Welcome to the next chapter of RWBY: Team DUSK, before starting the story. Let's answer some reviews:
altajir95: Thanks. Yes, I'll be doing the light novel, though it wasn't translated. So, I'll be going off of what I know and my imagination. I'll continue doing that.
The Session, Pt. 2
Minutes later, after managing to escape from the security guard, Jaune found himself dragging Iona until the two reached the hot dog stand from before. Noticing no one was chasing them and that almost no one else except for the familiar stand owner, he released the young girl's hand.
"…You're safe now."
Jaune stated, breathing for a bit after running for that long.
Due to the regular training that he has been receiving the past months, from Glynda's combat class and Pyrrha's training, Jaune found himself with more stamina than when he first enrolled. Iona, on the other hand, was more of an engineer and hadn't received even the basic training, struggling to cast her breath.
"That wasn't necessary…. I didn't need to run away…."
Iona stated after calming down her breathing and staring at Jaune.
"But wasn't he going to beat you?"
Jaune asked, staring at her concerned.
"In my position, he couldn't do anything like that," Iona said calmly, brushing her clothes off. "Pulling my hair and threatening me, those were just an empty and childish show of violence."
Hearing that a young girl such as herself was reacting like this to having her hair pulled and being threatened all seemed like a regular thing, meaning she got used to it.
"Your position?"
"I think that should be obvious," Iona replied, before staring at Jaune's weapon, even visually pointing at the white shield. "That's a weird weapon."
"This, well…it's a hand me down from my grandfather. The scabbard can transform into a shield."
Jaune replied, demonstrating the same thing that he had shown before when he forced the guard's hand off of Iona, causing Iona to nod her head in agreement.
"That seems convenient when it comes to carrying it around."
"Yes! That's what I say!"
"So other than that does it do anything else?"
"…No."
"You can't rely on either the weapon or its master."
At that teasing comment from the young girl in front of him, Jaune found himself feeling as if an arrow was shot in his heart and groaned.
"Okay, I know I'm not the strongest guy around, you don't have to rub it in," Jaune stated, almost giving a wry smile and looking at the sword sheathed into the scabbard. "I kinda felt the same way, but my teacher taught me that I needed to appreciate the weapons that I have. So, I used this weird oil to remove the rust and grime on the blade, returning its shine. Now, it looks like this."
After retrieving Crocea Mors' blade from the scabbard, Iona could see that there was a noticeable shine from the blade. She didn't know what it looked like before, but she'd noticed Jaune looked prideful about being able to return whatever shine it had before. After that, he found himself putting the blade back inside of its scabbard, with Iona noticing what he said before.
"Weird Oil?"
Iona asked.
"Oh, it was called Huntsmen's Oil?"
Jaune replied.
"Hm, you mean that product produced by the Norden Guild?"
Iona asked, seeming to recall that product.
"The Norden Guild? Oh, is that the name of Daniel's family business? Huh, never heard of him mentioning the name before. I didn't even hear that they were the ones who made that product."
"Daniel? Daniel Norden," In that instance, Iona found herself thinking back to the situation involving the Mecha Elephant, then her mind went back to Daniel who showed the most technological know-how. "Ah, that was him. The Starhead executives did make it a habit to check up on their competition, meaning the girl beside him was Weiss Schnee, the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. Huh, how ironic for those two to be here?"
"Well, Daniel said that I could focus on whatever upgrades that I wanted for my weapons down the line and that I should focus on learning what works best for me. Plus, I'm still getting better as a fighter."
"Hm, well, at least you have 'some' skill at leading people."
Iona stated, giving Jaune a second compliment.
"Heh, well, I am the leader of my team."
Jaune replied, feeling more proud of himself.
"…."
At the mention of him being chosen as a team leader, Iona found herself staring at Jaune, almost not believing it in the slightest.
"Oh come on, I'm not lying," Jaune could tell that she didn't believe him. "So, that guy earlier called you Iona…."
"Ya, my name is Iona Rockshow."
"So Iona, who are you?"
"I'm an official of SIC, you have just gotten yourself involved in an internal corporate quarrel. As long as there were no injuries the police won't be contacted and everything will be swept under the rug."
Iona replied.
"You're kidding me."
"That muscle brain that was scolding me earlier didn't try chasing us, right? Well, your friends, one of them being the Norden Heir kept him there. He also couldn't make as big of a scene in front of those outside of the company. As for what happened here, a small accident regarding the display equipment, the eyewitnesses will be told to be quiet, and like that, the incident will be over."
At Iona's comment, Jaune wondered whether or not that sounded scripted whether by her or who worked in the Starhead Industrial Company.
"An accident? That elephant tried to kill me and Ruby!"
"I tried saving you. I was going to pick you up with the trunk, then put you down. But, then the other three started attacking and I couldn't do much after that. Then your friend took me out of the cockpit, causing the AI to get into full automatic mode, then I really couldn't do much after that."
"You picked me up with a tusk!"
"Why would I try to do that? You just happened to get caught up on the tusk when the machine started up. If you had just run away like everyone else you would have been fine, but you decided to follow me, what were you even trying to do?"
At Iona's explanation, Jaune found himself remembering the reason he chased her behind.
"I uhh, followed you so that I could learn how to get invited to Sapang Island, but now…."
At the mention of Sapang Island, Iona found herself almost pausing at the mention of it, knowing the reason why people would be interested in it. But, found herself maintaining the same experience she has thus far.
"It's not a pleasant place, please give up on that idea."
At that, she turned around and started walking in the opposite direction, causing Jaune to think about moving in to stop her, but stopped himself. He didn't know much if anything about Iona, with her reactions to things being a bit odd, and a lot of the situation at the exhibition was caused by him following her in the first place.
"Ah, it'd be better to give up," Jaune stated, scratching his head and surrendering the idea of him and his friends having a tropical vacation. And at the mention of his friends, in particular, his team, he recalled the fact that Ren was among the people at the exhibition. "Ah, what happened to Ren during all that? Did he not come back to see what was happening or call me?"
As Jaune was preparing to retrieve his Scroll to contact Ren or see if there was a message left for him, Iona who was walking away found herself stopping.
"… Jaune Arc, was it?"
Iona asked.
