(The following is not part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions')
Tale of CALM
Vacuo wasn't exactly the ideal place for relaxation, but that didn't mean it was impossible.
Vacuans just enjoyed their days off in different ways to the majority of people in other kingdoms.
So that left Team CALM wandering the city, trying to take stock of just what it was like, and what there was to do. They were all dressed in their normal outfits, weapons included, as Neve had told them that leaving their weapons wasn't a good idea in a city like this. The other three had hoped to rely on Neve's now vast knowledge of the city to get around, but…
"I think we're a bit lost."
He didn't seem to be having much luck either.
They were standing on one of the many streets in Vacuo, people walking all around them, mostly ignoring them. Some looked at them with some form of reverence, others with skepticism, more still with outright suspicion. Many Vacuans didn't like outsiders, and even the fact that they had saved that tribe was only going to go so far for people.
Violet crossed her arms under her chest and huffed, sounding a bit frustrated, "I thought you were supposed to know all the cities like the back of your hand?" Aura was at her side, making much the same pose as the girl herself.
Neve sighed as he looked up from his scroll, "If we were in any other kingdom, then yes, but Vacuo is a bit different. It's constantly having buildings destroyed and rebuilt, the streets here aren't planned out, and they change every few years. This place is as new to me as it is to you guys."
Lunus chuckled and placed his hands on his hips, "Well, if we're lost then let's just see where the wind takes us huh?" He shrugged his shoulders, "Not like we were going anywhere in particular today anyway." Lunus' live and let live attitude was always a good equalizer in situations like this, even if he was still probably the most responsible member of the team. He had forsaken his usual jacket and left his black and red button-up shirt unbuttoned, revealing the white shirt underneath. He still wore his usual black and gold trousers, combat boots, and red cloak though.
Meanwhile, Jeanne was too busy taking in the sights to really care either, "This city might be a bit weird, but it's kinda beautiful in its own way!" She had, much like Lunus, forsaken her black fleece zip-up jacket. That left her in her combat pants and white crop-top, the armor she usually wore as well had been left behind, given how hot it was. That left her with Alba Mors on her back.
Neve felt Lunus' idea was the best, considering it was all they really had, "Right, then let's just see where the roads take us." They all started walking, with Neve still leading the pack even if none of them had any particular direction they wanted to go in.
After months of being apart, Neve was more than happy to be able to spend time with his team. He didn't think this kind of thing was important enough to write about in his book, and frankly he wanted something that he could do without having to think about writing it down later. There were other things that he skipped over in his book, more outings with his friends for example when they were still students, but there was still a great deal more to write about.
This day, and the days following before the ceremony however, he figured he could just let slip by for the most part. Jeanne was the one to speak next, "So, Neve, where's Cinder and the others?"
Of course, everyone had their own idea of what to do to relax. Neve had an idea of what each of them were up to already, "Team RWBY's gone out to patrol the perimeter, apparently that's their idea of a good time." He chuckled, "Cinder decided that she wanted to enjoy some alone time, so she's reading some books and sipping tea back at the house, I imagine. Vesta and Damian are most likely enjoying the day in their own way."
There was one notable absentee from his list. Lunus pointed that out, "And Shi?"
Neve hummed, "Shi also wanted some alone time today, for her own reasons. She's in the city, somewhere." As much as his fatherly instincts raged against him for letting her wander the streets alone, he knew that Shi was skilled enough to handle herself. That wasn't even mentioning her semblance! "I imagine we'll all have plenty of time to recount what we did today with everyone else tonight."
He also had plans to spend some time with Vesta, just the two of them, to try and banish that strange awkwardness between the two of them. Their relationship was odd, there was no denying that, but they still both wanted to try and reach some semblance of normal.
That, however, was something he didn't feel like sharing with the others. Not that he felt he needed to keep it a secret, it just wasn't relevant.
What was more relevant was what they were going to do for their little day of relaxation. They wandered the streets for a while, the sights and smells of Vacuo ranged from wonderful to awful, really every street was a mystery. At least they weren't anywhere close to running out of conversation topics, with Lunus asking, "So… we'll be licensed Hunters next week, huh? It's kind of jarring, when you think about it."
Violet was quick to agree, "Yeah! It's super cool, but still, I had expected to have to deal with three more years of boring classes." She smiled, "I'm not complaining, but it'll be weird. We'll be, like… the youngest Hunters around!"
Jeanne stopped looking around long enough to join the conversation, "It really is unbelievable. I hadn't even really expected to get into Beacon in the first place, let alone deal with… everything that's happened." She giggled, "Shows everyone who doubted me, though! My family back in Domremy never thought Jaune and I could do it, but we've come so far." At the thought of her brother, she wondered, "Will Team JNPR be getting licenses too?"
It was a valid question, and one Neve had already thought about, "They will, although they're too busy to be at the ceremony. General Ironwood will take care of their licenses, Caine will be receiving one as well. Ozza still needs to undergo some further training before she can well and truly be called a Huntress, but give her enough time and I'm sure she'll be one as well."
Lunus spoke in an amused tone, clearly meaning this as a joke, "What about Shi?"
Neve snickered, "She's greatly skilled, but she's far too young for such a thing. No, she will need to attend Signal just the same as you and Ruby did, then follow through with Beacon. If we're successful on our mission, then I have no reason to believe she won't be able to enjoy a full four years of education."
Everyone seemed to share that hope, with Lunus responding, "Here's hoping. As cool as it is that we can just skip the whole 'school' thing, it's kind of an important thing we're missing out on. The least we can do is make sure Shi gets to have the experience."
There was no doubt that them becoming fully licensed would only help them in the long run. However, it was true that they were missing out on something that most people would consider important in their lives. That being said, Neve felt that it wasn't all bad, "We might be missing out on the Beacon experience, but that doesn't mean we can't have unforgettable memories on our own. We'll just have to get creative."
