Sorry for late upload. Was on a train for like six hours total. My legs are killing me. Enjoy.
Weiss had been to several awkward dinners in her time as the Heiress of the SDC, but she was fairly certain this one topped all of them.
She was sat at a low table with Yang and Pyrrha. And across from them was Yang's mother. The same woman who had kidnapped her after she and Pyrrha had crashed in the Bullhead. And Vernal, the same bandit who had taunted her earlier with Crue's weapon, was now pouring tea for them.
Weiss wanted to make a few taunts back at her, but decided against it. Plus, she doubted any tea poured by bandits would be safe for consumption. Eventually, each of them had a small cup of tea before them. "You can wait outside, thank you."
Vernal followed Raven's instructions with a short nod, leaving the teapot and the tent without so much as a backwards glance at any of them. None of them touched their drinks. "Why did you bring us in?"
Instead of answering, Raven lifted it to her lips and clearly drank. "You know, it's better when it's hot." She set the cup down. It was probably a show of proving it wasn't poisoned, yet it wasn't enough to encourage them to try it.
"You know you're really obnoxious." Weiss glared at Raven. The older woman barely batted an eye. Weiss wondered if she shouldn't have thrown a swear in there for a better effect.
"I want to tell you the truth, and the truth is hard to come by. A story of victory for one person is a story of defeat for another. By now, your Uncle has surely told Ruby and her friends plenty of stories." Raven began.
Yang frowned at her words, keeping her arms crossed. "Well he's never given me a reason to doubt him before." While Weiss didn't know much about Yang's Uncle, she trusted her judgement.
"That doesn't mean those reasons don't exist." Raven countered as Yang glared at her. "You know, you and your teammates might as well be the poster children for the Huntsman Academies. Your motives vary, but you all enrolled to try and make the world a better place. It's adorable."
The way Raven leaned back with an amused expression showed exactly how 'adorable' she thought it was. Yang's fist clenched. "It's what Huntsmen and Huntresses do." She defended.
"Not all of them." Raven pointed out. "Some people are just in it for the money and the fame." Her blood red eye stared at Pyrrha as she spoke, and the spartan felt a surge of anger at the implication. "But there's even more who are just looking to grow stronger. Your Uncle Qrow and I didn't attend Beacon to become Huntsmen…"
"We did it to learn how to kill Huntsmen." Raven's words seemed to silence all other noise around them, the gasps of the three Beacon students the only audible sound. They shared a concerned glance as Raven continued.
"Daddy and Uncle left that part out, huh?" She smirked as she sat back up at the table and poured more tea for herself. "Aside from the Grimm, Huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a counterforce."
She paused, drinking from her tea. "And Qrow and I were the perfect age." She set the cup down, standing up and turning her back on them as she continued to speak. Weiss wondered if it was confidence or arrogance that allowed her to do such a thing.
"The entrance exams were child's play compared to what we'd already been through. We were good. So good, that we caught the attention of Beacon's very own Headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping his eye on us. Back then, I thought it was because he knew, but it was Team STRQ he was interested in."
"What do you mean by that?" Yang questioned.
"Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we happened to break the rules and get into more trouble then we should've. Sound familiar?"
It did. Concerningly so, as Weiss and Yang glanced at each other. Weiss looked to Pyrrha over Yang's shoulder and saw she too had a look of concern, though whether that was in regards to RWBY or JNPR, she wasn't sure.
"What's your point?" Yang asked, after some encouragement from Weiss to keep going.
"How much do you know about Ozpin? About his past?" Raven asked.
It was Weiss who answered. "He was a prodigy." She recalled reading up on the Headmaster when she had decided to go to Beacon. "One of the youngest headmasters to be appointed to a school."
"Because that's how he planned it." Raven turned to face them as she spoke. "Because the man you know as Ozpin designed those schools and has followers inside every academy on Remnant that are loyal to him and no one else."
"That doesn't make any sense. How could he have- No, why would someone even do that?" Yang asked. It seemed completely impossible that Ozpin could do such a thing.
"Because old man Oz has a great and terrible secret. One that could spread fear across the world. One that he eventually entrusted to our team, and once I knew, there was no going back." Raven turned her gaze upon a map of Remnant.
"I needed to know more, but with every new discovery I made, the more horrifying the world became."
