Aza Brine is a rather secluded person. Not from people, but from the world. Her hatred for humans has festered and grown to the point that she can't stand the sight of them. They're living so happily despite the oppression surrounding them. They'll even take part in it if they see fit. These thoughts cross her mind as Aza walks past one of the dance clubs hosting hundreds of people. They're all watching the Vytal Festival Tournament, drinking, eating, and laughing away with friends. But there are only humans. The elder Brine scoffs at the "No Faunus" sign posted beside the front door. The fact that things like this are still okay in Vale disgust her, anger her. It feeds the fires of her rage so that she may unleash it on those who put down the Faunus.
But there are times where she needs to douse that flame, suck in her stomach, and just smile when she's sent on assignments that surrounds her with humans she cannot punish. Some even have the audacity check her out. It's not often Aza is outside her battle attire, so her being in a tank top and tight shorts is a rare commodity, for others, anyway. For her, it's an annoyance. Still, she'll do what needs to be done.
As she crosses the street, she spots a café that houses a patio. From that, she finds her contact sitting on the corner, back against the wall, eyes on everyone. When their eyes finally meet, a certain hint of respect is given. The man, clearly reaching the end of his prime considering his greying hair, watches closely as Aza passes by every human in the way and takes a seat at his table.
"I'm surprised. For the number of times I've met with your boss… not once have I seen you," his monotone voice says with a hint of pride.
"That's irrelevant. I'm here to know if the ships are ready?"
The man nods. "They are… we're even luring those… things into them," he shivers. "Speaking freely, this is above me. Tell Adam I won't be participating in any of the bloodshed."
Normally, Aza would call someone a traitor or a coward for such words. That not wanting to fight for your people makes one passive and weak. However… that's a different Aza.
"I understand," she bows her head. "Even I… am not comfortable with the idea."
His brow raises, entertained by those words. "Is that so?"
"You said we're speaking freely, correct? Well, I believe… that we're taking the 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' mentality too literally. I despise humans and what they've done to the Faunus," her fists tighten just thinking about it. "But… the Grimm are a threat to everyone. They don't discriminate, they don't capture and enslave… at least then whoever was captured can be saved and their fighting spirit will strengthen. The Grimm slaughter for no reason. I don't know what's worse, truly… killing Faunus because you hate them… or killing Faunus because they exist."
"Is there a difference?" The man tilts his head.
Aza's sharp eyes stare down at the table, locked on the man's drink. "Yes… yes, there is."
"Aza," he leans in a little bit. "It's starting to sound like… you think this is a bad idea."
Aza leans back in her chair and sighs. "I… I do. I was sent by Sienna, my dear friend, to watch over Adam's operation. I thought he was doing what was right for the Faunus… but something's just bothering me. My brother… he was as loyal as I yet he saw something flawed in the White Fang. Flawed enough to leave it completely and join the very Academy we're attacking. Furthermore, the Grimm… and even our own, won't discriminate. We'll be killing Faunus students and spectators. That's not what I'm fighting for… and I don't think that's what Sienna wants."
The man chuckles. "Funny, I heard you were a die-hard supporter who would murder anyone, human or Faunus, that stood in the way of equality. What changed? No disrespect, of course," he lifts his hands. "You're just… calmer than I predicted."
Aza crosses her arms and thinks. "I spoke with Sienna recently, reporting in. She was concerned about me. Hearing her words again… it's like I was listening to only Adam for too long. Though, perhaps I simply learned from myself," she looks to the right.
Ever since her battle with you, Aza's been different. Not because you spoke sense into her, but because of the lengths she went to kill you. She hates Slaters. She hates your father for killing her parents, she hates Harrier for his arrogance, and she hates you for… nothing. Like she said about the Grimm, she hated you because you existed. Because you were donned with the last name "Slater." You didn't kill her brother, a Faunus, a high ranking White Fang member, and instead befriended him. She even heard Dylan defended you after being nearly killed – jumping into a battle he was well aware he couldn't win. That determination and drive is what he used to have for the White Fang. Then, after speaking with him and Sienna, her views are changing. It's like all her aggression and anger was expelled when she released that immeasurable explosion. She couldn't even call herself a martyr. She didn't have the gall to die for what she believed in. That alone was a turning point for her… because she realized that something was wrong. That whatever she was fighting for… she didn't really believe in.
"I see… I have to say, Aza, I'm pleasantly surprised by your view on things. I was worried you were a fanatic… but that's clearly not the case. At least, not anymore. I see why Sienna trusts you to be her eyes here."
"Hmph," Aza's leans back and looks inside the café, spotting the TV showing a battle between team RWBY and FNKI. "I believe they may have been closed for some time."
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Ruby closes the door behind her and focuses on you, smiling. You're sitting on the edge of your bed with a book in your hand. You close it and start talking.
"Is Weiss alright?"
She nods. "Yeah, she wasn't really hurt. She'll be released from the infirmary soon," Ruby takes a seat beside you on the bed. "I was so worried."
"You're telling me. Then again, I've been in a bunch of fights without my Aura, so…"
"And that worries me too!" Ruby pouts.
"Well, what's done is done. Weiss is okay and now Yang moves onto the finals!" You throw your hands into the air as you turn right and fall past Ruby so you're completely lying on the bed. "I hope I don't have to fight her. I feel like she might be a bit mad after she heard I was 'dating' Weiss."
Ruby lies down beside you, resting atop your arm. "No, she's okay. Speaking of…" Ruby squirms in place a little bit, clearly nervous. "What did… you do?"
You chuckle, rolling over to hug the smaller girl. "Nothing, Ruby. We just hung out at a beach."
Ruby rests her head against your chest and wraps one arm around your stomach. "You never take me to the beach…"
"I took you to a gun range."
"That's not romantic."
"You enjoyed it, don't lie. Besides, I'd rather you truly enjoy yourself than just be in some romantic spot. It's what makes you…" you tap her nose. "Unique."
Ruby blushes a bit, but snuggles in closer. "You know… we haven't really done couple things."
