Carmine felt good. At least, he was pretty sure he did. He wasn't above admitting to himself that it was a space he couldn't remember being in before. Through their conversations, he and Ilex had arrived on friendly terms, which led Carmine to try the same with Rhys. It had proved alarmingly easy, though unsurprising in hindsight; any animosity between them had been one-sided, and Rhys was always happy to have new friends. The jury was still out on whether these relationships would be permanent and if Carmine would actually have a future as a huntsman but, for the time being, he was free from his family's—from his father's—influence. That thought alone filled him with hope.
The only thread remaining with no clear path to reparation was Aspen. Ironically, though not by any means he would have preferred, it had been her arrival that had spurred the changes in Carmine's own life. Knowing what she was had forced him to confront who he was and what he was willing to believe in and act on, but he still had no idea what to do with that original knowledge. Aspen as a person he could just begin to wrap his head around, but as a rephaite? How was he supposed to reconcile something so alien?
"…listening to me?"
Carmine rewound back a few seconds in his head. "You suggested Peppermint and Emjae as team attack names."
Ilex huffed, thwarted in his attempt to trip Carmine up. To his credit, though, Carmine wasn't paying that much attention to their conversation. Acting Headmistress Goodwitch had relocated Team GREI back to Beacon after the White Fang raid—officially as part of an initiative to maintain Beacon's continuity of operation, unofficially to keep them out of the media's attention and, Carmine suspected, to keep closer tabs on Aspen—so Carmine and Ilex were making their way to a training hall to work on what they'd learned during their spar with Mantis. "So, what do you think of them?"
"I think they're stupid." Carmine grimaced and shook his head. He was growing accustomed to speaking casually, but he needed to work on self-censorship. "I think the idea is stupid. Why do we need to come up with a clever name for the attack?"
"Don't be such a killjoy," Ilex said, rolling his eyes. "Team RWBY does it, and they're… Team RWBY."
"Their leader is fifteen." Or maybe sixteen, now. Carmine wasn't sure, but the point still stood.
Ilex scoffed. "So? They're still Team. RWBY. They're the best in our year." He shrugged. "It could have something to do with them naming their team attacks."
Carmine bit back a remark about RWBY properly committing to their studies. "I'm pretty sure it doesn't, but… fine," he groaned. It wasn't looking like he was going to get out of this. Besides, it was a chance to be clever. "If it has to have a name, how about Holly?"
Ilex crinkled his nose as he worked through the logic. "Holly… I get the red and green coming from your colors, but… how does this involve me at all?"
"Your name," Carmine said with a smirk.
"Huh?"
"Your name. Ilex is holly? Did you not know where your name came from?"
"I… That's not… Whatever. It's a family name." Carmine laughed at the obvious lie, and Ilex huffed in response. "Anyway, Peppermint is at least clearer than Holly."
Carmine shrugged, pushing open the training hall door. "Eh. Your color is more purple than whi—Ah."
While the training halls were technically open to all of the students still in the city, almost none of them had taken advantage of it, especially since news came out that the commercial air travel ban around Vale would be relaxed soon. Given this, Carmine was surprised to see Aspen and Rhys in the far corner of the room despite them being the only other students on campus. A part of Carmine wanted to just quietly slip in and ignore them—and he imagined Ilex felt the same—but there would never be a chance of that with Rhys. The moment they stepped in, he looked up and waved them over.
Among other students, Aspen and Rhys probably would not have stood out. Aspen was holding an extended plank with Rhys sitting on her back for added weight. Impressive, yes, but not otherwise noteworthy to the Aura-capable. Knowing Aspen, however, Carmine could deduce that she was meditating rather than simply exercising.
Rhys put his scroll away as they approached. |Hey, guys. You here to train?|
|Yeah,| Ilex signed. |We're working on a team attack.|
Rhys brightened up. |Oh, cool! Like Team RWBY! Do you have a name for it yet?|
Carmine answered before Ilex could; he was already going to get shit from him later. |Work in progress.|
Ilex covered a laugh, then gestured toward Aspen. |So, you're doing… what, exactly?|
|I'm helping Aspen meditate!| Rhys signed with a broad smile. It quickly fell away.|At least, I think I am. I'm not really sure this is actually helping her.|
|Why do, then?| Carmine asked.
Rhys's face twisted into a frown. |She's been acting… off ever since the havashah. Like, not a normal-Aspen kind of off; more angry and unwilling to talk.| He paused, then cocked his head at Carmine.|Kind of like you used to be, actually.|
Carmine scowled. |Thanks.| He glanced at Ilex on the off chance he might want to say something, but the anxious look on Ilex's face made it clear he wouldn't be touching the subject. Carmine sighed. |Know why she's like this?|
Rhys looked down at Aspen, a forlorn expression on his face. It occurred to Carmine that she had yet to react to either their presence or their conversation, and it wasn't like Rhys was being careful not to move. |It's… hard. I know it's got something to do with Deirean and her havashah, but all she'll say is that she doesn't want me to get hurt, too. This right now is about as close as she's gotten to opening up.| Rhys sighed, then looked up at Carmine.|Do you think you could try talking to her? You're better at this stuff than I am.|
What the hell makes you think that? Sighing, Carmine signed. |Okay, I will do.| He took a step back. "Hey, Aspen."
