Cinder awoke to a sound in the night. Immediately she dropped to the floor, intent on not letting the Madame discover she was sleeping on a bed. As she hit the floor she realized where she was. Not atlas, not Mistral; but Patch in the coast of Vale.
She sighed with relief before hugging herself at the edge of the bed. She had been staying with this new family for a few months now. The matron Summer Rose was a huntress, and she had rescued her. Why, she did not know, and that scared her. She expected every single day to awake to a new life of servitude, on the woman or the father cashing on the favor of giving her food and shelter.
That day still had not come. Miss Summer and Mister Taiyang treated her like a princess, and the two other girls constantly pestered her. Yang always wanted to explore patch despite the dangers, asked Cinder questions like 'were did you come from', 'what's your favorite food', 'Want that video game we saw at the store?'
At least Summer and Taiyang let her go to a nearby combat academy were the hulking man taught. While she was a little over the normal age kids would start, she had enough training to at least not require to learn the basics. She did not speak with anyone at the academy, except for Yang. She did not trust those kids, and they sure did not mind treating her like a freak and stranger.
The girl looked at the window. It would be so easy to escape, just grab her sword, put her clothes on a bag and take a ferry to the mainland. Maybe make sure Rhodes was okay.
She heard another sounds downstairs. Perhaps Ruby was awake and looking for cookies. If so, disaster was abound, and Cinder was not going to get framed.
Exiting her room, she made sure no one else's door was open, and then went down the hallway towards the stairs. The house made out of wood and logs was dark and silent. Cinder descended, peeking between the railing of the staircase into the much more spacious living room. Just in time, she caught the door being closed. She thought thieves, and so pulled out her sword.
Slightly crouched, toes first, arms close. The huntress in training crept out to the front door. She opened it without a sound, courtesy of when she would need to sneak out of her room towards the bathroom without alerting the madame or her daughters.
The porch was empty, the moon shining on the house like a beacon. It was beautiful, and being on it's unbroken side made it look like a full disk of white light.
The girl looked around once more, and on the porch, she spotted Summer Rose; white cloak dripped over her head and sitting with her hands on top of he lap.
Despite how silent she had been, Summer had apparently heard her as she turned hear head.
The woman looked strange. Cinder knew that was not right. She always wore a smile on her face, full of energy and life; but could always become stern like steel when order was needed on the house.
However, this time she looked sad, old, tired. Under her precious Silver eyes she could see lines.
Still, the woman's presence filled Cinder with calm, and so she stepped out, leaving her sword near the door.
"Cinder, sweetie, what's wrong?" She asked. The tenderness felt forced, unlike every other time she had asked that question to the girl.
"I… I was just…" Cinder stuttered, somewhat afraid of being punished.
"Trouble sleeping?" Asked the woman.
"Yes." Answered Cinder. Summer smiled, removing her hood and tapping a spot on the porch. She wanted Cinder to sit, and the girl obeyed. She left some space between them, not feeling comfortable being near anyone yet. Even hugs made her flinch.
"That sucks. It happens to me so often. I think so much stuff that it's hard to keep still." Said Summer.
"I actually heard sounds downstairs, and thought it might be Ruby." Said Cinder, looking at the moon. Summer snickered, and the girl looked at her in bewilderment. Was she laughing at her? At her mistake?
"What?" She asked trough clenched teeth. Summer looked at her, still smiling. This one was genuine, and not malicious. Upon seeing it, Cinder felt herself relent.
"It's just funny, that's all. Ruby already looks so much like me. If she even acts like me, people will think she's a clone or something." Said Summer with a chuckle.
"I don't get it. Wouldn't that be bad?" Asked Cinder.
"Maybe. Everyone has good and bad traits. I wouldn't want her to be like me tough. Not to that degree at least." Said Summer, now calm. The older woman once again turned to the moon.
"Why not?" Asked Cinder. Summer was, in her opinion, amazing. She cooked some mean cookies, was one of the strongest huntsmen she'd ever met, maybe even better than Rhodes, and everyone seemed to love her unconditionally. It was almost too perfect, she envied her. Envied her life.
"Well… I've made some mistakes." Said Summer. Cinder raised an eyebrow.
"So?" She asked. Even the girl knew everyone made mistakes.
