Well, that escalated quickly last time. Time to chill out a little... even if it is maybe somewhat unwarranted.
But for now, it is only but the calm morning before the dawn of war, where the first wounds may begin to heal... before the next round of them begins.
Also, 100+ FAVORITES. Jesus, that's a milestone and a half for me, thank you all for being there for all of this. It really means alot to me...
Anyways, on with the show.
Chapter 16: Raindrops on Roses, Whiskers on Kittens
"So dry your tears. Fortune has not yet turned her hatred against all your blessings. The storm has not yet broken upon you with too much violence. Your anchors are holding firm and they permit you both comfort in the present, and hope in the future." ―Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy
...
...
...
...
Darn it all, why can't I get any sleep?
Though there was a solid layer of glass between her team and the outside rainstorm, she still felt the chill of the wind and the falling rain as the moon overhead was smothered under a blanket of dark clouds. Even with the thick comforters and blankets she felt a trail of goosebumps course down her arms and a resounding chill climb down the length of her back. Even after getting a hot cup of tea at the cafeteria when she and her team returned to Beacon, she still felt the bite of the cold.
Her eyes slowly opened up and through the dim light of the night, she saw her blonde partner peacefully snoring. Something about the image was serene, almost enough to lull her to sleep as well.
Granted, the snoring part made that difficult, but could she blame Jaune for something he didn't have control over?
Another chill crawled down her back.
Since when were Valean summer nights this cold?
If there was one thing that Pyrrha Nikos was always in favor of, it was a good night's sleep; sleep was key for a warrior of any kind, Huntsman, soldier or otherwise. Yet tonight―though in all technicality it was just about to become morning―she could not get herself to fall asleep.
Truth be told, she had a very good idea why that was.
3 hours ago... Jacob...
Gods, she couldn't even say it in her own head.
Pyrrha felt an overwhelming need: she needed to get up. She couldn't just lie down, she had to get up.
Without a peep, she righted herself from her bed and wandered over to the window as the rainstorm outside continued to deposit its deluge. Part of her regretted not immediately grabbing her fluffy crimson robe and instead opting to brave the chill in only her white and gold-trimmed, figure-hugging sleeveless tee and red shorts, but in all honesty she couldn't care less with the thoughts buzzing about in her head. Outside, the rain cascaded down from their lofty home in the sky, coming down atop Beacon Academy's hallowed halls with the sound of rapping knuckles
After a minute of watching the rainstorm the Mistrali champion found herself gripping her head in confusion and agitation. Even with what she did know, things just didn't make sense; what happened out there at the docks? Blake had told them about her stakeout and how Jacob offered to back her up and keep the rest of RWBY off her trail. While she didn't exactly care for the notion that he would outright lie to them, after Blake explained it was far more understandable: Jacob simply willingly stuck his neck out for her during the whole debacle. Granted it had nearly incurred the wrath of Weiss again, but then... everything just ground to a halt after that when...
She could still remember the... blood on his hands.
That boy's blood on her friend's hands...
In the back of her mind, part of her realized how much he had become part of their unusual posse. For the better part of 2 months he had been an outlier, tagging along for the most part simply because they had been the first ones to help him in his strange new predicament. Now she happily would call him a friend, closer than anyone outside the sister-teams she was now a part of. She had actively begun training him for the gods' sakes, right alongside her partner!
And part of her was afraid that her training killed that boy.
No, she mentally fumed to herself, neither of you are at fault for this; Jacob was defending himself, the boy was threatening to kill him... it was no one's fault, just an unfortunate encounter.
Yet, at the same time, it felt... wrong in a sense just thinking about it all.
Her friend had... had killed someone.
A boy, no older than Ruby...
Pyrrha Nikos felt her stomach lurch. Now that was foreign to her. She hadn't felt ill like that since she was a bright-eyed, twin-braided, brace-faced little girl in primary combat school some 5 years ago.
My gods, has it really been that long?
Like some prototype maternal instinct, Pyrrha had a sudden distinct urge to check up on the young Huntress. Despite the efforts of Mr. Wukong, Ruby was a smarter girl than most gave her credit for: She had been more than aware of what had transpired...
And the tear-rimmed look she had given Jacob in the aftermath was nothing if not painful to watch.
I hope she's doing alright, Pyrrha thought to herself.
That strange instinct wasn't shutting up either. She had to check up on Ruby.
It was so unusual for her to have to sneak out anywhere, even the very notion of simply across the hall. She had never needed to sneak about, but she was slow and cautious as she snuck out the door to her dorm and into the hallway.
And about that time another atrocious chill―this one even colder than the last―assaulted her body. Bad idea, bad idea, she thought to herself.
She stood before the door to RWBY's dorm room, her fist ready to rap on the door as lightly as possible―she didn't want to wake Ruby or anyone else who was heavily asleep―but she hesitated at the last second.
No, she began to think, it wouldn't be kind to wake them up this late at―
Her thoughts were interrupted as the door squeaked.
Pyrrha's heart skipped a beat. Was I still loud enough that they heard me!?
From around the doorframe, a head of golden hair peeked out, shimmering in the moonlight.
"Pyrrha," Yang asked through a yawn, "what are you doing up?"
"Oh, hello Yang," Pyrrha greeted quietly, "I hope I didn't wake you up. I just wanted to see if Ruby is alright."
The tiniest flicker of realization crossed Yang's visage before the sleepiness returned to her eyes. "Oh no, you're fine, I wasn't sleeping that well anyhow. Ruby's fine at the moment, I managed to get her to fall asleep with some help from Weiss. I mean, my sister's not as... unfamiliar with death as you'd think, but she's mostly been concerned about Jacob."
Pyrrha peeked her head through the open door to see inside. Sure enough, Ruby was sleeping like a babe, curled up beneath her covers in Weiss' bed instead of her own precarious perch. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully enough, especially considering Weiss had curled up rather closely next to her, hugging her gently.
"We should probably talk elsewhere," Yang whispered.
"True, or we could wait until morning," Pyrrha offered out of concern for Yang's restfulness.
"Nah," Yang said in reply, "I'm not catching a damned wink of sleep at the moment." The swear caught Pyrrha off guard―Yang certainly seemed the type to swear, but she had never actually heard her swear before―but that was quickly pushed aside as Yang snuck through the narrow opening and silently closed the door behind her. Yang had been wearing the same pajamas as she always wore, an orange sleeveless shirt with her emblem on it and black boy-shorts, and her lion's mane hair was somewhat disheveled tonight. Coupled with some bags under her eyes, it more than looked like she had been subject to an unbearably long day.
