AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just in case, I'm putting a trigger warning for family stuff. As always, have fun reading!
...
"I..."
No way. I thought Morley wouldn't take it seriously, but now that he's disappeared? Forget what I said about him earlier; he must've stepped on Paisley's toes along the way...
"You're serious," Talan muttered.
"Yes!" Zaffree shouted. "He's not picking up, and he's not texting back. He's never done this before..." He trembled again, and now the tears had started to build up in his eyes. "Gods, not again..." He dropped to the floor on his knees, fists tightened. "...I should've been the one to go, not him!" Even as he sobbed, he placed his closed fist on his chest.
"I started this stupid investigation to begin with! I should've taken the brunt of it all, not them!"
And then he broke down crying. Team PLET had stepped back to give him space, allowing him to cry, but after a few moments passed Emi stepped up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Zaf," Emi said, "we're here with you."
"And if you want us to start helping," Paz added, "well, you've come to the right people."
As Team PLET continued to reassure Zaffree, he started to calm down, having stopped sobbing. He sniffed, looking up to the group of friends with a bittersweet smile. "Thanks..."
Emi then held out her hands, inviting a hug. It didn't take long for him to—mmmph! He hugs so tight! God, I don't blame him at all. He's already gone through so much in such a short time that, really, he's earned it...
"Thank you," Zaffree said. "Thank you all."
Paz, Livio, and Talan smiled as the two continued to hug. Then, when it started to feel like it would last forever, Zaffree broke up the hug, letting out a relieved sigh. "Now..." He cleared his throat. "Where were we again?"
"So where do we start?" Livio asked.
"...Oh!" Zaffree pulled out his Scroll and showed Team PLET his investigation plans. Paz looked over them and swiftly noticed that many, many details were missing, leaving gaping holes between a handful of crucial steps and those few scattered details. "First, we go to Oz," he began. "Just as I did with Seraphina, Melati, and Fion, we'll ask him about his whereabouts."
"And if that doesn't work?"
"Like the two... three times that happened?" Zaffree scratched his head. "Errr—"
"Here's a suggestion: ask around," Paz pitched in. "Professor Ozpin may not know where he went, even with the many security cameras at his disposal, but our fellow students might."
"I don't know, Paz," Talan responded. "If Ozpin can't find out where he went, then why should we trust our classmates to know?"
"Think about it; he gained some fame from his time as a Mistral regionals finalist, he stands out with his Ancient Vale style, and he's been in contact with Pyrrha a few times before. I imagine he's on quite a few people's minds."
"She isn't wrong," Zaffree said. "Shoot, now that I think about it..."
"Well?" Paz smiled. "Are we asking around or not?"
He shrugged. "Might as well."
"Then voila."
Livio raised a hand. "One more thing: why don't we bring our weapons just in case?"
Zaffree blinked, looking at him weird, then he realized what he'd just asked. "Shoot, you're right." He started walking out of the team's dorm room in a search for his spear. "I'll see you downstairs!"
Once he was gone, I went to grab all the weapons I had laying around. Wand, check. Splitting battleaxe, check. Brass knuckles, check. Metallic pole, check. And what's this now? A new revolver I built for Paz as Livio that I couldn't help but put in crazy stuff like a crossbow function and a freaking pilebunker mode that's sure to decimate an Alpha Beowolf in one, explosive pull?
I mean, if we're going to encounter something or someone during our investigations, then I might as well. Now, time to ask around for any sign of Morley's whereabouts.
That shouldn't be too hard, right?
. . .
"Hey, excuse us for a second?"
Two girls turned around to face him and the group. One of them had black-and-red hair, a black-and-red hoodie, and black skinny jeans tucked into combat boots with red laces and soles. Another had a bowtie tied to her jet black hair, a coat over a light-purple dress shirt and pleated skirt, purple-and-black leggings, and knee-high boots with a zipper at the front. I think Weiss was grouped with them back at the Initiation ceremony?
