(A/N: Here's that extra chapter I promised you all! You guys really shot way past 400 and hit 500 before my friday was even over by the way. Really took me by surprise.)
XOXO
"You sure you're ready? There's no harm in taking more time to adjust."
"I'm fine." Cinder all but declared, that tone of fatality a consistent signal that she was going to stubbornly stick to her decision no matter what was said against it. She had her fair share of problems, but no one could claim that she was weak willed or cowardly. Recklessly stupid maybe, but not cowardly.
Despite our earlier training today she stood directly across from me in the halls of the apartment building, best done to not let any of her soreness or exhaustion show. She was doing a much better job than before, as stand offish as usual. Despite how much aura's natural healing component helped with training, it wasn't like she'd suddenly gained the stamina she was lacking over the past week. Rather, she'd adjusted to all the exercises, able to tolerate the strain better.
I'd also gone a little easier on her, her aura far from its usual size but still enough in the tank to last in a fight or two.
In my opinion, she should still be taking some time to rest, but I couldn't say I was against her choice. For once, though no one would be able to get the admission out of her, lien or pride wasn't her primary concern.
Swords kept in new sheaths at her hips, and a newly added pouch full of glass hanging off her left side, she was eager to put what she practiced to work. She actually looked more like an actual fighter rather than just some kid getting by. The mess of a ponytail she kept her hair in and her ragged old clothes did get in the way of that though.
"Alright then." I said, heading down the hall alongside her.
A quick elevator ride later and we were stepping out of the lobby and out on to the lamp lit streets of the city, the shattered moon already in place of the sun.
She would've gone unnoticed by others, but I picked up on the gaze watching us from afar, leading the both of us towards the source.
"Yo." I said as we got close to an alleyway, Emerald emerging from it. "I see you took my advice."
"Yeah." Rather than the battered clothing she'd worn last they met, far more appropriate gear had taken its place. A thin brown cloak rested around her shoulders, a green long sleeved shirt with thin padding scattered across it to provide a little extra protection, and a pair of pants and boots both with similar padding. "Not sure if I wasted lien though." Emerald added, pulling the cloak fully around her then pulling up its hood and a bundle of cloth that rested around her neck.
With her long hair completely concealed, and a vast majority of her face hidden, it'd be far harder for anyone to ever point her out for anything they got up to. The only defining things they might catch sight of were her red eyes and brown skin depending on the position of the hood but proving anything with that alone was a long shot.
"Hey, it's your money. It's only a waste if you decide it is." I said before thumbing to Cinder, who been dead silent the entire time. "This is my partner."
"Oh, um-" Stepping forward, Emerald held up a hand for Cinder. "I'm Emerald."
All she got in return was a silent stare, Cinder's arms remaining crossed.
"We're going to be fighting with her out there. At least tell her your name." I said, glancing over to her. "Or do you want her yelling out girl whenever she wants your attention?"
She glared, and I really meant glared, at me. "Cinder." She said sharply, before taking off ahead of us.
Damn, that might've been a bit insensitive on my part. Can't imagine the people who treated her like dirt throughout her childhood would've bothered using her name.
"What's her problem?" Emerald whispered as we followed after Cinder.
"Who knows." I said shrugging. "But I doubt anyone doing this kind of work at our age has had an easy life."
The annoyance Emerald had been aiming at Cinder's back melted somewhat. "Right." She agreed.
Not exactly the best first meeting but that was far from the worst way I've seen Cinder treat some people.
XOXO
I took gradual steps forward, avoiding loose sticks, leaves, and roots but grass still crunched beneath my feet. The same went for Emerald who was directly behind me and Cinder who brought up the rear, all of our weapons drawn as we stalked forward. Despite the noise, something beowolves were sensitive to, the pack wandering through the forest alongside us, nothing but fickle greenery separating us, made no moves towards us, only meandering about.
The show had brought a little attention to it but being out among them had a way of putting the creature's contradictory patience in perspective. Only the youngest of the youngest Grimm were feral enough to launch an attack on any major settlement, the rest, like this pack, all patiently waiting beyond their walls.
As if it were a forgone conclusion that they would one day come crashing down and their day would come.
Sometimes it was mindboggling to even begin to comprehend patience like that. Ozpin had lived who knows how many lives by now and there were probably Grimm out there older than all of those years combined.
Just waiting.
I knew better than to get caught up in such thoughts and let anything akin to fear rear up. Cinder, issues aside, had that stone cold composure of hers to keep things moving smoothly. But Emerald, little more than a thief with limited experience with the creatures, didn't share in that.
As a member of the pack emerged from one of the bushes ahead, veering somewhat from the rest, it began to sniff the air, drawing close. Our already slow pace slowed to a snail's crawl as the thing neared me, sniffing around the grass at my feet. It stood, deep red gaze, staring straight through me, its maw parted just enough to reveal the razor sharp teeth within.
It stepped past me, still on its hind legs as it approached Emerald.
Negative emotion drew Grimm.
It was common knowledge, but most would never bother looking any deeper into the subject. Naturally, those who led hard lives tended to draw more of them, but just as many experiments proved that those very same people, with a bit of emotional training, could end up falling back into the average in terms of being chosen as a target for Grimm.
Though experiments like that, forced to be done out in the wilds or with limited preparation due to Grimm simply dropping dead in any form of long term captivity, couldn't be fully trusted, I'd seen some of those theories be proven.
