I've been away for a bit, exams are still going on but I managed to squeeze this chapter in even if it took longer than I usually do, I wanted to make it longer but I'm not sure my time frames would allow me another one until next week.

Anyway, Enjoy ^-^


Chapter 46: Old Friends and some Mutual Enemies


-Earlier that Evening-

The party was sitting around the table eating a late dinner. Due to the arrival of Yang, Weiss, and Oscar, they had to up their cooking quantities to feed nine, considering Yang ate enough food for seven. Qrow was moved to his bedroom upstairs to sleep off his alcohol-induced coma, thus leaving the teens to their socializing.

"How the fuck did you manage to lose your map?!" Yang asked as she burst into laughter. MNRNJR was retelling the stories of their adventures across Mistral.

Nora snorted, "That crazy dude from the Vytal Tournament, what's his face? The one with the rusty hair. Yeah he and his wackjob brother ambushed us, trying to kidnap Ruby."

"Ruby?! What would they want with her?!" Yang asked genuinely surprised. Jaune shrugged dramatically with his mouthful of food.

"No idea! Qrow says it's because of her silver eyes or something but we're pretty lackluster on the details…" Hex responded.

"Yeah he took quite the beating trying to protect us," Nitro pointed out.

"And almost died," Ruby said looking down at the table. "If it wasn't for that rescue ship… we don't know what would've happened… I was worried that…"

"That you would lose someone else…?" Weiss finished for her.

Ruby nodded, "I can't… lose anyone else… not ever…"

Yang and Weiss shared another look as if debating to tell her, while Oscar just looked at them completely out of the loop.

"I need to get some fresh air, you guys continue eating," Ruby said as she excused herself from the table and walked upstairs to the balcony. No one dared stop her.

He swallowed his food and looked at them, seeing how the mood around the table shifted to unease and discomfort, "Forgive me for asking, this does sound like a touchy subject, but… You guys were really close to this… Nova guy? Girl? Sorry, Ozpin's memories are confusing…"

"Oh, shit sorry kid, I guess you don't know…" Nitro said placing a hand on his shoulder, "I'm glad you asked that question though,"

"Nova was the greatest of us all. He was our leader, and like family to us." Hex said smiling wistfully.

"I thought Ruby was your leader?" Oscar pointed out.

"That is true, but so was Nova, sort of a joint team thing. We used to be called ASHNRWBY, Jaune and his team weren't part of our squad. One leader for eight huntsmen was a problem so Oz set us up with two joint leaders. Ruby and Nova. The latter of whom was honestly the biggest dumbass alive," Nitro continued.

"He was an amazing leader, kept a cool head under pressure, kind-hearted to a fault, and the strongest fighter we had. He was powerful, like… really powerful… and he was Ruby's boyfriend," Weiss explained cheerfully.

Oscar almost choked on his food, "Woah, Ruby didn't strike me as the type to think about anything other than weapons and sweets, let alone find a boyfriend. And you're her sister right? You were okay with that?!"

Yang snickered, "Yeah, at first I didn't want to give her up without a fight but he…err… she kicked my ass six ways to Sunday in a one on one duel, so I relented. Besides, don't think I'd have been able to get between those two. That's genuine true love right there."

Oscar glanced at them, "So, don't take this the wrong way but, if he was so powerful, how'd he… you know…" he made air quotes.

"Not sure exactly, the only people that were there during the fight where he lost was him, Pyrrha, and our mutual enemies Cinder Fall and Onyx the high commander of the White Fang," Weiss explained, completely comfortable with explaining it like she wasn't talking about the dead because she wasn't, but they didn't know that.

"Wait Pyrrha? As in Pyrrha Nikos?! She was there too?" Oscar almost choked.

"You know Pyrrha?" Jaune asked now interested.

Oscar nodded feverishly, "There isn't a single person in Mistral who doesn't know about her. The prodigy from Argus who chose to go to Beacon Academy instead of Haven, the unbeatable gladiator Pyrrha Nikos!"

"Wow you sound like quite the fanboy," Nora said amused.

Oscar blushed from embarrassment, "Ah no, not really, I watched her fights on tv during some tournaments, and at the Vytal Festival… a tragedy that happened… ever since I saw her… I wanted to be like her, but I mean a lonely farm boy could only dream right?"

Jaune tussled his hair, "Yeah, she's amazing. There isn't anyone out there like her, well save for maybe Nova I think. If she weren't comatose in the hospital right now, she'd tell you that you should chase your dreams, because every step toward them can make them a reality… at least… that's what she told me…" Jaune said longingly.

Oscar was confused at Jaune's expression, he was speaking as if he knew her intimately. Nora saw his bewilderment, "Jaune's actually Pyrrha's boyfriend, that's why he's saying that," she snickered.

Oscar almost spat out his food again, "Holy Shit! *cough* are all of you like crazy important people or something? Oz… what did you drag me in to…"

They all burst out laughing, "Trust me Oscar, you ain't seen nothing yet. Just wait 'til you meet Luna," Hex said waving her hand.

Oscar adorably tilted his head in confusion, "Who...?"

"She's our resident princess. You've got the infamous Weiss Schnee, and then you've got Luna Sapphire Flareheart. She's the S from our ASHNRWBY. And when I say princess, I mean that literally. She's a literal princess." Yang explained.

Oscar felt his head get dizzy, "Uh… wait, Flareheart? Is she related to Nova?"

"Yup, that's his sister. She's on Menagerie right now with her mom, they're supposed to meet back up with us at some point after they're done with their business… no idea how they're gonna find us but we'll cross that bridge when we get there," Nitro said thinking about them.

"She's about your age… you're what? 15?" Yang asked.

"Fourteen," Oscar corrected.

"Okay so she's a year older than you, that means you're the youngest of our band of misfits!" Nora cheered rubbing his hair, causing the young teen to turn red from embarrassment.

He had no idea why, he'd just met these people yesterday, but they were so open and friendly to him, he felt… at home. He thought it was because he was Ozpin's reincarnation, but… they never once called him Ozpin, nor asked him for anything Ozpin related. They just… accepted him into their ranks, no questions asked…

Their atmosphere was interrupted when they heard a moderately loud thud.

"What was that?" Ren asked now on alert.

"OH sorry, I hit my head on the wall while laughing…" Nora said embarrassed.

Ren rolled his eyes, "Do I need to get ice?"

"No… just rub it for me?" she pouted with puppy dog eyes. Ren just sighed but pet her nonetheless.