Of all the reactions Carmine could have imagined from Aspen, he would not have considered alarm. The moment the words were out of his mouth, Aspen snapped like a rubber band, bucking Rhys from her back and rolling away. Before Rhys could even catch himself, Aspen spun around onto her fingers and toes, one hand drawn back in preparation for attack and a snarl on her face. Her wide eyes darted back and forth between Carmine and Ilex before reality settled in and she relaxed her muscles. "I did not realize you were here."
"You sense auras," Ilex said. His tone was sarcastic, but Carmine noticed his defensive posture. "How could you not realize we were here?"
Easing into a kneeling position, Aspen opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again. She shook her head. "It does not concern you."
Rhys turned away from Aspen and discreetly signed, |See?|
"If you say so," Ilex said, shrugging. He glanced at Carmine and raised his eyebrows. Carmine stared at him blankly in return; if he wanted an out to the conversation, Ilex could figure it out himself. Ilex eventually realized this and pointed back over his shoulder, flicking his ears agitatedly. "Anyway, I'm going to go… er, Rhys and I are going to go work on our… coordination. Team attack and stuff, so you guys can… Yeah. Bye." Carmine scoffed. The idea that Ilex had planned to flirt his way out of Beacon grew ever more absurd the more he interacted with him.
Rhys paid little attention to the poor exit, happily following Ilex to the other side of the room. |Do you have any name ideas?|
|I was thinking Blue Jae. Y'know, like—| Ilex waved his hand in the sign for 'blue,' then wrote the letter 'J.'
Rhys clapped his hands together. |That's great!| He frowned and cocked his head.|I'm not blue, though.|
Ilex waved the concern off. |You're kind of blue.|
"What was he talking about, team attack?" Aspen asked Carmine, her gaze lingering on the others.
"A coordinated attack," Carmine explained. "Giving a shorthand name lets us call it out withou—"
"Do we have to do this?"
Carmine couldn't help the spark of annoyance; not so much at Aspen cutting him off, but at her feigned interest. For as much as he didn't like the idea, he couldn't deny that preparing team attacks would be beneficial for all of them. Maybe that would get her on board, too. "It will make us a better team."
Furrowing her brow, Aspen looked away. She shook her head. "I would prefer not to right now."
Carmine scowled. "Shit. Yeah, I see it now." He ignored Aspen's confused glance. "Look, I'm not actually here to work on team attacks anymore. I'm here because you're being a pain in the ass and making Rhys worry about you, so whatever you've got going on inside your head, now's the time to vent it."
Aspen hissed, though it lacked any venom. "There is nothing," she said, turning to walk away. "I am leaving."
A part of Carmine wanted to drop it and let her go. In her place even a week ago, he would have behaved the same, but leaving these things bottled up would never work for either of them. He drew his weapon, forming it into a staff; sometimes you had to force them out. Before Aspen could get more than a few steps, Carmine thrust the weapon out and caught her ankle. "No, you're not."
The end of the staff didn't strike her directly—serving more as a tripping hazard than anything—but it was enough to bring Aspen to a halt. She balled her hands into fists and kept her head forward. "Stop." Carmine withdrew only to swing at Aspen's head. The staff thudded against her forearm, this time with much more force. The weapon slid back, then stabbed forward again toward Aspen's back, finally forcing her to turn around to swat it aside. "What are you doing?" Aspen asked, her teeth bared. Carmine's response was to feint toward her ribs before striking at her knees, then following up with an overhead swing. The metal smacked against Aspen's hand as she caught it and turned it away. "Stop this!"
Carmine backed off and tapped his fingers along the staff. The rods shifted, forming a saber in one hand and a tonfa in the other. "Make me stop," he said, snarling back at Aspen. "You're fast enough." He slashed with the tonfa, giving himself an opening to thrust with the saber. Aspen smacked the blade away. "You're strong enough." Again leading with the tonfa, Carmine wrapped the cable between his weapons around Aspen's arm. He moved around behind her before she could firmly grab onto the cable and used the leverage to flip her over his shoulder. Separated from the cable, she deftly landed on her feet and stepped away. Carmine drew his saber up, ready to thrust. "You're pissed off enough."
The blade flashed forward, only to stop before Carmine could fully extend his arm. One hand on the flat of the blade, holding it in place, Aspen growled. "You are going to get yourself hurt."
"Well, are you going to hurt me?" Carmine growled back. The confidence in Aspen's eyes flickered, a long enough lapse for Carmine to strike her wrist with the tonfa and break her hold on the saber. Taking a step back, he tapped out a new instruction for the weapon. The saber warped in his hand, the rods pooling at the far end to form the spiked head of a morning star while the excess from the tonfa wrapped itself around his arm. With his free hand, he drew the knife from his back, then he surged forward again.
The attack did not last long. Aspen caught the haft of the morning star, then knocked Carmine's knife out of his hand with the back of her fist. Without even having drawn back, she thrust her fist into his solar plexus, throwing him back against the wall. Carmine collapsed, vision dimming as he struggled for air. "Enough." Aspen's voice trembled. "I am done."
Carmine heard her walking away. "I'm not," he managed to whisper. Shifting his weapon once more, he pulled a bolt from his quiver and loaded it into the newly-formed crossbow. Even with his arms shaking as they were, aiming at Aspen wasn't difficult from this distance. He pulled the trigger.
Aspen whirled around, snatching the bolt out of the air and throwing it back in a single motion. It embedded into the floor just a few feet to Carmine's left. Gritting his teeth, he loaded another and fired again. Aspen caught it again, but this time held onto it. She stormed up to him, a mix of rage and pain on her face. "Why are you doing this?" she hissed.
