Weiss and Percy walked out of the restaurant. Both were smiling. It wasn't anything special, just a local pizza place. Percy was able to pay for both of them, much to Weiss' embarrassment. She was concerned she was coming off as cheap. It was lucky that Percy was kind enough to pay without even questioning. The real reason being that he knew she was struggling for funds, but he did not know why yet.
The two walked down the street and back to Beacon. The night stars lit up the sky and the numerous street lights illuminated the sidewalks.
Percy looked up at the shattered moon and the stars. He sighed and pointed up.
"In Hope Reich, we have such a clear sky. It's beautiful." he said.
Weiss nodded. "I bet. It must be a nice place."
Percy sighed once more. "Yeah… it is."
Weiss watched him. Percy had his eyes fixed on the sky. Those sky blue eyes scanned the stars above.
"Do you miss it?" Weiss asked.
Percy nodded. "But there's a reason I can't go back."
"I get that," Weiss said, not realizing her slip.
Percy looked back down. He cocked his head at Weiss. "Do you miss your home?"
"Yes," Weiss admitted.
"I've always wondered. Why did you come to Beacon? Atlas is much closer-"
"I… don't want to talk about it," Weiss said.
Percy understood. He lightly nudged her. "Come on, we should be getting back."
Weiss pulled out her scroll and checked the time. Her eyes widened. "Nine o'clock?!" she shrieked, "we're going to get in so much trouble, the curfew is nine thirty!"
"No trouble," Percy said.
The next thing Weiss felt was Percy picking her up. His body became covered in blue lightning. Before she had a chance to tell him to put her down, Percy had shot off.
XXX XXX XXX
Ruby walked out of the cafeteria. She shook her head at Alex. The two walked back to their dorm rooms.
"I thought you meant go and get real food!" Ruby cried.
Alex shrugged. "I don't have lien."
"I feel betrayed," Ruby exclaimed, throwing her arms up in a dramatic fashion.
Alex laughed at his friend. Ruby started to complain about how if she did know, then she would've probably stayed and waited for Percy, who in her mind was already out training.
The two reached their dorm building and opened the door. They disappeared from the gaze of the two men and into the building.
The men stood in the main courtyard. They had been observing the pair. Clearly Alex was no threat to their plans, nor were any of their teammates.
The hooded figures moved across the cover of night. They passed the Huntsmen statue. The footsteps echoed throughout the main courtyard. No one was in sight, which was crucial. They did not want to intrude upon Cinder's plans. However, the men needed to obtain vital information and capture an important asset.
"You guys sure don't look like students," Qrow called out.
The two men spun around. They spotted him immediately. He sat on the statue, something they thought was impossible, they should've spotted him.
"Oh dear, it would seem you were correct, Qrow."
A man walked out from behind a stone pillar. He was short and stout. A well groomed mustache on his upper lip. A blunderbuss in his hands, the barrel having the head of a battleaxe on it.
"Professor Port and Branwen," the smaller male said.
The larger man took his hood off. "I don't care what their names are, I just want to crush them." his voice gruff.
His face was scarred and his yellow eyes stared at Port. His charcoal black hair, which was almost completely shaved off, did not hide the scars on the top of his head. He was huge as well. Easily standing at seven feet in height and muscles could be seen, even under his robes.
"I see a fellow strong man, take a look at these!" Port exclaimed. He flexed his biceps and chuckled victorcisly. "Bet you're rethinking this plan of attack!"
"The fat one is mine," the man growled to his partner.
The smaller man removed his hood. Pitch black hair fell down to his shoulders. The light from the moon and stars almost being absorbed by his hair. His shimmering green eyes locked with Qrow's red irises.
"I apologize for my brother, Zorn. He can get quite rageful sometimes," the man said.
The man stepped forwards. Qrow drew his buster sword and extended it. He knew this guy was trouble, maybe even someone Qrow could not defeat.
"Do you really expect to beat me?" the man asked. "Of course not, you're too busy worrying if you'll leave this encounter with your life."
"Gier!" Zorn boomed. He grabbed his brother. "Enough of this, we need to hurry."
