Hi-Dilly-Do guys and welcome back to a new chapter of RWBY STAMPEDE's First Arc!
I decided to publish this chapter today only because I actually took a small break for Easter's holidays 'till monday, day where I resume to write mostly FFXV which is still the main fic that is taking a lot to write since I'm reworking a whole Volume (And adding scenes that will surprise you probably, hehe). Of course this doesn't mean that this fic is not important, instead even for its little numbers it is quite followed and I'll never stop to say thank you for all the love you're showing for this series!
Before I jump to the reviews and the good old disclaimer, I want to say an important thing: Starting from this chapter, you will already start to see that Vash's presence in Remnant changed A LOT the planet's own lore. The main reason for this is that, since this is a fusion fic, I had to adapt the lore of both series and blend them together to create something original, especially for places and/or characters that RWBY or Trigun have introduced in their series but unfortunately have not received enough attentions for several reasons. That's why you must be ready because this chapter and the next has a lot of drama, heh. And now review time!
- Guest 1: Yup, Ozpin and Vash knows each other since...well, quite the time. For who knows Trigun I guess they had probably realized that I didn't changed a certain thing of our favorite Humanoid Typhoon.
- Guest 2: And from the premise it's time for face with how much TriMax I used for this story. Spoiler: A lot (Anyone said Legato?)
- Spiral-Voltron-Zero0Q1: Hype train goes brrr heh? Then I hope you will love this chapter.
Of course I want to say thanks to even all the followers of this story and the one who favourited it! And now, enjoy!
DISCLAMER: I do not own RWBY nor Trigun.
Since the misadventure Team RWBY lived together with Vash the Stampede, days have passed as everything slowly returned to normality. Although the plaza was slowly being restored, the News channels on TV and Scroll continued to broadcast and post non-stop information about the affair, placing all the blame on Vash the Stampede, blame that is supported by all the citizens of the city. And the worst part is that every day they showed images of Vash being forcibly dragged together with Torchwick into an Atlas bullhead heading towards the mothership of the air fleet.
Yet, the young huntresses-in-training knew that that wasn't the truth. Sure, they hanged with Vash only for half a day probably, but in just that time they already realized that Vash is a gentle and compassionate soul.
That's why Ruby always went to Ozpin's office every day since the breach to ask the Headmaster to free Vash. Unfortunately, the experienced huntsman always negated the girl's request with a sad expression, saying that "Atlas has the control of the security, and they will never let Vash free".
And now, two weeks have passed since the breach.
Bullet 3: LOONEY TUNES
"Sigh…" Ruby let out a sigh as she stepped inside the cafeteria, heading towards her Team and Team JNPR. As she sat down, her teammates and friends noticed her defeated glance.
"Any luck?" Blake asked, but she already knew the answer when Ruby shook her head.
"Atlas has complete power over the security for the Vytal Festival, and since they were the ones who arrested Vash then there is no way to make them free him" The red reaper explained.
"Damnit!" Yang clenched one fist. "This is not fair at all!"
"I mean, they are right, no?" Pyrrha asked. "He is the one who destroyed July, after all"
At those words, Weiss suddenly slammed her hands on the table as she glanced at Pyrrha. "There's no way Vash did it! He is gentle and compassionate!" The heiress began to explain, although a little strike of red was present on her face. "He was even going to sacrifice himself to not let the Grimm come out from the tunnel!"
"We're not saying that Weiss, but does he say that he is not the culprit behind July?" Jaune pointed out, making Weiss step back a little. "Figures"
"But still, he saved the city from being invaded by the Grimm" Ruby retorted. "At least they have to count it"
"But since he is a criminal wanted since twelve years ago, who kept running away from huntsmen and police alike, it makes everything back to zero" Ren stated. "I don't think you are innocent if you continue to run away and still spread havoc every place you go"
"Maybe because he is actually a bomb thanks to his Semblance?" Nora shrugged until her eyes widened for amazingness. "OH! I want a Semblance like that!"
"I don't think there's such a Semblance, Nora" Yang said, rolling her eyes.
"...I get it now" Blake suddenly stated, gaining the confused glance of her friends. Noticing that she needs to explain, the Faunus began to talk. "Vash's title. The moment you get involved with him, you get swept into trouble, hence why he is called the Humanoid Typhoon."
"Guwah!" Vash groaned in pain when his head smacked against the wall of his cell before he felt another punch right at his guts, spilling out all the air he had in his lungs making him kneel. He was severally bruised, with blood stains over his face after a full week of "interrogations"—read torture— by the Atlesian soldiers.