Nevermind that, I need to find out where Morley is. "Have any of you seen someone with a brown cloak, armor on the arms and legs, and blue hair?" Talan asked.
"Nope," the hoodie girl said. The one with the bowtie simply shook her head.
"Damn." As the two went on with their day, Talan sighed. "Well, thanks anyway."
"So we're just gonna keep asking around?" Zaffree asked.
"Until we find what we're looking for?" Paz posed. "Yes."
. . .
Asking the next handful of people about Morley yielded no fruit. Two cracked jokes, while the rest simply said they didn't know where he was. By that point even Paz was starting to lose steam; the temptation to go to Ozpin's office and ask him only continued to grow. However, when she and her team came across Pyrrha, they asked her that same old question, expecting the same old response.
"So do you know where he went?" Paz asked.
"Oh, you mean the most formidable opponent I'd met in years?" She chuckled a little. (So did I.) "I'm sorry, but I don't know where he is."
Another in a series of disappointments. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that we're still at this at all considering how much we've been going around and how little we're getting results. Then again, it's still worth it considering how Zaffree has been affected by his teammates going missing. Maybe I should do one more asking around and then I'll—
"...But I saw him heading back into the open area last night. Perhaps you could check over there?"
This has to be it. C'mon, there's no way he shouldn't—
Strings, calm down. I shouldn't be too excited about it since for all we know, he could be, well, literally anywhere else. Still, who knows? It's better than nothing.
"Will do, thank you."
"No problem~"
Pyrrha walked away, leaving us alone with each other in the middle of the school campus. Well, it might've taken us long, but hey, there's our first clue. Progress!
...
Right.
Anyways, this is my time to shine. Emi will go with Zaffree to the forest, and Paz will visit Ozpin's office before catching up with those going to that forest. Talan'll look around campus, and Livio will explore the city proper for any clues. I haven't had a chance to do anything like that in a while, but hey, if there's an excuse, and the situation calls for it, I might as well.
"Emi, Zaffree," Paz began, "You explore in the forest. I'll speak with Ozpin while Talan looks around campus and Livio looks around the city."
"Sounds like a plan!" Emi folded her hands with a dumb smile.
Yes, me, yes it is.
Zaffree, meanwhile, simply nodded along. "Yeah, I guess."
And so, the five went their separate ways, not too far in distance but at the same time worlds apart.
. . .
After a strangely long ride up the elevator Paz entered Professor Ozpin's office. This time, Glynda wasn't around, leaving just him at his chair. Quite a relief, honestly.
"Afternoon, Professor Ozpin," Paz began. "So, I'm here to report another entry in a series of disappearances."
As usual, Oz simply took a sip from his awfully hot coffee mug... Chocolate mug? Hot choco—"And who do you think went missing?"
"Morley Ponde. Placed second place in the Mistral Regionals this year."
Ozpin nodded. "Unfortunately, I do not know about his current whereabouts. The last time you reported a disappearance, our Academy's security and Valean police were unable to produce any findings together, despite their best efforts, and that answer, at least on such short notice, will not change today."
So I guess this is it, huh? I guess the only way to find out now is if we were to become her targets next.
"However, there is one thing for certain: his last reported location was outside of the Academy."
Another clue... but there's already a problem. Either Morley's somewhere in that open area, or he's somewhere out of the Academy. Now, I'm inclined to give Ozpin the benefit of the doubt here, but then again, Beacon's staff isn't always infallible. Remember when Oobleck started investigating and I had high hopes?
I sure do.
Anyways, I might as well take this second small success story and leave.
"Let me know when you find anything else."
"And do let me know if you've got any new information on Morley, Ms. Pacana."
"Will do."
Paz adjusted her scarf, then started leaving the office. "By the way, have a nice winter break."
"You too, Ms. Pacana."
