"Lavi Bole, do you want your aura unlocked?"
Junior looks down at the 5'1" red haired Faunus girl in her oversized hoodie and ripped jeans. This isn't a decision to be taken lightly, and he made sure she knows that.
"I…" Lavi seriously thinks. In the end, she doesn't want to be like how she was in the past. She wants to change. To be like Junior. Respected, strong, cool, smart, brave, informed, proactive, and other things that she isn't. Getting her hands dirty never bothered hers before, why should it change now? Her choice is very easy, especially if she can continue being friends with Junior. "I want you to unlock my aura!"
Junior places his hands on her shoulders and shuts his eyes.
'What am I supposed to say? It's supposed to be some bullshit right? Fuck it' He has read many books about unlocking another person's aura. And each person has their own unique chant they do.
Junior's aura lightly envelops Lavi. "For it is in the darkness that we can find our light. Through this, we become a light in the darkness to guide and pave the path forward for others. Unshackled by any chains, I release your soul, and by my strength free thee"
A fiery orangish-red aura replaces Junior's aura.
Lavi was waiting on every word Junior spoke. And she felt his aura enter her body and touch what was likely her very soul. It was a warmth she hadn't felt in an extremely long time. And that warmth enveloped her, and it was her own now. It's like she was an unfinished puzzle until this very moment.
Junior puts his hands in his pockets as a satisfied grin is plastered on his face. He totally hadn't prepared that before hand. Definitely didn't spend hours trying make sure it sounded alright. But man is he glad it actually worked, would have been extremely embarrassing to fail and ask Derek to do it or teach him how.
He's also rather surprised at her amount of aura. He expected it to be weaker and smaller in quantity. But the quantity and quality of it is commendable. Not award winning or anything, just a step or two above the average huntsman that hasn't been trained yet.
"This feels…" Lavi admires her aura, it's very pretty.
"Liberating?" Junior asks.
Lavi brightly smiles. "I was gonna say amazingly awesome. But yeah. It does feel liberating"
And suddenly Junior is reminded of her childish nature.
"Do you know what a semblance is?" Junior asks after sighing.
Lavi rapidly nods her head in excitement and jumps up and down. "Yeah! It's an extra superpower!"
"Basically, but it's a bit more complicated than that. A person's semblance is the manifestation of one's innate and personal power as an ability unique to each individual, with the effects varying greatly from user to user. And since lots of people have their semblance awakened there are a few similarities between a few of them. I'm using past present and future semblances as an example here. Like how a person might be able to make clones. It's the same concept but they will never be the same. They will differ in how the clones are formed and what their limitations are" Junior uses another example.
"So basically…. ITS A SUPERPOWER ONLY I WOULD HAVE!!!" Lavi practically bounces off the walls.
"Yep" Junior wonders how she still has this much energy. Perhaps she really did get some rest earlier. It's hard to imagine she was attacked earlier this morning.
"So what is your semblance Junior?!" Lavi expects it to be something cool, like super strength. She can totally see him bending steel beams like straws.
And this is the question he also wants to know the answer to.
Junior turns back down the hall. "A semblance awakens due to strong physical or emotional events. It could be through hard training over time and then suddenly you realize what it is. But the most likely one to happen is the emotional events. Like when someone close to you gets hurt or dies. Or you are in danger and you freak the fuck out so much that your semblance decides to roll out of bed. I also have a theory that semblances are related to the events they are awakened by. Like say a person gets struck by lighting only to find out their semblance is lightning related. A bit too coincidental right? Semblances are mysterious even after 1,000s of years" Junior takes a step forward. "And I still haven't awakened mine yet"
"Pffft!" Lavi covers her mouth, her aura fades away. She gets back to Junior's side and leaves her hands over her mouth. "That's a long winded way of saying you don't know. When did you have your aura unlocked?"
"Haaah…. A year ago" Junior sighs out.
Lavi drops her arms and slumps her shoulders. "Ohhhh….."
"What? Do you think you'll unlock your semblance after I do?" Junior asks, confused by her sudden sadness.
"Yeah, I mean I got my aura unlocked after you did. So doesn't that mean you are closer to awakening it?" Lavi didn't know it would take that long, and he still doesn't have his semblance.
Junior shakes his head and half shrugs. "A person can awaken their semblance as soon as they unlock their aura. Or they may never find out what their semblance is. So make sure to train hard and who knows. You might just find your semblance before I find mine"
Lavi narrows her eyes. She ignores the fact that she might never awaken her semblance and solely focuses on awakening hers before Junior.
