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The morning sun was warm and bright. The city of Atlas was usually cold, but today felt different.
Elias, Dee, and Neo sat outside a small cafe. They had a round metal table.
Neo sat between them. She held a large spoon.
A massive bowl of ice cream sat in front of her.
It had three flavors. Pink, brown, and white. Elias drank black coffee. Dee drank hot tea.
"Where is my wallet?"
Elias asked. He patted his jacket pockets.
His face was completely blank, but his hands searched quickly.
Dee didn't look up from her tea.
She just pointed across the table. Elias looked.
Neo had his leather wallet.
She was building a small house out of his Lien cards.
"She is very fast,"
Elias noted. He didn't sound angry. He sounded impressed.
"She is a troublemaker,"
Dee smiled.
"She stole my sugar packets five minutes ago."
Neo looked up. She smiled innocently. She tapped her spoon against the glass bowl.
Then, she pointed at the sugar packets hiding under her napkin.
*I am practicing,*
She signed with one hand.
"Practice on other people,"
Elias told her. He reached out and took his cards back.
"Don't steal from your family. That is a bad habit."
Neo pouted. She crossed her arms.
Then, the bowl of ice cream on the table suddenly vanished.
Elias blinked.
He looked at the empty space. Dee sighed.
She reached her hand forward. Her hand passed through empty air.
Then, the air shimmered like glass. The illusion broke.
The bowl of ice cream was actually sitting on Neo's lap.
"She is getting better at that,"
Elias said.
"Her Semblance is strong,"
Dee agreed.
"But she uses it for mischief. Put the bowl back on the table, Neo. You will spill it on your uniform."
Neo rolled her eyes. She placed the heavy bowl back on the metal table.
She went back to eating her dessert. They spent the next hour just sitting together.
It was peaceful.
Elias liked peace. He had spent his whole life fighting.
Sitting in a cafe and watching a child eat ice cream was a very good change.
"We should buy some new clothes,"
Dee suggested.
"We have money now. The military funding came through this morning."
"Good idea,"
Elias said.
"Let's take a walk."
They paid for the food. They stood up and walked down the busy sidewalk.
Neo walked between them. She held Elias's hand. She swung their arms back and forth as they walked.
They turned a corner..The street ahead was blocked.
A large crowd of people marched down the center of the road.
They carried large wooden signs. They chanted loudly.
Neo stopped walking. She hid behind Elias's leg. The loud noise scared her.
Elias picked her up. He held her against his chest.
He covered her ears with his hands to block out the noise.
"What is this?"
Elias asked. He looked at the crowd.
Many people in the crowd looked different. Some had animal ears on their heads.
Some had tails. One man had small horns.
"They are Faunus,"
Dee said softly. She stepped closer to Elias. She kept her voice low.
She didn't want Neo to hear the heavy topics.
"Why are they marching?"
Elias asked.
"They are protesting,"
Dee explained.
"In this world, people with animal traits are treated badly. Humans look down on them. They are paid less. They are pushed into poor neighborhoods."
Elias frowned.
"That is stupid. An ally is an ally. It doesn't matter what ears they have."
"Most people don't think like that,"
Dee said.
"Right now, they are marching against a specific man. His name is Jacques Schnee."
"Isn't he Winter's father?"
Elias asked.
"Yes, and he runs the Schnee Dust Company,"
Dee explained.
"Dust is the energy source of this world. It powers everything. Jacques owns the biggest mines. And he uses Faunus labor to dig it out."
"Does he pay them?"
"Barely,"
Dee shook her head.
"The mines are very dangerous. Tunnels collapse. Monsters attack. Jacques doesn't spend money on safety. He just sends more Faunus into the dark. If they complain, he fires them. If they step out of line, his guards beat them. He treats them like cheap machines."
Elias looked at the marching crowd again. His face grew hard..His eyes turned cold.
"I have met men like Jacques before,"
Elias said. His voice was a low whisper.
"Men who sit in high towers. Men who send poor people to die so they can count more gold. They are cowards."
"He is a horrible human,"
Dee agreed.
"He married into the Schnee family. He stole the company name. He ruined its honor just to make more money."
Elias felt a deep disgust in his stomach. He didn't like bullies. He didn't like people who abused their power.
"Are the police doing anything about the safety in the mines?"
Elias asked.
"No,"
Dee said.
"Jacques pays the politicians. He pays the police. He controls this kingdom."
Elias stayed quiet. He watched the Faunus march..They looked tired.
Some of them wore dirty clothes. But they held their signs high.
Suddenly, Elias noticed movement near a brick alleyway.
A group of local men stood on the sidewalk. They wore expensive clothes.
They laughed and pointed at the marching Faunus.
"Look at the animals,"
One man said loudly.
"They should be in cages, not on the street."
The Faunus in the march ignored them. They kept walking.
The man in the expensive clothes got angry. He didn't like being ignored. He bent down.
He picked up a large, heavy rock from the edge of the street.
It was the size of an apple. It had sharp edges. The man pulled his arm back.
He aimed the rock right at a young Faunus girl holding a sign.
Elias moved. He moved so fast he looked like a blur.
He put Neo down next to Dee.
In one second, he crossed the street. The man threw the rock forward.
Elias reached out. He caught the rock in the air.
The heavy stone smacked into Elias's palm.
Elias didn't even flinch. He crushed the rock in his grip.
The stone broke into pieces. Dust fell to the ground. The angry man stared at Elias.
His mouth fell open.
"What are you doing?"
Elias asked calmly.
"Get out of my way,"
The man yelled. He took a step forward. He tried to look tough.
