Six

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"Fi still not answering?" Robyn stopped mid-pace in the back of the Bullhead and turned as Joanna stepped into the cabin and eased down onto the grated flooring, just beside the door to the pilot pit. When Robyn shook her head and leaned against the back end of the, the larger woman just smiled, "She's fine, Rob. You know that, right?"

"I hope it…"

"Her transponder is on and moving." Jo pressed, "Thieves or scavengers would know to turn it off."

"Maybe, but-"

"Definitely." Jo grunted, pointing a thumb back at herself, "Don't forget, I was one. Scavs learn first and foremost, you check the power cells, check the engines, and check the transponder. Anything busted, or you can't get to, you strip parts an' run. Not worth the heat otherwise."

"I know that, logically, but…"

"Brain isn't always logical." Jo nodded, smiling softly, "You're ok though?"

"Long as Fi is," she sighed, "I will be."

"Yeah…"

"Almost there." May called back to them, "Hey, Jo, is Robyn still-"

"Yep." Joanna called back, "Like a mama hen."

"I despise both of you."

"Not what you said last night!" May called back through the open door, "Or, well, guess you were a bit busy to say anything, eh?"

"I do not need images of that in my head!" Joanna groaned tiredly, throwing her head back and staring up at the ceiling. Or the sky, more likely - hoping some miracle would help her here, no doubt. "I'm happy for you two, really I am, but come on! Not all of us are into all that… Goop!"

"Can you not describe our love life as 'goop', Jo?" Robyn smiled, shaking her head. "Not our fault we can't all be spuds like you."

"I prefer 'plant'..."

"Spuds are plants, though?" May called back, "So, I mean, Robyn isn't wrong?"

"I hate all of you!" Jo sighed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Don't you have a ship to fly, Marigold?"

The woman's answer was to wiggle the ship back and forth sharply, shaking the two others inside a bit as her laughter echoed back into the rear cabin. Joanna rolled over and pushed herself up, half-dragging and half scrambling into the cabin. Another heartbeat, and Robyn could hear May swearing and Joanna muttering her own little curses back as they bickered in the front end. It was nice to hear, and pushed away some of the unease.

But… Not all of it.

She'd never been a very good leader in that respect. She trusted her team, of course. But when the chips were down, she'd always had trouble leaving it to her team. Putting them in danger while she was off doing something 'better' than protecting them? It didn't, couldn't, sit well with her. Even if, as big as her aims were, she knew she had to delegate. Even the risky ops.

It was still a problem…

"Rob!" May suddenly called, yanking her out of her own head and sending her scrambling to her feet and towards the cabin as she said, "Get in here, you need to see this!"

She staggered into the pilot-pit as May banked around a huge, staggering tower, spanning up against the coast-line like the finger of a god pointing skyward. At its base, as they banked back around and came lower, were dozens of little… Creatures she couldn't describe, all laying out rocks in recognizable shapes. Like castaways on an island in some old movie or something.

"Do not stab." Robyn read, "Friend."

"Those are goblins." May murmured, "And they-"

"There's Fi's ship." Joanna cut in, pointing at the tree-line where, partially snowed in on one side from the storm they'd flown through, they could make out a little shuttle. "Doesn't look damaged, either. And those… Goblins wrote us a message, so-"

"They knew we were coming." Robyn nodded, "Which is either very good, or very, very bad."

"How would it be-"

"May, why would FIona tell a kidnapper who was coming?" Joanna interrupted, voice cold, "Or that help was coming at all?"

"Oh." May murmured, "Oh…"

"You're new at this." Robyn murmured, reaching down to squeeze her shoulder affectionately, "One day you'll stop being so green."

"I've been with you a year?"

"Mhm." Robyn nodded, "One day. Now, land us over there, near Fi's ship. Right in front of it. Who knows, we pull her out, maybe we can nab it, too…"

"Probably has a tracker."

"I know, May." Robyn sighed, "But I was thinking Fiona could-"

"Store it." She sighed, "That'd probably be a lot, but… Yeah, good idea. Coming around and down now."

"R-Robyn, those things…"

"Just breathe." Robyn murmured, "They aren't Wretches. Just breathe."

Honestly, if she could have, she'd have just told Joanna to wait on the ship. But if a fight did start, Joanna could at least be counted on to kill the little things. Her panic tended to come in the form of 'kill the thing' rather than 'run', so Robyn could work with it. And if she could keep her cool, all the better."

