Howdy folks, how's it going?
Hope you all have been keeping safe and healthy.
Here I am, to bring you a brand-new chapter, technically it seems I've hit the 100k words milestone. Nice. I think. There always seem to be discrepancies in word count between FF and Word. Regardless, hope it'll help you through these times we're living in.
As always, the obligatory shout out to Chaos Productions. A good writer and a better bro.
And as always, I own neither RWBY nor The Elder Scrolls. I'd make the "If I did" comments but after a while those get difficult to keep going. There's only so much I can rant about.
And now, on with the show.
/
The early morning at Beacon Academy found an unusual duo making their way to the cafeteria, one blond, tailed boy excitedly gushing to his bemused, goggles-wearing, blue-haired teammate.
"And then, then there's a flash that looks like my aura on overdrive and bam, she gets back up, right as rain." The monkey faunus finished, having the sense to keep his exposition at a discreet tone.
"Holy shit…" The other boy, Neptune, couldn't help but say, enraptured by the tale despite himself. His friend and team leader may be a jokester, but he wasn't one to make up bullshit on such a serious level.
"I know, right?" Sun finished, fixing the other boy with his attempt at a serious stare.
"But for real, man, keep this a secret. Like, don't even tell Scarlet and Sage."
"Dude," His teammate couldn't help but reply with a bemused expression and a mild dryness to his tone. "All due respect, but they are still kinda pissed at you for pretty much going AWOL on us. Even if I wanted to disrespect your request for secrecy regarding your awsome adventures, I don't think they'd want to listen."
"Ouch." The monkey faunus flinched slightly, giving a nervous chuckle at the friendly rebuke. "Yeah, you got me there. I really should do something nice for them to apologize… But that can wait 'till they actually get here. For now, I really want you to meet these guys!"
"Right, right… Interested in this Blake girl, uh?" The ribbing caught the blond off-guard, but it was Neptune who was surprised when his friend and team leader grew uncharacteristically demure.
"I dunno, man." Sun answered seriously, sounding mildly disappointed. "I mean, yeah, I was kinda curious from the moment I first saw her when I got here, but I've kinda got the feeling she might not be interested if I tried anything. I mean, not sure if they've figured it out, but she and Tristard definitely got something going on. She's a nice gal and he's a cool dude, so until I see clear evidence to the contrary, I ain't about to mess with that, ya know?"
"Oh, well," Neptune started, surprised yet impressed despite himself. "Look at you, being all chivalrous and bro-code abiding. Maybe going AWOL did do you some good."
"Eh, it is what it is." The monkey faunus shrugged, as they arrived at the cafeteria's entrance. "Anyway, they should be here. Remember, be cool, ok? I wanna make a good second impression."
"Dude, chill. I got this." His teammate reassured while rolling his eyes, when was he ever not cool?
Conceding the point, Sun made to open the door.
And the duo was nearly trampled as it burst open, and waves upon waves of students came rushing out while crying out something about a "food fight".
"Ok…" Neptune started as the last few stragglers passed by, feeling kind of freaked out even as he kept his back against the wall by the door, where he'd just narrowly managed to seek refuge from the stampede. "That's… different."
"Yeah, no kidding." Sun agreed, dangling by his tail from the door's arch, just out of range, feeling just as confused as his teammate. Once they'd determined it was safe enough to do so, the duo risked entering the building. They were greeted by chaos and flying foodstuffs as a group of students faced each other in…battle?
"Uh," The blue-haired boy muttered, not quite sure how to process what he was seeing. "I guess the folks at Beacon take the term "food fight" kinda literally…"
"I know. Ain't that aw-Whoa!" The monkey faunus made to dive out of the way as a variety of fruits, soda cans, oatmeal-filled bowls and a whole freaking roasted hog came flying straight at them… only to suddenly stop in mid-air.
"Well, would you look at that." Someone called out from the side in recognition. "Over here, you two."
The floating food started drifting away in the direction of the voice, the two rather confused boys following with their eyes to find a solitary table set against the far wall, a small oasis of calm, where four people were currently seated, one of them familiar to the monkey faunus, completely ignoring the madness that was going on. Glancing at each other, the duo shrugged and hastily made to follow.
"Ah, Sun." Tristard said as they approached, raising a water glass in their direction in greeting. "Well met. It has been a while."
