Dimension Travelers RWBY: Reverse/Rebirth
Blake's POV
I'd always wondered what it'd be like to write a book. I never expected it would end up being an autobiography of me, my friends, and select others. But life has a way of presenting you unexpected opportunities. So I suppose it's my turn to narrate this autobiography. Very well, let's start from all those years ago.
Team RWBY-D had just been formed not 10 minutes ago. As far as I was concerned at the time, things couldn't have been worse. I was on the same team as a Schnee. Of course, those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. I'm sure Weiss was having similar thoughts about me at the time. I had all but admitted to being White Fang, after all, even if that was behind me.
Professor Goodwitch showed us to our dorm room. If she noticed my sour looks at Weiss or Weiss trying to kill Ruby with the power of her mind alone, she didn't comment on it. I noticed that even Yang was looking apprehensive and it wasn't hard to guess why. We both knew I wasn't about to let Ruby's comments on Yang skipping her meds slide.
The only one who seemed immune to the general aura of malcontent was David. Why wouldn't he be? He was already scheming, both to distract us from our current problems and with Roman and Neo. David likes to claim he's happiest when he's helping people. I think he just loves watching a plan come together.
Once we were in our room, already furnished with five beds, Professor Goodwitch gave us our schedule and left. I was prepared for a long, awkward night. Fortunately things didn't end up quite that bad and not for lack of trying on my part.
"Alright, looks like we're gonna be working together for the foreseeable future, so how about a round of getting to know each other better?" David suggested as he claimed a bed. Seeing our general hesitance, he rolled his eyes, "Why don't you kick us off, O fearless leader?"
"Oh, um, sure, I guess," Ruby replied, looking and sounding anything but fearless, "My name is Ruby Rose, but sometimes I go by Ruby Xiao Long. Pleased to meet you all."
"WHAT?!" Weiss and I exclaimed together.
"I knew she- you were young but…" Weiss breathed, likely trying to reconcile the fact she had called someone hailed as a genius an idiot multiple times. Given so many of Ruby's inventions had found their way into the SDC's hands, it was likely even more shocking.
"Yep, that's me," Ruby rubbed the back of her head, a slightly embarrassed flush on her face.
"Why? I mean, you're still unbelievably reckless and your spatial awareness needs some serious work, but I called you an idiot multiple times! You reinvented how we refine Dust! Why didn't you put me in my place?!" Weiss shrieked and that was my first hint that not all was well in the Schnee household. After all, what kind of pampered princess expects to be 'put in her place'?
"I would never do something like that!" Ruby protested vehemently, her eyes wide in shock at the implication she would ever use her status against someone else.
"Why not?!" Weiss demanded to know.
"Because it's wrong!" Came the reply from our resident 'Simple Soul'.
"She's got a point, as basic as it is," David threw in his two lien.
"My baby sister isn't some kind of egotistical tyrant," Yang remarked as she claimed her own bed.
Weiss, detecting she was saying something we all thought was outrageous but not knowing why we thought so, decided to drop it for the moment.
"Well, since Ruby went first, I guess it's up to me to go second," Yang declared, "Name's Yang Xiao Long, as Ruby so helpfully informed you during initiation. Technically we're half-sisters, but fuck that noise. We're sisters, end of story. I have Intermittent Explosive Disorder, which means sometimes I get really, really angry for no good reason. Lastly, my Mom abandoned me and my Dad when I was a baby. I intend to hunt her down and make her pay for it."
"Your Mom abandoned you?!" I was horrified. I had only ever known my own Mom and the idea of a mother abandoning their daughter just seemed so alien to me. Heh…alien…
"I know how that feels…" Weiss whispered, but not quietly enough. We all turned to her expectantly. Weiss flushed at realizing she'd been heard, "My Mom never left us, at least not physically. But she's so far in the bottle most days she might as well not be there at all."
"And my Mom is MIA, presumed killed," Ruby added, looking down sadly.
"Both my parents are dead, gone, and good riddance," David informed us with a shocking amount of frozen venom in his voice. To this day, I've never heard him refer to anyone, not even his supposed arch nemesis, Lady Fate, with such hatred and loathing as he uses with his parents.
