Grimm Nightmares Chapter 65

Chapter 65 The Chapter to Help Get Back Into the Swing of Things

Part 1: Huntsman of Vale

Anise and Thyme were arguably the ‘youngest’ Huntsmen of Reach.

Both of them were in the latter half of their twenties, making them somewhat older than the average academy graduate, but despite this, they were still referred to as the youngest. This was because, unlike most Huntsmen who were still ‘young’, the two had already decided to set up shop in Reach.

A peculiarity, but neither would be found saying they regretted their decision to make the town their precious home.

Their childhoods were like those of many others. Their story was, in fact, utterly mundane. Orphans of a caravan dumped at the capital, lucky enough to get picked up by a good orphanage and, from there, grew up like any other number of kids.

They went to school, made friends, did their homework, picked up hobbies, and did chores, all while the thought of adoption lingered. But they were not for that life. No adoption offer had ever come for the ‘Herb Twins’.

There had been one or two offers for them separately, but neither twin would allow that; most notably, Anise, who had once threatened arson if they were separated.

City-born, of course, saw this as extreme.

City-born could shove it.

The capital may have picked up An and Ty, but both had spent long enough in the wilds to know the truth of Remnant. The world was a harsh and violent place, and death was always on the horizon. But, even behind massive walls and Auto Cannons, it was there, waiting. They had been young before coming to the capital, but they remember the caravan, the importance of sticking together, and keeping those they trusted close.

Eventually, they reached the age to enrol in the Young Huntsman Initiative, which would send them off to undertake the first steps toward becoming a Valean Huntsman. They discussed it at length and agreed it was for the best.

With their minds made up, both enrolled in the program and were shipped off to the combat summer camp. It was an exciting sneak peek at primary combat schools for regular kids. But it was an essential first step for those who required a scholarship to see their way to becoming Huntsman.

Together, the twins rose to the top of the camp. Together, they managed to secure first place in every single course. The twins dominated when Showman's Day arrived at the end of the camp. They put on such a show that no one could ever hope to question their ability in any activity.

Together, they were perfect.

In the last event, the combat trials, they were the last two standing, and to ensure they earned their spot, they threw themselves at each other. In the end, an actual Huntsman had to pull them apart, the two sporting multiple injuries, with a couple of the onlookers calling them crazed.

But Anise and Thyme didn’t give a damn what they thought as they only had eyes for the Huntsman.

She was a stern-looking woman with an eye patch over one eye and flesh covered in nicks and scars. Her eye was a haunting green that seemed to look right through you, and her teeth were a mess of ivory and steel. She was older than any Huntsman the twins had ever seen, and her weapons hung from her belt like terrifying windchimes.

When she yanked them apart, she did so with a belly laugh loud enough that it silenced the cries of the other onlookers and captured the twins’ attention. She described them as ‘the most monstrous little pair of grots she had ever seen’, placing them both on the winner’s podium, applauding their tenacity, and awarding them the scholarship.

That was the start of the twins’ journey to become Huntsmen.

With their places secured, they worked through their three years of primary combat school and inevitably made it into Beacon, all with great amusement. Beacon was an adventure, an exciting journey. They were Huntsmen (in training), making the world better by fighting off the hordes of Grimm. Living the dream, something straight out of a movie. And the best part was that they got to do it together.

Always together.

A couple of years into their time at Beacon, they took a moment to look back at all they had accomplished, from their origins as cast-off orphans to becoming two proud students of Beacon. They decided then and there that they should head out to make the world a better place, to help people, and to do right.

They concocted a new dream together.

To be heroes

That dream died a pitiful death.

They had taken on a bounty, a head-hunter bounty. Bandits had set up outside a logging camp and had been kidnapping the residents. The twins had plans to rescue the people, arrest the bandits, and be hailed as the triumphing heroes.

They had no way of knowing that Beacon had made them soft, and their time at the combat schools had stripped them of their earliest lesson. That Remnant was a harsh world.

