This is a time skip of almost three months. The tournament is still going, Rubys team had that train wreak where Torchwick was arrested. Isaac gets an incident that will give him enough information to make a major move in his investigation on this hidden war. Grimms Bane is doing its thing, and getting into trouble.
"Ok Bright, I understand your reasons, but, all I want to know right now is why did you let someone go inside that building? You're in charge and the warning signs are in big red letters. It's miles from nowhere, no road, paths, not even animal trails near it. So no one can possibly know about it. Or be living in it. You described this building is black with white rib like corners? No door. A red light at the end of a narrow entryway?" Isaac pinched his nose hearing Bright trying to talk over him. "No! Forget it. I don't want to know why, just get your team, what's left of it over a hundred feet away or as far as you need, until you feel comfortable about –not- entering."
Isaac listened to the response, the excuses, the reasons their lead gave. The long why they needed to go in, from retrieving his team mates to exploring the abandoned building. It was by will alone Isaac tried too, with as much calm as he could muster explain why Bright should not. Though his voice came out strained Isaac gave himself points for not screaming anymore when he told Bright the truth of what had been done.
"Sorry Bright, but I think there dead. Why not do a rescue in force? I don't, I hope, need to remind you grim can do more then just attack with fang and claw? You would just be feeding that thing with your lives." Isaac leaned back in the chair his phone getting sweaty pressed to his ear. Trying to listen, letting his anger drain while a question kept rolling around in his head. "I thought we had more antimemetic training then this?" He was becoming more bothered about it, half scolding himself for not paying attention.
He knew why this got past him, the answer was there in the mirror. A young child looked back at him, just months before, all he would have needed to say was leave, and trusting his judgment would have. Now he argued with the team leader for their lives. Isaac was simply absent most of the time. The admiration he had earned with Grimms Bane was sadly fading.
The methods he had shown the hunters. Remnant as a whole it seemed had embraced most of his teachings. Now they improved and expanded what he had taught them. In the beginning Isaac had thought these people all but simple. Obvious trains of thought had been ignored for generations it seemed. It was like they had just needed a nudge, for some reason, and they took these ideas and ran with them expanding and improving.
Yet, despite all this knowledge Grimms Bane saw a child, most of the time. The half glances, and sentences geared for kids when someone spoke to him told the truth. Isaac had to almost laugh at why he never stopped them. Tai was encouraging him to act like a kid. Even the shrinks pushed it. Isaac knew he needed to face the truth, he wanted to be a kid, grow up like one should, here, in this world. The experience he had to admit was starting to become addictive. There was a brainless joy in it. A letting go if you will. With a frown he knew and understood that with all things like this it came with a cost. Respect was a small thing, ego and a sense of self worth was useless when lives were being lost.
Not that he made the same mistakes kids do on behavior, but the emotional roller coaster was becoming another matter. On an intellectual level he understood it. His chemistry was different then an adult, or even an adolescent, but this like other things were catching him off guard time and again it seemed. Tai, who insisted being called dad or at the least father would grin like the best pun had been said when Isaac got frustrated or wound up.
It took a few minuets more then Isaac liked but he managed to get a commitment from the field leader to fall back from the house like box. Telling them to leave a surveillance camera there in case it gets up and walks away. "I really hope it's not like a Baba Yaga." Isaac thought. Recalling those things can get down right dangerous, or sit like a block of stone for years doing nothing.
Next on the list, he needed to contact the L5 on site and explain to them what this house could do. He had to treat it as if this was from his world without saying it. Strong willed hunters were needed, at least class B counter memetic's, life support for any vapors and goggles to counter red light shift, and the team needed to have a remote activated stun vest on should their minds fail. Isaac believed fully that anyone who entered that building were dead, just on the experiments they conducted pointed to that ending. The L5 naturally wanted justification on his opinion, with a sigh Isaac understood. They were not going to just kill it at a distance so he explained one more time.
The results when grim consumed animals. The scans showed they died close to instantly and moments later were completely absorbed into the grim. So far they hadn't built a scanner that could survive past a few heartbeats in any lab animal they fed the grim. When they invasively extracted samples during implantations, using robotic arms to insert and extract, nothing but grim flesh. No caustics or poisons no digestive fluids. Some data showed the grim increasing in mass.
With all the lore and history of grim it boiled down to a. It Just Is. It was like magic made them and emotion kept them alive. The evidence to back that up was inconclusive but the way dust changed in them it was persuasive. Isaac recalled that his banishment from school allowed him to self study, learning about some of the more controversial authors of the sciences on Remnant.
That was another mater, dust, aura and semblance. It was like he was breaking into a new world, one overlaid or superimposed on this one. People he found left tracks in an area with their semblance and aura. When one settled down with concentration and calm it could be seen. Like a sent trail drifting in the air. This looked like a haze or fog of fuzzy light imbedded with strings of different colors. Isaac found this in everything they effected. Dust when used held the users fingerprints if you will. Isaac shook his head he had gotten mentally sided tracked. Refocusing took a bit before he could run the numbers.
The Containment Facility SCP-002 would flag the encounter group as compromised until examinations cleared Brights team. No one would take any orders from them or heed any advice. They would in short have a mini vacation. Standard protocol. The watchers would be asking lots of questions to keep Brights teams minds going so they couldn't focused on that building. Then with a, if anything comes up we will call you goodbye the L5 hung up.
Isaac shut down the phone and cleaned his sweat off with his shirt. "A new grim." He mumbled. This made the fifth one. He felt in his gut this woman seen in SCP 008 was targeting Grimms Bane keeping them off balance and on guard. This house was far away unlike the other four that showed up in town, well just one left, for now, but that one was proving hard to catch.
Isaac left his makeshift lab. Not much more then an extension attached to the tool shed. He didn't feel like concentrating. Brights team could be reached in about an hour, longer if they loaded up and flew tanks in the aircraft. He just couldn't muster up enough focus while speculating and waiting. Knowing someone would probably text or call Tai about what happed and Tai would be looking at his scroll to see if Isaac was still at home, then call to be sure he was close to his scroll as they called there phones here. Tai would do this once his class let out. Isaac needed to do, something, the idea of two or three more lost to grim ate a hole in him.
Grimms Bane was being chipped at, and it needed to stop before everyone became disheartened. So he entered his home sat and stared at the clock, phone in hand watching the mechanical hand clicking the seconds until Tai called. He answered Tai's yet to be spoken question immediately.
