Hiya everyone! Wyn here with a loooooooong overdue chapter of this little mess of mine! Now, I have received several messages with concerns for the mess that the last chapter was, and I want to apologize to you all. I have something special cooked up for the fiftieth chapter, which will hopefully help make things make more sense, so bare with me! Oh, and don't tell my boss I'm posting this at work, I might get in trouble!
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Six Days: Tuesday
Sun WuKong is desperate. Not only did his moment of caring for Blake set certain things in motion with her parents, but somehow Kali Belladonna once again proves her resourcefulness. Somehow she and her husband found a private bullhead pilot willing to go to Menagerie and bring them to Vale, thus trading a two week voyage by ship for a sixteen hour flight.
There are already whispers in Vale's unofficial faunus district that the Shadow Dancer is already searching for Adam, and there is no rock, no shadow, no hole that is safe from the retired assassin.
Of course, as he exits the elevator to teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, and MADM's floor in Blue Dorms to warn Blake, his worry becomes a full blown panic attack as he sees Ghira Belladonna standing at the door to the common room, Headmaster Ozpin himself barring his way.
Shit.
"Ghira, I will not permit you to enter their dorm without their permission." Ozpin declares firmly as he stands his ground. "Especially since it is entirely too early for this."
"Move aside, David." Ghira growls back as he glares down at the shorter man. "It took some convincing, but Kali's agreed to return to Menagerie peacefully if Blake returns with us."
"Blake is already eighteen, Ghira. You cannot force her to leave." The Headmaster of Beacon reminds the taller faunus man, mindful of the claws that are already beginning to flex in and out of his fingertips. "Have you even taken a moment to speak to Alex? Or even Carolina?"
"I feel no need to." He replies back mockingly. "They have already proven their ineptitude with the incident at the docks. My daughter and my goddaughters all were forced to kill to survive! Blake, Willow, and Weiss should never have been put into that position in the first place, and that is my own failing as a parent. A failing I will not make again!"
Sun is terrified now. Ghira may be a legend for his choice in taking more peaceful approaches towards equality, but he's still a powerful and deadly opponent once provoked. Of course he himself screams in terror when someone pushes him to the side, trembling as he watches Alex Garibaldi approach.
"Ghira, you sure do got ah big mouth." The wolf faunus grumbles as he stops at a safe distance, a cup of coffee in one hand and his other hand resting on the hilt of one of his bastard swords. "I could hear ya all the way back at the forge."
"What in the ten hells do you want?" The massive panther snarls angrily as he turns to glare at his most hated rival.
"For ya ta shut your big fucking mouth, that's what." The Mountain replies before taking a sip of his coffee. "And for ya to calm the fuck down. You're worse than Kali and Katie combined, and we're having ah hard enough time sitting on her."
Ghira smirks as he looks at the man he is still convinced seduced his wife during their years here at Beacon. "And if I don't?"
"Then you answer to us." Weiss and Willow declare as they stand in the doorway to the dorm's common area. Both of them are wrapped in sheets, clutching their weapons and with identical looks of irritation on their faces. "And we are not amused at being woken up at this ungoddessly early hour of the morning to deal with this, especially since we have classes in three hours…"
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-Fifteen Minutes Ago-
"What is that infernal racket?!" Weiss shrieks as she sits up in her bed, a look of irritation on her features.
"It sounds like two people arguing..." Ruby replies sleepily as she tries to pull the white wolf back down into the bed and her arms. "Something about Blake…"
"My, what good hearing you have Rubaloo!" Yang chuckles as she peeks out the window in curiosity. "Ummmm, hey Blakey?" The Brawler calls out next, a look of confusion on her own features.
"Where is Blake?" Weiss asks as she looks around, her look of irritation slowly being replaced by one of concern. "Blake Amaya Belladonna, where in the Ten Hells did you go?!"
"She died!" The panther's voice declares from underneath her bed. "A Beringel is eating her as an appetizer!"
"Say, where's Ilia?" Ruby asks as she sits up next, a concealing arm all that is covering her breasts.
"Blake, leggo! I don't want to hide under your bed!" The chameleon faunus screams in terror. "It's not far enough away!"
"Far enough away?" The red wolf asks in confusion. "Why wouldn't it be far enough away?"
"Ummm, does it have anything to do with the two panther faunuses by the bullhead pads? Especially the one who looks just like an older Blakey?" The blonde asks curiously as she points in the mentioned direction.
Standing, Weiss peeks next, a look of understanding coming across her features. "I haven't seen them in years. Wow, Aunt Kali has aged so gracefully!"
"Aunt who?" The Reaper asks, her confusion growing worse.
"Kali Belladonna, my mother…" It is the ominous tone in the panther's voice that gets the team's attention. It's one none of them have ever heard before, save during the search for Weiss.
