I can't wait for April when I can finally catch my breath for once. Big work trip is on Monday, meaning six weeks away from home, including two on a ship. Been scrambling to get everything ready and still need to pack. Then, to really throw a wrench in my plans, I threw my back out doing laundry. Laundry! Bent down to pick up some clothes and nearly fell to my knees. As if that wasn't bad enough, I ended up having an allergic reaction to the meds on Tuesday, so that was fun. Hopefully, things will run smooth on the work trip to balance things out, but I'm preparing for the worst, just in case.

As for schedule, I expect to still post a chapter next week, but the following three weeks are questionable. If things go well, I'll probably have a ton of time on my hands and might even be able to get ahead a little (oh, you optimistic dreamer, you). If things go poorly, I might not even look at this story until the end of March. If I miss any uploads, just assume I'm busy beating my head against a faulty system and will return with some of my sanity at a later date.


Word travelled fast in Reyno. Too fast for his liking.

"There's the two lovebirds!"

"Whatever kind of training that was, I'll pass."

"Finally come up for air?"

Blake froze, her face burning a bright red at the sudden attention. Adam spotted Kaito at the end of the table. "Don't look at me," Kaito said, holding his hands up defensively. "I didn't say anything."

"Then who-"

"Grayson saw your literal oral examination out on the training field." Grayson? Who the heck was Grayson? "Find any cavities in there, doc?"

"Nah, he was checking her tonsils from what I heard."

"Azul."

"On it." Azure caught his sister's wrist just before she could slap the back of his head. His victory was soon cut short as Bane hit him instead.

"Hey, no fair!"

"Thanks, big guy." Bane nodded to the winning sibling. It was nice to know he had someone on his side. Bane usually stayed out of the petty squabbles that made up everyday life in Alpha Squad.

"Enough," Adam grunted as he took his seat in the midst of the team. Blake quietly claimed her usual spot beside him, sitting closer yet still looking awkward for it with all the knowing looks. The other side was left open for Sienna. Their guest of honor hadn't arrived yet, likely still getting settled in before joining the festivities.

Most of Reyno had already gathered in the mess hall early, which Adam appreciated. Punctuality probably wasn't something people thought so-called terrorists would care about, but timing could mean the difference between life and death. While being late to dinner might only mean struggling to find a seat at worst, those that slacked when it didn't matter often failed when it did. And when everyone started being on time, ten minutes early became five minutes late, which suited Adam just fine.

Except for today. Sienna seemed to be intent on being fashionably late - not that he'd ever understood what that meant. How was being late a good thing? Being late at all was bad enough, but her being late today was even worse, because it meant Alpha Squad had nothing to distract them.

And an undistracted Alpha Squad was a dangerous thing.

Yuma broke first. "So what's with the sudden PDA?"

"None of your business," Adam responded, knowing Blake probably wouldn't be much help as she ducked her head and leaned closer. She'd been the one to practically tackle him and suck his face off - not that he didn't enjoy it - but it looked like he had to be the one to play defense.

"He used the L word," Kaito answered traitorously.

"Libido?"

"Love, you imbecile." Trifa could only shake her head at the stupidity of her male counterpart. Her demeanor changed completely as she focused back on the main attraction. "And I think it's sweet."

"Weren't they already in love?"

"She loved him. He didn't love her," Laurence explained.

"It's not that I didn't love her, I just…" Adam trailed off in frustration. "Can we stop talking about our relationship like it's some sort of soap opera?"

"Aw, but this is just like an episode of Pack of Lies!" Everyone at the table turned to stare at Azul in disbelief. The sudden shift of the spotlight found her trying to backpedal from the admission. "Or so I've heard. N-not that I've watched it, or anything. It just sounds like something they'd do. I think."

Marcus, of all people, excitedly chimed in, "Except Blake would be in a coma and it would actually be her evil twin sister seducing Adam, who had amnesia."

"You saw that one?"

"No, because I don't watch that garbage." Marcus accepted Azure's high five before asking, "Wait, did they seriously do something like that."

"Twice," Azul muttered. "In the same season."

Funnily enough, it was Azure that came to his sister's rescue. "Azul's horrible taste in entertainment aside-"

"No, I think we need to hear more."

Azure ignored Adam's attempt to keep the pressure off himself. "I think I speak for all of us when I say we're happy for you two."