"So, P-Money," she began, crossing her arms, "What do you want to talk about?"
Pyrrha let out a massive sigh. "Jacob," she simply said.
"Ah" Yang answered, before asking, "Right. I'm not gonna lie, I don't think he did the wrong thing at all considering what was going on."
The champion stared at the blonde bombshell with a look of surprise. "You mean you... condone what he did?"
Yang glowered at that. "No, I don't condone that he just... killed a boy the same age as my baby sister," she began with an obvious edge of discomfort at that last part, "But it was either him or the kid and... I hate to be that person, but I'm glad it was him."
"...Yes, I suppose so." she began to walk down the length of the corridor, with Yang following beside her. " I just... that boy was... so young, Yang, and I cannot ignore that fact."
Yang's gazed met the floor six feet ahead of her stride. "I know, Pyrrha; believe me, I know." For a brief second, some part of the Mistrali's mind wondered if the blonde had seen her own little sister like that for a brief second, just long enough to strike a tinge of fear in the headstrong Huntress.
But that thought was quickly silenced as a vicious glower overtook Yang's features. "But it's not Jacob's fault," she snarled, "we have to put the blame on the real culprits. It may have been Jacob that delivered that kid to the Hereafter, but we shouldn't forget the bastards who put that kid on the battlefield in the first place." For a brief second, Yang's eyes flashed a blood red, and Pyrrha could have sworn that the temperature in the hallway suddenly jumped to a more comfortable territory.
"The White Fang," Pyrrha acknowledged with her own furrow of anger. Yang was right; the Fang were taking extreme measures and now it had cost a boy his life, and cost a man his conscience being clean. If this kept up...
If this kept up, it wouldn't be long before they broke out into all-out terror attacks.
"How is Blake doing?" Pyrrha asked, speaking of Faunus.
Yang stopped in her tracks. For a second Pyrrha was worried she had hit a sore spot right at the moment. "I... I think she kinda blames herself for what happened too. She was saying that she knew the White Fang were getting extreme, but she never imagined they would reach this degree." The disheartened face Yang wore spoke volumes about that conversation; clearly Blake had felt some guilt over the subject.
But that changed as a cheeky grin made itself manifest. "But I think I chewed her out enough about it all that I don't think she's gonna try that again anytime soon," she laughed softly. Hearing that genuine chuckle after such somber discussion was enough to get Pyrrha to giggle as well.
Their easing laughter sadly gave way to silence again as the night continued on.
"Are you mad at them?"
Yang blinked in confusion at Pyrrha's question. "What?"
"Are you mad that she ran off without you guys? Are you mad that he lied to you to help her?"
Yang motioned as if to protest, but she stopped mid-way through, as if she took a second to rethink her position. It was as if the very air itself held its breath.
For a whole minute, the hallway was silent as the grave.
"...Yes," she finally answered with a huff, "I'm mad at them. But she's my partner and he's my friend, I'm not gonna say 'to hell with them' just because of one little slight."
Pyrrha felt a relieved smile cross her lips. "Glad to hear that," she said.
After a few seconds, Yang's attention was brought to the door to Jacob's dormroom. "He still isn't back yet, is he?"
The smile abandoned Pyrrha's face as she sighed. "I haven't heard the door to his dorm open, so I would imagine no," she replied in a mumble. "Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch took him along with them to their office. Clearing up some details for the police if I remember correctly."
"Do you think he'll be charged with manslaughter?"
Pyrrha shook her head. "Not directly at least, laws in regards to Huntsmen are more lenient, at least back in Mistral. As a student of one of the Academies, disciplining him will probably fall on Ozpin's shoulders. If he doesn't get outright expelled."
Yang winced at that. "In other words," she huffed, "probably gonna go straight to Goodwitch."
Pyrrha stared up into the ceiling, imagining the starry night sky beyond the storm that still hung over the city.
"I just hope he's alright..."
...
...
"Mr. Muller."
No response.
Louder, perhaps harsher. "Mr. Muller."
Still no response.
"Jacob."
His gaze left the ground, and was met by aged, green eyes.
"Oh, uh... sorry, Ms. Goodwitch," he numbly muttered, "I, uh... I was just thinking."
Out of all the looks he thought he would ever get from Glynda Goodwitch... sorrow was pretty low on the list. There were clearly bags under her eyes, but she seemed to be relatively awake at the moment―still garbed in her usual attire of a pleated long-sleeve top, pencil skirt and violet cape―and yet now she felt less like they dominant force in the school that kept everything running and more like the sidekick to Ozpin she supposedly was by way of her rank. In her hands she held two mugs, both steaming with some kind of brown liquid, most likely cocoa if common sense was in play in Ozpin's mind.
"Ozpin thought you might need something to drink," she said softly, walking over to him and gently placing the mug on Ozpin's desk beside Jacob. Outside, the rainstorm continued on, blotting out the broken moon with naught but the tiniest specks of silver light to pepper the downpour.
"All things considered," he began with a tired sigh, "I'm about... 8 months out from being technically able to drink anything with more burn than soda. Lord knows I might need a shot of whiskey for tonight... maybe tequila." He took the hot mug in his hands, but he couldn't bring himself to drink from the sweet beverage just yet. Gonna scald my mouth at that heat, he thought to himself.
Glynda ignored the comment, instead sitting opposite of him in a similar chair, legs crossed daintily as usual. The snide scowl on her face spoke outright that he had struck a nerve; no doubt a crow-shaped nerve. "Alcohol won't solve your problem, Jacob," she warned. "I have an... associate that look that thought process to heart."
Qrow, he realized. "If you're referring to a certain Branwen Brother, I'm more than aware of his drinking problems."
The de facto Headmistress stiffened. "How do you know about him?" she asked wearily.
Jacob felt the inquisitive emerald eyes sear deep into his own. "Uh, Amber mentioned him once or twice, told me he's able to drink a tavern out of all of its stock in under a week. I take it from your reaction that's not hyperbole."
Her glare lessened greatly as the lie passed muster. "Qrow's heart is in a good place," she began with a sigh, "but he's brash, and arrogant, and boisterous and... a lot of things that are unsavory."
"Well then," Jacob said after a moment of letting her stew, "I suppose it's a good thing he's not here at the moment then."
