Kapitel 26: 26
"Little miss Weiss." Klein smiled, his eyes a gentle green. "There's a letter from young lady Winter for you."
Weiss shot up from her tutor's homework, her eyes widening.
"Winter?" Weiss blinked in surprise.
She'd thought her sister would have cut off all communication with her and the rest of the Schnee household.
She'd… she'd not even called after spriting herself away in the middle of the night to enter General Ironwood's political umbrella, becoming a student at Atlas Academy against her father's wishes.
Weiss and Whitley had been the ones to pay for that, even if Weiss was happy for Winter.
She'd been excited and proud of her sister for escaping it all, even if she felt ever so slightly betrayed. She knew she couldn't have left with her, or her snot nosed brother Whitley… but Weiss had dreamed of her sister coming to take her away for a week.
It… was a gentle dream. Nothing more.
"Well it was addressed to me personally. However it contained a second envelope folded inside addressed to you." Klein chuckled with a conspiratory whisper. "It seems she doesn't want your fool father to realize that she could contact you."
That made Weiss feel warm. That her sister hadn't left her. Not truly.
Weiss couldn't hide the grin that plastered across her small face, even as she pressed her lips together to keep herself from cheering out loud.
That… that must have been why her sister had kept out of touch. To fool her father.
"Thank you, Klein." Weiss whispered into his ear, leaning up to give her butler a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."
"Do not mention it, little miss Weiss. Frankly, I don't know what you're talking about." Klein just winked, his eyes turning a soft pink as he whistled casually and walked away. "Seem to recall merely dropping something somewhere. I forget what it was."
Weiss shoved the folded letter down her shirt, the folded letter pressed against her stomach, feeling oddly cold, then quickly warming up to her body temperature.
Her legs suddenly felt faintly ticklish, as if some little cold feet had suddenly run down against them, but she held back her desire to scratch them.
It wasn't proper for a young girl to bend over and scratch her legs, her father said.
The sting of hickory across the palms of her hands that she'd received the last time for doing so was enough for her to not do that again. All it would take was one servant that witnessed her misbehavior for her to be punished.
Weiss quickly worked on finishing her homework, feeling the comforting feeling of the folded letter pressed against her stomach.
It was smooth against the silk of her undershirt, giving her a new burst of energy and purpose as she half-daydreamed of being in her room already, reading the letter her sister had sent her.
Amber had never slept so well in her life.
She shouldn't have slept anywhere so deeply, being on the campus of Atlas Academy. The heart of enemy territory.
But… wasn't that the ultimate disguise? Hiding directly under the nose of the Atlasean military?
An almost hysterical giggle bubbled against her lips, but Cinder, AMBER choked it down.
Robin was sweet but terrifying for reasons Amber couldn't understand. But she still was, in the end, a perfect social camouflage. One better than Amber could have ever expected.
Amber touched a small, softly glowing button, causing the lid of her luxury recovery pod (what a ridiculous use of tax dollars, but it had felt so good) to open up, looking over to see that Robin's pod was also open.
She'd been snuck onto the campus by her and Jaune (half against her will, half because she'd nowhere else to go) who'd hidden her behind the multiple large colorful paper bags holding clothing for Robin as well as Amber herself. Jaune who'd softly apologized that he knew he made her uncomfortable and that he was sorry as he paid for both of their new wardrobes.
A child that sounded so genuinely sorry that even Amber suddenly felt bad about hiding who she was.
And Robin. She who just wanted to be her friend.
But what was she supposed to do if she was alone?
Should she… close the pod? Turn on the one way transparency so that it appeared as if no one was using it, but still gave her the ability to peer out?
Maybe… maybe that was the best thing to do.
Amber did such, her fingers finding themselves edging towards the massage function, the feature that she'd touched last night out of curiosity, but had been the thing that had lulled her to sleep feeling as if she'd awoken on a cloud.
Would… would that be so bad? It would make some noise though. It was… it was best that she'd keep it off.
And that filled her heart with sorrow.