Well, this was weird. Most of the team nodded along or shot him a thumbs up. Blake sat a little taller, bolstered by their acceptance. He should've known they'd be okay with it in the long run. As crazy as they were, they were family. Families fought. They bickered. But in the end, they ultimately wanted one thing - for him to be happy. Blake made him happy, and for whatever reason, he did the same for her.

"So…you two done it yet?"

Aaand they were back.

"Azure!" Azul didn't slap him this time. She punched him dead in the arm and nearly knocked him off his seat.

Adam regretted teaching him to use aura. "What? We were all thinking it."

They'd better not have been. When no one rushed to deny it, Adam felt a sudden urge to drag them all out to the training field and give them a chance to learn first aid. A somewhat hands on lesson, that was.

"Of course they haven't," Azul assured everyone, even if she hesitated a little at the end to watch for any reaction from the pair. Blake made the mistake of looking away, face burning a bright red, which only made her look guilty. Adam knew better and kept his steely gaze fixed on the current speaker. "No. They haven't. Besides, Blake's still only fifteen. She's way too young to be thinking about that kind of stuff."

"I'm not that young," Blake protested. That certainly raised a few eyebrows. By the time she realized what she'd said, the damage had already been done. "But we haven't done anything like that."

"Good!"

Next up on who wants too much attention - Ilia!

"I mean…good," she tried, somehow making it even more awkward. "Like Azul said, we're only teenagers. Plus, isn't it a little early to be thinking about…you know. I mean, they've only just started dating. Y-you don't want to rush things."

Finally, someone making some sense. "Ilia's right." Adam elbowed Blake to get her to stop giving their savior the death glare, only to draw it on himself. "About the not rushing things," he amended before Blake could get a word in edgewise. "It doesn't matter, though. Nothing's really changed."

For them. Everything changed for him and Blake, though. At least, it felt like things had changed. Blake leaned a little closer, her arm brushing against his own. It was such a simple thing, yet it felt so good having her close. When she shook her head at something, the scent of her tickled his nose. Even when he wasn't looking, just knowing she was near made him feel stronger.

So this was love? The poets undersold it. He felt so much more alive than he ever had before. He'd long ago given up on ever being loved again. The only people that had ever loved him were all dead. Dad. Mazarin. Nila. Each of them taken from him to the point he'd begun to wonder if he was cursed to live without - a monster destined for nothing but sorrow and suffering.

He refused to let the same happen to Blake. He'd almost lost her once, and he'd be damned if he ever let it happen again. He'd die before he let anyone take her away, and gods have mercy on whoever tried, because he sure wouldn't. With one seemingly simple word, he'd promised to always be there for her.

He belonged to Blake, just as she belonged to him.

Kaito had them all distracted now, regaling them with some story from his old days. Adam only half paid attention. Something about two faunus squads in a standoff because neither could remember the callouts or something. Probably a lesson there about being prepared or planning ahead. Whatever the case, it kept the conversation away from him and Blake, so Adam supported it.

"So there we were, pinned down all night by our own allies, too scared to advance in case they weren't friendly. Other side was the same way, holding position thinking we were the bad guys, when- oh, Sienna, glad you could join us."

"Wait, what happened to the two squads?" Azure demanded.

"They both lived happily ever after." Kaito ignored their complaints, and rightfully so, as the guest of honor had finally arrived. The roar of conversation around the hall began to quiet as more and more of Reyno spotted her.

"An equal seat among the troops," Sienna commented as she claimed her place beside Adam. "A good reminder that we're all equal in this fight." She addressed it as a good idea, but Adam knew her well enough by now to know she was faking. Did she expect him to have some grand table up front for his team to dine at, perched atop a raised platform to look down upon the masses? The sad part was, given her pompous throne room, she probably would've preferred that setup.

This was going to be harder than he'd thought.

Might as well get started on getting her used to Reyno, then. "Food's pretty much ready." And had been for the past twenty minutes. "Before we eat, I thought you might say a-"

"Prayer?" Sienna guessed.

"What? No. A few words." Reyno wasn't exactly the most religious place, but who would they even pray to? The Brothers? He'd long ago given up on getting any help from them. If they were even real, then they'd abandoned the faunus long ago. The Albain brothers would often talk about the God of Animals and even held services every week back on Menagerie. According to them, this third god had blessed a group of humans and made them into faunus. Adam tried going to one of the services, but only once. He never did find out why exactly some supposedly powerful being made the faunus, or what they were meant to do with this gift.

Discussions on devotion could wait. His hunger couldn't.

"Keep it brief," Adam quietly advised. A room full of hungry faunus didn't exactly make for a great audience.