Oscar was beginning to see the pairs within their party. There were Yang and Hex, Ren and Nora, Nitro seemed uninterested, Weiss just looked happy to have friends, Jaune was dating Pyrrha who was currently hospitalized, and Ruby's boyfriend was dead. Yikes, that got dark pretty fast… he thought.

'Yes well, it does come with the job after all. The life of a huntsman is not all flashy swords and being a superhero,' Ozpin said in his mind causing Oscar to jump out of his skin. Thankfully no one noticed.

'Oz, a little warning next time?!'

'My apologies, though I'm not sure how you expect me to do that…'

'Right, sorry… what were you saying?'

'Everyone here at this table has gone through some level of pain and trauma over the course of their lives as huntsmen in training. As you so clearly labeled out, Mr. Arc lost his partner to an injury that has her hospitalized. Miss Rose lost hers to battle, Miss Xialong lost her arm and the list goes on… my point is, somewhere along the line you too may have such an experience… I'm not saying anytime soon, but I want you to be prepared for when that inevitably happens.'

'You sound like you're foreshadowing my future,' Oscar countered.

'No, I'm merely stating that it is inevitable, as many things are,'

Oscar was drawn from his thoughts when he heard the soft thumping of footsteps above.

"Oh, sounds, like Ruby's back… wait… there's more than one set of steps…" Ren said.

"Probably just Qrow waking up from his hangover, hungry," Nora brushed it off.


Ruby came down the stairs, but something about her was different. Her hair was messed up slightly, and she looked a little dazed. Her eyes were slightly puffy as if she'd been crying, but the expression on her face said anything but sad.

"Woah, Ruby are you okay? What's with that grin?" Nora asked almost creeped out.

Ruby wiped her eyes and turned to properly face them. They could clearly see on her neck was the most beautiful necklace they'd ever seen, the ornate red and silver gleamed in the room lighting dazzling them.

"Holy shit Rubes, where'd you find that?!" Nitro pointed out.

Ruby laughed, "Well… that's why I'm smiling so much… well part of the reason… OH FOR THE LOVE OF OUM WOULD YOU GET DOWN HERE ALREADY?!" she yelled up the stairs and everyone just watched in confusion.

"Alright fine, yeesh, I was planning out my grand entrance but I guess some of us are a little impatient," a male voice said, one very unfamiliar to Oscar.

A blaze of fire came spiraling down the stairs, but not a wildfire, more like a tame glow with brilliant colours. It came to a rest beside Ruby, the flames dying down now, allowing them to see that it wasn't a sentient ball of fire but a person.

He stood almost a whole head taller than Ruby, with slightly wide shoulders and a slender frame, though his arms and body said anything but skinny. He had a scar that looked like it'd been scratched out with three claws on his right eye, and his hair was a brilliant white, almost like Weiss' except he had orange hair tops and large black horns. The most striking thing was his face, it was criss-crossed in some areas like dragon scales, and his eyes were mismatched reptile-like slits.

"Who…" Oscar wanted to ask but he was drowned out by the man.

"Sup misfits, your nerd overlord has returned," he did a mock bow, "Did ya miss me?" he said smirking with one side of his mouth, revealing his sharp fangs.

All utensils at the table, minus Yang, Weiss, and Oscar's, dropped with loud clangs.

"Wow, you know I really thought there would be more 'Hooray! Nova's back! I missed you so much Nova!' and crying you know?" Nova said turning to Ruby, as he leaned on her shoulder with his elbow.

She chuckled, "Well, what'd you expect when you see a dead man walking? I mean my brain crashed for like three seconds."

"N-N-Nova?!" Jaune stammered out getting to his feet.

"In the flesh, and no I'm not dead. It's a long story…" he said stepping toward the table.

"But what if you are dead?! What if you're a ghost come to gaunt us?!" Nora gasped in shock pointing her finger at him.

Nova felt his sweat drop, "Nora... I'm very much flesh and blood..."

"THEN YOU MIGHT BE A ZOMBIE! OR A POSSESSED CORPSE!" She hopped up onto the table, "Yang! Hold him down, I'll get the exorcism manual!" she said pulling out a vial of what seemed to be holy water and a wooden stake.

"Where did she get that...? NORA SIT YOUR ASS DOWN OR I WILL BURN YOUR PANCAKES!" he threatened with a flaming fist.

Nora made an 'EEEP!' and shrunk behind Ren, "It's definitely Nova... or a pancake hating monster... REN SAVE THE PANCAKES!" she said practically strangling the poor boy.

"Glad to see nothing's changed around here..." he said with a smile, and his eyes falling on Oscar, "Almost nothing..."

Nitro got up from the table and walked up to him slowly.

"Aw did yah miss me bro?" the dragon asked, opening his arms for a hug.

Nitro didn't respond as the moment he got up close, he raised his fist.

"Uh.. what're you…" *POW!* Nova got clocked in the face and thrown halfway across the room, luckily no furniture was broken.

"THAT WAS FOR MAKING ME WORRY!" Nitro said his fist slightly smoking. Everyone just looked on in silence.

"Alright I deserved that…"

He was cut off when Nitro picked him up in a warm hug, "And this is for surviving… I missed you man… I missed you so much…" Nitro choked out as he sobbed into his shoulder.

Even Hex got up and joined the hug, "We both missed you, you fucking dumbass…"

Jaune had fainted, Nora was bouncing up and down and Ren looked like his brain had shut off as he was drinking tea but he was stuck in that position.

"Uh… anyone want to explain what's going on?" Oscar asked voicing up.

"A new addition to our party? Well things have gotten weird since I've been gone… I think we all have some catching up to do right?" Nova said prying the Zephyr siblings off of him.

Ruby slipped her hand into his, "Tell us everything…"


Nova plopped down on the couch with Ruby leaning on his shoulder as he proceeded to explain everything that happened to him that night.

"Woah… so Onyx actually beat you? How strong is that guy…." Nitro said in awe.

"Too powerful if you ask me… his powers reminded me of Luna's. I think it has to do with that Fragment of Remnant that was around his neck," Nova said leaning his elbows on his knees in a thinking position.

"But normal people can't harness the Fragments' powers right? You need to have the Aegis gene," Hex countered.

"That's the weird part. Onyx isn't an Aspect, even though I've never met him before this, as an Aspect we can tell each other apart, I think…"

"What do you mean you think?" Ren asked curiously.