"That's enough, soldier" Standing over the door, James Ironwood ordered as he walked towards the beaten Vash.
"Yes sir!" The soldier said, stepping aside from Vash, who slowly began to rise from the ground, coughing a little, although his hands were cuffed, making raising a little hard.
"Cough—W-what can I do for you, General Ironwood?" Vash asked, sporting a soft smile.
"Do you think this is funny, Humanoid Typhoon? Because this is not funny at all" Ironwood asked, glaring at the blonde haired man. "What was your plan with Mountain Glenn?"
"Didn't I told you everything the first day? I wanted to stop the train and the Grimm!" Vash retorted, but Ironwood punched him with his prosthetic hand. Vash cried in pain as he fell again.
"And do you believe I would trust such lies?" Ironwood asked. "Of all the places you could've been, it was Mountain Glenn of all. What a coincidence, huh? Tell me, July was another coincidence too, huh? Answer me!"
"I…" Vash glanced at the floor, trying to not meet Ironwood's steel glance. His eyes lost once again any kind of light at the mention of the city's destruction
"No answers huh? Very well, I have ways to make someone speak" Ironwood looked at the soldier before he nodded to him and then stepped back, letting the soldier resume the beating against the Humanoid Typhoon. Cries of pain and pants came from Vash as the soldier resumed to beat him with punches, kicks and headbutts. 'I can't understand why he is not reacting since we arrested him? It's been two weeks of endless interrogations, and still he did not speak nor reacted' The general thought.
"James!"
Turning his head towards the door, James managed to not show surprise over his expression nor glance when the Headmaster of the Academy that was hosting the tournament this year was standing in the entrance of the cell, his cane in hand. In all the years since James joined Ozpin's inner circle, the Atlesian general never saw Ozpin so much upset before. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Ozpin" James gave a quick look at his soldier before nodding, silently ordering him to stop "interrogate" Vash and leave the cell. He already knows that this will be a pain. "Why are you here? I remember that Vale gave full authority to Atlas for the security"
"Authority, you say? Torturing a man is a matter of security?" Ozpin stated, glaring at James as he stepped more inside the cell, closing its door behind. Giving a quick glance at Vash, Ozpin noticed that he was still breathing although his face was towards the floor, knocked out. Ozpin narrowed his eyes at such a sight. "Release him, James. Now"
"Release?!" Now James couldn't hide the surprise. "Ozpin, are you crazy?! He is Vash the Stampede, the one who destroyed July!"
"I am fully aware of who Vash is, together with the truth about the city" Ozpin slammed his cane against the floor as a green energy came out from his hands. "And especially for that, I came with a help"
"What are you talking about?" James narrowed his eyes before his Scroll ringed. Taking it out, his eyes widened for the surprise.
"With the permission of both the councils of the kingdoms of Atlas and Vale, from today Vash the Stampede is under my jurisdiction" Ozpin stated as James smashed his Scroll with one hand.
"Are you insane, Ozpin?! I trust you, but this man—this monster has the blood of millions of people!" James pointed at the knocked out Vash. "You don't know how many people lost their loved ones! How many bodies I buried that day! And now the Breach!"
"But this doesn't give you the right to torture a man like he's a beast" Ozpin retorted. "Besides, the case of the Breach is not related at Vash in a way"
"What do you mean with that, Ozpin?" James angrily asked.
"You will know…but not now" Ozpin has stated before he stepped forward once. "Now, James, hand me Vash and his belongings"
The sunshine of the twilight dyed the sky a beautiful red that faded to violet, a signal that night was about to fall completely on Vale, yet the students and staff of the Beacon Academy were still all up, caring of their own little things to do: There's who is playing with their friends, who is taking a nap, who is sparring with their teammates and even who are studying to pass the final exams before the Vytal Festival begins. And then, in the middle of the academy's fighting area, there is Jaune trading blows with Pyrrha.
The wind sang every second as the Xiphos-Miló clashed against the shield that, together with the sword, formed Jaune's signature weapon, Crocea Mors. Stepping back once for the strength behind the blows, Jaune looked at Pyrrha.
His teammate, his partner, was truly incredible.
But if there's something that Jaune began to believe is that he knows how to break such assault. When Pyrrha's Miló went for a stab, Jaune flapped the arm that held the shield, sending the shortsword away from the redheaded girl's hand, her eyes widened a little for the surprise as she smiled.
"Yaaah!" With a battlecry, Jaune took advantage of the situation and went to a slash with his sword.
