Hey, not much to say about this chapter but I (again) want to thank all of you reading this, really means a lot that you're enjoying it!
To the guest reviewer (Kritical K) from last chapter: it didn't take too long for the group to get the axe because I didn't want the action/fighting to drag on for too long and for Ruby, you'll see here! (Edit: i.e. skipped the action, because I didn't want to write the whole thing and wanted to get to the dialogue/plot, sorry)
Also, I recommend, if you haven't already, having a listen to Natewantstobattle's FFXV song, it's awesome and (probably) inspired part of the title for this story!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Final Fantasy XV and their respective characters and stories. They belong to © Rooster Teeth and © Square Enix respectively. This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.
Ruby spent the next hour or so doing as much research as she could on Luna and Weiss' whereabouts. It was a long shot, but if the two of them had already travelled from Insomnia to Lestallum, then surely other people must've seen them. Looking up the news on every possible app and website on her phone, Ruby struggled to find any solid to confirm their presence. Most of them were either zoomed in or grainy photos and, upon close inspection, she couldn't confirm that it was them.
That didn't stop her from checking every few minutes. Iris seemed sure that it was Weiss that she saw and Ruby believed her. If they were pronounced dead by the Empire, it was understandable that they would want to keep a low profile for as long as they could so that they could avoid the Empire's forces. Their group was dealing with the same ordeal but, with a world as large as Eos, and many of the territories being owned by Niflheim, it was only a matter of time before they got caught by the public's eyes.
For a moment, she though that throwing herself into this research was a way of distracting herself from what Cor told her to do with this time: get her head on straight and come to terms with everything that's was going on.
None of the others had gotten over what had happened, the complete opposite, for that matter, but they seemed to be handling it better than she was. Too many things were racing through her mind over the last couple of days and maybe Cor was right in having her take time to organise her thoughts. However, she could also sense that it was his protective nature showing but she couldn't fault him for that. He had know her and Yang since they were little, he helped looked after them whenever he could and they always looked up to him.
She knew that, with everything that was going on, they all had to pull themselves together but that didn't fix the underlying grief festering beneath. King Regis, her father, the man who worked tirelessly and endlessly to protect the kingdom, threw everything away, including his own life, to save his children.
He gave up everything and even though Ruby understood why, at the same time she didn't. One would call him selfish for sacrificing thousands just to save three people. Others would call him brave, noble even.
For a fleeting moment, Ruby thought of a different word: foolish. What gave him the right to let others die while they lived on? What right did she have to have survived and not someone else? What about the defenceless families who could've escaped?
Ruby shoved the thoughts down as quickly as they came. Regis had saved their lobes and here she was, wishing that he had done something different. How ungrateful could she be? Yes, everything was now a nightmare, but she couldn't spend all of her time moping around, doing nothing of value.
She couldn't waste her second chance.
She couldn't let her father's sacrifice be for nothing.
"Ya know-" Cindy's voice from behind her made Ruby jump. "-if ya stare that phone any longer, pretty it's gonna blow it up."
Ruby frowned but then realised that she had been staring intently at her phone during her (somewhat) epiphany. She laughed in embarrassment. "Right, sorry."
The mechanic waved her off flippantly. "I'm just kidding ya." She sat down opposite Ruby at the table she was sitting at. "Missin' the guys?"
She sucked in breath between her teeth. "Yeah, hope they're okay."
"I'm sure they're fine.", Cindy replied reassuringly, her tone sympathetic.
Ruby smiled. She knew what she was trying to do. "Yeah, I know they can handle themselves."
Cindy nodded, fidgeting slightly in her seat. She was obviously wanting to say something. "Hey, uh, listen… I'm real sorry about your dad." She looked up at Ruby shyly and the princess shifted in her seat self-consciously. "Paw-paw always talked about what a good man he was."
Was. That made the reality more real than it already was.
She smiled solemnly. "Yeah, he was. A great dad, too."
The mechanic smiled back. "I bet he was." She paused for a moment. "Listen, no kid deserves to go through stuff. I know how much it sucks."
Ruby looked up to meet her eyes. "Really?"
Cindy nodded. She folded her hands in her lap, closing her eyes for a moment. "I, uh, lost my parents when I was a kid, too."