"Yeah," you roll onto your back once more. "True… I guess I was busy training and now there's the tournament. Hehe, I was never good at boyfriend stuff," you chuckle. "But, what do you want to do? Dinner? Movie? Play? The park?"
"Hm… I'll think about it," Ruby breathes out, relaxing. "You tend to make things fun either way."
"Well, how about I take you out for a celebration after I win the tournament? A whole day of activities or something."
Ruby somewhat squints, smiling. "How do you know you're gonna win?"
"Ruby… Ruby…" You point at yourself, oozing confidence. "Come on. Come ooooon."
Ruby cutely giggles at your words, covering her mouth momentarily. "So what happens if you lose?"
You tap your mouth as you think. "Then you'll have to take me out on a day of activities to make me feel better."
"That's not fair!"
"Why not? I would be so heartbroken. I probably wouldn't get out of bed for the next seven years."
Ruby giggles. "That's a lie. Ms. Goodwitch would drag you out."
"Curse your knowledge," you turn your head away.
Ruby brings her arms back to her then grabs your face and turns you towards her. "Hey…"
You push your head past her hands and kiss her. She closes her eyes, embracing the feeling and intimacy of the action.
"Hey," you whisper, lips barely parted.
"I… now I lost my train of thought!" Ruby whines, her cheeks red once more. Her eyes don't bother opening since you're still so close.
"Sorry," you say, refusing to move away. "Something just… came over me."
"You're mean… you did it on purpose."
"Mm… maybe," you snicker before kissing her once more, almost intoxicating the girl with affection. "That one was on purpose too."
"I'm weak to your kisses!" She whines, though doesn't pull away at all. If anything, she leans in a little closer.
"That sounds like a you problem to me," you chuckle, moving down to kiss her neck. "Ah, right," you nose touches the fabric of her clothes that keep the young woman completely covered. "That's okay," you move back to her cheek and kiss her.
Ruby takes this in a different way than you intended. She feels bad that she's so… reserved in this area. In a burst of courage she may never get again, she unclips her hood and throws is to the top corner of the bed. You're surprised by this, and even more surprised when she starts unzipping her shirt from the top, stopping just at her chest. With this, her neck is easily accessible while her more sensitive areas are still covered.
"You… really?"
"I… I don't know why I did that," Ruby shakily answers, scared but excited. "I've never felt this before."
You lean in start kissing her now exposed neck.
"H-Hey," she giggles, hands running across your head.
"You're the one who did it," you whisper, continuing to litter the neck with kisses.
"You're… the one doing stuff," she shivers.
"You enabled me."
You bring yourself back to Ruby's face, locking eyes with the girl. Her cheeks are bright red, she's sweating a bit, chest heaving from adrenaline. She's even squirming a bit, loosening her clothing even more as if she's hinting at you to remove them. It's clear as day she's really into the moment… but, in all honesty, you're not sure what to do. You didn't plan on going this far. You're ready, of course. You've been intimate with Rogue in the past. But… is Ruby ready? She's only fifteen, she's never had a boyfriend… it's probably best that you try and cool your jets for now. Though, at this point, it's easier said than done. Being inexperienced, Ruby is clearly eager; likely due to the motivation you've given her. She wants… more. You can see it in her brilliant silver eyes staring desperately up at you. She's a generally reserved person in this regard but she's already taking off clothes.
"Ruby… we should stop," you whisper.
"Why..?" Her faint voice asks.
"It's not that… you just…" You have no idea how to explain this to her now. You can hear a hundred voices screaming at you to do it. Part of you has been waiting for this… but the loudest voice says to stop – to wait. "I don't think we should do this… yet."
"Am I… not appealing?"
"What? No!" You adamantly shake your head. "You're beautiful! It's not that I don't want to… I just don't know if you really want to. We haven't been dating for that long, after all. I just don't want you to push yourself, okay?" You place your hand on her cheek and smile. "I really do care about you. I don't want you to think you have to do something you're not comfortable with just for me."
Ruby squirms in place, unable to decide what to do. Her more primal instincts are telling her to just go for it. She's already starting taking her top of… but you are making sense. On one hand, she wanted to prove that she can do the more sexual things couples do. That you may want it and are refraining from speaking out. While that still may be the case, you're too genuine in your explanation right now. So much so you're convincing Ruby to stop, despite her wanting to do this.
"I… I…" Ruby looks away, unsure what to say.
"Hey," you kiss her cheek, then flip yourself and her over, placing her on top of you. "Don't worry about it. I'm happy here… here with you," you rest Ruby's head on your chest. "So don't worry about it, Little Red. I'm here… I'll always be here."
"You… promise?" She looks into your eyes.
"I promise," you say with a smile.
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It's been a few hours since you and Ruby parted ways. She went to watch a few more tournament fights and think about what you've said about pushing herself. You packed up Jet's outfit and changed into a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. Your father's clothes are neatly packed into a back that you're carrying with you. You stop in front of a door and knock.
"What am I doing?" You shake your head before leaping into the room.
"Gah!" Dior hops back. "Why… do you do that? I was coming to the door," he huffs.
"Is anyone else here?" You look around the empty room.
Dior shakes his head. "No, they're watching the last doubles fights. I was too but you asked to meet me."
"Right, right, right," you nod your head before handing over the bag. "Do you think you could work your magic?"
Dior grabs the bag and looks in it. "Is this your father's attire?"
"I'm wondering if you could personalize it for me? Basing it off my dad but making it my own. Plus, I know you can add some tech to spice things up, you know. Very effective and glorious," you wave your hands.
Dior slowly looks away back to the bag. "I can do that for you. I'll add a new belt and glove, too."
You pat Dior's shoulder and wink. "You're the best, Dior."
"You're only saying that because I do things for you," Dior shakes his head.
"I do stuff for you too! You know I'm worth it," you smile brightly at him. "Plus, I have something else I wanted to ask you."
You cross your arms and think of a way to activate the mark. "Well," you decide to explain as you attempt to bring it out. "Harrier inject… or maybe infected? Stamped? Whatever," you dismissively wave your hand. "Some sort of cursed mark on my face, right there," you point at the spot.
