Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Throne

There’s another failed protest, and it’s the last straw. The ride back to base is a tense affair, and even if Ghira’s not sure what, he’s smart enough to know something will happen once they’re back. He hadn’t expected it to be so public, however.

Sienna corners him the moment they step out of the car in the middle of their entire Mistral branch.

“Have you finally seen reason, Ghira,” she begins, raising her voice rather pointedly to gather everyone's attention. “Or have you just decided that was a mere setback? Not something to worry about?”

Ghira debates his answer before speaking. He has to be careful here; he knows there’s been unrest in the ranks recently. Knows that they’re just waiting, watching for him to make a mistake. “Today did not go our way, I admit-“ immediately he is cut off by Adam stepping up next to Sienna.

The red-haired man’s mask is, as always, secured tightly on his face. “Didn’t go our way?” His voice shakes with a dark rage that makes Ghira want to order his daughter never to go near him again. “One of our own was injured. Your ‘peaceful protests’ aren’t doing anything!”

“We can’t expect humanity to change in one day,” Ghira argues, crossing his arms. He sees his daughter still standing next to the truck and he for the first time in his life he can’t read her face. His eyes widen at the thought. When has she become so different for me not to know her? “It is going slowly, yes, but I believe it’s worth it!”

“You believe,” Sienna repeats softly. There’s no need to speak up anymore; every White Fang member is listening carefully. “ You believe. That’s the problem, isn’t it Ghira? You’re the only one who believes yourself anymore!” Around her, murmurs of agreement. 

Ghira falters. Is she implying..? “And then what is your alternative, Ms. Khan?” If there is a chance for this to be resolved diplomatically, that’s what he’ll do.

“Step down.” Her gaze is steady. “You’ve led us for many good years, Ghira, but the times are changing, and the White Fang needs to change as well.” 

“Yeah!” One of the more mouthy White Fang members yells out. “We’re done with you, old man!”

He cannot speak for a moment. Is this really happening? “If.. If that’s what you all want,” he says, finally. “I will step down.” 

Something softens in Sienna’s eyes, and she steps forward to place a hand on his shoulder. “We thank you for all your years of service,” and then, addressing the crowd, she says loudly, “we will hold a vote two days from now to determine the next High Leader! Send a message out to the other branches and get their votes! Everyone will be heard!” The crowd cheers, and Ghira thinks there’s little question as to who the next leader will be.

He realizes belatedly that he’s not needed nor wanted here anymore. “I… I’ll leave you, now,” he says to Sienna. “I wish you good luck.” He turns to Adam, who’s still standing there, but the younger man doesn’t look at him. Or if he does, Ghira can’t see it underneath the mask. Stay away from my daughter. But he has no right to say that. 

After another moment of watching the White Fang celebrate the idea of a new High Leader, Ghira heads towards Blake, who still hasn’t moved.

“Blake?” She twitches an ear at that, but her eyes are trained on Adam. As always. “Blake.”

Now she looks at him, and her gaze is still unreadable. It hurts more than getting politely kicked out of the White Fang. “Yes?” Her voice is high, which means she’s thinking deeply. 

“Do you want to come home with me?” He asks her. “Kali would love to see us both.” It had been far too long since he’d seen his wife, and he knows Blake’s been gone even longer. Even if Kali would be irritated at him for letting himself leave without fighting for his position in the White Fang.

“Blake.” Another voice. Adam . Ghira hadn’t seen him approaching, and he feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight. “It’s time to go. Ilia’s waiting.” 

Blake looks between the two of them, so quick that only someone who knows her well would notice, then she trains her eyes on the ground. “Okay,” she says, and for one, fleeting moment Ghira’s sure she’s chosen to go home, before she finishes, “I’ll see Mom another time, okay dad? Maybe next week I’ll catch a boat to Menagerie.”

Ghira’s shoulders slump. “If.. that’s what you want,” he tells her. He steps forward to give her a hug goodbye, and she barely reciprocates. “I’ll see you soon, then.”

“Yeah.” Blake still doesn’t look up from the ground. “Bye, dad.” She starts walking away, heading across the center to where Ilia was standing. Adam pauses for a moment and Ghira wishes he could see where he was staring. The hesitation is brief, however, and the other man quickly follows Blake away. 

Ghira is left standing there, utterly alone. He heaves a great, sorrowful sigh and turns to leave. 

Chapter Text

Silk

Blake’s never had to hide what she was before. 

She’s the daughter of the former White Fang High Leader, so she didn’t exactly have a choice, either. She never needed to cover up her ears in Menagerie, or with Him. She never thought she’d have to.

But now?

Now she does. 

Because as she walks through Mistral, trying to find transportation to Vale, without His shadow to cover her, she hears the whispers. 

They aren’t nearly as bad as Atlas, but prejudice is everywhere, and the last thing she wants to do right now is draw attention to herself. She can’t let Him find her. There are times when Blake really, really hates the human race as a whole. Those times are few and far in between, but that’s what she’s feelings now.

