Chapter 14: A Day Off
Star Warehouse…
Joshua stared at the ceiling as the morning light shone through the rectangular windows above him. He had been awake since before dawn and couldn't go back to sleep due to his body's soreness and the fact it was now too bright inside.
Ever since he woke up, his mind was on the battle with Davion. He got lucky, and next time Joshua may not be that lucky. Nor will he have the aid of others in the fight, as no doubt next time Davion will get Joshua alone.
But one other thing bothered him. Davion said that the woman who stole the arrow obtained a Stand. That meant not only did Davion found her easily, he probably took the arrow too, and they had another enemy on their hands.
"The only positive is that no doubt she doesn't have much experience using her Stand yet." Joshua thought.
"Still though, how did Davion find her so fast?" Joshua wondered.
"It could mean they know where we are at all times." Joshua considered as he looked at the darkest corners of the building.
"From now on, I need to keep a lookout everywhere." Joshua decided as he attempted to get himself out of bed to no avail.
"Your body hasn't healed enough to move yet," Max stated as he walked up from downstairs.
"Your aura is back to full, so give it a few more hours, and you'll be able to move. Albeit slowly." Max explained as he leaned on the railing.
"Good to know." Joshua sighed.
"So just relax we aren't under attack." Max insisted.
"Easier said than done," Joshua replied, causing Max to raise a brow.
"I mean, I get that you may be on edge, which is understandable considering the people we're up against, but I have to ask." Max began.
"When was the last time you…relaxed or even unwounded?" Max inquired.
"Haven't since she died," Joshua answered.
"You two really loved one another," Max smirked.
"I hope to have something like that one day," Max added as he got off the railing.
"And though I didn't meet her, I don't think she'd like seeing you like this." Max pointed out as he picked up a book and placed it next to Joshua.
"We don't have much reading-wise, so here's something to keep you from being too bored," Max said as he left.
Joshua looked at the book and used his Stand to see what it was. When Crimson Destiny picked it up, he saw that it was a book of old fairy tales. The moment he looked at the cover, he remembered an old memory of his life before the institution.
He remembered that back then, he had read this book to his little sister every night before bed. She loved the story about the prince defeating a great evil and saving the princess. But the reason was that she wanted to be strong like the prince and not the damsel in distress.
"I'll be one of the best huntresses in the world! Men aren't the only great warriors!" She had used to say.
Placing the book down, Joshua returned his gaze to the ceiling as he continued to think of his family. He wondered how his older sister was doing now. Besides him, she had it just as bad as he did.
At least he knew that his little sister was okay. Though he couldn't find out much about the situation with his mother, so all he could hope was that she wasn't worse for wear than she was. When it came to his father, well…Joshua could care less.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something though." Joshua thought as a blurred memory of his family played but with an extra member.
After a while, it hurt too much to try to remember, so he saved the thought for later. He rolled over and closed his eyes, hoping to get some sleep and ignore his body's incredible soreness. Eventually, he drifted off to slumber.
(Feat JoJo Opening 3 Stand Proud)
Outside…
"So this is the place?" Elton questioned as he and Richard stood in front of the warehouse.
"Yep," Richard responded.
"It's a bit plain, don't you think?" Elton asked.
"Well, the outside should look like that, so people don't know it's inhabited. The inside is where we can actually….decorate, I guess." Richard answered as he opened the door.
Inside, Max was setting up a table while Scotty moved around some items that were left in the warehouse by the previous owner. Thankfully his Stand made moving them easy as long as he didn't pop them.
"Not much to work with I see," Elton commented as Richard closed the door.
"Didn't want to go overboard. For all we know, this just may be a temporary abode." Richard replied.
"That doesn't mean it has to be soulless!" Elton argued as he inspected the interior.
"I see you've finally returned with our new recruit," Max said as he approached the two.
"Yeah. It took a while for him to finally be discharged." Richard replied.
"Well, at least you're back." Max sighed.
"I do hope there are no hard feelings on our previous encounter." Elton began.
"From today onwards, I hope we can get along." Elton finished.
"Sounds good to me," Max smirked as Scotty looked at the three.
