She awoke in a white room, decorated with varying shades of blue. There were plants of some kind littering the room. Roses. White roses.
However, her eyes glossed over such nonsense in searching need of another. Amber eyes greeted her, relief shining inside them.
"Hey there, sleepyhead," the voice chided playfully, stroking her cheek warmly. "How are you feeling?"
"...Much better," Weiss answered warmly, pushing herself up in the bed. Blake was quick to assist, pulling the pillows upwards and offering support in case Weiss had another episode. She appreciated the gesture, if only a little.
"Don't push yourself, Weiss. It hasn't even been a week, yet. You still need time to heal," Blake reminded her.
She rolled her eyes. She knew all of that. She wasn't a child, not like her dolt of a-
Not like Ruby.
Blake was quick to catch on to the shift in her expression, recognising the all-too-familiar mood after having to deal with her trauma over the past few days.
"Hey, now, it's alright. I'm here."
She could see the pain in Blake's eyes. The girl was hurting as well, but she was shouldering it for her sake. Weiss withheld a bitter frown. It wasn't healthy, what Blake was doing, but Weiss could only imagine where she would be if not for Blake's actions.
She had heard of Blake's own actions during the battle of Beacon Academy, both Klein and Jacques managing to tear the full story out of her raven-haired partner in a matter of hours following their arrival in Atlas.
While Weiss hadn't been made aware of the exact methods as to how Jacques Schnee was so certain of Blake's retelling, she was aware that her Father had believed the ebon-haired faunus's story to the point of giving her temporary lodging in the Schnee family manor- an action that had supposedly caused quite the media uproar.
She wasn't entirely certain if such an action had been her Father's plan from the very beginning, as the Schnee family were known to be particularly infamous in their treatment of the faunus according to Blake, but she was thankful that Jacques had done what he had done.
Having Blake nearby had been the key to her recovery, in both a physical and emotional sense.
Suffering complete aura exhaustion two times in rapid succession had placed a horrid toll on her body- to the point where she would have been hospitalised for months were it not for Blake's intervention.
Early medical history had spoken of the various intricacies of aura and its connection to the mental state of the user. In the times before aura boosters were a thing, those with an impeded aura would sequester themselves from the world alongside their loved ones in order to improve their aura recovery rates. Something about the presence of a loved one improving the aura healing process, supposedly.
As Weiss had been at the point where her frail body may break down from the application of aura boosters, using this treatment had been her only hope. Jacques had seen this, had seen their close connection and allowed such in favour of promoting Weiss's recovery process.
While she doubted that Jacques saw her bond with Blake as anything except for the bond of close friends, as his twisted worldview simply wouldn't allow such a thing to exist for his beloved heiress, such knowledge had not stopped her mind from freaking out about the sheer idea of her Father stumbling upon Weiss and Blake during… inopportune moments.
Not that such things had occurred, of course. Neither of the two girls had spoken about their feelings, even before the calamity at Vale happened. But, they both knew that something was happening between them. They just didn't know what.
Laplace had spoken of such a development being in part due to Kirakishou's manipulations, which had also soured their prospects considerably. But it had not lessened what they felt. Not in the slightest.
"...You're smiling," Blake noted with some degree of hesitation. "I don't have bedhead or something, do I?"
Weiss giggled to herself, shaking her head ruefully at the question. "No, you don't. You're fine. Though, you did just inadvertently admit to sleeping here. Again."
A sorry smile was the raven-haired faunus's initial response. "...Can you blame me?"
"Of course not. I enjoy having you so close. But…" her cheeks darkened as she gulped. "...I-… well, that is to say…"
Pouncing on her embarrassment, not unlike a certain blonde-haired brawler, Blake was quick to speak up with a teasing lilt.
"...Hm… cat got your tongue?"
She pouted. When she did any cat jokes, Blake was quick to refute her, but then she'd go and do them herself. It wasn't fair.
"...I-… ugh, you don't have to sleep on that damnable chair all the time. You must be uncomfortable."
Blake shrugged, either not noticing her quickened pace and embarrassed frustration, or simply choosing to ignore it. "Eh. It's not the worst once you get used to it. Just takes a bit of-"
"youcansleepwithmeifyouwantto!"
Red cheeks. Amber eyes looked at her shaking body in surprise, then amusement, then fading into a heated embarrassment not unlike her own.
"Weiss… I don't know if that would be proper…"
She shook her head, adamant. "I don't care. I-I want you to. I like having you here, Blake, but it pains me to see you so far away…" hesitantly, she reached outwards, cupping the girl's cheek. "...I want to… I want to be closer to you."
Closer. Closer.
Lips met.
...It was strange. Weiss didn't know what she'd been expecting, when she leaned forwards. This was her first kiss, after all, none of her previous suitors had managed to hold her interest for anything longer than an initial date.
And yet, with Blake, everything was different. She could feel it all. The softness of the girl's lips upon her own, the mutual flare of their desire, the nervousness, the sensation of a hundred different feelings and concerns condensing into a single moment of bliss.
