While Qrow was out looking for Huntsmen to assist us in the hunt for the Branwen tribe, we were preparing dinner for the guests we were expecting, each one of us helping to prepare the dinner. Ruby and Ren were cooking at the stove, Jaune was setting up the table, I was preparing a large roast beef with my fire powers, Draco was making a pumpkin pie, Saphyra was making deviled eggs and Nora was cutting carrots, occasionally eating slices.
"Alright, the first batch is just about done." Ren said.
"And the roast is basically perfect." I added.
"Awesome! Now we just need Qrow and we'll be all set." Ruby said.
"Do you really think he's gonna bring that many people? This is a lot of food." Nora asked as she ate another carrot slice.
"It won't be if you keep eating it!" Draco told her.
"There can always be left overs. It's always advised to have enough food for at least 24 hours." Saphyra said.
"I don't know, Nora, but it sounds like we could use all the help we can get." Ruby said.
"I'm back!" Qrow called from off-screen.
"Be right there!" Ruby called back.
Ren looked over to the dish Ruby was making. "You're going to overcook that." He told her.
"No I'm not, shut up!" Ruby argued.
"Hey, uh, Ruby?" Qrow called once again.
"I'm coming!" Ruby called back again. Some smoke came from the pan Ruby was cooking with. "Fine! You take over." She told Ren.
"I've got it, buddy." I said, taking Ruby's place and tending to the pan.
Ruby grabbed the tea tray and headed to the living room. "So, we didn't know how many people were coming, so we just cooked all of it." Ruby explained, looking at the tea tray. She looked up and gasped as she dropped the tea tray and its contents, which shattered on the floor. She stared in disbelief at the sight of not only Qrow, but of her older sister Yang and teammate Weiss. Yang approached her little sister.
Draco popped in to see what was happening and his eyes widened. "Whoa. Didn't see that coming." He said.
"Yang, I... I'm so sorry! I- I should've stayed, and I should've talked to you more! I'd- I just..." Ruby tried to explain herself, voice cracking, tears starting to pour from her eyes. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me around and-" She said.
Suddenly, her big sister gave her a strong hug. Ruby's lips quivered and she looked toward her sister. "I love you." Yang told her sister as tears streamed from her eyes.
"I love you too." Ruby sobbed as she leaned into her sister's hug.
Jaune, Ren, Saphyra, Nora and I entered the room, smiling at the sight of the two sisters embracing each other. Qrow smiled as well. Oscar entered the room. "Uh..." He started.
"Shut up. Now's not the time." I told him quietly, pointing to the scene.
He looked up, seeing Ruby and Yang hugging and smiled. Weiss smiled as she wiped a tear from her eye, before frowning while looking down. "Weiss." Ruby acknowledged her. Weiss looked up and saw the two sisters open their arms up for her. She smiled and eagerly joined them in their hug. Everyone smiled as they watched three of the four Team RWBY members embrace each other. "This is so beautiful." Saphyra said, wiping a tear away as I hugged her.
Yang and Weiss then turned to us. "Why are there two little kids here?" Yang asked, referring to Saphyra and Oscar.
The dinner table was abuzz as the currently present members of Team RWBY and the remaining members of Team JNPR, along with Draco, Saphyra and I all talked over each other indistinctly. The mood was quite cheery, with all of us smiling and laughing.
Yang and Weiss were now looking at Saphyra as Yang had her sitting on her lap. "So, she was born from Pyrrha's dust combined with your ash during your fight with Cinder?" Weiss asked.
"That about sums it up, yes." I confirmed.
"Aww, she's adorable! She's like a mini Pyrrha, but she's got your hair!" Yang said, tickling her.
Saphyra giggled at this. "Thank you, Auntie Yang." She said.
"And that's not even the best part. Show them what you can do, sweetie." I told her.
She nodded at this and held her hands up, molten steel coming from her hands and coating her arms until they were covered by silver and black replicas of Ember Celica. She then released more from her right hand and created a golden version of Myrtenaster. "Ta-da!" She said proudly as the girls were left in awe.