"You improved so much Jaune…" Pyrrha muttered with a soft smile before she glanced at Jaune with an iron determination, raising her left arm which held the shield Akoúo̱. "But I still have my pride as the Invincible Girl!" Steel met steel, creating sparking at contact, before Pyrrha led down and swept Jaune's legs with a kick strong enough that made the blonde haired boy meet his face against the floor.
For Jaune's experience, it is quite a bit painful.
As he tried to raise up once more, Jaune suddenly had Miló pointed a few inches close to his neck. The girl's intention was clear like the day to Jaune, who sighed. "I've lost…again"
"That's not true!" Pyrrha stated before she quickly corrected herself. "Okay, maybe you lost this time too…but you actually improved enough to stand with weapons against me" The redhead then held her hand towards Jaune who accepted it.
"And yet I lost again" Jaune pointed it once again as Pyrrha helped him to rise up.
"Because you didn't paid enough attention to me after you disarmed me" Pyrrha explained as she sheathed back her weapon. "You were doing the right to go and land an attack on me, but it left you distracted to my lower body. All I had to do was kneel enough to make you lose balance. But overall, you improved a lot since the Initiation. I'm sure that you're ready for the Vytal Festival" Pyrrha then warmly smiled at Jaune, who glanced away to hide a little flush of red.
"R-Really? Ahah, I believe you then!" Scratching the back of his head, Jaune faked a chuckle as he grabbed back his sword and sheathed Crocea Mors. When his belly rumbled, Jaune sighed for embarrassment while Pyrrha smiled a bit.
"Do you want to-" The redheaded girl was going to ask if her partner wanted to grab something to eat, but he beated her on time.
"Yes I do" Was Jaune's reply, and with that the two left the fighting area. Just when they walked in one of the many corridors of the gothic academy, their path unfortunately crossed with the worst guy in the entire first year's freshmen.
"Well well well, look who's here: Old pal Jauney and the Invincible Girl" Cardin was standing against a wall, his arms crossed as he sported a smirk on the pair.
"What do you want Cardin? I thought we were even after Forever Fall" Jaune spitted the bully's name like it was venom.
"And I don't think you want to mess with him again" Pyrrha stood beside Jaune, glaring at Cardin who just continued to smirk.
"Oh no, I didn't forget the ass wiping made by your girlfriend there, Jauney" Cardin said, pointing his left index against Jaune while the blonde haired boy and the redheaded girl blushed at the mention of 'girlfriend'.
"W-We're not a couple!" Pyrrha stammered, with Jaune confirming the statement with several nods.
"Y-Yeah, what she said!"
"Whatever" The bully stepped back once before he gave a last glance to the pair. "Remember that this Friday—so in three days, the Tournament will begin. And just there we can see if the Invincible Girl will remain invincible or will fall" The way he said the last sentence creeped Jaune for how cold Cardin sounded.
"Then we will be ready to kick your butts once more" Jaune took all his courage and glared at his former-not-so-former bully. Yet, this made Cardin laugh.
"Sure Jauney, I'll trust ya" Cardin then walked away, waving with one hand as he disappeared in another corridor. Looking at each other, Jaune and Pyrrha were exchanging worried looks. Cardin acted too strangely from his usual self…
When Vash blinked his eyes open, the first thing his mind registered was that he was lying on a bed inside some kind of infirmary. He slowly woke up into a sitting position, turning his neck around to let some bones pop, before he turned to look at the window next to his bed.
It was night time and, strangely enough, Vash never recalled someone bringing him there.
He stared down to find himself clad in a hospital gown—at least his prosthetic arm was still attached—and when he looked at his bed - the sheet, the blanket and the mattress looked… so clean that it felt off to him…wait, how many days has passed since he actually slept in a real bed?
When he looked around again, his eyes finally noticed that there was someone else sitting on a chair not far from his bed, as well as another person standing next to it. "Ozpin, Glynda" Vash greeted the headmaster and his assistant. Someone could say that calling the headmaster without his proper honorifics is disrespectful. However, over the years he spent wandering, Vash knew that the man and his assistant were worthy of trust as well as respect.
"Vash" Ozpin smiled lightly with a nod. "Welcome back to Beacon. It is good to see you again."
"So I'm back to Beacon, after all..." Vash nodded while regarding his room again with amusement in his eyes. "...I gotta say, you renovated the interior so quickly and nicely since the last time I was here"
Ozpin couldn't repress a slight chuckle, shaking his head a bit. "Well, it's been twelve years since your last visit, of course I had to re-decorate the whole interior of my school, even if it took me quite a time for each session. So far, Beacon Academy has undergone renovations for three times, but your comments about the interior are appreciated"
"Three times huh…" Vash lowered his head a bit, softly smiling. Even if he wasn't looking at them, Vash knew that Ozpin nodded to Glynda.