"Ok, then tell us." Yang demanded, not being the only one who wanted to know what exactly it was that Ozpin was apparently hiding. "What's the big secret? What's so crazy that the rest of us don't know?"
Raven's back remained facing them as she finally spoke. "The Creatures of Grimm, have a master named Salem." The three sitting felt the wind knocked out of their sails immediately. "She can't be stopped. She can't be reasoned with, and she will not rest until Humanity crumbles at her feet."
"She is-" "The Queen." Raven spun round, red eye locking onto the one who spoke as Weiss and Yang did the same. Pyrrha's emerald eyes were wide, though the expression she held was not one of horror or disbelief.
It was one of recognition. "How do you know that?" Raven stepped toward her, hand reaching for a weapon that wasn't there with an expression on her face that demanded an answer.
"I-" Pyrrha looked to her friends, seeing them sharing the same shocked expression. "I heard it from Crue."
Suddenly, a strange sense of tension washed over the room. The thought of Crue sparked something in each of them, and Yang's lilac eyes snapped to the eyepatch on Raven. With a surprising monotone voice despite what she just realised, Yang spoke. "Oh my god Crue stabbed you in the eye."
"WHAT?!" Pyrrha and Weiss exclaimed as they stared at Yang. Yang's gaze was directly on her mother, watching as Raven's jaw tightened.
"He told you that, did he?" Raven's one good eye was set into a glare. Her words caused each pair of eyes to land on her.
"You knew Crue?" Weiss asked, but her attention was drawn to Pyrrha who let out a loud gasp.
"You attacked us! Attacked Crue! Back in Vale!" She pointed an accusing finger at Raven, as Yang and Weiss suddenly got into a defensive stance.
Raven remained unphased, looking at Pyrrha with vague annoyance. "Hm. Don't think you know everything, girl. I wasn't there for him. I was there for you." She squinted at Pyrrha, as if trying to search for something within her.
When she didn't find it, she continued. "Ozpin wanted to make you his Fall Maiden. I wanted to see if you were up to the job. Clearly, you weren't." She crossed her arms, unimpressed. "And I wasn't the only one who knew that."
"Crue knew?" Pyrrha's finger drooped in shock.
"He knew me, as well." Raven's gaze turned to Yang accusingly.
Yang looked shocked. "I-I never told him about you. Why would I?"
"He told you he stabbed me in the eye!" Raven said angrily.
"He hates birds!" Yang defended, not entirely sure why he had to. "I thought he got in a fight with one and was telling a joke!" To both Pyrrha and Weiss, it was a strange but valid reason given what they knew about Crue.
However, Raven was clearly angered by Yang's words. Yet, the anger did not seem directed towards her. More inward. "So he was telling the truth…"
"What did Crue say to you?" Yang asked, standing to her feet as her mechanical hand clenched. Raven looked unimpressed, yet she answered Yang's question.
"He told me Beacon would fall." Raven answered, and gained a smile when she saw their shocked expressions.
"He also told me that a woman named Cinder Fall has half a Maidens' powers. And that Ozpin intended to give the other half to you."
Pyrrha felt small under Raven's gaze, but not because of her. But her words. Crue had known she was going to become a Maiden. Before her.
"But, you attacked us before I even found out about the Maiden. How could he know that? How could he know about Cinder?"
"How could you do nothing?" Weiss asked, her eyes like chips of ice as she stared at Raven.
The older woman regarded the Heiress cooly. "It had nothing to do with me." She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "I cut ties with Beacon and Vale years ago. If they could not stop the Fall, then they were weak."
Raven's words caused blood to boil as the Beacon students glared at her. "Those who fought and died for Beacon were not weak."
"In fact I'd dare say they were leagues stronger than you." Weiss watched Raven's expression as she spoke, and was disappointed by the lack of a reaction.
"You can think that all you want, princess. But at the end of the day, they're dead. I'm not."
"Enough!" Yang exclaimed, causing Weiss to flinch at the sudden increase in volume. "Crue somehow knew Beacon would fall. And he told you of all people. How? Why?!"
Raven smiled. The sight of it turned Yang's eyes red. "He had secrets as well, Yang. Ones that even I found hard to believe, after everything I've seen. Guess you didn't know him as well as you thought you did."
