Been a bit, sorry about that. Writers block and all. Hopefully this chapter's good enough.
Ruby woke up to a voice screaming bloody vengeance.
"Ozma will suffer for this! He will beg for death and it will not come! His agony will stretch years, decades, centuries! I will-"
Ruby groaned and sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes to try and distract herself from the rant. How long had she been screaming, Ruby wondered. At least it didn't wake her up before now, 'Can you please be quiet?' she pleaded.
"I would stay silent if you killed Ozma's host."
The reaper's gaze shifted over to the rest of her teammates. Weiss was still sleeping, Blake was taking a shower, and Jaune...well, he was sleeping too, if you could call it that. He was tossing and turning on his bed and mumbling unintelligibly. She wanted to help him, but she also knew that if she made physical contact that they'd both get zapped. Stupid disembodied voices.
This was supposed to be the best four years of her life. Go to Beacon, get a team, train, have adventures, then become a full-fledged Huntress. It was going to be great. Instead she was ditched by Yang on the first day and now she had a mean voice in her head that kept trying to make her kill someone.
"He is helpless now. It would take nothing to slice a knife across his throat."
Ruby once again ignored her - Salem - amd rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes. She would've normally been ecstatic today. Before Beacon she'd planned to wake up the rest of her team to personalize and decorate their dorm, but right now all she wanted to do was take a hot shower. Why did this have to happen to her? What did she do to deserve a stupid voice in her head?
"You act as if you're the only one burdened by this? Before I was trapped I was a queen. I had loyal followers and the Grimm bend to my every whim. Now I'm nothing more than a disembodied voice trapped in the mind of a child."
'You sound like a jerk. Feels like you deserve this,' Ruby snapped back with a thought. Just wish it wasn't her head she was trapped in.
Big mistake.
That got her another rant about how this humiliation would not stand and that her torment would be slow and unending. Ruby sighed. It'd only been a couple of days and she was already tired of it. She just let the woman rant and rave till eventually the metaphorical fuse broke and her voice disappeared. Seemed like if they got too worked up then they had to reboot or something. Shame they couldn't just flick a switch or something. And that it was just temporary.
Jaune woke up not long after Ruby did. Like her he'd ignored changing into pajamas in lieu of just collapsing on his bed, "Morning," he yawned.
"Morning." She smiled back, trying to cheer herself up. Finding out that someone else was dealing with the whole 'voices in your head' thing cheered her up somewhat. She didn't believe in Misery Loves Company until yesterday.
"You alright?" He tapped the side of his head.
"Yeah, she started shouting then got quiet for now." Silver eyes flicked over to Weiss' sleeping form. She already didn't like that Ruby was the leader; she didn't need to give her another reason to think she was unfit, "What about you?"
"Just telling me I need to go see Headmistress Goodwi- I am going, you don't have to be a jerk about it!" Jaune groused. Ruby giggled at that. From what Jaune told her, his voice was a lot less mean than her's, but still gave a lot of orders.
Weiss woke up with a groan and glared at the two of them, "What are you two talking about?" She glared at them sleepily.
"Just trying to get to know each other," Ruby deflected quickly.
Weiss was about to respond when the bathroom door opened and Blake stepped out already dressed in her uniform, "We should probably hurry if we wanna be in time for breakfast," she told them all. From her new teammates she definitely knew the least about Blake. The older girl barely talked and the only thing Ruby really got from her was that she didn't like Weiss all that much.
The rest of them followed Blake's lead. Weiss gave Jaune the stink eye and said that she'd freeze him to a statue if he dared to peek, but Jaune barely paid her any mind; probably arguing with the voice. That, of course, just made Weiss madder, "Hey, don't stare off into space! I won't let you play ignorant!" Jaune blinked and leaned back when he realized Weiss was right in his face.
"Huh?" Ruby winced. Yup, definitely talking to the voice in his head.