As if on cue, Neve spotted something. For one, they were at one of Vacuo's walls, and for two, looking out of the gate it was easy to see several people surfing down an incredibly steep slope of sand. It was so massive that it might as well have been the side of a mountain! At the top of the hill, there was a small building that, from what Neve could see, was offering boards and equipment for wannabe sandboarders. "Well, what do you guys think?"
Lunus was, of course, the first person to answer, his voice filled with clear enthusiasm, "I haven't done anything like that in ages! Let's do it."
Jeanne was quick to agree, "Looks fun! We don't have to worry about getting hurt either, since we've got aura!" There were a lot of dangerous things they got away with, and Jeanne certainly made liberal use of that fact. Neve was certain she was nowhere near as reckless before she had her aura unlocked, but now all bets were off.
Finally, Violet pitched in, "We could make it a bet! First person down the slope doesn't have to pay their part of the bill when we go to eat later." She grinned and placed her hands on her hips, "Of course I, Umber Sha'dow XIV Esquire, will be the one winning this competition!" Violet hadn't called herself that in a long time, and whereas she used to mean it as a genuine secondary name, she now mostly used it as her own form of running joke. Still, the intent was there.
Lunus was quick to quip back, "Umber Sha'dow might win, but all I see right now is Violet Merino." She deflated and pouted, stomping her foot, causing the other three to laugh. He gave her a quick scratch on the head, "Sorry Violet, but I'm winning this."
She huffed and leaned slightly into the scratching, the way her tail was swaying furiously behind her seemed to indicate that she was still entirely intent on winning. Jeanne declared, "Please! Clearly, I…" She pouted, "Won't win. I've never done anything like this before." Neve felt kind of bad for her, but he knew it didn't actually bother her all that much. She'd come a long way from where she started, that much was for certain.
Finally, everyone looked at Neve, who had been standing there with his hands resting on his cane, positioned in front of him in its usual position. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and smirking, "We'll see about that, Lunus. I'd love to save some of my money." Even if most of the money he made just sort of materialized out of thin air.
With his declaration, the first substory he'd seen in ages appeared.
New Substory Obtained!
Fuck It, We Board!
You and your team have decided to pass the time by sandboarding down a particularly large hill. While nowhere near a mountain, it is still a large slope! Will you take away the reward of not having to pay for your lunch? Or will you suffer like a peasant?
Rewards
Not Paying for Dinner. Bragging Rights. A Sense of Pride and Accomplishment.
Penalties for Failure
Paying for Your Dinner Like A Peasant.
Well, Neve was intent on not being a peasant, so he would take to this challenge with the same gusto he did with everything. None of his lives had really been into snowboarding or sandboarding, but he still felt confident in his own abilities.
It didn't take long for the team to make their way to the top of the large hill, and once they were there they were quick to rent some boards. After that it was just a matter of lining up and looking down at the impressive distance they were above to go. Jeanne gulped but otherwise didn't voice her fear.
Neve wondered if her motion sickness would act up as a result of this. He supposed there was only really one way to find out!
Not long after the four began their descent, riding their boards with varying degrees of confidence. They had agreed to not use semblances, which Neve felt must also include magic, as using that would just be unsportsmanlike.
Jeanne was the most terrified out of the four of them, wobbling about but managing to keep herself steady, if only just. However, all the struggling she was doing made her easily the slowest out of everyone when it came to going down the hill. She couldn't exactly stop gravity from dragging her downward, but she wasn't helping it speed her along either.
Violet was managing, crouching down slightly in the hopes of it helping her speed. Although she was still having trouble keeping it completely steady. There were no fancy tricks or cool moves, she was much too focused on moving forward.
Neve found it easy to stay up, he wasn't having any trouble at all. It turned out that his balance was incredibly improved, along with everything else, as a result of everything that had happened. Although this was probably the most civilian use for anything he was capable of to date, it was still fun!
Lunus easily slipped past all of them, even making something of a show of it. He cut across the sand, occasionally swaying the board to go slightly to the left and then slightly to the right. He had a grin on his face, the glint on his eyes spoke of how much he was enjoying this.
Then they reached a minor raise in the sand, a speed bump, even. For most people it would be nothing to get over it. Indeed, Lunus slowed slightly before jumping into the air, grabbing the back of his board as he rotated in the air before repositioning himself and managing to land upright, continuing down the path. Meanwhile, Neve just used the slope to gain some air time before landing back down, as did Violet.
Jeanne, however, struggling as she was, found her board catching on it. It lodged itself into the sand as she ended up getting launched into the air, albeit without her board. Then she landed on the ground and began rolling down instead! It would be concerning, if she didn't have an aura. So instead of worrying, everyone else just laughed as they caught sight of what was happening.
Violet was so distracted by it that by the time she noticed there was another speed bump coming, it was already too late. She herself got launched into the air, but unlike Jeanne, instead of ending up rolling in the sand, Aura caught her. They continued to slide down after the others, with Violet being held bridal style in her own aura's charcoal semi-translucent arms, even if she was disqualified by using her semblance.
The way she was pouting seemed to indicate that she knew that all too well.
That left Neve and Lunus, but Neve knew when he was being beat. He might have been able to keep balance, but he didn't know half the tricks and maneuvers Lunus did. The other boy was able to speed up and slow down at will while Neve was just sort of letting gravity take control.
When Lunus finally reached the bottom, he cheered, "Woo! Got it!" He looked back and grinned as Neve slid to a stop next to him. His grin turned smug, "What'd I tell you, Neve? You might have all your fancy magic, but when it comes to stuff like this?" He jerked his thumb back towards himself, "I'm the best."
