175.1 SAXiao
[-]
The Spirit of the Holidays
Roman took a look in his Pocket, and a particular device caught the corner of his eye.
"Ah, the good ol' Spiritsucker," he smirked, picking up the vacuum and twirling it around. "But, alas, not today, my friend. Perhaps another time," he finished, gingerly placing the vacuum back where he found it, and continuing his search for a brew he was working on in preparation for a holiday brew-off with Qrow.
...
"All we wanted was ONE. FREAKING. TREE." Yang growled, even as she punched away another boulder lobbed at her. "HOW MUCH EFFORT IS ONE TREE?!"
"Clearly not this much," Weiss quipped, even as her summoned Armor batted away offending projectiles. The two of them were on sentry duty while Blake and Ruby secured a suitable tree for the holidays, only to be astounded and flabbergasted when the perfect tree became part of a Petra Gigas that was now bearing down on their position.
"CURSE YOU GRIMM!" Ruby hammed up, flying at petal speed towards the Petra Gigas, even as Blake tripped it up with Gambol Shroud, causing the Grimm to land flat on its face.
...
"Ozpin," Glynda noted. "This is just... garish. There is no way the Council will approve of this for this loop."
The headmaster spun around, sipping his coffee. Apparently turning the top of Beacon tower into a large pine tree with a star at the very top screamed overcompensation, as well as a waste of Valean taxpayers' money. "I don't see the problem, Glynda..."
...
"Father, are you-" Whitley opened the door of his father's study, but only finding Winter and Raven sitting in it, having made themselves comfortable, and sipping away at eggnog. In another corner, Kali was preparing a gingerbread house for the three to decorate.
"Whitley," Winter started, "it's time for you to go." The youngest Schnee gulped, politely nodded, and closed the door, pretending he saw absolutely nothing of what just transpired.
[-]
175.2 Masterweaver
[-]
The Old and the New
Steel clashed against bronze in loud clang, disc whirring on as hook spun through the air. Two women dodged, one bending back as the shield went over her face while the other jumped aside just as the kama began its return. A gloved hand reached out and the disc flew back again, slipping past the figure in blue as she twisted out of the way and slamming into the returning hook on its way back to its own owner. A blue skull flipped backward, revealing a small muzzle that pelted the bracer of the brown-clad warrior with two bullets before she could regain her shield.
Maria snatched her returning kama out of the air, her skull mask not hiding a sardonic grin. "And that, invincible girl, is why you don't rely on a single defense."
Pyrrha smirked, spinning her shield on her arm. "At least I have a defense, grimm reaper. You've only got a good offense."
Her spear flipped to a rifle, pressing into the groove of her shield, and blasted at the woman-who swung her kama once, twice, thrice, sending each bullet flying. The flash of the third swing kept Pyrrha's eyes for a moment too long, as the other kama arced over her shoulder and embedded into the ground-by the time the sound reached her ears, Maria had already jumped and triggered the Gravity Dust link, sending herself flying over her opponent and delivering a kick to the redhead's skull as she passed over. She pulled her weapon out of the ground and swung it round, hooking one of the girl's legs and pulling it out from under her. Pyrrha flowed into her fall, rolling Akoúo̱ against the ground in a one-armed handstand as she shot her gun inverted before Maria could slip out of range. A push and a twist had her quickly summersault onto her feet, her opponent twirling the kama in her hands as she rose to a full stand.
"Not bad, not bad." The woman circled carefully. "Good recovery and an attack in it too."
"I'll admit, if I hadn't been prepared for that, you might have gotten me," Pyrrha replied with a grin.
And so it went, blow after blow exchanged, spear against staff, sword against scythe, two legends of different times whirling about the room with comments and observations and compliments and barbs. A screen above showed bars in green, each slipping nick by notch alongside the other, inching ever closer to the line that separated them from a red section. Every twist, every shift, either sent a blade or bullet at the other or kept them away from the assault, sometimes both at once.
At last, twelve minutes after they began, there was a buzz. Both halted, looking up at the screen.
"...Damn." Maria shook her head, leaning on her staff as she breathed heavily. "Am I really that out of practice?"
Pyrrha shrugged. "Well, I am an older looper. Aaaaaaand your combat clairvoyance isn't quite as unique in the multiverse as it is on Remnant."
"Really?"
"Weiss actually picked up force clairvoyance. It's a little... different, she sees a few seconds into the future where you seem to sense everything in the now. I couldn't use the same tricks on you as I did on her-you caught on to my feints much quicker. Then again, you were easier to catch." She sat down on the stairs to the stage. "It's a subtle difference, but..."
"But it's one that you noticed." Maria sank down next to her, looking over her hand. "Woo. You know, I do like being this... not old woman, you know, but at the same time... it's strange." She rotated her hand thoughtfully. "This is me... but it feels like a me that I shouldn't be. Not wrong, but not... the same. As before."
"Mmm." Pyrrha nodded. "There are loops-rarer now, but there are loops where my spirit winds up in Crocea Mors. And... yeah, being a sword and a shield is weird, but it feels right."
Maria glanced askance at her. "Jaune's weapon?"
"Baseline, he uses metal from my destroyed weapon to reforge his. Something something semblance, something something aura transfer machine, something something magic..." Pyrrha waved a hand. "It's... interesting."
"It must be."
Pyrrha glanced at Maria's kama. "Speaking of weapons, I've been meaning to ask: which one's Life and which one's Death?"
"Life's the one made from blackthorn wood, Death's the one made from yew wood."
"Really?"
"This loop, anyway." Maria gave her a wry smirk. "But for us, I think, Life and Death are so very similar as to look the same."
"Maybe," Pyrrha allowed.
"Hmmm." Maria shrugged, standing up. "Welp. This was fun. Anything else you want to do?"
"Well... I have taken up gardening..."
[-]
175.3 Leviticus Wilkes
[-]
Mad as a Hatter.
Mercury Black was an unflappable, relaxed and all around collected young man. Being raised by an assassin who beat you daily, mutilated your soul, and tore your legs off meant that you either learned to control yourself or you learn to sleep under two feet of dirt. As such, he liked to think that when Cinder had pulled him into her little scheme to destroy the kingdoms at the behest of an immortal Grimm Queen it was simple, unavoidable fate.
That concept had been successfully beaten into his head the third time he had been forced to relive it.
Now Mercury was on reset four and was trying his best not to freak out as he, Cinder and Emerald walked the halls of Beacon Academy. Surprisingly it wasn't the fact that time was repeating that was freaking him out: Salem's whole deal had inured him to weirdness, and he was blaming magic. No, he was freaking out because he and Cinder and Emerald were two months ahead of schedule to attend Beacon, and based on how Cinder was acting, she wasn't Cinder!
Trailing behind Cinder through the halls of Beacon, Mercury took careful note of her gait. She had a relaxed, satisfied air about her, not abnormal, but she was moving light on her feet. An experienced Huntress might move like that on the best night of her life, but Cinder did it casually, a change that spoke to years of experience beyond what Mercury knew about her. Then there was how she was treating him and Emerald: she was supposed to be abusive and manipulative, applying emotional control to him and Emerald. Now though, she had a warmer air about her, an air that concealed some steel, but was almost... healthy?
It was frankly unnerving to Mercury, to have Cinder, whom he now felt he had known for over six years, act so different. It was like someone had scooped Cinder soul out of her body and stuffed someone else into her body. This new Cinder was... older somehow.
The trio rounded a corner and Mercury nearly had a heart attack when Ruby GODDAMN Rose ran into Emerald. Ruby was probably the most enigmatic person he had been dealing with, if only because she was completely different depending on which time he was reliving the last two years (next two years?) of his life. The first time she had been eager, excitable, annoying and a bitchy little goody two shoes. The second time around, she had battled Grimm inside of a robot the size of Amity Colosseum. The third time she had founded a religion based on the veneration of her dead mother.
Mercury had joined that cult, which Ruby had named The Dark Side, for the cookies. They were delicious.
Mercury took a slow, deep breath, putting his legendary composure to work as Emerald helped Ruby get back up. "Hey, are you alright?" Emerald asked the bizarre klutz.
