To all those that have waited (patiently or otherwise) for the past two years for an update - your patience is now rewarded. Thank you to everybody who has favorited and/or followed this story.
Weiss and Sherlock
When Sherlock had offered to teach her, she had honestly been skeptical as to what exactly he could do.
It wasn't arrogance, just fact. She was the top of her class at the Academy, had received the best tutors that money could buy, and had even gotten advice from her older sister, a prodigy in her own right. She wasn't strong enough to go up against an actual Huntress, but that would naturally come with experience and time.
She was a Schnee. Excelling was not only expected of her, but necessary if she wanted to get away from the influence of her father.
That he was trying to sabotage her to ensure she remained in Atlas wasn't a surprise. In his eyes he probably didn't even see it as sabotage. He knew best, and all actions made were to twist the world to what he believed should be.
Her sister had joined the military to get away from his influence, only for Father to still make attempts. Weiss, therefore, would go even farther.
And really, there it was.
The only reason why she accepted Sherlock's offer. At the very least, he had schematics of the automata that she might face as her final exam.
Still, she was no idiot. She was heiress to the Schnee fortune, and a young woman. Simply meeting with a stranger without backup was foolish to the extreme. The only thing she knew about him was that he could sneak into the Academy without being caught, and by his own admission had spied on both her Father and the General. While impressive, neither painted a very glowing picture of the man.
Exchanging numbers with him should have been enough. He claimed he wanted to teach her analysis and strategy? Then he could do that virtually, in addition to sending any schematics.
That should have been it. She never expected to see him face to face after that.
So it came as a huge shock (and some very unladylike coughing) the week after that she realized halfway through a meal that the butler that had been serving them was Sherlock in disguise.
'Lesson one: Know the people around you'
She had called him the moment her door closed.
"Is something wrong Weiss?"
"What in Remnant were you doing!" She demanded angrily, "do you realize what would happen if anybody realized you were impersonating a member of the staff?" She paused for a moment, "how were you even able to impersonate a member of the staff in the first place?!"
"Hmmm, an excellent question. Let me posit one of my own - How long was I able to impersonate a member of your staff?"
The answer had been three days.
Three. Days.
Sure, he had been disguised, but not heavily so. Even if she hadn't known him for long, she should have noticed.
It turned out that the original butler had had a family emergency, causing him to recommend a temporary replacement. The replacement had been approved, and told to arrive later that day to assume his duties.
The replacement never got the message.
What followed was the most bizarre game of hide and seek she had heard of. Sherlock would disguise himself, and the goal was to spot him before he could take a picture with both of them in the frame.
Everybody became a suspect in her eyes, from the servants to soldiers to random beggars.
(Not that she would ever admit it, but it had been by random luck she had noticed the beggar 'Pepe the Skunk Faunus', and it was an eye-opener to see just what exactly Sherlock could/would do in the name of a disguise.)
"Is your goal to make me paranoid of everyone?" She demanded crossly, "because that is what is happening."
It was a good thing they were only meeting virtually, otherwise she'd have punched him. Repeatedly. It had gotten to the point her sister had noticed her actions and questioned her.
… In her defense, that soldier had been new, and even if it hadn't been Sherlock he was still being unprofessional. Not her fault.
"I told you I would teach you how to observe." He reminded her, "You might be looking for me in other people, but at the same time you are learning of them, no? Their mannerisms, their actions. In order to understand the things you see, you have to learn the intention behind it, if only to cross them off the list. It may feel overwhelming now, but as you practice it will soon become elementary."
It never became 'elementary'. But, after months of doing this, she did notice that it was becoming easier.
She learned, and to her vindictive pleasure she was getting better… Yet those consolations did little for her pride when she considered how much he was beating her.
It wasn't teaching like people usually taught, but it was a lesson nonetheless, and certainly not the only thing he taught.
'Lesson 2: Tell me about them'
"… What exactly are you showing me?"
"What you are looking through is a micro-camera and receiver. I can wear it, it being nearly unnoticeable. It is then streamed through my Scroll to you. It's used in stealth missions I'm told."
"… that sounds expensive. Like something the military would have."
"I would certainly hope so, that's what the person told me it was."
"… And why exactly do you have military hardware?"
"Well, that is an interesting story that ends with me winning it in a poker game. Nearly lost in the end, but I managed to squeeze by with a straight flush."
"You what?!"
"Enough of the past - I have a new challenge for you!"
Questionable origins aside, she didn't expect to enjoy the new 'challenge' as much as she did. Not when she realized the perks that came with it.
She might not like it when people brought it up, but she would admit, reluctantly and to herself, that she was sheltered.
Had her father had his way, she and her siblings would be homeschooled, their only contact with the outside world pre-approved by him. It was only with much pushing and compromise that she was able to attend the Academy in order to become a Huntress. And he still often made his displeasure from that known.
The Schnee manor, the Academy, and the military base where her sister now lived. Her life pretty much revolved around those locations, with bodyguards or servants accompanying her to each location. She didn't have any friends outside of those her father approved of, and those only saw her as a meal ticket.
Yet another reason she wanted to go to Vale. She needed to get away from all of this!
But now, through Sherlock, she could live vicariously as he walked down a regular street to view a street performer, through a regular market, through the slums… Ok, it wasn't some glamorous adventure that she absolutely didn't imagine when she was a little girl, but it was still a unique experience.
As he went to these places, whether it was a public park or a bar, he would 'people watch'. And that's where his next 'lesson' came into play.
He would pick a person, or ask her to choose, and he would 'dissect' them, for lack of a better word. Everything he could glean from their personality, their history, their habits… and he would explain each conclusion.
It was… Almost scary seeing him do it. At a glance, he was able to draw the most obscure conclusion from random observations. He explained how a beggar was actually a thief staking out a store, or how a certain person was cheating on their spouse. He could craft a biography of a person in seconds.
She doubted him the first several times he pointed these things out, so he'd go out of his way to prove it.
He had yet to be wrong.
After a time, he turned it over to her. He would point out somebody and ask her to tell him about them, and she would attempt to analyze them the same way he did.
(Attempt being the operative word. Sherlock must have a Semblance that allowed him to do what he did, it was the only thing that made sense.)
She was getting better, but she couldn't do the crazy stuff that he could, like identify where a person came from based on the stitching of their clothes. Or what their favorite drink was based off of their hat.
However, with practice she was able to tell whether a person had combat experience based off of their eyes and how they walked. She was getting better at guessing what type of weapon they used.
She still lost at their game more often than not, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of thrill each time she got an analysis right, or when Sherlock congratulated her.
It was somewhere around that time she realized she was getting attached to the man.
'Lesson 3: one of these things is not like the other'
"Something has come up tonight that I'd like your input on. I won't be able to talk to you during it, but you will be able to talk to me."
