RWBY Crimson Timeline

by CrimsonPhoenixRWBY

Some say we're the heroes of our own story. But what if someone could tell it better?

29. Vol9 Down the Rabbit Hole

div id="djs-foo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"In the grand probability of endless potential and opportunity, there exists a timeline where everything goes right, rather than wrong. A timeline where events play out as close to the current one, yet key subtle differences alter and change the fates of those touched. Within the endless reaches of time, space and opportunity, we find ourselves within an endless void. The same one that Ambrosius had created to piss off the girls. After bestowing upon them the gift of Creation and the amazingness that is his creative work, they had instantly pulled him back out to craft something else. What unthankful little brats! One of them had even said 'we're not done with you yet', so he felt righteously angry at them! He sabotaged their project, the same way he had done to Ozopin…ozpan…ozoparathon…Oz..? Doesn't matter, through the many millenia when people ask things of him, Ambrosius had been a very compliant worker, and a very scorned prideful craftsman. They had asked for tubes. He gave them a bridge of light. They even asked for railings, yet he made them breakable. And an endless void beneath. One that they better not fall into. And fall they did. The sound of a blade skewering flesh woke the falling blonde up. Penny. She was dead, poisoned by Aschen. I tried to boost her Aura but the toxin was something entirely different. It ate the soul of a person. He knew, Jaune Arc, because he had poured his own Aura into Penny via Amp. And he could feel the venom eat away his own power. Something soared, turning around and gazing at the situation, his blue eyes found a comet of fire passing by. And revealing itself to be… "Crescent Rose?" Diving after it, curious and unsure, Jaune grabs the weapon and holds tight. How is that possible? I fell…last…yet the weapon is now passing me by?! Hopeful, eager to find a friend, even the other blonde that had fallen with him, yet he saw nothing. Only a heavy fog of sickly yellow that he fell into and things cut to black./div
div id="djs-8g094" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"At first it feels like a warm bath. Like coming home after a long day's work, a workout in the Beacon Gyms, a tiring day dealing with Marrow's teasing and hitting the showers in Atlas Academy. But then it becomes a nightmare as blue eyes flash open submerged and the warm glow of the sun beginning to fade for death's cold embrace. Wait I'm already dead, aren't I? Jaune swims upwards, his lungs straining and burning for air. If I'm dead, why do I feel so alive in this moment of drowning?! Breaking the surface, the cold air fills his aching lungs. Yes! I'm ALIVE! With the grogginess he doesn't understand where it came from, he doggy paddles towards the coastline and crawls upon the sand, soaking it as it sticks to his face. Warmth washing over his drenched form, exhaustion from two days of intense work and fighting take him as he passes out. The bright burning suns remaining watch over him as the landscape and workings of the Ever After happen for a full day, before the tired man stirs. Sand caked to his cheek, he spits out what he had been dreaming was a parfait, into a cluster of sand and spit. Wow, who knew forty-eight hours of high intense working and fighting as well as dying, living, drowning and living again could make one so hungry?! Slowly he rises, grabbing the broken blade of Corcea Mors, along with the Scythe he had seen his best friend use so often. Where could they be? He pressed the button, collapsing it into a compact formation and shoulders it. Rumble in his belly and the ticking of a clock ringing in his mind. He had been late…again./div
div id="djs-6cebp" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Where am I?", he asks no one in particular as the beach, shoreline, odd starfish and palm trees make way for a vast jungle area. The ticking becomes more and more annoying as he clears space and creates distance from the place he had woken up. Hungry, tired and drained, he slowly wonders where the others are, as a tree appears. A single tree in an open clearing where fruit was hanging! Finally! Something to eat in this delusional fever dream. Yet as he reached for it and touched the fruit, he realized it wasn't a piece of food. It was a pocket watch?! A bad thing to do since as he touched it, the one in his hand began turning more aggressively. THe ticking of the tree sped up. Increasing and then becoming less? No not less, it VANISHED! Jaune panicked! The tree was reverting back into nothing, as if it had never been there, the Jungle became 'younger', the sky was on a speed rewind key or something. No wait! That means…I'm being rewinded?! Jaune drops the clock and looks at himself. No he was still the same age as he had already gone back ten years without knowing it. He raised his foot, stomping on the clock, but the damn thing wasn't dying or breaking! "Please, stop it!", he roared as he lifted the sheath and stabbed into the clock. Breaking it as time stops rewinded. How…long was I out?! He turns around, no marker at all to give him a view. Only one large tree at the very edge of his vision, the World Tree. He had heard Nora tell stories about such a tree…confused he lifts the sheath and goes to look back at the beach for a marker of sorts. He still needed something to eat. In his stunned state he doesn't notice the clock's seed fall into the soil, being that HE planted the time tree. He doesn't notice how in passing he hits a tree by accident and drops cheese on the floor, sprouting more cheese seedlings. Jaune groans and gets back to the beach…waiting for a sign as the man is stuck twenty years back, waiting for two people he never expected to see./div
