authors note, thank you so much for your continued support, I'd love to hear your comments, critques and thoughts, enjoy! ;)
Chapter eleven: Whole World Turned Upside Down
The day to little Neo couldn't be more depressing. The sun was shining, the birds singing, the perfect temperature to romp around in the daisies. Yet Neo, little poor Neo, was stuck inside, getting dressed as always. It wasn't fair. The best days were always days with class. Maybe she should change that…
Neo looks off pensively in the distance, as if she were considering the risk to reward ratio of all her options, before turning to her team and confidently typing, 'we are playing hookie today!'
"What!?" Her team of caretakers/nannies yelled in shock.
Neo sighs, typing, 'it's a beautiful day, the birds are singing, the sun is shining, and we are stuck inside, in boring classes all day! I'm in a rut, and honestly, my mental health is suffering! Let's call it a mental health break! That's a thing, right?'
"I don't think that's actually a thing." Yang replied.
Neo pouts, typing, 'so y'all don't care if I'm literally depressed from this damned rut?' Neo raises an eyebrow.
"We do care, but we all could get in trouble for skipping class. You know how Ms. Goodwitch is Neo, considering how many times she's been after you." Weiss answered.
Neo grins, an idea forming in her head, typing, 'what if we WERE there, while we played hookie?' Neo gives a mischievous look.
"Why does Neo getting a idea scare me more than Ms. Goodwitch's rage?" Ruby asked.
Neo grins, typing, 'I'll use my Semblance to create an illusion of us in class, they will be counted present, while we have fun!'
"I… don't know if this is a good idea. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd like nothing more than to not be stuck inside all day today. But…" Yang said, trailing off.
Neo crosses her arms, before typing, 'Tell me ONE good reason why it wouldn't work, hmm? Here's the deal, either I take a me day with my FRIENDS, or I'm gonna end up putting one of Oobleck's textbooks through my head!'
"How exactly are you going to do that considering aura?" Blake asked.
Neo sighs, typing, 'You're missing the point! I'm at the point of seriously considering how my brains would look splattered on the wall!'
After a bit of conversing in a huddle, Ruby steps forward and says, "Okay Neo, we will do this for you this ONCE. Understood?"
Neo breathes a sigh of relief, before nodding.
"Okay, so how are we getting to town. We can't take Bumblebee because we all won't fit on it." Yang pointed out.
Neo grins at this, before holding up a set of car keys.
"Neo, why?" Blake asked through a face palm.
Confused, neo types, 'what? I simply used my semblance to make a fake drivers license, and then to make some convincing looking money, i legally own this car! Sorta, I think… Anyway, besides the point. Let's go!'
"Why do I have a bad feeling?" Weiss said with a sigh as the team followed their… overly enthusiastic and illegal method using mascot.
~Meanwhile In Salem's Throne Room~
Salem was pacing around her throne room, furious at this most recent development. Not only had Tyrian failed her completely, but he'd also gotten himself killed! She could not accept this! She would not accept this!
As the windows in her throne room began to crack and the room began to shake, Watts was in a corner shaking like a leaf. He had never seen her this enraged before. And, if he was completely honest, it had him worried for his own safety. What would happen if she suddenly turned her rage against him?
As the windows continued to crack and started to break, Watts knew he needed to come up with a plan. Some kind of idea to calm Salem down. Not only that, but he needed to do it quickly. He didn't know how much more the room could take.
In that moment, Watts was struck by inspiration as he smirked to himself. The idea wasn't perfect, but, at the very least, it had a good chance of working. If it happened to keep him from being on the chopping block, all the better.
"Your Grace." Watts called out, trying to get her attention.
With a furious look on her face, Salem turned to look at Watts, scaring him for a moment. However, he had to maintain his confident facade. It was the only way to ensure he'd survive this.
"Yes… Arthur…?" Salem asked, her tone a deadly calm that betrayed her true intent.
"If I may make a suggestion… I believe I have a way we can turn things around in our favor." Watts replied, trying to calm down the enraged Grimm Queen while also trying to not be turned to ash by her death glare.
Salem raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh? Just what, pray tell, might that be?" She asked, her interest piqued.
Watts smirked at this. "I believe we have some… 'fireworks' in surplus…" He said coyly.
