Chapter 12 – Family
Ruby
The gentle hooting voice of an owl echoes from outside the cranked window, the Fractured Moon watching silently in the dark starry night sky. Inside of Team S.S.S.N's dormitory are the three members of Team R.W.B, asleep in the beds loaned to them by the gentlemen who admittedly sleep quite happily on the floor. Scarlet's hand close to the palm of Sage's where they lay. Sun laid in the corner right by Blake's bed and Neptune close to Weiss', her hand actually near his blue hair, she must have been caressing it ever so gently when he fell asleep.
Ruby however is the one alone, yet she is happy with that – has never really felt she needed to have a boyfriend of girlfriend in her life. All she ever wanted was to help people, to bring happiness everywhere she would go and stop the Creatures of Grimm from taking anymore lives. She wears her black pyjama top and white and red striped bottoms as she sleeps there, her scroll on the bedside table.
The scroll starts beeping and vibrating on the desk, with a piece of music playing that she recognises – called "All Our Days". She moans as she lays in her bed, groaning as she mutters through her dreams. "Mom…where are you?" She whispers softly, until she gasps, waking up from her dream, looking around to see everyone still asleep in their positions. Her eyes pan round to see the scroll that hails her ear, so she sits up and rubs her silver eyes with her fists closed.
Reaching over to it, she grasps the closed scroll, flicking it open and revealing the glass screen inside, and the face on it. She raises a brow when she sees that it is her kind and loving father – Taiyang Xiao Long. She immediately answers it, since he has always been the overprotective one in the family, if someone had not picked up the scroll immediately then may the gods have mercy. Because he would be going mad, calling repeatedly and even calling the cops to make sure that she is okay.
Wouldn't be the first time.
She opens the scroll and with a softly spoken hushed voice she answers, both because she is bleary eyes and does not want to risk waking them up. Weiss especially, she does not like getting woken up when she is asleep, she can still feel the bruise on the back of her head when she pranked her once when she was asleep. They never did it again, that was for certain.
"Hey dad…what's up?" She whispers groggily, rubbing her eye again as she yawns, totally cool with being woken up like that. Well…clearly it was not just the scroll that woke her up, it was whatever that dream was that she was having.
Something about Summer.
"Sorry honey, I didn't mean to wake you up…but I couldn't wait any longer." He explains with a sigh, and Ruby sits forward, trying to keep as quiet as she possibly can to not wake everybody up right now.
"It's okay…what do you mean?" She asks her father curiously, he falls silent for a moment, knowing that her reaction will either be that of great concern or ecstasy…or both at different points since her sister's situation is not perfect right now. "Dad?"
"Yang…she's woken up." Taiyang informs her, Ruby's silver eyes bulge from their sockets and a high-pitched squeal builds and builds. She cannot contain it for any longer, squeaking with happiness to know her sister is alive.
"She's okay?" She cheers, accidentally waking everyone up, and Weiss tenses, eyes bursting open as she slowly sits up with messy white hair, glaring at her teammate with annoyance. "Sorry…" She softly whimpers, shrinking into her shoulders. Blake and Sun both groan as they rub their faces, knackered from being woken up so early in the night.
"Ruby…what's going on?" Blake groans as she sits up, Neptune does the same, looking around as he scratches the back of his head. Scarlet and Sage both sit up as they look at Ruby whom awkwardly sits there on her scroll, squeezing her eyes shut with embarrassment and guilt for waking them all up.
"You're not alone are you?" Taiyang asks her from the other end, a slight chuckle in his voice…despite everything his little girl can still make him smile.
"Nope…" Ruby sighs, now speaking in a normal tone of voice now that everyone is up.
"Sorry." He apologises.
"No, no…it's fine. They'll wanna know anyway." Ruby assures, Blake raises her eyebrow curiously at the youngest member of their team.
"Know what?" Blake inquires, her ears perking up slightly.
"Well, my dad's on the scroll right now…he just told me that Yang woke up." Ruby states and they gasp, Weiss and Blake smile with happiness.
"That's fantastic!" Neptune supportively cheers, patting Weiss' knee, in which she responds with a shy blush on her cheeks. As Ruby sits there, happy as well, she hears the soft sigh on the other end of the call, a sigh that instantly triggers worry.
"Dad? You don't…sound happy about that." She says, they all look at her and they wait to hear what comes back.
"I am happy, Ruby…but…she isn't the same. She lost her arm…it's taken its toll on her. She has been jumping at the smallest things, hiding in her room and not eating properly. I think she is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress." Taiyang explains, leaving out Raven's visit since the little one would most likely not truly understand who she is or why she even showed up to the house. And he made her a promise, to keep quiet about her visits. Ruby closes her eyes sadly when hearing him say that, unable to imagine Yang upset since she has always been the bright one in the family.
Even after Summer died she was always there for Ruby. "She's…suffering?" Ruby whimpers, and they all fall silent in the room, concern filling their minds.
"She needs help…she's been awake for around three days now. I have been unable to contact you because of the glitches in the C.C.T around here, not everything is completely repaired yet." Taiyang explains, giving a good reason behind why he has not informed her of this news earlier.
Because he couldn't. "Not only this, but I received a package today…from General Ironwood. I looked inside, and it is a cybernetic replacement for her arm, free of charge. I think he made it for her, as a thank you for her dedication during the Battle." Taiyang explains to Ruby and she rubs her knees with her hands.
"Has she…used it?" Ruby inquires.
"No, she's been avoiding it." Taiyang answers, Ruby looks to the others and they all look increasingly worried for Yang's mental health.
"What is it?" Weiss asks her desperately…but as she looks at them…
She gets an idea.
Ruby looks at them and she smiles sweetly. "I think I have an idea."
"You do?" Taiyang asks her, and they all look worried.
"You might wanna do some shopping, Dad. 'Cus you've got a bunch of Huntsmen and Huntresses on their way for a sleepover." She smiles, and she hears a fearful stammer from Taiyang.
He has not forgotten the last sleepover Ruby ever had before she arrived at Beacon and met her new friends. "Please don't break the new T.V…" Taiyang sighs as he scratches his head, and Ruby giggles.
"Don't worry, we'll keep Nora under control." She assures with a smile. "Love you, Dad." She says to him and she can feel the warmth of his smile on the other end of the line.
"Love you too, sweet pea." He replies.
The call ends, and she closes up her scroll, gently setting it down on the table, looking at them all and Weiss grows a big smile. "I've never been able to have a Slumber Party before!" Weiss cheers, the happiest she has actually seen Weiss since she first ever met Zwei. She gasps suddenly, eyes building. "Will Zwei be there?" She gasps.