"Wait, she can make gold, too?! We should cash that in! We'll be rollin' in money!" Draco said.
We continued the conversation and got to an embarrassing part for Jaune. "How do you lose your map at a time like that?" Yang laughed at Jaune.
"Believe me, I've asked myself the same thing ever since." Jaune asked.
Yang, Weiss and Ruby laughed, while Jaune smiled and chuckled sheepishly. "Hey, but you made up for it, Mister Muscles! You shoulda seen this guy take a giant Grimm head on!" Nora said.
"I couldn't have done it without Ruby wearing it down." Jaune complimented.
"Uh, me? Did you see Ren during that fight? He was out of control!" Ruby cried.
"I'm sorry, I may have lost my temper momentarily." Ren apologized.
"No, no! Out of control as in 'awesome'!" Ruby assured him.
"Oooohhh. Thank you." Ren said, smiling.
Everyone at the table bursts into laughter. "And I exploded my own heart and murdered an assassin. Then Saphyra killed a few Grimm herself." I said, leaving Yang and Weiss in awe again.
A little bit later, I found myself backed into a corner with Yang and Weiss giving me death glares when they found out... "You got Nora pregnant?!" They demanded.
"What could you have possibly been thinking!?" Weiss demanded.
"Yeah, this is SO not the time for having another kid, Sai!" Yang snapped.
"S-she wanted it! I didn't get much of a say." I explained.
"Hey, I don't remember hearing you complaining!" Nora countered.
"So, when can we expect the baby? She seems to be progressing much faster than a normal human." Ren questioned.
"Eh... By my calculations... Less than a week." I said.
"What?!" Everyone asked, except for myself, Draco, Saphyra and Nora herself.
"AWESOME!" Nora cheered.
As dinner continued, Weiss told her story about how Nightshade summoned an army of Grimm to terrify the stuck up people during the Schnee charity ball.
Ruby gasped. "He did not!" She said.
Weiss nodded with a smile. "Yeah, right in the middle of the party." She confirmed.
"Yeah, Nightshade may be a jerk, but if there's one thing he won't let stand, it's arrogant snobs talking like everyone else is beneath them." I said with a fond nod, thinking of my oldest brother.
"I look forward to meeting uncle Nightshade. I believe I could learn much from him." Saphyra said.
"Oh, no..." Draco and I said together.
"Please tell he you let that lady have it." Yang pleaded.
"Sadly, no. The Grimm all stopped a few inches from their targets." Weiss explained.
"No way, I don't believe it." Nora said skeptically, crossing her arms. Weiss summoned her Boarbatusk right next to Nora. The Grimm summon growled, causing Nora to yelp and fall to her side. Weiss, Yang, Jaune and Ren all laughed.
"Hey, watch it! Baby on board, remember!" I snapped.
As dinner nearly finished, Yang showed off her robotic arm to the rest of the group. All of us reacted in awe. "It's not a replacement for the real thing, but I'll make sure to make good use of it." She explained.
"I still wish we could've done something so you didn't lose the first one, but the new one's pretty cool." I said with a nod.
"Yeah, robot arms!" Draco cheered.
"That's amazing." Jaune said in awe.
"Incredible." Ren agreed.
"I'm sure you'll be just as effective as you used to be with that army, Auntie Yang. Maybe even more so!" Saphyra said.
Ruby got all starry-eyed and quickly zoomed over to her sister's side to admire her arm. "And it's just as strong?" Ruby asked, holding Yang's arm up.
"Hm, sure is." Yang confirmed.
Suddenly, we heard a bang on the table. Nora had her arm out ready to arm wrestle. "Wanna bet?" She asked.
"Nora, please, now's not the time..." Weiss started.
"She's right, Nora. This might not be good for the baby." I warned.
"Dude, the baby's not in her arm, I think she'll be fine." Draco said.