"Well, not that I've met any other Aspects other than Luna… but just looking at her, I can tell she is an Aspect… it's like a sixth sense of sorts. Only one other person has given me that feeling, Adam. With Adam his powers felt… wrong, like the Aegis gene, was rejecting him. It felt like the power was trying to push itself away from him… but with Onyx it's different. It's like he's… forcing the power to stay inside him, as if the Aegis gene is under his command… against its will, if that makes sense." Nova tried to explain.

"That makes absolutely no sense but say you're right, does this mean he's managed to perfect your mom's Aegis formula?" Yang asked, proving once again she was sharper than she tried to make herself seem.

"I think so… because that would explain why he took the Fragment from Adam… when I fought Adam the second time he was… weaker, than before…" Nova said.

Yang looked irritated, "That was him being weak? Could've fooled me…" she spat.

"Yang we're not the same people we were back then…" Nova said looking at her and she softened.

"Yeah you're right…"

"What's that mean?" Ruby asked watching the exchange.

"Yeah you still haven't told us how you survived," Nora said pulling out a bag of popcorn from Oum knows where.

"Where did she…" Oscar raised his finger but Ren just shook his head as if saying 'Don't question it'.

Nova looked around, "Damn where's Qrow's flask when you need it…"

"Since when did you pick up drinking?" Ren asked raising his eyebrow.

Nova sighed, "You'll get me when I explain."

The dragon dragged his hands across his face, "Alright so at the end of our battle, Onyx shattered Asura and I realized we'd lost. Pyrrha'd lost to Cinder and I lost to Onyx… we weren't going to make it out of there alive being drained on aura and exhausted on power… so I made a last-ditch effort and took a bullet for Pyrrha so to speak… I figured at least one of us should make it out alive."

Jaune walked up and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I've been meaning to talk to you about that…" Nova looked up to face him. "Thank you for saving her… I really can't express how grateful I am… I swore that if I ever saw you I'd thank you, and say this…"

Nova was confused, "Jaune you don't need to thank me, I was doing my part as a friend… wh-WHAT ARE YOU-!" he was alarmed when Jaune knelt on the floor at the edge of the couch and everyone watched in shock.

"I'd like to follow you, as your friend and… well I'm not good with words like these but… I pledge my loyalty to you…" Jaune said with his head bowed.

Nova started to get flustered, "J-Jaune wh-what?! Pledge your loyalty?! Dude! W-w-we're friends! Fellow huntsmen, raise your head! You owe me nothing!"

Jaune shook his head, "No, sorry Nova, but Pyrrha and I owe you our lives for Beacon. Besides… every prince needs a knight with him right?" he said looking up sheepishly.

"I'm not going to be able to stop you am I…?" Nova said hesitantly.

"Nope, I, Jaune Arc swear to serve under the blade of the Flareheart Family as a sword and shield to the prince in waiting," he said out loud.

Everyone just gaped, "Woah… so Nova's really royalty?" Oscar asked.

Nitro nodded, "Yup, crown Prince of the Faunus… still we've only seen him as a friend and like family all our lives so this whole royal thing still feels weird to us."

Once Jaune scooted back to his seat Nova continued his story, "Well now that that is over… where were we?"

"Top of the tower, you just got cut down by Onyx," Weiss says trying to regain her own composure.

"Right, so… after I got hit, the force knocked me off the edge. Last thing I saw was this white light covering the place and then nothing. What was that white light by the way?" he asked turning to Ruby.

The reaper shrugged, "I don't really remember. After I saw you get cut down I sort of lost it… Qrow says it was the powers of my silver eyes but I'm not sure what that means yet…" she said.

"Well… someday we'll figure it out, together." He said pecking her cheek with his nose to which she smiled and blushed.

"Okay save the PDAs for after we're done with the story, okay guys?" Nitro asked folding his arms.

Nova chuckled, "Alright, so yeah I was pretty sure I was dead, and for all it means, I should be. Remember the Fragment of Remnant that I had with me? The red stone in Asura's eye?" everyone nodded in confirmation except JNR who were just confused.

"Long story… they'll fill you in. Anyway, so that thing apparently kept me alive. When I awoke, I was buried under like half a building with enough broken bones to give chiropractors nightmares for days. I managed to push the stone off me because of my semblance and the Agniseki," Nova explained.

"The Agniseki?" They all simultaneously asked.

"I'm getting to that, just stay with me on this. So, I push the building off and my armlet's damaged so I'm a girl at that point, but my left arm is compressed in the ground, like the rubble around it got crushed into smaller stones that got compressed under all the pressure that it locked my arm down there."

"How'd you get it out? Also you were a girl? What does that even mean?!" Oscar asks confused.

Yang snickers, "Stick with us long enough and you'll find out." Oscar felt bullied in an odd sense of the term.

"How'd you pull out your arm? Did you use your semblance again?" Nora asked.

"That's the thing. I didn't get my arm out."

"What?! But your arms right there," they all pointed to the long-sleeved, gloved left arm.

"Focus, we're getting there," he snapped his fingers, "So, I tried to use my semblance to dislodge my arm, but that wasn't working, and the ground was too compact to break, plus I was pretty sure if I tried anything I'd snap something the wrong way. So I tried to slowly pull it out but… the bones were basically cracked and I had to muscle control so when I pulled hard… it snapped out."

"What do you mean… snapped out…?" Ruby asked looking pale.

"I mean, skin and flesh-tearing, breaking the bone at the elbow and tearing my own arm off… willingly…" Nova shuddered remembering the pain. "I tried to stop the bleeding but it wasn't going too well, I collapsed from blood loss and a pack of Beowolves overheard the commotion and smelt blood…. I thought I was going to die for real… that was until… Adam saved me…"

"Adam?!" They all said simultaneously, except Yang who already knew.

"Turns out he was being mind-controlled...kinda...this whole time and my fight with him destroyed the thing in his neck that was controlling his brain. He's actually a good guy and him and Bell, you know the short blonde girl with the big shield? Yeah they saved my life and took care of me," Nova explained. "They sorta pledged their loyalty to me as well… maybe not as grand as Jaune here did, but in a manner of speaking they did. I sent them to Menagerie to help my sister with the White Fang problem, when I was well enough to leave them I headed for Patch where I find out that my girlfriend is on her way to Mistral, on foot might I add, and everyone thinks I'm dead!"

"Wait so you knew?!" Ruby said looking to Yang. "AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?!"

Yang flinched, "In all fairness he said not to say anything until he made his 'grand entrance'." She rolled her eyes.

