Hello everybody and welcome back! I got done with my last final today so why not celebrate with a new chapter! Yay! Several reasons why I couldn't update this as much as I liked, but mainly I hit a small writing slump that I'm working over now. So here's the new chapter!
We're also a quarter of the way to a 1,000 Favorites! Hoo-rah!
So right now, my update schedule is to get out a new chapter for RWBHY: The Aura Mage next, and soon another for On The Road, Far From Home which has about 7,000 words written for the next chapter (and that's only a third of the length I'm estimating it'll be). Hope to see that soon!
Anyway, enjoy! (Warning: some time skips, but nothing too bad)
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY
Edit: 1/6/18 - minor changes and clean up
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Two days later…
Yang paced back and forth across their dorm room's floor; retracing the steps that she had crossed several hundred times previously. At the rate she was going, she was literally going to wear a groove in the floor, regardless of the reinforcements it had. Her inner thoughts were providing more than enough fuel to continue her pacing.
"Yang… please," she vaguely heard her partner plead from her bed, but she shook her head and ignored her, continuing her pacing.
"No. I can't. I can't stop thinking about what I should have done. What Ruby's going through," Yang murmured, almost to herself. Was I not fast enough? Did I do something? Why didn't I stop her from using that crystal? We both knew she was -is pants at practical Dust usage, but I still let her try, even when it didn't seem to be working. I should have done something.
"Yang, please listen. It wasn't your fault. If anything it was mine," Weiss said from her own bed, sounding regretful. "You told me that Ruby wasn't good with Dust, but I still gave her that… that damn crystal…"
"But I should have done something!" Yang shouted suddenly, breaking her stride momentarily to gesture wildly.
"Yang! You didn't know! I didn't know! Ruby didn't know! Literally nobody could have predicted what could have happened!" Weiss shouted back, standing up, the bandages on her face adding to her intimidation. While most of the wound was healed and mainly superficial, Weiss had a second scar on her face starting from the cheekbone just below her right eye socket to above her left eye, the two scars separated by an inch and a half. The bandages were the smaller kind for spots that hadn't quite healed yet. "And that's why it's my fault."
"She's right," Blake added, to their surprise. She remained lying on her bed on her right side. Her wound was more serious and while it was stitched up and healing, it was still sore and bandaged, leaving Blake unable to lie on her left. Even being on her back was a little harder than before. However the doctors said she should be fine in time for the combat tournament for the Vytal Festival as long as she didn't push herself in the meantime.
"Not about it being her fault though. We didn't know what would have happened. We don't have foresight. We can't predict what happens. Sometimes the only way to know is to do. But beating yourself up about it isn't going to help in the slightest. You're only wearing yourself down like I did." Blake reminded her of a few weeks ago when she was hurting herself in her pursuit of information on the White Fang. What she said was applicable to both of them, but mainly to Yang. "Take your own advice," Blake said firmly, but peacefully.
Yang looked at both of them, but then her gaze drifted to their wounds and she turned away in shame. This is my fault. They got hurt because I didn't stop Ruby. I failed as a teammate and as a sister again. I could have stopped this from happening.
There was a familiar sound and then she found herself falling towards the floor when her foot resisted moving after she resumed pacing. She braced for impact but after a few seconds she strangely hadn't felt her face collide with the carpet yet. She looked down (across) and saw her hands and feet were being held up by five small glyphs that Weiss had conjured, with the additional one around her abdomen. After a moment they faded allowing her to cover the extra few inches to flop on the floor with an 'oof!'
"Well, that's one way to get her to stop," Blake commented dryly after a moment.
Weiss was leaning over Yang's head after she had rolled over. "What was that for?" Yang questioned without any heat.
"That was for being an idiotic barbarian. Your constant stomping was grating on my nerves," Weiss said haughtily, though they could tell she didn't mean it. She dropped the attitude and sighed. "Listen, we all have ways we could, or should, take the blame, but Blake's right. There isn't any reason to blame anyone in the first place, least of all yourself. Ruby will be fine after she recovers and we'll all have her back."
It was a testament to how distracted Yang was that she didn't try to make any insinuations on that comment about Weiss wanting Ruby. She just sighed and nodded, still lying on the floor. "I know, I just can't stop thinking that way."
"And that's okay, but just don't let it control you," Blake said with a knowing smile.
There was a knock on the door and being the only one up at the moment, Weiss answered it.
"Hey Weiss," came the voice of the leader of JNPR. He was standing outside the room with Pyrrha next to him.
"Hello Pyrrha. Jaune." Weiss nodded to each of them, a slight hesitation on the male's name. A holdover from when he continuously tried to hit on her.
