The room is peaceful, no humming of a car's engines, no jets flying past the glass window, no pages flipping back and forth from the room's bookshelf or even footsteps echoing the fine purple ceramic floors. The only sound is the beautiful melody of a piano's keys, ringing from the room's corner; a young boy, Jotaro Kurozaki, plays the keys before him with careful precision, aided by one of his maids, Vita, who's sitting beside him. Vita sways her index finger left and right by the sound of each key Jotaro presses, taking pleasure at it's music
"Very good, Master Jotaro!" Vita expresses happily. "You would make quite the musician!"
"Really?" Jotaro asks, eyes beaming
"Of course! You could even make it in opera!" Vita nods. "Now, what do you say we play each key together? Does that sound fun?"
Jotaro nods with a smile. Vita carefully places her fingers on the piano's keys while Jotaro does the same, both in their respective sides. By Vita's count of three, the two begin playing another song, more advanced than Jotaro's usual notes. Vita plays the keys for the music's background while Jotaro took lead, the two of them let the music flow from their fingers, as if they're living in another world where nothing can bother them. Vita looks at Jotaro, his eyes focused on his keys, she couldn't help but smile at his determination; she found it adorable for a child his age. At times, she wishes these moments could last for eternity, but...
"Excuse me?" The two stop playing the piano and look over their shoulder to see another maid of the Kurozaki household, a Faunus with pig ears named Marie. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but...Sir Joffrey wishes to see his son."
At the mention of Jotaro's father, the boy turns back to the piano, his expression withdrawn. Vita looks at Jotaro and offers a comforting hand on his shoulder and looks back to Marie.
"Can't this wait? The young master isn't ready." Vita replies, a hint of disapproval towards Marie who looks with empathy.
"H-he's begging to see his son...there's not much time left." Marie insists nervously, a hint of concern in her tone. Vita notices Jotaro standing up from his seat, she can tell he doesn't want to see him, but he can't deny what could be his father's final wish. He leaves Vita's grasp and walks to the exit, withdrawn expression still on his face "Would you like to-?"
Before Marie could finish, Jotaro walks past her and down the hallway, to the room where his father was staying. There was no need for company, he already knew the way, but that wasn't what she was offering, Marie couldn't help but sigh in worry for the boy
"He was finally happy for a moment, Marie. You can't just pull him back into what he doesn't want." Vita says, a tone of disapproval. Marie turns around, frowning.
"What else was I to do? Deny our master's final wish?"
"If Master Jotaro doesn't want to see his father, then we should respect his wishes!"
"Vita, please, don't take it out on me; I'm only doing what I was told." Marie asks, downward gaze. Vita could see the look of shame on her colleague and sighs.
"I'm sorry, Marie...you didn't deserve my scolding." Vita apologizes. After brief silence, she stands up and approaches the window. "It's just...not fair, what Jotaro is going through. He's just a boy!"
"This is hard on him and his family, they're all suffering too."
"And so he must be made as the family's heir?!" Vita snaps, looking at Marie with anger. "He wasn't given a choice, they just threw all this responsibility on him because his father will be gone."
"It's their family tradition."
"It's wrong! They should give him time to grieve! To think, to let him decide what he wants! This only robs him of that freedom..." The room falls silent at Vita's words. Marie stares at the floor, unresponsive.
"It's not up to us Vita...I don't want this for the young master either but there's nothing we can do about it."
"There is something I can do." Vita says, lifting a piece of fabric out of her pocket, showing the White Fang symbol. Marie notices the fabric in Vita's hand, recognizing her thought process.
"Vita, no! The Kurozakis are good people, they're the only ones who accepted us as people! Don't betray their kindness like this!" Marie begs, running to Vita and grabbing her arm, looking into her eyes as an act of plea.
"Good people? They've given us a position of servitude, blindly following their traditions without a second thought! They're no different than the Schnees!"
