IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter contains an event that I've been building up to for a large part of this story – that being said,
PLEASE DO NOT PUT ANY SPOILERS FOR THIS CHAPTER IN THE REVIEW SECTION. ANY.
I don't mind if you want to talk about it, but either be discreet or keep it in the PMs. Seriously, this is important to me.
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Normal Notes: It has come to my attention that you guys are starting to get a bit lost with all the alternate-universe shenanigans going on. I know I had a Ruby Roster going back when I started this thing (which vanished for some reason *cough*), but I think it's high time I gave you guys a little bonus… character bios.
For now, I'm only including the main 7 of the Ruby Squad and the 4 'bad guy' Rubys we've seen so far. Other variants will come later on.
And finally, Snow will be singing a 'La-la-la' sort of lullaby further down in this chapter – the tune she's singing is the chorus to All Our Days, from the RWBY vol. 2 soundtrack. Just for reference.
(Also, to the guest who was a bit confused about the Roman & Neo segment from the last chapter, that was from one of my stories – Worth A Thousand Words is my WhiteRose fic set in a more modern AU, which is why Weiss has platinum blonde hair instead of white and Ruby wears a hoodie instead of a cloak. My apologies for the confusion.)
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Ruby Squad
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Name: Carmine
Age: 27 (30 in later chapters)
Home World: Remnant-5815
Description: About the same height as Yang, wears a long white lab coat and wire-frame glasses. Wielded the weapon Omega Rose at the beginning, but has since lost it to the normal Ruby.
Summary: The Mad Scientist of the group, Carmine is the brains behind the multiverse travelling system and the one responsible for keeping everyone organized. Not completely stable in the head. Married to the Velvet of her world.
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Name: Rose
Age: 18
Home World: Remnant-2789
Description: A bit taller than Carmine, wears a sleeveless shirt and capri-length pants with boots. Wears a red scarf in place of a cloak. Hair is long enough to touch her shoulders. Wields a larger variant of Crescent Rose, dubbed 'mark-2.'
Summary: Rose grew up with a hormone imbalance that causes her to produce powerful pheromones – making her irresistible to most females. Compounding the problem is her tendency to act like a guy and work out a lot, leaving her quite buff. Recently entered into a relationship with Blake while they were together in her world, but hasn't been seen since.
Backstory: Concurrence, Chapter 2.
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Name: Red
Age: 16
Home World: Remnant-6971
Description: Slightly shorter than Ruby, wears a red jacket and black jeans. Other than the different gender, looks just like Ruby. Wields a pair of gauntlets called 'Amber Celica' that are slight re-colors of Yang's weapons.
Summary: Red is simply a guy version of Ruby, with two glaring differences: his semblance focuses on speeding up his mind and his fighting style is almost a direct copy of Yang's. Suffers from gynophobia (a fear of girls), but is slowly working through it. Last seen starting a relationship with his world's version of Weiss, also a guy.
Backstory: Concurrence, Chapter 3.
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Name: Sapphire
Age: 28
Home World: Remnant-8843
Description: Pretty much the same appearance as Winter Schnee, except with Ruby's deep red hair and silver eyes. Front part of her hair sports a streak of pure white. Wields a slightly altered version of Qrow's sword, given to her as a gift.
Summary: The eldest daughter of the Schnee family, Sapphire grew up under a lot of pressure. She served in the military and as a combat instructor for several years, which was a large part of why she offered to train Jaune. Seems to have bonded with Weiss, yet still wants to know more about her own past… including the truth about her adoption.
Backstory: Concurrence, Chapter 4.
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Name: Cherry
Age: around 7
Home World: Remnant-2208
Description: Very short, with large cat-like ears and a tail with deep red fur that matches her hair. Size of a young child. No weapon. When angry, she can transform into a werebeast with fiery red fur and cat-like features.
Summary: Cherry is the youngest of the AU-Rubys, and arguably the cutest. She was only dragged into this mess because her world was soon to face danger, but no one bothered to try training her once she arrived. Completely innocent. Quickly bonded with Velvet.
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Name: Ku / Thorn
Age: around 19
Home World: Remnant-6602
Description: Almost as tall as Sapphire, started out with a red hood and cloak but soon replaced them with a black variant. Eyes are bright and cheerful as Ku, dim and empty as Thorn. Doesn't carry a weapon.
Summary: Possibly the most tragic of the Rubys, Ku's mind was broken very early in life when she refused to believe that her mother was really dead. Her mind split down the middle – half of her stubbornly retained her childlike innocence and wonder, while the other half took on all of her fear, anger and murderous rage. Supposedly killed in a bomb blast, Ku hasn't been heard from since… Thorn retains full control for the moment.
Backstory: Concurrence, Chapter 5.
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Name: Rain
Age: unknown (she claims to be over 2,000)
Home World: Remnant-0701
Description: Nearly identical to the normal Ruby, but shows far less emotion. Outfit and cloak are more faded and torn, too. No weapon – because she is a weapon.
Summary: Rain has no memories from before the day she received her immortality from the Four Maidens of her world… but she remembers everything that came after. The sole survivor of the end of her world, she left it behind to accompany Carmine and act as an assistant. We haven't seen the true scope of her powers yet, but we know she has some elemental control (normal for a Maiden) and can manipulate time to some degree.
Backstory: Concurrence, Chapter 1.
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Evil Ruby Squad
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Name: Vermillion
Age: unknown (likely around 38)
Home World: Remnant-0011
Description: Tallest AU-Ruby so far, wears an eyepatch over one eye. One arm is robotic up to her elbow, and this holds her dimensional transport device. Well-built and strong. No weapon seen yet.
Updated Summary: The daughter of Summer Rose and General Ironwood, Vermilion was raised in a very militaristic environment right from birth, which becomes clear when she displays her skills in planning and strategy. She inherits her father's charm, but also gains the power to give people Commands, orders they have to obey, through eye contact - a power she didn't understand right away, leading to her parent's unfortunate deaths. Now firm in her resolve to save as many worlds as possible, Vermilion serves the Daughter of Salem as her General.
Backstory: Concurrence, Chapter 26.
