Looking Glass
Chapter 37
What Large Teeth
One last thing. I hesitate to write this even here, even in the language of my forefathers. But in the event something does happen, someone has to know.
I found it, Raven. I didn't mean to, but as Reaper would have said, it was meant to be; nothing that happens related to aetheri is ever really coincidence after all. I was forced to move it, because certain agents were getting too close for comfort and the spirits insisted. So I hid it once again. I am not the one meant to bear it, I know that. I fear, I fear terribly, that I know who is.
I've left instructions how to retrieve it, but only an aetheri will actually be able to do so. Raven, I need you to promise me that you will protect her. I know you will try, but if she is supposed to bear the mantel, then she is more danger than I ever was or will be. Help her, help her get the knowledge she needs. I wish I could take this from her, because it is so, so unfair; and hopefully, I am wrong, and she will live a normal life surrounded by the people who love her best.
But I fear I am right. And if by some twist of fate she reads this, then Ruby. I love you more than the air I breathe. I would do anything to keep you and your sister safe. I am so, so sorry, baby, that I wasn't there. But please understand, even if I am gone from this life, that I will always be there for you. When things are at their darkest, I will be there; all you have to do is listen to the music.
…
Present
Team RWBY sat gathered in their dorm room as Blake scrolled through the data sticks files on her laptop. Yang peered over her partner's shoulder, staring at the words on the screen; none of it was in a language she knew. Blakes ears were laid back in thought, as she picked out words and mouthed them quietly under her breath.
"So…this is all in Old Vacuon," the faunus said at last. "I recognize some of the words, but I don't speak enough of it to make sense of a text this extensive."
Weiss made a surprised sound from where she sat, prim and proper even on the floor. Ruby scooted closer, squinting at the screen.
"Ok," Yang nodded. "So we find someone who can read Old Vacuo. Who do we know that's a bigger nerd than you?"
Blake huffed, shooting her a bemused look and Yang smiled innocently. She had to tease her a little, even in the midst of such mysterious revelations.
"Jean speaks it fluently," Weiss said.
The three looked at the ice princess in the room, and she glared.
"How do you know that?" Yang asked, surprised.
Weiss rolled her eyes.
"He tried to impress me with it a few times," she admitted. "His mother was from Vacuo and taught all his sisters, apparently."
"Perfect!" Ruby chirped, popping to her feet. "JNPR is definitely still sleeping in, we can just go ask if he would mind translating!"
"Wait," Blake shook her head.
Yang raised an eyebrow.
"What? Jean's the perfect guy for the job, especially if Weiss asks him to do it."
"Hey!"
"What?" Yang shrugged, smirking. "You know I'm right."
"I don't like taking advantage of people's emotions for my benefit. It is an ugly method to get ones way," Weiss insisted, crossing her arms.
Yang raised her hands placatingly.
"There is absolutely nothing wrong with flirting with people to extract information."
Blake snorted, shaking her head.
"Maybe not to you," Weiss huffed.
"You guys are missing my point," Blake interrupted before Yang could reply. "I think the fewer people involved, the better."
"You always think that," Yang pouted.
Blake rolled her amber eyes, and Yang followed the motion. How could she even make eyerolls so pretty?
"We don't know what's going on, Yang. Your mom was clearly trying to get a hold of this and it looked like she was taking a risk to do so. Not to mention all the other, I guess, evidence was destroyed minutes after we left. We don't know what's on here. It could be anything," Blake insisted. "We need to be very careful."
Yang quieted, frowning slightly. Her mom…had been here, right here, and she had missed it. What was going on? Why didn't Raven want to see her, or Ruby. She remembered her dream from a while back, the one that was like a memory but couldn't be.
Babies, it's not safe here…
'Just what is going on, mom? What are you hiding from?'
"I think we should tell him," Ruby said quietly.
They glanced at their leader, who was still peering at the words on the screen; her sister looked so serious, older than her fifteen years.
"You said there was a photograph that had his mother on it, yes? Near the one with Dad and Raven?" Ruby asked, turning to Blake.
Blake nodded quietly, her face pensive.
"Then maybe, I dunno, it's about her? Wouldn't he have the right to know?"
They fell silent, the four girls staring at the foreign language that glowed softly back at them.
"That's as possible as anything else, I guess," Blake admitted. "I don't know. It's your call, guys."
