"Stop thinking like that," Jaune mumbled to himself, sitting on the edge of his bed, "Stop thinking like that, stop thinking like that..."
His gaze traveled from the wall to the sword perched up against the wall, along with his shield. He tried to avert his thinking to the simple weapon he was staring at, but all he could think about was how easily the others had acted to his proposition to leave.
He hadn't really planned on leaving, but the thought of it was starting to sound a little more appealing. Not appealing enough to actually cause him to, but it was growing on him, and it was scary. He wasn't exactly one to just barge out of places where he should't. Stealing his way to Beacon had been nerve-racking enough, but altogether leaving everyone behind?
He had simply said that he would to see how much everyone actually cared about him. Pyrrha would want him to stay, in fact, she was one of the main reasons he had joined Ruby in the first place. This whole love-mess had just been a problem that had showed up on the way, and it had not helped.
"Oh, Pyrrha," he said, his voice just an audible whisper while he stared at his gear, "What do I do now? Do I just...continue on and forget about what just happened? Or do I..." He gave a frustrated sigh and shook his head, closing his eyes.
"I don't even know what else there is to do," he mumbled, "I shouldn't leave, just because of this. But then again, what use exactly am I to this group? I wanted to carry on the tradition of my father and his father and...well, it goes on. You already know everything about my perspective on all this, and as to why I'm telling it to you all over again...I don't know."
He shook his head again and let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"I-"
His beginning sentence was cut off by the sound of the door creaking open, causing him to jump with momentary startlement. He looked up at the door, wondering who it was, only to meet eyes with Ren. He was standing patiently at the door, an unreadable expression on his face.
It was a very strange mix between sympathy, sorrow, confusion, calmness, and, well, whatever expression Ren seemed to make all the time when nothing in particular was happening or when things weren't all bright and sunny.
"May I come in?" he asked quietly. Jaune nodded slowly, knowing that Ren could see the pain on his face. Ren walked into the room, closing the door gently behind him before walking over and sitting next to his leader on the bed.
"Hey, Ren," Jaune sighed, still looking down at the floor, "What's, um...what's up."
Ren looked carefully at Jaune, an understanding look on his face.
"I came in here to ask you the same question," he answered, also avering his gaze to the floor, "Are you alright? You seemed fairly troubled after the others left to take care of Ruby. I was even surprised myself when you didn't join them to aid her."
Jaune just lightly shrugged.
"I-I don't know," he said, his voice low and quiet, "I know I shouldn't feel so angry and betrayed, just because Ruby doesn't like me. But there's just something...crushing about the whole thing, you know?"
Ren nodded slowly. "I can picture that feeling."
"Like," Jaune continued, "What if Nora decided that she liked...uh." He thought for a moment, trying to think of someone to fill in the space. "Oscar or something. Wouldn't you feel terrible?"
"Oscar?" Ren asked, his eyes a little wider and his voice teaming with traces of disgust and shock, "Why would she do that? He is already going to be a father and has publicly announced that he loves-"
"I know, I know," Jaune said, waving his hands lightly at his partner, "I was just saying that figuratively. Okay, say that you found out that she likes someone else. How would that make you feel?"
"Jaune," Ren said, "I understand how heartbroken you are, especially considering the pain you have had to bear with the loss of Pyrrha and having your feelings for Ruby rejected, but you can't let your romantic life lead you away from the real world. You need to keep yourself in check and avoid misguidance."
Jaune sighed again, closing his eyes.
"I know," he muttered. Ren looked down and then back up at Jaune, a sympathetic expression on his face. He lifted a hand up and placed it firmly on Jaune's shoulder, gaining the attention and gaze from his leader.
"You're a strong fighter, Jaune," Ren said, a rare and light smirk on his face that only Nora seemed to be able to magically conjure, "Despite how difficult it was for you to deal with your classes at Beacon, and the fact that compared to the majority of the students, you were rather pathetic,"
"Yeah, thanks a lot," Jaune cut in with gloomy sarcasm.
