Chapter 95 – Menagerie – Straining at the Seams

Year 74VE, January

Cover Art by Mi Chumi

Chieftain Perine Ursulus sat behind his well-used desk and considered the four individuals seated in front of him, along with the additional three whose images were projected onto the solid-state monitor next to him.

Breakwater Director Nagata and Cove Headmaster Garek Grae were both looking a bit worn, but seemed to be holding up well. Kali Belladonna appeared fresh as a daisy, damn her. Engineer Roberts looked chronically put upon, which was how he'd always looked.

On the screen, one side shown White Fang leader Ghira Belladonna seated next to his second, Sienna Khan. The two looked rested, but grave. The other displayed Haven Headmaster Leonardo Lionheart, who of all of them looked most at ease.

Chieftain Ursulus, on the other hand was tired. Bone tired. The elderly bear Faunus had been tired for months now, and the workload only seemed to be increasing by the day.

And it was nobody's fault but his, along with the collection of people in this meeting. They were victims of their own success.

He glared into the camera at Ghira Belladonna. "We should expect how many applicants, you say?"

Ghira Belladonna's yellow eyes held steady, but his voice dropped. "Since the start of the month, I have had a dozen faunus of Combat School or Academy age in Mistral contact the White Fang requesting our assistance in getting to Menagerie or asking about the application process," Ghira Belladonna said. He gave the woman beside him a nod.

Sienna Khan's tan face went still. "And I am led to believe there are another twenty out of Atlas. One group is purported to be enroute to Mistral even as we speak, the rest need only limited financial assistance with conventional travel," she shared a look with Ghira. "We're facilitating that." Ursulus did not miss Kali Belladonna's ears twitch at that comment, and determined to ask Ghira about any issues between the two woman later.

"And that," Doctor Nagata slid in, "is on top of the hundred applicants Cove and Breakwater have received since December from Menagerie, Vale, and Vacuo." His expression was neutral. He knew, better than anyone, the strain this was putting on Cove and Breakwater, and Kuo Kuana, but it didn't do to hide the facts of the matter. The pressure it was putting on the fledgling campus was significant.

But Nagata knew that Chieftain Ursulus was feeling more pressure than he was. Because it wasn't just the students who were arriving. In many cases their entire families were seeking to relocate to Menagerie.

Ursulus grunted, then eyeballed Garek, newly drafted Headmaster. "How is Cove set for that kind of influx."

Garek rubbed his eyes. He hadn't gotten enough sleep in weeks, not since the school year kicked in and he found himself teaching combat classes for young teens and managing the Cove itself. The truth was, he'd never have survived if it hadn't been for his wife.

Not only had she picked up almost all of the administrative side of managing the school, it turned out that she actually enjoyed paperwork.

He flipped through the notes he'd made on his scroll, based on Selene's reports. "We've completely filled the Sea Whip housing for Cove students already. I've got students who want to live on campus having to stay with family or temporary housing off campus. I'd like to request, in the short term, that we open Sea Fan for Cove students as well." He looked up to see Roberts grimace. That man knew where that conversation led. "And my instructors are overloaded already. Add another dozen students on top of the current applicants, and we're going to start burning people out." He turned to Nagata. "I'd like to propose we raise the bar on accepting applicants."

Nagata shook his head. "I won't tell you no. It's your school, now. But Grae, it won't last," Nagata reassured him. "Half the applicants won't last the quarter, and those rooms will free back up."

"But even if they don't make it at Cove, they and their families will still stay in Kuo," Ursulus interjected. He turned to Roberts, who cringed. "How are we fixed for housing off-campus?"

Roberts face reddened. "I've approved new construction or expansions for over a hundred single-family dwellings in the last two months. And the designs for the new apartment complex just north of the industrial district, close to the Cove Skytram. My people broke ground last weekend. But-"

"It'll be months before those're ready," Ursulus finished for his trusted civil servant. He rubbed a hand through his hair, ruffling his ears. "We weren't ready for this. Dammit."