Carmine forced himself to breathe normally. "Because you need to talk, and I'm shit at talking. Fighting's what I'm good at. It's what I was raised to do." He huffed in bitter amusement, only for it to turn into a pained cough. "Almost like we have something in common."
"We are not…" Aspen's eyes fell and, gradually, she relaxed her body. The second bolt slipped from her fingers and clattered to the ground between them. "I did not want to hurt you. I am sorry."
"Not your fault," Carmine said, sitting back. He looked at the two bolts and decided to retrieve them later. "I forced you into it."
Aspen shook her head. "It is my fault. I should have had control over my actions. I need to have control, otherwise…" She grimaced.
Carmine watched her, expecting a follow-up, but she instead turned and walked over to where his knife had landed and retrieved it. When she came back, she held it out to him. There was a tremor in her hand. "Otherwise, what?" he asked, taking and sheathing the knife.
Letting out a labored breath, Aspen looked over her shoulder to where Rhys and Ilex were sparring. If either of them had noticed what he and Aspen were up to, they didn't show it; Ilex was miming some wide sweeping motion while Rhys nodded gleefully and added on with his own wild gestures. Aspen knelt in front of Carmine. "Have you," she said quietly, kneading her hands in her lap, "ever killed someone?"
Carmine felt like he'd been punched again. His first instinct was to deny it or try to evade the question, but he was supposed to be helping her, not protecting himself. Besides, Ilex already knew and he planned to tell Rhys… eventually. "Yes."
Aspen stiffened. "Did… Did you enjoy it?"
Carmine's stomach twisted. "No."
"I did." Aspen's hands curled into fists. "I enjoyed it more than I have enjoyed anything else I have done, even though I did not want to. It is a part of me that I cannot escape, a biological response driving me to continue killing. Killing Grimm, I never considered it as something to be ashamed of, but after the attack on Beacon…" Her arms shook from the force in her hands. "I hate death, and I hate that part of me that craves it."
"That's… a lot." Professor Goodwitch had definitely not told them about this; how the hell was he supposed to respond to it? On the one hand, a positive feedback response made sense for a species of natural killers, but— Carmine shook his head. Empathy, not analysis. "But those were pretty extreme circumstances. I don't think anyone would blame you for defending yourself."
"Perhaps not," Aspen said, "but what I did was not in defense. I gave in and I slaughtered them. I tore them apart and covered myself in their blood." She shuddered. "You are afraid of me."
Carmine bit back a response; she would know better than he would, after all. Try as he might to rationalize it, there was no way for him to stop the immediate, gut-deep horror that came from the confirmation of one of his worst fears. That fear was in no way beneficial to either of them now, however. "It's not so much that I'm afraid of you as I am…" He struggled with his emotions, uncertain if he was forcing or misidentifying them. "…sad for you."
Aspen looked up, surprised into relaxing her muscles. "I…" She swallowed. "I do not understand."
That makes two of us. "Look, I… I ad…" Carmine rolled his neck and let out a breath before starting again. "You have a stronger will than anyone I've met and I… admire that. You say you gave in but look at how much had to happen to get you to that point: two-hundred-thousand terrified civilians, being blown up by Rhys, having a woman die in front of you, and then dying yourself. Twice." He shook his head. "Going through two of those was hard enough, and I can't even feel Aura like you can."
Uncurling her hands, Aspen laid them flat upon her legs. "And why does that make you… sad?"
Carmine turned his eyes up toward the ceiling. "I don't know, it's just… To suffer all that abuse and pain and cast it aside to help people is unfathomable as it is, but to take all of that and then blame yourself when you can't take anymore? You… You don't deserve…"
He scoffed and shook his head, guilt rising in his throat. "You don't deserve any of this." He sagged back. "I thought I was free from my father's influence," he said, more to himself than to Aspen. "I wanted to make my own life and my own decisions, but he's still here, in my mind. All the years of conditioning he put me through so that even when I try to break free, I make the same mistake all over again." This wasn't about Aspen being a rephaite and it never should have been. She was a person. A teammate. A… friend, maybe. He took a shaky breath. "You don't deserve the shit Ilex and I have given you, especially. I… I'm sorry for that."
Aspen bowed her head again and stared at her hands. "So you say, but… those faunus are not the only lives I am responsible for taking. Everyone Deirean has maimed or killed or will kill… I am to blame for those as well."
Carmine scowled. "You can't do that to yourself, Aspen. You can't make yourself solely responsible for everything that asshole does—"
"And why should I not?!" Aspen snapped. "His actions are a direct consequence of my own. He is free because of me. He stayed in Vale because of me. He knows of my havashah because of me and he will have an army because of me."
"And I'm alive because of you!" Carmine huffed but couldn't extinguish his frustration. He gestured toward the others. "Ilex and Rhys are alive because of you! If you hadn't told Deirean about your havashah, we would probably be dead. Is that what you would prefer?"
Aspen stumbled over the words. "No, I… Of course not, but—"
"There is no 'but' here. You saved our lives, end of story. Best outcome achieved."
"I prolonged your lives." Aspen shook her head. "I should have… I should have found another way. A third option."
Carmine sucked in a breath. As easy as it would be to keep yelling back and forth with Aspen, it wasn't getting them anywhere. Aspen was too stubborn. He exhaled. "Do you know how many options I saw that night? One: trust you." Aspen glanced at him. "I worked out what—who you are after the forest. I thought I couldn't trust you because of it, but I was wrong. Against Deirean, you were the only one who could get us out of there alive because of who you are. I trusted you. Can you tell me to my face that I was wrong?"