"Yeah, you just threw me for a Loop."
Alarm bells went off in Mercury's head. 'Threw for a loop' had been something Cinder had said to both Emerald and Roman, which had garnered no abnormal reaction. But if both Ruby and Cinder were saying it...
"Well, you can probably Anchor us," Cinder said, and the bizarre phrase was all the evidence Mercury needed. Cinder and Ruby were code-switching. Cinder and Ruby knew each other. And how could they know each other?
Well, Cinder had mentioned a Loop, so had Ruby, and neither of them were acting like they were supposed to be. Ergo, they were like Mercury, Looping through time!
"Mercury."
Mercury nearly jumped out of his skin: he had gotten lost in thought, and now all three girls had his eyes on him. Cinder repeated herself. "Stop ogling her."
"Hey, she's cute," Mercury said. When Ruby blushed and looked away bashfully, Mercury turned on the charm. "Look at her, she's practically a doll, all red and cute and rosy right from her-"
"That's enough," Cinder said, drawing a sword on Mercury and pushing him away from a giggling Ruby. Mercury decided not to poke that dragon, and calmly returned to his room with Emerald. Once inside, Emerald burst into rib breaking laughter over Cinder's shut down, and Mercury dejected sat on his bed.
Inside his mind though, Mercury was planning. Next time, next Loop, he and Ruby were alone... oh, they were going to talk.
[-]
175.4 Masterweaver
[-]
Not A Total Bitch
Weiss glanced up from her book and quirked her brow at the bird gliding toward her. "Don't you usually stalk Yang?"
"Let's just take the obligatory 'fuck you' rant as read," the bird replied, perching on the arm of the bench next to her.
That comment made Weiss's brow rise even further. "This is serious, then," she mused, putting aside her book. "Are you asking for a therapy session or a favor?"
"Look, I just... Ugh. It's December in the hub, right? Christmas and that shit?"
"The winter holidays of togetherness and giving," Weiss agreed. "I feel I must remind you our celebration is explicitly non-descript."
The bird cocked her head.
"...Admittedly, the trappings are most commonly associated with that particular holiday," Weiss allowed, "but they are technically mostly derived from a combination of pagan festivals and secular commercialization."
"I didn't come here to talk about the semantic religious connotations of the particular celebration we take in winter," the bird pointed out flatly, rustling her wings. "I came... look, you can't tell ANYONE about this."
Weiss pinched her fingers and ran them across her lips.
"I'm serious," the bird emphasized. "Not even Ruby. Nobody hears about this."
Weiss sighed. "I hereby swear on my honor as a huntress, jedi, and second looper of Remnant that I shall not relate the information you are about to give me to any individual in any knowing or willing manner."
"...I..." The bird looked around carefully, lowering her voice. "...I want to... you know... play Santa. This time around, if and when we have a big everyone awake loop. Mysterious gifts for the loopers and that shit."
"Aaaaa. Getting frustrated that you're not appearing in the expansions, are you?"
"I should peck your eyes out. I can do that, you know."
"Of course you can," Weiss agreed placidly. "Do you want my advice, my help, or are you just letting me know so I don't get in the way?"
"...mostly the third one. But..." The bird glanced around warily, hunching in. "...maybe the first one too, on the down low. When it comes."
"I'll start assembling some tips. And of course, this conversation never happened."
"Yeah. You'd better-" The bird paused for a moment, before cawing out a sigh. "You're not going to be threatened by anything I do, are you?"
"Sorry," Weiss apologized sincerely. "Second looper and all that."
"...Whatever. I've got... places to be." The bird took off, flying a short distance before vanishing into a red gash in the air.
Weiss hummed with a small grin, taking up her book. "Will wonders never cease...?"
[-]
175.5 Boohoooo!
[-]
(Star vs. the Forces of Evil X The LEGO Movie X Star Wars X Fullmetal Alchemist X RWBY)
TEAM JUCE AHOY!
Janna Ordonia blinked as she Awoke. She whistled at the fancy school in front of her.
"Fancy school? No Diaz to tamper my shenanigans? Talk a great Loop!" She smirked as she makes her way inside.
Unikitty Awoke as well and grinned, recognizing the place in front of her.
"Yay! Remnant! It's been a while!" She cheerfully hopped up and down. A few students walking by raised eyebrows at this odd statement but ultimately decided to let the (for this Loop) Cat Faunus be.
"Alrighty, in I go!" Unikitty cheerily skipped inside.
C-3PO Awoke and 'hmmmm'ed to himself. He was currently Human, which was always an odd sensation to him.
"Well, no sense Dilly dallying. I'd better get inside. Punctuality is important," the usual Droid muses. He made his way inside.
"Man, I hope Yang doesn't bug me for that 20 bucks I owe her," Ed bluntly stated to himself upon his own Awakening. He shrugged and made his way into the building of Beacon Academy.
"...And the Team of Janna Ordonia, Unikitty Unicorncat, C-3PO Droid and Edward Elric will be Team JUCE," Ozpin finished up making teams.
"...Huh? Like... Juice? The drink?" Janna asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. What an astute observation," Ozpin drawled.
"Aren't we supposed to be based on colors? Or at least color adjacent things?" Janna continues.
"Usually yes. But this Loop I thought I'd mix things up." Ozpin shrugged. The 4 seemed satisfied with that answer and walked off.
"Greetings and salutations, friends. I am C-3PO, of Human-Cyborg Relations. Splendid to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too! I'm Unikitty! Can't wait to get started!"
"And I'm Janna. If you see any zombie heads lying around, don't freak out. They're just mine."
"... OK then. And that obviously makes me Edward Elric."
"I thought you'd be taller," Janna muses.
A moment later, Janna was groaning with a broken leg and Ed getting scolded by Professor Port.
"Off to a lovely start, I see." Threepio sighed.
"Not really," Unikitty obliviously pointed out. Threepio gave her a deadpan expression.
[-]
175.6 Master_Spoiler
[-]
Quick Pizza
(Salem's Castle, the Land of Darkness)
Salem, Queen of the Grimm, looked around at the current iteration of her inner Council. The scheming Dr. Watts, the psychotic Tyrian, the revenge-driven Hazel, and two Seer Grimm representing that coward Lionheart and her loyal maiden Cinder. Each of them had a part to play in her upcoming plans. But right now, most of the weight fell on Cinder.
Salem looked at her servant. "How go your attempts at preparing a team to assist you in the fall of Beacon, Cinder?"
"It goes well," Cinder dutifully explained, her voice echoing from the Seer Grimm. "So far I've been able to obtain the services of four individuals. The street thief Emerald Sustrai declared loyalty to me after I assisted her in escaping capture, her hallucination Semblance will be quite useful. High-Ranking White Fang Member Adam Taurus also formed an alliance with me when I promised aid in his imaginary war against mankind. The Self-Proclaimed 'Criminal Mastermind' Roman Torchwick joined my cause willingly, claiming he found me and my plans to be 'intriguing'. I don't trust him, but he has access to resources Taurus does not. Lastly, I was able to recruit the assassin Marcus Black. His ability to steal and relocate Semblances shall be useful in bolstering the strength of our forces."
Salem nodded her approval. "Excellent. I believe it is time to put the next step of our plan into motion. Watts has been able to locate the whereabouts of the Fall Maiden-"
Ding-Dong
The Queen of the Grimm was cut off by the unmistakable sound of a doorbell, coming from the direction of the entrance. "What. Was that?"
Hazel slowly stood up. "I don't know, but I'll find out." He lumbered over to the large door and opened it. Standing there was a young man with silver hair, dressed in red and white and holding a couple flat boxes. He was also wearing a blindfold.
"Quick Pizza! We deliver within 30 minutes or less, or your money back!" The young man recited.
Hazel leered down at the young man, who didn't seem to notice due to his blindfold. "What do you want?"
"I'm here to deliver the pizza sir. You know, cheese, sauce, and other toppings on flatbread? Quite the delicacy. Someone here must have ordered it!"
Hazel looked back at Salem and the others gathered around the table. They seemed just as baffled as he was. He turned back to the delivery boy. "What's the blindfold for?"