"Oh dear." The white wolf murmurs. "I can hear them now. They're arguing over some kind of agreement." Pausing, she looks at her girlfriend. "They're here to take Blake back to Menagerie, today!"
"Not happening!" Ruby declares angrily as she grabs at a t-shirt. "Yang, text Penny and Pyrrha. Tell 'em both to come to our room!"
"You bet!" The Brawler replies as she reaches under her blanket.
"Hey! Not your scroll!" A new voice squeals.
"Oops! Sorry, not sorry!" The blonde replies with a grin as a second squeal is heard.
"YANG!"
"I can't help it! Jeez!" She declares smugly as she pulls her scroll out from under the blanket and starts typing.
"Good morning Miltia." Ilia calls out from under the bed she shares with her own girlfriend.
"Miltia, you really don't have to sneak in." Weiss reminds her as she pulls the sheet for her bed free, getting a squeal of her own from the Reaper, who blushes a deep red as she pulls the shirt as low as she can. Wrapping it around herself, she peeks at the remaining bunk and frowns. "Where the hell are they now?"
"Sorry! I just always feel like I'm intruding on… stuff." The woman replies as she pokes her head out from under Yang's blanket. "And is it always so cold in here?!"
"You get used to it." The panther replies. "You just cuddle up to someone at night, and you'll be fine."
"I got a dragon to cuddle. I'm good!"
To none of their surprises, Penny simply walks in while rubbing her eyes sleepily and yawning. "This better be important. Jaune and I were up entirely too late last night."
"Good morning!" Pyrrha declares chipperly as she follows the Android in next, a bounce in her step and a smile on her own face.
"Oh Goddesses save us all, she's a morning person!" Weiss declares in mock horror, getting a giggle out of the redhead.
"I'm always up this early. Cinny and I go jogging and work out." She informs the white wolf.
"Yes, then have loud, almost obscene sex in the shower afterwords." Penny grumbles.
"Hey, get a workout, then get worked out!" The Brawler declares with a thumbs up. "That's my kind of morning!"
"Wow, Pyrrha. You're not as innocent as we thought, huh?" Miltia grins mischievously.
"Compare sex lives later!" The Android huffs. "What is it?"
"You two wanna help me take a bullhead apart in record time?" Ruby asks as she finishes getting a pair of shorts on, a wicked grin on her face.
"And why would we want to do this?" The Mistrali champion asks calmly.
"Because my parents are here to take me back to Menagerie!" Blake informs them, still under the bed. "Ilia and I don't want to go back!"
"I bet if we used all three of our semblances, we could take it completely apart in less than ten minutes." Penny declares with a smug look of her own.
"Then you three better hurry." Willow declares as she enters the room, wrapped in a sheet of her own and carrying Fate. "Uncle Ghira is heading this way."
"We'll stall him at the door." Weiss adds as she grips her own sheet firmly.
"Don't dawdle. We may have more aura, but he's much stronger and faster than we are." They both add before leaving the room.
"So, wanna commit a felony with me?" Ruby asks as she takes a toolbox out of the closet she shares with her Princess.
"Lead the way, Ruby." Pyrrha replies with a grin.
"Indeed!" Penny adds as she opens the window and leaps out, inadvertently flashing everyone present.
"Huh, she does have a nice ass. I can see why Jaune likes it."
"YANG!"
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"Weiss, Willow, fetch Blake please. She is returning to Menagerie today." Ghira asks them politely as he turns to face them.
"No."
"Excuse me?" The older faunus asks in surprise.
"We said no. It's a single syllable word with a universal meaning no matter what language you speak. Also, as wolf faunuses we are offended at the use of fetch. We are no one's pets." They reply in unison. "We have classes in two hours, fifty seven minutes, and all of you are violating several school as well as personal rules by disturbing us at six in the morning. Now leave, before we have you escorted out by Coco and Diane."
Alex grimaces at the mention of the fashionista and the ruthlessly brutal tank of his own twin daughters' team. "Yeah, I gotta get the forges up anyway. See ya girls." He declares before vanishing.
"Bye Uncle Alex."
Ozpin nods as well. "I have a meeting at seven with the council. I trust the two of you will remember that discretion is a must in these troubling times?"
"Yes sir, Headmaster." They reply. The Headmaster of Beacon stops to look at the chief of Menagerie and his former classmate.
"This isn't Kuo Kuana, my old friend. I suggest withdrawing before they use a summon to chase you around the campus with, much like Ada used to." He reminds the massive panther faunus. "And Willow has some very large summons."
"Inform my daughter that she is leaving, today." Ghira informs the twins firmly. "Either voluntarily, or by one of us dragging her back to the bullhead we hired."
"You mean the bullhead Penny, Pyrrha, and Ruby are currently disassembling?" They reply with a smirk. "Uncle Ghira, we do not respond to threats in a non threatening manner. And this? We consider it a threat. Now, have a nice day." They smile before Weiss slams the door, leaving the chief staring blankly at it.
