Two figures stared at each other. The stadium lights, that loomed on the ceiling above the warriors, masked their faces with shadows. A giant screen, that had two red bars on it, was the only other source of light besides the large lights. The room was very quiet, unnatural for the setting.
The two warriors, a male and a female, circled around. Their eyes still locked in their glare. A challenge just by looking at each other. Each had their own weapon already ready. A large sword in the male's hand and two golden gauntlets covered the female's fists. The female slowly cocked her gauntlets.
The air was tense and fragile. The suspense was building in the spectators that sat in a circle around the arena. The stadium lights slowly followed the two brawlers. No one dared to speak. They dared not to interrupt this clash.
Finally the battle sounded off with the male charging in. The female smirked and leapt into the fight. She brought both fists back as she neared the male.
The two finally collided. Yellow and blue flames mixed as their weapons met. The female's four jabs were blocked easily. Sparks flew as the gauntlets met with the blue blade. The fight was evenly matched for the first few seconds.
The woman smacked the sword from the man's hands. Her long flowing golden hair shimmering, almost on fire. She grinned victoriously and threw a left hook at his jaw.
The man's hand snapped up. His long coat flapping in the tail wind as he grabbed her arm and flipped over her. The man spun her around and subdued the fiery blonde swiftly.
The blonde wouldn't be defeated so easily. She rolled forward, bringing the man with her. He released his grasp as he hit the ground.
The blonde slammed a fist into him. Another, followed by another. After a barrage of twenty punches, the man was sent flying by a kick.
He recovered well and landed across the arena. The man slowly wiped some blood from his lip. He failed to shield one of the jabs with his aura. The man summoned blue fire to his fists and charged the woman.
The two exchanged blows for a brief moment. Finally the blonde grabbed the man's hands and pulled him to her.
The silence of the crowd was broken with a cheer. They all expected a finishing blow. Perhaps the blonde brawlers signature left hook? Or maybe a simple jab to the face?
Their hopes would not be honored. The blonde grabbed the man and passionately kissed him. Catching both the spectators, and her opponent, off guard.
The lights resumed to their normal settings. The room was finally revealed from its darkness. The classroom was all laughing. However, their instructor was not.
"Ms Xiao Long!" Glynda hollered.
Yang and Ryden separated, Yang giddly grinning. Ryden was more red in the face than he was happy. Yang put her hands behind her back and looked at the teacher.
"Yes, professor?" she gleefully asked with an innocent tone.
Glynda sighed and shook her head. "Please keep your… romantic feelings out of my classroom."
"I was only distracting him," Yang replied.
Ryden raised an eyebrow. His confusion turned to panic as he felt Yang's right hook connect with his ribs. Ryden felt the wind evacuate his lungs. The air from his lungs burst from his mouth along with some saliva. He fell to one knee and clutched his ribs.
Yang threw her hands in the air. "Yes... victory."
"That was a low blow, Yang," Ryden whined.
Glynda rubbed her brow and huffed. "Teenagers."
Glynda quickly ordered the two back to the locker room. Making sure they each went to opposite locker rooms. They had become quite the power couple of Beacon. Ryden's rage was easily tamed by Yang. He really hadn't met a girl like her. She was strong and stubborn. Perfect for dealing with Ryden.
Glynda scrolled through the roster of students while Yang and Ryden changed. The Vytal Festival was upon the school, a tournament where students could prove themselves in combat. Glynda was busy with sparring match after sparring match. She wanted each individual to be ready. Glynda stopped her search once her eyes found a student of interest.
"Ms Rose," Glynda called.
Glynda's calls fell on deaf ears. Because Ruby was in a deep slumber. Her soft snores muffled by her arms. Arms that pillowed her head from the hard wood desk she sat at.
Weiss, who was sitting next to her, rolled her eyes. The heiress reached over and gently shook her team leader. No effect. Weiss shook her head. She grabbed Ruby with both hands and violently shook her.
Ruby shot up. A loose piece of paper sticking to her cheek. She shook it off and lazily looked around. She tilted her head as her silver eyes met Glynda's stern emerald pupils.