"Some mistakes are bigger than others. And I've made some big ones." Answered the woman, now somber. Her smile had faded, and her eyes looked strained once again.
"Like what?" Asked Cinder, now curious. Summer sighed.
"In Beacon, I wanted to be a superhero, after becoming a huntress. Someone who saves people." She admitted. The girl opened her eyes, big as saucers.
"That's… really lame." She admitted. Superheroes weren't real; hell, heroes weren't that common nowadays. No one would save you for no gain. The Madame had adopted her, only to use her as a slave. Summer had saved her from being a criminal yet, she still waited for the catch.
Summer looked at the black haired teenager, blushing.
"Yeah. It was lame. Maybe if I hadn't tried so hard to be one; some people would still be here. I was stupid. I'm still stupid." Admitted Summer. Cinder said nothing, she had never seen the woman so… distressed and self deprecating. It made her chest hurt.
"Well… I think you're okay. Your family seems happy at least." Said the girl. Summer opened her eyes, shocked. Then her expression softened into a warm smile.
"I'm glad to hear it." Said Summer. "Hey, are you happy here?" She asked. This time, it was Cinder's turn to be shocked.
"What?" She asked in reflex. She had… never heard those words before. No one cared what she felt, outside of the physical check ups during Rhodes' training. But that was just something common when practicing combat.
"I just want to know. You don't need to feel tied to this place, to us. You are free now, to do whatever you want to do." She admitted. Cinder was stunned. Summer wanted her to… be free? Cinder opened her mouth to respond, but could not find the words. A part of her reached a realization. Summer wanted the best for her.
"Why?" She asked, standing up, glaring daggers at the woman who looked at her with an unreadable expression. "Why?! What do you want from me?!" She asked, hands balled into fists. Her sword was nearby. She was fast. She could make it.
"Nothing." She replied after a minute. Cinder continued looking at her, eyes stinging. The huntress stood up, and came towards her slowly. The girl took a step back.
"You're lying." She whispered.
"You're right. There is something I want." She replied. Cinder was ready. Ready for the truth. She had waited for this moment.
"And that is?" She growled. Summer fixed her with an unreadable expression.
"I want you to be happy. All of you. No matter what, I want you to chose your paths, and help you whenever I can. I cannot be a superhero for the world but, maybe I can be a supermom for you. The moment I saw you, I knew you needed happiness and love. I knew I had to… give you that chance. Because you deserved it. And I think, I was right for once." Summer said, kneeling to her level, smiling. She seemed genuinely happy, almost like when she was with her daughters or her husband.
The truth hit her like a brick wall. They had to be lies, a smokescreen hiding something else but… Cinder could see none of that in those silver eyes; only warmth and love. Like how Rhodes had looked at her. They both had cared for her, yet her mind refused to believe it. But having it told directly, made it impossible to do that.
Summer moved to embrace her, and Cinder stood there. She could not take it anymore. She let the tears spill as she returned the embrace of the woman. She did not know what love was, but if this was it then, she wanted more if it. She realized then that this hug was no different from Yang's and Ruby's. Did they also love her? Why?
Before she could process anything else, Summer separated, wiping some tears from the teenager's face with a smile.
"I want to stay…" She mumbled. Summer was shocked for a moment, but soon smiled again.
"Of course. No matter what, we'll always be here for you." She said. "Now go get some sleep." She said.
"You're not coming?" Asked Cinder. Summer's smile disappeared as she stood up.
"No. I have to leave for tonight." She said. Cinder knew why, or so she thought.
"A mission?" She asked. Summer nodded.
"A very important one." She said, looking away. Cinder had learned it was common for people to look away when lying.
"Be careful." She said.
"Of course. I'll be back by morning." She said, smiling. Then the woman pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and darted into the night, disappearing in blurs of white.
Cinder was left alone in the porch, the moon still illuminating her spot. Looking back at the house, she thought about the three other members of the family.
Where they happy? Cinder, for once, hoped so. It was a strange feeling but not unpleasant. The world may be full of Madame's and Evil stepsisters, of Orphanages and abusers. She hated them. She hated the world that gave her nothing. Yet, maybe, some hope remained. How many Summers where there? Where they treated well? Or did all of them suffer because they wanted to be 'superheroes'?
