Hey guys! Here with an update. I know they're few a far between. Can't make any promises on a regular schedule, but I'll try to get things out when I can. I hope everyone has been well and is getting through the COVID thing. My guitarist just got over it and we thought that I had it at the beginning of March. My breathing's been pretty bad since then. Anyway, I hope you guys have been safe and getting through this just fine!
ooOOoo
"Hey… hey… are you awake?" The voice was so tiny but familiar. She felt a buzz of warmth as she tried to recall the face of the owner… but she only drew a blank… She'd been here before. Why was it always so hard?
"Hey…" She opened her eyes and stared sadly at the featureless face before her… such a tiny person. She struggled to remember who this person was, but all she could remember was a young boy.
They had both been similar in age when they had met, but for some reason, he always had the saddest expression across his round, little features. There were so many things she couldn't remember about him; just that something was off about him… and those two features. Dark hair that flared red at the ends, so much like Ruby's... Ruby? Who was Ruby?
Joyful, silver eyes and an equally bright smile flashed through her mind and she smiled. She just needed a moment to gather her thoughts and remember. That's right - Ruby. She could recall her face in an instant. Ruby and this boy; they mirrored each other so much, even though they were complete opposites. She recalled that, on rare occasions, this boy could also have the brightest smile, but just like Ruby, there was sometimes this dark hole that ate through his pseudo-happiness. However, unlike Ruby, his eyes were a piercing red that sharply contrasted the hard steel that colored her partner's.
"I miss you, Weiss."
"I miss you too, R-…" What was she going to say?... R?… What was his name? They had known each other for almost a year and she had called him his name every single day. She remembered that… Why had they separated? Where was he now? She needed him… WHY WASN'T HE WITH HER?!
"Weiss?..."
"R-…" Once again, the name died in her mouth and was lost to her. She knew his name. She knew she did!
"Please?" The sadness in his eyes conveyed a great hurt as his voice broke. "Y-you always say it, Weiss… Just say it," he pleaded. "I remember you!" But Weiss was silent. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't recall his name – only the R-sound.
"I can't." The words echoed in the darkness that surrounded them and everything became still between them. He gave a small, broken laugh and tears streamed down his non-existent features. She had broken him. Everything that little boy had ever meant to her was simply gone. He was gone. Everything was gone… She brought her hands to her lips and choked back a cry as she whispered to herself.
"…You died…" A loud sound drummed through the darkness, accompanied by a blinding light that caused the boy to shield his eyes as the automatic doors split. Still, the only thing Weiss could make out were those pleading crimson gems. An imposing figure stood tall in the doorway and beckoned Weiss to return to the other side, but the boy grasped her arm.
"Don't leave me!" He was desperate. "I'm not dead yet!"
"I have to go. If I stay here…"
"I'll protect you! All you need to do is-" He ran toward the door at full speed.
"No! Don't!" Heart racing, Weiss reached after him but she was too late. Her eyes widened as the boy jumped in the air, lunging after whoever stood beyond.
Time froze and something slender blew through the boy's chest, dragging a long trail of blood behind it. With a sudden force, he was knocked in the opposite direction and blood trailed through the air as he fell to the ground, limp and lifeless. Weiss fell to her knees, unable to make a sound, tears burning at her eyes… they flowed. With an unrelenting force, the gates to the dam broke and her emotions raged.
Just call me what you always do.
ooOOoo
Weiss' eyes shot open and hot tears poured from them. She brought her hand to her mouth to muffle her sobs and rolled away from where the rest of her team slept. If anything, she didn't want them to wake up and see her this way. It wasn't the first time she'd had this dream and it certainly wouldn't be the last. It had, however, been the first time she had drawn a comparison to Ruby in that dream.
Normally, Weiss was alone with the boy until an unknown person entered the room and murdered him. They were the only two that ever appeared and Weiss could recall nothing of the world outside that dream or even that moment. This time, when she tried to remember his face, she thought of Ruby… Had he always looked like that though? Or was she just projecting Ruby's image onto him since she was someone easily recognizable? She didn't know.
