AN: Last ten days of "Write a Novel Month". It's the final stretch- I can't believe that I've been keeping pace as well as I have.
Also, fair warning for this chapter. This one's going to be one of the more... emotionally intense ones.
Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY in any capacity or make money from this.
Chapter 26: Me- Lie? Never
Farayan's scream filled the small room, gasping and hissing as he dropped to his knees. His arms groped for the blade stuck in his side, finding the small handle to hold on to as, yanking the black blade out of his body. Blood flowed from the wound, staining the black shirt with a torrent of dark red that seeped through the black feather's edges.
He wasn't the only to scream, as Ruby's voice joined in. She rushed over to his side, squatting on her heels next to the injured boy. Hands reached out, too shaky to be of any use. Still, they reached out toward Farayan to help him.
"Get back," Farayan growled, gasping at the pain. "Don't touch me." And another spasm raced through his body, throwing Farayan onto his back. His fingers stymied the flow as best they could, all while he muttered "Give it a minute" under every breath.
She hated it with her entire being, but Ruby stayed back. Unsure of what to do, the reaper gripped the ground as she stared helplessly at her friend in pain. "Farayan?" Ruby pleaded.
"Shut up," the boy snapped. Deep breaths, he told himself. Looking away from the wound, Farayan clenched shut his mouth as he prepped for the inevitable. A sickening squelch sounded only for Farayan and Ruby, but the muffled scream that accompanied it was heard by the others. It took three tries, every time Farayan stopping to recover his hold on his mind. And with one last tug, the feather gave way, clattering to the ground as Farayan hurriedly clamped down on the wound.
Thank god he took control at the last moment- if Farayan had done what he intended, the knife would've gone through his heart. It was too late to stop it embedding in himself, but at least the second presence shifted the aim off to the side. "I'm gonna kill him," Farayan muttered to himself.
The screams died long ago, but heavy, tense air still filled the room. Farayan's deep breaths evened out, and he unclenched his eyelids that the boy didn't know he was holding shut. Hesitating a bit, he unclasped his hands to peek at the split pale skin. A sigh of relief escaped the boy; the wound was nothing more than a scab a few minutes of healing. Maybe in a day or two, all that would be left is a scar.
Right now, though, Farayan had a voice to silence. He closed his eyes again, but not to rest- he was still wide awake from a quick little stabbing. That human voice, the one screaming to stop in his head: Farayan threw that one into the corner of his mind. "Rule number two, Fary," the boy scolded aloud. "No harming the host."
"Oh," Ruby breathed. The disappointment in her voice was palpable. "It's you."
"Mhmm," Farayan hummed, sitting up with a groan. "Your boyfriend-"
"He's not my boyfriend," Ruby denied with a hidden blush.
"-decided that he didn't want to talk to you, or else he wouldn't have done that!" His voice rose to a yell at the end, like he was trying to be loud enough for someone in the next town to hear. As he got to his feet, Farayan grumbled, "Don't know why he did that."
Ruby resisted the urge to shove him. "You're trapping him in your body," Ruby snapped.
Farayan froze. "Oh, yeah. That's right." Then, he shrugged. "That makes more sense." Groaning with a pain in his side, the boy eased himself into one of the chairs at the table. "Sorry you had to see that," Farayan apologized to the shock-stricken teens. And the doctor, of course. "Farayan doesn't want to cooperate today."
"How can we trust you?"
Unused to being interrupted, Farayan turned to the blonde that glared back at him. "What?" he puzzled.
"How can we believe anything you say?" Yang reiterated. "For all we know, this could be a trap."
"If it was a trap, there would already be Grimm in this room mauling you," Farayan spoke as if it were a promise, a smile on his face that was too cheerful for how on edge it made Yang. "Want me to do so?" Without waiting for a response, Farayan let out a low whistle, almost like a howl.
The others whipped towards the door, weapons at the ready.
Barely a minute later, a Beowolf shoved its snout through the door, teeth barred and whimpering like a scolded dog. Farayan smiled, but it dropped when he noticed the weapons still trained on the monster. "Don't shoot," Farayan commanded. "It's mine."
