It's MrsTheGoose's birthday!
For anyone wondering, MrsTheGoose is my wife. We've been married almost 11 years now. Taking the day off work to celebrate with her. Figured I'd upload a little early since I'll be offline most of the day. Gonna take the dogs to the beach, then come home and relax, maybe play some games, and end the day with steak and a fire to roast s'mores in the backyard. Unfortunately, FedEx delayed her present, so that'll have to wait. Also have my mom bringing a cake by later instead of the usual store-bought one. Just a nice, relaxing day for the two of us.
On top of that, my sister just gave birth to her second kid yesterday. Had another performance review at work that was basically just "keep being awesome." Despite the continuing hip problems, it's been a good week.
Parting was such sweet sorrow.
At least, that's what Soji sometimes said. Adam was still waiting for the sweet part.
Adam rose well before the sun, laying in the silent darkness of the hotel room he shared with the racket of Soji's snoring. It hit him that this would be the last time he'd ever share a room with the man who had been by his side ever since he left Katai. Literally, for the most part, given the wagon they shared. Never again would he be subjected to the awful racket of Soji's slumber. It seemed fitting that, even in sleep, Soji never could stay quiet for long. He'd gotten used to the horrid sound in time, almost unaware of it most nights despite being only a few feet away. With practice, his ears had tuned out the sound each night, steadfastly ignoring something harsh enough that he wondered if his aura took a hit each night.
He had a feeling he'd miss it tonight.
A million thoughts assaulted his mind until Adam abandoned any hope of getting back to sleep. The bed did its best to pull him back down, but he managed to quietly break free and tiptoe out of the room. Not that Soji could've heard him over his nightly symphony. Still, he didn't want to wake his friend. They'd all be up and about in a couple hours. Someone ought to get some sleep, though.
Apparently, that someone wasn't Jean.
"Couldn't sleep?"
Adam didn't answer as he claimed the seat next to Jean. Any other time, they'd have joked about Soji's snoring driving him out of the room. Or Adam would've snarked that he was sleepwalking, earning a playful slap to his head for his sarcasm. This morning felt different. There wasn't much to laugh about.
Instead, the two sat in silence, even as Adam poured himself a mug of coffee. Adam wasn't sure why Jean had a second mug, but the thick, warm brew burning its way down his throat felt strangely welcoming. Maybe it was just a distraction from what waited for him just beyond sunrise.
Get a job. Find a place to stay. Figure out food. Plan for the future. It all felt overwhelming. Up until now, all he had to worry about was doing his chores and training with Jean. Food would be cooked when they stopped. He'd sleep outside on the trail or share a room with Soji when they stopped. He didn't really have to worry about anything serious.
Now, everything would be up to him. If he wanted food, he had to go buy it. If he wanted a place to sleep, he had to pay for it. And if he wanted money for either, he needed to find somewhere to earn it. Nothing was promised to him now. Nothing guaranteed. Failure or success rested on his shoulders alone, and the weight already felt unbearable.
But that was for later. Here, sitting in the quiet lobby sipping coffee alongside Jean, he felt safe. He knew the moment couldn't last. Morning would break soon enough and herald the end of his illusion. Jean, Soji, and everyone else would pack up and set out on the trail once more, leaving him alone for the first time. Soji told him last night that he got to stay at the hotel an extra week - yet another gift from his far too generous family. He insisted Aiden had arranged it to help him get started, but Adam suspected Soji had forked over more lien to cover for him. Even after they left, they'd still be helping him. Hopefully, he could find a job and a place to stay before the week's end. The clock was ticking.
The clock could wait. Right now, Adam just wanted to enjoy a final bit of peace. The coming dawn signaled the end of his childhood. Starting today, he'd need to be an adult. He'd either stand on his own two feet or get flattened by the steamroller of life. As boring as riding in a wagon all day could be, he'd take it over the excitement of fending for himself. Boring sounded nice right now.
Sadly, boredom wasn't an option anymore. The hustle and bustle of city life waited for him just beyond the hotel's walls. He'd have to learn to keep up, and fast.