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Name: Soulberry (Ruby L. Rose)
Age: Like she's gonna tell you…
Home World: Remnant-6671
Description: In her normal state, she is tall and supremely well-endowed in the chest area (cup size of M, seriously). In her true state, she's about the same size and build as Ruby. Has very long hair that's normally kept in a basic ponytail.
Updated Summary: Possibly the most unlucky child in the universe, Ruby L. Rose was subject to the laws of balance that a Djinni was forced to serve - she was struck with vampirism, uncontrollable omni-vision, and then was cursed to the life of a Djinni herself! All this led to her eventual madness, but the Daughter of Salem found and freed her from her prison, earning the creature's undying loyalty. She has all the power of a Djinni as well as a Vampire, along with a truly unpredictable and broken mind.
Backstory: Concurrence, Chapter 27.
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Name: Daughter of Salem (the kid)
Age: 8
Home World: Remnant-6665
Description: Physically identical to Ruby at 8 years old, but with one severe difference – has the glowing red eyes of the witch Salem, as well as her deeper voice.
Summary: In her own world, Salem 'corrupted' Summer Rose just before dying, allowing her to live on as Summer's first-born child. Retains every one of her original memories and her normal personality, but finds herself in possession of a new and extremely potent power – she can 'weave' the threads of reality itself into new and unique patterns. She has the power of a literal god. Thus far we don't know what she's planning to do with this power, but it can't be good…
Backstory: Concurrence, Chapter 9.
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Name: The Shade
Age: unknown
Home World: unknown
Description: Same height as Ruby, wears a very tattered red hood and cloak over a bone-white mask that only has two narrow eyes slits. The rest of her… or, it… is covered with rags and bits of armor.
Summary: As quiet as her namesake, The Shade seems to be the personification of death itself. Appears to cause madness simply by standing nearby. No one, not even the Daughter of Salem, can figure out what she's thinking behind that mask… nor why she bothers to stick around at all. Beware The Shade…
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(Feel free to refer back to this chapter if you forget any of these guys later on. Now, on with the story!)
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Carmine's Lab
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The Mad Scientist sat at her console, working on some kind of program or report but otherwise ignoring the black-haired teenager standing right behind her.
Blake Belladonna was trying very hard to maintain her composure. Her patience was almost at the breaking point.
Things needed to change… before someone ended up dead.
Yang Xiao Long was currently in a quarantine mini-tent in the medical wing, hooked up to the best that Beacon had to offer in terms of keeping someone alive and well. She'd given everybody a scare when she reappeared from her journey with a wound that she claimed gave her a 'zombie virus.' She had hoped that transporting back would clean it out of her. Turns out she was wrong.
Rosey the faunus was also in the medical wing, but merely sleeping in an empty bed. It would be a day or two before she regained her full strength, but she was otherwise fine. She'd really worn herself out back there.
After a long and private conversation with Yang (while they were starting her on her meds), Snow and Sapphire made a trip out to town to take care of something. That just left Blake and Carmine alone in the lab.
"You know…" the older woman started saying with a clear tone of irritation in her voice, "…the entire reason I'm sending you guys out on these jobs is to reduce my workload… and yet, somehow, it just keeps INCREASING…"
Blake could feel a vein throbbing on the side of her head, but she remained quiet.
"Heh… I don't know how you do it, I really don't," Carmine started laughing, the sound of a woman on the edge of hysteria. "In less than half an hour, both you and Yang take an entire handful of my theories and just throw them out the fucking window!"
Still Blake remained silent, but she made a point to unclench her fists before she drew blood with her nails.
Carmine continued her rant, standing up and looking at Blake while pacing a bit, "First of all, YOU… you go and take a native Ruby Rose from her own world and it… it… fucking remains stable! Completely flying in the face of all my theories on dimensional stability and fundamental energy patterns. Let's not forget the fact that all the stuff you brought with you was totally intact – even though nothing was secured or stowed at all! Totally unthinkable! And worst of all was the fact that Yang actually brought a fucking ZOMBIE VIRUS into my world! Blake, I'm not equipped to deal with that shit! If either of you stopped and thought about what I have to deal with-…"
POW!
She never finished that sentence. Blake straight-up slugged the redheaded woman, knocking her to the floor. The cat faunus followed that up by drawing Gambol Shroud from her back and leveling the tip in Carmine's face.
"You don't have any right to be the angry one here," Blake growled dangerously, baring her teeth in a snarl. Her ears were flat against her head, pinning the ribbon down.
Carmine wisely shut up.
"My best friend is dying right now… and you're complaining about your WORKLOAD?!"
The point of Blake's sword touched Carmine's neck, drawing a small drop of blood. The Mad Scientist gulped, but didn't dare argue. Now was not the time.
"No more surprise reveals… no more unexpected dangers… no more."
Blake made an effort to pull her weapon a few inches away from Carmine before she did something she'd regret, but made it clear that her anger had not faded. Her voice still carried a growl.
"I don't know if you're keeping us in the dark on purpose, but it stops now. I won't let you send us into the unknown again… not unprepared. From now on, if you want us to do any more of these stupid jobs, you tell us everything we need to know about where we're going before we get there. If not, then we simply don't go. There is no option C."
Carmine gulped, then carefully replied, "…But what if I don't have all the information? There's still plenty of worlds I haven't fully scanned…"
Blake's response was instant, "Then you send us out together."
Neither woman said anything else to each other – Carmine simply gave a solemn nod, which seemed to satisfy Blake. The faunus pulled her weapon away, took a deep breath, then sheathed it and left the room. Leaving behind a deafening silence.
Carmine didn't bother to get up right away, but pulled her glasses off and gave her face a quick rub. She muttered to herself, "Way to go, Ruby… keep it up and everybody will hate you… fucking idiot…" before pulling another cigarette from her pack and lighting it with shaky fingers. "…Fucking… idiot…"
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Western Coast of Vale, Kavlin Beach
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As far as Snow Rosewood knew, she had always loved the sound of ocean waves.