There were many questions in her mind, but for once she felt at ease in this place. She could go to sleep without fear, knowing that Pleasant memories awaited on the waking world. Summer had confirmed that much. But she would not go to sleep yet. She would wait for Summer, to first greet her. To see her smile again.
…
…
…
She never came back.
She left you; she knew you were worthless.
Cinder woke, face on her pillow. Her eyes moved a bit, adjusting to the lack of light. She looked at her bedside clock. It was still night, but in a few hours she would need to be awake for class. Two weeks had passed already since arriving at Beacon, and giving classes was not easy. Especially when dealing with teenagers in groups that all head strengths and weaknesses.
She rolled over, facing the ceiling and covering her eyes with an arm. Her mind brought Summer to the forefront. She missed the woman. They had only spent a few months together before she went away; but she had left a good impression on her.
She thought about her step sisters. They had changed a lot since she first met them. Especially Yang. She did not know how to feel about that.
Eventually she went back to sleep; and she dreamt of nothing else.
"Alright! That's enough." Said Cinder. On her command, several holographic Grimm vanished from the training room, leaving four students exhausted and beaten. The huntress looked at her scroll, which displayed the auras of the teens. They were all in the red. At least they fell together at roughly the same time. Even so, she felt her anger bubble.
"This isn't satisfactory. This isn't satisfactory at all. You have ignored all the tactics I taught you, fought in a completely disorganized manner, and did not even try to help each other. You may as well not have come to class." She said harshly, stepping into her 'classroom', which was a big hexagonal. A quarter of it had some student desks for lessons, while the other housed screens for displaying lessons; very similar to what Glynda Goodwitch had.
The failing team looked at her, clearly embarrassed. The huntress sighed, dispersing her anger before dismissing the teens. They returned to the desks while the rest of the students watched. Then, Cinder proceeded to address the class.
"You must learn to work together, as a unit, as one; before you are ready to take on the Grimm alone. Every one of you must be as strong as each other. I will not tolerate people who hold others back." Said Cinder. She grabbed a pad that had the teams on a list, ordered randomly. When she saw what team was next, she rubbed the ridge of her nose.
"Next up, Team RWBY." She announced. On the back, she saw Yang and Ruby celebrate while their teammates deadpanned. Her two sisters had gotten into the habit of letting her know, every class, how happy they were she was here.
The team descended into the stadium. Each one of them looked absolutely sure of themselves in different increments. Ruby was the most sheepish, followed by Blake who seemed neutral, then Weiss who stood proud and then Yang who appeared nonchalant.
"You've had a preview of your exercise, so I hope you can do a better job than the others. The objective is to hold your ground, together. Grimm are very prone to horde tactics and overwhelming force, so you must learn to manage that. First with your team, then on your own. Clear?" She asked them, giving them a cold and stern stare.
"No worries Sis. We've got this one in the bag." Said Yang with confidence. Cinder was glad she had the strength to back that claim, but her casual attitude towards her was irritating.
"Refer to me as Professor Cinder, Xiao Long. Now get in position." Said Cinder, going to her desk and letting team RWBY settle on the arena.
"Someone's moody. Guess she's burned out." Said Yang, trying to get a laugh of her teammates and failing. Cinder narrowed her eyes.
"Ready?" Announced Cinder, tapping her scroll to prepare the trial. Team RWBY drew their weapons.
"Begin!"
Ruby was ready. It was her moment to prove to her 'Super Sis' how strong she was; along with her team. She liked her classes, although she still felt some insecurity on her leadership, knowing Cinder was teaching her assured her that no matter what she would turn out okay.
And in the worst case, she could rely on Jaune later. The boy was in the same situation as her, and both swore to have each other's backs as leaders of their respective teams. She knew he was watching her, and hoped he would do as well as her in his own exercise.
A siren blared, and the arena seemed to activate as various Grimm spawned around her team. Boarbatusks in front, Beowolves behind. Easy.
"Yang!" She yelled. Her sister readied 'Ember Celica' and charged forwards, engaging the charging holographic Grimm head on with extreme effectiveness. She looked at Blake, and with a simple glance the Faunus followed behind Yang, using her weapon and semblance to distract the Boarbatusks that tried to attack the brawler from the sides.