"Hi. Ya, still here. Didn't leave for Mavideniz." He answered as neutral as he could. It was a full two seconds before Tai's voce came back. "Sorry sport, but they have a handle on the situation, but I can understand your frustration, wanting to help, so if you don't mine me saying. You did a good job talking them down, the other teams should be able to deal with this new grim."
The pause told Isaac Tai was thinking of a way to distract him. He didn't mind, the man wanted to do the right thing, and he had it rough for a time, for this place he reminded himself. Least that's what one of the Buzz kept saying That Tai all but shut down once.
One wife, and teammate from the same Academy Yang and Ruby were in, ran off after Yang was born to become some kind of two bit raider using the hunters skills she learned to be top dog and plunder the countryside.
The other, a hunter like Tai and also another teammate at the academy. He remarried and she went on a mission, didn't come back, each of them left Tai to take care of some very young children.
Now all of his kids were hunters and Rubys team was starting to get into something that from what info Isaac had. It told him this would get way over their heads. "Tell ya what." Tai's voice brought Isaac crashing back to reality. "Take a short walk north by east and clear out that area of grim. That usually puts a smile on your face."
Isaac snorted he did enjoy taking grim down, but. "Going to take more then a short walk nowadays." He hinted all but smiling when he heard Tai sigh. "Ok, point. I wanted to take your mind off Mavideniz East and get something you can sink your teeth into. "Fishing." Isaac responded.
He heard Tai laugh before telling him to go to Diamond Lake. "People still don't know your living here and I need to keep you protected as long as I'm able." Isaac nodded knowing that wouldn't be for too much longer, the only reason the media didn't know was the lawsuit. Children's services blocked their names and personal data from the public, but anyone with street smarts could with effort find them, but Isaac gave the man props for trying.
"Ok, I'll put a hat on. Thanks," He hesitated still not sure and somewhat uncomfortable before saying as lightly as he could. "See ya then dad." Hanging up Isaac stared at the phone. He still flinched when Tai hugged or put an arm around him. It's like were pretending he thought. Shaking his head slightly before refocusing getting his hunters and fishing gear. Loading up his eazy-go and heading inland for a days fishing.
He felt a strange rapture when he teased Yang and Ruby once he arrived by Diamond Lake sending them a text and photo of him fishing by the lake. Yang sent back one of her doing shots at a nightclub in her new neck snapper outfit. That got under his skin a bit, partying was straight out with Tai and Yang knew it. Ruby sent pics of her team and anyone else she could. Such a strange girl.
It wasn't long before Isaac was in the zone. With the first fish landed and clubbed the troubles of the day were behind him as he looked forward for the next catch. Time passed quietly.
Trouble Finds You
"My, my. I was told you'd be a bit troublesome finding, but here you are, easily found." Isaac looked up the hill, fallowing the woman's voice. She stood in street clothing in the woods. With two others he noted. Isaac looked back at the lake and cast. He used his semblance to see where they were, sizing them up, and to know what they were doing. All the while looking at the lake. The male had no water just above the knee to his feet. Cybernetic he guessed but with dust and semblances they could be stone for all he knew. The green haired one had her hands on weapons but was waiting for a signal Isaac guessed. The older one seemed to be in command, her condescending voice held volumes of unspoken contempt to those she held as beneath her.
"You're scaring the fish." Isaac had to bite his lower lip to keep from laughing aloud. Sweat was starting to come off the green haired one. The man was cool, this stunt didn't faze him in the least, and Isaac viewed him as a calm killer type.
There leader, well, heat, and a lot of it, started poring off her, even her clothing seemed on fire, burning away the moisture around her so, to put her more off guard he added as he glanced at her. "You don't have to be so hot headed about it." Yang would cheer he knew. They knew him, at least what the news had shown, what he was capable of and were being careful.
Reeling in the line, Isaac stood on the lakes shore. Well, lets get this started. He thought glumly turning on his grim count recorder, knowing fishing was done. "There a reason why you're here, scaring away the fish?" He asked facing them. Keeping from the part were he was next to a major amount of liquid. That was another bother, why here? They could intercept him on the road, or even at home. They must know if they watched the news that his semblance is liquid, not just one element, they must be sure of the outcome. Or he mused, simply experimenting.
He saw the males game face form. Isaacs face held no emotion, he was in survival mode and any feelings shown were twisted. Truth be told he had little to no emotions when in this mental state. There was a job to do, nothing more. The silver haired man was perceptive enough to know this was going to get ugly. He started moving to the side giving quick eye shifting glances at the older woman.
The older woman folded her arms looking down the hill at Isaac, she seemed amused, shifting slightly on one hip. "This is interesting. I take it that is a result of your upbringing?" She more stated then asked with an arm motion towards his person. "To get to the point. I have been asked to extend an offer to you. My patron has asked me to recommend a unique opportunity for you in this life. I advise you to take it."
Isaac tilted his head at her. "The woman with the pale face?" Then nodded his head. Cinders surprise said it all. "She's rather old to take an interest in someone so young, no?"
"I grow tired of your games. Answer!" Cinder yelled to cover up her revelation. Realizing she was being interrogated, by a kid no less.
"Death is just the beginning." Isaac told an even more surprised Cinder raising his arm's one to the lake and with the other pointing at their group. A chunk of the lake came at them in a rod shape over thirty feet wide. Cinder went straight up flying on the wind. Mercury went left Emerald went right the tube like wave went right over Isaac crashing into and up the slope. Isaac could feel the soil and the plants being uprooted, trees snapping or there limbs breaking off by the sear weight of the fast moving water. He was in a bubble, the center of a storm waiting to see what there semblances were, and how skilled they would be with them.
Heat from above. Cinder used fire, only? Isaac knew this amount of water beat fire any day. Digging into a pouch Isaac tossed three finger sized ice dust containers into the water mindful to keep from crushing them, setting them up in a triangle pattern one high the others to the left and right. Ready to move them when needed. He could hardly sense the other two, but Cinder? The lack of water, and the massive heat around her body set her up like a shadow in the sun.
Emerald dodged debris, then ran outside the vortex of water that kid was throwing up. Cinder was above and raining fire, only getting blast steam for the effort. The super heated steam made Cinder maneuver around the cloud. The small lake from what she could see was visibly empting. Gathering into this huge ball around this kid. The land, and trees were being ripped apart as she watched. There was wholesale destruction for what seemed, a defensive move? Emerald scuttled to a safe spot and concentrated, looking for the kid, trying to get a grip on his mind while he was obscured by water.