Neve smiled and conceded, "I suppose you're right. Not everyone has a natural talent for things like that, no wonder you made Selene work like it does." He watched as the substory failed text appeared, it was the first time he'd ever seen it.
Substory failed!
Fuck It, We Board!
Wow, you managed to not get knocked off your board. Good job! Too bad you lost. Too bad you're a peasant.
Neve resisted the urge to huff at the text, and instead focused on what Lunus said next.
"She."
"Right, she."
After that Violet was the next to arrive, with Aura setting her down and then vanishing while Violet crossed her arms and huffed, "Man. I was doing good too." She really wasn't doing that good, but neither Lunus nor Neve felt like raining on her parade anymore than it had already been.
Finally, Jeanne finished rolling to a stop. Her clothes were absolutely covered in sand, but she was otherwise unharmed. She coughed up some sand and sat up, "Man… I've got sand in places I didn't even know I had." She looked back up the hill, "Stupid sand."
The others all laughed at their teammate's misfortune. Even Violet didn't let losing keep her down, she never did.
After that, Team CALM made their way back up the hill, retrieving the boards Violet and Jeanne had lost along the way. After they turned in what they had borrowed, the four then left and headed back into the city.
With their excitement for the day out of the way, now all the way left was to enjoy lunch.
Although Neve never doubted that it would taste the best for Lunus.
(The following is part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions')
Tale of Vesta & Neve
Neve POV
I was faced with a predicament.
After spending the morning and afternoon hanging out with my team, I came to the unassailable conclusion that it was time to address the jade elephant in the room. Again.
Vesta and I had been kind and cordial up to that point. She called me Dad, but every time she did I felt like she wasn't exactly referring to me. She was referring to the part of me that was Ozpin, which made sense, that was her father after all. Yet, he was part of me now, and like it or not I harbored those memories and those feelings, the feeling that she was my own flesh and blood.
It was difficult to deal with, and I recognized we needed to try and work past it. That was what led to us sitting together in the living room of the house, my hands resting on my cane as I leaned forward slightly.
Vesta sat on the couch parallel to me, her hands were on her own cane mirroring my pose. She, too, was leaning forward slightly.
In the total silence of the room, we just… stared at each other. For a few moments, at least, while we were both trying to figure out what to say.
Then we spoke at the same time.
"So-"
Then we stopped and stared for a few more moments. She was too much like me, too much like Oz. That wasn't to say she didn't have any of Glynda in her, her hair color and some of her mannerisms were undoubtedly influenced by her mother. Finally, I spoke with an even tone, "We have to talk. About… everything."
Vesta nodded, "We do." Then she looked off towards the front door, "Damian's gone back to Shade for the night, the others are all doing their own thing. This… really is the best time." She took a deep breath before sighing, "Should we go for a walk?"
I nodded, "That would be best." Then we both stood up and together made our way out of the house. It was already dark outside, the street lights and lanterns guided our way as we started down the street. It was cold, contrary to the burning heat of the day, it turned out that Vacuan nights were not hotter than hot.
Although Vacuo never slept, regardless of the temperature, just walking the streets proved that. While the residential streets did go quiet, streets that led to or harbored stores or played host to bazaars remained active. Vacuo didn't have time to sleep, Grimm could come at any moment after all, so the city could never completely let its guard down. That manifested in the merchants simply changing shifts instead of closing up shop entirely, for the food being proffered to simply change, and for the crowd that came out to change.
Most civilians went to bed at a reasonable hour, the people that were out and about at that late hour were either night workers of some form or another, Hunters, or criminals. It was rare indeed for civilians who had no business at night to move around in the dark. I suppose, then, it's lucky that we looked the furthest thing from civilians. Our odd clothing choice mixed with us holding what could easily be weapons, even as they appeared to be mere walking sticks, was enough to set people at ease somewhat.
Although if they had known that I wasn't Vacuan nor a student of Shade they might have become skeptical all over again. Vesta got a pass, she was a student at the academy, so she had had time to ingratiate herself to the locals. We walked together through a bazaar and I asked, "How has life in Vacuo been treating you?"
Vesta thought about it for a few moments before responding, "Well. The first couple months were a bit rough, nobody pulls any punches at Shade, but I like that about it." She smiled, "Everyone knows me as Vesta first, and Vesta Ozpin second, just the way I like it. You'd think with him… gone… they'd let up, but Mom being the new Headmistress of Beacon doesn't exactly help matters that much."
That made sense, even if Glynda still chose to use her own last name, there was no denying that Vesta was her daughter. It was common knowledge that she and Ozpin were married, there wasn't much avoiding it for the two most important figures in charge of, in some peoples' minds, the most important academy on Remnant. It was like having a form of celebrity status without being one, because they weren't so much famous as they were well known. That kind of regard still drew attention, a kind of attention Vesta had always hated.
That made me think of something else, "With your outlook, I have to imagine Theodore has become rather fond of you. Is that the case?" She nodded and so I smiled, "Thought so. Your attitude matches his almost to the T, I could see you becoming Headmistress of Shade eventually, with it."
Vesta chuckled and gained a look of distant contemplation, "One step at a time, Dad, er… Neve." She smiled, "We'll see where I am by the time I graduate. I don't know if Theodore would ever willingly retire, so he might just be there until he dies."
That was true, although the way she stumbled over what to call me reminded me of the thing I wanted to talk to her about in the first place. So, as we exited the bazaar and entered a quieter street, I said softly, "This isn't what any of us wanted. I tried so hard to make sure he could see you again." She knew that, of course she did, "I don't want you to think that I'm some cheap knockoff. I'm me, just… also Ozpin."
Vesta sighed, looking a bit guilty, "...I should have known you'd pick up on that. We've joked about it, talked about it, but… We never really have addressed it seriously." She looked around, "Come with me." Then, she began to lead the way.
