Author's note: And now, Harriet gets some help for her ouchie feelies.
Ruby and Harriet were sitting in a break room, discussing Harriet's training. Even after a good night's sleep, Harriet felt her aura readjust some of her bones from the training with Sirena the day before.
"So, what kind of barriers are holding me back?" Harriet asked.
"Emotional barriers," Ruby answered.
"So, my feelings are holding me back?" Harriet asked and said, "Good thing we don't bother with those."
"That is exactly what's holding you back," Ruby said, "You need to confront your feelings, and deal with them, to move on and improve."
"But… it hurts," Harriet said and looked down.
"I know," Ruby said, and put her hand on Harriet's, "But if you don't do this, it will only hurt worse, until it destroys you. And then you won't be able to protect anyone."
"Alright," Harriet said and let out a sad sigh.
"Just go at your own pace," Ruby said, "You can tell me as much or little as you're comfortable with, and if you need a break, we can stop at any time."
"Got it," Harriet said, "Tortuga and I… go back quite a bit. We were classmates, always up to some thing or another, and even unlocked our semblance around the same time. We got into a lot of fights, especially once we realized how well their Drowsiness semblance works with my Super Speed. We were unbeatable. So, Ironwood got us both on the team."
~o~
Marrow entered the military's laboratories, looking for June to talk to her about some things between them.
"Marrow, hello," Pietro said and walked around around a corner.
"Hello Dr. Polendina," Marrow said and asked, "Have you seen June, I mean Dr. Acacia, somewhere? I need to talk to her."
"You can just call me Pietro," Pietro said and answered, "And sorry, but she had to leave and take care of some family matters."
"I see," Marrow said and asked, "Anyway, Pietro, is something bothering you?"
"Sort of, yes," Pietro answered and asked, "How did you know?"
"Call it canine intuition," Marrow answered and said, "So, tell me about it." He sat down on a nearby chair and leaned in to listen to Pietro.
"As it turns out, Penny isn't exactly what I thought she was," Pietro said, much to Marrow's surprise.
"But, didn't you… make her?" Marrow asked.
"I built her body, yes," Pietro answered, "And I provided the aura to let her AI bond to it. However, it seems she wasn't an AI to begin with."
"What do you mean?" Marrow asked, "She was a real person once?"
"Apparently so," Pietro answered, "After Robyn's party, Talia told me that she used a real soul as basis for Penny, and others. I just… it's a bit complicated, and I don't even know if I fully understand what Talia told me that day. Something about magic, and souls, and such."
"I see," Marrow said, "Well, Talia has always been difficult to understand, as far as I know. Not that I know very much about her to begin with. Anyway, I have to go now, but if you need to talk, let me know."
"Thanks, I will," Pietro said and turned back to the computers, and Marrow left the laboratories.
~o~
Late at night, Ruby astral projected into Oscar's room again, and he used his magic to make her visible again. She grabbed a chair and sat down on it.
"And, what did you to do since our last session?" Ruby asked.
"We mostly talked about magic," Oscar answered.
"And how we can regain it," Ozpin added.
"That's good to hear," Ruby said and asked, "Anything else?"
"Ozpin still won't tell me everything," Oscar answered.
"You will learn it when we merge," Ozpin said.
"But I don't want to wait," Oscar said, "I want to know it now, so I can judge whether or not I should tell anyone."
"Trust me, I know what is best," Ozpin said.
"Do you?" Oscar asked and said, "Because for all I know, you could know things that you think are useless to us right now, but that we need to know to do our job properly."
"I think he's right," Ruby said, and Ozpin sighed.
"Alright, fine," Ozpin said, looked at Oscar and said, "If there is anything you want to know, I'll tell you as much as I can."
"Thank you," Oscar said and asked, "Now, how do we give people the ability to turn into animals, and make it be hereditary?"
"It's complicated," Ozpin answered, "And with how little magic we have left, it could be dangerous as well."
"What if Qrow or Raven die?" Oscar asked, "Where does the magic you gave them go?"
"I don't know," Ozpin answered, "These two were the first time I ever gave someone magic without having it seek out a new host when they died."
