In the blink of an eye, the Knight of the White Rose had changed her behaviour and Yang Xiao-Long soon found herself quickly fighting for her life. The hauntingly-illusionary setting depicting the woods surrounding Summer Rose's memorial stone began to crumble and tear apart, consumed by a menagerie of shifting coloured hues rich with an aura that turned a seemingly desolate forest into a veritable swarm of colour.
The Knight of the White Rose itself, clad in a battered armour and absolutely bathed in a swathe of shifting aural tones, spoke. And Yang had never found herself despising a voice more than the one she could hear, thundering into her ears. One that was all too familiar, moved and shifted around until it danced to the tune of another.
"You never understood this place, Yang! You never understood me!" it screamed in that same perfect imitation of Ruby's high-pitched voice as the Knight slashed its blade around wildly, devoid of the previous perfected form shown prior.
"Run, Yang! Don't fight her!" Shinku yelled out from the side, sending a flurry of red rose petals towards the frantic Knight of the White Rose. Yang hadn't the chance to comment on the disquieting similarity between Ruby's petals and Shinku's as she was forced to duck away to avoid the red-shaded attack.
Shinku's summoned rose petals collided against the Knight, withering away in the face of the Knight of the White Rose's colossal amount of harvested aura. The Knight's aura appeared so vast as to extend beyond her body, a thick miasma of fluctuating ripples extending out around their opponent that shifted in hue towards the very same colouration of Ruby's own aura as they moved deeper and deeper towards the Knight's own body. The Knight paid no mind to Shinku's failed assault, opting instead to forgo defensive actions and focus her attention solely upon Yang and Yang alone.
Again. It really hated her, huh?
Fierce silver flames ignited suddenly, tracing against the edge of the Knight's overwhelmingly large greatsword as a pseudo silver wing pattern grew from her exposed silver eye. Yang let out a breathless gasp as she witnessed the flames, Shinku's former warning regarding the capability of the Knight's silver flames ringing deep warning bells in her mind. A glyph beneath her feet suddenly propelled Yang away from the Knight, the Schnee semblance protecting her from a harsh burst of silver flames. True to Shinku's warning, the flames petrified all they touched, tree and brush alike burning into a pale grey compound that collapsed under its own weight.
It was these very flames, Yang recalled as she pushed herself into motion and fled from the errant Knight, that were present at Beacon Academy, so long ago. When everything began to fail and the grimm were swarming… these flames appeared all of a sudden.
She had known, or more precisely been informed, that Ruby and Kirakishou had been actively working together even as far back as during the destruction of Vale and Beacon Academy. While, yes, Yang could discount Ruby's actions then as a result of Kirakishou's manipulations of her baby sister's heart, all the manipulations in the world could not account for the appearance of silver flames.
These very same silver flames had, all of a sudden, reappeared inside the strange N-Field belonging to her baby sister, used to lethal effectiveness by an illusion claiming to be trying to protect Ruby Rose. An illusion that had, just now, spoken from Ruby's perspective.
She didn't want to think of it, but…
Had the silver flames that appeared in Beacon originated from Ruby?
"Come on!" Weiss's voice, filled with fear, drove Yang back into the moment, the heiress grabbing Yang's hand and yanking her away when she didn't immediately reply. Yang didn't bother to question how Weiss had found her and the others, simply grateful to be saved from the Knight's wrath.
"Why must you always be the one to save her, Weiss?!" the voice of the Knight of the White Rose raged throughout the area, silver flames ripping through trees and shrubbery alike as a stone-laden wasteland signaled the Knight's approach. "You were supposed to be my partner! Mine! And you choose her over me?!"
Weiss narrowly avoided a retaliatory burst of silver flames that shot past the encroaching firestorm, the very flames themselves seeming to have come alive under the command of the Knight of the White Rose in order to hunt down the heiress. The flames found themselves blocked only by a sacrificial volley of red petals, the clashing powers canceling each other out. Once again, a huntress found themselves saved by courtesy of a panting Shinku, who was currently being carried by Blake Belladonna, the red-clad Rozen Maiden holding onto Blake's back. Yang grimaced at the sight. She had seen Shinku take a heavy hit from the Knight of the White Rose earlier on and it would appear that she had yet to heal up from her injuries.
No. Suffice to say, Shinku hadn't recovered at all.
Could Rozen Maiden even be healed during combat in the first place? How did it work if it did? Was it like an aura?
Following all that had occurred, Yang resolved to do her damnedest to avoid getting caught in an attack sent by the Knight of the White Rose, if the impact was capable of causing so much lasting damage through even a mere singular hit. Now that the Knight was frantic and teeming with harvested aura, Yang scarcely believed that any of them would even survive a head-on collision with the Knight of the White Rose.
It was beyond obvious that the Knight of the White Rose had changed dramatically following the sudden burst of aura that had erupted from the ground. Not only had the aura revitalised the Knight after a surprisingly effective volley of petals from Shinku, but the Knight had become almost akin to some twisted parallel of Ruby Rose herself, screaming out words from Ruby's perspective and slashing about in apparent manic fury. And Yang had realised, very quickly, that the Knight of the White Rose had something of a grudge against her.
Knight. Illusion. Whatever.
Not that it particularly mattered to Yang what the Knight prattled on about. All that she cared about was surviving the encounter and rescuing Rubes. She wasn't going to allow herself to be fooled by one of Kirakishou's stupid illusions, no matter how powerful it was or how loud it yelled out words that only Ruby would know. The Knight of the White Rose, despite wearing Ruby's face and defending her N-Field, was nothing but some empowered construct using Ruby's memories to taunt her. And that was all she needed to know.