The bandit leader had Aura, but more frighteningly, he was well-versed in sensing other Aura users. He had known An and Ty were coming before they had even entered his camp. Instead of a rescue operation, it turned into a hostage situation, and the two were forced to let the bandits go to save the captives.

They saved no one.

Every single one of them had been rigged with an explosive collar.

They had been fooled into thinking they had a chance to save them, save some, save one.

When the collars detonated, it set off secondary explosives planted about the camp that nearly killed the twins, were it not for the bravery of one lone lumberjack. A random stranger who saw the reality of the situation for what it was threw the twins into the same escape tunnel the bandits used.

They survived, if only just.

No one else did.

It took them two days to dig their way out of the collapsed tunnel. An lost an eye, and Ty ended up catching a nasty infection that took over a month to treat. But, when all was said and done, the twins were shaken and forced to re-evaluate things. In one mission, seven years of purpose were left in the dust, their efforts wasted, and their lives bereft of direction.

It was only by luck that the two ran into an old familiar face.

The same old Huntsman who had pulled them apart over seven years before at the summer camp crossed their paths again. She was older and missing even more parts, her entire right breast having been sheared off and a sizeable portion of her upper body's skin appearing melted and disfigured.

But still, her face was adorned by a grizzled smile of steel, with even more teeth having been replaced. 

The twins confided in her their experience, telling her of their horrific failure and the sudden revelation that they may not be cut out for the life of Huntsman. They expected mockery, ridicule, and condemnation.

Not a shrug.

“Yeah… head hunting was never something I like doing, preferred town hopping and Elder hunting… might of cost me a tit but at least Grimm are easy.” She explained, scratching at the leathery flesh of her throat.

“Easy?” Ty asked in a weak voice, due to his respiratory infection.

“Yeah, see Grimm just wanna kill ya, plain and simple. People though, yeah nah, people are fucked, they pretend to be normal before they turn into monsters,” the scarred Huntress huffed.

“… So that’s it then? You just avoided head-hunting?” An exclaimed.

“Nah I still did it… had to on occasion to afford shit, but didn’t like it… didn’t like mixing in with all that evil shit. See no matter what it gets ugly, you cant treat rapists, serial killers and slavers with kid gloves, because they will take advantage of it. So in the end, you're forced to treat them like Grimm, which means killing them. It hardens ya, and then that’s in addition to seeing all their shit, all the horror they leave in their wake.”

Both twins listened as the woman talked about the truth of her career. The things she had seen and the revelation she had come to that being a Huntress meant not trying to save people but defending them. You had to accept that people could be more monstrous than any Grimm could hope to be, and that in a world like Remnant, that was just a fact of life.

“Yeah… but uh, then I took a break… looked back and saw… nothing.”

“Nothing?” The twins spoke in unison.

“Yeah, nothing. Me friends all went and died or settled down on me, the wankers. All I had was me rep and a bunch of cool scars.” The beat-up old Huntress bemoaned banging her hand on the table of the bar they had moved to at some point.

“So that’s it… you went through all that crap to wind up with nothing?” An hissed, her mood plummeting to brand new depths.

“Yeah, all the hunting, killing, fighting, it does a lot to keep people from getting mulched into Grimm chow or turned into a bandit’s plaything, but it doesn’t leave ya with much.” The Huntress explained, pouring out her beer to emphasise her point.

“That’s…”

“Fuckin gut punch is what it was, real snap to the ovaries, her I was old as piss, and homesick with no bloody home! But did I let that get me down? You bet your cute brother's shorts I did, went and got hammered for a year.”

“A year!?”

“My shorts?”

“Yes, a year! By the time I was done enjoying every pub feed from Atlas to Haven on a bender that would put hair on your tongue and a brewery in your gut, I had burned through almost all my life savings.”

“How the hell are you alive?” Ty voiced, looking the woman over.

“Because they don’t make them like me anymore… and I had a really good flyer, built tougher than you mate, but I am getting off-topic. Now see at some point I got into a right proper scrap, I ended up finding an old mate who looked fucking greyer than ash so naturally, I had to have at em.”