"Tell me Vash, do you know what date is today?" The headmaster asked.
Vash turned his eyes back to the headmaster, clearly going to reply until he paused to put up a thoughtful expression. "Err… Not sure, to be honest. That cell without windows never helped…huuh, Monday?"
"It's Tuesday" Glynda spoke for Ozpin. "And in three days the Vytal Festival will begin, together with the Tournament"
"It's already the Vytal Festival?" Vash looked surprised. "So…wait, I was locked back for two weeks?!"
"Indeed, and because of that I managed to get the permission from the councils of Vale and Atlas for your freedom" Ozpin explained to Vash.
"I see I see—" Vash nodded a few times until he gave a comically confused expression. "—Wait, permission for my freedom?" Oh boy, he wasn't loving how strange it sounded, and the smile on Ozpin's face was not going to help.
"Precisely. But for a cost…" Ozpin then gave a nod to Glynda, who left the room before walking inside once again, holding Vash's revolver in her hands. At the sight of the gun, the Humanoid Typhoon's glance lost a bit of his light. "You will act as an independent officer for the Festival's security. Of course, you will be provided with a private accommodation and your services will be waged"
And then boom. That…surprised Vash, and a lot. "Wait hold on—Me?! A member of the security?! Ozpin, I'm a wanted man, come on! I can't do it!" Indeed, Vash had quite good points for refusing the offer. "I appreciate the offer for a real bed, a good meal and a few Lien, but—" A plate of several donuts was put over Vash's legs before the Humanoid Typhoon could finish his sentence. Vash looked at them with a plain glance, how could the legendary Vash the Stampede fall for— "Deal"
"Good to see that the old Vash is still with us. We missed you'' Glynda gave a strangely warm smile to Vash, who began to eat donuts after donuts. Ozpin couldn't deny that such gluttony clearly reminded him of a certain cloaked girl.
"Yeah…" Between each donut, Vash managed to speak a bit sadly. "The old me…"
The headmaster and the assistant glanced at each other, with Glynda looking at Ozpin with a mixture of pleading and a strange affection in her eyes. The white haired man gave a slow nod before he got up and glanced at Vash. "I leave you two alone, surely you need some catching up" Receiving a nod from the blondies, Ozpin began to walk towards the door before he gave one last look at Vash. "And Vash. I'll wait for you tomorrow morning in my office to fill the papers" And then, without waiting for the Humanoid Typhoon's answer, he left the room.
In an awkward silence, Vash was trying to not look at Glynda the whole time, looking at the window that displays the night outside the Academy. "So…how are-" Before he could've continued his sentence, Vash widowed his eyes when Glynda threw herself towards the Humanoid Typhoon, locking him in a gentle yet desperate hug as she hid her face between the left shoulder and neck of Vash, the revolver she was holding fell over the ground in a loud way as the black piece of steel and blood met the floor. Over his shoulder, Vash felt water rolling through his skin, quickly realizing that they were tears. "Glyn…da?"
"You idiot…!" Glynda. still hiding her face, spoke. "You left for twelve years without sending any kind of mail!" Then, she finally revealed her face to Vash as she moved back a little, revealing streams of tears rolling through her face, the lenses of her glasses slightly wet, before she threw weak punches against the Humanoid Typhoon's chest. "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"
Vash remained in silence, letting the blonde haired woman vent her sadness and alleged anger towards him with those punches.
"Idiot!" With a last punch, Glynda lowered her head as she held Vash by the hospital gown with both hands. "You promised me…that no matter what, you would've at least stood by me everytime I accomplished something…"
In silence, Vash slowly moved his prosthetic hand towards Glynda before he gently stroked her right cheek, wiping a tear with the robotic thumb. "I'm sorry that I left you all, Glynda…and for had broken our promise"
"But why…?!" She raised her head once again, still showing off her tears to Vash. "Why did you left us that day? There were different ways!" Then, she just grabbed his robotic hand with her right hand. "I…wanted to see you be proud of me when I became a huntress…brother"
Vash's eyes darkened a bit at the mention of 'brother' as his mind quickly reminded him of that day before he broke the contact of his prosthetic hand with her hand of flesh. "...No, there weren't any other ways, Glynda. This is the only path"
Hearing those words visually broke something inside the woman's heart as Glynda's lips trembled. "I see…" Slowly breaking any kind of physical contact with the Humanoid Typhoon, Glynda slowly began to walk away towards the door.