Vale didn't have many public beaches, but this one was well-maintained and kept open all year-round. The air was salty and cool, just the way she liked it. No seagulls here, which was nice – they were always too noisy for her. True sunset was an hour or two away, but the clouds still created a spectacular array of colors and sunbeams. This was one of her favorite times of day.
The beach itself was currently empty except for two people – Snow and her friend from another life, Sapphire.
Snow had a lot on her mind – Yang had finally told her the truth of her family, and what had happened to them after she vanished. Marigold was currently beyond her reach, but Sam…
Sam had sailed off into the sunset, just as he always wanted. That man was always a romantic.
And Snow… needed to say goodbye.
"As the wind and the waves ebb and flow, so too does our life in this world…"
Sapphire stood some feet away, close enough to hear Snow's words but far enough to give the shorter girl her personal space. The former heiress needed to do this on her own. Tradition required it.
"Meetings and partings, beginnings and endings, all are like the tide…"
As the wife of a sailor, Snow knew this day would eventually come. The Women's Circle back home would go over this prayer every month, making sure every one of the other sailor's wives had it memorized. In the event that their husbands did not come home, they had to recite this prayer to the ocean as soon as they heard the news… else neither they nor their departed could rest in peace. Any ocean would do, even if it wasn't the one they were lost in – it was the spirit that mattered.
"The sun rose on our meeting, it sang at our wedding… and it sets on our parting…"
Now came the tears, as the full depth of his loss sank in. Sam was gone. Snow took a deep breath as she continued, trying not to choke up.
"Rest now, my husband, for your voyage is complete. Rest now, my lord, for your work is done. Rest now… my beloved… … for… for… ghk…! … …"
Her throat locked up tighter than a square knot, forcing Snow to stop momentarily. Sapphire looked like she wanted to come closer, but a raised hand stopped her short. Snow wiped her eyes, took another shaky breath, and kept going.
"Rest now, my beloved, for night has fallen…
"And I hereby swear, by the Light and my hope of salvation… that when my own voyage is complete, my work done and my night fallen… … … I will come and stand by your side."
Snow watched the waves for a full minute before she could bring herself to move again. The view was slightly washed out by the tears in her eyes, but she didn't mind them too much. She absently adjusted the ring on her finger, reminding herself it was still there. And she remembered.
"I love you, Samuel Rosewood… … … now, and forever."
Sam was the first person she met upon arriving in that world, the place she now called home. Sam was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. And now he was gone, truly gone, off to find his own place in the Light.
Oddly, Snow felt a strange and fragile sense of …peace.
"Are you alright?" Sapphire carefully asked once Snow reached her. They trudged through the sand together until they reached more stable footing, but Snow's steps still faltered a little. The taller woman looked worried.
"I… I think so…" The wind picked up a little, sending Snow's long white hair flowing out in front of her – Sam always said it looked like a flurry of snow when it did that. He always loved running his fingers through her hair as they watched the sunset… Oh, burn it all!
Now the tears returned, fresh and biting. Snow choked a little before she started openly weeping. There was no stopping the torrent of emotions.
Sapphire, Light bless her, did not let those tears get very far. The woman quickly embraced Snow in a firm but gentle hug, giving her a strong shoulder to cry on – and cry she did, for more than just a few minutes. Sapphire's jacket was getting rather soaked. Snow let it all out, wailing into the taller woman's shoulder.
The pain of losing her husband was overwhelming, of that there was no doubt. Even that brief sense of peace was blown away like a tattered sail in a squall. Light… it hurt so much…
"Don't you worry… about the dark…" Sapphire started softly singing, a lovely tune that seemed familiar, "I will light up the night… with the love in my heart…"
An image flashed through Snow's mind, unbidden and strange – yet it seemed familiar – of herself and the rest of team RWBY, along with several other faces she once knew, standing in a room with mismatched furniture and odd wall art. Sapphire was standing right there with her.
"I will burn like the sun… I will keep you safe and wa~arm…"
They sang this song. Together. In another lifetime… yet the words echoed in the depths of Snow's heart with a fervor she never expected. The pain dimmed as she remembered that night, all those years ago.
Snow joined in, "Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day… I will be there to take all your fears away…" Both women now sang in a shaky duet, each remembering the words from the night in the karaoke bar. Words that Snow herself had written. "With a touch of my hand I will turn your life to… Go~o~o~o~old… With a touch of my hand… I'll turn your life to gold."
Sapphire chuckled lightly as she rubbed her hand along Snow's back, relieved that whatever she just did seemed to work. "I'm surprised you remembered the words," she mused.
"Thanks to you," Snow replied, finally pulling away from the hug. She locked eyes with the taller woman and smiled warmly. "I needed that."
"Are you… better now?"
A deep breath, then, "Better than I've been since arriving here. I feel like a weight's been lifted from my soul. I feel… lighter." Snow Rosewood, a girl who was once known as Weiss Schnee, wiped her eyes and smiled warmly at her friend.
Sapphire grinned, "Then how about we 'float' on back to campus? I don't know about you, but I'm a bit hungry."
"Walking on sand always works up an appetite."
"That… explains a lot, actually."
Snow's smile faded as she said, "…I think I'm ready… tomorrow morning, I want to tell you guys my story. I want to make sure everyone's there who wants to hear it… including you."
Sapphire embraced her friend in a one-armed hug, muttering, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
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Chapter 37:
Intermission
[2-3]
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Medical Wing
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Blake sat in one of the chairs in Yang's room, trying to focus on the crossword puzzle in front of her. It wasn't working.
[You don't need to watch me while I sleep, you know,] Yang buzzed through the built-in intercom. Her lavender eyes were cracked open and gazing at the faunus, but otherwise she looked dead to the world around her. The blonde's weapons, along with her jacket and boots, were in another part of the building that was also sealed… just in case.
The dense, clear plastic of the tent was a bit foggy, but otherwise allowed anyone to see inside with little trouble. Yang was currently on rather heavy medication that was meant to keep the virus from spreading too quickly – both Carmine and Velvet, a registered nurse, were working on a more permanent fix in the meantime.
"It's my choice," Blake replied in a monotone. She didn't have much energy left after dealing with Carmine a while ago.
