Episode 4:
"Torn Polaroid"
Barchi nafshi et Yodea,
Yodea Elohay gadalta meod
Hod ve'hedar lavashta
Oteh orkasalma~
O'
Hod ve'hedar lavashta
Oteh orkasalma~*
Ruby stared intently at the singing Faunus. She was ignored by everyone else, but Ruby didn't quite understand why. Her voice was so beautiful. She was on the old side, but her singing, though the young Apprentice-Huntress didn't understand the words, was quite good. Ruby enjoyed it, staring blissfully at the woman, a few feet away. The Faunus had scraggly wolf ears, and her eyes were a piercing brown. They stared into Ruby's soul, as both women stared into each other, the Faunus singing while the Human watched.
Oteh shaman kayrie
Hamkare ba'maim aliyotav
Hasam avim rechuvo
Hamehalech al kanfey reach~!*
Ruby didn't quite notice Yang walking up to her, holding aloft two tickets and a suitcase in her other hand. Looking at Yang, she saw her violet gaze land on the Faunus with… Distrust. Not the same disgust many watched the Faunus with while passing her and Ruby, but a form of suspicion.
Ruby resisted the urge to smack her up the head, but out of kindness, turned and continued to listen to the Faunus singing. As the Faunus continued, Yang idly pulled out her wallet. Out came three Creole, and Yang marched up to the upturned hat on the floor in front of the Faunus woman. Depositing the money, Yang took Ruby by the hand.
"H-hey! I was listening!"
"No time, train's leaving." Yang said, clearly lying. The train was still docked, ready to get on its merry way to Hyperion. With a special stop, of course. They had seven minutes tops.
Ruby nonetheless waved goodbye to the singer, who watched her leave with a smile, waving back, before continuing with her song when out of ear shot and mind. Ruby grumbled quietly, checking her pockets and suitcase as they both walked side by side. They soon reached the train and hopped in walking toward the front carts and took their seats in a booth-like department, with a table between two facing sofa-like seats as their spots in the cart.
Putting their suitcases in the above compartment, Ruby smiled, looking out through the window. She had never been this far in Gaillas, and now she was leaving the country as a whole! It was exciting, but not as exciting as working as an Apprentice to her sister! Looking at Yang, her sister had a more controlled gaze.
Ruby gave her some flak, of course.
Indeed, Yang was trained. Not only older than her half-sister, Yang was also skilled and experienced working as a Mercenary. The Xiao Long family have always been Mercenaries. Their father had also fought alongside Uncle Crow in the Aurorian War. A darker chapter in their past, but their legacy nonetheless.
Now Qrow was gone, as always. And their father was dead, much like Ruby's mother. And Yang's mother, Qrow's twin sister, was nowhere to be seen.
Yang caught Ruby's gaze, frowning, but then smirking.
"Don't tell me I have something in my hair."
That's another thing, Ruby thought, smiling and shaking her head. Yang's hair had gotten shorter. In her youth, as far as Ruby could remember, Yang had always worn it out, almost down to her backside. But now, it barely reached past her shoulders, and it was somewhat curly, able to be pushed out of her face, and flowed in combed down clumps, rather than the wild and long locks of hair she used to have.
Her uniform was different, too. Yang had always worn yellows, much like Ruby was wearing a lot of red and black, right now. But Yang was wearing a common outfit amongst Merc Hunters- a brown, thick coat. It could hide weapons, and someone's true armor underneath. Aura was great and all, but it couldn't protect you from a sniper shot. The brown coat had its neck able to be closed over Yang's mouth, and it had a spot that Ruby had noticed where a hood could be hooked up.
Merc Hunters always acted as the red right hands of wealthy men in Atlas or Gaillas.
It was just how it is. It was still an honorable job, and the Xiao Long family had a very, very long legacy of doing both dirty and honorable work for Humans against Humans… Or Faunus.
Ruby tried to push those thoughts away. Smiling, Ruby then enjoyed the ride, watching as the station passed away, the train tumbling down the railway tracks and onwards out into the countryside, passing small towns hugging the railway, where it stopped at times to take on or deposit passengers and some cargo.