He stopped reaching for his Scroll, instead turning to Iona who put back on her goggles and made it almost hard to see what her expression was.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Like what?"
"Why did you save me back there?"
At Iona's question, Jaune found himself wondering what that question was for. As if waiting for a response which didn't immediately come, Iona received a coin then started flipping it while staring at Jaune, before beginning to count down from 10.
"Um, can you please not do that, it feels like a countdown to something and it's making me nervous"
"But, I intended it to be a countdown."
"…What happens when time runs out?"
"Hm? Who knows?"
Iona replied, not giving the slightest reaction or showing whether or not something would happen after reaching "1", which started seeming like a creative form of torture.
"It's not like I need a reason to help someone! No that's not it. I just…that guard reminded me of someone who also bullied people, I didn't like it then so I did something this time. That's why."
Jaune replied again thinking back to Cardin and his team, as Iona thought about those words as she played with the coin in her hands. Despite not counting anymore, there was still a particular pressure from the young girl who wasn't even training to become a Huntress. After stopping, she stopped flipping the coin and then turned it around so that Jaune could see it.
"Do you recognize the design of this coin?"
"Well, there's a white side and a red side."
"You don't know? They're Queen Apple and Marshmallow Crown. It's a cartoon that's pretty popular among girls these days."
"I typically don't spend my free time following girl trends."
Although Jaune said that, he looked at the coin which had a red side with a clear-faced girl, whereas the white side had a round-faced clown. After that, she again flipped the coin in the air, caught it, and then placed it right on top of the back of her hand.
"Which side is up? Depending on the result I'll hand over tickets to Sapang Island."
Iona stated surprisingly despite initially showing no interest in telling him about getting to the tropical island.
"REALLY!? O…okay got it, just let me think."
In that instance, Jaune found himself immediately invested in this game. It was a simple fifty-fifty chance that he would be correct, meaning there was a chance that he'd lose and win. As frustration and hesitation built up inside his chest, he found himself taking the plunge.
"Red, the Red Queen!"
"Ooooooookay," Iona announced dramatically, lifting her hand off the coin, then found herself returning to a more casual if not impassive tone. "White Clown. It seems you lose."
"…!"
In that instance, Jaune found himself slumping to his knees after messing up this once-in-a-lifetime chance for a free trip to a tropical island. As he was doing that, Iona removed her goggles, revealing her face, retrieved the decorated laptop from her bag, and then started typing something up.
"Just as promised, here are your tickets."
"…Huh?"
Jaune couldn't help looking up as through an attachment on the laptop, a total of four tickets were printed out.
"I never said I would give it to you if you won. I said depending on the result."
Iona stated, removing the tickets, then prepared to hand them off to Jaune.
"You're giving those to me!? Thank …"
Jaune reached his hand out to grab onto the tickets, with Iona moved her hand back, keeping him from grabbing onto them much to his surprise.
"Just some things first. You're only to go there with close friends and just as a vacation," Iona replied, sounding a lot more serious, before becoming more stern. "Also are any of your friends Faunus?"
"Faunus…? Well, I do know two…," Jaune replied, finding himself thinking of Hunter and Velvet, both of whom he was close friends with. "However, I'm not on the same team. Although, why does it matt…?"
"Here you go."
Before Jaune could finish, as if satisfied with that response, Iona handed him the tickets, something which gave a great sense of happiness and gratitude to him. He could see that the Starhead Industrial Company's star symbol was printed on the tickets alongside instructions to head to Vale's port.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! This …?"
As Jaune tried thanking Iona, he saw that she wasn't around him and looked around, she wasn't even inside the immediate area. It stumped him most considering that she wasn't trained and was tired running here, but could vanish without a trace or making a sound.
Meanwhile, in the room belonging to Team DUSK, each member found themselves packing some belongings in their particular suitcases. The particular reason for that was on top of the desk in the room, which included a total of four tickets to Sapang Island, meaning their group would be spending their vacation time on the tropical island. And the cause of that was the incident from before, but for another reason too.
"Ah, I can't believe that we're going on a free trip to a tropical island."
Alyssa stated, finding herself looking forward to this.
"All because those assholes from that company didn't want us to spill the beans about what happened to the police," a sigh escaped from Sandra's mouth after thinking about what happened more than a couple of minutes ago. "Can there be one company that isn't shady or dysfunctional as hell?"
'How about Daniel's family's business?'
Hunter signed.
"Their family might not be shady, but they're borderline dysfunctional. Based on what Daniel told us, he and his cousins fight every time they see each other after a long time as a means of bonding."
Sandra replied as Hunter found himself almost laughing at that instantaneous reaction.
"Hey, sometimes the best way to bond with them is to fight with them. Besides, I do come from a lineage of warriors, who train, fight, and survive regularly."
Daniel replied.
"So, is that the reason you and your brother fight?"
Alyssa asked as she went through the belongings in her suitcase.
"You know, I used to think that. I mean, we fought a lot but we didn't outright say we hated each other. Now, I just feel as if he didn't like me," Daniel replied, with them wondering if he was joking around or not, which was hard to tell with his regular nonchalant tone. "I mean, you're working with a racist wannabe crime lord like Roman to do whatever. But, you wouldn't help your one and only little brother after asking for help with one simple task, it speaks volumes of how you value a brotherly bond."
"And what would that task be?"
Alyssa curiously asked.
"All I wanted was some help in fighting against some small-time, wannabe bullies messing with people around in Mistral and messed with the nice elderly Faunus woman next door neighbor," Daniel replied, making it sound as if it was a simple enough thing, then shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, I still did it, but I can't believe he would let his only ten-year-old brother fight against teenagers alone."
"So, a normal childhood was nonexistent for you? I mean, we all fight other kids, but I think most children would avoid fighting teenagers."
Alyssa replied.
"How about Yang? She looks as if it wouldn't matter if you were the same age or younger."
"Touche," Alyssa replied. "Well, how about you Sandra, got into any fights back at Oscuro Academy?"
"Are you kidding me, you couldn't go a week without there being a fight. In Vacuo, survival and ruthlessness were considered normal compared to places like Signal or Beacon Academy where you'd get punished for it. There's even a lesson in Shade Academy where you fight until your Aura is drained unlike here where it's until Aura in the red. It isn't even that special, I did that when I was a kid already. I got into a lot of fights back at that school, but there was this one annoying girl, in particular."