“Naturally… are you actually a criminal?”

“Huntsman rule number something! Don’t ask about open bounties!”

“Sorry?”

“It’s all good but yeah I squared up but the old bludger cracked me a fierce one, he is responsible for at least some of deeze,” she grunted gesturing to her metal teeth. “But when I came to, the old bloke had done me the courtesy of dragging me back to a room and calling a doc to patch me up. Turns out he was a big-shot sponsored Huntsman, the type that gets trading cards and shit made up for em.”

“Really, who was he?”

“An Arc, turns out I’d gone and found my way to Reach… the old fucker put me out because I was muckin about in his town, hence the gob rattling he gave me. Struth that old cunt could punch.”

“… Wait, as in General Arc!?”

“What! No! How old do you think I am you little shit, you saw me when you lot were brats if I were that old I would be dead and gone!”

“I mean, the great war was like only eighty years-

“I ain't that old!”

“Sorry.”

“Brother’s fucking help me… but yeah it was his son, and he offered me a job, wanted me to become a Huntsman of Reach… thing was he made a compelling argument.”

“Really… you don’t seem like the type to man the walls?” Ty wheezed.

“Yeah, nah, I ain’t. But that ain’t what it is to be a local Huntsman.”

“It isn’t?”

“Nah… Nah it means not being alone… it means having a mate to share a stubby with, a neighbour to wave at when you get back from a hunt. It means being recognised by people… seen, y’know. It means having people. Being able to call ‘em your people, knowing that they’re yours and you are one of theirs.”

The twins were silent as the old Huntress pulled out her scroll and placed it on the table. A few flicks, and there was a picture; it was of the old Huntress, but she was younger and a complete mess. Her clothes looked tattered, her eye wound was fresh, and there was gauze that needed changing wrapped about her skull. She looked like death, yanked out of the grave, splashed with cold piss and thrown into rags.

The huntress’s description.

“This is me a year on,” she muttered happily, flicking her finger.

The change was night and day. The twins recognised this woman; she looked a lot more like she did when they first met her, maybe a bit younger. Her clothes were clean, if still a little haggard, and her eye injury had healed. She was in front of the guild building, and there was a pair of Faunus struggling in her arms, trying to break free with massive grins on their face. The picture was tilted and a little blurry at the edges, but it radiated life.

The twins were shocked and silent.

“Yeah… see the old bastard he knew his shit, put me to work, gave me jobs sure but also purpose and because I stuck around I got to see.”

“See…”

“See my effect, see ‘my seeds take root’ he said… I healed, grew and in the end, when I was better… I didn’t want to leave… I even went and got hitched! But that’s not the point… see, it was there that I learned my lesson. You can go out, raise hell, slay monsters, and be a hero. But you will die like one.”

The twins nodded their heads at this, seeing the sense in her words.

“Or you can be selfish, you can find that one little slice of Remnant that you claim as yours and accept that everything outside of that ain't your issue.”

This brought the twins up short, as it all but contradicted much of what they had been taught.

“But what about helping others?”

“Kid, look at me, this body, these scars, I can proudly say that most of these I earned protecting my people. My. People.”

They talked for hours, or rather, the woman spoke and the twins listened.

Eventually, with interests piqued, the twins enquired, “Why are you telling us all this?”

The old, grizzled Huntress replied, “Because I have been where you two are right now, I have sat where you two now sit, and I hope you two can do the smart thing like I did and listen.”

Then the old Huntress offered them a place to complete their work studies, and if they impressed, a job and a posting following graduation.

With nothing to lose, the twins accepted.

When they arrived at Reach, they were surprised to find that it was called a town. In truth, the place was huge, packed, and seemed as modern as Vale. But the longer they stayed, the more they began to pick up on things, such as why it was called a town. They picked up on how the population had sudden rises and drops, how there was always a fresh face to be seen and how news arrived in Reach before it was even news to Vale.