"I can talk to Jinn about it tomorrow," Ruby said and asked, "Anything else you two want to discuss?"
"No, not really," Oscar answered, and Ozpin shook his head.
"Alright then," Ruby said, "Guess I can go back to sleep now." She returned to her body and fell asleep.
~o~
Harriet charged Sirena and ran past her, trying to get past her defenses. Sirena blocked the punch and her semblance reflected the damage back onto Harriet.
"As I said before," Sirena said, "You cannot beat me with melee attacks. You need a ranged attack. And not just against me, either. There are numerous Grimm that can hardly be killed with your fighting style."
"So what, do I just get a gun?" Harriet asked.
"That will not be necessary," Sirena answered.
"Why not?" Harriet asked.
"Because of your semblance," Sirena answered, "It accelerates particles in the air, but not everything at once. In essence, your semblance causes electrons to move faster than the molecules they circle, thus letting them leave the molecular bonds, ionizing them. That it where the lightnings around you come from. With enough training, you can control them. Also, you can accelerate the air and use it as a projectile."
"How do you know so much about my semblance?" Harriet asked.
"I just do," Sirena answered, "Now keep training. Grab a handful of air, and throw it at that target. I will see you later, and review your progress." She put down a hologram projector and projected a target on a wall, then left the training room.
~o~
Sirena and Vine were standing in another training room, where Sirena had set up dozens of steel planks on sticks, which could rotate freely. Vine looked at them, moved one around a bit to see how it would move, and then looked over to Sirena.
"What is this for?" Vine asked.
"Training," Sirena answered, "You will go through there, and get more flexible. Now, get ready." She spun her trident around a bit, mainly to show off, and shot a burst of air into the planks, causing them to spin rapidly and unpredictably.
"I… don't think that is possible," Vine said as he looked at the metal thrash around like crazy. Without a word, Sirena walked into the area, smiling confidently, and disappeared behind the rotating steel obstacles.
"It very much is," Sirena said from the other side, "Your semblance is all about flexibility and reaching stuff others couldn't. So, I put this parkour together to enhance exactly that." Vine took a deep breath, exhaled, calmed his mind, and entered the area. Within seconds, he became a plaything for the ruthless steel, and ended up on the ground, safely underneath the steel planks.
~o~
Harriet and Ruby were sitting in the same classroom as before, talking about Harriet's past.
"I just… I couldn't reach them in time," Harriet said, choking on her words, "I… wasn't strong enough."
"I know that feeling," Ruby said softly, "The night Beacon fell, two of my friends died before my eyes. Penny was rebuilt, and Pyrrha is also not completely gone, but the pain I felt that night is still there."
"How do you handle that?" Harriet asked and said, "I mean, I heard what the pain Sirena felt did to the General, or almost did, and you must have felt that same pain as her. No matter how hard I try, I can't shake that pain, and every time I'm about to surpass my limits, their face comes up in my mind, and my entire body goes numb. It feels like it's going stiff and limp at the same time, and I can't focus on work for days afterwards, no matter how hard I try. The pain is just too much."
"That pain is born from love," Ruby said.
"Love?" Harriet asked.
"Yes, love," Ruby answered, "If losing someone hurts, it means you cared. And that means that you can care deeply for others. That love and the pain of losing who you love are two sides of the same coin. Light and darkness. If you focus on the good times you had with Tortuga, I'm sure you can overcome any obstacle. So, how about you tell me about those?"
"I guess… I can try that," Harriet answered and said, "There was one time, we both were kind of looking for trouble, and got into a fight. There was a big guy, and several smaller people. Tortuga put the big guy to sleep, and I beat up the smaller guys before they even knew what was happening."
"See, there it is," Ruby said, surprising Harriet a bit.
"There is what?" Harriet asked.
"Your smile," Ruby answered, "It's small, but that was definitely a step in the right direction."
"I didn't smile," Harriet said and turned away.
"Yes you did," Ruby said teasingly, "It looked cute, in a way. Much better than the one you had before."
"You mean when you brainwashed me?" Harriet asked, getting a bit upset again.
