บท 57: From Ashes, A new Story (4)
"Any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a dad." – Anne Geddes
It's been a while since we were here.
Atlas seemed to have actually changed since I first visited and I could tell that it had something to do with the little 'economic purge' that ensued after the fall of Jacques Schnee. With him, other elements that dominated the elite society were either investigated and removed from power, or forced to adopt moderate approaches to not be hit by the wave of serious and incorruptible actions against them. With bribery growing less prominent, one could easily say that the next few decades were certainly going to see some good growth for the nation's prosperity. Not only for Atlas the city, but also Mantle and the other settlements that were part of the Kingdom.
Mantle in particular seemed to finally start to grow on par with the main city, showing that the old capital had some determination and stubbornness to stand up proud despite what happened six years ago. With investments reaching into the funds of the city due to the available space there, it was clear that despite Atlas' finest efforts to try and expand vertically, Mantle was still going to be a rival in terms of industry and available space. Still, I wasn't there as an ambassador, but as a tourist and… and I planned to enjoy this first day here as calmly as possible.
James was actually glad that I called him. It wasn't like he had plans to contact me at this point, but he was really 'in need of a break of sorts'. The comment caught me off-guard but he mentioned that it was just politicians… well, being politicians. One thing that didn't change was the fact that the council was still under the control of conservative elements. Not outright traditionalists with some strong connections with racism or stuff of the kind but… well, annoying due to how inexperienced they were in trying to handle the military budget. Some proposals, just like with the other councils were particularly silly, and so it wasn't that much of a novelty that James, being one of the top grade leaders within the military, had to endure that kind of issue on a daily basis. Poor guy really needed something like a hobby, or even a wife that kept him busy in his free time and I wasn't sure who would exactly fit well with him at the moment. Like really, I couldn't think of a name that could match that personality and lifestyle.
[It could be Glynda. I can tell the two would work well together.]
I tried to get the two to tie themselves in a serious relationship, but I… I recall some trouble from Glynda herself. While James was interested, well… she wasn't.
But why? I always thought these two matched well together.
And so I did. But then I realized that the element that killed that prospect was her job at Beacon and his own as a military man. I believe both decided against dating due to these circumstances.
[This really makes a good couple impossible to happen. Quite a pitiful predicament.]
Still, we could still try with… I don't know. I really need some hours to think about this matchmaking operation.
So, without wasting too much courtesy on the call, I went for the main point and asked him what were the chances of accommodating three families for the Vytal Festival. He didn't have any objection, except for the fact that he would have expected for the Belladonna family to come too. I did ask Kali and Ghira if they could come. Knowing how Blake wanted to see Atlas once again, I really wanted to realize that wish of hers but… her parents were both busy. Which meant that the girl was going to tag along with us as part of the Bukharin Family for the trip.
It was a small development that didn't change much with the entire situation. In fact, the real quandary was to find a compromise over how we were supposed to move around without getting hounded by the press. Last time it was easier because it was just two individuals, but now there was a full family to it. I doubted Summer and Taiyang were going to have any trouble not being given too much attention, but I could say some problems for them might arise when they would come one day after we did. When they were supposed to visit the Schnee manor for a pleasant visit together with us to see how the family was doing.
I shared a quick conversation with Willow on the phone and… I was relieved to hear how things had gone well for her after what happened to Jacques. Sure, it wasn't a… sudden recovery for good. In fact there were times where, when the last time we visited her home, I had to spare a few words with her the moment I saw her indulge with the wine. It wasn't depression, and it wasn't any addiction to the beverage- she was just in need to let out some stress that was riling her up after she took over the SDC. Willow might have gained some freedom without her husband, but the backlash of his arrest was enough to make the stocks fall for a while. Nicholas was a temporary leader as he had to let go of the company to his daughter.
The woman was a strong fighter, but one that was caught unprepared when it came to business of this scale. She tried to work with a burning schedule, and that only ended up chipping at her integrity with how intensive the work hours were. I didn't blame her to think that overworking would possibly solve the problem but… but I had to take a couple of steps myself when it first started. Willow was, by good reasons, annoyed that a friend was asking to reorganize her work schedule in something more effective. But her annoyance soon vanished after a few weeks of working things out with the new hours. The work was redistributed in a stabler timing that offered plenty of chances for her to enjoy breaks from the long hours and put her in the conditions of actually having time for herself.
I still remember when she nagged at the fact that 'a reorganization' wouldn't do much to her plight.
[And then she discovered that you had just split some of the work-free hours so she could have smaller but more pauses each day.]
I remember it was Nicholas.
I think it was Nicholas first and then he told Willow about it.
