CHAPTER 2: Knowledge
"I'm so sorry for Miló's behavior Ms. Xiao Long. I never actually thought she would do that to someone she just formally met. Even if we couldn't know since we never met anyone outside of our wielders." Th-this is just too much. I'm not a stranger to more fantastical concepts because of all the comic books Ruby has. I've even had fun thinking about a few here and there. So maybe there is a small part of my soul that wishes for the outright ridiculous. If that part of me exists, it is not nearly large enough to help ignore the more impossible factors of what happened in the past 10? 20 minutes?
"Yang, she's talking to you." My adorable who doesn't know swear words little sister says with an elbow to my sides.
"Oh. Ummm…. Mors was it? Don't worry about it?" I give a shrug of the shoulders not really knowing what else to say. Not that a situation where I have nothing to say happens often. At least a shrug of the shoulders can count as saying something. Right? Right.
"Dust dammit Miló not even an hour into meeting one of our peers and you already broke her." Oh yeah. Those people are named after JNPR's weapons. Or are they people named after weapons?
"I just did what I always saw Phyrra's mom and dad do to each other. It seemed like something nice to do."
"That's because they actually knew about each other and had a pre-established relation ship."
"Eh. No harm done. Isn't that right Yang?" Oh hey the weapon called my name again. Though I haven't felt any contact from it a third time yet. Just as long as I don't feel a third contact, I can put this all of as a crazy hallucination. Yep, just a weird hallucination.
"Yang?" Just remember no confirmation until the third time. No confirmation until the third time. Not until the third.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaang?" Oh thank dust its Ruby's voice.
"Oh hey Ruby. You would not believe the crazy hallucination I'm having right now."
"Uhhhhhh. Does it happen to involve living weapons?"
"Yes! It involves that exactly! I always knew that you would get on my line of thinking one day." I really am proud of it, but why does Ruby look so unsure about it. And why is she pointing to my side. I decide to look where she's pointing and find that the weapons I was hallucinating about are all standing side by side in the room. From the two kids in green to that rugged looking fellow in the suit. They're all standing there with JNPR looking oddly content just to let everything happen. Or is it resignation? There's only one way to find out.
"I don't know what you guys are but I know the how. You're all hallucinations from something I might've had earlier today. So until the third piece of contact I know I'm just sleeping."
"What about me Yang?"
"Just sleeping little sis. Just sleeping." I close my eyes and start counting to 23. That's always a good number to count to.
"Bu—"
"Just. Sleeping." Now there's the silence I was looking for! Now all that's left to do is to—
poke...
That probably is just Ruby trying to wake me up from whatever I was doing. Something which I doubt since I still feel exactly the same as before. So I agree to slowly open my eyes to see what's happening.
"And you weapons are still here." I can see the one called Miló begin to put on a very enthusiastic grin.
"I can help you with that if you want." That was said much more in a much more sultry manner than I'm comfortable with. Thankfully the weapon called Mors gives a smack to the back of the head. "So you do get jealous!" That was another smack to the head. So maybe that poking feeling was just me?
poke poke….
"…." I look down and find two pairs of purple eyes blankly looking at me. Scratch that, their mostly blank eyes. I know that shine of the eyes that can't be anything else but the beginnings of a mischievous plan.
A look that I know for a fact can't appear in any dream.
…So this is real life after all…I'm going to kick Miló's ass later.
"Storm barrage!"
"Flower barrage!"
Unfortunately, my thoughts on how exactly to kick Miló's ass are brought to a screeching halt. A very ticklish screeching halt. I have no idea how long they actually tickled at my midriff for, but at some point Ruby joined in. I think she yelled about something relating to getting back at me for something. On the bright side, Weiss isn't here to yell at us.
On the more confusing side of things, JNPR have weapons with actual bodies that can interact with reality. They're gonna have their work cut out for them trying to explain THAT. I mean for as out there ideas can get, there always is someone to explain it all.
"What do you mean you don't know Vomit-Boy!"
"And I was so close to escaping that nick-name too."
"Oh no you and your team not escaping anything today!" I grab Jaune by the collar of his hoodie and bring him face to face with me. This may be a bit underhanded to get any nugget of information, but I don't care. You can't hang out with something as bizarre as a living weapon and not know anything of how it happened.