"Then see that it is done." Salem said simply.
"Of course my grace. Your will shall be done." Watts said, before leaving post haste, and Salem sitting on her throne with a wicked smile.
~Later, in downtown Vale~
Neo grins adorably, as she gives her new dress a twirl, curtsying to her friends with a grin, typing, 'so, do I look dashing or what?' Neo gave her friends a coy smile.
"At least this one you chose an appropriate skirt length." Weiss answered.
Neo pouts, typing, 'Not my fault, you're so prudish!'
"Excuse me, but I'll have you know that us Schnee's understand the height of fashion!" Weiss said, clearly offended.
Neo feigned shock, typing, 'Grandma Schnee keeps up with fashion?'
"Maybe like a grandma I should spank you?" Weiss asked in a cold tone.
Neo, deciding to make her uncomfortable, types, 'promise?'
As Weiss shuts up and looks away, Blake asks, "Are you done holding up the changing room Neo?"
Neo huffs and puffs, typing, 'What?! So now I'm not allowed to playfully rib my friends?'
"That's not it. You've been trying on clothes for an hour and a half. I would have thought you wanted to get ice cream by now." Blake answered.
Neo pouts adorably, typing, 'Fine! I'll hurry up!'
With that, Neo uses her semblance to disguise the dress as the outfit she wore in.
"No Neo. If you want it, you pay for it." Ruby said sternly, putting her hands on her hips.
Neo pouts, typing, 'But I could never afford this! Is this not what we all had agreed to, or did I misread the room?'
"I'll pay for it if you really want it." Weiss sighs.
Neo sighs, hugging Weiss, typing, 'thank you Granny…'
"If I buy you that dress, you agree to never call me that again. Clear?" Weiss said.
Neo looks deep in thought, before typing, 'For the rest of the day, best offer.'
"Fine. Go change out of it and let's go pay for it." Weiss said with a deep sigh.
Neo giggles innocently, skipping into the changing room.
After a few minutes of changing and a quick trip to the cashier, the group was off to the nearest ice cream shop. Once there, Neo bounced around looking at all the flavors like a kid in a candy store.
Neo giggles adorably as she drinks her strawberry and vanilla milkshake.
After a few minutes, they find themselves in Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun!
Neo immediately makes a beeline for the fairy tales.
"That's surprising…" Ruby said in a bit of a daze.
"You're telling me." Blake added.
Puzzled, Neo types, 'What!? I've always loved fairy tales, ever since I was a kid, I always dreamed of being just like the heroes in those stories!'
"Yang, what caused Neo to become a criminal?" Ruby whispered into her big sister's ear.
"I… honestly don't know…" Yang whispered back.
Confused, Neo types, 'why are you looking at me like i just sprouted Beowolf claws?'
"Don't mind them sweetie. They don't read books." Weiss said, trying to keep Neo's mind off her friends' conversation.
Neo shrugs innocently, typing, 'Oh! What about this one!?' Neo holds up a book, with the title, "The Corrupted Soul" grinning ear to ear.
"Are you sure that's age appropriate Neo?" Blake asked.
Neo nods happily, typing, 'It was in the fairy tales section, how bad can it be?'
"You'd be surprised, Neo. You'd be surprised." Blake ominously answered.
Neo simply shrugs it off, typing, 'I'll be fine, I want this one!' Neo hides something behind her back, being clever.
"Neo, what are you trying to steal from a bookstore?" Blake asked.
Neo uses her semblance to make it invisible, typing, 'nothing…'
"Neapolitan." Blake said a hint sternly, causing Neo to crack.
Pouting, Neo hands over the book, a doujin, and on the cover, a clearly marked, 18 rating.
"Neo. That's not age appropriate." Weiss said to Neo, squinting her eyes.
Neo innocently types, 'I only read it for the plot, I swear!'
"That's what everyone says Neo. And it hasn't worked for many before you, and it will continue to not work for the end of time." Weiss said with a sigh.
Neo blushes, embarrassed, getting increasingly flustered, before deciding to shift to throwing others under the bus, she types, 'Cmon! Blake literally has straight up filth on her bookshelf! I mean, Ninjas of Love!? Really? How cliche!'
