Chapter 24: PSA Take Number Two
Hey, loyal readers! The Draigg is here with a much better PSA for you all! Now, I think it's safe to say that it won't be offensive or filled with horrible slang. Anyway, before we get to reading this chapter or whatever, I need to give my regular legal spiel. Monty Oum owns RWBY, and I don't own a damn thing I write about. Chapter reading all set? Ready, go!
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A few minutes after the combined might of Blake and Ruby managed to restrain Weiss from beating up Yang any more, Team RWBY was sitting in the nurses' office, waiting for the nurse to come back with Mr. Brass. Yang had to limp all the way over there, since she was too heavy to carry.
Even though Yang flared her semblance to accelerate her healing, she still had some heat wraps applied to her stomach. Team RWBY hoped that they would ease the pain of her massive bruises a little. Otherwise, Yang would be hunched over in agony during the entire PSA.
Currently, Ruby was trying to put on her team leader pants and lecture Weiss.
"Look, I'm not mad at you… okay, maybe I am a little, but I'm mostly disappointed," Ruby said, trying to make her face look serious. It worked a little, as Weiss was having a hard time looking Ruby in the eye. Weiss was feeling rather ashamed that she beat up her girlfriend's sister.
But, that wasn't the only reason Weiss felt bad right now. If anything, Ruby using that often used 'I'm disappointed' phrase reminded Weiss what it was like being lectured by her father. It was embarrassing to think of the last time she had been talked to like that. She had thrown a tantrum at a big company mixer. In hindsight, Weiss realized it was a massive cry for attention. Well, she might as well say what she said then.
"I won't do it again," Weiss muttered. Ruby's gaze softened, even though Weiss didn't notice.
She placed a reassuring hand on Weiss' shoulder and tried to improve her mood. "I won't hold it against you, but I can't same the same for Yang. Why don't you try apologizing to her?" Ruby suggested.
Weiss raised her head, and moved her gaze over to Yang, who was gritting her teeth in pain. "I'm not sure she would listen to me now," she whispered to Ruby.
"Hey, if I know one thing about my sis, is that she's got a huge heart. Go on, talk to her," replied Ruby.
Sighing, Weiss pulled herself out of her chair and walked over to Blake and Yang. The two were huddled together, whispering things to one another. Blake looked slightly disappointed at whatever she was hearing. But, when Weiss stopped in front of them, the pair fell quiet and looked at the heiress.
"What do you want?" Yang asked through gritted teeth. That was less due to anger and more to the aching pain left over from that swift kick to the crotch from earlier. That had left a harsh, throbbing ache down there, and not in the way Yang usually liked.
"I just wanted to say I'm… I'm sor… I'm sorrrr…." Weiss tried to say. She was having a hard time apologizing, probably due to the fact that she was saying sorry for Ruby's sake, rather than actual guilt.
"Well?" Yang asked.
"I'msorry," Weiss managed to blurt out quickly. When those words reached Yang's ears, she knew that she could milk this for all it's worth.
"Excuse me, I didn't catch that. Can you repeat yourself?" Yang asked, a smug grin stretching across her lips. Just because she had gotten the crap beaten out of her, that didn't mean that she would give up trolling so easily.
Weiss glared daggers at the injured girl, but then relented. "I'm ssssooooorrrrryyyy," she said again, dragging it out so that Yang wouldn't ask again. This was too degrading. She was a Schnee, damn it! She shouldn't be in this position to begin with! That thought just made her blush in anger and embarrassment towards herself.
"Aww, thanks, Weissy! If I wasn't in pain right now, I would give you a hug!" Yang beamed. She didn't care that her body was battered, seeing Weiss' difficulty and embarrassment was SO worth it.
"A-are we good now?" Weiss asked, the flush on her nose growing brighter.
"Yeah, we're cool," clarified Yang as she held out her fist for a fist-bump. Weiss awkwardly bumped her limp fist against Yang's and scurried back to Ruby's side. Behind her, Weiss could have sworn that she heard Yang try to laugh before groaning in pain.
Just as Weiss sat back down, Mr. Brass walked into the nurse's office with the nurse in tow. "Okay, what happened, and who do I have to talk to?" Mr. Brass breezily asked as he stopped in the middle of the room. Blake immediately pointed at Weiss, and Weiss pointed at Yang in turn.
Mr. Brass sighed and asked again, "What happened?".
Weiss immediately spilled out everything. "I was changing into my costume, when Yang decided to send some… less than flattering messages to me. I admit, I lost my temper, and reduced Yang to the state she's currently in," she explained.
Nodding his head as the words sank in, Mr. Brass held out his hand to Yang. "The messages. Let me see," he ordered. Yang reluctantly handed her scroll over to Mr. Brass.
