"Sometimes... The right person in the wrong place can make all the difference... in the world. Other times... the wrong person in the right place can cause the greatest of damage... And when you're not sure which will cause which, and your desire is simply to create a different future... Why not use them all?"
-Shadowstp, butchering quotes of others and adding to it
A Father's Pride
It was the last day of the work week, so the bar was filled with happy patrons. Many of the people had formed groups and were loudly talking to each other about how their week went - their voices and actions becoming more exaggerated as the night went on.
In one corner of the bar, away from the other patrons, Taiyang Xiao Long sat and looked through his Scroll, pictures of his daughters scrolling by.
He had been worried when the new girl, Atalanta, was dragged to their house and he had been asked if she could stay. He didn't know her, and he hadn't seen her around town. However, both Ruby and Yang had wanted to help the girl, so he was willing to let her stay for a while.
And if Ruby or Yang accused him of staying up that night in the living room just in case, he would deny it thoroughly.
But it seemed that his fears were unwarranted. He questioned her about her intentions, saw the effect that she was having on the girls, and he was surprised to see that they were happier.
Oh, that wasn't to say that they were unhappy before. But he knew his daughters well. He could see how Ruby had been having difficulties in making friends, and was feeling lonely because Yang was drawing away. Likewise, he could see that Yang was drawing away because she didn't want to include Ruby in her "extracurricular" activities.
Oh, he knew about what she was doing. Maybe not all of the details, but he knew. Yang did NOT inherit subtlety from her parents. She probably got that from him... Unfortunately, he wasn't sure what to do about it. If he were to talk to her about it, she would simply try to be sneakier, or do something more dangerous to try to get answers.
He sighed sadly. One day he would have to tell her about Raven, he was aware of that. But until then, he would do his best to shield his daughter from the truth.
He tried to do his best for his daughters, and tried to be there for them as much as he could, but he had his job as a teacher. It paid alright, and he needed the money to support his family. That made it difficult to actually be there for them. Qrow helped when he could, but he was so busy going off on missions for Ozpin that they would go months without seeing him.
To be honest, he felt overwhelmed most of the time. He had thought that he had been overwhelmed when Summer was still around, but when she disappeared (and after he had gotten out of his depression from that) then he knew the true meaning of overwhelmed. He loved his daughters with all of his might, but he was constantly worrying over whether or not he was doing the right thing for them. Seeing Ruby grow sadder, and seeing Yang grow more distant... it hurt him.
And now, somehow, Atalanta had slid into their family and somehow clicked. Or maybe that should be Atal'Aunt'ta he chuckled to himself. Honestly, he felt that she fit into the role of an aunt very easily. She loved spending time with Ruby, and after calming Atalanta down after she heard about the girls goals of becoming Huntresses, she was very supportive about the idea of helping them get stronger. Yang was still distant, and he was positive that she was still going out and making inquiries, but she was participating more with Ruby as they spent time with Atalanta. It wasn't perfect, but it was an improvement. And that he was able to spend time with a happy Ruby and Yang at the end of the day made everything worth it.
He then heard somebody chuckle behind him, and the stool beside him was pulled out and suddenly occupied. Looking over he saw a tall man with broad shoulders and muscles that you could only get from years of fighting. It only took a second for Tai to decide that this man was either a Hunter or somebody of similar strength. Before he could say anything, the stranger beat him to it.
"I recognize that type of sigh." He said with a fond smile. "Kids?" he asked, nodding towards the Scroll.
Getting over his surprise, Tai chuckled along with the man, nodding at him. "Yep, just thinking about my family" he replied easily. "I assume that you have kids of your own?" he inquired curiously.
The stranger nodded, taking a small sip of his drink before answering. "Yes, I have two" he said in a fond voice. "One boy, one girl. They're all grown up now, and I actually haven't seen them in a while" his tone turned a bit sad. "I'm hoping to be able to visit them soon."
Tai winced in sympathy, putting his hand on the guy's shoulder. "That's rough" he agreed "And they haven't contacted you at all?"
He gave another shrug "Until recently it's been... Difficult. For all of us. But I have a feeling that things have changed for us now" he said evasively. Tai wasn't sure what the issue was, but decided not to pursue it. That was certainly none of his business.
Instead, he said "So go ahead and tell me about your kids" while leaning back and getting comfortable. He always enjoyed telling others about the two joy's (and sometimes headaches) in his life, and he had a feeling this man was the same.
The other man smiled and leaned back with his drink as well. "Well" he began "Before we begin, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Ector" he raised his glass in greeting, to which Tai returned the gesture. "As I said, I have two kids. Kay, the elder, is a boy. A very talented swordsman, always willing to jump into a fight. But he also has a playful nature, and he's always trying to get his sister to laugh" he said with a snicker. "My daughter, Arturia, is extremely dedicated fighter as well. She's been determined since she was young to protect everybody that she could, and she's done her best to fulfill that promise" He finished with a smile.
Tai smiled along with him. It was obvious from the way that the guy was talking that he loved his kids. He wasn't sure why Ector's kids hadn't contacted him in a while, but he hoped that it was actually for a legitimate reason.
After they both drank some more, Tai set his drink down and started speaking again, "That's kinda funny actually," He said in amusement, "Your description of your kids actually matches mine quite a bit. The main difference is that I have two daughters..."
And with that, two single men bonded over talking about their kids for hours, and discussed some of the things they had gone through over the years. Meanwhile, while training in the forest, Ruby and Yang both had a feeling of dread come over them, and they had a sneaking suspicion their Dad was telling embarrassing stories about them... Unfortunately, they didn't think about it long before they had to dodge more blunted arrows from Atalanta, and soon the feeling was forgotten.
Far away, both Kay and Arturia felt the same feeling of dread come over them. Given time, they forgot about the feeling as well.
Sir Ector - Rider
The Eldest Knight of the Round Table
Are you our mother?
Night in Vale wasn't nearly as cold as it would be in Atlas, but at this time of year it was still known to get pretty chilly. With the tall buildings, the dark, and the foreboding silence, it wasn't strange for the atmosphere to become a bit creepy.
In these streets, a child walked, wearing an old and ratty cloak, from which white hair could be seen poking out. Her head downcast, she wandered listlessly through the streets as she was lost in her fragmented memories.
Though she wasn't in London, she couldn't help but let her memories drag her back. She coughed violently for a bit, the feeling of smog assaulting her though there was none around her, and she pulled her cloak tighter, shivering as she remembered a biting wind, colder than what was currently blowing through the streets.
Why? Why do we have to go through this again? she thought, unable to prevent the tears from forming. Why couldn't we be with Mother? Why did she leave us? It's been so long, but we still remember... *sniff* I-its not fair! W-we j-just want to be warm and safe...
The sound of machinery could be heard in the distance, with the sounds and smells of the wharf closer by. Familiar sights and sounds, but far from comforting to her, and only managing to deepen her despair. She wandered through a couple of allies, trying to find someplace to try and rest. Hopefully the rats would leave her alone tonight.
As a Heroic Spirit, she didn't need as much sleep, even weakened as she was. But that fact hardly registered in her mind. She was wandering the streets of London once more, in her ever continuous search of trying to find even a single source of comfort.
