Chapter 14: Things At Hand
BOOM! BANG! EXPLOSION NOISE! Yo, it's The Draigg here, taking a page from recent Hollywood films in order to appeal to a wider demographic than normal for my author's notes! PEW! KABOOM! KINETIC MACHINE SOUNDS! Anyway, before I get started here, you should know that DULL COLOR PALLETE! I don't own RWBY, or any other media I put in 30 MILLION BUDGET! here. So, let's get started! BOX OFFICE FLOP!
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Yang was sitting across from Blake at the kitchen table. As she watched her girlfriend tap away on her laptop, Yang drummed her fingers on the table top. Man, waiting to edit Blake's story was starting to get boring. She had been sitting here for about an hour. Yang expected that Blake would ask for her help sooner, and that she would actually have something to do. Right now, she was regretting not joining Weiss and Ruby in watching cartoons.
Luckily for her, Blake's tying began to slow down, and after a few more minutes, ground to a halt. Then, she just stared blankly at the screen. "Yang? Mind helping me out here?" Blake asked.
"Sure," Yang calmly replied, even though she was glad on the inside for having something to do. Pulling the laptop over to her, she looked at what was on the screen. As she scanned the lines, she couldn't really find much wrong with the overall script. Sure, she needed to tweak a few word choices here and there, but it seemed mostly fine.
"Looks good to me," Yang finally determined. "What seems to be the issue?" she further asked.
"I don't know how to write the final act," she admitted. Now that Yang looked at it more, what narrative there was kind of dropped off as it moved closer to the end. There needed to be a good ending there to wrap up everything.
"I… um… hmmmm…" Yang hummed aloud as she tried to think of a conclusion. Maybe she could… no, that wouldn't work. No, if Yang was going to think of an ending, she would need some help on this.
"Ruby! Weiss!" shouted Yang.
"What?" came Ruby's distant voice.
"Get in here! We need your help writing this!" Yang yelled. Yang heard a groan of annoyance, then two pairs of footsteps heading towards the kitchen.
Ruby and Weiss walked through the doorway and up to the kitchen table. Weiss put her hands on her hips and demanded, "What do you need help writing?".
"An ending," Yang replied simply. Then, she slid the laptop over to show them what was written so far. Ruby and Weiss sat down at the table, and the pair began to look over the incomplete script.
Ruby and Weiss collectively admitted that they liked what they saw. It certainly got to the heart of the issue, without anything that could, in theory, get them nearly murdered on the way out of a school. But, then they saw what Yang was talking about. Yeah, there definitely needed to be a decisive ending here.
"Okay, I see what you mean," Ruby said as she finished reading. "We can… huh. I don't have a clue," she admitted.
"Oh come on, it's simple," Weiss said, "We just need to… ehh…". Her mind had come to a standstill. As it turned out, she didn't really have any ideas either.
"I'm guessing you guys don't have anything either…" Yang groaned as she massaged her temples. "Okay, okay," she thought out loud, "All we need to do is just get the blood flowing to our brains,".
"How?" asked Ruby.
"Well, I heard that physical activity increases brain functions," Blake chimed in.
"That's it! We'll get our work done that way! All we need to do is think about the PSA while we do stuff!" Yang exclaimed as she came to that conclusion.
"YEAH!" all of Team RWBY declared as they jumped into the air in the same time in triumph.
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(It's just a ball of dust/Underneath my feet
It rolls around the sun/Doesn't mean that much to me)
Yang began to do pushups on the floor of the living room. Then, she began to use only one hand. She began with her left, and then switched to her right. She then began to switch her hands rapidly back and forth.
(I take a chance on the edge of life/Just like all the rest
I look inside and dig it out/Cause there's no points for second best)
Ruby cracked several eggs into a glass. Then, taking a jug of orange juice, she mixed it with the raw yolk. She mixed it with a spoon, and handed the resulting concoction to Weiss. Weiss eyed the drink suspiciously, but then took the glass and chugged the mix. Ruby gave a grin and flashed a thumbs up as Weiss drank the last of it.
