Some time later – Skyreach Mountains, Spotlight Citadel, Outer Balcony
My fingers were starting to go numb and I lost feeling in my cheeks and ears a long, long time ago but I couldn't bring myself to care. The night was too calm, the scenery too serene, the atmosphere too tranquil out here on the balcony for me to summon up the willpower I needed to return myself to the ballroom behind me. Remaining out here, where there was no one around me, was far more appealing; it was for that reason I had hidden myself behind one of the balcony's inner walls, out of sight of the ballroom. No uninvited guests would disturb my peace. No surprise conversation partners. My team knew where to find me and the frigid air made for better company than the social elite within Spotlight Citadel anyway.
A gust of the very same wind greeted me then and I shut my eyes to enjoy it more fully. The wine glass, empty and alone on the balcony's ledge, rattled forebodingly and I grasped it between my fingers before it fell. It was my only companion out here and I was loath to lose it.
My lips curled into a smile even as my fingers started to spin the glass between them. It rang out hollowly in protest as it moved.
Knowledge of exactly how Coco Adel's night ended was not available to me but I was willing to bet the figure being escorted out of Spotlight Citadel by a quartet of mechs was her. The fact that our plan went off so flawlessly and, even further, that it wasn't done going off brought me untold happiness.
If only I could be present to watch the second year dueling class this Thursday… But no, that would be too conspicuous. Logic prevailed against my impulsive desire to watch team CFVY fall.
And fall they would.
'Do not fuck with my team,' I thought, satisfied. Even now, the rest of RWEBY was working to discredit the second year and dispel any notion of Blake being a faunus in one, reputation-killing blow. By the end of the night, Remnant's social elite would know of Adel and her lies. Her deception. She might even lose the interest of Morgana Blut before the woman could see team CFVY be utterly destroyed in the next dueling session.
The only true victims in the entire sordid affair were Fox Alistair, Velvet Scarlatina and Yatsuhashi Daichi, team CFVY's other members. The only way I was able to get Ruby to agree to the plan was to argue that the three of them were hardly victims at all. Adel's reputation would be ruined but as far as the rest of her team was concerned, they would only suffer a bad day in dueling class.
And if that poor showing wasn't enough of a statement to warn Adel off of attacking team RWEBY, then I could only think of one thing more I could do. One thing that was far more permanent and far more unappealing to me.
Besides, the girl hadn't done anything serious enough for me to be contemplating murder. Not yet, anyway. It was only my own personal bias - given she blackmailed me and then tried to get one over on my team - that led me to even consider it in the first place.
No, death was a last resort. Too many loose ends. Too many questions. Far harder to manipulate someone into doing your dirty work for you.
"Honestly," I muttered to myself, eying the glass in my fingers as I used my Aura to lift it just above the digits. Absentmindedly, I weighed the benefits of getting another against staying hidden outside. "To think Blake was a faunus – insanity. Pure, untold insanity."
The chalice did not answer me, it only hummed lowly in the mountain breeze to which it was subjected. That was alright, though, for the silence suited me better anyway.
It always had.
My Scroll chimed and I straightened my spine with a low groan, breathing in deeply and flexing the muscles of my back. They woke one by one, resistant to the movement given how chilled they were. Slowly, then, I extended my arm and carefully placed the wine glass back on the balcony's handrail, eying it as it settled on the volatile surface. Once the delicate object stopped moving, I reached into my coat and retrieved my oldest friend.
The display appeared sluggishly under the night's cold embrace but the operating system designed by Ye'lo Malamig's family eventually showed itself before my eyes. My face and torso were lit by a dim, phosphorescent glow even as my eyes took in the information that the Scroll was offering me.
"It's done. She's cleared."
Oddly enough, the message came from Yang. It was supposed to be Weiss who informed the rest of the team when it was safe to resume our normal activities for the night.
'No matter,' I decided with a smile upon my face. It was done. Blake was safe. As far as the party guests knew, the rumor that she was a faunus was just that: a rumor. All the girl would have to do is keep her ears from moving and she'd be in the clear.
The wine glass rattled threateningly and I reached toward it with my free hand. Such a troublesome object.
"Ugh," I heard someone grunt behind me, on the precipice of entering the balcony's chilling embrace. "What's up, father cold?"
"Emerald," I greeted, my eyes focused on the wine glass as I started to spin it with my Aura, just above my fingers. The soft glow emitted from the dust reflected off of the chalice in an aesthetically pleasing, multicolored hue. Under the night sky, the glow was clearly visible.
'Ethereal,' I noted, pleased.
"Not even gonna look at me, huh," the girl behind me asked, her heels clicking across the balcony's surface until she stopped next to me. She too, now, was behind my concealing wall.
"I know what you look like already," I responded, staring out over Atlas' countryside. My fingers snapped up to seize the wine glass at its stem and it rang out shrilly in protest. Regardless, I offered the object to Emerald with my free hand.
She accepted it and, from the corner of my eye, I thought I could see a frown on her face. "There's nothing in here," she noted.
"Tell me," I murmured, turning my head to observe her. She was in a sleeveless dress, dark green in color and had a wide black strip of cloth tied around her midsection that ended in a bow placed upon her lower back. The ornaments she usually wore on her body – the earrings, arm bands and cloth on the backs of her hands – were missing. "What do you think that glass was made to do?"
The green haired girl eyed me for several seconds in complete and utter silence, one eyebrow arched in doubt. She returned her gaze to the glass for a short moment but ultimately directed it back up to my face. Her hair shifted when the wind washed over us with its chilling embrace and I saw her wince minutely.
"To hold wine," she responded, her voice trilling higher toward the end of the sentence. Confusion. Then, she added: "Duh."