As she wandered, she came across a park and saw a woman wandering through it, apparently on a walk, and she automatically walked over to her.
It was a question asked many times, though she never kept count. She already knew the answer that would be given, yet it never stopped her from asking. It wasn't from stubbornness, nor naivete, but from hope. However slim, no matter how many times it was dashed, she hoped and prayed that they would one day find their mother.
And yet to her shock, before she could say anything, the woman gasped and ran towards her "Oh my- are you alright child? What are you doing out here alone?"
Surprised (This... hasn't happened before) she nonetheless looked up at the woman and quietly asked the question she had asked many times before (maybe this time will be different?), "A-are you our mother?" in a trembling voice. (Nobody's said yes before, why should we expect it to change now?)
Glynda looked at the small child in shock. She had been on her way back to Beacon and had wanted to the scenic route back. The temperature was brisk, yet she still found it pleasant, and she was enjoying the quiet. Though she enjoyed teaching the younger generation of Hunters and Huntresses, the word "quiet" could never be applied to them.
And yet, as she wandered through the park, she saw a small figure in a horribly ratty cloak. While suspicious at first, she was soon shock when she realized that it was a small child. Upon rushing over, she observed that the child was wearing extremely worn out clothing underneath that terrible cloak. She was clearly dirty, and her white hair looked brown in places.
Why is a child this young walking around this late at night? she thought with a sinking feeling. She had a feeling she already knew.
She made it to the child and started asking her questions while giving her a better look to see if she had any injuries, "Oh my- are you alright child? What are you doing out here alone?"
The child looked honestly surprised at the question, almost like she wasn't expecting Glynda to acknowledge her, and instead of answering her she asked one of her own. "A-are you our mother?"
Looking into the child's eyes, she couldn't help but feel her heart break a little. They were filled with so much more pain and anguish than any child should have. Letting her hand brush through the child's matted hair, she smiled sadly at her when she saw the child widen her eyes as she pushed her head into the hand, prolonging the contact.
Trying to keep her voice soft, she asked "Where are you living child?" Only to frown when she saw the child wilt a little as she gestured towards the nearby alley.
She was going to have to talk to the orphanages in the area to see if anybody recognized this child. If she used to be in an orphanage and they didn't realize that she had gone missing, then she would definitely need to have words with the caretakers. Not only was her state of dress unacceptable, but she could see how thin the child was. Regardless, it appeared thus far that this child had nowhere to go, and the state of her clothes supported this. With that, her mind was made up.
Jackie felt her hopes crash as she gestured to the alley. Once again, it seemed like she was being pushed away. But before she could move away or let the tears fall she felt a pair of arms go around her and lift her up. Stunned, she looked into the lady's emerald green eyes.
As she stared, the lady started walking away with Jackie in her arms "Well, let's go" the lady said in a soothing voice. "I'm afraid I don't have any clothes that will fit you, but I do have food and a spare bed that you can have."
Jackie continued to stare, feeling the tears start to fall from her eyes. Before she could stop herself, she heard herself asking again, "Are you our mother?", this time her voice contained more hope than sadness. Dimly, she heard the reply
"Why don't we get you some food and a warm bed. After you get some sleep, then we can talk about it in the morning, ok?"
She didn't need to listen to anything more than "food", "warm", and "in the morning". That told her everything she needed to know. The woman was giving them someplace warm to be, and was planning on seeing them again. Currently in the woman's arms, she latched her own arms around her new mother, openly crying.
T-thank you... Thank you mother...
Jack the Ripper - Assassin
Legendary Serial Killer
Authors Note:
I give credit to "leo247" for the idea of pairing Jackie with Glynda. I knew that I wanted Jackie in, but had been tossing ideas back and forth as to how she should be introduced.
Brothers in blood, bonds of the heart
The sound of hammers rang across the street of the settlement in the early morning, serving as a wake up call for those closest to the activity.
Emma Zure woke up to the sound and slowly made her way over to the window, smiling as she caught sight of the two making the sound.
She had lived in this settlement all her life. She had married, had several kids and watched them grow up. Now though, she was in her seventies. Her husband had died after a Grimm attack, and her kids had grown up and moved away.
She didn't begrudge them for moving - they had their own lives to live, and she didn't want to hold them back. And they contacted her when they could, so she was happy.
Unfortunately, she was getting to that age where she couldn't do what she used to, and her house and she had started falling into disrepair despite her best efforts. Not that it was unlivable by any means, but things were getting worn down and she couldn't do much about it.
And then those two boys showed up.
Emma hummed to herself as she started cooking up some breakfast for the boys and herself.
The two boys had arrived just the previous day. They had knocked on her door just as she was getting ready to go to bed, and had asked her if she had a room that they could use to spend the night.
Although they had never given their relationship towards each other, she pegged them as brothers… There was just something about them that she as a mother sensed in them.
The older one looked fit enough to be a Hunter, and she saw the experience in his eyes as he looked over the place. Despite that, they had nothing but kindness when he looked at her. Tall, slender, and the most interesting silver grey hair.
The younger one wasn't nearly as experienced. Oh, the poor dear tried, but she could easily see his nervousness as he looked around. He was also tall and had some muscles on him, he seemed more frail than his older brother.
They seemed sincere, and so she had given them one of the empty rooms. Honestly, it had been so long since she had used them that she was embarrassed by the dust that had collected, but they had been very grateful nonetheless.
And now she had woken up this morning to the sound of them fixing the roof to her shed.
Finishing breakfast, she walked outside and called out to them, "Alright boys, that's enough noise-making. C'mon and get cleaned up for some breakfast now."
As the two of them started down from the roof of the shed, she noticed how the elder brother wasn't even sweating from the work being done, while the younger was starting to sweat from the work.
"Really boys" she lightly scolded them "You didn't have to do any of that - especially with how tired you must be! You did get enough sleep, didn't you?" She glared at them suspiciously.
The elder brother smiled gently at her, "Don't worry, we did ma'am" he reassured her with a small chuckle, "And we did it because we wanted to do it. What kind of guests would we be if we didn't help out our host when she needs it?"
She gave him a light slap on the arm "Ooh, I can already tell that you're a charmer" she said slyly "I bet the ladies are all over you" she saw him flinch slightly and immediately changed the subject "Alright, enough chit chat, the food is going to get cold!"
As they all sat down to eat they kept a light discussion throughout the breakfast, mostly talking about the state of the village and the various things going on.
"While I appreciate you boys being willing to help out like you are, it seems awfully odd for two boys to come to a small settlement like this" she stated about halfway through their breakfast, "What happened to your family"
She then saw both of them flinch, and the younger one spoke up and said "They… Aren't around any more" and her heart went out to them. Their families were probably killed by Grimm. Goodness knows it has happened to too many people.
"I'm sorry for your loss" she said quietly "And what about girls? You're at that age when you should start going out with them" She then saw the younger man grow flustered, his face going red. Aha!
"Or maybe" she said casually, "You already have a girl?"
The boys eyes went wide and he waved his hands in front of his body quickly "N-no! I-I'm not, I mean, w-we're not, uh"
Oh, he's at THAT stage is he? She had raised several boys, she knew how this went.