They also learned how Reach could be quiet, how, when trade and travel were low, you could lose yourself in the quiet of the plateau. They discovered that if you left the core of Reach, you would find tiny farmsteads and old buildings left over from the war that had been repurposed. That it had an honest-to-goodness reserve out behind the old Arc home.

That when you stood atop the mountains and looked down on it, you could see, with your own eyes, everything you worked to protect.

Time passed, wounds became scars, and the two learned the same lesson that old, foul-mouthed Huntress did, only a hell of a lot sooner. That being a Huntsman was worth nothing if it wasn’t done for something, that without people, without a home, what were you out there dying for?

Hence, Anise and Thyme became the youngest Huntsmen in the Reach guild, much to the delight of the old, scarred Guild Master and a giant blonde who teased said guild master incessantly for picking up more strays.

Anise and Thyme would only bear their title of youngest for a couple of years before a goblin with silver hair and blood red eyes would fall into their bunk house and refuse to leave.

But that’s a different story.

Part 2: Loving an Arc

Matt Noir meandered through the Arc household with familiar ease, his head on a swivel as he sought out one person in particular. The ongoing party around them had left the large house rather more full than usual, but not cramped in the slightest.

This made his goal somewhat more challenging to achieve, but he would not be dissuaded.

It needed to be done.

He spotted the person he had been following tucked away in the hall between the kitchen and the lounge room, smiling at a departing blonde.

Matt moved in swiftly.

“Hi there,” Matt greeted warmly, hoping to start things off on the right foot.

Dark brown eyes shifted to him, peering over the top of a pair of glasses that had slipped down the bridge of her nose. Matt saw her blink in surprise before her expression relaxed, and she gave an uncertain smile, “Hello.”

Matt introduced himself, hoping to cut through the awkwardness of the first introduction, “I’m Matt Noir, I’m with Scarlett.”

Recognition sparked across her features, “Oh! Right, Saphron’s told me about you.”

Matt felt relief, as hopefully that would make this easier, “Good things, I hope.”

“No criticisms to date. I’m Terra, though I suppose it's kind of silly to introduce myself, since you sought me out…” Terra Cotta trailed off.

“Not at all, besides this is our first time meeting, and I am glad I managed to catch you alone for a moment,” Matt waved her off, hoping to speed up their dialogue to avoid any interruptions.

A furrowed brow displayed her apparent confusion. “Can I ask why?”

Matt wished he had grabbed a drink now as his throat felt dry, “Well… I was kind of hoping to be able to offer you my help, what with my own experience dating an Arc.”

Terra’s expression shifted from confusion to something far more tense as she crossed her arms, “I’m sorry, I thought you and Scarlett were only dating casually, and well, not to be abrasive, but I think we are a bit beyond that…” Terra explained.

Matt chuckled, more from nerves than actual amusement, “Ah, you are not wrong, but I have been ‘casually’ dating Scarlett for nearly five years.”

“Huh,” Terra muttered.

Matt fought down a blush, “While I am in no way trying to lessen yours and Saph’s romance, I just… umm, I only wanted to see if I could offer any advice since I have a little more experience with the family and everything, and they can be… a lot.”

Terra seemed to be mulling over his words, and Matt tried to resist the urge to make his way outside and throw himself at Ramus to be eaten.

“Saph made you and Scarlett sound… more relaxed,” Terra finally stated.

Matt nodded, well used to such things.

Even Mr Brown had checked in with both him and Scarlett about their relationship.

“Yeah, no, that’s mine and Scarlett’s fault really, something of a quirk we both share, but both of us have only been with each other the whole time, we just avoid titles and such,” Matt explained, feeling more comfortable covering something he had explained several times before.

“So… like no ‘boyfriend’ or ‘partner’…” Terra enquired slowly as if examining the matter.

Matt shook his head, “Pretty much yeah, Scarlett does not do labels and enjoys things the way they are, and I like that she is so comfortable, and I don’t need labels to know what we have.”

Terra mulled this over but seemed to accept it as he features relaxed once more, “Guess you really are my senior then.”

