Chapter 17: Cupid's Arrow
Vale...
"Okay, so next up on the list is some Dust," Ruby noted as she looked at the shopping list her team made for the Vytal Festival.
Currently, she and the rest of her team were out shopping for these materials in preparation for the tournament that was right around the corner. The four huntresses in training were all very excited for the event.
"With the Vytal Festival being less than a week away, we should focus on some more training. So I say once the shopping is done, we go right back to training!" Ruby exclaimed.
"As fun as that sounds, we should take some breaks here and there, Ruby. Otherwise, we might overwork ourselves." Weiss pointed out.
"She's right. We don't want to be exhausted before the tournament even starts." Blake agreed.
"I guess if Blake agrees, it must be a good point," Ruby murmured as Weiss looked annoyed.
"Wait, how does her agreeing make it right does that mean I would be wrong?!" Weiss questioned.
"No, but Blake overworked herself on finding the White Fang, so for her to support taking a break is a good thing." Ruby reminded.
"Fair point," Weiss replied as Blake sighed.
"How about we get something to eat once we're done," Yang suggested.
"Now that sounds pretty good." Blake agreed as the rest of the team responded in suit.
"Alright then, we'll get food once we're done shopping." Ruby smiled before she felt nature call.
"I'll catch up with you guys. I have to use the bathroom," Ruby informed as she broke off from her team.
"Okay, but don't take too long!" Yang waved as she and the other members of Team RWBY departed.
Ruby looked for any nearby store or restaurant that she could quickly head into and use the bathroom. Unfortunately, most places around her wouldn't allow her to use their restroom as she moved, looking for a restroom. That is when her eyes set on a lone building with Love Advice displayed on it.
The raven-haired girl was confused as she had never seen the building there before, and she wondered if it was new. She then questioned who would pay for advice on love before her thoughts came on Weiss, and she shook her head. Seeing no other options, she entered the building.
"Hello, is anyone there?" Ruby inquired as she entered the building.
The second she entered, she smelled a sweet aroma that made her feel a little light-headed before she headed towards the counter and rang the bell. At first, no one came, so Ruby rang the bell again, only for a voice to beckon to her.
"Over here, child." A Soft Feminine Voice called as Ruby turned her attention to another dimly lit room.
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Ruby hesitated but knew she had to go in to talk to whoever was there as they had to be the owner or at least an employee who could let her use the restroom. When she entered the room, she was met with the sight of a woman dressed in an elegant dress with their face covered by a veil.
"Please take a seat." The Woman insisted as she gestured to the seat across from her.
"Actually, I just wanted to ask about using your restroom," Ruby informed.
"I don't really need love advice," Ruby added.
"Oh, but I think you do. After all, there is such love in your heart. You're just not ready to accept it yet." The Woman replied.
"Does that mean no?" Ruby asked, getting a little impatient as she wanted to leave and find an actual bathroom.
"No, you may use the restroom. But don't you want to see your love?" The Woman inquired, confusing Ruby. Before the girl could even ask what she meant, another voice stopped her.
"Are you going to be long, Ruby?" Weiss asked as she stepped into the entrance to the room.
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"W-Weiss?! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the others?" Ruby questioned, surprised and embarrassed that her friend was there.
"I had a feeling you'd get lost, so I went to find you," Weiss explained as she approached Ruby.
But something was off as Ruby began to blush red. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about Weiss was different, which made her heart flutter. Ruby couldn't even meet her partner's eyes as Weiss got closer, and she didn't know why.
"What's happening to me? I've never had a problem looking at Weiss." Ruby wondered as the woman spoke up.
"There's nothing to be nervous about, dear child. If you just allow yourself to be your truest self, then you can be with the one you love forever." The Woman stated.
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"What are you talking about?" Ruby questioned as she stared at the woman, confused, before shaking her head.
"You know what? I think I'm going to go somewhere else. Come on, Weiss, let's go." Ruby insisted as she grabbed onto Weiss's hand, only for her partner to grab her and stop her.
"Ruby…I uh…maybe we could hear her out." Weiss murmured.
"W-W-Weiss?! What are you talking about?" Ruby questioned.
"Don't you want to be with…the one you love?" Weiss asked as she got closer to Ruby, who blushed furiously.
She didn't understand what was happening, but her heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to give out. Ruby had only felt like this once before during the dance when she and Weiss danced together and almost…NOTHING, THEY ALMOST NOTHING!
"Ruby. The truth is I…." Weiss whispered as her face inched towards Ruby's as the raven-haired girl slowly closed her eyes, deciding to not fight it anymore.
But just then, a large flash of light eclipsed the room as the woman broke out in a large smile. When the light died down, Weiss was gone, and the woman got out of her chair and approached Ruby before kneeling down and picking up one half of a heart pendant on the ground.
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"Good, I knew you'd see it my way." The Woman smiled as she looked at Ruby.
"Now, how about we complete the set?" The Woman asked as Ruby gave a large smile.
"That would be great!" Ruby exclaimed.
Vale Discount Clothing…
"So why are we here?" Joshua inquired as he and the rest of the Stars stood in a small clothing store.
"Because I've noticed you three don't have much of a wardrobe," Elton answered as he stood in front of the other four.
"I can't say it's healthy to wear the same clothes every day," Elton added as he turned to look at Joshua, Max, and Richard.
"Especially not in that condition." Elton sighed as the three Stand Users took note of their battle-damaged clothes.
Joshua's shirt had many small holes in it, and his left pants leg was gone. Max's checkered jacket had long been destroyed, and the rest of his clothes were dirty. Richard was in the same boat as his coat was long gone.
If they were anyone else, they would have been ashamed of being seen out in public in such a manner, but Richard was used to wearing dirty, worn clothes back in Mistral, while Joshua and Max had stopped caring much for appearances a long time ago.
If it covered up their privates, it was good enough for them. But it wasn't good enough for the public or the people around them. Even now, several people stared at the group in awe at their clothing. Which is why Elton had brought them to a nearby clothing store to get new clothes.
"I suppose he makes a good point," Richard noted as he noticed the stares from the other customers.
