Ironwood rode in style.
His massive transporters docked at Beacon, but I was surprised to see the squadrons of soldiers being brought as well at Atlas' trainees.
It gave me a bad feeling deep in my stomach and my team shared my sentiments. We were in a time of peace. Why such a show of military force?
Torchwick and the White Fang hardly seemed like the biggest threat out there and they'd be beat by complicated subterfuge, deeper than their own. These shows of strength only hid them further.
And there was Omar to consider.
I had seen the General vanish into the tower where Goodwitch and Oz stared down.
I felt a stab of jealousy towards Goodwitch for a moment but I ruthlessly suppressed it.
Oz felt nothing but camaraderie for the stiff blonde Huntress.
"Elin says come to the library. He needs help with a project." Peyton said, closing his Scroll.
I smiled at him. He always had two Scrolls on him. One he used for school and his baby, the one he had built himself. It was a technological masterpiece.
I had recently found out that my enormously physically powerful Peyton was a technology Semblance.
He was a master of machinery, which was not what anyone had suspected. I had found out after I caught him in Oobleck's class fixing the Professor's computer without using his hands. I hadn't told the others as a favor to the large boy. For some reason his skill embarrassed him.
Elin reacted the same when I finally caught him using his Semblance. It was curious to me how these wonderful people with such useful skills were embarrassed by them. Peyton could command technology with his thoughts and Elin was like a chameleon! He could blend into the background of anything as long as he didn't move. That's how he seemed to just appear out of places. His Semblance could be very useful for covert work.
I thought Peyton's was mightily handy. I knew enough about tech to get me through the class and survive as an assassin but beyond that, it was over my head.
I glanced at the tower, then back at the small fleet and the hundreds of soldiers that Ironwood had brought halfway across the continent.
That awful feeling didn't go away.
Elin's project, with four minds at work went relatively quick. Afterwards we watched team RWBY play Conquer. The idea the game was to take over Remnant. I didn't play because I always won and the game made me uncomfortable for obvious reasons.
Jaune and Pyrrha studied, Ren read a book, turning the pages onto Nora's head where she slept on the other half of the book.
Yang and Ruby were really into the game, going back and forth on turns. Yang though was clever and beat Ruby. Then during Weiss' turn, though she helped Weiss understand the game, Yang still destroyed her. It upset Weiss and Ruby with the surging emotions of triumph and devastation.
Blake's mind was elsewhere.
"Hey, can I play?" Jaune asked.
"Sorry Jaune, we've already got four people."
"Besides, this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt you possess." Weiss said haughtily. Jaune's self-esteem dropped. I had forgotten his infatuation with Weiss.
"Uh, you attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago." Yang pointed out. I giggled and Weiss shot me a look which I responded to with a raised eyebrow.
"Bring it on, ice queen! I'll have you know that I've been told I'm a natural born leader!" Jaune said, trying to equal Weiss' haughtiness. Which wasn't smart when you think about it.
"By who? Your mother?" Weiss asked sweetly venomous.
"And Pyrrha!" He said motioning to the sweet redhead. "Hello again." She said.
"Come on, let me play your hand for a turn." He begged.
That was also not smart. Weiss didn't take kindly to weakness. "I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!"
"Why not? You've trusted me with way more important stuff before!" I snorted. Weiss only trusted her team and me and Elise and maybe Pyrrha. "I mean, you told us all that Blake was secretly a Fau-" Pyrrha interrupted him by almost taking his face off. "Fun-loving person whom we all admired and respect!" She finished with a smile. "Heh, heh right... that. Ladies. Enjoy your battle." Jaune said embarrassed with a bow.
Good save but I wasn't stupid. I wasn't surprised that Weiss had told team JNPR.
"Sup losers." A bright voice said behind Blake.
I smiled happily. Sun had a big smile on his face and held up a peace sign in his left hand.
"Hey Sun." Ruby said.
"Ruby, Blake, Yang, Ice Queen..."
"Why does everyone keep calling me that?!" Weiss asked indignant.
"Mommy Quicksilver, Feistypants, Kink, Bumblefoot." He continued looking at my team. The boys blushed at their nicknames but smiled.
I rolled my eyes at the newest and most popular nickname yet. Elise loved her nickname.
"I never got to formally introduce you to my old friend." He said motioning to the by next to him. I recognized him as the boy who had gotten painted purple during the food fight.
He was a tan skin boy, about the same age as Sun, with dark blue eyes and shocking electric blue hair, shaved on the sides and in the back. He wore a white dress shirt and black tie under a red jacket with a wide, upturned black collar and a pair of gray jeans with black padding strapped to the sides. His jacket had a reticle on the back in silver. He wore black boots with straps rather than laces, black fingerless gloves and a pair of yellow-tinted goggles he wore on his forehead.
He was handsome but he was extremely self-conscious. I could feel him trying to remain cool in front of so many people.
"Uh... aren't libraries for reading?" He said confused, looking at the board game.
Ren was happy that someone understood. "Thank you!" He cried throwing his hands in the air.
