(Revision 1/30/22)
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Fallen Knight
Chapter II
Salem, the Mother of Grimm, gazed out at the great hall of Evernight Castle with lazy contempt. The same gothic architecture she had been staring at for the past eleven or so centuries had gotten so boring after the mid-Varangian. Perhaps she should have had Elouise redesign it before stringing him up by the spinal cord.
The frown upon her porcelain features drew deeper.
He was such a talented stonemason too, built the King's Cove out in Vale. Does no-one recognize how hard it is to find capable stonemasons in this day and age? Humanity's reliance on dust machinery had truly killed the grandeur of artistic expression humans once possessed.
Her crimson irises shifted languidly to look out one of the colossal, purple-stained panes of glass that lined the hall. Towards the land of mortal men.
That, or I probably killed them all.
Her lips drew back up into her usual Cheshire grin. Her eyes returned to the hall. Her lips fell and brow furrowed, jet black nails drumming once upon a cheek that rested in the open palm of her slender hand.
A moment passed.
Another.
Several more.
She glanced out the window again. The same jagged landscape of rock met her, unchanged.
Salem shifted her posture to sitting upright, arms on either side with hands lightly gripping the terrible metal edges. Angling her chin slightly upwards she flicked her gaze across the vaulted stone ceiling before coming to rest on the great long table in the middle of the space. Eight ornately carved stone chairs lined its edges, each vacant.
She closed her eyes and saw countless faces fill those abandoned seats. Many had deformed with time, features becoming blurred and their voices distorted. How many servants had she had over the centuries? Hundreds? Thousands? She chuckled, light and elegant with a hair of sinister mirth. How easy humans were to influence. The promise of power, wealth, and refuge and they all bark like dogs.
Silence
She gazed out the window once again.
…
…
Finally, a sigh shattered the quiet and the Queen of Grimm deflated upon the throne. This all had grown so tiring. So long had she been used to the constant game. Always plotting, always moving. Never a piece in limbo. She always enjoyed that about her and Ozma's marital spat. It never failed to entertain, even after all these hundreds of years.
Warfare in this manner, however. With armies and castles and generals had quickly outlived it's intrigue. What could you do when your forces are merely hordes of unorganizable nightmares? Sure she had enjoyed instigating the Second Great War, but this, participating in such a conflict, as the defender no less, Brothers what a bore.
Just then the large stone double doors at the opposite end of the chamber swung open with a mighty groan of lumbering stone. In strolled a woman clad head to toe in the traditional bronze armor of central Anima. Her long raven hair was parted into two braids that fell down to between her shoulder blades. Her one remaining amber eye burned with a heterochromatic swirl of colors, accentuating the steely confidence within almost cat-like irises. Sheathed on either hip were a pair of by now infamous falchions made of jagged amber glass held to her hip by a small strand of golden energy.
The grin returned to Salem's lips as the step of steel toed boots bounced off of the walls.
"Cinder, darling," Each syllable dripped from her black lips like poisoned honey, "Have our envoys been prepared?"
Cinder, upon being addressed dropped to one knee and bowed her head. With a dismissive flick of Salem's wrist, she raised to a stance reminiscent of Atlesian soldiers. The irony made the dark queen chuckle.
"Yes, my queen. It took some time, but Watts was able to rig the 'welcome gifts' you requested."
A sultry hum filled the room. "Marvelous, they may be able to cower behind their metal beasts for protection, but we will show them why my people called this land the Kahaal Orogon. What of our plans in Haven?"
"After some coercion, Major Dhatri has recognized the error of his allegiances. It's likely Haven will fall within the day." Cinder continued after a firm nod. "Ironwood is a fool to leave the kingdoms undefended, it's almost like he is gifting us victory." The maiden said with a cocky grin.
Salem's face grew to stone as her smirk flattened. "I'd wipe that grin off your face, girl. You do not seem to understand the gravity of the situation we are in."
Standing from her throne the sudden tension forced her subordinate to her knees. "I-I apologize, my Queen. I fully underst-."
"I do not recall indicating it was your turn to speak." The words lanced through the room like a bolt of ice. Cinder's mouth closed with an audible clack as she pulled her chin closer to her chest.
Walking over to stand before the window she had been glancing out of for the past weeks, Salem observed the plain of desiccated rock that surrounded Evernight Castle for miles.
"Are you aware of where we stand, dear Cinder?"
The Maiden's eyes narrowed in slight confusion but did not dare raise them to gaze at the Queen. "The Mistrali Grimmlands."
Salem scoffed. "Grimmlands… Yes I suppose that has been the case for quite a while." She tilted her head, her long white hair swaying with the motion. With the wave of a hand the stained glass shimmered and twisted, the purple tint giving way to clear blue sky. "Come, child. Observe."
Tentatively, Cinder stood and approached the windowsill. As she neared Salem's back, tall spires became visible. Spires gave way to the rooftops of a handful of colossal cathedrals, easily on par with the Evernight in scale.
Entranced in awe, the woman's pace quickened until the stood side by side with her queen. Before her was a sprawling ancient city of magic. Whole structures floated in the sky as asymmetrical and curious architecture dominated the hundreds, nay thousands of buildings within her field of view. Blues, purples, golds, silvers, rich and metallic alike painted the eclectic city like a mosaic, making the very air sparkle with wonder.
Faint sounds of distorted bustle kissed Cinders ears as she took in the vista, slack jawed. "What… is this place?"
Salem sighed deeply and, though Cinder would never dare say it, almost nostalgically. "The Vale."
Cinder shot her Queen a confused look
Salem waved dismissively "The Vale you think of is a mere parody founded by Ozma. This is The Vale, the progenitor of civilization, mother of all Kingdoms. It was the utopia Ozma and I founded after the false gods left Remnant."
"Its…" Cinder took in a deep breath, it smelled of lavender on crisp, dewey air. "…wonderful."
Salem hmm-ed. "Ozma destroyed it when his selfishness outgrew her walls. That was almost a millennium ago now. Not even the foundations of the Great Spire remain." She gestured to the colossal church in the distance, it's great series of clockwork spires like a scaled up version of Beacon's own architecture.