"Water. To easy." Mercury smirked letting fly an electric blast from his leg guns. It had the effect he wanted a lighting storm danced around the water. Wood and parts of trees shattered explosively there sap superheated as the lighting danced within. Then six tentacle like tendrils shot out toward Mercury. Dodging he let out a volley of blasts, cutting some tendrils but hardly slowing the electrified water down as new ones formed from the remnants. Then it encircled, surrounded, and engulfed constricting on him. Tense moments passed before Mercury lowered his arms from his defensive stance. "What?" He questioned, he stood in the center of a vortex of thundering water forming a tapering tip above his head. Everything was wet, he was getting heavily sprayed by water. He stumbled, worried because he never stumbled, looking down at his feet. The water was drilling into the soil around and under him, digging a shaft.
"You're trying to, bury me?" Mercury asked with contempt and started laughing as he switched from electric to earth dust, two can play at the dust manipulation game. He never completed his plain. The water compressed on him with the force of a massive waterfall, Mercury's chest was squeezed making him belch out all his air, his aura hardly if at all protecting him. Then with a slow crinkle noise the water froze blue ice solid. Frozen water was in his mouth, up his nose, his eyes were iced open. Two desperate breaths, firing auto with his boots, and a brief thrash were all Mercury got before he passed out.
Isaac felt the world distort then saw some of the scenery twist, misshaping before his eyes. "Esper, reality bender at worst." He muttered hating to do this next part. It left him vulnerable. Parting the water so he could see clearly he found the green haired woman staring towards him, her expression of one concentrating, for a second. She seemed surprised that he had spotted her.
Isaac hated these kinds of people. They were just a tick above reality benders, they would mess with you and think it's fun. Or all but kill you. She had twisted his perceptions yet she couldn't be that well trained or he wouldn't have seen the distortion. She wanted him to see, something. Tit for Tat thought Isaac. "Want to see something really scary?"
Isaac knew she didn't hear him, but maybe she could read his grinning lips. He formed an adaptation of the flesh that hates, mixing mud, rock and broken trees to help distort and misshape the water. Keeping himself protected from Cinder took effort but he managed by forming a moving watery cap to take her fire, while keeping her moving with attacks, not that there was much a choice. Mimicking somewhat an icy scream he had heard once in the Black Wood. A shade of a face formed in the waters filled with sharp icicle teeth. Multiple grotesquely entangled bodies twisted and flopped, writhing over each other towards her. All the while that osculating scream kept getting louder.
The pressure in his head left. She stared at the undulating apparition then started screaming bringing out her weapons, firing in a panic. "Join us." Isaac said reverberating the words in the waters, as the monster pillared up over her in sheer shifting mass, ready to strike down. A mouth forming like a water leach with circles of teeth, circles and circles of icicle teeth.
She actually dropped her weapons. Staring up horrified.
Isaac realized She was terrorized and that he was enjoying it, with a sad sigh of shame he let the sound and apparitions go. "I'm sorry." He said again using the water to make himself heard. "I shouldn't play with a foe, you're an esper, you play mind games, make people see, or hear what's not there, I hate your kind." He moved the water and ice to crush her, a turbulent circle of water flowing around her prevented any escape. "A quick death." He assured her adding. "Good journey." Something zipped down and took the woman before Isaac could finish her, she was just gone as a frozen swimming pool of ice water crashed down.
Isaac stared for a few heartbeats then looked around finding Mercury was also gone. "Man I thought sis was fast." He stopped, surprised at himself and started chuckling, how the words came out so easy now. "Well, that's what I get for playing with my food." He looked over the landscape putting more sarcasm into his words. "Man, why do I always get clean up duty." Finding his caught fish was the hardest part of the clean up. Stacking the wood was simple, it was wet and still had sap and water flowing in them. Shattering then crumbling the ice even simpler.
When he finished the place was still torn up, but at least the lake water would settle and the mud he had stirred up discolored only half the lake. He was optimistic it would not suffocate the fish too long. He found the easy-go unmolested. Checked it for traps and tracers and then headed home stopping randomly. Using grim sight on his rifle so he could tag any grim fallowing him. Sure enough there was. "She just keeps sending in those weird assassin probes, wonder when she'll up her game, now that the invitations been refused. Also, I have got to stop talking to myself." He promised with a half exhale he pulled the trigger.
When he arrived home Tai wanted to know what happened to the beat up looking fish. Isaac managed to hold off the answer while he set up a kind of conference call in the kitchen with Tai the Buzz, and an L3. Telling his story about what happened. "I just didn't want to say the same story three times." He told the gathered. The Buzz quickly matched Isaacs recorded photos with some weird recognition program. Saying their data had a Cinder Fall, Mercury and Emerald and the fourth Called Neopolitan. Their team was registered from Minstrel for the festival, and were doing pretty good in the competition. The L3 whose face was only a static field in the 3D receiver said he would review in detail Isaacs recording giving almost no comment after. Tai however.
"I can understand why you attacked. They gave you a question that was basically join or die. It's the way you did it. Were you after more information?"
Isaac nodded. "They know this woman, what she looks like, so they've seen her. The one we saw in SCP 008 which is an assassin communication probe type grim. I believe this woman we saw is controlling the grim, or at the least guiding them." Isaac looked embarrassed and guilty at the omission and quickly explained to Tai. "We haven't told anyone, but plan to tell the hunters academy's outside The Bane soon, most believe she has control over a lot of the world, it would cause panic or make this woman move on everyone. Not that it matters, another year maybe two and she won't have much in the way of grim left too command."
Isaac could see Tai wasn't buying it fully, he was smart enough to know Isaac was leaving out information, not telling him the full story but Isaac could also see Tai knew that there was an outside influence with the grim, he hardly reacted to the news.
Tai sighed, Isaac had invoked the lives of others quote and he knew Isaac would only give the complete story when he was positive no one would die from this information. "What are lives worth too keep a secret?" He asked Isaac. Regretting it as the kids eyes and face twisted. He recalled a story he told about his world, how the SCP kept secret what was happing until it was too late to prepare the world he used to live in. "I'm sorry." He said softy lightly patting Isaacs shoulder. "Forget I said that." Then he good naturedly ruffled the space between his ears. Isaac batted his hand away. His ears sensitive to touch were spastically twitching. It was enough Tai saw to bring him back, now, on to business.
"We have to assume Cinder and company know Isaac is living here." Tai began.