Yang just blinked slowly before returning her gaze to the ceiling.
Almost as soon as Yang had been set up in her quarantine area, Carmine had tried to rope Blake and Snow into setting out on another transport job the next day – an offer that Snow swiftly declined. In fact, she went out of her way to make sure Carmine understood her reason… and it wasn't at all what Blake expected the former heiress to say.
Neither she nor Blake were going anywhere until they knew, for certain, that Yang was going to be okay. And she refused to budge on her decision.
Blake was ready to kiss Snow for that one.
Only after that did Snow and Sapphire have their private conversation with Yang, followed by Blake laying down the law with Carmine. That woman was becoming insufferable. Gods help them all if their Ruby turned out like her…
Blake sighed and finally slapped the puzzle book down on a nearby chair before standing up and knuckling her back. It was getting late. Almost time for sleep…
[Bunking with Rosey?] Yang buzzed suddenly, startling the cat faunus.
"Yeah…" Blake didn't need to bother hitting any buttons, as the intercom automatically picked up any talking and fed it into Yang's tent. They could converse with each other freely. "She's kinda my responsibility now…"
Yang's eyes opened again, studying her old partner. [… … …You've changed, you know.]
"How so…?" Blake replied, her own eyes narrowing.
Yang spoke slowly, [When we first met, you were the 'cool cat' of the group. Now… well… you've become more like a doting big sister…]
"I think maybe you need a higher dosage… you're still making puns."
[And that's another point… you're not the quiet one anymore. When the team first got together, you would be the last one to say anything… but now you're quipping with the best of us. *sniff* I'm so proud…]
"You, on the other hand, haven't changed a bit."
[… … …I guess I haven't, have I?]
"Nope," Blake intentionally popped the 'p' sound, then lightly placed her hand against the plastic, "…And I don't ever want you to."
Yang lifted her own hand, weakly, and put it against Blake's. It would have been a touching moment… if not for the fact that Yang's arm was heavily bandaged and slightly gray in color.
It felt like an entire lifetime ago that Blake encountered Yang in the Emerald Forest, during the event that would see them become partners for the rest of their time at Beacon. Thinking back, Blake could only wonder at how perfectly the two of them were matched up – Yang's bright, loud presence was the ideal balance to Blake's darker, calm persona. They were the personification of Yin and Yang. Partners. Best friends.
In another life… if Rose had never stepped into the picture… could they have been more…?
[Oh… Before I forget, have Carmine strap my arms down before I go to sleep. Just in case.]
An unusual request, but simple enough. "I'll… make sure Velvet knows. Carmine and I aren't really on speaking terms right now."
[…How many times did you punch her?]
"Just once," Blake replied with a smirk. "Be strong, Yang… we'll get through this."
For the first time since before their previous teleportation, Blake saw Yang's signature grin. [We'd better… Or I have a long list of butts that need a good kicking.]
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Carmine's Lab
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Much like before, Carmine sat at her console and worked… only this time, without any trace of her former irritation. Or much of anything else, really. Anyone who walked in on the scene could tell something was wrong, but only the woman who did walk in could tell the true depths of the problem.
"Do you plan on working all night again?" Velvet asked in a dry tone, "You know I don't like it when you do that…"
"Yang… needs me…" came the quiet reply. Carmine did plan to work all night, and through the next few days if need be. She had to make it up to them. She had to… fix this…
"When was the last time you slept for longer than 20 minutes?"
The Mad Scientist didn't pause her work, but she did do a quick mental calculation before saying, "…About a month ago."
Velvet's tone grew irritated, "Why didn't you say anything? Didn't those pills I gave you have any effect?"
"None whatsoever. Velvs you know I can't sleep alone, pills or no pills… and you know why. I didn't wanna bother you because I always have so much work to do… so many numbers to crunch… theories to revise… equipment to maintain… new viruses to fight off…"
"Ruby Rose, stop fingering your computer and look at me."
Carmine's fingers stumbled as she choked out a laugh, but she stopped as ordered. Even she had to admit… that was a good one. She couldn't hide her grin as she turned to face the rabbit faunus – Velvet stood with arms crossed, but also with a small smile on her face.
It helped that the brunette was only wearing one of Carmine's dress shirts… and little else. That was one of the many things she loved about the rabbit faunus – she could be quite spicy when she wanted to.
"Well when you say it like that…"
Velvet cut off any more protests by grabbing Carmine's shirt collar and lifting her to her feet. She then plucked the cigarette butte from the taller woman's mouth, brushed off her shoulders and straightened out a few bangs. "You are coming to bed. Now."
Carmine's face lost it's grin, "But… Yang…"
"Ruby Rose, you need to learn to relax. She is in the care of the best medical technology in the world, not to mention the best doctor-nurse combination. Besides, if anything does happen, we'll be the first to know."
"But…"
Velvet pressed her fingers against the side of Carmine's face, and… tweaked. The Mad Scientist's eyes immediately drooped. She stumbled forward, no longer able to stay fully awake.
"Cheater…" she mumbled, "You're… s'posed to… lemme change first…"
"Whatever works, honey…" Velvet mused. She put one of Carmine's arms over her shoulder to help the taller woman get to bed, but she didn't bother wiping the stupid grin off her own face.
As they walked out of the lab, Velvet leaned over and gave her wife a gentle kiss on the cheek. "You know… I used to hate that smoky smell. Now it reminds me of you…" she said quietly.
Carmine mumbled something under her breath as the pair walked out of the lab, holding each other close. The door quietly slid shut behind them.
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Medical Wing, Next Day
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"I'll be honest with you guys…" Snow started saying, "…I don't actually remember anything from right after I arrived there."
Snow took a drink of water, but didn't want to waste any more time. Everyone else in the room was giving her their undivided attention. This was already long overdue.
Yang had been allowed a reprieve from her meds for a few hours, partly to test a new medical nanomachine cluster but mostly because Snow had chosen to use her room to tell her story. Around her tent sat Blake and Sapphire, as well as Carmine and Velvet. Rosey was still asleep in the room next door, since nobody wanted to be the one to wake her. Snow was looking forward to meeting the faunus, but right now she needed to focus.
