174.1 Masterweaver
[-]
A little sisterly advice
"So your girlfriend is being a jealous bitch," Raven said casually as her brother entered the Higanbana bar.
Qrow snorted as he sat down across from her. "'Hello, Qrow. How have you been? It's been fifty, sixty loops, are you doing better handling your booze?'"
"Look, if you wanted 'dance around the niceties' Raven you should have made sure I never started looping."
"You know we don't have control over that."
Raven's eyes darted away for a moment. "Yeah... I know." She cleared her throat, folding her fingers together. "So, we can both admit I am in general utter crap at this big sister thing."
Qrow groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Please tell me you're not doing this now-"
"I don't think anybody else has done this yet."
"Look, the thing with Winter-"
"I'm not talking about Winter," Raven stated flatly. "Frankly, her being such a bitch about this is totally hilarious in my book. And I'm pretty sure you two will talk about this at some point because it's the fucking loops and you'll be locked in a room with her and Clover at some point and Clover's such a damned 'nice guy' that he will absolutely sit you down for a friendly feelings talk and there will be yelling and admissions and hugs and tears and..."
She caught sight of Qrow's disbelieving look.
"The point is, Winter's not the point. Heck, Clover's not even the point either." The bandit queen jabbed a finger at Qrow. "You are."
"Me?"
"Yes, you, the man at the center of this little shitshow. I hear a lot about Winter being jealous and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one to have given Clover a hard time, but I haven't heard jack shit about how you feel about him." Raven crossed her arms. "So, spill."
"...You're drunk, aren't you."
"Slightly. Very slightly. Like... maybe three, four glasses."
"Would explain all the openness... and the swearing-"
"God damn it Qrow I am actually trying to be a good big sister for once in my miserable life now tell me about your new fucking prettyboy or I swear to Yggdrasil-"
"Alright! Alright, geeze." Qrow held up his hands. "So... Clover. What can I say? He... he actually takes time to build me up. Like, he doesn't just compliment me-he makes sure I know I matter. And yeah, he jokes a bit about how our semblances are mirrors to each other, and he shows off-looks good while doing so, mind you." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Actually, I think he's more open around me than anybody else. Around most of the others he's the Friendly Soldier, and when he gets into a place where he has to oppose anyone he becomes the Professional Soldier. I guess he must... really see something in me. And I have to admit, baseline? That would be big. That would... that is something I like."
"...sounds a lot like Summer," Raven mused quietly.
"Yeah. Well, no-Summer was a bit more in-your-face about everything-but seeing the best in somebody and wanting to bring it out... yeah, in that way, I guess he is."
"You think he'd be okay sharing you with Winter?"
"...Good question. I mean... I'm pretty sure Winter is easing herself into the idea-"
"Uhp uhp uhp, Winter is not the point here, you've got a lot of talk about Winter, I'm asking how you feel about the damned prettyboy."
"Clover's not looping," Qrow pointed out.
"Not yet," Raven countered. "But the tree is so fond of its fucking drama that it wouldn't surprise me if he just activated right now, just to play maximum 'screw with your head' on everyone."
Qrow rolled his eyes. "Except you just said that, so it's not going to happen that way."
"So does mister perfect not looping affect how you feel about him?"
"...Well, yeah," Qrow admitted. "I mean... there's a lot he won't get. I don't... I don't know if I want to expose him to that. And if he starts looping, he's going to be coming into our established... complicated... thing."
"Ruby's little family tree, you mean."
"You know the family tree's only part of it." Qrow shook his head. "I don't know. I mean... I'm not sure if I want to... if he would be comfortable getting into a relationship with me, after learning about Winter."
"Alright... but let's flip that. Let's say he'd be totally comfortable. Would you be alright with getting into a relationship with him?"
"I guess. I mean, obviously we wouldn't leap to 'deeply in love', that's not how this works, but... yeah, I'd be willing to try it."
"And the only reason you haven't yet is..."
Qrow rolled his eyes. "He's not looping."
"Ghira wasn't looping for a while, but Kali stuck with him."
"That's different, they were already married."
"Sure it's different," Raven agreed. "Every relationship is different. Doesn't mean you can't take notes."
"Raven-"
"Look, the way I see it, there are only two reasons you aren't already making him a regular body pillow: cause you don't want to upset Winter, and cause he's not looping so you don't want to upset him. And you know what? That's fine and dandy and it's also fucking stupid because, look, if you, if you just stay back because you don't want to hurt anybody you'll be hurting yourself."
Qrow threw up his hands. "What, do you like the guy?"
"Hell no. He's a cop, I hate him." Raven shrugged. "But this isn't about how I feel about mister 'sleeveless in Solitas.' It's about how you feel. Not Winter, not Clover, you. Yes, you're going to have to figure this out together, but to do that you need to take the first step. And that first step isn't just watching him in baseline. It's asking him out in the loops."
"Even if he's not looping?"
"Yep."
"...why should I take romance advice from a drunken bandit queen who abandoned her own daughter?" Qrow asked with a light grin.
"Okay, first of all fuck you," Raven replied, returning the grin. "Secondly... seriously... yeah, I screwed up majorly in baseline. There, I said it. But... you're not me. You... you get to be better. I just..."
She sagged into her seat. "...I just want to make sure you do get... a better life, right? And this... the whole 'should I' thing... yeah, I can tell you, trying to hide your fears behind justifications is just going to ruin everything. Can tell you that from experience."
Qrow nodded for a moment. "...you know, I shouldn't say this, but... I think getting a few drinks in your system every once in a while might be good for you."
Raven glared at him. "Yeah, yeah, I'm being emotional. Laugh it up, you prick."
"I'm just saying," he continued, "being in touch with your empathetic side is generally a mentally healthy thing and-"
"I'm going to bring this up the next time Weiss forces me into one of her stupid therapy sessions, you know that? 'Qrow says booze is good for me.' How will she take that, I wonder?"
"Oh, you're going to try to set Weiss on me, huh?"
"You're right, that's stupid."
"Good."
Raven pulled out her scroll and dialed a number with a wicked smirk. "Hey Winter! You won't believe what Qrow just said-"
"Raven!" Qrow screeched, jumping over the table as his sister dodged with a laugh.
[-]
174.2 tminh99
[-]
The Origin Of The Word "Cookie"
"RUBY!" Nora entered the room, yelling at the aforementioned Ruby.
"Yes, Nora?"
"I have an incredibly important question that might give you a heart attack if you don't know the answer, but I think you do!"
"Um… alright then! Ask away!"
"Why do we cook bacon but bake cookies?"
The room was filled with an uneasy silence for around fifteen seconds.
"...Ruby?"
"...oh my tree."
"Weiss?" Ruby entered the room looking visibly shaken.
"Yes, Ruby?"
"Why do we cook bacon but bake cookies?"
Weiss leaned backwards slightly, deep in thought for a few seconds. "...hmm. Well, if I remember correctly, the word 'bacon' comes from the word 'back', since it is the back meat of the pig. The word 'cookie' comes from a word meaning 'cake', which does make some sense as the two are somewhat similar. These two words are unrelated to the words 'bake' and 'cook', although the word 'cake' does derive origin from the word 'cooking'. However, this word generally meant simply the preparation of food that long ago, meaning baking would fall under this definition."
"Oh. Well, uh… where did you learn that?"
"Hub loop. Lots of people on the internet have inane questions."
Another uneasy silence ensued.
"Are you okay, Ruby?"
"Yeah, I- I'm fine..."
[-]
174.3 Masterweaver
[-]
Deuterotagonists
"So you know how usually I'll tell everyone we had an expansion and we'll spend xty minutes dissecting every little thing I learned?" Ruby asked with a smile that was a little too bright to be genuine.
Weiss gave her a flat look. "Let me guess: You were the only one Awake and you spent the entire time somewhere where you wouldn't learn anything new."
"Not the entire time. There was the pre-party moment where your unawake self decided to go poking around the mansion while everyone was busy. And I gueeeeess engaging Whitley in some younger sibling banter to get him to let you go up the stairs was fun." Ruby shrugged. "But yeah, the onus is on you. Well, for that part. There's also Penny, Winter, and Ironwood going to speak with the council in the dining room. They bring Clover along, but I've got no idea what happens in there."
"Hmm."
"It's just so frustrating," Ruby grumbled. "I'm the Anchor. I should know this stuff, I should... I should be able to tell everyone 'hey, this is what we need to look out for.' Remnant is my responsibility-"
"Ruby." Weiss grabbed her hand. "A whole world is not something we can expect one person to be responsible for."
"...I guess."