She then turned to the elder, "Really," she scolded him, "It's the job of the elder brother to help the younger brother realize when he has a crush!" Or to tease him mercilessly when said younger brother gains the crush.
The younger man looked more confused at that, but the elder immediately gained a teasing glint in his eye as he leaned towards her "Please, don't be too hard on him," he asked, which caused the younger to calm down slightly "He's just shy about the girl he likes" he concluded with a smile, causing the younger brother to immediately panic even more.
"Siegfried!" he gasped, "Ma'am, please, you have it all wrong!"
"So you didn't tell me last night how much you admire her and wanted to help her?" Siegfried questioned with the teasing glint in his eye.
"Well, yes, but we weren't -"
"And didn't you also say that she managed to save your heart?" he continued.
"T-that's taken out of context! I -"
He was then interrupted by Emma, "Well, when you're saying stuff like THAT about a girl, it's no wonder you can't convince anybody" she said with a smirk. "So what does she think of you then?" she asked.
He hesitated for a bit before saying "Oh, I doubt that she feels that way towards me at all, I mean -"
This time, Emma interrupted him sharply, "Wait! So you're just assuming she doesn't like you?"
"Oh no! I mean, I know she doesn't dislike me… I mean, I know we're friends, you know? And I, uh."
She sighed, shaking her head sadly and turning to Siegfried once more "So you let your younger brother and his girl part without letting them talk about their feelings?"
He shrugged, and she detected a bit of sadness in them "By the time they had met" he said "I was already gone, and when we reunited, SHE was already gone."
She hummed in thought for a bit before looking at the younger man "Now look here Sieg," she stated sternly. "Next time you meet this friend of yours, I expect you to ask her out or something! You're a very handsome boy, and I'm sure that any lady would consider themselves blessed to go out with you!" Maybe she was being too pushy with the poor boy, but she had gone through enough of this kind of drama when she was raising her own boys.
"B-but, I mean, I-I don't even know where she is right now!" Sieg protested
She shrugged, "That's why I said 'next time you meet'" she said calmly, "You'll never know how she really feels if you never talk to her about it, and if you wait too long you'll miss your chance!"
Before Sieg could protest anymore, Siegfried placed his hand on Sieg's shoulder interrupted him, "I'll make sure he does so ma'am" he said with a smile.
"Good" she said with a sniff "See that you do"
And with that the three of them finished their breakfast - though Sieg's face remained red throughout the entire meal.
Siegfried - Saber
The Selfless Hero
Sieg - Caster
Hero of the Homunculi
Girl Talk
Civilians walking past the outdoor cafe during their morning routine paused when they heard the laughter of two women. Looking towards the cafe, they would see four beautiful women in a booth - two of them laughing at something that was said, while the other two were blushing and looking away.
Most patrons of the cafe could recognize Coco Adele, a Huntsman in training that frequently went to that cafe with her partner, Velvet. The other two women that were with them were strangers however.
Both were stunningly beautiful - One was brunette and the other was blonde. The brunette was tall, her bangs were braided around her head in the fashion of a wreath as the rest of her hair flowed past her shoulders. Her clear blue eyes sparked with mischief.
The blonde was shorter, and instead of a dress she wore a type of armored dress that was silver and blue in color. Her hair was only shoulder length, and her eyes were shining amethyst in color. Currently, her face was slightly flushed from the topic at the table.
Coco caught her breath and smirked at the other laughing woman "So let me get this straight," she said with a snicker "Your entire settlement thought that this other woman was a man, and due to politics the two of you married?"
The other woman calmed down at the question, though her eyes were still filled with mirth, "Well," she said with a smile, "There was a bit more to it, but those are the important details."
"Dang," Coco leaned back in her chair and lifted her sunglasses up to look at the other lady "So," her smirk came back, "If you were married to each other, then do you two ever get it on with each other?"
"C-Coco!" Velvet yelped, her face burning red, and the fourth woman's face became flushed at the question as well.
"What? They were married, so it's only natural, right?" Coco replied, her innocent demeanor ruined by the mischief in her eyes.
The woman that the question was addressed to wasn't fazed at all by it, "No, we did not" she said with a smile, "Everybody assumed we did, but to be honest, Arturia was like a sister to me." Her smile then turned melancholic, "She was my best friend" she said sadly "But then, I fell in love with somebody, and the two of us started meeting in secret. Everybody else found out, and the whole thing became one big mess..." she shook her head and looked at the rest of them apologetically "I apologize, but I don't feel comfortable sharing the details."
Velvet immediately jumped in, "O-oh no! Don't worry about it, p-please don't feel as if we're being pushy," she reassured.
Coco snorted, "Yeah, like BunBun said, don't worry about it Guin. We're not asking for your whole life story."
As Guinever smiled at them gratefully Coco turned her attention towards the fourth member of their group. "So what about you Jeanne?"
Jeanne jumped a little in startlement, "Me?" She questioned.
"Sure, Guin already talked about her romance history" Coco said while pointing at Guinevere "People are too scared to ask me out" she said while gesturing towards herself, "And people are too narrow minded to see how cute BunBun is," and she ignored Velvet's noise of protest. "So now it's your turn." She concluded with a victorious smile.
Jeanne looked confused at the reasoning, but decided to answer anyways "Well, I never had time to date" she said calmly "I mostly spent my time training myself and helping others as best as I could."
Guinevere looked at her with a teasing smile, "You remind me a lot of my husband," She said with a small laugh, "But do you mean to tell me that you've never had a crush on anybody?" After saying this, Jeanne's cheeks gained a bit of red, and Coco pounced on that, "So you HAVE seen somebody that you like!"
"Well, by that logic, you two must have some people that you've fancied, right?" She protested, looking at Coco and Velvet.
Coco shrugged dismissively, "Maybe, but I asked you first, so spill."
She blushed lightly, "Well," she said shyly "there is somebody that I fought with for a while. His name is Sieg. At first he was in need of help, which I provided, and he was pretty bad at… Well, everything" she said with a smile "But he never let that stop him, and he was an incredibly fast learner. He was actually crucial in helping me with my last battle. Unfortunately, we were forced to… um, part ways before we could talk" she said in a sad voice. "But" she said while her whole face brightened, "I have faith that I will meet him again, Lord willing."
"I-I'm sure that you will!" Velvet said encouragingly. She gave a small blush, "I hope that I can find somebody to be with like that as well some day"
"Velvet!" Coco fake gasped, "Are you saying that you want to leave me?"
"Wha - N-no! Of course not Coco!" Velvet protested in a panicked voice, "I'm t-talking about in the future!"
With that the group started laughing again, with Jean and Velvet blushing at the teasing of the other two.
Guinevere - Ruler
Queen of Camelot
Jeanne d'Arc - Ruler
The Maiden of Orleans
Calming the regrets of the past
I don't deserve this...
In the wilderness, away from any settlement, a small horde of Grimm was desperately focused on a single person.
I deserve death... At the very least, I deserve to be summoned as a Berserker. Such a disgraceful state is more fitting than this.
Displaying skills beyond what any of the Grimm had seen before, he cut them down. Clad in armor the color of royal violet, he moved with surprising grace through the horde.
It was my fault, surely I deserve to be punished for my sins.