Ruby stretched her arms and yawned. "Did I miss something?"
"Just my class," Glynda snapped.
"Sorry-" Ruby interrupted herself with another yawn, "sorry, professor."
"Why so tired?" Glynda asked.
Ruby rubbed her eye. "I didn't sleep well last night."
"That's cause you didn't sleep," Weiss muttered.
Ruby shot awake upon hearing her friend's comment. She quickly elbowed her.
Glynda suspiciously looked between the two. "What do you mean? Why didn't she sleep?"
Weiss opened her mouth, but had it covered with Ruby's hand. Ruby looked at Glynda and nervously laughed.
"It was just nothing, just Weiss being Weiss, such a kidder," Ruby blurted out.
Glynda shot the two one more look. She didn't have to say it for the two to know. She would've grilled them, but she had to move on.
Ruby sighed in relief and looked at her scroll. Luckily class was over in a couple of minutes. Unluckily, Weiss looked furious. But what did that matter? Soon class was over and her real learning could begin.
XXX XXX XXX
Ruby walked through the halls of Beacon. Class had finally ended for her. She was not as tired anymore, but her eyes still felt heavy. It was a short walk to the locker room that held her combat clothes and weapon. She had less than two hours to train before she had to return to her next class. It would take her less than twenty minutes to get changed and met Percy in the Emerald Forest.
The young girl's hopes of training with percy would be dashed. As a hand grabbed her shoulder and jerked her back.
It was Weiss. She did not look happy, but Weiss never did. This time was much different, Ruby knew when her combat partner was more annoyed than usual.
"Where are you going, Ruby?" Weiss questioned.
Ruby looked at the floor. She quietly replied, "Just visiting Percy."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "I noticed he wasn't in class… again. What's up with that?"
"He's been busy, Weiss!" Ruby defended her friend.
Weiss placed a hand on her hip. She narrowed her eyes on her team leader. Ruby could tell Weiss wasn't not sold.
"And just what has he been busy with?" Weiss asked.
Ruby nervously shifted. "He's been training."
"Of course, what else does he do?" Weiss snapped, "Tell me, Ruby, what is he training for? It can't be the festival or he'd show up to Glynda's class."
Ruby's voice dropped in volume. She cautiously looked around. The hall didn't have too many students in it, so she felt safe telling Weiss.
"He's getting ready to face Timo again," Ruby whispered.
Ruby made a mistake. Not only did she tell Weiss this, but there was a certain silver haired male that was leant up against a wall, listening.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "When is he going to learn? He can't beat Timo."
"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed, almost offended, "He's trying his best."
"Ruby, we're just students. Timo is a different level of skill. Also just trying to duel Timo to the death hasn't worked for him in the past, maybe he should try a different approach?" Weiss said.
"I think he can," Ruby meekly said.
Weiss sighed. "You've been training with him? I know you have. Ruby, you can't help him. Percy will train himself to death. Don't let him drag you down with him."
"I've gotten better too! Sparring against him has really pushed me!" Ruby argued.
"Where is he?" Weiss asked, ignoring Ruby's defense.
"The Emerald Forest, why?" Ruby asked.
Weiss grabbed her hand. She pulled Ruby along. "Because I'm going to talk with him!"
The silver haired male watched the two girls leave. He waited until they had exited the hall, then moved. The male walked back to his own dorm.
He entered the dorm. Two females inhabited the room. One sat on a bed and the other on the floor, stitching something together. The one on the bed looked up as he entered.
"Mercury, where have you been?" she asked.
Mercury scoffed. "Doing your job."
"Excuse me?" the girl growled, standing up.
"Back down, Emerald," the woman on the floor ordered, "What did you find out, Mercury?"
"Cinder, are you going to love this," he started, "Percy seems obsessed with revenge against his brother, just like you planned. He's even brought that silver eyed girl into his vengeance. Both of them are spending every moment they have 'training' and wasting their energy."
Cinder giggled slightly. "While we don't want Percy at full strength, we can't let himself falter just yet. We still need him."