"Oh, uh, hey, Tristard." The blond replied somewhat uncertainly, flinching as the sound of shattering tables echoed through the hall. "What's going on here?"
"Oh, you know how it goes," The dragonborn answered with a shrug, tearing a leg off the hog as it softly landed at the table and taking a bite. "First it's a grape that goes flying, then an apple, then someone gets a pie to the face and all Oblivion breaks loose. The girls have many qualities, restraint isn't one of them." He then looked over to the blond's company, eyebrow raised in curiosity. "So, who's your friend?"
"Oh right," Sun started, suddenly remembering why he'd come in the first place, putting a hand on his teammate's shoulder. "This here is Neptune, my partner in our team. I wanted to introduce him to you guys, but seems like most of the gang is kind of busy right now…" A loud squelching sound of bursting watermelon followed the statement.
"Yo," Neptune greeted with a wave of his hand. "Tristard, right? Sun's been talking a lot about you. Pretty cool stuff, too."
"Hmn, you've always known how to make an impression." Another of the table's occupants commented in amusement. Neptune turned to them, and immediately felt captivated by gorgeous orange eyes.
"Well, heeeeellllloooo there." He drawled, immediately turning to the beautiful young woman, who was daintily sipping from a teacup, giving her his best, twinkling pearly white smile. "Please, excuse my rudeness. Neptune Vasilias, at your service. And who might you be… Dusky Princess?"
…
…
The young woman gave him an amused look, less of the "You smooth talker, you" kind of amusement and more the "I find the fact you're actually serious about this mildly amusing" kind.
"Has that line actually ever worked the way you intended it to?" She asked in curious and polite dismissal. Tristard could've sworn he heard shattering glass as the boy seemed to freeze, that shiny smile turned brittle in his face.
"Pppft." Sun just barely caught himself before he burst out laughing at his friend's shocked still expression. "Wow, that's gotta be the fastest I've ever seen him getting shot down. Sorry about him, he just can't help himself whenever he sees a pretty face."
"No offense taken." The midnight black-haired woman assured politely. "As for an actual introduction, I am Serana, an old friend of Tristard. He has told us about you as well. Delighted to make your acquaintance."
The monkey faunus nodded at the introduction, then his attention turned to another of the table's occupants. "And who might you be, little lady?"
The girl in question, who had been quietly chowing on a cereal bowl by the dragonborn's side, clearly too young to be a student, flinched at being so suddenly addressed and tried to discreetly pull her chair closer to him to use him as a barrier between her and the stranger.
"This little lass here is Tawny," The archmage spoke for her, patting the raccoon girl's head soothingly. "She's a ward of the academy. Apologies, she's shy around strangers."
After the debacle of Ashenwood, standard Huntsman procedure dictated that the sole survivor of the town be sent to the orphanage, but Tristard did not care that this was a whole different world, with a whole different set of standards to adhere to, he quite simply would not take the chance of leaving the lass to fend for herself in one of those… places, if he could help it. He had argued against it with Ozpin. Quite vehemently. And eventually the headmaster gave in, turning to an older, but still valid statute developed for such situations.
And so it was that Tawny came to become a ward of Beacon, living under a sort of shared custody between the academy and the teams that had had a role in saving her. Fortunately, her shy demeanour and eagerness to help where she could had quickly endeared the girl to both the faculty and majority of the student body. It spoke volumes of the situation when the one time she had been harassed by a particularly racist student without any member of RWBYS, JNPR or CFVY nearby, it had been Team CRDL of all people who had dragged him away to "impress" upon him that such was not acceptable behaviour, with a complementary trip to the infirmary.
Sun, as happy-go-lucky and free-spirited as he tended to be, was savvy enough to understand the implications.
"I see. Say, Tawny, that's a really cute tail you got there." He complimented as the kid hugged the fluffy appendage, then brought his own tail forward to wave in greeting. "That makes us tail buddies! If you want, of course."
Despite everything, Tawny managed a small giggle, and the monkey faunus took that as a victory. Then his attention turned to the last person present, only to make him do a double take.
"Dude, you got ears and tail? How'd that happen?" He couldn't help but blurt out in surprise. He'd never heard of that being a thing before.