"You just want to fight them," Gier said. He looked back to Qrow. Gier waved his hand and lien appeared in it. "How much for you to leave?"
"Sorry, pal," Qrow readied his blade, "I'm not going to be bought off!"
Gier shook his head. The lien disappeared in a cloud of green mist. "We'll have to fight then."
That was all Zorn needed to hear. The big brute barreled at Port. He slammed into the professor and threw him across the courtyard.
Port was able to recover and land on his feet. He was about thirty yards from Zorn. Port looked at his chest. His brown aura was shimmering around the area he was struck.
"That would have broken a few ribs, luckily my semblance is the strongest around!" Port boasted.
Zorn smirked. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you."
"Zorn!" Gier barked, "I'm not looking for a heavy knuckle fight. We've got to handle them swiftly and quietly."
Zorn shrugged. "I suppose you're right."
Zorn leapt back next to his brother. He threw his hood up. Zorn turned to Gier. He stared down at his brother and into his eyes.
"I get the next," Zorn said.
Qrow looked at Port. The two nodded and moved in. Weapons aimed at the two men. A synchronized attack could take out one of these monsters.
Gier stepped forward. He held his hands. A green aura appeared in them. He looked between them both.
"Qrow Branwen, Peter Port, I know you both," he explained. Gier pushed his hair back and grinned.
"Enough of this!" Qrow shouted.
Gier's grin grew. He turned to Qrow. "That semblance of your's really does make life hard, huh?"
Qrow's red eyes widened. The green in Gier's flickered. He knew this would be a little too easy.
"I knew lien wouldn't work," Gier said. He raised his hand, it was full of lien. In one swift flick, the currency vanished. Gier clapped his hands together and drew out a string necklace. A four leaf clover hung on the string. "Perhaps I can be lucky with this one?"
Qrow was stunned. He didn't know why, but he believed Gier. Qrow had gotten good at telling if someone was lying and Gier was telling the honest truth.
"Qrow!" Port called, "Don't be swayed by this trickster!"
Gier turned around, letting Qrow see the necklace fade. Gier walked over to Port. Port wasn't going to let him summon some temptation. He charged the Gier.
Zorn was quick to grab Port and hold him still. Zorn forced him down in front of Gier.
"You're a strong guy, why can't you get Zorn off you?" Gier asked. He smirked. "I know you can."
Gier clapped his hands together and a vile of some liquid appeared. Gier held it up and gave it a little shake. He waved one hand and green mist filled the air. In the mist was Port, but he was much taller and muscular.
"Perhaps if I offer you a hand?" Gier asked.
Gier held out the vile in one hand and showed it to Port. Gier summoned the necklace to his other hand and showed it back to Qrow.
"You're right… I do need some help," Port said, eyes locked on the vile.
Zorn let him go. Port got up and slowly walked to the vile.
Qrow staggered toward the necklace. It was everything he wanted. Finally he could live a normal life. It was all he wanted.
"Yang that pun was terrible!" a voice shouted.
Qrow looked up from the necklace. He saw his nieces dorm room window. Silhouettes could be seen. It was Ruby and Yang.
Qrow kept walking, he reached the necklace and sighed. "I'm going to regret this later."
With a single slash from his sword, Qrow cut the necklace and the vile. Each exploding into green aura and being absorbed back into Gier.
Gier shook his head. "Yes, you will."
A steel baton slid out Gier's sleeve. He slammed it into Qrow's gut. Gier followed his attack with a powerful roundhouse. It slammed Qrow into the ground.
Port returned to his senses right away. He knew that they were going to need help. What better way to get it than a gunshot?
Port raised his blunderbuss and pulled the trigger.
"No!" Gier shouted.
Much to both men's surprise, Zorn had his hand over Port's barrel. Zorn had muffled the gunshot. He took his hand off and threw the bullet aside. Zorn's black aura shimmered around his palm.
With one strike, Zorn sent Port flying. Port hit the statue, he heard something crack, and he fell into the fountain below.
Qrow was just starting to get back up. He glared at Gier. Gier tried bringing the baton down on him, but Qrow caught his wrist. Qrow slashed Gier across the chest and kicked him away.
