Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.
Dear Mother,
It's been months since my last letter. Three or four from what I can recall, and the last one I sent you was a bit rushed. I have finally arrived at Mistral, and I've been here about four days or so by the time I'm writing this. Ace, Quinn, and Diamo are here as well. We managed to get ourselves a house. We don't know how long we'll be staying. There's still an issue that needs to be resolved.
I'm sorry that I left you alone again, in these times with limited communications, but it's better this way. For your safety. I can't run the risk of involving you in this. Although, I doubt Atlas would even consider stepping on that island after what happened at Beacon. You know, one thing I miss about being at home is your cooking. My team help but praise it every opportunity they get when we mention you. Even Diamo admits he loves it, and he's a tough customer to please.
All I hope for is to come back. I remembered what my grandpa used to tell me when I was younger. Something about always looking out for those close to me: it sounds like a no-brainer, but I'm trying my best here with my team, Saber, and especially Lucy in this type of situation.
Until then, you can use the sender's address to send a letter. I know there are many things from over a year you want to tell me about, and I'd love to read about all of them. I only wish things turn out right from here on out.
-Your Son, Jack.
P.S Ace says hi.
Day 4
The cowboy was busy writing a letter at Lucy's house. It was evening, and he was already in a nice-looking Mistral style tuxedo for tonight's gala. Jack sat in the living room with a piece of paper lying in front of him and a fancy pen, firmly grasped in his left hand. There was a pile of crumpled up papers on the floor. Most of them were full of mistakes, crossed-out words, and overly long messages.
At the moment, he felt satisfied with the letter he was able to muster up. Jack still had spare time before heading out and still had to wait for Lucy until she could get dressed. He knew that it may take a while, but he wasn't in a hurry. His team had been told to go ahead and scout out the area.
Jack started to examine the jacket he was patching up all night. It was much easier to be precise with a needle thanks to his robotic arm. Such things could save him and his mother a lot more money than using a sewing machine. His tuxedo was like most tuxedos that come to mind. A charcoal black jacket, vest, and pants and a white shirt and white gloves, so his right hand wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb. The cowboy had the chance of seeing the attires of his teammates beforehand.
Ace, being himself, didn't put much effort into looking formal. The only appropriate things he picked were the matching green jacket and pants. For the rest, he chose a casual t-shirt and tennis shoes instead of a white shirt and formal shoes like an average person would.
Quinn had the most challenging time, because like he told Jack, no store in Mistral except for one had something for a person his size that wouldn't rip at the slightest flex of a muscle. He only got a purple shirt and tie, white pants, and black boots, as no shoes could fit him either.
Finally, Diamo had the most comfortable time as his employers provided him with a standard waiter uniform: Blue vest, bowtie, the usual white shirt, and black pants.
Team JAQK didn't appear to blend in well among the other guests, but in Remnant, people had a rather unique taste in a fashion that Jack wasn't very fond of. No matter how many magazines from famous brand designers he read, nothing could help him understand it.
Bored out of his mind, he pulled up his Scroll and pressed the virtual chess app. He looked for matches, but he only found a user he was playing regularly. Their record was 3-4, with the opponent in the lead. The limited signal range didn't bring a lot of variety, but that didn't stop them from having fun.
Let's have a good game. The user sent a message as soon as they started the match. Jack got the black pieces. The only thing he could do was wait and look at the first move. The cowboy began to react quickly by moving his pawns as well. From that point on, their match sped up as they started eating each other's pieces in record time. Jack tried to meticulously plan his next moves. The king, knight, and queen were the only pieces left on Jack's board until he managed to Checkmate his opponent.
'Congratulations!' The player replied to Jack.
'Want to play again?' The cowboy asked.
'Sorry, but this is our last match.'
'Why do you say that?'
I have some work to do and probably won't have time to connect.
'Well, good luck with that.' Jack sighed as the other player signed off. "Well, there goes my fun." He commented while looking at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and began to relax while lying on the couch. It was peaceful; no rush, no noises, just him with his thoughts for tonight.
Sadly, the peace was short-lived when his Scroll rang uncontrollably. Jack frowned and looked at who was calling. It was Ace, unsurprisingly.
"Yo! Where are you?" The cowboy could still hear his chipper voice through the device.
"Still at Lucy's house. She's not done yet."
