Chapter 10: The Results
Inside a white conference room where all of Atlas prestigious commanding officers and professors meet, the head of the table is General Ironwood himself.
For why they are all here, they are discussing a particular child who successfully enrolled in their Academy. Small drops of sweat pouring down on the General's forehead while maintaining his stoic face.
Few weeks have passed after Tanya's enrollment. The General is not having a great day when he's about to explain about their youngest student enrolling here and showing her test papers that are so outrageously efficient yet so ruthless that it could not be simply ignored.
It is all but outwardly bizarre how a kid can act like an adult with a sharp intellectual mind and how Tanya surpassed General Ironwood's expectation. Mind boggling that a six-year-old girl who came up with the most effective yet cruel plans which would make angels stare at such words that the little girl had created.
"This is getting ridiculous." Muttering to himself, all the staff except ironwood scratched their heads. Why would the Council is so interested in this child that made the high ranking staff boggled their minds? For old Ironwood though. He knows the answer right away and there are two possible reasons he can formulate. Either A. they want to study their souls out of curiosity which is highly unlikely, or B. weaponize this child's gift for their own security gain, making Ironwood scornfully scowl of the likely scenario of the latter than the former.
"So this child, her name is Tanya, right? Odd, that name sounds pretty familiar. For a girl who is a six-year-old, she is quite an ingenious child." One of the military officers who finished reading through Tanya's written papers, the Major General is pretty impressed by the girl's outlook at war itself. The way how she can crush her enemies are all but breathtaking to him. After looking at her military written test, he inspected her IQ examination which is approximately around 160. Making the Major twitch his mind of how absurd this was yet fascinating at the same time.
But when he heard the name Tanya, he couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu.
The burly man looks at his close friend Hansen Von Seeckt and wanting to know of his opinions on this, as Lt. General Hans carefully reads through the Devil's insights word-by-word with great scrutiny.
"Yes, she is quite an intelligent yet cruel girl Friedrich Ludendorff. It still baffles me to no end." Ironwood who is giving his thoughts to the Friedrich Ludendorff, a Colonel gently nudge his glasses up and carefully read through the test results with deep concerns of how a little kid can pass through their complex aptitude test.
"Yet I could not help this is merely a child who wrote these revolutionary ideas. To be honest, it makes me question of how this child can be an efficient strategist and a military leader at such a young age. This is all too much to take in, General Sir." James looks back at the concern Colonel, giving him an unsure nod that he isn't alone of this dilemma.
"Colonel Eric Luger. I know your concerns as I don't like having a child to become an officer in battle, but that was a deal that the Council made if she passes the test." Letting the Colonel know that James doesn't like this either. Hans becomes curious about their predicament.
"It would be beneficial for her to join us in our circle. But that would be crossing the line of our own military laws. Why would the Council want a bright little girl to join in officer duty…unless there's something special about her that would catch their eyes? Even if she's a brilliant strategist and tactician, I feel the Council is hiding something from us that we don't know?" Hans quickly took note about why the Council is so interested in her in the first place. Knowing the Council members tend to keep their agendas to themselves when it comes to military affairs. Just throwing a brilliant girl in their Academy without clarity is quite suspicious and just pushing their luck with them.
So Rubbing his chin in deep wonder and gathering the clues of what the Council is up to this time. The Lt. General is getting warmer of the secret that Ironwood is keeping from them.
"Gentlemen, I know this is a dilemma that the Council put us in. But I ensure you that this child is quite…special." Giving a slight sugarcoated truth of what this child actually is. Hans finally caught on of what the General means.
"Is this the child who has two souls that the media brought out before they were, unfortunately, silence as they later calling it as a preposterous hoax?" Hans' sharp mind deduced the specialty of this child and her unnatural talent in military performance. Hans broke down the evidence from the huge media outburst and Ironwood randomly leaving his school during that time. The General cringe his lip of almost forgetting about his Lieutenant, remembering that Hans is an insightful man.
"Sharp eyes Hansen. Yes, this is the twins that the Council hold their eyes on before the Remnant's governments silence any further information to do the twins being associated with Professor Ozpin. Let just say the agent wasn't pleased about my arrival and the lack of detail of who this person is to make a proper judgment." Acknowledging Hans is extremely perspective professor and lying any further would just hurt his trust with his Lt. General. James eventually spills some of the truth to his well-respected officers and professors.
"I see then...so what is so special about their twin souls, General? Is it some way for the Council to secretly research on aura?" As Eric Luger looked at the General of what the Council is up to. Ironwood let out a sigh and explains it further.
"The Council discovered the medical reports of the two souls having strange anomalies in their auras. To further research the understanding of aura, the Council heavily took great interest in them. So yes Colonel Luger, they want them to be studied and for political reasons. But that didn't happen since the twins have close connections with the Beacon's Headmaster and considered unethical in their initial plan." Looking at the influential officers, they skeptically look at each other and slightly whispering about how they should approach this crisis.
"So making a deal with the councilors, they will be studied in the winter and spring while they're being left alone in the summer to fall." Explaining their situation in further detail, all of the staff members grunt peevishly that the Council is scheming again.
They all hope this game that the Council is playing will be beneficial rather than a burden for them. As all of them are on their guard of what the Council is pulling.
Somewhere in the cafeteria, the twins are arguing about what they should eat. Unfortunately, the two were halting up the line while they're mentally fighting over the food they so desire. Ruby did promise not to interfere with Tanya's student life in Atlas, although she cannot withstand Tanya's dietary habits on being healthy.