Slowly the Grimm were becoming more panicked as their numbers dwindled. His armor resisted the claws of Beowolves, and Ursai died before they could get a swipe in. Boarbatusks were sidestepped and had their feet cut out from under them, and the lone Death Stalker that had joined them soon found itself declawed.
Perhaps... This is my punishment? To be summoned to this land, forced to fight these abominations?
His style kept alternating between patient and concise to agitated and brutal. His skill unparalleled in both styles, it was impossible to anticipate when he would change.
His King... The person he respected above all else... She had stood strong against all opponents, against all adversity... He, as one of her knights, should have been there to support her. And yet he was the one responsible for her downfall... Responsible for the downfall of Camelot.
The Grimm could smell his sweat, could hear his panting. All signs pointed towards him getting tired, and yet his sword never wavered, his gaze never wandered.
Perhaps... Perhaps if he killed these Grimm, it would chip away his debt. Since he had doomed Camelot, maybe if he helped save this land, he would once again be worthy to see his King once more.
Something changed in the knight, and the Grimm tensed. While his attacks had no doubt been deadly before, they had simultaneously felt empty. Now though, his stance had a purpose to it. The emotions of guilt and torment the knight had been feeling calmed, while the feelings of panic that the Grimm had been feeling increased.
If this is true, then this is a task that I must give my all. I failed in my duty once, I shall not do so again!
The knight raised his head and looked at what remained of the horde. Unable to see beneath the helmet, they missed the grin he bore.
"On my word as a Knight of the Round Table" he intoned, "I, Sir Lancelot du Lac, swear that none of you shall make it past me."
A short while later, the knight walked away from the piles of decaying corpses, making way for the nearest village.
His guilt remained, and he doubted it would ever leave, but with a task and a duty to focus on he was able to think past it.
Where he failed his oaths before, he would fulfill them now. As recompense for his crimes and to absolve his guilt, however slightly.
Back straightened and steps filled with purpose once more, the Peerless Knight chose his path.
Lancelot - Saber
Knight of the Lake
Authors Note:
I'd like to congratulate "SynPyre" for guessing Lancelot for this chapter :) I realize my clues are far from the best, and that makes it difficult at times to make a guess. Thanks for playing along!
By dog, you must be joking!
Whitley Schnee ground his teeth in annoyance at what was happening in front of him. Normally he was quite in control of his emotions, yet today was quickly proving to be rather taxing on his willpower.
And it didn't look like it would be getting any better anytime soon...
His day had started normally enough. Breakfast had been superb as usual, he had gone to his usual classes that morning, and while they had been a trifle dull he could hardly fault the teachers for needing to go a bit slower for the plebeians that were taking the class. He was an understanding person.
It was after all of that, as he and a few friends were coming back from their lunch, that his day started going poorly.
First, as they were making their way back, a clumsy faunus had apparently been in a hurry, and tried to shove his way past them. Disgusted at the animal's touch, he quickly shoved it away from himself, causing it to trip and fall, the items it was carrying went flying. He sneered at the creature, "Much better. Please, do try to remember your place, you repulsive animal". Lowering his voice in the end so that his voice wouldn't carry and saying this while posed with all of the dignity he could muster, he could hear his friends snicker behind him at the creature's misfortune.
Just as he was about to continue walking, he heard "Hmmm, and by what do you determine him to be repulsive?"
Sighing at having to explain something so elementary, he turned to face the individual, only to have his mind go blank at the sight.
The person standing behind him was the... oddest... person that he had ever seen. Halfway bald with a huge nose, the tall man was very thin, yet had disproportionately large arm muscles. Wearing only a type of robe and belt despite the cold weather, he looked at Whitley with what seemed to be honest curiosity.
Before Whitely could regain his senses enough to educate the beggar, the man continued on "Are you, perhaps, an expert in that which is repulsive?" he asked curiously "Like a soldier would be considered an expert in shooting? Or a painter in the art of painting?"
Whitley was about to speak, but was then interrupted by the beggar again "Or perhaps you have a measure by which repulsiveness or beauty could be determined!" He said excitedly, "Like one would measure the weight of grain, or the number of meters in a distance! If such a thing exists, would you share it with me? Such knowledge would truly be a blessing on the lives of any person" He finished and looked at Whitely with an expectant look in his eye.
Whitley flushed angrily at having been interrupted twice before regaining his composure "Of course I'm not an expert in 'repulsiveness'!" he said with a grimace. "The reasons for my calling him such should be perfectly obvious I would think." he finished with a sniff.
The old man looked at him in silence for a second before giving out a patronizing sigh. "But if you are not, as you just said, such an expert, nor can you provide any such measure, then how is it you can judge this man 'repulsive'?" He pointed out "And if you judge such determination as obvious, then you should be able to provide an explanation as to why you think such a thing." Whitley narrowed his eyes at the patronizing tone, but the man continued without paying any attention to him. "Now then, I would like to offer a proposition, and then we shall see if we agree. If we can, then surely our conversation will become much more enlightening. Is that alright with you?"
Now Whitley was thoroughly confused as to how this came about, and could only say the first thing on his mind "...What?"
"Now then! Would you say that repulsiveness is, mayhap, a deviation of the human body? Such that if one were to have a crooked nose as opposed to that of a straight one? Or if they had crooked teeth instead of straight?"
"I, uh, suppose" Whitley admitted hesitantly, noticing that at this point they had gained a bit of a crowd, and even several faunus had stopped to watch the exchange.
The old man shook his head sadly "By dog, you must be joking with me young sir! The description you state you believe in does not make sense! For if we assume that a deviation of that which is normal is repulsive, than what of how can we measure that which is beautiful? If we can assume that Beauty is the opposite of Repulsive, then by your description the most beautiful person is one who is most normal! Do you believe that you look normal young sir?"
"Of course not!" Whitley stated, horrified at the thought of such a term being applied to a Schnee
"Then by that admission, and through the argument you gave, you must be in some degree 'repulsive', as you are not 'normal', would you not agree?" The look on Whitley's face said that he really didn't agree with that description. "Now, please, stop cruelly teasing an old man such as myself. Could you not indulge me in my old age and take this matter seriously?"
"He's a faunus!" Whitley growled at the old beggar. That should be enough for anybody!"
The look of confusion never left the beggars face. "And how does that increase one's repulsiveness? We've already established that mere deviation from normality cannot measure beauty or repulsiveness, and if one were to be the 'most' normal, then they would disqualify themselves as being normal as well! Until we can determine a true measure of beauty, have we the right to call somebody repulsive or pretty?"
"Wha- I- Yo- I don't have to explain this to you!" Whitley said angrily before turning and stalking away in a huff "C'mon" he snapped at his friends. "We're going to be late for class!" And with that the friends jolted into action and followed.
The crowd remained silent for a few seconds before several people started clapping for the man, who looked rather disappointed. His head snapped to the side however when the faunus that had been tripped came up to him, looking nervous.
"Umm, my name i-is Roy, sir. I j-just wanted t-to say thank you sir," The faunus stuttered "Not many people are willing to defend us like that."
