Chapter 18 - Turbulence
Ruby opened her eyes, and tried to sit up. When pain blossomed from the base of her skull. Ruby curled up, squeezing her eyes shut.
What is going on? Ruby took a deep breath and raised her head slowly this time. She saw trees, and felt the grass beneath her. A forest, she faintly remembered why was she be in one. A training exercise with her team and the others. Yet, she remembered leaving, getting on a airship. Ruby sorted through her pain hazed mind, something had gone with the airship. The memories flood back in broken pieces, the engine exploding, losing her balance as the doors swung open. Alfie's hand grabbing her own.
"Alfie" She said aloud, turning sharply, more pain made her head swim, but she saw him. Alfie lay motionless in the grass a few feet from her. Ruby struggled to her feet rushing over to him. Alfie's eyes were still closed as she reached him, there was a scratch on his cheek and his jacket was torn. Ruby reached her hand under his nose and felt his warm breath. She sighed in relief.
"Alfie" She said tapping his cheek. Alfie's eyes fluttered open.
"Ru ?" He said "Did we fall out of an airship." Ruby grinned weakly.
"Yeah, I think so?"
Before
The teams had gotten themselves back into the airship to campus. Professor Oobleck who accompanied them chatted animatedly about something. Alfie let himself sway with the airship as he gripped one of the hand grips. Lenox was teasing him about something when Gren's ears flickered.
"Do you hear that?" He asked just before the airship shuddered violently. Alfie tried to stay balanced when one of the engines exploded. They all scrambled for something to brace themselves on. Ruby stumbled slamming against the door. Weiss and Yang tried to rise to their feet as the craft rocked again the doors jerking open. Alfie felt the wind ripped at his cloths and hair. Yet, that didn't matter as he saw Ruby lose her footing and fall from the craft. He launched himself forward and grabbed her arm. Alfie saw Lenox from then corner of his eye he reached for his bother. When the craft rocked to one side.
"ALFIE" Lenox yelled, as his brother was thrown free from the airship. The sound of his brother cry drowned out by the wind as the two leader fell to the forest below.
Now
Alfie faintly remembered using his weapons to slow his fall and Ruby doing the same. He sat up carefully.
"Are you okay?" He asked looking at Ruby.
"I'm fine." She said, "Are you?" Alfie looked down inspecting himself for wounds. Aside from some tears on his clothes and an ache in his body he felt fine.
"I'm good" He said, his hands finding the pendant around his neck. He let out a relieved sigh as he felt the warmth from it seep into his hand.
"Where did you get that from?" Ruby asked.
"It was my older sister's" He told her allowing him hand to fall to his side, "She gave it to me the last time I saw her."
"Oh, " Ruby said gently.
"It's fine" He said so trying to get to his feet but his knees buckled under him. Ruby was quick to catch him, bracing one hand on his chest.
"Easy." She said. Alfie smiled weakly.
"Getting back to the others may take a while." He said.
"Yeah, but we have to" Ruby said helping him to stand.
"Agreed." Alfie said steadying himself.
Neely wasn't sure why she done something so stupid, so reckless. She had certainly done foolish things in the past, but this, jumping out of the damaged aircraft to save Russel Thrush was by far one of the stupidest. Yet, when the aircraft rolled to the side, when Alfie and Ruby vanished from sight, she saw Russell fall. Saw the debris heading to rip into him. She had jumped into him knocking him clear from the remains of the engine. Now she lay on the forest floor, her whole body aching. Russell groaned laying a few feet away.
"What happened?" He asked.
"We fall out of a plane." Neely grumbled.
"Why?" Russell asked sounding dazed, "Why did you help me?"
"Because, I just love jumping out of airships so much." She replied pushing herself up to her feet.
"Come on," She ordered, "Get up." Russell got to his feet grumbling under his breath.
"What's the hurry?"
Neely shot him a withering look.
"Our friends were on that airship that was crashing," She said annoyed " My partner is out there somewhere, so we need to hurry up and find them."
Russell nodded looking like a scolded dog.
"Okay, alright." He said.
Weiss smelled smoke and blood as she opened her eyes. The ship was going down, Ruby had fallen out of it. Weiss remembered being knocked back onto a seat as debris was peppering the ship. They were going to crash, but then it changed. A flash of violet aura engulfed the ship, and when they hit the ground the ship was unharmed. Grendel. Weiss forced her eyes opened. It was his aura, his blood.
"You okay?" Weiss looked up and saw his eyes. She always thought they were a dark brown or blue but looking at them now. They were a deep shade of purple.
"Gren?" She choked out seeing the blood straining his cheeks. The piece of metal perturbing from his shoulder. Before Weiss could saw anything more, their teammates were there helping them from the not so recked ship.
Weiss's eyes narrowed as she saw the sunlight through the smoke.
