AN: And here's another chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, yadda, yadda, yadda... more sarcastic comments about me being in an alternate universe to be named "Rooster Teeth"... and disclaimer done.
"Love at first sight- no such thing. Love at first encounter- plausible. If you've loved something the moment you've seen it- that's not love, that's interest. Maybe even obsession. Love is what happens when your life changes drastically. It's when your small little bonds and connections finally start tugging- when they finally mean something- when it becomes a part of your life." -Fireflame789, just now. (I did a thing!)
Chapter 23: Welcome Back
For the first time in over a week, Daniel was returning back to Beacon. With his friends beside him, no less. He glanced to his side at Yang, Blake, and Weiss just ahead of them, and then back to the back of Weiss's head. Yang noticed the shift in Daniel's attention and looked at him curiously. "You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," he answered offhandedly. Shaking his head, he asked the girl ahead of him, "What did you mean by your dad knowing my name?"
Weiss turned around, a startled look donning her face. "Excuse me?" she asked.
"Weiss," Daniel went on, "You said that your dad only let you come back because he apparently knew who I was. What did you mean by that?"
Weiss stopped in her tracks, looking at the ground with an unreadable expression. Blake followed suit, noticing that the girl next to her stopped moving for an unknown reason, with Daniel and Yang doing the same to make sure they didn't run into the other two. "Weiss?" Daniel repeated, "You okay?"
Weiss looked up with a distant expression. "According to my father, we know each other," she claimed. Before she could be interrupted, the girl in white reached into a small compartment into the luggage she was dragging behind her. When her hand reemerged, Weiss held a small photo, barely smaller than a postcard. She stretched her arm out to Daniel who walked over and took the photo from her. "Your mom helped out our family through a lot of business troubles, negotiating trades between kingdoms."
Daniel flipped the photo around and saw his mother's face staring back at him. To her side was his father with his arm wrapped around his wife's waist, the other arm clasping onto a young Daniel's shoulder, no older than six. Complete with his heterochromatic eyes and the black feathered wings. In the photo, Daniel looked almost annoyed in his red dress clothes while his sister standing next to him was perfectly fine with her emerald green dress, hands clasped behind her back with a bright smile, showing off her pearly white teeth as her mom wrapped her arms around Holly's neck.
On the other side of the photo stood Weiss's family. Daniel immediately could tell which one was Weiss, but the lack of the scar over her eye confused him for just a second. With large, bright icy-blue eyes, the familiar ponytail, and a polite regal smile, there was no question who the young lady in the photo was. Behind her was presumably her father with one hand resting on his daughter's shoulder. On the left were two other children in white- a girl that looked older than Weiss with an expression as cold as an Atlesian winter, and a small boy that had eyes a bit too calculative for his age.
Daniel flipped around the photo for Blake and Yang, who's head was craned around, to see. "What is this?" he asked Weiss.
Weiss stared back at him, a sour glimmer in her eyes. "Dinner party," she answered, "Your mom was invited to many of them, at least from my father's words."
Daniel put down the picture, his head bowed as he took in every little detail from the old photo. "Why don't you start from the beginning?" he suggested.
-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-
"You… wanted to see me, father?" Weiss asked, closing a heavy oak door behind her. She stepped forward into her father's office with hesitant breaths.
A man with hair as white as wool looked up from the dozens of stacks of papers littered throughout the desk. When he heard his daughter's voice, he pushed away from the document he was working on, folding his hands beneath his chin. "Yes, Weiss," he replied, "Please, sit." He gestured to a small armchair in front of the intimidating desk. When Weiss sat, hands passively resting in her lap, Jacques went on, "What happened to you while you were in Beacon?"
Weiss flinched as if she had been hit before trying to return to a neutral expression. "I-I don't know what you mean," she stammered.
"Oh, don't try and play games with me, child," Jacques scoffed, "You act as if I hadn't noticed the scar and bandage that permanently stains your leg." His eyes pointed directly at the small mark on Weiss's calf which she tried to cover up quickly. "Now speak."