"You still pulled through," Ren continued, "You still fought on and tried your hardest to improve. Not many possess that determination, especially those who already have everything. But you didn't have it, so you fought until you did. In the battles we've fought, you never quit. You always stayed until the end.
"So before you think about giving up; before you decide to forget about everything you've worked so hard to obtain, remember that you aren't one to surrender, and that by agreeing to be a huntsman, you are agreeing to be one to never give up. You were chosen as our team leader for a reason, and one of those reasons was that you never gave up, not matter what.
"Even though Pyrrha died, you kept moving forward. Even though you always lost in most things you participated in, you kept moving forward. So don't you dare stop after you've come this far, just because of how things went just before. Not now, alright?"
It wasn't until he looked back up that Jaune realized that there were tears running down his face. He hadn't even felt like crying, and he hadn't felt those tears come up or run down, either. He locked eyes with his teammate, getting another soft smirk from him before he took his hand off of his shoulder.
"Th-thanks, Ren," Jaune said, quickly wiping his eyes, "I really needed that." He looked back down at the floor, his hands folded.
Ren nodded. "I know."
The two of them sat there in pure silence, sitting side by side on the bed without saying a word or even moving. Even the others seemed to be silent in the other parts of the house, providing a very quiet atmosphere.
"So...why exactly were you talking to yourself?" Ren asked, breaking the silence with his hushed, low voice. Jaune snapped out of the mild trance he had been in and looked back up at him. He sighed and shrugged again.
"I guess just sometimes people have to vent to somebody they trust," he began, pausing before he finished his sentence, "Even if...even if they aren't really there."
Ren looked at the same thing Jaune was. His eyes traced over the golden lining of his shield, sword, and armor, which had been discarded and placed by his weapons for the sake of comfort. Wearing that armor all the time got a little uncomfortable sometimes.
"Pyrrha?" Ren asked, already knowing the answer. Jaune nodded his answer, still not looking back up from his gear leaning up against the wall.
"Even though it's already been just about three years..," he said, shaking his head, "Sometimes I still feel like it was just last week that I heard from Qrow that she was gone. Never coming back."
"I'm sure the pain is just as fresh, as well," Ren commented.
"No, not quite," Jaune answered, "It's not fresh anymore...just like an old wound that never heals. Old and painful, but not the fresh and bleeding kind. The kind where it's kinda crusted and aching all the time, and if you're in a certain position, it really spikes."
"I see," Ren said softly, "I understand that. I can also relate, as well."
Jaune looked up, mildly confused. "What?"
"To be blunt, me and Nora haven't exactly had the most enjoyable past."
"That's kinda makes sense," Jaune said, "At least, to your quietness. As for how Nora is always so energetic and crazy all the time...that confuses me."
Ren chuckled slightly and smiled. "Yes, she partially learned how to make joy of many circumstances from our past, but it is also just her. She naturally bears that energy and enthusiasm. It truly is something to envy sometimes."
"Ha," Jaune said, smirking, "Imagine you with Nora's personality. I would have nightmares for weeks after that."
The two men shared a few chuckles before resuming to the somewhat grave atmosphere. Jaune sighed and then stood up, taking up his gear and putting it all on. Then he turned back to Ren, who awaited further word from his leader.
"We're leaving," he said, his voice picking up the his usual determination, "I've already told Weiss that it's time to go and that she needs to be ready for us when we get to the Schnee Manor."
"I thought we were picking her up after we obtained the Atlas Relic," Ren said. Jaune shook his head.
"Without Ruby to help us, we need all the help we can get, especially if we're going up against that 'Relic Guardian' or whatever Oscar said. Weiss is an amazing fighter, so she can make up for Ruby's absence."
"But won't her father notice and try searching for her again?"
"Maybe? He didn't seem to be looking for her after she left before, so maybe not."