"I am teaching these freaks a lesson. They are blocking traffic."
"You were aiming at a child,"
Elias stated.
"That is not a lesson. That is a crime."
"Who cares?"
The man sneered. He puffed out his chest.
"I am a citizen of Atlas. I do what I want. Move, or I will call the police on you."
Two police officers stood down the street. They were watching the protest.
They had seen the man pick up the rock. They had done nothing to stop him.
Dee walked over. She held Neo's hand.
"Call them,"
Dee challenged the man.
"Let us see what happens."
The man waved his hand.
"Officers! Over here! This man is threatening me!"
The two police officers jogged over.
They put their hands on their weapons.
"Is there a problem here?"
The first officer asked. He looked at Elias with suspicion.
"This man assaulted me,"
The rich man lied. He pointed a fat finger at Elias.
"Arrest him."
Elias didn't speak..He reached inside his jacket. The police officers tensed.
Elias pulled out a small plastic card.
He held it up.
The silver emblem of the Huntsman shone in the sunlight.
The police officers stopped. Their eyes went wide.
They immediately took their hands off their weapons.
"We are Huntsman,"
Dee explained slowly to the rich man. She made sure everyone heard her.
"Huntsmen operate outside normal law. A Huntsman's authority is higher than a police officer's authority. If a Huntsman decides you are a threat to public safety, he can deal with you. Right here. Right now."
The rich man turned pale. He looked at the police officers.
The officers looked away. They didn't want to argue with a Huntsman.
"He threw a rock at a child,"
Elias told the officers.
"If he picks up another rock, I will break his arm. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir,"
The police officer nodded quickly.
The officer grabbed the rich man by the shoulder.
"Move along. Go home."
The rich man didn't say another word. He turned around and walked away very fast.
His friends followed him. They were terrified.
Elias put his license back in his pocket.
The protest had stopped moving. The crowd of Faunus had watched the entire thing.
The street was totally silent.
Elias turned back to Dee and Neo.
"Let's go,"
Elias said.
"We still need to buy clothes."
"Wait, please."
A deep, powerful voice called out. Elias stopped.
He turned around.
A very tall man walked out of the crowd. He was massive.
He had broad shoulders and strong arms. He had black hair and a short beard.
Two small panther ears rested on top of his head.
He wore simple clothes, but he carried himself like a king.
A woman walked right beside him.
She was beautiful. She had black hair and black cat ears.
She held the tall man's hand. Elias noticed her stomach immediately.
She was pregnant. She rested her free hand on her belly.
The tall man stopped in front of Elias.
"My name is Ghira Belladonna,"
The tall man said.
"This is my wife, Kali."
"Elias Throne,"
He replied simply.
"This is Dee. And Neo."
Ghira looked at Elias. His eyes were full of respect.
"I lead this protest,"
Ghira said.
"I saw what you just did. I want to thank you."
"I didn't do much,"
Elias said.
"I just stopped a rock."
"You did more than that,"
Kali spoke.
Her voice was gentle and warm.
"You stood up for us. Humans don't usually take our side. They usually turn their heads and pretend they don't see the rocks."
"I don't like bullies,"
Elias said.
"It doesn't matter who they are bullying. A coward is a coward."
Ghira smiled. It was a genuine, tired smile.
"We need more humans like you,"
Ghira said.
"If more people stood up against the cruelties, we wouldn't need to march in the streets."
"Marching is a hard path,"
Elias noted. He looked at the crowd.
"It takes a long time to change minds. Fighting is much faster."
"Fighting brings blood,"
Ghira shook his head slowly.
"We don't want blood. We want peace. We want equality. If we fight, we prove the racists right. They call us violent animals. We must show them we are better than that."
Elias respected the man's logic. He didn't fully agree with it, but he respected the discipline.
It took a lot of strength to take a hit and not hit back.
"You have a lot of patience,"
Elias said. Kali stroked her pregnant belly gently.
She looked down at it with total love.
"We have to be patient,"
Kali said softly.
"We are bringing a child into this world soon. We want her to grow up in a safe place. A place where she doesn't have to hide her ears. We are marching today so she doesn't have to march tomorrow."
Dee smiled at Kali.
"That is a beautiful reason to march. I hope your child gets the world they deserve."
"Thank you,"
Kali smiled back.
"We should let you get back to your protest,"
Elias said.
"The police are watching closely now. They will make sure no one throws anything else."
"Thank you again, Elias,"
Ghira held out his hand.
Elias took it. They shook hands.
Ghira had a very strong grip. Elias matched it perfectly.
Ghira turned back to the crowd. He raised his hand. The crowd cheered loudly. They started marching again.
Their voices filled the street with a unified chant.
Elias, Dee, and Neo stood on the sidewalk.
They watched the Faunus march past them.
Neo tugged on Elias's jacket. He looked down.
*Why did the man want to throw a rock?*
Neo asked. She looked very confused. Elias knelt down on one knee.
He looked Neo right in the eyes.
"Because some people are afraid of things that are different,"
Elias told her.
"And when weak people get afraid, they get angry."
Neo tilted her head.
*Are we afraid?*
"No,"
Elias said.
He tapped her on the nose.
"We aren't weak."
Neo smiled brightly. She hugged Elias's neck. Elias stood up and picked her up.
He looked at Dee.
"Let's go find that clothing store,"
Elias said.
"I think we have seen enough of Atlas for one morning."
Dee nodded.
"Lead the way."
They walked away from the protest. The sound of the chanting faded behind them.
Elias thought about Jacques Schnee.
He thought about the dirty mines and the angry men on the street.
This world had a lot of problems. But right now, his only job was to take care of his family.