A/N: now that's done, onwards.
Meh: not what I meant, but okay. You could have been harsh, you could have been insulting, but instead... thanks. I mean that.
For the rest of you guys, I like you, but no more omake suggestions. Not until I learn how to be funny.
B/N: bwahahahahaha
00000
...
00000
The door swung open soundlessly, without so much as a creak of the hinges. While any other user was forced to physically touch the large double doors, the one who passed the opening didn't have to deign herself to such an action. Once she was firmly through the entrance, the door closed on its own accord.
A single black robe covered much of her body, save only for her elbows down and her collarbone upwards. The space where her legs were didn't move from the movement, like she was flowing across the floor rather than walking. Toneless skin showed on the arms and head, resembling a corpse more than anything else. Black markings covered her arms and face, creating spacing rings on her large hair bun. Her age was indeterminate, though she appeared as a mature woman. Of her unsmiling face, the detail which grabbed one's attention first were her eyes. They were pitch black, with blood red irises.
What she was, no one could say. The being was neither human nor faunus, but something else entirely. Something older, something the world had forgotten long ago. All that was clear was what she wasn't.
She strolled across the room, passing by the large table with its many chairs. Above the table, the chandelier's many candles burned brightly enough to illuminate the entire room. Outside the enormous windows was a view of both majesty and despair, a barren wasteland bereft of any life. All there was in this forsaken place was the Castle, and those its master allowed into her domain.
At the head of the table was an ornate throne, meant for one individual and one individual only. The master of this place said nothing to her subordinate patiently waiting nearby the throne, the only acknowledgment she gave was a curt nod. It changed once she had taken the seat, crossing her arms in front of herself as her calculating gaze fell upon the young woman she summoned.
Those who knew of the woman, those few cursed mortals, called her Salem.
In comparison to the unnatural being on the throne, anyone would seem normal. Such was the case for the woman with the ragged black hair and red dress standing at attention, with her scarred eye focused on the pale master. Clasping her hands behind her back, she awaited the cue to start.
"Your report Cinder." said the crisp voice, dispensing with the pleasantries. The most wanted woman in the Four Kingdoms took a steadying breath.
"Our infiltrators have successfully penetrated the staff and student bodies of Haven and Shade Academies. Atlas is proving to be as difficult as ever, but our moles there have been making excellent progress in the past month." recited the woman named Cinder Fall, the apparent mastermind behind the Battle of Beacon and now the Fall Maiden.
A tip of Salem's head showed she understood. "The other Maidens?"
"The Winter Maiden is still an unknown, though we're certain her location is somewhere in northern Atlas. Both the Spring and Summer Maidens have been located, although the former is being kept on the move. Our operatives in the area are confident she can be captured however, they'll retrieve her once all their assets are in place. The latter appears to be under heavy guard in Shade, but the defenses seem to be little better than Beacon." the corners of her mouth twitched, but her master didn't make a comment.
"What of Khan and Lionheart?
"Thus far, Sianna Khan is proving unreliable, but her power base is heavily eroded. Whether she realizes it or not, Taurus is the true leader of the White Fang now. If she tries to regain her influence, Adam will happily remove her from the equation. In either case, we can count on them for any assistance that leads to the downfall of the Academies. Lionheart on the other hand is proving most cooperative, its a wonder we haven't contacted him sooner."
"Good." Salem spoke, a faint smile ghosting over her features. In contrast a faint scowl crossed Cinder; there was only one issue left to deal with.
"Beacon is still rebuilding, current estimates put the academy at full functionality in roughly four years." Cinder reported through gritted teeth.
Salem turned her calculating gaze on Cinder, her expression a featureless mask. "You are displeased at Beacon's continued survival." A statement of fact, not a question.
"It wasn't my fault." Cinder growled, barely reigning in her fury.
In response the being tented her fingers, leveling a neutral stare upon the Maiden. "Hazel and Watts continue to remind you of your failure, after I told them to stop."
Cinder's scowl deepened at the unspoken offer. "I'm not some brat who's being bullied-"
Salem held up a hand, silencing the young woman. Though she said nothing, Cinder realized the woman was displeased by her outburst. Forcefully calming herself, she schooled her features back into something resembling calm.