I suddenly felt strangely out of place. My parents had always loved and supported me and will always do so. Even when I was sure they hated me after our big fight when I left to join up with the new White Fang, they loved me unconditionally. Even Ruby, who had the least awful relationship with her mother… well, 'MIA, presumed killed' isn't KIA. That tiny seed of hope, no matter how outlandish, refused to die in her. Team RWBY-D had some pretty shitty parents all around, except mine. Taiyang, too, I suppose, even if Yang's still not quite forgiven him for shutting down after Summer went MIA.
"What about you, Blake? Any parental horror stories?" Yang asked flippantly, setting herself cross legged on her bed.
"My parents are painfully average," I replied as I claimed my own bed. Weiss scoffed, "For my father being the man who founded the original White Fang, happy, Schnee?!"
"Not particularly," Weiss replied sourly, taking the last bed, "I'm on the same team as a White Fang member. An organization, I remind you, that has a history of killing Schnees!"
"Former White Fang. Shockingly, I didn't want to be party to murder," I corrected with an acidic tone.
"Are you allowed to do that? Aren't the White Fang a cult these days?" Yang asked. I grimaced at the harsh reminder that I was no longer wearing my rose tinted glasses. I swallowed thickly.
"That is not…entirely inaccurate. I have some protection from being my father's daughter and Sienna hasn't completely lost her mind but…there are some more…extreme elements that want nothing more than to see me die a traitor's death," I replied, my eyes closed. Even to this day I can't help but look back at the moment I decided to run from the White Fang and wonder if I could have done something different. It was some insane hope that if I had said the right words or done the right things then some of the people I had once called 'family' wouldn't have gone down such a dark road.
"So we're a fun bunch. We've got the princess of tech, the princess of the White Fang, the Schnee princess, and the bandit princess," Yang joked dryly, "What about you, David, you the prince of anything?"
"Bandit princess?" Weiss asked Yang before David had a chance to respond.
"My Mom's name is Raven Branwen," Yang replied, an undertone of bitterness in her voice.
"Of the Branwen Tribe?!" Weiss and I both exclaimed in shock. The Branwen Tribe had been terrorizing Anima for about 200 years at that point. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with history and current events knew of them.
"Unfortunately," Yang sighed, but quickly perked up as her attention turned back to David, "So spill. As the only D in RWBY-D, there's gotta be something wild about you!"
"Belladonna has a D as well," He replied with a Cheshire grin. The innuendo, mercifully, flew right over Weiss and Ruby's heads. I blushed horribly while Yang cackled with mirth.
"I would have never guessed!" Yang cried between her laughter.
"You are both awful and I hate you," I said in my best deadpan.
"I don't get it, what's the joke?" Ruby openly declared her innocent, unsullied mind.
"I'll tell you when you're older," Yang's big sister instincts kicked in, the last of her amusement dying down.
"But you always say that! I'm 15 and attending Beacon!" Ruby unleashed her weapons grade pout. I almost explained the lewd joke then and there. I would quickly realize I had no defense against Ruby's supernatural levels of adorable. Unfortunately for me, Ruby would soon come to learn this fact as well.
"I'm with Ruby; what's so funny about the letter D?" Weiss asked blankly, the heiress' head cocked to one side like a confused animal.
"Oh, you sweet summer child," David said with teasing affection. Despite never hearing that turn of phrase before, myself, Yang, and even Ruby could pick up its meaning. The more literal minded Weiss once again had David's words fly over her.
"I was born in May?" Weiss replied blankly.
"He's saying you're naïve," I clarified for her. Weiss' face immediately scrunched up and she glared at David.
"I may not be as…worldly as some, but that doesn't mean you can just go around calling me naïve!" Weiss protested.
"I apologize for the phrase, but not the implication. You know the harshness of winter better than most, Weiss Schnee. It was wrong of me to make light of that fact," David replied and now our positions were reversed. To Weiss his words were crystal clear but the rest of us were baffled.
"Who are you?" Weiss asked with a tremor in her voice.
