The next morning came sooner than Roy was expecting. One moment he was sleeping peacefully next to Ebony and then next, her scroll's ringer was waking him up. Ebony unlocked the device and checked the caller ID.
"Roy," she whispered, "It's Qrow Branwen."
Roy sat up quickly, all thoughts of sleep forgotten and took the device from her. "Hello?" he answered, rubbing the sleep from his eye.
"I hope you like Atlas this time of year," Qrow said, "because you guys are getting in. What's the name of your ship again?"
Roy felt his heart rate pick up; they were going back to Atlas! "She's called the Dusty Daydream." he answered.
Qrow chuckled, "I've heard of her. Aster Ving's the pilot, right?"
The faunus was dumbfounded, "How did you... "
"Hey, When you gotta get into Atlas unnoticed, smugglers are the best," Qrow said dismissively, "let's just say we huntsman have a...mutually beneficial agreement with them." The older huntsman was quiet for several seconds, "when you get here, the air control warden is going to ask for a call sign. Respond with 'Dusty Daydream Bravo 1 requesting permission to land.' Don't say anything different or you'll be blown out of the sky."
Roy snorted, ignoring the unease welling up in his gut, "Paranoid are they?"
Qrow chuckled again, "Well, you know how Atlas is. I'll let you go kid; you've got quite a trip ahead of you."
Roy yawned and rubbed at his eye again, "Sounds good. Thank you Qrow."
The elder huntsman grunted, "Thank you kid, for trying to talk some sense into me."
With that, Qrow hung up. Roy slid the device shut and handed it back to its owner. Ebony gave him a questioning look and Roy allowed a smile to play over his face.
"We're going to Atlas…" he said, "all of us!"
Ebony beamed and, to the faunus's surprise, pulled him into a hug. "I'm so relieved," she whispered.
"I take it from your joyful embrace that we should start packing today?"
Aster's voice suddenly broke the stillness. Dahlia sat next to the pilot, watching the pair of faunus with baited breath. Roy smiled and nodded. The petite huntress covered her mouth, her eyes welling up with happy tears. Roy and Ebony both moved over to the neighboring bed and enveloped their teammate in a hug.
Roy noticed Aster fidgeting and snorted, "Aster…Get in here." The pilot hummed happily and joined group hug.
"What should we do now?" Dahlia asked, wiping her eyes.
Roy winked at Aster, "What else? We all get showered, dressed and pack like our lives depend on it. But first, I have a little surprise for Ebony. Aster, is everything ready?"
The pilot winked back, looking quite pleased with herself, "almost, we just have to set up. I filled Azure in last night."
Ebony looked confused, "What did you two plan?"
Roy gave her a small smile, "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise. Now would it?"
Ebony growled and lightly hit Roy with a pillow. The faunus laughed and retreated back to the other bed, "Alright, who wants to shower first?"
-:-
About an hour later, Ebony stood alone in the room's bathroom. She'd volunteered to go last. She could tell by the way that Roy and Aster's eyes lit up that she'd made the right call. She regarded her reflection in the mirror, tilting her face this way and that to get a better look. Her hair was out of its usual braid, cascading down to almost mid-thigh. Her green eyes shone brightly out from behind her now black hair, the purple highlights having faded a long time ago. There were circles under her eyes, the trauma of the past day still wearing on her.
She sighed and shrugged out of her yukita, allowing the garment to slide to the floor. After removing her additional underthings, Ebony turned the shower on. Grabbing the small shampoo and conditioner bottles sitting beside the sink, she stepped into the shower. Her tail twitched in annoyance as it met the water, but she ignored the momentary discomfort and set about washing her hair.
Due to the amount of time it took her, she had considered cutting it short many times. But in the end, her love for her hair won over the inconvenience. Once she'd finished her hair, Ebony turned her attention to her other pride and joy; her tail. About four feet long and the same silky black as her hair, the tail had grown slightly unkempt over the past few days.
