Chapter 5: Turbulence During The Ride
Hey! Hey! Listen! There's another chapter by The Draigg here! Look out! Hey! He doesn't own RWBY! Listen! Look! Monty Oum owns it instead! Hey! Look! The chapter is starting now! Look! Hey!
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The flight over to Vale City was only a few hours from Beacon Academy. However, given Team RWBY's company, it felt way longer than normal. Ms. Han by now had begun to ramble on way past the charity project, and onto some random tangent involving her communication degree. It would be interesting… if it made anything resembling sense to the audience.
"…So, if anything, the way we understand theories is entirely WRONG. A theory and its component parts are cyclical, right? Like, a theory is built of four parts: the reason its parts exist, why the theory itself exists, the reason why a theory was developed, and the focus of the theory, in relation to others. But, and here's the cool part, those components are formed from other theories! So, if anything, our reasoning should be completely cyclical as well! Cool, huh?" ranted Ms. Han.
Reactions among the people listening were mixed. Weiss was somewhat enjoying this small lesson, actually. It was certainly an interesting philosophical concept about the ways we think. Sure, it was confusing a hell, but maybe she could learn something from this odd lady.
Yang felt that she needed one of those bad cookies from that one weird adventure to understand what she was saying. Maybe Wall-sensei could add to this discussion. Yet again, her actual memories from that experience were rather fuzzy. All she really remembered was some weird advice about the universe and some martial arts from The School of the Undefeated of the East. Man, it would be cool to talk to that wall again.
Ruby looked like her brain was completely fried. Ms. Han's words were running very confusing circles in her mind. What was she even saying? Is any of this real? Was she even real? Those thoughts were beginning to scare her a little.
Blake was trying her best to look like she understood what Ms. Han was saying, nodding her head and agreeing with what she said. However, that couldn't be farther from the truth. It was almost like it was watching a grown up Nora teach a class on conceptual theory, it was so confusing. But, she felt that her teammates expected to act out the brainy, bookworm person she initially presented herself to be. So, she just rolled with what she was listening to.
Finally, Mr. Brass simply tuned out like he had on the flight to Vale earlier. It wasn't that what she was saying wasn't smart, it was that this time around he felt he couldn't add anything to the conversation. Ms. Han was just stuffing a ton of knowledge into a five-pound bag. However, he couldn't help but be a little impressed at what she was saying. At least she was hired for something resembling smarts. Maybe having somebody brainy like Ms. Han around wouldn't be too bad after all.
Weiss chimed in with a question, "Ms. Han?".
"Call me Jade," she replied with a smile.
"…Jade, wouldn't the fact that theories are cyclical also imply everything is in a cycle? Like history and behavior, I mean," continued Weiss.
"Well, yes. And no. Yes? No, no. Maybe?" Jade said as she struggled with her thoughts. It wasn't exactly an easy question. So, she just decided to say what was on her mind. "I think everything's in a cycle, until you realize it isn't," she concluded.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Blake, still trying to sound like she understood everything.
Jade simply shrugged and said, "It's just a theory,". She beamed a little. Jade had to admit, that was a clever way of getting out of that tough bind. She didn't want to disappoint her new friend- her new co-workers. Ms. Han was determined to be the cool, fun, smart lady she wished herself to be.
Seeing that her question got her nowhere, Weiss let the topic drop. But hey, maybe she would need to save this discussion for later, when she got back to her actual classes. If she understood (vaguely) what Ms. Han meant, then she would get one step closer to being academically perfect!
"Why can't we talk about something fun instead? Like… seashells or something?", Ruby mumbled, completely out of the conversation. Her thinker box really hurt right now.
"Ohh! Good idea, Ruby!" cooed Jade, "Now, if you think about it, a lot of shells have spiral shapes, right? Well, what else have spirals?". She then leaned forward for emphasis. "That's right, a lot of stuff!" she declared, not waiting for an answer.
"I think I just made it worse," Ruby thought to herself.
"Galaxies, DNA, mathematical functions, drills, certain types of pasta, all that good stuff!" Jade said, pointing her finger in the air. But before she could explain further, a loud rumble came from her stomach. "I think I made myself hungry thinking about pasta." She said to nobody in particular.
Then, abruptly, Ms. Han stood up. "I'm getting something to eat," she declared before walking off, in search of sustenance.
Now that her unintentional mental tormentor was gone, Ruby took a deep breath and slumped in her seat. At least she wouldn't have to make her brain hurt for a little bit. A few minutes of respite were nice to have.
"So… did anybody get all that?" thought Yang aloud.
"Nope," replied Ruby.
"Not much," Weiss admitted.
"Not in the slightest," said Mr. Brass.
"Yeah, of course," Blake lied, waving with a dismissive gesture. That got her odd looks from everybody. Her sports deodorant vanished quickly as she began to have a cold sweat. She couldn't let the others know she didn't get any of that weird rant! She didn't want to feel dumb!