"Right, time to formally introduce myself," He brushed himself down and moved himself to sit with his legs under him, "My name is David William Thomas, Patriarch of the 13th Clan of the Galifonian People. Or Matriarch, if the mood strikes me. If that name is unfamiliar to you, it should be. After all, I doubt any of you have had contact with other aliens."
"ALIEN?!" The room exploded in disbelief.
"Get outta town, if you're gonna make something up, at least make it believable!" Yang exclaimed.
"I don't know Yang…it might explain his weapon…" Ruby said hesitantly, wringing her hands. He obligingly summoned it to his hand, further shocking Yang, Weiss, and I.
"Technically Keyblades were forged by a Human, but it is a physical reflection of my Soul and the Humans in question are from an alternate dimension, so might as well be alien," He shrugged as he dismissed the weapon.
"You're more human looking than I expected an alien to look like," I commented, still not sure if I fully believed him.
"Remnant alone has two bipedal humanoid sapient species: Humans and Faunus. Point of fact, bipedal humanoid is probably the most successful body type in all reality. Vulcans, Gallifreyans, Asari, Elves, and Kryptonians just to name five examples from five different dimensions and aside from the Asari, you'd be pretty hard pressed to tell any of them weren't Human just from a glance," He rattled off, counting each species off on a finger in rapid succession.
"So what exactly makes you different from us, Mr. Alien?" Weiss asked with a trace of sarcasm in her voice. I couldn't exactly blame her either, as he was making quite an outlandish claim. The way his face lit up mischievously told me he had been waiting for this question.
"Four lungs, two hearts with semi-independent cardiovascular systems, a couple of extra ribs, and a few other miscellaneous things on the purely physical spectrum…oh, and one more thing," His grin turned wicked and suddenly where he had been sitting was a perfect copy of one Ruby Rose, "My species are shapeshifters."
It should come as no surprise that our room exploded with shouts of shock. Point made, David resumed his previous form while waiting for us to pick up the pieces of our shattered reality.
"Can you turn into anyone?!" Yang demanded to know.
"So long as it's organic, I can swing it. I'm also not bound by copying someone else. I'm even old enough at this point to know how to mimic most inorganic things. With one notable exception… I can transform into a swarm of nanomachines but I hate doing that. Not only do I have to stay that way for at least five months, but I'm…less me when I'm like that. But it's also my most powerful form, so I don't always have much of a choice. Give me a techno-organic species like the Mechamorphs any day of the week," He shuddered.
"Did you say 'techno-organic'?" Ruby was practically drooling, "Show me!"
"Ruby! Don't be rude! …Is that rude?" Yang asked. None of had expected to be taking a crash course in alien etiquette.
"A 'please' and 'thank you' never hurt anyone," He chuckled, "But otherwise I very much enjoy showing off what I can do to others," To demonstrate his point, he became a black and green semi-humanoid looking being. Ruby promptly screamed.
"YOU'RE PERFECT!" She yelled and using her Semblance to move from her bed to David's as fast as possible. Her hands were all over him as what I would later learn was her technopathic talents were absorbing as much knowledge as she could handle.
"You're such a flatterer, Ms. Rose," David's voice replied cheekily, a green ring in what looked to be his head flickering in time with his words. Ruby was too enraptured to even register the words.
"So, uh, you mentioned you were a patriarch…or matriarch. Does that imply the same things to you as it does to us?" Weiss asked as Ruby went off.
"That's why I chose those words, yes. I've been both a father and a mother. My great grandfather was the last of our Clan, then I came along and inherited the title from him and we've both been trying to rebuild the Clan since," He replied easily. I got the oddest feeling he was directing the conversation. A feeling I would later learn was almost certainly correct. David very much liked teaching and guiding people to asking the right questions. Almost like Ozpin without the crippling conspiracy addiction, now that I think about it.
"Your great grandfather is helping you rebuild how?" Weiss asked with an arched eyebrow.
"First, shapeshifter," To emphasize, he changed into a lithe middle aged looking woman with long green hair tied into a loose ponytail and wearing a lab coat. I would later come to learn this was one of her custom forms she liked to call Natsuki. Ruby made a pitiful noise of disappointment as living metal became plain old flesh again, "We can appear to be any age we desire. Second, my great grandfather is still a spritely young man of 3.5 billion years."