The man hummed thoughtfully, "Thanks are given in gratitude when one makes an effort one doesn't have to in the aid of another." He said with a wave of his hand "I was merely trying to find the conclusion of a debate with that young man! Had we done so, both of us would have been enlightened!" he gave a sigh, "Sadly, the youth of this generation don't seem to appreciate the value of debate. Regardless, that activity is something that I would have sought either way, so I have not made an effort that I would not normally do. Therefore, you need not thank me." he concluded with a smile.
Roy blinked in slight confusion at the explanation before looking at him in bemusement. Taking stock of what the beggar was wearing, he hesitantly spoke up again "If you have nowhere else to go," he said in a nervous tone "You could come by my family's place" he offered. "It's can't be healthy to just wear, ummm, that." he gestured at the outfit.
The old man gave Roy a brighter smile "That, I believe, is something that does need a 'thank you' by Zeus!" he exclaimed, beaming at him. "You have given me your name, so I shall give you mine. I am Socrates of Athens" He gave a deep bow towards Roy. "And I am honored to accept your offer."
Socrates - Caster
The Smartest Philosopher
Author's Note:
When Socrates says "By the dog of Egypt", or as I put it, "By dog", he says it in reference to Anubis. He is also known to say "By Zeus". I thought the phrase funny enough I decided to include it as the title.
Existential Crisis
Adam opened up the door to their latest hideout in a fury.
That in and of itself wasn't unusual - ever since Blake had told Adam that she wished to take some time off to think about some things, Adam had been more prone to anger. He pushed the men harder, trained them further, and was starting to be more daring on raids. The men still followed him, and were willing to follow him, but they were well aware that they were walking on glass when he was around.
This time however, Adam's fury was completely justified.
Walking back to the hideout after doing some more training for himself, he had heard the shouts of gunfire and shouts. At first, he had assumed they had been found out, and immediately started running to help with the fight. Yet when he got there he saw a large group of White Fang just outside their hideout, aiming their guns in various directions, apparently at nothing. When he rushed up to them, he had demanded what was going on.
Their answer?
The warehouse was haunted.
He slammed the door open, glaring at the first White Fang that he saw, a bat faunus, and grabbed them by their arm.
"What concept of the word "stealth" do you imbeciles not understand?!" he growled viciously at the poor faunus.
"S-sir!" the victim gasped, "Adam! T-there is an intruder in the base! We *ouch!* are trying to find him and eliminate him!"
Adam let him go, but kept up his glare. The Faunus's wings wilted a little under the glare, but stayed standing at attention.
"This morning, just after you left to train, we found an intruder looking through our supplies. A cat faunus. Late 20's. Wore a tweed jacket with a bowtie. Upon questioning what he was doing, he replied and told us that he was bored." The bat faunus gulped, looking more nervous. "Hestler, one of our newer recruits, saw him reach inside his jacket for something and assumed it was a weapon, and fired his gun. Apparently the cat faunus did not have any Aura, and died."
Adam felt the headache coming on, he just knew it.
"After that, we left the store room and assigned somebody else to dispose of the corpse. Except, well," The bat faunus hesitated for a bit before taking the plunge "When we went back into the room, the body was gone."
Adam narrowed his eyes at the poor man, but before he could speak, the other faunus stated "We had only left the body unattended for a full minute, at the most sir. And what's worse is that we saw him again" Adam could now see the fear in the others eyes. "We keep seeing him - walking up various stairs, dodging down corridors. He only leaves our sight for a moment before disappearing completely." A shout was heard upstairs, followed by a couple shots and the thunderous sound of many boots hitting the floor.
Adam closed his eyes and tried to rein in his temper. It wouldn't do for him to start killing members of their own group.
After several seconds, he opened his eyes again and glared at the faunus in front of him. "Get everybody down here immediately" he growled "With all of the racket you are causing, it's only a matter of time till the police shows up. We'll pack up, and if this 'ghost' shows up again, then I'll take care of it personally!"
With that he marched outside to berate the White Fang members out there for their incompetence.
Meanwhile, on the roof, the cat faunus listened to Adam berate the men, chuckling to himself.
He supposed he had tormented this group enough. True, they had caught him in front of an open box... But he couldn't help that he had been summoned inside the box!
Not for the first time that day, he sighed in frustration. Really, after all of his contributions, efforts, and discoveries for the world, THIS is what he was known best for?!
And then to top it off, the box he had been summoned inside of happened to be in some kind of terrorist base. Normally he wasn't a vengeful man, but being shot hurt! At least it provided him a good way to practice his ability. When he was summoned, he was given knowledge of his own abilities, but experience trumps theory.
After listening to Adam order his men around a little more, Erin Schrodinger stood up and teleported out.
Time to see what else is new in this world.
Erin Schrödinger - Assassin
Schrodinger's Cat - A Paradoxical Existence
Ability: No matter his current state, when not observed by an external force Schrodinger's state of being is uncertain, and he may choose his state. Additionally, while being thus unobserved, he may choose to be in any other unobserved location.
Hounds and Horses
Walking through the fields, two figures could be seen walking, the city of Vale seen in the distance behind them.
One had blue hair and was clad in a similar shade of armor, a blood red spear in his hand. Wiry muscles and lean form, he was currently glaring at something his companion had said.
The other man was large and had purple hair, but had forgone armor, simply wearing a pair of pants and boots. This allowed one to see numerous scars on his chest and back, along with his powerful muscles. The weapon he carried in his hands appeared to be a large drill with a sword's hilt.
"So let me get this straight," The drill wielder said with a smirk, "You got a job as a bouncer at a pub, and are working with two hot ladies, and you haven't been with either of them yet?" He shook his head in mock sadness "Come on nephew! I might not be your father, but you should have enough of my blood to get with them!"
Despite the teasing tone in his voice, the look of fondness on his face was obvious for anybody to see. Both carried themselves as experienced warriors, and their stance around each other spoke of a deep trust between them.
The Lancer gave a carefree shrug "It's only been a few days" he said casually, "Since they are nieces of the owner, I thought it best to take things slowly."
"Eh, maybe" the other man said easily "But if you don't make a move soon, I just might have to ask for an introduction to these ladies myself!"
"Heh, we can grab a pint after our test out here" the Lancer said with a smirk "Speaking of which..."
The two of them paused as they looked up at several dark shapes flying high in the air. Both figures contemplated the flying creatures for a moment.
"Huh" the muscular man grunted in a dismissive tone "Big critters, aren't they?" he glanced at the lancer, "So how do you want to do this? I'll admit - you're good lad, but I doubt you have the muscle for THAT kind of throw"
The blue lancer smirked at his companion before extending his spear and scratched runes onto the air. "Perhaps" he allowed as he worked with practiced ease, "but my spear isn't the only thing I learned from my old teacher, is it?"
The drill wielder frowned as he watched his companion create multiple runes. He was well aware of the power of those runes - his own army was held back by those same runes after all - but those Nevermore were pretty high up...
The lancer saw his doubtful expression and gave him a feral grin as he finished the last rune, "Relax old man" He said as the runes caught fire, and then launched themselves at the Grimm "With the right combination of runes, I can sacrifice power for range. My goal isn't to kill them after all..." The fiery runes impacted the Grimm, causing them to let out a huge screech "... We just want to get their attention, right?" he finished, readying his spear as the Grimm started to descend rapidly.