Matt snorted, “I wouldn’t say it like that, but I just know that the Arcs can be a lot for someone new, and I know you haven’t had as much time with the whole clan, so I thought I would just…”

“Would offer a friendly hand?” Terra finished.

“Exactly,” Matt nodded. “I’m actually really excited to have someone else to talk to about things, it's been just me for a while, I kind of stick out, you know,” Matt explained, pointing up to his dark hair.

Terra’s laughter rang out as she quickly caught his meaning, “It’s like a sea of blondes.”

Matt’s shoulder shook from his amusement, “Yeah, kinda hard to not stick out like a sore thumb, not that any of the Arcs would ever let me disappear that easily.”

“Oh?” Terra voiced.

“Yeah, when I started seeing Scarlett, let's just say that I quickly came to understand that my idea of protective and their idea of protective had a very steep deviation,” Matt answered diplomatically, his eyes darting around, hoping his phrasing hadn’t perked up some very specific sets of ears.

“I’ve heard Hunstman families can be intense,” Terra nodded, having done her own research when she and Saphron had begun to get a little more friendly.

Matt lifted his hand, giving a so-so gesture, “I found it was more of an Arc-centric thing. Their dynamic has layers that you need to experience to understand.”

Terra couldn’t help but snort, “Layers.”

Matt sighed, “I know, I know it sounds ridiculous, but trust me, you just watch how your Arc changes when she talks to Jaune, and it will all make sense.”

Terra’s interest piqued as she heard Matt’s confident declaration, “Jaune… I haven’t had all that many chances to interact with Saph’s younger brother, to be honest.”

Matt mumbled his expression a little pained, “lucky.”

Terra’s amusement at Matt’s defeated slouch was evident as she tried to pry more from Scarlett’s paramour. “Come now, he can't be that bad, right?”

Matt blinked, then straightened as he seemed to become more serious. “Nah, Jaune’s not bad at all, he’s just… complicated. Like… right, so how much time have you spent with Mr and Mrs Arc?”

Terra was caught somewhat flat-footed by the sudden shift in conversation, but recovered quickly, “Um, not a whole lot again, as me and Saph really don’t hang around here much, and they both have like super busy schedules… plus Mrs Arc scares me.”

Matt gave her a commiserating nod, “Don’t worry, she scares everyone.”

“Oh, okay…”

Matt continued as if he hadn’t just said something mildly concerning, “See the thing is Jaune also scares the crap out of everybody… just not his family.”

“Really? I mean, I get that his height is intimidating, but Saphron always talks about how he is like a perfect gentleman and kind of a hero to her,” Terra replied, making sure there weren’t any blondes nearby.

Matt was quick to jump in, “Oh, he’s super polite, speech mannerisms aside, he talks kind of how I imagine the old noble families would have back in the day.” Matt seemed to freeze as he mulled his following words over, “… and I can more than understand Saphron’s personally stellar opinion of him. Hell, it's one I kind of share just… I also have the perspective of someone who is not his sibling.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, when I first started dating Scarlett, I was very prepared for the warning glances to come from her mother and father… I was less so prepared to catch them from her younger brother, who had made quite the impression on me,” Matt explained once more, his eyes darting around.

“How’d he do that?” Terra asked, wondering if the only brother of her girlfriend had some hidden dark side.

“Ah, now see that is something you should most definitely ask Saphron about,” Matt was quick to direct her.

Terra, hearing his pointed words, quickly realised that the matter was not one that was openly discussed and nodded her head. “I’ll be sure to do that… but just to be clear, I shouldn’t like avoid Jaune or anything?”

Matt’s expression flicked through a few different emotions before a quiet, muffled laugh bubbled out of his chest. “I… I don’t really think you can.”

Terra frowned, “What do you-“

“Matt!” A voice Terra found entirely too lovely cheered as a warm body wrapped around her back. “Where have you been hiding all this time?”

“As if I am dumb enough to try my hand at hiding from an Arc,” Matt scoffed clearly in jest, “It’s good to see you again, Saphron.”

“You too, Matt, how’s the capital and my sister treating you?” Saphron asked, sparing a glance for Terra as she pressed her cheek against hers.