"Fine, but let's not go overboard. If I pay too much, my father might notice the charges in my old account." Joshua requested, knowing his father had to keep tabs on the money he saved.
"Of course. I love the challenge of getting appealing clothing on a budget." Elton smirked as he moved to grab a jacket off the rack.
But just as he grabbed onto the jacket, another hand took hold of it, stopping Elton from taking it and, in turn, the same for the other person. Confused, Elton turned and saw the other person holding the jacket was a brown-haired girl wearing a black beret and matching sunglasses.
"Oh, I didn't see you there." The girl laughed as she tugged harder.
"But I do believe I grabbed this first." She stated as Elton tightened his grip.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm fairly certain I had this first." Elton laughed as he pulled back.
"This doesn't look like it's going to end well," Max commented.
"Should we just leave these two to it?" Max inquired.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Richard pointed out as it seemed Elton and the girl were getting increasingly agitated at one another.
"Coco, please don't make a scene." A rabbit faunus requested as she placed a hand on the now named Coco.
"I'm not doing anything, Velvet. I just want to look at this jacket, but it seems this man thought he grabbed it first." Coco replied as she kept her gaze on Elton.
"It seems you were never taught to respect your elder's little miss…." Elton began, but before he could continue, Joshua gripped his shoulder with the assistance of Crimson Destiny.
"How about you just let her have it before this escalates." Joshua requested as he glared at Elton, who reluctantly let go of the jacket.
"Glad we could see eye to…OW!" Coco cried as the now named Velvet pinched her neck.
"Please stop fighting over clothes. This isn't your favorite store that'll let you stay after another fight." Velvet reminded.
"Right, right. Sorry. I'm still a little irritated that my favorite store was destroyed during the attack." Coco apologized.
"Y-Yep…that's fine….I'm also sorry." Elton replied as he fell to his knees in Joshua's grip.
"Sorry about my friend. She can get a little crazy when it comes to clothing or fashion in general." Velvet apologized.
"Come on, I already apologized!" Coco complained.
"It's no problem at all." Joshua smiled as he released Elton, who stood back up.
"Now, Elton, let's get back to the task at hand before we draw more attention to ourselves." Joshua requested.
"Yes, let's get you some new clothes," Elton smirked as Coco and Velvet noticed the state of Joshua's and the other Stars clothing.
"Looks like you could definitely use this jacket more than I could." Coco chuckled as she tossed Elton the jacket.
"Thank you, but now that I get a good look at it, I think it doesn't work for them." Elton sighed as he held up the jacket in front of Joshua.
"Perhaps this would be better," Coco suggested as she handed Elton another jacket.
"Oh, now that's a much better choice," Elton smirked as he took the jacket and held it up to Joshua.
"Good eye." Elton complimented.
"Thank you! I like to think I have a talent for this." Coco smiled.
"Weren't they just about to fight a second ago?" Richard questioned.
"I've learned not to question how this world works." Max sighed.
"Seems like you have your work cut out for you here," Coco commented.
"Yes, you should have seen how their clothes looked new," Elton replied as the two began chatting up.
"They might be a while." Velvet chuckled as she approached the rest of the Stars.
"We might as well get our own clothes," Joshua murmured.
"No, no, allow me, my friend." Elton insisted.
"After all, if we're going to make waves, we need to look good doing it," Elton smirked.
"Don't say it like that. It sounds like your talking about something else." Joshua requested.
"My apologies, but let us get back to business," Elton replied.
"We should get going too, Velvet. We don't want to keep them here." Coco laughed as Velvet nodded, and the two left.
"Now that the show is over, can we get this started?" Max asked.
"Of course! Let's get you three looking good. Scotty, you can get whatever you want." Elton insisted, not wanting to force the boy to wear anything he didn't want to.
But he was going to experiment with the other three's looks plenty no matter how much they complained. They ended up being in the store for two hours before finally getting clothes everyone liked.
Richard ended up going with a black coat and white shirt beneath, making him look akin to a high-end card dealer. Max ditched his coat for a white vest and black shirt while also getting a checkered scarf around his neck.
As for Joshua, he took a black hooded jacket with a large red star on the back and a red shirt on underneath. Scotty didn't change much, but he did get a blue jersey with red highlights. Beyond that, the Stars got basic clothes to go with them.
"You know, I have to admit it is nice to have clean clothes on," Max commented.
"And these aren't have bad to look at," Max noted.
"Thank you. I did always think of myself as an expert in fashion." Elton smirked as his ego grew.
Though it had to be said, he was pretty good at it, especially for himself, as he wore a hot purple coat with a pink shirt underneath. Combined with black pants and white shoes, Elton put together an amalgam of clothing items that still seemed to fit together.
"Thinking about it, though, it's been a while since I got new clothes," Joshua noted.
"When was the last time you even got new clothes, JoJo?" Elton inquired.
"Around when I got out of the institution," Joshua answered.
"Wait, what did you wear in the institution?" Richard questioned.
"Plain white clothes. You know the kind of clothing given to mental patients." Joshua responded.
"It is like peeling an onion with you sometimes…no offense," Richard commented.
"It's fine. I don't really care. My past isn't necessarily pleasant." Joshua sighed as the five exited the store.
"Is any of ours pleasant?" Max wondered.
"Good point." Joshua agreed.
"I didn't think you guys were ones to go clothes shopping!" Yang laughed as Team RWBY, minus the goofy leader approached them from behind.
"Oh, it's you guys. What brings you guys out here?" Max inquired as the Stars looked at Team RWBY.
"We're getting supplies for the Vytal Festival. The tournament starts soon, so we decided to get extra supplies." Weiss explained.
"Is the tournament all that important?" Joshua asked.
"Oh yeah, it'll prove our strength to the world, and when we graduate, it'll make people consider hiring us more," Yang smirked.
"Plus, it helps us gain experience fighting," Blake added.
"That's pretty common knowledge," Weiss noted.
"Don't tell me you guys didn't actually know any of that?" Weiss asked as all the Stars saved Scotty avoided eye contact with the Schnee.