"Calm down." Blake rolled her eyes, "You know we're not the only room that's co-ed, right? I doubt Jaune's stupid enough to do something that'll risk his place in school."
"Y-Yeah, what she said!" Jaune nodded quickly.
"Hmph, just see to that it remains that way." Weiss scoffed and stomped her way to the bathroom. Ruby sighed. Poor Jaune. Huntsmen were expected to ignore gender and race since they came from all walks of life, but in practice it wasn't that easy; especially for a bunch of teenagers who wanted to show off. She'd feel weird if she was the only girl in a room full of guys.
Ruby waited for her turn on the showers and breathed in relief when the hot water touched her skin. No, she wasn't going to let this get her down. So what if she had a mean, probably evil, voice in her head? Or that her partner also had a voice and that she couldn't touch him without feeling like she'd been zapped? She could deal with it! Ruby Rose did not give up!
"How wonderfully saccharine."
Oh great, she was back. Ruby didn't even really care that the voice was seeing her naked.
"Things would be simpler if you listened to me, girl. I can guarantee you I will spare your life if you just obeyed."
"I'm not killing Jaune for you!"
"Why not? You've only met him yesterday. His death would not impact you in the least."
"I'm not a psycho who kills innocent people!"
"He is the host of Ozma. I guarantee you that he is no innocent."
"Yeah, well, you're stuck in my head and I don't think I did anything to deserve that." Except maybe sneak some cookies after bedtime, but she worked those off in training the next day!
"On that we are agreed. I am a queen, an immortal without peer. You are a naive child."
"Well I'm not a disembodied voice that nags all day, so I still win."
"Treasure that freedom while you can, girl, I will relish wresting it from you."
"Not gonna happen! And my name's Ruby, not-
There was a loud banging on the door and Ruby jumped with a squeak, "Rose, stop screaming in there and hurry up!" Weiss shouted.
"I-I got it!"
They met up with team YLNN on the way to the cafeteria. Unlike her little sister, Yang had made fast friends with her teammates. It probably helped that she and Nora were like two peas in a pod. Pyrrha and Ren were nice too, and Weiss kept making goo goo eyes at the other redhead. Besides not being the team leader, she also hated that she and Pyrrha weren't partners. It didn't do much to endear her to Blake.
"You can stop drooling any second now," Blake scoffed, low enough that Pyrrha didn't hear her.
"Wh-What?" Weiss glared at her partner, "I was not...drooling!"
"If you say so."
"H-Hey, let's not fight," Jaune cut in.
Weiss grumbled and stabbed her salad but didn't say anything back. Ruby had to admit that she was jealous of their (literal) sister steam sitting across from them. Ren and Nora were chatting happily while Yang was telling Pyrrha a story of something that happened back in Patch. By contrast, Weiss and Blake barely spoke except to snipe at each other while he and Jaune were forced to seat inches apart else they zap each other.
It would've been better if they had Weiss or Blake between them as a buffer, but the two of them were already seated by the time Ruby thought to make the suggestion. At least Jaune was nice. Kinda wimpy, if she was being honest (how did he get accepted into Beacon if he was so clumsy?), but at least she didn't feel like she had to walk on eggshells around him. The fact that he tried to help her on their first day helped.
"I demand the sweet ham, girl."
Ruby rolled her eyes but did it anyway. Not because Salem wanted it, but because she happened to like it too. Salem gave a pleased little hum when the taste hit Ruby's tongue, so apparently they shared more than just a headspace. That was...worrying. How much did they share? Salem could already read her mind and apparently had her senses too.
"You are right to worry. Your insolence has assured you that I will- wait, grab the cake before it's all taken! I deserve it more than any of you!"
Again, she was really lucky that Ruby liked cake too.
Jaune wasn't having much luck either, from what she noticed. Every now and then he'd get distracted and stare off into space before continuing to eat. Odd. Huntsmen were trained to multitask. Never know when you had to had to deal with Grimm, save civilians, and put your clothes on while hungover at the same time. Okay, maybe the last part was more her Uncle Qrow, but the point still stood. It was the reason she could have Salem ranting at her and not bump into walls.