Weiss remained silent, stubbornly refusing to talk as her gaze never left her lap. "Very well," her father conceded, "If you're unable to talk, I shall have to assume the worst and pull you out of Beacon."
Weiss looked at her father, horrified. "You can't," she exclaimed, "I belong there!"
"I can," her father huffed, "and I will. Unless you have a reason that will satisfy me, I have no reason to keep you in Beacon."
Weiss let out a steaming breath before speaking, "We were fighting the White Fang." Not the whole truth, but just enough of it. "One of my partners went ballistic and destroyed anything in his path. In the process, I was injured, as you can tell." She showed the small scarring on her calf that started to turn white.
Jacques finally sat back in his chair, hands clasped onto the arms of his chair. "Very well," he announced. Weiss's heart stopped, as those two words had never meant anything good in her life, ever. "I will not pull you out of your dream," he said 'dream' as if it was something he still didn't believe in, "of becoming a Huntress." Weiss let out a deep breath she didn't realize she was holding. Before she could thank her father, he spoke again, "Who was that boy so I can get him expelled?"
Weiss gaped at her father. "Please, you can't," she stalled, "If you throw him out, we don't have enough members for our team to continue."
"They'll find another student to replace him," Jacques waved off, "I cannot have an emotionally unstable teen continue to tarnish our family's name. Who is this man?"
"It's not that easy," Weiss protested, "Beacon can't just randomly take out students from other years or schools whenever they feel like it!"
"They pulled you out from Atlas," her father reminded her, "They took in a fifteen-year-old as well if you believe the news, that is." Weiss remained silent as her only argument was shot down. "Who is this boy?" Jacques demanded again.
Weiss debated for a long time in her mind, questioning whether or not she would take her chances. "Daniel Gotzon," she conceded.
"Daniel Gotzon," her father echoed, pushing a button on his keyboard as a projection was brought to life in front of him like a screen, "So that is the boy that has been tarni-." His hands froze suddenly above the keys, realization settling in. "Did you say Daniel Gotzon?" he questioned, looking back up at his daughter through the projected browser.
"Yes," Weiss clarified, an annoyed look in her eyes as they rolled around. "Shall I also tell you his birthday if that makes it easier?" she jibed.
"Watch your tone," Jacques warned as he spun around in his chair, reaching up to the bookshelf behind him. He pulled a picture frame off from one of the higher shelves, bringing it down to eye-level. "Gotzon," he mused, "That's a name I thought I would never hear again."
"Wait," Weiss interrupted her father's train of thought, "You know his family?"
"You should as well," he replied as he spun back around, clicking off the projector so the blue glow disappeared that hid Weiss from her father. "Has he told you about his family?" Jacques inquired, handing Weiss the frame.
"No," Weiss said. With a questioning raised eyebrow, Weiss took the picture frame, examining the two families in the photo. "This is Daniel?" she asked, flabbergasted.
"Indeed, it is," Jacques affirmed, "His mother, brilliant woman, she was. Always able to pull the resources for negotiation, even when there seemed to be nothing left to offer." Jacques leaned back in his chair, eyes planted on the ceiling as he reminisced the past. "Sometimes I believe that she is the only reason our company is still standing.
"Hazel was an ambassador between Mistral and Altas, and she was quite amazing at her job. You met her at dozens of our gatherings. She is by far my favorite faunus to have ever lived. And her family was… polite enough. I tried to get you to interact with her children, but you turned them away like you always do."
"How does that fit into anything?" Weiss asked.
"But you must've at least known that something tragic happened to his family, correct?" Jacques inquired. Weiss nodded, eyes still fixated on the picture. "Well, a year after that picture was taken, his family was attacked. By the White Fang. His family lost everything, including his father- smart man, and also a hard worker- and his sister. And a few days ago, he lost his mother while witnesses claim they saw a group of people with White Fang masks running away from the scene."
The knuckles on Jacques's hands turned white as the arm of his chair strain from his grip. "He may be the only person that hates the White Fang more than I do, and for good reason." He looked at his daughter with intense eyes. "You said that you were fighting the White Fang, did you not?"