"Customer Privacy. There was a scandal a few years back, we're not allowed to know anything about the people we deliver pizza to. Now, are you going to take these, or…"
Once again, Hazel looked back at the table. Salem still seemed stunned, but Tyrian was bouncing excitedly in his chair. Watts sighed. "Just take it."
Hazel did so. "Thanks kid. Do you need help getting back home or…"
"I can get back to my bike just fine sir. I've got lots of practice." The boy pulled out a red-and-white cane, and started prodding it back and forth, using it to walk away.
"Huh." Hazel closed the door, walked back to the table. "I guess we have pizza now."
"Was that... Mercury Black?" Cinder asked via the Seer Grimm, sounding surprised. "Marcus Black's son? Marcus did say his son was in the delivery business, but I thought he meant Dust or weapons or something less… mundane. We probably have nothing to worry about, provided his father keeps him in line."
Salem nodded. "Hazel, Tyrian? Open the boxes."
They did so. Tyrian gasped in glee! "Oh! Salami! This will be quite the delicious meal. There's just a wonderful taste to meat that reminds me of the thrill of the fight, the blood pumping through my veins, the fear in the hearts of my enemies…"
While Tyrian rambled on, Hazel stood in shocked silence. Wordlessly, he picked up the open box and walked over to Salem.
She looked in the box. There was no salami on this pizza.
There was pineapple. LOTS of pineapple.
Written on the inside of the box's lid was a note: "From Ozpin."
Salem screamed.
(Three years later, Weiss Schnee's Underground Bunker)
"You started a World War. With Pizza," Remnant's second Looper said in a deadpan.
Mercury shrugged. "It was an accident! I just wanted to see what would happen. I didn't realize that old hag hated pineapple so much."
Weiss narrowed her eyes at the assassin. Muffled explosions could be heard from above. "You do realize what this could mean for you, correct? I could reveal your plan to everyone, and feel completely justified in doing so, after this stunt."
"Plan?" Mercury smiled. "What plan? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Your 'I'm going to be a Stealth Looper for as long as I can, and when people find out convince them to let me keep Stealthing while not telling anyone else so they think they're the only person who knows I'm Stealthing' plan, obviously," Weiss stated bluntly, feeling a sense of satisfaction when Mercury's eyes widened slightly. "I'm a jedi, one who is an expert on hiding emotions. The idea of you getting away with lying to me is laughable."
Mercury lowered his head. Not in shame or guilt. More disappointment in getting caught. He glanced at her. "You said you could reveal my plan. Not would."
"Of course," Weiss confirmed. "After all, why should I reveal you now, when I have something so much better in mind?"
Somehow, the way she said those words sent a chill down Mercury's spine. "What do you mean?"
The girl smirked. "One word. Blackmail. As a Stealth Looper, you're in a prime position to witness… certain events, evidence of which could be used to coerce our fellow Loopers into doing things for us. You report any blackmail material to me, and we use it in ways that benefit us. As an added bonus, I could in theory pretend to my fellow Loopers that I suspect them of knowing something involving you, and pressure them into acting less like they know you're Stealthing, which can lead to more shenanigans, which can then lead to more blackmail material."
Now it was Mercury's turn to narrow his eyes. "And why would you do this?"
Weiss shrugged. "Because sometimes I want to mess with my friends a bit. Also because you're basically my errand boy now, since you don't want me revealing the whole thing."
Mercury sighed. "...Ugh. Fine. Whatever, Ice Queen. I'll help you blackmail everyone." Another muffled explosion could be heard from above. "What the heck is going on up there, anyway? I figured Ruby would have stopped the fighting by now."
"Ruby's on vacation this Loop. Traveling the Galaxy. I told her I'd alert her if there was any trouble."
"And you don't think an eight-way World War between Salem, Ozpin, Atlas, the Schnee company, two White Fang factions, Torchwick's gang, and Jaune Arc counts as trouble?"
"Nine-way," Weiss corrected. "Headmaster Theodore was deposed by his daughter, who is choosing to fight against Ozpin. With ruby slippers that double as rocket launchers, if I recall correctly." She thought for a moment. "I'm not sure if Roman counts as a side, however. Technically he's just selling his goons and attacking people to mess with them. As neutral as Raven's bandit tribe is, really." She held up her scroll, as if checking on something. "No wait, she's joined the fight as well. And kidnapped Whitley again. And Mantle rebelled against Atlas two weeks ago. And Dr. Merlot is being crazy and just declared war on everyone." She put her scroll back in her Pocket. "I'll call Ruby once the amount of individual sides exceeds 23. That's our current record. Or if someone summons the brother gods. Whichever comes first."
Mercury groaned. "What on earth have I gotten myself into?"
"Welcome to the Loops, Mercury Black," Weiss said. "Leave your sanity at the door. Whatever's left of it, anyway."
[-]
175.7 Black Omochao
[-]
Dragonyule Party
[Dragalia Lost/Jurassic Park/Godzilla/Dinosapien/Azumanga Daioh/RWBY/Mario/Mega Man/Fire Emblem]
A knock on the castle door sounded, before it was opened by a smiling Euden. "Roxy, Godzilla, Junior! Glad you guys could make it!"
"Thanks for inviting us." Godzilla, shrunken down to a size that could fit through the door, smiled as he stepped through the door, followed by his girlfriend and son. "After all, we don't really know each other all that well."
"Well, a Fused Loop this big seemed like a good idea to get to know some more Loopers!" Euden chuckled, before he gestured around to the ongoing festivities around the castle.
"Well, thanks all the same." Roxy grinned, taking a look around. "Is that karaoke over there?"
"I ATE A PEANUTBUTTER SANDWICH!" Eno sang in a voice that resembled that of a bird screeching, standing before a cringing audience.
"Woo, you go Dinosoup!" a boisterous teenage girl cheered from among the less pleased crowd.
"Shut up Tomo! I will eat you!" Eno snapped, glaring at the girl.
Tomo laughed while the rest of the audience seemed relieved that the dinosapien had stopped singing.
Roxy sweatdropped at the interaction. "Maybe I should wait on that…" She glanced around some more, "Say, where's Brunhilda?"
Euden's smile remained, but a clear amount of strain came to it. "Er… I'm not entirely sure, she said she was planning a surprise… I'm a bit worried."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that; she just loves you!" the T-rex assured, though it didn't seem to do much to calm the prince's nerves.
.
"This is a bigger turnout than I expected," Elisanne commented as she walked around the populated main hall, filled with both normal inhabitants of the Halidom, and the various visiting Loopers. "Happy Dragonyule, happy Dragonyule," the Paladyn politely greeted one person after another as she passed them.
"Happy non-descript winter holiday!" Ruby Rose suddenly exclaimed as she popped up beside Elisanne.
Elisanne paused, giving the Anchor of Remnant a strange look, before shrugging. "Okay; happy Dragonyule, Ruby."
"Thanks!" the red-clad girl cheered. "I'm so happy you guys are hosting this party! We don't get big Fused Loops like this often, so it's nice to have a big gathering!"
"Well, compared to you, I haven't been Looping very long, but I'm happy to experience such a rare event as well," the Paladyn chuckled along with the reaper.
"Elisanne, help!" Ranzal suddenly shouted, going over to his fellow Looper's side. "That Bowser guy's hogging all the eggnog!"
Elisanne sighed, giving the other girl an apologetic look. "Excuse me Ruby."
"No problem, I'm gonna go eat some of those gingerbread cookies Cleo made!" Ruby waved off the apology, letting out a cheer before she sped off one of the many food-covered tables.
.
"Merry Christmas, Notte," a blond-haired girl cheerfully greeted the Looping faerie.
"Happy Dragonyule, Roll!" the tiny humanoid greeted back, fluttering in front of the other girl's face. "I'm glad you and your family could make it! You know, you guys really helped us out before!"
"Yeah, that was an unexpected Variant," Roll chuckled, placing a hand to her head. "Though, it was mostly Rock that did the helping."
"Nonsense, you were just as much help!" Notte assured, landing on the robotic girl's shoulder and patting it with one of her hands.
"I don't know about that…" Roll scratched her head unsurely.
"Trust me!" Notte insisted. "By the way; where is the Blue Bomber at?"