"I'm not so sure. He might find out shortly after she disappears, resulting in complications."
"I wouldn't worry too much about it."
Jaune walked towards the door, his hand looming inches away from the handle, when he paused and looked back over his shoulder at Ren. He smiled lightly and gave an acknowledging nod to him, a look of appreciation following.
"Thanks, Ren," he said again, his voice brimming with sincerity, "Like the brother I never had."
Ren smiled again and nodded. "And I, you."
The two of them laughed a little before Jaune left the room, leaving Ren to prepare his own weapons and gear for the duration of the mission that awaited them. It wasn't going to be too hard, but they needed to be care about what they did.
"Breathe...you're alright. Breathe...your alright. Breathe...you're alright."
Oscar's words repeated over and over again as Ruby gasped for breath over and over again. She sat up with her hands pressing up for support against the mattress she lay on. Sweat ran down her face and neck, dampening her sweat-soaked pajamas and making her skin slick and wet.
Her cheeks glowed bright red, heat radiating off of her entire body. The blankets wrapped around her did not help with the heat she was feeling, and all she wanted to do was jump right back into that icy river again. She felt like she was sitting inside of an oven.
Oscar's gentle, large, calloused hand rested on her back, comfortingly helping to hold her up and just trying to be assuring. His face was melted with an expression of high concern and sympathy for the girl in front of him, and he wanted nothing more than for her to be okay.
He was also concerned about their baby. Surely everything that had just happened couldn't have been good for it, and if it was taking a bad effect on Ruby, it must be having a bad effect on Baby Pine, as well. He shivered at the thought of anything bad happening to his new child...or children.
Ruby continued to pant, having just woken up from another horrific nightmare. She had blasted awake, an awful heat bearing down on her, and had sat up with an ear-piercing scream. Oscar had been waiting for her to wake up and had been there immediately to calm her down.
It took her a little while to finally catch her breath and get ahold of herself, making sense of her surroundings and calming down a bit. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, and her pulse raced faster than she could ever recall it going. Her cheeks seemed to be rushing with heat, but the rest of her body started to feel a little cold again.
"O-Oscar," she stammered, "W-what just h-happened?"
Oscar smiled softly at her. "We're just in your room. You fainted while we were talking to Maria, so we brought you back up here. And to be honest, I think you're going to be staying in here a while."
Ruby glanced around again, the familiarity of everything beginning to sink fully in as her sanity returned. She instinctively placed a hand on her stomach, wondering if her babies were okay.
"Oscar," she said, looking down at where her hand sat, "Do you think our babies are okay? I mean, they went through a lot and I'm not that far through. Do you think maybe...maybe I might have a miscarri-"
"No, no," Oscar said quickly, "Don't think like that. I'm sure they're...fine. I mean, you have your aura protecting them, anyway. Wait, do you really think you're having twins? Just because of that one thing Qrow said earlier?"
Ruby sighed and nodded.
"I've been feeling them move," she said, "I felt them move a bit earlier, a little earlier than when they commonly come for people having just one. I read that they come sooner if you're having twins. And then when Uncle Qrow said that thing about Mom being smaller with me at my age-"
She stopped for a moment, blinking after she said those words.
"Wait, why would Uncle Qrow know something like that?" blurted, as if very surprised, "Or even really remember? Didn't his team like, fall apart or something after they graduated or whatever?"
Oscar shook his head.
"I don't really know yet," he sighed, "Me and Ozpin haven't combined enough yet to where I could just recall his memories as if they were mine alone. But I have a feeling that Ozpin doesn't know that, either. It is, after all, Qrow's private life."
Ruby looked down. She felt like a mess, inwardly, outwardly, physically, and mentally. She had made Jaune upset when he was already sad enough. She had disappointed Yang and prety much everyone with her. She had made Oscar's life a lot harder. And then she was tired and probably decently sick.
"Am I sick?" she asked abruptly, making Oscar raised a brow. He nodded.
