A Series Of Unfortunate Circumstances [RWBY SI] [AHOIAC AU]

[shadenight123]

Chapter Twenty-Eight

There was some glancing my way, and myself being puzzled by it all. "So," Yang was the one to break the uncomfortable awkwardness that had somehow spread through our team throughout the day, "You came back the next day. Apology date went on for so long you missed the last Bullhead, or..."

"I've got a rented apartment in Vale," I said, "The Haven students arrived yesterday. I met my Love-Dove in Vale, and since it would be a bit too crass to put a sock out of our room's door," I let my words hang in the air.

"Yeah, duh. Why would you put a sock outside a door?" Jaune said, not really understanding where I was going with my words.

I looked at him, and then I looked up at Yang. "Oh no, I'm not explaining this to him," Yang said, both hands raised in surrender. "You missed punishment with Goodwitch by skipping breakfast. You owe us one."

"For...not getting involved in a food fight?" I pointed out.

"We lost because you weren't there to fight for the glory of the Blondie Kingdom!" Yang yelled back, sounding honestly offended. "You were too busy being a good husband!"

"How could you, Shade. We believed in you," Blake added, sounding sarcastic. The fact was, I had the distinct feeling she sounded sarcastic towards Yang's exaggeration of despair rather than my apparent betrayal. "Make it up for us by teaching Jaune the flowers and the bees."

"I know what the flowers and the bees are!" Jaune grumbled back. "I'm not that dense. Am I?" he then looked at me for confirmation.

I didn't give him an answer to that particular question. "Did I miss anything else?" I asked.

"Not much," Blake shrugged. "We wanted to go look for White Fang activity in Vale today after the lessons, that is if you're available and not already busy showing Beacon to your wife."

I chuckled, "She'll probably be sick of me after we spent yesterday attached by the hip, as the saying goes," I wriggled my eyebrows.

"Why? Was there an accident with glue or something?" Jaune asked, once more.

I watched Yang leave the room without another word, Blake following her swiftly.

I left too, leaving a befuddled Jaune Arc behind.

If Cinder knew what I was going to do, she'd probably tell me not to. Thus, I'd do it all the same and claim ignorance. She hadn't told me we were working with the White Fang anyway, so if their operations were just a bit dismantled, it wouldn't hurt anyone in the long run.

Thus it was with a heavy heart in my chest that I ended up walking once more through the streets of Vale with Blake by my side. While Yang and Jaune went for a certain famous Club, I'd follow the cat-faunus as we went through some of the seediest parts of the city.

"They're holding a recruitment rally in a warehouse in the industrial sector," Blake muttered, "We should be able to get in if you do as I say," she looked up at me. "Not all Faunus traits are easy to discern at first sight. Some just have extendable nails, or can change the color of their skin." When we reached the industrial sector, she placed a hesitant had over her bow, and then removed it. "This way, we won't be noticed too much."

Her cat ears flicked a bit to the right and to the left, probably feeling free for the first time in years.

"They do look cute," I said. "Pity you want to keep them hidden."

"It's not want, it's have to," Blake muttered back. "I don't want to be judged by what I am, but by what I do."

"Really? Because from where I'm standing, the only one who gets to decide what Blake Belladonna wears on her head is Blake Belladonna herself," I retorted with a chuckle. "And if someone's so worthless they judge people by something like their race, then do you really want to be worth something in their opinions?" I turned thoughtful. "I'd rather be despised by worthless people, than fake being someone I'm not, just so they'd all be my friends."

The irony wasn't lost on me.

It was lost on Blake, who smiled quietly to herself at that. "You make everything sound so simple and clear, you know-I-" she stopped, glancing at a graffiti nearby depicting a white fang symbol. "We're close," she whispered.

We were, indeed, close. With Blake by my side the bouncer didn't even both trying to uncover my Faunus heritage. He just handed us two white fang masks and as we put them on, a small part of me died. It died screaming.

It died ranting.

It died demanding the price of blood to be paid in full.

It died, but it did not stay dead.

My arms were crossed and my fingers squeezed tightly against my arms as we came to a halt in a crowd of filth, in a crowd of monsters, of animals that held no other purpose but that of being brought to the swift merciless justice of my blade. Disillusioned? Innocent until guilty? Perhaps some were. Amidst their broken corpses, I doubted I would give much of a damn in distinguishing the hardcore believers from the first-timers.

But even so, I held myself at bay. Not everyone was like those that had tortured me. Not everyone was like those that had kicked me. That had hit me. That had-how could I know? Maybe they were there. In this very same room as me, there was filth, that filth that thought it funny to periodically come down into a dark cell and beat the crap out of a teenager. Any normal teenager would have broken after a year. I hadn't, because I wasn't a normal teenager back then.

But it still didn't make it fine. The mask was making me claustrophobic. I couldn't-wouldn't-I had to get some air.

"So, as you've no doubt heard-" Roman Torchwick was on stage. When had he arrived? I was too much out of it to keep my mind firmly on the objective, but I had to. By my side, I could see Blake tense. "We've had a pretty successful run. You keep following me, and we'll keep showing those in power who's the boss-" his voice hazily left the corners of my mind.

My stomach was twisting and knotting. I wanted out.

I couldn't stay in the warehouse, not unless I screamed. I needed to scream. I needed to scream and make my way out. I wanted to scream. Scream. Scream. I had to-

I couldn't-my fingers itched-I-I didn't-but I wanted to. But I also didn't.

I took a few shaky breaths, even as Roman unveiled the Prototype Paladin.

"Taken from Atlas' latest mech assembly line, fresh off their industry and-"

I heard a beep.

Everyone heard it. The masked terrorists looked at one another as if their Scrolls had been responsible for it.

It was a strange thing. It was the beeping sound similar to that of a car activating. The Prototype Paladin beeped once. It beeped twice. And then it stood up and opened fire, unleashing a volley of machine gun and rocket-missile salvo that had me barely capable of moving backwards to avoid immediate dismemberment by excessive firepower while Blake's clone took the brunt of an assault aimed at her.

Most of the people in the warehouse did not fare well. They did not fare well at all.

This wasn't what Torchwick had planned, and it was pretty clear by how he was running away with Neopolitan aiding him. Meanwhile, Blake and I found refuge behind a crate. I removed my mask, gasping for air.

"What's going on!?" Blake screamed, her knuckles white as I could see the puddles of blood become a veritable lake across the warehouse's floor. "The-" there was the sound of metal hitting the ground harshly. The paladin was on the move.

"It must have activated its security system!" I yelled back at her, "We have to go for the exit."

Somebody screamed, and I winced as I knew what Blake was going to say. She was going to say that the White Fang didn't deserve this. She was going to say that we had to save them. She was going to-She was rushing towards the exit, without even glancing back.

I actually hesitated briefly before following behind her. The White Fang knew what they had signed up for, and if they hadn't, then it was no skin off my teeth.

Still, to think that someone would do the smart thing and install a Kill-Terrorist protocol on the Paladins...why hadn't that been done in canon? And if it had been done, then why hadn't it bee done now?

I was the only variable that had changed everything. Perhaps mother dearest had insisted on installing some kind of backup program meant to kill White Fang personnel on sight. It was a bit ruthless, but I wouldn't put it past her. Seeing how Penny was far less of a Person-Android and far more of a Bodyguard-Android, maybe she had poured some funding in seeking out how to best have her vengeance on the White Fang.

We were out of the industrial sector and on our way back to a more civilized part of Vale when a few police cars came strolling past us in a hurry, headed for the gunshots no doubts.

A resounding explosion, and the warehouse we had left behind catching up in smoke though, told me that nobody would know what had happened but us, and the few terrified survivors that might have escaped in the confusion.

"That was terrifying," Blake whispered.

"The Prototype was rigged," I muttered.

"It was," Blake mumbled, "But-they should have noticed. Did they have no one check their programming? There are some Faunus that work for the White Fang that are good with computers and Scrolls-they should have had them check."

I took a deeper breath once we were fully back in the main street of Vale, "Give Yang and Jaune a call before they get worried," I said. "I'll make a call of my own. My wife will kill me if she thinks I was involved in the explosion."

I needed to talk to the one person who knew more than me on the matter.

Cinder, what do you mean it was expected?

Cinder, I don't want a warehouse full of bodies as an anniversary gift! Nobody wants that!

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I wasn't furious, but shocked. I wasn't angry, but slightly puzzled. I knew what room Cinder was in within Beacon, and as our return from Vale was done in a somber mood, I couldn't help but head on straight for her.

Not over the Scroll, darling.

Seriously Cinder-I knocked, and as the door was carefully opened by Emerald at first, it then was swung fully open once it became clear it was me and not someone else.

"Hey there, Emmy," I said with a grin as I stepped inside, "The missus?"

"I am here," Cinder said from a nearby door. Apparently the guest dormitory had each room smaller, but with a bed, a desk and a shelf. It was perhaps for the best, since one never knew if guests would come in groups of four or not. "Emerald, Mercury," she said next as the boy apparently peeked his head out from another room in the shared hallway of the small apartment. "Leave us."

"Again," Mercury grumbled. "Seriously-I've been doing nothing but leaving apartments-" Cinder's eyes narrowed, and Mercury winced before obeying, with Emerald dutifully closing the door behind us.

"Cinder-" I began, only to stop when she drew near, both hands grabbing hold of my shirt and her lips crashing into mine with fierce passion.

"Why are you so stupid, Shade?" she hissed then, her eyes narrow. "Why didn't you mention what you were doing with your team? Infiltrating a White Fang meeting, seriously?"

"My teammate has a chip on her shoulder about them," I whispered back. "What was I supposed to do, let her go alone?"

"Yes!" Cinder snarled. Her index finger jabbed against my chest. "You're too kind. I keep telling you this, and you keep ignoring it. Kindness doesn't bring you what you want."

"It brought me to you, Cinder," I muttered back, and Cinder took a deep breath before exhaling.

"Well, then kindness doesn't always bring what you want, and when it works, it's only rarely, rarer than rare, an extreme lucky circumstance," she placed her right hand against my face, touching it as if to make sure I hadn't a single scratch on myself. "Still, things will proceed according to plan. I need you in your best clothes by tomorrow night."