"A unique, secondary mutation." The guy drawled like he'd been asked some variation of that question a million times already. Which to be fair was kind of what happened ever since the disguised khajiit had come to Beacon. Lots of occasions to rehearse that particular cover story. "J'Zargo's awesome like that."
In the background, a loud slam preluded Yang being blown straight through the roof. The sight was enough to snap Neptune out of his funk.
"Uh, is she gonna be alright?" He wondered with concern.
"Oh, yes, think nothing of it." Tristard dismissed, a wave of his hand preventing a stray tray of croissants from falling upon them. "Scuffles like this happen every other day, give or take. She's fine."
"I suppose if you say so…" The monkey faunus replied, not sounding all that convinced. "Why aren't you… you know, helping the team?"
"Even if I wanted to participate in this childish mess, after the first time it has been established that it would be an unfair advantage." The dragonborn explained with a shrug. "And I'm not averse to some entertainment with my morning meal. Now if you'll excuse me…"
At that, Tristard raised his arms and cast a greater ward, a translucent blue barrier manifesting around the little corner of the room. Just in time to shield them all from the debris and roiling winds as Ruby's finishing move ended the match in his team's favor.
"Uh, the girls win." J'Zargo noted idly. "What's the score by now?"
"They were tied 27 to 27. With this one, the girls are pulling ahead." Tristard replied just as nonchalantly.
"You guys are being pretty chill about this." Neptune could not help but note as he surveyed the damage, earning him a stare from all three older people at the table.
"Trust me, you may think this is odd, but compared to where we're from, it's nothing." The dragonborn explained, and meant it. Compared to such debacles as the Great Mudcrab incident, the Great Clannfear Infestation, or the Great Cheese Disaster (that had been a particularly bad day…) back at the mess hall of the College, fights like this felt downright normal.
Of course, it was at that moment that Goodwitch came barging in, looking rather displeased. With a wave of her crop, all the broken pillars, walls, tables, chairs, silverware, plates, and foodstuffs rearranged themselves to their original positions, leaving the cafeteria as pristine as it had been before opening this morning.
Tristard could not help but let out a low whistle of appreciation at the sight, as he surveyed the scene with the critical eye of an expert.
"Truly, a fine display of telekinesis and matter manipulation, Professor Goodwitch." The dragonborn praised, not for the first time wondering about the nature of the power known in Remnant as semblances, and what barriers existed to distinguish it from magic.
The compliment however merely seemed to draw an exasperated glare from the deputy headmistress.
"Mr. Soverick, Mr. J'Zargo, Miss Serana." She ground out in a long-suffering tone. "Why exactly did you allow this to go on?"
The Tamrielic trio blinked at the reprimand.
"Breaking up fights is not within the job description of a librarian." The disguised khajiit provided, still feeling rather bemused by the job he and Serana had been offered in order to stay at Beacon. He just knew that Urag would never let him hear the end of it, just as he knew without a doubt that the senile old orc would know about it.
"And I am but a humble student, professor. Who am I to deny my fellow students their fun?" He asked with a shrug, taking a lot more amusement from the way her eyebrow twitched than he probably should have. This was all probably very immature of him, but now that he had a chance to just sit back and not have to deal with a problem as part of the staff, he was going to damn well take it.
The very unamused woman made to say something probably rather chastising, but she was interrupted when another hole opened through the ceiling as Yang finally came crashing back down. Without even batting an eye, the Archmage threw his arm in her direction, stopping her momentum in its tracks and letting the blonde land softly on the ground.
"Thanks for the save, Tristard!"
"Any time, Yang."
Aye, Goodwitch's eyebrow was most definitely twitching right now, but she clearly decided it was not worth the effort to keep pushing, and instead turned to reprimand those actually involved in the brawl.
"Now, now, Glynda." The Headmaster interjected as he approached, surveying the scene with an amused little smile. "There was no harm done. Allow the children to be children."
"With all due respect, Headmaster." The woman retorted primly, focusing her frustrations on this new target. "I get the distinct impression you wouldn't be nearly as forgiving if I weren't here to fix the damages…"
"Now then," Ozpin continued, like he had not registered the accusation. "With all this commotion over with, I've actually come here to find you, Mr. Soverick. May we have a word in my office?"
The dragonborn couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the unexpected request, trying and failing to come up with any reason that may have prompted it.
"Oh?"
