"Why me?"
"huh? Oh, I thought Ruby would have told you already. She's amazing when it comes to weapons that she can take apart and study, but just can't do a lot about students who create them on a whim."
Cinder currently found herself resting on a bench, breathing harder than she had in far too long. A cold water bottle resting between her thighs as she recovered from the, honestly embarrassingly light, practice fight.
Her sparring partner today was none other than a boisterous blonde that had once been something of a rival to Cinder's once-loyal henchman Mercury. Yang Xiao Long was ever still a bombshell in all meanings of the word. Though her once wild temper had drastically soothed itself since their more rambunctious days.
Honestly she had never seen why those two had hated each other so much, but Cinder had been far more occupied with her own vendettas to care.
Spite, much like beauty, was often in the eye of the beholder.
Cinder found the parallel funny enough to let out a small snort in between gasps for air. She unfortunately caught the attention of her current company with the release of air.
"What? Think my little sister's lying to both of us? You have met the woman, right?" a practically trademarked grin find its way onto her features - and a gentle elbow into Cinder's own ribs.
Finally recovering from what should have been a trivial warmup, Cinder finished her swig of water and replaced the bottle into its wonderfully cooling home.
"No. I believe that part. I may be biased against her, but even I know she is honest to a fault. I used it against her more than once - or did you forget what happened to that little village south of… I honestly don't even remember if it was Vale or Vacuo anymore." Cinder really hadn't payed attention to where they were at the time. She supposed she should feel guilt at that, but what was one village in a world she had been instrumental in trying to overturn.
"I meant why me, specifically? You probably met hundreds of Hunters with semblances akin to mine. I'm sure any of them would have jumped at the chance to teach at the resurrected Beacon academy. With less than half the baggage I no doubt bring." she had been puzzling over the question for weeks now. The answers she could come up with always involved some twisted revenge scheme from the Huntress that had once been her foil at every turn.
Yang seemed to mull over the thought, though cinder wondered if it was all for show. Surely the woman across from her had considered the same question for far longer.
"Ruby's always been a bit secretive about her reasons for things. Her plans are weirdly meticulous, but the details as to why she makes half of the calls she does aren't exactly clear." A simple, but honest answer as far as Cinder could read the woman.
"Besides, I'm not the one she'd ask about stuff like this. Maybe some stuff to hammer out details - like how to design a temporary arm to allow for minimal recovery time without forming bad habits. Just for example." Well that explained how quickly Cinder had adapted to the regained limb, and the strange resistances she felt using it on occasion.
With a smirk of recognition, Yang continued "Who knows, maybe she just likes you."
"Oh yes, Ruby is most certainly planning some masterful working. Lying to loved ones about her secret, deep-rooted love for me; forged in the fires of passionate hatred, and tempered in years spent apart, wistfully staring at the moon on nights so surrounded by others yet so alone." ridiculous, we fought each other - literally in the mud on occasion. Disdain is possibly the nicest feeling either of us ever held for the other.
The response, at least, was met with a burst of raucous laughter. Which was contagious enough to elicit a snort from Cinder in return.
Breathing heavily - the spar didn't even make her do that. Yang slowly calmed from the outburst. "Hehe… Yeah, not what I meant. She can be an oddball, but until I see her coming home wearing a new bracelet of yours; I'm just going to assume she's more likely to end up with a knife in her back instead."
Bracelet? What on earth would I give her a- oh.
"Is that what that… Eclectic belt is? You four stuck that close?" Surprising, most Hunters didn't follow that tradition anymore; even if they all knew one or two who did. Ruby had always been rather focused on being a Huntress and stopping Cinder at every turn. Not that Cinder really payed attention to the girl's love life while attempting to kill her.
"Yup." -ending with an audible pop of her lips- "Hunter Family, through and through. Even got a daughter in the upcoming class, because there's no way she'll fail initiation. Good chance you'll meet her way before classes start too!" A beaming smile lit up her face. Before a new emotion flashed across Yang's features. "Actually, that might be connected."
Now Cinder really was confused. How would Ruby being a mother coincide with bringing her worst enemy back from their own personal hell?
Seeing the confusion, Yang attempted to clarify the thought. "See: Jei, that's our daughter's name, she's like - You know stories where the main character has like all these powers and it sounds like the writer just wanted them to be able to do everything? Bad fantasy movies and stuff, right? -" Cinder did know of them. The road could be boring and trashy novels were one of the few distractions she had from baby pictures." - well Jei is actually one of those. Stupid right?"
oh no. This is going to be far worse than baby pictures. She going to tell me baby stories.
"Look I'm gonna ramble a bit because now you've got me talking about my little girl, but it might be the answer to your question, so this is on you now." and ramble, she did.
"When we were talking about having a kid, we had to decide who the donors would be, me and Ruby couldn't do it because…. yeah, no. But we found out from the doctor that there could be three donors maximum, which was cool but then there'd be one left out. Ruby figured one of us had to carry the kid anyway… and long story short the kid ended up with heterochromia - one silver eye, one gold- and enough Schnee blood to have summoning as her semblance. Magic is weird, but you probably know that better than me."