"That sounds odd… What will you be doing?"
"Well…"
'People watching' had continued for a couple months, and Weiss was rather proud of her progress. It wasn't anywhere near what Sherlock could do, but considering there was a chance of him using a Semblance that he wasn't telling her about, she was happy with it. Besides that, she was finally able to view the world without the veil of what her father desired. It wasn't the same as seeing it for herself, but it was so much more than what she had before.
It wasn't every day of course - She still had all of her usual duties and training she had to go through. But most days, when she was able, she'd often find herself going to her room and calling Sherlock, and he would do something. Visit Mantle perhaps, or view a street theater that he seemed especially partial to. Simple things, yet outside of her ability to do on her own. And she'd watch as Sherlock would commentate, occasionally answering as he'd pick people for her to analyze, and he'd correct her.
Then came the day where he offered a different sort of challenge.
"How on Remnant did you get chosen to join a criminal gang?!"
She feels she could be forgiven for losing her composure at learning that her… was he a friend? He could probably be considered as such by now… That her sort-of-friend was being singled out and considered for criminal activities. Even more, that he was allowing it.
"Well, clearly it's not 'me' that they chose." He stated as if it were obvious. Which, it wasn't. At all. "They needed another member for their heist, so it was easy enough for me to disguise myself as an appropriate choice. Picklocking is a rather useful skill, even in this more advanced world we live in…"
"And the reason you haven't told the police about this?" She demanded, ignoring the question of how he showed himself as an appropriate 'choice'.
"Oh, no need. They already know about it. They also have a man on the inside."
"They… You… you dolt! Why would you join if the police are already there?!"
"I thought it a good way to test you of course. Can you figure out which member belongs to the police before we are all arrested? I estimate you have three meetings before the heist, at which point the police will come in and arrest everybody. Until then, I'll stay, and you can watch and figure out who the mole is."
There were six members, not including Sherlock. Their target was a casino, but Weiss had a hard time focusing on that aspect.
That was the first time that one of their 'challenges' had a potential consequence. Sure, it was unlikely that Sherlock would be caught… But what if he was wrong and the police came early? Never mind the fact that he had yet to be wrong in the months that she'd known him, there was a first time for everything!
It wasn't like she was worried about his safety… If the idiot got into trouble because of this, then it was his own fault! But if he were caught, they'd no doubt find his Scroll, which at the very least would show that she and him had lengthy conversations. How could that go anyway but poorly?
… that being said, she would feel… Bad. If something were to happen to him.
So she did her best. She went over everything that Sherlock had given her on the various members, even studied their plans herself to see if that would give any indication as to who the mole was.
The whole thing had her so stressed that her Father had begun commenting on it, suggesting that her graduation and subsequent decision to go to Beacon was bad for her mental health.
(It really wasn't. Befriending Sherlock and his subsequent antics had led to far more stressful and harrowing events than any of her decisions had ever been.)
It took her till the third and final meeting before she finally decided. The Hacker of the group, a fox Faunus. It was… A difficult decision. Nobody in the group trusted each other and were hardly forthcoming with any personal details. Had Sherlock not told her that there was a mole in the group she wouldn't have known to guess.
What sold it for her in the end was the questions he asked, and even then she hadn't been certain. That feeling that she got when Sherlock left the building and congratulated her? The relief and pride at having gotten it correct?
It was worth more than any congratulations any teacher had ever given her.
'Lesson 4: From Theory to Practice
The months after her original correspondence with Sherlock had, overall, been rather benign.
True, he snuck into the Schnee manor far too often for comfort, his acquisition of certain materials was probably a cause of concern, and he was far too comfortable with skirting the law… But he never actually hurt anybody.
While she originally began this as a simple transaction between herself and Sherlock, after several months it had turned into an actual friendship. As more time went on she found she didn't care so much about the original terms of the deal.
He never asked for anything in return… Not really. He'd comment on various news and ask her opinion, but that was about the extent of it. Certainly nothing worthwhile in her opinion. And on his side?
"… I can teach you how to observe things like I do. How to observe the enemy, figure out why he does what he does, and from that, create a battle plan."
She had been more focused on him providing schematics of the Arma Gigas. To be perfectly honest, she hadn't been all that tempted at the offer for analysis.
It was the nature of a fighter of any kind to analyze and predict their opponent, and she had been training hard for years. What could he offer that she didn't already do?
It had been a couple weeks before Sherlock said her Father would offer her his challenge, and she realized the difference in their skills.
"Good evening Weiss."
"Sherlock. Is there a reason you asked me to be on this time of night, or do you enjoy not getting any sleep?"
"You've done well with your analysis and observation, and I decided it's time to take the next step."
"Is the next step for me to guess what your cryptic sayings mean?"
"*chuckle*, not quite. That alley over has three men hidden in the shadows. Do you see them?"
"Am I going to regret it if I say yes?"
"Perish the thought. Now, they're going to try to mug me in a little bit. When they do, here is what is going to happen…"
What followed was a complete breakdown of the fight that was to occur between Sherlock and the would-be-muggers. Every move they would make, followed by what he would do, how they would respond, concluding with a list of the wounds they would incur and how long they would be incapacitated for.
And then he proceeded to actually fight them.
He dismantled them.
That was the only way she could describe it.
It was one thing to announce it beforehand, but for him to be able to anticipate everything to that extent?
She had seen one-sided fights before. Her own sister, Winter, was a powerhouse with her skill in her weapon and her Semblance. She had even seen an exhibition fight with General Ironwood. This was different. Sherlock didn't use overwhelming force. The strength he used didn't even surpass that of a well trained citizen that hadn't had their Aura unlocked.
He didn't have a weapon. He didn't overpower them with strength or speed as she knew he could. He just… He had everything planned out, the entire fight was decided before it began. And he executed it perfectly without receiving a single wound.
It was a slaughter.
And she wanted to learn it.
"Robots are easier to predict than humans, especially when we have access to their schematics, so we'll start there."
She had been eager to learn.
Present time
Weiss took a deep breath as she walked on stage, feeling a mixture of pride and excitement.
The fight with the Arma Gigas had been underwhelming after Sherlock had gone over its various weak points. The fight might not have gone exactly how she planned, but victory was hers in the end.
Seeing her Father's face after destroying it had been extremely gratifying.
Now she was at a charity event that her Father had scheduled for her. It was to have been a power play on his part - had she lost, this would have been the nail in the coffin that signified that she was to do what he wanted her to do.
Now, it was to be her farewell, and she relished in that.
Everything was set now. In just a couple months she would be on her way to Beacon for the next chapter of her life.
As she made her way to the center stage, the voice of the announcer a distant noise, she had to resist suddenly bursting out into laughter.