No, we are not going to eat this highly process, diabetic crap that's loaded with carbs, fat, and sugar that will kill our liver. Tanya tries to order a dish that would sustain a balanced diet in their body. Which all of the healthy dishes are Mistral oriented meals as they deeply resemble of Tanya's old Japanese Cuisines. The Devil is nostalgically yearning for them than eating German related meals in the Empire…but Ruby has a different taste bud.
Blah, those veggies and fish taste weird Tanya! Let's eat some sweets that are from Vale! I hear those fried Oras taste so good! Ruby try to order the fried cookies called Ora, but Tanya only could see the greasiness and coat of sugar covering the fried sweets. Way too much for Tanya's tongue to handle as Ruby tend to treasure her sweets.
To Tanya, the cookie looks like the American cookies called Oreo but name differently as Remnant calls them Ora. Saying it aloud, Tanya couldn't help but remember a cartoon show about buff guys fighting ridiculous bad guys with absurd powers.
Ruby. Let me say this one more time. Would you not interfere with what I like to eat? One thing for sure, I'm not a sweet food junkie who runs the risk of gaining obesity. About to criticize Ruby's eating habits that will deteriorate their health. The two hear a light lisp voice calling out behind them that sounded outrageously gay.
"I don't like to be rude, but you kind of holding the line. Can you please hurry? Those white delicious and long éclairs aren't waiting for me you know?" Hearing the most effeminate voice ever, the two look up to see a young pink-eyed boy and immediately made the twins think he's gay by the way he worded his sentence to them.
Did I hear of what he said or it just me? Catching on the obvious innuendo, Ruby is slightly gross-out from the unawareness of his own words.
Do not remind me. Looking directly at the boy who's probably in his tweens, he looks quite queer-ish to Tanya's eyes. A cocky smile, neatly trimmed blonde hair, and the air of fabulousness about him. The Devil almost swore he could have been a stereotypical French person at first sight.
"Krapfen Rosa…dude, did you give out a dick reference to a little girl?" Tilting their head of who said that and Tanya quickly notices that voice. She saw a younger version of Rhiner Neumann speaking to the effeminate boy name Krapfen. Hearing his name, Tanya raises an eyebrow at him of why he's named after a pastry?
"What do you mean? It's Wine and Cheese day for Pete sake. They're giving away special sweet pastries, there's nothing to do with genitals! Besides, why in the world they let an underage girl enroll here who isn't in the legitimate age of thirteen, Rhine Brag?" Arguing with his peer who is also the reincarnate of Tanya's old Battalion member, the twins later hear the cafeteria chef tapping his finger on the table.
"Little girl, you're holding up the line. Choose your dish or beat it!" The chef is getting impatient with the twins stalling up the line and the huge crowds of Atlassian students who are behind them are getting rowdy of the twins' long decision of choosing their meal.
Oh crap, let's take half-and-half then we go!
Good point, let's hurry up before things get unpleasant.
"Sorry, sir! I like Mistral Special-grilled salmon with lots of vegetables and brown rice. The side dessert is fried Vale Ora cake." Creating a small compromise on Tanya' tray to stop Ruby's further complaints about her delicate sweet tooth, the cafeteria chef grunts in annoyance that the twins finally made up their mind.
Giving them their tray that holds Tanya's cook salmon with a small bottle of mirin sauce and Ruby's fried cookie cake at the side. Tanya grabs her tray and heads off to the cashier. After paying their meal with their Credit Card that Ironwood loan on supporting the twins' expenses, the twins head straight to the chow hall tables.
Holding their tray that's slightly heavy since the twins are still six years old, the most challenging part for them is how to seat on their chair while holding their tray.
Struggling to reach up to the table because of their height, a hand grabs the twins' tray and kindly places it on the surface.
"Looks like you need a hand. Sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Krapfen Rosa Roosevelt, nice to meet you and beside me is my buddy Rhine Brag." Looking up, she saw the same teenage student who goes by Krapfen helping her to place her food on the table and standing next to him is Tanya's reincarnate ally. His pudgy appearance didn't change at all in this universe and his dark eyes staring down at her intently of why she's here.
"Thank you Krapfen. The name's Tanya Rose, nice to meet you." Climbing up to their chair and seating down, their head sort of reach to the table's height. The twins pick up their fork and starting chewing on their meal.
"No problem darling. By the way, are you the girl who passed the military aptitude test with flying colors? Man, that test is hard. Like it requires math to ejaculate numbers in precise stroke, militaristic thinking to penetrate behind the enemy's back and being the smarty pants to dig under someone's pants without them noticing, how did you even do that?" The flamboyant boy curiously looks at Tanya of how she obtains her scholarly mindset, but they were a little disturbed of how he worded to them again.
Is he really gay or he's that dense of what he is even saying to us?
Again, do not remind me of his sexual orientation.
"Forget what Krapfen said, but he does have a point. Like you're six or seven years old, is that even possible?" Rhine joining in and wanting to ignore of what Krapfen had said. Tanya did recall her grades are quite exemplary from her average school assignments and passing her aptitude test like it was nothing…but it did rub off some people.
Thinking of her academic performances, Tanya can hear Ruby mentally bragging off. Wanting to show off of how smart they are. But Tanya keeps her professional appearance up and piping down Ruby's brashness.