"There!" Shinku shouted all of a sudden as they continued to flee the enraged Knight, pointing over Blake's shoulder towards a clearing. "The Knight of the White Rose isn't manipulating this N-Field at the moment! We need to get out of this forest and find the others!"
They had gained some distance from the Knight of the White Rose, whether it be through successful evasion or pure adrenaline and speed on their part, Yang wasn't precisely sure. But she sure as dust wasn't going to complain about it. She could still hear the Knight of the White Rose crashing through the trees as it tirelessly continued to chase after them. If Shinku was right and the Knight wasn't manipulating the N-Field following its over-consumption of aura, then they all stood a fair chance of evading the Knight provided they maintained their speed.
If they found the other missing members of their group, namely Suiseiseki and Souseiseki, then they all would stand that much more of a fighting chance against the Knight.
Darting into the clearing as per Shinku's suggestion, the group of girls soon found themselves back at the edge of the cliff where they had found the slumbering Ruby Rose. Yang felt a sense of relief pour through her as the sight of Ruby Rose greeted her once again. Even with the Knight of the White Rose raging about the place, her baby sister was still unharmed.
Suiseiseki and her tomboyish younger sister Souseiseki were there, also, perking up upon seeing their group appear from the forest.
"There you all are!" Suiseiseki marched up to them, huffing in annoyance. "Where in the world did you all go?! One moment we are all fighting against the Knight, and the next you're all running off into the woods!"
"...You two didn't follow us into the woods?" Blake asked, confused. "But, we saw the both of you run in alongside us, chasing down the Knight."
"We did," Souseiseki confirmed for her twin sister. "However, upon entering, we found ourselves back at the cliff face soon after. We've been stuck here ever since, unable to move towards the slumbering Ruby Rose or venture back inside. Every time we try, we keep getting turned around."
"...Another of the Knight's manipulations?" Weiss hesitantly questioned, garnering a nod from Shinku while the twin gardener dolls made a noise of confusion.
What? Hadn't the Knight just stopped messing with things? That didn't make any sense.
"Manipulations?" Souseiseki questioned. "What are-" her eyes suddenly widened, "watch out!"
A sharp flash of gold and blue ran past Yang's eyes all of a sudden, and the Knight of the White Rose had appeared once more, Souseiseki's oversized golden scissor-like weapon having blocked the Knight's greatsword mere moments before it found its target.
Her. Again. Once again, the Knight of the White Rose had tried to end her life. A part of her was still coming to terms with the fact that Kirakishou's illusion could be both so overwhelmingly strong and so very fixated on Yang Xiao-Long.
"Rozen Maiden…" the Knight of the White Rose's voice sounded in their ears, a disturbing stillness held in sharp contrast to the enraged expression prominently displayed atop Ruby's copied visage. "You're one of them, one of Kirakishou's sisters…"
"I am," Souseiseki refused to deny herself. She held her ground against the Knight of the White Rose, as the others, Yang included, regrouped and planned their next move. "Cease this, please. We only want what is best for Ruby Rose."
Yang didn't need the enhanced senses of a faunus or the legendary semblance of the late Summer Rose to know that what Souseiseki had said was a bad idea, she needed only look at the whirlwind of fury emblazoned across the Knight's face to realise such things. A cold, bitter hatred that was more terrifying than any snowstorm encountered during her brief stay in the freezing Atlesian climate.
"You steal into this place, violate her most sacred core, and claim to hold Ruby Rose's best interests at heart," The Knight continued pushing forwards with its greatsword as it spoke, until Souseiseki found herself on the retreat, struggling to prevent the great blade from tearing through her oversized weapon. "Worst of all, you bring HER here. Yang Xiao-Long. The one that ruined everything!"
...Well. At least she isn't speaking from Ruby's perspective anymore..?
Weiss, Blake, Suiseiseki, and Shinku all briefly looked toward Yang upon hearing verbal confirmation of the Knight's seeming ire towards the blonde. She shrugged at all the attention. "Hey, don't look at me. I'm just trying to rescue my sister here. I don't care about what some illusion of Kirakishou thinks about me."
"Illusion?!" Souseiseki was flung backward by a sudden empowered bout, the blue-clad tomboyish Rozen Maiden flying past them as she scraped harshly against the rocky ground and tumbled off the side of the cliff. Suiseiseki gave a start of surprise, chasing after her sister's body before any of the other girls had even realised what had occurred.
Instead of turning to attack the surviving group now that their sole effective defence was cruelly rendered inoperable, the Knight of the White Rose instead rounded towards Yang with an all-too-familiar murderous glare. She found herself distinctly reminded of times when a younger Ruby would try to argue with her, complete with the scrunched-up brow and the puffed cheeks. On her baby sister, it would have been cute. Here, it was yet another mark in a long list of uncomfortable similarities shared between the Knight and Ruby Rose.
"That's what you think this is?! Some illusion?!" The Knight of the White Rose called her out in Ruby's voice, distaste audible to all. "You understand nothing about this place, nothing about Ruby Rose. How dare you have the gall to presume yourself her rescuer."
Oh, so she wanted to throw down like this, huh?!
Yang glared back just as fiercely, feeling her semblance take effect and her eyes redden in response to her mounting annoyance. "You're the one that doesn't understand anything about Rubes. You and Kirakishou. Rubes is a sweet, timid, honest little dork. She's nothing like whatever Kirakishou has made her into and nothing like whatever you are."
"...Yang…" Shinku murmured worriedly, gesturing slightly to the shaking Knight. She waved the doll off, along with the others who looked equally uncomfortable with the argument. If the Knight wanted to start chatting shit, then she wasn't going to back down. Especially if it was about her sister. It was as simple as that. Plus, she figured, if the Knight of the White Rose wanted to waste time talking, then they could use the breather to recuperate their aura and dive in for a sneak attack when the Knight's guard was down.