Gods. What was she, some spoiled prissy princess? One massage was enough to-
Amber's thoughts paused as she saw the door to the bathroom open, seeing the figure of Robin Arc stepping out, her hair wrapped in a towel, and dressed in the thin red cotton pajamas she'd gone to bed with last night.
It clung slightly to her skin from a bit of lingering moisture.
She must have taken a shower, and Amber must have woken up right after it'd ended.
She reached over to open her own pod, only to see Robin turn her back to Amber's pod, flicking on a sort of holographic mirror, bending over to pull open the drawer under the rest pod, pulling out her usual Huntress outfit.
Amber swallowed.
Robin placed the outfit within her pod before beginning to unbutton her pajama top, the inside of the lid of the pod reflecting out the holographic mirror. Her eyes were molten pools of glimmering gold.
Amber looked away, feeling suddenly flustered. Why had she been staring? Robin was pretty, but Amber wasn't interested in her like that. Even though she'd never had the chance to do anything, her heart had beat uselessly for various male teens and men that had stayed at the Unicorn before.
Also she was three years younger. Amber felt weird at the thought. It wasn't romantic. It really wasn't. It shouldn't be. The thought of anyone daring to look at Robin like that was sickening. She was something that shouldn't be thought of or touched in that manner.
Rather, she was like a fairy. Small and elegant. Like everything that Amber wasn't.
Ah.
She was jealous.
She wanted to be like Robin.
Robin whose every movement was graceful and effortless. Smooth and gentle. A visage of a living dream that could not help but to draw the eye off of people. To make them burn with jealousy. Beautiful and wanted.
Amber felt sick. No.
Cinder felt sick.
This was the first time someone had lent her a true hand of kindness. Without expectation, only with a desire to help. Without maintaining a distance like HIM.
And she was jealous of that girl.
…how was she any different from her monster sisters then?
That filled her with disgust.
She still wanted to be like Robin.
Cinder bit her lip so hard she thought her Aura would break.
She began to breathe quietly.
In through the nose. Hold. Hold. Hold. Hold.
Out through the mouth. Hold. Hold. Hold. Hold.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Her heart rate and breath calmed.
Amber opened her eyes.
She touched the glowing button to her pod, the lid slowly and quietly lifting up as Robin had just finished changing her outfit and removed the towel from her hair.
The girl turned to her with a beautiful smile, soft and angelic. A blue streak of hair shone in her hair, slightly damp, shining all to better entice the eye with its glimmer.
"Good morning, Amber!" Her voice sang happily, prettily, her eyes back to her normal baby blue. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah." Amber nodded. "Actually the best sleep of my life."
Robin giggled, gentle and demure.
"Isn't it ridiculous but grand? I'm a sucker for the massage function."
Amber felt her nose redden with a flush, remembering how she'd fallen asleep.
"I, uh, yeah. Lulled me to sleep. Didn't think that it'd-"
"Take you straight to dreamland? I experienced that on my first night as well. How delightful, we match."
Amber felt her heart jump at Robin's admittance. As if that made it ok for her to have fallen asleep from it all.
"I suppose we do in that." Amber admitted weakly. "Is… the shower free?"
"Just got out myself. Feel free. However the shampoo they've provided here's a bit rough on the hair. Do use the pink bottle. It's the one I've brought from home. Gentle and doesn't wash out hair dye." Robin laughed prettily as she ran a finger along her deep blue streak. "It's important."
Amber's heart had jumped for a moment when she'd mentioned the dye, only to be comforted by the fact that she was referring to her own.
Of course it was about her own. She doesn't know Amber isn't real.
Cin-Amber gave a weak chuckle as she made her way into the bathroom, her heart thrumming.
The hot water helped clear her head.
"Mmmmmm." Yang sighed relaxedly as she laid in the perfectly manicured grass, her ribbon tied around her neck as her hair flowed over Jaune's lap. "This feels gooooooood."
She heard Jaune laugh a bit with her closed eyes.
"Glad you like it. Ever gonna forgive me for that goo?"
"Nnnnnope!" Yang giggled, popping the P. "Hairbrushes forever."
"Darn. It seems I'm cursed. Oh whatever shall I do?"
"More brushing, less talking, knave!"