"I am not happy about your failure Cinder, and make no mistake, it was failure." Salem spoke, leveling her dark gaze on the woman. "You could have, and should have done more to prepare for unexpected complications. But having reviewed the events which transpired, I cannot lay the full brunt of the blame upon you."
Cinder's countenance flickered, but she dared not interrupt her master.
"I did approve of your existing preparations, I too believed they were sufficient for the situation at hand. But how could you have foreseen the command ship going down so quickly, or the self sacrifice of the foolish faunus? To say nothing of the Dragon's irregular behavior, going after an unknown foe rather than attacking the Academy. With their forces rallying, fleeing before you finished off Ozpin would have seemed to be your only option. To repeat my words from when you first returned to me, I do not hold you responsible for the failure to destroy the Academy." Salem lectured her evenly.
"I know." Cinder replied sullenly. She wanted to make a quip about the Maiden power being the one reason she still lived, but the potential reprisal wasn't worth it.
The woman nodded, a tiny smile gracing her ethereal expression. "Despite what the others believe, there is opportunity in Beacon's survival. The warnings made by Ozpin." her lip curled at the mention of the name, "To the others have gone unheeded. The defenses of the main Academies are no better now than what they were a year ago, leaving infiltration an easy task. They believe they have nothing to fear. The fools will pay dearly for their arrogance."
Cinder nodded in agreement, but her feelings weren't fading. But for now, all she could do was swallow the anger and move on, ignoring the insults from the rest of Salem's inner circle.
"In time, you will get the chance to redeem yourself. When Haven and Shade are in ruins, I will leave you free to destroy Beacon entirely. For now, have patience." Salem finished.
When the door swung open once again, both of them snapped their heads up. Caught under the twin gazes, the green haired interloper nervously cleared her throat.
"Umm," Emerald Sustri stuttered, the dark skinned young woman shrinking back under their attention. Cinder noticed a scroll clutched in her hands, held close to her now fearful body.
"Child." Salem's voice had a stern edge to it, sending bolts of fear through Cinder's normally cocky ally, "You know better than to interrupt one of my meetings."
Emerald cleared her throat, edging back to the door. "I'll be-" she started, freezing when the robed woman beckoned.
"Doing so means the matter must be important. Now, come here." Salem crisply ordered.
Emerald reluctantly walked to the end of the table, offering an apologetic look to Cinder along the way. She stopped a meter away from the throne, bringing the scroll up and briefly coughing into her fist.
"Our infiltrator at Beacon relayed some information to us a few hours ago, I think you need to see this." she explained quickly, aware of Cinder's narrowing gaze.
An errant gesture from Salem was her indicator to continue. With her hands shaking a little, Emerald brought the scroll up and activated it. In seconds she turned the device around to show the two women.
"Who is this?" Salem inquired.
"This is-" Emerald tipped the screen back, and bit back a curse. There was a goat faunus girl taking up most of the picture, sticking her tongue out while she held up two fingers, as a dark skinned human boy was falling with a surprised expression in the background. She hurriedly moved to the next photo, plainly hoping she didn't make another mistake.
Cinder leaned in closer, frowning at the picture. Salem's expression was unreadable, though she was evidently interested in what the device showed her.
"This was taken several hours ago, our informant's underling stumbled on them when she was looking for weaknesses in the new construction." Emerald explained.
"Who do we have on the ground there?" Cinder questioned, staring at the gathering in the photo. She had to force herself to avoid fixating on the little girl with the red scarf, lest she incur more of Salem's displeasure. The image of a blond haired man in a green colored uniform helped; he was the most visible, but she could see at least three others clad in similar outfits around the student team.
"Bael Moss, she's with the White Fang. Her own group is posing as transfer students from Haven, they've been feeding us intel on Beacon's status for about five months now. Most of the information is mundane stuff I wouldn't bother you with, but I thought you'd want to see this." the green haired woman nodded as she spoke.
Salem tipped her head back, her eyes locked on the image. "Who are they?"
"I know this is going to sound unbelievable, but I'm sure these are students who disappeared almost three years ago." Emerald answered with amazement, flinching at the ethereal woman turning her gaze. Quickly clearing her throat, she went on. "Team JNPR. They were first years who vanished in Forever Fall a while ago, when we were still setting up our operation in Vale."