Aspen fell still, and Carmine sighed to himself. "Look, I'm not going to tell you to not beat yourself up over all of this. Fixing shit like this isn't as simple as just doing or not doing something, but sitting around and refusing help from others won't do it either. I'm only… I'm only able to talk with you like this because I opened up to Ilex. I'm not perfect, but I'm better than I used to be. That's all we want to give you." He gestured between them. "This is what we want. To help you."
Aspen let her head drop down again, hiding her eyes behind her hair. She didn't give much away in her body movements, but Carmine could see her flexing her thumbs. "Do you truly believe I am deserving of this?" she asked.
"I do."
He did.
"Then… Then I will not turn it away any longer."
"Good." Aspen rose to her feet, then paused when Carmine didn't make an effort to do the same. After a moment, she offered her hand. He waved it off; he didn't want to burden her further, but her punch had done quite a number on him. "So, what are you going to do now?" he asked.
Aspen looked over her shoulder, beyond Rhys and Ilex. "I have a trip I must make; one I have been putting off for several days. One final matter to put right before I can continue forward."
(- -)
"So, I said to Ren, 'Hey, instead of just sitting here letting the Grimm take over our school, let's go and kill them all!' "
"Nora was complaining of being bored and I suggested we help clear some of the Grimm still lingering around Beacon."
"We went out deep into the Emerald Forest, and that's where we found… a dozen Ursai!"
"They were Beowolves."
"Frothing at the mouth!"
"They were actually quite docile. At least, as far as Grimm go."
"Ren was worried, but I wasn't afraid! I took them all on, one against twelve, and guess who came out on top. Spoiler alert: it was me!"
"I'm actually curious if it had something to do with the Grimm that left during the Battle."
"Then we went back to the hotel for a well-earned feast, but Ren forced me to drink one of his disgusting swamp shakes."
"I didn't force you. I simply recommended it as an excellent means of restoring vital nutrients."
"After I'd puked it all out, though, he did promise to treat me to as many pancakes as I could eat."
"..." Ruby turned her eyes to Ren, as did Jaune, Pyrrha, Yang, and Weiss. He let out a sigh. "That part is true."
The hospital room erupted into laughter, the two teams sharing in the mirth. Even Blake, for all her recent moodiness, cracked a smile from her perch atop the counter in the corner. It felt nice. Ruby would dare say it even felt normal. The eight of them, laughing and enjoying one another's company, together. Ruby's hand drifted around to her back, where Crescent Rose usually was. In its place was a folded silver and black sword. The only one who wasn't there…
"So, Weiss," Pyrrha said, shifting the conversation once the laughter died down, "I was under the impression that you were going to be returning to Atlas with General Ironwood and the rest of the military."
To Ruby's right, Weiss straightened up in her chair and took a sip of definitely-not-hospital coffee. "Yes, well, upon reflection, I was reminded of why I came to Beacon in the first place and what I hoped to achieve. After that, it became clear to me that leaving would be a mistake." she huffed to herself. "Of course, I'm sure my father will try to pull me back however he can, but suffice it to say I won't be going anywhere."
Ruby smiled softly. Weiss had told her the truth of how she'd come to that conclusion and the role Aspen played in it. On the one hand, Ruby was a little jealous of how Aspen managed to find the words that she never could. She was the leader of Team RWBY, and it should have been her job to keep Weiss from leaving. On the other hand, she was far too grateful to still have her partner to be upset.
"Well, hey, if you ever need someone to lay the smackdown on your dad," Nora said from the couch, cracking her knuckles with a manic grin across her face, "you know you can always call on me!"
Ren laid a hand on her arm. "Nora," he chided.
Nora rolled her eyes. "Oh, reeelaaax. I'm just kidding. Besides, it's not like we're going to be around for that."
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room, and even Nora realized what she'd just brought up. It was an uncomfortable subject among the group, a reminder that this semblance of normalcy was only temporary, but Ruby knew they couldn't keep dodging it forever. Yang recognized this, too. "So, uh, speaking of which," she said from her seat by the window, "do you guys know when you'll be leaving yet?"
Team JNPR exchanged a few uncomfortable looks, and it was Jaune who finally answered. "Depending on when the travel ban is lifted and how much Pyrrha's recovered," he said, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, "it could be as early as next week."
Ruby pursed her lips. They'd all known that Pyrrha wasn't going to stick around in Vale forever. Her family was in Mistral, after all, and it would be much better for her to recover over there with them. That alone was hard enough to accept, but Jaune, Ren, and Nora had all decided to transfer to Haven just so they could stay with her, too. Still, Ruby would never begrudge them their happiness for the sake of her own. "Well, you'll all be together." She forced the words out despite the pit in her stomach. "That's what's important."
"Yeah…" Jaune murmured. Looking up, he gave Ruby a sympathetic smile. "… but it's not like we won't miss you guys, too."
"That's right!" Nora chimed in. "You'll see us again, and we'll be stronger than ever!" She leapt to her feet and began pointing around the room, oozing her infectious enthusiasm. "I'll finally out-arm-wrestle Yang, Ren will have perfected his sloth call, Jaune will have discovered his Semblance, and Pyrrha will be walking again!"