"Ah, but princess! I brush and brush, till I can't brush no more!"
The two laughed as they enjoyed the Saturday sun.
It was nice not having to hide behind their parents' backs to do this. Even being able to enjoy a bit of warm sun as they did so, rather than being indoors. It was a real nice change of pace.
She could hear the soft lazy thumps of Jaune's tail flicking from side to side as he also enjoyed the moment, the warm sun kept from getting too hot due to the faintly cool breeze. Even through the muted shielding of her Aura it was pleasant.
Her Aura brushed against his, sunlight shining upon juniper.
"Jauney, Yang!" Nora's boisterous voice could be heard in the distance, "Heyoooo! No Ruby with you two today?"
Yang just held up one of her hands lazily in a peace sign, knowing that if Nora was there, Ren must be close.
Jaune's adopted siblings were inseparable, after all. Sort of like her and Jaune sometimes. Jaune was more busy than the other two, though. Always up to something, Mom Raven always said, though Yang knew her mom liked Jaune.
And she wasn't wrong. Jaune was always working on something for some reason or end. That was why it was important for her to find moments to monopolize her brother/cousin/friend's time whenever she could get it.
She was happy enough to share it with fellow Jaune-extended family though.
Nora was cool. Like Yang, but with more energy and cheer somehow, even if she was a bit of an airhead.
She could hear his tail's thumping get just a bit stronger.
"Taking a nap, I think." Jaune laughed, "Auntie Summer took her shopping this morning with Uncle Tai and Qrow, so she's all tuckered out. Least that's what Yang said, I was busy with Dr. Polendina."
Yang, threw up a thumbs up in agreement, hearing both Nora's happy giggles as Ren's more softer chuckles.
See? She knew Ren was there. Yang was smart too.
"I see. We'll have to share these snacks without her then." Ren's voice was like a zen garden, always somehow smooth and calm. Probably why Nora liked him so much, they balanced each other out.
"Snacks?" Yang found herself finally speaking out loud, her eyes still closed.
Jaune would be preparing food for everyone somewhat soon, as since Less-Drunk Drunckle Qrow had a lunchbox bribe from Jaune that he wouldn't shut up or stop moaning about it.
It just made mom Raven request (demand) that her 'favorite brat' show all of Team STRQ what they were missing and Jaune had agreed. Actually, he'd already set up on a portable stove he'd placed up on a small table a meter or two away was currently a softly simmering large stockpot of something.
It smelt good. Savory and soothing and made her mouth water.
Yang had found herself feeling oddly excited at the thought of it, unable to explain the fluttering in her gut. She'd had a light breakfast as a result, suddenly feeling a bit hungry at the thought of some snacks.
She could eat a little.
"Yup!" Nora cheered, the rustling sound of a large paper bag full of treats as Jaune continued to softly brush her hair, "Jaune got a bunch of baked goods from well-wishers that the whatchamacallit inspectors said were clean for us to take!"
"Anything minty or with strawberry?" Jaune asked, getting a sound of agreement as Yang heard the sound of a small bag being poured next to her, knowing that it was all entering Jaune's Semblance, letting him get snacks for whenever he wanted, lucky duck.
"Jauney boy gets first pick!" Nora giggled, "And Guard Dog Nora knows what her brother wants!"
Guard Dog?
"Nora, we're not at Sanctum right now." Jaune and Ren groaned in unison as Nora cackled madly, clearly enjoying the attention.
Why would they need a guard dog at a Huntsman Prep School? Yang wasn't sure.
"We'll try to keep a few cookies for Ruby to have later, but we can share the rest." Ren spoke diplomatically, "Do you wanna get up to eat?"
"But Jaune's brushing my haiiiiiiir." Yang groaned, not wanting to get up. "Someone feed me."
"I'll do it!" Nora instantly volunteered.
"If you shove anything weird into my mouth or make me get crumbs in my hair, it's ON Nora."
"Don't tempt me, Yang-a-rang." Nora made a faux-evil witchy 'he he he' laughter. "You've given me the instant-mint to your own downfall!"
"Nora, its instrument."
"I'm going to beat her butt, Renny, not play her a lullaby."