Ruby hit Nova over the head, "That's for not coming to me instantly,"

Nova rubbed the lump that was forming, "Hey if I did then you wouldn't have gotten that necklace?" he offered. She just kissed him on the cheek for his troubles.

"You still didn't explain your arm," Nitro pointed out.

Nova grinned and took off his jacket and gloves revealing his left arm. Everyone gawked at the sight of the red leathery arm with orange markings and gemstone embedded in it.

"Is that…" Ren said in awe.

"Yeah, when I was with Adam, he said the Agniseki, which is this thing here, the Fragment of Fire, healed me and made a new arm… it's a part of me now…" Nova said displaying the arm on the table.

Ruby ran her hands over the skin, it felt warm, and not unlike his actual skin, yet it felt stronger.

"Yeah, imagine me and dad's surprise when he showed up with a weird hand. I nearly had a heart attack, I thought the dead had come back to haunt me or something," Yang said chuckling.

Nova laughed, "Heh, Yang was quite 'disarmed' when I found her!" he cracked up.

Everyone deadpanned causing him to quirk his brow, "What? Too soon?"

Yang chuckled, "Nah it was good. Anyway after that smoky here wants to head out but dad decides he wants to train us in some techniques that we'll be sharing with you later. After some pretty brutal training we track down my mom's camp where we also find Weiss, who still hasn't told her story yet by the way… and we used Raven's semblance to portal us here,"

Weiss grimaced, "I'll tell you guys later."

"SO, what's been going on with you guys?" he asked turning to them. They all shared glances before explaining their story.


"Wait, back up. You're saying you're ninety-percent sure Lionheart's a traitor, and you told him where the Spring Maiden is?" Nova asked incredulously.

"Well not us but Uncle Qrow… but it's not like they can do anything the Spring Maiden's with Raven Branwen." Ruby explained. "The same person… you came in with…."

"That explains what Raven meant when she said my power contested a Maiden's…" Nova said remembering the encounter.

"That girl! Vernal!" Weiss said recalling.

"Okay well, at least I know she's relatively safe… Raven won't give up her precious family." Nova continued.

"Still doesn't make this any easier… Mom's like halfway across Anima, we're no closer to the Spring Maiden than when we started, and neither is Lionheart. So, our only option now is to bide our time, get stronger, and be ready for when shit hits the fan." Yang said cracking her knuckles.


Once everyone had calmed down and gone their separate ways for the night, it left Ruby, Oscar and Nova in the living room practically bored out of their minds. Why were they awake when their days have been exhausting you ask? Well, it's because after days of being on a survival high, they've more or less grown accustomed to being awake for days… except Oscar, he was just nervous to go to bed.

"So… you're name's Oscar right?" Nova asked turning to the boy.

The boy nodded, "Yeah, and forgive me if I'm a little disoriented… a week ago I was a farm boy whose most exciting thing to do was watch the cows roll over in their sleep. I barely know you guys."

Nova nodded, "So, how's the whole… Ozpin ordeal?"

Oscar knew the question was coming but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. "Well, to put it mildly, I'm losing my mind here. Oz tells me I'm going to be fighting people? Like life or death? I'm fourteen, and I know this might sound bad but I have no fighting experience, like not even a fistfight as a kid! And now I'm being told I'm supposed to go up against monsters and maidens and Oum knows what else…" he buried his head in his hands.

Nova felt a pang of sadness looking at the boy. He knew exactly what it felt like being suddenly forced into a situation like this, having responsibility just thrown at you out of nowhere with no warning and they expect you to follow through.

"I'm not gonna say 'It's going to be okay', because… we're all living proof that shit will most definitely not be okay." Nova said getting up and draping an arm over the boy's shoulder. He wasn't sure if he was overstepping his boundaries to a stranger but if they were going to be traveling together they might as well overcome those barriers.

"Then what am I supposed to do? I don't think I'm cut out for this… for any of this…" Oscar said raising his head out of his hands.

Nova ruffled his hair, "Listen kid, whether you're cut out or not… Ozpin's in your head, and that wasn't his choice, nor was it yours. You're stuck with this responsibility now, and the only thing you can do is walk forward and improve as you go. Besides, you're not alone," he shot him a soft smile.

Oscar's eyes widened, he wasn't sure why the dragon's words affected him the way they did, but he was right. Nova didn't tell him that everything would be okay, he didn't make promises like 'I promise I'll protect you', he didn't say anything he couldn't uphold.

He was told the facts of the matter, and how to deal with it. There were no false pretenses or sugar coating…

'He's right you know,' Ozpin said.

'Yeah… I can see why the others respect him so much…' Oscar responded calmly.

'Indeed, Mr. Flareheart possesses a very rare trait, the mark of a true leader. You could stand to learn a lot from him,' Ozpin continued.

Oscar was genuinely surprised, 'First time I've heard you speak so highly of someone,'

'I do not offer praise unless it is factual merit. You would do well to listen to whatever lessons he will impart on you. He is quite wise for his age,'

'How old is he?'

'At the moment? I believe he's close to seventeen if he's not already,'

Oscar's eyes widened, 'He's just like Ruby? He seemed… much older…'

'Yes, that may be due to his many life experiences. All the more reason to take everything he says to heart'

"Anyway Oscar, if you need to blow off some steam or things get too harsh, I heard Ursa riding is a lot of fun!" Nova said quoting Nora.

'Almost everything…' Oscar could feel Ozpin grimacing and the thought made him chuckle. 'May I speak to him?'

"Oh sure," Oscar said aloud before turning to Nova, "Ozpin wants to talk to you."

"He's gonna do the thing again," Ruby pointed out from the opposite couch.

Nova just tilted his head in confusion until he saw Oscar flash green and his demeanor changed.

"Mr. Flareheart, it's good to see you alive and well," Ozpin said in Oscar's voice.

Nova smirked, "Well now, last time I heard about you Oz, you were dead,"

"I could say the same to you Mr. Flareheart," Ozpin smiled.

"Here we are, two ghosts talking. So, have you told them about Salem?" He gestured to Ruby.

"As it so happened, I didn't need to. Qrow took the liberty of doing that for me, and since you're mentioning her name, it seems someone has informed you as well? Miss Branwen I presume?" Ozpin asked, taking his cane into his hands and leaning on it.

Nova nodded, "And she told me about that little pact she and Qrow made with you."

"Pact?" Ruby asked hopping into the conversation.

"He turned them into birds," Nova said frankly, looking slightly amused at her shocked expression.