"To hold wine," I mused, turning back to look out over the balcony's edge. Atlas' countryside was truly a magnificent sight to behold in the moon's light – it made me want to see it from the top of one of the mountains behind me. "To hold wine… I agree."
The girl was still staring at me, I could see that out of the corner of my eye, but I paid her no mind. Instead, I busied myself with placing my Scroll back into the confines of my coat. The cold was never good for it and I was loath to have something happen to it just because I did not want to deal with the warmth and the people still in Spotlight Citadel's extravagant ballroom. Almost an hour had passed since I first came out here.
"Are you feeling okay," the girl asked slowly, her tone still doubtful. "How many of these have you had? Did the cold finally get to you?"
'Curious,' I noted even as my head swiveled over to her again. She was rubbing at her forehead with her free hand now, her brow furrowed.
"Is that glass useless, now?"
Emerald shook her head slowly, still observing me through narrowed eyes. "No… It's fine. No cracks or anything…"
"But it holds no wine."
"It was holding wine before, though, right?"
"It was," I confirmed. "But it's not now. At one point in time, it did what it was supposed to do… but now? Now, it's useless, empty."
"And," the girl huffed, eying me with a frown on her face and a single eyebrow arched.
"It is empty," I repeated, slower. "One might argue that I can refill it and, to be certain, I can. But why should I not just choose another glass?"
She shrugged and another wince flashed across her face. "Ugh," she grunted. "Just get another one then..."
"Another glass," I wondered quietly, reaching out to gently take the chalice from her fingers. The digits were warm when mine brushed against them. Slowly, I extended the object over the edge of the balcony. "I agree – this is useless to me now."
"Wait," the green haired girl barked. "What are you doing?"
"Getting rid of this glass."
She shook her head, pausing to breathe deeply. Her brow was furrowed in irritation. "Just take it inside. It's not even yours."
"Why? Why bother with this glass anymore?"
"Because it can be refilled, dork," Emerald snarked, summoning up half of a grin through the pained look upon her features.
"True," I allowed. "But there are countless other glasses already filled, just within the ballroom behind us. Why does this one matter so much?"
"Because it's wasteful to toss it over the edge," the girl grunted, her eyes screwed shut again. She placed one of her hands on the balcony's handrail for support.
"Wasteful," I muttered, eying the glass between my fingertips. "Is it wasteful to dispose of something that serves no purpose to me?"
Emerald huffed and I glanced over at her, finding her staring up at me through narrowed eyes. Her jaw was tense – it was clear to me that she was in pain. "This… this isn't about a glass, is it?"
"This glass has become useless to me. It holds no wine now and, so, I have no reason to keep it. It could be refilled, this is true, but why bother with the effort? Why not take an entirely new glass? One that has wine now."
"I think I need to go back inside," Emerald muttered, hunching down over the ledge.
"If one fails in their duties, do they deserve a chance to redeem themselves? If one fails to protect those under them, do they get another chance to do so? If one acts against those in their charge, are they worth-"
"How about you give me a fucking hand," the green haired girl spat, glaring up at me from where she was leaning over the edge of the balcony.
I swallowed, once, observing the wine glass one last time before I slackened my fingers and watched the object slip through them. Gravity immediately took it in an unforgiving embrace and dragged it down, down, over the edge of Spotlight Citadel's balcony and down further still. Farther and farther it fell until, eventually, it disappeared from my view.
The frigid mountain air provided me with the oxygen I needed to sigh deeply one last time before I turned to Emerald.
"All you needed to do was ask," I chided, taking one of her arms and bending down far enough so that she could place it around my shoulders. My spine straightened and, studiously avoiding her forehead, I dragged the girl back inside Spotlight Citadel, into the outer tier of the ballroom, behind the very same curtain through which Weiss and I spoke just over an hour earlier.
The girl groaned and immediately put her head in her hands when I placed her in one of the chairs along the wall. She ignored me even as I stood in front of her, observing, for nearly ten full seconds.
'Did the cold finally get to you, she said,' I recalled even as I moved to retrieve a chair for myself. I then placed the luxurious object in front of the one the girl was in and promptly placed myself in its padded leather confines. My hands folded in front of my mouth and I reclined, crossing my legs at the ankle. Silently, I watched the green haired girl clutch at her forehead.
A thought came to me and my hand promptly disappeared behind my suit coat, it reappeared shortly thereafter, my Scroll in hand.
'Literally and figuratively. Yang would be proud,' I thought, a smile on my face as I brought the device to bear in front of me. Quickly, I glanced back up at the girl but she was still all but comatose. A grunt escaped me and my lips pursed in annoyance even as my fingers manipulated the device in my lap; swiftly, I had the generic messaging application included on all Scrolls opened up.
Unfortunately, I was outside of Beacon Academy's wireless range and, so, I could not use the more secure application on team RWEBY's subdomain.
"Curtain call."
The message was promptly sent to Ruby and Weiss. Blake and Yang would not have any idea what it meant but that was alright, I sent a different message to them:
"Converge on first two, sans dates."
That done, I collapsed the device and returned to watching Emerald, my mind spinning. She was sitting up, now, though her eyes were still screwed shut and she was breathing both slowly and deeply.
'Affected by heat,' I noted as I placed both of my feet back down on the floor and leaned toward the girl. Her forehead didn't look any different. Not as far as I could see, anyway.
"Why did you come find me, Emerald," I wondered, tilting my head to the side ever so slightly.
She opened her eyes though only just. I could barely make out their vibrant shade of red, given how much she was squinting. Her jaw worked for several seconds but she only ended up swallowing heavily.