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div id="djs-6p7m8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-44kie" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""ughhh", she doesn't notice her soaked boots are in the water. Moaning as the light hits her eyes and the soothing breeze of the jungle slowly caresses her cheek. She also doesn't notice how a handsy character is patting her pockets down for valuables, already having stolen her sword. But when the thing plucks at her belt for her remaining Dust pellets, Weiss Schnee wakes up and yells! Looking at her assailer, his grubby paws in her pocket grabbing at her Aura Dagger! She slaps the raccoon in the face and staggers to her feet. His masked face smiles at her, dressed in a white shirt and purple pants? She needs to do a double take to fully 'mentally' accept that she was indeed staring at a dapper dressed raccoon. "What in the name of…"/div
div id="djs-9l381" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sorry…you weren't looking, fair is fair!", What! That thing talked?! Weiss had the dumbstruck expression before she noticed that on his cart filled with trash and useless trinkets was… "HEY that's mine!"/div
div id="djs-8h7va" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No it's not, stole that fair and square!", And so the cart began pulling away! Weiss was still a little out of it as she slowly began to jog, before breaking into a sprint after the cart. Her body felt sore, like having had dealt with the whole Nora thigh program. Or after she had woken up in the bandit camp. As she gave chase after the cart, her mind was mixed. Thoughts about how she had been thrown off the edge by Aschen, her back still feeling sore as she moved in accordance to the runaway thief! She needed speed! Not slowing down, grasping the handle of her Aura Dagger she pushes the button to have it extend. Except it fizzles and doesn't appear. Groaning, Weiss throws out a Summoning Glyph, without her sword it's not as easy but with a bit of focus she can climb aboard her Rapier Wasp Queen and zooms after that trash panda! Over the lush jungle and nearing a strange cliffside before Weiss' Summons get sliced to ribbons and she crashes into the canopy. What the Grimm? How did that happen? Groaning and having a good slap from a branch that thankfully can't power through her partially restored Aura. As she hits the floor with a thud, surrounded by jungle and plantlife, Weiss takes a breather. She was so busy trying to stop whatever stole her weapon that she didn't take a good stock of where she was and what she had on her. A set of dust pellets, which was good, especially since she managed to restock before they left through the gateways, courtesy of Atlas Academy store rooms! She took her Aura Blade and checked it's contents. Battery was empty. Dammit! Placing it into her pocket to charge, she tried to get back in pursuit of the one who stole her items, when she heard a voice./div
div id="djs-371nu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hunting", It was a deep voice. One that scared Weiss a little. Since it was…unnatural. She looked at the hilt, few Dust Pellets./div
div id="djs-20isr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Searching", it was getting closer. She needed a way to fight it off. Weiss knelt down and put her hands on the floor, a massive Summoning Glyph appeared./div
div id="djs-f53vn" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hearing!", That voice. It's worse than the Hound! Please my knight hurry!/div
div id="djs-arqao" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sensing", A massive arm appeared as the Armagigas began pulling itself from her Glyph. She looked around, the trees, the plants, nothing in sight./div
div id="djs-1huq4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Spying!", The knight pulled himself halfway out of the ground when Weiss spied it! It looked like the Hound! Except…leaner, front claws, hind legs, more dangerous. Like a panther perhaps. Yet it's face was so unlike any Grimm. A massive face mask of bone, with four horns. It looked like a monster from a fairy tale!/div
div id="djs-f5jk8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""ATTACKING!", it gazed directly at Weiss and attacked. The Knight slammed against it with it's blade and knocked it aside!/div
div id="djs-24db" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Pained…", It can feel pain? That means I can force it back! Now fully summoned and ready to go, the Armagigas engages the creature. Slashing and slamming into it, full force!/div
div id="djs-9c5ku" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Retreat!", Weiss felt a heavy slam into her sides as the thing's tail flailed around and struck her hard, her Aura eating it but fizzling, about to break. The Armagigas reaches forwards and grabs it's appendage and begins to pull the fleeing creature back! That's when it spins around and slices the head of the Gigas off! Not fair! As the thing flees away, with an angry Weiss in pursuit! "Get back here! I'm not done yet!"/div
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div id="djs-574t9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-3l532" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-5tqoo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Oh, her head hurts. Like a heavy headache from the Beacon dance. Why did they have that dance and directly after go for the away missions? It's inhumane. Even if it was a fun night. Blake curled into herself and smiled, the warmth of her bed and the subtle light tickling her face, almost felt good. Too good. Atlas had been a bad dream maybe. Amber eyes flicked open. No wait, that was real! Beacon was Grimm territory for almost two years now. I…I fell off! Ruby! Alarmed, the cat Faunus sprang up and turned to look around. No, her leader was nowhere to be seen. Slowly Blake observed her surroundings. Green jungle trees, odd and bright coloured venus flytrap plants, which was extra scary because most things in nature with bright colours are poisonous. Weird bird creatures that didn't exactly feel natural. For one they were green and had weird cries that sounded like a human. Blake slowly got up, reaching for her weapons but only found Shroud on her back and Gambol at her hip. Where is Passion? For that matter, where is Myrtenaster?! I held that weapon when I fell. So where is it? A sound in the nearby canopy woke Blake from her thoughts as she looked towards the sound of whatever was moving. Hoping to find Ruby. But instead she heard a voice./div