"Huh?!"

"Yes, I did grant them power in their best interest, though Ms. Branwen didn't seem to see it that way." Ozpin explained. "I assume she made you an offer to join her?"

Ozpin's tone of voice at that time was… suspicious, as if untrusting and wary.

Nova nodded, realizing a bit of Ozpin's real character was leaking out.

"And I trust you rejected her correct?"

"Well she did propose some decent points… but that's beside the point really. Salem employed Onyx and not only dragged my problems in with everyone else but endangered my family… and my friends… that's more than enough reason for me to want to take her head." Nova responded darkly, glaring Ozpin in the eyes as if saying 'You can trust me'.

Ozpin seemed to like that response, "Glad to see you haven't changed Mr. Flareheart. It seems this body is getting rather tired… so Oscar and I shall head to sleep. Good night Mr. Flareheart."

"Night Oz," Nova said with a smile though he wasn't exactly happy about their exchange. Once he was out of sight Ruby turned to Nova.

"What was that about?" she asked getting up from her couch and plopping down next to him.

Nova sighed, "Nothing just Raven said some things to me about Oz…" he glanced back to the stairs and extended an sensory aura field to detect life presences. Ozpin was most definitely not there anymore so he was safe to talk.

"Sorry about that Ruby… just…" he leaned in closer, "Don't trust everything Oz says…"

Ruby was shocked to say the least, "What do you mean? He's our headmaster, he's lead us through…"

"Did he really Ruby? I've been having these suspicions for some time now but Oz wasn't truthful to us since the start. Back when were still at Beacon, I asked Oz about the enemy queen. He had full opportunity to talk about Salem and the Relics back then… but he chose to stay silent. I only learned about this from Yang's mom, someone who's practically made it their life to be an enemy of Ozpin. Even now, Oz isn't telling us everything… just what we need to know in circumstance." Nova said looking her dead in the eye.

Ruby wanted to argue, but the more the information sunk in, the more it made sense. Since when did Ozpin give orders to them that took their safety into account. Ozpin was dictating orders to them with bare minimum information.

"But… how are we supposed to act?" she asked clutching his left arm, running her fingers through his new skin.

"Don't act any different. At the end of the day our goals are the same. Let's just hope that his withholding of information won't net us in trouble." Nova said. "Oscar's a good kid. I can tell that much. He's not like Ozpin, he's a victim just as much as most of us are…"

Ruby sighed and wrapped her arms around him and nestled her head on his chest, "I'm tired of all this… mistrust and life or death… all this drama… I just wish things could go back to the way they were before the Fall…"

Nova smiled and kissed the top of her head and stroked her face, "It's not all bad… we're in a different country, free to act as we please. It might not be the vacation we dreamed about… but it's still some form of freedom… we should make the most of it while we can."

The two got up and headed upstairs, when they got to Ruby's room Nova stopped, "Well… I guess this is good night," he said smiling, looking slightly sad.

Ruby shot him a half-smile, "And where do you think you're going?"

"The couch? I mean you don't have any space for me up here…"

"Love, I thought you were dead. I've been away from you for way too long. There's no way in hell you're not sleeping with me tonight." Ruby said reaching up and cupping his face.

Nova turned bright red, "W-W-WHA! Ruby… w-w-we're n-not r-ready…"

Ruby was at first confused by his stuttering until her phrasing of words sunk in, "N-No… I m-mean just sleeping… in the same bed…" she said nervously.

Nova shook himself, "Y-Yeah… that sounds nice…"

They climbed in the bed together, Ruby snuggled on his chest, her arms draped around him as her head was nestled in his neck.

"It feels nice to be able to hold you again… the real you…" Nova said rubbing her cheek with his right arm.

"Hmm? What do you mean the real me?"

"Well… when I was staying at your house, Tai and Yang let me sleep in your bed… and well everything smelled like you so I used to bundle up the blanket and pretend it was you," he explained embarrassed.

"Awww, you missed me that much?" she asked getting up and leaning over his face with hers.

"More than you think…" he responded, leaning up and closing the distance between them. Ruby pressed into him further, their lips moving in feverish synchronization as their desires began to bubble up. Kisses became hungrier, and tongues became practically conjoined. If it wasn't for the sudden loud snoring of someone, probably Nora, reverberating through the atmosphere, they would've lost themselves to passion.

They both froze as reality came back to them and they broke apart for a moment.

"NO THE PANCAKE MONSTER! Nova... bad...dragon..." Nora said most likely sleep talking from the other room causing them to groan in annoyance.

"Um… that was… nice…" Ruby squeaked as she came back to rest on his chest.

"More than a little… I want to thank Nora but also strangle her at the same time…" Nova said chuckling.

"Yeah… maybe we continue that when there are less people around~?" Ruby asked suggestively.

Nova fake gasped, "Ruby Rose! Are you… flirting with me?"

Ruby giggled and playfully smacked him, "Come on, let me enjoy tormenting my boyfriend a little."

"Alright, you win." A comfortable silence fell between them, "Since we have some time… you wanna go on a date tomorrow? I can take you to all my favourite places in Mistral," he asked.

"Hmmm…. Let me think…" Ruby said knowing she was tormenting him.

"Rubbbyyy…."

"I'm kidding, I'd love to." She kissed the underside of his chin. They eventually fell into a comfortable sleep.


-Menagerie-

The day was upon them. Blake, Sun, Luna, Elain, Ghira, and Kali stood before almost half the population of Kuo Kuana, there was a lot of Faunus present, reporters and journalists from all over Menagerie flocking to the Belladonna household, eager to listen to what the great Chief of the village had to say about the current state of affairs.

The only thing that constituted this to be a formal announcement was the single podium that stood at the base of the steps of the house, otherwise, there were just the persons present.

Ghira stepped toward the podium and raised his hand for silence. Once the audience was successfully quieted, he spoke. "It is good to see so many of you turning out to this occasion. Firstly, I'd like to address some of the rumors surrounding the island, and I believe it necessary that all of you here today become aware of the current situation."

There were a few murmurs amongst the people, most significantly, the ones standing in the crowd were the Albain brothers, Fennec and Corsac, clad in their standard White Fang uniform.

"The matter at hand… the event known as 'The Fall of Beacon'. Regardless of your feelings towards the human race, I believe we can all agree that what happened was a tragedy. We don't know who the true aggressors are, but what we do know for a fact is that Onyx, one of the separate branch leaders of the White Fang, was partially responsible for those events. This was confirmed by the White Fang here on Menagerie."

