AN: Almost 3 months... where did the time go?
Beneath the Surface
Nora, Ren, Electra and Otohime had just finished an audience with Mòrag who had been busy with some paperwork.
The Special Inquisitor was obiously not happy about hearing that someone claiming to hail from Mor Ardain tried to assassinate Queen of Uraya, but she did share what they knew about the missing Blade. Apparently Colonel Azure had two Blades that weren't recovered when the Core Crystal Hunters were wiped out. Unfortunately they had no clues on where those two had ended up. Still the Special Inquisitor was at least relieved to know that the Queen had doubts about the Empire's involvement. This still left them with a problem of finding those Blades, which Mòrag promised to launch an investigation on while keeping the full details of the reason on the down low. It wouldn't do for rumors about Mor Ardain and Uraya breaking into another war surfacing after all.
Unfortunately, this meant that Ren and Nora had nothing else to do but to meet back up with Jaune and the others to compare notes. As well as wait for team RWBY whenever they manage to get to Mor Ardain, assuming they managed to help Yang deal with her adopted baby Nopon.
With that in mind, the team moved to Jakolo's Inn to wait, although Otohime and Electra were distracted by a few things in the shopping district. Otohime couldn't resist Hot Ruby Steamed Buns. Electra on the other hand had stars in her eyes at the sight of Hammerplate Snare.
The latter was what Electra was now pounding happily in their shared room. Nora was clapping her hands in rhythm with her Blade's enthusiastic beat of the instrument. Otohime, who was more cultured than all of team JNPR combined, shook her head at Electra's lack of musical talent. It wasn't bad per say, but there was no real music, just mindless beating. Besides, Otohime didn't have the heart to give so much as constructive criticism to the little Blade who looked so happy. So instead, she took a small bite of her treat. The Imperial Mother smiled in contentment at the taste and texture of the ruby red bun, but her mild reaction was betrayed by her tendrils shivering and curling a little.
"These are delicious." commented Ren who was allowed to have one, "I should get the recipe from the shopkeeper.
"You expect the shopkeeper to hand over such a precious thing to just anyone?" Otohime countered with a small smile. Not that the idea of Ren having the ability to make this treat whenever she wanted didn't appeal to her, but it would be stupid for a merchant to just hand over trade secrets.
"Precious?" Ren asked while staring at Otohime a little. Otohime has said food to be delicious, but she's never called it precious or anything like that before. Then again, this was the first time Ren had seen Otohime's tendril behave the way they had while she was eating.
"Indeed. These are the single best treats I have ever tasted." Otohime said with a happy smile as she took another bite. This time the water Blade's smile became ever so wider while the shivering of her tendrils became more noticeable.
Ren couldn't help smiling in amusement. Seeing the calm and composed Otohime acting like a candy starved child was very rare. Still, Ren was worried about Remnant. If Salem had breached back to Remnant then that meant that their world was in great danger still. And while they were here, that would mean Salem had free reign to do as she pleased. Then again, Klaus did promise that the machine that would send them back would also send them to approximately the same time as when they were taken from their world. So in theory they had all the time in the world to explore Alrest. Besides now that they were on a mission to help the nation of Otohime's origin, they couldn't exactly just up and go. Besides, all of this was assuming that Salem used a breach to go to Remnant and not somewhere on Alrest.
"Is something wrong?" Otohime asked, surprising Ren. The boy hadn't realized he had looked sullen.
"I'm just worried about Salem." Ren admitted, not feeling like fighting with Otohime who can be nosy when she wants to be.
"Is that so?" Otohime said, not losing her small smile, "What exactly are you worried about?"
"I guess I'm a little afraid of what she might be doing if she was here in Alrest." Ren said with a sigh.
"But we do not know if she is." Otohime said matter of factly, before looking amused "And while we should not forget that possibility, we also should not jump at our own shadows."
Ren chuckled a little at the joke, "You're right, but what if Salem is planning something and we aren't stopping her?"
"I believe that with Malos' demise, the Artifices being deactivated and most importantly, the Conduit not being in this world anymore, it is safe to assume that Salem has no reason to be in this world, at least not for the moment." Otohime said reassuringly.