As he read through the messages, Yang couldn't help but sweat a little. It kind of felt like some kind of interrogation, with Mr. Brass putting on a poker face as he read through the messages that were sent to Weiss. To her surprise, Mr. Brass handed back the scroll without a word.
Mr. Brass stared over Yang for a moment, and then said, "We'll deal with this later. Right now, we need you ready for the stage. You still feel up for changing into your costume?". Yang gave a small nod in response.
"Good, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the auditorium. I'll see you in twenty minutes," he said, before walking back out of the nurse's office. The nurse in turn walked over to Yang and began to replace some of the heat pads, as they had cooled off a little.
Weiss and Ruby looked at each other awkwardly, before Ruby turned to Blake. Ruby announced, "Uh, Blake? Let's get changed while Yang gets patched up,". Blake sighed as she stood up and walked out of the room.
This was going to be a long performance. She could tell.
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Fast forwarding a bit, Team RWBY was now behind the curtain in their costumes, waiting for their cue to begin their PSA. Yang had managed to heal up enough that she just wouldn't collapse from pain. That was good enough to work for now.
Ruby kept on taking deep breaths to calm herself down. This was so exciting, playing out something that her team had made! She was feeling a high similar to the one when she and her friends put on that concert months ago.
"Are you guys ready?" Ruby breathily asked her teammates.
"Uh-huh," Blake stoically replied.
"Yeah!—Ow!" Yang cried as she tried to pump a fist in the air, but accidentally irritated a bruise instead.
"I was BORN ready, Ruby," Weiss firmly said, her voice filled with self-assured confidence.
Ruby opened her mouth to say something inspirational, but she was interrupted by hearing Mr. Brass on the other side of the curtain say their cue.
"So, here you are, the amazing Team RWBY!" announced Mr. Brass. The team stepped out from behind the curtain, and waved to the assembled audience.
At least this crowd was a bit more receptive, as there was more people clapping compared to the last time. That, and at least the students were at least trying not to look completely bored and uninterested.
As Mr. Brass slipped away behind the curtain, Ruby spoke into the microphone clipped onto her shirt. "Hello there, guys! I'm Ruby Rose, and I'm here to tell you all something important!".
"And I'm Weiss! I'm here to help!" the girl in question added.
"Now, hold up a second there!" Yang said, holding out her hand for Team White Rose to stop.
"I'm Officer Yang, and this is Officer Blake," Yang announced as she jammed a thumb in Blake's direction. "We're not sure if just the two of you can explain dust safety by yourselves. That's where we're here to help,".
"That's right. After all, proper dust handling is a very sensitive topic," Blake said, wagging a finger at the two other girls.
"Well, where should we start? I mean, I bet you guys have a LOT of experience dealing with this type of thing," Ruby acted, reciting her lines from memory.
"Now that you mention it, we certainly have a lot of cases involving poorly used dust. Maybe we should start there," Blake fake suggested.
"It's a sad thing to think, but even if someone thinks they're safe, or if they feel they're old enough to handle dust, that doesn't stop accidents from happening," Yang added.
"That's right, I'm afraid," Blake responded, "Although safety is a good idea, it should be more than an idea. It should be common practice. Even the tiniest lapse of judgment can lead to something bad. Like, this unfortunate pair,".
Weiss and Ruby walked over to the chairs and props that were already set for them earlier. Now was the reckoning of their acting ability. They would need to sell this bit to get the audience to pay attention.
"Wow, it's sweltering!" Weiss loudly and hammily complained, wiping some fake sweat from her brow. Then, she looked dejectedly at the cup in her hand.
"Well, why don't you cool down your drink?" suggested Ruby.
Weiss arched a confused eyebrow and asked, "Do you have any ice?". Just like she practiced.
"… No," Ruby mumbled as she dipped her gaze. But then her head perked up at an idea. "But… I do have some freeze dust.," she thought aloud.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea…" nervously said Weiss.
Ruby acted like she searched around for a dust crystal as she recited, "Oh, come on. I handle dust crystals all the time! Let me just get you one,".
"It's fine, I can deal with it," Weiss said, trying to deflect Ruby's offer as Ruby pulled out a dust crystal and offering it to her.
"Trust me, this'll work," reassured Ruby as she looked as she was about to drop the crystal in the cup Weiss was holding. At that moment, Ruby and Weiss froze in place as Yang and Blake began their summary.
"One small crystal has enough power to destroy a room. Unfortunately, if you did what these two were doing, you would only succeed in freezing yourself and the entire kitchen in a block of ice," Yang preached to the school children.
"That's right," Blake chimed in, "Can you imagine if this was a bigger crystal? Or, if you chipped the crystal then and there to fit it in the cup easier?". As the audience paid attention to the fake officers, Ruby and Weiss put away the props on the chairs.
"It seems like such a small thing to overlook, but everyday use of dust always carries a threat," Yang concluded.