It was what trained huntsmen and huntresses called a strategy. This wasn't some grand argument about clashing beliefs or some emotionally touching moment between bitter rivals, despite whatever the Knight seemingly wanted to instigate. It was just an illusion trying to deceive her. And if the Knight wanted to swing a low blow and start talking about her baby sister, then Yang would return fire. It was as simple as that. Just like the Summer Rose doll had once tried to deceive her, so had this illusion. She wouldn't fall for it.
The Knight of the White Rose shook in fury, a bitter sight to see when the Knight bore the face of her sister. "And, this place? This deepest core of Ruby Rose, holding her very self? What is it, to you?"
She rolled her eyes at the stupid question. Why did any of this even matter? The Knight had been tearing through them like butter and now it wanted to talk feelings? What a weird illusion.
"...It's an N-Field. It's an illusionary dream world. Sure, Rubes is in here, in some small way, but the rest of it?" she gestured to the petrified trees and the shoddy, inaccurate portrayal of Summer Rose's memorial stone covered in white vines. "So what if it looks like some touching scene that I'm sure Kirakishou hand-picked to torment me on purpose. It's certainly not Ruby's deepest core or whatever you want to phrase it. Before Kirakishou came, Ruby was all over this spiel with her Mother. If she could pick a mental world, it'd probably be some big weapons workshop or something," she scoffed.
In her periphery, she could Suiseiseki frowning heavily at her words, an expression mirrored by her twin sister Souseiseki. A part of her, small as it was, felt a tad bit annoyed at the dolls for reacting the way they did. Though, she could understand why. While Yang could easily figure that this whole 'N-Field' stuff meant a great deal to the twin dolls, they clearly didn't understand just how bad this mockery of Ruby's sense of self truly was. So, as a result, everything she said about the N-Field was perceived as some big insult to the Rozen Maiden, or whatever.
"You're wrong. Hopelessly so. Your allies, both human and Rozen Maiden, see this," The Knight of the White Rose glanced towards the others for a brief moment. Yang merely scoffed at the gesture, unwilling to look away. She wasn't going to fall for such a cheap trick. "And they do nothing to stop you. By doing so, they enable your behaviour. Behaviour that would do little more than impede Ruby's potential and force her into your shadow."
The urge to roll her eyes was feeling pretty damn strong right now, with the level of bullshit she was hearing. Rubes? In her shadow? What? Kirakishou had to be scraping the bottom of the barrel if that was the best she could come up with.
"And is that what you're trying to defend? Ruby's potential?" Weiss questioned the Knight before Yang could continue bickering. She shot the heiress a sour look, only for a downright venomous glare to be sent right back her way by both the Schnee heiress and her own partner Blake Belladonna. She practically recoiled at the sight.
But, like with Suiseiseki and Souseiseki, it was all too obvious why her two teammates were feeling pissed off. They, like the others, had fallen for whatever the illusion was trying to sell.
"The Knight of the White Rose must protect Ruby Rose's Solemn Grove. Her precious N-Field," the Knight clarified at the end, glancing off to the side in the direction of Blake and Shinku. Yang noticed that both Blake and Shinku seemed familiar with the term, while the others (including herself) were unfamiliar. Had something happened in the forest?
"So you're not a mental defence? An illusionary construct?" Suiseiseki balked, eyes wide in seeming realisation.
The Knight of the White Rose did not bother to non-verbally confirm or deny the question, remaining as still as a marionette. "I am the Knight of the White Rose. I am no mere illusion. I am Ruby Rose, who she is, who she shall be. I alone shall end the threat of the grimm and unite the world," Yang went to refute the garbage she was hearing, but a fierce glare from Weiss stopped her once again. "It would seem, however, that the time for conversation is over. Kirakishou was correct to initially cast you all aside. And if it falls upon the Knight of the White Rose to protect Ruby Rose from her former friends trying to claw their way back into her world, then SO BE IT!"
Aura erupted from the Knight of the White Rose in waves, a blazing inferno of crimson auric tones that poured out and ignited the very atmosphere around the silver-clad warrior, the world shuddering violently at the fierce display. The group staggered, falling to the ground as they lost their bearings. Yang could only hold onto the ground for dear life as the wind picked up, crawling away as quickly as she could as silver flames sparked and ignited the aura surrounding the Knight of the White Rose, bathing the world in an unnatural silver glow.
When the flash of light dissipated and the group regained their bearings once more amidst a battered yet thankfully still world, the Knight of the White Rose was there. Looking as unharmed as it had been the moment they had first been unfortunately introduced to each other. Ruby's crimson cloak was back in full swing, while the marks caused by Shinku's overwhelming petal assault were gone, gleaming silver plate mail appearing in its wake.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Yang groaned aloud.
"...Raven Branwen, as I live and breathe. Oum, you're a sight for sore eyes."
She snorted at the words, relaxing her grip on her blade and refocusing her attention back on a projected target. The Schnee Family had obviously spent a whole lot of lien in crafting a half-decent training area for their prestigious little goody-goody huntress heiress and Raven fucking Branwen certainly wasn't going to allow the chance to go to waste.
"I'd say the same, but you probably won't remember the insult in the morning. Heard you crawled into a bottle and took the Schnee Company with you. I'm surprised to see the company is still up and kicking."
Willow Schnee marched into the training area, a distinctly defiant frown on her face. The bottle clutched desperately in her shaking hands, however, proved Raven's point.
"...How's Qrow?"