Garek cleared his throat, "At least we aren't broke, Chief. People are paying to attend Cove." Ursulus swung his eyes to the Cove Headmaster with raised eyebrows, and Garek continued. "Selene's been running the numbers for me. She says that based on current budget and the fact that the other schools are supplementing the income of the instructors they are loaning us, Cove will be operating at a 25% surplus for the year, even after covering needs-based assistance for students. We were thinking about transferring some of those funds for Breakwater scholarships," he nodded to Nagata.

Ghira interjected. "That will be needed, Garek. Most of the Atlas applicants don't have much. They and their families will need help, once they get there. And some of them will need mental health counselling."

"Don't we all." Chieftain Ursulus muttered.

Sienna Khan interrupted. "Chief, you don't get it. A group of," she felt Ghira Belladonna's eyes narrow, "vigilantes apparently shut down an off-the-books Dust mining camp. The miners and their families… they were basically being used as slave labor."

That caused a moment of quiet throughout the room, before Kali spoke up. "I'll volunteer to assist with that. I've done it before."

"Leo, any chance you can get them some financial help in Mistral before they get here?"

Lionheart looked pained. "Some. Donations from Argus and Mistral have slowed some. Things are becoming tense with the noise coming out of Atlas." He shook his head, sadly. "Some of our prior supporters are becoming worried about ties to Menagerie hurting their careers or businesses." He shrugged. "And I'm afraid that by the end of the year, my departure from Haven will exacerbate that. You should be prepared."

For the first time, Ursulus seemed more upbeat. "That's… not as big of an issue as it might have been once." He glanced at Roberts, who nodded. "The embargo's hurting us, sure. Prices are going up for a lot of goods, but we'll survive. We stockpiled quite a bit." He locked eyes with Nagata and Garek. "But it's only a matter of time before they hit us with a Dust embargo, the way things are going. The schools should be ready for that. The schools, power generation, and transportation are our largest consumers at this point.

Sienna spoke up again. "We can assist with stockpiling Dust," Sienna interjected. "We still have our third-party contacts in Mistral and Vale. It'll be more expensive, but…"

"Everything is going to be more expensive." Ursulus said with a slight eyeroll, even as he nodded. He turned and stared out the window, across the city to Breakwater Campus and the CCT Relay beyond. Between the residence and the school, he could see the wooden skeletons of dozens of new buildings going up or expanding floors.

It was going on all across Kuo, he knew. If his staff's estimates were correct, the population of Menagerie was set to increase by over ten percent this year.

Ten percent, in a single year. It was unheard of! They'd sustained growth somewhere around a half percent or less per year, even losing population a couple of years the last two decades.

Kuo was going to be bursting at the seams at this rate.

He turned to Nagata again. "We're going to have to move faster than planned. What's the status of our Huntsman Licensing?"

Nagata smiled thinly. "Ignoring the semi-retired, who we desperately need teaching classes until we get the additional loaned staff from the other Combat Schools, we had one veteran four-man team previously operating in Menagerie. They were graduates from Beacon, Shade, and Haven who relocated here when their own teams had issues after graduation. We've gained a few more previously-licensed since word of Breakwater came out. Two pairs and two solos who relocated here. The solos brought their families." He slid a few sheets of paper onto Ursulus' desk, continuing smoothly. "In addition to that, I'm pleased to announce that we've licensed three new four-man teams out of Breakwater. And of those, one full quad is Aquatics trained and oriented."

Kali whistled. "Twenty-two active Huntsmen? That's not bad at all."

"We'll find out once they hit the field," Lionheart said, pouring a bit of cold water on the optimism, and Garek nodded.

"What do you mean?" Ursulus asked, tilting his head.

