Friendly date

First of all, I’d like to inform you that the Remnant arc (RWBY) has ended on (P)(A)(T). A chapter of 10,000 words that consumed part of my soul.

That said, if you want to support me or just read 3 out of 7 chapters ahead, that’s possible on my (P)(A)(T). If not, I still appreciate you reading!

Have a great day and happy reading!

(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori

[...]---[...]

POV: Devas Asura

After the match between Team RWBY and Team JNPR ended, I said goodbye to Ozpin and headed toward the arena entrance to congratulate the girls and speak with Team JNPR. Not with everyone from JNPR, but with one in particular, who I thought needed a conversation.

Pyrrha didn’t seem shaken by the defeat; quite the opposite, she seemed and felt so relieved that I could sense it even from a distance. Which, in a way, was surprising. From what I saw, this must have been her first real loss, at least against people her age, other than me. But no, she was handling it well.

Nora and Ren were almost the same. Of course, they were down and sad, but not defeated or depressed to the point where it seemed like they had just received news that their family had been killed.

Jaune, on the other hand, was. His emotions were so negative that I wouldn’t be surprised if a Grimm emerged from his shadow and started attacking him—not everything around him, just him. All his negative emotions were turned inward.

To my surprise, Ozpin seemed to pick up on my intentions and interrupted me.

“Let me talk to young Arc.” He got up almost at the same time I did. I didn’t need to ask why before he started explaining. “This isn’t the first time one of my students has acted like him.”

“Like everything bad that happens is his fault?” I commented.

Ozpin nodded. “Yes. I’m used to situations like this. I’m not saying you shouldn’t talk to him if you want to, just let me speak to young Arc first.”

I thought for a moment before nodding.

“I’ll leave that to you then.” Honestly, I was somewhat relieved.

I wasn’t completely terrible at dealing with situations like this, but I admit I didn’t feel comfortable, let alone confident. The chances of Ozpin handling it better than me were huge. If the man said to leave it to him, I wouldn’t be the one to argue.

After really saying goodbye to Ozpin this time, as he went toward Team JNPR, I headed to meet Team RWBY. I simply congratulated them on their victory and commented on a few things I thought could be improved, along with some mistakes I noticed, both in combat and strategy.

Ruby had asked me to do this because it would help improve the team. I didn’t see why not. I didn’t consider myself the best person for this since I fought more on instinct than technique, but I was confident that, at the very least, I wouldn’t say anything harmful.

Of course, I asked Jinn to correct me if I said anything wrong or left out something important. Her silence was enough to let me know I hadn’t made any mistakes.

I didn’t hold them for too long after that. They were clearly exhausted—Ruby and Weiss, in particular, seemed seconds away from passing out. Yang and Blake, though in better shape, didn’t seem too far off either.

After handing over the barbecue skewers they had asked me for yesterday to Yang, I headed toward another person I wanted to talk to: a small robot-human who, for some reason, had deliberately lost her fight. I found Penny next to her partner in one of the rooms James had ‘taken over’ for Atlas.

Ciel Soleil was her name, as far as I could remember. She should be about the same age as me, somewhere around twenty or twenty-one, but considering how Aura worked, I wouldn’t be surprised if she were older.

She had dark black skin, dark petrol-blue straight hair cut in an asymmetrical curved style. Her eyes were light blue, dull, and she had a golden mark on her forehead—an oval mark surrounded by four small circles.

If we were on Earth, I would say she was Indian; her features reminded me a bit of that, but her clothes and name were French, especially the cyan-blue beret. However, I might be stereotyping something here.

Ciel means “sky” in French, from the little I knew of the language, and her last name probably had something to do with the sun, if I had to guess. It was a beautiful, cheerful name, even though its owner seemed bored and serious as hell.

The stiff soldier stereotype was strong with this one. James needed to start giving his men and women more breaks. I waved to the soldiers as I walked in. None of them tried to stop me.