"Yeah, you've got one of those raging fevers..," he answered, the look of concern returning, "I really don't like it. How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Sorry, I should've asked those things earlier and-"
"It's fine, Oscar," Ruby said, smiling softly, "I just want some water, if it isn't too much to ask."
Oscar smiled and nodded his head. "Alright then, I'll go get some for you."
He stood up and neared the door, only to hear the a short gasp from the other side and the sounds of someone rushing hurriedly away from the door as if trying to go unnoticed. He shook his head with a chuckled, knowing well enough who it probably was, and left to get Ruby's drink.
Ruby watched him go, a sad, heavy feeling draping over the room as soon as he was gone and the door was closed. Without him there, or really anyone there, she felt lonely and sad. It was like someone had blocked out the sun or something. She sighed and lay back down, feeling mildly dizzy whenever she moved.
Whenever she did move, every muscle ached, and a very mild pain in her head warned her from exerting much more than what she had done since waking up. The silence of the room was boring, and the strange mix of hot and cold she felt, meshed together with tiredness and exhaustion, was not pleasant.
"Ugh, why do I have to be so vulnerable?" she complained quietly to herself, watching a ray of sunshine dance around on the ceiling above her, "I have not being able to do anything without people worrying!"
"Me too," Nora's voice answered back, startling her out of her wits. She jumped with a screech, sitting up and whipping around to see Nora sitting in her bed across from her.
"Ow!" Ruby winced, quickly putting her hand to her head as the mild pain suddenly burst into a throbbing pound. Nora raised a brow and made a confused face that melted into a slightly sympathetic one.
"You okay?" she asked. Ruby could only nod her answer as she waited for the painfully throbbing to dull back to its minimum, bearable level again. Once it had, she sighed and looked exhaustedly at her friend, who's bright blue eyes seemed to pulse with energy.
"So, what's it like to have a whole human being living in your stomach?" Nora asked suddenly, looking more excited than upset, "Is it gross feeling? Or is it super cool? WAIT-is the strength of your kid added to yours, making you more strong?!"
"Unfortunately, no," Ruby answered, wishing Nora could tone her voice down, "In fact, just the opposite. My aura gets invested into my baby, so I have less of it protecting me."
Nora's excitement faded into interested curiousity.
"Wait, so then, does your aura completely go away when its almost time for the baby to be born?" she asked, just as energetically as before, "Wait, what if you're expecting twins? Are you expecting twins? Qrow sure made it sound like it."
"I thinks so," Ruby said, wincing mildly as her head decided that Nora's volume wasn't tolerable, "Could you maybe be a little quieter? I don't think my body likes how loud your being right now."
Nora quickly shut herself up, pressing her lips together into a straight line and nodding an affirmative answer.
"You've got it, Ruby!" she whispered loudly, amounting to a bearable toned voice. Ruby smiled with relief and nodded her gratitude.
"Thanks, Nora."
Ruby's expression sobered, and she looked down again. She felt hot and sticky, and her throat was beginning to ache from how long it had been dry. The thought of some nice, cold water was very appealing, and the thoughts of fresh platters of sliced fruit shining with droplets of pure water...
"What's up?" Nora asked, her voice at a good, normal volume.
"Watermelon," Ruby answered, staring off into space. Her eyes weren't even aligned properly as they stared at nothing in particular. Her mouth was open a crack, and looked like it was about to drip saliva from the fact that her mouth was watering.
"Ruby?"
"Huh?" Ruby snapped out of her trance, the gorgeous images of fresh, sweet slices of watermelon in the summertime fading from her mind as her eyes refocused on real life. She shook her head, regretting it badly as a wave of dizziness washed through from it.
"What do you mean, 'watermelon'? Are you okay?" Nora looked a little more concerned now, but also seemed to find Ruby's mental absence humorous and amusing. It was, after all, pretty funny.
