Chapter 55: Argus - Demonstrations of Inequality

Cover Art by Mi Chumi

Back in June, they'd estimated that it would take almost a month to organize the fundraiser, and Garek had fretted at how that would eat into the schedule leading up to the Vytal Festival and completion of the Kuo Kuana Combat School.

Lionheart was the one that had dismissed his fears, to his surprise.

"Ah, the impetuousness of youth. Garek, I've already started the procurement process using the funds earmarked by the Council for the most critical pieces. We are not dependent on the funds raised here to start work. Frankly, the Mistral Council is alarmed by the fact that we are even holding the first fundraiser in Argus, and I suspect they are already at work organizing a similar one in Mistral City without my intervention." His eyes twinkled. "And even if we did have all the funds at hand to start the process today, I doubt we will have all of the new equipment purchased, acquired from Atlas, and installed in Haven before the November festival." He frowned. "I take that back. With Alexander Nikos smelling self-promotional opportunities, he may just press the matter."

"You think he has that kind of influence?"

"Oh yes. Mr. Nikos, for all his faults, is a man who purchases, moves, and sells all manner of goods. If he sees a benefit, he is likely to pressure his own contacts in Atlas and Mistral to ensure the equipment is expedited." Shook his shaggy mane of hair. "I know you find him… difficult to work with. And he is. But there's no doubt the man delivers on his promises. This may further work in our favor, Garek."

Alexander Nikos. Being… helpful, Garek had mused. Sure, it was out of self-interest. But still. I might even feel obligated to… gah.. thank the man.

And here it was late July, and all of Lionheart's predictions were coming to fruition. The first of the next-generation simulation systems and linked automatons were waiting in a secure warehouse in Mistral City, while one of the two existing Haven practice arenas was being prepared for all of its still-serviceable equipment to be decommissioned in one fell swoop, to be stored in that same warehouse. Due to the pressures of pre-tournament training, they were going to do one arena at a time, and even that over a long weekend, to ensure none of Haven's precious students missed a single day of training prior to the November Vytal Tournament.

An informal sign-up sheet had been posted for using the upgraded facility, and Lionheart had assured Garek that it was already filling up, even though it would likely still be weeks before they finished installing, testing, and calibrating the equipment. But the students were excited. And excited students meant excited parents. And excited parents opened their wallets.

And it was all due to Lionheart's smooth politicking, the Mistral Council being backed into a corner, and Alexander Nikos' ego. Not only had the man expedited things, once he got the taste of it, he'd personally guaranteed a quietly obtained loan to cover the entire cost of that first shipment, to be paid with interest from the funds they intended to raise.

Which also meant there was already a metal placard mounted to a stand by the entrance to the arena, proclaiming that the upcoming improvements were thanks to the kind generosity of the people of Mistral (through the Council) and the Nikos family.

And here Garek sat, in one of Argus' most posh banquet halls, wearing formal attire and feeling very out of place, at one of the central tables near the narrow dance floor in front of the stage. Next to him sat Selene, looking stunning in a dark blue dress that exposed one shoulder. He found it somewhat distracting. At a less prestigious table back toward the rear wall of the hall sat Cinder, who was for the first time in her life forced to take part in this sort of spectacle. She was dressed in a lovely dark burgundy, off-the-shoulders v-neck mini dress in the Mistralian style, with gold accents. A blue collection of dyed feathers accented her right hip. His heart nearly broke at how it drove home the dramatic changes his ward had experience, how happy and lovely she'd grown, in just a year.

Cinder was giddy at the moment. She'd demanded, and wrangled, a table for a handful of her classmates and friends, using her friendship with Pyrrha as leverage. And so she sat, dressed in finery, one hand gesticulating while her other hand discretely rested under the table clasped happily by her girlfriend, Argent Reece, who was likewise on cloud nine and dressed in a more Argesian style toga-style silver dress. On Cinder's other side sat her classmate and fellow Grimmslayer Sarah Tourmaline, and next to her another Sanctum classmate, Tomas Flint, had somehow managed to grab an empty seat. Garek suspected that the boy had a clear idea what he wanted out of it. On Argent's other side was Laural Frost, laughing at something that the boy to her right had said, a tall lanky fellow who Cinder had introduced to him as Clay. The other two seats were apparently siblings of the two boys who were, like Laurel and Argent, not interested in becoming Huntsmen.

