RWBY: Lex Talionis - Male Reader x Harem (Complete)

Part 190

"What are you doing here? Are you well? How have you been faring?"

"I've been well." Y/N replied to Maria's chain of worried and joyful questions. "I came to see you, and... talk about a few things."

He reached up to hold her hands and clasp them together, warming them with the thermal layer of his uniform's gloves.

He cradled her hands down below, allowing her to feel his, as if to reassure herself that he was really here.

Maria was a distant relative of the Cainhurst bloodline, and even then, she towered over the average man, but in Y/N's case, she looked down on him when merely half a head taller.

It was why she remained so young and lively when she rivaled Gehrman in age.

That's what made this moment so somber yet treasured, she saw his face, his hair, his eyes. They told a story of the hardships he endured, making his six year absence look more like twenty.

"How have you been?" He asked.

"I'm alive." She sighed. "But seeing you has certainly cleared things."

Y/N huffed a small laugh, amused and enlightened. But the question remained, why was she here?

Behind Maria, he could see the telescope glints double, maybe even triple in quantity.

The Old Hunter released his hands and turned to the castle, offering a raised hand that made the majority of them disappear.

"Would you like to see them?" She asked.

Y/N frowned. Even with his eyes he couldn't exactly see who it was up there, so he asked.

"Who's that?"

"Fellow Hunters." She replied somewhat fondly.

"Why are you all here?"

"We were banished from Yharnam... After the dream, the few that were left behind revolted. And the few that attempted to aid us, killed."

"What?" An angered glare immediately formed on his face. "Why?!"

"Mankind fears what they do not know, Y/N... That fear, it's as old as man itself."

She attempted to calm him, saying it wasn't their fault and that she didn't blame them, but as always, Y/N disagreed.

"That's not fear." Y/N shook his head. "That's hate."

"Maybe so..." She turned to the shimmering lake before them, her eyes content as they reflected the oasis of fresh water. "But it is not our place to judge them. We were created for the soul reason to protect them, not kill them."

Once again, Y/N disagreed. But it was hard to think about, killing a man that was innocent and thought he did the right thing. It felt wrong.

Maybe you're right...

They seemed content staying here, and from the way she spoke, he could only assume they had a sort of truce.

"And the churches?" Y/N asked. "They're here too?"

"Those who survived and fled, yes. The others, they were gone the moment we woke."

Y/N wouldn't say it was a good idea to let the White Church Hunters in with their group, but he wasn't so sure anymore after knowing Ludwig for so long.

"There are no workshops." She told him. "They had disbanded long ago, what you see before you are honest men and women with the desire to live..."

Walking to the edge, he sighed, evidently conflicted on their current situation.