' in this and it makes sense. Why, yes I'm a grown child. How could you tell?
The title comes from a song called "Archangel" and the lyric "I bring the end, just like an Archangel" sums up Celestine at the end of the chapter...it also sounded cool...
Hugs are weird, they can cause great happiness or cause such a complete breakdown. All it takes, really, is timing.
I remember that when I was in a bad place, I would rapidly switch moods and even randomly breakdown once or twice. Years later I was told how weird it was for my friends to watch, they didn't know what was causing it and barely knew what to do because it seemed so alien. They knew it was all in my head, the thoughts that caused it being known to only me, myself and I.
So I tried to replicate that outside perspective with Celestine watching Emerald go from embarrassed/shy, to sad then to angry then just breakdown from something as simple as a hug all in the span of a few minutes.
It was hard-ish to do, but I think the feeling of "this escalated quickly" you get when reading it sums up what it's like in reality. It just happens, if the conditions are right, without warning.
And yes, Celestine freely using contractions is on purpose, not me being lazy or forgetting.
So, remember when Qrow said that if Celestine found out what that gang did there would be nothing left of them? Not so subtle foreshadowing at all is it?
Yeah… Celestine knows now. Celestine be every DOOM song playing at the same time over every speaker in existence. And it's all bass boosted and at full volume.
And before people pull out the pitchforks, no, there ain't gonna be smut. That's why I had Celestine explicitly say she ain't that interested after becoming a Saint.
And finally, I was made aware that the poll doesn't appear on my profile, so I'll list it here again and you can let me know in the reviews what your vote is if you haven't voted yet but want to.
-A single Custodian
-A squad of 5 Sororitas
-A squad of 4 Astartes
ARTY0M: While my interest wasn't as piqued compared to the previous chapters due to the length of the chapter, still good to see an update to the story. Atm Alaxea is a character that I don't care much for but we'll see in the future if she does become someone that is worthwhile to watch.
As for my vote, I'd also prefer the Custodian as this would give more credence to her origins when she eventually have to tell Ozpin and Co.
That's fair, I knew the length would rub the wrong way and I'm not expecting anyone to like Alexea straight off the bat, but I hope she evolves as someone everyone can, at worst, tolerate.
Hehe, I can't wait to do the reaction of Oz and Co. to their origins…
DeathTheManiac: On the chapter as a whole, it didn't hold my interest like Celedtine's chapters did. But it was ok.
On the addition. The only logical one would be a custodes. You already have Celestine for the sororitas slot imo. Astartes are... well they don't exactly fit in in my head for some reason.
A Custodian would not only be really cool, to see this nigh-invincible warrior accompany Celestine and give credence to her title. And with Custodians being close to Big E, so to say, it would also open up interesting questions and situations between her and said Custodes
As I said above, I wasn't expecting it to be received like other chapters have been; Chapter 8 was me trying to polish what I could so I can provide something for you all, but it has insights into what Alexea is here for story-wise.
Your reasoning for the Custodian is part of why I'm biased towards him, the other part is because of the borderline wholesome relationship with the Silent Sisterhood. I love me some dark and gritty stories, but I love fluff just as much.
Decto: My vote's on the Custodes. If I ever collect an army (which I'm not gonna do at present time due to my dissapointment at GW) it'll be them.
I was actually going to get enough SoB squads and paint them in the main Orders colours, then get some Custodians and Sisters of Silence and paint one of SoS' like Alexea.
Guess that ain't happening anytime soon…
I lowkey regret buying a SoB squad, Celestine and Guilliman a few months back. I only finished three sisters and now it's hard to get in the mood to paint them.
AthousandDaysAndNights: I'm usually scared to comment on any piece of fiction now a days, but I wanted to say that I've been really liking this story so far and it's very different from a lot of crossovers I read and I can't wait for more!
As for my vote, it's gotta be for the Custodian! They're one of my favorite factions and I would love to see one in the fic!
Never be scared to comment on any of my works, I've taken a liking to interact with people who enjoy what I'm writing!
Part of the reason why even wrote what was to become the first chapter out of boredom was that I hadn't seen many fics that focus on a really small cast of 40K characters, and I am still the only one (as of writing this reply) who has Celestine in the crossover section of 40K, I'm lowkey proud of that.
Who doesn't like the strippers? lol.
Gamesaturn: love all options but have to go with astartes especially the one you hinted at. ps count me for custodian if its kitten otherwise go with pervious.
Yeah, if I write any Astartes it'll be them. They fit my preference of writing style and are just damn badass. Not to mention their awesome warcry. I lowkey hope they win because they're my favourite chapter.
As for Kitten...you may like an idea I have for a separate fic I wanna do when writing for this gets hard, my only concern with it is keeping the TTS feel...
C313st14: I kinda want that single custodian, and I know exactly who it could be, brother santodes!
Celestine when facing Salem: "Brother Santodes, convince her!"
*Pillar Men theme gets slightly louder*
"~oh, MOMMY SOLAMI~ I want to enter your OOZIE JAKOOZI"
*Celestine stands in the background with a look of disgust* "What in the Emperor giving fuck did I just hear?"