Lionheart answered. "Injury and incapacitation rates are going to be high, Urs. Nagata, under my advisement, fast-tracked some of these folks through the program due to their age or prior experience, but you need to understand that none of them have gotten a full four-years of Academy training." Nagata looked pained at that admission. He'd taken personal ownership in these people's success and survival. He felt… responsible for him.

"Isn't there anything we can do about the attrition rate?" Ursulus asked.

"Short of keeping them away from Grimm or forcing them to keep training at Breakwater?" Garek shook his head. "No Chief, there isn't. It's the nature of the job."

"And if you tried, they'd lose their minds," Lionheart added. "I've spoken with these people. They believe they are ready, and many Huntsmen and Huntresses become somewhat addicted to the thrill of danger. Others crave the accolades. You can't take people like these, train them among their peers to fight life or death battles, and then coddle them."

Nagata closed his eyes. He'd spent more than one night fearing how he'd feel the first time he lost one of his students. Now it was hitting home. "Don't know if I can accept that, Leo. I'm not built for this job."

"You're doing fine, Director. You're doing all we could ask of you." Lionheart reassured him. "Finish out this year, and then I'll pick up the load, and you can focus on the PR side of things." He smiled gently. "Though I wouldn't mind having you stay on as Deputy Headmaster."

Nagata just frowned, which Ursulus took as a prompt to move the conversation forward. "Alright, does that mean we're ready to start stretching our wings?"

That got everyone's attention. "What did you have in mind?" Nagata asked tensely. He was nominally in charge of assigning Menagerie's self-licensed Huntsmen to contracts, though he had been leaning heavily on Lionheart, Grae, and the other staff at Breakwater for advice there.

"Killing several birds with one stone, Nagata. We know that we need more space for housing, and we need to protect trade and communication with the Mistralian and Valean coasts. And our newly minted Huntsmen need something to cut their teeth on that won't get them killed. So I'm looking for suggestions along those lines."

Garek cleared his throat. "Gazelle Communications has been complaining about the vulnerability of that relay on Atlantia. How about a security station there?"

"Well, that won't solve much of our housing, but it's a start," Ursulus turned to his engineer. "Roberts, I want you, Nagata, and Kali to also discuss a secondary settlement somewhere on the Menagerie coast. Something that can be defended, with easily cleared land for building housing, and space to grow more crops on top of that." The three nodded, and Ursulus slapped his hands on the desk. "Alright, that's enough bitching for one day." He surveyed the room and screen. "Nagata, can you hang out for a bit. And Ghira I want you to stay on the line. The rest of you get out of my hair."

Garek returned to the Administrative Building at Breakwater and walked past his own office to the next doorway down. The placard on the door identified it as Cove Administrator, Selene Grae-Lumerent. It never ceased to make him smile, Selene having her own office. It had been her one demand in return for taking on the bulk of the paperwork. He highly suspected Mr. Burke at Sanctum had been the inspiration for her.

Well, it had been one of two demands, the other had been nookie on demand. He was still learning the specifics of that part of the agreement.

He eased into her office, and closed the door behind him.

You know, the windows here have very good shades. And the desk is rather sturdy looking…

Selene finished reviewing something on her screen before glancing up, then back down.

Then she looked up again, one eyebrow raising. "I recognized that leer, love. And I would be quite pleased to comply… but…"

He deflated a little. "Yeah. I've got a class to teach, and you've got reports to finish."

"Unfortunately. Perhaps in the afternoon," she crooked a smile at him, which then thinned. "How did the meeting go?"

"Ursulus is exhausted," Garek said.

Selene tilted her head, considering her husband. "You have been as well."

Garek eased over to the chair in front of her desk, and dropped into it. "Well, I'm not pushing seventy years old." He considered. "It'd be nice to reach seventy without being eaten by Grimm, though."

"Do not joke," she scowled.