All she could remember about the incident was that she had been powerless to stop it. He had been her first true friend and she failed because she had yet to come into her own power – to command glyphs. Ironically, that very same incident was what unlocked them - the pain of being so utterly helpless… so useless. Her tears now dry; she rolled onto her back and wiped the remains away.
Dimly lit curtains, silence – minus the breathing of the blonde - and hot tears: These were the very things the heiress now associated with dawn, whereas back in her home in Atlas, it had simply been tears and utter silence. Black out curtains had long since destroyed any chance of sunlight peeking through and left her to determine the time of day herself because "a Schnee is always aware". It had been her father's ploy at self-awareness and discipline.
Here, after the tears subsided, this was a time where she could simply relax in the world beyond her closed eyes during those last few moments before she began her wake-up routine. On any other occasion, she would listen for the tweets of morning birds, signaling it was time to hit the shower before the others could wake up… but her bed offered comfort she felt she needed more than usual this morning and the birds gifted her with a serene song and she felt a welcome calmness wash over her soul. Honestly, she wasn't sure just how long she had been laying there anymore. She was barely aware of the others… That was until…
"Ack! Yang, stop!" There was a loud thump on the ground and Weiss turned around to find the two sisters in a heap on the ground. Yang was pinning Ruby, who was struggling to get free.
"Nooooope!"
"Would you two stop being fools?" At the sound of Weiss' screeching, Blake's eyes briefly left her book to observe the situation. The two sisters had started with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors for who got to decide on something, but it had landed in ties every round and the game had erupted into a wrestling match that Yang was clearly winning.
"Decision's mine, Rubes!" The blonde declared.
"No fair, Yang," Ruby pouted. "You know I don't stand a chance physically."
"I'll believe that when you decide to be serious," Yang ruffled her hair with a grin. "Shower time?"
"But we haven't even done anything yet," Ruby complained. "Why don't we just wait?"
"How can you possibly have this much energy this early?!" Weiss growled at them.
"They're deciding when to shower," Blake flipped a page in her book and continued reading.
"Can't you just go by yourselves?!" The heiress rolled her eyes. "Like real adults!"
"We go together," the blonde crossed her arms affirmatively. "Or we don't go at all. And I say we go now, while it's early and no one's there."
"Or we could go late, while no one's there!"
"Why does it even matter?" Weiss huffed. They'd started this shower routine every morning ever since Weiss and Yang got into over Ruby locking herself in the room to do Remnant knew what!
"The stalls are separate and hide everything. It's not like anyone would see you!"
"That's our business, Princess," Yang glared at her and Weiss shrank.
"Yang, be nice," Ruby warned. "Seriously… but on a serious note, I wanna' start acing things and get us doing missions ASAP!"
"We don't need to rush, Rubes," Yang frowned. "We have all the time in the world."
"I know that," Ruby sighed. "But each section has an extra dorm in it, and the best performing team gets to move into it."
"Are there any perks to said dorm?" Yang gave her an impressed look, though it had caught Weiss and Blake's attention.
"Uh, duh," Ruby said incredulously. "Why would I be interested in it if it didn't benefit us?"
"Really now?"
"Yup!" The team leader emphasized the 'p' with a pop. "It's bigger and we'd get our own bathroom."
"I'm in," the blonde barely let her finish before she replied. "That would help so much!"
"Right?" Ruby grinned at her excitedly. "Our parents got it, so why can't we? The first evaluation is at the end of the month and they do a new one at the end each succeeding month, so all we have to do is consistently stay at the top of our section."
"Wait," Yang eyed her suspiciously. "There's gotta' be a catch. There's always a catch."
"It's not that bad," Ruby waved it off.
"Ruby…"
"I promise!" Ruby laughed. "We just have to be model students!... So no more beating up Cardin… unless we're in Goodwitch's class! Then have at it!"
"Soooo, what you're saying is…" Yang grinned. "Shower, then talk strategy!"
"Oh, my Dust!" Ruby groaned and Yang grabbed her by the collar, dragging her away. "Seriously?!"