Of course, he can hear the distant laughter, and he knows exactly who is laughing and why. Goddesses above, but he hates Alexander Garibaldi even more now.
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"Wow, that was intense." Miltia declares as she sits at the table, a cup of coffee already in her hands and wearing one of Yang's uniform shirts. "Junior wasn't kidding when he said not to mess with you two."
Yang nods sleepily, her eyelids struggling to stay up now that the moment of excitement is over. "Yeah. It's why we didn't argue with it being them instead of one of us. They know how to be nice."
"We're going back to bed. It's too early for this bullshit." The twins declare in unison as they put their weapons back on their individual racks near the door. "You too, you nosy, overprotective dragon. You're barely awake now as it is."
The brawler nods as she stands. "Coming with?" She asks the red themed girl, who shakes her head.
"Junior's blowing up my scroll. I better get back before he decides to fire me. Again."
"Again?" The twins ask curiously.
She blushes. "Melanie and I got into a huge fight over Yang. She lost." She admits with a shrug as her scroll rings again. Picking it up, she grimaces. "Check that, I just got fired again. Perfect." She sighs.
Willow smiles as she suddenly sits across from her. "Then are you willing to hear me out? I need a fourth for my own team here at Beacon. You'd be a first year, but it's better than wasting your life working as a glorified bouncer at a crappy bar."
"But I'm already nineteen, I'll be twenty in January." She protests. "And I have a criminal record."
"Me too, babe. But here I am." Yang points out with a grin.
The red themed woman turns to look at the brawler. "You already said you're getting bored. Where would I go then?"
The dragon sits beside her and takes one of her hands. "I was getting bored with Melanie, not you. I'm thinking you and I could have a hell of a lot more fun around here."
"Miltia, the choice is yours of course." Willow adds. "But if there is a part of you that seeks something better for yourself than what you are now, then this is your chance."
Miltiades Malachite looks thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Fine, sign me up." She grins as she looks at the raven haired Schnee. "Besides, I stole Melanie's claws before I left last night. I can fight with them as well as she can."
"Might be why you got fired, babe." Yang points out.
"Who cares?" Willow declares as she stands. "I'm going to go get dressed, then we'll go inform Ozpin and get you set up."
The older woman nods as she stands. "Looks like I'm going legit." She declares as she smiles. "And I'm going to be on the Black Snow's team. This should be interesting."
"Just her team?" Yang asks her with a wink.
She winks back. "I think you and I are going to have a lot more fun too." She adds with a saucy grin…
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"For the love of the Goddesses, STAHP!"
"But we're not done yet!" Ruby calls back to the all but sobbing pilot, who is standing next to an amused Professor Peach.
"Why aren't you trying to stop them?!" He yells at her next, wincing at the look she gives him.
"Because it's already too late to stop them." She points out matter of factly as she waves a hand at the almost stripped frame. "At least Beacon will cover the damages."
"We actually haven't damaged anything." Penny points out as she uses her semblance to keep every nut, bolt, screw, and fastener floating just out of the pilot's desperate reach. "We have actually repaired several worn pieces of the frame, and discovered a severe oil leak in his engines."
"And then we took them apart." Pyrrha adds as she uses her own semblance to carefully organize the remaining parts by section and assembly.
"Miss Rose, you three do realize you will have to be punished for this, correct?" The Professor calls out, the Reaper using a cordless impact to take apart the cockpit.
"Nobody's taking Blake! Nobody!" She shrieks back angrily as a piece of glass falls, shattering on the tarmac. "Oops."
"AHHHHHHHH!" The pilot screams as he points to the shattered glass. Professor Peach of course facepalms as the three young women return to their task, while hearing the distant laughter as well. Not for the first time, she regrets taking Kate's shift for her last night, the cat faunus wanting to celebrate her Honor Son's return home...
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Kali Belladonna smirks as she watches Ruby, Pyrrha, and Penny dismantle the bullhead they rented by luck in a growing pile of pieces, the unfortunate owner and pilot begging them to stop. She knew her daughter's new friends would rise to the occasion to prevent her from leaving, thus buying her time for her own task.
Adam Taurus is a dead bull.
Unfortunately, Kate has already informed her that she cannot give her any physical assistance, while still providing her with a plethora of valuable intelligence. From suspected meeting sights, to the fact that the VDF had to lock down the docks as a whole now with assistance from Atlas's military, Kate is as thorough as always.
But the top level security pass she slipped her is worth more than any of the information she gave the former assassin, and she plans to use it fully. Turning on her heels as she pulls the hem of her cowl lower, the Shadow Dancer walks into the shadow of a nearby bullhead and vanishes without a trace, determined to find the Mad Bull and cure his obvious allergy to oxygen permanently...