"Make no mistake, child. This is what is at stake. I seek to rebuild the world that Ozma cruelly robbed us of. He and is 'Huntsman' assembled on the other side of these barren fields are the most formattable fighting force I have witnessed on this world. Hunstmen as you have known them are prone to the same vices of mortal men. They, however," Salem made a sweeping gesture with her left hand, transforming the visage into one smothered by flame, "are a pack of rabid wolves, starved and desperate. Do not underestimate them."
Cinder nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from the destruction engulfing the scene before her. It's loss made her melancholy in a way, despite even her impassioned hatred for most organized society.
"My child," Salem chuckled and took the Maiden's chin in her slender fingers, turning the woman so her heterochromatic eye is forced to gaze up into Salem's own burning red irises. She waved her hand and the image shattered like glass, revealing the broken red rock it concealed.
"We will grind their pathetic 'military' to dust. Then tear their kingdoms down brick, by brick, until they know the loss that we have suffered."
The words sent a chill through Cinder as distant rumbles of monsters beyond her comprehension filled the air…
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He awoke to the soft patter of snow on his face.
Jaune smiled, he always loved winter. Only, he didn't remember it being this hot.
Opening his eyes he was met with the furthest thing from his most beloved season. The sky was a sea of red, broken by jagged cracks of black ichor. Ash rained from the sky with no discernable source. Jaune could hear the faint crackle of fire in his periphery, but the world was incredibly silent.
Tensing his aching body, the knight pulled himself from the blanket of ash that stained his pearlescent armor. The land around him was one of unadulterated death. Twisted spires of metal reached for the broken sky in desperate pleas for salvation. The once flat plains surrounding the Evernight was disrupted by constructs of metal and rock, leftovers of semblances that controlled the elements.
Dotted amongst these monoliths of war were hundreds, nay, thousands of bodes. Their blood stained the already red dirt a deeper shade of crimson.
Jaune took a deep breath and fell to his knees, the soft silt beneath him cushioning the impact with a soft pomf.
They had lost. It was over. The only thing left of this gambit was a broken boy and his sword.
Soft footsteps came to a stop next to him.
"Not necessarily, dear boy." The voice was haunting, as if thousands of people spoke at once in all variety of tone and volume. He turned to look at the figure and saw only a humanoid blob of ever shifting featureswreathed in a permanent distortion. They stood tall, hands folded behind their back and chin lifted to observe the battlefield before them.
Great. He was hallucinating.
"What are dreams but complex hallucinations of what could be?"
Ah. Made sense.
Jaune deflated, pressing his forehead to the ashen silt. Not that it made a difference really, if he was dreaming or not. This situation was inevitable anyway. All the King's Horses and All the King's Men and yet still they were outnumbered 100 to one, likely more. Not like you could accurately survey Grimm numbers when they literally spawned out of liquid darkness.
"Tch. So pessimistic, you are. That attracts Grimm, you know? One would think after the advent of all this modern technology mankind would be more hopeful."
"Great. My subconscious refers to itself like it's separate from mankind. Joy." Jaune muttered into the dirt.
The entity? Memory? Hallucination? Chuckled. It was horrible, all of the echoing voices attempting to mimic mirth.
"Quite egotistical of you to assume something such as myself could be so limited to the moniker of 'subconcious'."
Gods, he'd gone mad.
"Then what are you." Jaune said, raising his head from the dirt and glaring at the entity. He attempted to keep the frustration out of his voice but he was really not in the mood for cosmic bullshit.
"The thing about dreams, Ser Arc, is that they are predicated upon past experiences. They can give you no truly new information as your limited conscious can only create what it already knows. Of course, I can transcend these barriers but come now, where is the thrill in that." The figure turned its head to look down at him. Thousands of faces cycled across the misty features every second. Jaune noticed that actual fog rolled off of it's shoulders and dissipated into the dirt like some imitation of a king's cape.
Something about this thing felt, off. It was totally foreign, he could feel his subconscious ringing faint alarm bells as it tried to make sense of it's presence, yet it exuded a familiar aura. Like something deep down in the foundations of his psyche recognized and was soothed by it.
Jaune sat a little taller and met it's gazeless eyes.
"Then why bother coming here and invading some random kid's dreams?"
It tilted it's head like a dog assessing some new toy. "That's the thing, child. You are no 'random kid'. There is something within you that should not be. It breaks the rules of this world down to it's foundations, overwrites the laws by which all natural things exist."
Jaune tensed.
"You're not here to kill me are you?"
The figure let out a booming laugh. It sounded like a thousand carousing soldiers celebrating their last day of life.
"Sweet Cosmos, no. At one point I may have but that was long ago, no. You fascinate me, little knight. This is simply me witnessing you for myself while I still can. After all, this world's judgment day is fast approaching it seems."
"Judgement day? What do you mean?"
The figure's expressionless face took on an almost teasing quality.
"Ah, ah~ little knight. You'll find no spoilers from me."
Spoilers? Was this thing serious? Thousands of people are about to die and this thing was treating it like some TV show?
"I mean no offence. You simply must realize how difficult good entertainment is to come by for someone such as myself. Dare I say this is the most fun I've had this Terasecond and I've had to lift nary a finger."
"So that's it? You've just come here to appraise me like cattle and rattle my brain with your indirect bullshit? If so, then could you kindly fuck off, I've got enough to deal with as is."
"Such forwardness! I knew I would like you, most of your kind would be groveling for handouts right now but not you. Such a curiosity you are, my little anomaly."
All Jaune could reasonably do was stare.
"Very well. Since you asked so nicely and since I'm not the type to enjoy my side losing, I shall give you a hint."
Jaune waited, staring unflinchingly at the flat face of his mysterious companion.
"Salem's Immortality is a curse of this realm."
Silence reigned for seconds. Seconds turned to minutes, maybe even hours. The constant falling of ash was the only sound.
"That's it?"
The figures face remained unchanged, but Jaune could swear he made out a self-satisfied smirk on one of the faces that flashed across his features. It turned on its heel and began striding away.
Jaune scrambled to his feet and tried to give chase, but his legs felt as if they were buried in molasses.
"Wait, Goddamnit! I already knew that you fucking smug asshole! How do we beat her!? Do you hear me!?"
Jaune tripped and fell on his face but still he desperately clawed after the figure, dragging himself through the ash.
"Come back here, we're not done! How do we kill her!"
The figure paid no heed to his desperate calls and strode forth. Around him reality cracked and bent. The sky literally fell to Remnant in large pieces, revealing an endless inky black.