There was a massive collective gasp.

"I helped form the White Fang many years ago because I envisioned a world where I and all Faunus could walk alongside the humans on equal footing. The other members, in and out of the Fang wanted faster results, thus I stepped down, though not because I was incapable. I believe many of you here today were there for a certain event that marked a tragedy of our own. The loss of the Royal Family."

There were now even more murmurs, most people remembered the Royal Family as being part of the council that governed their island. Despite being Royalty, they didn't hold monopoly of the governing power, they were simply seen as important people.

"The day after, I stepped down from my position as the White Fang leader, the grief of the death of my best friends Elain and Bortz Flint Flareheart, was too much. They were well-respected members of our community, and beacons of light to those of us who are old enough to remember them. That was almost a full decade ago. Now, it is my pleasure to pass the address on to a very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce, Luna Flareheart, princess of Menagerie."

Everyone in the audience gasped in shock as Luna stepped forward and removed her cloak, revealing herself before them. She had to use a stepping stool to access the mic since she was so short.

The Albain brothers stared wide-eyed and began to tense up. The girl was supposed to be dead, at least that's what they were told… everything was about to crumble…

"I-It's good to see you in good health... your grace..." Corsac said bowing his head, though he looked to be rather unsettled. Luna knew exactly why he was so disgruntled, and that thought made her smile inwardly.

Many of the older Faunus at the gathering bowed their heads as she walked up to the mic. In doing so, many of the younger audience followed suit, though there were those who chose not to bow.

Luna was a little startled at first, she wasn't expecting them to be bowing to her, but she kept her composure. "Please, raise your heads. You need not bow before me, I am simply royal in name only. You do not owe me or my family such drastic ends of respect, but I do ask for your attention."

Those that were bowed, returned to their original standing positions and those that weren't bowing suddenly felt the urge to, the young lady before them carried an air of authority and command despite being younger than the vast majority of people present.

"Many of you may remember me from our battle during the Vytal Tournament. I'd reintroduce myself but Chief Belladonna has done that for me." She said with a light smile.

This earned some light giggles from the audience.

"As someone who was at the Fall of Beacon myself, I can also confirm the presence of the White Fang during the battle and with me are Blake Belladonna, Sun Wukong… and my mother Elain Flareheart, who can also testify to this." At the mention of her name, Elain removed her cloak as well, standing before them, not in her lab coat, but in a beautiful blue kimono, loaned to her by Kali.

"M-My Queen! T-The gods have brought her back to us!" An elderly man from the audience exclaimed, as his eyes fell upon Elain. Instantly he knelt down on the ground, and many others who recognized her did the same.

"Please, raise your heads, and give your attention to my daughter. I am no one's queen. I'm just a simple scientist with no political input." Elain said waving her hand.

"I'm sure you all may be asking yourselves, 'How are they alive? We saw their home go up in flames!' and 'Where have they been all this time?'. All these are valid questions, which equate to one answer. The White Fang, and to be more precise, the High Commander Onyx."

Everyone gasped as conspiracies began to formulate.

"Before any speculations, I will tell you the facts. Almost ten years ago, the fire that burned down our manor was caused by Onyx's branch of the White Fang. He did this to kidnap my mother and father. My brother and I were supposed to die that night, but thanks to our Uncle Quartz Flareheart, we managed to escape to Mistral where we lived in hiding until Onyx found us again, and caused us to flee to Beacon.

I am not saying this because I want your sympathy, I am telling you all this now because you, the people, need to be aware of the truth. The White Fang has been compromised, and it is only a matter of time before Onyx has full control if he doesn't already.

Most of you have already heard by now, about the death of my brother Nova Flareheart, at the Fall of Beacon. The man that cut him down was none other than Onyx himself. My brother didn't deserve this! Those of you that recall what he said at the Vytal Tournament, he wanted peace between our races. Equality between human and Faunus. To quote him, 'We are all people just the same'. The casualties at Beacon were not just human, there were Faunus to. The White Fang tore at them indiscriminately.

Onyx doesn't care for the Faunus, he only cares for his own ambition." Luna finished, they could see her eyes tearing up, though she did not shed a tear.

"And who are you to say what's good for our people?!" a voice rang out clear across the dead silence of the crowd. All eyes turned to see Ilia wearing her White Fang mask walking to the front of the crowd.

Everyone in the crowd gasped in shock as she strode through approaching them. "You 'Royals' suggest working with the very people that have tormented us for millennia. Where were the humans when our kind was tortured and enslaved before the wars. Where were the humans when the SDC took away our rights and forced us into labour? Exactly! They were the ones doing it! And now you want us to work together? Against the man who is trying to bring a new change to the world?"

Luna stood calm, "But where were our people when my family was thrown and left to die? Where were our people when my brother and I were starving in the streets? They were the ones hunting as! Both sides have their fair share of bad, we are no strangers to the same sins that humans have committed. An eye for an eye makes the world go blind, and if we project our past treatment on the humans then we are no better than them. It was humans that saved my brother and I and it was humans that fought alongside the Faunus at the Beacon to protect each other."

Most of the people nodded in understanding, many of them begrudgingly agreed, they were no fans of the human race but they weren't so petty as to subject.

"Both sides share evil? Then why haven't you told them? That it was your family that was selling private Faunus secrets to the humans? That's why the White Fang torched your home!" Ilia countered.

"And what proof do you have of that? Onyx has done nothing but spread lies and propaganda for his own gain…" Luna said calmly, desperately trying to keep her emotions in check.

"What proof do What proof do you have that he is?"

"I have proof!" A male voice erupted from the crowd. The crowd was a wild array of chaos and shock as someone they did not expect in the slightest appeared. Three people to be precise.

All eyes went wide as Adam Taurus, Bell Wings and Sienna Khan walked through the crowd and knelt before Luna. The crowd began to speak above murmurs.

"That's Sienna Khan!"

"And the tall one with her, that's Adam Taurus!"

"Who's the short blonde?"

"No idea"

"Adam!" Ilia's eyes widened in shock.

"Your highness," Adam said bowing before her.

"Adam?! W-What are you doing here?!" Luna said with hostility, ready to attack.

"Your highness, please, we come in peace…" Bell said stepping forward.

"What would Onyx's lackeys know about peace?" Luna said with contempt.