"Luckily, I kept a diary. I didn't even remember doing that until Sam gave it to me on our 2nd anniversary. I must have read that thing a hundred times… as such, I can summarize the first few months."
Carmine chose that moment to slurp her coffee rather loudly. Velvet gave her an annoyed look.
Snow cleared her throat and continued, "Right after I arrived and for the first week, I was stuck on a tiny island out in the middle of the ocean. There was only, and I quote, 'four trees, five coconuts, and a tiny-ass cave that wasn't even large enough to turn around in… much less take a piss!'"
Yang had to suppress a snorted laugh… since it would have grown into a full-on laughing fit.
"But then I found a supply cache deeper inside that cave, which turned out to be part of Sam's trade route – he kept a stash of things on that island to pick up on long voyages. He called it his waystation. Imagine his surprise when he found a strange girl eating all his food!"
Snow smiled warmly as the memories flooded over her, "The journal was kind of sparse after that, but I can remember spending almost two months on Sam's ship, the Dragon. He taught me everything I know about sailing. And he told me later on that he'd pretty much fallen for me before we ever hit dry land."
Sapphire spoke up next, "So you're a sailor? Not a skill I expected you to learn…"
"Based on how I wrote out the journal entries, I can understand your shock. It was clear I used to be rather… snobby."
Yang snorted again, not able to stop it as quickly as before. Blake gave her tent a flick.
"Once we reached land, it didn't take long for me to understand that there was nowhere to go… the name of Schnee was completely worthless there… so Sam offered to take me in. He'd been calling me 'Snow Angel' already, so the name just stuck in place of 'Weiss'… … … what? What'd I say?"
Upon hearing the name 'Snow Angel,' Yang quickly grabbed her pillow and appeared to be smothering herself with it. Snow almost thought she could hear the girl laughing through it, but couldn't figure out why. Her legs were also thrashing about under her covers.
Blake tried to give her partner a Look, but instead sighted and told Snow, "…I'll explain later." It took Yang another two minutes to calm down.
"Anyway," Snow took another drink of water, then continued, "It only took one more voyage with that man before I started to return his affections… and we got married right after we returned home. That was… one year after I arrived."
"That makes sense," Carmine spoke up this time, scratching her chin, "…One year was enough time for your energies to adjust to that timeline. You were well and truly home by then."
Snow gazed at Carmine for a moment, trying to decide how to take that comment… then sighed deeply. The woman had meant no harm. "Indeed," she said, "But I never forgot my friends… my team. Right after we married, Sam and I started work on our house…"
"Wait," Sapphire sat forward, her eyes growing wide, "…You built that house?"
"That's right," Snow replied with a grin. Judging by the older woman's reaction, this was a good surprise.
It was only going to be a small home sitting on a hill, but the other residents of the town were not about to sit by and let them settle for 'good enough' …Nearly everyone donated supplies, food, or labor of some kind to make sure that she and Sam had a comfortable place to call home. Rosewood Manor was completed very quickly compared to most other homes in the area, and it was easily the nicest place for miles around.
Thank the Light it was quick… Marigold arrived less than a month after their house was finished.
"Having Marigold was… the best thing to ever happen to me. Light knows it was painful, but I wouldn't change any part of it. I would go through it all again, in a heartbeat. My child, the product of my love for my husband… the most beautiful little girl in the world…"
Snow didn't bother to keep talking as the memories of her daughter flooded her mind. Her words would've had no chance of keeping up with the images, sounds, and emotions buzzing through her brain.
"If I may ask…" Carmine said carefully, not wanting to go too far off topic, "…what exactly did Marigold look like? If… no, when my system tracks her down, it would help to know a few physical features…"
"I've been wondering about that, too…" Blake added. "All I can picture is a tiny version of you."
Snow glanced around the room, taking in the overall mood of her audience, then sighed as she said, "Well… she looks more like her father than she does me, I'm afraid. She has a lighter shade of hair than him, almost a reddish-gold, and she got his steel-gray eyes."
There was a beat of silence, followed by a buzz from Yang's tent, […Almost like Ruby.]
That was the first moment Snow tried to picture Sam in her mind next to an image of Ruby Rose… and the likeness was disturbing. She decided that she didn't like to think that there could be some relation between them… since if there was, Snow should have noticed it right away… not after almost 10 years of marriage.
Carmine stood to her feet with a satisfied grunt, "Well, that's actually a big help. I'll just head back to the lab and add those factors into the search. Do note, however, that her hair color probably got a lot darker if she's older now."
Snow lifted one eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.
Velvet filled her in, "Hair color is determined by melanin content, and for some people that can change as they approach adulthood. There's all kinds of factors involved, but it's affected by individual genes and it's totally normal. Nothing to worry about."
Just before she stepped out the door, Carmine added, "I'll also set the system to search for every known shade of gray eyes, just in case. If her dimensional transfer was a bit traumatic, there's a small chance that part might also be slightly different. I'll let you know if I get any hits."
The door shut on a hushed room. No one said anything for several minutes. The only sound was the various machines hooked up to Yang's tent.
Different eye color? Snow really didn't want to think about the chance that her Marigold, that beautiful child, might look so drastically different from the face in her memories…
_/_/_/_/_/
…
Mari bounced and hopped around the room, still far too energetic for her own good. Snow sighed, smiling – there was no way to stay mad at the silly girl.
"And then, and then… Rand slipped and fell into the mud! Min laughed, but I helped him up! And then we all had a mud-ball fight! And I won!"
Snow listened with half an ear while trying to stuff her rambunctious child into her pajamas. She knew about the mud-ball fight, of course – Snow had personally washed the child off under the freezing cold water of the well. There was a lot of mud.
"I had fun today, Mama…" Mari finally yawned, her energy dipping lower by the minute. "Can I go play over at Bobby's tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow your father comes home," Snow replied with a firm but gentle tone. "You know he'll want to see you as soon as he gets off the boat."
"Aw, Mama…" came the inevitable whine, "…YOU'RE the one he wants to see! I can go play with Bobby 'til he gets home…!"