"We still have the lamp and the Fall Maiden." Ren pointed out the flaws in Otohime's deductions.
"Well, apart from those." Otohime conceded.
"How do you do that?" Ren then asked.
"Do what?" Otohime asked as she reached for another bun.
"How can you be so calm knowing that Salem is still a threat?" Ren asked.
Otohime shook her head at Ren's question, "I suppose I just do not see her as an immediate concern. Though it does not change the fact that we must face her again eventually, considering that at this point her figuring out Pyrrha's state has become a matter of when." Otohime paused to this time pluck the whole bun into her mouth with grace only she can perform. Chewing on the sweet treat for a moment while enjoying the flavor and texture before swallowing. "But until that time comes, we can assume that she will be busy in gaining the other Relics. Besides, after our battle against Amalthus, I believe I may be able to nullify her powers."
At that moment the banging stopped as Nora and Electra heard that last part.
"Really?!" Electra asked with stars in her eyes.
"In theory, yes." Otohime said as she flicked her hair haughtily.
"How?" Nora asked, getting on Otohime's lap and into her face.
With no warning, Otohime pushed Nora off of her and onto the floor, before the water Blade began explaining. "If my theory about Remnant's magic being actually Ether manipulation is correct, then the Maidens, Ozpin and most likely Salem have Ether flowing in their bodies. And if that is the case, then I should be able to disrupt that flow at the very least."
"So you don't know if you can actually do it?" Ren pointed out in disappointment.
"I would have to put that theory to the test, but I have no reason to believe I cannot." Otohime said confidently, "Although with little information about Salem and her origins, there is a small possibility that her powers are somehow different."
"Why don't we ask Pyrrha for help then?" Nora then asked, "I mean she's the Fall Maiden now."
"Because her body is that of a Blade, and the power of Fall Maiden has assimilated with powers that come with it. There is no guarantee it is the same anymore." Otohime replied, "I would need help from a Maiden that is completely human."
"Which would mean we would have to find the Winter or Summer Maiden." Ren deduced.
"Correct. But in the meantime, I could do some experimentations on Aura." Otohime said, earning stares from Ren and Nora.
"Why would you want to do that?" Electra asked.
"Because Amalthus called Aura modified Ether energy, and I would like to find out what that meant."
"But... if Aura is truly just modified Ether then... does that mean we don't actually have souls?" Nora asked, finding the thought disturbing.
"Perhaps Aura is not the manifestation of your soul, but rather the semblance." Otohime theorized, "After all, semblances are special powers unique to the person wielding them. There may be different types, in rare cases people having exactly the same principle, but they all have some forms of individuality."
"Some people do believe that our semblances are determined by who we are." Ren agreed with Otohime's view-point.
"That is one way to look at it." Otohime said, looking more thoughtful.
"What is it?" Ren then asked.
"Nothing, just idle thoughts." Otohime said before frowning, "I am still wondering why Ether Fonts have appeared on Remnant."
"Maybe Salem did something?" Nora said as she got up off the floor.
"I do not think so." Otohime said, "For Ether to cover Remnant enough for us to notice and draw upon within months, there would have to be thousands of Ether Fonts scattered across the planet. I doubt Salem has power to create or open that many. And even if she did, what would that accomplish?"
Ren scowled, "Maybe so that the Grimm would grow stronger."
Otohime looked startled to hear that, "My apologies, I forgot about that incident. However, that thing made its nest to where an Ether Font is. And considering how long Ether has been appearing in Remnant it is safe to assume that it would take weeks or even months of being in close proximity to Ether Font before Grimm develop new abilities.
"But if Salem is as old as we think, then wouldn't she have time to wait?" Electra then asked, earning a smile from Nora at her baby being smart.
"Very true." Otohime said with a smile of her own.
At that moment the door to their room was knocked on. "Come in." Ren called out and the door opened, allowing Jaune and the others to enter.
"How did it go?" Nora asked the question.
Jaune let out a weary sigh, "Yeah turns out, that Blade was called Satsuki and she was the closest thing that Gyro and Pierce had to a mom growing up."
