So uni is starting back tomorrow. Kinda had to deal with a lot of personal stuff this time, mostly going through a few days of seriously depressive episodes. I don't have depression or anything but it was just one of those weeks.
On a brighter note, your morally questionable author is going to be an uncle ^-^
Don't worry if my older sister lets me, this kid is going to become a glorious weeb.
Chapter 60: Berry Good Times All-Around
"I think something's wrong with my powers..." Nova said with a grim expression.
The dragon leader sighed; he knew this was coming. He'd been trying to avoid the discussion and with all the drama he'd managed to succeed, at least until now. He rolled up his sleeved left arm and removed his gloves to display his dragon-skin arm with a dull Agniseki resting atop it.
"Since almost drowning in that freezing lake, I… haven't really been able to use my powers." He said nervously.
"Almost drowned?! I swear to Oum… you kids will be the death of me…" she muttered after. "So… what happened?"
The others looked toward Nova suspiciously. They'd had an instinctive feeling that something was wrong, but knowing him they weren't that worried… until now.
"Powers?" Saphron asked looking confused.
It was then that everyone in the room returned to the reality that they were in the presence of persons not associated with their quest.
"It's a dragon thing. Members of the royal family are sometimes born with powers, aside from our Semblances. Regarding this stone on my arm, and rather… what my arm is… I can tell you that I lost my arm at the Fall of Beacon and this is a replacement. Anything further and it is strictly Huntsman and Huntress business," Nova lied as easily as he breathed.
Saphron eyed them suspiciously but chose not to press into it immediately.
"Please… sis… for the sake of you and your family, you must not be aware of the information we are about to divulge… so if you'd kindly leave the room," Jaune said with concern in his eyes.
"Ugh fine. I understand…" she said almost dejectedly before escorting herself and Tera out of the room.
Nova waited until he was sure they were out of earshot.
"So… by now you've all noticed that… I've been colder… literally," he began, rubbing his forearms. "When I woke up from the ice-lake, I stopped feeling my power."
"What do you mean? How could you just stop?" Weiss asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.
"It's not something I can explain. For as long as I can remember, I've always had this power. It's been by my side like an energy, and right now… I can't truly feel it…"
"Okay, now you're just being vaguer. Is it gone or not?" Nora folded her arms crossly.
"It's complicated. I can… tell it's there. It's not gone but… if my powers were a steady burning inferno before, this feels like a dying matchstick."
"I can probably shed some light on that," Raisa said as she and Maria entered the room from the backdoor.
Everyone was taken aback, "You know about the Aspects of Remnant's powers?" Luna asked. She had decided to sit next to Oscar on the couch, the latter of whom seemed rather flustered but not unwelcoming of the presence.
"Well not much, maybe not as much as your family, but from my encounters, I did know a Faunus or two that were connected to your kind. Through them, I was able to learn a few things." She explained.
"Friend? Did you know another Aspect?" Ruby asked.
Raisa's brow furrowed, "Well… more like an acquaintance, but she's long since passed away. A Hawk girl by the name of Aeros… but enough about my past. What is concerning is you!" she pointed at Nova. "You're saying you can't tap into your powers right now correct? It's like they're weakened?"
Nova nodded slowly.
"Well that could mean several things, but it would help me narrow things down if you were to tell me, who or where is the Fall Maiden?"
Everyone shared a simultaneous glance and Nova groaned aloud, "She's right here…"
"Really? Which one of you?" she asked looking among the girls.
They all just shook their heads and pointed at Nova.
"What…?"
"Ugh, it's easier if I show you…" Nova said before pushing the button on his armlet and his body transforming into that of a girl. Her eyes then began to glow with the Fall Maiden's power. "Does this explain it?"
Raisa began coughing and choking in surprise, "Well, in all my years… this actually explains everything!"
Everyone was on the edge of their seat, "Really? What's the problem? Am I going to be okay?" Nova asked.
"Kid, right now in your body houses the powers of the natural world, your Aspect, and the powers of magic, the Fall Maiden. Magic and Nature are like Orange Juice and Chery Juice. Incidentally, they're both juices but right now your body is confused."
"I think Nova's pretty comfortable with his choice of sexuality ma'am. Ruby's already decided she's half-gay." Nora says blanky while everyone falls over comically.
The woman choked, "NO! No… what I mean is, you said you almost drowned right?"
Nova nodded, "Yeah, and I fought before that draining all my aura and my stamina, and I guess my power as well."
"Exactly. Right now your body is confused because it's trying to refill your juice, but it doesn't know which one to fill. Does it fill your orange or the cherry? The magic or the natural element? It can't figure out where to draw in energy from and it's just at a stagnant pace until you can regulate it," she finalizes.
Nova listened intently and pondered on her words, "So… what you're saying is… I need to figure out which one I want to focus on?"
Raisa held up her index and smiled, "Precisely. You catch on quick boy…err girl…. Anyway, you need to either release the magic in you and let it go, or find some way to harmonize between the two forces in your body. Right now you're kinda stuck in a loop of back and forth. I can see your aura just bouncing back and forth unable to figure out what to do with itself."
"That still doesn't explain why it's stunted it to this extent," Weiss said thoughtfully.
"Aspects are born to balance the power of the world... so when Nova became the Fall Maiden, the balance got thrown for a loop, because I guess even fate wasn't prepared for the turn of events that transpired... still the fact that Nova's Aspect mark still exists means that there is a remaining power imbalance. Perhaps our enemies are getting stronger... and the world feels threatened..." Elain said, voicing her theories.
Nova was silent for a moment, before responding, "T-This is all just too bloody complicated… I'll figure this out somehow…" she had a concerned look on her face before instantly morphing it to her leader face. "Alright, we'll figure this out at some other point. Right now our main focus should be finding a way to convince the Atlas base to grant us passage." She folded her arms and stood tall.
They all nodded simultaneously, "And if we can't convince them?" Yang asked with an undertone of ulterior motives.