"Everything alright?" Jaune asked, glancing down at Yang who gave a wave in returned, entirely unconcerned she was still on the ground.
"We're working to get towards that point," Weiss honestly said. "We're just having a little conversation to resolve some issues that aren't anybody's fault."
"Ah. I see," he said, clearly not.
"Any new news on how Ruby's doing?" Pyrrha asked, moving the conversation along.
She was rewarded with three headshakes. "No. She's still unconscious from the Dust removal, but shakes when she's closer to consciousness," Blake answered.
There was somber silence among _WBY as they remembered that first day and the days that followed.
Two days previous…
Yang watched as Dr. Gold put the needles in Ruby's arms. "There will be some slight discomfort, like something is being taken away and going missing, which is perfectly normal," he explained to Ruby.
"I'm ready," Ruby said, looking bored with the whole thing.
The doctor started the machine and with a hum, started injecting the nullifying agents to the Dust. I hope this works Ruby, to get you back to normal, Yang thought as she watched.
She saw the machine doing its work as a graph appeared, showing the percentage purged and what was in Ruby's system. Ruby started getting twitchy, starting out as slight jerks but then started spasming.
"Something's wrong!" The doctor said, saying the words right from Yang's worst nightmare.
"What is it?" She asked in a panic.
"I'm not sure, she's reacting a lot worse than-" Whatever he was about to say was cut off when Ruby started screaming. A sudden wave of cold washed over Yang, worse than any she had felt before. Her sister was screaming in pain, trying to rupture her vocal chords in agony.
"Hold her down!" The doctor barked, looking Yang in the eyes. She only hesitated a split second before she rushed over and held Ruby down by her arms, almost leaning over her, pinning her to the bed to keep her from hurting herself.
"Ruby! I'm here! Everything's going to be okay!" Yang shouted to her, trying to keep her calm. Predictably it didn't seem to be working as the thrashing continued, though not for long.
Thinking back, Yang could recall how Ruby blacked out from the pain. First her legs stopped moving and it progressed upwards from there until Ruby finally breathed out and slumped back onto the bed, dead to the world, taking shallow, labored, breaths.
Yang shakily let go of her sister and staggered back, shaken by what she just witnessed. "What the hell happened?" She asked, her tone dull, in shock.
Dr. Gold didn't answer immediately and was looking at the machine intensely, going over the data provided. After a moment he looked up and gazed into nothing. "Of course, how didn't we realize it?"
"Realize what? What the hell didn't you get?" Yang asked, her voice rising.
"Miss Rose had that Black Dust in her body, in her cells. There was a lot of it and it apparently bonded with her body. It had adapted and grown used to it, accepting it as a part of her. And when we tried to remove it…"
"Dust Withdrawal Syndrome." The two turned and saw that Weiss had come closer. A slightly stained bandage covered her right eye and was wrapped around her head, covering her wound. She was looking paler than usual, but with the dazed look on her face it could be attributed to shock as well.
The doctor nodded but Yang was confused. "What's that?" She asked, almost not wanting to know the answer. She wasn't the best with Dust knowledge, going for a more practical usage, the opposite of Ruby in that respect.
"It's a slightly uncommon occurrence, but it happens when one uses too much raw powder or crystal Dust over a long time, or a lot in a short time, or merges it with their body. There have also been reports of it happening to… workers… in my family's company who mined Dust from the quarries," she said, noticeably uncomfortable talking about the dirty secrets her grandfather's company now had, thanks to her father, and clearly meaning something else other than 'workers'.
"The Dust merges with their body and they grow accustomed to having it in them. When it's taken out so suddenly…"
"It's like cutting off a drug addict from their supply without weaning them off," Dr. Gold finished.
Yang was horrified. In her travels through Vale she had gone into the shadier parts of town and had once seen a homeless addict on the sidewalk clearly in a high, the needle still in his arm. And she'd seen another man coming down from one. He was twitching and moaning, begging to anyone that passed for more of the stuff, barely able to be coherent. Those images haunted her for weeks afterwards and she avoided that section ever since. The reality that her sister was basically in the same position as those men terrified her almost as bad as that day, when she almost lost her to her stupidity. Possibly even worse because she had to see her sister suffer.
"S-so s-she's…?"
"For all medical purposes, a recovering drug addict, except the drug was Dust," the doctor said. "She's going to have a hard time recuperating and adjusting to the loss of Dust." He sighed and turned to Yang, but also made glances at Weiss as well. "I owe you two an apology for your sister and leader. I misjudged and didn't fully analyze both the amount of Dust and how combined it was with her body, and have possibly severely damaged her."
"That's… okay," Weiss said slowly, but the doctor cut her off.
"No, it's not. I'll put it in my report to the Headmaster and will go on a temporary leave of absence to renew my medical license. It's something I need to do."