Yeah! Show them how smart we are!
Hush!
"Yes, it's possible. I just study a lot and carefully reading through the textbook to find the meaning behind it. So that's how I got here." Being straightforward with them and not wanting to reveal any further information. The two students were in awe of them.
"Wow, you're really that smart for a little girl. I bet your parents are so proud of you and your academic achievements. I bet your dad bends over to kneel down in utmost respect that he actually show his butt crack up in the air." As Krapfen spoke with great enthusiasm. It slightly pokes on Tanya's nerve of how annoyingly pretentious he is and it also made Ruby tick that Krapfen is unintentionally implying he wants to bang her dad.
"Why thank you Krapfen. I appreciate your flattery and complimenting my intelligence. I did help them with budgeting their money and helping my older sister's homework sometimes." Giving out a small hint of irradiation and slowly chewing her food unlike Ruby scarfing down her meal. Rhine whistles to himself impressively.
"You know…you kind of remind of someone. I don't know who. But it's more like a déjà vu feeling you know?" Brag expressing his views on her, Tanya quaintly looks at him. Thinking if all the people she knows in her previous life recognize her. There is a chance that all of her old enemies and allies will remember her in this life.
It is the slimmest possibility. But it could spell trouble and even she is not remotely resembled of her past-self, they might catch on by Ruby's odd traits.
Talking for a while and giving a convincing feign smile at the two. Tanya grabs Ruby's Oreo-like cake and holding her gut of not wanting to vomit of the sugary brown fried crap that is in her hand. Biting it, she can feel the nasty grease oil slithering in her saliva and the outrageous amount of sugar attacking her tongue as Tanya's mind cannot handle a diabetic rush of sugar overloading her taste buds.
But someone came to save the day.
"Ms. Rose, the General ordered me to bring you in for medical examination. Can you please come with me?" Turning her head to see the snow-haired Schnee again, the trapped soul has a perfect opportunity to get away from the homoerotic student who is badgering her endlessly and not eating the half-finished fried cake in her hand as it spilled grease on her lips.
Time to go Ruby.
But I did not finish eating my fried Ora cake-
I said it's time to go. Putting down the half-eaten fried Oreo knockoff on their near-empty tray, Tanya pushes her soul to take control of her body by force and resisting Ruby's larger soul that was strangling her smaller one.
Cookie no! Getting off their chair and carrying her tray. Tanya lifted up to her toes as she dumps her food in the trash bin and went back to Winter calmly.
"Request is given Ms. Schnee, please show me the designated facility." Maintaining her etiquette and giving a respectful salute to the former heiress. Winter nods her compliantly as the two left the white halls of the cafeteria.
"Oh man, I wonder if we ever meet her again Rhine!" Krapfen said excitedly to his friend Rhine. To the brown hair boy, he got a feeling he's going to meet her again and having strange déjà vu feelings about the little girl.
"Me too Krapfen, something tells me that we're going to meet her again at some point. Like all the gods planned for this to happen."
In the massive halls of Atlas Academy, the three walk through the humungous corridors of the school while the younglings look at the twins with curious or dumbstruck views of how they even enter their militaristic academy in the first place. The two are even being escorted by a former heiress herself, making the twins stick out more in the crowd. Through the icy-foggy stupendous windows, the cold blizzard seems to be staring down at them as well by the freezing winds.
"Is that a little girl?"
"I heard she easily pass the aptitude test."
"What I hear from the teachers, it sounded pretty damn impressive."
"Why is she so important about her that she even get escorted by a Schnee?"
The silvered eyed host is utterly nervous from all the stares she is getting like she broke an unspoken rule while Tanya remains apathetic of the awkward social norms she was in. Focusing on the task ahead rather than socializing with people that don't hold any significant value to her…yet.
Um, Tanya, the students are giving us the stare. Is that a good thing or a bad thing because I don't feel…comfortable? Is that the right word to describe what I am feeling?
Ignore them or their rumors. They are still processing of why a six-year-old successfully enrolled into a militaristic Huntsman Academy and the fact we're way under the legitimate age to be here in the first place. Focusing on the present task rather being worried about their social status, Tanya wants everything to be perfect for her future and making sure Being X wouldn't ruin all her possible opportunities. But that lingering paranoia in her mind tells her that everything will be swept away in a mere second if she makes a single mistake.
Tanya tightly holds her emotions and focusing her mind to look straight to the future without looking at her past deeds…but what if she fails again? Doing a simple task? What happens if it escalated into something big? Defeating her opponents? What happens if they never give up and preparing a counter-offense? For now, she is going to be prepared for the adversary that Being X is going to throw at her.
Thinking of all the terrible possibilities that everything will go to shit of having a peaceful life, she fails to see or feel the murky, pitch-black veins subtly pulsing through her wrists like tapeworms digging through her flesh.
She could smell the paranoia in the air, the worriedness and doubt from the students. Their distrust. She could feel the warm fleshy pulse vibrating in the room like they're walking meat. All her senses slowly warping into something twisted and malignant, something that resembles a creature of the night.
Tanya?
When her mind was about to be consumed by maddening thoughts that either could classify as irrational or delusional rage by Tanya's sudden heighten paranoia. Everything seems to be at a lost to Tanya until she heard a sound and a light brighten up in her pocket.
*RING!*
Snapping out of her twisted trance when Tanya heard her hip ringing and vibrating onto her skin, the snake-like black veins dissipates from her skin when her conscious is returning back to reality.