"What should we do?" Emerald asked.
Cinder paused. She thought about it. "We need to distract him with something else."
"But he'll never beat Timo," Emerald protested, "why does it matter if he wastes his time training?"
"True, but we need him for our final stage. If he wastes himself away in some fruitless attempt of training, then he'll be useless," Cinder answered.
"I'll take care of him," Mercury said.
"No!" Cinder barked.
Cinder stood up and walked over to the room's window. Down in the main courtyard, Ruby and Weiss walked toward the Emerald Forest. Cinder smiled at the sight.
"Mercury, you're a match for Percy, but I don't think we'll have to lift a finger," Cinder said.
XXX XXX XXX
Percy was absolutely still. He sat with his legs crossed. This spot of the Emerald forest was very interesting to him. While he was just meditating, the spot would make a good arena for a fight.
There was the cliff that was a mere ten feet in front of Percy. Surrounding Percy was a clearing that was fenced in by a wall of tall trees. Below the cliff was a gorge with the cold rushing water of a river. The river ultimately ended in a group of boulders. They were slippery, but a perfect spot for a sword duel. The water pushed through the cracks of the stones and emerged out the other side. It formed a waterfall as it dropped off another cliff and into a small lake.
It was also calm. An unexpected advantage. Perfect for a nice meditation. Percy had to focus since he was reworking his semblance from the ground up. Losing Thundercloud made it harder to use his lightning. For whatever reason it was also a challenge to use his Gewitter. The Gewitter should be easy, it was a technique, not a semblance.
He believed that the deep concentration could help him patch the gaps in his memory. It was like he had half of his mind. He could remember certain events, but others were lost to him. Percy knew that he had done certain things, but he couldn't remember them at all. Some people were also lost to him. He couldn't remember who, but he knew he was forgetting people. Sometimes names of his professors or even friends would just slip his mind.
Percy felt fractured. Missing a piece of himself. Could it just be the result of losing an Elder Weapon like Thundercloud? He did not know. Percy also had other memories, visions. Like he was in two places at once. It made no sense to him. Percy knew he had to focus his mind and body if he would get stronger. That meant concentration, no place was better than this quiet spot with a flowing river and gentle breeze. The noon sun warmed his back as he sat in the soft, lush grass. Peace was something rare to the teen. Seventeen and he had seen more combat than most of his peers. At least in this moment, at this time, Percy could release his tensions.
The silence shattered with the voice of Weiss. "Percy! We need to talk!"
Percy huffed and opened his eyes. His sky blue eyes glistened in the sun's rays. Percy leapt onto his feet. He grabbed his katana. Percy stopped for a moment. It wasn't the same katana that he'd always known. It was scarlet red. Hilt had a black leather wrapped around it. Percy found this blade to be much more comfortable. He unsheathed it and watched the sun's rays glimmer on the polished blade. Percy sighed and strapped it onto his back. Percy spun around on his heel. He put on a fake smile upon seeing the heiress.
"Hello, Weiss," Percy said with a friendly wave and smile, both were fake.
"We need to talk," She repeated, pulling Ruby along.
"No," Percy said, "no we don't."
Weiss shook her head. "He's SUCH a pain. Such an ignorant rapscallion," Weiss thought to herself. She never was a fan of Percy Brewner, but lately he's been aggravating her more than usual. Training with Ruby, ignoring doctor orders to rest, skipping class. Weiss had enough. It was bad enough that Ruby wouldn't stop talking about Percy, but now his idiotic habits were rubbing off on her. Weiss could not see why her young team leader was so fond of Percy.
Weiss stormed up to her classmate. She stuck a finger in his face. "What are you doing with Ruby?"
Percy walked over to the tree lining. Percy found a short, but sturdy tree. Percy walked up to a thick branch. It had a mud pit below. He leapt up and grabbed the branch. Percy pulled himself up and slowly lowered himself. Percy continued this and did not reply.
"Ugh you dolt!" Weiss cried.
