A Third Rose
Chapter 15
Dinner and Revelations
A/N: A massive shoutout to Iron117Prime for his incredible help with this chapter, especially with Ironwood's scene. Thanks, man, you're the best.
As always please read and review.
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-Atlas, Ironwood Residence, Training Area-
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After the first day in Atlas, Mercury found out that Ironwood's residence had a rather large training area in the basement. Mercury had been exploring the house during the weekend before he started his schooling once the summer was over. Sure, he was going to a Huntsman training academy before he started Beacon with his friends, but it was still important that he got as much training before then as he could.
The targets were all holographic, which wasn't entirely his choice. The training area only had access to holographic targets rather than physical ones. They didn't even look remotely like Grimm or a person, so any hope for realism was out the door. Instead, one had to hit the targets as quickly as possible, using either ranged or close combat, and a single hit was enough to confirm that the target was down. There was a timer to show how long it would take for someone to take down all the targets, and Mercury was sitting on a solid minute and a half to take out almost sixty of them.
Each time the program was activated, the holographic targets changed locations, making it just as difficult as before. Mercury reactivated the program, and the countdown for the exercise started once again. His whole body tensed and was ready to spring into action like a predator ready to move in for the kill.
The instant the countdown ended, Mercury ran into the fray, striking at each moving target as quickly and efficiently as he could. He had gone through this for a little over an hour at this point, and he still hadn't managed to beat the time that his foster father had managed to accomplish, who apparently had managed to do it in less than thirty seconds.
He sped at each single target as quickly as he could, striking each in rapid succession. He ran at each one, struck at them, and then moved on. Soon enough, he hit the last target; the exercise ended for what felt like the millionth time in the previous hour. Sweat continued to pour down his face for almost thirty minutes nonstop as he barely allowed himself even the shortest break from each exercise.
Mercury walked over to the computer and checked his time. He scowled at the time and felt his anger rise at what he saw. His time was getting worse, as now he had almost two minutes on the timer rather than the minute and a half he had earlier. Mercury felt his temper start to rise, and he raised his fist to slam it into the console when he heard a voice coming from behind him.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't risk hurting yourself while trying to damage the training console."
The twelve-year-old immediately turned to see General Ironwood standing by the stairs that led back up into the house. He had a neutral look on his face while crossing his arms. Suddenly, a cold chill went down Mercury's spine. Ironwood had deliberately told him that he wasn't supposed to use the simulator for more than thirty minutes, and he had undoubtedly gone past that point.
Ironwood didn't look pleased that his foster son had gone and deliberately disobeyed him. For a few seconds, Mercury thought he was in for a beating, considering how his sperm donor had beaten the hell out of him whenever Mercury had so much as hesitated in obeying him, let alone outright defying him. Mercury still had nightmares about those times, especially the last one in the forest on Patch.
However, Ironwood instead took a seat at the stairs and gestured for Mercury to have a seat somewhere as well. Mercury took a seat and, for a second or two before he spoke, "Mercury, I thought I told you that you were only allowed thirty minutes of unsupervised time with the training simulator."
Mercury tensed, seemingly afraid of what he thought was coming. Sure, Ironwood hadn't done anything to him, but up until this point, he hadn't really disobeyed him like this. There was a tense moment before Ironwood pulled out a bottle of water and offered it to Mercury. The silver-haired boy just stared at the offered bottle of water for a few seconds while Ironwood got a kind look on his face. "Come on, you've been at it for over an hour, and I'm willing to bet you haven't been taking any breaks. You need to keep yourself hydrated."
With some hesitation, Mercury took the offered bottle of water and downed most of it in a handful of gulps. Mercury had been getting thirsty, but he had gone without water for a lot longer when his sperm donor was training him –along with a lot more pain- so it wasn't that big a deal.
"What's the big deal?" Asked Mercury, "I just stayed in a bit longer than I should. So what? I have to get stronger for when I go to Beacon."
Ironwood had expected that. Mercury's teachers had all stated that he was very interested in training to be a Hunter, especially the physical portion of it—almost to an obsessive degree. According to Mercury's teachers at the Atlas private school, he put nearly all of his energy into the physical portion of his training, all while only putting in a token effort into anything else.