Dior examines it, though he sees nothing unordinary. "But-"
"I know, it's not showing. It's selective… I noticed the more I was angry the more it showed. I think it has something to do with that."
Dior scratches his chin as he closely examines your cheek. "Remain still," he turns around and approaches his bed where Calamity rests. He opens his briefcase and forms a small computer inside it. His fingers speed along the keys as if it was second nature, which results in him creating a scanner similar to the one you'd see at a store. "This won't hurt you at all. I'm doing a more thorough scan of your face to pinpoint this mark," he explains as the scanner does its magic.
Calamity's monitor lights up and beeps, signifying an anomaly. Dior turns around and peeks at the screen. "I see… something's hidden." He returns to Calamity and places the scanner inside. It quickly disassembles and becomes one with the briefcase. "Composition… hm…" Dior taps his bed.
"What?" You move to his side.
Dior sighs, signaling he's stumped. "There's… an issue," he shifts his body to face you. "I can break down some of this mark but…" He huffs, looking back at his screen. "It just doesn't make sense."
"Okay, start with what makes sense."
"The mark has DNA. Lots of DNA. Most of it is from your family."
"What?" You lean in closer to the screen, quickly remembering you have no idea what any of the mumbo jumbo on there means but too prideful to back off. "My family?"
"Harrier and Jet, mostly. There's some other DNA that resembles your families… but not exactly. Then some which, I'm honest, isn't in the system."
"The system?"
Dior slightly chuckles. "Let's say I have… access to a lot of systems," he downplays it. "And what I'm finding here correlates with none of that. It's not recorded. On top of that," he turns away and starts pacing. "It's made of something I've never seen before. I want to say it's laced in Dust… or maybe that's the base compound… but it's not. Whatever is holding it together, keeping it hidden on your cheek, bringing out whatever it does… it's… not normal."
"You're saying this mark is something magical?"
Dior faces you, downcast. "I don't know. Magic doesn't exist… I'm hoping it's merely something I've never scanned before. It's not uncommon. Those Mutated Grimm were new to me as well. (Y/N)," Dior walks up to you, face to face. "I don't know what you've gotten yourself into… but I'm always here to help."
You pat Dior's shoulder and smile. "I know. That's why you're my best friend. Thank you, Dior. If you come up with anything else make sure to let me know." You walk past him and head for the door. "Oh, and take your time on the outfit. I want it as rad as a saxophone playing cat."
Dior merely raises his brow at your comparison. You wave him off. "Never said you had to understand it. Alright, catch you lat- actually, do you want to come with me? I'm heading to the arena?"
"Oh, please," he nods. "Better than walking."
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You appear in front of the dorm with JNPR, RWBY, ORKD, and Dylan. You huff and puff the second you appear, feeling nearly all your Aura being drained.
"I didn't think… it'd take that much out of me," you say, placing a hand on your chest.
"Still weird," Ruby shivers.
Nearly everyone agrees with the statement.
"I'm surprised you don't feel it," Dylan says, crossing his arms.
"It's likely d-d-due to repeated use."
"Desensitized," Rogue adds. "Makes sense. Multiplying myself used to feel really weird."
"I'm sorry," Pyrrha speaks up, taking a step away. "I was called for something. You'll have to excuse me."
"Sure," you nod. "How long till we have to meet up for the finals?" You look to Yang.
"At night. Eight or something. So we have a couple hours."
"Sweet," you stretch your arms. "Hey, Dylan, wanna go bowling?"
"What?"
"Bowling. You throw a ball down a lane and try to hit all the pins at the en-"
"I know what bowling is, Slater," he pinches the bridge of his nose. "I just didn't know you would bowl… or want to, considering the tournament."
"I wouldn't mind," Blake scratches her arm.
Dylan shifts his gaze to Blake, hiding his annoyance that she's going along with your random plan.
"Group activities strengthens bonds," Ren nods.
"I wanna throw some balls!" Nora cheers, smile wide.
"See, Nora gets me!" You jump beside her, wrapping your arm around her. "Let's do it, Nora!"
"Ball time! And you're all coming."
"I was thinking of-"
"You're coming," Nora squints at the large Kin. "All of you," she says with pure intimidation.
"Hehe, this is why you're the best, Nora."
Ruby and Weiss scratch their heads, side by side. It's almost perplexing for them. Two girls who you know have feelings for you… and you say Nora is the best. The two girls notice Rogue's annoyance at your actions and start giggling together.
"Well, I guess I'm going," Dylan shakes his head.
Blake slides beside him and smiles. "Yes, you are."
"Ha, whipped," you slyly point at him.
You soon hear throat clearing from three people. You slowly turn around, still as a statue, and spot Ruby, Weiss, Rogue, and Yang with their arms crossed and brow raised.
"I'm subjugated."
"Ha," Dylan chuckles.
"SHUT UP!" You wave your fist at him.
"Why? You can't teleport out of here. You're drained, remember?" Dylan says with a victorious smile.
You blink a few times as you slowly get a grasp on your situation.
"We'll treat you nice," Ruby latches onto your arm.
"Like angels," Weiss does the same to your other.
"Angels," Yang repeats, placing her hand on your head and pushing down.
"Just for you," Rogue demonically smiles, resting her hand under your chin so you're squished between her hand and Yang's.
"I wanna join," Nora cheers, slapping her two hands on either side of your face.
"Hahaha! Such skill! Such determination!" Kin cheers, wrapping his arms around Dior and Onyx's heads and pulling them in. "He's lured them all in for a grand strike!"
"Help me," you whine.
"I d-don't think he's okay," Dior points out.
"It's his own grave. Let him do what he pleases," Onyx blandly speaks.
"Amazing! Please, let me join in!" Kin lets go of his teammates and approaches you.
"What?" You whimper before Kin walks behind you, sharing space with Yang, and wraps his large, bulky arms around your chest. "Gah-" You release what air you had left as Kin squeezes.
"I can be an angel too!" Kin triumphantly shouts.
