Here we are at Chapter 95. We now have over 500 favorites! A shout out to all of those who have been reading my story up to this point. Thank you. Anyway, time for Velvet and the gang to see if they can find Oscar and sort this mess out. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 95. Enjoy.
Chapter 95: Figure Things Out
Ruby and Velvet walk through the city streets at night, looking for the missing farm boy, Oscar. Meanwhile, the others are off searching other parts of the city. While this does help with covering more ground, the fact remains that Argus is still a very large city, even though it's not one of the kingdoms.
"Oscar!" Ruby calls out.
"Oscar, where are you?!" Velvet yells with her.
"This place is so big. How are we gonna find him? He could be anywhere," Ruby laments.
"We'll find him Ruby. We just have to keep looking. I swear, after we find him, I've gonna slap Jaune around for being such an idiot," Velvet grumbles, but Ruby still hears her.
"That's not gonna help anyone, Velvet. Jaune and the others were just upset," Ruby defends Jaune.
"He punched you in the face," Velvet reminds her.
"Okay, so they were very upset. The fact remains that right now, our priority is finding Oscar. We'll sort the rest out later," Ruby says.
Velvet sighs, "Fine... Have you been able to get in touch with your uncle?" she asks.
Ruby's shoulders sag, "Nope. Ugh, figures he'd be getting drunk right now when we could really use him. He could fly over this city and spot Oscar for us from the air in a matter of minutes, I bet," she complains.
"We'll just have to find him without Qrow's help. Honestly, if he's really drunk, he'd be more of a problem than a solution," Velvet notes, making Ruby sigh in agreement.
"Come on, let's keep looking," Ruby says.
…
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Yang and Weiss look for Oscar as well.
"Man, you'd think a 14-year-old farm boy would stand out more in a place like this," Yang says.
"Argus is a travel and trading hub. Lots of different kinds of people come through here. We just need to keep looking," Weiss says.
"Where do you think he would go in a place like this?" Yang asks.
"Honestly, I have no idea, but anywhere where a person can be alone to their thoughts would probably be a good place to start," Weiss replies.
"And that would be where exactly?" Yang asks.
Weiss sighs, "A lot of places, I'm afraid," she notes.
"I get why Jaune was angry, but I don't think it was right what he did. Especially to Ruby," Yang notes, clenching her fists a bit.
"I understand, too, Yang. This is a... very bad situation that we're all in. But, we can just quit... I don't want what happened to Lily to happen to other people as well. That's why we're going to Atlas. But we can't go unless it's together. All of us," Weiss says, intertwining her fingers with Yang's robotic ones.
"I know, I know. I still think Jaune was way out of line," Yang stands firms on that note.
"As do I. And as I recall, Velvet already made him pay for it. You can have your turn after we find Oscar," Weiss says.
"Yeah... Come on, let's keep looking," Yang says and they continue walking through the city in search of Oscar.
…
Back with Velvet and Ruby, they find themselves nearing a local park in the city.
"Want to take a look around here?" Velvet asks, gesturing to the entrance to the park.
"Yeah, but wait here first. I think there's a café stand down that way. I could really use some coffee. I'll get us each something," Ruby says, giving a light kiss to Velvet's cheek before walking off.
Velvet stands by the entrance, waiting patiently. However, a moment later, she notices a single leaf with fall colors float by, flying on a wind current through the entrance and deeper into the park. Feeling something compel her to follow, she walks into the park, following the flying leaf. As she walks deeper inside, she catches sight of something that takes her breath away for a moment. Located at the center of the park is a tall, bronze statue of Pyrrha Nikos, standing with her sword on her back, and holding her shield low in front of her legs. Velvet walks up to it, staring at the bronze image of her fallen friend. She looks down, finding a bronze sign that says 'In honor of Pyrrha Nikos and all others who lost their lives fighting at the Fall of Beacon'. Velvet stares at the words before looking back at the statue itself.