Yang met Ruby's eyes, and the sisters came to a conclusion together.
"Yea. Let's go see JNPR."
…..
Yang knocked heavily on the door to JNPR's dorm room. There was a brief pause, then a sudden burst of chaos.
"I GOT IT!"
The door flew open, and there stood Nora in all her pj'd glory. The rest of her teammates were either still sleeping or lounging about, sans Pyrrha. Pyrrha was the only dressed person in sight, and looked as if she had already hit the gym. Nora beamed at them.
"Morning gang!" Nora exclaimed. "Come on in, you're just in time for pancakes!"
Yang hesitated before being bodily pulled into the dorm room, followed by the rest of her team.
"We aren't trying to bother you guys," Blake started awkwardly.
Yang hid a smile, even as Nora waved Blake's comments away.
"Nonsense! The RWBY clan is always welcome in case de JNPR!" Nora put her hands on her hips.
Pyrrha was smiling apologetically from her desk and waved at them.
"Hello! You guys are up early, aren't you?"
"We actually have a bit of a project that we're working on," Ruby started, letting Nora usher her to a chair. "And were wondering if Jean could help us? If it's not too much to ask?"
Jean, who was still under his covers, popped up at the mention of his name; he seemed to surprised at this invasion, but smiled at them, his eyes lingering over Weiss briefly. Weiss did not make eye contact.
"Sure! Just let me ah, get dressed?" he looked about for pants, his face turning a bit red.
Yang did her best to keep her mouth shut; Blake, who had tied her bow back on, was glancing at her knowingly. Yang lost the battle nearly instantly.
"Caught you with your pants down, huh?" she laughed.
"Yea, well, what can I say? It's my natural state of existence," Jean shrugged with a chuckle.
Yang's smile widened as Pyrrha pointedly looked away, ears red. Nora giggle snorted, while Ren sighed and got up to help her; or to keep her from making a mess.
"Oh yea?" Yang asked. "Gotta watch out for this one girls-"
"Oh come on," he groaned, reaching for his jeans.
"He's a real panty dropper."
"Dust damnit, Yang," he shook his head. He was smiling though, so she knew he wasn't uncomfortable; Yang didn't like making people uncomfortable. She just liked getting them out of their shells.
"What? I'm just saying, if you got it? Flaunt it. Why hold back?"
"Hush, you," Weiss interrupted. "Stop being uncouth in other people's homes."
Yang laughed, turning to her teammate. Weiss stared back, unflinching. There was a twinkle there, however, betraying Weiss's amusement.
"Is that permission to be uncouth everywhere else?" Yang laughed.
"I didn't realize you needed my permission," Weiss sniffed. "If I had known, I would have rescinded it ages ago."
Blake chuckled as Yang made a face.
"Ok, listen here you."
"Yes? I'm listening?" Weiss tipped her head mockingly. She had been more playful recently, which was a nice change from when they had first met.
"You're just jealous of all my natural charisma," Yang declared, folding her arms.
"Oh yes. Extremely," Weiss declared. "Every day, I ask myself, why I can't be more loud, vulgar and messy like Yang Xiao Long? You truly have a talent."
"Yes I do. I'm glad you understand that," Yang nodded, grinning.
"A talent for being an utter Boarbatusk."
Yang made a face of mock hurt, pressing a hand to her chest.
"Why do you wound me like this, Weiss?"
"Because. I'm the ice queen," Weiss sniffed haughtily, tossing her hair. Ruby giggled from where she was sitting in the chair, watching them warmly. In the kitchenette, Ren and Nora had set to making breakfast; Jean meanwhile had gotten dressed, still looking embarrassed but amused.
"You guys are something else," Jean declared finally. "So what's this mystery project that you come seeking my wisdom for, huh?"
The girls shared a look, before waiting for Ruby to speak. Ruby leaned forward, looking surprisingly serious. Meanwhile, the others decided to sit down, posting up around the dorm room.
"Well, this morning Blake found something," Ruby started, meeting Jean's eyes. "That we think is related to the search for Yang's mom."
A clatter in the kitchen as Nora dropped something. There was a pause, before Ren and Nora peeked into the dorm room.
"Your mom?" Jean asked Yang, turning to her.