"Are you telling me where we're going, or do I need to take educated guesses?" I asked back.

"We're meeting someone who might be of use," Cinder replied. Her lips pursed. "It's a gala event, held in the rich part of Vale. I'll rent the limousine, wouldn't do to show up with something less."

"I see," I grimaced. I could see it. I didn't want to see it, but I did.

Her fingers passed through my grey hair, her expression unmistakably that of a torn woman. "Shade," she said gently, "Is there anything you would like to tell me?"

I blinked at that. "I-I don't really like mingling with high society or anything like that. From what I've heard, they're all a bunch of stuck-up pricks."

Cinder laughed gently at that, and nodded quietly. "I think so too," she whispered, her arms gently coming around to hug me. I hugged her back, my whole world centering itself back on this precise instant in time and space. There was nowhere else I'd rather be.

"You might not remember," Cinder whispered, "But...you know the day I found you?"

Her eyes stared into mine, "I-somewhat. I remember us more than anything else," I whispered back. It was a bold-faced lie, but one I felt confident enough in saying.

Cinder nodded quietly, "I suspected...well," she smiled bitterly. "Suffice to say there isn't a day that goes by that I do not remember how you were," she whispered, "And how I nursed you back to health."

I smiled at that, gently kissing her forehead and then rubbing my chin against her cheek slowly. "And?" I asked in a soft whisper.

"And I know that you are mine, Shade," Cinder whispered, her hug tightening ever so slightly. "No one, absolutely no one, will take you away from me."

I chuckled at that. "Cinder, you know I wouldn't ever leave you, regardless of who'd come. I'm here because of you, and I'll keep staying by your side until I draw my last breath."

Cinder giggled at that, her smile a little bit more innocent and a little bit less sultry vixen-like. "I know," she said. "It's the only thing I know for sure."

Our lips met once more.

"But the next time you decide to go anywhere near the White Fang," Cinder whispered, as we split our faces away once more, "I want you to tell me, and I want you to tell me in advance."

"I can take them," I whispered.

"That was never in doubt," Cinder said, "But please, for my peace of mind?"

I smiled, and gave her a gentle nod. "Very well," I said. "I-I heard Torchwick say something about a South-East base," it was a baseless lie, but I reckoned he might have said it. "My teammate heard it too-"

"There is a base in the South-East of Vale, under Mountain Glenn," Cinder muttered. "But you do not have to worry about it. Even if your team ends up there-they should be dealt with in short order. We needed their manpower, not their people-and perhaps..." she turned thoughtful, "Perhaps we could even use it to our advantage."

"What tangled web are you weaving, Cinder?" I asked, my voice a low whisper.

"A really complicated one," Cinder whispered back. "One that has to be perfect, because a lot depends on it," she added with a tender smile. "Now, how about you bring me to meet your teammates?" she asked next, linking arms with me. "I need to know everything about them."

"Just promise to play nice," I said with a gentle grin as we stepped out in the hallway.

"You know me, Shade," Cinder whispered back with a delightful giggle in her voice, "When have I ever been anything but nice?"

"I don't know," I said offhandedly. "Perhaps you could treat Emerald a bit better?" I muttered under my breath, but Cinder caught on to it.

"If I gave in to your bleeding heart every time there would never be progress," Cinder muttered right back. "She needs discipline and strictness from at least one person. You are, as always, too soft in your dealings with her."

"She's had a lot of hardships piled on her since she was young," I mumbled back, "A bit of kindness is long overdue, no?"

"Like the thirsty man in the desert, but if you give him too much water, he will choke on it," Cinder replied.

I rolled my eyes. Cinder wanted the last word, and I'd give her the last word, as always. The rest of my team was in the library as a quick Scroll message told me. They were playing some kind of tabletop game meant to simulate a battle between the Kingdom, and Jaune was actually in the lead.

The meeting between my team and Cinder was surprisingly mellow, all things said.

"You must be the Love-Dove!" Yang said cheerfully, winking at her, "I'm Yang, one of Shade's teammates. If we end up fighting in the tournament, I promise to go easy on you."

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that happening," Cinder answered with a cheerful giggle. "I'm not as good as my teammates," she added. "I probably won't participate past the team bouts."

"It's nice to meet you in person," Blake said next, nodding slightly as her cat ears twitched, now in full view and with no ribbon to cover them. She had an enigmatic smile on, as if she was into some kind of insider joke known only to her. "I'm Blake."

"A pleasure to meet you too," Cinder said with a smile. "You are a fellow reader just like my darling is, I'm sure you get along splendidly."

Blake coughed slightly, "Somehow, yes," she said with a grin. "We don't have the same tastes in literature, but sometimes we can agree on some books being tolerable."

"The Vulture series is a masterpiece," I grumbled.

"Ninjas of love is the true masterpiece," Blake retorted flatly.

"Now you take that-" I began in earnest, only for Jaune to stand up and grin.

"And I'm Jaune Arc, leader of Team Abyss and Shade's favorite punching bag as well as partner, but I am getting better," he added hastily. "Now I get beaten only half the time."

Cinder chuckled, "My husband has quite the gentle heart, so if he has taken you under his wing, you can rest assured he only has your best interests at heart."

Jaune nodded with a smile on his face, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I kind of needed a hand when I started here, so...I'm glad he's my partner."

"Oh, you'll make me blush Jaune," I said with a chuckle before glancing at the table. "So, you've got room for one more?"

"Sure," Yang said, "Maybe this next game won't have Jaune win. You'll have to play together though, there's only a maximum of four kingdoms-"

Somehow, surprising absolutely no one, Cinder and I took Mistral.

She basically played most of the game by herself, and yet, annoyingly for her, Jaune Arc actually managed to rake in points. I snickered as I could feel her frustration mount. "You've played this game before," she accused him near the end of the game.

"That I did," Jaune said with a smile. "Once. Before we had to restart it."

Cinder's eyes narrowed a bit more, like they did when she was in her business mode. I patted her shoulder and then patiently watched the last round go about.

Vacuo fell, and Atlas followed suite. Mistral and Vale were the last two kingdom standing, and as Cinder played her hand a couple of hard counters saw the game end with no discernible winners, not unless someone counted the points. And once the points were counted, Cinder demanded a recount. At the third time counting the points, she conceded to accept a defeat and a rematch another day.

"This game is absolutely unrealistic," Cinder grumbled like any sore loser would. I snickered again, receiving a swat on my shoulder. "Darling, you are going to beat your partner extra hard for beating me, yes?"

I sighed. Jaune nervously laughed. "Yes, Love-Dove. Jaune, how about some last-minute training?"

Jaune didn't look happy about it.

Then again, he didn't have much of a choice.

For those we cherish...

...we beat up other people in glory!

 

[shadenight123]

The Shadenight123 Corner, Hugs Need Not Apply | Page 293

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty

There was something inherently pleasant in standing by the side of a warm body whom you loved beyond a shred of doubt. It made the rest of the world disappear, even when it shouldn't have. Especially not during Professor Goodwitch's class.

Definitely, being lost in one's own world was not the way to go about when the woman's hawk-like gaze settled on the next participant meant to fight.

"Mister Shade," she said, "Have you been paying attention?"

I blinked, trying my best to appear thoughtful and not half-asleep. "Yes, of course," I said, slowly. "The battle was wonderful. Pyrrha won. Team Cardinal needs better teamwork."

Cinder placed a hand atop mine, and patted it once.

"That was the previous match, Mister Shade," Professor Goodwitch mused. "We have already moved past that."

I raised an eyebrow. Was I that much out of it?

"Perhaps it would be best if you came down here yourself," Professor Goodwitch said next, "We do have time for one last match. Miss Nikos, don't move," and as she said that, I realized that Pyrrha was still down there in the combat arena.

Had I literally slept through her match with Mercury? I definitely had. I couldn't help but be ashamed of the realization that the whole classroom could have burned down into flames, and I still wouldn't have noticed.

"The things you do to me," I muttered as I passed Cinder by, receiving a gentle smug smirk in reply.

"Go Shade, lose well!" Jaune exclaimed, defeatism clearly ingrained into his soul. I raised an eyebrow at that, before shaking my head and walking down to step inside the combat arena. Magnistipula on my shoulder, I glanced at Pyrrha.

I had a giant metal sword, and I was supposed to fight someone whose Semblance was polarity. Yes, this was going to end so well, I literally had no inkling on how I could ever possibly achieve victory. Even my mind was being sarcastic. I had some ideas, but I couldn't use them.

Sometimes, losing was a part of life.

"Will you fight until the end?" Pyrrha asked as Professor Goodwitch moved to the end of the arena.

"Sure," I said with a faint shrug of my shoulders, "Just don't hit my face too much, or my darling won't forgive you so easily."

Pyrrha smiled, and nodded. "That much I can do."

"Begin!" Goodwitch snapped, and in a second Pyrrha was a blur of speed. I moved Magnistipula in front of me, blocking a swing as Pyrrha seemed to dance around it, coming for my exposed side. I pushed the button on the hilt of my weapon, letting the large blade hit the ground as the smaller hilt extended, the rattling chain in-between snapping towards the incoming spear.

The spear's tip struck one of the chain's links, and I held both extremities of the chain as Pyrrha's weapon shifted into gun form. The shot struck my chest, forcing me to grunt and wobble back before one of her kicks came for my chin, her body already into my guard.

I pulled the chain back, dragging Pyrrha tightly against my body before slamming my forehead against hers. The chain in my hands rattled, and she quickly slipped free not a second later. I pursued her, the chain slinking back as the sword was once more completed.

The next swing of Magnistipula slid against Pyrrha's shield, and as I dragged the edge on the ground I used my weapon as a lever to jump, both of my boots striking next against her shield. Her spear came forth in that moment once more, slamming into my stomach with enough strength to send me reeling back.

I left myself exposed on purpose. The Aura monitor showed the drain of my Aura, and Pyrrha stared at it briefly. There was a moment of silence as I smiled, "What can I say," I wriggled my eyebrows. "Good men have great endurance?"