"It's nice, don't you think?" she hears a female voice and looks to the side to find a young woman with very long white hair reaching down to her ankles, and wearing a very intricate red and white dress with a long, white half-skirt around her waist. In her arms are some flowers. "They made this for Pyrrha Nikos, and all the others who lost their lives when Beacon fell," the woman says as she walks up and places the flowers down by the statue's feet.
"Why would they make something like this here?" Velvet asks.
"I... heard she trained here. At Sanctum Academy, before she enrolled at Beacon. I can't say why she wanted to go to Beacon instead of Haven, but I believe it was because she felt like that was where she wanted to be. Did... did you know her?" the woman asks.
"I... I did. She was a good friend of mine, back at Beacon. She was always so nice and understanding. Strong and skilled, but... humble as well, despite her being a bit of a celebrity. She was a huntress, through and through. I was very happy, and proud, to have met someone like her. I just wish that she was still here right now," Velvet laments.
"She is," the woman says, gaining her attention again. "I'm not a huntress, but I believe that she understood that she had a responsibility to try. Because that is what a huntsmen or huntress would do in times of strife. To try. There was never any choice to make for people like them. And I'll bet a huntress is exactly what she always wanted to be," the woman says.
Velvet raises an eyebrow, "You... sound as though you knew her," she inquires.
The woman smiles, "Not personally. But I did follow her exploits, and that was just the sense I got from here from what I read and learned," she says.
"She fought for what she believed in, and for the people she cared about. Sometimes, I wished I was more like her. As good of a person as she was," Velvet admits.
"...You are, Velvet," the woman says, stunning her.
She never told this woman her name.
"Wait, how do you-," Velvet begins.
"Hey, Velvet!" she hears and looks back to see Ruby at the entrance, with two cups of coffee in her hands. Velvet looks back, only to find the mysterious woman gone, vanished into thin air. Ruby walks up to Velvet, "Hey, where did you-," Ruby says, only to gasp when she finds the statue of Pyrrha in front of her.
"Apparently, they made this in honor of her because she trained at Sanctum Academy here, before she went to Beacon," Velvet informs her.
Ruby just stares at the statue, a wave of emotions flowing within her, "I miss her. Every day, I think about her... and I know that Jaune, Ren, and Nora do too," Ruby notes.
Velvet wraps an arm around her shoulders, "Me too. But I believe that is precisely why we can't quit. If we stop fighting, then her death really will have been for nothing. She knew that she was the only one who could try to stop Cinder. And I believe that she knew that she might not make it out alive, but she still tried. I think we need to do the same," she says.
"Yeah. As long as we don't give up, she'll still be with us, in a way," Ruby adds.
"Yeah, you're right," Velvet agrees.
"Come on, let's go check in with the others back at the house," Ruby says, handing the second cup of coffee to her girlfriend, which she takes.
Ruby and Velvet walk away, heading back to the house, unaware that the woman in the white and red dress is watching them go from the shadows of the trees, smiling as they leave.
"They sure have come a long way," she mutters before heading off in another direction.
…
Back at the house, the pair meet up with the rest of their team and Maria, only to find Qrow, drunk as usual, and slumped over on the front stairs of the house. Ruby and Yang just stare indignantly at their uncle.
"I've never seen him this bad," Yang notes while Ruby shakes her head.
"Again I ask, how is this drunk your uncle?" Velvet asks.
"It's a mystery," Yang replies.
"Come on, let's get him up," Ruby says and she and Yang pick Qrow up, who starts to wake up, getting him into a proper sitting position.
Qrow holds the bridge of his nose as he groans, "Ugh, why am I on the stairs?" he asks groggily.
Yang and Ruby step back, with Ruby's hands on her hips, "You're out here, Uncle Qrow, one, because you've been drinking all day again, and two, because nobody's home. We've all been out looking for Oscar," Ruby tells him.
"Oscar? What?" Qrow asks.
