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!