Ren, Jaune, Dior, Onyx, Dylan, and Blake watch as you're threatened by the girls and used as a plaything by Nora and Kin.
"One would think that I would help him, being his teammate," Dylan says to everyone.
"A-Are you?" Jaune asks, leaning forward to lock eyes with the Faunus.
"Of course not."
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After they finally deemed it okay for you to be freed, your giant group takes an airship to Vale. It's not uncommon for groups of students to travel, but you have over a dozen people. That fact makes the staff at your local bowling alley very nervous when you walked in. They gave you lanes, of course, but you noticed they have one person watching at all times. Even with that, it's an awesome place. Neon lights, awesome music, and plenty of other people in the other alleys. It's a typical teenager hangout location… something you don't get to see very often.
You slip on your bowling shoes and jump in front of everyone.
"I'll let you all know that I'm a bowling master! You cannot hope to defeat me!"
"So, we'll arrange it with the three lanes," Dylan speaks, gathering everyone's attention away from you.
"Hey! I was gloating!" You violently wave your arms.
"We'll see who gets the highest score. We'll each go one at a time down the three lanes. However, the first lane has five people – RWBY and Slater. Next, we have JNPR, replacing Pyrrha with me, and then ORKD. Are you ready?"
"He got into this," Yang whispers to Blake, sitting at their massive table made from other, smaller tables.
"It's kinda cute," Blake smiles.
"Slater, you're up first."
You grab one of the bowling balls and look back at your friends. "Alright… aim steadily… aaaaaaaaaaaaand," you run forward and throw the ball… directly into the gutter. "Ah… I… ah…" Your face goes blue, shadows surrounding it.
Everyone else, save Onyx, starts laughing at the complete failure of a shot. You pout and go for another ball. "Twas a fluke, friends! This next shot…" You turn back to the alley. "Will seal the deal!" You throw the ball… into the gutter. "You've betrayed me beyond anything…" You mutter.
Absolutely defeated, you return to the table and slam your head down. Ruby, one of the two people sitting next to you, pats your head.
"There, there."
"Jaune, you're up!"
"Sure!"
Jaune leaves the table and grabs a ball, somewhat nervous as he watched by nearly everyone.
"I haven't done this in a while, but…" Jaune throws the ball, his form utterly terrible. Yet, somehow, it spins at the last moment and knocks all the pins over.
"Wow! I got a strike!"
"WHAT?" You lift your head.
Jaune goes for another ball as the pins reset. "That was lucky… maybe..?" Jaune tosses it again… getting a strike once more.
"Way to go, Jaune!" Ruby and Nora cheer.
"WHAT THE F-"
"It's your turn, Onyx!" Kin pats his ally. "Show them your power!"
"It's bowling," Onyx blandly replies as he gets up and approaches the balls.
Unlike you and Jaune, Onyx takes longer to choose his ball. He grabs each, weighs them, and puts it back.
"I didn't know you were so bad at bowling, (Y/N)," Yang playfully remarks as you wait.
"Hey! It was one round!" You fire back, as passionate as ever. "Besides, maybe I wouldn't be so traumatized if you GIRLS didn't squish me so much."
"I'm sorry," Ruby leans in and wraps her arms around your waste.
"Psh, sure. You conspired against me. I never thought you four would work together," you say, looking between Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Rogue. "Though, I can't be mad. Better than being angry."
"Our common enemy brought us close," Weiss crosses her arms and nods.
Rogue and Yang mimics Weiss and nods, but you flail your arms.
"Common ene- am I that bad! I took you on a date, Weiss! I helped you out!"
"You gave me a reason to go against you," she remarks, a sly smile present.
"Wait… you're dating two of them?" Rogue starts cracking her knuckles.
"I thought your heart only belonged to me," Ruby starts pretending to sob. "My heart… how could you?"
"But I… we…" Your voice is high pitched due to stress and fear.
"I don't know if I can go on," Ruby looks away, placing her hand on her heart.
"You drama queen," you slouch. "If anything you'll get me killed."
"Off with his head!" Ruby shouts, tapping your neck with her straightened fingers. "Hehe, I read it in a book once."
Onyx sits down with his team, not bothering to say anything.
"Wait, you're done?" You look over at the screen. "Two strikes? Come on!"
"It was easy to calculate the weight of the ball and trajectory. You should take that into account next time."
"That's not fair! You're an archer! It's your specialty!"
"Wait, it's my turn!" Ruby jumps out of her seat. "Wish me luck."
"Luck," most of you cheer.
Dylan slyly looks over at you, planning a way to really grind your gears. Though the first round was completely legitimate, and he would rather keep it like that, he has a plan to make this as entertaining as possible for everyone.
Ruby grabs one of the lighter balls and sets up. "Okay… I can do this… pins are nothing," she winds up. "To m- gleh!" She throws the ball with all her might… which causes her to fall backward.
The ball continues to roll, if a little slow. Dylan subtly waves his finger at the ball, increasing its speed so it can hit the pins. Ruby pushes off the ground and looks down the alley, spotting the ball hit almost all the pins. Only two are left, rocking back and forth. With a little Brine intervention, the pins fall.
"Strike! YEAH!" Ruby cheers, getting to her feet and throwing her arms in the air. "Did you see that?" She turns back to you guys.
"Nice job, Rubes!" Yang gives her a thumbs up.
You hold in all the frustration and anger as if the world depended on it. "Very… nice…"
Ruby hops over to you, giggles, and kisses your cheek. "Thanks."
"Mmmmmmm," you slam your head on the table. "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"
"There, there," Weiss pats your head.
"You're very touchy today," you turn your head to face her.
"I… shut up!" She looks away. "Fine, I'll ignore you."
"That's not- ah…" You shake your head.
"I take it back, Slater," Dylan chuckles. "This was a good idea."
"This was a good idea," you mock.
"ANOTHER STRIKE!" Ruby screams. "YAY!"
"This is almost worse than the universe denying me steak."
"Nora, you're up!"
"Oh yeah!" She hops up.
"Just don't break anything," Ren calmly requests.