If Ruby wasn't at a loss of words before, she was now. She didn't know much about Cindy personally so it was shocking for her to share such intimate details. "Oh, uh… I, um, I'm so sorry."
Cindy gave a light shake of her head. "It's okay. It was a long time ago, anyways." She quickly wiped her eyes before a glimmer of tears spilled out. "It's not really somethin' you can ever forget, but you jus' gotta remember all the happy memories of those you lost."
Ruby sniffled and nodded. "I know."
She jumped slightly when she felt Cindy reach over to grab her shoulder. "Listen, I don't know for sure what your father was like, but I do know for a fact that whatever he did, he did it for you and your brother and sister. And he wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over it or to let your grief get the better of you."
"So… what do you do instead?", Ruby asked nervously.
Cindy smiled encouragingly. "You keep on fighting. Live your life happily and to the fullest, that's what any parent would want for their kid."
She nodded in understanding. Cindy was right. Everything Regis had done it was for her, Yang and Noctis. Growing up, they had accepted the fact that there would've been many times when their father would have to deal with royal duties before dealing with them. And they understood that, as a ruler, he had to put the lives of numerous subjects before his children. But he was always there when they needed him; whenever they were sick, troubled or kept awake by a nightmare, Regis would drop everything to make sure that they were okay.
When he had sent them away to avoid the invasion of Insomnia, all of three of them knew that it wasn't a tactical move, saving the future heirs from slaughter so that the royal line could continue.
Absolutely not. It was a father desperately trying to protect his children, a father literally giving up everything in order to give them a future.
"And know this.", Cindy continued. "Know that your dad is with you guys. Even though it may not feel like it, as long as you keep his memory alive, he'll always be with you."
Cindy's words struck a cord in Ruby. She knew that the wound Regis left would never fully heal and they would never properly move on, but what they could do was take up the fight for the future their father fought for so long. And live the lives of the strong, compassionate people he knew they'd grow up to be.
Ruby nodded determinedly and then, without hesitation, burst forward to hug the mechanic. The older woman was caught off guard for a moment, but afterwards she returned the embrace. "Thanks, Cindy.", she whispered.
She chuckled, rubbing Ruby's back comfortingly. "Not a problem."
"Is it wrong that I'm a little too excited for this?", Yang asked to Cor and Noctis, a slight grin forming on her face.
Cor rolled his eyes and sighed. "As long as you're channeling your enthusiasm into your fighting correctly, then no."
Noctis glared between the two of them. "Please don't encourage her."
"Why?", Yang asked. "Afraid I'll show you up?" Noctis snorted as they got ready to infiltrate the Niflheim base. The rest of the, along with Monica, fellow member of the Crownsguard, went to distract the Imperial forces to allow them to sneak in with little issue.
The sound of Cor clearing his throat broke their conversation. "Once the others begin their diversion, we'll being our infiltration. I expect the two of you to take this seriously."
Yang nodded. "Don't worry, we got this."
She felt Noctis gently grab her shoulder before he approached the entrance to the base. "Just… be careful alright." She faltered slightly at her brother's concerned tone.
Only a day or so had past since the fall of Insomnia and now they were already taking the fight to the Empire. Even though Noctis agreed in leaving Ruby behind in Hammerhead, he wasn't entirely happy with Yang coming along with them in the fight. However, both Cor and Yang herself were confident in her combat abilities and if she was both physically and mentally capable in handling herself under that sort of pressure, he couldn't seem to put forth an argument other than one:
You're my little sister.
With their father gone, it was now Noctis' duty to care for and protect Ruby and Yang and if anything happened to them, whether they were hurt or put through even more grief, he didn't know what he would do.
And Yang knew that very well. But she wasn't a child anymore, far from it and Noctis had to trust her when she wanted to prove that she was ready for this war. Because accepting her role in this situation would mean accepting responsibility and her duty as a princess. She had just as much of a role in taking back the kingdom and the Crystal as Noctis and she was definitely capable of helping out in a fight. But, of course, that didn't mean that his 'big brother instincts' wouldn't kick in at the first sign of danger.
She gently removed her brother's hand from her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Trust me."
Noctis studied her for a while. While he was aware of her abilities, the last he wanted was for his sister to get hurt. Even though Yang was younger than him, there were moments where she seemed to have things more together than she did. But that didn't mean that he was going to let her throw herself head first into danger. "Of course, I know. I trust you."