Jean finally broke the silence with a simple question. "You ready?"
For the end of his childhood? To jump into the deep end head first and start a new life for a third time? "No."
"Good." Jean drowned a snort in his drink. "If you said yes, I'd say you were either lying or just naïve." Nope. Adam was fully aware of the Ursa about to smack him upside his head.
"Any advice?" Adam tried to sound chill, but Jean probably heard the desperation in his voice.
"On what?"
"On life," Adam answered. "Surviving."
"Just that. Survive." Jean set his mug down before carrying on. "Life's a fight. Toughest one you'll ever face. You're gonna get roughed up from time to time. It'll hit you outta nowhere and knock you flat on your back. And if you let it, it'll keep you there."
If Jean thought he was helping, he'd be sorely disappointed. Adam felt even more anxious than before.
"Don't expect it to come easy. This city will chew you up and spit you out without batting an eye. If you wanna make it anywhere in life, you're gonna have to fight tooth and nail for every inch."
Okay. Jean was officially the worst motivational speaker in history.
Jean smirked. "But you've never been one to back down from a fight, have you? Lesser men than you have made it, so I know you'll come out on top in the end. Just don't expect everything to work out right away." Wouldn't that be nice. "You gotta be willing to work for it. Do whatever it takes today and work on making it better tomorrow. You do that, and by the time we get back, you'll be running this town."
Adam doubted that, but Jean had one thing right. Adam didn't back down. No one knew that better than Jean. He'd fight for what was his, and just like his training, he'd earn it no matter what stood in his way.
"Thanks, Jean," Adam said just as the first beams of light began to creep across the sky. Through the large front windows of the hotel, Adam could see the city spread out before them. Soon, he'd have to face whatever challenges hid within that urban jungle, and he'd face them alone. But whatever came his way, he'd show it just what Adam Taurus was made of.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Before he could face the challenges of the city, he'd had to deal with a much bigger threat.
Escaping Soji's embrace.
"We're gonna be late," Jesse tried as Soji continued to smother Adam.
"We're already late," Jean clarified.
Soji only held on tighter, defying time itself to tear him away. "Would you rob me of my chance to say goodbye to Adam?"
"Squeeze him any tighter and we'll be burying him."
With a sigh, Soji finally let go. Adam took a deep breath, savoring the taste of fresh air once more. Soji had been a wreck all morning, rushing out to the lobby when he realized Adam wasn't in their room. He hadn't left Adam's side since, which meant Adam had to help get everything ready too. Not that he minded. The least he could do was secure the wagon one last time. One by one he'd said his goodbyes to each of them, always with Soji hovering nearby. Even Magnifique, Jean's indomitable horse, got a personal farewell.
As bad as Soji was, Adam had dragged things out, too. He'd had to stop himself from climbing into his usual spot when the time came. Soji sat to the side, unconsciously leaving room for a copilot that wouldn't be joining him. Each of them bombarded him with advice and promises, desperate to get in just one more thing that might help him in his new chapter in life.
As if he hadn't learned enough from them in the past few years.
And then there was Soji. "Not too late to change your mind."
"And miss out on all the excitement around here?" The short laugh they shared lacked any real mirth.
"Face it, old man. Our boy's turned into a cityslicker." Jean to the rescue, as usual.
And as expected, Soji took the bait. "Old? I am still more than young enough to take you to task."
"Calm down, ya old fart." Jean turned Magnifique around, aiming for their escape from the city as he ignored the indignant squawk from behind. A little calmer, Jean asked, "You need anything before we go?"
Adam could think of a thousand things he could use, but they'd already given him more than he deserved. "I'll be okay."
That remained to be seen.
"Make sure to give the old man one more send off." Adam nodded, already planning to do so. Raising his voice for everyone to hear, Jean announced, "Well, we'd best get out of your hair. Try not to burn the place down while we're gone."
Magnifique's powerful hooves drummed a steady beat as Jean made his way to the front, slowly beginning their departure. Very slowly. Adam had a feeling they'd never leave if they waited on Soji. Not that he followed. He'd have to catch up as he waited, for once at a loss for words as he tried to figure out what to say.
