AN: Hey everyone, Void here with the next chapter of Dreams of Remnant. I have some more news, but I'll leave that at the end. Well, I actually have a lot of stuff to say but I'll let you all read this long overdue chapter for now.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2 - A Visit from Progress
It was dark and empty. She wasn't quite sure where in her mind she was, but she hadn't been here before. That much was for sure. She couldn't move for some unknown reason, though if she really tried she could alter the dream. But then she wouldn't learn.
She might do it if she found herself getting bored though. Or maybe she wouldn't and just be lazy instead. Even she had a hard time figuring out what she would do sometimes.
She could hear faint whispers, it was eerie. She couldn't make out any words though, despite the fact that they were getting progressively louder. Though the insane murmurs weren't the strangest thing she'd noticed.
There was a pattern that was reoccurring, first it was cold, then it was nice and windy, then it was hot, then it was chilly and calm. It was a cycle that repeated over the course of what felt like hours. The seasons.
She wasn't sure what they meant, but she knew they were important somehow. Or maybe she was overthinking things. It was her subconscious so who knew what it all actually meant? Well, technically she did but not consciously so that didn't count.
Uni was pulled away from her thoughts by a sudden spark of blue light. A candle lit with Azure flame glowed into existence.
It revealed that she was bound by crystal thread, hanging in an empty void of nothingness. The source of the whispers and the seasons were nowhere to be found. She wasn't alone though.
The statue from her previous dream was there, holding up the candle. An effigy of herself made of blood, bone, and ash. Its face was dead calm, similarly to how she was not too long ago. It was a little creepy if she was being honest.
When the candle's light flickered in and out she found herself even more disturbed. In the brief moment without light, the statue had tilted its head, as if it was curious.
The whispers stopped suddenly, causing Uni to frown. It was a little cliche and over dramatic. Then again, it was her dream so who was she to talk?
A single monotonous voice spoke softly. It was her voice, but more ethereal. More calm and haunting. "Fear. What is it?"
The voice seemed to say it as a statement more than a question, it demanded an answer. Uni complied, answering as best as she could. "An emotion."
The flame flickered once again, the eyes of the effigy opening. "No. What is your fear?"
Uni frowned, what was she afraid of? She wasn't quite sure now that she thought about it. Nothing really frightened her, not even when Yang made her binge horror movies in an attempt to scare her. The only time she was truly afraid was when she fought Libra, what was she thinking about then? People dying… but what did that mean? "I don't know." She answered simply.
"I know." It was a little creepy seeing the statue speak without moving its mouth. Well, Uni wasn't exactly sure if the statue was speaking or not, she was just making assumptions.
"Then what is it?" Uni tilted her head as well, the only difference between them being the genuine curiosity in her own eyes. She was also confused as to why the statue was asking these questions as technically it was herself.
"Loss." The statue told her, appearing even closer than before as the flame flickered once again. Images that Uni wasn't willing to describe flashed in the emptiness, ones that caused her eyes to widen.
"I… can see that now…" Uni admitted, the trembling of her voice backing up the statement. She shut her eyes so she didn't have to look at the pictures anymore. She didn't like them, not one bit…
"Good. Care?" The statue asked. It tilted its head once again, getting even closer to her.
"Do I care? Of course." Uni replied quickly, wanting this too all be over quickly. While not a nightmare, it definitely wasn't a pleasant dream. She could just end it herself but if what Glynda told her was correct then these dreams mean things, and that they are important.
"No, what do you care about the most?" The statue elaborated. "I do not know this one."
Uni frowned, her eyes still shut tightly. How did the statue not know it? Well, it was her after all. But did that mean even in the deepest parts of her mind she didn't know? That's… unnerving. "I… the people around me? My locket? I'm unsure…"
"Unfortunate." The statue's Calm look was replaced with a frown as the candle flickered in and out once again. "You have been witnessed."
"Up," Glynda said simply. Her tone was gentle yet stern as she flicked her crop. Her aunt was a harsh teacher, but an effective one, that was for sure. Though that didn't mean she enjoyed training with her. If anything it was annoying. She couldn't remember the last time she wasn't sore.
Uni nodded, steadying herself as she rose up from the arena floor. She was drenched in sweat from the last two hours of training, and the aura meter above her put her at a minuscule twenty nine percent. From pure training. "This is difficult…"
"Now, now, do it again." Glynda told her, in a loose proper stance. Despite her orderly appearance, she was actually a skilled fighter. Which, well, apparently most people didn't expect that of her. Sure they knew she was strong and intimidating but from what she had heard, most people thought she was useless without her semblance.