"I know it wasn't my sparkling personality," I continued, a wry smile on my face even as I heard a pair of high heeled shoes stop on the other side of the curtain. "And I'm quite certain you didn't search me out for the conversation either."
The girl snorted, wincing when she did so. "Don't flatter yourself," she murmured, cracking a smile even as one hand kept rubbing at the skin of her forehead. "Had I known you'd just rant about a wine glass, I would have waited until you came back inside. Sorry about losing my temper, by the way."
"You learn to deal with tempers when you're on a team with Yang," I responded. "How did you find me, secluded out on that balcony as I was?"
The girl took her hand away from her forehead, shrugging her shoulders as she did so. "I just… saw you go out there earlier."
"I see, I see," I hummed. "So you waited over an hour to come talk to me? Me, specifically?"
"You looked… busy," Emerald said slowly, her eyes glancing toward the ground. "I didn't want to disturb you."
"But you did. You came and found me in a way eerily reminiscent of how Mercury first 'found' me."
Her eyes widened and she straightened her spine – the girl had been leaning forward ever since she recovered from her head pain. Her mouth dropped open and moved but no sound escaped it.
"Mercury found me to feel out my team, Emerald," I muttered even as another pair of shoes stopped outside the curtain. "He revealed more than I think he meant to about his associates in the process… but you're with Ironwood, are you not?"
"I wasn't gonna-"
"And if you're part of Ironwood's contingent," I hissed. "Then you would know how close he and Headmaster Ozpin are. You would know that any information you need on team RWEBY can be obtained by merely asking."
"I'm not," Emerald denied emphatically, waving her hands in front of her torso. "I wasn't- I mean I didn't find you-"
"Why, then, Emerald," I started, leaning forward. "Why would General Ironwood – because you do work for him – send his child soldiers after my team when he knows he can ask Ozpin anything he wants? What reason would that man have to do such a thing? Such an-"
"I wanted to ask you to dance!"
"Ah! A da- what?"
My mind ground to a halt and I knew my eyes widened before I could stop them. Of all the reasons- She wanted a dance? With me? That was… That was something a teenager would-
"I do wear green," she claimed, flashing the cloth on the back of her right hand and gesturing to her top with her left. "But I'd look like a complete eyesore if I wore all green. Plus, my hair is green. That counts for something, right?"
She reached over her shoulder and grabbed one of the two longer locks of mint-green hair that she kept well maintained – if Yang was to be believed.
I was inclined to trust her judgement; hair was kind of a big deal to the blonde.
Another shrug answered her. It was an idly asked question anyway, meant to get a feel for her personality. For her thought processes. Had she said something along the lines of 'browns and whites are harder to spot when you want to hide in the cityscape' I might've been concerned. She just cared about her appearance, though, like so many other teenagers.
Something a teenaged girl would do.
The girl was glaring at me now – red eyes on full display – and her fists were clenched in her lap. "Yeah, a dance. Is that so wrong? Can a girl ask a boy she likes to dance?"
"Yes, but I-"
"And can that boy not rant about wine glasses and then accuse the girl of lying to him about who she works for," she ranted, rising to her feet and crossing her arms over her chest. "Is that too much to ask, Enten?"
"No! No. No that's not-"
"Good," the girl decided, a decisive nod punctuating the declaration. "So, now that I've gotten you out of your evil-mastermind funk, would you like to dance with me?"
'Evil mastermind,' I thought slowly. What was she on about?
A bright flash of light, jarringly so, given the ambient lighting of Spotlight Citadel, disturbed my thoughts and I looked in the direction of the flash only to see Yang Xiao Long, clad in her beautiful ball gown, holding her Scroll aloft.
Its camera, I noted with a growing ball of dread developing in my stomach, was pointed toward me.
"Oh, that's a good look," the blonde said, a toothy grin on her face. She then widened her eyes and slackened her jaw until her expression mirrored what mine must've – stunned surprise.
'Not going to hear the end of this one,' I noted even as Emerald turned back to me, an unimpressed eyebrow arched.
I shrugged in response because what else could I do? I thought the girl was planning something more sinister when she found me on that balcony because I'd hidden myself away from the ballroom so that the only way someone could stumble upon me was by taking a spontaneous trip outside. Given how cold it was, I knew the chances of that happening were slim.
Thus, when Emerald found me and mentioned how the cold must've finally gotten to me, I knew that she not only went looking for me but had some idea of just how long I'd been out there too.
Clearly she was up to something.
"Like asking me for a dance," I muttered under my breath. Stupid. These were teenagers. Not adults. Most of them didn't have agendas. Not like the socialites in the ballroom.
"Enten," Yang sang and I looked over at her to find Ruby and Blake present now as well. Neither of them looked too entirely impressed with me either. "You've got a question to answer…"
"Oh," I grunted, rising to my feet and offering Emerald a smile. Nothing to do now but move on with as much dignity as I had left. "Sure. A dance sounds nice."
"Are you sure," the girl asked dryly. "We could just talk about wine glasses again."
"No," I grunted even as Yang snorted. "That won't be necessary."
"Good," Emerald chirped, sliding her arm into the crook of mine. She started forward then and I followed along silently. The music in the ballroom was slow, at least, so I wouldn't have to make a fool of myself on the dancefloor too.
"New screen saver," Yang muttered when I walked by her. "No! Permanent screen saver."
Nothing to do now but move on with as much dignity as I had left… Because I was quite certain Yang would never let me forget about this – mostly because I never let her forget about the train wreck that was her first relationship.
'All's fair,' I conceded even as Emerald and I waded into the throng of party goers. 'All's fair.'
