For the second time on this adventure Yang woke up in a hazy gaze. Though unlike her first time, the lights luminating her lilac eyes were not as intense. The other major difference is while the first time she only felt lethargic, this time round Yang's entire body felt as though she had gone twelve rounds with an Ursa that somehow learned the sweet science of a pugilists She could feel most of her muscles laxed to a point she would believe it was an intense workout or a long hoard of Grimm biting at her ankles. What made it worse was the bandages that coated her arms, torso, and a nasty gauze bandage along her face. She was tempted to get up but chose to just try to conserve her energy as much as possible.
She could barely recall what had happened, let alone know where she was. Ever sense that nurse in the alley it had been a blur. She recalled reliving how she nearly cost Ruby her life as a child trying to find her mother. How and why was all she would like to know though. The other big question was why her father's dog, Zwei, had chosen to sleep with her. Normally if he did it was off to the side not in her bed.
Then her memory kicked in. She was nowhere near Zwei, she was not even in the same dimension as that dog. Her eyes cracked open blinded nastily from the sunlight leaching into the room. If it were not for her hangoverlike state she would have liked waking up to a beautiful day. Slowly tilted her neck as her eye's adjusted only making out a mess of beige and black laying on top of her. The bright red cape immediately told her who was clinging onto her. Ruby must have spent all night looking for her, she must have looked bad to her. She gave a mild smirk as she moved her hand to nudge the sleeping half-sister.
Ruby grumbled as she felt Yang push on her a little. "No, I'm not leaving her Blake." She muttered still clearly asleep, not even opening one of her eyes.
"Come-on Rubes." Yang spoke up her throat hurt to speak not what she expected. "I need to get up."
Ruby shifted in her spot she was unaware who was talking as her arm shot up to shoo the imaginary figure away. Yang smiled at her younger sister's behavior with a defeated sigh she shifted herself trying to not disturb their pint-sized leader moving one of the pillows to where she was resting. She sat up in the bed taking in the room. It looked to be the guest room that Weiss decided to have. Just then the same Ice Queen entered to check on the two. Her more serious face melted a little into one of calmed relief.
"Yang, it's good you're up." She greeted while Yang half-mindedly gave a more mellow wave. "How are you holding up?" She asked more concerned.
"Been better." She chirped while her demeaner showed the peppier nature she tended to have. It was clear she was too exhausted for high energy conversations.
Weiss nodded, "I can imagine. Blake found you lying beside a tree outside of here." She began to explain. "It's good to know Carol found you."
Yang frowned as Carol was brought up. "Where is my savior?" She teased a little, looking more serious about the problem.
"ASGL According to Ozpin. Ironwood and one of their scientists found her unconscious on the roof. " Weiss was normally a hard one to crack in terms of keeping her emotions close to her chest. Not like Yang who can put up a guise of happiness; Unless she wanted you to see behind her veil you had to know her well. "It sounds like she got injured just as bad." She explained more though her tone was not exactly good. "What happened between you to?"
Yang was afraid this question would come up. In truth only glimpses are what she could recall. A cold table, an evil nurse, facing a masked monster, Carol pleading while her arm was around her throat. After that it just went red. "I-I don't remember anything." She responded.
Weiss sighed defeated but changed subjects quickly "Do you think they did the same to Carol?"
Yang froze on the spot. "It's hard to say." She responded. "Whatever they did, even if I only recall glimpses." She paused for a moment readjusting her stature to be sitting rather than lazily laying, the expression on her face not trying to hold a mix of rage and mental trauma. "They got in my head." She explained her eyes never leaving the sleeping Ruby. "I think I understand the world they are from now." She concluded.
The heiress glanced at her in slight surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.
Yang moved her hand to rub Ruby's head a bit she tried to shoo her off much to the two's amusement. "Remember what Filia and Samson said to us when she told us about Canopy?" She asked.
Weiss combed her memory for an answer. She recalled that Filia spoke highly of New Meridian, then she recalled Samson's more cynical stance. "Dogs eat dog. Right?" She asked to confirm.
Yang shrugged it was clearly she did not fully recall that meeting. "We lived with the Grimm. They come after us cause of negative emotions. Here, it's different." She spoke up as she looked at the outside window. "Here, there is no Grimm. Yet it seems like they have stranger threats."
