RWBY is property of Roosterteeth! I only own my characters.
A/N: Changed the title. I like it better than before, personally.
CHAPTER 12
"Thank you so much, Miss!" the mayor of the frontier town bowed deeply to Alyia. "Without your timely arrival we might have-"
"No, no! It's nothing, really." the Guardian waved her hands frantically to try and quell the torrent of gratitude she was receiving. "Your town's soldiers did far more than me. I only showed up at the end of the fight."
"I'm sure that there must be something that we can do to repay you!" the mayor said. "It would be remiss of me to send you on your way without seeing you rewarded for saving our lives." Alyia mentally sighed. Her conversation with the mayor had been going in circles for the last hour... and that wasn't counting the similar discussions she had been bombarded with by various townsfolk. One man had even asked to marry her on the spot, and she had to inform him that she already had a husband and child.
"Look..." Alyia cut the mayor off as politely as she could, "I'm going to help the other residents of the town get everything in order before I head back out. If-"
"Well, we must certainly pay you for that!"
"... If you want to repay me, all I need are some directions."
"So little? That simply won't do."
"Then put as much money as you can into helping the people and let's call it even." Alyia said with finality, a hint of frustration seeping into her tone. Seeming to pick up on her irritation, the mayor nodded.
"I see. I will make sure to do all I can. You are truly a selfless individual." He bowed once again. "You have my deepest gratitude and respect, Miss."
"You're welcome." Alyia said, letting out a sigh of relief that this conversation was over. "I'll head out and help around town. Let me know if you need anything."
"Of course. Thank you."
Charles sat across from Winter and Weiss as they rode a Bullhead transport towards the town that had been attacked the night before. Anise sat in Winter's lap, reading an article on the older Schnee's scroll. Weiss was in the process of making sure both her and Winter's weapons were in proper condition in case they ran into any straggling Grimm.
"... From what it says..." Anise reported as she read the text on the scroll in her small hands. "It sounds like the guards managed to drive the Grimm out of the town with the Guardian's help. Now they're just kinda firing into the woods to keep them away."
"Thank you, Anise." Charles nodded. The young girl smiled in return. Winter patted her head.
"Our weapons seem to be in good shape." Weiss noted, sheathing her Dust Rapier and offering Winter her saber. Her sister graciously accepted the sword. "Hopefully we won't need them, though." Charles and Winter bobbed their heads in agreement.
"Miss Schnee." the pilot of the Bullhead spoke, turning slightly in their chair. "We are about to arrive."
"Thank you." Winter replied. "Please remain on standby after we land. I'll contact you when we are ready to return.
"Of course, Ma'am. I'll be waiting for your call." The dropship swayed slightly as it hovered over the town's landing pad, slowly reducing its altitude. The powerful twin engines kicked dirt and dust into the air. The transport finally came to a rest with a metallic thud. A hatch opened in the craft's side, allowing its passengers to disembark.
Charles looked around at the town around them. Despite the ordeal they had just experienced, the residents seemed to be in good spirits, hard at work repairing the damage to their homes. A portly man in a suit, who Charles assumed was the mayor, waddled over to the new arrivals with as much haste as he could muster.
"Ah, Miss Schnee! I didn't know you were coming!" he panted as he came to a halt several paces from the group of four people gathered on the landing pad.
"I saw the news broadcast last night. We have some humanitarian supplies on our transport for your people." Winter said, gesturing to the dropship behind her.
"Oh, thank you!" the mayor bowed to her. "There seems to be no shortage of generous and compassionate people these days."
"That's the other thing." Charles interjected. "There was a woman in white armor here, do you know where she went?"
"She's still here, actually! I believe I last saw her helping Mrs. Amenti repair her store..."
"Can you point us in that direction?"
"Yes, of course. It's just down the road and to the right." the mayor pointed helpfully.
"Thanks." Charles nodded his appreciation. He stepped down off the platform and headed in the direction the mayor had pointed out. The trio of girls followed him.
It did not take long for their group to reach the building the mayor had mentioned. It was a single story bakery, where an old woman with pale green eyes swept the dirt and broken glass from the front of her store. Winter caught sight of the woman they were searching for standing on the building's roof, patching holes torn in it by Grimm claws. Her white armor shimmered slightly in the morning light.
"Oh, are you here to speak to our nice friend?" the old woman asked as they approached.
"Yes." Winter nodded. "If it's no trouble, that is."
"I doubt it will be. She seems to have time for everyone." the baker laughed. "Miss! There are some people here who want to talk to you.