Adam didn't wait. "Guess this is it." Turned out, he didn't know how to say goodbye either. But he knew there was one thing he needed to say. "Thank you, Soji. For everything."
"No, Adam. Thank you." Adam didn't know what for, nor did he ask. He'd been a burden on them from day one. They'd done far more for him than he could ever hope to repay. "I have never met a man with more determination than you. May the Gods bless you and keep you, wherever your journey may lead."
Adam risked another never ending hug to hop up and embrace his longtime friend. Soji hesitated for only a moment before desperately hugging him back. It ended far too soon for either of them, but both knew Remnant wouldn't wait any longer. "Goodbye, Soji."
"Don't say goodbye. I hate goodbyes." Judging by the tears filling Soji's eyes, he wasn't lying. To be fair, Adam didn't like them either. "If you don't say goodbye, then you aren't really gone. You just…aren't here right now."
Adam didn't have to fake his smile this time. That was Soji. Fancy words and a quick mind, but at his core, he was just a man who refused to accept the darkness of the world. "In that case, have a safe trip. I'll see ya around."
"Until we meet again," Soji replied. The moment Adam slid off the wagon, he was away. Probably for the best. The last image Adam had of his friend was one shining with a confident joy. He didn't need to see the tears that followed. He had plenty of his own.
Adam lingered in the street, watching the wagon rush to catch up with the rest of the caravan. He still didn't budge when it finally dipped out of sight. Behind him, the bustling city of Mistral waited, eager to test him now that he was alone. The next step he took would be one away from his family and toward whatever fate had in store for him next.
And he was terrified to take it.
Summoning a courage he didn't really feel, Adam steeled himself. "Well, here goes nothing," he announced to no one. With one last look down the trail, Adam turned and marched into the city, not so much eager to get started as to get it over with.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
The good thing about starting fresh in the city was the seemingly endless opportunity. Every street held new potential. Even after all his trips to the city, he'd never truly appreciated how terrifying and wonderful it could seem at once. And the businesses! Mistral had it all. Adam had no shortage of places to apply. The real struggle was figuring out where to start.
He decided to check in on the places he'd already applied first. They'd be his best bet thanks to Soji's recommendations. Plus, if one of them offered him a job, then he wouldn't even need to apply anywhere else. He prayed one of them had an opening, both to take care of his lien problem and to avoid the terror of job hunting.
"We're still waiting to hear back…"
"All our positions are filled…"
"Hoping something opens up soon…"
Some shot him down completely. Others just didn't have an answer yet. While not all of them explicitly said no, none of them had the yes he sought. A few of them took his scroll information, promising to contact him if they had any updates. As far as starts went, it wasn't the worst, but he'd really been hoping for better news to start the day. Instead, he stepped back out onto the sidewalk with no leads and an empty stomach.
Even the food choices in Mistral were too numerous to count. Everything he could imagine adorned a menu somewhere, along with a million things he'd never even heard of. With noon sneaking up on him already, the smells of the city turned into a mix of delicious aromas, each beckoning to him from a thousand different directions.
A man could starve trying to decide what to eat. Adam quickly struck down several temptations. A fancy, sit-down restaurant would have a fancy price tag to match. Until he had a stable income, splurging was out of the question. Instead, he turned his sights on the fast food counters and stalls, hoping for something quick and easy. As much as he'd love to waste time and put off the grueling hunt a little longer, he knew better. Half the day was gone already. In only a few hours, a lot of places would be closing their doors. Not the stores and such, but the offices with their nine to five grind wouldn't stay open forever. He didn't want to ask for a meeting close to closing, either. They'd fly through it just to get out of there and go home. And the fastest way to end an application was a no.
Food acquired, Adam found a seat on the edge of a large fountain and began mentally laying out his plan of attack as he tore through a box of chicken nuggets. Office jobs sounded boring, but they had to have better pay than standing at a register all day. They'd also take longer to make decisions, so the sooner he started with them, the better. Picturing himself slaving away in a cubicle was hard, but it didn't have to be permanent. He could work his way up to…a bigger box. Okay, so maybe office life wasn't for him, but if it paid the bills, then he could endure until he found something better.