Yang nodded, the humor that normally adorned her face slipping as she grew more sober.
"Yea. She's been missing for a long time, and I've been looking for her for…"
Years and years and years.
"A really long time. I know she's alive, but. Finding her or any trace of her has been nearly impossible."
"Ok," Jean nodded slowly. "Well, what did you guys find?"
"I found a data stick," Blake chimed in. "In the library. Her mom, well. She was there, looking for it. When we opened the files, we realized it was written in Old Vacuon. And Weiss says that you know the language."
Jean looked around the room, before meeting Weiss's gaze. Weiss almost shuffled guiltily, if the ice queen was capable of shuffling.
"Alright. But wait, what was your mom doing in Beacon's library of all places?" he asked.
"That's what we need to find out. It was extremely strange circumstances," Blake admitted.
"Did she say anything to you?" Ren asked from the kitchen. Nora's face was running a gamut of bizarre expressions.
"Um, a little. Mostly I think she wished I wasn't there," Blake's bow twitched. "She was in a hurry to get away from the drones, mostly. There was an ungodly amount of them on campus this morning, it was weird."
Ren hummed pensively, as Nora opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish.
"Well, that sounds suspicious," Pyrrha frowned by her desk. "No offense, Yang."
"None taken. I'm pretty sure she's caught up in something shady, but I wouldn't know," Yang muttered. Blake gave her a sympathetic look, and Yang smiled.
"Anyways, Jean, would you mind translating some of the files?" Ruby asked kindly. "It would really help us out."
"Of course!" Jean proclaimed. "Let's see it."
Blake passed her laptop over to the boy and he sat on his bed, opening it in his lap. Yang could feel her pulse quickening as she stepped closer. The others scooted closer, waiting. Jean opened the first file, mouthing quietly under his breath as he read. His expression changed from gentle curiosity to shock after several minutes. Yang swallowed, feeling uncharacteristically nervous; Blake edged closer to her, brushing against her arm. The contact soothed her instantly, but couldn't get rid of her nerves.
"Ok. Ok, I. Oh man."
"Well, what does it say?" Weiss asked impatiently.
"It…Ok, hold I actually have a program for translating big texts, I used to use it for homework -hang on," he said, typing a bit frantically.
"Jean?" Pyrrha asked, concerned.
"Hang on, one sec."
Several moments passed. Yang took a deep breath and let it out slow.
"Ok," Jean looked up finally. "So first things first, I don't know if we should be reading this."
Yang's eyebrows rose as Blake tensed besides her; Ruby got up from her chair and walked over to the bed, her face still so serious. It was wigging Yang out, a little. Ruby was always smiling.
"Why?" Ruby asked.
Jean hesitated, before meeting her eyes.
"The contents seem…Alright, screw it. Ruby?"
"Yes, Jean?" Ruby nearly whispered.
"Your mom wrote this. She wrote all of it."
Silence reigned in the room, until Nora dropped something else; a plate had fallen out of her hands as she looked into the room, eyes wide. Ruby stared, swallowing.
"What does it say, Jean?" she asked. Her voice cracked a little, and Yang nearly hugged her right then.
"It," he sighed. "Well there's a lot of it, but most of it seems to be about…an investigation she was conducting. W-when she was on the Baiting Task Force. She seemed to think she was in danger, that someone was taking out the other investigators. So she was writing this as a security measure, in case…"
"In case she died," Ruby finished for him. It felt as if all the air had gone out of the room, as if gravity was drawing Yang down to a point in her stomach, crushing, brutal.
"In case someone killed her," Jean said softly, staring at the screen in shock. "Most of this seems addressed to your mom, Yang. A lot of it was really…really personal stuff. But it seems like she wanted her to finish what she was working on, if she couldn't."
Yang could feel ice in her veins. Ruby took a deep breath, closed her eyes and exhaled. She opened them, looking teary but determined.
What the fuck is going on?!
"Let me see it, please."
"Guys, I think we should turn this into the police," Jean protested suddenly. "My mom, she, she was on the force. She died too, in a break in when I was a baby. But Summer mentions her, I. I think something really, really bad happened."
"No police," Blake insisted suddenly, fiercely. "They could be complicit."
The others stared at Blake in shock, but her partner didn't waver.