It wasn't over as Zorn slammed into Qrow. Zorn picked Qrow up like he was weightless and threw him into the ground. Zorn placed one foot one Qrow and activated his semblance.
Qrow watched the black aura shatter off Zorn. He was bewildered by this. Why would Zorn break his own aura? That would make him completely defenseless. The black aura that was in the aura, collected into Zorn's arms.
Qrow's eyes widened as he saw Zorn's muscles double in size. Zorn pulled two fists back and slammed them into Qrow. In just two hits, Qrow's garnet aura was broken and he was knocked out.
Zorn stood up. "That's it? It's like they didn't even try."
"Brother, you know how devastating your blows can be, especially with your semblance active. Now hurry and kill them," Gier ordered.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a new voice said.
Gier and Zorn turned around. A blur shot passed them and struck them both. The two brothers only slid a couple of feet, but still. For someone to be able to dash past both of them and land two clean strikes, it was unheard of.
Both brothers looked at this new challenger. This speed demon. They were both shocked by who it was.
"Ah… Professor Oobleck, how impressive," Gier said.
Oobleck adjusted his glasses. "Doctor."
"What?" Gier asked.
Gier did not even blink and Oobleck had sped behind him. Gier's eyes widened. Surely this was some sort of illusion or trick. No man was that fast, Gier had not even seen speed semblances that could move that quickly. Lightning Guardians failed to move at such speeds and so did Huntsmen.
"I did not get my doctorate's degree to be called Professor!" Oobleck explained.
Oobleck struck Gier with his club. Oobleck ignited the tip of his weapon and shot four fireballs at Gier. The fireballs exploded, lighting up the courtyard and causing a good amount of students and staff to wake up.
"Idiot, we were avoiding that!" Zorn shouted.
"Oh I'm sorry, you were being quiet?" Oobleck asked. He cupped his hand over his mouth. "Help, help! There are currently two strange men in Beacon's courtyard and I do not know their intent!"
"You damn fool! I'll crush you myself!" Zorn shouted.
"Stop!" Gier shouted. He was back on his feet and, apart from the singe marks on his robe, was okay.
"Ah I thought that attack wouldn't do much damage, but it did create quite the ruckus," Oobleck explained.
"Zorn, we're leaving!" Gier sprinted away.
Zorn shook his head. "You're dead… next time." Zorn rushed off to catch up with his brother.
Oobleck sighed and collapsed his club back into its thermace form. He took a swig of the coffee inside. He remembered about his colleagues and dashed off to them.
Port was climbing out of the fountain. "So glad you got my message, we weren't claiming a glorious victory, not against those two."
Qrow had also recovered. He dazily got onto his feet. Qrow stuck out his hands to stop himself from falling over. He shook his head.
"That… was quite the punch," he said.
Qrow looked around. He saw many lights turning on inside Beacon's dorms. The courtyard would soon be flooded with students and teachers. It was time for him to go. Qrow said his goodbyes and slipped back into the shadows of night.
XXX XXX XXX
Weiss yawned and out stretched her arms. She sat up from her comfy pillow. Her hair slightly ruffled. She rubbed her eye and looked around. Her teammates' beds were empty. Weiss reluctantly threw her blanket off. She swung her legs off her bed and stood up.
Click
The bathroom door opened. Weiss looked up to see who it was. A red streak rushed her. It shot up onto the bed above Weiss'. Rose petals were thrown everywhere.
"Ruby, must you be so hyper this early in the morning?" Weiss asked.
Ruby sat on the side of her bed. She giddly swung her legs. Her usual smile, beamed even brighter today.
Weiss trudged over to her dressed and grabbed her uniform. She looked up at Ruby and sighed.
"Why are you so excited?" Weiss questioned.
"Tomorrow will be our first match!" Ruby squealed, "the Vytal Festival is going to be so much fun!"
"That's bull-"
"Watch your mouth, young man."
Two voices screamed outside team RWBY's dorm window.
Curious, Ruby leapt off her bunk and walked over to the window. She opened it and gasped.
