Summary: The one where Danny finds an old, recalled Qrow dol in her gutter and works to bring him online.
Chapter 3.0: D.O.L.s
"Of course I'm alright," Danny waves from the top of the ladder. While the height is a little off-putting, she's done stunts last life that put this to shame. Cleaning the gutters is a normal, almost boring, task compared to angling herself just right to land on an enemy's plane. "Go back inside already, Seraph."
The winged Faunus sighs but nods. "Just shout if you need anything."
"I'll shout when I'm in trouble!" Danny replies with a laugh. She can just imagine the pained sound he makes and laughs again. With quick fingers, she gets to work.
Yes this work is slightly boring, but caring for a house is the whole part of owning one. And this world isn't exactly boring, not with monsters and Grimm stalking the forests around the walled towns. She thought this was Remnant when she was first born here, but no. Remnant is a television show, originally following team STRQ for three seasons before the fan base died off when Danny was six. When she hit eighteen it got a green light for a reboot, following the adventures of team RWBY and the plot she knew from life number one.
The strangest thing to come from the reboot would have to be the toys. Around eight inch android-like dolls that adapt to your lifestyle and can be anything you need; provided you get the right model. Most of her friends from school have had more than one, as the things live five years max and it's currently edging towards the seventh year since their release.
What's very interesting is the name: Chibi Remnant D.O.L.s. There is lots of speculation about what the acronym stands for. She knows – old habits don't die even when you do – and that's what makes it even more curious. D.O.L. – Defender of Lives.
With all the black market fighting rings that go on with these life-like dols, she has to wonder the reason why the makers don't release the full name to the public. Maybe then the shift from fighter to defender can happen, and her late-night searches can stop popping up with all the dol-fighting events happening in the underside of towns.
Though… it really has helped her accumulate blackmail against the Nightingale family. Who knew the daughter would grow to be such a high-risk gambler?
Danny grunts as she pulls the last of the leaves out. She rolls her shoulders, and then starts down the ladder to do the next section. Maybe she should have asked for help. But if she finishes this before 'working hours' are over, she'll actually have to do stuff today. Choices, choices…
An hour later she finds the old crow's nest in one of the higher gutters. She does a quick check, but the birds are already long gone for the year. They did not deign to stick around as soon as the fall chill settled in. So, she moves to rip it out. And promptly blinks.
"What the…?" and yes, this really is happening. "How long have you been up here?"
The old, dusty Qrow dol doesn't answer. She drops the nest, letting it fall to the ground, and finds a stick to poke it with. There are warnings about protective dols fighting those when their owners aren't around, and she doesn't want to be another statistic. Though, those stories have nothing on the ruthlessness of the dol-fights.
A quick poke, and nothing. She does it a few more times, before she's sure that this guy is so far out of energy he shut off in the middle of sleep mode. 'Sleep' is the kid way of saying 'turned off'. 'Sleep mode' is for power saving. Danny might not have had one of these, ever, but the few friends that did have all differentiated more excitedly than they should have been for the equivalent of 'killing' and 'reviving' a toy.
The woman gently eases him out of the gutter, frowning at the barely-held-together clothing and the exposed, damaged midriff. The skin isn't plastic, but the material used especially for these things by the producer. Nothing harmful in it, but it's made to it feel more like skin and be as sturdy as plastic. For him to be scratched like this means something, or someone, did a real number on him.
Danny carefully lays him on a towel inside the garage; she did grow up with the original Remnant. And if spending time figuring out the old, broken dol will give her something to do other than work, why not put him somewhere she'll remember? It takes her another couple of hours to finish cleaning, and by then she's buzzing with excitement.
"What is that?" Mal scrunches up her nose at the sight of Danny skipping into the kitchen.
"One of those Remnant dols," Danny says, laying the lifeless shell and towel on the table. She then fires up her laptop and grabs a bowel. "They are water resistant, right?"
"I think so," Mal keeps frowning. The black haired woman with a green strip of hair finally recoils when a beetle crawls on the dol's face. "Ew. Where did you find the thing?"
"In the gutter," Danny says happily, throwing the bug outside. "I think one of the crows dragged it to its nest."
"What is that?" Toby, Danny's adopted brother, asks, freezing in the middle of the doorway. His best friend, Dolly, peeks under his arm and Seraph comes out to see what the commotion is.
"A Qrow dol, from that Remnant show," Danny smiles wickedly and turns the laptop so they can all see. "Found him when I was cleaning the gutter."
"What are you going to do with it?" Toby frowns, moving to get a better look at the dead-looking dol.
Danny smirks wider and pours warm water and suds in the bowel. "I'm going to fix him, of course."
Mal rolls her eyes. Seraph comes closer to look, and doesn't have much hope for it. Toby sighs, and Dolly giggles. The smallest woman in the room slides up beside her best friend and looks over at Danny with appraising eyes, "Well, if anyone could do it, it would be you."
Danny perks up; eyes alight with determination and challenge. "Thanks!"
"It's not going to be easy," Toby warns.
"Probably impossible," Seraph mutters, seeing the cut open stomach area.
"Then it will definitely keep me busy, won't it?" Danny remarks, shooing them all away. She grabs a face cloth and looks down at the dol. "Alright, Qrow. Let's see what your damage is under all that grime."
Maybe knowing what wounds dols can survive after all the fights she's seen will actually come in handy.