"I mean, from a certain point of view beating someone unconscious could be seen as beating someone to the beat of your fist's soundtrack." Jaune joked, "That's a lullaby in a weird way."
Yang snorted.
"That's so dumb, Jaune. Aren't you supposed to be a genius?"
"Eh." She could feel Jaune's brushing falter for a brief moment. She didn't get why Jaune always got so uncomfortable when she complimented him for being smart. Why? She loved when her moms and dad said that Yang was a smart girl. Was she… doing it wrong? "Between dumb and genius, I pick being dumb. Genius has its limits, but idiocy? Idiocy is limitless."
"That's dumb."
Jaune snickered, his tail thumping in a lazy beat.
"See? You're getting it." He giggled.
"But I don't!"
She still liked the sound of Jaune's laugh, even if it was currently aimed at her. She could hear his tail thumping against the soft, grassy ground.
"Oooooh, somethin' smells good out here!" The sound of Clarent, one of the two eldest Arc twins (fraternal twin apparently meant that she didn't look like Saphron) called out. "Is my lil' brother cookin' lunch today? Hell yeah!"
"It's-" Jaune's voice stopped as his tail thumped louder at the sound of his sister's voice. "-uh, it's just some slow simmered chuck roast soup. Items stay hot in my Semblance even if it doesn't keep cooking, I just added in some of the final vegetables a bit ago. The meat's been tenderizing for about six hours total. I-I'm going to be making some other stuff too, of course! It's not just soup, ha ha."
He was speaking quickly and over-explaining like he did when he got nervous. Yang opened her eyes to turn into Clarent's direction out of curiosity.
"Does young Dr. Jaune cook often?" A slender and pretty white haired girl about Clarent's height asked the older Arc sister, dressed in the same white and gray Atlas Academy uniform she'd seen going around. The addition of gray on white, however, signified that she was a part of the Upper Program.
Apparently Lower Program kids had pure gray outfits. Ugly things.
She looked kind of short for seventeen. Actually she didn't look much older than Clarent.
"Aw yeah, Winter!" Clarent laughed with a big toothy smile that made Yang conscious of her slightly crooked teeth, "My lil' brother's cooking is like. Man. I can't describe it. You should join us for lunch! Seriously, and I'm not just saying that cuz my brother'll go all out with you here."
"Uhhhhh-" Yang frowned as she heard Jaune's tail enter overdrive as he sort of groaned.
What did that mean?
Yang looked up to see Jaune's face, a faint pink tinge across his nose, the black beanie on his head wiggling from the rabbit Faunus ears inside.
Her eyes narrowed.
What? What was this? She felt muddy, like she'd been ground into the dirt after training with mom Raven, but with none of the pride.
He wasn't even brushing her hair anymore!
"I suppose now that the school year's officially at an end, I'm free for the rest of the day, but I-"
"Alright! Jaune, fire up the grill!"
"O-oh ok!" Jaune shuffled under her head, helping lift Yang up. She sat up to help even though she could feel herself frown. "I'll make sure to make it memorable to celebrate the end of your first year at the Academy! Yeah, uh, gimme a minute, let me sort through my pre-prepped ingredients and see what we can't whip up. I've got plenty of stuff in here somewhere."
"Jauney sometimes just cuts meat and veggies for hours and shoves them in his Semblance!" Nora agreed, lending some proof to his claims. "He's got a bunch of seafood from Mistral and Menagerie too!"
"Oh, my. That's quite impressive." The white haired girl looked surprised. "We don't often get fresh seafood in Atlas."
Ren chuckled, "Just wait until you taste it. Are you big sister Clarent's friend?"
"Oh, yes. We've become friends rather suddenly, haven't we?" The white haired girl smiled beautifully, even if faintly sheepish, that being muted behind her self-confident demeanor. "My name is Winter, it's a pleasure to meet you all. Are you all young Dr. Jaune's friends?"
Clarent introduced her adopted siblings as well as Yang as a 'sort-of cousin' as Jaune quickly began to frantically set up tables, stoves, even a flame grill he poured perfect little cubes of black something into before igniting them with a little Fire Dust, sprinkling chips of wood into a little metal tin, making the whole section of lawn suddenly smell like applewood smoke.