"You will get strong, but if you only focus on training your body and not your mind, you're going to crash both in the short term and the long term. Something that I'm seeing right now."
Mercury gnashed his teeth together but didn't respond for a while. Instead, he just waited for the beating that was no doubt coming. Strangely enough, none occurred, and instead, he spoke, "Mercury, please, talk to me. Why do you feel the need to push yourself this much?"
The first instinct Mercury had was to tell him to go fuck himself, but considering what happened the last time, he told someone that maybe it would be best if he told him the truth. Besides, aside from being sent off to a school for spoiled rich kids every day, he had a decent standard of living. He wasn't being beaten every day; he wasn't being belittled or otherwise verbally abused. So maybe he should say something-
"But if you don't want to talk to me or your therapist about it, that's fine. Just know that you can talk to us about anything, we-"
"I could have killed him."
Ironwood blinked for a second before becoming worried, "What exactly do you mean by that?"
Mercury was silent for a few minutes before he looked down and said, "I could have killed him before I ran away." He repeated, and suddenly, things began to slot into place for Ironwood. The boy's hands started to shake, and his voice became filled with fury.
For several seconds, Mercury ground his teeth, but eventually, he spoke again, "I had a knife, and he was out cold from drinking all night. I just needed to run it across his throat. If I had done that or been stronger in that forest, then Nix wouldn't have lost his arms!"
The General completely understood exactly what was going on; Mercury was partly blaming himself for everything that happened when Marcus chased the three kids across half a continent. Mercury was angry that he wasn't willing to kill his father –though Ironwood used that term as loosely as possible- and that his lack of willingness to kill him while he was out his weakest and then his lack of strength in protecting his first real friend.
There was a pause for several seconds, and Ironwood started to understand exactly where his foster son was coming from. The General continued to listen as Mercury ranted for a while, letting the boy get it all out of his system, which he eventually did.
Once Ironwood saw that the kid was finally out of steam, he said, "Mercury, you have every reason imaginable to hate your father; he was nothing more than a monster wearing human skin. Hell, in your position, I probably would have killed that bastard myself."
Ironwood's expression then softened as he continued, "But you're not me. I don't blame you for not doing what you thought of doing, and I'm positive neither of your friends blame you either. You felt that bastard hated you, so he'd have no real reason to track you down across a whole continent; you couldn't have known. But that's not the most important part. Even after everything he did…Marcus was still your father. Hate him as much as you want; I don't blame you. But when you take someone's life, even someone who's an irredeemable monster…that's something you can never take back."
There was a pause as Mercury digested the words from Ironwood. There was another moment when Ironwood put his metal hand on his foster son's shoulder.
"Look, Mercury, I'm going to be honest with you. It's not going to be easy for you or your friends going forward; there's a lot you all need to work through, but you're not alone. You have people who care about you who will never treat you like your father treated you. If you let yourself become obsessed with him, if you let his memory dictate your every action and how you feel about yourself, then he's won. Don't give that bastard the satisfaction. Be better than him, not as a fighter but as a person. Be there for your friends, and let them be there for you, too; open yourself up. Just doing that alone will prove you are infinitely better than Marcus ever was."
There was an even longer pause as, once again, Mercury considered the words. Eventually, though, he answered, "Okay, I'll try." Ironwood gave a small smile and ruffled his foster son's hair, causing Mercury to look up at him in a mixture of confusion and uncertainty. Ironwood found himself wondering just what kind of hell the boy had been through, where he seemingly couldn't recognize someone trying to show kindness to them. Then he remembered just who exactly raised the kid, and Ironwood had to force down the anger he had toward the bastard by reminding himself that the monster was already dead.
"That's all I ask," Said Ironwood, "Now I think it's time for you to take a break; we can discuss how you'll be training later."
With that, the two began to head back up the stairs to the house proper, and Ironwood reminded himself to take some time off to spend some time with Mercury. The kid needed an actual father figure, and James fully intended to deliver. He'd also have to ask what his foster son would like to do during that time.
