A Cosmic Journey
A/N: Aaaaand we're in March. I'm nearly to Spring Break, and it's going to be wonderful…until I come back and am buried in papers, tests, applications and just general work. Regardless though, I'm glad to be getting this out to you all. Also, I'm trying something a little different by putting the review responses near the bottom. Let me know what you think.
Chapter 25: In Numbers
Chapter Date: 03/02/2020
Hazel eyes, narrowed and inquisitive, attempted to peer past my sunglasses as I desperately tried to push any all-nighter, hangover-caused weariness down.
"Hey Professor." I tried addressing the Fall Maiden again. "What brings you to a club at…eight in the morning?"
Amber was silent for a moment, still searching my face for something, before her expression cleared and she snapped her fingers. "Got it! You're Kouzai, right? It took me a minute to place, since Beacon has a lot of students, but there are only a handful with shades as part of their combat uniform. Huh…did you get that from working here?" I followed her gaze as she looked around the club at the handful of Junior's men cleaning up the club, adorned in dark suits and sunglasses.
"Oh, no, gods no," I chuckled. "I started wearing these as a way of sort of limiting my Semblance, let me interact normally so to speak. Though I'm sure you already know about my Semblance."
Amber frowned in confusion, scratching her cheek and unintentionally drawing my attention to her beauty mark. "I…apologize. I'm afraid I don't remember your Semblance, exactly. There's a lot of profiles to read through during the sparring classes."
'Well, at least that answers if the professors have things like Aura and Semblance on file…' I smiled what I hoped was disarmingly. "That's alright, you're a first-year professor after all…though, you don't seem like you're very comfortable being a professor just yet."
Amber's head slumped forward, coming to rest on the palm of her hand. "Ughh…is it that obvious that students are able to tell? I told Oz that-nevermind. I uhh, I've been doing mostly solo work on the frontier for a while now, so-"
"So to come back to bustling, ordered civilization and having others rely on you is a bit of a jarring experience?" Amber flinched, then looked at me as I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm much of the same, to be honest. I didn't attend a combat school like most other students, and went the way of building my skills through sheer experience in the field."
"SEE! That's exactly what I think that other students should be doing as well!" Amber grinned jubilantly, before realizing that she'd shot up from her seat and cleared her throat, looking away bashfully. "I'm an advocate of having applicants accumulate more real experience, instead of practiced simulations and spars. However, Ozpin, Glynda and the other professors think that the bookwork is just as important."
"Well, I think that the physical aspect of a Huntsmen's training can be handled before they get to an academy. The real training for most tends to be of the mind, and for the most part that's something that's easier learned before getting into the field." I slid a drink over to Amber, who raised her eyebrows. "It's a Strawberry Sunrise. I have it on good authority that they're pretty popular with the ladies, and you looked like you were in need of a de-stresser."
"Hmm…not bad…don't think you're exactly off the hook for why you're working a nightclub though, and for Junior of all people." Amber sipped absentmindedly at her drink, before we both turned to see Junior striding towards the counter from the back. "Just the man I was looking for. Junior, why exactly are you hiring first-year students as bartenders?"
"Cause he makes fantastic drinks, and he came to the interview already wearing shades," Junior snarked, walking behind the counter and pouring himself a drink. "Now, I hope that wasn't the information that you came here for, assuming that you didn't come to my club at eight in the morning for a drink."
"You know me-damn, this is good-so well, Junior." Amber put her drink down and looked Junior in the eye, her face becoming deadly serious. "I am here for information, and can pay lien by the fistful for it. What I want to know is, do you know where Roman Torchwick and a woman named Cinder are located?"
My eyes widened behind my shades, and beneath the counter one of Junior's hands stiffened. His other hand though came to stroke his chin in thought. "I can try to put some feelers out for Roman, but I can't say I have any idea on who or where this Cinder would be? You happen to have a photo or description?"
If Amber could tell that we were both lying through our teeth, she didn't show it. "Oh, I've got a description for you alright. Clue number one is that she's missing-" A ring interrupted her statement, and Amber yanked her scroll out, saw the ID, and answered it with a snarled, "What?"