She was about to grab another serving of ham when Jaune took the last slice. No big deal, she thought.
Salem didn't agree.
"Ozma's host has slighted us!" The disembodied voice hissed, so angry that Ruby winced from hearing it, "He did that on purpose! Already he
'I really doubt he did that on purpose.'
Next to her, Jaune was about to apologize and offer the ham to Ruby when Ozpin chimed in, "No, don't do that. Can't you see? Salem is infuriated! It's no less than she deserves."
'I thought you said Ruby was innocent?'
"She is, but it is a momentary displeasure at best. Ms. Rose is clearly a kind young woman. Salem, to be blunt, is an entitled bitch. She will stew over this, and that is a very good thing."
'Except Ruby has to listen to her ranting.'
"She would have to listen to that regardless. Salem has always loved the sounds of her own voice." Jaune rolled his eyes. Like Ozpin had any room to talk, "I heard that. I wouldn't need to be so chatty if you listened to me and talked to Glynda."
Jaune sighed and reached out for one of the cups of hot chocolate. Apparently Ozpin was the reason that it was served for every meal of the day. He was just about to get the last cup when Ruby grabbed it.
"Oh, sorry, Jaune! Do you-"
"Do not give it back to him!" Salem screeched. Gods, why did she have to be so loud?! "I can see the frustration in his host's eyes. Ozpin seethes at being denied his treat. Take it, drink it slowly, and don't break eye contact until the cup is empty. If you refuse to kill him then take what little pleasures he has left! I command you, girl!"
"Salem did that on purpose," Ozpin snarled, "Look at Ms. Rose's eyes, the way she still holds onto the cup. Salem's always been a glutton. Even as queen she refused to share. I can feel the smugness emanating from here. When lunchtime comes I want you to take every single slice of cake and dip it in hot chocolate while she watches. It will be delicious in so many ways."
The two unwilling hosts groaned and slammed their faces into the table, ignoring everyone else's worried looks. This was gonna be a long day.
"You've delayed long enough, Jaune. It is time you talked to Glynda."
"I got it..." Jaune muttered. It was noon and classes were over for the day. It was to give them time to explore the campus, or so Professor Port said. He found it kinda hard to pay attention after the story about how teatime got interrupted by a Beowolf Alpha. What should've been an exciting story was ruined by the portly professor focusing more on the tea leaves' consistency than the Grimm trying to check his neck off.
"You say that and yet you're wandering around aimlessly."
"I'm just finding this a bit hard to do, okay?!" he whisper-shouted, "Headmistress Goodwitch is pretty intimidating and you want me to, what, go up to her office and say 'hey, I've got former Headmaster Ozpin's voice in my head, do you know anything about that?'" He threw his hands up, "She'll think I'm crazy! Then she'll kick me out of Beacon!"
"It'd be no less than you deserve considering you faked your transcripts." Jaune winced. Fair, but that hurt, "But your act of fraud is a minor concern as of now. As I said before, Glynda is a confidant and trusted ally. She will understand and this will not only save Ms. Rose's life, but any innocents that shall be caught in the crossfire if Salem were ever to take control."
"I'm not going to let you hurt Ruby." He only knew her for a day, but she was obviously a good person.
"I never even suggested such a thing." Ozpin sounded legitimately offended, "She is an innocent, we both acknowledge this, and she's in as much risk as anyone is to Salem's machinations. Please, Jaune, trust that I only have the best of intentions for Ms. Rose."
"What happens to me?" He pressed the button to call the elevator, "You're stuck in my heaad and you've made it clear this isn't your first time."
"That, I am not sure of," Ozpin said, sounding uncertain for the first time since Jaune knew him, "I intended for my attack against Salem to be a permanent end. Our very souls would've been destroyed had I succeeded, and yet here I am once again. What's more, my reincarnations - for lack of a better word - share many similar qualities to myself. From what I gathered we share very little in that regard."
