Sorry about the long delay. My main Beta reviewer had tests and projects for the last couple weeks, so he had no time to review. Luckily, one of my other friends/beta readers came back to discord and was free enough to review this. Even though it's a serious chapter, he tends to focus on all the wrong things. For some reason, he really likes a sweaty, shirtless Touma. I actually had more fun writing Accelerator in this chapter though. His hobby is going to have some relevance in the future. Then the big event that's coming up. I didn't want to start it and the chapter actually ended perfectly after setting up several things. The Formal Event with the White Fang is going to be fun.
TheNotSoFantastique: That's why those two can't stay together very long.
DN Works: I did show what happened to him. At least enough.
Cypher27: Yeah, he likes people too much now.
Triscythe59: I'll try to remember to have him say that.
RedBurningDragon: Cinder has a lot to worry about in the future.
ShadowingLight04: They went to the dance together. That's a BIG hint.
WwEpsilonwW: Nah, everything is going to go perfectly. What could POSSIBLY go wrong? Honestly, for Blake, I find her one of the more interesting characters to write. The rest are pretty straight forward, but Blake changes a lot. Sure, she's quiet, but she knows when to be sarcastic, friendly, helpful, and even when she doesn't want to, she still goes with her friends. If you focus on her and write her thoughts, you get a lot of fun things to do.
Nesthor5000: That's what you get when you put a warrior to lead in a situation where he can't win. The gods are playing a game with humans here. The reason there's so many weird restraints on the relic is becausing giving them too powerful of objects makes it so they win too easily. Doesn't matter how many people suffer because of the situation the gods caused. Salem literally had her love vaperied in her hands like 4 times when the two gods bicker with each other. She knows she can't beat them, so she now just wants to die and end it all. Taking Ozpin with her is because of the secrets he kept and betrayed her after they finally got back together.
Mr. X: 1) Too late, Touma is paired with Sienna. 2) He ended up that way because he was useful that way. 3) It's there.
G119: I'll see if I can find someone to write a Winter x Touma omake.
Assassin Sylar: Nah, I won't give him one. Most he would want is one girlfriend. Touma is a huge hypocrite and he actually has precog in the series. There's also indications he's actually superhuman, but that takes away from the whole 'normal high school boy.'
Sarcasm Sage 626: That's why I like writing Accelerator. He has shown he CAN change, but any change takes time and effort. And random outbursts with emotional issues are really fun too. He has to deal with body changes like the rest of us.
AMTT94: I would say Malachites are a couple years older than the main cast and Neo's slightly younger than them. If that changes in canon, I probably won't change that. No, Idol Theory doesn't require a specific sword to use. Just one that represents it. I actually like that idea with Salem. There's some fun stuff for me to play with down the line. Good job. You just screwed over the heros.
Random reviewer: This theory is really interesting. I did not expect this.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.
As the date grew ever closer to the White Fang conference, Blake could feel the tension in the air increase with each passing moment. Team TAN, Team JNPR and her team were feeling the pressure. Weiss was particularly nervous. After Touma, she probably had the most at stake. With her family feuding with that group for years at this point and with the amount of casualties on both sides, she had good reason to be uneasy. Pyrrha didn't seem too nervous, but taking Jaune alone was taking its toll on her as she worried for him. As for Blake?
"Can you stop staring at me?" The Faunus girl asked, lowering her book and staring at Ruby.
"I wasn't!" Ruby protested.
"I saw you." Blake pointed out flatly.
"I'm reading this weapon magazine!"
"Upside down?"
Ruby blinked and stared at her magazine, which was indeed upside down. Blushing, she quickly rolled it up and hid it under her cloak. Blake sighed and set down her book, looking directly into Ruby's eyes.
"Yang made a bunch of excuses this morning, and the moment she left, you stopped by." Blake rattled off. "I know you three don't trust me-..."
"We do!" Ruby protested as her voice went up slightly before she calmed down. "We honestly do trust you. It's just that you can be a tinsy tiny bit rash when the White Fang is involved, and we want to make sure you stop and think before you hurt yourself."
"I'm not chasing them tomorrow." Blake let out a long sigh. "The venue changed, and they are renting out one of the really fancy hotels in the Center of Vale. Ozpin won't need to lend them Beacon's ballroom."
Ruby knew this already, of course. Ozpin had told Touma, Weiss, Pyrrha, and Jaune ahead of time, who then passed it onto the rest of them. This event was becoming more significant than they thought. So much so that even Atlas was invited, though on the condition that no arrests could be made. News stations and celebrities were flocking to participate. Deep down, Ruby was thrilled she wasn't going.
Blake was right about her team, and Ruby felt terrible. Weiss and Yang had outvoted her and they took shifts to make sure Blake didn't do anything that might jeopardize things. With the venue moving, it would be harder for her to get there and cause problems, like installing listening devices in the ballroom. That was something Yang suggested Blake might try, even if Ruby didn't believe it.
"I hope everyone will be alright." Ruby whispered. "It seems like this will be difficult. Killing Grimm is so much easier."
An involuntary chuckle escaped Blake.
"Social justice reform never is, or the White Fang would have solved it long ago," The older girl answered. "Part of me is glad something is being done, but I'm also uneasy. Sienna… She's not someone who sees value in talking. She prefers action and is not afraid to take it. If she wants Touma there, there has to be a reason."
"And he can't really refuse her request." Ruby finished.
"No, not without risking the entire meeting ending in complete failure," Blake agreed solemnly. "Which makes things even more suspicious. She knew he couldn't refuse."