It was wonderful, but it was strange.
When she pulled back, Blake was looking at her, the faunus's expression an odd coupling of concern and satisfaction. Her cheeks were flushed and her pupils had dilated, a reaction that her limited research into micro-expressions indicated a positive response.
"...Huh…"
"Really? I pour my heart out to you and all you have to say is 'huh'?" the heiress deadpanned semi-seriously. She was more than well-aware of exactly how Blake was processing things, the conflict was readily apparent on her face.
"...I, just, well, I didn't expect it, is all."
Weiss blinked, looking taken aback. "...Did you not enjoy it?" she questioned, feeling uncertain. It was her first kiss, after all. She had little in the way of, um, technique.
Blake blushed vibrantly, shaking her head and looking away shyly. "No, not that. I… of course I enjoyed it. It's you. Just… I'm surprised, is all."
"...So, a pleasant surprise then?" she inquired, a hesitant smile growing on her face.
As expected, the faunus caught her expression immediately. "You… you could say that. But, are you sure about this, Weiss? There's a lot that's happened. Are you sure…" the ebon-haired girl began, before trailing off and shaking her head. "...I don't even know why I'm asking that. You've jumped headfirst into every idea you've had since you were a kid."
She blushed scarlet. "I-I wasn't that bad!"
The deadpanned look immediately sent her way was entirely expected, but the foreknowledge did nothing to lessen her embarrassment.
"Right, of course," Blake responded sarcastically, smiling. "Then… if… if you're sure? A-About… us?"
It didn't take a learned education into the social dynamics of the upper class by Jacques Schnee in order to realise exactly what Blake was talking about. She was feeling conflicted about her feelings, considering their origins stemmed from a third party.
From Kirakishou, who had manipulated their memories to be shared in a dream sequence.
They had been bound together by a crazed lovesick doll, so that they wouldn't fight in front of their team leader, Ruby Rose.
But…
"Yes, I'm sure, Blake. I don't care how all of this originated. I've grown to care for you, Blake. And I know you feel something as well. I can see it in your eyes. I can see it on your face. I can see it every time we speak. You want this, just as much as I do."
"I-I…" Blake tried, looking at her with wide, amber eyes. She looked almost speechless, unable to voice her feelings.
That was fine. Weiss most certainly wasn't even close to being finished with her own speech.
"Kirakishou did a lot of things, yes, of that I'm not denying. But… falling for you… that was my own choice. I know my heart, Blake. And I know that what I feel is true. Don't you?"
She took a moment to steady her raging heartbeat before it raised to the point where her heartbeat monitor would start sending off alarms. The last thing she needed was for the family doctor to come and investigate at the moment.
"...Damn it, Weiss…" Blake muttered, tears in her eyes. "Of course I feel the same. You were there for me when everything was going down. You helped me investigate the White Fang, even if nothing resulted from it. Even after the situation with Torchwick and the White Fang calmed down… I… I couldn't give up the idea of spending more time with you. I had grown to care for you. More than I should. And, well, I don't think I could give you up if I tried."
She smiled, a little ruefully. It was all she could do in order to prevent herself from bursting into tears.
"Good. Please don't."
She leaned forwards again. This time, however, the faunus was quick to match her, surging forwards with an intensity. Once again, she felt that wonderful warmth.
This. This was what she needed. She would take time in order to heal up, but with Blake by her side, perhaps she would be able to push through and live to see another day.
Six days.
That was how long it had taken for Weiss to recover enough in order to be able to move once again. Blake would be lying if she said that she hadn't… enjoyed the brief simplistic reprieve from the calamities of her life and the events that had recently transpired around it.
Weiss Schnee was a breath of fresh air for Blake Belladonna, who had grown up learning to despise the Schnee name and everything they stood for. Weiss was a prudish, bratty little girl that bordered on antisocial at times, but if one were to look deeper than what lay on the surface, they would see an innocent little girl trying desperately not to live in the shadow of her name.
She understood that, now.
Especially now.
To stand within these walls, to walk among the people that had caused her kind so much trouble in the past… was an enlightening experience. The Schnee family were surprisingly, well, human.
Jacques Schnee was a cut-throat businessman, that much could not be denied. Especially now, that she had identified his behaviour around her as being almost entirely meant to raise the public appeal of the Schnee family in the eyes of the faunus. Beyond that idea, however, he was but a man that was doing what he felt was right. He wasn't some monster, with a one-sided desire to ruin the Schnee Dust Company, but a man simply trying to improve profit margins.
Nothing more, nothing less. Simplistic, yet razor-sharp. A well-honed blade pointed at the world. She could respect that.
Weiss's mother, of which Blake had embarrassingly forgotten her name upon their brief conversation, was a woman crippled by her alcoholism and seemingly unable to see the world outside of her jade-coloured lenses. She hated the world and would drown herself in alcohol if only to escape the pain. Through Weiss's memories, she could understand why. Her Mother wasn't a huntress, nor was she as cut-throat as Jacques. She was simply a girl that had seen too much death in her life.