"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. Did you just say 3.5 billion?!" I exclaimed.
"I know, right? I'm still only a little over 7 million. Although, granted, I've been thrown in a lot of shit despite still being so young. I mean, most even twice my age haven't even seen a Racnoss and I've had to deal with two of the soulless monsters!" She exclaimed, giving us zero context and thus begging the next question.
"What's a Racnoss?" Ruby asked and Natsuki snapped her fingers. An illusion appeared of a small red thing that was bottom half spider and top half humanoid.
"This is a scaled down version of a Racnoss. Ugly bastards, aren't they? Unfortunately, they're every bit as clever as they are hideous. Long story short, they liked to engage in genocide, my species had a problem with that, we went to war some 8 trillion years ago, Multidimensional Standard Years, and two weeks after the peace treaties were signed, they dropped a bio-weapon on our home world, making it utterly unlivable and killing everyone on it. Even after that, they still have a massive murder-boner for my specie," She shook her head.
What does one even say after someone tells you their species was nearly wiped out? Sure, I'll admit we probably had a somewhat closer frame of reference given the Grimm were a constant existential threat to both Humans and Faunus on Remnant, but we were still here. It wouldn't be until much later we learned that life on Remnant had faced a similar extinction event a long time ago.
"That's awful, more so than I can really express, but you're also dodging the intent behind my original question," Weiss finally spoke up, "Who are you and how do you seem to know what my home life is like?"
"You're absolutely correct, I have been skirting around it. I wanted to give you some context and hopefully inoculate you to some of the crazy when I answer. The dimension I grew up in was one that's generally referred to as a 'Crossroads Dimension'. It's an easy bridge between a number of other dimensions. This has certain…side effects on the inhabitants of these dimensions. To not get bogged down in technical jargon, certain individuals catch glimpses of the goings on of these other dimensions. This then inspires them to make fiction based on what they saw; believing these visions to be nothing more than their own inspired imagination…" She trailed off as our eyes widened in understanding.
"No way…" I breathed in existential dread.
"I'm afraid so. The adventures of Team RWBY are seen as an animated show. Mind you, it's roughly PG, so nothing graphic, to the point that blood is almost unheard of. There are also some pretty major differences here, the infinite Multiverse being what it is. In the show, Ruby Rose is most certainly not a technopath/technomancer combo. So things were already divergent before I got here two weeks ago. This brings me to why I'm here in the first place…" She sighed.
"So you weren't on some intergalactic vacation?" Yang asked, trying to inject a little bit of humor into the situation.
"Tragically not, as I haven't had a vacation in nearly two thousand years. I'm most definitely here on work. I'm one of Death's Lieutenants-" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, all four of us were hugging the opposite wall, "Oh relax you sissies, I'm not here to reap the sinners or anything. Lady Life would make all of us suffer unimaginable anguish if Lord Death started approving us killing willy nilly. Besides, that's mostly my side job. My actual job is…well, if I'm feeling charitable I'd call it 'Multidimensional Disaster Prevention'. Most of the time I'm just a glorified janitor."
"And what does that entail, exactly?" Weiss asked, all of us still against the wall.
"It basically means there's an issue that the local forces can't solve. There's an issue big enough that, if left alone, threatens not just Remnant, but potentially the entirety of the local Multiverse. Unfortunately, to make sure things don't go from bad to worse, there are certain restrictions and guidelines I have to follow unless things are already FUBAR," She told us, her face making it clear she wasn't a fan of at least a few of these 'restrictions and guidelines'.
"So what's this looming disaster?" Yang asked.
"As far as I can tell, someone's getting too big for their britches. To put it in terms you'd understand someone is siphoning power from critical systems. Who's doing it and for what purpose, I tragically don't know. What I do know is that if they aren't stopped then-"
"Our dimension could potentially shut down? Like a computer with the plug pulled?" Ruby asked with a tremor of fear in her voice.
"Yes," There was no sugarcoating, no trying to dance around the issue. The alien that was our teammate just looked us in the eyes and told us point blank that everything we had ever known and cared about was in peril.