Yang gave her warmest big-sister smile. "We'll be looking forward to it." She quickly shifted gears and winked at Nora, flexing one arm. "Though, you'll have to do more than just talk if you want to—"
A knock cut her off before she could finish the counterchallenge, drawing everyone's attention to the door. Pyrrha craned her head forward as best she could. "Come in!"
Ruby stiffened in her seat when the visitor entered. "A-Aspen?"
The girl moved slowly, head craned forward and eyes wide to take in the room. "Hello, there," Pyrrha said, relaxing back into the bed once she came into view. "It's Aspen… Gray, right?"
"Yes." Aspen looked around at the others, and Ruby noticed that her hands were curled up to grip the cuffs of her hoodie. "I do not wish to interrupt your time together."
"Not at all," Pyrrha said, waving her hand dismissively. "I'm always happy to have guests."
Yang leaned forward on her knees. "Long time, no see. I'm surprised you've been able to keep your head so low, given how you were all over the news a few days back." She gave Aspen a knowing wink. "Nice to see you've healed up."
"I'm sorry?" Pyrrha looked around in confusion. "I haven't been keeping up with the news. Did something happen?"
"As I recall," Ren said, raising a hand, "Aspen and her team took part in the White Fang raid earlier this week. A video of them being attacked went viral and received a lot of attention from the news."
Ruby's stomach tied itself in knots. She'd seen the footage, Uncle Qrow's warning to stay away from Aspen at the forefront of her mind. The man from Beacon tower—Deirean—had nearly killed even Aspen, and Aspen was… Aspen. It was a miracle that Ruby and Weiss had survived their encounter with him, even more so in Pyrrha's case. Ruby wondered if Aspen was aware of their connection, too.
If she was, she didn't show it. Aspen furrowed her brow and nodded. "That is… not an inaccurate summary of events." She looked to Yang. "It is my understanding that my team and I were relocated back to Beacon specifically to avoid attracting further attention."
"They put you guys back at Beacon? So, you don't have to deal with the crummy hotel system anymore?" Yang threw her head back dramatically without waiting for a response. "Ugh! You pretty much have the entire place to yourselves, then! That's so unfair!"
"Regardless," Pyrrha said, stifling a laugh. "I'm glad to see you." She flushed and looked down. "I've actually been hoping to get the opportunity to thank you."
"Thank me?"
Pyrrha nodded. "Back on the colosseum, after I…" Her free hand balled into a fist around her sheets, and a heavy weight settled in Ruby's chest. She reached to the sword hidden beneath her cloak again. "After Penny died, when we—when I was too caught up in my emotions to act, you were the one to break me out of it. You called me out, reminded me of my duty, and forced me to confront what was at stake. I… I'm not sure how long it would have taken me if you hadn't been there."
"I figure I owe you a thanks, too," Yang said, running a hand through the hair at the nape of her neck, "I know Ruby's already mentioned it to you, but I really appreciate you giving Blake and I a chance to escape." She shook her head and sighed. " 'Appreciate,' yeah right. That doesn't even cover half of what we owe you. Like Pyrrha said, things could have been a lot worse if you hadn't intervened. Right Blake?"
It took a nudge on her leg to bring Blake's mind to focus. "Hmm? Uh, yes. Thank you, Aspen. That was really…" Her head drooped, her bow-covered ears with it.
Ruby half-sat up. "Blake?"
"I-I'm sorry." In a single motion, she dropped from the counter and reached for Aspen, only for the taller girl to tense up and back away. Blake stopped, but didn't seem to fully notice the effect she'd had. Her eyes darted back and forth across Aspen's face. "Adam… The man you fought. There was nothing on the news about him. What happened? I need to know!"
Aspen stared at Blake for several moments, her shoulders slowly slumping until she finally turned her head away. "He… escaped." Blake froze, arms still outstretched. "I overpowered him and could have captured him, but other White Fang showed up and… killed me a second time and I…"
Ruby happened to look down at Aspen's hands, balled into fists. Her heart skipped a beat; a thin black vapor rose up from between her fingers. She hadn't doubted what Uncle Qrow told her, but to actually see proof of it… Reaching out, she took a hold of Aspen's arm. The girl felt wound to breaking but, after several seconds, she relaxed. Aspen opened her eyes and looked at Blake. "I could not kill him."
Blake sagged back, Yang and Weiss both reaching to support her. Her eyes were dull. "Then… all this time… He… He's still out there!" She surged forward, trying to wrestle free from her teammates, but Yang's grip was too strong. "He's still out there, and he's not going to stop until he gets his hands on me!"
"Hand."
"Hand, whatever! He's not…" Blake—everyone, really—stopped and focused on Aspen. "W-what?"
Aspen cocked her head and looked around from person to person. "He only has one hand," she repeated, as though it should have been obvious. "I cut—" She went to lift her right arm only to stop suddenly. Realizing it was because she was still holding onto it, Ruby let go. "I cut off his arm. He only has one hand, now."
Blake's jaw moved with unspoken words, then she sagged again and dropped to her knees. This time, however, Ruby could see tears in her eyes. Kneeling beside her, Yang wrapped her arms around her partner, only looking up to give Aspen a small smile.
"I don't mean to gloss over this," Nora said, waving a hand toward Blake and Yang, "but are we going to gloss over the fact that Aspen said that the White Fang killed her? Twice?"
Ruby took in a breath. Right. This… could be bad. Aspen dying-but-not-dying was definitely a part of her being a rephaite, and she had just admitted it to seven people who didn't know about it. Okay, well, Yang and Blake knew about the dying part, but not the rephaite part. Technically, even she wasn't supposed to know about it, so eight people! What was she going to—
"That is… a part of why I am here."