Oh how wrong they were. Uni wouldn't be surprised if she discovered Glynda was "ripped," as Yang would put it, underneath her fancy outfits.
Though she supposed it would be smart if she actually focused on her training rather than whether or not her Aunt had muscles.
Running towards Glynda, Silver Aura glowed brightly round Uni's hand as she lunged forwards. She attempted to palm strike her aunt, utilizing the Aura Technique she had just been taught.
It was an Aura blasting technique that was surprisingly efficient. You could use it several times before having a noticeable change in your aura. Unsurprisingly, Glynda had invented it herself. It also happened to be very effective and painful, as she was about to experience once again.
Unfortunately Uni wasn't nearly skilled enough, as Glynda simply sidestepped her and released a pulse of her own purple aura. With a blast of color, Uni was sent flying back once again.
Uni winced as she sat back up, lunging once again. She had a frustrated frown on her face as she had been doing this all morning. As she said earlier, two hours of this training was exhausting. Oh, she forgot to mention about the physical training that she did before her aura training.
So she had been working with Glynda for the last three and a half hours. So she thought it was understandable that she was tired.
Glynda flicked her crop and sent Uni back once again, not relenting in the slightest. Not that she expected her to. Her aunt was strict and cruel at times, but an effective teacher. There was no doubt about that. After all, she had already gotten much better since she had started combat lessons. Her style was much more refined.
She now knew actual strategies and combat techniques which drastically changed how she fought. Earlier she mainly relied on instinct and luck. Despite her improvements, she was still no match for someone who could literally lift several tons with their mind though.
She wasn't going to give up of course. Uni was just like Glynda as she didn't relent either. She charged up her aura and leapt forward. She dived as she saw the crop swinging towards her, palm striking her leg.
Glynda was only pushed a little ways away due to the general lack of power behind the strike, but it was still Uni's first successful use of Aura Palm technique or whatever it was called. She gave Uni a gentle smile, "Good, now you need to perfect it."
Uni let out a small sigh, slumping as she stood back up. "This is exhausting…"
Glynda noticed her look and shook her head with a sigh. She seemed apologetic but stern. "I'm sorry but you're not getting out of training this time. You'll still have time for Juniper's match so stop complaining."
"Not what I was whining about but okay…" Uni tended to keep her thoughts to herself, lest she incite a lecture. Her Aunt was very fond of them as they taught people to learn from their mistakes or something like that.
"Now, again." Glynda told her, gentle yet stern as always.
This was going to be a very long morning.
Lilith sighed as she landed on top of the building, sitting down with a small pout. Her general poor mood was self explanatory with what had been going on in her life. And there was still so much more she didn't know. But she had recently come to a decision that would change that, hopefully.
She had come across some more information by listening in on her "coworkers."
She was right in her previous assumptions that something big was coming, and she was here to figure out what exactly that was.
She wasn't sure why an empty apartment building in the heart of the slums was so important, especially since her semblance didn't pick up many emotions coming from inside. As far as she could tell, it was just a normal abandoned building. Supposedly whatever she was looking for was in this room.
Lilith had a small frown as she entered the building, crawling through a broken window. As her semblance told her, there wasn't much to see. It was mainly just a very big dirty room.
"Maybe something is going to happen here?" She wondered, theorizing as to why this place could be so important.
As she plopped down to the ground, her inquisitive gaze scanned her surroundings. The room was empty besides some crates and trash. Once again, it seemed to be a completely normal building. Yet somehow that only made things worse. Since she knew that something was supposed to be here, her lack of findings was only that much more frustrating.
Why was there nothing here? Surely she should've found something.
Lilith sat down and hummed thoughtfully, looking around once again. There were some drag marks and besides a few broken bottles and just normal trash it wasn't actually that dirty. Could someone have moved whatever was here?
It was a possibility, but why? Did they know she was coming? And if so, how?
Something wasn't quite right.
The matches that she had watched today… were interesting, to say the least. JNPR's match was particularly amusing. She was sure that she had Never seen a fight quite like that before. Team SSSN also had an interesting fight, One that demonstrated Neptune's fear of the water.
JNPR literally had a team debate in the middle of the fight, and it was funny enough that it got her to smirk for a brief moment. And that said something.