Pyrrha decided to take over, "And their brother had another Blade named Ryuko. And she disappeared with Satsuki."
"I see. That is unfortunate." Otohime said, her expression looking stony.
"What about you guys?" Oscar then asked, "Did you get any clues?"
"According to Mòrag, the Core Crystal Hunters didn't keep records on who bought which Core Crystal." Nora said with a hard look, "I still hate it that Blades are sold like objects."
Pyrrha placed her hand over her still bloodstained Core Crystal. Talos' Core Crystal. She really understood why Jin said that Blades were treated like tools. She also learned that Indol had spread stories about Flesh Eaters being blood-thirsty Blades who eat people. Despite Mòrag and Zeke setting the record straight, years of fear-mongering couldn't be undone that easily. Still at worst, people only gave her a wide berth. Once again, Pyrrha realized what kind of life she had condemned Talos to without knowing.
"Pyrrha?" Jaune said in concern of Pyrrha looking crestfallen.
"I'm sorry." Pyrrha let out like a child who was caught with their hand in a cookie jar.
"Why are you apologizing, milady?" Joana asked with a questioning stare.
Pyrrha's cheeks flushed, "Nothing."
Otohime shook her head at this, before deciding to change the subject to save Pyrrha from whatever embarrassment she had. "Have you checked on how Yang is doing?"
"Now that you mention it, we probably should." Jaune then said before fishing out his Scroll and began calling Yang. Hopefully Argentum was still within range as it was circling all nations.
Thankful for the distraction, everyone waited on news from Yang.
Soon the call connected, but Jaune frowned at the deep male voice that greeted him, "Who is this?... Oh, just you." Jaune's frown turned to almost relieved look, "Is Yang available?... She's napping? What about the babypon?... Really? That's great!" Jaune said the last part cheerfully. Then the Arc Driver looked surprised, "Really? Awesome! We'll be waiting you guys at Jakolo's Inn." With that, Jaune ended the call. "Guys, the babypon's parents were found and Yang is coming here with Ruby and the others."
"That is a relief." Otohime spoke up, "How come the parents were not found on the first day?"
"I forgot to ask." Jaune scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"This does pose a problem on how we are planning to inform Garfront about canceling the search for the parents." Joana pointed out.
"We can simply wait for Roc to find us." Herald reminded everyone of the arrangement they had with the avian Blade. "Once he comes to inform us of the progress in the other matter, we can tell him to cancel the parent searching mission."
"Wouldn't it still take days before Roc would have any news for us?" Oscar then pointed out.
"Couldn't Herald just fly to Garfront?" Electra then asked.
"I would prefer not to leave my Driver's side." Herald said simply.
"Herald, I'll be fine without you for a day or two." Oscar said with a smile,"It wouldn't be fair on whoever is searching for the parents to be on a wild goose chase for days."
"...Are you sure?" Herald looked hesitant.
"I'm sure." Oscar said with a reassuring look with tinted cheeks. Some days it was hard to believe that someone like Herald could have caused that incident in Tantal. "Are you blushing?" Ozpin asked inside Oscar's head. "Shut up!" Oscar yelled out, the flush on his cheeks becoming more pronounced.
"Oscar, you are being very cute right now." Otohime teased lightly.
"Stop it!" Oscar demanded like a stubborn child, causing everyone to laugh a little. Only Herald didn't laugh, she just looked mildly amused.
"Very well then, I will fly to Garfront and inform the mercenaries that the request to search for the parents is to be cancelled." Herald then relented, "Once I have done that I will return to my Driver."
"Much appreciated," Otohime said. They could also ask for a courier, but Herald flying straight to Garfront would be faster. With that, Herald wiggled herself out of the door and floated out of the hallway.
"So what do we do in the meantime?" Electra then asked, before remembering her instrument.
Otohime shook her head as the little girl started banging on the Hammerplate Snare again. The water Blade then turned her attention to Ren, "If it is all the same to you, I would like to study Aura."
"What do you mean?" Ren asked.
"If Amalthus was able to convert Aura into Ether and seal it away, and I was able to reverse it, then I should be able to do the same." Otohime explained, "It could prove useful once we return to Remnant."