Weiss was pissed at Percy's casual ignorance of her. She drew her rapier and activated some gravity dust. She cast the dust onto the teen. As Percy went back down, he suddenly felt a lot heavier.
Crack
The tree branch snapped off the trunk. Percy's eyes widened. He slammed into the pit of mud. Percy landed on his back, the thick branch landing on top of him.
"Ow," he said.
Weiss lightly giggled. She didn't think it was enough dust to break the branch, just get his attention. However, Weiss didn't really care, it was karma in her mind
Percy flipped back onto his feet. He examined his mud soaked clothes. It had gotten all over his jacket, pants, shirt, and even his boots. Percy shook his head.
"Alright now you're asking for it," he said.
Percy smiled and picked up his katana. He flicked the sheath off, revealing the scarlet blade. Percy twirled his blade around and slashed the air a bit. Finally he looked back at Weiss and raised his katana.
"Think of this as a test, see if you're ready for the festival!" Percy said.
Weiss smirked. "Bring. It. On."
Percy rushed her head on. He twirled the blade around and brought it back.
Weiss simply covered one of his feet in a black glyph. She moved her aside. Percy felt his foot fly out from underneath him. He tumbled forward. Percy rolled back onto his feet and continued his charge.
Weiss and Percy met. Sword against sword. Several swift strikes and parries were exchanged. Finally Weiss sent Percy flying with one precise jab. She followed it up with a stream of fireballs.
Percy landed on the ground and recovered. He looked up at the flaming balls. Percy smirked and moved to the side.
Boom
One of the balls slammed into Percy's shoulder. Another exploded after hitting his chest. The rest all hit and blew up. Percy became engulfed in a fog of fire and smoke.
Weiss and Ruby watched in horror. Percy vanished in the orange flames. Weiss was quick to summon water using her dust. She extinguished the flames in seconds.
Percy collapsed to the ground, his clothes in cinders and crimson aura shimmering all around him. Almost all his clothing was burnt off, thankfully scraps off his pants still remained.
Ruby and Weiss rushed to the teen's side. They helped him up.
"Are you okay?" Ruby asked.
"I'm… fine," Percy slowly said.
Weiss shook her head. "I'm such an idiot. I got way too carried away. I thought you could dodge that, how did you not?"
Percy looked down at himself. He also thought he would have dodged that attack. It wasn't moving exceptionally fast. Just another mystery for Percy to have figure out.
Weiss examined Percy. She took note of his abs and biceps. Percy had always been toned, but he looked a lot more muscular than usual. It was odd because someone who used speed so much, Weiss expected Percy to focus on different muscles. She just assumed Yang must've been dragging Percy with her to the gym or Ryden beat him in arm wrestling or something else.
"Well your clothes are ash... sorry," Weiss said.
"Well that was my only set of combat clothes," Percy said, looking back at the scorched land.
Weiss felt ten times worse. She was here to try and stop Percy from being so immature and reckless, yet so far she had caused him to fall in mud and burned his clothes.
An idea popped into the young student's head. She remembered a clothing designer who lived and worked in Vale. Her family knew him and maybe she could get a discount.
"Why don't I take you out and buy you some new clothes?" Weiss suggested.
Percy thought about it. He looked down at what remained of his outfit. The boots were still intact, but everything else was burnt. His pants now barely went down to his knees, the rest of them were ash. Jacket and shirt got completely singed off.
Percy weighed his options. He did not want to fight in his school uniform and he had no money to buy some new combat clothes, at least of a good quality.
Percy sighed, "Sure, I guess."
"Great!" Weiss said, "Let's get back to our dorms and get your uniform or something. I really don't want to walk through the city with someone who looks like he's been in a wildfire."
"I mean, he kinda was," Ruby added.
Weiss playfully punched her. "Shut up!"
"I guess I'll wait here," Ruby said.
"Yeah, I'll be back soon," Percy said.
He tossed his katana. It stabbed the ground next to its sheath.
"Well let's hurry, it'll take us a while to get back to Beacon," Weiss said.
Percy smirked at the heiress' worries. It was amusing, even if he wasn't feeling himself, he could still laugh at the commute from Beacon.
