Cinnamon Shoal sat alone in a large command tent that had been erected in the middle of a field up in Atlas. The woman had her elbows planted firmly into a hastily erected steel desk topped with paperwork, and her head was in her hands. A throbbing ache pulsed through her forehead as she tried to collect her thoughts and ready herself for the next round of refugees to enter. None of it was what she had signed up for. Nothing seemed to be going well in the capital city. Everyone was angry, both those who had been transplanted from Mantle and those from Atlas who were being forced to house them… and Cinnamon couldn't help but feel that on some level, they were angry at her.
On some level, at least in her mind, it was all deserved.
The tent flap opening spurred Cinnamon to sit upright once again and put on the mask of a professional, at least until she saw who it was that had entered. Daisuke slowly made his way inside, dragging his massive tail behind himself as he looked her over with narrowed eyes. Cinnamon knew that the expression he wore behind the face mask was one of concern rather than judgment… but it still filled her with unease. She knew what was coming.
"…let me take over for a bit?" the man offered in a soft voice. "You don't look well."
"I'm not, but we don't have time to take shifts," Cinnamon said icily. "I have my share of people to sort through, and you have yours. Return to your tent, and let's get this done. The sooner everyone has somewhere to stay at least temporarily, the sooner we can focus on ourselves."
"Can we?" Daisuke asked rhetorically as he sat sideways on the edge of the table. "Ironwood is going to keep hammering us with assignments when we return. There isn't going to be any rest until Salem is dead. Out here, at least, we're directly helping people. Why rush the process to get to something likely worse? You need a break, Cin. We both do."
"One isn't deserved," the woman snapped as she stood up from her chair. "You know as well as I do how I like to work. Taking unnecessary breaks isn't my style. Go and bring the next group in, a-"
"And letting you spiral isn't mine," Daisuke reminded. "I know the signs. I can see where this leads, and I'm stepping in, once again. Have I ever steered you wrong by getting in your way?"
Cinnamon scrunched up her face and made a noise of frustration before balling a fist and punching down into the table.
"…fine. I'll step away for a moment and leave this to you. Is that all you want?"
"You know the answer to that," Daisuke proclaimed. "And you know what else I want from you."
The two faunus stared at each other, each waiting for the other to blink. Eventually, Cinnamon gave up. She knew there was no beating her partner… and she knew that he was right to begin with.
"…I don't think you want to know what's on my mind," she warned. "It isn't pleasant, and for once… I don't think even you can talk me away from my current thoughts. It's a harsh reality, rather than something preventable."
"Try me," Daisuke challenged as he folded his hands in his lap and gave the woman his full attention.
Cinamon took a deep breath and shook her head, her dreads hanging in her face as she looked over at Daisuke.
"…all of this- where we are now in the war effort, the invasion of Mantle, the deaths of the White Fang in Solitas… it's directly my fault. Don't try to tell me it isn't. Had I not made a bid for power when Adam was weakened, had I simply set Sun and his friends up to bring him down and left it at that… the Fang would still be strong. Our people here would be alive. I never would have been strongarmed into working for Watts and Salem as a double agent, and all of the intel and resources I gave them would have been out of reach. The invasion would have been slowed if not stopped entirely, and we wouldn't be here right now. Every move I made for my own personal gain has cost us… and cost those we swore to protect. Meanwhile, everything those fledgling hunters have done has cost them, and kept Remnant safe. We're just… in the way."
Daisuke listened carefully, debating his approach as he took it all in. Though he knew that some of what was being said was irrefutable, he also knew that Cinnamon was too close to the problem to see any silver linings. Even with an outsider perspective, though… he had to admit that they were few.
"…those we swore to protect," Daisuke repeated carefully. "Among them is Ilia. Was she not the motivation for a lot of the things you did that made you enemies?"
Again, Cinnamon made a face, slumping back into her seat with a weary sigh.
"…yes. And now, after all I've done to impede Sun and Weiss, she hates me. I can see it in her eyes, and it's entirely justified."
"I doubt that she hates you," Daisuke corrected as he slipped off the table and slowly began to walk around it. "She resents you, sure, no matter what she may have said about making up and moving on… but let's not forget that your time with Salem swayed Emerald to our side. Your actions brought Ilia her current partner. That's a life-changing development that was a direct result of what you did."
Cinnamon couldn't help but roll her eyes, though the sentiment did help at least a little.
"And what good will that do us when we're all dead on account of Salem?" she asked rhetorically. "I met the witch, Daisuke. I don't see how there's anything we could possibly do to stop her. The amount of power she wields…"
"Then are you suggesting we're on the wrong side?" the lizard faunus probed.
Cinnamon met Daisuke's eyes once again.
"…of course not. I would never…"
"I know," Daisuke reassured as he sat on the table again, closer to Cinamon's chair. "The others might not, but… I know. And that's something I think you're overlooking. Something you've taught both Sun and Weiss, and likely some of the others."
Cinnamon crossed her arms and leaned back in the seat, looking distinctly unimpressed.
"Don't play games. What are you on about now?"
Slowly, Daisuke reached up and removed the black cloth mask from the lower half of his face before folding it neatly and setting it aside. His expression was deadly serious… and one that he generally only revealed to her. It was enough to make Cinnamon reconsider whether or not he was simply trying to make her feel better, or if there was something she had missed.