The girls turned back to him, skeptical. "Sure," Yang drawled out for the four of them. A yip from the Grimm drew their attention back at the creature. Curious- the Beowolf had its head bowed, snarling at the newcomers. Yet, it dared not enter for whatever reason.
"Tiny," Farayan called out. The Grimm apparently called Tiny raised its gaze and stepped back. Perhaps it noticed that there were two Rubies. "You can go now." With a bark, the beast seemed to nod as it strolled away, in hunt of another morsel to hunt.
They were speechless, staring at the open door even when Farayan asked someone to close it. "Incredible," Oobleck stated in wonder. "It acts as if Farayan is the leader of their pack."
"Right in one." Farayan could not look any prouder at the doctor's assessment.
"But that shouldn't be possible."
"Because I'm human?" Farayan laughed at the thought, "It helps when you speak their language- took me a hundred or so years, but I got around to it."
"A hundred years?" Weiss took in the teen's body, raising an eyebrow at what she found. "Just how old are you?"
Farayan clicked his tongue, sighing at the question. "I lost count," he admitted. "Five-hundred something? A bit more, I think."
Five hundred… "So, you're one of those elder Grimm," Blake remarked.
"Nah, I'm a bit more advanced. Those poor things lost the Life Lottery, I'm afraid." Farayan shook his head. "They take at least a hundred years to learn to avoid attacking cities- imagine how long it takes for them to learn how to communicate at all."
"And another hundred to develop the capacity of forming packs," Oobleck added on.
A smile made its way onto Farayan's face. "It's nice having you here- I really don't want to explain all the Grimm stuff by myself." And to the girls, "I'll answer any questions for you, though. Just so long it doesn't break any deals I've made."
"Deals with who?" Yang blurted.
The hybrid-boy stared at the blonde, a condescending look in his eyes contrasting with the smile on his lips. "Why," he quipped, "Roman. My favorite human. Well," he whipped around to Ruby, "my second favorite."
"Roman… Roman Torchwick?"
Farayan craned his neck forward, allowing the crazed smile to stay as the rest of his face changed. "Now, Blondie," he chided. Red hair replaced black, green eyes for blue. "Who do you think I'm getting my info from?" Sleazy, arrogant tone, crazed smile, condescending tilt to his head- there was no doubt who Farayan was imitating.
Those pesky weapons, Farayan was getting tired of them. Especially when he had to stare down the barrels. "You wanted information," the Roman look-alike accused. "Where else am I getting it from?"
"You're working for them." Yang was debating why she hadn't pulled the trigger yet. The boy that broke her sister's heart while also mending it, working for those she was trying to rid of as he talked behind their back. "Why should we trust you?"
Scoffing, Farayan spread his arms out as if to show something important about the barren wall behind him. "I haven't lied to you yet," he informed as his features settled back to their original colors. "Any lies you've heard from me are the boy's thoughts- the actual Farayan. No, really." He read the skeptic looks his words induced. "I've only told the truth to you guys. Here, I'll give you a free one." Farayan turned to Blake.
"Adam wants to do more than kill you."
Time froze for the faunus, but her heart didn't get the memo. Blood flowed in her ears, drowning out Weiss's question. A chill settled on Blake's skin; her arm dropped to her side, the previously iron grip reduced to a limp hanging sword in her clammy hand. "H-how?" Blake stammered. "How do you know that?"
Yang's head spun to her partner- how many secrets were there today? "Blake?" she called out. This never happened- no, that wasn't true. They had this same instance happen the last time all five were together: back in the forest. Back at the start of the term, where Farayan revealed her heritage.
What could be so horrible for Blake's past that she acted like this?
"Blake," Yang called her name again. This time, the girl in question turned towards the sound. On instinct, it seemed. Not that she realized Yang said her name until Blake realized the concerned look she was receiving. "What is he talking about?"
The moisture escaped Blake's mouth, leaving a barren wasteland that words couldn't escape. "I… it…"
"I'm talking about the time Blake spent with the White Fang before she left," Farayan answered for her.
Bang.
Gunpowder filled the air, choking the room with a bitter smell so potent they could taste it. Half the gazes were on Blake, weapon shaking in her hand as smoke curled from the barrel buried in the hilt. The other half turned towards Farayan who was smirking. "Hey, look." he quipped. "I learn from mistakes." A new bullet hole tore his shirt a new opening, though no blood seeped out.
