A Series Of Unfortunate Circumstances [RWBY SI] [AHOIAC AU]
"Don't you mean lack of respect, Grandma?! Or is this one of those Grimm things?!"
GamingPizza1998
(Verified Pizza) (Verified Cape) (Verified Case53)
- Location
- Earth
Wait, so this really is the Fluffy route in disguise?
Requiem_Jeer
The Most High
I'm dissappointed that Djinn didn't spill the beans vis a vis the Schnee connection. All she needed to do was name-drop it in the list of aliases, or show one of the images as him killing Adam with a glyph.
JBcristal
Bring Me All The Puppies!
- Location
- Somewhere that doesn't have enough puppies.
Fools. Fools! FOOOOOLS! ALL OF US, ALL OF US ARE FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLS!
HE PLAYED US LIKE A DAMN FIDDLE.
CURSE YOU SHADE, CURSE YOU!
...
Ehem.
Wow, channeled Umineko for a second there, huh.
Anyway, gotta admit that, in a way, all of this makes sense once you figure that he has all the connections necessary to pull such bullshit out. Salem really is just a spite filled bitch, isn't she?
...now the question is how monstruous her corruption makes her, however.
Sad Machine
Unshackled Unclaimed
- Location
- Earth
Ey, remember when like half a year ago I said that the yandere tag was for Salem and not Cinder...
Chapter Sixty-Four
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Sixty-Four
I was nervous.
Cinder was coming back.
Things had changed. Things had changed a lot.
Would she take it well, would she take it badly, would she-
"You are nervous," Salem said with the grace and aplomb typical of her. "Are you so worried for your wife's opinion?"
"Worried, no," I said with a dry chuckle. "Just...yeah, worried."
Salem chuckled in turn. "She will be pleased without a doubt, of that you can rest assured."
I had little doubts that a power-hungry Cinder would be pleased, but she wasn't a power-hungry Cinder. She was in my mind still Ashelyn, attempting to wear the disguise of a power-hungry Cinder. Though perhaps the woman I met the first time had pretty much been subdued by the other, I knew it was still within her.
Now that it had a chance to bud out, would it? Or would it be ruthlessly squashed and removed forever?
It is difficult to rip apart a mask one has come to wear like a second skin. Once worn, certain masks must be kept until the bitter end sometimes.
Still, we both stood on the landing pad. Cinder had managed to get her hands on an airship, and was apparently running the poor thing ragged.
"She is worried," Salem mused, glancing at the incoming ship.
"Worried?" I blinked at that. "What did you tell her, grandmother?"
"I merely remarked that the plan had changed, and she was to immediately come back here to discuss her future with you," Salem said.
"Did you mention it was a positive thing?" I asked.
Salem scoffed. "It was implied."
I blinked at that. "Grandma."
"Don't give me that look, child," Salem retorted, "It makes it feel like I did something wrong."
"Maybe because you could have wasted a couple more words?" I hazarded. "She must be thinking I failed you or something and now she has to kill me, or worse, divorce me."
"That is an interesting way of testing her loyalty-"
"Grandma, no."
"I was merely jesting," Salem said, sounding honestly affronted.
"When you say everything with the same tone, it's a bit difficult to parse when you're being ironic," I pointed out, sighing in disbelief that such a conversation could actually now happen without me running for my life.
Truly, life and its events was stranger than most.
When Cinder stepped down from the airship, she saw me by Salem's side and relief clearly appeared on her face. It was pretty obvious that she had been imagining me as a prisoner or something equally unlikable. Had she been notified of Hazel's death, I wondered? Did she believe me having failed Salem to be grounds for torture or something similar?
Still, Mercury and Emerald were behind her, both doing their very best to appear as professional as possible while in front of Salem.
"Cinder," Salem spoke, her voice merely a slight insignificant fraction lighter than it was normally. "Your return was highly awaited."
"I am sorry mistress," Cinder said, trying to sound deferential, but even so the apprehension in her voice was clear. "I returned as quickly as I could."
"Very well," Salem said with a slow nod. "Come, we have much to discuss. Due to recent events, a change in plans has been required. The Relic of Knowledge was stolen, and Hazel killed."
Cinder's eyes widened. "I can see you are shocked," Salem mused, "And terrified."
"I-I-"
"Have your words been taken away? Do find them, Cinder," Salem said, waiting amiably for her to speak.
"Branwen was still in Mistral, mistress-" Cinder spoke in the end, "To call us back when we could have hunted him-" spoke that there was something she wanted Cinder to see.