"I think I saw him talking to Marth, somewhere over by the punch bowl," the robot girl answered with a slight shrug of her shoulder, which sent the little faerie tumbling off.
"Wah!?"
"Notte!" Roll called out fearfully, before giving a sigh of relief when the other Looper straightened herself out and started fluttering her wings. "Oh yeah, you can fly…"
"Thanks for worrying for me anyway." Notte smiled, flying higher, and landing atop Roll's head. The two girls shared a bit of laughter.
[-]
175.8 Shimmer712
[-]
Left Out
"Do you think I could convince my team to go to Atlas when I Wake up early enough?" Sun wondered. "I'm tired of being left out of everything that's happening in the expansions!"
"Now, Mr. Wukong, I'm sure you find plenty to entertain yourself with in Vacuo," Glynda said firmly. "And I'm sure you'll meet up with Ruby and the others when they come to Vacuo."
"Yeah, I know," Sun sighed. "I just wanna be where everything is happening. More interesting, you know."
"We know," Taiyang nodded. "It can be annoying being left out of everything interesting."
"Excuse me!" Carmine snapped. "Will you take this seriously? AND GET OFF OF THOSE UNICYCLES!"
"Nah, it'll make beating you too easy," Raven said, causally thwacking her in the back of the head as she cycled past.
"Maybe we could try beating them with just pillows?" Sun mused. "That would be difficult, wouldn't it?"
"Just stuff 'em down their throat and they'll suffocate soon enough," Raven shrugged. "So, no, not really a challenge."
"Without killing them?" Taiyang gave his ex-wife a look.
"Remove the pillows once they're unconscious. Simple," Raven said. "It takes a while for someone to die of suffocation so you'll have time."
"Toothpicks?" Sun suggested.
Raven considered. "Can't say I've beaten someone with toothpicks and nothing else. Could be interesting."
Carmine snarled in rage. "WAKE UP YOU FOOL!" she howled at Bertilak, who was hanging unconscious from a tree, covered in squeaky toys. The only response she got was a groan.
"Yeah, she's just no fun," Sun sighed.
[-]
175.9 CrazyCog
[-]
[Star Wars/RWBY]
Headmaster Headaches
It was a Chibi loop, and while these usually meant a bunch of wacky shenanigans, every so often there was something that popped up to gave Ruby a headache.
"Headmaster Palpatine, what a trustworthy guy!" Yep, it was one of those loops. A Chibi loop fused with a LEGO loop. And in the tree's infinite 'wisdom', Headmaster Ozpin had been replaced by Headmaster Palpatine. As par for the course in these types of loops, little to no one realized that they were being led by a megalomaniac dictator, and some even found him trust…. Ruby retched into the garbage before she could finish the thought.
Dove glanced over to the Anchor. "Why is Ruby retching into the trash can?"
Their team leader dressed in Stormtrooper armour shrugged. "No idea, but I'm sure Headmaster Palpatine would know what to do!"
-Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's office-
A growly, but at the same time whiny, voice sounded through the office, "VADER! I need you to go choke the council again, they aren't giving me all the stuff I want!"
Vader resisted the urge to face palm. "Of course, my Master"
The Dark Lord of the Sith clacked his stubby hands together in anticipation. "Oh, and make sure to pick up some of those pastries from that one bakery I like."
"You had that bakery destroyed after they got rid of the Boston Cream Donuts Master." That was another one of the jobs that Vader had to get Torchwick to do, something that had caused the master thief to look at him like he was not only missing most of his limbs, but also his mind.
Palpatine just raised his arms incredulously. "Really?"
"Yes."
Throwing up his hands in exasperation, Palpatine leaned back in his chair. "Huh, well then surprise me! But not too much or else someone's getting a little zappy zappy." He clicked his 'fingers' together while lightning sparked between them.
Letting out a sigh, Vader dragged his feet towards the elevator, passing by a disembarking Pyrrha who waved at him with a cheerful, "Hello!"
As the doors closed, the girl approached the headmaster and slightly bowed. "You called Headmaster?"
"Yes yes, take a seat..." He took a look at the list of names in front of him, most crossed off. "Pyrrha. So tell me, how do you feel about a little something called…" He paused for dramatic effect. "The Dark Side? With it I can promise no troublesome disintegrations and the ability to stop things like flaming arrows in midair and turn them back on their owners!"
Pyrrha tilted her head. "Sir, that seems oddly specific."
She received a frown in return. "You're oddly specific."
-Meanwhile, in an unawake Cinder's room-
"How do all of my amazing plans keep on getting foiled!"
Mercury had to admit, these Chibi loops were growing on him, especially seeing an overdramatic Cinder like this. Still giving most of his attention to his scroll, Mercury responded with, "I mean it was a pretty stupid plan of trying to get into that comm tower that was filled to the brim with guards"
Cinder growled. "But why were they all there? It makes no sense with the dance going on?"
-0-
"Vader!" Palpatine shouted. "I don't want any of those drunk brats interrupting the latest episode of my 3 Vanillas. I want extra guards in the tower to make sure that none of them stumble in on it and block the signal!"
"Yes, my Master."
-0-
"And later when we got Neo into his office to try and download the program onto his computer instead, it didn't work because he had his computer updated. WHO DOES THAT?"
-0-
"VADER! Why does this window keep popping up on my computer?"
Vader paused his dusting of one of Palpatine's statues as he looked over his shoulder. "That's a prompt to update your computer Master"
"What?"
There was a sigh. "Just click yes and it will go away."
-0-
Cinder pointed to a news report on her scroll stating that the criminal had once again escaped justice. "Finally, we weren't even able to get Torchwick in position because he went literally flying off and won't tell us why!"
-0-
As he was being led away, Roman fought the urge to smirk victoriously. They might think that they had him right where they wanted, but in reality, it was HIM, ROMAN TORCHWICK who had the fools right where he wanted them. Well, that was until he found himself being yanked into the air by an invisible force, his surroundings blurring around him until he found himself in front of Vader.
"Torchwick," The mechanical man rumbled. "Your Emperor requires you destroy a bakery for him."
The thief tilted his head, not sure if he heard that right. "Wait… What!?"
-0-
"It's so infuriating!" Cinder threw her scroll to the wall, Emerald diving to catch it before the electronic device could be destroyed. "Clearly we are dealing with a chess master of epic proportions." An evil smile crossed her face. "But not to worry my minions, as long as the person they will choose to gain the powers of the maiden doesn't gain any new powers, such as shooting lightning from their hands, our victory is all but assured."
As his boss started cackling evilly, Mercury continued to record the entire thing on his scroll. He would make sure to get another to record the looping Cinder's face when she would see this as well.
[-]
175.10 Masterweaver
[-]
But who is Kris Kringle?
"Weiss-"
"I'm fine Ruby."
"...It's okay to be upset-"
"I said I'm fine, Ruby. I don't have a monopoly on the position."
"I mean, if you're sure-"
"I am fine," Weiss stressed. "It is perfectly alright. No matter what the reference is in the hub, Nicholas Schnee-while still a very noble individual-is not strictly Santa Claus, and I can accept other people taking the role."
"...and you're not jealous of Professor Port's Manta-sized sled pulled by flying corgis?"
Weiss's eye did not twitch, on account of her millennia of jedi training giving her a fine degree of control. "It is gaudy," she said flatly.
"...Aaaaah." Ruby nodded slowly. "So it's not jealousy, but professional disgust at his standards."
"It is nothing," Weiss repeated. "I am completely, and totally, and utterly, fine with this situation."
"Mmmmhmmm."
"I am."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Cause you know, he asked me to stand out in front of Beacon in a Santa hat and hand out presents-"
Weiss whirled around without thinking, just managing to stop herself from shrieking in outrage. It wasn't quite enough to prevent Ruby's smug grin.
"...I am going to go meditate," she said finally. "I will be some time."
"Of course." Ruby's smile was beatific. "Happy non-descript winter holiday!"