Nova smirked at her expression, "Then we use… alternative methods~"
"I like where your head's at!" Hex finger gunned at her.
"Should we be trying anything like that? I mean, our local one-man army has lost most of his power…" Weiss said thoughtfully, she was trying to come up with ways they could do things that didn't involve stealing or fighting.
The dragon leader looked genuinely offended, "Hey! Just because I can't use my powers doesn't mean I'm useless. I can still fight." She pouted in frustration.
"Uh… quick question…" Nitro raised his finger drawing everyone's attention. "How many rooms are there?"
Everyone fell silent. In all their ponderings about what they should do with their mission, they'd forgotten about living arrangements, and while the Cotta-Arc's house was big, it wasn't nearly as big as the one in Mistral. They certainly didn't have six bedrooms to fit the fourteen of them.
"Oh don't worry too much, I'm sure you guys can fit in the three rooms that we do have," Tera said popping back into the room. Nova was pretty sure she'd heard everything previously, but he wouldn't bring it up.
"Tera! I thought we were discussing sensitive information here?" Jaune chastised.
"Yeah, I got tired of waiting for you to finish up. I know nothing," she said with a wink.
Everyone sighed, the Arc family were seriously too curious for their own good
"I'd trust you guys won't be 'active' during the night, right?" Saphron said with air quotes.
They all turned pink, "Ma'am the only couples in this group are Me and Yang and Nova and Ruby. It's just one big family really!" Hex said almost choking on air.
She looked around, "Where is Nova?"
"Right here!" Nova's hand shot up with a goofy grin.
"Um… who…?"
"Mrs. Cotta-Arc, I'm a girl, and also a boy. My sex changes like this," she flicked the button on her armlet and transformed back into a guy.
The Cotta Arcs had to do triple takes, "In a world where monsters roam and people have powers you'd think something like this wouldn't surprise you…" Tera said holding her head in her hands.
"I'd try not to think about it. A medical accident caused my semblance to morph my body, I've learned to live with it. Besides, I kinda like being this way."
"C-Can you transform back for a second?" Saphron asked nervously.
Nova tilted his head in confusion, "Sure…?" the light enveloped the room for the third time, and there stood female Nova.
Saphron giddily ran up and began taking measurements with a tape she seemingly pulled from thin air.
"YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!" she squealed.
"Wait wha?!" suddenly she was pulled by the arm and dragged upstairs by the hyper Arc girl. "HELP ME!"
"Uh… what just happened?" Luna asked her sweat bead dropping.
Tera giggled, "Saphron has had this one dress in her closet for five years. She couldn't fit in it and I think she found someone who could."
Moments later Saphron was seen dragging a very shy Nova down the stairs. Everyone's jaw dropped.
Nova was wearing a beautiful white Victorian style dress that went to her ankles. It was adorned with pink swirling blossoms around the lacy top. The shoulders were puffy and over her head was a frilled bonnet. All in all, she looked like a doll.
Nitro, Yang, and Hex desperately tried to hold in their laughter while Ruby was rubbing her eyes in disbelief.
"No… way… you're kidding me…" Oscar mouthed in astonishment.
Nova was pouting furiously, "How did this happen?!"
"Honey, you look adorable," Ruby squealed latching onto her and rubbing their cheeks together.
"SHE'S SO CUTE! I JUST WANNA SQUISH HER!" Nora joined Ruby in the squeezing of Nova.
Luna snapped a picture on her scroll, leaving Nova with a horrified expression, "Sis! YOU DID NOT!"
"Oh… it's for the… memories…pfft HAHAHHA!" Luna began cackling madly on the floor.
Once everyone was nestled in their rooms, Nova was out of the dress and in his original body form, resting on the couch. He'd given up a spot in the rooms for Oscar. He figured the kid needed a good night's rest after whatever it is he went through. Ruby insisted she stay with him so it was just the two of them bunking in the living room.
He was reclining against the corner of the long couch with Ruby curled up next to him, her head resting on his lap while he played with her hair. They'd swapped out their combat outfits for casual clothing since their traditional garb was in dire need of washing. Nova was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with white sweatpants. He hated sleeping in long pants but Argus was quite cold, and without his inner fire, he was susceptible to the frigid air. Ruby, on the other hand, couldn't wear her normal pajamas so she was wearing black shorts with woolen thigh highs and Nova's favourite orange and black hoodie.
"You know what's something that I really like," he said airily.
"Hmm?" she rolled over so her eyes were staring up at him and he was looking down at her.
"Your hair colour. At first, I thought you dyed it that way, but now that I see that it's naturally black with red streaks, I can't help but be amazed."
"Really? My hair of all things?" She teased.
"Well yeah, I mean… what other weirdo would have multicoloured hair like you?"
"The same weirdo that has multicolored eyes, dumbass." She took his right arm and nuzzled into the palm. Had it not been for the incredibly adorable action, he'd have facepalmed for forgetting his own hair was also in a similar situation.
Nova's heart melted, "God… you're… so… ugh how do I say these words without sounding like a dork?"
Ruby giggled and sat up facing him, "You're a dork either way so it doesn't matter does it?"
"Hey, you're one too!" he said with fake annoyance.
"Yeah but we're each other's dorks aren't we?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said entwining his fingers with hers.
"We've come a long way, haven't we? Nearly two years ago, we were in Professor Port's class learning about cabbages. Back then you were just a mysterious person that was so curious to me. I wanted to be your friend… and I never knew just how much more that would become…" she said leaning in closer.
"For me, it was like a crush at first glance. You're so… perfect to me. I mean I know perfection is subjective but to me, there's not a single thing about you that I dislike. From the way, you talk with your mouth full, to your nose-picking habits down to your gorgeous smile and beautiful personality. You opened up so much to me… I'm just glad that I was the one you chose to be with," he said with genuine love, leaning in closer as well.