At first I wasn't certain as to where we were going, but it quickly became clear that she was leading us to Shade. I had to wonder why, up until we got inside and started climbing stairs. Then I began to get an idea of what she wanted.
Sure enough, we reached the highest floor of the ziggurat, and thus, the highest (man-made) point not just in the city, but in the whole kingdom. We exited onto the highest rampart, there we had a view of the entirety of Vacuo, its soft glow nowhere near as bright as Vale's, but it had its own appeal.
As a result of the lights being weaker, the stars were far more visible, glittering above without a care in the world. As we leaned on the rampart's short wall, I couldn't help but wonder if there was anything else out there. Was Remnant the Brothers one experiment? The Inbetween seemed to dictate that the Brothers had, in fact, almost entirely focused on Remnant.
Yet still, maybe there was something else we didn't know about that they worked on, or maybe there were more Gods. More powers that made more races that have their own troubles to deal with.
…That was something I couldn't even begin to worry about though. Instead Vesta sighed and began to explain, casting her gaze down as she looked across Vacuo, "So… yeah." Her voice sounded broken up, like she wanted to cry, "I know… I know you're not him. There's so much about you that's different, there's no way I could ever think that you're him. Yet still… sometimes I see him. I see him in how you behave, the look in your eyes that you get sometimes, the mannerisms… I know that was par for the course, but I can't help but make the comparison." She sighed, "It's… insensitive. I know you're your own person, I just…"
She sniffled, and whereas before I had been looking out at Vacuo, now my gaze turned back to her. Her voice was hushed, strained, "I can't believe he's gone." The normally confident and steadfast girl allowed herself this moment of weakness, "He was always there, he was supposed to always be there. Even if he died, he was supposed to still be around, even if he was along with someone else. I never… nobody ever…" I could hear her crying now, her ragged breathing gave it away, "I never thought I'd l-lose him…"
My mind turned back to Oz's final hours. The fear he expressed, the melancholy, the worry, and I know now that a lot of it wasn't about himself at all. He harbored his concerns, of course he did, he was facing the closest thing to death he had gotten to experience since he was Ozma. However…
The vast majority of it was worry about his family, worry about the people he had grown to care about. The students at Beacon, the students around the world even, the fate of the entirety of Remnant besides, but… More than anything he was worried about Vesta, about Glynda, about his family. He was afraid of what might happen when he was gone, and afraid that we might fail.
He might not be around anymore, at least not entirely, but it was the least I could do to try and take up his mantle, carry his torch.
I sidled up to Vesta, standing next to her as I moved to put an arm around her. She didn't push it away, instead she continued talking, "There's so much about him that I'll miss, and I see it in you, I see him. I see him, but… I know he's not there. You are, and… I am. I'm still here."
There was a pause that gave me the chance to speak, my voice soft, "We are. You are. This… isn't at all what we wanted, but… we have to make the most out of the hand we've been given. I know that isn't terribly insightful, but… All we can do is try to live for him. We have to carry on his mission, his ideals, his care and love for everyone on Remnant." She looked at me, face stained with tears, and I smiled, "And I know I'm not him. He may be part of me, but that's just it. He's part of me. But… I can do my best to keep his torch lit, and no part of it burns brighter than his care for you and Glynda. The rest of Remnant mattered less to him than you two. Trust me, I know. So…"
I took a deep breath and looked out at Vacuo again, "While I'm no replacement. I can still… be there for you. If you ever need advice, or a shoulder to cry on, anything like that… you can always come to me. I may not be Ozpin, but… I think I can offer that, at least. Like… a brother."
To my moderate surprise, she shifted and pulled me into a hug, resting her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her as she whispered, "Th-Thank you, Neve. A brother… I think I like the sound of that."
I moved one of my hands to rest on the back of her head. I gently stroked her hair as she continued to mourn her father. I whispered back, "Yeah…
"I do too."
(The following is not part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions')
Tale of Shi
Earlier that day…
The day before that day, Shi knew she was going to want to be away from the others when it came around.
She said as much when Neve asked her what her plans were for the next day, and while he seemed somewhat worried he ultimately let her go.
Just another reason as to why she was grateful to have him as her dad.
The first thing she did after she woke up was get dressed in her usual outfit. Her off-white tunic, black pants, matching boots, and her emerald green cloak. Then she put on the strap that would hold Theta to the small of her back, followed by the weapon itself, folded up as it was. Then she grabbed her scroll and the Lien card that Cinder gave her, slipping them into her pocket. Finally, she grabbed a duffle bag that she had, stuck a few things inside of it, and then left.
She opted to leave out of the roof access to avoid running into anyone. Shi loved the others, but today was different, and while she had no doubt there were strangers she'd meet and interact with in the city, she wanted to avoid anyone she knew. Maybe that was irrational and silly, but it was what she wanted.
The city was alive and bustling, just as it was the night before. Shi had come to appreciate Vacuo, and while initially she missed staying at Mistral, she found herself growing used to life in the vastly different kingdom. Sure, her family was from Mistral, but that didn't mean she was necessarily predisposed to liking it more than anything else. After all, she still viewed Vale, and Patch, as her home, even if she wasn't born there.
The first thing she needed was something she was sure she could get from one of the many bazaars. The city was still incredibly confusing to most of the others, even if they had been there for some time now, but Shi had been exploring before. She knew of a few places she could look for what she needed.
She walked to the edge of the rooftop before placing one foot on the stone rooftop's upward outcropping. Then she took a deep breath before pushing herself forward and leaping forward. She landed on an adjacent rooftop before continuing her jog across the roofs of Vacuo towards where she needed to go.
However, before she could make it, her pointed and white-furred ears ears twitched, picking up something further out.