Before Jaune's world was immersed in blissful nothing, one last echoing whisper reached him.
"For what it's worth, I do so hope you win."
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Jaune awoke with a heaving gasp. His calloused fingers clawed desperately at the mahogany wood of his desk, knocking over his stationery and scattering a few papers. Cobalt eyes cast around the room in a frenzy, quickly deducing that this barren metal coffin was in fact the office of Commander Jaune Arc.
The boy placed a hand on his chest and calmed his breathing. What in the depths of Nora's imagination was that? One of Salem's Mindflayers? He'd heard that they could enter dreams but usually it leaves their victims braindead. Not to mention whatever the entity was had a clear distaste for Salem's side of the conflict.
What then? Magic? Almost certainly, but the real question is from who. It spoke as if it was above him, that the happenings on Remnant was some show to be watched. Logic says that it a being powerful enough to be unconcerned with the weapons of man. And what was that about a Judgment Day?
Before Jaune could think further on meddling powers beyond his understanding, another thing on his long list of problems knocked on his door.
*knock knock*
"Janey~? You in there? There's a mean lookin' dwarf out here askin' for ya!"
Jaune had to clench his jaw to prevent a groan. He just woke up.
"Yeah. Fuckn- Yeah, coming Nora! Tell him I'll be out in a minute!"
Quickly and clumsily stripping from his hoodie and jeans, Jaune threw on the officer's uniform discarded onto a small love seat in the corner. It was standard issue Atlesian military wear with slight green accents on the seams. Beacon's twin axes were boldly displayed on either shoulder and pinned to his lapel in a golden broach. Various medals and commendations lined his right breast like a checkerboard. Jaune hated wearing them, but the Clockwork Dick threw a fit every time he didn't. Wasn't worth the bathroom duty to protest.
Jaune grabbed at the spot Crocea usually was against his desk but found air. Panic briefly gripped his chest before he remembered he left it with Crescent Rose at the workstation. Explained why he couldn't hear her.
The knight strode up to the door and took a deep breath. He straightened his posture and folded his arms behind his back. Too self-important. He lowered them to his sides. Too awkward. He-
The door swung open and he came face to face with the smoldering chocolate eyes of Coco Adel.
"What the hell is taking you so long, Arc!? Come on, don't you know it's rude to leave a girl waiting?" The fashionista shoved Crocea's pearlescent form into his arms before jerking her head towards the door. "His Highness awaits."
"Good morning Jaune." Crocea chirped.
"Yeah, morning. What the hell does he want, briefing isn't supposed to be until 0700?" Jaune said as he stepped through the threshold and closed the door behind him.
"Dunno, Higgins said ol' Robobrain didn't give a reason. Could've been he forgot given how distracted he was by Vel's tits." Coco stood with her hands on her hips. The Huntress wore, much like him, the standard officer's uniform of Battle Group Beacon, much to her undying dismay. She kept her trademark beret as a form of protest and always carried her signature aviators folded in her right breast pocket.
"Lecher."
She rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it."
"Morning Jaune!"
The knight turned his eyes up to the rest of the barracks alight with movement. Teams CVY, JPR and RWBY scrambled about their morning routines, dancing around each other with practiced ease that could only come from prolonged cohabitation. Ruby was laying horizontally on her bed, head hung off the edge to look at Jaune upside down. A comfortable warmth spread in his chest at the sight of her gleaming silver eyes.
Coco made a vaguely disgusted face. "For the love of Oum we're never getting out of here." She poked his chest with a gloved hand. "Five minutes. Five." Before turning on her heel and strutting to the front door with a huff.
Jaune chuckled, he wondered who was really in command here half the time. He walked over to Ruby and crouched down in front of her.
"Mornin' Rubes, sleep well?" He said as he ruffled her hair. Ruby puffed her cheeks in mock anger, but he caught the edges of a suppressed smile.
"Eh." She shrugged her shoulders.
"Eh?"
"Yang was snoring like an elephant, so I went and worked on Crescent Rose. I musta passed out or somethin' cause I woke up here snuggling with my pillow. I could've sworn Crescent Rose was in pieces though." Her silver eyes pierced his defenses with a cheeky look.
"You must have one pretty awesome guardian angel." He couldn't keep the smile off his face as his partner (?) laugh-groaned and smacked his arm.
"God I hate that nickname. You used the wings like once. Come on. I can frickn' fly, why aren't I an angel?"
"I dunno, Crimson Reaper is a pretty kickass name." Just mentioning the title had her already rosy cheeks blazing.
"More like pretty stupid. Just cause I use a scythe doesn't mean I have to be a reaper. People are so uninventive. And dumb."
"Would you prefer the Crimson Farmer?"
Ruby did not appreciate the name. She let him know with a mind meltingly adorable glower that had even Crocea quietly cooing. She was really too cute for her own good.
He patted her cheek. "Relax, you have very nice and very normal knees."
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. It lost most of it's effect given she was still upside down. "Dang right mister."
Coco's eyes caught his from across the room and she tapped her wrist. Jaune stuck his tongue out at her.
"I gotta go Rubes, duty calls."
"Heh, duty."
"Child."
"Hey! I drink milk, thank you very much."
He stood and raised an eyebrow. "I can tell, you're getting a little, y'know." Jaune gestured to his chest. "Top heavy."
With practiced ease he hopped back from the swipe of her arm with a good-natured chuckle. She sat ramrod straight and protected her chest with both arms, a few stray rose pedals falling around her.
"Y-you can't just say stuff like that Jaune!"
"Can and I will, Rubes. Gotta go." He began walking away but her hand caught his wrist with a frantic 'w-wait!' Silver eyes looked tentatively into his, blush blazing.
"Thanks though, seriously. I just- I-Its been really -" she sighed and looked away "- …Y'know?" Her voice was quiet and there was an undertone of desperate uncertainty. Jaune heard it like a gunshot in a silent room despite the racket of his teammates. His chest tightened with barley restrained affection. He knew all too well.
Jaune ruffled her hair gently and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry about it Ruby, we'll make it through, Arc's promise."
The tentative smile she gave as she held onto his hand made everything worth it.
After a moment she let go. "Kick some ass, Fearless Leader."
Jaune gave a two fingered salute before turning on his heel and heading to the front door.