"Everyone in your family is compromised." The Buzz cut in. "Time to move?" He asked. It was that rainbow colored haired man Tai noted as he shook his head. This is home, too many memories both good and bad were here, and a life was here, one he had finely made. "Well then, your all dead." He quipped. "I'm out." He added disconnecting.
"Cinder and 008-A are not going to confront you in the open." The L3 warned. The distortion shifting as he spoke, his voice was also slightly distorted. "It appears nonviolent means have been exhausted, or are no longer viable. They will come, when you least expect, maybe even at your school, you may not even see them if something military grade is used. They want the boy that is clear. Efforts have been made to neutralize Isaac in the past. To defused him. Now they have sent an invitation in force. Isaac fought back. We must assume they now want him dead and any around him are just tools to that end, or in the way."
"You want us to move to Mavideniz East?" Tai Asked not happy with the thought. The L3 without so much as a goodbye disconnected. The static haze vanishing with him. Tai scowled leaning forward on the table. "These people don't mince words, or debate much do they?" He more told then asked Isaac. The boy shrugged a slight grin on his face. "Everyone has opinions, how they see the world. Say your truth it's all any of us can do. Once out there it attends to it's self."
The two went about the rest of the day. Near the end of the week near dinner Isaac and Tai were sent a text massaged by an unknown caller. "Turn on channel 33." Was all it said. Without fanfare Tai turned on the 3D.
A news caster with a picture of Yang and Mercury on each side of her appeared. "At the Vital Festival tragedy stuck. In a unprecedented display of uncontrolled anger and unsportsmanship like conduct. Yang Xiao Long, a student of Beckon Academy near the city of Vale and the host for this years Vital Festival crippled her opponent after she had won the match." The scene shifted to the stadium in a replay of Yang blasting Mercury's knee with her shotgun gantlets then yelling he disserved it. Mercury collapsed while Yang was surrounded by Atlas military.
They cut to the student being taken out of the arena by stretcher Emerald jogging next to the medics wheeling the gurney away. The view switched back to the news caster where a picture of Ironwood dominated the backdrop. "General Ironwood of Atlas who do to unusual grim attacks within the city of Vale has been given control by the counsel over the safety of Vale and the Festival. He has been asked to oversee these proceedings, General Ironwood after counsel has officially banned The Bacon Academy team called RWBY from further participating in the Vital Festival pending an investigation. Four photos appeared showing Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang as the newscaster spoke on. Yang Xiao Long has been disqualified for her actions despite wining the match."
Point of view switched on the news caster showing Mercury Blacks face to the right side of the news casters face. "Information stated the team of the attacked student has returned home to Minstrel to have a specialist see to his injury and to be with his family." The background again changed as the news casters face became serious. "Later tonight we will have an expert on the subject of Mental and emotional Stability in hunters. Are they heroes, or a threat. Now back to the." Tai turned off the 3D screen. Shifted and rubbed his face with a moan.
"Well. Looks like things are kicking off nicely. For them." Isaac growled. Pulling out his scroll Isaac found the web page showing the match, not a hard thing considering that's all that was being talked about right now. He watched the whole match, replaying the part where Yang injured her opponents knee several times. "Ya, it's fake." He held up a still zoomed in where Yang blasted Mercury's knee. "No blood and the blast went right through his knee, with his aura levels as low as they are, Yang should have flat-lined his aura and taken that section of his leg off. One other thing, look how she's just standing there as the troops surround her, then it's like a switch turned on and she sees them, man that's a confused face if I've ever seen one."
"I'll tell Ironwood what you found, and let him see that recording you made." Tai was a bit on guard when Isaac just did a small shoulder shrug still playing the match Yang had been in.
"I wonder what there going to do to Ruby?" Isaac asked Tai. When the man stared Isaac explained. "Well they discredited Yang, her face is all over the news now, if they don't use this to start a trial for her I'll be surprised. Now to drive there point home they have to do something to Ruby. My guess, as tomorrow is the start of the long weekend she's going to be kidnapped, she will vanish or it will be only for the weekend, and they will shatter her emotionally and physically. Her attack will be panted as a reprisal by fans for what Yang did." Tai stood and just stared in wide eyed silence.
"Think about it, Yangs reputation as a hunter is shot to hell, Ruby injured, an emotional wreck. Then it will be your turn, then mine." Isaac stated calmly as if he were talking about what to make for breakfast.
"Your talking rape." Tai accused. Isaac shook his head. "No, I'm talking a dozen guys ganging Ruby for two nights and a day then tossing her barely alive and naked into a dumpster covered in there mess. You, since they displayed how ruthless they are, well, wont take much to threaten a kids family, or offer a ton of money, and have them cry molestation, the doctors will find proof then your whole livelihood as a teacher is gone, not to mention jail time, The stacked court will see to that. Then, and I'm guessing someone in there will be promised a shorter sentence and will kill you for it. After you've had time to think about it. The public forget about you. Or you learn I'm dead."
Tai paced agitated, running his hands through his hair. "You don't know that!" Isaac again shrugged. "And what have I said about swearing?" Tai demanded.
"Look, I know you want some control in this mess, mine is just an opinion the worse one I know, and hell is a real place were I'm from. You don't know shit you pants terror until you've seen what we call a demon. Then hear it every night whispering in your sleep telling you what it's going to do when you die."
Tai stared for almost half a minute letting his emotions settle a bit before sitting down. "Sometimes." He began quietly a clenched fist pressed on his lips. "I forget that you're almost as old as me and have lived in a nightmare world." He looked up staring at the wall above the fireplace. Talking as if lost in thought.
"I built this house, once I started getting over my first wife leaving me, made a home with Yang. Then Summer came into our lives and it was her Yang and me. It was good. Then Ruby joined us, and then Summer was, just gone. Took me a while just to get my head on straight enough to take care of the girls, by that time years had passed. Now it looks like I have to start again, start all over just to keep them safe." He shook his head slowly. "If it was just me, I'd take my chances, but it's not." Isaac nodded with a noncommittal look before voicing what could be done.
"I can go over tonight, sleep on the floor and have them out of there before dawn, maybe even get em out tonight, just after there classes are out for the long weekend." All it took was a nod and Isaac was up in his room getting what he called a bugout bag and was out the door.
"Sorry, but if you want to die. Well, that's your privilege." Isaac said to no one as the aircrafts engines came to life. He had almost two hours to talk to the buzz and an L4 before he arrived at Beacon.
Beacon Academy
Isaac didn't even knock at Yang and Rubys dorm room. Catching the tail end of Qrow saying as the door opened. "Your either crazy or lying." As he opened the door fully. Isaac saw him looking at Yang seated on a bed and her sad and depressed face. Isaac snorted through his nose catching their attention. "Try it was a set up." Not caring how this interruption looked.