"Where did they go?" Salem questioned further, staring at the image.
"That's the thing, they were never found. The team was declared killed in training years ago, this is the first time any of them have been seen since then. The spy did catch the professor saying she was taking them to the headmaster." the green haired girl elaborated.
Cinder started to reach for the scroll, but stopped when she noticed Salem had yet to take her eyes off the screen. Lowering her hand, she had to settle for leaning down to get a closer look. "Are those uniforms?"
Emerald shrugged. She opened her mouth, but froze when Salem leaned back. A gesture from her indicated she was done looking, and she pulled the device back. One look at the black haired woman told her she wasn't done with the matter.
"Miss Sustri, what is your current objective?" Salem questioned. Strangely, she didn't make eye contact with either of them.
"Well, I'm going to Haven to oversee-"
"Unimportant. Assign someone else to the task." Salem interrupted, stunning both women. "Go to Vale, and investigate these missing students. If they are not who you believe them to be, then determine their identities. If they are, then find out where they have been in the interim. Take Tyrian with you."
Cinder balked. "That psychopath? He'll kill them-" she paused when Salem glanced at her. The flat gaze told the woman her master knew already, and had planned for it.
"Regardless of their identities, find out who they are. Why do they have those outfits. Where did they come from. And why have they arrived now. Did Ozpin summon them, or is it coincidence? Wring all the information out of them that you can get. And when you are finished, terminate them." Salem commanded.
Stopping a shiver, Cinder coughed. "I'll go with them-"
"No." her master spoke once, silencing her. Emerald was painfully aware of what Cinder's blinking gaze meant, and knew what was about to follow.
"But-"
"You are to remain here for now. Do not argue with me." the woman spoke with an air of finality. While Cinder all but shook in impotent rage, Salem turned her gaze back to Emerald. "Why are you still here?"
00000
...
00000
Jaune hummed tunelessly while he checked himself over one more time, idly moving one of his bracers to a more comfortable spot. Once he felt it was good enough, he looked up to check their ride's progress, discovering the view outside was slowing down. Long ago the blurred sight would have given him a serious case of motion sickness, but he didn't woozy from things like that anymore.
He rose from the bench when he felt the tram come to a stop, tuning out the one sided conversation behind him. When the door slid open he followed the red toned girl, working his arm to get the blood flowing. He could hear the redhead behind him sighing in relief while she stretched sore muscles, although the ride to Vale was just ten minutes long. Idly Jaune felt his chest for a moment, feeling the steel armor from his fingerless gloves.
When it came time for clothes shopping, the two teams had collectively decided it was time to try something new. Jaune's foray was the most modest of the bunch; he kept the torso plate and the bracers, but ended up dropping the shoulder pads, feeling they weren't needed. Past the armor, all he ended up buying for clothes were new jeans and a short sleeved hoodie, on top of a pair of sneakers. Nora had cracked jokes for his lack of imagination, but the results suited him fine. Jaune wanted a day-to-day outfit, fancy stuff wasn't his speed.
Ruby was full of energy as she moved about, twirling around to meet her long lost friends as they walked out to the artfully decorated streets of Vale. The red huntress smiled at them looking upon the city for the first time in a long while; the leaves were starting to turn brown and gold, but the shining sun made the weather seem like a mild summer day.
"So, what do you guys wanna do first?" she asked brightly, holding her hands behind her back while she went to each of them.
"I didn't have any plans." Pyrrha admitted, sparing a look around. Her attempt at 'new' went through several revisions with both Nora's and Yang's enthusiastic help, which was left at resized corset along with a new skirt, both colored bronze. She ended up passing on her circlet (claiming it chafed too much) and her greaves, adopting a set of thick bracelets instead. Finishing it off was her old sash, though it seemed smaller now.
"I know some good places to visit." Ruby offered, her mind churning for options. "I think Yang can get you guys into a club if you wanted." she tried, although she knew her sister's reservation had already came and went.
"Actually." Ren began, working his shoulders. In the same vein as the rest of his team, during the shopping trip yesterday he found a new version of his preferred shirt, having cape like flaps as well as an open collar. To compensate for the garment ending at the shoulders, he picked up a set of disconnected sleeves which showed off his impressive biceps.