Penny was the first to notice me when I entered the room—she seemed to have sensed me before I even came in, actually. The second and last was Ciel. The first one’s reaction was basically joy and surprise at my presence. The latter just analyzed me for a moment before seeming to recognize me. With a slight widening of her eyes, she stood and gave me a formal salute.

“Mr. Devas, sir!”

I ignored Jinn’s little laugh that echoed from the Lamp and motioned for Ciel to relax. That didn’t even bother me anymore at this point; everyone, or almost everyone, involved with Atlas was too formal.

“Friend Devas!”

Before the last word left Penny’s lips, I had already opened my arms and caught the little robot as she jumped toward me. The abnormal weight of her body was far from being really heavy for me.

I spun my body while holding Penny to absorb the impact, more out of habit than necessity, before setting her down.

“Penny!” I exclaimed with a smile. This little one really made me happy. “How are you?”

I chatted with her a bit about how she was, her thoughts, and everything else before asking what I really wanted: “Why did you hold back in the fight against Team CFVY?”

Not just against Team CFVY, but against all the other teams she fought. Penny was holding herself to a specific level of strength and skill. I thought she was doing it to surprise her future opponents, but then she lost.

I had seen what Team CFVY was capable of and knew what Penny could do, not because I had seen her fight, but because James had explained it to me. If there hadn’t been some unique situation, Penny should have crushed Team CFVY, with or without Ciel’s help.

But no. As much as Penny and Ciel had put up a good fight against Coco and Velvet, they lost, which didn’t make sense... unless they had been ordered to...

"It wouldn’t be fair to fight with more strength and skill than I used." Penny tilted her head to the side for a moment, a practiced movement I had noticed for some time. She did this when she was unsure of what to say or when she wanted to fake uncertainty. In this case, it was the first option.

"I was created exclusively for battle, made for this. I didn’t receive training like everyone else. It wouldn’t be fair to the effort, sweat, and tears they put into their training if I fought with everything I was designed for."

The tone of her voice as she explained was neutral, like a regular conversation, but the emotion I felt emanating from her soul was sad and bitter...

...The shadows around us rippled and darkened slightly. Penny and Jinn noticed; Ciel didn’t.

I ignored Stark’s message in the (CHAT): [Now we’re screwed...] and focused on Penny.

"Penny... Did someone order you to hold back?" I asked casually. Ciel flinched. I ignored her reaction. "Those words... who told you that you were created exclusively for battle?"

It couldn’t be James. He wasn’t an idiot and genuinely treated Penny with affection. Winter? I didn’t think it was her, much less Pietro Polendina. I had a brief conversation with the man—something like a few dozen words—but even from that, I could tell the love he had for his daughter. It wasn’t any of them...

My thoughts raced quickly before coming to a halt just as fast when Penny answered me.

"No one ordered me to take such actions. Why?" She tilted her head to the other side. Her doubt about my question was genuine. "Why did your irises suddenly change to the color orange?"

I blinked for a moment and pulled back my second racial trait. This thing seemed to be getting more active ever since it had ‘awakened’...

"It’s a peculiarity of my eyes," I explained briefly. Penny nodded, agreeing with my words, without asking any further questions.

She continued: "No one has ever told me the words ‘created exclusively for battle’ at any time in the past." Penny repeated the phrase word for word before hesitating for a moment, visibly embarrassed. I could sense it since her expression didn’t change.

She motioned for me to crouch down and stood on tiptoe, whispering extremely softly in my ear: "I wasn’t allowed to, but I read the original files about my creation. Don’t tell anyone, please..."

Ignoring the fact that I was sure James and Pietro had access to all of Penny’s conversations—which she should also know, but still tried to be sneaky—it was incredibly cute the way she was acting.

"I’ll keep it a secret, don’t worry," I replied. Penny sighed, relieved. I sent a message in the (CHAT) to Winter, asking her to let James know not to comment on anything. The response came in less than two seconds.