"That's why Weiss, Pyrrha, and Jaune are there to cover him." Ruby tried to smile. "Try to stay positive. Something good could come out of this."
"I hope so. I really do." Blake closed her book. "I'm going to the library. Are you going to keep following me? I'll be there for a couple of hours at the least."
"Er… N-No." Ruby decided with a shake of her head. "I trust you, Blake. You promised us you wouldn't run off on your own and unless someone's life was in danger, I know you're keeping your promise."
"Thanks, Ruby." Blake let out a warm smile. "That trust means a lot. Now, if your sister would believe in me that much."
"She doesn't trust me with boys, and most boys are gross."
"Except for Touma and Jaune?" Blake's eyes twinkled in amusement as Ruby's face flushed crimson.
"W-Why w-would you mention them specifically?!" Ruby demanded, waving her arms.
Blake didn't answer and left with a satisfied look on her face. Ruby puffed her cheeks out as she sat there. Both of them were her close friends, so they were the exceptions to the rule. Yeah, Blake needed to be corrected. Ruby rushed to her feet and raced towards the door. Placing her hand on the doorknob she stopped as she heard Blake talking to someone on the other side. Pressing her ear against the wood, Ruby waited with bated breath.
"...on what this has to do with me, I'm not going." Blake's voice came out muffled through the door. There was a pause as Ruby heard nothing from the other side. "Fine, lead the way."
Ruby heard footsteps growing softer as they moved away from the dorm room and she silently peaked her head out. Blake was walking behind a petite multicolored girl with a flavor for ice-cream aesthetics.
"Blake with Neo?" Ruby whispered to herself. That never happened willingly as Neo had continuously expressed her grudge against Blake and Yang. No one else was nearby so the young leader knew what she had to do. "It's time to investigate. Sorry, Blake."
She really did feel bad spying on Blake after saying she would trust her enough not to.
Blake meanwhile, had more important things to worry about than her team's skepticism of her intentions. Contrary to what Yang and Weiss believed, she really did feel bad about constantly running off without letting her friends know. She resolved to try to contain herself and those rash impulses of hers. That didn't mean she didn't rack her brain around questioning what Sienna's possible motive involving Touma could be. As far as she knows, the White Fang leader didn't know about Touma's hand, but she was probably told after the events with Adam. Blake doubted that hand was important enough for her to do something this extravagant though. So excluding any possible attempts at that, the only other reason that came to mind was a personal vendetta Sienna could have.
Sienna was known to hold grudges and pay them back in kind.
Yet, with all the security being stationed at this conference as well as it being televised across the region, there shouldn't be a chance for her to try anything. The woman wasn't stupid. She'd be wary of these things. So what was her endgame? Just to pass off a message of some kind? All the risk involved wouldn't make sense to do so when she could just send a goon to do it for her. So for the life of her, Blake didn't know what Sienna was up to.
Burying herself in reading was a good distraction. Weiss was constantly working with Touma on proper etiquette and dancing so he didn't embarrass himself and, by extension, her. Accelerator seemed a little grumpier than normal but hadn't done anything to intervene so far. Neo had mainly watched those two or she would go off on her own somewhere. Ozpin seemed to have eased off on the rule that she had to be accompanied at all times within Beacon. So when Blake had left the room to go to the library, Neo had shown up.
'We need to talk.'
Blake read the message on the tablet and frowned.
"Why?"
'Not here, privately.'
"You know I don't fully trust you, right?" Blake reminded her and Neo shrugged. "So unless you give me some details on what this has to do with me, I'm not going." She had been prepared to leave, not trusting the small girl, when she noticed Neo looking unusually serious as she held up the tablet.
'It's about Touma and the things in his arm.'
Well, THAT got her attention instantly.
"Fine, lead the way."
At this point, Blake had so many more questions. The least of which was how did she know about those dragons? They only discussed that in detail when Touma was in the medical wing after their mission. After that, it was only mentioned sparingly with the occasional comment. Touma even admitted he didn't know what they were so it's not like they could brainstorm much about that. None of the books Blake had read had any real answers.
Though, it seemed Neo had been eavesdropping all this time and that made Blake's stomach drop. Her kiss might not have been as private as she thought. No wonder Neo didn't like her.
"This should be good enough." Blake sat down on the teacher's desk in Port's empty classroom. "Classes are over, so no one should show up." In their haste, they didn't shut the door all the way, and a small shadow appeared behind it as they talked. "Now, I have questions for you. Like, how much did you hear?"
'Everything.'
Blake's heart dropped, but she kept a straight face.
"So, you know… then what do you want to talk about Touma for?" The Faunus girl asked instead as Neo hopped on the desk for students across from her. "Have… you seen them?"
Neo shook her head, but was typing frantically.
'He's been rubbing his wrist to the point of causing a rash, and he's been having nightmares at night.'
"Nightmares?" Blake blinked as she processed this. Neo slept in the same room, so it would make sense she would know. "What kind of nightmares?"
The ice cream-themed girl shrugged as she typed.
'I'm not a mind reader, but he says things while he sleeps.' There was a pause as she kept typing. Blake felt a twinge of pity for the girl as having long conversations with people who couldn't read her sign language had to suck. 'Stuff like, 'stay away,' 'what are you,' and just this night, 'Please, give it back.''
"It could be a normal nightmare." Blake pointed out.
'Every night?'
That was harder to explain, and Blake didn't immediately respond, so Neo kept writing.
'And since that time you and he saw the dragon thing, which a part of me is skeptical of if it even exists, he's been rubbing his wrist red.'