"Ah, Ren, I wouldn't do that," Nora chuckles.
Nora grabs the heaviest ball, winds up as if it was a baseball, and throws it down the alley. It doesn't touch the ground once, but it still connects with the pins and knocks them all over through sheer force.
"I'm not even surprised anymore."
Rogue comes up next, using her Semblance to throw multiple balls down the alley and get a strike. Weiss uses her glyphs to guide and speed up the ball. Each one of your friends either use their Semblance or get unknown help from Dylan to land a strike each time. You, on the other hand, can't hit a single pin. Sometimes Dylan's the cause, sometimes you just suck. Either way, after hours of playing, everyone ends with perfect scores… and you end with zero.
"This game sucks," you slam your head on the table again.
"You're the one who offered to pay if you didn't get a single point," Weiss giggles.
You slam your head on the table a few more times, resulting in a few laughs from everyone else.
"We should get going. You two have to be at the arena in half an hour."
You stand up and stretch your back. "Alright, let's go already. I'm not leaping us. If I have to fight… well, I don't want to give them THAT much of an advantage."
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Finally, the time has come. It's night, the stands are filled, and you're ready to rumble. You stand with eight other students, including Yang, Pyrrha, and Mercury. You recognize one of the other girls but can't remember her name off the top of your head.
"Now for the moment you've all been waiting for… the one on one finals!" Port announces, causing the crowd to cheer even louder.
You stretch your arms back and forth as Port and Oobleck explain the rules. Thankfully it's quick so the roll starts swiftly. You eagerly wait for your name to pop up. First is Mercury… then Yang.
"Awe," you throw yourself back. "I wanted to be first. Good luck you too," you wave at them before leaping beside the other members of RWBY, JNPR, and SSSN.
"Shouldn't you be with the others?" Blake remarks.
You shrug. "I can teleport down there if I'm called. I'd rather be with you girls anyway."
"Would all other combatants please leave the stage," Port announces.
The others walk off as the middle arena raises up for the two brawlers. When it's all set up, they both raise their hands and slowly approach each other, one short step at a time.
"Three… two… one… FIGHT!"
And thus the fight begins with a punch and a kick. Truly, it's fun to see these two battle. You're well aware either of these two could defeat you easily in terms of pure hand to hand combat, so watching them go up against one another is entertaining. Mercury has always been a fun person to watch fight, at least for you. His movement and momentum always seem so calculated. Yang is no slouch either. The two seem neck and neck, getting the edge of each other for only split seconds. Everyone is on the edge of their seats when Mercury pulls out an impressive move that crushes Yang under a flurry of his projectiles, but it's not enough. The strength of Yang's Semblance gives her the edge and, in the end, grants her the victory.
"What a way to kick off the finals!"
"Yang Xiao Long wins!"
"Yeah, you did it, sis!" Ruby cheers in her seat.
Blake stands up and claps. "Way to go, Yang!"
Yang walks past Mercury once he gets back on his feet. After a second… Yang throws a punch and fires, breaking Mercury's leg. It's so sudden you don't even comprehend what happened or why. What you do feel is the overwhelming anger and fear spread through the arena. Your cheek erupts, burning more intensely than it ever has before. You fall to one knee, hand slapped on your cheek as you grind your teeth.
"(Y/N)?" Ruby shouts, getting out of her seat and to your side. Blake, who's behind you, cannot see what the other girls see. Panting hard, you tighten your hand on your face – nails dragging along your skin. Your Aura's flickering just where the mark is, visible to both Weiss and Ruby. They know what that's from and what it does. The girls share a concerned glance, unsure what to do. The crowd is booing, Yang's surrounded by guards, and you're in pain.
"(Y/N), what's wrong?" Weiss asks, feigning ignorance.
"I…" You push off your knee and lean against the railing.
Your friends, both from JNPR and RWBY, is unsure who to look at now. You tear your nails down your skin to try and give yourself a new pain to feel.
"I… hear it… it's overwhelming…" You sputter. "Kik… gah," you shake your head. "Is Yang…"
"I don't know," Ruby shakes her head. "This is… I don't know. I don't know what to think."
"I can't believe it," Weiss mutters.
You shakily look around at the arena.
It's like… I can feel them – their anger. It can't be on purpose… so what the hell… why am I even feeling this to begin with? What's happening?
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"I can't believe it…" Dylan stands in the middle of your room, arms crossed. "Yang… she doesn't seem like the type."
"Yeah," you say, throwing a small, rubber ball into the air and catching it. "Things are… complicated right now," you catch the ball and hold it for a moment. "I don't even know what to think."
"The people are scared, that's clear," Dylan taps his arm. "Pressure is on Ozpin, I bet."
"That's not fair," you toss the ball again. "It wasn't his fault… hell, we don't know whose fault it was. Yang still says Mercury attacked her."
"That's not what anyone saw…" Dylan huffs. "Hopefully the match tonight can change."
"Hopefully I'm the one that's fighting. I can put on a good show."
"Hm… I'm going to see how RWBY is doing. Maybe spend some time with Blake. What's your plan? You have a whole day ahead of you."
"I don't know," you catch the ball and hold it. "Maybe… maybe mess around with Ruby. Not planning to be here, though, so you can use the room if you want." You remember what happened last time. It's not awkward for you, but it'd be easier if you two weren't so close in such a private location. "But I have a few other people I want to see. So, who knows? An unplanned day is more appealing to me, anyway.
"Fair enough. Well, I'll see you later, Slater. I'm not sure I'll be at the arena tonight so… if you're picked I'll be watching from a distance."
"I'll be sure to wink at the camera for you," you smile at him.
"Cute. Goodbye," he waves before leaving the room.
You start tossing the ball up and down again. The only sound you hear is the thump of the material hitting your skin. You still can't shake the thoughts from yesterday. You wanted to worry about Yang but your mind focused on your own problems.