Ciel seemed content enough to continue pretending to be a statue, and I didn’t bother to change that.

Now, how do I resolve this? It would’ve been relatively simple if someone had ordered Penny to hold back and told her those words. I wouldn’t even have to try too hard... But since it was Penny herself...

I didn’t really like festivals, but it won’t hurt...

"Want to take a walk?" I asked.

"Oh!?" Her pupils shrank like camera lenses before returning to normal. "Like a date? I have data on that!"

"A friendly date, yes." It was better to get that out of the way to avoid misunderstandings later. Penny didn’t seem fazed by my words at all and quickly nodded.

"Of course! We’re friends!" The negative emotions she had been carrying practically evaporated. Penny practically dragged me out of the room before stopping and turning to Ciel.

"Ciel, are you coming?" She didn’t seem too sure if she should ask, but still did. They weren’t close, were they?

Ciel hesitated for a moment, her eyes shifting from Penny to me. Her Scroll beeped at that moment, and the message she received was enough to answer the question.

“No, no. I don’t want to interrupt your walk. You two go ahead without me.” Her voice was monotone, probably her usual tone, but the nervousness was apparent.

I didn’t comment, and neither did Penny, who cheerfully waved goodbye and pulled me along after saying farewell to Ciel.

“Is she your friend?” I asked after we left the room.

Penny let go of my hand and walked beside me, answering without stopping. “Ciel? No. She’s just someone ordered to spend time with me.”

That’s what I thought...

Before I could say anything else, I felt the equivalent of a mental nudge. It was coming from the Lamp on my waist. I recognized the energy, my energy. I grabbed hold of the sensation after realizing it wasn’t coming directly from the lamp and pulled it toward me.

(“Since when is this possible?”)

(“I think since that mark appeared?”) Jinn replied. I could feel her mental shrug. (“It’s not something that can be done over long distances, or for very long, by the way. It drains a lot of nightmare energy, but it’s doable.”)

I noticed a small wisp of black smoke coming out of the top of the relic. It was faint and barely noticeable to anyone who didn’t have very sharp eyes. The smoke didn’t emit any smell.

(“Are you channeling the mark’s energy out of the lamp, or is this smoke a consequence of the link between us?”) I asked.

(“Can’t I just be having a barbecue?”)

(“I hope not, since that would mean I wasn’t invited.”) Jinn’s laughter echoed in my head before she responded.

(“The black smoke is thanks to me channeling the mark’s energy out of the relic. I didn’t want to risk a direct connection between us while I’m still in here.”)

(“Wise of you. That’s probably why I can’t maintain this connection on my own, I imagine.”) I commented. If I could sustain this link by myself, it would be better; I had way more energy than the mark on Jinn’s thigh.

(“Yep!”) She mentally popped the ‘p’. (“With me out of the relic, it should be possible, and the range should increase too, but not by much.”)

I let Penny lead the way while I conversed with Jinn. She seemed content to guide us. I only kept part of my attention on my surroundings to avoid accidentally bumping into anyone.

The fights had ended just a few minutes ago, so almost everyone had left the stands and gone to the public areas of Amity, either to eat or see other attractions. The place was packed and would likely get even more crowded tomorrow, during the finals.

I could recognize a few people in the crowd. No close acquaintances, just people I had seen randomly before. Some Faunus from the Belladonna delegation, a few Atlas soldiers who seemed to be on leave—or pretending to be on leave—and some students from Beacon.

(“You know, you looked like you were about to tear someone apart back there.”) Jinn’s voice echoed in my head again.

(“Cute of you to think I only looked like I was about to do that.”)

(“You care an unusual amount about Penny,”) Jinn pointed out.

(“Yes.”) I didn’t deny it. (“I don’t even fully understand why myself, at least not entirely, but part of me really cares about her.”)

(“Planning to invite her to the stream?”) I could hear her humming in my head before she warned: (“The mark’s energy is about to run out.”)