"So, who's your friend, Cor?", Gladio asked sarcastically as a man working a giant mech went on the attack. The marshal didn't respond as he stared the man down.
Loqi Tummelt, the Brigadier General of Niflheim's army, seemed to be slightly fixated on Cor and his reputation and his desire to 'finally take him out' but, honestly, no-one in the group had it in them to even humour the guy.
"Finally taking down Cor the Immortal! Why, I never thought I'd see the day!", he cried dramatically.
Yang rose an eyebrow and threw an expectant look at Noctis. "Like, he knows we're here, too, right?"
The prince shook his head. "Well, the sooner we end this, sooner he shuts up."
Prompto chuckled at the remark. "No arguments there."
The group immediately went on the attack, giving everything they had, however, Loqi was just as prepared. Along with his own weapons, there were numerous Magitek Troopers sniping them from above. With a several simple warps, Noctis was able to easily take them out whilst the rest of the group kept Loqi subdued, letting out their attacks as they did so.
Weakening the mech with his elemental powers, Noctis figured it was time to turn up a notch. "Gladio, Marshal! Now!" On the orders of their prince, the two them carried out their special attacks, one after the other. Loqi let out a pained and surprised cry but he was weakened nonetheless.
"Yang, Prompto!"
"On it!", the princess replied. The two gunners took their stances in front of Loqi and let out their attacks on a particular part of the machine each. Once they were weakened, Noctis warped over to deal even more damage.
Yang continued dealing punches to the mech while at the same time avoiding Loqi's attacks. She was just as worn out as the rest of the group but she wasn't going to give up. Just as she was reloading her makeshift guns, one of Loqi's large metal arms swung at the princess, sending her flying and crashing to the ground. Noctis was about to run to her aid, but she held up a hand to placate him.
Noctis' eyes widened. He knew what she wanted to do.
Struggling to get to her feet, Yang could see Noctis and Prompto being overwhelmed by the Troopers flanking them from behind. She wasn't supposed to use it until it was the last resort, but with her friends and family in danger, she didn't have a choice.
The fight needed to end soon.
She clutched her necklace to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut. Please. She felt the magic's warm thrum beneath her fingers as she simultaneously felt power rush through her body. Her enhanced strength wasn't going to last long, so she had to make these hits counts.
"Gladio!", she called out. The Shield turned to lock eyes with her and based on his recognition of her now-red eyes and then travelling to the giant robot, he knew what her plan was. Now holding his broadsword in one hand, he held out the other for Yang to take. The blonde roughly grabbed hold and, with all of his strength, Gladio swung in a full one-eighty turn and threw Yang straight at the machine.
Shooting from her gauntlets to maintain her speed, Yang channeled all of her power in her fist, driving it into the armour upon impact. The machine flew back with the princess still on it, but Yang didn't waver and instead continued throwing punches and shooting bullets.
However, a while, the mech managed to shake her off but Yang could tell that she had dealt great damage to it. She could see Loqi frantically trying to bat her off but the machine was already slowing. With a final shot, she recoiled off of it, allowing the rest of the group to deal their blows.
She was about to continue fighting when she felt Noctis roughly grab her hand to shove a curative into it. Immediately, she felt her injuries mend and her pain ease away. Yang gave her silent thanks to her brother before jumping back in. She could hear Noctis grumble slightly from behind her.
But the prince knew what everyone else was thinking. They were so close to ending this.
With a final round of bullets, Prompto called out over his shoulder, "Finish him off, Noct!"
Ignis backed away after another attack. "Now, Noct!"
He nodded in understanding and put all his energy into a final warp. Once he teleported, he gave it his all and smirked in triumph when he heard Loqi cry out.
"No!", he exclaimed as his machine broke down.
The group took cover as an explosion reached across the battlefield. The heat of the flames raged against their skin but stayed protected nonetheless. Once the explosions ceased, Cor came from his cover carefully. Despite the fire, it seemed that part of the machine was still somehow intact. He motioned for Ignis to follow him out and the advisor nodded did just that. They flinched slightly when they saw movement from behind the wreckage. Thinking that they would probably need backup, Ignis nodded at Prompto. He knew what he meant and reluctantly left the rest of his friends.