No one at that table were paying particular attention to the gala itself at the moment.

The Gala had opened with the Argesian Chamber Orchestra, which did little to capture the youths' attention. Then a speech and presentation by Alexander Nikos himself about the honor of the Nikos family, and all those present, in facilitating Haven Academy becoming the premier Huntsmen Academy in Remnant. 'so that it could better serve its esteemed purpose of protecting Argus, and all of Mistral's ability to keep the wheels of commerce turning'.

Blarf.

There had been dancing after that, which Garek was delighted to see Selene had zero interest in. That shouldn't be surprising considering she was barely dealing with the mass of Argesian upper crust crammed in the room. Asking her to insert herself onto the smaller and even more crowded dance floor was just too much to ask.

Next to Selene was her friend and Pyrrha's older sister, Helena Nikos. She looked by turns amused and angry, depending on how much she felt obligated to applaud for her father. She and Selene were currently engaged in some sort of in-depth critique of several of the wealthier families seated around them.

And on his other side sat Lionheart, smiling broadly and letting himself be interrupted every few minutes by someone wishing him well, or thanking him for his service, or in a few cases requesting his autograph. The man navigated these waters like he was born amphibious and was clearly loving it. It was… something to see.

Beside Lionheart sat Helena and Pyrrha's mother, Artemis Nikos, with an empty chair next to her where Alexander would be, if he ever stopped working the spotlight.

"How does it look, Leo?" Garek asked when the lion faunus caught a break between outside interruptions.

"Excellent, Garek. All the most notable Argesian families are represented, as well as some of the wealthier businesses, hoping to cement further connections. I anticipate a roaring success." He winked, and Garek cringed internally at the pun.

"And that over there is Verdant Spedworth," Helena continued smoothly. "Her last husband died with a huge life insurance policy, and then she married up from there. Everyone's sure she did him in, but the police never found any evidence," the blonde stage-whispered over the roar of the hall's background noise.

Selene nodded. It was all very fascinating, if overwhelming. She clutched her wineglass like it was her quarterstaff, reminding herself for the fourth time so far that she could not, must not, drink to excess as a defense against the sheer density of humanity in the room.

This was not her kind of party. No indeed.

And the presence of photographers, carefully vetted by the Nikos family of course, made her feel like she had a target on her back. She was… not human. Not faunus, though there were few enough of those among Argus' moneyed elites. She was something else, and beneath her skin, she knew it. And she felt like she was under a spotlight. The idea of appearing in some news article or press release made her back itch.

Only Helena's familiar company and Garek's reassuring hand on her leg allowed her to find it all tolerable in general, and pleasant at moments. She glanced over to Cinder's table, and found that the teens were clearly having a better time than she, so engrossed with each other's company they barely noticed anyone else.

She attempted to continue the distraction. "And that man over there, looking decidedly unhappy?"

Helena followed Selene's gaze. "Oh that's the president of Argus Financial, the premier bank here in Argus. He always looks like he just ate a live toad. That's his happy face."

"Oh. Oh dear."

"Yeah. Sometimes I think that having a ton of money just makes you—"she lowered her voice "a shit human being or unhappy having to deal with shit human beings."

"Hmm…" Selene let her eyes rove over to where Alexander Nikos was busily working two older and obviously wealthy couples. "I begin to imagine how that might be so."

Helena saw where she was looking. "Yep. Case in point. The man and woman on the left of dad? That's the Heraklis'. Brother and sister, no spouses. No kids. Hate each other's guts, but they work together because neither one can stand to sell their interest and see either successful without the other."

"Oh my."

"Yeah. And then—" Helena's roving eyes halted, and Selene felt Helena's hand grip her arm suddenly. "Oh. My. Gods. Athena is here."

"Your aunt?"

"Yeah. She's… I mean I told her about it. But she said she'd rather eat a live beowolf… holy shit. Come on. I have to introduce you!"

Selene gave Garek an apologetic look as she was dragged off, and got a smile and nod in return. And then she was being led in a weaving pattern through the crowd toward one of the bars along the perimeter where drinks could be made to order on the spot, rather than waiting for a waiter to take your order and return.

Standing at the bar was a woman who looked very much like a mature version of little Pyrrha. She had to be in her late thirties or early forties (though with Huntresses it was hard to tell), with reddish-brown hair and darker green eyes than her niece, and the easy stance that Selene had come to associate with Huntresses. Her expression was wry.