Uni did feel a little bad about her lack of attention to the match, she was just so tired. Her aunt had been working her down to the bone every day. Even her constant naps didn't alleviate her exhaustion.
Thankfully she was showing noticeable improvement in her fighting style, as well as her physical capabilities. She wasn't sure she could keep up with all the training otherwise.
"Both of the matches were nice," Uni yawned slightly as she stood up.
"Oh come on, you were sleeping for like half the battle." Yang smirked, laughing as Uni simply looked away. She was totally called out.
"You have no proof." Uni pouted slightly, huffing as she walked ahead. "I'm very tired."
"And that's fine, but let's go congratulate the dorks." Blake smirked slightly, a tad amused as well.
Weiss, however, seemed distracted as a bullhead soared overhead. White ribbons trailed behind it. With a surprising amount of excitement, the heiress looked up with joy.
"Weiss?" Uni asked with a frown. "What's going on?"
Weiss looked up at the ship, recognition and cheer washing over her as a rare smile appeared on her face. She said in a small, happy voice, "She's here!"
"Will you explain what's going on?" Uni asked, somehow not all that tired after chasing Weiss for so long. Well, She was a little tired but not noticeably so. Glynda's training really was paying off, huh.
"Yeah, I don't get it! Who is she?" Ruby asked, exhausted. She huffed as she took a moment to catch her breath. It did surprise Uni a little though, she had pegged Ruby as a runner, with her semblance and all. Well, they had run quite the distance.
Weiss ignored the both of them, staring as a figure exited the intricately designed bullhead. Her excitement and joy was evident as a name escaped her lips. "Winter."
"You're sister?" Ruby asked curiously. Both of them had heard of Winter through stories that Weiss had told them. They hadn't really expected to meet her though, or at least, Uni hadn't.
"Winter!" Weiss called out, waving as her sister turned to face her.
With icy blue eyes and white bunned hair, the resemblance was clear. And the formal militaristic outfit and stance only reinforced that similarity. She had this authority that washed over people around her. It was clear that she had some form of power, and based on her stance? Uni would've guessed military history.
Maybe she would know more if she had paid a little more attention when Weiss was talking about her. Though in her defense most of those conversations are when she was an unfeeling doll that couldn't care less about other people.
So yeah, her best guess was that Winter was from the military. Well, upon second glance that should've been obvious with the platoon of atlesian knights following behind her…
Oh well.
"Winter, I'm so happy to see you!" Weiss began excitedly, before pausing and readjusting herself. It was as if she was in a meeting, "Oh." She said with a curtsey, now much calmer, "Your presence honors us."
Uni simply frowned at Weiss' actions. From what she saw, Weiss' relationship with her sister was peculiar. Or at least, it drastically varied from Ruby and Yang's relationship.
She wondered, what was it like to have a sister, maybe if that day never happened she would be an older sister herself…
…
Lovely, now she had made herself a little sad. She would have to talk to Glynda about her feelings again. The conversations were always so weird and awkward. She didn't like them but they did help her understand things.
That could wait for now though, right now Weiss' sister was talking.
"Hmm, Beacon is certainly… different, since I was last here. The air has changed quite a bit." She said sternly, barely even glancing Weiss over.
"Well, it is fall after all. Just a bit chilly." Ruby said, in what Uni saw as simple oblivity. The girl was very silly and… well, she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Then again, Uni wasn't too bright either.
"So… Winter, what are you doing here?" Weiss asked, a hint of joy hidden under her formal tone as she punched Ruby in the shoulder, signaling for her to be quiet.
"Classified." She replied simply, still in a stern form as she glared down at them.
Uni wasn't quite sure how she felt about Winter, so she simply frowned in response. Though her confusion was just barely evident.
"Well how long will you be staying?" Weiss asked.
"Also Classified."
Scratch her previous statement, Uni didn't like Winter all too much. Well, Maybe Winter just liked saying the word Classified, but even that would get old pretty fast.
"Well that's understandable," Weiss nodded, smiling politely as if this was all just a normal conversation.
Both Uni and Ruby simply watched on with apprehension, the former frowning and the latter smiling weakly. Ruby looked around sheepishly, "Well this is sweet… maybe… kinda..."
Weiss was unable to contain herself any further, as shown by her outburst of joy. "Oh! You're going to love it here!" She cheered excitedly, gesturing with her hands. "I know you travel often but Beacon is different from Atlas! All of Vale really. The government and the school are separate!"