An older woman's voice, she sounded worried, "Please… just take it…"
A young man's voice, sounding aggressive, "I know you've got more-"
If it weren't for her ears, she wouldn't have picked up on that. She knew Vacuo's people, and she knew that a majority of them wouldn't want to intervene in a robbery. So, the tugging on her heart told her that she needed to do something about it herself.
Was that reckless? Someone her age, in the process of being trained or not, rushing to go help someone just because they heard their cries? Yes. Did she care? Not particularly, no. 'Dad and Mom can get onto me for it later, if they find out. I'm still gonna do it.'
Crossing the rooftops, she was able to hear the exchange clearer and clearer. It was obvious that the woman was being mugged, but she already knew that. It sounded like it was just the one guy, so that would be easy to deal with. A mugger without aura was nothing to anyone who had their aura unlocked, let alone Shi.
When she arrived, she only needed to glance down the roof to see that her suspicions were correct. There was a mugger holding a knife in a very unrefined stance, he looked like he was shaking. Although whether that was out of anger or anxiety, she didn't know. The woman was indeed an older woman, with gray hair and a wrinkled face, she looked old enough to be Shi's grandma, although Shi had never known her grandparents on either side.
Shi sat on the edge of the rooftop, it being only one story, and hummed, "You know, mister, you're holding that all wrong."
Both robber and victim looked up at her in surprise, even more so when they saw how young she was. The old woman said, "Oh, sweetie, don't get involved in this! It's too dangerous!"
The robber seemed to agree, "Y-Yeah! I don't wanna have to hurt a kid, but I will if I have to!"
Shi swung her feet forward and back with a smile on her face, "That's funny mister, because I don't want to have to hurt anyone, but if you don't drop the knife and apologize…" Her eyes flashed maroon and deep blue as her smile turned into a playful grin, "I will."
That added to the robber's panic, "W-Wait! Your eyes- Do you have a semblance? Ah-" He looked towards the old lady and began to run at her.
In a flash, Shi had jumped off and kicked out again, her boot connecting with the robber's head and sending him staggering to the side. As she pushed off of him, she landed on the ground, her eyes turning back to normal as she reached behind her and produced Theta, unfolding it. She gripped it tightly, "Mister, I really don't want to have to do this. You look like you don't either. So please don't."
Maybe it was the fact that he dropped his knife, maybe it was the fact that she had a scythe and clearly knew how to use it, but whatever the reason may be, he fell to his knees. Then he covered his eyes with his hands, "O-Okay! I'm sorry! I didn't want to have to do this! I…I just don't know what to do with my life." The man removed his hands from his eyes, he looked close to tears as he looked towards Shade, "I wanted to become a Huntsman, but Shade rejected me. Now I'm stuck here with no prospects, no job…" He sighed, "I'm just so hungry. I got ahold of this stupid knife," he gestured to it, "and thought I'd just take enough money to buy some food."
The old woman looked saddened by his story. Shi couldn't tell if it was just a sob story or genuine, but the woman seemed to think it was real, "You poor thing… No wonder you looked so desperate. How about the two of you come with me? I actually own a small restaurant not far from here, I can treat you both and…" She glared at the man, "If what you're saying is genuine, maybe I can find a job for you."
The man did look genuinely shocked and hopeful, "Y-You mean that?" He looked at the knife, "T-Take that. If you think I'm lying, then… then you can hurt me like I was going to hurt you." Shi felt that was a bit extreme, but the woman didn't protest. Instead she took the knife and nodded.
This wasn't exactly how Shi expected her morning to go, but she supposed it all worked out in the end. She liked to believe that everyone had some good in them, so the fact that he was willing to go to such lengths to prove himself gave credence to his words.
They went to the restaurant, and it ended up actually being pretty good! It was one that served local cuisine, so lots of completely delicious things. Like tacos! Shi loved those. She ate across from the man at a table, and he looked at her strangely, "S-So how are you such a good fighter, even though you're so… young?"
Shi smiled, "I have good teachers, and I really want to be a hero. You know, I bet if you looked hard enough you might be able to find someone willing to train you. If not here, then maybe somewhere else? You shouldn't give up on your dream just because things didn't go the way you wanted." Then she frowned, "And robbing people is never the answer, mister."
He looked down, ashamed, "I know…" Shi supposed that, regardless of if he was telling the truth or not, without his weapon he wasn't a threat anymore. If he stole from this woman, he would be forfeiting all his progress and be back out on the streets! At this point, though, the whole situation was out of her hands.
After she finished eating, she left the restaurant after bidding the old woman and the man goodbye. It seemed she had a Huntsman on her payroll already, judging by the tough looking guy that stood in the corner of her restaurant, so Shi figured that everything would be fine one way or another.
'Why can't people just be nice and get along?' Shi sighed as she returned to the baking sun outside of the restaurant.
Although, before she could return to her original plan for the day, she was distracted by the cries of a child. She looked and saw that a mother was trying to calm a five year old, and while Shi wasn't sure what he was crying about, she wanted to do something about it.
She got an idea, it was silly but she wanted to try it to see if it would work. She reached into her bag and produced a harmonica, something she had been playing in her spare time when she was bored. She had received it as a gift from one of the villages they had passed through on their way to Vacuo, and since then she made it a point to try to play it sometimes. She found it helped lift spirits.
To that end, she began to play a tune, nothing in particular, she was just improvising. She focused on the mother and child, taking a few steps towards them as she continued to play. While at first the child kept crying, as she began to pick up the crying slowly began to devolve into sniffling. Eventually, they began to smile joyously at what she was doing, with the mom looking somewhat taken aback, and impressed, by Shi's intervention.
When she finished playing the brief tune, the child clapped excitedly, prompting Shi to bow and smile. The woman smiled brightly, "Thank you so much, young lady. You're a kind soul."