Huh?
Aspen turned her body toward Pyrrha, though she bowed her head and turned it aside. "I came to apologize for what has happened to you."
Jaune and Pyrrha looked at one another, wary but confused. "You had nothing to do with this," Jaune said. "What happened to Pyrrha is no one's fault but the man who attacked her. Besides, you were fighting the White Fang at that point, weren't you?"
Aspen grimaced. "It is not about what I did that night, but what I did before. Everything Deirean has done and all the blood he has spilled is a direct result of my actions."
Ruby's eyes widened.
"Deir—You know his name?" Jaune said, brow furrowed. "Professor Goodwitch told us not to tell anyone about him, so how could you…?"
Pyrrha was quicker on the uptake, lifting her hand to stifle a gasp. "You're… You're Rephaim?"
"Repha-what?"
"I-I don't understand," Weiss said, joining Nora in vocalizing her confusion. Yang had helped Blake back to her feet and they, too, were looking on in curiosity. "What is Rephaim?"
Aspen ignored them, keeping her head turned away. "Deirean was trapped beneath the Emerald Forest. Had I left him there, he likely would have died. You would not be as you are now. Many others would still be alive." She took a breath. "I may not be to blame, but I am—"
"Like hell you aren't!" Jaune rose to his feet. "You seriously let that maniac loose? Why on Remnant would you do that?"
Pyrrha tugged at his hand. "Jaune…"
"I did not know better," Aspen answered. "I did not know that I was Rephaim when I found him, much less what it meant to be Rephaim."
"Hey!" Yang snapped. "Is someone going to explain for the rest of us what the hell Rephaim is?"
Aspen shuddered, almost as if sighing, then turned her head to look at Yang and Blake in turn. "You are Human and Faunus. I am Rephaim, as is the man who attacked Pyrrha, Deirean." She dropped her head again. "As are the Grimm."
The room grew cold. Ruby couldn't believe what she'd heard. Aspen had just… said it. No, it wasn't that simple. She clearly hadn't wanted to tell them, even if she came in expecting to. But she still said it. All of it, even the part about the Grimm. Why would she do that?
"You and him…" Jaune hissed, and Aspen took a half-step away. "You're Grimm?"
"We are not Grimm; the Grimm are Rephaim."
"What's the difference? Your kind hunted us like animals! You literally tore us apart!" Ruby caught the tightening in Aspen's brow at Jaune's accusation. "You tried to wipe us out and that's exactly what the Grimm are doing to us now, so don't even try to tell me you're somehow different from them."
Ruby could feel her heart beating in her chest. She felt like she should step up and say something in support of Aspen—she wanted to—but she felt… powerless, as powerless as she had felt since Aspen attacked her team during the tournament.
Aspen kept her head down. "Deirean told you these things," she said. It was not a question.
"Yes," Pyrrha said, physically drawing Jaune back toward his chair before he could yell at Aspen again. "Are… Are they true?"
Aspen grimaced. "Yes," she whispered.
Pyrrha's breath grew shallow and she sat back, closing her eyes. Ren and Nora both stood up in concern, and Jaune leaned in and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Pyrrha? Are you alright?" He glared at Aspen. "You need to leave. Now."
"No!" Pyrrha gasped. Grabbing onto Jaune's hand, she focused on steadying her breathing. "It's fine. I'm fine." Once she'd regained her composure and sat up again, Ren and Nora returned to their seats. Jaune stayed where he was. "Deirean said… a number of things when we fought," she said, addressing Aspen. "He said that he was the last of the Old Rephaim. If you released him, why would he exclude you?"
Ruby flinched when Aspen's eyes turned toward her. Why is she looking at me? Does… Does she know that I know? Does she expect me to— Aspen's gaze flitted away to Weiss. Then Blake and Yang, continuing around the room until she came back to Pyrrha. Ruby flushed and looked down.
"To put it simply," Aspen said, "it is because I am not of the Old Rephaim. My first memory is of a man and a woman standing over me in the desert offering me water. To my knowledge, my… consciousness is no older than this."
"Consciousness is an awfully specific word," Nora pointed out.
"And when exactly was this?" Weiss asked.
"Four weeks ago, today."
Ruby looked up, eyes wide as she drew up a mental calendar. F-four weeks? That would have been right before the Vytal Festival started so, when she attacked us, she would have only been a week… old? Is… Is that how that works?
"And when did you, um, find out what you were?" Yang asked.
"Nine days later, after I had been placed on a team and when I released Deirean." Aspen shuddered again. "Until then, I thought I was the same as you. Not Human or Faunus, perhaps, but same, nonetheless. Now, I find it more… complicated."
She looked up at Pyrrha, her hands curled into fists once more. "That is what truly separates Deirean and I. He does not see this complication. His memory goes back many thousands of years and he has always known what he is. He does not view you as same. You are havneel: vermin. Your lives hold no value to him, and he would, as you say, wipe you out given the opportunity."
"Is that it?" Jaune growled. "We're just supposed to take you at your word that you don't want to kill us all, too? Trust that you won't turn on us and side with your own kind?"
"How can you say that, Jaune?" Weiss stormed to her feet, rage practically pouring off her. "You don't even know her!"
"And you do? Did you forget that she's already tried to kill you and your team?"