"Yep," Ruby answered, "Because this is your own smile."
"I told you, I didn't smile," Harriet said.
"Fine, you didn't," Ruby said and asked, "But what about you and Tortuga? Did you two do anything other than get into fights?"
"Well, we used to have races and see who was faster," Harriet answered, "At first, they were faster, but when I unlocked my semblance, I won, and just kept winning. But a few days later, Tortuga unlocked their semblance, and started making me drowsy halfway through the race. I didn't immediately fall asleep, but it was enough to keep me from using my semblance."
"And then?" Ruby asked.
"Eventually, I got used to their semblance," Harriet answered, "It didn't affect me as much any more, and I won again. Then Tortuga improved their semblance, and they won. It just kept going back and forth."
"Sounds like you two were great rivals," Ruby said.
"We were… friends," Harriet said, and got sad again. She let her head hang and sighed.
"That's what a rival is," Ruby said, "Rivals push each other to become better through friendly competition." Harriet looked up at Ruby.
"So, how can I get better without a rival?" Harriet asked, "How can I get better if it hurts so much?"
"Like I said, that pain shows that you loved them," Ruby answered, "Use that feeling to become better. For Tortuga, for your team, for the people and kingdom of Atlas, and for yourself. Remember the good times to ease the pain of the bad times, and use the pain as motivation to keep others safe."
"Is that how you do it?" Harriet asked.
"Yep," Ruby answered, "I felt a lot of pain, but if I let that stop me, those painful things will only repeat, and more people will get hurt. Moving on doesn't mean forgetting the past, or ignoring it. Moving on means accepting the past, living in the present, and facing the future head-on."
"But what if I lose someone else?" Harriet asked.
"Then you will have one more reason to protect those who you can," Ruby answered.
~o~
Vine jumped out of the swinging steel planks and landed on the floor, in front of Sirena. His aura was badly damaged and he had a few bruises as well.
"Again," Sirena said and used Aura Amp to recharge Vine's aura. He went back into the training course, only to be beaten by it once again.
~o~
Harriet rushed past Sirena, who blocked her repeated assaults with her trident and countered with her semblance. Harriet stopped a bit away from Sirena and prepared a palm thrust. She shot an air projectile at Sirena, which connected and dealt a bit of damage, though not enough to knock Sirena back.
"Well done," Sirena said, "But we need to take a break now. Your aura is too low."
"What next?" Harriet asked. Sirena sat down on the floor and leaned against one of the pillars standing in the training room.
"To be honest," Sirena answered, "You seem to not be improving too much."
"What does that mean?" Harriet asked, getting both confused and agitated.
"It means I don't think you're taking this seriously," Sirena answered.
"You think I don't take this seriously?" Harriet asked and said, "You are the one who just has me running around, you tell me about your semblance and aura all the time, with no help or advice on what my aura and semblance can do, and you just decide when we take breaks. I can keep going, but by the looks of it, you can't!" Sirena didn't respond for a few seconds, which was more than enough time for Harriet to regret her little outburst.
"So you want to keep going?" Sirena asked and said, "Alright." She got up and Harriet took a step back, turned around and ran away as fast as possible. After she had left the room, Sirena entered her Alpha State and used Doppelganger to create several copies of herself.
"Ladies, it is time," the real Sirena said to her clones. They all used Petal Burst or Possession, possessing their auras, to get in position.
~o~
When Harriet turned around a corner, she almost ran into Sirena, even though she was on the other side of the military complex, and started to freak out even more. She turned around and ran away again, but Sirena was always there when she thought she was safe.
"This is crazy," Harriet thought, "How can she be in so many places at once?"
"There you are," Sirena said, cornering Harriet in a three-way section, along with two copies of herself.
"That's impossible," Harriet said, "Two of you are not real. It can't be!"
"Why don't you try to see who it is, then?" Sirena asked, with her copies nodding.
"Alright," Harriet said, took a deep breath and shot air projectiles at the two clones flanking her. They both got knocked back and stumbled a little, but the one in the middle shot a powerful burst of water at Harriet, sending her through the wall behind her.