Down in the courtyard was Glynda. She was surrounded by Ryden, Alex, Marty, and Yang. All four of them looked mad. Ryden had his fists clenched, holding back some blue fire, and Yang was starting to get a red tint to her eyes.
"What do you mean they can't compete?" Yang demanded.
Glynda sighed. "As unfortunate as it is, team PARM has been disqualified from the festival."
"We haven't done anything!" Alex protested.
"General Ironwood has decreed that PARM shall not compete, the choice is out of my hands," Glynda explained. She furrowed her brow. "Why are you just now arguing this? Did Percy not tell you?"
"He knew?" Marty asked.
"I told him last week," Glynda said.
"Bastard," Ryden said.
Yang stepped forward. "This isn't right. They have a right to compete in this!"
"I will say this once more," Glynda growled, "team PARM will not, under no circumstances, set a single foot in that arena. End of discussion."
With that, Glynda turned her back to the students and she walked off. Yang stomped her foot down and stormed off. The three members of PARM shook their heads and discussed among themselves.
Ruby and Weiss quickly went back to what they were doing as they heard Yang enter the building. It wasn't long before she slammed the door open.
"I can't believe this school, first they had a 'minor dust accident' last night and now Ryden can't compete!" Yang shouted.
"I'm sure Ironwood has a good reason to not let them," Ruby said.
"Yeah," Weiss called from the bathroom, "he probably knows about Timo and wants to avoid any danger."
Yang shook her head. She was disgusted with the decision. How could Beacon deny a team from participating in a tradition that was almost eighty years old?
"Whatever," Yang muttered. She hopped onto her bed and pulled her scroll out.
Ruby sighed. It was awful that students like Percy or Ryden would not get to show off how great they were.
Two quick knocks at the door distracted her.
"I'm not getting it," Yang stated.
Ruby shook her head and walked up to the door. She opened it. Another surprise greeted her on the other side.
"Hey, Ruby," Percy grunted.
Ruby felt her heart drop. "Oh h-hi."
"Is Weiss here?" Percy peaked over her, scanning the room for the heiress.
Ruby did not respond. She was stunned. Why was he asking for Weiss? What could she have that Ruby did not?
"Well she's in the bathroom right now, so it's not a good time to see her, but I'm-"
"Oh hey, Percy," Weiss said with a wave. She was exiting the bathroom, dressed in her regular uniform. Her hair straightened and perfectly done.
Percy almost pushed Ruby aside. He barged into the dorm. Yang shot him a glare, remembering that he knew for the last week about his team's disqualification. Percy walked right up to Weiss.
"I need you to come with me," Percy bluntly said.
Weiss tilted her head. "Why me?"
"Don't worry about it," Percy said. He went to pick her up, but Weiss stopped him.
Weiss nervously laughed and gently pushed Percy back. "How about we walk? Like normal people?"
Percy shrugged. "So long as you come."
Percy grabbed Weiss' hand and pulled the teenage girl away. He shut the door on their way out.
"What. Just. Happened?!" Ruby screamed.
Yang sat up and threw her scroll. She shrugged casually. "Don't know, sounds like Percy needed Weiss for something."
Ruby shook her head. She did not like that her best friend in the whole world was spending so much time with her crush. Ruby knew Weiss would never try to go after Percy or vice versa. The two hated each other. She was concerned because they should be sparring together right now.
"Ugh," Ruby said, "I hate boys!"
She leapt onto her bed. Ruby threw her face into her pillow.
Yang rolled her eyes. She looked at her sister. "Why do you like Percy?"
Ruby looked up from her pillow. She tilted her head.
"Well… I just don't see you two together. He's either brooding over his past or finding new ways to be annoying. Plus you get along so well with Alex, he's nice, right?" Yang said.
"Ew, no," Ruby said, "we're just friends."
"So why Percy?"
"I don't know!" Ruby cried. She looked at her sister. "Why do you like Ryden? Huh?"
Yang's lips formed a dopey smile. She shook her head and smiled.