"Miss Autumn, I have become aware that you are currently off Beacon's grounds." Ozpin's voice was clear from across the counter, and I willed my ears to catch every word. "I implore you to immediately conclude whatever business you may have in Vale and return-"
"I'm not going back just yet, Ozpin," Amber hissed, before glancing around the club in search of something. "If you're so worried, just have my protector watch over me, like he always does."
"Amber, we both know that he is not infallible." Ozpin seemed to have caught on to Amber omitting Qrow's name. "In any event, I would not consider him alone sufficient in such circumstances, and am not willing to risk any harm coming to you."
Amber bit her lip and clenched her robotic fist, facing back forward before her eyes landed on me. With a spark of recognition, they widened and she softly gasped. "Oz, what if I was with a student, the one Qrow told me about?"
The other end was silent for a moment. "…I am unsure as to how you would have encountered Mr. Higure, but even so, his inclusion does not make your excursion any more justified, and I will not jeopardize a student's safety for unexplained travel."
'…Ah, fuck me, I'm really about to do it, aren't I?' With a look towards Amber's prosthetic and downcast expression, my mouth was moving. "If it helps, my teammates and Team JNPR are with me in Vale as well."
I swear the other flecks of color in Amber's hazel eyes brightened. "How about that Oz? Teams JNPR and KMMI. That has to be enough!"
"…Very well. So long as both teams are present with you throughout your time in Vale, I will allow this. But do not make such behavior a habit, Miss Autumn." Ozpin ended the call, but Amber barely seemed to notice as she threw her arms forward and hugged me across the counter.
"Oh, thank you, thank you so much!" From the angling of my head, I saw Junior looking at us, his expression a mixture of confusion, annoyance, amusement and caution. More importantly, though…
"Miss Autumn…robot…arm…" I gasped, the unyielding steel limb crushing my spine for a second longer before the pressure ceased.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm…not quite used to this yet." Amber flexed her robotic fingers in demonstration, before looking at me quizzically. "You know, you didn't have to offer to stick with me. I can't imagine that anyone would voluntarily give up part of their weekend to spend more time with their professor."
I waved my hand flippantly. "Eh, when it's a sparring professor, I think that's understandable. And to be honest, I'm kind of hoping that with a professor around, there might finally be someone else capable of reining Nora in. Speaking of, if we're going to be spending the day with you, I suppose I should get the rest of them. If you'll excuse me for few minutes." I started making my way towards the apartment building, noticing as Junior slid another Strawberry Sunrise over to Amber and followed me.
"…I'm generally not one for believing in luck or chance, but that's scary timing for her to be asking those questions right after our night of planning." Junior stared intensely at me. "You have anything to do with her being here?"
"I didn't call her here this morning, if that's what you're asking."
"It's not. I heard a bit of her call with Ozpin, and saw her arm. Did you have anything to do with that?"
I hesitated. I'd told Junior some of the finer points about the alliance between Torchwick, the Fang and Cinder, but I kept out anything to do with magic. "…Let's just say Amber has a vested interest in tearing Cinder's throat out, Cinder has a vested interest in doing the same to Amber, and Ozpin and I have a vested interest in keeping Amber alive."
Junior groaned, rubbing his eyes in both weariness and frustration. "Seriously, Kouzai, how do you end up in these sorts of situations? It has to be a Semblance, because not even intentionally trying to find trouble would create this much of a mess."
'Less of a Semblance, more of a goddess. And television.' I cleared my throat as we reached my apartment floor. "Sooo…how should we split-"
"I'm waking the JNPR kids, you get your own team."
"Damnit…"
… … …
"SHOPPING TRIP! With the professor."
"Nora please, my shoulders…"
"Well, this seems familiar," I chuckled along with Ilia and Jaune. Miltia, Melanie and Pyrrha appeared to be nursing some monstrous hangovers. Amber, as expected, looked entirely bewildered by what was happening.
"I've never been so upset at how loud others can be…" Pyrrha moaned softly, rubbing her temples as Jaune amplified her Aura.
"Mel…I think we've been out of the game for too long…" Miltia took a sip of her coffee and sighed as the heat suffused her cheeks.
"So what you're saying is, we need to start drinking everyday during classes, right?" Melanie tottered slightly, drawing Amber out of her shocked stupor.
"I can't speak for Port's class really, but if you show up sauced to Oobleck's, taking any sort of notes becomes a hellish endeavor," Amber commented. "And that's not even getting to Glyn-I mean, Professor Goodwitch's class. If she ever finds out that you were drinking before or during her class, you'd wish you were dead."