"Weiss, cover me!" She told the heiress. The white haired girl, however, decided to complain.
"I'm not just a support, Ruby!" She complained.
"Pretty please?" Ruby asked her witch puppy eyes. Weiss sighed, then nodded. Ruby then turned her weapon into it's rifle form and began to tear into the beowolves coming from behind. If one got too close, then Weiss would engage them with her glyphs, freezing or burning them.
Hordes of Beowolves and Boartusks fell, their numbers increasing each subsequent wave. After four consecutive waves it was obvious the Grimm stood no chance as Team RWBY took them on. Yet, the simulation still had some surprises for them.
While Ruby was about to snipe another Beowulf, she was suddenly swept up into the air by a black figure.
"Wh-What!?" She shrieked as she was thrown into the air and slammed repeatedly against. Her aura took some hits as she was juggled trough the air. She could see her attackers, Griffons. She swung her scythe in the air while using her semblance to try and reposition, but the monsters had much better mobility. She could not distract Weiss. She had deal with the Griffons herself to reunite with her.
"Ruby!" Weiss shouted, pushing back a bunch of Beowolves with gravity glyphs before using some more as platforms to leap trough the air. She then used more of her glyphs to dash and slice trough the Griffons, even tough the aerial Grimm had better mobility than her. She destroyed the one holding Ruby and allowed the girl to land on a platform.
She felt herself tire from overusing her semblance, and that moment of distraction was enough for the Grimm to get a hit on her, knocking her off the air towards the ground.
"Weiss!" Ruby screamed, using her semblance to dash towards her friend, enveloping her in a blob of rose petals that had a white one join it. Both girls barreled to the ground, rolling for a bit after their landing. The red reaper ended up on top of the heiress, extremely close to her.
"Got you!" She said with a smile. She saw Weiss blush.
"Get off me!" She said, pushing her teammate away. Before they could recover, a Griffon once again attacked the girls. As it's claws were about to reach them, the hologram was ensnared by a black whip. Ruby capitalized on this and used her massive scythe to impale the beast as if it was a hammer. The Grimm was destroyed, and only Blake was left in view, panting heavily.
"Thanks Blakey." She said, using Yang's nickname. The Faunus deadpanned before smiling with resignation. Once again, the Griffons charged at them with a shriek.
"Weiss! Can you still fight?" She asked the heiress, who was crouching and heaving.
"I can keep going." She said. Then she summoned a black glyph as the Griffons were near the ground and interrupted their charge. While they were momentarily stunned, Blake used Gambol Shroud to ensnare one and bring it to the ground in order for Ruby to finish it off. As the red reaper executed the captor, the other Griffon recovered and charged them. Ruby and Blake braced themselves, but then a yellow flash flew past them.
"Coming trough!" Yelled Yang, hair in flames, eyes red and fist reared back. She punched the Griffon on it's beak, and instantly destroyed it with an impact that shook the entire arena.
Silence reigned as the girls breathed heavily; their respite was interrupted by a siren that indicated the end of the simulation. A big screen showed their auras. Ruby and Weiss were nearly in the red, while Blake was at half capacity and Yang at three fourths. Above their indicator, the word Victory was displayed on green text.
Ruby watched Cinder approach them with an unreadable expression. She crossed her arms when she stood in front of them.
"So… how did we do?" She asked. Cinder fixed her with a glare.
"You survived. Barely." She said, tone harsh. Ruby was immediately cast down, tough Yang seemed to want to have none of that.
"I think we did pretty well." She argued.
"Not at all. The splitting jobs on the front was good." She said, and Ruby regained some pride at the praise. "However, you still separated, allowing the Grimm to surprise you, and rendering you unable to ask for help. If not for you teammate here…" She explained, pointing to Blake. "… You would have died in a real situation. When on your own, you are too weak." She said, looking at Ruby directly. The reaper averted her gaze.
"Hey! That's not fair! We're plenty strong." Yang said.
"You are a formidable unit, but too easily separated. You focus too much on your own partners and not enough on the team as a whole; and it shows. You were perfectly fine leaving Rose and Schnee behind to engage the Boarbatusks." Said Cinder, shifting her gaze to the brawler. The blonde glared daggers at the huntress.