Ruby's lips were barely a fraction from his own, "In my heart when it came down to it… there wasn't a choice because I had eyes for you… and only you…" she closed the distance and their lips met in a passionate kiss.
She encircled her arms around his neck and he pulled her close. Kissing furiously as their lips meshed in perfect harmony. They hadn't been able to share a moment like this since Mistral and they were desperate for each other. Nova's lips roamed, kissing along her jawline before returning to their spot on her lips.
Ruby mewled in pleasure as he gently sucked on her lower lip. She broke for air but not before instantly going back down to devour his mouth, their tongues dancing around each other as they tried to absorb as much of the other as possible. Hands began roaming and before they knew it, she was ontop of him and he was laying back down on the couch, staring up at the hazy passion-filled eyes of Ruby Rose.
She leaned back down, her nose touching his, "We should probably stop there…" he said with a hint of disappointment, whispering against her breath.
"But I don't want to…" she pouted.
Nova almost choked as to what she was implying, "We… don't want to ruin the upholstery… Jaune's sister might be mad. Plus This house isn't exactly soundproof."
Ruby growled, "Ugh, you're right… the morning would be super embarrassing…" she groaned thinking about it.
Nova chuckled, "Hey, didn't say you could stop kissing me now did I?"
She giggled and playfully slapped his chest, "You're such a dork!" she said before diving back down onto his mouth.
The next morning the gang woke up to see a rather disheveled looking Ruby atop Nova, both their hair's looking worse than bedhead, their clothes, while rumpled and disorderly, were still on. Much to Yang and Hex's disappointment.
"Aw, guess they're still too young," Hex said chuckling.
Yang flicked her girlfriend, "I might trust Nova with Ruby more than I trust anyone else, but these two are most definitely not ready. Give them another year then maybe... maybe I'll let it slide..." she eyed them.
Hex snorted, "Ease up mama bear. Just let 'em enjoy this."
Yang reached down and shook Ruby, "Wake up love birds, it's morning," the blonde brawler said, earning a loud groan from the two of them.
"Yang leave us alone..." Nova grumbled. Ruby waved her hand and Yang dismissively before burying her head back into Nova's shirt.
"Cute as this is, everyone's already up so, unless you want to train the innocent eyes of young Adrien and the other two, I'd suggest you make yourselves not look like you were active last night, please?" Hex said with a teasing tone.
Nova and Ruby turned pink, sitting up abruptly, "W-We didn't!"
Yang had a smug look, "I know, you both still have that 'virgin' look."
"And how would you know?" Nova folded his arms looking annoyed.
Yang and Hex shared a silent glance and giggled, "Do you want us to tell you?"
Ruby turned the colour of her name, "NO! I'm going to bleach my brain, Nova, love, can you make me some coffee?"
The dragon pecked her on the lips, "Sure, three sugars and heavy cream right?"
As she disappeared upstairs she saluted down in confirmation.
They all sat around the table for breakfast, with Nova and Ruby relaxing in the backyard while the others were either watching tv or just enjoying their peace. It was rare for them to wake up to a slow morning, and there was a silent agreement to just let things go.
"Oh kids, we got some homemade raspberry jam. Red berries are a specialty of Argus and Saphron's favourite hobby is making jam when the season comes around," Tera said waving a bottle of red gelatinous substance out of the fridge before placing it not he table.
"OH, I LOVE RASPBERRY! Well, it's not blueberry, it's still good," Luna chirped, taking a spoonful and placing it on her toast.
Oscar hummed in interest, "So... you're favourite flavour is blueberry? Ironic," he said chuckling and picking up the jar.
She pouted and puffed out her cheeks, "Goddamn you... figuring me out!"
"If you like blueberry, I'll take a guess and say... Nova likes citrus?" he asked. He was basing his guesses on colour scheme, it was typical people's food tastes tended to veer toward their favourite colours.
Luna giggled, "Close but no cigar. He does like oranges and tangerines, but it's not his favourite. He might be orange but he has a certain thing for... red snacks if you catch my meaning," she said winking and nudging toward the bit of red hood that was poking out of the doorway. The way Ruby and Nova were sitting they could somewhat see them from the kitchen.
Oscar mouthed, "Oh... so strawberry?"
"Almost. He's chronically addicted to cherries. I remember this one time we were living in the alleys, Nova managed to score a box of the stuff from an overloaded supply shipment. We tried to share but he ended up eating almost all by himself," she recalled while eating her food.
Tera listened in to their conversation with interest, shock, and worry. Kids their age? Living on the streets? Weren't they royalty?
"I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds but... alley?" she asked the blue dragon with concern marring her features.
Luna waved her hand dismissively, "It's fine ma'am. Royalty isn't all it's cracked up to be. I mean with all the political drama, getting separated from our parents at a young age and our house burning down, Nova and I grew up on the streets. It's honestly nothing."
Ter almost choked at the way she was treating it. It was almost like homelessness didn't phase the young dragon, and she didn't know whether to admire her mental fortitude or feel sympathy for her having to go through such horrible circumstances.
"Did you know about that?" Tera asked turning to Elain who was making coffee.
The wolf Faunus' ears perked up, "Nope, not until they told me. I was kidnapped and forced to work for the White Fang for eight years. I didn't even know if they were alive," she said pointing to Luna who just beamed a smile.
Tera held her head in her hands, "You know what? I'm honestly sorry I asked... what have you all been through?! You're barely what fourteen?" she looked to Luna.
"Fifteen and we've... been through a lot... but it's all in the past now. Oh, this jam is absolutely amazing!" she chirped as she licked her fingers.
"THANK YOU!" Saphron called back from the other room where she was feeding Adrien on the couch.
The bespectacled woman just sighed and picked up the newspaper and blinked in surprise, "Woah!"
"Hm, what's up?" Jaune asked walking into the room looking freshly showered.