"But they never forced us into labor! They gave us food, shelter, and even offered us this job by our choice! If they were like the Schnees, they wouldn't treat us with such kindness!"
"Marie..."
"Father?! Father?! Father, wake up! Please, wake up!" The maids stop arguing at the sound of Jotaro's cries, and look out the door. Feeling she's needed, Marie rushes to the door but quickly stops to look at Vita.
"Please, Vita. The Kurozakis care about our people...you betray their trust, and it won't make things better." After saying her peace, Marie runs out the room to where she's needed. Vita hears the shouting and cries of the Kurozakis and the maids, but she does nothing, only stare at the White Fang fabric in hand; contemplating her choices.
The early daytime, first break period has begun for the Beacon students, giving them a chance to study for their classes. But Fenrir is doing a different kind of studying; rapidly searching exotic symbols through the library's computer, the sun shining from a window above him. Fenrir's done nearly 20 searches about a symbol of a snake with three circles, but the internet is never helpful when he wants it to be, especially since he only knows how they generally work. He could've asked for someone else's help like River or Weiss, but this is something he prefers to himself. After his 25th search, he found the exact symbol he's looking for; the same that black cloaked stranger had on the back of their hand. Curiously, he looks up the Taijitu symbol and a few history sights briefly explain the symbol. It's meant to represent Humanity's Envy, leaving a mark on Remnant that nobody would forget; he looks down to spot related images where the other symbols are made after other Grimm.
"Let me taste your fear"
The Widow, a spider Grimm.
"Can't run forever"
The Ravager, a bat Grimm
"Something to remember me"
The Sphinx, a lion-like Grimm. The memories slowly resurfacing, Fenrir can smell the smoke, feel the dried blood splattered on his face, the intense chill running down his spine, paralyzing his limbs. He couldn't breathe, can't stay calm, overwhelming, sinking into a mental quicksand.
"Fenrir?" With a touch of his shoulder, Fenrir gasps in alert, someone he thinks intends harm. He stands up, turns around to reach for his vacant scythe only to see Yang, who was surprised by his sudden reaction. With a sigh, he gradually lowers his guard and his arm; giving her a relaxed and reassured smile.
"Yang...scared the crap outta me." He chuckles. "Did you need something?"
"Yeah, you." Fenrir tilts his head, confused at what she needs him for. Yang clears her throat and elaborates. "I was looking for you, class is starting soon."
With a look of confusion, Fenrir turns back to the computer to spot its digital clock. It's currently 12:50, his brows raise in realization, he must've been so absorbed in his own homework that he lost track of time.
"Well, crap..." Fenrir sighs.
"Come on, if we pick up the pace now, we should be back just before Oobleck goes on another one of his 'history rants'!" Yang chuckles, taking the lead. Nodding, Fenrir hastily walks beside her as the two carefully rush out the library.
Yang and Fenrir make it outside the library and fast walk on the concrete path leading to the lecture halls, the sun shining brightly and temperature keeping their skin warm, despite the autumn season.
"So...wanna tell me what that was all about?" Yang asks, glancing to Fenrir with her hands behind her head.
"What was what about?" Fenrir asks, playing dumb.
"You know what, that freak out you had earlier." Yang snaps, a hint of offense in her expression, then shifts back to concern. "Is there something you wanna talk about?"
"What's there to talk about? I just spaced out, that's all."
"If that's what you call 'spacing out' then it's time you have it looked at." Yang replies with sarcasm. "You've been distant these past three days, which isn't like you at all."
"You don't know me that well, Yang, especially when it comes to poking other people's business." Fenrir says, frowning.
"Hey, I'm just trying to help. After the whole 'Blake' situation, your teammates were worried about you, my team were worried about you."
"I left to find Blake, didn't I?"
"And somehow neglected to tell us you found her?"
