Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.


Day 2:

Early in the morning, Yang walked south of the Market District with her younger sister Ruby. The hooded girl wanted to accompany her sister to see a therapist. "Are you sure you wanna come with me? You don't need to go with me for this." Yang said to her little sister.

"Sure. I want to be with you for this. When Ren told me about your plans, I just couldn't not go with you." Ruby said with concern.

"I really appreciate you are looking after me, but this is something I have to do myself." Yang tried to reassure Ruby with a few head pats. "By the way, you're not alone here. Everyone is around the district doing some shopping too. I will go with you when I'm done, okay?" Yang assured her sister again.

"But I don't want to. I'm pretty worried about you. From what Weiss told me when you finally met your mom, you became a little… agitated."

"Look, I know what my mo…what Raven did is unforgivable, especially when she shot that fireball at you. I was furious at her for so many years, and now I'm even angrier that I know she is nothing more than a coward. I don't want to make the same mistakes as her. I need to get over this myself because I want to protect you now on that I'm back with you." Yang said while putting both hands over Ruby's shoulders and looking directly into her bright silver eyes, glossy like stars in the sky from the tears she was holding back. "Now you know why I'm here. But don't worry about me, we'll do something fun after this, alright?" Ruby nodded at her older sister and embraced her in a warm hug.

"Hey, speaking of fun, wanna go dress shopping with the others?"

"Since when are you interested in dresses?" Yang asked with a confused look.

"It's for the New White Fang party. It's open to the public, and I want to support Blake and have fun with everyone." In spite of Ruby's excitement for the event, Yang wasn't really that into it. She didn't want to cause an awkward situation. Somehow she couldn't find the strength in her heart to approach her cat Faunus friend.

"I don't know. I mean, I know it's a gala but are you sure we should go?"

"Come on. I just wanna go shopping with my sister and friends. We can at least eat something on our way." Ruby started making puppy eyes at her sister, which made the blonde girl comply to her demands. Emotional extortion at it's finest.

"If you insist. We'll see what Mistral's latest fashion has to offer." Yang said with a smile as they approached the appointed place. It was a small disheveled house rather than a clinic or anything you'd might expect from a therapist. "I guess this is where we part. If you find a great place where we can eat after shopping, send me a message."

"Alrighty, see you later." Ruby walked away, leaving Yang to attend her first session. It brought her back to a memory she had with her dad, Tai about talking to a therapist. Back then, she didn't listen to him and dismissed his concerns, but now. She couldn't know exactly how things would go for her once she stepped inside.

As Yang rang the bell, she noticed the plate that had, 'DR. LAWRENCE CARMINE, PSYCHIATRIST AND PROSTHETICS EXPERT' engraved on it. She recalled the reviews when she checked him out on her Scroll. It didn't look like anything she expected, then again, she knew better than to judge a book by its cover.

"One moment, please." She heard a man's voice boom through the intercom. Yang heard someone stumbling down the stairs from behind the door.

The doorknob turned and slowly opened. A cowboy with a prosthetic right arm not too different from her own walked out of the house and passed Yang, giving her a single glance. He spelled trouble in massive letters. In spite of his malevolent appearance, the blonde could feel that somehow he and she were not so different.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" A middle-aged man was standing on the door. He gave Yang a warm greeting.

"Dr. Carmine?" She asked.

"The one and only. Are you here for an appointment?"

"Yes."

"Then this is your lucky day. I don't have anyone at the moment. Come in. Please take a seat. I'll get us some tea." The psychiatrist let the blonde girl inside.

Yang checked out the interior. It was clean and comfy with a lot of space, just big enough for one person. She was expecting the place to be messy, but she was wrong. The good doctor was preparing some tea while Yang got comfortable on the couch, waiting for Dr. Carmine to start the session. She began to wonder if it was a good idea to come here in the first place.

"Okay, I'm here." Dr. Carmine came with a teapot, two cups, and a plate of cookies. "Would you like some tea? I have cookies with raisins too."

"I'm fine, thanks." Yang rejected the offer politely.