Blake had seen Touma stroking his wrist a lot during classes, but part of her thought process was that it might have been a nervous habit, like tapping your foot or whistling. She didn't realize it was that bad.
'After our last mission, I saw something else around his hand and wrist. The air was shimmering, like something was cloaked and reflecting light. As if it was bleeding out of him, but I'm not sure if anything was really there.'
"Are you… are you suggesting that whatever is inside him is trying to escape or something?" Blake stammered. Neo's expression turned annoyed. "Right, dumb question. Neither of us knows anything about it." The girl nodded in agreement, looking satisfied with her answer. "So, what do you suggest we do?"
The girl had an answer to that question.
'We confront him and ask what we should do.'
"We?" Blake was gobsmacked at the bold declaration. "You're going to include me?" Neo raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that look. We both know you don't like me, but that's besides the point. I'm referring to your personality. You would just charge forward and do what you want without any regard to the consequences. I'm surprised you didn't just force him to tell you everything"
When Neo's eyes narrowed and her teeth grated, Blake realized she said something wrong.
'You're talking about a lot of shit you don't understand.' There had been misspellings in her text from the speed she was typing in anger, but Blake could still make out what she said. 'When you live on the streets, there's always consequences you have to consider. From being able to eat, to finding a place to sleep. The same shit Faunus complain about in some areas. For your information, I'm including you because I have to, not because I want to.'
"Yes, but being a criminal was a choice of yours, Faunus went through that crap just by being born that way."
'Joining the White Fang was a choice too.'
"Don't you dare! The White Fang was formed because of inequality and to fight back for our equal rights!"
'To survive in this world. Right? Does the reason matter? We all do what it takes to survive.'
Blake wanted to argue, but it wouldn't do any good. Any argument about this was pointless. Both of them had seen things that affected them growing up. Things would just end up being a race to the bottom. Still, Blake wanted to know something.
"Why do you need to include me?" The girl asked.
Neo didn't type and just stared at her for a moment. Blake determinately stared back as the silence lengthened. Eventually, the girl did begin to type.
'Because he trusts you and he'll want to talk if we both go and confront him. Otherwise, he will play it off.'
Blake pursed her lips as she debated what to do. Touma did learn to trust her after everything they had gone through. Blake also trusted him, possibly to a greater degree as the influence the boy held on her heart greatly contributed to her faith in him. Even being from two different worlds, the two of them found some common ground and knew how to converse about sensitive topics. If she went on her own and talked to the boy, he would probably tell her what was going on. Though Neo did come to her. The only reason she would do that was because she didn't have another choice. It seemed Weiss and Yang may have been wrong about her to some degree.
Neo did genuinely care for Touma. So much so that she'd briefly push away her distaste for the Faunus girl to genuinely ask her for help.
And so did Blake, which was something the two of them had in common besides being ex-criminals… hopefully the only thing in common.
"Okay," Blake relented. "I'll go with you to talk to him. But if he doesn't want to talk about it, we aren't forcing him, got it?" Neo didn't seem happy with that as he crossed her arms but she begrudgingly nodded. "Good, now I assume you know where he is?"
Neo pulled out her scroll and pulled up an app.
"Are you tracking his Scroll?" Blake gasped in shock. "That's a huge invasion of privacy!"
Honestly, that girl didn't care. If she liked or wanted something, she would always know where it was. It was how she always knew where Touma was when she was bored. Without answering, Neo turned around and walked off. Blake had no choice but to follow. They headed off toward the training rooms and Blake was confused at first as to what Touma was doing here, especially when Neo skipped the combat rooms and instead headed to the gym where the workout equipment was. That's when Blake received a surprise when the two girls peaked in.
"Come on!" Yang shouted, spotting Touma over the weight bench. "Two more reps. Don't be a Weiss!"
"I'm sure she wouldn't… appreciate… that!" Touma gasped, pushing the weight up once more.
"If you have energy to backtalk your trainer, you have energy for more reps. Get to it!"
"Ugh!"
With one more grunt, Touma pushed up the weights and Yang helped him get it locked into place. His arms slumped down on the bench as he heavily panted. While his arms were hanging uselessly at his side, a towel fell across his sweating face, a gift from his trainer above.
"Not bad, we're getting there." Yang smirked, leaning on the bar. "You're doing pretty good for no Aura."
"It's all I can do out here." Touma replied as he wiped off the sweat from his face. "I don't get the super cool abilities you all have, so I have to work with what I can do over what I wish I could do."
"Good attitude," Yang agreed. "You see a lot of people give up when they think they can never reach someone else's level. Ask Pyrrha about that." Looking up, the blonde caught sight of Blake and Neo. "Well, our workout is finished. Anymore and you might just hurt yourself. Besides, it looks like you have some visitors."
Touma sat up and looked confused.
"Oh, hey. What's up?" His eyes traveled from Blake to Neo and back again. "It's unusual to see you two together."
For a moment Blake was briefly transfixed at the boy and his labored breath, unkempt hair and glistening physique. He obviously had a heated gym session, one which had him sweating from head to toe. Something both girls found quite appealing though neither had time to properly express it.
With a light cough to clear her throat, Blake continued. "We want to talk to you about something. Something…. Private." Her amber eyes locked onto Yang.
"Pssh, fine." Yang stood up and looked annoyed. "I know when I'm not wanted. You three go talk about polygamy or something. Just be careful with the guy, he's pretty tired as is."
"No matter how many times I tell her there's nothing like that, she won't let it up." Touma sighed.
"Yeah, she's dense in that regard."
Neo pointed to her eyes and then to Yang indicating the small girl was watching the blonde.