Glynda simply stared off into the midnight storm as silence assumed command of the room. Jacob continued to stare down at his drink as the two continued to wait for the Headmaster to arrive.
After another minute, Glynda piped up. "Jacob," she asked quietly, "how are you feeling at the moment?"
Jacob hummed and hawed mentally for several seconds before he relinquished the truth. "I, uh, I don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling right now," he admitted in practically a whisper.
"But what are you feeling right now?" she pushed the question.
"...I got most of the fear out of my system, I think," he began, "back at the docks; God knows I already let loose a deluge before the rainstorm had even begun proper... But... I can't say that I feel fine. If anything, I... I feel... hollow."
Glynda simply continued to watch him. He couldn't tell what was going through her head, but if her eyes "I killed a kid, Glynda... a kid on the wrong side of the law, sure; a kid who sided with a group closing in on outright domestic terrorism, sure... but still a kid," at this point his voice broke, the burn of tears building in his eyes, "no older than Ruby mind you... and his parents have to come in the dead of night and confirm that's... that's their boy I've killed... that they'll never see alive again... God damnit Glynda, WHY DIDN'T HE HAVE HIS FUCKING AURA!? What's wrong with those fuckers that they would send a BOY into battle with no means to protect himself!?" His fists slammed onto both the desk with his left and his knee with his right as he roared in outrage.
Through the tears now building in his eyes he could see Professor Goodwitch had been taken aback by his sudden outburst. After a few seconds of holding back the tears and breathing like an asthmatic, Jacob began to cool down. "I'm sorry," he whispered as his gaze returned to the ground, "I shouldn't have burst like that." The sound of silence hung in the air like a limp curtain for a few seconds afterwards, as Jacob sat in contemplation of everything; his actions, his intents, his beliefs, all of it.
He felt a hand cup his shoulder in comforting. He looked up to see that Glynda had taken a knee in front of him, her emerald eyes showing her own looks of woe in response. "I know that you blame yourself for what happened to that boy," she quietly consoled, "But you shouldn't. That boy's fate was untimely, but it was not your fault, it was the fault of those who set him on that path in the first place. But what happened back there will not be the last time that something like this happens: we're Huntsmen, lives are always on the line when we are called to battle, and sometimes..." she paused as she took a deep breath, "sometimes it may be our fellow man who threatens the peace."
"Indeed, Glynda," came the distinctive voice of Professor Ozpin as the esteemed Headmaster walked into the room from the elevator, cane in hand and looking obscenely haggard. The long night had not been pleasant to him, especially since the police had hounded him for information that he didn't have.
"Ozpin," Goodwitch said as the two got up out of their seats, Jacob still wiping some of the remaining tears from his eyes, "Are you alright? How did it go?"
Professor Ozpin sighed heavily as said, "Fairly decently, though I must confess it took some tactical finagling to get to where we are now." He turned his attention to the grieving man. "Mr. Muller," he began with a tone of worry, "are you alright?"
"As much as I wish I was...No, not really," Jacob admitted as the tears finally settled down. "I don't think I'm gonna sleep well for the next few days, Oz."
"In all honesty Mr. Muller," the Headmaster continued, circling around his desk and heavily sitting down into his clockwork-gear chair, "I would be more worried if you would sleep any bit peacefully. Not that you shouldn't get any sleep, of course, merely I am just happy that you aren't showing any―"
"―Sociopathic tendencies?" Jacob finished with melancholy.
Ozpin seemed to not know what to say before he slowly answered, "...Yes, actually. I take it you are familiar with the idea?"
"I studied psychology back home," Jacob mumbled, "Didn't get very far into my studies, but sociopathy was one of the classic mental issues that I got around to reading up on."
"Ah, I see," Ozpin sighed after a second. "Regardless, you may be happy to know that any manslaughter charges you might expect are currently being "handled" by your's truly, even if there were some hoops and hurdles to get through," he finished, taking a small drink from his mug of hot chocolate.
Jacob felt a mixture of guilt and elation. "So... what does that mean for me?" he asked, "Because the way you said it, I'm not sure what you mean by that."
"It means, Mr. Muller, that as a student of this Academy, and by extension as a Huntsman, the Council leaves the governance of training Huntsman to senior members of the Academic community. And full fledged Huntsmen are tried by a jury of Huntsmen peers."
Jacob felt a sense of befuddlement over the very notion. "If you have a ruling Council, why would you let your premiere protectors, the people with the pound-for-pound largest quantity of strength, rule themselves?"
"The Council technically holds command over us by way of the treaties after the Great War," Glynda explained, "But they have left us to our own devices, only stepping in if the overall stability of Vale is in jeopardy."
So, basically we are like a chapter of Space Marines to the Imperium then, Jacob realized quickly, We adhere to their overall governance, but are given free reign of how we go about protecting them. "And.. what happens to me then?" He asked hesitantly.
Ozpin decided then to take an unusually long gulp of cocoa. The tension in the air felt thicker than ice.
"It means," the Headmaster finally said after he finished, turning his head and staring into Jacob's own eyes with the piercing gaze that could drop a gorgon, "that I am to be your judge and jury. But I see it in your eyes, Jacob, that you did not mean to kill that boy. You didn't know that we was unequipped in regards to Aura... but you did fail to recognize that."
The guilt piled on. Jacob's head hung lower in self-disappointment.
"But that being said, I am supposed to pass judgement over you. Whereas your younger peers would receive harsh reprimands, as a legal adult under Huntsman law normally it would be my task to expel you from the Academy."
Jacob's stomach decided to twinge. Panic set in as he realized he could very well be on his way out the door. How would he save Pyrrha now if he couldn't even train himself as a Huntsman?
"However," Ozpin began, "as a member of our Organization―at least in name for right now, by all accounts we need to formally induct you into the Order as soon as possible―it would be foolish of me to let out someone with such knowledge of our longtime foe out into the world where she could get information out of you. I've motioned for all charges against you to be dropped in light of additional side effects to what transpired tonight." Ozpin tented his hands as he continued to speak to Jacob. "If anything, despite what transpired, you have done a service to Vale by halting the White Fang's thievery for at least some time, and you have successfully shown how dangerous the White Fang can be to send children on these kinds of missions."
Jacob felt a cruel sneer crawl along his face. "How does that help?" he snidely asked.
"Leagues, actually; already, press releases are slated to release tomorrow morning―and you will find that with the Council's approval I have requested that you are to remain anonymous in the press, lest those more approving of the White Fang actively seek you out―and already the Council has begun deliberation on whether to take more extreme actions against the Fang, as well as whether to officially declare them a DTO."
