The amount of cheeky quips from Alice decreased significantly as the night went on and the group's explanation of the events surrounding Salem's invasion continued. In stark contrast, the amount of alcohol consumed went way up as more and more detail was shared. Funnily enough, the primary imbiber was a certain Schnee, whose frosty barrier was crumbling more and more by the second. At first, Alice found it entertaining as the woman's vocabulary became a bit more colorful and her tone adopted more bite. By the time the group caught her up, though, she found it more sad than anything else.
"I think… that's just about everything," Winter said, her eyes a bit glassy as she sat on the edge of Alice's desk. Somewhere in the tag-team explanation, she had quite literally let her hair down. Her cheeks were tinted red, and her posture had become awful as she spent more time staring at the floor than the people she was speaking to. "There was nothing I could really do to stop any of this…"
"Nobody's blaming you for anything," Ilia reassured as she began to close a bit of distance between herself and Winter. "The only one responsible for this shitshow is Salem."
"Cheers to that," Alice agreed as she raised her empty bottle. "Oi, Dragline. Why don't you take the tipsy one down to go and settle in with her little brother? He's probably worried by now, and I don't think she should be alone tonight."
"…so you do know me," Emerald said, unsure how to feel.
"In a sense. We'll cover that later," Alice said cryptically. "Do your friend a favor and escort her out, yeah?"
"She's not…" Emerald began to protest before taking a second look at Winter. The woman had a hand on her forehead and was beginning to look somewhat sick. "…fine. Hopefully Moss sent the room number. Come on, Winter. Let's go see Whitley."
Winter finally turned to face Alice and set her most recent bottle down atop the corner of the desk as she slipped off it and got to her feet. She gave the other woman a nod and tried for a moment to get her hair back into its usual bun before giving up and simply letting it hang.
"I'm sorry you had to see me like this," Winter said before letting out a heavy sigh. "I'll be more useful and less… like this tomorrow. I feel terrible."
"Eh, we all have our moments," Alice said with a wave of her hand. "No harm done. Just make sure you get all the puke into whatever toilet, eh? My people aren't a cleaning crew."
Winter simply offered a nod as she threw an arm over Emerald's shoulder and began to slowly walk toward the exit. No one said a word as the two women left, leaving only Ilia and Alice in the oversized office. The faunus steeled herself as she stared the apparent pirate down.
"…well, now we're alone," Ilia pointed out. "I've had a feeling you've been waiting to say something to me for a while now. What is it?"
Alice seemed rather pleased with herself as she leaned against the desk, her legs crossed and arms folded. She offered the shorter girl an upwards nod, speaking with confidence.
"…you've got the eyes of someone who's really been through it. You're a cold, steely little bitch when it's time to get down to business, but you've still got that little spark of hope left. A sprinkle of compassion for those who deserve it. Not quite broken, but real fuckin' bent. I like that in a person."
"So… what?" Ilia asked, already growing frustrated. "If you're about to drop 'we're not so different, you and I' or some other platitude… I've got no patience for doublespeak, prophecy, guidance from the wise old master or well-meaning former asshole who turned their life around. I'm tired, nervous, irritable, and tipsy, so can we please just get to the point. No more games. I've been jerked around enough the past few weeks, and if you turn out to be a disappointment, I've got no problem going my own way."
"Fair enough," Alice said coolly. She didn't seem at-all bothered by Ilia's impatience- if anything, her smile only grew wider. "I am a fan of games, but just for you… what I'm saying is that out of your little posse, you're the only one I think has the potential to get through what's coming while keeping yourself mostly intact. S'far as I'm concerned, you're the leader of your band of misfits, whether you know it or not. It's you and me at the top, and the others are gonna fall in line or drown."
Ilia finally deflated a bit, though more out of frustration than a release of tension. She shook her head with a huff before folding her arms across her chest in a mirror of Alice's stance.
"You sound entirely too confident for someone who knows nothing about me."
"Ilia Amitola, 19 years old. 20 next week. Happy early birthday, by the way. I'll make sure we get a cake made," Alice recited confidently. "Formerly White Fang, seven confirmed personal kills in your time serving. Turned on Adam Taurus at some point in the past year and played an instrumental role in saving Haven Academy from destruction. Known friend of Cinnamon Shoal, the current Fang leader, and probably helped with her takeover. Your arm was broken by Corsac Albain a while back, and you spent a stint unconscious after a tree fell on you. What you've been up to since leaving the Fang, I don't have information on… well. Other than everything you just told me."
"…I was starting to like you. Not sure how I feel now," Ilia grumbled. "So, you've got your fingers in a few pies and you've done your homework, probably after grilling Robyn and Jacques while we were all on the way here. Am I supposed to be impressed?"
