Chapter 21: Meeting the Elders
Remnant, Kingdom of Vale, City of Vale
POV: Michael J. Caboose
Premise: The Reds and Blues must deal with a threat they never have before: Parent Teacher Conference. Jacques' plan is revealed, Grif gets answers on Raven...
Caboose watched as Ruby tried to shoot the target. She patiently followed it before pulling the trigger and knocked the target down.
"Winner! Bravo ma'am!" the game instructor congratulated her, "Here is your prize."
The instructor then handed Ruby a large stuffed dog toy, and the young huntress could help but yelp in happiness.
Caboose and Ruby were in the fairgrounds for the Vytal Festival. It had been two weeks since the Reds and Blues started teaching both RWBY and JNPR, started a war on terror, and saved Vale. Now, these two were on a date. Well second to say the least, and the fairgrounds seemed like the best place.
"Well done Ruby!" Caboose said to her as they walked through the fairgrounds. Both were in civilian clothing so no one could tell who they were. As they walked around they noticed several TVs displaying a VNN news report.
"The world has never been changing at a faster pace than ever before." Lisa said on the screen, "All throughout Vale and outside the kingdom, Coalition forces continue to push back and snuff out White Fang cells throughout Sanus. Despite victory after victory, Adam Taurus, the leader of Vale's White Fang branch, along with Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustraini, and Mercury Black still remain at large. The Reds and Blues, who lead all forces of the Coalition, have yet to reveal any news on the whereabouts of the dangerous criminals. As for the political reforms issued by the Coalition, many of Remnant's wealthy and high living have accepted them. However some, including Jacques Schnee, have refused and are trying to rebel."
"So, what next?" Ruby asked Caboose
"I want cookies." Caboose replied, "Chocolate chip definitely."
Ruby giggled, "That I can agree with."
She proceeded to put her arm around him, and he did the same. But as she did, Caboose felt something off. His surroundings were replaced by that of the fairgrounds in flames, and Cinder with glowing eyes.
"Caboose?" Ruby asked him, which broke him out of his vision, "Are you ok?"
"Yeah." Caboose lied, "Uh let's go."
POV Change: Beacon Academy
Within one of Beacon's walls was the command center of the Coalition. The room itself was large, a holo-table was at the center of the room, with an image of the continent of Sanus displayed. Wash, Carolina, and Kimball all stood over it.
"We've successfully taken the southwestern regions just outside of the city. Several White Fang cells have already agreed to their surrender." Carolina said to her peers, "Our forces in the east and southeast have been having trouble with Grimm attacks on the other hand."
"The southeast holds Mountain Glenn." Wash added, "We knew it would be a problem from the start."
"I'll begin sending more troops to the east." Kimball said to them, "It shouldn't take too long."
"Once that's done, we'll focus on Mountain Glenn." Wash continued
Carolina nodded in agreement, "That seems good. I guess this meeting is adjourned."
"Agreed." Kimball replied, "If you would excuse me, I need to tend to some things."
Kimball then left the room as Tucker and Sarge entered. The former of the two had taken a more 'hands off' approach to the war effort, as he pretty much held the team together when Wash was crippled. Now he simply helped train huntsmen at Beacon and went on the occasional mission.
"Well, things seem to be going our way." Wash said to them
"At least they are." Sarge replied, "We still have idiots who refuse the new laws."
"Mainly Jacques, of course." Tucker added, "I swear, does the guy have a death wish or something?"
"Perhaps."
The four turned to see Ironwood, Ozpin, and Glynda standing in the four.
Tucker sighed, "I hate it when you guys do that."
"I assume things are going well?" Ironwood asked
Wash shrugged "They are, but I think that wasn't the reason why you wanted to talk to us."
"Correct." Ozpin replied, "We have some news for you all."
Sarge raised an eyebrow, "Jacques?"
"No."
"Cinder?"
"No."
Carolina looked around the room, "Salem?"
"No."
