*Happy, up-tuned, jingly version of Justice League theme*
Hunters of Justice Chibi!
Web of Romance
Eros nervously stood in front of Aphrodite's temple on Mount Olympus. It was that time of year again: Valentine's Day, where mortals celebrated the idea of love and romance. He and his siblings, the Erotes, were typically very busy on Valentine's Day as they enabled either true romances or one-off flings to go off without a hitch. But that wasn't why he was nervous. Truth be told, Eros enjoyed Valentine's Day, as did the rest of his siblings.
Unfortunately, so did his mother Aphrodite, and the enthusiasm with which she proudly displayed her love for Valentine's Day had literally scared off the rest of the Greek Pantheon who had suddenly decided to be elsewhere. It had gotten worse lately, and Eros could only blame himself for his mother's latest obsession.
"Eros! I am in need of you, my child!" Aphrodite announced, and Eros shivered before letting out a sigh. Perking himself up, Eros fluttered his wings as he flew up the steps, emerging in her room. As he looked at the countless strands of red string and boards scattered around the walls, floor, and even ceiling, he nervously gulped.
"Mother," Eros announced his presence as he watched Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty and Love, apply the finishing touches to another board.
"Eros! Perfect, you're here," Aphrodite said, briefly looking over her shoulder as she flashed a joyous smile towards her son. She then beckoned him over to her with her arm, saying, "Come, come. We have much to discuss and do!"
Eros nodded, then joined his mother next to the board. He glanced at the others around him, then asked, "Before we start, Mother, the other gods have expressed their…concerns about your behavior. They asked me to talk to you about it."
More like begged before running for the hills, but Eros saw no reason to tell her that.
"Concerns? What do you mean?" Aphrodite innocently asked as she attached a strand of string to another name. Eros glanced at it, then looked at his mother in the eye.
"While they support your…shipping hobby," Eros began, then waved his hand around the room, "they believe that this has become excessive and unhealthy. They think you should tone it down a notch."
"Oh, they said that, did they?" Aphrodite asked as she narrowed her eyes, then scoffed and waved her hands. "Please, as if those philistines can even begin to recognize the beauty of my work. I am creating art here. True romance, not those flings that Zeus constantly goes for. None of the other gods know the first thing about romance or stable relationships. Not even Hera, and she's the Goddess of Marriage!"
Eros nodded, having expected this response, then pointed out, "Hades and Persephone seem to know what they're doing."
"Yes," Aphrodite admitted, then added, "but need I remind you about Demeter's reaction to that fiasco? She still hasn't forgiven Zeus for letting that happen. Which reminds me, we haven't spoken to nor seen Hades and Persephone since our resurrection. We should probably reach out."
"The Lords of the Underworld have always preferred to keep to their own devices," Eros pointed out. Aphrodite stared at him for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"You're right. They probably wouldn't appreciate a card or us dropping by anyway," Aphrodite said, then shivered. "Besides, the Underworld frightens me. Couldn't get out of there fast enough."
"Indeed," Eros agreed, shivering right alongside his mother.
"In any case, you tell Zeus and the others that I am perfectly fine," Aphrodite ordered with a dismissive wave of her hand as she turned back to face the board, and Eros sighed.
"Of course, mother," Eros said, then straightened himself. He knew, going into this, that it was unlikely that he'd be able to convince his mother to tone herself down, so he resigned himself to following her commands once again. Hopefully, this time the damage would be kept to a minimum.
"So, which relationships do you wish for me to launch today?" Eros asked. "I'm assuming we're still working with the Remnantians?"
"That we are, Eros," Aphrodite confirmed with a nod. "I just can't help it. The sheer number of viable pairings they have, both with each other and everyone else, is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I'm obsessed, really."
"At least you're admitting it," Eros grumbled, only for his mother to shoot her head towards him.
"What was that?" Aphrodite asked in a dangerous tone of voice, and Eros hastily straightened himself.
"Nothing, nothing at all!" he hastily responded. Aphrodite stared at him for a few moments, then turned her attention back to the board. Eros sighed in relief, then asked, "In that case, are we going to try what we attempted last time again, or try new pairings? With the new arrivals, several viable ships just revealed themselves. I'm particularly a fan of Nuts and Dolts."
"As am I. It's just so…pure and innocent," Aphrodite said and released a content sigh. Then she shook her head and revealed, "But, as I was planning everything out, I began to realize something. You remember my previous revelation, correct?"
"That all ships are viable, yes," Eros confirmed with a crisp nod, and Aphrodite nodded back.
"The same applies here," Aphrodite declared. "White Knight, Lancaster, Knight Shade, Bumblebee, White Rose, Ladybug, Arkos. They're all equally valid. Which creates a problem, which we saw a bit of last time."
"And that problem is?"
"Heartbreak," Aphrodite announced. "Mortals are emotional beings, with love among the most powerful. Love fulfilled can bring no greater joy. But a love lost can bring no greater sorrow. If I were to sail Lancaster, for example, Pyrrha Nikos would be heartbroken. At least before she moved on, like a quitter. Pairing Blake Belladonna with anyone would cause Yang Xiao Long to fall into depression, and I don't even need to tell you what would happen if I dared try to violate the sanctity of Renora."
"Hallowed be its name," Eros muttered as he glanced towards the most holy of ships, joining his mother in reverence.
"As the Goddess of Love," Aphrodite continued, melodramatically draping the back of her hand over her upturned forehead, "I can't stand the thought of love causing unhappiness. Then, I had an epiphany. Why do I have to sail just one?"
"What do you mean, mother?" Eros asked, raising an eyebrow, and Aphrodite smiled as she stepped away from the board, proudly displaying it through extended arms.
"Why sail just one ship when I can sail all of them?" Aphrodite rhetorically asked. "There's no rule that says mortals have to be strictly monogamous. Polyamory and polygamy have been practiced for centuries. It's only recently that they've started getting all uppity about it."
"To be fair, historically most forms of polygamy were exploitive and misogynistic, with highly uneven relationships that were weighted heavily towards the husband," Eros pointed out. "Not exactly bastions of romance."
"True, true. But that's not what I'm aiming for," Aphrodite countered. "I aim for a true harem, one where everyone loves each other equally while sharing a romantic partner."
"…So, polyamory?"
"Precisely!"
"…That sounds like it has its own range of issues."
"All relationships do. Anyone who believes that they are easy are deluding themselves. They take work and time to properly nourish. But I am not blind to the inherent risk. If not done properly, it can blow up in everyone's faces and ruin the relationships entirely. Which is why you will be going for a more measured approach as an experiment."
"Ah, I see," Eros said as he slowly nodded. In the back of his mind, he was already thinking about how this can and will go wrong, but he knew better than to tell his mother that when she was in the zone. Pulling out a love arrow, he asked, "I take it, then, I will be aiming for Jaune Arc?"
