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It took hours, but finally, just as the sun began to dip away beyond the horizon, they made it to the… Well, the Dark Tower. And, yeah, it was kind of hard for her to feel relieved to reach anywhere named 'the Dark Tower'. But she had to try! She didn't fancy their chances if the 'Overlord' kicked them out to make their go in the snow. She'd be fine, of course, between her shuttle and her Aura. But the workers wouldn't stand a chance…
So she'd just have to suck it up!
"Shouldn't be hard." She murmured as she landed in the shadow of the looming, broken and… Vaguely leaning, somehow, Tower. "Just don't make the big guy mad, and don't let the little… Thingies scare you. Easy."
She hoped…
She shuffled down the ramp as it came down, looking up at the Tower above her. It was old looking and ragged, pitted by holes and rips in the stonework that let her see equally dilapidated stairways and halls high above them, but it stood tall in spite of it. Tall, dark and imposing, with a cragged, crown-like black roof and a few crumbling pathways branching off of it where she guessed outcroppings had been built and fallen away from. It was a sad sight, and would have made it less imposing.
If not for the scaffolds and roughly assembled bridges set all around it, with a bunch of the little creatures swarming the Tower and working on it.
"Ah." A quiet voice beside her startled her and she flinched, bouncing a step away and turning in the same motion to look at the wispy-haired… Minion. Which eyed her and smiled, "Impressive, isn't it?"
"I-I guess…?" She murmured, shaking off her surprise and turning to face the creature fully. Unsure of what to do, now, and really wishing Robyn were here she offered her hand and smiled as best she could. "Fiona Thyme."
"Like the measurement of passing events?"
"Um…" She smiled awkwardly, "No, like the spice?"
"Ah." He nodded, pointedly turning away and ignoring her offered hand. "Also, we don't do that here."
"O-Oh, um, okay…"
"And we've already met." He said quietly, "Or did you forget already, girl?"
"No." She scowled, leaning back and crossing her arms. "I didn't. I was trying to be polite, since your… Boss kinda, um, saved us.."
"Only 'kind of' saved you?" The Minion scoffed, waving Fiona off when she scowled and opened her mouth to argue with him. "Oh, forget it. I'm too tired to even properly heckle you! Evil take my eyes, why did we have to walk all this way…"
"Didn't you spend most of the time riding on one of the diggers?"
"Didn't you almost get eaten?" He countered, cocking his head back and forth with every word like a child trying their very hardest to mock her. She blinked, surprised, and before she could respond turned and sighed. "Honestly, you would think you'd be more grateful. The nerve of-"
"Gnarl!"
"Frack!"
"Eep!" She spun on her heel to look behind her, where the black-armored Overlord stood, looming over her with eyes glowing dully behind his mask. She backed away, almost tripping up the ramp, as he stepped onto it and to her side, glaring down at the nervous looking Minion. Then, after a second of the contest, he turned to her and cocked his head and she laughed nervously, twirling a bit of her hair in her hand and rushing out, "I-It's fine, we were just talking, really. T-That's all."
"Mhm." He nodded and sighed, "Gnarl, go… Arrange rooms for the workers or something. Would you?"
"I'm sure the dungeons-"
"Proper. Rooms. Gnarl." The Overlord snapped lowly, looming lower with each enunciated word to glare down at the Minion and whispering. "I just walked, like, ten miles because of your 'advice'. So figure it out. Get these people warm, fed, and taken care of. Got it?"
"R-Right, Master." The Minion chuckled nervously, turning and padding away quickly while Fiona tried not to giggle too loudly.
Then the Overlord turned to her and her giggle died in a cough as she backed up, nervously scrunching her head down and flattening her ears as the man looked her over. Finally, though, he just sighed and said, "I, uh… Fiona, right?"
"Oh, uh, mhm." She nodded, flicking him a look and then looking away nervously. "Yeah. Fiona Thyme."
"Ah." He nodded, "Like a clock?"
"No." She rolled her eyes and sighed tiredly, "Thyme, not time. Like the seasoning?"