Skyreach Mountains, Spotlight Citadel
"No, no," Emerald laughed, stumbling back into my chest on Spotlight Citadel's dancefloor. "You have to spin me! Not throw me!"
"Well I've never done this before," I admitted, a grin on my face as I braced myself with one of my feet. One of my arms was wrapped around the girl's waist, my fingers entwined with hers, the other was currently placed upon the back of her shoulder, offering support.
"Again," the girl decided, spinning out of my embrace to face me with an exaggerated flourish. She had a smile on her face, an expression that I found contagious. "Like so!"
I placed my now-unoccupied hand on her waist even as she put her free arm around my neck.
"Snooty doesn't suit you," I murmured, a half smile pulling the edge of my lips up.
She glanced up at me, her eyes bright in the ethereal light the dust chandeliers provided us. "Alright then, how 'bout ditzy?"
"Please don't-"
"Oh. My. Stars! I cannot believe what Madam I'm-so-green-can't-you-tell-its-in-my-name is wearing tonight," the girl said emphatically, tucking her head under my chin and pressing closer to me. She was warm. And soft.
She felt nice.
"Maybe she farms grass," I wondered, pulling the girl with me as I side-stepped a particularly enthusiastic couple. They looked like they were dancing a jig of some kind – odd, considering the music was far too slow for something so high-energy.
A grin pulled at my lips. "Heads up," I muttered into Emerald's ear. "Someone's got something to prove."
She shifted enough to turn her head – her hair brushed against my chin and my neck as she did so, I couldn't place the smell, but it was pleasing. Something that reminded me of rainy, spring days. Not too overpowering but not subtle enough not to be missed either.
"Woah," Emerald muttered as we swayed with the music. "That's… either really impressive or really dangerous."
"For them or the guests around them," I asked, squeezing her fingers before I slackened them enough to release her hand. I moved mine to her waist.
"Both," the girl laughed, placing her other arm around my neck. She looked up at me. "I'm about to judge you with all of my three conversations' worth of experience."
"Wasn't it two?"
"I count the time in the warehouse."
I threw my head back and laughed, both surprised and amused she would classify that as a conversation. It was a thirty second exchange wherein she her mental state was somewhere between disoriented and delusional and her physical state was a combination of beaten and bruised and bloodied.
"Anyway," she said, grinning up at me. "I think I like the laid-back you better… See, you have two Entens: scary-don't-mess-with-me Enten and I'm-a-harmless-jokester-so-come-and-talk-to-me Enten."
"And you like the second one better?"
"Quite. He doesn't rant about wine glasses."
"Don't even get me started," I scoffed, glancing toward one of the waiters on hand. He held a platter of the very same chalices. "I hate the short ones – they don't hold wine as well as the tall ones do because they're closer to the ground. Plus, they're heavier-"
"I think you need to spin me," Emerald cut in, splaying her fingers across the back of my neck before she took one arm away.
"Really? Are you absolutely certain you don't want to hear about my Lord and Savior Wine Glass," I asked, grasping her hand with one of my own.
The girl quirked an eyebrow, a half smile on her face. "What?"
"Nothing," I chirped, lifting my arm. I kept my fingers loose and, instead of trying to guide her this time, I let her spin herself. Her hair followed her progress and tossed about its pleasant scent even as the music within the ballroom eased my mind further into a content lull.
"You did it," she said breathlessly as she completed the turn. She leaned into me, still giddy.
"I can't take full credit," I returned, placing two fingers on her forehead-
Hot-smoldering-burning-hot!
I jerked my arm away and clutched at my fingers with my other hand, staring wide eyed at the dusky skin of her forehead. It was unblemished and appeared to be completely normal but the heat radiating from my fingers told a different story.
Ignoring the wide eyed, open mouthed look of surprise on her face, I turned my attention then to my fingers.
They were still whole, at least. Whole and intact and just a little red. The burning sensation was fading even as my Aura extended its reach back over the digits and-
'My Aura,' I realized. It was not covering my fingers – not initially, anyway. Had it been burned away?
"Enten," Emerald asked, her eyes still wide. Slowly, she reached toward my hand with one of her own.
My eyes narrowed but I allowed the contact – her fingers hadn't burned me before, after all – and she proceeded to inspect the digits herself. It took her only a few short moments of turning my hand over in hers to come to the same conclusion as I: my hand was absolutely fine.
"What happened," the girl asked quietly even as a dancing couple brushed by us.
"Not here," I said, equally as quiet as I lamented the loss of the lighthearted atmosphere between the two of us.
Minutes later – Skyreach Mountains, Spotlight Citadel, Outer Balcony
"Hold still," I reminded Emerald even as she placed her back against the outer wall of Spotlight Citadel. Around us, the night air howled once more and the cold nipped at my skin.
"Just hurry up," the girl grunted, one hand placed on the railing for support and the other fisted at her side. Her eyes were clenched shut. "I can feel it again. It hurts…"
"Yeah it does," I agreed, reaching out with my dominant hand. "Maybe next time you see a glowing Grimm you shouldn't get close to it."
"No choice," she argued, glancing up at me through one narrowed eye. The other remained shut. "It charged me, swung its claws at me and…"
"And hit your head," I finished. "I know. You told me. Doesn't change the fact that you never should have been near it in the first place."
"Ironwood's orders," the girl spat. "Can you just hurry up?!"
An exasperated sigh escaped me and I shut my eyes briefly. When I was readying myself for the Schnee Ball earlier today I never expected, first, to have as much fun as I did with Emerald and, second, to end up alone on a secluded balcony with the girl doing this.
Draining one's Aura was a tricky process. I was far from proficient at doing it and even when I managed to successfully take Aura, it would require minutes of complete and utter concentration for me to hold on to it.