There were a set of groans from the spectators. Pyrrha's eyes narrowed, and then she flung her shield forward, a flurry of blows coming for me as my weapon was occupied holding back the still rotating shield from striking my face. I winced at the stinging.

"We agreed no face!" I snapped with a grunt as I moved to the side, bringing my blade back and then swinging it forward to hit the shield, which flew like a baseball missile against the sides of the arena, only for Pyrrha to jump and twist in mid-air, summoning it back into her hand before coming down like the wrath of God in all of its fury upon my poor self.

The impact of her shield against my sword had my grip falter. It was only when I realized such strength wouldn't normally make it falter that I understood it was her semblance at work. I let go of my blade, my right fist cocked back and then thrown forward to strike away the incoming spear tip.

That turned out to be a mistake.

Pyrrha's weapon opened fire against my bare fist, her Semblance threw my weapon away, and then she launched into a devastating set of attacks that I couldn't do anything but endure with my arms crossed in front of me.

Then, Pyrrha stopped, gasping for air.

She looked up.

The Aura monitor told her I was in the yellow.

"That's-"

My boot slammed into her midriff, sending her back as I grabbed a hold of my blade once more, before rushing after her with the weapon in hand.

My swing impacted against the ground, Pyrrha's shield once more coming to her rescue. She jumped atop my blade, taking a small leap to hit my face with the edge of her shield the very next instant. Her legs then crossed around my face, and she opened fire straight against the top of my head.

The ringing in my ear was second only to the feeling that Cinder was going to kill me.

I slammed backwards, the impact dislodging Pyrrha as she rolled on the ground before ending back on her feet, her face slightly flushed red from embarrassment. I gasped for air, craned my neck, and then rushed forward one last time.

This time, Pyrrha slid beneath my horizontal swing and slammed with all the strength she had left her spear into my stomach.

"The Aura is in the red, both combatants cease," Professor Goodwitch said, glancing at me as I merely sheathed my blade back. "Mister Shade, if attempting the same thing over and over again punishes you, perhaps you should try something else?"

I chuckled at that, "Yes, professor."

"And Miss Pyrrha, knowing your opponent's limits in long-range combat, you could have perhaps saved your breath by keeping your distance from him," the Professor continued, even as Pyrrha nodded, the flushed look on her face being second only to the vivid happiness she seemed to emit. The rest of the class was quickly dismissed, and as we walked out into the hallway, I glanced at Pyrrha who was still by my side.

"That was a good fight," I said with a grin, "Perhaps the next one, I'll be the one winning it."

Pyrrha smiled, "I'll be counting on it-"

Her next words were drowned by Cinder's appearance and her hands coming to the sides of my face to look me over for any potential wounds. There were none, and even then Cinder wasn't truly worried about it. She was just playing her part. Pyrrha would have had to hit me harder in order to make me actually wince.

"My poor darling," she mumbled, "Do you want me to kiss the pain away?"

I blushed a bit. This was her, teasing me somewhat. "Love-Dove, you know the answer to that."

There was the oscar of all shy grins on Cinder's face. It wasn't her real one. I knew her real one better than anybody else.

"Still, remember that we have an anniversary tonight to attend," Cinder continued. "You have rented your suit, have you not?"

I sighed, and nodded. "Yes, I-"

"Pyrrha, you were great!" Ruby exclaimed, coming to a halt by our side and grinning up at the Invincible Girl. "No offense, Shade, but I was cheering for my partner."

I chuckled at that, "Sure, I'm not offended by that."

Cinder had meanwhile linked her arm with mine, making it very clear whom I belonged to. Still, she was never truly herself. She could smile, and laugh, and be a part of the group but she wasn't truly there. Her mind went to the next move, to what she had to do and how to complete it.

She was a successful sociopath, and perhaps what truly worried me was that I wasn't as scared of it as I should have.

In a matter of hours, she went from a friendly huntress-in-training and wife of one Shade Night into being a rich heiress hailing from Mistral, wearing a beautiful and glimmering red dress while I stood as her escort in an equally rich suit that had been liberated from a fancy high-class shop with no one none the wiser.

Truly, having Emerald has a daughter meant being able to get away with anything, provided there were no cameras in the place.

Thus there we were in a rich mansion within the high-class sector of Vale, attending a ball of sorts, and as my grey hair was slick and a simple black mask covered the upper part of my face, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at what passed for a costume-themed party in the upper crust of society.

It basically consisted of flimsy masks to hide one's facial features, and not even all of them.

Yet there we finally were. Mercury and Emerald were both dressed as waiters, serving food with their best bored-looks on for added security.

It was the perfect setting.

My heart shriveled a few more inches as I kept my eyes firmly upon my wife's figure, and ignored the matron of the house that was moving like a predator in search of prey across the entire large hall. I had no doubts that Willow Schnee had gone through a great transformation since the last time I had ever seen her, terrified by the side of a birthday table at her husband's angry words.

She looked firmer, and if the ideal of a fighting spirit had any grounds in reality, then she embodied such a thing. She smiled to the people she met, and she spoke to them, but from what little my ears would pick up, there weren't many pleasantries exchanged.

My treacherous ears should have better picked my wife's laughter, or her words. Picking another woman's words only hurt me further, and I didn't want to feel such pain yet. Repressing it was the way to go. Tightening all of those feelings in a small ball and throwing it into a hidden corner of my mind was the only thing I could do to maintain my sanity.

Then, my wife finally found who she was looking for, and as she dragged me towards him, I furrowed my brow.

I didn't know that man. I had no idea who he was.

"Mister Polendina," Cinder said in a gentle smile.

"I heard you could use a friend."

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-One

Geppetto Polendina, Doctor Polendina, was an old man wearing a ratty-looking suit that was probably as old as he was. He kept to a corner of the room, his eyes haunted and utterly ignored by the people around him. The upper crust didn't really care about the brilliance of the old man's mind, too busy eating caviar or sipping pricey champagne.

His eyes were glancing away from us more often than not, however. They seemed to follow the presence of another figure, which I quickly realized was that of Penny standing by the side of one Weiss Schnee, holding a flimsy white mask to cover her face and being surrounded by suitors of all ages and shapes.

"I could use a friend," Doctor Polendina muttered. "But...can this friend help me?"

Cinder smiled, the typical smile of a villainess in power listening in to a weak, sniveling inferior being seeking a small sliver of her power. She had the smile identical to that of Salem, and I couldn't help but feel that perhaps the leader of the Grimm wasn't the kind of person you should leave your education to, but then again, it wasn't like you prevent someone from associating with an immortal death-seeking semi-Goddess.

"We know what troubles you the most," Cinder mused. "The greatest mind of Atlas in robotics, seeing his own daughter sold away-"

"I didn't want that life for her," Geppetto muttered. "But the General-" he grimaced. "I could do nothing. When I said I didn't want them to reprogram her, they-they went behind my back to do so," his fists clenched, his eyes were clearly telling the kind of story that would make any normal man's heart boil.

"We understand all too well how the choices made by the powerful can affect the lives of the innocent," Cinder whispered, sounding sympathetic. "And we appreciate your show of goodwill."

"I want my daughter back," Geppetto whispered. "If it humiliates the General at the same time, then all the better."

"That can be arranged," Cinder said with a smile. "We have knowledge of a White Fang base near the South-West of Vale, below Mountain Glenn," she glanced around briefly, "We can ensure an accident to happen, one which will convince the General to increase the amount of robotic defenders in the city. One without deaths, no worries about that, Doctor Polendina," Cinder hastily added.

She was lying, but then again, the Doctor was pretty much a good man at heart. He'd be willing to do some harm, and he'd probably see no problem in turning a robot against White Fang terrorists, but he would have morals about letting Grimm into a city like Vale.

"And how does that help me?" the Doctor muttered.

"When that time comes, you will help the good General in maintaining them," Cinder said. "If they were to be adequately reprogrammed-following certain specifications, we'd gladly take care of kidnapping your daughter back for you."

"You could do that from the CCTS," Geppetto mumbled. "There's no need to reprogram them all personally one by one. And even then, the General's flagship has a shutdown code for them-they'd be nothing more than scrap metal a few minutes later..." his eyes looked past Cinder, to where Penny was. He hadn't noticed he had been mumbling stuff that any wise man would have, normally, kept quiet.

Cinder simply smiled, "Then all the better, no?" she said gently. "We do not wish to cause anyone any harm," she lied with ease. "We merely want to liberate a few Paladins to resell to the highest bidder in Mistral," she added. "Nothing more, nothing less."

It's merely business, Cinder? Is that the angle you are going for?

"I can do that," Geppetto said. "I can have them follow orders from a Scroll, but when will you deliver on your end?"

"The Vytal Tournament will offer the opportunity for it," Cinder mused. "With so many people coming and going, one more or one less airship in the air won't be noticed. You will find yourself aboard it with your daughter, and then it will be up to you."

Geppetto nodded. "Mistral has a lot of hiding places," he whispered, awkwardly.

"That it does," Cinder smiled, fully. "That it does."

The conversation was pretty much over after Cinder's Scroll gently touched Geppetto's own, and as we walked away from him, my wife had a pleasant smile on her face. "Helping the weak and the dispossessed always puts a smile on my face, dear," she whispered before accepting a flute of champagne from Emerald, while I did the same with Mercury. "Emerald, follow the dear old doctor for a while. See who he talks to, don't get caught."

Emerald gave an imperceptible nod and then moved away.

"Mercury, keep hanging around...anything of notice you hear, I want to know," Cinder added next, as Mercury pretty much left without another word or sign, but I knew he'd do his job just as much as Emerald would do hers.

"And what about us?" I asked with the flute still in my hand.

"We mingle," Cinder said. "And if you find anything, any insignificant weakness that can be exploited, remember it and tell me at the end of the night."

"We won't be together for the reminder of it?" I asked, a note of hurt creeping into my voice.