But despite mine and Weiss' protest, Yang and Nora arm wrestled. Jaune and Ren cheered on Nora while Ruby cheered on for her sister. Weiss looked on disdainfully. Saphyra and I looked on worriedly and Draco just cheered for someone's arm to break.
"Don't let her beat you! You can do it! Come on!" Jaune shouted.
"You can do this! Show 'em what Team JNPR's made of!" Ren spurred Nora on.
"C'mon, sis! Aw, you can't lose to a girl in a skirt!" Ruby cheered.
"You wear a skirt, Ruby." Weiss said, deadpanned.
"Weiss, you're not cheering loud enough!" Ruby cried as she shook Weiss, who was still frowning.
"Easy, Nora! Any strain on you is a strain on the baby!" I said nervously.
"Man, you're really worked up about this baby, aren't you?" Draco asked.
"That was really just asked right now?! That was just asked?!" I demanded, glaring at the blood demon.
"Every child born to our clan is a higher chance of our clan surviving against the thousands of enemies that wish to destroy us! That's why Daddy has so many siblings and wishes to make me just as many!" Saphyra explained happily, despite the horrifying circumstances of what she was explaining.
"It definitely feels like the original, I'll give you that!" Nora said.
"Yep. But, it does have some new features!" Yang revealed.
"Heh, oh yeah?" Nora questioned challengingly.
A robotic sound was heard coming from Yang's arm. Sensing danger, I used demon magic to switch places with Nora and was immediately knocked back trough the wall holding Yang's detached arm in my hand. "That shit's got a rocket punch?!" Draco asked in disbelief.
"Oh, yeah it does!" I called from inside the wall.
I groaned in pain and crawled out of the hole in the wall while the others looked on in concern, except for Yang, who has a smug grin on her face. "Wasn't expecting that, but it worked just as well. Maybe better." Yang said.
"Aww. I was winning." Nora pouted.
"So... I guess that means Yang won." Jaune said.
"Are you alright, Daddy?" Saphyra asked.
"Oh, yeah. Just peachy." I said as as I regained my senses... And immediately realized I was holding Yang's robotic arm. "Aah, what the shit?!" I screamed and threw it away from me. Yang laughed while she caught her arm.
Later on, Jaune helped clean up the dishes.
"Gyah... We ate it all..." He groaned as he picked up the pot holding all the bowls. "Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick..." He said sickly.
"Easy there, Vomit Boy, I believe in you." Yang said teasingly.
"Oh, we're doing nickname throwbacks now. Wonderful." Jaune said sarcastically, walking away with the dishware in his hands.
Weiss giggled. "I mean, the Ice Queen seems to like it." Nora teased. Weiss stops giggling and Ruby burst into laughter at Nora's remark. Weiss smiled nonetheless.
"Lucky we never got stuck with stupid nicknames." I said to Draco.
"Year. I doubt they could've done worse than Ice Queen, though." Draco agreed.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "I so did not miss you people." She said.
Nora gasped. "Oh my gosh, she really does like it! What went and warmed your heart while you were gone?" Nora
"Hey! You make it sound like I used to be terrible." Weiss complained.
"Nah. Just a lot to deal with it once." Yang said.
"Hmph!" Weiss huffed. Yang playfully stuck her tongue out at Weiss.
"I think you're perfect, Auntie Weiss." Saphyra said sweetly.
"Aww! Thank you so much, Saphyra dear! Of course Pyrrha's daughter would be so sweet and kind." Weiss said happily, hugging my daughter.
"She's my daughter, too, you know." I said.
"She clearly takes after her mother." Weiss countered.
"OH! The Ice Queen just burnt the fire demon!" Draco cheered, before I punched his headoff.
"It's been a long time. We've all grown in our own ways." Ren explained.
"You really think so?" Ruby asked.
"Well, think back to when we were all at Beacon, would you say you ever did anything foolish or embarrassing? Or do you think you were perfect?" Ren asked.
"Oh gosh." Weiss groaned as she buried her face in her hands again.
"How foolish we were." I did, shaking my head.
"I wasn't!" Draco said after he regenerated... And before I punched his head off again.
