A/N: It is, with great pleasure, I announce that I REMAIN ALIVE. Yes, yes, I know It was rough, but I returned. Funny thing that happened, Every day, from the day I published the last chapter, until yesterday, I've written exactly fuck all. But today, and today only, two data after my vacation ended, I've written everything you see here. Yeah, ADHD is actually cool. Anyways, lets get to the reviews
VGBlackwing: As my dear guest said, It was during the Xiao Fight. To make things clearer, Xiao was the last fight at SoTC. On the RWBY's side of thing however, right after the 'Dance Dance' episode on Volume 2.
RhoMark: Why thank you, you fabulous person!
holandia1103: Yeah, It do be like that sometimes. Also, true, How the hell is that a thing that happened? And to add to the funny, all of them has their own separate themes!
Guest: You, good sir, are Very based. Bemaia approves.
Anyways, unto the Chapter!
—
Bemaia had left the room. He said he would do his entrance exam, but most importantly, he had given Francisco a task. 'Do them a favor and answer whatever they ask.'.
That would be a harrowing quest to undertake, but the bald one had never run from a challenge! "So! I used to be a Proselyte of the Index!" He said excitedly.
Unfortunately, his claim had gone unappreciated, which was strange for him. "Huh. Back in Lobotomy, all the clerks creamed over that…" He said to himself. Then, after glancing at the teens and noticing their awkward faces, telling him that they didn't even know what the Index was.
He realized the Herculean task Bemaia had given him.
"Okay…"
He inhaled deeply. "Anyone you might want to call? I don't really care about keeping our story a secret."
Ruby's eyes shone brighter than ever. "Let's call Jaune and his team!"
Francisco nodded in understanding… Only then, did a realization fall upon him.
'Who was this Jaune again?'
He couldn't remember. Was it a good idea to ask them who Jaune was? He knew that the name was important somehow. Should he decline it to avoid an awkward situation? They would probably shun him for not knowing who this 'Jaune' guy was… At least they didn't call Pyrrha Nikos. The last thing Francisco wanted was Pyrrha to know that he was weakened.
'Why did you leave me with them… Bemaia! You know I'm not good with people!'
While his situation was going on inside his head, Team RWBY's dorm quickly filled with the presence of two other individuals.
"Hi, guys. Sorry, we couldn't get Nora to come…"
An uncannily familiar voice filled his thoughts. It was the voice of a young boy… That he was sure he'd heard before.
"She's kinda on a warpath against that Francisco guy."
The guy in question stared at the blonde with his five eyes as something inside him clicked.
"Oh, hey Jaune."
Francisco waved with his remaining arm as the blonde instantly froze in place.
Another voice, this time belonging to a girl, spoke from behind Jaune. "What's the matter Jaune?"
The bald one went completely pale after realizing that the voice belonged to Pyrrha, "Why did you stop so suddenly…"
Francisco's three cheek eyes shot towards Pyrrha without his command. "Oh my…" Silence cursed the room. Jaune was frozen in place, staring directly at the soulless cheek eyes as Pyrrha was flushed by a plethora of emotions. Shock, regret, confusion, curiosity, guilt. But most of all, she felt an overwhelming dread while staring into the extra set of eyes, something she couldn't describe when asked about it.
"This is awkward…" The bald said as he approached Jaune. "Sorry about your gear."
The blonde was pulled out of his trance. "Ah… It's… It's nothing… I knew it was going to happen sooner or later."
He stuttered and Francisco huffed. "Well, It shouldn't. I'll repair it for you once I craft my own weapon." Then, he turned to the red-haired girl who was still staring into his cheek eyes. "I'm sorry that you must see me in such a sorry state."
His eyes closed as her focus shifted toward his missing arm. The arm that she remembered shooting clean through. "What happened?" She managed to say despite her apparent shock.
"Nothing for you to worry about." That didn't help her shock to subside. "If it makes you feel better, I don't think it was your fault."
But then again, she kept staring as her mouth trembled. Francisco was a bit slow to catch what she felt. "You're not going to lose sleep over a random guy's arm, will you?"