——————
Junior and Lavi make it to the kitchen. A few men are inside but they keep to themselves.
He hears up some already cooked chicken for Lavi and himself. Then he gets the rest of his meal ready. Fruit, vegetables, and water.
Lavi watches as Junior prepares so much food. It's basically enough food for her to eat for 2-3 days.
Junior and Lavi eat in silence.
It's nice for Junior since he gets to focus on some of his plans. He wants to find the Branwen tribe, but that's a task that might not even be finished in years. And working with the White Fang is a bit wishful. And then there's the whole Salem can of worms he's gotta sort through. It's like after each hour he focuses on this more and more ideas get scratched off that list.
Even with Junior's larger amount of food he finishes before Lavi.
"You should eat slower. It'll upset your tummy if you eat too fast" Lavi advises Junior like she knows the secret to life.
Junior places the bone of a chicken leg down on his plate. "And you should eat a bit faster or else your food will get cold"
Lavi goes back to eating while Junior wonders why she didn't want any fruit or vegetables.
After Lavi finishes he shows her where to clean the dishes. The small girl really liked this too, even if it was just a kitchen and dining room combination.
"Lavi, there is someone you are going to meet, he's my second in command. Do not disrespect him, he will be training you from tomorrow on" Junior makes his way to the club. Some guests should have started showing up by this point.
Lavi listens to the music and follows Junior. She wonders what type of person would be Junior's second in command.
And boy is she shocked to see Derek. He just was not what she was expecting. She thought he would be younger or older than he is…
Junior walks into the club with Lavi at his heels. And it takes seconds for him to spot Derek through the ambient, blinking, flashing, and sweeping lights.
There's already over 50 guests dancing or sitting around. Some people enjoying the nicely priced alcohol, and others enjoying the virgin drink options. But Junior doesn't spot any important people.
Derek is on a second floor that overlooks the first. The room is like a VIP room of sorts. The glass can be changed from completely transparent to one way. "This must be the Ms. Bole I've heard so much about. You certainly do work even faster than your father did Junior"
Derek implies many things, but mostly at how fast his father can ensnare a woman. And he's heard the men talk about a crying girl on Junior's shoulder some hours ago.
Junior is put in a rather sour mood at the mention of his father, and especially his father's mistresses. And he knows Derek did it on purpose, perhaps he was a little too lax when it came to Derek previously. "Enough Derek"
"My apologies" Derek gives a smile and slightly lowers his head. He looks at Lavi. "And I must say, you look nothing like Earl. And that's a good thing, he didn't have the prettiest features"
Lavi looks at Derek's figure and is surprised this is Junior's second in command. And why did he have a white tie?
"Ah this?" Derek looks down at his tie. "It's to signify that I hold i high rank in the family. Similar to Junior's shirt"
"Derek, from tomorrow on you will be training Lavi in stealth and espionage. You know who to contact to assist you right?" Junior goes over to an evil looking comfy chair that swivels to either sit at a desk or overlook the club.
Lavi puts her hands in her pockets and follows Junior, but she doesn't see another seat close to him.
"Boss, if you don't mind me asking…. Why have you recruited her? My curiosity is getting the best of me" Derek wonders why Junior would jeopardize so much by having Lavi join hours after meeting her.
"I do mind" Junior glares at Derek. He interlocks his fingers and rests his arms on the chair's arms rest. "But I'll tell you this. You can call it instinct or intuition. But she will become a big asset for the family. I've already unlocked her aura and it's decent"
Derek reconsiders his first assessment of Lavi. He can feel her aura, but for Junior to praise it he may have judged too soon. But it's not like he would do anything beyond advise Junior to take different actions. And he imagines Junior already did the survey for Lavi to make sure she isn't corrupt or corruptible.
"Plans will be going into motion even faster than I have planned Derek. The shadows are already getting restless much sooner than I thought they would" Junior knows Salem is doing her recruiting. And his previous knowledge doesn't help much because the backstory for the villains are so damned vague or just not touched completely. He doesn't even know when the Fall maiden gets attacked. And it's not like he knows where she is right now anyways, Ozpin is a damned good secret holder.
Derek still has no idea what Junior is planning for. He knows it's not just for the Xiong family and that it's something bigger, but just what could it be?
Lavi goes to the glass and presses her face against it as she looks down at the people below. "Junior! This place looks like so much fun!!!"