"I'm more than familiar with how this kingdom handles its… bureaucracy," Winter interrupted Weiss' words with distaste. "That is not why I came."
"Right!" Weiss said, seeming a bit hurt. "I'm sorry."
"Nor did I come here to watch my sister fail so miserably in battle, if you could even call it that. But it appears that I have no choice in the matter." Uni was starting to dislike Winter a lot, She was really rude… or was she misunderstanding things again? Oh whatever.
Weiss voiced the confusion that both Ruby and Uni held as she practically stumped forward and objected. "What!? But we won the battle!"
"Only a fool would call that thing a victory." Winter corrected, causing Uni to show visible distaste. "I counted at least three missed strikes." Winter turned to the robotic guards behind her, simply gesturing towards them, causing them to leave.
She then turned back to Weiss, smiling gently as she sighed softly. "Now, How are you?"
While Weiss seemed pleased that her sister had warmed up but Uni seemed completely taken aback. She was shocked to see such a sharp turn in her attitude. Maybe she was bipolar… whatever that meant. She had heard the term used to describe people with sudden personality changes but she had no clue what it meant. So that was probably an inaccurate way to describe Winter but that wasn't important.
Weiss smiled, "Oh absolutely splendid! Thank you for asking, I'm at the top of most of my classes and—"
The heiress was stunned when Winter slapped her in the face, Well, both Uni and Ruby were shocked as well. "Silence you Boob!" She reproached sharply. "I don't remember asking about your studies, I'm asking about how you've been." Weiss rubbed at her head to soothe where she was slapped, as Winter demanded, "Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Do you have many friends?"
Weiss perked up slightly, "Oh, well, Uni and Ruby are here," She gestured to them both, revealing a giggling Ruby and a very confused Uni.
"I see… so these are some of those friends you wrote about. How… underwhelming…" Winter said with what sounded like disappointment, maybe disapproval.
"Thank you?" Ruby seemed unsure of how to respond to the statement.
Uni didn't respond, she simply raised a brow and tilted her head. She stared at Winter with a dead expression, and she would be lying if she said she didn't hope that it unnerved her.
"Miss Rose, Miss Moon, it's a pleasure to meet you both," Winter greeted politely. "I would like to thank you both for taking an interest in my sister."
Ruby stumbled forward and gave her a sloppy salute, it was all in a failed attempt of being formal and proper. "Oh um… of course!" She fumbled over her words slightly, clearly nervous. To which Uni could understand, Winter did have a… presence, of that made sense. "The honor… is mine?"
Uni simply took a step forward, tilting her head as she looked Winter dead in the eyes. There was a thick tension in the air as the staring contest went on for a few brief moments before Uni finally spoke. "You're Welcome, I'm glad to have met Weiss, she is very nice, while you confuse me a lot." She said monotonously, voicing her opinions.
"Hmm, I'll have to say the same about you." She responded with an inquisitive gaze, One that bore into her soul. Winter then turned back to Weiss. "Now, I came here with the intention of talking with your headmaster, but I am early as always. So how about we head to your living arrangements?"
"Are you sure?" Weiss seemed extremely hopeful for a reason unknown to Uni. It would seem that Weiss' family in general didn't make much sense. Well, she really hasn't met her family but that wasn't the point.
"Of course, I need to make sure that they are up to standards." Winter said seriously.
"Lovely," Weiss began, walking towards the dorm room with a slight pep in her step. The metallic thudding of the Atlesian knights echoed throughout the courtyard as they walked through it. "Just remember that the bunk beds only look unstable."
"Bunk… beds?" Winter squinted incredulously, frowning softly.
"Yes, and I'm surprised they haven't died in their sleep because of them." Uni commented, still following them. She wasn't sure why Ruby seemed so awkward about it but she could figure that out later. "In fact, I'm surprised many things in this school haven't killed people." She stated bluntly.
Weiss frowned at her while Winter stared at her curiously. It was just a tad unnerving but otherwise fine. "Hmm, and if you were to come with me you could show me the dangers my sister is being subjected to?"
"Oh stop it, I'm not in any dan—" "Of course." Weiss tried to brush the issue aside, only to be interrupted by Uni. Of course she was apologetic for interrupting her… Okay she didn't care that much but she was a little sorry. She also just wanted to answer the question. Winter clearly held authority, so if she showed the bad things about Beacon maybe they would be changed. It also didn't hurt to get on a powerful person's good side.
She believed that this was what Weiss called "politics."