"Alright, let's start." The psychiatrist put a piece of paper, a pen, and a recorder on the table. He pressed the device's button, and a red light started beeping. "Patient 50, I would like you to tell me your name, your age, blood type, and the cause of your limb loss. Any additional information you would like to share, you must write on this piece of paper on the table. It isn't obligatory, but any details you write down might be helpful for your future sessions."

"Alright, my name is Yang Xiao Long, I'm 18 years old, my blood type is O Positive, and I, umm…" Yang was hesitant to reply to the last part. She tried not to say anything.

"If you are uncomfortable with saying it, you can write it down instead." On Dr. Carmine's suggestions, Yang decided to write down the experience. She was trying to use her left hand but was having difficulties. It was moving quite irregularly. The psychiatrist carefully observed the way the patient was writing with difficulty. It didn't take much time to write it down.

"Now, tell me, when did you lose your arm?"

"Last year, during the Fall of Beacon." She replied with stress in her voice.

"Beacon, huh? I guess it wasn't a pleasant experience for anyone there." Dr. Carmine commented as he was sitting with his arms crossed. His patient remained silent.

"It wasn't. It was just my first year studying there. I never thought it could turn out like that." Yang began to speak while looking at the floor. "Sometimes, I wish that things could go back to like they were before."

"No need to fret. It's a normal thing to think about. You'd be surprised how hard it is to grasp reality. I know you're not comfortable, but I need you to tell me in exact detail what happened there."

"Doc, I'm fine. Stuff just went wrong. Nothing more to say." She kept her eyes down. The sight alone made Dr. Carmine sigh.

"It is important that you tell me of what happened that day. This is the 'Process of Regression,' which means you need to remember and think about the incident. It is a painful process, but it is effective for the most part."

"I'm fine. There's no need."

"You can't keep quiet about that. You NEED to tell me…"

"I SAID I'M FINE!" Yang stood up and yelled at the psychiatrist. He saw her eyes turning red and gazed at her hair started glowing brightly as if they enveloped in golden flames.

"Alright, take it easy. If you don't want to talk about now, you can talk later. This is our first session, after all." The good doctor tried to calm the blonde girl down. She slowly sat on the couch again.

"Sorry, I…"

"It's alright. It's normal to feel anger. Would you mind if I asked you something different?" Dr. Carmine asked Yang, to which she replied with a simple nod. "Tell me, after losing your arm, how do you feel about yourself?"

"If I'm completely honest, Doc, I don't know anymore. I thought that I was fine after I left home to join my sister and friends here, but..."

"Where is your home? If you don't mind sharing, of course."

"I'm from a little island west of Vale, Patch. I was born and raised there with my father and younger sister."

"What about your mother?" Carmine's questions made Yang break eye contact.

"It's complicated. I'd avoid it for now…"

"I understand. Alright then, what kind of home is Patch to you?"

"I'd say it's the most normal you can expect when you live on an island. It has a forest, a few kind neighbors, a combat school and lots of Grimm roaming the area." She said with a weak smile. "I feel that living on Patch makes me feel safe. Even with Grimm around, they are never much trouble for us. They don't last long and don't even go near our homes. It's a bit weird, but that little piece of land makes me think it's the safest place in Remnant." The blonde girl said while taking a deep breath, blowing a few strands of her hair away from her eyes.

Dr. Carmine looked at Yang in a very analytical manner. What she said and did, it brought the psychiatrist some understanding about the troubled huntress' situation. In spite of trying to look tough, she had some deep-rooted issues, just like someone else he knew.

"Alright, I think I have an exercise for you. It might be a little unorthodox, but it will help you progress in between sessions." Dr. Carmine said as he took some notes from his pocket and started reading off some appropriate ideas for his patient. "As you can see, you only feel calm when you are at your home or when you have things that might remind you of it. You mentioned your younger sister is here, right? I'd like you to be with her more. It can bring you a strong feeling of home."

"That is an odd way to suggest an exercise." Yang replied by raising an eyebrow.