"Good, that's what it's meant for" Junior leans forward and grabs the back of Lavi's hoodie and pulls her up.
Lavi grabs her collar and kicks her legs to get free. "Gahh! No! Let go!"
Junior sets her down on the edge of his desk and throws her hood over her head. "Don't smear the damn glass. You can go down there if you want. More people will show up as the night goes on"
Lavi fixes her hoodie and kicks her legs over the edge of the desk. "Fine"
Junior looks over at the DJ. "How is Deadb3ar doing? Is he being received well so far?"
Derek strokes his beard. "I think you're seeing the reviews. The people off the dance floor are either waiting for a friend, lonely, taking a break from dancing, or probably just not a dancer"
"Good" Junior sits back in his chair. He just wanted to know how Derek saw the crowd, get his viewpoint on things.
Lavi puts her hand in her hoodie's pouch. "What are you two going to be doing?" She doesn't sound very happy.
Junior takes a deep breath as he relaxes and enjoys his hard work. "Relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere"
Derek puts his hands behind his back. "Observing"
Lavi frowns. Those both are a bit… boring to her. She just kicks her legs out one at a time and leans side to side as she listens to the music.
"Asset to the family?" Derek repeats to himself as he sees Junior with Lavi next to him. It's about time Junior made a genuine friend.
"I'll go observe from a closer position, I'll see you around sir" Derek slightly bows and leaves the room.
Now Lavi and Junior are left in the room alone. And Lavi hopes that Junior doesn't leave as well. The room might not be as big as the bedroom, but it's still giving her some problems.
"How do you like Derek? You'll be seeing him a lot more from now on" Junior asks as he watches a group of office ladies dance together before going to the next group of people on the dance floor.
"He seems alright. But I don't know if he likes me" Lavi falls back on the desk and looks up at the ceiling.
"Not everyone will like you, but don't worry. He does" Junior looks down at his Xiong Family ring and twists back and forward on his finger. Still weird wearing so many rings.
"I know nobody likes me" Lavi's eyes begin to slowly close as she fights but fails to keep them open.
Junior watches from the corner of his eyes as Lavi drifts to sleep ontop of his desk. He hears her words and feels a mix of emotions. "How am I supposed to take that?" He whispers to himself.
He also realizes that she likely didn't get any sleep. Junior turns his chair towards his desk and moves Lavi's hoodie off her forehead. Her chest rises and falls as she breathes, clearly already in deep sleep.
"Moron" Junior pushes himself up from the chair and walks to the other side of the desk. He picks Lavi up and moves her over to the couch along the wall facing the glass window.
He sets her down and takes his jacket of to cover her. She grabs the jacket and rolls onto her side. Her eyes and nose just peaking over the collar of the jacket. And her head uses the armrest of the couch as a pillow, it's cushioned so it's not a bad one.
With her taken care of Junior goes to a cabinet and takes some liquor out. Forgetting some of his worries doesn't sound so bad.
Junior spends the rest of the night watching the various people come and go from his club.
Some people voluntarily leave while others are forced to leave prematurely. A few guys get a bit frisky and his men have to step in. At least the women liked having men in suits coming to their rescue before things got too out of hand.
But there were a few women that tried to pull a few stunts. Luckily his men were prepared for most situations.
Most.
Who can really be prepared for dealing with Karens? Derek had to step in at one point. Damn crazy lady tried to threaten to sue this place on its first day open. S
Derek blasted her with laws and the legal mumbo-jumbo she incorrectly read on the internet or something.
But altogether most of the guests were respectful to eachother and almost everyone had a good time.
Junior also worked hard on the liquor bottle. He put a very decent dent over the course of the night.
He enjoyed watching his bartender get swamped with drink orders, perhaps he should get another one.
He wonders just how much money he actually did end up making today. If his estimations are right, he will quickly break even with all his businesses around Vale making him money. Some more legit than others of course. But profits will be seen in roughly 5-8 months.
And hopefully in another year he will have progressed at the same pace he has been, even though that's unlikely.
Maybe it's time to not only focus on himself. Just as he is getting Lavi ready he could do the same to others. Sort of 'amp up' his recruitment.
But what's holding him back is that he doesn't want to draw too much attention from the big players yet. Sure he might be known and have some eyes on him. It's just that he doesn't want anyone to move against him soon.
Getting squashed by Salem so soon would definitely NOT be the bees knees.