[-]
175.11 Black Omochao
[-]
Grimm Sanctuaries
[Yo-kai Watch/RWBY]
When Tyrian Callows had been sent out into the frozen wastelands of Solitas, to investigate the rapid disappearance of a large number of Grimm, he had expected to find some sort of Hunter settlement. Perhaps there were some military trying to build up a base where nobody would see it, or some desperate people found a way to survive out in the cold and were strong enough to kill every Grimm in their path…
Either way, the serial killer was sure he would at least get to kill a couple of people before he had to return to Salem and report his findings… but what he was not expecting, was this!
"Hello there, and welcome to Grimm Sanctuaries!" a creature which appeared to be a small dog with a human man's face greeted in a cheerful tone, standing at the entrance of some sort of large dome. "Are you interested in visiting our establishment for an opportunity to see Grimm which will not attempt to kill you on sight? Or are you perhaps here to take part in our courses on Grimm relations?"
Tyrian just kept staring, unable to fully comprehend what he was seeing… before a small smirk made its way onto his face, and then a slight chuckle cracked through.
The man-dog-thing barely had time to react as a scorpion stinger shot towards him. Luckily he managed to roll out of the way and land on his feet, glancing at the insanely laughing man with a bit of annoyance. "Okay, seems you're gonna be a problem…"
.
"No, no!" Keita scolded as he stepped over to a fuming Harriet Bree, whom was being restrained from attacking a Sabyr, which was just standing there and licking its paws. "We do not 'fight' Grimm here!"
"YOU'RE CRAZY!" Harriet shouted as she struggled against the psychic hold.
Fumika sighed as she stood nearby, a slight glow emitting from her hand as she held it out towards the Ace Operative.
Keita huffed, crossing his arms. "That's rude. I'm not 'crazy,' I'm empathetic." As if to prove his point, he started stroking the cat-like Grimm's fur, which incited a purr-like sound from it.
This, of course, only had Harriet struggling harder.
"Here at Grimm Sanctuaries, we strive to find a middle ground of peace and understanding from which all people, or Grimm, can learn to coexist!" Keita explained calmly, before gesturing to where another of the Ace Opts; Vine Zeki, was currently standing a bit uncomfortably while looking directly at a Centinel, with a smiling Ruby standing between them.
The centipede-like Grimm emitted a few clicks and hisses.
"Ahuh, I see…" Ruby nodded, as if she understood the Grimm, before she turned to Ace Operative. "And what about you, Vine?"
"Um…" Vine didn't look sure of what to say, "I would… like to reach a… compromise…?"
The Grimm gave a few clicks that sounded to be in approval.
"This is so ridiculous…" a tired Weiss commented as she watched the attempts of 'Grimm relations' from a good distance away. "Why does Ruby seem to forget what Grimm are whenever her little brother shows up?"
"Maybe because whenever he shows up, what Grimm 'are' seems to fundamentally change?" Blake suggested as she walked by, leading a somewhat small Goliath along the way.
"I like it; even if they're soulless monsters, nonviolent measures are always appreciated!" Penny spoke up as she was attempting to play rock-paper-scissors with an Imp.
Weiss just sighed, shaking her head.
"BLASPHEMY!" Tyrian's voice suddenly rang through the sanctuary as he came charging in but was quickly restrained by the combined forces of Jinmenken, Kyubi, and Yang. "YOU ARE ALL TRAITORS! HOW DARE YOU GO AGAINST HER WILL!"
The raving madman was only spared a glance by several of the Grimm around the area, before they simply continued with their business.
[-]
175.12 Masterweaver
[-]
Don't Take It Laying Down
"Come on, why do I have to pay for lunch?"
"Merc, you framed me for assault on global television, attacked my little sister multiple times, murdered one of my wife's good friends, and in general are basically a smug dick lacking even the pizzaz of Roman Torchwick. You want me not to tell the other loopers you've activated, you better believe you're going to be paying for lunch."
Mercury grinned. "Has anybody ever told you that you're a regular firebrand?"
"My wife. Several times. In bed."
"Yeah, hey, what's it like with a faunus?"
"I'd compare it to being with a human, but I know you don't have that experience either." Yang gave him a sardonic smirk. "Maybe I should get you a kid's menu."
"Treating me to sugary treats, wow." Mercury leaned back into his chair. "If I'd know you liked me this much, I would have gotten flowers."
"I've already got plenty, thanks. Roses, a few belladonnas, a whole juniper tree with a lotus, my garden's pretty packed already."
Mercury's reply was cut off when somebody cleared her throat. "Hey there, you two. Ready to order?"
"Sure. I'll have the steak special, the shrimp platter, the chicken-lickin' rickshaw spread, the tomato salad, the cucumber salad, the fried rice plate-soy sauce on the side, please-a slice of strawberry cake, and a petal smoothie." Yang folded her fingers, smiling beatifically at Mercury. "And what will you be having?"
"A severe financial crisis, apparently. But I'll take a deep-dish pizza too."
"Miss, uh, we don't actually have takeout boxes here, so-"
"I'll eat it all," Yang assured the waitress. "I'm a huntress."
"You're a student," Mercury said flatly."
"I have an official license."
The waitress's eyes darted between them. "You two are an interesting couple..."
"Actually, I'm just babysitting him," Yang countered casually.
Mercury "Pretty sure I'm older than you are."
"Mmmm, nah. You might have been born earlier, but I'm definitely more experienced."
"I'll just-I'll get your order to the chefs..."
"Thanks a bundle!" Yang called after the waitress. "Seriously," she added to the boy across from her, "the service industry can be really stressful. We should leave her a tip."
Mercury gave her a flat look. "A tip."
"Yeah, some restaurants don't pay their staff enough so they have to survive on tips. Even if she doesn't, she gets free money. That's always a win."
"And I suppose I'm going to be paying for that on top of all the food?"
"It's the gentlemanly thing to do."
"I think we've established that I'm no gentleman."
"No," Yang agreed, "but you do need to learn some basic empathy, and money provides a manner through which you can demonstrate that mathematically."
Mercury conceded the point with a shrug. "So, if this isn't a date, what is it? You just pallin' around with people you hate?"
"It's a family tradition. Ruby actually goes up to our loop's villains in some lonely loops and... talks to them."
"Huh. Really?"
"Yeah, she..." Yang shrugged. "She's big on understanding people. Helping people. I don't think she's ever given up on anybody who wasn't outright delusional."
"That's got to do a number on her."
"It does. But... she wouldn't be Ruby without it, you know? That hope that things can be better... and the willingness to fight for it." She folded her hands, looking Mercury straight in the eyes. "You know she would help you if you told her you were looping."
Mercury glanced away. "Yeah, I don't know about that."
Yang quirked a brow for a moment. "...Why me?"
"What?"
"Out of all the loopers you could have opened up to, revealed yourself looping to, why did you pick me?"
Mercury shrugged. "I dunno. You... you seemed less..." He fumbled about for a word. "Naive. Less, you know, everything is hunky-dory forever."
"Blake fits that category too."
"Yeah, but she's too preachy."
"Uh-huh." Yang continued to stare at him.
"What?" Mercury shifted. "She is! You know she is."
Yang continued to stare at him.
"...Look, can we talk about something else? Like... I don't know. You lost an arm, I lost my legs..."
"I gave my arm up. For the woman I love. I mean, yeah, wasn't planning on it, but life..." Yang shook her head. "Life is unpredictable, even in the loops. You, you had your legs stolen. Just like your semblance, just like your childhood... just like everything good about you, really."
"Hey-"
"There are variant loops where somebody gets you away from Marcus, and you're usually... still a jerk, but not a dick. Even in baseline, you've got... whatever it is with Emerald. And I know I have absolutely every reason to hate you, but..." Yang sighed. "Well... Ruby is my sister. She would try to get you better. To help you become human again, instead of this... snide walking weapon that doesn't give a shit. So, even though I really, really want to punch your face in, I'm not going to. I'll be helping you recover from what Marcus did, and by the time you're ready to really talk to all of us, you'll actually have a heart again."
"That's really sweet," Mercury deadpanned. "Thanks a lot."
"Oh don't think I'm going to be going easy on you. Part of having a heart is being able to regret. I am totally going to rake you over some metaphorical coals. I just need to make sure you understand why I'm doing what I'm doing first."
