Chapter Text
Kali and Ghira Belladonna were not in Mantle for a protest. Ghira always tried to solve problems before they reached the point of a protest, which Kali appreciated. Too often, having Faunus marching and waving signs just made humans angry, with minimal positive change.
In this case, they were visiting a clinic that had a reputation for preying on Faunus patients. This was further complicated by the fact that it was one of the few clinics that would actually take Faunus patients. In a city already low on medical support, shelling out some extra lien rather than walking a few hours to get to a better doctor seemed like a good deal.
Still, Kali and Ghira could talk to the doctor. Maybe this could be solved just by convincing him to charge more for humans as well. Offering people more money was usually an effective method of changing their minds.
Ghira was arguing with the proprietor about his customer base when Kali noticed something strange. A woman dragged a young girl inside by the hand. The woman looked as though she was hauling in a vile prisoner to her execution, while the girl just looked generally unhappy. Kali would barely even call her recalcitrant, but the woman was acting as though the girl was kicking and screaming.
"Don't make a scene," the woman hissed, at a volume most people wouldn't be able to hear. "It's just a simple procedure, and then it will be over!"
Kali carefully turned away, but kept her ears tuned to the pair. Perhaps it wasn't her place, but she had a feeling...
Just then, the doctor noticed the newcomers. "I'm sorry, can you come back later?" he said to Ghira. "This is the appointment I told you about."
Ghira looked between the doctor and the girl. "Of course. I wouldn't want to interfere." He smiled down at the girl. "What are you here for?" he asked in a gentle voice.
The girl seemed to shrink back into herself. The woman--her mother?--barely even glanced at Ghira before answering. "We're getting her declawed."
Kali felt like all the air left the room. "What."
The woman looked at her, and at the cat ears on her head. Then she rolled her eyes. "You heard me the first time."
"It's, uh, an easy procedure," the doctor said quickly. "There's hardly any scarring. In fact, if she had come in when she was younger, I doubt she would even remember it!" He smiled down at the girl, much more awkwardly than Ghira. "Come along. Uh, dear." He reached out to take her hand.
Ghira grabbed his hand before he could touch her. "I think," he said, rage simmering in his voice, "that we need to continue our discussion first."
The doctor's eyes darted between all of them. "Th-this is a simple procedure."
"And how many times have you done this simple procedure?"
"Um..."
"Excuse me," the woman said. "We have an appointment." The implied you're in my way went unspoken.
Kali stepped between the woman and her husband. "Who exactly are you?"
The woman scowled. "Does it matter?"
"Considering what you are about to do to this girl? Yes, it matters."
The little girl stood stock still. The only thing that moved were her eyes, darting between all the adults around her. Kali couldn't read the expression on her face. Afraid, as if she would be attacked? Apprehensive, as if she had done something wrong?
Hopeful?
"She belongs to my orphanage," the woman said, in a way that struck Kali as suspiciously literal. As if that wasn't horrifying. "I'm just trying to get her a better chance to assimilate into society."
"By declawing her," Ghira said.
"It's a simple procedure," the doctor said again, more plaintively this time. "It will greatly improve her ability to pass among humans, which in turn will improve her life tremendously! No one is forcing her!"
Kali looked down at the girl, who was still staring up at her and certainly not getting any closer to the doctor. Then she looked up at the doctor again. "Explain to me how this procedure is legal."
He wrung his hands. "Well, with consent, very nearly anything is legal." He chuckled weakly. "Did you hear about that guy who--"
Ghira, bless him, interrupted the man before they could hear the end of that little anecdote. "The girl did not give consent," he growled. Then he paused and smiled down at her. "I'm sorry, dear, I didn't get your name."
She spoke very quietly. "Cinder."
"I'm her legal guardian, and I gave consent," the woman said acidly. "This is for her own good. Your interference is not appreciated."
Kali met her gaze. "I don't think you know what our interference actually means."
The woman rolled her eyes. "I don't care about a couple of Faunus protesters." She shook Cinder's hand like she was a piece of luggage; the girl flinched. "We are going to have this procedure done, so that she can actually integrate into civilized society. You are not getting in our way."
She tried to walk past Kali. Kali let her.
The doctor, however, didn't move.
The woman looked back at him. "What?" she snapped.
The doctor's eyes darted from her, to Ghira and Kali. "It--the procedure is legal. If you want to interfere, you'll need to go to a judge, and I'm not sure you'll find anyone sympathetic..."
Kali already had her scroll out. There were plenty of judges in Atlas who were not heartless monsters. This case involved a cute little orphan girl and a cruel guardian. It wouldn't be difficult even if the doctor didn't cooperate, which she suspected he would.
The next few days were a rush of everything happening at once. Initially, there was some reticence due to the case involving a Faunus. Atlesians were always hesitant about stepping into that political morass, no matter how good their intentions. That all went out the window when Kali realized Cinder was wearing a shock collar. Discovering similar devices on other children, including humans, resulted in the Glass Unicorn being shut down as though the entire city had dropped on top of it. Quite a few people ended up in prison for a very long time.
It became a national scandal, though Kali and Ghira pulled some strings to make sure Cinder's name stayed out of the news. That, again, was not all that difficult. The papers needed pictures of scared children, and they got them, but no one wanted to ruin their lives further by putting their names out in public.
The children were all adopted quickly after that. Ghira thought it was heartwarming. Kali, being more cynical, thought it was performative. No one seemed to care about adopting these children until they were news.
But when Cinder quietly asked where they lived, and if she could come stay with them for a little while, Kali wrapped her up in a hug and said she could stay with them forever.