"Careful, Yang. You keep talking like that, and I'll mistake you for the Ice Queen; what next, you start focusing on your grades and cut back on the puns? Maybe dye your hair white just to look-,"
"Stop it." Yang scowls, now standing in front of Fenrir with a hand on his shoulder, her patience with him running thin. "First you neglected to tell us you're half-Faunus, and now you've been ghosting on your team, your friends and Ruby. Remember what Weiss told Blake when something was bothering her? That applies to you too." Fenrir looks at Yang's hand, gripping his shoulder; when he turns his gaze to the blonde brawler, he can see the concern in her eyes, her stern expression pleading him to listen. "I don't enjoy butting into people's business, but if this starts to become a problem-,"
"It won't." Fenrir snaps, brushing Yang's hand off him. With a contemplative sigh, he turns to look at the sky, occupied by a few clouds. "Yang, what I am, what I'm going through...even my past, these are not things I can easily talk about; the less you guys know about me the better it is to keep in touch. Yes, I've been avoiding you guys, and I'm not very proud of it...but I don't want what we have to fall apart...it's better this way."
Yang stares into Fenrir's eye, seeing the the stern but desperate plea from inside. She closes her eyes in thought and chuckles.
"Fine, I won't push anymore. But if this really does turn into a problem, we're going to talk about it." Yang pokes Fenrir's shoulder for emphasis, bringing back her carefree nature. After Fenrir offers a reassuring smirk, she turns around and resumes walking. "Now come on, we can't be late to class!"
Fenrir looks at Yang jogging away, turns back to the sky for a moment and runs to catch up with her.
About thirty minutes have passed during their History lecture, Yang and Fenrir made it with seconds to spare and are now sitting at their respective desks with their teammates, listening to Oobleck's lesson. Though the Doctor is giving a detailed story of today's lecture, Fenrir was spacing out, the symbols he searched still stuck in his mind.
"Yo, Fenrir!" The leader hears a hushed tone to his right. Fenrir looks to see Crimson getting his attention. "Any luck with that symbol you found?"
"What?" Fenrir arches an eyebrow. Crimson rolls his eyes in slight annoyance.
"The symbol! Ya know, the one you found from that sniper you mentioned? You said you'd look it up at the library before class!"
Gradually, Fenrir does recall saying that, he looked up not only its meaning but also its purpose and origin. That was the reason he was in the library, he only looked up the other images because he had more time to kill.
"I only know it's connected to this Malevolence group. Apparently, they use their symbol like it's a calling card." Fenrir answers. "As for why they used a flower, it's called a Nerium Oleander, symbolizing disgust or shame."
"Seriously? Why would they use a flower like-"
"Mr. Calavera! Mr. Vernados!" The boys straighten at attention after being called out, looking at Dr. Oobleck whose arms are folded and his foot tapping impatiently. "Since you two are eager to chit-chat instead of listen to my lectures, perhaps you already know the answer to my question! Though Atlas was technically superior, what gave the Kingdom of Vale advantage over the enemy forces in the Great War?"
The two boys look at each other in distress; Crimson wasn't paying attention because of his boredom, the excitement from the other night at the docks, and Fenrir wasn't listening because he was zoned into his own thoughts. Still, they needed to come up with the answer and the wrong one could earn a bad grade to their team and embarrassment of the entire classroom. Through quick thinking, Crimson speaks first.
"Uh, the advantage! To, uh...Vale...against Atlas, by their, uh, king...is...he, uh..." Crimson continues to struggle while Fenrir tries to think of the correct answer, but he couldn't think of one that would make sense, and skimming through the book would only tell the Doctor that they don't know the answer. What's the right answer? What is it?!
"The advantage was in their knowledge of the enemy..." Crimson and Fenrir look to their left, seeing it was Jotaro who spoke the answer. The rest of the class listen to Jotaro intently. "Though Vale was struggling in their own technological economy, the one advantage they had against Atlas was Jonathan Kurozaki, my ancestor. Jonathan turned against the people of Atlas because he didn't want to live in a world with mindless bloodshed, so he sided with Vale in knowing the king wanted the war to end as quickly as he did. With Jonathan's help, he knew the weak points of every machine Atlas had under their disposable, because he was the one who built them. Thanks to Jonathan, the King of Vale and his people drew back the Atlesian soldiers to their homeland."