"Oh my." A soft voice rang, the form of Robin Arc also stepping into view, holding an empty wicker basket in the crook of her left arm as her right hand hid her small mouth in a bit of surprise. "I was about to request Jaune for a picnic basket but it seems he's rather occupied."
"Robin! Sis!" Clarent quickly leaned over to give her sister a hug, leaning to whisper something into her ear.
"Hmm? My~ that will be quite an experience then, won't it?" Robin grinned, "Then would you mind if I also invited a friend?"
"More the merrier!" Clarent grinned. "How friendly am I 'llowed to be?"
"Ideally, let her approach you, if at all." Robin smiled elegantly, making Yang wonder if she would be like her when she also turned twelve. She'd… have to get her teeth set straight first, though probably. She should ask mom Summer about that. "Jaune is right that she's a bit skittish. But please don't let Amber know I said that."
"Amber, eh? 'Aight, got it. Good for you, sis." Clarent grinned a bit more gently than usual as she gave her sister a quick kiss on her temple. "Glad you're making friends too."
"Oh it's grand." Yang heard Robin agree, but something about the way Robin Arc smiled could give her chills in a weird way. As if she'd eat Yang if she turned her back on her. "And no questions."
"Kay, kay." Clarent agreed casually again, pulling Robin over to the Winter girl and introducing her sibling to her friend.
Yang suddenly felt as if she was alone as she watched Jaune start to cook as the older girls got along without her. She stomped over to share some snacks with Nora and Ren.
She didn't like this feeling.
Amber couldn't speak.
When somehow Robin had convinced her to wear some of her new clothes for lunch she'd agreed with a little reluctance.
She still chose more muted colors and styles, avoiding the passionate reds that Robin kept insisting upon.
Amber had stuck with a deep emerald turtleneck that was fluffy enough to fill her frame ever so slightly more, her padded bra trying to give some semblance of a figure.
It came with the additional bonus of hiding the scar on her neck with a gentle warmth.
But Jaune had, without Amber's knowledge, grabbed and purchased a handful of smooth and soft black chokers in velvet, satin, and silk and snuck it into one of her bags of clothes as if he knew she was hiding her neck on purpose.
She really didn't like that, even if it was just the kid's stupid rich kid way of apologizing.
Amber still put on a satin choker on under the sweater. It was soft and gentle against the now mostly healed scar tissue. She still wouldn't say no to an extra layer of protection. Amber wasn't an idiot.
A new pair of black slacks that fit much better with a proper belt of dark brown leather formed over her legs tucked into a pair of expensive looking black women's boots, laced up to the middle of her shins.
She looked so different from Cinder now that she'd actually felt… sort of safe.
Though it still befuddled her as to how insistent the siblings were about them paying for her. That was weird. People didn't just do that. Especially when it wasn't even Robin, but her younger brother.
The other point of nervous contention was that she was at Atlas Academy. If she was made out here, she'd not be able to escape. As powerful a play that hiding here was, it was insanely risky.
She filled her mouth with another fork-full of pasta. Jaune called it Aglio e Olio. Some pretentious sounding thing but it was so good.
The chew and feel made her mouth marvel despite how simple it seemed on paper. Better than when she'd occasionally steal a bite from the kitchen when nobody was looking. Just simple noodles with a hint of olive oil, garlic, and a rich, nutty cheese he'd called parmesan accompanied by a sprinkle of pepper.
She'd had parmesan before, as it was one of the classier cheeses that had survived Old Mantle, and it wasn't this tasty, reminding her more of vomit compared to this.
She swallowed more than she'd chewed, taking a spoonful of the warm and smooth chuck roast stew, the meat literally melting in her mouth as soft peas, potatoes, and carrots perfectly maintained their own distinct flavors as they seeped in the soup stock.
Though there was a bit of conversation at the large folding tables that'd been pulled out of Jaune's Semblance (how enviously useful) there was a whole buffet of foods to pick and choose whatever she'd wanted from.