Instead, a white plate was shown under the black cloth, like armor. Or bone. "If you could stop being so trigger-happy," Farayan spoke.
"That- that's a lie." Breaths escaped Blake like how she wanted to escape right now. Escape the stares pinned on her; the knowing smirk Farayan had for her, the look of disgust on Weiss's face. The horrified look on Yang's face.
"Is it?" Farayan intoned. "Lying is for the weak- I'm strong enough to handle the truth. Are you?"
"Blake, what the hell?" Weiss yelled at her perpetrator. She had an explosive expression, and the worst part was, it was for her teammate. Not the monster of the room. "You worked for the White Fang?"
"Keyword: worked," Farayan offered.
"It doesn't matter, the fact is-"
"She saved lives."
Weiss spun around, about to fire off shouts and hisses. Her attempt was stopped by a simple stare, the intensity in Farayan's blue eyes in a complete reversal to his previously upbeat mood. "I don't like violence for no reason," Farayan stated. "And, from what Adam told me, neither does Blake. And that's why she left the White Fang." He leaned back in his chair, propping two feet up on the table. "And good riddance- at least one of those idiots is smart enough to know that violence isn't always the answer."
There was a conversation to be held with Blake, but now wasn't the time. "And you think it isn't?" Yang diverted before Weiss could continue her interrogation on the wrong person.
Taking his time, Farayan directed his focus on the brawler. "Oobleck," he sighed. "Do you want to explain that to Yang? We went over that, like, two minutes ago."
Yang shook her head. "Elder Grimm, learning not to attack cities, and all that stuff," she said.
"Thank you." Farayan surveyed the people around him: two girls ready to have an argument over faunus rights, one that was emotionally unstable around Farayan, one doctor, and the only level-headed girl. There was only one person to ask out of the group. "You have any questions, Ruby?"
The girl in question looked up at her name being called. "Hmm?"
"It's the only time we're going to be able to talk like this. So ask anything." Ruby went to blurt out a torrent of questions. "Only one right now, though. I'm giving you... mm... two or three questions since we're a bit tight on time."
"Why?" Ruby asked without thought. "What's going to happen?"
Farayan cocked his head. "Do you want to use a question for that?"
It only took Ruby a moment to decide. "Yes."
Disappointing, Farayan thought with a sigh. "There's a train underground that's about to invade Vale," he brushed off. "White Fang on the thing led by Roman, maybe someone else. They're going to lead Grimm into the heart of the city."
"What?" Five voices yelled in unison.
"We have to stop it," Yang declared.
"It's not leaving until nine," Farayan assured. And for some reason, they didn't look any calmer. "Plenty of time."
"A few hours is not a lot of time," Weiss deadpanned.
At that, the boy had to cock an eye. "We can eat dinner before you leave to stop it. And that still leaves us with a few hours to talk."
Still, their panicked expressions only lessened a bit. Weird, Farayan thought. In the wild, four hours was so much time to escape or kill or gather. Maybe humans had something different when it came to time? Farayan shook his head to clear his mind. "Well, who wants to ask next?"
"What else are you hiding from us?" Ruby blurted.
That was the question Farayan was waiting for- and from Ruby, no less. "Why do you think I'm hiding something?"
"You're excited now- you wouldn't be if you had nothing else to say."
He giggled, clapping his hands like a kid receiving presents. "Anyone parched?" Farayan suddenly asked. A complete deviation from the question at hand. Without waiting for an answer, he pushed himself away from the table and onto his feet. In five strides, he was bent over the cooler, pulling out bottles before replacing them back in the box. "Talking dries out the throat. Here." Farayan tossed a bottle, under-handed, towards Ruby.
On instinct, Ruby caught the red bottle and turned it to look at the label on the front. She took in a deep breath.
It was Their drink.
Ruby's and Ash's- the red shandy that had flakes of black, thick with red and the taste of iron. How familiar the bottle felt in her hand, and- when she uncapped the bottle for a whiff- the same, biting aroma. "Where-?" she started to ask.
"Where do you think?" Farayan smiled.