"Grif breaking into the catateria again?"
"Definitely no."
"Oh, then it shouldn't be that hard." Tucker shrugged, which caused Glynda to glare at him
Ozpin then spoke up, "The legal guardians of RWBY and JNPR will be coming to Beacon in a few days."
The four sim-troopers and Freelancers just stared at them with blank faces.
"Legal guardians." Wash muttered
"Yes."
"As in...parents." Tucker added
"Yes."
"Huh." Sarge muttered, "That's quite the news."
"Why are they coming?" Carolina asked
"To see you people of course." Ozpin replied, "I might've informed them that you've been mentoring them. They all took interest, so I invited them."
"Even Jacques?" Sarge asked, groaning in the process
Ozpin gave him a knowing look, "What do you think?"
"Greaaat." Tucker groaned, "Another asshole to deal with."
"I can just imagine what the room will be like when Jacques meets Ghira Belladonna." Glynda added
Ironwood then spoke up, "Jacques is only coming to find your weaknesses. That way he can find something to kick you all to the curb."
"I'm sure he'll fail in every way." Tucker quipped, "When do they arrive?"
Ozpin smiled…
POV Change: Red and Blue Compound
"Two days!?" Simmons shouted, "Two days until these people arrive!?"
"Hey it wasn't our idea." Wash retorted, "They want to meet us."
"So who's coming exactly?" Doc asked
Carolina then spoke up, "From what Oz told us, it's Jaune's, Pyrrha's, Blake's, Weiss', and Ruby and Yang's parents. No one else."
"I mean, I'm ok with it." Simmons shrugged, "What about you guys?"
Donut was the first to reply, "I think it sounds great! We get to meet the parents!"
Then came both Doc and O'Malley, "Seems fine to me. Dito."
All eyes fell on Grif, "Sure, seems good."
Eventually everyone agreed that having the parents of RWBY and JNPR wouldn't be bad at all. They all decided that they would tell the huntsmen tomorrow during class.
POV Change: Beacon Docks
The two days had finally passed, and the Reds and Blues had told RWBY and JNPR the news. They were quite surprised at first, but overcame it and decided that it would be nice. There were some problems however, Weiss was worried about her father, Blake hadn't seen her parents in a while, Ruby was worried about her father learning about her and Caboose, and so on. But they all knew there was no turning back, and decided to go with it.
A lone bullhead made its way to Beacon and landed peacefully. Out stepped a man with blond hair that has two small strands sticking out from the top and blue eyes. His facial hair consists of a soul patch and small stubble along his jawline. On his right arm is a tattoo of his emblem, which resembles a heart. His hair was once a bright shade of gold, but in his older age, it has notably grayed somewhat - still blond, but far more subdued. He wears brown cargo shorts with a dark brown belt, black shoes, a red bandana on his left arm and a brown leather vest over a tan dress shirt with the right sleeve cut off. For armor, he wears a metal spaulder, leather vambrace and a brown fingerless glove all on his right arm.
Taiyang, Ruby and Yang's father.
"Beacon." he muttered, "Haven't seen it in years."
Beacon had changed quite a bit since enlisting the help of Chorus. Soldiers from both the Federal Army and the New Republic were walking around the complex, either to get new orders or leave for the front lines. UNSC-grade vehicles such as Warthogs, Tanks, or Pelicans were being driven on the ground or flown in the air. Makeshift bases were constructed near the Reds and Blues' compound, and other UNSC aircraft were seen flying to and from Beacon.
"Dad!" Tai turned to see Ruby and Yang running up to him
"Girls!" he shouted, as he hugged them, "So good to see you."
"Same." Yang replied, "We missed you."
Tai pulled away and finally noticed Ruby's new look, "Hey what's with the blue?"
"Oh, it's just something I came up with." Ruby replied, "Noting big."
"Alright." said Tai, "Shall we?"
"This way."