"You know, every day I buy it less and less that those two are actually siblings," Weiss said when they disappeared. "They act so strange and are way too dependent on each other."
"They probably have their reasons," Blake dismissed it. "But it would be nice to have our own shower."
"True," Weiss hummed in thought. "It would be, but I would think the added space would be the selling point. Why is the shower what matters to them? What do they do that's so secretive?"
"Not sure," Blake shrugged. "And it's not our business."
"Says the lewd girl who couldn't contain herself at dinner a few weeks ago…"
"Hey!" Blake glared at the heiress. It's not like she was expecting any part of that incident to occur.
"But seriously," Weiss sighed. "How does Ruby expect us to come out on top when they do so poorly in classes? We don't even operate that well in tactics. Sure, Ruby has some interesting ideas in theory, but they don't work that well in practice."
"Well, why don't we ask Ruby to show us what she means?" Blake suggested. "Yang seemed to think they'd be better partners from the beginning, but I think that's only because they've been together their entire lives. Why not see how they work and maybe we can learn something."
"Hmmm, I do admit that they seem more in sync with each other during mock battles than us," Weiss sighed in defeat. "I doubt there's anything we could learn, but you're right. It might help to see how they operate together."
"You may be right," Weiss said as she grabbed some clothes and headed toward the door.
"Off to join them?" Blake smirked.
"Oh, haha," Weiss rolled her eyes. "Unlike Ruby, I prefer to wake myself up with a shower. There's nothing wrong with a second one, if needed."
"Have fun, Princess."
"Not you, too…" Weiss mumbled to herself as she left the room. At least, they provided her with enough of a distraction from this morning's dream.
Thinking about it now, she never had wound up in the showers at the same time as any of her teammates. She almost thought that they didn't even use the same shower. Even with Ruby's explanation of Yang taking a motherly role in her life, she didn't understand why they did absolutely everything together – and it wasn't like it was Ruby who initiated it.
To Weiss, it seemed like Yang was far too attached to her. Yang's behavior was somewhere between a clingy girlfriend and a mother suffering from empty nest syndrome. If she went by Ruby's explanation, it was the latter, but Yang's attachment appeared to be more desperate than that – dependent, even!
"Ow, not so rough!" It was Ruby's voice… so they did use these showers. "It's in my eyes!"
"Stay still," Yang's voice echoed back. "I can't exactly be gentle when you keep squirming around!"
No way… Weiss hurried into the showers and leaned down to peek under. Were they… in the same stall together?! What in Remnant… did they not know the meaning of personal space?! Small children, yes, but teenagers shouldn't sharing showers together! There was a line to be drawn and this was crossing it! Was this what Yang meant when she said having their own shower would be easier? This… needed to be reported!
"Okay, done!" Yang's voice came. There was some soft grunting after that and Weiss blushed. "I can help you with that… Rubes, seriously! You need two hands for th- you're going to mess up your teeth! Stop!"
"Yang," Ruby cried back. "I have to learn to do it on my own! What if you're not around? I'm not showing this to Weiss or Blake! I might get sent home!"
"They wouldn't tell anyone," Yang said softly. "Well, Blake wouldn't. Weiss, I dunno'. She'd probably throw you under the bus in a heartbeat, if it got her your position."
"Yaaaaang," Ruby whined. "Just because Weiss isn't around, that doesn't mean you can talk bad about her!"
"I just don't see why you like her so much," Yang groaned. "You're never gonna' be able to rely on her… Not like me, which I'm gonna' remind you is why we're here together. We've got each other's backs, so don't worry about this. Ozpin would be dumb if he sent you back over this. He's seen you in action before and look at Ironwood! He's in way worse condition than you!"
"I'm still gonna' have to be able to do it alone at some point…"
"And you'll get there," Yang assured her softly. "Just not today."
"Ugh… fine," Ruby sighed. "Then… just make sure you don't touch it this time…"
What was going on?... For a moment, Weiss debated on taking her shower, but she decided against it. She headed back to the dorm ahead of them, which earned the obsidian member of the team's curiosity.