The grip she had on Omen tightened slightly at the mention of her traitorous brother, as Raven pushed through her katas with a stoic expression, sweat beading down her brow. Her aura was inactive in favour of physical training, Raven relying on pure endurance alone to push through the remainder of her training routine.
Besides, Raven figured that if the worst occurred and her suspicions were proven correct, she'd need all the aura she could get.
"Gone. Not dead, if that's what you're wondering. Last I heard, he'd caught a ride out of Vale with the White Fang. Provided the idiot didn't start a fight in the middle of an Oum-damned airship, he probably jumped ship somewhere in Anima."
The sigh of relief was poison to her ears. Oum, she hated this fucking woman. Purposefully spineless, just like Tai.
"...You've no idea how relieved I am to hear that. When I read the Atlesian census and didn't see his name, I feared the worst…"
The Atlesian Census, Raven scoffed mentally at the term. As if a Kingdom on the other side of the globe could possibly hope to gather accurate information about Ozpin's little fortress continent, let alone determine the fate of one of his most favoured bed-warmers with any degree of accuracy.
"What are you even doing here, Willow?" Raven grunted out, continuing her katas. She made a certain point to direct them towards the Schnee figurehead in particular, forcing the woman to drunkenly back away when Omen came a little too close for comfort.
"I'd be better off asking you the same thing," Willow had the sheer fucking stones to chastise her, narrowing her shady ice-blue eyes like some pouty teacher figure reprimanding their student. "It's the talk of the mansion. Raven Branwen prowling about the place, on a warpath. Are you here because of Yang?"
"...I don't prowl," Raven scoffed in annoyance, dismissing her katas and sheathing Omen when she realised the cause for her mounting headache wasn't getting the fucking message and leaving her alone. "And why else would I be here? Of course I'm here for Yang. Certainly didn't come here to see your old mug."
"Well, if you are here for Yang, then you're doing a terrible job of supporting her."
Raven's eyes narrowed in fury. "What did you just fucking say to me? That's rich coming from you. Tell me, oh mighty one, when was the last time you even saw your daughter, hm?"
Willow flinched at the reminder, and Raven sneered. All of these years and she hadn't changed one bit. Oum, if only she had half a mind to abduct Weiss, years ago. The damn heiress would probably even thank her for getting her out of a shitty situation.
"I'm not here to talk about Weiss."
"Oh, no, of course, you're not. Instead, you'll barge in here and tell me how to parent my own child, but Oum-fucking-forbid you have the sheer common decency to speak to your daughter for once in her fucking life. The girl's been back for months and I doubt you've even spoken to her once."
"...Despite what you may be inclined to believe, Weiss doesn't need her Mother's support right now," and if that wasn't the largest piece of crap she's heard in a decade, then Raven didn't know what could even begin to compare. And that was saying a lot, considering all of the garbage she's heard over the years. "But Yang is different. You'd be a fool not to see that she's hurting. Same as you, though for different reasons."
"Stop talking like you know me, Willow," Raven growled threateningly. "So what if Yang's hurting? Working through our problems is how we get strong. If you want to be a better person, you've got to work on yourself, first. Yang knows that. She's working through her problems in her own way, fighting to become strong."
"Then, is that why you're here, Raven? To work on yourself and be a better person? To become strong?"
She ground her teeth. It had always been like this when talking with Willow Schnee. Every fucking sentence almost felt like walking on hot coals without aura. Oum-damned endurance match, through and through.
"...Ugh. I'm not going to play philosopher with you, Willow. If you're aware of what's occurring in this house, then you know damn well why I'm here. So, do us all a favour, and get off my back already."
Willow sighed, shaking her head and slumping down onto an incline bench, resting her drink on the ground. "Despite what you may think, Raven, I didn't come here to argue with you. I am actually happy to see you again. I didn't know if either you or Qrow were still alive."
Raven leaned casually against a bar, sighing heavily and plastering a smirk on her face as she allowed the tension to dissipate. It was the mark of a good leader to read the room, and if Willow Schnee was done being all argumentative then Raven certainly wasn't going to complain. "...That's the point, brat. If nobody knows you're alive, then nobody knows to fuck with you."
The two shared a brief chuckle. Even after all these years, Raven's old nickname for the girl still slipped out. And here she was, sharing old snippets of wisdom with her impromptu student.
"Jacques does," Willow interrupted her reminiscence, looking down. "Jacques knows that you're here, Raven. As we speak, he's talking to the young boy that has been staying with us. It's more than likely that he's trying to figure out what exactly has been going on."
Raven scoffed dismissively. "...Took him long enough. The boy's been here for weeks. Arrived right after that gaudy dance for Ozpin's shithole, I think."
"The Vale Commemorative Gala, yes," Willow continued without missing a beat, ignoring her derisive tone through years of practice. "Sakurada Jun and his group are an intriguing little bunch. Are you aware that all of the girls that follow him are dolls? Artificial life forms, like those that Pietro Polendina was working on in Atlesian R&D a few years ago?"
Raven grunted, nodding. She knew all about the Rozen Maiden through Suigintou's contract with her daughter Yang. While she didn't trust the winged little doll as far as she could throw her, Raven remained secure that their mutual distaste for Kirakishou was more than enough to keep them a relative non-issue for the Branwen Tribe. Mutual adversaries, and all that.
Lots of folks in her tribe had all different reasons for joining. Only a choice few were there because they wanted to be there. They were all just a bunch of freeloaders, for the most part. Sure, there were a few diamonds in the rough like Vernal that both actively enjoyed and worked to improve the tribe, but the vast majority saw their residence in the Branwen Tribe as a means to an end.