/
A short while later found him standing beside the headmaster looking out through the windowed wall of his office, observing as an odd fleet of flying metal ships made to land at the docks by the cliff's edge.
"I do not think I'll ever quite get used to seeing such massive structures fly unaided by sorcery…" Tristard could not help but muse. Truly, this "technology" the people of Remnant had developed was capable of some rather impressive feats.
"It makes for quite a view doesn't it?" Ozpin replied, although he sounded none too pleased. At the dragonborn's curious expression, he shook his head ruefully before explaining.
"These ships are part of the Atlesian fleet. They have come to bring the Atlesian contingent for the upcoming Vytal Festival. The Headmaster of Atlas, General Ironwood, has also come."
…That just raised further questions.
"Some might question the wisdom of allowing a foreign military to so casually enter your borders." The dragonborn noted somewhat sourly. Such a thing had been the source of a lot of headaches back home…
"There is peace between Vale and Atlas, Mr. Soverick, and our kingdoms have been trusted allies for many years now." Ozpin continued. "Your point of view, while logical, is quite unfounded in this situation."
"And yet you don't seem very happy to see these ships." The archmage noted, deciding against going deeper into the subject of Remnant's politics and the oddness thereof.
"As stated, Mr. Soverick, we are in a time of peace. Ironwood is a good friend, but he sometimes shows an unfortunate tendency to act rashly. This… delegation is probably his response to the unrest that's been ongoing with the dust robberies and the White Fang's activities." The older man said, after a moment of sullen silence. "Armies have their place and their uses, but in the current context, I worry they will send the wrong message. The populace will worry about what its presence will mean. Fret that something might be wrong."
"Ozpin," Tristard could not help but cut in bluntly. "Your kingdoms are surrounded on all sides by countless creatures of darkness that relentlessly seek your destruction. Something is wrong."
"…I suppose that your status as an outsider would grant you that perspective, and it's not inaccurate." The older man conceded. "But the issue is precisely that making the populace too aware of that fact will only hinder our efforts to keep them safe. The Grimm thrive on negativity, and armies tend to make people nervous."
"They also tend to keep them safe." The dragonborn replied with a shrug. "I suppose there's not really a right or wrong answer here. And that is all well and good, but why exactly did you call for me?"
"Straight to the point, uh, Mr. Soverick? I suppose that's just as well." The headmaster hummed, watching as the first of the ships began its descent. "General Ironwood will be coming here as soon as the fleet docks. And he has asked to meet you, personally."
"Oh?" The dragonborn intoned, genuinely surprised by this turn of events. "And what have I done to attract the general's attention?"
"Alexander Kron." Ozpin replied simply.
"Ah, I see." Tristard muttered with a comprehending nod, this was familiar territory to him, what with the sort of reputation he had gathered back home. "Curious to see the person that put a stop to that scum, is he?"
"Indeed, and likely he wishes to extent his gratitude in person. I called you here, Mr. Soverick, to give you some prior warning and… to coordinate with you, if you will." The headmaster explained, taking a sip from his ever-present mug. "General Ironwood, as I mentioned, is an old friend. He's also fully aware of Amber and the situation of the Maidens. It was he who provided the machinery that is currently monitoring her condition. He is not, however, aware of the truth of the situation regarding you, Miss Serana and Mr. J'Zargo."
"And do you believe he should be told?" The dragonborn guessed.
"Quite the contrary, actually. I believe it'd be for the best if he remains unaware." The headmaster replied, causing Tristard to stare at him in honest confusion, that had been far from the expected response. "Ah, I see I've surprised you, Mr. Soverick."
"That is one way to look at it." Tristard conceded, his mind racing as he considered the implications. "I take it this has something to do with your disapproval of the General's approach?"
"In a way, yes. James is a man who means well, and he has the best interests of humanity in mind, but he has an unfortunate tendency to… be overly blunt. To look upon the whole in detriment to the individuals and act rashly when it comes to securing advantages. An approach, I must admit, I have fallen into myself on occasion…" Was the confirmation, a certain, weary regret to the words. "When Amber was attacked, it was he that first put forth the idea of transferring the rest of the Maiden's power to someone else, because while he felt for her, he believes we need to have that power on our side. I imagine he will disagree with the new approach I am taking on your counsel, and if he were to find out the three of you belong to another world, or the true nature of the powers you possess, I worry that he'd grow too focused on the possibilities and venues that you could open for us, in detriment to our currently established arrangement."