(“I’ll recharge it later. That didn’t last long. Does the mark have that little energy?”) I asked. I didn’t think it was that little when I examined it before. (“And to answer your question: I’m not sure.”)

I had thought about it a few times, but I was hesitating for a couple of reasons: the limited number of invitations I had and the possibility of getting something similar to a Pylon when the emergency mission ended.

I needed to check the mission log, actually—it had been a while since I last opened it...

("I may or may not be testing the uses of the mark before trying this connection... But of course, it’s all good. You yourself said you’d recharge the mark later.") Before I could respond, Jinn sighed—so fake and exaggerated that I had no doubt she wanted me to know it. ("I think the energy is running out, or—")

Then the connection was turned off. Not cut or forcibly ended, but simply turned off.

“Wasn’t she all serious before?… What happened to that Jinn?” I murmured, amused.

“Huh? Miss Jinn, the teacher you hired?” Penny stopped in the middle of the crowd and turned around. “Did something happen to her?”

“No, nothing.” I shook my head and brushed off the topic before asking, “Where are you taking us, by the way? Do you have somewhere in mind?”

“We’re taking a walk. We’re a few blocks away from completing the circuit around Amity,” she answered naturally. “I didn’t know if you meant that literally, so before our friendly meeting, I was guiding us on a full loop around Amity.”

I blinked a few times without moving and stared at Penny. She did the same, copying exactly the number of blinks I had done. The staring contest continued for a few seconds, with Penny and me ignoring the passersby who gave us strange looks.

“Am I wrong?” She tilted her head to the side.

“…A little, but I think it’s fine in this case.” I nodded. “Let’s go, how many blocks did you say were left again?”

“I didn’t say!” She replied, pleased not to have mixed things up. “But there are sixteen blocks left. Do you want me to give the exact measurements in meters or feet?”

I shook my head. “Let’s just finish the walk.” Penny mimicked my actions, nodding to confirm, and we resumed walking.

I used this time to read the Emergency Mission, which had a [NEW!] icon beside it. There were a few changes since last time, mainly in the last part of the description, where there was something I didn’t remember seeing in any other mission before.

-//-

[Emergency Mission! (Ticket) - (Part 2/2)]

Rarity: AmberWorld: Remnant (RWBY)Time limit: 30 days. (Max)

Mission description: Due to Ruby Rose unlocking her “Silver Eyes” earlier than expected and using them in battle, the “Queen of the Grimm” has become aware of her existence and sent one of her most loyal pawns, Tyrian Callows, to hunt her down. (COMPLETE!)

Stop him before he completes the mission given by the Queen. (COMPLETE!)

Reward: Vault Key (Random - One-time use) (COMPLETE!)

Note: Emergency missions obtained via an Emergency Ticket have reduced rewards!

[...]

Description (Partially discarded!): Even though the improvised plans of the “Queen of the Grimm” to kill the “Girl with Silver Eyes” were thwarted, the world keeps turning, and the seasons change as time passes…

Stop the plans of the one who seeks to claim Fall for herself; prevent the fall of Beacon, which illuminates the world’s fate...

[RECALCULATING!]

[NEW!]

Description: Your actions have destabilized the balance of a game that has been unfolding for millennia!

The Queen accepted your ‘invitation’ and has begun to move. Her pawns and her army follow her to war, ready to fight against whoever stands on the opposite side of the board…

Chess is a game for two players, and usually, the game ends when the King falls… But not in this case…

Objective: Remove the Queen from the board.

Reward: ???, ???, ???, ??? OR ???.

Note: Emergency missions obtained via an Emergency Ticket have reduced rewards!

-//-

Ignoring the fact that I now had confirmation that Salem was coming to Vale, what really caught my attention were the rewards. Something similar had happened before, where I had two possible paths, and each offered a reward. But this was the first time I had to choose between one reward or another on my own.

I kept walking as I mentally pulled up the stream screen and turned on the Mental Mic.