Mercury huffed. "What, punching me isn't good enough?"
"It'd go away when the loop ended. Emotional work, now, that sticks." Yang's smile grew dangerously sly. "You and I? We're going to have a heck of a time."
[-]
175.7 (con't) Black Omochao
[-]
Dragonyule Party: Fiery Attractions
[Dragalia Lost/RWBY/Yo-kai Watch]
"– and that is just a few of the ways I would do things differently if I were running the Dyrenell Empire," Cinder Fall finished confidently, taking a sip from her punch. "Not to call your status as a formidable villain into question or anything, but even you can't argue that some of your decisions don't seem the most productive."
The only response the black smog that comprised the ethereal form of Morsayati, that was currently imprisoned in a crystal ball that sat on the punch table, gave was a series of incomprehensible, but clearly enraged, screams and growls.
"Hmph, fine, if you don't want to talk to me; I don't care," the Remnant Looper scoffed, turning away.
"Oh, hello, Cinder," a smooth voice spoke up.
Cinder turned to see a familiar vulpine figure approaching her, having her roll her eyes before glaring at him. "Oh, what do you want, fox?"
"What's with the tone? It's just me; Kyubi," the nine-tailed fox grinned smugly as he eyed the other Looper.
Cinder raised a brow at the yo-kai. "Hmm, I see you've gotten over your fear of me. But do you really think you can put 'the moves' on me so easily now?"
"Easily? Don't think I underestimate you," Kyubi chuckled confidently, his stance remaining firm, a gleam crossing his eyes. "I'm well aware that such simple tactics as flattery, or confidence, won't be enough to snag your heart. But I am nothing if not an expert in the art; and I want you to know there is no deception at play in this game; I will have you fall for me Cinder."
"Clever," Cinder responded sarcastically, before emotionlessly tossing what remained of her punch onto the fox yo-kai's head. "I welcome you to try this 'game' of yours Kyubi… just be sure to keep in mind what happens when one carelessly plays with fire." The Fall Maiden gave a dangerous smirk as she sauntered passed the S-Rank yo-kai, before she faded into the crowds.
Kyubi remained in his confident stance for a few more minutes, before he took the paper cup off his head, shaking his fur of the punch, and lit a small fire in his hand to burn the cup to nothing."Oh believe me, Cinder; I am well aware of what 'playing with fire' can bring…"
Katie stood not far away, staring at the fox. Yang was by her side, looking like she was restraining herself from bursting into a fit of laughter.
"Okay, so… what was that?" Katie spoke, approaching the yo-kai. "I know you're not 'afraid' of Cinder anymore, but now you want to court her? Isn't that how your phobia started in the first place!?"
"I say; go for it! But I take no responsibility for whatever Cinder, or Emerald, may do to you!" Yang exclaimed between laughs.
Kyubi ignored the blond brawler's words, focusing on Katie with a smirk. "Last time was different; last time I was overconfident! I had not yet adjusted my tactics to the world of Loopers! But I am nothing if not an expert on capturing hearts! And that illusive yet dangerous flame beckons me so!"
Katie stared at the fox yo-kai blankly for several moments. "… Kyubi, you can live your life however you want. But, as your best friend, I am obligated to warn you when you are clearly headed down a path of self-destruction!"
Kyubi chuckled. "I understand you're worried, Katie, but don't. Trust me; I know what I'm doing." Giving a brief bow, the fox yo-kai disappeared in a plume of smoke.
Katie remained still and silent for several more moments, before sighing. "Well, this is going to end horribly…"
"Horribly? Or Horrilariously?" Yang laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh, I can't wait to see that playboy fox get burned!"
Katie gave her sister-in-law a slightly annoyed look. "Hey, can't you guys give Kyubi a bit of a break? He's not a punching bag you know…"
"When he stops making stupid decisions, then we'll talk," Yang shrugged.
Katie sighed. "I'm gonna go find Nate…"
"You do that." The blond waved the brunette girl off, before she walked over to the punch table to pour some for herself. Once she had a cup full, she placed her free hand on the table and looked towards the contained Morsayati, "So, what's your story?"
Morsayati gave a series of rage-filled screams.
"Okay; not talking to you again," Yang shook her head, moving away from the table, drinking her punch while walking around the Halidom's main hall, moving to one of the less occupied areas near the halls which led to the various rooms of the castle's inhabitants.
"Hmm, yes; this is going to be great," Brunhilda suddenly spoke, walking out from the hall in her 'Mym form,' dressed in what looked to be a rather… revealing, Santa-themed dress. "I know my darling prince will love my surprise…" the fire dragon paused when she saw Yang looking at her. "…This is not for you!" In a burst of smog, Brunhilda's outfit had returned to the one standard of her Mym form.
"Then, you should have saved it until you had 'your prince' alone, perhaps," Yang chuckled at the dragon's glare.
"Hmph, I am going to be my darling's personal Saint Starfall, and will be gifting him many hugs and kisses once I do get to him!" Brunhilda's annoyance faded away as she giggled to herself, fantasizing about cuddling with her Anchor. "Ah… yes, he'll be really appreciative I'm sure…"
Yang stared at the dragon as she seemed to drift further and further into fantasy land. "…Hey, Brunhilda, have you ever considered talking to anyone about your… issues?"
The fire dragon snapped out of her delusions, giving the other a strange look, "Issues? What issues?"
"Actually; forget I said that," Yang chuckled to herself as she backed away from the Flamewyrm, glancing around in any direction aside from Brunhilda's, she took notice of something. "Oh; is Eno finally off the karaoke? Now's my chance!" without another word, the Remnant Looper sped towards the karaoke area.
Brunhilda blinked as she stared after Yang… "I don't have 'issues,' do I…?"
[-]
175.13 Masterweaver
[-]
Motivation
"Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo."
Winter sighed. "I swear, Nora, if this is about the cougars-"
"No, it's not about the cougars," Nora assured her. "They were mountain lions, though."
"Nora-"
"What I want to know is if you're going to join the Happy Huntresses any time soon!"
"What brought this on?"
"I mean, you'd look good in a duster."
"I would look good in anything," Winter said primly.
Nora smirked. "You sure about that?"
"Yes."
"Reeeeeeally sure?"
"...yes," Winter said, suspiciously.
Nora produced a clown suit.
"...How. Dare. You."
"You said you'd look good in anything," Nora pointed out with an evil grin.
"...and that is why I rather need to join your organization."
Robyn gave the woman a flat look. "You need to join us or else a crazy huntress in training from Beacon will put you in a clown suit."
"Yes."
"Do you really expect me to believe-"
Winter held out her hand. "You can test me, if you like."
"...wow. You're actually-" Robyn shook her head. "Fine. Whatever. Congrats on joining the Happy Huntresses, I guess, you'll be working under Joanna for the time being."
"I look forward to our future collaboration."
[-]
175.14 Masterweaver
[-]
Quick status check of Quicksilver
"You wouldn't believe what Mercury did last time he was Awake-"
"Wait wait wait." Emerald held up a hand, cutting Yang off. "Mercury's looping? Our Mercury?"
Weiss nodded, sipping her tea. "Yes, he's Awake. Activated... I think between the episode eight and episode nine expansions?"
"Huh... I didn't know that."
"Well, now you do," Yang said. "Heads up, though, we're all pretending we don't know he's looping."
"What? Why?"
"Because Mercury doesn't trust any of us," Weiss explained. "Letting him feel as though he has some level of control over the situation, even if it's just who he talks to about it, will help him adjust and cope with the loops."
"I wasn't exactly pleased with the decision," Cinder admitted. "But once I realized he was looping and hadn't come to me for answers, I discussed things with Weiss and this seemed... a reasonable compromise."
"And here I thought it was supposed to be Ozpin who was addicted to conspiracy," Emerald deadpanned.
"We have taken some unfortunate habits from him," Weiss agreed musingly. "I may have to look into that... Still, the vast majority of us he would see as an enemy of some sort. Cinder, in baseline, is a very abusive mentor figure to him-no offense."
"None taken." Cinder sipped her cup of blood. "I am the younger, sexier, more competent version of Raven after all."