"Hhhhmm…" The dragonborn hummed ponderingly. "How would you play this, then? As you've explained things, the man may already have his eyes on me."
"We keep to the cover story I have arranged for you, and I will handle any suspicion on his part regarding any discrepancies he might find. He will listen to me, disagreements aside." Ozpin stated, before heaving a sigh. "Please keep in mind, Mr. Soverick, I am not trying to paint you a poor picture of the general. He is a good man, he just does not always make the best choices, and I would try to help him avoid doing so at this juncture."
"And I assume I am to see this for myself with this meeting?"
"Perceptive as always, Mr. Soverick." There was a beep from the headmaster's table. "Ah, it'd seem Glynda's bringing the general. This won't take long now, Mr. Soverick."
Silence fell between the two men, as Ozpin returned to his seat, and Tristard went to stand before it, both of them looking to the office's door as the moving light over it signalled the approaching elevator.
Pretty soon, the door opened, revealing the Deputy Headmistress, looking more exasperated than Tristard ever recalled seeing her, and behind her…
The first thought that crossed the dragonborn's mind was that military apparel standards in Remnant were but another of the many oddities he had seen on this world. With his stark greying white, neat and prim outfit, the man looked more fit to a ballroom than a battlefield. But that was only on the surface. Broad of shoulder and steady in his step, the general carried himself with a steely discipline that the dragonborn could well recognize only a veteran soldier could boast of.
Then his stern, professional demeanour softened as the man's eyes fell upon the headmaster, a fond smile gracing his expression.
"Ozpin." Ironwood greeted, his arms spread wide as he approached. "It has been far too long."
The archmage was also quick to note then, that there was something off with the man. His gait, the stiffness of the movements on his right side, something was amiss…
"Always a pleasure, James." Ozpin replied in kind. "Before anything else, I have taken the liberty of arranging the meeting you had requested."
At the words, the general's attention finally fell on the dragonborn.
"Ah, yes. So, you must be Tristard Soverick." Ironwood said, looking at him with steely, calculating eyes even as his expression did not loose its friendly demeanour. "It is an honor to meet you at last."
A white-gloved hand was reached to him, and Tristard shook it, showing no reaction even as he noted the abnormal amount of pressure beyond an easy polite, smile, allowing himself to slip ever so slightly into his more diplomatic facet. He hated politics, but it was an unfortunate consequence of his position that he needed to dabble from time to time.
"The honor is all mine, General." He replied jovially, affecting some confusion in his tone. "I must admit, I was quite surprised to hear of your intent to meet me."
"A humble one, aren't you?" The man questioned in good humour, obviously approving of whatever it was he saw. "At ease, Mr. Soverick. I simply wanted to see for myself the young huntsman who captured Alexander Kron. That man as long been a mark of shame for Atlas, and on behalf of the Kingdom, I wanted to personally thank you for bringing him in and washing that stain from our honor."
"Think nothing of it, I was just doing what I could to ensure that we all got out of that mess in one piece." He deflected honestly, before a thought struck him. "What became of him and his ilk?"
"His surviving men are currently in jail, never to see daylight again. As for that scum, is currently waiting in the death row for execution." The general answered, a grim, angry edge to his voice at the thought of those disgraceful criminals. "They will never threaten innocent civilians again, thanks to you."
And that still was a far better fate than they deserved, but the archmage decided to keep that thought to himself, responding with a simple nod.
"Now, then," Ozpin cut in, as Glynda took her place standing by his side. "I believe we have matters to discuss, James. Mr. Soverick, you're dismissed."
"Yes, of course." The general concurred, as if only just now remembering there was other business to attend to. "Once again, Mr. Soverick, you have my gratitude, and that of the Kingdom of Atlas. I am quite looking forward to seeing what you can do in the tournament."
"I will endeavour to meet your expectations, then. Farewell, general." Tristard said as he took his leave, leaving the headmasters of Beacon and Atlas to their own discussions, and pondering about what he had learned on the way down the tower.
From that little interaction alone, the dragonborn was certainly able to understand Ozpin's point of view. The general, for all the discipline and sternness he carried himself with, was not nearly as in control of his emotions as he tried to lead others to believe. A good man who meant well… Tristard could certainly see it. If only good intentions alone were enough.