"Ugh…duly noted, prof…"
"ALRIGHT! Since Kouzai did his normal thing of flirting with the ladies-"
"OI!"
"-And snagging the best professor, we need to take this opportunity to get all the tips and stuff!" Nora leaned down gleefully from her position on Ren's shoulders, getting uncomfortably close to Amber's face before Amber firmly placed her robotic hand in front. "AH! COLD!"
"Is she…always like this?"
"YES." Our resounding and simultaneous response, even from Nora herself, caused her to look taken aback before the Fall Maiden began doubling over in laughter.
"Ha ha…I'm sorry, it's just…you all look so resigned." Straightening, Amber looked skyward with a smile on her face. "So, shopping trip huh? I suppose that means that clothes are in order, and likely Dust and books as well. Maybe weapon parts as well if we happen to have the time."
"And with three guys and now six girls, that means that our shopping is evened out to one guy's arm for each of us," Melanie damn near purred in satisfaction as Jaune and I, and especially Ren, paled at our teammates' eager looks.
"Hey, come on guys…what if we wanna buy some stuff as well?" I tried weakly, before heads swiveled in my direction.
"Translation, he wants us to pick outfits for him." Miltia smirked.
"Wha-no no no, I take it all back, buy as much as you want, forget about us guys and-"
"NOPE! TOO LATE!"
… … …
"Oh Dust…why has such a weight training method eluded me for so long?...Oh that's right, because no amount of strength could support all this shit!" My arms strained under the various bags belonging to the twins. A sidelong glance showed Ren similarly struggling under the weight of Nora's, with Ilia's modest additions added to those. Jaune, the lucky sumbitch, had Pyrrha and Amber as his charges, with Pyrrha barely needing to buy anything and Amber seemingly thrifty with her purchases as well.
"How is it…hah…that the strongest of us three, is the one holding the least stuff right now?" Jaune actually had the gumption to reach up and rub the back of his neck, while still holding all the bags. Luckily, he was saved from mine and Ren's collective ire by Pyrrha.
"Due to previous status as a tournament fighter and with my sponsors, I was financially secure enough to purchase a sufficient wardrobe before coming to Beacon," the champion supplied, before frowning slightly. "Of course, most of those were left back at home, considering that I only needed them for the myriad of formal events I was required to attend."
"I'm actually kind of the opposite," Amber added from the front of our impromptu group. "Having been travelling around Vale for a while, I'm used to carrying relatively little, and am more comfortable in clothes that prioritize comfort and durability over aesthetics and fashion."
"Truuue, but you still look great in those boots and that blouse." Melanie hungrily circled Amber, aided by an appraising Miltia. "And now that you're back in Vale proper, not to mention being a professor at Beacon, we have to get you looking the part too!"
"Doesn't Oobleck wear an untucked and rumpled shirt most of the time? And besides, I really don't think that's necessa-RYYYYY!" For two girls in dresses, they moved remarkably quick as they whisked the Fall Maiden towards the next set of shops, leaving Jaune, Ren and I straining to catch up.
After another couple hours or so of this, and Ren's near-collapse, the girls considered the clothes part of the trip a near-success. Amber, after being whittled down by the twins, had briefly modeled some outfits for them before picking out one. Pyrrha ended up selecting a black shirt, brown vest and red skirt that had Jaune's eyes sparkling. Ilia also shyly picked out a black skirt and maroon blouse, claiming that 'skirts didn't look right on her' despite numerous arguments to the contrary. Nora, on the other hand, unabashedly picked out a pink and black bomber jacket that looked quite similar to the one she wore during the show's Mistral arc. The twins, after much needling, finally selected outfits that weren't skirts, opting for soft blouses and shorts in their colors that still showed off plenty of their legs and boots.
Unfortunately, us guys weren't considered exempt from the shopping either, and had gotten roped into modeling as well. Jaune had again gotten away with least change, merely swapping out his Pumpkin Pete hoodie with a black shirt as Pyrrha insisted on the appeal of his 'normal look'. Ren had all manner of Mistralian clothing foisted onto him by Nora, including what looked like a yukata, along with a full-length green qipao that made him look like a wuxia character. As for me…
"Guys, I'm telling you, this isn't going to look good at all."