"But what if that could be used against us?" Ren asked in worry.
"Unlikely. For that to happen, someone would need means of converting Ether to Aura and vice versa. Then they would need to find means of weaponizing it, which is not easy, given the size and durability of such devices in the past. And then they would need to draw a connection between Ether and Aura in the first place. Something that I never thought of before Amalthus." The water Blade seemed annoyed at the last part.
Ren guessed that Otohime was annoyed that she didn't think of it sooner. Still, the woman was right in her line of reasoning, but if Amalthus could figure it out, then so would others. With that in mind, "Let's say you figure out how to convert Aura into Ether and seal it away, could you seal Aura's of the enemies that way?"
"In theory, yes. Similar to how I seal other Blades." Otohime added in, "Although my primary concern is whether or not I can seal Salem's powers. But that can wait for now."
"Wait, what?!" Came out of Jaune and Joana. Pyrrha and Oscar also looked shocked at this conversation.
Soon Oscar was replaced by Ozpin, "You could seal magic?"
"If I had time to study it, but I would need a Maiden who is fully human to test it, and that is assuming that Salem's power is not different from the Maidens." Otohime explained to the other four.
Ozpin had a hard look before looking determined, "You can use me to test it."
"Professor?" Pyrrha said in surprise.
"I am the origin of the Maiden's powers. And while what little magic I have left is dwindling, it should be enough to grant you an idea on what to do with it." Ozpin explained.
"I would rather not." Otohime said, "For that magic is bound to your soul, which is separate enough from Oscar's for Herald to tell the difference between which one of you is in control. There is no guarantee that your situation is not a factor."
"Even so, it should point you to the right direction." Ozpin insisted.
Otohime thought long and hard about the proposal before replying, "Very well, but I must warn you, there is no telling what trying to tamper with magic does to someone in your situation. So will you consent to my experimentations?"
"I will." Ozpin said firmly.
"And Oscar?" Otohime then added.
Ozpin relinquished the control for Oscar to give his answer, "If this can help us defeat Salem, then I'm in."
"Very well." Otohime smiled, "Have a seat across from me, and we can begin." With that, Oscar grabbed a chair and moved it to face Otohime.
"Are we sure this is smart?" Ren then asked, "I mean... with Ozpin the way he is, isn't there a chance that something might happen to him?"
"There is." Otohime said, "However, before actual sealing trials, I must first understand what I am trying to work with. What happens after that will be for Oscar and Ozpin to decide."
"I have a say in that?" Oscar asked in surprise.
"Why do you sound surprised?" Otohime said with an amused look. "It is your body after all."
Oscar felt a little embarrassed by Otohime's remark. But then his cheeks flushed when Otohime placed a hand on Oscar's chest before bringing her head tendrils to the front. Then the Imperial Mother closed her eyes in concentration.
In Arbora, the new port town that was being built upon the area Mor Ardain had united with the land, the ship that brought Ruby and the others had made port into the makeshift port. It was barely rudimentary, but good enough for small passenger ships that move on the water. Since the Cloud Sea's density was the same as water's the ships that didn't fly had no problems on the sea. This would most likely be the fastest way to travel until roads between the nations on land would be made.
Regardless, Ruby and the rest of the gang made their way out of the ship and onto the port. Right to the bustling town that was being built. But first things first, they had to go through the customs, which was basically just a large tent with customs officers who registered the passengers who wanted to go to Mor Ardain itself. One of the upsides of having Mòrag with them was that due to her status she was exempt, but alas now they had to suffer bureucracy.
Blake looked towards the actual customs office that was currently under construction. Then to other buildings that were being built slightly inland. Apartments, shops, maybe a restaurant or two. The other nations were doing similar things with the immediate area of their Titans from what she had heard.
"Stop staring." Yang complained to Dragunov who was staring at her with a knowing smirk.
"Is there something we should know about?" Qrow asked with a suspicious look as Yang's cheeks flared a little.
"Nothing important." Dragunov said with a grin, "She just had an interesting nightmare."
"A nightmare?" Ruby let out in concern, "Yang, is something wrong?"