"He comes off like such a jerk. Ryden's cocky and arrogant. I used to think he was an idiot. It was after Ozpin told us about Timo and everything. I saw why he acted that way. In some ways, it was like looking into a mirror." Yang quietly laughed. "I started out as a friend. We got close fast. Alex told me how I was the only other person that Ryden opened up to. I wanted to help him. In return, he pushed me to get stronger and I started depending on him. I just feel like… when he's around, I can do anything."
Ruby was silent. She did not expect an answer like that. Percy used to give her a similar feeling. He was determined and capable. Someone who always had an answer or plan to whatever new scary thing came after them. Lately, he was cold and distant. Likely due to everything he has been through, but it was still odd. It really started to happen after he went missing.
Ruby furrowed her brow. She never did find out what happened to Percy. He claimed that he did not remember, but he was gone for days. It made no sense to her.
The questions kept rising in Ruby's mind. She couldn't stand it anymore. Ruby leapt off her bunk and left her dorm. Ruby needed to go see someone.
XXX XXX XXX
Marty Goodwitch sat at his desk. He stared down at a paper. Various mathematical equations were on it. Marty brought a pencil to the paper. He solved the first several with ease. It wasn't until the fifth that he was stopped.
Crack
The graphite tip of his pencil broke. This caused a sigh from the teen. He looked around his desk. Marty's emerald eyes scanned for something else to write with. They found nothing.
Marty found his eyes drifting over to Percy's desk. A pencil sat on it. The pair of emerald eyes checked to make sure no one was around.
Marty stuck out his hand and pulled the pencil of the desk. It flew like a bullet and landed in his palm.
Marty twirled the pencil in his fingers. He grinned and returned to his homework.
Two quick knocks came from the room's door.
Marty rolled his eyes and planted the pencil next to his paper. He looked back at the door and waved his hand. The door knob glowing and rotating. With a quick flick of a finger, the door swung open.
Ruby stepped in. She held her twitching hands behind her back. Her anxious feet took her into the dorm.
"Mind if we talk?" she meekly asked.
Marty shrugged. "Sure."
He waved his hands. The chair that he was sat in, illuminated in a purple energy. He stood up and the chair slid out from underneath him. Marty walked over to Ruby and crossed his arms.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Remember when Percy went missing?" Ruby asked.
Marty scoffed. "How could I forget? Mom almost asked Ironwood to lockdown the city."
"She was that concerned?"
"Oh yeah."
Ruby shook her head. She realized they were getting off topic.
"I'm worried about what happened to him," Ruby said.
"How do you mean?"
"Well, he's been acting differently ever since. He has no memory of what happened."
"Ok?" Marty asked.
Ruby shook her head. "I'm just worried something did happen to him or someone did something to him."
Marty was about to tell Ruby she was being paranoid, but he stopped himself. It was rather odd. Glynda wasn't looking into it because she was just happy to have her son back. No one was looking into it, everyone was busy with other things.
"A student from Beacon, not to mention a prince, goes missing. Comes back and has no memory of what happened, but everyone is too busy to investigate it," Marty thought aloud, "it would be the perfect cover up if someone did want to do something."
"Right?" Ruby asked.
Marty nodded. He looked at Ruby and raised an eyebrow. "Why bring this up?"
"I think someone should look into it."
Marty huffed. "Alright, let's go."
Ruby smiled and thanked him. She walked out of the dorm.
Marty followed her, he waved his hand at the chair. Marty left in such a hurry, that he failed to see the chair had not moved.
XXX XXX XXX
Marty and Ruby strolled through the main room of Beacon Tower. It was crowded. Many students wished to call family and friends, especially before the Vytal Festival.
Ruby nudged Marty. "Where are we going?"
"The elevator," he said, avoiding looking at her.
"Why?"
"Because I need to get into Ozpin's office."
Ruby's silver eyes widened. "What?" she almost shouted.
"Shh!" Marty snapped. He shook his head. "I've known Ozpin ever since I was a boy. He knows a lot more than he lets on. Usually I don't care, but there's been multiple attacks on the school."
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with Ozpin?" Ruby asked.
"I want to examine his computer. You need to examine the security system."
"Why?"