Two o'clock would be his cutoff. After that, people would already be getting in the going home mindset. If he didn't find anything today, he'd hit them early tomorrow and switch by lunch. Once he ran out of options there, he'd branch out to the more active jobs. Retail. Customer service. Food. The kind of stuff that paid by the hour rather than the year. On the one hand, they usually didn't pay as much, but their high turnover rate and lower requirements meant he'd have a better chance there anyways. And just like the office, it didn't have to be permanent.
That was all well and good in theory, but Adam quickly realized a fatal flaw in his plan. He didn't know where to start. Or even how. Walking into a random office building and telling the receptionist he wanted a job had to have been the most terrifying thing he'd ever done in his life. Her polite smile and "we're not hiring at the moment" had chased him out of the building faster than any Grimm. He'd rather face one of them, anyways. Sure would beat tying himself to a desk for the rest of his life.
The rest of the bigger businesses went about as well. Quick, pleasant denials were as common as having a form shoved in his face. He kept each one, figuring he could fill them all out tonight and bring them back later. He honestly appreciated the one older lady who told him they couldn't hire someone so young. She genuinely looked sorry to tell him and kept him from wasting his time. It was probably the least painful denial of the group.
His scroll chimed out a quiet alarm, signaling the end of his office attempts. A quick stop by his room to drop off his collection of applications and freshen up, then he was back at it in the faster-paced world of hourly jobs. He started at a fast food joint with a bright "Now Hiring" sign in the window. Down the street, he saw a book store was looking for a clerk. A large market needed stock boys. The theater had an opening in concessions. Anywhere that claimed to be hiring found him swinging by, hoping to snag whatever he could. With no income and only a week in the hotel, he couldn't afford to be too picky.
The stores could, though. Too young. Not enough experience. Already hired someone. Denials came much faster here. A few took his info and said they'd let their boss know. One or two gave him an application to add to his pile. Adam felt exhausted. How could asking people for a job be more tiring than fighting? The latest denial had been from a horrendously noisy arcade. The cacophony of horrid sounds all around him almost made him grateful they'd said no. Working here would drive him crazy, and not just from the mixture of cheap food, noisy machines, and even louder children. He glanced at two kids playing some shooter game, gunning down weird-looking monsters on a screen.
Grimm Incursion III, the large box proudly proclaimed with an image of what resembled a Beowolf only in the loosest sense. The shape was there, but it was all black with a pair of glowing, red eyes. On screen, most of them went down in one or two shots. The two fighters frantically sprayed bullets everywhere from their colorful, plastic guns, slaughtering Grimm by the hundreds until an Ursa burst through a wall. Standing at least twenty feet high, it spent more time roaring than attacking. Even then, it just hurled explosive barrels and smaller Grimm the whole time without moving toward them, all while they fired off enough shots to make even the Atlas military blush.
If a Grimm like that ever showed up, a couple of kids with handguns wouldn't be saving the day. Heck, that many Beowolves could take down a whole city before the boss ever lumbered in. It was galling to realize these kids didn't know any better. They'd spent their whole lives cooped up inside the walls of Mistral. To them, these shadowy cannon fodder were the real deal. They'd never have to worry about facing one of them alone. They'd never feel the terror of having a Beowolf stalk them through the trees. If a couple well-placed shots could tear one down so easily, then what was there to be scared of? They had a school full of Huntsman students, not to mention the thick walls, automated defenses, and guards standing between them and the darkness lurking outside. They could leave it to someone else to worry about.
Someone like you?