She then moved out of his way, incredulous. 'That was a thing that happened…'
He sighed. "Right, since the gang's all here, I'll let you guys ask me any questions and I'll answer them to the best of my ability, okay?" Those in the room nodded, still unsure if the now armless bald was in safe and stable health. "But before we start, I have a question of my own." His attention shifted to the red-haired girl as the teens all listened closely.
"Ms. Nikos, why did you forfeit a match you could have won?"
The girl snapped at him. "What do you mean!? You were hurt!"
The girls of Team RWBY all watched in silence as Jaune placed a hand on his teammate's shoulder to calm her down. "I thought that I could give you a lesson for hurting Jaune that badly… But then things escalated way too quickly!"
Francisco kept a stoic expression on his face.
"Next thing I know you're bleeding because I shot your shoulder and sliced you through the chest!"
The man in question cleared his throat in an attempt to catch her attention, but she didn't notice it.
"I thought that I'd just done something inexcusable as I watched your blood dripping down my blade!"
He cleared his throat once again, this time, louder.
"Then I saw you smiling at me! Shouting how I shouldn't run away as your left arm went limp! Do you have any idea how terrifying that was?!"
"Ms. Nikos!" Francisco yelled as he shook her with his only hand. That seemed to make her stop. "Finally…"
He sighed "Girl, I'm glad that you care about me, but I got into that fight knowing very well that I could end up dead." he laughed dryly as Pyrrha's confusion grew. "I mean, fighting and not expecting to get hurt is a bit foolish… Plus, that was the fairest fight I had in months!" He almost yelled, with a smile on his face. "So I don't regret having that fight, and neither should you."
The fact that she made her fellow bleed, still didn't sit well with her, but something about how he reassured her that her actions didn't bother him in the slightest, both creeped her out and relieved her.
"You… Sure?" She muttered under her breath.
"Lady, If I wasn't you'd be able to tell."
After that small interaction, Francisco told them to get comfortable.
"Okay." he attempted to clasp his hands together, only to notice the severe lack of one of them. So, instead of showing his failure, he used his hand's momentum and scratched his left shoulder. "I can give you all a bit of background, so before we begin, give me your all, throw every question you have and I'll answer!"
Without skipping a beat, Jaune asked with haste, "What are those eyes on your face?"
Francisco blinked, and so did the eyes. "Amazing, the only question I don't know the answer to." he scratched his head, trying to think of an excuse. "So, back at L Corp, we used to work with some monsters we call 'Abnormalities' to produce energy, and one of them gave these eyes to me." He said, as his cheek eyes each stared at a different person. "Though, I don't know why they returned to me, because I don't remember having them when I woke up at the Library." He said, nonchalantly.
"That's another thing I don't understand!" Weiss raised her hand "Your friend told me little about that library, but apparently you guys died and were revived there?" The heiress said as confusion filled the members of team JNPR present.
"I don't understand that myself, and neither does Bemaia, but It has something to do with our old boss trying to become a human." The bald one scraped his bald head.
"Unfortunately, we didn't pay much attention to all of her problems since we were, uh, busy trying not to die."
Weiss huffed at his response. 'How does he not know something that important? If that's the case, then he probably wouldn't have anything of actual value to say!'
Then the room grew silent. There were, surprisingly, no more questions. Those who did figure that the story would answer them if it made enough sense.
"Okay then." Francisco got the message. "Sit tight, 'cuz I talk a lot." He cleared his throat.
"Allow me to paint you the full picture."
—
Now Playing: Never frozen bottom flows - Lobotomy Corporation OST
Things back then were a lot simpler.
There are not that many things to worry about living in the backstreets. "Just survive," They said.
Was that all that life amounted to? Just surviving?
Well, in the backstreets, it was.
When I was a kid, L-Corp's nest wasn't exactly known for accepting orphans into their borders, so we had to make do.
Me and the others at the orphanage decided to simply run away, and live life our way.
I figured things would turn out for the better, after all, the City is the place of dreams, it even has its own stars to aspire us to do stupid stuff.
But, to the surprise of no one, things got harder, five nameless kids that couldn't've been older than eight, fresh into the backstreets of district twelve.
If we didn't perish by daytime, then the sweepers would kill us by nighttime.
By shadowing a group of rats, we quickly learned how things operated in the backstreets, and how to survive in the Backstreets.