Yang didn't respond, but thought, that's a tad extreme, but it's what you deserve a bit for causing my sister more harm through your negligence. "So… what do we do now?" She asked softly.
"Now? Now we wait and watch, taking care of her when she wakes up. Her system just went through a shock and she has a few hard days ahead of her. All you can do right now is be there for her when she wakes up and is capable of rational thought."
Yang looked at her sister, dressed in different clothes, on the bed. She wasn't in an easy sleep as her face was crossed with a frown, an echo of pain and agony on it. Yang closed her eyes, but the image stayed. The image of one of her nightmares.
Ruby wouldn't be the only one to not get a peaceful sleep.
Present…
"She's in for a hard recovery. That stupid Dust did a number on her," Weiss said, clearly upset, "so she will have a longer time recuperating."
"So… it's bad?" Jaune asked, hesitant to know the answer.
"Have you seen her?" Yang asked quietly, silencing all, her voice dull. "She twitches when she's asleep, and when she wakes for brief moments, they're cut off in agony." I can still see her when she's awake, crying out in pain, holding herself tightly in a ball to try and stop the pain. She had to be strapped down to keep from throwing herself off the bed in a fit. Yang ducked her head and held her arms close. "Yes, it's 'bad'."
"And how are the rest of you?" Ren asked, pushing forward. "How are you taking everything?"
"Honestly, it could always be better," Blake said. "But we're… recovering," she looked at her bandage on her stomach. "Some better than others." Weiss shrugged, the only one of the two out of their bandages. She was lucky to keep her eye; just a fraction of a centimeter deeper and she would have either needed to have an eye patch or an ocular implant; a robotic eye is expensive, even for a Schnee.
They all knew Ruby wasn't in her right state of mind, but the amount of sanity and reason that she displayed during the brief hour she was inundated with that Black Dust unnerved all of them. The methodical precision she used and the different style of combat she employed were nothing like they were used from the innocent girl they knew. And the way she was thinking and acting, reserved and cut off, but then gleeful at the terror and agony she caused…
Then there was the way her mind was distorted, facts and people twisted into a fake facsimile of reality. They were all afraid that Ruby wouldn't come back the same. They knew she wouldn't, at least, not completely as she was before.
But that wasn't all…
"We're all worried about her, but… we're starting to think that something affected her, or the things that were on her… more than before," Weiss said.
"Well she was wearing more black than before," Nora said, thinking aloud, "and she seemed as crazy as me! Just crueler…" she muttered harshly.
"There's more," Yang said, going over to a drawer and pulling out Crescent Rose, or whatever weapon Ruby was using then. Before the sniper scythe was mainly red with black trim. Now it was pure black. And that difference was just the color scheme. Yang, using rusty, years old skills from helping her sis forge her weapon, activated the weapon and it unfolded into its full scythe mode, making sure to keep it clear from the beds and people. "The blade's changed," she pointed out the now serrated scythe blade, dried blood still glaringly on the metal, "and the rifle part has been altered, now firing a three shot semi-automatic burst instead of her single shot bolt action. And it can't fire whilst in scythe mode."
"How can Dust alter weapons like that?" Pyrrha asked. "I know there are some arcane methods for weaving it into clothing, or using it in their weapons but nothing like this."
"It should be impossible," Weiss stated. "Unless the weapon is crafted from pure Dust, it shouldn't have been altered like this. There have been tests that my father's company has done, and while the weapons were fused with Dues, the entire weapon design wasn't… distorted and changed like this. If I hadn't seen it up close," she winced a bit and her eye twitched at her unintentional word play, "I wouldn't have thought it possible, but… as you can see…"
"So something else must have happened then," Jaune supplied suddenly. "Something outside of what you've thought of. You're right, there must be more things that Dust she used did."
"But without further testing we can't be certain," Ren said.
"And Professor Ozpin warned me away from making more of that Dust," Weiss said, "especially untested Dust in an uncontrolled environment."
"Indeed," came a familiar voice.
Ozpin hid his smirk behind his coffee mug as he took a sip, looking at the surprised faces of the two teams. Messing with the students was one of the little things he enjoyed, partially embracing the given role of a 'Troll', or so they called it nowadays. In fact Summer Rose was the one that really started the other students to call him one. Remembering her, however, dampened his mood, but didn't let his inner thoughts so and kept up the act.
"Ah! Oh, hello headmaster," Jaune Arc said, startled at his sudden appearance.
"Hello Mr. Arc," Ozpin greeted the leader of JNPR, one of two first year teams he was very interested to see develop during their time at Beacon. But with things seemingly heading to a tipping point, it was imperative that a decision needed to be made, and more hands on work was required.