Terra returned the gesture, letting herself enjoy the feeling of the affectionate blonde embracing her from behind.

“Both seem to enjoy keeping me busy,” the wiry brunette lamented.

“Oh, poor you,” Saphron teased with a baby voice, “Stuck with a tall, gorgeous blonde and a job you like that pays well.”

Matt scoffed, “Excuse you, my job pays exceptionally well.”

Saphron laughed easily at Matt’s display of modesty, Terra too letting out a huff at their exchange.

“So what finally lured you over to my Terra Matt? Curious to see if she was as crazy as you?” Saphron teased, squeezing Terra affectionately to let her know she was only teasing.

Saphron was always like that with Terra, happy to joke but always seeking to reaffirm how much she cared about her. It was something Terra had come to adjust to, as she had not been wholly used to such upfront affection.

“My crown is safe,” Matt declared proudly.

Saphron leaned in, “Oi, what's that meant to mean?”

Matt gave a Cheshire-like grin, “Your dear paramour has yet to truly interact with the lovable Jaune.”

Saphron leaned back, “What? No, wait a minute, she definitely has.”

“More than a ‘hello’ and a ‘be nice’?” Matt queried.

Saphron opened her mouth to retort, but shut it with a clack of her teeth as Matt had successfully managed to call her out. She pulled away from Terra, her hands coming to rest on her lover's hips, and her head resting between her shoulder blades as she hissed a curse, “Shit.”

Terra, for her part, suddenly felt very out of her depth.

Matt looked as if he was about to gloat, but before he could get so much as a syllable out, Saphron stood straight and snatched her girlfriend's hand up. “Right time to rectify this!” She boldly declared, quickly pulling Terra along as she began her hunt.

Matt followed along with a chortle, “Oh, so eager.”

“Shush,” Saphron ordered.

“Um, sweetie?” Terra spoke up, still letting Saphron pull her through the house.

Saphron, though, didn’t reply, instead muttering to herself, “Now where is he?”

Their hunt was short-lived, as they needed to go no further than out into the backyard, where they quickly discovered their sought-after prey situated on the back patio.

Jaune Arc, the only son of Hellebore and Cloud Arc, was situated on one of the outdoor sofas, his arms filled with the adorable bundles that were the twins Lapis and Lazuli. He was engaged in conversation with both Scarlett and Orr and seemed completely relaxed, and looked particularly harmless.

So much so that Terra could not resist turning to Matt, a single brow on her head raised, “Utterly terrifying.”

Her words, however, were not missed, and when Terra looked back, it was to find a pair of eyes that, while very similar to Saphron’s, were unmistakably different.

They were… colder.

A chill raced down her spine, and Terra felt goosebumps appear on her arms as she failed to look away from those Arc-blue eyes and all their glacial likeness.

“Scarlett!” Saphron cheered, cutting across Terra’s line of sight.

Terra inhaled, her lungs burning as she realised she had forgotten to breathe.

A body slid next to hers, a shoulder bumping her own to garner her attention.

Terra glanced up to see Matt giving her a look she couldn’t totally decipher.

“I did try to warn you,” he uttered before making his way over to sit next to his notably taller girlfriend, Scarlett, who immediately leaned into his side.

Terra, for her part, was left realising that she probably should have heeded Matt’s words.

Before she could lament her situation anymore, Saphron waved her over with a bright, beckoning smile that made Terra’s heart do some interesting things in her chest.

‘Oh… oh, I’m in trouble,’ Terra thought to herself as she made her way over to the woman who she was quickly realising had way too much power over her.

… And of course her terrifying ‘little’ brother.

Part 3: Kiss from a…

“The Capital at last…”

Cloud looked at his older brother with a single quirked brow, a silent question of why his sibling felt the need to announce such.

Grey just shrugged, “Come on now, am I not allowed to be excited to have some family in the city?”