"And as important as it is to note what happened... will happen, whatever, expansions also give us other details," Weiss pointed out. "Such... such as, possibly... possibly firming up loop variable individuals."
Ruby blinked. "...Weiss... you think-?"
"Her name is Willow, this loop," Weiss murmured. "It's been Willow often enough, but I can't... be certain. Not without going through a few more loops. But if she did firm up... If she did..."
Ruby pulled her into a hug. "Weiss, of course that's wonderful."
"If..." Weiss took a breath, gently pushing Ruby back. "My point is. As useful as knowing what the expansions might bring, you do not have to be the one to tell us everything. You're our leader, not because you're some sort of mystic prophet, but because you are a source of inspiration. Alright?"
"...Alright." Ruby took a breath. "Alright. Still though: Backups as soon as possible, and I'm going to ask everyone looping to keep alert if they wake up that late."
"You'll get no argument from me there."
[-]
174.4 Shimmer712
[-]
Wax and Hobbies
"I can't believe you make these," Qrow muttered, examining the shelf of elaborately carved candles intently. "It seems like it would be very fiddly and time-consuming."
"Oh?" Winter arched an eyebrow. "And your jewelry making isn't? All of your beads and metalwork?"
Qrow pulled a face at her. "Hey, if I mess up with the beads, I can just unthread them and redo it. If I mess up with the metalwork, I can just melt the metal back down and reuse it. Your candles have multiple layers of different colours and if you try to melt them back down, they'll mix together."
Winter shrugged. "And I can always use that wax to make the core of the candle and then dip in several times to get the layers of colour that I want so it's not like I waste the wax."
"Yeah, but doesn't the wax ever get too hard before you're finished?" Qrow asked. "Wouldn't bits of it break off and ruin the whole thing, making you start all over?"
"I did have some trouble with that in the beginning," Winter admitted. "I only have about fifteen minutes before it hardens too much, even with a heated room. But I got the hang of it with practice." She pulled a face. "Although I can see why it would about a year to learn to carve them quickly enough."
"They are beautiful, though," Qrow commented, picking up a candle with a pink outer layer and white, yellow and purple inner layers, the wax carved and twisted to create a floral-themed image.
"Thank you," Winter said, pleased with the praise. "I do have other candles. Not carved but decorated with other methods. They're in the next room if you want to see."
"Neat," Qrow grinned, putting down the candle and walking into through the door. Winter watched him leave then turned her eyes to a more elaborate shelf with candles placed on it, eye landing fondly on one specific candle.
The candles on this shelf all represented a specific person. The one her attention was on was red and black, with a theme of black feathers and crosses.
"I have to admit, sometimes, I sometimes have someone in mind when I'm carving them," she murmured to herself with a small smile before following him.
[-]
174.5 Masterweaver
[-]
Radio Branwen
"What up, bitches! It's your gal here, the witch of winds, the bandit bitch of Anima, that's right, it's the Nevermore Queen here to whip up some slick beats. Now I know what ya lot are thinkin': 'girl girl, you been outta stock for a while now! Can ya really make a comeback so fast?' Well I've got a new rave right here for ya, but first-major shout out to my girl Maria, for gettin' us the links we need. Now let's get down to the rockin' shit, I know you're waitin' for it, here's a mix for all you grimm-born badasses!"
Raven flipped a few switches on her board, twiddled a record, and brought down the autoplay. She leaned back from the mike, tapping her pirate radio and taking a dreg of her takeout tea.
And then she Woke Up.
It took her a minute to process her loop memories, and another to stare at the assemblage in front of her. Once she did, though, she had to groan. "Calavera."
"Yes?" said the old woman, sticking her head into the yurt with a huge grin.
Raven gave her a flat look. "You're looping, aren't you."
"Yep."
"And you convinced my unawake self to be a radio host of some sort."
"Took some doing, but yeah." Maria shrugged. "Most famous pirate radio station on the planet."
"I'm surprised the tribe went with this..."
"It's an outlet for their creative urges."
Raven sighed. "I'm never going to hear the end of this..." She looked at the pirate radio again. "...this is actually pretty well constructed."
"I might be an expert on electronics," Maria mused, "but I'm pretty good with them. You know. Goggles and all."
The bandit queen sipped her tea thoughtfully.
"You seem to have a lot on your mind."
"...this isn't... terrible," Raven admitted. "Aside from the dumb DJ slang."
"Really."
"Have you told anybody else you did this? Anybody looping, I mean?"
"Aside from Ruby? No."
"...Right." Raven nodded. "Ruby can keep a secret... don't know about you."
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking," Raven said, "that if you don't tell anybody about this loop, Radio Branwen might be a random recurring variant-as far as other loopers are concerned."
"Aaaaah." Maria nodded in understanding. "Alright, I'll keep mum. See how long it takes the other loopers to figure out."
[-]
174.6 Masterweaver
[-]
Swans are not Silent
"Miss Schnee, is everything okay?"
Weiss shook her head with a sad little smile. "I'm just on a little... nostalgia tour, I suppose. Walking around the old home, you know how it is... I'm sorry if I worried you."
The waitress frowned for a moment. "If there's... something wrong-"
"I appreciate your sympathy, really, but... I don't think this is something you can help with." She glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice. "You should probably get going, I don't want Jacques to fire you for 'loitering on the job.' Especially not after all the hard work you've done-"
"Of course." The waitress nodded, her face once again professional. "Have a good night, miss Schnee."
Weiss nodded to her as they passed each other, quietly dragging a hand down her face. It was stressful enough going through an expansion blind-mostly blind, Ruby had at least warned her about Whitley, and she'd been able to maneuver out of that confrontation with the ease of a looper. But to be sneaking through the Schnee mansion-again-when she had spent so many loops either avoiding it or exorcising it of a mustached monster...
"All I have to do is find one hint of Watts," she reminded herself, approaching Jacques' office. "Just a single hint. Then I can..."
...do what?
She'd figure it out later.
The door to the office opened softly, and Weiss stepped in, carefully shutting the door behind her. She turned-and her breath hitched at the sight of her mother, standing there, holding a tumbler of some clear liquid.
"Hello darling. I'm sorry I couldn't come down for your party, I'm..." The woman rubbed her head. "...afraid I'm not feeling well."
"I..." Weiss took a moment to compose herself. "...see. Um..."
Even after all these loops, she wasn't sure how to handle... this. Obviously if she could get Jacques out of the way... but that wasn't the case here.
"How've you been, mom?" she tried, walking toward her carefully.
The woman blinked, her gaze focusing for a moment. "...I've been... same old, same old." There was a weariness to her tone, one only just painted over by the illusion of cheer. "How about you? You... I think you weren't around for a bit."
"Yes, I... went to Anima, to meet-to meet my friends," Weiss offered, closing the distance carefully. "You might like them, I think." Her eyes drifted to the bottle on the desk. "Six Swans vodka?"
"Hmm?" Her mother turned around. "Oh... well, yes. It's a very good... very good brand. I think they flavor it with..." Her eyes grew unfocused. "...Nettles?"
Weiss nodded. "Makes sense." She glanced at the desk, at the inert holographic device that most Remnant computers used.
Then at the woman before her.
"...Why are you-"
"You know I-"
Mother and daughter paused for a moment.
"...You know, I met my friends' uncle on the trip," Weiss continued. "He's a character. One of those 'rugged rogue' types-scraggly whiskers, tattered cape over a suit... hip flask..."
"Oh?"
"Well, he's gotten rid of the flask," Weiss admitted. "Used to drink all the time, but... some things happened on the trip, and he decided to try going clean. It hasn't been easy for him, but he's doing pretty well-all things considered."
"Weiss-"
"And, I mean, we're all concerned he might relapse. But he's a good man, our friend-family, in some cases-and we'll be there to help him if-"
"Stop," said Willow Schnee, a hint of anger in her voice.
"...he's patrolling the mansion now," Weiss offered quietly. "If you want to talk to him."
For a moment, her mother's expression was one of indignant rage... but it was quickly overcome by pain, and then shame. She looked away from her for a moment, staring at the portrait of a much younger version of her husband.
"...Why are you here, Weiss?"
"It's one of life's great mysteries."
Willow snorted at the humor in her daughter's tone. "Why are you here, in your father's office?"
Weiss sighed. "I'm fairly certain Jacques has done something wrong."
"I thought we all simply assumed that at this point."
"If I can find evidence, I can... do something about it," Weiss said.
Willow looked at her for a moment. "...You called him Jacques."
"Yes."
"Not... father."
"Yes... Jacques Gele. He... has lost the right to be part of my family."
"Of course..." Willow nodded, looking away. "Of course."