"Take that as a compliment."
"You may take it how you wish. Just stop dawdling around."
It didn't take much longer to get to the headmistress' office. Jaune gulped nervously and knocked on the ornate wooded door. Beacon had an official open-door policy when it came to the staff, but something told him that the headmistress didn't have a lot of guests.
"Come in," she said.
Jaune gulped again then stepped inside. The office looked fancy and the sight of the headmistress behind the large desk lit up by the sun streaming in from the open-air window only added to her intimidating Aura, "Mr. Arc? I'm surprised to see you here." She tapped the tack of papers against the desk and gestured to the seat across from her, "But your timing is convenient. I was about to call you in to talk."
"Y-You were?"
"She must've noticed something odd about our behavior the day prior. With luck she'll have realized our circumstances, which will make things easier."
"Indeed." The headmistress' expression turned stern as soon as he sat down, "Mr. Arc, we need to talk about your transcripts."
...
Oh shit.
'Oh shit,' Jaune thought.
"Oh shit," Ozpin said.
"I reviewed your performance in yesterday's Initiation," she continued, ignoring Jaune's frozen state, "I haven't had the chance to personally inspect every transript due to my new responsibilities as headmaster, but I felt that it was required given recent events." She adjusted her glasses, "Your transcripts place you as a graduate of Sanctum Academy and yet your combat abilities left more than a little to be desired. If not for Ms. Rose you wouldn't have succeeded the requirement."
"But-"
"Furthermore," she continued harshly, "I contacted Sanctum and they have no record of anyone by the name of Jaune Arc ever attending the school." Her eyes narrowed and she pressed both hands on the desk, "Are you aware that faking credentials is a criminal offense? You could be imprisoned for such a thing. But more than that you placed not only yourself but others at risk. Huntsmen are supposed to be able to trust one another in the field. Would you trust an untrained civilian to watch your back against the Grimm?"
"I..." Jaune felt lightheaded and Ozpin's words came in one ear and out the other.
"I won't ask for your reasons because, quite frankly, it doesn't matter. Even if you only did so for the benefit of others, faking your transcripts only spits on those who trained and worked hard to be here. From this moment forward you are hereby exp-"
"Ozpin's in my head!" Jaune shouted, cause what else could he say? His dream was crashing down all around him and Ozpin was yelling in about how they couldn't afford to be kicked out of Beacon or else no one would be able to stop Salem.
"I...beg your pardon?" The headmistress asked.
"Headmaster Ozpin's in my head," Jaune said again, "He's been telling me to come visit you since yesterday!" Actually two days, but whatever. He just had to keep talking, "Uh, that's why I faked my transcripts, actually. Had to find a way to get into Beacon." It really wasn't, but he couldn't get out of this now.
"How nice of you to treat my unwanted presence as part of your foolish lie." Ozpin sighed, "Regardless, I suppose it'll make staying in Beacon easier for the foreseeable future. So long as we need to keep an eye on Salem and Ms. Rose, I've no complaints."
"I...see." The headmistress adjusted her glasses again, "You do understand that I require proof of these claims? This is hardly the first time I've received such reasoning."
'Seriously?'
"You would be surprised. They didn't claim to have me specifically in their heads, but many would-be heroes have claimed that they're reincarnations of legendary figures or that they received prophetcs visions of their future greatness. Most of them failed Initiation and were subsequently removed. It is to be expected. Huntsmen are an odd group; just look at the way most of them dress."
"I'm waiting, Mr. Arc."
"Jaune, you need to let me have control of your body-"
'No way!'
"Let me finish." Another sigh, "It will only be temporary and I will return control once Glynda is convinced and I've explained the situation. It's either that or you return home a failure." A moment of heavy silence passed before Jaune reluctantly agreed in his head, "Good. Now, simply close your eyes and clear your mind. I shall do the rest."