div id="djs-1j8au" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Did anyone get the license plate of that bad boy?", Yang's head came too in a buzzing as she woke in the middle of a jungle canopy. Or hammock? She shook her head to get the dizziness out of her head as the green and colourful was in stark difference with the rather blank and dark void of the Inbetween. Struggling to come to a full rise, the brawler realizes she's tangled in vines. Dangling with her upper chest area as well as her legs in a mess of spaghettified lanky tendrils of green and bark. And here she was without a blade. There's a rustling from beneath the canopy, making her hopeful. "Hey Jaune, come and help me out will ya?"/div
div id="djs-250di" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Am I good enough to help you as well? Seeing as I might know a thing about being balled up in yarn?", Blake giggled as she stepped into the opening and smiled at Yang. A familiar and friendly face! Oh this is perfect! Yang similarly gave a relaxing sigh as she saw her partner. "Only if you don't make any jokes about it.."/div
div id="djs-g6jc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No promises", Blake giggles as she scales the tree and slices at the vines. Within a few seconds Yang is free, only for her to be hugged by Blake. Yang recalls how Weiss had hugged her out of the blue in the bandit camp. It felt nice to feel her friend's shoulders move as she drew breath. Aschen had said horrible things and made Yang do horrible things. "I'm really glad you're ok"/div
div id="djs-68qk4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""So am I Blakey", Yang smiles as they share a hug. A moment that's all that matters. That they're not dead and standing side by side. But eventually they have to break away as Blake worries about her blade. And Yang about Jaune. And her sister. "You haven't seen anyone?"/div
div id="djs-3k0au" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No…but I fell along with Ruby and yet here I am. And you probably fell after us, right?", Blake wonders, looking at Yang expectantly./div
div id="djs-8ffgt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Do…", Yang's nervousness is palpable as she looks Blake in the eyes; "...remember what happened?"/div
div id="djs-uoqr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I Remember Aschen doing something. But it's not your fault Yang. She tricked all of us. But since you and I are here, maybe the others are here as well", Blake begins leading Yang towards another set in the forest, hoping to find her weapon./div
div id="djs-25hj9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yeah…not my fault…do you…do you think she'll forgive me?", Yang suddenly stops and looks at Blake, expectantly. An uncomfortable silence hangs just a second too long./div
div id="djs-5oaru" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ruby will understand what happened. I'm sure. But first we need to find her", Blake mutters, looking back and giving the place she'd found Yang in one final look, before continuing along the path. SMall talk is king as the two gently compare notes about how they fell and appeared here. That is until../div
div id="djs-dtum3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yang…what happened…? After everyone else fell?", Blake meant it as a way to get a timeline in her head. After all, nothing was making sense here. Not the order in which she had found her friend and not in the way her weapon was missing./div
div id="djs-8j2ja" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Why don't we focus on finding the others first…if we can find them", Yang closes down a little. After all, how can she just explain what happened? SHe knocked Ruby off the platform, saw Jaune fall and Penny die. Not a wound she would like to open with just Blake here./div
div id="djs-bi2a1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""One problem at a time. First we find our friends. Figure out where we are…you have any idea?", Yang wonders as she wanders ahead, breaking through a few bushes to get a little lead on Blake. Blake frowns at the surrounding jungle and follows. "My best guess is just as messed up as any other idea I have"/div
div id="djs-b2857" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hey…I think I see something!", Blake's ears dropped, those words don't fully mean good news. Else she'd have said I see 'someone'. Blake sighed and walked along the path Yang had gone and then froze in place. "What the…"/div
div id="djs-32rco" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-dcf1k" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"A few meters before the blonde and raven haired woman, was a big pile of vines. Even more spaghetti than before, but these vines had thorns, a cluster so large it was easily two meters tall. A literal mountain of them! And atop the mountain, just like in the book of 'The Round King', a sword. But not in a big stone. A single hilt, purple blade, coiled and held like a Taijitu would hold prey. It was Passion! Blake's ears perked up a little as she watched the scene before her. The thorns would make it harder to climb on this mountain. But she had her swinging tool Gambol. Sighing Blake spoke: "Well it could be worse!"/div
div id="djs-dop9o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Good news then, I don't have a weedwacker!", Yang said with a wink. Blake rolled her eyes. "Get it? Cause I wack people with my fists?!"/div
div id="djs-2sfri" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""That wasn't an invitation to lower my IQ with bad puns Yang", Blake says, yet there's a subtle smirk on her lips while she says it. Yang notices it, but rubs the back of her head regardless. "Heh, guess I still need to warm up for my better material"/div
