I have no words, just know that I gave it my best shot.
RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth
Lady Moonlight would smile slightly as she watched the young couple hold each other in the darkness of a ruined dorm room, sighing happily as she lowered the night vision goggles she had bought prior to her infiltrating Beacon's walls. "A pity, I figured he would follow his father's example and traipse around in the rose garden. Though I suppose intelligence could skip a generation." The silver-haired woman would smirk as she felt the edge of cold steel upon the back of her neck once again.
"Both of my nieces are too good for your little mutt." Qrow would grit his teeth as he kept his sword planted grimly against the cloaked woman, his red eyes metaphorically burning holes through the back of her skull. "Now why don't you finally be a decent parent and hit the skids with him?"
"Nieces?" With a quiet smirk Lady would quickly roll forward and fire a few shots with her Dust Pistol, before removing her cloak and drawing the double-sided glaive she had been using since her own days as a Huntress. "You said Nieces, plural. Yet only one of them resembles Summer." She would pause to block Qrow's slash before starting to push him back, the gears in her head meticulously working as she compared the blonde girl who was embracing her son at that very moment to the one person who pissed her off more than her late husband did.
"It's not adding up here my fine, feathered antagonist. And from what I remember of that dullard Taiyang, he didn't strike me as the type to just sleep with a stranger!" Lady would wince as she felt his blade strike her arm and leave a very annoying gash, causing her to take a step back and take stock of the situation before her. "I suppose this is what I get for multitasking during a scrap, especially when the answer seems disturbingly obvious." She would sidestep Qrow's attack, leaning in to sniff the air around the man with a disgusted scowl. "Really, cheap rum doesn't suit someone of your caliber you dirty birdie!"
Qrow would growl in annoyance and continue to press the attack, even as Lady simply danced and sashayed around him while swaying her hips with a cheeky smile. "Hmph, it's pathetic how you pretend to be this pretty young thing when we both know that no man will take you after seeing that hideous scar on your face!" The black-haired man would smirk as the woman snarled and started slashing at him recklessly, blocking her strikes with ease before sidestepping another slash with a flourish before ending with an 'Olé'.
"Seems to me like I stepped on a nerve there woman, now you know how it feels when you mock someone close to your heart!" He would smirk and ready his sword for another rush when he finally heard her soft laughter beginning to grow into a maniacal cackle, which stopped abruptly before giving the Signal instructor a cold smile.
"So tell me Qrow, just how is Raven doing these days?"
"What the hell were you thinking going after him by yourself, you could've been killed you idiot!" The glaive of Marigold Amaranth would clang loudly against the familiar steel of Raven Branwen's sword, the silver-haired amazon would snarl as the masked female barely had to move in order to deflect her attacks. "You people don't know these deserts like we do-" Mari would go silent as she found the woman's sword leveled at her throat, a flash of red being seen through the eyes of the mask as she felt the tension amongst her fellow tribes-women.
"What's there to know, we're stuck in a giant sandbox Hunting for some bureaucratic weasel instead of hunting down Grimm! We're Huntsman dammit, not the Council's bounty hunters!" Raven would grit her teeth behind her mask as she looked around at the circle of women surrounding them, each of them holding a different but peculiar kind of weapon ranging from chakrams to slingshots armed with blast and ice Dust crystals.
It hadn't been the first time Qrow had seen the two women at one another's throats; it had been an unfortunate happening for him since Team STRQ had encountered the tribe of female nomads. But ever since their first meeting in the deserts of Vacuo over a month ago during the course of a mission to hunt down a diplomatic fugitive from Vale, only to have the Vacuan team accompanying them mysteriously called away on a different mission entirely and leaving STRQ to wander the deserts of Vacuo without guidance.
At least that was until they were found upon the verge of dehydration by this enigmatic tribe.
"Ladies, we're all friends here remember?" Summer Rose would laugh nervously as she tried to step in-between the two combative females, trying her best to keep a smiling face as she was once again forced to play peacemaker as the boys hung back. "Mari, you've been a tremendous help to us thanks to your tracking squads. Not to mention how you've managed to help us avoid those weird antlion Grimm."
