[Many of you seemed to enjoy the message boards. So in the future, after some events, I'll do a segment where I include you guys in them. And it probably felt short because it was exactly 2000 words. Usually it varies from 2100 to 2500]
"Oho.. If you're asking for their help, I'm afraid you've come here for no reason." Kali answered, smiling as Blake delivered the tea.
"Why is that though?" Shia spoke up, sitting next to Yin with a thoughtful expression.
Kali felt a small, helpless smile form on her face, while feeling the annoyance from her daughter behind her. "I'm going to-" Kali cut off Blake with a sudden raise of her hand.
"No, you should stay. This talk is something you need too, my little kitten." Kali took her cup after Yin and calmly sipped the hot drink with a satisfied face.
"The White Fang is fracturing. Though, on the outside, it probably looks like the opposite. The Beast Kings all have their own ideas on how we Faunus should proceed. The Tiger King, Ghislaine, thinks integration and focusing on defense will help us. The issue is, it will take a while before the benefits of that path are seen." Kali then glanced at Yin, who noticed the growing frustration in Blake.
"The Fox King, Tamamo, is of the mind we should retaliate back at the SDC and Chrollo Mercenaries, liberate the Faunus in the mines and go on the offensive. With recent events, her views are becoming popular." Yin slowly nodded before taking a guess as to what the last King's views are.
"Let me guess. The last King wants to wage war on humans?" Yin's question made the house quiet for a few seconds before Kali sighed softly.
Blake rubbed her arm awkwardly and looked to her Mother, who now sported a more serious demeanor.
"Yes. Muzaka, the Wolf King blames not only the SDC but human society as a whole. For.. personal reasons I'll not discuss. It's a rather sensitive topic on Menagerie. But it's an open secret, so you'll likely hear it at some point. We're divided at the moment." Kali finished.
"That's why we need to convince Lady Ghislaine to side with Lady Tamamo.." They heard Blake murmur, Kali's lips thinning in response.
"Ghislaine's plan isn't going to work. It takes too long, it does nothing about the SDC and we'll just end up being walked on by humans again! We protested, they ignored us. We begged, they ignored us. We boycotted, they ignored us. We were suffering and they ignored us!" Blake clenched her fists as she cried out.
"So, your proposition is to.. attack. To strike back, instill some fear in them and gain recognition that way? I certainly agree that you should defend yourself against the SDC and mercenaries, if they're aiming to hurt you." Yin looked at Blake, watching her brows furrow at the challenge in her words.
"I'm sensing a 'but' here.." Blake muttered.
"You'd be right." Yin took another sip before getting comfortable. "Violence can be an effective tool. But it's a sledgehammer. The matter here, is that you want Faunus to be treated as equal to humans in society. Fear will get you that, for a while. But fear breeds hate. And getting your way through fear isn't very 'equal', by the way. Soon, they'll express discontent, which will be in the form of complaints, protests, begging.. Which will push you into using fear once more. That'll spread further discontent until..." Yin paused, watching as it dawned on Blake.
"We.. We won't use it to oppress them. Just enough so they understand." Blake fought back.
"That's.. going to end in bloodshed." Shia added, her ears drooping.
Blake paused, biting her lip as she tried to deny it. That it didn't need to come at that cost.
"Respect, is earned. It's more stable than fear. Thing is, you'll always encounter people who don't respect you. But there's not much you can do in regards to that than get the respect of others. You want equality? Get respect. Ask yourself: What do people respect? Honor, bravery, virtue, sacrifice and most importantly, power." Yin looked into Blake's amber eyes and spoke firmly.
"Power..? But fear.." Blake paused, hearing her Mother stifle a giggle.
"I see you picked up a few things from your Mom. Yes, my Kitty. Power. Whether that's wealth, military, culture, technology or even personal power. These are the things we're currently lacking as a Kingdom here. Being divided into three camps on an island with mostly desert, plus the two Mythic Class Grimm inhabiting it.. We were dealt a pretty crappy hand. So, back to my original statement.. If you've come for help, well.." Kali trailed off, but it was obvious what she was trying to say.
"Actually, it's the opposite. I'm here to help you."
-Two hours later-
At the far back of Kuo Kuana, was a mountain. Named Mount Khan, after the first Tiger King, Tigrex Khan. It was on this Mountain that the Tiger King's temple was built into. Hundreds of steps led up to the temple from the town itself. It was here that one could see the usual sight of Sienna Khan walking up the steps to see the Tiger King.
The tanned Bengal Tiger Faunus squinted at the remaining three-hundred steps remaining, as if they'd killed her parents.
"Why.. Oh why did you build this place on a fucking Mountain, Great Great Great Grandfather..?" Sienna sighed before continuing her trek up to the temple.
"Note to self.. hollow out a path into the Mountain and build an elevator.." Sienna added in annoyance.
"Hm.. No. If someone must see me, they should at least possess the strength to climb up these stairs. You're trained, Sienna. This should be easy." A calm, stoic voice replied to Sienna, having appeared next to her.
"It is easy.. When I only have to do this once. How many times do I have to walk up these steps a day, Sister?" Sienna asked back, not even looking to the woman who suddenly appeared next to her.
"Hm.." The woman placed a finger on her chin thoughtfully.
Sienna stopped and looked at the tanned Faunus woman she came up to see. Her sister, Ghislaine, didn't have the tiger stripes she did, but she too possessed multiple Faunus traits. Fangs, ears, nails and a long feline tail swished behind her. Her stomach possessed a faded scar from a fight dating back before she was a Beast King. Her fashion sense was.. unique, in that for a top, she wore what was basically a tiny bikini, with a strap connecting the two strips of fabric as if its life depended on it. Her chest was pretty big, after all. That was the only issue Sienna took with her sister's clothing. The baggy pants, sandals and fur collared coat were fine. Even that eyepatch she wore for special reasons.