The trio cautiously approached the wreckage, their weapons draw and ready for any surprises. Walking up to it, they couldn't see any immediate danger, only the flicker of flames in front of them. Prompto slowly walked around to see if he could find anything. After a while, Prompto didn't think he was going to find anything when he heard loud coughing from beside him. He immediately trained his gun onto the surviving soldier, unsure what to do next.
"Guys, over here!", he called out, not taking his eyes off the Loqi.
The man scowled as he looked up at the gunner but, after staring at each other for a while, Loqi's expression transitioned to confusion. "Wha-? Who-?"
"Prompto!", he heard Ignis call out. Just as he and Cor arrived at the scene, the rest of the machine exploded and Cor quickly moved to pull Prompto away. The force was enough to send them to the ground. Noctis, Yang and Gladio, who were watching the scene from afar, immediately ducked back down under cover.
The group coughed violently as smoke billowed around them and were only left with a few scrapes, cuts and bruises. Once the chaos has cleared, the group could see that Loqi was no longer at the scene.
Ignis carried out a swift sweep of the area, but it seemed that the soldier had fled the scene.
Prompto breathed out, exasperated by the day's events. "Seriously, Cor-Sir… what's your deal with that guy?"
Cor never answered, eyes transfixed on where Loqi previously was.
The group exited the car and Yang hopped off her bike as they started walking towards the garage. They had constantly pestered Cor about what was up with him and that Loqi guy, but his response was always the same: "Just someone who's had it out for me for some time."
Yang crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "Really? That doesn't clear things up for us."
Cor shrugged. "What am I, a mind reader? I don't know his reasons."
"Well, that's definitely comforting.", she replied sarcastically.
Prompto fidgeted slightly. "Do you think he even survived that?"
Gladio shook his head in disbelief. "He was right in the middle of the explosion. There's no way he could've."
"And yet there was no body.", Ignis countered.
"I hope not.", Prompto groaned. "That guy was a pain to fight. Plus, he weirded me out."
Noctis, who had been completely silent and uncommitted to the whole exchange, finally spoke up. Though Yang could tell that it wasn't going to be a positive contribution. "Would've been none the wiser about the fight if Yang hadn't done what she did." His tone of voice made it painfully obvious to everyone what he was talking about.
"What's the deal?", she asked defensively. "It made the fight a lot easier, didn't it?"
Noctis snorted. "I wouldn't have a problem with it if you didn't use it when your on the brink of critical injury." He frowned he saw Yang roll her eyes in annoyance. "Look, I'm just concerned for your well-being."
"Well, what did you expect me to do, Noct? You know using that power takes a lot out of me. If I use it too early during a fight or deal it back with minimal force, either way, it's a waste." Noctis groaned at not being able to get through to her. "You know I'm right!"
It looked like he still wasn't fully convinced so Gladio decided to step in. "Look, the fight was becoming overwhelming for everyone and we needed to take Loqi out fast. If Yang wanted to use her own power in the fight, then it's her choice."
The young king still looked like he was struggling to agree with his sister. He could hear Cor hum in agreement from beside him. "It certainly made things less problematic. From a tactical standpoint, it made sense."
Noctis turned to face the Marshal. "So you're okay with Yang throwing herself into danger!"
Ignis laid a hand on Noctis' shoudler in order to placate him. "That's not what he's saying, Noct. The Marshal was only stating that given the power of Yang's abilities we are grateful of the fact that it helped in the battle. We are not saying we want her to use it every time she fights, just when it's necessary."
"I don't like Yang getting hurt either-", Prompto added. "-but it's really not that different to when you get worn from using too much magic."
Noctis squeezed his eyes shut. Growing in the safety of the kingdom, not having to worry about the threat of danger, Yang had no reason to use her abilities. But now that they were thrust out into the world, it was only a matter of time before shawould have to use it.
"Noct.", Yang said softly. He opened his eyes to meet his sister's lilac ones but could still imagine them replaced by the blood red ones. "Honestly, I'm fine."
"Come on!", Prompto said, slinging an arm around Noctis' shoulder. "Shouldn't keep Ruby waiting."
Walking up to the garage's entrance, Cor knocked on the front door of Cid's apartment. When the elder mechanic opened the door, he grinned at the group. "So, you give them Niffs what for?"