"Bring anyone with injuries over this way," Professor Oobleck ordered. Lenox helped Gren over to them. Professor Oobleck carefully removed the scrap from the faunus' shoulder. Gren drew in a sharp breath, a low growl coming from him. Weiss could see the the sharp edges of his canines.
"Easy there buddy." Lenox said tiredly before he reached for the medical kit.
"Allow me to do it." Weiss said taking the kit from Lenox. Gren's looked up at her. Professor Oobleck nodded and Lenox sighed walking towards the forest. Weiss heard the Professor start to tell Lenox to stay put.
"Your eyes are violet." Weiss said. Gren grinned weakly.
"Yes, they are." He said his brow coated with sweat.
"Take off your shirt." She ordered opening up the kit.
"Really but there are children present" He teased. Weiss scowled at him.
"Grendel" She warned, he nodded carefully lifting his shirt up. Weiss inspected the wound trying to ignore the map of scars over his skin.
"What did you do back there?" She asked dabbing disinfected on the wound.
"It was my semblance." He said looking into her eyes.
"You stopped the ship from crashing." She said pressing a patch of gauze to his shoulder.
"I can create shields by pushing my aura from my body," He said "I just shielded the ship with it."
"But there was nothing left to protect you." She said critically. Gren nodded.
"It's why I never use." He told her.
"A semblance that lets you protect others but not yourself." Weiss grumbled, "How fitting for you."
Gren smiled.
"So I've been told."
"See anything?" Alfie called up to Ruby. She was up on a branch of a tree looking for both Grimm and signs for their friends.
"The coast looks clear," She called down to him, "I think I see smoke too."
"Which direction?"
"North-east" Ruby said dropping from the branches carefully to the ground.
Alfie nodded taking a breath and he checked his weapons.
"Let's go." He said. Ruby nodded and kept an eye on her friend. He looked better now.
"Thanks by the way." Ruby said said as they headed in the direction of the smoke.
"No worries." He said faint grin, tipping his head towards her. His amber eyes shimmering in the light.
"I wasn't about to let you fall out a plane by yourself." He added.
Ruby giggled, "How chivalrous of you."
"You know me." Alfie said, "All about the chivalrousness."
Ruby felt a little less anxious as they walked to the airship.
Neely tried to focus on finding the auras of her friends even as Russell shuffled about nervously besides her. The images flickered unevenly.
"Russell, could you quit fidgeting." Neely snapped opening her eyes. Russell caught his dagger and frowned.
"How is that distracting you?" He asked.
"It just is." She said stubbornly.
"I think you just don't like me." Russell said in frustration.
"Russell, you follow around your team tormenting other people," Neely exclaimed crossing her arms, "It's not like you make easy to like you."
"Yet, you still jumped out of an aircraft to save me." He retorted. Neely frowned her nerves grating down. Why in the world did she help him?
"Next time I'll be sure to let you fall all by yourself." She growled and marched off.
"Hey, Neely wait up?" Russell said hurrying to catch up.
Lenox stared at the tree line. He wanted to run off and find his brother yet Professor Oobleck had told him being reckless was not going to help anyone. Instead Lenox stood there impatiently as they waited for a new airship to arrive. He tried to focus on something else, so he thought of why the engines exploded. The maintenance for the craft was done on a regular basis. Plus protecting students lives was a priority to Beacon. Was the craft tampered with ? Lenox sighed and glanced back at the others. He had noticed too late that Neely had vanished along with Russell. Gren was resting on a make shift chair. Most of the others were waiting by Oobleck. All but Yang who stood by him.
"They'll be fine." She tried to reassure, "Our siblings are tough." Lenox nodded.
"I'm aware of that" He said. Yang knocked her shoulder into her.
"Perk up, Lenny." She said, "If they take too long, we'll make a break for the forest."
Lenox smiled, "Agreed."
"Down." Ruby ordered twisting Crescent Rose around to slash into two Grimm. Alfie rolled out of the way, he had regained his usual grace of movement. He launched himself up and halted just before an Ursa. Alfie calmly pulled the trigger of his gun. The Grimm dropped to the forest floor as Ruby folded up Crescent Rose.
"We make quite the pair." Ruby said with a smile. Alfie returned her smile.
"That we do," He said, "Good thing we're on different teams otherwise the other wouldn't stand a chance."
Ruby nodded as she walked over to him. Alfie was different now, then when she first met him. The hunched shoulder, downcast eyes, and quiet boy was gone for the most part. He stood straight with a quiet pride in his stance. It made it easier to see the molten amber of his eyes. Alfie joked and laughed with the others. He was like a more polished version of himself.
"What's up?" Alfie asked blinking. Ruby just smiled warmly at him.
"It's nothing." She said, "We'd better hurry to find the others." Alfie looked a little confused but he nodded as he walked after her.