"Why, because he's the only boy not in a committed relationship and is an oblivious nice guy?" Aphrodite accused as she narrowed her eyes towards her son. "Don't be cliché, Eros. That has been done countless times before. No, I have a…different target in mind."
Aphrodite began to chuckle and rub her hands together as she turned to face the board, and Eros let out a sigh.
"Happy Valentine's Day!" Ruby Rose announced as she skipped into the living room.
The rest of teams RWBY and JNPR, alongside her Uncle Qrow, Willow and Whitley Schnee, and Penny Polendina were already there, seated around the room on various chairs or sofas. The room, as with the entire apartment, was absolutely covered with various Valentine's Day decorations, mostly consisting of red, white, and pink hearts in different variations.
"Remind me again why we're celebrating this?" Whitley asked, annoyance seeping into his voice as he blankly stared at a joyful Ruby, who continued to prance around the room while putting up more decorations.
"Hold on, let me check," Penny said as she brought her fingers to her head. Her eyes briefly flashed green as she connected to the internet. They quickly returned to normal, then she turned towards Whitley and answered, "Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday meant to celebrate the life and work of early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and overtime became associated with the concepts of love and romance."
Qrow flatly stared at Penny, then remarked, "Uh-huh. So what's the actual reason?"
"It's an excuse for Hallmark to sell more cards," Blake replied, "and for parents to get out of the house away from the kids."
"Yep, that's what I figured," Qrow said with a crisp nod.
"I think it sounds sweet," Willow remarked with a smile on her face, glancing between her two younger children to gauge their reactions. To her dismay, Whitley remained completely uninterested while Weiss merely shrugged.
"Eh, I think it's overblown," Weiss admitted. "Don't get me wrong, it's nice, but…not really my thing."
"…Oh, I see," Willow said, her face falling. She then perked herself up then said, "In any case, I'm still excited to celebrate this holiday with you two!"
"Isn't Valentine's Day supposed to be for couples, not families?" Whitley pointed out, only for Weiss to gently elbow him in the gut.
"Not the time," Weiss hissed. Whitley glanced up at his sister with a glare, then caught her meaning as he redirected his attention back to his nearly despondent mother. He released a sigh, then nodded towards her.
"Of course, mother. I look forward to celebrating this holiday with you as well," Whitley said as respectfully as possible. At once, Willow's expression became joyful with a radiant smile, which Whitley and Weiss awkwardly returned.
'At least she's trying,' both siblings thought, listening in as Willow attempted to explain the plans she had for the day.
"Well, I for one think this day is awesome!" Nora boisterously declared as she wrapped Ren in a big hug. He didn't return it, but he did faintly smile as he leaned further into his girlfriend's embrace.
Jaune and Pyrrha, meanwhile, blankly stared at the couple, before Jaune muttered, "You don't have to rub it in…"
Pyrrha patted her partner on the shoulder in sympathy while Nora said, "Don't worry, fearless leader! You may be single now, but you'll find someone eventually! You will, too, Pyrrha!"
"Thank you, Nora," Pyrrha said. While at one point she might've wished that she and Jaune would be a couple on this day, that boat had unfortunately sailed for both of them. She was fine with that, though, but was also content with being single for the time being.
"What about you, Blakey?" Yang asked with a cheeky grin as she leaned back into the sofa, crossing her arms behind her head. "What do you think about Valentine's Day?"
Blake shrugged as she turned the page on her book, then said, "It's alright, when you remove the commercialization from it."
"Too late for that," Yang said with a laugh, then she heard Ruby gasp.
"Oh, I just realized. I forgot to get something out of my room. I'll be right back!" Ruby announced, then disappeared in a flutter of rose petals. The rest of the Remnantians watched her leave, then turned their attention back to each other.
"So," Willow began to ask, "you eight have been on Earth for a while. Have you celebrated this day before?"
"Yes, a few times actually," Jaune revealed, only for Qrow to raise an eyebrow questioningly.
"How? You've been here for less than a year?" he pointed out, and Yang shrugged.
"Time gets weird on this planet," Yang said. "I know we've been here for less than a year, but sometimes it feels like we've been here for, I don't know, four. Does anyone else feel that way?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah, I've felt that too. Particularly around the holidays," Weiss added, and the rest of teams RWBY and JNPR nodded in support.
"It felt that way in Brainiac's ship, as well," Whitley revealed as he and his mother involuntarily shivered. "Until the Lanterns came, I didn't know how long I was in there…"
"Yeah…it was like that in the bottle, too," Qrow added, his voice dropping low.
Everyone was quiet as they pondered the implications, then Nora asked, "…How long has it been since all of this started?"
No one had an answer for that, not even Penny whose eyes flashed blue as her internal clock returned an error. When her head began to spark and smoke, her body slumping over, everyone grew nervous and stared at her. They were about to go over and ask if she was fine, but that was when they heard Ruby let out a yelp coming from upstairs.
"AAGH!" Ruby screamed, followed by a thud as she dropped to the floor. At once, everyone jumped up to their feet in alarm and rushed upstairs, Qrow and Yang at the front as they raced towards Ruby's room.
"Ruby?! Ruby, are you okay?!" Qrow shouted as he prepared to kick down the door.
"No, no, no! Don't come in! It's not safe!" Ruby shouted, making her uncle pause. "I've been hit!"
"WHAT?!" Qrow and Yang shouted, the two of them preparing to break down the door anyway along with everyone else behind them.
"Wait, wait!" Ruby hastily yelped, making them pause again. They heard a shuffling from behind the door, then something was slid underneath. Everyone's attention was drawn to a small wooden object, and when Qrow leaned over to pick it up, he saw that it was an arrow.
"I got hit with that!" Ruby revealed, and while Whitley, Willow and Qrow were confused, the rest of Ruby's friends were not as their eyes widened.
"What the…? You're freaking out over an arrow, squirt?" Qrow muttered, but it did not escape his notice that the rest of RWBY and JNPR's faces suddenly blanched. "What?"
"Oh, no… Not again," Weiss muttered, her irises shrinking down to the size of pinpricks.
"Why are you scared? It's just a tiny arrow," Whitley pointed out. "I've seen pencils bigger than this. Sharper ones, too."
"This isn't just an arrow, Whitley," Blake said, her eyes and ears swiveling around for anything out of place. "That's an arrow of love."
"…Come again?"
"Are you aware of the Greek Goddess of Love, Aphrodite?" Blake asked.
"…No," Qrow admitted.
"Well, she and the entire Greco-Roman pantheon are real," Blake revealed, causing Qrow to groan and Whitley's eyes to widen.
"Of course they are," Qrow grumbled, then he waved his hand around and asked, "Alright, so why is this a problem?"