I was stealing part of someone else, after all. If the stories were to be believed then Aura was the manifestation of an individual's soul. Their sum total. Their very being.
To say it was hard to take someone's Aura was a massive understatement.
"Enten!"
"Alright, alright," I muttered, my hand hovering over the girl's forehead. Already, I could feel the heat pouring out of her dark skin. It was hot. Burning hot. It felt like I was holding my hand inches over a campfire and that alone was nearly unbearable… it was only through the help of my Aura that I could stand my skin being this close.
And given how quickly the heat burned through that protection in the ballroom…
"Here goes nothin'," I said, placing the skin of my palm on her-
It was hot. It was hot and my Aura was retreating under the assault and my skin was burning. Burning! Red hot fire- Heat!
I pulled my hand away with a gasp and Emerald slumped against the Citadel's wall, groaning even as she clutched at her head. She pulled her knees up to her face.
"Shit," I muttered, going down to a knee myself. Again, the heat managed to surprise me with its intensity. How was it that there was no visible indication of her forehead being so hot? Just what was this stuff?
"That's not Aura," I observed, carefully tilting Emerald's head up with my left hand. The girl groaned again and tried to bury her face back into her knees but I moved my right hand forward, quickly, and placed it on-
Fire! Fire! Blood-boiling, intense, scorching hot pain-
'Calm,' I reminded myself, my teeth grinding together even as I halted the retreat of my Aura half way down my arm in the face of the energy. That it was so eager to get away from the source of this heat unnerved me. 'Calm.'
A gasp escaped me even as my arm started shaking. My fingers curled around the girl's skull because I knew my hand would slip otherwise and I-
Blinding hot energy! Burning! Eating away at my skin like-
I forced my Aura to return to my hand. To my palm. It strained every limit of my control to make it obey and even then, it fought me. It fought my will every inch it crept closer to the burning-
Red hot fire like blood curdling-boiling-taking away-
A growl escape me even as I pushed my Aura further. It was mine to control. Mine! It was my energy. My life force. My essence and I would not be disobeyed!
Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, it crept forward again. It reached my wrist – the joint was burning and aching and cracking and protesting the scorching heat being forced against my palm – and brought with it a dampening salve. Relief spread briefly through my mind even as the energy emanating from Emerald's forehead spiked in time with the girl gasping. My teeth grit and the girl clutched at her head, barely stifling a scream, but I held onto my Aura. I kept it where it was through a titanic amount of effort.
'No retreating,' I told myself. 'No retreating. No retreating.'
The phrase echoed around my skull like a mantra because my Aura did not like the energy in Emerald's forehead and the energy did not like my Aura. My Aura was strong, though, I possessed the most resilient Aura on team RWEBY – Yang came close, but where she beat me in raw amount, I beat her in toughness.
'No retreat,' I affirmed as gooseflesh raced up my arm, the product of adrenaline creeping into my system. My Aura snapped to attention and roared forward, easily overtaking the heat present on my palm and I-
Uncontrollable-chaotic-unstable-different-other. Other!
I swallowed heavily, screwing my eyes shut and reaffirming my mental control over my Aura. Immediately, it started to wither and burn in the face of this energy but the heat was gone and the pain was gone and I would not retreat. This energy had the ability to eat away at my Aura like it was nothing and I found that very, very disconcerting.
But on the bright side, this energy was not Aura. I had absolutely no difficult in differentiating it from my energy.
Emerald groaned lowly and her fingers grew lax. She pressed her head forward, into my hand.
"Don't stop," she whimpered. "Don't stop."
'Aura offers relief,' I noted even as the energy flared up again. My eyes narrowed and my teeth grit together. The green haired girl in front of me moaned when the volatile force pushed back at my Aura but I would not yield. I would not crumble.
'No retreating. No retreating. No retreating!'
A sigh escaped me when my Aura subdued the opposing force and I took advantage of its docility – short-lived though it may be – to study it.
It was not Aura, that much I knew immediately. This energy was easily distinguishable to me whereas normal Aura gave me trouble. I could barely tell my own Aura apart from another's but whatever this was gave me no such issue.
Volatile-Hot-Burning
It flared up again but I was ready for it, this time. My Aura returned the eruption with one of its own. But whereas the energy was volatile, uncontrolled and spontaneous, my Aura was controlled. It was unyielding. It was like a solid wall of soothing reassurance given form that snuffed out the energy's fit easily.
Too easily.
My eyes narrowed and I leaned in, closer. My fingers were partially buried in Emerald's vividly lime-green hair and my palm laid flat against her forehead. I thought I could see a hint of red beneath my hand but it disappeared-
No! There was red. There was blood there! But-
But it disappeared, again. Like it was…
Still, closer, I leaned. Quickly, I located another blood stain and watched, entranced, as it disappeared. Evaporated. As it vaporized and dissolved into…
Into purple energy-
The force gathered in a split second, hummed metallically inside of its prison and unleashed itself in a visible display of power.
The Aura was purple.
It quickly closed in on Neo and the woman extended her umbrella out in front-
"Enten," Emerald whispered. "Enten- it's still there-I can still feel it-"
"I know," I murmured, putting the blood-turned-Aura mystery from my mind. If it was helping me subdue this energy then it was taking the burden away from my real Aura…
My eyes narrowed. Speaking of, my Aura was no longer being eaten away. In the first few seconds I maintained contact with Emerald, well over one third of it was destroyed but… but now?
Nothing. No loss. No… if anything, I felt like I was gaining Aura. Gaining strength.
'Later,' I reminded myself. 'Focus on getting this energy out now.'