"Yes," Weiss hesitantly answered.
Jacques harrumphed. "I'd hate to see Hazel's legacy disgraced," he commented, "Knock some sense into him when you get back, will you?"
"Wait," Weiss started, "You're not going to get him expelled?"
"He had a reason for his anger," Jacques decided. He nodded at the frame in Weiss's hands. "Give that to him whenever you meet Daniel, will you?"
Weiss gritted her teeth as the frame groaned in her hands. Her stubbornness subsided as she exhaled. "I will, father," she replied obediently.
-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-
"And here I am," Weiss ended, eyeballing the picture in Daniel's hands. With shaking hands, Daniel tried to give it back, but Weiss waved him off. "Keep it," she said, "It's yours now."
Daniel quickly pocketed the picture before grabbing Weiss by the shoulders. "Hey," Weiss exclaimed, struggling to get loose, "Let go of me."
"Is there anything you remember about Holly?" Daniel questioned, a crazed look in his eyes, "Something that I may have forgotten. A weakness, something that might've gotten to her or irritated her?"
"I barely remember meeting your sister," Weiss snapped, finally shoving away Daniel. She harrumphed before brushing off some dust on her dress. "What are you trying to learn from it? Your sister is gone to… that woman you fought."
"I wanted to save her," Daniel answered with his head in his hands, "I need something, someone, to connect her back to the past. Something the Queen hasn't already tainted."
Weiss's lips puckered into a soured expression. "Well, I'm sorry," she conceded, "But I don't have anything."
Daniel groaned as the four of them started walking again. "Well," he drawled, a hand on his chin, "Now that I think about it, I do remember you. From back then."
Weiss looked back, slightly startled. "You do?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," Daniel's smirk widened, "Snowflake."
"Nope, I remember you now," Weiss groaned. She pointed a stiff finger at Daniel along with a deadly glare. "You do not call me that, ever, if you still want your… your-."
"Alright," Daniel declared, hands up in a surrendering gesture, his smirk broadening with every step, "Whatever you say, Snowflake."
Blake and Yang dissolved into fits of giggles. "Don't let Jaune get wind of that," Yang boomed out between laughs.
Weiss irritatedly blew air through her nose before turning back around, heading for Beacon. "Insufferable," she declared with a smug Daniel behind her.
-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-
Daniel took in a deep breath until his lungs couldn't handle it anymore. "It's good to be back," he sighed, standing at the front entrance of Beacon in all its glory.
"We'll see you later," Yang called out to Daniel as the other girls were already walking away, "Got some stuff to do before the semester starts."
Daniel nodded, but before he could say anything, an angry voice interrupted his thoughts. "Daniel," a girl's voice called out.
With a stiff spine, Daniel turned around shakingly, his eyes already weary. "H-hey Coco," he greeted with a meek wave. His eyes scanned for a second girl before they went wide. "Oh, no," he breathed, turning to where Yang and the rest were staring back at him with confused looks. "You guys know of a good place to hide?" he begged.
"Are you really that scared of Coco?" Yang jibed.
"No," Daniel shot down, his eyes darting around the open area, "I'm scared of Velvet, though." Looking to his left, he started to dash away right as a familiar hand grabbed the back of his hood. Daniel's feet left the ground as the world took a ninety-degree turn for him. In an instant, his back ached from slamming against the ground, and his eyes looked up at the sky, right before a pair of rabbit ears entered his view. "H-hey, Velvet," Daniel stammered, "How are you doing?"
Velvet didn't say a word as she pierced him with a cold stare, dragging him back to a waiting Coco. "Guys," Daniel begged his team, "Help, please."
Yang cracked a small smirk as she ushered her equally smug teammates away. "Sorry, Daniel," she teased, "This is your fight."
"It's not going to be a fight," Daniel exasperated, "It's going to be a slaughter." Then, he noticed Velvet's cold stare on him again. "Can I have a head start?" he squeaked.