"We've always tried to do right by our people. That much is true. But… we haven't always been on the right side of history. That is also true. From serving Sienna and then Adam with their extreme methods, to taking over the Fang entirely and trying to find a new direction only to play directly into Salem's hand… you're right that none of that was good. That being said… you provided resistance, on all sides. You made it abundantly clear what our intentions were when you stood in the way of Sun, Weiss, and the others in a way that was more grey than the opposition that they're used to as simple hunters. You made them deal with you directly and understand where we were coming from rather than fighting some sort of shadow war like Salem and her lackeys. You forced confrontation not just against us… but you made those kids confront themselves and their personal values, whether you intended to do it or not. You helped them grow as people and better prepared them for conflicts more complex than fighting back against a demon queen."
"So, what, you're telling me I deserve praise for making them think?" Cinnamon said flatly. "That isn't exactly reassuring. Sounds more like a happy accident."
"In a way, it was," Daisuke confirmed. "But we're looking for silver linings, here. We fucked up, Cin. I'm not denying that, and I'm not trying to tell you otherwise. But I am trying to tell you that it's not all bad. There's something to be gained, and a lot that already has been. Everything we've done has given the people in charge a better perspective on how the world really works. People can't be righteous all the time, no matter how hard they try. I think, from what little I've interacted with Sun, Weiss, and especially Blake, you've played a role in hammering that lesson home. It might just be enough to give them the tools to handle people and situations they otherwise couldn't."
"…great," Cinnamon said sarcastically. "Even if that's true, who is even left on Salem's side that they could encounter where that would make an iota of difference anymore? How does that help us when we're sidelined, powerless to change things on any bigger level than what we're doing right now, and signed on to answer Ironwood's beck and call?"
"That's part of a larger problem that we're going to need to solve over a long period of time, and mostly after this is all over," Daisuke replied. "But for now, look at it this way. You've taught those kids a lot through the actions of the Fang, and it helped them get to where they are now. What are we going to learn from them, to help ourselves? What have you noticed all of them doing, especially Sun, that could give us a bigger role or make things better for our people in the long run?"
Cinnamon pulled a face and narrowed her eyes, thinking back to everything she had seen of the monkey faunus and his crew. The answer was obvious.
And she hated it.
"…wait, so you were literally pulled out of the ocean?" Harriet asked, looking off to the side at her companion in the cockpit. "I thought they were exaggerating this entire time and you just fell overboard for a few minutes or something…"
"Not at all," Corsac confirmed with a nod, his eyes on the skies ahead. "Sun quite literally leapt from their boat and swam out to retrieve me, not knowing who exactly he was about to encounter. Even now, having spent months with them, I… do not fully understand why he is the way he is. The boy is always putting himself at great personal risk for gains that seem largely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things but often end up changing everything. It's reckless and dangerous to our overall cause that he keeps throwing himself into danger, often alone, and yet… can I really criticize him when he has been right to do so every single time thus far? I feel that all I can do is support him however I can in return for his selflessness, and trust that he knows what he is doing."
"Honestly, the way you talk about him and the rest of the crew makes me think you care more about them as people and their personal wellbeing than 'the overall cause,'" Harriet pointed out. "And I don't mean that in a bad way- I'm not saying your priorities are misplaced. You just… actually give a shit about your friends and keep them in your thoughts constantly. Better to realize that now and lean into it than spend more time trying to avoid admitting it, and just let yourself fall into the insanity they bring around. Things with these kids aren't like they were in the White Fang. You've got a good group of people at your back, Corsac- maybe some of the best. I wish I would've realized that sooner with my own squad and helped Elm and Clover be more open and straightforward so Marrow didn't have to do all the heavy lifting and pull our heads out of our asses alone. Would've made all of this a lot easier if I'd just stopped putting up walls…"
"I've been working to dismantle my own at a pace that has been steadily increasing," Corsac agreed as he caught the subtle sound of footsteps approaching behind them. "Meanwhile, Yang has been grabbing entire armfuls of bricks and running off with them whenever she pleases while Jaune has been doing a striptease atop the structure in plain view…"
The sound of footsteps grew louder until Sun poked his head into the cockpit, holding on to an overhead railing as he leaned forward to make his presence known.
"Hey! Everything cool with you two?"
"We're good," Harriet confirmed with a quick glance over her shoulder. "Not much to it, just… keeping the plane steady and on course. You doing stand-up back there? It sounds like a comedy club in the cargo hold."
Sun gave the Maiden an uneasy laugh and scratched the side of his face as he looked over to Corsac.
"…just hanging out and messing with each other. You know, the usual. I just wanted to pop in and make sure it's all going well up here. Anything I can do to help out?"
"You can relax. That would help more than you know," Corsac offered, giving Sun a somewhat stern look. "That is something you rarely seem to do. Allow the two of us to take care of maintaining course and simply set your mind at ease. Sleep when it gets dark, rather than worrying about us. We will need you at your prime when we land."
Sun let his hand drop to his side, looking very much like a kid who had been caught trying to sneak cookies from the kitchen.
"…right. I trust you two. Just…"
"You're looking for something to do to help because you feel guilty taking your foot off the gas. We know," Harriet finished, shifting her tone to match Corsac's firmness. "Go hang out with the others and catch up. We're good, and if we need anything, I'll send Corsac to let you know."
"Cool," Sun replied, lingering for a moment as he looked between the two. "Well… alright, I'll get going. See you guys soonish."
Corsac turned slightly to watch the younger faunus go before softening his tone as he met Harriet's eyes.
"…people like us don't deserve him."
"We don't," Harriet agreed. "But I'll take him, especially in times like these…"
Author's Note:
Next week- Team Ilia arrives on the scene.
-RD