“Ozpin, are you watching the stream? If he’s not, Winter or one of the girls, please let him and James know that Salem is coming to Vale,” I broadcasted my thoughts to the stream.

I didn’t have to wait long before the response to my question appeared in the (CHAT).

[TheWizardOz]: I’m here, don’t worry… So she’s really coming. I’d like to say I’m not surprised, but part of me still is. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Salem move personally for anything. (Oz Wizard sigh emote)

[WinterSchnee]: I’ve already informed General Ironwood of the information in The Streamer’s mission.

[AsuraLady]: DON’T YOU DARE GO FIGHT ALONE, DEVAS! I DON’T CARE IF THIS CHESS GAME OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT THESE TWO HAVE BEEN PLAYING SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME INVOLVES ONLY TWO PLAYERS. YOU HAVE ATLAS AND VALE’S ARMIES WITH YOU, USE THEM! LET THE HUNTSMEN AND HUNTRESSES FIGHT TOO! DON’T GO TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED AGAIN ON YOUR OWN!

[JiraiyaIsAnIdiot]: War… No matter how many years pass, I still hate that word. I hope your war is quicker and less bloody than the one happening in the Elemental Nations, Devas… (Tired old frog sigh emote)

[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: I… Was going to say something similar to what Saya said, but I think I’ll let her rant speak for me too. Damn, it was obvious this was coming, but it still sucks to have that confirmation. (Frustrated Iron Man emote)

[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]: I’d say I’m happy and mad, but I’m just mad. Besides this being bad news, that old witch ruined my beloved, incredibly smart, and beautiful So-Tan’s debut in the (CHAT)! (Irritated magical girl huff emote)

[So-Tan]: First of all: It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Nice to meet you, Devas, The Streamer. My name is Sona Sitri, Heir to the Sitri House. Secondly: I was coerced by my sister into using this nickname. Thirdly: I’m still adjusting to all the information that was thrown at me overnight, so I apologize in advance for any missteps. (Emote of a demon wearing glasses and a Japanese school uniform making a polite bow)

[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: Super formal, the emote gave it away, but even without it, I could already imagine her wearing glasses. Bet she’s the student council president or something like that… Why do demons from that world love Japan so much anyway?! (Emote of a generic guy scratching his chin)

I skimmed through the messages, pausing a little longer on Saya’s rant and Sona’s introduction. I also noticed that Team RWBY hadn’t sent any messages, so they probably went for that nap they mentioned.

Saya was right, in a way. I didn’t have to fight alone, that much was obvious. I had all the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Vale to assist me, not to mention the Atlas army. The only problem was… Salem.

I had already seen what the woman was capable of, based on what I had learned about Remnant’s magic. I’d seen the spells she could cast, and that was literally millennia ago. Now, if she wasn’t stronger, she was certainly much more experienced… There was no one but me to face the witch.

Jinn had already told me she couldn’t attack Salem or Ozpin; that was one of her heaviest restrictions. She could fight the Grimm and support the army, but not the Queen.

Maybe Dahlia could help me, but not much. She could very well just grab her family and run at the sight of Salem. Amber was still in a coma, recovering, but not fast enough.

The only real asset I had was Ozpin. Even weakened by creating the Maidens, he was still extremely experienced and had that cane, which probably held enough mana to blow up a good chunk of Vale…

“Jinn, I’ll need to talk to you later about a few things.” I sent my thoughts to the stream. I knew she was watching. I needed to ask how Cinder and Hazel compared to Qrow and Glynda.

I also needed to learn more about the White Fang—more than what James, Ozpin, and I already knew, at least. They were a minor issue, but still a problem—especially with a Grimm army backing them… Not that they were a big threat, but still.

… My Nightmares stirred in my shadow.

I sighed. Looks like I’ll need to release them sooner than I thought. So much for saving them as a trump card.

“I won’t try to get myself killed, Saya, that much I can promise you. In fact, I literally try to avoid situations like that. It might not seem like it, but I actually enjoy living.” I chose my words carefully, but Saya was smart and would catch the nuances sooner or later.