As the silence stretched in the room Isaac closed the door. "I hope you have some proof." Qrow said deadpanning. "Ya, low aura and not a drop of blood." Bringing out his scroll Isaac plugged it into the display screen in there room and played the recording. "Look how low his aura is, now Yangs shotguns should have removed his remaining aura and torn a least a part of his leg off. She didn't hold back on the blast and I don't blame her if Emerald was in her head. Yet he didn't bleed, aura didn't drop then, poof, whisked away, they're gone to Minstrel. My data says there not students. That Headmaster called Lion Heart has allowed falsification of the files.
"Accusing a headmaster of a hunters Academy is a huge accusation." Qrow told him a warning deep in his throat. "Oh, you think that's harsh." Isaac shot back. "How about there's a grim in the building. The buzz says it's a 008 in shape, a big one, so someone is keeping an eye on him. My guess is he's being threatened with death if he doesn't behave, well, just a guess. 008 has communication abilities. So there's that. He could be willingly working with her. But. The Buzz say he's really good to the students."
"Now watch this recording of my encounter with them a few days ago I need you all to be quiet till the end." Isaac played the encounter with the three at Diamond Lake. In the silence when the recording ended Isaac told Yang and Ruby what he wanted to do. "I want to take you to Mavideniz, get you out of the lime light and get a few days to recover."
"So." Asked Qrow. "Why haven't you exposed the Minstrel Academy." Isaac sighed. "Because Our L5 pointed out a problem. Minstrel has a loud anti Faunas life style going on. By law faunas are not allowed to have a business save in the lower sections, the poor sections. Think. What would happen to the faunas living there if a powerful influencer like a headmaster of a HUNTERS academy turned out to be a turncoat who has been falsifying or letting slide students paperwork for the festival, not to add letting the hunters in that area die without reporting it. There's hardly any left. Then there's the buzz, who have bugged every nook and cranny of the place they could get to, trying to pilfer information."
Qrow stood his voice colored with frustration. "You better have some solid proof." Holding up the scroll Isaac waved it in front of Qrow. "All in here and Monday you and friends can check it, look I know this guy is a part of your little conspiracy to make the word a better place, and quite frankly I couldn't care less what you and your inner circle does. I'm after grim, but, when it interferes with Grimms Bane I will get involved. Now I was given an offer and in less then two days they've successfully gone after Yang, Ruby is next. Then the rest of us." He gave a quick wave at them all. "So I'm here to offer my sisters a place to stay were everyone knows the dirt that's been heaped on Yang."
Yang forced her way in front pushing past Qrow. Her expression and eyes were almost crying, fearful, and demanding. "Your sure, about Mercury? Your not just saying this to make me feel better?" Isaac lowered his head quietly snickering at this foolishness before looking up. "Yes. When he attacked at the lake I couldn't feel any liquid in the lower part of his legs, so there artificial, of that I'm sure, you were set up sis. The match was rigged. Emerald is an esper, I think she makes illusions, or bends reality. Which I don't believe she can. What you saw you did see, Emerald put what ever you saw in your head to get you to attack Mercury." Isaac thought of taking her hands and looking into her eyes to emphasize his words, but that emotion just wasn't in him. She would have to accept the truth as is.
After a few moments Yang lowered her head. "Didn't stop Ironwood from disqualifying our team."
"Ya, the world sees you as an offender. Not a victim. Come Monday that may change but for now. No one is even giving the recording more then a glance. Like how you stood still while the guard's surrounded you and your face when you suddenly realized they were there. Emerald is not a good esper she had to concentrate on you and the two medics, making them see flesh, not steel, or rock, maybe dust I don't know, whatever his legs are made of."
Isaac took a breath seeming to gather his thoughts. "Most if not all will have forgotten that Cinders team went to Minstrel, and that is were the news will stop. No ones going to do a fallow up on that team. The Buzz may push it, not sure. Now the more important matter is. The Grim are coming, there are a lot of people upset about this, it's drawing them in, big ones too, yet Grimms Bane is not getting any contracts from the city and the laws say Ironwood can't use any of his military forces unless there is a clear and present danger. Which means the grim will have to be in the city before he can do anything, and by that time this woman, who ever she is will have him and his military neutralized." He caught the flinch and movement from Qrow and moved around Yang to face the man. There was only one reason to act like that, he hadn't noticed before concentrating on Yang.
"You! You know who she is." The motions and emotions for preparing a lie were all over Qrow's face and posture. Isaac found his own emotions all but out of control. "Don't you. Dare. Lie to me! You know who she is! Give me her name." He finished yelling managing to rain himself in a bit.
Qrow rubbed the back of his neck, stared at Isaac then the rest. Hunching over a bit with hands in his pockets, saying nothing and left the room. "Is keeping a secret worth all the lives that will be lost?" Isaac asked loudly to Qrows back. Closing the door, almost slamming it shut. Any in the room could hear him mutter as he stared at the door. "He knows and is letting his own kin be dragged through the dirt." The boy was trying to wrap his mind around that. Family, he had none, save the SCP now here, he had one, yet.
Yangs hand on his shoulder brought him back from this dark place he had gone to. "Other then sitting around, is there anything to do?" Turning he found Yang kept her hand on his shoulder so he answered. "Ya, some hunt, classes, combat fields, Mnemonic and counter mnemonic, a few aura tracking classes. I'm told our own adaptation of the Festival." He blurted out. Shifting a bit uncomfortably under her touch.
"What does Qrow know?" Weiss asked. "Your display wa." Isaac cut her off. "He knows who this woman is, who Grimms Bane found, and we think she controls the grim, she has a name and Qrow knows it. Cinder Fall and I'm betting her goon's know." Isaac sighed seeing the shocked looks around the room.
"Sorry didn't want to lay that on you all, but damn if I know another way to say it. We found a woman's face in SCP 008. That's a hunter communications assassin drone like grim. Grimms Bane has been attacked these last few weeks by specialized grim. With all these events. Well. Things are ramping up. The newest is a grim like a Baba Yaga a house shaped one, it's killed three so far."
"I haven't heard anything in the news." Blake offered. "I keep a keen eye on Grimms Bane. Isaac shrugged. "You have only heard the bad news then, this woman controls a lot, and she's powerful, an influencer like no other. Simple business practice. If you own part of something you can tell them what to do. Remember that. Now. The Bane believe she has control over or is influencing these new laws. Why do you think we made ourselves into a country."