"Would you just slow down." Russell said as her marched after Neely. She did not face him as she hurried toward where the airship was.
"Would you keep up." Neely said glancing back at him. Russell grabbed her elbow. Neely twisted around.
"What, Russell?" She snapped. Russell looked like he was struggling to find the words.
"Do you not like me just because I'm apart of team CRDL."
"It doesn't exactly help." Neely said wrenching her elbow free.
"That's not fair though." He said, "You don't know anything about me."
"I know you're willing to go along with a Cardin's bullying." She said crossing her arms. Russell frowned.
"I get that we've been jerks." He said tiredly, "But just because I followed someone else's lead doesn't make me bad."
"It does make you a coward." Neely said feeling her chest tighten.
"Maybe but everyone has done bad things," Russell argued, "Haven't you done bad things in past,something you regret?" Neely closed her eyes as memories flooded back in to her mind.
"Does that make you a bad person?" He demanded.
Neely gritted her teeth as she turned away from the boy. Her blood felt cold in her veins. She had done terrible things, worst than most, worst than Russell.
"Neely?" Russell called, he sounded farther back than she expected. Neely followed after Neo and Roman without ever questioning them. What right did she have to judge Russell.
"Neely!" He called a frantic edge in his tone now. Neely looked up and saw the hulking Grimm. She brought her arms up as it slashed it claws at her. Russell knocked her down just before it did.
"Thanks." She said getting to his feet. Russell nodded his weapons at the ready.
Neely stood and they round the Grimm that watched them with hungry eyes. Russell feinted at it and it hunched back. Neely jumped and slashed at it's side. It roared and Russell cut it in the neck. Neely cut into it's chest. The Grimm fell dead into the forest floor.
"You alright." Russell asked.
Neely nodded,"Yeah, you?" He smiled.
"I'm good."
Alfie heard their footsteps before he saw them.
"Alfie, Ruby!" Neely called as she and Russell hurried to them.
"Hey!" Alfie said smiling, "You two alright?"
"We managed," Neely said with a weak smile.
"Dido." Alfie said. The group walked together until they saw the crashed airship and the new one that had backup.
"Alfie! Neely!" Lenox called running to his friends
"Ruby" Yang called running to her sister. The group exchanged hugs and welcome backs. Alfie and Neely checking on the bandaged up Gren. Neely glanced over at Russell as he joined his team. They pattered him on the shoulder and back. He caught her glance and nodded.
"So can you two promise to not jump out of anymore ships from now on?" Lenox asked.
"Promise" Alfie said as they walked to the airship.
The teams had returned to Beacon safely after the sun had set. Neely sat alone in a window seat in the dorms. She check her scroll that had thankfully survived the fall unlike Ruby and Alfie's scrolls. There was a message from Neo.
{I heard you got into a accident, are you hurt?}
Neely felt her fingers freeze on the keyboard. A new whisper in her ear. Was she right to trust Neo. She pushed it away.
{I'm fine, a little thing like a plane crash isn't going to hurt me.}
Seconds later Neo's reply came.
{Good, I'm glad you're safe. and do be careful while you're gone Neely.}
{I know, don't worry I plan on coming home in one piece.}
{You'd better, what would I do without my cute little sister.}
{Lucky for you, you never have to find out}
{Good}
Neely blinked away the mist over her eyes. She held her scroll tight. Neo always knew what to say to push away her doubt. Almost like a puppeteer.
"Gimme me a break already." She whispered.
"Neely?" She wiped at her eyes and looked at the speaker. Russell stood holding something behind his back.
"Hey, Russell." She said.
"You okay?" She nodded.
"How are you?"
Russell shrugged, shifting back and forth on his feet.
"I'm good," He said looking down, "I just wanted to thank you again, you know for saving my skin." Neely smiled at his sudden shyness.
"You helped me too, so we're even Russell." She told him. He looked up at her, his cheeks ever so slightly flushed.
"Only after you saved me when we got thrown off the craft."
"I just acted on instinct" She told him.
"Well, it was pretty awesome and brave." Russell said, "So here as thanks," He held out what he had been hiding. A plate of triple chocolate chip cookies.
"Where did you find those." She asked smelling the mouthing watering scent. Russell grinned.
"I got them fresh from the cafeteria." He said. Neely took a bite of one of them. It was warm and deliciously chocolaty.
"Hmm, heavenly." She said, "I accept this gift of thanks."
Russell chuckled, "Sweet," He tried to hand over the plate.
"Hey," Neely said, "I need to say sorry for how I acted after we fell," Russell sighed.
"It's okay."
"Maybe," Neely said, "How about we try a fresh a start over these cookies."
Russell smiled "I'd like that." He said sitting down besides her.
"I'm Russell or Rus for short." He said Neely smiled.
"I'm Neely," She said.