Hey Tanya, I think that's Yang or Mom is calling us. When Ruby felt the same unknown emptiness that she could not identify, she felt its presence much stronger before it vanished from her senses. But Ruby could feel Tanya's discomforting thoughts radiating out from her soul.
Oh really? Peevishly twitching her eyes that Yang is calling her for the fourth time already in a single day, their older sister is getting on Tanya's nerves that either was: "How are you doing?" or "I miss you, sis!"
Soon, she instantly forgot of the bizarre feeling that was crawling inside her mind. Like a mere sensation of the creeping madness quickly erased.
Hitting call, Tanya lifts her Scroll up and listening to her blonde sister speaking through the other side of the CCT line.
"What is it this time Yang?" Getting tired of Yang's constant pestering of how the two are doing. Ruby loves to hear her sister again behind the Scroll, but Tanya is having enough of Yang's interruption during class time. Even the Scroll is silent; the designers that made their Scroll definitely have no idea how to make a un-vibration mode, making it quite bothersome to focus on writing down her notes when her hip keeps shaking nonstop.
"What? Not missing your big sister? Come on Tanya, just lighten up for once. Are you always this crabby talking to people? No one likes a Tan-ny person." Sighing, Yang's puns are becoming worse and she has no time to tolerate her jokes.
"Listen, Yang. I'm currently busy as I'm about to get my medical examination. Would you not interrupt us during an hour or two? It's kind of important for me and Ruby to have this." Giving Yang a heads up of what's about to happen. Ruby butted in to give some comfort to their older sister.
"Of what Tanya means, we're going to visit the doctors who can check our auras of what is up with us two. As our souls are getting a bit…funky at times." Almost spitting out their secret to Yang, Ruby feel a menacing vibe looming over her as Tanya is daring Ruby to say it.
"Anyways sis, I think its best we can talk later. Tanya is getting bitey gain." Hearing a soft chuckle behind the line, Yang jubilantly smiles at Ruby's sweeter tone than her other sister's bitterness.
"Oh, I see. Well then, see yeah you two later. I'm going to call you back in a short while." Hearing Yang cancels her call, Tanya irritably groans that their older sister is becoming a nuisance like she's a clone of Visha.
Thinking about Visha, it pains on Tanya's heart of mentioning her. So she quickly blocks that thought before it becomes a distraction.
"Ms. Rose, who is the person calling you?" Turning her back to see Tanya stop herself to make a call, the Devil look back at the Schnee and told her who it was.
"It's my…older sister. She's quite clingy towards me." The eldest Schnee was slightly surprised and giving a reminder to herself that she has a little sister back home with their…questionable father.
"Nice to hear you have a sister who cares for you, Ms. Rose. So tell me, can tell me about your family?" Wanting to learn more about Tanya personally, the twins begin to mentally suggest what they should say to the Schnee.
She seems nice, how about we give a little background about us since she asked?
Hmm, seeing she's a Schnee, let's see her point of view. Wanting their answer to be straightforward and digging some information to know the state of the Schnee Dust Company, she focuses her golden eyes on Winter.
"I live out in Patch with a pleasant family. Although, my parents do have their quirks and they tend to be overprotective." Giving out some of her personal life to Winter, Tanya did notice a huge behavior change from her parents when she revealed herself to the psychiatrist. When she finds out about her grave, Tanya now knows why.
"It sounds nice to have a family that actually cares for you…unlike the defunct family that I have, especially my dad." Hearing that Tanya has a family that does care for her, Winter looks at her with a pinch of envy.
"What about your father Ms. Schnee?" Hearing that Winter does not get along with her father which Tanya knows him as Jacque Schnee in the media outlets. Tanya wants to get more insight into her father in general terms.
"Jacque…he isn't a nice person to be raised under." A bit vague, but Winter soon turns her face quite sore. "Hence, why my family isn't an ideal place to be raised in…just hope Klein raised my sister well than my dad." hearing her mournful words, Tanya continues the conversation on getting a bigger perspective on the S.D.C itself.
"Interesting, seeing you ask me about my family. How about you return the favor and tell me a little more about your father and his qualities?" Winter let out a stressful sigh and expressing her grievances over her dad's actions.
"Father…he betrayed what the company stands for. He turns the company that was well respected in Remnant to a scornful corporation to the eyes of the public. I-I just wish I have the power to stop him before his greed can flop our family over." Putting her head slightly down as they walk, Tanya stares at the eldest Schnee with an objective question.
"If you don't like what the company is doing. Then why did you leave the company in the first place?" That question made Winter raise an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" Wanting to know what Tanya means. The Devil gave her a rhetorical question of Winter's decisions.
"Why did you leave the company? You said you want to change the S.D.C for the better and knowing your father's flaws. Buy why study in Atlas Academy instead conducting business with your dad to garner the stockholders towards your side?" Repeating her same question like she's talking to a different Schnee, the Devil patiently waited for Winter's answer but only receive a dreadful silence, giving an expression of hurtful shame.
"I…don't want to talk about it." Not wanting to pry any further, Tanya is going to wait until Winter can spill her secret.
"I see. I will respect your privacy. Further ado, let's proceed." Silently continuing to walk, Ruby is kind of upset of how their conversation went down.
Well, that was lame and sad.
That the fact she refuses to stand up against her abusive father and end up abandoning her company even if she expresses the desire for reforms?