"Because we trust each other!" Replied Yang, fist balled.
"That-That's right. We're confident in each other's abilities." Said Ruby, but her voice came as a whisper in front of her older sister.
"You can't always rely on others. They might fail you." Said Cinder.
"You can't say that!" Said Yang.
"Don't take that tone with me. Right now, I'm a teacher, you're a student. Show me due respect, Xiao Long." Cinder growled. Yang's eyes were crimson, but the brawler did nothing more. The situation remained tense until the bell rang. Class was over.
Cinder left RWBY's side to address the other students in the classroom.
"Work on your individual skills, ask your teammates what you lack so that you can improve those weaknesses when alone. And also, try to train with your non partners. You won't be with them for ever." Said Cinder, and she was met with nods and a few 'Yes'.
"Good. Now remember, next class, we'll learn about Hit and Run tactics. I'll send you some material to your scrolls." She said as the students started to leave for the locker rooms to change out of their combat uniforms.
Ruby saw Yang pick her bag and storm off, with Blake following close behind. Weiss then passed by her.
"Sorry, Weiss." Said Ruby. The heiress looked at her with surprise.
"What?" Asked the white haired girl.
"I screwed up. I let myself be in danger, and you had to pull me out of the fire." She said. She felt terrible. Weiss could have died trying to save her.
"You're right. You did screw up." Said Weiss, making Ruby flinch. "But you also saved me in return, so I guess we're even. You'll get better, that's why we're here, right?" Said Weiss with a small smile. Seeing the 'Ice Queen' being so warm made her feel like she was finally cracking her shell.
"You're right. Thanks Weiss." She said with a smile. She put Crescent Rose in compact form and was about to head with Weiss to the lockers when Jaune stopped her, waving at them to catch the attention of the two girls.
"Hey girls." He said with a smile.
"Hey Jaune." Said Ruby, while Weiss groaned.
"What do you want, Arc?" She asked with some disgust in her voice. The boy either didn't notice or was undeterred.
"We're going to the cafeteria. They say today's menu is special. Wanna come?" He asked.
"Of course we do! We do it every day. You don't need to ask." Replied Weiss, crossing her arms.
"Of course, of course. Just force of habit. See you guys later then." He said sheepishly, heading to the lockers. As he was about to open the door, he turned around to address the girls. "You guys were amazing, I think. Especially Weiss, those air maneuvers were… pretty sick." He said with a blush before vanishing behind the door.
"I think Jaune has the hots for you." said Ruby.
"You think?!" Asked Weiss, clearly annoyed.
"It's cute."
"He's annoying. And no, I'm not talking more about this. Let's go." Said the heiress. Ruby knew better than to press her when she was irritated. The red reaper then looked back at the arena. Cinder was there, collecting some papers from her teacher desk. She loved her sister, but feared she was lonely. All she knew, from what Qrow told her, was that she lived alone in an apartment in Mistral. And that worried her. So she decided now was a good time to approach her.
"See you in a sec bestie." Said Ruby, turning around to go towards Cinder. Weiss dismissed her with a wave.
Ruby trotted towards Cinder with a happy skip.
"Hey Super sis." She said. Cinder turned around to address her.
"Hey Ruby. Class is over." She answered.
"I'm here to see you." She said. Cinder looked surprised and sheepish.
"I see." She said. They stood awkwardly for a moment, the red reaper fearing her proposal would be rejected, but she gathered strength to speak up; like Yang taught her. Just let it out fast and directly.
"We're going to Vale tomorrow. Don't you wanna come with?" She asked quickly, expelling all air from her lungs without pause.
"Ruby, I can't, I have papers to grade, lessons to prepare, training to do." Said Cinder.
"But Cinderrr! It's been two weeks, and all you have done is work." Whined Ruby.
"I've gone out many times, just not with you." Said her sister.
"Even more reason! Don't you want to spend time with your adorable sisters? We'd have so much fun. Vale is like, awesome. So many gun stores and arcades." Said Ruby.
"I. Can't" Said Cinder.
"But why?" She asked once again. The huntress turned around.