Crimson sighs in relief, he's thankful they've got a living Vytalpedia by their side, but Fenrir was confused. Why did Jotaro go out of his way to cover them? Especially the cold glares he's been giving Fenrir lately.
"I appreciate your participation, Mr. Kurozaki." Dr. Oobleck says, before sipping his mug. "But the question was meant for your teammates and seeing as you had to answer for them, I'm guessing they failed to know the answer."
"Yes, they don't. But there's a good reason as to why. You see, Crimson and Fenrir stayed up late, last night; studying the events of the Great War in thorough detail. The events of that war peaked their curiosity and wished to learn more about it. I never stopped them because I saw no harm in learning our world's history, even if that history contains violent bloodshed of a brutal war."
Oobleck takes a moment to study Jotaro's expression, to see an anomaly which implies that he's lying. So far, his expression is stern and focused. Oobleck takes one more sip and mentally nods to himself.
"Very well, I'll let this slide, but Mr. Calavera, Mr. Vernados, I suggest you stick to the Academy's curriculum you're given. It's nice talented youths like yourselves wish to learn more about Remnant and its history, but our mind has a capacity to how much we can understand. If you get too far ahead, you may overload that capacity and burn yourselves out."
"Sorry, Doc, will do!" Crimson says before giving Oobleck a thumbs up, supported by Fenrir's agreeing nod.
"Ahem! Now then, back to our lecture!" Oobleck faces his board again and resumes his fast-paced teachings.
"Maybe he should learn the importance of caffeine capacity." Fenrir mutters, earning a snort from Crimson. He turns to look at Jotaro. "Thanks for the save, partner."
But Jotaro doesn't reply as he continues taking notes with his stern expression. Is he giving Fenrir the cold shoulder? He doesn't blame him but...why? Jotaro's always been more open-minded than the others.
After another hour of history class, the bell finally rings to signal its end. Most of the students have already left excluding Teams CJVR and RWBY, who are still gathering their stuff. Once Jotaro was the last to pack his books into his shoulder bag, they hear Goodwitch's voice over the intercom.
"Team CJVR, you are requested to Ozpin's office immediately, please. Team CJVR to Ozpin's office."
Fenrir looks up at the intercom for a brief moment, then to Crimson and River who both give an unknowing gesture.
"Guess Ozpin's looking for us again." Fenrir sighs.
"Maybe he's got another mission! I'll take that over Port's egotistical stories." Crimson says, hunching over in deflated excitement at his last sentence.
"Do you think it will be like your last mission?" Weiss speaks up, approaching from behind Fenrir with her teammates. Fenrir turns around to face them and says.
"Or he found out what we were up to at the docks..."
"Let's hope it IS a mission, I can handle a scolding from Goodwitch, but a scolding from Ozpin scares me the most." Yang shudders.
"You got a scolding from Ozpin?" River asks, arched eyebrow.
"No...but I could."
"Well, I hope it is a mission!" Ruby chirps. "You guys are the luckiest first years in Beacon...EVER! I wish we could go with you!"
"The missions are for individual teams only, Ruby." Blake says, looking away from her book she was apparently reading.
"But, Blake! Just think about it! Fenrir and his team are the only ones who get to go on special missions while we're stuck here doing stupid homework! Don't you wanna have fun?!"
"I'll admit, it does feel like we're getting special privilege." Crimson says. "I mean, official missions aren't supposed to be up for us until the second semester and suddenly we get special ones from the Headmaster himself? Maybe he likes us!"
"If we don't report to his office like Goodwitch asked, it won't matter." They hear Jotaro sternly speak, slinging his book strap over his shoulder as the others look at him. "We won't accomplish anything by standing around and talking...let's go."