And although he hated to turn people into chess pieces (initiation relics aside), these two teams were definitely the knights, with a bishop or two waiting to be discovered.
However, something had turned Ruby from the figurative white piece, to a black, or very dark grey piece. And he could only hope that the change was temporary, though the signs pointed to a negative on that. One could hope though.
"Was there something you needed?" Pyrrha Nikos asked.
"Yes, and though it mainly concerns Team RWBY, you may want to hear what I have to say," he answered the girl.
"We're here," Weiss Schnee said, notifying him that they were all there sans their leader.
"If I may come in?" He asked, following common courtesy.
"Of course," the white haired girl replied.
"Thank you." He stepped inside the… unique dorm room and had to glance around at the beds. "I have to say I've never seen such a interesting set-up for a dorm before."
"The idea was Ruby's. It's quite practical after some… initial reservations I had," Weiss replied.
Ozpin looked at the hanging bed. "I can see why."
"I hate to be rude," Yang Xiao Long said, earning a snort from someone, "but is there anything about Ruby? Any change?" Ozpin looked at the girl. She looks like Miss Belladonna did leading up to the dance. It's good that she's concerned about her sister, and I hope I can give her news that she considers good.
"There has been some," he acknowledged. "Dr. Gold said that the worst of it is probably over and she should be regaining control over her mental and physical faculties sometime soon. In fact, he reckons that she should be lucid in an hour or two."
"Does that mean we can visit her?" Blake Belladonna asked, trying to sit up.
"Please rest Miss Belladonna," Ozpin said, seeing her struggle slightly, wanting her to relax and not further aggravate her wound. "It will be in an hour, and I'll notify you all when she wakes.
"However," he altered his tone, "regarding her earlier actions-"
"She wasn't in control of herself!" Yang interrupted.
"Yang! Don't interrupt the headmaster!" Weiss scolded.
"It's alright Miss Schnee," Ozpin said, gesturing to placate her. "I understand her concerns. Although don't let it become a habit," he gave a pointed look at the yellow haired girl.
She lowered her head, chastised, "Yes Sir."
"Now then," Ozpin continued. "While she may not have been in her usual state of mind, certain precautions must be taken and protocol needs to be followed. When she can hold a conversation and we've concluded she's is in control of, and exhibits a proper mental state, we'll still have to keep a close watch on her."
They all nodded, understanding. "I will talk with Miss Rose and determine if everything is alright with her, but regardless she will be monitored for a few weeks as it would be remiss of us to allow Miss Rose full freedom in the school if she relapses to her... aggressive state." Again they nodded, but not with enthusiasm.
He sighed, here comes the hard part that I don't want to tell them. "I will be frank with all of you. Ruby may not, or rather will not, be the same afterwards. Whether that will be because she'll remember what she did under the influence of the Dust crystal, or because it altered her mind in some way, there's no telling. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell, as there's only one person I know of that can see inside her mental state, but as of right now he's in no condition to resume his profession."
It's darkly ironic that Dr. DuFrense, one of best doctors of a generation, degraded because of a mental illness, when he's the only one that can see mental illnesses. A split personality where the Omega half, as he calls himself, is completely unsuited for being amongst people. Though slightly amusing, Ozpin thought privately. I never actually thought of what oblivion actually tasted like before I talked with him, and I do have to agree: it would probably taste like Red Toro. Disgusting stuff.
Unfortunately, he was another one of my numerous mistakes. Yet another life I ruined in this shadow war.
Moving past his thoughts he continued. "Regardless, one must not give up hope and when Ruby is cleared to leave I know that you will all support her in whatever way she needs."
"Of course," Blake nodded.
"We will," Weiss agreed.
"She's my sister, I'll do anything for her," Yang stated as if it were obvious, which it partially was.
Ozpin nodded and turned to JNPR, "I trust she'll have your support as well?"
"Yes sir," Jaune said immediately, vouching for his team. "No doubt about it."
"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some things I need to take care of. Oh!" I can't believe that almost slipped my mind. I must be getting old. "Miss Schnee," she looked up and snapped to attention, "you have disposed of all of the Black Dust?"
"Yes sir, I have disposed of it in the proper manner that ill-mixed Dust is. Even the crystals in Ruby's bag she somehow had," she answered.
"Excellent. And just a reminder, please do not make any more. This… discovery should not go beyond us here."
"Of course…" Weiss said, but trailed off.
"Do I sense a question?" Ozpin asked, knowing what she was going to ask.
"Yes… sir. Do you know what that type of Dust does?"