After around four hours of driving, Ruby had grown a bit tired. It was entering evening, and another stop was coming up. Yang had fallen asleep, and Ruby had almost, until they were rudely roused by the sudden clap of boots against the train's floor.
Peeking out of the window, Ruby saw a procession of various Guards, amongst them both Gaillas uniforms and, what seemed to be, white Atlan uniforms. They marched in, and one soldier made a beeline for their cart. He had a rifle shouldered, the usual mustache of a service man and the cap of an Infantry Guard. He tipped it in greeting, before stopping by them.
"Papers."
Ruby blinked, before acting fast. She kicked Yang, who swung her fist into the air, gurgling out words as if she were drunk, before concentrating her gaze up at the soldier, blinking. The man was a bit spooked, one of his hands already having gone to his rifle, but Yang swiftly peeled her coat open and pulled out two tickets, as well as visas.
"Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose-Xiao Long. Sisters, half. Father is Taiyang Xiao Long. I'm a Huntress in service of-"
"The Schnee Mining and Armaments Company."
Ruby blinked as Yang froze up and grumbled. The soldier, dropping the papers, turned and saluted someone. The soft spoken voice entered, at her back another guard, also saluting and giving her and someone else a way past him.
A girl with a long braid of white, deathly pale hair and stark blue eyes entered, holding herself aloft very aristocratically. Indeed, she seemed like a noble. Ruby had the sudden motive to curtsey in front of her, but didn't do so, following Yang's lead, who was frowning up at her.
"Weiss."
"Miss Xiao Long, what a pleasure to see you again, which I am sure is for you, too." The woman, named Weiss, smiled cleanly, but her lips did not reach her eyes. Ruby found that weird, but this Weiss girl seemed okay. Ruby extended her hand, smiling, before it was stopped. Ruby winced at her hand and thought one of the soldiers had snatched her wrist, but when she looked at the arm, it was as if a shadow had taken it. Wearing a tuxedo, a woman with long, black hair and piercingly yellow eyes was staring Ruby down.
"Oh my, Blake, please, she was simply giving me her hand!" Weiss said, chuckling as if Ruby's wrist wasn't being squeezed right now. Ruby was muttering 'ow' over and over and Yang was looking on impressed.
"Hey, kitty cat." Yang said, smirking at the girl named Blake. As she let go, the silent Blake simply nodded and went back to being a shadow. Weiss extended her hand, as Ruby rubbed her wrist.
Blake simply glared back at Yang as Ruby slowly shook hands with Weiss. The white haired girl's gaze was kind, her grasp and form regal, her words precise and her dress quite modest, but still decadently adorned with various gems, embroidment and fine silk, as well as fur for keeping her warm.
"Ruby Rose."
"Oh, you're Yang's sister?"
"Yup. That's me." Ruby smiled, though had taken on a shy exterior toward the conversation. Yang scooted over, begrudgingly, as Weiss took her seat.
"I suppose your sister knows of our arrangements?"
The cocking of Ruby's head to the side like a dog made evident that she did not. Blake was staring off elsewhere as Weiss, looking at Yang expectedly, waited. Yang sighed, shaking her head.
"I took her on as my lawful apprentice. She's young, but she's going to stay with me, and help me guard you."
"I see…" Weiss then seemed to size Ruby up, and Ruby could only smile, but behind that visage, Rose was thinking to herself. So Yang was Weiss' bodyguard- but this contract was recent. What else did Yang do in Hyperion?
"Madam Schnee, the train shall depart in two minutes." one of the soldiers said, and Weiss bowed her head in appreciation for his efforts. He then walked out of the compartment and into another cart. So her surname was Schnee? Ruby felt like she had heard it from somewhere, or someone. And she had an inclination it was from her father.
After a while, silence ruled the compartment as the train continued its way into Atlas. Blake finally sat down at the insistence of her mistress and Yang was drooling, but her pose suggested that she was aware of her surroundings. Ruby sighed, as she couldn't sleep yet, as Weiss and Blake began to nap in silence, their forms regal. Fidgeting, Ruby looked outside the window, as hours passed.
Darkness took the land, and both gas and electric lights passed them, illuminating her face at times. In the shadows of the night, she pulled out a torn polaroid, looking at it. Its upper lip's left side was torn, breaking across the surface of an image of six people.