"Mhm." Ruby nods her head with a smile, Weiss squeals with joy whereas Blake hisses with anger. Sun chuckles at Blake's reaction, watching her feline ears sharpen and her eyes narrow with gritted teeth. Truly channelling her cat nature right then in that moment.
"A sleepover…I wish I could join you." Sun sadly says, his demeanour changing after chuckling at Blake's reaction. The girls look at him with concerned eyes, and Blake affectionately holds his hand.
"Huh?" She coos, but he looks at her with a sigh.
"The Black Gallows won't let me leave Beacon like this, they might let you go…but me? After my fight with Ickford? They'll never let me go." Sun says with a saddened pair of eyes.
"Damn the Black Gallows, just come with us." Weiss suggests but he shakes his head.
"Then you guys will be targets too. I don't want to make the situation worse…I will stay here. The rest of you guys go with them." Sun says selflessly with a smile, but Neptune shakes his head.
"Hell no, pal. We're a team, and we stick together." Neptune states.
"Yeah, can't get rid of us that easily." Sage chuckles as he crosses his muscular arms. Scarlet nods as he sits against the wall, Sun sighs, shaking his head.
"You don't have to worry." Sun assures.
"I know, but either all four of us go to the sleepover or not at all." Scarlet tells him, he looks at Blake and he closes his eyes with a sigh…he knows that he cannot leave this place. Neither can Jaymes, at least not until the situation recovers and the Grimm leave the outskirts of Vale. Even then…it is still suspicious of why the Black Gallows don't just send them away already…if they consider them a ticking time bomb.
"It's okay, Sun…" Ruby assures with a smile. "We can tell her you send your kind words."
Sun smiles. "Thanks, Ruby." He says to her.
Ruby hops up from her bed and looks at the door. "C'mon, gang…let's tell the others." She tells them excitedly, her team and S.S.S.N get up and walk away from the window.
Where the mysterious silhouette was watching them the whole time from the rooftops, before walking back into the shadows.
Winter
Hours later…
Marching down her path like a hurricane tearing through a village, Winter storms past multiple students leaving their dorm rooms to the one she has been forced to share with someone. She enters the Visitor's Wing, since she has been housed for the time being in one of the suites saved for visiting family members or live-in teachers…like Port. She stands before the dorm to her room, pulling her scroll out of her back pocket and swiping it across the device that scans her signature. The light shines from red to green with an upbeat beep, unlatching the lock.
She presses her palm against the door and steps in, throwing her scroll onto her adjacent bed. Scrubbing her face up and down, she pads over to the large rectangular mirror on the wall and observes her own reflection, eyes snapping to the other bed in her shared suite.
To see her…dreaded…roommate.
"Eryka! It's almost midday, why are you still in bed?" Winter frowns with disgust at her.
"Err…cos I'm tired? Duh?" Arose the muffled reply from beneath the sheets as just a lump with messy blue hair spread over one side of her pillow. She has never been a graceful sleeper…in fact she has never been graceful before in her entire life. And she is proud of that achievement because it is quite funny. Winter huffs, clenching her fists before blowing out a calmed breath, something a Yoga and Martial Arts Specialist taught her in Atlas to combat her rising blood pressure.
Winter knows exactly what her problem is, it is her obsession with everything being done right. Her life in the military has taken her Schnee Family overbearing nature and supercharged it like Nora being thrown into an exploding electrical plant.
Almost to nuclear proportions.
For example, everyone has to be up and dressed by six thirty on the dot, beds made to crisp perfection as well. It was not a nuisance for her to wake up that earlier, it was just her way of life back in the military and in training. Add the Atlesian Military and expectations to that cake mix, and you end up with the ice-cold volcano of O.C.D known as…Winter Schnee.
Who was desperately fighting the urge to rip her white hair strands from her scalp over the animal that is Eryka Vasillias who has not even gotten up yet. Her shoes thrown across the room and her clothes just dumped and scrunched up in the hamper, purposefully to overhang and pool on the floor…she has not even had a shower…and from the smell she reeks, it is doubtful she has had one in years.
Winter's eye twitches as if the pencils on her desk are out of alignment. To be forced to share a room with the most laid back, relaxed, messy woman she has ever met almost gives her an aneurysm there and then. Winter takes two, long and deep, breaths before forcing a very plastic smile across her face.
"Eryka…" She says in a very insincere high-pitched tone. "…-It's almost noon…maybe you should get it now, hmm?" Winter's voice squeaks desperately. The response she received from the lump is merely ruffling of sheets, following with a hand poking from the white bedding, middle finger waving to the Schnee.
"Bite me, Ice Queen." Groggy Eryka grumbles, causing the Specialist's eye to twitch once more…
THAT'S IT!
Winter marches over to the bed and grabs onto it, Eryka's neck twists round and her eyes bulge open as Winter flips the bed over and throws her onto the floor, Eryka yelping as gravity unexpectedly had its way with her. "You've got a Hunting Lecture in an hour! Take a shower, look somewhat decent and get up!" Winter bellows, turning and storming out of the room with shaking fists.
"Okay…maybe breakfast does sound good." Eryka moans with a yawn, Winter stops and swings round, slapping her in the face.
The students nearby freeze and look in the direction of the commotion, only hearing their echoes.
"Ow! Hey!" Eryka exclaims.
"IT'S NOON, YOU BOOB!" Winter yells, echoing down the halls. The fearful students just slowly turn and walk away from that direction.
"We didn't see anything…" A student whispers to her friend.
Ruby
R.W.B and J.N.P.R sit at their usual table, smiles on their faces as idle chit-chat rebounds off each other as they all discuss the coming sleepover. Since Sun cannot risk leaving the school with the Black Gallows watching his every move along with Jaymes, Team S.S.S.N are currently out helping C.F.V.Y and C.R.D.L clean up the city of Vale after the attack. Ruby has laid her plan out though, a smile so wide that it nearly comes off her face entirely.
"Okay! So, we're all sleeping over tonight, yeah?" She asks them with pure excitement in her voice, for she has never spent time with her friends in this way before. Outside of Beacon Academy and being just friends…as they should be.
"Seems like it, no objections?" Jaune looks around, meeting with multiple smiling heads shaking from left to right. "Yeah, we're all in Rubes."
"Shame Sun and the others can't come." Ruby sighs.
"I know, but he knows what he's doing at least." Blake admirably says to them with a smile and Nora leans over to her ear.
"Ooh, Belladonna's got herself a lover!" She squeaks connivingly and grinning, Blake blushes shyly as she looks away from the mad orange haired Valkyrie.