I widened my eyes as the realization dawned on me.
Salem took a moment to let the words sink in, and then laughed in turn. "Oh no, dear. I did not call you back so that you could witness the death of your husband for his failure. It is a more mirthful thing that happened, something to be delighted of, rather than terrified."
Cinder was still unsure, but still she neared as if worried something was going to go wrong at any second. Was she perhaps thinking that Salem was going to rip my heart out with her own bare hands and then squish it in front of her, for her to see?
That would be crude, a waste of resources, and most importantly not what Salem wanted at all.
Perhaps I could shed some light in it, if I actually found the right words that weren't variations of 'Hey Cindy, I got adopted' or 'Guess who found out what his family truly was' or even 'I'm a magical man'.
Instead I just remained silent.
Why were my words failing me?
"We will talk about this in the meeting room," Salem mused, clasping her fingers together and then walking ahead of us.
I quietly stayed by Cinder's side, her eyes finding mine for any hint at what was going on. My face was probably betraying my inner turmoil, because she wasn't calmed by it at all. I wasn't calm either; mostly, I worried on how she'd take it.
"Cinder," I muttered as my hand gently found hers to squeeze it briefly, "My semblance was...not a semblance."
Cinder blinked at that. She would have mouthed a 'what', but couldn't because she was still worried over Salem's presence looming in front of us.
"Now, now," Salem said, chiding me gently. "Allow me to explain things properly to dear Cinder."
We reached the meeting room, and as Cinder took her seat at her usual spot, Salem opted to sit by her side. This unnerved my wife further.
Not knowing what to do, both Mercury and Emerald remained standing.
I took a seat by Cinder's free side.
"What...what would you have us do, mistress?" Cinder asked.
"Cinder, tell me and do be honest, dear," Salem mused. "Has your desire changed?"
"No," Cinder answered. "It has not, mistress-"
"You seek power, and now you hold on to it," Salem mused, "You then begged me for a chance to allow you to prove your worth and that of your husband further in my eyes, afraid I might discard you once your use was over," she amiably continued, "And while I do admit I would have without a second thought done that, certain things happened which brought me to change my intentions."
Cinder remained silent, and I blinked at that too. No doubts, if I hadn't discovered magic, Salem would have snapped our necks the split-second our utility for her was over with. Perhaps it was to get the Maidens' magic out of her? Use her as a container for the last vestiges of strength that Ozpin had out in the world?
"I...I do not understand," Cinder said in the end. But the confirmation that we could have easily been written off was mixed with enough confusion that her free hand sought, and squeezed mine. She might have believed we'd be dead soon, and so even showing such a sign of weakness wouldn't matter one iota in the end.
"I can do magic," I said in the end, bringing Cinder's attention towards me. "I don't know how it awoke but-it wasn't just fire," very hesitantly, from my free hand not being squeezed to death by Cinder's own, a small wisp of air formed, and then flew off like a bird made of smoke. It turned to water mid-air, and then morphed into a small statue made of clay, which landed gently in front of Cinder.
"Only those who belong to my bloodline should be able to use magic in this world," Salem said next. "Thus-"
Cinder blinked once.
Her hand's squeezing had been hard before, but now it was positively and vindictively soul-crushing.
"He is a descendant of one of my daughters, a member of my family...and by consequence of your marriage, so are you."
Cinder's grasp on my hand stopped being murderously tight, and the tension in her body visibly relaxed. Her expression remained wary, "M-Mistress...what does it mean for...for your desires, then?"
"It means that things will change, though they already have," Salem mused. "I can sense, and clearly see, that you are shocked. I will leave you to gather your thoughts."
She slowly stood up, "When you are ready, see me in my office, the both of you."
Then, she walked out of the meeting room.
"Did...was-what's going on?" Mercury asked, finding his words through his incredibly non-flippant attitude.
"I guess for once, we were incredibly lucky with how things played out," I muttered.
With Salem out of the room, Cinder's eyes turned their full attention towards me. Her hands roamed my face, her eyes gazed deep into mine. "Cinder? Are you-"
A small chuckle left her lips.
Her fingers tightened their grip on the hem of my shirt. She gripped at it, and her chuckle grew into a fit of giggles, until she suddenly burst out in pearly, white laughter.
Her lips crashed against mine with enough strength to topple the chair I was sitting on, and as she landed atop me, I actually moved my hands to avoid breaking my spine against the nearby chairs, one of my arms surrounding her back.