div id="djs-5vm7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Alright…here get to wacking!", Blake says with a giggle as she flings Shroud at Yang who takes it and smirks; before she positions herself at the root of the mountain and begins carving! Like a mad woman with a machete in the jungle! Though when she gets a few good chops in, the vines cover up the hole and grow again?! "Hey that's cheating!"/div
div id="djs-366c6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Giggling, Blake swings her pistol up to snag a branch and hoists herself in the air. Then she puts her foot against the bark and leans over, reaching for Passion. Now if this was a fairy tale she'd have to be 'worthy' in order to pull the sword from the stone. I mean vines! But Luckily this is just a different world. Or a passing?! Some cultures have this 'purgatory' or 'transitional' plane where souls go before they pass into the afterlife. Like North Anima where the legend goes that you come before three judges, these judges ascertain your character and choose your resting place. Be it the Fields of Glory, Caves of the Forgotten or the River of Shame. Blake shook her head at that thought. They're not dead! I very much feel alive. From the side Yang was using her doofus self to cheer and jump, providing emotional support to Blake since the vines weren't gonna be cut either. And oddly enough, it was working! Belladonna's fingers got ever so close to pulling Passion free, there was a tidal wave of green and before Blake knew, she was tangled! Restrained like that time when she was a child and her father had given her a ball of yarn. She could still hear her mom's hearty laughter when she was discovered in her room, like fly in a spider's web. "AHHH!"/div
div id="djs-7ebrg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Yang similarly had to laugh her butt off! Now who's the tangled…wait, why are those vines coming my way?! Swinging the bladed Sheath she had borrowed, Yang similarly was quickly overwhelmed by an ocean of green while clawing her way to freedom. Yet similarly to her partner, now side by side, Yang and Blake were cocooned in vines that held their legs arms and bodies in tight grasps. No mother or lover would ever match this situation! "Total cheating!"/div
div id="djs-anc6r" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""The trap has been sprung!", an army of mice appeared from the fringes of this clearing. Yang's jaw dropped open as a single 'mad scientist' mouse with a missing eye climbed up on the mass of vines holding her and Blake restrained. "Justice for the prey!"/div
div id="djs-6mf9l" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Are they…talking?!", this is just like one of Rubes' saturday morning cartoons…/div
div id="djs-f3j7c" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Not what I'm worried about right now!", one of the mice was looking Blake over, she dropped her ears as best she could to 'hide' that she was in fact a cat Faunus. Not that it'd matter, she was more of a tuna fanatic. Besides her best friend at Beacon was a rodent…ish…bunny? Not that Vel was a rodent, she'd never say that. Lest her life be ended by the fury of team CFVY. Blake whined, I miss home./div
div id="djs-3pau9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""But you're a cat…you shouldn't-", Yang tried to levy the situation and make it less annoying or painfully embarrassing that she had been caught by a set of killer vines and talking rodents! Except the mentioning of the word cat sent these critters into a frenzy!/div
div id="djs-5nn1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""EAT THE CAT!"/div
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div id="djs-fb0td" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-2p7d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-1t7kd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"This place is the worst! Birds that make sounds and yap at you, plants that try to snare you up, a mouse that speaks and keeps asking dumb questions! Frustration was building high and mighty. Ruby's heart was wounded and hurt. But she also didn't wanna show that to Little, the name she had given this little thing that now slept in her hood's collar. Sighing Ruby leaned against a tree and closed her eyes, rubbing the temples and nose bridge to try and alleviate some stress away. No Ruby, your mother raised you better than that! It's not this mouse's fault that everything went to Grimm. It was yours! Tears had been stinging in her eyes ever since Little dozed off, without someone there to look at her, distract her or more accurately someone to force her to bottle things up and not show it to others, as a Leader doesn't show weakness, Ruby was struggling to keep the lid on. Why? She had been angry before, disappointed and in pain. She had failed before, why was it so hard to keep myself in check? Probably because my issues and problems Petal Bursted after me. I have always been able to outrun my pain. When mom left and never came home, I ran into the world of books. The Heroes there never suffered such blows. Well they did but they always bounced back. They fought for what was right and overcame the darkness. Darkness that sometimes was so deep and fearful you don't want to know what happened next, because how can things ever return to normal, ever be good again? Because Darkness is just a passing thing. Even the sun will rise after a long and scary night. And when it does it shines just the clearer! Those were the stories she fled in, the ones that really mattered!/div
