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4:55 PM, Saturday
Beacon Academy Dormitory, Fourth Floor – Team RWBY Dorm Room
(Afternoon of Day 12)
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The only sound in the room was the crunching of dog kibble, punctuated by occasional happy grumbles from the dog eating it. Zwei was perfectly content with his current situation. Sure the humans were gone, but that just meant it was quieter. Easier to do his job.
Taking a break from his meal, the short-legged dog proudly trotted the perimeter of the dorm room, sniffing each corner and giving a brief bark once he was sure the room was secure. He then returned to his meal.
Of all the residents of the dormitory, Zwei was the least bothered by the new arrivals. As far as he was concerned, the more the merrier. As long as he got his food and a belly rub, the corgi was fine with anyone. The small newcomer smelled just like a cat, but she was still fine. Heck, he liked playing around with her sometimes. The others were fine, too.
Giving out a decent belch, Zwei waddled over to his bed and tucked himself in.
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Chapter 15:
Calm Before the Storm
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6:04 PM
City of Vale, CLW Karaoke Club
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While there were plenty of places in the city for those who enjoy singing out loud, the CLW was by far the most popular. Only a 5-minute walk from the main shopping plaza, it was three stories of pure fun. The bottom floor consisted of the smaller rooms that each held up to four, as well as a large concession stand with an eating area. The second floor held the larger rooms, each able to hold up to eight with no trouble. The top floor was the Grand Room, more than large enough for 25-30 with room to spare.
It currently held all of team RWBY, all of team JNPR, and all of team CFVY (much to everyone else's surprise). Not to mention nearly all of the Ruby Squad – the only notable absence was Rain, but that was expected. It also held a healthy (or un-healthy) supply of snacks and drinks. All four walls were lined with posters and wall hangings of various musical groups, and no less than a dozen large couches and loveseats filled the floor space.
The most prominent feature was the performance stage – it featured a large screen displaying video backgrounds for each act. A second screen faced the space from the opposite wall, onto which the lyrics were projected. This allowed the performers to face their audience while they sang. It was, in all respects, a very big and fancy space.
And it was all theirs for the night. Hell yeah.
The first few songs of the evening were of the more …classic-rock persuasion. Jaune and Nora eagerly belted out a couple, followed by a reluctant Fox (who deduced that if he volunteered for at least one song, then he wouldn't be bugged to sing later on – also, he made sure to pick one he already knew by heart). It worked to set the mood. Then Yang stepped up, selecting an appropriate number to sing first. The screen flashed the artist and title and Yang took off.
"What are the scores for?" Pyrrha leaned close to Ruby so the redhead could hear the question over the blonde's noise. This was the first time Pyrrha had ever been to a karaoke joint, so she'd been asking Ruby various questions. The large machine displaying the lyrics for each song was giving scores for each performance, usually around 70-75 points each time.
Ruby grinned as she explained, "They have a system in each room that ranks how close you were to the pre-set 'standard' vocals …and I don't know exactly what that means, so don't ask… and good scores earn you a prize ticket. I think you get a ticket if you earn a 90 or better."
One eyebrow went up. "What sort of prizes?"
"I'm not sure, really. I've only ever won once, and all I got was a free side of fries from the snack bar downstairs." Ruby caught the gleam in the other redhead's eye. "I hear, however, that there's a special golden prize ticket for anyone who gets a perfect 100…"
The gleam became sparkles. She had Pyrrha's attention now.
Yang was wrapping up about this time, and the machine proudly displayed a score of 78. Yang stuck her tongue out at it. "Tone-deaf hunk of junk…"
Blake almost hid her chuckle. "I have to disagree with you there." Yang gave her a scandalized glare.
Weiss was busy scanning the music database, but then stopped and muttered, "Wow… didn't expect them to have that one…"
"What? You want to try one?" Sapphire sat next to her, sipping a drink. The military woman looked a bit odd in casual wear, but everyone had agreed to dress a bit more comfortably for the occasion.
