To Roll The Die
Chapter 2, Bridging The Gap
I do not own anything pertaining to RWBY or DxD.
Slowly allowing her eyes to flutter open, Rias basked in the warmth of her strangely shaped body pillow that she doesn't recall purchasing, content to sleep the morning away after having such a stressful night and the odd dreams that followed.
After all, how else could she rationalize having two absolutely perfect additions to her peerage literally fall from the sky right when she needed them the most besides assuming it was but a dream?
Slowly cuddling further into the embrace of the strong arms languidly holding her close, Rias allowed her mind to slowly process the dream and file it away for further study later, as she doesn't often remember her dreams in such striking detail.
Pressing her face further into the broad chest she was currently using as a pillow, Rias bit back the desire to groan in dismay as she recalled the events that transpired behind closed eyelids, wishing more than anything that her dreams had been anything else but just that.
The park had been in ruins by the time she had teleported to the scene of the incident, the freshly grown and planted young oaks having been unable to handle the wave of pressure that had split them all in twain at the base. The remains of the previously opaque off white marble fountain that acted as the centerpiece of the park was pulverized to near dust, the material now a strange translucent gold from the odd spiritual forces that reduced it to its current state.
It was an obvious choice for Rias to make, considering the ambient mana that rolled out of the impact crater the two had formed upon touching down on Earth. It was draconian in nature and by far stronger than any other signature of a similar nature she had felt, even more so than Tannin.
Considering that Rias had been scouting two different potential members for her Peerage that held the very same draconian affinities but in a much more diluted quantity and quality alike, it was no surprise that she was able to identify the ambient signature left in the wake of such a strange and obviously supernatural occurrence.
Both the blond male clad in a strange mixture of gold trimmed white armor and casual clothing and the long haired ginger female dressed in a white blouse and green dress were steeped heavily in that very same mana, as well as something else that Rias had never felt in such intensity before.
The raw spiritual energy that continued to pour from the deceased blond warrior was purer than any Rias had ever felt from a Human, and far more potent than it had any right being.
She didn't even know it was possible to have such a powerful soul, nor what one might have to do to reach such a point. Even the few descendants of legendary heroes long past that she had the distinct pleasure of meeting did not have such potent souls that lingered so strongly even after death.
If she was not absolutely positive that both were Human, or at least mostly Human, she could easily mistake them for Dragons or perhaps even lesser Deities of an obscure pantheon.
Taking a long, hard look at the faces of both figures, Rias flashed through every known criminal she had been warned to steer clear of by her brother, and was thankful that neither matched any of the known descriptions associated with said criminal elements.
That was good, as that meant there shouldn't be any legal issues surrounding their recruitment, but somewhat bad as that meant Rias had been left to determine whether or not it was worth spending two of her Evil Pieces on people who may not even want to be brought back.
She had heard horror stories of her fellow Devil's recruiting strange humans or other supernatural entities, only for them to immediately commit suicide at the earliest available opportunity or in some cases go on a rampage. It was a waste of perfectly good Evil Pieces, and usually left the Devil in question accruing potent negative karma and losing said Evil Piece.
Searching their faces closely for a second time, Rias was eventually able to set her mind at ease concerning such a scenario coming to pass.
Neither struck her as the type to be ungrateful for another chance at life, though she couldn't be sure until she gave it a shot.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say, and the longer she tarried, the less likely it was for her Evil Pieces to have the ability to even bring these two perfect specimens back from their early graves.
Rias may not have known who they were, or where they came from, but she knew one thing for sure.
She had to have them, or at least try.
The female was the first to be brought back due to her place atop the blond swordsman, and Rias had struggled to pick her Evil Piece before eventually deciding to settle on her last remaining Bishop after discovering traces of rather powerful Magic hiding away in the beautifully sculpted ginger's oddly persistent soul. Thankfully, there were no complications behind the resurrection process, and with a shuddering gasp, the newly reincarnated Devil drew breath subconsciously and lived yet again.
With the assistance of her ever dutiful Queen, Rias's newest addition to her Peerage was whisked away from the impact crater to be cleaned and then healed the old fashioned way, so to speak. The heiress had idly hoped her cute new ginger Bishop wouldn't be too opposed to naked cuddling, she seemed like she would be a lot of fun to tease.