"Glynda, wait!" Vash quickly jumped off the bed, but the woman just gave him a glance that made Vash stop on his steps.
"There's no need, Vash…I understand you can't go on after July" Glynda coldly stated to Vash, and now it was time for the wanted criminal to be visually surprised. "I understand that feeling, and you know that I have the right to say so. But you can't continue to run away from reality! You're just…consciously living without a will like the deads"
"I…Glynda, I…"
"At least did you went to visit her once?" Glynda questioned, but when Vash went silent about this question, the woman flapped her hand. "Figures…" Then, she turned her back to Vash before opening the door. "Good night, Vash" Glynda then left the room, leaving Vash alone who sat down on his bed, looking at the floor. Glancing at the .22 revolver he carries now laying on the ground, Vash slowly grabbed it with his prosthetic hand. The artificial receptors placed on the palm of the robotic hand transmitted the sensation of the cold steel through the synapses of his brain as Vash slowly held the weapon in front of him.
"I truly made a mess, huh…" Vash muttered before he made a soft yet melancholic smile. "What I have to do, Rem?"
The sun stood high in the skies of Vale, blessing the kingdom with the gift of high noon. The weather was strangely hot for the current season of Fall, yet it was another quiet day for the entire city and its famous Academy of huntsmen. And for the W and B of Team RWBY, the plan of spending the last days before the tournament was already decided by outsider forces.
"Going to Patch for a break before the tournament?" On her bed, Blake raised her look from her book, glancing at the older sister of the Xiao Long-Rose sisters.
"Yup" Yang put emphasis on the 'p' with a smile on her face. "Since we promised to dad we will go back home for these two days, I thought that we could take the chance of a break all together without leaving you two here alone" With her hands on her hips like she was proud of the idea, Yang looked at her teammates. "Isn't it a great idea?"
"Mh…I suppose it will not kill anyone if we take a break once a while" Sitting before the mirror, Weiss was applying some face makeup, using the mirror to see Yang without breaking eye contact with her own face. "Sure, why not? Blake?"
"Well, we should actually continue our training for the tournament" Blake began to talk, and she saw that Yang was ready to call her party-pooper until a small smug appeared over the cat Faunus's face "But someone taught me that it's fine if we take a break once a while when we are pursuing something"
"Yes!" Yang bumped a fist in the air. "Gotta call dad and confirm him to prepare the guest room!" The brawler stated as she walked out the room, which fell in silence for a few minutes until the heiress questioned.
"Wait, where's Ruby?"
"She went to the workshop to do maintenance on her weapon a few hours ago" Flapping one page, Blake replied to the white haired girl. "She said that her 'baby' needs a proper 'workout' too to be ready for the tournament"
"That weapon dork…" Weiss sighed as she resumed her work…or at least, she was going to do it when the door of the dormitory was opened with a slam by Nora with enough strength that made Blake jump over her bed (landing like a cat) and Weiss painting her face like a Picasso. "What the—?!"
"Nora?!" Blake said surprised.
"Girls come here!" The ginger head shouted at them, strangely more excited than usual…it was a creepy image for Weiss and Blake how much excited Nora was right now. "There's a duel between Professor Goodwitch and Vash the Stampede!"
"Wait, Vash?! Here?!" Weiss suddenly got up, cleaning her face with a towel.
"Atlas really freed him?!" Jumping off from the bed, Blake looked at Nora with a surprised face. "Are you sure that Vash is here?"
"Of course he is, duh" Nora gave a 'I can't be wrong' look at the two. "Blonde spiky hair, red coat and a huge gun on his side, right?" Receiving a nod from the two girls, Nora smiled as she ran outside. "See, let's go to see it!"
Without a single blink of an eye, Weiss and Blake dashed and followed Nora.
Ruby was walking to the Academy's workshop with a warm smile over her face, humming a song as she held in her hand the case of Crescent Rose. 'It's been quite a while since the last maintenance. Fortunately I booked the whole workshop for myself a week ago!' She thought as she approached the entrance of said workshop and walked inside.
Looking around the place, one could see that it had a very typical set-up for a weaponry forge at its base level, but there were also plenty of other features to the room that made it really stand out and show just how high-class a school Beacon was. Everything that they would need for doing the easier jobs on weapons and the finer operations work that would require one to get a more delicate instrument was here, resting in a specific toolbox, on a workbench, or hanging up on the wall with other tools.