Three years after going with the same schedule, Willow was finally granted the chance of enjoying a more lenient work time due to the recovery of the stocks. Less need to put risky gambles and put herself into the work more than the family. She managed to have more hours at home by Year 4 and last year I remember her taking time off from work for a week or two at times. Things at the company were going fairly smooth. New investors, new partners and the SDC became a better organization that managed to have willing workers that steadily increased profits. New rules about welfare and workers' rights were the primary reasons why confidence was restored.
With that in mind, I was really looking forward to the visit for the next day. Beyond the fact I wanted to see how little Weiss was going to react to the fact that I knew about her interest towards my daughter. Sure, I knew that she didn't exactly 'fear' me or anything like that, but I was going to milk a little bit that she was going to try and… ask me for her hand. Traditional as her family was, I expected that kind of circumstance.
And I am going to love it.
[Couldn't you just let them be without the teasing?]
Sorry, Sally. It's a dad's duty to be a pest when it comes to this. Not too harshly and not too lenient.
Just enough to gain the maximum amusement.
[Dear, what is that supposed to mean?]
I let out a yawn as I felt the warmth I was in leaving me a bit sleepy. Sienna snorted as she held onto me tighter while we continued our little walk around Atlas. We had just arrived a few hours ago and the kids had decided to spend the time until lunch to rest by the rooms we had bought for the rest of the week. It was nice since it meant Sienna and I could leave Damian with them while we enjoyed a little stroll around the city. It was a nice way to get re-accustomed to the place and also enjoy some time alone while in there.
We were supposed to meet with James later that day to discuss the security details behind our stay for the Vytal festival, so we weren't planning to go too far from the hotel we were staying by. The city itself was packed with people from all corners of Remnant and so even trying to get too far would just leave us stuck in one of those massive crowds we were carefully dodging.
"Do you think Mr. Polendina is going to be open today?" The Tiger Faunus asked and I pondered for a while over it.
"It's possible. With so many possible clients, I think all shop-keepers are going to keep open for the occasion," I replied with a nod. "So… any reason to visit him other than courtesy?"
The woman gave me a frown. "What if it's just a simple visit?"
"Then I would still go even if it had other motivations. But I would like to know so we can be sure that it's nothing too odd."
"I'm not trying to do anything 'odd' as you say, dear husband," Sienna huffed. "I just wanted to… check on a specific topic that I remember the man mentioning about. I was just curious."
Penny?
Could be this or something similar.
[What are the chances that the doctor changed his early plans about her?]
The chances exist. That's all I can say right now.
"Hmm, I suppose we can visit him and check on that."
As she nodded in glee at my agreeing tone, we didn't even take the first steps towards our destination that I noticed someone was rushing towards us. Yellow lighting cracking around their frame, we both paused and instinctively at the approaching figure but… I eased down as soon as I recognized where I first saw something like this before.
"I know her," I muttered, suddenly gaining the interested look of my wife as we both waited for the blur to stop before us and… reveal a clearly older girl than the one I remember. Taller, happier, and… she had a mohawk. She stood there, waiting for a moment for me to say something and I took this chance to notice that she was wearing an Atlas Academy uniform.
She did it.
[Gah! She looks so giddy!]
Yep. To both.
"Long time not see… Harriet."
Her pink eyes widened and her grin soon followed. "You remembered."
"Of course I did," I huffed at her disbelief. "Do you think that just because you got tall, got yourself enrolled at Atlas Academy and got yourself a haircut I would just forget about you."
Her jaw dropped and I chuckled at her reaction. "Dear, do you remember when I was assigned to Clover during our first visit?"
"I do recall the time period. I guess you meet her… at that point?"
I nodded. "I remember a young girl that had a little issue with confidence. And now…" I paused as I looked at her, the student tensing up at my gaze. "And now I see that she has grown up into someone that will become one of the finest huntresses Remnant can hope to get."
My first intention by saying this was to get her all emotional and nothing more. What I failed to take into account was that the girl, albeit clearly a tomboy at this point, was still really soft when it came to this kind of compliments, especially since those came from me of all people. I froze when I saw some tears starting to form by the edges of her eyes and… and I sighed.
I set myself up for this.
Definitely.
Sally only giggled as I spread my arms open, with Sienna realizing what I was trying to do and allowing me to go through with it. I was surprised by her eagerness to let go, but then I realized as Harriet took the chance to steal a tight hug out of me that she just wanted me to watch the scene I had created through simple words and fluffy action.
Plus, as far as I could tell from the woman's glances, she knew that she was not 'that kind' of trouble, but a case similar to Nora when it comes to this degree of affection. After the embrace concluded roughly five minutes it started, we took just a moment to discuss why we were here and where we were going at that moment. With the promise of talking together some more, Harriet was more than happy to be our guide during our stroll and… it was a pleasant walk with a chirpy young girl that truly bloomed into a fierce fighter.