Yang cracked up laughing as the bandit queen in the corner of the room threw up her hands in exasperation.
Weiss tapped a spoon against her teacup thoughtfully. "He might trust you, come to think of it. Your relationship in baseline is probably the emotionally closest he has. A sort of... big brother little sister thing."
Emerald pinched her brow with a sigh. "Of course. So if he talks to me, should I give him the welcome to the multiverse speech?"
"That won't be necessary. I've already confronted him and explained the loops."
"Wait, but I thought we were all pretending-"
"Officially I'm keeping my knowledge of his looping a secret so he can secretly gather me blackmail," Weiss explained. "Unofficially, I'm monitoring his psychological health and building a profile for when he does finally decide to reveal himself."
"Won't he be upset that we lied about not knowing he was looping though?" Emerald pointed out.
"Almost certainly," Cinder agreed. "Just like people were upset about Ozpin stealthing, or me hiding my villainous nature, or Neo not telling anyone about her grudge against me, or a number of other offenses. At this point, I can't think of any way we could avoid drama with a new looper."
"Little Miss Malachite could start looping," Weiss proposed. "That would probably not have a lot of drama attached to it."
"Mmmm... You've got a point, I suppose."
Yang finally stopped laughing, taking a breath. "Hooo. Okay. Okay, so last loop he was Awake, it's the Vytal tournament, right? And Mercury comes down, looks me straight in the eyes, and says 'Wait, you look like that bandit queen my dad banged once.'"
"Can I kill him?!" Raven shouted from the corner.
"No!" Cinder replied. "But I will let you dangle him from a lamppost!"
"I think he was lying anyway, trying to get under my skin, but it was just so out of the blue I couldn't help but crack up." Yang grinned. "Of course when I managed to recover I sniped back, and he sniped back at me, and it became one of those banter duels-I have the whole thing on my scroll here..."
[-]
175.15 SAXiao
[-]
Dynamic Christmas Entry
Salem takes her seat at the head of the table, steepling her fingers. Once more, it is a chilly time of season, and the joy has seemed to drive Grimm movements away from population centers. She considers having Watts and Tyrian do something about it, or to even have Cinder's minions disrupt the joy and replace it with an atmosphere of discord and mistrust.
As she considers her options, she turns around, having heard some shuffling in the flue. Wondering why she even put up with the damn thing, she gets up, and walks over to the disused fireplace. Looking up, she is instead greeted by heels.
"MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS!" Raven yells, stomping Salem's face in as she lands. Feeling oddly liberated from her usual routine, she places a gift on the table, and cuts a portal back to Vernal, unable to hold her excitement in delivering a strong sense of non-descript holiday cheer into Salem's blasted castle.
As the Grimm Queen regained her bearings, she groaned, before looking at the box. Opening it up, it contained, no less, a to-scale model of the Relic of Knowledge, forged from gold and made from precious jewels. Pinching her brow, she has a seer take the object... away, just out of her presence.
"One of these days, I will remove this blasted celebration from existence," she mutters under her breath.
[-]
175.16 Black Omochao
[-]
Gift of a God, for the Knowledge of a Looper
[DinoZaurs/RWBY]
'How long has it been since this phenomenon began…?' was the question that echoed through Gigano Dragon's mind as his body seemed to float through a sea of nothingness. 'How many repeats… will it take to defeat Tyranno?' A slight snarl made its way to the Dragozaur's unseen face. 'The events reverse, but the Dino Knights… and those kids, they are different, sometimes more than others…'
Gigano Dragon was ripped from his internal questioning as he suddenly felt as if someone was calling for him… and he became aware of the fact that he was not floating through a 'sea of nothingness,' and was overwhelmed by the most abundant source of Life Force he had ever encountered.
It took all his willpower to stop from falling into euphoria, and move to answer the call…
.
Salem waited anxiously as she stood before the pool of the Light God, hoping that the master of life would grant her request, and return her beloved to her.
Pulling himself up from the glowing liquid, the form of the Light Brother seemed to jitter and shake slightly, looking around briefly at his surroundings, and even his own form, before settling on her.
"You… called me?" the voice of a god had not been as Salem had expected; he sounded gruff, frustrated, yet also confused and… strangely calm. "Yes… human, you want to request something from me, for I am a god…?" the deity seemed almost unsure of his own statement.
Though Salem felt some confusion over the presentation of the Light Brother, she quickly shook herself out of it and took a pleading stance, "Please, I beg you to return to me my beloved whom was lost, his life was ended too soon, please!"
The Light God stared at the woman for what felt like an eternity, seemingly contemplating her request. Finally, he nodded, "Very well…" he held out a hand, and in a flash of light, the unconscious form of Ozma materialized before Salem. "I grant your request!"
"Ozma…!" Salem almost broke down in tears as she saw the one, she loved return to her, quickly checking to make sure he was breathing, she hugged him tightly. "T-Thank you!"
"Not so fast!" the god suddenly spoke up again, glaring down at the human sternly as he hovered above, his form shifting from a horned humanoid, to one of a serpentine dragon. "This gift is not free, for I have a request for you to do in exchange!"
Salem was surprised by the sudden statement, though quickly realized that it did make sense… this was no small favor she had been granted by the Light Brother. "Anything, what is it that you request? I will work forever to repay the debt of returning my Ozma to me!"
The dragon's glowing muzzle seemed to almost smirk. "Then you shall! Hear me, human!" the dragon flew overhead, circling the two humans as he spoke, "From you I request nothing more, or less, than knowledge! I require information, any information, about the nature of time! Of time repeating! Of beings experiencing rewinding, repeating, or cycles in time! This will be your debt to me, from which I shall grant you and your love eternal life! Until you have satisfied my inquiries, with the answers I seek!"
Salem had a hard time following the exact request, and the fact that Ozma was beginning to stir was holding most of her attention, but she did understand one thing; the Light Brother had not only returned Ozma to her, but he had granted them eternal life… in exchange for knowledge of time repeating?
"Salem…?" Ozma muttered in a confused tone, glancing up at her, and then at the glowing dragon that circled above.
"Ozma!" Salem gave a loving smile, almost forgetting her contemplation of the god's request, before she quickly looked back up at the dragon and nodded, "Yes, you will have your information, I will search and inquire to the best of my ability throughout this eternal life, to repay you for the debt of allowing me to share it with the one I love!"
The Light Brother seemed satisfied, "Return to me periodically and report any findings, significant or not, and do not cease until I have given the word to!"
Salem gave one last word of affirmation as the god returned to the glowing pool, leaving her alone with the confused Ozma.
"… Wait, did I die?" Ozma asked blankly. "And did he say; 'eternal life!?' And was that the Brother of Light!?"
"Shh, we have the rest of eternity to figure out the answers to all the questions we could ever ask, my love," Salem assured in a calming tone, stroking the man's hair, which actually did manage to calm him a bit, before the two got up and began to leave…
.
'And so, this is the decision I have made for this strange variation, the waiting game…' Gigano Dragon internally thought as he sank through the pool of pure Life Force. 'How ever I may find the answers, it will not be from you, Tyranno! If you have still not realized that I have become a traveler in this strange journey, I will take advantage of that, and seize my opportunity to defeat you!'
The Dragozaur turned Light God continued to sink, contemplating his actions for the current time, and all of eternity to come; what sort of answers would his new servant turn up, if any? And once he did find out the nature of this warp in time and space, how would he turn it to his advantage, and defeat Tyranno?
For that answer, he would gladly wait another 65 million years, or longer…
[-]
175.17 Masterweaver
[-]
Proper Parenting
Mercury's grand plan to make sure he only revealed himself to one looper at a time and keep them all in the dark had hit a minor snag-namely, that Kali had called over her husband before he could ask her to keep him secret. Some quick thinking had, thankfully, brought them both into agreeing to not telling the other loopers, though, so he wasn't too worried. One slip-up wouldn't hurt in the long run.
Although the way Kali was mothering him (quite possibly literally) was kind of irritating.
"Look, miss Belladonna, I don't need another serving of roasted fish-"
"Ah-ah-ah, you're far too lean!" Kali slid even more food onto his plate. "Pure muscle might look interesting, but a little extra weight keeps you healthy. Fat is fuel!"