Weiss reached out, taking her forearm-the one not holding the tumbler. "Mom, I... I want to help you, you know that right?"
Her mother's eyes focused on her. "Don't."
"Mom-"
"Don't come back." She shook her head. "Not here, not... not to me."
"...you're still alive," Weiss murmured. "You can still grow, change, become-"
"You shouldn't-"
"-you're not the only broken person I've met."
Willow stared at her, uncomprehending. "What?"
"And you're not..." Weiss paused. "You're not... the only broken person I would have had to help heal."
She looked away, then, focusing on the tumbler in her hands. "...it's not that simple."
"No," Weiss agreed. "And... I can't help you tonight, I'll admit that. Not until Jacques is... dealt with. But I-"
"I... I'm part of the problem, Weiss."
"...I know."
Willow looked up at her. "You do?"
"I do. And I still want to help you."
A tear trailed down Willow's cheek. "...I... you need to stay away. From... this."
"...I will stay away until Jacques is gone," Weiss offered. "After that, though, I..."
She trailed off, unsure. It was her hope Jacques would be gone soon enough, but... it was possible she would be forced to leave afterward. And... and one version of Willow Schnee, across all the loops...
"...I'll make sure you get the help you need," she promised instead.
Willow stared into her eyes for a long moment.
Then, quietly, she reached for something on the desk. "He started locking his home computer, but... he still has blind spots."
Weiss watched her open a scroll, which had an image of... the two of them, standing in the office. "This is... a camera feed. You have a camera in here-"
"I put them in every room of this house, for our safety, in case I ever..." Willow paused, staring at the image quietly. "...but I can't, can I? I couldn't... not even..."
Weiss took it from her hands, hugging her gently. "This-this is exactly what I needed, Mom. Thank you."
Willow wasn't able to respond, at first. Her arms were held out, her eyes distant, as she stood stock-still.
Without even realizing it, her arms began to move, slowly, softly, returning the embrace.
"...this isn't right," she murmured. "I don't... deserve this-"
"Mom..." Weiss took a breath, leaning back to look her in the eyes. "Winter was there for me when I needed it, and she wouldn't have been if you weren't able to raise her as well as you had."
Briefly, very briefly, a look of genuine happiness and pride flickered across the woman's face. It was quickly subsumed by regret as the woman pushed herself away, taking her bottle and stalking away. "You shouldn't afford me that much credit."
"Mom-"
The woman took a long draw from her bottle. "If you really believe that, if there's some... chain of goodness, here, then..." Willow stopped at the door. "...then... your brother-"
"I already intend to save him," Weiss promised. "I... don't know how long it will take, but I will."
Willow turned back to look at her, eyes losing focus. "...good. Good... away from us. You..." She pointed a finger not quite at Weiss. "You. You are... you're Weiss, right? I remember one of my daughters was Weiss..."
"Yes," Weiss said.
"...Yes... Weiss. She went to Beacon, did you know that?"
Weiss bit her lip. "So I heard."
"...Away from me." Willow nodded. "Good. Good. She can grow." She turned around, opening the door, and stumbled out of the room.
Weiss sagged against the desk, looking at the scroll in her hands. "...Defiance," she muttered to herself. "Defiance..."
Her eyes narrowed, she stood up straight-
-and the loop, abruptly, ended.
[-]
174.7 Shimmer712
[-]
Talking with the Bandit Queen
Winter raised an eyebrow as a familiar portal appeared and Raven entered her quarters. "This is a surprise," she remarked.
"I suppose it is," Raven agreed, dropping into a chair. "So I hear you have issues with Clover."
"That was blunt," Winter commented.
"I'm a direct person," Raven shrugged, examining her nails. "I heard from Ironwood, just had a talk with Qrow so I wanna hear your perspective."
Winter winced. "I'm… adjusting to the idea," she admitted.
"Yeah but I'm kinda surprised you have issues with this," Raven remarked. "I mean, I know Qrow doesn't, aside from your hang-ups and the fact that Clover isn't looping but that's because of our team. I kinda figured your distance from STRQ was why you had reservations but then I remembered, most loops, open and poly relationships are pretty common in Atlas and Mantle."
"Not in the circles I grew up in," Winter sighed.
"Oh?" Raven looked at her. "Rich men like Jacques don't like sharing their trophies and the gold-diggers don't like sharing their sugar-daddies?"
"To be blunt, yes, basically," Winter nodded. "Monogamous relationships are the norm with the wealthier families. And there are plenty of loops where the military doesn't approve of open fraternization so if there are poly relationships there, I usually don't hear of them."
"I see," Raven said thoughtfully. "So, what do you think of poly relationships? I mean, Qrow mentioned that before his semblance solidified in baseline, the STRQ team trysts often included him pre-Awakening. Apparently, his baseline self is anxious enough about the effects his semblance has on people to avoid those sorts of relationships in the long run and stick to quick flings and the like."
"Are you drunk?" Winter asked. "You're not usually this chatty."
"Just a little bit," Raven admitted. "And had some drinks before talking to Qrow and then I had some more with him. When I was talking to Qrow, he said I should get some drinks in me more because I'm more in touch with the touchy-feely stuff like this."
"Is that what your call earlier was about?" Winter wondered.
"Yeah, pretty much," Raven nodded cheerfully. "Totally tattling on Qrow for saying booze is good for me!"
"…I see…" Winter nodded. "At any rate, while I'm not used to the idea of being in one myself, I am aware that they do work out for the people involved sometimes. Like yourself, Taiyang and Summer."
"That's not exactly the same thing," Raven pointed out. "For one, we have a lot of unknowns about our past and if STR was even a thing. Summer isn't here most of the time, and me and Tai have that whole…" She waved her hand vaguely. "Ex-spouses thing. Although I will admit he and Summer look nice together."
"So do Clover and Qrow," Winter mumbled before slapping a hand over her mouth and flushing.
Raven's jaw dropped before she began to grin, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Oooh! Someone's been peeping! So naughty!"
"It wasn't on purpose!" Winter protested, covering her face. "I thought it was a traitor Clover variant and wanted to see what I could find out for the loop! So, I used a magic mirror I picked up from another branch to look in his room when it was late since that was the time he was most likely to have privacy to call Salem and well," Winter peeked between her fingers. "He wasn't alone."
Raven burst out laughing. "Does Qrow know about these voyeuristic tendencies you have?" she asked, cackling. "Is that the only time you've caught them together?"
Winter grew redder. "It's not my fault! The damn Tree keeps throwing me into situations where I see that like they get stuck somewhere, get drenched and have to strip and huddle to avoid hypothermia and I'm the who's been sent to retrieve them. Or where I Wake in bed with both of them!"
Raven giggled. "Boy, I bet that is grinding away at your hang-ups," she snickered. "Did you enjoy the view?"
Winter squirmed for a moment. "Well…yes," she admitted. "They do look…nice together. And Clover has some nice arms."
"Bet he has other nice bits too," Raven smirked. "And I know my brother is pretty. I have enough baseline memories of throwing people out windows during our Beacon years to be aware of that."
Winter looked at her sourly. "Why does Qrow think alcohol makes you more empathetic?" she asked. "It seems to me you're just taking amusement from everything I say."
"He's my baby brother," Raven shrugged. "Of course I'm going to treat him differently. Hell, some loops, the Tribe kills anyone who leaves them and I don't let them even try to go after Qrow."
"…Did you really throw people out of windows for thinking Qrow was attractive?" Winter asked curiously.
"Some loops, yes," Raven nodded. "And sometimes, Qrow's exploited that to get me to throw people he didn't like. Like the time CRDL was in our time rather than Ruby and Yang's. Forged fake letters with suggestive content and left them in envelopes for us to 'find' together. Shit, one loop, he used that to hook me up with Tai and Summer before I Woke up."
"How did that work?" Winter questioned.
"Qrow had figured out pretty quick that for that loop, the idea of my brother dating was a definite no for me," Raven explained. "And he also knew I wouldn't be able to throw Tai and Summer out the window since they're our teammates. So he told me he liked them, Unawake me was like hell no and went and seduced them so they wouldn't date him." She squinted into the distance. "Still not sure if I should be pissed at him for that."
"I guess Qrow's gotten pretty good at getting the three of you together in loops where you and Tai aren't Awake."
"I guess," Raven shrugged. "But I came here to tell you to be more open to the idea of involving Clover in your thing with Qrow. If for no reason other than the Tree will make you face the idea head-on."
"The Tree is already making me face it head-on," Winter grumbled. "And rubbed my face in the worst-case scenario regarding my jealousy."
"How did that play out?" Raven asked.