"This is Scotty, another former 'patient' of the institution." Max introduced.
"Hello." Scotty greeted in a low whisper, a little nervous about Elton.
"Greetings," Elton replied.
"Where is Joshua Joestar?" Elton inquired.
"Resting," Max answered.
"I see. Well, now that I'm here, is there anything specific I can do to help, or is this an off day?" Elton asked.
"We're just trying to set this place up so you can start with that if you don't mind." Max requested.
"Perfect, this place definitely needs a touch-up!" Elton exclaimed as he pictured the potential of the warehouse.
"He seems…excited to clean." Max pointed out.
"I kinda promised he could decorate," Richard replied.
"Whatever gets him on our side." Max sighed.
"How is JoJo holding up?" Richard asked.
"He's fine. Should be back on his feet later today." Max answered.
"That's good to hear." Richard smiled.
"Once we're done here, I think we need to make a game plan for the foreseeable future," Richard suggested.
"Agreed. After all, with this Davion Brando out there, things will no doubt get more dangerous, not to mention that other Stand User Faust who has yet to show himself." Max agreed.
Elsewhere…
Faust walked the streets of Vale as he rolled his double-headed coin across his fingers. He was on the search for those he could use for his own means. The other day he had found one, but it wasn't enough.
Now he was in Vale chasing a rumor of a possible Stand User, and if the outcome of his coin flip was anything to him, he was going to be lucky. As he walked, he saw a collapsed building with several people standing in front.
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"How did it collapse?" One person questioned.
"It just happened out of nowhere." Another stated.
"But it was just inspected and was perfectly fine." Someone had pointed out.
Faust listened intently to the comments until he saw a large swarm of bugs come from the debris and move towards someone on the sidelines. What made it most notable was not that they seemed drawn to the man but that no one acknowledged the insect's existence.
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"I see." Faust thought as he flipped his coin, and it landed on the normal heads causing him to grin.
Beacon…
"So no leads on where the Stand guys are?" Yang asked as Team RWBY walked through the halls of Beacon.
"No. We don't even know where we have to focus." Blake answered.
"I would say go about this like how we found the White Fang rally, but I think that will only cause problems." Weiss pointed out knowing they may accidentally lead an enemy to them.
"Weren't they talking with Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood? Maybe one of them knows where they are." Ruby suggested.
"They might, but I doubt they would just tell us," Blake argued.
"Oh yeah, good point." Ruby agreed.
"While I'm all up for finding them to get experience on fighting Stands, I feel like we should also focus on the upcoming tournament." Weiss reminded.
"That's true. It's only a month away," Yang replied.
"But what if another Stand User appears?" Ruby questioned.
"To be fair, it seems like the Stand Users are after Joshua Joestar, so I don't know if we're in all that much danger." Blake pointed out.
"We didn't even know these powers existed until a little while ago. So it's doubtful that we may see any." Blake added.
"But the whole reason they came here was that they wanted to use that arrow on some of the participants." Weiss reminded.
"Oh yeah," Ruby replied.
"You don't think that's still going to happen, do you?" Yang inquired.
"Who knows. But it can't help but be prepared." Ruby answered.
"Which is why we want to find Joshua Joestar and his associates, which we are still not able to do," Weiss stated.
"Right, so any plans on how we find them, or should we just practice our teamwork?" Yang asked.
"Wait, wasn't Joshua severely hurt after the battle? Wouldn't they need medical supplies?" Blake pointed out as everyone turned to look at her.
"Okay team split up and search every store around where we saw them last!" Ruby ordered as Team RWBY left to go to the city.
Star Warehouse…
Joshua woke up after only two hours of sleep. He was able to move a little though not too far from his cot. Thankfully after a few minutes of adjusting, he got himself downstairs to greet Elton Jobe.
"I see you've agreed to join our escapade," Joshua commented as he saw Elton.
"Ah, I see you are finally up and about!" Elton exclaimed.
"I wish to thank you for allowing me to join you. Honestly, to be free of the institution is liberating." Elton added.