"We're gonna go sightsee!" proclaimed Nora, jumping in place. Her choice of wardrobe was of a pink skirt, a white blouse, and a black jacket. The boots were new too, being pink (as if she would pick any other color) while going up to her knees. As to be expected, she took to the new outfit with glee.
"Oh." Ruby nodded, her smile dipping.
Upon noticing Nora gave her a wide grin. "Its just for now, Ren wants to go check out some places. We're gonna hang out for real later, sound good?"
"Just visiting the bank first, it shouldn't be more than a couple hours. We'll meet back here, okay?" he offered, glancing behind them when the tram door closed. Today he had chosen to let his hair down, but it's shortened length only covered his neck.
"Yeah, sure." Jaune agreed with a shrug to loosen up. Both Pyrrha and Ruby nodded too, making Nora give them a thumbs up.
"Great! Hey actually, you wanna tag along Rubes?" she asked brightly, planting her fists on her hips. Ruby shook her head.
"Thanks, but I think I'll hang out with these two for now. I'm free later though." she answered with a noncommittal shrug.
Nora kept her smiling gaze on her for a couple seconds, briefly flicking her eyes beside the girl. She ended up shrugging, making her new jacket rustle.
"Suit yourself. Later!" she finished, spinning on her heels and waving at the trio. Ren gave her a short wave of his own before he walked off after her, overtaking the shorter girl easily.
"So." Ruby spoke, spinning around to meet her friends' attentions. "I, uh, should've asked first. You guys mind if I stick with you for a bit?"
Jaune gave the back of his neck a scratch. "Well..."
"Sure." Pyrrha agreed quickly, causing the blond to swivel his eyes to her. She met it with a smile, although her expression was momentarily guarded. "It'll be alright. But don't you have classes today?"
"I do, but my grades are good enough for me to take a day off. Blake told me they were anyway." Ruby had a brief pensive look as she recalled what her friend told her. "Graduation is in a few weeks anyway, so I think I'm in the clear as far as schoolwork goes." she shrugged off the matter. She felt some regret at leaving Weiss and Blake to their respective assignments, but since both girls were still mad at the blonde for abandoning the fight in Forever Fall, she thought it'd be okay to get away for a while.
"If you say so. I guess it's alright." Jaune decided, resting a hand on Crocea Mors' grip.
"Great! So, where do you guys wanna go?" Ruby asked, letting her arms swing as she looked to both of them. Pyrrha raised a fist to clear her throat.
"Actually, do you know any good ammo shops in this area? I'd like to pick up some bullets for Miló." she nodded towards the collapsed javelin and shield on her back, the tip of her short ponytail brushing over the top.
"Sure, there's this good place not too far from here, Morty's Munitions. Blake and I both buy from them, its a little pricey but I haven't had a single misfire since I started shopping there." Ruby answered, almost hopping in place as she jabbed a thumb towards a seemingly random direction. She idly jostled the heavy rifle/scythe on her back, mentally recounting her own stockpile.
"Alright, lead the way." Jaune said, gesturing for her to go in front of them.
Ruby turned to stride, all but skipping. She had to keep her pace down, reminding herself of her two friends following her at a far more relaxed speed. The result was both of them staying at her sides while they strode down the sidewalk, passing by a few people along the way. Their weapons drew attention from a few pedestrians, but no one commented; Huntsmen were a common sight in this district, and not one passerby gave them a second glance. It suited her fine, since it saved the trouble of someone realizing two of them were supposed to be dead.
"So..." Ruby started, swinging her head around towards her flanking companions.
"You doing okay today?" Jaune asked, alternating between her and where he was walking. The red toned girl noticed how he kept searching his surroundings, rationalizing it as him worrying too much.
"Yeah, all good here. How about you guys?" she asked back, periodically checking in front of herself too, lest she walk into a pole.
"Good I guess. Little tired." Pyrrha added, her own gaze examining around them too. "Was up late last night reading news on the net."
"Same here, catching up on what we missed and all." Jaune gave a shake of his head, letting out a small breath. As if on cue, he brought up a hand to stifle a yawn. "You don't know how glad I am that Remnant has coffee though." he added, making the redhead nod sympathetically.