"Timo and Torchwick are clearly working together and have some way of accessing the school's security. I just don't know how," Marty explained, "it's the only way that multiple people have been able to just walk onto Beacon's campus without triggering some sort of alarm."
Ruby nodded. It was another oddity that she never thought of.
The two reached the main elevator. Marty's student ID was able to open it, he was the son of a professor so he had been given access in case he needed to see Ozpin. However, it would not allow him to go to the security room.
Ruby and Marty stepped inside the elevator. The door's slowly shut. Once they closed, the two looked at each other.
"Okay, I'm going to the office and you'll be in the security system. Just look for anything out of place," Marty said.
Marty turned to the holographic screen. Listed were the various floors of Beacon Tower. He pressed the floor of the security room. A red exclamation mark popped up. A slot opened on the wall and a number pad emerged.
Marty rolled his eyes. He held up his hands. A purple glow developed. The hatch at the top was gently opened.
Marty climbed up onto the top of the elevator and helped Ruby up. He pointed to the floor of the security system. The blonde opened the doors for Ruby. She nodded and raced up into the room.
Marty leapt back down into the elevator. He pressed the button for Ozpin's office and the elevator jerked to a start. It rose up to the top floor of the tower.
In a few seconds Marty had reached the top. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. The office was revealed, it was empty. Perfect for Marty to access the computer.
Marty walked in. He looked around, making sure no one was in. Marty reached the desk and took a seat. He pulled up to the computer of Ozpin. Marty nudged the mouse. A lock screen popped up asking for a password.
Marty reached into his pocket and drew a flashdrive. He plugged it into the computer and the screen flashed three times. On the third flash, it unlocked.
"That worked better than I expected," Marty said.
Marty was in. He wasted no time and opened all the files he could. Documents, reports, emails, whatever would have any information. It was worth it.
Marty uncovered a conversation within seconds of looking. It was between Qrow and Ozpin. They had talked about Leo. Qrow had told Ozpin where Leo was located. Ozpin replied to Qrow that he would "use pawns to capture a rook". Ozpin knew about Leo and Verstand, yet still sent Percy, Alex, Weiss, and Ruby. He hid the truth, saying it was a mission about protecting some supply wagon.
Marty shook his head and glared at the information. He closed the conversation and kept looking. He dug deep and found something that was even worse.
A program was secretly running on the computer. It held no name and was overlooked by the computer's security sweep. Marty almost missed it himself.
He opened the program. An image of a queen chess piece appeared. It was odd. Marty was going to investigate it more, but the elevator dinged. Marty quickly shut down everything he had been doing.
The doors to the elevator opened up and Ozpin walked in. He was busy looking at his scroll.
Marty was able to slip under the desk and dash behind Ozpin's line of sight. Marty waited for Ozpin to say something, but he kept walking. Marty hurried for the elevator. He got to it and went to get in.
"You know," Ozpin said. Marty froze. Ozpin was looking at him. He took a sip out of his mug. "I hope you followed the school rules for computer use."
Marty turned around and faked a smile. "What do you mean, Professor?"
"Oh come now," Ozpin said. He sat down and looked at Marty. "I trust whatever it was you were doing was useful?"
Marty nodded.
"Good," Ozpin said, "what were you doing?"
Marty's mind raced. He needed an excuse. Marty thought about it. He was so in thought that he failed to notice the elevator arrive again and someone else entered. It did not matter now, because he found an excuse.
"My mother wanted me to make sure all the administrators' computers and make sure they were working okay," Marty lied.
Ozpin raised an eyebrow. He looked past Marty. "Is that true, Glynda?"
Marty's emerald eyes grew. He slowly turned around. His heart sank when he saw his mother, arms crossed and a stern look on her face. Glynda's face demanded an explanation for Marty's actions. Marty's expression begged her. Glynda rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I did," Glynda answered.
Ozpin nodded. He returned to his work.
Glynda glared at her son. She shook her head and mouthed to him to leave. Marty silently thanked her and rushed into the elevator. He pressed a button and started moving down to the first floor.
XXX XXX XXX
Ruby landed in the room. Her boots thudding against the steel floor. The noise echoed throughout the security system room. She looked around. The room was dark, getting light only from screens that lined the metal walls. The screens displayed the different areas of Beacon and the alarms that surrounded the school.