"Midnight Fire and mysterious hero. Late last night a house caught on fire, when authorities rushed to the scene they found what seemed to be the remains of dozens of human bodies. According to the autopsies, most of the corpses had been dead for days but the fresh one was identified as Burgess Redwood, a.k.a, 'The Artist', a serial killer that had escaped the grasp of the law for years. Eye Witnesses include a young boy whose name was left out, who says that he was kidnapped by Burgess and rescued by a teenager Huntsman. Description of the unknown hero is an average height tan boy with dark hair." she finished reading it out.
"Hmm..." all eyes in the room turned to Oscar who matched that exact description.
"Who me? It could be anyone..." he tried to laugh it off as he picked up the jam. Upon gazing at the bottle of red goo he had flashbacks to the coagulated blood and festering wounds of the hanging bodies, almost making him puke on the table.
They all as the reaction, "Mhm... and judging by the smokey smell and burn marks you had, I'd say I know exactly who that mysterious person is," Nova said standing in the doorway.
"Can we not do this right now? I don't want to remember what I saw... or what I had to do..." Oscar said now not feeling hungry.
"We don't need to. I just want to say that you did a good thing, Oscar. The world is in a better place for it." Nova said folding his arms.
"Then why do I feel so... awful..." he said almost tearing up.
Luna moved closer and placed her hand over his from across the table, "Because you have a heart. If you didn't feel anything I'd be worried..." she said smiling sweetly at him, making him turn pink in embarrassment.
"WAH! Um... ahem..." he composed himself. Tera and Elain just looked on with knowing smiles. "Anyway... uh... what are we going to do about Atlas?"
"Nothing right now. Ruby is still training and I think we are all in desperate need of a short rest. Atlas isn't running away and we can trust James to at least keep the city safe for a day or two. What we need right now is to evaluate our situation, come up with a proper plan, and then move forward." Nova said entering leader mode.
"Safe? Is Atlas in danger?" Tera asked worriedly.
"Maybe, or maybe it's fine. We have reason to believe it's under terrorist attack, whether it be a week from now or later. It all depends on when the enemy decides to move." he said eyeing her. He trusted Tera, at least she didn't come across as a shady person. He was a good judge of character and there were no warning signs over her head, so she was safe to trust with this information.
"Are you alright telling me this?"
"Well you asked, didn't you? I'm not one to keep secrets... at least not when the information won't do any harm," he said, and everyone's mind waved back to Ozpin and his lies.
"What's our agenda for the day oh brother of mine?" Luna asked with blinking eyes.
Nova didn't understand the gesture so he went on anyway, "We're going to see Pyrrha."
-Vacuo, The Last White Fang Base-
Onyx sat in his throne room, gripping the armrests in anger, his miasma encompassing the polished marble floors and tall white pillars with White Fang flags draped over them. He was brooding over his most recent loss against the group of rats that kept following him around and that cockroach Nova who refused to die. Everything was going according to plan until that wretched lizard reared his ugly head and spat on his work. Now he was down on his army, and lacking political influence.
"Sir, the new models are ready," Stein said walking into the throne room.
Onyx smiled, "Oh~? Take me to them..."
He followed the scientist out of the room and through the highly advanced facility, to the development lab. There standing in rows were a series of automaton soldiers, clad in thick black plated armour, White Fang symbols painted on their chests.
"The new Obsidian models sir." Stein gestured.
Onyx studied them carefully, "What can they do exactly?"
"I'm glad you asked." Stein pressed a button on his remote control and all of the soldiers simultaneously took up a combat stance, their left arms raised and morphed into blasters while their right arms transformed into energy blades, "High powered armour piercing hand cannons and high density vibrating Dust infused energy blades. The guns can pierce any hide short of dust shield and their blades can cut through almost anything," he then pressed another button and a thick metal beam was lowered into the room fro the ceiling. One soldier walked up to it and cut it down in an instant.
Onyx whistled, "Impressive... but how sturdy are they?"
"Their Dust infused alloy plating is of Incindium plate steel. Blast resistant, flame retardant and bulletproof," he continued, this time a minigun, flamethrower, and grenade were dropped from the ceiling, each going off one after the other. Once the smoke cleared the robots were completely unharmed.
The bear Faunus roared with laughter, "WELL DONE STEIN! Out of all my loyal henchmen... you are by far the most useful. I'll see to it that you are... handsomely rewarded..."
"I'm not usually one to ask where our funds are coming from, but to supply this research... our benefactor must be quite wealthy..."
Onyx eyed him, "Yes... well his business is quite... lucrative. If there's nothing else I'd prefer to be done with this conversation..."
"Sir there's one more thing." the scientist said with a nervous smile.
"Hm?"
"Our little pet project... Black Diamond... is complete..."
Onyx's smile changed to a big grin, "So, you've succeeded in hardwiring his brain... how is the performance."
"Optimized for maximum performance and ready to serve, Master Onyx," A voice echoed from the speaker system above them, making the two men look around for the source. The voice was very familiar.
"Is that...?" Onyx started.
"Yes sir. It seems he's already figured out how to adapt to our systems." Stein said proudly.
"I have made several security upgrades to our systems and already mapped out the most successful routes for our next operation, Master Onyx." The voice of the A.I said.
Onyx smiled, "I'm really starting to like this new you... Flint."
"I'm happy to serve you, my master!" it said again, as the computer-generated facial image of Bortz Flint Flareheart appeared on the large screen in the lab.
Not all of the group could go see Pyrrha so Oscar, Luna, Blake, and Nitro stayed behind. They figured it was best to explore the town a bit, see what Argus had to offer. Oscar wanted to see her, he really did, but he chose otherwise. A few days ago he would've relished in the chance to meet his hero in person, but now he knew, that it was much better to let those she's close to see her first. He could visit her at any time.
The quartet strolled along the streets in quiet content, admiring the fresh snow on the trees and the liveliness of the town.
"Blake, I have a question," Nitro said nodding to the cat Faunus.
This caught her by surprise. In all their time knowing each other, she'd not really interacted with Nitro that much outside that one sparring session they had at Beacon. "What is it?"