"You have a coffee habit yet?" Pyrrha half joked, adopting a half smile while she looked at the younger girl.
Ruby shook her head, wrinkling her nose. "I can't stand the taste of the stuff, doesn't matter how much milk and sugar I put in it. Dunno how Yang or Weiss can put up with it, let alone you guys."
"Your loss. Honestly, I wonder sometimes how I got by without caffeine before." Jaune craned his neck back to glance at the sky, spotting a distant airship making its way towards the city.
"No kidding. I mean it, I tried breaking the habit a while ago. Only lasted a day." Pyrrha shook her head, perhaps out of self reproach.
Ruby nodded along, tilting her head to the side while she decided on how she was going to word herself. "So, find anything interesting while you were catching up?"
"Nothing that's very important, except, well..." Jaune began uncertainly, looking away.
"I discovered there's a charity in my name, which was a little disconcerting." Pyrrha interrupted. "Its run by my old sponsorship. Last night I had half a mind to call my old manager, but I think it'd be more trouble than what its worth." she admitted, bringing up her arms to rest against the back of her neck.
"Huh, weird." Ruby tried imaging what it would be like to have a charity, but gave up when another thought occurred to her. "That reminds me actually, have either of you called your parents? Let them know you're okay and stuff?"
Both boy and girl looked away, frowning with a flush to their cheeks.
"I was going to call my mother, but I was worried she'd think it was a prank call or something. I mean, I'm supposed to be dead." Pyrrha explained bashfully, grimacing.
"The 'rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated' thing is why I didn't call my parents either. I'm afraid they'll think it's some sick joke, so they'd either hang up or charge over here to find the faker. It'd be a heck of a mess." Jaune exhaled, rolling his shoulders while he blushed weakly.
"Oh, didn't think of that." Ruby nodded sympathetically, noticing the redhead giving him an unidentifiable glance. Glancing at the street sign, she noticed they were only a short distance from the ammo shop. There weren't as many people around this time in the morning, although that was going to change in a couple hours.
"Gonna have to get some time off to go visit them soon. Say, what about your family?" Jaune asked, bringing her back to the present.
"My dad's doing good, he's a little bored these days. Last time I got in touch with him he mentioned something about coming to visit for graduation, but I dunno if he'll actually come. Haven't heard from my uncle in a while." Ruby said half to herself, creasing her brow in thought.
"Good to hear." the blonde nodded with a small smile. In contrast, the redhead cleared her throat.
"Actually Ruby, do you mind if I asked you a personal question?" Pyrrha spoke carefully. When the smaller girl nodded, she took a quick breath. "I want to know more about the battle."
Just like that, Ruby's cheer evaporated. Exhaling slowly, she nodded. "Sure."
"I mean, if you don't want to..." the redhead backpedaled, quickly waving her hands.
"No, no. Its okay." Ruby shook her head, steadying her nerves.
"It's fine if you don't want to talk about what happened." Jaune offered with a placating hand. "Just, well, you didn't look like you wanted to discuss it yesterday."
"I know." Ruby nodded quickly, forcing herself to give him a weak smile. "Its just, I was a little overwhelmed yesterday. Between you guys, the Gates, Earth, all that stuff, I had a lot on my mind. I'm better today, honest." Neither looked convinced, causing her to try harder. "I'm fine, ask me anything."
"Well..." Pyrrha sucked in a short breath. "Just one thing." she said quickly, making the smaller girl nod. "I looked at several sites and periodicals on the battle, but none of the legitimate sources mentioned a thing about the Maiden."
Ruby faltered, an uncertain look crossing her features. "About that... I wasn't actually supposed to tell you guys about the Maiden."
"Really?" they quipped in unison, briefly glancing at each other. Ruby chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck while her cheeks flushed.
"You see, I was one of few people who saw what happened, so afterwards Ozpin made me promise not to tell anyone. Yang was out cold then, but she was the only exception he let me make. I'm not allowed to talk about it, but I figured you guys would want to know." she admitted guardedly.
"Right, I get it. You don't have to worry about us telling anyone, we get how classified works." Jaune hurriedly interjected, showing worry while he reflexively looked around.