"Fine. Yeah, Ursulus is exhausted. Kuo is about to have a population boom. We've got even more students coming this month. And he wants to expand Menagerie's inhabited footprint." He leaned forward, and she offered her hands, which he took. "And I want to thank you again, for taking on most of the paperwork side of Cove. I'd have been lost or overwhelmed without you, babe. I had no idea you enjoyed this stuff."

"Nor did I. Though I had little to do growing up other than read and write, and Mother was insistent that I have what she considered a full education." She frowned. "Unfortunately, my typing speed is not the best, and I have a lot of catching up to do with regard to technology. My only recourse there would have been a certain Doctor." She shuddered. "Mother has not historically been exactly… enamored of what she considers modern technology. She tends to rely on her own unique abilities."

"Right. But you're doing great."

"Pete and Sophia's doing, mostly. She taught me how to use the hardware required, and Pete has insisted that I be able to navigate the administrative side of Broken Moon Staffing, rather than being simply a figurehead."

Garek nodded toward a second desk in the room, with its own set of files. "I noticed that. How is that going, by the way?"

Selene smiled. "The offices in Vale and Argus are operating smoothly, to the degree that I am indirectly managing several dozen contract employees of various skillsets. In truth, I have little to do with their daily efforts. I have found that hiring a competent office manager was the core requirement. They perform the daily tasks, and I merely supervise their activities in general terms and review the financials." She smiled. "Pete has been most helpful in evaluating candidates for me. He seems to have an intuition for weeding out applicants who are, as he terms it, 'full of shit'."

Garek laughed, and caressed the back of her right hand with a thumb. "Careful, if Summer was here, she'd wash your mouth out for that."

Selene pouted. "I was quoting Pete, love." She pulled her right hand away, and leaned to her right, retrieving a document which she showed him. It was a table with names, contact information and a summary of skills and jobs. "And I am interviewing individuals here in Kuo, with an eye toward setting up a staffing office here as well." She eyed him. "With the growth in population you describe, it will be doubly needed, both as a source of expertise, and as a source of employment."

Garek, not for the last time, found himself amazed at Selene's evolution. Five years ago, she'd nearly had a mental breakdown when confronted with human civilization. And now… now she was setting up businesses, managing a Combat School's administration, and anticipating how a population boom would impact society. "Huh. Doing Panzoa's work, there."

"Pan.. zoa?"

"Oh, it's supposedly the God of the Faunus. Not really a religion so much as a mythology."

"Then... not one of the Brother Gods?"

"Who the heck knows? I'm just picking up the local lingo." He set down the document and eyed her. "Other than business. How are you holding up?"

"Well enough, I supposed. I am busy enough that I am not fully homesick, though I do miss seeing Helena in person, and of course Sophia, Pete, and Reggie." She paused, then lifted a hand and chewed at a fingernail before continuing. "Sarah and Cinder stopped by my office while you were in the meeting."

Garek tensed. That usually meant Cinder and Vernal had another fight. "Any medical treatment required?"

"No, they merely said that they wished some quiet time so that Cinder could call Argent, without Vernal making remarks. I let them use your office."

Garek shook his head. "Gods, that freaking Vernal. If I didn't know Raven could disembowel me, I'd strangle that woman for saddling us with her."

Selene stood, walked around the desk, and he shifted to allow her to slide sideways into his lap. She draped an arm across his back. "If we did not need Raven so, and she was not Summer's friend, I would assist you, and Crystal would likely join us as well." Garek grunted a laugh, and after a moment Selene went thoughtful. "Though I must confess, Visha sees something of Raven Branwen that she finds… admirable. I do not wholly understand it, but… I respect Visha too much to dismiss that out of hand."

Garek tilted his head back, considering her carefully. "You're talking about someone who," his voice lowered, "had no problem being a servant for the Queen of the Grimmlands, Selene. Maybe she's got a thing for authoritarians."

"Garek Grae-" Selene scolded, tugging at an ear.