(There's a raging fire in my heart tonight/Growing higher and higher in my soul
There's a raging fire in the sky tonight/I want to ride on the silver dove
Far into the night)
Blake dove from table to table, and from chair to chair as she practiced her ninja stealth skills. She managed to sneak everywhere in the condo undetected. She felt especially proud when she snuck up on Yang coming out of the bathroom. That made her give a cocky smirk to Yang.
(Till I make you take me/On your mighty wings
Make you take me/On your mighty wings across the sky
Take me on your mighty wings/Take me on your mighty wings tonight)
A few minutes later, Ruby had to hold Weiss' hair as she threw up the mixture Ruby made for her into the sink. As Weiss puked out her guts, Ruby looked pretty guilty for what she made.
(With just a little luck/A little cold blue steel
I cut the night like a razor blade/Till I feel the way I want to feel)
Yang and Blake were sparing in a hand to hand fight. Yang expertly parried Blake's chops, and Blake kept on countering Yang's punches. Eventually, when they got face to face, Blake distracted Yang by pretending to go in for a kiss. That diversion worked, and Blake managed to land a blow on Yang's stomach.
(There's a raging fire in my heart tonight/Growing higher and higher in my soul
There's a raging fire in the sky tonight/I want to ride on the silver dove
Far into the night)
Ruby was riding on an old bicycle she found in the back alley way, and Weiss was jogging behind her, boxing at the air. For some reason, Weiss insisted on wearing a pink sweat suit with a hood she had packed in her luggage. The pair made their way down the condo's street and near the nearby waterway.
(Till I make you take me/On your mighty wings
Make you take me/On your mighty wings across the sky
Take me on your mighty wings/Take me on your mighty wings tonight)
Blake held up a pillow as yang began to pelt it with rapid blows. The cat girl was having a hard time keeping her ground against the punches. All the while, Yang kept on saying her kiai, "ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!". Then, with one final hit, she punched straight through the pillow with one last "ORA!". Blake felt weak in the legs, since Yang's fist was less than an inch away from her chest.
(Make you take me/On your mighty wings
Make you take me/On your mighty wings across the sky)
Ruby had given Weiss a ride on the back of her bike, since she was tired from her jog. But, on the way back to the condo, Ruby got distracted by the smell of freshly baked goods coming from a coffee shop. Because of that short detour, Weiss ended up spending thirty lien on pastries.
(Take me on your mighty wings/Take me on your mighty wings tonight
On your mighty wings)
Yang was finishing her push up routine, by trying to perform a somersault after her last repetition. She completely botched her roll, and careened down the hallway until she collided with a wall.
(Make you take me/On your mighty wings across the sky)
Once Ruby and Weiss got back to the condo, with their stomachs full of muffins and biscotti, they decided to go for a badass high five. Weiss and Ruby got a running start, and leapt at the same time. Their open hands collided in mid-air, creating the desired effect of awesomeness.
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The now worn Team RWBY reconvened back at the kitchen table. They were all pumped from their routines, and felt pretty good about themselves. It must have been the endorphins flowing through their bodies.
"Whew! I feel great!" Yang declared as she sat back down in her normal seat.
"Yeah, that was awesome!" added Ruby.
Weiss calmly, but proudly, said, "We should do that more often,".
"Agreed," said Blake, with a smirk stretching across her face.
"So, did anyone think of any ideas?" asked Ruby to everyone else. An awkward silence fell across the team.
"I… no…" Yang muttered to herself.
"Maybe… meh…" Weiss also said under her breath.
"I haven't got a clue," Blake flat out admitted.
"How have none of us thought of anything?!" cried Ruby. They just wasted a bunch of time for nothing! At least stuff actually got done in the hot-tub and around the television! Wait, why did she allow herself to be so easily tempted by those things? She couldn't let down her team by being lazy! Ruby began to feel annoyed about this whole script writing session, and at her own lack of a work ethic.
"I don't know! We said we were going to focus, and then we exercised for an hour and a half!" Weiss exclaimed.
"Okay, maybe that wasn't the best idea…" Yang sighed.
Weiss spat bitterly, "No kidding,".