"Are you sure you're older than us?" Weiss questioned as the Stars avoided eye contact even harder than before.
"Whatever. So are you guys just out here buying clothes?" Weiss inquired.
"Just buying clothes. We decided not to stay out in public for too long after…let's just say an incident." Richard answered as the Stars remembered the events of a few days prior.
"How often do you guys get attacked?" Blake asked.
"A lot," Joshua responded.
"You guys should unwind! We're about to grab something to eat if you want to join!" Yang offered.
"They just said they couldn't stay out for long, Yang." Weiss sighed.
"Oh right, my bad." Yang laughed as Richard looked around.
"Where's Ruby?" Richard inquired.
"She had to use the restroom, so she left," Blake answered.
"That being said, she's been a while. Maybe we should go look for her." Yang murmured.
"I'll go. You two can go on while I look." Weiss insisted but just as she said that, Ruby came running down the street.
"Sorry I took so long!" Ruby waved as she crashed into Weiss, causing the two to fall to the ground.
"Ruby, look where you're going!" Weiss yelled as the two got up.
"My bad, sorry, Weiss." Ruby apologized as she scratched the back of her head.
When Weiss went to give Ruby her signature Ice Queen glare, she paused and stared at Ruby. She didn't know why but there was something different about Ruby. Whatever it was, it made her heart beat faster.
Joshua seemed to notice Weiss's reaction as he looked at her and Ruby and seemed to piece together what must be happening. It reminded him of how he and Lailah used to interact with one another at the start of their confinement.
"If only things ended differently." Joshua thought as he looked at the purple bracelet on his arm. But something seemed off about the girl, and he couldn't think of what it was.
"Let's go. We should get back to the warehouse anyway." Joshua insisted as the Stars began to leave.
"Well, now that you're here, we can finish up this list and get some food." Yang smiled.
"Sure thing!" Ruby exclaimed as Team RWBY began to leave, but Ruby grabbed onto Weiss's hand, stopping her.
"Hey, Weiss, there's something I want to tell you," Ruby whispered as she began to blush.
Weiss, in turn, also blushed as her heart began to beat faster. For some reason, Ruby looked a lot nicer than she was an hour ago. Something made Ruby seem more attractive. When she talked, her heart felt like it was going to give out.
It seemed time was slowing down as no one seemed to notice that they had stopped as Ruby got closer to Weiss. As the Stars and the other members of Team RWBY continued to walk away from Ruby and Weiss, Joshua came to a stop.
"What the hell?" Joshua thought as his eyes went wide in shock.
Turning around, he looked at Ruby and Weiss, who seemed to be getting closer together. For the first time since he gained his power, he questioned the premonition's legitimacy. But even if he questioned what he saw, Joshua still lept into action.
Using Crimson Destiny, he sprang forward at a high speed just as Ruby and Weiss were inches from one another. Joshua grabbed onto Weiss's shoulder and pulled her back before summoning Crimson Destiny and cracking its fist across Ruby's face knocking her back into a nearby building, causing everyone to turn around in shock.
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"What the hell are you doing?!" Yang questioned as she broke out of her state of shock at seeing what Joshua had done.
"Stopping whatever was about to happen," Joshua stated as he pushed Weiss behind him as used Crimson Destiny to hold back Yang.
"Stop what was happening! You just attacked my little sister for no reason!" Yang argued as she pushed against the invisible Stand.
"She's right. What reason did you have to attack Ruby?" Blake questioned as the Stars ran up to Joshua.
"JoJo, what's going on?" Max inquired as he grabbed onto Joshua's shoulder.
"Ow!" Ruby cried as tears ran down her face.
"Why did you do that? I thought we were friends?" Ruby questioned as she held onto her bruised cheek.
"Ruby, are you okay?" Yang asked as she ran towards her sister, only for Joshua to stop her with his Stand.
"Don't be so fast, Yang." Joshua insisted as he glared at Ruby.
"You there. What did you do to the real Ruby Rose?" Joshua questioned, confusing everyone.
"What are you talking about? That is my sister, and she's crying because of you!" Yang shouted. She never liked seeing her sister in any kind of pain, so right now, she was furious.
"Calm down and take a closer look at her. You'll notice that she's a fake." Joshua stated.
"What do you mean a fake? I am Ruby Rose!?" Ruby countered.
"No, you're not. In fact, you're not even human, are you? You're a Stand!" Joshua declared.
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"A Stand?" Yang muttered as she looked at Joshua, confused.
"A Stand? Me, don't be ridiculous." Ruby laughed as Joshua's glare grew harder.
"Don't lie. If you were the real Ruby, hell if you were really a human..." Joshua began.
"Your aura would've triggered to defend you against my attack and would be working to heal you even now. But neither happened." Joshua finished.
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Everyone turned and stared at Ruby before noticing Joshua was right. Her aura hadn't activated to cushion the blow of Joshua's attack, nor was it working on healing Ruby. The girl in question looked at herself before looking back at Joshua and broke into an evil smile.
"Oopsie, my bad." Ruby laughed as her crocodile tears stopped.
"This is the first time anyone has ever attacked me, especially another Stand, so not even I knew of that flaw," Ruby stated as Yang stared at her.
"Wait a minute. Are you saying he's right? You're not Ruby?" Yang questioned as the fake Ruby turned to Yang.
"Nope. I'm not Ruby Rose. Sorry to burst your bubble." The Fake Ruby responded.
"Then where is she?! Where's Ruby?!" Yang shouted as she attempted to rush at the fake, only for Blake and Joshua to stop her.
"Don't worry, she's safe. But now that the cat's out of the bag." The Fake Ruby answered before her body was covered in light. When the light faded, what replaced her was a floating baby doll with wings.
"I'm the Stand known as Cupid's Arrow. Nice to meet you!" Cupid's Arrow announced.
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"I see that explains why you attacked. You had a premonition, didn't you?" Max asked as Joshua nodded in confirmation.
"The future I saw was that Stand kissing Weiss and turning her into a heart pendant," Joshua explained, shocking everyone present.