"If you're not there when he lands, he'll gather his entire crew to search the town from stem to stern no matter what I say. Remember what happened last year?"
Mari's face compressed into a wince. She remembered alright. Still embarrassing to think about.
"Get some sleep, Lovebug… we've got a big day ahead of us."
Marigold smiled at the nickname, one Snow had been using for about 2 months by this point, and finally crawled under the covers. Snow blew out the nearby candles and sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the child in the darkness.
Once her eyes adjusted enough to see her charge, Snow started singing a lullaby – this was a tune she'd known for a long time, but as far as she knew it had no words to it. Mari loved it. The music was perfect for getting the child to relax and sleep through the night.
"I love you… Mama…" Marigold muttered as she fell asleep.
Snow smiled warmly, leaning down to kiss her child on the forehead. "I love you, too…" she whispered.
"I love you more…" the child finished.
…
_/_/_/_/_/
"Snow?"
The former heiress blinked as she looked around, suddenly back from her trip down memory lane. How long was she just sitting there?
"What was that tune you were humming?" Sapphire asked as gently as she could. "It was lovely…"
Humming? Oh… "That was… a lullaby I used to sing to Marigold. I never knew the words, but the tune always put her to sleep without fail. I don't even know if it has a name."
Yang looked contemplative, then had a very serious face as she said, [That was a song you were working on before we were separated… back home. I remember hearing you hum it back then.]
Light save her, things like this shouldn't be surprising her anymore! "Did I… ever finish it? Or title it?"
[Not that I know of.]
Only after the awkward pause that followed did Snow notice something – two new items sitting in Blake's lap.
"Velvet grabbed the things Yang picked up while you were… out of it…" Blake mentioned. She picked up the leather pouches from her lap, ones that were normally attached to the blonde's belt. They looked full.
[Give her the smaller one first,] Yang buzzed.
The smaller of the two pouches held an item that instantly lifted Snow's mood – her compass. "Oh, Yang… this is… what made you pick this up?" She knew she was smiling broadly as she looked over the item.
Snow's reaction seemed to be different than what Yang expected, as the blonde was a bit thrown off, [Uh… well… just a hunch, really. I figured it might be another keepsake, if nothing else.]
"Yang… this compass was the first present Sam ever gave me. It's almost as valuable to me as my ring! Thank you so much!" She sniffed a bit as a few tears snuck out.
The bronze casing, the needle that always pointed just slightly to the side of true North… She definitely had a few memories connected to this thing. In fact, it was the very item that rescued her from the very first time she went out sailing on her own – and promptly got lost. A keeper for sure.
Blake handed her the other pouch, which was packed full of wood carvings. Snow chuckled to herself as she pulled them out, admiring them one by one. And almost drowning in the nostalgia.
"Wow… I suppose I don't need to ask why you grabbed these…"
Each carving was on a piece of mahogany, a wood common to the area around her house. Each piece was oval in shape, and three of the four were dusty but undamaged. These were actually some of the first carvings she'd made, back when Sam had gone of his first voyage after the house was complete. And she was bored at the time.
Each carving displayed the name and emblem of the members of team RWBY – Yang Xiao Long with a burning heart, Blake Belladonna with a three-petal flower, Weiss Schnee with a snowflake, and…
"Wait… why is this one broken?" Snow asked with a frown. The last piece in the stack was only half there – the half with the name was gone.
[That's just how I found it. The other half was nowhere to be seen, and I looked everywhere.]
Snow ran her thumb over the rose emblem, muttering, "…Ruby Rose…"
Suddenly there was the sound of a chair sliding… and Sapphire stood up and staggered for the door without looking at anybody. "Excuse me…" she whispered. She was out of the room a moment later, her face far more pale than Snow had ever seen it before.
…?
The only thing that kept Snow in her seat was Blake, who offered to go after the woman in her stead. Something had bothered Sapphire. Something… major.
Every single motherly instinct in Snow's heart was demanding that she go and make it right, whatever it was. Sapphire was her friend, possibly her best friend, and it was physically painful to watch her suffer.
Blake didn't get very far, though – she only peeked out the door and said, "Velvet caught up to her… they're talking now, at the end of the hall…"
"Well that's good news," Snow sighed with relief. If there was anyone who could diffuse this situation, it was the rabbit faunus.
Both Blake and Snow finished their glasses of water as they waited. It was an agonizing few minutes, but soon enough…
"Snow?" Velvet poked her head into the room, "Sapphire needs to talk to you. Alone. I unlocked room 501 for you guys to use; she's waiting in there for you."
…
… … …
…
Sapphire Schnee was, indeed, waiting in room 501… but her normal attitude and demeanor were totally absent. The woman was busy muttering to herself and pacing in front of the window, but thankfully she wasn't in danger of hitting anything – the room was currently unused and empty. The woman looked ready to start punching holes in the wall, to be honest.
"Did I say something to offend you?" Snow tried to keep her tone mild, but her worry was growing by the minute.
Sapphire finally stopped pacing and stared full into Snow's eyes… and the older woman looked haunted. There was no other word for it. Like she'd just found out exactly when and how she was going to die.
"Do you remember anything we talked about… before? About our families, our childhoods… anything?"
"I'm sorry to say this, but I don't. I was lucky to remember that song we sang."
"I'm adopted."
Snow took a moment to remember to keep breathing. That was rather sudden. "You're sure…?"
"Mother told me herself, back around the time my sister was born. I'll never forget it. She told me… that she and Father were searching for suitable children to raise, so they could leave the Company in good hands. They were having trouble… having children…"
Snow stood silently, absorbing every word, observing every movement of the woman in front of her. Sapphire was pouring her heart out, growing more distressed with every minute that passed.
"They found me in a run-down orphanage in the northern part of Atlas. They apparently saw something they liked, so they adopted me and changed my name to Sapphire. I don't remember any of it, but she said that I was very quiet and… distant… when they found me."
Changed her name? She wasn't called Sapphire to begin with?
"The day Mother told me all of this, she also gave me something… … … an item I apparently had with me when the people at the orphanage first found me wandering the snowy wastelands alone… … …"
The tension in the room was growing out of control. Snow was having a hard time catching her breath.