She should have known he would find a way to be here as well…
She did her best to ignore a disguised Sherlock as he sat amongst the orchestra with a violin, giving her a smirk.
'That's one point to me.' She thought with a mental smirk of her own, tinged with fondness. It was… Nice. Knowing that she had at least one friend here for her. And she made a note to thank him later that evening.
She was sure she could have defeated the Arma Gigas on her own, even without all of his help. She was far more grateful for the company he provided. For being a friend.
Not that she would ever admit it to the dolt.
She gave a small nod in his direction and began the song that would mark the beginning of her new chapter.
"Mirror… Tell me something… Tell me who's the loneliest, of all…"
For the first time, she imagined the answer would be different.
The loneliest of all was no longer her.
Blake and Chiron
A loud thud echoed through the backyard of the orphanage, a chorus of groans and cheers following from the sidelines.
Blake didn't allow herself any time to register the ache before she flipped herself onto her feet, instantly assuming a fighting position -
Just in time to roll to the side as a large mass rammed the spot where she used to be. Coming out of her roll, she quickly lashed out and landed several blows before she backed away, cheers resounding from the sidelines.
"Your reflexes are excellent as usual," Chiron complimented her with a smile as he spun around on his hooves, "precise, but still you need to put more force into them."
She gave a light shrug, taking the small break for what it was and struggled to breath normally and got into a ready stance.
He hadn't called the fight yet. She wasn't going to fall for that one again…
"Only the strong or the foolish speak during a fight, and a depressing amount are the latter as opposed to the former."
He looked pleased at her readiness, "Your endurance at least is to be commended." He mused, probably to see if she would say anything. "Though I think Heracles and Theseus would be confused at the acrobatics you've incorporated into their style."
She couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. He was the one that had been insisting she mix various moves he knew into her usual style.
Giving a small smile of approval he launched himself at her once more. She leaped up and grabbed onto an arm, attempting to leverage him off balance, only to be thrown off.
She let out a small curse even as she landed on her feet, and in a flash she was exchanging blows with the horse Faunus once more, to the cheers of the children.
It wasn't like she had been bad at hand-to-hand before, but it was mostly the basics. Apparently it wasn't up to Chiron's standards.
The horse Faunus was a brutal taskmaster. More so than the White Fang instructors she'd trained with. Even with Aura healing her she knew she was going to be sore all over.
The main thing that kept her from being severely disappointed in herself was that she was doing much better than she expected for somebody that hadn't sparred in over a month.
Ever since the day I ran away.
She shuddered at the memory, only to barely dodge a strike from her opponent as he attempted to take advantage of her distracted state.
Looking back on it, it had been idiotic of her to come to the orphanage after she ran away. Adam wasn't stupid, surely he would make the connection. But after everything that had happened that night it had been the only place she could think of.
Chiron might have (somehow) convinced her to stay, but she still did what she could to minimize any risk. That meant no giving any indication her Aura was unlocked, avoiding anywhere that people might expect her to go, and wearing a disguise at all times.
Now, after a month and a half, she was finally comfortable with pushing some of those boundaries.
She dodged another grapple, grimacing as she felt the unfamiliar sensation of wind on the back of her neck.
Her hair, formerly jet black, was now a dull brown, its once proud length now cut at her shoulders. Throw in some civilian clothes, keeping away from the white and black ensemble that she was known for, and nobody would give her a second glance.
She had always been rather proud of her hair. To cut it so short was a necessary precaution, but she regretted the necessity.
She was torn out of her thoughts as the next hit sent her sprawling onto the ground, the force enough to feel through her Aura.
Chiron clapped just as she was about to get up and she collapsed on the ground. "That's enough for today." He declared, giving her a faint smile before looking at the surrounding children, "And that's it for all of you as well. Sierra will have lunch ready soon, so go ahead and clean up. If any of you show up dirty again then you might be my next sparring partner."
The groans of disappointment swiftly turned to brief shrieks of panic, and in a flash they were the only ones in the yard.
Chiron let out a small chuckle and reached out to her, "I must admit, for being out of practice I'm quite impressed with your endurance."
She huffed, accepting his hand when he offered it. "That is what Aura is for," she replied absently, hissing a bit as she stretched. "Did you expect me to be too tired to move?"
She didn't want to bring up that with the way Chiron taught it was a distinct possibility. At this point, it was mostly her pride that was pushing her.
He hummed a bit, "I'm merely pointing out that it's a good sign," he replied. "Incorporating grappling and boxing moves into your hand to hand combat exercises different muscles than what you are used to. Everybody needs time to get used to different styles of combat."
She felt her ears flatten against her head as her eyes narrowed, "I don't want to hear that from you." She replied flatly.
The day before she had shown him her weapon, Gambol Shroud. The horse Faunus had looked at it with interest for all of five minutes before he was using the kusarigama/katana hybrid like he had been training with it for years.
He didn't use it like her - his body prevented him from using acrobatics and spins to accelerate the blades to dangerous speeds as she did - but he was competent enough. Just the fact that he was able to use her personal weapon so easily was more than a little aggravating in her opinion.
"Trust me, you'll be surprised by some of the things you can be capable of with more experience." He replied, but she could definitely see laughter in his eyes. "Most of my students only focused on one or two weapons, but a few mastered as many as they could. Heracles in particular…" he shook his head at some memory.
She raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but let it go for the moment even as she filed the information away.
"Are you still up for going into town later this evening?" He asked suddenly.
Blake nodded. "It's been long enough that nobody should be looking actively for me anymore. And I'll need to do it at some point, right?"
"And you trust this man?"
She hesitated this time before giving a slow nod. "He's one of my friends. A good man." She said with confidence she didn't fully feel.
She thought Adam was a good man too, and look where that led her.
Chiron's expression turned to one of encouragement. "If that is the case, I look forward to meeting with him." He said warmly. "If he is not…" he trailed off with a shrug.
She rolled her eyes, "Then you can defend your poor helpless student to your heart's content." She drawled sarcastically, regaining a bit of her good mood.
Chiron's lip twitched upward, "My student is helpless, is she?" He mused, his eyes sparkling with mischief that instantly made her tense. He shook his head in mock sadness. "I suppose as her teacher I must spend more time correcting that."
Oook, he's just joking. Absolutely. But just in case…
"So how are the archery lessons with the younger kids going?" She quickly changed the subject, and she breathed a sigh of relief as their conversation shifted to more lighthearted subjects as they made their way back into the orphanage, where Blake swiftly split off to help the manager Sierra with various chores.
She was gathering laundry up, listening to the shrieks of the children as they fought for a spot in the bathrooms, and managed a smile. Life at the orphanage was… Nice.