POV Change: Beacon Auditorium
Ozpin walked up to the podium, overlooking several parents and Team RWBY and JNPR. Just behind him were Reds and Blues. He noticed that the Arc family brought along several of Jaune's sisters as well. That was definitely going to be a show for the sim-troopers. Jacques also brought his wife, which was a surprise to say the least and his son, Whitley.
"Thank you all for coming." Ozpin announced, "I am pleased to see that you are all taking interest in your children's education. I can assure you all that they're quite nervous."
"That's an understatement." Simmons muttered
"Now I believe it is time for the mentors to introduce themselves." Ozpin added
The Reds and Blues looked at one another before deciding on who should be the first to speak.
Wash was the first to speak, "Uh, hi. I'm Agent Washington, or Wash for short. I'm a member of Blue Team."
"I'm Carolina, I'm one of the co-leaders of the team as a whole."
"The name's Sarge, that's Colonel Sarge for anyone in military life. I lead Red Team."
"Franklin D. Donut, member of Red Team since 2552, at your service!"
"I'm Grif, and I consider myself the lazy member of Red Team."
"Sup guys! Tucker here! I lead Blue Team."
"Hello! I am Caboose!"
"I'm Frank DuFresene, call me Doc for short."
"Hehehehehehe-agh! Oh! Excuse me! I had something in my throat."
"I'm Kai, Kai Grif. Grif's sister."
"[Lopez The Heavy.]"
"Locus."
Wash then continued, "All of your children have been excellent students, and we hope to show you all after we speak with each of you."
"Each family will be paired with two of us, and we'll speak with you about your littles kiddies progress here at Beacon."
POV Change: Donut and Doc
"So...you're Blake's parents?" Doc asked, as he sat down
"Yes." Ghira Belladonna replied, "I have been waiting to meet all of you for sometime. I'm Ghira and this is my wife Kali."
"Pleasure to meet you both!" Donut said to them, "We would like to say that Blake has been an excellent student! Good grades, eagerness to answer questions in class, and a talented fighter."
"That's great to hear." Kali replied, "I'm so glad that Blake has been safe."
The two sim-troopers looked at one another before Doc spoke up, "Well, Beacon is one of the safest places on Remnant."
"No." Kali chuckled, "I mean we haven't seen here in a very long time."
"What!?" both Doc and Donut shouted
"It's true." Ghira explained, "She left with the White Fang years ago."
"Well, we know Blake used to be in the White Fang, until she became disillusioned with their methods." Doc muttered
"Especially after the breach in Vale." Ghira added, "Such a tragedy."
Donut looked at him, "You seem to have a...relationship with the White Fang."
"As a matter of fact I do." Ghira explained, "I was it's founder. I created the White Fang and a peaceful activist movement. After awhile I left, and someone more...radical took over."
"Geez." Doc muttered, "Talk about backstabbing."
"Sienna Khan may be radical, and is willing to use violence." Ghira continued, "But she does have a code of honor. Sienna knows what fights she can win and not win. But Adam Taurus' involvement in the breach has left a black mark on her and the White Fang as a whole."
"Which is why we have been working round-the-clock to remove the remaining Adam-loyalists in Vale." Donut replied, "Which brings us to our last question…"
POV Change: Jacques Schnee
Jacques stood within the halls of Beacon, conversing with both Ironwood and Ozpin.
"Both of you are overstepping your respective boundaries." Jacques sneered, "The councils will not accept the actions you have made!"
"Actually the councils approved our cooperation with the Reds and Blues." Ozpin retorted, "Perhaps it is you who must watch your boundaries."
"How dare you speak to me that way!" Jacques shouted, "Things will change, and you won't even know it. Let me ask you both a question. What will you do, when you lose everything?"
Both headmasters looked at one another before looking back at the elder Schnee.
