A/N: Hi there. This chapter was really stubborn. I had a little bit of writer's block, but I pushed through gracelessly. Anywho, thank you for continuing to read this. (I made a quick edit to fix some things that Firealis pointed out. Thank you)
-Firealis- I am glad that no one is upset with Roux. What you said about Jay facing the same decision. I love it; I can't say if it would fit, but it is an amazing idea.
-LifeisBeautiful17- Yes, Roux is going through a lot at the moment. But as you said, she hasn't fallen too far and she could easily make her way back.
-Arteyst - Thank you so much for your review. I was going to have the group move on, but they didn't really have a direction to go. That is honestly what confused me to no end is getting the group from Nullah to where Roux and Oriole are.
-Hofund- The first sentence made me laugh. Yes, pointy sticks and pitchforks certainly make things differently. I am glad that the lack of drama was a pleasant surprise. When drafting the reveal, it was going to be a big deal, but it changed into something different.
Oriole could feel her stomach twist uncomfortably. If it wasn't so empty she would have vomited. They were hours away from Glen. She could see the walls from where she sat. If she squinted, she could probably see people entering and leaving its safety. The princess could feel a pair of eyes on her; the gaze didn't feel hostile, so she knew exactly who was looking at her. She turned to face Roux who was tending to the horse they were riding moments ago. She brushed the beast's mane slowly with a brush the same color as her aura. The Faunus looked at Oriole, meeting her gaze only to turn away quickly. Her ears twitched on her head. Oriole looked away as well; she could feel shame in her stomach. She knew that she wasn't the best company and the other must hate her for it. Roux must hate her for crying in the middle of the night or practically screaming her brother's name after a nightmare. The Faunus probably thought she was pathetic; she had lost her siblings too. Oriole tightened her hold on the handkerchief in her hands. She couldn't remember when she had taken it out. It was something that had become more common in the last two days as they traveled. The princess had pulled out the cloth without thinking and twisting it in her hands. The blood stains on the material were brown and blue and orange stitching was starting to become loose, the wings of the birds becoming more wide with the twisting. The princess stopped the motion, letting her hands drop to her lap. "Roux," she called out to the Faunus, looking up from her hands. Her voice was rough from lack of use or perhaps from her cry this morning.
The other girl turned to face the princess though she wouldn't quite meet her eyes that were probably red and puffy. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, her ears twitching. The Faunus lowered the brush in her hand letting it shatter like an aura break.
"No, not really. I was just wondering if after we get your brother, that we can look for Jay. I want to give him a proper burial," Oriole blinked back tears as her voice betrayed her. She twisted the handkerchief in her hand. She stopped her hands, letting go of the handkerchief that she was slowly ruining. Roux looked down to the ground, her own blue eyes watery. The Faunus looked at the wrinkled handkerchief.
She gave the princess a broken smile. "Of course," she responded, "After we get my brother." Her tone was stilted and odd; it reminded Oriole of the days in court when she was younger. It was a tone only used when the truth was too painful or the speaker thought she couldn't handle it.
"You don't believe that," she muttered looking to the walls of Glen. She couldn't see the flinch the other girl did at those words. "You're just saying that to make me feel better," she pulled her knees to her chest. "You think that we won't find him or if we do, the animals or Grimm would have gotten to him first. There wouldn't be anything to be buried."
"Eww. Oriole. That is really morbid," Roux said before sighing, "Let's not think about that right now. You will make yourself sick by doing so." Oriole could feel a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Roux squatting in front of her. The Faunus held a piece of bread in her hand. "Eat something," she insisted. Oriole took the bread from her hand and kept watch at the walled city in the distance.
Her eyes narrowed as a dark shape grew larger as it galloped down the road. "Someone is coming," Oriole warned getting to her feet quickly. Roux nodded slowly reaching out to grab the other's arm. It kept the princess in the spot as the shape grew more defined. It was a large man on a horse. Oriole turned to look at the Faunus who watched as the man stopped in front of them.
Roux lowered her head to the man as he dismounted. The princess gave her a disbelieving look. Why would she show respect to this strange man. Oriole narrowed her eyes at the large man who gave her a wide smile. The look made her shiver and she wanted to get far away, but with Roux's hand on her arm she couldn't move. "Who is this?" Oriole asked, feeling panic making her heart race as he neared her. The man stepped heavily in front of the two girls. He looked at Roux with disinterest to stand in front of Oriole. The girl shuttered as he scanned her up and down.
"The Princess of Dale," the man stated as he put his hand on her chin to force her to look into his face. He was so close that she could smell him. She gagged and wrinkled her nose. The girl tried to flinch, but he tightened his fingers. He turned her head side to side, humming pleased. She could feel her stomach turn at the way he looked at her; it was like she was a piece of meat. "Good Job, Roux. I am surprised that you actually succeeded." He finally released her face to look at the other girl.
"What are you talking about?" Oriole asked, looking to Roux, "What is he saying?" The Faunus wasn't looking at her. "Roux," she asked, her voice was bordering on begging.
The two ignored the girl. "Am I free to go?" Roux asked the man.
He laughed heartily. "Of course, you are free to find the other mutts." Roux raised her gaze to glare at the man. She turned to give Oriole a sad smile.