While Paz is heading to the elevator, I have to wonder: how are things on Livio's end? Nothing much, apparently, just heading to the Beacon train station just in case Ozpin is right.
Okay, onto Emi. She's walking across the open field alongside Zaffree. Though not as many people were in the general area as there would be on a warm spring day, there were still plenty of snowball fights and snowman-building out there as well as the occasional sledder. In another timeline, Emi would have been dragging him, his team, and Nora and Ren along for a snowball fight that could end up worthy of its own Remnantpedia page. This, however, was not that timeline; instead, they were about to enter the woods in search of clues.
"Hello, Morley?!" Zaffree shouted, palms cupping the sides of his mouth to louden his voice.
"Zaffree, I appreciate the effort," Emi said, "but it's not gonna magically bring him back. I'm sorry."
"It's worked before, why wouldn't it?"
Emi sighed. "I dunno."
Zaffree shrugged, then shouted his missing brother's name once more. This is gonna take a long time, isn't it?
Well, I suppose there's enough time to reflect while this search goes on. Right, what was it about being afraid around people again? Yeah, I was. Then I got better. I'm much better at acting now than I was when I first came to Beacon. I'm also not as concerned about being found out as much as I used to..? I don't know, but either way, I made progress! Well, I still slip up from time to time, but hey, gotta take the huge victories while I can.
But... I'm already starting to feel like I'm failing my friends. They're all being suckered and all I can really do other than investigate is watch while she makes them her sycophants and smears my good names. And the ones who did know what she's up to, well, they're most likely gone now.
This reminds me of the time Paz's mother tried to get her off the Huntress path, even as she continued to attend Alsius. She tried to exercise the control Paisley had, but considering she was training to become a Huntress, there was only so much she could do. Emi, on the other hand, couldn't hope to dream of that same luxury after her mother had been murdered because was a Faunus. A Faunus...
Wait.
I don't recall seeing any Faunus features on Emi's mother before she'd been murdered. In fact, I don't think Mrs. Yunako was even called a Faunus when the Mistrali police interrogated me. If it's really the case, then I'd been lied to by her father, Toshiaki, this whole time.
Both of them were humans.
Holy shit. Emi's father killed her mother because he thought she was hiding Faunus features she didn't have. That's... actually kind of disturbing. Oooooooor maybe she was just a Faunus and I'm just overthinking everything. Who the hell knows?
...
Welp, enough of that! I need to distract myself, or else I'll spiral into even more horrifying revelations about my past lives!
Speaking of distractions, Talan's just about to encounter Ash. Perfect timing!
"Hey, Ash," Talan called out.
Ash stopped in her Ice Dust-equipped ice skates and turned to face him, not with her usual laid back demeanor, but rather a glare. "What do you want?"
"I know we're not on the best terms right now, but... where's Morley?"
"I dunno, left our room and is probably off doing whatever while we're in the dark." She scoffed. "Hell if I know."
New plan. What if I asked her where Paisley is? I mean, she's quickly becoming her bestie for very unnatural reasons, so if I'm right, maybe she'll be more concerned about how she's doing and where she is right now.
Well then.
"So, I heard you're friends with Paisley now," Talan began. "Do you know where she is?"
Ash's eyes widened. Did I just—"Now that I think about it," she answered, "I don't think I've seen her since last night, either. She ain't pickin' up, either."
...
Oh, snap.
"Want me to help find her?"
Ash again appeared surprised. Yeah, I don't blame her. I don't think she even expected Talan, who confronted Paisley during the Initiation ceremony, to come help find her newest "friend."
"Y–Yes, please."
"Good. Now let me come with you."
She blinked, mouth still agape, then she cleared her throat. "Y–Yeah, soz."
"Lead the way."
Morley, Morley, Morley... Where are you?
I know I wasn't the best brother. I know I was always the puddle out of the two Pondes. And yet, I still tried my best like a true idiot who never knew how little he's actually capable of, dammit!