"A broken piece of mahogany wood… … … with a name carved on it."
Everything seemed to stop at once… time, light, air, everything. Even Snow's heart forgot to keep beating for what seemed like an hour.
What… did she just say?
In defiance of the time warp, Sapphire rapidly undid the top part of her uniform jacket and pulled her token free from beneath it. She gently placed it directly into Snow's hands, clutching it like her life depended on it.
Snow could barely hold onto the item as she let her eyes wander down to it, and she beheld a wondrous sight.
In her hands was the other half of Ruby Rose's carving.
A hole had been drilled into the unbroken side to allow Sapphire to string it over a strip of leather, but there was no mistaking Snow's own craftsmanship.
Sapphire's voice wavered a bit as she said, "I've had this… with me… for nearly my entire life."
…
… … …
…
Carmine stared in stunned silence at the screen. It was rare for the results of a search to leave her speechless, but this… this was totally unexpected. The Mad Scientist stood up to leave, but found herself stopped by her wife.
"What's your hurry?" Velvet asked with a small smile.
"You see those results, right?" Carmine pointed back at the screen and the undeniable proof. "I need to tell Snow."
Her exit was held back by Velvet's outstretched hand, but before the redhead could protest… she noticed that her wife's gaze was off to one side, looking into the distance.
"It's alright… she knows."
…
… … …
…
I've had this with me for nearly my entire life.
Found in the northern wastelands of Atlas.
Marigold was sent through a portal to an unknown world, never to be seen again.
I've had this with me for nearly my entire life.
No memories from before the orphanage.
Member of the Schnee family by blood.
Nearly my entire life.
In possession of a broken piece of mahogany that had been lost in space and time.
Red hair. Silver eyes.
Red-gold hair. Steel-gray eyes.
Melanin changes as you approach adulthood. Trauma can affect eye color.
I've had this with me for nearly my entire life.
"…Snow? …Please say something."
Sapphire's desperate whisper shattered the shorter girl's train of thought, bring her crashing back down to reality. Her eyes felt dry… likely due to the way she'd been staring in disbelief for nearly a full minute.
"…" Snow's mouth moved, but nothing came out.
For the first time since her mind started rebelling against itself, Snow looked at Sapphire… really looked at her… and saw something incredible. Unbelievable. Impossible.
Beyond the color of the hair was the style and direction it grew. Beyond the color of the eyes was the distinct shape of the eyelids and eyebrows. The angle of the nose. The tilt of the mouth. The point of the chin.
Without any control of herself, Snow's hands reached forward and took Sapphire's face, turning it this way and that. She couldn't stop herself from examining the woman before her at every possible angle.
Impossible.
Simply impossible.
And yet… here it was, right in front of her.
Snow's throat was well and truly locked up as she released Sapphire's face and took a step backwards, then another. She covered her gaping mouth with one hand. Sapphire didn't dare move from her current position.
The next word that came out of Snow's mouth was barely a whisper, yet it had the power to completely destroy nearly every preconceived idea she'd had about the woman in front of her.
"…
"… …
"… … …Lovebug…?"
Sapphire's bottom lip trembled once, twice, as her eyes started glimmering with tears. Sapphire, a woman who could teach any man about how to act tough, a woman who could probably rip a Grimm's head from it's shoulders with her bare hands… was trembling like a frightened child.
The woman's response was nearly as quiet as Snow's word, but what she said echoed past the door, down the halls and into the unthinkable distance of the universe.
"…
"… …
"… … …Mama…?"
Gone was the hardened woman of the Atlas Military. In her place was a sobbing little girl who needed a hug.
Unlike their previous embrace, Sapphire was the one doing the most crying this time. Snow was weeping as well, but neither of them were shedding tears of sadness or sorrow – these were tears of the purest joy. Unthinkable relief. Unimaginable happiness.
For nearly two decades, Sapphire Schnee had been searching for the truth, for answers. For her birth mother.
Snow Rosewood had been convinced that she would never see her daughter again. Or if she did, that there would never be a true reunion.
But the truth was, she had nothing to worry about. Snow had never actually lost Marigold.
She'd been standing right next to her the entire time.
…
…
…
…
…
… … …
… … … … …
Carmine's Lab
…
They delayed the next transport for an additional day… to let everyone catch their breath.
Only Carmine, Snow and Sapphire were present when Sapphire went home. Blake stayed out of it. She felt like she had no place anywhere near those two – the very idea of their true relationship was so… so… unreal.
Sapphire made it back to her own world, and Snow showed Blake and Yang a picture she took of herself and Sapphire with her scroll. They shared a long hug after that. Snow was likely going to be shaken up for quite a long time.
…
"Okay, so here's the deal…" Carmine said in a steady voice, just putting the final touches on the program as she stood up to address the travelers. "I've pulled up the information on each of the worlds you guys are going today. Are there any… problems with that?"
She and Blake made eye contact, but the cat faunus didn't allow herself to glare. She simply said, "No."
The Mad Scientist nodded, "Good. Snow, I'm sending you on a special mission to Remnant-3792. That's Magister Ruby's world… but I doubt you remember her very well…"
"Unfortunately I don't," the former heiress sighed. At least her mood had lifted after the dramatic turn of events these last few days.
"That's okay… I'm sure she'll remember you. That world uses magic instead of Dust or Aura, but both of those will still function normally for you. And if you're worried about having to do any fighting, relax – I specifically chose a very stable point further along the timeline. They just finished a pretty big battle, and you'll arrive right after."
"What's the mission?"
"I'm sending it to your scroll now…" Carmine typed out a few more lines on her console. Snow's scroll beeped a moment later. "You'll be assisting the Magister on one or two things, then taking it easy for a bit. Have her read that information when you arrive and she'll take it from there."
Snow nodded, seemingly satisfied, "Alright."
"Blake," Carmine continued without missing a beat, "There's another trace signature of 1802 energy I'm sending you after…"
The brunette's eyes widened with a sudden realization, "Oh, yeah… I forgot about that. Shouldn't I go back to Rosey's world and get the-"
"Not to worry," Carmine interrupted, "…That energy signature is gone."