"Oh." The Overlord hummed, then let his shoulders droop. "Darn."
"Why darn-" She blinked and sighed, "You had a pun. Didn't you?"
"Why would you think that…?" He chuckled awkwardly, turning to watch the Minions returning from the battle set to work on the Tower once more.
"Robyn spent a week making puns about my name before she realized it was the seasoning." She explained, standing with him but watching the workers resting on the cold ground instead, until a few Minions came to wave them up and escort them, two or three at a time, inside. Which made her anxious enough to ask, "You… Aren't tricking us, right?"
"I'm sorry?"
"I have to ask." She murmured, ears flat against the side of her head and hand hovering closer to the hilt of her weapon - even if she knew she'd lose if it came to a fight, she had to try. "I'm sorry if it's insulting, but most of us are Faunus. We… Don't exactly have a great history when it comes to trusting people."
"Ah." He grunted, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword and sighing. "Well, that's fair. No, this isn't a trick. I… Just want to help."
"Yeah?"
"I wanted to be a Huntsmand, before I d-" He cut off and coughed into his armored hand to clear his throat, and chuckled. "Before I became the Overlord. Helping people is in my blood, you could say."
"Family of Hunters?"
"And other things." He nodded, "Soldiers, engineers, my sister even works in the CCT network that sort of stuff."
"Public servants." She nodded, understanding what he meant and knowing better than to argue the point on soldiers. If only because she hoped he meant soldiers from somewhere that wasn't Atlas - or far enough back in his family that it wouldn't be the same anyways. "So you just helped us… To help?"
"Well…"
"There it is." She sighed.
"No, no, I just-" He shook his head, armor shifting quietly, "I only even found out you all needed help because I need stone. For the Tower. Which is, uh, probably obvious, just looking at it. Huh?"
"Just a bit." She chuckled, eyeing the tall man and cocking her head, ears flicking comfortably as she relaxed. From afar, the dark armor, glowing eyes, and imposing gauntlet made him a bit of a fright to look at. But up close… Well, it was worse up close, actually, thanks to all the spikes and the weird glow from his eyes, but once you talked to him it got better. Smiling, she said, "So… Where will I be staying?"
"I… Don't know." He admitted after a moment, "I didn't consider where to put you all up when I started on this. I just-"
"Wanted to help." She nodded, "I getcha."
"Yeah. So, uh, at the risk of making you mad with a pun…" He turned and gestured at the wide, open door that let into the tower and chuckled awkwardly. "If you have the thyme for it, we could- Come on, stop gagging, it wasn't that bad of a joke!"
"That was awful." Fiona choked out, shaking her head and smiling in spite of herself. "But… Sure. A tour sounds nice."
"Yeah?" She could hear the smile in his tone and almost laughed for it as he turned and waved for her to follow. "Awesome! Come on, I'll show you around, then. Just, uh… Forgive the mess? We're working on it all, but we just started, so-"
"Somehow," she smiled, "I think I can forgive a little bit of mess as thanks for you saving my life. Tit for tat, you know."
"Y-Yeah." He chuckled, "Sounds fair. Anyway, there's not really all that much to show. Armory's a mess, some spare rooms being fixed, my quarters, the library-"
"You have your own library?!" She squawked, excitement rushing through her before she could catch herself and clear her throat embarrassedly."I-I mean, um, well…"
"Something of a nerd?" She scoffed and shot him a petulant look and he waved her off, laughing. "Don't be like that. I'm not trying- I mean, there's nothing wrong with it. My sisters always told me I was a big nerd, too. So…"
"...Okay, fine, yeah, m-maybe just a bit." She murmured, flushing in spite of herself at the admission. Turning, she pointed a finger up at his masked face and scowled, "But you better not tell Robyn I admitted that when she gets here!"
"I-I won't!" He chuckled, backing away and holding his hands up in surrender. Shaking his head, he turned and said, "S-So anyways-"
"Library." She nodded, "Let's go."