"Unlike you, I'm honest about why I'm getting it." Blake dryly answers as she looks more through the selection.
Neo pouts, close to tears in embarrassment, she types, 'What do you want from me!? You want me to say I look at porn!? You wanna embarrass me!? Well guess what! Everyone does!'
"No, but I think you're doing very well on that front yourself Neo…" Ruby said, unsure of what to say.
Neo pouts, typing, 'I was gonna pay for it… I was just trying to be discreet…'
"It's okay Neo. Lets just go pay for it and put this all behind us okay?" Ruby said, trying to help her little mascot.
"Yeah, let's pay for your porn Neo." Yang said playfully.
Neo curls into a tiny ball, now actually crying from embarrassment.
"Yang, I was trying to be nice and help her. Apologize!" Ruby said sternly, pointing at the poor ice cream floof-ball now in an embarrassed heap.
"Yeesh, I was just playing. No need to get testy." Yang replied.
Neo attempts to hide between some book shelves, not wanting to be seen.
Yang sighed at this. "Fine. I'm sorry, Neo…"
Hesitantly, Neo pokes her head out, typing, 'you mean it….?'
Yang nods at this. "Yeah, I mean it. I was just trying to be playful. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…"
Neo slowly crawls out, still not looking happy, reluctantly typing, 'I forgive you…'
Yang smiled and held her hands out in a hugging motion, surprising everyone. "Come here."
Neo hesitates a moment, before hugging Yang tightly.
Yang was surprised by this, but smiled and hugged her back.
After this, Neo used her semblance to create a fake ID, so she could purchase her books, before exiting the store.
Neo turns to the others and types, 'What now? Wanna see a movie?'
"A movie sounds good." Yang said with a smile.
Neo types, 'How about the new Terantulino movie?'
"Are you sure about that? I think that has a lot of blood in it." Ruby asked.
"Yeah! It'll be a 'bloody' good time!" Yang replied playfully.
Neo facepalmed in response.
"Well I guess…" Weiss tried to say, before being cut off by a most unholy noise.
A massive plume of smoke can be seen in the direction of Beacon. Everyone's ears rang as the noise was followed by deafening silence.
Just then, the loud blair of sirens can be heard as Police, Fire, and EMS speed by, heading straight for Beacon.
~Meanwhile, in Salem's Tower~
"Confirm the target is neutralized, copy?" Watts asked into his radio with baited breath.
"Copy sir. Blast went off as scheduled. No complications over." The voice on the other side answered.
"And nobody matching the target's description was spotted amongst the survivors?" Watts asked.
"Copy that sir." The voice answered.
Watts grins, knowing full well, that the fact that he had succeeded where everyone else had failed will certainly put him in Salem's good graces.
~Later In The Ruins Of Beacon~
Team RWBY and Neo were sifting through the wreckage of the destruction, helping to look for survivors. As they did, they became increasingly worried by their lack of progress. Any bodies they did find were dead ones, bloodied and burned. Most of them weren't even recognizable as human or faunus.
"Who… who could've done this…?" Yang asked, trying to fight down the bile building up in her throat.
"I don't know. But, whoever they are, they can't be allowed to get away with it." Weiss replied, equally sick to her stomach.
Neo remained uncharacteristically quiet, a look of complete shock on her tiny visage.
Blake looked around at the rubble that had once been their home. "Wait.. where's Ruby?"
With that, the others looked around in the area Ruby was supposed to be looking in. When they eventually found her, she was simply standing there, a large piece of rubble having been lifted up and pushed over next to her. What worried them most was that Ruby seemed to be just standing there, staring at something in the wreckage.
"Ruby…?" Weiss called out, worried for her team leader, partner, and friend.
Much to their surprise, they got no response as they moved in closer.
"Rubes…? You okay…?" Yang asked, her concern for her little sister clear in her voice.
Again, no response. In fact, Ruby just wordlessly collapsed to her knees and picked something up, starting to tremble. When they got in close, Ruby turned to look at them, in tears and holding something in her hands. When they realized what it was, it made their blood run cold. In Ruby's hands… burned, torn, and bloodied… was a badly damaged collar. A collar that, while only barely visible, said "Zwei" on it…