"What's a Baba Yaga?" Weiss asked. "Old woman in a walking house who kidnaps and eats children." Isaac responded his mind on Qrow and how to get the Beacon staff together so he could properly interrogate them. Weiss gasped taking a step back glancing at the others in a did I hear right. Seeing their surprised reactions she knew they heard and pressed on. "Three children are dead?" Isaac looked up at her like she was insane. "No. No. It's like one, even walked away on centipede like legs."
Weiss made a face, disgusted with the thought that a grim would target only children. "So anyone who goes into it?" Isaac half nodded. "Things Memetic and can control you enough to make you want to go inside. Took me a while to talk the team lead who found it into getting away from it. By that time three were dead." He ended simply. Like talking about a minor matter.
Isaac looked up seeing everyone's disturbed glances at each other. "Ok." He sighed. "I'll see about getting you into the anti-memetic class." He watched them for a bit before asking. "Well if you want pack up, we can leave tonight. Unless you can handle me sleeping on the floor, here." He pointed down. Thow Rubys reaction was "Sleep over!" Yangs was downplayed. "Ya, lets explore that some more." To Blakes neutral. "No." Lastly Weiss with an elegant movement stating. "You are an adult in the body of a child, so. No."
After a few seconds watching them watch him Isaac asked. "Well? Pack up."
Mavideniz East
"Unidentified aircraft, you have entered Mavideniz air space. Declare who you are and intent." Came the radio broadcast in there headsets. "Isaac with Team RWBY, coming home for some R and R. Aircraft is MCA 1414.
"I don't care who you are, you're an unscheduled flight, pad 13." Came the radio response. Isaac sighed.
"Ok, fine, just send us some transport."
The radio crackled. "Oh, you don't worry you'll get that, guaranteed. Switch to transponder frequency100013 and land."
"Well, this is turning out to be interesting." Weiss commented into her voice mike, she sounded to everyone a bit frustrated. "So much for landing on your home, I wanted to see that." Yang added.
"Why are they doing this? Pad 13 sounds ominous." Blake asked.
"Like she said, were an unscheduled flight, at night, so there being safe." Ruby explained. "This sounds like the military so they like Ironwood have ways of doing these things."
"Looks to me like you're not in charge anymore." Yang told Isaac. Seeing him node, his face lit by the green lights in the control panel showed he was not happy about it. In the dark cabin she shifted uncomfortably in her seat asking quietly. "Just another hunter?" Again Isaac nodded. "Ta, um Dad keeps me at home, mostly." Darkly chuckling Yang nodded her head and reached over and ruffled Isaacs hair. Isaac batted at her hand. "Ghah, would you stop, you're just like dad." "Thanks." Quiped Yang. Isaacs look said that wasn't a complement.
Landing at the pad was easy, it was large and well lit. The number 13 four cornered the pad in large letters. A long armored tracked vehicle like an RV in length trundled up as they landed. Isaac when he jumped out was scooped up by Scarlett in a spinning hug.
"It's so good to see you again." Then she held him out at arms reach. "You will not believe what we've done since the last time you were here!" Then she thumped him down. Yang laughing by the aircraft stopped long enough to fish her belongings out. Then approached her.
"We unwanted refugees, you got food and home to give us?" Scarlett started laughing with Yang. "Yep but your going to Isaac's home. We'll see about tomorrow." She half turned away talking almost candidly. "Pretty shitty what they did to you, but at least we know Emerald can form realistic illusions."
They loaded up onto an armored personal carrier. When the thick door thudded shut Ruby asked as they jerked into movement. "Why are we so far out? We are at least a mile from the walls." The answer was disturbing from Scarlett. "Killing zone. Anything bad land, it's gone. If they won't land at pad 13, we shoot em out of the air, and believe me we have some excellent Triple A now." Ruby sat back looking worried sneaking glances at Isaac wondering why he was so relaxed.
Leaving the personal carrier they swapped to a large easy-go and rode to Isaacs home. "Looks like they were thinking ahead." Ruby exclaimed. "They added a prefab home to yours." The attached building held five rooms with a living room. Someone had plunked the thing down in the back yard and hooked an enclosed walkway to it. "I guess this is yours, well, I leave it to you to settle in. Good night." Isaac left the four to settle who slept where.
"Remember when this was just a field?" Yang reminded more then asked Ruby. Plunking her night bag down. The small leader nodded looking about the sparse walls. There was furniture here, even an entertainment counsel, but it had a sterile look about it and a paint smell. "Ya we wondered if he kept the receipt so he could give it back." Going to the door she looked out eyeing the sky. The low sparse clouds were aglow reflecting the street lights, she could hear traffic moving in the distance. Closing the door she said what they all knew. "Just over a year and this turned into a city."
"Of hunters." Blake reminded them. Looking into a room and deciding if she wanted it. "There is too much room here."
"This may take some getting used to." Weiss told them. "I'm not sure, but is he thinking about keeping us here? Or just the weekends?"
Yang having found a room to clam called out. "My face is on the news, I've been targeted by some lowlife who didn't like Isaacs answer, now he's saying my sis is next? What do you think?"
"Are you thinking about staying here?" Blake sounded a bit more stressed then normal. She had been trying to find out what the White Fang were doing in Vale and having little success. This was putting a massive twist into things for her. She didn't want to admit she feared loosing her team mates.
Morning
"Where's Isaac?" Asked Ruby. They were making breakfast from a fully stocked fridge. Ruby had gone to ask Isaac if he wanted some. He was not at home or outside and the eazy-go was gone.
Ruby was going to call him when someone knocked at the door. Opening it she found a rainbow haired woman standing there. "Hi. I'm from The Buzz, can I come in?" Ruby took a step back opening the door wider. Walking in she sniffed the air and started to explain. "Isaac went to talk to Jr." In the stillness she asked. "You made an extra plate, can I have some? Been a while since I've eaten."
Ruby shrugged rubbing her head. "Ah, I don't see why not. He went to Jr.'s?" The woman didn't even hesitate sliding up to a plate and loading it down with food. "Sorry about Isaac vanishing, but if the rumor is true Jr.'s taking a job concerning Ruby because he's got a bone to pick with Yang, as does Torchwick. So, we loaded Isaac down with pictures of Jr.s family and off he went." She bit down on some egg and toast.