"Because." She said. Ruby felt a pang of coldness on her chest. Her sister didn't want to spend time with her, not anymore. It was evident when she left for Mistral with a few words, but now that she was here, with no distance to work as an excuse, Ruby could not deny it.
"Did… Did I do something wrong?" She asked, looking at the ground. She heard Cinder gasp, but it was small and almost undetectable.
"No!" Yelled Cinder. Ruby looked up, and saw her sister with a strange expression. One of sadness and fear that the woman seemed to push away the moment the red reaper looked at her.
"Then… why?" She asked once again.
"I…" Cinder seemed to stumble with her words. Ruby remembered when they were younger, and Cinder seemed to much more frail then. She still was 'Super sis', but much more adorable in a way.
"I know you're too amazing for us but, we're trying our best. Maybe if you hang out with us, some of you will rub off on us, don't you think?" Ruby said, trying once again to convince her. Cinder looked away once again, face scrunched up as if ashamed of something.
"Alright. I'll go. But don't think I didn't want to because of you Ruby. It's…" Said Cinder. Ruby looked at her with surprise.
"It's…" Ruby asked, curiosity taking over.
"It's just that, at times, I think you may be too amazing for someone like me." Said Cinder. Ruby's eyes opened like saucers. The sister she admired so much, thought she was amazing.
"Don't let it go to your head." Said Cinder, once again serious.
"Can I be the Super Sis now?" Asked Ruby with a smile. Cinder pushed her head back in a friendly gesture.
"Not a chance. You may be good, but I'll always be one step ahead." She said with a smirk of confidence.
"Maybe. Or maybe I'll catch up to you." Said the red reaper.
"Didn't I just tell you to not let it go to your head?" Asked Cinder, going back for her teaching items. "Now go. Have fun with your friends, I'll see you tomorrow." Said her older sister.
"Yaaay!" Said Ruby, using her semblance to round Cinder before going towards the lockers.
Cinder sighed, but a small smile crept up her lips. She'd have postpone her shopping.
Team RWBY had joined team JNPR in the cafeteria, joining into their usual chatter about classes and training; however Yang was absent from the exchanges, poking at her food without much interest which was especially jarring for the brawler who was usually the soul of most conversations along with Nora. Weiss was the first to notice this, and decided to nip that problem in the bud.
"You okay there Yang?" She asked her.
"I'm fine, Weiss. Please, I'm not in the mood." Said Yang.
"What's wrong?" Asked Jaune, who had decided to step back from whatever fun argument Nora and Ruby were having about 'Cookies vs Pancakes'.
"Nothing." Hissed Yang.
"Doesn't look like nothing." He replied.
"Jaune. Not the time." Said Weiss with a frown. The leader of JNPR raised his hands defensively.
"Sorry, I'm just concerned. I thought Yang was… you know… the soul of the party so to speak." He said.
"People are allowed to feel different emotions, Arc." Said Weiss with a harsh tone.
"I'm fine really. It's just that, my sister's here." Said Yang. Jaune arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Ruby is right there." He said, pointing his finger at the red reaper who beamed at them from the other side of the table.
"My other sister." Said Yang.
"You mean Professor Cinder?" Asked Jaune.
"How did you know?" Asked Yang.
"I talked to her when she first came. We ran into each other when she went to your dorm, I think. Why did you never tell us your sister was 'The Ember of Mistral'?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah. Why?" Answered Weiss with arms crossed, looking at Yang with disapproval. The brawler glared at her for moment, eyes flashing red, before taking her tray and throwing it's contents into a nearby trash bin.
"I'm going to punch some dummies. See you in class guys." Said Yang with thumbs up before taking her leave. Jaune and Weiss looked at each other, then in the direction Yang left to, then back at each other.
"Maybe you should go after her." Said the boy.
"Why? I'm not her partner. And if she doesn't want to talk, then there's no point in trying." Said Weiss, going back to her food.
"Maybe you can at least calm her down, or something. You do have the habit of making people see reason." Said Jaune, blushing slightly. Weiss sighed, he was right, which she didn't want to recognize. The knight had many faults and was a bit too pushy with his advances, but was not malicious in nature.
"Alright. Excuse me then." She said, wiping her face with a napkin and walking in the direction Yang had went off to, leaving her other two teammates with JNPR.