"Last time we celebrated Valentine's Day, she had her son Eros come over and hit a bunch of us with arrows. The exact same kind you are holding right now," Yang said as she pointed at the small arrow clutched between Qrow's fingers. "Those arrows made us fall in love with whoever we saw first. Blake fell in love with Jaune—"
"I am so sorry for reacting the way I did, by the way," Blake whispered to Jaune.
"Don't worry, it's fine. I kind of expected it anyway. I mean, it's me we're talking about," Jaune admitted without an ounce of worry, only for Blake to stare at him in mild horror. Both at Jaune's nonchalant reaction to someone ditching him, and for the murderous gaze Pyrrha was sending her way. The Faunus did not enjoy the training sessions she had with Pyrrha after they were initially freed from the effects, and she did not want to repeat them.
"—Ruby fell in love with Pyrrha and…tried to flirt with her with Legos of all things," Yang added, a hint of amusement seeping into her voice as a ghost of a smile graced across her lips.
"I'M SORRY!" Ruby shrieked in embarrassment, and Pyrrha awkwardly coughed into her fist.
"Don't worry, Ruby. It's fine," Pyrrha said. "I thought it was…sweet."
"IT WAS EMBARRASSING!" Ruby countered, and Pyrrha sighed. Ruby wasn't able to look at Pyrrha in the face for a week after that day, and now the Crimson Guardian was worried the same thing was going to happen all over again.
"So, yeah. The fact that Ruby got hit with this again is a very bad thing," Yang finished, only for Nora to glance at her.
"Didn't Weiss get hit by one?" Nora pointed out, and Weiss flinched as Yang nodded.
"Yeah, but that one was defective. All she did was take me out to a fancy dinner in order to cheer me up when I didn't know what was going on with Blake and Jaune," Yang said, wrapping Weiss in a one-armed hug with a shrug. "Because she's a good friend like that."
"…Yes, that was the reason," Weiss said, subtly sliding away from the boisterous blonde and inching back towards her family. As she did, Whitley leaned over to her, his eyes never once leaving Yang.
"I'm going to tell her," Whitley whispered, noticing how everyone was flatly staring at an oblivious Yang.
"If you do, they won't find your body," Weiss threatened, and Whitley narrowed his eyes at her.
"Now, now. Whitley, be nice to your sister. Weiss, be nice to your brother," Willow chastised, and while both siblings glared at each other, they did as requested.
"In any case, this is a problem," Blake said, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "There's no telling if Eros is still around. Even if he isn't, if Ruby sees anyone things are going to get very awkward very quickly."
"YOU'RE TELLING ME!" Ruby added, to which everyone nodded.
"I'm going to send this over to Diana. She was able to solve this last time, so hopefully she'll be able to do it again," Weiss declared, carefully taking the arrow from Qrow and walking away.
"What do we do?" Qrow asked, completely out of his depth in this situation.
"Just…keep Ruby calm, but don't let her look at you," Weiss advised. "Hopefully, that'll be enough."
The fact that even Weiss was unsure of what to do did little to calm their nerves, but they accepted it regardless. As Weiss went down the stairs, a recovered Penny came back up and joined the rest of the group. She had a smile on her face, completely oblivious to what had just transpired.
"I was unable to calculate the exact time since all of this has started," Penny revealed, "but I was able to learn some very interesting theories on the nature of time. Did you know that it actually slows down the faster you go? I wonder if the Flash ever has to deal with that."
Everyone stared at Penny, who continued to smile before glancing at Ruby's room. She then tilted her head and asked, "Why is friend Ruby by herself and laying face down on the floor?"
It had been a few hours since Ruby was struck by yet another arrow of love. During that entire time, she remained absolutely motionless, refusing to so much as turn her head lest she accidentally catch a glimpse of someone. The last thing she wanted was to fall in love again, so she kept her face firmly planted in the carpet.
"You know, this isn't so bad," Ruby said to herself, her voice slightly muffled. "It's kind of like taking a nap."
Ruby felt her nose twitch, a recurring sensation as it bristled against the carpet. She briefly tilted her head up to scratch it with her finger, then immediately returned to looking face down.
"Yeah, this is fine. Sure, I have to scratch my nose every few minutes, and the floor's not that comfortable, but this is fine," Ruby said, trying her best to convince herself of her own lie. After a few moments, she realized that it wasn't working, and she slumped her shoulders while releasing a sigh.
"…This sucks," Ruby grumbled, then she heard a knock on the door.
"Ruby?" Weiss said as she knocked again.
"What is it, Weiss?" Ruby asked, refusing to look at the door out of an overabundance of caution.
"Just wanted to let you know that lunch is ready," Weiss announced. "Also, my mother felt bad and made you cookies."
"Ooh, what kind?"
"She…attempted to make chocolate chip," Weiss revealed, and Ruby immediately caught onto the hidden meaning in her words.
"…Oh," Ruby muttered.
"If it helps, the fire was smaller this time," Weiss pointed out. "Don't worry, you don't have to eat them. Frankly, I wouldn't blame you."
"No, no, it's fine!" Ruby cried out. "I really appreciate the effort. It's sweet."
"Unlike these cookies," Weiss muttered, and Ruby frowned.
"Weiss, she's trying," Ruby chastised. "Do I need to remind you about the Cake Incident?"
"…It was one time."
"You nearly burned down the entire kitchen at Beacon! We couldn't use it for a week!"
"…I said I was—you know what, never mind. This isn't important," Weiss hastily changed the subject, and Ruby couldn't help but chuckle. Weiss then continued, "Anyway, I've sent Diana the arrow. She's currently dealing with Giganta, but once that's done she'll head straight up to Mount Olympus to get this all squared away."
"That's great!" Ruby said, then asked, "What's going on with Giganta?"
"I don't know, something about a date getting crashed. Didn't really bother to ask for more details," Weiss revealed. She began to slowly turn the doorknob and said, "I'm coming in to give you your food. Don't worry, I'm going to be careful."
"Thank you," Ruby replied, nervousness once again making her stomach churn.
She remained silent as Weiss entered the room, the smell of food wafting over towards Ruby. The Red Reaper drooled in anticipation, eager to dig in as soon as Weiss left.
"There we are," Weiss said as she slapped her hands together. "Enjoy your food, Ruby."
"Yay! Thanks, Weiss," Ruby cheered, waiting for her partner to leave so that she could safely begin to eat her lunch. But, to her surprise, she didn't hear Weiss actually leave. After a few moments, the hairs on the back of her neck began to rise as she got the distinct sense that Weiss was staring at her.
"Weiss? Are you still there?" Ruby asked.
"Huh, wha?" Weiss sputtered, causing Ruby to raise an eyebrow. "Oh, sorry. I just… I just…realized how nice your legs are…"
"…What?"
"What?" Weiss repeated, seemingly oblivious to what she just said. To Ruby's surprise, Weiss seemed to take in a deep breath and declare, "You know, Ruby, I know that sometimes we…don't always see eye to eye. But I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you do for us. Honestly, if you weren't here to lead our team, I don't know what I or any of us would be doing."