Mercury pointed at her husband. "So where does he keep his extra pounds?"
"His thighs," Kali purred.
Mercury blanched, glancing away. "Forget I asked."
"So, do you have any plans for what you want to do in the loops?" Ghira asked, putting down his teacup.
"I 'unno. Right now I'm still getting used to this."
"It's fine to take time to get your feet under you," Ghira mused. "Still... drifting aimlessly, without any role to define yourself, can lead to exploitation."
"Oh, that's something I know all too well."
"Well, what is it you want out of life?" Kali asked.
"Are we seriously doing this?" Mercury grumbled.
"I'm sorry to pressure you, dear, but understanding yourself is important to living a healthy life."
"No, I mean-this," Mercury gestured around. "I'm an adult! I don't need this... domestic... whatever it is you're doing!"
Kali tittered as she sat down. "Oh, dear, we do this with all the loopers! Just because they're all grown up and having their adventures across Remnant doesn't mean they don't need a place to retreat and rest."
"And frankly, you especially need this," Ghira pointed out.
"Oh, what, just because I had a horrible life?"
Kali and Ghira shared a look, which only ticked him off more.
Kali sighed. "Mercury... Jacques Schnee is almost universally considered the worst parent on the planet-and that's with people like Salem and Raven running around. The only reason that there's a debate at all is because of Marcus Black."
"Personally, I think he is worse than Jacques," Ghira muttered.
"Jacques thoroughly cowed three children and his wife while ruining the family's entire reputation."
"And I agree that's horrible, but Jacques is an authoritarian who at least did what he did to maintain control. Marcus was equally if not more abusive for no reason other than to shape his son into... something."
"We can agree to disagree on that," Kali said primly. She turned back to Mercury. "Our point is, you've never had anything resembling a normal, healthy life. And you are going to take a long time to heal and have a lot of people constantly pestering you, trying to get you to move forward, grow, all of that. But to grow, you need some sort of foundation, a root to grow from. And since you decided to reveal yourself to us, well, that's what you're going to get from us."
Mercury groaned, putting his head in his hands. "Oh gods, you're going to tuck me in at night aren't you."
"No, no, we'll just poke our heads in and turn the light off," Ghira assured him.
"Great. Wonderful..."
[-]
175.18 Masterweaver
[-]
Don We Now Our Gay Apparel
"I'm not sure the antlers are a good idea," Ren noted.
"They're festive!" Nora pointed out.
"On hub-standard worlds, but on Remnant there are the faunus and the related bigotry. People might misinterpret why we're wearing."
"But... but..."
Ren took a look at Nora's wet eyes and sighed. "I suppose we can just... go caroling somewhere we won't be recognized. So anybody who sees the antlers thinks they're real."
"Yeah... yeah." Nora nodded. "You know what, that works!"
"Okay, I'm ready!" Jaune stepped out the door, wearing a formal green shirt and a comically large pair of earmuffs. "Oh, you two went with the fur-trimmed red shirts. Okay."
"We don't all have to go full Santa," Ren assured him. "You look very good yourself.
"And I like how you made Crocea Mors look like a Christmas tree!" Nora added. "That's pretty cool!"
"Yeah, it was..." Jaune shrugged. "I just thought it would be fun, really."
"So... where's Pyrrha?" Ren asked.
"She'll be out in a minute."
"Come on mom!" Nora cried. "The rest of us are ready to go!"
"I'm sorry, it's just-" There was a grunt from behind the door. "This darned dress, it's not fitting right!"
"What do you mean it's not fitting right?"
"It's a bit tight around my, ah, you know-"
"How can it be tight?" Nora demanded. "We're in a time loop! Our bodies literally change the same way almost every loop!"
"To be fair, this is quite some time after the Vytal festival" Ren noted. "It might well be that her development changes somewhat more than our own, as she doesn't have a baseline form to grow into right now."
"I mean yeah, sure, but come on, it can't be that-"
There was a small ripping sound.
"...Ren?" Pyrrha's voice was somewhat awkward. "Could you, ah... come in here and do some adjusting, please?"
Ren pinched his brow. "You should take the dress off so I can adjust it without accidentally pricking you."
"Right, yes, I'll do that."
[-]
175.19 Masterweaver
[-]
A moment of married bliss
"...and then I whipped out my guitar."
Pyrrha burst out laughing. "Oh, you didn't!"
"Oh I did," Jaune assured her. "Of course Weiss took one look at it and sighed, but Whitley was ridiculously weirded out. Especially when I started playing a classic spanish ballad-"
"Oh my lord." Pyrrha leaned on his shoulder with a small smile. "Wow, I... It's good that you're finding the good elements in the expansions. I just..."
She trailed off for a moment.
Jaune wrapped an arm around her. "Hey. You're there in spirit. And you're here, now."
"I know. It doesn't... hurt as often, but sometimes..." Pyrrha sighed deeply. "Well. Whatever happens, I'll be back here for you."
The two of them shared a brief but fond kiss.
"...So, is Weiss handling... everything, well?"
"You mean Willow stabilizing and the Mantle situation?" Jaune shrugged. "She's... not going crazy, I don't think, but she is a little fidgety."
"Weiss tends to cope slowly," Pyrrha mused. "Focus on other's issues rather than her own. And, to be fair, that's something Ruby does too, but Ruby does it differently-she makes other's issues into her own, where Weiss distracts herself with other's issues while her own sublimate."
"...That's a pretty in-depth analysis."
"I maaaaaaay be taking some psychotherapy courses when I can," Pyrrha admitted. "You know, in case... things get really bad."
"Really?"
"Mmmhmm."
"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but I hope you don't need to psychoanalyze me," Jaune joked. "I mean, with us-"
"Yeah, it would be awkward." Pyrrha spread her hands. "'And how does this make you feel?' 'We're in the middle of making out, honey.'"
Jaune snorted. "Wow, uh, not where I was going but, yeah, that would be weird."
"Maybe that's why Weiss has never settled on a real romantic relationship in the loops," Pyrrha mused. "Or at least a part of it."
"...I hear that."
"Hear what?"
"That curious tone. You've got an idea you want to figure out, don't you?"
Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "It's just an idle thought. I'm sure nothing will come of it."
[-]
175.20 Shimmer712
[-]
Are You Chicken?
The nice part about being a looper no one else knew about, you could pull bat-shit insane stunts and the other loops would simply write it off as a variant. An odd variant but one they sometimes had amusing reactions to.
Marcus Black had no idea what to think when his son suddenly took to wearing a chicken suit all the time. He certainly wasn't expecting to be killed by someone in such a ridiculous getup.
Cinder and Emerald did a double-take at Mercury's attire this loop. And at his verbal tick of "Buck-CAW!"
Cardin had attempted to start something only for Mercury to look down his nose at him.
"You may be so insecure as to resort to petty behavior and conformity to compensate for your shortcomings, buck-caw, but I am perfectly secure in my identity," Mercury sniffed. "May your worthless ass learn how to be this self-confident and secure." With that, Mercury turned and strutted off, tail feathers fluttering behind him.
"...Did I just get mocked out by a guy in a chicken suit?"
Watching, the looping teams of RWBY and JPNR talked softly to each other.
"Variant Mercury or Looper Mercury?" Pyrrha whispered.
"Variant. Something like this doesn't seem like the sort of thing Mercury would pull," Yang mumbled.
"I dunno. He may be wanting us to think that so he can mess with our heads or something," Ren murmured.
"Hmmm," Weiss hummed to herself thoughtfully. "Or it could be a form of stress relief."
"So who's betting on what?" Ruby asked. "I mean, we can ask him when he knows we know, right?"
"Put me down on Variant Mercury," Yang said.
"Looper Mercury," Blake said.
"So, the Bumblebee ship will be winning the bet no matter what," Jaune observed.
"Actually, I was thinking Yang and I have our own private bet when the winner is rewarded by the other. Privately," Blake said, glancing at her wife.
Yang grinned. "I'm good with that. I mean, either way, I win so yay!"
"So who else is betting on Variant Mercury for this loop?" Weiss asked, pulling out a notepad to record the bets.