Penny was cheerfully humming beside me. I still hadn’t managed to talk to her about her earlier words…

I changed the subject between steps. “Welcome to the stream, Sona. Serafall probably explained things to you, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask one of the (MODS). I recommend Jarvis or Jinn.”

I didn’t know much about Sona, aside from her being Serafall’s sister and really into chess for some reason. Something about her wanting to open a school too, wasn’t it?...

Honestly, I didn’t have a strong opinion about her yet. At least she seemed less idiotic than the average Devil, which was already an advantage—though not exactly impressive...

I pushed thoughts of DXD aside when I spotted a trio heading toward me and Penny. I recognized the three immediately, it was kind of hard not to. A couple of cats and one problematic chameleon…

The timing was convenient, but what in the world did Blake’s parents and Ilia want with me?

[…]

POV: Kali Belladonna

“Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna, Ms. Ilia. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Devas greeted us as soon as we approached, his eyes briefly flicking between me and my husband before landing on Ilia. I felt her shrink beside me.

He was polite but not formal, I noticed. The way he said “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” and “Ms.,” though it didn’t sound forced, didn’t seem natural either. Blake had mentioned he wasn’t fond of formalities, hadn’t she?

“You can call me Kali, and my husband Ghira.” I leaned my head on my husband’s arm, where I was resting. “That way things won’t get confusing, since we’re both Belladonnas after all.”

I didn’t mention Ilia, and Devas didn’t seem interested in her either. Ilia certainly wasn’t interested in him. She was content to just ignore him and try to appear as invisible as possible.

At least she wasn’t literally turning invisible. Did Devas scare her? From what they said, he did so with just a single word. Seems like Blake’s warnings weren’t unfounded.

“Kali and Ghira, then.” Devas nodded before introducing the young girl beside him. “This is Penny, my—”

“SA.LU.TA.TI.ONS!” Penny shouted, cutting him off before he could finish. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. and Mr. Belladonna!”

Cute and energetic. She reminded me a bit of Blake before she ran off with Adam… and now my irritation started rising.

“Nice to meet you, dear.” I smiled, trying to push aside the irritation with my daughter’s ex. My husband waved and smiled the same way I did — a man of few words, as always. I pinched Ilia.

“Gah! Nice to meet you.” She grumbled, rubbing the pinched spot before glancing more closely at Penny.

So, she had also noticed something odd about the girl? Ghira didn’t show anything, and I thought it was just my imagination, but it seemed not.

Ilia looked like she wanted to say something but, after a glance at Devas, decided to stay silent. I spoke again, replying to Devas’s initial question.

“My husband, Ilia, and I were just taking a walk around Amity when we saw you two, so I thought we’d stop and say hello.” I looked between the two before smiling. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”

“We’re on a date!”

“Oh… a date?” I leaned toward the redhead. “Is Devas your boyfriend by any chance?”

Was my little Blake trying to become a homewrecker? First, she runs away from home, then terrorism, and now this?...

… Where did I go wrong?!

“Boyfriend?…” The girl tilted her head to the side and looked at Devas, then nodded. “Yes, Devas is my boyfriend.”

I could almost hear Ilia purring with happiness next to me.

“Separate the words, Penny.” Devas sighed with a faint smile. “I’m your boy friend, yes, but not your boyfriend, just like Ruby is your girl friend, not your girlfriend.”

“Oooh…” Penny exclaimed and nodded, then turned to me. “Right, sorry. Devas is my boy-friend, not my boyfriend.”

I blinked, confused. From the look on Ghira’s face, he seemed as lost as I was. Ilia looked like she’d just sucked on a lemon.

“I see…” I replied. Judging by Devas’s lack of reaction, Penny must act like this regularly.

“Penny is my friend, Kali,” Devas confirmed.