"Yeah," Ruby said, laughing a little to herself, "Just remembering my ever-present food cravings."
"Is it watermelon?" Nora asked, already knowing that it probably was.
"Unfortunately," Ruby sighed, closing her eyes and trying not to imagine a big juicy wedge of watermelon being shoved into her mouth and chewed, the sweet, refreshing, perfectly wonderful flavor spilling into her mouth and running down her throat...
"Hey, close your mouth!" Nora cried, making Ruby's head pain spike and jerk her rudely from her imagination, "You're drooling on your blanket-er, blankets!"
Ruby shut her mouth and swallowed the saliva in her mouth, the constant nagging of the craving of watermelon lingering obnoxiously in her mouth. She mentally cursed her cravings and shook them off, trying to focus back on Nora.
"Sorry!" she apologized quickly, wiping her chin and then wincing again as her head forced her hand to return to it. Her voice sounded like the whimper of a tiny wounded animal, and it made Nora feel bad for her.
"It's fine, Ruby," Nora said, smiling, "Sorry to make your head hurt. I make Ren's head hurt a lot and he doesn't mind at all! I think."
Ruby giggled, recalling a few times where Nora would accidentally or purposely hit her teammate on the head, either out of humor, boredom, anger, or...well, for whatever random reason Nora had. Ren had seemed to mind some...he just didn't really seem to vocally express it much.
"It's okay," Ruby answered, "It's my fault I even fell in the river, anyway. Just paying the consequences, I guess."
Nora shrugged. "So, are ya thinking about any names?"
Ruby looked down, partially confused at the change in subject and also wondering if she had been thinking about any baby names. She hadn't really at all, now that she really thought about it. It was still early in her pregnancy, and she had been focussed on hiding her secret and taking care of herself as much as she could manage, while still trying to keep out of suspicion.
"Well, no," she sighed, "But why would I need to? We still have a few more months and stuff, so..."
Nora rolled her eyes.
"Oh, c'mon, Ruby!" she said energetically, "Those babies are your children! They've gotta have names, and what kind of mother would you be if you didn't give much thought or consideration into naming them?!"
"Well, uhm..."
"Names are important! Your children will bear them for the rest of their lives, so give them meaning! Make them awesome! That, or beautiful. Maybe colorful? Oh wait! Make them colors! That way, you'd be part of that movement thingy that Professor Ozpin told us about in Beacon! YEAH!"
Ruby blinked, confused at how quickly Nora moved from one topic to another. Yes, it was Nora, but right now, Ruby's mind was a scrambled mess, and it was somewhat hard to make sense of some things. Her head suddenly spiked up in pain, as if delayed, resulting in Ruby leaning over with her hands to her head.
Her eyes were tightly shut, and her teeth were clenched as she tried to wait out the pain...That grinding, cutting, agonizing pain.
Just then, the door opened and Oscar walked through carrying a frosty glass of ice water, the ice cubes clinking together as the cup moved around. He hurried to Ruby's bedside the moment he saw what she was doing, placing the cup on the nightstand next to the bed.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, highly concerned.
"Her head's being wonky," Nora answered, also sharing a bit of his concern, "We can't be too loud or it'll explode."
Oscar nodded his thanks to Nora and quickly placed his hand on her head, soothingly brushing her own hands off of it and then slowly lowering her back down onto her pillow, hushing her all the way. Now both hands were on her head, and he closed his eyes, focussing on his many buried semblances.
Restore the hurt; sooth the pain
Blemish the take; bring the gain
Gone with the guilt; gone with with the shame
Restore the hurt; soothe the pain
In a few moments, his hands began to glow a soft green, and Ruby felt his hands on her head, her eyes now open, seeing the light of them. His hands suddenly felt cool and soothing, and seemed to sink into her head, destroying the pain that was pounding in it. Ruby closed her eyes and relaxed, smiling lightly as relief flooded her.