Weiss Schnee did not like sweating like a pig, especially during the middle of the day when she still had classes to attend to; but her teammate needed her and despite how boisterous and full of herself Yang was, she was invaluable to the team. She could not allow a single weak link to remain.
That's why she ran after Yang, using her acceleration glyphs to catch up to her. Luckily she had not gone too far, and the heiress managed to catch up to the brawler in the central plaza of the school grounds.
She did not have to say anything, since apparently Yang heard her coming.
"Weiss cream? Did I do something wrong now?" She asked, genuinely confused.
"No, unless not being yourself counts as being wrong." She answered.
"Oh. Sorry." She replied with some sarcasm.
"It's okay. I just want to talk." She said, going to a nearby stone bench and tapping it so that Yang would take a seat.
The brawler eyed her with suspicion, before hesitantly sitting some distance from her.
"So, your sister told you something you didn't wanna hear. For your own sake. Why is that a problem now?" Asked Weiss, getting to the point. Yang gritted her teeth, before letting out a breath.
"It's not that Weiss. I doubt you understand." Said Yang.
"But I do. I also have an older sister." The brawler looked at her in surprise, and Weiss smiled. Blindsiding people brought her satisfaction like no other. "Her name is Winter. She left home as soon as she could enroll in the Atlas military, to avoid my father. Thus, I never see much of her, and when I do, I usually just want to show her how much better I am." Weiss said.
"Wow. That's… I'm sorry." Said Yang, unusually somber.
"It's okay. You're not alone in this, Xiao Long. So… what is the problem with Cinder?" She asked once again. Yang looked at the ground before sighing.
"It's just… Look. When I was young, Ruby's mom, Summer, passed away. She was amazing. Huntress by day, supermom by night. But one day, she went on a mission and never returned." Said Yang, her voice cracking slightly. Weiss gasped, but said nothing more; waiting for the blonde to continue. "When that happened, our family kinda fell apart. My Dad pretty much shut down, Uncle Qrow was never home; and Ruby was too young to understand everything, but still was devastated. She needed somebody to step up. I…" Said Yang, her fists balling and then releasing.
"It's okay, Yang." Said Weiss, trying to sound comforting.
"I know. I know." Said Yang, taking a breath. "Cinder was distant when she first came home. We loved her of course, but she didn't seem too happy. However, when Summer died, she was the only one that didn't seem to collapse. She was sad, in fact, I think it's the only time I saw her cry, but she picked herself up just like that. I thought she was amazing. That she was strong. So I decided to try and do the same. For Ruby."
"Cinder and I would make our food together, train together, go to school together. She did everything with me, to keep our family afloat, even when she had to study. She was the only one who I could talk to; to be… vulnerable around." Said Yang, her eyes glistening slightly.
"Yang…" Said Weiss, rubbing the brawler's shoulder. She could not believe the amount of pain the blonde harbored. She felt guilty about some of their interactions in the past.
"And then, once our dad got back on his feet; and she entered Beacon, she bailed on us. No texts, no calls, no visits. Nothing. It's like she said 'Well, looks like my work here is done. Bye, bye, kiddo.'" Said Yang, mocking Cinder's voice. Weiss had to contain a chuckle. The first time Yang made her laugh, mostly because it reminded her of Klein.
"And now she's back here, and acts like she doesn't even know me!" Said Yang, hitting her leg with her fist.
"What if I still need her?!" The brawler asked. She almost looked like she was going to break down crying. The heiress mulled about what to say, yet no amount of thinking could get the perfect sentence to comfort her and show that she cared. Sighing, she decided to take a page from Ruby's book and speak with her heart.
"Yang, she may have had a reason. A good reason. No decent person would abandon you." Said Weiss, putting a hand on Yang's shoulder.
"How do you know that?" She asked.
"I don't, but believe me, I talk from experience." She said. She truly didn't know if Winter cared, she never asked but she had to tell herself that. For her own mental health. "Maybe you should ask her why."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"I'm… not sure I'll like the answer." Said Yang. Weiss smirked, her chance to cheer her up.
"Didn't take you for a coward miss Xiao Long." Said the heiress. Yang looked at her, bewildered, before slightly punching her in the shoulder.