What? No! That's not what I meant. I meant is that you miss a perfect chance to bond with her and camaraderie. You know, making friends?
Yes, I know that. I'm being patient with her and-
Wrong again. Let me try!
No! Having enough of her sister being harsh with Winter and doing it all wrong from her hard ass perspective. Ruby decides to sway with the Schnee as she feels extremely bad for her. Pushing her soul, her eyes turn silver.
"You know Winter, when I'm usually down. I look at the brighter side of things to calm one's mind. Do you have any memory that you deeply treasure?" The silver-eyed Ruby gave her a puppy-like look to give an empathetic yet adorable appearance to Winter. Seeing her eyes and personality change so suddenly, Winter look down at her if she's like a little version of Klein.
"I don't want to be rude. But what happened to your eyes and why are you acting so jolly?" Questioning the youngest student in her school and sudden behavior, Ruby happily smiled at her and gently grabs her hand in comfort.
"Oh that. That's part of my medical condition. And the attitude part…well, let's say it's a special part of it." Giving a sly grin, thinking it's the best answer she ever created. The adolescent Schnee couldn't resist smiling on Tanya's cheerfulness, remembering one of those times when Klein tries to cheer up in her times of despair.
But To Winter, she is unaware that Ruby is controlling their body.
"Well, seeing you're acting nicely and reminded me someone that I dearly respect. The thing that I deeply care about is my little sister Weiss." Trailing on her words, not sure how to explain it to Ruby, She gave Ruby her answer.
"To answer your question, my sister is someone I can trust. She does have her flaws, sure. But she's the better sibling than the rest of my family." Having pleasant memories with Weiss and Klein on playing tea parties, joking behind their father's back. So many good memories of being with her only relative that she can trust and not being harassed by her father's demands to provide his greed.
"Then cherish that memory and not forgetting the good things in life. No matter why you are here. You have someone to talk do." Giving a positive speech to Winter, the Schnee lightly smiled at her.
"I think that's enough about me for today. Thank you for this light conversation." Feeling some of her burden is being lifted out of her chest, Winter feels a lot more illuminated of Tanya's sudden light-hearted conversation. But Tanya wasn't exactly happy about Ruby's interference.
I think she likes us, Tanya.
I believe so, but I'm not thrilled of you breaking my promise of staying out from my affairs.
Affairs? Come on sis. I know you're some weird reincarnation of some mage. But not everything has to be gloomy and you're acting what the adults keep saying. What is it called again? Pain in the…whatever it is.
Your point?
My point is you don't have to be harsh to make things work towards you and you're being way uptight about everything. Especially to the God of Light that some reason you don't like. Mentioning Being X, that strikes a nerve in Tanya's mind.
Do not mention about Being X. Let me say this again, you do not know what I know about him personally. Even he healed our mother. He created scenarios that would make mankind grim at such sights.
What kind of scenarios? There are many things she can think of. The World War she fought, emotionally or subtly manipulating the people to fight against her. Fighting off a Soviet-esque pedophile who tries to molest her, making all the countries declare war on the Empire with extreme prejudice and a Mary Sue berserker who's out for her blood in an unspeakable rage.
Over a small pinch of faith and her ideas of what Tanya believes in.
All kinds of scenarios you don't want to know…
"Oh right, here we are. The medical labs." The white steel doors open to reveal a vast medical facility. They could hear hearts pumping from the machines that echo, scientists researching their panacea that would solve everything and doctors tending to their patients in privacy behind the white automated doors.
The facility gives out an eerie blue light above them while the medical staff is doing their own business on caring for the sick or the injured. The three then walk through the hollow halls where biological research or medical treatment taking place. Hearing beeps by beeps, the hurried doctors flying off to cater someone's life, the rush of saving someone.
Strolling through the medical center where the equipment and staff are going by their day. Winter stopped when she the doctor that she needs to meet. For the doctor in question, she is checking prescribed pharmaceuticals in their containers and mumbling about statistics.
"Let see, dopamine dose around two percent will cause…okay. Let see, digoxin. Check. Alright, I'm all set!" Placing all the containers in a steel cart to be sorted in the storage room, a voice called behind the white hair doctor.
"Eir Grau, nice to meet you again and I see you're doing your…job?" Heard someone calling out her name, the doctor turns her dark purple eyes to the two and gives a courteous smile at them, a twisted smile that would make Grimm squirm in terror.
"Oh, Winter, nice to see you again and it appears you brought along little Ruby to be examined I see." Tilting her head down to the twins, Ruby temporally took control and weakly waves at her when she saw her crazed eyes twitching a little.
"Hi." Having enough, Tanya pushes her soul harder as her eyes turn gold before Ruby could respond something idiotic.
"Tanya, this here is Dr. Eir Grau. A well-respected aura researcher and our top physicians on one's soul. Just don't mind her look or her personality. She has some…social issues." The Schnee nervously looks back at the doctor who is giving out a twisted smile at them as if she committed murder right in front of their eyes, her voice cracks and greeted them in an excited yet in a slightly insane tone.
"Nice to see you, Tanya, I heard the professors rated your IQ around 160 and passed the Military Exam. Let me say this, I'm rated around 210 as I'm pretty twitchy on the anatomy of the human body. So wanna' know how the frontal lobe works when you scrap some of its brain matter?" Giving an unpleasant smile that would give Ruby nightmares. Thinking this doctor wants them to be ripped apart by her very own hands.