"Yes, us. So, tell me how that's any of your concern?" Weiss held her ground against Jaune's glare, slowly suffocating it through sheer willpower. When Jaune finally broke eye contact, Weiss huffed and smoothed out her dress. "Yes, Aspen has made mistakes, but I can attest that she's already being punished for them. Perhaps she was a bit overzealous in attacking us, but can you blame her? Like she said, she was barely a week old with no idea who she really was. I don't believe that she has ever done anything intending to harm us. Besides, she had no reason to tell us any of this and every reason not to."
Yang stepped forward. "I'm with Weiss on this one. Yeah, Aspen made a pretty awful first impression, but she's more than made up for it. Not many people would put their lives on the line for people they don't know, much less people who don't like them, and she's done that a couple of times now. That doesn't sound like someone who wants to wipe humans and faunus out to me." Blake stepped up as well and nodded in agreement.
"That's right!" Ruby swallowed, realizing a second too late that it had been her who had spoken up. She pushed back against the fear gnawing in her gut. "A-Aspen was at the forefront during the Battle of Beacon. She kept us—all of us—focused on fighting back and saving people. She went out of her way to protect people she didn't even know, just like a real huntress. Deirean was there when Weiss and I found Pyrrha, and I can tell you that Aspen is nothing like him at all!" Something clicked inside her head and she pointed at Ren. "I-in fact, Deirean was the one who attacked her in that video, and that should be proof enough that they're definitely not on the same side!"
Ruby caught her breath. The room felt far too quiet but, before she could slip back into the clutches of her creeping insecurity, Ruby felt a hand settle on her shoulder. She looked over to see Weiss smiling at her, as were Yang and Blake. Ruby stood up a little straighter and smiled back.
Ren looked around at the group. "If the four of you endorse her, I find myself hard pressed to argue." He looked over at Nora, silently inviting her to give her opinion.
She frowned. "I'm still waiting for an explanation on the whole 'consciousness' thing,"
"Nora."
Nora sighed. "Well, even if I still don't really understand all of this 'Rephaim' business—like, at all—it's not like Aspen was the one who hurt Pyrrha."
Everyone's attention slowly turned to Jaune. He kept his head down. "What do you think, Pyrrha?"
Pyrrha's eyes were unfocused, but Jaune's voice drew her back into the present. She bit her lip and looked down, then back up at Aspen. "Why did you tell us this? You said you felt the need to apologize, but this… This doesn't feel like an apology."
Aspen cocked her head and frowned. "Perhaps… words are inadequate. I recognize my part in what has happened to you, and I want you to understand that I will do what I must to set it right."
"By doing what, exactly?"
"I am going to kill Deirean."
Ruby shivered. The way Aspen said that wasn't casual, exactly, but there was no trace of hesitation in her voice, either. She'd thought about this. Pyrrha shook her head. "That's… Aspen, I, uh, appreciate the sentiment, but killing him won't undo what he did to me. Regardless of whether you played a part in this, I wouldn't want you to get hurt on my behalf."
Aspen hissed. "It is not about undoing what has been done. It is about preventing it from happening to the rest of you. Preventing worse." She looked around to each of them. "Do you not understand what I have told you? Deirean will not stop until you are all dead or he is. If I do not kill him now…" She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. "He believes that there are more Rephaim where I came from, waiting to be released. If he is right, then he will have an army and countless of your kind will die at their hands."
"W-what?"
Aside from Yang's shocked utterance, the room fell utterly silent. That… That… An army? It made sense that there could be other rephaim, even if Ruby didn't know a lot about where they came from or why Aspen and Deirean were still around in the first place, but she was still getting used to the idea of just those. Them… and Uncle Qrow. Suddenly, she understood why he had been so afraid to tell her about the Rephaim. "Surely… Surely not all of them would be bad, right? I mean, you're not, so maybe some of them would be like you."
Aspen's head dipped low. "My identity was shaped by Oliver and Laurel's ignorance, as well as my own. Had Deirean been the one to find me…" She grimaced. "The only way to protect you all is to kill him. That is my duty as a huntress… and as a rephaite."
Ruby bit her lip. She'd tried to help, but now the silence was even worse. How were they supposed to argue against that? Aspen would know better than any of them, after all.
"Just because you think it's your duty doesn't mean you have to be the one to do it." Ruby looked up at Jaune. His head was down, focused on Pyrrha's hand in his own. Ruby looked away again, as did everyone else.
"If not me," Aspen said, voice low, "then who? He is faster than any of your kind. He is stronger than any of your kind. With a rephaitic blade, your Aura is nothing to him. I am the only one who can kill him because I am the same as he is."
"That mentality is dangerous." Blake stepped forward, standing straighter than Ruby had seen since the start of the tournament. "You may think this is your problem to solve alone, but you won't solve anything if you get yourself killed in the process." From behind her, Yang placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded.
"Blake's right," Ruby said. Reaching out, she gingerly placed a hand on Aspen's arm. "You told me once that neither of us is strong enough to take on every fight. Maybe you're right that you're the person best suited to do this, but if stopping Deirean is as important as you say it is, you shouldn't force yourself to do it alone. You have a team, people who care about you. If they want to help you, you should let them."
Aspen frowned. "I understand this, but… Deirean has already spared their lives once. If he sees them again, he will not hesitate to kill them. I cannot allow that to happen, though I… I will consider your advice." She took a final look around at everyone. "I think it would be best for me to leave now. The next time you see me, you will know that you are safe. If you never see me again… I am sorry." Turning, she opened the door and left.