Taiyang would thoughtfully stroke his chin as he and Qrow watched their leader try to diffuse the tense situation surrounding them as he leaned in towards the scythe wielder. "Are we sure those Antlion Grimm even exist, we haven't really one into any since we've been out here."
Qrow would roll his eyes as he watched his sister carefully, her hand was still clenching the handle of her katana and scoping out her surroundings like any trained warrior would. "That's kind of the point Tai, these ladies seem to know the ins and outs of this little sandbox."
Raven would sigh and go to sheathe her blade, but not before shooting her crimsonette-haired friend a glare. "You're too soft Summer, heaven help us if these scavengers end up walking us into a trap." The ebony-haired woman would groan as Summer simply returned her jibe with a kind-hearted smile, even as the silver-haired woman lowered her own weapon in kind. "Kindness is a great attribute to have for a mother with a newborn child, but out in the battlefield it's a one-way ticket to a grave."
Marigold would giggle quietly, the sound echoing off of the walls of the cave enabling everyone to hear and causing Raven's eyes to blaze to life once more. "I find it hilarious that a cold-hearted wench like you seems to think you know what it takes to be a mother, you who seem to enjoy acting alone despite being a part of a well established unit. You behave like a beast who is threatened and trapped into a corner, I pity any child who ends up being raised in your care for they will either raised in a house of loneliness or thrown to the wolves in order to insure her mother's survival." She would smile as she backed away into the throng of her fellow nomads before Raven could try and attack the woman once again while Summer watched on helplessly, leaving Qrow to turn to Taiyang who had since long retreated to find and perhaps even comfort his teammate.
Qrow however would walk over to a clearly dejected Summer and place his hand upon her shoulder gently, giving her a lopsided smile even as she pouted as they watched the women disperse into their usual little groups. "Don't feel so blue little Rose, you gave it your best shot. But take it from somebody's who's spent the majority of his life with the woman: She's not exactly the kind of person I see waking up at the crack of dawn and comforting a crying child or standing in front of an oven making cookies, I think that's more your speed."
Summer would blush hotly at this remark, not expecting the normally sour-pussed scythe wielder to give such kind-hearted words and laughed nervously once more. "Aww c'mon Qrow, I mean it would be nice to have a little girl of my own one day but too soon man."
Qrow would spare her one last glance towards his hooded comrade before heading to the entrance of the sandy cave, not expecting Marigold to be waiting for him. "What, here to lecture me on my future parenting skills as well?" The silver-haired woman would simply smirk as he just narrowed his eyes, reveling in his palpable irritation.
"That depends, are you ever going to admit that your bond with the one called Summer extends past mere camaraderie?" She would sigh as he backed her up against the cave wall with his hand gripped on her throat angrily, however her eyes would still shine with the light of amusement. "You love her dearly but you have yet to voice your words-" Marigold would gasp as she felt her airway being constricted by his grip, but her eyes would refuse to lose their luster.
"Don't you dare attempt to speak on things you know nothing about savage!" Qrow would keep glaring at the woman before feeling a jolt of pain in his nether regions as he was forced to release his grip. "You were wrong..about my sister, and you're wrong…about me and Summer!" He would watch as Marigold carefully paced around him like a lioness circling her prey, wondering if she had the audacity to try and kill him with his teammates nearby.
"If there's one thing I know well it's how to read women: Your sister would make an excellent addition to our Hunting Parties, her lone solitary nature would make her an ideal candidate for hunting the Antlions slumbering beneath our feet. However if I were to add a new woman to our ranks, then Summer Rose would be the ideal person to do so." She would kneel down and lock eyes with the man, knocking that she had very little time to play with him further. "Unlike Summer though, I would be proud to someday bear a daughter of my own to carry on our proud lineage." She would leap back as Qrow's massive scythe unfolded, losing a few strands of silver as he stood up ready to fight.
"What, are boys not worthy to carry on your crazy little lineage that you're got going here?" He would grin as he gauged the woman's movements quietly, her hand hovering near the handle of her glaive. "Go ahead and try, you'll be pulling back a stump."