"Your highness, I'd suggest you listen to what they have to say… they've saved my life… I can vouch for their worth," Sienna said with a bowed head, which was strange to see for Ghira, because the Sienna Khan he knew wouldn't kneel before anyone, not even her own superiors.

"Miss Sapphire, I think you should listen to them… if Sienna vouches for their worth then so will I," Ghira said stepping forward. He wasn't sure if to call her Luna or Miss Flareheart given the circumstances so he went with her middle name for safety.

"Alright… you have my attention…" Luna said glaring at them and folding her arms.

In that moment everyone could swear they weren't looking at a fifteen-year-old girl, but the image of a true queen.

Adam swallowed thickly but managed to speak under her gaze, the sheer pressure she was exerting instilled fear in him, unlike her brother, Luna felt genuinely terrifying… though if Bell could testify, she'd say both dragons were equally scary.

"My associate and I have abandoned Onyx and his branch of the White Fang. We no longer believe in his cause, after having seen the atrocities he committed against not only our race, but to innocent civilians during the Fall of Beacon, we have deserted him." Adam said, now glancing around. The Albain brothers were missing in the confusion.

"As former hands to the man himself, we know for a fact that Onyx's next course of action is to attack Haven Academy and seize control of Mistral there," Bell explained.

"And how do you know this? Why should we even believe a word you say? You people killed my brother…" she seethed.

Adam gulped, "Your brother he's… he was a great man and what happened to him was regrettable, but…"

"But?"

"Onyx… was controlling us, our minds… with a device embedded in the back of our necks," Adam said getting up and turning around to show her the scar, Bell did the same. "We're telling you this information because we want to make up for all the wrongs we've done until now. We wish to start over and help you."

"I-If you don't believe us… the information is on this scroll…" Bell tossed a scroll to Ghira who caught it and began to go through the data.

"HEY, THAT'S MINE!" Ilia yelled in protest, realizing Bell had pickpocketed her without her knowledge.

Ghira's eyes widened, "I-It's all here! The plans for the Haven attack, the orders to kill Sienna Khan… we have all the physical proof right here!" he said showing the scroll to the others. Blake and Sun also skimmed through in awe at the sheer detailed schemes.

Luna sighed, "Why the sudden change of heart? You had perfect opportunity to run, yet you chose to come back here? What's your angle? Did you hope that by giving up this information I'd forgive you for what you've done?"

Adam shook his head, "To tell you the truth, we were… sent by a mutual acquaintance… and he said you'd need some help, and he was right. If we weren't here then Sienna Khan would be dead and the White Fang would be unified under Onyx's rule."

"Mutual Acquaintance?" Luna was confused.

"We'll speak on this later… for now I believe you have a waiting audience," he said gesturing to the mass of gaping Faunus.

"Ahem, yes…" she paused gathering her thoughts, "Now that we know what Onyx himself is planning, I ask you, the people of Menagerie. Will you not aid us in the fight against this injustice? Against this madman that indiscriminately kills Faunus and Human alike? I'm not saying you should abandon your homes and pick up arms, I'm asking for small acts, just spreading the truth and resisting the lies is enough, but those of you who are capable, will you not join us in fighting against him?" Luna asked imploring the audience.

There was a loud eruption of cheer as many agreed with her words. Once the chaos had quieted and the gathering concluded, they all sat inside the Belladonna household to discuss what happened. Ilia and the Albain brothers had disappeared in the chaos.


"So… Onyx sent an assassin after you?" Ghira asked turning to Sienna.

She nodded, "Yes… were it not for these two I'd be dead… though many of those loyal to me are no doubt already dispatched by him…"

"It wasn't just any assassin, it was Edan… our old 'friend'," Bell said with air quotes.

Luna looked shocked, "Him?! Fucking hell…"

"And he's been altered somehow… I stabbed right through him and he brushed it off like it was nothing… he was made of… wires and metal…" Adam said looking at his hands.

"Like a cyborg?" Sun prompted.

"Yes, actually… who are you?" Adam asked looking at the monkey Faunus.

"Sun Wukong, resident badass," he said proudly.

Adam took a sip of his tea and was about to question the boys connection to the incident when he noticed his proximity to Blake, and came to a conclusion, "Ah… I see…"

"Earlier you mentioned a mutual acquaintance," Luna said drawing his attention, "Who are you speaking of?"

Adam glanced around and sighed, "I'd prefer to keep that a secret, I was asked specifically not to say…"

"If you want us to actually trust you… then I'd suggest you say who it is right now…" Elain eyed him cautiously. She didn't trust the man, not one bit, Adam Taurus was partially responsible for her son's death… and she wasn't about to let that go.

Bell looked at him, "He did say not to tell anyone… but I think it's okay to tell them right?"

"We were given specific orders not to." Adam returned.

"And since when did he become our boss?" She asked, and Adam responded with a raised eyebrow.

Bell sighed heavily, "Ugh, well be that as it is, I'm still tellin 'em, they deserve to know."

"Fine but you're the one who has to answer to him when we're done with this," Adam rubbed his temples.

Blake watched the exchange with nervousness. Adam was acting like his old self, like the Adam she knew before he joined the Fang, like the friend she once had. Yet, that concept made her feel uncomfortable in of itself. Adam was the reason she left the White Fang, he was the reason she hid herself for so long, and yet here he was, in the one place she didn't want to ever see him again… in her own home.

Adam noticed her choice to remain silent and distant, and he couldn't blame her reaction. After all he'd done he'd be surprised if she'd reacted any differently.

"Listen, the person who sent us," Bell said, bring their attention to her, "Was his royal pain in the ass himself, Nova the flaming asshat."

"WHAT?!" Everyone gasped in surprise.

"Y-You… you're lying! MY BROTHER IS DEAD!" Luna said angrily, her eyes glowing and she looked about ready to murder Bell.

"She speaks the truth. Nova survived… well to be more precise we saved his life but, details aside, he's alive and at Patch, something about meeting up Ruby Rose again," Adam said.

"B-But how…" Luna said tearing up, Elain began to choke up as well.

"He's alive…" she said as if not believing it herself. "He's alive!"

"How? Well you'll have to ask him yourself when you see him again, for now we need to focus on our plan of action," Adam said sipping on his tea again.

"We can try to acquire supporters tomorrow, no doubt with the Queen of Menagerie and the royal princess, a branch leader of the White Fang and the daughter of the Chief, we'd manage to get at least some people…" Sienna said folding her arms and looking at them.

"Indeed, but we must be cautious, we don't know who could be working for him," Ghira said as they delved into strategizing.