"Two people can cover much more terrain than one alone," Cinder said, "But if any woman makes undue advances on you, break their wrists, and then their legs," she smiled and gave me a gentle peck to the side of the cheek. "See you later, love."

I watched her leave, and then I saw a few lonely bachelors realize that a beautiful woman such as her was all alone. I drank the champagne in my flute in one fell swoop, held back a few choice words about the situation, and then moved to where I wouldn't be noticed much.

Thus, it was inevitable that my private space in a corner of the room would soon be occupied by the invading forces of another figure who desperately didn't want to be there either.

"Miss Schnee," the voice of Penny was as I remembered it, but there was a hint of creepiness in it now that I knew it wasn't, truly, her desire to act like that. "Miss Schnee-"

"Penny, I'm thirsty," Weiss said with a dreadful sigh, "Fetch me a glass of water from the kitchens."

"Yes, miss," Penny answered, before walking away without a second to question the order. Weiss had a glass of something in her hand, which was either some really good imitation of red wine, or was perhaps a fruit juice of sorts. Maybe it actually was alcohol, but for whatever reason Penny didn't feel the need to question the order.

"Insufferable sack of bolts," Weiss mumbled under her breath, before dimly realizing that the quiet corner of the room was occupied by me too. She looked straight at me, even as I crossed my arms in front of my chest in a kind-of defensive posturing.

"Not having much luck with the dance floor?" Weiss asked, trying to sound different. Her voice was perhaps a couple of notes higher or lower than normal, but it didn't really work all that well in hiding who she was.

"I'm just here as an escort," I muttered back. "Someone I know from Mistral needed a man to play the part of her boyfriend, but she's currently enjoying her single life once more," I shrugged lightly, the jealousy in my voice a bit unwarranted, but the tone truthful. "What about you?"

"It's a family thing," Weiss said, her eyes half-narrowing. "If you don't want to be here, then why not leave? Nobody's going to keep you."

I sighed, "I'd never hear the end of it if I did. Being entitled is what my friend from Mistral is all about," I chuckled at that. "And she's still my friend, whatever her actions tonight are." I shrugged again, "I'd enjoy this more if the music had a bit of a tempo to it."

Weiss huffed, "They'll have a famous singer on stage later on," she added. "Weiss Schnee, a famous opera singer from Atlas."

"Never heard of her," I said. I was being a tease, perhaps, or maybe just a tiny bit of a troll.

"You...haven't?" Weiss muttered. "Where do you think you are, exactly?"

"At some kind of charity gala?"

Weiss took a small breath, and then nodded more to herself than to me. "You wouldn't happen to be a huntsman from Mistral, would you?"

"I'm actually training at Beacon, started this year in fact," I answered. "But I do come from Mistral. Was it the accent? Is there even an accent from Mistral?"

"No, no there isn't," Weiss coughed into her closed fist briefly. "However, I cannot in good conscience have someone not enjoy their time at a Schnee Charity Event, so I will be your host through the night."

"I see-That's very nice of you, Miss…" I let my words hang in the air for a while.

"You didn't listen?" Weiss asked.

"I...I actually was falling asleep against the wall," I rubbed the side of my cheek, the lie coming out so naturally I felt myself believing it in turn.

If nothing else, Weiss did believe it.

"Snow...Snowcone," Weiss blurted out.

I blinked at that. "What."

"Rich people and their funny sense of humor in naming their spawn," Weiss chuckled under her breath. "Forgive me a minute."

She walked quickly to a nearby girl, spoke some small harsh words, and within seconds they had exchanged flimsy face-masks. Anyone with half a brain would have recognized her. Anyone...but there was a saying about Computers Being Stupid.

"Salutations," Penny said drawing near to us once more, "I have-" she then blinked and looked at Weiss' face briefly. "Apologies, I got the wrong person." And then she walked off.

I looked at that, even as Weiss exhaled in relief.

"Strange girl," I said.

"You wouldn't know half of it," Weiss muttered. "Anyway, the whole first floor of the mansion is open, and while there's a buffet and a dance floor, the most interesting part of the event are the art pieces exposed in the big hall-" as she spoke and began to walk, I amiably followed after her.

The art pieces were, in one word, nice but not really amazing. It wasn't that I had an artistic soul. I didn't really know the different styles, or what set one piece from one artist apart from that of another. Maybe if I had an artistically-inclined daughter, I'd definitely praise their paintings and buy them for trillions, but since that wasn't the case, art was just art. Nice to see, bothersome to keep, and definitely not worth the thousands of Lien people were throwing at it.

There were a few people looking at some of the statues in the middle of the hall, and each of the pieces had a small box containing a slip of paper plastered to the front, with the minimum amount to pledge to it. Nearby, there were small forms where one could write their name and surname coupled with their contact information.

"A lot of this art has been recovered from settlements where the Grimm attacked," Weiss said. "Some had to be restored because of traces of old blood near them," she added. "But some people say that it adds value to them."

"You know a lot about this, Snowcone," I said, trying my hardest to keep a straight face. It was highly possible for someone to be named Snowcone in this fabulous world of Remnant, where names such as Velvet and Mercury lived side by side with surnames like Ironwood and Zedong.

"Sn-Yes," Weiss said hastily, "I do like art, so I informed myself about this," she muttered something under her breath similar to 'I was told to memorize the pamphlets for the rich, boring guys', but I ignored it since it was clear she didn't want me to have heard that.

"Well, some of these paintings look a bit...dark," I mused as we moved past the more colorful ones at the beginning. There was a lot of black in the paintings in question. Dark colors, puddles of blood-there was an actually horrifying one of a golden birdcage shattered open, with a puddle of blood on the ground and a lonely white feather drenched in it.

"Those...they're-"

"Ah, those would be mine," an intimately familiar voice spoke behind me, and my heart didn't shrivel. It imploded. It had to implode. It died out. It burned to ashes and then crumpled. Yet even then, it dared to beat with a slight shred of hope.

"M-Madam Schnee," Weiss said from my side, and I simply turned to look into the woman that had once been my mother, and who now had eyes the color of ice, but steel-like in their glimmer.

"Madam?" she raised an eyebrow at that. "Why are you even-No, I will not bother with your rebellious attitude right now," she continued, "They are waiting for you, Weiss. Do not make them wait further."

"I-I guess this means I have to go," Weiss said, making to remove her mask only to think better of it, and walking off leaving me in the same room as one incredibly stern-looking woman.

"I did not hear your name, Mister," Willow Schnee spoke next, her voice crisp, clear, and sounding like a drill sergeant amiably ready to split some poor soldier in half, but not by screaming, no, because screaming is nothing when compared to a drill sergeant gently whispering the evils he will do to you not two seconds later.

Great men weep when drill sergeants whisper, rather than scream.

"Night," I said. Did Cinder say we had to give false names? No, she hadn't. Clearly I was her plus one, so...what false name had she picked again? "I am Miss Autumn's escort for the night, ma'am," I said.

"I see," Willow Schnee said, "You will find her in the ballroom, the singing piece is about to start," she added.

"I...I understand, but I just wanted to see the rest of the paintings first," I added, trying my best not to sound awkward about it. How could it even sound awkward. Why was I making this awkward?

Willow Schnee made to answer, but then she stopped. There was something in her eyes that didn't bode well. My voice couldn't be it. There was no way she could have-

"You have a familiar…" she turned thoughtful, and then shook her head. "No, nothing," she sighed. "The singing will happen for one hour, but these art pieces will still be here afterwards. You can come back later for them," she smiled. "They'll still be there, I promise."

I nervously chuckled at those words. "I-All right, then."

I walked quietly out of there, but couldn't help but feel like some kind of tiger was lurking in the undergrowth around me. Metaphorically speaking, of course, but still…

No, there was no reason to worry.

Definitely, no reason to worry.

What could possibly go wrong, after all?

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-Two

Weiss' singing was beautiful, but definitely not my cup of tea. I didn't sit down since all the plush armchairs were already taken, but simply stood to the side and watched as the young woman sang, wearing a dazzling glimmering dress that made her look like a piece of ice hit by the midday sun. It was a trick of the light, but it made for a suggestive spectacle.

The songs were all taken from operas, or from famous pieces. A few were remarked as originals, made by Weiss herself.

"Mirror, tell me something,
tell me who's the loneliest of them all?

Mirror, tell me something,
tell me who's the guiltiest of them all?
There's a sin inside of me;
is my heart truly made of stone?

Mirror, mirror, what's behind you?
Can I be saved from what I see?
The world's eyes judge,
and I can't hide from me.

Mirror, mirror, tell me something,
who's the loneliest, who's the guiltiest?

That's me. I am the loneliest.
I am the guiltiest of them all."

There was a polite clapping at the end of it all. Weiss looked sad, even as her eyes roamed the seats and then went past it. I was in the far back, but still gave her a gentle smile. I doubted she could see it, but still after a small bow she walked away, the songs done.

Cinder found me not two minutes later, arm linked with mine. "We can leave," she said in a hushed whisper.

I sighed. I really did want to look at the paintings, but I had attracted too much attention on myself to begin with. "As you wish," I said. Cinder picked on my tone, and raised an eyebrow. She said nothing, though. She said nothing until we were gone, the rented limousine bringing us back where they had picked us up on a side-street near the main road. From there, we walked side by side.

Yet the silence didn't last long. "Did something happen?" Cinder asked, her head resting against my shoulder.

"You know what happened," I surly remarked.

"I may have an inkling," Cinder sighed. "It was the best solution," she added next. "I do not like separating from you like that either," she whispered, "But it was necessary. You know our mistress' desires, and you know we cannot take any risks."

I exhaled, a bit louder. "Still makes me jealous."

"Do you think I would give any of them the time, or the consideration, that I give you, love?" Cinder whispered, looking straight into my eyes.

"No," I answered back. "I know that, my heart knows that, but it still makes me annoyed all the same," I took a small breath. "We have to return to Beacon with no one none the wiser, yes?"

"That would be preferable," Cinder acquiesced. "But first we should get changed back into something more comfortable."

"Or we could return tomorrow morning, say we spent the night enjoying our anniversary," I mused, only to be on the receiving end of a gentle swat against my chest.