The memory of a banner with the visage of a growling bear came to mind unbidden…
He'd heed Ozpin on this.
/
"Yang Xiao Long! Prepare your Kingdom for battle!" Ruby declared loudly and boldly, finger pointed challengingly at her sister. The blonde for her part, smiled tauntingly in return.
"Bring it on!"
"I deploy the Atlesian Air Fleet!"
"Oh, you're approaching my Mystralian lines? Instead of running away you're approaching me?"
"I can't burn your kingdom to the ground without getting closer!"
"Ohohoh, then come as close as you like! But you'll activate my trap card, Giant Nevermore!"
"What?! NO!"
"Girls," Tristard ground out in barely contained annoyance from where he sat reading on the next table over. "We are in a library. Will you please keep it down before I bring out the paralysis spells? Trust me, if I don't, J'zargo will."
The afternoon found the two teams relaxing at Beacon's Library with some reading and boardgames. Ruby had dragged Tawny and the girls into it, but the dragonborn had underestimated just how competitive his teammates could be. And say what you will about old Urag, but the senile old orc had instilled upon the breton a very healthy respect for the sanctity of this place of learning, no matter the world it belonged to. What the girls were doing was seriously starting to grate on his nerves.
"Thank you." Ren said from the side, clearly very much in agreement.
"Oh, uh, sorry Tristard." Yang replied, chuckling embarrassedly at the chastisement. "That sounds a bit extreme though, doesn't it?"
"You say that because you've clearly never braved the library of the mage's college." A voice said directly behind her, nearly making the blonde jump as she turned to see Serana, staring down at her disapprovingly even as she brought over a book that the dragonborn had requested. "The librarian there would not have warned you before, nor would he have started with mere paralysis."
"That bad?" Ruby questioned, curiously.
"Worse than you can imagine. J'Zargo has never been able to look at fish the same way ever again." J'Zargo intoned soullessly as he passed by, carrying some books someone had left out of place. The red-cloaked girl almost probed further, but the way the trio shuddered simultaneously at some shared recollection made her think better of it.
"Oooook, duly noted." Yang said somewhat uncertainly, having come to much the same conclusion. "Are you sure you don't want to join in?"
Tristard gave her an utterly unimpressed look.
"Coordinating war among realms? Building and destroying fragile alliances? Deciding the fate of nations? I do believe the local expression is "Been there, done that."" He stated drily.
"Uh, fair point." The blonde conceded, deciding to let the matter drop. "So, Weiss, your turn now."
With that, the game proceeded at a much more reasonable volume. And to the girls' surprise, Tawny proved to be very good at the game. Pretty soon, the forces of Ruby, Blake, Weiss and Yang were on the brink of being obliterated by Menagerie and the little girl was soon to be crowned high overlord of Remnant. Having kept an eye on the ongoing game even as he read, the Dragonborn couldn't help but note the girl had a sound grasp of tactics.
"Yikes, Tawny," Ruby commented surprisedly, as the last lingering remains of her forces had just been annihilated. "Where did you learn to play so well?"
"We had this game, back at the Inn." The little girl replied with a tiny, mischievous smile. "I used to play against all the kids and travellers passing by all the time. I learned good."
It warmed Tristard's heart that the girl could speak so fondly of her past with the tragedy still so recent in their minds. Her talks with Oobleck and the support from those around her had gone a long way to help the girl it'd seem.
"You got that right." Yang muttered, thinking it best not to mention how Menagerie was considered the hardest faction to play and how it was supposed to be nearly impossible to win with them. "Alright, Blake, it's your turn."
"Hhmm? Oh, right." The cat faunus startled. She'd been spacing out a lot lately, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by either Tristard or the other girls. She also wasn't very familiar with the game as it turned out. "I'm sorry, what am I supposed to do, now?"
"Sup, fellas!"
The sudden voice calling out had the entire group look over, to see Sun and Neptune coming closer.
"Oh, hey, Sun," Ruby greeted politely. "What's up?"
"Ruby, Blake, Tristard, Yang, Tawny, Ice Queen." The monkey faunus greeted each in turn, ignoring the heiress' indignation as he reached to pat his partner on the back. "It's just that since we didn't really get the chance to do it properly earlier, I wanted to formally introduce you girls to my bud Neptune here."
