Chapter 5: Dusty Tomes

Robin bolted up, chest heaving with desperate breaths. She winced, her ribs flaring with pain from the sudden movement.

It had only taken her a few frantic moments to remember where she was. Just a dream. She closed her eyes and slowly laid back down. She hasn't had one this bad since…since before her marriage.

Hurried footsteps brought her attention to the door, which opened to reveal a slightly disheveled Chamomile in an apron and pajamas.

"Robin, are you alright?" the blonde doctor asked worriedly. She already reached Robin's side, checking the devices at the bedside. "I heard screaming."

Robin put up what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. It was…was just a bad dream."

Chamomile paused to look at Robin, her brow furrowed and mouth working unsaid words. Eventually she just sighed.

"Well, if you say so. I'm cooking breakfast," she tipped her head in the direction of the alluring aroma of sizzling meat. "Just an omelette with sausages. Is that alright?"

Robin smiled. "Of course." Any chance to eat more of the doctor's delicious cooking was greatly appreciated.

Chamomile nodded. "Alright, I'll bring you a tray."

Robin waited until the door was closed and the steps faded before she let go of the sheet with a shuddering breath, her free hand shaking with the ghosts of now-forgotten nightmares.

It was about noon when Robin finally got out of the bed.

After breakfast, much of the morning was spent with Chamomile performing various tests and examinations, both with the devices and through means more familiar to Robin. Every now and then she took breaks to explain exactly what she was doing and the various pieces of Remnant technology.

To be able to see someone's bones in just minutes… she thought in wonder. And this was just one of the many devices that littered Chamomile's humble clinic.

This world kept getting more and more amazing every minute, ever-present genocidal demonic beasts of darkness aside. If this was just what was available in a simple village clinic, then Robin had no doubt what lied in the Kingdoms would wow her. Morgan would have a field day learning about every single thing he could get his hands on.

And she just made herself depressed again. Shit.

Chamomile must have noticed her expression while she was explaining the principles behind lighting and electricity. "Is something the matter?"

Robin sighed. "No, not really. Just…thought about my son again."

Chamomile nodded in sympathy. "I see."

They lapsed into silence after that, Robin contenting herself with discretely reading Ninjas of Love behind another book and fighting the heat that rushed to her cheeks and Chamomile reviewing the "exrays" she took.

Eventually Chamomile seemed to come to a decision. "Robin?"

Robin looked up, hoping to Naga that her face showed no signs of fluster. "Yes, Chamomile?"

The woman took one last quick look at the "exrays" as she asked, "How do you feel about taking a walk outside?"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Really? So soon?"

Chamomile nodded. "Yeah. Your Aura has already healed the majority of your injuries already, particularly your ribs and arm. Frankly I'm quite surprised. Normally it would take the average person a few good days of intensive healing to get this level of progress." She gave Robin an appraising smile. "You must have a lot of Aura."

Robin grimaced internally. She had an idea of why she supposedly had a lot of Aura. It always came back to him didn't it?

Outwardly Robin smiled, saying, "Well, you're the doctor. I suppose I can't stay in this comfortable bed forever."

"I paid good money for ten of these things. Of course they're comfy."

Chamomile gently helped Robin up, and within five minutes the Tactician was only slightly wobbling as she stood. The cut on her leg still hurt as did her ribs, however it was more of an incessant itch than a gaping wound or shattered bones.

Robin was very familiar with those.

"If it hurts too much, I've got some painkillers you can take," said Chamomile.

Robin waved her off with her free hand. "I'm alright. Let's go."

The ceiling of the hallway they entered was the same textured white as the room prior. To her left, she could see the hallway extend to show several more doors, presumably leading into additional rooms like Robin's. To her right, the hallway opened into a large living space.

Once again Robin was astounded by the craftsmanship in a "simple clinic". The ceiling was raised up high to slant with the roof while wooden beams crossed the expanse. In the center, what looked to be a miniature version of a windmill with the "lightbulbs" Chamomile talked about hung parallel to the floor. Directly to Robin's right was a well-crafted rug along with a beautiful wooden table and what looked to be a large set of chairs that seemed to be made out of leather. Leather! These faced a large black rectangular box which Robin guessed was a "teevee". To the left was what looked to be a kitchen area blocked off by a bar similar to the ones found at pubs. It even had the accompanying stools, whose construction were as always leagues above what Robin had encountered or expected.

Needless to say, Robin was impressed.

"Are you sure you're just a village doctor?" she asked as she took in the fine paintings on the walls.

Chamomile's expression turned serious. "You got me. I'm actually the displaced royalty of Mantle. I'm only biding my time before I launch a revolution and reclaim my rightful throne."

They locked eyes. Minutes seemed to pass before the two burst out in laughter.

Robin brought a hand to her mouth. "You are joking, right?" She asked.

"Of course. Hang on." The doctor paused. "I forgot something."

She snapped her fingers. "Ah, that's right, you need your clothes. Please wait here."

Chamomile jogged off upstairs, leaving Robin alone. With a shrug, she sat down in one of the chairs and found herself assaulted by the cushioning softness enveloping her rear. Sweet Naga this feelssogood! It was like her butt was being caressed by a dozen fluffy sheep. That were also clouds. Fluffy cloud sheep who were Chon'sin masseuses.

"Aaaaahhhh~" With a blissful smile Robin relaxed into absurdly comfortable chair.

A breeze from somewhere reminded her she wasn't wearing pants.

"Ghh—!" Robin felt her face heat up as she crossed her legs. She glanced to the stairs. Where's Chamomile?

The sound of footsteps on wood answered her question, Chamomile holding a familiar pile of neatly folded clothing.

"Hope I hadn't kept you waiting for too long." She handed the stack of clothes to Robin. "You can use your room to change."

Robin smiled. "Thank you Chamomile."