~o~
Vine used his semblance to grab all the rotating steel plates around him, and tried growing new vines from the ones he already had. It worked a little, but put too much of a strain on his aura, and it broke. Sirena pressed a button on her scroll, stopping the planks.
"I think we can stop for today," Sirena said, "I still have some other things to take care of." Suddenly, they heard what sounded like an explosion, and Vine looked up.
"What was that?" Vine asked.
"One of the things I mentioned," Sirena answered, "Looks like Harriet is finally learning."
~o~
Harriet found herself falling from Atlas and began to panic, both because the ground was rapidly approaching, and because Sirena was following her. She began running, trying to accomplish something, and felt the air compress underneath her feet.
"Whatever I'm doing, it's working," Harriet thought and kept treading the air. She landed far more softly than she expected, though the shock still rocked her entire body. Sirena slammed into the ground at full speed, kicking up a wave of snow. After the snow settled, Harriet stared in shock when she saw Sirena stand there like nothing happened.
"Run," Sirena said, and Harriet ran into the tundra as fast as her legs would carry her. After Harriet sprinted away, kicking up more snow, the Sirena clone looked at the one who had slammed into the ground and just laid there, and both turned into dark gray sludge.
~o~
Sirena and Elm were standing in a training room, with Elm using her semblance to anchor herself to the ground while Sirena tried to blow her away with a powerful gust of wind from her trident. Elm stood strong against the wind, but felt her aura dwindling.
"Remember," Sirena said, "There is ambient aura in the ground. Your aura is now connected to the ground. Use it."
"That again?" Elm asked, annoyed that Sirena kept saying the same thing over the past few days.
"Alright, new plan," Sirena said and stopped the training exercise.
"What is it?" Elm asked.
"We will focus more on aura manipulation for now," Sirena answered.
"Why?" Elm asked.
"Because it will help you sense aura," Sirena answered, "That way, you will get better at sensing the ambient aura in the ground, and to absorb it to replenish your own aura reserves."
"How do we do that?" Elm asked.
"Rather simple," Sirena answered, "I will use Blake's semblance to create clones of myself, and you will sense which one is the real me. Before I get to you."
"What was that last part?" Elm asked, but Sirena had already gotten out of her field of view and created two clones of herself. Elm walked around the training room and found who she thought was Sirena, but it turned out to be a clone, and the real Sirena hit her in the back.
~o~
Harriet was running through the tundra, avoiding Sirena, who seemed to be everywhere at once. She ran up to a lake that looked incredibly pretty, but Harriet knew that those were extremophile microorganisms that thrived in water that would kill humans.
"Just… a little… faster," Harriet thought and sped up again. She didn't even think about what she was doing anymore. She only thought about Tortuga, the fun they had together, and strangely enough, how she could have that much fun with the others as well. The feeling filled her with determination, and when her foot hit the acidic water, she didn't sink in. Step after step, Harriet made her way across the water as if it was a solid surface, and came to a stop on the other side, catching her breath. She turned around and deactivated her semblance, and the water splashed up behind her.
"Well done," Sirena said and flipped a coin. Harriet activated her semblance again and spun around. Sirena entered her Alpha State and dodged Harriet's punch. She rolled aside, got up and drew her trident. Harriet charged at her again, running seemingly normally, and Sirena blocked her punches with her trident. Sirena deflected one of Harriet's punches, throwing off her balance and allowing Sirena to get a few hits in herself. Harriet got out of reach, circled Sirena and attacked from a different angle. Sirena shot a blast of air into the snow between them, kicking up a wall of snow. Harriet grabbed the suspended powder and jumped over it, hitting Sirena with a drop-kick. Sirena slid across the ground and Harriet charged at her as she got back up, kicking up more snow, which seemingly stopped moving mid-air. Sirena rolled out of the way and used her trident as a jumping pole, landing on the snow Harriet had kicked up.
"Why didn't you do your super fast stabbing thing?" Harriet asked, "And how is this snow floating?"