"Pancakes!" Nora snorted and cried, waking up suddenly.
Sun turned to his friend. "Shut up. Don't be a nerd."
The friend put a finger up. "Gegegegegeh. Intellectual. Okay. Thank you."
He turned to face all of us. "I'm Neptune."
I nodded. "That's Mommy Quicksilver." Sun said pointing at me. "Who else would it be?" Neptune asked sarcastically.
"So Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss asked. I could feel her definite interest in him and I smirked.
"Haven... and I don't believe I've caught you name, Snow Angel." He said, super suave, coming around the table to stand next to Weiss.
Real smooth.
Jaune stared open mouthed. I already knew of his first attempt with that same name that went really badly for him. Weiss thought blushed. "Um... I'm Weiss."
Jaune looked to us for support. "Are you kidding me?!"
I shrugged. Emotions were hard.
"Pleasure to meet you."
Sun leaned over Blake. "I never took you as the board-game-playing type!" He said happily. Blake looked at him. "Right... well I think I'm done playing, actually. I'll see you guys later." She said getting up and leaving.
Sun wanted to stop her. I could feel it.
He looked at me. "Mommy." He whined.
I shrugged. "I'm not a miracle worker, man." Everyone looked at me. "Yes, you are." Elin said holding his project up.
"Dude. It's really weird to hear you call her Mommy." Neptune said to Sun.
"Everyone calls her Mommy." He looked at where Blake had disappeared.
"Strangely, they do call me that." I said forlornly.
Neptune cracked a smile. Sun felt confused and frustrated.
Everything went silent for a minute then Nora spoke up shrugging her shoulders her hands in the air. "Women."
Later, I was walking back to my room when I heard team RWBY talking. Weiss was curious and determined, Yang just curious, Ruby was worried and Blake was filled with an ineffable sadness and frustration.
I was an ex-assassin. I was not above eavesdropping.
"I just... don't understand how everyone can be so calm." Blake murmured.
Ruby knew. "You're still thinking about Torchwick?" She said sympathetic.
Ruby had come to me many times, berating herself for not catching the crook.
"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it!" My baby sister vented.
She was really worked up over it.
I sighed inaudibly.
"Ozpin told us not to worry. Between the police and the Huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it."
You are wrong there, my friend. No one has any idea what force we are up against.
"Well I'm not! They don't know the White Fang like I do." She cried, reaching her point.
Ah, sweetheart no. Don't let them take you back in and especially don't drag your friends in.
You mean nothing to Omar. He'll crush you like a bug beneath his boot without a second thought if you mess with his plans. You should know better. You should remember.
"Okay, between blowing up night clubs, stopping thieves and fighting for freedom. I'm sure the three of you think you're all ready to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells..." She said sweetly.
Ruby didn't know what a 'ne'er-do-well' was.
"But let me once again be the voice of reason..." Weiss started. But even she was yearning to do something. "We're students. We're not ready this sort of situation."
"Well, yeah but-" Ruby tried to start. "We're not ready!" Weiss cried.
"And we may never be ready!" Blake interrupted angrily. "Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around and wait till graduation day! They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move and none of us know what it is! But it's coming, whether we're ready or not."
The four girls were catching hold on the idea.
I sighed again.
"Okay," Ruby said excitedly. "All in favor of becoming the youngest huntresses to single-handedly bring down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale... say aye." She spoke very quickly and silently I threw my lot in with them.
They'd need me.
This plot when beyond Vale.
"Yes! I love it when you're feisty." Yang said at someone. The way her feelings moved it was probably Blake.
"Well, I suppose it could be fun." Weiss said, sounding reluctant but inside she was bursting with excitement. To finally be doing something!
"None of you said aye..." Ruby said dejectedly.
"Alright then... we're in this together." Blake said, a weight disappearing from her shoulders.
"Let's hatch a plan." Ruby said. "Yeah!" Yang seconded.
Ruby gasped. "I left my board game in the library." She said, but by that time I was already walking down the hallway towards my room. I had many things to begin planning.
"I'll be right back!" I heard Ruby call, taking off down the hall till she ran head long into some exchange students. I disappeared inside my room and locked the door.
I took a deep breath and steeled myself. I looked at the pile of packages in the corner. I'd need to give them out soon. If team RWBY was going to do this, they'd need to cling to whatever humanity they could get.
My eyes drifted to my bed.
Something was wrong.
There was something on my pillow that hadn't been there before. The moonlight shined down on the horror on my pillow.
It was a mask.
I approached it warily.
I checked every nook and cranny of the room and found nothing.
There was just the mask.
It filled me with such painful memories I couldn't stand up.
It wasn't anything special but at the same time it was totally alien. A smooth piece of matte grey metal. No discernable features, not eyes or mouth. Some slight curves gave the impression of a face. As if an artist had laid the foundations but had yet to render it in detail.
This wasn't just any mask.
It was my mask.
So.
They've found me.
I took the hated mask in my hands and hid it deep in my clothes chest. Then I sat on my bed staring at the moon, knowing that I'd never sleep in that room again.