As the next day wore on, Reaper found it nearly impossible to cast the concerns over her friend from the other life from her mind. Between classes she used Beacon's systems to search for any police records on Neo. Other than a few relatively minor warrants from years ago there was nothing. No active APB's, no petty arrests, not even so much as a concerned citizen's tip for anyone matching her unique description. As Port's class droned on and nearly put Reaper to sleep, her thoughts remained dominated by the strange pink creature.
I wonder if we can talk Ozpin into giving us back the black scroll. See if we can send her a message
That is a terrible idea. Nothing will draw suspicion faster than asking after such a curious object from our other life.
Aren't you supposed to be the voice of my inner desires?
I also occasionally stand in as the voice of reason, apparently. Or maybe we just 'desire' to stay out of real prison.
Well, maybe you can tell me why I can't stop worrying about whether she's alright or not.
Why wouldn't you be worried about a friend? She's out there, somewhere, alone and trying to survive.
That's not making me feel better.
Whether she found work and is doing alright or not, what are really the chances we are going to see her again?
Reaper groaned aloud and dropped the conversation. It was going nowhere fast, and only making her more upset. Thankfully, the bell rang soon and they were dismissed for lunch. Maybe food can distract us from our turmoil. Weiss noticed the troubled look on her face and assumed it was for the thoughts troubling her last night. The heiress was half right; it was the same thoughts from last night… just not the ones she knew about.
Blake saw this as well and smiled. Coco had messaged her earlier about their triumphant return, and she couldn't wait to see the looks on Velvet and Reaper's faces when they spotted each other in the cafeteria. Neither girl knew of the other's return to the school, and Blake and Coco assumed some kind of sparks were going to fly. Blake was betting on romance, while Coco reserved her skepticism and figured a crash and burn was imminent.
What neither girl expected (and soon realized they were dumb for not considering the possibility) was Reaper avoiding the confrontation altogether. When they stepped through the doors, she saw Velvet holding a casual conversation with Ren and turned right back around.
"Where are you going?" Weiss asked, grabbing her arm.
"I'm just not hungry right now… gunna go for a walk." Reaper told her.
"You can't run off on your own." Weiss scolded.
"Actually she can." Blake defended. She didn't want to force Reaper to talk to Velvet if she wasn't ready. "As long as she doesn't leave campus. She only needs a chaperone if she intends to leave school grounds."
Weiss knew her girlfriend was right, but still didn't like the idea. "How can we be sure she doesn't if no one is watching her?"
"I'm sure Ozpin has something to make sure. The headmaster may be forgiving, but he's not carelessly so." Blake pointed out. Weiss conceded and let Reaper go.
Velvet looked to the doors to see them close behind Weiss and Blake. She couldn't make out who just left, all she saw was a shadow. She turned back to Ren and the two resumed their conversation. Coco and Blake eyed each other with concern.
Reaper knew she couldn't leave campus, but campus was huge and she didn't need to leave to put good distance between her and the cafeteria. She found an out of the way corner on the other side of Beacon. Despite the park table here making it an excellent setting for hangouts, it seemed totally abandoned.
I guess the loner clique already has their own spot.
"Works for me, I'd rather be alone anyway." Reaper sat at the table and let her blender of a mind turn to 'liquefy' and churn her thoughts uncontrollably. I was hoping Velvet would be gone for a few more days while I figured things out. And what's keeping me back? A girl I'm starting to borderline obsess about who I may never see again? God, I hope Neo is doing alright. At least she's not arrested or implicated in Torchwick's shit, we made sure of that. Still, how low do you have to lay in order to not be seen stealing a bag of chips to eat? Maybe she's just good.
It's not like she can turn invisible. Oh, wait.
Oh yeah…
Reaper felt a presence join her and hoped to god it wasn't Velvet. Though it probably is. She looked up slowly and silver eyes met mismatched pink and brown. The scythe master exploded into a full upright sitting position as she registered who was here with her. Neo gave a small, sheepish wave.
"What the-!" Reaper stopped her shout, took a quick look around, and continued in more of a whisper. "What the hell are you doing here!?" Neo pulled out her scroll to show it was dead. "Mine was taken as evidence anyway, and I never got it back. Hold on." Reaper rifled through her bag and pulled out an unused notebook and pen. "Keep it, I've got others." She said as she handed the items over.