Sienna stood up, the room falling into silence as all eyes fixed on their newly arrived leader. Even if they only knew Sienna by name, he'd made it abundantly clear to them before her arrival that any slight against Sienna would be dealt with by him personally.

"Good evening, everyone. I'll keep this short, as I'm sure you're just as hungry as I am." Much better. Unlike Kuo Kuana, Reyno wasn't the kind of place for flowery words and long speeches. "Thank you all for the warm reception. Word of your deeds have spread all across Remnant, but the world has seen nothing yet. Together, we will remind humanity who the superior species is, but tonight, we celebrate our coming victory with a feast!"

Maybe there was hope for Sienna after all. Tables shook as the hungry occupants pounded their fists atop them in celebration. The doors to the kitchen flung open as servers spilled out with massive trays of food. The moment the food reached a table, hungry men and women dug in, claiming all they could in a mixture of laughter and banter. What must've looked like chaos to an outsider was just another day in Reyno.

Sienna hesitated when their food arrived, which was her first mistake. In hindsight, he probably should've warned her, or at least told Alpha Squad to hold back a bit for her sake. Instead, she was left to watch as most of the food disappeared before her, leaving little to choose from. Adam and Kaito had similarly empty plates, Adam holding back a bit while Kaito experienced the same shock as their leader.

Before Adam could tell his team off, a second platter replaced the empty space in a matter of seconds. "We came prepared," the new server cheerfully said. Adam would have to make sure the kitchen staff for tonight were rewarded for all their work. Maybe they should have the night off and let his impatient squad do their dishes as penance.

Any thoughts of punishment were soon overwhelmed by the bounty before him. Even calling it a feast didn't feel right. The food kept coming, even after nearly everyone had tapped out, lounging back contentedly or stumbling out into the cool evening air. As stomachs filled, the hall emptied, until only a few tables remained. Alpha Squad and their guests held out until almost everyone else had left before Sienna finally rose to her feet.

"I believe I'll call it a night." Did she always waste words to say so little? "We'll speak in the morning of our coming plans, Adam."

"I'll be there," he confirmed. Not like he had much else to do. Taking on Atlas had bought them time, but the men would grow restless sitting around waiting for action. Plus, from what he'd heard, the Schnee had been recalled to Atlas after the attack, meaning the heat was off of Anima for a while. They'd need to take advantage of the opening while they could.

Sienna's departure seemed to signal the end of the festivities. "I'm out," Yuma announced, disappearing without another word.

"Me too."

"Should probably get some sleep."

The dominos continued to fall one by one until only a few of them remained. It wasn't that late, but with his stomach fit to burst from all the food, Adam could already hear the siren call of his bed. "We should probably get back, too," Ilia said, nodding to Blake as stood.

"Yeah. I guess." Blake's hand reached over to squeeze his own before she rose. "It is kinda late."

"I'll probably turn in soon, too," Adam promised. No reason for her to stay up just to watch his stomach settle. "Think you can handle training in the morning? Make sure they run off all those extra calories."

"Sure."

That would free him up to handle Sienna and get things moving. The sooner he got their meeting over with, the sooner he could get back to training. Afterwards, maybe he and Blake could work on the new logo together. He'd like to have that ready sooner rather than later.

"You coming?" Ilia asked, tugging on Blake's arm.

"Y-yeah. I'm coming." Blake waited a second or two longer before sighing and walking away with a quick, "Goodnight."

"Night," Adam called back. The day had gone way better than planned, and not just because of what happened on the training field. Sienna's arrival didn't eat up too much of the day. Dinner had been even more glorious than expected. And best of all, everyone seemed to be in a good mood.

Almost everyone.

"It amazes me how someone can learn so much and still know so little," Kaito lamented as he slid over next to Adam.

"What did I do this time?"

"Go after her, man." Kaito shoved him in the direction Blake had just gone. "She wants you to walk her back to her room, you fool."

Adam turned to look, but only saw the doors closing behind Blake and Ilia. "What? She didn't say that."

"Women do not always speak with words, boy." How else could someone speak? That's sort of the whole point of words. "Believe me. Now go to your girl, offer to walk her back, and make sure not to mention I told you to."

"Are you sure?" It wasn't like it was a long walk back to the barracks. Even at a slow pace, they'd be there in no time. He'd have to run just to catch them at this point.

"She should've hit you harder," Kaito muttered. "Either catch up with her or I'll make you carry Bane back to bed."