"Aww man... you serious? Quinn and I are almost arriving at the party."
"Don't worry about us, put me on speaker so Quinn can hear too." Jack waited a couple of seconds until he could hear more noises. "Can both of you hear me?"
"Pretty clear, yeah. What is it?" The big guy's voice could now be heard too.
"I want to give you a reminder of what we have to do at the event. While there's nothing wrong with trying to have some fun, you still have an objective. Focus on gathering info, and under no circumstances should you interact with any member of Team RWBY, especially the Schnee. If you ever encounter any of them, minimize contact. I don't want things to go south."
"Don't sweat it, bro. My brain's 100% in the game!"
"Yeah, except when you aren't chasing some chick's skirt or wasting time." It didn't take too much time before Jack could hear the two guys bicker in their usual way.
"Alright, calm down, Q. Just remember, try to find anything regarding Winter Schnee or any person flying with Atlas' flag or colors."
"So, when do you think you'll get here?" Ace asked as he and Quinn walked towards the party.
"Probably… an hour or two. I can't say for certain, but hopefully, we won't be too late."
"My sincerest condolences," Quinn commented.
"I love Lucy, but she'll make me go bald before I reach 30." The two teammates could hear their leader's distress. "You know what to do. I'll see you there." Jack hung up the call.
"Hoo boy. Wonder if I'm ready for that kind of commitment." Ace sighed.
"You're not ready because you're lazy, rude, selfish, and childish." Quinn scoffed.
"What about you? Why don't you ever try to socialize with girls?"
"They're annoying, and easily get on my nerves."
"I don't see you complaining when you're talking with Dana." Ace smirked, which prompted Quinn to stop walking and give him a side glare.
"Why don't you take a hike, Ace?" He said with a composed yet furious tone as the big guy kept walking towards the party. They saw different kinds of people gathering at the entrance while being greeted. Some had expensive, neatly tailored suits and dresses with shiny jewelry, while others looked like they barely had shoes that didn't have holes. Just from one look, you could tell there was a social caste dynamic among the guests.
Due to the differences and tensions, two lines were formed to not cause issues. Quinn was so pissed off he bit his lower lip with enough force that could bleed, though his own Semblance wouldn't allow it. Ace patted him on the back and walked towards the line with people belonging to the middle-to-lower classes. He pointed out the people who were greeting the guests. Both were Faunus greeting the people with smiles, and both got various reactions.
One was a girl with black cat ears while the other was a guy with a yellow monkey tail. The girl wore a black dress with heels, adequately dressed for the occasion, unlike the other person who only wore an open shirt, tie, and shorts. That guy could give Ace a run for his money if it came to bad formal attires.
"Well, shoot…" Ace whispered into Quinn's ear. "That's Blake Belladonna on the door!"
"Just what we needed." The big guy rubbed his eyes and sighed. "At least she's greeting those snobbish clowns. We should definitely take the other line." Both men nodded as they slowly stepped into the line at the entrance. The line they were at moved much faster than the other one. Ace wondered if it was because of the impractical attires the rich had.
As they got closer, they could hear the music getting louder and vivid. The jovial guy couldn't help himself but dance as he and his teammate stepped in front of the monkey Faunus.
"Welcome to the White Fang Gala! My name is Sun Wukong, and I'm here to help you with anything you need." He smiled while shaking Ace and Quinn's hands at the same time.
"Hey, hey, thanks!" Ace replied in the same manner. Quinn didn't say anything as he only gave a stern look to the Faunus.
"Scary guy, huh?" Sun murmured as he saw them walking into the gala. "Hey, Blake! Do you want me to switch places?"
"It isn't necessary. I can keep going until my parents switch places with us later." She said without losing focus as both Faunus continued with their task. The night was still young, after all.
"Hi, here are your drinks. Enjoy the party." Dana stood and greeted the guests who arrived with a plate full of wine glasses inside the place. She tried to force her best smile, but it proved to be more draining than her current task. "What a slog..."
"Yo, Dana!" Ace exclaimed with his usual smile.
"What are you guys doing here?" The Faunus waitress asked.
"We heard from your brother that he is working tonight. We came to give him some moral support and have ourselves some fun at the same time." Ace excused while moving in rhythm to the music. Dana and Quinn rolled their eyes.
"Do you know where he is?" Quinn asked.