Ozpin sighed. "Yes, I do," he replied simply. "But you must trust my judgment when I say it should never be used. I'll say no more on the matter." That statement brought stunned looks from both teams. Ozpin took another sip of coffee. "I will let you know when your sister and leader is awake to talk to, but keep in mind my warning."
"Yes Headmaster," Yang dully replied.
Ozpin nodded and walked out, JNPR giving room for him to exit. As he walked away from the student dorms he sighed once again to himself. I truly hope that the effect of this particular combination of Dust is temporary, but I have come to expect the worst. There was something familiar about the dark Ruby that was a little too… unnerving to picture on her face, in those silver eyes. Despite not being in the right frame of mind, she was thinking a little too clearly. Is that the full madness of the Black Dust? To sink so far into insanity that one comes out the other side functionally sane? No, I can't think such macabre ideas. I have to believe that Ruby will come back to us.
As much pressure as it is, she may be one of the pieces that could save our world.
xxxxxxxxxx
Pain.
Every nerve was on fire and doused in liquid nitrogen at the same time, overloading her nervous system time and time again.
She had no control over her body, her thoughts, as the overwhelming pain of emptiness covered her and filled up the gaps in her. Slithering their way into every cell of her body, utter agony overtaking all. There was no concept of time as the few brief instances she could feel something else other than burning fire or frigid ice were far in-between.
Her mind recoiled from the pain as it tried to block it out, unsuccessful in all attempts, retreating inwards as it tried to keep itself whole and sane. Loss. That was the other feeling besides pain that she could sense. Something important was missing. Maybe more than one thing. But with the torture she was going through at the time she couldn't analyze it fully to break it down into parts, by the numbers.
Gradually, as if fighting to get out of a long dark corridor with only the slightest hint of a pinprick of light at the end, the pain lessened. Time was indistinguishable between hours or seconds as she went to the light. Bit by agonizing bit, her nerves stopped spasming as vigorously and her mind achingly slowly put itself back together.
Eventually, the pain diminished, replaced by pure numbness throughout her entire body. The slightest feeling of fabric, as if a gentle puff of air was covering her, was all that she could feel.
She was tired. So tired. Everything felt like it was ten times harder. Breathing was laborious, and even thinking was difficult as she was fighting through a thick haze, like seeing through the fog Xiao Long and Pet made one time whilst fighting.
Wait. I remember that? I can think that? I… I am aware… Even with that realization, thinking didn't come easier. But as was her method, she started a linear thought process, one thing at a time, just trying to get things working - the connections reformed again.
I feel cold. Empty. Weak. Numb. Why? Why do I feel like this? It… hurts… Get a grip. Force it down. You can do this. You've done this before during… training, yes, training. To be a Huntress. To be strong. To be feared.
To be powerful.
Sheer determination and willpower erupted in her. With only a portion of her mind now able to think, she grabbed onto it and crawled her consciousness through the mental muck that had enveloped her mind. Pain and other feelings returned with greater acuteness (or had never left), but now that she was aware, she could push them back. They didn't leave, as her body physically wasn't healed from whatever it was that put her in this state, but the more she pushed, the more she cleared out until…
With a groan brought on by exhaustion and pure weakness, silver eyes creaked open to the sight of Beacon's medical ward ceiling. Oh. Just the sight I want to see, she thought dryly. Now why am I here? Is it because something happened and that's why I'm so weak? Why can't I remember? Well, actually I can answer that myself: my brain hasn't cleared all the gunk out yet. Plus I have a headache, but I'll get that managed soon.
She glanced around and saw that there were a few needles and tubes in her, plus a monitoring device. First things first, get my body under control. She started doing basic sensory tests, moving toes and fingers, and then gradually trying to move entire limbs. It was agonizing as her body didn't want to move and everything felt numb, like her blood circulation had been cut off and was returning with those pinpricks that come with it, save that she felt them in her bones.
Agh! I feel like the day after the gauntlet uncle Qrow and mom put me through. No, the week afterwards. Surviving a week in the Grimmlands of Patch and then putting up my best fight against both of them immediately upon returning. Though it was worth it, I definitely got stronger from that.
She snorted, remembering something. Xiao Long only lasted five days out of the week before returning. Though admittedly, she had a slightly rougher time after fighting a Goliath that had somehow got onto the island. Still pretty fuckin' pathetic. And she didn't even capture it.
She tried to lift her arm, feeling she had the strength to do so, but now there was an external force preventing her from lifting her arm higher than an inch. She lifted up her head, albeit slowly and with much willpower, and saw that there were straps holding her down on her arms, legs, and across her stomach. Why the hell are those there? She tried to move again, and only succeeded in clanking them around.
The sound of a curtain being drawn and then she saw a familiar doctor. However, she couldn't quite place him right then. "Miss Rose, you're awake! Can you understand me?"
