36

Chapter 36: Papa Panther

Menagerie

The day had just begun in the oceanside village of Kuo Kuana, the morning sunlight glistening against the ocean waves. Faunus of all ages were already outside their homes, working to clean and repair their town, now that the storms had finally passed. Some were clearing fallen trees, while others set out with hammer and nails, repairing walls, roofs, windows; anything the wind and rain had seen fit to destroy. Even the younger Faunus did their small part, cleaning windows and sweeping floors. At the rate things were going, their town would be returned to its regular normalcy by evening.

Ghira Belladonna took it all in with a smile, his chest swelling with pride as he made his way through the center of town. He had just left a similar scene mere miles behind him, and seeing that same sense of unity and community in his own hometown gave him a warm feeling.

People waved as he walked passed, which he returned with a nod and a smile. He'd be out to assist in the cleanup himself shortly, but first, he wanted to see his wife.

His smile slipped a bit as the feelings once again washed over him.

Sadness, Anger. Happiness, Pride. Regret, Frustration.

Since he had woken up hours earlier, he could feel his wife's emotions through their Link, cycling constantly through a myriad of conflicting feelings. Years of experience told him that Kali was trying to rein her feelings in, but the closer he got to home, the stronger they became. When his house came into sight, he quickened his pace.

As he crossed the bridge to his home, a large manor that dwarfed most of the houses in town, he took a good look at how it had fared against Mother Nature. He sighed in resignation. A tree had fallen just short of the house, having taken out a large section of the fence. A few windows were cracked, none broken, though they'd need to be replaced before the next storm hit. It was an annoyance, but nothing to be truly bothered by. Past storms had proved to be much worse.

When he pushed open the front door, he was surprised to find the sitting room empty. Strange, he thought, looking over the bare table. Kali is usually having her morning coffee right about now.

"Kali?" he called out. "I'm home!"

After a few moments, Kali's voice drifted from the kitchen.

"...I'll be there in a moment, Ghira."

Ghira's eyes snapped towards the kitchen door. The instant he heard his wife's voice, his good mood vanished, replaced with worry. Kali sounded exhausted, drained.

Ghira was at the kitchen door in seconds. He threw it open, finding Kali sitting at the kitchen table, staring down into the full cup of coffee in her hands. Her short hair was sticking up slightly, like she hadn't bothered to brush it. Her cat ears were drooped as low as they could go, her golden studs nowhere to be found.

"Kali?" Ghira was at his wife's side in an instant, kneeling down to her level. He tried to meet her eyes, but they were hidden by bangs. He gently put his large hand over her arm. "Dear, what's wrong?"

Kali was silent, motionless. Then, slowly, she turned to meet her husband's eyes.

Cold dread filled Ghira's veins as he met Kali's red-rimmed eyes, glistening with unshed tears.

"What?" Ghira asked, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders. "What is it?"

Thirty Minutes Later…

"I'M GONNA KILL HIM!"

CRASH!

From where she stood beside the kitchen counter, Kali glanced at the splintered wood embedded in the wall. I liked that table, she thought idly. She turned to watch Ghira as he started pacing around the room, gesturing wildly as he raged.

"How could he do this? We took him in, treated him like family! I don't even…"

Ghira let out a frustrated growl, kicking the refrigerator hard enough to leave a sizable dent.

Kali said nothing, folding her hands in front of her as she took in her husband's Anger, Betrayal, Disbelief, Hurt. It was rare to see Ghira in such a rage. He was usually very even-tempered, only raising his voice or showing anger when he witnessed something truly abhorrent. Even then, Kali was quick to soothe him, lest he work himself into a true frenzy. She had the brief thought that she should be doing exactly that right now, but shoved it away. As it stood, it took all she had to just stand and watch him vent, rather than join him in his outburst.

"How could he just… use her like that?"

Kali's ears perked up a bit when she heard a noticeable shift in his tone. When Ghira next turned around, she saw the look of broken disbelief on his face, echoing his feelings of Regret, Fear, Anger.

Kali took a step forward, stopping Ghira's pacing by putting a hand on his shoulder. Ghira turned to her, startled.

Pushing out feelings of Calm, Reassurance, Kali spoke softly. "She's okay. Right now she's safe and happy."

Kali could feel Ghira relax slightly, though his shoulders stayed tense. "She shouldn't have felt unsafe in the first place," he growled, mostly at himself. "She shouldn't have been forced to become a… a criminal!"

Kali sighed, rubbing his arm gently. "Blake did as she was told. She thought she and Adam were doing the right thing."

Ghira growled at Adam's name. "Only because she trusted him… because we told her to trust him!" He snarled, tensing like he was about to begin raging again.

Before he could begin, Kali reached up, cupping his cheek. Surprised, he looked down at her, his face falling when he met her eyes.

Kali's golden orbs glistened, her calm facade cracking. Agreement. Self-loathing. Failure.

Ghira flinched a little, then closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He opened them, cupping Kali's face in the same manner. Agreement. Sympathy. Self-loathing. Failure.

Kali closed her eyes, a few tears slipping through. Frustration. Helplessness.

Within the same moment he'd felt her emotions, Ghira pulled Kali close to himself. Resting his hand on the back of her head, he pressed his forehead to hers. Calm. Sympathy. Reassurance. Kali pulled back slightly, opening her eyes in question. Ghira smiled, rubbing away her stray tears with his thumb. Hope. Resolution. Confidence.