"Oh, did this one have a crush on you too?"
"…I don't know," at Alyssa's teasing comment, Sandra found herself maintaining a calm look, but wondered if that was the case. She thought all the times that this girl kept bothering and trying to fight her. "She kept trying to fight me no matter how badly I beat her up or sent her to the school nurse. I even broke her arm once before, but she just wouldn't leave me alone."
"…."
"…."
Alyssa and Hunter glanced at Sandra at that comment.
"What? It's not like I shattered anything, especially with Aura healing us. At most, it was fractured."
'So, what was her name?'
Hunter signed.
"I don't know, Neb…something, I didn't bother remembering her name. I don't know why I'm being judged that was just how Vacuo is," Sandra stated, then pointed at Daniel with a plain face. "I'm sure that he did something to people worse than I have."
"That's not untrue."
Daniel thought to himself.
"We don't doubt that," Alyssa stated, as she waved her hand. "Oh, we weren't judging you, we just wanted to see if you'd think that."
Throw!
In response to that, Sandra tossed a pillow straight at Alyssa who teasingly avoided it, while also sticking out her tongue like a child and having her hands positioned beside her head.
"Well, Hunter is also kinda weird too."
"…," Hunter looked confused about that comment from Alyssa, then signed. 'What did I do?'
"You did mention that you often carry around a small knife somewhere on you out of habit."
Alyssa pointed out, causing him to remember that conversation after mentioning the kind of training that his dad made him do and how it became a habit he reminded him of.
'What? You guys do know how I grew up. Besides, so does Daniel.'
"He's not wrong. I often find myself in situations where a knife is needed."
Daniel replied, showing off the small black knife he had in the small holster on him.
During this, noticing the different quirks of her teammates that borderline a survivalist attitude due to their particular upbringing, Alyssa came to a realization.
"Wait, does this make me the normal one on the team?"
Alyssa asked, pointing to herself.
"I guess. I mean, you're still weird in your way."
Sandra replied, without much concern about how that sounded.
"I can live with that."
Alyssa stated, wearing a smile, as satisfied that she wasn't the black sheep on the team. However, thinking about that made her automatically think about her family situation as being the odd one out, but in reverse.
"Well, let's see. Is there anything else that we need to head out and get for our trip tomorrow?"
Daniel asked.
"Well, there is one more thing that I wanted to take Sandra to get."
"Wait, what? And that would be?"
Sandra asked, confused about that comment from Alyssa, obviously unaware of what that meant.
"A new swimsuit, of course," Alyssa stated, zipping right beside her partner wearing a smile. "I know that a certain someone isn't the type to have something like a swimsuit. So, we're going on a last-minute trip over to Vale to find the perfect fit for our favorite, and often grumpy, Vacuan."
"Eh, come on. Do I need something like that?"
"Oh, shut your mouth," Alyssa replied, getting right in front of Sandra, to the point of her staring straight at her in a surprised manner with wide eyes. "If we're going to a tropical island, then, of course, we're going to be wearing. I'm aware that you wouldn't have a swimsuit, so, we're going to Vale to find the perfect one for you."
"A-Alright, no need to get up this close."
Sandra couldn't go against her partner in that instance, finding the seriousness of fashion to be something that her partner took seriously. She would look for Daniel and Hunter for aid, but there wasn't anything that the two could do in that instance themselves.
"Speaking of, is there anything else that we might need."
Daniel spoke, finding himself thinking about the things about their trip to the tropical island.
"Oh, speaking of which, would it be fine to bring our weapons and equipment?"
Sandra pointed out.
"Well, we are Huntsmen-in-Training and Grimm is still a thing no matter where we go," Daniel stated, going to the Starhead Industrial Company's website to check and found what he was looking for after a couple of scrolling. "See, it states that Huntsmen and Huntsmen-in-Training can bring their weapons due to possible Grimm attacks, which would frequent this area. It also looks as if this place has a training room too."
"That's good to hear. I'm still looking forward to the Vytal Festival and want to prepare as much as possible."
Sandra stated, with more enthusiasm for the tournament.
"Speaking of which, Sandra, I have to ask."
"What?"
"Can you swim?"
There was a faint pause from Alyssa's question, who didn't seem to immediately respond.
"I didn't have a particular need to learn to swim, seeing as I live in what's pretty much a desert."
"So, I'm taking that as a yes. So, that's something else we're going to see about."
"I honestly don't see the big deal. I doubt that it'll be that hard."
Sandra looked more or less confident about that, seeing herself as being able to learn and master swimming with no issues at all. It was a good quality, as aside from tight spaces, she was confident in almost any situation without even the slightest shred of doubt of succeeding.
"Well, I wonder how everyone else is handling their preparations."
Daniel noted, leaning in the bed in thought about that.
"Well, I can imagine that Yang is in the mirror trying out swimsuits."
Alyssa stated accurately without any doubt about that.
"Probably to test and see whether or not Daniel would like them."
Sandra thought, being something that Alyssa and Hunter thought in their minds, not bringing that up.
Meanwhile, in Team RWBY's dorm room, where same as Team DUSK, the team of four women were all preparing for their trip to the same island. But, among the three who were there not counting Ruby, who left a couple of minutes ago, one wasn't too keen on the sudden trip.
"….Was it okay for them not to notify the police or Beacon about that incident today?"
Blake asked, almost in a murmur.
Aside from packing some things, she found herself going through the collection of books that she would be reading on the trip. There wasn't much about how long their group would be going there, but she wanted to be prepared no matter what. And didn't want to be bored going on a trip to the tropical island, aside from the usual thing there, she wasn't too particular about things like swimming.
"You still going on about that? The SIC big shots already told us that they want to keep it internal, so don't worry about it. Not like anyone got injured anyway."
Yang reasoned as she continued going through the different clothing in the closet, with the different choices being laid out.
"I…completely…agree!"
Besides her, Blake could see her teammate, Weiss, the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company stuffing her belongings into one of the many suitcases in her possession. It seemed almost cartoonish, the amount of things that Weiss was trying to fit into a suitcase. As the heiress, she was well aware of the amount of business related to such a company, having witnessed such things up close. And so, she reasoned that if the Starhead Industrial Company which was in the process of having the view of their next product suffered a failure, then it would be a major hit for the future.