"No, no everything's fine." Yang said quickly before glaring at her Blade, "As soon as this blockhead forgets about it."
"Sure, when it stops being funny." Dragunov grinned as they moved in the relatively short line.
Perceval tilted his head a little before glancing at Blake, "Should we be worried about this?"
"This is normal for those two." Blake said, though she had small suspicions of what Yang's nightmare was about. She happened to be close enough to Yang at the time to hear her waking up screaming "I'm not ready!". Given the recent parting with the babypon and what Blake could guess Yang and Dragunov talked about the blonde Driver being a mother, she can make a guess on the context. Dragunov must have figured it out too since he wouldn't stop smirking. Still, Yang looked a little uncomfortable so, Blake decided to help out, "Dragunov there are much better ways to tell Yang about your crush on her."
"What?!" The rest of the gang let out. Dragunov being the loudest.
The rest of the line jumped a little at the sudden loud yell. Then Yang smirked before fixing her features for an awkward look, "Dragunov... I'm sorry if I've been giving you the wrong signs, but I don't-" "Don't tell me you believe her?" Dragunov interrupted, sounding betrayed.
"Maybe I should give you the talk." Qrow then added in with a smirk.
"Shut it!" Dragunov roared at the dusty old crow.
"If it's not true, then why do you get so defensive?" Roze added in. Getting under Dragunov's skin like this was a rare treat.
"Hey! Stop disturbing the peace!" One of the Ardainian soldiers watching the line called out to them before Dragunov could utter another word.
The dragon Blade then shut up with a grumble and crossed his arms, not looking at anyone. Yang looked satisfied at getting some peace and quiet from her Blade as she and Blake sneakily exchanged a low five.
Ruby still looked unsure as she got close enough to Yang and Blake. "Umm... Yang, is Dragunov really..." Ruby trailed off with a low enough voice for Dragunov not to hear.
"Don't worry, I was just messing with him." Blake whispered back with a cheshire grin.
"And I played along." Yang added in with a smirk as the gang enjoyed momentary silence without any kind of hijinks.
Soon enough, the gang's turn was to register. Despite being known as heroes of Alrest alongside Rex, the process was not accelerated for them, not that it was too long anyhow. Just basic questions about their reason for visitation. After registration, the gang was allowed to get into a small flying Titan ship that would fly them into the Titan itself. This was the only way to get into Mor Ardain from land for now. Though, Qrow overheard talks about cable cars being planned. From the small ship they got onto Port Anangham. And from there, they walked the rest of the way to Alba Cavanich, and then to Jakolo's Inn.
Though on their way to Jakolo's Inn, Roze spotted something in the sky. "Hey, is that Azurda?"
The others looked towards the upward angle the reaper Blade was looking at and sure enough, a familiar winged Titan was landing towards Midorl Bridge.
"What's he doing here?" Qrow was the first to ask.
"Maybe something happened with Rex?" Ruby said in worry.
"...Rex and Pyra did tell us about how everyone was out to get the Aegis for themselves before meeting us." Roze said.
"Okay, you guys go to the Inn, I'll catch up with you later." Ruby said before turning into a flurry of petals and zipped past people who let out cries of surprise at the sudden petal storm.
"Ruby, wait!" Qrow yelled, but the red reaper was already pretty far away.
"You guys go to the Inn, I'll fetch her." Roze said before jogging after his Driver, allowing his Resonance to guide him.
Yang shook her head at Ruby's eagerness. "You know, sometimes I wonder if Ruby is crushing on Rex."
This earned Dragunov's attention, "Are you saying Pyra and Mythra have a rival, or another addition to Rex's harem?"
Yang gave her Blade a glare, "Never say that again."
"Tai would freak out if he ever heard something like that." Qrow added in,"And I can't say the thought fancies me either."
"Why not?" Kasandra asked innocently.
"If you can't see it, then I don't know if I can explain it." Qrow sighed wearily.
"Let's just get to the Inn now." Blake said, not wanting to get ideas for Ruby, or herself on theoretically having a harem made of Blades. The cat faunus felt ashamed of thinking that for more reasons than she cares to count.