"Sorry, not funny. I got it." He hugged her in apology. "I'm just glad we're not the ones having to deal with Team Scarab's day-to-day dynamics, other than the fallout with Cinder at the end of the day. Frankly, I don't know how Nagata does it."

Nagata did not, in fact, handle Team SCRV. As with all good bureaucrats, he had delegated that responsibility to someone else.

"This is bullshit," Vernal complained as she sat in Instructor and Semi-retired Huntress Cassie Kanana's office. The middle-aged Huntress was perched on the corner of her own desk, which gave the benefit of increasing her height.

It also put her spiked boot at Vernal's eye-level.

The Green mohawked Faunus had learned, early on, that anything you could do to emphasize difference in rank and power helped when dealing with Vernal Branwen. The fact that she could, in fact, break Vernal in half and stick her toe-talon up the little shit's ass just added gravitas to the matter.

But at the same time…

"Yep," she agreed. "Total bullshit."

Vernal goggled at her. "You're agreeing with me?"

"Yep. I have zero clue what the hell Nagata was thinking," She was actually talking about the fact that he'd accepted her at all, but… "Did you want to be on a team with those two girls?"

Vernal sneered. "Fuck no. Bitchface is whiny, and Sticky Fingers just coddles her."

"What about Aukei?" If Vernal made a crack about him being Faunus… well it wouldn't be the first time she'd taken Vernal down a peg at the next Combat class.

"Dunno. Don't really care about him, really. None of them are as strong as me." Vernal frowned in thought. "Why can't you put me on a better team?"

Cassie eyed the teen, and thought about it. "Well, that's a really good question," she thought about how to approach this and came to a decision. "I can tell you the answer, but you won't like it."

Vernal crossed arms. "Oh, this is gonna be some bullshit, ain't it?"

"Nope. Not bullshit. The answer is that you can't be on a stronger first year team, because there isn't one. The other three members of your team are the top of your year."

Vernal started at that. That… sucked. She thought for a bit. "Then... put me on an older team?"

Kanana shook her head sadly. "They wouldn't have you, kid."

Vernal's eyes widened. "Why the fuck not?!"

"Because while a third of your Academy course evaluation is based on personal combat ability, which I'll admit places you head and shoulders above the rest of your year." Vernal's shoulders slid back at the words, and her chin tilted up. "Another third is based on the ability to work and fight as a team, which so far you appear to be shit at." And you have a fucking superiority complex, "And the other third is based on your classroom studies, which you are completely and utterly tanking. Like sewage-level grades."

Vernal's jaw dropped. "Those dumbasses care about the school shit?" The truth was that other than Combat class, where she'd kicked everyone's ass, Vernal had been giving classes maybe enough consideration to show up. Of course, all the spars had been with Aura but no Semblances allowed, so far. She was still itching to see how she stacked up against Bitchface at full power.

"Yes. They do. Because they also want to compete against teams from other Kingdoms at some point. And according to the Director, classroom studies and learning to work with a team was the main reason Mrs. Branwen sent you here." Vernal's expression went through several different emotional expressions at that. She sat there. Her arms had uncrossed and were hanging loose on either side of the chair, hands flexing. "But… that's bullshit. Ok I'll maybe accept the team thing. I'm used to fighting with the Tribe, not these people. But why I gotta care about all that book shit just to kill Grimm?"

Progress, Cassie thought. She's actually asking questions. "Because you haven't seen what happens when shit goes completely sideways." Her rich amber eyes eyes nearly glowed, and she fingered a scar on her upper arm. "You haven't seen the Grimm that live in Menagerie's interior, but you will. And if you don't understand them, know their weaknesses to the point that exploiting them becomes second nature… you're going to get yourself gutted and bled out in the middle of nowhere. And if you can't figure out the tactics of fight in a four-person Huntsman team, knowing that they have your back and you have theirs… you won't live long, kid. Something or someone will nail you in the back when you aren't looking."

Vernal blinked. She'd not… had anyone else here tell her anything like this. Not with this kind of intensity.