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Jaune pushed through the thick cloth laid over the exit out of the Tower's base with one hand as the other straightened his helmet, eyes coming up to watch the Bullhead coming in to land. Off to the side his Minions had completed their little message and, now it was done, formed up in loose ranks. Just in case whoever this was either A, wasn't here for Fiona at all and had spotted them or B, didn't care about the message. In either case, they'd have to fight, and while they wouldn't fare well, they could better drag down anyone they went up against if they were together.

Plus, it made them more intimidating, so maybe even if either were the case they'd opt for talking instead of fighting.

As the craft settled, one of its doors punched out and slid to the side, letting three women drop into the snow, long weapons in their hands. The same kind Fiona had told him they had, and the numbers matched too. Hopeful, he stepped forward, resting his Gauntlet-hand comfortable on the pommel of Crocea Mors, "Robyn Hill?"

"One and the same." The tan-skinned one said, flanked by her team-mates who she pointed to in turn, "May Marigold, Joanna Greenleaf. You, uh, have our friend?"

"Mhm." He nodded, then realized what that might imply and rushed to add, stammering. "A-As a guest. She's in my, uh, library at the moment. Working."

"You have your own library?"

"You put Fiona to work?!"

"I see that Human priorities, as ever, are right where they should be." Gnarl sighed as he reached them, padding up to Jaune's side with a sigh and leaning on his cane. When the three women just stared at him, he cocked his head and waved. "Well, hello there."

The large one squawked something that sounded like 'Fuck' and fired a shot-

"Frack!" Gnarl squawked, ducking under it and slipping behind Jaune, hiding behind his legs and pointing around him. "Master! She shot me!"

"She shot at you." He corrected, raising a hand and waving her down as he went on. "And I get it, they're… Kinda freaky, but-"

"Jo, go wait on the ship." Hill grunted as she turned, stepping between the large woman and pushing her weapon away with a firm hand. Joanna kept her eyes on where Gnarl had hidden, flicking a wide-eyed look over at the rest of the Minions as they pressed forward. Hill turned just enough to bark, "Get them back, or she's going to-"

"Back." Jaune ordered before she could even finish, stepping forward and between the three and the Minions, raising his Gauntlet meaningfully. "Back away now." They chittered and skittered, but did as he told them, backing away further and further until he felt comfortable to turn and ask, "Is she alright, Hill?"

"She's fine." Hill answered him, "Just… Bad experience with Grimm. Which is why she can go catch her breath."

"R-Right." Joanna murmured, nodding and backing away, hands tight on her weapon. "I-I'm sorry, I thought I could- I had it, but- I'm sorry."

"No harm, no foul." Jaune called out as Gnarl gasped.

"She shot at me!"

"She missed." He snapped, turning fully and paying Hill a nod. "Let her catch her breath, and don't worry. No one is mad."

"I am!"

"No one who matters is mad." Jaune amended, "So…"

Hill paid him a grimace and turned, looking up into Joanna's eyes until the giant nodded and turned, padding back towards the parked ship. Instead of boarding theirs, however, she slipped around and into Fiona's. Hill smiled when he turned to her, head cocked in question, and only said, "What? It's our ship, too."

"Mhm." He shrugged and stepped to the side, holding his arm out in as much a welcome as a direction, "Shall we, then?"

"Not going to take our weapons?"

"Would you give me your weapons?" He asked, chuckling when she frowned deeply. "That's what I though. And besides, even unarmed, I feel like you could compete with me if push came to shove. And I have an army. None of our fight would really be decided by if you were armed ot not. It'd be decided by where we were, and how well my Minions could swamp you."

"Thought about this a lot?"

"I've thought about defense a lot." He corrected, letting his arm drop and sighing. "I have a lot of lives riding on me. Whatever you think of them, the Minions are my responsibility. As are anyone else who come here for safety."

"Like Fiona?" Hill suggested, cocking her head.

"Like Fiona." He nodded, "She's my guest, and… Well, I'm not used to having people to protect. She and the workers are… A lot, I guess."

"So you're just a regular ole good bean, doing your best?"

"Well…" He shrugged, "Yes?"

"Prove it." She grunted, stepping forward while the other, Marigold, watched worriedly. She offered her hand, then eyed his armored Gauntlet and swapped to the other, smiling. "Give me your hand."