While the rest of the gang was moving to the Inn, Ruby had zipped past people who yelled out in surprise of a petal storm zipping past them. All the way to Midorl Bridge where Azurda landed at the end of it. Ruby let out a few pants at keeping up her semblance for that long before lightly jogging across the bridge to see Rex climbing off with Pyra, Mythra and Wulfric in tow. Immediately after, Azurda glowed blue before shrinking.
"Huh?" Ruby muttered in surprise as she reached Rex and the others. "What happened to Azurda?"
This caught Rex's attention, "Oh! Ruby, fancy meeting you here."
"Indeed." Came Azurda's voice from Rex. Ruby moved enough to the side to see that the Titan had once again shrunk to his small furry form.
"Since when could you do that?" Ruby asked in surprise.
"Since Pyra and I made it possible." Mythra replied almost smugly, "He can now change between his fully grown form and larva form whenever he wants, unless his Titan body is badly injured and he has to revert."
"And I am very grateful for that." Azurda acknowledged with a smile.
"That sounds useful." Ruby said, feeling mildly jealous of Rex having all the cool stuff. But she decided to think about that later. "What brought you guys here?" Ruby asked just when Roze reached them.
"Well... Mythra and I were attacked by a Blade who claimed to be from Mor Ardain. We were wondering if we could get clues from Mòrag about it." Rex replied while scratching the back of his head.
"Are you guys okay?" Ruby asked immediately in worry.
"We're okay." Pyra said with a smile, "The four of us drove her off."
"You guys too huh?" Roze commented, earning their friends' attention.
"What do you mean by that?" Mythra asked with a suspicious look.
"Team JNPR was also attacked by a Blade that claimed to be from Mor Ardain." Ruby explained, "We're here to meet team JNPR to help them find out what that was about."
"Who's we?" Wulfric asked.
"Me, Roze, Blake, Nox, Perceval, Yang, Dragunov, Qrow and Kasandra." Ruby listed before looking thoughtful."...Maybe I should call Weiss too."
"Oh, she's not with you guys?" Mythra asked.
"No, we haven't heard from her for about a week now. Last we heard, she was here In Mor Ardain." Ruby said, now wondering if she should call.
"We should go to the Inn." Rex said, "If the attacks on us and JNPR are somehow connected, this could be something big."
"And you can try calling Weiss on our way." Pyra added in.
"Yeah, follow me." Ruby said happily. And then they all moved across the bridge. Fortunately the guards on the bridge recongnized Rex and didn't question him. They also didn't pay any mind to Ruby and Roze, seeing as they came from within the capital. On their way, Ruby tried calling Weiss, but it went straight to voicemail.
"You have reached Weiss Schnee. Unfortunately I have a very important job going on, and am unavailable for now. But do leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I'm available."
"No answer." Ruby said now looking worried.
"I'm sure she's fine. Dahlia will take care of her." Roze said supportively.
"What about Aizen?" Rex asked the reaper.
"...I'm not sure he's as enthusiastic about it as Dahlia." Roze replied.
"Did she lose her Scroll or was it destroyed." Ruby then wondered aloud.
"If that was the case, the message would've been 'the number you are calling cannot be reached right now'." Roze reminded his Driver.
"I know, but I still worry." Ruby said before a terrifying thought crossed her mind. "What if the guys behind these attacks got to Weiss?!" Then Ruby was flicked on the side of her head.
"Let's not jump to conclusions." Roze said as Ruby gave him glare while rubbing the side of her head. "If Weiss was captured, don't you think they would have sent a ransom note or something by now?"
"What if it's on the way already? What if-" "Ruby, you sound like Nora when she freaks out." Roze said trying to calm his Driver.
"But-"
"He's right you know." Mythra intervened, "Besides, even if Weiss was captured, we just have to rescue her, right?"
"...You're right." Ruby said, much calmer now.
"And we'll help too." Rex said with a smile, "Always help those that help you."
"Salvager code... Uhhh...what was it?" Ruby tried to remember.
"Two." Roze supplied helpfully.
At that moment, the two had reached Jakolo's Inn and found the room the rest of the gang was staying at.