"What do you mean?" Ironwood asked
"Before these colourful jackasses showed up out of nowhere. Both of you were looked at with awe. The whole world looked at each other in awe! But now, these radicals in armor have made everyone in Remnant look at one another in disgust! They now hold more power than Atlas and Vale combined! Two of your best huntsmen teams in training under their influence. Your power is slowly dwindling, so let me ask you...what will you do, when that power is gone?"
Ozpin looked down, deep in thought. But was interrupted when the door to one of the meeting rooms opened, and standing there was Tucker.
"Jacques, it's time we talked." Tucker said to him
Jacques looked at him, "Very well."
He then walked inside and the door shut behind him ominously. Tucker sat down, and looked at him. Wash was right next to him.
"If you were thinking that this was simply a parent-teacher conference, you were wrong." Tucker said to him, "Think of it more as an interrogation."
"I had a feeling you people would try to get information from me." Jacques muttered as he went for the door, "But it won't work."
"You're not going anywhere Jacques." said Wash
Jacques turned and glared at him, "And why is that?"
"Because that tie was yours looks really expensive...and I hate to mess it up."
Jacques looked down at his tie and noticed a red laser pointer on it. He then looked up at the ex-freelancer and noticed a pistol in his hand
"Very well." Jacques grunted, "Let's get this over with, shall we?"
POV Change: Grif
"So...Grif is it?" Tai asked
"That's me." Grif replied, "Yang told me alot about you. So the guys put me in charge of this meeting."
"I see." Tai muttered, "Has Yang been doing well?"
Grif shrugged, "Yeah, she's fine. Could work on her homework a bit more often. But let's not focus on her right now."
Tai looked at him funny, "Then what do we talk about?"
"I wanna know about Raven." Grif replied, which caught Tai off guard
"How do you know about her?" Tai demanded
"We met her." Grif explained, "Didn't really hit it off very well. Oz told us the rest."
"The rest of what?" Tai questioned
Grif gave him a knowing look.
"...He told you didn't he?" Tai muttered
"Everything." Grif replied
Tai got a little worried, "Does Yang-"
"Hell no." Grif cut him off, "Didn't tell her or the others. Highly doubt we'll ever will."
Tai sighed heavily in relief before speaking, "If Ozpin is looking for help, I'm sorry I can't help."
"He isn't." Grif assured him, "We're just looking for Raven."
"What exactly does Raven want from you?" Tai asked
"I don't think she wants anything from us." Grif replied, "She wants something to do with me."
"You?" Tai muttered
"She formed a bond with me." Grif explained, "Her semblance allows her to-"
"Teleport to any location someone she made a bond with." Tai cut him off, "But why is Raven interested in you?"
"Because of Yang." Grif replied, "She and I have been friends, work together well, puns up the yin-yang."
"I see." Tai chuckled
"During the breach, I saw Raven. She told me to watch over Yang." Grif continued, "
"So what do you want to know about Raven?"
"Anything." Grif said to him, "What she was like before leaving, a location, anything."
"Well…" Tai muttered, "Raven always had this straightforward approach and saw strength as all-important in a fight, traits that Yang definitely inherited. She was ambitious and gave her all to whatever cause she saw as just while acknowledging she had unspecified faults, ones that eventually led to our team's disbandment. Raven was once a braver, more idealistic and less selfish woman before leaving her teammates, family, and huntress life behind."
"Hmm…" Grif muttered, "Well she's definitely not like that anymore."
"As for a location…" Tai continued, "...I don't know...but I know someone who can help."
"Who?" Grif asked
"Qrow." Tai answered, "Raven's brother, I had him scout out the areas Raven leads raids on. I could have him send you the area they were, and then you guys can do the rest."
"I think that'll work." Grif replied, "Now there's just one more question…"
POV Change: Sarge
"So…" Sarge muttered, "You're Whitley?"
"Yes, and it's a pleasure to finally meet the heroes of Vale." Whitley replied bowing, "Father has said many things about you."
"Hmm, I bet he has." Sarge muttered, "Hey, where's your mother sonny?"
"I do not know." Whitley replied, "She was here before you showed up. Said she had to do something."