Ice-blue eyes glanced over, "This one's available for a duet. Care to join me?"
The woman looked at the song, furrowed her brow, then shrugged her shoulders. "… … …Why not?"
The pair of Schnees stood and grabbed a mic (the room had nearly a dozen to pick from), then took their places in front of the screen. Artist and song title flashed first:
[ W. Schnee – Gold ]
The room gave a start at that. "Whoa, whoa, waitaminnit… you wrote this one? Weiss, I had no idea!" Yang was more than a little surprised.
The heiress simply shrugged as the upbeat, uplifting music started. "I wrote it years ago and it just took off as a single. I've never sang it in public, though." Weiss took a breath and started with the first verse.
[ Dream of anything
[ I'll make it all come true
[ Everything you need is all I have for you
[ I'm forever… always by your side
[ Whenever you need a friend
[ I'm never far behind
[ If the stars all fall
[ When there's no more light
[ And the moon should crumble
[ It will be alright…
Sapphire joined in for the chorus, their voices blending really well together. Everyone else in the room was starting to clap with the beat. A few who knew the song were singing along.
[ Don't you worry about the dark
[ I will light up the night with the love in my heart
[ I will burn like the sun I will keep you safe and warm
[ Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day
[ I will be there to take all your fears away
[ With a touch of my hand I will turn your life to…
[ Go~o~o~old…
[ With a touch of my hand, I'll turn your life to gold.
They continued the song with the second verse, which Sapphire took. Weiss smiled warmly as the specialist adapted the melody perfectly. They finished with the chorus, once more joining their voices in near-perfect harmony as the room cheered on.
'Near' perfect, as the machine emphasized: they scored a 92. A small ticket emerged from beneath the selection screen. Sapphire handed it to the heiress, stating, "You picked the song so you get the prize."
"Thanks," Weiss accepted the slip of paper, then embraced Sapphire in a warm hug. "You sounded great, by the way."
The taller woman looked like she was fighting back a blush. "Well, you know how Father was with our upbringing. Music lessons don't come cheap when you demand only the best."
Weiss made a grimace, muttering "Yeah, I know." She handed her mic off to an eager Nora, dragging a less-than-eager Ren, as they made their selection.
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6:15 PM
City of Vale, Airship Docks
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The young man sat on his small pile of bags and one suitcase, waiting for the 7:00 flight out of the city. He wasn't wearing his armor anymore, but he still packed it for the trip. He didn't take his weapon, though – let that stupid thing rust away in a storage room for all he cared. He wasn't going to need it anymore.
He muttered something under his breath as he took a drink from the bottle in his hand, wincing as it went down. Cardin wasn't new to the drinking game, but being underage by just over a full year made it hard to explain when an adult asked one question too many. Of course, with his height and build, most adults simply assumed he was fine.
This was all that damn animal's fault.
No… it was that woman. That military chick. Everything started going south after she showed up.
Oz-prick had wasted no time explaining that team CRDL would be disbanded and he, Cardin, was to be kicked out of the Academy. He was ready to defend himself, ready to use his secret weapon and get the headmaster to change his mind… but said weapon had already turned around and fired on him instead. His old man had already been notified of Cardin's recent behavior and had had enough. His exact words were: 'Get that sumbitch out of there… and tell him not to bother coming home.' Obviously the man had had a few drinks himself, but that didn't stop Ozpin from signing the papers anyway.
So here he was, Cardin-freaking-Winchester, former Huntsman-in-training, with a dishonorable-freaking-discharge, no freaking friends, and nowhere to freaking go.
Things couldn't get any worse.
"How's the view from the bottom?" An irritatingly familiar voice spoke from next to him.
His bloodshot eyes regarded the speaker. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn it was that damn brat from team RWBY… but she wouldn't have come all the way out here just to tease him. She wasn't that stupid. "Screw off, kid."
"You forgot something…" The figure pulled something out from behind her, revealing Cardin's weapon: The rather wicked-looking black mace he called Chancellor.