Shi's smile just brightened, "Thank you, ma'am." The child looked grateful too, although they also didn't seem fully able to put it into words. That was fine, Shi was like that once. So, she waved them off and went back to what she was planning for the day.
For a time she continued along her path uninterrupted. She drew closer to the bazaar, the one that she felt had what she wanted. It was close to one of the entrances to the city, and she honestly hadn't been expecting there to be any trouble. However, clearly she was a fool, because no sooner than when she reached the bazaar did she hear some horrified screaming coming from the gates.
Shi couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh as she took off towards the source. She knew she didn't have to leap into action every time someone was in trouble, but she still felt like it was the right thing to do. If there was one thing Shi wanted to do, it was the right thing, and so she would always do her best to try and help anyone who needed it. That's what heroes do, after all!
The walls were easily the second largest thing in the city, other than Shade itself. Shi had wondered and asked why the buildings were so stout compared to Mistral and Vale, the answer she received made sense. With how often sinkholes and other dangerous events like sandstorms could happen, it didn't make sense to build too high. Why put all that effort into a building that could be destroyed at any time?
Shi had to wonder what possessed people to settle Vacuo in the first place, if it was so hostile. Was it always like this, or had it been made this way somehow? The second option would explain, in her mind at least, why people were there at all, the first one left a lot of questions. Questions that were going to have to wait, maybe she'd ask Neve at some point.
When she reached the gate, she saw what the problem was immediately. Namely, the large Blind Worm that was rising and diving into the sand not too far from the town. It seemed that it had been drawn by some traders that had approached the town, who looked terrified out of their mind. The Grimm had a singular red eye and a giant fanged mouth, Shi wasn't sure exactly how long it was, but it looked to be around ten feet. It also had a head on either side of its body.
Segmented bone plates covered its body, with hooked outcropping of bones trailing down its spine. If Shi remembered correctly, it was also capable of spitting acid and would, if cut in half, simply regrow into two blind worms given enough time. Cinder had made sure to teach her all of this in the event that they ran into one.
Shi was pretty certain that Cinder hadn't intended for it to end up being like this. She watched as the guards stood firm, their rifles raised, but she knew they couldn't leave their posts. If they did, that might allow other Grimm that could be in the area to slip past them. Shi… was certain she couldn't take it on by herself, not without injuring herself or pushing her semblance too far.
That was something she didn't want to do, but if she had to she would. She was reaching for Theta when a gruff voice behind her spoke up, "Hey, kid." She turned and saw Qrow, standing there with one hand on Harbinger, still on his back, as he watched the Blind Worm, "You're gonna try and fight that thing aren't you?"
Shi nodded.
"And you're not going to listen to me if I tell you not too, are you?"
Once again, Shi nodded.
Qrow sighed, "You're too much like some stubborn kids I knew years ago, you know that?" He drew Harbinger, "Fine, then let's kill this thing."
Shi grinned and nodded, reaching back and pulling Theta off her back, unfolding it as she and Qrow started to walk forward. As the crowd ran past them, Qrow shifted Harbinger, the sword going through the intricate process to turn into scythe.
As the crowd cleared, the two of them broke into a jog that turned into a sprint not long after. Qrow was taking the lead, of course he was, not only were his legs longer, he had decades of experience compared to Shi's year and a half, give or take. As they drew closer, the Girmm emerged from the sand once again and seemed to realize it was being challenged, as it shrieked at the two oncoming fighters with something akin to rage.
Qrow instructed, "Shoot at it! I'll get close, we can't predict this thing well enough to risk you getting close." Shi skid to a stop as instructed and transformed Theta into its sniper form. Then she knelt down to brace herself against the recoil and took aim, trying to line up a shot between bone segments.
However, the beast loved writhing, and as it twisted and turned it became increasingly hard to line up a shot. She watched as Qrow approached the thing and leapt forward, hooking his scythe into a segment and using the momentum he had to rotate him up to the beast's top. Harbinger cut deeply into its side, causing the Blind Worm to roar once again before it dove into the sand, Qrow just barely having enough time to jump off its back before it vanished into the sand. As it began to disappear, Qrow yelled, "Lookout, kid!"
A tinge in the back of her mind told her that danger was approaching. She was forced to leap forward just in time to avoid the Grimm emerging from the sand where she had been previously. While she was laying on her back, she lined up a shot right at the beast's mouth and fired a round that went off with a CRACK. Her shoulder flared up with pain as the unimpeded recoil surged through her, but luckily her aura protected her from any real damage. The Blind Worm seemed to be preparing to do something, and out of reflex Shi activated her semblance, an ice wall rising out of the sand and catching a blast of acid just in time, while a gout of fire exploded off of her other side.
Qrow raced past her just in time for the Grimm to crash into the ice wall and send it crumbling down, preparing to charge forward once again with its immense weight. Instead of being able to do that, Harbinger once again hooked into one of its weak points and pulled back, digging into its 'skin' once again and causing it to roar.
Then, abruptly, it threw itself backward, catching Qrow by surprise and causing him to grunt in pain as he connected with the sand. His aura flared up and he pushed it outward, pushing the beast forward again. Shi was still panicked by seeing Qrow injured, and so she transformed Theta into a gunblade and rose to her feet, racing forward.
Qrow scrambled to his feet, "Shi! Don't-" Yet Shi was already upon the beast, she leapt into the air and slashed several times at its mouth, exploding dust rounds as she did so. The Blind Worm recoiled, and for a moment Shi had thought that maybe she was making good progress. Until green acid shot from its mouth and smashed into her with force enough to send her flying backward, searing pain coursed through her body as she gritted her teeth, tears formed in her eyes but she put her all into resisting the urge to cry out.