"Yeeerrs," Rose tried to say, but her mouth and vocal chords protested, irritating her throat and causing her to cough far too feebly for her. Her throat was somewhat inflamed, she could feel it.
"Here," the doctor said, holding a glass of water with a straw in it.
This is pathetic, being watered through a straw, Rose thought, disgusted at her weakness. Nevertheless, she got the straw in her mouth and gleefully drunk the water, feeling the refreshing coolness slide down her throat. "I added a anti-inflammatory mix to the water so your throat should be feeling better within the day, provided Ozpin doesn't talk to you for too long." He mumbled the last part, but Rose could hear every word as she was paying attention.
The Supreme Commander wants to talk to me? Why? What did… Suddenly everything came back to her, as if most of the fog had cleared. The Red-Black crystal, how everything and everyone changed, stabbing Belladonna and giving Pet a new scar. Getting the Dust purged from me. And the most important realization: this isn't my world.
Her eyes widened as she realized what that entailed, then quickly schooled her expression, shutting off her emotions to cool logic and reason. She got back on track. "Than' yoo," she said, not being able to make sharp consonant sounds.
Dr. Gold, she remembered his name, only blinked once in surprise before nodding. "You're welcome. Now, do you feel any pain or achiness?" Rose was not going to respond but then thought about it. Lying isn't going to get me any help. As much as I hate it, people let their guard down around those they think are weak. So, for now, I'll play the part of a recovering amnesiac until I can thoroughly understand this world.
Without speaking she nodded. The doctor also nodded. "That's to be expected. The extraction of the Dust in your body was more extreme than I thought it would be and didn't anticipate the amount that had bonded to you. That's why you're so weak, since your body is trying to adapt without something that it had become accustomed to. The best comparison is a recovering drug addict."
Rose didn't need to fake the expression of disgust that flashed across her face. Absolutely fucking pathetic. I never in all my life would I have imagined being compared to a fucking druggie. It's disgraceful.
The doctor misinterpreted her expression slightly. "Don't worry. From what I've seen you're recovering fairly well. You should be up and about in a few days, and fully recovered by the Vytal Festival."
Swallowing her pride, Rose asked, "What happnn? Why deze?" She rattled the restraints a bit to draw attention to them.
The doctor frowned, part in worry, and the other in professional concern. "Do you remember how you got here?"
Oh I do; the battle with the alternate teammates, the Surpreme Com- no, just the Headmaster here, the Dust purge. Then pain. She, however, lied and shook her head, frowning in what appeared to be confusion, but in actuality about the blackout pain she felt, and still felt slightly.
Dr. Gold then asked. "What do you remember? Anything specific?"
Rose once again acted like she was thinking, then shook her head. "All jumbled up. I feel different." That I do.
"Okay then, I'll have to ask you a few basic questions then to verify my hypothesis. What's your name?" He asked, bringing out his lab Scroll.
"Rose, Ruby," she replied automatically, feeling it was easier to talk now that the medicine was doing its thing.
"Date of birth?"
"31th of October , 65 NVC," she said.
"Parents?"
"Taiyang Xiao Long and…" she trailed off. Now it's time for my deception skills Qrow taught me to come into play. She pretended to think about it, then said sadly and a little worredly. "I…don't know… I have two different answers, but whish one is wite?" She coughed, her throat not up to long sentences yet. "Damn." Damn cough, though it works to further the image.
"Easy there, drink some more water and let the medicine do its thing. Rest, you need it," Dr. Gold said calmly.
Rose nodded, but then thought, how am I supposed to drink when I'm strapped down? "Strapsss. Why?"
The doctor winced. "You were thrashing about when you were here. I had to sedate you and the straps were to keep you from hurting yourself, from like rolling off the bed."
Okay, that explains that… but what happened to my clothes? I don't remember changing into the gown… "'Ow long was I 'ere?"
"Two days, and you were in and out of it for the entire time. Your team came to check up on you when they had time, or, when they could…" He gave Rose a suspicious look. "Do you remember what happened?"
Rose frowned, then made her eyes go wide, as if suddenly remembering and was frightened. "Oh."
Dr. Gold snorted. "'Oh' is right. There wasn't any crippling wounds so Miss Schnee and Belladonna will be ready for the tournament, but they will have scars." Good. They deserved them, even if they aren't my teammates. He reached and unstrapped her, letting her move about. Her body screamed in protest at the movement, so for once, Rose decided to take it easier than usual. After all, it is for the act.