"Pff, fuck no," Alice said with a laugh as she spread her arms out to the side. "You were a demolitions expert and involved in reconnaissance. Having some basic intel shouldn't move you at all. All I'm saying is that we're kindred spirits! Relax, mate. I'm more impressed than anything. You've got conviction. Fire. S'long as you don't let that die, we've got an equal stake in what happens moving forward."
"Bullshit," Ilia called as she began to pace. "Aurora's Cradle is your house. Why should I believe that you're going to treat me like a partner? We came crawling to you out of desperation. I'm still not fully convinced you're even in it for Remnant."
"Understandable," Alice said as she began to play with the tip of her ponytail. "There are people selfish enough to notice the entire world burning down around them and see nothing more than an opportunity for personal gain. I'm sure the 'pirate' title does me no favors, but… how often have you been accused of something similar in your time with the Fang, or afterward? Your actions could come off as opportunistic to an outsider."
"They could," Ilia agreed. "So could Emerald's. Corsac's. I guess the solution here is that I just need to get to know you."
"Better idea- get to know the Cradle," Alice suggested. "Take a day. Walk around, see what there is to see, talk to those who live here. Get a sense for what it is that I do and why. We can talk afterward… and until we do, I'm not feeling particularly inclined to take orders from a Schnee, no matter how disconnected she is from her family."
"And Emerald?" Ilia asked.
"…how much do you know about the Draglines?" Alice probed.
"Only rumors from my time with the Fang," Ilia admitted. "What I know concretely? It isn't much. Didn't have a lot of direct contact since I was usually at home base or on the frontlines. I only found out she ran with them a few hours ago."
"Ran is the right word," Alice said. "I'm aware she left the organization, even if she thinks I'm not."
"I don't think she's nervous about that, as far as I can tell," Ilia replied. "I think she knows you know."
"She should," Alice agreed. "But note that I am not part of their organization. We might be allied, but joining them? I would never. Make sure you know who you're allying yourself with before you fully commit."
Ilia shifted her weight to one side and swallowed hard.
"…yeah. I'll take your advice. Take a day and see what there is to see. With you, and her."
"You do that," Alice encouraged. "And once you're ready to start planning, come see me. I'll be waiting."
Ilia turned and made for the blast door with haste. As she walked back out into the hall and approached the elevator, she couldn't shake the thought of her birthday coming up out of her mind. She had completely forgotten about it, and it didn't seem at all important despite being a milestone year. More than anything, though, she couldn't help but wonder how many of her friends' birthdays had gone by without notice throughout the events in Kuo Kuana and Solitas. Ilia had no idea why it mattered to her, but for some reason… it absolutely did.
Mantle smelled of corpses, ash, and lingering dust even from on high. Cinder Fall stood upon one of the fins of the massive, whale-like grimm that led Salem's assault, staring down at the city with contempt. Columns of smoke spiraled slowly into the air, obscuring much of the city below. Flashes of intermittent gunfire lit up the streets, fighting back the writhing waves of black. It would take days, maybe weeks for the city to fall… though Cinder was no longer sure if the siege was even worth continuing. Their prizes were gone, vanished high into the sky and out of reach. Every grimm they had sent to try to chase Atlas had been shot down or unable to survive in the upper limits of Solitas' atmosphere. Ironwood had escaped, Salem herself had been taken out of the fight multiple times, and the number of grimm slain in the assault totaled almost a third of their forces. They had failed in every sense of the word, and Cinder had a bad feeling about what was coming.
With a sneer, the grimm Maiden turned to look over the pulsating mass growing upon the whale's fin. A sickly yellow domed membrane with thick black veins was throbbing violently, as though it was leeching something from the massive flying grimm. It had been steadily increasing in size for the past hour, its movements growing more and more intense over time. Cinder had a feeling she had only minutes left at most before she had to explain the situation to Salem… and the witch took out her wrath upon the closest target. Part of Cinder wanted to simply abandon the cause, but she knew it would be even more painful. Too much of her was grimm. Too much of her could be controlled by Salem at any distance, and she wasn't even sure if her thoughts were safe.
Cinder spent the time she had left before Salem's arrival working to reaffirm her commitment to the cause in her own mind. Doing so wasn't easy.
A white hand with razor-sharp black nails pierced the membrane, rupturing the chrysalis and causing the translucent flesh to deflate. Salem arose, unclothed and dripping with black ichor. Her movements were rigid and desperate, as though she was hurrying to rejoin the battle. She had crawled her way out of the structure within seconds and remained on all fours as she tried to breathe through the fluid in her lungs. With a hateful scowl, she looked up at where Atlas should have been. Instead, all she found was a blackened sky and swarms of flying grimm patrolling the area.
No explanation was needed from Cinder. She merely watched as Salem's breathing quickened, the grimm queen's shoulders shaking with rage and instability as she struggled to remain upright.
A piercing, furious scream rang out through the night sky, carrying throughout all of Mantle.
Author's Note:
Sucks to suck.
Update for the week of 8/28.
-RD