Not 'peaceful' - the number of kids destroyed any chance of that. She was constantly using her skills to stay away from the louder (aka, the majority) of the children, the constant noise was grating, and it felt like she was busier than ever doing various minor chores… But she found it nice nonetheless.
Blake didn't like hurting people. She never had. She joined the White Fang to help people, to fight for equality, and if peaceful means wouldn't work then she had no problem fighting for it.
Except it wasn't helping bring equality.
It would be one thing if it was actually working, but in the years she'd joined the White Fang Faunus were treated the same as they always had. In many cases, they were actually being treated worse as fear against the White Fang grew.
It wasn't like she hadn't done any good - they robbed supplies and gave it to Faunus communities that needed it, they fought back against anti-Faunus groups and protected those that were targeted by them, they helped protect less protected Faunus communities from Grimm - but for every faunus she had helped she could recall twice as many humans that had been hurt, or had seen others hurt. And that wasn't even accounting for what she suspected went on in the other cells or even behind her own back.
Yet still she continued. Because she wanted to believe that what they were doing would one day succeed. She wanted to believe that everything would be worth it in the end, that she hadn't wasted years of her life.
She wanted to believe in Adam, the man she had fallen in love with.
Yet for all my belief in him, how much did he have in me?
She couldn't help the flinch as a wave of fear and disbelief swept through her, and with practiced effort she shoved it down.
That didn't matter anymore.
For the first time in years there was no moral dilemma. Helping at the orphanage, she was helping both faunus and human children, small though the group may be.
It brought her more relief than she expected.
Having an actual bed, a roof over her head, regular meals, and access to books might have been contributing to that…
Still, she couldn't do this sort of thing forever. As nice as it was in the short-term, this wasn't something that she wanted to do for her life, and it felt like a waste of her skills. Chiron was fond of asking what her plans for the future were, what she wanted to do, and she had made her decision.
She had a plan. If all went well, she would be beyond any White Fang repercussions and would still be able to help the Faunus.
A win-win.
She let out a deep breath. This would be the first time she would be testing her disguise in public. She'd gone on infiltration missions before, this would be just like that.
She just needed to blend in, and everything would work out. She could do that.
"This is not blending in." She hissed furiously to Chiron, who only let out a laughter that was completely inappropriate to the situation in her opinion.
"Part of blending in is acting as if everything is normal." He replied with a smile, "In that, I think we are doing an admirable job."
"With me on your back?!"
When they had left the orphanage, she had been caught completely off guard when Chiron decided to lift her up and place her on his back before heading out. Since she was pretending to be a civilian, that meant she couldn't just jump off without making a scene. Especially with everybody's eyes on them.
She had no idea why she thought going anywhere with Chiron would be blending in. The horse faunus drew eyes from faunus and humans alike. Vale might be one of the better kingdoms in its treatment of faunus, but Chiron was the only faunus that would walk down the street with confidence like this and get away with it.
He shrugged, "I've walked down here enough times that people know me, and they've seen me give rides to the other children." He said lightly, "Nothing about this is unusual in the least. And you are doing a wonderful job acting as an embarrassed teenager."
She was a civilian… Civilians don't attempt to strangle others…
Not in view of others anyways.
She grit her teeth in frustration, "Well, it's inappropriate, isn't it? I mean, just because you're a horse faunus doesn't mean you should be treated as a horse. It gives the wrong image."
He turned his head and looked at her curiously, "I see men carrying kids on their shoulders all the time." He noted easily, "Surely nobody would accuse them of being a simple beast of burden."
"But that's with children, not teenagers!" She knew she looked embarrassed, but surely he could see the issue, right?!
"Perhaps the children simply become too big for them to do so, which is hardly an issue for me. How do you know they wouldn't do this if they could?" If she didn't know any better, she'd swear he was genuinely curious. Clearly he didn't see the issue…
"Well," She floundered for another argument. "It's different for them, they're family at least!"
He nodded in satisfaction, "Good, then that will help sell the deception, won't it?"
She had to suppress a groan. Those words just reminded her of the other thing she was upset about.
She hid her face against his back. "Did you even have to tell those people that I was your daughter?" The whole thing brought to mind her complicated relationship with her actual parents. An issue that she couldn't afford to untangle right then.
"No," he admitted, "but it explained who you were and what you were doing with me rather handily I thought."
She let out a small growl, "It's a terrible excuse."
He sighed sadly, "Such an ungrateful daughter I have." He lamented. "Just for that, I won't be telling you about your sisters. Endeis would be so disappointed..."
"My what?!"
"Ah, We have arrived," Chiron declared as he stopped outside a small, quiet looking store, effectively cutting off her own exclamation.
She glared at him briefly, but shakily got off and grimaced.
She might have Aura, but with no experience riding horses her muscles weren't happy at all…
Still, she hid it as best as she could and she looked up at 'Tuckson's Book Trade', feeling a spike of nervousness.
Chiron didn't say anything, but his presence helped calm her. She hoped this wouldn't turn into a fight… But if it did, the backup would be appreciated. In the White Fang, solo missions had always been heavily discouraged. They always brought backup, even if it was just one person.
She might not be in the White Fang anymore, but that didn't make the advice any less valid.
They walked into the bookstore and she found herself relaxing at the familiar sight of books. Stack upon stack filling the shelves. This place had been a refuge more than once, a place where she could be alone.
She walked up to the counter and rang the bell. Moments later, a large man with dark sideburns came out of the back with a pleasant smile. "Welcome to Tuckson's Book Trade!" He greeted. "Home to every book under the sun!" He glanced at her, but his eyes widened as he took in Chiron.
"Well, this is a surprise," he murmured. "What can I do for the Centaur of Vale?"
Blake blinked. The 'Centaur of Vale'? She shook her head, "He's with me Tuckson."
He turned back towards her with a frown, but after a moment his eyes widened in shock. "B-Blake?" He gasped, "Is that you girl?"
She gave a small nod, "It's good to - ?!" She was cut off as Tuckson came around the counter and gave her a hug.
"Damn, where in Remnant have you been all this time?" He growled out as he released her and gave her a look. "You just vanished without a trace and Adam was left saying you were a traitor. What happened?!"
She looked down, "I'm sorry, but, after some things happened I had to get away, and I wasn't sure who to trust." she trailed off and shook her head.
Chiron spoke up, "I'll give you two some privacy."
She frowned, "You don't have to," she protested, and he smiled at her.
"Reunite with your friend. It'll make it more comfortable without a third set of ears I'm sure."
Translation, it would make Tuckson more comfortable. Chiron already knew everything.
The moment he left to peruse the shelves Tuckson waved her to the back room, "I've got chairs over here. You can begin explaining what all actually happened."