She knows what she should do, but it feels a bit like failure to actually do it.

There’s a gift shop right next to the train station, owned by a kind, elderly dog faunus. Blake has a bit of time to kill before her train comes, so she kills time in there, telling herself she's just browsing, even though she knows she’s actually just scouring the shelves for something, anything that could help hide what - no, who - she is. Her eyes catch on a little black bow, and she touches it. It’s soft. 

Swallowing thickly, Blake takes the bow to the checkout where the woman is standing. The woman doesn’t look up for a second, too fixated on something on the monitor in front of her. “Have any trouble finding something?”

“No,” Blake says, and her voice cracks in the middle of the word because it’s the first time in at least a day she’s spoken. She clears her throat, flushing, and tries again. “Sorry. No, I didn’t.”

“Okay,” the woman looks up and takes the bow to check it out before her gaze lands on Blake’s ears. Her eyes dart back down to the bow and her eyes soften with understanding. “Oh, sweetheart.” Her tone is gentle and full of sympathy.

Blake flushes harder. Says nothing. 

There’s a long moment where it looks like the woman’s about to say something else, but then she just hands the bow back to Blake and says, “it’s on the house. No charge.”

Blake feels tears pricking the corner of her eyes at the first kindness she’s received in a long time. “Thank you,” she chokes out.

The woman’s mouth is set in a sad line. “Do you need any help putting it on?” She offers.

And so Blake lets the woman help her put the bow on so that it’s not too tight. She flicks an ear experimentally, and is relieved when the bow doesn’t immediately fall off. She ties it with shaking hands, and the deed is done. Her ears feel strange against the texture, and some sounds are muted slightly, but it’s for the best. It’s so that He can’t find her.

It’s for the best.

Before leaving, she thanks the old faunus again, and receives a sad smile in return. Taking a deep breath, Blake steps back outside and into the crowd of people trying to get to the next train.

There are no more whispers. 

Chapter Text

Illusion

She's just a robot, Emerald thinks to herself, wiping her sweaty palms on the armrest of the chair. She’s just a robot.

It wouldn’t be like she was killing a person, right? Cinder wouldn’t make her do that. She’s just a robot.  

When Cinder had originally told them the plan, Emerald had thought it was a good one. Making the audience so upset would easily bring more Grimm to the area. Chaos would ensue, and then the White Fang would join in. But actually executing the plan was harder for her than previously thought. Mercury had no such moral claims, and Emerald supposed that fit him anyways. He played his part perfectly, and so did she. Yang Xiao Long was out of the tournament because of them, and Emerald couldn’t help but feel guilty.

She’s just a robot, Emerald thinks again, taking a couple deep breaths to steady herself. She’s not human. 

This was the part of the plan she’d been dreading. This was the part she was required to make the champion fighter - Pyrrha Nikos - see something frightening enough to make her use all of her power to avoid it. 

Even if it wasn’t real. 

Because out of all things, wouldn’t people most dislike to see a little girl ripped apart?

With a crash of sound, the fight starts. Emerald watches carefully, waiting for the right moment. 

Pyrrha Nikos is doing extraordinarily well, considering she’s basically fighting an AI, taking just the right amount of blows and sending her own back just as ferociously. Emerald had heard how phenomenal a fighter she was, but she’s never seen her fight before.

The gravity of what Emerald’s about to do suddenly sinks in harsher than ever, and she grips the armrests tighter. She can’t not do it , Cinder would be so unhappy with her, and all she wants is Cinder to be proud of her.

Then there’s a moment; Pyrrha is knocked backwards, weaponless. Penny - no, the robot, she’s not an actual person - raises her- it’s arms, it’s swords floating above it’s head for the final blow to break Pyrrha’s aura. 

It’s time. 

Emerald doesn’t hesitate, which is the part that later keeps her up at night. There’s absolutely no hesitation as she focuses hard on Pyrrha Nikos, making her see more than just the four or five weapons pointed at her.

It might’ve been a little bit overboard, but it works, judging by the look of panic in Pyrrha’s face. She reacts instantly, like all great trained fighters, throwing her arms out wide and using her Semblance - Polarity - to send the swords flying away from her. The real ones fly backward, not quite heading for the AI, but close enough for it to flinch away from them.

There’s a moment of silence, then, as if the entire world has frozen. Emerald can’t move, can’t think, can’t breathe.

The wires wrap around the AI. The wires are strong, made of Atlas’ finest steel. Stronger than the AI itself. The swords don’t touch Penn- the AI at all, but the wires are just about dangerous enough to be a weapon on their own.

She’s just a robot,” Emerald tries to think as Penny falls to the ground in five pieces. She’s just a robot. Its her mantra. She’s just a robot. 

She’s not, another part of her mind says, angry and heartbroken at the same time. There’s a haunting look in Penny’s blank eyes. It looks something like fear. She’d been afraid. She was a girl!

She was a girl.

She’s nothing now.