Soon after he said that, multiple roars could be heard from the trees nearby, and several more Grimm came out and charged the two warriors.
Now it was the drill-wielders turn to give a bloodthirsty grin "Well then Hound" he said eagerly, "How about a bet? The one who kills the most of these blighters pays for the first round of drinks, and you introduce me to those women!"
As he spoke, the light around his twisted sword seemed to shimmer, refracting the light into a rainbow of colors.
The blue lancer returned his bloodthirsty grin with one of his own, "Just don't unleash your full power just yet" he cautioned "We don't want to scalp any hills around here"
The drill wielder snorted at that "Please boy" he scoffed "You're still too young to be giving me battle advice. I was commanding armies while you were still learning to walk!"
"Besides" he said, almost as an afterthought "Where's the fun in ending the battle too early?"
And with that, the Grimm reached the two warriors of Ulster, Fergus Mac Roich and Cu Chulainn.
Fergus had to pay for drinks that evening.
Fergus mac Róich - Saber
King of Ulster
Cú Chulainn - Lancer
The Hound of Ulster
Author's Note:
I give credit to "The Grimm Blade" for suggesting that I add Cu Chulainn, and I felt the need to add in Fergus Mac Roich as well once I found out that the two were related.
01010011 01101001 01110011 01110100 01100101 01110010 01110011
The snow gently fell across the floating city of Atlas, the white creating a beautiful contrast against the gentle blue color of the towering skyscrapers. Despite it being well known for its military, the city had an ethereal beauty to it.
Walking through the alleys of the spires, nobody noticed two figures walking through the alleys wearing heavy cloaks.
One was a little over five feet in height, and she moved with a ballerina's grace despite the cloak she wore. Beneath her hood, if one had been allowed to see, showed a doll like face with golden eyes and black hair.
The person with her clearly didn't care about grace or subtlety. She wore a cloak, but with her hood down anybody could see her. She was five and a half feet tall, with long pink hair that covered her eyes. In her hands she had a large mace that she wielded with ease.
Both girls were silent as they traveled, though for different reasons.
A group of delinquents that were in the alley saw them and made their way towards them with eager grins on their faces. Said grins abruptly died when they heard the sound of a growl.
The sound stopped them cold, chills running up their spines. It wasn't that it was that loud, and they had heard more menacing if they were being honest. But the feeling that came with this growl was that of a barely leashed dog that was at the end of it's patience. Wisely, they immediately turned and left the alley.
Fran, also known as the Frankenstein Monster, growled once more before huffing in annoyance and continued on. She understood why she was classified as a Berserker, and yet she hated it at the same time. It reminded her too much of how she was when she was first created.
Back then, her mind had been brand new - she had no experiences to draw on, of course she appeared nothing more than an animal to her creator. An Abomination. In time though, she grew, and as she grew, she learned. However, despite her increased intelligence, all that her creator saw was the animal that she once was.
She was actually quite intelligent, even as a Berserker. But while the Madness Enhancement didn't decrease her intellect, it decreased her linguistic ability severely. Though she might want to express complete thoughts, and could think them with clarity, all she could manage was gestures, growls, or grunts. If she really put effort into it, she could manage a word or two.
To have that barrier that prevented herself from speaking the thoughts in her mind frustrated her more than anything. Add in she was stuck in a strange city with no clear goal? She was a little sorry that those punks left. She would have loved the opportunity to relieve some of her anxiety.
She turned and looked at her companion, grateful that she at least had a companion. Even if that companion didn't know what to do either, it was better than nothing.
Externally, the synthetic unit known as Katou Danzo was the picture of grace and composure, her face never shifting as she kept her eyes open for danger. Internally however, she was feeling a sense of both overwhelming wonder and utter confusion.
It was a rather odd feeling she decided.
In… 'life', she was simply a wooden mechanical doll, created for the sole purpose of carrying out the orders inputted into her by her owner. A robot, so to speak.
However, that wasn't exactly accurate anymore. Apparently she had made a name for herself while carrying out those orders, and her legend grew. While most shinobi relied solely on stealth, her creator and masters used her as more of a visible tool, which helped further her fame. Her fame became great enough that the Daimyo himself desired to test her, and challenged her to steal the prized naginata of one of his retainers.
With no risk to themselves, of course her master accepted and sent her. It was this act which gave her the weapon she now carries - Naoe Kanetsugu. Unfortunately, it was this act that made the Daimyo fear her, which eventually led to her destruction.
She didn't mind. How could she? At the time, she was simply non-sentient tool. A very complex screwdriver, so to speak.
Those actions had the result of having the legend of Katō Danzo carved in the Throne of Heroes. And her legend didn't say anything about her being a mindless doll.
This left her in a unique position - Her body was the same as it was, with a carved body and synthetic limbs. But the Throne had gifted her with the sentience that the legends believed Kato Danzo had.
She knew of her abilities, and knew of the legend that she herself left, but now she could FEEL. She could EXPERIENCE. The sensations were so new and strange… And quite frankly, she wasn't sure how to deal with all of the new sensations, so she pushed it down as best as she could and proceeded as she normally would.
That, though, led to another issue... She lacked the parameters that she would normally guide her. She had no Master, nor any mission, so no commands to be inputted. Normally, this would lead to her going into a standby mode… But even then, her programming specified she was to go to one of the safe houses before going into standby mode. In this unknown city, that was fairly difficult to do.
This left her with following the Servant that had been summoned with her. Looking at Fran, she felt the unfamiliar feeling of gratitude fill her. She knew of Fran's legend - she had gone through the process of gaining sentience. Once they were in a safe location, she would talk to her and hopefully learn from her.
As the two of them walked walked out of the alley, Kato suddenly stepped back. Fran looked at her in confusion for a second, when something slammed into her at full speed. Barely shifting her stance, she quickly looked at what hit her and saw a smiling face looking back at her.
"Salutations!"
In the world, there are certain concepts, certain titles, that give a person power.
An example of such would be that of a leader. A man could be the wisest of men, but if he is but a beggar, who would pay him any mind? But make that man a king, and his words are heard by all.
Another such concept is to be the best in your field. To be known as the best musician, the best artist, the best soldier. Those with these titles gain power and recognition, and people will pause and take notice of this.
Yet another is the concept of being the first. To be the first at something, whether it's impressive or not. People remember that Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, but the second man on the moon is often forgotten. King Hassan is the first of the Hassan's, and thus his power is unrivaled amongst the Hassan's.
There is a similar power in being the only one of your kind.
Fran was created using a patchwork of lifeless flesh and lightning. Through methods long forgotten, life was created, and a new soul was formed.
Kato was created using a mixture of mechanics and magic. A doll, a kunoichi, and a robot. Though not by her own choice, she left a legend after her passing, and was granted a soul by the Throne.
And then there is Penny Polendina. Created by by a brilliant scientist. An advanced robot who has gained sentience and a soul through the generation of Aura.
Each was the first of their kind. Each an 'artificial' human, created through different means.
Each is also the only one of their kinds.
With that in mind... how could there not be bond?