She followed him into another room with several stacks of books and sat down in the offered chair. "You know the last job I went on?" She quickly verified. "We were raiding a Schnee warehouse, and the security was better than expected. In the middle of the fight, several kids almost became involved. They'd have died had Chiron hadn't charged in and helped. And Adam…" she winced at the memory, "Adam didn't care. Because they were 'humans'."
When did that change? Surely Adam hadn't always been like that. Since when did it become acceptable for children of any race to die?
Steeling herself, she forged on. "We had an argument after that, and I left to talk to Chiron and make sure the kids were alright. During our talk, he recommended I take a break. Give myself some time away from everything."
Tuckson raised an eyebrow, "oh? Like I've been telling you you've needed for the past year?"
She smiled without any humor, "I never felt overworked," she replied honestly. "It was what Adam said that convinced me."
He winced, "Fair enough." He allowed.
She let out a deep breath, "I went back to base. Adam had been waiting for me. We talked, and I brought up the idea of taking a small break. He… didn't approve. When I still pushed for it, he asked if I was thinking of leaving."
She hadn't ever truly pushed back on his decisions. Not seriously anyways.
'After everything we've been through together, you're going to throw it away because some humans might have gotten hurt?!'
"I told him no. He didn't believe me." She said flatly. "When I continued to push, he grabbed me. I resisted." She let out a hollow laugh, "He struck me. I ran. Other members saw me running away, tried to stop me, and I got away."
Tuckson growled, "That… Adam said you were planning on betraying the White Fang. That that was why he attacked you."
She shook her head tiredly, "I was just planning on taking a break. I would have returned."
He nodded slowly, "And now?" He asked cautiously, "Had you come to me after it happened we could have countered Adam's story. Sienna Khan knows you, and I would have stood with you. Plenty of other members would have as well. We could have gotten Adam punished. Demoted and relocated at the very least."
She sighed, "I know." She admitted. "At the time, I couldn't really process it. And when I could… I wasn't sure I wanted to come back."
He raised his eyebrow in silent urging, and she complied after a moment's hesitation. This is the moment she was dreading.
"What Adam said… He's hardly the only one with those thoughts. And it's becoming more prevalent. If things continue to get worse, I might have even left on my own. As it stands, it feels like I should use this to just cut ties."
Sure, she could have gone back. Adam would be replaced. But people would remember his claims, and Adam had his share of supporters. He'd always been very passionate and charismatic. She'd be watched, and if she did decide to leave, who knew if she'd be able to.
Tuckson breathed in sharply at her words, and she watched him carefully. Surprised, understanding, resignation.
After a while, he gave a nod. "Ok. What do you need from me?"
Startled, she looked at him in confusion, and he chuckled. "What? I'm not in the habit of keeping members against their will. If you want to leave, that's your choice, and you aren't wrong by any stretch of the word. But you came here for more than to tell me that, which means you want something from me."
Relief flooded her mind, and it was all she could do to collapse at his words. "Thank you," she breathed out, "and, uhm, even if I'm not coming back, I'd appreciate it if you could spread what really happened. Without me coming in I don't know if it will actually do anything, but I'd rather people knew the truth."
"Done." He said instantly, "Is that it?"
She bit her lip, "I need an ID and papers."
He folded his arms and thought about it, "That'll take a bit longer, but I can do it. What sort of information do you need on it? Going to another Kingdom? Vacuo?"
She smirked, "Not at all. Actually, this needs to be completely legal." She took a deep breath, "I want to go to Beacon and become a Huntress."
Chiron spent many evenings talking about choices and options with her. In the end, she couldn't ignore the reasons she joined the White Fang to begin with. She was already well trained, and as a Huntress she'd have the authority and ability to help.
Tuckson's eyes shot open in surprise, "A Huntress?!" He exclaimed before looking contemplative. "Actually, I suppose I can see it. But you want everything to be legal? Your actual name?"
She nodded, "Entrance exams are in seven months." She explained, "I didn't go to a combat school, so I'll need to score high enough on the exam. Beacon is the best of the Huntsman Academy's, and I really don't want to test their security. Everything needs to be legal."
Once she was a student she wouldn't need to worry about revenge from the White Fang. If they were to attack her then, then the entire school would come down on them. She'd be safe.
… Relatively speaking.
Tuckson thought about it before giving a heavy nod, "That will take a bit longer, and I'll need you here to fill some stuff out, but I can definitely help." He answered. "I assume you've never had an ID?"
She shook her head, "I've been in the wilderness for the most part. Never needed one."
"Alright, that's a good place to start then. I'll get the process started. Just come by in a couple days and we can go over everything."
She smiled, "Thank you Tuckson. I really appreciate it."
He let out a chuckle, "Did you think I'd turn you away at the door? I'm honestly surprised that you didn't come to my place for shelter right away."
She shrugged, "I found someplace."
He smirked, "Like an orphanage perhaps?" He chuckled when she tensed up. "Relax, I connected the dots when I saw who you came in with."
Her ears perked with interest, "So you know Chiron?" She asked.
"I know 'of' him." He corrected her. "The guy suddenly appeared a couple months ago and started helping out that failing orphanage. Local gangs learned real fast not to mess with him, and other people in the area are looking up to him. Nobody has ever heard of a faunus with that large of a trait, so it's marked him as unique. Most people just call him the Centaur."
"Huh," she hadn't realized that Chiron had been making that many waves… Not that it surprised her.
"Is there anything about him that you could share?" He asked curiously. "Nobody seems to know anything about him, and he came from nowhere."
She hesitated for a second, but nodded after a moment. She wouldn't betray any trusts, but Chiron gave away pieces of his life to the children at the orphanage all the time. Those details should be safe to share.
… And if Tuckson could use his sources to uncover more about her mysterious teacher, then she wasn't going to say no.
Chiron hid a smile with practiced ease as they left the bookstore, with Blake carefully kept out of reach during their walk back, constantly keeping an eye on him.
He could have grabbed her if he truly wanted, but didn't bother. It was serving its purpose of keeping her distracted.
After everything that she'd been through, he wasn't surprised to find that she was prone to brooding. Unfortunately for her (or fortunately, in his opinion) he had been dealing with teenagers and their angst for decades.
Everybody had their faults, but the teen years seemed to exemplify those problems.
Teenage Aeneas and Asclepius had been dark and broody, much worse than Blake. Heracles' had had a vicious temper that he hadn't tempered till his later years, and as a teenager Achilles had often been unmotivated and lazy. (Chiron blamed the prophecy for that one. He knew he was to die young and a hero, so why bother putting in effort when he could be enjoying life in other ways?)
Comparatively, Blake was easy to help. A breath of fresh air even.