"What kind of books are you into?"
Now Blake was super confused, "Um... what brought this on?"
"Oh nothing, just, recently I've found myself looking for things to occupy my time. Like... Nova and Ruby spend a lot of time together, so do Yang and Hex. Not that it's a bad thing, and they never neglect us, but... I don't know... I guess I get bored when there's nothing left to do." he said plainly, staring up at the sky.
"What about Jaune? Aren't you two like good friends?" she asked tilting her head.
"Yeah, Jaune's great and all... but it's like... sometimes I need personal time, but I don't know what to do to occupy my 'me' time," he explained folding his arms at the back of his head and leaning on them. "I figured, you're a primarily solitary creature of the night, what better to do than take a page from your book..."
The two younger teens behind them groaned at the pun.
"Boo! You stink!" Luna joked while giggling.
Blake hummed, "Well... the stories I like are... not suitable for newcomers..."
Nitro spotted a bookstore up ahead, "Blake how about you help me pick something out in that store?" he pointed at the shop. Before Blake could agree he took her by the hand and dragged her into the shop, leaving Luna and Oscar by themselves.
Once they were inside, Nitro pulled her aside, out of vision.
"What was that about?!" She yelled in protest, her hair was a frizzy mess from the wind.
"Exactly what I said, I need help picking out a book, but I also wanted to give those two some privacy," he said with a glint in his eye.
Blake narrowed her own and studied him, "What are you...?"
"Oscar and Luna are crushing on each other super hard! How have you not noticed this?!"
Blake blinked, "Ohhh... so that's why she's so clingy of him..."
"Yes, now... remember that little stealth and observe mission we did for Nova and Ruby way back then?"
She nodded in understanding, "You want to secretly tail them?"
"Yeap! We can relay to the others when they're done, for now, I just wanna see how things go between them."
Luna and Oscar were left, disoriented, and perplexed as they watched the other two bolt off in a random direction, too fast to follow with their eyes.
"Uh... what just happened?" the blue dragon asked tilting her head in confusion.
"I think we just got ditched..." Oscar pointed out dryly, then it occurred to him, that he and Luna were now alone. A huge part of him was flustered beyond belief, it wanted to make him crawl and hide so he didn't have to deal with this situation, but at the same time, there was a part of him that was enjoying this.
'Alright, Oscar... you're a new boy... er man? You're not going to let petty things like fear and embarrassment get a hold of you. You are confident and fluid, trust yourself,' he chanted in his mind like a mantra. "I can do this..." he muttered under his breath before taking a deep inhale and slow exhale.
"Luna!" he said a little too loudly. This slightly startled her.
"Yeah?"
"Um... since it's just us... wanna go do something fun?"
She turned slightly pink at the realization they were alone, "U-Um... sure... I'd like that... what did you have in mind?"
"Well neither of us know Argus very well... we could-" he was interrupted when a gust of wind suddenly blew through, a paper flyer smacking him in the face.
Luna giggled and took it off of him, "Ooo lookie! It says here that Argus is holding it's annual berry festival today! It's just downtown, near the pier." she pointed on the paper. It showed in big bold letters 'Argus Annual Bery Festival! You're in for a berry delicious treat!'
Oscar noticed the pun and groaned, "Don't we get enough of these with Nova and Yang around?" he pointed to the catchphrase.
Luna shrugged, "I'm starting to enjoy it."
Oscar paled, "I really hope I don't get like that..." this made her smack him lightly.
Downtown Argus was abuzz with life. Along the pier street were rows of stalls, lined with goods, trinkets, souvenirs, and of course various berry related items. Oscar relished in the cool, refreshing breeze that blew through the air, it was that time just before the oncoming deep winter that Argus's life was truly at its peak. It was cold, but not freezing, and the chilling temperatures made for warm and cozy clothing. It seemed that same warmth echoed off the people, their faces smiling brightly, making Oscar question whether the dark slums he saw last night were even real.
Luna walked alongside him, a small space in between them as neither were brave enough to close it. She didn't know when, but Oscar seemed, different... in a good way. He felt taller, more mature, and emotionally stable, compared to the Oscar of a few days ago. She had a rough idea of what happened thanks to this morning's conversation, but she could never know what was going through his head at the time, she was just glad that he'd solved his identity crisis.
The smell of baked dough wafted through the air followed by the sweet scent of something sticky and delightful, making Luna's stomach growl. "Ehehe..." she laughed in embarrassment. Oscar was about to make a statement when his own stomach gurgled.
They both burst out in a fit of laughter, "I guess we're both hungry huh?" he pointed out with a cheeky grin.
Luna stuck her tongue on making a 'tee-hee' sound, "I was too shy to ask Jaune's sister for more food, Nova and Nitro definitely felt bad. They usually eat a truck-ton, something to do with metabolism. I guess I ended up following the same pattern."
"Ah so you're small but a big glutton. Seems... fitting," Oscar tested.
Luna thumped him earning an 'Owie', "Don't point out a girl's appetite. It's bad manners."
"Yikes, okay, your highness," he said, which earned a small pout from her. This made him feel like he said something wrong, "Sorry, I know you don't like being called that..."
She shook her head, "No, not that. I mean, yeah I don't like people calling me a princess or whatever but... Oscar... does me being a princess bother you?"
Oscar blinked in surprise, "No! NO! I mean, of course not! It's a great thing that you're a princess..." then he realized how that sounded, "Not that I only see you as a princess or base your value on that fact, but I think it's neat... and this is coming out all wrong..."
Luna smiled almost sadly, "I know what you mean Oscar. I didn't once think that you value me as a princess. It's just that... I think that we could be a lot closer, but... maybe my status is getting in the way... when people know you're royalty... they tend to treat you differently. It happened back at Beacon when our identities were revealed. All of a sudden, it wasn't 'Luna Sapphire the ax-wielding cool girl' it was 'Luna Sapphire Flareheart, the esteemed princess'." she explained almost dejectedly. "Sometimes, I wish family names didn't mean anything, and I could talk to people normally. That there wasn't a barrier of status between us. It's the main reason why Mom and Nova share the same hatred for being referred to by Queen or Prince."