"Maybe I should see Dior… or Ozpin… clearly, something happened… it ignited the moment everyone started booing Yang, no, before," you continue to toss the ball up and down. "I thought it had something to do with my anger but I wasn't… I mean, I didn't even have time to react. So is it me? Did it detect other people's emotions? Is that possible?" You grab hold of the ball and hold it tight. "Damn it… I don't understand. What's it supposed to do? Why did he put it on me? I hate being in the dark when it comes to me- gah," you crush the ball, making it explode in your hand. The beads inside fall all over your bed, lightly spilling on the floor. You huff. "Flubbernuggets… I'll leave that for Dylan."
You toss the ball on the floor and head for your closet. You throw on a black long sleeve shirt and grey jeans. You clip on your belt and tighten the glove on your hand before attracting your blade to it. With your weapon at your side and an outfit on your body, you grab a book from your shelf and leap to a secluded spot in Beacon to waste your time away.
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"(Y/N)? (Y/N)!" Ruby repeats.
Your eyes slowly open to a blur of black text on a white page. "Hm?" You grab the book off your face and look around, clearly disoriented from just waking up. "Oh, hey Little Red," you smile at her. "You okay?"
"Mhm," she nods, taking a seat beside you. "Are you?"
"Yeah, I guess. Is Yang… alright?"
Ruby rests her head on your shoulder, looking off in the distance at the environment basking in the orange glow of the evening. "As good as she can be. How's your…" She squirms a little bit.
"The thing on my cheek? It's still a little sore. The pain hasn't gone away yet. My Aura's still at 97 or something."
"It hasn't come back?"
"Nope," you shake your head. "But 97 is more than enough. Hopefully the match tonight won't be so bad. Speaking of that, I have to be there soon, don't I?"
"Yeah," Ruby looks down at your book and smiles. "You're reading it again?"
"Yeah," you nod. "You gave it back a while ago so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Wanna read it to me? You got a nice reading voice," you hand the book over to the girl.
"Okay," Ruby excitedly nods. She grabs the book and finds the page you were at. "Hey… I, uh… I'm sorry about… that time."
"What?" You chuckle and wrap your arm around Ruby. "Please, you have nothing to be sorry about. It's cute that you're so… eager," you tap Ruby's nose with your free hand.
"Hey!" She shakes her head.
"So don't worry about it. I'd rather focus on what we do rather than what we could do. I'm more than happy just sitting here with you."
"Hehe, yeah," she smiles at you. "One chapter and we'll head out."
"Gotcha."
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Night falls on Remnant once more, signaling the start of tournament fights. Like last time, you and the other finalists stand in a line, waiting to see who's going first. Like he said, Dylan is not watching from the stands. Ruby is, however, cheering you on with full focus. You look up at the screen and watch the randomization process begin.
"It looks like our first contender is… Penny Polendina!"
"Yeah, go Penny!" Ruby cheers, clapping.
"And her opponent will be…"
"Please, please, please," you whisper, fingers crossed.
"(Y/N) Slater from Beacon!"
"YES!" You jump in place. "Step back, kids," you pass by the others. "Time to show you how daddy does it."
You confidently stroll onto the stage with Penny sauntering behind. You look for the closest camera focused on you and point at it.
"This one's for you, Dylan darling," you say before kissing.
He's dying inside, I know it.
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Weiss, Blake, and Dylan watch the fight at a food stand on the fairgrounds. The two girls look over at the boy… dying inside.
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You stretch your legs across from Penny, smiling at the girl.
"Salutations, (Y/N)!" Penny salutes you before placing her hands on her hips. "This is going to be so much fun!"
"I agree," you stand up straight and stretch your neck. "Let's give the crowd a good show."
Many people watch from different places. Emerald watches from the stands, remembering her instructions. She's unsure why Cinder chose you to fight Penny, The original plan was to have Pyrrha fight, but something changed Cinder's mind. Either way, she knows her role and will see it done.
Ironwood is also intrigued by this battle. Atlas' mechanical soldier against one of Beacon's star pupils. He knows what you can do so he's eager to see how Penny will fare. Ozpin watches from his tower, taking a personal stake in this fight thanks to your relationship.
More rides on this battle than you know. You'll keep smiling and stretching, following plans you never knew existed.
"Fighters! Are you ready?" Oobleck speaks.
Penny smiles and nods while you give a thumbs up as a response.
"Three… two… one… BEGIN!"
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Cinder, dressed in her usual attire, watches the battle from far away. She uses her personal scroll and accesses Penny's systems, a gift from General Ironwood whether he knows it or not.
"Beacon's star pupil murder's Atlas machine… or Atlas' secret project runs wild and murders Beacon student? Oh… how I'll love to see what transpires," she smiles before changing Penny's protocols.
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Penny stiffens up for just a moment before relaxing. Her eyes change as if she locked onto you; her stance shifts, brow furrows. You're an enemy… a real threat. Her pack opens, releasing her floating weapons. Fourteen to start, which makes your shoulders sag.
"Really? Not even gonna build u- whoa!" You jump to the side, avoiding the first blade.
That's fast. I gotta keep on my toes here.
You slide to a stop and immediately roll forward to avoid another blade. While ten rush after you to attack, four stay over Penny to fire green blasts at you. You roll forward, stop and flip backward, attract your sheath to your hand and knock away two other blades them jump straight up.
"My word, Ms. Polendina has (Y/N) on the run!"
"Hey!" You twirl past three blades. "I haven't gotten started yet!"
"Go (Y/N)!" Nora cheers, not bothering to sit down. "Yeah!"
"Go (Y/N)! Go Penny!" Ruby cheers.
At the same time, Emerald squints at you.
You spiral back down to the ground, passing by the blades coming from in front of you. Just as you pass the last one, you feel several blades drive into your ribs. They practically lodge into your side and force you into the floor. The free blades hover start to hover atop your position and rain down blasts. Dust and debris start flying out from the impact zone.
Penny intently watches, unaware of you appearing beside her and ramming your heel into her temple. The young girl falls onto her side, caught completely off guard. You land in her old spot and stretch your neck.
"That was clever. I didn't see those ones from beside me. Kinda surprised I didn't, honestly."