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-Rose/Xiao-Long Household-
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The day before the big dinner with Nix, Emerald, and Ms. Goodwitch, the Rose/Xiao-Long family cleaned the entire house from top to bottom. While the house wasn't particularly filthy, they still wanted it to be cleaned for dinner. The girls and their father all did their tasks as best they could and did a remarkable job. When they were all finished, their father told them how proud he was of all of them and thanked them for their hard work.
A couple of years ago, Cinder would have been extremely worried regarding the housework and how she would be punished if she screwed anything up or if they were simply unsatisfied with her work performance. Instead, she did her tasks dutifully, and if she needed any help with anything, she knew her father would be more than willing to assist her in it. After all, he was working just as hard as everyone else, possibly even more so. They were working together so well that they were finished in just a couple of hours.
Their father had said that they had done such a good job that they would be getting extra cookies for dessert that night. The two jumped with joy at the thought. Even Cinder cracked a small smile at her younger sisters' antics.
That was yesterday, and it was only a matter of time before their guests arrived. Cinder had been awaiting this with a mix of eagerness and anxiety. When she found out for sure that her mother was never coming home again, that she was dead and gone, she was just as heartbroken as her sisters and father. There was something else that was gnawing at her, though. She needed more answers as to how she died. All she got from her dad and uncle was that she died saving Nix, who went on a journey all the way to Vale to return her sword and clasp to them. There was something more there than just her father and uncle trying to help her keep it together. It almost felt like they were hiding something more, but for what reason, she didn't know.
Either way, she wanted to know the truth about what happened; even if it hurt, she needed to find out exactly how her mother died. Sure, it was probably a Grimm, but there was something else going on; she could feel it, and she needed to know what.
Soon enough, Cinder and Taiyang, who were finishing setting the table, heard the doorbell ringing. "I've got it!" Ruby shouted, rushing to the door at a speed that once again caused Cinder to wonder just how someone so young and short could move so fast.
Right behind her was her father, even as the small girl swung open the door, revealing a green-haired, dark-skinned girl, a brown-haired, tanned-skinned boy, and a blonde-haired woman whose long hair was done into a prim and proper bun.
When the boy saw Ruby, his eyes widened almost comically; in fact, Cinder nearly thought that they would pop right out of his head. However, his expression wasn't one of surprise; instead, it was one of shock and something else. It was like he wasn't looking at Ruby but was looking straight through her. She also noticed that his eyes were almost blank in shock. It was the look of an animal that a predator had cornered, but that didn't make any real sense. Ruby was about as threatening as Zwei was when he was begging for treats.
Cinder was about to ask what was going on when, just as soon as the expression had come over his face, it was gone. That being said, though, it was clear that not only had Cinder noticed, but so had everyone else who had come with the boy.
"Nix?" Asked the woman in a kind yet concerned voice. Nix looked up at them with an expression so fake that even Ruby, dense as she could be, saw that it was fake. "It's nothing, I'm fine."
"Are you sure, Nix?" asked the girl next to him. Nix just repeated himself a bit more firmly but not unkindly.
It was then that the family's dad came to the door, and while Nix didn't react the same way he did to Ruby, he seemed very nervous when her dad saw him. Even when Taiyang gave his patented 'dad smile' at Nix, he didn't seem any less anxious.
As if sensing this, the woman cleared her throat and introduced herself, "Hello again, Mister Xiao-Long." Taiyang just smiled and said, "Hey there, Miss Goodwitch."
Taiyang then looked over at his girls and said, "Ladies, I think we should all introduce ourselves to our new guests."
The group did just that, and Cinder noticed just how everyone acted throughout the whole thing. Miss Goodwitch was professional yet somewhat warm. She seemed inexperienced in interacting with kids who were as young as Yang and Ruby and still a little unsure of herself around those who were Cinder's age. However, she seemed determined to at least try to be as nice as possible towards the kids.
"You have lovely children, Mister Xiao-Long," Glynda stated with a nod and a small smile.
Taiyang's grin grew. "Thanks, but we all met back at Beacon, so I think we can talk a little less formally."