"Sh-Shut up." She shyly says as she buries her head in her shoulders, her ears folding down, trying to hide from the embarrassment of having a crush.
"Maybe he is too shy to go to a sleepover with you, Blake?" Jaune suggests playfully, only making her cringe even more at her shyness.
"Please stop…" She coos softly as she sinks lower and lower in her own skin, ears hiding her eyes adorably.
"And they enjoy poetry and long walks on the beach…" Ren chuckles with a grin.
"Ren…" Blake groans.
"And two weeks later the two of you were married!" Nora theatrically gasps, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead, playfully falling onto Ren's lap like a distressed princess. She winks at him with a smile and Ren just rolls his eyes, letting her sit back up. Blake sighs, nearly curled up into a ball from bashfulness of her crush.
"You are all terrible." Blake sighs, making them all chuckle.
"Yay! Sweet, oh this is gonna rock! We're gonna cheer Yang up so much, I know it!" Ruby's smile wilts away slightly when hit with that realisation…what if it doesn't work? "…At least I hope so."
"Don't worry, Ruby. We'll drop as many pun set ups as possible, she won't be able to resist the opportunity." Jaune smiles, Nora bouncing in her seat, still buzzing.
"Oooh! I can't wait, Renny! A sleepover! A real sleepover with friends, and candy, and stories, and-oop!" Ren places his finger upon her lips, creating a cute squeaking sound which she smiles adoringly at him. He quirks his lips into a bemused smile, taking his finger away to speak himself.
"I'm excited too, Nora." He says in his usual, calm and stoic voice, devoid of enthusiasm but filled with knowledge. Nora beams a bright smile towards him before turning to wolf down her lunch like a vicious animal that has not fed in days. Jaune however huff, looking at his bowl of soup, flitting with jealousy at Blake's Tuna Steak. Pyrrha's ham sandwich, even Weiss' salad looked more appetising than usual.
"What err, what time are we leaving?" Blake rises back up, still nervously asking as she swallows a fresh bit of her flaky tuna whole wringing her fingers. Her heart hammers like war drums at the idea of seeing Yang, scared of what she might be thinking of her after what Adam had done to her. She knows that she told them about Adam back at Mountain Glenn, meaning she could have figured it out on her lonesome…and if not…she will have to tell her that her Ex-Boyfriend almost killed her.
The last time she saw Yang was in a puddle of her own blood, and with a hot pain in her side where he stabbed her with Wilt and Blush. Nobody saw where the Faunus Commander escaped to, he just disappeared with the White Fang that night, meaning his current whereabouts are unknown.
The twirling display of reds and yellows as she span from the impact…the shockwave from Moonslice…she will never forget it. She and Sun bandaged Yang's wound, after Sun had to bandage her waist after she was stabbed…Blake was insistent to help him help her…even with all the sticky hot claret on her fingers. The taste of blood in her mouth, it was getting hard to tell at one point if it was her own or Yang's from her bleeding arm.
Blake whimpers under her breath at the terrible memory of cradling Yang's head in her lap as they waited for the Airship, as the C.C.T Tower erupted into a display of white light.
And the Dragon fell to the ground.
Causing an Earthquake.
Then she passed out.
She reaches under the table to touch her fingers to the bandage still wrapped around her waist to cover the wound that still heals even now. The pains have faded away now after the week that has passed…but the memories…they shall never fade.
She jolts when she pushes the memories away, hearing Ruby's kind voice again. "After dinner." Ruby shrugs, answering her question that feels so long ago. Ruby's bright silver eyes study the pained expression on Blake's face, but decided it better to ignore it for now. "'Bout half six?"
"Sweet." Jaune gives a firm nod, before picking up his spoon. "Why did I get soup again?" He huffs, looking up at the front of the cafeteria. "They had ham sandwiches."
"Soup is good for you." Weiss says with a smile.
"That's a lie." Blake immediately replies.
"Not a total lie." Weiss defends.
"Mmm!" Pyrrha swallows a mouthful of her sandwich and she offers it to him. "Here, you can have my other half. I don't mind."
"Oh…well…th-thanks Pyrrha." Jaune smiles, reaching over and accepting it. Pyrrha smiles at him and he beams right back, before they once again blushed and looked elsewhere. Weiss twitches her eye, just like her sister does…maybe it is a Schnee thing.
"Ugh…these two." Weiss grumbles into her palm, and the two of them jolt as they stare at her.
"Huh?" They defend in unison.
"When will you just accept you have feelings for each other?" Weiss questions.
"We…don't…it's complicated." They both struggle in unison and Weiss sighs.
"You just shared the same sandwich." She reminds them.
Both of them look at the sandwich.
At each other.
Then Weiss.
"That doesn't mean anything." Jaune states as he bats it aside and Weiss literally slams her head against the table and Ruby bites her knuckle with frustration whereas Blake rolls her eyes so hard they nearly looked into the back of her own head.
Jaune looks at Pyrrha.
"Does it?"
"Hopeless lovers…" Ren sighs as he facepalms and shakes his head.
Velvet
Her long bunny ears listen the slightest movements in the city of rubble, the ruffling of fur from a racoon or a badger scavenging off the remains, or the caws of a crow or raven. She looks across the destruction…she fought with the Academy of Beacon, however she never ever saw the extent of the damage done to the city itself. The Goliaths never reached the school because they knew it would be foolish to do so. So instead the lesser Grimm attacked the school as a horde to damage it, and the Goliaths attacked the city, crushing Valerians in their own homes and businesses.
Today they have uncovered six new bodies, more decayed than a couple weeks ago, with chunks missing out of their bodies and maggots already settling in on their corpses. Coco throws a rock off the sixth body that they have just uncovered, a middle-aged man buried alive by the rubble from the Goliaths that marched through and decimated the streets. Team C.F.V.Y are forced to wear masks to prevent getting infected, the bodies have been out here for too long.
So much destruction in a such a vast area, an epidemic is getting more likely as every day passes by.
Velvet shuts her eyes tearfully as she stands there, looking away from the destruction for a moment, as Fox gently pats her shoulder with a smile. "It's okay, Velvet…" Fox assures, with his soft spoken and rarely heard voice, an accent very similar to Velvet's in fact. Velvet shakes her head as she paces back and forth, fighting the urge to burst into tears, no matter how much she knows it will not help the situation. No matter how much she knows it will not bring the lives that were lost back…it hurts so much.
"No Fox! It's not okay! All these people were dying when we could have done something! If I did something!" She cries out with heartbreak, Coco and Yatsuhashi turn when they hear her distress, she falls to her knees and she scrapes her palm through the dust on the ground. Across the wasteland that was once a bumbling city are Team C.R.D.L, hearing her cries and Cardin sighs, walking to the body that Coco found, looking at her.