Oscar listened intently, and his thoughts began to race in a swirl of emotion. She hated being called a princess, and he knew that but he still let that cloud his judgment, and somewhere along the line he'd ingrained into his mind that he was below her, when the truth was... that she just wanted to be treated like a normal girl.
"Luna... I..." he wasn't sure what to say. There were so many things he wanted to say but he didn't trust his tongue to not spill his whole heart in an instant. He wanted to say that he valued her for so much more than she realized, tell her that she was beautiful and sweet and a ray of moonlight in his dark stormy night but how corny would he sound? Then there was the reality that maybe she only saw him as a friend.
"I think that you're very kind, you have a beautiful soul and you are worth so much more than just a princess. There is so much more to you than you think, and it's ironic I'm saying this when you told me the same things not too long ago, but it's the truth," he said firmly, meeting her eyes and not wavering for a second.
Luna locked gazes and instantly turned beet red, steam was practically coming out of her ears, "I... I... I... I..." was all her fried brain could stutter out before they were both interrupted by a simultaneous stomach growl, reminding them that they were hungry.
"Come on, let's go check out that pie stall over there," he said pointing to the source of the nice smells.
Behind another stall, Nitro and Blake stood in the cover of clothing racks, "Did you hear that?" Nitro said with glee, turning to his partner in crime.
Blake nodded firmly, "That was some smooth words... he's good." she said rubbing her chin.
Nitro planted his fist in his palm, "If he keeps up like this, think they might end up together by the end of the day?"
Blake squinted her eyes at the awkward body language they were both giving up, "Hmm... maybe... it's too soon to say."
"Oh, they're getting away! We need to follow them! ONWARD, SPEEDY AND CAT GIRL ON THE HUNT!" he announced raising his finger in a triumphant manner, which was comical since they were basically poking their heads out of a mass of clothes.
"Please don't call me that or I'll scratch your eyes out..." Blake said dryly.
"Meowch!"
"That's it gingerbread, you're gonna..."
"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING IN THERE?!" The stall owner yelled coming around and noticing the two.
"SHIT! COME ON KITTY WE'RE NOPING THE FUCK AWAY!" he yelled grabbing Blake by the hand and pulling her off. Not a second later Nitro zipped back and roped an arm around the store owner, "Say mister you wouldn't happen to have a Huntsman discount on that absolutely gorgeous jacket over there would you?" he pointed to a student leather jacket with red stripes.
The man looked very irritated, "Leave or I call the police..." he threatened.
"WAH!" Nitro exclaimed before running back off.
At the hospital, Nova, Ruby, Yang, Hex, Weiss, Nora, Ren, Jaune, and Elain were crowding in Pyrrha's hospital room. The moment Nora's eyes saw her friend, she instantly began to tear up.
"It's you..." Nora sniffed, looking toward Pyrrha with a tear-filled gaze, "It's really you... you're okay..." she wiped the tears away and walked up to the hospital bed, taking her by the hand.
The redhead girl looked flustered, "Um... sorry miss, I don't remember you, but from your reaction, were we good friends?" she asked with a sad smile. She felt bad asking these things to people who shed genuine tears for her, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to know.
Nora's breath seized up, but she swallowed it down and hugged Pyrrha, "Yes, yes we were. I'm so happy to see you... I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable," Nora continued.
Pyrrha awkwardly returned the hug, and pat the orange-haired girl on the back, "I-It's alright..."
"Is she normally like this?" Pyrrha asked awkwardly.
Ren smiled warmly, "No, she's usually a lot crazier. It's strange to see her show genuine care and concern, but I guess it's understandable when..." he trailed off.
Yang folded her arms, "So, what Jaune said was true, you really don't remember anything," she looked to Jaune with worry, but he just shot her back a sad smile and a nod.
Hex pinched the bridge of her nose, "Nikos, we weren't close but my leader was, and well as far as I'm concerned that made you my friend too. A fellow strong, one-woman army." she shot Pyrrha a pair of thumbs up.
"Thank you? I don't remember how to fight..." she explained sadly.
"You were the best fighter at Beacon. I looked up to you a lot," Weiss said with a resolved smile.
"Nuh-uh, second best," Nova pointed out smugly.
"Oh shut up you, that fight was a draw," Ruby said pinching her boyfriend. "Don't mind him Pyrrha, we're all just so happy to see you again. We were worried that you would never wake up again... or worse..."
The idea of her death made everyone in the room fall silent.
"Yeesh kids, get any gloomier and I'll have to call the funeral home. Hello Miss Nikos," Elain said walking into the room.
Pyrrha acknowledged her, "Do I know you as well?"
"No, but I'm this one's mother," she thumbed at Nova, "I'm also a doctor. May I?" she walked up and gestured to Pyrrha's head as if she was going to put her hand on it.
Pyrrha nodded, "Uh... sure? What are you...?"
Elain placed her hand atop the girl's head and soon her aura was covering Pyrrha. At first, Elain's face was stoic, but after a few seconds, it was a mix of confusion and bewilderment.
She released her head and turned to the others humming to herself with folded arms, instinctively reaching into her pocket to find her cigarettes only to come up empty. She hadn't smoked since the Fall of Beacon, primarily due to the depression of her lost son and the chaos of trying to retake Menagerie. She wasn't an addict but it helped her think sometimes.
"What's wrong with her mom?" Nova asked the wolf Faunus.
"That's the confusing part. Nothing..."
"WHAT?!" they all asked simultaneously. They'd been hoping Elain's semblance would restore Pyrrha's memory, but it seemed just a shot in the dark.
"Aside from minor body weakness from lack of proper nutrients, fuck hospital food, she's completely fine. There is one thing that's bothering me, but it's not medical." Elain explained.