Instantly, Ruby's head pivoted to her father for a moment as though confirming what she had just heard before she turned her attention back over to Glynda; in fact, the girl's eyes started sparkling. Glynda raised an eyebrow as the girl said, "You're a huntress?"
Glynda gave a short nod in confirmation, not sure where this was going, though it soon became apparent. The sparkling in the girl's eyes intensified, and Ruby let out a squee of delight, much to the guests' confusion. "Can I get your autograph?"
Cinder and Yang had to desperately keep themselves from breaking down laughing at the dumbfounded expressions their guests were showing. Even Taiyang couldn't help but let out a slight snicker before explaining, "Ruby really idolizes hunters; you should have seen Mr. Silvers when she found out he was a Huntsman; she immediately asked for an autograph."
The strange and confused look on Glynda's face continued even when she signed a piece of paper for the girl, who was practically ready to start jumping in place from excitement. Once she was done, she turned to look at Taiyang, who was smiling indulgently at his daughter. "Out of everything I've seen and done as a Huntress and Deputy Headmistress of Beacon, this was the first time anyone has ever asked me for an autograph."
Taiyang gave a bit of a chuckle before he turned his attention to the other kids who came with their foster mother. "Hey Emerald, Hey Nix. How have you two been doing?" He asked. Emerald gave a beaming smile while Nix looked a little anxious. "We've been good, Mister Xiao-Long." Said Emerald while Ruby and Yang came up to the friend they'd made a couple of months ago.
"Hey, Emerald, do you and Nix want to play some games with us?" Yang asked excitedly while Ruby bounced up and down, nodding her head in agreement. Emerald smiled before looking over at Nix and said, "C'mon, Nix, you'll get a kick out of this, I promise." Nix looked unsure but quickly gave in.
As the group of four started to make their way to the family room, Cinder went over some of the things she had just seen about their guests in her head. Glynda seemed nice, if slightly unsure, when it came to how to act when she was around younger kids. Emerald was already a known quantity and had been good to Ruby and Yang, during her and Mercury's time at their home.
Nix, however, there was something strange about him. The instant he saw Ruby, he looked like he had seen a ghost, but that could have been because of many things. Given that he had seen what had happened to Summer and everything that occurred afterward, he was probably thinking about that every time he saw Ruby. However, Cinder thought that there was something else there. While she, Taiyang, and Yang didn't get the same reaction from Nix, he was clearly nervous around all of them.
One of the board games that Ruby and Yang pulled out was pretty kid-friendly, and the rules and goals were easy to understand. Simply make your way to the finish line by rolling a dice and moving your piece. Depending on where one landed, they would draw a card, and that would do something that would affect where they could move or how. It was a simplistic but enjoyable game.
The group played for a while as dinner was being made, and Cinder noticed that, like during her brief stay, Emerald was genuinely enjoying her time with the group and was pretty indulgent with Ruby and Yang. Cinder remembered thanking Emerald for being so good to Yang and Ruby during her and Mercury's time in the Xiao-Long household. Emerald accepted Cinder's thanks and continued to keep in touch with Cinder and her family.
As the game continued and the group continued to chat, Cinder continued to observe the guests. "So, Cinder, I heard you're planning on joining Beacon, too?" Emerald asked.
Cinder nodded and then asked, "Yep, and by 'too,' I assume you mean you're joining?" There was another affirmative as Emerald patted her foster brother's shoulder. "That's right, Nix, Merc, and I will be going the second we hit seventeen."
Ruby and Yang both had stars in their eyes at that point, especially in the former. "That is so cool!" They both all but cheered. "We want to be huntresses, too! Do you have any ideas for a weapon?! Ooh, you should go with a scythe; they're so cool and incredible and-"
Cinder put a hand on her younger sister's shoulder. "Ruby, please slow down; we can't really keep up." She requested. Ruby's face turned the color of her namesake in embarrassment. All the while, Nix blinked owlishly at the display, and when Emerald saw it, she had to stifle a laugh at how her friend looked and how both she and Cinder reacted in much the same fashion when it first happened to them as well.