"Really now?" Yang asked with a tone of disbelief.
Blake's sweating intensified, and dark patches began to stain the pits of her shirt. Tugging at her collar, she asked nervously, "Wow, is it hot in here?".
"It's pretty cool in here, actually," Weiss replied.
Thinking quickly, Blake made a pun to draw attention away from her nervousness. "Ha! The Ice Princess thinks it's cool in here!" she said, looking around for approval.
Yang, of course, laughed at the horrible excuse for a pun. "Hahaha! I thought you left your funny bone back at Beacon, Blakey!", Yang said as she slapped Blake on the back with approval.
Blake felt inwardly elated as everyone else rolled their eyes and turned their attention away from her. She had dodged a bullet there, even if it came at the cost of smelling like she just came back from the training room. She would need to take a shower as soon as she got to her lodgings. Maybe Yang could join her! Blake dimly smiled at the idea.
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Speaking of lodgings, Team RWBY was getting closer to theirs by the minute. After landing at Vale Municipal Airport that afternoon, Team RWBY picked up their luggage from the baggage claim and headed outside the large sliding doors that made the exit of the airport. They were supposed to wait there for Mr. Brass and Ms. Han to pick up the vehicle that was left for them by the Azul Concern. So, the girls were standing on the sidewalk, waiting for their ride.
"I'll bet we'll get some cool hot rod or something!" Ruby said to her friends.
Yang dug her boot heel into the ground and sulked, "Whatever it is, it still won't be as good as my baby,".
Weiss rolled her eyes from the luggage she was sitting on. "For the last time, Yang, your motorcycle won't fit all of us," she pointed out, now getting that familiar feeling of annoyance back. Yang had been complaining about her motorcycle ever since Mr. Brass mentioned getting a car for them.
"I wonder if she's cold right now…" Yang said to herself. Her baby must be so alone, left behind at Beacon! Oh, she knew she should have put a cover over it before she left! If she had the time later, she would have to call a member of Team JNPR to make sure that they could look over her motorcycle. Her baby needed her regular buffing and polish, and to check the oil and fuel levels. Oh, and the regular check for rust and chips in the paint, too. Hopefully, someone on that team was responsible enough to take care of all that.
"Whatever…" Weiss mumbled. There was no point in debating with a loon over the proper vehicle for this expedition. Still, hearing Yang mutter something to herself about her 'little child' was still creepy and unsettling. Hopefully the crazy genes weren't in Ruby as well.
Before Weiss could wonder about Ruby's genetic makeup, a plain white van pulled up the curb beside them. Mr. Brass hopped out of the passenger side, as Ms. Han was behind the wheel.
"Okay, put your stuff in so we can go," Mr. Brass said, opening the trunk. While the others complied and picked up their luggage, Yang raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Just what, exactly, is this?", she asked aloud, eying the van.
"A van. You know, an extra big car to hold more stuff," Mr. Brass replied dryly.
"And what's under the hood? Do you even know the pedigree of this… this… vehicle?" Yang asked, the pitch of her voice growing a little lower.
As Mr. Brass was about to respond, Weiss, before climbing into the van, chimed in with, "She's upset she can't use her motorcycle,".
"The Bumblebee, you mean," Yang shot back. Mr. Brass simply groaned at the plight he was about to be put through.
"Look, I'm not saying you have to like it, but you have to use it. Now get in the van," said Mr. Brass.
Yang furrowed her brow. After a minute's hesitation, she slowly put her stuff into the back of the van and walked over to the door. Quickly, she spun on her heel and said to Mr. Brass, "Don't think I'll forget this!".
"Oh, spare me from your wrath," Mr. Brass snarked back. Yang, with a large and childish huff, climbed into the van to join the rest of her team, who had also gotten in. Mr. Brass closed the door behind Yang. As he got in the van, he sincerely hoped that Alice wouldn't grow up to be this problematic.
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When Ruby thought of a place to stay during this excursion, she thought she was going to stay in a motel. To her surprise, however, the van pulled into a cluster of condos. Was she going to stay in one of those? She leaned against the window like an excited puppy at the thought.
"Ohh, are we staying here?" Ruby asked excitedly. Man, these condos were nice! She bet they had pools! It was a good think she was prepared (read: crazy) enough to bring her swimsuit!
"You bet!" replied Ms. Han in a chipper voice.
"These homes are more than adequate for us," Weiss noted, also looking around. These condos were clearly built for the upper-middle class. If she had to guess, they were probably rented out to business people on extended trips. While it was nice to have good housing, this made Weiss wonder how long this trip was going to be. If the charity was willing to spend this much on them, then clearly they were planning for a long haul tour.