Bane was passed out on the bench across from them, quietly snoring away with a pleased smile on his face. Someone should probably get him back to his bed, but Adam didn't really relish the idea of lugging his massive form across Reyno. Instead, he chose the far better option. "Alright. I'm going."

"Good. And remember, this was your idea, not mine." Whatever. If Blake really wanted him to walk with her, he doubted she'd care who convinced him to do it.

Knowing better than to tempt Kaito any further, Adam stumbled to his feet with a groan. His stomach briefly protested the movement before deciding it wasn't really worth the effort anymore. He rolled his neck out, feeling the slight crack of relief before jogging across the room to the exit.

The cool air hit him instantly, helping to wake him from his oncoming food coma after basking in the dangerous warmth of the hall. He spotted his target almost immediately. Not hard, since he knew exactly where they'd be heading. They weren't that far off, taking their time as Ilia chattered away to a mostly silent Blake. As much as he hated to interrupt, Adam trusted Kaito's advice and chased after them. The old man hadn't steered him wrong yet, and after lecturing Blake about trusting their mentor's methods, he figured he ought to do the same.

"Hey, Blake! Wait up!" He called, waving a hand in the air as he hurried to catch up. Blake's ears perked up at the sound of her name.

"Adam?"

"Did you need something?" Ilia asked as he drew closer, a step or two ahead of Blake and obviously eager to keep going.

"No, I…I just thought, maybe I could walk you back to your room?" It sounded silly, but dang it if Kaito wasn't right on the money as Blake smiled at the offer.

Ilia didn't seem as interested. "I think we can find our way back just fine. Right, Blake?" Poor Ilia. She probably just didn't want to be a third wheel, especially after Kaito's experience earlier. They wouldn't be getting up to anything like that, though. This was just a short, quiet walk, not some late night rendezvous.

"You go on ahead," Blake answered, shooing her away without even looking. "I'll see you in the morning." Oh good. Now Ilia wouldn't be stuck chaperoning the two of them. He'd hate to make things awkward for her.

Ilia waited for a second, just in case Blake changed her mind. She'd always been a good friend to Blake. There really wasn't anyone else their age in the White Fang, so it was only natural; they'd get along. Adam hoped she didn't feel like he was trying to steal her best friend from her or something. Just because he and Blake were dating didn't mean Blake wouldn't have time for Ilia. Realizing there wasn't much point to stick around, Ilia turned and left, heading back to the barracks alone.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting." He'd have to apologize to Ilia later for being so rude.

"Don't worry about it," Blake assured him. "Ilia was just asking about sparring with me later."

"That's good." They all needed to get stronger, and the best way was to challenge themselves. Sparring with someone better was always a good idea. For him, that usually meant taking on two at once. For anyone else, Blake would be a useful partner. Despite her sneaky victory earlier, she still couldn't hope to keep up with him, though he had a feeling she'd close the gap a bit once she mastered her new Semblance.

Speaking of which. "How'd your training with Kaito go today?"

"G-good." She looked away as she answered. As dense as Kaito claimed he was, it only took a moment for him to realize why. Hard to forget what happened right after training. His lips suddenly felt dry.

"Any luck getting it to work again?"

"Not yet." She sounded disappointed, but who wouldn't be? Not having a Semblance was one thing, but having one and not being able to use it? He could still remember the frustration he'd felt mastering his own. "Kaito said that'll take a while."

"It did for me." He hoped that would encourage her a bit. If even Adam struggled at first, then it was only natural she would experience the same. He'd eventually gained control and even improved his Semblance in time. "Don't worry. Kaito's a great teacher. If anyone can help you master it, he can."

"I know." They'd both trained with him before Reyno. As frustrating as he could be at times, the old man always got results. In the White Fang, that was all that really mattered.

They fell into a comfortable silence as they walked, not in any real hurry. Blake rubbed her arms as a breeze picked up. Adam had seen enough movies to know what to do as he draped his jacket over her shoulders. She smiled up at him, pulling it tighter around herself. It felt good to know he was doing things right for once

But recent success didn't make up for earlier failure. She'd left dinner a little upset, and he couldn't help but think it had to do with his slip up beforehand. "Listen, about earlier."

"What about it?" Blake wore a look of concern, which only worried him more. Crap, she had been thinking about it, hadn't she? It seemed like such a little thing at the time, but the more he'd thought about it, the more he realized he'd let her down again.

"I think…oh, how do I say this?" The words just wouldn't come. "What I said…that was wrong of me."