"…Would it help to tell you Ozpin knows of their presence?"
"Did he say he knows anything?"
"…No…" I tighten my grip on the hoodie. I can hear Phyrra frantically trying to calm me down. It's a valiant effort on her part, despite it being completely useless. She pointed to Jaune as the one most knowledgeable about the weapons and all he knows about their existence is that they were forged with dust. Which is done in all personalized weapons. Something that I believe all hunters and huntresses worth their mettle should have.
I turn my gaze to Mors who's standing next to the spot I picked up Jaune from. "Do you have any explanations as to why you gained bodies?" She silently looks away. "I give up."
I go over to my bunk and flop down on Blake's bed, not wanting to muster the energy to actually climb up to my bunk. Usually this is the part where Ruby would come over and help comfort me in this time of need. It could also be vice versa if that was the situation. Yet her comfort never came. I turn my head around in the covers to get a view of the room to see Ruby on Weiss' bed listening to Miló and Maginhild with rapt attention. I don't pay attention much to what they're saying. Only catching small snippets of conversation revolving around being the weapon used in a battle.
It honestly sounds really interesting, it really does. I just need some more extra time to accept this new reality. A new reality where select weapons are apparently alive and can have bodies.
…Okay that's enough freaking out for now. I'm Yang Xiao Long! I may be confused but I'm still the only one who can live my life! So ignoring certain unexplained impossibilities, I need to roll with it! The answers will come to me then!
Eventually.
Hopefully.
I think I'll just join Phyrra's lil group and wait for Blake and Weiss to return. At the very least they'll give some amusing reactions.
"I swear those fools are going to be the death of all that is good in this academy." I know that combat rooms are limited in their accessibility when Ms. Goodwitch holds combat classes. It was a small miracle that I was able to reserve one with Blake. Especially considering that the Vytal tournament is only two weeks away.
"While I'm always glad to know team CRDL got their comeuppance again, but was what you did really that necessary?"
"Yeah you're right about that. That last ice structure really didn't need all those barbs. They looked tacky compared to everything else didn't they?"
"Weiss, forgive me for being blunt, but I'm talking about how you shoved an entire ice spear straight up Cardin's ass."
"Oh don't worry so much about that Blake. Dust based substances evaporate inside of the body, so there shouldn't be anything aside from impact damage. Maybe even some whiplash."
"I'm more worried about the fact that you even though about the tactic of shoving a spear up anyone's ass."
"Oh hush Blake. It's not like I'm going to use it against anyone I care about."
"That still excludes all the competitors in the tournament not from Becaon."
"Exactly." Blake stops her walking to bring a palm to her face.
"…We've been a really bad influence on you." She says with that adorable little smile of hers.
"I think of it as channeling our team's destructive nature into a form that I deem to be refined and eloquent."
"Yes because giant fists are worthy of being called eloquent."
"It's all in the execution Blake. Something your brute of a partner could stand to learn." Blake gives a small laugh at my gripe and we resume our walk back to the dorm room. There was a lot more I wanted to get done in my combat exercises. Team attack choreography, parrying long range attacks, and movement with some gravity inversion. Alas, I couldn't do so because a reservation doesn't guarantee unlimited time in the combat room. At least I got a little alone time with Blake. That's always a plus.
"A remembrance of the people's peace on Remnant where all are one it the heat of competition." I hear Blake say as we pass one of the wall scrolls advertising the upcoming tournament.
"Oh, so that's the new slogan they're using for the Vytal tournament this time?"
"Sounds a but cheesy if you ask me."
"I think it adds to the charm of it all. The Vytal tournament is a place of great wonder of how far our civilization has come since its inception…At least in a manner of technology."
"Well I won't say that you can't find it charming, but it's coming from the person who thinks daytime soap operas are the height of drama."
"Hmph. You wouldn't know what true dramatic fiction is even if it hit you straight on the head."
"I just prefer it if the drama that's being presented has actual reason behind it. The stories that you watch usually end up with extremely contrived reasons for anything to happen."
"OH surely I have been completely blindsided in this argument when your favorite stories have people fighting up on the moon. And those same stories all follow through with the theory that we literally came from dust."