"You had an eight-day head start," Velvet huffed as she threw him in front of Coco, "And it just ended."
"Mercy?" Daniel squeaked, his voice an octave higher than usual.
Coco tilted her head, pretending to be in thought. "Hmm," she hummed, "Nope." Coco grabbed hold of the back of Daniel's collar as she dragged him back to the city. "Come on," she commanded, "You've got a day to make it up."
"Hey, I can walk by myself," Daniel protested, stumbling along as Velvet tailed him with a giggle.
"Are you sure that was really necessary?" Weiss asked Yang with a hint of pity, "I mean, are you sure he won't die by tomorrow?"
"Nope," Yang replied, popping the 'P', "Now come on." She threw her arms around her two teammates. "We got to get you settled back in."
-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-
The next time the girls saw Daniel, he was stumbling into the cafeteria during dinner. The bags under her eyes were prominent even from across the room, and his clothes were so ragged and wrinkled it was like he slept in the same clothes for over a week. "What did you do, Daniel?" Yang exclaimed, eyes almost as big as the plate she was eating off of.
Daniel collapsed at the corner seat of the table, in his spot near Ruby. "Shopping with Coco," he groaned.
Blake raised an eyebrow as she shoveled another bite in. "I thought she took you yesterday before lunch," she commented.
"We did," Daniel affirmed, "You don't know Coco's shopping sprees." He groaned again, sinking lower into the table, "I can't take it anymore. Last time we went, it lasted three days straight." He slapped the table, pushing himself up to look at Yang with a crazed expression. "She's a monster in the mall."
"Thanks for the warning," Yang replied, expression slightly horrified and impressed at the same time.
Daniel moaned, his head hitting the table again. "Anyway," he went on, "How was your guys' days?" He tilted his head slightly to the side to see an unusually silent Ruby. "Ruby?"
"Fine," Ruby answered emotionlessly as another bite entered her mouth.
"Alright, Sweetie," Daniel teased.
"Cheep-skate," Ruby shot back instinctively.
Yang started howling with laughter, clapping her hands as Blake and Weiss slowly picked up on the pun before they groaned. "I knew we were related, somehow," Yang laughed.
"Shut up," Ruby mumbled, a rosy tint appearing on her cheeks.
Just then, all five of their Scrolls went off, filling the air around them with buzzes and alarms. Everyone at the table pulled their Scrolls out consecutively to see the same message from Ozpin. "Come to my office in five minutes. And bring your weapons (excluding Ruby)."
All of them looked at each other with confused expressions, shrugging. Five minutes later, Team DWBY and Ruby were exiting the elevator. In front of them was Ozpin, still behind his desk with his signature cup of coffee at hand and Goodwitch hanging off to the side of the desk. And there, stood in front of the desk…
"They're not ready Ozpin," Ironwood argued, "We need more troops if the situation is as big as you say it is."
"They have to be," Ozpin countered, "We have no one else that-." He noticed the open elevator doors with the contents within them. "Hello, children," Ozpin greeted as he leaned forward and set the mug on his desk. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."
"Excuse me, sir," Weiss interrupted, "But why are we here? The semester just started."
"Quite right," Ozpin agreed, "You aren't in any trouble. At least, none that are conventional." The five teens exchanged worried glances. "I assume that, since Daniel is still alive in your presences, he has told you about his past?"
"How did you-?" Daniel started.
"There is very little that can hide from me in this school," Ozpin interrupted vaguely, "Still, your perpetrators are still at large, and we are certain a few of them are in this school. For that reason, we want you prepared."
"Prepared," Weiss echoed, "You want us to… engage these people?"
"Not engage, little girl," A voice sounded from behind them, "Fight them."
The five teens turned around, two of their expression lighting up while Weiss's turned into one of annoyance. "Children," Ozpin introduced, "I'd like you to meet one of my most trusted friends- Qrow Branwen." (AN: And there he is.)
Qrow was opening his mouth when a red blur tackled his arm. "Uncle Qrow," Ruby squealed.
