Renewing Green

I, Silva Branwen, finally cracked open the mountainside of Mistral and found an underground lake. It took me a week to check everywhere along the mountainside with a residential area to find the spot Cinder likely emerged from after her fight with Raven in the canon. I only need to know if I go up high enough to see if I will reach the Vault where the Lamp of Knowledge resides. I took out a lamp from my bag and set it on the ground to give me some light. I then took out some brown-colored Earth Dust Crystal and infused it with Aura.

As I infused the Earth Dust with Aura, the ground started to shake around me. I focused on the opening I made; manipulating the elements directly with Dust is tricky as all it takes is a break in concentration for it to backfire on me. The entrance I made that led outside this underground lake started to close. I took my time trying to cover the opening completely as I don't want people to find this area if it turns out to be the spot directly below the Vault. Several minutes went by until I closed the opening, and my Aura dipped from the exertion.

Using Dust like this is tiring, and it can backfire far too easily if one isn't careful, which is why this practice of Dust usage fell out of favor in the past. I sat down on the shore with nothing but the lamp I had brought to light my surroundings. I heard the lake flow and ebb, which was relaxing. I focused my eyes as my night vision allowed me to see farther than what the lamp showed with its light. I looked around, then looked upward and realized I had a long climb ahead of me, and I might even be wasting my time as this might be the wrong area altogether.

Only one way to find out, but first, I will call it a day and get what I need to make the climb. I opened a portal back to my ship and left the lamp as a sort of marker to help me get back here, and thankfully the lamp has enough Dust in it to last a few days. I made some chili for supper tonight, and as I ate, I worked on my novel rough drafts. I am working on the third Remnant version of Harry Potter, and I am trying to decide how Sirius and Harry's relationship should work out. On the one hand, we have Harry, who is a bit distrustful outside his few friends and knows extremely little about his parents.

Sirius being surrounded by Dementors drove him a bit mad even though his innocence was not a happy thought. Still, after being outside of Azkaban for a while, he realizes how badly he failed Harry and Harry's parents by leaving him with his unpleasant relatives and is racked with guilt. Working out this interesting but awkward dynamic could make or break the book and offer some depth to Harry's growth into a young adult. As I racked my mind on how to write this, I got a call from Miltia, and I answered my Scroll.

" Hey, Miltia!"

" Hello Silva, we managed to find a bank to set up an account with our limited funds."

" Good! Now send me the account number and routing number, and I'll wire you some cash for now."

Miltia gave the numbers, and I started using my account through my Scroll to provide them with a hundred thousand Lein. A hundred thousand Lein is roughly ten thousand dollars back on Earth by my estimates. That amount of money is a test for the twins to see how much my trust is worth to them. If they are a bit reluctant to spend it, then it will last them a few months, and I would have no issues giving them a regular allowance for necessities and wants. However, if they spend it all in one go and ask for more within a month, then I will need to give them a long talk about using my money.

I may have plenty of money from my books, but I don't want to waste it on idiotic things like gold-plated yachts with studded diamonds or anything else like that. In any case, let's see what their first reaction is to that amount of Lein. I asked Miltia over my scroll.

" Did the transfer go through?"

" Yes... but did you put in the right amount because this is a lot? Not even Mother gave Miltia and me this much, ever!"

I smiled at her reaction. It puts some of my worries at ease, and I asked her.

" Is it a hundred thousand Lein?"

" Well, yes... but-!"

I interrupted her sentence and told her what I expected of her.

" No buts! With this amount, you should be fine for a few months if you're careful with it."

Miltia kept silent for a few moments, then said.

" I understand; thank you, Silva, truly!"

"You're welcome. Give my best to Melanie and you're little friend. Once I am finished with my current project, I will head to Vale to see you, and we can talk about what to do next."

" I look forward to seeing you again, Silva~."

I smiled as I replied.

" Me too."

***

The conversation between Miltia Malachite and Silva Branwen ended on a positive note. Miltia looked at her twin sister Melanie who was still in her school uniform from Lady Browning's like herself. They left in a hurry leaving their clothes behind and only taking their IDs and Scrolls to avoid being caught in the Vale Police Department's investigation of Lady Browning's once its information gathering secret got out. The pins its graduates received work as cameras connected to the comm system of the Preparatory School that record everything they see through them and use the information in various ways.

Miltia told her sister with a polite smile that conveyed her happiness.

" Silva was very generous with our situation Melanie."

Melanie impatiently asked her sister, looking a little miserable from squatting at an abandoned building on the outskirts of Vale.

" How generous?"