Gladio grinned. "That's one way of putting it.", he grinned as they walked in.
It wasn't long until they saw Ruby and Cindy sitting at the table engrossed in a conversation. Noctis wasn't going to lie, it was relieving to seeing his sister smiling the way she was. When she caught sight of them, her smile grew wider, though the earlier grief was still present in her eyes. She jumped from her chair and ran up to Yang and Noctis, throwing her arms around both of them.
"I'm so glad you guys are okay!", she exclaimed happily.
Yang chuckled as she rubbed her sister's back comfortingly. "It's going to be a long time before they get the better of us."
Noctis simply hugged Ruby back tightly. "You alright?"
Ruby peeled away from the two of them and nodded slowly. "Yeah. At least, as good as I can be."
Cor walked up to her to put a hand on her back. He gave a small but relieved smile. "You sure?"
She gave a quick glance at Cindy and then nodded determinedly. "Yeah. I'm sure."
His hand travelled to her shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze. "That's good. I'm proud of you."
Sighing, she wrapped her arms around his uncle. "Thanks."
After another day in the training, Blake was summoned to outside of the Emperor's throne room by… Verstael. Great.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw Commander Loqi being escorted by a small group of doctors trying to attend to the many injuries where the places where his metal armour should've been. He was walking with a limp and was holding an ice pack to his cheekbone and his side with the other. When he and Blake crossed paths, she smirked at him.
"What happened, Loqi?", she teased. "The bratty royals and their babysitters proved to be to much for you?"
He sneered at her. "Shut up, Blake." She held up at her hands in mock defence. "Where is Chief Besithia? We have an urgent matter to discuss."
Blake nodded to the throne room. "Talking to the Emperor. He asked for me personally, so wait your turn."
Loqi rolled his eyes. "Fine. Tell him I'll be in his main laboratory."
She rocked back on her heels as the soldier didn't wait for a response before storming away. "Will do!", she called out.
Blake flinched to the side when she saw Chief scientist abruptly exited the room and he frowned when he caught sight of Blake. Seriously, did that guy ever smile?
"You asked for me.", Blake said.
Verstael nodded jerkily. "The Emperor and I have come to an agreement. You are being put on the front line for the hunt for the Oracle and her sister. They were last seen near the Disc of Cauthess so you will be deposited there. I expect you to be ready to depart within the hour."
Before Blake could even comprehend what was told to her, Verstael swiftly turned on his heels and went to storm away. "Um, why didn't anyone ask me about this?!"
The scientist turned with an unimpressed look on his face. "Why? Is there a problem?"
"Yeah, 'cause I've never left the building before, I'll know nothing about where I'm going! Seriously, there's a hundred other people more qualified for this than I am."
Verstael rolled his eyes as if dismissing the claim of a bratty child. "You have skills that exceed even our higher ranking soldiers. This will be the perfect opportunity to see if your abilities will have any…" He looked her up and down with great disdain. "Value in a proper combat situation."
Blake scoffed. "Would've been nice if someone had consulted me about it first!" She threw her arms up in frustration. "No one seems to have any problem throwing me into the fray without any regards about what I thought! Did you even think about what I-?"
She couldn't finish her sentence before sharp pain exploded across her cheek, causing her to stumble to the side a couple of steps. Her breath sped up a tad and her eyes flitted around to look at anything other than Verstael. Catching sight of several guards standing around, none of them even flinched after witnessing what transpired.
The sad thing was that Blake wasn't surprised in the slightest.
"Know you place, girl.", Verstael spat. "You have no authority, talking back to me like that. And after everything the Empire has done for you. You could've been left on the streets to die but you were given a second chance. We saved your life and all we ask in return is your cooperation. You have now been given a mission that only our most high-ranking ranking soldiers would've dreamed of having and here you question it like an ungrateful child."
His voice was low and quiet but the venomous words were twisting into Blake's gut like a dagger. "Well?", he asked expectantly. "Do you have anything to say?"
She coughed awkwardly. "Sorry."
Verstael rose an eyebrow. "Sorry, what?"
She squeezed her eyes shut. "Sorry, Sir."
He considered her for a second before nodding. "That's better. You will report to the throne room when you are ready."