The van pulled into a driveway and parked. Ms. Han and Mr. Brass hopped out, both heading for the door. Since their stuff was dropped off by them yesterday before heading on the flight to Beacon Academy, they didn't need to worry about luggage right now. Instead, they unlocked the door, and headed inside. Team RWBY quickly gathered their belongings and followed the odd pair inside.
Inside was rather nice, with the floors being covered with grey carpeting, and the walls colored a light cream color. A small kitchen and dining area was attached to the well-sized living room. There was a small staircase leading to a small office, and the hallway on the ground floor lead to three bedrooms and a bathroom. Overall, it was a decent condo. Well, if you didn't mind sharing a little.
However, Ruby didn't care for any of that. She immediately rushed over to the sliding door that was at the back of the living room, and rushed into the small backyard. Ruby lit up as soon as she saw the greatest thing imaginable. It wasn't a pool, but even better! It was a hot-tub! Oh, she was going to use the hell out of it!
"Guys, look!" Ruby shouted to her friends, getting their attention. Team RWBY rushed over to her side, and looked at what she was seeing.
"Nice!" said Yang, wrapping and arm around Blake. Whispering something into her ear, Blake blushed with a deep crimson color. They were also going to use it, but probably not in the way Ruby was thinking of.
Weiss, however, wasn't very impressed. She had a way bigger pool at her old home. "How nice," she managed to say. At least she tried to support Ruby's enthusiasm. And why not? If she was a dog Faunus, she would be wagging her tail uncontrollable right now.
"Ah, I see you found the tub," Mr. Brass said, walking through the sliding door. He was also a little glad to have a hot-tub as well. Maybe the hot water would soothe the knot he could feel developing in his left shoulder.
"Come on," suggested Weiss, "Let's see our rooms,". She walked away, still toting her multiple bags. They were really starting to hurt her back and shoulders.
The rest of Team RWBY decided to follow her advice and headed into the house. They walked down the hallway and into the largest room, presumably their room. Their guess was proven correct, since there was two beds and two cots set up in there.
Weiss immediately dumped her bags onto a bed and sat down. "This is my bed," she declared almost instantaneously.
"Hold up," protested Yang, dumping her bag on the ground, "What makes you think you get a bed?".
"I need it for my back problems," Weiss lied. In all honesty, she felt she deserved to have a full bed. She had done a lot for this team, why didn't she deserve something nice?
"Really," Blake deadpanned. She wanted a bed too, and she wasn't going to let Weiss stand in her way.
"Yes, really," Weiss huffed, folding her arms across her chest.
Ruby's face grew concerned. "I didn't know you had back problems," Ruby said, worried about her girlfriend.
"Shh, Ruby!" shushed Weiss. She had ruined her gambit! Damn Ruby and her niceness, and her compassion, and her nice smelling hair! Wait, what? Damn it, even Weiss couldn't find negatives about her girlfriend to complain about!
"I knew it," Blake said, putting on a smug grin.
"We should decide this in the fairest way possible," suggested Ruby. It was time for her to be team leader again! So, she immediately put out her fist in front of her. "Partner rock, paper, scissors. Whoever wins, they and their partner get the beds. Deal?" she suggested.
Yang jumped to the challenge quickly. "Deal,".
"But what about—" Blake complained.
"Why should—" Weiss also tried to get in.
The monochrome pair was simultaneously shushed by Yang and Ruby. When those two worked together, they just wouldn't let anything like common sense get in the way. So, they played their game to decide who got what to sleep in. Weiss and Blake watched with bated breath, both hoping for their partner to win.
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"I still can't believe you lost," Weiss said to Ruby that night, as she lied on a cot. After a quick dinner, Team RWBY decided to head off to bed. They were tired after their day of travel. So, they had pushed the two cots and beds closer to each other, as to separate who got what bed.
"You're just a sore loser," Yang said from her bed. It was dark in the room, but her voice still was clear.
"I hate you and the bands you like," Weiss spat back.
"Ouch. I'm so wounded," Yang said with a chuckle.
"I can't believe you hurt Yang so badly," Blake added in with a dry, flat tone. Then, the both of them erupted into small giggles.
"Don't listen to them, Weiss. We're still fine in these," Ruby said, her voice next to Weiss.
"Can we just all go to bed already?" grumbled Weiss.
But, she wasn't feeling tired at all. No, she was wide awake. This crime against comfortable sleep must be dealt with at the best possible moment. She needed to scheme. She needed to psyche Team Bumbleby out.
So, as the rest of Team RWBY began to drift off to sleep, Weiss stayed awake. Waiting. Scheming in the dark.
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Another day, another chapter gone by. Hope you liked this one as well! Well, as much as you can like fan content. Anyway, just tell me what you think in the reviews section below. Oh, and check out my favorite editor friend, JimboYokimbo. He does good work, after all. Like, his story related to A Simple Bet, called Overgrown. This is The Draigg, signing off for now.