"Helena."

"Athena! I thought you weren't going to come?" Helena moved in and gave her aunt a brief hug.

"Eh… I figured it was for a good cause at least. Get to see my favorite niece again."

"Helena's eyes narrowed. "Favorite niece…"

"Me to know and you to guess which one that Is," the Huntress smirked.

Helena scoffed, then changed the topic. "How's your team?"

"Busted up," Athena laughed. "Alex and Chloe decided to go ahead and retire, since they've already pushed their luck and their youngest is turning out to be a holy terror to raise. Me and Reed are still semi-active, taking odd jobs now and then." She nodded to Selene. "This the friend you were telling me about?"

"Yeah. Selene, this is my thinks-she's-cool aunt Athena. Athena, this is my best friend, Selene."

"Pleasure to meet you , Selene. Helena mentioned you when we talked last week. Wouldn't shut up, actually."

"Jerk."

"Blunt. It's a family trait."

They glared at each other, then laughed and hugged again. "Gods, I've missed you, Athena. How's life in Mistral?"

"Likewise. And it's fine. Maybe we'd see each other more often if you moved back to Argus…"

"About as likely as you doing it. Too close to…" she rolled her eyes toward the stage, where Alexander Nikos was announcing the next attraction.

"Yeah."

Selene considered the dynamic between the two women. It was… clearly affectionate, though it appeared abrasive. It was… similar to what she saw between Summer and Raven, in some ways, though these two were family rather than best friends.

She glanced again back to Cinder's table. How would her ward…. Her daughter in all but name… build those relationships with her friends? How would her relationship with Argent change as she became more and more immersed in the world of Huntsmen and Huntresses? And what kind of bonds would she forge? Would Selene's mannerisms guide rub off on her? Looking at the Nikos family, and Garek's family, she could not determine whether such things were more genetics or upbringing.

Which led to questions about her own personality. Was she an aberration? Was her personality the result of her father's influence? Or was her mother's current personality more a matter of her curse than her innate character?

That too, bore thinking.

"Remnant to Selene," Helena waved a hand in front of her face.

"Oh. I am sorry. I became distracted."

Helena gave her aunt a look. "She does that. Don't mind her. Always got stuff going on in that pretty head of hers." Helena laughed.

Selene fought the urge to blush at the compliment, and then felt ashamed. Helena said things like that, calling her friend pretty, and it felt nice to be praised by someone who wasn't clearly smitten with her like Garek was.

But at the same time, it was a lie, wasn't it. This was not her appearance. Would her true appearance send her friend running from the hall? Or reaching for a weapon? The thought made her shudder.

"AND NOW," the speakers blared, "THE EVENT OF THE EVENING!" interrupted her musings yet again.

All eyes turned toward the stage, where a very scaled-down version, little more than a demonstration ensemble, of the self-same equipment being installed in Mistral had been set up. After a series of beeps, the system's AI announced "POWER ON - TRAINING SESSION PROGRAM A11 – AURA USER AGE 11-12."

And from behind a curtain strode eight-year-old Pyrrha Nikos. Selene could feel Helena tense beside her and heard Athena's sigh.

The young girl was dressed to impress in a modest bronze and burgundy top and combat dress. Her normal wooden and leather training gear had been replaced with more ornate but still simple versions of sword and buckler.

She was wearing the absolute minimum of leather padding, though doubtless some had been incorporated directly into her outfit, if the bulkiness of the top on her slim build was anything to go by.

But still.

"They've got it set to a damn aura user and in a higher age range. Pyrrha's only eight and doesn't have Aura yet," Helena growled.

"Yes," Selene tried to reassure her friend. "But I have seen her spar with my Cinder," she nodded to the table, "who is thirteen. Your sisters is very skilled."

Helena turned her glare onto her friend. "Selene…" she warned.

"I am trying to reassure you…"

Athena put a hand on Selene's shoulder. "Don't. Helena's not looking for reassurance. She wants to be pissed." Athena's eyes were flat. "Like I am."

Selene's shoulders slumped. "I see. My apologies."

On the stage, Pyrrha continued her saunter into the active area with purpose, eyes locked onto the mace-wielding automaton that waited there with glowing blue lights where its eyes would be.

Fearless.