"You're incorrigible," Cinder giggled. "Utterly incorrigible."

Still, Cinder's statement of truth was not a refusal. The next morning saw us bright and early return to the beauty of Beacon, and of its morning classes. It also was a reminder that the earliest bullhead headed for Beacon was torture on people used to sleeping in comfortably in one another's embrace. Cinder's form was relaxed though, and even as the airship rumbled gently in the air, she closed her eyes and dropped her body against mine for some extra shut-in.

I remained awake, taking in the fine morning light. The airship was pretty much empty, if not for the people in charge of the academy's supplies and those wayward students who had worked a night shift in the city of Vale and were going back to their dorm rooms as soon as possible.

When the airship landed, I attempted to wake Cinder up. Key word being 'attempted', because she didn't really wake up when I gently shook her. I knew she was just faking it; she was a way better huntress than me, and she probably just wanted to be spoiled a bit more.

I planted a soft kiss on her lips next, "Wake up, love-dove. We're here."

That sealed the deal, as Cinder stretched lightly before yawning into her open palm, "My prince's kiss woke me up, what wonderful magic," she grinned as she said that, eliciting a blushing storm from the likes of me.

"And I'm the incorrigible one," I grumbled instead, even as the morning walk through Beacon pretty much had us by ourselves, in our own little world.

Our own little world which came crashing down not one hour later, as a figure came walking with the resolute determination of a woman on a mission, and said mission potentially involved extermination.

"You," the white-haired young woman wearing an Atlas uniform said, "Explain yourself."

I blinked.

I had barely sat down for breakfast, and the seats by my side were free because Jaune was still in line as was my adorable wife. They, differently from me, picked tea or coffee for their morning breakfast. The hot chocolate was thus only contended between myself and the headmaster, and thus nobody truly bothered to line up for that.

"Hello?" I said, "Nice to meet you? My name is Shade."

Weiss bristled, and then sat down right by my side. "I know what your name is, and I am sure you know mine. I am asking you to explain your actions last night. You said you were married, did you not?"

"That's-How do you even know that? I don't think I mentioned that last night," I muttered, blinking, "but yes, I am married-"

"I have my sources," she interrupted me, "If that is the case, then why were you attending a charity gala with someone other than your wife?" Weiss asked next, curtly.

I bristled at that, "I was attending it with my wife, thank you very much," I grumbled. "It's just-she doesn't want her...her kind of people to know."

Weiss' eyes narrowed like she was trying to discern the truth or not of my words, but then her head turned towards the lines and she blinked. "That's miss Autumn, isn't she? Your...well, you were her escort for the night."

"She prefers to go by Cinder," I added hastily. "She doesn't want people to know she's rich," I grimaced as I said that. "That's-That's kind of how we got married, I didn't know back then and..." I grasped for straws, "And let's just say people wouldn't really be accepting of us if they knew."

Weiss rolled her eyes, but she looked noticeably mollified after my words. "I see," she said. "Well, then, I think it's unacceptable the fact you have to hide your relationship." She huffed. "I most certainly wouldn't mind."

"I...I guess?" I hazarded, "But it's what my wife wants, so..." I shrugged, helplessly. "It's quite all right."

Weiss clicked her tongue against her teeth. "No, it's not quite all right," she said. "I have half a mind-but no," she shook her head, "anyway, I don't know if you're being positively dense or not, but we didn't just meet last night, you know that?"

I raised both eyebrows. "We didn't?"

Weiss sighed, and hung her head. "Maybe you are that dense, would explain a lot of things, really," she grumbled. "Anyway, it's me-"

"Hey there, Snow Angel!" Jaune's voice cut through as he smoothly sat down by her opposite side with a big, bright smile on his face. "Has anyone ever told you that you look positively dazzling this fine morning?"

Weiss looked like someone who had ate a sour lemon.

"Has anyone ever told you it's rude to interrupt other people when they are talking?" Weiss retorted, icily. The temperature dropped sharply. She exhaled, loudly. "Why don't you try charming up someone with less brains in their skulls? Like that blond cowgirl over there," and as she jabbed a thump at another figure, I knew things were headed for an explosive start.

Because she had pointed her finger at Yang.

A Yang who was headed our way, since this was pretty much the unofficial team table. A Yang who had heard her, and narrowed her eyes.

"Don't diss what you don't have, ice princess," Yang growled, slamming her tray down and narrowing her eyes. "Because this girl here's got a punch with your name on it, and another with your face. Want to meet them up close?"

"If you're capable of reading an agenda, then I can fix you an appointment for the day of You Wish at the time of You'd Never Manage," Weiss retorted, lightning sparks sailing from her eyes to those of Yang, and viceversa.

I just looked.

"What is she doing at our table?" Blake asked third, her cat-ears twitching as the fur upon them rose angrily. Her breakfast consisting of fish, and her teeth bared as if in defense of it, did not give a positive image of the Cat-Faunus to the world. I was relatively sure other Cat-Faunus did not act like their stereotype.

"Talking with-" Weiss retorted sharply, only to stop half-sentence through. "I was-"

"She was talking with me," I said with a sigh. "Things then...escalated. I am sure she didn't mean to offend anyone, least of all my team," I added while rolling my eyes. "Anyway," I sipped at my hot chocolate, "what says we put a stone on this and try a fresh start? Something with less offensive words thrown into it?"

Weiss huffed. It was clear she would have preferred for me to throw the rest of my team out of the table so she'd keep talking to me in private, but that wasn't happening. Just like it became pretty clear that the only reason people didn't resort to blows was largely due to my incredibly calming appearance and my charming smile of peaceful Buddha-Like serenity.

"You know what we could talk about that is less offensive?" Blake said, trying to sound innocent as she spoke, even as I had an incredibly bad feeling about it.

"The weather?" Jaune tried, valiantly and completely missing the point.

"The Faunus labor laws," Blake shot right back, "And their unequal treatment-"

When Cinder joined the table, I had both of my hands covering my face as the verbal sparring between Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna had reached the level where their words could actually cut stuff in-between them.

Cinder said nothing, but she did look at me as if it was my fault it was happening.

It was definitely not my fault.

I was just surrounded by people with strong opinions...

...and strong opinions always breed conflict, and violence if left unchecked.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-Three

Yang was happy, and her happiness was our team's dread. Well, not really that way, but yes indeed, it was that way.

"Professor Goodwitch asked me to help prepare for the Vytal ball, and seeing how you're my teammates, you'll help me in turn, right?" Yang asked, and we all looked at one another.

"I have a suggestion," I said. "I have a wonderful suggestion."

Everyone looked at me, and I smiled back. "Let's ask if someone else wants to help Yang, so we'll be helping Yang by finding her better helpers than us."

Yang raised a fist, her right eyebrow twitching from unspoken promises of murder, but Blake actually nodded at that. "It sounds sensible," Blake said. "I mean, I would love to decide the buffet menu-"

"You'd only have fish-based food," Jaune accused, receiving a glare back from Blake that meant that indeed, he was right.

"No, no fish-" Yang's words were met with someone hissing, but it clearly couldn't be Blake because even she wouldn't stoop so low. "Some fish is okay, like, cute pastries or something..."

"Mega Giant Tuna Salad XXL," Blake said, a finger pointed at a catering catalog with the bright, beautiful pictures of tantalizing food on it.

"That's half our budget," Yang growled. "Something less-"

"Mega Giant Tuna Salad XL?" Blake hazarded.

"No, no this isn't going to work," Yang muttered. "Why is it that Shade is always right? He needs to stop being right!" she then pointed a finger at me, "All right then, you're in charge of finding someone to help me with this."

I rubbed my chin. "I am always right," I said softly, "So whoever I pick would, without a doubt, be the perfect solution, yes?"

Yang narrowed her eyes. "You-Don't act like a coy father who wants what's best for his daughter! I've had enough of one father figure in my life, and I definitely don't need another!"

I laughed at that, snickering before adding with a teasing voice, "But Yang, I want what's best for you. And what better way to bury the ax of war than to party up with your enemies?"

Yang's face blanched, "If you think-"

Ten minutes later, Weiss Schnee happily provided her help to an equally befuddled Yang Xiao-Long. "H-How did you manage that?" Jaune whispered, staring at the two actually working in perfect harmony.

"I told her Yang wanted to apologize but was too prideful for that, so she wanted me to help her breach the ice, so to speak," I mused, "And it was pretty clear that Weiss wanted to do something other than just sit in class and then walk back to her mansion in Vale until the tournament. So I mixed, shook, and the end result is as you can see."

Jaune made an appreciative whistle. "How does someone learn to do that?"

I shrugged. "Heh, it's somewhere between Manipulating People for Profit and Exterminating Human Beings for Giggles, cause, you know, this is totally a bad thing to do."

Jaune snickered at that. "Man, that's morose," he patted my shoulder. "So, I wanted to ask..." he took a small breath, "I-I kind of want to invite a girl to the ball, but I don't know how to do it."

I glanced at him. "Well, who are we working with?"

Jaune coughed into his fist, and then glanced to the spot where Yang and Weiss both were working in the middle of the ballroom, a table with multiple strips of cloth of different colors on it. I raised both eyebrows. "Uh...be more specific?" Jaune shot me a look, and then muttered a name under his breath.

I stared at him as if he had grown a second head. "Really?" I took a small breath, "Well, what can I say except...good luck?"

Jaune stared back at me with a look of lost hope. "Then...there's no hope?"

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "I'm not saying that. I'm saying you can probably get a dance, but something more, or something less..." I sighed, loudly. "My advice, kid, is to never go for a teammate. It's just problematic, and troublesome further down the way. If it works well, great. If it doesn't, it's hell. You're stuck together for four years, Jaune," I muttered, "Rather than Yang, I'd suggest Weiss, or even Pyrrha from Ruby's team. I'm not suggesting Ruby for obvious reasons, but...a dance as a friend is way better than getting shot down in fiery flames. So...pick your poison, kiddo?"