Neo smiled and started writing. 'I was lying low, but I wanted to see how you were doing.'
"I'm doing good here. Neo, you shouldn't be here. If you got caught… damn it, I sent you away so you could stay free." Reaper looked the multi-colored girl over and noted she looked far scruffier than usual. "Neo, you have been doing alright yourself, right?"
'I've been lying low.' Neo wrote again.
"But… you have been stealing food and eating and stuff right? Finding work, whatever?" Reaper continued.
Neo wrote the next line really slowly, as though she was hesitant to admit it. Her frown supported that theory. 'Really low. I kind of didn't know what to do with myself without you or Roman… I don't do well on my own…' The small girl's stomach grumbled as if to prove her point.
Reaper looked over Neo once more and sighed. "Wait here. Don't be seen. I'll be right back." Neo was confused, but nodded, and the scythe girl sped off in a hail of rose petals.
Blake and Coco were using their scrolls to have a silent debate whether or not to tell Velvet about Reaper when the former noticed the girl in question's return. She was hard to miss, as even though she wore the Beacon uniform she still wore the massive hooded cape over it, just like Ruby used to with the red cloak Velvet now wore. "I thought you said you weren't hungry?" Weiss asked, oblivious to Blake's scheme to keep Velvet in the dark. The rabbit ears perked up when Velvet heard the voice that responded.
"I wasn't hungry, and then I got hungry. That's how the body works, Weiss." Reaper replied, quickly piling up a tray with a massive amount of food. Velvet turned and only saw petals floating to the ground.
Velvet rounded onto the rest of team RWBY. "Why didn't you tell me she was here!? What happened?"
"I assumed you knew? Her trial was big news because of Ozpin's groundbreaking proposition. I hear other kingdoms are already reexamining their young inmates and considering similar options." Weiss transitioned from informational to gossip-y smoothly. Blake and Coco allowed it to be left at that, rather than confess they purposefully left her in the dark to gauge the pair's reaction upon meeting again.
Reaper didn't know she outed herself to Velvet, after assuming her team would have told her. She didn't even consider the possibility as she rushed back outside and found the table again. She sat down with the food and saw Neo shimmer into existence next to a nearby tree. The multi-colored girl sat back down and quickly dug in. Reaper didn't know what Neo liked, so she got a bit of everything. She was going to have to get a full list if this was going to keep happening.
"There's no way I can talk you out of coming here again, is there?" Reaper asked. Neo smiled and shook her head. "Well, we gotta be careful about it. I don't want you getting caught over a stupid lunch. So only at this table, at lunch, when no one is around. Agreed?" Neo wore a serious face while she nodded to show she understood. The scythe master looked over her strange friend and smiled. She was glad Neo had found her, and her thoughts from last night finally began settling.
"How did you find me anyway?" Reaper asked after enough food had been eaten that Neo could dedicate time to writing.
'I followed your trial.' Neo wrote out. 'I knew you would be here after the custody thing passed.'
"That trial got a lot more attention than I thought it would…"
The bell for classes rang out and Reaper had to dash. Neo dissolved out of sight and took off for the trees. She was worried Reaper would completely push her away now that she was becoming a huntress again. It was nice to know they were still friends. Friends. One step ever closer. A smile grew on the Neo's face.
So… that was interesting… I really didn't think we would ever see her again.
Me neither.
What are we going to tell Weiss and Blake?
Nothing. They would only go after her.
And if they ask us about where we spend our lunches?
I don't know… I don't want to lie to them… but I want to keep Neo safe if I can…
Goodwitch got the classes attention to begin the period. "Welcome, everyone. Ms. Rose, welcome back. As you all no doubt know, the Vytal Tournament is going to be held here once again. An attempt to erase unpleasant memories of the past. Just like last time, we will spend our sparring time from now on using official tournament rules. To start us off, would Ms. Rose and Ms. Valkyrie please come down?"
Everyone in class froze. The only students who watched the trial were those interested in politics or those close to Reaper somehow. A great many of the students in this class still didn't know of Ember, and Reaper hadn't actually stated that Ember fights for her in the broadcast part of the trial. "Ummm… Are you sure?" Reaper asked Goodwitch.
"Professor Ozpin had assured me you have found a way to control your sister's semblance." Goodwitch maintained her professionality. "Therefore, you are cleared to fight."
"Umm… he didn't tell you how, did he?" Reaper ventured.