After speaking his peace, Jotaro was about to approach the door until Fenrir quickly calls to his attention.
"Hey, Jotaro!" Jotaro doesn't look at Fenrir, his back turned to his leader. "Just wanted to say thanks for having our backs. If you hadn't known the answer-"
"I wouldn't have lied to our teacher for you." Jotaro coldly states, alarming the others. He turns around, glaring at Fenrir. "The only reason I covered for you was so our team grade wouldn't go down anymore numbers than it already has. You're our team leader and if you wish to do better, start by focusing on the lecture instead of pointless gossip."
"Technically the gossip was about-" But Jotaro walks past Crimson, purposefully bumping his shoulder, and exits the classroom. "Hey"!
The others watch as the door slowly closes, the group standing in shocked silence.
"What was that all about?" Yang asks, surprise in her tone.
"I don't know, this is the first I've ever seen Jotaro so spiteful in...years." Weiss says, reminding herself of the seven years they were apart.
"I'll try and talk to him...maybe we can help him resolve it." Fenrir sighs, a hint of doubt in his voice
"Ok, take care guys!" Ruby happily waves. The boys wave goodbye to Team RWBY while Weiss stares at the door, remaining awestruck from Jotaro's attitude.
Team CJVR arrive at Ozpin's office, but the elevator ride up was feeling really uncomfortable due to Jotaro's aggravated silence. If this is gonna be an issue for the rest of their school years, then this is something Fenrir should definitely discuss with his partner. For now, he and the others set aside that little thought and focus on whatever Ozpin wishes to discuss, who is sitting patiently at his desk; a warm smile visible in his expression.
"Welcome, Team CJVR, I trust your having an eventful semester?" Ozpin says.
"Eh, somewhat eventful; I just learned what stepping on a metaphorical landmine feels like." Crimson shrugs.
"Did you need something from us, Professor? Is it another mission?" Jotaro asks.
"Indeed it is." Ozpin acknowledges, placing his scroll on his desk and now emitting a holographic image of the mission briefing. "This is Nightingale Village, I trust you're aware of it's history?"
Three of the boys exchange unknowing glances, but Jotaro speaks up first.
"Nightingale is the village where the people of Vale took advantage against Atlas. My ancestor saw it as a great ambush to incapacitate their war mechs and take down the enemy by surprise." With Jotaro's answer, Fenrir and Crimson's eyes light up in realization; Nightingale village was a part of their history lesson earlier.
"Very good, Mr. Kurozaki. Yes, Nightingale has a historical influence from the Great War; it's the place where Vale claimed their first victory in the many battles to come. Now, it needs help from our Academy." Ozpin stands up from his desk, walking to the front of his desk, cane in hand. "Over half a week, a few of Nightingale's occupants have disappeared. Your first objective is to find these missing victims and return them home; your second objective is to figure out who or what is behind this and make sure they don't take anybody else. Is that all understood?"
"Crystal clear, Professor." Fenrir says, his teammates nodding in agreement.
"Good, I'll have a bullhead send you to Nightingale by dawn, until then, I suggest you get some rest." Agreeing with Ozpin, they turn around and make for the elevator. "And good luck on your second mission, I imagine after your first one, you must be restless."
The boys stop in their tracks after how suspiciously accurate Ozpin's comment was, reminding them of their time at the docks.
"What do you mean by that, Professor?" Fenrir asks, afraid of the answer he'll get.
"Oh, I just imagine, students like you can be so eager for another mission, they can't possibly think of anything else and would be willing to break curfew for another adventure. Just a guess."
"Uh, yeah." Crimson nervously laughs. "We totally didn't stay up late so we could catch Roman Torchwick!"
For that terrible attempt at a lie, Crimson gets a kick to the leg by Jotaro, who is attempting to keep his teammate quiet as the four of them hasten to the elevator, leaving Ozpin smiling as he takes a sip of his mug next to him.