"Very well, come with me." Winter began dragging Uni along by her wrist, not that she was all too bothered by it.
Weiss followed along, albeit reluctantly. She seemed hesitant, confused, and extremely awkward. Though Uni had no clue about what.
Ruby simply stood in the courtyard awkwardly. "I'll see you all later, I guess." She said as she kicked the ground shyly.
Uni felt a little bad about seeing her sitting there in her lonesome. It was strange, feeling all these things, that is.
Upon further investigation… Lilith had found nothing. Zip, Nada, Not a single thing. It was just a decrepit old apartment building, one that was very creepy. Seriously, she felt like she was being watched. It didn't help that the building looked like it was abandoned thirty years ago, nor did the silence.
Everything was creepy, from the rickety staircase to the creaky doorways. Seriously, despite being an abandoned building in the slums it screamed haunted house. It even had the textbook mysterious drafts!
Oh yeah, back to the topic. She was fairly certain she was being watched somehow. One of Aura's less used abilities lies in detection. That's how some people know if they're being watched.
She had never truly experienced it until now and by the Brothers was it weird. She became so jumpy and paranoid she was fairly certain whoever was watching her laughed.
So yeah, she felt like she was being watched.
Of course, that was ridiculous, there weren't any emotions signaling that someone was watching her. It was probably just the stress talking. Besides, that strange feeling was her only evidence. There were zero other signs that she was being tracked. That's why she wasn't that scared anymore.
Oh who was she kidding. She was terrified, no matter where she went in the building the feeling never disappeared. The lack of emotions didn't reassure her one bit. If anything, that just made things worse because it meant that she was either going crazy, someone with an observation or tracking semblance was after her, or the worst case scenario; Magic.
No matter what happens, she was almost definitely screwed. She really needed to figure out what the heck was going on, where she was in this stupid shadow war, why she was being lied to, and so much more! It was just so frustrating!
Lilith had a frustrated scowl as she kicked an empty soda can across the room, it rattled as it rolled across the ground. She ignored the abnormally loud echo it made and simply sighed, slumping against the wall and sitting on the ground.
Sure it was dirty and cold but she was far too frustrated to deal with that. After all, she was fairly certain that the last seven years of her life had been a complex web of lies. She couldn't find any answers besides some weird Grimm. She was either going crazy or being followed. It was just so… frustrating…
When had her life become such a complicated mess? What had she done to deserve all of this? Why her?
She just wanted some answers! Was that so much to ask!?
Lilith's knuckles were white as she clenched her fists tightly, her eyes were watering slightly but she wasn't crying! She just… had something in her eye, that's all. She just… wanted those simple days back then. She still missed her original family. She knew they were long gone, but it wasn't so bad when she had Z.
Z wasn't her family but he was as close as one could get to being her father, but now she wasn't even sure about that.
In a matter of a few weeks her entire life had been flipped over and crumpled up. Her world had been shattered.
She didn't know anything at all, and she couldn't even fix that. How was she supposed to do the right thing, when she wasn't even sure what that was?
How do you win a losing game when you don't even know how to play?
A few moments later, while she was being dragged along by Weiss' sister, she was surprised to hear the sound of metal being cut and a thud. Not a second later the decapitated head on a robot guard rolled up to them.
A gruff and tired voice yelled out towards them, seemingly tipsy. "Hey! Stop right there!"
Uni turned to face the man, and she was fairly certain that everyone else did as well. Feathery black hair, crimson eyes, messy clothes and a tattered red cape. Something about him was a little familiar but she was sure she had never met the man before.
The older man let the headless body of the droid fall to the ground with a clang, which was a completely over dramatic and unnecessary move in her own opinion, as he stepped forward. "I'm talkin' to you Ice Queen!" He yelled tipsily. One thing was clear, the man was drunk.
It was also clear that he was about to start a fight. The only other thing that Uni was still wondering about was whether she liked this man or she disliked him. Seriously, it was a tough decision. On one hand, he seems like he's the annoying type, on the other hand, he seems funny.
Meanwhile, the other droids saw the man as a threat. Immediately they all backed up and raised their rifles in unison. However they were stopped before they could retaliate. "Halt!" Winter ordered, dropping Uni to the ground. So now she was having mixed feelings about both of them.
Weiss ignored what Uni saw as obvious signs of trouble and marched right up to the man. "Excuse me!" She exclaimed indignantly as she approached, only to pause as some sort of stench reached her. After taking a step back, she continued yelling at him. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to!?"