Blake nodded. "Yes, Sir."
"Was there anything else?", he asked flippantly as if he didn't just hit the girl.
A dry laugh escaped her lips but she quickly ceased it before Verstael did anything else. "Loqi's waiting for you in your lab."
He didn't even give her response.
Opening her eyes, Blake went to make her way to her dorm to prepare for her mission and turned around, jumping slightly when she saw… Aranea. The woman's face was unreadable.
"What?", Blake seethed. "Enjoyed the show?"
Aranea sighed and met her eyes. "You okay, kid?"
Blake was surprised by her genuine concern. She was honestly expecting anything else. "Why do you care all of a sudden?"
"Because it wasn't right." She spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Blake clearly wasn't convinced.
She rolled her eyes. "And that's what you think, right?"
"Look, kid-" Aranea crossed her arms and stepped closer to Blake. "-I know you and me don't get along, but it doesn't mean I want… that to happen to you."
The older woman attempted to grip her shoulder, but Blake shook her off. "Really, it's nothing."
"We both know that's not true."
"Well, there's nothing I can do about it, anyway. Unless, you know, I want a disciplining from Verstael again."
The word 'again'… it made Aranea wonder if that was all just a… regular occurrence. She wasn't sure what made her reach out to her face, examining the reddening skin. It was definitely going to leave a bruise.
As if sensing what she was thinking, Blake weakly pushed her away, getting ready to leave. "Seriously, stop." Her voice sounded strained. Aranea opened her mouth to interrupt but she beat her to the punch. "I'm fine." She brushed past Aranea but gradually picked her pace and was gone within seconds.
After Aranea watched after the girl, she subtly looked around to see the soldiers still minding their own business, not even acknowledging what Verstael had done to her.
Just how sick were these people?
This is bad, this is bad, this is bad.
The mantra rang and repeated through her head as she whirled through the crowds in Lestallum following her run in with Iris Amicitia.
After she and Luna had arrived, they had to make the risky move of going out into the town to find some supplies. Out of all of the things Weiss thought she would do one day, travelling with her sister through Eos on foot was not one of them. Given the distance that they were travelling, they ran out of necessities quite quickly.
Luna was focused on getting to the Disc before the day was out and the daemons came out but Weiss was adamant about finding more supplies. With what they had left, she would be surprised if they lasted for a couple more days. As they travelled across the vast landscape, the two princesses came across many civilians and, despite their efforts to stay hidden, almost every time they were recognised.
Most insisted to give the two of them their aid, such as offering them food or even a ride to wherever they were headed, they had to respectfully decline, since they had to avoid both detection and the public eye as much as they could. However, that didn't stop people from insisting that they took some money.
They weren't even a week into a war and people were still willing give whatever they could to help. It reminded them that humanity was still shining in the world. No wonder Luna is so dedicated to helping the people.
However, seeing as they travelled from Insomnia to Lestallum in the span of a couple of days and were bound to come across many people, they considered the possibility of the news catching wind of their whereabouts. They were believed to be dead by the majority of the population so they wouldn't be surprised if people would spread the word to everyone that the Oracle and her sister were alive and hitchhiking across Eos.
And with the Empire hunting them down, most likely bent on killing them, they couldn't afford being caught or revealed by any bystanders. If they were, the two of them were quick to make their getaway.
And then Lestallum happened. Luna insisted on going with Weiss into the market place but the younger princess argued that, with the vast but crowded area, travelling together would attract attention to themselves. After much consideration, Luna agreed to let her go alone, as much as she didn't want her to. Too much had happened in the last couple of days, so she was worried that splitting up would do more harm than good.
Weiss opted for a little corner shop near the edge of the town and covered her face with her hood as best as she could. Placing the necessities in a bag, she tactically added up the prices and it came to a doable one with some to spare. She did her best to not speak or make eye contact with the shopkeeper as she handed him the money but even not doing that got her caught.
"L-lady Weiss?", he asked in disbelief. The princess bit her lip hard, unable to decide whether to reply or not. "I'm relieved to see you alive!" She flinched at his raised voice and quickly turned around to see if there was anyone nearby to hear. Thankfully, there wasn't. The man caught onto her concern and frowned. "My apologies, I'm just glad to see that rumours are true."