The sound of Ember Celica firing threw the tent into silence. "Take. That. Back." Next to her, Pyrrha and Weiss stood, weapons drawn and glaring daggers at Raven.
"Don't you dare talk about him like you knew him." Under normal circumstances, Weiss probably would have told Yang to calm down. But she shared in her anger.
"Crue was our friend. And it doesn't matter what secrets he had." She placed a hand on Yang's arm, the touch letting Yang take a breath as her eyes returned to normal.
"And he actually tried to help during the attack on Beacon, instead of hiding from it like a coward." Pyrrha's emerald eyes bored into Raven's.
She noticed Raven's fist clench as she flared back at her. "Ozpin tried to make you a Maiden, girl. Be glad that's all he did."
She turned her attention back to Yang. "You said Tai told you all about my Semblance." Raven began, turning from to exit at the back of the tent. "Well, I doubt he ever told you what Ozpin did to my brother and me."
"And I." Weiss corrected, before a faint pink blush made its way onto her face as everyone stared at her with a disapproving expression.
"Force of habit." She excused. Raven rolled her one red eye and exited the tent. Once she did, Yang sagged in relief, Weiss and Pyrrha laying a comforting hand on each shoulder.
"Do you think she was telling the truth? About Crue?" Weiss asked.
"Yes." It was Pyrrha who answered. "Well, at least about him knowing Ozpin wanted me to be a Maiden. I tried to ask him for advice about it, without telling him, and he got… very angry. Not at me, but…"
She trailed off, looking to where Raven had left. "You shouldn't keep her waiting." A voice called from behind. The three turned, seeing Vernal standing in the entrance, holding a strange weapon.
"Who asked you?" Yang snapped. Vernal rolled her eyes and left the tent in response. The brawler sighed, looking to Weiss and Pyrrha.
"I know we just learned a lot in the last few minutes, but I gotta ask, what the Hell is a Maiden?"
The red and white duo sucked in a breath as they looked at each other. "Ok, so a quick rundown." Weiss cleared her throat.
"Magic is real. Pyrrha has some. Cinder has a lot more." If it had come from anyone else, Yang would have said they were lying.
But this was Weiss 'Logic is Life' Schnee. Yang turned to Pyrrha, who smiled at her apologetically as she snapped her fingers.
A small flame sprung to life on her thumb as she did so. Yang stared at it.
"Man, what the fuck."
…
Blake sipped at a fruity drink in a coconut with a vaguely annoyed expression. It didn't seem possible anyone could manage such an emotion while sitting in the Menagerie sun and drinking a delicacy.
And yet, she managed it regardless.
Her reason for such a sour expression was the simple fact that not a single person had joined with her in the fight to save Haven Academy. Not a single one. Sun shared in her annoyance, though after a small heart to heart it had lessened considerably for both of them.
Especially as Blake thought him 'earnest'. "So, how do you plan on getting through Illia's thick skull?" Sun asked, his blonde tail wrapping around his coconut and bringing it to his lips.
"Oh, you know." Blake let out a soft, amused sigh. "Probably by following her to the ends of the world when she doesn't want any company." She sipped from her drink with a coy smile as Sun coughed up some of his.
"I mean, it worked didn't it?" He managed a bright smile. "Hey, you know that one word thing you mentioned? What's Neo?" He asked.
Blake looked surprised, before thinking about it. "...Determined." She eventually decided on. "Since she started following me from Beacon, and even before that, she always seemed determined to get her way. Whether that meant taking something that wasn't hers, or taking revenge on someone who wronged her."
She raised an eyebrow at Sun. "I'm surprised you were curious about her word, rather than Crue's."
"Oh. I just figured he was 'anger'. But like, the good kind." Sun gave a shrug, waiting to see if he was right or wrong.
Blake chewed the inside of her cheek, wondering if she was that predictable or if it was Crue that gave it away. "Well, I would have said 'Wroth', but yours works too." Sun gave a good natured roll of his eyes.
"I think you read too many fancy books." He said, chuckling. His expression suddenly shifted to confusion as he looked over Blake's shoulder. Given that it was confusion, and not sudden fear or concern, Blake felt no need to suddenly turn around and check to see if she was safe.
"Oh my, I hope we're not interrupting anything." Only to immediately regret not doing so as she heard her mother's voice. Spinning round, she saw Kali walking with a large bag in one hand, and next to her was a bundle of bags with legs.