"Exactly, if you say anything they'll just silence you!"
Yang teasingly said.
In response to that, Weiss found herself glaring right at Yang but then found another reason to glare at her in the form of what she was wearing. As Alyssa stated before, her best friend was in the process of testing out and wearing a swimsuit in front of the mirror. This one was a black bikini that showed off more of the curvaceous blonde's toned and mature build, something that any young woman their age would be jealous of. It wasn't too much and it wasn't too much an ideal balance.
"What? Too much? Or too little? Or it doesn't fit the occasion?"
Yang asked, posing in front of her partner and teammate.
For Weiss, there was a good hint of jealousy in noticing the difference in figures between herself and Yang, who could look amazing in almost anything she wore. It was already apparent without the blonde wearing that swimsuit, but this made it more apparent. It almost made her not want to put on a swimsuit, something that was forced onto her when Team RWBY went out clothes shopping. And it didn't help that her younger partner and team leader seemed more developed than herself.
For Blake, it had to be the first time that she had seen Yang in that state of dress. It was true that the four shared a dorm room, but the group would often change in the bathroom and when changing they would often be focused on themselves instead of others. But, getting such a look at Yang, her partner in a revealing bikini caused Blake's heart rate to rise without warning.
"…Don't you think it was hasty to assume that it wasn't related to me at all?"
To get her attention off of it, Blake decided to focus on the incident in front of them while hiding her reddened face, hoping it wouldn't be noticed.
"Okay, hold up Blake. Don't go start thinking like that," Yang stated, holding out her hand and stopping Blake from saying anything else. Blake's previous feelings didn't help the matter as Yang got closer to her, enough to where the two were up face-to-face. "Just because the White Fang was somehow involved with Roman Torchwick and the stealing all the Dust, it doesn't mean that they'll be responsible for everything."
Before the vacation, Team RWBY learned that Blake was a Faunus and a part of the White Fang, something that had a big effect on their newly discovered Faunus friend. For them, it was hard to hear, but not a single one of them held a grudge against Blake. The three young women were most worried about her. But, they knew that it wasn't always a terrorist group, it was a peaceful group that sought peace between Humans and Faunus, however, it all changed when the leader stepped down.
But, Blake didn't think that it was time to reveal that her father was the leader and founder of the White Fang. More so as there were some personal feelings and the final words she said to her parents who left the White Fang was still a major sense of guilt that remained in her heart.
"But, we still don't know what Roman Torchwick or the White Fang is planning. Plus, there's still Adam, and I don't know what his reasons are for working with a criminal like Roman. There's still so much that we don't know, so we don't even know if either of them have an interest in the Starhead Industrial Corporation."
Yang and Weiss could see that Blake was truly worried about whether or not the White Fang was involved in this, with the uncertainty about everything didn't help. Weiss found herself approaching Blake, then placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You're overthinking it. The perpetrator wasn't a Faunus, right? I don't think it's those guys this time. It was just an accident that was caused by a malfunctioning program in the machine."
"It isn't hard for a Faunus to imitate a Human. I mean, I did the same thing," Blake stated, reminding them about the black bow she wore on her head. "I had a friend in the White Fang who could pass as a Human if she wanted to and no one would be able to tell the difference. Besides, we did missions that involved sabotaging machines."
"Well, we can't exactly refute that statement," Yang stated, as she sounded lighthearted, but it didn't seem to make Blake feel better. "If you're worried about whether or not the White Fang was involved in tampering with anything, you could ask Dani about it. He did get a far better look at whatever was happening with that Mecha Elephant after everything was said and done."
"Well, you're right. But, the SIC is the perfect candidate to attack for the White Fang. I don't know anything that my former brothers and sisters have been doing, but there could be several reasons why they're targets."
Blake stated, being able to tell that the room started becoming more solemn about the incident. And she started to feel bad about ruining the mood by talking about things like this. Her teammates could understand the reasons Blake was worried and found themselves sympathizing with it, but neither of them wanted her to repeat of before.
"I'M BACK!"
Ruby announced entering the dorm room hauling a water doughnut, beach ball, and snorkel, bringing her endearing merriness and energy into the solemn atmosphere. Not noticing the atmosphere, Ruby continued with an energetic demeanor and tone as she looked around.
"Ladies of Team RWBY! Your invulnerable leader Ruby Rose has returned after splendidly finishing her difficult task! Acquiring bounty that is necessary for going to…the…sea."
Ruby announced marching forward before finally noticing the dull atmosphere, then started putting down all the beach items she collected.
"…Did something happen?"
Ruby asked worriedly.
"It's nothing, just some discussion about a conspiracy theory," Yang answered, still wearing her black bikini, then noticed that the door was still open with a figure near the door. "So, who's that standing at the corner."
"Oh, well, with what happened this morning at that exhibition. And with the gloomy air moments ago, I happened to have brought someone who could brighten up our mood," Ruby stated entering the room and found herself, with her arms out almost as if she were presenting this person. "And so, I have brought our friend and neighbor, Daniel Fenris Norden!"
Heading into the bedroom, Daniel entered the dorm room with his back turned, much to their surprise, but it was more the fact about his supposed middle name.
"Uh, Fenris?"
Yang was the first to bring it up.
"So, among the things that Penny told Ruby here was the fact that my middle name was almost Fenris. But, my dad didn't like that idea because of some personal reasons. However, because of that, it became almost more of a hidden joke among the people who know about it."
Daniel replied, still not turning around.
"And you're not turning around because~"
Yang stated smiling and in a teasing tone, something that caused them Weiss and Blake to glance right at her.
"If you're wearing a bikini, then I won't turn around."
Daniel replied.
"I'm not wearing one~"
[Yang!]
A combination of Ruby, Weiss, and Blake shouted as Yang looked teasingly about that and shrugged her shoulders at the response from her teammates and partner.
"I don't know what the big deal is, we're all going to the same place. So, Dani is going to be seeing me in a bikini or swimsuit whether you like it or not."
Yang reasoned something that neither of them could refute.
"Yeah, but doesn't that make it all the more fun to see what you end up choosing?"