"Oh?" the Guardian called down. "Who is-" As she stepped to the edge of the roof, her eyes immediately locked on Charles and she fell silent. Charles stared back, his jaw hanging open as he saw the woman's face. Winter looked between the pair of awestruck individuals, suddenly realizing what they had noticed. They had the same eyes.
"... Aly...?"
"... Dad...?"
"Daddy! Look at all the red trees!" Lex said excitedly, pressing her face against the bulletproof glass of the LCV's window. "They're so pretty!"
"They sure are." Jerloh smiled and nodded, taking in the sights as well. "Never saw anything like this back home, right Marcie?"
"Hmm?" Marcia looked up from her tactical pad, "Yes, it's certainly unique."
"Whatcha' looking at, Auntie Marcia?" Lex asked, scooting over to the woman's side. Marcia seemed to hesitate for a moment, before showing Lex the device. An image of around fifty individuals standing in a close group was displayed on the tablet's screen. "EDC-STRD-1I" was printed in the lower right corner of the picture.
"... Just an old photo... of my old friends." Lex observed the image silently as she detected the hint of sadness in Marcia's voice.
"These are all the Aunties and Uncles I won't meet?"
"... Yeah." the EDC General took a deep breath, then pulled Lex in a little closer. "Do you want me to show you which ones are which?"
"Yes, please." Marcia smiled slightly. Lex's enthusiasm was always infectious.
"Alright... This one, right here..." Marcia pointed to a blond man with messy hair and a youthful look to him. "...this is Alex."
"Huh. Is it just me, or are there less Grimm around than usual?" Emerald asked her companions. It had been two days since they had set out to Forever Fall for their trip. So far, they'd encountered a few of the local Grimm, but nothing bigger than the occasional Ursa.
"It does seem oddly quiet." Pyrrha agreed, hefting her weapon in its rifle form. "What do you think, Arthur?" The blond boy remained silent. "Arthur?"
"Hey, Lightbulb." Emerald smacked the Guardian lightly on the top of his head, startling him. "Pyrrha's talking to you."
"Oh, sorry." He said, "What were you asking, Pyrrha?"
"I asked what you thought about the lack of Grimm, but now I'm wondering what's got you distracted."
"I'm not sure... There's some sort of energy hanging in the air... It feels... familiar... but I can't put my finger on it." Arthur shook his head.
"Well, keep an eye out so we can shoot it if we have to." Anika contributed to the conversation, snapping a reddened twig beneath her boot.
"I will." Arthur replied. Their group continued their trek through the forest. The blond Guardian fell back into a state of deep thought as he scoured his memories in an attempt to discern the energy signature he felt. Emerald tossed the occasional worried look over her shoulder, grabbing Arthur's arm and dragging him to catch up with the rest as he fell behind. "...I just can't place it..."
"Hey, Chaos?" Melody asked as she followed the ex-Lord into a small cave. The sun had set, cloaking the landscape in darkness. The still-powerless Bloodline had made the decision to stop for the night.
"What?" He responded with annoyance, laying down on the cold stone. "You worried about those creatures attacking in the middle of the night or something?" he turned away from her and mumbled to himself. "Maybe they'll get rid of you for me."
"Er... no. Grimm seem to leave me alone... it's part of the reason people back home chased me away..."
"Hm." Chaos muttered uninterestedly.
"... I was going to say... you never answered my question... about your name..."
"... I don't have one." Chaos spat. "Satisfied? Go to sleep."
"What do you mean?" Melody asked. The Bloodline did not respond, instead closing his eyes and letting the day's fatigue pull his into a deep slumber. The silver haired girl sat down on the cave floor, watching the ex-Lord's prone form.
She suddenly noticed his whole body shiver, as if he had suddenly been doused in cold water. Melody shifted her position so she was sitting next to the sleeping boy. For the first time, she had enough time to observe the person she had decided to follow. Sure, he had some problems, murder for one, but her mother had always told her to see the best in people. Melody was sure Chaos had some good in him somewhere.
As his shaking continued, Melody reached out and softly touched his hair. At her contact, his breathing slowed and calmed. Her thoughts drifted to the last thing he had said. How could he not have a name? Melody shook her head. Maybe she'd understand if he opened up to her more. With a sigh, she laid down a short distance from Chaos, and drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Nothing really to say about this one, just that it's a little bit shorter than the last few.
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ItzABlueWulf: Yup, Legends Scatter was named after the lyrics from "This Will Be the Day". I seriously debated, and am still debating, whether to continue in that same vein and rename Blood and Flame to Bloody Evolution. It might happen, it might not, still deciding... Okay, doing it. Thanks.