Winter and Whitley, Weiss's older sister and younger brother, seemed to be trapped in the centre of it all. Well, in Winter's case she had been trapped, before running off to join the Atlesian Military and abandoning her younger sister. Whitley, however, had suffered alone under the cold guidance of the remnants of a family that couldn't begin to approach anything resembling healthy.
...And to think she had learned all of that within six days. Careful observation was a terrifying thing, especially when guided by the clarity of an entire childhood's worth of memories alongside it.
She had wondered how Weiss had managed to survive such a toxic environment and come out resembling someone so… normal.
Although, perhaps it was due to her enhanced insight on the matter that she was even able to look past Weiss's frosty demeanour and see the little girl beneath in the first place.
The knowledge had proved useful during her sudden stay in the Schnee manor, making it quite literal child's play to dance around Jacques Schnee's prejeduces by upscaling her involvement with Weiss's survival during the events of Beacon Academy and subtly hint towards the political appeal of a Schnee being rescued by a faunus.
It… hurt, to use such tactics, as they seemed beneath her. Not to mention particularly vile in a way that caused her no small degree of unease. But, if it avoided bloodshed and kept her close to Weiss, then Blake would shoulder any grief she felt from her actions.
"… How is she?"
She returned to her previous conversation, eyeing Jacques cautiously. The man held some good intentions for his daughter, but there was no denying that he was still a slippery businessman. Now that Weiss had voiced her desire to start a relationship with Blake, she needed to be extra careful. She did not share in Weiss's reservations that Jacques would not be willing to capitalise on their coupling for his own sake, for better or for worse.
"Weiss is… certainly improving. Compared to a week ago she's certainly made leaps and bounds in her health. Her aura is still dangerously low, however."
Jacques scratched his chin as he sat in front of his mahogany wood desk. "Hm, and you huntress folk require aura in copious amounts, do you not?"
She blinked, taken aback. Wasn't all of this common knowledge? "Er, yes."
"And what percentage of aura would you believe Weiss to possess, in relation to her prior performance at Beacon Academy?"
"…Roughly around 30 percent, I'd wager," Blake answered, confused. She had been expecting an entirely different avenue of questions. This seemed more akin to basic questioning than anything difficult or embarrassing.
Jacques frowned. "So, rudimentary development at best…" he mused quietly, much to her increasing befuddlement. "I see. How long, do you believe, it would take for Weiss to reach full aura?"
She realised the pointed question for what it was, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "I-I'm no doctor-"
"Please," Jacques cut in with a disarming smile, "entertain me."
"…Well, I would have to guess… maybe just over another two weeks? Provided, of course, that nothing happens to strain her aura during this time," she added the final part with a hard tone. Blake had witnessed Weiss's memories and seen precisely how she had gotten her scar.
The last thing that her partner needed was any kind of hellish training from Jacques Schnee.
"Of course not," Jacques waved her caustic tone off with a hand. "Despite what personal beliefs you may have of me, I do care. I wouldn't do anything to harm my beloved daughter."
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had well over a decade's worth of evidence that proved his caring was more harm than good, even if his intentions seemed to be relatively pragmatic.
"If that is all?" she asked instead.
"Hm. Not quite. I was thinking… perhaps, it would be best if we held a gala."
She blinked, unsure of the sudden change in topic. "What do you mean?"
"Why, to celebrate my daughter's recovery, of course," Jacques responded promptly, leaning forward and focusing his gaze directly upon her. "Tell me, Blake Belladonna, in relation to your time spent on the island of Menagerie, how do you find the cities of Atlas and Mantle?"
She looked down, feeling distinctly uncomfortable with the level of intensity being directed her way by a man that had inadvertently caused so much devastation to her brothers and sisters. In a way, the feeling oddly reminded her of some of her earlier talks with Adam, when she had first met him so very long ago. Jacques also possessed that same charisma, that same focus. It terrified her.
But, she owed it to the man to at least answer his question.
"...Well, I haven't really spent much time outside of the Schnee manor," she fumbled, put on the spot.
"Then, a cursory assessment, in the very least? What do you see, when you gaze out at the prosperity of Atlas? What do you hear, when the sound of Mantle reaches your ears?"
"...Fear. Confusion," Blake muttered, earning a curious raise of the brow from the SDC C.E.O. She took that as her cue to continue. "There's practically nobody out on the streets. So many high walls, locking people in their homes. Atlesian Knights patrol day and night. And day after day, I keep hearing about another incident occurring in Mantle…"
Jacques nodded, leaning back. "A solid assessment, and a well-constructed answer," the man praised, sounding almost pleased with her words. It felt strange, to be praised by him. Unsettling, almost. "Fear and confusion run rampant throughout the kingdom of Atlas. The events that occurred in Vale have sent the world spiraling out of control. Nobody knows what to think."