Then came the knight, and Rias had to fight down the blush that reached up to her ears when she recalled the details of his face and the perfectly sculpted body that he hid under his wonderfully crafted armor and strangely durable civilian style clothing.
With Golden blond hair brushed upwards and back from his face and beautiful blue eyes that seemed to see right through her, even in death, Rias had to remind herself that he was already deceased and that she shouldn't flirt with a corpse, no matter how attractive it was.
She may be a Devil but there were lines even she wouldn't cross, and smooth talking someone's dead body is one of them.
Maybe.
She at least stopped herself midway through introducing herself, so that counts, right?
Her choice of Evil Pieces for the tall blond was obvious in the end, and with bated breath, Rias presented the deceased blond with his new lease on life in the form of a crimson Knight chess piece as one might propose their lover for marriage.
Thankfully, it had taken, and the Knight piece found its home in the bosom of its kindred, sinking through armor and flesh alike, transcending the physical entirely. What was once Human changed, and in an instant, returned to the living world as something more than the sum of his parts.
With a deep gasp, the blue eyes that had held her pinned in place regained clarity, and the raw, unfiltered emotion she saw reflected back in those sapphire pools of sky unending would haunt her for the rest of her long, long life.
Sighing longingly, Rias reaches up and traces her index finger along the flesh of her temporary pillow, relishing the potent ambient spiritual energy that she has been subconsciously drawing into herself throughout the night.
If only…
Slowly, Rias blinks and reality asserts itself once more, causing the redhead Devil to turn her head upwards, afraid of what, or who, she might find there.
The same hauntingly blue eyes from her dream stare down at her with curious amusement, and Rias finds herself once more at a loss for words, despite her near endless confidence.
"Good morning." Her blond knight greets in a language Rias doesn't think she's ever heard before, even if she understands it perfectly due to her lineage. "Did you sleep well?"
The smooth bass of his voice rumbles through his chest and hers alike, causing pleasant phantom vibrations to course through Rias's breasts still pressed tightly against his sternum. Her breathing hitches for a moment, and a light blush spreads from her neck to the tips of her ears as she tries to process the not-so-foreign sensations while simultaneously forming a response that won't leave her making a fool of herself.
"I did." Rias responds instinctively in the same language that the blond warrior spoke, and she tries to memorize the way the words roll across her tongue, simple as they were. "And yourself, my handsome Knight in shining armor?"
"It was… nice, all things considered." Rias's most recent addition to her Peerage answers diplomatically, and the redhead can't say she blames him, considering the shape he was in before being reincarnated. "So… I take it you're the reason I'm still… well…"
"Correct." Rias nods her head in appreciation, pleased with how quickly her newest Knight figured that out without needing to have it spelled out for him. "I have resurrected you as a Devil, to serve as a Knight in the service of House Gremory, to be more exact."
Watching carefully for any sort of negative reaction to her admission, Rias is pleasantly confused to instead see no reaction at all, as if he has no idea what being reincarnated as a Devil even means.
"I… have no idea what that means." The blond sheepishly admits after a moment of silence. "What is a Devil? A Knight is pretty self explanatory I guess, and I'm assuming House Gremory is part of some sort of nobility, but I've… never heard of them."
Oh.
Well then, this was going to probably take a bit longer than Rias was expecting, but that's fine. In fact, it was probably better that her hunk of a Knight has no idea what a Devil is, since that means he hasn't formed any negative preconceptions that might paint his new lease on life with any unfriendly lenses.
"Well…" Rias begins slowly, slipping back into her preferred Japanese dialect without realizing it as she tapped her chin and pondered where to even begin.
Just as she was about to open her mouth to continue a second time, however, she was interrupted by the most awful rumbling noise she had ever been present to both hear and practically feel as it reverberated through her bed and then into the floors of her room.
Staring down at the chiseled abs of her newest Knight in disbelief, Rias brings a hand up to stifle a giggle as she puts two and two together and realizes what that noise had been.
"How about we talk over breakfast?" Rias suggested with a small grin, to which her Knight responded with a sheepish smile that reached his eyes and a nod of his head. "That will give us both a chance to check on your ginger friend and introduce you to the rest of my Peerage, they were quite excited to hear that we are receiving two new members at once."
"Wait…" The blond trails off, his eyes growing wide as he processes Rias's words. "Ginger friend? You… you were able to bring Penny back as well?! Really?!"