Daniel reasoned, holding up a finger.
"…." Yang paused a bit from thinking about Daniel's comment, even getting into position then found herself with a bright smile on her face. "Oh, Dani you always know what to say to immediately get me on board with an idea. Well, I'll be getting dressed in the bathroom."
After that, Yang picked up the clothing that she had put on beforehand and then found herself heading straight toward the bathroom. Closing the door, a sigh escaped from Weiss' mouth as she turned around to see Daniel still with his back turned to them.
"You can turn around Daniel, Yang went into the bathroom."
Weiss stated, causing Daniel to turn himself around with an about-face, then proceeded further into the room. But, surprisingly enough he took a seat right beside Blake, aside from the fact that Ruby immediately found herself going straight to sitting beside Weiss.
"Alright, so, for the reason that I'm here," Daniel stated, while retrieving his Scroll from his pocket, then pulled up a holographic projection of the Mecha Elephant. "I thought that a certain someone would believe that the White Fang might have been involved in the incident from hours ago."
"…and?"
Blake asked, not so surprised that Daniel could guess that with him being well aware and as involved as her, seeing as her partner and teacher was his older half-brother.
"No, the White Fang wasn't involved in the attack," in that instance, Blake found herself sighing in relief after those words left her mouth as that was a weight lifted from her shoulders. In the holographic projection, there were a lot of highlighted areas. "Aside from the fact that the program for the AI was incomplete and a bit messed up, there didn't seem to be anything serious. But, I do believe that the little girl did do it on purpose."
"What? Why would that little girl do that?"
Ruby asked, finding it hard to believe that a little girl would do something like that.
"She did seem to go from seeming one day to another."
Weiss stated but still found it hard to believe that a little girl would be involved in something serious. And the fact that it caused a major incident was something that made it impossible to imagine.
"Daniel's right. She went from being innocent to being entirely different when interacting with us, and then acting as if she were indifferent," Blake stated, then found herself thinking back to the incident when everyone, including herself, confronted that guard who pulled her hair. "I still don't know why a girl would be working for that company in the first place. Or why the guard treated her like that."
"A prodigy probably, it wouldn't be the oddest thing. She said that she wanted to fix that robot for her father, who I guess is a worker there too. But, unless her talents are that great, I doubt that a reasonable CEO would let the child of a worker function as a mechanic. An incident such as this would happen. I couldn't even tell the repercussions of this incident. But, as I said before, the SIC would buy and ensure that no one would spread what happened around to save their building reputation."
Hearing Weiss' comments, originating from the knowledge of being the heiress of one of the biggest and most influential companies on Remnant. Daniel shared the same opinion about it, but it simply caused more and more questions that involved the SIC.
"Well, let's not let this incident ruin the fact that we're going to a tropical island. We're going to go there and see all that's happening with the company on their island. So, let's enjoy ourselves for our first trip to the seas."
"I'm all for that," as Daniel suggested, Yang announced and exited the bathroom, hiding the bikini that she had just taken off so that if she decided to wear it. "How many times are we going to have the chance to go to a tropical island as students? How many times are we going to go on a trip like this together? So, let's head out and enjoy this free trip."
"Isn't that kinda irresponsible?"
"Come on, who am I?"
Daniel asked, pointing a finger at himself.
"…."
"…."
"…."
"…."
Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang stared at Daniel wearing the same deadpan look.
"Teaser."
"Snarker."
"Chatterbox."
"Handsome."
Each member of Team RWBY gave their replies, then the three turned their attention right towards Yang, who stuck out her tongue.
"Well, I guess all that," Daniel replied, finding himself scratching the back of his head at the comment. "Also, I'm the Second Wolf, someone who had been through almost everything that a full-fledged Huntsman would expect. Also, in your corner…."
He found himself wrapping his arm around Blake's shoulder, who looked surprised and flustered about the sudden action.
"We also have someone else experienced in espionage sitting here."
Daniel stated, directing his attention right at Blake who didn't lose her flustered experience with the closeness that was between them. It reached the point that she placed her hand on Daniel's face, and then pushed it further from hers. It wasn't forceful or aggressive, instead maintaining a playful air.
"Well, can't argue with that."
Blake stated, finding herself wanting to believe Daniel about things turning out alright.
"See, I knew that Daniel would be great in easing the tension?"
Ruby stated, feeling more pride in herself as Daniel seemed to calm Blake and thus make it easier to accept the trip.
"Yeah, that's something that Daniel excels at."
Weiss said, agreeing, as Yang peered at them smiling.
"Oh, seeing those two continue talking about Dani either ends with them agreeing with his good points, or fighting over time. I do wonder how this is going to end, will Weiss continue to monopolize Dani or will she accept Ruby's suggestion? Either way, this will continue being a lovable drama to witness from where a distance," Yang thought but then started feeling as if there was something wrong with that phrase. "From a distance, huh?"
The thought of remaining on the sidelines, watching the drama between Ruby and Weiss when it came to Daniel, started causing some feelings of disappointment to well up within her chest. She couldn't help thinking about all the times that she and Daniel interacted with the things the two had in common. And thinking about remaining on the sidelines without doing anything else almost made her chest tighten.
"So, Weiss?"
"Yes?"
"What kinda of swimsuit are you…?"
Daniel jokingly asked, then received a pillow to the face from Weiss.
"…!"
Her face was flushed from Daniel's question, something that he did knowing that this might be her reaction. He was a bit curious about what swimsuit Weiss would wear considering they lived in a place where the idea of going to the beach was a trip somewhere else instead of an activity. However, Daniel was aware that the Schnee Manor did have a heated pool, but it wasn't the same thing, even the Norden Manor had one too.
But, noticing Weiss' reaction caused a notable reaction from her teammates as a pout appeared on her face, which is one that none of them could deny was cute. Although, in the end, Weiss did join in on the laugh herself without the slightest angry, sad, or depressed look appearing.
Meanwhile, in Team JNPR's dorm room which was right across from the dorm room of Team RWBY, however, their room had the same atmosphere that came from mentioning the White Fang. The reason originated from the fact the room was missing their team leader.
"So why hasn't Jaune returned yet?"
Pyrrha worriedly asked.