Emerald came to a complete stop, her arced brow raising as her concentration began to slip, her typically unimpressionable aura showing a bit more life as the beowolf came to a stop over her. Her hands inched down, an instinctive step taken back.
As if that all too clear sign of fear was a trigger, the beowolf snarled, clawed hand raised for a swipe. It would've missed, aimed purely on some instinctual sense but Emerald threw herself back, eyes wide as she whipped out her revolvers.
Bang!
And with that gunshot, bursting through the beowolf's head and dropping it to the ground, any chance at stealth was done away with, howls and roars filling the forest as the rest broke through the foliage, converging on us.
I backstepped, taking a defensive stance in front of Emerald. Cinder, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to charge.
Black blades of her new weapons taking on a glow she went straight at the pack. She was skilled enough to kill the creatures with swift slashes, using momentum rather than raw strength to power them. But now, without the fear of her weapons breaking to hold her back, it didn't matter where or how she struck, her hot blades sending limbs flying, heads rolling, and leaving bodies split apart in two.
With no experienced alpha leading them, the pack didn't hesitate to throw themselves upon her, Cinder's spinning slashes a whirlwind of scattered body parts. When one finally managed to catch her, Cinder ducking beneath a wild swipe, she jumped back, a hand dropped into her new pouch.
The rest of the pack lunged at her all at once.
And hit the ground around her already fading away, their bodies and the trees behind them peppered with holes by the crushed shards of heated glass that been sent drilling straight through them.
A breath taken and the sweat leaking down from her messy hair wiped away, Cinder lowered her blades as she returned to us. Her eyes met mine for only a few moments and I gave her a thumbs up as I lowered my weapon.
Inefficient in terms of aura use and a little reckless but the best part of struggling through training was being able to see the results and one sided fight like that was a hell of a way to get some catharsis. Who was I to rain on her parade?
A small smirk, a first from her, and condescendingly smug, crossed her face as she looked at Emerald who'd been watching Cinder and all the dissipating corpses around her with wide eyes. "I thought your semblance was supposed to be useful."
Of course she couldn't just do something friendly like check on the girl.
"I-I got us this far without a fight, didn't I?" Emerald said, awe turned to a glare. "And its not like I go around using it like this anyways."
I raised my sword between them. "Not the place."
Cinder scoffed, stepping aside, while Emerald continued to glare even after we left that area behind.
Arguing could be a good sign, right? Just them getting the friction out the way before they got along.
I held back a sigh.
Who was I kidding? Cinder's prickly personality, not an issue for me, was going to be problem for anyone actually her age.
XOXO
"Your partner is something alright." Emerald grumbled while counting out her cut, all of it coming from my portion of the pay, before a glare flicked up to watch Cinder's fleeting form beyond the alleyway we were in.
"I did warn you." I said, shrugging. Cinder couldn't even be bothered to wait around while I delivered Emerald her portion of the money. The chance to put her abilities to the test out there might've put her in what was likely the closest thing to a good mood I'd ever seen her in, but that didn't make her at all friendlier.
"Why'd you make me do all that out there anyways? I thought my semblance was supposed to be backup." Emerald asked as she hid her stack of lien beneath her cloak, making sure her mask and hood were secured as she looked up at me. "Couldn't you have flown us over the Grimm?"
"More people means using more aura." I admitted. "Besides, to be a proper backup, it needs to be reliable. You didn't think you'd just be getting free money, did you?"
"No." She answered quickly only to cave in on herself. "Kind of…" She said, a sheepish smile forming beneath her mask though all signs of it fell away as eyes fell. "Sorry about what happened out there, its just…"
"Afraid of Grimm?" I guessed.
"No, yeah, I mean-" She sighed. "They've got those weird eyes and those sharp teeth. There's nothing weird about being afraid of something like that. You two are the weird ones. How did that thing being so close not bother you at all?"
"You get used to them." I said, chuckling lightly, that earning a light glare from her. She'd definitely been raised behind kingdom walls but at least she was willing to go out and face the monsters unlike most. With that semblance and all the markings of an agile fighter she'd make for decent backup with time. "Don't let Cinder get you down. You did good out there."
Shifts in the top half of her face gave away another smile.
"But you do need to work on it." That smile instantly fell. "If you don't mind giving up some free time, I'm willing to help out. Just let me know." I said while stepping away and leaving the alley behind, waving.
Things might not have gone well between her and Cinder, but I was sure keeping her around was still the right play.
For now, at least.
XOXO
(A/N: The attention Talon gives Cinder, while it could be a good thing will also end up feeding into her ego. Not necessarily a bad thing but it easily have bad consequences in the wrong set of circumstances.
As always, the link for those who want to read ahead:
patreon .com/ thirdratewriter
I was keeping my mouth shut so I didn't jinx myself but I think I can say I had a crazy January run. I don't think I've consistently given up gaming or other distractions for another hobby I was interested in. That was damn near an entire 30 days of me keeping to schedule I could only dream about before. Weird to think this story could have, what, half the chapters with the pace I was at before if I didn't lock in.
Take that as I sign guys. If a lazy guy with his own fair share of problems can manage to stick to his goals, you probably can too even if they might seem like an impossible challenge at first. Just take it one day at a time.)