Ruby repeated what she said a bit more slowly. Emerald gave it some thought for a few moments before she answered, "Well, I'm not sure yet, but I was thinking about making a pair of weapons; that way if one gets knocked out of my hand, I have a backup."
"Cool!" Ruby declared before she and Yang turned their attention over to Nix, who seemed a little nervous about getting their attention. "What about you?" Yang asked curiously.
There was a long pause before Nix finally answered, "Well, I was kind of thinking of a sword."
"Like mom!" Ruby observed, and all of a sudden, Nix looked a little guilty. "Y-yeah, like your mom."
Emerald looked at her foster brother with a concerned look on her face before she decided to distract everyone with something else. "You know, Ruby, we actually have a bit in common if you think about it."
A puzzled look came over the youngest girl's face before Emerald elaborated, "Well, we're both named after gemstones, 'Emerald,' 'Ruby.'" She explained, to which the six-year-old lit up at that explanation. "Cool! Gem buddies!" The little girl cried out enthusiastically.
Emerald suddenly wondered whether she had made a terrible mistake as she looked at the amused expressions on everyone else's faces. Fortunately for the girl, her friends didn't have a moment to tease her as Taiyang's voice came from the kitchen/dining room: "Dinner's ready, everyone!"
Almost immediately after that, the group stopped playing their little board game and began making their way to where dinner was being served. The dinner itself wasn't fancy, but it wasn't a microwave meal either. There was chicken and various veggies arrayed out for everyone to dig into.
As everyone began eating, Taiyang said, "So, how's dinner?"
Everyone quickly expressed appreciation for the taste. As they ate, Nix appeared more and more uncomfortable with every passing moment, something that everyone else in the room soon picked up on. It eventually became apparent to everyone at the table. Glynda gave her foster son a kind look and asked, "Nix, are you all right?"
Nix blinked and realized that everyone was looking at him with more than a bit of concern, "E-everything's fine, honest." He said, with a smile that almost everyone could see was fake, "The food's great; thank you for inviting us, Mister Xiao-Long."
There was a long pause before Nix said, "Um, can I be excused for a minute?" He asked, to which Taiyang nodded. Nix immediately got out of his seat and headed out. Cinder knew for a fact that he wasn't heading for the restroom as he was heading in the opposite direction.
Curious about why he was acting so strangely around them and hoping to get more information on what exactly happened to her mother, Cinder said, "I need to be excused too; I'll be right back." She took off without waiting for anyone to say anything and went in the same direction as Nix.
Everyone looked concerned as Taiyang looked like he was about to get up or say something, but Glynda waved him down. "Just give him a few minutes, please."
Yang and Ruby both looked at their father and then towards Glynda. Yang asked, "Is Nix okay?"
Glynda seemed uncomfortable by the question but said, "He's been having a rough time lately, but he'll be feeling better soon."
Just outside the small house, Nix found himself sitting on the steps leading up to the patio, watching the sun start setting, his mind awhirl with thoughts. His mind conflicted with what he had seen from the Rose/Xiao-Long family and what he had expected from them. He had expected something much different ever since he had arrived at the home. Nix had expected anger, outrage, and blame to be thrown at him in equal measure. Sure, Mister Xiao-Long hadn't done any of that while Nix was in the hospital, but that was probably because he was distraught over his wife's death to have time to do that.
Nix was so caught up in his thoughts and regrets that he failed to hear the creaking of the door leading into the house opening, nor did he hear the footsteps walking towards him. He didn't notice anything until he heard a familiar voice speak up from behind. "So, was dinner really that bad?" The eldest child of the Rose/Xiao-Long family asked, causing Nix to all but jump up from his seat.
He turned and saw Cinder looking at him with a curious expression. A small part of her wanted to make a crack about how aspiring hunters should be aware of their surroundings and how, if she were a Grimm, he probably would have been torn to pieces by now, but he clearly didn't need to hear that. He was clearly miserable enough already.
The boy's expression became worried. "N-no, nothing like that. I just…I thought…I mean…" he stammered before trailing off completely for a few moments, then started to speak again, this time with a bit more clarity to his voice. "I wasn't expecting a warm welcome. I-I h-honestly expected to be yelled at, have accusations thrown in my face, you know."