"Go, we'll take him." Cardin assures, and she stares at him, at first to protect Velvet after everything…but she looks into his eyes and can see that something has indeed changed in him. He has always seemed a bit different since Forever Fall, but after this? He is damn near a completely different person.
Coco puffs a sigh, nodding and walking away from the body with Yatsuhashi to help their friend. The tired Winchester sighs, exhausted from all the death he has come across, but continues to do his duty no matter what. He crouches down, and he picks the body up, legs and arms mangled from the rebar and sharp chunks of concrete that lacerated through muscle and skin like a thousand knives. His blood however has dried into a hard-crispy layer on his body, skin pale and stanching of rot.
He turns and carries the body towards the cart that was brought with them to put the bodies on. Whilst C.F.V.Y have uncovered six…they have uncovered eighteen…most of them were families…of four and six, parents and children. All killed…they wanted to become Huntsmen and Huntresses to protect people.
But to think that the Grimm were truly this monstrous?
It's only made their mission to kill them all that much more motivating.
Velvet sniffles as she remains kneeling on the ground, covering her eyes, unable to look at all the destruction that surrounds her right now. Coco crouches down beside her teammate and rests her hand on her shoulder. "There was nothing we could have done, Velv…" Coco softly says to her, but Velvet seems insistent on claiming that they could have done things different.
"Of course, we could have! Beacon had so many Huntsmen in there, but there were only three of them in the city. Cardin, Qrow and Glynda! How could have they saved everyone in here? Why didn't we help them?" She whispers with a saddened and guilty voice.
"If you weren't there, Weiss, Nora and Ren could have been killed in the battle against those Paladins. And what different could we have made?" Yatsuhashi asks her, and she raises a brow as she looks up at him.
"We could have saved some more people." She says. "I failed before this…my hometown…I could have saved them, but I didn't. And my parents where killed by the Grimm because I failed." She states, sniffling, a story she has already told her team and they nod their heads.
"You couldn't have saved them either, Velvet." Fox says to her.
"Then what is the point in being Huntsmen if we cannot save people?" She questions.
"Huntsmen and Huntresses try and save everyone, but we can't do it all the time. Sometimes things go wrong, or we simply can't get there in time. We're not gods, we only do what we can always do…our best." Fox explains to her, and Velvet looks at him with a soft smile yet still with pain clear in it. Seeing her world constantly reminding her of when she lost her family.
She was only twelve when it happened, she lived in Vale but not in the city, in a small defenceless town in the outskirts. They had a few Huntsmen protecting it, but she was training to be just like them, hand to hand combat, how to hold a sword. But she never got far for a very long time simply because she was too young…or that is what those Huntsmen felt. Pyrrha Nikos is the living embodiment that the idea of being too young for combat is a lie.
But none of them, not even Velvet could have stopped that attack.
How intriguing that memories can be some confused over time, because the reports described the attack as a regular one, twenty to forty Grimm at once, but her young mind paints a different picture. The sun blocked out by swarms of Nevermores and Griffins, devouring everything that moved, burning houses to cinders and leaving nothing behind. To a child, one Grimm would feel like twenty…but even then, these Huntsman could not take on a Grimm attack like that.
They were not Team R.W.B.Y, they were kicked out for not learning well enough to be Huntsmen. And clearly, they were right because they were torn apart, then the Grimm attacked the civilians once by one. Velvet hid with terror when they killed everyone, because her parents told her to, demanded her to because she was only small.
She heard them being killed, eaten…by the Grimm that broke into her house. Their screams will haunt her forever…but that day…when the Grimm fled because they could not find her…it motivated her to become a Huntress.
To ensure that it will never happen again.
But here she stands, around the rubble and blood of so many civilians who died for nothing, just a message from a woman who failed. That is why it hurts so much, she feels as if her family, her parents and the people in her village…all of them…feels like they also died for nothing. "We can't save them all." Cardin tells her, and she gasps, her eyes widening, and she turns to see the tall and muscular man standing there, finishing what Fox was going to say. The team all stare at him, again as if they need to protect her, but he has changed.
"B-But…" She stammers.
"We save as many as we can, but tell me, Velvet. If we did not fight in the school, or if we ran, or if we did try and help the city…would Ruby have survived and done what she did? Would anyone be left?" He asks her, and Velvet stammers, because Ruby never left the school, she stayed there and went to save Pyrrha and she did it because she got up there with seconds to spare.
"I…I…" She stammers.
"We did the right thing. Because there are still people around to tell the tale." Cardin states, Coco stares up at him and she sighs, nearly gagging at the words that come out of her mouth.
"Can't believe I'm saying it…but…Cardin's right." Coco sighs with defeat in her voice, and Cardin just smiles softly, glad that he could help her…atone for his many sins against her. He turns, and he walks away, but Yatsuhashi grabs onto his shoulder to stop him. Cardin turns and looks at the huge student.
"Thanks." He says to him, yet still looking suspicious of Cardin and his interests, however even they can tell that he is trying to turn over a new leaf.
All people need to do is give him that chance.
But as he walks he stops and swiftly draws his mace his eyes narrowing and teeth gritting together. Velvet gasps, springing up to her feet with Coco and the rest of her team also drawing their weapons, aiming down the gunsight of her Chaingun. Standing amongst the rubble is a lone Beowulf, softly growling as it glares into their eyes, standing as still as a statue, it's motives unclear.
It sends chills down their spines.
Especially when it just calmly turns and walks away…because that means that if one Grimm is getting closer to the school and the populated areas of the city that were left untouched…then that means others could as well.
They observe the Grimm as it walks away from them and back towards the smog where it came from. "What the hell was that thing doing?" Fox questions with a snarl and Cardin lowers his mace, exhaling through his nostrils.
"They're getting braver. Soon we're gonna have an attack if we aren't careful." Cardin says with a heavy sigh, walking towards his team. Velvet watches as the guy who once bullied her walks away, then her eyes gaze towards The Smog.
They can only pray that positivity can drive those monsters away soon.
Jaune
Eventually the day comes to a close, unaware of the Beowulf that got curious enough to return to the location of battle…
The two teams have finished their dinners and returned to their respected Dormitories to gather a few supplies for the weekend, even though Taiyang is assembling the food and things. However, they still need extra clothes, toothpaste, sleeping bags and so forth.
Their goal?
To cheer the wonderful Yang Xiao Long up from her depression, the poor girl suffered a horrific injury and in such is trapped alone in her home. She needs her friends, whether she admits it or not, she needs them now more than ever before. So that is what they'll do, go home with Ruby and be there, even if it takes the whole weekend.