"I have better things to do than spy on you, runt." Yang retorted.
"Good, because if you do spy on us, I'm going to help Neo 'prank' you next time, and I know where you hide all your valuable hair care products." Neo spun on the spot at Blake's words and couldn't prevent a devious smile forming on her face. "I'm serious."
"Woah there, Blakey." Yang actually looked worried. "I'm heading out, so don't worry. Sheesh, I know when to joke around and when not to. Even Accelerator's admitted that to a degree." She tossed her hands up and left to go to the locker rooms.
"Er… is it really that serious?" Touma asked the two remaining girls.
"Yeah, I suppose it is." Blake told him. "Let's find somewhere private."
"Let's use my dorm room," Touma offered. "Accelerator and Last Order are probably gone."
Sensing the seriousness of this conversation and the fact Neo and Blake were together on the same page, the boy knew the topic of discussion was going to be important. The last time those two worked together was to save him and Jaune from the White Fang. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he led the two to his dorm without arguments. Luckily, his other roommates were gone and they had the room to themselves.
"So, what is this about?" Touma asked, once the door was shut. Blake turned to Neo and that told him who instigated this meeting. The boy sighed. "Neo… are you up to something aga-...oomph!"
A small hand pushed into his stomach with strength beyond a normal girl and Touma found himself falling onto the bed.
"Ugh… damn it, Neo! What the hell?!"
Neo crossed her arms and glared at him, making the boy shut up. The girl then began to gesture and Blake had no idea what was being said. Over the weeks, she picked up some of Neo's language, but not nearly as well as Touma could do. She did make out some signage about nightmares though and she pointed constantly to Touma's wrist, which Blake now took note that it really had been rubbed raw. Red rashes covered it all.
"It's not that big of a deal," Touma protested, rubbing his head. "Just a couple bad dreams. It's nothing important."
"Don't give us that," Blake interjected. "The fact Neo came to me shows how important it is. She told me you've been having nightmares nearly every night. Ever since you and I faced The White Fang and Adam."
"Coincidence…?"
"Turns out she was also spying on us in the medical wing, so she heard all about the dragons."
Touma's mouth slammed shut as Neo seemed pleased. At the very least, she began to gesture again.
"Okay, I'm not going to feign stupid." Touma cut her off. "If you both know, trying to deny it is going to be pointless. You're both smarter than I am." The boy rubbed his neck. "But I don't know what else to tell you? You both know everything I know about them. As for the dreams, yeah, there's some… a couple where I vaguely recall a monster, others are involved in something that happened between me and… a friend back home. It's private, so I can't talk about that."
"Do you think the dreams happened because you lost your arm?" Blake asked, sitting down on the bed opposite of him.
"It hasn't happened before," Touma replied. "So I don't see why it would now."
Neo thought about it and an idea came to her. She gestured to grab Touma's attention.
"Grimm might cause it?" Touma blinked. "I mean, they are supernatural, in the sense my hand erases them. Not sure why they would make it act up just because there's a lot of them."
Neo gestured eating by bringing her hand to her mouth.
"Food?" Touma and Blake both answered at once. The smaller girl shrugged, just throwing ideas out.
"Yeah… I don't see that being true, but what do I know?" Touma shrugged and laughed humorlessly. "I seriously don't know anything about them. I suppose they could be more active and that's causing nightmares, as I can't rule anything out."
"Then you need to take precautions." Blake warned sharply. "Can you imagine what would happen if something like that escaped at Beacon?" Neo tilted her head in a questioning look. "You didn't see it. It's pretty nerve wrecking." Her arm shivered as she recalled that creature. The outline coated in blood, the roar that sent chills down her spine. Everything.
Neo narrowed her eyes at Touma and seemed to reprimand him before smacking him in the forehead.
"I wish I knew more about it!" Touma was exasperated. "My hand, the things beyond it, everything. But for most of my life, I was in a city that followed science, not magic. No one would believe it. I know how to use it and that's been enough."
Neo actually typed something on her tablet for emphasis.
'Do you really know?'
Touma opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He sort of just gaped there like a fish for a moment, before shutting it. Looking embarrassed, the boy scratched his cheek. Anything he tried to say would make him look childish.
"Anyone can use a Scroll to make a phone call," Blake pointed out. "Doesn't mean they know how it works or what all a Scroll can do. Do you think your hand and the dragons might be the same way?"
"I… no… maybe?" Touma couldn't really argue as he didn't know. "Okay, you both may have a point."
Neo shook her head, not looking even a little smug, which was unusual for her. Instead, she looked quizzitive as she gestured, wanting to know what he would do next.
"I don't know?" Touma admitted slowly. "The few people who might know more are back in my world. So there's no one I can ask about it."
"Have you tried doing any sorts of experiments?" Blake asked, thinking of possibilities. "Like trying to figure out if it can do anything else besides negate things?"
"Uh…" Touma thought back and tried to think if he ever did. "No? Not unless you count the dragons."
Neo gestured with a downward slash.
"I'm not going to cut my arm off on purpose!" Touma cried. "It hurts like hell and I can't control those things. If someone gets hurt, I'll never forgive myself! When Adam cut off my arm the first time, if I hadn't wanted to punch him in the face for trying to hurt Blake-..."
There was a gasp from behind the door but only Blake's sensitive hearing picked it up.
'Damn it. Ruby followed us. I should have been paying attention.'
The Faunus girl didn't say anything though. She had a feeling Ruby knew a bit already and this was confirming it. Instead, she turned to Touma and asked him a question.