"W-We should leave them to it for now!" Emerald blurted out, and it was the last thing I heard before the slamming shut of the meeting hall's doors, from the two teenagers having just run out.
Cinder stopped her rough manhandling of my face and gasped for air, her hands slammed down on both sides of my face against the ground.
She was smiling.
"You...Shade..."
"Cinder?"
"You always were my promised prince in shining armor, weren't you?" she asked in a soft voice, a gentle and bitter smile settling on her face.
"I-I guess?" I muttered as her head rested gently on my chest.
"We're going to live," Cinder whispered, her voice a mixture of awe, and amazement. "We're going to live-" she burst into laughter once more, the rich and pearly one that had once belonged to Ashelyn. "We're going to be free. Us two."
"I don't know how much grandma is going to let me out of her sight for the time being," I pointed out. "But...yeah, we don't have to watch the world burn anymore, Cinder-"
Her forehead pressed against mine. "I love you," she whispered out.
"I love you too," I answered with a grin of my own, easily mirrored by hers.
But what do you mean, we have to head to Menagerie next, grandmother?
Since I was a White Fang's prisoner, they might know who my family is!?
I was nervous.
Cinder was coming back.
Things had changed. Things had changed a lot.
Would she take it well, would she take it badly, would she-
"You are nervous," Salem said with the grace and aplomb typical of her. "Are you so worried for your wife's opinion?"
"Worried, no," I said with a dry chuckle. "Just...yeah, worried."
Salem chuckled in turn. "She will be pleased without a doubt, of that you can rest assured."
I had little doubts that a power-hungry Cinder would be pleased, but she wasn't a power-hungry Cinder. She was in my mind still Ashelyn, attempting to wear the disguise of a power-hungry Cinder. Though perhaps the woman I met the first time had pretty much been subdued by the other, I knew it was still within her.
Now that it had a chance to bud out, would it? Or would it be ruthlessly squashed and removed forever?
It is difficult to rip apart a mask one has come to wear like a second skin. Once worn, certain masks must be kept until the bitter end sometimes.
Still, we both stood on the landing pad. Cinder had managed to get her hands on an airship, and was apparently running the poor thing ragged.
"She is worried," Salem mused, glancing at the incoming ship.
"Worried?" I blinked at that. "What did you tell her, grandmother?"
"I merely remarked that the plan had changed, and she was to immediately come back here to discuss her future with you," Salem said.
"Did you mention it was a positive thing?" I asked.
Salem scoffed. "It was implied."
I blinked at that. "Grandma."
"Don't give me that look, child," Salem retorted, "It makes it feel like I did something wrong."
"Maybe because you could have wasted a couple more words?" I hazarded. "She must be thinking I failed you or something and now she has to kill me, or worse, divorce me."
"That is an interesting way of testing her loyalty-"
"Grandma, no."
"I was merely jesting," Salem said, sounding honestly affronted.
"When you say everything with the same tone, it's a bit difficult to parse when you're being ironic," I pointed out, sighing in disbelief that such a conversation could actually now happen without me running for my life.
Truly, life and its events was stranger than most.
When Cinder stepped down from the airship, she saw me by Salem's side and relief clearly appeared on her face. It was pretty obvious that she had been imagining me as a prisoner or something equally unlikable. Had she been notified of Hazel's death, I wondered? Did she believe me having failed Salem to be grounds for torture or something similar?
Still, Mercury and Emerald were behind her, both doing their very best to appear as professional as possible while in front of Salem.
"Cinder," Salem spoke, her voice merely a slight insignificant fraction lighter than it was normally. "Your return was highly awaited."
"I am sorry mistress," Cinder said, trying to sound deferential, but even so the apprehension in her voice was clear. "I returned as quickly as I could."
"Very well," Salem said with a slow nod. "Come, we have much to discuss. Due to recent events, a change in plans has been required. The Relic of Knowledge was stolen, and Hazel killed."
Cinder's eyes widened. "I can see you are shocked," Salem mused, "And terrified."
"I-I-"
"Have your words been taken away? Do find them, Cinder," Salem said, waiting amiably for her to speak.
"Branwen was still in Mistral, mistress-" Cinder spoke in the end, "To call us back when we could have hunted him-" spoke that there was something she wanted Cinder to see.
I widened my eyes as the realization dawned on me.
Salem took a moment to let the words sink in, and then laughed in turn. "Oh no, dear. I did not call you back so that you could witness the death of your husband for his failure. It is a more mirthful thing that happened, something to be delighted of, rather than terrified."