"Time to fix that," she murmured to herself as she gently took the furry appendage in her hands. Once her tail had been thoroughly lathered and rinsed, Ebony washed the rest of her body. As she scrubbed herself clean, she began to notice her lack of scars. All of her teammates had numerous scars, minor and major, but she remained unmarked.
Is it because I'm just good at avoiding damage? she thought, Or is it because my teammates are always taking the hits for me. Ebony sighed, her mind turning to Roy's myriad of scars. So many and he still thinks nothing of taking hits for us. Ebony hugged herself, feeling the soap and water running down her curves. Gods, she prayed silently, give me the strength to be that strong.
Her mind wandered aimlessly for several minutes before finally settling on Roy's surprise. He had told her to meet him downstairs at 10:30 and Ebony had to admit that her curiosity was thoroughly peaked. Now thoroughly clean, Ebony turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Grabbing a towel she began the second most grueling task of her morning routine; drying her hair. After almost 5 whole minutes vigorous towel drying and brisk combing, she began to work on her tail. As it dried, the fur became fluffy and lustrous once more. Ebony felt a small burst of pride at how good it looked once she'd finished. Setting the towel aside, she got dressed.
After giving it some thought, she put her hair up in a small bun that left the majority of her hair free, deciding that a braid would take far too long. Finally satisfied with her appearance, Ebony switched off the light and exited the bathroom. The room was empty and quiet, the only sounds being the sound of the city as it drifted in through the open window. Checking her scroll, she saw that she still had about ten minutes before she was due to meet Roy. She sat down on the end of their bed to wait, her hands folded in her lap.
Her gaze wandered around the room, taking in the painted ceiling, the view out of the window, and finally Μόνος sitting forlornly beside the bed. Ebony contemplated the sword for several moments. The red metal gleamed in the morning sun, casting several crimson reflections on the wall. She thought back to how the weapon seemed to dance in his hands.
He's gotten stronger, she thought.
After a moment's hesitation, she got up from the bed and picked Μόνος up. She's heavier than she looks, the female faunus thought as she gently drew the sword from its sheathe. The blade had been polished and cleaned the night before, practically glowing in the light coming through the window. Ebony gently turned the sword in her hands, taking in every detail.
A truly beautiful weapon, she thought, smiling softly, I can see why he calls you a she.
Returning Μόνος to her sheathe, Ebony bowed her head over the weapon and offered up one final prayer, Gods, may there come a day when he will no longer need her.
A gentle knock at the door caused her to quickly place Μόνος back we she belonged. "Come in!" she called.
Dahlia entered the room, her eyes shining brightly, "They've got everything ready. You can come down now," she said, offering her hand to the faunus.
Ebony smiled softly at her smaller teammate. Dahlia led her down the stairs to the dining area and the sight of it took Ebony's breath away. The windows had all been covered over, leaving the interior dimly lit by the blue dust lamps around the room. A single table was set in the middle of the room, several glowing candles giving the whole thing a romantic atmosphere. Roy, wearing a long sleeve collared shirt and blue jeans, stood by one of the chairs. He was fidgeting as they approached, clearly nervous about the whole affair.
He pulled the chair out for Ebony, "You're seat ma'am."
Ebony laughed quietly and took the offered seat, pulling her toes up as Roy slid the chair in. Dahlia gave Ebony the smallest of winks before vanishing upstairs. Roy sat down in the chair across from her, gesturing to the breakfast menus sitting in front of them, "I wanted a romantic dinner. But since we're leaving soon, a romantic breakfast will have to do."
Ebony smiled as she looked over the menu. They both sat in silence as they made their selections. While she browsed, Ebony kept stealing glances at Roy from across the table. The faunus had finally gotten around to shaving, all remnant of stubble now gone from his boyish face. His hair had been combed back behind his ear, leaving his eyepatch and facial scars visible. Roy's blue eye suddenly met Ebony's and she quickly brought the menu up to hide that she'd been staring.
Aster suddenly appeared next to the table, wearing an apron and holding a notepad, "Okay, you guys figure out whatcha wanted yet?"