"You'd rather I try with the three time Mistral tournament champion, or the Schnee heiress, than with Yang of all people," Jaune muttered back. "Seriously. Am I that bad at flirting?"

I placed a hand on one of his shoulders. I said nothing. He made a pitiful whine, and then lunged to hug me with tears falling from his eyes. "Why-" he cried out, "Why am I so bad!?"

"I have no idea," I said back, trying to sound as consolatory as possible while also awkwardly attempting to pry Jaune off me. He was surprising resilient in that. What was he, a clamp-Faunus of some kind? "But-"

A pair of strong hands grabbed hold of Jaune's neck, and as he was thrown backwards, Emerald looked incredibly pleased at herself. "Cinder wanted to talk to you, Shade," Emerald said, crimson eyes glimmering, "With urgency too."

I sighed, and the nodded. "When the missus calls, the missus calls," I acquiesced. I just stopped to get Jaune back on his feet and give him some last minute advice, "Look Jaune, I'm going to tell you this; even if I give good counsel, the final decision must be yours. If you want to, try. Better to try and fail, than to run from your battles," I dusted his shoulders off. "Remember that the wounds that never heal come from the battles you chose to never fight. So, Jaune Arc, fight and lose."

Jaune grimaced bitterly at that. "You do not inspire much confidence in me like that, you know that Shade, yes?"

I grinned, "It comes so easy when you're evil," I hummed, "The devil tips his hat to me, Jaune," I grinned as I sing-sung it. "I do it all for free," I hummed as I made my way out, "Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need~"

Then the door of the ballroom closed behind us, "I pledge my allegiance to all things dark and I promise on my damned soul, to do as I am told," I looked down at Emerald with a bright smile. She simply looked up at me, traumatized beyond belief. I rubbed her head a bit, "Keep this a secret from the missus, Emerald," I whispered into her ear, and then winked. "I like to have my fun too, you know?"

Emerald closed her mouth, nodding swiftly at that.

Then, humming my favorite tune, I walked with Emerald by my side to Cinder's room.

The plan was relatively simple. Cinder would infiltrate the CCTS tower during the ball, and I would have to run interference in the ballroom by distracting everyone if the need arose. It was a simple job that I knew would never see the light of the day. There was little reason for the original plan not to work.

Still, it meant that I had to keep my head low because if I was present, but without Cinder, then questions would be asked. I'd have to be there at just the right time, and not cause any undue problems by staying out of sight until the moment was just right. Yes, indeed, I had everything under control.

I had a perfect plan, after all. It was the most flawless of perfect plans too.

It would involve doing absolutely nothing, and ensuring everything worked smoothly.

Thus, there I was, having a nice talk with Blake Belladonna who had nearly collapsed from exhaustion while doing her research. The fact we were in Beacon's infirmary did nothing to assuage my guilt for not having caught the signs sooner. Yang should have normally dealt with this, but perhaps I had changed things enough that she had been busy with Weiss instead? Or maybe Jaune added to the equation had made things go differently. Whatever the circumstance, there we were, an angry glaring sleep-deprived cat-faunus and myself, calmly peeling an apple.

"The ball is in six hours," I said gently, "If you sleep now, you can attend it later."

Blake grumbled under her breath.

"There's some tranquilizer too if you want," I added. "Some sleeping pills are also an option."

"The White Fang could attack at any moment in retaliation for what happened in the warehouse," Blake muttered, "And you all said you'd help me look for more-but I'm the only one still searching."

"Now that's not true," I said with a roll of the eyes. "I, for example, have the location of one of their bases."

Blake's eyes widened as she shot to a sitting position from her bed, only to cough as the sliced apple piece ended up thrown sharply into her mouth. "Chew," I said, keeping a hand in front of her mouth until the girl did just that. "Seriously, it's like I'm surrounded by children," I grumbled again.

"You know!?" Blake hissed. "If you know-why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep it hidden-"

"Because you, being a clearly determined hot-headed young woman would have charged ahead in the middle of the night if I told you that," I answered right back, chiding her with a click of my tongue against my teeth. I peeled another apple-slice. "And I, being the unofficial team Dad of the situation, had no choice but to keep this information from you until we could go there officially, while on our fist Beacon mission in the sector."

Blake growled like a cat would, which sounded more like an angry purr. I extended the second slice of apple in her direction. "You can eat the Get-Well apple, or I can force it down your throat," I said amiably. "Pick your option."

"Do you think your wife would approve of you force-feeding someone like this?" Blake asked back.

"Who do you think I practiced my skills on?" I remarked dryly. "Cinder can be...incredibly headstrong, and when she's sick, she will listen to no one, literally no one, that she needs to rest. Well, barring me, that is." Blake carefully grabbed the second slice, and munched on it once she realized it wasn't going anywhere but down her throat.

"Nobody asked but...she's older than you, isn't she?" Blake asked, and I blinked at that.

"Well, yes," I said. "Give or take five years-she had a lot of personal issues for why she started so late her huntress training, so-"

"And you've known her for long?" Blake asked next, interrupting my half-thought out excuses.

"Are you going somewhere with that?" I asked instead, the third slice of apple already peeled in my hand.

Blake grabbed hold of the third slice. "No, I was just...making conversation, I think your story's probably a sappy romance one...and I like reading those too," Blake muttered. "When did you first meet?"

I sighed, and rolled my eyes as a wistful smile appeared on my face. "In Mistral. I...I kind of got lost on the road of life, so to speak, and she found me and nursed me back to health after a peculiarly bad encounter with some wild beasts."

Blake looked at me, "They had to be pretty big."

"Big and vicious," I sighed. "The truly worst kind, but she helped me back on my feet, and so I decided to repay her for that. Their village had a tradition of a dancing fair just a couple of days later, so I showed up for it to bring her to the ball-she wore a beautiful green dress," I smiled as the thoughts resurfaced. "I have never seen her smile more than that night, so dazzling and happy-" the fourth slice was cut, and Blake quietly ate it.

Her eyes began to droop.

I chuckled gently as I threw the remains of the apple in the waste bin. It wouldn't do for someone to come by and bite a tranquilizer-doused apple. Truly, the oldest trick in the world, but it worked for Cinder when she needed to sleep her illness and fatigue away, and it would work with Blake too.

Later, tonight, I was sure she'd approve. Not that she had much of a choice, since I had amiably told the nurse in charge to tell Blake that if she wanted her Ninjas of Love collector edition back, then she had to attend the ball.

I was a horrible teammate.

I was a horrible man.

I was the man who never lost control...

...I was the man who sold the world.

 

[Fragnostic]

Get Fragnostic to do some logos for Shade-EA or the NightFall ship... Split some profits maybe?

Click to shrink...

My people will contact his people. But I wouldn't hold your breath.
I, in good conscience, cannot support this fork of the story.

I will give you this freebie though, just because I'm a... generous person.

Here's Ashelyn:

Spoiler: Head

Spoiler: Body

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-Four

Blake had a look that promised murder, but she did show up in her ball dress and with far less dark bags under her eyes than before. I smiled at her. "You monster," she whispered. I grinned, gave her a gentle bow, and then gestured at the ballroom. "I don't even have a date for the ball." Her ears were half-flat against her hair.

"You don't need to worry about that," I answered, glancing around. "My instinct has never been wrong yet," I raised an arm towards a certain blond-haired monkey faunus, who was apparently hanging around with a forlorn look. He realized I was pointing at him, and drew near.

"What's the matter?" he asked, puzzled.

"You look like you don't have someone to dance with, and my friend Blake here neither," I said with a smile. "Also, you're the madman who stowed away on a ship, aren't you? I liked your style."

"Really? 'Cause the rest of my team didn't really approve of that," Sun chuckled, but then he looked at Blake, while Blake was instead looking at me with a wide-eyed stare of shock. "But seriously-is it cool with you? I can always dance by myself in a corner-"

"Sure," Blake said with a sigh, a hesitant smile on her lips. "I'm Blake, and you are?"

"Sun, Sun Wukong," he winked, "And thank you very much, stranger I don't know the name of."

I grinned back, "Name's Shade, Shade Night, charismatic team-dad," I watched them both leave for the dance floor, Sun excitedly grinning and Blake sighing in disbelief. Someone walked up to my side, and a chuckle left Yang's lips a second later.

"Trouble in paradise?" Yang asked.

"No, more like my wife prefers to play hide and seek," I answered with a dreadful sigh. "She likes to play coy with me."

Yang chuckled, "Whatever it is, don't do anything squicky behind the curtains. Those are actually the best part of the ball."

I raised my eyebrows at that, "Not the music or the lights? The curtains?"

Yang bristled, "They're a fundamental part of the decor!" she said, sounding nasal about it in an effort to imitate someone else. I chuckled and shook my head.

"Was I right in my assessment that she'd be helpful, at least?" I asked glancing to another corner of the room, where Weiss was doing her best to ignore the figure of Penny by her side, who was standing still by the heiress' side.

"She was," Yang sighed. "Guess you can't beat a father's insight, uh."

I grinned, "What can I say, people always tell me I'm more mature than my age would suggest," I sighed. "I just think they're trying to politely tell me that I'm rotten inside."

"Good kind of rot, then," Yang said with a playful punch to my sides. "Go look for your love-dove, before she thinks I'm trying to catch you."

I chuckled, "That would be impossible, Yang. My wife knows I like them in one form only...hers," then I winked, and walked away to the 'bleah' and the 'boos' coming from my teammate. I didn't really go that far, coming to a halt in front of Weiss who was apparently trying her best to appear like she hadn't just eaten the sourest of lemons.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" I asked.

Weiss looked at me, and then sighed. "No," she said.

"Miss Schnee, may I suggest dancing to make the night better?" Penny suggested from the side, starting to move a bit right and left. "I have been upgraded with dancing protocols. My balance gyroscopes are optimized too to deliver the perfect experience."

"I don't really feel like dancing, Penny," Weiss said with a sigh. "What about you, Mister Night?"

"Oh," I blinked, "You can call me Shade, Mister Night makes me sound like my father, and the less spoken about him, the better," I grinned. "My wife will come by later, so I've been doing the rounds asking people without partners if they wanted to dance," I mused. "But if you're not in the-"

"I changed my mind," Weiss said, sharply extending a hand in my direction. "I will honor you with the privilege of dancing with me."