"Your using extortion?" Blake accused. The woman nodded. "Call me Rainbow, everyone else does." She finger twirled her hair. "This isn't a tie-dye job." Then. She pointed a finger at Blake. "Yangs been set up everyone knows her as The Villain, Jr.'s been hired to do, something with Ruby, So Isaac is going there to tell em it's not worth any pay or threats. If he doesn't get a good answerer Jr.'s going to pick up a heavy rock and jump off a city pier."
"He's going to kill Jr?" Yang asked staring at Rainbow as she was shoveling in her food. Rainbow nodded then wiped her mouth. "You bet, things are getting serous and Isaac can control liquids, that means he can puppet someone, anyone watching will see Jr. jumping off a pier, not Isaac pushing him. Lots of eye wittiness saying he took his own life."
"I can't believe your talking about a mans life so casually." Weiss injected. "You remind me of Isaac." Rainbow shrugged. "We get along. Personally Jr, if he wants to keep the sweet deal we made a while ago, he will gladly skip out." She pointed a fork at Ruby like a rifle sight. "Once he knows Ruby and Yang are family he'll back off. He'll understand why the offer was made and all that. We sent Isaac because he can read people like no one I know. If he passes Jr lives, if not, well we cut off the problem and send a massage."
"That your as vicious as them?" Asked Weiss with a serous expression. Rainbow nodded. "They, these people and who ever this woman is will have to come out in the open and soon. The Bane will not allow this to remain in the shadows for too much longer. Then. It's open war." It seemed she had said all she would and everyone save Rainbow started picking at their breakfast.
When finished she waved goodbye and left. "Don't forget to check in to the mnemonic class if ya don't want your mind controlled again." She sing songe'd to Yang.
This a little bit is about Yang and Ruby, with Weiss and Blake.
And yes, I am a sick man. I know I'm shitting on the bubble heads.
The class wasn't quite what RWBY expected. First there was a small line to get in. Then paperwork to fill out. Some of it guessing the shape of an object in unfolded picture form. Yang sighed answering the question. "Have You Ever Been Mind Controlled." Then giving the place day and time with a brief explanation.
A thin Man about average height with grayed hair was calling the entrees in. So far no one had exited the building the way they went in.
"Ok, you four are next." The man waved an arm indicating Team RWBY. With Ruby leading they filed through and down a hall with a lot of doors. As they walked faint screaming could be heard, someone begging. "This is your room. He opened the door waiting. "It sounds like some people are in trouble." Ruby looked up at the man. "It's nice you want to help, but there beyond any help you could give." He waved them to enter, closed, and then locked the door. The rooms walls were bare. A table with six chair's around it. Everything, walls floor and ceiling was the colored a dirty white.
Yang knocked on the door with her knuckles. "Hollow, wont take much to kick in."
"Why would you want to do that?" Ruby asked blinking at her sister.
"A stranger locked us in." Blake replied, stating the obvious.
"There were lights, small ones above the doors, some were lit." Weiss added.
"Still it's locked from the outside and nothing inside to unlock it." Yang finished.
Less then three heartbeats later the door unlocked with a clack and an adult walked in. Everything about him said grown up from his hair to trimmed full beard. "Take your seats." He ordered in a low voice.
"Yang Xiao Long. Ruby Rose. Half sisters." He flopped their folder's down on the table. Weiss Schnee X- Heir to the Schnee corporation and Blake Belladonna. Child of the founders of the White Fang and member until not to long ago." He looked at the two for a full ten seconds before flopping down Blake's then Weiss's folders on the table.
"There seems to be some confusion, did you say X-Heir?" Weiss asked perplexed.
The man didn't answer he dragged out a chair and put a leg on it leaning down to brace an elbow on it. His eyes burrowing into Weiss. Before he spoke.
"Ok snowflake understand this. Your words carry weight, if you don't believe this well here's a little story from not too long ago. Your father hires faunas because he can pay them almost half the wages as human servants, and yet they will live better then if they did not work for him. The faunas? They will work hard to keep their jobs. Your father makes sure of that, fires them, it seems, at the drop of a hat."
He reached down flipping her folder open. On it a photo of a faunas in a butlers outfit. The mans words were scolding in a quiet way.
"Like when a servant spilled a slice of cake. It was your favorite if the info is good, lemon something or other. Even though there was so much more you screamed about that one slice, and he was sent away. Your father heard the story and fired him. You got a new butler, a cake butler of all things, whose only job was pastries, he served you well I'm guessing. He flipped over the photo. The same faunas but more scruffy and haggard looking.
"Now the problem is he was fired, seems when a Schnee fires you as a domestic no one else wants you to work for them. So the man and family sank into poverty. Word got out, so the family name became tarnished, people started looking at there employees, found some wanting and fired them, with little hope for employment after it was all said and done three took there own lives, two leaving wives, daughters and sons." He flipped each photo over, one a head shot another was a hanging the last death was exposure to winter. As each adult ended the photos of there family were flipped by." Closing the folder he rested it on his leg still looking down on Weiss who didn't seemed to be able to speak.
"You may not be responsible directly but indirectly you are, you're a member of the extremely rich and because of that wealth, from a powerful house, your word carries weight, a tremendous burden and in your tantrum for cake you killed three people and ruined the lives of over twenty others. Now you're here, I guess because your dad cut off your funds. Or you're a runaway, living on the hunters good name."
"I became a huntress to help people and improve my family's name." Weiss injected with a quavering voice.
The man looked hard at Weiss, then rolled his eyes. His words condescending. "If you wanted to do something productive why didn't you become a bureaucrat, you could have improved the lives of tens of thousands, approved defensive spending that would save the lives of even more, be in a position of authority and respect. Phrase the sentence right and your father would love what your doing, you could even give product away to the needy if it improved the Schnee name. Sure others would pay a higher price, but all would know why."
He leaned forward explaining as if to the dense. "Your father is not a bad man, he just has as most do, put too much of himself into improving the business, he is trapped in what others think of him, what others think of his families image, but he works with numbers, where your grandfather was a ground ponder and knew what the commoners needed. That's your fathers failing. That an your mothers an alcoholic trying to blame others for her own mistakes."
Blakes words came out neutral sounding as she spoke to the adult. "Why are you treating Weiss like this? She has done nothing but improve herself since she arrived at Beacon. She wants to help people, as a huntress."