"Wha, Blake what are you saying?" Weiss asked. "If this was, Dust help me, if this is evidence of a crime committed against Ruby and Jean's mothers, we have to alert the proper channels!"
Blake shook her head, passionate.
"Why didn't Summer tell them then? She writes this all down and then hides it in a hole in the library, for Yang's mom to find? Why would she do that, if she trusted the people she was working with?" Blake insisted.
"Maybe, I don't know, she was trying to do it alone?" Weiss suggested uncertainly. "It is very…concerning."
"No pigs," Nora suddenly chimed in. "Never a good idea. Blake's right on this one."
Weiss looked unconvinced, but stayed silent, thoughtful.
"Well, if it was meant for Yang's mother, perhaps we should find her and give it to her?" suggested Pyrrha.
Everyone looked at the red headed huntress, surprised. She looked equally serious.
"What, I'm from Mistral too, you know," she said sheepishly. "Even I know you don't trust Kingdom police when conspiracies are involved."
Nora gave her teammate a thumbs up, as Ren sighed.
"How though!?" Yang tossed her hands up. "I've been looking for Raven for fucking years! If she doesn't want to be found, then she won't be!"
Nora and Ren exchanged looks at this comment.
"We ah. We may know a guy, that knows a guy?" Nora wheedled after a moment. "Who knows a place, where we can leave a message that will find its way to your mom?"
"If it's the dive in town, you can forget it," Yang sighed, brushing her hair. "I already tried there."
"No, no no. You're asking the wrong people, Yangarang," Nora insisted. "Your mom isn't affiliated with Kingdom thugs, she's ah. She would require another channel to reach her."
Yang paused, suspicious, as she turned to the two partners who were still hovering near the kitchen; Ren looked stoic, more so than ever, and Nora was literally vibrating with nerves and electricity.
"How do you know that, Nora?" she asked, her voice deceptively calm.
The others stared at them. Nora grinned anxiously, before deflating comically.
"Don't be mad."
Yang's eyes narrowed.
"Why not?"
"Because I didn't know, like, that you were looking for her, I had no idea-"
"Nora."
"And it's not like we can ask questions of the Morrigan, especially about something this high up, it ha, you don't get it-"
"Nora."
"And we're sworn and we owe them so much, I really couldn't have-"
"Nora," Ruby said quietly.
Nora fidgeted, staring as she rocked on her heels. Ren took a breath and spoke for her.
"We know her. Everyone who lives in south Anima knows of her, actually," he said calmly.
Yang's mouth dropped slightly.
"What are you saying, Ren?"
"We have tribal ties to the Morrigan," he said. "Your mother, that is her official title. She's the chieftain of the tribe that rescued and ultimately adopted us, when we were orphaned and trying to survive. And we are here to become Hunters who protect the free people under her instructions."
Silence once again, until Jean yelped.
"What?!"
Ren nodded once, solemn. Nora nearly looked on the verge of tears. Yang stared at the two of them, as if she had never really seen them until this moment.
"It's true. We weren't trying to deceive you, but we were under instructions to be very careful who we told of our intentions. The tribes have many enemies."
Pyrrha looked particularly shaken by this revelation about her teammates, and she stood, staring openly at them.
"You're with the Branwen? That's who she is right?" Pyrrha asked firmly. "Yang's mother leads the Branwen?"
Ren nodded again, and Nora had literal tears on her cheeks. Jean was glancing between them all, clearly confused.
"Please don't hate us, Pyr," Nora shook. "You're our friends, I promise! We're just trying to help, we – it's so hard for them, with the baiting and the slavers and everything! They need good Hunters who will protect them, and how could we say no after everything they did for us?! We never would have made it out there!"
Pyrrha appraised her teammate solemnly, before striding calmly forwards and pulling them both into a hug. Nora was stock still.
"Of course I don't hate you," she said firmly. "I wish you had said so sooner. But I could never hate either of you. We are a family."
Nora sniffed, hugging her teammate back fiercely. The three of them stood there for a moment, before Jean joined them and they held one another. Yang sat down, still in shock. The rest of RWBY looked equally shaken.
Slavers? Baiting? What on Remnant was going down in south Anima?
Ruby stared at the abandoned laptop, her face grim, before picking it up gently and setting it her lap. Jean glanced back at her, eyes worried. Ruby looked at Yang, her face determined, and she started to read aloud.