I don't like her sis!
I know. But you have to suck up to her if you want this examination to be finished.
Tanya!
Wanting to get this over with and not wanting to offend this doctor as she is the one that Ironwood assigned her to. Tanya trusted Ironwood's decision on this despite their doctor is acting a little bit crazy. Remembering in the school's data that Dr. Grau is the smartest doctor in the fields of aura and her boasting that her IQ is around 210 is not exactly a lie.
"Now let's get you dressed in your gown and see your aura signatures, Ms. Rose. Ms. Schnee, you are dismissed." Grabbing Tanya by the arm, Ruby panicked and looking back to see Winter saluting her.
Calm down. This is not going to be that bad.
Don't jinx it!
You're overreacting.
Jinx!
Standing in the center of a white chamber, the walls hung with Atlas's high-tech aura sensors to dive deep within them and detecting every detail about their souls. At the back of them, a glass window is shown for Grau to physically observe the twins' condition.
Wearing their patient gown and feeling naked to show her bearskin. Ruby doesn't like this at all, except for the Devil as she doesn't exactly care of the menacing devices that surrounded them or the doctor that is watching them. Tanya wants to know the results on learning the potency of her aura to be efficiently used in combat.
But still, her veins are about to be popped if Ruby keeps parroting the word jinx one more time.
"*Alright Tanya and Ruby, we can see your signatures now and…*" Looking down on the monitors that show every detail of the twins' souls, Dr. Grau quickly got intrigued of what she is seeing.
What she is seeing wasn't the same of the classified documents that she read when the twins were first discovered. She saw the two souls are metamorphosing that she could not describe the process.
"What's wrong Dr. Grau?" A dark-haired man who is wearing his issued scrubs as he checks the equipment to see if they are working correctly, the assistant look at the doctor with some concern over the little girl.
"Frank. There are some abnormal readings I'm seeing here. Really weird readings like their souls mutated or something? What a pleasant sight!" Ruby's soul becomes abnormally large as the size of a globe and her aura reserve is ridiculously huge that she might survive from a literal train wreck.
For Tanya's soul, it is the strangest sightings that Eir has ever seen. Parts of her soul keep disappearing and reappearing in the monitors as there was something squirming in there. Giving an impression that there some invisible maggots crawling on her soul, her aura reserve suddenly keeps vanishing and existing at the same time. Almost thinking she is some kind of half-Grimm.
Chuckling at such absurd thoughts, she quickly dismisses those ideas and suspecting her machines are malfunctioning. But she will take note of it.
"*Okay then. Let's start something basic. Move your aura reserve to your chest.*"Hearing the basic part of controlling their aura, two move their aura reserve centering at their chest to act like a frontal wall. Seeing their auras is separate and not combined.
"*Now, move your auras to the side of your stomach." Doing what she said. They move their auras at the sides of their body near to their hips. Dr. Grau is fascinated that they have two auras layering each other but she is not satisfied enough. She is really curious about why their souls are not interacting with other and decide to hasten their first test session.
"*Good. Now I want to ask. Can you two combine your souls?*" The twins look at her hesitantly as their gold and silver eyes became heterochromic.
"Can you repeat that?" Unsure if they should. The two feel extremely uncomfortable if they get closer and that feeling started after they celebrate their sixth birthday.
"*Can you two fuse your souls?*" The two begin to mentally discuss what they should do.
Are you sure is it okay to touch yours because I don't feel exactly comfortable with it. Looking at her soul, she could not see what's wrong with her twin sister's aura but Ruby feels there's something extremely wrong with it…like a visible predator stalking her.
I still don't get what you mean by that but the feeling is mutual. Doing the same, Tanya look at Ruby soul which is blessed by the god she hates. Her soul feels a slight sting when she physically touches hers and a numbing feeling coming over to Tanya's senses like fire to her mind.
"*Can you two do it?*"Remaining silent, Ruby is still hesitant about this.
I'm having a bad feeling about this Tanya.
Just do what she says and see what happens. Reluctant at first, Ruby slowly creep her soul towards Tanya's life force. When she got closer to hers, Ruby feels a sudden repulsion repelling away from Tanya's presence.
What the hell was that?
I don't know! It feels like pulse when I try to both the same magnets together!
How or where did that even get here? Never mind. Let me try. Trying out her soul to see what's happening. As Tanya got closer to her host, the Devil felt she's getting pushed away by an unknown force. Feeling goaded, she pushes harder to know what's happening. She could stop what she's doing. But something in the back of Tanya's mind keeps encouraging her to continue pushing through.
But outside, Dr. Grau wasn't exactly pleased what she's seeing.
"*Err, Tanya, Ruby…you can stop now.*" Eir calling out in the comms, the assigned doctor look at her screen to see their aura levels are inhumanly fluctuating and the aura scanners are going in a fritz.
In the doctor's hindsight, what the twins are doing is making something rather unstable. But the twins didn't hear what she said as their senses are directly inside their souls.
Can you push harder; this force field is getting a bit stiffy.
I'm doing my best, I need one more push and-
With a fierce push, Tanya finally penetrated through the invisible wall that randomly appeared and directly touching Ruby's soul with hers. In a moment of respite, nothing is different.
Well, that was uneventful?
Yeah, I thought something would pop-? Soon, they heard an ominous spark between their opposite souls.
What was that? Looking down at their skin, they saw black vine-like appendages slithering on their arms and the many glimmering white petals bursting out from their skin. Soon, they feel painful agony surging through their body like knives stabbing through their flesh.