"Hey, ladies," The blue-haired boy greeted, before staring in apparent confusion as he realized what they were doing. "Uh, aren't libraries for reading?"
"They are." A voice drawled from behind them, making the boys flinch as they turned to see J'Zargo passing behind them with another set of books in hand, a sight that Tristard couldn't help but find quite amusing given the khajiit's rocky relationship with the College's own library and librarian. "But alas it seems like some people don't fully grasp that concept."
His piece of snark given, the catman went back to his duties, leaving the blond boy to shake his head while muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'Nerds, nerds everywhere…'
"So, Neptune was it?" Weiss asked curiously. If asked, she'd deny to hell and back that she was fishing for information on potential rivals for the tournament. "Where are you from?"
"Haven," The blue-haired boy replied casually… before he got a good look at the heiress and that odd, shining smile bloomed on his face. "And I'm sorry, but I don't think I actually got your name… Snow Angel?"
From the next table over, Jaune's head whiplashed towards the scene, eyes wide and face disbelieving at the cheer gal and injustice of what he was witnessing-
"Serana has already commented on your loose flirting tendencies." The heiress deadpanned at the boy, looking clearly unamused. "I am not impressed."
Neptune froze in place, and Jaune gave a sigh of relief. If that line didn't work for him, it shouldn't work for anyone. There might be some justice left on the world after all…
He clearly did not notice the aggrieved look on his partner's face.
"Ouch," Sun commented, making a valiant effort not to chuckle at his friend's misfortune. "Two for two."
/
"Damn, that kid is merciless." Yang groused later that day as the team made it back to their dorm. "6 games, and she dominated all of them…"
"I told you the faction switch was a bad idea…" Ruby grumbled in return, as she plopped down on a chair. "But loosing streaks aside, I think we need to address the Goliath in the room. Blake."
Once again, the cat faunus startled, surprised by her team leader's sudden shift to a more serious attitude. Looking around the rest of her teammates, however, it seemed like it was an attitude that they each shared, staring back at her with concerned expressions.
"Yes…?" She eventually asked, rather hesitantly.
"What's bothering you?"
…
…
"I'm worried." The cat faunus admitted with a weary sigh, deciding that there was little point in deflecting. "You guys know that bookstore me and Tristard like going to?"
"You mean the one run by that former White Fang friend of yours?" Her partner prompted, eyebrow raised curiously. "Yeah, what about it?"
"It closed doors." Blake replied, to the surprise of the other girls, but not the dragonborn, who had been there with her when it happened. "Tukson left the White Fang before I did, but he still kept an ear to the ground about their activities. And lately he came under the impression that he was being hunted for it, so he went into hiding."
"Would the White Fang try to… silence former operatives?" Weiss asked, disapproval of the notion clearly written in her expression.
"Normally, I'd answer no. There was a time when whoever felt the need to leave was free to do so, like my parents did." A flash of regret crossed her face as the memories briefly came to mind, before she admitted sadly. "But with their descent into more… extreme methods, I can't say I'd put it past them. Specially when before he left Tukson warned me that they are planning something. Something big."
"And that's what's been bothering you?" Ruby asked softly, in an understanding tone.
"I am frustrated. Because I know that something is going on behind the scenes, and yet I don't see anything being done about it! Because I even brought my concerns up to the Headmaster when he was debriefing us about the docks incident, but he just told me to have faith in the local authorities, and I haven't seen the police nor the huntsmen making any progress. Because I want so badly to do something, anything, to prevent whatever plan the White Fang's working on from happening…" The growing rant suddenly deflated into a much quieter, meeker tone. "And yet, the last time I rushed in on my own, I nearly got myself killed. If I want to do something, I will need help and I… don't now if I deserve to ask for yours… If it's right to get you involved in this mess…"
…
…
"Uh, that's strange." The younger girl commented, finger tapping at her cheek in an exaggerated thinking pose. "It's sounding to me like you just did."
The answer had Blake recoiling, staring at her team leader in utter surprise.
"U-uh?"
"Blake, we're a team, and you are our friend. If you thought we were gonna let you do anything alone after everything we've been through, well, you're being kinda silly." Ruby said, with a cheery smile. "You want to investigate the White Fang? Well, count me in!"