The Rozen Maiden, whether they be dolls, humans, or even faunus, still had a personality. They possessed individuality. Why in the world would Raven give a shit about what slice of life they came from? She was more concerned about their history than their physiology. Though, she supposed they were certainly a step up from the various Atlesian-brands of mechanical automata.
And…. Pietro Pollendina? Wow. Now that right there is a name that she hasn't heard in years. The last time was back when she was in good with Spider. Some anonymous benefactor had put out a hit on the man, but the contract was terminated when the benefactor cut ties and disappeared off the map quickly after. From what Raven could bother to remember, the dossier had insinuated that he was working on some classified Atlesian project involving giving aura to Atlesian bots. At the time it had sounded like a fool's gambit to her, but after witnessing that robot girl that had been carved up on a live broadcast during the Vytal Festival Tournament, Raven had been forced to admit the world had changed since her time.
"...By the look on your face, I sound like Lisa Lavender giving a news report," Willow deadpanned, as Raven barked out a laugh.
"Ha. Exactly. Week old news. It's a wonder that damn reporter is still up and running these days. Thought they would have replaced her after the Vale fiasco, but of course, that bitch both manages to survive despite all odds and somehow keep her pointless fucking channel on the air."
"And, just like that, you confirm that the Branwen Tribe is currently in a position with CCT access and that you specifically keep up to date with the world by watching Lisa Lavender news broadcasts of all things. Got quite the fanbase back at the camp, eh?"
Raven frowned, ignoring the heat in her cheeks yet refusing to look away despite one incredibly uncomfortable scenario blossoming right in front of her. Damn Schnees. Damn brat, messing with her.
"...The men find her amusing, that's all," Raven dismissed in annoyance, shaking her head. And if that wasn't the funniest fucking thing that Willow Schnee had heard all year, judging by the over-the-top belly laugh she gave out, tears running down her eyes.
"I'll be sure to send her a thank-you note on behalf of the Branwen Tribe!" Willow cackled out, Raven shaking her head in bemusement at the very idea. Maybe the note would prompt a decent enough story for the damn reporter to, well, actually report on immediately. Wouldn't that be a sight to see?
"...But, still. The Rozen Maiden. This 'Jun' dickhead. How's Yang taking it?"
"Ah, so you are interested!" Willow rubbed salt in the wound, earning a glower. The drunken woman raised her hands up in faux surrender. "Bah. Party-pooper. Relax. From what I've been told, they all seem to be meshing together well enough. I heard that Yang even worked to unlock Jun's aura for him. The boy's been training with Yang in the courtyard every few days after that. Supposedly, he possesses an unusually large amount of aura for a boy his age."
Raven grunted and made to respond, only to glance off to the side when she heard the gate to the courtyard opening up. Joining Willow in inspecting the sudden arrivals, she found herself partly bemused to see the boy they were talking about arrive, with Klein following alongside him. She raised a brow. Willow still had Klein in the employ of the SDC? After all these years? Yikes. She could only wonder what in the world had happened to him. The man used to be such a hunk. Atlas really had to spoil all the good parts of her life, huh?
She eyed the boy with a critical gaze. Small build. Weak features. It was clear that the boy hadn't done a hard day's labour in his life. Were it any other day, Raven would be more inclined to rob the boy blind. He seemed a perfect target, both unable and unwilling to fight back. However, there was a certain tired gait in his stance that gave her a degree of pause. A curious figure indeed, the mysterious human accompanying several Rozen Maiden.
There had been a few times that Raven had seen the boy over the passing weeks and she'd not bothered to speak a word to the boy, instead opting for Yang to take charge over their 'rescue' of Summer's daughter as Raven took the time to hone her skills and scope out the Kingdom of Atlas following the destruction of Vale. She'd taken one good look at the boy to see that he was little more than an introvert thrown completely out of his comfort zone. However, perhaps she had assumed too quickly?
"Klein. It's good to see you," Willow greeted the portly man with a warm smile, raising her bottle in classic Willow fashion. "And who is this that you have with you?"
Raven resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Politics. Why Willow deemed it necessary to play the ignorant little executive's wife day in and day out was a question that she'd never properly answer. It was a disgusting play in her eyes, feigning weakness, and one of the reasons why she hadn't spoken with Willow in damn-near a decade. The little brat had gone and lost her Oum-damned spine the moment she married Jacques.
Years back, the little brat Raven knew would have fought tooth and nail in order to prove herself to the world. Now, all of her hard work training some muscle into the little brat had all gone down the shitter. Fuck. There was a reason why Raven never bothered to learn about Willow Schnee and her Schnee Dust Company.
"Willow! It's… good to see you," Klein greeted after a moment's pause. "If I may introduce the young Sakurada Jun, here. The young lady Weiss decided to permit Sakurada Jun and his friends temporary accommodation into the Schnee Family manor following their departure from Vale."
"...Hi," the boy greeted, looking about as uncomfortable around the two older women as he could be.
"Jun, this is Willow Schnee. The Master's beloved and Matriarch to the Schnee Dust-"
"From Vale?" Willow gasped like a scandalised maiden, completely interrupting Klein's introduction and shooting up to smother the poor boy in a tight hug before he could so much as introduce himself. Off to the side, Raven withheld a snicker as she watched Willow seamlessly derail Klein's cordial tones with all the subtlety of a blunt hammer striking steel. The whole scene looked so much like some bizarre cartoon skit that it-
Can you please stop treating things like it's some Detective Kun-kun episode!
Raven winced at the memory, shaking herself free and returning to the present.
Months after hearing that voice and seeing that face again, Raven Branwen still couldn't get the scene out of her head, of a doll shaped with Summer's figure innocently questioning her about her entire damn life.