Amber looked across to see a Schnee sampling Mistralian sushi, the colorful red of fatty tuna, glimmering striped orange of marbled salmon, and glistening whites of sea bream, with raised brows of surprise and enjoyment. The girl had been hesitant at the idea of raw fish, but she'd seemed to enjoy it immensely.
She didn't blame her. Amber's stomach was fit to bursting, but she found herself still eating.
This table was madness.
But it was a madness that somehow Amber quietly fit into without drawing any additional attention in.
A Mistralian boy with pink eyes and an orange haired girl (both adopted by Robin's family, filling her with jealousy) shared a plate of garlic-parm fries and chatted as they dug into their own plates of food.
A full team of two Huntsmen and Huntresses (the white haired woman looking somehow too beautiful and not quite human) laughing as the black haired man with the slicked back hair and red cape cackled that now the rest of his team would suffer with him.
And then Robin's family that without the adopted duo had a total of seven sisters with only Jaune as their sole son.
Jaune the eight/nine year old that had been the actual source of the bento that Amber honestly couldn't even remember eating. (Something tickled in the back of her mind, but Cinder couldn't place why.)
Amber shoved a spicy-sweet fried chicken wing into her mouth, marveling as the tender flesh parted from the bone with minimal effort, letting her just suck the meat off the bone as she chewed with her eyes closed. Her Aura hummed under her skin.
Robin brushed up against her, the sensation of soft velvet flush against her skin, the copper and iron wrapping around her limb.
"Isn't my brother's cooking wonderful?" She could hear the gentle smile in that voice.
"Mmmrgngm." Was all Amber could get out from her chewing mouthful of food.
She heard Robin giggle and a gentle paper napkin dab at her lip, making Amber's eyes snap wide with a flush.
"Oh, don't be shy about it now. You didn't even notice me doing this until the fourth time."
Amber wanted to bury herself in a hole as she snatched the napkin from her… friend's fingers with a scowl, wiping the sauce of her own lips, feeling it swell faintly from the spices of the chicken wing.
"I-I can do this much on my own!"
It was worse because Amber could see Robin's parents give both her and Robin a fond look.
Cinder seethed with jealousy.
This weird chaotic, perfect family was something she could never have.
The delicious food suddenly felt like ash in her mouth, feeling a bit queasy, she excused herself, going back to the dorm she was sharing with to use the bathroom, feeling her hands shake.
Amber stepped into the bathroom, washing her hands, then her face. She'd mishandled spices once in the Unicorn. Never again.
"Get a grip. Just.. get a grip. I can't afford to mess this up." She spoke with her eyes closed into the sink. "I have to make this work."
"Is that so?"
Amber froze as a malevolently warped mechanical voice called from behind her.
She turned around, Scorching Caress alive in her palm as she saw a small white Atlas drone with a little black camera the size of a small bird floating silently behind her.
Her heart froze, refusing to beat.
She had been made.
"Then I suppose you don't want your new… friend to be aware of who you are? Or perhaps the authorities?"
The drone projected images of Cinder dressed in the uniform of the Glass Unicorn. The angles couldn't be anything but from the CCTV cameras of some of the employee only areas. Her cleaning and scrubbing, being used like a dog to the bone.
"After all… you know what you've done."
"...no…" Her voice was weak and wet.
The worst had happened. What had she been thinking, agreeing to come here? Just because of the first hands to reach out with gentleness to her? She'd known that it was a bad idea.
"Then… stay here. Enjoy yourself. Your freedom can be bought in service. In exchange for you doing as I ask… I shall protect you. As I already have, denying the authorities the footage of your actions."
Amber felt sick. Cinder was furious.
Ah. She really should have run when she could.
She'd wandered from one cage straight into another.
The drone lowered to the ground, dispensing a small folded up Scroll.
"But really, you best be ready at any moment to act as I request. Everything now depends on it… doesn't it?"
Amber's hand trembled with fear and fury, reaching out for the Scroll and clenching it with whitening knuckles.
"Do I have your understanding, girl?"
Her mouth felt like ash.
"...yes."
"Good. Then enjoy yourself. You're free now. All it will cost is but a favor or two."