Ruby smiled at the praise, replying, "Aw, thanks Weiss! You're my bestie, too!"
Weiss paused as she nodded, declaring, "Yes, I am. Which is why I'm taking this food back."
"Wait, what? No! Don't take my food!" Ruby protested, but refused to look up in favor of just uselessly flailing on the ground.
"I'm sorry, Ruby, but this food is too…trite and basic for a girl…no, a woman such as yourself," Weiss countered as she took the plate of food back. "Don't worry, I'll return with nothing less than a five star meal that's worthy of your station."
"But-!" Ruby tried to protest, but Weiss picked up the food and was gone by the time the words began to leave Ruby's lips. Slowly, she pushed herself up and stared at the door, her stomach grumbling as her eyes began to tear up. "But I was hungry…"
The only response Ruby got was her stomach continuing to growl in protest, and all she could do was sit there in silence, wondering why her partner's demeanor suddenly changed. For a brief moment, she worried that perhaps Eros was somehow involved, but then shrugged and dismissed that possibility. She never actually looked at Weiss, so the obvious explanation was that Weiss was just being weird again. Wouldn't be the first time.
Ruby tried to stave off her hunger, ignore it in favor of continuing to sequester herself in her room. But, an hour later, her stomach kept growling, and pangs of hunger seeped into her very soul. It was becoming much, much more difficult to continue her isolation, and each moment only made things worse and worse. Not only that, but another dilemma had reared its ugly head. One that, even more so than hunger, could not be denied.
"…I need to pee," Ruby muttered, pacing back and forth in her room in an effort to distract herself. It wasn't working, and her attempt to hold it in by squeezing her legs together only seemed to increase the pressure.
"Gagh! I feel like I'm going to explode!" Ruby cried out, running her fingers through her hair. She briefly turned towards the door, but stopped herself just before her hand touched the doorknob.
"No, no. I can't go out there. I need to be strong," Ruby told herself, backing away from the door. Her composure lasted for only a moment as her stomach growled and the pressure spiked. She doubled over, scrunching up her face.
"Be strong. Be strong, Ruby," Ruby chanted, but her will was ebbing with each and every moment. Just before she thought she was going to break, Ruby glanced to the side and saw her cape hanging from a coat hanger. An idea popped into her head, and she quickly put the cape back on. She then lifted the garment up, wrapping one end tightly around her eyes.
"There we go! Now I can't see anyone!" Ruby declared, proudly resting her fists on her hips. "I am a genius."
Ruby dramatically turned to the side, her arm reaching out for the doorknob, only to accidentally walk straight into the wall.
"Ow!" Ruby grunted, rubbing her forehead. Grumbling incoherently to herself, Ruby pressed her hands to the wall as she shimmied to the side, searching for the door by the power of touch. When she finally reached the door, she grabbed and twisted the doorknob, gently opening it.
"Yep, a genius," Ruby muttered, then stepped out into the open hallway. Her arms spread out wide, reaching for the wall or anything else to guide her.
"Friend Ruby, what are you doing?" Penny asked, and Ruby briefly turned her head towards the sound of Penny's voice as she continued stumbling forward.
"Oh, hey Penny. Just trying to find the bathroom," Ruby announced.
"Ah, I see," Penny remarked. "In that case, I wouldn't go that way. You're about to go down the stairs."
"Huh?" Ruby sputtered, then briefly lowered her blindfold from her right eye. True to Penny's word, Ruby's left foot was hovering over the top of the stairwell. Just one more step and she would've tumbled over.
"Heh-heh…heh," Ruby awkwardly laughed to herself as she sheepishly moved her foot back to solid ground. "Yeah, that…would've been bad. Thanks, Penny."
"No problem, Ruby," Penny cheerfully replied as Ruby brought the blindfold back up. As Ruby turned away from what she now knew was the stairs, Penny then asked, "Do you require assistance to get to the bathroom?"
Ruby paused, briefly considering just telling Penny no and that it wasn't worth the risk. But then the huntress thought about it some more and realized that, with her eyes clenched shut and her cape wrapped around her eyes, it was perfectly safe. Sure, Weiss' change in behavior was noteworthy, but Penny hasn't been acting any different so it was likely just a fluke.
"You know what? Sure," Ruby replied. "Thanks, Penny."
Ruby could practically feel Penny's radiant smile, and the gynoid gently took Ruby's hand and led her down the hall. As they walked, Ruby could hear Weiss' shrill voice in the background.
"You call this a sandwich?" Weiss chastised. "It has white bread in it, and American cheese!"
"What's wrong with that?" Yang shot back in an irritated tone.
"Well it's not real bread and it certainly isn't real cheese, for one!"
"They taste the same!"
"No they do not!"
"Why are you so worked up about this?"
"Our glorious leader and your sister deserves better than processed bread and cheese!" Weiss pointed out. "And that's not even getting into the Oscar Meyer deli meat you tried putting in it. Do you know how many preservatives they put into that garbage?"
"While I normally would agree with what Weiss is saying," Blake butted in, "I think you're taking it a bit too far, Weiss."
Weiss clearly didn't agree, but Ruby tuned out her partner's protests as she and Penny finally reached the restroom. Frankly, the Red Reaper was just happy that Weiss cared so much.
"Thank you, thank you!" Ruby cried out before rushing into the bathroom.
Penny patiently waited outside, humming to herself as she leaned back and forth on the balls of her feet. A few moments later, she heard the toilet flush, then a relieved Ruby emerged from the bathroom.
"Aah, much better," Ruby said as she closed the door behind her. She opened her eyes and looked around, then locked eyes with Penny. That was when she realized that she forgot to reapply her blindfold, and she screeched, "Aagh!"
Ruby jumped up and flailed, hastily covering her eyes and looking away from Penny.
"Ruby, what's wrong?" Penny asked in concern, walking over to lend her first friend support, but Ruby frantically waved her back.
"No, don't get any closer!" Ruby warned as she fell into a fetal position. "I don't want to do anything weird to you!"
"…Why would you do anything weird to me? I don't understand what's going on," Penny remarked.
"Eros, remember?!"
Penny paused for a moment, then nodded and replied, "Oh, yes. That."
"He hit me with his arrow, and now I looked at you!" Ruby cried. "Oh Gods, now I'm going to fall in love again! I'm going to do weird things, it's going to get awkward, and—"
"Ruby," Penny tried to interrupt, but Ruby didn't hear her.
"—then we're never going to be able to look each other in the eyes again, and—"
"Ruby," Penny said, more forcibly this time, but once again Ruby went on.
"—and I don't even want to think about-!"
"Ruby!" Penny shouted, knocking Ruby out of her stupor. Taking a deep breath, Penny kneeled over and gently took Ruby's hands into her own. Slowly, Ruby opened her eyes again, watching as Penny stared right back into her own with no hesitation.