"What do you want to do about it? I came with Neo to see what your plan would be and prevent her from enacting her… own plans."
Neo crossed her arms and pouted.
Touma didn't answer at first, as his gaze shifted to his right hand. The boy thought about her words and what they just discussed. Was there anything he could actually do? Did he want to do something about it? The answer to one of those questions he knew for sure now.
"I want to," His gaze was actually determined as he looked into the two girls' eyes. "I want to know more about this. Back home? We didn't have monsters like the Grimm. There's a chance I may be stuck here, so the more I know about my hand, the more people I might be able to protect. Our mission showed just how much of a threat the Grimm are. I can't be everywhere. Shoot, I can't even protect everyone near me. I can't use Aura like you all can, so I need to find out what I can do."
Touma held up his hand.
"There's no point in wishing for something I can't have, so I need to fight with the abilities I do possess." There was a pause. "I'm still not sure how I'll do it, but I'll figure something out." Neo opened her mouth. "That doesn't involve cutting my hand off."
Neo closed her mouth.
"Let me know when you want to try something, I'll help."
Blake smiled as Touma looked at her.
"Are… are you sure?" The spiky haired boy asked. "If something happens, you might be exposed to the dragon again."
"I know to expect it this time."
Neo puffed out her chest and patted a fist against it.
"I'll help too!" A voice came from the doorway.
Neo and Touma jumped as they spun around to see Ruby peaking in.
"Yeah, she was spying on us." Blake sighed, not believing the girl would out herself. Though she guessed it was to be expected at this point. "I'm surprised you didn't notice her, Neo."
The small girl's glare indicated Blake would be paying for her little joke.
"Are you sure you do not wish for Last Order to join us?"
Penny and Accelerator were heading toward Beacon airfield to take a Bullhead to one of the main Atlas ships. Accelerator had finally agreed to at least discuss things a bit with Pietro. Weirdly enough, he was informed the scientist was actually on his way to Vale already because he was eager to discuss the possibility of working with Accelerator. That wasn't something the boy was used to. People usually didn't want to go near him. Remnant was a very weird place.
"The brat would get bored quickly once we started talking about work," Accelerator replied. "Once she gets bored, she'll run off and get into trouble. It's better if she's being watched over by Weiss."
"Last Order is very excitable." Penny admitted, as the two got into the Bullhead.
"You're one to talk." Accelerator replied. "You're bouncing up and down way more than you need to."
"I get to see my father again, so I am excited." Penny reported with a smile. "We share a special relationship. Speaking of which, how is yours with Friend Weiss?"
"It's progressing," Accelerator admitted, though his words were soft. "Still getting used to it."
"I have heard dating is very complicated." Penny agreed. "I wish to one day attempt it myself, but my current situation makes that unlikely." For a moment her smile faded but she cheered up quickly. "I am hopeful though. Having friends like Ruby, Weiss, you, and Last Order was also not likely, but here we are. A book told me that as long as you remain positive, things will work out in the end."
"Uh huh."
That wasn't a philosophy he subscribed to. The old him would have scoffed at her and maybe thrown an insult or two for being so unrealistically optimistic. Now, he learned to shut his mouth a bit. It wasn't like he needed to say anything. The robot girl saw life differently than him and had her own experiences. She also hadn't done anything to him and yet he shattered her arm like it was nothing. If she hadn't been an android, he doubted he would still be allowed to continue staying at Beacon. It's not like authorities could arrest him, but Last Order's life would be uprooted again.
His ward deserved some stability.
The huge Atlas battleship was docked in Vale, but separated from the normal Vale traffic. Atlas had a large fleet, but keeping everything flying without cause was a huge waste of resources. Keeping that giant floating Amity Colosseum they brought for the Vytal Festival was probably using most of the Dust they brought. Their bullhead landed outside of the battleship and Accelerator followed Penny toward the ramp. The ginger girl was talking confidently and waving to guards who were standing by. Once inside, Penny continued marching, acting as if she had been on this ship many times. Once they got to an unassuming door marked, Penny knocked and was allowed in.
"I am here, father!" Penny announced, then gestured to Accelerator who came in behind her. "And I have brought Accelerator."
"I can see that, Penny." The elderly man with dark skin and short, balding white hair. and oval-shaped glasses Accelerator had once seen only on a screen smiled as the girl rushed over and hugged him. "Thanks for leading him here." The man turned to Accelerator. "We met once before, but I'm Pietro Polendina. It's a pleasure to meet you in person." The large white and green chair used four moveable legs to lift him up and walk over. Pietro noticed Accelerator looking and laughed. "Ah, this is my special chair as I'm unable to walk. Other than that, it's nothing."
"I was just noting it actually moves pretty well for its size." Accelerator had seen far stranger electronic devices that helped people move back home. "Accelerator. I guess today's supposed to be an introduction of some kind?"
"That's what the General told me," Pietro confirmed. "He also told me you want more freedom than most people under Atlas employment."
"I've been used in the past by people." Accelerator answered with a little venom. "If I do something, I want it on my terms." He pulled out a chair and sat down across the table from Pietro.
"You'll find yourself to have quite a bit of freedom here." Pietro admitted, as his chair settled down and became stationary. "We rarely are told specifically what to do unless there is an emergency." He paused and looked at Penny who sat down, still smiling and quietly listening. "When the general first challenged us to find the next breakthrough in defense technology, most of my colleagues chose more obvious choices. I was one of the few who looked inward for inspiration. A protector with a soul over a mindless defense network."