"Um… what?"
"Shortly after you and Rosey arrived, I noticed the scans – the energy that was in that world vanished right as you left. And after nosing around a bit, I found out why."
Carmine pulled a book from a pile on her desk, this one old and well-worn. Blake could have spotted the cover from a mile away, though… it was one of her favorite titles. The Man With Two Souls. One of the two books she'd brought with her from Rosey's world.
"It was this," Carmine stated.
"So that's where it w-w-went…" A new voice spoke from the doorway as Rosey the Faunus Ruby suddenly appeared. Her hair was a bit bedraggled, but she looked fully recovered. "Thought I l-lost it…"
As soon as Blake heard that voice, she turned and smiled brightly before embracing the shorter girl in a hug, "Hey, you… welcome back. How are you feeling?"
Rosey replied, "A bit s-s-sleepy, but g-good." She chuckled and held the hug a little longer before separating herself. She then turned to Carmine and said, "C-C-Can I have my b-book b-b-back, p-please?"
"Certainly," the older woman replied with a warm smile of her own. "But first… may I see the bookmark? That's actually what set off my scanners…"
Rosey took the book with a tilted head, perplexed, but complied with only a little hesitation. She opened her book and plucked out a card that Blake was certain she'd never see again.
It was a large card that depicted a robed figure, standing on a massive broken clock face, with the words The Eternal written along the bottom.
There was no question… it was the same card.
Carmine was looking at Blake as she said, "The look on your face tells me you know this card… and that there's a story behind it."
No shit, Sherlock.
It took Blake about five minutes to tell the story of them getting the cards on that long-ago day, right before Carmine walked into their lives. She managed to remember what all of the cards looked like, though one or two were a bit fuzzy in her memory.
Carmine took it all in, her face a picture of scientific fascination. "I would love to have all of these mysterious 'cards' in my hands… and I have no doubt they were planted, if this one's appearance is anything to go by. In fact, I can use this one here to narrow down my search – having one of the cards here will let me refine my scans to differentiate which energy is from the other cards and which is not…"
Rosey had already wandered out of the room with her book and a replacement bookmark while Carmine was on her rant. Snow and Blake simply had to wait for the Mad Scientist to run out of steam.
"Oh, yes… almost forgot. Blake, the world I'm sending you into has no Grimm, no active wars, and no major trouble to speak of. It has a fairly high technology level and a working CCT Network. Dust functions normally, along with your semblance. Did I miss anything?"
Keeping her face clear, Blake replied, "No, that works."
"Excellent. Blake, platform 1. Snow, platform 2. You know the drill by now – no longer than 1 year, only five minutes pass here while you're gone, blah blah blah…"
The black and white pair each took their place on the designated platforms, silently adjusting their respective weapons and equipment. Blake noticed Snow taking her ring off and stowing it in a pocket, so she said, "That's probably unnecessary – it won't go anywhere when we transport."
Snow simply gave her a light smile and replied, "I'd rather not take the chance."
"Fair enough."
By this point, Blake had become used to the sight of the blue-green light that engulfed them. As before, the machine made almost no noise as it powered up and sent them away to their fates.
\_…_/
\_/
"No offense, Miss… Belladonna, was it…? But I expected someone a little older."
The woman before her was, once again, the spitting image of Ruby Rose – this time she looked to be in her 20s, with her hair tied into a short ponytail. She wore clothes that indicated a profession of digging in the dirt.
"I suppose it's no big deal… just don't fall behind. If you can't pull your weight around here then you won't last long."
And indeed, that was the very scene Blake had appeared in. There were shovels and pickaxes everywhere. Thankfully for the brunette, this Ruby was very trusting and eager to guess where Blake had come from – so now Blake was the new 'assistant' to the young archeology professor.
This Ruby, along with her team of workers, was camped out in a jungle-looking environment at the foot of a mountain. Within walking distance was a set of elaborately carved stone doors, built into the very side of the rock. Where they led was anybody's guess, and Ruby and her team were preparing to find out that very thing.
And after a quick and discreet check of her scroll, Blake confirmed the dismal truth – the 1802 energy signature was coming from somewhere past those doors. Oh goody.
"Also, I hope you're not squeamish about old-world curses."
"Uhh… curses? Why…?"
The older woman grinned, a look that belonged on Yang, "Because this tomb is supposed to be cursed by an undead queen… and filled with archeological treasures! I can't wait to get in there!"
\_…_/
\_/
Snow honestly didn't know what to expect when she arrived, but finding herself in front of a building that looked just like the Beacon Academy she had just left was… a bit anticlimactic.
She had expected a floating castle, at the least. Wasn't this world supposed to be 'magical?'
Before even taking one step, Snow pulled out her ring and put it on. She breathed a faint sigh of relief that it made the trip with her unscathed.
She then yanked her hair free of that irritating side-ponytail. A side effect of that 'persistent status' thing Carmine talked about was that apparently her hair was going to automatically return to that style each time she transported. Annoying. At least it was an easy fix.
"Well," a new voice spoke from behind Snow, that of a young man, "you clearly aren't a Black Mage… are you some sort of courier?"
Giving her hair a quick straightening, Snow turned to find herself looking at a young man with blonde hair standing next to a young woman with blue hair that featured pure white sideburns. Both looked eerily familiar, but there was no way to know why.
The young woman, however, seemed to recognize Snow – her eyes went wide as her jaw dropped.
"G-G-Grandmother?!"
… … … … …
… … …
…
A/N: Just a reminder, PLEASE don't spoil anything. I have personally seen stories on this site that were spoiled by one or two reviewers, and I really want to avoid that. Other than the above, I welcome any and all feedback – I've put a lot of work into this story, and I can safely say that I'm about halfway through it. Maybe.
Author's Recommendation: Now would be a good time to go back and read Concurrence all the way through chapter 25, if you haven't already done so. 26-28 works too.
Next chapter: Will Blake be more like Lara Croft or Indiana Jones? Stay tuned to find out!
=^w^=