"Kissing?!" Weiss gasped, having finally come out of her daze.
"Why would it kiss me?! Wait, why did it want to do it as Ruby?!" Weiss questioned as Cupid's Arrow tilted its head.
"Well, because you love her, obviously." Cupid's Arrow answered bluntly.
"Weiss, you have feelings for Ruby?" Blake inquired.
"What..! No…maybe…I DON'T KNOW!" Weiss cried before turning to the Stand.
"Why are you even doing this? What's your goal?!" Weiss asked.
"To complete the set, of course." Cupid's Arrow responded, confusing the group.
"What set?" Joshua questioned.
"Between Ruby and Weiss over there. I already have Ruby, but to complete the set, I must collect Weiss." Cupid's Arrow explained.
"Excuse me, I am not something to collect!" Weiss shouted as she pulled out her scroll and called in her locker while the rest of Team RWBY followed suit.
"Now return Ruby to us!" Weiss demanded as she and the rest of Team RWBY pointed their weapons at the Stand.
"No, thank you. I'd much rather take you and complete the set." Cupid's Arrow replied.
"Why do you want to complete this set so much?" Max asked.
"Because it's my purpose. When I meet a person who has a mutual attraction to another, I transform into their partner and transform them into pendents to collect." Cupid's Arrow explained.
"So you're saying my little sister is an inanimate object?" Yang questioned.
"Yep, that's right!" Cupid's Arrow exclaimed, seeing no problem with it.
"You turn her back right now!" Yang demanded as she charged in and attacked Cupid's Arrow.
The Stand easily dodged Yang's attack as her fist shattered the building's wall behind it before flying over the girl into the air. It proceeded to transform back into Ruby and drop-down, landing behind Weiss.
Weiss spun around and sliced at the fake Ruby, only for the Stand to duck down and avoid Weiss's attack. Cupid's Arrow then got up close to Weiss, pressing its nose against Weiss's, only for Joshua to knock it back away.
"Quit getting in the way!" Cupid's Arrow complained.
"Richard, we need a wall!" Joshua informed.
"On it!" Richard replied as he created a dome of cards around Cupid's Arrow.
"How long can you hold it?" Elton asked.
"No idea. I want to say forever, but this Stand might surprise us." Richard responded as Max summoned his Stand.
"I've never seen a Stand with such intelligence and sentience before. It's going to be tricky to find the User." Max commented.
"We'll have to do our best," Joshua murmured as he turned to Team RWBY.
"You three get out of here while we hold off the Stand." Joshua insisted.
"What…no way! That thing took my sister. I'm not going until I get her back!" Yang argued.
"The Stand is targeting Weiss, and we can't fight and protect her at the same time. So you need to get her out of here as far as you can." Joshua replied.
"I can't just leave…it'll be like abandoning my sister," Yang murmured as Joshua looked at her.
"I get it, but you have to go. Get Weiss out of here and find the Stand User." Joshua stated as Team RWBY and Max looked at him, confused.
"JoJo, what are you talking about?" Max inquired.
"They were still with the real Ruby for a while, meaning that when she went to use the restroom, she encountered the Stand User. So they have to be around where they split up." Joshua explained.
"That's right, it had to be then that the switch happened. If we hurry back, we might find them." Weiss noted.
"But how will we know who the Stand User is?" Blake inquired.
"That'll be difficult, but we do have a hint that this person must be infatuated with love, and they may be carrying Ruby's pendant," Joshua answered.
"Look for that, but if you can't, then just get as far from here are you can." Joshua insisted.
"Let's go," Yang stated as her expression hardened, and the three ran off.
"Do you think that was a good idea?" Max asked.
"I don't know, but it gets Weiss far from here, making it harder for the Stand to get its objective." Joshua sighed.
"Fair enough," Max replied as the Stars surrounded the dome of cards while Scotty kept floating balls of Ice Dust around them.
"On three, open the dome," Joshua ordered as Richard nodded.
"One." Joshua began, and everyone readied their Stands.
"Two." Joshua continued as he took out some Dust crystals.
"THREE!" Joshua shouted as Richard recalled his Stand.
Cupid's Arrow reacted quickly once it noticed that Weiss was gone. It transformed back into its true form before shooting off to find Weiss. However, Richard used House of Cards to block its path. Max then took it out of the sky with his knives by hitting its wings.
Normally he'd aim for the pressure points, but he didn't know if it would work with such a sentient independent Stand. Thankfully Cupid's Arrow fell as its damaged wings prevented it from flying.
Joshua and Elton waited for it below, ready to attack the Stand. Cupid's Arrow used its small form to avoid their Stands before transforming back into Ruby and running off. However, it couldn't get far as Elton propelled himself with his Stand to get in front of Cupid's Arrow.
He attached a thruster onto the Stand's chest, sending it backward, causing it to hit some of Scotty's ice balls. When it hit the balls, it burst them, causing the Stand to be encased in ice, unable to free itself.
"You're not getting to Weiss, so if you want to get out at all. Then you're going to tell us who your User is," Joshua stated as he stood in front of Cupid's Arrow.
"Why would I do that?" Cupid's Arrow questioned as Joshua answered with a swift yet strong slap with Crimson Destiny.
"Because I'm going to make it hurt the longer you don't talk," Joshua muttered.
"Are you sure you want to do that? Right now, I'm still in the innocent form of Ruby Rose. If you hurt me, people won't take it lightly." Cupid's Arrow pointed out.
Joshua's response was yet another slap, this time even stronger than before. Cupid's Arrow looked into Joshua's eyes and saw the determination in them. It didn't know why but it could tell it had struck a nerve in the Stand User, and he didn't care about what might happen to him.
"I'm only going to ask you one more time. Who is your User?" Joshua asked as he towered over Cupid's Arrow.
"You won't get anything out of me. Even if you torture me, it won't matter. I'm a Stand, not a human." Cupid's Arrow muttered.
"While that may be true, I'm sure you still fear death," Joshua stated as Cupid's Arrow grew fearful.