"Ruby, it's okay," Penny declared. "Just take a deep breath. Now, do you feel any different about me?"
Ruby waited for a few moments, then said, "…No, actually."
"Then that means it's fine," Penny replied. "That arrow was either defective or it works differently than the last one did. Either way, it's not worth you hiding away from everyone. Doing that means Eros and Aphrodite win."
"…Huh, didn't think of it like that," Ruby muttered as Penny helped her up to her feet. She patted herself off, then looked at Penny and said, "Thanks, Penny. I…think I needed to hear that."
"No problem, Ruby," Penny cheerfully replied, then suddenly wrapped Ruby in a hug. "Happy Valentine's Day. I'm here for you if you ever need me."
"Aw, thank you!" Ruby cried out as she returned the hug, and the two girls stood there in the middle of the hallway. After a few moments, Ruby realized that Penny wasn't letting go, and she awkwardly laughed before saying, "Heh, a bit of a hugger today, aren't you?"
"I can't help it! It's Valentine's Day. It just feels…right," Penny remarked. Only then did she back away from Ruby. She then said, "Well, I need to go. Weiss asked me to help prepare a big dinner tonight, and I promised I would help her. It sounded fun!"
"Can't wait!" Ruby announced, hoping that Weiss wouldn't be the one who was cooking it. Her other attempts were…less than satisfactory. Penny waved goodbye, then much to Ruby's surprise came back for one last hug before departing. Ruby chuckled a bit, scratching her cheek as she watched Penny walk away. As the gynoid walked down the stairs, Jaune came up. He briefly turned to look at her, then locked eyes with Ruby.
"Oh, Ruby. You're out of your room," Jaune remarked. "Is…is everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine," Ruby dismissed with a wave of her hand, walking over to her first friend from Beacon as he walked over to her. "Turns out, the arrow that hit me wasn't the same type as last time. I looked at Penny and didn't feel any different."
"Oh, that's a relief," Jaune said with a sigh. "Was starting to get worried you'd miss out on Valentine's Day entirely."
"No kidding," Ruby agreed and nodded. "I felt like I was in jail, just in my room. It got old quick."
"Yeah, I'll bet," Jaune laughed and shook his head. Ruby joined in the laughter, and the two friends stood there for a few moments. Then Jaune looked at Ruby, somewhat strangely in the young girl's opinion, and he asked, "Hey, Pyrrha and I were going to work out in the gym downstairs in a bit. Do you want to join us?"
Ruby hummed as she thought the offer over, then much to her surprise Jaune continued, "Yeah, we're going to lift some weights, do some cardio and abs. She has a whole routine planned. I'm going to be drowning in sweat by the end of it, I can already tell."
Pyrrha having a complicated workout planned wasn't a surprise, nor that Jaune would be sweaty by the end of it. He always was, which meant the workouts were working. But Ruby couldn't understand why Jaune was twisting and flexing his arms as he talked, showing off the muscles he gained since he started Pyrrha's training.
"Jaune, are…are you posing?" Ruby asked, completely flabbergasted.
"What? No, no. It's just," Jaune awkwardly protested as a luminous blush erupted across his face, "when you got it, flaunt it, right? That's what Yang says, at least."
Ruby stared up at Jaune, and a brief moment of awkward silence fell between them. She then averted her gaze and shuffled away, leaving Jaune behind. He dejectedly watched her leave, then sighed and hung his body forward as Ruby went down the stairs.
"Gagh, seriously, Jaune? That's what you do?" he chastised himself. "That was as bad as with Weiss, maybe worse!"
He dragged his hand across his forehead, then released a sigh, perked himself back up, and proudly started walking down the stairs to rejoin the others. Jaune may have messed up this time, but he had all day to make it right.
"Wow, Weiss. You're really going all out," Ruby noted as more and more plates of food were laid out. "There's enough food here for days."
"You deserve nothing less than the best, Ruby," Weiss declared, giving her leader a deep smile through lidded eyes.
"Aw! Thanks, bestie!" Ruby cried out, then quickly wrapped Weiss in a hug. The former heiress blushed profusely, but before she could hug Ruby back the young girl broke away and said, "Well, since you're putting in so much effort, so am I! I'm going to help set up some more decorations!"
With that, Ruby burst away in a cloud of rose petals, leaving a stupefied Weiss behind. She watched her leader go, then released a sigh and went back to organizing the festivities. Walking over to a bowl of strawberry ice cream, she carefully took out a sample spoon, scooped out a small chunk, then tasted it. She let the flavor seep across her tongue, then she nodded.
"This was…adequate," Weiss declared, turning to face an annoyed Yang who was glaring at her with arms crossed over her chest.
"Thanks, it was easy," Yang grumbled, then added, "Only had to visit five stores to find that one brand of imported gelato, and fight off a guy who I think was from Intergang for it. No big deal."
"It's a very big deal," Weiss countered, completely ignoring Yang's encounter with Metropolis' organized crime. "This is the best ice cream in Metropolis, and Ruby deserves nothing less."
"She'd be perfectly happy with regular ice cream. Ruby probably wouldn't even tell the difference. Trust me, I know."
"I would, however, and I refuse to serve my leader with…subpar delicacies," Weiss haughtily insisted, and Yang scoffed.
"You know," Qrow butted in, taking a swig from his flask, "if you're so insistent on treating Ruby to all of this, why don't you go out and get them?"
"As if I can trust anyone else to organize all of this," Weiss countered, then pointed behind her and added, "and as much as I love her, I can't leave her unsupervised."
Yang and Qrow looked to where Weiss was pointing, where they saw Ruby happily frolicking around while placing various decorations and flowers everywhere. Clouds of rose petals were being left in her wake, cluttering the floor and leaving a heavy scent in the air.
"…That's fair," Qrow admitted, and Yang sighed while crossing her arms over her chest once again. Blake, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes at Weiss who went right back to what she was doing earlier. She didn't know if it was just a slip of the tongue, but Weiss definitely said that she loved Ruby. On the one hand, that by itself wasn't worrying. They all loved Ruby, as a leader, teammate, and friend. Part of Blake even saw Ruby as the younger sister she never had. But this behavior came out of nowhere for the former heiress. Given that today was Valentine's Day, that was cause for concern.
At the very least, Weiss' mother was happy with how much effort Weiss was putting into this.
"This is wonderful!" Willow cheered, wearing a bright pink wool sweater with a red heart woven into its front. She was also holding a clipboard in her hand, checking things off with a pen. "I already have the rest of the day planned."
"Ugh," Whitley groaned, briefly tilting his head back as his mother continued to rattle off event after event she planned for them. He had been dragged all across Metropolis, wearing matching outfits with his mother, on a massive Valentine's Day excursion. He only just got back from the store, carrying a mountain of groceries and decorations that his mother made them get. Now he had to help his sister and mother with preparing the apartment for whatever Valentine's Day celebrations they had planned. It was exhausting, and he wanted it to end.