Cinder was still unsure, but still she neared as if worried something was going to go wrong at any second. Was she perhaps thinking that Salem was going to rip my heart out with her own bare hands and then squish it in front of her, for her to see?
That would be crude, a waste of resources, and most importantly not what Salem wanted at all.
Perhaps I could shed some light in it, if I actually found the right words that weren't variations of 'Hey Cindy, I got adopted' or 'Guess who found out what his family truly was' or even 'I'm a magical man'.
Instead I just remained silent.
Why were my words failing me?
"We will talk about this in the meeting room," Salem mused, clasping her fingers together and then walking ahead of us.
I quietly stayed by Cinder's side, her eyes finding mine for any hint at what was going on. My face was probably betraying my inner turmoil, because she wasn't calmed by it at all. I wasn't calm either; mostly, I worried on how she'd take it.
"Cinder," I muttered as my hand gently found hers to squeeze it briefly, "My semblance was...not a semblance."
Cinder blinked at that. She would have mouthed a 'what', but couldn't because she was still worried over Salem's presence looming in front of us.
"Now, now," Salem said, chiding me gently. "Allow me to explain things properly to dear Cinder."
We reached the meeting room, and as Cinder took her seat at her usual spot, Salem opted to sit by her side. This unnerved my wife further.
Not knowing what to do, both Mercury and Emerald remained standing.
I took a seat by Cinder's free side.
"What...what would you have us do, mistress?" Cinder asked.
"Cinder, tell me and do be honest, dear," Salem mused. "Has your desire changed?"
"No," Cinder answered. "It has not, mistress-"
"You seek power, and now you hold on to it," Salem mused, "You then begged me for a chance to allow you to prove your worth and that of your husband further in my eyes, afraid I might discard you once your use was over," she amiably continued, "And while I do admit I would have without a second thought done that, certain things happened which brought me to change my intentions."
Cinder remained silent, and I blinked at that too. No doubts, if I hadn't discovered magic, Salem would have snapped our necks the split-second our utility for her was over with. Perhaps it was to get the Maidens' magic out of her? Use her as a container for the last vestiges of strength that Ozpin had out in the world?
"I...I do not understand," Cinder said in the end. But the confirmation that we could have easily been written off was mixed with enough confusion that her free hand sought, and squeezed mine. She might have believed we'd be dead soon, and so even showing such a sign of weakness wouldn't matter one iota in the end.
"I can do magic," I said in the end, bringing Cinder's attention towards me. "I don't know how it awoke but-it wasn't just fire," very hesitantly, from my free hand not being squeezed to death by Cinder's own, a small wisp of air formed, and then flew off like a bird made of smoke. It turned to water mid-air, and then morphed into a small statue made of clay, which landed gently in front of Cinder.
"Only those who belong to my bloodline should be able to use magic in this world," Salem said next. "Thus-"
Cinder blinked once.
Her hand's squeezing had been hard before, but now it was positively and vindictively soul-crushing.
"He is a descendant of one of my daughters, a member of my family...and by consequence of your marriage, so are you."
Cinder's grasp on my hand stopped being murderously tight, and the tension in her body visibly relaxed. Her expression remained wary, "M-Mistress...what does it mean for...for your desires, then?"
"It means that things will change, though they already have," Salem mused. "I can sense, and clearly see, that you are shocked. I will leave you to gather your thoughts."
She slowly stood up, "When you are ready, see me in my office, the both of you."
Then, she walked out of the meeting room.
"Did...was-what's going on?" Mercury asked, finding his words through his incredibly non-flippant attitude.
"I guess for once, we were incredibly lucky with how things played out," I muttered.
With Salem out of the room, Cinder's eyes turned their full attention towards me. Her hands roamed my face, her eyes gazed deep into mine. "Cinder? Are you-"
A small chuckle left her lips.
Her fingers tightened their grip on the hem of my shirt. She gripped at it, and her chuckle grew into a fit of giggles, until she suddenly burst out in pearly, white laughter.
Her lips crashed against mine with enough strength to topple the chair I was sitting on, and as she landed atop me, I actually moved my hands to avoid breaking my spine against the nearby chairs, one of my arms surrounding her back.
"W-We should leave them to it for now!" Emerald blurted out, and it was the last thing I heard before the slamming shut of the meeting hall's doors, from the two teenagers having just run out.
Cinder stopped her rough manhandling of my face and gasped for air, her hands slammed down on both sides of my face against the ground.