"Thanks, Oscar," she whispered. Despite feeling like she was sweating the ocean and that her innards were wildly boiling, she almost felt light and airy, however that worked, and now all she wanted to do was sleep.
"Yeah," Oscar said, smiling as well. It made him so happy to see her smile and no longer in pain, so when she drifted off to sleep a few minutes later as he watched her, he felt his heart shine with a positive light, and it began to beat slightly faster.
He sighed and lay his head down on the bed, ignoring their slight dampness due to how much Ruby had been sweating. Nora raised a brow and sat back in her bed, watching Oscar sit their with his head there.
"You okay, Little Cute Boy Ozpin?" she asked, "Or should I not call you that anymore? You know, cuz you're-"
"I know, Ozpin's not here anymore," Oscar finished for her, his voice slightly muffled from the sheet almost pressed against his mouth. Nora raised and brow and then shook her head, clicking her tongue.
"No!" she scolded, "I was going to say, 'Cuz you're not so little and cute anymore'. Then again, you are technically cute, if you put it into a different context."
Oscar chuckled, a tired but sincere chuckle, and lifted his head from the sheets, smiling softly.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that."
Nora shrugged and slid off her bed, standing up and then going into the corner where Magnhild was folded up and leaning agains the wall. She picked it up and put it on her back, securing it in place and then sitting back down on the edge of her bed.
"So..," she said, trying to strike up more conversation, "What are you gonna do when your kids are born? Are you gonna like, give them away or something like that?"
Oscar looked at Nora, a confused look on his face.
"What?" he said, "No! Me and Ruby are going to raise them like any parents ought. With love and care. Why, would you do something like that?"
Nora looked horrified.
"What?! NO! Why would I do something as cruel as that? Even if I wasn't prepared to face such a fun challenge, I wouldn't do that! That's just-that's just terrible! Besides, it isn't fun being homeless."
She looked solemnly down, her mood suddenly shifting serious momentarily. Oscar looked confused again, having no idea where this was all coming from in her. He didn't know her backstory.
"Well, giving them away wouldn't make them homeless," he began, "It just means they'd live with some other people as their parents. That, or be placed in an orphanage, but I don't think we'd do that if we couldn't take care of them."
"I know, I know," Nora said, her mood seeming to be trying to lighten up again, "I'm just saying, some kids run away from orphanages. Then they're homeless."
Oscar just sighed, nodding.
"I understand where you're coming from," he said, "Me and Ruby are going to be their parents...and we'll get married, too."
"You will?!" Nora gasped, an extreme look of excitement on her face, "When?!"
"Well, as soon as Ruby's old enough, of course," he answered, "It probably won't be one of those grand proposals, though, and even if it is, it won't really be a surprise. Think about that. Ruby probably dreamed about having one of those romantic proposals like in the movies, but look at our situation now."
He laughed and shook his head. "I can't decide whether it's more of a fantasy or less."
"Hey!" Jaune's voice called from downstairs, "Is everyone upstairs ready to go?!" His voice sounded a lot less tense and angry than when he had announced the time of their departure for the mission, so that was good to hear. Literally.
Nora and Oscar exchanged a glance, also glancing at Ruby before they both nodded to each other and Nora slipped quietly out of the room, forgetting to close the door behind her.
"Yup!" she shouted down the stairs, "We're ready! Minus Ruby, of course. Is she coming?" Jaune's failure to answer was affirmative enough for her, and she leaped down the stairs and happily skipped out the door and into the snow, excited for the coming mission.
Oscar shook his head and went to close it, only to be punched roughly in the shoulder by a passing Yang.
"Hey, ow!" he said, trying not to raise his voice, "What was that for?"
"Sorry!" Yang called back, already racing downstairs, "Just wanted to unleash some of my excitement on someone...and anger!" The sound of her bursting out the front door and laughing loudly outside could be heard, muffled. Oscar growled something annoyed under his breath and began closing the door again.
