Chapter 14: Salutations

Location: City of Vale Year: Unknown

The weekend is almost here and I went with team RWBY for the tour of Vale. We even noticed that the townsfolk were decorating for the Vytal Festival, even the old man who owns the store when I first arrived here.

"The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" Weiss said in excitement.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss." Ruby said before she shudders, "It's kinda weirding me out..."

Weiss turned to Ruby and asked, "How could you NOT smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dance, parades, a tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breath taking."

Yang sighed as we continue to walk and said, "You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring."

I raised my eyebrows and said, "A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world? Even before the bombs fell, there were no festivals that does such a thing like this in my world, except for the Olympics, I guess."

All of them look at me and Weiss asks, "Why?!"

"Because there were 196 countries in my world and it's hard to keep track of all of those cultures at once." I answered, which they gave me a surprise look.

Blake said, "196 countries? Was your world that separate?"

I nodded and said, "Yep, I'm afraid so."

We then arrived at the docks and heard a boat horn. Yang then asks, "Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?"

Then Ruby grabbed her own nose and said, "Ugh, they smell like fish."

"I don't smell anything." I said.

Ruby then said, "That's because you're wearing your helmet!"

"Oh, right..." I replied.

The Weiss answered Yang, "I've heard that students from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today."

Weiss then spun around and continued, "And as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

Then Blake said, "She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament."

"Ah! You can't prove that!"

I then noticed the same store where Ruby and I first met and it looked like it was robbed. I tapped on Ruby's shoulder and asked, "Hey, Ruby. Isn't that the same store where we first met?" as I pointed to it.

She then looked and said, "Woah."

Then Yang, Blake, and Weiss came over to see. We then walked towards it and I asked to one of the detectives, "Uh, sir. What happened here?"

"Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle."

Yang scoughs and said, "That's terrible."

We then overheard another detective saying, "They left all the money again."

I then Ruby saying, "Huh?"

"Yeah, doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much Dust?"

"I dunno, ya know what I mean?"

"You thinking the uh, White Fang?"

"Ya I'm thinking we don't get paid enough."

I then see Weiss crossing her arms and said, "Hmph. The White Fang. What an awful bunch degenerates."

I then said, "Woah! Shots fired. That was not necessary, Weiss."

Then Blake asks scoldingly, "Yeah, not necessary. What is your problem?"

"My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane." Weiss said.

Blake then said, "The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus."

"Misguided?! They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!" Weiss said.

"Gee, I wonder why?" I asked sarcastically mixed with annoyance.

Weiss then asked, "What?"

"I bet why they want that is because of the discrimination that the human race throws at them. In fact, because of humanity discriminating against Faunus kind, that the White Fang turned to violence in the first place."

Then Blake smiled at me at what I just said and she said, "See, even he thinks they're misguided and he does have a point."

but then she turned back to the shop and said, "But it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale."

Then Ruby cut in, "Hmm, Blake's got a point."

I then followed in, "Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick asshole that Ruby and I ran into a few months ago, and maybe it was him, 'cause I saw him only taking the Dust instead of the money before."

Weiss then said, "That doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."

Then Yang said, "That's not necessarily true."

Then we heard back at the docks someone yelling, "Hey! Stop that Faunus!"

We then ran back to the docks and saw two guys chasing a stowaway, who revealed to be a monkey Faunus.

"Thanks for the ride guys!" and let out a chuckle.

he then jumped into the docks off the ship and ran off. Then one of the sailors yell out, "You no-good stow-away!"

Then the Faunus hanged by his tail with a banana and yelled back, "Hey! A 'no-good' stowaway would have been caught. I'm a great stow-away."

Then the two same detectives walked up and said, "Hey, get down from there this instant."

Then the Faunus throws his banana peel at him and landed on his face. I immediately laugh at this and the rest looked at me.

I then asked, "What? That was funny."

Weiss then scoulded and saw the Faunus leaped into the air and ran off, being chased by the detectives. then the Faunus ran by us and... winked at Blake?

I then muttered, "That mad genius..."

Then Yang said, "Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition and there it goes."

The Weiss immediately said, "Quick! We have to observe him!"

The Weiss ran off and Ruby and Yang followed. Blake just stood there and I asked her, "Love at first sight, Blake?"

"Sh-shut up!" Blake says as she blushes.

"I'm not teasing, just asking." I said.

She smiles and nods before we ran after them. After a few corners, Weiss ran into someone and falls over.

Weiss then looks up at the fleeing Faunus and jumped out of sight.

"No! He got away!" Weiss shouted.

I then noticed the ginger hair girl, still pinned to the ground by Weiss and said to her, "Uh, Weiss? You're still on top of someone."

Weiss looks down and she immediately gets up and yells, "Euh!"

The girl still laid there as she greeted with a smile, "Salutations!"

"I like her already; very cheerful and kind." I said.

"Um... hello." Ruby said.

"Are you... okay?" Yang asks.

The girl, who is still laying there, replies, "I'm wonderful. Thank you for asking."

I then asked, "Do you want to get up or what?"

"Yes!" she said before she kicks up her feet and gets up.

Team RWBY steps back while I stayed there. 'What's the matter with them?'

"My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hi Penny, I'm Ruby."

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake"

I then said, "Edward Vaughn, nice to meet you, Penny."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your he-" Yang said before I elbowed her.