Several minutes later Robin was once again lounging in Chamomile's extraordinarily comfortable chair. Chamomile had shown her the reclining feature, which frankly was one of the best inventions she'd seen out of Remnant so far. They had just finished the sandwiches that Chamomile prepared, and currently Robin was waiting for the the humble doctor to finish putting away the dishes.

Absently she wiped a crumb off her robe. It felt…comforting, to be back in these well-worn robes. She examined a sleeve. The three purple eyes emblazoned on it stared back. When she learned of her heritage, she detested them. Hated them so much for what they represented that she refused to wear them for a whole week.

Ironically it was the Plegian members of the Shepherds who convinced her otherwise. Tharja had told her that no one (especially Tharja herself, the Dark Mage had made explicitly clear) cared about her origins, but the person that existed now. Henry, the blood-crazy maniac, had told her it didn't matter what she wore or looked like, it was the insides that mattered.

Of course, he said this after he brutally flayed a man alive with a spell, so Robin wasn't quite sure they were talking about the same subject. She really didn't want to ask for confirmation.

Nonetheless, reasoning that they had become as part of her identity as her ashen hair, she wore the robes again with pride. It was also approaching winter, so that was also a factor.

"I must say," she said absently. "You really fixed these up well. It's like they were never torn."

"Oh that wouldn't be me," Chamomile replied as she stepped to Robin. "The only needles I'm good with are medical ones. Cate's the one who mended it." The doctor offered her a hand. "You should really see her dresses. Sometimes I wonder if she's a Mistralian fashion designer in disguise."

Robin took the hand, reluctantly pulling herself up from the siren softness. "Considering you're displaced royalty, I'd believe it."

Chamomile smirked. "Getting sassy here are we? Careful Robin, don't want to annoy the chef."

"Somehow, that's the most threatening thing I've heard in my life."

They stopped in front of the door. Chamomile gave Robin one last look. "You ready to step out into the wide open world?"

Robin took a breath. "As much as I'll ever be."

Chamomile nodded. "Then let's go."

The door opened, and Robin crossed the threshold into a new world.

When Robin stepped out to the village proper, she wasn't quite sure what she was expecting. Probably floating houses or something.

Falling back on instincts, Robin did a quick scan of her surroundings, filling her mental map of the location.

The most prominent feature was the dark grey road that cut through the village's center. It wasn't composed of any building material Robin had ever seen, a smooth expanse of some sort of rock that was marred by the occasional spidery cracks that crawled across its surface. A quick glance to her sides confirmed Robin's suspicions of a wall and gates at the far ends of the village, both barriers easily two stories tall.

To her left, various homely buildings constructed out of some fine-looking brick and wood sat around the main road. On the opposite side, she saw what looked to be a church painted in bright pastel, a store with rather extravagant glass windows proudly displaying various goods, and an inn with the words "The Pumpk-Inn" written humbly above the door. Clever, she thought with a smile. Directly neighboring Chamomile's clinic to the left stood a rather nondescript white building with a high red roof. Beyond that Robin couldn't see much due to the angle, but they seemed to just be more stores.

Directly in front of the clinic, she could see a dirt and gravel road leading to two sizeable red brick houses. Beyond them the road branched into a smaller pathway that cut through a crop field, the nearly mature vegetables providing a contrast of color to the dull grey wall in the background.

Robin's eyes were soon drawn to a massive monolithic building. It was easily the tallest building in the village, half again as tall as the church, and unlike the others it was made out of faded white vertical planks. The black roof of the building was slanted towards the road, while wide windows spread evenly underneath the lip of the roof emptied light into the darkness beyond. Jutting out from the side the side was a smaller and comparatively plain boxy addition with tiny barred windows.

Out of the corner of her vision, she could see a red barn and several livestock grazing about.

She must have lingered on the building for too long as Chamomile spoke up.

"Impressed? That's the Garage. Home of our very own mobile fortress," she said with pride.

"Mobile fortress?" Okay, Robin understood that a village from Remnant would be vastly different than one from her own world, but come on. "Now this I have to see."

"Well I'll have to ask Sesame for the keys, but I'm sure with Ferrum and me vouching for you we can—"

Chamomile was interrupted by a loud growling roar. It came from the left—several dozen yards away she estimated—and with such suddenness and volume that Robin's instincts honed by years of combat kicked in. Her free hand went to her side as she whipped her body around into a defensive posture, attempting to shield the doctor from whatever threat had come. She cursed internally as she groped the empty sheath.

"Ah."

Fortunately, it wasn't some sort of horrifying monstrosity.

It looked vaguely like a carriage, if a carriage was smashed into a cart, made out of metal, self-propelled, and roared like a wyvern. The coloring was faded light blue, rust and dull steel patterning itself on the frame like the spots of a leopard. In the passenger compartment, she could see a lanky-looking blonde gripping some sort of wheel, while in the back his rotund compatriot sat against the sides of the cart-looking part.

Recalling all those romanc—adventure novels as well as a bit of the morning's conversation, Robin surmised this must be one of those "cars" things. It let out a squeal as it stopped in front of the clinic.

"Hey Chams!" the blonde called out. "Me and Raz're headed to the Falls!"

"You'd better not be messing around on the rocks again!" Chamomile admonished, irritation painting her voice. "Next time you twist your ankle you're making your own cast!"

He laughed. "Ain't no one make 'em the way you do Chams!"

Chamomile brought an annoyed hand to her furrowed brow.

"Don't worry Ma'am." His companion in the back tipped his hat, drawling out his words as if savoring each one. It reminded Robin a bit of Donnel. "Ah'll make sure he don't do nothin' rash."

"…Just try to act with a modicum of caution for your well-being?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die!" The blonde yelled out, a cocky grin plastered on his face. The car growled as it started to move.

"We'll bring ya some good fish when we get back!" His words were barely audible as the metallic beast roared off to the gate.