"That was awfully short for a shower."
"Yeah," Weiss said absently and sat on her bed with a perplexed look. Her silence struck the darker girl as odd and she sat up to give her a curious look. "I'm just… not sure what happened."
"Care to elaborate?"
Blake sat there and listened as Weiss explained what she witnessed and her own thoughts on the matter. The golden-eyed girl seemed uncomfortable as she went over the details and held her chin in thought.
"So… Ruby is… disabled in some sort of way?" Blake tried to summarize what she had heard. "And they are trying to hide it… How did she get past the physical exam unnoticed?... And can it really be that bad? We have fellow students that have prosthetics. There are also incredibly talented Hunters that have them. What kind of disability could be so bad that it would get her kicked out of here?"
"That's what I'd like to know…" Weiss' brow furrowed in thought. "Have you… noticed something strange about one of her arms?"
"You mean the gloved hand?" Blake quirked a brow. "Or how it sounds when she touches something with it?"
"Yeah."
"I just figured she wore some kind of gauntlet," Blake shrugged. "Maybe that it was a defensive measure in case of close combat."
"True," Weiss nodded in agreement. It was plausible enough but still. "Why wear it all the time? She even wears it with the regular school uniform, which means that its functionality is for life outside of being a Huntsman."
"We should give them some time to talk about it," Blake suggested. "They'll have to, eventually."
"I don't want to be surprised out on the field, Blake! I don't deserve that and neither do you!"
"Hmm," Blake thought about it for a moment. "Then why don't we give them another week. If they haven't mentioned anything before we're assigned our first mission, we'll bring it up. It gives her the opportunity to bring it up first, and if she doesn't, then we talk to her about it."
"Alright…"
"Why not try spending more time with her?"
"Why would I want to do that?" Weiss shrieked. "She's already distracted enough!"
"Then maybe you could help her with that," Blake smiled. "Think of it as bonding!"
"As if I need to bond with someone like here!" Weiss crossed her arms.
"Look, be stubborn if you want," Blake gave up trying to reason with her. "But at least Yang and I have been improving this way. She's… not so annoying to read to…" The obsidian girl blushed as she spoke. "They don't seem to realize that there's a world beyond the two of them. Sure, they're aware it exists, but it doesn't matter if they haven't taken the chance to experience it. They're very particular about who they want around them, and it seems to me that they've opted to let us in a little more than others, but they're still isolated."
Weiss thought about it for moment. Everything Blake pointed out was right. Weiss had already decided that the siblings were strange from the moment they met. Yang's thoughts seemed to only be on Ruby and went out of control whenever she thought she was in danger. Ruby had this mysterious air about her, along with a lot of secrets that only the blonde was aware of, but it also appeared she had plenty that she kept from the blonde. Maybe it was more that Ruby and Yang were all that mattered to each other.
"Uh, why the glum faces?" Yang's cheerful voice cut through and Weiss startled.
"Hi, Yang," Blake greeted her warmly and the blonde blushed at the sound of her name. Yang rubbed the back of her head and offered her an equally warm smile.
"Weeeeiss," Ruby tugged at the heiress' hands. "Come with me!"
"What are you doing?!" Weiss screeched as Ruby pulled her through the door.
"See you guys in a little," Ruby called to the other two. "We're gonna' get breakfast!"
"Stop!" Weiss called as Ruby zipped down the hallway with her in tow. She continued to fight against her until she had no choice but to cast a glyph in front of Ruby, who ploughed into it face first.
"Ouch…" The crimsonette rubbed her nose. "What was that for?"
"Would you just stop for a moment!" Weiss fumed. "You can't just drag people around on a whim whenever you like!"
"Oh… sorry?" Ruby gave her a nervous laugh. "It's just… the mood…"
"Mood?"
"Yeah," Ruby blushed a little. "Blake seems really fond of Yang and I haven't seen my sis smile like that in a while, y'know?"
"Well, yes, as I said before," Weiss crossed her arms as she recalled earlier. "You two are a bit too close."