"I was only trying to help!" Yang defended herself.
"We're not getting anywhere by arguing!" Ruby yelled angrily as she slammed her fist on the table. Her stress levels were rising exponentially. This trip had been nothing but wreck so far, and now the idea of not being able to finish this script in time was sinking in.
"Now," she continued in a calmer tone, "We WILL think of something. Right?". Then, she angrily poked a finger at Blake. "RIGHT?!" she demanded from her.
"Y-yes," she stammered nervously. Man, it was weird and kind of scary to see Ruby this upset.
"Good," Ruby stated.
"H-how about we just have the skit characters talk to the c-cops at the end?" Weiss offered quietly. The look in Ruby's eyes reminded her of her father whenever he was frustrated.
"Can we work with that?" Ruby asked Blake.
"Sure," the cat girl quickly replied.
"Alright. Make it so," ordered Ruby as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. She was completely in task-master mode right now.
"C-can I go now?" Weiss asked meekly. She was kind of scared of Ruby right now, if only what she reminded Weiss of.
"Why? We've got work to do," Ruby coolly replied, unaware of how Weiss was taking her actions.
"Yes, father," Weiss automatically replied. Ruby and Weiss immediately recognized that Freudian slip. Weiss calmly stood up from her chair.
"I'm going now," she flatly said, before walking out of the kitchen.
"Wait, Weiss!" Ruby called after Weiss. Seeing that she wasn't coming back, Ruby got up and followed after Weiss. Now it all made sense. Something triggered one of Weiss' hidden fears. It was Ruby's job to fix that mistake now. As if she wasn't causing enough worries because of her attitude.
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Meanwhile, at the same time Ruby pursued Weiss in order to confront her demons, Mr. Brass and Ms. Han were ready to encounter what might as well have been actual ones. The secretary had notified them that a conference room on the tenth floor was ready for them, and motioned for them to enter the far elevator.
As the elevator climbed up the building, that damn annoying elevator music was playing softly in the background. Mr. Brass liked taking the stairs for that exact reason. However, Ms. Han seemed to like it, as she was tapping her foot along to the tune.
"Are you ready to talk to your boss?" Mr. Brass asked, partially to make small talk, and partially to block out that music.
"Oh, mostly. I'm fine talking to him, but I can't say the same for the other way," she offhandedly mentioned.
"Why is that?" Mr. Brass asked.
"Well, around the last time I got assigned to a different department, he threatened to fire me," Ms. Han said, as if it was old news.
"Re-assigned? Why didn't you mention that earlier?" Mr. Brass asked in shock.
"You didn't ask," Ms. Han simply replied.
"Of course…" Mr. Brass muttered under his breath. Then, he asked, "Where did you work before?".
"Oh, I made the mission statement pamphlets we usually hand out. Or, I made the first version of them," Ms. Han explained.
Just as Mr. Brass was about to ask what she meant by 'first version' the elevator speaker dinged and the doors slid open. The duo walked out onto the tenth floor. This floor hosted a large amount of conference rooms, many of which were still being used. But, the secretary told them theirs was the furthest one down the right hallway. So, the corporate team headed in that direction.
They reached the designated room, which was partially made of frosted glass. Opening the door, a long conference table was waiting for them, with a projector on the far wall casting two images.
One of them was a man in a dark blue suit with a bushy moustache, and the other was the Schnee Dust Company logo with the words 'SOUND ONLY' spelled underneath it.
"Nice of you to arrive, Mr. Brass," boomed a voice as soon as the conference room door closed.
"My pleasure, Mr. Schnee," Mr. Brass calmly replied.
They were in the lion's den now.
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Man, developments are happening left and right here! Corporate meetings, training montages, Weiss' internal struggles, this story has it all! I hope you like all of it so far! Whether you do or don't leave me a review below regardless! Remember, your opinion is ALWAYS valued to me. Oh, and for legal reasons, I should tell you that the song is 'Mighty Wings' by Cheap Trick. Because, what's a montage without part of the Top Gun soundtrack? So, with that said, this is The Draigg, signing off to listen to more 80's music.