Distracting her with sparring and other various lessons were natural ways, but those could only occupy her attention for so long. Helping at the orphanage was another, but that was obviously 'work', no matter how gratifying it may be. He'd normally recommend she socialize more outside of work and lessons, but hiding from a terrorist organization made that a bit difficult. Instead, he had noted that his student loved mysteries. Intelligent and curious, he found that the best distraction he could give was to present her with the mystery of himself.
Chiron was well aware that a full centaur like himself was unusual in this world, perhaps even unique. Not just by the shape of his body, but with as capable as he was, the experiences he mentioned. If the stories he told were truth, then why wasn't he more well known?
It was rather amusing to drop bits and pieces of his life in front of her, to watch as she tried to figure him out.
The mystique should keep her attention for a while. At least until she got into Beacon, and by then everything she went through with the White Fang should be a more distant memory, and easier for her to process healthily without dwelling on bad memories.
He found himself frowning at that line of thought.
Blake had run away and joined a military organization at the age of twelve. What kind of childhood did that give her? More importantly, what did that take away? He didn't pry into that portion of her life beyond what she was willing to share, but it had given him a fair idea.
She was raised to follow orders, to do what was told of her.
Now that she was his student, that needed to change.
With power came choice.
It's easy to follow a cause. To do what you're told in the belief it will mean something, some nebulous 'greater good'. It's harder when you're on your own, when you have to make your own decisions.
Chiron didn't solely train fighters, and none of them could be called normal. Politicians, healers, fighters, alchemists… Those he trained became heroes, kings, legends.
Combat training was useful, but there was so much more to life than fighting, and it was his responsibility to teach that as well.
Whether history remembered his students or not, he did, and he knew they proved their strength time and time again. He taught them how to become strong, but he also taught them how to use that strength.
Just because one was strong didn't mean they had to devote themselves to constant battle. Strength simply gave options, along with the means to defend those options. If Blake had decided to settle down as a civilian and run a bookstore, that would be her choice, and he would support it so long as she chose it.
She would hardly be the first.
His student, Actaeon, had been happy with being a hunter, his love being in the hounds he raised.
Asclepius had been focused on the art of healing, eventually surpassing Chiron even, and only grudgingly learning how to fight.
Aristaeus was a philosopher. A creator, not a destroyer. A delight while being taught, but getting him out of his books to spar had been a trial in and of itself.
If Blake desired to be a bookstore owner, he would help her become the best store owner she could be. He could teach finances and business management just as easily as he could how to fight.
She would just happen to be the most dangerous store owner in addition to the best.
But in the end, it was all about choices. Her choices. Blake desired to be a Huntress.
She might not have the body of a demigod, but he was pleased to see that Aura helped bridge that gap rather nicely. He had been testing her strength and ability the last couple spars with her, and he was confident he had a grasp on how strong she was, and had created a lesson plan based off of that. They might only have seven months before the Entrance Exam, but she was already better than most. And it wasn't like that was the only time he'd have to train her. She'd go to Beacon and train there, and in between semesters he'd be able to spend more time with her.
When the orphanage was in sight he couldn't help but let out a smile of contentment.
Everybody desired happiness. The goals and aspirations they created merely helped one achieve that. As a teacher, his goals were to help others reach the goals they set for themselves.
He would help Blake become the best Huntress this world had ever seen. And he would make sure she would live to experience the happiness of reaching that goal.
Ruby, Yang, and Atalanta
Yang and her sister Ruby dashed behind a rock outcropping, gasping for breath as they did so.
"Do you think we were seen?!" Ruby asked desperately, clearly resisting the urge to look for herself.
Yang took a steadying breath and lifted a hand, the two of them waiting for a couple seconds.
"… No, I think we're good." She eventually replied, and Ruby sagged in relief. Heck, she probably would have done the same if she wasn't trying to look confident for Ruby's sake.
She frowned as she thought furiously at what they needed to do next. The enemy knew the area about as well as they did, but had already proven they were even more comfortable than she or Ruby were in it.
"Yang…" Ruby whispered with an adorable frown on her face, "There aren't many places for us to sneak around the closer we get, and we still don't know where they are. W-we might just need to make a break for it."
Yang frowned at that. Ruby was, obviously, fast. But even if her Semblance could carry Yang, it would make them slower. Making a break for it might work against regular opponents, but right now…
"What if we go around south? It's got more cover, right?" She proposed, only for her sister to shake her head furiously.
"There's three of them, and that's the obvious path! One of them will totally be guarding it!," Ruby hissed quietly.
She grumbled at the reminder. Still, if there was one guarding the south, that left two guarding three of the other directions. East was the farthest, so it was probably unprotected, which meant…
"There's probably only one guarding the way directly to the house." Ruby concluded.
Helpful, but still problematic.
"So we need to distract them somehow," she concluded, causing Ruby to perk up.
"Do you have any ideas?"
Ruby blinked in confusion as Yang took her hand and placed an item in it. After a few seconds she seemed to understand, and she blanched.
"Yang! You're not going to sacrifice yourself!" She protested, quieting when Yang shushed her furiously.
"C'mon Rubes, it's the only way." Yang said in a consoling tone, "I'll charge directly for the house, making as much noise as I can. You just need to wait a bit, and then you can run as fast as you can and go around us when they confront me. Even if they realize what's going on, they'll have to choose which one of us to chase, and it'll be easier to spot me."
"But then you'll be caught!"
"But you'll make it through."
"We don't know that!" Ruby replied desperately, "we should stay together, just in case it comes to a fight."
"And then we'll just be captured together. You know you can't fight as well without Crescent Rose." Yang countered, smirking a little at Ruby's pout at the mention of her previous weapon having been taken away.
It was a good move on their part, she would readily admit. Felt a bit like cheating, but it was a good move.
"Look, we don't have much of a choice. You remember what's at stake, right?"
They both shuddered.
"We just need one of us to survive, and we win, and you have the better chance of making it." She continued grimmly.
"Y-yeah, but t-there's got to be a way for both of us to make it! I don't want to win if it means y-you lose!"
"Better that one of us survive than both of us fall."
"But it's best if both of us survive!"
"Ruby," Yang used her best big sister voice, grasping Ruby by her shoulders, "We don't have time to figure something else out. This is the best chance for us to win, and we need to take it."
Ruby glared at her stubbornly, but they had spent too much time arguing over this already.
"Wait here a bit. I'll try to make as much noise as possible." She instructed. Before Ruby could say anything else she launched herself away from the outcropping and ran straight in the direction of the house.
She charged through the forest, no care for subtlety, the sound of her steps thunderous after all they had done to keep quiet earlier.
She might not have Ember Celia with her, but she was Yang Xiao-Long! When she wanted eyes on her, she got them!
So it wasn't a complete surprise when something slammed against her back, throwing her off balance and slamming her face first into the dirt.
Annoying, but not a complete surprise.