"I wonder what happens to a sentient Stand when it's been destroyed." Joshua wondered as Crimson Destiny cracked its knuckles.
With Team RWBY…
While the Stars were containing Cupid's Arrow, the rest of Team RWBY had returned to where they separated with Ruby. Currently, they were looking for where she could have gone and met the Stand User while keeping Weiss close to them.
Speaking of the Schnee, she found it hard to concentrate as the image of Cupid's Arrow pretending to be Ruby ran through her mind. She hated the Stand for doing what she did to Ruby and for tricking Weiss.
"What if it had been real…AHHH! What am I thinking?!" Weiss questioned as she shook her head.
Weiss was becoming increasingly self-conscious about Cupid's Arrow's mission as it explained that she was in love with Ruby. She'd be lying if she wasn't fond of her partner and sometimes maybe…admired her looks. But the heiress didn't think that was love.
However, when Cupid's Arrow went to kiss her in the form of Ruby, she felt really happy. Weiss just chalked these feelings up to some sort of effect Cupid's Arrow had on her mind. She rationalized that once they saved Ruby and took down the Stand User, everything would return to normal.
"You okay, Weiss?" Blake asked, taking Weiss out of her thoughts.
"Oh yes, I'm fine, thank you. This is just a lot." Weiss answered.
"I know I never thought a Stand would attack one of us so suddenly." Blake agreed before she noticed Weiss's expression.
"Or are you referring to what that Stand said about you and Ruby?" Blake asked as Weiss blushed.
"It was nothing! Ruby and I are just friends!" Weiss argued.
"I know, but are you sure there aren't…other feelings between you two?" Blake inquired.
"Y-Yes. Nothing at all." Weiss responded.
"Besides, I'm more concerned about Yang." Weiss sighed as the two girls turned to Yang, who seemed to be literally burning with rage.
Her hair lit up and seemed to flow with flames are her normally purple eyes glowed red. No doubt she was going to make the Stand User pay dearly when they found them. Blake and Weiss almost pitied the Stand User.
"Yeah. Can't say I blame her though." Blake commented as she spotted something.
"Hey guys," Blake called, getting her team's attention.
"How long has this been here?" Blake asked as she pointed at the Love Advice shop.
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With the Stars…
"This isn't getting us anywhere," Max commented as Joshua punched Cupid's Arrow across the face.
"No shit." Joshua sighed as he backed away from Cupid's Arrow and turned away, and pulled Max close.
"If we destroyed the Stand, will it free Ruby or anyone else the Stand User has captured?" Joshua inquired in a low whisper.
"I don't know. I want to say yes, but I've never seen a Stand like this one be destroyed. Most of the time, Automatic or Live Stands are almost separate from the User." Max began.
"So if it's destroyed but the User is still alive. It might do nothing at all or, even worse, permanently trap them. If the User was killed, it would be a different story." Max explained.
As Joshua and Max conversed on how to proceed, Cupid's Arrow slowly shimmied in the ice. It moved slowly so as to not catch the attention of the others who were keeping an eye on it. All it needed was a chance, and it could get away, and this time the Stars wouldn't be able to stop it.
That chance was the fire dust crystal it had always carried in case of a situation like this. Its User had always warned it to never get caught and only use it when necessary. Cupid's Arrow couldn't think of a better situation to use it in as it grabbed onto the crystal and crushed it.
The Dust exploded in flame, melting the ice in an instant and catching the eye of the others who were taken off guard. In the split second of shock between the Stars, Cupid's Arrow returned to its original form and began to fly off.
"Damn, catch it!" Joshua shouted as they attempted to capture Cupid's Arrow again.
But this time, Cupid's Arrow was ready for the attacks avoiding them all before shooting off to find Weiss. The only reason it had been caught before was that it had not been prepared for attacks by other Stand Users.
It had never been up against another Stand before, so it was caught off guard but not this time. That didn't mean it was on easy street, though, as the Stars were in hot pursuit. None were letting Cupid's Arrow go that easily, nor were they going to let it get close to Weiss.
"Elton, how close can you get?" Joshua inquired.
"I can't turn or maneuver well in the air. I can only go in straight lines, so if I miss, it'll be hard to try again when I need to make a safe landing." Elton answered.
Just then, Cupid's Arrow picked up speed at a frightening pace going faster than the Stars could keep up. Joshua knew that if they had Elton speed them up, the Stand could easily take a turn and lose them.
"Son of a… don't let it out of your sight!" Joshua ordered as he used Crimson Destiny to message Team RWBY.
With Team RWBY…
"Guess this is a dead end." Blake sighed as the huntresses in training looked through the empty store.
"The sign said it was open, so someone had to have been here recently." Weiss pointed out as she looked through the front desk.
"Since no one is here, let's go the more time we waste is more time Ruby is stuck in the hands of this freak!" Yang hissed, her anger still peaking as she hit the wall, causing a case to fall down.
"Careful, Yang, don't damage the place just because you're angry. If it doesn't belong to the Stand User, we could actually get in trouble." Blake insisted.
"Sorry. It's just I can't stand the thought of what's happening to Ruby." Yang replied as Blake knelt down to pick up the case.
But before she picked it up, she caught a peek at what was inside, causing her to gasp, grabbing the attention of the rest of her team. They gathered around Blake as the faunus opened the case revealing rows upon rows of heart pendants, each with the image and name of a person.
After a quick search on the internet, they found that each were the names and faces of people who had been missing for months and, in some cases, years. That was all they needed to know to conclude that whoever owned this store was the Stand User and had Ruby.
"I don't see Ruby here. The User must have her." Yang noted as Weiss picked up one of the pendants.
"How do we return them to normal?" Weiss wondered as she split one of the pendants apart to no effect.
"We'll just do what we originally planned to do, and that's to kick this guy's ass!" Yang shouted as she punched her open palm as the team's scrolls went off.
"Cupid's Arrow is loose! Weiss, you need to get out of here." Blake insisted.
"I can't just sit back and do nothing!" Weiss argued.
"Cupid's Arrow is after you, and we don't want another teammate turned into one of these," Blake replied, gesturing at the pendants behind her.