Once again, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had always been like this, even as a little girl listening to Adams words for the first time. Civil unrest was most certainly not a distant topic for Blake Belladonna, but despite what most would believe, she had never gotten used to the idea.
"I-I don't mean to be rude, but…"
"Does all of this have a point?" Jacques finished for her, smirking charmingly. Her cheeks reddened, despite her best attempts to control herself. "Of course, dear, of course. You will find, here in the Schnee manor, that everything has a purpose. My reasoning is this; hold a gala for those of high society, speak of the trials and the tribulations that the people of Vale had to go through. And, what better way for the masses to learn of Vale's ordeals through the mouths of two survivors? One, my own daughter, and the other, the child of Kali and Ghira Belladonna."
She shot to her feet in an instant.
"Y-You can't! You promised that you wouldn't announce my family name!"
It was one of the only stipulations that Blake had put her foot down on, when Jacques had first offered for her to join Weiss in the Schnee manor. Not only would it paint a target on her partner's back at a critical moment, it would announce to the world, exactly where she was.
And then, her parents would find out that, for the first time in the years it has been since she left, that their daughter was alive and in the hands of a Schnee.
The results would be… catastrophic.
"Hm? I did?" Jacques responded airily, waving a hand. "Oh, calm down. Please, take a seat. This is not a place for childish arguments."
Reluctantly, she sat back down, glaring daggers at the white-haired bastard.
"I'm not announcing myself."
Jacques sighed, "Oh, very well, if you so insist," Blake blinked, taken aback. Did her fold that easily? Why? "It was merely a suggestion, to rally more sympathy for the people of Vale. The only child of the previous High Leader of the White Fang, willingly standing beside the Schnee heiress to speak of her torment at Vale? It would cause quite the stir."
"I'm not announcing myself," she forced, even if her voice sounded a little strained. When the man sighed once again, she found herself speaking up. "I'm not saying that I don't understand your reasoning, because I do, I'm just not comfortable with the idea of revealing my identity. It's too dangerous."
"...Very well. I only ask, instead, that you speak to Weiss about attending the gala," Jacques requested immediately, with such a casual tone completely opposing her flabbergasted surprise. "I know my youngest daughter, Blake. She will not want to attend. However, if her partner were to stress to her the importance of keeping the peace for Atlas…"
Partner. Damn it all.
"...I'll… see what I can do."
"Good!" Jacques clapped his hands, satisfied. "Now, let us speak of other matters. The survivors of Vale have, thus far, been rather contradictory in their tales about what exactly occurred. I was wondering if you could shed some light on the matter for me?"
Blake felt like if she slumped in her seat any more, then she was going to slide right off the damn thing. It was the absolute worst. She just wanted to get back to Weiss, and help the girl heal.
She didn't want to be stuck in some dingy office, talking to the man that had caused so much pain for her brothers and sisters over the years.
But, she supposed it was a necessary evil, so that she may continue to stand beside the woman that had seen so deeply into her past and continue to stare at her with such adoration.
"Fine, I'll tell you what I know."
The Maiden of Silver Fire. Ruby Rose. Her Master.
Silver Eyes. The power of the Four Maidens.
Ruby Rose. Summer Rose.
It was so very strange. She had expected her Master to display some manner of curiosity towards the new powers she had gained, following her collection of Amber. Kirakishou had set up an entire area for the event, to display the power of Ruby's silver flames. A grand crystalline arena, lined with roses and coated in her mist.
Yet, at first, her Master had appeared perfectly content with spending her time alongside Summer Rose and Kirakishou herself. Perhaps she had underestimated the strength of Ruby's inner desire for peace? It was difficult to say. Her Master, especially when boosted by her own newly-formed N-Field, possessed heightened emotions capable of reaching levels that Kirakishou hadn't deemed possible.
To a strange degree, it reminded her of an odd mix of both Suiseiseki and Hinaichigo. On countless occasions, she had witnessed the two dolls acting childishly on account of their emotional outbursts. At the time, she had found it… disheartening… to witness from her confined state in the N-Field. Yet, now that she was free, witnessing such outbursts from her Master did nothing but fill her with a soothing pleasure.
Or, conversely, was it because that it was her Master acting this way, that it caused Kirakishou to feel the way she did? Was this the brambles of love, growing over them?
She found that she quite enjoyed the feeling. To be loved in such a way. Adored. It was beyond the wildest dreams of her seedbed. To think that Ruby had grown so far, for her, was nothing short of astonishing. Perhaps, she deserved some time to play with her dolls, before the world turned on them all.
Ruby had done everything that Kirakishou could have ever asked for, with naught but a smile and a declaration to see things through until the end. She held a resolve, a determination to be with Kirakishou. At times, she found herself overwhelmed by the intensity of the love that Ruby held for her, the sensation ripping through their bond and assaulting her poor spirit at the strangest of times.