"Domestic terror organization," Jacob reasoned fairly quickly, receiving only a nod from Ozpin in confirmation. "But I still killed that kid―"
"In self-defense, Mr. Muller," Ozpin reminded him. "And before you ask, the parents didn't believe that pressing charges against you would do them any good."
The sane, Terran part of Jacob's mind couldn't begin to register that very notion. Back on Earth, a situation like this would probably have him drowning in criminal charges... and yet not even the parents would or maybe even could press charges!? What's the point of a justice system if an entire profession of Humanity is not subject to it!? For fuck's sake, his mind screamed in a befuddled hybrid of confusion, anger and outrage.
"So," Jacob finally huffed with a massive clap of his hands, "The judgement of a Huntsman falls upon his fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses alone? No civilian input?"
Ozpin nodded. "I take it that doesn't sit well with you."
"Back home, our judicial system―for all its current bureaucratic nonsense―has always judged people on equal footing, no matter who they are." Or at least it's supposed to, he thought to himself.
"I apologize for the culture shock, then."
Jacob waved and shook his head to dismiss the thought. "Whatever," he said with a tired sigh, "I just... I really just want to close my eyes and take a fucking break from consciousness for a while, you know?"
"You've had a long day," Ozpin said, "It's only natural you feel exhausted. Perhaps it would be wise to return to the dorms and get some sleep. Tomorrow is certainly going to be an ...interesting day, all things considered."
Jacob forlornly looked to the ground and nodded in agreement, turning and slowly walking towards the elevators. But as he moved to enter, he stopped for a second, index finger raised as an thought crossed his mind. "Professor," he asked, "outside of team RWBY and JNPR... do you know if the rest of the student body knows about this?"
Ozpin gave him no answer, only replying, "I don't think it would be wise to dwell on such thoughts, Jacob."
As much as it wasn't an answer, it was probably the only thing he was going to get out of Ozpin. Jacob simply nodded and walked inside, turning around just in time to see the doors begin to close. Beyond them, Glynda and Ozpin stared back at him, the Headmaster's face a mask of stoicism in contrast to Glynda's own saddened frown.
How was it that it was he of all people who could get Glynda Goodwitch to lower her emotional guard, he would likely never know.
The doors of the elevator closed shut with a harsh click, and Jacob was alone in the steel-grey elevator with not but the soft hum of the motors and generators to speak to him.
He found himself looking up, hoping to see the stars above and beyond them the Hereafter, where maybe―hopefully was actually what he really meant―that boy was meeting St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.
He glanced down at his watch, still attuned to the date back home.
01:10 AM, September 11, 2017.
"How delightfully poetic," He spat to no one.
A lone tear rolled down from his left eye, across his cheek and onto the cold floor with a tiny plink.
It's still my fault...
...
...
...
Rrrring! Rrrring!
SLAM!
"Thank you, Nora..."
"Mmmh... pancakes."
...Glad to hear she's doing alright, was the first thought to go through Jaune Arc's head as he began to awake. Jaune's eyes slowly creaked open as he was met with the sight of the still-dimly lit dorm room, the light cast on the wall opposite their door throwing faint shadows across the way.
He rolled onto his side and was greeted by the sight of his redheaded partner sleeping snugly in her bed, lying on her side with her hands cradling the pillow to her head. Freed of her usual ponytail, her crimson locks sported a few rebellious red hairs as her only sign of bedhead, a feature that ceased to amaze Jaune all things considered. Pyrrha's bronze-gold circlet rested atop her nightstand, the dull morning light still managing to cast a glimmering shine across the polished metal. Though the covers of her bed were all the way up to her shoulders Jaune could still see that she was sporting her usual tee beneath the covers. In the dim light of the morning, Jaune could swear by all the gods of the whole of Remnant that there was almost a miniscule glow to her that made her... angelic at times.
Honestly, sometimes Jaune wondered why it was that no guy had asked to be her boyfriend yet.
He roused from his bed, still sporting his baby blue onesie―honestly he was starting to think about maybe swapping to shorts and an undershirt or something―and started stretching. A few pops here and there and he was headed to the dorm's bathroom to start up for the day.
Getting out of his pajamas, Jaune found himself staring at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. He had to admit, already more than 3 months had passed and he was actually starting to look the part of a Huntsman; what little fat was on him to begin with had been replaced by lean, mean muscle. Muscle mass was also starting to build in his chest and on his arms, and he actually could spot the beginnings of honest-to-the-gods abs. He honestly was in the best shape of his life at the moment.
Weiss has got to be falling for me now, he wistfully thought to himself, flexing his arms in the mirror. No doubt she'd fall for me if I gave her a taste of The Suave now.
Quickly showering and getting into his casual attire, Jaune stepped out of the bathroom to the sight of Ren and Nora both up and on their feet, yawning and groaning amidst a crackly cacophony of popping joints. Oddly enough, what sunlight did reach through the curtains had dimmed to some degree, though Jaune now saw that it was 7:30 in the morning. The sun should have been bright enough to easily light the room, but it seemed dull and dim for some reason this morning. Walking to the window, he peaked through the curtains to see the culprit. It turned out that the storm that had been spotted heading inland from the sea last night had in fact made landfall, and the cloud cover―
Wait...
Last night.
It smacked him over the head like a hit from Magnhild.
Sometimes, Jaune wanted to hit himself for how dense he could be at times like this.
Jaune felt his gaze turn downwards as the events of last night sunk in. When he had seen the blood on Jacob's hands, his immediate fear was that it was their friend who was the seriously injured one. Only after he had begun his sobbing mutters did Jaune realize just what had actually transpired.
At first, Jaune had thought that Jacob had simply not realized that the kid's Aura had dropped to nothing and had killed him in a blind battle-fury. Only afterwards was he told that the kid hadn't even had Aura to begin with.
It was a long walk back to Beacon that night, with Yang carrying her upset and tired baby sister in her arms with their teammates following close behind, and Team JNPR walking with Jacob amidst their group. It was only after Professor Goodwitch had requested that Jacob and Blake come with her to talk with Ozpin that they parted ways, only for Blake to return a half hour later with no Jacob in tow.
Jaune's mind returned to the present, and turned to look at his redheaded partner. She must have stayed up even longer than he initially thought because she was still asleep in bed. He moved closer and took a knee before gently placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking it ever so.