"Yes, she has indeed been resurrected, as my second Bishop to be precise." Rias chirps, the grin on her face growing into a look of surprise as she feels herself get wrapped up in one of the tightest hugs she'd ever received in her life far before she saw it coming.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou-"
Rias doesn't struggle as the blond proceeds to place multiple kisses along the crown of her head, instead allowing him to express his thanks as much as he desires. It was clear he was not an immediate threat to her chastity, and was instead either too professional or too kind to act on any baser impulses, so the feelings that the featherlight kisses placed atop her head were not lewd in nature, at least not at first.
She idly wondered how his lips would feel elsewhere, and couldn't stop the intense blush that spread from the tips of her toes to the top of her ears.
'I guess dreams really do come true…'
Everything was… sensational.
That was the first thought to cross Penny's mind as she roused from a slumber she couldn't quite remember falling into.
From the way her toes tingled from a lack of circulation to the plush, velvety feeling of having her head pressed into the largest pair of breasts she had ever beheld in person, Penny enjoyed every picosecond of actually being able to feel rather than just process.
She was… real.
It didn't take long for Penny's mind to fill in the blanks, but it was longer than she was used to, and certainly not as perfectly as it should have.
From the rigged council elections to the fall of her home, Penny recalled with sinking dread every moment that eventually led to her passing of the torch to Winter, and then…
But… how?
Was this to be her afterlife, then?
She doesn't recall having any predilections towards the finer sex, and distinctly remembers instead her desire for a real boyfriend, so why would she awake in her afterlife in the arms of a fellow woman?
And if she is supposed to be dead, why does she instead feel so… alive?
Her Aura felt stronger than ever, thrumming through her distinctly biological body in a way that her former vessel could never quite emulate. Penny could feel the cellular activity taking place due to the precise control over her Aura that transferred over to her new, real body, something she hadn't been able to really stop and truly appreciate before…
Shaking her head to dismiss the lingering dread that tainted her final moments, Penny instead does her best to focus on getting used to the feeling of being alive. Drawing breath subconsciously as easily as her fellow biological friends do, perspiring from the intense yet comforting heat radiating from the strange woman's body, Penny took note of every minuscule difference between her former existence and the one she had become through a form of Magic most ancient.
And that was another oddity that Penny quickly discovered.
When her mortal coil had first expired, Penny distinctly remembers having passed the torch of the Winter Maiden on to Winter Schnee, the rightful inheritor of Fria as per the Good General's wishes.
Despite having passed on the Winter Maidenhood, however, the ginger former-android was still able to feel that extremely distinct stream of power pooling beneath the surface, stronger than her Aura, even. It still carried the bite of winter, as chilling as the boreal icescapes of Solitas, but with impressions of something else that gave Penny pause for a moment as she struggled to place it.
Creation.
Her Magic now carried hints of the arcane power that once powered the floating arrays of Atlas. The same power that was used to create the body she now occupied. The same power that was used to evacuate two Kingdom's worth of citizens to another Kingdom half a world away.
Most peculiar.
"Hnn… good morning." Came the lazy voice of Penny's current sleeping companion, dashing her racing thoughts upon the proverbial glaciers of Solitas. "How do you feel? Any pain?"
"I feel… wonderful, actually." Penny responds in the same Mistrali dialect that the strange, buxom woman speaks to her in without considering that she had never learned to speak said dialect. "No pain to speak of, physically speaking, though I admit I am most confused as to who you are, where I am at the moment or how I'm even alive to begin with. Perhaps you can clarify for me, miss…?"
"Akeno Himejima, Queen of Rias Gremory and proud servant of House Gremory, at your service." The buxom woman now identified as Akeno introduces herself tiredly, barely doing her best to stifle a yawn that even Penny found cute, despite her firm belief in her sexuality. "As for the rest of your questions… perhaps it's better I leave explanations to our King, Rias, she should be awake by now-"
A light knock on the door to Penny and Akeno's right cuts the ravenette off, as does the light voice that follows.
"Akeno, you lazy bum, are you awake yet?"
Penny couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips at the deadpan expression Akeno leveled at the door in response.
Bouncing from one foot to the other with nervous energy, Jaune waited impatiently beside the redhead he now knows is named Rias Gremory after the two of them realized they had both somehow failed to learn one another's names while they got dressed for the day.