"—then, after dinner, we're going to watch a Valentine's Day movie marathon! I went through all the best film websites to pick out the best ones!" Willow continued, not noticing that Whitley wasn't really paying attention.
"Joy," Whitley groaned, only to flinch when he noticed his mother's hurt expression. He quickly perked himself up and hastily corrected, "I mean, I'm looking forward to it, mother."
Willow smiled, then went right back to talking about making cookies or something along those lines. He flinched, remembering her earlier attempts at baking. It didn't go well.
"Hey? Who left this card out here?" Ruby called out from somewhere in the apartment.
"What's it say?" Pyrrha asked.
"It's says, 'Happy Valentine's Day, Ruby Rose,'" Ruby announced. "Aw, I got a Valentine's Day card! Thanks, guys!"
Both Jaune and Weiss turned towards where Ruby's voice was coming from, and both frowned. While Weiss quickly picked up the pace of organizing everything, barking more orders at Penny who happily and obliviously carried them out, Jaune somehow pulled out a guitar and began to strum it.
"You guys mind if I start playing a song? I've been practicing and…now seems like a good time," he requested, his fingers sliding across the strings.
"Sure! Go right ahead, fearless leader!" Nora announced, and Jaune took that as his opening to begin playing a melody. Whitley listened in and scoffed. While it was far from the worst attempt at playing music he had heard, it was far from impressive. The others seemed to share his opinion, with only Pyrrha actively paying attention and giving him an encouraging thumbs up.
Ruby then suddenly popped back into view of everyone, holding up a stuffed bear that held a heart reading, 'A rose by any other name is not as sweet as you.'
"Heh, that's cheesy. Who gave you that, Rubes?" Qrow asked with a chuckle, only to flinch as something was thrown at the back of his head. "Ow! Okay, who did that?"
No one answered, and Ruby shrugged while saying, "I don't know. Found it on my bed. Weird thing is, I turned my back for, like, a second, and it was there."
"Hmm, that's odd," Ren admitted, then Nora cheekily grinned.
"Or maybe Ruby has a secret admirer?" Nora suggested.
"No she doesn't!" both Jaune and Weiss hastily called out, but Ruby didn't seem to notice how they were focused squarely on her.
"I don't know. It's sweet, though," Ruby announced, then finally noticed the other Schnees. She smiled and turned towards them, saying, "Hi, Happy Valentine's Day, Ms. Schnee! I ate the cookies you made me, they were great!"
"Aw, I'm glad you liked them, Ruby! They were made with love," Willow announced, not noticing how Ruby was lying through her teeth.
Whitley, however, felt the world shift and turn out of focus. Only Ruby could be clearly seen, now suddenly backed by an ethereal pink glow with flower petals fluttering around her. He felt his heart skip a beat, and a furious blush erupted across his face.
"Oh, hey Whitley. Happy Valentine's Day," Ruby said, then came over to give both him and his mother a hug. Whitley flinched, unable to process the newfound feelings gripping his heart. Before he could do anything, Ruby backed away and said, "Wow, Weiss had you get a lot."
"That she did. I'm so happy that she's so enthusiastic about today. It's been great!" Willow cheered. As she briefly walked away to help her daughter, Whitley remained behind. He was staring at Ruby, continuing to blush and unable to move. When Ruby noticed that he was still there, she smiled brightly, making Whitley's blush get even hotter.
Realizing that he had a chance, Whitley regained his composure, coughing into his fist, and tried to adopt as professional a stance as he could, one that relayed class and dignity. Looking up at her, he asked, "So, Ruby…how are you today?"
"Oh, you know. Started off great, then I locked myself in my room for a few hours, but it's all good now," Ruby confirmed, nodding to herself. "What about you?"
"Today has been…eventful. To be honest, up until now I didn't quite get the spirit of this holiday," Whitley admitted, then stared into Ruby's eyes in a way that made her raise an eyebrow. "But, I think I get it now."
"…Okay?" Ruby replied, a little bit weirded out. Whitley wanted to continue, only for Willow to suddenly return and drag him away.
"Mother?!" Whitley complained, but Willow didn't even seem to notice her son's predicament.
"Now, now. The building's having a mother-son event in the main lobby. We just have to go to it," Willow announced, a smile on her face.
"But-!" Whitley complained, but it was no use. Soon the two were in the elevator, disappearing from sight as the doors closed and the car descended. Ruby stared after them, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
"…Huh, if I didn't know any better, I could've sworn…" Ruby muttered to herself, then turned to the side and, to her shock, noticed yet another Valentine's Day gift.
"Aah!" she shrieked and jumped in surprise, then leaned in to get a closer look. This time it was a wonderful bouquet of flowers, with a card addressed to her.
"Flowers?" Ruby muttered, then heard another shuffling, this time coming from upstairs. Looking around, she noticed that there were other floral arrangements scattered around the room. Getting closer to one, she noticed that it, too, was addressed to her. So were all the others.
"…Okay, now this is getting weird," Ruby muttered, idly scratching her cheek with her finger.
When she heard a bang coming from downstairs, she immediately went on guard. None of the others seemed to notice, too engrossed in their own conversations and activities. The sound kept going, prompting Ruby to slowly make her way down into the basement. If she had her weapon with her, she'd have it up, but alas she would have to make do with her fists. But, as she got closer to the basement door, the sounds became clearer, and she realized that was a voice making the sound.
"Come on, let go of it!" a young boy demanded, followed by a grunt of exertion as he struggled in vain to dislodge something.
"Moo," something replied, sounding just like a cow for some reason.
Ruby slowly opened the door, and to her surprise saw Damian Wayne trying, and failing, to wrestle an extravagant bouquet of flowers from Bat-Cow, who was trying to eat them. She stood in shocked silence at the entryway, trying to understand what was going on. Neither Damian nor Bat-Cow seemed to notice her presence, too focused on their current battle.
"…Damian, what are you doing here?" Ruby asked, finally breaking the silence. Both Damian and Bat-Cow froze in place, turning their heads to look at her. Damian unfortunately lost his grip on the roses, falling to the floor and allowing the victorious bovine to eat the flowers. Ruby stared at the young vigilante, who stared right back up into her eyes as a blush emerged across his face.
After a moment, everything began to fall into place, and Ruby's eyes widened as she muttered, "Oh, no…"
Late in the afternoon, Ruby had come to realize something important. The arrow that hit her earlier that morning most definitely did not make her fall in love with the first person she saw. Nor anyone she looked at for that matter. Any feelings she had prior to this event went completely unchanged. That didn't mean she was out of the woods, though, for through the simple act of deduction Ruby was able to figure out what the arrow actually did.
It didn't make her fall in love with someone. It made people fall in love with her.