Don't shout. It will only attract unwanted attention.
Don't question from where the food comes. Be it from a restaurant or a trash bin, food is food, and should be treated with respect.
Your fellow rats are still rats. It's fine to trust another rat, but never too much. They'll have your head stuck to a pike if it meant they'd get some pennies for it.
Don't question the Syndicate that governs the area you inhabit. Chances are, they win against you in all departments, so just bow your head when needed.
Don't bother trying to change your situation. The City is designed to crush those that live at the bottom of the food chain.
Firmly grasp any and all opportunities that may arise. Rats survive via opportunistic pragmatism, be it by capitalizing on someone in distress, or pulling shady deals with someone who doesn't know better. Even if the latter doesn't work at first, It's worth the experience. Kill a pregnant mother if it means surviving for another week or two with her change money.
—
Blake decided to speak up and interrupt his story. "You didn't actually do that, right?"
He stopped for a few seconds, as millions of thoughts ran through his mind. 'Did I do that?' he hummed to himself, 'I would recall if I did.' "I've stolen before, but not once did kill for that reason." a strange question to ask, he thought.
Blake sighed in relief, 'Thank the brothers, I thought we were housing someone that would hurt other people just to steal a few pennies…' then it hit her. "For that reason..?" did he just admit to murder? She silently pulled out her notebook and started writting.
He took a sip from a water bottle that Ruby was kind enough to lend him.
"Moving on."
—
Thankfully, my time at the backstreets went from rat behavior, to… something else.
Living in the territory of a syndicate can spell disaster if you're not careful, however, living in the territory of the Index, one of the Five Fingers, your whole philosophy can quickly change to suit them.
An opportunity presented itself, actually, it was forced upon me, in the form of a small strip of golden cloth, my first Prescription.
To Francisco Dumont: Critically evaluate the weapon choice of the first Fixer you see after reading this prescription, to the best of your capabilities; Give a presentation on your assessment of the Fixer's weaponry for the first Index Proxie you find.
The messenger read it to a 10-year-old, expecting me to be some sort of weapon genius and know precisely what to say about a bloody weapon I'd never seen before.
But how could I say no? It's the Index we're talking about, and I was just a kid surviving in the backstreets, barely making by.
A Fixer soon walked past me, and I didn't really know what to do.
Should I ask him directly what his weapon was? He'd sooner strike me down where I stood.
The messenger couldn't bother to help me, as he simply watched me struggling at my predicament.
The Fixer's weapon, a greatsword, probably bigger than myself, with a gentle curve by the very tip, so a curved greatsword, but that was all I could say about the weapon, at least, simply looking at it.
Could I just say that to the Proxie?
That this random fixer had a big, curved sword?
I swallowed.
After asking where was the location of the nearest Proxie, the messenger guided me toward a seemingly random building.
Inside, the putrid smell of the backstreets subsided, ever so slightly, after all, I was still smeared in trash and filth, the messenger probably noticed that as well, but decided to not show his discontent.
I also noticed something very intriguing, the building was full of Index members, Proselytes all, but no Proxie. They paid little attention to us, as they all remained focused on whatever task they were doing. He guided me deeper within the building, to where he reassured me that I would soon meet the Proxie responsible for this building.
Eventually, we reached a corridor with a single room, locked behind a door, where he told me to wait.
The corridor was barren of any life, as the increased temperature of the room made the corridor somewhat warmer, just enough to make an adult sweat.
The messenger knocked on the door, while I waited behind him in clear discomfort.
I asked the messenger who exactly was the Proxie, while the door hadn't opened. He didn't give me a name, but, out of pity, he told me that she worked as a weaponsmith for the Index for twenty years now, and if what he heard was true, then she was looking for a replacement for her.
The door soon opened, and a wall of heat hit me and the messenger straight on.
It became hard to breathe, it felt as if I was inside a very hot sauna, the smell was putrid, a mixture of burnt coal, charred human feces, and sweat.
That door hadn't been opened since the smoke war, I'd reckon.
I almost threw up, and the messenger wasn't faring any better.
An inhumanly lanky and tall woman, perhaps in her mid-forties, walked out of the wall of fog and stared us down, surprised, holding on to a rusted metal pike she used to assist her walking.