"Well, stop saying it and let us be the judge of that. Now get out here!"
"Hah…Dust…" I opened the changing room door and stepped out in view of the group, half of whom had their scrolls out.
"You look good, Kouzai," Miltia giggled as her scroll snapped a few pictures.
"I actually think he does look good," Melanie replied from beside her, her expression satisfied.
"You would be the one to think that, Melanie," I sighed as I looked myself over. Dressed in all white, my previous outfit had been color-swapped, with white versions of my sleeveless shirt, pants and even boots forced into my hands. For extra flair, they'd even found a white tailcoat to complete the blinding ensemble.
Emerald eyes narrowed. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, nothing, totally not a dig at your choice of outfit color…" I shifted the coat slightly on my body, before looking back at the group. "Also, if we were in agreement that I should add a coat to my regular outfit, why don't I just get a black coat and call it a day."
"Kouzai, if we added a long, black coat to your already all-black outfit, there would be no defending you from the claims of you being an edgelord."
"But but but…" I sulked for a moment. "How about if I add a bit of color into the outfit, like having a black shirt with the white outfit or vice-versa?"
"That wouldn't look bad at all," Ilia commented, and I nodded in grateful thanks to my partner, before I realized that I'd look eerily similar to some of Blake's outfits and sighed.
"Nope! It's gotta be all or none, that's where the visual appeal comes from!" Nora exclaimed gleefully.
"For the love of gods, people, all my weapons are pretty much white already. I can't have my whole outfit be white too…" I pleaded for divine intervention, and something certainly intervened.
"As much as I hate the man, he's right. He'd end up looking like an Atlesian military stooge, only with even less color."
"I'll have you know that Atlesian officers look very distinguished, Xiao Long! That being said, I'm shocked this ruffian has the taste to attempt aping their style."
'Damnit, Prim…or Qrow…' I slowly slid my eyes past our group, towards the four recent entrants into the shop.
"Ummm, hey guys…and Professor Autumn…" Ruby laughed weakly at the head of three other glaring girls. "Fancy running into you all here…I'm guessing you all are shopping for new clothes too?"
"You could say that." I looked at Melanie as I gestured over to Yang. "You see, Melanie? Even Yang thinks this outfit looks terrible on me, so if you don't mind, I'm gonna-"
"Like I give two shits about her opi-"
"On second thought, or second look, that outfit totally fits with your style." Caustic honey dripped off Yang's words. "One might even say it looks downright Kou-zzy on you…"
I glared at a smug Yang, and then at Nora for good measure as the bomber raised her hands in defense. "Don't look at me, I've been pretty sparing with the nicknames lately."
Meanwhile, Melanie was glaring at Yang, eyes narrowed before she smirked in return. "I still don't care about your ideas of what looks good, but I'll accept your approval in the greater interest of proper fashion."
'Damnit…' I sighed and looked towards RWBY. "Just give us a few minutes, and we'll all be out of your hair so that you shop to your heart's-"
"I think not!"
All present, including her own team, turned to look at an indignant and increasingly embarrassed Weiss. I incredulously asked, "So you want to shop with us? With me included?"
Weiss' eye twitched. "Despite dreading having to deal with all you hooligans…" the heiress shuddered. "The prospect of spending time with Professor Autumn in a casual capacity is far too enticing to pass up."
Now all eyes were on the Fall Maiden, who pointed a finger at herself. "Uhh, me?"
'So we have JNPR, KMMI, the Fall Maiden, and now Team RWBY, all together in the middle of Vale…' I could feel my soul threatening to escape my body. "…We're either going to be at the enemies' throats, or at each other's throats by the end of the day…the two aren't even mutually exclusive…'
… … …
Against all odds, however, the three teams and professor did not come to blows, either with each other or any particularly enterprising villains. Instead, after Team RWBY spent some time eventually picking out their Volume 2 alternate outfits, our group of thirteen traipsed the streets of Vale, before selecting a Dust shop as our next destination. During our walk, however, the Whiterose pair peppered Amber with questions, though for distinctly similar and distinctly different reasons.
"How do the servos account for the Aura-electricity transfer ratio?" Wide, inquisitive, silver eyes inspected every inch of Amber's robotic arm, despite the limb still being attached to Amber's panicking body.