"…Unawake me killed Clover," Winter sighed.
"Oooh," Raven pulled a face.
"And the worst part is the lead-up to the murder," Winter sighed. "He had noticed I was bothered about something and gotten me my favorite snack and everything, which he would have had to find out first since we weren't that close, to make me feel better before asking me what was up because he wanted to help me."
"A really nice guy, huh?" Raven looked at her.
"A really nice guy," Winter agreed. "And Unawake me was a yandere over a guy she was possessive about despite only having baseline interactions with him."
"Well, that's bitchy," Raven summarized.
"How drunk are you?"
"Drunk enough to flood Salem's castle with melted cheese!" Raven smirked before turning into a bird and flying into the window before sliding to the floor.
There was silence for a beat.
Raven changed back and got to her feet. She held up a finger.
"My brother never learns of this," she said firmly. "Now let's try this again." Raven opened the window before shifting and flying off.
"…I wonder how many times she and Qrow have flown into windows," Winter mused to herself.
[-]
174.8 tminh99
[-]
Also Known As:
Ruby entered the room. "Hey Nora, I have a present for you!"
"What is it?"
"Well, come and see!"
Nora rounded the corner to see… "WOAH! Pancakes! Ignoring the fact that I have had so many I've probably eaten the entirety of Remnant's weight in pancakes, they're still my favourite and I LOVE them!"
"Wow, that's… uh… a bit more in-depth than I usually hear you rant."
"Is that an insult?"
"Not exactly… now, eat!"
"YAY!" Nora ate the entire stack of pancakes (of which there were 8) in five seconds. "Huh. That's not the usual pancake taste. Still very good, though!"
"Well, uh…"
"Hmm? Is something wrong?"
Ruby fidgeted slightly. "Well, technically, by some definitions… those weren't pancakes."
"WHAT?"
A sigh was emitted. "Since those were made with corn flour instead of wheat flour, multiple places categorize those as corn cakes instead of pancakes. Not everything that's flat, made of flour and tasty is a pancake."
"..."
"Yeah." Ruby walked away, out of the room, leaving Nora to her mental breakdown. A demonic screech was heard from the room, likely emitted from the probably-dying Nora. Then, once she was out of earshot, she smiled evilly. "HA! That's what you get for giving me a stroke! REVENGE!"
[-]
174.9 Masterweaver
[-]
Let's Get Fancy: The Planning Phase
Ruby sighed. "Okay, first question: Has anybody gotten the backups yet?"
There was a general negative.
"Next question: do we want to do more exploring of this period of time?"
"We've already woken up this late five times," Weiss replied. "Well, I have. And while I will absolutely continue to... do what I can for Whitley and my mom, there's not much else I think I can learn from that thread."
"I... may want to poke at the discussion in the dining room," Penny admitted. "I've only woken up in this period once before. I'm very passive in baseline, and..."
She trailed off for a moment. Ruby put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.
"...How bout you, Oscar?" Yang asked. "You doing okay with... it all?"
Oscar sighed. "Oz still locked himself away. I explained the situation, pretty sure he's listening, but-"
"Asking about you, not him."
"I'm... not really happy with things, but I'm coping."
"...Anybody else got any issues they want to bring up?" Ruby asked.
"Look if we're derailing this then Ren and I are totally going to be hamtastically flirty," Nora declared.
"Want to make it a challenge?" Blake asked, leaning into Yang with a smile.
"I suppose I would be down for that," Ren agreed. "Though you would have to let us get some attention from the crowd too."
Ruby grinned. "That dovetails into what I actually wanted to talk about pretty well." She gave Penny's shoulder a final squeeze, before clapping her hands together. "We're all Awake, all nine of us here in this room, we've got access to our subspace Pockets, and we are headed to a Fancy Formal Dinner Party."
"Oh no," Jaune said with a grin.
"Oooooooh yes," Ruby replied with a smirk. "Baseline we just went Huntress Casual. But now, we have a chance to really strut our stuff. My friends, I come before you with the question of utmost import, one that shall influence the very nature of this loop: What is it that we shall wear to the Schnee mansion?"
[-]
174.10 Shimmer712
[-]
Shaping a Conclusion
Set up the double boiler. Turn on the heat and leave it to boil.
Measure out the wax. Put it in the top pan of the double boiler. Add the stearin. Let the mixture melt completely. Stir slowly.
Gradually add the dye. Drip a few drops of wax onto a paper towel and wait for it to cool.
Winter calmly assessed the color of the hardened wax before adding more dye. When she was satisfied with the shade, she checked the workbench. The tray lined with greased paper was ready, the tools she was going to use to cut out the shapes and the curved surfaces the shapes would finish hardening on so that when she attached them to the side of a candle.
She poured the wax and then waited for it to firm up before cutting out the shapes. She pulled a face when some of them proved to be too soft, but managed to move several to the cured surfaces to be left for a while.
Looking at the wax left on the paper, Winter shrugged and left it. It would be easier to remove it from the paper and put it back in the pan to reuse once it had set fully. No tiny, semi-melted bits left behind, they'd all peel off together.
Winter started the process of preparing for the creation of more wax shapes to use to decorate her candles. As her hands carried out the familiar tasks, her mind wandered.
She was…alright with the idea of Clover winning Qrow's affections in baseline, she figured. It might make things a bit awkward later on. Qrow had been her rock, her lifeline back when they didn't know about the other loopers and they didn't know about the pair of them. So, of course she was protective of him. It was only natural.
While she still had mild twinges of jealousy, Winter wasn't bothered by the idea of Qrow and Clover as a couple. What did bother her was the lack of certainty. Would they end up as an item? Or would they stay in that flirting stage where the potential was easy to see? Would Clover even survive whatever happens in Solitas? Would Qrow? And if they both survived, then what? Would Qrow stay in Atlas with Clover or would Clover join Ruby's group?
And what if Clover started looping? What if she and Qrow adjusted to the Clover situation only for the man to become a looper himself? How would he handle it? Ideally, he would be willing to respect her bond with Qrow and maybe have a thing involving the three of them. It would basically be the situation they've already had in some loops, just with Clover aware of the loops.
But what if he took it poorly?
If Clover ever started looping, explaining her and Qrow would have to be done carefully, Winter decided.
She started to measure out more wax.
[-]
174.11 Luna 2
[-]
A handshake is worth a thousand words
"What do you suppose the limits of Robyn's semblance are?" Ruby wondered aloud to the other members of Team RWBY in their Atlas dorm.
It was an idle question. One of many in a world of infinite speculations. But, unlike most that proved to be purely rhetorical and forgettable…this one…stuck around for a bit.
"Well, we know she has to be holding hands with the person," Blake responded while remaining focused on her book. "…and there are almost certainly any number of ways to beat it with out of Loop abilities".
"And then there's illusions and other semblances that can make her think she's seeing the right reaction," Yang added.
"To say nothing of such baseline limitations and subtleties as 'how do you frame the question?', 'that word has multiple meanings', or 'not lying but not giving full details when responding to a question'," Weiss mused while working on Myrtenaster.
"Yeah," Ruby looked slightly sheepish at that last statement, "but, I mean...like, not just the obvious…how unusual a situation *could* you make it work in? Or at least appear to?"
That got everyone's attention.
"So…you mean…get it to work, then leave the others to figure out how you did it and if it was for real?" Yang smiled.
"Well, yeah, I guess so. Oh, and points for creativity."
"Points huh. So I guess we're judging the reactions too?"
"Need you ask?"
Robyn held the hand of the figure, disguised by a dark hood and cape.
"Alright, you got my attention. So, who are you really?"
"I'm Penny Polendina, the Official Protector of the City. Someone that people think of as a machine, but I actually have a soul. I'm an immortal time traveler and the person who saves your life in various alternate timelines. I'm also someone who knows how to speak firefly."
A green flash followed.
"Wait! What? But that's…"
And then Penny detached her arm, dropping her hood with the other hand and smiling. Robyn's words were cut off as her mouth worked silently, trying to process what had just happened... then… wide-eyed… she noticed the hand and arm she was still holding onto... now separate from the rest of Penny's body, rapidly trying to shake it off with a yelp.
Hidden in the shadows nearby, several figures passed comment.
"Not exactly a creative finish. I mean, yeah, reaction's as you'd expect and is always fun the first time you see it, but, it's a straight-up copy of what we've seen at least twice in baseline with my arm."
"Well Yang, I'm pretty sure she's just warming up. Yeah. This is like a set up for an even bigger reveal."
"…such as?"
"…"
"You guys do realize Robyn's still trying to get rid of the hand and Penny's started talking again?"