"It's because the characters have relatable and recognizable emotions to ground the entire experience. Like recognizing the fact that having an adopted sibling isn't the direct cause for their mother's battle against a disease." Blasphemy. That was easily the best arc of the show and she's going to dismiss it like that? Not while I'm around.
"Well if you have the gall to say that in front of me Blake then I challenge you to a little bet!" Don't give me that disinterested stare Blake. I know you want to prove which is the superior source of drama! "Prove to me that your books favorite theory that our race was literally born dust then I will admit my dramas are hokey."
"…You really care about proving this don't you?"
"So you're in?" Blake gives a slight nod in response. "Good! Now you get on with your research if you want to win this bet." I walk on ahead not even trying to keep the smirk off my face. Because lets face, it will be impossible to prove something so farfetched. On one had I can believe that dust may have had some effect on life on Remnant because semblances can't just be natural occurrences. On the other hand, it is absolutely ridiculous that life could have just sprung forth from dust itself.
Even when contained for usability, the actual structure of dust is still too volatile to allow for life. That's why so many people use external methods like aura, weapons, and clothes to ingrain dust with. Even when incompatible, the results could still be predicted with relative accuracy. Not to mention injecting raw dust into anything living could cause severe poisoning.
Though if someone could survive raw dust being injected into their system, I'd rather not meet them. There's enough crazy in my life as is. Nor do I want to meet anyone who could help Blake win this specific bet. I will always love those dramas with all my heart and I think a part of my soul will actually die if I say anything bad about them earnestly.
Lucky for me then that nothing could help Blake with winning the bet.
CRAASH
"…Perhaps I was a fool for thinking that I could go one day in this school without seeing something destroyed." I didn't get a good look at who was thrown through our team's dorm room because of the distance. I still got a general look of dark skin and blue hair. Meaning that it was probably Neptune failing at flirting with someone on my team. Again. And he was even thrown through team JNPR's door too. I'm not paying for it.
"At least you weren't directly involved in… whatever they did this time."
"That's hardly a comforting thought Blake. Just make sure those dunces haven't destroyed anything else in the room." So as Blake goes into our dorm to check for further damages, I go to team JNPR's dorm. As expected Neptune is laying down face first on the broken door. Though last time I checked he didn't have long hair or wore a tank top.
"…If you're Neptune can you please respond with pointing your thumb up." I'm given a thumb pointing down. Not really feeling it would be fair to abandon this mysterious person, I reach out my hand to them as they turn over. I look down to get a gist of their appearance and can now confirm they are not Neptune. Her tank top is showing that she has a cleavage… as small as it is. I don't know why I'm concentrating on it so much, but I do feel sorry for the girl in some way. Sympathy maybe?
"You a friend of Yang's?" And so the mystery girl speaks.
"I suppose I am."
"Then tell her she has a hell of a punch and that it's awesome!"
"Okayyyy…Can you at least tell me why you were in our dorm room?"
"Oh so you must be Weiss then." I give a slow nod in response. I don't know who this girl is, but I can't help feel that her presence is odd for lack of a better term. I mean it has the familiarity of anyone else's aura in a general sense. It just feels more, constructed in a way. Sharper and more deliberate in form than one would expect.
"So I can gather that you're at the very least acquainted with Yang then."
"And Ruby."
"Yes, and Ruby." We both stand up and I can hear the sound of light chatter coming from my room. Which is pleasant and a bit concerning to hear. At the very least there should have been a shout of greeting from someone. Anyone.
"As much as I like standing around and looking at hot and or cute girls all day-" WHAT! "-you really need to meet everyone else. It'll be a riot with you and the raven beauty by the door." I harden my glare onto her. I'd rather not witness my friends being hit on by anyone.
"Well let us get on with this business then shall we? The sooner I get to meet these friends of yours the sooner you'll get to have that riot of yours." I try to say with some restraint. I really don't want to deal with anyone who could be a second Yang. One bombshell is already enough.
"Just let me do one last thing Weiss." I give her a small nod to go ahead. I figure that I can probably take care of her is she tries to do something to JNPR's dorm. Instead she does something much worse. She had the audacity to invade my personal space in a way much too private!
"Oh ho, I knew that small ass of yours would have worth to it!" Good thing I still have Myrtenaster on me.