"Uh… Why?"

"My Semblance." She explained, eyes narrow, "It lets me tell if people are being honest with me."

"Alright…" He started to reach out and hesitated, "I won't answer personal questions."

"Like?"

"My name." He answered, "Where I'm from."

"Not one for trust?"

"I… Can't be. " He sighed, taking her hand and frowning. "Ask your questions, but I don't have to answer."

"Fine. For now…" Robyn frowned, "Is Fiona okay? And really your guest?"

"Yes and yes." After a moment, he felt warmth and blinked, watching his hand glow a warm green color. "Whoa, that's cool… Wait, that's what you meant? You're, like, a lie detector?"

"Something like that…"

"So cool…" He murmured, "Are you a Huntress?"

"Sort of…" She sighed, "Are you leading us into any form of trick or trap?"

"No." He answered, watching the like blink to green again and then fade away as it had before. When Robyn tugged her hand away, apparently satisfied, he let her go without making a fuss and asked. "What do you mean 'sort of'?"

"I protect people, like a Huntress." She shrugged, "Just…"

"We're not on anyone's payroll." The other woman, Marigold, explained simply, "We fight for who needs fighting for, take what we need from the rich, and work for the greater good of Mantle and the common people."

"So you're rogues?"

"I guess…?"

"Perfect." Gnarl said, looking up at him and straightening his robes. "Perfect, Master. Instead of high ranking enough contacts to be out here protecting a potentially important mining site, we get a merry band of merry men."

"Hey!"

"Gnarl-"

"Merry women. Evil take me, it ruins the bloody reference, but fine." He rolled his eyes and sighed, "At least the little fuzzy one is useful."

"Little fuzzy-"

"Fiona has been helpful." He corrected meaningfully, turning to the two women and adding just as meaningfully. "Because she wanted to be. Not because I need people to be useful to help them.: He turned back to the unamused looking Minion and said, "We help everyone. Not just the 'useful' ones, Gnarl. Understood?"

"Yes, Master." Gnarl sighed, "Clear as obsidian."

"Gnarl." He snapped his finger and wagged it at him, just as his father had always done. "Behave or… I'll ground you."

"Excuse the fuck?" Gnarl blinked, "From what?"

"What do you like?"

"I… Don't have to answer that."

"Actually," he raised his Gauntlet, gem glowing meaningfully, "you do."

Gnarl flicked it a look and frowned, bowing his head a bit, "U-Understood, Master. Message, ah, received."

"Good." He nodded, "Now apologize."

"Masteeeeer!"

"Gnaaaaarl." He whined back, "Do iiiiit."

"What the fuck are we witnessing…?" Hill whispered to the other quietly and, when he turned back, she straightened and laughed weakly. "U-Um, I mean- Whatever this is, it's fine, really. Can we just go see Fiona now? Please and thank you?"

"Yes," Gnarl sighed, "can they?"

"Fine, yes, alright." He sighed, waving the Minion off and grunting, "You see the, uh, message cleaned up. And get the Minions back to work with the workers. I want the foreman's plan by the evening, and I want suitable trees selected out, too. Understood?"

"Yes, Master." He nodded, shuffling off and waving the Minions forward, "C'mon, now, ya gits. You heard the Overlord! Get to sodding work!"

"The Overlord…?" Hill murmured as the Minions shuffled off, some heading inside and then coming back out with workers in tow, toting hammers, axes and measuring tools he'd sent the Minions back to the quarry for that morning. "And are those the-"

"They wanted work." Jaune explained quietly, watching them go, pairs parted away with two or three Minions apiece, headed into the treeline and further along the coast to see it done. "They were, uh, anxious. Nervous. Gnarl suggested I… Offer them work. So they felt like they were-"

"Paying you back." Hill nodded, eyes narrow, "Makes sense. But, just to check-"

"I only found out about the quarry, and the threat, because I wanted to buy stone." Jaune assured her, waving a hand at the Tower above them. "Which… We still need, so you can see I'm being honest about it. I just wanted them to relax, before they brought more Grimm in."

"And getting help with repairs certainly wasn't bad on your end." Marigold grunted, "Was it?"

"No." He sighed, offering his hand again, "Want to check that, too?"

"No." Robyn chuckled, "I think I believe you. People can be…"

"Weird." Marigold nodded, "Fiona?"