If only I had known that someone else had paid us a visit while we weren't at the hotel and… delivered an interesting discussion with a certain unsure girl.
~Nora's POV~
Nora blinked silently at the ceiling of the bedroom as she tried to find a good reason to fall asleep.
It's been almost an hour now since her father and mother had left the building to enjoy some time around Atlas and she was bored out of her mind about things she could do while waiting there. Sure, the trip had been tiring but… but she thought she would have had something to do instead of being in that specific situation.
Damian was sleeping together with Blake. There was just something unique between the two that made the Cat Faunus something of the ideal babysitter for the young boy. It was so that Ren could actually wander around on his own and check how the hotel is and what is going to be served for lunch. Without Ilia to keep him some company, he was bored too and… it wouldn't do for two bored siblings to be in the same room with plenty of things that could be used to cause a complete disaster.
They might not be little kids anymore, but boredom is a terrible incentive to create chaos. And her dad was the finest example of people that couldn't be left bored for too long before something bizarre or incredibly destructive unfolded around him. It wasn't an insult to him, only a confirmation of his weird luck when he felt at peace and away from trouble.
Something that Nora felt she could relate to for multiple reasons. While this only occurred when she was busy fighting Grimm, there was something that would make her 'self-jinxing' particularly effective. Did the girl feel like the threats were too weak? A bigger and stronger Grimm would appear. Did she feel at ease with the number of monsters? She would be forced to handle a sudden spike of Grimm presence meant to keep her busy and distracted for a while.
But even though this was prominent in combat situations, there were plenty of instances where her 'luck' would just twist in a strange manner even when she was busy with other things. Like homework- there were times where she would try to get all homework done for an exam back at school and then the exam was removed due for a reason or another. It was one of the rare cases where she really felt frustrated with school-related stuff, but she knew better than to blame an individual in particular as it was all driven by the case itself.
A huff finally left Nora's lips as she started to wonder if it would have been best to try and tag along with Ren. That could potentially stave off most of her boredom, but also leave Blake and Damian alone by doing so. It wasn't a complicated decision to take and so she was left once more to ponder about her situation and find something to do. At first she just wanted to pass her time altering Magnhild some more in preparation for some friendly sparring after the first matches of Vytal were over, but Nora learned that the hotel didn't allow this kind of operation to be done within its premises. And she was left without much to do.
Should I call Weiss now?
No, that would be a silly idea. They had already planned to talk privately the next day as soon as the visit at the Schnee Manor happened. They had much to tell each other, and she preferred to have some genuine privacy when discussing the things she needed to tell her girlfriend. So much that opened many doors for the revelation of their relationship to the others. And despite the fact Nora wanted to hear Weiss after so long, the desire was easy to push down as she didn't want to mess things up.
Dad said that it was best to be judicious about this matter. I can't just… rush things up. I have to be mature if I want to be with Weiss.
Just as she thought that she was going to remain a potato couch until her parents were back to the suite, her ears perked as she caught the doorbell ringing. Standing up from the couch where she had been resting by, the girl slowly made her way towards the door and checked through the peeping hole. Her dad had taken one of the copies of the suite, so it couldn't be him ringing that bell. A quick look through the hole confirmed that it wasn't him but… a masked soldier.
"Ehr, who are you?"
The figure tensed in a surprised posture, gaining a frown from Nora as she tried to discern what was going on. The door was still closed and she remembered how the receptionist had mentioned that the doors were made by sturdy and strong materials. Capable of withstanding the charge of a Boarbatusk if needed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought this was the suite owned by Mr. John Bukharin."
More reason to be concerned. Someone that was searching for her dad but… he never mentioned anyone visiting there while him and Sienna were busy with that talk.
"C-Can you identify yourself?"
Why am I stuttering? Maybe it isn't even something that big?
"Specialist Rosa Garden. I'm a friend of Mr. John Bukharin and I was expecting to discuss with him in private," The woman replied calmly, still keeping a sense of seriousness and tension both in her voice and posture. "I can offer you my ID if that will solve any trouble about this."
"Y-Yes."
A few moments later and a quick control through her ASHE device, Nora was now certain this individual was a verified member of the military of this nation. It was surprising that her father had connections with the military beyond General Ironwood but… there were many things that he never told them about his visit in Atlas with Sienna. Either the topic was never brought up that much or they just didn't feel the need to tell them anything about it on a casual basis.
"So, I suppose Mr. Bukharin isn't here right now?"
"Dad went on a walk with mom," Nora blurted out calmly, still unsure how to take the fact this individual was trustworthy. "He will be back soon."
A hum reached out from Rosa's mask. "Understood. Then, if it's not asking too much, I will just wait outside for their return."
...If the woman is a friend of her father, would it be rude of her to just go along with this idea? She could still remember getting chided plenty of times by Sienna for being laidback when it comes to handling guests but… but does this fit with the situation? Nora wasn't exactly that sure. Still, due to either boredom or a complete state of uncertainty on the matter, the girl still offered an alternative.