He gave it a deep frown, then turned away. "Sell it to a pawn shop, give it to some little kid to play with, I don't care… just keep it the hell away from me." He took another swig to get his mind off things a bit more. "I'm not a Huntsman anymore."
The figure sighed, and leaned it against his bags. "It belongs to you Mr. Winchester, regardless of your feelings. And you will need it again… soon."
Cardin whipped his head around to glare at the figure, probably to say a few choice words as well …but she was gone. No muss, no fuss. Just gone. He stared at the empty space for a minute, then glared at the mace before downing the rest of the bottle in a few gulps.
Before he reached for another bottle (he had two more waiting in a bag), Cardin took a few seconds to put Chancellor into it's holster on his belt. He didn't give it a second thought for the rest of the night.
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7:17 PM
CLW Karaoke Club
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The gang had just taken a breather to eat a few hot dogs / hamburgers / cheese fries, and Yang now found herself washing up after a trip to the ladies room on the second floor. The night had only started and the blonde already had almost a half dozen songs under her belt. Good times. She was looking forward to seeing what Red chose (they had all agreed that everyone needed to sing at least once to get their money's worth).
Sapphire came in just before the blonde made it out, causing Yang to stop. "You sounded great up there, Saph. This a side job for you or something?"
The taller woman looked at Yang for a moment, considering how to answer, then went about her business while saying, "I was trained in many forms of singing from an early age. Father insisted on it."
"Oh yeah… you and Weiss had the same dad, right?"
Another pause. "Mostly. I've determined from our talks that while the man is mostly the same for both of us, there is one key difference… For Weiss, Jacques married into the Schnee family. For me, he was the Schnee family. Mother was the one who married into it."
Yang leaned against the door frame, arms crossed as she thought back to events from nearly two weeks ago. Something about what the woman said triggered a memory. As Sapphire finished her business and washed up, Yang asked the question she'd almost forgotten to ask ever since that day: "I was told that I looked like your mother. Do I really?"
The taller woman froze so completely that Yang imagined the temperature of the bathroom had dropped several degrees at once. She recovered soon after. "Yes… you do." As she dried her hands, Yang noticed that Sapphire was adjusting something under her shirt. She'd been doing that a lot lately, but Yang didn't want to ask about it. Probably just a necklace or something.
"That must have been a shock…"
"You have no idea. After seeing Glynda… who is my younger sister, by the way… seeing you was one shock too many."
"What's she like? Your mother, I mean."
"Beautiful, kind, caring, loving… all the things I imagine when I think of how a mother should be. She told me a few stories as I grew up about how wild she used to be, but I never believed them – now I do." She gave the blonde a half-smile as they walked down the empty hallway, the distant thud of speakers just managing to be heard through the doors of the occupied rooms.
"So me and… Weiss' dad? I don't even want to think about how that happened… bleah!"
"They seemed happy together every time I looked, so I think it worked out for them…"
"And to think we had a kid like you… no offense, Saph."
"…"
"Saph? You okay?"
"…Oh, uh… yeah. I'm good."
As they rounded the corner of the stairwell (in a much more somber mood than a moment ago), Yang and Sapphire were treated to an unexpected sight: almost a third of the room was standing outside the door, looking annoyed. The group included Blake, Ren, Jaune, Yatsuhashi and Fox.
"What's going on, guys?" Yang asked, now properly confused.
Blake shrugged a bit, "See for yourselves."
The pair let themselves in and quickly learned what had driven their friends out of the room. Velvet and Cherry were belting out a duet of a tune from a children's movie, not caring about staying in key. Thankfully it was close to the end of the song, but Yang had no trouble figuring out which song it was.
[ Here I stand, in the light of da~a~y…
[ Let the storm rage O~O~ON!
[ The cold never bothered me anyway.
The pair of singers gave a theatrical bow as the rest of the room applauded mightily. The door cracked open as a voice from beyond said, "Are they done yet?"