"Pyrrha," he started in a whisper, "It's daybreak, time to get up."
Pyrrha quietly groaned as she started to wake up. Emerald green eyes fluttered open and met his own cobalt blue.
For a second, Jaune felt his heart flutter a bit. Odd.
"...Isn't it supposed to be me waking you up from sleeping in?" she mumbled with a smile to him.
Jaune let a small chuckle out, but decided to ignore the friendly dig. "How'd you sleep?"
"Mmh, alright I suppose," she replied groggily as she righted herself and stretched. Her shirt hugged her in a few spots that even after almost 4 months of living together did make Jaune a little hot under the collar.
Damnit man, he berated himself, stop thinking of her like that, she's your partner! Besides, she's out of your league anyhow.
"You're not the type to sleep in late Pyr," he said with concern.
Pyrrha's sleepy smile was erased by a sudden frown. "Right... I suppose it's a bit unusual of me."
"You were up thinking about what happened with him, right?"
Pyrrha stared at him with a worried frown on her face. Nora and Ren had both joined in the worry, Nora taking a seat on the bed beside Pyrrha and Ren standing beside Jaune.
"...I got up and went to talk with Yang about what happened," she admitted with a sigh, "Or rather I was originally checking to see if Ruby was alright and then I spoke with Yang."
"How is Ruby doing, anyhow?" Ren asked.
"When I looked into their dorm room, it appeared that she and the rest of her team were sleeping well... as well as they could at least."
"And Yang?" Jaune inquired.
"I doubt she slept a wink," Nora sighed with a shrug.
"Not helpful, Nora," Ren muttered in exasperation.
Jaune stared at his partner for a solid minute as he assessed the situation. What could he really say to ease her mind? Their friend had committed manslaughter on a boy no older than Ruby―albeit in self-defense―and while Jacob hadn't revealed much to them about the circumstances, Jaune was at least smart enough to put two and two together: Pyrrha thought she was partially at fault because she was the one training him alongside Jaune himself.
"Pyrrha," Jaune began as he placed his hand on her shoulder gently, "It wasn't anybody's fault for what happened. He was defending himself and... things didn't turn out the best." He returned to his feet but he never broke eye contact with Pyrrha. "The best we can do is be there for him now."
"Jaune's right," Ren agreed, "He's going to be in need of as much emotional support as possible."
"Yeah," Nora chimed in, "he needs some smiles and some laughs to keep him occupied, Right?"
After seconds of silence and probable contemplation, Pyrrha slowly nodded. "You're right," she said silently. "He doesn't have a team to fall back on. We and RWBY and... to some extent CFVY are the only people he's really comfortable with―"
"Not including most of the professors―" Nora added matter-of-factly.
"And... he has no family to contact, no old friends for him. Without us... he's alone," Pyrrha finished softly, almost meekly to Jaune's ears. It was as if something about that idea hit close to home...
Pyrrha soon stood up and finished stretching. Once again, certain... assets continued to put Jaune's mental fortitude to the test. Don't think of her like that, don't think of her like that, don't think of her like that, his mind continued to repeat like a religious mantra.
"Alright. So," Jaune began, rubbing his hands together, "Let's go talk with him."
"...Okay, just came from the library, they haven't seen him all morning," Yatsuhashi said.
"Damn," Coco replied, "I thought he'd be there for sure."
"Wait a minute, you said he enjoys the rain, right Ren?" Blake asked as she turned to him.
"Yes," Ren replied as he stroked his chin in contemplation, "the morning before his fight with Weiss he had opted to eat outside even though the rain was starting to come down."
"Not something I would have done," Weiss muttered offhandedly, "Rain and I don't get along as much as snow."
Considering you're an Atlesian, I'm not surprised, Pyrrha thought to herself bemusedly.
A half-hour had passed since she had woken up and Team JNPR, Team CFVY, and Team RWBY were patrolling the Academy grounds in a supermassive team of 12 Huntsmen and Huntresses. In a surprising move, they were met at the door by CFVY, to whom word had reached about what happened last night.
And even worse, it was starting to sound like word was starting to slither to other students' ears as well.
When she heard that, Pyrrha felt her stomach lurch just like it had last night.
As it had turned out, Jacob had not returned to his dorm―or at the very least had been to and left his dorm before they collectively awoke― when they called into his room. They all knocked in some form or another, Pyrrha's usual four knocks that got his attention receiving no response, Coco's massive thuds that could have awoken the dead from their crypts and Velvet's soft taps that frankly couldn't spook a church mouse going unresponded to as well.
And now they had collectively begun searching the rest of the campus for their unofficial 9th member. By now they had searched a fair amount of ground, only finding some clues when they heard that he had at least gotten some semblance of breakfast that morning and when their questioning of Professor Oobleck revealed that he had come to the professor's class to go ahead and do his semester exam early. Oobleck offered some reassurance to Jacob and offered an ear if he ever needed to talk, but apparently Jacob had said that he, "wanted to be alone with his thoughts for right now."
Yet again, Pyrrha's stomach had roiled a little bit when she heard that.
An old, dark memory from way back decided to rear its head again. Oh gods please, not again...
Now the teams had reconvened outside the mess hall as they continued to brainstorm where he was.
"If he wandered into Vale," Yang growled as she leaned against the colossal windows of the cafeteria, "I'm gonna kick his ass when he gets back, or if we find him. I already spent an entire day searching for my partner yesterday, I'm not in the mood for another search-and-rescue mission."
"Fortunately, you don't need to!"
All 12 Huntsmen and Huntresses jumped back and cried out, Weiss' scream of surprise practically breaking a few eardrums as she leaped into Ruby's arms.
Wait, her mistake, that was Jaune's scream as he jumped into Pyrrha's arms. Not that she minded being closer to him, in all reality. In fact, she distinctly noticed her heart fluttering a bit on contact with Jaune.
"Sun, not funny!" Blake shouted at the monkey Faunus―Sun Wukong, she remembered―as he was now swinging upside down from an overhead rail by way of his tail.
Sun's jovial smile gave way to a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I tend to be stealthy."
After a brief second, Sun flipped and landed feet first beside Blake, who glared at him to some extent before obviously deciding to drop the subject. "Whatever. Anyway, what was it you were saying?"