"I-I…I understand." Weiss sighed.
"We'll take the Stand while you find the User and Ruby," Blake stated.
"How will I do that when I don't know what they look like?" Weiss inquired.
"There has to be a picture of them around here or maybe a camera." Yang pointed out.
"I already looked for cameras the second we entered. There's none in here. Probably to hide the fact they turn people into these things." Blake informed.
"Then I'll go to the CCT and see if I can get access to who owns this building from my company's logs." Weiss decided as the team made for the door, only to freeze.
"Leaving so soon? Don't you want to talk some more?" Cupid's Arrow laughed as it stood at the entrance to the store in the form of Ruby.
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"How did it get here so fast?!" Weiss gasped as Yang and Blake stepped in front of her.
"Are you not happy to see me?" Cupid's Arrow pouted as she ran toward Weiss.
Yang attempted to intercept Cupid's Arrow as she reared her fist back but hesitated because Cupid's Arrow still held Ruby's form. Though it wasn't really her, Yang couldn't hit her sister, allowing Cupid's Arrow to avoid Yang and knock her down.
Blake, on the other hand, didn't hesitate as she threw her Gambol Shroud binding Cupid's Arrow before pushing the Stand to the ground. The Stand easily escaped by transforming to its original form before returning to the form of Ruby.
"You know this is the hardest I've had to work to complete a set. It'll just make completing it so much more satisfying." Cupid's Arrow smirked.
"Don't mess with me!" Weiss shouted as she went to attack but stopped when her heart fluttered.
She knew it wasn't the real Ruby in front of her, but it seemed that the Stand truly had some effect on her. So what she was feeling wasn't real…or at least not entirely real. It was enough for Cupid's Arrow to get up close to the Weiss's face, just about to plant a kiss until Blake stopped it.
The faunus shot Cupid's Arrow in the back several times, causing the Stand to fall down in pain and snapping Weiss out of her trance. Taking this chance, the three huntresses exited the store before shutting the door behind them and sealing it with ice.
"Sorry about that. I knew it wasn't Ruby, but I couldn't bring myself to attack it." Yang apologized.
"It's fine. None of this is ideal." Blake replied. Just then, Cupid's Arrow came flying out of a manhole before returning to Ruby's form and landing behind the team.
"What but how…?" Weiss questioned before Cupid's Arrow interrupted her.
"There's a sewer hatch inside. It's very handy." Cupid's Arrow explained.
"You just won't quit, will you?" Weiss inquired.
"Of course not." Cupid's Arrow laughed as she ran toward the three before being trapped in a cage of cards.
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"Finally caught up." Richard breathed as he and the other Stars arrived exhausted from running.
"Sorry, we took so long. Damn thing is fast." Max apologized as Joshua walked up to Cupid's Arrow and grabbed it by the hair.
"Is this where your User is?" Joshua questioned.
"Not telling." Cupid's Arrow spat as Joshua kneed it in the face.
"Can you not brutalize it when it still has my sister's face," Yang begged.
"Sorry. But we need to know who the User is." Joshua replied.
"So unless you got any clues…." Joshua added before stopping when Team RWBY pointed at the store.
Joshua nodded before heading over the wall of ice and breaking it apart to get in. Joined by Max, the two Stand Users scoped the building but found no one inside. No pictures, no cameras, and no documents that could give them any leads.
Whoever the Stand User was must have known they'd be tracked and took off with Ruby as collateral. But it didn't make sense as to why they would leave the rest of their collection. It was the one thing neither Joshua nor Max could understand.
"Any clues?" Richard inquired as he peeked his head in.
"Nothing yet," Joshua answered.
"You're not tired, are you?" Joshua asked.
"A little, but that Stand's not going anywhere," Richard responded as he looked at Blake and Yang hovering over the Stand, trying to get answers while Weiss was kept at a distance.
"But apparently, being around the Stand is making Weiss a little…frisky. It must be able to affect her emotions." Richard explained.
"Alright, just keep her far from it." Joshua insisted as he picked up the case of pendants.
"What are the pedestrians doing?" Max questioned.
"The girls were able to calm most down by saying it's official huntress business, but…I'd suggest we move this somewhere more private." Richard suggested as Joshua held up the case to him.
"Do you have any thoughts about why the User would leave their victims behind?" Joshua inquired as Richard looked at the case.
"This case is expensive. It's more for displaying than carrying." Richard noted as he inspected the case further.
"The User must cherish these pendants like trophies or medallions. I doubt the User would go that far without this." Richard explained.
"So they're probably watching," Joshua murmured.
"And holding Ms. Rose as a hostage just in case. They probably left that here because they underestimated us." Richard pointed out.
"Plus, these pendants are technically people. So I don't think they would expect us to do anything to them." Max reminded as Joshua grabbed various small items around the room.
"Yeah. So follow my lead and try to make it convincing." Joshua insisted as he carried the case outside before placing it before Cupid's Arrow.
"Your User must be pretty confident to leave these here." Joshua began as Blake and Yang looked at him, confused.
"But Ruby Rose isn't here. So I'll cut you a deal." Joshua continued as he got up in Cupid's Arrow's face.
"You return Ruby to us. Safe and sound back to normal. If you do, I won't kill you, nor will I toss this case into the ocean." Joshua threatened as Blake and Yang went wide-eyed.
"What are you…." Yang began before Max stopped her.
"Just watch." Max insisted.
"Hahahaha! That's a horrible bluff!" Cupid's Arrow cackled as Joshua opened the case and took out a completed pendant, and proceeded to throw it away with Crimson Destiny.
"What are you doing?! Have you forgotten that those are people?!" Cupid's Arrow questioned.
"I'm perfectly aware. But I think being outside is far better than being confined in such a cramped, dark case. Plus. I don't know these people." Joshua stated as he grabbed another pendant.
"You're insane! Y-Y-You wouldn't dare." Cupid's Arrow stuttered as it began to sweat.
"You know nothing about me. Now your User has to be nearby, so I'm sure they're hearing this too." Joshua replied as he looked around.