"Y-you could wait inside, Ms. Garden."
Another stutter, this was definitely leaving her more humiliated then it should. She spoke with people of different ages and cultural groups, but this was the first time she felt this much… child-like. So nervous when talking to someone, even a minor stranger at that. Much to her chagrin, the officer accepted and soon she was invited inside and led to the living room once the door was closed.
From a closer look, Nora could perceive a sense of… upset from within her appearance. Rosa was wearing some high-grade armor and a mask. This was a little more than what a normal specialist would wear, especially when she listened to Winter's spiel on the matter. The state of equipment of a Specialist was directly compared to the degree of threat and danger they were meant to be subjected to. And right now, that kind of armor was… overkill.
Still the woman sat down by the small couch in front of Nora. The two shared a stare before the girl looked elsewhere as to think why she thought this was a good idea. Sure, her ASHE confirmed that this was a registered user within Atlas' Military, but what if it was fake? As much as she wanted to believe that, it was just implausible. Atlas' registry for members of the military hierarchy wasn't something that could be breached with ease. Weiss had explained to her how advanced the registry itself was when they discussed secure terminals to handle information. A little idea to ask Watts to work on when he could when it came to ASHE. A private program that was meant to be used by a limited amount of people to share private conversations and messages without anyone knowing.
"This is a nice suite," Rosa suddenly commented, drawing Nora's attention back to her as she looked all over the living room. "Very spacious. I don't think I've been in a place like this one before."
The girl nodded. "It's… it's modest."
Compared to home, it was definitely small. Incredibly limited, it was easy for her to say that it wasn't meant to house a family of seven. In fact, she doubted that an only bathroom would have been enough to even make a family of four last for long in such a situation. Still, her response garnered a hum from the 'guest'.
"I suppose home has to be really big. I think John mentioned that he had plans to expand it six years ago. He went through with it, didn't he?"
That was a detail that further added to the reason behind her visit. Rosa had to have spoken in private with dad before and… she knew about his plans to broaden the house back in Menagerie.
"Yes. It was a necessity."
"A house for four people can be quite big compared to this," The specialist admitted, this affirmation gaining a frown from Nora.
"Six."
…
"I don't think I caught that."
"Six. We are… seven in the family."
"Is that so?"
Nora nodded. "Dad, mom, me, Ren, Cinder, Emerald, and Damian."
There was a brief pause after that response and… the girl stared at the young woman with a curious look. There was a clear shift of mood at that answer but… why? Did she know something that Nora didn't? Maybe she knew about some of her siblings but didn't know they were part of the family?
"That's… a big family," Rosa admitted. "I suppose it can be quite taxing to be a big sister and a young sister."
Nora smiled nervously. "At times but… those are my siblings. And I love them a lot."
A pleased sigh reached out from the mask. "I'm glad to hear that. I heard from a good friend of mine that it can be tedious to be the youngest sibling of a large family."
Really? Does that mean that Damian will have trouble of sorts when he is older? She just couldn't imagine.
"Really?" She decided to ask and the woman hummed thoughtfully.
"I mean, he was also the only brother with numerous sisters so that also played a big role in that."
And that explained it all with ease. Even though Nora was a girl, that didn't mean she couldn't imagine the sheer teasing the poor guy had to endure with numerous sisters. It was easy for girls to sometimes gang up with the simple teasing. It was something that she noticed happening to Ren a couple of times, but it was usually childish stuff and nothing really troublesome for someone like him to handle. But if it had been in this circumstance and at their age? There was no doubt that could be nerve-wracking.
"It… sounds really complicated."
"And messy. I had the chance of meeting a few of his sisters and they were keen to keep around a couple of things that would work as blackmail for my friend."
Well, that's normal. It was only right for people to keep something to poke fun at their siblings when required. It was an implicit rule among siblings, to have a platform of teasing available all the time when things were fine and well with one and the other.
Just as Nora concluded that line of thought, her attention snapped back at the door as she heard the sound of keys being used to unlock the door's mechanism. Dad was back, she hummed to herself and the girl spared a quick glance at the 'guest'. Rosa turned to stare at the door, her posture calm as the door opened to reveal the couple now back from the wandering.
"It's time to get some lunch done and-" Nora's dad paused by the door, staring at the officer still sitting by the couch and… snorted.
"Why, hello there, cookie-monster."
...Ah?
"T-That's not my name, you jerk!"
"Of course, I didn't mean to hurt your obsession with that kind of sweet snack… dolt."
Breaking away from the previous attitude adopted towards Nora, Rosa actually snarled at the head of the family, wrapping her arms together and close to her chest at that greeting.
What is going on?
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