She blinked, realising it was Neopolitan. "Neo? What are you carrying?" She asked. Neopolitan looked practically overjoyed that she had asked, an expression she wasn't used to seeing on the diminutive girl.
Neo set the bags down before the table, rummaging around for a moment before taking out a black shirt and holding it out to Sun. It was the same style as his own, but as he unfurled it, his blue eyes widened. "No way…"
Blake waited for Sun to explain what was on the shirt. Instead of speaking, he flipped the shirt round so that Blake could see the back of it, where a strange design was printed on it.
In the middle of the shirt was two people leaning away from each other, both holding up a fist and trying to pull away, with what was clearly a snapped chain between them. The people were silhouettes, one of them a dark blue outline with a silver strip across the eyes, and what was clearly a set of ears atop their head.
The other was a bright white, with no discernable features aside from a small bob of what Blake would assume to be white hair. Above and below the design were the words 'BREAK YOUR CHAINS' in big bold letters.
Blake blinked. She blinked a second time. And then, just to be sure, she blinked a third. "Is that when Crue fought Winter?!" She asked reaching out and snatching the shirt from Sun's hands and staring at it.
Neo nodded happily, bringing out another shirt. This one was a simple white, with a familiar set of sunglasses printed on the front. "Where the Hell did these come from?" She looked at Neo with wide amber eyes.
"Well, this might come as a surprise to you, but Crue has become somewhat of a… I suppose you could say a 'mascot' for the White Fang and Faunus of Menagerie." Kali explained with a smile, reaching into her own bag and taking out a small keychain with a miniature blue hurley on it.
"He's a what." Blake asked flatly.
"Maybe mascot is the wrong word…" Kali hummed, tapping her finger on her chin thoughtfully. "But, I'm not terribly surprised. I mean, if you were any younger you'd probably look up to him." She clicked her fingers. "That's it. He's become someone the island looks up to."
"I-What-How." Blake seemed to be short circuiting as she tried to comprehend what her mother was saying.
"Well, he did win a fight against Winter Schnee, while handcuffed to her." Kali explained, as Neo continued to take out what could only be described as 'Crue Cullen Memorabilia'. The pile grew, including coasters, mugs and magnets.
Blake felt her brain cells revolting one by one as they tried to comprehend what was before her. Crue had become a mascot for the White Fang. "He would hate this." She said confidently, picking up a bottle opener in the shape of Setanta..
"Yeah." Sun agreed. "Though, I feel like he wouldn't mind too much if he was able to collect on the royalties." He perused through the pile, his jaw dropping as he pulled out a small, foot long object.
"Oh my God." He said, holding out the item in question. "They made him into a marketable plushie."
...
"Achoo!" "Gesundheit." "Thanks." Crue brought his arm down from catching his sneeze as he sniffled, before his eyes narrowed.
"I don't know why..." He began slowly, as Sage, Scarlet and Neptune looked at him, and his expression, carefully. "But for some reason I am suddenly really fucking pissed off."
...
The plushie in question was about a foot tall, and had a tiny version of the clothes he wore at Beacon. A small felt version of Setanta was sown onto his simple hand. His sunglasses were also made of some kind of fabric, but could be moved up a little to show an 'angry chibi' expression. Sun's amazement with the item was short lived, as it was quickly snatched out of his grasp by Neo, who held it protectively by her chest.
"Ah, that one is hers." Kali smiled. "I think it's her favourite." She stage whispered, while looking fondly at Neo.
Sun held his hands up in peace towards Neo, who's pink and brown eyes narrowed as she stared at him. The Monkey Faunus decided to pick through some of the other items, before freezing as an idea suddenly struck him.
"Hey…" He began slowly, picking up a replica of Crue's sunglasses. The three women stared at him, waiting to see what he had to say. It ever so slightly made him nervous. "Do you think people would be more willing to join up with us to help Haven if they knew we were friends with Crue?"
His proposition made, he waited to see the reaction. They all seemed immediately against it, which was fair. However, that seemed to be just a reflexive action to the idea of using their dead friend for their own means.
"It might get more people to sign up. And, I think if Crue knew Haven was going to be attacked, he'd want to stop it." Blake looked around, gauging the reactions. Neo seemed to have a conflicted expression on her face.