The man chuckled and placed Weiss's folder on his leg then flipped open Blakes folder. "Oh, so now the Belladonna speaks up. Your defending her, your team mate?" He moved a page covering a large photo of a burned out building. "You got a lot of cheek considering your past." Another photo was revealed. Police tape around a home consumed by fire. "Just how many people did you put into the grave with the White Fang?" Another photo, a street, a bomb had exploded scattering debris. As Blake opened her mouth he cut her off angrily slapping down the facts. "Don't give me that's why I left, or. The it happened so fast, or any of that crap, you witnessed, and did nothing past words."
He kept showing photos, now bodies were there. The first one a typical white circle and number cards where the person died, blood staining the street. The next was a dead human. He pointed an accusing finger at her. "Nothing. You were too concerned about your own safety and what you mentally wanted to handle. Afraid to take a risk. Only when it was safe did you sever your ties with the White Fang. Sorry to burst your bubble but you don't need to hide." He waved a hand at her head bow. "You're not important enough for them to hunt you down as a traitor. I wouldn't be surprised if your headmaster at Beacon knew about your past with the White Fang and still let you into the school." He flipped her folder closed placing it on his leg with Weiss's folder as Blake looked down making quiet sobbing noises.
Yang went to her holding Blakes shoulders rocking her slightly. "What kind of a man does this? What sort of crappy interview you got going? You just here to degraded us? Drag our past thru the dirt!" Yang demanded.
He straighten up pining the folders with one hand on his leg. "So, the busty thick one decides to jump in, yes, you do that a lot. Now why should anyone here train someone who without a thought jumps in? Your going to get your team mates killed when they try and save you, or do you just want to party before and after fighting grim? Towns die, people die for no good reason save they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you smile, wink, giggle, and party like some blond fuck toy?"
Yang stood her weapons unfolding on her arms. Breath coming out ragged and her hair truing into flame.
He seemed more disgusted then wary at Yangs actions. Again in his simple way slapping Yang with words. "Better watch that temper it will get you killed. Or your sister. Your trained to fight grim not people and you are asking us to train you and your friends?" He leaned forward his other hand on top of her folder not even opening it. "Give me a reason. Just one that is from the heart and don't think I can't tell if your bullshitting me, well? You got a good reason why you want to fight monsters?" He demanded. Yang stood rock still her mussels so taught she looked like a sculpture. Until it all seemed to deflate. Yang sagged leaning on the table with both arms her hair covering her face.
"I, I wanted, to, to see the world, go places I've never seen. Fight grim and save people. Now there's a war coming." She looked up, tears coming down her face. "They took My Mind! Made me see what was NOT THERE. There was nothing I could do, strength didn't matter, determination is useless, I didn't even know it was being done. They have to be stopped, she has to be stopped, somehow." She sagged again sobbing. This time Blake steadying her, helping her to a chair. The man, expressionless, simply picked up her folder and laid it with the others.
He opened Rubys folder, seemed to flip open a few pages within before looking at her. Ruby squirmed under that look. She felt like her father was upset and going to punish her for something she did wrong.
He stood, flopping the three folders on the chair, leaving Rubys open on the table, her photo and some data on height weight ect. Showed. Walking over to one of the white walls and opened a drawer. Once he had done so they all could see that one wall was filled to chest high with storage compartments. The white color and almost seamless drawers made them invisible until one was used. He set a device in front of Ruby.
"This is a VR, it will give you everything including smell. You wear this for five minuets or you all leave, no retry. Ok?" Ruby quietly nodded and held still as he adjusted the cap goggles and face guard on her. "You ready?" He asked quietly. Ruby nodded apprehensive. "I can tell you one thing, this is not real, this is the past." Then he eyed the three. "Say, do nothing, or you also fail." He turned the thing on.
Ruby went ridged. The three glancing at each other uneasy. You could hear quite noises coming from her headset. Ruby started breathing faster. The man quietly picked up a waste can that was almost invisible in a corner and held it ready. Less then a minute went by before Ruby stood reaching for something. "No! Don't! Then went rock still. The man put the waste can under her mouth. Ruby Bent and lost her lunch. Rubys hands found and clutched the waste can and she kept dry heaving for the rest of the time. The man watching his clock with a hand over the off switch. Then Click it was done.
Ruby kept heaving as the set was taken off. After a bit, pale of face she looked up and asked. "Why?"
"You're the leader? A barely what, sixteen years old? Your brother I can see he's proven himself time after time, but you throw up at a VR coverage of a grim attack? You've never seen one, have you? One where a town is destroyed? Isaac said your altruistic and innocent, told me he'd have my ass and any another part of me he could catch if I abused you too much. But he said I could do this, just to try and wake you up a bit. The job of a hunter is to kill grim, sometimes." He pointed at the VR. "Things go wrong, people die. The town is not saved."
"You have to except that as a leader. The people who fallow you or depend on you could die. Now have some water and a mint it'll get the vomit taste out of your mouth. He pulled from his jacket a cup sized container then lay a mint on the table.
Ruby sipped a few times then added the mint sucking on it and continued to sip. As she did the man put the device away after cleaning the visor.
The man stacked their folders, straightened them out as Ruby finished. Only when he had the vessel back did he conclude the interview. "We have some people, what we call watchers. They don't network with us much but they are watching this exchange and forming opinions on your lot so I'm going to ask em if I should let you go to the next level. And to tell you true I'm voting not to let you in for any training." He stopped partway through the opened door looking at the three. "You can move and talk now." Then he left.
Weiss was the first to stretch her arms out and lay her head on the table. "That was an unforgiving interview. I feel like I've run the whole day." She looked up at Ruby. "H-how are you doing?"
Ruby looked down. "It was horrible, people were being torn apart by grim, crushed by walls, burned alive, even some hunters lost there lives." She looked hard at Yang, the brawler could see something was gone in Ruby and a part of her mourned. "This is Isaacs recording. The town of Ithaqua just south of Vale on the other side of the barrier peaks." She shook her head. "Six or so months old. I remember reading about it, but they never mentioned Grimms Bane being there to save what was left." Ruby covered a part of her face with her hand. "I can hardly except that he lived through something like that and is hardly changed."
Yang moved and rubbed Rubys back a half smile on her face. "He's been through a lot before he came to us, least it wasn't spider grim." Ruby trembled and shook off Yangs hand. "Stop creeping me out, sometimes I think your enjoying it." She accused Yang.
Yang smiled a small smile. "I think, I used to, then the world got meaner or more adult." She shrugged. "You hungry?" She asked Ruby. Yang smiled a true smile as Ruby looked up at her. That was the Ruby she knew and it relived her to no end.
"There is a problem." Blake said trying the door. Which was locked.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed: Leave a comment, thought, or image.