Marigold would hiss quietly, knowing he wouldn't bat an eyelash at literally disarming a woman. "Expulsion." She would sigh as the scythe-wielding Huntsman gave her a puzzled look. "That's the price that the women of our tribe pay for baring an inferior being; for while we may not have any qualms using men to procreate, we have little use for their stupidity within our ranks."
Qrow would continue his impromptu scuffle with Lady on the nearby roof next to the dormitory buildings, sparks flying as metal bit into metal with neither side giving way as both sides backed off to gain distance.
"Guess your so-called lineage isn't so perfect anymore is it Lady, it's actually amazing that the two of you managed to survive in that Hell of a desert." The Signal instructor would sigh audibly as he felt the first drop of what could be a very miserable and dreary night for the man. "Is that why you sold your own son to the military, because he ruined your little plans for some Amazon dynasty?" Qrow would glare at the woman as he moved in close for a well-timed strike.
Lady would grin maliciously as she deflected Qrow's straightforward attack while holding back a second cackle, it had all clicked in her head upon recognizing the blonde's hairstyle and she loved it: Not only hadn't her son deviated away from his father's path of being infatuated with a Rose, but the fact that he had grown close to Raven's daughter meant that it was only a matter of time until he too felt the sting of a Branwen betrayal. "He was a weak, pathetic little whelp of a boy! Constantly clinging to my skirts while his father pined for the one he lost!" She would glare at the sword wielding man, still seeing flashes of the young man who had accosted her in the desert caves of Vacuo nearly two decades ago.
"Still, you have to consider the circumstances my drunken little rat with wings, my son with your sister's daughter: This is utterly perfect, I couldn't have planned it better myself!" She would let loose another cackle before spinning her glaive and catching her opponent's sword in the hollow of her blade. "What's the matter dearie, rum finally getting to your head?" Qrow would just snarl before letting his sword fall from his grip and clocking her with a headbutt of all things. "Gah! That's dirty pool Qrow, even for you!"
The veteran scythe-wielder would retrieve his sword without fear but not without giving the scarred nomad a clear look of disgust. "You're one to talk, it's almost as if you're getting off on your own son's perceived misfortunes. Yang's nothing like her mother, she's loyal to those who give her the same."
Qrow would sling his sword over his back and turn away from a still somewhat giddy Lady Moonlight, preparing to head back inside as the chill of the night began to set in. "I may not like your boy Lady, but even I know he's in good hands as long as he's got Yang in his corner." He would begin walking back inside the halls of Beacon Academy, leaving Lady to her own devices as she went back to spying on her sleeping son.
"You Branwens, thinking that everything you do will benefit others in the long run without thinking it through completely." Her expression would turn into a sneer as she noticed that the blonde was now gone from his bedside, further cementing her previous argument with Qrow. "Always prowling about on your own and playing the brooding silent hero in the face of the public, but it's in the darkness where your true loneliness always lies." The silver-haired amazon would sigh as she closed her eyes and let the rain wash over her, cooling and soothing her stiffened muscles after her brief run-in with the Branwen male. "If I had only made it to Vale sooner, then perhaps Amber would still be with us..and this perpetual crawling in my skin would finally cease."
Yang would sigh as she angrily splashed water on her face, she knew that he was outside waiting on her presence and for her to hold him once more and reassure him that things would be alright. "I should have just been up front with him from the beginning, instead I just fell back onto old habits and now he's waiting for me to start things back up again." She would keep her voice as quiet as she possibly could, Oobleck's Faunus history classes had taught her that Faunus had enhanced senses and unless the wolf had gotten back into listening to moronic podcasts again there was a decent chance that he was sitting there in silence.
"I need to make things right and close the book on "us", we've had some good times but at the end of the day…" The brawler would shake her head quietly knowing ranting to herself wasn't going to fix the situation at hand, she had to face him and set the record straight. Knowing this; she would exit the washroom and see him staring out at the broken moon of Remnant, if he had heard any of her little self pep talk he showed zero sign of it.