The doctor let out a heavy sigh. "I swear, every month he comes in with at least one injury."

"Every month?" Robin asked.

"Since he was a child! I swear, if I had a lien for every visit from him, I could finance my own personal airship."

Robin raised an eyebrow at "airship". Questions for another time, perhaps.

"Maybe he likes you?" Robin ventured.

"Pfft," Chamomile scoffed. "As flattering as that is, he's way too young for me."

"Come on, what's the problem with a little virility in your men?"

Chamomile laughed. "Did you really just say virility? Now I regret lending you those books. Does that make me a 'nubile young maiden' then?"

"What's this I hear 'bout 'nubile young maidens'?"

"Ah, Ferrum!" Chamomile and Robin waved to the approaching form of the aged Huntsman. He wore the same attire as yesterday, save for the bright blue shirt that clashed rather badly with his red jacket.

"Robin's barely out of the bed for an hour and she's already playing matchmaker," Chamomile said, smiling. "Better keep her away from Kai, else you'll find yourself a father-in-law before the day's over."

Robin felt a chill crawl up her spine as Ferrum narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps I was wrong about this one. She is a danger to the village."

For several agonizing seconds Robin felt the intense stare of the elder Huntsman and barely fought the urge to shrink back before his serious expression broke, chuckling as he shook his head.

"Nah I kid." He clasped Robin's shoulder and gestured towards the far end of the village. "Come, the kids n' I wanted ta give ya a proper demonstration of fightin' here in Remnant."

"I'd appreciate it. Are you coming with us, Chamomile?" Robin asked.

The doctor shook her head. "If it's fine with you, I think I'll pass. I've got some work that needs to be done."

Robin and Ferrum said their goodbyes and headed off.

Strolling through the village, the atmosphere was certainly a lot more lively than Robin would expect from people surrounded on all sides by demonic beasts. Children ran and played, shopkeepers haggled stories with familiar customers, smiles and laughter were exchanged with the ease one does breathing. Throughout her travels, Robin had visited towns with less spirit than a village with a wall around it.

It was nice.

"So," Ferrum began. "What do ya think of fair Remnant?"

"I'm impressed," Robin admitted. "At the technology you possess and…" She gestured to several children playing with a ball, seemingly oblivious to the dangers that lurk outside the wall. "…the spirit you display. Knowing that these Grimm are always out there, always waiting to tear down humanity, that every day could be the last…

"People have despaired with less."

"Mmm." Ferrum nodded.

They rounded the corner into a dirt and gravel road that forked into two other paths. Crowding alongside the road were houses of various construction and design—Robin guessed no more than ten in all. The oldest were constructed exclusively out of wood and simple in make, additions to their structure fitting like mismatched clothing. The newest ones were made out of either brick or the same style of planks as the Garage and more daring in their shape. Several sported larger doors, presumably to hold cars.

Ferrum traded greetings with several residents lounging on their porches, and Robin could feel their curious gazes linger upon her.

"I s'pose when ya grew up with them as a fact a' life," Ferrum said. "Ya see it like the rain or a tornado. Just something to deal with when it pops up. With more teeth n' claws, of course."

"Like a force of nature, huh?" Robin looked skyward. It was an idyllic day, the clouds scattered in wondrous white puffy patterns.

"Well I'm pretty sure you can't stab a tornado to death with a sword," she said with a grin.

Ferrum chuckled. "I s'pose ya can't."

Taking the left path, they crossed a quaint little bridge with an equally quaint little stream that dipped into the village's outskirts. There the path opened into a large grassy clearing, a wooden mill a ways to the left and several abandoned structures to the right. Around them the village's wall stood impassively.

Ferrum pointed to the half-built skeletons of buildings. "Used ta be the property of the original founders. Died not one day after Endurance was 'stablished. Ever since, anyone who's lived there has suffered grisly fates. Everyone thinks the place is cursed 'n haunted, so it was left abandoned. We use the place fer trainin' nowadays."

As they neared the deserted ruins, Robin could hear what must have been Kai, Lincoln, and Ivory. Ferrum put a finger to his lips and winked, and Robin lightened her footsteps.

Peering around the corner, she could see the three teens lounging around a stump. Kai laid out sprawled on the grass, kicking her feet in the air. Ivory was kneeling demurely at the stump's base, while Lincoln sat on the cut-down tree remains behind her. Even from here, Robin could see the care and expertise with which the dog-eared boy braided Ivory's smooth long hair. The braid was intricate, a gorgeous knotted pattern that Robin knew many noble ladies would have paid egregious amounts of gold for.

By now, Robin was close enough that she could pick up the conversation.

"…do I always gotta put my foot in my mouth?" Lincoln asked. "Like, seriously, who the fuck asks, 'Oh you should've been dead, why aren't you dead?' Come on."

"Oh come on Linc." Kai rolled over to face her friend. "I'm sure Robin's not gonna hold that against you."

"How do you know? That doesn't change the fact that I was stupid."

"There's no need to insult yourself Lincoln," Ivory said.

Lincoln scoffed as he finished up the braid. "Yeah, 'cause you do that for me."

"It's a hobby."

Robin decided to cut in, walking out from the corner. "You know if you're worried about offending me you can just ask."

After she spoke, Lincoln had performed a fantastic impression of a startled cat, leaping a good three yards into the air. Sadly Robin would have had to deduct points for the landing, as he somehow managed to faceplant on the grass.

"Hi Dad! Hi Robin!" In an impressive display of speed, Kai tackle-hugged her father before Lincoln had even managed to touch the ground. It reminded Robin of Morgan's touchy-feely tendencies.

She clenched her fist to suppress the ache in her heart.

"So," Robin said. "Ferrum brought me along to watch you guys train."