"It was?" And now she looked devastated. Way to go, Adam. Night ruined. "You…you didn't mean it?"

"Of course not," he hurried to explain. Instead of cheering her up, it only broke her more. "I'm not really good with words sometimes. I didn't even realize what I'd said until later. I probably should've said something sooner, but I was kind of caught off guard. With everyone there, saying all that crap about us, and then Sienna showing up."

Blake came to a sudden stop. "Wait, what?"

"At dinner, when they were asking about…" Things they should've never asked about. "I didn't mean to sound like I agreed you were too young. I mean, after I promised not to treat you like a kid and all." Man, he really was bad at this, wasn't he? Blake stared at him with a dumbfounded look. He couldn't really blame her with how badly he explained things. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry if I upset you at dinner tonight."

"Dinner?"

"Yeah. When they were saying you were too young and stuff like that. Which you aren't." A blaring alarm in the back of his mind reminded him what they said she was too young for. "Not too young to date, I mean. That other stuff… gah." Just when he thought he couldn't dig the hole any deeper. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that I don't see you as some kid. I love you, Blake."

It felt cheap using those words to get himself out of trouble, but he meant it. Sure, he had a few years on her, and at their age, it was a pretty significant difference. But he really did mean it when he said she wasn't just some kid. She was Blake Belladonna. She'd trained harder than anyone he knew, left home to fight for what she believed in, and nearly died for her convictions. She made most of Alpha Squad look childish in comparison, despite being the youngest member of the team. She was his rock. His joy. His love.

"You idiot." Blake seemed to laugh through the words, robbing them of any real heat. "I thought you were talking about before that." Adam tried to recall what other stupid things he'd said today. The list was probably longer than he cared to admit, but nothing specific came to mind. "After our spar?" Had he messed up then, too? He barely even remembered what he said before- "When you said you loved me?"

Oh.

Oh!

"No, I meant that!" One hundred percent.

"Good. Because I love you." Blake bumped her shoulder against his side as they started walking again. "Even if you are an idiot."

He felt like he'd gotten off easy this time. "I am."

"But you're my idiot," she joked, though the words cheered him up. He was hers, well and truly, even before he loved her. There was a reason he didn't shy away from her touch. He'd never really thought of it before, but she was different from every other woman he'd ever met, and not just because he was in love with her.

Blake had rescued him. Years of suffering driven away in a single moment. As strong as he was, she'd been the one to face his demons for him. From then on, everything changed. He didn't know it, but he'd been falling for her ever since. A smarter man might've realized it sooner, but like she said, he was an idiot. Her idiot. Almost losing her hadn't made him love her - it only made him realize he already loved her. It took time for the obvious to get through his thick head, but looking back, he knew the truth.

They were at the door of the women's barracks far too soon. Blake slowly took his jacket off and handed it back to him as she stood on the first step toward the entrance. "Thanks for walking me home."

"Anytime." Kaito's record remained perfect.

"I'll hold you to that." He really hoped she meant it. Blake leaned forward, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Adam."

"Goodnight, Blake."

/- - - - - - - - - -/

"Someone's in a good mood this morning," Sienna commented as Adam spread a map out across the table in her office. It was little more than a storage room attached to her throne room, but it would do for now. He'd have to see about getting her an actual desk and chairs later.

"A good meal and a long rest," Adam answered, keeping the real source of his happiness to himself.

"I could've used a longer one," Sienna said as she sipped at a cup of coffee, grimacing at the taste but unwilling to forsake the warmth and caffeine it promised.

"Sorry about that. We ran out of the good stuff weeks ago." All they had left was the supplies from all the raids on Atlas caravans. He had a feeling Raven's share of the Paulownia loot had included all the good coffee. Atlesian Black was closer to tar than coffee, in his opinion, but they made do with what they had, even if it seemed to have an uncanny ability to overpower almost any amount of cream and sugar.

Yet another reason he preferred to stick to tea.

"I'll manage." So she claimed. Maybe they'd luck out and hit a travelling coffee shop on their next raid. "Show me what you've got."

Sienna already knew most of what he had to say, but he felt it best to give her everything, just to be certain. "Atlas has recalled most of their forces after our attack." Allegedly to shore up their defenses and prevent further attacks, but they both knew the Council had all but demanded it. Even with two of the five seats under Ironwood's control - a setup that only served to highlight how much control he had over the Kingdom - he was still outvoted. Publicly bringing back their deployed forces from Anima was meant to be a show of strength and assure their citizens that the Council put their safety first.