"You, of all people, do not deserve her," Weiss accused, shoving a finger into Jaune's chest.
"Really?" Jaune asked, tilting his head. He then pressed his hand onto his chest and pointed out, "In case you've forgotten, I'm Ruby's first friend and have been with her at Beacon since the beginning."
"Oh, please. If we're going to bring time into this, I met her first," Weiss shot back. "Besides, I'm her partner and best friend. I am higher up on the hierarchy than you!"
"You're going to bring hierarchy into this? Okay then. I'm also a leader of a huntsman team, like Ruby. More than anyone else here I understand her position," Jaune declared. "In fact, since Ruby's the leader of your team she's technically your boss. Aren't there laws against that or something?"
"Grrgh!" Weiss growled, and her hair practically stood on end as she and Jaune locked eyes with each other, sparks arcing between them. The image was completed by the banners with different colored rose heraldry they were now brandishing for some reason.
"Meep," Ruby squeaked as she hid behind Qrow and Yang, both whom were standing completely still and utterly flabbergasted over the chaotic scene in front of them.
"I don't know if I should be protective and concerned or impressed," Qrow flatly remarked, and Yang nodded.
"I think…both?" Yang suggested, and Qrow paused for a moment. He then nodded in agreement, and all Ruby could do was shrink further into herself.
Off to the side, Blake, Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, and Willow were all watching, their bodies completely still and their eyes unable to break away from the trainwreck happening right in front of them. Nora was eating popcorn, audibly reacting to the latest barbs and insults the romantic rivals were throwing at each other with gasps and quick remarks. Pyrrha's eyes were as wide as saucers, her back slightly hunched over as she struggled to comprehend what was going on. Ren was completely placid, taking in deep breaths to keep himself calm. Willow, meanwhile, looked as though she desperately wished that she hadn't given up drinking, but was so far staying strong.
"Guys, this isn't a competition," Penny pointed out. "You're making Ruby uncomfortable."
"Indeed," Damian Wayne agreed with the gynoid and nodded. "That implies any of you actually have a chance. I, on the other hand, am clearly superior to all of you."
"And why is that?" Whitley accused, narrowing his eyes at the boy who shared his age.
"I'm the son of the Batman, with all that implies. Unlike you, I can both provide for anything she needs and can fight by her side as an equal," Damian haughtily pointed out, puffing up his chest while Whitley stared flatly at him.
"As if Ruby would ever fall for a punk like you," Whitley accused. "She deserves someone with class and poise, both of which you clearly lack."
Damian glared at Whitley, who glared right back without so much as flinching. Next to Nora, both Tim Drake and Jason Todd reached into her bowl of popcorn, with Cassandra Cain silently recording everything her adoptive brother was doing for posterity with her smartphone. They all knew this was going to be reverted eventually, but this was a lifetime's worth of blackmail material and she intended to collect.
"Please stop fighting," Ruby quietly begged, but her suitors ignored her as they continued to squabble among themselves.
"Pyrrha, quick question," Blake whispered, and Pyrrha slowly nodded.
"Yes, Blake?" Pyrrha replied, flinching as Jaune pulled out his guitar out of nowhere and attempted to serenade Ruby like he once did for Weiss.
"I understand why Nora and Ren aren't affected," Blake pointed out, briefly pausing to look at the pair in question.
"Ooh, no he didn't," Nora remarked between mouthfuls of popcorn as Damian called Whitley a wannabe-Jacques Schnee, nearly causing the younger boys to come to blows.
"Nora, this isn't a movie," Ren pointed out, taking another deep breath.
"I'm sorry, I just can't help it," Nora replied, and the older members of the Batfamily nodded.
"It's like watching a four car pileup in slow motion. You can't look away," Jason remarked, and Nora nodded.
"Exactly," Nora agreed, and Ren released a sigh.
Blake returned her attention back towards the Crimson Guardian and added, "I also understand why Yang and Qrow aren't affected, thank the Gods Aphrodite is showing some restraint."
Everyone in the room paused and shivered at the implications of what she just said, even the suitors, before they went right back to what they were doing.
"But why aren't we?" Blake asked. Pyrrha perked up her head in thought, narrowing her eyes as she tried to come up with an answer.
"I…don't know, actually," Pyrrha admitted, tilting and scratching her head. "Maybe…she has other plans for us?"
Blake thought for a moment, then nodded in reluctant agreement. She then added while pointing towards the display in front of her, "If this is Aphrodite's plan for Ruby, I don't think I want to know what her plan is for me and you."
Pyrrha fervently nodded. Off to the side, she noticed Yang briefly look at Blake with relief in her eyes, but the blonde brawler went right back to shielding her younger sister.
"Everyone, everyone, please! We all need to calm down," Penny demanded, but no one listened to her. She scrunched up her face in anger, then closed her eyes. After a moment, she shot them open and neon-green flames emerged out of the sides, and she floated up into the air as a heavy gust of wind kicked up around her. Papers and decorations were blown away, and everyone's attention was hastily drawn towards her.
"Enough!" Penny shouted, her voice holding no room for argument. "You are all treating Ruby as a prize to be won! She is no prize, she is a wonderful and kind girl who has brightened all of our lives! Mine as well as yours!"
"…Aw, thank you, Penny," Ruby remarked, but Penny wasn't done.
"Today is Valentine's Day, a day meant to celebrate love and how it brings us together," Penny pointed out as she floated back to the ground. "Don't let it divide you. Ruby belongs to all of our lives. We can't just take her away. That's not fair to anyone, especially not her."
Ruby suddenly got a bad feeling about where Penny was going with this, and awkwardly chuckled while saying, "Heh-heh, Penny? What are you doing?"
The others didn't seem to hear her, and they looked at each other. After a moment, Weiss turned back to Penny and asked, "Are…you saying we should…share Ruby?"
"Precisely!" Penny cheerfully answered as she walked over and wrapped Ruby in a tight hug, and Ruby's face blanched as her mind ground to a halt as did everyone else who was watching.
"Oh, spicy," Nora remarked, taking yet another bite of popcorn as Jason Todd started to laugh.
When the suitors looked at each other, Ruby thought for a moment that they would go right back to arguing. She honestly hoped they would. Instead, much to her horror, they all began to nod in agreement.
"I suppose that is the best compromise and the fairest to Ruby," Weiss pointed out, and her younger brother nodded.
"Agreed, sister," Whitley confirmed, and Willow released a groan as she covered her face with her hands.
"…At least they're agreeing on something," Willow muttered to herself, wishing that she had something to drink while ignoring Jason's bellowing laughs.
"Ugh, I'd rather not," Damian admitted, "but if it makes Ruby happy—"
"No, this doesn't make me happy! I don't want a boyfriend, or a girlfriend for that matter!" Ruby protested. "I don't want a harem!"
"—then I agree as well," Damian continued, not hearing her at all.