The man chuckled as he rubbed his niece's hair. "Hey, Little Squirt," he greeted, "You might want to get off. Ozpin's got more to say."
As Ruby untangled herself from Qrow, Ozpin went on with a smirk, "As you know, from Daniel's story, this Queen is scheming for the end of our government and the life you know. This is I need you four, my apologies Miss Rose, to be prepared when the time comes."
"Why not pick someone else?" Weiss asked, "Why not ask one of the Seniors here?"
"Because the Seniors are already done with their techniques," Ironwood responded with a small glare in Ozpin's direction, "Their abilities and styles have already been documented and planned for. I cannot take the chance that some of them have been with this Queen or already planned for."
"So take another team, why is it ours?" Daniel questioned.
"You five already know what we're dealing with," Ozpin answered, "If I told the rest of the school what would happen, what do you think the response would be? Mass hysteria. We are essentially going to war with unknown forces. How many of us do you think would be left if we told the students that?"
The teens nodded with grim understanding. "You four are our best shot at this," Qrow continued, "But you have to learn a lot before you're able to even fight them. First thing's first." He stretched his arm out to DWBY, "Give me your weapons. One at a time."
"What?" Weiss exclaimed, "You can't just expect us to hand you our weapons!"
"Watch me," Qrow huffed. When Weiss clutched the hilt of her rapier with white knuckles, Qrow let out a silent chuckle. "I'm not going to break it, just inspect it, Princess."
With that, Weiss unsheathed her Myrtenaster, hesitating slightly, before handing it over to Qrow. Qrow balanced the rapier between the two ends on his fingers, eyeing the weapon carefully. Unexpectedly, he threw the weapon in the air, catching it in the perfect position to throw out a thrust. The teens took a step back, startled. Qrow hummed in appreciation before straightening up, handing Weiss back her weapon. "Nicely crafted," he complimented, "And the Dust chamber's going to give you a lot of diversity in your fights."
Weiss stared at the confusing adult with a weird look. "Thank you?" she replied.
"Next," Qrow called for as he snapped his fingers, "You. Faunus girl. Blake, is it?"
"How did you know-?"
"Read your file," Qrow answered before Blake even had the chance to ask, "Also, it's way too obvious."
With a small blush, Blake handed over her sheathed Gambol Shroud. With the bone-chilling sound of metal scraping on metal, Qrow pulled out Gambol Shroud, shining it in the light above his head. "Nicely balanced," he commented, "A bit on the fragile side."
"I keep it sheathed to make it last longer," Blake put in.
"That's not happening anymore," Qrow scoffed, "You're not trying to outlast Grimm, you're fighting other humans now." Qrow clicked a small trigger on the hilt, making the blade collapse on itself as the sword turned into its roped form. "Interesting," Qrow mused. He twirled it around for a quick moment before clicking the trigger and sheathing the blade. "Only things I'd tell you to do would probably be to get more types of ammunition so you don't lack long-range combat and reinforce the blade. Not too much, but enough so it doesn't shatter after three parries."
Blake nodded before stepping back towards her friends. Qrow clapped his hands as he walked in front of Daniel. "And our fallen crow here," he announced.
Daniel nodded respectfully as he unclasped the entire thing from his back, hidden beneath his cloak. He handed Qrow his prototype as Qrow's eyes widened just a smidge at the beauty before him. The three-foot by two-inch blade was hidden by a black sheath with two barrels running down the two edges. A scope was mounted on one edge with a collapsed grip on the other, near the opening of the hilt. A switch was hidden near where the thumb would be on the grip with a collection of dials running down the sheath. Qrow inspected every dial, every crevice before peering at Daniel. "The hell did you do with your guard?" he asked.
Daniel shrugged before smugly answering, "Went overboard. Shotgun sniper combination with a Dust chamber for the sheath itself. Durable enough to be used as a blunt weapon as well."
Qrow smirked as he hefted the entire thing, looking down the scope while aiming out the window towards Vale. "I'd give you top marks for this thing alone," he beamed, "You're a real weapons-nut."