And it's all thanks to me that you're gone.
Fion, Seraphina, Melati, all of you are gone as well. But I'll still try to find you to this day. You still matter to me. I just wish I could let you know how much I love you and my lost brother.
I just wish...
"Zaffree?"
Nah, not now, Emi, please. Can't she see that this is my quiet time? Ah, who am I kidding...
"Yeah," I said.
"Do you ever think about... your family sometimes?"
This one's obvious, but I might as well. "Yes," I began, "I do very much."
She nodded back. "I do, too. In fact, I'm very, very grateful for the one I'm in now."
"N—"
That's new. Emi got new parents at some point, and this is the first time hearing about it—if I'm right. I opened my mouth to say something, but... do I want to? I mean, I'm friends with her, but am I close enough friends? I mean, she did come to check on me that night, so maybe we're close and she doesn't mind me prodding her all sorts of questions about her parents?
I don't know, but I guess if it's bugging her, well... might be worth a try?
"Now?"
"My parents... are not really my parents. But I still think about them from time to time. Why? Because they were the parents I wish I had from the beginning."
Wow... I didn't know that. Emi was adopted? I mean, she will get annoying to deal with for a bit out of the blue, and from the looks of it, she looks like she enjoys life, but she had a tough home life? Or did her parents die and she had to live as an orphan? I want to say something, but... didn't she start it? Besides, we're out there, getting lost in the forest just for a faint hope to find my brother, so I... I might as well.
"What do you mean by that?"
Emi fell silent, then stopped in her tracks. Oh Gods, I just touched a nerve, didn't I? I was about to apologize when she took a deep breath, palms put together. Then she turned to look at me with her hands behind her back.
"My parents... weren't always my parents," she said, "but they treat me well. No thanks to... the old ones..."
She fell silent. Then she looked away. Her fists had tightened, and her teeth gritted against each other. I really did touch a nerve, didn't I?
AH! Sh–She punched a nearby tree! And again, and again. And then she just kind of... fell on her knees and slumped over, sobbing. I went over to her and kneeled towards her, putting my hand on her shoulder. The sobbing continued, but she just kind of looked at me and—ah—tackle-hugged me!
...
She feels so warm, and yet, she feels so cold inside. So, I hugged back, and she continued sobbing into my shoulder as I patted her on the back.
"There there," I reassured her, "I'm with you now."
. . .
The crying had stopped, and her hug was starting to loosen.
I immediately let go of Emi, and took a deep breath. "Again, I—"
"What did I say?" she said. Oh—"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. It's just..." She sniffled, then wiped her tears before she chuckled.
"Oh, dumb ol' you, never quite getting the obvious."
"H–Huh?"
Emi let out a weary laugh and sighed. "Seriously. Thanks for bearing with me. I'm just... not used to saying stuff like that to people, y'know?"
I smiled. "You're welcome. And yeah, I don't, um, blame you."
Emi smiled back, then continued walking across the snowscaped forest. "Now, where were we?"
"I don't know, I think we're lost." "But we have to be getting..." Her voice trailed off as she stopped again, this time looking at something that had caught her eye. "...closer."
I looked to see what she was looking at. Gods, don't tell me...
No. Is that Paisley with a shovel? Don't tell me she...
I immediately got out my spear from my back, then rushed over to that bitch. C'mon, Paisley, I know you're hiding something! Just tell me already where my friends and my brother are!
"Paaaisley!" I shouted, lunging my spear at her when she—wait, where'd she go? That was fast! Wait, there she is, just to the left. Time to—
Gah! My spear! I pulled it out of the tree trunk and then pointed it right at her. "I'm not going to ask you again: where's my friends?! Where's my brother?! What did you do to them?!"
She stared at me, letting me see who she really is for the first time, for real. Her eyes locked onto mine, the shovel in her hands tapping... the spot where my...
...brother...
"Congratulations. You found them. Now join their final resting place."