"Heavens you two are just the picture of sickeningly sweet!"
Jaune rolled his cobalt eyes as he dodged under a stray pillow thrown across the room from a pillow fight between Nora and Yang. Well, it was more like a brawl with pillow accents given how Nora hammered her fist into the blonde woman's skull.
Weiss and Blake, crowded around the sink brushing their teeth, offered lazy waves as he passed them which he returned. Neither of them had ever been morning people, as evident by the zombie like way in which they went about their morning routines.
Yatsuhashi and Ren sat together atop Ren and Nora's bunk in meditative positions. Contrasting the two girls, those two were usually up hours before anyone else. They had made it a regular ritual to meditate together during the day. A soft smile broke out across Jaunes face as he smacked Ren's outstretched hand in passing. The friendship was good for his Mistralian friend, Nora and Jaune had never been able to sit still long enough to share in the practice.
Coco, seeing his approach, broke off a conversation with Velvet and raised one perfectly manicured impatient eyebrow.
"Captain." Velvet said. Jaune gave a smile and fist bump as the rabbit Faunus walked by.
"For the last time it's Commander, Vel." He corrected.
She gave a cheeky have smirk and kept walking.
"Your girlfriend is disobeying direct orders Sargent. I expect disciplinary action."
Coco barked a laugh. "Bold of you to assume I'm the top in that relationship, Commander."
Jaune cocked an eyebrow and glanced between the two. "I don't see it."
"What can I say, Bun-Bun's got claws and is very good at using them. Well, having that tight ass on my-."
Jaune banished the thought with a wave of his hand. "Okay, Coco! I get the image can we please move on."
The look on her face was downright vicious.
"Oh I'm sure you do, Commander." Ignoring Jaune's flushed sputters she jutted her chin towards Ruby. "You done canoodling with your subordinates? You know how hot under the collar Ironwood gets when his prized turkey is late."
"I don't canoodle, Sargent. I flirt with distinction." Jaune punctuated his statement with a dignified straightening of his lapel. He hoped his slightly wounded pride wasn't audible. Coco scoffed.
"Sure thing, Vomit Boy."
As Coco dragged him out the door, Jaune spared one last rueful glance back at Yang for spreading that horrible nickname.
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Coco wasn't normally someone to get worried.
Even on the most messed up of missions with non-existent intel her nerves had been stalwart. Her undying belief in her team and her own skillset made sure of that. Since her first year of Beacon, it had been drilled into her that indecisiveness and self-doubt was a uniquely devastating poison for team cohesion. So, naturally, she brutally killed any emotion that could potentially lead to it. Fear and anxiety were a part of that.
On the other hand, however, five years of Huntress duty has taught her to always trust her intuition. It had saved her and her teams ass from situation after situation and never once lead the infamous team CVFY astray. The only time she had ever gone against it, well, was the first day she had experienced true anxiety in her career as a Huntress.
It was also the day that Fox Alistar got gutted before her eyes.
And now, on the day of the most important operation of her Huntress career, Coco Adel was worried. A lethal cocktail of fear, anxiety, anger, and uncertainty roiled deep in her gut. Her chocolate eyes spun as they took in her surroundings, analyzing every possible angle of egress or potential weakness her enemies could exploit.
At the same time, years of training screamed at her to wrangle her emotions. Kill the negativity with brutal efficiency. Every time she tried, however, the image of Fox's glassy grey eyes burns in her memory and she's right back to square one.
What a bitch.
"Coco? You okay?" Jaune said from next to her. They were on the main thoroughfare of the base, colossal Andromeda dreadnaughts towering to their right as thousands of military personnel engaged in final preparations. Service vehicles carried dust fuel and munitions, technicians performed examinations on the smaller aircraft, and the rank and file were marshalled and briefed on their coming roles.
It was organized chaos in every sense of the word. Over it all loomed a suffocating sense of finality that snuffed any scent of joy from this sterile box of toy soldiers.
Coco turned her chocolate eyes to Jaune. Some of her inner turmoil must've shown on her face because he was looking at her with those damn 'I'm here if you need a friend' eyes.
"Checkn' me out?" She suppressed a grimace. It was heavy handed, but she really didn't want to have this conversation.
"Coco." He said with some pressure. It was a parent trying to goad out of a child why they got into a fight at school. Still his soft cobalt eyes said, 'I'll back off if you give me a good reason to.'
She sighed. "It's nothing, just some stupid nerves. I just need to shove Vel into a broom closet before we go, and I'll be right as rain."
"Coco Adel and nervous don't fit in the same sentence."
You're telling her? She felt more like a brat playing toy soldier than an honest to Oum Huntress right now. Totally did not fit her brand.
"First time for everything I guess."
"Are you okay, though?"
Gods damn him and the earnest concern in his eyes. She'd prefer him leering at her tits, at least then she'd know what to do.
"Yeah, I got a handle on it."
"Are you-."
"Jaune." She stopped walking and grabbed his forearm, staring deep into his eyes with as much conviction as she could muster. "I'm okay."
Their staring contest lasted for a few seconds, his cobalt eyes searching for something within her own. She felt seen through, like her deepest secrets were being pulled from her skull and laid bare before him. Finally, Jaune nodded once and pulled away.
"Okay."
She stood still as he walked away. The look in his eyes was concerned. Disappointed. Yet he left it alone and didn't push her.
The gnarled emotions in her stomach grew in intensity.
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"She's hurting."
I know, I can't do anything about it unless she wants help though.
The two officers trekked through the impersonal steel corridors of the AMV Enduring Hope. Jaune's mind, however, was still stuck on his previous not-conversation with Coco.
Despite her best efforts, the pain and uncertainty in Coco's eyes was clear as the sunrise of Beacon's cliffs. He knew that haunted look all too well, it had greeted him in the mirror for almost half a decade. Only Jaune had learned to hide it well, Coco's inexperience with feelings of inadequacy was apparent.
"You're her commanding officer, order her to do something about it."
I don't know how they did it in your time, Crocea, but common practice is to wait until someone's ready to speak about their issues nowadays.
"… That seems highly inefficient."
I know right? Free will is such a roadblock.
Jaune decided to leave it as an issue for future Jaune as they approached the plain oak door of General Ironwood's personal office. It was situated on the 3rd deck as close to directly in the center of the ship as possible. Nothing short of a railgun could penetrate so many layers of armor.