"Miss Schnee, I am to stay within close proximity of you for the duration of the ball to ensure nothing untoward happens," Penny pointed out.

"I am feeling thirsty Penny," Weiss said amiably, "Could you bring me a glass of water from Beacon's kitchens, please?"

Penny blinked, and then nodded. "Most certainly!" and then she was off.

I looked at the robot girl leave with a fixed smile on her face, and something inside me twisted a tiny bit. I kept my smile up, though, and gently walked towards the center of the hall as the music took a gentle rhythm. Weiss hands were soft, and small when compared to mine. I wasn't a horrible dancer by any means, but I wasn't the poster picture of perfection either.

Weiss didn't seem to care. "I had a chat with your wife in private," she muttered. "I couldn't understand why you'd be an escort to a certain Miss Autumn while being a husband to a certain Madam Fall."

I winced at that, "It's-"

"I know, it's complicated," Weiss said. "Her family doesn't approve of your different social status, and Mistral is quite cutthroat with it. Having to hide her status away, just to be with the man she loves..." she smiled gently, "But I can understand her. For certain things, lying is well worth them."

I hummed at that, turning thoughtful.

It was a mistake.

"That humming sound you make," Weiss muttered, "What's the melody?"

"The...melody?" I blinked. "Ah, it's a song. A recent one I overheard at the radio," I added.

Weiss frowned. "I've definitely heard it before too," she muttered. "What's the title?"

I helplessly shrugged. "I listened only to the jingle part of it. I don't know all of it, much less the title."

Her face looked crestfallen enough that it made me feel bad for it, but as the music came less I returned her to the side of the dancing room, watching as Penny had meanwhile arrived with a glass full of water, and a scowling Glynda Goodwitch was inches away from saying something to the poor android about breaking and entering into the school kitchens' at night.

I walked away, dimly realizing there was another figure looking like a kicked puppy. Ruby was standing by her side, on heels and looking incredibly uncomfortable about them.

"Would you ladies care for a dance too?" I asked, extending a hand in their direction. "My wife's hiding nearby and I'm trying to coax her out." I grinned. "She thinks she can be coy with me."

Ruby giggled but shook her head. "Maybe without heels, stupid Yang saying a dress isn't a dress without heels," she grumbled.

"I-I wouldn't mind a dance," Pyrrha said, smiling gently as I grabbed hold of her hand and brought her to the dance floor. Her smile was blinding in its honesty and ingenuity. "Thank you for this," she whispered as we danced.

"Please, you make it sound like this is a chore," I answered with a chuckle. "It's always a pleasure to dance with a friend, Pyrrha. Though I wouldn't know if the opposite is true. I could be the devil, after all."

Pyrrha giggled at that, "Then I can understand the charm of dancing with the devil under the pale moonlight," Pyrrha answered back, grinning. The dancing continued for a couple more minutes, until the song was over and she found her way back to Ruby's side, while I ended up being tapped on the shoulder by an unlikely couple.

Jaune looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Emerald looked like she had the most fun in her life. The pairing itself had me traumatized somewhere in the depths of my soul. "An exchange in dancing partners," Emerald said gently, somewhat pushing Jaune in a friendly yet not-so-friendly manner towards Pyrrha and Ruby and then taking my hand. "Enjoy him."

We were on the dance floor again, and I had a deep sigh in the back of my throat. "Emerald," I said in a soft whisper, "Did you traumatize my teammate?"

"I asked him some questions," Emerald retorted. "After I saw him hug you, I had to make sure he wasn't a threat."

"A threat to what, exactly? My virtue?" I muttered with a chuckle, but the chuckle came less when I realized that Emerald wasn't really joking with her deeply unsecured issues. I sighed, "You know that's ludicrous, yes?"

"I wouldn't know," Emerald muttered. "You've been here longer than us. Maybe-Maybe you've gone native or something-I...I just don't know how to parse what you're doing and saying," she looked up at me, "Please just tell me Cinder knows of what you're doing."

I grinned. "She kind of does," I acquiesced. "And she kind of doesn't. But I'd never let anything bad happen to either her, or you, Emerald," I added with a small hushed whisper by the side of her ear, it made her blush up a storm, as I suspected it would. "You're both precious to me. Even grumpy Mercury has a spot in my heart."

"I-I see," Emerald stammered out, her fingers clasping a bit tighter my hands as if afraid to let go. The smile on her face was wistful, and innocent enough to make me think it was truthful. We danced to the other end of the dance floor, and as a figure appeared wearing a beautiful black dress, we swiftly exchanged partners as Mercury stood at the ready.

My hands linked with those of Cinder, who was breathtakingly beautiful, as always.

"My love," I whispered into her ear, "I missed you."

"And why would that ever be?" Cinder whispered back, as we danced back into the middle of the crowd, the Atlas soldiers hot on her tails at a loss for where she might have gone, "I was here all night, after all."

I chuckled at that. "Of course, my love-dove," I said.

I had kept the lowest profiles of them all...

...right under the spotlight of everyone's gazes.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirty-Five

The news that someone had infiltrated the CCTS tower made the news surprisingly quick. The interesting part was the utter lack of Ruby's participation in it, since she had been too busy keeping Pyrrha's company and hadn't thus left the premises. Yet the attack on the Atlas soldiers couldn't be ignored, and though they attempted to hush it, a school full of teenagers was still a school full of teenagers who loved gossiping about it.

Still, while the higher-ups definitely dealt with it, we had to undertake our first mission as a team, with Jaune as the leader.

"Something in the South-East, near Mountain Glenn," I amiably said as we looked at the missions in front of us. Blake caught on immediately, and pretty much slammed Jaune's hand on the mission in question.

Only for it to return a buzz, alerting that it was available only for the higher years.

"Hey!" Jaune grumbled, wincing as he massaged his hand. "I need this!"

"Blake, don't manhandle Jaune's girlfriend that way!" Yang said cheekily, even as Jaune's cheeks turned bright crimson. "Anyway, guess that whatever's there of interesting for two of our teammates is beyond our abilities."

I rolled my eyes at that. "No, it's definitely not," I grumbled. "I just want to vent off some steam fighting Grimm where collateral damage isn't a problem."

"We could shadow a sheriff in a settlement," Jaune suggested, even as I sighed. "I mean, there are some missions where we get to kill Grimm, if you're feeling antsy."

I grumbled, pushing once more on the mission in question. This time, it beeped in approval.

"I have modified the requirements for that mission," the voice of Headmaster Ozpin reached us, and we turned to find him there, sipping from a cup of hot chocolate. "I do believe you have the necessary skills for it," he added, his eyes locking with mine. I grinned back at him.

"Thank you, headmaster. Chocolate-lovers must unite, right?" I winked.

The Headmaster's lips twitched ever so slightly up, but he didn't answer that. "Good luck, huntsmen."

"Luck should go to those without skills," Yang said cheekily, before whooping in joy once out of the headmaster's sight. "We're gonna kick Grimm asses."

"That's not the only thing in the area," Blake added hastily. "Shade thinks there's a White Fang base there too-"

"Wait. What." Jaune grimaced. His face turned slightly green. "What happened to letting the police handle them?"

"We clearly can't count on the police to do something against berserk Paladins slaughtering terrorists," Blake muttered. "If they got a shipment of those things in Mountain Glenn-they'd need more than just the police."

"Then the Atlas military?" Jaune suggested next, pointing a finger towards the sky where a couple of ships were flying by, the Atlas' flagship accompanied by a small escort. "They could take care of them."

"The White Fang would see them coming and scatter," Blake pointed out quickly. "We're just going to see what's there, maybe put a wrench in their plans-" she didn't sound so sure either now that Jaune, of all people, had begun pointing out the flaws in her thinking.

I sighed. "I'm going to fight Grimm and I'm going to keep an eye out for White Fang. That's as far as I'm going unless I have to drag Blake back from whatever frenzy of righteous crusading she gets."

Blake blinked at that, "I do not righteously crusade," she said, "but maybe this wasn't really a good idea."

I sighed once more, and shrugged. "We're on it now. Think of the Lien."

"Yeah, and anyway it's Grimm and what, terrorists? Pfui, we can take on terrorists, we're huntsmen," Yang added with a grin, "Didn't think you were a chicken-Faunus Blake!"

Blake glanced at Yang, her lips thin, "That's racist, Yang."

"Chickens are actually ferocious little monsters of death and pecking," I pointed out. "I'd be more terrified of a Chicken-Faunus than of any other Faunus in existence."

"What, seriously?" Yang asked.

"Oh, yes," Jaune said with a nod. "There were a lot of farms back in my hometown, and the chickens were just as dangerous as the dogs, if not more. The dogs stopped biting when you gave them something to eat, the chickens? They had murder in their eyes," he spoke gravely, "Murder."

I clicked my tongue against my teeth and Jaune yelped before jumping away, shield and sword at the ready, "You'll never get me, foul fowls!"

I snickered at that, even as we reached the bullhead pens, where the figure of one Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck was waiting for us. "I approve of your enthusiasm, Mister Arc, but perhaps keep it for our mission grounds? Having a weapon out on the bullhead will not end well, I can assure you."

Jaune sheepishly sheathed his blade within his shield, before hanging the now transformed sheathe back by his side. Once climbed into the bullhead, Yang and I both immediately took the seats farthest away from Jaune. Blake stared at us, puzzled.

The moment the bullhead lifted up, and Jaune's face turned green, she understood and she half-shrieked, attempting to claw her way to the back where Yang and I were holding the line. "No Blake, all seats taken, stick by the team leader," I said hastily, arms raised to protect my precious eyes.

"Don't you dare!" Blake hissed right back, "Don't you dare!"

"Come on Blake, there's a reason I called him Vomit-Boy," Yang added sheepishly. Still, she did nothing to help her teammate as Jaune stood against a corner of the bullhead while at the same time whimpering every now and then. It was professor Oobleck who found a solution. He placed his coffee-baseball weapon through Jaune's armor, and then hung the poor teenager out of the airship's side.