Perhaps that had been why she'd even bothered to listen to Yang's crazed ranting during her recovery at the Branwen camp. Certainly helped prove her daughter's wild story to have a grain of truth when a doll bearing the likeness of Summer fucking Rose idly reveals itself to the world well over a decade after the real Summer Rose's disappearance and subsequent death at the hands of Salem.
Focusing back on the conversation at hand, Raven witnessed the elder Schnee pulling away from Jun, seemingly oblivious to the rosy-red blush blatantly apparent on his cheeks. Considering their relative height difference, it was obvious why the boy was blushing, but she paid it no mind.
"You, there," Raven shoved her way into the conversation, the boy quickly sobering and focusing on her with wide, alert eyes. The eyes of someone expecting trouble. "I take it that you came here for a reason other than getting smothered by Willow's tits."
A none-too-insignificant portion of Raven took a fair amount of pleasure in watching the mortification surface across the boy's face, a sharp contrast to the playful pout across Willow, the Schnee matriarch looking like a pet that had lost its favourite toy.
"T-That's not-!" Jun went to instantly rebuke, only to sigh heavily and wilt. "...Jacques knows about the Rozen Maiden and the Alice Game. And, given the lack of reaction to either of those phrases, so too does… Willow, yes?"
Raven raised a brow, momentarily taken aback. So, it would seem that the boy had more brains than balls, at the very least. Sure as shit saw right through Willow's little song and dance right away. Raven mentally raised her impression of Sakurada Jun a few notches.
"Looks like someone's pretty insightful!" Willow smiled freely, confirming the boy's assumption with a shrug of her shoulders. Although, the tension in her shoulders betrayed her discomfort at hearing about Jacques Schnee. Raven could see that her little brat still hadn't gotten rid of all her tells, or perhaps was simply too drunk to care about subtlety.
Well. Two could play at that game.
"...Given that you two were both surprised to see Willow here, that would imply that you were looking for me," Raven opted to direct her speech to Jun, seeing as Klein seemed to be more of a guide. Or, knowing Jacques, an overseer. "What exactly do you need from me, boy? I'm assuming that Yang's little plan isn't at the point that it's calling for me, or else you'd have probably been yelling at me to get on with it by now. Am I right?"
Jun sighed, and Raven found herself wondering if sighing was a tell for the boy or not, considering how often he had done it in the short span of their brief conversation. Considering the relative weariness the boy seemingly carried with him, there was also the potential for it to be considered a personality trait, more or less.
"...You're right. Shinku and the others are still inside the N-Field with Yang, looking for Ruby," Raven made note of the way in which Jun spoke, prioritising Shinku first above his other allies. If the need arose to eliminate Jun to complete the Alice Game for Yang, defeating Shinku would likely be her first priority in order to destabilise Jun.
She momentarily flicked her attention over to Willow, to see the woman listening intently to Jun's explanation. Willow Schnee, much like her husband, would likely become an issue if she were to learn too much about the Alice Game.
"If at all possible, the Master would appreciate it if you were to remain beside the young Yang Xiao-Long," Klein supplied, Jun shooting the portly man a surprised look. She raised a brow at the exchange. Jacques had informed Klein, yet refrained from doing so for Jun. Was the boy being used to manipulate Raven, with himself as a scapegoat in the place of Jacques? Potential leverage?
Not that any of it all mattered in the slightest to Raven Branwen. Provided that Jacques Schnee didn't cause too much of a hassle, then he was insignificant in comparison to the real threat looming over her head.
"Fine. Though, you should all be prepared for a fight if things go sour," Raven acquiesced with a disgruntled frown on her lips, Willow looking downright shocked next to her as if she had been expecting Raven to fight tooth and nail in the middle of bloody Atlas of all things.
She rolled her eyes. It wasn't worth the hassle. Especially with Yang on the line. She had too much to lose by causing a commotion at the moment.
"...Very well. Please, follow me. I shall escort both yourself and the young Sakurada Jun to the guest bedroom," Klein acquiesced with a nod, while Raven grit her teeth. Clearly, Jacques didn't trust her word, forcing Klein to accompany her to Yang's destination despite them both knowing full well that Raven knew where Yang currently was situated.
"Well~ I know when I'm not wanted," Willow stood up with an over-the-top dreary exhale, and she'd be damned if it didn't sound exactly like her younger brother's same drunken mannerisms. "I'll be in my quarters. It was lovely meeting you, Jun. I'll be seeing you all."
Raven watched the ghost from her past depart with the same fleeting speed that she had arrived with, already feeling a headache stirring in her mind. An unfortunate reminder of a tragic time, alongside a certain dose of reality for her foolish little brother, were he ever to interact with Willow Schnee ever again.
Poor bastard.
"This way, please."
With a grunt escaping her lips, she allowed Klein to lead her through the halls of the Schnee family manor, Sakurada Jun trailing behind her like an obedient puppy. She withheld a sneer at the weakness displayed around her, how so many figures marked by potential had allowed themselves to stagnate in the continent of Atlas.
The boy, Sakurada Jun, still had some potential hidden beneath his tired gait, evidenced by his continuing lingering gazes on her form. Not merely admiring the female body as she would have assumed given his relative youth, but instead seeming to try and understand what he had learned about Raven during their short time together. A studious mind, most likely. One that clearly had a question brimming on his lips, yet was far too socially awkward to speak up. Reminded her of the previous Spring Maiden.
"What is it, boy?" Raven accused as they continued to walk, her sudden words making Klein falter for a brief moment before resuming. Jun shot her a look, seeming confused. "I'm not blind, you know. It's obvious that you want to ask me something. So speak up. Say your part and be done with it. I'm not going to bite."