WHAT THE HELL?! Their voices slowly emerging into one and their cry of pain chorusing through their mouth as they unknowingly blended their confusion and fear into one emotion, their minds trying to separate away from each other by this spiritual fusion that they were not prepared for, their souls consuming their minds.
"Tanya, Ruby?! Respond!" Panicking, Eir look at her monitors to see their aura reserve skyrocketing inconceivably as the monitors cracking, warning signs flashing and the numbers reach to maximum input. Looking out to the window, she saw the twins' eyes turn their sclera to pitch black like pure darkness but their irises glowed bright white-gold that illuminate their tortured eyes.
As the twins scream, Eir saw blackthorns prodding out from Tanya's or Ruby's skin that could shred their flesh into pieces, black tar dripping out from the sharp needles and the thorns shaking uncontrollably. Sparks of light coursing through her body as it could not be contained, the surge needs to be ejected.
Then, it emerges out.
Widening her eyes in realization, Eir grabs her assistant by the neck and duck down for cover.
"Get down!"
"So…we're going to train her to be an official officer by the Council's demands. This is getting way too ridiculous that I want to shoot my-"
As Colonel Luger could finish his complaint, the ground shakes below their feet and a cracking explosion echo across the school campus where all the staff officers can hear the mass of students cry in sudden panic below them. Thinking it was some kind of terrorist attack, all the staff officers jump off from their seats.
"WHAT IN THE DAMNATION WAS THAT!?" Ironwood draws out his revolver from its holster and his soldier instincts kicking in; all the staff members did the same as they drew their weapons and contacting with the professors to get a sitrep on what's happening.
"By golly! MEN! BATTLE FORMATION! We are under attack and that we need to sacrifice one of the staff to give us a full sitrep to find the scumbags who-" An officer who is in his mid-fifties eccentrically shouting in the room as his red eyes are filled with paranoia bloodlust was then interrupted by the General.
"Colonel Rot Gunnery of the Guerilla War division! We are not going to sacrifice anyone and please don't act irrationally!" As James angrily looking at the grey-haired colonel who has a reputation on being eccentric and a hint of senility getting to him, Rot quietly shuts up about his absurd plans of not wanting to insult the Headmaster. Sighing, the Colonel aka 'Sarge' is a brilliant tactician in doing unconventional battle but he is bloody insane as he tends to form up irrational plans if he doesn't concentrate.
Ironwood is tempted to relieve him of his duties as Rot is becoming a liability, but he got more important matters to do.
Pulling out his Scroll and dialed Eir's number, Ironwood needs to check with the twins' status or else his colleagues will be biting down on his ass hard.
"Dr. Grau, what happened!? Is Ms. Rose okay?!" Pleading behind the line, Ironwood only can hear silence.
"Eir, status report, respond! Respond! Damn it!" Hearing Eir is not picking up her Scroll. Ironwood hurriedly exited the room to check their status. Looking back at the officers, he gave them their orders what to do.
"Gentleman, I need to check the status of our students and our VIP. Maintain order and get a full sitrep! Colonel Gunnery, don't do anything reckless while I'm gone!"
Smoke soon dissipates the room that hides the wreckage they have created. The duo remains unconscious on the ground till random peak jabs at their forehead.
Coo~! As the pecking continue. The twins grouchily wake up when the pecking isn't stopping and a tremendous headache that's kicking right in their skull. Thinking it was from that light show they made or the thing that's hitting their head. Their body ached in pain as their brain beating down on them.
Oww…what happen? Getting a grip, Ruby regains her thoughts and look around to see the chamber they were in is now destroyed. The machinery and discs that hung in the walls are now obliterated into tiny scrap metals. She saw the many black thorns that are shaped like needles that are scattered around the room which some of them penetrate through the reinforce walls with ease, leaking out its unholy tar-like substance on the ground.
Whatever that was, it's now over. Pain spreading in her mind, Tanya quickly took note of their situation as their souls are not entangled anymore and everything that's around them is covered with these strange thorns. The walls blacken with scorched soot and the glass from the observatory window shattered.
Lifting up to their feet and their hands smothered in black ash. They stood up drowsily and their eyes are in a shaking daze as their vision is moving everywhere like their drunken uncle. Stumbling a bit and weakly standing on their feet. They steadily regaining back their focus.
Staying awake and urging themselves not to pass out, the two felt the pecking again but this time at the heel of their feet.
Caw! They glance down at their toes to see a small black raven that was now pecking at their feet. To Tanya, she ponders about how a bird got inside the medical facility in the first place.
Hey, look! A raven, how did this little birdie get into our school and-? Hoisting its head up to them, its crown is encrusted in periosteum that's closely shaped to a boney fin. Its bloody eyes intently look at them as if it's glaring at their very psyche. Looking into its eyes, Tanya could swear she can see the minds of everything. Faint memories of what she saw.
Gah! A miniature Nevermore! How did it get into our school! Falling to their butt as they lost their balance by surprise, Tanya tries to comprehend why a Grimm is here without being detected by Atlas defenses.
Then another peak is tapping at their neck.
What the heck? Tanya taking control, she turns her head to see a white dove is sitting on her left shoulder. Nuzzling near to her neck like the dove knows her personally. Ruby feels its empathy, its thoughts and she wanted to snuggle the pretty bird she saw.