"Ready!" she declared, feet planted slightly apart, one heel even with the other's toes. Knees slightly bent, she took a guard stance with sword and buckler.

The system gave no further warnings, other than the automaton taking an equivalent stance. And then both combatants moved.

For the next five minutes, Pyrrha Nikos wove in and out, dodging automaton strikes that were specifically calibrated to challenge a typical first-year student at a Combat School. Strikes that, were they to hit her, might have left a nasty bruise without Aura to mitigate them.

Selene had watched Pyrrha spar with Cinder weeks before. Cinder was not a typical first year student at Sanctum. But she had also held back.

Pyrrha is not a typical eight-year-old without Aura either, Selene mused as she watched the youngster analyze the machine's movement and tactics and gradually increase the aggressiveness of her own movements and strikes. Selene glanced over at Cinder's table to find her and the others watching in rapt attention for the first time. Several of them were nodding in approval. The non-fighters, including Argent and Laurel, had mouths slightly agape in awe.

We forget, sometimes, how even the least skilled among us must look to someone with no training. She drew her attention back to Pyrrha's spar.

The girl was, indeed, a prodigy.

There was a gasp as the automaton's mace bounced off Pyrrha's buckler, the force and mass of it pushing her backward for a moment, and scored a glancing blow against Pyrrha's left thigh where there was no padding. The girl gave a soft yelp, and jumped back, her face betraying how badly it had hurt.

She was a prodigy, but she was still one in an eight-year-old body, with no Aura.

Selene heard Alexander Nikos yell something encouraging. Young Pyrrha's green eyes narrowed in determination, and she redoubled her efforts.

Within two minutes, she scored two devastating strikes, which the machine calculated sufficient to disable an equivalent ranked opponent according to its programmig.

"WINNER – PYRRHA NIKOS" it announced in its synthesized voice, and switched to safe mode.

The crowd went wild. If the room had been distracting before, now it was deafening, and Selene flinched against the noise.

Up on the stage, Pyrrha basked in the approval of the room. Of her father. And waited until her Trainer came and led her back behind the curtained area, limping slightly.

"Shit. I'm gonna go check on Pyrrha. Did you see that hit? She's going to be in a lot of pain."

"She hid it well," Selene ventured.

Helena nodded and glared at her father's back across the room. "She does that. We all do, in the Nikos household."

"I'd go with you," Athena added, "but I might run into my brother on the way, and I'd prefer not to cause another scene by punching him in his smug face again." She patted her niece on the back. "I'll stick around on the edges until my temper's cooled a little, and then I'll congratulate Pyrrha, and tell her off for agreeing to such a risky demonstration."

"Yeah. Selene, if you'll excuse me?"

Selene realized she had nothing further to keep her there, and gave her apologies to Athena as well. On a whim, she made her way over to Cinder's table. "So, what was your opinion of Pyrrha's spar?"

"That was amazing," Laurel gushed. "She's so small but… wow."

"Cinder's better, though. Aren't you Cinder?" Argent said with the smitten assurance of significant others everywhere.

Cinder, surprisingly, didn't roll her eyes, but instead blushed at Argent's praise.

"Cinder and me are four years older, of course we're better." Sarah said. "But in four years, if she doesn't break herself doing dumb stuff like that? She'll probably be better than us. That really was something. And no Aura!" Sarah was shaking her head in disbelief.

"So you found the demonstration… dangerous?"

"Yeah," Cinder said, frowning. "No way Miss Regalia would have let one of us do that at Sanctum. The parents would throw a fit and sue the school if we got our leg or arm broken."

Selene looked back at the front tables where Garek was still seated, and the mass of people between them. The entire thought of walking back through that made her feel ill. "Cinder, I would like to… go outside and get some space for a bit."

"I'll come with you," her ward said without hesitation. It was… sweet of her. "Argent, you coming?"

"Sure. Laurel?"

"I'll stick around here, if that's okay," Laurel said glancing at Clay's brother with a shy smile.

Argent and Cinder shared a look, "Clay you maybe should stick around and make sure nobody bothers anyone."

The lanky boy scoffed but stayed in his seat as Cinder and Argent, holding hands, stood. They were quickly joined by Tomas and Sarah. In an easy manner, Sarah and Tomas took the lead, and Cinder followed behind Selene as they headed toward the exit.

It was, Selene realized, very similar to how Garek and Rhodes behaved when around noncombatants. They just… naturally assumed an escort position.