Ruby whimpered as she watched the suitors gather around Weiss who somehow pulled out a massive whiteboard out of nowhere to begin forming a schedule. Yang and Qrow, meanwhile, finally felt their patience run out and prepared to forcibly put a stop to this madness. Before they could, however, the outside door was suddenly forced open. Everyone's attention shot towards it, where they saw Wonder Woman standing before them. A leather bag with a thick strand of rope wrapped around the top was in her hand, and she took one look at the situation before grimacing and opening it.
"Alright, I'm putting a stop to this now," Wonder Woman declared, then reached her hand deep into the bag.
She pulled out a handful of fine, sparkling pink powder, and she threw it into the air with enough force to drift over everyone. At first, they were all confused and stood there watching the Amazon as the powder fell onto their bodies. Then, as though a switch was flipped, they blinked their eyes rapidly. They looked at each other, then slowly towards Ruby who was still trapped by Penny's hug.
"…Oh, Gods…" Weiss muttered, and pandemonium erupted as all the victims of Aphrodite's latest scheme shrieked.
"I'm sorry!" Jaune shouted, running upstairs faster than he had ever done before and straight into his room, slamming and locking the door shut behind him.
Damian's face, meanwhile, blazed crimson as a ferocious blush erupted across his face. He took one look at the rest of his family, who cheekily gave him a thumbs up before he threw a smoke pellet onto the ground. When the smoke dissipated, he was gone, and much to Cassandra's shock her smartphone was also missing. She shot her head towards the balcony where she saw Damian leap off and glide away, and with a silent growl she ran after him. The video was already backed up remotely, but that was her cellphone and she wasn't going to let him destroy it in a futile effort to get rid of the video.
"…We should probably get after them and make sure they don't kill each other," Tim pointed out, and Jason couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh, come on. The little punk needs a good sibling fight every so often. It builds character," Jason said, but he and his fellow Robin followed regardless. As they left, Jason waved them goodbye, adding, "We'll come back and pick up Bat-Cow in a bit. Don't worry, she's potty-trained."
Soon, only the still frozen former suitors, Wonder Woman, and the other spectators remained. Only Penny still seemed to be cheerful, smiling and continuing to hug Ruby.
"Is everyone alright?" Diana asked, and Yang gratefully nodded.
"Yeah, we're alright. Thanks, Diana," Yang said.
"Yep. I was about five seconds away from busting some heads before you showed up," Qrow remarked.
"I'll bet. Sorry it took me so long. A two-bit crook accidentally crashed Giganta's date and ruined her dress. She tore apart the city chasing him down and I had to stop her," Diana revealed.
"Oh, so that's what happened," Ruby muttered, then looked at Penny. "Uh, Penny? You're not under Aphrodite's spell anymore. You don't have to keep hugging me."
Penny moved away for a moment, raising an eyebrow in confusion. She then revealed, "I was never under any spell, though?"
"…Really?"
"Yes, although now that you mention it I did experience a brief lapse in mental processing when I first saw you through the wall," Penny pointed out. "The glitch was trying to affect the areas of my code that directed affection, specifically towards you. I simply got rid of it and moved on. It now occurs to me that it might've been Eros' spell attempting to influence me."
"…Then why are you still hugging me?"
"I thought that's what friends who loved each other were supposed to do on Valentine's Day? Or was I mistaken?" Penny asked while tilting her head.
Ruby was silent for a moment, then hugged Penny back while saying, "Aw, Penny. That's so sweet!"
Penny's smile brightened, and the two dear friends went right back to hugging each other. Everyone else watched them with smiles on their faces, then turned their attention away back to Wonder Woman.
"So, how'd you convince Aphrodite to stop this?" Blake asked, and Wonder Woman scrunched up her face.
"Oh, I have my ways. Don't worry, though, Aphrodite's promised to never pull something like this again," Wonder Woman cryptically revealed, refusing to elaborate further.
"…Are those bruises on your knuckles?" Qrow asked, drawing everyone's attention to the Amazon's fists.
"Is that Aphrodite's bag? I recognize her symbol on it," Pyrrha added.
Wonder Woman slowly nodded, then declared, "I can be…very persuasive."
Everyone stared at Diana, their eyes widening at the implications. A heavy pause followed, then it was broken by Willow who clapped her hands together and asked, "Well then, Diana. Since you're here, would you like something to eat and drink? Weiss and Penny had a wonderful meal made earlier today, and you're more than welcome to help yourself."
"That would be lovely," Diana replied, and with a smile followed after the Schnee matriarch, leaving the others behind. After a moment, Nora shrugged and followed after them, as did everyone else who was eager to put this entire event behind them.
[~][~]
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! A little late, but here's the 2022 Valentine's Day special. It's been a while since we've done one of these, and I wanted to bring this back with a bang. Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for their help in bringing this chapter to life. We're already hard at work with writing the next proper chapter of Hunters of Justice. It's an important one, so we're moving straight to it.
Now, I first want to say that many of you have been using the reviews to have conversations with one another. I politely ask that you stop doing that. Reviews are supposed to be feedback to me about the story I've written, not as a forum like it was Spacebattles. This was previously brought up, but it got particularly bad these past few weeks so I'm asking that it be toned down. Also, you do not need to quote sections of the text in your reviews.
Building off of that point, I once again reiterate that I will not be doing requests for this story. That means characters, potential arcs, and especially ships. We have a plan for this story, and we intend to stick to it. By all means, you guys are allowed to speculate and provide feedback. There have been times where feedback I've been given modified the direction of my stories. But none of them were outright requests or demands. A well thought out speculation post is infinitely more influential to me than outright asking "Hey, can you put this character in? I think it would be really cool." The latter of which I will ignore on principle.
Regarding Cinder, we have plans in place for her. I think you guys are going to enjoy it, but she's not making any major appearances for a while.
I'm glad so many of you liked Willow and Whitley's inclusion in the story, particularly the flashback towards how they were captured. Originally, it was going to be its own separate chapter, a canon sidestory that detailed what happened in Atlas post-Brainiac. But we also realized as we were planning it that doing so would take away from the flow of the overall story. So, we kept the capture portion and decided to save everything else for a later date. I do want to clarify that Klein survived, as is Jacques. As to what happened to Klein afterwards, you guys will find out later. One of these days I might do a proper sidestory showing what's going on in the other kingdoms/bottled cities.
And yeah, Lex has definitely screwed the pooch here. Salem is finally entering the story proper, and things are going to pick up. That being said, there's still a lot to go over in the Grimm Crisis. It's the longest arc of the entire story for a reason. Assuming I don't have to split apart any chapters due to length (besides the ones I'm already planning on doing), we still got 22 chapters left of this arc. It's a big one, but it's building up a climax that I've been dying to get to for years.
We hope you guys enjoy and let us know what you think. If any of you have a TV Tropes account, any assistance in updating it would be greatly appreciated. See you all next time.