Jaune straightened his lapel and brushed some non-existent dust off his shoulder. Coco beside him adjusted her beret for the fourth time. Ironwood was such a stickler for immaculate appearances. Jaune had once seen him demote a Colonel over the shine of his shoes, or lack thereof.
Cobalt met Chocolate.
"Prepared Sargent?"
"Never am, never will be. Let's get this over with."
Coco rapped at the door twice and straightened her posture, choosing not to assume a military pose. It never was in her to play soldier. Jaune simply folded his arms behind his back and waited.
After around thirty seconds, heavy footsteps sounded through the door. It opened at a distinctly measured speed to reveal General James Ironwood looking how Jaune felt. Dark bags hung beneath his steely blue eyes that looked like they were existing on eight cups of coffee. His posture attempted to be dignified but wavered after a few seconds and just looked like a tired man that wanted to be anything but upright. His immaculate white uniform was wrinkled and missing its overcoat, leaving him in only a navy dress shirt and red tie that looked like it had seen better days.
"Jaune, Coco, finally. Come on, Qrow and Ozpin are already present." The man turned on his heel and marched deeper into the room. Jaune and Coco exchanged a glance before following closely after.
The General's office had become not dissimilar to a makeshift war room in recent weeks. A long wooden table filled most of the central space in the room. Upon it were strewn countless papers and maps detailing mission reports and requisition forms. On the center of the table was a small circular holo-projector currently displaying a slowly spinning model of metropolitan Mistral.
Qrow Branwen sat in a folding chair with his feet kicked up on the table and flask in hand. The old coot raised his flask towards them as they entered the room in greeting before taking another long swig.
Jaune really wondered sometimes if that hunk of metal was bottomless.
The diminutive form of Oscar Pine sat across from the man, his forehead resting upon the pommel of Ozpin's cane.
"Has something happened, General?" Coco asked as she came to stand next to Qrow. Jaune took the other side of the table and patted Oscar on the back. General Ironwood planted his hands on the head of the table and leaned forward.
"Heh, when isn't something fuckey happening around here." Qrow quipped lazily.
Oscar didn't move.
Ironwood let out the most exhausted sigh Jaune had ever heard.
"Mistral is under siege."
"That's an understatement." Qrow grumbled
Coco and Jaune glanced at each other then back at the General.
"What do you mean?" Jaune said. "Mistral's been under siege since the start of this mess."
Instead of verbally responding the General made a gesture that caused the holographic model before them to spin. Information panels and live camera feeds popped up as the whole lower third of the city was engulfed in red. The images showed thousands of grim crashing against defensive lines of Mistrali militia men. Live casualty statistics climbed almost exponentially. Broken reports told of Atlesian soldiers firing upon their brethren.
It was pandemonium.
Coco's brow furrowed as she sorted through the sudden sensory onslaught. "How the hell did this happen? The Grimm shouldn't have been able to break through the gates alone, not this fucking quickly."
Finally, Oscar spoke up. From the intonation it was clear Ozpin was in control. Jaune removed his hand from his old headmaster's back, trying in vain to hide his disgust. "It seems they had friends on the inside once again."
All eyes on the room turned to Ironwood who hung his head.
"Major Dahtri and his men have refused all attempts at communication." He gritted out. "The bodies recovered that were seen firing on friendlies all bear his company's mark. We've determined it's likely they allowed a small contingent of White Fang militants to open the gates and rebelled when it became known. The influx of negativity and thus Grimm overwhelmed the contingent of Huntsmen left behind." The General took a shuddering breath. "The city will fall within the day unassisted."
Qrow chuckled darkly as the two newcomers were stunned to silence. Jaune sunk into the chair beside Ozpin as Coco braced herself against the table. Jaune felt as if he were going to be sick.
"I fucking told you this was going to happen Jimmy. Those skeleton crews were nowhere near enough. She was going to back us into a corner and make us choose between her or everyone else. It what she's always done every time we back her into a corner except now it's a city of fucking millions on the line!" In an uncharacteristic display of explosive anger, Qrow hurled his flask at the far wall. No one even flinched. "Now we're here with our pants around our ankles and she's fucking laughing."
Silence stretched on for an uncomfortable amount of time. Everyone knew the next question that needed to be asked but no-one wanted to say it. It nearly drove Jaune insane.
He was the one to break. "Can we help them at all?"
Jaune hated how small his voice sounded.
"Not without compromising the operation." Ironwood said.
"What about sending some of the fleet to help in evacuations?" Coco suggested. Everyone could hear the desperation in her voice. "Some frigates in the reserve line."
Ironwood shook his head. "We need them to support the vanguard. To give up the amount needed we'd be surrendering air superiority." Which would make their offensive more impossible than it already was. The implication went unsaid.
"Can Vale or Vacuo send aid?" Jaune offered.
"They would never arrive in time. Not to mention it would be a death sentence to leave them even more defenseless."
Coco slammed her hand on the table. "So we fucking retreat at wait until another window opens up. General we can't seriously consider leaving Mistral to its fate! Millions will die, their fleet is incapable of evacuating even a tenth of the civilians there in time."
The edges of the table creaked and splintered as Ironwood's grip intensified. "It will be five years before the Grimm pools are this low again and even then, it's going to take everything to break through. Our window is now."
"So we wait the five years!"
The table finally gave way in a shower of splinters. "REMNANT WONT LAST FIVE YEARS!" Ironwood roared. "Atlas is Gone. Vale is in shambles. Vacuo has so many refugees people are starving to death in the fucking streets, Adel! Remnant's Huntsman populations have been halved in the last five years alone. There is not next time. This is it. We either succeed here or everyone will die."
Coco opened and closed her mouth like a fish gasping for breath. Her brain must've found nothing because instead of a verbal retort she screamed and swiped a portion of the clutter off of the table and onto the floor. She turned and pressed her forehead to the steel wall, breaths deep and ragged.
No one had the heart to reprimand her.
Jaune's heart seized with rage. He hated this, hated Salem for being a monster, hated Ozpin for this stupid war, hated that they weren't strong enough to cut their losses and save a city of millions. Most of all, he hated himself for agreeing they should stay.
"So that's it?" Jaune whispered.
No one spoke.