Ruby giggled. She saw the cerulean blue lightning flash across Percy's eyes.
Weiss turned to start walking, she felt someone grab her. Percy picked her bridal style. He flashed some lightning across his body.
"Let's go!" Percy shouted.
With that, he shot off like a cannonball.
Ruby laughed out loud at the sight. She continued laughing until Weiss' screams had faded.
Ruby walked over to Percy's weapon. She sat down against a tree, taking care not to sit in the mud. Ruby had been staying out late with Percy to spar, although she'd never tell Weiss that. Ruby yawned. It was a good time to get some sleep. The area of the forest they were in wasn't Grimm infested. So Ruby saw no danger in getting some shut eye.
She didn't see it, but it was there. Lurking and waiting. Watching and silent. The danger that she failed to sense was closer than she could've known.
Two men loomed across the cliff. They wore long black robes. Their sights set on Ruby, who slumbered by the tree.
"Are they gone?" one asked. He was muscular and tall. His face was sheltered by a hood.
"Give it time, I don't want anyone stopping us," the other male replied. He was a lot more lean.
The large man slammed his fist into a tree. "I'm done waiting," he growled in a low, gruff voice.
"Patience, this Beacon. We don't want to intrude on Timo and Cinder's plan. We also don't want to end up like them. Attacking carelessly would only make it harder to obtain our target."
Both males focused back onto Ruby, making sure she had not moved.
"I don't think those two will be coming back!" the large man hissed.
His partner sighed. "Perseus left his sword here, he could come back."
"But what if-"
"caw!"
The two men stopped arguing. They looked back at the clearing. The smaller man hit the other's arm.
"We're leaving," he ordered.
After that both of them faded back into the shadows of the forest, unseen. Although they were not unnoticed. The larger man failed to see it, but something knew they were there.
"Caw!"
A black crow sat on a branch above Ruby. It's beady cherry red eyes fixed on the area that two men hid in. The crow waited a brief moment. Finally it raised its wings and flew off, heading for Beacon.
XXX XXX XXX
"Weiss," Blake said, "Why does Percy not have any clothes on?"
Blake stood in the doorway to her dorm. She had just returned from her trip to the library with Sun. Blake did not expect to open the door to an almost naked Percy. With all the crazy things that Percy did, it didn't surprise Blake, just confused her. He was an oddity to her.
Weiss came running up to her teammate with a blush on her face. She waved her arms wildly, as if trying to block Blake's vision.
"It was an accident!" Weiss cried.
Blake face palmed. She huffed, "That answers nothing."
"I shot some fire dust at him and his clothes got destroyed." Weiss quickly threw a towel at Percy. "I'm waiting for Alex to get his uniform, our dorm was closer than his."
"Alright," Blake said, uninterested.
Blake moved her embarrassed teammate aside and entered her dorm. She walked to the bathroom.
"Oh," Blake said, "better make sure Yang doesn't see him, she'll never stop making jokes."
With that Blake shut the bathroom door.
Weiss knew she was right and hurried to shut the door and lock it. But it was too late.
"Make sure I don't see what?" Yang asked. She poked her head into the dorm.
Yang's eyes widened. Percy sat on Weiss' bed, in nothing but some tattered pants and boxer shorts, which Yang could see due to them being exposed in a few spots. Percy, now, was quick to wrap the towel around his legs and stop the blonde from potentially seeing anything else.
"So," Yang started, "should I come back later?"
Weiss groaned. "It's not like that. We're just waiting for new clothes because his got damaged, that's it."
"You really should put a sock on the door," Yang said.
Weiss hit her friend. "Did you not listen at all?!"
Yang giggled. "It's a lot more fun watching you blush."
Yang pushed her teammate aside and strolled into her dorm. She threw a pair of boxing gloves on her bed. Yang leapt up to her top bunk and sprawled out.
"Man that was an intense sparring session with Ryden," she said.
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Again?"
"It's good practice," Yang said. Her eyes drifted back to Percy. She frowned. "Dying your hair?" she asked.