Everyone looked to where Blake was pointing and saw further green glows of light dancing around the streets, their origin being the semblance of an increasingly unnerved and irate Huntress.
"Ok. That's a bit different I suppose."
"Well…it's a start, but I suppose we could always try the language barrier," Weiss mused.
"If you're volunteering then I have an idea for something you should definitely try!"
"Considero questo esercizio di scarso valore scientifico, ma è importante per la salute mentale di tutti, incluso il mio. Penso anche che prima o poi chiederai il mio aiuto, quindi ti lascerò la mia carta."
Once again, a green flash.
Weiss, complete with antennae, looked nonplussed as she finished speaking and let go of Robyn's hand.
"Ok. So, you're telling the truth…" Robyn began, before crying out in exasperation. "BUT THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!"
Weiss sighed and adopted a thinking pose as she mused. "Oggi le persone non apprezzano le lingue perché non apprezzano la cultura".
Floating above the scene, invisible to all but a few, Ruby laughed. "I can't believe she actually agreed to it."
Yang chuckled as she hovered nearby. "Well, it's probably partly for the style and partly for the in-joke and nostalgia value. I just thought of it when she said language barrier. How long has it been since you did that?"
"Oh, a long time ago now," Ruby kept laughing. "Yes…I guess a… a really…really…long time ago…" A sombre note entered her voice as she briefly reflected on just how much had happened since then, an echo of back when the Loops seemed…just that little bit more simple.
A green flash confirmed the authenticity of the statement.
Robyn's eye twitched.
Neo smirked as she let go of her hand, followed by several one-handed gestures.
"…"
Robyn facepalmed.
Concealed behind a false wall, the observers watched.
"Ok. So, I guess this time round it doesn't matter even if it's not a spoken language?"
"For the record, she's obviously cheating."
"Yeah. That's kind of the point."
"No. I mean…I'm not even convinced that's actually Neo out there."
"…Ok. Might get some extra points…but only if she's got an interesting way of revealing that and getting a better reaction from Robyn."
"What was the original point of this exercise again?"
A green flash…and Robyn let go…of Crescent Rose, which promptly fell back into Ruby's outstretched hand.
"Seriously. How? How is this even possible?!"
"Well, because Crescent Rose is well brought up and knows not to lie whether I'm around or not."
"It's your scythe pipsqueak!" Robyn snapped, "It can't lie or tell the truth…this is some trick…it has to be…"
"Miss Hill," Ruby adopted a stern but also sorrowful look as she interrupted, cradling Crescent Rose close, "I have the utmost respect for you, but please…" A steely glint entered her eyes. "…don't insult my Baby Girl."
From a nearby fire escape, Yang and Blake took in the scene.
"I'm guessing this time round that: a) she's got a bunch of Chibis hiding between Robyn and Crescent Rose, b) she's extending her aura somehow, c) It's Weiss in disguise..." Yang counted off her fingers while Blake rolled her eyes.
"I can assure you it's not c)," Weiss mock-glared as she walked down the stairs behind them and they looked back, "I've had no part in this one. As for what it is…" She folded her arms. "I could speculate, but…that would be breaking confidentiality."
Both Blake and Yang raised an eyebrow at that, while below, a very un-Happy Huntress tried desperately to make sense of the increasingly unbelievable things she was hearing and seeing.
[-]
174.12 Masterweaver
[-]
Complete Control
"...Generuncle Jamie?"
James Ironwood sighed, head in his hands.
Penny glanced away for a moment, before steeling herself. "I... know that... in baseline, you're not entirely... I mean, with the loops, you've learned to trust us, and... and you know PTSD can affect judgement, and-"
"Penny, just... ask the question."
"...I don't blame you," Penny said quietly. "Realistically, you had no idea how I could turn out and certain precautions would..."
She trailed off for a moment.
"...Jamie, did you... this loop, I mean, before you Woke Up. Did... you install an override into my systems?"
The general didn't even look up. "Yes."
"...And... how often-"
"Too often."
"...what type?" Penny asked quietly. "Just plain shut down, freezing my components or... or taking control?"
"...that's loop variable. This loop-well, before you rebuilt yourself, I could lock you into a transit mode at any time with the press of a button."
"I... see."
James looked up. "Penny, I am so sorry for... for what I said, for how I-"
"Jacques... manipulated the situation," Penny said. "I... I'm not... comfortable with it, true. But... even if I have to spend some time away from... this... you're still my generuncle Jamie."
"...I sometimes wish I'd never started looping," the man muttered. "I sometimes wish..."
Penny took a breath, fully entering the room. "You started looping when I did. And I started looping right after dying. The other loopers did their best, and helped a lot. But you-you were there to provide me the support I needed, the guidance and advice that would have felt strange coming from my friends. If you hadn't started looping-way back when we still activated in pairs-who would have activated with me? Neptune, maybe?"
James snorted.
"He's a nice boy, aside from his flirtiness and confidence issues. But he wouldn't have been able to help me like you did. No, I'm... I'm not comfortable with what happened at that party," Penny admitted. "I'm... a little afraid your baseline self might get paranoid enough to try... something. Or that you'll die and Tyrian will get ahold of your scroll which... might have the program that puts me under Watts' control. But... honestly? That fear, of being hacked, that fear's been there since this batch of expansions began. And you've been my generuncle Jamie for so much longer than this." She put a hand to her chest. "No matter what happens with your baseline self, I trust you. The looper, standing before me. And for all the mistakes that version of you is making... you've yet to cross the line into abusing your subordinates. You've yet to order your troops to fire on civilians-restrain them, during a riot, but not to fire on them."
"...you know it's only a short step."
"Yes. But it's one that we are all holding you back from." Penny closed the distance, putting a hand on his. "You are family, generuncle Jamie. You're not perfect, and we... might need to disagree on some things. But I will always be willing to talk to you, even-especially if you're doing something wrong. Baseline or looping. You can trust us to keep you from... going too far."
James Ironwood managed a small smile. "How is it that the one soldier who has no literal heart somehow manages to have the biggest metaphorical one?"
"I had a father-and an uncle-who loved me growing up," Penny replied with a small smile. "Also, I met Ruby."
[-]
174.13 Shimmer712
[-]
The General Knows
Raven's statement about how Winter's antics were out of character for her kept echoing in his mind. James knew she was right. Winter was very professional and usually composed. But even in baseline, she could be hot-headed, especially when Qrow was involved. So was it out of character for her?
James considered it over for several loops, carefully watching Winter. There were times where she didn't glare at Clover. Going stealth for a few loops had her not pulling any pranks unless it was close to when the other loopers would arrive.
After careful observation and investigation, James was sure Winter's antics weren't as fuelled by jealous as he had previously assumed.
He also looked at other loopers. Ruby and Weiss loved Qrow and Winter and would have been concerned if there had been an issue but they didn't have any issues with Clover or his interest in Qrow. They had eyed him with contemplative looks on the faces but nothing indicated they thought he might initiate the end of whatever Qrow and Winter had going on.
"You wanted to talk, sir?" Winter entered the room, closing the door behind.
"It's about your attitude regarding Clover," James began.
"Sir, with all due respect-"
"Winter, how much of your antics are you playing up and how much is actually motivated by jealousy?" he interrupted.
Winter blinked then grinned. "Heh. I need to tell Qrow to pay up the next time I see him."
"You were betting on me figuring it out?"
"Not just you," Winter admitted. "Basically, everyone we had a difference of opinion on if they'd work it out. Qrow thought you would be too worried about me to figure it out."
James sighed. "Well, there are worse reasons for doubting me, I suppose," he responded.
Winter took a seat. "I'll admit, there have been some…issues on my part," she confessed. "But it hasn't been as bad as I have implied with my antics. And it has been getting better."
"Oh?" James raised an eyebrow.
"I keep Waking up in situations. That is all you need to know and all I'm going to tell you," Winter said firmly.
"…I see." James sighed. "Will you be continuing with the pranks?"
"For now," she nodded. "If you want, I can talk to you about them. So far I've been pretty sure none of them have any potentially harmful or lethal consequences but another opinion would be nice and it would give the game away if someone found out Qrow was helping me plan the pranks."
"Have you considered replicating Emerald's prank on Neptune from the Chibi loops?" James asked.
"….Not yet."
[-]
174.14 tminh99
[-]
Well, That Escalated Quickly
Nora walked into the room.
Ruby narrowed her eyes, immediately suspicious.
Nora took out cookies.
"YAY!" Ruby immediately ate the entire plate of eight cookies.
Nora smirked.