She managed to hold the glass in her had after the bed was raised up, though her grip was unsteady, and took a sip through the straw, once again feeling better. The doctor left her alone for a while and she took the time to organize her thoughts and to determine what she needed to do. The Commander is going to talk to me soon… but he's not the Commander, so I'll have to reign in the overt respect part of that, and I can't call him Commander, just Headmaster. Also, knowledge of Black Dust has not been discovered -but judging from the Headmaster's interest in it, I think it's more likely that it's been suppressed for some reason. Doesn't make goddamned sense. We have the ability to use the Grimm against each other, why not use it? And any side effects of the Dust are negligible at best due to studies conducted.
Obviously I have to be careful. I don't want to get locked up in a detention cell awaiting interrogation. Those are… unpleasant for the recipient of our care. I should know, I spearheaded many of them against the White Fang and the so-called Ember Rebels. Traitorous fuckers. Sure, Faunus aren't exactly being treated with equal rights, but they can get that respect by joining the legitimate regime, like Belladonna did.
Anyway, I need to pretend that I have amnesia so I can at least get a grasp on this world, what I've gotten into. That Red-Black crystal Pet made must have sent me here, so eventually I'll have to make a new one to get back to my world. And… I think I need to turn chameleon and alter my attitude, as these people seem like vanilla people in the bedroom. Sometimes I'm surprised at how kinky Pet is, she thought off-handedly.
Though if Black Dust doesn't exist here, then I probably just lost my Nevermore from initiation, she thought, a little sadly. Not because she cared for the monster, no, it was because she'd have to go through the whole pain-in-the-ass effort of finding another impressive A-class Grimm again.
She was drawn from her thoughts as she heard footsteps mixed with a light tapping. Her eyes widened as she knew only one that had that sound when walking, but quickly got control of herself.
Soon enough Ozpin appeared in her field of view. "Good evening Miss Rose," the Headmaster greeted.
Rose found it a bit more difficult to force down the programed response than she thought. "Good evening, ah, Headmaster." Evening? It's evening already? Huh.
"How are you feeling?" He asked calmly.
"I'm… somewhat sore all over," Rose admitted truthfully, though she was blocking the pain internally. Her throat had calmed down a bit so it was easier to talk.
"Understandable," the Headmaster nodded, "I know from personal experience how painful a full purge can be. Truly an impressive error I made."
Despite herself, Rose blinked in surprise. "Sir? Sorry Sir," she immediately apologized, "it's not my place to ask."
"I don't mind. In fact, I find talking about my mistakes helps others avoid making the same ones," Ozpin admitted. There was silence for a minute before he spoke again. "I suppose you know why I wish to talk to you."
Insecure girl, insecure girl. "Am I in trouble?" She asked, hating how pitiful she sounded, though it needed to be done.
"That remains to be seen," Ozpin said. "I'm trying to determine if you are or not right now. How are your memories? Have they cleared up or are they still cloudy?"
"I honestly don't think know," Rose said. "I can think clearly, but… my memories… I recall things but… but they seem different now. Like something's been flipped and twisted." Like this world is. Use honesty to appear more truthful, but maybe not think about what's relevant to the conversation. "Like Xiao… Yang," she ground out, "and mom," not the slut, but where is Raven? "I'm… I'm confused."
Ozpin just stared at her for a moment and Rose forced herself to not fidget. They're so alike, the Ozpins. Their expressions, their mannerisms. All he needs is a cup of tea and the picture would be complete. "I do not know exactly what the crystal did, though with the seeming results I do not want it tested. No offence." Rose just nodded to show there was none taken. "To avoid a repeat I told Miss Schnee not to make any more, so you don't have to worry about that."
Rose was outwardly relieved, but inwards was seething. Damn, there goes the thought of making another crystal. While I know how to make Black Dust, I willingly admit I have nowhere near Schnee's skill. "That's good." She said.
Ozpin nodded and pulled up a chair, sitting next to her bed. "I will be frank with you Ruby," she suppressed a wince at the name the Whore gave her. Oh how I wish I could get rid of it, but not before she's dead… or at least in my world. Legal shit and all that. "There are many who have seen your fight with your teammates, and I'm sure that the entire school knows what transpired two days ago. Certain precautions have to be taken, both to stave off demands to extradite you from Beacon, and for your safety." That's a far cry from the Commander who would steamroll over any opposition in this manner.
"I understand," Rose said, nodding.
"Further, there's also your apparent memory loss to contend with," Ozpin continued. Rose nodded again slowly, internally bracing herself. "Just how bad do you consider your amnesia? Certain comments you made when the Dust was in your system have made a few quite concerned about your mental stability." Including myself, was the unsaid addition.
Rose thought a bit. "I don't think it's crippling. Whatever that Dust did… it has confused me. I know people… places… but details and histories are mixed up." Here comes my gamble. "If I can say this, I read about something like this, selective amnesia. There have been a few ca-" she broke off in only a partially fake cough and took the time to drink some water, "sorry about that Headmaster."