"I had assumed you simply found a way to control your anger. Is this not so?" Goodwitch asked.
"Control my anger, hah, right…" Reaper said sarcastically. "I think we should have a talk before you let us fight. And besides, our weapon is broken at the moment. We were going to go to the forge after classes to repair it."
Glynda raised an eyebrow at Reaper referring to herself as more than one person, but let it slide for now. "Very well. Ms. Valkyrie, would like to choose your opponent?"
"Awww I wanted to fight Ember…" Nora lamented.
We will.
"She assures me you got the first dance, Nora." Reaper told her friend. Nora's face lit back up and she let Goodwitch decide her opponent.
Class sped by and Reaper soon found herself in Goodwitch's private office. The strict woman stared down Reaper as if it would telepathically insert the questions she wanted to ask in the young woman's mind. Finally, she spoke. "So what is so unique about your control method that warranted a private discussion?"
"Did you watch my trial?" Reaper asked. It would help speed this along if Goodwitch already knew about Ember.
"I did, in fact." Glynda replied.
"Well the other personality, Ember? She can take over when we go into a Red Haze. That's what we call it when I lose control. Best part is she can control it. Fight calmly with all the strength it provides. So, she fights for us now." Reaper explained.
Goodwitch took a moment to mull over this information. "I see… so that, I assume, is why you seem to be off your state prescribed medication?" She had noticed the young girl talking to herself throughout all of class. Reaper nodded. "Is there another way to draw 'Ember' out? I would like to speak to her."
"Anger and pain." The scythe girl answered, pulling out her knife. "We don't know how long she'll stay without a fight to cool the Red Haze. We haven't tried it yet. No time like the present. Ember, you think you can handle repairs?"
"Do you mean you intend to stab yourself to bring her out?" Goodwitch stared at the knife incredulously. Apparently 'Ember' answered the question posed to her affirmatively, because Glynda was now watching Reaper stab herself in the shoulder. When the blade was pulled out, the wound closed quickly, leaving a thin scar behind. Glynda could see it layered over a few other, older scars. The girl's eyes opened to reveal glowing red.
"Hey, there. I'm Ember, I pilot this meat-boat sometimes." Ember held out their hand for a hand shake.
Glynda took it cautiously. "So I see… Ember, if I allowed you to fight in class, can you keep yourself from killing the other students?"
"Absolutely!" The girl assured. "We're serious about this new leaf, this whole huntress thing. I've gotten to fight a few times already, and I can tell you for a fact that I can keep our head calm to the very end."
"I will not hesitate to restrain you if I think you are out of control." Goodwitch warned.
"Understood, madam."
The meeting ended and Ember piloted her and Reaper out of the office.
Cool, think we're good to shift back?
"Sorry, Reaper. Too much energy flowing through our body. I'm not comfortable handing back control just yet."
I figured as much. By the way, you're talking to me out loud. Now who looks crazy?
"Still you, since it's your face."
'Cept your eyes are red. Once they catch on, everyone will be able to tell whether we're Reaper or Ember.
"Shut up."
I love you too!
Ember rolled her eyes. She suddenly felt sympathetic for how well Reaper deals with her talking their ear off. She began to walk to the forge to craft the new barrel when a voice sounded behind them.
"Ruby!"
Shit.
"Fuck."
Ember turned to see a very excited Velvet running up to greet 'Ruby'. Velvet's face shifted to worry when she saw the red eyes.
"Sorry, hunny bunny. Reaper is not at the helm at this moment, and I really don't want to relay a conversation that should be between you two."
"Oh." Her face fell completely. She had read the article, and wasn't Ruby supposed to be taking medication for her split personality? "I take it you're 'Ember'?"
"Right on the money, sweet heart. We gotta dash, fix our weapon. I assume I'm the last person you wanna hang around, so I'm just gunna awkwardly shimmy away."
"Fix your weapon? Why not just use Crescent Rose?" Velvet asked.
"Because that's not our weapon. Too short for us now anyway, we grew a little in the past year." Ember finally found room to walk away when Velvet lacked a response.
That's not going to make things any better.
"She seemed really uncomfortable at the thought of me. Think she expects us to take our meds?"
Probably. You can fix Brutal Thorn on your own, right? I need to work on what I'm going to do with her.
"Of course I can! Your skills are my skills, don't worry. I know exactly what I'm doing."