"Oh, I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said.

"You already said that." Weiss said.

"So I did!"

Then Weiss apologizes, "Well, sorry for running into you.

Then Ruby waves and said, "Take care, friend!"

I then said, "See ya around, Penny!"

We then walked away in silence for a few seconds before Yang said, "She was... weird."

"I wouldn't say that. I actually enjoyed her company." I said.

Then Weiss said, "Now, where did that Faunus riff-raff run off to?"

We then stopped when Penny stood there in front of us.

I was confused at this and started to pointed back behind us and to her, asking, "Wha... How did you? why-oh, forget it."

"What did you call me?" Penny asked.

I then noticed Weiss started doing the same thing I did while Yang said, "Oh, I'm really sorry, I definitely didn't think you heard me."

"No, not you.." she pauses and walks over to Ruby, who was next to me, and she said to her, "You."

"Me?!" Ruby panicked.

"I-I don't know, I-what I- um, uh-" Ruby started to stutter until Penny interupted her.

"You called me 'friend'. Am I really your friend?" Penny asks.

"Uummm..." Ruby started as she looks towards her team, who are definitely saying 'NO' and she then looked towards me. I simply nodded 'yes'.

"Yeah, sure! Why not?" Ruby answered.

Then Yang, Weiss, and Blake fell over to the ground as Penny gets excited.

she cheered with a laugh, "Ahaha! Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

"Ooh, is this what it was like when you met me?" Ruby asked Weiss as she and the others get up.

"No, she seems 'far' more coordinated."

I shrugged and said, "Meh, I had worse. I've met crazier people before."

Then Penny looks at me with a hurt expression, which made me add, "Which I don't mind at all. I actually enjoy the company."

Penny quickly changed to a happy expression and said, "Yay! I've got two new friends!"

Yang asks, "Really? who's crazier than her?"

"Veronica, even with a power fist. She's with the Brotherhood of Steel." I answered.

"Oh." Yang said.

Penny then asks me, "Who is this 'Brotherhood oh Steel'?"

I answered, "Oh, they are a collection of warriors that scavenge and hunt down any and all lost technology in the wastes and if they turned out to be weapons of mass destruction, then they make sure it will never falls into the wrong hands."

"Ooh, sen-sational! What an honorable cause!" Penny cheered.

I smiled and thought, 'I thought she might like that.'

Then Yang asks Penny, "So, what are you doing in Vale?"

"I'm here to fight in the tournament."

Then Weiss asks, "Wait... you're fighting in the tournament?"

She then salutes and replies, "I'm combat ready!"

Then Weiss says, "Forgive me, but you hardly look the part."

"Says the girl wearing a dress. But looks can be deceaving." I said.

"It's a 'combat skirt'." Weiss said.

Then Ruby zoomed next to her and replies, "Yeah!" as both High-fived each other.

"Wait a minute. If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed rapscallion?"

I sighed and muttered, "Here we go again. I'm not in the mood for this shit."

Penny asks, "The who?"

Then Weiss pulls out a paper of her drawing of the Monkey-Faunus and said, "The filthy Faunus from the boat!"

'Okay, she's beginning to become the new Cardin... FUCK!' I thought to myself.

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Blake asks in anger.

'Oh shit, here we go...' I thought again.

"Huh?" Weiss asks.

"Stop calling him a rapscallion. Stop calling him a degenerate. he's a person!" Blake yelled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like me to stop referring to a trashcan as a trashcan, or this lamppost as a lamppost?"

"Stop it!" Blake said.

"Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time, he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang."

I tighten up my fists as Blake did the same and I growled.

Blake then growls, "You ignorant little brat!" and she marches off.

I then walked to Weiss and said, "Weiss, keep talking like that and I'll make sure you'll end up like Cardin."

Her eyes widdened at my response and went after Blake yelling, "Hey! Wait up!"

XXXXXX

'Back at the Academy...'

I was in RWBY's dorm as me, Yang and Ruby watched as Weiss and Blake argued.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem."

"That IS the problem!" Blake said.

"You do realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil."

"There's no such thing as 'pure evil'! Why do you think they hate humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like YOU that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!" Blake yells.

"People like me?!"

"You're disctrimintory!" Blake yells.

"I'm a victom!" weiss yells.

Then a moment of silence came. This caught us by surprise, especially me. I wasn't expecting this. Weiss continues, "You want to know WHY I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particulary trust the Faunus?"

Then Weiss walks up to the open window and said, "It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War. As in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back faor as long as I can remember. and ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear, board members executed, an entire train car of Dust... stolen. And every day, my father would come home furious, and that made a very difficult childhood."

I then walked up to Wiess and muttered to, "Shit... *sigh* I forgotten there is always stories on both sides, but that doesn't mean that-"

"No!" Weiss shouted.

She then turned to Blake and said, "You want to know why I despise the White Fang?! It's because they're a bunch of liars! Thieves! And murderers!"

Then Blake yelled, "Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"

The a moment of silence came and I thought to myself, 'Shit... I knew she is a Faunus, but...'

"I-" Blake stuttered and ran out of the room.

Ruby shouted "Blake! Wait! Come back!"

I then turned to Weiss and said, "When I return, you and I are going to have a very harsh talk."

Before she says anything, I immiedietly ran out the room after Balke and shouted to her, "Blake! Wait up!"

To be Continued...