Amber knew that it wouldn't be the case. These sort of favors would be one, then two, then more. A hysteric giggle erupted from her lips.
"...alright."
"Good. Nobody is to know that this conversation happened. Go back and enjoy your meal. A cheers to our new, friendly cooperation."
The drone left, floating out an open window, and Amber trembled, tears wetting her cheek as she shook in hatred and fear.
Bile spilled from her lips as she lurched to the bowl of the toilet.
From a quiet hotel room down in Mantle, Arthur Watts sipped a whiskey on the rocks.
When originally he'd gotten the intel that Jaune Arc would be staying at the Glass Unicorn, he'd integrated into their internal systems, working long nights to compile all the data he'd require to prepare himself for what was to come.
He'd hidden digitally in the walls months ahead of schedule, planning and scheming, even getting the Queen to cause increased Grimm activity outside the city to keep inner city monitoring thinner until it was too late for them to catch his presence.
All to be ruined by an orphan girl from Mistral that the Madam had adopted years ago then tortured nonsensically.
Actually ridiculous. Why even hire one working girl that way? How much Lien was it to save? As if one worker would make a difference. You'd need at least a half dozen for it to even really save you any real Lien to balance out.
It was as if she didn't even want a worker and just wanted a living creature to abuse. A nonsense logic, as if she was trying to simply be a villain in a book rather than a person.
He'd actually thought that the girl's murder of the Madam and her daughters to be a form of humorous poetic justice, even enjoying that irony as he fumed that the girl single handedly ruined a large portion of pre-planning that he'd poured so much time into.
But the girl was passably skilled.
She'd killed Rhodes Midnight. A Huntsman of quite above-average skill (more in part due to his Semblance's durability than his raw ability), an upper echelon member of Huntsman society in Mantle.
And now she'd integrated herself by accident to the Arcs.
It was as if the gods themselves were blessing him and his genius.
He'd originally planned on reaching out to the girl to acquire her as a potential tool when she'd slept in the park, but once she'd awoken, in a stroke of good fortune noticed she'd made contact with one of the Arc girls.
Robin, he believed, who'd been eating lunch in the park, invited the little murderous wench to join her as his drone watched from a distance, hidden in the branches of a tree.
And now she was living in the same place the General was keeping Jaune.
She'd led him straight to the boy, even if he would have figured out where they were staying eventually, she'd saved him some time.
A small boon to make up for the problem that his original plan had been ruined by the same brat. Feh.
Flooding Jaune's room with sleeping gas and whisking him away in the night or even murdering the boy in his sleep was no longer possible.
He'd actually been gifted a very convincing body double, artificially manufactured by some disgusting Grimm fashioned by the Queen. It had been feeding on a few small communities, using their biomass to produce various doubles of similar likeness.
The one that'd been closest in appearance now was laying lifelessly in a trunk at the foot of his bed that he'd have to dispose of.
So much work ruined. Feh.
He'd have to improvise. That was irritating. Arthur's strength had always been his meticulous planning, not improvisation. He'd been a scientist, not a theater major.
He needed to set a stage, though. It was true that despite it all life was a theater and he'd be the one writing the script. Better him take the part of playwright than Fate.
Now he had the tragic heroine who'd play her part.
If she was lucky, she'd even get to live at the end.
It depended on what would be most convenient for him to put together.
Ice clinked in his glass, the amber liquid swirling like his new knife-in-the-dark's eyes.
"...cheers to our new, friendly cooperation." He spoke through the voice filter program, knowing that she'd never know who it was that she'd had the honor of speaking to.
The great, not-so-late, programming savant, Dr. Arthur Watts.
He watched as this drone left, peering through the eyes of another one, hiding and blending into the walls of Atlas Academy, watching over the luncheon being held by the boy Jaune.
He'd admit, it did look rather delectable. A surprise, to be sure. The boy certainly had many talents.
Arthur eventually saw the form of Amber, slinking in like the lost cat she was, beginning to gorge herself on food again after a few short words with Robin Arc.
"Yes, yes. Eat and recover your strength, girl. You'll need it."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein