Lil' Miss Malachite stared at the crystalline lattice that had sprouted up in place of Kirakishou, where Ruby could easily see how the hardened Mistralian syndicate leader was unable to tear her gaze away from the frozen visage of her two apparent daughters.
Only then, did Ruby Rose understand just how Kirakishou and Summer had planned to gather information from Lil' Miss Malachite. Previously, her instincts had wished for a brawl to erupt and force Ruby to use her Silver-Eyed Maiden powers, but now she saw that there were alternative methods for reliably demonstrating strength to a perceived opponent.
She still wouldn't mind burning the place down, if only to scratch a peculiar itch, but it wasn't nearly as prevalent as it had been before.
"...How."
The single word torn out of Lil' Miss Malachite's lips spoke a thousand questions.
"You see," Summer Rose took the opportunity to speak aloud amidst the silence permeating the bar, "Kirakishou's ability does not kill those trapped inside, despite what Atlesian broadcasts would have the world believe. Instead, they are confined to a sort of permanent sleep. A coma. A coma of which, provided that you give us the information we require, can be broken and your daughters returned to your side."
There was a lull in the conversation, the various parties quieting into a tense silence as Lil' Miss Malachite thought on the matter, her expression unreadable to Ruby's eyes. Meanwhile, Kirakishou's crystals continued to shimmer brilliantly, illuminating the room and steadily growing as her unrestrained N-Field began to steadily overtake the surroundings.
Then, came the laughter. A low, dark chuckle. The sound tore through the silence like a blunt instrument, permeating throughout the room in thick, heavy tones. Soon enough, others began to follow, one after another, until the room was lit up in a myriad of amusement.
A warped collection of sounds that were silenced in an instant with nothing but a simple gesture.
"Ain't everyday that I find myself surprised, girls," Lil' Miss Malachite spoke with an amused twang to her accent. "To think that I would find a couple'a huntresses bargaining with my two daughter's lives like a regular bunch of up-jumped mercenaries with a score to settle. It's… enlightening, in a way."
"Yes, I'm sure the psychological implications of this development are all very fascinating," Summer put her hands to her hips, clearly irritated. "Do we have a deal, or not?"
"That would depend, of course, on the subject. You cannot expect ta' finalise an agreement with us without telling us what you want in the first place, missy, even if you do have one dust-laden hell of an opening bid."
Summer Rose gave a dismissive snort. "Hm. I can see why you're the leader of an organisation like Spider, unwavering to a fault. We hold the lives of your daughters quite literally in our hands, and you still try to bargain?"
The aforementioned leader of Spider gave a mock bow, but there was steel abundantly present in her eyes. "I do try."
Summer glanced at Ruby, searching her for something, as she gave her Mother a clueless look in return. She hadn't expected any of this to happen, with Kirakishou and two random girls in her N-Field that just so happened to be the daughters of a crime boss, used in some strange ransom.
It did feel oddly pleasant to have leverage over an influential figure, however. It was similar to how she felt at Mountain Glenn with her team, carving through grimm without hassle. They had been so powerful.
"Very well, then," her Mother gave an exaggerated sigh. "We are seeking a particular individual. To my knowledge, they move rather frequently, but that shouldn't be much trouble for your organisation, should it?"
Lil' Miss Malachite chortled. "Darlin', ain't nothin' in this world that's both worthwhile and easy. We can find your missing figure, problem or not. Though, we will need a name."
"...Raven Branwen."
Eyebrows rose from the leader of Spider, as whispers broke out amongst the denizens of the pub. Ruby looked around, to see recognition and open-ended intrigue surfacing on many of Spider's members. Clearly, Raven Branwen was known by at least a fair few people inside the pub. Ruby made sure to keep track of several of their faces, just in case things turned ugly. It would be easier for Kirakishou to find the right memories of Raven Branwen if she knew who to inspect, after all.
The beginnings of a smile tingled on the edge of her lips at the thought.
"Her?" Lil' Miss Malachite jeered, amusement present in her voice. "You're trading my daughters for information on Raven Branwen?" she chuckled. "Missy, I would have given up that information for free. Raven's little group of merry men has caused quite a bit of hassle 'round these parts, ain't that right boys?"
Jeers echoed around the pub as patrons called out in response, Summer and Ruby looked around in surprise, before they refocused back on Spider's enigmatic leader.
"...I take it that Raven is rather popular around these parts," Summer ventured.
"Popular ain't the right word for what she's got. Infamy, however? That'd certainly be about right. Damn Branwen Tribe had knocked over its fair share of villages over the past few decades."
Branwen Tribe? Knocking over villages?
"Raven's a bandit?!" she blurted incredulously, eyes wide in realisation. Yang's ever-illusive Mother, the one that she's been searching for since Ruby herself was nothing but an infant was nothing more than some filthy bandit?
Lil' Miss Malachite's gaze snapped towards her in a second, or more specifically, towards her eyes. Ruby realised quickly that her silver flames were generating in response to her emotions, and sheepishly forced the flames to dissipate.
"Something of a surprise for you, eh, sweetie? Didn't think your little bonnie-lass would be a lien-a-dozen backstabbing bandit, huh?"
When Summer didn't respond and the gang leader continued staring in Ruby's direction, she quickly caught on to the fact that the question had been directed at her specifically.
"A surprise?" Ruby almost laughed at the notion. That was putting it lightly. Yang had been searching for information on Raven Branwen for years on end, and it takes Summer one conversation with some seedy gang leader in a backwater town in order for them to learn she's a freaking bandit of all things. "I, er, I just know someone that would be…" she trailed off, remembering the situation with Yang and clenching her fists. "...Never mind."
Lil' Miss Malachite stared at her a moment longer, before chuckling and gazing at the teal crystals growing in the centre of the room. "You remind me of one of my daughters, girl. Lot of fire in you, huh? Literally, in this case," she sighed to herself. The sigh of time passing, she'd heard it all before. "Let me give you a bit of advice, sweetie."
Ruby resisted the urge to roll her eyes, knowing that it would only lead to trouble down the line. Either that, or her Mother would scold her. "...Fine."
"I know who you are, Ruby Rose. Now, while I don't presume to know the full story regarding what happened in Vale, I do know that you shouldn't be here, hunting the likes of Raven Branwen. If you'd know what's good for yourself, leave this town as quick as you can."
Leave?!
Ruby felt silver flames push themselves out of her, roaring out in an arc of colour that rushed against the aged wooden floor and spread like a curse of stone, infesting everything it touched. Several bar patrons gave shouts of surprise, jumping away before the flames could reach them. Much of the landscape wasn't so lucky, organic wood shifting into the same petrified mass that had overtaken many-a-grimm on their travels.
With a huff of exertion, Ruby forced the flames to dissipate once again, while her eyes remained locked on the leader of Spider. Lil' Miss Malachite merely raised a brow at her, indifferent to the petrified state of the floor or the fear wafting throughout the silent patron-stricken room.
"...Is that all?" she hissed.
Lil' Miss Malachite nodded, a smirk on her face. "Gotcha loud and clear, honey. If you're happy where you are, then woe to me for trying to convince you otherwise. You'll hear no more yap from me," the woman turned to Summer Rose, who looked a little put off by the display of cursed flame. "Your deal is solid. Return my daughters to me, and I'll find your bandit."
Summer nodded, then paused. "...We'll give you one, as a sign of goodwill. Your other daughter shall be returned to you once you have procured the knowledge that we seek."
The leader of Spider merely waved a hand, uncaring of the details. Instead, she seemed more interested in the crystals holding her two daughters. Ruby herself would privately admit that she, too, was also curious to see how it was all going to work now that all of the attention wasn't on her silver flames.
With a final narrowed-eyed suspicious glance at the leader of Spider, Summer eventually moved over to focus on the crystals herself. "...When you're ready, Kirakishou."
There was no immediate response, no ethereal voice of her doll whispering in the atmosphere, much to Ruby's hidden disappointment. She liked hearing her doll's voice, after all. However, the collection of crystals seemed to brighten immensely, until they were shining with such luminosity as to where the two bodies hidden inside were no longer visible to the naked eye.
Then, one of the crystals rippled, losing shape and collapsing in something akin to a luminous liquid splashing about on the ground, creating a large puddle. Soon after, it seemed to writhe on the floor and shift into a vaguely humanoid shape, before fading entirely and revealing a young-looking girl wearing a lace crimson dress, sleeping on the floor.
"...Militia," Lil' Miss Malachite muttered lowly, staring at the girl with an indiscernible expression on her face. In that singular word, there wasn't a trace of edge or accent, merely a concerned Mother's heart showing itself in a rare moment.
The remaining crystal soon faded away, as the radiant firm of her doll was revealed to the world once again. More than a few looked at Ruby's doll in a new light, as if seeing her for the first time. And, she supposed, after witnessing everything that had just happened, she could understand the caution that was now present on their faces. Along with the heavy dose of fear.
Ruby's Rozen Maiden was powerful, and she loved her very much. And there would always be fools in the world who feared the powerful. Such was simply the way the world worked.
"She is sleeping," Kirakishou voiced, dancing around the unconscious daughter like a luminous spectre, before leaning down to trace a hand across Militia's cheek. "When she wakes, she will be fine. A little dazed, perhaps."
"But she will awaken," Summer stressed. "Same as Melanie, provided that you uphold your end of the bargain."
Ruby narrowed her eyes at her doll as she leaned over Militia's body, before gesturing for Kirakishou to come over when the doll looked at her. Kirakishou did so with a smile, wrapping her arms around Ruby and nuzzling her cheek like a particularly satisfied cat when she got in range. She blushed at the attention, unable to stop a smile from growing on her lips.
Lil' Miss Malachite eyed the two girls with a frown, before shaking her head and refocusing on Summer. "Yes, yes. You have a deal, we've been over it already. Our organisation will hunt down your Raven Branwen, and get back to you as quick as we can. For now, I'd recommend laying low. Lot of folks 'round these parts would be quite shocked to see you all in town, if you catch my drift."
Winter sat at General Ironwood's -her- desk, endlessly compiling the constant litany of reports issued forth by the expedition into Kirakishou's Palace of Beginnings, the twisted area of which had once housed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.
The Lone Wolf had been slain.
Marrow Amin, the only huntsman able to make it through the specialist training under General Ironwood and become an Ace Operative of the Atlesian Military had been slain, not by the N-Field itself but by the grimm infesting the outside walls. The newest reports had indicated numbers in the hundreds of thousands, catalogued only through the use of a particular semblance-aided processing ability, the user of which was currently suffering from forced rehabilitation due to the auric backlash. Her trauma following the latest metric had triggered the surrounding grimm, resulting in the loss of one of the greatest soldiers Winder had the honour of commanding. A man that had been not just a soldier, but a friend to the people through and through.
She had been attempting to draft a letter to Marrow's fiance for several hours, before Kanaria had suggested having another handle it. Winter had, reluctantly, agreed with the doll's suggestion. She was simply too close to the man to be able to write such a document without breaking into tears at the reminder.
Kanaria had consoled her for as long as possible, before the doll's presence had been requested by the scientific bureau once again. As Winter was long since coming to expect, there was a high chance that she would not be seeing her bonded Rozen Maiden for several hours, if not until the next morning when she awoke. A shame. Following Marrow's passing, there were few others with such childish exuberance, those with cherished smiles and warm laughter seemingly capable of making the military life actually mean something.
Winter sighed to herself, wondering how her predecessor had been able to handle it for so very long.
During her younger years, Winter had idolised the idea of serving her country. It had been her chance to break free from the stranglehold of her family name, of Jacques Schnee. And when the call had finally come, she had accepted with open arms and served valiantly in the Atlesian military for the remainder of her days. General Ironwood had noticed her rapid rise in military ranking and seen fit to draft her in a select role, to which Winter Schnee would eventually become known to the world as an Atlesian Specialist, a unique title that had been given to a select few dating back to before the Great War itself. She had been honoured.
Now, however, that she had succeeded over General Ironwood following her predecessor's unfortunate demise, the newly-titled General Winter had quickly come to loathe her appointed position.
There was so much death. So many losses, for even the slightest of gain. Families had been destroyed and many more would follow, in order to prevent an unknown threat from escalating and potentially enveloping the entire globe.
Such was the reach of the N-Field, when harnessed by the Seventh Rozen Maiden. Kanaria had been very explicit in extensively detailing just how far Kirakishou's N-Field could grow based on current observations.
As the scientific bureau had readily determined following Kanaria's own admissions to Winter following their initiation into the Rozen Maiden contract, the N-Field differed in strength were a 'Master's aura locked or unlocked upon connection. Those whose aura remained contained, such as civilians or untrained mercenaries, provided only a fraction of development for Kirakishou's N-Field. Those possessing an unlocked aura, such as huntsmen and huntresses, for example, provided an excessive amount of development for both the size and scale of the Palace of Beginnings itself, roughly to a factor of eighty times the strength of a civilian capture.
...The stories that Kanaria had told, regarding Kirakishou's ability with the N-Field when supplanted with those without an unlocked aura had been… extensive. Now, however, that Kirakishou's N-Field played host to a great many of those bearing an unlocked aura..? Winter could sparsely imagine what the doll could do with that much energy.
And there had been a great many people visiting Vale for the Vytal Festival that possessed an unlocked aura. While exact numbers were deemed unreliable following the excessive flood of tourists, Winter could hazard a decent assessment based on the presence of the Xiong crime family, huntsmen and huntresses both regulated and otherwise visiting for the Vytal Festival, alongside the numerous students and faculty present in the once-prosperous Kingdom.
"General, pardon the interruption," her secretary chimed in through the communications network hard-wired into her desk, "Dr. Polendina is here to see you, as scheduled."
Ah. Yes. Winter could vaguely recall a request from the fabled doctor appearing in her missive for the day. It had been a vaguely familiar name amidst a sea of faceless titles and phrases making up for a large chunk of the Atlesian high-life that had grown quite interested in Winter's military career following her sudden ascension to the rank of General in the wake of the Vytal Festival.
"...Send him in, please."
Winter idly deactivated the holographic projector on her desk for the meantime, closing her report on the current Vale effort.
No more than several seconds later did the door to her office open, a lumbering man clad in a mechanical assistance device hobbling through the doorway. She gave a glance to the odd device, something akin to a mechanical chair with four malleable 'legs' which allowed the doctor some degree of movement outside the typical capabilities of a simple wheelchair.
There had been a time in which Winter had been reminded of her younger sister when speaking with the man. A certain spark, or motivation to succeed in a hostile environment. That time, unfortunately, had long since passed. Now, she was left with little more than a remnant of a man.
"Pietro, it's good to see you," Winter gave an affirming nod to the man, smiling as if to confirm that she hadn't forgotten their appointment until mere moments before.
"Yes, well, thank you for accepting my request to speak so quickly. I can only imagine how difficult it has been adjusting to the title of General so suddenly."
Understatement of the century. Winter believed she would be hard-pressed to find any newly-promoted General that wouldn't find their rise in the ranks to be a justifiable cause of stress.
"It has its moments," she answered cordially, a tight smile on her lips as she examined the man sitting before her. He seemed tired, with bags under his eyes and scratches around his cheeks. One of the numerous souls aged considerably following the Vytal Festival event. "I was quite surprised to hear that you did not attend the Gala at the Schnee Manor, Pietro. I had previously thought…"
Peitro interrupted her speech with the insincerity of a dull blade wielded under the cloak of night.
"...I was, regrettably, held back by the work, of which I am sure you can understand. I heard that you did not attend either."
Winter frowned, inwardly chuckling at herself at the sheer idea. As if mere work could get in the way of an event like the one Jacques Schnee had thrown. Winter wouldn't be surprised if half the damn military had shown up that night, in support of those impacted in Vale. No. The simple reason is that Winter is little more than a coward, through and through.
She could not bear to lay eyes on her baby sister, despite her close proximity to the Rozen Maiden. Namely, to Kirakishou herself. Doing so would invariably bring up the topic of the blonde doll and set in motion a chain of events that would see Weiss participating in the Alice Game. She did not want that for her younger sister, to see Weiss go into battle against a doll capable of wiping an entire Kingdom off the map.
"There were… extenuating circumstances," Winter responded feebly, the knowing look on the esteemed doctor's face telling her exactly what he believed. "Enough of that, however. What news do you have to deliver?"
Here, Dr. Polendina sagged in his mobility device, a notable energy leaving his figure from the question alone that answered her question in more ways than mere words could hope to achieve.
"I have been, as of yet, unable to successfully recreate Penny."
"...I see."
The Atlesian researcher's face scrunched up in a wave of befuddled anger, the frustrated expression of a man forced into a corner he couldn't properly understand. "It doesn't make any sense! The aura is all there. Her body is built. But she just… doesn't… work! What could I possibly be missing?"
Unfortunately, Winter could hazard a guess. "It is of my understanding that Penny was slain during the Vytal Festival Tournament, yes?"
Dr. Polendina leveled a sour look her way. "Yes, by a Miss Ruby Rose, if I believe. The one with the bounty on her head."
Ruby Rose. Kirakishou's chosen Master for the Alice Game. According to Kanaria, Kirakishou had been able to exert a considerable amount of influence over the minds of others through the use of her N-Field. She had attempted this on another who was to become her Master, a 'Sakurada Jun', and ultimately failed to secure the man as her Master. Such a failure would, in Winter's mind, prompt the use of more forceful tactics in the future.
There was a high possibility that Kirakishou had, to some degree, utilised the N-Field to affect Ruby Rose's actions in order to secure the girl as her Master. Furthermore, Winter doubted that such actions would cease upon the issuing of the Rozen Maiden contract, as the doll would likely seek to ensure Ruby Rose continued to remain her Master by any means necessary.
When prompted with this hypothesis, Kanaria had confessed that she believed that her youngest sister would indeed resort to exerting her influence on a mass scale. In this case, such influence had ultimately led to the manifestation of Kirakishou's Palace of Beginnings in a physical sense, utilising the influenced minds as both nourishment and as a binding to the real world. However… what had occurred before the final play?
Winter had seen how Ruby Rose acted during her bouts in the Vytal Festival Tournament. Upon discovering the girl had become Kirakishou's Master, she had extensively detailed and compiled each and every piece of video footage on the girl, and she could spot the Rozen Maiden contract ring of Kirakishou on her finger during the entirety of the Vytal Festival Tournament.
Kirakishou had turned a girl who, according to Weiss's letters regarding her Team Leader was a rather stalwart yet childish and good-natured dolt of a girl, into a figure who wouldn't hesitate to defend those closest to her through the use of lethal force. Up to and including ruthlessly carving apart Penny Polendina with little-to-no visible remorse for her actions.
Following the revelations that Kanaria had brought forth regarding the fate of those unfortunate enough to be within Kirakishou's N-Field at their moment of demise, it was rather clear to Winter as to why poor Dr. Polendina was unable to generate the aura required to revitalise Penny. The girl's soul, despite its artificial nature, was likely confined within Kirakishou's Palace of Beginnings.
"If I may ask, General," the doctor spoke up, pulling Winter from her musings, "what are your interests in the girl? This missing leader of Team RWBY? Why place a bounty on a missing figure? Is it due to her connection to your younger sister?"
Ah. Yes. Dr. Polendina had yet to be informed of the current situation regarding the Rozen Maiden, under the suspicion that his close relationship to the slain Penny Polendina would interfere with his decision-making and cloud his judgement. A notion that Winter herself had first put forward, following an investigation put into the upper echelons of the Atlesian Military in regard to their actions following the Great War. Namely, their treatment of faunus soldiers and civilians following severe emotional trauma. She had been concerned that the man's grief for his surrogate daughter would lead to… certain hostile actions.
The case file of one Arthur Watts had been mentioned several times in discussions. The two had been colleagues, after all. If Arthur Watts could fly off the handle over a single action, what would Pietro Polendina do at the death of his surrogate daughter? What agony would he experience, trying to recreate her and constantly failing? How far would the scientist go in his quest?
Was she, General Winter of Atlas, willing to work alongside a potential flight risk?
The answer, unanimously, was no. Not in the slightest. The very idea ran against everything that she stood for as a military figure.
As a sister, however, Winter Schnee understood that recruiting Pietro would draw his attention away from Vale, and subsequently, away from the Schnee Dust Company Gala which featured her own Weiss Schnee. Questions would not be asked and Weiss would be free to continue her studies as a huntress within Atlas Academy when she finally recuperated from her trauma and returned to active duty. The world for Weiss Schnee would continue to turn, without ever having to involve her in the Alice Game.
With a heavy heart, Winter allowed herself to speak.
"Pietro," the man stiffened abruptly at her use of his first name, "make no mistake for my actions. My younger sister has nothing to do with this. It is of my opinion that Ruby Rose is directly responsible for the fall of Vale."
Dr. Polendina's eyes widened at the heavy statement, leaning back in his mobility device as he considered the implications. Ruby Rose had, after all, been the one behind Penny's death and subsequent reveal as an artificial creation. The voice that had hacked the communications system during the Vytal Festival that followed had thrown considerable negative attention towards Atlesian automata, yes, but it had been the actions of Ruby Rose that had caused an international incident. Whether it be by her own intentions or by the intention of those closest to her.
"...Rather bold of you, General, to accuse a teenager of being responsible for the greatest calamity to hit the world since the final days of the Great War."
Winter shook her head. Pietro was a man stricken by grief over the death of his surrogate daughter, but it appeared that even he failed to harbour much resentment for the girl, despite Ruby's rather brutal carving of Penny's body during an international broadcast. He likely saw Ruby Rose as nothing but a teenage girl, and not for the threat that she posed to the world.
"Once again I ask of you to make no mistake of my actions, Doctor, for I do not place the blame solely on Ruby Rose. Rather, it is those that she associates with that have acted on her behalf, that I place blame upon. Ruby Rose has failed to control those around her, and, subsequently, failed her duties as a huntress to protect both human and faunuskind."
The Atlesian man scrunched up his brows in apparent bafflement. "...Is your own sister not part of Ruby's team? Are you suggesting that-"
"No," the rebuttal came out a smidgen harsher than originally intended, judging by the flicker of discomfort that briefly surfaced over Pietro. "I am not speaking of Team RWBY, who I have on good authority attempted to dissuade Ruby of her actions on multiple occasions."
"Then who?"
Finally. She had been waiting for the man to grow curious enough for Winter to drop the charade.
"What if I told you, Doctor, that Penny Polendina was not the first fully autonomous humanoid to walk the surface of Remnant?"
Pietro's eyes narrowed at the implication, likely concerned for both the direction the conversation had taken and how it factored into the current subject. "...I'd require considerable explanation."
"There exists a group of seven figures, known as Rozen Maiden, that follow a similar course of development to those of the Atlesian Knight production line, while each bearing a unique consciousness and sense-of-self like Penny," Winter revealed, purposefully using terms the Atlesian scientist could interpret. "However, unlike the Atlesian Knight or Penny Polendina, they are constructed via what one would label a semblance. As a result, their final forms are somewhat different to what you are used to."
Calling the ability used by the mysterious creator of the Rozen Maiden a 'semblance' was tantamount to scandalous for the dolls themselves, the mere suggestion of such enough to cause Kanaria to refuse to assist the science bureau for several weeks until Winter had intervened. However, the subject of 'magic' was, and shall remain, heavily classified. Winter herself hadn't even known of the existence of magic until she had gained the title of General, after all. Informing Dr. Polendina of the existence of magic was completely off the board and tantamount to suicide. Thus, she was forced to compromise and deliberately spread false information.
However, even if the admission of such would anger Kanaria, it was better than the alternative of an unmarked grave in a nameless location should her reveal of magic ever reach certain ears.
"...Different how?"
For that, Winter merely gave a low smile, and pressed a button on her desk. "Kanaria, if you would approach my office? You may utilise Pizzicato, if necessary."
Suiseiseki huffed angrily as she stormed through the white-haired human's gaudy-looking manor, her fists clenched tightly as the hired help wordlessly steered clear of her furious form.
This reality was so embarrassing.
Why in the world did it have to make them all so tall?! They looked the size of humans! The change had brought with it a multitude of problems that were beginning to show themselves in the worst of ways. The latest of which had been utterly unforgivable. She couldn't even sleep in her case anymore, forced to reside in lavish cloth sheets confined in a room separate to the chibi! It was deplorable. How in the world was she supposed to make sure Jun didn't get up to any trouble if she couldn't even keep an eye on him?!
Ever since Suigintou had appeared, everything had all gone wrong. With Suigintou came her Master, an energetic fierce blonde with a bone to pick with the youngest Rozen Maiden. Even now, Suigintou's Master continued to talk with the chibi, drawing his attention as they did who knows what. Everywhere she walked, the damnable woman just… jiggled. It was perverse! Suiseiseki was thankful that the chibi was, thankfully, far too focused on the mission to stop Kirakishou to notice such fleeting desires, but the potential was there! She knew how boys worked!
Well, admittedly the chibi was quite different to the other boys she had interacted with over the years, able to sustain many contracts with a variety of Rozen Maiden simultaneously without any hassle of being led astray thus far, but still! Jun didn't need any distractions!
Suiseiseki scowled to herself, crossing her arms and achieving absolutely no change to her figure as she did so. It just wasn't fair. So, she was going to find Jun and give him a piece of her mind! Sui Dream, her artificial spirit, had told her that Jun was currently in the reading room speaking with Suigintou's Master. It should have been easy to find and separate the two. But, for the life of her, she couldn't make heads or tails of this big stupid mansion!
Why is everything so blue?! It was almost as if the Schnee Family had hired a painter for the express purpose of blending in as many varying shades of the same stupid colour as was humanely possible.
Honestly. Suiseiseki and her twin sister Souseiseki have lived in a few mansions throughout the years, but none of them have been so difficult to navigate! The mansions had more than enough rooms to reliably house several dozen members, yet only a third of which were currently in service, separated across the mansion as if each resident were trying to give as much distance between each other, for some stupid reason.
"Suiseiseki? Are you alright?"
Turning around, the red-clad visage of Shinku approached her, looking concerned. She felt her anger dim slightly, knowing that Shinku was likely in a situation comparable so Suiseiseki's own plight.
"...I'm trying to find the chibi. He shouldn't be spending so much time with the other humans. They're a bad influence."
"A bad influence?" Shinku raised a brow, before smiling coyly, clearly out of her mind. "How odd of you to be concerned over Jun's well-being."
"I'm not-" she went to reflexively respond, before huffing and slouching. "Okay, fine. Of course I'm concerned! This is an entirely different world, Shinku. Kirakishou has had who knows how long to mess with this place. You of all people should know what the Seventh Rozen Maiden is capable of when she puts her mind to it."
She didn't want to come off as mean, or insinuate anything, but Suiseiseki felt she didn't have much of a choice. Interacting with the other humans, especially those that had been in close proximity to Kirakishou for a prolonged amount of time, was a fruitless endeavour that was filled with danger. If even half of what Weiss and Blake had said was true, then Kirakishou had manipulated the equivalent of an entire bustling city into falling into her N-Field.
Even those two huntresses. Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna. Kirakishou's influence clung to them like a shadow, distorting their futures and interfering with their past. Suiseiseki did not need to visit their mental worlds in order to realise that. The proof was in the very words they spoke, how they clung to each other for dear life. Kirakishou had changed them. How much she had changed them, was what truly concerned Suiseiseki.
And the less said about one Yang Xiao-Long, the better.
Jun shouldn't be around such risks, not when he had his dolls.
No matter what Laplace says. It's not worth it. And why was everyone just listening to what Laplace said anyway?! This could all easily be just another one of its games!
"...I can understand feeling some measure of weariness for the current situation," Shinku began with notable slowness as if carefully choosing her words. "These are dangerous times. New times. But, as I have come to understand, Sakurada Jun, whether he be wound or unwound by the Rozen Maiden contract, is a strong soul. He would not be led astray so easily. He would, and will continue to, fight for what he believes in. Surely you understand this."
Suiseiseki blushed bashfully, privately agreeing with Shinku's assessment, though unable to fully vocalise her feelings. Her stupid little chibi would indeed fight for what he believed in, no matter the cost. He was a fine Master, worthy of the Rozen Maiden. Those who said otherwise were incapable of seeing Sakurada Jun's true value. His inner world was most certainly one wrought with pain and insecurity, but it was also one filled with an earnest desire to be the best he could be. Which was more than Suiseiseki could say she had seen in a vast majority of inner worlds.
...In a way, he reminded her of Father. That… hope.
"But still!" she bunched up her hands, fiddling with the hem of her long green dress. "Allying with Suigintou? After everything that she's done? How can you even stand it, Shinku?"
Shinku hummed to herself. "Oh, to tell you the truth, I cannot stand it whatsoever. Speaking with Suigintou is like walking on broken glass. A pointless, painful endeavour. But if it gets us to our destination then perhaps the journey itself is also worth it in the end?" she questioned aloud. "...It also helps that her new Master appears to quell some of Suigintou's more… brash behaviour."
Blinking at the imagery, she imagined what a relaxed Suigintou would even look like and mentally drew a blank. The First Rozen Maiden's default expression always seemed to be smug-as-anything, only ever changing to yell at Shinku or smirk at their continuous failure to defeat her over the years.
Or brood. That stupid doll certainly did a lot of brooding nowadays.
"...That sounds… nice…?" she tried, words failing her.
"It does. To a degree. As you have already heard through Weiss and Blake, Suigintou's Master, 'Yang Xiao-Long', is the elder sister of Kirakishou's chosen Master, a 'Ruby Rose'. Considering your own experiences, you will understand when I say that the bond between sisters is not easily broken. However, it goes without saying that the pairing of Ruby with Kirakishou has caused some degree of strife within Yang. She is… restless, same as Suigintou. It is for this reason that they are so very compatible. Suigintou's own former Master was also stolen away by Kirakishou, you see."
"...I already know everything about Suigintou's Master," Suiseiseki huffed, lying blatantly. Well, she was about fifty percent certain that she had heard the other Rozen Maiden discussing it at some point or another, but she hadn't really cared much about it. After Suigintou stole Souseiseki's Rosa Mystica during one of their bouts, she hadn't really paid much attention to the First Rozen Maiden's personal life outside of wishing to slap her stupid face and take back her sister's Rosa Mystica by force.
Kirakishou's arrival and subsequent defeat in the unwound world had changed things, the Seventh Doll having used Souseiseki's body to invade the unwound world temporarily. In thanks to the grown-up chibi, Kirakishou had been defeated and purged from Souseiseki's body, while Suigintou had eventually relinquished Souseiseki's Rosa Mystica and allowed the two to reunite. With the subsequent journey into the world of Remnant, Souseiseki had ventured alongside Suiseiseki united as a true Rozen Maiden in her own body, complete with her own Rosa Mystica.
But it did not change the fact that Suigintou was a rotten little cheater that had almost cost Suiseiseki the life of her younger sister, because she was too much of a coward to fight fair.
Shinku raised a brow at her behaviour, but said nothing about it. Instead, the blonde-haired younger doll merely continued speaking of her own volition. "Unfortunately, allying with Suigintou is a necessary endeavour. This world is a strange little deviation and we shall need all of the allies we can get if we are to survive."
Grimacing, Suisuiseki looked away from her younger sister. She could easily understand what exactly Shinku was referring to in her words. After they had settled in the Schnee mansion and their nature as outsiders to this world had been blurted out by Yang and Suigintou, the natives of this world had seen fit to explain the dangers housed inside the world they now occupied.
The Grimm.
According to the huntresses, during their time together Kirakishou had labelled the creatures as 'beasts of dark' and, personally, Suiseiseki couldn't think of a better way to describe the creatures. Pathetic, horrible things that only wanted to cause death and destruction for no discernible reason. Whereas in the wound and unwound worlds, humans had cobbled together in cities by design, these humans and faunus had built vast kingdoms out of necessity, to stem the tide of bloodshed that had claimed too many to count.
When the huntresses had discovered their initial point of contact in Remnant had been in the ominously-named 'Marble Forest', the group of huntresses had been surprised that they did not encounter any of the savage beasts. According to the rather callous assessment of the huntresses, the beasts of dark would have felt no hesitation in ripping apart a young chibi and a bunch of dolls.
Even their artificial nature mattered not, as this world possessed mechanical automata -robots, essentially- primarily manufactured in Atlas for defence purposes, that were also targeted by the grimm. Alternatively, upon Shinku's subsequent question, the huntresses had stipulated that the grimm do not target livestock, nor do predators attempt to hunt the foul creatures.
Which implied that the grimm chose their victims and that nature had learned time and time again to avoid them. The creatures were able to think, to some capacity, and it had been one of the most horrifying realisations of Suiseiseki's long life.
And now, with the destruction of Vale and subsequent manifestation of the Seventh Rozen Maiden's Palace of Beginnings, it was widely believed by the surviving huntresses that Kirakishou and her Master were out in the wilderness somewhere, plotting their next move. Both are capable and willing to venture out into a world filled with such creatures of dark, in order to enact their strange plans. And, as Shinku had explained to Weiss and Blake, Kirakishou would continue distorting her Master's goals and adjusting her own plans until both doll and Master became one of a kind.
They needed to be dealt with, quickly. But did that necessitate allying with Suigintou?
"...I still don't like it," Suiseiseki shook her head, shivering as she glanced out a corridor window overlooking the prosperous city of Atlas outside the Schnee Family's prodigious garden. It was nearing later dusk, and she could easily spot many couples making their way throughout the numerous streets. She wondered, morbidly, how many had been impacted by the grimm and by Kirakishou's antics. "But, I can understand what you mean, to a degree. I don't want to stay in this world any longer than I have to. Once Kirakishou is defeated again, we need to get out of here."
"Yes, I agree," Shinku frowned. "Of course, such a thing will be an easy endeavour for us that are contracted to Jun. We have no ties to this place, save for the hassle with Kirakishou. However, for the other dolls that have found themselves with new Masters? It shall be considerably more difficult to leave."
Suiseiseki frowned. In regards to Suigintou, it didn't particularly matter that much to her what Suigintou did. The stupid eldest doll can go be happy in her crazy wacky world with her crazy Master for all Suiseiseki cared.
But… there were two others that were as of yet unaccounted for.
Kanaria, the Second Rozen Maiden.
Hinaichigo, the Sixth Rozen Maiden.
Both of which Laplace had led them to believe had been transported to Remnant alongside the chibi's group, however, they weren't anywhere to be seen as of yet. Hinaichigo, in particular, she feared greatly for the doll. She was an innocent in the Alice Game, caring little for the idea of harming her Sisters much the same as Shinku and the -seiseki twins.