Accelerator found himself listening intently. Trying to create an artificial soul wasn't unheard of. Academy City had been trying to do that for a while and there had been breakthroughs, with some more devastating effects.
"Heh, imagine my surprise when the Penny Project was chosen." Pietro let out a small chuckle. "General Ironwood saw something in her like I did."
"She is quite a unique individual." Accelerator admitted.
"Why thank you!" Penny beamed at him, unknown his words had double meanings.
"What I'm trying to say is, you do have freedom here." Pietro explained. "You desire to stay at Beacon and work part time, I respect that. The Portable Shield Generator you made during your free time with Winter's younger sister was quite impressive. The time I was told you did so was astonishing. You must have had an advanced education."
"I did, but I should warn you." Accelerator decided the truth, to a degree, was needed here. "My education was advanced for what most people would ever see… but it wasn't normal. Dust engineering, technology Atlas uses? I'm pretty new to it. I've received some books from Beacon's library to learn the basics and then put in my own information to improve it."
"Hmm, that's unexpected." The man looked surprised. "I assumed you've been learning this stuff since a young age. Doesn't matter, I suppose. The fact you can take new data and combine it with what you do know is a great skill. Atlas can provide you with all the necessary information and books on every subject. Don't worry about that. You'll have to review it on your own. Hopefully it won't interfere with your school work."
"Nothing to worry about there." Accelerator waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Then there's no problem," Pietro assured him. "Any particular branch you would like to work on? Maybe defensive technology or are you looking to branch out? Transportation, weaponry-..."
"I'm not interested in developing new types of weapons." Accelerator immediately informed him. "From what I've seen of Atlas, they have plenty of people doing that." Giving Ironwood advanced weapon information from his world wasn't something Accelerator wanted to do. He did not trust or like that man.
"Can't deny that," The old man nodded slowly. "So what are you interested in?"
"If I'm honest, I really would like to know how you made her." Accelerator pointed to Penny. "Acade-... back home, there were many people trying to make an artificial soul."
"Heh, that's a little complicated and I doubt you'll find much information on that." Pietro gave a small smile, but one that didn't convey joy. Instantly, Accelerator was even more curious. "Penny? Can you go and start gathering some of the more advanced Dust Engineering books we have, including basic engineer blueprints for Mr. Accelerator here? It might take a bit to get a copy of everything."
"Certainly, father!" Penny stood up. "I shall acquire the required items post haste!"
She dashed out of the room and Accelerator waited until the door closed behind her.
"Didn't want to talk about it with her in the room?"
"Very astute." Pietro removed his glasses and rubbed his nose. "There's a reason Penny isn't being mass produced."
He took a deep breath and began to glow.
Accelerator knew enough about Aura to know when people were activating it. It seemed to be always active, except in battle they subconsciously invoked it to work more than it normally did. When it was glowing, that meant the person was forcing it to or it was a warning the person was low on Aura. It was slightly interesting that the color differed from person to person. As Aura was supposed to be the manifestation of a soul, it naturally should be different because each individual was different.
But this… this wasn't like the others.
"Those holes…" Accelerator noticed instantly. Parts of Pietro's body weren't covered by the green light. "Are you missing parts of your Aura?"
"Yes," Pietro explained, turning off his Aura and settling down. "I did not make an artificial soul or Aura. Instead, I took a piece of mine and gave it to Penny. When she suffers major damage, I have to repair her with a little more."
"So when I accidently destroyed her arm…"
"I took a little bit of my Aura to fix her," Pietro gave him a small smile. "I don't blame you, accidents happen and when people don't know what she is made of… well, let's just say it's a good thing no one has a lot of magnets."
Accelerator shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"I ask you, as her friend, not to tell anyone else about this. It's a big secret. I tell you because I'm sure you're smart enough to understand the implications and consequences."
The boy opened his mouth to say Penny wasn't really a friend, she was someone who accidentally got involved. That's what he had planned to say. Instead, something completely different came out.
"I don't share secrets."
"Thank you, Accelerator." Pietro's smile was completely sincere now. "My daughter is the world to me, not because of what she is, but who she is." The man seemed to be just as honest as the robot girl. "So, moving to another topic, are there any other areas that interest you? I might be able to provide previous projects and started theories that will give you ideas."
"Hmm…" Accelerator's finger tapped the table. "I guess working with Dust has been piquing my interest. Maybe engines. I can fix some of the obvious flaws in efficiency of your designs."
The boy thought about it and if he ignored weapons, what would be the best way to leave a lasting effect on Remnant? Something to help Weiss and the others with their job maybe. The answer was obviously transportation, one of the biggest factors to cost in any instance. The further and more expensive something was to transport, the more the product would cost. Simple economics that no one could argue. So what if he just made it cheaper to ship things by reducing the fuel needed?
"Oh ho!" Pietro chuckled a bit at this. "That's an ambitious start for sure. Not quite as ambitious as a colleague of mine trying to develop teleportation. She hasn't had much luck with it."
"Eleventh dimensional calculations would be difficult for anyone who's not familiar with it."
"Pardon?" The man leaned forward and his expression grew curious.
"Nothing… don't worry about it." Accelerator wasn't a teleporter, but his ability did interfere with teleporters, who used eleventh dimensional calculations. He had some of the knowledge, but not all. It wasn't like he could do it. Working backwards from what he knew with the help of machines might be able to yield results, but that would take a long time and he definitely couldn't guarantee success.
"Ah," There was almost disappointment on Pietro's face, but he changed quickly enough. "So what made you decide on transportation as your focus?"