"Really? That's awesome!" Kai clapped her hands, stars in her eyes as she hopped in place. "I can't wait to show off all our moves! Right guys?"

"Yeah, can't wait to embarrass myself even more," Lincoln sarcastically replied as Ivory helped him up.

Kai stuck her tongue out. "Quit being a sour puss."

"I'm a dog faunus, thank you."

Paying no heed to her bickering friends, Ivory turned to Robin. "It is nice to see you out of bed, Robin."

The Tactician smiled. "Likewise."

"Once Robin's all healed up," Ferrum spoke, quieting Kai and Lincoln. "She'll be helping us with the Grimm while she gets acclimated with Remnant."

"Does this mean you'll show us your magic spells!?" Kai exclaimed, all but vibrating in place. Her friends likewise had perked up at the possibility.

"I'd love to, but," Robin shrugged sheepishly. "I used up all my tomes while I was being chased by the Grimm. While I can do magic without my them, I'm much more limited in what I can do."

Kai's shoulder slumped. "Aw…"

"Actually," Ferrum interjected. "I think I gotcha covered. After our conversation yesterday I got a lil search party ta look fer any a' yer possessions that ya might've been lost. Found a buncha colored books with symbols on 'em. Those sound like yer tomes?"

Now that was good news.

"Yes, actually," she said. "I was a bit worried, while I know my way around a blade, I'm nowhere near skilled as you guys."

"Nonsense!" Ferrum clasped Robin's shoulder. "All ya need's a bit a' practice. Ya know what? Howabout I get 'em while the ya watch the kids practice?"

She nodded. "Sounds good. Oh! Do you think you could bring along some Dust as well? I'd like to see how they'd interact with my magic."

Ferrum brought a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm, I 'spose I could ask Felix for a couple crystals…

"I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, the kids can go ahead n' spar while I'm gone. Three hit rule. Ya kids got it?"

"Yeah I got it." "Okay dad!" "Yes, Mr. Rubidigo."

"I told ya not ta call me that, makes me feel old," Ferrum said with a wink.

Kai giggled. "But you are old!"

He pulled Kai into a headlock, ruffling her hair up fiercely to the girl's giggling squeals.

"I don't want any more sass outta you young lady!" he jokily chastised. "Else yer not gettin' desert tonight."

"Nooo!"

"Alright." Ferrum released his daughter and started off back into the village. "I'll be back shortly. Take care!"

"See ya." "Bye dad!" "Goodbye, Mr. Rubidigo." "Bye Ferrum."

Ferrum rounded the corner, and Robin was once again left alone with the three teens. The four of them traded awkward glances.

…

Kai sneezed.

"Bless you," three voices responded in unison.

"Thanks."

…

"So, uh…" Lincoln began, wavering slightly as attention was focused on him. "I guess Kai 'n I'll start?"

Lincoln and Kai stood about twenty paces from each other, weapons drawn and ready. Robin and Ivory were seated on and near the stump, respectively.

Kai's stance was loose, shifting from one foot to the other. Her short sword—Rigan-ryuu, she had called it—was gripped in her right hand while her left remained free. It was similar to the stances she saw from Severa and Inigo, though Kai lacked the crucial shield. Considering her attitude about her parent, Robin wondered why Kai went without one.

Lincoln on the other hand, wielded his strange sword—he had declined to give her its name to the amusement of his friends—more like a club in a two-handed grip. He took steady, deep breaths as he alternatingly clenched and unclenched his hands.

"Is everyone ready?" Ivory asked. After the two replied in the affirmative, she began the countdown. "Begin in three, two, on—"

"Wait!" Kai suddenly yelled out. "Shouldn't we tell Robin our Semblances so she's not confused or anything?"

Lincoln sighed, his posture slackening. "I guess…?"

Robin for her part, simply shrugged. "I'm fine as long you guys don't have a problem with it."

"Okay!" Kai exclaimed, hopping in place as stars dancing in her eyes. "Lessee…"

With much flair, Kai thrusted her free arm out. A moment later a shape formed, blue energy coalescing into a vaguely spear-like shape. Robin recognized it as similar in construction to the arrows and bowstring Kai had formed previously.

"I can make stuff!" The blue-haired girl declared with pride. She waved the spear in the air like an artist would their magnum opus.

"Way to be specific," Lincoln commented, leaning his chin and hands on his sword planted blade-first in the ground.

"Shush you. Ahem!"

Twirling the constructed spear, Kai threw it into the air. As it reached its apex, the spear detonated in a brilliant display of blue energy.

"Tada!"

Kai bowed as her audience applauded.

"Very impressive, Kai," Robin said, to which the girl beamed. "So are there any limitations to your Semblance?"

"Oh, um…" Kai blinked. "Well, uh…"

It was quite clear she hadn't expected to be questioned on the fine points of her powers as she fidgeted and scratched the back of her head.

"Well, I hafta use my Aura t'make 'em, and if I make 'em complicated it uses more. I only really use it to throw explody stuff at Grimm. I tried makin' a gun but it didn't really work out well…" The girl trailed off as pink tinged her cheeks, her confidence wavering.

Taking a bit of pity on the girl—not because it reminded her of Morgan whenever he got in trouble—Robin said, "Well sometimes you don't need a fancy weapon; all you need is an exploding potato."

Kai giggled. "Hehe, thanks Robin."

"…Why a potato?" Lincoln asked.

"Story for another time." The less said about the time Henry and Miriel tried to cook, the better. Robin still had scars.

"Alrighty." Kai seemed to be back in high spirits. "Well, howabout you Linc?"

Straightening up, the boy swung his sword in a diagonal arc. Robin saw an ethereal image of the blade twice as large as the original flash into existence, seeming to extend from the original sword. Any thoughts of it being an illusion were crushed as the ground shook from the blow, a divot matching the larger sword marking its effects as physical as its progenitor. The image had vanished by then, the hole the only proof it existed.