Ruby vomited. "Bleughyrughsrhgushiugggggggg WHAT KIND OF 'COOKIES' WAS THAT CRAP? BLEUUGHUGHWSGWGRGRSH"
Nora had to hold back the urge to laugh hysterically. "Oatmeal raisin."
Ruby's face somehow became paler than it was already. "WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU! WHY I OUGHTA-"
Nora was already gone.
Ruby walked into the room.
Nora readied her weapon, narrowed her eyes and began to step away.
Ruby took some pancakes out of her Pocket. "Look at me."
Nora stared angrily, despite the fact that nothing had even happened yet.
Ruby ate the pancakes whole.
Nora somehow narrowed her eyes further, evidently incredibly mad.
Ruby took out more pancakes.
Silence ensued.
Ruby took out a lighter.
Nora's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare…"
Ruby lit the pancakes on fire.
Nora figuratively lit herself on fire.
Ruby put the pancakes down and ran away at the speed of light.
Weiss entered the room, where she had chained Ruby and Nora to a wall, around five feet away from each other. "Now, I've noticed that you two are incredibly mad at each other. I'm not one hundred percent sure why, but I did find a plate of oatmeal raisin cookies and pancakes burnt to a crisp."
Ruby and Nora glared at each other in silence.
Weiss continued to speak. "So, to remedy this, I was going to speak to you, get you both to speak to one another, all that stuff. But I've decided to go with a different solution."
Both girls on the opposite side of the room had looks of confusion on their faces.
Weiss set up a glass wall between her and the other two. Then, she took a kitchen stove out of her Pocket.
Silence ensued.
Weiss turned the stove and oven on. Then, she put a pan with pancakes on the stove, and a batch of cookies on a tray in the oven.
The silence returned.
Everyone waited, and waited, and waited…
After at least ten minutes, Ruby realized her plan. "Hold up… no… you can't be… are you just going to let them burn?"
Weiss, or "Weiss" as was deducted after that revelation, left the room, and shut the door behind her.
Ruby and Nora started to yell at her, to come back and turn off the stove. To no avail, of course.
The cookies and pancakes burned. Eventually, the stove itself was burning. And after some time, the entire building was burning.
Neo walked out, changed from her disguised and cackled evilly.
[-]
174.15 Masterweaver
[-]
How close are they?
Ruby looked up at Winter with eager eyes and a broad, toothy grin.
"No," said Winter.
Ruby and Penny looked up at Winter with eager eyes and broad, toothy grins.
"It's a meme!" Winter protested.
Ruby, Penny, and Weiss looked up at Winter with eager eyes and broad, toothy grins.
"Oh come on," Winter groaned, "not you too Weiss?"
Ruby, Penny, Weiss, and Pyrrha looked up at Winter with eager eyes and-
"Pyrrha, you're not a part of this."
"I am!" proclaimed Nora, looking up at Winter with eager eyes and a broad, toothy grin.
"...Fine," Winter groused. "I will consider-I am not making it official!" she clarified quickly. "I am just considering it! But I will consider adopting Penny as another sister-"
"Yay!" cheered all the girls.
"-thereby making the Remnant Looper Family Tree even more complicated," Winter continued deadpan. "And forcing even more familial obligations on me."
"Familial love expression!" Penny cried, tackling her in a hug.
"Further familial love expression!" Weiss agreed, hugging the two of them.
"Dominating familial love expression!" Nora declared as she toppled the three of them down.
"I just like hugs!" Ruby shouted, joining in the embrace.
"Gnnf-Pyrrha!" Winter reached out a hand. "Help me!"
"But you said I wasn't part of this," Pyrrha replied with a far-too-innocent smile.
"A curse upon you, Nikos! A CURSE UPON YOU!"
[-]
174.16 Shimmer712
[-]
Talking It Out
"I think Clover is deliberately showing off in front of you," Winter mused. "I mean, he knows about the Relics and obviously knew Ruby had one on her but when he first appears, he ignores her to walk over and stand in front of you first, getting your attention." Her lips twitched. "It's actually somewhat adorable."
"You seem more at ease talking about him," Qrow noted. "Worked through the issues you had?"
Winter faltered. "You noticed?"
"That your antics weren't solely motivated by shenanigans and you had more issues with the whole thing than you said you did? Yup," Qrow nodded. "Didn't say anything because I figured if it got too much for you, you'd say something. Besides, you have your own pride and probably wanted a chance to work through it yourself."
Winter winced. "Was I that obvious?"
Qrow considered. "When you first brought up the whole issue with Clover and a possible open relationship, you did show some insecurities," he said. "Like how we don't seem as, how did you put it? Interlocked as some of the others." Qrow shrugged. "I don't see how that's a problem but it did seem to bother you a little."
Winter pulled a face. "I was trying to make the whole situation with Clover easier for us," she said. "But I guess I tried moving things too fast without giving myself enough time to process everything."
"If it helps, I needed help to process everything too," Qrow told her. "I mean, I figured my baseline probably wasn't straight. Kinda weird to think about the idea I might have a relationship baseline. And I don't really know what to think of the fact baseline, I didn't tell Ruby about my semblance until the whole thing where Tyrian poisoned me yet I told Clover so quickly." He shrugged. "I mean, I've known her and Yang for their entire lives and they didn't know that about me until I told Ruby on our way to Mistral where Yang was filled in? And Clover gets told after how many days?" Qrow leaned back in his chair. "I dunno, it just seems weird. I mean, my baseline, I've always been Oz's spy, you know? So that means not just randomly offering up information to a new face."
"I didn't think of that," Winter admitted. "Being so quick to tell Clover something would be out of character for you, wouldn't it? I guess the two off you really did click in baseline."
"Or maybe I just wanted to save face given that I had nearly fallen on my face a bit earlier and then nearly brought a wall down on him, giving a clear reminder why knowing that a bad luck magnet is one a dangerous mission is a good idea," Qrow scratched his ear.
Winter rolled her eyes. "At any rate, he is a good man, isn't he?" she said. "One I have to admit, I'm growing fond of."
"So, we just continue as we have been with the 'wait and see what happens' approach?"
Winter nodded. "I suppose so." She paused. "Although, if Clover starts looping…"
"Yeah?" Qrow looked at her questioning, eyes concerned.
"Let me talk to him first?" she asked. "Explain things to him?"
Qrow considered then nodded. "Yeah. Sure. I can do that."
[-]
174.17 Luna 2
[-]
Why is my blonde hair singing bananas?
High-pitched singing, of thousands of small voices. Over and over again.
"Yes, we are all bananas…we are all bananas today."
Yang growled, eyes flaring red as flames erupted around her hair, which, for some reason, was made entirely of tiny singing bananas with eyes and mouths. They quickly went crispy and evaporated, leaving her bald.
Weiss just stood, impassive.
A moment later, the bananas regrew within a matter of seconds, and continued their high-pitched song.
"So. This has happened to everyone in the cafeteria who had blonde hair?
Yang sighed. "Pretty much. Tried burning it off multiple times – nothing. Even transforming doesn't get rid of it. I mean...a dragon…with singing banana hair! Just wait till I get my hands on that guy."
They both looked round, most students with blonde singing banana hair were either curled up on the ground covering their ears or else had been knocked out.
"I still can't believe that some of them thought the best thing to do was to try sticking forks in their heads?" Sun exclaimed (his own hair also living bananas, singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), having just run around along with Yang and Blake, trying to stop one or two of the more desperate students.
Blake gave him a slightly irritated look, lipreading because her ears were all covered by a pair of muffs. "The frequencies some of those things are singing in is agony Sun. That reaction is totally to be expected."
He just gave a slightly lopsided grin back, his banana locks smiling too as they continued their song.
"You seem surprisingly ok with this," Yang muttered.
Sun laughed nervously. "Heh…look…my name, being a monkey faunus, throwing a banana at the guy in Volume 1? Do you seriously think Yggdrasil hasn't put me in lots of banana-based loops before?" He shuddered as some of the memories resurfaced.
"Fair point."
"So." Weiss surmised, "If you cut or burn the bananas they just regrow? And, given the pattern, you think this is our mystery visiting looper's fault?"
The other three nodded, before everyone's attention turned to hear new songs entering their ears as Glynda approached from one direction, Jaune and Pyrrha from another.
Glynda just avoided looking at them, a blush on her face as her living fruit follicles (technically herb follicles) sang "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz" over and over again.
Jaune just looked blankly as choruses of "Allons enfants de la Patrie, Le jour de gloire est arrivé" rang out where his golden locks should have been, Pyrrha walking alongside him, torn between intense sympathy and stifling her giggles at the absurdity of the situation.