She was smiling.
"You...Shade..."
"Cinder?"
"You always were my promised prince in shining armor, weren't you?" she asked in a soft voice, a gentle and bitter smile settling on her face.
"I-I guess?" I muttered as her head rested gently on my chest.
"We're going to live," Cinder whispered, her voice a mixture of awe, and amazement. "We're going to live-" she burst into laughter once more, the rich and pearly one that had once belonged to Ashelyn. "We're going to be free. Us two."
"I don't know how much grandma is going to let me out of her sight for the time being," I pointed out. "But...yeah, we don't have to watch the world burn anymore, Cinder-"
Her forehead pressed against mine. "I love you," she whispered out.
"I love you too," I answered with a grin of my own, easily mirrored by hers.
But what do you mean, we have to head to Menagerie next, grandmother?
Since I was a White Fang's prisoner, they might know who my family is!?
LordOfPears12
Cat girl headpatter
- Location
- Land of pizza,pasta and lasagna.
Doom after fluff shall come heed my words, steel your will and tighten your lower bosom
warhammer651
The Festive Fortress is Unbreachable!
okay, at this point there is no goddamned way she isn't fucking with him. the videos from his captivity are public, she met him not even a few months after he escaped...
Wait what? Its been 6 months since this started? Time flies fast.
- Location
- Tri-State Area
With a title like this, it can't end in fluff.
I think salem is tolerating him now because he is a useful tool and not due to any kinship, she has no heart if you know what i mean. This has been established in the other works. I can hope for fluff but this much seems to be a sign of great despair to come, what comes up must go down as well.
But didn't she genuinely fall in love with Shade in the first timeline?
Are there any problems with Salem finding out Shade is a Schnee? I can't think of any off the top of my head...
Shouldn't this be the light side? The dark side is the one with murder and betrayal last time I checked.
Well yeah but the Dark side has cookies while the Light side only has trash-tier raisin cookies.
- Location
- Why would this be required?
No she's incapable of it, IIRC she was just playing along because Coffee!Wren was just that good at lying and she thought he was a gullible idiot head over heels in love with her.
LastStandZiggy
Last To Fall
- Location
- Kingman, Az
Called it, she laughed.
Chapter Sixty-Five
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Sixty-Five
Cinder and I stood side by side in front of Salem.
"Watts and Tyrian will seek out the White Fang leadership in Mistral," Salem explained quite calmly. "We, on the other hand, shall head to Menagerie."
"Grandmother, do you worry a big bad wolf is going to swallow me whole or something?" I mused offhandedly. By my side, I heard something break. It was probably Cinder's brain, still attempting to rewire itself to the new understanding and acknowledgement of the situation.
"You are not weak, child," Salem scoffed back, "But I do worry you might pet the wolf, rather than snap its neck for daring to bare its fangs."
"Mistress-" Cinder still decided to pick her words carefully. "We can handle this ourselves."
"I understand that very well, but my decision is made," Salem replied. "While walking amidst the filth is not my favorite pastime, I must ensure nothing is left to chance. There is a real possibility I might find more than just one descendant; and I will not let it be squandered."
"As long as you let me talk first, go snap-neck on them as a second option, grandma?"
Salem's eyes turned towards me, and then she scoffed, a small smile settling on her lips. "Very well," she agreed.
It was a strange thing to have Salem come alongside us. For one thing, it felt like going on a vacation rather than on a mission. We had an immortal Goddess of Death and Destruction on our side, and the Grimm themselves were hers to command. Unless Ozpin somehow rediscovered the wells of magic, or found some manner to hurt us, then the only thing that could go wrong would be the Faunus' strict refusal to cooperate diplomatically.
I didn't wish for Menagerie to burn however; I didn't wish for any kingdom to burn again. I was sure some people would be more diplomatic than others, and if they just sent us on a hunting spree for Sienna Khan, then everything would be solved pretty easily by mistakenly killing the woman before Salem had a chance at interrogating her.
"So we're heading for Menagerie?" Emerald asked, hesitant to broach the argument with Cinder who was equally unnerved by the presence of Salem on the airship she had liberated. The fact Salem's entire body had gone through a shimmering, magical makeover to make her appear untouched by the effects of the Grimm-Pool added to the weirdness of it all.
With her hair blond, she lost her elder-like appearance and for all intents and purposes, looked no different than a woman Cinder's age.
"That we are," I answered with a sigh.
"Hey Shade, should I start calling you something like 'Your Majesty' or similar?" Mercury said instead with a smug smirk on his face.