He snorted a laugh but nodded, and she fell into step behind him. Hidden from his view, she flicked a look to either side and smiled. With no one looking, she bounced a few steps in her excitement, hopping from foot to foot eagerly.
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"And here we are. Just, uh, let me get the door." He grunted as they reached the sealed door to the Library and he raised his hand in the same gesture as before, Mana flashing as he grunted, "Open."
The sigil glowed again and the door unlatched and opened with a quiet, barely audible groan. Almost as quiet as Fiona's murmured 'Fancy…'. He ignored her, though, stepping in and frowning at the same mess he'd left behind. He'd hoped that the Minions would clean up, somehow, but… Well, it was better left alone rather than letting the Minions wreak havoc, he supposed.
"Uh…" He blinked, turning as Fiona padded past him, pacing around the haphazard heaps and piles. When she looked over, he shrugged and said, "Sorry for the mess?"
"It looks like a tornado went through here or something." She said, looking it all over until her eyes landed on the crystal still resting in its center. Moving to stand over it, she reached out with a hand to trace her finger over it and hummed. "Never seen Dust like this before…"
"Y-Yeah, uh, it's pretty rare as far as-"
"It's not Dust." Gnarl suddenly cut in, almost… Appearing out of thin air at Jaune's waist. Fiona blinked, ears flicking in surprise as the Minion pushed past Jaune and explained. "It's a, well, very special sort of crystal. Suffused with Ma-"
"Gnarl, I don't think we should drop all of that on her." He cut in, glaring at the little creature as its eyes narrowed and it cocked its head, confused. "Isn't all that, you know…" He shot Fiona a look and turned back to the Minion, "P-Private?"
"Why should it be?" Gnarl scoffed, "You want to be a big damn hero, yes? Then we should be open."
"I don't think that's a good-"
"I-I can, um, leave?" Fiona offered, and the two turned to her, standing on the other side of the crystal and rubbing an arm anxiously, ears flat against her head. "I-I mean, if you two… Need to figure out whatever this is? I-I don't want to intrude, I mean."
"Yes."
"No." Jaune scowled and shot Gnarl a look, then turned to her and sighed as he thought.
It was true that a hero shouldn't lie about little things like this - and really, it was more or less just a glorified light, so it wasn't that big a deal. It was just the implications he was worried about. But… Well, Gnarl was right. At least about the fact he needed allies, contacts, in the greater world to get the Tower up and running and to become the hero he wanted to be. And Fiona was the first chance for that. And, apparently, had other friends on the way. Trusting her, earning her trust in turn, could open a door to whoever these people were. What they could do for him - for his goals, rather, was something he wasn't sure about.
But… Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
"It's… Complicated." He finally said, raising a hand and testing a theory he'd had on the way to the fight. Pushing Mana out, willing the crystal to act, he smiled as it lit up brighter, glowed hotter, and he raised his fist and said. "It's… Connected to me. I control it, through my Gauntlet here."
"Like…" She cocked her head, "Wirelessly?"
"Uh… No." He sighed, shaking his head as sudden nervousness hit him and he coughed. "Uh, close, though? A-Anyway, uh, this is… The library…"
"Oh, very smooth, Master." Gnarl muttered, "Like bloody sandpaper."
"Shut it. Gnarl." He grumbled, shaking his head. "So… Library."
"R-Right the, uh, library. Yeah." Fiona murmured, clearly feeling the awkward nervousness in a way Jaune wasn't entirely sure how to deal with. So he ignored it as she did, turning and kneeling by one of the little piles of damaged books he'd gathered and picked one up, opening it and skimming through a few pages while he watched.
"None of them are in, uh, anything modern." He sighed, shrugging and waving the Minion off as he shuffled away, grumbling under his breath. "So I don't know what they-"
"Is this a Kamt original?!" Fiona suddenly squawked, dropping onto her rear and crossing her legs on the floor as she looked up at him, tapping one of the pages, "These notes - they aren't in the copies I've read!"
"You… Can read that?" Jaune blinked, aware of Gnarl coming running back to stare at the woman, too.