Roy looked Aster up and down, looking quite bemused, "Wow, I wasn't expecting this."
The pilot huffed and pointed her pen at the faunus in a threatening manner, "Hey, this is what Azure wanted in return for doing this."
Ebony raised an eyebrow, "he wanted you to wait tables?"
Aster colored slightly, a far off look in her eye, "Not...exactly. Anyway, you guys ready to order?"
Roy nodded, "I'll take the bacon and fried eggs with orange juice and hashbrowns."
Aster scribbled the order down and turned an expectant eye to Ebony.
The female faunus shut her menu and rattled her order off, "I'll take the french toast with strawberries and powdered sugar."
Aster made a pained face, "Gods, I'd love to try that." She jotted down the order and gave them her cheesiest smile, "I'll have that right out for you."
Ebony noticed Roy desperately trying not to laugh and let out a small chuckle. The faunus smiled softly at her and toyed with his silverware. "How are you feeling?" he asked tentatively, "I know yesterday wasn't...great."
Ebony gave him a wan smile, "I've been better. But I've also been worse. It was a horrible experience but I think it will help me become better."
Roy nodded and offered her his hand. After a few moments, Ebony gently took it. She could feel all the callouses and the scars from Adam's blade stretching across his palm.
"I've been thinking about...us and our relationship," she began tentatively.
Roy's ears shot up like he'd heard a loud noise, his pupil became a slit as he focused intently on her face. "And?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.
Ebony sighed, letting all of her anxiety flow out with the breath, "I've been watching you these past few days. You've been making an effort to fix the problems I raised back in Akichi." She squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile, "During the skirmish yesterday, I got to see you act like a true leader. You kept your head clear and even let your teammates take point several times. You are changing for the better, slowly but surely." Ebony gazed into Roy's eye, watching the flame of the candle dance in it, "I think I'm almost ready for us to be...well, us again."
The faunus gave Ebony's hand a gentle return squeeze, "I swear to you," he said, "I will always strive to be better. You won't regret giving me a second chance."
Ebony nodded, caressing his hand with her thumb, "I plan to hold you to that, Roy Arashi."
Aster chose that moment to reappear with their orders, "Okay I've got your orders." she raised an eyebrow at them, "Wow, hand holding? You guys really need to pace yourselves. You'll be all over each other at this rate."
Ebony couldn't help but laugh as Roy's ears flattened in annoyance at the pilot's cheeky statement. Aster set their orders on the table and gave them a small bow, "Well, you two enjoy. I've got a promise to keep."
Before Ebony could ask what she meant, Aster turned and walked up onto the small raised stage in the corner. A blue spotlight illuminated the stage as the pilot gripped the old fashioned microphone.
"Good evening gentlemen...Ladies," she shot a cheeky wink to the imaginary audience, "I hope you're enjoying your nights just as much as I am. We-" She froze, her eyes growing sad. After taking a deep breath, she continued, "I will be singing a little something for you all this evening. I hope you enjoy it."
The pilot crossed to the small upright in the corner and slid some lien into the slot on the front. Tapping a few options on a small display screen on the front, Aster soon had the piano playing along by itself. Retreating back to the microphone. She waited for the opening refrain to end, then launched into her song.
The melody was a slow, gentle ballad that wound its way around Ebony's heart. Aster's voice was breathtaking, the quiet nature of the song allowing her voice to truly shine on the few soaring crescendos. Ebony noted Roy's faunus ears standing at attention and chuckled. She shot a glance at the bar and saw Azure was filming the performance on his scroll. As she watched, he quickly dashed away a tear with the cuff of his sleeve. The piano reached an instrumental section and Aster took the chance to catch her breath. After gathering herself, the pilot launched into the final verse.
And now my love,
We are apart. But
I will carry on.
So that one day,
The sky gives way,
And all the clouds are gone.