That caused Cinder to arch an eyebrow. "Why would we treat you that way? You traveled thousands of miles to deliver the news that our mother died and helped save me and my little sisters from not only a Grimm but a murderous psychopath. The last thing we'd do is treat you like you weren't welcome. Where did you even get that idea?"
Nix looked down at the ground, not being able to look her in the eye. What he said rocked Cinder to the core, "Because I'm the reason your mother is dead. It's all my fault."
Her eyes widened as she looked at Nix with an intense and shocked gaze. "What?" She asked hoarsely.
Nix didn't look up as he started to tell her everything that happened, from how he picked Summer's pocket to how she caught up with him and, instead of punishing him or anything, talked to him and convinced him to go back to the orphanage he had run away from. Then, how they were both attacked by three strange men who were clearly after Summer, how he had been taken hostage, and finally, how Summer had died trying to rescue him.
"…I don't know why they just knocked me out instead of killing me. When I woke up, I saw that everyone was gone, and Summer's clasp and sword were in the sand, so I figured I'd return it, and-and tell you all how sorry I am."
Throughout the entire thing, Nix was unable to meet Cinder's eyes. "Nix, look at me," Cinder stated in a tone that brokered no argument. Hesitatingly, Nix looked up at Cinder, who saw that the boy had tears in his eyes and his shoulders were starting to shake.
Cinder was enraged by what she heard, more than any other time in her life, but her anger wasn't directed at Nix; instead, it was more toward the bastards who had murdered her mother. She wanted to find them, make them suffer, and then finally end them when they begged for death.
Cinder wasn't stupid, though, and refused to let her anger cloud the reality of the situation. She knew she wasn't nearly strong enough to take on the people who had murdered her mother. She would get stronger until she could hunt each of them down and kill them all.
The eldest daughter of Taiyang and Summer was broken out of her thoughts when she heard Nix utter the words, "It should have been me who died. She should have just left me there."
"Don't ever say that!" Cinder barely managed to restrain herself from shouting the words at Nix, who looked up at her in surprise. "B-but I'm the-" he started, but Cinder didn't give him the chance to even finish his sentence.
"Did you know what was going to happen?"
Nix shook his head.
"Would you have done it if you did?"
"N-no!" He managed to get out, almost choking on the words.
"You not only traveled thousands of miles just so you could give us closure, but you also saved Emerald, Mercury, my sisters, and my life all in the process."
He still looked unsure, but Cinder wasn't finished yet. "Let me tell you something. If given the same choice over and over, Mom would have made the same one each time to try and save you, even if it meant that she might die. She would never run away and leave anyone in danger! She wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she had just up and left you! And I'll tell you this right now: the only person who needs to forgive you is you! No one else!"
There was a long silence then, and Nix didn't know what to say to Cinder. Eventually, though, he said, "I-I don't know if I can…but I'll try."
Cinder somehow knew that he probably wouldn't have been able to forgive himself that easily, but it was still a start. "Okay, now do you want to head back in or…" she trailed off, to which Nix gave a nod. "I think I can head back in now."
Nix gave an uneasy smile as she stood, and she offered her hand to him. He took it, and the pair headed back inside.
When they came back in, the kids went to ask Nix if he was okay, but it was clear to the two adults that Nix was doing much better than when he first arrived. While they weren't fully aware of the conversation, as they had wanted to give the two kids some privacy, Glynda and Taiyang felt that they could infer most of it.
"You know, Mister Xiao-Long, you were right; bringing Nix here has seemed to help." She looked over at the man and saw him with a dumb grin on his face as he watched his children interact with Glynda's foster kids. However, if he were being honest, it was clear to him that it would probably only be a matter of time before she decided to make the adoption official.
"Well, I didn't just want to show my thanks for everything those two did. I just wish that I could have done it while Mercury was here, too."
Glynda gave him a comforting smile "You still showed him more kindness than he was used to and that was probably a good reward in and of itself."
It was then that Glynda remembered something important: "By the way, Mister Xiao-Long, would it be possible for me to ask you every now and then for some parenting advice? There are times when it feels like I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing."