Jaune did just that. He tried not to think about how insane this was or how close he was to being expelled. Just let the disembodied voice take control of his body and possibly trap him inside his own head for the rest of his life.
...
...
...
'Is it supposed to take this long?'
"No, something is..." A frustrated breath, "Odd, our Auras remain distinct in more ways than one."
'What does that mean?'
"It means that while my soul remains bound to yours, I cannot possess you. This...complicates things. If the same applies to Salem then the risk of her taking over Ms. Rose has significantly decreased, but we cannot be sure that this state is permanent for either them or ourselves. Especially given that Salem shouldn't have had Aura at all after her corruption. We mu-"
"Mr. Arc, please stop wasting my time," Headmistress Goodwitch cut in, "Do you have proof of your claims? If not then I will assume it was nothing more than an attempt to escape your expulsion."
"Wait, uh..." Jaune squirmed in his seat, "He's uh...he says that he can't take over my body. Something about our Auras being distinct?"
"How convenient." She raised a very unamused brow. Jaune did not like that brow. That brow scared him, "Well, if you have no proof then I see no reason to prolong this."
"Wait, I have another idea. Tell her something that only I would know." And then he rattled off something that made Jaune sit bolt upright in his seat. He wanted him to say what?!
'She's gonna kill me if I say that!' Sure being expelled would suck, but being murdered would suck more! Jaune grit his teeth and listened with one ear as the headmistress listed off all the penalties he would receive. She'd waive away the prison time, but he would forever be barred from attending any of the academies and, even on the off-chance he received the training elsewhere, he was henceforth rendered ineligible from ever receiving a Huntsman license.
"Make your choice now, Jaune."
"Do you have anything else to say before we-"
"You have a star shaped mole on your butt!"
The heavy silence from before had turned downright smothering. The headmistress kept a calm expression and yet the things on her desk shook and slowly lifted. It was taking a godly effort for her not to crush them or hurl them at Jaune in a rage.
"Keep going, Jaune!"
"Uh, you and Ironwood are secretly dating!" Jaune babbled. Oh Gods, he was gonna die! And yet he just kept talking, "You have a collar in his room with his name on it. You like it when he calls you Mistress. Ozpin knows about that, and the mole in your butt, because he accidentally walked in on you two when you were using your riding crap to smack his a-"
"Enough!" The headmistress shouted, her neutral expression finally replaced with one of mortified anger. Her red cheeks looked distinctly out of place on someone so stern, "Alright...either you really do have Ozpin in your head or he was more of a blabbermouth than I remembered because no one else on Remnant knows about that. I personally made sure." Her grip on the riding crop tightened, "So tell me, Mr. Arc, why shouldn't I not only expel you, but forge papers in order to declare you mentally unwell so you'll remain in an asylum for the rest of your life?"
"I don't believe she's joking..."
'Oh, you think?!' Jaune gulped, "See, uh, Ozpin's not the only one who came back. Sorta." He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, "He said that someone he fought named Salem is back too?"
"So she hasn't perished." The headmistress took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I'd hoped after he didn't return that..."
"No, she did die. Sorta." She looked at him flatly, "From what Ozpin told me they died and then...well, she came back like he did." A pause, "She's inside Ruby's head, like how Ozpin's in mine." Another pause, "Ruby's my partner. It's, uh, it's why the Grimm weren't attacking her during Initiation."
"And here I thought that was a side-effect of her Semblance." The headmistress sighed and, right out of nowhere, pulled a full bottle of whiskey from her desk cabinet, which she immediately drank straight without a glass, "...Just tell me one thing. If Ozpin really is in your head, why didn't he use something else as proof that he was present? Did he really have drudge up my personal business."
"Anything else I could use as proof is known by others."