Penny looked at the person she had run into with a bright smile. Was it rude to slam into people like that? There was a high probability that it was rude… But the girl didn't jump away, and she didn't look like it bothered her, so she was probably good.
She felt a little bad about running into this person, but she was just sooo excited! This was the first time her father had allowed her to go outside the lab and into the city to make friends! She had never had a friend before… Both the scientists that her father worked with and Uncle Ironwood's men were too busy for that, and they kept on forgetting their appointments! The last several times she had asked they suddenly remembered their other meetings that they had.
She felt bad that they kept forgetting stuff like that, so she gifted everybody with calendars so they could remember stuff better.
It hadn't worked yet, but she'd keep trying! But until that happened, she decided she would make friends with people in the city! And that's what led her into this situation. Was this what the phrase "running into friends" meant?
It was strange though… She had no memory of these people in her databanks, and yet once she saw them, she felt… Comforted? Warm? It was sort-of like what she felt with father. Maybe it was a friends thing? Did that mean that these people would make good friends?
She wasn't exactly sure what the process was to make a friend, but how hard could it be?
She looked at the two people in front of her and kept up her smile, "Salutations!" She greeted cheerfully, "My name is Penny! I am a totally normal human with nothing weird about me. Would you like to be friends?" She finished brightly, looking at them expectantly.
Fran - Berserker
Frankenstein's Monster
Kato Danzo - Assassin
Flying Katou
Authors Note:
I think everybody knew that Fran would meet with Penny at some point. However, I have to give credit to "snoogenz" for Kato Danzo. He had guessed that she would appear in the last chapter, and even if that wasn't the case it got my attention, and I thought that she would be a great addition to this part.
Help! I'm being oppressed!
No matter where you are at, a prison is never a cheerful place to be. Even in Atlas, as advanced as they were, they were unable to prevent the gloom that pervades a prison.
General Ironwood stood in front of one cell, glaring at a prisoner that they had recently arrested. Said prisoner was unconscious - they had been forced to rely on sleeping gas in order to knock him out. Unfortunately, it wasn't before he had caused... Problems.
"Report" Ironwood stated when a soldier came up to him "What are the current casualties?"
The poor soldier gulped in fear at the sight of the prisoner, but complied with the order "Still being determined I'm afraid" he said nervously "We still have a lot of wounded that are in critical condition that we're taking care of. Doctors are sure that they'll be able to save most of them but..." he hesitated, and the General grunted in understanding.
"In addition" the soldier continued "We are working hard at digging out the miners. Several of the attacks from the prisoner caused structural damage, which collapsed most of the mines. Once again, we're working hard at getting them out, and Specialist Schnee is personally overseeing the efforts."
The General nodded once more at the soldier, and then went back to observing the prisoner.
What a mess he thought to himself, feeling a dark gloom settle over him as he thought of the families that he would have to talk to. It was not easy, but he always tried to visit the families of the deceased personally. These soldiers had trusted him with their lives, and because of that they were dead. Informing their families was the least he could do.
Of course, this incident was hardly something that could have been predicted.
They had received an emergency call requesting backup at one of the SDC Dust Mines. They had expected the White Fang, and had immediately sent reinforcements. When they got there, instead of a terrorist force assaulting the mine from the outside, they saw that their forces were under attack by a giant of a man who was coming from the inside of the mine.
Over two meters tall, covered in muscle and scars. He ripped through the Atlesian robots with contemptuous ease, and had not been slowed down in the slightest when he started going through the human portion of the military. Had it not been for Aura, the General was positive none of the men would have been able to survive. And what was worse was that the giant was smiling through the entire thing, laughing at them.
Never seeming to get tired, if Specialist Schnee hadn't been on hand to help incapacitate him he very well might have killed everyone there. Once he was incapacitated, they were able to get some sleeping gas to knock him out. While it took an exorbitant amount to do so, it was preferable than having Specialist Schnee forcibly restrain him for hours on end.
Ironwood figured he must be working with the White Fang in some capacity. During the entire fight, he had declared the soldiers to be oppressors, and that they would be destroyed. However, the problem with that theory was that this giant appeared to be completely human, and he wasn't sure if the White Fang would be willing to work with humans, even a human of this strength.
Another problem he had with that theory was that while the giant appeared to be fighting for the miners, his own attacks while in the mines had been devastating enough that a lot of the miners had been caught up in cave-ins. While he doubted that it had been done on purpose, that hardly mattered to the results.
The soldier spoke up again in a quiet voice "Our scientists are still analyzing the chains he was wearing, and the sword he used" he reported, "It appears to have been hand forged years ago."
"And what of his Aura?" Ironwood asked
A shake of the head. "Still no sign of it" he said "By all appearances, he accomplished all of that simply with his own strength," he said in a disbelieving tone.
Inwardly, the General shared that disbelief. For one man to do this much damage without Aura... The thought was staggering. "Tell the science division to keep working on it." he ordered "I want to know the source of his strength. We might even risk waking him up and asking him personally"
The soldier looked at him worriedly "A-are you sure about that sir?" he said, his voice trembling "After what he did?"
Eyes narrowed in anger, Ironwood glared through the bars once more "It will be done only as a last resort," he said in a hard voice "But the fact that he had a ridiculous amount of power cannot be denied. If we can't figure out how he became this strong, then taking the risk to wake him up to question him would be worth it."
The soldier nodded, agreeing with the General. A little while later, the two of them marched out of the jail. There was still the matter of sending backup to the mines to help save as many workers as they could, as well as ensuring as many of the wounded lived as possible.
As they left, they missed when the giant, despite being asleep, tensed all of his muscles, causing his restraints to groan. Underneath the apparatus giving him the sleeping gas, the giant grinned.
Spartacus - Berserker
Hero of the Oppressed
Introductions
[... And that is the latest news regarding the incident at the Dustspire Mines that happened just the other day. General Ironwood has given a statement saying that due to this incident, the military is planning on increasing the number of mechanized forces within the military. Additionally, they have revealed that they are unveiling their latest invention much sooner than planned - The Atlesian Paladin-290! Here we are given a rough description of what -]
"WHAT!"
Everybody at the diner turned away from the news report to look at the person who had shrieked in rage.
The person was short, and had waist length pink hair that was tied in a braid. The armor she had on was black with red and white highlights, and many men blushed at the sight of the pretty girl.
Of course, said pretty 'girl' was currently glaring at the screen, and was being held back by a girl with red-orange hair that was held by four pigtails. She had a light blue tank top, as well as a pink mini-skirt. At her side, she had a pair of red roller blades.
"C'mon Astolfo!" the girl grunted, dragging the pink haired person outside, "Don't make a scene!"
"But Neon!" Astolfo cried out while glaring at the TV still, "How can they call that lifeless hunk a Paladin?! They're taking my title!"
Neon Katt sighed, relaxing once they got outside and Astolfo stopped struggling, "Well, it's not like you have a monopoly on the name, ya know?" she said lightly, "And without, like, being a Huntsman? You can't really say you have more of a claim on it than they do, right?"
Astolfo huffed and gave her an indignant look, "Of course I can" she said stubbornly, "I was given it first!"
Neon sighed and started putting on her roller blades. "Relax, nobody is going to care about a name. No reason to blow a gasket over it."
"..."