"Bálor, we need to talk..actually it's more like I need you to listen." The silver-haired Faunus would turn to look at her, his amber eyes dulled and half open but gesturing for her to speak nonetheless. "About the things I said back there in the hallway, I was just trying to cheer you up..you'd already taken a beating physically and I didn't want to…" Yang would sigh in frustration as she tried to collect her thoughts, she had had no problem convincing Blake to slow down her dogged pursuit of the White Fang almost a year ago and was a constant source of semi-motherly advice whenever her sister decided she had need of it.
"So you lied to me?" He would state this bluntly as he rubbed tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes and peered into hers, but the brawler would keep a straight face despite his accusation and continue onward.
"We both know that if we were to even begin to get involved again that it won't end well, we're two different people: You want to be the kind of guy who settles down and raises a daughter, maybe even find a decent job as an instructor like my dad and uncle. But I'm a thrill seeker, an adventurer, I just can't see myself as the kind of woman who stays in the house and takes care of the motherly duties. I just can't do it." Yang would stop speaking, looking calmly at the now wide-awake wolf Faunus sitting before her, he hadn't so much as twitched as she had spoken her peace. "Bálor…? Are you alright?" She would reach out to touch his cheek gently, only for the young man to grab her wrist gently while shaking his head calmly.
"You wanted me to listen so you could speak your peace, I have listened…I've done everything you have ever asked of me and this is what I get as my reward: We're too different, we shouldn't be, let's just call it off." Bálor would take a slow, tired breath before activating his semblance and pointing towards the door as it opened with a whiny squeak.
"Yang..no, mayhaps I should call you miss Xiao Long instead..I'd like you to leave my room please." His voice would be measured yet quiet, like a lawyer addressing their client in an interview. It was something he usually saved for his psychological evaluations with Ozpin and Glynda, it helped him appear more calm and collected then he actually appeared during their sessions. But Yang would only see a light turn off in her now-former boyfriend's eyes, as if he had suddenly regressed to being the stranger that Ruby had watched from a distance during his first days at Beacon.
Yang would nod glumly as she stood up and grabbed her boots as she walked toward the open door, wanting to look back and let him know that they would always be friends but deep down she knew better than to try and placate him in his current mood so she left without another word and began her trek back to the RWBY dorm.
"I did say that I wanted to close the book on "Us" after all."
Ruby Rose would be laying in her bunk, looking down at her notebook, full of private thoughts and wishes for her future, weapon ideas for future additions to Crescent Rose and diagrams of a weapon that was still left un-forged.
"Can't sleep?" Ruby would yelp and go to hide her notebook as her partner and heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation would pop up beside her, catching a glimpse of her notebook and narrowing her eyes shrewdly. "What's that?" Weiss would point to the notebook curiously even as the crimsonette closed it too quickly for the older girl's taste, causing her to frown in suspicion as Ruby laughed nervously before stashing it under her pillow.
"Shouldn't you be resting Weiss, you and Yang might end up being picked for the Doubles Round after all. Yang would be pretty steamed if you showed up sleep deprived." Ruby would smile slightly, imagining the older blonde losing her temper and giving the heiress a red-eyed lecture on showing up in less than fighting shape.
"Yeah, well than she'd pretty much be a hypocrite if she did that." Weiss would say this as she pointed to Yang's empty bunk, the covers still messy and unmade from the night before. "I suppose she and Mercury are having a bit of a nightcap, hopefully she can at least catch a few hours of sleep when she gets back from canoodling with that silver-haired moron." The heiress would frown, not liking her teammate's preference in men and how she dealt with them. "I just don't get what she sees in either of those idiots, Mercury seems like a bit of a snob to me..at least when he's not sniffing boots like a loon. And as for the other one." Weiss would go silent as she remembered the hardened look in his amber eyes, binding her to a deal that he could execute at any time he wished, she had spent almost a year walking with a metaphorical sword of Damocles hanging over her head.
Ruby however knew none of this, so when her partner mentioned the wolf Faunus she would frown curiously before sitting up fully. "He's not that bad ya know, it's just very hard for him to trust people given what happened to him in the past." She would pull out the notebook with the chibi-fied wolf resting in a bed of roses on the cover and open it to a weapon diagram she was very familiar with. "Although, when he does trust you..that's when you truly see just how sweet he can be."