Percy gave a perplexed expression. "Um… what?"
"The red," Yang said gesturing to Percy's hair.
Weiss looked at Percy. She had yet to notice it, but his hair had adopted a reddish tinge. Percy's hair had become darker over the last few weeks, but it had stayed dirty blonde or maybe a light brown. It was also styled differently, coming down a bit above his eyes in a messy way.
"Another blonde bites the dust," Yang joked.
Three quick knocks on the door interrupted the trio. The door swung open. Alex Feuer barged in, holding a bundled up ball of clothes.
"I told you not to ball it up!" Percy scolded.
Alex tossed the ball of cloth at Percy. "A thanks would be nice."
Percy nodded. "Thanks," he grunted.
Alex flashed a smile and rolled his eyes. "I can feel the appreciation."
"It did take you a while," Weiss commented.
Alex threw his hands up. "What do you want me to do? I don't have super speed!" he said.
"It's fine, Alex," Yang said, "Weiss is just being Weiss."
Weiss looked at Yang. "Hey!"
"It's true," Yang said.
"Whatever," Weiss sneered, "I need to get Percy some new clothes."
"Can I come?" Alex asked.
Percy stood up. He looked at his teammate. "I just realized we left Ruby in the forest, Alex why don't you go keep her some company until we get back?"
Alex frowned. Alex looked down at the floor. An idea popped into his mind and he eagerly looked back up. "Okay, but we'll spar once you get back… right?!"
Percy laughed. "Sure thing."
"Yes!" Alex cheered, "I'll go wait with Ruby!" he rushed out.
Percy shook his head and smiled. His naive and eager younger teammate amused him. Percy knew that Alex was younger than most of the students at Beacon. This made it harder for him to talk with people outside of his team. Luckily, he was the same age as Ruby, so the two bonded quite well.
Percy sighed and looked back at Weiss. "I'll be changed in two seconds, okay?"
He did not wait for a response. Percy became a blur of blue lightning and he rapidly changed into his uniform. Percy finished quickly and grinned at Weiss.
"Let's go," he said.
Weiss raised her hand. She remembered the express trip back to Beacon. Weiss was not going to do that again.
"We'll be traveling like normal people," she said.
Percy shrugged. "If that's what you want."
XXX XXX XXX
The short man sauntered. Each step was precise and calculated. He moved among a sea of white. His white dress shoes sent an echo with each step. The echo traveled out through the almost all white room. It was the only sound to be heard.
The echo was soon challenged by the sound of a glass door opening. The room became flooded with two new pairs of feet. Their footsteps echoed and clashed with the man's. Both parties quickly became aware of the other. Each moved to the other. Footsteps grew louder and turned to the sound of jogging.
The man hurried amongst the sea of white to find the source of those footsteps. He rounded a corner and laid his eyes upon it.
He threw his hands into the air and exclaimed, "Darling! How amazing to see you again!"
Weiss laughed. "Great to see again, Eddy."
Percy looked around. The workspace was an ocean of white to him. Racks on racks of luxury white suits, dresses, skirts, tops, shirts, you name it. He instantly understood why this was Weiss' family designer.
Eddy walked up to Weiss and gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek. The two parted and he looked at Percy. Eddy's smile faded. He studied the boy with a bored face.
"Your standards have… dropped," Eddy commented.
Weiss shook her head and smiled. "He's a friend, Eddy."
Eddy narrowed his vision as he looked up at Percy's eyes. He slowly stuck out his hand. Percy took his hand and shook it.
"Nice to meet you," he cautiously said. Eddy turned to Weiss and his smile returned. "What services do you need, my dear?"
"There was… an accident," Weiss said, "I need a new combat outfit."
"Of course, dear, I can design you one. It won't take anytime," Eddy said.
Weiss shook her head. "It's not for me."
"For your sister, how is Winter?" Eddy asked.
"No, no," Weiss said, "it's for him." She aimed her hands at Percy.
Eddy froze for a second. He looked Percy up and down again. Eddy's study must've been not to his liking because he shook his head in a disapproving manner.