div id="djs-4ernc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"But life isn't a fairy tale! Blake's words at Beacon were right. She couldn't outrun the horrible week she had. Opening up to James had turned into a bad decision. He snapped and branded them outlaws. Yang had called her leadership in question and broke off sections of their core group. Penny had been hunted and in that hunt, how I put her in trouble thanks to taking her along to Atlas Academy, the Ace Ops sprang their trap. Which resulted in Nora going full thunder thighs. She was forever scarred, and Ruby blamed herself for that. If she had been faster, stronger, paid better attention she'd have prevented that from happening. Instead Nora was wounded, Penny was hurt and here she was. Aschen somehow broke through the defenses of their plan and structures of the Inbetween. Weiss was killed, Blake had died saving her and Yang had punched her off. Ruby felt a scream rising in her chest as anger and pain filled her heart. She wanted to! Wail and flail, scream the frustration from her body. But as she looked to the small Little that was still resting, she sighed. Then she felt a small drop on her shoulder. "Wait…are you drooling? Ugh"/div
div id="djs-d2su7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby broke through some shrubbery and just paused. She could barely understand what her eyes were seeing. There, in a neat outcove of the Jungle, along the path Little had pointed towards their village, was an army of mice. Dancing and cheering in joy and utter victory. Yet as weird as that was, there, bound by vines and hanging like sacrificial maidens or even a pig on a roast stick, were Blake and Yang. First off, HOW?! How does an army of mice manage to catch and restrain two of my teammates with plant matter? Struggling both Blake and Yang glare at the army of rodents before they lock eyes with Ruby. There's this one second where both Yang and Ruby's eyes meet. A silence building between them. The horror and pain of what occurred hanging between the two. Ruby's fear and pain, not knowing if Yang did what she did because she hated the ever loving Grimm out of her sister, and Yang's confused fear that her sister would hate her forever. A single second, to convey emotions. And Ruby once more opens her dangerously filled bottle to store away the new wave of dark and self deprecating emotions that she should let out. But she's the leader…probably… "Hey it's your cat friend…AHHHHH"/div
div id="djs-6rq3n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-6vnmh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-bbl61" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-8hbs4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""If we could ask…have you seen someone else who looks like us? Long white hair? Looks kinda bossy but isn't?", Blake, always trying to be the mediator. Getting info out of these mice would not help them, just like how Little hadn't been a good guide at all./div
div id="djs-c38n1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""But could be; if she wanted to!", Yang's comment did get Ruby to crack a smile. After all, while she had grown, sometimes she still had that bossy streak from Beacon, deep in her very warm and big heart. But the chieftain mouse merely shook their head./div
div id="djs-13r94" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Well…thanks anyway", Ruby watches as Blake gets up and joins both her and Yang. There seems to be an eagerness for Yang to say something, but she doesn't do so, leaving Ruby to withdraw into herself once more as her Leader voice comes out: "Before all…this…I was trying to get to the cliff with the big tree. High vantage point, to get my bearings and scope out the area"/div
div id="djs-atkec" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Scoping things out?! Good one sis!", Yang says, holding up a thumbs up. Ruby rolls her eyes and her gaze drifts off towards the distance. "Hey…Ruby…about the Inbetween…I…"/div
div id="djs-ch7pk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""It's fine…don't worry about it", the answer is fast, but also not very believable. Mainly because Ruby had yet to see Yang invite her for a hug. Like back in Haven, before they went and talked to Leo..which had been another failure, which was her fault./div
div id="djs-oj0e" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No it's not. You were thrown over the edge…by me..But I didn't wanna do it. I thought I was attacking Neo..", Yang's words seem genuine, but then again, so were the words of 'if there's anything I know, it's that she always knows the right thing to do', back in Mistral. Yet Ruby doesn't wa nt to get into it. Nor does she care. Yang can say what she wants. Ultimately it was Yang that threw her over the edge, mind controlled; tricked or otherwise. "We need to get to the cliff"/div
div id="djs-5orab" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""If you wanna go to the cliff, i could help with that!", Blake shrieks as she has a mouse on her shoulders. Making that 'get it away' face like in the cartoons. Ruby smiles, those were simpler times. When Summer was still alive. "I don't have anything to do yet!"/div
div id="djs-120ta" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""yet?", Ruby asks out loud. Why is everyone here obsessed with the whole 'purpose is in your name' thing. Makes this place sound make belief. "I can be your trustworthy guide!"/div
div id="djs-6c5t6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-4vstk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-eblt3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-9ipb0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"'Or we can just figure it out ourselves…I miss Zwei as the cute and handy mascotte", Yang slaps her hands at a literal rocking horse fly, what sort of insanity is this? Are we supposed to go mad in this backwards land of illogical and asinine characters? Almost like this is a book! Ruby stares at Little. Yeah enjoy your life like this, Little. No one to tell you the mistakes you've made, no one debating wether or not you're a good leader or if your choices are the right ones. Why can't I make mistakes? Because I'm the leader?/div