"Good to hear. To free everyone from the institution is one of the reasons I started this mission." Joshua replied as he shook Elton's hand.
"Though I hope you understand it will take some time to earn our trust," Joshua stated.
"Of course," Elton replied as Joshua turned his attention to Max.
"It's good to see you're up. How're you feeling?" Max asked as Joshua sat down.
"If I had to put it into words." Joshua began.
"It feels like I was buried under a landslide," Joshua stated.
"It's scary just thinking of what would have happened if Davion got you alone," Richard murmured.
"Which is why we need to get stronger," Joshua replied as he noticed Elton looking at the walls with color swatches.
"What's going on here?" Joshua inquired.
"Oh sorry, I'm just picturing what the best color to use for this place would be. I know there's no plan on painting this place; I just like doing this." Elton answered.
"Why's that?" Richard asked.
"I guess I should explain further. After all, if we are to work with one another, we should get to know each other." Elton smirked as he sat down at the table.
"To be honest, it just relaxes me. Other than playing the piano, interior design was something that I found solace in with my life back in Atlas." Elton explained.
"My family was never interested in what I ever wanted to do, so growing up, I was forced to do so many things just to inherit the family business." Elton continued.
"It was not pleasant. Honestly, they need to put warning labels on yardsticks because those things can hurt." Elton finished as he rubbed his left hand.
"Damn, is life in upper-class Atlas that bad growing up?" Max questioned.
"Yes." Joshua and Elton answered simultaneously.
"Ah, so you too are from Atlas? I did not know that." Elton gasped as his attention turned to Joshua.
"Yeah. Personally, I don't want to ever go back to the place." Joshua replied.
"It's cold in more ways than one," Joshua added.
"Yes, depending on the family you are in, that is so true." Elton agreed.
"I always heard that those stuck-up families in Atlas were dysfunctional," Richard commented.
"It's mostly the parents. Sometimes you can have good siblings to help you get through." Elton replied.
"Sadly, I was an only child." Elton sighed.
"Didn't you say you had two sisters JoJo?" Max inquired.
"Yeah, I have an older twin sister and my younger sister," Joshua answered though he felt he was forgetting something.
"They did make living at home more bearable. Between the constant cram sessions and other studies to make me more presentable, I didn't have much in terms of free time." Joshua explained.
"Damn, have you ever had any hobbies?" Richard questioned as Joshua scratched his head.
"Not really. I wasn't allowed to do much as I was being groomed to be like my father." Joshua answered.
"Though I did enjoy painting," Joshua revealed as everyone looked at him, surprised.
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"You painted?" Max questioned in disbelief.
"Yeah. Is that a problem?" Joshua asked.
"No, it's just that…." Richard began.
"It's kinda hard picturing you as a painter. I mean, you are all serious and straightforward, so something like painting for you is a weird thought." Richard explained.
"To be fair, I was different back then, and I haven't done it in years," Joshua replied.
"There's nothing stopping you from picking it back up!" Elton exclaimed, shocking Joshua.
"I don't think that will happen any time soon." Joshua sighed as he got up.
"Do we have anything to eat?" Joshua asked.
"Yeah, come with me," Max answered as he led Joshua to get food.
"Hey Scotty, let's get some food," Richard called as Scotty looked up from his comic.
"Okay." Scotty replied.
"I don't mean to offend, but we need you to come around too since your new here," Richard stated as he turned to Elton.
"Perfectly fine." Elton accepted as he began thinking.
"Hey Richard, if you don't mind, I have some questions," Elton said as he ran up to Richard's side.
Vale Comercial District…
Ruby sighed as she joined the rest of her team at a local plaza. They had looked in every store that had medical supplies in the area the battle with Davion was and came up empty-handed. So Team RWBY sat in defeat, resting before they would return to Beacon.
"Well, I guess this is kind of a workout." Yang chuckled.
"More of a waste of time," Weiss murmured.
"I guess we should just focus on the tournament and place our faith in them," Ruby replied.
"Not much choice." Blake sighed.
"You'd think they would get supplies though right?" Yang asked.
"We were probably too late. They most likely already got what they needed." Weiss responded.