"You can call me by my name," I rolled my eyes, "But do try to keep a semblance of respect with Salem. Mellowed out she may be, but she will snap your neck without a second thought if you annoy her enough, Mercury."
That gave the young man pause, and as he massaged his neck, he sighed. "Guess there's never a dull moment with you."
"What are we supposed to do there?" Emerald asked, "Do they have a Relic?"
"No," I said, shaking my head. "Something more important, perhaps. A clue on my family's identity," I mused. "If they do, and we find it, then perhaps there's a whole family of people like me."
"There's only one of you," Emerald replied, sulking a bit as she said that. I chuckled at her words.
"Aw," I grinned. "Thank you for saying that, Emmy."
Emerald looked away, cheeks red from the shame.
Mercury was about to say something teasingly, but Cinder's orders changed the mood around us. "We're starting the airship, Mercury! Get to your position quick!"
"Yes ma'am!" Mercury replied, hurrying off.
I started humming happily as the airship left the docks of Salem's castle, and as a few Nevermores took flight behind us, I quietly watched them with a pensive expression.
"A token escort," Salem's voice caught my attention, "They will distract the airships of Menagerie, and allow us to land undisturbed."
"I see," I mused. "Have you ever been to Menagerie before, grandmother?"
As I asked that, Emerald quietly slunk away from my side. She didn't want to stay too close to Salem, now when the knowledge that she might snap her neck in the blink of an eye was firmly planted in her head.
"That I have," Salem answered easily enough. "I found it lacking in both resources and people, and saw no reason to have Grimm inhabit it. Mortals colonized it a couple of times, but were always rebuffed by the harshness of the elements...surprisingly, the Faunus proved more resilient."
"More desperate, you mean," I muttered back. "It's something I think should be called the pride of humanity. Doesn't matter how harsh the environment, or how cruel the master's whip...we adapt, we thrive, and we overturn the odds."
"Unfortunately true," Salem said with a slow nod. "Though I do wonder where you kept all of this wisdom hidden, child."
"To be wise in your presence might have given you more ideas," I pointed right back, "And I wasn't keen on suggesting new and improved ways of rooting out humanity from this world."
Salem chuckled at that. "And you are sure now that my plan has truly changed?" she mused. "Are you not afraid that if I were to find another of my descendants, one more inclined in sharing my vision, you might lose your position of privilege?"
"You're not stupid, grandmother," I replied with a faint shrug. "Absolute destruction breeds risks; fighting till death is a noble ideal, but one humans seldom use unless threatened by extinction. Benevolent overlord-ship, on the other hand, is more amicable to them." I sighed. "There are so many, so, so many people who would rather not think about the blood on the hands that guide them, provided they are well fed and cared for."
"For someone so revolted by the idea of ruling over mankind, you do seem to have a good enough grasp on what they might think of it," Salem said.
"Theories are just theories until proven on the field of practice," I replied with a faint shrug. "But...even so, I'm not afraid of losing my so-called 'privilege'." I glanced at her. "For there is no value to be earned by destroying humanity, or by attempting to rise above it."
Salem's lips pursed. "Let us talk about something else, child. We keep returning to this argument over and over again, surely at a certain point you might get tired of it."
I chuckled. "Very well, grandmother. Let's talk about something else...when is your birthday, by modern calendar standards?"
Salem blinked at that, inclining her head to the side. "My...birthday? What does that matter?"
"You were the one who wanted to change the argument, so I am complying. I don't know very much about you, barring some things I understood, and some things you saw fit to tell me. So...things like what food you like or don't, what music you enjoy listening to or not, when's your birthday and..." as I spoke, I could see Salem's face take on a pained expression.
"I am...I am above such things, child."
"No," I shook my head. "You were above such things, when you felt you had nothing to live for but destroying humanity. That's...that's changed, I hope, so..." I crossed my arms in front of my chest, "it means you need to start looking forward to life now, no?"
The airship was flying through the air, the wind billowed across its sails, and the Nevermores cawed over our head, eyes blazing with hatred for life in all of its shapes, forms and desires.
Yet Salem's eyes were no longer blazing red pools of fury; though it was the illusion of her magic, her expression had softened considerably. Her face was pensive, and her lips morphed in a scowl of actual chagrin.
"I think, by modern conventions," Salem mused. "That my birthday is in February. The day is more difficult, but somewhere in the middle of it would be the most likely."