Cloud couldn’t fight his smile off as Grey pulled him into his side, the two of them nearly the same height, with Grey just barely being taller. If Cloud was being honest, he still felt off balance with all the change happening around him, but he couldn’t deny how happy he was to have Grey back.

He had missed his brother.

… Brothers.

“Cirrus would have liked this,” Cloud muttered, looking at the sprawling city before him, the interesting combination of old architecture merging with the new as Vale seemed to be amid a metamorphosis.

Grey let out a sigh that practically shook his whole frame, “Yeah… yeah, he would have.”

Cloud felt a spike of guilt for dampening his brother's excitement and quickly spoke to rectify it, “I’ll have to make a ton of memories… so I can tell him, y’know.”

Grey’s arm tightened around his shoulders, “You’ve got some catching up to do, brother. I’ve already got some good ones.”

Cloud revelled in having shifted the atmosphere and couldn’t help teasing his older brother, “Still gloating about the fact you have a head start, huh. For shame.”

“Shame? What’s that? Can you eat it?” Grey questioned imperiously.

Cloud shoved his brother away and hefted up his bag, turning back to the Airship that had carried them up to the grounds of Beacon. It was the first time he had ever ridden on an Airship, and he had enjoyed it quite a bit. Already, he was eager for another trip.

Grey did not fail to notice his younger sibling's interest in the vehicle and chose to comment, “Don’t worry, you’ll end up riding on them so frequently you’ll get bored with them.”

Cloud shook his head, “Don’t think I could… It's almost enough to make me wish our ancestors had chosen to settle in Mistral.”

Grey snorted, “That certainly would have changed history… Come on, let's get you over to initiation. I've got to go meet up with my team later.”

Cloud nodded quickly, reaching down and hefting his sword up onto his free shoulder, the behemoth of a weapon looking at home atop his broad shoulders.

“I cannot for the life of me work out why you would choose to make such a monster of a weapon, brother,” Grey commented with a shaking head.

“Grimm are big, my sword is big… seems pretty self-explanatory to me,” Cloud shrugged, jostling the hulking blade. “Besides, you don’t get to talk, walking around here with our grandfather's weapon.”

Grey shrugged as he began to lead his brother away from the landing pad, “Like I was just gonna let it sit around and gather dust. Crocea Mors deserves better.”

“I’m not saying it doesn’t, but you didn’t have to go through all the trouble of thinking up what weapon to use and designing it and making it… It was really stressful,” Cloud lamented.

“You forgot naming it,” Grey teased, knowing that his little brother had truly suffered in the creation of the massive great sword.

“Fuck you,” Cloud sniped, swinging his bag into his brothers back.

Grey laughed, his amusement drawing stares from the other new arrivals, many of whom took to staring at the two towering blonds who were easily a head taller than anyone else. “So what did you name that bulky thing? Griseo Mors, Vastus Mors, Gigas Mors?”

“Næġling,” Cloud answered succinctly.

“Mæli? You named your blade in Mæli?” Grey asked, almost shocked.

Cloud nodded, “I learnt the tongue… doing so allowed me a lot of freedom… at home,” Cloud answered carefully.

Grey’s expression soured, a flash of something foul flickering in his eyes before it disappeared. “… This is your home now… and if you don’t like it here, you and I can get an apartment in the city, Huntsman get priority on residences.”

“Thanks… I don’t intend on leaving anytime soon,” Cloud answered, hoping such information would settle his brother.

“Good,” was all Grey said in response. “… So what does it mean, my Mæli is rusty?”

“Nail,” Cloud answered, earning an utterly bewildered look from his older brother.

“Nail…”

Cloud chortled happily, “Yep, and I’m the hammer!”

Grey blinked, once, twice… and then in a low, droning voice laced with defeat, “Our family tree is going to end with us.”

Cloud reared back, offended, “The hell does that mean?”

“It means I sincerely hope that there is some woman out there willing to ignore how much of a dork you are and instead focus on your Arc good looks.” Grey sniped, feeling such immense second-hand embarrassment as to lament their blood relation.

“You could always find a surrogate,” Cloud shot back, flustered at his brother's bullying.