"Guess we should head back to Beacon then," Ruby said as the bell of a nearby store went off.
"You really think this is a good idea?" Richard questioned.
"I think it's a great idea for bonding and gaining the trust of the rest of the group!" Elton exclaimed as he and Richard exited the store with several items.
"Well, the effort certainly something," Richard replied as Team RWBY looked at them since they recognized the voice of Richard Speedwagon.
"That's one of them!" Ruby pointed out as the rest of her team got up to see Richard and Elton.
Richard and Elton flinched at the statement as they turned to see Team RWBY staring at them. With a sigh of relief at the knowledge, it was just the huntresses in training neither Stand User stopped them from approaching.
"Is there something we can help you with uh…what was your name again?" Richard inquired.
"My name is Ruby, Ruby Rose. My team and I wanted to ask you something." Ruby answered.
"Please don't ask anything more about the institution. We've told you everything we know." Richard begged as Elton looked at the situation, confused.
"What's going on here?" Elton inquired in a low whisper to Richard's ear.
"I'll explain later," Richard responded.
"That's not what we wanted to ask," Ruby stated.
"Oh, then what can I do for you Ms. Rose?" Richard asked.
"We wanted to ask if we can train with you so that we can better fight Stands," Blake responded.
"You want us to train you?" Richard questioned as he thought about the idea.
"I don't know if we can do that. I mean, the intention is good and all, but it'll just make you guys more of a target." Richard said.
"Hold on there Richard. This may be a good thing," Elton whispered.
"What are you talking about?" Richard questioned.
"This can be good for us. Think about it you guys have been meaning to train with your Stands. Training with…well, people with battle experience, I guess." Elton began.
"Training with them could be beneficial. After all, they were trained to fight, unlike us." Elton finished.
"I guess," Richard replied as they returned their attention to Team RWBY.
"Are you positive you want to train with us?" Richard inquired.
"Yes," Ruby answered as Richard sighed.
"Look, I can't say if it is guaranteed, so we'll go back and speak with the others and let you know of our decision," Richard explained.
"Oh okay." Ruby nodded.
"Wait, but how will you let us know?" Weiss inquired.
"I have a spare scroll you guys can hold onto. We'll contact you through that." Elton suggested as he took out a spare scroll.
"Why do you have that?" Richard asked.
"My scroll is full of my performances," Elton explained as he began to hand the scroll to Weiss before double-taking.
"Wait a minute," Elton said as he checked the scroll.
"Sorry wrong scroll here you go." Elton apologized as he switched the scrolls.
"Was that the one with your music?" Richard inquired.
"Yeah, I don't let many listen. After growing up with such criticism, it can be hard." Elton answered in a low whisper.
"So you'll call us then?" Yang asked.
"Yeah, oh, and if you see anything suspicious that you think is Stand related. Let us know." Richard requested.
"There are contacts in the scroll right?" Richard asked.
"Yeah, it has my number," Elton answered.
"Perfect." Richard smiled.
"Well, we need to head back to our…place. I guess. We'll see you later." Richard waved as he and Elton left the huntresses in training.
"That went as well as good as it could," Blake commented.
"Was anyone else wondering who that new guy was?" Ruby asked.
"They're probably expanding," Yang suggested.
"Wait, we didn't ask if it was okay for the others to come," Ruby remembered.
"Guess that's something to ask next time." Weiss sighed as they began to return to Beacon.
With Elton and Richard…
"So that's the story," Elton murmured as Richard finished explaining about Team RWBY.
"I'm surprised they're so eager to get involved in this," Elton commented.
"Well, most huntsmen and huntresses in training think they can save the world and want to do all they can to help," Richard replied.
"Not that it is a bad thing necessarily, but it can lead to trouble. Like the institution." Richard added.
"The others won't allow them to train, will they? I thought it was a good idea, but after hearing you explain it like that, I have to say I don't know what I was thinking." Elton asked.
"No, it was fine. This can help us in case the institution still plans on attacking students during the Vytal Festival." Richard responded.
"Besides, you were right. This can help us train. Honestly, I never had any proper training to fight." Richard said.