"Ok, so, it looks like this goes beyond the cafeteria." Weiss Unpocketed an advanced scanner. "Right. Let's see if we can track down whoever did this and get them to reverse it, but, since they're stealthing, and have somehow avoided us so far, I can't make any promises."
"Heh. Sounds good. I mean what are our other options? Surgically removing the roots of our hair?" Sun chipped in.
They all looked at Yang.
"I'm keeping that option open."
The bananas on her hair suddenly stopped singing and started murmuring nervously at this statement, followed quickly thereafter by their neighbours, who seemed to be sweating.
"Huh. Good call Sun," Jaune perked up.
"You wouldn't really do that would you?" all the bananas chorused while looking at Yang with teary little eyes.
Yang looked slightly sheepish, before sighing again. "I will if you keep singing nonstop."
The bananas looked at each other, quietly mumbling, not knowing quite what to say.
"Alright. All blondes here," Weiss spoke up. "Negotiate peace with…your hair." She rolled her eyes even as she said it. "Blake, Pyrrha and I will start searching".
"Because you think the hair will give us away?" Jaune piped up.
"And because we might be able to get information from it." Glynda finally looked up at her hairline, some of the bananas nodding enthusiastically in response to this suggestion.
"Ok. Let's also agree…given the *traumatic* nature of this…no recordings." Yang looked round as her fellow blondes nodded, then she looked at Weiss.
"And that means all of us, right?"
Weiss smiled innocently.
Yang's eyes narrowed. "You already pulled the feeds from the school security cameras, didn't you?"
Weiss focussed intently on her scanner. "A good investigator has to move quickly to preserve evidence."
All blondes in the vicinity facepalmed.
[-]
174.18 Masterweaver
[-]
Watching the Willow
"So... your mom has a camera in every room of the house."
Weiss gave Ruby a look. "Yes. What of it?"
"I mean... what, do you just... when you go home do you just say 'Hey Mom, I'm going to do something weird because I'm a time traveler' to empty air?"
"...huh." Weiss frowned. "You know, I haven't... actually thought of that."
"You haven't?"
"I don't really bring my looping shenanigans directly into the house. Most of the time I depose of Jacques through manipulating finances and records. Whitley... does require a personal touch," Weiss allowed, "but generally nothing that requires any oddity other than my presence and gentle care. Which I suppose would be odd for my mother to witness anyway, but..."
Ruby tilted her head. "Huh. You know something, though... I think we've been on the downcurve for zaniness recently."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"I don't know." Ruby nodded thoughtfully. "But Willow Schnee... perhaps she could be a decent judge of how ridiculous our antics are."
"I'm not sure she's qualified to-"
"You're right, you're right. We'd have to sober her up and keep her sober, which means getting rid of the alcohol in-"
Weiss slammed a hand on her desk.
Ruby cringed. "...sorry. You're right, I just-"
"You just wanted to have fun with a new member of the family now that she's been revealed," Weiss said, very calmly. "I can understand that. I want to spend time with her myself, but..." She shook her head. "It's not going to be that simple. Not with the condition she's in. If she were looping, we could work on it consistently, but as is..."
"...as is, we should be more careful with our looping shenanigans around her for the time being," Ruby agreed. "Sorry, I was... a little overeager."
"...only a little," Weiss admitted. "You're right, we need to be more... not less serious, but more, uh..."
"Fun?"
"That's... a good word for it, I suppose."
[-]
174.19 Shimmer712
[-]
Pay Up
"You owe me a diamond tree," Winter smirked at Qrow.
Qrow raised a brow. "Really? James put his worry aside enough to catch on? I figured he would be too caught up in his concern over you to put it together."
"Well, he did and spoke to me about the fact I wasn't misbehaving towards Clover solely out of jealousy," Winter declared, still smirking. "So, I win that bet. Pay up," she ordered.
"Fine," Qrow stretched his arms. "You wanna come and pick it out?"
"Sure," Winter agreed, looping her arm with his.
In his Pocket, they strolled through his forest, eyeing the trees.
"You got a color in mind?" Qrow asked.
"Not really," Winter shrugged. "How many of the trees do you have?"
"A lot," Qrow told her. "I was familiar with the story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses so I already knew they would spend their time. Besides, I hit the eldest girl with a tracking charm so I knew when they left the underground castle and spent most of the three nights Pocketing trees that were far enough from the pathway to not be noticed. Think I got at least half of the diamond ones."
"Meaning I have a range to pick from," Winter nodded.
"A bigger range than what I grabbed actually," Qrow said. "Look," he pointed. "There's a sapling for one with blue diamonds."
"Oh, that's right," Winter remembered. "You thought some crossing breeding had happened with the different types of diamond trees, didn't you?" She eyed the sapling. "I'm going to keep that one in mind," she told Qrow. "But I want to see what other colors there are."
"Sure thing," Qrow agreed.
They continued their wandering. Winter had seen trees with green, purple and pink diamonds scattered among the other plant life before she spotted a tree with blue gemstones on it. Frowning, she walked over to it and inspected the jewels closely.
"…Qrow," she said.
"Yeah?"
"This isn't a diamond tree," she told him. "It's a sapphire tree."
Qrow blinked and looked at it, squinting. "Huh, so it is." He considered. "I didn't pay attention to all the trees I grabbed, so maybe there are ones that grow gems other than diamonds and sapphires?" he mused.
"Let's see," Winter decided, striding off, Qrow sauntering behind her.
Before they left the Pocket, they found trees growing rubies, emeralds, amethysts, rose quartzes and stones they didn't quite recognize, neither of them having put much studying to various gems.
"You were able to recognize that tree as a sapphire and not blue diamonds pretty easy," Qrow commented, brow furrowed with slight confusion.
Winter gave a faint smile. "I can recognize the stones that are commonly used in jewelry like diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. It's the ones that aren't so popular, especially with the richer Atlas families I have trouble with."
"Fair enough," Qrow shrugged. "Which one are you gonna take?"
Winter tilted her head. "I'll take a diamond tree since that's what you put up for the bet," she decided. "I'm still deciding between blue, purple or classic white diamond tree."
"Just take one of each," Qrow suggested. "I have plenty."
"You sure?" Winter asked. "The bet was only for one tree."
"I'm sure," Qrow rolled his eyes. "Besides, more will probably sprout and replace them sooner or later. Now, do you want saplings or fully-grown trees?"
"It would probably be easier to get saplings since their roots won't be so deep," Winter decided.
The three saplings were selected, dug up and put into pots before Qrow moved them out of his Pocket so Winter could move them into hers.
"So, where do you want to put them?" Qrow asked, looking around her garden.
Winter hummed to herself. "I think I'll figure that out later," she decided. "For now, I want to soak in my hot tub." She glanced at Qrow. "Join me?"
Qrow smirked. "Sure thing," he agreed, following her.
[-]
174.20 Shimmer712
[-]
The Hypno-Corgi Arrives in Mantle
"Salutations, Captain Ebi!"
Clover turned to see Penny beaming at him. "Hello, Penny," he greeted, backing up a few steps and trusting his team to finish off the Grimm. "Is there something I can do for you?"
Penny clasped her hands together. "I have encountered a peculiar situation in which there is no established precedent or procedure. My initial thought was to just arrest and apprehend the individual but I felt it would be best to see out clarification before doing so."
Clover shrugged. "Okay, so what's the situation?" he asked. Odds are he would just be confirming, yes, she should just arrest whoever but there was no harm in reassuring the robotic girl.
"I have encountered a psychopathic serial killer in a hypnotic trance induced by a corgi desiring pets," Penny informed him.
Clover stared at her.
The rest of his team finished off the Grimm and approached the two in time to hear him say "...I understood those words separately..."
"I did say it was a situation for which there was no established precedent," Penny reminded him. "Should I take you to the location where they are?"
"Yeah, I think you should," Clover nodded, signaling for the rest of his team to follow.
They followed Penny and stared.
"That's Tyrian Callows," Vine commented.
"It is," Clover nodded.
"He's petting a dog," Marrow said.
"He is," Clover nodded again.
"Why is he petting a dog?" Harriet demanded.
"I must pet the corgi," Tyrian intoned, staring vacantly and drooling.
"I would like to say that we did not train our dog to hypnotize people and have no idea where he picked that up," Yang held up her hands. "I would also like to point out the most he's ever done with it is get people to pet him."
"...How long will he stay like that?" Clover asked the oldest member of the group with Tyrian.
"Until Zwei stops," Qrow answered.
"Can he keep it up long enough to get Tyrian into a cell?"
Qrow shrugged. "Yeah, probably. He can keep it up for a while."
"Good," Clover sighed. "This has got to be the most bizarre arrest ever."