"This information can't leave this room. The intelligence staff have agreed to be silent on this matter. It will cause panic we can't afford. Not when we're so close to succeeding."
Qrow gripped his hair and laughed brokenly. Coco looked like the was about to throttle someone. Jaune just stared at the General with an empty gaze.
"I'm inclined to agree." Ozpin's voice sounded to Jaune's left.
He tried, he really did, but he couldn't suppress the disgusted scoff.
"Of course, you are. Withholding information from people who trust you is all you're fucking good for, after all. Well, that and convincing other people to sell their soul for your benefit." The ancient soul had the common decency to at least flinch at his words.
"Arc. Now is not the time to self-destruct. I hate this as much as you do but we are left no choice, attacking each other for past decisions will only make this harder."
Jaune put a collar on his anger but still matched Ironwood's glare with an equally scathing look.
"Fine. I'll keep your damn secrets. When this is all over you better be prepared for the consequences. I'm about to look my friends straight in the eye and say nothing while their families are being slaughtered in their homes."
Ironwood nodded his head in acceptance. "If we survive this ordeal, I will gladly submit myself to whatever is required for penance. I do not make these decisions lightly."
Jaune was furious but the grief in Ironwood's blue eyes was real. He found a small amount of comfort knowing that he had company in hell.
"Is that all, sir?" Coco asked tersely. He could physically see her form vibrate as anger coursed through it.
The lone man at the head of the table gave a single nod. "We're behind the timetable as is. Prepare for your respective briefings. For what it's worth, I am sorry."
Coco brushed past him without an acknowledgement. Jaune stood and followed, leaving the three old men alone in a room that felt much too small.
…
"We're fucked, huh?"
"It would appear so."
Qrow picked his flask off of the floor and turned it over. Nothing came out.
"I'mma need s'more of this."
》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《
"Coco."
She knew it. She knew something was wrong. From the moment she woke up the air just didn't taste right.
"Coco."
It was happening again. The mismanagement. The games. Salem was playing them, playing all of them. Did she plan for this? Are they walking right into her trap?
Gleaming silver, a splash of crimson.
"Coco, come on."
How many times will they do this? How many innocent people have to die before this damn war would be over? How can they all accept this so fucking easily? She knew people in Mistral, good people that helped her when she was at the lowest point she's ever been.
A quiet corner bakery awash in flame.
She screwed her eyes shut to banish the image. Something knocked into her shoulder, but she kept walking. Vague sounds of Jaune apologizing reached her ears. Her head felt cloudy, the pit of emotions had become an all-consuming hole that was dragging her down. Her lungs constricted as it became hard to breath.
The scar just beside her belly button burned.
Why? Why, why, why why whywhywhywhywhy
Why do they always have to die?
An arm came around her shoulders. She vaguely felt motion. Was she being guided? She didn't know. All she could register was the hole in her heart and Lionheart's sickly pale face grinning triumphantly.
She could see it, just peeking into her periphery. Orange hair, dark skin. Red pooled under him. His name was clogged in her throat, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. Fire surrounded them as the ancient cobblestone on the corner of Kodai and Arikawa crunched beneath her heels.
"A valiant effort, child." Lionheart said, licking Fox's – Her Fox's – blood off his blade. His tongue was too long, too unnatural. It moved with too much animation. Her gut roiled. Where had he come from?
Her heart thundered in her chest. Fear, true terror, raged in her systems. She wanted to scream and cry and wretch all at once. This monster wasn't real – wasn't human. Not anymore.
Fire reflected off the blackened sclera of his eyes as he appraised her like cattle. Ugly tears rolled down her cheeks, leaving trails in the dirt the caked them.
Lionheart stepped forward. In a blink he was before her. She heard nothing, not his scimitar cutting air nor the sound of Gianduja's barrels being sliced in half. Only the sound of crackling fire and her labored breath as the blade dug into her guts and burst out her back. He twisted the blade but she didn't scream. She couldn't feel the pain over the agony that overtook her heart at the sight of Fox's glassy grey eyes.
Lionheart pulled back to look her in the eyes. She could count every diseased vein of black ichor on his face. His breath was like an Ursa, humid and hot.
"Bon Voyage, Miss Adel."
He raised his other sword. Coco closed her eyes and imagined holding Fox. Made herself believe this was all a nightmare and they were back in their cramped Beacon dorm room watching cheap Spruce Willis movies on their ancient TV.
A sickening squelch interrupted her thoughts. She waited for the pain, for consciousness to leave her, but it never came.
Coco cracked open her eyes. Lionheart's red irises stared blankly through her. Myternaster's guard buried in his temple and the thin rapier blade emerging out the other side of his skull.
"I-t's okay… Coco. I've… g-got you."
As she fell, Coco caught a distorted flash of pale blue eyes and fair skin. The only feeling she could discern before darkness overtook her was a cold sense of loss.
The world swirled in a dance of inky black. Her thoughts felt cloudy as she attempted to discern what sensory information was real and what was memory.
"…ot you."
A small white light lit up the darkness. It was warm, contrasting the chilling cold that surrounded her. She reached for it desperately.
"I've got you. It's okay."
The black around her became slightly more tangible as the warmth surrounded her. Feeling returned to her body. Coco could feel the weight of two arms wrapped around her and a pressure on the crown of her skull. Her eyes opened.
A golden broach depicting the twin axes of Beacon Academy greeted her.
She was pressed into Jaune's chest. One hand gently stroked her back as the other held her upright. His face was pressed into her brown hair, whispering quiet platitudes.
"Are you back with us?" He asked.
Coco was at a loss. She felt drained. Vulnerable. It was an uncomfortable sensation, as if at any second a blade would be stuck into her back. At the same time, it felt as if thirty pounds had been taken off of her shoulders. Her head was clearer? Cleaner? Like the world had a little more color than it used to.
She nodded once against her friend's chest.
"Do you want me to let go?"
That made her pause. A kernel of embarrassment lit within her as she fully registered the position, they were in. She, Coco Adel, kickass huntress and celebrated leader of Team CFVY, was curled up against Jaune Arc crying her eyes out. Even crazier was the distinct part of her that did not in fact want him to let go. His aura was like a warm fireplace shielding her from the chill of winter. It felt distinctly homey despite the fact she grew up in Vacuo and never owned a fireplace.