Ren tucks a sleeping bag into his rucksack. Followed by a handful of sundries. Nora did the same, reaching for her plushie sloth on her bed, causing Ren to huff. "Nora…can't Captain Snuggle Bubble stay here?" Ren asks, knowing it is such a risk to ask her to leave her favourite plushie behind. The look she shoots at him says otherwise and exactly what he predicted, eyes watering and hugging her sloth tightly. "Never mind."
"Damn right never mind." Nora mumbles, tucking the sloth into her backpack. The orange haired girl looks up at Jaune, as he pushes his own sleeping back into his duffle bag. "Hey Jaunathon?" She asks, combing names there. Jaune raises a brow and spins round with confusion.
"That's not my name." He reminds, but Nora doesn't even seem to notice his reply.
"I'm a bit…nervous about this. Seeing Yang again is…well…I dunno…just…"
"We feel the same way, Nora. She lost her arm, and that's gonna be a hard thing to get used to. But, what's hard for us is a thousand times harder for her. We just gotta be there for her." Jaune squeezes her shoulder with a smile. "Whether the hard head wants us there or not."
"She'll cheer up when she sees us all, I'm sure of it." Pyrrha adds as she throws Jaune his toothbrush from the bathroom doorway. He catches it with ease, murmuring thanks before tucking it into his bag. "Jaune, I wanted to take my pillow, but I don't have any room left in my bag, can I please put it in yours? I-If there's room of course!" Pyrrha stammers both awkwardly and nervously.
"Yeah sure, got plenty of room. Probably too much actually, pass it here." He holds out his hand and she smiles, grabbing the soft pillow. She walks over and gives it to him, instead bending down to place it in his bag, their faces very close together. They both gaze up into one another's eyes, noses almost touching. Jaune exhales, hot on her lips, and Pyrrha swallows. She closes her eyes, as did he and closed the distance without thinking, until he grits his teeth and tears himself away. Pyrrha sighs, nodding to herself, standing up straight to flatten her skirt.
"I'm umm…just going to get changed." Pyrrha exhaled loudly, grabbing a handful of clothes and disappearing into the bathroom. Ren and Nora huff as soon as the door locks, magenta and cyan eyes staring at Jaune.
"What're you two doing?" Nora raises her brow.
"Not talking about it." Jaune shakes his head. "Tired of talking about it."
"Okay." Ren nods, Nora biting her lip with a sigh. "So…it will be good to see Yang again. Gods know it's been different without her."
"I miss her puns, and I never thought I'd say that!" Nora exclaims in her usual loud and exaggerated voice. Ren nods sombrely, looking up at Jaune as he worries his lip with his teeth, flexing his fingers in thought, eyes darting to the bathroom door then back to his lap.
"Jaune…"
"Mmm?"
"You and Pyrrha. You need some time to yourselves. To just…talk. We'll be at Taiyang's all weekend, no Black Gallows, no Grimm…just us. I think you and Pyrrha should take an evening to go into Patch's town square. Just the two of you…and. Talk."
"Ren, I appreciate the thought, but-"
Ren stands up and paces up to him, eyes flaming with magenta anger. He shoves a handful of Jaune's sundries into his chest, Jaune dropping his bag to catch them all.
"Talk." He snaps, sick of seeing the pain they both give each other by avoiding the Goliath in the room. He paces his way back over to Nora, Jaune sighs and goes to stick the items in his bag. As soon as he unzips the bag and bends down to place everything in there around Pyrrha's pillow, her scent wafted up off of the plushie fabric. His heart aches at the smell and he quickly shuts the bag, groaning into his hand.
Ren is right.
They need to talk.
Find out where they stand, and more importantly what they definitely both desire.
The bathroom door opens and Pyrrha emerges, wearing figure hugging black jeans, knee high lace up boots, and a baby blue off the shoulder top, that clings to her buxom chest and then hangs loosely around the rest of her athletic frame. She pulls on a warm, beige suede jacket, and ties the belt around the middle, sighing contently.
"Are we all ready to go?" She asks, picking up her bag.
"I think so, right guys?" Jaune smiles as Ren and Nora get up. Everyone happily in their casual clothes, they grab their coats and make their way out into the hall. Ruby is already out there with her arms crossed and a frown on her little face.
"Ruby? What's wrong?" Pyrrha asks as Jaune closes the door behind them until it clicks shut. Ruby shrugs her shoulders and thumbs over her shoulder at the door.
"Weiss." She grumbles, they peer inside and see the bossy Schnee carrying several bags.
"Err, Weiss? It's two days." Jaune chuckles.
"Yes, but three nights." Weiss holds up her finger, which is true but still insane to carry three bags like she is going on holiday to Mistral for two weeks. They are indeed staying from Friday until Monday morning. Oobleck's class does not properly resume until Tuesday and since none of them have any lessons with Winter or Eryka this week and have already had one with Port, they are free to go on leave for "study". "And you can never be over prepared."
"You can! You can you can you can you can!" Ruby yells, Weiss wincing. She goes to retort but Ruby yells once more. "Can!"
Blake steps out into the hall, panting, clutching her bag to her chest with fear. "I don't know if I can do this." Everyone looks to the incredibly nervous Faunus Huntress and Friend. "Y-You're gonna have to go without me, I'm sorry!" Blake goes to close the door with a slam but Ruby and Jaune stop it with their hands.
"Hey, hey…whoa hold on Blake." Jaune comforts as Ruby pushes the door open as Blake staggers back, hyperventilating and tugging at her cat ears and hair. "What's going on?" Jaune softly asks her, Blake pants and licks her lips.
"I'm scared, okay?" Blake whispers. "I haven't seen her since she lost her arm, and I'm scared because it's my fault!"
"No, it's not, it was that…Adam dude." Jaune huffs.
"Believe me Jaune, that's why it's my fault."
"Oh, it's your fault, it's my fault, it's everyone's fault, who cares?" Weiss snaps, everyone spins round in shock at Weiss…but then they calm down since Weiss is giving a bit of tough love again. Somehow it works ninety percent of the time…they can only hope that the ten percent different won't come into play here. "It doesn't matter, and Yang isn't going to care because right now she is dealing with her injury, not who to blame. So…be there, like we're all being there for each other, right?" Weiss looks around at the group and they all smile and nod.
"Right." Ren beams, Blake bites her lip and looks at her hands as Ruby takes them gently.
"Please, Blake. I'm her sister, but…you're her partner…her best friend." Ruby pleads, Blake eyes widen and a new fire burns in her heart. She firms the worried lip and gives a strong nod.