"Oh, I could tell from our fight," Elton noted.
"Don't push it," Richard replied.
"My apologies, I was just poking fun." Elton chuckled.
"Either way, as long as we play the cards right, we can't be harmed with this move," Richard stated as he shuffled his deck of cards.
Beacon…
"You want us to do what?" Emerald questioned as she and Mercury sat before Cinder.
"I want you to find out where this Joshua Joestar and his little friends are staying. They have this Stand power, and I can't have them interfering with our plans." Cinder reiterated.
"Shouldn't we find out where that Dio prick is so he can't attack us again? Plus, wouldn't it be a good idea to get the arrow back?" Mercury asked, having held a grudge against Davion.
"I'm not ready to fight him yet. I need to master my Stand and preferably get the rest of the Fall Maiden powers before I do." Cinder explained.
"Against these little Stand Users, I may not need the power. But to be sure, find them and see what they can do." Cinder ordered.
"As you wish," Emerald replied as Mercury grumbled.
"Oh, and while you're out, help Neo steal a bullhead. We'll need it later." Cinder added as Emerald and Mercury left the dorm.
When the door closed, Cinder summoned her Stand and watched as she created weapons made of flames. Ever since she had gained the power, she was unable to fully use the Fall Maiden powers without using her Stand.
She did overhear that Stand was the power of a soul like a semblance. In which case, her Stand might have taken over both her semblance and the maiden powers. Both were linked to her soul, so if she were to get the rest of the maiden powers, will her Stand grow?
"I'll have to get it to tell." Cinder smirked as she snuffed out the flames.
Star Warehouse…
"So care to explain what this is?" Joshua questioned as he looked at what Richard and Elton had brought back.
"This is just something I thought you guys would enjoy." Elton began as he presented a pile of gifts.
"I asked Richard what your interests were, so I wanted to get you all something as a token of appreciation." Elton continued.
"I got books for Max and comics for Scotty and art supplies for you JoJo." Elton finished.
"Art supplies?" Joshua asked.
"Well, you said that you used to enjoy painting, so I thought since you are still recovering, you may want to try it again," Elton explained as he picked up a blank canvas.
"Well…" Joshua sighed.
"I mean, that's nice, but I haven't painted in years, and I need to think of a next move when Dio comes back and to find this new Stand User out there." Joshua declined.
"Understandable, but you'll run yourself to an early grave unless you learn to relax. Plus, you got to have some hobbies when this is over." Elton argued as he handed the canvas to Joshua.
"Uh…thanks, I guess," Joshua replied as he took the canvas and thought about what he would do with this.
"Honestly, this isn't too bad. I've needed these books anyway." Max smirked as Scotty picked up the comic books.
"Besides, he's right. You need to do something other than mulling over this stuff," Max stated.
"If you don't relax from time to time, you won't be able to fight," Max added.
"I guess your right," Joshua replied as he stared at the blank canvas.
"I just don't know what to paint," Joshua said.
"Paint what inspires you! Just as I play the piano for what inspires me, which is the stars in the sky!" Elton exclaimed as he raised his hand in the air.
"Paint what inspires me." Joshua thought as he looked at Lailah's bracelet.
"To be able to see your face again would be a blessing." Joshua thought as he clutched the canvas.
"Well, might as well give it a try." Joshua sighed.
One Hour Later…
Joshua sat staring at the blank canvas as he had trouble starting the project. He didn't know where to begin as it had been a long time since he painted anything. Thankfully he knew exactly what he wanted to paint. Now he only had the problem of how he would paint it.
Currently, he sat above the others so that he could be alone with his thoughts on the matter. When he finally started with a small line, a sudden crash caused him to mess it up. With a sigh, he looked over the railing and saw that some of the debris that was left in the warehouse fell.
As Richard and Elton began picking it up, Joshua went to fix his mistake only to see it wasn't there anymore. Before he could question what happened, another crash was heard, and he looked to see Richard and Elton picking it up again.
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"How did they let that happen twice?" Joshua wondered as he went back to painting.