"I did," Sirena answered, "And the snow is moving at the regular speed. We're just a bit too fast right now." Harriet looked around and saw the coin Sirena had flipped, which still hadn't reached its highest point.
"Wait, what?" Harriet asked and deactivated her semblance. Sirena left her Alpha State, and the world started moving fast enough for them to notice again.
"Is this fast enough for you?" Sirena asked, then went to grab her coin.
"Well, yes," Harriet answered, "For now, at least. Now, let's go back."
"Alright," Sirena said. She opened a portal to take them to Ruby, and made the doppelgangers in the tundra disappear again.
~o~
Elm sat down in the break room and let out an exhausted sigh. Vine sat down next to her, and sighed as well.
"What's got you so beat?" Vine asked.
"Sirena," Elm answered, "We've been training for a few days now, and she's ruthless."
"Sorry, but I don't believe you," Vine said, "I have been training with Sirena. But you're right, she is ruthless."
"No, I've been training with her," Elm said, "I'm pretty sure she had me hold a steel sheet while she bombarded it with wind."
"She had me do a parkour," Vine said, "And I have the bruises to prove it."
"Hey you two," Ruby said as she entered the room, and asked, "Who are you talking about?"
"Sirena," Elm answered.
"I have been training with her," Vine said, "But Elm insists that she has been training with her."
"That's weird," Ruby said, "I just talked to Sirena. She also said she had to train Harriet." A red portal opened next to Ruby, and Sirena and Harriet came out of it before it closed again.
"Sirena, there you are," Ruby said and asked, "And, how did your training go?"
"Turns out I didn't need her training," Harriet answered, "I just needed my own strength."
"How many of you are there?" Elm asked, and everyone gave her confused looks, then turned their attention to Sirena, expecting an answer.
"I… made a few dozen doppelgangers to help Harriet," Sirena admitted, "But it is entirely possible that some of them had other plans."
"Wait, is that why I saw you everywhere?" Harriet asked.
"Yes," Sirena answered.
"Still, I got faster, and it was entirely my own skill," Harriet said, "Thanks for trying, but I didn't need your help after all." She ran away, enjoying her new top speed.
"Vine, can you get me something to drink?" Elm asked.
"Sure," Vine answered and extended a vine from his left hand. He reached into the kitchen and opened the fridge, and grabbed out a can of soda. He used smaller vines to transport the can to himself while he tried to find something for himself as well, and grew the smaller vines out to give the can to Elm.
~o~
Ruby and Weiss were sitting in a break room and discussing their next aquatic adventures.
"By the way Weiss, can I talk to Jinn for a bit?" Ruby asked.
"Sure," Weiss answered and said, "And if she doesn't want to help you, just remind her that she still has one question to answer, if she wants to or not."
"Thanks, but I'm sure she'll help me," Ruby said.
"Yeah, but just in case," Weiss said and gave her the lamp.
"Jinn," Ruby said, and Jinn looked around in the room.
"Hello Ruby," Jinn said and asked, "A bit crammed in here, isn't it?"
"Yeah, sorry," Ruby said, "Anyway, I'm kind of curious about something."
"Sure, what is it?" Jinn asked.
"I'd like to know what happens with magic like Qrow or Raven's," Ruby answered, "You know, when the person who was given that kind of power dies."
"Sorry," Jinn said, "No questions about the future."
"This isn't a question," Ruby said, "And the rules already exist, so you can tell me what they are."
"Alright," Jinn said, "Well, the magic has to go somewhere. If their souls leave this world, it would go back to the person it came from. But now I'm off, and don't call me again when it's this crammed."
"Thanks," Ruby said, and Jinn disappeared into the relic again. Ruby handed the lamp back to Weiss, who absorbed it again. Suddenly, Ruby picked up a powerful dark presence, and started formulating a plan.
Author's note: Sirena doesn't like making clones of herself. Not because she gets confused who the real one is, but because they're her, which means they won't listen to anyone but themselves.
Also, Harriet can now almost walk on the air. She can definitely walk on water. She can't stand on it, but she can run across the ocean now, if she wanted.
But Sirena recharged Harriet's aura during the chase through the tundra, just in case.