"What is it?" Jaune asked worriedly.
Elain inhaled, "When I heal someone with Aura, I can sometimes get a read on it. Pyrrha's a Huntress, so she's had her Aura unlocked, but right now, it's... hiding from her?"
"I have Aura?!" Pyrrha asked in surprise.
"My dear, you don't just have Aura. Your Aura is like a soda bottle that's been shaken up and sealed tight. It wants to burst forth, but something's blocking it. It might be your lack of memory on the use of Aura, or it could be something else but, I think the fact that you can't use or sense it, might be the reason your memories are missing." Elain explained with a serious expression.
Everyone took a moment to drink in the information, "So... what you're saying is that if someone were to jumpstart her Aura, she'd go back to being normal?" Hex asked.
Elain shrugged, "That's the gist of it, but you'd need someone with her Aura type or Aura that is compatible with hers."
"Where the hell are we supposed to find that then?" Yang asked almost dejectedly.
Nova ran his hands through his hair, "Well...actually..."
Back in town, Luna and Oscar were selecting from a series of pies. Luna spied a blueberry one and instantly pointed to it, "I want that one ma'am," she said to the stall keeper.
The lady smiled warmly, "That'll be ten Lien a slice." she said kindly.
Oscar fished into his pocket but Luna stopped him, "Nuh-uh. My treat." she then took out a hundred Lien, "I'll take the whole pie ma'am."
The lady almost choked, "W-Well excuse me, miss! Would you like me to bag it or wrap it? I can cut it for you and your boyfriend..."
"Oh, w-we're not..." Luna stuttered.
"She's not... w-we're just friends..." Oscar stared at the floor as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
The woman laughed heartily, "Oh my, forgive me dears. I'll just wrap this in a little basket, and..." she wrapped it in a cloth and placed it in a small basket, "There! Now off you go you two! Enjoy!" she waved as they awkwardly thanked her.
The two continued to peruse the bazaar, looking for a quiet place to sit and eat. It was becoming later in the day now as they passed by several stalls, having thoroughly lost their sense of direction in the crowd.
"We're not going to find a spot are we?" Oscar asked rhetorically as they passed by a seating area that was completely occupied with people.
Luna felt her sweat drop, "Yeah... I guess not..."
They stood out like sore thumbs in the crowd, and Luna felt her cheeks burning the more she realized that people were staring at them. She was sure they looked like a couple now that the lady had pointed it out, and the looks people gave them confirmed it since this city seemed to be a sucker for young romance. She was fussing over the embarrassment in her mind when a shiny object caught the corner of her eye.
It was a stall with shiny jewelry and what looked to be Dust.
Oscar caught her staring, "You wanna go over there?" he asked pointing to the stall.
Luna rubbed the back of her head awkwardly but didn't give confirmation, so Oscar took her by the hand and pulled her over to the stall she so clearly wanted to see.
It was a small stall, not much larger than the pie stall from earlier. Three tables lined the roofed structure on all sides with a curtained back panel. On the tables was red table cloth, upon which jewelry of different shapes, sizes, and types were laid out on display.
Oscar inspected them, "Are these... cut Dust crystals?" he asked with wide eyes. It wasn't gemstones or precious metal, but Dust, as in the thing they used as ammunition and fuel.
"Yes, indeed they are sir! Amethyst's specialized Dust Jewelry, available once a year..." a woman's voice said as the stall owner came from the curtains in the back. Upon seeing Oscar the woman's eyes widened, "YOU!"
Oscar took a moment to register who she was, "AH! You're Nicholas' mom!"
"Mister!" a young voice said from the back of the tent, followed by a series of ruffling before out came a sprinting young Nicholas. The young boy sped over to Oscar and hugged him tightly, Oscar smiled warmly and ruffled his hair.
"Hey Nick, you're looking much better now. How are your feet doing?" he asked kneeling down to the boy's eye level.
Nicholas puffed out his chest, "I'm a big boy. I can handle it! You look good too mister!" he gave Oscar a toothy grin, to which the teen melted.
Luna watched the interaction with awe, seeing Oscar look genuinely happy filled her with a warm fuzzy feeling as if she wanted to watch it all day.
"Oh right! Sorry, Luna, this is Nicholas and Amethyst, they're the ones..."
"Young Oscar here saved my boy's life. He's a real hero," Amethyst finished for him, smiling with pride.
Luna nodded, "He's really something isn't he?"
Amethyst facepalmed, "Oh hear me ramble, you wanted something right? Would you like some help picking something out?"
Oscar had a question, "You said this was Dust right? I hope this doesn't sound rude but, is it safe to use this stuff as jewelry?" he asked earnestly.
The woman nodded, "Believe it or not, these actually won't spontaneously explode on you. See, when I receive Dust shipments from Mantle, in every batch there are always a few faulty crystals. Dust is supposed to be reactive but for the past couple years, I've gotten one or two unreactive powerless Dust crystals out of the batches."
"So... instead of complaining about a few duds out of a shipment, you began cutting them into jewelry?" Luna asked, piecing together the information.
"EXACTLY! She's a smart one," Amethyst winked at Oscar making him blush, "Amethyst's one of a kind Dust cut jewelry! Available once a year during the Berry Festival. It rakes in the tourists like you would not believe," she said giddily.
Luna hummed, "You know, I think you and my brother would get along really well in that department," she said.
The lady tilted her head, "Huh?"
Luna reached under her top and pulled out the necklace Nova had given her on her birthday. Upon seeing it Amethyst almost fell over in amazement, "Is that... a custom cut sapphire infused with dust?!"
The blue dragon nodded, "Yeah, my brother made this for me..."
"I must meet the maker of this masterpiece! I can learn so much!" Amethyst began to gawk while Nicholas looked embarrassed for his mother.
Oscar chuckled, he was about to say that she already did but his eyes scanned over the assortment of jewelry and something caught his eye, a bracelet that was a bright silver band with ice Dust crystals in a branched vine pattern along it. They looked exactly like sapphires, and they matched Luna's eyes. He reached down and picked up the piece, "I'd like this one. How much is it?"