“I see,” I repeated more firmly before clearing my throat and steering the conversation in the direction I wanted. “Blake told me a few things about you. So, if it’s not too much trouble, could we join you for a while? I’d like to talk.”

“Only good things, I hope.” Devas joked, shrugging. “But sure, if Penny’s okay with it, you’re welcome to join us. I also wanted to discuss a few things with you.”

For some reason, something in his tone made me think he wasn’t just referring to Ghira and me when he said “you,” though his eyes hadn’t drifted to Ilia.

Before I could comment, he turned to Penny.

“Is it okay if they join us, Penny?” By his tone, I was certain that if Penny said ‘no,’ Devas would just send us away.

Luckily, that didn’t happen.

“Fine by me!” She replied but paused for a moment as if she had an idea. “Can we invite Ruby too? And Weiss, Yang, and Blake?”

She knew my little Blake?

“I’m pretty sure they’re all sleeping right now. Exhausted from the fight and all,” Devas replied. “But we can invite them when they wake up. How about that? We can make it another day if there’s no time today.”

Penny nodded quickly. Too quickly, in fact, to the point where I worried about her neck, and then she pointed ahead.

“We have four blocks left to go around Amity!” She grabbed Devas's hand and started walking again. He gestured for us to follow.

I exchanged a glance with Ghira for a moment before grabbing Ilia to keep her from bolting, and we went after them.

Devas let Penny drag him for a few seconds before releasing her hand and slowing down to walk beside us. Penny didn’t seem to mind and continued leading with a soft hum.

“Tell me, Kali, what did you want to talk about?” He asked, glancing at me and Ghira out of the corner of his eye. I didn’t respond right away, taking the time to analyze him more closely.

He was shorter than my Ghira — everyone was, really. I still hadn’t seen a single man in Remnant bigger and more muscular than my husband. But I noticed up close that Devas was muscular too. Most Huntsmen were, but for some reason, I hadn’t noticed that about him until now.

Looking back at the few memories I had of Devas, I realized he had always been this way. I just hadn’t noticed before.

... Strange. I unconsciously took a step closer to Ghira. I only realized it when I felt his arm brush against my shoulder.

If Devas noticed my actions or looks, he didn’t comment and stayed silent, waiting for my response. My husband wrapped his arm around my shoulders as I began to speak.

“Blake… how long have you known her?” That was the first question that came to mind after that strange moment.

“Seven months and a few days,” he replied without needing to think too much. “But we only met in person just over fifteen days ago. In fact, I arrived in Vale just over fifteen days ago.”

“Your job?” Ghira spoke for the first time since we encountered Devas and Penny.

Devas seemed to understand the meaning of Ghira’s question and answered, “Yes. I travel a lot, jumping from place to place without settling for too long.”

“Streamer, right?” I asked. Devas looked momentarily surprised but only for an instant. “Blake told me that was the name of your job. What’s it about?”

My Blake had explained a bit, but I wasn’t really familiar with the term. From what she mentioned, it sounded something like being an interviewer or an actor in a play.

“Have you ever watched a documentary?” He asked. I could feel Ilia tensing up. I understood why — it wasn’t uncommon to hear the derogatory joke ‘Animals in a documentary’ used against faunus.

“Yeah, I’ve seen a few.” I replied calmly. Devas didn’t seem like the type of person to make that kind of comment. My Blake might be a little questionable as a judge of character, Adam would say so, but she would never befriend, let alone care for, a racist.

“My job is basically that, except I’m the animal being documented.” He explained casually.

“Like a movie, but live.” I commented. I had never been a big fan of movies, and neither had Ghira. We always preferred books, something Blake inherited from us.

In fact, few faunus enjoyed movies in Menagerie, mainly because the internet was terrible without a proper CCT tower. That was one of the topics Ghira and I needed to discuss with Headmaster Ozpin.

“Basically.” He nodded. “Blake’s team leader, Ruby, happened to stumble upon my stream and invited Blake and her other friends to watch me.”