Still, though, it was a pleasurable sensation, if a little startling at times. She had lived much of her life as a doll understanding that many of the other roses would grow to despise her existence, the moment she started taking all of their toys. Gardens could only grow so large, until they impeded on each other.
Now, however, her N-Field held the collective forms of hundreds of thousands of seedlings, and Ruby's love for her still continued to soar to newfound heights. It was strange, to be supported, but it was a pleasant kind of strange. Ruby was looking out for her, protecting her, trusting her.
She would do the same for her darling Rose, in order to push her to newfound heights. Their twin gardens would grow to eclipse the world, and it would grow in their image.
Summer Rose had been correct in her assessment that it would only be a matter of time until the outside world attempts to breach her Palace of Beginnings. Despite the repository of dreamers held within her N-Field, it was intrinsically an outside growth to the world. A weed, within the eyes of those who peered in from their gilded cages of ruin. Agents bound to the world would surface, to take back what was once theirs.
Already, there were those who skirted the outskirts of her Palace of Beginnings. Assessing. Looking for weaknesses. They had discovered that, provided they stay outside, the N-Field would not hinder them.
The N-Field was bound to the physical space surrounding what had once been Beacon Academy. It could go no further. Only those possessing automation, the likes of Summer, Kirakishou, and Ruby herself, could ever hope to leave.
Kirakishou, in particular, would never be free of her beloved Palace of Beginnings, not that she would ever wish for such. It would follow her, wherever she went. What exactly this would do to the outside world, was a matter of conjecture. Until she ventured outside, there was no way of being certain.
It was a shame, as she quite enjoyed her newfound powers, but if it would protect Ruby Rose, then she would do it all with a smile on her face. Ruby so very much enjoyed her smiles, and she enjoyed witnessing the smiles that Ruby gave her in return.
To think that this course of action had been pushed by Summer Rose was particularly odd in her mind, however. She held little feeling for the woman, besides her intrinsic connection with her Master, but it had been her gathered memories that had given Ruby a purpose after the destruction of Beacon Academy.
She hadn't paid much attention to the memories she had gathered of Summer Rose, merely identifying them as belonging to Summer Rose before moving on to gather more. As such, Summer's reveal in regards to it being Ozpin that had led to her death as a human had been quite a shock for her. Wherever did she find those memories? A mutual associate who had been informed of the event, perhaps? It had certainly not been Ozpin that had relinquished the memories. His mind was beyond her capabilities, the spark of difference held in some being akin to a roaring tidal wave of strange that crashed against her N-Field and denied entry time and time again.
Yet, somehow, she had learned something that, from what Kirakishou could understand, had been a rather well-kept secret.
Her Master had been understandably surprised, mutual parts shock and mounting anger rushing through their bond as the girl shook in her seat. She had felt some manner of displeasure at Summer Rose for causing her Master distress, though she was intrinsically aware that it was not Summer's fault.
It was not the first time that she had felt such a contradictory feeling. When Yang had approached her outside of the ruined dormitories of Beacon Academy and accused her of feeling nothing for Ruby, she had felt a similar emotion.
Before even that, she had disliked Yang's emotions for reminding her of Suigintou. Now, however, she disliked Yang. She was a cruel woman that knew nothing of love, of the purity of roses nor the strength of their vines. How very unfortunate that she was related to her beloved Master. If she could, she would remake the world and remove Yang Xiao-Long. But, in doing so, it would also remove what had been an ample opportunity to bind Ruby ever closer to Kirakishou.
Yang Xiao-Long was a sad necessity. It hurt her to know such things.
Perhaps, this revelation of Ozpin was also a necessity? For all the damage that such knowledge had done, perhaps it could be used to create new growth?
Summer Rose and Kirakishou sat at the dinner table in silence, the room feeling notably colder following Ruby's absence. Her beloved Master had ran up to Summer's room during the height of her despair, seeking to escape the pained feelings assaulting her heart.
"...We should go speak to her."
She eyed Summer curiously, watching as apprehension flooded her form. Kirakishou could understand Summer's request, as being beside Ruby also gave her a pleasured feeling, but, strangely enough, Summer did not seem very excited about such a prospect.
"You don't look so certain," she observed.
Summer wilted, wringing her hands nervously. She blinked at the movement. Ruby also did a similar movement on occasion.
"...Well, I haven't had to do it since Ruby was in her crib. I'm a little nervous. What if I mess up and say something to make things worse?"
She blinked. That didn't seem possible, given their close connection. "...Did you do something worse, than what Ozpin did to you?"
"No! Of course not!" Summer retorted immediately, confused and offended.
"...Then, how could you make things worse?" Kirakishou cocked her head to the side. "Ruby was happy, to be beside us. She chose this action, instead of learning about her newfound powers. When I told her of your revival, she was overjoyed."
"She was?" Summer asked in a small, fragile voice, tears welling in her eyes.
Kirakishou nodded. "Master is… overwhelmed… by what she has been told, but she has done far greater things in the past following the information I have told her. This is no different. She merely needs guidance. Her retreat is to escape the pain she feels, not to escape the people she loves."