"I can project bigger versions of stuff I swing," Lincoln simply stated. "Hits just as hard as if I hit them normally."

Robin put a finger to her chin. "I can definitely see how that could be useful. It would allow you to engage a foe while reducing the risk of harm to yourself. Not to mention you could trip them up with varying the range of your attacks, striking them when they believed themselves to be safe."

Lincoln stared at her blankly. "Uh, yeah. All that stuff."

"Hm, are you only limited to swings or…?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I can do stuff like punch and kick and stuff."

"Good to know." Robin turned to Ivory. "I recall you teleporting earlier. Is that your Semblance or something else?"

Ivory pulled her hair over her shoulder, the lithe girl fiddling with the end of her braid as she spoke. "Yes it is, Robin. I can teleport to objects I have infused with my Aura. I can only teleport if I have clear line-of-sight to them."

"I see."

The conversation trailed off, and soon threatened to lapse into the same awkward silence that plagued the four before.

"You know," Robin began. "A lot of people from my world would kill to have abilities like yours." The sad part was that she wasn't speaking metaphorically. People like Walhart, Gangrel, Validar; all of them wanted power for their own nefarious ends, and all of them were willing to do whatever it took to get it.

"But doesn't your world have magic n' stuff?" Kai asked.

"It does," Robin admitted. "But it's more along the lines of a discipline most anyone could learn, not unique personal abilities. For example, while there are teleport spells, many of them require setup and aren't optimal in the heat of battle." She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "The closest we have to Ivory's Semblance are Rescue staffs, and they're a lot more limited in what they can do."

"But it's maaaagic!" Kai insisted, wiggling her fingers.

"Kai she's not from some cartoon," Lincoln retorted. "She can't wave a wand and have fluffy pegasus unicorns fly into the sky barfing rainbows." Suddenly his eyes go wide and he turned to Robin. "Uh, you can't do that, can you?"

Robin put a hand to her chin. "Well, technically we do have certain species of pegasus with horns—" The look on Lincoln's face was hilarious. "—but sadly we don't have a spell to have them barf rainbows."

The boy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wait you have pegasuses?!" Kai was bouncing in place at the mention of the aerial equines. "Ohmygodwhataretheylike?!"

Chuckling at the girl's enthusiasm, Robin leaned back. "Well they're a lot like horses, though they're a lot more skittish. For some reason they tend to only accept women as their riders, though I haveheard of a few men capable of using pegasus mounts. And it's pegasi, not pegasuses."

"Have you ever ridden one?"

"Uh…I have, but I'm not much of a flier," Robin admitted. "I prefer having solid ground under me." She had apologized profusely to Cordelia after nearly throwing up on her armor during a training exercise. That was the last time she ever going more than ten feet above ground.

"You know, as much as I like discussing flying ponies," Lincoln cut in. "Kai we still gotta do the spar thing remember?"

Kai groaned, her shoulders slumping. "Ugh, fine poopy-head." Lincoln stuck his tongue out. "Robin could you please start us?"

The Tactician nodded, and once Lincoln and Kai got into their stances she called out, "Ready!"

The two tensed up.

"Begin!"

They lept into action. Lincoln lunged forward, a swing leading into a projected punch with his offhand just barely missing Kai. Rolling under his attacks she swung and was barely blocked by Lincoln, the metal of their swords ringing out as they struck each other.

With all of her mental facilities not focused on concussions and blood loss, Robin was able to analyze the two fighters a lot better.

Her initial assessment of Lincoln's style as crude was mostly correct. At times it seemed like he wielded his weapon more like a club than a sword, and he often made use of punches and kicks in conjunction with his Semblance. However Robin could tell he wasn't just swinging wildly. He was certainly very aggressive, pushing the offensive as much as he could with or without his weapon. This was how he scored the first hit, as Kai, unbalanced from a near-miss, was left wide open to a projected roundhouse kick that sent the girl flying. Yet at the same time he wasn't too reckless, pulling back before he overextended himself.

Kai on the other hand, focused more on agility than her counterpart, performing acrobatic moves Robin had only seen with Lucina and Chrom. It was a lot like the differences between the Barbarian class and the Mercenary class, to borrow familiar terminology. One focused on power, the other much more balanced but possessing a clear advantage in speed to its counterpart. Kai was definitely faster than Lincoln, allowing her to dodge nearly all of his attacks, her counterattacks only blocked because of Lincoln preemptively bringing his sword into position even before she started to swing.

That was another thing Robin had noticed. The way the two fought spoke of intense familiarity with the other's fighting style, the kind that is only born out of months or even years of fighting side-by-side. The spar was more like a dance, the ebb and flow of combat smooth unlike the brutally quick nature of a real battle.

Robin heard someone walk up next to her. A quick glance confirmed it was Ferrum, holding a steel box, a bag, and a broken sword she recognized as hers. She turned back to the fight.

The score now was two to two, Kai and Lincoln facing each other during a lull in the spar. They stared each other down, breathing slightly heavier than before as they waited for the other to make a move.

It was Lincoln that broke the stalemate first, lunging forward with a horizontal slash. Kai leapt forward and above it, a blue spear materializing in her hand. At the apex of her jump she threw it down, Lincoln twisting out of the way as he swung again hoping to hit her before she landed. Kai swung faster, a blue blade of energy emanating from her sword. Lincoln staggered from the hit, but his sword's momentum continued, catching Kai by the legs. The two fell to the ground, weapons scattered around them.

A moment later Kai thrust her fist into the air.

"I won!"

"By like half a second," Lincoln retorted.

"That still means you lost~"

"Good job you two," Ferrum said. "Still have lotsa room fer improvement. Lincoln, yer aggressiveness's bitin' ya in the keister. Slow down some, otherwise yer gonna find yerself knee-high in Bramblebeasts."