Vernal Branwen had grown up hard. She'd grown up with the Tribe when it was cut-throat, when being weak, and showing weakness, meant you risked losing everything you owned, and maybe your life in the process.

As a result, she'd gotten good at hiding hers. Really good. She'd also gotten really good at telling the difference between someone acting tough, and being dangerous.

Cassie Kanana wasn't acting. She'd bet on it. And the fact that the retired Huntress had lived long enough, survived long enough. She'd have fit in well with the Tribe. Maybe almost at Raven's level.

Well, it… maybe… said something.

"…And apparently Mrs. Branwen thinks it's important enough that she's saddled us with making sure you figure that lesson out instead of ending up dead." And with that, Instructor Kanana stood, and gripped her by the shoulder, and pushed her out of her office. "Chew on that for a while, and think what you want to do about it."

Rosso Aukei wished he had a team. A real team. He wished for Team Salt back. But he didn't. After they'd build the aquatics program that first year, they'd spread them among their age groups, so that they could pass on what they'd learned. Mau was a licensed Menagerie Huntsman now, with his own team. Hot Rod was a year ahead of him. And Nina was finishing up her last year of Combat School, a year behind.

No, he didn't have Team Salt. Instead, what he had was a four-person disaster. No that wasn't true. He had a 2-1-1 disaster. There were Sarah and Cinder, usually working in lockstep. And then there was Vernal, doing whatever the hell she wanted. And then there was him.

The first week, it seemed like every day Cinder and Vernal ended up in some kind of screaming match, which Sarah tried to diffuse, which never worked. Usually it would end up in a 'spar', more like a brawl, and would either end with Vernal beating the crap out of Cinder until Sarah stepped in, or Sarah and Cinder beating the crap out of Vernal together.

And he just… watched on the sidelines.

It sucked.

After that week, someone must have talked to somebody, and it wasn't him. Cinder and Vernal went from openly antagonizing each other, to just avoiding each other. And Sarah was Cinder's friend. So, she went with Cinder. They were almost never on the dorm.

And that left him just… hanging out. Because while he liked Sarah and Cinder okay, he didn't like feeling like a third wheel. And Vernal wasn't exactly… personable the few times he'd tried to make conversation.

What the hell am I even doing here? This isn't a team. It's just a pair and two solos.

The only thing that was working was classes. During classes, the four sat together because it was required. And Vernal learned very quickly that the retired Huntsman instructors didn't put up with interruptions. Still, even there he or Sarah sat between Vernal and Cinder to keep things civil.

And at least there, they had something in common. Assignments. Homework. Sarah and Cinder were okay about helping him with his, and he did the same for them. It turned out they had complementary strengths there. Vernal… didn't ask for help, nor offer to. She did the assignments as far as he could tell, and if you asked her about something she just sneered at you. She never raised her hand in class, outside Combat class, and typically refused to answer questions in class.

Combat class. There, Vernal was the top of the crop. Nobody wanted to spar Vernal one-on-one, and Instructor Kanana had resorted to 2-on-1 spars or team spars only, for her.

And the Team SCRV spars were… not great, because Vernal wouldn't listen to Sarah, and they couldn't get any team practice in because it turned into a fight between Cinder and Vernal, and it felt weird trying to do a team practice with just three of the four. So…

Ugh.

He went to talk to Nina. He needed someone to vent to.

"Nagata. Ghira." He considered the woman who had refused to leave with the others, apparently since her husband had been requested for this conversation. "Kali." Chieftain Ursulus continued after the others had left the call or his office. His secretary entered the room and began pouring him a drink.

"Chief," Ghira Belladonna answered carefully.

Chieftain Perine Ursulus slumped. His entire demeanor seemed to collapse. "I'm burning down, here, folks." He glanced up as his secretary placed the glass on his desk, thanked him, and took a drink.

