It was a quiet afternoon in the RAVN dorm. Vivian was hanging up laundry and swore she could still smell soda on her uniform from the food fight the first day back. Natasha was lying on her bed, partly reading but mostly talking about looking forward to meeting more exchange students. Aero was polishing his sword. The only one missing was Ravus, though sadly this was not new. Vivian and Natasha had toiled a week trying to convince Ravus they wanted to spend time with him but he would have none of it. The only times they saw him were during most meals, class, at night, or if he asked to train with them.
"Team, were going out to eat." Vivian leaned back and Aero looked up from his sword at Ravus, looking strangely flustered in their doorway.
"We are?" Natasha asked, looking at her leader upside down.
"Yes." Ravus confirmed, walking over to his bed.
"You finally realized spending time with your team is what can make you a better leader?" Vivian asked hopeful.
"Nope. Team RWBY looks like they're going out and we're joining them." Ravus answered quickly, lost in his search. Natasha looked over at Vivian who shook her head disappointed.
"Ravus," Aero began, "not that I don't want to spend time with team RWBY, but did they invite us to go out with them?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Yeah. We don't want to seem like we're stalking them." Natasha added. "I wanna go out to be with us. Not to be with them. Though your sisters are super nice." Ravus had paused his search, still kneeling next to his bed.
"They didn't invite us. Did they." Vivian stated rather than asked. Ravus let out a very heavy sigh and dropped his head onto his bed.
"Yang and Ruby look like they're going for a night on the town and I don't know what they're doing." Ravus explained, concern tinting his muffled voice from the bed sheets.
"Why are you worried that you don't know what they are doing?" Natasha asked, confused.
"Especially with Yang, when those two go into the city things just seem to find them." Aero explained. He still couldn't believe that Yang had blown up a club. "But," he continued, "they are together." He spoke in Ravus' direction. "And they have Weiss and Blake too."
"And we've all improved thanks to our training." Natasha added with a wide smile. She looked over at Ravus hopeful that his mood might have improved a little, but his face was still buried in the bedding.
"The last time they went out the team nearly dissolved." Ravus moaned.
"Ravus, your sisters and the team will be fine." Vivian gently joined in. "It's very kind you are concerned about them but you can't hover over them. And I know you have been focusing on improving yourself through training, but you can't only focus on that either."
"Yeah. It's like they say about being well rounded. Focusing on one side just makes you fall over. Like when someone had changed the numbers on Cardin's weights in the gym." Natasha added, giggling and remembering Cardin attempting to stay balanced.
The same image must have come to Ravus because muffled laughter came from his bed.
"But that wasn't as good as when team CFVY superglued a tail to his back that said Pull me." Aero jumped in, seeing Ravus raise his head slightly. This time his amusement was fully present and his shoulders bounced from laughing. Soon, the whole room echoed from the infectious laughter.
"Oh man," sighed Ravus, wiping a tear from his eye, "I needed that." He sighed again and smiled, looking between his teammates. "You guys are right. Let's get some food. Just us."
"I call dibs on the selection!" Natasha shouted, causing another small round of laughter.
"I still think we should have stayed for dessert." Ravus commented in the cab as the team made their way back to Vale. It had been a relaxing dinner, though they had been reminded a few times to keep the volume down.
"No, thank you." Vivian answered for, her hands resting on her abdomen. "But I don't think I can even look at food for a few days."
"Oh come on Viv," Natasha began, "you could have at least tried their Sweet Potato Kintsuba. It's part of the reason this place got its start."
"I'll still pass Tasha. I'm not much of a sweet tooth." Vivian countered.
"Oh it's not that sweet." Natasha argues. "It's not like how Ravus is for Blake." Aero looked over at Ravus as Natasha winked at him.
"Um, I, well." Ravus stammered, his face turning red.
A ear shattering crash interrupted their conversation, saving Ravus. However, the highway seemed to shake beneath the car.
"Wha-a-a-attt-t i-i-is-s-s ha-a-a-pp-p-enn-nnin-ngg!" Vivian shouted as they bounced inside the car. Ravus looked out the window to see another car flying towards them. The impact came milliseconds later, almost knocking him out from the force. He heard Vivian, Natasha, and Aero scream as he felt the strange weightlessness come upon him.
Another crash broke his concentration, and the aura bubble, sending team RAVN across the hard ground. With a groan everyone started picking themselves up but barely could with the shaking of the ground.
"Freezer Burn!" Ravus looked up with blurry eyes and spotted his sisters and their team. As Ruby and Blake jump back while Yang jumps up and Weiss creates a sheet of ice on the ground. With a strike of Ember Celica the ice instantly turns to mist, clouding the entire area.
"What, what is that?" Natasha asked as a massive, human-esk machine stomps around, lasers scanning the area.
"I don't know." Ravus shouted. With a yelp he then dodgesd out of the way of a blast. Team RAVN ran toward some shelter of nearby beams. The four future huntsmen peared from safety as the blasts change direction toward other figures. "It's after Team RWBY!" Ravus whispered, eyes wide as the missiles narrowly miss Yang. Another blast illuminated Blake and Yang and Ravus heard the shot and slice of Ruby's blade, causing the robot to falter.