"O-Okay…okay…" Blake blows out a steely breath and nods to herself, more than anyone else. "Let's go before I change my mind." She scoffs at herself, it wasn't a threat but more like an attack at herself and her struggle to deal with emotional stress. Ruby smiles and hugs the Faunus Girl.
"Thanks Blake." Ruby whispers.
"Blake, taken back by the affection, wraps her arms around the Rose, sighing contently at being cared for, at being home.
Ruby
The stars twinkle in the black abyss above, like glitter thrown over black silk. The Fractured Moon casts a bright white glow across the land of Patch, like a broken panel of ice, floating on a sea of oil, the cracked segments of the moon all bobbing around the crescent of white.
Ruby smiles with relief as their walk down the long winding dirt path after a long trip on a Ferry over the sea between Vale and Patch concluded…finding the small warming house sat in the clearing by its lonesome.
Completely unaware that Raven Branwen was here merely a few days ago…
…and so was that Jackdaw.
The windows are lit up warm amber, and a rising column of grey smoke leaves the tall chimney stack. "Why couldn't your dad have built the house a bit closer to the docks? Gods it's such a long journey!" Nora whines as she shuffles tiredly behind Ren, eyes perking up at the sight. "Yay! We made it!"
"Okay, so, like a surprise party, right?" Ruby whispers to them all. "I'll go in, make sure she's in her room, then you guys come in. Then…we surprise her!"
"Good plan." Jaune thumbs up her, grinning. Pyrrha smiles as the rose shoots off in a spray of red petals before letting her gaze fall onto Jaune, and her smile falter into a longing frown.
Ruby knocks on the door, and not long after does the door open to her father, Taiyang Xiao Long himself, standing there, hands drying into a tea-towel. He smiles brightly and wraps his damp hands around her back, hugging her tight. "Ruby! Hey sweetheart, oh I missed you!" He coos as he hugs her lovingly.
"It's only been a couple of weeks, dad." She laughs, and he chuckles, pulling back from his daughter and looked at her with knowing eyes. Ruby shrinks under his gaze. "O-Oh yeah…you don't have to worry though! Everything's fine at school." Ruby looks around her dad, then pulls back to look at him. "Is Yang in her room?"
"Hasn't left it." Tai sighs, rubbing his face tiredly. "She…she's not as sunny as she used to be."
"Well…I might be able to change that." She says, snapping her fingers.
Nothing happens.
She groans and rolls her silver eyes before she turns and blows a whistle their way. "Oh, that's us." Jaune quietly says, then they all rise up out of the bushes and they emerge to appear behind Ruby, beaming at him.
"Hello sir." Ren smiles. "We've come to cheer up our friend."
Taiyang grins and his eyes fall to Ruby, smirking. "I was wondering where they were after our call. Good to see you two made some great friends."
"Yeah, the best. A few of our friends couldn't make it, with the situation at the school Sun couldn't risk leaving. Didn't want the Black Gallows coming here." Ruby explains with a saddened sigh, since he did want to come…but couldn't.
"Understandable, I guess fine is just a perspective isn't it?" Taiyang chuckles.
"Eh, couldn't worse." Nora shrugs with a smile.
"Well, come on in." Taiyang welcomes, stepping aside and letting them all walk into the warmth of the cabin. They all kick off their dirty shoes at the door and shucked their warm coats off, protecting them from the cold of Autumn around them. It is October now; the month of which Ruby was born…on the thirty first of all days. They all hang their coats on the coat hangers with a thank you to Taiyang as he smiles at them.
Taiyang could not be more pleased with the friends Ruby and Yang have made.
He runs his hands through his blonde locks and nodded up the stairs for Ruby. "You know where her room is." Ruby beams at her Dad, and shoots up the stairs like lightning. Taiyang smiles to the new roommates for the weekend, slapping and rubbing his hands together. "So! Who wants a drink?" Tai smiles.
"I'll help sir." Ren says politely, stepping forward and clearing his throat. "Nora will have tea with six sugars – make it three, she won't tell the difference." Ren whispers, not informing him on the fact she sometimes has sixteen in her drink, nearly thick with sugar. Taiyang nods with wide eyes.
"Whoa, whoa, should I be writing all this down?" Taiyang chuckles as Ren carries on.
Meanwhile upstairs, Ruby creeps up to the door marked "Yang's Room." She blows out a breath and knocks.
"Go away." Was the immediate response.
So, this is what Dad's been dealing with?
She knocks again, and the same response greeted her, albeit angrier, Ruby groans and opens the door, peering in as Yang stares out the window, her reflection a sombre one. The bandage around her stump is lighter coloured, having recently been changed and redressed. Clearly Yang has not even touched the Cybernetic Arm that Ironwood had made for her. Yang turns her head slight, seeing Ruby and her eyes widen minutely. "Ruby?"
"Hey sis!" Ruby beams, stepping in to shuffle her feet bashfully, arms behind her back. "Thought I'd come home this weekend and say hi. Sick of all the Black Gallows soldiers killing the mood everywhere we go." She groans, and Yang looks back out the window.
"Oh…well…hi, I guess." Yang despondently mumbles, Ruby clears her throat.
"So, err…whatcha been doing?" Ruby playfully asks her, as Yang scoffs.
"Well I haven't been playing guitar if that's what you're wondering." Yang snaps, Ruby frowns.
"Don't be so hostile, Yang. I-"
"Ruby I appreciate you being here, but…just…please leave me alone." Yang sighs, practically begging with her wavering voice. Ruby steps back and looks into the hall, at the six other friends all standing holding hot mugs of cocoa and tea. Ruby grins and plays the part.
"Oh okay…well…I guess you won't wanna see what I brought." Ruby sighs exaggeratedly, Yang looks up, lilac eyes knitted in confusion…and curiosity.
Just as Ruby leaves the room. "W-What did you bring?" Ruby smirks, knowing Yang could not resist the temptation.
"Come see, I made it myself." She says, and Yang rolls her eyes with a teenage sigh, throwing the bed sheets off her smaller looking body. She grabs her cream coloured dressing gown, soft and warm and shuffles to follow her sister.
"C'mon sis…" Yang grumbles.
"Oh, you know, I made some Juniper flavoured cakes." Ruby speaks, winking to them as they get ready, Taiyang leant against the wall at the bottom of the stairs with his arms crossed. Yang raises her brow over her rested eyes.
"You know I don't like juniper berries." Yang huffs as she starts to leave the room.
"Oh, and I also brought…" Yang turns the corner and her eyes widen more than ever before when she sees the two teams standing before her. "R.W.B.Y too!"