Whether it was the idea of using Crue to further their means, or that she couldn't be a part of it, Blake couldn't tell. Neo would probably be great at convincing people that Crue would want them to help, seeing as she was his girlfriend.
But they might ask for proof, and that would require showing her locket. Neo would sooner cut off the person's hand then let them touch the only memory of Crue she had left. "Myself and Sun can take care of it." Blake offered.
Neo looked at Blake, surprised by the suggestion, but grateful. Eventually, she nodded. "Awesome." Sun smiled. "Besides, I probably have some pictures of me and Crue hanging out on my Scroll. Anyone needs proof, I can just flash them and be on our way."
"I would suggest not flashing anyone, Sun." Kali tittered at his words, as the boy suddenly blushed red as he realised what he said. He laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as tried to avoid the stares of Blake and Neo.
Blake sighed, before picking up the sunglasses Sun had been toying with and placing them on her face. It was oddly comforting. She stood up from the table, rolling her shoulders as Sun did the same. "Alright. Haven isn't going to save itself. Let's go."
...
"I'm back!" Qrow's voice echoed through the small abode that he had rented. Ruby's head perked up at the sound of his return, as it meant that he had returned with Huntsmen to help them.
"Be right there!" She called, shifting some meat around in the pan before her. Cooking was easy, she didn't know why some people got up in arms whenever she got in front of a stove.
"You're going to overcook that." Ren warned. Ruby frowned at him.
"No I'm not shut up!" She hushed. Really, he was worse than her Dad. Ren had been the designated cook for most of their journey, but that was on the road.
Now that they were back in civilization, it was her time to shine! "Hey, uh, Ruby?" Qrow called again.
"I'm coming!" Really, Uncle Qrow had no patience. A sudden hissing noise came from the pan before her, as smoke began to billow upward.
She gasped, as Ren quickly sidled over. "Fine, fine! You take over." She handed the pan off to Ren as she grabbed a small plate of cut vegetables and cups of tea.
"We didn't know how many people were coming, so we just cooked all of it." Ruby called, staring at the tray as she made sure everything was organised correctly.
She looked up, and felt her breath leave her chest as she stared at who Qrow had brought back. The tray fell, spilling the tea over the floor as she looked upon Yang, Weiss and Pyrrha.
A surge of emotions suddenly washed over Ruby upon seeing them all, all of which grew in intensity as her sister approached.
"Y-Yang. I'm sorry… I should've stayed, and I should've talked to you more! I just…" Her eyes started to water against her will. "I just wasn't sure if you wanted me around and-"
Whatever Ruby was going to say next was cut off by Yang wrapping her arms around Ruby and pulling her into a strong hug.
"I love you." Yang told her. And like that, all of Ruby's worries were suddenly blown away as her sister anchored her.
"I love you too." She whispered back, tears streaming down her face. She heard the sound of a few people running towards them, and then a large intake of breath.
Peeking out from under Yang's hair, Ruby saw Ren, Nora and Jaune had entered the room, each of them staring with wide eyes.
She knew who they were staring at. "Hello again." Pyrrha said, holding up a hand as her eyes watered.
"Pyrrha!" Nora was the first to regain herself, launching like a rocket toward her teammate and nearly bowling her over in a hug.
Jaune and Ren were right behind her, joining in on the hug. Weiss had stepped to the side to avoid hurricane Valkyrie, and felt her own eyes water at the sight of the reunion.
"Weiss…" Ruby said softly, as she and Yang parted in their hug, holding their arms out. Without an ounce of hesitation, Weiss moved forward to be engulfed by the hug.
Off to the side, Qrow smiled at the reunions and tears. "Uh…" A voice spoke off to his side. Qrow cranes his head, seeing the diminutive form of Oscar Pine entering the room.
"Did I miss something?"
Sorry for the late upload, I have been on a train nearly all day. I would like to say more but it's quite late and I'm quite tired lol
I will however say I had the idea of Crue as a 'mascot' for the White Fang ages ago and it would not leave my brain until I put it down.
Hope the reasoning makes sense at least, and yes Crue would absolutely hate the fact.
Anyway, that's everything, I hope you enjoyed, let me know if you did, and as always…
Until Next Time
-Friday