Ruby cautiously moved in closer. She inspected each screen. Looking at the alarms the formed a sort of fence around the school. As Ruby investigated, she noticed that there was a desk.
A computer sat on it, connected to each screen. The desk was clearly where someone could adjust the alarms. Ruby could tell this as she approached it. She could also tell that someone had been there. The monitor was active and had various applications pulled up. There was also a cup of coffee, with steam rising.
Ruby's silver eyes widened. Someone was still there!
Ruby spun around. She was met with a kick to the face. Ruby was knocked to the ground. She laid there, dazed and on the verge of passing out.
Someone loomed over her. She couldn't make out who it was, everything was a blur. Another person entered the room.
"What happened?" a familiar voice asked.
"I caught her in here," the figure above Ruby replied. Their voices almost matched. It was like he was having a conversation with himself.
"We need to get her out of here."
"I know that."
"Wait, she's still conscious!"
Ruby felt a hand slam into the back of her head. Then she blacked out.
XXX XXX XXX
Weiss raised an eyebrow to Percy. The two sat in the massive library of Beacon. Percy placed another book down on the table they were at. He drew a new book from a towering stack he had assembled.
"What exactly am I doing here?" Weiss asked.
"Nothing, why?" Percy answered.
"So why am I here?"
Percy paused his reading. He looked at Weiss and shrugged.
"Company."
Weiss was surprised at his answer. She figured Percy would want Ruby or Alex for someone to talk to. They never really were friends, but Percy had grown comfortable with her after going clothes shopping, then eating.
Weiss peered over Percy's shoulder. "What are you reading?"
"I'm researching Lightning Guardians."
"Why?"
"I want to know the weaknesses they have."
Weiss grinned. "Is this for Timo?"
Percy flipped a page in his book. He nodded with a grunt. It was important that he researched the limits of both him and his brother.
Percy looked up from his book. "I'm just trying to see if I over… looked something," Percy's voice trailed off.
Weiss watched as the boy's sky blue eyes had their attention stolen from his reading. Those eyes locked on something across the library. Weiss followed Percy's intense gaze. She found the subject of his glare.
A man stood at the librarian's desk. He was dressed formally. A caramel brown coat covered a nice obsidian black vest with matching dress pants. A white dress shirt was worn under all of that. The man reached up and adjusted his violet tie. He was chatting with a librarian. The librarian bowed and went off to go grab something for the man. As she left, he scanned the room. His scan stopped once he saw Percy and Weiss. A soft smile appeared on his face.
The man sauntered over to them, carrying a briefcase along with him. His dress shoes' thud echoed throughout the mainly empty library.
"Hello, Perseus," the man said with a wave, "you've gotten taller."
Percy slammed his book shut. He placed it down and stood up. Percy avoided the man's gaze like it was a disease. He clenched both his fists.
The man was now on the other side of the table. Weiss was able to get a better look at him. He was well built, broad shoulders, but lean muscle. Tall as well. He had Percy beat by about five inches.
"Do you not want to speak with your father?" the man asked.
Weiss' jaw almost hit the floor. She looked at the man. He looked like Percy did when Percy came to Beacon. Golden hair that was combed in a rather dapper way. A well groomed beard. His eyes were almost snow white.
"What do you want, Edward?" Percy asked.
Edward rubbed the back of his neck. "You could just call me dad."
"That'd be admitting I was related to you," Percy snapped back.
"Ignoring your rudeness, I would like to know why you left my kingdom in such a sorry state?" Edward asked.
Percy looked up and glared at his father. "I left so I could train to become stronger. So that one day I could face Timo in-"
"No you did not," Edward cut in. "You left because you realized the power difference. You ran and hid in Vale, playing school boy. It's like when a child covers themselves with a blanket to avoid the monster in their room."
"What did you say?"
"Pretending the problem no longer exists," Edward finished.
"Why did you leave? You were a king. Royalty. Yet you let your own wife die and your kingdom fall apart," Percy sneered.