"Yeah, alright," the boy replied. "Fucking hate those things…" he muttered more to himself.

"Kai, yer leavin' yerself open too much tryin' ta do yer fancy moves. Sometimes ya gotta keep it simple."

"Aw but it's not as cool."

"Cool don't matter when yer dead, Kai."

Kai's shoulders slumped. "Fiiiine." She perked up when she saw the bag. "Oh! Are those Robin's magic stuff?"

"Yep. Gotta buncha coloring books innit," he said, winking as he offered it to Robin.

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "Coloring books? You serious?"

"Yep," Robin answered with a grin. "Lots of yellows, greens, and reds."

Ignoring the incredulous, confused, and inquisitive looks of Lincoln, Kai, and Ivory respectively, Robin took out the tomes gathered neatly inside, laying them at her feet.. They weren't unscathed; some bore scratch and teeth marks, others were slightly singed, a couple were missing chunks of their content, and the covers of almost all were dented and bent, but it was better than nothing.

Two Elthunders, one Thoron, three Fires, two Dying Blazes, one Elwind, and one Arcwind. Not exactly the most impressive of arcane libraries, but it'll have to do for now.

"Woah…" Kai opened a Fire tome. "Look at all these symbols n' stuff! This must be a really powerful magic spell, right?"

"Actually it's the second weakest combat spell I've used."

"…Oh."

"I can't read any of this." Lincoln's brow was furrowed as he thumbed through Thoron.

"I assume magical books from another world would use a foreign language," Ivory said.

"Well, I—I just—it's—" Sputtering, the boy groaned in frustration. "Ugh fucking words. Robin's from another world and she can talk and read our language."

Ivory opened her mouth and closed it, brow creasing.

Ferrum rubbed his chin. "Ya know, that is rather strange all things considered."

"I have to admit I originally thought you were all just speaking Ylissean," Robin admitted. "I suppose it could whatever caused me to arrive in Remnant granted me the ability to understand the native language."

"Sooo…magic?" Kai threw out.

They all looked to one another before nodding.

"It's as good an answer as any," Robin said.

Lincoln sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Fucking unicorn pegasi…"

"Well," Robin began. "I suppose since you've given me a taste of your fighting abilities, it's only fitting I show you what I can do."

"Magic, magic, magic…" Kai started chanting.

"Will ya need help?" Ferrum gestured to Robin's cast arm.

"I can manage." She placed a Fire tome so it lay flat on her cast. "Just give me the tomes I ask for."

She walked to the center of the sparring area, taking care to step over fresh abuse from the recent fight. Lincoln had taken her seat on the stump, while Ferrum had an arm wrapped around Kai, the blue-haired girl baring an eager grin as she leaned into her father's side and bounced in place.

Robin took a deep breath. "I guess I should start with a brief explanation. I'm not exactly an expert on this, but I consider myself well-learned.

"Everyone has a pool of magic within them. The amount determines how easily and how well you can cast spells. Some naturally have a large pool of magic, others not so much. While training and…other…methods can increase the amount of magic you have, for some—" She thought of Chrom. "—it's much more efficient to whack things with swords.

"Now, there's several different classes of magic. You have cantrips, which are simple magic spells that mainly serve to ease regular living, such as lightening a load or brightening a room. The vast majority of magic-wielders tend to only know a few cantrips. Then you have Anima and healing magics, which require years of training to master. Finally you have Dark Magic, which is a completely different discipline. I'm the least familiar with this branch of magic, but it tends to deal with hexes and curses and stuff like that. Their combat-oriented spells tend to focus on affecting the soul."

Lincoln raised a hand. "Wait, what do you mean 'affect the soul'? Like, voodoo doll-type stuff?"

"Well, some Dark Mages use voodoo dolls—" "Oh come on." "—but most Dark Magic combat spells tend to do things like enshroud you in suffocating clouds of darkness, infuse your body with dark lightning before exploding, and sapping your very life energy."

The teens gulped.

"But let's not dwell on that," Robin continued. "Now, even the simplest Anima spell takes up a lot of magic. The average Mage can only cast a few Fire or Wind spells on their own before tiring. This is where the tomes come in. Each page is filled with the necessary rune enchantments and inscriptions to direct magic into the spell. In addition each page is infused with magic to fuel the spell. When the spell is cast, the magic in the pages is consumed along with the pages themselves. This way, a Mage can cast many more spells than they would normally would be able to."

Kai perked up. "Oh! So tomes are like magical disposable batteries."

Robin wasn't entirely sure what "batteries" were, but she rolled with it. "I suppose so. Now, how about I actually demonstrate some spells?"

And so Robin began drawing the magic out of the Fire tome, feeling the energies within responding to her call. She slowed down the process as much as she could to allow her audience a good chance to observe. The book opened on its own accord, the pages fluttering as flecks of fire danced around Robin's fingers and gathered in her hand, the protective magic within the spell shielding her from harm. Glowing sigils flashed into existence, surrounding themselves around Robin's body and hand.

In the corner of her eye, Robin thought she saw a flash of recognition in Ferrum's eyes. How peculiar.

By now the spell had reached its peak, having consumed nearly all of its related pages. With a shout of "Fire!" the spell was released, a ball of fire launching toward an empty patch of ground.

It detonated, a two yard wide explosion of fire blossoming out from the point of impact and consuming the surrounding grass in burning flames. While certainly impressive, Fire itself had many drawbacks that left it near the bottom of the totem pole in terms of power. The projectile itself was rather slow and easily dodged with good enough reflexes and the actual damage of the spell, while adequate for taking out one or two human enemies, lacked the sheer power and area of effect that was required for the large scale battles Robin often participated in.

The stench of cooked human flesh was another downside.

Applause shook Robin out of unpleasant memories. Smiling, she bowed to her audience, taking care to make sure the tome didn't fall down.

