Flesh

Salem looked at the content looking Cinder, who now stood behind Aegis with her hands around his neck as he sat at the table with a resigned smile, Emerald was standing near the shadows as she was a little creeped out by her lover's actions, Cinder was never so affectionate, even in their lovemaking, it brought little jealousy and bitterness to Emerald, but she loved Cinder and was glad that she finally found what she sought, Emerald knew that there was something that held Cinder back from loving her, and now that she saw what it was it brought bitterness and happiness to Emerald at the same time.

A bitterness that it was not her who now Cinder hug with a content smile, and happiness that her love finally found her own happiness, Emerald would do what she always did after Cinder saved her from that life, she would follow Cinder, even if it was not her who she loved...

Salem looked at the Cinder with a strange look, to Salem Cinder was someone she saw herself, a child who was dealt with the cruel hand of fate, but at the same time spirit strong enough to not give up and hunger for power to change her own fate...

So yes, Salem had a soft spot for Cinder, and that was a reason she was not angry for her to show her clear way of expressing on whose side Cinder now stood.

"Cinder dear, why don't you sit so we can speak? And you too, Emerald."

Salem said and after while Cinder sat by Aegis's side as to be close to him as her hand reached for his and she clasped his hand into hers.

Even if Cinder didn't want to stop embracing Aegis, she respected Salem, even now with her memories back and three hundred years of experience in her hand's thanks to the long livity of witches, Cinder still saw Salem as her savior, and even if Salem was cruel in her training, Cinder was grateful that the immortal witch took her in when she was at lovest.

"Now that we all sit, I looked at your plans Aegis, and I must ask, do you mean it?"

Salem asked Aegis, who just nodded.

"Gods would be a threat to mankind for as long as they live, I don't have plans on bowing my head to them, and they seem to be petty enough to erase entire mankind again just for it, as long as they live, they would be a threat, so yes, I plan to deal with them."

Aegis said, and it was the truth as long as gods lived and were free there was a constant threat from them, Aegis was not naive enough to believe that they would negotiate with him, after all Aegis too wouldn't negotiate with insects, and he was sure Gods saw them as such...

But as insects could kill humans/faunus, mankind too could kill gods, of that Aegis was sure.

"I see, and the serum? How long it would take to create."

Salem asked as she looked at Cinder, she wished that Cinder could become long-lived as she was one person in millennia Salem was even a little close to.

"Year, two with all tests, it's in the final phase, but I gave you my reports, you saw what abominations could be created with such way, so I prefer a slower and more secured way."

Aegis said, and Salem noded but then she looked at Aegis again with a deadpan stare now.

"Yes, yes, I saw what could be created in such way, and that brings me another thema, until now I was not sure what it was but now that you showed me the videos, I have something for you to see too."

Salem said and brought her crystal ball in what Aegis could see underground tunnels full of Grimms.

"This is a record of what happened a month ago."

Salem said and showed Aegis a record of a battle between Grimms and similarly looking flesh monsters...

The Grimms won but the implications...

"Fuck..."

Aegis cursed as he had a clear idea of what it was, it seemed that the contamination was breached, but how? Aegis asked himself, he made sure that all the spores were eliminated...

"Of course..."

It seemed that Aegis needed to examine everyone who had access to data that was saved from the facility where the serum was firstly made...

-----------

Iris sighed to herself as she denied another plan from another crazy scientist.

"Who in their right mind would try to make animals sentient?"

Iris asked herself, as even faunus who looked like humans were ostracized, and they want to make another race? A race that would be from animals?

Iris already could see that chaos and racism would reach new heights and that all after Schnees and SDC made sure to work on erasing racism worldwidely.

"Haaaah..."

Iris sighed to herself, but then she felt someone's hands embrace her from behind.

"What it is? Another stupid idea? I thought you created a special unit just make sure that they filter all bad ideas and just good ones go to you and Aegis?"

Alexandra said as she patted clearly exhausted Iris on the head,

"Don't even speak about it..."

Iris said as she took a sip of her green tea to revitalize her mental state.

"Hmmm, what this? Crystal technology?"

Alexandra said as she took one of Iris's documents she marked for Aegis to read.

"Yea, that is one of more good ideas in a while, it seems that one of scientist found a way to utilize electric dust as storage data for technology, more test and experiments must be made, but in theory, these data crystal should be thousand times better than current technology."

Iris said as she marked the paper as a high priority.

"Hm, that truly could change things."

Alexandra hummed...

"By the way, do you know where the girls are? I looked for my girl, but I couldn't even find other girls."

Alexandra said as she wanted to speak with Pyrrha about certain things.

"Hm? Oh they went to city, don't look at me like that you know they would be alright, all of them know how to look after themselves and I send captains for each one."

Iris said, and Alexandra sighted in relief, yes she knew she was overprotective but Schnee was a big name and Alexandra knew there would be a lot of attention on the girls that everybody knows live within Schnee mansion, but now that she knew captains were there Alexandra was more at ease.

Alexandra knew that each captain must be the cream of the top, each of them could be an ace specialist in Alta's military or the most famous huntsman, after all, all of them were trained to be Aegis who made sure they are satisfactory to his standards, and Aegis has high standards when it came to who he entrusted the protection of family members.

"I see, well to the other reason of my visit, leave work for while Willow wants to take tea and she invited even Raven, im sure you want to be present in that conversation."

Alexandra said, and Iris smiled.

"Yes, let me just finish this and we can go."

Iris said with a faint smile...