Sun saw Blake shrink into the corner and joined her, "Hey… you okay? You look kinda pale," he said sitting down next to her.

"How would you feel if the man who ruined your life is now sitting in the same room like an ally, when just yesterday you thought you'd seen the last of him?" she asked hugging her knees.

Sun flinched and shot a glance at Adam, "Ouch, okay… you told me about your history with the Fang but… how about your history?" he asked looking at Adam.

Blake sighed, "We were friends once… I looked up to him like a mentor, someone who was the ideal White Fang rebel. He was willing to do whatever it took for our cause… no matter what it was…"

"Sounds like you more than just 'admired' him." Sun pointed out.

Blake shivered, "I may have had a crush on him at some point… but whatever feelings that could've possibly have been between us… well it fizzled out and died when… I realized what was really going on…"

"I'm sensing a but somewhere in there," Sun said.

"It's just that… seeing him now he reminds me of how he was when we were kids… calmer, more reasonable… and that scares me…" she said pulling her knees closer, her ears flattening against her head.

"You're beginning to have feelings for him again?" Sun asked curiously, with what Blake almost thought was jealousy.

"What? No! No… never… not after everything… I just… I don't think I can handle that he's… an ally now, if that even is the right term… and now he tells us that Nova's alive? My head just feels like it's all over the place…" she said burying her head on her knees.

Sun draped one arm around her, "Well… there's not much you can do about it, I think if he is as changed as you say he seems, then things will sort themselves out. You just need to be patient with it."

Blake sniffed and looked up with a smile, "That's strangely wise coming from you."

"What do you mean strangely? I'm the embodiment of wisdom!" Sun said point at his chest with his thumb causing Blake to giggle.

"Thanks Sun, I'm… actually glad you followed me here…" she said leaning on his arm and smiling.

"What are friends for?" Sun beamed at her.

"Yeah… friends…" Blake returned almost unsure if she wanted to call him that.

Adam watched the exchange with a light smile ghosting his lips. She was in good hands, and he could feel better knowing she had reliable people to support her after all he's done. Still… he needed to at least talk to her if she'd let him…


-Later that night-

The balcony of the Belladonna household was once again occupied by Blake. Sun was sleep still nursing his shoulder injury that Ilia inflicted, and Luna and Elain were too emotionally exhausted to continue any further. This left Blake to twirl her thumbs in contemplation, as she stared up at the clear night sky.

"Still the same night owl as you always were," Adam said as he walked into the Balcony. Blake jumped back and perched atop the rails in position to strike.

"Easy there Blake… I'm here to talk…" Adam said raising his arms up in surrender.

She had to mentally force herself out of a defensive position and ease back onto the balcony floor. "What is there to talk about?" she spat as if trying to avoid the conversation.

Adam flinched at her hostility though he could not blame her, "You know as well as I do, I have a lot to answer for… to you especially…"

Blake stayed silent, just watching him.

He sighed, "I'm not going to make up excuses for what I did. I've hurt people… killed people, innocent people. I've done a lot of wrong in my life under the belief that I was doing it for our cause…"

"And what? You think because you acknowledge your wrongs know that it makes it okay?! That'll I'll welcome you with open arms as if the last two years of my life didn't exist? Adam I watched you slaughter innocent people… you bombed a civilian district because they were Atlasian!" Blake said her anger flaring.

Adam winced, "I'm not asking for your forgiveness Blake… I'm asking you to at least try to cooperate with me… I'm trying… ever since Nova broke the device in my neck… I've been seeing things clearly."

"Chalk it up to mind control? That's how it is?"

"NO!" Adam yelled angrily causing Blake to shrink back, her ears flattening against her head in fear, and Adam instantly regretted his actions. "No… Blake I'm sorry… just… hear me out…"

"Those thoughts… and actions were all mine… I will not deny that. The machine only served to fuel my impulses and rage so I acted on them until my mind became clouded. It wasn't long before I'd been fully under his thumb. Do you remember that day you left?" he asked with a pleading eye since the other one was gone.

Blake nodded, "How could I forget? It was my first step to becoming my own person again," she said with contempt in her voice.

Adam looked at the floor, "That day was the first time I ever started to question if what we were doing was the right thing, but my mind would become cloudy again. It was like my thoughts were being stopped by a brick wall of anger and pain, and any semblance of clarity would instantly be muddled over by fury… When we spoke again, at the genetics research facility… there was a chip in that wall. After Mount Glenn, Team BLDE came back with injuries far beyond anything I'd seen, and Bell was asking questions, she was saying things about Onyx that felt too real… too true. Slowly that wall became cracked until I myself began to slowly see through the haze…"

Blake watched in silent observation as Adam began to explain his path to redemption.

"That night that Nova defeated me… he told me that Onyx was using me, he laid the facts before me on a table and dragged me out of that dark ditch that was my mind… When I awoke after the fall I felt like a new me… or rather like the part of me that was missing for years was finally back… I was free of that monster. For that one reason, I owe my life to Nova, and I've sworn my loyalty to him." Adam explained.

Blake looked shocked, for Adam to freely submit to someone… it was unheard of. "I don't…"

"Blake… I'm not asking you to go about like nothing happened, I'm just… I want us to at least try to cooperate… for the sake of our people… and for Nova," Adam sad extending an arm in a form of a handshake.

Blake was taken aback, she wasn't expecting Adam to come across as genuine. He was completely different from what he was like all those years ago. It was like talking to a different person… with reasonable thoughts and ambition.

She hesitantly took the hand, and shook it, and glared into his eyes, "We can start… but if I see you or your friend make one wrong move… I will not hesitate…"

Adam smiled, "I'd sooner kill myself than betray you… besides even if I did, I think the little one would disembowel me faster than I can blink…" he said referring to Luna.

Blake shuddered, the blue dragon was becoming more terrifying as the days went on. She sighed as she leaned over the railing, "I feel like I need a vacation...". Her musings were interrupted however when she saw a rustling in the bushes, accompanied by a familiar pair of glowing eyes...

"Illia?"


I wanted to do Nova and Ruby's date as well as continue with the Menagerie side of things but that'd better be saved for the next chapter.

Thoughts on how I've been taking Oscar's character so far? I've been trying to make him seem more like a teenager with a grown man in his head than a grown man in a teenager's body.
It's also hell trying to talk about Onyx formally without mentioning his last name... why? Because plans muahahaha

Anyway exhausted author out! See you beautiful butt munches on the next chapter!