Taiyang chuckled a little. "Well, at least you're honest. But sure, I'll give you some advice if you need it. Ironwood's already asked me for some parenting tips."
Glynda Goodwitch didn't smirk at hearing that, nor did she feel smug that she managed to hold out longer than Ironwood; she was a professional and was above such things. Anyone who said that she felt that way was lying or didn't know what they were talking about. If necessary, she'd die on that hill if she had to.
While they didn't hear any of the conversation so as not to disturb the children's privacy, they were prepared to go out there if things became more heated. Nor did they hear Cinder's thoughts of her planning to become stronger than her mother in order to hunt down those responsible for her death. She would make them pay for the pain they had inflicted on her family.
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-Grimmlands, Salem's Castle, Training Grounds-
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The training grounds for Salem's castle were less training grounds and more an underground arena of sorts. There was a moderately circular room with only a skyline and numerous candles and torches providing light. Two individuals were in the dirt of the training grounds. One was a bald man wearing a black T-shirt with a combat vest over it and armored combat pants. His face was little more than a dispassionate slate, if it could be called that. In his hands was a machete that was heavily serrated.
Opposite the bald man was a girl roughly sixteen years of age. Drizella was wearing a form-fitting outfit that could only be described as simultaneously practical and dull in appearance. She had her long brown hair done up into a practical-looking ponytail. In her hands was a bo-staff with two sharply bladed prongs at each end. The man looked almost bored at the girl while she seemed practically feral.
She immediately charged at him, the two-bladed prongs crackling with electricity as she did. She thrust the staff forward, intent on striking him in the chest, but he effortlessly batted the clumsy attack aside with her machete without touching the prongs with his weapon. Drizella attempted it again, this time at his knee. This time, he jumped backward to avoid the attack. "Stop using such predictable attacks; use something unorthodox." He ordered.
Drizella attempted to take him up on that, gaining as much space as she could, and she tossed the weapon upwards into the air in his direction before she started rushing forward, hoping that it would distract him long enough for her to close the distance. She grabbed the bo-staff before it hit the ground and struck at the man horizontally. Like before, he jumped over the attack and said, "Well, that certainly looked impressive, but that's about all."
She then tried several more attacks, but each was blocked or dodged. Each strike was rapid and would have proven to be a relative threat to a student at one of the academies, but for someone who would likely need to go up against fully fledged hunters, she would need work. So Salem had made Turk begin training Salem's new protégé in combat and proved to be a truly harsh taskmaster and was only kept in check by how Salem made it clear that no permanent damage was to be done. Everything else, though, was fair game.
The spar continued for a while longer, with Turk lecturing her about what he should be doing better throughout. While she did take his advice to heart, it was very clear she hated him and desperately wanted to give some insult at how he continued to humiliate her throughout her training. She knew better than to do that, though, as the last time she mouthed off to him, he had beaten her…badly as punishment. She never gave any insult after that.
Eventually, Turk seemed to tire of dodging and struck back, only he did it without his blade. He gave a swift kick to her chest as she tried to make another attempt to strike at him. She was sent flying into the nearby wall, her aura cushioning the blow, but it was clear that her aura was almost entirely exhausted. He slowly walked towards her, his dispassionate expression boring into her. She waited, pretending to be more injured than she really was.
When Drizella judged Turk close enough, she lashed out with her bo-staff one final time. The power in the blow was relatively weak, but it was better than simply doing nothing and letting him humiliate her again. This time, the blow managed to strike the man's arm, albeit barely, and Turk found himself flinching backward from the jolt of electricity that coursed through his arm and into the rest of his body.
It wasn't much as Turk looked down briefly at his shocked arm before looking back up at Drizella and narrowing his eyes at her. "Better, but not good enough, not nearly good enough."
Drizella knew better than to attack now as he was in 'lecture' mode. "If you are to succeed against your enemy, your best weapons are fear, surprise, and intimidation. If any of those are lacking, then it would be best to retreat; you need to stack the deck as heavily in your favor as you can before engaging them."
"I'll remember that." Drizella managed to get out.
She was about to get up when Turk and Drizella heard their master's voice behind them: "Sage words."