"I had to do it," Roux said, "I am sorry." The Faunus's ears lowered to her skull. Oriole narrowed her gaze at the girl. She could feel anger boil in her blood. She didn't know where it came from; just earlier today she was despondent. She had woken up feeling as though life wasn't living, but now being examined like a piece of livestock. Roux looked away from the orange- haired girl activated her semblance so the Faunus would look at her.
"I won't forget this," Oriole state with a firm voice.
The man who held her laughed, "You actually thought this beast a friend? I heard the citizens' of Dale were naive with their treatment of Faunus but this is too much." Oriole was pulled away from the other girl and toward the horse he had dismounted. The tug was enough to disrupt her semblance, releasing the Faunus from Oriole's attention-grabbing power. Roux turned around and mounted her own horse.
Oriole tried to twist from her captor's hold. He moved his hands around her ribs to hoist her onto his horse. The man mounted behind her and held her tight against the horse's neck. The man turned the horse back to Glen while Roux turned in the opposite direction. The princess tried to look around the man behind her to watch the Faunus trot away. She sighed to look toward the city that the pair were now riding to. "What are you going to do to me?" she asked.
The man laughed again, "I heard that years ago that the sons of Glen were looking for a bride." Oriole gagged remembering the proposal that she received what felt like ages ago. It was something she had ignored and forgotten about and now it had resurfaced once again.
RWBY~RWBY~RWBY
Shiloh walked silently beside the prince as he walked in the streets of Nullah. She didn't look at the movement around her, focusing on his steady blue aura. The various auras of the citizens crowded the streets making everything a rainbow of colors that swirled in twisting and dizzyingly wafts. She kept her gaze on the blue shape that paused to speak with various citizens. She could see his aura darken and brighten when faced with little clues from one citizen or dismissal from another. She could tell from his aura that the joy that he felt a day before was starting to fade into anxiety. His blue aura was twisting and rolling, darker than when he had run to the group with a grin on his face. The girl had felt differently, momentarily thinking that their mission was fated to fail. She would never tell him that; she couldn't break his heart like that.
"Shiloh, I am in need of advice," the prince admitted as they left the city behind to return to their camp. While lost in thought, the pair left the bright colors of the town and the people's auras. Jay still stood out amongst the colors of the grass and trees.
"I will give you any that I have to give," she replied. The prince stopped walking to give the girl his full attention. He must be choosing his words carefully or perhaps he was deciding how vulnerable his next words would make him.
"I am uncertain on how to continue my search for Oriole," Jay admitted, his silloute looked away from her. "We have no idea where she has left from here and if rumors are true she might have already been freed by this Faunus friend of hers," Jay started. "Should I turn home and hope that she returns back to Dale?"
Shiloh hummed to herself, "Would you be satisfied with returning home without more proof than rumors? I don't believe you would be satisfied till you see her for yourself."
"You're right of course. What would you suggest that I do?" his soft voice asked.
The blind girl thought for a moment, "Let's stay here for another day. Maybe there will be rumors on her whereabouts." The pair continued their short trek,stopping when they were in front of the campfire the group had built the night before.
Shiloh could see Asher's colorful aura. It was bright as always. He waved her forward and she left Jay's side. She settled beside him as she looked around their encampment. "Where's Robin and Tanya?" she asked not seeing their auras.
Asher shrugged, making the motion obvious to her aura sight. "I think they wanted some time before Jay came back," his voice sounded like he was frowning. "How was your trip into town? Any news?"
Shiloh shook her head, "There's nothing yet. I fear that fate may not being on our side."
Asher pfted, "Fat, Smate. If there is no news here, we will have to find it somewhere else? We all come from such different places. If we send letters to anyone we know back home, maybe we can find her."
Shiloh smiled, "That is not a bad idea."
"I do get those from time to time," Asher joked, elbowing her side.
"Yes, fate does grace everyone once and awhile," Shiloh quipped back. The two giggled to each other. "Let's gather the others and send those letters before the sun sets."
RWBY~RWBY~RWBY
Asher held his quill above the parchment. He looked around the encampment and could see the others finishing their letters. Shiloh was speaking with Salken who was penning the letter with another at his side. Robin did as well; the group had decided that his people would be the best to contact Dale.
They were waiting for him. He narrowed his green eyes at the empty parchment. He wanted to help Jay that much he knew without a doubt. He didn't want to write to his brothers or father, but they were the most logical choice. Given their positions, they would know everything that is happening, but that would be reforging that broken connection. Asher sighed, putting quill to parchment.
The formal speech flowed easily from the tip of his quill. It was natural like breathing. He paused as he closed his letter. He wrote the name quickly. The dark ink stared back at him. Emir Verbena. He held the letter closer to his body, leaning over it to protect it from prying eyes. He watched as the ink dried before rolling it up. He tied it with the twine that was passed out to everyone. He stood up, stretching his stiff legs. He padded slowly to the prince who was holding an armful of scrolls. The dark-haired teen set his own letter on the precarious pile with a grin. It didn't quite reach his eyes but the prince did not notice. The blue-haired teen returned the gesture.
"Let's hope that someone has seen her," Asher said.
"Let's hope," Jay responded with a nod of his head. He turned to Robin and Tanya. The two Faunus's ears twitched forward waiting for him to speak. "Robin can you gather more firewood? Tanya can you cook the fish you caught earlier today?" Robin's ears folded back to lay almost flat, but Jay was already turning back to Nullah.