div id="djs-7u15m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""At least they got us to this path. Weiss has been down here the longest and we still haven't found her…we must hurry!", all good points, but Ruby's mind is conflicted. Weiss fell first, then did she and Blake. Yang had been out and about the longest. There was one question that burned on her mind the most. "Yang…you held out the longest…what happened? If we are here…did…others fell as well?"/div
div id="djs-6vak9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I know…that we first need to find Weiss…then we can go over notes", Ruby narrows her eyes at Yang's hair. She had refused to turn around and spoke in a way that wasn't natural for her. She was hiding something! She reached her hand forwards: "I asked you-"/div
div id="djs-c220n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"A horrendously vile roar echoed over the skyline. It wasn't anything she'd ever heard. It wasn't gutteral, like the Grimm, wolven or bear like, there wasn't even a similarity to those stupid birds from the jungle. Ruby shivered, visibly. Somehow that roar was terrifying. The three Huntresses looked at one another, clearly on edge. But they all ran forwards, up the hill towards the sound. As the rounded the hill and came face to face with the thing that made the noise, Ruby froze. It was Grimm like, like the Hound. The flash of that Faunus, glaring at her. In the back of her mind 'Get the GIRL' sounded as Ruby took a step back, her friend and sister advancing, Yang cocking her fists and Blake drawing Passion and Gambol. "Seeking…Searching…Scouring"/div
div id="djs-51o5j" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"When it began looping it's speech, the sleeping Little rose from Ruby's hood collar and saw the Jabberwalker. A creature that even one so innocent and pure of soul as Little knew to fear. Because that thing can kill your soul outright. She dove back, squeaking ever so gently. Causing the creature to freeze. "Detecting…listening…"/div
div id="djs-6k96f" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Suddenly it turns, spying the horrified Ruby. The steady advancing Yang and Blake. And the mortified Little. It stood there, like a dog, tilting it's head as if debating if fleeing or attacking would be a better option. And then like a bullet fired from a gun, it rushed Ruby in particular, drawn towards her broken heart, needing to 'fix' that which can't be fixed. Such was it's purpose! "DANGER! DEATH!"/div
div id="djs-bkupt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Yang, the most physical of the brawlers in team RWBY, lunged forwards and raised her fist, which the thing caught in it's weird front paws, swinging it's tail aggressively towards Yang. "BITE. RIP. TEAR"/div
div id="djs-10m9v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Blake raise her sword, readying Gambol as well as she began doing a forward lunge as well, until a voice broke the noise of battle and a heavy blade slammed into the creature. A blade of solid white energy. "It's RUDE to leave a lady hanging!"/div
div id="djs-96ulc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Exhausted, heaving and out of 'proper' form, Weiss stood a few meters away, her hand extended holding a hilt without a blade and casting a dirty look at the creature! Recognising that it's no longer the Apex of this region, the Jabberwalker looks between Weiss, the heavy Armagigas, Blake and Yang. Before it turns it's mask and emotionless eyes and face towards Ruby. Then it flees. "Recede…retreat…wait…return…hunt…purify…take…"/div
div id="djs-ds208" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Weiss collapses to her knees, the Armagigas dissipating in a puff of smoke as Yang and Blake pursue towards the cliff, that thing was fast. Ruby turns her attention towards Weiss and runs at her best friend. Her partner. The best teammate she could wish for. "Weiss I-"/div
div id="djs-apu5j" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Dammit…you weren't supposed to be here…", there's a pain in Weiss' eyes. One that hits Ruby so she doesn't hug her friend, like she had intended to do. Weiss wasn't much of a hugger, but the few times she did, it was pretty warm and comfortable. Ruby felt safe in her arms. Like a princess in a castle!/div
div id="djs-a0d5l" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""If you thought we wouldn't come for you…you forgot what kind of leader I am!", Ruby gives a soft smile, hoping to perk Weiss up. She does seem a little less stressed and even takes a relieved breath. "Not what I meant…best friend"/div
div id="djs-5be2q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What do you mean?", Ruby had a feeling there was something going on, yet surely it couldn't be her fault, right? Weiss wouldn't blame her like Yang, right? "You are here, fallen…that means…I died in vain…"/div
div id="djs-btoq2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Vain…you look rather normal to me", Little pipes up as she peeks from over the red collar. Weiss' eyes widened! "Ruby there's a m-"/div
div id="djs-34u11" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"By the force of a jetstream Blake throws her arms around Weiss and flings her to the ground, burying her head into her shoulder, holding her tightly and feeling the fresh power snow scent fill her nose. A scent she thought she'd never smell again! "Weiss…"/div
div id="djs-39dh3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Weiss gently cracks a smile and puts her arms around Blake, returning the warmth of her embrace. Ruby's sitting there, alone, in the cold. Feeling left out once again. First Yang, now Weiss…I'm not diseased!/div
div id="djs-e6cj5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I sorta thought you'd be warmer to us seeing us, Ice Queen", Yang says, sauntering over, the creature having fully escaped them for now./div