As Aster sang, a second voice joined in; a clear, beautiful harmony coming from the front end of the tavern. Aster's voice faltered and her eyes widened, causing Ebony to turn to see who it was. A short brown haired girl stood just inside the tavern's door. She wore a leather jacket over a black crop top, purple skinny jeans, and black ankle boots. Her hair was combed over and cut short on the side, flowing down her shoulder on the left side. Several eyebrow piercings glinted in the tavern's blue lights as she sang, her head nodding along to the music. Aster's eyes filled with tears and she struggled to keep her voice steady as they reached the final verse.
It's you who taught me
How to fly.
You who saw
right through the lie.
That love was just a fairytale,
And hope was never true.
But now, my love
I know the truth; my greatest hope was you.
The song came to an end and Aster practically leapt down from the stage. Ebony could see the pilot's legs shaking as she made her way over to the girl. The two stood silently for several seconds, as if taking each other in. Finally, Aster whispered something to the girl and they left, the door closing behind them with a soft thud. Ebony turned to look at Roy who was looking as dumbfounded as she felt.
"Was that…" she began.
"Juno," Roy finished, "Azure showed me a picture of her and Aster back in the day."
Ebony shot a quick glance at the door, "I hope everything goes out okay."
Roy nodded, "so do I."
The two faunus ate in silence, content to enjoy each other's company. Roy finished his food first and sat back to enjoy his orange juice.
"So," Ebony began as she finished her last bite of french toast, "what's the plan once we get to Atlas?"
Roy set his glass down with a soft clink as he pondered the question. "Our first priority is to get Hunter back," he said, "problem is, I have absolutely no idea how to go about that."
Ebony sighed, "no ideas here either."
Roy toyed with his glass, "I'm thinking we just cross that bridge when we come to it. No use worrying about it until we get there." "
Ebony nodded, a smile playing on her lips, "Wise words indeed." The smile faded, "we still have the matter of Dahlia's family to consider. I've been wracking my brain as to the best way to tell them, but I've got nothing."
Roy nodded knowingly, "I know we talked about it a little, you really don't have anymore ideas?"
Ebony hummed thoughtfully, her tail drifting lazily from side to side, "No, I guess we'll just feel out the mood."
Roy twiddled his ears, "Are you suggesting we wait and read the room so we can avoid thinking about it?"
Ebony sighed and played aimlessly with her tail, "I don't know, maybe?"
Roy gently gripped Ebony's arm, "It's okay Eb, I'm nervous too."
Ebony's heart rate picked up as Roy touched her, his thumb rubbing lazy circles on her shoulder. She gently gripped his other hand, squeezing it gently. Roy smiled and squeezed back, "This I've definitely missed."
Someone cleared their throat and Ebony looked up to see Azure standing beside their table.
"You know, I do have a lovely patio for hand holding," the barkeeper said with a smile.
Roy grinned, "Sounds good. We'll take advantage of that once we pay our bill."
The barkeep shook his head, "Aster's song was payment enough. I didn't realize how much I'd missed her voice until now. Hearing it again meant the world to me."
Ebony blinked in surprise, "Are you sure?"
Azure nodded, "Quite sure."
Roy smiled and nodded, "Thank you so much." He set several lien on the table and gave Azure a wink, "For our amazing waitress."
-:-
Ebony followed Roy out onto the patio, her hand still firmly clasped in his. It was now afternoon and the city was now fully awake. Ebony could hear the sounds of people moving about their days, mixed in with the gentle rattle of the city's street cars. A steady breeze was blowing in from the sea, the salt smell of the waves tickling Ebony's nose. The patio stretched the length of the tavern's backside, providing a beautiful view of the sea and surrounding woodlands. Roy leaned on the patio's railing, the breeze ruffling his hair and ears. Ebony joined him a moment later, allowing her tail to gently curl around his wrist.
"Do you ever wish your life had been different?" he asked.
Ebony nodded, "I used to, not so much anymore."
Roy seemed to ponder the answer, "What would you change if you could?"