At Team RWBY's Dorm, the girls return from their classes, exhausted by the day.
"Ah, finally, a time where I can sleep in my bed." Blake sighs, dropping on her respective bed.
"You can rest if you want, I should catalogue our lessons for tomorrow's class so I know the right questions to answer!" Weiss says, setting her notebook on her desk and sits down.
"Whatever you say, Ice Queen." Yang yawns, earning an offended glare from Weiss.
"Hey, Weiss?" The Heiress looks at her partner who appears to have an expression of concern. "Has Jotaro ever...lashed out at anyone like that before?"
"No..." Weiss shakes her head, then spaces out in thoughts. "At least...I don't think so. We haven't seen each other in seven years; I don't know what's happened to him during our time apart. All that I do know is, he lost his Father due to a heart illness...and he's been facing the burden of his family legacy. After I saw him when we first arrived at Beacon, he's acted the same as usual until today."
"Should we talk to him? I'm sure that if he tells us what's bothering him then-"
"Ruby, it's a kind gesture but that will only make things worse. Jotaro doesn't like to open up about his problems and any attempts to do so will...trust me, he prefers to be left alone."
"Are you sure?" Yang asks in equal concern.
"No...but I don't have an alternative." Weiss answers, dejectedly staring at the floor.
"Well, whatever it is he's mad about, he seems to be taking it out on Fenrir...I hope nothing happens between them." Ruby says, looking down in worry. Yang notices Ruby's focus on Fenrir and gives a light smirk but quickly dismisses it due to not being the right time to bring it up.
"I'm more worried about us. You don't think Ozpin knows about what happened at the docks, does he?" Yang asks.
"I did tell him about the events of that night but didn't mention our involvement." Blake assures, sitting up. "Still, there may be a chance he suspects. Ozpin is gifted at reading people's thoughts, motives and expressions."
"How could you tell, Blake?" Weiss asks.
"Well... it's the way I saw him look at me. His eyes were showing compassion and concern, but behind those emotions; I could sense he was trying to read me, figuring out whether I'm telling him the truth or not."
"Wow... deep!" Ruby comments
With Team CJVR, they return to their dorm half an hour after their meeting with Ozpin, nothing but silence filled the air within their group from then to now. Crimson felt uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere while River didn't seem bothered by it, going to his workbench to draw what Crimson sees as a blueprint.
"Well..." Crimson begins, sighing. "This has been the most anticipating and uncomfortable day. Now, I'm gonna hit the sack."
"Yeah, we should all get some rest for tomorrow's mission. Who knows what could be waiting for us." Fenrir says. Jotaro doesn't say anything in response and enters the bathroom to change. Noticing River isn't going anywhere; Fenrir stands up and approaches his teammate, putting a hand on his shoulder. River looks up at Fenrir for a few seconds and sighs; he doesn't want to sleep yet but he can't argue about it. Complying with his leader, he sets down his tools and steps away from his workbench.
River picks up his pajamas and heads to the bathroom, now waiting for Jotaro to finish changing. Fenrir looks at Crimson, who notices his Scroll ringing, he fishes the device out of his pocket and checks who's calling him.
"Ah, crap, I gotta take this. 'Scuse me for a minute, fellas!" Crimson says, running to the door and exiting their room. Fenrir looks at the bathroom door and notices Jotaro stepping out in his pajamas and allows River to enter so he could change. Jotaro looks at Fenrir for a moment who offers a friendly smile, Jotaro doesn't return the gesture and approaches his respective bed.
"So... another big mission." Fenrir begins, trying to diffuse the growing tension between them.
"Mhm." Jotaro simply responds, pulling back his blankets
"So, how do you think those villagers disappeared? Could the Grimm be involved?"
"Won't matter if we continue to make senseless theories through lack of evidence." Jotaro bluntly replies. Fenrir drops his friendly expression, perhaps getting to the point will be enough.