Miltia handed her scroll to her sister, and Melanie looked at the balance of the new bank account they had set up at Silva's request. Melanie's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked incredulously.

" Did Silva add an extra zero by mistake?!"

" No, he assured me it's the right amount."

Melanie relaxed as a weight disappeared from her shoulders and said half-jokingly.

" I could kiss him right now!"

Miltia chuckled and agreed with her sister's statement.

" I could as well, and since he is older now, he would probably enjoy getting a kiss from both of us."

Melanie took out her Scroll and said in an excited tone as she browsed the CCT.

" Let's find us a nice hotel and get a hot shower plus room service!"

Miltia then told her sister to practice moderation.

" Don't get carried away sister; Silva gave us this money to last us a few months."

" Sure, sure."

Melanie looked through her Scroll to find when suddenly they heard some rhythmic knocks on the door. They recognized the knocks as it was a pre-agreed code to let them know it was one of them. Melanie called out excitedly.

" Come here, Neo, and help me pick a hotel; we're sleeping in an actual bed tonight! And after a nice hot shower!"

A five-foot girl with long half pink, half brown hair and white highlights plus mix-matched eyes came into the room, Neopolitan, formerly Trivia Vanilla. Neopolitan looked at the more polite twin with a questioning look, and Miltia told her with a polite smile.

" The friend we told you about decided to help us, but that aside, how are things outside?"

Neopolitan crossed her arms to make a big X and shook her head, telling Miltia, nothing good. Miltia replied with a small smile.

" I see. Thank you, Neopolitan, for checking things for us."

Neopolitan shrugged nonchalantly as it wasn't a big deal to her and walked over to the twins. Neopolitan then used her Semblance, Overactive Imagination, to make a solid illusion of a sign that asked.

" So, how did your friend help us?"

" Look for yourself."

Miltia showed the balance of the bank account she set up, and Neopolitan then looked at her friend and flipped her sign that now asked.

" Is your friend rich?"

" As far as I am aware, no, he shouldn't be, so I am surprised by the amount, but it should tie us over for a few months, if not longer if we are frugal with it."

Neopolitan nodded in agreement, and Melanie then said to them.

" Hey Neo, Miltia, how does this penthouse look to you? It has a pretty decent price despite its location."

Miltia chides her sister for wanting an expensive penthouse.

" Melanie! This isn't our money! It's Silva's! We don't know if he is hurting for giving us this much it might even be his life savings for all we know!"

Melanie looked a bit embarrassed and sheepily replied.

" Okay, okay, geez. No penthouses, even if they are a steal."

Melanie continued to look through the CCT and Miltia, then asked her sister.

" Melanie, why are you looking at a penthouse instead of a hotel like you said you would?"

Melanie looked away from her Scroll and told her twin with hurt in her voice.

" Miltia, Mom left us for dead in a city on high alert from her failed expansion of her organization, and we can't exactly go back to Mistral, nor do we want to, so I thought that maybe we should get a permanent place to stay at instead."

Miltia looked downcast at the reality of their situation, and Neopolitan placed her hand on the shoulder of the more polite twin to comfort her. Miltia thanked the tri-colored girl and agreed with her sister.

" Thank you, Neopolitan and Melanie I do agree with you, but for now, let's find somewhere temporary until Silva comes to Vale, and we can talk to him."

Melanie looked at her sister with a hint of excitement and asked.

" Silva is coming here?! When?!"

"Silva said he was working on something, and after he is finished with it, he will head on over to talk about what to do next."

Neopolitan tapped Miltia's shoulder and had a sign that asked.

" Anything I should know about your friend?"

" Hard to say; it has been a few years since we have seen him, but we kept in contact with him, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Neopolitan flipped her sign that showed a smiley face on it, and Miltia wryly smiled at her friend's antics. Miltia then commented as she recalled a few things about Silva.

" Although the funny thing is that, like you, Neopolitan, our relationship with Silva had a rough start, thanks to a certain someone."

Miltia glanced at her sister, and Melanie reacted defensively.

" Hey, now I apologized to Silva repeatedly about the laxatives and have been making it up to him ever since!"

Neopolitan looked at Miltia questionly, and she told her short friend.

" It's a long story, and it's an embarrassing one for everyone involved, especially since Silva spanked Melanie's butt until it bled, so let me warn you, Neopolitan. Silva might be younger than us by six years, but he is someone you don't want to make angry because he was seriously considering killing Melanie for what she did to him."

Neopolitan furrowed her brows and changed her sign that now said.

" Okay, now I'm curious!"

Miltia and Melanie looked at each other and shrugged together. They then started telling their friend about their snow leopard faunus friend while making plans on finding a place to stay.