"Don't you think I'm aware of that?!" Ruby stopped in her tracks and snapped at Weiss. "Look, I get it! Yang and I make you uncomfortable and we don't fit into your idea of what siblings should be!"
"Ruby, I didn't say th-"
"No, you don't have to," Ruby cut her off. "I see the way you look at us and I get that it just makes you think worse about us, but it's not what you think. We're not like that!... If everything works out, then maybe it won't always be like this but..." Ruby's voice got small and she wrapped herself in her arms. "Things will get way worse for her and I won't always be around."
"Ruby… is there something wrong with Yang?"
"There's nothing wrong with Yang…" That was odd. She thought that it was Ruby that had the issue. "Yang is fine! It's what was done to her that's the problem!"
"Did someone hurt her?"
"… It doesn't matter," Ruby said darkly and continued toward the lunch hall. "I'm going to fix it and then she'll be fine."
"Ruby, if something's… caused Yang to have difficulties," Weiss danced around using the word that had set Ruby off, but part of her suspected Ruby had taken personal offense to it. "I could talk to my father. We-"
"No!" That was first time Weiss had seen genuine hatred in Ruby's eyes and it frightened her to the point that she took a step back. Ruby must have realized it though. She quickly doused the fire behind her eyes and recomposed herself. "No… Sorry, Weiss, but we don't trust the Schnee…"
"So becoming my partner was a ruse?"
"No," Ruby matched her pace with Weiss' as they walked. Eventually, they came to the lunch hall and stood outside the entrance, debating on whether to go inside or not. "I'm not really hungry anymore… You're free to go though. Sorry for dragging around…" Ruby looked away and kept moving past it.
"So that's it, huh?" Weiss caught up to her. "You're just going to leave me without an explanation? Just a 'No'?"
"… There's nothing to explain…"
"I don't believe that."
"Doesn't matter what you believe," Ruby muttered as she hopped onto the stone railing that lined their path.
"Get down from there," Weiss tugged at her cape, knocking her off balance. With an 'eep', Ruby came crashing down, into Weiss' arms. The two looked at each other and blushed.
"My hero," Ruby teased and Weiss pushed her away.
"That's what I was talking about!"
"To be fair," Ruby grinned slyly as she leaned against the stonework instead. "It was your fault."
"…You're trying to distract me and change the subject!"
"Why would I do that?" The crimson girl smiled innocently.
"See? That! You're playing mind games," Weiss accused. It was too early for her to be getting this agitated, but the silver-eyed girl new exactly how to push her buttons. "Ruby Rose, you are a completely dishonest woman and I don't much appreciate it!"
"Gaaaaasp," Ruby looked at her in adoration. "You see me as a woman?!"
"…That's what you took away from this," Weiss inhaled with a sharp hiss and pressed her fingertips to her sinuses. Maybe she could will away the aggravation that was taking over her. "No, this is exactly what I meant! You're trying to get me caught up in a distraction so that you don't have to explain yourself!"
"I told you that there is nothing!"
"Fine, then if you won't tell me, I'll tell you what I think the problem is," Weiss stared at her adamantly and Ruby cocked an eyebrow at her arrogantly. "I think you have a disability that for some reason you think is better to hide than be honest and let us in! You'd rather hide it than be honest than depend on anyone else and that's why you suddenly want that dorm room, but neither of you have the grades to make that possible!" The instant she spoke, Ruby's smile fell from her face and her expression turned panicked. "How am I supposed to follow you when you won't even allow yourself to depend on me?! … And you expect me to do that without reciprocation? …You're so frustrating!"