"Umm, I'm not sure of all the particulars, and this didn't exactly come with a manual. You'd have to ask Professor Ozpin for any more. Sorry." Amber looked pained as Ruby's eyes looked down in disappointment. Meanwhile, Weiss was also peering at the prosthetic.
"The mechanics certainly seem to be Atlesian in origin, and by quite the sophisticated creator at that." Ice-blue eyes looked up towards the Fall Maiden. "How exactly does your work as a huntress in Vale entail receiving cutting-edge Atlas technology, if I might ask?"
Both Amber and I stiffened at the difficult question, but it appeared that Amber had been coached through some of the more obvious questions that she'd be asked. "After I was injured in the line of duty, Professor Ozpin was kind enough to contact Headmaster Ironwood and request a prosthetic be made for me in preparation for my rehabilitation and employment as a professor."
By this point Ruby had managed to bounce back with some of her near-endless pep. "Ooh, ooh, is the arm capable of channeling your Semblance? Now that I think about it, what is your Semblance?"
Every student perked up at Ruby's question and subtly leaned in, meaning that the whole circle suddenly felt quite claustrophobic as Amber waffled, before adopting a smirk.
"You'll have to find out once I'm placed against someone in a sparring match." The Fall Maiden put a finger to her lips in mock coyness. "After all, a huntress has to keep at least some of her secrets…" With a flourish, Amber opened the door to the Dust shop and walked inside.
"So cool…"
"Eh, bit of a cop-out if you ask me," Nora replied, as well all entered. "Guess we'll just have to challenge her during-what the hell?!"
We all fell silent, gazing around the Dust shop, and at the distinct lack of the commodity present. For what Dust there was available, prices were at eye-popping numbers, even with Beacon's student discount factored in.
"I am very sorry for the lack of wares at the current moment." The shopkeeper, a reedy, middle-aged man who was not the shopkeeper was profusely apologizing. "With the current trend of Dust robberies in Vale, I barely have enough Dust to sustain costs, not to mention the fact that every Dust shop in Vale is on the chopping block."
None of us were happy at this turn of events, but Weiss was incensed. Striding forward, she asked the shopkeeper, "Have your fellow Dust merchants said anything about who has been stealing so much Dust recently?"
"Umm…some of my competitors have claimed that the White Fang robbed them." Weiss looked triumphant for a moment. "But I know for a fact that some of them are bigots who'd love nothing more than to scapegoat the Faunus. I've also heard that Roman Torchwick is behind all this."
Weiss' expression calmed and her eyes narrowed. "Roman…"
"Torchwick?" Eyes swiveled over to Ruby, who realized she was the sudden center of attention and ducked under her cloak's hood.
The shopkeeper was confused but continued. "So I apologize if what I have is insufficient or too pricy for your needs, but if you would care to purchase anything I would be very grateful."
"…I require refined Dust of these types, in these specific quantities if you possess them." Weiss presented the surprised shopkeeper with a list. "Lien is of little concern to me."
"R-Right away! Thank you!" The shopkeeper made to gather the heiress' order, as Weiss turned back to the group.
"If any of you should require Dust, I can order some from my family's company and use my discount. You all may reimburse me upon receipt of the Dust." Weiss fidgeted as everyone remained silent. "What?"
"Nothing, it's just…why buy Dust from this shop if you were just going to have some ordered from the SDC, especially if the price is so high?" Jaune asked.
"Hmph, a valid question, Arc. It's true that I could be furnished with high-quality Dust at nearly no expense through my family's company." Weiss' eyes softened. "However, that wouldn't help those merchants struggling under the near-monopoly on Dust that my father has created, who have done nothing to wrong me. Better that I be the one to patronize this store, considering that I am one of the best-equipped to afford it."
"Should I be so bold as to assume that your generous offer extends beyond your own team?" Melanie asked brusquely, before receiving a smack upside the head from Miltia.
"Despite my various misgivings about some of you, I see no reason why Vale's economy should suffer from my reasonable discontent." Weiss' tone was haughty, her posture stiff, but her words were just warm enough. "So yes, I extend that offer to all of you as well."
"AWW, the Ice Queen does have a heart!" Nora went to hug Weiss, but was greeted with the tip of Myrtenaster.