And another look around the room made Ruby lose the grip, making the case she was bringing in her hand fall on the ground when she saw the Humanoid Typhoon, without his red jacket, was sitting behind a desk, where his revolver was currently disassembled into several pieces. In his hands, Vash was holding the inner barrel of the weapon and in the other hand a cotton swab. He looked really focused on his work…until he heard the cases slamming against the ground, making the man jump and fall over the ground in a comical way. "V-V-Vash?!" Ruby said, using her Semblance to dash towards the blonde haired man, who sat down and massaged his back, looking at him with her silver eyes.
"That's my name, yes—Ouch…" Vash looked at Ruby with one eye closed before he widened them when he realized the presence of the red reaper. "R-Ruby?! Why are you here?"
"Oh, because I have to do maintenance on our wea-" Ruby began to talk until she shook her head several times. "Wait no, that's not the topic here- Did you ran away from Atlas?!"
"What?!" Vash said, surprised. "No, of course! Why did you said that?"
"Because it's been weeks since the Breach!" Ruby pointed out, effectively reasoning with Vash who moved his head slightly.
"Ok, maybe you're right-" A single glare of the silver eyed girl made Vash gulp and correct himself. "-You're totally right!" He said as he got up again. "But no, actually Headmaster Ozpin got the permission to let me be free if I work as a member of the security during the festival" Vash said before he pointed at his neck where a badge hung, which read 'SECURITY: Vash the Stampede'.
"I see" Upon hearing those words Ruby smiled a bit, the headmaster cared for Vash too and he seemed to listen to Ruby's request to a degree. But there's still another elephant in the room. "Wait, why are you here? I booked the workshop for me days ago" The reaper asked, pulling out the permission saved on her Scroll and showing it to Vash.
"Wait, seriously?!" Vash gave a comically surprised face, which is helped thanks to his orange sunglasses. Looking at the desk he was working, the Humanoid Typhoon sighed. All the work to disassemble his revolver for nothing. "I'm sorry, Ozpin didn't told me that you booked it before I asked to use it" He said as he walked towards the desk. "I'll reassemble it and I leave-"
"N-No, it's not a problem really! I swear!" Ruby made hasty gestures with her hands, clearly a bit nervous now. "If you want, y-you can stay, ahah?" Give the girl a break, honestly. For the red reaper, this was kinda a big deal since she preferred to do most of the weapons maintenance alone. Not that she had a problem with other people being around while she did all the necessary checks and cleanings for her precious Crescent Rose, but she did not normally invite other people to join her with it aside from her family, something that she dropped when she finally proved she could do it on her own a few years back.
On the other hand, Vash was at first pretty confused by the girl's sudden stuttering until he seemed to realize to a degree about her situation. With a soft yet warm smile, the Humanoid Typhoon nodded slowly. "Thank you for your kindness, Ruby. I truly appreciate it"
Ruby seemed flattered by Vash's continue kindness even after she and the others tied him during Mountain Glenn. The Humanoid Typhoon is truly a living mystery in Remnant.
In a common silence of respect, the two began to work on their weapons where Ruby then treated Vash to quite the impressive show of craftsmanship as she used every tool at her disposal to make various adjustments on her scythe, be it in the form of cleaning or repairing, all the while muttering little notes to herself about what did or did not work. The Humanoid Typhoon was amazed for just how impressive Ruby was working on her already amazing scythe. Eventually, Vash felt that he had to give some kind of comment on the girl's work ethic and skill. "It's amazing that you can sustain that"
"Sustain what?" The red reaper asked, not breaking eye contact with her sweet baby.
"The recoil" The gunman said bluntly, and his next words surprised Ruby. "That's a .50 caliber you handle, and your body can sustain its recoil and use it to speed yourself up, am I right?" That's an impressive feat"
Hearing that sudden praise, no matter how small it may have been being what finally broke Ruby out of the little world she had gotten lost in while she worked, but she still managed to follow the necessary safety precautions before turning her attention onto Vash so she could properly reply, even if it was with a slightly bashful tone. "Thanks. I've had a lot of practice and a really good teacher," Ruby admitted while brushing her bangs back a little out of shyness. Yet she widened her eyes when she realized that she never showed that usage of Crescent Rose to him…but then she recalled that the blonde haired man close to her is the legendary Vash the Stampede.
"I'm sure he must be a helluva teacher if his teachings managed to let you develop your skills to enter in Beacon two years before the other students" Vash complimented, his eyes now locked to his revolver. With steady grip, the gunman polished the inner sides of the cylinder. And then Ruby noticed an engraving on the upper side of the barrel lying on the desk that made her widen her eyes and let out a 'eep' of ecstasy.
"Oh my Oum I can't believe my eyes!" Ruby said with all the happiness she could have inside, confusing Vash.