"Yes we're done you party poopers!" Velvet pouted at the deserters. Cherry mimicked the movement. The rabbit faunus then gave a raspberry to the score on the screen, a below-average 66.
"We'll get 'em next time, Vel-vet," Cherry tried to console the taller girl, prompting a squee of joy from the teen.
Suddenly Pyrrha stood and marched over to Jaune, grabbing the boy and pulling him to the stage. She practically threw a mic into his hands. This caused the rest of the group to take their seats and watch, eager for the show that awaited them. It took a lot for the Mistralian girl to get this fired up.
Jaune gulped as Pyrrha chose the song, words flashing across the screen to spell out his doom.
[ A.L. Webber – The Phantom of the Opera (Nightwish Ver.) ]
As the pipe organ music began, followed closely by rock guitars, Jaune's face grew pale as he mouthed 'help me' to the room.
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7:31 PM
Beacon Academy, CCT Tower, Headmaster's Office
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"Thank you for your time, General."
"And thank you for your assistance. Get some rest, Ozpin."
"You as well."
The holographic image of General Ironwood blipped out of existence as Ozpin ended his video call. He leaned back into his chair, rubbing his temples lightly in hopes of fending off the oncoming headache. He'd been wrestling with this issue for weeks now, and it wasn't getting any better.
Security was fine, or so he had been assured time and time again by his peers. James was the worst – if not for the very real threat of their enemy hiding in the city, the man would have bombed them to kingdom come long ago. He took nothing else seriously. The virus? No problem. White Fang? Easily solved.
Ozpin didn't know who the man had placed as the head of the cyber security department (he didn't even know they had such a department), but he hoped the girl was trustworthy. There was a lot at stake.
Just as he had done every night since meeting Carmine for the first time, Ozpin checked the system. And just as it had told him every time, it displayed the same five words at the bottom of the report: Status of subject "Amber": Unchanged.
He sighed deeply, taking a drink from his mug. Why would this uneasy feeling not leave him?
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7:50 PM
CLW Karaoke Club
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[ They say we are what we are
[ But we don't have to be
[ I'm bad behavior but I do it in the best way
[ I'll be the watcher… of the eternal flame…
[ I'll be the guard dog… of all your favorite dreams…
Coco and Rose were tearing it up, and everyone else agreed. Just watching the two of them was rather fun. The night was wrapping up and the group was making their final selections. Ruby seemed to be waiting for this opportunity.
[ Cause we could be immortals… immortals…
[ Just not for long, for long
[ And live with me forever now
[ You pull the blackout curtains down
[ Just not for long, for long
[ We could be immo~o~or-, immo~o~ortals…
They ended up scoring a respectable 90, earning the brown-themed girl a prize ticket. Weiss was done for the night (they assumed), and started making small talk with Sapphire as Carmine sang something about blinding someone with science. Classic rock was odd.
"You met with Winter yesterday, did you not?" Sapphire was only a little curious about the woman she so precisely and unintentionally copied. "I heard that she was in the city for a day or two…"
"Yes, we had a wonderful visit. She didn't talk much, of course, but it was nice. We discussed an… issue I've been having lately, but thanks to the things you've helped me with, the issue was finally resolved. Or at least, mostly resolved."
"That issue being…?"
"Summons." Until recently, Weiss had been having a lot of trouble getting her summoning to work. Sapphire, however, had already mastered it. Much of their discussions the last few days had centered on proper techniques and methods. "Now I can summon with only a little difficulty. You should have seen her face."
"I can imagine it well enough. Congratulations." And she could, too… Father likely had much the same look when she had demonstrated the Schnee power for him all those years ago.
"Thanks." Weiss' smile reminded Sapphire of Glynda. She was rather eager to get this trip over with and get home. She missed the kid.
As the song faded (Carmine only scored a 60, by the way), Ruby stood up and intercepted the scientist's mic. She then looked at her teammates, giving them a non-verbal signal and grinning from ear to ear. It was time.