"I was saying I saw him out by the gardens, just... hanging out under a tree. He seems to be alright I guess. Looks like he's got a sketchpad or something with him, and I'm pretty certain I heard music of some kind." As we was saying all of this, Sun's tail had snaked into the pocket of his shorts and pulled a fair-sized pear from the confines of said pocket. In one massive bite a fifth of the fruit was already down his gullet.
That caught Pyrrha's attention. "I don't recall him ever having a sketchpad before," she mused as she continued to hold Jaune, whom by now was easily a beet red. Whatever he tried to ask her however fell on deaf ears; it was probably a plead for her to let go of him or something.
"He's drawn in the past," Yang mentioned as she scratched her chin, "I've seen the ones on his notes. Not a bad doodler actually, a lot better than Ruby is." Her teasing sentence was punctuated in response by an indignant cry from Ruby.
"Anything else with him," Blake asked, "like his weapons or anything else like that?"
"From where I was standing, dude's completely unarmed," Sun replied.
With a collective nod, the group took off in the direction of the gardens, leaving Pyrrha standing there with a still-nervous Jaune.
"Uh, Pyrrha, can I please get down now?"
"Oops, sorry Jaune," she apologized meekly before letting him return to his feet. Without a second's hesitation, they took off after the rest of their group at a breakneck pace.
Soon they had caught up as the group had slowed to a mild walk. Ruby had taken point with Weiss and Yang pulling directly behind her, and CFVY coming up behind them, and the rest of JNPR pulling the flank with Blake. Overhead, thunder rolled through the heavens like a great beast flying just above the clouds and the looming clouds began to make good on their threat of rain. A few drops plinked over the crown of her head, and a few more rolled off her fold-bronze circlet and onto her nose. She honestly didn't care. Rain was rain, no reason to be ducking for cover for a just a few drops as of right now.
Just as Sun said, they found Jacob lying at the foot of a large elm tree overlooking the pond. The shadow of the tree hung over him like a thick blanket, even more so than usual thanks to the overcast skies blotting out the sun overhead. He was sitting away from them and the Academy, looking out over the city below Beacon's watchful gaze. He was leaning back against the tree, his legs tucked up underneath him and his arms propped up by his knees. Though they couldn't see his eyes directly, Pyrrha already gathered he was most likely lost in thought. From his strange proto-Scroll some form of backcountry guitar strummed out a somber tune, though what the lyrics were she couldn't tell from how far out she was.
Pyrrha felt the tension in her stomach subside a bit. I'm not too late, a part of her mind thought to herself. She was first to walk up to him and was already halfway up the hill before being joined by Ruby and the rest of JNPR while the rest held back. The closer she got, the more she could hear the lyrics.
...Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?...
The storm overhead rumbled again, and a brief flash of light illuminated the sky.
"Have you come to ask about last night?"
Jacob's question rang out louder than it should have, considering it was a mutter if anything. The five friends stopped 10 feet away from him and the tree.
"...No," Ruby said after a second of hesitation.
His voice quivered a little, as though he were holding back the urge to cry. "Then why are you here?"
"Because we're worried about you," said Pyrrha. "You didn't come back to your dorm last night―"
"I did," he corrected, "but I couldn't bring myself to stay there for very long. Sorry I didn't let you know."
They arrived beside him and were greeted by a disheartening sight. His denim jacket was tied around his waist, leaving him with only his light grey t-shirt and tan cargo pants to protect against the rain and the steadily-rising winds. Unfortunately she noticed that there were still bloody spray patterns on the sleeves and on his pants' knees, only now the blood had gone from deep red to a dried brown. It would take several runs in the school laundromat for those to come out, and even then it was doubtful that he would ever look at those clothes again the same way.
The good news was that he hadn't harmed himself; Pyrrha had always thought he was the type to abhore personal harm and it seemed to be that her hunch was correct. The bad news was that there was clear evidence that he had been more than even incredibly upset. His eyes were red and puffy and perhaps a slight bit bloodshot, and the thousand yard stare he was sporting did not relieve her fears at all. He had also not shaved yet, as he was sporting a scraggly line of stubble along the edge of his jawline.
"Jacob," Pyrrha began softly as she took a knee beside him, "no one blames you for what happened." She was quickly joined by Ruby, who had taken a kneeling seat to his right opposite of Pyrrha.
"Maybe no one here... but I still do." Jacob continued to stare forward into the city, lost in his thoughts.
"Dude," Jaune began, "there's no reason to blame yourself. What happened... it was an accident, you didn't know―"
"But I should have," Jacob snapped venomously. "I should have known that he didn't have an active Aura, I should have sensed... something, right!? But I didn't, and because of that a kid's dead! A kid no older than Ruby, a kid no older than my own little brother!"
Everyone had recoiled in surprise at his outburst, but Pyrrha had taken notice that Ruby and Yang had suddenly grown looks of abject horror.
Ren was first to reengage the conversation. "I'm sorry to say Jacob, but... that's not something Aura can sense. Impending threats to yourself, sure, but other Aura-wielders? Honestly, no one would have known in your position."
Jacob didn't respond, instead only curling up even tighter than before. "Jacob," Ruby pleaded, "please talk to us." She reached out and gently took his right hand, though the sudden rigidity of his back said that she had just invaded his personal bubble as it were. He stared back at her in some odd blend of shock and fear before bowing his head.
A silent bout of sobs reached Pyrrha's ears.
She couldn't take it anymore.
Pyrrha found herself hugging him and soon enough joining in his sobbing with Ruby joining in soon after. For what felt like an hour―but was actually around 5 minutes―the trio cried their hearts out.
"I can't... I just can't," were the only words that Jacob could blubber out.
Eventually, Pyrrha cupped his face in her hands and brought his eyes up to hers. Coffee brown met emerald amidst a downpour of salty raindrops that drip-dropped onto Ruby's head as she continued to hug Jacob's chest. "Listen to me," Pyrrha said firmly but shakily through their collective sobs, "You have nothing to be ashamed of. If not for your sake, for our sakes put the blame on the real reason he's dead."
By now the rest of the group had encircled them, with CFVY on the left flank, JNPR standing directly in front and Sun and the rest of RWBY kneeling beside their heartbroken leader.
"Jacob," Ruby hissed through her tears, "None of us want to see you like this... please don't put this on yourself."
"But how!? How can I," he cried, "When I was the one to pull the trigger!"
Blake slowly moved in and pried her team leader off of the grieving man, only to let Yang quietly console her little sister. At the same time, in a single movement, she moved her hand to her bow.
"Blake, what are you―!?"