"He is helping out in the kitchen. At this point, anything is better than standing here doing… this." Dana sighed. She could barely stand straight.
"Well, if you don't mind, I'll go take a look around. Send me a signal if you need me." Ace went further into the party at a slow pace. It made him look a bit childish—even more than usual.
"Hey, hold on a sec… damn idiot." Quinn murmured as he could stop the other guy from acting like that.
"What's with the face? You seem uncomfortable with the ambiance." The waitress could unmistakably read the big guy's expression. Although it wasn't too tricky, anyone could notice right away.
"You're not wrong. All those sharp-dressed ass-kissers attending coming here just to pretend they support the cause." Quinn snorted. "Looking at them makes me puke."
"That makes two of us. I still remember visiting you in Atlas two years ago. It's unbelievably bad there."
"It's probably worse right now. All those fools have their heads in the clouds." Quinn slowly looked at everyone until his eyes were redirected towards the chandelier. So many bright lights, so many voices that began to override his mind with stress. He felt very unwelcome, a feeling not too unfamiliar. The waitress took the last cup and waved it in front of his eyes.
"Want some? You can have a drink if it makes you feel any better." She said with a witty tone.
"Mhhh… thanks. I won't do much to waste me anyway." He gave a weak smile as he gently took the cup and drank it, trying to savor it. So far, the wine he tasted was too faint to even differentiate from tap water. "Bleh, wine from Argus… just exactly what we need."
"Oh? You can tell?" Dana said with surprise.
"Sure. Who's the genius of choosing this piss water? Don't tell me it was that chicken guy. He knows about better stuff than this crap!"
"Well, excuse me, sir, but Atlas closed their borders so we couldn't import better wines for today," Dana said as she walked towards the kitchen. She stopped briefly and turned her head towards Quinn. "You know, I could get you a bottle of a better brand from Haven's secret stash if you want."
"Nah, I'm fine. You already got enough on your hands at the moment. I'd rather see what I can do before I get a migraine."
"Alright, I hope you get some enjoyment out of this place. Call me if you want something more." Dana winked as she turned back and walked straight to the kitchen. The big guy grimaced while subtly looking around at the other guests. He couldn't see Weiss Schnee anywhere; chances were that she hasn't arrived yet. Quinn put the empty cup on the table. He cracked his knuckles and got into work.
"Hurry up Ruby, we're already late!"
"Coming!" The young leader replied from upstairs. Weiss was waiting at the door, impatiently tapping her foot on the floor. Qrow laid on the couch with such a tired look on his face while holding his trusty flask at hand.
"I can't believe it. You had the whole day to dress up, and you just forgot." The former heiress sighed as she rubbed her eyes out of annoyance.
"Could you relax? The night is still young, and I don't think the party will crash if the Schnee isn't attending." Qrow yawned.
"Excuse me, but punctuality is always important. I guess Ruby gets that from you."
"Hey, hey, I never cared for things like that." Qrow took another sip of his drink. "By the way, why did you bring a tux for Oscar?
"Ruby and I, well, mostly Ruby, planned to get everyone to enjoy the party. It's been a long time since we were all together. We thought Oscar could come with us. Make some memories and stuff.
"Is Yang already out?" Qrow put his feet on the table. Another sip accompanied it.
"She went ahead with Ren, Nora, and Jaune already. We were supposed to go together, but guess who forgot that part?" Weiss grimaced until they heard footsteps coming from the stairs. It was Ruby in a black dress that had a stunning pattern of red roses. For a second, Weiss felt as if she was back at Beacon going to the school dance. Weiss and Qrow were stunned. They looked at each other in disbelief.
"So… how do I look?" Ruby asked.
"Not bad. Not bad at all. You're surely gonna be turning heads tonight." Qrow complemented and gave her a thumbs up.
"Thanks, uncle. And what about you?" Her gaze shifted towards Weiss.
"Acceptable, compared to the usual attires you choose." The girl in white replied, arms folded in a Schnee-ly manner.
"That's… nice of you? I had to find one at the last minute. I would usually have to make myself, but there wasn't enough time to make it from scratch."
"You make your own clothes? Where did you learn that?"
"Oh, just a nice tailor lady from back home. I would often come to her shop if she had time." Ruby gave an innocent smile, much to Weiss' annoyance.
"Oh, that explains so much…"
"What do you mean by that!?"