Then, Qrow took the sword out of its place in the "gun". In it was a yellowish-white blade, almost like it had started rusting already, but with small red spots scattered on the blade's faces. It was divided into a bunch of sections, a very thin dark line only seen if you looked excruciatingly closely in between each of them. The red leathered hilt completed the look with a small silver handguard. "Pull out the handguard," Daniel suggested.
As Qrow did just that, gears and locks hissed to life as the segments of the blade fell apart, held together by what looked like string. Qrow chuckled to himself as he admired the chained-together sword, imagining the hundreds of possibilities the weapon could do. He pushed the guard back into its rightful place, making the string reel the blades together perfectly. "You could also twist the leather," Daniel added with pride.
And with that, the sword was on fire. Well, the blade of it was, with anything below the crossguard being completely fire-free. Everyone but Daniel took a step back, even Qrow as he was carrying it before twisting the hilt again, putting out the flames. He sheathed the sword with excited, small gasps of air, the look in his eyes exactly the same as if a kid had been handed a basket full of candy. "If I didn't already have my own thing of beauty," Qrow claimed, "I wouldn't be handing back this thing." (AN: Nerd alert. Nerd alert- Fireflame's a nerd about his weapon.)
Daniel took back his weapon with a bright grin. "That still may be a bit too overboard," Goodwitch huffed, still clutching her tablet against her chest.
"I prefer to use precocious," Daniel decided as he clipped his weapon back onto his back.
"No," Ruby argued with a small smile and a shake of her head, "It's definitely overboard. And you've seen my weapon, so overboard by my standards is tough to beat."
"And finally," Qrow continued, right in front of Yang, "The little sun dragon."
Yang was taking off her second gauntlet before Qrow stopped her. "I know what your weapon is," he reminded, "And I already know what I'm going to say."
Expecting praise, Yang put them back on with a smile.
"Have Ruby look at it. You're going to have to make a couple of adjustments."
Yang looked as if she had been slapped. "What did you say?" she growled.
"Miss Xiao Long," Goodwitch scolded.
Qrow held up a finger, silencing both of the girls. "Tell me," Qrow asked Yang, "What's the farthest distance you can hit an enemy accurately? Keyword: accurately."
With her head bowed, Yang mumbled out, "Forty-five feet."
Qrow let out an irritated breath. "Thought so," he concluded. Turning to his other red-hooded niece, he ordered, "Put a sort of attachment on Yang's weapon. Something that'll give her more range without taking away from her punch's power."
Ruby nodded, a bit startled by her uncle's bluntness. "Sure, Uncle Qrow," she replied, already thinking of two ways to solve her sister's 'issue'.
"Is that why you're here?" Yang questioned her uncle, "To criticize and inspect our weapons."
"Like hell that's all I'm here for," Qrow scoffed as he pulled out a flask. As he uncorked it, he said, "I'm here to train you four."
"You're what?" Yang exclaimed as the Hunter took a swig of his drink.
"Say goodbye to whatever you girls do in your free time," Qrow continued, "Your shopping trips, clubs, whatever; I'm giving you a crash course of two years of mercenary training in a few months."
The teens shuddered at the picture Qrow painted. "We will exclude you from any other missions and Combat Training," Goodwitch tried to calm them, "And in addition, we have pulled your name out of the roster for the Vytal Festival."
"What?" all five members exclaimed.
"That's unreasonable," Daniel exploded.
"How are you going to compete, anyway?" Qrow countered, "You four are going to be almost dead on your feet when you're through with my training, and you still have some training to do."
"Other training?" Yang groaned, "What are you talking about?"
"You didn't think we would just train you to swing a sword, did you?" Ironwood asked. Without waiting for a response, he continued, "We have asked a couple of Hunters and specialists to be your mentors. To hone your training and develop your Semblances further."
Before another word was said, a small ding was heard as the elevator doors opened again. "Ah, Miss Schnee," Ozpin greeted politely, "Perfect timing."