There was an easy answer- that Farayan and Ash just liked the same drink. But there were no easy answers that were right, not from the knowing look in Farayan's eyes. No, Ruby's breaths quickened and seized at the same time, taking in too much and too little air at once. Her mind whirled at the implication. It wasn't like Ash to do that, but Farayan…
Ruby shook her head, almost dropping the bottle with how weak her hands felt. "Yes?" Farayan inquired.
With bated breath, Ruby looked at the boy with fear in her eyes. Dread and disgust, yet there was somehow hope that it was true. "Ash?" she whispered.
That damned smile. Without taking his eyes off hers, Farayan began to change again. Long black hair and blue eyes, now short blonde hair and red eyes. Shoulders just a bit closer and his height shortening to Ruby's. "Farayan's really sorry," Farayan quipped in Ash's voice.
Ruby felt a crack. Invisible to her team and to Ash- no, Farayan. Invisible to those that couldn't see inside Ruby. But they could see the effects as the bottle slipped from Ruby's limp hand. The crash that followed sounded muted, deafened by layers of blood in Ruby's ears.
Her two best friends, the ones that pulled her from life's cruel nature for adventures and a chance to be lost in delirium- they were the same. The same, sad boy trapped with a monster.
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Crescent Rose unfolded under her touch; she desperately needed something to lean on, planting the back end into the ground as she supported her weak body on the frame. "You…" Ruby croaked, her voice aging a few decades in the span of minutes. "You can't be the same."
Ash smirked. And Ruby backed away, falling on her rear as she continued crawling away from the monster, scythe all but forgotten. He never smirked. Smile, grin, frown- never smirk. That was Farayan's expression, not Ash's. "Oh, but I can," Ash's voice purred from a monster's body. He didn't need that bubbling effect or the time to shift his features, evident as he cycled back and forth through Ruby's favorite two faces without a pause.
"You know, I've never had the chance to say this," Farayan said with Farayan's face. His face continued to cycle while he walked at Ruby's pace, standing just a few inches away when her back pressed against a wall.
Ruby looked in horror as the boy squatted down, a quick shift back to Ash's face just for his fun. "Neither have I." There was a forceful bite in his word, like everything he said was of utmost importance.
"Ruby, he loves you."
"Shut up!" Ruby held her head in close to her chest, arms wrapped around as she pulled on her hair like she hoped the memories would fall out with her hair. "Stop it!"
The boy ran a finger over a stray lock of hair, pushing it back before it bounced back to its original position. Ruby swore that the light brush against her skin was intentional, and she shuddered at the touch before flinching away. "He saw how lonely you were," he murmured. "Naturally, I couldn't let him look like Farayan in public, and he insisted not to look like you whenever I was around you."
"I said shut up!" Ruby threw her arms forward, hoping to blindly push the boy away. She found satisfaction when her hands felt a body, shoving it as hard as possible and receiving a satisfying thud. That moment didn't last, as empathy replaced satisfaction. But she wasn't supposed to feel sympathetic to a person that manipulated like this, nor could she find herself to hate Farayan for trying to look after her. "Give him back," Ruby whispered into her arms now covering her face. Her sleeves started to wet under her eyes.
Ruby hadn't realized she was crying until the first sob wracked her body. "Go away," she cried.
From her perceived darkness, Farayan's voice spoke in little more than a whisper. "Are you saying that to me or your friend?"
For that, the girl didn't have an answer. Head still buried in her arms, Ruby curled up into a ball and cried to her heart's content. Ugly tears and strangled breaths escaped her as she tried to accept it- that her best friend was a manipulative boy that toyed with her emotions like they were a trinket.
Farayan frowned. "Stop crying," he chided. "You're making Farayan sad." He didn't want to deal with these emotions right now. There was supposed to be satisfaction, watching Ruby break under her mind's weight. Yet, his partner's stupid emotions kept interfering, even when Farayan tried to squash them down. He scowled. Amazing- Farayan couldn't even happy despite the intoxicating emotions radiating off Ruby. Fear, horror, sadness, betrayal. He inhaled it all, emotions potent enough to attract any Grimm in Vale. And he couldn't find any happiness for himself in the girl's negativity.
While he was distracted, Farayan failed to notice the other girls moving. Weiss kicked him away, the force of which sent him across the room and into the concrete wall. Yang and Blake crouched next to Ruby, desperately trying to calm her. Ruby flailed under their touch, slapping away soothing hands and shouting at their reassuring words.