"Why are you telling us this?" I asked, "Why not go off and find them and stop them? Why bother with Beacon at all?"
"There are a host of reasons, but I'll share the three of the most pertinent. First, there's a reason the show focused on alternate versions of you four. You've all got a bad case of 'Main Character Syndrome' and by tagging along with you I'll find out something sooner or later. Second, I'm just a janitor and a temporary one at that. It would be disgustingly negligent of me to, if not make sure someone can hold the line after I'm gone, at least keep things together long enough to get in contact with me or one of my friends or family. Thirdly, even if I wasn't forced to operate without full knowledge of the events of the show, given the fact that there are already so many major divergences, the knowledge I got to keep is all but worthless. Again, with your 'Main Character Syndrome', sticking with you four means I'll have a finger on the pulse of what's going on here on Remnant. Of course, this isn't my first rodeo and I won't force you to put up with me if you don't want to. Say the word and I'm gone," She offered.
"You aren't going anywhere," Yang said with surprising firmness, "I don't know about Blake and Weiss here, but one of the reasons I decided to be a huntress was to protect people from people like my Mom. I'm not about to back down just because the difficulty got kicked up a few notches!"
"I agree with Yang…and I'd also never forgive myself if I let a chance like you pass me by," Ruby gripped the hem of her skirt, her face down to try and hide her embarrassment.
"Aw, does my baby sister have a crush?" Yang grew a wide grin as she teased her younger sibling.
"Shut up Yang! I just like his…her…er..?" Ruby looked to her for help with pronouns.
"Just use pronouns that match my physical sex. It's easier for everyone involved," She replied.
"Right… I just like her technology!" Ruby returned to her protest.
"If it puts your mind at ease, Yang, Ruby's also a smidge young for me. No dating until they're 16, no bedroom stuff until they're a legal adult," Natsuki's words got Ruby to blush horribly while Yang's teasing grin turned predatory.
"Does that mean you're single?" She waggled her eyebrows.
"Yaaaang!" Ruby moaned.
"If you must know, my species handles courtship differently from Humans and Faunus. We don't have a marriage equivalent, for starters. We have Life Mates, which is the closest thing and the connotations are pretty different. Also we're polyamorous, both naturally and by necessity," Natsuki replied, mild amusement on her face. That seemed to catch the boisterous blonde off guard.
"What, are you serious?" Yang asked, her eyebrows climbing into her hairline.
"Very much so and I find it amusing that something as mundane as a species practicing polyamory is what gets you to really do a double take. Not so much the shapeshifting, or the agelessness, but our preferences in how we conduct our romances. I can't help but wonder if that isn't telling~" Natsuki giggled evilly.
"…I changed my mind. Out! Get out!" Yang huffed, moving over to physically shove the now fully laughing woman.
"I'm in," I said over the noise Yang and Natsuki were making and climbed back onto my bed, "I'd never be able to forgive myself if I knew my parents were in some kind of danger and didn't do something to help."
"I hope you all realize this is absolutely insane. We're trusting some random alien that our entire world is in danger and agreeing to follow them into said danger when we don't even really know them," Weiss said with her arms folded, trying to be a voice of reason by playing devil's advocate.
"What can I do to prove my sincerity to you, Weiss? If it is within my power, I'll do it," Natsuki said, her utter seriousness painted on her face as she stared at Weiss. Weiss looked away, unable to meet her intense gaze.
"As far as I can tell, you've been honest with us all night. Besides, it's better to prepare and not need it than need it and not be prepared. I suppose time will just have to tell if you're a con artist or not," Weiss sighed, moving over to her own bed.
"I have been many things in my life, including a master thief and a con artist. I can't promise to tell you everything. I know some secrets that have to be taken with me to my grave. However, I will promise to tell you what I can and to tell you plainly what I cannot discuss and even give a reason if I can. I know all too well the sort of trouble keeping secrets from your friends and allies can bring," Natsuki replied, her eyes closing as she relived memories of ages long passed.
"You confessing to being a thief and scammer shouldn't comfort me, but somehow it does," Weiss grumbled.