"Right," I muttered. "Right… Emerald, I'm going to start trying to remove this stuff, okay?"
"Okay," she whimpered. "Don't move your hand. I don't know how you're doing it but it doesn't hurt so much now."
My brow slackened as I observed her face. Eyes clenched shut, moisture gathering at their edges. Lips pulled down into a frown. Her hands, loosely wrapped around my right arm, ensuring that I maintained contact with her. A sniffling nose. Shaking shoulders…
The girl was terrified.
'Remnant,' I thought bitterly. This girl was barely old enough to drive. She shouldn't be forced to face down monsters intent on eating her alive. She shouldn't have been put in a position where this energy had the chance to wound her. She shouldn't have to suffer like this.
"Let's do this," I said, my eyes narrowing, my resolve hardening. My Aura responded readily, snapping to attention and clawing at the energy- the pestilence that was hiding away in her forehead. I ignored her Aura easily, given how similar it was to my own, and instead slowly extended my Aura – my strangely, oddly, purple Aura – into her body.
Blindly, I searched out the end of the energy's presence. Carefully, I slid my Aura around the infection and forcefully, brutally clamped down on any kind of protest it threw at me. My Aura progressed, creeping forward and overtaking the energy. It put up a fight and I had to pause no less than three times to retain my control over it, but I did it.
I subdued it. My Aura beat it back.
"I'm going to take it out, now, Emerald," I cautioned. "I don't know if this will hurt."
"Just do it," she muttered, her eyes still shut.
I swallowed. "I need you to let go of my arm."
She breathed in sharply and her fingers briefly tightened around the limb. "Okay," she whispered, withdrawing her hands. "Okay…"
"Ready," I muttered even as the energy lashed out once more. My lips pulled back and my mouth erupted into a snarl.
'Still it fights,' I thought, a mixture of disbelief and annoyance flooding my mind even as I used my Aura to snuff out the energy's latest bout of resistance.
A sigh escaped me and the mountain breeze chose that moment to make its presence known. It stirred Emerald's hair and the girl offered me a strained smile from under my palm. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, now, and her head was held high.
Slowly, a smile grew on my face too.
"Now," I said suddenly, ripping my hand away from her forehead. It came away easily and her head lurched forward.
She gasped and her hands flew up to her face, touching the unblemished skin even as her eyes widened. Her fingers did not come away bloody, though.
'Not when all my blood turned into Aura.'
Suddenly, my blood name – my first family name – made so much more sense to me.
"Here it is," I murmured, the small smile still present on my face. Slowly, I leaned forward and presented my right hand to the girl.
Her eyes widened.
Outlined in a halo of ethereal purple Aura was a small ball of vivid red energy. It lashed about inside its prison, pressing against the unforgiving confines with which my Aura presented it and struggling futilely against my control. My hand was no longer bloodied, my skin having healed over completely, and I slowly closed it around the volatile ball.
It was no larger than my thumb's fingernail.
"That is what's been giving me migraines for the last two weeks," Emerald muttered, wide eyed.
"Looks like it," I muttered, slowly rising to my feet. I carefully urged my purple Aura to move from side to side, experimentally poking and prodding at the energy it contained.
'Controlled like my normal Aura is,' I noted even as Emerald slowly stood as well. The girl leaned toward me and I obliged her by lowering my hand between us.
"It's… It's so tiny," she muttered. "How can that be so powerful? How can you overpower it?"
"I'm afraid my answer will leave you disappointed," I admitted. "This is the first time I've tried to control and contain anything with my Aura."
"Why is it purple?"
I shrugged, still staring at the seemingly harmless ball of energy contained within the palm of my hand. The purple haze hovering over my skin danced in time with the tiny red ball in its center, constantly out-matching and suppressing the volatile little sphere. At the edge of the purple energy, vivid and visible in the night sky, was my blue Aura. The two energies mixed together and mingled at their border, amiable.
"Enten," Emerald muttered.
"What?"
"So you're telling me you have no idea why your Aura is purple? And for that matter, why is it so… visible?"
"Guess," I said, a grin upon my face.
The girl sighed and shook her head but I saw a small smile growing upon her lips.
"Come on," she muttered, the smile on her face extending and her eyes narrowing. A coy expression greeted me as she brought her head closer to mine. The girl slid around and passed the hand that was holding the red energy and raised herself up – closer to my height – by the support of her hand on my shoulder.
"Haven't I earned it," the girl murmured, tilting her head ever so slightly.
"Strange turn of events," I admitted softly, slowly rotating my head opposite hers.
"I'm a huntress," she whispered, her eyes fluttering shut even as her face drew within inches of mine. "Strange values."
I licked my lips and hummed. My hand drifted to the small of her back even as my vision faded in time with my closing eyelids.
Our lips met.
Our lips met and my mind was swiftly overloaded with her. With her smell. How she felt. The silken folds of the dress under my hands. The firm, but somehow still soft, musculature it hid.
I wasn't certain how much time passed but, when we pulled apart, our eyes just barely open, I found myself wanting more. My hand urged her closer to me and her arms around my neck – 'When had they gotten there?' – tightened, drawing her closer still. She pulled herself up, her chest flush against my own – 'Soft. Warm…' – and my eyes drifted shut once more.
Again, our lips met, softly at first but more firmly as we grew used to each other. Through the haze that had overtaken my mind, I recognized one of her hands drift into my hair, her nails scratching lightly at my scalp. My feet moved forward of their own accord and, suddenly, she was pressed up against the wall of Spotlight Citadel.