But just as be began to do so, Blake hurried past, her arm catching on the doorknob and causing it to slam open again, as well as stop Blake in her tracks and make her clutch her arm in pain. She mumbled something darkly before continuing on her way.
Ren passed by, having seen the scene, and gave Oscar an apologizing look before disappearing around the corner. Oscar felt a pang of anger go through him as he tried again to close the door and allow him and Ruby to have one more minute before the mission started up again.
"Oh, c'mon!" Oscar harshly whispered as Qrow stopped in front of the door. His face looked sincere and stern at the same time, so Oscar decided to stop and listen to him. He gave him a questioning look, hoping that it would be quick.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Have you...noticed anything suspicious?" Qrow asked, "Such as any strange signs of spies or anything?"
Oscar raised a brow. "What? Why?"
Qrow looked suspiciously around before answering him, his fists somewhat clenched and his voice lowered.
"I get the feeling we're being watched," he said, "I can't say for sure what it is, but ever since we left that train station, I've had that feeling. I've even heard a few sounds, ones made when someone's sneaking around and trying not to be spotted. It's a feeling I'm well familiar with."
Oscar nodded.
"Well, if anything, it's some kind of Atlas spy," he said, "And that wouldn't be good. If they ever try to attack us, though, I think we're pretty set. Otherwise, I don't really know who else...or what else, it could be."
Qrow shook his head, frowning.
"There are plenty more options than some kind of spy; it could really be anything. But like you said, I think we should be all set. Don't want to take whatever it is for granted, though. I'll keep my eyes pealed for sure."
Oscar nodded his affirmation and then left the room, closing the door softly behind him. "I've seen you doing that since the train station."
Qrow nodded.
"That's because I was," he said, taking a step into the hallway, "Are you ready to go?"
"Yup," Oscar answered.
"And Ruby isn't coming?" Qrow almost sounded sad as he said that, and his face fell as Oscar confirmed.
"Yes."
"Then let's go," Qrow said, walking through the hallway and then down the stairs, Oscar following close behind. Oscar looked back at the stairs before he exited the house, sighing as he wished he could just stay behind with Ruby. But they needed him for the Relic; he needed to come with them.
"Sorry, Ruby," he mumbled to himself as he walked through the door and jumped off the steps, landing beside his friends, "I wouldn't stayed."
"Alrighty, guys," Jaune said, his face, though grim and certainly not happy, seeming to be enlightened with determination, "It's time to get Weiss and then sneak into the top of Atlas Academy, defeating the guardian or whatever, breaking open the Vault and then taking the Relic."
Oscar swallowed nervously.
Jaune set his face into a firm, ready look, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword and his mouth in a straight line. Turning around to face the path in front of them, he stared hard at the faint outline of the seemingly floating part of the city in the distance, covered by heavy fog.
"Let's do this."
Weiss walked as quickly as she could through the long hallway, her steps quick and oriented and her sword in her hand.
She had explained to Winter that she needed to hurry and get somewhere for the sake of the mission she was one. Of course, Winter had wanted to come too, or at least know where her younger sister was headed in case of the need for aid, but Weiss declined and was now on her way, alone.
"Just get to the left side of the entrance and wait for them there," she murmured to herself, glancing out the clear glass windows that showed her the gorgous view of the city that not many could see from their homes. Her reflection was also there, and the reflections of some of her surroundings.
She couldn't help but stare at the reflection in the glass as she walked, seeing not a cowardly, rich, spoiled teenager, but a determined, skilled, and beautiful huntress in the making, ready to protect the world.
My, how things have changed since the beginning of Beacon.
Just as she was about to take her eyes from the windows she was passing, she saw the reflexion of someone standing in front of her, and she was about to bump right into that person if she didn't stop. Swiveling her gaze from the reflection, she looked in front of her, only to slam right into the lady in the way.
She fell backwards onto the floor, her sword falling with a clang on the hard marble floor next to her, and she looked quickly up, hoping that it was only Klein or some random maid. But her eyes locked with the wrong person. Someone whom she really didn't need in the way right now.