Choosing not to dignify his question with an answer. She slowly and mechanically removed herself from his embrace, brutally killing the part of herself that was disappointed as his warmth bled away.
She wasn't blushing, it was simply cold.
"No one will believe you."
"What?"
"I said I'm okay."
Jaune, damn him, only smirked and held out her beret. She snatched it and affixed it to her head without meeting his eyes, trying hard to ignore the dark spot her tears had left on his coat.
"Of course, never doubted that you weren't."
"Wipe that smirk off your face, Arc. It's not my fault you can't drink something without making a mess. What are you, a child?"
His smirk graduated to a full-blown grin. He held his hand to his forehead dramatically.
"Why of course, how clumsy of me."
"Glad we're in agreement."
Jaune's cobalt eyes lost their teasing edge. It wasn't piercing or appraising, he knew she was okay, he simply looked at her as if she was an equal.
Coco straightened her back and met his gaze.
"Haven?"
"Yeah."
"How long?"
"Just the past few days. I-I though I was over it but-." Coco bit her lip. Every word clung to her throat like tar. This was dumb, she didn't need to do this. Coco Adel wasn't some broken little girl; she was an unflinching pillar of strength and sass. Hell, she'd only mourned Fox for a day before she was back on the frontli-
Jaune's hand rested on her shoulder.
"Coco. You're not perfect."
Her brain stopped. Chocolate eyes stared blankly at Jaune.
"You're a pretty incredible person, and a kickass huntress for sure, but not perfect. The idea that to be an effective Huntsman you need to be free of all negative – or potentially negative – emotion is just Grimm shit."
But to fear is to worry. To worry is to hesitate. Hesitation leads to indecisiveness and indecisiveness leads to failure.
Right?
He sighed, has she said that out loud?
"I can't believe they let Port have a teaching career. Coco, do you remember Culver's Gate?"
"Yeah...", who didn't? Jaune lead less than a hundred hunters against one of the largest Grimm hordes in Vacuo without support, allowing Atlesian refugees to make it into the city without a casualty. It was one of the greatest victories of the war so far and propelled Jaune to the same levels of fame as Beacon's Crimson Reaper. Coco still remembered the disbelief on the Vacuoan garrison's faces when Jaune's force was reported as still standing after the fourth hour of combat.
Jaune muttered something she didn't catch. "Just me and ninety-one other Hunters against tens of thousands, maybe millions of Grimm. The lives of hundreds of thousands resting on our shoulders, on my shoulders as the one organizing the defense. What do you think I felt?"
"Well, you would have compartmentalized right? I mean everyone said you were fearless for the entire fight. You probably had a plan and knew it would work."
Jaune smiled at her sadly.
"Makes for a nice story doesn't it? Truth is I believed we all were going to die that day. I was terrified. Not for any altruistic reason like I was terrified for my men or for the civilians we were defending. No, I was terrified of dying, Coco. And I was worried, and I was indecisive, and cowardly, and almost every negative adjective you could assign to someone. I made mistakes. I sent people to be massacred. I hated every last one of them on some level because they were forcing me to make these decisions, forcing me to lead. On that day there was nothing fearless or indomitable about me, I was a kid swinging my sword trying my hardest not to end up dead."
Deep agony filled his eyes as he spoke. It left her breathless. For the first time in a long while the Angel of Vale she had come to respect as a fearless leader looked just like that kid she met at the Breach all those years ago. Overwhelmed and scared.
"What do you think I did after that? Did I bottle it up? Shed a single tear for my fallen comrades and move on to fight for their memories? Give a heartfelt salute in the rain? No, I crawled into my chambers and bawled like the child I was supposed to be. I mourned and grieved and screamed and hated every night for weeks. I talked to my friends, I leaned on them for support, I was human Coco."
Her cheeks felt hot, tears pricked at her eyes. How could it be that easy? How could he just let go like that, when so much relied on him being strong? Wouldn't her teammates think less of her, if they knew just how much of a wreck she was underneath all that posturing? She felt so small. Jaune pulled her into another hug. She didn't resist.
"That's what teammates are for Coco. You're meant to rely on each other for everything. Not one of them would think less of you for showing what you've been through. Oum, how many times have you comforted Vel and Yatsu for the same thing you're refusing to face?"
She laughed as the irony crashed into her like an Ursa, fists balled up in Jaune's coat.
"Is it really that easy? Just… talk?"
Jaune chuckled. "You'd be surprised. It's working right now, isn't it?"
Coco smiled as she felt the knot in her gut loosen. It wasn't everything she needed, but it was a start.
…
…
…
"You know if you're doing this to get into my pants. I warn you; my girlfriend is very possessive."
Jaune just sighed.
》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《
Ruby Rose was practically vibrating in her seat.
This was it. From the day she found Jaune broken and beaten atop Beacon Tower to the siege of Marion Gulch, every moment of the past three years had led her to this moment. Not three hundred miles East sat the big bad's castle. In it, the monster who had killed countless innocents and taken away the people she loved most.
And little ol' Ruby Rose would be leading the charge.
She had to suppress a bemused laugh. She wondered what the fifteen-year-old kid who rocked up to Beacon Academy with nothing but a dream of helping people would think of that. It's kind of hard to have normal knees when everyone thinks you're some kind of divine warrior ordained by the gods to smite Salem from Remnant.
"Quit jittering you dolt. It's distracting." Her esteemed partner admonished from Ruby's left.
"Distracting you from what, Weiss? The briefing hasn't even started."
"From imagining all the ways I'm going to flay Arc and Adel for being late. Do the knaves realize we have an incredibly strict timetable? This isn't exactly a time to be playing hooky."
Ruby rolled her eyes. And Weiss wondered why everyone calls her Ice Queen. The Reaper was sure they had a good reason, Jaune had become known as one of the strictest leaders of the entire taskforce for his adherence to schedules. A turnaround from when he would constantly sleep through first period back at Beacon. The irony made her giggle.
"It is strange. Do you think something might have happened?" The cool voice of Blake Belladonna butted in from Ruby's right.
"Eh, he's probably getting it on with that hot officer lady from A-company. She's been making googly eyes at him all week. Commander Jaune, do you need help filing those reports. Commander Jaune, you look so stressed. Do you need a massage? Oh, Commander Jaune, ravish me~." Ruby's blonde sister mocked in a needlessly high-pitched voice.