Before Sun could finish his sentence, her bow was ripped from her head, and Pyrrha got her first full view of their friend's Faunus ears.
Amidst the rain, thunder and wind, a stunned quiet assumed command of the hill.
"Look at me," Blake hissed angrily, her cat ears flattening against her head. "If there's anyone you should be mad at, it's... it's me."
"No Blake, you didn't―"
"Stop! I was part of the White Fang for so long and I saw what was becoming of it," she continued to angrily shout, "but I didn't acknowledge it! I didn't act sooner, and it's because of that they're doing things like this! You may have pulled the trigger, but it was my inaction that sent that boy to his death! If you have anyone to be angry at, it's me!"
Her outburst caught everyone off guard. Sun ended up taking a step backwards from Blake in surprise.
"Don't blame yourself for something you had no control over," she whispered as she laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Blake's right," Velvet said as she stood close to Coco, "if anything it's the Fang's fault. They sent that boy in with no means to protect himself. They sent him in to steal that Dust." Her gaze was cast downward as she was drawn into a hug from her own team leader.
Pyrrha looked back at Jacob, who now was looking up at them all with a worried look. "So," he sniffled, "None of you think any lesser of me? None of you blame me for his death?"
A collective headshake replied back. Jacob sighed heavily. After a terse minute, he spoke. "You're right," he said, "As much as I still see myself responsible... you're right. The Fang sent him in there, with no Aura no less. Either this is some batshit insane hazing from the higher ups, or they knew he would die and that's by and large the more fucked up possibility."
In the background, the music on his proto-Scroll stopped and silence held sway for all but a few seconds before another song started up.
Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens,
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,
Brown paper packages tied up with strings,
"these are a few of my favorite things."
All eyes turned to Jacob as he had said that. His head was back against the tree, eyes closed and shoulders slack. It appeared he was trying to calm down but was clearly far from being there, as Pyrrha still noticed his hands were clenching in doubtless anxiety.
"This one of a couple songs my mother and I used to sing when I was a little kid," he said. "It's supposed to be about appreciating the little things in life. I've got a couple of songs like that on my phone... perhaps as a fortunately-held reminder of home."
For a second, he remained stoic. Then, the tiniest hint of a smile before he let out a tiny, bemused chuckle. "I wonder how they would react to all of this... My mom and dad and my little brother I mean, how they would react. Where I am now, who I'm surrounded by, what I'm doing with my life. I'd like to think they'd be proud..."
For a moment, Pyrrha started to think back to her own home. She had a home to return to, a mother that loved her deeply, even a friend or two from her days in primary school... but he didn't. His home―wherever it was on Remnant―was gone, his family gone, his old friends gone, nothing of his old life but a beat-up piece of archaic technology, memories of a life gone by. And yet here he was, the weight of the role of a Huntsman straining him, but still coming out at least somewhat strong.
His smile became infectious. Soon, everyone in the group was joining in on the smile.
For the first time in the last 12 hours, Pyrrha felt a genuine smile join them. "I'm sure they would be," she replied as she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
The thunder had stopped and the rain had let up, though it still was overcast enough that the sky was still a light tone of grey. Even so, Pyrrha looked out over the city and saw a few beams of light cut down through the cloud cover and onto the city skyline.
Then without warning, Wukong sprung up into the foliage of the tree, and in less than five seconds came back down with a paper bag in hand.
"Oh, hey! I just remembered I picked this up back at the docks! Didn't want to see it get carted off or something."
Jacob's smile grew even wider. "Old Glory! Oh thank God, I hadn't even remembered that I'd left it. Thank you, Wukong."
"Please, just call me Sun."
After another second, Nora decided to pipe up. "Welp," she began as she glanced upwards, "this was nice to get all the humdrum emo-stuff off our chests, but I think it's a lovely type of morning to just kick back on the grass and soak in the day... even if it is kinda cloudy."
"For once," Yang said with a sigh, "I'm in complete agreement with Nora." As she finished, she fell back on her butt before splaying out and lying in the grass with her hands tucked up under her head.
As Weiss started chewing her teammate out for her rather unladylike behavior, Jaune, Ren, Nora and Blake took seats right beside Pyrrha and Jacob an Team CFVY decided to join them midway between the splayed-out group.
For what felt like forever, they simply sat and watched as the cloud cover overhead continued to roll by, the spotlights of sunshine sweeping across the shrouded city like a golden eye of the gods.
About that time, Jaune found Jacob's sketchbook.
"Wow, are these yours?"
"Oh yeah, most of those are from before I arrived. I haven't exactly had a lot of time for drawing while I've been here."
"Nice stuff. Dragons, guns, swords... "daemons", okay―What's this? 'Study Sketches?'"
"Oh geez, Jaune, don't go looking through that..."
Jaune flipped the sketchbook towards Jacob and Pyrrha. On it, was a... well...
"...Why is there a naked lady here?"
A collective eek from every girl sans Yang, Coco and Nora rang out. Pyrrha felt an especially heated blush grow across her face.
A heavy and bemused sigh left Jacob's mouth. "I take it you lot have never heard of a figure drawing session, then..."
Normally, there were few instances that could get Glynda Goodwitch to grin from ear to ear in a legitimate moment of mirth. Oddly enough, today was one of those days.
"How's he doing, Glynda?" came the voice of the headmaster over her shoulder.
"Much better; I think being around those kids does him a great deal of favors," said Glynda.
Ozpin took a sip from his cocoa before he continued. "He's at the most only 5 years Ruby's senior, and at the very least 2 years CFVY's senior. Technically he is still on that razor's edge between cynical adulthood and optimistic youth."
"Admittedly, he seems to tip more towards the former," Glynda muttered offhandedly. Currently, the two were standing in the shadow of the great columns that lined the edge of Beacon's center courtyard, peering out towards the merry band of misfits.
"Regardless," Ozpin said, "I can still see a tiny glimmer of optimism, even if it is buried behind so self-deprecation and cynicism. He wants his heart to be proven right, even if his mind is calling him foolish."
Glynda turned and studied her colleague for a long time before deciding to speak. "You seem to know a lot more about him than you let on, Oz."
Ozpin continued to stare directly onwards at the amassed assembly of 13 Huntsmen. "When you get to my age Glynda you start picking up on things, tiny details in a person's actions and whatnot. And something about Jacob seems... tired, I suppose, tired of a mind always taking him by the reigns."
"He wants to follow his heart," she gathered from his comment.