"I've watched your spars, and have no interest in having my spine broken due to your stupidly high strength." Weiss' tone returned to being frosty.
"Aaand she's back," I sighed, mentally calculating the list of Dust I needed to ask Weiss for later. Turning back to the group, I asked, "Alright, so we've got clothes and Dust out of the way, so onto books then. Anyone know of a bookstore around here?"
"I do." Everyone looked at Blake and Ilia as both responded, then looked at each other.
'Something tells me that I know where we're headed…'
… … …
"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun! How may I…" Tukson trailed off as his eyes flitted fearfully between Ilia and Blake, both of them standing right in front of the counter.
"Why, hello Tukson." Everyone inside the shop save Ilia shuddered at Blake's near-hiss. "What a coincidence that Ilia and I both found out that you have a shop in Vale. You know what would be even more surprising? If you knew that Ilia had been in Vale, and you didn't tell me."
"That would be surprising." The five-foot radius around the counter vacated as Ilia agreed with Blake. "Almost as surprising as if you knew that Blake was in Vale, and didn't warn me."
"Ladies, let's let the businessman get back to his business," I said, drawing their attention off the profusely sweating Faunus and saving him from a mostly-undeserved death. "Good afternoon sir, my friends and I are looking for some books, and were wondering if you happened to have them in stock. Here's a list."
"Let's see what we've got here." Tukson gratefully accepted any excuse to keep his eyes off the two pissed former White Fang members. "Yeah, we've got nearly all of these. I'll uh, check the back while my assistant helps you look through the front. OI! We've got customers!"
There was a bang from the back room, and a good deal of swearing drifted from behind the double doors before a floppy-eared shadow appeared. "I'm telling you Tukson, we've gotta get a better camera system up, half of them keep going on the fritz and I'm not nearly enough of a miracle worker to-huh?...HEY, IT'S YOU GUYS!"
The glasses-wearing dog Faunus leapt over the counter and dragged Nora, Ren and I in for a hug, ignoring the yelps we made. Meanwhile, my brain was malfunctioning as I tried to form words. "P-P-Perry?!"
"From Wind Path?" Nora asked incredulously.
"Wait, you know each other?" Blake asked, shocked.
"Yeah, four years ago these three helped me-AH!" Perry winced from the sharp pinch I gave to his side, but thankfully got the message. "Helped me…out of a bad situation. Yeah! Afterwards, I left Mistral and came over to Vale, and the rest is history!"
"It wasn't a big deal," Ren tried deflecting, having caught onto the fact of exactly which situation Perry was referring to, along with our agreement to keep the details of that incident quiet.
"Riggght…" Tukson, who'd likely heard the full story from Perry, didn't seem convinced. "Whatever the case is, a friend of Perry's is a reluctant friend of mine, so I'll give you all a discount on your purchases!"
"Thank you, sir!" Ruby cheered, seemingly oblivious to the knowing looks that all of Jaune, Pyrrha and the twins were sending our way. Yang seemed puzzled, Weiss seemed inquisitive, and Blake was not looking in our direction, instead watching Ilia as Tukson passed a slip of paper off to the chameleon Faunus.
'Uh oh, super red alert. Quick, a distraction…' I cleared my throat. "You know, if we finish our business here quick enough, there might be enough time to stop by a weapons shop and get some ice cream after! I sure could use some help on modifying my weapons and all that brain work makes me crave sweets like crazy!"
JNPR and my team were looking at me, confused, but Weiss, Blake and Yang were gazing upon me with nothing but pure horror in their eyes. I heard a soft humming in the air, and turned to see Ruby literally vibrating in place, Petal Burst sending rose petals to the floor.
"Weapons shop? Ice cream? Weapon mods? SWEETS?!"
"RUBY NO, NOT IN THE SHOP!"
… … …
"Ruby please, no more weapon parts…"
"I'm almost done though, just five more minutes! Please?" Ruby used her patented puppy eyes on Yang, who instantly melted into an enabling puddle, then groaned as the accumulated weight of Ruby's weapon parts expenditures continued crushing her.
"You know, now that I see Yang going through all this, maybe having teammates that like clothes shopping isn't so bad." Ren and Jaune eagerly nodded in agreement, as Yang smirked, sweat rolling down her forehead.