"Even if I did, you wouldn't believe anything I have to say," Ruby shifted uncomfortably. "Not yet, at least…"
"Ruby…"
DING DING DING DING
The school's bell began to chime, signaling that students needed to be heading to their classes. Weiss sighed and decided to let go of the conversation for now, but that didn't mean it was over. She'd find out what Ruby was hiding, whether she liked it or not.
ooOOoo
"Oh my God, we made it!" Yang collapsed behind the desk as the bell rang. The rest of Team RWBY followed suit with Yang sitting at one end of the group and Weiss on the other. Keeping in mind Weiss' mention about the showers, Blake strategically placed herself between the two sisters. From her peripheral, Yang noticed her partner's apprehension and attempted to put her at ease with a shameless coo into her ears. "You alright, Blakey?" At the sound of her nickname, Blake's panic ceased and she pulled away. Why was it that everything the blonde did had to seem so suggestive?
"Oh… er… Yeah! I just…" Amber eyes danced about looking for any excuse, landing on the chocolate chip cookie in her leader's mouth. "I forgot to eat!"
"Oh… well, that's not good! Goodwitch's class is next and that's, like, the worst class to forget to eat before! Good thing this is still Port's class. Tell ya' what!" Yang roped an arm around her partner and brought her in close, looking around as if to make sure no one were listening in. Leaning in closer, she whispered into Blake's ear and sent shivers down her spine. "Ask Rube's for a cookie. I'm sure she won't mind." Yang shifted Blake's head to place the crimson and coal girl in her line of sight. The girl looked petrified under the dagger-like gaze of her white-clad partner. No doubt, Weiss was trying to get whatever was going on out of her and Ruby was trying hard to maintain her composure. "I'm sure she'd love some saving, right no~ow," Yang ended in a singsong. She grinned and cupped her hands around her mouth for a makeshift speaker.
"Rubes… Pssst!... Rubes…" The unruly girl's volume rose with every word as she tried to get her sister's attention. "…Rubes!" Cookie still hanging from her mouth, Ruby looked over her shoulder and acknowledged her sister. If she didn't, she'd only get louder… and then Weiss would get madder. "Give Blakey a cookie!"
At the notion of enlisting someone else into the 'Chocolate Chip Camaraderie', Ruby hastily dished out two cookies, placing one between a stupefied Blake's lips and letting it hang there. The crimson girl shivered as a chilling gaze loomed over her shoulder and her sister snickered at Blake's expense. Sighing in defeat, Blake closed her amber eyes and nibbled at the treat. There was no use arguing when it came to these two.
"Ruby, since you seem to be so adamant about getting this dorm room, did you by chance happen to study for today's lecture?"
"Eeep!" The young Rose jolted. "Uhhh, yeah!" She squeaked out past her cookie and the Schnee's eyes narrowed on her. "Well, I mean, I flipped through a few pages!"
"Unbelievable! Do you even know what today's class is about?" Ruby shrank into her seat and became smaller.
"Oh ho ho ho! So youthful is the youth of today! It warms me to know that Team RWBY has the answers for today's class!" The jolly professor looked at the team. "Why I remember when I was a spry young lad taking my classes head on each day! Oh, were those the days! Miss Schnee, why don't you enlighten us on what today's class is about!"
"Oh, um," she stood up and straightened out her skirt. "We're discussing the origins of Grimm. It's best to know our enemy's beginnings in order to better understand them!"
"Very good! Spoken like a true Schnee! Tenacity is what builds character and on many occasions, saved my life! Miss Belladonna, where do the Grimm come from?"
"They are born from the negative emotions that humans and Faunus suffer. It also draws them close." Blake's answer was almost textbook.
"Ah, correct you are, young one! One's emotions must be kept in constant check! It is veritable proof that one has a soul, and through our souls, Aura is born. Every living thing has a soul, and in that respect, is capable of producing Aura. Miss Xiao Long, if Aura is present in all living things, then why can Grimm not use it?"
"The text book says they don't have souls, which means they don't classify as living things," the blonde answered flatly, seeming disinterested in the subject. His interest piqued, the professor chuckled and bade for more.
"While that is correct, your words tell me that you do not believe the text. I'd like to hear your own ideas, Miss Xiao Long."