The ringing in Farayan's ears faded, a symptom of having his brain bashed against the rocky floor. Fading just in time for him to catch the words Weiss spat out. "I trusted you!" There was a difference between seething and cold anger; between Yang's death-glare and Weiss's icy daggers shooting from her eyes. Instead of radiating a brilliant, fiery aura, the heiress seemed to suck in all the heat from her surroundings. Same result, but Farayan felt colder under her gaze, freezing and not being set on edge.
He grinned. If Weiss could make him feel like this, he was giddy for what was in store down the road.
"Ruby trusted you!" Weiss continued to spit venom. Her knuckles were white against the silver hilt of her rapier, the tip of which shuddered from how hard her grip was. "You promised to keep her happy." The heiress raised her weapon, the tip hovering atoms away from Farayan's throat. "And you broke it." Weiss's breaths came out in heavy shudders, ready to impale the boy grinning under her stare. "Give me one good reason for why I shouldn't kill you."
Farayan shrugged. "You'd kill half of Vale's population as well. How's that? Plus, I don't think Ruby would want you to kill me in cold blood." He looked past the white dress, craning his neck to the side to see Ruby's balled figure. Her entire body tensed at the sound of her name being called by… by him. "Isn't that right?" Farayan called out.
Cold steel pressed down on his throat, just enough for a few droplets to leak out. Farayan wasn't worried over that- it would heal easily. What he was worried about was the resolute look in Weiss's eyes. Maybe he miscalculated; maybe his games went too far. "You don't talk to her," Weiss commanded. "And frankly, I'd be doing Vale a favor from ridding you."
"Don't."
There was only one voice in this scenario that could make Weiss pause. She turned around to see Ruby wiping another trail of tears from her eyes. "Don't," Ruby repeated in her small voice.
"Ruby…" Weiss's voice softened considerably, but with a shake of her head, the scowl returned, along with a look of indignance. "He's trying to break you," Weiss stated. "Why are you still defending him?"
Ruby sniffed back a noseful of teary snot before she spoke. "We can't kill him. He… Farayan still has information." Her voice strained at his name, a pain to even say.
While Weiss looked back, discombobulated beyond what she thought was possible, Farayan gave Ruby a hard stare. "You're not saying something," he piped up. "I'm being honest here- why can't you be?"
Now was the time, with everyone distracted by Ruby's squirms. With a bone-plated finger, the boy gripped the metal point under his chin and moved it away from his windpipe. At least, he tried, but Weiss's hold on her weapon was stronger than he thought. Farayan sighed- breaking it off wasn't a possibility, either. The shrapnel might not go in his favor. It looked like he was going to have to sit there for a bit longer.
Or, you know, armor up his neck. But where was the fun in that?
After a minute of silence, Ruby spoke again, her voice barely making it across the room before it died. "Farayan doesn't deserve to die."
"Are you serious?" Weiss shouted at her partner. "He's the one that-"
"The Grimm deserves to die," Ruby went on. Weiss clamped down on her tongue; shouting wouldn't help her partner. "Not Farayan. Never Farayan."
"They're the same person," Weiss argued. "Surely you can see that?"
Ruby shook her head so violently that the others began to worry. "They're not," she shot back. Her voice started to rise to a normal level. "Farayan doesn't want to hurt me."
Farayan snapped his fingers, pointing his fingers at the girl. "That's true," he affirmed. "Everything he's done is for Ruby."
That wasn't the time for the boy to throw his hat in the ring. "You," Weiss growled, eyes boring into Farayan's soul. "No talking." She turned back to her partner, eyes losing the edge but not the intensity. "Why are you defending him, though? They inhabit the same body! If we can end this Grimm right now-"
A hand clamped on Weiss's shoulder. She whipped towards the source, a snap ready to be released. It died in her throat when she realized Oobleck was standing over her, an unreadable expression from behind those glasses. "Weiss," he said in a controlled tone. "He is still useful to us."
"Professor-"
"Weiss," Oobleck said with more force. The girl shrunk back under his gaze. "This is not how a Huntress acts." Weiss looked away, unable to look at anyone. "Right now, Farayan may have crucial information detrimental to find out who he works with."