More like they put the safety of their cushy seats first. Ironwood didn't really have to worry about public perception, but the other three could easily find themselves replaced if the voting public decided someone else could do the job better.

"With winter coming," the season, not the Specialist, "Mistral is rushing to supply their villages. Their Huntsmen are also spreading out to defend the more populated areas in case of Grimm attacks." Such was common this time of year, and with the fall of Kesseki not that far in the past, the public was still on edge. "The trade routes should be easy targets again."

Easier targets, at least. No caravan worth hitting would venture out without their own security, especially now. Grimm and bandits were always a concern, but everyone knew Anima was where the White Fang were most active. Sienna had plans to increase operations in and around Vale, but that would take time.

"We're planning to hit three major trade routes. Here, here, and here." Adam pointed out each spot, having chosen them each himself. One was far to the west, only a few days out from the shore and all the imports from Vale. The second lay more centralized and would bring him close to the routes he'd travelled with the Yama caravan. The last was south of Mistral and would likely involve food transports from the farmlands.

"And which one are you sending me on?"

"We're taking the middle one," Adam answered, pointing back to the second target.

Sienna raised an eyebrow. "Both of us? Worried I can't handle myself in the field?" They both knew she could, having led her fair share of missions under Ghira before Adam came along.

"The western caravans usually have less protection, so a small team will be plenty. Yuma and Trifa will be leading that team, along with Marcus. Ilia, Bane, and the twins will take the eastern route. Farmers tend to send their shipments together to save lien, but that makes them bigger and slower. Easier to ambush." And while they were the closest to Mistral, most of the expensive goods came from the west, not the south, so patrols were less likely.

"So we're taking the most dangerous one, then."

"Basically." Central Anima had more Grimm and bandit encounters than the rest of the continent, but that was partially due to higher traffic and dense forests that made clearing the area difficult. "I'm putting you in command of this one. Blake and I will be there for support."

"Should I expect any trouble?"

"No, but we can't rule it out." Not entirely.

It was only then that Adam noticed Sienna was watching him instead of paying attention to the map. "There's something you're not telling me, Adam."

There were a million things he wasn't telling her, but for this mission, there was one big omission. He'd kind of been hoping to keep things quiet for now, but he knew Sienna could be trusted. "After So- Orion, I can't rule out the possibility of further leaks. Atlas leaving is just a little too convenient for my taste. They could be waiting for us to take advantage. Worse, if they find out that you're on one of the missions-"

"Then taking out the leader of the White Fang would be a tempting prospect," Sienna finished for him. He didn't think they had any other spies in the camp, but it wasn't worth the risk. His bigger concern was Mistral finding a way to access their comms, which is why Laurence would be staying behind to focus on monitoring any communication in or out of the camp leading up to the raids. Better safe than sorry. "Very well. I shall trust you in this matter."

"You will?" He kind of figured she'd object, assure him he was being paranoid, or complain about him not saying so sooner.

"I may be in command, but I still want you in charge of our field operations. My being here doesn't change that." That was more of a relief than she knew. Her words yesterday were nice and all, but they were just words. Seeing her follow through on her promises was a load off his mind. "If you believe this to be the best course of action, then I shall accept it."

"Alright, but once we're out there, I want you in front calling the shots." Sienna nodded in agreement. "This mission isn't just to grab some quick supplies."

"It's about establishing my authority with the men. I know." She ought to. He'd told her enough times. "This is a good start, Adam. But after this, I want to start working on plans for Vale."

"Already?"

"Time waits for no faunus," Sienna answered, sitting down on the lone chair in her impromptu office. "I meant what I said about a new era for the White Fang. The future is ripe for the taking, and I intend to grab it with both hands."


Finally getting out of the transition chapters! Sienna's in Reyno, missions are starting again, and I've had about as much as I can take of Blake and Adam. At least Alpha Squad can cause them some grief for me. Toyed around with a lot of fake Soap Opera names, but had to be picky. Pack of Lies sounded a lot better than Furry Affections, for obvious reasons. Didn't want to confuse the subject matters there.

Anyways, off to address any remaining fires before the big trip that's basically had my life on hold for a year now. I'm hopeful for this one, which is really saying something after the pattern of failures we've had in the past. Either way, by the time April rolls around, I'll finally be done with this rather major step and will be enjoying some well-deserved time off with MrsTheGoose to celebrate.


Next chapter: Sienna takes to the field.