Jun gave her a glare, rattled, before huffing in annoyance and crossing his arms.
"...Before, at the training grounds, you said to prepare for a fight. Are you expecting things to go sour with Shinku and the others?"
Raven smirked, a wolfish expression that many in the Tribe knew to mean serious business. "This youngest Rozen Maiden, contracted to Summer's daughter," Jun gave her a confused look at the reference. "Ruby Rose, Summer's daughter, she's contracted to the doll that destroyed Vale, right?"
"Kirakishou, yes," Jun gave her a nod, visibly uncomfortable upon the mention of the destruction that the doll had recently caused. "What about her?"
"My daughter, Yang, mentioned that Kirakishou had made a doll in Summer Rose's likeness for Ruby, the doll itself capable of recalling a portion of Summer's memories. Are you aware?"
She didn't miss the way that Klein faltered in his step, despite his professional attempts at masking surprise. It was clear that Klein held both the smarts to understand the implications behind a walking copy of Summer Rose and the wisdom to understand the serious threat imposed by such an ability being held by the one behind the fall of Vale. While the man had clearly mellowed out throughout the years, it was clear that Klein still maintained his cunning intellect.
Jun shrugged as they walked, looking away and pointedly avoiding her gaze. A sign of guilt, or simply more expressed social anxiety? "I know a bit. The others don't really speak to me that much, but they talk with Shinku and she told me. Summer Rose isn't a true Rozen Maiden if that's what you're worried about. Probably just one of Kirakishou's weird little creations. She would be no issue for a huntress provided my understanding of your abilities is accurate. Besides, I heard that Laplace got rid of her. On two separate occasions, supposedly."
Raven blinked. Laplace? Laplace-no-ma? The entity that could possess hunters and huntresses? Why in the world did Jun, and by extension the others, believe that Laplace had been the one to destroy the Summer doll two separate times?
Certainly helped her. She sure as shit wasn't going to tell Yang that she'd been the one to destroy the Summer Rose doll at Taiyang's household. Fake doll or not, she wasn't blind to see how influential Summer Rose had been for both Ruby and Yang over their life. And she wasn't going to risk alienating Yang during the middle of all of this Alice Game nonsense. Though, she was curious as to why Laplace had taken the heat for the act. Didn't make much sense to her. Though, it did remind her of how Ozpin ran things back when she was a huntress. Plans within in plans. Though, in this case, Laplace's action made even less sense to her than anything Ozpin had done.
Still. One particular part of Jun's sentence had drawn her attention and, unfortunately, pressed on the very same issue that Raven Brawnen found herself anxious about.
"Twice, you say? Laplace destroyed this doll of Summer Rose twice?"
"Yeah. One time was prior to the fall of Vale, while the other time occurred during the fall of Vale. Supposedly, this 'Summer Rose' went after Yang during the fall of Vale and Laplace interfered, allowing Yang a chance to locate and attempt to dissuade her sister from partnering up with Kirakishou. I don't know why you're looking so surprised, though. Didn't Yang already tell you all about that?"
Raven pursed her lips, annoyed that her expression had been identified by a mere child. "...Well, it seems as if I'll be needing to have a talk with my daughter when she returns," she muttered in annoyance. "However, that brings me to what I was talking about before. Summer Rose. Whether she's a Rozen Maiden, a regular doll with her memories of the true Summer Rose, or something else entirely, I'd bet a fair amount of lien that she's up and running again."
"...Okay?" Jun voiced the question with the blatant obliviousness of a boy that had never experienced the legend of Summer Rose before. "What does that have to do with us?"
"If Summer Rose has been repaired, she would be more than capable of detecting my semblance the moment it activates. She may, hypothetically speaking, be capable of entering the portal alongside her daughter before it closes. And if she does succeed in traveling through the portal, there is a very good chance that she'll carve through every living soul inside the Schnee manor without hassle."
Both Jun and Klein shuddered, one the shudder of a child unaccustomed to battle, and the other a shudder of an old veteran hearing the call of a legendary figure once again.
As for Raven Branwen, she hid her frown at the very thought. Once, long ago, Raven Branwen had succeeded in defeating the doll wearing the face of Summer Rose. If her suspicions were correct, however, then a revived Summer Rose chasing after her stolen daughter would be leagues above the bleary copy she had surprised and ambushed so very long ago.
The wrath of a Mother, Raven had been taught, was a very dangerous thing indeed.
"Moh~ Laplace-no-ma. This is quite a surprise. A pure rose didn't think that you would show your face to her, following the events in Vale."
"Even a mere referee has a part to play in the Alice Game, Kirakishou. It may not be as overt as the performances of others, but it is still there, nonetheless."
Kirakishou eyed the enigmatic referee of the Alice Game with a small pout growing on her lips. The creature had deemed it necessary to accost her inside the N-Field as her Master slept, removing Kirakishou of several precious hours that could have been spent improving her beloved Master. Her precious Ruby Rose had endured so many surprises as of late, and Kirakishou was aching to soothe her worries and unburden her heart.
Instead, she stood inside an illusionary world, one of countless many, speaking to a creature that saw fit to play a silly little game. The world itself was relatively pretty, a nondescript forest blooming with a radiant golden light that crept from beyond countless blooming trees that formed a dense canopy above both Rozen Maiden and referee, but Laplace's chosen stage shared none of the features that Kirakishou had come to know and love.
"And is that why you're here, Laplace-no-ma? To play a part? A pure rose can only hope that it would be quite the part indeed, to separate a Rozen Maiden from her Master."