"I figured that would give the biggest impact I can give at this time with what I know." Accelerator replied with a shrug. "Efficiency would give the greatest result in the least amount of time. If I designed a brand new engine, you'll have to adjust all current technology to fit it, or only use it for new creations, which would be a slow, tedious process."
"You've thought this through already, impressive." The man sat there and thought about it. "I have to agree with you on that aspect. Transportation is costly and dangerous. Dust can get quite expensive in small settlements outside the main cities in each kingdom. We lose plenty of shipments to Grimm, which doesn't help the situation. Atlas also prefers to use air travel, as the tundras make land transportation difficult."
Pietro rubbed his chin as he thought about it.
"Even a small tweak to the efficiency could save hundreds of tons of Dust a year, which would decrease prices for all consumers and allow transportation to more towns…" The man seemed to be muttering to himself more than Accelerator. "Would allow equipment for defense, consumer goods for citizens which would decrease negative emotions, less Grimm attacks… yes. This would be a good choice for you." The last sentence was directed at Accelerator. "I can start providing you information on Dust Engines and engineering systems without problem."
"Make sure you get me pictures of others' faces when I upgrade everything in just a few days." Accelerator sneered a bit. "Their stunned faces will provide me with some amusement."
"I like the confidence," Pietro told him with amusement. "You'll find it harder than you think though. Dust Engineering is constantly being improved and efficiency is a huge area of expertise. Many scientists work on ways to improve the energy output from a single crystal. Don't be discouraged if things don't work out as well as you imagine."
"I don't think that will be a problem." Accelerator told him confidently. "The only slow part will be having to go through all the books and learn the current systems. I'm not going to even start figuring out how to improve it without that basic knowledge. I know what I can do and I have an understanding of the basics."
"Let me know what you discover and I'll help anyway I can." The man looked impressed at Accelerator's insight. The boy showed he wasn't just overconfident, but a person capable of understanding too. Even if Pietro thought Accelerator might run into problems, he was eager to see what the boy could do. After the shield generator, there was no doubt of his genius. "I'm working on a few other projects, but I should have time to assist you should the need arrive."
"Now, this research. Am I allowed to show anyone else?" Accelerator asked. "Without having to listen to people reprimand me about shit."
"If you're looking at basic engine blueprints, no." Pietro shook his head. "That information is public. If you ask for anything that is private, you'll be sent the documents over secure channels and warned not to share it. I assume you plan to possibly work with Miss Schnee?"
"How did you know?" Accelerator's expression hardened slightly.
"General Ironwood mentioned you and her worked on the shield generator together." The man didn't seem to notice his expression or when he relaxed. "If you desire her help, I know she is quite the expert on Dust. That won't be a problem."
"She does help speed things up when she knows the answer over me having to look it up." Accelerator smiled fondly and then caught himself. "Great, then I guess we're done-..."
The door burst open and they jumped.
"I'm back and I have a copy of every Dust Engineering book I could find!"
Penny rushed in carrying a stack of books twice her height.
"Oh ho." Pietro laughed. "He probably doesn't need all of those, as many of those are duplicates, Penny."
"I see… I just wanted to make sure Accelerator had all the information he required." Penny sounded a little depressed for a moment.
"Hmm." Accelerator picked up a book.
History of Dust and the Start of the Atlas Industrial Age
That was sure to be a real page turner.
"He won't need anything relating to history, but the actual technical aspects." Pietro told Penny, who immediately started sorting. "I appreciate the enthusiasm."
"Here you go!" In only a few seconds, Penny had divided the stack in half. "I hope these will help you with your research, Accelerator."
"It's a start." Accelerator hummed thoughtfully and then stood up. "I'm going to head back then. Have a lot of reading to catch up on." He had reached to pick up the books, but Penny already lifted them up.
"I can carry these books to your room." The girl volunteered happily. "It's no trouble."
"Uh, sure? I guess."
He was just going to use his power to make it light, but looking into those bright green eyes, the urge to tell her to fuck off vanished. The girl only wanted to be helpful. Even to the guy who blew off her arm. Part of him also felt bad the old man had to give up part of his Aura to repair Penny. It's supposed to be some manifestation of the soul or some bullshit here, so what did that actually mean if he tore it?
The eve of the big conference finally came and everyone was readying themselves.
"You look amazing!" Ruby gushed, looking at Weiss.
"Is that dress more expensive than the one you wore to the dance?" Yang joked.
"The dress I wear is designed to suit the occasion." Weiss huffed, ignoring the price talk. "A party at Beacon is hardly the same as this. You have to look the part or everyone will eat you alive." She checked herself in the mirror. Her long blue dress was more modest, but much more fashionable than her white dress from the dance. More expensive too. "It's why Beacon was willing to rent Touma a name brand suit."
"At least Accelerator is reasonable enough to not overreact when you told him." Blake pointed out, this time not tied to a chair. Ruby had vouched for her among the rest of her team. "Some people wouldn't be so understanding." Amber eyes darted to Yang for a brief moment.
"Touma is a nice guy, but he's not my type." Weiss stated simply. "Even if he was, I wouldn't want to deal with watching out constantly from being stabbed in the back."
The other three girls flinched at that. They knew how possessive Neo could be and while some of them were willing to face her, it wasn't something they enjoyed. Blake and Yang were the main targets and Yang didn't even want to pursue anything with the boy. Neo just didn't like her. Ruby got off for some reason, though she was missing cookies more often than normal. Entire packages just seemed to vanish and she swore she didn't eat them.
"Are you sure everything is going to be okay?" Ruby's worried tone brought all the idle chatter down. "We could… station ourselves nearby or something."