Eventually, he finished a…well. It was a painting, at least. Just as Joshua thought, his painting skills were very rusty. So he tossed the canvas and picked up a new one, and started again. This time he kept his pace slow as he wanted to get this right.
Though he made mistakes here and there, it seemed to almost disappear as he continued on. He paid it no mind as he let himself get immersed with painting as it felt like hours went by. It felt therapeutic as he reminisced on the past when he was growing up.
There were times he had painted his sisters per their request and many of the items around the house. It always calmed him from his hard day and his father's abuse. His siblings always did like his paintings, even his little brother.
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"Wait…" Joshua thought as he stopped painting.
"Little brother?" Joshua questioned as the memory that was blocked earlier cleared, and it was clear to him now.
"Yeah, I had a little brother. But he wasn't any older than two before I was admitted." Joshua remembered.
"He used to love watching me paint before our father stopped him," Joshua added.
"Hope the kid doesn't end up like him." Joshua sighed, knowing that no doubt his father would take extra care to force his ideals on the boy.
"What was his name though?" Joshua wondered.
"Damn JoJo, that looks great!" Max commented as he looked over Joshua's shoulder, breaking him from his thoughts.
"Huh what?" Joshua questioned as the others joined them.
"Wow, I guess you weren't as rusty as you thought." Richard pointed out as Joshua looked back at his painting.
Somehow he was so focused on his thoughts he didn't notice how far he was in painting. He had painted a near-perfect portrait of Lailah from memory. Her bright blonde hair and deep purple eyes were like a long-lost memory coming back.
Maybe that was why he had only now remembered his little brother. It surprised him how well it was though it still had its faults. It nearly brought a tear to his eyes seeing her face again but what surprised him most was the time.
On the clock they had recently gotten, he noted that barely an hour had passed since he had started on this new canvas. But while he was painting, it had felt a lot longer than that. Maybe he needed a break.
"Thanks, I uh actually dazed out a little there." Joshua thanked as he got up.
"I'm going to take a break," Joshua said as he went downstairs.
"Did he seem off?" Max inquired.
"I don't know him well enough to say but kinda," Elton answered.
"Yeah, it did seem something was on his mind." Richard agreed as they looked at the painting.
"I guess this is Lailah," Max murmured.
"I can see why he liked her. She has some looks," Richard stated.
"I feel like that came out wrong," Richard added.
"Just don't say it in front of JoJo." Max sighed.
Elsewhere…
Faust stood at the entrance of a dark alleyway he had seen the Stand User enter. At the end of the alleyway was a dead end and the Stand User was nowhere in sight. Slowly Faust walked down the alleyway keeping his eyes everywhere to make sure he wasn't being ambushed.
Suddenly the ground beneath him gave way, and he fell into the sewer system, hitting the sewage water as debris fell all around him. Standing over him was the very man he had been following, who has now revealed himself to be a termite faunus.
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"Who are you, and why have you been following me?" The Termite Faunus questioned.
"My apologies, I didn't mean you any harm." Faust began as he got up.
"I merely have a proposition for you. One which can benefit you quite well." Faust explained.
"All you have to do is kill a few people," Faust added.
"If that is what you wanted, just ask. But you're going to have to pay my rate." The Termite Faunus replied.
"That can be arranged," Faust smirked.
Beacon…
Team RWBY sat in their dorm, coming up with new team combo moves for the Vytal Festival. As they did so, Weiss became too preoccupied with her own thoughts as she touched the scroll given to them by Elton.
She thought about the battle with Davion Brando and how Joshua Joestar saved her life. He had done it so fast, and without hesitation, it was odd. They didn't know each other that well or at all, so why did he do it?
"He risked injury to himself to save me." Weiss thought.
"I can tell he liked to help people, but it seemed…off." Weiss thought before Ruby broke her out of her thoughts.
"Weiss? You okay?" Ruby asked.
"Oh yeah, sorry," Weiss answered as the others looked at them.
"You've been clutching that scroll for a while." Blake pointed out as Weiss dropped the scroll.
"Yeah, are you impatient to get a response?" Yang inquired.