"You don't say," Ghira replied carefully. His voice lowered. "You look like hell, Urs."

Ursulus paused, took another drink, and set the glass down carefully. "Appreciate the candor, Ghira." He closed his eyes for a moment, inhaled and exhaled. His ears flopped, reflecting his overall posture. "I said I wanted to make it until Breakwater opened. I'd hoped that would be this year, not next." He stared into the camera. "I need… some sharing of the load, gentlemen, if I'm going to make it."

Kali Belladonna spoke up, her voice silky. "Ghira Belladonna, if you so much as even entertain taking over as Chieftain of Menagerie, I will entertain divorce." Her face bore a slight smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. Nagata smirked. Ghira paled.

Ursulus laughed tiredly. "I thought that's what you'd say, which is why I hoped I could get Ghira alone for five minutes." Kali snorted. "I'm joking actually, I was going to propose something slightly different. Menagerie's going through a lot of changes. How about we rethink how it's governed, as well?"

"I'm listening," Kali replied.

"What did Ursulus want?" Sienna Khan asked when Ghira left the room where he'd continued the call with the Chieftain of Menagerie. She'd waited because… well she wanted to damn well know what was so important. And the fact that Ghira had given her some pointed looks during the conference call over the Atlas operation…

"He wants to set up a ruling council in Menagerie," Ghira replied. He motioned to a couple of chairs, and they eased into them.

"About damn time," Sienna huffed after she'd gotten comfortable. "Having a single elected head? That risks either an ineffectual leader or a tyrant," she tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair. "Menagerie can't afford either, especially not now," she glanced at Ghira, and couldn't quite hide the hunger in her voice. "He want you on it?"

Ghira nodded. "As the representative of the White Fang," and he noted how her face slacked for a moment, though she hid it quickly. "speaking for the Faunus diaspora, as he called us, and de-facto Ambassador for Menagerie."

Sienna laughed, though there was a slightly brittle edge to it. "Oh, he's thinking big, all right. Who else did he name?"

"Nagata as Director of Breakwater." He lowered his voice. "And later Headmaster Lionheart, of course." He resumed normal conversation levels. "He's talking about a couple of others from Kuo. Civic or business leaders. And a rotating Chairmanship. He says it's the only way he'll remain titular Chief."

Sienna paused. "What did Kali say?"

Ghira grinned. Sienna had guessed Kali wouldn't be so easily left out. "She said that if it'd keep her from having to be "First Lady of Menagerie" she was all in favor. And frankly, I'd be a fool not to. But being part of the official Menagerie government means…"

"That the Fang has to keep its nose clean," Sienna finished, "because we can't claim to be operating independently of Menagerie," She appraised her colleague and nominal superior. "I've been… thinking about this day. I'd half hoped you'd step down, run for Chief. The nonviolent consensus approach-"

Ghira leaned forward, yellow eyes intent. "I know you've always felt I was too soft, Sienna. You don't have to mince words with me."

Sienna was silent for a moment. Then her body language shifted. Gone was the nonchalance. She was tense, fight or flight. "Fine. I've held my tongue, yes. Dammit, you're too patient, Ghira! Too considerate! Too willing to allow yourself, not to mention the rest of the movement, to be pushed into the dirt so you don't 'hurt the cause.'"

But rather than act like this angered him, Ghira just nodded. "That's what I thought you'd say." He paused. "How's the Red Claw doing?"

Sienna froze. Ghira had never asked her this before. Not using those words. He'd hinted that he knew that Adam was still reporting to Sienna. He'd hinted that he didn't approve of how… thorough and violent some of Taurus's responses to anti-Faunus violence had been.

But he'd always maintained the fiction that he didn't quite know. And that had been specifically because the White Fang couldn't be associated with any violence, in his eyes. Not even defensively. He'd always maintained that it just gave the authorities an excuse to crack down on the Fang's advocacy and education activities.

"They're… proceeding," she replied cautiously.