My senses were quickly overwhelmed and I pulled back briefly to release a breath into the cold, night air. She pulled me back in shortly thereafter though and I brought my other hand-
"Mmph," she grunted into my mouth, panicked. My eyes shot open even as I retreated and her hands placed themselves on my chest. Without any further ceremony, she shoved me away from herself, one red eye wide open and the other clenched shut.
"Ow," she hissed, her hand drifting to her back-
Pain sparked suddenly on the skin of my right palm and the haze over my mind suddenly found itself evicted abruptly and harshly. My focus immediately darted down to my hand and I found the energy dangerously-
'Shit,' I railed even as I brought my other hand up to help contain the energy. My control over it had grown lax while I was… distracted and the volatile red ball apparently managed to use that to its advantage. It fought ferociously to escape the confines of my Aura – still purple in color – but now that my attention was on it, it quickly found itself fighting an uphill battle.
The energy lashed out again and weakened my Aura's hold on it even as my eyes widened. I closed my hands around it and channeled more of my power into my fingers, tinting them blue.
'Not purple,' I noted even as the energy's protests weakened again. What will to escape it had – because it certainly seemed like it had a mind of its own – must have been expended in that last attempt at freedom.
"What are you going to do with it," Emerald asked quietly.
I jumped, having forgotten that the girl was there in the wake of the energy's near-escape, and glanced up at her. She was rubbing her back, a wince only just fading from her expression.
"Keep it," I said, my eyes narrowing even as I looked back down at my palm.
"Why," she asked, her voice wary.
There was power in knowledge, this I knew well, and the tiny ball of… something in my hand held answers and information about my Aura that I knew no other way of obtaining. That purple Aura appeared to be a product of my blood mixing with my regular power but of its properties I knew nothing other than the fact that it appeared to be even more resilient than my blue Aura and able to contain this small, innocent looking sphere.
Therefore, by learning about this power, this energy, I would be enabling myself to learn about my Aura.
About – if my suspicions were correct – my Semblance.
"Enten," Emerald demanded. "That thing is dangerous – you should just get rid of it!"
"Power isn't inherently dangerous," I responded absentmindedly. "Not if you can control it."
"You don't seem to have much control over that," she argued, her finger pointing in accusation at the volatile orb hovering inside of purple energy just above my palm.
Purple energy that appeared to be dwindling. It was much easier to control the small orb just after I removed it from Emerald's forehead than it was now, minutes later. Even now, the unstable ball lashed out against my Aura and, though the purple energy won out, it took longer to suppress the attack than it did before.
"I can manage," I assured her, glancing up at her face long enough to offer the girl a smile.
She shook her head. "It's too dangerous," the girl insisted, stalking over to me.
I rose to my feet, holding out my free hand, my fingers splayed, to stall her advance. "I can control it. We both know that," I reminded the green haired girl. Then, when she stopped, I opened up my other hand, allowing the mixture of red and purple light to wash over us. It illuminated our faces and clashed horribly with the white hue that emanated from the dust-made balcony.
"Look at it," I muttered, watching even as the red energy lashed out again, only to be beaten down by my Aura. There wasn't much left, now. "Watch it struggle. Watch it try to escape. Why does it fight? Why does it try to run? Why does it do anything?"
"I don't know," Emerald admitted, shaking her head slowly. "But that thing has been nothing but trouble since it was forced on me. Just… just throw it away, Enten."
"I can't. I will not throw this away," I responded. "Knowledge is power, Emerald. Who am I to ignore it? Who am I to not grasp it when it literally sits in the palm of my hand?"
"You don't know what that thing is capable of."
"No," I admitted. "No, I don't… and that is why I must keep it."
"Enten," Emerald pleaded, her eyebrows slack. "Get rid of it. Please? For me?"
I shook my head, slowly covering up the orb with my other hand. The soft red and purple glow accompanying us on the balcony abruptly faded. This would hurt.
"It is my belief that there are two kinds of people in this world, Emerald," I started, slamming my palms together.
She gasped and her hands reflexively splayed themselves in front of her face. The girl cringed away from me even as vivid red, blue and purple flashes of energy escaped from between my fingers.
"Two kinds of people," I reiterated, grunting when I felt the volatile energy dissolve the normal Aura over my palms and begin to dig into my skin. "One group is dangerous. They know what must be done and they are willing to go to any length to see their desires achieved. They are willing to brave danger, willing to take risks and willing to venture into the unknown, so long as it furthers their cause."
I swallowed heavily, licking my lips once even as purple energy started rushing out from between my hands. It announced its presence boldly and, within seconds, snuffed out the red glow entirely.
"The other group, Emerald," I continued, glancing up at the girl. She was watching my hands closely, her eyes wide and her pupils shrunken. "The other group wants to play it safe. They want to ignore the world around them and pretend everything is alright. They live in ignorance and use it as their shield. Taking risks never even occurs to them. They hope. They wish. They believe. They die."
A grin developed upon my face even as I felt the pain in my hands start to fade.
"In short, Emerald," I said, my voice rising in volume as the wind chose that moment to stir. "There are those that perish," I continued, opening up my hands and allowing the purple Aura to wash over us. "…And those that survive. Which one are you?"
Slowly, the girl shook her head, staring with wide eyes at the small red orb. "I… I'm not… I like the harmless jokester Enten more than… than this one."
A scoff escaped me even as movement near the edge of the balcony attracted my eye. Quickly, I hid my right hand behind my back and enclosed the red energy within my fingers. The purple glow emitting from it receded until, just as the person stepped out into the night, it was barely noticeable.
"Excuse me," the young, white haired girl stated as her eyes found mine. "Father has asked to see Enten Melkweg. He, and your team, are awaiting your presence in his study. Please follow me."