"It is an effective method. As I see it, you are a very supportive person, but you might want to change things around. You need people around you. It is a problem that can't be dealt with alone. And it is extremely crucial that you get your anger under control. It can make things worse for you." The psychiatrist insisted to the blond girl. She didn't bother to argue with him with how things were at the moment. "I would like you to come here tomorrow. Same time. It's going to be a long process, but you don't have to worry."

"Alright, I guess. How much for the session?" Yang asked as she was pulling out her wallet.

"There's no need for that." Dr. Carmine said as he stopped the recording and put the papers in a new folder.

"Huh? Why you don't need it?" Yang asked with a confused look.

"I only need people's sessions for my research. This kind of stuff shouldn't be monetized. It's a common problem in this profession. I just want you to be careful out there, alright?" Yang nodded to the doctor, they shook hands, and the blonde girl walked out of the house. Dr. Carmine let out a long sigh as he drank his tea. Oddly enough, he didn't have an exhausting session with a patient for the longest time. Last he could think of was probably two years ago.

"Is everything alright? I heard some yelling." Lucy asked her father when she walked out of the room.

"This poor girl. From what I could tell by her behavior, she seems to be a mess. She said she lost her arm back at Vale during the Fall."

"That was almost a last year." Lucy commented.

"Indeed. She didn't get a single therapy session. I'm surprised she adapted to a robotic arm without going through the process first."

"That is pretty strange. Not even Jack could handle a new arm until a full month of therapies."

"He is still not recovered. This girl, Yang, she has a lot of suppressed anger. I fear that she could literally explode at any moment." Dr. Carmine said while eating some cookie. His daughter looked at him with a disappointed frown.

"Alright, lay off the snacks, old man."

"But this is my breakfast."

"I'll make you something before I head out. Jack and I got enough on our hands this morning as is. Cleaning this place isn't one of them." The redhead girl said while taking the cookies and tea away from the good doctor.

"I have to admit, you've turned this place into a palace. It's a lot cozier than it ever was. Oh, to think when you two get your own place." Dr. Carmine said with a laugh while his daughter blushed profusely. He stood up and went to the bathroom, leaving Lucy alone with her thought.

Even though her father's comment was embarrassing, she couldn't help but smile at the thought. 'Maybe…' She thought while heading to the kitchen.


"Hey, Rusty, open up!" Quinn was knocking on the door of a pawn shop named "PAWN IT" close to the Arts and Entertainments District, the most tourist-heavy part of Mistral.

"Are you sure this guy is gonna give us money for that?" Ace asked the bruiser, who seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.

"He better. I'm literally his number one customer. You don't wanna know how much crap I bought and sold in his goddamn store." Quinn commented while continuously knocking on the door to the point that he charged his Semblance by accident.

"The store is still closed, go away!" They heard a voice behind the door.

"Don't give me that crap. I know you're just lazy."

"What the…?" Someone opened a small gap on the door. Only their eyes were visible. "You? What the hell are you doing in Mistral?"

"Oh, you know, I heard it was a nice place to go sightseeing. None of that concerns you! Are you gonna open up or not?" Quinn said with his arms crossed.

"Give me one second." Rusty closed the gap and went to look for the keys.

"Well, I guess you can handle the rest. I'll be around if you need me." Ace said while patting Quinn on the back.

"Don't go fooling around like a damn tourist. Remember what we're doing today."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get a job." The jovial guy said as he walked away from the store to explore the district farther.

'Seriously, I still don't get how you can be like this all the time' Quinn thought while shaking his head. The door started to open up, revealing a guy with an unshaved beard and orange hair with yellow highlights. The bruiser stepped inside while Rusty looked around if to check if there weren't any suspicious people.

"Now, tell me, when did you arrive?" Rusty asked with a neurotic look.

"Just last night. This city is a mess. How can people even live like this?"

"That's life in Mistral for you. How's your grandpa? I suppose he's still the same old barking dog."

"You know, I haven't seen him in like, five years. What about you and that surgeon guy? Don't suppose you two broke it off."