The target of that question was directed towards Lie Ren, who returned from the Starhead Industrial Corporation's exhibition. But, he returned without Jaune who joined him there and it didn't help the fact that there was supposed to have been an incident there.
"I had tried contacting him through the scroll but I can't get through….is it true there was an accident there?"
She asked again, showing more and more concern about their team leader.
"That's what I heard too. I had something else to do so I was separated from Jaune, but the entire event was canceled and I was evacuated."
Ren replied, hearing about the incident after leaving.
He hadn't expected that Jaune would remain there for as long as he walked around looking into the newest machine for making pancakes. But, after leaving there, he started noticing that there were rumors about there being some kind of accident there. Ren returned to the exhibition, but the security guarding the location didn't let anyone back into the exhibition due to some 'technical issues'. Having no other option, he returned to the dorm room to inform both Pyrrha and Nora about what happened.
Pyrrha, who was without a doubt the strongest and skilled member of Team JNPR looked on concerned about what had happened and not knowing where Jaune was. Neither she nor Ren could contact him, Nora who was still inside the bathroom getting prepared for the day.
"…It's probably fine but just to be sure we should go look for him. Ren, can you show me where the exhibition is?"
Pyrrha asked, with Ren knowing that would be her reaction.
"REN WELCOME BACK!"
Suddenly, the bathroom door revealed Nora dressed in simple clothing and a towel around her neck. And without the slightest hint of hesitation leaped straight at her childhood friend. Although, this was something that would be a cute action for anyone as cute as Nora. However, same as Yang and Alyssa, Nora was the physically strongest young woman on their team. So, for Nora, tackling Ren from behind was the same as turning herself into a human-shaped battering ram that knocked him off the bed.
"Where did you and Jaune go? So Pyrrha you were saying? Oh ya, now I remember, you said a pancake competition! Were the pancakes tasty? Pancake!? Why didn't you invite me? You know I would want to go! Meanie!"
Nora continued giving complaints which sounded like the cutest thing that either of them heard, while also clinging onto Ren from behind. One of the things that the three of them could say about Nora was that she went about things at her own pace.
"I did try inviting you, you just wouldn't wake up."
"Really? Is that what happened? Oh oh, where's Jaune?"
In response to Ren's causal response, Nora continued asking question after question before receiving the same explanation about the possible incident.
"Is that it, then you shouldn't go look for Jaune!"
"Uhhh, but…."
As Pyrrha was preparing to respond, Nora was immediately moving around from place to place, then before either of them could respond, she got her clothing.
"We need someone here…."
As Pyrrha was preparing to give another response, Nora found her weapon and then headed towards the bathroom.
"In case Jaune…."
Pyrrha's comment went straight to deaf ears as Nora exited the bathroom dressed in combat attire and holding onto her precious hammer, Magnhild.
"Comes back first!"
As Pyrrha's final comment, Nora left the dorm room without the slightest hint of hesitation, causing her to wear a wry smile. Ren, on the other hand, pinched his nose at Nora's inability to listen to the opinions of others, something that she has long since made a habit of.
"I guess it can't be helped, I'll stay here and wait for Jaune. Ren, you go with Nora."
"Got it. Call us if he comes back."
As the two most level-headed people on the team came to an understanding, Ren walked to the door to leave.
And—
"I found Jaune!"
Nora announced smiling, then presented Jaune to the rest of the team as if he were a lost pet.
"Jaune! What happened? We heard there was an accident and…."
It didn't matter how things led to this, but Pyrrha approached Jaune worried as she looked worried about him.
"It's okay, Pyrrha. I mean, a lot of stuff did happen and then…," Jaune found himself continuing to speak, but then he calmed down and thought about the one thing that he should do. It was the first time that he saw Pyrrha looking like this incident the Cardin incident, meaning there was one thing he should do. "…I'll explain what happened."
"Alright."
After that, Jaune sat down with the rest of Team JNPR and then started explaining what happened from beginning to end without leaving anything out. It also includes mentioning the fact that he got picked up by the tusk of an out-of-control Mecha Elephant.
"So, that's the reason the exhibition was closed."
Ren stated getting the full picture of what happened.
"Oh, I can't believe that I missed out on what happened. I wanted to fight against a giant elephant too!"
Nora added, feeling ashamed that she missed such an incident.
"Well, it was a good thing what you did for that little girl, Iona."
Pyrrha stated, feeling proud of her partner and team leader.
"It wasn't a big deal, Team RWBY and DUSK did the heavy lifting, all I did was give one suggestion. But, I couldn't let that guy bully Iona like that. Still, that girl was a little bit odd for someone her age. It almost reminded me of talking to Weiss," Jaune stated, comparing their two attitudes' when it came to dealing with him. "I didn't check my Scroll, because she suddenly vanished and I walked around for a while looking for her. Man, it's surprising that a little girl like that could run away without a trace."
"Well, she likely returned home. If what you said is true about her, then there should be at least some people who are worried about her disappearance. But, I do hope that there's no one like that one guard you mentioned."
Yeah, same here. Well, because of Iona, I managed to get a hold of these."
In that instance, Jaune retrieved the four tickets he received from Iona as thanks. Noticing the four slips of papers in his hands, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora leaned closer and read them.
"This is…."
Pyrrha looked surprised about that.
"Pyrrha, everyone we're going to a tropical island! I have enough for four people so the entire team can go. It's an all-inclusive stay at a tropical island resort right by the beach!"
Jaune announced as he looked excited about it.
"That's great Jaune. Thank you."
Pyrrha replied, smiling and feeling the gratitude behind this gift originating from the young girl whom Jaune aided without expecting anything in return. Of course, there were some things that they were looking forward to, more so as Pyrrha saw this as another chance to get closer to Jaune. And a trip to a tropical island seemed to be the foremost perfect place for a romantic setting.
Hearing that, Jaune started finding himself scratching his head, wearing a bashful expression. During this, taking one of the tickets, Ren started reading the schedule and mapping it.
"This ticket is only valid for a ship leaving tomorrow morning. That doesn't leave us with a lot of time to prepare," a calm tone came from Ren, who found himself glancing at Nora. "Nora also…."