"Well, I won't say anything if you don't. So, we'll just pretend you didn't tell us?" Pyrrha offered, smiling hopefully while she fought back a wince.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks." Ruby agreed with a rapid nod.
Stopping at a streetlight, the trio waited patiently for the glowing sign to change. A glance told Ruby there wasn't a moving car in sight, but she didn't think for a moment of crossing before it was time. Once it did switch, she took off with as much restraint she could muster.
Once they were on the other side, Jaune cleared his throat. "Wanna talk about something else?"
"If you don't mind." Ruby agreed quickly, giving the area around her a quick check. Satisfied, she moved on. "There is something I've been wondering about though."
"Shoot." the blond prompted with a small wave.
"I know this is a little thing, but its been bugging me. When we were on Earth, the briefing?" she checked, eliciting a pair of nods. "I get why you guys were there, and I get why Hammond was there." she pursed her lips in thought.
"Why was SG-1 there too?" Pyrrha guessed, to which Ruby nodded to.
"Yeah. I figured they were pretty important, but I guess I wanna know why." she finished.
"Right, um..." Jaune quieted down when a pedestrian walked past the trio. Once the unknown person was out of earshot he clapped his hands together, frowning in thought. "Huh, I'm not really sure how to answer that."
When Ruby raised an eyebrow at him, Pyrrha softly took a breath. "Well, on paper they're just the team designated one. Their job is mainly exploration and diplomacy, but they'll do other things as the situation demands. But..." she faltered, wrinkling her brow while she rubbed her chin.
"Its not that simple, is it?" Ruby ventured, making both of them nod.
"They have a... a thing. Not sure how to describe it. Basically, if anyone else were to try what they do, they would fail. But if SG-1 were to give it a shot, they'd succeed. Doesn't matter if its winning over some long isolated civilization, making the discovery of a lifetime, or beating a System Lord head on, if its impossible, they can pull it off." Jaune had a faraway look in his eye while he told her. Ruby noted the admiration in his voice, even as he gestured randomly while talking.
"If you want to take the spiritual route, I'd say they were marked by destiny." Pyrrha offered, far more composed than her partner.
Ruby nodded thoughtfully. "What all have SG-1 done? You talk like they're legends."
"They would be if the Stargate program was public knowledge." Jaune began, quickly glancing around before continuing. "I mean, how many people can claim they've killed false gods, rescued entire civilizations, saved their own home world six or seven times now, just as the start?" he asked rhetorically. Ruby noticed the gleam in his eye when he was talking, and knew what it meant.
"Its hard to believe, but its all true." Pyrrha said with a shrug, a hint of a frown on her features.
"You really look up to them." Ruby noted, making him nod. The redhead did too after a moment.
"It's easy to do. What helps is there's evidence of their deeds at the SGC, if we had more time I would've shown you." she finished with an apologetic shrug.
"That's why SG-1 was there too. Hammond figured this was going to be a special event, so he brought the best along." Jaune concluded brightly.
Ruby pondered the information, wondering what it all meant. She had trouble believing the strange yet friendly enough people in the briefing room were supposedly so great, but what reason did either of them have to lie? In the end she shook her head, deciding it was good enough.
It took her a second to notice Jaune stopped, making her quickly backs track to where he stood. Following his bemused gaze, she discovered what made him stop.
"This place is still here?" he asked softly, planting a hand on his hip. The sign he drew Ruby's gaze to made her understand in full.
"From Dust Till Dawn. I would've thought this place got closed down years ago with Dust prices these days." Pyrrha commented, crossing her arms.
"I dunno how the old guy stays in business, but he does. The prices here aren't all that bad though." Ruby offered, feeling old memories bob to the surface of her thoughts.
Jaune pointed a finger at the unassuming store, as he gave her a sideways look. "Isn't this the shop that one street thug tried robbing back in the day? I remember you telling me about it a long time ago, this was the place which got Ozpin to invite you to Beacon. Ah, what was the guy's name?" he wrinkled his brow, frowning in thought. Before she could answer it for him, he snapped his fingers. "Torchwick. Something Torchwick, that was it, I'm sure of it."
"Roman I believe." Pyrrha added, the weak smile on her face fading when she saw Ruby's expression.