"HEY YANG!" Everyone cheers with joy and Yang gasps with shock, immediately covering herself up, since she is only wearing her pyjama shirt and shorts. Covering her body with her dressing gown shyly and lowering her head since she has no makeup on.
"Ah! Wh-What, what're you all doing here! I-I'm not fit to be seen, err, hang on-" Yang runs back into her room and reaches across her bed, tugging a box of tissues under her blanket and TV remote, trying to hide her struggles. The team turn, and they walk over to the doorway with a chuckle. Blake steps forward, moving past Ruby who stands there, kneeling beside her bed. Yang snaps her eyes onto Blake's stunning amber feline eyes, and the lilac infused with hers. Blake smiles and hands Yang the handle of a cup of cocoa, just as Yang liked it. Yang takes it in her only hand and stammers.
"Hey partner." Blake breathes tearfully, Yang sets the cup down and wraps her arm round her partner, Blake wraps her around Yang, tightly holding the blonde as she gives in, sobbing and Blake tears up as well. "I'm so sorry." Blake breathes, as Yang's hand went up the back of Blake's head to stroke down over her cat ears.
"D-Don't be." Yang sniffles, eyes watering down her cheeks. "It wasn't your fault."
Blake smiles into Yang's fluffy blonde hair as she hugged her friend, to hear the subject of her woes say it was not her fault helps relieve her guilt in magnitudes. The nerves she felt hammering her heart for the last day leading up to this moment have finally stopped, as two best friends reunite. The others all smile and huddled around, as Yang looks up and wipes her tears from her eyes, beaming for the first time in days.
"Y-You guys, you didn't have to."
"We know, but we love you, buddy." Jaune smiles, wrapping his arms affectionately around Yang, hugging her tightly. "Besides, us blondes gotta stick together right?"
"R-Right…" Yang chuckles, but then concern forms over her as she looks around and searches for Sun. "Wait, where is Sun?" She asks.
"Don't worry he's fine…but the he needs to stay at Beacon. He got into a fight, drew in some Grimm but not a full attack. Now the Black Gallows are watching him…I take it you've heard?" Ruby assumes as she looks at Yang, and she nods.
"That's why?" She asks them.
"Yep, got in a fight with a student who was bullying Pyrrha for accidentally killing Penny." Nora sadly says as she lowers her head, whilst Pyrrha stands beside her with her own concerns…because she knows about the fact he has a condition. And that he did not mean for any of this to happen.
"Who the hell is it?" Yang snarls.
"Don't worry about it." Pyrrha assures with a smile.
"No…I may be messed up…but nobody hurts my friends." Yang states with a snarl.
"Yang…the situation…it's complicated." Pyrrha says, and even Jaune nods. "Besides, another fight is the last thing we need with the Black Gallows watching our every move. Was a pain trying to convince them we can go?" Pyrrha explains, and Yang raises her brow.
"If they are worried about panic then why are they keeping people there?" She questions, they all shrug.
"I don't know…the bastards haven't really been talkative about their methods unfortunately." Jaune chuckles as he scratches the back of his neck.
"But the rest of his team are okay, same with C.F.V.Y and C.R.D.L…hell Cardin and his team are trying to turn over new leaves." Blake chuckles and Yang chuckles.
"Okay…now you're messing with me." Yang scoffs.
"No, I swear it." Blake assures as she shows her pinkie finger.
One at a time everyone shares a warm and affectionate hug with Yang, letting her know she is surrounded by love and affection no matter where she looks. Each hug warms her heart in different ways, all in which are gentle waves of tingling sensitivity she has not felt since she lost her arm and was taken home by her father.
Her friends already have helped her feel real again.
So here they all sit, J.N.P.R and the finally complete R.W.B.U on the floor of Yang's room, in a circle, cups in hand with half drank lukewarm cocoa sat by their hips. As Yang pulls on some grey sweatpants over her sleep pants, she sits next to Ruby and kisses her sister's hair quickly.
"Thanks sis." Yang murmurs with a smile, rubbing the stump on her arm. Jaune hugs his knees and rests his chin on his wrists, working up the courage to ask her.
"Hey Yang?"
"Mmm?" Yang looks up at him, smiling slightly.
"Are…" He swallows. "Gonna sound stupid, but…does it hurt?" jaune subs his cheek nervously. Yang shrugs her shoulders and looks at her stump.
"A bit…worse at times. The Phantom Limb pains suck though." Yang huffs, Jaune smiles softly across to her.
"Totally badass though."
"How?" She asks him.
"Cos if someone is trying to get attention for being hurt you can pull one hell of a trump card on them." He chuckles, making her laugh.
"Heh, guess you're right. Thanks, Jaune, I'll remember that." She smiles, and he chuckles, her eyes turn to her black-haired feline friend. "So, err, Blakey?"
"Yeah?" Blake looks up at the brawler.
"How's things with Sun?" Yang grins, and everyone smiles brightly again, and Blake groans, only been a few hours from last time. "You tied tails yet?"
"W-What does that even mean?" Blake nervously chuckles, smiling at the blonde. Yang shrugs and laughs lightly as she drops her hand into her lip, riffling with the drawstrings. "Being with friends…this is perfect." Blake sighs with an uncharacteristically large smile on her face as she leans back against the wall, purring.
"By the gods…did you just purr?" Yang squealed excitedly, lilac eyes widening and Nora gasps and squeals into her hands, eyes wide with glee. Blake however gasps and covers her lips, blushing blood red again.
"That. Is. So. CUTE!" Ruby and Nora both explode with glee, Blake small smile grows as she groans, unable to be humiliated by them since there is no malice. So, she just hides behind her mug.
"Guys…stop." Blake whines.
"That was adorable though." Pyrrha smiles, a hand on her chest. Jaune smiles at the friends conversing, repairing their wounds piece by piece. Blake fidgets and looks at Yang.
"Hey, umm…Yang?"
"Uh-Huh?" Yang looks up at her with a smile.
"H-Have you thought about going back to school?" Blake hesitantly asks her, Yang sighs heavily and shakes her head.
"I…I can't…I mean, how can I? Look at me Blake? I'm missing one of my weapons, pretty much." Yang huffs. "And I know I have that metal arm and everything…but…well it's not that simple." She sighs.
"Why not?" Weiss asks her, and Yang looks at the Schnee Heiress, closing her eyes when she looks at Blake.
"I failed you…" She sniffles, and Blake gasps as he eyes widen.
"Huh?" Blake asks her.
"That guy…Adam Taurus…he was on you and I tried to save you from him…when he stabbed you…I…I couldn't think. I just attacked, and he cut my arm off because of it. For all I knew he killed you." Yang explains, her heart aching sharply when she remembers how that felt, but Blake shakes her head.