“I don’t see why that job would require you to travel so much.” I pointed out, noticing that Ilia was paying close attention to the conversation.

This time, Devas hesitated. “… It’s complicated to explain, but it is what it is.” He didn’t try to elaborate and instead said, “Can I ask a question?”

“One question for one question? We can keep it like that.” I offered, and he nodded again. “Sure.”

To my surprise, he didn’t direct the question to me or Ghira.

“Ilia, can you contact Sienna Khan?” He turned to face Ilia, who had stopped walking. Devas did the same, as did I, Ghira, and Penny, upon realizing that everyone had halted.

“… What?” Ilia said, almost as if she didn’t understand the question. Or maybe she was surprised that he asked that.

She looked around, not searching for an escape; I knew her mannerisms well. Ilia was a regular at our home, always visiting Blake. In fact, she was making sure that no one in the crowd around us was eavesdropping on our conversation.

Only then did I realize that, despite us standing still, the crowd was parting around us, like we were stones in a river. No one got close enough to bump into any of us, not even close, and they didn’t seem to pay attention to our conversation.

It was subtle, but the wind around us felt strange, almost like an invisible dome. It wasn’t natural. Was this a Semblance?...

A chill ran down my spine. The bad kind. My ears flattened against my head. Ghira must have felt it too, as the arm around my shoulders tensed.

“Sienna Khan.” Devas repeated. “Can you get in touch with her?”

“W… what?! Why would I have her contact?” Ilia shouted. She managed to control her color change; only a few strands of her hair altered in hue.

“This show is for me or for them?” Devas nodded toward us. “Because I know you’re a spy for Sienna, and I doubt the Belladonnas don’t know that too.”

We knew; it was obvious. Ilia had never been good at lying, especially to me and Ghira. We let her come with us because we liked her, and because it didn’t matter if she informed Sienna about our actions; it wouldn’t change anything.

Ilia tensed up even more, looking around, now clearly searching for an escape route. I placed my hand on her shoulder, ignoring her flinch, and shook my head.

Running away now would only cause trouble. If Devas knew about Sienna, then Atlas and Ozpin probably knew too.

“Do you want to send her a message?” I took the lead in the conversation. Devas didn’t deny it.

“Yes. I want to warn her about something.” He turned to me and Ghira. “Can you also get in touch with her?”

“We’re not on the best of terms, but yes.” I replied. “What’s this warning about?”

Devas thought for a moment before speaking. Penny walked up beside him and watched us silently, almost too still. She didn’t even seem to breathe.

It was by chance, while watching Penny, that I noticed a thin wisp of black smoke rising from the lamp strapped to Devas’s waist. Was that lamp just for decoration?

“Tell Sienna to rein in Adam Taurus and order him to back off from anything he’s involved in.” Devas finally spoke. “To control the White Fang cell in Vale and prevent them from making the dumbest choice possible.”

I wanted to ask, ‘What? What dumb choice?’ But Ghira spoke before I could, his leader voice cutting through. A single word. An order.

“Why?”

The honey brown shifted to orange in the blink of an eye. He stared at my husband in silence, the former leader of the White Fang, not responding, not moving, not blinking...

After that, we exchanged just a few more words before saying our goodbyes. I didn’t even think it was possible to hate Adam more than I already did. I was enjoying the conversation, and so was Ghira, even though he didn’t say it out loud.

Sienna was informed of Devas’s warning before the day was over. I made sure to inform her myself.

Devas never answered my husband’s question.

... A response wasn’t necessary.

[...]---[...]

I won’t go on too long here and will keep this note brief. I just have one question and one comment.

First, the question: what did you think of Simon’s interlude? It was the first time I wrote something focused on suspense and horror. I had fun doing it, but I’m not sure if I got it right.

As for my comment, well... One person really came close to understanding what Charles is. They got half of the plot, so to speak, even if they didn’t have the right context...

Well, I think that’s it. Have a good day, everyone, and happy reading!