"Yang!"
"How crass."
Ruby and Weiss both admonished. Blake gained a far-off look that no-one commented on.
Yang reached over Blake and ruffled Ruby's shoulder-length hair with a shit eating grin.
"Chill Rubes. I'm sure your not-boyfriend is ever faithful to your not-relationship."
Ruby swiped Yang's only flesh and blood hand away with an indignant puff of her rapidly reddening cheeks. The woman had the gaul to keep laughing despite what she was sure was an absolutely petrifying glare, yes sir.
"Oh! Renny, do you think they were ambushed by assassins? Grimm assassins!? What are we gonna do? Our fearless leader could be fighting for his life right now to defend his ever faithful second in command from the evil clutches of darkness! Come with haste, we must support him!"
As Nora rose to charge forth into battle, Ren's hand caught the collar of her jacket and pulled her back down. He ignored her weaponized pout with practiced skill.
"Nora, I'm sure he's fine. The probability of Grimm assassins infiltrating the base is second to none."
She gripped the lapel of his coat and dragged him down so they were eye level.
"Are you sure about that?" She asked conspiratorially.
Ruby laid back in the chair and tuned the bickering of her friends out with a slight smile. The two teammates were sat behind Team RWBY in the wide-open expanse of Hangar 13. They all were arrayed in rows of folding chairs in front of a makeshift stage that acted as their briefing room. Around them were the other members of B-company settled in idle chatter as they awaited their commanding officer to begin the briefing. Ruby could make out the familiar faces of team CRDL on the front row, the four boys – men now, she had to remind herself – sat in silence. Ever since the fall of Atlas CRDL had been directly on the frontline seeing the worst this war had to offer. They were the only team to return from Culver's Gate without a lost member. From the haunted looks in their eyes Ruby wondered what they had to give to make that happen.
Velvet and Yatsuhashi sat in the rear left corner, the smaller Vytillian born rabbit faunus had her head rested on the gentle giant's bicep. The larger man seemed to be in some sort of meditative stance with his eyes closed and hands palm down on his tree-trunk sized thighs. Velvet noticed Rudy's gaze and offered a small wave. Ruby smiled in return.
Oobleck, Port, and Miss Goodwitch were dotted among the remaining assembled Hunters, passively interacting with their former students. While B-company was meant to be made up purely of Beacon survivors, they had the highest attrition rates of any group. Ruby remembered Miss Glynda saying that there wasn't a single fourth year left out of the ones who survived the Fall. So exemplary teams from other academies were allowed to join after their numbers became low enough.
Teams ABRN, NDGO, FNKI, and SN made up some of the hunters present. There were others that she couldn't quite remember the name of and interacted with only in passing. It was quite the motley crue. The pessimistic voice in the back of her head that wondered how many of them would see the sunset tomorrow.
Ruby shook her head, raven locks bouncing with the motion. Now wasn't the time to get all grumpy. They had jobs to do and they all knew what could happen. Ruby couldn't save everyone, she learned that a long time ago. Instead, she resolved to ending this fight as fast as possible to save as many as she can.
"Apologies for being late, everyone."
Silver eyes snapped to the stage as Ruby was ripped from her internal thoughts. Jaune stood tall before a whiteboard arrayed with a heavily annotated topographical map of the Mistrali Grimmlands. Coco stood to his left with her arms folded behind her back. Why was she wearing her sunglasses?
"Everything alright, sir?" Sun piped up from the front row. Jaune stared at him for what felt like a beat too long. Years of best-friend instincts told her something was off with the complex swirl of emotions in his blue eyes.
"Yeah Lieutenant, just some new information. Nothing you need to worry about though, the plan remains unchanged."
Coco's expression shifted slightly. It almost looked like she was biting her tongue.
"Since we're on a time crunch, let's get into it. Now, plan is we liftoff at noon and hit first contact sometime around midnight with preliminary aerial engagements. We're going to need skirmishers on deck to aide in the defense but if all goes well you will not be needed. First wave hits hill 42 here at 0630. Meanwhile we will assume third position in chevron delta and form a fallback line at the FOB once it is established…"
As Jaune continued in his debrief, Ruby settled back into her seat. She had heard the plan hundreds of times at this point and had could recite the words by heart. Team RWBY's true mission was classified anyway and had little to do with what was being presented. What really caught the Reaper's attention was Coco and Jaune's behavior.
In the years since Beacon, Jaune had grown into one of the most respected Hunters currently active. He carried himself differently than that dorky knight she met on Beacon's main thoroughfare three years ago. He stood taller and spoke with an authority that betrayed the image of someone in complete control of the situation. Yet still he retained that dorky charisma that made him feel… material. Like he really was just another Hunter who knew what they were facing and not some stuffy Atlesian general that saw them as statistics.
Ruby, on the other hand, has never quite been able to shake people's impression of her as 'childlike'. People still consider her the naïve and innocent poster girl of the elite B-Company, always good for a smile and some adorable little quip. They questioned her observations, doubted her ability to make sound decisions in morally grey scenarios. It made something in her chest curl with an emotion that would have that little girl from Patch recoiling in disgust. In reality, Ruby Rose had become quite adept at seeing the world for what it was. Sure she still held on to her optimism – If she didn't she'd go all angsty and really the world doesn't need two Blakes – but after watching Atlas fall into Mantle, that blind faith in the good of the world had died an ugly death.
Jaune's cobalt eyes met her silver ones. They snapped away almost immediately. Ruby could feel the guilt and self-loathing.
So, when her best-friend instincts developed over years of being Jaune's part-time partner told her he was lying through his teeth, Ruby didn't have much reason to believe the information he was hiding was innocent.
"Ruby, are you even paying attention?" Weiss' voice cut into her thoughts
"Y-yeah." Ruby shuffled through the dossier that laid untouched on her lap. "Just got distracted."
Yang, as if sensing blood in the water, turned with a sadistic glint in her lavender eyes. As she opened her mouth, however…
Screeeeech
*fwap*
Before anyone could react a cluster of 3-meter-tall feathers scythed through the wrought iron ceiling of the hangar. Screams of surprise and pain filled the room but Ruby remained focused solely on the stage.
And on the feather that had speared Jaune through the shoulder, pinning the knight to the ground.
》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《
Next Chapter (probably): February 6th