"That's one of my finer work. Definitely a good choice, that one's price is eight-hundred Lien, sounds pricey but the effort it took to make those cuts was ridiculous," she said proudly.
Luna almost choked, "Oscar no way! I am not letting you spend so much money on me!"
"No, I need to do something nice for you. You're always there for me so think of it as my way of saying thanks, for... being my friend, and for the pie," he pointed to the basket.
"AHEM!" Amethyst made a loud noise alerting them, "I was going to say, that it's usually that price, but for you and your girlfriend, it's free."
Oscar almost choked on air, "A-Are you sure?!" he sputtered, completely ignoring the girlfriend comment, while Luna looked ready to hide in a bush and die from embarrassment.
"Honey, you saved my son's life. This doesn't even scratch the surface of my debt to you," she said taking the bracelet and handing it to Oscar.
The tan boy gingerly held it in his hands and reached to Luna, "Um... may I?" he asked.
Luna slowly nodded and extended her right hand, her face was beet red.
Oscar tenderly clasped the piece around her, "There... done," he said while stepping back to admire her. She looked beautiful, radiant, and he wished that at that moment, he could capture her image and frame it in his mind forever.
"Oh look at you two adorable munchkins! I'm not going to keep you guys back anymore so go on and have fun!" Amethyst said running them off with a shooing motion.
The two eventually found themselves sitting on the pier, the sun was setting now, and the festival was kicking into night mode, with banners and lights glowing up in a glorious spectacle. In the end, Oscar and Luna never found a seating spot so they just took up the next best thing, sitting on the edge of the pier with their legs swinging off the edge, hanging just above the calm ocean, with a basket of pie in between them.
"This pie is so fucking good!" Luna said munching into the blueberry confection, the filling messing up her face.
Oscar watched her in amusement, enjoying his own slice. It was nice that the pie was still warm even after they'd spent so much time after buying it.
"Are you taking vocabulary lessons from Nova now?" Oscar asked raising his eyebrow.
Luna puffed out her cheeks, "I'm allowed to swear, I don't give a flying fuck if it's un-lady-like." She said proudly making Oscar almost fall over in laughter.
"Hey Oscar?" she asked, wiping away the filling from her cheeks. "How are you holding up?"
That question made Oscar choke, "What do you *cough* mean? *cough cough*" he pounded his chest to settle it.
"Well, I guess I've been worried about you. Yesterday you were all gloomy and losing your marbles over Ozpin and well... today you seem different. In a good way," she explained looking at him with concerned eyes.
Oscar finished off his slice and sighed, "When I was... kidnapped yesterday... I was locked in a cage so small you couldn't even stand in. That kid Nicholas was with me, and there were so many bodies... my Aura wasn't working and I was in a panic," he started telling the story to her, she silently listened.
"That man... that monster came in... and he was just so... vile... the things he'd done... I felt it in my soul back then... I felt real fear. I was alone, and the only thing standing between Nicholas and death was me, but I wasn't in any position to help. I was stuck, powerless, in a cage with no one to help me. It's then after struggling for Oum knows how long that I realized... it didn't matter what Ozpin did to my mind, or what he was eventually going to try. I would stay true to myself, and rely on my own power to pull through whatever trials I may face in the future."
"So... you're no longer torn by what Ozpin was doing to you?" Luna asked scooting closer.
Oscar flinched, "I'd be lying if I said it still didn't bother me, but I've realized that I don't need to worry about losing myself. I'd fight him down to the last minute, from now on Oscar Pine fights with his own strength, I'm slowly discovering what makes me unique." he genuinely smiled to her, and she felt her heart stop at that moment. The only thing she wanted to do was close that distance between them and kiss him because she was so proud of him at that moment.
Suddenly the air was flooded with the sound of vibrant music, startling them out of their conversation. They turned to see that the people were gathering at the center of the festival, where a band was on stage.
"Woah! I wasn't expecting a performance," Oscar said with genuine surprise.
Luna was slightly dejected from being interrupted but Oscar couldn't see her face. 'Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Stupid Luna! Stupid stupid!' she said in her mind, cursing her fate. She almost didn't notice Oscar holding out a hand to her, he was standing up now, saying something she didn't quite hear.
"What?" she said tilting her head.
"I asked if you wanted to go check out the band!" he said louder, over the music.
Luna blinked a few times before nodding vigorously and taking his hand with a smile, "Sure!"
Nitro and Blake were exhausted running around, being chased by various stall owners for loitering. It was definitely night time now and they were pretty worn out.
"Okay *pant* I *pant* think we've lost them," Nitro said wheezing. For a bunch of shopkeeps and bakers, those people had insane stamina.
Blake was also tired, "Yeah, but I think we also lost Oscar and Luna," she pointed out, her ears flattened against her head.
Nitro looked wildly around, seeing the gathering at the center, "Oh wait, there they are!" he said pointing to them. "Come on let's finally..."
Blake hissed and pulled him back, "NO! Not yet! Look!" she said forcing him to properly look at them.
Nitro was confused at first but then realized what she was talking about.
The crowd had broken itself into pairs and were dancing to the beat, Luna and Oscar were gleefully moving to the beat alongside the other couples, brilliant smiles plastered on both their faces and in that moment the two had never looked happier.
"Awww! It's so... adorable... my heart...!" Nitro feigned heart attack.
Blake rolled her eyes, "Ease up drama queen, come on. They'll find their way back, we should just let them enjoy the rest of the time they have. It'll be chaos once we start acting on our plans."
"Look who's being a drama queen now," Nitro said dryly.
I know I said I'd continue Ruby's training but I want to do a chapter on the Calavera sister's backstories, and before you ask, yes it will be different from the original story in RWBY.
Hope you liked what I did with Oscar and Luna, thinking their ship name would be Moonlit Garden or something.