"Yo, what was that? I didn't catch it."
Astolfo huffed, "Why do THEY get to have an introduction?! I haven't been able to finish an introduction for myself in sooo long!"
Neon blinked, and then looked at Astolfo in bewilderment, "You're upset because they, like, got an introduction?" she asked incredulously.
Astolfo crossed his arms and looked the other way, "You get interrupted every time you try to introduce yourself, and THEN see how you feel," he said while pouting.
Neon looked at Astolfo blankly for a bit before dissolving in laughter, with Astolfo joining in reluctantly as well.
"I've said it before, but I'll say it again" Neon said after she regained her composure, "You can always find a way to make me laugh!" She straightened up with her roller blades on. "Now c'mon girl, I know what would make you feel better. My gal Viola is hosting a wicked party later tonight, and I just know you two will hit it off" She then smirked, braced herself, and sped away, "Last one there buys the other lunch!"
Astolfo froze for a second after hearing the 'girl' comment and was about to say something, but once he heard the last part he completely forgot about it and grabbed the skateboard she had given him and chased after her. "Wait! That's not fair Neon! I can't afford to buy both of us lunch! NEON! GET BACK HERE!"
Astolfo was grateful that his riding skill extended to skateboards. There was no way he was going to get stuck with that kind of deal!
Astolfo - Rider
Knight of Evaporated Sanity
Author's Note:
I give credit to "Valkoor123113" for suggesting that I add Astolfo and pair him with Neon Katt.
Are you sure this isn't a singularity?
Two men sat at a table within a library. One had long, bright orange hair that was tied into a ponytail behind him and could be described as 'fluffy'. He was currently digging into one of the books from the small pile that he had collected throughout the library, talking to his companion in what some observers would recognize as the 'lecturers' tone.
The other man was of average build and medium height, with short unkempt black hair. Although he had a book in front of himself as well, he appeared to be fighting a losing battle with paying attention to what the other guy was saying.
"... Therefore, that is why we can be sure that we are currently not in a singularity" the orange haired man concluded with a smile while looking at the black haired man. "Do you have any questions about any of that Ritsu?"
Ritsu jolted back to attention and looked at the other man with a blank smile, "Umm, no, I don't think so..." he said carefully, and winced when the other gave a sigh in exasperation. "Sorry Roman," Ritsu said apologetically, "Could you give me the shorthand version?"
Roman gave him a tired look before shaking his head, "This isn't a singularity, and we don't appear to be on what we know of as Earth. How's that?"
"But how did we get here?" Ritsu asked with an air of frustration, "And why us?"
Roman shrugged helplessly, "Who knows? According to both of us, we both remember going to our beds last night, and now we're here. If I had to go out on a limb, I'd say that it was some kind of summoning." He brow scrunched in thought for a second, "But I'm not sure WHY the two of us would be summoned, nor who would have the strength to summon us to another world!"
Ritsu fidgeted for a bit before asking "So do you think we were the only ones summoned?"
The other man looked at him knowingly, "You're wondering if Mash was summoned as well?"
"Well, yeah" Ritsu said with a small blush. "She's been with for all of the other crazy stuff that has happened lately, and it would make much more sense for HER to be summoned than us. I mean, not that you're not super useful!" He said quickly "But you're more useful in Chaldea, you know?"
Roman laughed a bit nervously at that, "Y-yeah, she'd clearly be the better choice. And I thought of that!" He said, quickly changing the subject, "That's why we're here at the library," he said with a grin.
The grin faded a little bit at Ritsu's blank look and he gave another sigh, "When you're in a strange place, the first thing you want to do is learn more about that place" he explained "If Mash was summoned, then it would only be logical for her to come to the library to learn more about the world!"
"Ah, that makes sense!" Ritsu said happily, relaxing for the first time that day. "So we just need to keep watch from here and we should see her," he said with a grin.
Knowing that, Ritsu felt much better. After everything that they had been through together, it wouldn't have felt right to have to do something like this without Mash. With her by his side, he was sure they could handle anything that was thrown at them.
Several streets from the library
"Ummm, Da Vinci-chan?" Mash said cautiously, "Why are we going to the museum? Shouldn't we be searching for Sempai?"
Leonardo da Vinci didn't respond at first, opting instead to gaze at the architecture of the extravagant museum with sparkles in her eyes. Eventually she shook herself out of it and turned to Mash with a smile, "Of course we're going to look for our dear Master! But it's a large city, and if he is here he is undoubtedly looking for us. Therefore, we should stick to a place where he would expect us to be. Like here!"
"But, what if he doesn't know that we were summoned as well?" Mash asked, fidgeting as the people around them stared at both of their outfits, wishing not for the first time that her armor concealed more.
Da Vinci gave a lighthearted shrug, her smile never diminishing "Then we still need to learn more about the city!" She exclaimed, "It wouldn't do for us to wander around aimlessly. And if our Master isn't here, knowing more about the world will still be a worthwhile venture!"
Mash stared at her for a few seconds, and Da Vinci eventually sighed, "Yes, I know, the odds are HIGHLY unlikely that he's not here." She admitted, "But my point still stands."
Mash eventually relented, and they started walking up the stairs of the museum. "But, Da Vinci-Chan" Mash hesitantly said, "Are you sure that the museum is the best place to learn about the city? Or do you just want to see the paintings here?"
Leonardo gasped, placing her hand over her mouth in shock, "Why Mash, how could you think such a thing?" She asked in mock surprise, her hand hiding a small smirk, "That's simply a side benefit!"
She then skipped over to the front desk, smiling brilliantly at one of the men in uniforms. "Hello there! It's nice to meet you!" She said brightly, dazzling the poor man. "My friend and I are new to the city, and we were hoping to get a tour of this wonderful place. Is that something that you could do for us?" She asked him while batting her eyes at him, "We have soo many questions!"
The man blushed lightly before straightening his back and puffing out his chest, "Of course, I would be honored to give both of you lovely ladies a tour of the building, and I can answer any questions that you might have" He said proudly.
Da Vinci cheered and turned to Mash with another smile "You see Mash? I told you that he could answer our questions!" She then turned out the man and gestured him forward "Lead the way good sir!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru
Last Master of Chaldea
Romani Archaman
Former King of Magic
Mash Kyielight - Shielder
The first Demi-Servant
Leonardo da Vinci - Caster
The Universal Genius
Author's Note:
Several people asked me about adding Mash into the story. And I couldn't write a story with Mash in it without writing Ritsu as well.
Complete Author's Notes:
Soooo, I might have gone overboard with this chapter… Some sections came easier than others, but I think most of them turned out well enough. I tried really hard to make sure that I characterized each person correctly when I wrote them.
I'd like to thank everybody who gave chapter suggestions - there were many that did not get chosen, and I apologize, but I can only write so much. I will say that new servants will continue to pop up in the future, just not nearly as frequently. For example, a lot of people gave recommendations for Sun Wukong, and I feel bad for not having something written for him just yet. However, I do have an idea for a future chapter, so that's something to look forward to.
Once again, I'd like to thank my sister for beta reading this chapter for me. I hope that everybody enjoys what I have written, and please let me know what you think of it! I hope that everybody has a good weekend!