He just waved it off, "You believe that being in familiar places with familiar people might get your memories back. Am I correct?"
"Uh, yes Sir," Rose said, a little surprised that Ozpin correctly deduced what she was going for. Then again, it is Ozpin, even with the different world thing.
Ozpin nodded, but stared at Rose in silence. Rose met his eyes, keeping them blank, but hopeful that she could be released, determined not to let any ulterior motives gleam through. After a moment he saw what he needed and nodded. "I do believe that can happen, Miss Rose. I'll discuss this with Dr. Gold, but I do think you'll be back in your dorm within a day."
"That's good," Rose nodded, and then paused. I have to ask this otherwise it would look suspicious, but I really don't care all that much. I have to pretend I do though. "How… are my teammates?" She made sure to make her voice quaver a bit, but not overdo it.
"Your partner and Miss Belladonna are recovering well. They are all worried for you and wish you a swift recovery," Ozpin replied.
Rose sighed. "That's good news. Tell them… thank you." I almost threw up in my mouth saying that.
"Very well. Please get some rest," Ozpin said, then stood up and walked away.
Rose waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps and then sighed. That was difficult, more so than I though it would be. But I managed to get what I want. Now all I need to do is wait and recover my strength. Then I can observe and determine what to do… and what do I want to do? Well, return home, but that would mean getting Schnee to make another crystal, and that would take time… A malicious smirk came across her face. I wonder if it will be as easy to turn this one into my new Pet as it was the old one. Something I'll have to work at when I'm out.
But what do I do here aside from trying to mold in? Reintroduce Black Dust when the Headmaster knows what it is? He'll automatically know it was me to do so. So that can't happen yet.
The other Rose, Ruby is probably dead or captured by now so they'll know it's not me, but hopefully the Commander won't send anyone after me as that would be extra resources he can't dispatch at the moment. So it's up to me to return back to my world.
That doesn't mean I can't have fun here though. She chuckled to herself darkly but then stopped when Dr. Gold came by, putting on a tired expression to not raise suspicions… Well, any more suspicions.
xxxxxxxxxx
Ozpin was deep in thought sitting back at his desk in his office. That was almost too easy. Everything felt too rehearsed, to… deliberate. Almost unnatural in its ease. Ruby's personality has changed, and I'm equally concerned about her memories. I hope the case is that her original memories have been blocked and need to be released. Though that Dust crystal might have done something more than a full purge could accomplish. The full capacities of that Dust were never explored, and combined with another Dust type the effects might have been drastically different.
After a moment he hit a couple commands on his desk and brought up a recording of two days ago, and then hit play. "Not that fucking whore cunt," the voice of Ruby spat out, full of venom, Ozpin wincing at the vulgar language. "Our mother," Ruby gestured wildly between Yang and herself, "Raven Branwen-Xiao Long… And what's that with her being dead?" Ruby added once she controlled herself, strangely sounding eager.
Ozpin fast forwarded a bit and bumped the audio up, but still strained to hear what Ruby said. "That's the only feasible explanation." Then, the bone-chilling, slightly unhinged laughter started.
"Miss Rose, control yourself!" Recording Goodwitch shouted.
"It may not be real, but I don't even care anymore! The Bitch is dead!" Ruby crowed. "Ha ha ha ha!"
Ozpin stopped it and focused on the expression of absolute joy of the knowledge that someone was dead on her face. I would never have thought that adorable Ruby would have that expression on her face. Just what did that crystal do to you?
I wish I could inform Mr. Xiao Long of some of the concerns I have, but… for all his strengths there are some things that he can't know, and would break him further… Summer and Raven unintentionally helped with that. He's only relatively recently put himself back together. And unfortunately Mr. Branwen is out of contact right now, possibly compromised, so I can't inform him yet. I need to wait for him to resurface. At least I got James off my back for the moment, but he seems to be fixated on the wrong things, even though he thinks he's doing the right thing.
Now that Torchwick has been caught, things are slowing down, but I feel this is just the calm before the storm, and I can only hope this doesn't get worse. He didn't really believe that though. Experience taught him that.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It will get worse, just like it did in the last couple of chapters of the show. God that ending. Still can't get over it.
I personally liked this chapter but I think many of you might agree that it was a little slow paced. Yes it is, but it is necessary, and will pick up eventually. Rose will have a grand time... heh heh.
Also, Embler, you got your answer with DuFrense. That'll be mentioned again in Rose's world.
So yeah, don't have anything right now. I'll be on vacation soon and then working at camp again, but you'll still get updates! Remember to R.R.F.F!
-OrangeGalen