"Yeah, this way." He nodded, turning and leading them back inside.

Inside, the Tower was in chaos. Workers and Minions alike were coming and going, smoothing jagged edges where stone had fallen away from interior walls and slotting in sections of mortared rubble-stone from higher up the Tower to replace it at the more important base. The former nodded as he passed by, while his Minions chittered eagerly at his gaze and one leaned in as he reached out to scratch behind its ears. The two women followed close behind him, Marigold watching Hill while Hille watched the workers, the Minions and, when she thought Jaune couldn't see it…

Him.

As they reached the sealed Library door he held up his hand and sighed, "Open."

It slid open with a groan and he waved them in-

And Hill sighed, "Oh, Fiona, you absolute dweeb."

"R-Robyn!" He stepped in just as the girl, clothes dishelved and a small scroll barely as wide as Jaune's palm and half as thick somehow stuck in the rat's nest of her hair, bounced over to the two and nearly bowled them over with a hug. She pulled away as Jaune stepped around them, eyeing the somehow both neater and messier arrangements of, and she tried to explain, "I-I, um, ran into some missing pages on the- Well, after that I got to work organizing them by l-languages, and from there-"

"Is that your dinner?" He asked, pointing at the full plate of venison gone cold by the door. Her ears flattened and he sighed, "Fiona…"

"I forgot?"

"Fiona." He and Hill both groaned at the same time, trading looks until he asked, "This is normal for her?"

"You left the dork in a library doing… What?"

"Translation notes." Fiona murmured, eyes downcast and ears flat. "H-He has originals in Old Valean, a-and even Mistrali and other, older languages! I just couldn't stop once I-"

"Minions!" He raised his voice as two shuffled in through the open door, appearing from who knew where as they so often did. "Fetch fresh venison steaks for our guests, if you please. Have a few workers take some out to, uh-"

"Joanna."

"Joanna!" He nodded, "Out in the shuttle."

"Yes, Master." They chittered, turning and skulking away as he turned back to the women.

"So, if you like, you can catch up here." He said, "Stay as long as you like, just… Don't damage anything."

"Got it." Hill nodded as Fiona did, too, ears flicking excitedly.

"Do you need anything else?" He asked the small Faunus.

"Just my notebook."

"Your bag is in our Bullhead." Hill said, turning to him, "Can I-"

"Of course." He nodded, "You're free to come and go. Just don't wander. Parts of the Tower are unsafe and others are… Private. If you like, I can give you a guide."

"Sure." She shrugged, eyes narrow and curious, "Why not?"

He nodded and turned to leave until a small hand grabbed his arm and he turned back, looking down as Fiona flushed and asked, anxious, "Y-You really wanna, um, help people, right?"

"I do." He nodded, turning to face her fully and flicking the hand on his arm a look until she let go and backed up while Hill watched her, eyes narrow. Curious. "Why?"

"Well…" She sighed, "There's a little fishing town, a ways south of here. Few hours walk. I-I heard some rumors from the quarry-workers, before, um, all the stuff. Happened."

"What kind of rumors?"

"Bad ones." She said, "Faunus forced to work in dangerous conditions. Storms, high tide, at night- A-And rumors that Faunus out after dark and not on a work crew end up… Missing."

"Daylight towns." Marigold grunted quietly, crossing her arms and rubbing her biceps anxiously. "Heard of them even in Atlas."

"You're sure this is one?"

"I am, yeah." Fiona nodded, "One of the workers, he- Escaped, from there. Came to the quarry to stay. Owners wouldn't take the report up, a-and I couldn't do anything, but-"

"I can. Give me the location." Jaune nodded, raising his voice so the Minions he could feel lurking nearby, at the door, could hear. "And we'll head out and deal with it."

He heard their chittering cheers as Fiona pulled out her Scroll and turned so he could lean in and look over her shoulder. She leaned back, to give him a better look, and must have underestimated how close he was because she started to tumble back, shoulders stiffening. So he laid his armored hand on her hip to catch her and she flinched, shooting him a look and then sighing and holding her Scroll up.

"U-Uh, i-it's right, u-um, here." She coughed to clear her throat, "T-There's nothing else between here and there, so as long as you see 'Angler-Town' on a sign somewhere."

"I'll be in the right place." He nodded, squeezing her side reassuringly and pushing off her, turning and snapping. "Come on, Minions! We have work to do!"

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