Of course, they all started comparing notes on what JNPR had found out so far. Then Rex recounted their experience. Jaune and Pyrrha were able to get a picture from Gyro that had both of Azure's Blades by themselves and confirm from Rex that their attacker was Ryuko.
"Do you think those Blades ended up working for the same person?" Mythra was the first to voice the obvious question.
"Either that, or they work for the same group." Qrow muttered while scratching his chin in thought, having leaned against the wall.
"So do we actually have a plan of action?" Blake then asked, "Or are we just going to wait for news from Mòrag?"
"Well... unless the enemy suddenly broke through that window then we have nothing else to do." Blake said, causing Nox to go on high alert. "...I was joking." Blake had a dry look.
Nox rolled out his scroll, still watching the window. "With our luck, my lady, I would not be surprised if that came true."
A wave of paranoia crossed through the gang. All except Perceval, "I sense no presence that would be out of place nearby. Much less a hostile one."
"You can tell that?" Blake asked with a curious look.
"Yes. Unless they know how to conceal their presence, as well as murderous intent." Perceval explained.
Yang then had a curious look, "Just out of curiosity, how often does Nox have murderous intent?"
Nox gave the fellow dark Blade his trademark cross glare.
"Aside from right now, every time someone is brave enough to try and cross our Driver, or if they try to sweet talk her." Perceval said, acting as if Nox wasn't trying to murder him with his lone eye.
Blake's ears folded a little as she shook her head. She knew that she should have Nox tone down his protectiveness of her, but she didn't have the heart to do that. Besides, she wasn't sure how much more she could order him to tone it down before he says he can't obey.
"Anyway, we should probably tell Mòrag about this attack on Rex." Blake decided to say instead.
"Mòrag seemed busy enough in her office." Ren pointed out, "I'm not sure she appreciates us bothering her again for a while."
"Heard there's a charity concert being organized to raise funds for Indoline refugees so they can start over." Nora said with a small smile.
"Yeah!" Electra said happily, "The concert will be held at the Palace, but the singing will be broadcast to Indolines to lift their spirits."
"Sounds nice, who is the singer?" Pyra said with a small smile.
"Classified." Otohime said simply.
"What?" Mythra asked, not sure if she heard right.
"That's what Mòrag said when we asked her." Ren added in.
"Why would that be classified?" Mythra asked with a quirked eyebrow and arms crossed.
"We tried prodding, but she would just chant classified over and over." Nora complained.
"You prodded." Otohime corrected, "And Brighid threatened to throw you out if you refused to cease."
Everyone took note of how Otohime singled out Nora. Hardly surprising.
"That doesn't matter," Ruby butted in, "We need to know what to do now?"
"I guess all we can do for now is to wait for news from Mòrag or another move from the enemy." Qrow shrugged his shoulders.
"Or until Herald comes back." Oscar added in.
"I guess... But I still think we should tell Mòrag about Ryuko." Rex said.
"...Maybe Gyro too." Pyrrha added in, "I mean... if we do find them both then I'm sure the brothers would want them back."
"That's what Gyro said actually." Jaune confirmed, "But... I'm not sure if we should involve him."
"Jaune, it wouldn't be fair on Gyro if we didn't include him." Pyrrha added her opinion to the mix.
"You're right." Jaune sighed
"We should still keep our eyes open in case they try to go after Rex again." Blake then said.
"They'll stay away if they know what's good for them." Mythra said confidently. Causing Rex to looke embarrassed.
"Oh? You protecting your darling?" Dragunov asked with an evil smirk.
"Shut up you!" Mythra snapped, "What about you and Yang?"
Dragunov growled at Mythra as if to say, "Say that again. I dare you."
The blonde Aegis looked smugly at the glowering dragon with her hands on her hips as everyone else were now dreading for an all out war between the two.
In the interior of a lavish mansion, Ryuko was stomping down a hallway, still angry about having to retreat. "Useless he said. Pathetic he said!" The black haired Blade growled as she stomped her way through the hallway with the servants giving her a wide berth. She was under the impression that the Aegis and that boy were practically easy prey. In what world does one of the Aegises blocking her attack constitute as easy prey. Not to mention the confidence they had practically screamed, "We have faced enemies stronger than you.". "When I get my hands on that geezer I will-" Ryuko's threat was interrupted by the double doors on the left of the hallway opening and Satsuki striding through in a hurry. "Satsuki, you're back?" Ryuko said in surprise.