"It's not so much an idea, as it is a concept that we don't give any thought. Grimm don't have souls, but humans do. What if a human were born without a soul? Would they be considered a Grimm?" The blonde's eyes burned with something both sad and dark. Eyes laced with concern, Blake watched her partner carefully. Unless Ruby was involved, it was rare Yang's serious side came out, but this time she almost seemed desperate. "Or even, a human's soul was stripped from them? Or if a Grimm could produce Aura? Grimm are those without souls. Would those humans now be Grimm? And would those Grimm simply be forgiven once they gained resolve?"
"Interesting, Miss Xiao Long, but there have been no known cases of such a thing occurring. Is there a reason that you ask?"
"I… No, there's no reason," the blonde drifted into her own world.
"Yang…" Blake said softly.
"It's nothing, Kitty Cat. Don't worry about me," she assured. "It's fine."
"Hmmm, I wonder," the portly professor eyed the leader of the team and smiled. Her sister's outburst had certainly been interesting.
Clearly, Team RWBY held some of the more profound thinkers in the class, despite their aloof nature. As he stared at the girl in red, he was suddenly reminded of a young girl in a similar white hood who had sat in that very seat almost 20 years ago. Sitting in that very seat, he had asked her a question that had sparked a very passionate outburst and he wondered what he might hear if he asked it once more.
"Miss Rose, would you mind humoring an old man with the origins of the Grimm?" Ruby's expression turned serious as she locked eyes with the professor, but as she opened her mouth to respond, Weiss cut her off.
"It's a trick question, you dolt. It's the same question that Blake answer, just reworded."
"Grimm are Remnant's punishment for the sins of humanity. While humans were once welcomed, we stole the land from its rightful people and became parasites. If you compared Remnant to the human body, the Grimm act as antibodies and we are the sickness."
"Oh, my Dust! You seriously didn't read the text book, did you?!"
"Ha, next thing you're gonna' tell us is that Remnant belongs to the animals!" Cardin Winchester bellowed from the other side of the classroom, earning a sharp glare from the Rose-Xiao Long sisters. "Oh man! You were! That's great! They aren't even civilized!"
"Mr. Winchester, you would do well to keep your uncivilized comments to yourself!" Professor Port turned back to Team RWBY. "Miss Schnee, regardless of whether it is in the text book or not, many legends and beliefs are passed down through different walks of life. Not all are correct, but not all are incorrect. You could say that one of the more enjoyable parts of this class is its philosophy. Miss Rose, you are Summer Rose's daughter, no?"
"…Yes…"
"Ah! As I thought! I've only had the pleasure of hearing this particular telling of how Grimm came to be once before. I would like very much for you to share it with us. I truly think that it gives a plausible explanation for some of the things that we do not understand about Remnant."
"Oh, um, I normally get told I'm crazy by this time," she said sheepishly, but the professor urged her on. "Well, as the story was passed down, our ancestors originated from a faraway place called Earth – a world whose night sky was lit by only a single, solid moon. Sadly, our ancestors' home was polluted and on the verge of dying. Hoping to heal their home, our ancestors left in search of a way to restore it to its former beauty. After a long time searching, they came upon Remnant, a rich and lush world that reflected their home in its glory days.
After setting foot on Remnant's surface, two humans made the initial contact with the planet's people, the Faun. With swift use of technology, the humans were able to establish a connection with the Faun leaders and learn each others' languages. The Faun were so moved by the humans' plight that they taught them to unlock and use Aura. They showed them how the resource now known as Dust interacted with their Auras and how they could use it to heal their home. Thankful for their help, the humans left for home to begin the healing process, but when they returned, it was already too late. The Earth itself had withered and become as broken as Remnant's Shattered Moon.
In their grief, the last humans drifted through space, until fate drew them back to Remnant. With welcome arms, the Faun accepted the humans and shared their space with them, but it wasn't long until it became too much for Remnant to bear. Unlike the humans, the Faun did not have the despair or anguish that leaked from the humans' Aura. Without a way to process the darkness they exuded, the negative emotions took shape and terrorized humans and Faun alike, bringing despair to Remnant's people, and Remnant cried for her children.
History tells us that The Dark Continent is where the Grimm first appeared, but it would be Atlas where the first humans settled and the first Grimm appeared."