"Jotaro...is there gonna be bad blood between us?" Fenrir asks. Jotaro stops addressing his bed but doesn't look at his partner. "Lately, you've been acting cold and distant which isn't like you at all. You've even been addressing me with so much spite, I could've sworn I caught a dagger with your glares alone. Clearly, you're mad at me for some reason...is there anyway I can fix it?"
"There's no fixing it." Jotaro snaps, looking at Fenrir. "And the fact you don't know what the issue is will be enough to know you don't care about anyone but yourself. Let me be clear: you're still the leader of this team and I'll follow whatever orders you give me; my respect for you as our leader remains, but you've lost my respect as a friend...so don't expect any friendly small talks between us."
After saying his piece, Jotaro continues to ready his bed; Fenrir is left shocked by his partner's words. Doesn't care about anyone but himself? Was it something selfish? You'd think Fenrir would learn after... no, it no longer matters. Whatever Fenrir did, it screwed up his friendship with Jotaro... and now there may be no way to repair it. Jotaro's right, this is Fenrir's fault.
"It's late; make it quick, Junior." Crimson didn't like answering suspiious calls and taking them in the middle of the dorm building's hallway, but it was the only way to keep his friends acting suspicious. This is his problem after all, one he'd rather handle himself.
"Excuse me for taking some time outta your busy schedule, kid." Junior remarks. "You'll be happy to hear I found a translator for you."
"That was months ago. I expected your info to at least be done in a few weeks." Crimson takes a quick glance down the hallway left and right to ensure nobody's coming his way.
"As nice as it sounds, information doesn't fall at the snap of my fingers because I want it to. It takes time, and often too much. Anyway, I received word from my contacts that a criminal auction is being held downtown; most of the criminals are heading there to collect whatever items are considered priceless."
"How does this connect to my translator?"
"I was getting to that! One of the priceless items is an ancient cypher that could translate the Archeac language. Get that, and you'll have the answers to whatever your fancy neckless holds."
At the mention, Crimson grips on his medallion tightly; he can almost feel those answers becoming just a reach today. Collecting himself, he takes a deep breath and focuses on the obstacles ahead.
"Where's this auction exactly?"
"That part you'll have to meet with me in person. Drop by at my club tomorrow afternoon and I'll give you the details."
"I have a mission tomorrow, can this not wait until after?"
"Not unless you wanna lose the only translator we know about."
This angers Crimson, and it's no wonder why. For a long time, he felt like his past is haunting him without existing. A piece of himself is missing and he can't figure out who he really is and where he really came from. He knows he used to be more before the Nomads found him...but what else could he be? At the same time, Crimson can't ignore a critical mission, especially one that's rarely offered to first years on their starting semester. The moment RWBY's Dorm room is caught in his peripheral vision, a thought occurs in his mind...one he dreads.
"Actually...I got an idea, be ready by tomorrow, Junior." Crimson says, hanging up his scroll before Junior could ask. Approaching their door, he's almost wishing this thought had never entered his brain. This is his problem and only he should deal with it...but now he can't handle it if he's going away. They shouldn't have to deal with his problems...but as Weiss said to Blake, if there's a problem, you should open up to your friends; Crimson wishes his pride would stop getting in the way once in a while. Clearing his throat and doubts, Crimson makes a serious mental effort and knocks on Team RWBY's door
"Coming!" Weiss calls. For a brief moment, she opens the door to see Crimson, the latter noticing the former's dressed in her night gown, ready for bed. "Crimson! Rather late for a visit, is there something I can help you with?"
"You could say that." Crimson starts, smirking. "What would you and the girls say to a mission I have for you?"
Crimson's question is heard by the rest of Weiss' team, her leader looking with hopeful stars in her eyes. They'd be lying if they said they weren't interested. The only question is: what could this mission possibly be?
End of Chapter 17