The team hears another faint call from Ruby and see Blake and Weiss head towards the machine, slashing and stabbing at its feet. It knocks Weiss off and nearly gets Blake too but she is almost pulled back to safety. The shrill sound of missiles fills the air and illuminates Weiss and Blake, the explosions mere feet from where they were.
"We can't just stay here." Vivian said, as more missiles are shot at their friends.
"But we don't even know what that is." Natasha squeaked, her eyes paralyzed on the fight.
"It's Atlesian military equipment." Aero explained, a heat in his voice.
"Why would Atlas military be wrecking the city? And right before the Vytal festival?" Vivian asked weary.
"It must not be at Atlesian controlling it." Ravus suggested as Ruby and Blake begin almost dancing with each other, slashing at the metal as they swap places between the legs of the beast. They then simultaneously launch themselves into the air and come down together on the shoulder, cutting off the left arm entirely.
"Now!" Ravus shouted, launching himself toward the machine on Shooting Star. He was visibly relieved when he heard his teammate's battle cries behind him. He lets Natasha strikes first with a green proton blast that creates a cover for Aero to strike next. He goes into penetrate the steel and locks onto a bolt but his flung off. However, before Ravus can call his name a floating white circle seems to catch him, allowing him another chance to attack. When he finishes, he lands by the broken arm that Blake and Ruby had previously dismembered. Just as Ravus was about to make his attack...
"Vivian! Natasha! Slice and Serve!" Vivian seemed to nod in understanding and begins chopping at the metal, cutting of massive pieces in single blows. Natasha gets in position, hovering above Vivian in her own controlled cyclone. With ease Vivian lifts and throws the pieces into the air, allowing Natasha to blast them into the robot's side. Slice and Serve? They made a move without me. Ravus looked at the robot, narrowing his eyes. This will prove that I am able to be a part of the team.
Ravus then charged in at the machine, Shooting Star transforming into and inward curved head, hoping to barrel a whole into the side of the metal. However, the robots free arm swings around, knocking Ravus into his team and back toward the pillars.
Ravus hears the fiery shotgun blasts of Yang's gauntles and watches the thing runs through two columns and punches her as she falls from a third.
"Should we go back?" Natasha groaned, holding her side.
"Not yet." Aero said, watching Yang. Soon the other arm of the robot is gone and Blake is sending Yang flying with the ribbon of Gambol Shroud. With a final assist from Ruby and Weiss, ice completely envelops the robot's body, allowing Yang to send a final blow that obliterates the machine.
Ravus squints as the team rush over to join Team RWBY as Yang sends another shot toward the unknown naredowell. A pink lacey umbrella reveals Roman Torchwick and a small, pink-and-brown girl.
"Ladies, Gents, Ice Queen..." He cordially said tipping his hat.
"Hey!" Weiss protests as she and the rest of RWBY join.
"Always a pleasure! Neo, if you would..." The new girl curtsied her enemies with a bow as Yang charged. But instead of shattering bones she seemed to shatter a glass image, leaving everyone searching until they spot the two leaving in a Bullhead. All seven join Yang, looking into the sky.
"So I guess he got a new henchman." Yang observed, bitter.
"Yeah, I guess she really made our plans, fall apart." Weiss smiled at her own joke and Ruby giggled behind her.
"No. Just... no." Yang stated as Blake walks away.
"What- But, you do it!" Weiss argued.
"There's a time and a place for jokes." Yang said sternly, putting her hands on her hips.
"Was this not it?"
"How did you guys end up here?" Blake asked Vivian
"That's, an interesting answer." Vivian smiled back at Blake as Yang began walking to join them.
"No, it just wasn't very good."
"Well, at least I'm trying!" Weiss called, also walking to join them.
"Wait... Where are Sun and Neptune?" Ruby askd, looking around.
"Um, hello! Where is the celebration of Aero getting his semblance?" Natasha shouted excitedly.
"My semblance?" Aero asked confused, looking around at the group.
"Yeah! You made like some sort of trampoline that you bounced off of." She elaborated. "I sorta wondered why you didn't use one during our fight with the Grimm back in the forest but I just thought maybe you didn't have one yet. Now you have!"
"Um, are you sure it was Aero Natasha?" Yang asked. "Those looked a lot like Weiss' glyphs."
"Yeah Tasha, that's what it was." Aero agreed. "Just one huntsmen helping another." He looked over at Weiss but she only narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms.
"Um, Aero," Ruby began, "I was right night to Weiss, and, she didn't do it."
"What do you mean?" Ravus asked.
"Weiss didn't move her hands at all while you took over fighting Roman. I don't think she used her semblance." Ruby looked over at Weiss who still glared at Aero.
"Aero," Vivian started, "what's going on?" Aero looked over at Vivian and then back at Weiss who raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed and looked back at her.
"I have something I need to tell you."