"You…you didn't fail me though, Yang. I'm here…and he ran." She states, and Yang looks at him with confusion. "When Ruby…did what she did…he retreated, with the rest of the White Fang as well. So did the Grimm. You didn't fail, because despite everything…he got distracted. And I managed to save you…I just wish everything didn't go down the way it did." Blake explains, and Yang looks down at the floor and she sniffles.
"But…what if I fail again…and we aren't lucky? That's why I'm scared of touching that arm…it…it isn't me." She states as she stares at the stump where she actually felt like she could lift up her hand…only the stump rises up.
"But we miss you, Yang." Nora says softly with a smile. "We were literally talking about it at lunch. How we miss hearing your puns." Nora explains with a smile, making Yang chuckle.
"Please, they annoy you." Yang says, and Jaune chuckles.
"Yang…if we laughed at a pun…it wouldn't have been good." Jaune states, and Yang cannot help but argue with that logic. Puns are groan humour after all.
"Fair enough…look…I'll…I'll think about it, okay?" Yang asks them all.
"That is all we ask." Ren assures with a smile.
"So, what have I missed so far then? Y'know, apart from the Black Gallows and this bully?" She asks them.
"Well we did get to meet Neptune's big sister." Weiss beams, everyone else mirror her expression and Yang raises a brow.
"He's got a sister? Is she…you know…" Yang swirls a hand. "…is she hot?"
"Another example of the Vasillias Family being able to make ridiculously cool, good looking people? Yeah." Jaune shrugs, voice tinged with jealousy. Pyrrha snorts into her palm, much to his glee as he smiles at her.
"She is kinda like the female version of him from what I have heard." Ruby says, since only a few have met her. Weiss met her with Winter one time when they were talking, Pyrrha met her with Jaymes and Jaune saw her one time with her Eagle and Neptune.
"She's staying at Beacon for the next week or two. She's sharing rooms with my sister." Weiss smiles, and Yang's eyes widen.
"No way…your sis is there?"
"Yeah, Goodwitch has been struggling lately so she decided to help teach some lessons. So, did Eryka – Nep's sister." Weiss explains, and Yang smirks, noticing the nickname.
"Nep?" She asks her. "Is that a pet name?"
"Quiet you." Weiss squeaks, blushing nervously and defensively. "Though I've heard that Eryka is…and I quote…the messiest creature she has ever seen." Making them all laugh at her comment.
"I take it your sister is you but magnified, right?" Yang asks.
"Pretty much." Weiss admits, not even arguing with that point either.
A pregnant pause of silence filled Yang's bedroom as they all sat in the circle, one broken by the enigmatic Ruby Rose. "Soooooooo…let's play a game!" She squeaks when her large silver eyes focus onto a deck of cards in the corner.
"Ruby!" Weiss whines, but the Rose gets up and grabs the deck, stopping to glance at the silver rectangular box on the desk.
That has to be it…
The Cybernetic Arm…
She must have been thinking about attaching it for it to be right here. However, she does not ask, for her sister's sake…it is obviously why she has been so hesitant to even speak of it. As Ruby begins to slide cards to each player, Jaune saddles up to Pyrrha, the redhead hugs her knees to her chest. He nudges her softly and she snaps her eyes to his.
"Jaune?" She softly asks him, he worries his lip and leans to his ear.
"We need to talk…a-about some stuff."
"What stuff?" She asks him innocently, Jaune gives her a knowing look with a frown and she sighs. "Right…of course."
"I want us to have a bit of privacy for this, and…well...Ren had the idea that we walk into the small village by the docks. We'll get a coffee and have a talk, okay?" He asks softly, and she cannot help but smile at his idea and soft tones.
"O-Okay." She reluctantly nods, scared since this would be it. The inevitable conversation of either how he no longer feels the same way about her anymore…or maybe that he does feel that way about her. Jaune gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze and stands up, flattening out the creases in his jeans. All eyes of the card game are on him now.
"So umm, Pyrrha and I are just gonna take a walk into that small village down the road. We won't be long." Jaune swallows a thick breath.
"We'll come with you, right Yang-"
Ren stops her with his hand on her knee, she looks at him and all he does is glance and Jaune and Pyrrha, then raises his brow. "Oh…" She figures out, nodding her head. "Don't worry." She assures with a firm nod.
"Don't be too long." Weiss advises, since all of them know what is going on. Yang looks at Pyrrha and gives her a small smile, along with her characteristic wink. Basically, her soft side and saying…Don't worry, it'll be okay.
Pyrrha smiles to her and grabs her coat, pulling it on and tying the belt around the middle as Jaune tugs his black coat on too.
"We won't be long. Want anything?" Jaune asks.
"Err…Gummy Worms!" Nora squeaks brightly and Yang nods her head in agreement.
"Cookies!" Ruby cries out.
"Gummies and Cookies. Got it." Jaune opens the door and lets Pyrrha walk out first. Jaune looks over his shoulder at Ren, who gives a small smile to him and a gentle nod. Jaune meekly smiles back and shuts the door behind him.
Weiss looks at Ruby on how she has such an addiction to cookies. "How have your teeth not rotted away yet?"
Jaune closes the door and he exhales nervously…
They need this conversation.
Now?
There is no turning back.
Author Note - I'M BACK!
Back from Holiday now so chapters shall be coming out again, may be suffering with Jet-Lag and feeling sick but I wanted to get a chapter out...sooo...here we are.
Must admit this chapter was a hell of a mean one to do since most of it was copying what was already done and adapting it to all the changes in the story made, with the Black Gallows, time differences and what-not. I was gonna do a part where Ironwood was going to deliver her arm personally but I never found the right place to do it, again with the Black Gallows at Beacon, he needs to be there after all. However I am happy with how it turned out, hence why I published it.
I did like adding that part with C.F.V.Y and C.R.D.L there, showing not only Cardin trying to atone for his mistakes, but also that Velvet backstory and the Grimm in the city. I wanted to show just how scary it is that the Grimm are so close to their home...even after all that has happened, they are not going away.
And Eryka and Winter...I love that bit so much, made me die laughing when I first read it when it came out. So happy to do it again.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! As I said things will be running along like normal again, no more holiday time gaps. (That I know of XD)
Volume 6 is only a couple of weeks away now...cannot wait!
Please review, follow and favourite! And if you haven't yet, please do check out my Knights of Grimm series! It is my baby after all and I love hearing what people think about it.
Especially with the story getting bigger and bigger with each act.
Stay tuned for the next chapter - A Much Needed Talk
- Matt!