"Never mind…" Weiss shook her head. "So, are we ready to go?"
"We're still waiting for Oscar. Are you sure you're not coming, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked.
"Me? Nah, you kids go have some fun. I'm just going to take a nap." The veteran Huntsman yawned before falling asleep. Ruby slid a pillow cushion under his head. He began snoring heavily, much to the annoyance of the two Huntresses.
"I hope Oscar's done so we can go." Weiss gave Qrow a snide look. "What's he been up to?" She pointed at Qrow.
"He's been out of the house for a while. He's been investigating something but didn't want me to say much about it." Ruby picked up a blanket to put over her sleeping uncle.
"Unbelievable, even after that incident at Haven Academy, the problems never end." Weiss shook her head before looking at the clock on the wall. "Good grief! We're going to be late!"
"I'll look for Oscar!" Ruby rushed upstairs, leaving her usual trace of rose petals behind, which Weiss had to clean up, like always. She knocked on his room door to see if he was done, but there was no response. "Oscar… is everything alright?"
"Just a minute! Almost… done!" The farm boy shouted. He sounded like he was struggling with something.
"Do you need help?"
"It's fine… Okay, maybe with one thing."
"With what?"
"Could you enter, please?" Ruby slowly opened the door. She covered her eyes and slowly peeked to check Oscar's current status of decency. Oscar was standing in front of a mirror, trying to tie a bow tie. Ruby let out a sigh of relief and approached Oscar.
"Remember, start from the top, then wrap it around into the center." Ozpin's voice sounded patient, yet tired inside Oscar's head.
"Why don't you possess me to do it yourself? Wouldn't it be easier?"
"Because you have to learn some things by yourself."
"I don't think this is the time for learning," Oscar commented as he turned his head towards Ruby. "Do you know how to do this?"
"Sure, that's easy." Ruby grasped the bow tie and tied it carefully without difficulty.
"I'm surprised that you can do it without a hitch," Oscar said with amazement.
"I already have some practice. Uncle Qrow never bothered to learn it. Same thing with my dad. I don't get it! His name's Tai, but he can't tie a tie!" They chuckled a bit. Ruby started remembering the good old times. At least, the few ones she could recall.
"Tell me, how's it with you at home?"
"Me? Well, it's just my aunt and me. Hard to say exactly how close we are. We usually spend the whole day working until dawn. I feel guilty knowing she's doing all the work alone." Oscar sighed.
"What about your parents?"
"I don't remember much about them… Sorry, I guess my life isn't interesting compared to everyone else."
"Don't worry. It's not a contest." Ruby was done tying his bow tie. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah." The teens left the room, ready for tonight's gala.
"Thank you for coming, please this way." Sun greeted an elderly couple coming his way. An hour already passed, but for him, it felt like an eternity. People kept coming every minute ever since the party started. "Oh man, never thought this would be this exhausting. How are you feeling, Blake?"
"I'm fine. I just didn't expect this many guests." Blake leaned against the wall to catch her breath.
"Good thing that there's no more at the moment. Mind if I take care of this by myself?"
"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you alone in this."
"Nah, go and have some fun, I don't think anyone would mind. The place is already packed." Sun gave her a thumbs up, encouraging Blake to go inside without worries.
Even though he was alone, outside, and missing the fun alongside his team, he didn't mind at all. He was at peace with himself. Sun saw another couple coming for the gala. They were easy to notice due to their formal clothes. "Thank you for coming. Please, come in and enjoy the night!"
"Thanks for the hospitality." The guest, a teenager with a stern look, tried to greet Sun with a hand gesture similar to tipping a hat, but he soon realized he wasn't wearing one and retracted his motion. "Never mind…" He said awkwardly before he improvised a gesture similar to a wave. His partner, beauty in an elegant dress, appeared by on his left.
"Milady." The teen smiled and extended his elbow to her.
"Don't mind if I do." His date entwined her arm into his, and together they went onward.
"What was that, Jack?" She asked.
"Sorry, Lucy. Just the habit." Jack said with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.
"Well, now that we're here. Shall we begin?"
"Remember, we're just blending in and gathering information. Always keep this low profile."
"Sure, but don't forget…" Lucy said with a smug grin as she leaned in closer. "Tonight, you're all mine!" She pecked the cowboy on his cheek and pulled him further into the gala.