My eyes narrowed and I took a moment to observe the girl. She was younger than me, that much was clear, and I would guess at her age being perhaps twelve to fourteen. But I was also fairly bad at guessing ages. Luckily, I knew this girl. I knew she was due to turn fourteen in three months. I also knew she once enjoyed eating muffins before the sun rose and belting out lyrics to her favorite songs as a child. I knew she used to love having her nails done and how she envied her elder cousin because she used to have a crush on the woman's fiancé. I knew her favorite color. Her favorite huntress. Her favorite food. Her favorite family member and card game and season and I even knew what her favorite shampoo scent was.
How could I not know so much about Winter Schnee? To know nothing of her was impossible when Weiss Schnee cared so very much for her.
She was a slight girl, dressed in a simple gown that fell to her ankles. Her toes were left bare by her heeled shoes and even though they only added perhaps two inches to her height, I could tell she was taller than Weiss. Her eyes were a darker, more piercing shade of blue than her sister's and her hair was shorter too; it was drawn up into a bun on the top of her head.
Winter cleared her throat, once, and tilted her chin upward.
It was a gesture that reminded me so heavily of Weiss it brought a smile to my face.
"Emerald," I said softly, a smile growing on my face. "Can we continue this later?"
The girl licked her lips, glancing away from the younger of the Schnee siblings and toward me. "Just… Just…"
"Don't worry," came my response. I wrapped my free arm around her waist and squeezed her to my side. "I'll make sure we have time for another dance."
With that, I paced toward the smaller, white-haired girl and she turned on her heel when I grew close to her. Without any further ceremony, she retreated back into the ballroom and started to lead me, presumably, to her father's study.
A/N: So, when I started writing this fanfic just about a year ago, I did it because I wanted to see if I could write an OC/SI-ish (because Enten is really his own character now) story that defied the norm and made for an interesting read. That goal was born out of a selfish desire to prove that I could do what many other authors could not and, frankly, isn't something I like to dwell on now. I like to think I've gotten over myself and my insecurities as a writer and with that came the realization that writing for a little number on a page somewhere isn't what I should be doing.
That last chapter got 64 reviews, see, and I couldn't figure out why I wasn't any more excited to read what you guys have to say than I was for any other chapter. But then I took a step back, ignored the quantity, and realized that I enjoy reading your feedback, regardless of how much of it there is. It's that human element in an otherwise unfeeling environment; those opinions and thoughts and interactions that drive me forward.
What I'm trying to say is that I value you guys as readers just as much as you value me as a writer. And that I hope you'll join me on this ride until the very end… because the end is near for this story.
The sequel, the one that'll cover post-RWBY season 3 and on, hasn't even started yet.
Anyway, enough of my rambling. If you've survived my author's note to this point then congratulations! I'm pretty sure most people don't bother to read these unless they're looking for a review response or some specific piece of information.
And on that note…
Pyrrha's fate isn't as set in stone as it is in the series. Not yet, anyway. Enten changes… well, a lot of things about the Remnant world and, currently, Pyrrha's time of death is one of them.
Roman Torchwick will not die in this story damnit. As long as I can find a way to keep that man alive, I'm going to do it. And if I can't… well, shit. At the very least I'll give him a better death!
As for Yang and Blake… well, you'll just have to wait and see!
Nemrut: It might be a little shortsighted to convince everyone that Blake isn't a faunus, but leaving Coco to claim that she is might be even more destructive. Coco forced them into the proverbial corner: either stop Blake from revealing herself as a faunus for the forseeable future or let people wonder. It was safer for Blake to simply be seen as human.
Aurain Orimura: Thank you
Name Change: Roman must live! He must! As for the curviest of curve balls line… yeah, I admit it, I like to see if I can surprise you guys regardless of how well you know Enten/RWEBY/Remnant. Don't worry though, no super villain curve ball coming, Enten will remain a good-super villain.
MrtheratedG: Don't be so hard on yourself haha! We all like playing the hero at the center of the attention and I have a feeling there'll be plenty of that to come!
Lucifer Daemon: What power plays?
Janus: Enten doesn't necessarily assume no one lies but at the same time, he doesn't assume everybody does lie either. Both of those mentalities would be destructive in nature because one would lead to an incredibly gullible character while the other would lead to a character too paranoid to do anything but hide away from the world. Rather, Enten judges trustworthiness on a conversation to conversation basis. He caught Mercury in a half-truth because he knew enough to figure out the boy was lying. You with me?
TetrisLame: "Duck milking way" huh? A concidence, I assure you!
Numero Dos: Every mech army has a base of operations... we just don't know where the Schnee family keep theirs yet
Umbrardor: I don't know about Yang and Blake, but I got the other half done with this last chapter!
Victore chez: I love reading through your progression with the story – some things you mention are things I'd forgotten about, honestly! As far as Spotlight Citadel's security… well, the Schnee family has their ways. Enten just doesn't know of them yet. 'The walls have eyes/ears' has never been truer…
Nightmareeater532: That he is. The key to being a dick, I feel, is to embrace it!
Isodrink: Thank you for sharing! Reviews like yours are a huge boost for me and I enjoyed reading it!
Dakaath: Not sure if you're still reading but I wanted to acknowledge your point: I never thought of placing him on team CRDL. That wasn't what I had in mind when I started this thing but it certainly would have been interesting!
To my other reviewers: Thank you for your feedback, your thoughts, your opinions and your criticisms. I read all of them and though I may not have responded here, I appreciate it all the same!
One last note before I go: I like that some of you use the reviews as a sort of chat/discussion place, but I wanted to mention now that it should be kept civil. None of you have crossed that line yet, but as a matter of foresight, I wanted to mention that now rather than when it was too late.
Till next time.
-Phailen