"Oww. What's wrong with you!" She asked.
"Ice Queen can't take a love tap?" Asked Yang, imitating her previous smirk.
"I know what love taps are. And that is not one." She answered. Yang chuckled before settling down. Both girls remained in silence for a while. Weiss looked at Yang, the brawler seemed to be more sensitive than she imagined. She didn't want to be like her father, like her mother who left their children on their own with no support. That must have been why Winter left. She was not going to allow it.
"Yang." She said. The brawler's attention was back on her.
"We're your teammates. You can tell us about this stuff, if it bothers you." She said.
"Sorry but... I gotta be strong for Ruby." She said, shaking her head.
"Makes sense, but neither Blake nor I are Ruby. You can talk to us. I'm sure Blake is an excellent listener." She said. Yang laughed.
"She sure is." Said Yang. Weiss smiled, happy that she had managed to cheer the brawler up a little. The blonde then looked at Weiss, smiling, eyes narrowed and head tilted.
"Thanks Weiss cream." She said. And with that, the moment was gone.
Roman Torchwick was not happy. Not happy at all. Why was he stuck with the useless goons that were the White Fang when he could perfectly hire some humans to do the job? He wouldn't even have to split the profits that much.
Yet here he was, ordering around those degenerate Faunus.
"No… That one goes in the yellow container, you useless dolt!" He said into his scroll. "Alright, you know what? I'll go there, and show you how it's done. Yes! I'm sure!" he yelled into the scroll. He would have to step up the plan.
"Having trouble? For someone who prides himself on being a criminal mastermind, you sure can't discipline some weaklings." Said a voice behind him. The redheaded man turned around, towards a dark corner of his secret office in Vale. A shadowed figure stood there, leg's crossed over a table.
"How the fuck do you do that?" He asked. That… woman always had a knack for getting behind his back. It made her unpredictable, and he hated it. While her contractor seemed more merciful, this woman's essence reeked of death.
"A little secret. Now, are you having trouble?" She asked.
"Not at all." He answered. He would call Neo, go to Mt Glenn, and get everything done.
"Good. Then, I guess our lady decided to reward you." She said. Roman arched an eyebrow.
"How?" He asked.
"Two little helpers." She said. Upon saying that, his phone rang. He answered it, and the man behind the call told him of two guests.
"How the f- yeah let them in." he said finally. He knew better, besides, revenge could always wait for later.
Soon, two… kids entered his office. A gray haired punk wearing a jumpsuit or something, and a green haired girl with red eyes.
"Mercury Black." Announced the boy.
"Emerald Sustrai." announced the girl.
"You've been trained well." Said the woman, never leaving the shadows.
"Jeez, this place needs some more lightning." Said mercury, looking around the darkened office.
"It's mood lightning, punk." He said, pointing his cane at him.
"Sure." Said the boy, crossing his arms.
"Did you find the targets?" Asked the shadow woman.
"Silver eyes. Big scythe." Said Mercury, throwing pictures onto the nearby desk. Roman knew her, that stupid little girl named Ruby Rose. She was a target, and he hoped he would be apple to partake in her death.
"And the other?"
"She just arrived two weeks ago. She seems fake, like trying too hard to be cool. Do we really need her?" Asked Emerald.
"Our mistress thinks she could be a valuable asset. She is weak willed, but her strength seems immense." Said the shadow woman.
"So, what now?" Asked Mercury.
"First the girl. Take down the tower, lure her in, and our operative will take care of the rest." She said. She then turned her body towards Roman.
"You make sure Mountain Glenn goes smoothly." She said.
"A gentleman's promise." Said Torchwick with a small bow.
"And the woman?" Asked Emerald.
"When the time is right. For now, make sure she lives. But…" She said, looking at Roman. "… You may rough her up. Could be fun." She said. Roman could not see her, but he felt she was smiling.
He did the same.
A/N: Finally did this chapter. I've never been so excited by an AU; so I'm turning this into a full story. Sadly, I still have a long way to go towards writing the RWBY characters but I hope that I did not butcher them at the very least. Especially Roman, since I don't remember much from Volume 2. As always comments and tips on improving are very welcome. What did you think of this chapter? What do you think of good!Cinder's character?