Now there was an idea. He'd actually come up with it several days ago, but why shouldn't he look for something a little more demanding. He had zero experience inside the walls. Filing paperwork? Cleaning toilets? Serving food? That kind of stuff didn't really matter much on the trail. But he had plenty of experience as a guard. He'd spent the last couple years training as one. Not to mention his combat experience. Heck, he'd probably killed more Grimm than most of the guards had ever seen from their perch high atop the city walls. If they just needed someone to watch for danger, he'd be perfect! His experience on the trail had sharpened his senses, plus he could do great at night thanks to his faunus heritage. And if worst came to worst, he had aura and training to back him up.
"Thank you," he whispered to the comical-looking 2D Grimm. Who needed some dead-end hourly job when he could do so much more? And if the guards in Mistral were anything like the ones in places like Tsubaki, they'd have barracks and chow, too. That would take care of his housing and food issues on top of everything! Even if they didn't, he had to imagine they paid enough for him to get by on. They wouldn't want their defenders struggling just to get by.
His old plan was cast aside. A city guard. That's what he'd be. Now, he just needed to figure out how to apply. He doubted the zoned out teen behind the counter knew. Guy looked dead on his feet. Asking people in the street wouldn't help much, either. Why would Mr. Big Bucks know anything about defending his home? He paid people to do that for him. Probably never even gave a thought to how the city kept them safe.
There was probably a special office or something he could go to. Maybe some government building where they handled all applications and could tell him everything he needed to know. Aiden might have answers for him, but why bother? He knew who would know. They'd probably be easier to speak to than some bureaucrat manning a desk, too.
Finding a guard wasn't too hard. There were plenty on the wall, but he doubted they'd appreciate a civilian strolling around the wall's defenses. Instead, Adam headed for the gate he'd passed through plenty of times. There were always a few men stationed at every entrance to the city, though they did little more than nod when a wagon passed through. One of them saw him coming but didn't seem to care. For all he knew, Adam was just going for a walk or meeting some new arrival at the gate. Besides, his focus was on threats outside the city. Everything inside the walls were the police's concerns.
Adam didn't want to just walk up to a guardpost, though. That sounded like a bad way to start. Instead, he stood several feet away, waiting for them to address him. The guard inside the small booth never moved, fixated on security screens. Or asleep. It was hard to tell from behind. The other one, who had seen him coming, kept his gaze beyond the entrance. The lights were on, but no one was home.
"Ahem," Adam coughed.
Nothing happened.
Adam tried again, a little louder this time. Still nothing. With a sigh, Adam decided to take a more direct route, stepping around to the open gate where he knew they'd see him. "E-excuse me?"
The guard outside sighed as Adam finally broke him from his trance. "What can I help you with, citizen?"
"I…I want to apply to be a guard. Like you." Maybe it sounded a little naïve, but what did Adam care? Maybe the guy would feel flattered and happier to help a fan.
If it worked, the guy sure didn't show it. "That so?" He studied Adam for a moment. Whatever he saw didn't seem to impress him all that much. "Hey Martin! Kid out here wants to join up."
Martin, or at least Adam had to assume, finally turned from his monitors to peek outside. He looked a lot older than the first guard. "What kid?" Martin spied Adam standing nearby. "Run home, kid. We ain't some daycare."
Adam bristled at the immediate dismissal. His hand itched for his sword back at the hotel. He could probably take both of them in a fight, yet they acted like he was worthless. "I'm no kid." He was, just not one of the soft children raised in a place like Mistral. "I want to be a guard. Where do I apply?"
Martin laughed. "Heh. Kid's got a little fire."
"Where do I apply?" Adam repeated. Clearly these two weren't worth his time. He just needed them to point him to someone more competent.
Martin's amusement waned a bit. "Not here." Adam resisted the urge to roll his eyes, keeping locked on Martin as he waited for an actual answer. "Take him to Commander Barca. Let him sort the kid out. Not like we get paid enough for it."
"Can't we just call someone else to come get him?"
"Stop your whining, Lewis," Martin snapped. "It'll take you all of ten minutes. Not like we got much goin' on here."
"Fine," Lewis relented. "Come on, kid. Let's get this over with."
Lewis didn't say another word as he marched off, leaving Adam to follow behind. Even as they walked, the man basically ignored Adam's existence, but at least this was progress. Hopefully their commander would take things more seriously. All Adam had to do was impress one guy and he was in.