They turned and saw Salem, Queen of the Grimm, standing there, flanked by her two shadows. A psychotic scorpion Faunus named Tyrian and a young boy who was a couple of years younger than Drizella. The boy was another person recruited directly by Salem, just like Drizella and Tyrian. His name was Lucian Solis, and unlike most who had at least some form of fear of Salem, he stayed as close to Salem as he could whenever possible. Salem didn't appear to mind having the boy follow her around like a lost puppy.
"Well, Drizella, it would appear as though you have been improving steadily since I found you," Salem stated, to which Lucian looked more than a little envious at the praise. He then glared at Drizella. "But not by much, it seems; you still can't last more than two minutes against Instructor Turk. It's actually quite pathetic, really."
Drizella grit her teeth at the sheer disrespect that Lucian was giving her. How dare he look down on her! She stepped forward with her bo-staff as if looking to repay the insult in full and then some. Lucian's dirty glare turned into a smirk as he raised his weapon, a morning star, and looked like he was about to strike out at her when Salem put a hand in front of the boy, halting him.
"Lucian, don't antagonize Drizella. Drizella, I advise you to grow some thicker skin. If you give in to anger every time you fight, you will lose." When Salem spoke to Lucian, it was stern but, at the same time, almost like a mother admonishing her son. Lucian bit his lip and looked nearly downcast, but he quickly recovered while still giving Drizella a withering expression.
Salem ignored the look Lucian was giving Drizella and instead continued, "Perhaps it would be best for Drizella to test herself against your protégé Turk. It seems as though Aeron is looking for any opportunity to spar with others."
Turk hummed and nodded before he ran a hand over his scalp. "True, he has been very…eager to test his skills." Aeron was very interested in improving his skills and proving himself. Despite his age, he would almost always take the opportunity for a spar of some sort. It was to a nearly obsessive extreme that he had to prove himself as the best.
Salem then looked over at Drizella and said, "For now, though, perhaps it would be best for Drizella to have a brief recess before returning to her training."
Those who saw Drizella could quickly tell that she needed more than just a 'brief recess' before returning to her training. There were numerous bruises and wounds, and while her aura would eventually help heal the damage, it would take time. However, it would be the height of foolishness for Drizella to voice any complaints regarding it. She remembered doing that once, and Salem only made her training far harsher as a response. The wounds she endured after that took quite some time to heal, even with her Aura.
Despite this apparent mistreatment, Drizella didn't focus her displeasure on Salem; she would be wishing for a slow death to even think of doing that. Instead, she focused most of her murderous hatred on those she believed responsible for her suffering in the first place: Cinder, her adopted family, and friends. Drizella would kill them all, slowly and painfully, and only when they cursed the ungrateful brat's name and wished that she had never been born would Drizella end their suffering and let them die.
That wouldn't be the end, though. Not by a long shot. There were others out there who needed to be given the same treatment; all of Atlas would die for turning on Drizella and her family. For taking the side of that gutter trash rather than her family and for letting her mother die before kicking Drizella and Anastasia out of the only home they had ever known. Mistral would die for not keeping her sister safe when they were put into foster care. The people of Vale would die for harboring the gutter trash and the Huntress who had ruined her life. Finally, those in Vacuo would die for allowing that damned huntress into their kingdom despite what she had done to her family.
She would make them all pay. No matter what it took, how long it took, no matter how many lives it took. She would destroy everything.
To be continued.
A/N: So I've gotten a few comments PM'd that Nix is acting a little bit irrationally regarding how he feels about Summer's death, but I've got this to say in response: He has survivor's guilt. It's not a rational thing, but it happens a lot with people who survive tragedies. Not to mention that he's not just going to get over it after this little pep talk, but it did help him take that first essential step towards forgiving himself.
Also, it seems we've got a look at what's happening with Drizella since Salem took her in, and it's clear where she's ending up mentally. But being a spoiled borderline narcissistic brat will do that when they finally have to deal with the consequences of their actions. They can never accept responsibility.
And I'd say we've got one or two chapters before Cinder begins Beacon, so expect a couple of time skips.