"I doubt they'd want to watch this," Joshua added as he shifted the pendant in his hand before throwing it far away.
"Stop it! STOP IT!" Cupid's Arrow shouted as Joshua picked up more pendants.
"THEN CALL YOUR USER!" Joshua demanded as Cupid's Arrow panicked before it came up with an idea.
Everyone was blinded by a flash of light as Cupid's Arrow began to change once more. Thinking it was going to transform into its true form to escape, everyone readied to fight it again. But it didn't. Instead, the form it took only one person was familiar with.
"Lailah," Joshua murmured as he was face to face with the woman he loved.
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"Hi there, Joestar." Lailah, or truly Cupid's Arrow, greeted.
"Wait, who's that?" Yang questioned.
"That is JoJo's…she was the person he loved most in the world," Max answered as the members of Team RWBY looked at the scene.
"Wait, it's going to try to turn him into a pendant!" Weiss pointed out.
"Richard. Set it free." Joshua requested.
"I can't do that. It's just tricking you." Richard replied.
"Let. It. Go." Joshua insisted as Joshua looked into his eyes.
"You can't. Being close to that thing is…it just makes you want it to happen." Weiss stated.
"JoJo," Richard called as Joshua nodded.
"You better know what you're doing." Richard sighed as he released his Stand.
"DON'T!" Weiss begged as Yang and Blake went to stop Cupid's Arrow, but Max stopped them again, trusting his friend.
"I've missed you, Joestar." Cupid's Arrow proclaimed as it reached toward Joshua's face, only for Crimson Destiny to grab its arm.
"You DARE take her form in front of me." Joshua hissed as he got closer to Cupid's Arrow.
"That is a sin." Joshua continued as he tightened Crimson Destiny's grip.
"I CAN NOT FORGIVE!" Joshua shouted as Crimson Destiny punched Cupid's Arrow in the face.
"TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO TROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTROTRO
TROTZEN!" Crimson Destiny shouted as it battered and beat Cupid's Arrow relentlessly before knocking it to the ground, shattering it.
Cupid's Arrow could barely move as most of its body was broken and bleeding. It didn't even have the strength to hold onto Lailah's form, forcing it to return to normal. The Stand shook in fear as Joshua towered over it before placing his foot on its head.
"If you don't want to die here. Then call your User." Joshua demanded in a low and calm voice as he glared at the Stand.
"H-H-H-H….he…HELP!" Cupid's Arrow begged. Once the Stand called for help, a door to a nearby building swung open as a veiled woman exited, shaking nervously.
"You. Youyouyouyouyou, how dare you!" The Woman shouted.
"I'm just trying to preserve love eternally. I'm just giving people want they want without others getting in the way!" The Woman hissed.
"Without me, people may never express their feelings and leave forever!" The Woman yelled.
"Is that what you call this!? You trap people and place them away, never able to live their life!" Blake countered.
"Yeah, and you took my sister!" Yang hissed as she walked up to the woman.
"So give her back NOW!" Yang demanded as she grabbed the woman by the neck.
"But I can give her eternal happiness with the one she loves." The Woman stated.
"How do you know? Can she see? Can she do the things she wants most? Can she eat cookies or strawberries?!" Yang questioned as she noticed Ruby's pendant on a chain.
Yang grabbed it before throwing the woman away, hoping something would happen once she was away from the User, but there was no such luck. Joshua walked away from Cupid's Arrow as Richard trapped it again before towering over the Stand User.
"You're going to free Ms. Rose and every last person you've trapped," Joshua stated.
"Why should I? Without my power, love never lasts!" The Woman argued.
"Let me guess, you got your heart broken?" Joshua guessed as the Woman flinched, indicating he was right.
"That's such a piss poor excuse to do what you've done." Joshua spat.
"Why are you even fighting for them? You threw so many away?!" The Woman questioned.
"It must have pained you to watch that. But lucky for them." Joshua began as he dug into his pocket and took out the pendants he had "thrown" earlier.
"I've gotten pretty good at sleight of hand recently." Joshua finished as he held them out.
"What I threw earlier was random junk from your store. But I did make it look fairly convincing, didn't I?" Joshua revealed as the woman stared at him in shock.
"Now, if you don't want me to do what I did to your Stand, then you're going to free every last one of your victims," Joshua stated as the woman squirmed on the ground.
Soon after that threat and remembering the beating Joshua had given to her Stand, she knew that she had no choice. Every pendant began to glow brightly as Joshua tossed the ones he held while Yang placed Ruby's on the ground.
Then each pendant exploded, and the people who were trapped inside appeared one by one before all were free, even a confused Ruby. The freed people all looked around, confused, having very little memory of their confinement.
"What the? What happened? Where am I? Where's Weiss? Wait, was I a piece of jewelry?!" Ruby questioned as she got up before being tackled into a hug by Yang.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Yang exclaimed as she crushed her little sister in a bear hug.
"Y-Yang…can't breathe." Ruby stuttered as her sister released her.
Soon Blake and Weiss ran in and hugged Ruby as well, happy to see their team leader and friend safe and sound. However, it didn't take long for both Weiss and Ruby, especially Ruby, to separate embarrassed. Ruby didn't know what to say to the heiress as the last thing she remembered was kissing her.
"Uh, so what happened?" Ruby asked as her memory was a little hazy.
"It's really complicated…and perhaps embarrassing for you," Blake responded as Yang left the group.
"Okay, I let them go, so you're not going to hurt me, right?" The Woman questioned as Joshua glared at her.
"You spoke of love like you understand it well. But you know nothing, do you?" Joshua asked as the woman shook in fear as he walked up to her.
"I gave you my word. I won't hurt you. But she never made such a promise." Joshua stated as he moved out of Yang's way as she cracked her knuckles.
"I already vented my anger on your Stand. So I'm going to let Yang here teach you the strength of sibling love in my stead." Joshua explained as he walked off, leaving the woman with Yang.
"I-I-I…I never meant to hurt your sister. Honest!" The Woman muttered.