Ebony sighed and gave Roy's hand a gentle squeeze, "Probably what you'd expect, I'd try harder with Ronin. Try and make him see that we were wrong. That way I might've saved Matsudo and not had to...to…"
Ebony couldn't finish, the words refusing to move past the lump in her throat. Roy stayed quiet; giving her the time she needed to regain her composure and squeezed her hand back.
"What about you?" she asked, "What would you change?"
Roy stared out over the trees, his eye taking on a far off look, "I'd probably try and convince Simon that raiding the warehouse was a horrible idea." He smiled sadly to himself, "I noticed between the two of us, neither of us would change joining the White Fang in the first place."
Ebony smiled and gently cupped his cheek, her thumb playing over the scar on his face, "Of course not. That's where we met. I wouldn't change that for anything."
Roy turned and locked eyes with her, causing her heart rate to sky rocket. "Funny…" he said, leaning closer, "I was thinking the same thing."
Before Ebony knew it, she was passionately kissing him. One hand gripping his shirt, the other gently entangled in his hair. Roy seemed surprised at first, but he surrendered almost immediately and allowed her to pull him closer. Ebony closed her eyes and basked in the shared warmth of their bodies. She could still catch his scent through the smell of the sea; sugar cookies and that lovely damp smell just after it rains.
Eventually, they broke apart to catch their breath. Roy was grinning widely, his cheeks a fiery shade of red.
"I thought we were going to take it slow." he said, bemused.
Ebony's own cheeks were burning and she felt almost light headed. "We will," she said sheepishly, "But that couldn't wait."
Roy leaned in again, bumping their foreheads together, "I'm not arguing with that." Ebony laughed and gently nuzzled his cheek.
"Man, do I love being right. You guys didn't last an hour before kissing again."
The two faunus spun around to find Aster standing, hands on hips, watching them like a proud mother. Roy's blush got darker and Ebony's cheeks burned hotter.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asked furiously.
The pilot winked slyly, "long enough. I just came back from saying goodbye to Juno only to find that Azure sent you out to the patio."
Roy seemed to leap at the chance to change the subject, "How was that? Any chance of rekindling the flame?"
Aster rolled her eyes, "That flame has been out cold for years Roy. There is nothing to reignite. Our lives took drastically different paths; she's singing for a local band and I'm...well, I'm me." Roy gave her a sympathetic look and the pilot lightly punched his shoulder, "Oh, don't give me those big ol' cat eyes. I'm fine! There are plenty of fish in the sea."
The faunus nodded and offered Aster a grin, "Optimistic as ever, I see."
The pilot snorted, removing her black apron and draping it over the marble railing, "Someone's gotta be. With you being Mr. Gloomy all the time."
Ebony chuckled as Roy's ears stiffened indignantly. "I am not gloomy all the time!" he exclaimed, causing the pilot to laugh.
"No, not always," she said, "But enough times for it to seem normal."
Ebony's scroll alarm went off in her pocket and Roy neatly pick-pocketed it from her. "That time already?" she asked.
He nodded, handing it back to her with a sigh, "Well you two, it's time to get our stuff and head down to the hanger. Dahlia will meet us there."
Ebony was reluctant to let the happy moment go, but in the end, she followed Roy inside the tavern. Besides, she thought, it's not like we won't have many more moments to come.
-:-
Roughly twenty minutes later, Team SDE+A walked across the airfield toward the Dusty Daydream. They'd bid their farewells to Azure who had waved away their thanks with a smile.
"While you stayed here I got to see Aster be truly happy again." he said, "That is much more than I could've asked for. I shall pray for a safe flight."
After leaving the tavern, they'd headed to the airfield and met Dahlia at the front gate. "I've already got my stuff on board," she said as the quaint vessel came into view, "Hurry up and stash yours so we can go!"
Roy smiled, amused by the smaller girl's urgency, "What's the hurry Lia? Atlas isn't going anywhere."
Dahlia smiled sheepishly, "I know, but I'm so close to seeing Hunter again! Plus, I haven't seen my family in ages either!"
Roy shot a glance at Ebony, only to find her smiling as well. Putting on a brave face for Dahlia, he thought, good job Eb.