"We didn't. I've been waiting here all day for the workaholic of my boyfriend to come back. He hasn't returned my calls or messages."

"Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful to hear about your love life and all, but I need to do some business right now."

"You wouldn't know anything about how love works even if it hit you in the face with a hammer." The two guys were berating each other endlessly. "Okay, enough banter... what do you want? Imported parts? Some new shoes? An anger management book?"

"I'm here to pawn this." Quinn started to take off his earring and put it next to the cash register. Rusty was surprised beyond belief.

"Are you kidding me? Tell me, did you finally succumb to madness or something? I'm not buying that!" Rusty said with a somewhat hysterical tone.

"What? Is it worth too little?"

"It's worth TOO much! I can't give you money for this thing!"

"Why not!?" Quinn asked annoyingly.

"This costs more than my own store! I don't have that kind of cash to give you right now!"

"So what? Do you have a better suggestion on where I can get some money? Or do you wanna be my piggy bank?"

"Well…" Rusty said while touched his chin. "I do manage a credit system between me and some of my connections around the city. This an exclusive offer for only my most loyal customers."

"Now we're talking. Because I do need to get us some supplies."

"Well, I can't guarantee anything since it's a secret. You can't tell anybody of this by the way. Not even those clowns you call a team."

"Yeah, yeah, just give me what I need already. Could you at least borrow me some cash? We just need a bit of Lien to buy some stuff."

"Sure. But what are you buying for that type of cash?" The pawn shop owner asked Quin as he grabbed his accounting notebook for the transaction.

"Ah, you know, money for supplies and stuff. By the way, do you know anyone who can rent us a house? It's for two of my friends."

"I might know someone. He couldn't find any new people to rent that place."

"Call him, give me the address and use some of that credit to pay the first month. I'll come back if I need anything else." Quinn said to the store owner as he took the money and left. Rusty dialed a number on his Scroll. While waiting for the person to respond, he gazed at a framed picture of him and his boyfriend holding a surgeon's diploma.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in Mistral.

'Where is he? This is driving me crazy.' He thought.


"Can we get that?"

"No."

"What about that one? This looks cheaper."

"Sorry, it doesn't look fresh."

"How about that one? I want it fried."

"Nora, we are doing a BBQ." Ren said to his girlfriend as they were walking through the Market District. Jaune was following behind them carrying some of their shopping bags filled with stuff the team bought. He was listening in on their banter about what they should cook for everyone. They were laughing about it more than they were arguing.

Jaune gave a weak smile. He looked somewhere else. He saw how busy the district was that day. It would have been easy to get lost among the crowd.

"Huh?" A look of shock and bewilderment overtook his face. Among the crowd, he saw a woman with long red hair and green eyes walking through the bleak mob. "Pyrrha?" He muttered under his breath while rubbing his eyes. Looking back at the crowd, he couldn't see the girl. It was as if she was never even there. 'I think I'm losing my mind.' He thought.

"Is everything alright? You've been awfully quiet lately." Ren asked his leader.

"I…it's nothing. I was just… lost in thought."

"About what?" Nora asked. Jaune wasn't sure what to say not to ruin the mood.

"We could combine both types of cooking instead of choosing one." He said while trying to deviate the topic back to them.

"We can only try one or the other. I say BBQ is the best option. We already eat something fried yesterday."

"But we didn't try fried sashimi! We could get it now that it's cheap!"

"But the beef is in a limited sale. It's two for one. We can afford enough for everyone..." Ren and Nora kept talking about what to make. Jaune felt that they were having a good time just by themselves. The blond knight thought it was best for him to go home and leave them alone to enjoy the rest of the day.

"Hey guys."

"What?" Ren asked.

"I was thinking... Maybe I could take the shopping bags back to the house."

"Are you sure? We're still not done with buying stuff." Nora said.

"I'm fine. I need to do some training anyways, so it's not a big deal." Jaune started taking the bags from Ren's hands. With so many bags in his arms, he looked like a mule. "Don't worry about me. I'll see you later."