For a minute, it seemed as if Weiss was still going to swipe her blade at the boy. A quick twitch and his windpipe would've been cut. But she let out a strangled cry, stomping away back to the rest of her team.
They would have to play to Farayan's tune for now. All five glared at the boy who looked back with a grin. Not carefree, but the grin of someone who knew exactly what was happening. "Thank you, Doctor," Farayan said to the man. "Now, what would you like to know?"
Oobleck hovered over the boy, looking as if he was ready to spear him at any time with his weapon. "Everything."
"Can't do that. Gives away too much."
And Farayan found himself again with a weapon at his neck, this time with a flaming point. "And why is that?" Oobleck asked.
"You get to know about the invasion," Farayan answered. "And the train, and also how the White Fang are in on the plot because of the Queen's influence." Oobleck stiffened at the name, obviously set on learning everything about this woman. "You don't learn names, though."
"Why?" Oobleck demanded.
Farayan grinned despite the venom the others sent with their eyes. "Because you're not the only one whose fun I want to ruin."
Was Oobleck satisfied with the answer? No, but this was probably the most he was going to receive from the informant. Lowering his weapon, Oobleck motioned toward the table filled with plans. "Tell me everything you can."
-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-
"And there are a couple holes in your security for the Vytal Festival," Farayan ended. "Might want to patch those up."
A grueling hour later, Farayan covered the last of his info for the group. Many dirty looks were cast his way, especially whenever he would stop elaborating on crucial details. Names still were unnamed, people remained hidden, and Farayan continued to tease the girls in the worst way possible.
"So, Ruby. You never answered me- the movies or festival on our next date?"
"Can it, Grimm," Yang spat.
Farayan leaned back in his seat, hands locking behind his head as he relaxed. "Now, Yang," he chided. "No name-calling. We're all friends here." At that, five sets of eyes glared at him. "No?" he asked earnestly. "Okay then."
Oobleck perused the notes he'd been taking throughout the hour, the side of his smudged with shiny-gray lead from rubbing against the page too often. "The train," he muttered to himself, "final invasion, approximate amount of forces, locations of interest-"
"Ruby's friend wanted to leave the decision up to you, Doc," Farayan spoke, pointing to his own head to show whose idea it was. "And I agreed- I don't know how much you can get away with preparation before the Queen gets suspicious."
With a nod, Oobleck pocketed the notepad as he turned towards Team RWBY. "I believe we have a train to catch," he announced.
"Not yet," Farayan replied. "We've got… actually, how much time do we have left?"
Yang was the first with her Scroll out, the screen flickering blue before the locked screen came. "Half an hour," she answered.
Farayan nodded. "We've got time. You can ask me another question, then." Yang looked up, perplexed. "I gave you all a chance to ask me anything," he explained. "Now it's your turn."
She thought about it for a minute. The blonde bit back a sarcastic remark, too full of hatred of the boy for any joke. And another, and the next three that threatened to use her question. Finally, Yang asked, "Why my sister? How come you're so interested in Ruby?"
A sigh escaped Farayan. "That's a long answer," he admitted.
"Like you said: we've got time."
Farayan clicked his tongue, glancing at the others. All looked back- especially Ruby- with curiosity overriding the animosity between the boy and them. "You've got silver eyes," Farayan spoke.
Ruby blinked. "What does that have to do with anything?"
The long explanation was needed, then. "My… boss. She's interested in your Maiden and a few other fairy tales."
Oobleck sucked in his breath. "How do you know about her?"
"She's the one that stole her powers." Farayan shrugged- none of his business with what his "boss" wanted with Maiden powers. "Anyway, the woman's obsessed with fairy tales. Me?" His eyes locked with Ruby's silver ones, loving the chill that ran down Ruby's body. "I'm interested in legends."
He went on before any of the others could interrupt. "Fairy tales- they're ancient news. Legends, on the other hand, they need some merit. The Phoenix, for example." Farayan turned towards Oobleck. "You know what I'm talking about?"
The good doctor nodded. "A Nevermore said to have fire-like properties," he replied easily. "But they're myths."
"Legends," Farayan corrected. "And there's the legend of Silver-Eyed Warriors.