"I see…" Sarge muttered, "I'll uh, be right back."
Srge then left the room and walked down the hall, calling Willow's name to see if she was nearby by.
"Hello! Ms. Schnee! Anybody!?"
"Geez, keep it down Sarge." Doc said to him in the hallway
"Doc." Sarge muttered, "I see you finished your meeting with Blake's parents."
"Yep." Doc replied, "Donut going through the rest with them. How's your meeting Weiss' mother going?"
"Not well." Sarge answered, "She's not there, I got to meet the son though. Spitting image of Jacques to say the least."
"Ugh, I want to shoot him already." O'Malley muttered
"Come on guys." Doc said to them, "Deep breaths."
"How 'bout deep bullets!" O'Malley shouted, "Through the eyes! Out through the cerebral cortex!"
"O'Malley!" Doc shouted, "That's not really nice."
"Shut up, it's the appropriate amount of nice." O'Maley hissed
The duo and a half then heard a sound coming from a nearby door. Sarge opened it slightly, and noticed someone inside. It was Willow.
"Ah ha!" Sarge shouted, "There you are-what the!?"
Nearly half of the room was trashed, empty bottles, and cans were everywhere. Willow was nearby a liquor cabinet.
"What in the Sam Hill Adams and Jack Daniels is going on in here!?" Sarge shouted
"I'm sorry!" Willow stuttered, "I shouldn't have-"
"Going through Grif's liquor stash!" Sarge cut her off, "Brilliant! I always knew there was a way to get back at the dirtbag for eating my pizza! Though it looks like you beat me to it."
"I see…" Willow muttered, raising a half empty bottle of alcohol
"Wait." Doc said to her taking the bottle from her
"You're right." Willow muttered, "I'm sorry, I got carried away."
"Willow…" Doc muttered, "This is rubbing alcohol."
Sarge looked at Doc before looking back at Willow.
The Schnee woman sighed, "So it is…"
"You ok?" Sarge asked her
Willow tried to brush them off, "It's nothing."
"It's Jacques, isn't it?" Doc asked her, "Heartless marriage."
"Sort of." Willow muttered, "Only wants the family name...all for himself. Pushed Weiss and Winter away, now me and Whitley are his victims. He talks about you guys by the way, in a rather unfriendly way."
Sarge and Doc nodded lightly, and it was then that Willow stood up and looked at them.
"You're interrogating him, aren't you?"
"More or less." Sarge replied
"Then I will help you." Willow said to them, "I have something that you might want."
Doc and Sarge looked at one another before looking at Willow.
"What is Jacques plan to stop us?"
POV Change: Jacques Schnee
Jacques walked through the halls of Beacon before finding Willow and Whitley waiting for him.
"Good." Jacques said to them sternly, "Let's get out of this awful place."
"Father, you seem agitated." said Whitley
"Well, you know how those colourful idiots can get to you." Jacques sighed in frustration
Willow smirked slightly, "They seemed fine to me."
Jacques stopped in his tracks and glared at her, "Did I say you could talk?"
Suddenly, the doors to either side of the hall closed. The Schnees looked around and noticed Tucker leaning against the wall.
"Leaving so soon Jacques." Tucker muttered
"If you're here for anymore Lavernius, you're wrong." Jacques sneered at him
"Don't bother." Tucker replied, "We got what we needed."
"What are you talking about?" Jacques growled, until he noticed Willow smirking again. He returned and glared at her.
"What did you do?" he snarled at her
"What I had to do." Willow replied
"You…" Jacques raised his hand, about to slap her
"Don't." Sarge interjected, pointing a gun at Jacques head
"Mind telling us now." Tucker questioned him
Jacques sighed in frustration, "Your little reformist ideas were seen as an 'excellent idea' by the Council. So, instead of just doing the ones you recommended. They are going to the extreme: an impromptu election for a new seat on the Atlas Council."