Weiss spun around, a startled look dawning on her face as her teammates caught on slower than her. "Hello, Headmaster," Winter greeted with a slight bow. The white-haired specialist turned to Ironwood. "General Ironwood, sir," Winter greeted.
"Forgive me," Weiss gaped, "But why is my sister doing here?"
"She's your mentor," Ozpin replied with his hands propping up his chin, "And now we're waiting for one more to show up."
As they waited, Weiss exchanged a few excited words with her sister who replied back with a small, almost unnoticeable smile. A minute later, the elevator doors opened yet again, this time showing off a man in his mid-50's with a gray robe, salt-and-pepper hair, and startling red eyes. "Students," Ozpin announced with a smile, "I present to you an old friend of mine- Douglas Griswald."
The man smiled, his eyes twinkling with hidden knowledge. "How do you do?" he greeted with a small salute-like wave.
"Mister Griswald here has a… special Semblance, if you would," Ozpin went on, "If he gives you advice on how to progress your Semblance, I expect you to follow his directions."
"What is your Semblance?" Blake asked with a tilt of her head, her bow twitching madly.
With only a smile, Douglas walked over to the unprepared faunus and put both of his hands on her shoulders. A small silver-like glow appeared between his palm and Blake's skin as he closed his eyes. "Now that's an interesting one," he mused, "I haven't seen this Semblance in quite some time."
After the moment passed, Douglas jumped back, something in his expression reminding Daniel too much of a mad scientist about to commence an experiment. In a flash, Douglas snapped an arm to his side as he seemingly split in two. Both of them stared blankly at Blake who stumbled back in shock, a thin shadow-like wisp of smoke connecting the two. The Douglas on the left cracked a smile. "And that's my Semblance," he announced, "Now the real question is which one's the fake one?"
Blake's eyebrow hooked in confusion. "I'm pretty sure it's this one," she claimed, prodding the one that wasn't talking with her finger. In her amazement, her finger pressed against something solid. "What the…" Blake poked the figure again, mouth forming a perfect 'O'. She pushed the other figure of Douglas, and to her astonishment, it was also solid.
"You should probably stop," the Douglas Blake was poking beamed, making her jump back. Yang and the others laughed as the clones disappeared behind a cloud of black smoke, only to dissipate after a moment to show a single Douglas. "So who's next?" he asked while rubbing his hands in anticipation.
"You can copy Semblances?" Daniel exclaimed, eyes bulging out of his head.
"For about five minutes, yes," Douglas answered, "I've toyed with hundreds of Semblances over the years, so nothing is exactly new to me anymore." His hand stretched toward Yang like he was trying to give a handshake. "May I?"
Yang hesitated for a split second before eagerly clasping her hand against his. Douglas smiled as he stepped back, his eyes closed as if he was on cloud-nine. "Ah, this one," he breathed, "Fits you very well." Opening his eyes, Douglas informed, "I won't show you the extent of your abilities yet since they're a bit too destructive for a headmaster's office." He gestured around to the number of people and fragile objects in the room.
Yang nodded in understanding as Douglas finally stood in front of Daniel. "And I assume you're the last one?" he inquired, glancing briefly at Ruby.
Daniel shrugged. "I'm the last one you're going to train," he answered.
"Fair enough." Douglas closed his eyes yet again while taking Daniel's hand. Just as the glow started, Douglas jumped back with a giddy look. "Now that," he exclaimed, "That one's new to me. I haven't had the chance to use one of these Semblances before."
"Does that mean I'm on my own?" Daniel insisted.
"Quite the contrary, my dear boy," Douglas replied, resting a hand on Daniel's shoulder, "This means we'll have to learn together on the extent of your abilities."
Shooting the enthusiastic man a wry smile, Daniel turned back to the other adults in the room. "So what now?" he asked, "Are we supposed to train, waiting for the inevitable?"
"Of course not," Ozpin said, "The staff has been told of the situations bare details. Enough to know to be on the lookout. Meanwhile, every Hunter, Huntress, and specialist in this room will be trying to counteract this… infection in our system. Make no mistake," Ozpin turned his chair around, looking out the window overlooking Vale, "we are at war with a revolution."