The stranger didn't even budge, simply raising his hand and pressing against her face as he slurred his words. "Shhhhhhh… not you… I'm talkin' to the other one." He raised a finger towards Winter.
Uni tilted her head with a frown, both intrigued and amused by the familiar drunken man. Well, who wouldn't be. As Yang would put it, you would have to have a real pair to mess with the Atlesian Military, whatever that meant. Apparently it was hilarious when she said it with an empty expression though. She was a bit annoyed no one would explain it to her though. Not that it mattered.
She still couldn't place where she had seen the man though. He was just oddly familiar. As usual, she supposed it didn't matter all too much.
What did matter was the scene going on before her. As a raven cawed loudly, the disheveled man lumbered forward. "When I saw that horrendous thing you call an airship I just knew you were here as well…" He practically spat out.
Winter simply eyed him with distaste, one that Weiss seemed to match. The specialist stepped forward with a frown. "You do realize that you just destroyed Atlesian Military Property, yes?"
The man smirked slightly, kicking the fallen droid. "Oh, oh, my bad. My sincerest apologies… this thing?" He kicked it again. "I thought it was some piece of sentient trash… I guess I'll clean it up."
The man then proceeded to kick it with much more strength than before, sending it rolling across the courtyard.
A small upward twitch of the lips appeared on Uni's face, which she was pretty sure was noticed by the man, as she watched the scene with very mild amusement.
Winter stepped even closer and glared, confirming that she knew him with her next words. "I'm getting really tired of playing your little games… Qrow." She said bitterly.
Qrow, huh. An interesting name, also familiar. The evidence said that she knew the man but… Uni had no memory of the drunk…
"So you two know each other?" Weiss asked incredulously, seemingly confused for some reason.
"I thought that was obvious." Uni responded bluntly, as she wasn't sure why Weiss was confused. Seriously, Winter said his name. It was pretty clear they knew each other.
The older two seemed to ignore the conversation as Qrow shook his head in ignorance. "You Atlesian Specialists think you're sooo special…"
"Well it is in the name." She pointed out, which Uni agreed with. It was a valid argument.
"Well in reality you're just a bunch of stuck up sellouts with whole oak trees stuck up their butts!" He sneered dramatically, wobbling in his drunken daze. "Just like your boss…"
Uni held back a small smirk, while crude, Qrow was definitely amusing to watch. Much more amusing than Winter was.
Winter glared at him furiously, her tone cold and harsh. "I'm not sure what you think you're implying but I've heard enough."
"Oh I know exactly what I'm implying." Qrow rolled his eyes. "I heard all about how Ol' Ironwood turned his back on Ozzy boy."
Uni frowned, tilting her head in confusion that Weiss voiced. "Ozzy Boy? You mean Ozpin?"
Winter never took her eyes off of Qrow as she spoke with a stern tone. "Weiss, I suggest you stay out of this."
"But-" Weiss began, only to be interrupted by Qrow. His tone was annoyed and rude. "No, no, listen to your Frosty Sis. She's right, for once. She'll protect you just like Atlas will supposedly protect us."
Winter stepped even closer, drawing an elegant silver Saber from the sheath that rested upon her waist. "I suggest you hold your tongue, lest I cut it out."
Uni was getting interested, as was everyone around them. A small crowd was actually beginning to form. It was understandable, a drunken man, who appeared to be a huntsman, was insulting a military specialist. Whatever happened was bound to be interesting.
Then again, it was likely to be just a fight. Unless one of them was more than they appeared, it wouldn't be that interesting.
Qrow gestured for her to come closer. "If ya want me to be quiet, then why don't you make me?"
Okay, maybe the grudge they held against each other would make it a little more interesting.
In a blink of an eye, Winter was lunging forward with impressive speed. Her saber was aimed straight towards his head and seemed like it was going to hit… but Qrow simply leaned his head to the side, casually avoiding it.
The drunken man simply smirked as he continued dodging left and right with ease, sidestepping her strikes. "Man… you are really bad at this." He taunted.
After dodging some even more aggressive strikes he leapt back and gave an overly dramatic bow. She took the opportunity to strike but everyone was shocked when the clanging of steel echoed throughout the courtyard.
A massive segmented blade made up of some strange silver metal, with a large clockwork hilt of moving gears, had blocked the strike around as he stood up straight.