Her uneven, muscled body strained against the scraps of what was left of her suit, the white cape all Proxies of the Index had was still strapped to her neck, but now, tainted black with grime and whatever substance exhaled that loathsome smell.
Her most prominent characteristic, however, was the lack of a left arm, leg, and eye.
The messenger explained the situation and after a few seconds of arguing, they turned to me, waiting for me to say my piece.
And so I did just that.
"He had a curved greatsword, bigger than I."
But I knew that wasn't enough to satisfy the prescription that was given to me, so I simply spat bullshit her way. "Its gentle undulation accentuates the cutting capabilities of the blade. The curve also serves to deliver powerful airborne blows, or so that fixer said."
Sweat dripped from my face.
Was that enough?
Were they satisfied?
The messenger remained silent as he walked away, leaving me and the Proxie, both staring at each other.
"That was a good attempt, kiddo, but you suck at lying, I suggest you don't do that anymore."
I simply nodded my head in acceptance.
"A curved greatsword, though? That's rather uncommon for a fixer to use, but it is a good idea."
She turned around and entered the room.
"Come, boy." She half yelled, "You're gonna help me with my job from now on."
I swallowed and powered through the horrible smell of the room as I closed the door behind me.
—
Those in the room watched with disgust and were somewhat curious about how any of that was considered 'okay'. "So, that's how I ended up as a Proselyte of the Index." Francisco pronounced proudly, bearing a smile on his face.
Teams RWBY and JPR shared doubtful glances, Yang was the first to speak. "Uhh, we'll probably need some time to…" The students awkwardly shifted in their seats. "You know, digest all of th-"
Ruby immediately raised her hand with stars in her eyes. "What about Bemaia?"
Both teams stared at Ruby as the bald one raised his eyebrow in thought. "And those Abnormalities you talked about earlier? They sounded so cool!"
She jumped on the spot, as she asked with excitement "Huh, true." Francisco relented, after all, for an outsider, the abnormalities could be seen as 'cool', or so she put it. He sighed.
"Yeah, I have some things about Bemaia's background…"
—
Now Playing: First Warning - Lobotomy Corporation OST
The air was thick, a black smoke covered the corridors as desperate screams could be heard throughout the Disciplinary team's section.
Hurried steps soon followed the source of the screaming, a man with long dark-brown hair, a smoking pipe on his mouth, a set of horns and eyes protruded from his forehead and left cheek respectively, he was clad in a crimson red suit made from flesh and bones, somehow still pulsating, casually walked by the charred bodies of random clerks, not bothering to give them even the slightest of thoughts.
The smoke coming from them, combined with the smell of burnt flesh, made it hard to breathe.
After taking an elevator towards the upper corridors of the Disciplinary team, another employee joined him, wearing an equally concerning set of attire.
Carrying a black coffin on his back, that man wore a pitch black 'suit', made from what would be assumed to be black tar and white masks littering the suit. He bit on a matchstick through his white mask, the same one that was present on his suit.
Silver eyes could barely be seen, reflecting the dim light of the smoke-filled elevator through the mask.
He also had a giant hammer in his hands, the weapon was made from the same, vicious black material as his suit, only, the head of the hammer was replaced with a giant-toothed mouth, matching the size of the great weapon.
Giving each other a quick nod, the one clad in living flesh asked, "Gus, what's our situation?"
The masked employee puffed and sighed in annoyance, "FireBird escaped."
Ah, FireBird. 'What a beautiful creature, it saddens me that it will burn everything on its path. One of us should be able to make quick work of it, but you know the saying, 'The more The merrier'.'
The long-haired one nodded, as he brandished a greatsword made from flesh and bones, getting ready for the encounter with the WAW abnormality.
"Only the two of us?"
The other employee shook his head. "Bemaia's already on it for a few minutes, but it's best if we finish it as quickly as possible." The one wielding the hammer said as the elevator door opened, reaching its destination.
As the elevator's door opened, both employees quickly analyzed the situation that unfurled ahead of them but not before being set on fire for simply standing in the same room as the WAW abnormality.