"Wait, don't tell me you want to see one of them because you're crushing on one?" Yang teased.
"Wha-!" Weiss stuttered before Ruby interjected.
"That's absurd. Weiss would never do that!" Ruby exclaimed before realizing what she had said and blushed.
"Right." Weiss agreed with a slight blush.
"Well, jokes aside, what's up with that?" Yang asked.
"Oh, nothing, I was just thinking," Weiss stated.
"About what?" Blake inquired.
"Well…I was just thinking about…the fight with Davion Brando." Weiss responded.
"What about it is bothering you Weiss?" Ruby asked, placing her hand on Weiss's.
"It isn't exactly the fight itself but Joshua Joestar. He acted so quickly to take an attack meant for me, and it just was weird." Weiss answered.
"I mean, he isn't a huntsman in training. He hasn't taken any oath. If anything, he's still somewhat a citizen. But he still did it." Weiss explained.
"He seemed like a good person at heart." Blake pointed out.
"Yeah, it just felt. Weird. I just can't put my finger on why." Weiss replied.
"Hey, if they do allow us to train with them, you can ask him," Yang suggested.
"She's right." Ruby agreed.
"Alright, fine." Weiss sighed.
"Let's get back to planning for the Vytal Festival. After all, we still want to win!" Weiss exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Ruby agreed.
Lower Vale…
Davion Brando took a long breath as he enjoyed the breeze of the peaceful day. He had fully recovered from the injuries he had received from his fight. Now he had to come up with a plan of attack on Joshua Joestar.
"If he has yet to truly master his Stand, then maybe I should wait a little and allow him to fight against other Stand Users." Davion thought.
"No doubt with each battle, he'll become stronger. Though Cinder Fall may be trouble." Davion realized.
"But then again, both can be useful. This is a world where people must challenge against death. If either want to get stronger. Well." Davion chuckled.
"It'll be a bloody evolution for sure." Davion finished.
"I'll just need to wait and watch," Davion smirked as he disappeared in a gust of wind.
Star Warehouse…
Joshua hung up his painting of Lailah behind his cot. After getting a better look at it, he could see several faults, but it wasn't a bad start for his return to painting. It was actually fun for him to make, and it made him realize Elton was right.
After beating the institution and finding his son, he had no plans of what he would do afterward. Returning home to his family was not a choice in his mind. With all that's happened now, he just wanted to move forward in his life do something else.
What that would be, he didn't know, but that was something that would need to be dealt with later. After all, he couldn't skim off his old accounts forever without someone noticing. He was pushing it as it was.
"So. Did you like the art supplies? I don't mean to sound like I need acceptance. It's just that I know I'm new here, and I just want to know what I should and shouldn't do." Elton inquired.
"Oh yeah, it was nice, thank you. I've been just working, so to speak, since I got in and especially out of the institution. I've barely been able to rest." Joshua began.
"This was…a nice break." Joshua smiled.
"Excellent! Good to hear!" Elton exclaimed.
"By the way, we have a meeting downstairs," Elton revealed as he departed.
"What about?" Joshua inquired.
"You'll see," Elton replied as Joshua followed him downstairs, where the rest of the Star Team sat around the table.
"Okay, so what did you two want to talk about?" Max asked.
"Earlier today, when Elton and I were buying the gifts, we were approached by those huntresses in training we've encountered so many times before." Richard began.
"What do they want now?" Joshua questioned.
"I was getting to that." Richard sighed.
"They wanted to know if they can train with us so that they could get better at fighting Stands," Richard explained.
"They want to train with us?" Max questioned, not liking the idea.
"This could benefit both of us." Elton pointed out.
"Let's be honest. I know I'm new here, but even I can tell everyone here needs training. Both combat training and teamwork." Elton added.
"As much as I don't want to admit it, he has a point," Joshua murmured.
"I've just been fighting on instinct. If I had proper training fighting our enemy will become far easier." Joshua stated.
"While that may be true, we can't just have them come here over here all the time for it," Max replied.
"That's a good point." Richard sighed.
"Then why not go to them? After all, they do go to a hunter school." Elton suggested.