"Ryuko?" Satsuki greeted her sister Blade in turn. At least, that's what the two thougth based on the shape of their Core Crystals. Half a scissor each, which when brought together would form a single scissor pair. "Did you get the Aegis?"
"No." Ryuko grumbled, "That fat ass lied to me. They weren't powerless at all."
"Our Driver won't be happy about that." Satsuki said with a worried look.
"Oh yeah? What's he gonna do about it, kill himself?" Ryuko said almost smugly, "It's not like he can really punish us in any way." Ryuko's face soured when she noticed Satsuki looking away. "Satsuki, what is it?"
"Nothing." Satsuki said, not wanting to face her sister Blade.
Ryuko studied the white uniformed Blade. If Ryuko had learn anything about Satsuki during their relatively brief existence, it was that she would keep anything uncomfortable to herself. "Satsuki... Did he do something?" Satsuki visibly flinched at the comment, which was all the answer Ryuko needed. Ryuko's face twisted into a snarl as she summoned her Scissor Blades before combining the twin blades into one huge pair of scissors. "I'm gonna snip it off." Ryuko threatened before moving past Satsuki to the double doors.
"Ryuko, don't!" Satsuki cried out in alarm as she hooked her arms under Ryuko's armpits to stop her.
"Let go! He needs to pay!" Ryuko shouted as she struggled, now only holding her giant pair of scissors with one hand.
"He's our Driver!" Satsuki said as she struggled a little to contain the raging girl.
"I don't care! He doesn't get to lay a finger on you anymore than on me!" Ryuko roared, kicking her legs when Satsuki actually lifted her off the ground.
"It was my fault!" Satsuki quickly said, which made Ryuko stop struggling.
"What do you mean it was your fault." Ryuko asked, trying to turn her head enough to face Satsuki.
Seeing as her sister calmed down, Satsuki dared to let go. "I failed to kill the Queen of Uraya, so he punished me."
Ryuko dismissed her weapon before getting into the slightly taller Blade's face. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but during the briefing he said that it didn't matter if you killed the queen."
"Look that's not-" "Satsuki, do you like how he treats you?" Ryuko interrupted with an accusing look.
"How dare you!" Satsuki snapped at Ryuko before slapping the shorter Blade across the face. Satsuki's eyes widened in alarm as she realized what she did. "Ryuko, I'm-"
"Save it." Ryuko said in a softer tone, not taking real damage from the slap. Either that or her Blade regeneration already healed whatever damage she took. "You not liking what he does is good enough reason to at least break his fingers."
"I... I can't." Satsuki said, looking down.
Ryuko let out a sigh, "Your loyalty is wasted on trash like him. If I had brought the Aegises, maybe they could have worked as his outlets... If they didn't blast him to nothing first." Judging by her tone, the scissor blades wielder hoped for the latter.
"But then we would revert to our Cores and be picked up by someone worse." Satsuki shot back.
"Good point." Ryuko agreed grudgingly, "It's just... nevermind." Ryuko said as she moved to the double doors before entering and slamming the doors behind her.
Satsuki let out a tired sigh. It's not like Ryuko's ideas aren't tempting, but the thought of bringing harm to her Driver, no matter how bad he is, feels about as wrong as when she slapped Ryuko. "I have to at least slap his hands away next time." Satsuki promised herself. Hopefully she can stick to it this time.
AN: There we go. Otohime is planning to figure out how to disarm Salem and possibly opposing Aura users, Weiss is no show, and the Scissor Sisters have a bad Driver.
As for Salem's business, she and her new acquisition aren't relevant... for now. But then again, I have lied before about where I'm going *shrugs innocently*.
In other news, I can't wait for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Judging from the trailer it looks like the two worlds clash. But it also leaves me with questions... How much into the future is it? What happened to the Blades since none are seen...? With the exception of Nia.