In truth, Ruby hadn't come to be an apprentice of Yang's. Ruby was already fairly well trained. What Ruby was looking for was the goal that she had set up for herself in her father's dying moments. Taiyang Xiao Long, on his deathbed, consoled Ruby Rose, and told her the truth. That amongst the four Hunters within the polaroid before her, the one who's face had been half-torn, his arm around a woman sharing the face of Ruby and wearing a white cloak, was her father.
Ruby was going to find Qrow Branwen.
Hot.
It was too hot.
He was here again.
Opening his eye, he sat up, dark clothes scrounging against the dirt and sand, as well as the glass. The heat, like a furnace, burned against his skin. The maelstrom of fire beside him was a lot to handle, but adrenaline pushed him forward. But he knew the truth about all of this:
He was just reliving a terrible memory.
Standing up, he grasped the open wound within the side of his body. Clutching his right side with his left palm, he dived for his blade, a Mistralan style daichi, passed down to him from his father. A great man, a good man. He felt searing pain on his upper right, and without his eyepatch, the iris of his left, blind eye burned at the expulsion of heat and light so near him. Stumbling forward, he walked over the bodies of his comrades, all wearing the same, white sash that he wore.
He had to keep moving, he told himself. He knew why, but didn't say why. He just knew. Now trying his best to jog, he reached his target, one of the dying of his men. A man wearing a red sash, a uniform of a distant army. A commissar. He didn't know his name, he couldn't remember.
"Are you alright?" he asked the shot man, who coughed.
"You have to… continue the attack… Or else Nikos…"
"I know." he didn't. This was a memory he couldn't remember needing a reason to remember. He was confused, but he spoke, nonetheless.
"I'm sorry I didn't see it in your way…"
"Don't worry about me, comrade," the man coughed up blood "what matters is saving this damn city… before the madman follows through… With Havil… Dammit… He'll plunge this country… into… into…" the blond commissar's blue eyes widened, before he froze up and went limp. He sighed, taking his Mistral Star of Lionheart and pocketing it. Closing the deadman's eyelids, herose up.
Turning, however, was met by an unexpected sight.
The click of a revolver stopped him.
Behind a blond-headed young man, with azure eyes and a growing mustache, men, much like he, dressed in black and with black armbands and steel combat helmets aimed their weapons at him. He came to a stop and sneered. He knew this man, but couldn't remember him…
What was going on?
"You," He growled through the pain, despite himself, knowing who he was. It was him. Who?
What's going on?
"Put down the sword, Adam. Surrender. You're finished." distant firefights joined into the chorus of the man's echoing voice, as he clutched the daichi's hilt. "You'll have to make me, dog."
The black coated man sneered back, scoffing. "The only animal I see is you."
Unleashing his daichi and sprinting forward, he roared, before the revolver fired and Adam awoke, clutching at his heart. Both of his eyes opened, blinking rapidly. He was alone, the slow dripping of cold moisture echoing in the room. It was like a clock. In fact, it was the next best thing in the hideout.
Looking around, Adam understood where he was. Below the greatest city in Human history. He was Adam Taurus. Alive, undamaged… And not understanding what he had seen. In fact, that dream was happening too many times than he'd like. Brushing a hand through his red mane of hair, he ran another across his face, breathing in deeply and sighing.
His gaze turned left, to the outline of a naked, sleeping Ilia, her olive chest rising and falling, her hands clutching her pillow. His second in command, as always, was with him. It had first started as a consolation of all the horrors they had seen in the White Fang underground railroad. The cruelty of mankind. But, in fact, it soon came as a way to relieve stress, and keep each other safe at night.
Safe from their nightmares.
Though their methods differed, the White Fang stood its ground against the FLA's ways. Against the anger of Humanity. Against the righteous anger of all Faunus. Adam rose from his bed, and walked over to the mirror beside his bed.
Running a hand along his left eye, Adam stared into his own soul.
He was Adam Taurus, and he would save the Faunus from death. With never spilling blood- neither that of Humans or Faunus.
He wouldn't make the mistakes of his father.
*-The Jewish Psalm 104 in song form