"Believe…what?"
"That engraving!" Ruby said, using her Semblance to approach Vash and standing an inches from him, grabbing the barrel and pointing the engraving with a finger. It says "F.M.S." "It's the signature of Frank Marlon, the legendary gunsmith from Vacuo!"
"Yeah, it is…-" Hearing that name made Vash surprised by the knowledge the girl displayed right now. "Wait, do you know Frank?!"
"Of course duh!" Ruby said with a smirk. "He is one of the most famous alive gunsmiths in the entire Remnant! He even has his own column in 'Dust and Guns' magazine every month! Owning one of his weapons means you wield one of the most powerful weapons in the world, and to be honest the sniper bolt mechanism of my Crescent Rose is a bit inspired from his works" She said the last part with a bit of embarrassment, yet she displayed confusion when she noticed Vash's melancholy look at the disassembled weapon, like he was lost in the river of time.
"I see…so Frank finally did it" Vash smiled sadly.
"You know him? Like…Frank and not the gunsmith Frank?" Ruby asked, seeming confused by Vash's reaction.
"Yeah…you know; my gun wasn't like this before. It is one of the first models of revolvers that Atlas released before the Great War, so it was actually thinner and smaller" He said and waved at the disassembled revolver, beginning to explain the weapon's story to the weapon dork. "I got it…no, a guy gifted it to me when I was the same age as you, but the way I used it slowly disrepair it until I met Frank in Coquina. Back then, Frank wasn't himself…every reason was a good reason for him to drink booze"
"Frank was an alcoholic?!" Ruby was surprised to hear that as she compared the gunsmith to a certain huntsman.
"He was, but only because he didn't have any way to vent himself" Vash nodded and resumed the story. "For a gunsmith, the guns they create are their legacy, that's why all their creations are treated like works of art and Frank isn't an exception" Then, Vash's eyes became sorrowful as he continued. "Unfortunately, Frank sold one of his custom made to someone who tried to rob a bank, and in the middle of it he lost his wife and his daughter"
The more Vash was telling, the more Ruby was slowly emphasizing the man behind the legendary gunsmith. "And no one could've…help him?"
"The loss of your family is not that easy. All the townspeople of Coquina tried to help Frank, but his sorrow and depression was too much and so he began to drink" Vash shaked his head, adjusting his glasses with his prosthetic hand. "Then I met him a year after his loss because I've heard of his skills. Yet, at first he denied my request…and we passed out together after we started to drink the same night—" Vash chuckled nervously when suddenly Ruby glared at him, making him lower his head and borbotting 'sorry' before he resumed. "The day after, a group of bandits assaulted the town but the townspeople chased them off with a mere bluff"
"A bluff?" Ruby was curious about it, and Vash smirked as he made a finger gun with his right hand.
"Yup, a bluff. But it was enough that made Frank trust in people again. He took my gun and worked on it for a whole week until he gave it back to me in its current form" Vash then made a smile. "He stated that this is and will always be his masterpiece"
"His masterpiece…" Ruby repeated, looking at the disassembled weapon. "And how he called it? Your weapon"
"Oh" Vash touched his chin with his left index a few times. "He never gave it a name, and nor I did"
"What?!" Ruby was shocked. Both Frank and Vash didn't think of a name for this legendary revolver?! "Impossible, it needs a name now!"
"It doesn't need one" Vash cut off the possible topic.
"But why?"
"Because a memento doesn't need a name. Gift or not, Frank's masterpiece or not, this gun is a memento for me" Vash explained solemnly. "But I appreciate the idea, I'm sure old Frank love it too"
"A memento…" Ruby repeated slowly. "But at least you're treating it well, don't you?"
"Well…Frank reworked it for my own type of utilization, but it's been so many years since the last maintenance was made by him and, unfortunately, it doesn't matter how many times I work on it, I can't fix a problem" Vash revealed. "It's always three inches off from only ten yards"
"Mh…three inches off from only ten yards" Ruby crossed her arms and thought. In her almost immense knowledge about weapons, this wasn't the first time she heard about this problem. Then, a bulb inside her head lit up. "Maybe I know how to fix it"
"Really? It would be amazing—!" Vash looked amazed at Ruby. Grabbing her hands, Vash looked at a now really embarrassed Ruby. "Can you help me then?"
The red reaper at first didn't have any kind of words to reply to Vash's question. Working on the revolver wield by the Humanoid Typhoon, Vash the Stampede, with said revolver being the masterpiece of the legendary Frank Marlon? "HOLY OUM YES!" How could she turn off such a request? If she manages to fix it, Ruby will enter in the literal Olympus of gunsmiths!