That really does sound like some trashy road novel's protagonist. At least we know she can't be the one chosen to defeat the Evil Prince of Grimmalia or some nonsense. Her mother already fulfilled that destiny
"But the weird thing is, she doesn't summon Grimm. Not like Weiss and Winter, anyway. She can pull parts of ones she's killed out and use em, like claws or the armor plates. And thinking out it, your semblance probably seems close enough to Ruby - guess it explains why she didn't tell me, too."
That… well.
That made at least enough sense that Cinder could believe it.
Ruby really wasn't doing this for revenge. There was no ultimate plan to pull it all out from under Cinder. Give her a glimpse of the freedom and shove Cinder back into that inane little village.
At least not before the end of the school year.
That have Cinder time. Good. She could use that to her advantage.
The council was trying to get something to leverage Cinder with? Two could play that game.
Ruby really was still a fool, trusting Cinder with something as precious as her child.
Standing back up from the bench, Yang shook Cinder from her thoughts. Reminding her of why they were talking in the first place.
"But, before that, you've still gotta deal with me for another three hours of physical tortu-py. Yup, starting with another round of tire flips." bounding off, Yang began to prepare the workout area for the activity. Playfully tossing both weighted tires like toys.
Subtle, Xiao Long. Like you couldn't pop my head like a melon back when I was just shy of godhood. Not like I trust you either. Message received.
Cinder slumped before squaring her shoulders, and standing to face the road to recovery before her. It was going to suck getting back to something resembling fighting shape in just under three months.
But if it meant a chance at freedom, she would take the pain.
If it meant a chance to make Ruby feel even an ounce of the pain inflicted already, all the better then.
The years had dulled much. Where a fire of hatred burned once, a new pile of fuel now sat. The tinder was arranged, and new kindling was added with each day since she had received the fateful letter. The match was even struck already, the small flame just waiting to be introduced to its new home.
Cinder had felt the heat of hatred before, it had once raged within her like a storm. It had clawed at her, left its scars.
Ruby had left scars too. Often more external.
"Don't pick at your scars" Cinder could hear the wisdom repeated, across many who had once held her respect.
Most of them were dead, or good as, now. Only a small few remained. They no longer held much of anything. One name might, however, be a good place to start.
Sustrai.
Cinder mused to herself as her muscles strained against the weight in front of her. Sweat pooling beneath her. Hair trying its best to fall into her face.
She could see herself in the mirrored wall. She looked like some kind of deranged beast while working the long-disused parts of her body.
At no point did she see the door opening, admitting a different blonde than the one who had left her just minutes before. His attention was squarely on her, but respectfully so.
His eyes saw the curves, sure, but didn't linger on them. His gaze traveled up her body, but more focused on her form than her form . That was how he noticed the slight lean to one side, a lean that began to multiply - dangerously so.
Cinder only truly noticed the floor rushing to meet her when it suddenly stopped doing so.
Then came the cramping in her right leg.
Before the pain had even begun to register, she felt a spreading energy across her body - then deeper. Her soul flared with power. Her body was sure there should be pain, but every part of her registered even better than normal.
As her mind churned away at the odd situation, she felt one thing particularly out of place. Namely a pair of hands.
On her leg.
Gently massaging where pain would have normally been.
This, of course, caused her to look at the hands. Then the body they were attached to. And eventually the face looking back at her.
"Are you Okay? I was coming in to tell you th-" was all he managed before a second voice sounded from the doorway, now being opened.
"Jaune! Is she in here? Yang said she'd probably stay later… than… She recommended." a bewildered Ruby Rose now stood. Taking in the scene before her.
Cinder sitting on the ground, in tight workout clothes, panting and covered in sweat.
Jaune, looking ruffled, holding Cinder's leg gently. Currently doing nothing to alleviate the situation by blushing madly.
"Bwa-hahaha! Oh man, You two should see the looks on your faces!" the silver-eyed woman managed between fits of laughter. Literally rolling on the floor of the gym. Having lost her ability to breathe, let alone stand.
"Ah-ha hahaha. J-Jaune, do you want me to leave you and Mrs. Arc alone? I can come b-bac-ah hahaha haha."
Cinder should have been furious. Both at the man currently still holding her leg, and the woman giggling like a lunatic across the room.
But the good-natured laughter, not even directed at her own failure - but the situation - was infections. Soon all three of them were laughing at the absurdity.
Surely no one would actually think such an occurrence would be anything but happenstance. Even if it was what it looked like at a glance, who would believe the two involved had become so close in under a month.
As the laughter rang around the room; for the first time Cinder didn't wonder what she had done to deserve this moment. What possible malice could be hidden behind the Huntress' mirth.
She just laughed because it was fun.
The furnace in her soul, though stuffed to the brim with the preparations for ignition, remained unlit another day.