"MMhmmm…" he mused as he leaned back, eyes shifting off into the distance. "Rumor has it that a young man with fiery red hair and wearing a visor was crucial to getting the evacuees from the Atlesian mining camp out. They say that he single-handedly saved them from a Grimm surge, drawn by the conflict. And that his team killed several SDC contractors who attacked them, two rather bloodily."

Sienna just stared at Ghira, who still hadn't met her eyes.

"There's no place in the White Fang for violence, Sienna, not now," he continued quietly. "Not with us poised to officially represent the interests of Menagerie across Remnant. Especially with the tensions between Menagerie and Atlas."

Sienna ground her teeth. Here it was. The lecture. The idealistic lecture. She'd have to spend yet another year straining under the leash he'd always placed on her activities. Another year of pretending the Claw wasn't hers.

"Which is why I'm going to cut you loose, Sienna," he finished, turning back toward her.

Sienna Khan's heart stopped. "What?!" she snapped, eyes wide.

Ghira Belladonna reached out and gripped her shoulder, making her flinch. "I'm cutting you loose, Sienna. You are no longer a member of the White Fang. You don't represent us." He squeezed slightly. "Because the Faunus need you. They need you and Adam Taurus. But they need the White Fang too. And you can't be both." He held up his other hand, and flexed his fingers, allowing black, pointed nails to extend. "You and I are allies, Sienna, but you don't work for me any longer."

For a brief moment, Sienna thought she was being threatened. That's how unexpected the shift in his thinking was.

And then the words actually sunk in.

She was free.

As that awareness spread through her, a tension, and anger she'd been nursing for years, faded and a slow smile spread across her face. This was… this was actually better than what she'd ever hoped for. Instead of inheriting what she was coming to see as a crippled faunus rights movement that had been colored by Ghira Belladonna's nonviolence philosophy, she was… being given free rein to build something else. Something that would defend Faunus on the ground, while Belladonna did his soul-crushing work in the halls of corrupt power. Work that she had been growing to see as fruitless.

A partnership, of a sort, though one with an arms-length separation, for deniability.

And then the claws on the hand he gripped her with also extended, just enough to prick through her clothing and into her skin. "Just promise me one thing, Sienna. Don't make me denounce the Claw in public. You know where that line is. We've debated this, for years. Don't put me in that position."

Sienna Khan met Ghira's eyes and held them. She nodded once. "You won't have to do that."

"Good."

[A/N] Thanks to recent reviewers Rookie80, AtomicR4y, and Toyamasu! Thank you all for your kind words, and I am very glad that you found the pace credible. There's a really good question regarding where this AU Adam began to diverge, and the answer is that while THIS was the first true divergence, the scene was set because of butterfly effects. The Lone Huntsmen's interventions with Menagerie caused an acceleration in events at a time when Adam and Sienna had not yet watched the faunus suffer indignity after indignity under Ghira's more non-violent approach, and also forced Ghira to take a different look at his role. The fact that Ghira is NOT stepping down as leader of the White Fang, and instead giving Sienna (and Adam) room to cut their own path has also had an impact. I'm really enjoying exploring what that path might look like.

Toyamasu, I'm very glad you enjoyed my portrayal of his Semblance as reflecting his mentality.

AtomicR4y, Yep. Totally peak!

Rookie80, you will see in a future chapter the further butterfly effects of Adam saving the humans and a human (Eric Skye) saving him in turn. It all gets woven into the tapestry, and I think you'll find it satisfying. I haven't written the impact of the footage yet, because so much is going on and they want to be cautious with what they show.

And now for THIS chapter.

Here we got another transition chapter of a sort. We explore several of our core characters who have gathered in Menagerie and how they are dealing with the stresses of interpersonal conflicts and Menagerie / Breakwater / Cove growing pains. Next chapter will focus on Team SCRV itself.

And I figured out what Selene might get up to, in order to not feel sidelined by events.