This getting all too weird-hey, is that Eir? Distracted when Ruby hears footsteps approaching them, the white hair doctor shows herself behind the once steel door before the force of the twins' newfound powers turn it into tiny smithereens. Dr. Grau let out a sigh relief to see the twins are in one piece yet giving a hint of fear quivering in her throat.
"Thank goodness you two are okay. If not, Ironwood would probably have my head…or my career. What a fabulous day to be alive!" Nervously laughing to herself on failing to lighten the dampen atmosphere. The birds are now below them and are still pecking at their heels. Their pecking is starting to bug the twins to no end.
"I don't want to be rude Ms. Grau. Do you notice these birds suddenly showed up and that they're pecking our feet?" Telling the eccentric doctor about the random birds that showed up here, Eir gave a perplexing look at them.
"Excuse me? What birds? I don't see any birds. Just the black stuff scattered around here and possibly my future." The birds loudly coo and caw right under the feet, saying she doesn't notice them made the twins slightly irked and thinking that Eir is pulling their leg.
"Are you joking? They are right below us!" As the Nevermore and the Dove are making bird noises a little louder. The Doctor looks down to see nothing, just soot.
"Look, I don't know if you're hallucinating by temporally combining your souls or simply joking. I don't see any bird at all." Looking around the chamber, Eir definitely sees nothing out of ordinary except for the twins' unnatural powers.
"Wow. You twins sure did make a mess in here. Also, I think you need to get dressed because…you know." Hearing someone walking into the damaged chamber, they see a fair skin man holding their clothes. His dark purple eyes look away from them out of respect.
Knowing what he is implying, the twins look down to see their patient gown is all but gone and only finding charred remains of it.
"Oh…shit." Fully realizing they are butt naked. Tanya hurriedly grabs her Atlas Uniform and getting dress inside the damaged chamber. Sliding up her underwear and buttoning up her shirt. Strangely, the Devil kind of remembers that she did these before in the past but she couldn't put a finger on when it happened. Something about an interference spell?
Sliding up her sleeves, Tanya feels an itch in her soul and looking at her wrist. She saw the black veins slowly spreading through her skin.
As they finished putting on their clothes or Tanya could further examine the vines that wiggle in her flesh, they hear a door slides open and the voice of the General worriedly shouted in the room.
"Eir! Rose! Is everyone okay-what in the god's name?!" Ironwood barging inside the sealed control chamber where Eir was conducting her examination on Ms. Rose's two souls, he stopped his tracks to see the experimental chamber is completely destroyed and noticing the strange blackthorns covering the walls inside.
"What in the world happened down here?!" Exasperating loudly and mystified by the random destruction, the General upsettingly look at Eir and demanding for answers what happened.
"Oh about that sir, you see…I was doing normal aura checks. But I decided to hurry the process and told them to combine their auras. The result, this happened." Courteously raising her hand at the destroyed room to emphasize what happened.
"Then why you didn't call me?" Holding up her Scroll, her device is sparking out with electricity and the screen crack that is going to break any second.
"I tried sir. But my Scroll is heavily damaged and overloaded by the twins' aura sir. Close approximate blast from the twins causes an EMP effect when they played around with their souls. By overload, I think they created enough of a force from their souls. They stimulate an actual explosion effect…without the lethal components that would kill us! Haha." Looking back at the destroyed lab which cost a quarter of the school's budget, the General looks back at her upsettingly.
"So you didn't warn them to stop? Because this room cost millions and there's panic happening above us thinking this was a terrorist attack!"
In the courtyard, screams and panic erupt amongst the students as they all try to exit out from the doors. But they are pushing and shoving as the staff couldn't control the panic crowd.
"HAAA! Why are we screaming? WHAA! This is fun Kombuse!" A blue-eyed man screaming top of his lungs and having no idea what the hell is going on as his spiky blonde hair moving wild, he is being followed by another man that looks like his twin.
"WHAAA! Yeah, I don't know what we're doing…so yeah. WHAAA! So why are screaming again Lok?" As the man with tamer hair having no clue as well, a dark skin teen with aqua eyes yells at them for being idiots.
"Are you two serious!? We are under attack and you didn't notice it?!" Hearing a familiar voice they know, they got overly excited.
"Turkis! I don't feel there was an attack. An attack is someone where someone hurts them. It's not the ground shaking that's attacking us. For that, there's no attack…I wonder why people are screaming?" After Kombuse made his nonsensical assumption, there was a pregnant pause in the midst of students screaming.
…
…
"Are you two really that fucking retarded?!"
"Again, I tried. But they weren't listening, possibly that their senses are off when they're inside their souls." Trying to make an assumption of why the hell the twins didn't listen to her when they were fiddling with their auras. It might be they were too focused on tinkering with their souls to pay attention to what she's saying.
Ironwood about to lose his poker face and a hint of anger forming in his face, Ruby can only think of this as she the dove phase through the Ironwood's leg like a ghost.
So what's up with those birds Tanya?
Are you serious?
To YukonAK, I don't know what you mean by Jaune's history. But I'm not sure the Tanya/Jaune ship would work since Tanya still remember her old-self as a dude in Japan and acting kind of an asshole. Unless the Salaryman stated he was gay before turning into a little girl, it would be a possibility but unlikely.
Speaking of the arc, this is going to be a long ass segment on focusing Tanya's influence in Atlas and meeting certain people she knows in the past or any particular reincarnates.