Everyone but Weiss, Blake and Yang looked a bit confused as all four members of team RWBY grabbed a mic and took their places. Ruby had a song selected and was ready to start it, but first she felt a need to explain. "So, um… we've been working on a little something for you guys…" She was looking at each member of the Ruby Squad as she spoke. "Kind of a send-off, so… enjoy!"
As the synthesizer music started up, Yang added, "This happens to be Ruby's favorite song ever since she was little."
Various rock instruments joined the synthesizer as the artist and title came on the screen.
[ Tevin Campbell – I-2-I (Eye to Eye) ]
Almost every other pair of silver eyes lit up at the familiar tune. Evidently this was a common favorite. Ruby, of course, took the lead as the whole team made a valiant attempt at a choreographed dance.
[ Got myself a notion
[ And one I know that you'll understand
[ To set the world in motion
[ By reaching out for each other's hand
[ Maybe we'll discover… what we should'a known all along
[ One way or another… together's where we both belong
All four made a terrific harmony for the chorus. It was clear they'd been serious about this practice.
[ If we listen to each other's heart
[ We'll find we're never too far apart
[ And maybe love is the reason why
[ For the first time ever we're seein' it eye to eye
No one was singing along. No one was clapping. Everyone was watching the four teens, paying full attention to both the dance and the lyrics. The song may have been old, but it seemed as though they had chosen it for a reason.
[ If a wall should come between us
[ Too high to climb, too hard to break through
[ I know that love'll lead us
[ And find a way to bring me to you
[ So don't be in a hurry… think before you count us out
[ You don't have to worry… I won't ever let you drown
[ If we listen to each other's heart
[ We'll find we're never too far apart
[ And maybe love is the reason why
[ For the first time ever we're seein' it eye to eye
To most everyone's surprise, the part-time workers of the place had come up to watch the show as well, peeking in through the door. This was one of the better performances of the night, it seemed. Team RWBY continued dancing, unfazed by the larger audience. Ruby was in her own little world.
[ If you're ever lonely, then stop! You don't have to be
[ After all it's only… a beat away from you to me
As the song reached climax, the dancing tightened up and picked up the pace. All four teens were now in total sync with each other.
[ If we listen to each other's heart
[ We'll find we're never too far apart
[ And maybe love is the reason why
[ For the first time ever we're seein' it eye to eye
The harmony scattered as the song reached the end, but that was part of the plan. Each of the group kept singing, but seemingly on their own. Those who had heard the original song knew exactly what was going on.
"Big finish!" Ruby cheered moments before the final eye-to-eye played out – the four girls did a final finishing move to their little dance, ending with one fist pumped into the air. The room exploded in applause.
This included the machine, playing a cheering audience for the first time all night as it displayed that magical number: 100.
Ruby very nearly passed out.
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8:00 PM
Kingdom of Vale, Atlas Military Base, Unknown Location
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Penny looked at her scroll, staring unhappily at the text she was forced to send Ruby a few hours ago. She had been invited to a karaoke night with the others, but her new work schedule forced her to stay out of it. She really wanted to go, too. She glumly put her device away and turned to her chamber, climbing inside.
The job of cyber security demanded that Penny fully plug into the system, sending her consciousness into a 3D world that represented almost the entire CCT. While there, the robot girl could still use her full abilities to fight off whatever came through, though she still had to be careful not to damage anything sensitive. Father had assured her that all precautions had been taken and all adjustments had been made. There was no chance she'd cause any damage, no matter how paranoid the General might sound about it.
While it was nice to be put is such an important role, the biggest drawback for the ginger-haired girl was the fact that she was no longer going to fight in the tournament. She was so looking forward to that. Almost as much as she wanted to sing with the others.
She sighed, laying back into her chamber and letting the wires and inputs install themselves. It was going to be a long night.
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8:03 PM
City of Vale, Central Square Shopping Plaza
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"She could have taken the 10,000 Lien…"
"Or the brand new personal music player with wireless headphones…"
"Or even the 3-month supply of free Dust cartridges…"
"But what did my little sister take as the grand prize?"