The man in question, with a white blindfold, Bemaia, wore an unbuttoned, black overcoat leaving it open. The overcoat was littered with white straps and white feathers alongside his pants. The shirt underneath his coat, somehow, had a red, gaping, toothed mouth that seemed to be alive as it pulsates instinctively. The collar of his coat appeared to be made with small, fluffy black feathers, and disproportionately big yellow eyes, much like his only wing, that somehow managed to get through the back of his coat without ripping or piercing it.
Those eyes also occupied most of his head, as they peered through his dark hair staring simultaneously into the abnormality.
He wielded a giant hunk of black and white feathers, infested by the same yellow eyes, connected to a golden hilt by an abnormally large, pulsating red and toothy maw, barely resembling a sword.
The reason for their arrival, the abnormality, a gracious being resembling a peacock made of nothing but fire and flames, floating gently through the air despite its enormous size that dwarfed all employees in the room, and the tightness of the corridor.
It was surrounded by the charred corpses of the unlucky clerks that happened to pass by.
Before they could start their assault on the beast made of fire, a woman's voice rang throughout the facility.
"T-01-75 has escaped due to your incompetence, Manager."
Now Playing: Second Warning - Lobotomy Corporation OST
"Right," Gus muttered under his breath.
There was no time for worrying about that for now, they must resolve the problem in front of them, first, the Aleph will come second.
While the two employees rushed towards the abnormality, Bemaia was quick on his feet, ducking underneath the beast as it swung down its fiery talons, barely missing him.
Before the Fire Bird could turn his body around, Gus had already jumped in the air, swinging down his bizarre weapon into its head, as the long-haired one swung his sword against the bird's legs. Both attacks passed through the phoenix's form, as it struggled to retain its flame body's consistency.
Bemaia soon joined in the advance, flapping his single wing to give him a burst of speed, he sliced through the Bird's chest, before rolling on the ground to halt his forward momentum.
The Fire Bird shrieked loudly, releasing a burst of flames, with enough force to topple trees with ease, but the employees were only slightly staggered back by the wave of heat, as the flames left by the burst would slowly but surely, burnt their skin and flesh.
That didn't stop their relentless push, however.
Gus raised his great hammer, as Bemaia readied his wing to once again dash into the abnormality, and the long-haired one extended his already big greatsword's size even further.
He swung the abnormal hammer down, not in range to actually hit it, the hammer let out an ear-rupturing wail that somehow damaged the Fire Bird's form, as black tendrils extended from his tar-like suit and pulled the dead bodies of the dead clerks onto him.
The long-haired one then swung his fleshy sword downwards, as the being made of fire struggled further to maintain its form from being split in twain by the abnormally massive sword.
At the same time, Bemaia dashed towards the beast and used his wing to propel himself slightly to the Bird's sides, just enough to dodge his partner's attack. Just as the unblinking eye of his coworker's weapon sliced through the Phoenix, Bemaia kicked the wall nearest to him and effortlessly sliced through the beast's neck.
The room was soon filled with silence as the flames slowly faded along with the Bird, unable to maintain its form.
"Let's get out of here before that thing explodes." Gus commented and the three of them entered the elevator they came from as a thundering explosion shook the elevator, threatening to make it fall.
And soon enough, another voice rang through the speakers of the facility, "O-02-101 was successfully suppressed." the Second Warning was quickly replaced by its somewhat tamer counterpart.
The three employees shared glances with each other, sighing in relief.
Wordlessly, Gus left the elevator at its first stop, leaving both of the employees who just nodded in understanding.
Stopping at the central section of the disciplinary team, both employees left the elevator and took a seat on the now empty, scarlet floor.
"So, how's the Extraction Team, Francisco? I heard you're the captain now." the long-haired one sighed.
"Yeah, the captain of the one-man team." They both shared a pained laugh.
"We are all on the same boat. Every team has only its captain."
Bemaia walked towards the nearest coffee machine and got two paper cups full. "Yeah, that 70% mortality rate isn't a joke."
He then handed over one of the cups to Francisco, who just sat down on the floor. He promptly accepted with a silent 'Thank you.' "And no, Ticket doesn't count." Bemaia added, which prompted a laugh from Francisco.
After taking a quick sip, and immediately having his mouth burnt by the hot beverage, he quickly noted "Yeah, let's also not forget the whole God's Delusion Ordeal last week." He carefully got up from the floor, trying not to spill his drink.