"Jaune went a little too far on one of his spats, and took it out on Oscar and Ruby. Then Oscar disappeared and we've been looking for him. Had you'd been at least somewhat sober, and had been HERE when it happened, we might have had a better chance of finding him with your ability to turn into a bird and fly over the city to spot him," Velvet explains, crossing her arms.
Just then, they look to their left to see Team JNR, along with Saphron, Terra, and Adrian walking back to the house, with Terra looking taken back a bit at the scene in front of her family's home.
"I bet this must look great to the neighbors," Terra notes about a drunk on her stairs, only for Saphron to lightly elbow her arm in response.
"You guys couldn't find him either?" Weiss asks.
"No, but don't worry. We aren't going to Atlas without him," Jaune says.
"...We?" Ruby asks.
Jaune smiles at his teammates and then turns to his older sister, "Sorry we won't be staying," he apologizes.
Saphron rolls her eyes with a smile, "No, you're not," she playfully replies.
The rest of the group smile at seeing that Team JNR is still on board for the mission.
"How about we continue this little discussion inside and out of the cold," Terra suggests.
Just then, the front doors open, "Oh, I was wondering when you'd guys get back," they hear and look up to see none other than Oscar emerge from the house, although with a whole new look.
He is wearing an olive coat with shoulder pads and a belt, both of dark red. Underneath, he is wearing a white collared shirt and bandages wrapped around the neck. His gloves are a slightly open U-shape with black X-pattern wrist straps. He also wears black trousers and red boots colored orange at the toe.
"OSCAR!" Everyone cheers.
Oscar smiles, only to take it back when the group, minus the adults and Velvet suddenly tackle him into the house, with Ruby laughing as she pulls him onto his feet.
Velvet joins them, "We were wondering where you were," she notes.
"You had us worried sick!" Weiss says.
"Are you okay?" Ruby adds.
"What are you wearing?" Nora asks, smirking as she checks out his new look.
The rest of the group walk inside, "Is something... cooking?" Saphron asks.
"Oh, yeah, I thought you guys could use a hot meal after... spending all day looking for me apparently," Oscar says.
"It's my fault we were all out there in the first place," Jaune says as he steps forth. "Oscar, I am SO sorry about what I said earlier. I was way, WAY out of line, and-," Jaune apologizes.
Oscar raises his hands, "No, no, it's okay... These past few days, I've been scared of the same things that you guys were. I don't know how long I'll still be... me... But what I do know is that I want to help you guys in any way I can with whatever time I have left," Oscar says.
"That's good. This team isn't the same without you... But you're not the only one I have to apologize to," Jaune says and turns to Ruby. "Ruby, I'm sorry about punching you earlier. I totally lost it, and shouldn't have taken it out on you, on any of you. I'm sorry," Jaune says.
Ruby smiles, "Jaune, it's okay. That's all water under the bridge now. What matters most is what we do next. We're still friends after all," she says, making Jaune smile.
Just then, they hear some beeping in the kitchen, "Ah! The casserole!" Oscar freaks out.
"Don't worry, we got it, chef," Saphron says as she heads into the kitchen with Terra after she gives Maria Adrian.
Ruby notices her uncle walking up the stairs and walks towards him, "Where are you going?" she asks.
"I don't want to get in the way of your little celebration," Qrow replies without looking back.
"You've been gone all day. Just sit with us," Ruby says.
Qrow sighs, "Ruby, look... I'm glad you guys were able to sort out whatever that craziness was about. But, the fact remains that we're not a single step closer to getting to Atlas. We still have the gates shut in our faces," he notes.
"Actually, I think I may have a plan for that," Jaune speaks up, and Qrow raises an eyebrow for him to continue. "With the borders and gates closed, and travel limited, only Atlas military ships are allowed to leave from Argus to Solitas. So, I was thinking that we could... steal an Atlas airship," Jaune says nervously, making everyone go wide-eyed at him, followed by Adrian laughing a bit.
"That's not just breaking the law. That's... definitely worse," Weiss notes.
"Well, it wouldn' be the first time I've stolen a ship from someone else. Just another day in the trenches for me, really," Velvet notes, not bothered by the idea of breaking the law again.