Weiss would carefully perch on the edge of Ruby's bunk and look down at the diagram: It looked like a regular sword, no different then the crystalline swords that they had discovered back when he unsuccessfully tried bequeathing the weapons to Team RWBY.
"So..for you "Sweet" means being a dork for weapons too?" The heiress would giggle as Ruby fumed at the backhanded comment, only for the crimsonette to turn the page and reveal the weapon's secondary form to be a heavy chain, although Weiss would catch sight of a note that read "Blast Dust = Superheated?". "So it's a sword and a bike chain..? That makes no sense at all you know, there's no projectile accessibility and it'd be useless if it were knocked out of his hands."
Again, this would earn a giggle from Ruby as she pointed to the page next to the chain diagram. "We thought of that too, so I figured if we made it segmented then he would be able to control them with his Semblance..provided he keeps a cool head during battle." The reaper would frown as she closed the notebook and returned it to her hiding place, sighing as she looked back at her partner curiously. "Weiss…why do the two of you hate each other so much?"
The heiress would bite her lip gently, knowing that if she were to answer her partner's question genuinely that it would open a can of worms between them that would leave her off of her game mentally.
"I think you two would be pretty awesome together if you were finally able to get along." Ruby would smile wistfully as she spoke, unaware of the heiress's horrified look at the thought of any kind of involvement with her secret tormentor. "I can just see it now: the two of you fighting side by side in a flash of black and white, your swords cutting through Grimm like a Monochrome tornado."
Weiss would breathe a sigh of relief as Ruby continued to describe how awesome that the duo could be if they fought together, eventually falling asleep as the crimsonette continued to describe and hope for more peaceful times between them all once the Vytal Festival was over.
By the time Ruby had finished talking, Yang had returned to the dorm to find the crimsonette tucked her partner into the reaper's bunk. The two siblings would share a quiet look, nodding silently as the both laid down in their bunks, as much as Yang wanted to tell her sister what had happened earlier she knew it would just cause Ruby to worry and spend the night wondering how she could fix it.
"It's better that she doesn't know, after all I know he'll at least give her the kindness that a good friend deserves."
Evie would be kneeling at the side of her bed in quiet prayer, even at this late hour her heart would be filled with worry. The Vytal Festival had enabled her to meet people of different walks of life, and like any woman of faith she would pray for their continued health and happiness.
"Oh Maidens, please look upon the people of Remnant and bless them with your divine grace, give food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless, and peace to those with troubled hearts." The brunette would finish her prayer with a silent "Amen" as she stood up and pulled back the covers to her bed, only to hear a quiet knock upon her door before she could settle in for the night. "Who is it?"
A quiet sigh could be heard from behind the door. "It's Anders, have you got a minute? I have..spritual troubles." She could just imagine her scruffy-haired friend with a frown upon his face, the thought of her troubled teammate causing her to nearly tumble out of bed before finally opening the door.
"Thanks Evie, this will only take a moment." The brown-eyed guardsman would catch sight of her pentacle and raise an eyebrow. "I've never seen you wearing that before, is that..actual silver?"
Evie would nod happily as she pulled out a chair and gestured for him to sit as she settled onto the edge of her bed. "I usually keep it tucked into my clothing, unless I'm praying to the Maidens of course." She would frown slightly as she tucked the Pentacle back inside her nightgown. "So what is troubling you, you're usually the most calm out of the four of us."
Anders would sigh as he looked down at his fidgeting hands, turning pages in a tome that he wasn't carrying at the moment. "I..I think I may have finally found the man that I was looking for, he was competing in the team battles yesterday and..he was glorious!" He would then go on to describe the debonair actions of Team SSSN's Scarlet David, his eyes shimmering with excitement as he compared the red-headed man to the swashbucklers of old. "Oh if I could only get him to notice me, and then..then..well that's how far I thought ahead really."