Qrow barked out a laugh. "You obviously have no idea how high the bar for that is," he told the specialist, obviously amused.
The Ace-Ops had the distinct feeling they were missing a joke.
[-]
174.21 Masterweaver
[-]
Sickeningly Sweetharddrives
"For those of you joining us in the dining room, please follow me."
Three of the four invitees broke off from the group to trail behind Whitley, but the fourth found her hand clasped by another. Green eyes met silver and, if anybody had been looking directly at the two pairs as they locked, they would have seen the slight arching of an eyebrow alongside a head tilt, which was responded to by a contemplative glance toward the ceiling followed by a slight incline of the chin and a small grin.
"Oh Ruby, my rose, patience is perhaps a pressing problem, yet my duty calls me anon," lamented Penny as she followed after the general.
"Oh Penny, my precious, how saddened I say my self has slipped, this separation enforced upon us," Ruby agreed somberly, walking alongside her.
Whitley actually stopped, turning to look at them with a disturbed expression.
"Your wit is still as sharp as your scythe, my marvelous mystic markswoman."
"And your smile is yet as bright as your beams, my majestic metal maiden."
"...Is this... normal?" the boy asked the general.
"Oh my young friend," Ruby bemoaned, "so unused to the idea of love!"
"A tragedy indeed," Penny intoned. "Perhaps we should look into it, my lovely red reaper?"
"We should indeed, my little green gumdrop, though perhaps not tonight."
"Aye, not this night of all nights. Still, still."
For his part, General Ironwood was clearly unsure how to react... and so decided not to react at all, simply continuing toward the dining room. Winter and Clover both followed him, shooting odd looks at the apparently oblivious pair.
"It pains me to leave you alone with the people of the world, my combat-ready cutie, and I hope you'll be able to adapt to it."
"I shall count the hours till we meet again, my silver-eyed sweetheart, but with your speed I know it shall be soon."
Ruby stood next to the dining room door as everyone entered, holding Penny's gaze as the others entered. "Je pense que tu es vraiment cool et je t'aime beaucoup."
Penny smiled slyly. "Je veux te lécher le visage."
"P-Pennyyyyyyy!" Ruby protested with a blush. "We talked about this, come on!"
"I'm sorry, but you're just so adorable when you're flustered!"
"Ahem," said general Ironwood.
Ruby and Penny looked into the room to find Jacques, the two councilmembers, and Robyn all staring at them.
"Well, I guess... this is where we part ways," Ruby said reluctantly, turning back to Penny.
"I guess it is," Penny admitted with a soft little sigh.
Ruby leaned forward, pecking Penny on each cheek (trying not to blush at the quiet d'awww of Robyn Hill). "Good luck, my gorgeous ginger gynoid."
Penny nuzzled Ruby's nose (very pointedly ignoring Jacques' huff of exasperation). "Reap well, my resplendent red-haired rascal."
The two separated, eyes locked as Ruby backed away, till at last their gaze was broken by the door shutting.
Penny turned around with a polite smile. "My apologies, just had to make sure my girlfriend would be okay without me for a bit. You all know how it is, right?"
"Heh." Robyn nodded, shooting an amused look at the annoyance on Jacques' face. "Yeah, I know how it is."
[-]
174.22 Shimmer712
[-]
Shaping A New Piece
Winter dipped the candle on last time in the white before lifting it and letting dripping for a little bit before moving over to the work desk. She looped the wick over a hook and sliced off the drippings before she set about carving, bending and twisting the wax working quickly.
Winter selected her wax shapes, applied the wax adhesive and then pressed them against the candle, setting them in place.
When she was finished, she left the candle to grow cold and hard.
Several days later, Winter retrieved her candle and went to her storeroom. She walked over to the smaller shelf and eyed the rows of candles.
After a moment's hesitation, she placed on the shelf. Stepping back, Winter eyed the shelf and then walked out.
The red and black candle representing Qrow stood silently next to its new neighbor. A carved green and white candle with four-leaf clover shapes decorating it.
[-]
174.23 Masterweaver
[-]
Shipping Is Seriously Silly Business
"Ruby."
Ruby jerked awake, spinning around in her chair. "Uh, Weiss! What's up?"
Weiss pointed at the computer screen with a flat look.
"Heh heh... uh... would you believe this is... research? For preparation?"
"No, but I'm willing to endure your attempts to convince me."
Ruby bit her lip. "Okay, so... uh... so if anybody from the expansions activates, right, they're going to be thrown into all this without-I mean we'll support them, obviously, but partnered activations got turned off. So they'll be around their old friends and it'll be awkward because they're looping and the friends are not and they'll be from Atlas or Mantle while we'll be down in Beacon and... and, uh, I kinda want to prepare if there's a larger impact then that? So I'm doing research."
"Research into the favorite ships of the fanbase," Weiss deadpanned.
"I mean..." Ruby rubbed her head awkwardly. "Clover alone, that's going to be a mess."
"Mmm. Winter is willing to share Qrow, from what I've picked up on."
"She does realize Clover's not bi, right? All evidence indicates he's gay? So it would be... not all three together, is what I'm saying."
Weiss shrugged. "If she doesn't by now, I'll talk to her. But I think she'll be able to handle that."
"Right." Ruby spun back toward the screen. "Anyway, there's also the Happy Huntresses to think about. Like, a lot of people ship Robyn with Fiona, but I'm trying to figure out if that's baseline. I want to say yes, but..."
"...but given how much of a stickler Remnant is for details, you're hesitant to accept heavy implication without outright confirmation."
"Yeeeeeah."
"Ruby, is this really about preparing new loopers?"
Ruby sighed. "No..."
"Is this you looking for cute ship art of the new people in our loop to indulge your shipping side?"
"...yes..."
"Do you think I would honestly judge you for this at all?"
"...no..."
"Have you gotten any sleep in the past twenty hours?"
Ruby sighed. "Alright, alright, fine, I'll go to bed!" She shut off the computer and stood. "It's a hub loop anyway... Hey, uh, Weiss?"
"Yes Ruby?"
"...Thanks for checking in on me."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "It's only us two this loop. I'm sure anybody else Awake would."
[-]
174.24 Masterweaver
[-]
And They Finally Get The Backups!
Ruby stared at the screen, her eyes going wet in slow despair.
"...We couldn't have known," Weiss said quietly. "The party was organized, it kept anybody who could warn us..."
Her shoulders sagged, the scarlet cloak she was wearing enveloping her.
"...it takes time," Penny reminded her gently. "As soon as we know-and we will know, in baseline, in the next expansion-we'll save them-"
"All those loops... waking up that late, looking around the party..." Ruby shook her head. "All those loops. I could have... if I'd even thought to look at Mantle... how many people were doomed because I focused on the wrong thing?"
"We'll make sure it doesn't happen going forward," Weiss murmured.
"You mean I will."
Penny flinched. "Ruby-"
"I'm the only one guaranteed to be Awake. The only one that can predict Mantle will be freezing, point people at it... I... I should have noticed-"
Weiss grabbed her hand firmly. "Ruby Rose, you listen to me. The expansion ends just when the heating grid is turned off. Not enough time passed for any of them to die. And when the next expansion hits-the one where they will actually be in danger-you will know, and you will be ready. You have not failed-not yet. Not in this."
"Weiss-"
"She's right," Penny said, taking her other hand. "I... I don't know how much help I'll be in baseline, but if I'm Awake, I'll join you immediately. And I know you'll save as many as you can. You're not blind to the problems of the world, Ruby. You can be deceived, yes, but not easily-only through ignorance. And you have not failed here."
"Penny-"
"Ruby." Penny put a hand on her chest. "I get it, really. That was horrifying. What Watts did... condemning a whole city to a slow death... if it happened, it would be a tragedy, but there's more than enough time to prevent it. Baseline and looping."
"Your girlfriend and your best friend are both telling you that you're still able to help," Weiss pointed out. "Don't let the guilt of what you missed consume you. You're still able to help. And for all the tragedy set to happen, we will get through it... together."
"...I..." Ruby swallowed, straightening up. "I... guess, you're right. I just... I know things get bad. But sometimes I wish they wouldn't get bad so quickly, so suddenly. I'm supposed to be-"
"You are supposed to be Ruby Rose," Weiss said firmly. "Nothing more and nothing less."
"This is not your fault," Penny agreed. "And it's not, naturally, your responsibility. Only because you have a heart."
"Girls-"
"Just... we'll let you have your cry, but... please..."
Ruby swallowed. "Okay... okay." She sniffled as the two of them leaned into her. "Twigs and branches... It's going to be horrible."