div id="djs-3v6oj" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful to see you…but you being here…means things didn't go well…did they…", as Weiss says that and looks at Yang in particular, Blake and Ruby follow her gaze as for what seemed like the first time, Yang broke. Ruby felt so bad she rushed forwards and hugged her sister, but in her pain at remembering what happened, Yang accepted the hug, but did try to recoil out of it. "It happened…so fast…No one came back…from Vacuo…one moment you were there, the next we were only three. I got tricked by Aschen…that bitch…knocked Ruby over the edge…she was holding the advantage, even killed Penny with a poisoned blade…Jaune tried…", at the mere mention of 'Penny poisoned'...Ruby's eyes dulled even more than they were. She tried to swallow, but her throat was dry. Penny…is dead?! Everything became too much for Ruby to bear. Dead…because of my plans…I killed my best friend. My first true friend thanks to Jaune telling me to approach strangers as friends. And she's gone…Ruby doesn't hear how her name is being called, she's too far gone as the world fades to black and she falls on the floor./div
div id="djs-aqc9g" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-r9q9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-bmhbe" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-do250" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""So…we have no idea what happened to the relic, or everyone in Vacuo. We don't even know where Neo is", Slowly, Ruby Rose came too. She had hoped that what was said before was a bad dream. Yet as she felt the soft sensation of dirt on her head, the droplets of rain hitting her body. Wow, friends, thanks for caring I guess. Though as she was about to 'wake up', she noticed a small ever so soft gust of wind. Seems Little was fanning her with a leaf. A mouse…is the only one who cares?/div
div id="djs-626ls" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Maybe Everyone else made it?", heh, since when are you the optimist Blake? Everyone's probably dead. And it's only a matter of time before you blame me for that as well. Just like Yang./div
div id="djs-7uo1q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I don't know…but I have a bad feeling-", well, seems they care more about what happened. Guess that's a fair point to make.. "Neo's here to…she attacked me when I fell"/div
div id="djs-9jvon" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hey are you alright?!", Yang asking, what a joke. It's not like you care. As the silence hung a little to long, Ruby once more refusing to look at her sister, Blake got up. Her hopeful mindset kicked in. Is that how I was, back in Beacon? An idealistic Naive dreamer? "Ok. Crescent Rose is still missing. Myrtenaster was stolen. I say we get everything back and then focus on getting out of here! Wherever here is…"/div
div id="djs-4pmkd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""But what if we can't leave…what…", Yang begins but halts. Giving Weiss the opportunity to step in, "We're not dead. I feel the pain of where that thing attacked me. I felt the joy of seeing you all. I refuse to believe that we're dead. Even though I did think that was the case when I first woke up alone…"/div
div id="djs-9bnmq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I…don't think we're dead either…I know where we are…", cryptically Blake says as she gets to the edge of the Jungle and they all see a fractured landscape of Acres and a big World Tree at the center. "We're in a fairy tale"/div
div id="djs-24sk5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Come on, a fairy tale? Why because I have a talking mouse on my shoulder, the world around us doesn't match what we left in the Inbetween and the freaking World Tree is right there?", cynically Ruby replies as she sees the faces of her 'friends', about to point out those very things. Blake even rubbing the back of her head like that somehow proves she's right./div
div id="djs-e66na" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Well…we have seen worse things actually. It's not that impossible anymore for us to believe that…", Weiss opts, thinking back about how once she thought magic didn't exist, in before she had built an entire Inbetween space that transported people from Atlas to Vacuo…at least that had been the plan../div
div id="djs-agq9m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Are we entertaining that idea? There has to be a better explanation about this…", Yang wonders. Raven did tell her to question everything. Had she also found her way in a fairy tale somehow?/div
div id="djs-47o3i" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Well let's think on this logically: we fell from the sky, Ruby made friends with a talking mouse, Blake and Yang got caught by killer vines which were controlled by the talking mice and a talk raccoon with a purple trash wagon stole my weapon…", hearing herself say that was absolutely insane. But then again, they had seen Ruby freeze a Wyvern and help take down a Leviathan. Sure, out of all here, Weiss was probably the only one who had read 'Warrior in the Woods', but if that one came true…similarly to the Two Brothers, The Girl in the Tower and even The White Witch in the Woods,...who's to say they…couldn't have fallen through the world? Like…"/div
div id="djs-dbs88" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""The Girl Who Fell Through the World…", Blake and Ruby both mutter the answer as all four look at each other, everyone with mixed reactions. Mostly Ruby, who would have enjoyed being in a cartoon cause then there'd be some levity to her heavy heart. "Wer're in the Ever After…"/div
div id="djs-fdevm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Ambrosius sure did a number on us", skeptical, Ruby rolls her eyes. "What, we 'somehow' got into a story we all red as kids? Come on, that's malarkey. Make belief!"/div
div id="djs-u6j6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""It's not make belief…it's where I live!", Ruby could barely stop herself from rolling her eyes at Little. If this was the Ever After…where is the Rusted Knight? Or the Herbalist?/div
div id="djs-9f41s" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Can You tell us more about this place?! Like have you ever heard the name Alyx?", Blake walks closer to Ruby but only to talk to Little./div