So early do they learn such things, that they become reflexive.

Outside the noise levels dropped dramatically, and Cinder noted how Selene's shoulders untensed as she exited and leaned against an ornate column, closing her eyes and soaking in the relative silence. Her mom still really didn't like crowds like that.

It was late afternoon, and the sun was no longer shining directly down on the sidewalks. Traffic was blocked off immediately in front of the banquet hall, having to divert to different streets. A handful of Argus police officers were standing to the left and right of the building, scanning the streets, sidewalks, and entrance for potential threats. Two of them Sarah seemed to recognize and was recognized in turn, and they traded waves and smiles.

Cinder noticed that the street itself was mostly empty of people, too.

But the sidewalk opposite was not. Several small tables had been set up on its opposite side with flags affixed, showing the symbol of a stylized white head of some sort of predatory animal, inside a white circle against a field of blue. A dozen faunus were manning the tables. Some held signs demanding equal labor rights for faunus. Others were attempting to hand out flyers to pedestrians that had been forced to use the far sidewalk, since the near one was blocked off by the police officers.

One of the faunus, a bulky and muscled fair-skinned man with an impressive black mane of hair and beard wearing a decidedly non-Argesian purple and white leather and fur outfit, was having what appeared to be a somewhat heated discussion with one of the officers on the near side of the street, though his yellow eyes made his expression seem more intense than angry.

She glanced back to the tables, and saw that most of the pedestrians tried to ignore the… protestors? They didn't really seem to be protesting really, more like just trying to hand out information and strike up a conversation.

One dark-haired young faunus girl with two cat-like ears, probably around Pyrrha's age, seemed to be getting frustrated. Her ears were alternating between pinned back and erect as she approached each person and then got shot down. She had a sheaf of folded flyers in one hand, and her amber eyes were gradually betraying her emotional state.

Near her was an older boy, closer to Cinder's age, with bright red hair and small bull-like horns. His upper face was covered by a broad single-piece dark visor that seemed larger than necessary to Cinder, covering most of the area between his eyebrows down to the middle of his cheeks. He wasn't trying to hand out anything. If his body language was any indication, he felt protective of the younger girl.

She could imagine he was probably glaring at the other people behind that weird visor of his.

Curiosity got the better of her. She remembered things about faunus-human relations. The "No Faunus" signs from the Glass Unicorn. How Garek avoided some businesses. Did… did those things also mean that some businesses treated their faunus workers worse than humans?

She made to move across the street, and Argent tugged back at her hand. "Hey, where you going?"

"I just wanted to see what that was all about," Cinder said, thumbing toward the tables.

Argent looked at the group across the street, and then back at Cinder. "I dunno. That red-haired guy looks pretty intense. I'm not sure I'm comfortable going over there."

Sarah and Cinder shared a look. Argent wasn't prejudiced against faunus. After Sarah had come out to Cinder as 'passing,' they'd told both Argent and Laurel too. The Grimmslayers stuck together.

"I'll go over with you guys," Sarah said. "Make sure tall, dark, and broody doesn't do anything weird."

"Hey, not without me!" Tomas said, frowning. He didn't like that last bit. Some girls liked bad boys, and he wasn't about to let some sunglasses-at-night dude sweep his future girlfriend off her feet without a fight. Sarah rolled her eyes, but motioned him to join them with a tilt of her head.

Cinder glanced over at Selene, who was still leaned against the pillar, eyes closed and arms hugging herself, breathing deeply. She'd be fine there.

She started across the street.

One of the officers moved to intercept them. "Hey kids I wouldn't—oh… you're Tourmaline's kid," he pulled up sharp as he recognized Sarah.

"Yeah, we were just gonna go talk to those faunus over there."

"Uhh… well… we're supposed to make sure there's no trouble."

"We aren't going to start any trouble, and we can take care of ourselves," Sarah said. "Us three are Combat School students, and Argent has her pretty face to protect her."

"Thanks Sarah. Thanks for that."

"It's true. Nobody would dare mess that up. And Cinder would bur—" she caught Cinder's widening eyes, "uh… give them a good talking to if they tried anything." Cinder felt Argent squeeze her hand at Sarah's near slip, but she just rolled her golden eyes. Sarah was… mouthy.

"Well… I guess so. But be careful. Your dad'll have my a—butt if you kids get hurt."