Weiss smiled slightly. "Thank you." She looked back over her shoulder again. "May I ask if you keep this from the locals for a while? The secrecy of my location is very important."
The shopkeeper nodded slowly. "Of course, but… what of Lady Lunafreya? If you don't mind me asking."
She looked away nervously. "Sorry, but I'd rather not say."
"I understand." He handed the princess her bag. "Is there anything else I can do to help?"
Weiss went to shake her head when she saw a small stack on the counter and picked up a small set of stickers and stamps. She smiled when she remembered that Luna was fond of collecting those of things and figured that it would be good to brighten up her spirits with.
"How much are these?"
The shopkeeper chuckled and shook his head. "For you, Your Highness, free of charge."
Weiss rolled her eyes in amusement. "Don't be silly." Before the man could say anything in response, she fished around her change and paid the price. "Thank you. I'll be going now."
She heard the man call out to her as discreetly as he could. "Safe travels, Your Highness."
With a nod of gratefulness, Weiss took off with a light jog. Even though she trusted that the shopkeeper wouldn't say anything, she couldn't take her chances. She pulled her hood even more over her face self-consciously when she felt people's gazes on her. She refused to meet their eyes but the pressure was suffocating her. As she caught sight of those in front of her looking straight at her, Weiss began to pick up the pace.
She had to get out of there.
However, she didn't know the full layout of the town, only when here she where she came from, but even then it was hard to navigate. Choosing to go down an alleyway, away from everyone else, she put no limitations on her running and bolted down the street.
When she thought she was safe, she collided with someone as she whirled around a corner. She heard a girl exclaim from in front of. "Oh! I-I am so sorry!"
Weiss waved her off, picking up her stuff. "No, no, it was my fault. I should've seen where I was going."
Just then she noticed that her hood was down and her face was exposed. However, it was too late to try and hide it when the girl spoke again. "Lady Weiss?"
Looking in front of her, she knew who this person was. Iris Amicitia. She recognised her from the pictures Ruby and Yang had sent her over the years. And this was technically how they were meeting. Huh, small world, I guess. She also felt tremendous relief that she made it out of Insomnia and survived the invasion.
Iris went to say something to her and Weiss wanted to stay, but she couldn't afford to. Not only was she risking others catching sight of her, but she was keeping Luna waiting. She couldn't stay when she was also at risk of being seen, or worse… Weiss shoved that possibility down deep as soon as it came to mind.
"I-I have to go." She pulled her hood back up and didn't give the young girl a chance to respond. She didn't even care about a low profile anymore. She just wanted to get back to Luna.
She sprinted down the street, not even stopping when she felt a stitch in her side. Her heart lifted when she saw her sister kneeling down at the end of the block, petting Umbra, Pryna and Zwei comfortingly. The Oracle's eyes lit up at the sight of Weiss but faltered when the younger girl drove into her arms and wrapped her around her shoulders. After spending so many years practically glued at each other's side, going away from Luna in a war-torn situation made her worry a great deal about her.
Luna rubbed her back soothingly. "Hey, are you okay?"
Weiss tore away from her her frowned slightly. "Yeah, its… are you okay?"
Luna mirrored her expression. "Of course. What did you think was going to happen to me?"
Do you really wasn't me to answer that?
She sighed and grabbed Luna's wrist dragging her along. "I was definitely seen by a bunch of people, so we have to go now."
Luna didn't resist.
Verstael grumbled as he approached his lab where Loqi was apparently waiting. After the failure of his mission, what right did he have to demand his time? Nevertheless, he may as well saw what he wanted so he could get on with his job.
The man had just finished fixing up his injuries but jumped when he heard the door open from behind him. He turned around to see the scientist standing there, staring him down, hands clasped behind his back. The soldier's expression became hardened and cold and slowly went to approach him.
The scientist huffed. "The Emperor is not happy with your failure." Loqi had nothing to say to that. "It should've been child's play." The soldier maintained his stony expression. "So what was so incredibly important that you wanted to talk to me about?"
Loqi didn't say anything for a while but then strode across the room to slam the door shut, the sound echoing around them. "There's something you need to know."
Was wondering if the Loqi fight went on too long, please let me know! And don't worry about Loqi, I'm not done with him yet! See you next chapter!