"...Right… right. I understand," Summer answered slowly, nodding and seemingly trying to psych herself up. "Then… will you come with me?"
She beamed. "Of course! It is so very nice to spend time with my Master. I would quite like to experience the feeling of her lips on mine once again-"
"Okay!" Summer jumped out of her seat with an embarrassed squeak, face red. "L-Let's go, then. Just…" the older-looking doll paused. "After this, we will need to have a talk about your relationship with my daughter. I'm not entirely certain of the details."
Kirakishou nodded. It was an acceptable request to fulfill if the reward meant spending more time with Ruby.
"Of course. Shall we be going?"
"Y-Yes. Follow me, Kira."
"Ruby? Are you there, Ruby? Can we come in?"
She could hear her mother's voice from outside, calling out for her. It was almost funny, Summer sounded almost like she was a little girl going up against a horse of angry ursa.
Instead, it was just a Mother trying to connect with her daughter. The thought drew a bitter laugh from her. Summer hadn't been there to handle any of her tantrums barring a few when Ruby was a baby.
All because of Ozpin. The man that she had looked up to as the proud headmaster of Beacon Academy, had in fact been the one behind her mother's disappearance and subsequent demise.
Now, it sounded like Summer didn't have the slightest clue how she would react.
Well. Ruby wasn't like her big sister Yang, who would kick up a fuss about pretty much anything. She was better than that. Ruby had to be better than that. She wasn't going to make this any harder on Summer than it already was.
With a heave, she pulled open the crystalline door, to reveal Summer… and Kirakishou.
Ah. That's right. Summer did say that she wasn't alone. Oum, I didn't even notice…
Summer looked uncomfortable, torn between wanting to push forward and embrace her while also being equally nervous and unsure if it was alright. Ruby could spot that particular blend of social anxiety anywhere, having experienced it countless times throughout school.
"Master…"
Kirakishou, meanwhile, looked utterly confused with the situation, yet had settled on a worried expression with her hands clasped together in front of her. It looked almost like a faux prayer, or something out of some sappy romance film.
She couldn't shut them out. She would never shut them out.
With a wordless gesture, she allowed them inside, retreating down onto the fluffy white mattress as she heaved a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry I ran off…" Ruby breathed out, apologising to the two girls. "I just couldn't believe it… Ozpin was the first one that really believed in me, ya'know? Outside of my family, I mean."
Summer sat down beside her on the bed, sitting up with her legs resting down the side. Meanwhile, Kirakishou decided to lean against the wall, before seemingly growing uncomfortable and conjuring up a crystalline chair to lounge upon. Ruby wondered if she was ever going to get used to the blonde doll's new powers.
"I can understand where you're coming from, Ruby. Up until I realised what had occurred, I had idolised the man. He would say everything that he needed to until you learned something you shouldn't, at which point it would cut you loose. Don't blame yourself for listening to him. He's had a lot of practise."
Ruby nodded reluctantly at her Mother's words. "I… near the end there, I felt like he was growing pretty uncomfortable with having Kira around… Do you think he would have…" she trailed off, uncomfortable with the very thought.
"Without a doubt," Summer confirmed for her. "Now that she has been revealed as a Rozen Maiden and helped you both unlock your eyes and become a Fall Maiden, he would likely have stopped at nothing to get rid of her. From his perspective, the knowledge she possesses would have been too dangerous to have circulating around the world."
Her eyes? The maiden powers? What did they have to do about it all?
"...What are you talking about? What about my eyes? The maiden powers? What's wrong with them?" she scrunched up her brow in confusion.
Summer faltered, visibly stumbling in shock as she turned to Kirakishou, who looked equally surprised with her words. Had she said something wrong?
"Really, Kirakishou? You didn't tell her?"
The doll squirmed at Summer's scolding tone, looking down at her shoes as splotches of red appeared on her cheeks. "I-I thought she would remember…" Kirakishou mumbled lowly, drawing a huff of frustration from Summer.
"Hold on!" Ruby was quick to interject, recognising an important situation for what it was. "What did I forget?"
"...Your eyes, Master," Kirakishou answered for her. "Do you not remember what Ozpin said to you, when he first met you?"
You… have silver eyes…
She shuddered. At the time, the innocuous little comment from Ozpin had seemed just that. Innocuous. Now, however, she felt a shudder of discomfort trickle down her spine at the memory of the uttered sentence. It should have alerted her that something was wrong, that more was going on that she wasn't aware of, but she had been so blind-sighted by her admiration of the man that it hadn't registered.
"S-Something about my eyes being silver… But what's that got to do with the maiden powers?"
"Ruby," her mother interjected, "you must understand. Silver Eyes are rare. Rarer than most things. And for good reason. Silver Eyed Warriors hold within them the power to kill grimm using a power other than aura."
"A power other than aura?"
Kirakishou's lone eye gleamed. There was a strange sort of intensity there.
"…Some may call it, magic."