Yang and Weiss stared at the shorter teen incredulously as they slowly made their way through the silent city. Blake remained silent, trying not to think about the show she'd just helped put on minutes ago. It was more embarrassing looking back, but she still had fun.
"Cookies."
Ruby was still staring at her prize, a laminated card with a local company's logo emblazoned on one side. The back read as follows:
The Cookie Haus – Gold Star Membership Card
The bearer of this card is hereby granted one free GIANT chocolate chip cookie, every day, until the end of time.
Lucky you :)
Silver eyes were glazed over as she read the card again and again. She felt like she was holding a small slice of heaven. "Not just cookies, you fools… a lifetime supply…" She wiped a bit of drool from her mouth.
"In any case," Blake cut in, "I think they enjoyed themselves."
"Darn right they did. We had 'em all cheering!" Yang pumped a fist in the air, her blonde hair glowing in the dim light.
Weiss added, "I don't expect they'll forget that performance anytime soon."
The team walked on in silence for another few minutes. The other teams had gone on ahead as Ruby stayed to pick out her prize from the selection available. The others didn't get to see much, but they did see some… enough to know what the redhead had passed up for the cookies. Still, that was Ruby for you.
With this whole mess behind them, team RWBY was now ready for the Vytal Festival Tournament to resume, and all that came after. They could finally get on with their lives, although they were all very much aware that life would never be quite the same after this mess. How many people could boast that they got to mingle with alternate-universe versions of themselves?
Sure there were still questions they would have liked to get answers to, but at least they had a little bit more time to ask. Carmine wasn't fully ready to send everyone home yet. Ruby still hadn't seen this 'Omega Rose' thing yet, for one…
As Ruby tucked the card into her belt pouch, her fingers brushed against another card. Curious, she pulled it out… and froze.
In her hand was the card from almost two weeks ago. The Beast. She suddenly had a very strong feeling about it.
Holding it over her shoulder to let the others see it, Ruby said, "Does this card remind anyone else of Cherry?"
There was no immediate noise, but Yang muttered, "No, I… … …wait… the other cards…"
The redhead turned around to find the other three teenagers pulling their own cards out of various pockets and pouches to look at them in the dim light of the street lamps.
Weiss held up her cards first; The Soldier and The Watcher. "If this one is supposed to be Sapphire… then is this one Carmine?"
Blake was next, holding The Lover and The Eternal. "Rose and Rain, obviously."
Yang finished the exchange with The Fighter and The Broken. "Which leaves us with Red and Ku."
There was no possible way they could have been holding such obvious clues the entire time and never noticed. There was no way a simple pack of cards could have hinted at the arrival of the alternate-universe Ruby Roses. All four teens looked each other in the eyes and nodded. They all knew what they had to do: find that store. Ruby led the way in a flurry of rose petals.
The effort was in vain – the store was not only empty, but it appeared to have been abandoned and left to ruin for years. This just made them all the more anxious, of course.
"I think…" Ruby started, "that we should have Carmine analyze these cards tonight. If there's any chance these were planted for us…"
The other three nodded, quietly handing the cards to their leader. Ruby tucked them into her pouch, right next to the little slice of heaven… that is, the cookie card. If anybody could find something amiss about a set of cards, it was their resident mad scientist…
Ruby's thoughts were interrupted by her scroll beeping. As soon as she answered it, the thing went straight to speaker.
Rain spoke, sounding her usual emotionless self… yet her words shattered all hopes for a peaceful weekend.
"All of you, get back here and gear up. We've got big trouble."
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The curtain rises on the next act
Darkness spreads as hope fades
Yet the light will not surrender
For victory is in a simple soul
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Author's Note: The climax approaches! I hope you enjoyed the small scene I added at the end there, since I totally forgot to add it in the initial release.
Author's Recommendation: If you haven't done so yet, I would suggest going back over to Concurrence and reading chapters 6-8 before you continue. This way you'll be better prepared for what's to come. You can save chapter 9 for later.
=^w^=