"Not likely," Sarah said, breezily, and eased around him, the rest following.

The cat faunus saw them coming, and at first looked excited, then she glanced at how fancily they were dressed, and over at the gala doors, and her ears went back slightly, eyes narrowing.

"So…" Cinder moved to the front, letting Argent hang back with Sarah and Tomas. "What's the deal?"

The young girl's amber eyes widened and her mouth worked for a moment. "What's the deal?!" Her young voice was high-pitched. "We're trying to tell people about faunus rights!"

Cinder glanced back at Sarah who gave a head tilt. "That's cool. We're all for that. Right girls?"

"Hey!" Tomas protested.

"You're an honorary girl right now," Sarah reassured him.

Tomas crossed his arms. "Not. Better."

Cinder watched as the red-haired older boy eased up closer to the group, arms crossed. Was he trying to intimidate them?

Need to try harder then, mister shades.

"Oh," the faunus girl said. "So you guys are… cool with faunus rights?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Would you like a flyer?" She held out a handful to the group, and Cinder took one and passed the rest back. Skimming over them, the text talked about poor working conditions, lower pay, discrimination. There was contact information on them too and an address where you could volunteer in Argus. "Gotta say, I was surprised when you guys came over." She nodded toward the building. "Those people are a bunch of stuck up snobs. Dunno why dad thought this would be a good spot to set up," she huffed.

The boy behind her spoke. "Full of human supremacists," his visored gaze took in the kids. "And people who think they're open minded when it doesn't cost them anything."

"Hey. You don't know us," Sarah objected.

"You hang out with them," he nodded back to the building.

Cinder felt herself getting mad. This guy was just a jerk with a chip on his shoulder. "My dad's in there. And he's a faunus."

"That just shows he's willing to compromise his morals."

Cinder flinched back like she'd been slapped.

"Adam—" the cat faunus warned.

"Don't Adam me, Blake. You know how it is with those rich jerks. They talk a big talk until you ask them what they're gonna do about it. And then it's all 'profit margins this' and 'shareholders that'.

"Don't you ever talk about my dad ever again." Cinder said in an even voice, but her hands were clenching. She felt Sarah's hand on her arm, and Argent gently started trying to pry one of her hands open.

The cat faunus, Blake, gave the older boy a pointed look, and he turned his head away, grumbling. She sighed and turned back to the others. "Sorry, Adam gets mad cause people ignore us. Sometimes worse. Yesterday a bunch of older kids threw rocks at us." She touched her shoulder, wincing at the memory. "Called us names, too."

"Well, we aren't ignoring you," Sarah said, frustrated. "And besides, the whole point of the freaking fundraiser is so that Menagerie—"

"Sarah!" Cinder hissed.

"Oh crap!"

That little detail had been… probably a secret. Cinder had overhead Garek and Selene talking about it, and she'd of course told her friends and made them swear not to tell anyone else. And now Sarah had just blurted it out.

And the girl, Blake, hadn't missed it. Her ears perked up. "What'd you say? Dad said it was… for fancy new equipment for Haven. He said we were setting up here cause there'd be a lot of influential people and we wanted to make sure they saw us." She blinked, looking from Sarah to Cinder.

"They're making it up," Adam sneered, "just trying to justify someone getting rich while faunus are suffering. Starving in the streets."

Cinder looked around, confused. There weren't anyone starving here that she could see.

"Not here!" The visor appraised her. "Are you dumb?"

Cinder's eyes narrowed. Nobody. Nobody had ever called her dumb before. This guy was a pain in the ass. Worse, he was wrong.

"It's for Huntsmen," Sarah said, trying to divert from her original slip-up, "the Academies accept faunus just like anyone else! So it helps everybody!"

But Blake wasn't gonna be deflected. "That's not what you said…" Blake said, suspiciously. "You said Menagerie…"

"I… uh…"

"What's the issue here, kids?" A deep voice said from behind the kids. "Adam, are you behaving yourself?" Adam's mouth turned down, and he spun and stalked off back to the tables without a word. The kids all turned to find the large faunus man standing to their left. His arms were crossed, but there was a kindly look on his face.

"Dad… these kids said that the fundraiser is for—"

Sarah hissed, and eased forward. "Look, you're gonna get us in trouble if you just go yelling it out like that." She said quietly. "So ixnay, on the EnagerieMay, alright? One faunus to another?" Blake paused, looking at Sarah in confusion. The older girl sighed, "Gecko faunus. It's not obvious."