-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-
"Well," Yang started as they exited the elevator, stepping into a hallway full of students, "That was... something."
"That's an understatement and a half," Daniel scoffed as he groaned just from thinking about all the work they would have to do. "Our schedules are going to be nightmares." Daniel rubbed his eyes as the drowsiness of staying up for two days straight set in again. "I'm turning in early," he told the others while walking away. Abruptly, he froze in his tracks, remembering something he had to do. "Hey, Ruby."
Ruby looked at Daniel slightly wearily. "Yeah?" she responded.
Daniel walked over with a hand in his pocket. When he was directly in front of her, their noses almost touching, he took both of his arms and wrapped it around Ruby's neck. "What are you doing?" Ruby demanded, squirming in his hold.
"Hold still," Daniel chuckled as a small click went off. Before he took his hands away, Daniel leaned in and whispered, "Some things may be a lot of money, but you're the one that's priceless to me." And with that, Daniel made a mad dash down the hall before Ruby could come back out of her daze.
"Looks like love's still in the air," Yang commented with a knowing smirk. Confused, Ruby looked down at her collar. Her breath stopped as she reached up and tenderly touched the necklace Daniel returned. Ruby's mouth flopped open and close like a fish out of water as her friends couldn't help but snicker at her expression. "So," Yang sang after a short while, "when's the wedding?"
Ruby shook her head before glaring at her sister (which had the effect of a small puppy's death-stare). "Shut up," she huffed, but Ruby couldn't wipe the silly grin off her face as she skipped back to the dorms.
AN: And there's that- story progression. Joy. Hey guys, Fireflame here. And there's Chapter 23 down. There's plot development, character growth, more backstory (yay), and your little Rubiel moment (I did not coin that term. Blame Cinderlord for that).
Holy cow, guys. 23 chapters (24 if you count the Winter thing), 32k views, 85 reviews, 131 followers, and 95 favorites. I... wow. I'm speechless. But sadly, all good things must come to an end... in May or so. We've still got 4 more chapters to go, and I have wayyyyy too many ideas to just go for 4 chapters. I mean, the ending alone's going to take two, and I still have to do the final fight, get Rubiel back to functioning, and so much stuff. Screw it, I'm taking this to June or even July. We're not done yet.
Guys, please. The poll. Don't make me kill Blake, please. I Don't want to kill her off. I have 2 arcs for this story, and it'll be easier to save Blake. Or I could just save both. You never know.
5 for Blake living, 7 for Weiss living.
Anyway, review time.
DePlexx: But I don't want Weiss to die! I stabbed her in the leg, yes, but I didn't do nearly as much as I might do to some other characters (*cue evil laughter [Mercury and possibly Emerald]). It won't add more plot because it's not going to happen until the end!
Apolios: YO! YOU'RE BACK. Like hell, I'm writing this stuff with ease. In the last chapter, I had to take 4 cereal breaks in a 3-hour time span because I got so upset by not being able to find the correct words half the time. But you really couldn't find anything wrong with the last chapter? I'm surprised because I think I forgot a semi-important detail halfway through the chapter (Weiss is still running around, trying to find her lost luggage that I dropped randomly along the way). Also, Ruby's back to herself again... kinda. Rejoice!
Cinderlord: Wow, my OC now has a ship name. And it's not that bad either. Rubiel... it works- I like it. Yes, I know the long explanation Daniel had to give was cut out, and that the emotion felt a bit lost in it, but I didn't really want to type the same explanation over and over again, and I know a few of you guys don't want to read it like that either. In other news, I got a bit too carried away with the name-calling, and yet I still had more in this chapter. Common theme? (*shrug) Possibly.
TheGreenDooredBookshop: The one with the most votes survives. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. And indeed, I took a U-turn on emotion and went "train wreck" on a bunch of characters. Fingers crossed that I keep it that way right through the ending.
And that's it! That's all I have to say. So, I'll see you guys in April!
Signing out, Flames of Fire.