The red toned girl cleared her throat. "Roman Torchwick died eight months ago. During the battle."
Jaune's smile evaporated too. "Oh. Um..." he stopped to cough into his hand.
"It's fine. Um, the ammo shops a little further this way." Ruby jabbed a thumb over her shoulder.
Pyrrha nodded and rejoined her in walking, but Jaune stopped a few steps later, wincing while he sucked in a breath.
"Actually..." he cleared his throat when the girls gave him a strange look.
"What's the matter?" the redhead asked with concern, turning around fully.
Jaune pointed at the shop a couple meters away from him, exhaling carefully. "You mind waiting out here for a few minutes? My coffee is back to bite me."
Ruby blinked, her concern vanishing.
"Oh, sure, go ahead." she said, waving him on.
He gave them a thumbs up and darted to the door, making the chime above it ring. When she became aware of being in the middle of the sidewalk, Ruby stepped to the storefront, Pyrrha taking a spot beside her. Tapping her foot, the red huntress tried her best to keep herself in check. Seeing the redhead check her scroll prompted her to do the same; she saw an invite from Valentine and a random advertisement, but no other notifications.
"Hey, Pyrrha?" she said, catching the older girl's attention. "There's something else I wanna talk to you about."
"Sure, what is it?" she replied, closing her scroll and crossing her arms.
Mustering her nerves, Ruby pressed forward. "I've been meaning to ask you this, I just haven't had the chance yet." she paused to take a breath, making the redhead give her a concerned look. "What're you guys gonna do now?"
"Do now? What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked in confusion, frowning.
"I mean, you're home now. So, it means you don't have to do the SGC stuff anymore." Ruby explained slowly, swinging her head around to check for eavesdroppers. There were a few people on the same sidewalk, but no one close.
"Oh." Pyrrha turned away, her gaze downcast. She idly rubbed the space on her elbows while she thought of how to answer the question, as Ruby waited with a curious look.
"I... I guess I don't know." she said at last, glancing towards the sky. When Pyrrha noticed Ruby raising an eyebrow at her, she sighed. "I haven't really thought about it. With everything going on, I've been playing it day by day."
Ruby nodded, trying to send a smile her way. "Well, you don't have to go off and fight goold anymore. There's a good thing."
"Yeah..." Pyrrha answered distantly, causing her to frown. "I'll admit there's parts of the job I could do without. But there's good things too."
"Like what?" Ruby asked, spotting someone walking towards them a short distance away. A discreet tilt of her head made the redhead nod in understanding.
"As rough as it can get, there's always that feeling I'm making a difference every time I step through the ring. Even if its just something like scouting out this random planet, I'm doing something for the betterment of an entire world, maybe for a lot of worlds." she tilted her head back with a small smile. "You haven't felt true joy until you've seen a crowd of cheering people tasting freedom for the first time in uncountable generations. People who've been slaves for their entire recorded history, no longer being oppressed by an alien overlord. There's nothing quite like the feeling. Stuff like that makes everything I go through worth it."
Ruby nodded along as she spoke, peering at the sky too. "I guess it would be."
Noticing the pedestrian making a beeline towards the shop, she backed up a few steps at the same time as Pyrrha. As the hooded figure passed by them, Ruby cleared her throat. "So, what do you wanna do after you pick up ammo?"
"Anything you want, I don't mind. I was going to ask Jaune if there was anything in particular he'd like to do." Pyrrha answered with a shrug.
"You sure?" she asked her, hearing the door chime.
"I'm sure. Don't take this the wrong way, but I think we're going to be playing Q and A for most of the day." the redhead said with a bemused smile. Ruby rolled her eyes, not trying to deny it. "I understand though. I do feel bad that we're talking your ear off though."
"It's okay." Ruby replied, shrugging. "I mean, lets face it. You guys have the more interesting stories."
"Well, I wouldn't say more interesting." Pyrrha said, idly running a hair through her hair.
"Excuse me."
Ruby turned her head, all her cheer vanishing. Distantly aware of Pyrrha looking too, she paused to stare at the female voice which spoke to them.
"Um, yes?" she acknowledged carefully, letting her eyes roam over the figure.