Hinaichigo had been attacked by Kirakishou in the wound world. Defeated, utterly. Her lone saving grace had been the Sixth Doll's own artificial spirit Berrybell, transporting Hinaichigo's Rosa Mystica to Shinku before Kirakishou could steal it away. Now, there was the chance that Hinaichigo had been reunited with her own Rosa Mystica and subsequently revived in this world filled with monsters that wouldn't hesitate to end her, whether said monsters be the creatures of grimm or the Rozen Maiden who had succeeded once in the past.
Shinku had not confirmed nor denied what had happened to Hinaichigo's Rosa Mystica following their arrival in Remnant, and Hinaichigo did not consider herself foolish enough to follow along with such a line of questioning with the doll that considered herself fiercely protective over the pink-clad childish fool of a doll.
Kanaria, however, the self-titled 'Rozen Leader'? There was no telling where she would go or what she would accomplish. The world turned for Kanaria, for good or for worse. It always had. She, like Hinaichigo, was an innocent, seeing the Alice Game as a literal game, from rose-coloured lenses. She didn't mean any harm and her antics were typically rather playful if anything, but Suiseiseki feared what would happen to the doll in the world of Remnant.
She hoped they both were safe. That they were happy. Far, far away from the Seventh Rozen Maiden and the grimm. They deserved that much. They truly did.
"...I understand," Suiseiseki sniffed, feeling an uncomfortable warmth in her eyes and a pang in her chest. "Hopefully, in our search for Kirakishou and her Master, we find them safe and unharmed."
"I hope so as well," Shinku smiled at her, a sad little smile that only made her feel worse. "But, enough of that for now. You were looking for Jun, yes? I can take you to him. I was just there, after all. They're in the northeast drawing room."
In an instant, she felt indignation roaring throughout her body as she practically screeched out, "You knew where they were the whole time?!"
Shinku raised a brow at her, before failing to deign her question with a response and turning around before walking away. She made it about halfway down the hallway before Suiseiseki realised what was happening.
"...Well?" Shinku called out, "Are you coming?"
Hurriedly, she chased after the smaller doll, her footsteps ringing out against the exquisite blue-shaded flooring. Shinku, for her part, paid her haste no mind and moved with a grace reserved for nobles or the like. Suiseiseki scoffed inwardly at the movements, knowing that her younger sister always did have a flair for the dramatics in her own way.
Perhaps, she mused, all of the dolls held some flair for the dramatics, yet manifested it in their own ways. Their creator, Father, must have been a rather dramatic figure. For that, she could understand Shinku's own display. It was rather heartwarming that they were still connected to their Father, even in this twisted alternate world.
The Fifth Rozen Maiden led her through numerous corridors, passing by several staff members without comment as they continued their allocated work. Suiseiseki had noticed early on that the primary owner of this estate, a man by the name of Jacques Schnee, employed a great many servants to take care of the place. Many of which had lately been focused on tidying up the mansion after the gala of which Jun's group had interrupted with their arrival.
Suiseiseki had, alongside her sister, been contracted to several members of nobility that had owned mansions nearly as large as this one. And she had learned quickly that major events oftentimes held sinister intentions hidden behind the illusion of charity and benevolence. As a rule, she had come to despise opulent buildings and all those who called such a place their home. Too many secrets and lies, muddling about and staining the walls. There weren't enough housekeepers in the world that could clean such a thing off with any degree of effectiveness.
"They're just down this corridor, the drawing room is on your first right," Shinku directed for her, pointing to a closed door where the telltale signs of illumination were shining through the bottom of the door itself, indicating that the lights were turned on inside. "You're welcome to go and speak with Jun if you so desire, my only request is that you please be sure to give him my regards."
"You're not coming?" she asked reflexively.
Shinku shook her head. "No," she answered, voice firm. "Despite what you may privately believe, I can empathise with your assessment. I do not enjoy Jun being around the people of this world, and have had my fair share of their presence for the night."
Suiseiseki blinked, baffled beyond complete belief. She hadn't been expecting a whammy like that. "Er… right. Okay. Yes! Of course, you'd understand," she nodded to herself. "Thank you for the directions. I'll see what I can do."
The Fifth Rozen Maiden doll nodded and turned away. As she did, Suiseiseki could make out the faint edges of a smile curling on her lips. "I'm sure you will. Goodnight, Suiseiseki."
"Goodnight, Shinku…" she responded automatically, taking a moment to ponder the enigma that was her younger sister. All these days spent alongside the chibi and she still couldn't discern much about the relationship he shared with Shinku, outside of admiration. She supposed, though, that regardless it didn't matter. Suiseiseki needed to focus now.
Nodding again to herself, Suiseiseki raced down the hallway and forcefully opened the door to the drawing room with a harsh shove, "Chibi, I want to-"
She paused. Confused. Suiseiseki took a moment to inspect the surroundings. It was a pretty room, all things considered. Lots of artwork on the walls of people that she assumed were famous for doing something that made them a bunch of money. Gaudy blue textured with the Schnee Dust Company logo, so certainly matching the textures featured in the entire stupid mansion. Good furniture. A couch that was probably worth more than most houses in Jun's old neighbourhood. Fancy little table that looked terrible, so also pretty expensive.
But WHY in the world was Yang Xiao-Long putting her arms on Jun's shoulder?! And why were they glowing?!