Laplace merely stared at her, tilting its head to the side. The creature appeared in its true form, utterly incapable of human expressions. Still, Kirakishou felt the strangest belief that it was amused by her words. An odd emotion to be expressed by an infallibly neutral referee.
"Playing a part is all that we can do, in the end. Try as we might but there is always another pulling the strings. Even you, little Rozen Maiden, are still bound to the Alice Game, same as I."
"You're quite talkative, compared to your previous encounter with my Master," Kirakishou observed, feeling an uncomfortable tingling in her chest at the reminder of Ruby Rose previously attempting to fight Laplace-no-ma. She had been ever so glad when Ruby hadn't been injured, as the intricacies of manipulating aura to heal had been beyond her at the time.
While she could have likely forced the issue if the need arose, it would have required an immense expenditure of aura several leagues above what would be required under controlled conditions. Kirakishou would have run the risk of draining all of the aura from her little seedbed and causing her garden to wilt. If such a result were to occur, there was a good chance that her pure self would have been unable to exist in the physical world until her reserves replenished themselves. An unacceptable scenario that would have seen her momentarily removed from the presence of her beloved Master.
"My previous encounter with Ruby Rose did not leave much space for talking, I'm afraid," the referee gave a heavy disappointed sigh. "She was most displeased with my choice of appearance, alongside the brief words that I spoke to her. An unfortunate scenario that I did not aim for in the slightest."
Kirakishou giggled, amused by the very idea. "All you ever do is aim, Laplace-no-ma. Conversing with my Master while wearing the body of her treasured Uncle Qrow, on the night of the Vytal Festival Dance, in order to force her to respond in a specific manner. Such actions imply considerable forethought. Even though, if you merely desired to converse, all you would have needed to do was approach us of your own volition, preferably in an unassuming appearance. We would have been happy to speak with you."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. After all, Ruby Rose was not supposed to be your Master. How else was a referee to act in regards to a player breaking the rules? By participating in idle chatter with the very rule-breakers themselves? Impossible. We are each bound to the board in our own ways, after all."
Kirakishou resisted the urge to pout, the very idea of Ruby Rose not being her Master proving a thought far too uncomfortable to imagine. Witnessing Ruby Rose for the first time had been a beautiful experience, the young girl sheltering Kirakishou and helping her bloom. Nobody else could be more suitable a Master for one such as her.
"Ruby Rose. A poor, young rose that was disappearing underneath a tangle of stems, hidden beneath an illusionary gap created by her older sister. All a pure rose did for her was to strengthen her stem and grant her a brilliant radiant shine so that she may grow beyond the designs of others. An inner shine that Ruby, deep inside, already held close to her heart."
Ruby Rose was a Master like no other, capable of holding both her Rosa Mystica and her heart. And she would protect their bond with every vine in her body. Love, Kirakishou had discovered, was a truly beautiful emotion to experience. And she would protect their bond from any and all who would seek to oppose it, up to and including the other Rozen Maiden.
She did not like the idea of her other sisters being in the same world as Ruby Rose. They were foolish little dolls that failed to understand her motivations, choosing instead to trample upon her precious garden whenever possible. Kirakishou had been wrong to idolise them when she had first touched the world. Through their own actions they had broken Sakurada Jun and ruined her initial venture into the material world, but she would not allow them to destroy her bond with Ruby Rose.
"...You have always been a troublesome little doll," Laplace mused idly. "What other option did you give a poor referee, but to work to prevent your union? You had tied yourself deep to this world, digging ever deeper in order to remain connected to Ruby Rose. With the materialisation of your Palace of Beginnings into the world of Remnant, it was far simpler to bring the Alice Game here instead."
Kirakishou felt her smile lessen at the confirmation of her sisters arriving into the world of Remnant. She had sensed their arrival, of course, as was expected of a pure rose to sense outside threats encroaching upon her garden, yet she had still hoped otherwise. The last thing she wanted to do was to have to put the other dolls away. If they had wanted to play their little Alice Game, then they could have remained content to play in the world featuring Sakurada Jun, whether he be wound or unwound.
Instead, Laplace-no-ma had ruined her fragile peace with the other Rozen Maiden by bringing them, and by extension the Alice Game, into Remnant. Now, it was only a matter of time until the Alice Game found itself forcing her to compete. While she had no reservations regarding her Master's capabilities in the Alice Game, she did not wish the bring such an unnecessary competition into her Master's life. Ruby Rose did not deserve to have more stress added to her load after everything that she had been through.
However, if the need arose, then she would not hesitate to put the other dolls away. Her Master came first, always. Their bond would forever flourish, even if their combined growth impacted the other roses.
"You're concerned," Laplace observed, tilting its head to the side.
She pouted, balling her hands into fists and pouting in the same manner that she had seen her Master do during similar occasions. Mimicry was a high form of flattery and her beloved Master deserved all the flattery that Kirakishou could offer. "Of course I'm concerned. The Alice Game should never have come to Remnant. Bringing the Rozen Maiden into this world will only serve to complicate matters."
"It was a necessity. The Alice Game must continue. Your dalliance with Ruby Rose saw fit to ruin the continued movement of the Alice Game, thus a solution had to be developed. Unless, of course, you wish to return to the proper world and continue the Alice Game as it should be?"
Kirakishou shook her head. "I cannot. Ruby Rose holds too many connections to this world. Besides, I am happy here. My Master loves me very much," she preened happily, feeling giddy at the very thought of her beloved.
"And you are certain? You will not return to the previous world and continue the Alice Game?"
"...I'm certain. Ruby Rose is all I care for."
"Very well, then. If the Alice Game must function in the world of Remnant in order to function at all, then so be it."