TehDCat: Hi I'm usually a lurker here. But I really love the flow of your work. This story amongst others is really helping me get through this difficult time in the Warhammer Community. I look forward to seeing it continue with great interest.
As for the vote, Custodes please! Our beautiful Golden Banana Boys need all the love they can get.
Personally I feel your writing so far is best where its one individual in this foreign world, and out of their comfort. Your flow and showing how they deal with the world around them is intriguing. While I'm certain you could pull it off, having a squad of SOB or Astartes could possibly leave them with a safety net (of people in the same boots).
That aside its always cool to see SOS and Custodes team ups. Just like the good old days of the 30th Millennium!
I'm glad you find it a respite from the shenanigans that's happening at the moment, any and all are welcome!
Looks like the Banana Bois are winning this fight! *Pillar Men theme Increases*
Yeah, I noticed I struggle with more than one or two characters on screen and have a hard time writing combat if it doesn't involve a gun. Swords are hard to write… *looking at you fucking Ardent Blade*… but there's only one way to get better I suppose.
Poor Salem is fucked if the Custodian wins. That's a lie, she's fucked no matter who wins.
Peace456: since I cant see the poll on your profile page I will put my choice and reasons here.
custodes: it feels right, keeping the squad to as close to a team of hunters as possible. also I can see a family dynamic here, celestine the kind and protective mother, (continued from my last comment since I cant seem to edit it) greyfax the harsh uncompromising father figure; the custodes the silent and patient confidant; the sister of silence idk what she would be; and emerald the child who wants to make her mother proud.
I did put one up, It says it's visible on my profile...huh damn...
...I don't like how you read my intentions so easily even though I was nowhere near subtle… I think Alexea would be a mix of the Custodian's (literal) silent confidant and a little of Greyfaxs' uncompromising harshness. But the most important figure in her life is by far Celestine if this chapter didn't make that obvious enough.
Frescko: One Custodes? For some reason I can't get it out of my head that the other is trapped in a Harem Anime and is just suffering looking at a stereotypical japanese isekai kid become a god via cheating, not even knowing Suffering or Hard Work
I'm just imagining a Custodian being run over by a White Scar and knocked out, only to wake up with a young, blue-haired girl staring down at him.
But it's not just any blue character; it's The Blue Thing.
It's Aqua.
Jokes aside, I like Aqua and shit on her as a joke and I have only one listed because of how powerful a Custodian is, it's an attempt at balance. I think more than one would render Celestine and her power redundant or at least not as useful as it is now.
Carre:
1. Thanks for answer.
2. - Squad of Sororitas
3. Keep Up with the Good Work (washed Thumbs Up!).
1. All goood!
2. Noted!
3. I will!
E: I would prefer to see only a single character added as I think that has the best chance of not making things too confusing. I suppose that means I vote for a Custodian. Yeah, he'll also be ridiculously powerful, but I don't really mind. Keeping the character count low means we have more chances to have personalized interaction, which is very important to me in a story like this that is more focused on the small scale. If this was a large-scale "the Imperium comes to Remnant" type thing, I'd be all for a bunch of people showing up because then the personal interaction is less important and less of a focus. Here though, singular and developed characters will play a spotlight, so the fewer the more time to focus on development for each of them (and the easier to understand and keep track of for the readers).
As for the story content, it seemed fine. A little short, but you addressed that. I hope there's at least a little Celestine in the next chapter. I'm not against following what's going on with the SoS, but I'd like at least a little fluff with the main character to pad out this side arc. Doesn't have to be crazy, maybe just a scene or two at the beginning or end that gives us some clue of what Celestine is up to with Qrow. Maybe a shopping trip with Emerald or something at least, assuming you didn't already plan to include as much. I dunno, she's just rather cool and I want to see more of her. There's like 4 stories on this site that even have her, and I don't think she's a main character in any but this. Include everywhere online I've looked and maybe add 5 more.
Aside from that, the writing itself was as good as usual, so no issues there.
I await more, as always.
Yeah I get what you're sayin', this also isn't going to end up as one of those fics where the Imperials are holdovers until, like, Fleet Indomitus or something arrives. What's already here and whatever wins the poll is it.
HA! I'm struggling to keep track of what I have here already, lol. I'm just glad I kept it small scale for the sake of my sanity.
Well...you asked for personalized interaction and Celestine at the right time, you got an entire 7 or so thousand words worth of her and a major development with her relationship with Emerald.
For every chapter away from Celestine, there's going to be one following her completely. Or, at least, that's the plan.
Qrow and Glynda may have gone to Mountain Glenn off-screen, but it will not be the last we see of them, I'll probably do a small section as you suggested with them next chapter.
I looked into it, there's a small GreyfaxXCelestine collection and a YvraineXCelestine fic on Ao3 that I know of, and other than mine, only five on this site. I don't think she's the focus of the ones that are on FF net, I haven't read them as they don't look like something I'd like, not disrespecting the author of those, just my preference.
Only mine is a crossover as well.
I can agree with Celestine being cool.
Thanks for the review!
Imma pull a Dean Kamen and Segway to a thank you to everyone for the reviews and support!
Take a wild guess at what that psychic tug could *possibly* mean….I wonder?
Who caught on that it was going to get sad once the humour started? I didn't...