"Oh," I blinked at that. "We'll need to celebrate it this year then." I turned thoughtful. "What music would you like? Food?"
"Are you truly..." Salem sighed in disbelief, her lips threatening to split into a honest smile for the first time in millennia, perhaps. "I would suppose that food is a non-issue, but if you truly must persist in this foolishness of yours, I do wonder how you will find a good enough lute player."
"Uhm, a lute is kind of like a guitar of old times, right?" I retorted. "More like a gentle lullaby-feeling, or more rhythmic?"
"Child, you would do better start making sense," Salem replied flatly. "A lute is a refined instrument, and there are many, many songs that make use of its vast range of harmonious notes to-"
As Salem delved into the complexities of lute-music, I stared at her with honest surprise, and quite the wide eyes. Then, a snicker left my throat. It was a honest chuckle.
Salem stopped talking, eyes now narrow as she looked at me. "Is something amusing to you, perhaps?"
"You're a music-nerd, grandma."
Salem turned thoughtful, pondered my words a bit, and then gave a slow nod.
"It appears so."
A giggle left her throat.
It was endearingly melodious, even though it came from a blood-soaked, genocidal Goddess of Grimm.
Cinder and I stood side by side in front of Salem.
"Watts and Tyrian will seek out the White Fang leadership in Mistral," Salem explained quite calmly. "We, on the other hand, shall head to Menagerie."
"Grandmother, do you worry a big bad wolf is going to swallow me whole or something?" I mused offhandedly. By my side, I heard something break. It was probably Cinder's brain, still attempting to rewire itself to the new understanding and acknowledgement of the situation.
"You are not weak, child," Salem scoffed back, "But I do worry you might pet the wolf, rather than snap its neck for daring to bare its fangs."
"Mistress-" Cinder still decided to pick her words carefully. "We can handle this ourselves."
"I understand that very well, but my decision is made," Salem replied. "While walking amidst the filth is not my favorite pastime, I must ensure nothing is left to chance. There is a real possibility I might find more than just one descendant; and I will not let it be squandered."
"As long as you let me talk first, go snap-neck on them as a second option, grandma?"
Salem's eyes turned towards me, and then she scoffed, a small smile settling on her lips. "Very well," she agreed.
It was a strange thing to have Salem come alongside us. For one thing, it felt like going on a vacation rather than on a mission. We had an immortal Goddess of Death and Destruction on our side, and the Grimm themselves were hers to command. Unless Ozpin somehow rediscovered the wells of magic, or found some manner to hurt us, then the only thing that could go wrong would be the Faunus' strict refusal to cooperate diplomatically.
I didn't wish for Menagerie to burn however; I didn't wish for any kingdom to burn again. I was sure some people would be more diplomatic than others, and if they just sent us on a hunting spree for Sienna Khan, then everything would be solved pretty easily by mistakenly killing the woman before Salem had a chance at interrogating her.
"So we're heading for Menagerie?" Emerald asked, hesitant to broach the argument with Cinder who was equally unnerved by the presence of Salem on the airship she had liberated. The fact Salem's entire body had gone through a shimmering, magical makeover to make her appear untouched by the effects of the Grimm-Pool added to the weirdness of it all.
With her hair blond, she lost her elder-like appearance and for all intents and purposes, looked no different than a woman Cinder's age.
"That we are," I answered with a sigh.
"Hey Shade, should I start calling you something like 'Your Majesty' or similar?" Mercury said instead with a smug smirk on his face.
"You can call me by my name," I rolled my eyes, "But do try to keep a semblance of respect with Salem. Mellowed out she may be, but she will snap your neck without a second thought if you annoy her enough, Mercury."
That gave the young man pause, and as he massaged his neck, he sighed. "Guess there's never a dull moment with you."
"What are we supposed to do there?" Emerald asked, "Do they have a Relic?"
"No," I said, shaking my head. "Something more important, perhaps. A clue on my family's identity," I mused. "If they do, and we find it, then perhaps there's a whole family of people like me."
"There's only one of you," Emerald replied, sulking a bit as she said that. I chuckled at her words.
"Aw," I grinned. "Thank you for saying that, Emmy."
Emerald looked away, cheeks red from the shame.
Mercury was about to say something teasingly, but Cinder's orders changed the mood around us. "We're starting the airship, Mercury! Get to your position quick!"
"Yes ma'am!" Mercury replied, hurrying off.
I started humming happily as the airship left the docks of Salem's castle, and as a few Nevermores took flight behind us, I quietly watched them with a pensive expression.