The blade had clearly caught the eye of some onlookers, herself included. Uni found the blade… strange and familiar, not like the man himself. It was insignificant at best, so she ignored the thought.
Winter leapt back and put herself into a more serious stance, not underestimating the man despite the distaste she clearly held for him she raised her sword up towards him with a stern and cold glare, ready to begin the real battle.
Qrow dashed forward with his blade at the ready, beginning with a heavy downward slash that cracked the ground when Winter dodged. He didn't relent in the slightest, carrying on with several ruthless slashes.
Winter parried the first few strikes before flipping backwards away from him. She then paused and blocked his final strike.
Uni found herself entranced as the two Hunters danced around each other while trading blows. The skill they both held was impressive, she wouldn't mind training with either of them. She supposed Winter would've been a better teacher but this Qrow person seemed far more interesting.
Weiss seemed far more worried as she watched on, which only confused Uni. She didn't understand her worry as they were Hunters, they wouldn't kill the other. Probably.
"What's going on here?" Ruby's voice asked from behind her, the cloaked girl appearing in a flutter of rose petals. Late but not quite as always.
"Some crazy drunk came out of nowhere and started attacking my sister!" Weiss exclaimed, panicking slightly.
"But didn't your sister attack first?" Uni frowned, tilting her head. She was fairly certain that Winter started the fight, but she supposed she could've been wrong.
Unfortunately Ruby didn't seem to pay her words any mind, simply looking distraught. "That's awful! Who would do such a thing!?" She turned to the fight only to start jumping up and down excitedly, "ahhhh! That's my Uncle Qrow!" She yelled with joy.
Ahh, that made more sense. Now she remembered where she saw the man. Uni looked down and flipped open her locket, staring down at the photos. The one that held a much younger Qrow confused her, for the reason that it didn't hold his weapon. If the sword wasn't in the photo then why was it so familiar. "Hmm… Qrow, huh. Who are you?"
"You got this Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cheered loudly, much to Weiss' shock. She returned the cheer with one of her own. "Uh… teach him a lesson!"
While Uni was simply lost in thought, the fight continued on. Winter leaned far back to avoid a heavy horizontal slash from the heavy blade. He smirked with a cocky glint in his eyes as he reared back for another blow.
Winter apparently noticed this and sent herself back with glowing white glyph. The strike that she avoided sent a jagged crack in the courtyard. Qrow looked up at Winter who simply smirked at him from the outskirts of the courtyard.
His speed was impressive as in nearly an instant he was back on her. Qrow forced her to dodge as he cleanly sliced through the metal of the lamp post she was standing on.
Winter landed on the metal stump that remained but he stabbed towards her once again only for her to dodge. Again. She landed on the next lamppost as Qrow's blade shifted to reveal the muzzle of a gun.
She narrowly avoided the shot that resounded by leaping up to the circle of arches that surrounded the courtyard. Running across it, she nimbly dodged the shots that followed her.
Frowning slightly, Qrow scaled up an arch of his own as he shot from afar. Finally, as he reached the top, a shot connected in a burst of steam.
He raced towards the cloud as he reverted it to its original form. As he approached, Winter leapt out from the steam with an angry glare. Activating her blade, a segment of it fell out of the hilt giving her a second smaller blade.
While wielding both blades, she ruthlessly charged forward and struck. The clanging of metal resounded as they were both sent tumbling towards the ground because of the sheer force behind the attack.
They didn't pause for a moment, as soon as they hit the ground they were back at it. Weiss went in for several thrusts with her blades as Qrow stopped his slide by stabbing his sword into the ground. As she rushed towards him, he held his blade behind his back and smiled.
Winter continued staring at him coldly, stabbing her saber into the ground and created a strange, silver glyph. Several orbs of light escaped the sigil and formed into a flock of silvery white Nevermores.
The faux birds swarmed towards Qrow, covering him in a blinding swarm white mist as he slashed with them with futility. He was barely visible, which was probably why she didn't notice the sudden white energy escaping from his blade until it was too late.
The flash disrupted her concentration, causing the glyph to fade and the summons to disperse. She glared at him with Ice cold fury as she summoned another glyph behind him.
In response he flicked a switch on his blade causing the gears to spin as his blade separated into segments and began to turn into what looked like a scythe. Then, he did something that surprised everyone in the crowd, Uni included. He canceled the transformation and returned the weapon to his back
Qrow leaned forward with a smug grin and gestured for her to come at him.
Winter listened, charging at him with an angry shout. Her blade aimed straight at his throat. His Grin never faded as she approached.