Grey shook his head, “None of that until I find me a man, that shit needs to be a shared decision… plus Vale still has issues with such things.”

Cloud growled, “Fucking Vale can mind its fucking business… cant believe Mistral dares to have more sexual freedom than us.”

“Vacuo too,” Grey chipped in, “Our ancestors could have settled there.”

Cloud cringed, “Fuck I’d be red constantly.”

“You got Aura now, big baby, no more sunburns for you,” Cloud’s big brother teased.

Cloud was about to launch back, but found his words sticking in his throat as they came across a statue that both of them immediately recognised. The prominent stone feature showed a Huntsman and a Huntress standing atop a rock over a Beowolf below. Cloud’s eyes glossed over everything save the Huntsman and the familiar sword clutched in his hand.

“Grandfather…” Cloud mumbled.

“Yep… the old man did a lot to get the academy up and running, our generation is the first that gets to attend with it finally being fully completed,” Grey commented.

Cloud glanced to the right to look at the Huntress who wielded the double-headed axe, “Who’s she?”

Grey shrugged, “I have no idea.”

Cloud frowned, “Damn brother, that’s a little, I don’t know… rude?”

Grey rolled his eyes and gestured to the base of the feature, “It’s not my fault, there isn’t a damn plaque.”

Cloud looked down, “Huh… that seems like something of an oversight.”

“Hardly the most concerning one present in Beacon,” Grey complained, “Give it time, you’ll find this quaint when you get to your dorm room.”

“Umm… right, guess I’ll take your word for it,” Cloud nodded.

Not wanting to dally any longer, Grey dragged his little brother to the hall where all the first years were gathering for the entrance exams. Cloud and Grey didn’t fail to draw more stares as the two huge brothers were clearly able to see the front of the hall despite the large throng of people.

“Damn… I knew we were tall…” Cloud whispered to his brother.

Grey smiled, “Yeah… do your best to be conscious of doorways, for the doorways' sake.”

“I’ll do my best,” Cloud replied weakly, already foreseeing such an endeavour as a failing one.

Grey didn’t reply with words, instead turning and gracing his brother with a tight embrace and a couple of hefty backslaps. When he pulled back, he spoke, “This is where I leave you, little brother. I’ll seek you out if I can after tomorrow. Be sure to kick some ass, your performance will reflect on me you know.”

Cloud rolled his eyes but nodded, “I will. Any advice?”

“Hmm… hit the ground running.”

Cloud quirked a single brow.

“Trust me, it will make sense tomorrow. Now go make friends, there certainly seems to be several people curious about you,” Grey pointed out.

“Yeah, we’ll see-“

The door opened behind his brother, cutting Cloud off as he became transfixed on the person who entered the hall.

It was a woman, an utterly gorgeous woman, who marched into the hall with purpose in her eyes, which were a hypnotic regal purple, staring straight ahead. He immediately took note of her height, the top of her head reaching just below his nose. She was easily one of the tallest women he had ever met… that he wasn’t related to.

The light from outside the hall cast a halo around her, the daylight dancing between the long ebony tresses of her hair that reached down her back. She wore a top that was clearly of Eastern Mistrali design; it looked as if it were made of silk, perhaps, and was coloured a similar purple to her eyes, though it failed to match their beauty.

The top also showcased her toned arms, which easily revealed the muscles beneath with every movement, drawing Cloud's eyes to the dusky colour of her skin. He followed the length of her arms down to her waist, the area where her top was tied shut by a black sash that accented the curves of her hips.

His eyes went to trace lower still to the curve of her-

Thud

Cloud blinked, rubbing at where a palm had impacted his head.

Then he startled, realising what he had just been doing… and who he had done it in front of.

His Arc Blue eyes met a similar pair that were staring at him deadpan.

Grey looked over his shoulder and immediately paused.

A moment passed.

Grey’s head turned back to face Cloud.

Cloud paled as his brother smirked.

Through a devilish grin, Cloud's older brother spoke.

“Chalk another one up for Mistral, huh?”