"Don't you feel great, knowing that a girl is out-lifting the three of you?" The three of us looked at one another, then started laughing uproariously, leaving Yang looking bewildered. "What's so funny?"
"You thought…we'd feel bad at being weaker than you?" I gasped for breath, doubled over. "Yang, we know Nora. I just got beat by Nora…Ren is Nora's boyfriend…the only one of us that has a chance of beating Nora in pure strength is Jaune, and he's Pyrrha's boyfriend…traditional gender roles and such were abandoned a long time ago."
"Rats…you don't have a lot of buttons to press, do you?" Yang grunted, and I grinned in response.
"If I do, you'll have to find out." Yang pouted, and I laughed as I exited the weapons shop, taking a moment to marvel at the miraculous placement of a weapons shop and ice cream parlor right next to each other.
'Only Ruby Rose…or Neo, now that I think about it…' I furtively glanced around for any sign of the trichromatic enforcer, but thankfully she was nowhere in sight, with only Jaune joining me outside. "Wanna grab an ice cream while we wait for everyone to finish up? And where's Ren?"
"Nora," Jaune said simply, and that was answer enough. Stepping inside the store, I grabbed a mint chocolate chip, while Jaune chose cookie dough. Find a bench nearby to rest, we gratefully placed our armfuls of bags down as we enjoyed our just desserts.
"So I thought that today would be a flaming, explosive disaster, what with the hangovers, Professor Autumn and team RWBY tagging along with all of us." Jaune and I chuckled as we both implicitly understood who was the 'flame' and who was the 'explosion' in the equation. "But this was…pleasant, surprisingly so. I think, given time to settle our differences, hanging out regularly with team RWBY would be fun."
'Well, with the sum of their differences mainly being me, that's not a lot of pressure…' I had another mouthful of ice cream in thought. "I think credit really goes to Ruby, the person, for trying to smooth things over with her team. She may be younger than us, but she's got heart and grit."
"Why, thank you." Ruby giggled as she approached from the side, holding a monstrosity that I vaguely recognized as the shop's weekly special 'Smushed Grimm'. As Jaune and I made space for her on the bench, Ruby plopped down next to me. "I think the same goes for you two as well. I don't think I could've kept Weiss, Blake and Yang calm if you both hadn't kept your teams back too. But maaan, being a leader is hard…"
We all shared a laugh, taking a moment to enjoy the temporary peace before I raised my ice cream up. "Y'know what? After we solve everything between Weiss and Ilia, and Blake and Ilia, and Yang and Melanie, and Weiss and Melanie, and Yang and Nora…once we solve things between our teams, drinks are on me."
"Kouzai, I'm only fifteen right now…"
"Do you honestly expect everything to get hashed out within two years?"
"Fair point…being a leader is hard…"
… … …
With arms straining and stomachs sated on sugar, we all disembarked from the Bullhead back to Beacon's grounds. As we all began walking back to the main buildings, Amber's scroll rang again.
"Oz…yeah, I'm back…you already know that…alright…give me a few minutes to head on up…" Amber hung up and looked back to our assembled group. "Sorry about that, kids. Duty, and likely some ignored paperwork, calls."
"Hey, we're only a few years younger than you," Nora pouted, a look mimicked by the twins and Yang, before looking over at Ruby. "Well, most of us, anyways…"
"Sorry, wrong turn of phrase. I guess it's just a matter of life experience, and time out on the frontier of the kingdoms shows you a lot…" Amber looked off towards the tower silently. "Would you all mind if I speak to Kouzai for a moment?"
"Uh-"
"SURE! C'MON, GUYS!" Nora gleefully shepherded her team, my team, and RWBY off as I rolled my eyes at her. After a minute or so, the Fall Maiden and I were the only ones around on the main path.
"Sooo, what can I do for you, Professor?" I tried for a cajoling tone to start.
"I…wanted to thank you for today. I'm sure accompanying me along for what amounts to errands wasn't exactly the most glamourous or fun way to spend your weekend, and I'm sure convincing your friends to come along with me wasn't easy, either." Amber smiled brightly, hazel eyes shining, and I was taken aback by her sincerity. "You know, it's strange…I meant what I said earlier, about the difference in life experience. But for some reason, that doesn't seem to be the case for some of you…you in particular, it's almost like you're older than you actually are…"
"Uhhhhhh, I have been told before that I've got one of those 'old souls', or am 'wise beyond my years', stuff like that," I desperately supplied. 'Holy crap! That's hitting far too close to the nail on the head!'