They reached a large, stone building nestled against the wall. Bright lights illuminated the entire area against the coming evening. The entire thing was surrounded by a tall, chain link fence topped with vicious coils of razor wire. Lewis led them to the only opening in the perimeter.
"Kid wants to apply for the cadets. Martin said to bring the kid to see Barca," he told a much more alert guard at the entrance. Adam was glad he'd started with the gate guards. He dreaded to imagine having to talk to the heavily armed man before him. His rifle hung on a strap across his chest, but even as he spoke, his hands stayed fixed on his weapon, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
"You know him?"
"Just walked up to the gate and said he wanted to join up." Adam felt a little awkward as they talked about him as if he wasn't five feet away.
The imposing guardian of the area thought about it for a moment, then waved them through. "Commander Barca just got back a few minutes ago. Probably up in his office."
"Let's get this over with," Lewis instructed, once again leaving Adam behind as he reluctantly walked toward the hardened structure's main entrance. Adam nervously scurried behind. This was it. There was no turning back now.
The inside of the building didn't match the drab exterior at all. Light seemed to shine off the white walls and tiled floor, almost blinding him when they walked in. Despite the handful of people in crisp uniforms walking the halls, Adam couldn't spot so much as a speech of dust or dirt. Pictures of intimidating men and women adorned the walls with labels of their name and position below each. Probably some sort of command structure. Adam tried to spy out Commander Barca, but there were too many to check and Lewis was already heading through a door.
Up a flight of stairs. Down a hall. Around a corner. Through another set of doors. The place seemed like a maze, yet Lewis had no trouble navigating until they reached a door that looked like every other one they'd passed. A small, metal plate embossed with "Commander Abyaz Barca" adorned the door.
Lewis straightened up suddenly, smoothing out his uniform as he tucked it in a little tighter and ran a hand through his hair, forcing a few strays back into place. Adam unconsciously stiffened a little himself. As Lewis firmly knocked on the door.
"Enter." Nothing more. A single word was all it took. Adam rushed to follow Lewis. Any man who didn't waste time with words was not to be kept waiting.
"Commander." Lewis saluted, waiting for the man at the desk to return it. Commander Barca looked a lot less green then the gate guards. Each of the short, white hairs on his head stood at attention. The deep lines on his face gave him a serious expression, even when he looked emotionless at Lewis.
"What is it, Private Lewis?"
"I have a young man here who wanted to speak with you about recruitment." Young man? What happened to kid?
Commander Barca turned his steely gaze on Adam. "A new recruit?" Adam tried to stand a little taller, eager to make a good first impression. As Soji often said, you only got the one, so you had to make it count. "Aren't you on gate duty tonight?"
"Yessir. With Corporal Martin, sir." Commander Barca nodded, as if his seemingly encyclopedic knowledge confirmed the details. "He approached our post asking for information on enlisting. Corporal Martin asked that I bring him to speak with you, sir."
"Very good." What was? Adam asking to join? Bringing him here? Lewis's description? Maybe just all of it. "Return to your post."
Lewis saluted and fled the room, shutting the door firmly behind him and locking Adam in. Now what? Should he take a seat? Stay by the door? Salute? No, that last one was for military people. Wait, then why were they saluting? Didn't Atlas have the only standing military in Remnant?
"You have a name?"
With all his pondering, Adam had forgotten to say anything. "A-adam, sir. Adam Taurus." He stepped forward, hand instinctively rising for a shake before Adam remembered he was still halfway across the room.
If Commander Barca noticed, he mercifully chose to ignore it. "Take a seat." Adam hurried to do so, quietly sliding into a chair in front of the commander's desk. "You're not from around here, are you?"
He could tell? "N-no, sir."
"Didn't think so. Not many local kids looking to join up nowadays." Adam stamped down on his curiosity. "So what brings you to my office?"
"I want to join," Adam said, trying to sound confident.
Commander Barca's snort spoke volumes on how much he believed that. "No. I mean why?"
"Why?"