Penny gets back up and manipulates her blades to attack. You read every one of them, now counting twenty. You roll your eyes at the annoyance and run towards your opponent. You unsheathe your blade and knock away the incoming projectiles. The moment you hit the first sword it seemingly disappears, along with the others that were close.
"What the-"
You feel those same blasts connect with your back, pushing you further towards the ground. Directly below you, Penny's set ten blades that point up as if they're a spike trap in a video game. You try to move but the constant barrage of blasts at your back makes it difficult. Of course, the remaining blades come from above and ram into your back, pushing you down faster. In moments, you're crushed between the blades in front and behind you, plus the blasts.
"Come on, (Y/N)! What're you doing?" Nora shouts.
"It's weird…" Ruby scratches her head. "He's not…"
The swords pull away and all form above you, raining down like pellets on your injured form. You squint as each blade chips at your Aura.
I need one moment… just one second…
You tighten the grip on your blade, roll over, and throw a flurry of sonic waves that push all the blades away. Once you have room, you roll back and jump away for some breathing room. Penny doesn't allow this and sends all twenty blades at you. You ready yourself, knowing the order in which to deflect and when to move. Before you even budge, the blades surprise you from the right, knocking you off balance and whisking you away like a tornado.
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"He's not doing well," Weiss says in a downcast voice.
"Something's wrong," Dylan states. "Slater's an incompetent buffoon, but the way he's fighting… it's like he can't see her weapons."
"You're right," Blake's fingers dance along her glass. "It's like he didn't even notice all the swords come in from the right."
"Is that Penny's Semblance, then?" Weiss theorizes.
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You roll to a stop, panting hard.
Damnit… does she have more than twenty blades? Can they teleport or something? It's like… the ones I'm seeing aren't real…
You stand up straight, eyes glossy as you stare at the ground.
What if that's it… the ones I see aren't real?
Your eyes sharpen and focus on Penny. You have a plan now that you can follow through with. You look up at the screen showing your Aura's. Penny's is practically full while you're at 60%.
More than enough.
You twirl your blade once before sprinting towards Penny. With an emotionless stare, Penny throws her hands forward which sends the blades spiraling towards you. Staying to your course, you run right at the sword. One soars right at your head, trajectory leading to your eye. You watch as it approaches, inch by inch, until it passes through you. The illusion is broken and the real swords, the ones coming from the sides, are revealed.
"What?" Emerald unintentionally lets out.
You jump forward, dodging the incoming attacks from both sides. You land a short distance from Penny, giving you plenty of room to dash forward and slash at her side. She brings her blades back to defend herself. You knock one away then slash at her stomach, spinning on your heel to parry two blades from behind then ducking to avoid three zooming over you. You unleash a fast slice from below, knocking Penny off her feet. You step in front of her and stab her stomach. The girl crashes against the ground, bouncing a few times before using her weapons to stabilize her.
Some of her weapons place themselves between you and her, attempting to distract you with a constant barrage of blasts. With five swords keeping you at a distance, the other fifteen circle around to attack from all angles.
Not all of them are real… I can't tell which ones, so I'm gonna take some hits. If she can mask her attacks then I gotta finish this fast. I won't win a war of attrition.
You let the first blade pass through you and focus on the second. You collide with air and are hit from the back. You spin around and defend against three blades, one of them being fake. You duck and flip over a few and collide with another sword.
"Come on, (Y/N)! Don't get trapped!" Kin screams.
"Use your Semblance, idiot!" Rogue harps.
Onyx remains silent, realizing the situation you're in. He can tell you don't know where the blades are at all times. Though watching the fight, Dior also has his eyes on his briefcase. It's reading that mark on your face. Yesterday it flared up… he's wondering if its battle that activates it or if there's another factor. You said it might be anger, but he's unsure whether you really were infuriated at Yang's actions.
You flip back, positioning all the sword in front of you, and start throwing out sonic waves. Penny recalls her weapons and forms a circle in front of her. She sticks her hands out as the blades rotate faster and faster, forming a glowing green ball of energy in the middle.
"The hell?"
Penny pulls her arms back then thrusts them forward, releasing a devastating wave that barrels towards you.
"OH THAT'S…" You raise your sword and catch the beam against the flat end. The beam pushes you towards the edge of the arena, threatening to cut you in half. "Tsk… HYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" You grab on as tight as you can and redirect the blast up, saving yourself from a ring out or being hit. You take a breather and smile at the camera. "That's neat. Neat would be a good word for it. Was that your big move, Penny?" You tilt your head.
Penny doesn't react to your words. It surprises you that she has no emotion, nothing. She isn't even responding to your quips. Penny, to your knowledge, is a cheery girl that's fun to be with. It's like she's a totally different person when fighting.
"Well, I guess I'll show you something from me!" You say before stepping into the air and speeding towards the girl.
You throw your sword at her, missing her cheek by a hair. It lands behind Penny, giving you a spot to mark. Before you reach Penny you step near the top of the stadium, keeping your momentum. Penny looks around for you, finding where to send her blades and blasts.
I gotta keep my momentum. I can't let her attacks slow me down.
You speed towards her and her barrier of weapons. Before they can reach you, real or not, you step to a different side of the arena and keep soaring forward.
"(Y/N) Slater is keeping away! What is his goal?" Port openly questions.
You keep away from any weapons Penny has as you teleport from one end to the other, getting faster and faster each time. Only a few people pick up on your plan… one of those being Cinder.
I'm almost at max speed. With her Aura levels… she'll be fine. Just a few more times!
You keep yourself as slim and speedy as you can. People have trouble keeping up with your movements, including Penny. You appear, dash through the air, then disappear to a different point and repeat. You get faster and faster each time, making it increasingly hard to follow you. Even Emerald can't keep up, making her Semblance almost useless. She can't focus on you at all.
I think I'm at terminal velocity. Either way, this will do.