Once the door clicked shut, Yang let out a breath. "So," she said, moving to sit on the windowsill again, "Grimm are people, huh?"
"I'm not so sure that's what she meant," Ren said.
"You say that," Nora said, "but she really didn't explain anything at all!" She turned toward Pyrrha and Jaune. "You two at least had an idea of what she was talking about, right?"
Pyrrha smiled meekly. "I'm afraid I don't know much more than you all, at this point."
The conversation fell away from Ruby's ears. In some ways, everything Aspen was going through felt worlds away, even if their lives had intersected in such major ways. Stopping Deirean clearly mattered a great deal to Aspen, but that was not an ordeal that Ruby felt equipped to help her tackle. It made her feel helpless. She and the others could praise Aspen's actions as much as they wanted but, in the end, they were only words of defense. They wouldn't help her against Deirean.
But… what if they could? She may have promised another visit but, the way she talked, it didn't seem like Aspen actually planned on a next time. Like Weiss said, there was nothing to be gained from telling eight strangers about Deirean and the rephaim. Ruby could understand why she felt responsible for what happened to Pyrrha, but this was something Aspen had probably kept a secret from as many people as possible. Her hand drifted to the sword on her back once more.
Weiss's hand settled on her arm. "Ruby? Are you okay?"
Ruby pulled away. "I'm sorry!" She dashed to the door and threw it open. "I'll be right back!"
Bursting out into the hallway, she looked left and right frantically. There were only a handful of nurses going about their rounds, and she quickly spotted Aspen approaching the elevators. A man—Oliver Cyprus, Ruby recalled—stood beside them, waiting for her. "Aspen, hold on!" Several of the nurses cast warning looks at her, and she mimed apologies as she ran up to Aspen.
Aspen stopped and glanced between her and Oliver until the man gave her a go-ahead nod. "What is wrong?" she asked Ruby.
Ruby skidded to a halt and began to awkwardly play with her fingers. "Well, it's nothing 'wrong,' exactly… It's just… There was something I wanted to bring up..."
Aspen nodded. "You already knew that I was Rephaim."
"Well, it's… W-w-wait! How did you know?"
Aspen shifted her weight but didn't look upset. "Your surprise felt different than the others, as though…" She thought for a moment. "As though you were surprised not by what I said, but that I said it."
Ruby grimaced. So, she'd been found out. "Y-yeah. You got me. My Uncle Qrow told me about it. Turns out, he's kinda like you."
Aspen frowned. "He told me he was human."
Ruby's eyes widened. "Oh, no! He is, but I guess there's a tiny part of him that's, er, rephaitic." She rubbed her arm. "To be honest, I kinda thought you already knew about that."
"I did not." Aspen pursed her lips. "That is… curious."
That's one way to put it. Ruby shook her head. Back on track. "Anyway, that wasn't what I came out here to talk about." Aspen shifted her weight again, offering up her full focus. Taking a breath, Ruby pulled out the sword from her back and held it out. "Do you recognize this?"
She needn't have asked. Aspen's brow tightened and her shoulders drew back. "I wish that I did not," she said quietly.
Ruby bit her lip. Maybe this was a bad idea. If Aspen had used this sword to fight Adam, there were probably some bad memories attached. "Right, sorry. I just… Penny was my friend. It hurt to lose her—and, honestly, it still hurts—but a part of me was happy to see you using her sword. It was almost like she still fighting with us, you know?" Blinking away a few threatening tears, Ruby pushed the sword out further toward Aspen. "A-anyway, I want you to have it. I think she would've wanted you to have it, too. All she wanted was to be human, too…"
Aspen stared at the sword for several seconds before reaching out her hands and gently taking it. "I… Thank you." She ran her fingers along the metal, tracing the green and gold details. "She had a soul." Ruby looked up, confused. Aspen's focus remained on the weapon. "Your friend, Penny. I felt her Aura. It may have been created, but… all life is." She furrowed her brow. "I don't have an Aura. I do not feel my soul. I suppose that means she was more human than I am."
"That's not true! You're just as human as any of us!" Ruby could feel the eyes of those around them again, but she didn't care this time. "Maybe you can't feel your soul, but so what? I can feel it. So can Yang, Blake, and Weiss. I bet Rhys and the rest of your team can feel it, too. A soul isn't just a thing you feel. It's who you are, the things you do. It's your sense of right and wrong and how you act on it. It's the person you choose to be when no one wants to give you a choice!" She caught her breath. Maybe she was rambling, but she felt confident in her words and if she could repay Aspen for even half of what she'd done for her, she would ramble all day if she needed. "It's the people you love and the people who love you." Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around Aspen. "I know you have a soul, Aspen, and you deserve to be able to love yourself."
Aspen had never struck Ruby as the kind of person who was comfortable with physical contact but, the longer she held the embrace, the more Aspen pressed her weight back into her until, finally, she raised her own arms and returned the hug. "I do not know if I can," she said, her breath rattling in her chest, "but I will try."
The beginning and end of this second scene are some of my favorite bits I've written, but the whole thing was a lot of fun. This was my first time writing for Ren and Nora, and at least tied for most characters I've ever had in a single scene. Balancing and separating nine personalities can be difficult, but I'm happy with the result.
So, yeah, this chapter was really about rounding out Carmine and Ruby's character arcs, and the next should transition us out of this slower-paced, character-driven segment into the final leg of the entire story. Yikes. Well, I guess I'll have to get cracking on that. Au revoir!