The brunette-haired girl would smile, feeling genuine happiness for her closeted comrade. "I'm happy that you've found someone you fancy Anders, but..how is this a spiritual matter?" Her smile would fade as she noticed his hands flipping imaginary pages once again, her friend was almost never seen without his tome as it was akin to a security blanket for him. "I think I understand..you figure since our fellow guardsman mock you for your preferences, you're wondering if the Maidens would act in a similar fashion."
The scruffy-headed Huntsman would sigh and turn to her with a look of doubt in his eyes, his hands flipping through non-existent pages faster and faster.
"Can you blame me, Kaiser and Puru are two of the biggest bigots walking upon Remnant! The Faunus, Huntsman, Huntresses! It's like those two hate everybody who isn't an elite like they are!" His forehead would be beaded with sweat as his hands cramped up visibly, causing the young man to wince in pain. "If normal people like them can't accept me for who I am, then what chance do I have with deities?"
Anders would stand up slowly as he began heading for the door, pausing to look back at his one and only friend. "Thanks for hearing me out Evie, even if the Maidens won't help me..I can sleep a little better knowing that my best friend will always have my back." He would leave the room before she could give him a proper reply to his query, deciding instead to kneel once again at her bedside in hopes that his hidden dream came true.
The next day would prove to be a very pivotal one for spectators of the Vytal Festival as the long-awaited Doubles Round was finally slated to commence, and while many of the participants and Audience Members were busy filing into Amity Arena to begin a day of battle-fueled festivities there were others who were still in transit, hoping to make landing without missing too much of the fighting.
But for one peculiar redhead, the Vytal Festival was the furthest thing on her mind as she literally bounced in her seat excitedly. Her azure eyes focused on a faded photo of herself standing side by side with her fellow soldiers, giggling at just how goofy her younger self's smile appeared.
"Finally, after three years I finally get to see my Captain again!" The anticipation running through the young woman's body was enough to literally make her seat vibrate, annoying the passenger next to her who gave an angry harrumph in her direction only to be rewarded with an even more intense vibration.
"Oh I hope he's doing Vale proud in the fights, I just know that he's probably planning to whip a lot of ass with those eight blades of his!" The red-headed girl would squeal excitedly as the pilot signaled for all passengers to fasten their seatbelts and prepare for landing, even as the heavyset man sitting next to her growled audibly at her childish behavior. Once the passengers were allowed to disembark, she would present her identification to the security guard for her line at the terminal and raising a curious eyebrow as she bounced from foot to foot in excitement.
"One too many drinks there?" He would look down at her ID shrewdly before sighing audibly. "You do realize you could've used the Dignitaries Express Line don't you, Lieutenant Sundown?" He would hand her back her identification as she waited impatiently for her bags to clear the X-ray inspection.
"Well I would've if I were here representing my kingdom, but I'm not here as a soldier of Vacuo..just plain 'ol Gemmy Sundown ya hear?" The redhead would smile brightly at her fellow soldier, who looked none too pleased at her chipper attitude. "Besides, I'm just here to visit an old friend. My Captain actually."
The guard would simply sigh in irritation as her smile continued to wear at his nerves before finally getting an idea. "Miss Sundown, we've determined by the contents of your baggage that you qualify for additional screening." He would smile internally as the redhead's smile crumbled into a look of shock, signaling to the guard off to the side who was visibly slipping on a latex glove. "Can you come with me please?"
After an unusually thorough search of her belongings, an hour's worth of questioning, and a strip search that she wished she could wipe from her mind with Lava Soap, Gemmy would finally step outside of the security terminal with her bags intact and her beloved katana, Red Sun strapped to her back.
"Well that was just plain vile, I can see why the other kingdoms have a bee in their bonnet about Atlas." Still; the red-headed young woman's mood couldn't stay bleak for long as she stepped onto the fairgrounds, absorbing the sights and sounds of the Vytal Festival as well as the individuals involved in it. She figured that her Captain would be somewhere among this mass of people and felt her heart skip a beat in anticipation of their reunion.
"Just you wait Vytal Festival, Sundown and Moonlight are finally gonna be on the same battlefield..and we're gonna blow your minds!"
I have nothing to say at this point