With synchronized movements, the donut eater and the cookie lover began working on the black revolver together. Usually Vash does this kind of work alone since he's always on the run, so having another pair of hands that are handling that pain in the arse that are the cylinder and the fire mechanism is truly a blessing. "Haha!" Ruby suddenly said, making Vash turn his head to the red reaper. "I knew it!"
"Knew what…?" Vash asked until she held her left hand to Vash, letting him look at the cylinder and the hammer parts.
"That's the reason why your gun is three inches off from only ten yards. They are extremely disrepair" Ruby explained with a smile. "But don't worry, I repaired Weiss's Myrtenaster's dust cylinder, so I know how to substitute them"
"I see" Vash smiled softly. "Then I leave them to you if you want"
"Of course I want to! Just hang on a second!" Ruby smiled excitedly, using her Semblance to reach boxes filled with high quality replacement parts and grab them in a matter of few seconds, all this time being observed by Vash, who sported his now iconic smile as the red reaper returned to her seat, smiling back at Vash as she put the parts on the desk. "And now we need to-"
"Clean all the parts before reassembling the gun" Vash concluded Ruby's sentence who nodded, grabbing a cloth as both of them began to do it. As they were doing their work, Vash broke the silence. "Qrow, isn't it?"
"H-Huh?" Ruby almost let slip the new cylinder from her hands when she heard her uncle's name coming out from Vash.
"Your teacher's name" Vash further explained. "Qrow Branwen, right?"
"Do you know Uncle Qrow?!" Ruby asked, surprised. Her uncle seemed to know the most infamous man in the entire world and he never said it?!
"Who doesn't know him? I mean, he's one of the best huntsmen to ever graduate from Beacon, and the best scythe wielder ever" Vash said, looking at Ruby clearly proud of her uncle. "Your style and weapon greatly recall him to me, although if you keep up you will surpass him"
"Oh no no no, my uncle is and always remains the best scythe wielder ever, period" Ruby replied with pride. "He used to be a teacher at Signal a while back before he started taking on some really big and serious jobs as a huntsman. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing, and now, I'm all like…Hooowaaaah! Wutchaaaa!"
Vash could not help but laugh a bit at that last part, especially since Ruby did a few fancy little martial arts poses to go with her noises. Not that Ruby seemed to mind too much, given how she smiled a little seeing that he was amused, even if it was slightly at her expense. "So he's the one who taught you all of your fighting abilities?"
"Well, most of them, especially when it comes to anything relating to how to use my scythe, and all of this as well," Ruby replied, gesturing to Crescent Rose and the tools used to perform maintenance on the weapon. "My dad and Yang also taught me a few things in the way of hand-to-hand combat, but it's just…well, I wouldn't say I'm complete garbage at it, but I'm definitely not that great either."
"I guess I relate with that" Vash nonchalant said, gaining a surprised look from Ruby. "What?"
"Are you kidding? You saved all of us with just one bullet! You dodged point-blank bullets and your martial abilities are god-like! How could you relate to me? I'm clearly weaker than you!" Ruby pointed out, yet the gunman gave just a soft smile as he shook his head.
"No, that's not true. Sure, I can pull out such lucky shots…but the truth is that I don't have anything to protect with my life" He said, cleaning the barrel of the gun.
Clearly seeing that his mood was a bit sadder than before, Ruby tried to change the topic. "S-So,who taught you how to shoot with that gun?"
"...My older brother" Vash revealed. "When it comes to most of my abilities with the gun, I'm more self-taught than anything else, but the one who taught me how to handle one of these was my brother" He said, glancing at the left side of the barrel where there was another engraving, one that Vash couldn't see once more.
"Do you have a brother? I never knew that!" Ruby said until she corrected the sentence a second later, gaining Vash's amused soft smile. "W-Well, like all the other things about you, ahah…and what is his name?"
"His name…his name is-" Before Vash was going to reveal his brother's name to Ruby, the door of the workshop opened revealing Glynda. "-Glynda?"
"Professor Glynda?" At first Ruby was confused…then she saw the authoritative woman walking towards the two. "P-Professor Glynda!"
"Stay still, Miss Rose" Glynda stated before she gave a cold glance to Vash who gulped. "I came here for a different matter"
"Can we talk about it?" With a goofy smile, Vash closed his eyes and asked…yet the reply he got by Glynda is her crop, The Disciplinarian, pointed at his nose. "...right?"
Turn to the next bullet: PEACE MAKER