You keep going one, two three, four more times before finally executing your plan. You speed towards Penny one last time before stepping right beside her at the same spot you threw the sword. Your fist is pulled back, ready to be thrown. Emerald has no time to distort your view. Knowing Penny is still right in front of your sword, you throw a punch right into her temple. The force of your punch plus the momentum behind you completely overwhelms the poor girl. You force the girl's head between your fist and the hilt of your blade.
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Cinder smiles as she sees you crush Penny's head. The woman turns off all of Penny's systems – mainly her Aura. She's unable to fight back now, you're too into your attack. Her plan… is complete.
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She still has Aura so I can keep attacking without worry!
You step behind her, letting the girl's head bounce off the blade. You turn around on the right side, grabbing your sword and cutting up Penny's body diagonally, then slashing at her shoulders. It's only then you realize your blade isn't hitting Aura. You watch, almost in slow motion, as your sword separates the girl's shoulders and head from the rest of her body. Pieces of Penny fall on the floor, showing not blood, muscle, and bone but wires, tubes, and metal. Your eyes widen at the sight.
"A… robot?"
"Penny!" Ruby screams, running to the barrier. "No… but," she looks up at the screen, showing Penny's Aura to be at 30%. "How… why?" She mutters, tears running down her cheeks.
Students, spectators, and teachers alike are all caught off guard by the sudden murder. You can hear the surprise in a massive wave of sound. This sudden surge of fear and disgust lights up your cheek once more.
"Gah…" You fall to one knee and slam your hand on your cheek, using your sword as leverage to keep you up. "It's… so intense… why?"
The burning pain eating away at your Aura haunts you once more. Said Aura flickers around your cheek, trying its best to keep everything contained.
The people who know – Ozpin, Glynda, Ironwood, Qrow, Ruby, Weiss, and Dior – all recognize what's happening. The dark glow of the mark is caught by most spectators if they were watching you. You keep your right eye shut tight, only watching Penny with your left.
Suddenly the screens change to a red tint with an object in the middle. You look at the screen for just a moment before a woman starts talking.
"This is not a tragedy," a woman's voice proclaims. "This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children to men who claim to be our guardians… but are, in reality, nothing more than men."
"That voice…" You struggle to say. "Is that… Cinder?"
"Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army mercilessly cut down by another star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as a little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment and now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honour and mercy… yet I have witnessed neither.
"Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this is his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting Kingdom with armed forces? Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know that the existence of peace is fragile and the leaders of our Kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is… equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you… when the first shots are fired… who do you think you can trust?"
You shakily try to stand up using your blade as a crutch but the pain from your cheek causes you to fall back to your knees. Not a second later the alarm starts going off.
"Alert: Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level… nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner."
What you see is far from that. Students and civilians start screaming and running to the exits. The rise in panic also increases the pain and intensity of the mark. Your hand slips off your sword and lands on the ground.
"Damnit… I can't move…"
"Ladies and gentlemen, please," Ironwood says over the intercom. "There is no need for panic."
As if he's cursed, a Nevermore lands atop the arena's shield and lets out a loud cry. It hops up and slams its talons on the barrier, poking at it a few times with its beak.
"Tsk," you look up at it. "A Nevermore."
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All over the Kingdom, Grimm pour in. The flyers make their way past the defenses easily, some surrounding Ironwood's ships. Others are being flown in by the White Fang alongside their forces.
One of the Bullhead's hover over Beacon's docks and opens for Adam and Aza.
"Bring them to their knees," Adam commands.
He and Aza hop out of the Bullhead and march towards Beacon, watching the Grimm tear innocent people, soldiers, and machines to shreds.
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Glynda and Qrow run into Ozpin's room as the Headmaster watches everything from his perch.
"Oz…" Qrow says, subtly asking for orders.
"Get to the city!"
"What about (Y/N)! The mark-"
"Now!" Ozpin cuts Glynda off. "I'll handle him."
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Harrier slowly approaches the Kingdom from the forest. The Grimm avoid him as best as they can, letting him walk without worry. He spots two soldiers lying on the ground with large gashes on their chests.
"Hm… I suppose…" He tosses his cloak aside, fixes his glasses, and cracks his knuckles. "It's time for the show to begin."
That's right, folks! The Battle of Beacon officially begins next chapter! It will span over two parts and… well, I'm excited for it. I know you guys probably are too, but I've been REALLY excited for it. I've had all this planned for a while now. Funny enough, when I was watching Volume 3 for the first time, when the episodes came out every week, I planned to have Slater kill Penny… then Pyrrha did it. Actually, I once had an idea of Slater killing Pyrrha in the finals but scrapped that. I have a lot planned for these next two chapters so… that'll be nice. There may be some things that I don't include just cause I don't want to re-write it. For instance, Blake and Yang talking over the scroll. That conversation I probably won't include because there's no point. I added Cinder's speech in this chapter but… I mean, it was kind of important and Slater was literally right there. So, just a heads up, I won't write everything that happens in the episodes. I'm assuming if you're reading this chapter you've watched RWBY so I don't have to worry. You guys know what happened and will recognize potential changes.
I also have a small announcement. After Battle of Beacon, I might slow down on Crimson Shadow a bit. I'm going to focus all my time on this story until this whole thing is done, so that's four chapters of CS in a row. I want to give Limitless some time to shine and maybe even start up another story. Probably Toradora or Kill La Kill since those won't take so long. Maybe even do Bearer of the Curse, the Pyrrha story, since that won't be more than fifteen or twenty chapters. I have a habit of starting stories I know will take a long time. Crimson Shadow and Limitless aren't ending any time soon (unless I cancel them) so having another story that's a bit on the easier side would be nice. Something I know would be finished relatively quickly. I swear I have to start planning short stories. Having these massive 30+ chapters is just… it makes it hard. But, yeah, you're going to have Crimson Shadow for a bit longer and then significantly less. The Battle of Beacon is a good place to pause the story anyway. It's a big moment and doesn't really leave any major cliffhangers. I know some people won't like the idea of me putting CS on a hiatus but it gives me time to plan everything out and make the story better. Plus I really wanna write more Limitless cause Dragon Ball is my favourite thing ever.
ANYWAY, that's all I got for today. I'll see you guys soon!
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