Aster paused at the top of the mooring ramp, allowing them to climb aboard first. "I can't wait to meet this Sierra you've told me about. She sounds like quite a gal."
Ebony laughed and Roy's heart soared at the sound. "She really is," the female faunus said, "She literally saved our lives."
Dahlia beamed at them, "Remind me to thank her when we meet!"
Once their luggage was properly stowed away, Roy and the two girls returned to the top deck. Aster was seated in the cockpit, flipping switches and pressing buttons. Roy felt the Daydream rumble to life under his feet and couldn't help but smile as Aster whooped.
"Purrs like a kitten!" the pilot exclaimed, "the weird clattering in the engine is gone too!"
Roy threw her a thumbs up and turned his attention to the skies. The ship undocked with a clank of clamps disengaging and slowly rose several feet into the air. Skillfully lifting the ship out of the airfield, Aster tilted the Daydream's bow to the sky and sent them soaring into the wild blue yonder.
The flight to Atlas took much longer than Roy anticipated. He spent the time lounging in the crew quarters or sunning himself on the upper deck. He felt like there were things he could be doing. But when he offered to help Aster, she simply shrugged.
"Honestly, there really isn't anything that needs doing," she said, "you guys feel free to relax."
And relax they did. Ebony dozed in the crew quarters and Dahlia kept Aster company. As the flight wore on, the air began to get colder. Roy's breath began to mist and the small dust heater in the crew quarters turned on, sending out a blanket of warmth into the hold. It got even colder as the sun sank towards the horizon, turning the sky a dusty pink.
Presently, Roy was leaning on the ship's railing near the front of the boat. By his calculations, Atlas would be coming into view soon. He yawned; the temperature shift having made him quite drowsy. The Daydream was coming up on a mountain range. The last few rays of the sun haloed the peaks, making them appear dark purple in the fading light. As the Daydream gracefully cleared the mountains, Roy finally caught a glimpse of Atlas. Even after seeing it so many times, the sight still took his breath away.
The primary metropolis floated almost magically above the city of Mantle. The smoke billowing from the different factories making it look like the city was simply held there by some invisible force. The lights of Atlas sparkled like stars, standing out beautifully against the late evening sky. Mantle itself was a glittering island of lights on the snowy sea of the landscape.
Roy felt the Daydream pick up speed as they flew closer. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he saw what was guarding the glittering city. Dozens and dozens of Atlesian battle cruisers sat in foreboding silence. Several smaller manta class ships flew around them, looking like a flock of hummingbirds annoying a group of swans.
"Hey Roy!" The faunus turned his head as Aster called for him, "Air warden on the comms. Says she wants a call sign!"
Roy jogged to the cockpit and took the hand-held mic from the pilot.
"Air control, please repeat?" he said, trying his best to sound official.
"Unknown vessel, please make yourself known," a stern female voice came through the radio, "failure to comply will result in you being fired upon."
Roy pulled a scrap of paper from his coat pocket. Not wanting to forget the call sign, he'd scribbled it down soon after his scroll call with Qrow. "This is the Dusty Daydream Bravo 01 requesting permission to land at Atlas Academy."
After a moment of silence, the radio crackled back to life, "Permission granted Bravo 01. You're expected."
Roy looked around at his teammates as the radio fell silent. "Well," he said, giving them a nervous grin, "That's not foreboding at all."
And with that, the mistral arc of my character's story comes to an end. As we move on to Atlas, I'd like to thank everyone for being so supportive and reading the story. This is and always has been a passion project and sometimes I take breaks, or I take longer to get chapters done. But you've all been here waiting for me when I get back. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. As always, if you liked the story, or saw something you want to ask questions about; leave a review or shoot me a PM. I'm always ready to talk. This will be the last chapter for a little while. Sorry for going on hiatus at the same time as RWBY, but I want to give you guys the best story I can. Never fear, volume seven is all planned out; I just have to write the bloody thing XD.
Catch you later!
-Ar3mRising.