"A token escort," Salem's voice caught my attention, "They will distract the airships of Menagerie, and allow us to land undisturbed."
"I see," I mused. "Have you ever been to Menagerie before, grandmother?"
As I asked that, Emerald quietly slunk away from my side. She didn't want to stay too close to Salem, now when the knowledge that she might snap her neck in the blink of an eye was firmly planted in her head.
"That I have," Salem answered easily enough. "I found it lacking in both resources and people, and saw no reason to have Grimm inhabit it. Mortals colonized it a couple of times, but were always rebuffed by the harshness of the elements...surprisingly, the Faunus proved more resilient."
"More desperate, you mean," I muttered back. "It's something I think should be called the pride of humanity. Doesn't matter how harsh the environment, or how cruel the master's whip...we adapt, we thrive, and we overturn the odds."
"Unfortunately true," Salem said with a slow nod. "Though I do wonder where you kept all of this wisdom hidden, child."
"To be wise in your presence might have given you more ideas," I pointed right back, "And I wasn't keen on suggesting new and improved ways of rooting out humanity from this world."
Salem chuckled at that. "And you are sure now that my plan has truly changed?" she mused. "Are you not afraid that if I were to find another of my descendants, one more inclined in sharing my vision, you might lose your position of privilege?"
"You're not stupid, grandmother," I replied with a faint shrug. "Absolute destruction breeds risks; fighting till death is a noble ideal, but one humans seldom use unless threatened by extinction. Benevolent overlord-ship, on the other hand, is more amicable to them." I sighed. "There are so many, so, so many people who would rather not think about the blood on the hands that guide them, provided they are well fed and cared for."
"For someone so revolted by the idea of ruling over mankind, you do seem to have a good enough grasp on what they might think of it," Salem said.
"Theories are just theories until proven on the field of practice," I replied with a faint shrug. "But...even so, I'm not afraid of losing my so-called 'privilege'." I glanced at her. "For there is no value to be earned by destroying humanity, or by attempting to rise above it."
Salem's lips pursed. "Let us talk about something else, child. We keep returning to this argument over and over again, surely at a certain point you might get tired of it."
I chuckled. "Very well, grandmother. Let's talk about something else...when is your birthday, by modern calendar standards?"
Salem blinked at that, inclining her head to the side. "My...birthday? What does that matter?"
"You were the one who wanted to change the argument, so I am complying. I don't know very much about you, barring some things I understood, and some things you saw fit to tell me. So...things like what food you like or don't, what music you enjoy listening to or not, when's your birthday and..." as I spoke, I could see Salem's face take on a pained expression.
"I am...I am above such things, child."
"No," I shook my head. "You were above such things, when you felt you had nothing to live for but destroying humanity. That's...that's changed, I hope, so..." I crossed my arms in front of my chest, "it means you need to start looking forward to life now, no?"
The airship was flying through the air, the wind billowed across its sails, and the Nevermores cawed over our head, eyes blazing with hatred for life in all of its shapes, forms and desires.
Yet Salem's eyes were no longer blazing red pools of fury; though it was the illusion of her magic, her expression had softened considerably. Her face was pensive, and her lips morphed in a scowl of actual chagrin.
"I think, by modern conventions," Salem mused. "That my birthday is in February. The day is more difficult, but somewhere in the middle of it would be the most likely."
"Oh," I blinked at that. "We'll need to celebrate it this year then." I turned thoughtful. "What music would you like? Food?"
"Are you truly..." Salem sighed in disbelief, her lips threatening to split into a honest smile for the first time in millennia, perhaps. "I would suppose that food is a non-issue, but if you truly must persist in this foolishness of yours, I do wonder how you will find a good enough lute player."
"Uhm, a lute is kind of like a guitar of old times, right?" I retorted. "More like a gentle lullaby-feeling, or more rhythmic?"
"Child, you would do better start making sense," Salem replied flatly. "A lute is a refined instrument, and there are many, many songs that make use of its vast range of harmonious notes to-"
As Salem delved into the complexities of lute-music, I stared at her with honest surprise, and quite the wide eyes. Then, a snicker left my throat. It was a honest chuckle.
Salem stopped talking, eyes now narrow as she looked at me. "Is something amusing to you, perhaps?"
"You're a music-nerd, grandma."
Salem turned thoughtful, pondered my words a bit, and then gave a slow nod.
"It appears so."
A giggle left her throat.
It was endearingly melodious, even though it came from a blood-soaked, genocidal Goddess of Grimm.