"The warriors of old, the first to fight against Grimm some millennia ago. Said to have hearts pure enough to cleanse Grimm from Remnant." At this, Farayan turned towards Ruby with a look of playful disbelief. As if to say, "Can you believe it?" "But, they were the rallying force. Every time a silver-eyed warrior comes up in history, there's always a peaceful era. Incorruptible, they say. With an indomitable spirit."
It was a nice tale, but they were losing time and patience. "What does this have to do with you, though?" Yang interrupted.
Farayan looked at her like she was insane. "I'm testing a legend," he remarked. "I want to see if they're true or not." he turned his attention back to a shocked Ruby, analyzing her like a test subject. "Is it working?"
She didn't answer, leaving the boy to shake his head. People broke too easily. "Ozpin can probably tell you more," Farayan ended. "He's the type of guy to chase fairy tales."
With everything covered, the group was left in an awkward silence, the air thick enough to mistaken it as a standoff and not a gathering. Should they thank Farayan? His information was invaluable, sure.
But with the damage he did, could they ignore it?
Yang glanced down at her Scroll and breathed a sigh of relief- it was saying something bad that rushing out to stop a runaway train, as Farayan called it, was preferable to this mess. "Time's up," Yang announced, pocketing the device. "We have to go now."
The group filed out the door with Yang the last in line. Oobleck and the others were out the door, ready to run to the place Farayan mentioned, and Yang was supposed to follow. One hand about to close the door behind her, she paused. On second thought, Yang went back inside. Farayan was not expecting this, as his head was tilted up while he conversed with the voices in his mind.
He saw the fist too late. Farayan went sprawling out of his chair, clutching his jaw as he tried not to scream. Yep, something was definitely broken. Writhing back and forth, he was in too much pain to see the murderous look in Yang's eyes. Maybe she wasn't allowed to kill the monster in front of her, but that didn't mean she couldn't do anything to him.
Yang crouched over Farayan's body, not a glimmer of remorse in her lilac eyes. "That's for Ruby." Message sent, she got up and left the boy there. Closing the door behind herself, Yang turned around to find her friends' eyes on her. Ruby was the lone person that looked as if she wanted to yell at her sister. The others- they appeared to be on the verge of congratulating her.
Yang couldn't look at her sister without her heart clenching. Ruby was supposed to be her sweet, innocent, baby sister. The girl with a constant smile and an unhatable attitude. This… this was just a hollow shell compared to a year ago. "He deserved it," Yang articulated, trying to convince Ruby with her statement.
Not even Oobleck reprimanded Yang for her violent decision, yet Ruby still shifted on her feet. Indecisive.
But they didn't have the time to worry over it- not at the moment. With a nod of his head, Oobleck lead the team down the street, muttering the directions Farayan had given them under his breath. No one said it, but all five minds were fixed on their horrific afternoon. There was an unspoken agreement- leave it all for after the missions. Though, it was so much easier said than done.
At least there was something that took their minds off it. Right now, they had a train to stop.
AN: Time to make or break my characters! Hello, it's fireflame. Still going to have to give a nice "thank you" to ThatGreenDooredBookshop for editing this wave of chapters for November. You are an amazing friend, let me tell you.
Back to the chapter. Yeah, this is the style of writing I'm the most comfortable with. Which, in hindsight, is a bit concerning. Dates? You've lost me. Emotionally breaking characters? Now we're talking.
But I've been saving this moment for about a year now- just scheming and finding out how to write this section. And I'm still not entirely satisfied how it turned out, but it's much better than what I had originally. I used to have a separate arc resolved in this chapter, but I just scrapped the idea a chapter ago. Thank god I did that. And thank TGDB for talking me out of it.
So, Ruby's breaking mentally. Best friends being complete liars hurts. But Farayan's not dying soon. He's got too much of an important role.
There's going to be a bit of a time-skip next chapter. Mainly because I don't want to rewrite the Train Scene we all know, just with like 3 tweaks to plot and dialogue. I don't see a point in doing that, so I'll spare my readers from reading that.
Real quick, I'm also going to thank Disabled-doctor for reviewing. Even if it is one word. I was getting a bit scared that no one was really paying attention to my story. So thanks.
Anyways, that's about it. Signing off,
Flames of Fire.