It looked ready to follow up, but seeing what it did lit a fire in Qrow that pushed him faster than he normally would move. In a flash he was on the beast's head, Harbinger once again changed into its scythe form. Then he hooked it into the monster's mouth and pulled up as hard as he could, cutting the beast's mouth open. He twisted and jumped down, keeping his scythe hooked into the beast's mouth and tearing down its belly as it tried to spit acid at him, missing entirely.
Qrow touched down again, the beast roared before falling to the side, appearing to be dead as smoke rose off of it. He returned Harbinger to its inactive form and placed it on his back before turning around and hurrying over to Shi, kneeling in front of her, "You good, kid?"
Shi nodded and swallowed a lump in her throat. She recognized the look in Qrow's eyes, she knew what he was going to say, and she knew he was right. Qrow sighed, "Kid… You need to learn to be less reckless. You're going to get yourself killed one of these days if you keep pulling stunts like that. I get what you're going through, you've got the same fire in your heart that Ruby and Yang did at your age, but… They didn't have to fight like you did. Not so soon."
He grimaced, "I know you're only about to be eleven, Shi, but… for as much as I hate to say it, and as much as the others don't want to acknowledge it… You don't have the luxury to act your age anymore." He seemed genuinely dismayed at that, "In the world we're in right now, being a kid ain't gonna give you a free pass. You've already grown up faster than you really should have, but you need to keep learning, keep maturing… Someday that's gonna hurt you, it's done it before to a lot of kids, but… It's all ya can do."
Shi knew he was right, and for all her bluster about being mature enough to handle the big stuff, she knew that she was still young. She had to try to be better, even if there was no way that recklessness, that intense desire to forge ahead, would be tamed easily, or anytime soon for that matter. So, she swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded, "I know…"
She stood up and folded Theta, putting it on her back, "I'm trying… I really am." She sighed and looked down, "There's still a lot I just… I don't understand." It made her feel frustrated, and that was evident in her voice, "I don't know if I'll understand soon, or ever, but… I still wanna try."
Qrow managed a small smile as he patted her shoulder, "The fact that you're acknowledging that means you're a lot more grown up than a lot of people my age, kid." He chuckled, "Trust me, there's a lot of idiots out there in the world. So don't think you're useless or foolish, 'cause there's alwaayyss someone stupider, and you, Shi? You're pretty smart. I ain't just saying that, I used to be a teacher after all."
That lifted her spirits somewhat, she smiled at him, "Thanks… Uncle Qrow. I'll keep trying." It was all she could really do, according to Lunus it was all anyone could do. The guy rarely ever spoke in absolutes, he only did that when he was incredibly confident in whatever he was saying.
Qrow nodded and stood up, "You hurt?" Shi looked herself over before shaking her head, and he nodded again before turning around, "Let's get back, then. Looks like there's a bit of a crowd."
Indeed, there seemed to be a small gathering of civilians, and even guards, that had been watching them work. Between them and the city was the corpse of the fallen Blind Worm. Shi spoke softly, "Let me…" Qrow stepped out of the way and she activated her semblance, putting her right foot forward and sending out a gout of flame while the area on her left side was covered with ice and frost. The fire found purchase, engulfing the corpse of the beast, since it was already disintegrating, the fire sped up the process faster than it would have at the heat she was using.
Eventually all that was left was ash where the Grimm had been, flecks of ice covered her left side and embers danced around her right. Her eyes had momentarily turned maroon and dark blue again, but they returned to normal after she blinked. The two walked past the ash after Shi used her left side to put the fire out, with Qrow remarking, "That semblance is somethin' else, kid… Although you really gotta be careful with it. You hungry?
Shi nodded, "A little." Even though she had eaten not that long ago, fighting a beast like that had burned through her energy in more ways than one, "I also… I need to find some things. I didn't wanna ask anyone to help me because I don't want anyone asking any questions."
Qrow seemed intrigued, but all he said was, "Kid, we've all got secrets. It doesn't surprise me that even a squirt like you has a couple. What do you need? I won't ask a thing."
That was a relief, she had a feeling that a lot of the others would have at least tried to figure out what she was doing. Sure, they'd have relented after she turned them away, but she didn't like telling her mentors, her family, no. She explained, "I… I need a picnic basket, a couple sandwiches, apples, and… tiramisu."
The last one seemed to surprise Qrow, "Not… what I expected, but alright. There's a few places in this town where we can get what you need." As they reached the city walls, they were greeted with praise and admiration, almost entirely on Qrow, but there were several comments about how amazing it was to see such a young girl fighting like she was. It made Shi feel awkward, receiving praise from people she didn't know felt weird, but she didn't dislike the feeling.
They were offered several rewards, several gifts. In an act that Shi felt was incredibly gross, several girls even offered to outright marry Qrow, but of course he politely turned them down. She had no idea how people could just ask stuff like that, once upon a time she might have asked how they could do any of that romance stuff, but as she'd gotten older she began to understand it.
Shi wasn't entirely sure why. Cinder called it 'puberty' but when she asked her what it was, Cinder had gained a look of horror on her face. She said that it would be better to ask her dad, and so Shi had been waiting for the right opportunity to do so. That hadn't presented itself yet, maybe she'd ask the next day? They still had time before they had to do anything super important, and Shi had wanted to spend time with her dad doing fun stuff that wasn't just sparring.
…She knew that whatever puberty was probably wasn't going to be fun to ask about, or answer, but she was curious! It was either ask her dad or try to find information on her scroll, which her mom had told her was not a good idea. At least, not unsupervised.
Her head was stuck in the clouds for so long she almost missed when Qrow said, "Alright, kid, this guy's got some picnic baskets." Sure enough they were at one of the open air bazaars, with a kind looking old man behind a small stall that had several picnic baskets on sale.