"Er, I hope this isn't rude to ask, but what's your 'true form', assuming you even have one?" Ruby asked as the last one to return to sitting on her bed.
"Shapeshifting species general fall into two different categories as far as that goes. There are those that can't shapeshift until they reach a certain age and those who are able to do so right out of the womb or egg or what have you. My species fall into the latter, but we also have a caveat where, until we train ourselves, we only have access to a limited number of forms. I was born to human parents and due to certain circumstances; I ended up spending most of my early formative years in the male form you saw earlier. I still sometimes get teased for being a Galifonian with a 'base form'," She admitted sheepishly, her hand rubbing her neck and a dorky grin on her face.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ruby apologized, looking down.
"Never apologize to me for seeking knowledge, Ruby. As I said, I'm only ever teased for it, not insulted. I am blessed with understanding friends and loving family," Natsuki assured kindly.
"Speaking of friends and…family, have you known alternate versions of us?" I asked, not sure if I wanted the answer but not sure I could live without it.
"Nope, this is my first time on a version of Remnant! Completely new faces, new friends, new challenges, new everything! I'm quite excited, truth be told! I haven't gotten assigned to a new variety of dimension in almost 12,000 years!" She exclaimed with giddy joy, physically bouncing with positive energy. It was odd to hear her casually drop incomprehensible lengths of time as if they were comparable to months. It's something I'm still not completely used to.
In any case, I was strangely comforted to know I was the first me she had met. And if that isn't a confusing sentence out of context, I don't know what is. It meant she hadn't known someone who was so close to being me, but not quite me. That she hadn't fallen in love and started a family with a stranger and a sister who wore my face. Nothing like contemplating the nature of the Multiverse to get you started on an existential crisis.
"We might want to get ready for bed, seeing how we have classes tomorrow. I'll just step out while you four get changed," Natsuki moved to leave.
"You don't have to go," Yang tried to say, but the uncertainty in her voice was plain to hear. Natsuki turned to smile at her.
"It's fine. I literally just confessed to spending my first years exclusively male. You don't even know which way I swing, so if you're worried about wandering eyes, that's perfectly reasonable," Natsuki assured as she became he once more, back in his David form, only this time wearing an old t-shirt and shorts.
"Then what way do you swing?!" Yang demanded to know, clearly feeling obstinate.
"Pansexual, preference for females and the four of you are absolutely my type. So I'm gonna step outside, if for no other reason than Ruby's underage. I have to at least pretend to set a good example," With those words, he closed the door behind him.
"Things aren't going to start making sense again for awhile, are they?" Ruby wondered with a sigh before getting started on digging her sleepwear out of her suitcase.
"Considering we just got proof of extraterrestrial life, I'd say that's quite likely," Weiss grumbled as she followed Ruby's example.
"That doesn't explain why I suddenly feel like a damn hypocrite," Yang said sourly as she slammed her suitcase onto her bed with more force than necessary.
"I'm going to make an assumption and say it's the same reason I'm feeling a little guilty too. We've both maybe stolen a glance or two at some of the cuter girls in our school locker rooms. I don't know. He's a boy and she's a girl and apparently millions of years old. I'm confused and don't know what I should be feeling," I admitted as I removed my top.
"Who said there's a right way to feel?" Ruby pointed out as she pulled on her pajama bottoms.
"Fair enough," I conceded and in a fit of boldness, I undid my bow. I could feel Weiss' eyes staring at me, but she chose not to comment.
"So why wear that bow anyway, Blake?" Yang asked.
"I did mention I ran away from the White Fang. Unlike my mom, I have two sets of ears, so I kinda hoped I could pass as human by covering up my cat ears. Of course, it's not exactly a bulletproof disguise. I didn't even change my name. I just couldn't bring myself to do more. Maybe a part of me hoped I would get caught," I replied softly. There were a million and one things I could've done from dyeing my hair to changing my makeup, but I had just put on a silly little bow.
"Well, congratulations, my keen deductive mind has seen through your disguise," Weiss said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Would you like a cookie, Belladonna?"
"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed, sounding scandalized.