"So that's your plan." Sarge muttered, "Get a seat, and assert your dominance."
"And once I have the Council at my side, I'll pull Atlas out of your Coalition." Jacques ended
"Good luck with that." Tucker muttered, "Get him out of my sight."
The Schnees then left for the dockyard, and departed on their personal bullhead.
POV Change: The Reds and Blues
"God dammit!" Simmon groaned, "That was terrifying!"
"Simmons." Jaune sighed, "They were just my sisters."
"I couldn't keep my composure!" the maroon soldier shouted, "They were all over me!"
"What about you guys?" Jaune asked Kai and Carolina, "You guys were good?"
"Yep." Kai replied, "Pyrrha's parents were nice, a little worried at the fact that she wasn't a team leader. But not so bad."
Ozpin then walked up to everyone, "I see everyone's here?"
"Uh, yep." Grif replied, "Everyone is."
"Then I believe it is time for you to show them your surprise." Ozpin said to them
The Reds and Blues looked at one another before walking away. RWBY and JNPR looked on before looking at Ozpin, who simply gestured for them to follow. The huntsmen followed the Reds and Blues, who entered a room before closing the door. Curious, RWBY and JNPR entered but noticed that their friends weren't inside.
"Where'd they go?" Weiss asked
"Guys!" Nora shouted, "That's odd."
"Look at this." Ruby muttered, catching everyone's attention. She was standing over a small pedestal with a lone button on it.
"A button?" Blake questioned, "Weird."
"What's it do?" Pyrrha asked no one
"I don't know, but it's big and red, and I wanna push it!" Nora exclaimed, ready to do just that
"Nora, no." Ren sighed
BEEP
All eyes fell on Weiss.
"What?" she questioned, "I wasn't gonna wait any longer."
Suddenly, eight floor tiles started to lift off the ground, revealing several stalls. Each presented a suit of armor similar to the Reds and Blues. The first four bore the initials 'RWBY' in place of the original 'UNSC' initials. On each right shoulder held the standard symbol for the Reds and Blues: a spartan helmet color red and blue. The first armor was color black with red accents, Ruby's emblem on the left shoulder, and a silver visor. The second was white with light blue accents, Weiss' emblem on the left shoulder, and a cobalt visor. The third was lavender with black accents, Blake's emblem on the left shoulder, two objects that appeared to look like cat ears on the helmet, and a yellow visor. Finally, the last one was yellow with brown and black accents, Yang's emblem on the left shoulder, and a purple visor.
The last four suits had the initials 'JNPR' on them in place of 'UNSC'. Just like the Reds and Blues, and the first four suits. They had the RvB emblem on the right shoulder as well. The first suit was white with gold accents, Jaune's logo on the left shoulder, and a dark blue visor. The second was pink with navy blue accents, Nora's visor, and a teal visor. The third was bronze with red accents, Pyrrha's emblem, and a green visor. The last one was green with magenta accents, Ren's emblem, and a pink visor.
"Whoa." Ruby muttered, "This is cool."
"Ditto." Nora muttered
"Just so we're clear." Carolina announced from the doorway. With all the other Reds and Blues standing with her, "We better not see any scratches on those when you use them."
"...I don't understand…" Weiss replied, "Who are these for?
Sarge chuckled, "Haha! Weiss you crazy gal! They're for you guys!"
"It's about time you guys got armor of you own." Tucker added
"I guess we're just trying to say: RWBY and JNPR. welcome to the Reds and Blues." said Grif
The huntsmen looked at the armor with surprise, knowing that they would have a hell of a time in them. Ozpin was standing in the door, happy with them before he walked away back to his office. As he did so, his smile faded, and a single phrase started to play in his mind.
"What will you do, when that power is gone?"
And that phrase stayed with him as he walked away...
So yeah, RWBY and JNPR now have their own armor! The Reds and Blues got to meet the parents as well! Sorry of there was appearance from Jaune and Pyrrha's parents. They will appear later down the road though!