"But, how would we even get onto the airfield?" Yang asks.
"That part, I... haven't quite figured out yet," Jaune replies.
"Okay, then let's figure it out together," Velvet says.
"Just stop! All of you, just... stop. Look, if this goes bad, this isn't something we can just fight our way out of. This is the Atlas military we're talking about here. We're not dealing with Grimm or criminals this time around. Please, for all of your sakes, just drop this," Qrow shoots the idea down, making everyone frown.
However, Velvet remains resolute, "And do you have a better idea?" she questions him.
"Look, kid, this isn't-," Qrow begins.
"Do you have a better idea?!" Velvet yells, shutting him up.
"Look Uncle Qrow, I want to hear Jaune out. I know that you're just trying to protect us, that you don't think we can handle it, but right now, I don't really care what you think!" Ruby adds, stunning Qrow. "I know this is bad, but just because you're out of ideas, doesn't mean that we're out of options. We've been in bad situations before, and we didn't need an adult to come and save us or tell us what to do. We just did it our way. And I say that we do it our way," Ruby says.
"Look, we've been doing our own thing long before you showed up, and after Ozpin left, we were still doing our own thing. We're not kids anymore, me especially. We're fully capable of making our own decisions," Velvet adds, standing with Ruby.
"But... if you think you can keep up with us, then we'd be happy to have you," Ruby says.
Qrow just stares at them until he hears Maria laughing.
"Looks like you didn't give them enough credit either," Maria notes.
Qrow looks back to Ruby and Velvet, who stare defiantly at him, and he eventually concedes with a sigh.
"Alright, what do you have in mind?" Qrow asks.
…
After going over the plan for how they're going to steal and Atlas airship, and get away safely to Atlas, the group have dinner and then turn in for the night since they'll have a long day tomorrow. In her sleep, Velvet wakes up, finding herself in the familiar white void again.
"It's been a while," Velvet notes as she stands up, finding Summer Rose nearby. "What is it this time?" she asks.
"Nothing quite new. More like a chance to train more with your maiden powers. You've only recently acquired them, and have yet to master them fully," Summer says.
Velvet activates her maiden powers, conjuring up a small ball of flame in her right hand, "Let me ask you something. The maiden powers, do they differ based on what season it is?" she asks.
"Not exactly. Unfortunately, even I do not have all the answers for the power of the Maidens. I think it may depend upon the person wielding them, their character. When Cinder Fall had the Fall Maiden's powers, she primarily uses fire-based abilities. However, the former Fall Maiden, Amber, used wind-type abilities, and even ice-type abilities as well. You've used fire abilities in your short time with it, but you can use other forms of it as well. It will just take some time to become attuned to them," Summer explains.
Velvet lets her flame flutter out, "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" She asks.
"We train. We'll see what comes easier to you, get better with that, and then move on to the next step. It's not much, but it's the best we can right now. The only person who would have a better grasp on this would probably be Professor Ozpin," Summer says.
Velvet grimaces, "Not exactly in the mood to listen to that liar, not after everything he kept from us... Did... Did you know? About him and Salem?" Velvet asks.
Summer shakes her head, "I knew of Salem's existence, and her goals. I knew about the Maidens and the relics, about magic, but... I never knew everything. I was in the dark just as much as you were. Had we known the full truth, things might have been different... But we can't dwell on the past. The only thing we can do now is move forward," Summer says.
Satisfied with that answer, Velvet moves on, "Okay, so where should we start?" she asks.
And that's the chapter. The gang manage to fix things between Jaune and Oscar, and Velvet continues her training to master her Maiden powers. Meanwhile, the group plan the heist of the year in order to get to Atlas, but will the plan go well? What awaits them next? Who was the woman that Velvet was talking to earlier? Until then, please Read and Review.
P.S. I'd like some ideas for Velvet's new look for volume 7 (yes, she will have a new look while in Solitas). Give me some thoughts on the matter.