Jaune told her just that. The headmistress took another long drink, "I believe you, Mr. Arc; only Ozpin could come up with such a foolish reason." Ozpin made an offended noise, "He could've used Salem's existence, he could've used the Maidens, he could've used one of the many things he entrused me with over the years..." She slammed the bottle down, "I hope you understand, Mr. Arc, that you've put yourself on my shit list as collateral damage and that you will very much suffer. My apologies."
"But I didn't do anything!"
"You did fake your transcripts..."
'You shut up!'
Summer missed her children.
The retired huntress sighed as she continued her brunch. The house was empty. With her kids at Beacon, Tai at his job, and Qrow out on missions, the mother of two felt distinctly lonely despite only two days having passed since her babies finally left the nest. She knew it was coming, but she thought she'd have another two years with her little Rosebud before she went off to have her own grand adventure.
It was just her feeling the empty nest, she knew that, but the loneliness still remained. Tai, her sweet husband, had offered to cash in his vacation days to spend some time with her, but she'd refused. They had plans for those holidays and she had to be patient.
Sighing once more, she finished up her meal then hoisted herself onto her wheelchair.
"Maybe some gardening would be nice." She hummed and rolled her way to the backyard exit. She didn't always need the wheelchair, often she could spend minutes walking or even running if needed, but Tai had meticulously ensured that every single inch of the house was accessible, the worrywart. Both him and Qrow, now that she thought about it. Qrow had hated himself so much after his Semblance caused one of her wheels to slide off and stayed away for weeks. It was only after she threatened to wheel after him no matter where he went that he stopped acting like an idiot.
The bright noon sun caused her to cover her remaining good eye. Her right eye, the one covered in a white leather eyepatch, began to sweat from the heat and she pulled it off. It wasn't like she had to worry anyone about her scars now.
Being injured all those years ago had been a mixed blessing. It cut short her career as a Huntress and yet it also made her realize just how close she was to losing her family forever. While James and Ozpin had been kind enough to offer her the best in Atlas cybernetics in order to compensate for her losses, she'd refused. At the time she wanted to be with her family, and she'd also been afraid that replacing parts of herself would make her less human. They both understood and said that the offer would always be open.
A part of her was tempted now. With her children off on their own paths she wondered if she could return to the life she'd left for almost a decade. She did her best to ensure her body hadn't atrophied despite her state, and Tai always assured her that it was difficult to forget all that training. Like riding a bike.
Shaking her head, she stepped off the scooter and began to tend to her and Tai's garden. That was a conversation she needed to have with her whole family, not just-
Her scroll rang. Summer picked it up and smiled when she saw Ruby's name on the screen. She'd wanted to call her and Yang before, but she knew that they needed their space, "Ruby." The elder Rose smiled when her daughter's face popped up only for it to turn into a frown when she realized how troubled her youngest looked, "What's wrong?"
"Hey, mom. I, uh...I need some advice."
"Troubles with your team?"
"No. Well, yeah, but that's not it." She shook her head, "Do you ever, um...do you ever hear a voice in your head that tells you to do things? Like you know you shouldn't do it, but the voice really wants you to?"
Like the little shoulder people on cartoons? "I suppose."
"Wait, really?!"
"Of course." Summer giggled. It was hard not to when you were the leader of a team that consisted of two bandits who had no idea how normal people acted and Tai, who'd been a lovesick idiot over one of said bandits. She'd lost count of how many times she had to cover for her team when Raven and Qrow decided they could just take whatever they wanted and beat up anyone who comaplained.
The shoulder devil was a very frequent visitor who told her that she could get away with stabbing Raven in her sleep-
"So how do you deal with it?" her little Rosebud asked.
"You just tell yourself that it's wrong and you shouldn't listen." Or in Summer's case, telling herself that Tai wouldn't just miraculously fall into her arms just because she stabbed his poorly thought-out crush. That and it would've been murder.
"I'm trying, but she's really loud! Like the second I wake up she's telling me to do stuff to Jaune!"
"Jaune? Who's Jaune?" Summer asked just a little too eagerly.