"No kidding!" Ruby chirped as she walked up to Yang.
"It's astounding to think that some people would be so dense to think about doing that!" repeated Weiss from her memory. Ruby inwardly blanched at that line. She didn't like being called dense, even if it was all an act. But, at least she didn't expose her real thoughts on her face.
"Well, that isn't even the worst of it," Blake informed them.
"What do you mean by that?" Weiss over-acted, making a large shrugging gesture.
"Well, think about it! Every day, we're surrounded by dust products. If one small dust eruption goes out of control, it can cause a chain reaction for a several mile radius," Yang droned out.
"Wow. I guess we ought to be careful in our homes with dust," Ruby said in realization.
"Not just there. There is some knowledge to carry over if you get a job involving dust, you know," Blake said in addition.
"Like what?" Ruby asked Blake.
"Let's say for example, you're working in a dust quarry. You'll be mining for uncut crystals, and one missed blow with a pick-axe can set off a large explosion," Blake explained.
Just as Weiss was about to say something to keep the show going in its expected route, Blake kept on talking.
"You would be in small, cramped tunnels, toiling for a small paycheck while you risk your life for some dust. And, that risk just doesn't just extend to the mine interior," Blake said a bit more passionately. Weiss and Ruby gave each other a quick nervous look. Blake was going off script to push her personal agenda.
"Outside, the large machines that cut the dust can spark, and given how volatile dust can be, a large explosion can happen in the process of making dust safer. The workers behind those machines wouldn't have time to escape, as they would be immediately incinerated by the blast. And they would leave behind an impoverished family, as their main breadwinner would be dead. So, they would live hungry and in the cold, all because of the safety issues that could happen at a dust quarry. The greatest irony is to be killed by the very machines trying to keep others safe. Unfortunately, this is a common life for the poor and the Faunus who toil in dust mines across Remnant," Blake exposited. That was simply a massive, anti-dust company filibuster.
The audience, who up to that point had been reacting somewhat normally, fell silent as Blake ranted on the harsh life of working in a dust quarry. Ruby nervously sweated, as she had no clue what to do now. Should they go back on script? That would be a bit tricky to do now.
Luckily, Yang stepped in with a quick ad-lib. "Of course, there is always risk involved with dust. If anything, we should thank those men and women who stand out from the rest to provide us with the dust we need to live," she thought up on the spot. Weiss and Ruby both were impressed at how quickly Yang had turned around the message.
Catching onto Yang's drift, Weiss added, "That's right! I'm sure anybody would appreciate the people who go into the dust processing field!".
"Really," piped up Ruby, "they should serve as a reminded how dangerous dust can be, and how much work goes into making it safe for the rest of us,". She nodded vigorously to drive her point home, and to work off the nervous energy she was feeling.
All of this ad-libbing seemed to work, as the audience went back to normal, meaning that they were paying various amounts of attention. Some were nodding in agreement and others were off in their own little world.
Ruby had to suppress a smile. She felt proud that they managed to play off the fact that Blake tossed a curve-ball in her own script. But now, it was time to take the show back on track.
"Well, what about us? What can we do ourselves to stay safe at home?" Ruby asked to Yang.
"There are a few simple steps to using dust correctly. First of all, never, ever, use dust for purposes not listed in the official Schnee Dust Company pamphlet. Like the ice example from earlier," Yang replied.
"As for number two," continued Blake, "Keep dust locked away in a safe storage area, away from small children and animals. They might accidentally set the dust off,".
Yang nodded at Blake and said, "And for number three, just keep in mind that dust isn't some toy. It is a tool to be used. If you remember all those reminders, you ought to be safe around dust,".
"Wow, you cops are sure are smart!" falsely gushed Ruby.
"Heh heh," Yang chuckled, "Well, we've been in the business long enough to know our way around dust. Isn't that right, partner?". She flashed a toothy grin at Blake.
"You're right there. Even though there is a lot to be learned about dust, just know that you can still know enough to be safe," Blake said, directing that last statement at the audience.
"It's all up to you!" Team RWBY tried to say at the same time. Their timing was a little off, but it still sounded serviceable enough.
The team stepped forward to wave at the crowd one last time, and the audience applauded for them politely. Overall, this performance went pretty well. Almost great, even. Sure, Blake almost screwed over the others, but that might have worked out for the better. After all, the part that they were supposed to talk about was why you shouldn't eat dust. A five year old could have figured that one out.
Team RWBY made their way behind the curtain. Their show was now over. It most certainly was an improvement over the horrible slang and inappropriate remarks that marred their last PSA performance.
Not bad, not bad at all.
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Whew! That was much better than the last time, right? Everyone got what they wanted out of the PSA, and no sharp objects were hurled at our heroines. So, tell me what you think about this significantly improved performance in the review area below this chapter! This is The Draigg, signing off on this better PSA!