It worked.

Some unlucky bastard down below got a shower of something green, but it was not our problem, and rainbows could apparently be born of a retching huntsman too, so that was a nice plus thing to learn.

"Well," Doctor Oobleck remarked once we were left in the middle of the ruins of Mountain Glenn. "That was an interesting experience."

Jaune still looked green, a nice similarity with Doctor Oobleck's hair, at least.

My eyes turned to my surroundings just as Doctor Oobleck spoke about seeking out the Grimm. I glanced at the first Beowolf coming into the fray and trudging about, sighed when the conversation moved to a pack of them, and then brought my weapon to the fore when the pack actually began to engage us.

"Shade! Tank and spank!" Jaune yelled, and I groaned at the incredibly cheesy name of one of our team's most prized combo-techniques.

It basically consisted of Jaune and Yang taking the front to hoard the enemies in a line in front of them, while Blake and I went by their sides and proceeded to, indeed, spank them dead.

Magnistipula cleaved through the Grimm without meeting much resistance, their soft backs exposed, while Blake stabbed one before jumping on the back of another, opening fire against the back of its skull, pirouetting out of reach of a third that was quickly stomped into the ground by one of Yang's powerful shotgun-punches.

The group of Beowolves dealt with, Doctor Oobleck looked pleased at the results and then nodded. "Very well, split up and cover more ground. Let us try to discern where they are coming from, or where they are going."

It was not difficult to do as asked. What was difficult was maintain the illusion that Grimm actually cared to attack me, because in truth they didn't. Unless attacked first, the Grimm would happily ignore me, and apparently Salem hadn't told her troops to feign being interested in my flesh too. It felt a bit strange to me, though, since it would have meant a Seer Grimm nearby of all things-

And then I saw it.

Crackling and floating off in the distance, barely within my sight as if to announce it knew I was there, and it wanted to talk to me. And at the same time, I knew Doctor Oobleck was overlooking our progress, so it would have to wait until the night.

"So, Mister Night, why did you choose to become a huntsman?" Doctor Oobleck asked as I finished cleaving in half a Beowolf that truly didn't want to be there, but had little choice on the matter at hand.

"Justice," I said calmly. "I understood early in life that if I wanted to change the world, I had to be the one bringing forth the change."

Doctor Oobleck hummed at that, "That sounds like a rehearsed answer, Mister Night."

I chuckled, "Why? Would you prefer something like 'I dig huntress chicks and easy Lien'? I am happily married, Doctor," I pointed out, showing off my ring.

Doctor Oobleck hummed again, "It's not a matter of what I prefer, but of what is truthful or not. You don't look like the person who needs to seek more strength, and yet here you are. Working flawlessly a job that would have many a student concentrate on it, and you do not bat an eyelid."

I grinned, "I do have one year on my fellow students. Would a second year student take as much care as I?"

"Perhaps not," Doctor Oobleck mused, "You could have asked to move into the second year. Why didn't you choose that?"

"It wouldn't have been fair," I said. "Even if I'd been accepted, I would have either been without a team, or settled into one who lost a teammate," I grimaced. "Neither were options I particularly appreciated."

Doctor Oobleck nodded, and then made a thoughtful sound before running off to bother someone else.

I sighed, and rolled my eyes.

Truly. Night couldn't come any faster.

"What are those!?" Jaune exclaimed later on, his eyes scanning the horizon where Goliaths were traipsing by. I looked at the same thing he was, and grimaced.

"Goliaths," I said. "Ancient Grimm, smart enough to know when not to push an assault," I added, "And wise enough to know when instead it's a good idea to. Don't show them weakness, or they will trample you to death."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest as I looked at them go about their business. Doctor Oobleck had already set up a makeshift camp of sorts, and it was pretty clear we'd be sleeping there tonight.

"I don't think they'd stop even with all the bravery in the world," Jaune muttered.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," I mused. "There is a concept called 'The Curse of Knowledge'. Ironically, it applies to Grimm too."

Jaune blinked, "But isn't studying a good thing? That's what you kept drilling into my head anyway."

"Indeed, it is, but it's also a curse. Those who know the world are, on average, sadder than those who do not. Ignorance is bliss, and people sure love their ignorance," I chuckled as I said that, glancing at the Goliaths briefly stopping to glance our way, and the moving on, disinterested. "But what you need to understand is that a wild Grimm cannot be deceived. It cannot be lied to; you can't bluff with them. They will come, hungry for your flesh, and uncaring of the situation. Elder Grimm, instead, will judge the situation and act accordingly. Between a swarm of mindless Beowolves and one smart elder...pick the elder, Jaune."

Jaune furrowed his brows. "How do you even lie to a Grimm?"

I chuckled, and tapped my chest. "Have no fear. Do not doubt. Think that the Grimm in front of you is nothing more than a mass of mindless destruction that you've fought, and killed, countless times. Even if it's a lie, lie to yourself to the deepest of your abilities. Grimm do not know your strength unless shown it; and when facing a huntsman, a lonely elder Grimm will always choose to run away. Of course, if you are wounded, or show tiredness, or worry-then the bets are off, but otherwise..." I sighed. "Otherwise they won't attack. They'll let another, younger one go first. If you kill them quickly and with skill, they will further hesitate. But they have a hierarchy," I shook my head. "Like animals-and in the end, they will attempt it all the same if someone higher up orders them to."

"You make them sound like they're more than mindless beasts, Shade," Jaune muttered. "How would you know that?"

"Life experience," I said with a chuckle. "The place I come from did not have the kindest of teachers-and trust me when I tell you this," I smiled at him, "Regardless of the number of Grimm I've faced in my life...the greatest enemy has always been the cruel one clad in human, or faunus, skin."

I gently tapped his shoulder with my fist, "Whatever missions we take in the future, I'd rather we never stepped in Mistral, if that's all right with you, Jaune."

Jaune blinked at that, and then gave a quiet nod. "Sure," he said. He looked away after a moment, "You should have made Team Leader, not me."

"Nah," I shook my head. "I don't know how to lead, Jaune. I prefer to follow. It keeps me happy knowing that nothing I do is actually my responsibility," I grinned. "Makes it easier to sleep at night too. Always a follower, never a leader, and it makes Shade a happy sleeper."

I chuckled at the rhyming I had done, much to Jaune's spluttering and then snickering in turn.

"If you two are done bromancing, come help get dinner ready!" Yang yelled from afar, and we both turned as one. I was the only one who caught Doctor Oobleck's gaze, though, the man standing to the side apparently keen on some rubble, but definitely listening in on us. Later that night, I'd go for a bathroom break.

The bathroom break did not end as expected, of course.

The Seer Grimm stood floating in an empty building not far from where I had last seen it, crackling ever so gently and apparently in wait for me.

The sleek spherical surface became clearer as the face of Salem appeared within it, and my arms crossed in front of my chest as I looked straight into the eyes of the leader of the Grimm.

"And how is my most honest of servants doing on this fine night?" Salem asked through the Seer, her voice pleasant, and sounding even gentle somewhat.

"I suppose I am interfering with something?" I asked back. "It was not my choice to come here."

Salem chuckled, a smirk settling on her lips. "You think your actions cannot be discerned by those close to you, Shade?"

"My actions are for Cinder's benefit, always," I pointed right back. Then, I exhaled. "It's too late for posturing, and I don't think you'd like it anyway. Whatever you want done, tell me and I'll do it."

Salem arched an eyebrow, and then smiled. "Always thinking the worst. I come bearing gifts. I understand I have given you little reason to trust me, or to be thankful for what I have given you," her eyes blazed briefly, "But I am nothing if not a kind mistress."

From the tentacles of the Seer a white centipede-like Grimm began to crawl down, twitching its pincers as the Seer's tentacles pierced through the air, grabbing hold of one of my arms. "Do not fight it, Shade," Salem mused as the centiped-like thing began to crawl ever forward. "With it, you will be able to order the Grimm just like dear Cinder."

"And if I ever disobey you, will it chew my heart and leave me dead?" I mused as I watched it crawl closer to my arm.

"Now that would be crass of me," Salem pointed out, the creature coming to a halt by my arm. I watched it attempt to burrow into my arm, only for my Aura to fend him off. "Let him in, Shade."

"I do not need gifts from you, Salem," I answered quietly back, my other had grabbing hold of the creature and crushing it with my fist. It shrieked once, before dispersing into ashes. "All that I ever want is for Cinder to be safe and sound, and you've already implanted one of these things into her."

The grip of the Seer increased, and betraying its shape, it truly was stronger than normal.

Salem's eyes stared right into me. "You understand that refusing my gift is akin to treason, is it not?"

"We both know that's a lie, Salem. You want to keep your underlings happy, and I'm not going to bother with that. All I care about is Cinder. Rather than attempt to buy my loyalty, perhaps you should ensure her happiness. As long as she is happy following you, then I will have no complaints and be dutiful in my tasks...but I am my own man, Salem," I snapped right back, my blade coming free to slice the Seer's tentacle off. I pointed the edge of Magnistipula against the Seer's sleek surface, "And you could use someone telling you no every now and then. A Queen surrounded by nothing but yes-men rules for a short time indeed."

Salem's lips pursed into a light scowl. Then, she returned to a pleasant, ever-gentle appearance. "I see distance has made you bold, and the lack of training made you foolish. That will be rectified at our next encounter, Shade...unless you bring me something to be pleased about." She smiled. "Ensure dear Cinder's plans come to fruition, and I will be a most gentle, and kind host. If something goes wrong, however..." her eyes narrowed and I felt something squeeze my very heart, forcing me down on one knee as I gasped for air, air which refused to come into my lungs.

"And you will find that distance matters not to the likes of me, for there is nowhere in the world you will be able to hide from my retribution," and as a tentacle of the Seer gently caressed through my hair briefly, I knew now what else the Seers could do.

Then the Grimm floated up in the air, and disappeared from sight.

Your will be done, mistress.

Your fall be glorious to behold.