"Depends…are you offering animal cookies, Schnee?" I shot back. Predictably, Yang instantly cracked up. The way Ruby's face scrunched up as she tried desperately not to join her sister's laughter was also adorable. She wasn't completely successful.
"Alright, Belladonna, I admit that was somewhat clever," Weiss said as she slow clapped.
"So happy to meet your standards, milady," I replied with my own healthy dose of sarcasm. My word choice had an unintended side effect on Weiss. She suddenly looked ashamed. Her mind had cast back to my accusations a day ago.
"Please don't call me that. I… I know my father is no saint. If you told me he had ordered a man killed, I wouldn't be able to dismiss that claim out of hand. He treats me, my brother, and my sister like pawns in his political games. But he's also the only parent I've known as more than an incoherent drunk. I don't want to hate him. I'm just scared if I try to look deeper I'll lose both my parents," Weiss confessed, "In the end, I'm just a coward."
"Bullshit!" Yang exclaimed while I was stunned, "I may wanna take a chunk outta my Mom's hide and my Dad and I don't always see eye to eye, but a kid hating their parents just isn't healthy, no matter how much of a scumbag they are! You're not a coward for not wanting that!"
"Take it from an actual coward, Schnee, you're nothing of the sort," I said when I finally found my tongue.
"Oh for fuck's sakes, what makes you say you're a coward, Blake?" Yang demanded to know.
"Because I run from everything and I say the most awful, hurtful things I can think of to the people I supposedly care about," I replied, so utterly sure at the time I was correct in my self-labeling. I can't believe I was ever such a pretentious drama queen.
"Blake, I don't have any context, but I can almost guarantee that saying things you don't mean in the heat of the moment doesn't make you as much of a coward as you seem to think. Ruby can attest I've said some pretty nasty things during an explosion. As for you running away, I can't think that getting out of a murderous cult when you could can be called cowardly," Yang tried to assure me.
"You're right, you don't have context," I said frostily and moved to open the door for David. He stepped back inside to see our discontent faces.
"And here I thought we had been getting along when I left," He noted dryly as he flopped onto his bed.
"It's nothing, we're just a team full of blockheads," Yang grumbled.
"I call being the hexagon block!" David exclaimed.
"Wh- aw, no fair, I wanted to be the hexagon block!" Ruby put on an exaggerated pout.
"Your Semblance may let you move super fast, but I'm still the quickest draw in the west! Just call me Quick Draw McGraw!" He cackled melodramatically.
"Fine, I guess I'll be the triangle block," Ruby said with such overblown distain that I couldn't help but crack a smile.
"You goofballs can't help yourselves, can you?" Weiss tried to sound exasperated, but she couldn't quite manage it.
"Something, something, never go to bed mad," David replied cheekily as he pulled up his covers, "Which means this is an excellent time to hit the hay! Goodnight, ladies!"
"Tomorrow morning before class we're redecorating the room!" Ruby announced, "Be there or be square!"
"Good one, Ruby!" Yang congratulated as she too slipped under her covers.
"This is my life now," Weiss probably intended to sound more upset than she actually ended up sounding as she lay down to sleep, "Good night, I suppose."
And that's the story of how I thought my life was over when I got put on a team with a Schnee, ended up learning I was on a team with a genius inventor and an alien, we all ended up spilling some of our guts, and I decided my life was, in fact, not over.
Weiss will take over from here. I imagine she has quite a lot to say about how our first day of classes turned out.
Psychicshipping: Nothing too terribly serious in this chapter. Except, you know, the portents of Doom.
So I hope this chapter makes sense in the grand scheme of things. Weiss and Blake had their confrontation in the bathroom and with someone to help grease the wheels I don't think this is anything too shocking. I just hope the exposition bits are fit in as naturally as they can be. I also have to spend more time developing my OC because he's a complete unknown to most of you, but I'm also eternally worried about having the opposite problem of overexposure.
This is the first time I've been so paranoid about releasing a chapter in a long time. I've been reading and rereading this thing in its complete form for 3 days now. I want it to be a decent Christmas present to my lovely readers.
Also, Merry Christmas and/or generic winter holiday!