"Specialist Schnee!" A familiar voice yelled angrily. Now, where had Uni heard that man… ah, that's right, the Ball. General James Ironwood.
Despite her fury, Winter halted her strike. Her blade mere centimeters from his throat. She begrudgingly turned around and saluted the approaching General. With a strained voice, she greeted him. "General Ironwood, sir!"
"What in Remnant is going on here?" He demanded as he approached, a platoon of Knights behind him, along with the worried form of Penny.
Uni may or may not have given Penny a small wave of greeting, which she seemed pleased to receive.
"He started the altercation, Sir!" Weiss defended herself, still trying to be respectful. She was pretty sure Yang called this behavior, "whipped," whatever that meant.
"Actually," Qrow peeked his head out and spoke up. "She was the first to strike."
Ironwood gave her a hard stare. "Is that right?"
Winter opened her mouth to argue but passed, probably realizing that Qrow was right. Her silence was all the response the general needed.
Ironwood scanned the awestruck crowd with what looked like confusion and disappointment. Then again, Uni could've been completely wrong. He walked past the disgraced Winter and turned to address Qrow. "And you! What are you doing here?'
"I could ask you the same question." He pointed out, seemingly nonchalant. Though the accusatory tone he held said otherwise.
"I-" Ironwood began to speak but he was quickly interrupted by the calm voice of Ozpin. "Now, now, everyone please calm down. There is a fight coming up at the coliseum. It has better seats and popcorn." He said as he walked through the courtyard, Glynda following behind him.
Uni did note the nod of greeting her Aunt gave her as she arrived.
The crowd began to disperse as Ozpin approached, well, most of the crowd. Uni, Ruby, Weiss and several others lingered.
Glynda glared sharply, "Break it up, break it up. We will take care of the mess." She said, already working with her semblance to clean up.
Ironwood turned to Winter. "We're leaving. Now." He said sternly, leading her away.
As the military personnel, and the crowd dispersed, Uni walked up to them, Ruby and Weiss behind her. Immediately she turned up to the drunken man and said what was on her mind. "You. I like you. If you meet her again, tell her how many missed strikes you counted."
Qrow raised an eyebrow at her bluntness, and her request, but grinned slightly. "Okay then." He said, only to be knocked back slightly as Ruby ran up to him and hugged him in greeting.
"Uncle Qrow!" She yelled excitedly, smiling widely as she popped off of him. She spoke quickly and happily. "Hiii! It's so good to see you! Did ya miss me? Did ya?"
He ruffled her hair playfully with a smirk. "Not a bit." His actions contradicted his words, which confused Uni but she didn't pay it much mind.
"Qrow," Ozpin called to him from across the courtyard. "A word please."
Chuckling softly, he leaned over to Ruby. "I think I'm in trouble." He whispered jokingly, not that Uni recognized it as such.
Ruby giggled, "well, you did destroy the courtyard…" she pointed out, smiling sheepishly.
Uni decided to add her own two cents. "I doubt it. He's eccentric enough to let it pass." She argued her own opinion, not realizing the joking manner of the conversation.
"Eh, probably." He shrugged, giving Ruby a fist bump. He stood up and began walking towards Ozpin. "Well, I gotta go. Catch ya kids later."
"At least we now know where you get your recklessness." Weiss commented, annoyed by the drunken man.
"You're just upset that he won."
"That was a draw," Weiss argued, defending her sister. Unfortunately Uni had to agree, since the fight was interrupted a draw was probably the best word to use.
"Meh, who cares who won, I think I just need a nap."
AN: I'm sorry this took so long but I had writer's block for a while. I apologize profusely for the time it took to get this out. I hoped the quality would impact, and I'd like to think it did, but it didn't reach the quality that my other story has reached. So honestly I'm confused because, for some mysterious reason, one is significantly better than the other. In my opinion, of course.
On that note, my new story Mind & Soul is out. It's kinda awesome so far and I cannot wait to introduce all the characters I have planned. I have so much lore it's insane.
I actually plan to update it again fairly soon, you'll get some more development! New characters! Team Coffee! All that jazz. Meanwhile, I'm still struggling with some writer's block for this. I'm trying to get through it though.
Next chapter will be a little more Lilith centered where she will actually learn something instead of the wild goose chase she's been going on.
Also, I will be trying to sort out a new schedule now that I have both stories going.
Well, that's all for now, I think. See ya!
Void Out