Weiss closed her eyes in contemplation. "Kidnappers, The Skullgirl, and standard crime." She responded kindly. "If it wasn't for the Skullgirl I'd argue they got off easy." Her eyes shifted elsewhere. "I think this is how they felt." She concluded.
Yang eyed her confused "They?"
Weiss nodded. "Filia, Samson, the others from here." She explained to the blonde brawler. "They all we're like us when they joined Beacon." The two looked at Ruby, memories from the day prior fresh in the Heiress' head. "Filia chose to hide Samson from us, for a good reason to." Yang finds a form of peace with herself in this moment of reflection as the two sat silently for a moment.
The door swung open revealing a sleep deprived Filia, Samson tangled covered in knots and some hair being used to carry an ice pack. "Ruby, is Yang up? I-" She trailed off as she sees the older sister sitting straight in the bed with Ruby still asleep on the bed and chair in an extremely uncomfortable looking position. Her eyes glanced quickly toward Weiss who eyed her a lot differently from her normal composure. "Oh, Yang you are up… I can't say the same for Ruby." She concluded getting a chuckle from Yang and a sly smile from Weiss.
"It's nothing to worry about Filia." Weiss responded though her eyes showed contempt though not toward the amnesiac. "More importantly, how are you holding up?"
Filia tilted her head in confusion, Samson, though only visible from the top of her head began to glare angrily. Weiss gave him little mind or was at least not too scared to admit to it. "Yesterday you collapsed." She explained.
"Oh, right that." Filia sighed as she turned to face away from RWBY's second in command. "Samson told me some of it. It is not the first time an episode like that happened.'
Yang's cheerier demeanor dropped quickly. "Episode?" She turned to Weiss for an explanation.
"Kid suffered a memory relapse." Samson grumbled. His glare never left the White-haired Heiress as he explained. "Apparently that mutt you call a pet-"
"What does Zewi have to do with this?" Yang interrupted, anger beginning to scratch through her tone.
"Little Red down there started to flash photos of that dog." The parasite growled annoyed at her interruption. "Problem is it made her recall a few moments of her past." The two's expression lit up immediately as Yang leaned in while Weiss kept a skeptical glance to the two.
"That's great!" Yang started to get enthusiastic pulling herself from the bed making Ruby fall and waking her up in the process. "What do you remember? We will get them back once we have some clues."
There was a pause as Filia seemed to try and formulate her memories. "The incident; I think it was of my mom and dad." Her tone darkened a little as her voice sank. "They were killed… I- I was killed." She hesitated to explain farther.
Weiss remained impartial, the moment of her episode still hung in her head. The same could not be said for Yang. "That can't be right. You're here now though." She reaffirmed, looking closer at her.
"I know." Filia responded as her face seemed to hang lower than most times her past is brought up. "I'm not sure if it is true. But I think this was around the time I got infected."
Schnee glanced at the two inquisitively. "Before or after?" She responded impartially to Filia's conclusion; Traces of anger hung in her eyes though. Samson could feel the coldness of her behavior and it did not bite like the cold, it burned.
"I'm not sure." Filia responded as she continued, "I heard his name before the vision ended. I think it was my voice. Only thing I recalled before it ended was a metal man and a dog attacking him before I got shot." She paused for a moment in hesitance. "If I died in the vision then does it mean that this is not my original body?" She started to ponder causing Yang to look at her with concern while Weiss gave off an exasperated sigh at the thought of humoring Filia's theory.
"Where were you shot?" Ruby finally spoke up a little. Her dazed stupor from her fall caught up to her finally. Filia placed her hand in the same location she clenched at for dear life the day prior. Ruby approached raising Filia's school shirt slightly to see five bruise marks lining with where Filia grasped. It looked normal until her eyes caught some slight discoloration in the skin. "Weiss you're better at this than me. What do you make of it?"
Puzzled, Weiss sauntered toward Filia to look at the area Ruby eyed. She hummed a little as if in contemplation. "Aside from the bruising likely coming from her enhanced strength, it looks like standard Aura healing for a semi-fatal wound."
"If that's the case then that means… It means… Uh" Ruby had a solid conclusion but was not positive on it just yet.
Weiss looked at Ruby "It either means she received these at Beacon, or more likely it's Samson's doing." She reaffirmed.