"Oh. Oh, that's cool!" She looked at Cinder. "What about her? She said her dad was a faunus."

"Leopard, but I'm adopted." Cinder crossed her arms. "He's a Huntsman too. Best one out there." She went for gold. "And he's best buds with Headmaster Lionheart."

Blake's eyes went wide at that, and even Ghira perked up at the name drop. "Oh… that's why you're…" Blake nodded her head. "Okay. Yeah."

"Blake…" Ghira prompted. "You were saying? And are you going to introduce me to your new… friends?"

"Uh… I don't know their names."

"I'm Sarah, and these are my teammates Cinder and Tomas. And that's Cinder's main squeeze, Argent.

"Her Only squeeze, ya doof," Argent objected.

"We're in our first year at Sanctum," Sarah continued smoothly, ignoring Argent.

"That explains why you're at a fundraiser for Haven," the big man said, nodding. "My name is Ghira, and this little handful is my favorite daughter, Blake."

The young girl's face reddened. "Dad! I'm your only daughter!"

"Makes it even more true," he laughed, then focused on her. "Now what were you saying?"

Cinder tensed as Blake motioned her father closer. The big man had to go down onto one knee so she could whisper in his ear, he was so tall. She saw his yellow eyes narrow, and then he glanced at the assembled kids. And then over their heads.

"My apologies, I hope I am not interrupting," a welcome female voice said from behind Cinder.

Thank the gods. It's mom. They needed an adult right now, cause she didn't have the first clue how they were going to weasel out of this one. Sarah had really screwed the Grimm with her big mouth.

Blake's dad, Ghira, stood up slowly and evaluated Selene's size and demeanor. After a moment he apparently decided she wasn't looking for a fight, so he eased around the kids and held out his hand. "Not at all. I'm Ghira. Ghira Belladonna, leader of the White Fang. I assume you've heard of us?"

Selene took in the tables and banners, and the man's face towering over her, and smiled, taking his large hand in hers. "Selene Lumerent. I have heard my fiancé speak of your organization, though I do not know of you personally."

"Good things, I hope?"

"Oh yes. He is a Huntsman, and a faunus as well, and has told me that he admires the work that you are doing." She eyed the girls. "I trust my gaggle here have not caused any trouble?"

"None at all. Is one of these yours?"

"Cinder there, the dark haired one with the guilty expression."

"Mhhmmm…" he considered her for a moment. "Might I have a private conversation with you for a moment, Ms. Lumerent? I was just told something that surprised me, and I'd appreciate clarification." And with that, Cinder saw Selene let the big man lead her off slightly to the side.

Oh crap.

I'm gonna get grounded for sure.

"So I'm being blackmailed into meeting with the head of the White Fang?" Garek asked Selene when they had returned home that evening.

"I would not put it so. Mr. Belladonna stated that he would refrain from mentioning what he had heard, and would ensure his daughter did as well, if you would, at your earliest convenience, contact him and explain what exactly was meant by young Sarah's comment."

Garek sighed. "And we both know who Sarah heard that from."

"I have already spoken with Cinder. She fully expects to be grounded."

"That kid… too many years expecting punishment. It's our fault for forgetting she has freaking ears and blabbing around her," he smiled as his fiancé checked that the door to their bedroom was locked, and dropped her human façade. It had been two years since he'd they'd first discovered each other, and he still found the contrast during such moments alluring. She was beautiful either way.

But frankly, he preferred the more unique beauty of her natural form, and told her so more than once.

"She will be pleased and surprised to find that so," Selene said, smiling, "and stop leering at me."

"You know you love my leering. And you're the one that likes playing with my ears, so you've got no room to talk." His leopard ears flicked, and he was amused to see her attention drawn to them. "Come'ere, Selene my love," he drawled, easing back toward the bed. "Let's celebrate a successful fundraiser, and worry about the White Fang tomorrow."

[A/N] Thanks to Flairindalin and MercenaryGrok for your recent reviews! I'm so glad to hear you folks are enjoying the story!

And I've got some lovely artwork in progress by two artists for this story. One is the scene from Qrowbaby / Like Mothers Like Daughters where Team STRQ are chilling around the table, done by Mi Chumi. Can't wait til it's done and I can show it to you folks.