"I may have been a little too gung-ho from time to time." Yang admitted.
"Heh, you? I tried to 1v1 a Nevermore on the second day of school." Ruby reminded us.
"And we took on two armies of different kinds of Grimm." Draco said.
"Yeah, well... don't even get me started." Jaune said, walking back into the room.
"What about when you believed the Deathstalker's tail was the relic?" Saphyra asked, everyone bursting out in laughter.
"Saphyra!" Jaune whined.
"Well that embarrassment - that desire to go back and tell yourself not to be so stupid - that just proves you're not the same person you used to be. You're smarter, you're kinder, you're stronger, and you're not done growing yet. None of us are." Ren spoke sagely.
There was silence for a brief moment. "Dang, man. That was downright philosophical." I said.
"Yeah, turns out Ren gets real deep when he feels like talking." Ruby said, to which everyone giggled.
"Well, hold on, I thought I was pretty great in school!" Nora said confidently.
"ven at the dance? When you spilled punch all over yourself in front of-" Yang started, before Nora cut her off.
"Yes, especially the dance! Thank you, Yang!" Nora yelled with her scroll out, playing "Shine", causing Yang to cover her ears, to which Ruby laughed.
"How can nine kids possibly make so much noise eating dinner?!" Qrow demanded off-screen. The drunken Huntsman and Oscar were seen standing next to Jaune. Nora pressed her scroll to stop the song. Oscar gave a small laugh.
Everyone relocated to the second-floor living room, with Weiss and Yang having finished being filled in on what everyone else knows so far.
"So, the Maidens. Magic. Salem. It's all true?" Weiss asked.
"Uh-huh." Qrow confirmed.
"Miss Xiao Long, is this more or less what your mother told you?" Ozpin asked.
Yang didn't respond, still having her arms crossed. "For the most part." Weiss answered for her.
"Wow, Yang. I didn't know you learned Ventriloquism. And Weiss makes a great dummy." I said, before Weiss sent me flying with a glyph.
"You forgot something. You forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my mother." Yang said. Ruby gasped.
"What is she talking about?" Jaune asked.
"Oh, great." Qrow huffed.
"Show me on the dolly where man touched you." Draco said, holding up a doll.
"Whoa, kid! You SERIOUSLY misread this!" Qrow said, pushing Draco away.
"Hm, that's not a secret I thought she would give up so easily. Your mother must trust you a great deal." Ozpin told the blonde brawler.
Yang scowled at him. "Auntie Yang, you haven't even heard him out yet." Saphyra told her.
"Fine." Yang huffed.
"My ability to reincarnate, though a curse, isn't without a few key benefits. Much like the Maidens, I too possess a certain... 'magical' power." Ozpin started and stood up and walked next to Qrow. "Using this power, I was able to gift the Branwen twins the ability to 'see' more, to move freely and be unburdened by their natural bodies. I... well... gave them the ability to turn into birds." He explained, then chuckled. "Rather ridiculous sounding out loud, isn't it?" He asked.
(Wait, what?) Oscar asked mentally.
"Uncle?" Ruby asked.
"That's it?" I asked, laughing. "You guys made it sound like he turned them into monsters." I said to Yang and Weiss.
"You turned them... into birds." Ren said in disbelief.
"Alright, now you're just messing with us." Nora said.
"What else is new?" Jaune asked angrily.
"I'm not understanding the hostility. Ozpin called it a gift and it seems to be just that." Saphyra said.
"He's telling the truth. We saw it. Yang's mom... changed, right in front of us." Weiss said.
"And she changed back. Otherwise she couldn't have sent you to qrow." Draco added.
"Stop acting like it's nothing!" Yang snapped at Draco and I, then turned to Ozpin. "And why would you do something like that? I mean, what is wrong with you?" She demanded.
"Yang, that's enough! We made a choice. We wanted this." Qrow told her.
"Yeah, even if they didn't, that's a sweet power. They can turn back and forth at will and it doesn't seem to hurt or anything." I said.