"That won't do anything besides you getting into trouble." Weiss pointed out for the umpteenth time. The only reason she wasn't snapping at them was she understood her friends were worried. "Even if something does happen, you have multiple Huntsman and Huntresses there, along with Atlas security. Just stay here and watch the conference on TV."
"Isn't the actual conference really short?" Yang asked, laying back on her bed. "It's mostly a party with boring music and fancy finger food."
"There will be dancing, mingling, and food, yes." Weiss answered flatly.
"And danger." Blake pointed out in a monotone.
"We'll be watching Sienna Khan like hawks." Weiss assured them. "Now, I need to finish my make up."
"You've been doing it for like 30 minutes!" Ruby whined. "The others will be waiting for you."
"Coming from the girl who won't wear any makeup whatsoever." Yang snickered.
"I don't need it, and it feels weird."
"Yeah, yeah." Weiss ignored those two bickering while Blake was trying to distract herself with her book. Accelerator had been reading a lot of Dust books lately, and she figured he was working on something. She felt herself smile as she remembered him telling her he would probably need her help in the future. This relationship was different but rewarding.
Eventually, they finished and Team RWBY headed down to the entrance hall to meet the others. Team JNPR, Accelerator and Last Order were already there, along with Ozpin and Glynda. Pyrrha was wearing a long gold and red shoulderless dress, her hair out of its ponytail and braided back. Jaune was standing next to her in a nice suit, looking a little stunned at having such a beautiful date. Or maybe he was just scared and was trying to think of something else.
"Wow, Weiss!" Last Order ran towards her. "You look so beautiful, MISAKA says as MISAKA can hardly take her eyes off the dress. It's so amazing."
"Thank you." Weiss smiled at her. "It's a big day, so I have to look my best."
"You always do!"
Weiss wanted to squeal at how cute the girl was.
"Thanks for coming along," Touma stepped up. "I know things are going to be awkward."
"You're preaching to the choir." Weiss reached up and straightened out his tie. "There. That was annoying me. Don't look sloppy and follow my lead. I'll step in if it looks like you're going to embarrass us."
"You're going to have to step in a lot then." The boy joked. Weiss smiled and then stepped on his foot. "Ow… okay, I'm taking this seriously!"
"Very good."
"Again, I'm sorry if I do anything stupid." Jaune whispered to Pyrrha. "I'll try to behave."
"You'll do fine." Pyrrha assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just don't insult, be polite, and if you're not sure, just say 'that's interesting' or something similar. Stay by me and I'll do what I can."
"That won't be hard." The boy's words made the girl blush.
"Awwww…" Nora cooed, as Ren shushed her.
Accelerator rolled his eyes and stepped forward.
"Good luck," He muttered to Weiss. "Don't let them push you around."
"Like I would." Weiss sniffed and then smiled. "I wish you could come. Would be nice to talk to someone who can hold an honest conversation."
"You know I'll cuss them off, cause a scene, and end up burning down the hotel."
"Is it too late for him to come?" Touma and Jaune asked together.
"If one of you takes him as your date!" Yang called out.
Blake smacked her in the back of the head.
"You'll all do fine." Ren calmed them down. "You prepared for this."
"On that note, we really do need to be going." Ozpin walked up to them, after giving them a few minutes to talk. "The Bullhead has arrived and is waiting for us."
"We do not want to be late." Glynda added. "We are all representatives of Beacon. I also assume your friends will not be causing any problems." Her eyes fell on the rest of Team RWBY.
"All we're going to do is watch the event on TV." Ruby promised. "Nothing is going to happen."
"If something does, detention for life will be the least of your punishment." Glynda's eyes flashed.
"Now, now, Glynda." Ozpin looked amused. "They are just worried about their friends. This isn't a normal conference after all. It's only natural." He nodded his head toward the others. "You don't have anything to be afraid of. Atlas is providing security and Glynda and I will be there. There's nothing to worry about."
"Good luck!" Ruby called out as they all began to leave. "I hope everything goes well."
Out of all of them, Touma and Jaune looked the most nervous. Weiss and Pyrrha were used to these events. Their professors kept neutral expressions, so no one knew what they were thinking. The remaining kids all watched them leave, but Nora couldn't resist calling out to them.
"Have fun and show the mean tiger lady who's boss!"
"Nora!" Blake and Ren shushed her, but Accelerator couldn't hold back a snort.
"I mean, she has a point." Yang shrugged.
"They aren't supposed to start a fight though." Ren pointed out. "This is a diplomatic mission."
"That's boring," Nora complained. "People can understand each other through conflict."
"Here, here!" Yang agreed.
"Do not take after those two." Accelerator warned Last Order.
"But Nora is lots of fun to hang out with, MISAKA protests as MISAKA likes Nora's antics."
"Awwww!" Nora picked her up and hugged her. "We can get in trouble anytime."
"Damn it." Accelerator facepalmed.
"Blake, do you think they will be okay?" Ruby asked her teammate again.
"We talked about this already." Blake sighed.
"I know, but I'm still worried."
"As long as no one starts anything, there shouldn't be any troub…" Blake trailed off as something occurred to her. She spun around and noticed someone absent. Someone who would not have left them alone. "Guys… where's Neo?"
Everyone else imitated her action and tried to find the supposedly former criminal.
"That's…. Not good." Ren said what they were all thinking, just in a much more polite way.
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two.
UrsaMJR: If this wasn't as serious of a chapter as it looks I would've made a contribution to you all by expanding the gym scene some more. People need to leer and appreciate our boy when he's trying his best!