The pressure on her back increased, and a purr entered her ear.
"Hello little lioness~"
She lifted her head up and spat out a bit of dirt, "Atalanta," she groaned, "you know, somebody might get the wrong idea. Two hot blondes, one on top of another, alone in the middle of the woods…"
She yelped in surprise when she felt Atalanta nip her neck, and she did her best to glare at the woman, only for the Faunus to nuzzle her cheek smuggly.
Ok, in school they had been taught that Faunus were just like humans with some kind of animal feature. She remembers the teachers stressing that they weren't more animal-like than humans, nor did they have animal instincts.
Well lies! All of them! And the cat woman on her back was going to be her proof!
… Ok, to be perfectly honest it was downright adorable most of the time. Ruby absolutely loved her, and Yang would admit it was nice having her around. Nicer than she expected it to be.
"So, Ector's on the northern road, isn't he?" Yang guessed. The knight had become a fast friend of their dad. A powerful fighter, he wasn't very mobile on his own. Put him on his horse though (a creature that Yang was pretty convinced had its own Aura and Semblance unlocked) and he was kinda terrifying. That left their dad guarding the south.
She heard a humm on top of her, but nothing to confirm it. "You decided to leave your sister behind?" Instead of reproving, the words sounded skeptical. Well, couldn't have that.
Yang spat out some more dirt, "Well duh. I mean, if this had been for real that would be one thing, but you said that failure meant we'd be eating Ector's cooking!" Something like that had to be labeled as cruel and unusual… She tried to shrug, "besides, Rubes is tough. She can manage on her own for a bit."
She and Ruby were used to rough training. Their dad and Uncle Qrow weren't exactly slouches when it came to combat, and both sisters were at the top of their classes at Signal.
So fighting? Sparring? They could do that. Piece of cake.
Or piece of cookie in Ruby's case.
Atalanta's idea of training? Yeah, it was a bit different.
As in she took them to the middle of the wilderness for an overnight trip and told them to survive. Or hid their weapons in the woods and challenged them to find them.
Or throwing her daggers in the freaking ocean and telling them they had till sundown to collect a dagger each and make it back home or Ector would be cooking the meals for a week!
"Hmmm… Where is your dagger?" She felt Atalanta begin to search her and she immediately bucked and twisted, trying to wrestle her way out.
"Hey! Careful, or people are really gonna start talking!" She yelled, only for the older blonde to force her back down.
Ok, Atalanta had told them bits and pieces of her life, but apparently she forgot to tell them she was a freaking grappling expert because Yang couldn't force her way out of the tangle of arms and legs.
"You gave Ruby your dagger, didn't you?" Atalanta guessed.
"Pfft, nah, must have dropped it or something. It was a bit of a forced run," She fired back.
Hey, she was captured, that didn't mean she'd make it easy on anybody.
"I see. I'll have to hurry then..." She heard, before she heard Atalanta take some rope out.
Whelp, this was it. She hoped she gave Ruby enough time to -
There was a sudden gust of wind and a thud, followed by Atalanta giving out a yelp of surprise and suddenly the pressure on Yang was let up. Reacting to the sudden change, Yang flipped upright and lashed out with a kick that did way too little to the other blonde, who launched herself backwards.
"YANG! Carousel!"
Instinctively, Yang reached out an arm and felt it being grabbed, the world suddenly blurring in a familiar way. Right, she and Ruby had talked about this the other day…
Way too quickly her arm was let go and the rapid blurring slowed to regular blurring, a lot of her speed remaining. In a flash, Yang found herself in front of Atalanta, who seemed just as surprised. Yang's punch was now backed with not only her strength, but with the added velocity of having been yang-a-pulted. This time, when the blow connected, the other woman was actually thrown back.
Overall it was a bad move. It gave Yang's punch or kick a power boost, but it disoriented her like no other. The act of throwing Yang also threw Ruby off balance and open half the time.
Still, it worked! Man, vengeance really was sweet… Now if the world would just stop spinning so she could appreciate the sweetness, life would be perfect.
She gagged when her shirt was pulled from behind, and she looked over and saw the familiar face of her sister that should have been taking advantage of her noble sacrifice.
"Ruby! I thought I told you to -!"
"No time!" Ruby interrupted in a panicked voice, "Hurry! We have to go before she gets back up!"
Yang growled as took the hint and began running, "Fine, but we're talking about this later - is that Atalanta's bow?!"
Ruby clutched the faunus's signature weapon to her chest defensively as they ran, "She took Crescent Rose, so I can totally take Tauropolos." She defended with a pout, "Besides, she can't shoot at us now!"
Yang snickered, "Yeah, I'm sure that that was your first thought."
Ruby stuck her tongue out, "It might have been!"
They heard a noise, and they focused solely on running once more.
By some miracle they managed to get past Atalanta, no way were they ruining this now.
Atalanta watched as Ruby and Yang ran away, purring a little bit in self-satisfaction as she chased them from the trees.
Such a clever cub…
She was pretty sure it was Ruby that came up with that plan. Yang had been just as surprised as she was by the younger one's actions.
She could overcome them if she pushed herself - the woods were her domain - but they were learning, so she could go easy on them.
… Within reason.
When she first found this family in the woods, she honestly hadn't planned on staying for long, let alone teaching them. The whole situation - being summoned, this different world, the corrupted animals - it unnerved her. There was too much that she didn't understand, and that was dangerous.
Oh, she adored the two children, both Yang and Ruby. She might have loved all children, but she would admit she had grown attached to the two rather quickly. Ruby was truly a joy to be around, reminding her of an excitable wolf pup, and Yang was such a proud lioness. It pained her that both had a hidden sadness in their eyes that would show from time to time, and she longed to soothe it.
Still, how could she remain? Despite her own feelings she feared her presence might endanger them.
It was not her place. Their father, Tai, had told her that she was welcome to stay if she desired, that both of the girls loved her being there (and that thought never failed to make her purr). Yet it was an offer she couldn't take forever.
It would be better for them if she left. Safer.
But then she showed up.
Atalanta felt her teeth grind in anger, her blood pulsing through her head.
She had been sparring with the two girls when she had noticed a 'bird' attempting to spy on them. Badly.
Truly, what person expected a bird to ignore such a loud spar and watch a group for such a long time?
She thought it a familiar of some Caster, that she had been caught out, putting the girls in danger. So she attempted to confront the fake bird, hoping it would lead her to its master so she could swiftly end the threat.
She hadn't expected it to transform into a woman.
The following discussion had been intriguing, the subsequent offer compelling. She had already admitted to herself that she needed to leave after all, so why not accept the offer of accompanying this woman's tribe for a time? She understood the woman's stated ideals, and though it was clear through the conversation that Raven wasn't divulging some information on the tribe she could hardly blame her for that. If she didn't like it, she could leave.