While Summer rolled her eyes at the comment, Ruby perked up considerably. Magic. She had been brought up reading stories of magic being used to defeat the bad guys and bring peace to the world. Did she really have magic?
"I'm not entirely certain if it would be correct to call it magic," Summer hedged cautiously. "However, like maiden powers, they appear to rely upon a different system of energy outside that of aura. When the two forces combined within your body, the activation of the maiden powers awakened the abilities of your silver eyes. They became something different."
"...And these silver eyes can kill grimm, without using aura?" Ruby finished hesitantly, what was supposed to be a cautious deduction coming out as more of a question than anything else. She grimaced. She wasn't in the right mindset for all this nonsense.
"Correct, Master," Kirakishou smiled at her fondly, cupping her cheeks. "Ah, it was so very beautiful. Your silver fire brightened the N-Field considerably. I was able to reflect the light from your flames across the entirety of my domain."
She had conjured up a silver fire? Ruby balked at the idea. She remembered her physics classes- white flames were supposed to be super hot. And silver was pretty damn close to white. Wouldn't she have gotten burned by the flames? Especially if they came out of her eyes, or whatever.
...Perhaps that can be explained by magic. Or, at least, handwaved. Or perhaps she was missing something.
"Wait- wouldn't that mean that there's no grimm in here at all?" Ruby realised, eyes widening. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen or heard a single grimm during her walk to Summer's house through the pale forest.
"For now," Kirakishou nodded. "Your flame was sufficient in wiping out the grimm in the N-Field, but there are more grimm amassing outside the boundaries of my beloved garden. They cannot enter, as I have forbidden such, yet they are behaving strangely," that didn't sound good at all. "It is almost as if they are aware of what would happen, were they to enter."
Well. That only begged the question. "And what would happen, if the grimm tried to enter the N-Field?"
Kirakishou smiled pleasantly. "The same thing that happened to all the rest, Master. Your silver fire is infused within the N-Field, after all. It is a safe haven for our precious seedlings, free from the threat of the grimm."
Ruby smiled in relief, looking over to her Mother and seeing the relief in her eyes as well. They were both huntresses, after all. The idea of creating a world free from the grimm was a highly-discussed theory that all sought to make into reality.
In some, not so small, part… Ruby had achieved this. She certainly hadn't planned on doing it, but still! It was amazing just to be able to imagine the sheer possibilities of such a thing and know that it was feasible.
Not to mention that all of Kirakishou's seedling, the dreamers that had fallen prey to the unrestrained N-Field, were free of harm. They could continue to support Kirakishou's stability and the N-Field's physical presence without worrying about being attacked by the grimm.
She figured that they deserved that much. They could dream their sweet dreams, forever. It was the best outcome they were going to get.
"Which means, unfortunately," Summer spoke up and drew her attention, "that the grimm will likely swarm the outside walls and, eventually, be drawn to neighbouring villages."
Ruby's eyes widened in horror. Patch. It was just nearby, off the west coast of Vale… If what Summer said was true, then her hometown could be facing an absolute tidal wave of grimm flooding into the area. Vale had been a massive city and the nearby forests housed a great many grimm. Far more than Patch had ever needed to deal with in recent history.
"Dad! W-We need to-"
A hand grasped her shoulder. She looked up, stunned into silence. Her Mother had lurched forward, clutching her shoulder and looking at her with a hardened cold cold cold gaze.
"I am afraid that something else happened, while events were transpiring in Vale."
"...no..."
She looked to Kirakishou for support, only to find that the doll seemingly confused by Summer's words. She doesn't know. Whatever it is that Summer was speaking about, Kirakishou didn't know.
How could she not know?! She was supposed to know everything!
How could-
"Your Father is dead, Ruby. I'm sorry."
And there it was. The words that she had known were coming, somehow, just by the look that had appeared on Summer's face.
"...how?"
In a wordless display of support, Kirakishou twisted the surroundings and appeared beside her, pulling Ruby's fragile form into an impromptu embrace. She barely even registered the smaller doll's presence, her attention instead solely focusing on her Mother as she spoke.
"...I'm not entirely certain of the specifics, only that it was Tai's body that Laplace used to appear in Vale again."
"...Laplace?!" both Ruby and Kirakishou spoke in tandem, their two voices overlapping. Mutual parts surprise in Kirakishou's tone and horror in Ruby's own voice.
The older doll nodded slowly. "As I said, I'm not certain as to how exactly… but, I knew that it was Tai's body and not some trick. There's not a semblance in the world that can replicate every feature to such intensity that my own semblance would be fooled. It likely used his body in order to get into the Vytal Festival unimpeded. A teacher from Signal Academy would have practically unrestricted access, especially considering his daughter is a contestant. Nobody would question his presence."
A part of her noticed the clinical tone in which Summer described what should have been an immensely traumatising experience, but the rest of her instead remained focused on the sheer idea that her Dad was dead. Not just possessed as Uncle Qrow had been, but instead killed and then possessed, and used to turn Team RWBY against her.