It was pretty strange to wake up naked with a complete stranger using him as a body pillow, but everything about Jaune's current situation was strange, so it barely even registered on his radar compared to the other oddities that instead occupied his thoughts.
Penny was alive, just inside the room that Rias had advised him against ever entering unless under great duress. Being a male who had seven sisters growing up, he could recognize the warning for what it was, an effort to spare his sanity. So, he did what any rational man would do and filed it away in the 'must remember at all costs' folder that was getting thicker by the moment, because Rias then continued to elaborate on what kind of horrors he could expect to find in that room despite his desire to remain ignorant.
That of course did not bode well for his dear friend Penny, as it sounded more like a T and I agent's wet dream come true more than an actual bedroom the more Rias rattled off, but judging from the amused twinkle in her eyes, she could also just be having a bit of fun at her friends expense.
"-and I'm positive I've seen no less than three- oh, finally." Rias stops herself short from categorizing whatever else Akeno happened to have three of, instead plastering on a genuine smile for her obviously close friend and Penny alike.
Unfortunately for Rias, the redhead was given no mind by the reincarnated ginger, as instead Penny zoned in on Jaune like the latest generation of Aura-seeking missiles only recently developed by her father Pietro.
"Oh, Jaune…" Tears spring up in Penny's eyes as she stares up at her much taller blond friend in obvious regret, clearly blaming herself for their shared predicament.
Anything else she could have said was cut off as the captain of Team JNPR wraps her up in a hug just as tight as the one he had given Rias a few minutes prior.
"Shh, it's okay." Jaune whispers as he traces a hand along Penny's back like he would Nora or his sisters after a particularly bad dream. "It's not your fault, don't blame yourself for my inability to follow simple directions. Just don't fall, how hard can it be, am I right? Ambrosias could have at least installed guard rails for crying out loud!"
Penny's tearful laugh at his poor attempt at humor was as good as gold, but he didn't want to press his luck with another like Yang might have.
"But, how? What happened after…" Penny trails off, refusing to put words to her passing, though it was impossible for Jaune to not infer her meaning nonetheless.
"Winter showed up just in time to intercept Cinder, but…" Jaune struggles to collect his thoughts, replaying the moment in his head as he slowly narrates what happened in the seconds leading up to his fall. "Weiss and I were trying to make it to the portal while Winter held her off, but Cinder hit us with a surprise attack to bait Winter, and Weiss… she fell first. The portal started to destabilize, so I tried to keep going as fast as I could, thinking I could just… mourn later. Winter was suddenly flying right beside me but then she passed me and… the portal disappeared right when I jumped, and down I went. The girls, Team RWBY, I mean, they're okay. I watched them land somewhere right out of one of those fairytales Oz is so damn fond of, but somehow I uh, missed I think, and found you and Crescent Rose while falling, and then… black."
Jaune realized he was rambling, and then moments later that he was out of breath, so he went silent and tried to re-regulate his breathing to a rhythm more conducive to his continued health as Ren might say while Penny digested his words.
"So how did you…?" Penny questions curiously, and Jaune's smile cracks a bit as he recalls suffocating in that void.
"It turns out that there's no oxygen where we ended up." The recently revived Huntsman admits while making a mental checklist to invest in a rebreather for his kit at the first available opportunity just to avoid ever suffocating like that again. "We should design portable rebreathers whenever we get the free time."
Penny nods rapidly in agreement as she pulls away from Jaune's embrace reluctantly after hearing someone clear their throat from beside them. "I'll begin immediately, captain!"
"At ease." Jaune jokes back lightheartedly before turning his attention to Rias and her Queen, whatever that was supposed to mean. "Thank you again for bringing us back, Rias. I swear on my family name that I will repay this debt in full, no matter what it takes."
Rias blushes lightly in response to the heartfelt declaration and looks away for a moment before nodding her head in acceptance while fiddling with the trim of her plaid school skirt nervously. "I'll hold you to that, my handsome Knight."
For some reason, Jaune found himself looking forward to that, even if he had absolutely no clue what fate had in store for him now that he'd been brought back as something other than Human.
With Penny by his side, at least he knew he had capable backup, anyway. That certainly took the edge off the strange situation he's found himself in this time around.