Yang glanced up at the parasite as she tried to stretch her arms. "Right healing was something he did. It's how they endured the initiation." She looked less perplexed as it seemed something else clicked in her mind. "But if that's the case then…"
Weiss stood straight to eye Filia in her eyes. "Filia… I think these injuries are before you got Samson." Samson's curls twisted a little at her saying this she chose to ignore him.
The amnesiac paused in thought thinking on the conclusion. "It adds up meaning… I'm alone with no family, and I don't know if they know if I'm still alive." Her brow started to furrow to one of anger as she looked back toward no one, this was common at this point. "And you've lied to me."
Samson groaned "We're gonna talk later." He sneered at Weiss. "Yeah, yeah, I lied; It's nothing new to you Filia." He could sense her anger but it was not like much could be done now.
"SAMSON!" Filia shouted loud enough to cause Blake to slowly slink into the room realizing that the two had started to bicker again. in response to his dismissive behavior. "How much do you know!?"
Samson's hair drooped "I- I can't tell you." There was a pause as he could feel the strong gaze of the girls, feeling like several snipers poised to shoot.
Filia, however, was through with his avoidance. "I need to know." She could feel his guilt eating at him. It was normal if something like this happened; there were times, especially early on in their "partnership", where he would soothe off the tough monster act as if he was racked with guilt or remorse. Sometimes when he thought she was asleep he sounded as if he was talking either to himself or someone.
Samson sighed. "You got me in a rock and a hard place kid." His strands suddenly felt Filia's hands wrap around several tuffs of his curls. "Okay I get your point." Filia's hands retracted as Ruby and Yang looked at him cautiously. "I was there with you and your family for a few months."
Filia paused in thought before a slight memory from her panic attack came to mind. "You were the dog." Samson's voice could be heard seemed to grunt in defeat.
"I'm not telling you everything, but I was hired as your bodyguard." Samson explained, he could tell that Filia had started to pout at his stubborn nature. "The episode you had happened cause the day before it your parents and you were targeted."
Filia froze on hearing this. Bodyguard? Targeted? Mixed in with the fact Carol knew here along with the flashbacks she had met her. It did not make sense. And of course, the one who had answers refused to come fully clean. It angered her and she could tell that it was beginning to frustrate her own team who had mixed faces of confusion, concern, and anger. "Can you at least answer the question why you won't tell me."
The pause was long as the parasite had to contemplate his response. He let out a large huff of air that seemed to dwell for a while. "Because I know who targeted you and why." There was another long pause when Filia went to answer the room, saw Weiss begin to stand and was about to speak up when he continued. "I made a promise to your father kid, after I stopped one of the threats, he welcomed me as one of the family. It was then when both the Dog and I made a promise to guard you with our life. You pulled us out of a nasty slump; like hell I would let anyone harm you, host or not."
The room went silent as the four took in what he said. Filia was the first to sigh defeated "Okay Samson, you win." The group was shocked at her slow admittance to defeat. But she raised her head strongly with the same determination in her eyes that she had slowly gained from a year on the streets and dragged her through what she could easily call the most absurd adventure of her life. "But don't think this means I won't stop from finding the truth."
Samson smirked a little happy to see it at least resolved for now. Though he was certain she resented him because of his willingness to stay quiet. "Figured you'd say that."
Ruby seemed relieved that it seemed Samson and Filia were at least on terms where the two can work together. She stepped to the center of the room as the reunited Team RWBY and their plus one seemed to have regained their own composure from the last day's panic.
The silence however was short lived when Filia's glance passed to Yang she looked surprised by her for some reason a response that the blonde brawler noticed all to quickly. "Um, is something wrong?" She asked, confused only to see that the rest of her team was now gazing at her in a similar response though in Ruby's case she seemed to have a strong aura of fear emanating from her. "Um, girls, you are scaring me now. What's wro-" Before she could finish Filia had dashed out of the room rummaging could be heard down the hall it sounded as though she ran to the bathroom. "Okay, she acts strange, a lot, but now I know something is wrong. What is it?" She was starting to get testy while the other huntresses still were hesitant to speak up.
"Um, well, er how do I put this…" Ruby finally spoke up, her voice squeaking she knew whatever it was she likely was going to blow up out of proportion.
Yang sighed concluding that whatever it was it met that it had to do with her and her alone. Seeing how Filia reacted, it met it was something the rest of them did not want to confront. "Just tell me how bad it is." She groaned out irritated.