"He's my partner." Ruby smiled and Summer's mom senses were tingling, "We met up in the Emerald Forest during Initiation and...well, I don't know him that well, but he's been pretty nice so far! He tried to help me up on my first day when I bumped into Weiss, one of my other teammates." Ruby babbled on and on about her partner and Summer found herself smiling. This Jaune sounded like a delightful young man.
...Actually, he sounded just a tad familiar. Tall, messy blonde hair, blue eyes, and kind of a dork? Well, apparently the Rose genes led to more than an affinity to cloaks and flowers.
"And how does this Jaune make you feel?" Summer broached.
"He's nice, like I said. We get along." Ruby chewed on her lower lip, "But it's kinda...awkward being with him sometimes. The voice in my head really doesn't like him, and whenever we touch I feel like I'm getting zapped!" Denial and electric touches? Oh, her little Rosebud had a crush! Summer almost squealed at the thought of it. It wasn't a surprise, she supposed. Ruby had always been adamant that romance was 'gross' and that she would focus on being the best Huntress on Remnant. Of course a part of her would deny that.
Well, what kind of mother would she be if she didn't support her daughter.
"Ruby, it's alright, this is all a part of growing up." Summer beamed, "That voice in your head telling you that being with Jaune is wrong? Just ignore it. It's wrong. You like this Jaune, right?"
"Y-Yeah? He's my first friend at Beacon." Oh, just like her and Tai! How sweet!
"Then just go from there. If you feel your skin tingling when he touches you, just power through it! You and Jaune are going to be partners for the next four years so you need to learn to get along. Do you understand?"
"Yeah...Yeah!" Ruby nodded eagerly, "Alright, thanks, mom! I'll tell you how it goes!"
"Good luck, Rosebud!" Summer laughed as the call cut out. She'd had her regrets over her forced retirement, but it was moments like this that made her realize she'd made the right choice. She could only hope that her daughters would never have to realize the true nature of the conflict their parents and Qrow were part of.
Summer wondered if Ozpin's gambit worked. He'd visited them before he left and told them that he had a plan that could hopefully rid Remnant of Salem forever if it succeeded. She prayed to the Gods - as fickle as they were - that it worked. The last thing she wanted was Salem anywhere near her family.
Next chapter: Ruby and Jaune hold hands cause she's determined to not let Salem win. Results pending.
Anyway, this was a difficult chapter to write for me because of the talk with Goodwitch both Jaune and Ruby more stuck in their own heads than interacting with their teammates. Next chapter should be a bit better since we have more interactions with Weiss and Blake. Not sure if I'm gonna do the Docks are, though. Might be better to skip it.
Oh, and Summer Rose is alive. A few people wanted her to remain dead or save that plot point for later, but I wanna avoid heavy angst so I went with the more neutral 'she's alive but got crippled on a mission' approach. We'll see if it works out.
On an unrelated note, writing that scene with Goodwitch really makes me dislike the 'Jaune gets expelled and has revenge on his teammates' fics more than I already do. Cause the dude cheated and those fics act like telling on him is somehow wrong. Like imagine if someone faked their way into Harvard or lied on a research paper to get prettier results. He wouldn't get much sympathy, especially since Jaune did it for glory rather than selflessness like Ruby.
Questions:
1. I tagged this as Lancaster, but I wonder if it'd be better/funnier if Jaune and Ruby had different romantic partners while still being forced to have Remnant's most bitter divorcee's in their heads.
2. So...what do you guys think would be the reaction of the adults in the know about Salem would be to her being trapped inside Ruby's head? People like Summer, Qrow, Tai, Raven, Ironwood, Lionheart, Cinder etc etc. Especially Ironwood and that stupid Semblance of his...
Review Answers:
rc48177 - Or some liquor. Qrow can help.
Lives2DieAgain - Pretty sure Jaune would unalive himself in that scenario.
Dub77 - Which fic was that?