"Of 25, only 10 of us survived, not to mention the clerks." It was a sad prospect to think about. Most of the employees of Lobotomy Corporation enter because they expect to have a nice and bright future, but instead, they are faced with man-made terror beyond their imagination, having to endure things the human body wasn't built to even experience.
"All for that sweet energy quota, eh?"
Face the Fear, Build the Future.
What a joke.
They both shared a moment of quiet before they were interrupted by a voice that echoed through the entire room.
"T-01-75 Is now contained. How long will it be I wonder, until it escapes again…"
And soon, the First Warning too, had ended.
For now.
That voice, however, was all too familiar to Francisco to the point of even hearing it made his skin crawl. "Binah… Something's wrong with her head, no way someone is as creepy as her without even trying." Bemaia shared his sympathies with him, after all, he wasn't faring much better being the captain of the Disciplinary team, responding directly to Gebura of all Sephirah.
Noticing the mood he accidentally set up, Francisco decided to lighten it up a bit. "That was Fred, right?"
Bemaia simply shook his head, "He's not capable of suppressing that thing that quickly, especially since he'd have to walk all the way down from the Control team. Perhaps he was already near its containment cell?" Francisco shrugged, he remembered that there was no point in theorizing about those sorts of things.
If an Aleph was suppressed not three minutes after its escape, just accept it and move on.
"You free after the shift? John and I are going for a few drinks after the day's over." Bemaia was deep in thought, It was a rather respectable offer, but he had his duties. "I'll have to pass, I need to check on someone."
Francisco raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't think you'd have a special someone." He said, in a mocking tone while lightly hitting his elbow on Bemaia's side.
Unfortunately for the long-haired one, Bemaia remained with a stoic expression on his face, completely unfazed by his sorry attempt at mockery. "No, It's a kid I helped when I inherited the old man's restaurant two years ago, I think today is her sixteenth birthday."
Francisco stood still for a while, trying to remember anything Bemaia might've spoken to him about this girl. Soon, he found his answer. "Oh, that starving kid you helped in the backstreets? She's alive?"
Bemaia nodded his head. "She's alive and thriving. Last month she got promoted to a Capo of the Thumb."
Francisco looked at Bemaia, somewhat displeased with the revelation.
"Eh? The Thumb? So she became a member of a Finger, and The Thumb out of all of them? What the hell did you feed her?" Before Bemaia could respond, his coworker was quick the snicker. "If only you fed every single starving child on the Backstreets."
Bemaia puffed, discontent radiating from his being. "It's not like I didn't try…" He almost whispered that part. "Sophia was the only one that had the courage to walk up to a Grade 3 Fixer and ask for help." He said, guilt dripping from his words, and his partner sympathized with him.
"Most of the denizens of the Backstreets run away when they see someone armed with a gun of all things." Francisco tried to reason.
"You're right, but If they just asked, even for the leftovers, I would give them a full meal, no matter who and when should they need it."
Francisco nodded in understanding, but his composure was soon lost as he decided to mock his coworker once again.
"Thou art most kind forsooth! f'rgive me f'r basking in thy holy lighteth without thy consent, oh all benevolent Bemaia!"
He scoffed at this but decided against showing off his discontent.
It would only feed Francisco's ego if he did.
—
The former librarian finished, after carefully selecting what to say to them, to paint his partner and him in a clearer light.
Bemaia had to unlock his Aura somehow and considering that apparently, the one doing the ritual must be a kindred spirit of sorts, he tried to encapsulate the best of his partner's qualities he could remember off the top of his head.
"So, that's one of the tamer stories I can remember off the top of my head." he took a sip from the water bottle while taking a better look at the room.
Starting with JPR, Jaune seemed somewhat interested in the absurd tale being told with absolute confidence, after all, not five months ago, he didn't even know aura and semblances existed, so hearing the ramblings of someone that claimed to be from another world, didn't seem so far-fetched.
Pyrrha however, didn't share the same interest as her leader.
She was much more worried about tending to the boy's wounds, while the blonde didn't bat an eye. Francisco couldn't blame her for it though, her interest must be solely focused on fighting, he'd reckon.