"Yes, but he fears that he will start down the wrong path. As little as he shows it outwardly, I sense a lot of fear from him... and some form of secret."
"You still don't trust him entirely, do you Ozpin?" She asked, crossing her arms over her ample chest.
"No. That's why I asked Team CFVY to both befriend him and to keep an eye on him. I asked them if they find anything suspect about him to come directly to me and report it. Besides, in the event that there is nothing wrong, I don't see any reason why he and Team CFVY wouldn't get along."
"You still think he's one of her's, don't you?"
Ozpin offered her no answer. Instead he asked, "How long have they been there?"
"About an hour," Glynda said as she glanced down at her Scroll's clock. About that time, Mr. Muller was up on his feet and soon joined by the rest of the teams, all of them gathered around him as he took out what looked like a banner from out of the paper bag that monkey Faunus boy brought.
"His people's banner?" asked Glynda as she studied it; Even at a distance she could see the 13 stripes of red and white and a blue square in the corner peppered with about 50 stars of white.
"Less like a banner, more of a flag in my opinion," Ozpin countered.
"Regardless, I've never seen that one before on any registered village lists."
"That's because I doubt he is from any registered village."
"And how do you mean that, Oz?"
He didn't respond to her pet-name for him. The 13 Huntsmen passed them by unknowingly thanks to their secluded observation spot, and Glynda couldn't help but notice that the spark she saw in Jacob's eyes during the spar with Weiss was just starting to reappear after having disappeared last night.
All the while, Ozpin continued to sip from his mug and ponder. "Just who are you, Mr. Muller..."
Thunk!
Thunk!
Thunk!
"There we are," he said as he lowered the hammer in his grasp. The tack had driven home cleanly, missing the wall supports probably by inches, although who could say really without the dormroom schematics.
Part of him wondered if it actually was poor flag-etiquette to tack the Star-Spangled Banner to a wall, right there alongside letting it fall to the floor and not lowering it at sunset when attached to a flagpole; but it wasn't like he could attach it to a flagpole at Beacon or people would start asking questions. Fortunately for him, the tacks were small enough and of enough varying colors that he was able to camouflage three of them amidst the 13 stripes and another one amid the blue.
A low whistle alerted him to Coco's presence right behind him. "Nice flag," she said, "A little lacking in color variety but whoever designed it's got a good eye for placement."
"Yeah," Jacob replied as he stepped down from atop his chair, "You should see some of the versions from way back when. Personal favorite's always been the original, had a circle of 13 stars instead of the 50 we have now."
"50 stars for... 50 families, I presume?" she asked.
"Something like that," Jacob replied. He took a step back to review his choice in location; The Stars and Stripes now hung opposite to his desk and bathroom door in the middle of the wall.. Entering from the main doorway into the hall, it hung on the left hand wall, staring out over his dorm unopposed. Unfurled it was only about 36" across in width, but it still was a sizeable accessory to the room.
Turning around, he met the eyes of the teens that he now shared a common cause with. Most had taken to scanning his room in curiosity, as the last person to enter his room outside of himself was Ruby all those months ago; Since then, few things had really changed, mainly in the form of textbooks and novels lining his miniature bookshelf under the window and one or two generic paintings, including the very same Forever Fall painting found in RWBY's dorm. Fortunately, he was smart enough to hide away the 40k Rulebooks and the Blu-Ray player and the Steelbook as well, thanks in no small part to the personal effects safe found in behind the mini-bookshelf.
Blake set down his converted Inquisitor on the desk before walking over by Jacob to admire the flag. "I'd say it's got solid color," she said, "Sure it's only got 3 colors grand total―technically 2 considering white and whatnot―but I like it."
"A reminder of home," Jacob said wistfully as he looked back at it.
And as the sunlight danced across Old Glory's stripes, he thought back to the night before. Even now though everyone else considered him innocent, as far as he was concerned he would probably never be fully guiltless.
He glanced down at Titan, now cleaned of the gore of her first... her first kill.
And unbeknownst to all, he had taken the blade of his pocket knife and carved a teeny-tiny line on the end of the barrel... a forever reminder of the first life taken.
And part of him realized that before this was all over... he would be forced to kill again.
Or else Penny―or Pyrrha, or anyone really―could pay for it.
Looks like my own little war on terror has just begun.
He looked back at the smiling faces of everyone in the room. From in the back, leaning back beside Jaune on the edge of the desk, Pyrrha beamed back at him.
From on his bed, Ruby smiled brightly back at him.
...but I won't have to face it alone. At least, not entirely.
And scene! * Le-thud*
Okay, so a bit of history; I was only 4 when The Towers came down back in 2001, and when they were first attacked I was at preschool. Now, my memory of that day is foggy, but my parents relegated to me the fact that they tried to hide it away from me that day. I had no idea of what happened, even after I was pulled early that day, and I never knew what happened until years later. I was fortunate enough to not lose anyone in the attacks, as all of my family at the time was living west of the Rockies and had no business on the East Coast. I've grown up in the post-9/11 world and can't remember a time when security at an airport wasn't tighter than a sphincter, to say nothing of my little brother who was born 2 months after the attacks.
But even now I watch the footage and I'm floored by the insanity of it all. The perpetrators, the chaos of the attacks themselves, the aftermath, it just floors me. Every time I watch the footage of the plane making impact with the South Tower, I feel that same righteous indignation our nation collectively felt in the wake of it all.
The only problem is, the first time I really felt it was 8 years into The War On Terror, and by then everyone on both sides were starting to grow tired of our fruitless endeavor in the Middle East.
A running pattern with me seems to be being late to join something and being caught up in the fervor over something even though most have started healing by then. *Hint-hint*.
Regardless, this chapter was meant to be a filler/somewhat of a cooldown chapter; but this won't be the last time that this date shows up in the story.
Remember how the date on Remnant and the date on Terra are off by a few months?
Anyways, Like I said this will probably find it's way over to the 40K/RWBY crossover page, so standby for teleportarium. Let's just hope we don't teleport into the side of a mountain or something.
Edit: Removed the last part of the chapter, realized it was really, REALLY stupidly placed. Gonna wait for the end of Season 2 for all the 40k Models to get dropped on his doorstep by a mysterious benefactor.
Critiques and Reviews are welcomed so long as they are constructive rather than for the sake of flame, If you like the story I would appreciate a follow and a favorite as incentive for me to keep doing this, and I will see you all... in the next chapter. Buh-bye~!