"Alright, take care!" Nora waved her hand at Jaune as he walked away. He had a difficult time trying to keep the stuff from falling out of his hands, but he continued regardless.

Minutes later, Ren's Scroll started to ringing in his pocket, he pulled it out and pressed a button.

"Hey…" It was Weiss' voice. "Do you know any good weapon store in this city?"

"Sorry, I don't have a clue…" Ren replied.

"Oh, oh, I know!" Nora, on the other hand, said with unbridled enthusiasm. "I know this one place called 'LOCK N' LOUD'! It's in the Arts and Entertainment District."

"There? Why in that district?" Weiss asked in confusion. It was a rather odd location for a weapon store.

"Why? Don't you think weapons are themselves magnificent works of art? The people of Mistral do! You can get a lot of things there."

"Right…" They could hear her sarcasm through the Scroll.


"…Are you sure this place has any good Dust and weapon parts?" The girl with white hair asked calmly.

"I absolutely positively know this place has what you need. Where do you think I got the parts for my sweet Magnhild!" Nora said with high praise. Weiss knew that if her energetic friend's hammer was anything to go by, the store probably sold a lot of what she needed.

"Well, I'll see for myself. Thanks for the suggestion."

"No Problemo!" Nora said while ending the conversation.

Weiss entered the store. It looked bigger than expected from the outside. As she observed all the shelves and decorations, she noticed the stock was so overstocked and varied that it would even take someone like Ruby a whole day just to look around. "Good thing she isn't here." The former heiress said to herself and let out a small laugh.

She grabbed a basket and pulled out a piece of paper with a list of items she needed: A new chamber for Myrtenaster, Dust resistant screws, tempered springs, a butt ton of Dust, and some weapon oil. Pretty much the basics when it came to maintenance.

"Ugh, this Dust must be the defected, they sell at cheaper prices. What were they thinking!?" Weiss commented in disgust as she inspected the product's quality. Those samples weren't at all up to Schnee Dust Company standards. She found it amusing that they would allow such a thing. She began picking the few acceptable pieces from the batch of rejected.

While the Dust wasn't precisely what she hoped for, she didn't have any issues with looking for weapon parts. Most of them were relatively new. Fresh from storage, she could see how shiny the parts were. She believed it was made of something called Achrom, a very flexible metal. No scratches or horrible smells were indicating they weren't used before. At least those didn't disappoint.

"Alright, what else am I missing?" She asked herself while looking at the list. The last thing she needed was 'Pete's Original Lubricating Oil.' It was known all around Remnant as the best oil for maintaining weapons. Generations of Huntsmen loved the brand. Weiss began looking for it in the right hallway, but the selection was so big that even for an organizer like Weiss was challenging to find.

"Come on, where is that bottle?" She said with a pained grimace as she observed the cheaper oils along the way. "Aha!" She finally found a bottle. Luckily for her, it was the last one. She rushed there to pick it up before someone else could get it. As her hand reached for it, another hand appeared trying to grab the bottle at the same time. "What?"

"Hey! I saw it first!" A guy with a scar on the left side of his jaw said in annoyance.

"What are you talking about? I touched it first!" She replied while trying to pull the bottle towards her.

"Oh yeah? I need this more. My goddamn weapon broke!"

"Hpmh. I'm not surprised a thug as you would need it. With that Dust, you might as well just get a new weapon each month."

"Look who's talking, snowflake. I'd never expected someone like you to be such a cheapskate." The guy with the scar looked into Weiss' basket. He inspected it closely. The weapon parts, in particular, caught his interest.

"What are you talking about?" Weiss asked with an upset attitude. The big guy took the weapon part from her basket. "Hey! Give it back!"

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up for a minute. Do you have any idea what this is?"

"Of course. It's a refined multi-barrel chamber saber forged from a very high-quality metal..."

"What kind of metal?"

"Achrom."

"EEEEHH! Wrong answer, Snowflake!" He said while giving her a thumbs down. "This piece of trash is made of aluminum. Unless you want a fireworks show, this thing will do nothing but break down at first contact with any type of Dust."