As Ren should have expected, as soon as the word 'tropical island' came out, Nora switched from both her outfit and weapon, into a short-sleeved t-shirt over the top of a swimsuit, a snorkel on her head, a beach ball and water doughnut in each hand, and flippers on her feet. Each member of the team, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren stared at Nora blinking, with a stunned expression on their faces about how fast Nora had changed.
"YAY A VACATION!"
Nora shouted out loud exuberantly.
"Heh, well, I guess that we should get prepared."
Pyrrha couldn't stop herself from laughing at Nora's insane antics, something that she found endearing.
"Alright, Team JNPR, let's head out to Vale!"
Jaune announced something that caused his teammates and partner to agree with him, with the team planning on this trip being the funniest experience ever. Same as him, it would be the first time that either of them could go on a vacation to a tropical island. As such, there wasn't a single person among Team JNPR who wasn't looking forward to this trip.
From there, Teams RWBY, JNPR, and DUSK each made their preparations for their upcoming trip to the tropical island; although, some were unaware that there would be some more inclusions on the trip. However, that night, there was some serious business being conducted elsewhere in Vale between the same person who has been causing the three teams some trouble and opening up old wounds for Black.
"So, in other words, the partnership that we have so diligently been working on will now have to be remade."
It was Roman Torchwick, a self-proclaimed crime lord with a flare for fashion and dramatics, something which the criminal showcased in his crime, having some handsome features. As usual, the crime lord still exuded a presence of underlying pride. Any normal person would describe him as 'shady', but Roman was without a doubt a person deserving of being called a well-known criminal. Sitting beside him, there was a briefcase which most took as a form of payment or additional incentive.
In front of him, there was a crowd of men who seemed to be people from the particular group that Roman had shared a long-time partnership with. But, due to his newest partnership, there were some changes which would be required to be made in response to it. Such a partnership ended with him working alongside the White Fang, in particular, a white masked Faunus who he considered the most troublesome among them.
Despite pleas and complaints, Roman was forced to burn his favorite white jacket that had been "marked" by his current partner's younger brother, which would need to be replaced.
"Hey! Hey!"
A man yelled among the crowd, looking to be in his forties with shining combed hair and a glossy mustache showing the man styled it using hair products and chemicals.
"It almost sounds like you are trying to voice a complaint, Roman."
The stated, stepping up with a somewhat annoyed look.
Roman looked and sized up the man, feeling his stress building up as he glanced at him. In his mind, there were a lot of things that he wanted to comment about the man's outfit and style, having always wanted to due business solely with those with a particular aesthetic, but sadly this didn't match. However, that didn't mean Roman would let it mess up a business deal, even if said people looked to be from a backwater place within the world.
"What you showed us, what we requested. They were never delivered. That's why we are starting over."
"However Roman Torchwick…the failure of that agreement, that was on you. Despite saying you were one of us and shared our cause, you never once told us what you were planning."
As Roman listened to the different opinions of the people in front of him, he found himself mulling it over before beginning to speak. During this, he found himself retrieving a cigar from his pocket, then lit it using the lighter he pulled out too.
"Please don't bring personal beliefs and morals to a business agreement. I do not disagree with your way of thinking, you do not disagree with mine. Isn't that what running a business is all about?"
Roman stated, but those words didn't seem to accept that excuse.
"Our leader has shown great disappointment in your treasury. I think you're nothing but a hoodlum," a rather rude comment came from the man, something that caused Roman to glare at him. "Oh, excuse me, I should have shown far more gratitude to the fact that bringing someone of your particular history has not sullied our noble ideology yet."
A sigh escaped from Roman's mouth, before staring straight at the broken moon that was visible from the warehouse district. Truly, these were the kinds of people that he found himself feeling annoyed about and missed his foremost helpful ally, his right-hand woman who was currently preoccupied with ensuring their most important plans were being properly prepared. He didn't trust anyone else as much as her and not having her beside him in these stressful times didn't help much.
"Okay, fine," Roman found himself breathing out as the smoke escaped from his mouth, then dropped the cigar to the ground, and snuffed it out with the tip of his cane. Staring at the clock that had been located a fair distance from him, he noted that the time for the meeting had run out and picked up the briefcase. "If negotiations have failed then so be it. It was a pleasure doing business with you, now if you will excuse me I have a ride to catch."
"Wait."
Before Roman could leave, the sound of rapid footsteps and the unsheathing of weapons filled the air, as the man he was meeting pointed rifles at his head. Each of them bore a striking resemblance to the ones being displayed right at the Starhead Industrial Company and some were often used by the White Fang.
"I'm afraid you will have to come with us…you know too much."
"Afraid I'll talk?"
"Excuse me if I don't trust you."
"…Hmph."
Roman found himself having a causal back-and-forth with the same glossy-haired man, almost treating it as if it was a minor inconvenience. In one swift moment, he unlocked the case, dropped it on the ground, and then kicked it toward the armed men, in particular, the one seeming to be the leader.
"And this is?"
The man asked, staring at the opened suitcase with suspicion from his actions.
"The solution to every problem. You take that and you'll let me go."
"Money," the man asked, then turned his attention towards his men. Grab it."
At that the armed man nodded and then proceeded to walk towards the briefcase case, lowering his weapon, seeing as it didn't change the fact Roman had other armed men around him.
"I do appreciate the kind gesture, Roman Torchwick, however, we won't be honoring your demands. …Take him."
The man stated, with the other men proceeding to close in on Roman who sighed.
It was true that the man saw Roman Torchwick as nothing more than a dangerous hoodlum, instead of a real threat. However, none of them was aware of his experience from his youth until now and if either of them was aware of it, then they wouldn't have attempted such a tactic. Even with weapons trained on him and the men approaching him to take him, there wasn't the slightest hint of doubt on his face, and wore a smug look.
The men assigned to retrieve the briefcase knelt, then fully opened the case, reveling not the roll of Lien that they expected. Instead what was in front of them was a lone single red shining crystal, which was an unrefined raw Dust crystal, something considered to be its most unstable form.
Picking up his cane, doubling as his prized weapon, Melodic Cudgel, he pointed the tip at the opened briefcase, then sparked an immediate reaction from them.
"It's not money that solves problems, it's firepower."