"M-Mother!" Weiss stammered, staring into her mother's icy blue eyes, "Um, good afternoon!"
She quickly stood up, composing herself and picking up her sword. She smiled unconvincingly at her mother, knowing by the look in her eyes that she wasn't buying it. She could also tell that her mother was not going to help the situation.
"Why the rushing, Weiss?" Willow asked, sounding tired as ever, "You should know better not to run around staring into mirrors. Oh, wait. Isn't that your thing?"
The fact that her face was flushed and she was swaying slightly told Weiss that her mother was probably drunk...again. It would make sense, considering the fact that she hadn't seen her in a while. Whenever Willow didn't show up for some time, she was usually drinking. How lovely.
"I-I'm sorry, Mother," Weiss said in a controlled tone, "It won't happen again."
She's drunk. Just talk your way out of this and get to the left side of the entrance! You've done this before, so you can do this...
"I should hope so," Willow said, her voice slurred, "That way you won't concuss anybody before you become a huntress." She burst out into some kind of exaggerated laughter. It almost sounded villainous, and it was very forced, as if it really hadn't been funny, even to her intoxicated mind.
Weiss just nervously laughed along with her mother, glancing around herself with the hopes of finding a maid to help her out and get her mother somewhere away from her. But the halls were empty, and she would have to deal with this herself.
"Well, Mother," Weiss said, trying to sidestep the woman, "I kind of have someplace I really need to be. Can't be late, you know. So if you could just let me pass, then I would be extremely grateful."
Willow abruptly stopped her insane laughter, a stern look on her face as she shoved herself right up in her daughter's face. The drunkness in her eyes was combined with a spark of anger, resulting in a blazing fire of negativity.
"I wasn't blocking you, anyway!" she growled, "And if you wanna leave your poor, tired mama alone with your idiot of a brother and bas-"
"No, no, Mother," Weiss finished quickly, not wishing to hear her mother say such words, "I-I'm not leaving. I'm just...going somewhere for a little while. Don't worry, I'll be back."
The lie felt bitter in her mouth, and she wanted to spit it out and replace it with the truth. But nothing else would convince her mother to let her pass, and she needed to pass, right now. Security wouldn't allow her teammates and friends to linger around Schnee territory unauthorized for very long, so they couldn't wait.
Willow just gave her a blank stare before exploding into more forced laughter, slapping Weiss playfully on the shoulder and staggering away. Her face became even redder as she laughter harder and harder, manically and very fake.
"What a malicious little liar you are!" Willow shouted from the end of the hall, sounding amused and angry as her voice echoed loudly, "Have fun with your friends and see ya later, honey!"
Weiss felt a tear slip from her eye as her mother left, the feeling of rejection and the lack of love slowly flowing into her again. It was such a familiar and bitter feeling, and she had felt it so many times in her life. But for some reason, she still wasn't used to it. It was always as painful every time.
Wiping her eyes quickly, she hurried through the hallways, eager to make it as soon as she could. She wasn't going to fail her team or make things difficult. She wasn't going to be a burden, and besides, she missed them all, anyway.
Ha, it took me two days to write this chapter; I just only had 2 days out of this week to really write anything. :P
So, as Nora previously mentioned, these two precious babies are going to need names. I already have one name just about prepped, but I'm always open for more options. So people, if you guys have any ideas or want to make some, go ahead and send them to me via reviews or PMs!
A huge thanks to the most recent Guest for giving me the critique I've been waiting for since the beginning of the story. What the review said wasn't specifically what I was waiting for, but the critique. (I'm always looking to improve my writing and fix mistakes)
And then, of course, a thanks to everyone else who reviewed, is following, has favorited, or is just reading this. (I would mentioned specific profile names, but I don't feel like it; sorry XD)
Thanks for reading and tune in for more chapters!