"That's ridiculous. I know this part is made of Achrom." The former heiress said. The big guy decided it was time for a demonstration. He grabbed some Dust and put it on the weapon part. He began shaking it violently until he created a reaction. Not only did the Ice Dust explode at the first sign of friction, but the ice also destroyed the weapon part. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? She yelled in anger.

"I wanted proof that you weren't kidding. This Dust really is of bad quality, but it'll certainly do the job. Also, as you can see, this thing is busted. The metal is correctly tempered, and so it builds up static. You're lucky it wasn't around your belt." He gave Weiss a quick demonstration about the weapon part. She was surprised that he was so knowledgeable.

"I can't believe it." She muttered.

"Tell me about it…" The guy with the scar started walking away with angry eyes and an imposing attitude.

"Where are you going?'

"To file a complaint. This place offers junkyard parts. Smells like a scam to me." The big guy kept walking away. His mind was already so filled up with annoyance that he left the bottle of weapon oil behind. Weiss took the chance and reclaimed it for herself.

Even though she had to deal with the rude guy, she could hardly admit that she was almost scammed into taking a low-quality part. 'How embarrassing.' She thought while shaking her head. 'I hope I never have to see his face again.'


"Are you done?" Ruby asked Yang through her Scroll.

"I am, would you like to get something to eat on the way? It's still early." Her older sister's voice said with some delight.

"Sure do, but where?"

"I…I'm not sure yet, let me look for something first. I'll call you when I find something. Okay?" Yang replied with an unusual timidness.

"Sure. See ya," Ruby and Yang were done talking and hang up their Scrolls. The hooded girl was worried if Yang's first session went good for her.

Ruby was wandering around the district by herself. Almost all her friends were busy at the moment, and Qrow couldn't accompany them. He told her he would be busy doing errands around Mistral. Oscar decided to train alone for a while at home. Blake was still busy with her parents and the New White Fang Gala. It was clear that she didn't have anything to do at the moment.

Ruby wandered aimlessly through the main street. She was thinking a lot, to the point that she accidentally got lost in her thoughts and ended up getting lost. She looked at her Scroll and brought up Mistral's map. She wasn't really far from where she left Yang at. She sat on a bench and watched as people passed her by. She was feeling great knowing that they were able to stop the attack on Haven two days ago. It wasn't long before something in the crowd caught the hooded girl's eye.

"Mom?" Ruby said as she saw someone with a white hood and cape walk out of the alleyways. She stood up and followed the hooded figure in pursuit. She acted out of instinct. Ruby was sure that it couldn't possibly be Summer, but that didn't stop her from following them anyway.

"Huh?" After making a turn around a corner, she saw the person on the ground with a basket right next to them. Ruby didn't imagine things. The person wore a pure white hood that was now stained with blood and gravel. "Are you alright?" She asked the man on the ground.

"Mhhhhggg…" He tried to reply, but he wasn't looking too good. Ruby noticed his arms got bandages. It looked like he got injured somewhere. "I… I'm fine." He tried to stand up by himself, but the most he could do was pull himself up on his knees.

"You look like you're in really bad shape. Let me help you." Ruby tried to carry the basket for him, but he swiftly and gently grabbed it from her.

"That's not necessary... I can do it myself." He said as he was putting his hand against a wall to help him get back on his feet. He wasn't well enough to keep his balance and fell. Ruby saw no other choice and decided to help him. She got close to him, and with a slight heave, she lifted the man onto her shoulders. "Wow. You have... a lot of... upper body strength... for a little girl. " He complimented the innocent looking girl.

"Aw, thank you. It's really nothing.." Ruby let out an embarrassing laugh. "If I may, could you tell me your name, sir?"

"You can call me Sal. And what do they call you?"

"Ruby Rose."

"Ruby Rose. Heh, not a bad name. My house is not too far from here. You can drop me off there." Sal said while guiding the hooded girl through the alleyways.