"...And Laplace did this? Laplace-no-ma?" Kirakishou cocked her head, brow soon furrowing in confusion following Summer's subsequent nod of affirmation. "...How very out of character. It would not attack something outside of the Alice Game unless it had a reason."
"...Then why… why would-"
Ruby froze when she realised a particular facet.
Laplace-no-ma had been possessing Taiyang Xiao-Long.
"Mom," Summer snapped to attention, no-doubt noticing Ruby's frantic tone. "Your semblance. If you didn't have it at the time, would you have thought that Dad was still alive?"
"...I would have, yes…" Summer answered slowly, looking down in thought. "Why?"
"Yang," Ruby breathed, looking at Kirakishou now. "You remember, don't you? Yang attacked you. She was screaming about how you're just a doll and about the Rozen Maiden and the Alice Game. I realised that Laplace told her, but if it told her when possessing Dad…"
Summer caught on immediately to where she was going, letting out a gasp. "...You think it intentionally went after your Father in order to get close to Yang, so that she would be inclined to listen to what it had to say?"
"I do," Ruby's voice was firm, beyond her tears. "Either something happened to Dad and Laplace used the opportunity in order to manipulate Yang, or more likely it killed Dad and merely used his body. We already know that it can reach Patch, after what it did to you, Mom."
After it killed her.
Summer's eyes hardened at the reminder. She hated doing that, reminding her Mom of what had happened, but it was the only way to convince her of the truth.
"...Well…" Summer wrung her hands, thinking it over. "It would make sense… After seeing that Kirakishou was able to purge Qrow of Laplace's influence, perhaps it wanted to prevent any chance of rescue for Tai? Or, perhaps, to use Tai's body as a bargaining chip for Yang in case she failed to listen?" she turned to the blonde doll, who was displaying an uncharacteristic frown. "What do you think, Kirakishou? You've known Laplace longer than any of us."
Kirakishou clutched Ruby tighter. "...Laplace would do anything if it felt that doing so would ensure the Alice Game continues. But it would only do so to those who are a part of the Alice Game. It has no need for outsiders. However, it may have perceived Taiyang as a contributing factor," she answered in a small voice.
Ruby looked to her mother, getting a grave nod in response. So, that was a yes. Summer believed it was possible as well.
"...It's worse than that, Master," Kirakishou interrupted, shaking her head softly and trembling in Ruby's embrace. "Laplace would only involve itself with your team as a means to ensure the Alice Game continues. A pure rose highly doubts that merely sending Yang to attack her is the last of its manipulations."
"...What do you mean?" Ruby prodded, trying and failing to insert any gentle tone whatsoever in the face of her mounting panic.
"I mean, Ruby, that Laplace likely intends for your team to become a part of the Alice Game," she answered. "...It has likely realised that, following Yang's failure, I will not leave this place. That I will not leave you. So, instead, it will attempt to bring the Alice Game here."
Ruby's eyes widened. She knew of the Alice Game, having asked Kirakishou about it multiple times over the past few weeks. As a result, she knew that Kirakishou mentioning the Alice Game continuing meant that Laplace was planning on having her team fight in the Alice Game.
Against her.
It hadn't just manipulated Yang into brazenly attacking Kirakishou in the hopes of preventing Kirakishou from unleashing her N-Field. No. It had planned the use the conflict to pull Team RWBY into the Alice Game as a whole.
Soon enough, it might not be just Kirakishou's sisters she would have to worry about, but instead there was the distinct possibility that her own teammates will be trying to defeat her.
They would be just like Yang, too. She just knew it. All they would do is scream some words at her then go about destroying everything she loves. Everyone she loves.
She couldn't let that happen.
"Mom, Kira…" Ruby began, swallowing the lump in her throat and forcing her voice to come out pure. "The maiden powers… they don't just work on grimm, do they?"
Kirakishou gave a shrug, directing her sight towards an uncomfortable Summer Rose.
"Well… no, not only grimm. Why do you ask?"
"Can I use them to protect you both during the Alice Game?"
A/N:
There we go. Now we have it, an official announcement of the next part of the story. The Alice Game. Events are in full swing and teams are beginning to manifest. However, that does not mean that the original plot of RWBY is gone. It's still there, tainted by the events of Madness of the White Rose.
We also have the Weiss/Blake pairing fleshed out further in this chapter. To the point of an actual relationship upgrade. This would be the first relationship upgrade of this magnitude since Ruby/Kirakishou.
There's also Jacques Schnee. He was quite fun to write. His manner of speech with Blake was a social dynamic I haven't explored that much in this story. What did you all think?
I'm quite curious to hear about this chapter. The Alice Game has been a highly discussed topic in reviews and I'm curious to see what people are anticipating. What parts are you all looking forward to the most? The battles? The witty banter? The appearance of certain characters? The events transpiring in the RWBY-verse? Be sure to let me know!
Until next time~