Roman replied, showing out an explosive projectile that was aimed at the red Dust crystal, resulting in an immediate reaction that destroyed it. And in response to that, the small Red Dust Crystal exploded, causing an explosion that caught them in the middle. He was well aware that without Aura, then taking that kind of hit would be grievous and the chance of their survival was minimal. But, it could be more towards the man in front of it, who likely took most of the attack.
"Goodnight dear fools! It's regrettable but our meeting has to come to a close as my ride has just arrived."
Roman stated, happily whistling and twirling his weaponized cane around in his hand as a notable sound caught his attention. From the night sky, there was a single aircraft, with a line being lowered down for the crime lord to grab a hold of. Taking hold of the rope, Roman found himself being lifted into the air.
"Don't let him escape! Catch him!"
From the crowd, the glossy-haired man who was lucky enough to avoid the full brunt of the explosion found himself with some injuries. However, he barely had any men left standing after that explosion. As one would expect despite their continued comment and superior attitudes, Aura wasn't something in their arsenal.
Mocking their stricken pride, groans, and pain, Roman happily and lively bid them a farewell with the wave of his favored hat, as he was lifted into the aircraft. Being brought into the cargo hold, the white-masked men assigned to him by their leader, the White Fang grunts with varied animal ears and horns brought Roman into the craft.
"Glad you're safe boss."
One of them stated professionally.
"We won't see those guys again, we're through with them."
Roman stated, finding himself taking a seat.
"I knew from the beginning that working with them was going to end badly."
The same one stated, showing nothing short of contempt for them.
As the aircraft ascended into the air, Roman stared down at the injured and groaning left behind seemed to become smaller and smaller with one final sneer from the crime lord.
"…?"
In the darkness, Roman found himself staring at another figure, not on the ground, but standing on top of one of the warehouses. He stared right at the man, as even in the darkness, with the light provided by the moonlight, Roman was fully capable of recognizing him.
"You…."
Roman said, that the mysterious man and the crime lord found himself having an immediate instinctive sense that informed him about danger accumulated from the numerous dangers he's been involved with. And he has survived other situations because of them.
"FLY UP NOW!"
Roman ordered as the White Fang pilot started moving in to accomplish that.
But, the lone figure sitting on top of the warehouse pointed what seemed to be a cannon right at the aircraft, and then a light started manifesting from it. With a thunderous roar, a beam of light shot out from the cannon right toward the aircraft, hitting and burning the wing without much resistance. To Roman, it looked as if fire struck them, but then it looked as if it was lightning. Because the crime lord was well aware of who the man standing there was, it could've been one or both of them.
The aircraft, with the damaged wing, started descending from the air and to the ground without being able to stop itself. However, the White Fang pilot and other members worked as hard as possible to control the aircraft, continuing to lose control of their balance from the descent.
"…," Roman remained as calm as possible, seeming to light another cigar in his hand with his favorite lighter. "This is going on your tab, Faultry."
Roman directed his attention at the lone figure as the aircraft was preparing to land violently toward the ground furthest from the man's current location.
Meanwhile, on top of the warehouse, the long figure who shot down the aircraft with a cannon, which now seemed to be attached to his arm. A sigh escaped from his mouth as a hand ran through his hair while staring at the impact from the distant crash.
"Oh, Roman. I did have a lot of faith in you due to your experience and drive, but it seems as if this is truly the end of our partnership. I was interested in knowing who you recently partnered up with to spark this change, but I guess that'll remain a secret for some time."
As the man continued speaking to himself about the matter, his left eye seemed to shine as a voice came from it.
[It does not seem as if the woman named Neopolitan was in the vicinity. I can see that she wasn't included in this.]
The machine-like voice spoke.
"Ah, yes, I could tell. If it were a normal situation, then his right hand would have gone through loops to save him. I do find myself more interesting, seeing as Miss Neopolitan doesn't seem like the type to leave her boss' side without a good reason. Well, I might as well leave before any more people arrive to see what's happening."
At that, the man seemed to start leaving the area before something happened.
[Also, I should remind you that there was some incident this morning.]
"Ah, I remember. Well, it wouldn't be too difficult to handle that. So, let's not fret about a single incident."
At the man's jovial tone, the machine seemed to not respond to it and simply allowed the man to start just humming a random song that came to him as he headed towards his people's direction. Same as Roman, there didn't seem to be the slightest thing that this man was worried about as he believed that nothing could ever deter him.
A/N: Well, this is the end of the next chapter of RWBY – Team DUSK, this is yet another chapter detailing RWBY: The Session, the untranslated light novel. Here, Jaune and Iona showed more interactions together, with the young girl, who was surprisingly an associate of the Starhead Industrial Company, rewarding Jaune with tickets. But, her mysterious comment about whether or not there was a Faunus on his team before she vanished without him seeing her. Returning to the Beacon Academy Dorm Hall, Teams RWBY and DUSK have received tickets to the same tropical island as a "reward" for stopping the Mecha Elephant.
Inside both their rooms, the two teams discuss their plans for the upcoming trip to the tropical island. In Team DUSK's room, the team discussed more on some personal matters as Alyssa seemed determined to find the perfect swimsuit for Sandra who hasn't seemed to have worn one before, and mention Adam. In Team RWBY's room, Blake has some worries that the White Fang was responsible for the attack. At the same time, it seems as if Yang is trying on swimsuits earning some attention from Blake. It was mentioned that Blake is bisexual which is the reason that I felt as if this scene would be some hint to that and thought that it would match her next line. But, as their mood dimmed, Ruby and Daniel arrived with some information and typical conversation.
There was also mention of the name of the Norden Family's business, the Norden Guild, which I thought would be fitting and would be expanded upon in the future. Also, there was an additional mention of the fact that Daniel's full name was almost "Daniel Fenris Norden" which became an insider for those who knew about it.
In Team JNPR's room, it's the same thing with Jaune's team being worried about his absence, with all Nora's usual antics and Ren explaining things from his side. After that, Nora leaves and returns with Jaune, who'd explained things from his angle before showing them the tickets.
Near the end, Roman is up to his usual shady meetings and it doesn't seem as if his former partnership didn't end too well, with the White Fang's aircraft being shot down by a mysterious figure.
This is just going to be the start of The Session Arc, with some things readers might not be aware of and also some newer scenes. Well, this is going to be a fun and interesting part to write considering there isn't much of it at all translated.