"Sure you didn't," Yang replied.
"But I have every intention of hurting you." Yang hissed as she grabbed the woman by the collar and began her beatdown.
Yang slammed her burning fists across the woman's face several times over before moving onto the rest of her body, making quick work of her aura. Before long, she was breaking bone before delivering a decisive blow to her chin, sending the woman flying away.
Name: Unknown.
Stand: Cupid's Arrow.
Proposed Brand: B
Ability: This Stand is completely sentient, not needing its User to give it commands. The Stand can transform into a perfect replica of the person their target loves most in the world. Additionally, it emits strong attraction making the target feel helplessly in love with them to get them close and turn them into a one-half heart pendant by kissing them, leaving the other half for the one they love.
Status: Out Of Commission!
"Good, it's finally over." Richard sighed as he returned his Stand since Cupid's Arrow was gone.
"I don't understand, though. She didn't seem to be part of the institution," Elton murmured.
"She must have been an ordinary Stand User unrelated to Brando. After all, she had motives of her own." Max pointed out.
"She seemed…unwell." Scotty commented.
"Well, hopefully, Yang and JoJo set her straight." Elton laughed.
"You're saying I was seduced by a Stand!" Ruby gasped as Blake finished explaining what had happened to her.
"Nonononono! I mean, I remember Weiss…and we…we…wewewewewewe…AAAHHHH!" Ruby screamed as her face burned red.
"Let's just…hold that point for a talk…later." Weiss insisted as she blushed too while Yang pulled Ruby close to her as she inspected her sister.
"Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Do you feel anything resembling…a pendant?" Yang questioned as Ruby pushed her sister away.
"I'm fine. But thank you for saving me." Ruby thanked before turning to the Stars.
"Thank you guys as well." Ruby thanked as she gave the Stars a small bow.
"It was no problem at all. We're just glad everything worked out." Joshua replied as he joined his friends.
"By the way. How did you resist Cupid's Arrow earlier? When…when it went after me, it felt…let's just say it felt like I couldn't do anything." Weiss asked with a slight blush.
The rest of Team RWBY, save Ruby herself, who hadn't seen, wondered that too, as Max had stated that Cupid's Arrow turned into the woman he had loved most. They also had to admit the woman Cupid's Arrow turned into was very attractive, so seeing Joshua assault Cupid's Arrow without hesitation was surprising.
"That because the woman it was trying to impersonate died a long time ago," Joshua answered, shocking the huntresses in training.
"I wasn't going to take such an insult," Joshua added as his expression hardened, and Team RWBY looked to change the conversation.
"Uh, what are we going to do about them?" Blake inquired as everyone looked at the freed people.
"Let the police or Ozpin handle it. Our work is done." Joshua stated as Yang looked at him.
"I had to have heard him right earlier." Yang thought as she contemplated what Joshua had said earlier.
"I'm going to let Yang here teach you the strength of sibling love in my stead." Joshua had said.
"What did he mean by in his stead?" Yang wondered as the Stars approached them.
"Do you four think you can make it back to Beacon without us? Because we think it's best if we head back to our base of operations." Max asked.
"We'll be fine. We're going to contact Professor Ozpin and tell him what happened before going back." Blake answered.
"Yeah, you don't have to worry about us…or me in particular." Ruby laughed as Weiss walked up to Joshua.
"Thank you for saving me back there. If it wasn't for you, I might have become a pendant like Ruby." Weiss thanked as Joshua smiled.
"Your welcome. I wasn't going to let that happen when I saw it." Joshua replied as he and the other Stars walked off.
"Alright, let's make this quick because right now, I want to go back to the dorm and take a shower. I think I was in a pocket at some point because I feel a little dirty." Ruby insisted as she gagged.
Elsewhere…
"Well. It seems Kage is getting impatient." Viola noted as she watched footage of Midnight Magnetic getting off a bullhead.
"If I don't want to be lumped in with Dio and get in trouble, I should get the job done." Viola chuckled as she looked out the window of her room.
"And I know just the place to do it," Viola smirked as she looked at Amity Colosseum as it was being set up over Beacon.
===To Be Continued===
Next Time…My Name Is Maximilian Zeppeli
Author's Note:
And with that, this chapter is done! It actually came out a little longer than I had originally planned, but that's a good thing, in my opinion, as long as it isn't too long, of course. I have to say the hardest thing to write this chapter was the beginning because I couldn't choose whether to start with the Stars at the clothing store or have the bit with Ruby.
In the end, I obviously chose to show the event with Ruby turning into a pendant but make it ambiguous to seem like it didn't happen to keep it as a surprise. Thankfully it proved to the be right choice as I feel it worked best. Funny enough, the little bit between Elton and Coco was a last-minute addition because I thought it would be funny for them to argue.
I did have a little bit more for her to do, like possibly help with picking out the Stars clothing, but I felt it may have been a little much, so I just had her and Velvet leave. Maybe next time when she appears, who knows. Overall though, I had a blast writing this chapter definitely one of my favorites.
Especially making the super long Trotzen which is somewhat equivalent to a seven-page Muda though it was not seven pages. I can only imagine the monstrous size of a seven written page Stand attack. But now that I say it, I kinda want to do one just to see what it would look like, but I think it would be a little overkill.
This chapter also developed Ruby and Weiss's relationship as, again, I am doing white rose here. Since it's not a focus of the story, I'm not tagging it because I don't want people just to read this story for that pairing. But it is happening, and I thought I'd have a little fun with it in this chapter with Cupid's Arrow.
I do think of doing more Stand Users like Cupid's Arrow meaning ones that are just around and have no relation to Brando and are just doing their own thing. I guess you could say that Dollhouse Rumble and Dirty Termite were like that, but they are kinda affiliated since Faust hired them.
Anyway, that's all I've got for today, so I'll respond to the review:
DeathlyJazzHands55 – Thanks for letting me know. I'll keep the symbols in. When Winter does meet Joshua, since it is in a few chapters as the Vytal Festival is starting soon, it'll be interesting, to say the least. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
That's all for today! See you guys next time!