Ren was in a completely different world, his eyes were glued to his scroll doing whatever it is he was doing. Perhaps texting someone?
Team RWBY, who once sat uncomfortably hearing his story, all had their own images of whatever these strangers were, but somehow, without even knowing it, he made the teen's image of them change ever so slightly.
Yang, who was the first one to express her discontent, now listened close, much like her sister. Apparently, she prefers the more action-packed stories.
Blake, well, she was writing something in a notebook of hers. She probably didn't really care about it. Oh well.
Weiss remained stone-faced, unable to formulate any resemblance of human reaction. Was she that shocked at the prospect of another world existing? By the wing's name, people here have soul forcefields! But alas, perhaps she was tired.
Ruby… Well, Ruby was having a blast, and if Francisco wasn't careful, he would be at the receiving end of that blast she was having.
The young girl was of the imaginative sort…
Good for her.
Much to Jaune's dismay, JPR excused themselves in order to 'Calm Nora down' or something, Francisco didn't really care.
"You satisfied now, Ruby?" Francisco asked the only one, aside from her sister, that actually cared about whatever he was spewing.
Ruby, in true youthful fashion, was barely able to contain her excitement and started speaking. "Okay, Let's see If I got everything right."
And thus, the former librarian understood the futility of his situation, and relented to the younger girl, as the flood gates that were her mouth, rapidly swung open, unable to hold herself back. "You… You had an extremely cool teacher that taught you how to make weapons?!"
Francisco was taken aback by the sudden outburst, but he remained steadfast.
"Well, yeah, I told i'd-"
But the girl didn't show any signs of stopping.
"And you kept that to yourself the whole day we've been together?!"
"I'm sorry but I-"
"Well I know how you'll repay us for saving you!"
"Yeah, I've been meaning to-"
"We will make a weapon together!"
"..."
"..."
"Wha-"
"It'll be the greatest one yet!"
"Now, hold on-"
"Combining the greatest minds of both worlds, we will make the most powerful weapon- No, the weapon to end all others!"
"I don't think we-"
"We will be unstoppable together! Just think of the possibilities!"
She took a few seconds to breathe.
"Are you done?" Francisco asked as all of his five, unblinking eyes stared at her, in complete shock from her outburst.
"Yes."
"Good, now listen."
He took another sip from the bottle and offered it to her. "My intention already was to make three weapons." Ruby declined respectfully. "One for me, Bemaia, and Jaune."
The girls were all shocked by the revelation.
"That Jaune part, I'm sure I've already told you."
Perhaps the bald guy wasn't that much of an asshole! "Oh! That's sweet of you! I shall help you if whatever you need to make those weapons possible!"
He just smiled and nodded in understanding. "Then we shall make both world's greatest weapon!"
Indeed, she was still a kid.
However, that didn't solve the original problem.
We need someone to unlock Bemaia's aura, lest he suffers from the same fate as Francisco. "Before any of that, we kind of need someone to unlock Bemaia's aura." he then motioned to the lack of a left arm on his body.
The room went silent for but a second, before Blake of all people spoke up, surprising Francisco.
"I can try." she spoke softly, not once stopping writing what it is she was writing.
"Well, you sure? Didn't it have to be someone with a similar soul or something like that?"
Blake chuckled as she shook her head in disapproval. "No."
Oh.
"So I was worried for nothing then?" Francisco exclaimed as Ruby looked down in embarrassment.
"You took for granted the statement of someone who's consistently failing History classes, but most importantly, Aura Studies!" Weiss yelled as she snapped out of her trance.
Ruby skulked further, unable to defend herself.
Fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, she wasn't alone on this boat.
"Well, I think reading is for nerds," He said, giving Ruby a pat on the back, "Am'I'ight, partner?"
She didn't feel like that was a valid attempt at lifting her spirits considering who said that.
—
Before they could continue their conversation, a new voice, the Manager's voice, rang through the facility.
"In two minutes, Employee Dumont, commence instinct work on Bald-Is-Awsome."
Francisco instantly drank all his coffee. His face contorted in distress as he noticed that the coffee had already gone cold. "That's me." Nonchalantly entered the elevator without saying a single word.
—
That's that! Anyways next chapter, we'll have weapon smithing!