"Wow! That was really cool Robin!" Kai exclaimed.

Lincoln shrugged. "Eh, I've seen better in the Vytal Tournament."

"Linc! That's just Dust. This is real magic!"

"Kai, Robin can do the detachable finger trick right now and you'd be hailing her as one of the Maidens or something."

Before Kai could retort, Robin cut in. "No, Lincoln's reaction is understandable. This Fire tome is one of the more basic spells." She closed said tome with her free hand. "Ferrum, could you hand me the Arcwind? It's the green cover with a circle and cross."

Patting his daughter's head—who was in the middle of a raspberry contest with Lincoln—Ferrum obliged, taking the Fire tome and laying it with the others.

Without further ado, Robin began casting the wind tome. Already she could feel the difference in level. The Fire spell was simple in design and execution, and one that most any beginning Mage could cast with ease. Arcwind, on the other hand, was a much more complex spell. To control and contain the magic required finesse only the more advanced Mages possessed. A lesser Mage would find the magical energies fizzling out or worse, losing control of the spell and getting eviscerated by rogue bladed winds. A fact she explained to the teenagers and Ferrum as she cast the spell.

The magic in the air was significantly more powerful than the Fire tome. She could feel her skin prickle from the energies produced, her hair standing on end as she called out "Arcwind!"

Normally the magic would create the tornado from her fingers, sent at speeds faster than a pegasus could fly, but in consideration of collateral damage she instead directed the spell to form directly over the leftover flames of the previous spell. A spinning vortex of winds spun into existence, the only warning being a ring of runes flashing a fraction of a second before. The flames were immediately extinguished, the grass and the ground gouged and torn apart by the synthetic cyclone.

And yet Robin felt only a breeze, the magic doing its work to contain the destruction. While it may have seemed counterintuitive, the spell was made to be launched close to the caster. It wouldn't do to kill its own user.

"Woah! That one's even cooler!" Kai's legs bounced as she watched the spell fade.

Lincoln scratched his head. "Yeah, I have to admit that's pretty cool."

"Well you haven't seen anything yet." Robin grinned. "How about I show you my favorite spell? Ferrum, could you hand me the yellow tome with the spear?"

With Thoron sitting comfortably on her cast, Robin took a deep dramatic breath. Casting higher level magic was always a rush, the feeling of destructive energies coursing through your body. Miriel said it was the magic "supercharging the endocrine system and infusing the bloodstream with adrenaline". Henry said it was because it usually meant someone was gonna die when you cast a spell. Whatever the cause, Robin couldn't deny the thrill that ran through her veins as the air lit up with powerful lightning magic.

If Arcwind made her skin prickle, Thoron, pardon the pun, electrified her skin, filling her nostrils with the heavy metallic stench of magic. Collected within her hand was the entirety of the spell compacted into a ball of magical energy, excited sparks leaping to her fingers despite the spell containing the magic from breaking free.

Thoron was too powerful to simply be aimed anywhere inside the village. So Robin aimed upwards and with a shout the spell was released, a spear of lightning as wide as Robin was tall screaming towards a cloud in the sky like a reverse thunderstorm. The boom echoed throughout the village, and the teens covered their ears. She braced herself for the backlash, the resultant winds causing her robe to flutter briefly.

Then it was over, lingering sparks dissipating. In the far off distance, a hole in the clouds was the only indication the spell had been cast.

Robin turned to wide eyes. Lincoln's mouth was agape, and even Ferrum tilted his head in appreciation.

"That…was…AWESOME!" Kai jumped out from Ferrum's side, hopping up and down with such enthusiasm as if she were hyped up on Thoron itself.

"I…wow…" Lincoln closed his mouth. "Add that to the list of things I don't wanna get hit by."

"That is very impressive, Robin," Ivory added.

Robin nodded. "Thank you, Ivory."

"Showusyourotherspells!" Ferrum dragged Kai back down almost reflexively, as if he'd done so many times before, clamping a strong hand on the vibrating girl. Robin couldn't help but smile. Morgan never quite reached that level of enthusiasm, but he got close.

"Actually, I'd like to test out how my magic interacts with Dust if you don't mind." While Robin didn't doubt the potency of her world's spells—especially having been on the receiving end of almost every single one she's used—any advantage she could get would be invaluable.

Ferrum lifted the steel case. "Gotcha the four basic types and a couple 'a the more exotic ones." He opened the case, revealing several crystals of varying colors as well as vials of powdery…Dust.Huh, wonder if that's how it got the name.

The following several minutes were spent learning how to use the raw Dust. It was surprisingly simple, the power within the crystals reacting naturally to Robin's magic and Aura. Soon she was throwing out some basic fireballs and electrical discharges.

She could definitely see why such a resource would be a game changer. While her brief little experimentation was nowhere near the level of firepower most mages could bring to bear, the ease with which she was able to learn Dust magic meant that it could be easily incorporated into the average soldier's training regimen. Even if most of the rank and file could only cast the equivalent of a Fire spell, that's still orders of magnitude more Fire spells than there would be otherwise. Whoever controlled Dust would then essentially control the battlefield, the disparity in power would be that high.

Robin stared at the lightning Dust crystal in her hand, pulsing so gently it was almost lost in the afternoon light. Perhaps it was a good thing there was the Grimm to act as the unifying enemy.

Potential ramifications of glowy rocks aside, the next hour was spent mixing her Anima magic and Remnant's Dust magic while Ferrum assured curious villagers the giant lightning spear from earlier wasn't something to worry about. While she wasn't the academic Miriel or her son Laurent were, Robin still possessed a good amount of intuition and skill regarding magic, and with how easy Dust responded it was simple to incorporate it into the spell casting.