"Haha…bet you I know an older one." Amber smiled again, looking towards the tower. Looking back, she hesitated for a moment, before adding, "I'll…be speaking with Ozpin on being allowed to visit Vale more often. If I'm allowed, do you think you and your friends would like to accompany me again?"
"I'm sure they'll be fine with it, and RWBY will definitely be interested as well, especially Ruby and Weiss." I smiled back. "I'd be happy to."
There was a pause, before Amber coughed. "I'll be heading to the, staff meeting now. Have a good evening, Mr. Higure." With a soft flourish, Amber turned and walked down the path towards the Emerald Tower. I watched silently for a second, before turning and starting towards the dorms.
Before getting tackled by missiles of pink, white and red.
"KOUZAI! I need all the details about your private conversation with the professor!"
"Nora…air…"
… … …
… … …
She was late. That by itself wasn't worth thinking about, but that she was late to a meeting with Cinder…
"Damnit Neo, where the hell are you? It's hard enough as it is keeping us in the loop without you going off on impromptu excursions. I swear, if you're just going out for ice cream-"
The sound of shattering glass interrupted his grumbling, as his second-favorite person in the world appeared in front of him, holding the latest flavor from that ice cream place by the weapons shop. Smushed Grimm, was it?
"Neo!" Roman hissed. "We're about to go into a life-or-death stakes meeting with Cinder and the rest, and you went out for ice cream? What the hell am I gonna tell Cinder when-" He was interrupted again as Neo toyed around with her scroll, before his own rang. "What is it?"
Pulling out his scroll, he opened up the messaging app to view the attachment she'd sent him. A minute passed as he scrutinized every detail of the photo, before he looked up from his scroll. "Neo…what the hell?"
His enforcer giggled gleefully, then twirled around Hush and started making her way towards the meeting point. Roman followed behind, stealing frequent glances at the photo below.
The Fall Maiden, Amber Autumn. Little Red. Mr. Shady himself. The Schnee Heiress. Bully Boy's errant squeeze. A near-clone of Raven Branwen. Junior's brats. The Invincible Girl. All of them parked right outside the very ice cream shop that Neo likely was just at.
It was like every damn holiday Remnant had just rolled up into one.
"Oh, Cinder's gonna love this…"
A/N: Dun dun DUN…yeah, that wasn't the smartest move, was it? But then again, who could've known where Neo was, or where she'll be? She's the most unpredictable character in the whole franchise, after all. And really, what's the chances that Cinder and crew try an assault in broad daylight? Anyways, here are the review responses!
Raidentensho: Yeah, Cinder's plan for the Maiden powers will definitely have to be different than what she initially planned for. As for the Wyvern and Mount Glenn, involvement with those elements are still a ways off for now.
AlexFalTon: Ahh, gotta love parental supervision haha. And with Nora, Melanie and Miltia all friendly with one another, getting hammered was less of a possibility and more an inevitability. Regarding Junior, his characterization in the show was limited, but with what was provided and how I've written him, it seems reasonable that a potential kingdom-ending threat would be bad for business and bad for his and the twins' continued existence. And Amber is a fun element that I look forward to writing.
Gizmo Gear: Yup, lottsa stuff happening never stops, haha.
Oblivious IJ: Noooo, there's no way that Kouzai could possibly get in trouble for working for a known information dealer and crime boss…
R26: Huh, I actually had no idea the nickname meant something in a different language. The more you know, I guess. And now I'm the one that can't unsee Coco saying that. In terms of the whole Jaune and Cardin dynamic, that's definitely going to be different and will lead to different reactions elsewhere. As for Amber's appearance at the end there, she's looking for Junior and his services.
PyromaniacRabbit: Yeaaaaah, that point is definitely gonna come up at some point. Not to Amber of course, but for Kouzai.
The Ancient Irish Viking: Thanks for the review and critique. I'd like to think that my skill has gotten better the longer I've written this story, so I'm sure you'll improve quickly over time as well. As for your tips, I didn't even consider putting the review responses elsewhere, but I suppose I can think that over. Rest assured though, I'll be taking a break if it's needed.
-SE
Next Chapter Date: 03/09/2020