Qrow started reaching for his wallet but Shi reached her hand out and placed it on his arm, "Wait!" She swallowed a lump in her throat, "I… I need to pay for this. It's important." Qrow looked at her in confusion and uncertainty, as did the shopkeep, but still Qrow relented. She reached into her pocket and produced her Lien card, picking out one of the picket baskets that had a nice little burnt orange piece of silk attached to it and then she paid for it.
Then, she and Qrow left, the unspoken question was there but Shi didn't answer. It was unusual for her to be this quiet, this unwilling to speak her mind, but now she was closer to her goal, and once it was done maybe she'd talk about it. Although, she had her doubts about doing that, for several reasons.
Eventually they reached a place that sold the ingredients she needed for her sandwiches, and so she bought them and added them to her picnic basket. Qrow spoke softly as they kept walking, "You know, kid… It might not seem like it, but we're closer to the end of all of this mess than we are the beginning. Fighting's almost done…"
Shi softly huffed, "It's never really over, is it? If she is as she is, then… I don't know what we're going to do about her. What Dad is gonna do about her…" She wasn't going to say it out loud, but it scared her, because while she had trouble understanding what someone who couldn't die truly meant, she knew that any victory against someone that strong wasn't going to come without a price.
Qrow sighed, "I don't know, kid…" He sounded forlorn, "I really dunno." They fell back into silence and they continued to walk. Finding the dessert she wanted was a lot more difficult than finding the apples, or anything she had wanted previously. Given that it was a very specific dessert, it wasn't guaranteed that any place in Vacuo had it. Shi couldn't let that stop her, though, she'd look everywhere if she had to.
Eventually though, a miracle, they found a small bakery that sold 'exotic treats', which meant Valean, Mistrali, and Atlesian goods. When they went inside and asked the kind old woman behind the counter if she had any of what Shi wanted, the girl was relieved to find out that they did. She even got a couple paper plates out of the deal, although once again Qrow looked at her strangely, and again he didn't ask any questions.
After everything that had happened and all of the searching, it was starting to get dark. The sun was setting and soon night would be upon them. Shi was kind of relieved that she knew nobody would be looking for her anytime soon. Although, as they were leaving the bakery, she asked softly, "If anyone asks about me, can you tell them that I'll be back a bit later?"
Qrow finally asked, "Kid… what is all of this about?" However, when he saw the downcast and storm expression the girl wore, he looked away, "Nevermind. Forget I asked. Yeah… I'll tell them."
Shi smiled softly, "Thank you, Uncle Qrow. Today's been a lot more complicated than I wanted it to be…"
He chuckled, "That's usually how these things go, kid." He checked his scroll, "Right… I need to go meet with some of Shade's staff. You good from here, Shi?"
The girl nodded, "Yeah… That's everything I needed." She looked at him, "Really… thank you."
He shrugged, "Aah, don't worry about it. I'm used to doing stuff like this, ya know."
After that, the two parted ways. Alone again, Shi began the final part of her plan for the day. She had considered going to Shade for this, but there were too many people. She didn't want that, so instead she took to the roofs and looked for a suitable place to go. Traveling around the city by roof gave her a greater view of the different places she could go, and as the day crowd started to turn in and the night crowd started to come out, certain places opened up.
Finally, she saw it, there was a small park on the opposite end of the city to where she had been before. It didn't have much, a few trees and plenty of grass, but that was all she needed, really. She reached the park, which had a hill with a large tree on top of it, and then made her way up to it. Her duffle bag had taken some damage from the fight she had been in, but luckily it was still intact. It was made for Hunters, after all, it was designed to take a bit of a beating.
She knelt in front of the base of the tree and set down her bag and her basket, starting to set things up with a small smile on her face. Out came the cake, it was small but she didn't need much. Then came the two paper plates and the apples. She went through the process of making the sandwiches with the ingredients she had been given before placing one on each plate, one plate in front of her and then the other across from it, closer to the base of the tree.
The smile vanished and her movements got slower, a gentle breeze caressed her as she dug through the duffle bag. She produced two birthday candles and a picture frame, which she realized was cracked, forming a web across the whole of it.
She didn't even have the energy to be sad about that.
She propped the picture against the base of the tree, it depicted an older woman with short orange hair, tanned skin, green eyes, and two red panda ears on top of her head. Then, Shi stuck the candles into the two slices of cake and whispered, "I'm sorry I couldn't get the right number…"
She produced a lighter from the bag and lit the candles, her voice started to crack, "H-Happy birthday, Mama… I… I never understood why you liked this kind of cake so much, but I know it's your favorite, so… I got it for you."
Tears began to well up and stream down her face, "I'm getting a lot stronger now. Dad and Mom could never replace you and Papa, but… I love them. They're helping me so I can help others. I-I don't… I don't want anyone to ever have to lose the people they love… Like I lost you. Like I lost Papa." Tears began to stream down her face as she sniffled, "I-If only…. If only I could have been stronger sooner, if only… I was better. Maybe then… I could have helped you too. Dad acts like it's his fault, but…"
Shi shook her head, "It's not… I should have been better. I should have been a stronger fighter, I should have stayed near you two, I should… I should have been a better daughter." She was sobbing now, "S-Sometimes… Sometimes I think I should have been with you two on that Bullhead. Then… Then we could have never been t-taken away from each other, but… I wasn't. So… I have to make it up to you both. By being a hero, and I will… I will…"
Through a broken voice, she whispered an old song she'd heard once, "Leaves from the vine… falling so slow… like fragile tiny shells… drifting in the foam…" Her voice slipped and broke more as she deviated from the song, "I-I'm a little soldier girl… I wanna go home… I'm n-not a brave soldier girl…" The sun began to disappear, sinking into the horizon as she buried her face in her hands and rocked back and forth slightly.
"I wanna go home…"