Kali smiled weakly. "Always the optimist."

Ghira's grin widened. "Can't see the stars with your head down."

Kali giggled slightly, giving his arm a forceless tap. "But you can see where you're going."

His grin shifted to a smirk. "That's what I have you for."

They shared a brief laugh at the old joke, holding each other. When they calmed down, Kali smiled at her husband, though it still wasn't as wide as he'd hoped. "We will fix this, right?"

Ghira gave her a determined nod. "Whether we will or not isn't even a question. How, though. That's… more complicated."

Kali nodded back slowly, a spark of fire in her eyes. "Right… well, we won't figure it out on empty stomachs." Pulling away from her husband, Kali moved to the stove.

Ghira watched his wife work for a moment, before turning towards the rest of the room. He held back a groan when he saw the kindling that used to be their kitchen table. Then he frowned slightly, noticing the small shards of porcelain among the wood, dripping with brown liquid.

As Kali dug through the refrigerator, she heard the clinking of glassware behind her. She turned around, only to find Ghira smiling down at her, holding out a new cup of steaming coffee.

Kali blinked in surprise. She let out a small breath, taking the cup with a thankful smile.

Ghira just nodded, then made his way to his study.

Once out of his wife's sight, Ghira's face crumpled. He fell back into his desk chair, burying his face in his hands. Without Kali's calming presence, he could feel the anger rushing back. He was tempted to just walk out the back door and just roar at the sky until it was drained out of him, but he didn't want the townsfolk to think there was another Grimm attack.

Letting out a loud groan, he let his hands fall to the table. His eyes followed their path, until he noticed a set of deep gouges in the aged wood. Curious, he traced the lines with his fingers, quickly noticing the distinct pattern they made. He glanced up at his computer monitor, his own haunted look reflected back at him. He marveled at his wife's restraint. Had it been him listening to Blake's tale, there'd likely be a large hole through the center of his desk, roughly the same size as his fist.

Frustrated, he pushed away from his desk, getting up to pace the room. After a couple laps back and forth, his eyes eventually landed on the large world map hanging behind his desk. As he trailed his gaze across the shape of Vale, he lingered on the dot marking the city by the same name. He felt his chest tighten. Somewhere in that city, his daughter, his pride and joy, had suffered for three long years at the hands of a man he'd always viewed as a son.

His only comfort was that Blake was now in the hands of people who truly cared for her. He smiled slightly at the thought. Bless his Mate, she'd tried to ease into all this horridness with word of who his daughter had brought into their family. From what Kali had said, Blake had found a trio of loyal, kind girls that would go to the ends of the earth to keep her safe.

Even the fact that one of them was Weiss Schnee didn't bother him as much as Kali thought it would. True, Jacques Schnee was one of the lowest, vilest bastards he had ever met, but that didn't mean the entire family was rotten. He was reminded of a chance encounter a few years back during a solo trip to the White Fang of Mistral, where he met the famed General Ironwood, and his new second-in-command, a freshly promoted Winter Schnee. The young woman had been a bit prim and proper for his tastes, but she was respectful and even curious about his position, asking about what life on Menagerie was like. Despite her frosty demeanor, there was a glimmer in her eyes that her father lacked. If one of the Schnee daughters had managed to survive Jacques' poisonous upbringing, perhaps the other had as well.

As Ghira lost himself to his memories, his eyes lingered over Mistral. Then, with a blink, he looked back at Vale. His eyes darted back and forth between them, a grin forming slowly on his face, growing larger by the second.

"Kali?" he called out, quickly making his way back to the kitchen.

Kali looked up from the stove, halfway through flipping a stack of pancakes. "What is it, Ghira?"

Smile locked in place, Ghira asked her, "When was the last time we traveled to Mistral?"

Kali cocked her head, completely confused. "Um… you went a few years ago. I haven't been since Blake was a child. Why?"

Ghira started slowly pacing around the kitchen, collecting a coffee mug. "Well, I just kind of realized how long we've stayed in Menagerie. I thought maybe we could take a tour of Mistral, check in with the White Fang's efforts there. I've heard it's lovely this time of year."

Kali set the skillet aside, turning to face her husband fully. She knew that tone of voice. Ghira thought he was being clever. Confused as to where he was going with this, she played along. "Oh?"

Stirring a heavy helping of cream into his coffee, Ghira nodded. "Sure. Of course," he added, giving an exaggerated shrug. "The seas between here and Mistral are rather dangerous. Between the possible storms and the Grimm, you never know what could happen. Our ship may get turned around, need to stop from time to time for repairs. Never know exactly where. Could be the southern Mistralian Isles, or somewhere in Vert…"

Kali's eyes widened, catching on. "Vale?"

Ghira hid his grin behind his mug. "Possibly. And, if that were to happen… maybe we decide to tour the Vale countryside instead. Maybe even pay a surprise visit to our brothers and sisters in the capital."

Kali nodded sagely, then grew a smile that matched Ghira's. "We'll have to inform the local chapter here about our travel to Mistral."

"Yes…" Ghira agreed. "To Mistral."

Her husband's plan firmly taking root, Kali's smile tightened, both with worry and anticipation. "When will we take this trip?"

Ghira's eyes hardened, making his large grin turn predatory. "As soon as we can."

End of Act II

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: Adam is in trouble~