"Young man like you doesn't just travel all the way here asking to enlist. Anyone dedicated enough to try would've just gone to one of our recruitment offices, not the front gate." Adam had no idea what to say. He'd seen some places like that in the bigger cities, but he didn't know where Mistral's was. Finding that needle in a haystack would've taken too long. "Parents?"
"Dead, sir."
"I see." No apology. No condolences. Just a simple acknowledgement and nothing more. "So you decided to travel all the way to Mistral and start over. And you picked the guards?"
Not at first. But given the options, they were probably better than making minimum wage scrubbing floors or dealing with annoying customers. "I can fight."
"I'm sure you think you can." Why did that feel like an insult?
Adam felt the need to prove himself. "I've killed Grimm. Spent the last few years training as a caravan guard. Even have my aura unlocked." The commander's eyebrow twitched slightly at the last part. Good. He had the man's attention now.
Commander Barca leaned forward a little. "I wouldn't go spreading that one around."
"Why not?" If anything, it made him overqualified for the job. He doubted most of the guards could boast such a feat.
"Because not everyone will like the idea of a faunus with an aura." Commander Barca softened for the first time. "Look, I don't like wasting time, so I'll cut to the chase. You're young. Too young. But more than that, you're a faunus."
Adam couldn't help the slight snarl that took over. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Everything, sadly. Normally I'd jump at a chance to bring in someone with actual experience. Doubt they unlocked your aura for fun. Probably seen more combat than half my men combined." Adam couldn't help but agree. Life beyond the walls wasn't cushy like city life. Every day was a fight to survive. "But with everything happening lately, I'd be strung up for letting you enlist."
"Everything…" Adam hadn't listened to the news in a while, but he had a feeling he knew what the commander was referring to. "The White Fang?"
Commander Barca seemed unsure for once. Adam doubted he'd see it a second time. "Yes and no. They're just a response to what's been happening for years. The Faunus War may have ended, but that doesn't mean people stopped fighting."
"So you can't hire me because I'm a faunus?"
"I'm telling you not to waste your time," he clarified. "An armed faunus with an aura marching around the city? Haven might get away with a few of them, but down here? Officially policy is that all faunus applicants go through an extra screening process. Far as I know, none have made it through that yet."
Oh.
"I wish I could help you. I really do." Adam believed him. Commander Barca didn't have any reason to lie. "We'd be better off adding faunus to our ranks, but the city would never allow it. Political winds are blowing south, and too many politicians would rather ride it than fight it." Commander Barca stood and walked toward the door, making it clear they were finished. He paused before opening his door, though. "And just between you and me, I'd keep that aura of yours a secret."
"Why?" There was nothing wrong with having an aura. At least, as far as he knew.
"Aura is for fighting. People see a faunus with one, they assume you're up to no good. If something happens, it's better to have that in your back pocket." Because in a fight, anything your opponent didn't know could very much hurt them.
"Got it."
"Good." Commander Barca opened the door and ushered him into the hall. "I'll walk you out. Don't want you getting lost in here." Good, because Adam had no idea how to retrace his steps with how his mind was swimming right now. When they finally made their way to the open air once more, Commander Barca bid him farewell. "Good luck, Adam Taurus. You're gonna need it."
Was originally planning to have a lot more this chapter, then realized I was planning way too much. So we split it into two chapters instead. As you can see, things aren't going to immediately work out for Adam. After all, this is a Goose story. Bad things happening are pretty much a given.
Hoping a few of you caught the Red vs Blue reference. Decided to ditch subtlety and put the whole quote. Watched that show long before RWBY came around. In fact, only started watching RWBY after seeing an ad at the start of a RvB episode. May have to binge that show again soon. Some of the twists are phenomenal, not to mention they can sucker punch you out of nowhere sometimes. The end of Season 10 is still one of my favorite episodes. Dang you, RT, for making me feel bad for a bad guy!
Anyways, off to celebrate with MrsTheGoose! Make sure to tune in next week when everything magically works out for Adam!
Next chapter: Adam tries to find his place in the big city.