div id="djs-5enhh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""An Alyx? Is that a purpose?", no but by that logic your name should have been 'timewaster' given how you do nothing but sleep and ask dumb questions. What's with that 'name has a purpose' deal anyway?/div
div id="djs-94rug" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""In the book…"/div
div id="djs-arqq2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""We know what happens in the book…like Weiss said, we all read it as kids", Ruby snaps at Blake and groans. "Since we endured it. Killer vines, talking mice, the creature we fought when finding Weiss was probably the Jabberwalker and that means the raccoon is the Jinxy Peddler…the one who stole Alyx' dagger", Ruby says, recapping the story but with a sharper and more 'hasted' tone to it. We don't have time for this anyway!/div
div id="djs-947u" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I always hated that part of the story…", Weiss groans as she puts her hand on her hip, where her sword should have been. "So…what do we do? Find the Peddler and get Myrtenaster back? Find Alyx? Retrace her steps?"/div
div id="djs-78pi3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""How would we even find Jinxy…? I don't see a renfaire nearby, which was in the book", Yang offers. Blake smirks, "Renfaire? It's a town square"/div
div id="djs-f49fv" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Really? Mom always said renfaire…", Yang puts her hands to her chin and sinks in thought. Little adding: "I can guide you!"/div
div id="djs-7qgdp" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-1pamt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"But off course that was a big fat lie because before Little had actually guided them, they fell asleep atop Ruby's head and refused to wake up. During their talk, they were comparing further notes about the story, which bored the Grimm out of Ruby since it was all pointless anyway. "She was trying to survive…the morals of those old books are so simplistic…"/div
div id="djs-dfr2t" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Don't cause wars by not learning the culture of a nation you're foreign in?", Blake replies to Weiss making the book seem 'simple'./div
div id="djs-cmv8c" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No, off course not. If you want to succeed in life, you do what you have to do, to survive…at least…that's how I always saw it…I read the story when Mother and Jacques were already fighting among themselves. I often thought that was why Mom took to the bottle…"/div
div id="djs-dv3kr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I thought it was 'be kind to those around you'...given that by being mean, Alyx screwed everyone over, including the Red King…mom…", Yang attempted to say but stopped. Throwing a careful look at Ruby who didn't react to that. Luckily Little woke up just in time to deflect the issue! "The town is just up ahead. The Jinxy Peddler always stops by our village before going to town!"/div
div id="djs-e5b2h" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Does that trash panda steal from you as well?", Yang wonders as she walks closer towards Ruby, wanting to watch Little for the reply. But all they did was tilt their head. "What's a trash panda? No Jinxy just takes what we're not looking at…fair's fair!"/div
div id="djs-704p6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""That sounds about right…", Weiss groans. Yang tilts her head. "What do you mean?"/div
div id="djs-7fcp9" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Well after I fell, I woke up seeing that 'legitimate businessman' steal my weapon and hussle away. I tried to pursue, but then the Jabberwalker got in the way", Weiss explains, causing Blake to bump her playfully. "Don't worry. I'll be your knight in black and protect you"/div
div id="djs-b9njb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""About time…", Yang sighs with a smile on her face as she watches Blake and Weiss almost hold hands. Ruby hadn't noticed. Or perhaps she did but she wasn't that interested in that happening now. "For what?"/div
div id="djs-9pkj" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Nevermind…", Yang drops her smile and looks at the two of them being close and friendly. Then back at Ruby. Where did it go wrong for us? Noticing her stare, Ruby swallows her anger once more, bottling more and more./div
div id="djs-c6mmo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Don't worry I'm sure we'll get out and go home", Yet as soon as she said that, she noticed Yang's dropped smile turn grim. For a split second Ruby expected Yang to shove her. But as she had said, that was because of Aschen on the light bridge platforms. "Yang?"/div
div id="djs-bqveq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Do…do you thing dad knows?", Yang looks directly at Ruby. Dad…He wouldn't know. For that matter, what about Qrow!? Having lost Mom pushed dad to close himself off, and Qrow to begin drinking. Now, if he knows we're gone, Ruby suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Dammit! I never should have left home. Now dad and uncle Qrow will become even bigger wrecks. And just like mom, it's my fault. Yet she just shrugs. "I'm sure Qrow is able to tell him. He was doing better since Atlas…sort off"/div
div id="djs-8c267" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Right..that drunk has only been bettering himself because you grounded him. Without you, he'll just become a deadbeat like he was before. Raven was right about him being a loser. Probably too big a coward to tell that we fell and are gone. Maybe Jaune can hold him up, he is a lot like dad, in a way…not that it'll matter. Just look at you and Penny…", Yang tries to argue it this way, but she has a lot of resentment for Qrow, even after everything that happened. Ruby however doesn't say anything at that and storms further ahead. Not wanting to engage in conversation anymore.../div