"Yeah, that seems EXCLUSIVELY beneficial." Draco agreed, to which I nodded. Yang apparently did as well, since she couldn't come up with an argument and relented.
"May I?" Ozpin asked Qrow, who nodded "Granting this power to them was no trivial task and I can assure you it was not done frivolously. I required assistance in gathering information on Salem's plans, as well as searching for Maidens when their hosts became unclear." He explained.
"Okay, so, have you done this with others? Like General Ironwood? Or Professor Goodwitch?" Ruby asked.
"As helpful as that might be, unfortunately, it is not that simple. My power is finite and if I'm being honest, dwindling. The amount that I gifted to Qrow and Raven was, all things considered, rather miniscule. You see, centuries ago, I sacrificed a great deal of magic to four young women, who I hoped would use my gift for good. They were the first Maidens." Ozpin explained.
Everyone was silent for a moment. "I mean, makes sense." I said.
"Miss Xiao Long, it was never my intention to lie to you. To any of you. There are just some matters that I prefer to... 'play close to the chest'." Ozpin explained, before looking to Qrow. "I believe that's how you phrased it?" He asked.
"Yeah." Qrow chuckled.
"Everyone has a choice. The Branwens chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties in favor of her own self-interest." Ozpin explained.
"Yeah. Why are you even listening to the woman who abandoned you right after you were born and the leader of a bandit tribe. She's a bitch!" I said.
"And my mother." Yang growled at me.
"And a bitch." Draco said. Yang stood up, ready to beat us, before Ozpin spoke again.
"Now, all of you have a choice. If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time. There's no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat." Ozpin said, looking to all of us.
Everyone was silent as we pondered Ozpin's words. "Well, my job is already to protect the world and humanity, so this just fits in with that." I said.
"And it's a duty I will one day inherit, so I may as well begin now." Saphyra said.
"I guess I have nothing better to do." Draco said.
Everyone else slowly, but surely agreed. "Very well, then." Ozpin said.
Yang suddenly stood up. "Yang?" Ruby asked.
"If Ruby sticks around, then I will too. If there's one thing I know about her, it's that she somehow always knows the right thing to do." Yang said as she smiled at Ruby after saying that. "But, if we're going to help, if we're going to keep risking our lives, no more lies. No more half-truths." She added.
"She's got a point." I said.
"Yeah, that's fair." Saphyra admitted.
Everyone remained silent. Ozpin and Qrow exchanged a brief look with each other. Ozpin pondered Yang's words for one last moment, before responding. "Understood." He said, smiling. Yang sat back down.
"So... what now? I mean, what can we do?" Jaune asked.
"Mm, that is a difficult question. One that I believe is best answered tomorrow." Ozpin said.
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.
"Means we get to chill. And maybe watch Netflix?" Draco asked suggestively, looking to Ruby and Weiss.
"Nope." Ruby declined..
"Not on your life." Weiss denied.
Ozpin rolled his eyes at this, before speaking. "The road ahead is undoubtedly filled with hardships and peril. However, it's been far too long since you have all been together." He explained and put his hand on Yang's shoulder. "Please, take tonight, enjoy this moment." He said, to which Yang smiled.
Suddenly Oscar's eyes glowed, with Ozpin giving him control back to his body. Oscar realized he has his hand on Yang's shoulder: "Geh!" He yelped and quickly took it off and nervously held his cane in his hand.
"Congrats, Oscar. That's what we call 'going up to bat'. Your first time. Such a proud moment." I said emotionally.
"N-no! It's not like that!" Oscar said frantically.
Yang and Weiss laughed at him, before hearing a noise from Nora as she suddenly realized sometging. "Oooohhh. Raven? Qrow? They're birds! Cracked it!" She said triumphantly, leaning back with her hands behind her head, crossing her legs.
Ren shook his head at Nora being slow on the uptake. "Yeah, no offense, buddy, but between you and Nora, I don't have high hopes for that baby's intelligence." Draco said, putting his arm around my shoulder, to which I punched his head off one final time.