"There are more important matters than for me to play fake king. I live in the real world, Perseus, I don't ignore issues," Edward calmly replied, "however, I clearly should not have left two boys to do a man's job."
"You don't know anything!" Percy shouted.
Much to Weiss' surprise, a flash of lightning shot up Percy. Edward saw it too. Edward also saw that, for a brief moment, it was crimson.
"It appears that I don't," Edward said. He turned to Weiss. "Although we have not been introduced, it was a pleasure to meet my son's girlfriend."
Percy and Weiss both had a slight pink shade appear across their faces. Percy calmed down and stammered in defense that they were not dating. Edward chuckled and wished his son farewell.
As Edward was walking away, Weiss elbowed Percy.
"You know what was strange? I could have sworn that his eyes were white when we first saw him," she said.
Percy thought about it for a second. He did not even realize that his father was using his Gewitter. He wondered why his father would use a technique if they were just talking. Percy shook those thoughts away and sat back down.
"So that was him? The missing king?" Weiss asked.
Percy nodded. "Yep, in all his bastardness."
"Do you not have good relations with your father?" Weiss nervously asked.
Percy shook his head. "We're not on good terms."
"I understand," Weiss said.
Percy scoffed. "How could you possibly?"
Weiss fell silent. She huffed and tapped Percy's shoulder. He turned to her. She stared at the ground.
"C-can I tell you something?" she stammered.
Percy looked at her, puzzled. He slowly nodded.
"My father didn't want me to come to Beacon. He didn't even want me to become a huntress. But I needed to," Weiss explained. She looked up at Percy. "Growing up, my father only cared about one thing, the success of his business. He's done some awful things to make sure that happens. That's why I need to become huntress. To redeem our family name."
Percy placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "I'm sorry, that must've been hard."
"It was, I'm sure that you can understand how a broken home affects a child," Weiss said.
"I can."
Weiss looked away. "We should return to our dorms, I have a paper due for professor Peach."
XXX XXX XXX
Weiss and Percy walked through Beacon's main courtyard. They passed the fountain in the center and stopped. The night moon reflected off the still water of the resting fountain.
Each had to go different ways because their dorms were in different buildings. They said their goodbyes and each turned to walk away.
Something kept nagging Percy. So he turned around and grabbed Weiss' hand.
"Weiss?" he asked.
"Yes?"
"Family can be a pain, but don't let that bring you down. If there's one thing I've learned, it's family is more than the people you're related to. It's your friends and mentors. People who do care about you," Percy said with a gentle smile.
Weiss smiled back. The two stood still, smiling at each other. Weiss looked into Percy's eyes and for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel alone. Someone who could understand her life and hardships, was right in front of her.
What happened next was a bit of a blur for Weiss. She felt herself move closer and Percy pulled her closer. The two kissed. Their lips connected for what felt like a lifetime to Weiss. When they finally parted, she was greeted by Percy's dopey smile.
"You're such a pain," she whispered.
XXX XXX XXX
Ruby slowly opened her eyes. She groaned. Her head was throbbing. It felt like she'd had a brick dropped on it. All the memories came flooding back to her and Ruby leapt up.
She leapt from her bed, disrupting the bed sheets and sailing right over the side of her bunk. Ruby crashed down onto the floor below.
"Ow," she said.
Yang walked over to her sister and laughed. Yang offered Ruby her hand. The older sister helped her sibling back onto her feet.
"What's the panic?" Yang asked.
Ruby shook her head. "There were these men. I… don't really remember much."
"Hmm, I see," Yang said, "Marty found you napping in Beacon's courtyard."
"Where?"
Yang walked over to the window and pointed out. "Under that tree right there."
Her eyes saw something as Ruby walked over the window to look. Yang peered down to the fountain and she saw two figures.
"Is that Weiss and Percy?" Yang asked.
Ruby looked down and nodded. "They must be down whatever Percy was doing."
Ruby watched the two. She watched as they started to walk away. Ruby watched as Percy spun around to stop Weiss. She watched Percy tell Weiss something. Finally, Ruby saw Weiss and Percy share a passionate kiss.
XXX XXX XXX