"I'm with sis." Yang said, throwing an arm around her stunned partner with a big grin on her face. "C'mon, Blakey, ya really gotta learn to give us a bit more credit than that. Of course we're down for kicking some bad guy butt."
"Normally, I'd be the voice of reason and point out that we're just students and lacking any legal or actual means to do much." Weiss commented with her usual air of regal superiority, but she was smiling a resigned little smile. "But I know by now that'd be wasted on all of you. Might as well tag along and make sure you don't go biting more than you can chew again."
"I was there the last time. It'd be quite uncharacteristic of me to back out now." Tristard voiced, a warm smile on his face at the scene playing out before him. "Whatever it is you girls decide to do, I shall provide my assistance to the best of my ability."
Even if he hadn't heard the words of the Augur, the dragonborn had been around these young women long enough to know that there was something special about them. He wasn't going to deny them now, he'd never been the sort to refuse to aid a friend. Ask Hadvar, Serana or Paarthurnax.
Blake, her face one of utter surprise, looked between her leader, her partner, the heiress, and the archmage. Tears begun to pool at the corners of her eyes, and she quickly tried to rub them away.
"You guys… Thank you." She said, smiling a genuine, heartfelt smile. It warmed Tristard's heart to see it.
"No need to thank us, Blake. We're just gonna be doing our jobs, after all." A grin full of childish enthusiasm blooming in Ruby's face even as she pumped her fist in the air. "Operation "Investigate White Fang" is a go-OhnoIforgotthegamebackinthelibrary!"
With that she was gone from view, leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake.
"And there goes our courageous team leader." Weiss drawled, her voice thick with sarcasm, and although she'd never admit it, some exasperated fondness. "We're doomed, aren't we?"
"I'll go after her." Tristard volunteered, chuckling amusedly.
Had to give Remnant the proper credit. Weird as this world could be at times, things were never boring.
/
Ruby didn't even manage to cross half the hallway before she ran into someone, causing her to fall flat on her rear. That's what she gets for half-assing it on the speed.
"Ouch…" She groaned, shaking her head before looking up, giving an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that…"
"Just pay more attention to where you're going next time." The girl, green-haired and dark-skinned, dismissed while reaching out to help the red-cloaked girl back up. Ruby could not help but blink curiously when she realized she didn't recognize the girl or the guy with her, who were wearing different uniforms…
"Ruby, you should know by now not to-Oh my, what a pleasant surprise." A voice she recognized as Tristard's called from behind her. Sure enough her teammate was approaching, an amused smirk on his face as he looked over the newcomers in recognition.
"You." The girl ground out as she glared daggers at him, causing Ruby to blink confusedly at the unexpected hostility, even more so when the guy with her seemed to be making an effort not to burst into laughter.
"So, we meet again, fair lady. Far sooner than I expected, I will have to admit." He grinned, a grin cheekier than she'd ever seen in him before. "Come to match skills again?"
The very obviously a taunt had the girl growling, but as she opened her mouth to retort-
"Now, now, Emerald." A lilting voice came from behind the duo, making them part to reveal another girl behind them, sharing the same, all black uniform. Ruby couldn't help but note that this one looked closer to Tristard's age than her own…
"I apologize for my teammate." The new girl(woman?) said, smiling politely. "We have just arrived as part of the Haven delegation, and it seems that we have gotten a little lost."
"Oh, no offense taken." Tristard dismissed with a jovial smile. "I am afraid that you are indeed misplaced, however. Visiting students had their own dorm arrangements, correct Ruby?"
"Oh, uh," The red-cloaked girl stammered at the unexpected addressal, before she nodded and pointed. "Yeah, you're right, you guys are getting your own dorm. It's over that way."
"I see." The girl(?) said, that smile never leaving her face. "Thank you, we'll be taking our leave then. Come along, you two."
With that, the trio about turned and made their way to the stairs. As Ruby watched them go, she failed to notice that Tristard was no longer smiling.
That woman… He had seen eyes like hers before. The eyes of someone willing to do anything to have their way.
They were never a good sign.
/
And that's that.
The plot begins moving forward once again.
Hope you guys enjoyed it, and don't hesitate to tell me what you thought in the reviews.
Next up, we have the next update to 'Ere We Go, Pluz Ultra!, so look forward to that.
Cya all on the next one, stay safe.