The speaker was a woman, clad in dark clothes which looked like they had seen better days. She saw a large number of pockets all over the outfit, appearing to be stitched on seemingly at random. A thick dark cowl covered much of her body, while the hood obscured most of her face. What drew Ruby's gaze was the weapon slung over her back, a bow and quiver full of arrows. She knew of only one type of person who would go out like this.
"You're a huntress." she said amazedly, a special feeling rippling through her entire body.
The woman nodded once. "Correct. May I have a moment of your time?" she asked neutrally, her voice devoid of any sort of inflection.
Clearing her throat first, Pyrrha composed herself before faced the woman. "Can I ask what this is about?"
"I overheard part of your conversation." Ruby winced in self reproach. "By any chance, did you mention the name Jaune?"
"If I did?" Pyrrha asked coolly, narrowing her eyes a minute degree. Her body language was relaxed, but Ruby saw hints of her preparing to draw a weapon.
In response the woman lifted her glove clad hands to touch her hood, easily pulling it back to expose herself. Ruby's breath caught when she saw ragged blonde hair spilling out, the uneven clumps doing nothing to hide the very familiar sheen. The woman shook her head for a moment before focusing her gaze upon them.
Ruby saw immediately she was pretty, although there was no sign of makeup. At a glance she appeared to be in her mid twenties, her fair skin showing cues of living in the woods. But what grabbed her attention was her eyes: cold and piercing, yet possessing a shade of blue she recognized at once.
"Who... who are you?" she got out, roaming her eyes over the huntress.
"My name is Eliane. To repeat myself, did you say that name?" she replied, never losing the disciplined calm.
The shop's door chiming once again broke the tense atmosphere, drawing the three women's attentions away. Walking out, Jaune's blissful ignorance was shattered when he saw the gathering outside. "Um, what's going..."
He trailed off when his eyes landed on the woman. Eliane turned to slowly approach him, stopping an arms length away to carefully look at the young man. For a moment she lifted her hand to chest level, as if she was afraid to touch him directly.
Ruby exchanged a look with Pyrrha, who appeared indecisive. She didn't know who this woman was either, but Jaune wasn't reacting with hostility. He looked more dumbstruck than anything, gulping nervously yet doing nothing to stop her.
Without warning she caught him in a powerful hug. Ruby was reaching for Crescent Rose at once, while Pyrrha already had her hand wrapped around Miló. The only thing which stopped them was Jaune quickly holding up a splayed hand, flashing an anxious expression. Blinking in utter confusion, Ruby could only watch as he hesitantly wrapped his own arms around Eliane.
No one spoke for a minute, Ruby desperately wondering what was going on. When the woman let go at long last, she stayed right by him for a moment. The red toned girl was just close enough to hear her soft voice, as she murmured, "Its you, its really you."
Pyrrha coughed loudly, finally breaking the two apart. Eliane turned around, leveling her gaze upon her for interrupting them. Jaune on the other hand was red faced, plainly nervous while he shuffled his weight from one foot to the other.
"Jaune, who is this?" the redhead questioned severely, switching her green eyes from one to the other.
He took a deep breath, gathering his resolve. "Pyrrha, Ruby, this is Eliane." pausing to run a hand down his face, Jaune all but mumbled the next part. "My sister."
00000
...
00000
A/N: Hurray for poorly thought out plot twists.
00000
...
00000
An electric double chirp caught Ruby's attention, breaking the numb block from his seemingly calm introduction. She didn't know what it was, but the look on Pyrrha's and Jaune's expressions told her her it wasn't good; if it made the blood drain from both of their faces, it was reason enough for her to worry. Jaune dug into his hoodie's pockets, frantically pawing as Eliane gave him a strange look. It only got worse when he yanked his hand out, gripping his prize: the blocky radio.
"What is that?" the woman questioned curiously, while Pyrrha briefly raised a brow at him. If she didn't know any better she could have seen a faint sheen of color glow at the woman's irises.
"Wait, you grabbed yours? Why?" she asked in befuddlement.
Before he could respond the tiny machine chirped again, a very insistent sounding noise. Though she felt completely out of her depth, Ruby decided to step in. "What's going on?"
Jaune's features were nearly white, comprehension dawning on Pyrrha at the same time. When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse.
"They're here."