Right as Weiss went to grab a mirror from the vanity, Filia burst into the room again. Something in her hand though her fast paced movements made her clumsily stumble to the bed, not allowing a good look at what was in her hand. "Um Yang, don't panic but I got a quick solution, Samson swears by this stuff." She explained as she handed her a blue plastic bottle. On the bottle it showed a very evocative woman on the cover with surprisingly long brunette hair the bottle Titled Quick Save Palette Formula Shampoo.
Yang eyed the gift curiously, before she could speak up Weiss handed her a mirror. "Here, may be best we give her some space." Weiss remarked to the rest of the group all of them slowly making their way to the door of the bedroom.
Yang looked at them then raised the mirror to see her face. At first, she saw the damage Carol had caused her, a heavy gash that crossed her cheek, a few strong and slightly swollen bruises that would heal over time. Nothing, some minors make up could hide or her aura once they got back to Remnant. Then she noticed something missing. Her hair was just barely passing the shoulder. Her Lilac eyes shifted to crimson again as rage overtook her thoughts.
"Oh, we're goin' to be having a nice long chat when we meet again." She growled angrily as she got up from the bed and began to move toward her friends. She calmed down enough to at least be rational. "You said this stuff works right, Filia?" She turned to ask the amnesiac who nodded firmly. "How fast?"
Filia thought about it. trying to recall her hair's original length, "maybe two weeks… -Ish" She answered while Samson gave a reassuring snort of amusement. "Though the stuff does have some side effects.
This caught Weiss concern now. "Side Effects?" she tilted her head, likely trusting Filia's explanation but hesitant to fully allow a member of the team to use such a strange product.
Filia nodded, "The shampoo uses low level parasites." as she explained this, the others four girls began to respond with a placid gaze at her. "Just pallets though, I assure you."
Then it was Blake's turn to ask the question. "Palettes?"
Filia slowly began to nod again "Yes Palettes, they are weak and short living parasites like Samson though they do take people as a host for a few days; a month at most." She explained.
"What do they do?" Blake asked now grabbing the bottle from Yang reading its backside.
Filia's mind seemed to be racing, trying to give a concise answer. "They kind of change you" She moved over to a cabinet and pulled out what looked to be a small stash of hidden photos. "I had used them for a while to see if my appearance would help me remember anything, but well." The girls looked at what could be described as a Filia in a multitude of an assortment of colors and get ups, each other having different hair colors, skin tones, eye colors even clothing alterations.
Ruby looked at one of them she was a little less pale than she was now, Samson had turned bright yellow matching yang's own hair color while her clothes changed to blue. "That is so cool! Do they sell these?" Weiss remained unamused while the others seemed curious about this new discovery.
"They do." Filia remarked, "but they are expensive."
Ruby seemed too giddy to hear the second part of Filia's answer, her mind now hyper focused about the idea "We should get some and bring back as souvenirs." She declared yet again to treat the mission like a vacation.
Weiss grabbed their leader by the shoulder. "Not without Ozpin's permission." She growled out a little bit but her face turned to Filia again "These things they are harmless?" she asked seriously in tone.
Filia nodded only to hear Samson speak up "As long as you can handle the risk of embarrassment. Filia one time took one once and came out looking like some genie for a half- a month; dark skin, purple hair." He started to burst into a gruff cackle "Hell all of her school uniforms turned scarlet red looked like she belonged at a Little Innsmouth Bar show danc- Kerkack!" Samson was cut off by Filia grabbing both sides of her hair and yanking extremely hard.
Filia's glare subsided as she refocused, "Anyway, we should hurry. Sounds like tonight might be the night."
The four looked concerned when she said that "You mean…" Blake spoke up first this time round. Filia nodded to confirm. "She's been spotted already?" she asked intensely.
"Not yet kids." Samson responded, "But the Theonite radars are going haywire right now. They cancelled Filia's school and issued a public curfew. She is going to be moving tonight."
Blake's eyes narrowed recalling what she Cerebella and Nadia were speaking about. "Nadia might know a place for us to get some last-minute training in." All of Team RWBY seemed to have changed from student tourists to serious huntsmen. "We should move to meet up with them… now." She proposed to which the team fully agreed on the new operation.
The five slowly grabbed their gear getting ready for what was going to be the most intense mission they had been on yet.