For the most part, the results of their experimentation made sense. Lightning Dust enhanced her lightning spells, fire Dust with fire spells, and wind Dust with wind spells. Not only that, but casting those spells was much easier with the same element of Dust. Applying Dust to spells of different elements created a mix of the two. For example, earth Dust mixing with the Fire tome formed a ball of molten rock, Elthunder and ice Dust made blue-tinged forks of electricity that created frozen works of ice where they landed, and the so-called gravity Dust combined with Arcwind to create a vortex of darkness that had actually threatened to suck them all in, and ended up consuming a good chunk of the nearby masonry.

Some of the more amusing combinations were the ones of "opposite" elements.

"Huh." Ferrum rubbed his chin. "Ya don't see that every day."

"No you don't," Robin agreed.

"I mean…" Kai scratched her head. "It kinda makes sense?"

Ivory tilted her head. "I suppose it does."

"The ice is on fire," Lincoln said.

And indeed, the ice was on fire, however paradoxical it seemed. Robin wasn't quite sure what she expected when she combined Dying Flame and ice Dust, but a beautifully twisting spire of ice—that was also on fire—was pretty okay in terms of results. The curious thing was that the ice looked to be unaffected by the heat which Robin could feel even twenty paces away.

"Out of curiosity, what usually happens when you mix ice and fire Dust?" Robin asked Ferrum.

The elder Huntsman shrugged. "If ya mean usin' 'em at the same time, they usually just cancel each other out 'less ya use 'em with another type 'a Dust."

They stared at the affront to common sense for a while longer.

"You know, we should probably put it out," Robin said.

"How?!" Lincoln threw out his hands towards the ice. "It's ice, on fire!"

Ivory brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "With water, perhaps."

"But what if the water catches on fire?" Kai asked.

"That is…a good question."

In the end, Robin used another Arcwind to get rid of the remains of what Kai decided to call Frozen Blaze, the flames fortunately flickering out from the powerful winds. Unfortunately the ice structure also ended up getting pulverized and pelting them with makeshift hail, but at least nothing else was on fire. For now.

Brushing off the stray ice, Ferrum gestured to the village. "Well s'almost time fer my patrol, so I'll leave ya with the kids." He ruffled his daughter's hair. "Behave yerselves."

"Yeah, yeah, Dad! Ah! Stoppit!"

After waving goodbye, Kai clapped her hands. "Alright! Who wants to take Robin on a tour of our home?"

Lincoln shook his head. "Sorry Kai, but Ivory 'n me were gonna go play some video games after this. Gonna have to run this one solo."

Kai's shoulders slumped. "Aw come on, really?"

"Our apologies, Kai."

"Fine. See ya guys!"

"Have fun you two," Robin called out.

Left alone with the girl, Robin asked with a smile, "You know, you never asked me if I wanted to go on a tour."

Kai's eyes widened as her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "O-oh, I-I'm sorry! I forgot to, I mean, I just…" She trailed off, hands wringing her skirt.

Robin laughed. "Don't worry, I'd love to. Just slow down a bit, alright?"

"Okay…"

They collected Robin's tomes and stuffed them into the bag Ferrum left. As for her sword, she returned it into its sheath by her side. It was lighter, but the familiar weight was comforting.

As they crossed the bridge, Robin could see the blue-haired girl was still dejected. Taking pity, she spoke up.

"You know, you remind me of my son."

Kai perked up. "I do? Wait, you have a kid?!"

"Yes to both. He's about your age, actually, maybe a few years younger."

"Waitaminute, how old are you?"

Robin grinned as she said, "About twenty."

Kai stopped in place as she counted her fingers. She froze, then snapped her head up, a look of utter confusion plastered on her face. "How?!"

"Time traveling children, remember?"

The girl's eyes widened in comprehension. "Ohhhh. So wait, how do I remind you of your son?"

Robin chuckled. "Well, for one, you both have similar hairstyles and hair color, though his is shorter." Robin's eyes stared off into the distance as she recalled her precious boy. "You also both have such infectious enthusiasm others can't help but get caught up in it. And finally the both of you love your parents very much…"

The last sentence was spoken wistfully, Robin's steps slowing as she stared up to the blue sky. Morgan, Gods, what must you be doing without your mother? He was so heartbroken when he—when they lost her. Perhaps even more than Robin was. Robin couldn't imagine what he must be feeling now, the mother he looked up to and loved with all his heart gone.

Kai glanced worriedly at Robin. "U-um, so how about his dad?"

That shook Robin out of her thoughts. "Dad? What do you…oh!" Robin smiled. "Morgan doesn't have a father. He has two mothers." She held up her left hand, the sunlight glinting off the simple piece of jewelry on a certain finger.

"This ring belongs to my wife, Lucina."

A/N: And so the answer of with whom did Robin S-supported with has been answered! Honestly, not much of a twist, hopefully I left enough hints in the previous chapters that you could guess. I know this ship might be a bit controversial, and if it's a deal breaker, well I hope you enjoyed the story, and farewell. For everyone else, don't worry, I'm not going to let shipping overwhelm the story. Before anyone asks how Morgan was conceived, either magic or alternate timelines. Pick yer poison.

Next up, with volume 3 I've decided where the canon cutoff point is. The events of RWBY volumes 1 and 2 are canon to Azure Bonds. Don't count on anything after volume 3, or even details of what happened in volume 3 to be in the Remnant I'm writing. I may take parts of future volumes I like, but otherwise I'm gonna be making my own stuff.

I've made several major/minor edits to chapter 1 and chapter 2. The spell Robin used against the first Beowolf is just a Thunder spell to better reflect the "power levels" of the spells I've hammered out. A single Elthunder would definitely kill a Beowolf now. Thoron would oneshot the Alpha Beowolf, Giant Nevermore, or a Deathstalker with a good hit. I've made changes in the chapter 2 descriptions for Lincoln's appearance and Semblance as well as Kai's bow.

Thanks for reading!