Then she mentioned her relation to Yang.
The woman, Raven, left her daughter behind. She abandoned her, and upon seeing Atalanta with the two decided to tempt Atalanta away from her?!
A snarl ripped its way out of her throat involuntarily at the memory.
That woman didn't deserve to be called Yang's mother. She lost all right to have any say in Yang's life the moment she left it!
She paused in her pursuit of the girls to calm herself, taking several steadying breaths.
It's not the same as my situation, she scolded herself.
Yes, Raven had abandoned her family, but she hadn't left the girl in the middle of the wilderness to die, hungry, alone, and scared. Yang still had her father to take care of her, a home, and others who were willing to help.
It wasn't the same. Yet the parallels still made her blood burn.
Atalanta felt a great deal of respect for Summer Rose. The woman had stepped up, taking care of Yang when she didn't need to and, eventually, Ruby.
Summer was to them as Lady Artemis had been to her.
And then she died, and the children were abandoned once more. Perhaps not on purpose, but abandoned nonetheless.
… She couldn't leave them. She had already been reluctant to do so, but how could she be expected to now?
Admittedly, it wasn't like they needed her. Tai had done an admirable job of raising them on his own. Yang was very nearly an adult in her own right at that point, with Ruby not far behind, both strong warriors despite the actions Raven had taken, and as close as she had grown to them she was not family.
And yet…
She grimaced.
And yet a part of her yearned to be there for them. It was not a 'need', but a want. A desire both selfish and selfless. To satisfy her own desires by helping these children.
The issues that this potentially had still existed, but she would readily admit that she never was very good with acknowledging the so-called 'big picture'.
If she was going to stay with them long-term, then she needed to increase what she was doing to prove her worth. While she could, and had, sparred with the two girls, there wasn't much she could do to assist them with their fighting styles. She was hardly a brawler, and their weapons were too foreign for her to provide any useful input.
Besides, those aspects were already taken care of thanks to their father and the alcohol soaked crow.
… She refused to apologize for breaking his arm.
She had already been in a bad mood thanks to Raven, and then Tai had brought another Servant he had befriended to their cabin, and she wasn't allowed to fight him. Not even spending time with the girls was able to lift her mood.
So when she saw yet another bird acting oddly in the vicinity, was it really that strange that she immediately shot at it?
Honestly, he shouldn't have attempted to spy on her so soon after his sister had visited. In fact, he should consider himself lucky she tolerated his drunken presence at all. Only Ruby's pleas stayed her hand from ridding the world of a drunkard.
Still, for all his many faults he was a powerful fighter. Between him and Tai, they could teach their respective styles. And while she couldn't help them with that, she still knew of a couple areas which they were lacking.
Wolves and lions, regardless of their strength, fought as a group. While Ruby and Yang were impressive fighters in their own right, they had little experience in working as a pack. Ruby used her scythe and speed to dance amongst the battlefield, but used its sniper functionality only when the occasion demanded. Yang was a terrifying combatant, but more often than not gained tunnel vision in her desire for battle. To name only a few issues.
She wanted to get them to think outside what they were used to. Woodland survival and tracking, while vital skills in her opinion, were good for throwing tasks at them that they were unfamiliar with, and would hopefully get them to think in ways they hadn't.
She wanted them to work together in different ways to overcome her lessons, and from what she just saw it appeared to be working.
Even if Yang and Ruby didn't end up in the same pack, they would still remember. Different people, and different tactics would form around them.
Their father approved of the idea, and the intruding Servant, Ector, was willing to pitch in after she explained herself. If nothing else, she found that his attempt at cooking was truly motivating for the girls.
Not that she could blame them… She gagged at a memory. Whoever Ector had been in life, he hadn't gotten to the Throne for his cooking efforts.
She heard a distant crash, followed by a cry of surprise and dismay, and she hummed in thought.
Sounded like her snares around the house were working just fine.
Perhaps a lesson in situational awareness was in order?
She picked up the pace and wondered idly if they would get out by the time she got there or not.
They might not need her, but so long as they allowed it she would satisfy her own desires and help them grow.
And if she helped them grow strong enough to surpass the presumed strength of Raven? To make the woman regret ever abandoning her child?
Well, that would simply be a pleasant side effect.
Author's notes:
The main purpose of this chapter (and what the next two will be) is to show what happens or is happening during the time skip. We need to get to Beacon eventually, you know. Next will be Team JNPR, followed by various other perspectives people are looking forward to.
Hmmm, in retrospect, Blake is probably the most well off of the people here, since Chiron is the only one with actual teaching experience and experience with teenagers. He also has taught more than combat before. Sherlock is further limited by Weiss' inability to meet up with him (and I think I portrayed that well) and Atalanta is more the 'throw them in the ocean to teach them how to swim' type of teacher.
Let me know which one you guys liked the most. I'll admit that out of them, I think I'm least satisfied with Atalanta's section… I don't know why, but it was the hardest to write, and even now looking back on it I'm not sure of it.
Anyways. I know everybody is wondering why it's taken so long for me to post another chapter for this story. Despite what you may think, I haven't actually grown tired of this story - I actually have tons of ideas that I think are really good, and I welcome the ideas of others as well.
There are a couple issues though…
The first is that it's surprisingly difficult to translate what I imagine into a written format. You have no idea how many times I've found myself stumped for hours because of the phrasing of a particular sentence, and it just didn't sound right.
The other issue is that I now have many stories that I have been working on, and each of them I am interested in continuing, with multiple people for each story asking if I'm going to continue them. Sadly, I have to choose, and that means that some aren't going to be updated in a while as my muse focuses on a couple over the others. Speaking of which, the next chapters I'm working on are going to be for 'A Hero's Blessing' and 'My Darkest Dungeon', followed by 'Victim's of Fate' and 'Effecting Fate'.
And then the last issue, which is probably the biggest… Well, things have been kinda rough the last several months. Life has reared its ugly head, and that makes things difficult. Writing naturally takes a back seat when that happens.
Anyways, that's enough with the excuses. Let me know what you guys think of the chapter - I look forward to hearing your inputs.
Also, before I close I'd like to thank those who are currently supporting me on pa tr eon; SupremeRuler17, cameron ngo, and ZaMAsu Autonomous. For anybody that is interested or would like to support me, the link to that page is P a treon . com (slash) shdowstep. (remove the spaces). It is certainly not necessary, but it is appreciated.
Lastly, I'd like to thank my sister, CaptainDarkElf, for proofreading this chapter and giving suggestions. She's been a constant presence through all of my chapters that I've updated, and I greatly value her input.
Thanks for reading all of this, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll see you in the next one!
-Shdowstep