"Thirty-two times. Just today." Ghislaine finally answered after a few seconds of silence.
"Thirty-three actually. I had to wake you up at six in the morning." Sienna huffed, ignoring the slightly apologetic smile on her sister's face.
"What are you doing coming down anyway? Your daily walk around Kuo Kuana was three hours ago, right?" The Bengal Tigress raised her brow at her sister's unusual behavior.
At her question, Ghislaine hummed thoughtfully once again. "Something arrived in Menagerie. Other Kings probably felt it. It's in Kuo Kuana."
Sienna's face froze as she heard Ghislaine's reply.
"What's appeared? Danger? SDC machinery? Grimm?"
Ghislaine looked down at the peaceful town and grunted. "No. Would have heard the screams, smelled blood.. Something strong. Potentially dangerous. Powerful. Wanted to see for myself."
"Let me deal with this. I can judge if- AHYA!?" Sienna's words were cut off when she felt her Faunus ears being lightly nibbled on by her sister.
Something she often did to curb her impulsive and oftentimes violent tendencies. Sienna back up a few steps and glared at her big sister accusingly.
"You won't be able to feel it. Likely only the Beast Kings can. Talk to Blake. She usually meets all the interesting new arrivals. Remember Adam?" Ghislaine's question made Sienna roll her eyes, hard.
"Only thing I ever hear about anymore.. Blake doesn't shut up about him. Neither do the young White Fang recruits.. Fine. I'll go talk to Blake while you-" Before she could finish her sentence, Ghislaine crouched and leapt a few dozen meters into the air and took while saying, "Mmhm, you do that. Bye."
'She overthinks sometimes.' Ghislaine mentally concluded as she landed at the bottom of the steps, maintaining an air of aloofness.
SNAP!
Until her sandal snapped.
Ghislaine looked at yet another ruined sandal and shrugged before carrying on, leaving her ruined footwear behind. It was pretty often her clothes would be ruined during her workouts, fights or other extraneous activities. She didn't seem to mind, but in Kuo Kuana, seeing Ghislaine spontaneously lose clothing wasn't that rare.
Ghislaine approached the strong feeling being that grabbed her attention, ending up in front of the Belladonna estate.
'Guess we could have gone together huh.. Hm? Now that I'm closer.. Smells.. female? Female pheremones.. Not yet matured..' Ghislaine, immersed in her thoughts, walked into the estate, immediately catching sight of two new faces.
Ghislaine stopped in her tracks and stared at the two girls close to Kali and Blake. The bunny girl, she knew was strong. She felt some seriously explosive power in her body, along with a strange, radiating energy within that felt different than Aura. Then there was the deceptively young girl.
'That strange energy's as large as the estate..' Ghislaine's ear twitched in what felt like anticipation.
Yin, however, was pretty surprised.
'Wait is that Ghislaine from Mushoku Tensei? Tanned, cat ears, tail, eyepatch.. Shit, even the scar's the same. What the hell.. I just thought these were similar names!' Yin rubbed the space between her brows before noticing the sudden movement of Ghislaine.
SWISH!
Faster than even her Mother, Yin raised her arms to at least try and take the blow she saw coming. Only, it never came.
"Nyeeh~" Ghislaine dragged her tongue up her cheek, confusing the two newcomers immensely.
"Hoh? She's really that capable, Ghislaine?" Kali smiled as she watched Ghislaine pull her face away from Yin's cheek and nod at her.
"Yes. She's not done growing but she will be powerful when she matures." The busty Tiger King replied.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Shia cried out in outrage while wiping Yin's cheek.
Ghislaine tilted her head at her action and paused to think once more. "Hm..? I marked her for later." That answer didn't seem to set the Bunny girl at ease though. But before she could protest, Yin gently placed her hand on her shoulder to stop her. "You marked me as a future challenge, didn't you?"
Kali took the opportunity to gently steer Blake out of the room while gently covering both sets of ears with her arms and hands. She knew what was coming next and didn't want to explain it to Blake yet.
"Yes. You're a worthy fighter even now. But perhaps in a few years you will be even more powerful.. No, it's inevitable." Ghislaine answered. "Though I also marked you as a potential mate. You're strong. And I desire a strong partner."
Shia nearly short circuited. Yin closed her open jaw with an amused grin and raised her brow at Ghislaine.
"I'm a woman, you know? So it's not like I can give you children." Ghislaine simply nodded without much change in facial expression. "Mn. Doesn't matter. I'm getting older and want to experience the joy of being with someone. My standards are just preventing me from taking anyone weaker than me. And I have obligations here, so I cannot leave. But it's still only a potential option as of now. Since you haven't yet matured."
"Good. As long as it's not a claim I'm fine with that. I was going to go looking for you soon anyway. Can we talk?" Yin asked, urging Shia to sit back down with her.
"Yes, I'd like that. But I have a question.. No, an observation I'd like to say first." Ghislaine then took a seat across from them, folding both her legs as she leaned her back against the chair.
Yin nodded for her to continue. Ghislaine's eyes seemed to glaze over, then sharpen intensely as she looked at Yin.
"You are neither Human, nor Faunus. You are a monster, power, wrapped in the flesh of a living creature. I see and feel many things in you. Flames, ambition, change, destruction.. None of these are inherently bad by themselves. But the ego of a living being, combined with these things almost always never ends well. I see potential in you. A desire to change things for the better but also, to dominate. You are welcome here, as long as you keep those things you hold within you tame. But I ask you, do not bring Ruin to our home."