"Not… Easily, but… Kinda?" She frowned, leafing through a few pages and rattling on. "It's Old Mistrali, definitely, the characters match. But it's a bit… Off, too. Like some kinda dialect I haven't seen before. Kant lived right around when what we call 'Old Mistrali' emerged from 'Sanusian' and was finally entrenching, so odd dialecting should be expected. But an original, if this is original, I mean, that has this dialecting could confirm when he lived. And that would mean-"
"Fiona." Jaune cut her off, chuckling. "When you said you were a nerd-"
"I didn't say that." She pouted up at him, "You did. But… Go on."
"What did you mean?"
"I'm… A bit of a history buff." She admitted, head scrunching down in her shoulders and avoiding his gaze while her ears flicked quickly. Nervously, if he had to guess, just based on his cats back home.
Which… Was that racist?
Something to ask about later, he supposed. More importantly, "You can… Translate this?"
"Can I?!" Her eyes almost seemed to flash, and her ears went ramrod straight like her back, facing him until she blinked, cleared her throat, and tried to go on more… Calmly. "I-I mean, um, maybe? Some of it, at least, and I know a few old friends that might be able to help with what I can't do. If, uh, i-if you'd like that, I mean?"
"That would be amazing." Jaune smiled behind his helmet, gesturing with a hand at the books. "There's a lot, and… They're important. Right, Gnarl?"
"I suppose?"
"Thanks, Gnarl, as always for your clear, supportive answers." Jaune sighed, rolling his eyes, "What would you want to do something like that?"
"This." She answered instantly, holding up the mostly-ruined book. "This, and any other originals you might have."
"That sounds reas-"
"Master, we don't know how many of them we have. Please, have at least as much business sense as your average tree." Gnarl cut in quietly, laying a hand on his armored thigh and stepped forward to speak to Fiona directly. "You may have up to five such things. Original works like those must be intensely valuable, after all, judging by your reaction."
"That's… Fair." Fiona nodded, smiling brightly, "Do you have spare paper o-or something? I'd love to get started!"
"We don't." Gnarl said sadly, "Perhaps you could… Reach your friend? Ask them to bring some?"
"I'll try." She nodded, "But until then, I'll just… Use Word on my Scroll, I guess, until its battery dies? Means having to write it out a second time but… Whatever- Oh my Gods, can I please get started?!"
"Sure." Jaune nodded, "I'll have Minions bring you food and show you where you can sleep."
"Yep, sure." She nodded, already bent over the ruined book with her Scroll out beside her, typing away and humming under her breath.
He turned to look down at Gnarl, who only smirked and jokingly asked, "So. She's pretty and smart, hm?"
"I guess…?"
"She can also hear you…" Fiona murmured, ears flicking toward them while she worked and poured her lips.
Ignoring her, Gnarl smiled widely, "So… First Mistress material?"
"First what?!"
"I will end you, Gnarl." He threatened, pointing a long, sharp finger at him. "And I'll make it look like a blood accident."
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Vault Monk :
So does Gnarl! Lmao.
Powerball Wiz :
All good ideas! I'm still not settled on the other Mistresses tho. And given certain other aspects to them, I'm going to have to take my time building a lot of it up.
Tango Mike :
Those are very good observations - and are already in my notes. Though I think there'll be a TOUCH MORE angst to the whole 'My friend who I saw die is ACTUALLY ALIVE?!' aspect.
That temptation aspect actually has already been shown, juuuust a bit, if you really squint and look. This will continue. Gnarl is also pointing out that Jaune can get husbandos if he wants to be very clear that even Pure Evil isn't homophobic lmao.
Also, trying to AVOID bogging down with a bunch of extra characters. I'm way too tempted to make them CHARACTERS for my own good. I'd end up with just a chapter of their descriptions, backstories, and characters only for them to never show up again and just be stuck there. Lmao.
Jboy44 :
Sort of.
AK-103 :
I do similar with anime. No stress!
Lea DA QUEEN Rosenwulf :
Ye, she's been fun to learn and write for. Her mannerisms are new to me, so trying to work into them.