"Him?" he asked. Eddy looked disgusted. "Why not just take him to a flea market? Surely he can find some clothes there."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "I… may be the reason his original outfit got destroyed."
Eddy adjusted his white suit's coat and cleared his throat. "I see. I'll help."
Weiss smiled. "Thanks, Eddy."
Eddy sighed and smiled back at her. His demeanor turned serious as he looked at Percy. Eddy pointed a finger to the boy and then to a spot in the back. It was a carpeted circle, differing from the room's white tile. A padded podium was in the center and a few mirrors surrounded it. Drawers encircled the workspace.
"We must start, I can have a new outfit for you in a few hours," Eddy barked.
He grabbed Percy and hurried him into the spot. Eddy stood him on the podium. He grabbed a curtain that hung from the ceiling. With a quick tug, Eddy enclosed the workspace with the curtain.
Weiss walked over to a couch. It was white, no surprise. She sat down on it. The sounds of drawers being opened and shut, along with Eddy complaining about Percy's muscular shape, all came from behind the curtain.
After a little over an hour, the curtain was retracted. Weiss couldn't help but giggle a bit when she saw Percy's new outfit.
Percy stood in front of her, wearing an altered version of what she normally saw Atlas specialists wear. He had a grey undershirt that was barely visible at his collar. A white vest covered it and the vest had two red stripes running up the sides. White pants with silver accents. His feet covered by standard Atlesian boots.
"Doesn't he look magnificent?" Eddy asked.
Weiss held back her laughter. Her smirk grew bigger by the second. "Yep, he's very… dashing."
"I thought so! I took the specialist design and tweaked it for your friend. But there's much more than fashion going on here. I made all of it fireproof and put kevlar weave into the vest," Eddy rambled.
"It looks great, but how much will I owe you?" Weiss asked, nervous about the cost.
Eddy waved his hand. "Darling, I do this for free. I saw a picture of his last outfit and it was hideous!"
"I can't thank you enough," Weiss said. She got up and grabbed Percy's hand. "We should be going."
"It's been a pleasure, darling!" Eddy called as the pair rushed out.
Weiss waved back to Eddy. She turned to place her hand on the door, but Percy flung it open.
The two walked out onto the street of Vale. Percy looked mad and Weiss finally let her laughter out.
"You look nice," she struggled to say through her laughter.
Percy shook his head. "I think… I'd rather go into combat naked."
"Oh don't be so dramatic, do you have any money to buy new clothes?" Weiss asked.
"But why did we go here?" Percy asked, "With your family's fortune, why not go somewhere else to get normal clothes?"
Weiss fell silent. Her laughing stopped and she looked away. The cold shoulder she gave Percy worried him. He could tell she was upset about something. Percy did not want to pry.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey."
"What?" she snapped.
Percy ignored the bitterness in her voice.
"Why don't we go get something to eat?"
XXX XXX XXX
Ruby shot awake. She frantically looked around. Something was coming, she could hear them. It was the Emerald Forest so the Grimm could be coming, they did not frequent the area she was in, but it wasn't unheard of.
The young girl grabbed her scythe and transformed it into its sniper mode. She got low and aimed at the cause of the noise. Some bushes rustled on the other side of the clearing. Ruby adjusted her scope, she did not want to miss.
"Ruby!" a familiar voice called.
Alex emerged through the brush. His goofy smile was unmistakable. Alex waved to Ruby. The boy walked to her.
"Geez you scared me," Ruby said.
Alex cocked his head. "Oh I'm sorry, I was just coming to see if you wanted to go get something to eat?"
"Yeah sure," Ruby looked at the sky. "The sun's setting soon anyway."
The two walked away together. Alex started telling her about getting Percy some clothes. Ruby laughed at the thought of Percy just having to sit in her team's dorm while Alex tried to get him clothes.
Neither of them realized it, Ruby almost did. The two had eyes on them. Eyes that followed them from a distance. Two sets of eyes.
The men from before had returned. No crow was hovering over Ruby this time, they were ready.
XXX XXX XXX