"I mean, while that may work, I don't like the thought of going there either. That can put others in danger." Joshua voiced.
"Though we're going to have to return there at some point. After all, Ozpin wants regular reports, and he should probably know about the new Stand User." Max replied.
"Good point," Joshua murmured.
"Can't they defend themselves?" Scotty questioned, gaining everyone's attention.
"I mean, they're training to fight Grimm and protect the world. Shouldn't they be able to fight back against a single Stand User at least with enough numbers?" Scotty inquired.
"That depends on the Stand User. If it was someone like Angus with enough numbers, they could defeat him. But against someone like Dio, then they may not stand a chance." Joshua explained.
"Right." Scotty agreed as he knew how strong the higher-ups were.
"But that being said, it would discourage many people from going there," Richard said.
"There's no easy answer to this." Joshua sighed.
"Honestly, after giving it some thought and listening to their points." Max began as he gestured towards Richard, Elton, and Scotty.
"I say let's do it." Max finished.
"Alright. Let's see how this goes." Joshua replied.
"Give them a call," Joshua said as he stood up.
"I'm going to bed so I can be one hundred percent tomorrow," Joshua stated.
"I'll send them a text then," Elton said as he opened his scroll.
Joshua laid down on his cot as he began to think back on his revelation earlier. Joshua attempted to surface any memories he could of his little brother. Sadly there wasn't much to remember. Either he didn't have many memories with his kid brother, or he was unable to do so.
"I wonder if I'll ever be able to remember my full past. The only way to know is to talk to my family but. But should I tell them I'm still alive?" Joshua wondered.
"I know it's not a good thing to hide it forever, but still. Would it be best to just let myself stay dead and live a small life?" Joshua questioned.
"If they do find out that I'm alive and I hid it, they'd probably kill me." Joshua sighed.
Beacon…
James Ironwood looked down on his scroll, looking through all the images he had received from the two most recent battles against Stand Users. He grunted in annoyance as he looked at the damage to both the Vale Library and one of the streets.
"This is too much," Ironwood muttered.
"How can these Stand Users be so reckless? People are going to be asking questions worse, they'll be afraid." Ironwood wondered as he put his scroll away.
"If this keeps up, most of Vale will be in a state of panic." Ironwood seethed.
"They need to know how to properly handle a situation like this." Ironwood sighed.
"Though that being said, I don't know how to handle a situation like this, but having a chat with them to hopefully avoid more damage to Vale will be beneficial." Ironwood thought.
"I should add a protocol to have the Atlesian Knights respond to any Stand activity. Then again, that may not be possible." Ironwood murmured as he began to brainstorm ideas.
Little did he know, however, that his scroll, which he had just been using now, had a queen chess piece. It seemed that unknown to Ironwood, his entire self conversation was listened in by none other than Cinder Fall, who now knew that Joshua Joestar had connections to Ironwood and Ozpin.
"So if that's the case, maybe through Ozpin's computer, I can find them." Cinder smirked.
===To Be Contiued===
Next Time…Train If We Must
Author's Note:
Finally got this one done, and overall, I'm glad with how it came out. I am going to try to make more chapter's like this one in the future where no fights take place. This was mostly a test for myself to see if I could do it cause, to be honest, I felt like my skills in filling up space with story without fighting needed work.
Thankfully I think I did pretty well. All things considered, though some improvement can be needed, It'll only improve from here on…hopefully lol. Anyway, even though no real action took place this chapter, a lot happened, which will lead up to the next coming chapters.
Things with Faust will come to a head soon, but first training with Team RWBY will come! If it wasn't obvious, the Stand Users definitely need training, just as Elton pointed out in the chapter.
Well, that's all I have to say about this chapter so let's get to the reviews…or just review:
DeathlyJazzHands55 – Glad you liked it. I loved giving Scotty that W and Weiss is definitely getting suspicious though she doesn't know what about yet. Joshua's Stand and Davion's father are definitely similar, which will be revealed unless someone figures it out first, which would not surprise me, but I'm happy to hear you are intrigued!
Alright, that's all I have for today. See you guys next chapter!