"Okay, Ruby, you can stop making up stories now. Everyone knows that Atlas is the safest place from Grimm. The Dark Continent is full of them. It's a breeding ground for the monsters," the heiress was infuriated at the suggestion that her home was where the Grimm originated.
"Hah! How little you know, Princess. She's talking about Old Atlas, from back when your floating castle town was on the land. It's called Mantle now."
"Yang," Ruby warned. "Weiss and I are both entitled to our own beliefs. As long as I can answer the questions on the test correctly, there should be no reason to complain, right Weiss?"
"Well… yes, that would suffice, but it's wrong. If we went by your belief, then you are saying that Grimm are directly tied to the existence of humans only and not Faunus. You are also saying that humans are from another planet entirely, but humans have been on Remnant as long as time."
"Look, Weiss," Ruby tried to make peace. "Hasn't it ever struck you as odd that Human Semblances seem more aggressive, where Faunus semblances are more graceful and natural? Like a gift from nature; like it belongs there."
"We could say yours is graceful and Faunus-like, then, Ruby… or are you just an exception?" Ruby simply smiled. Huh?
"Ah, you caught me, Weissy," she grinned. "Guess my story has its flaws." Weiss eyed her skeptically. She'd given up way too easily to not raise suspicion.
"Ahuh-huh-hem!" The professor cleared his throat. "Miss Rose, I would very much love to pick your brain on this story in the coming days! I shan't pass it up a second time!"
"Oh, uh… I'll see what I can do?" Ruby nervously scratched the back of her head and gave a weak laugh.
"See to it that you do, Miss Rose! Oh, I do love the many lores of Remnant." The portly man began to prattle on. "They tell us so much of our people, the land, the Grimm… If it weren't for the stories passed down, I may not have been able to pull my team out of the clutches of a flock of Gryphons! It was a terrible time when…"
From there on, the rest of the professor's lecture was lost on Weiss. Instead, thoughts of Ruby's story pervaded her mind and she was unsure as to why it bothered her so… Just what on Remnant was going on in that dolt's head?!
ooOOoo
AN: I made a number of updates to the previous chapters and reorganized some of the chapters. I switched the "wake up" seen in this chapter out and dragged it in from a different chapter. The original will come back at a later time. I just felt that this would move the story on a bit better since it has to do with some of the upcoming chapters. I wanted to flow into it naturally and not just drop things on you guys out of nowhere.
I'll admit, I had a period where I forgot where I was going with this story and may have bitten off more than I can chew. I have multiple stories and my life has been getting busier and busier as I go. My bday just passed a couple weeks ago and my roommies/vocalist are getting married in the next couple weeks! So excited for them! Anyway, as always, leave comments and I'll try to update whenever I can!
Reviewer Response:
Cun: I do like the portrayals of Blake being the "closet perv". I've been going back and forth about how I want to develop her and Yang's relationship in this. I do think I may have made their interest in each other a bit forced. That was one of my problems with the original of this, but I have ultimately decided to give them a quick interest in one another defined by hesitation on Yang's and misunderstandings on Blake's.
Gwynevere Whisper: Nope! I never got to the point where this lore was brought up. The unreleased chapters of the original started to delve into it, but I ran into the problem of putting way too much on the readers at once without answering anything. I felt it was confusing to the readers and I didn't like the way I had written things out. I included it earlier this time because it's part of the core of the story and is related to "the Grimm" that Weiss saw, as well as the bold-lettered voice that Ruby sometimes hears.
Hewhoislost: Thank you! I've honestly not been sure with this story. I have a few others that I've been working on and some other projects haha. I like to stay busy and they've sort of taken a priority. I'll try to updated when I can! I do like world building. It's one of my favorite things to do in stories. I used to in my room as a kid and draw maps and write out lore about the people and monsters of the worlds we made and how their power systems worked. It was so fun! I've been recently working on some complete original stories. I kinda hope to get a comic or something going one day, but we'll see. Got a lot on my plate already haha.