Author's Note:

These next few chapters are going to be a bit shorter but I plan to post them all together.

"Text"

"Speech"

Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout, RWBY, or any associated characters.

Remnants of a Courier

Chapter 6: The Past and the Future

Light humming emanated from Joshua's room in the Spring household as Carmine approached. The girl wasn't sure what she was going to say or ask when she entered but a feeling had gripped her recently that she needed to get off her chest.

For the past two days since the Grimm attack, she hadn't spoken to anybody outside of her father and even then, it was passing talks. A lot of unpleasant memories had resurfaced since the attack and she wasn't sure how to deal with it. One thing that confused her remained on her mind, Joshua.

Carmine didn't feel like he was a stranger anymore but at the same time, she knew so little about him. He was always secretive and didn't often like to talk about himself unless he was being evasive. She felt that Joshua wanted people to believe he is uncaring and not very nice to those around him but when the Grimm attacked it had been him who stepped up and saved not only her but the town as well.

Despite all of the people who were scared of him, he was nicer than anyone thought, not even Joshua could say otherwise to her. What she didn't understand was why he lied. Carmine planned on finding that out now.

Her fist knocked softly against the small wooden door. The humming stopped for a few moments and she could hear Joshua getting his room in order.

"Come in," he called after a few moments. He always did that; she could tell that he didn't like people intruding when he wasn't ready. Carmine didn't understand why he didn't trust anyone but she wanted to be nice to him rather than pushy.

The red-haired girl turned the handle and opened the door to see his room relatively clean save his desk. On said desk was an assortment of dust, casings, and weird wires. It looked like what happened yesterday did little to slow Joshua down.

The man himself was dressed up in the bandages he seemed to like which was another thing she didn't understand. Why did he like hiding his face so much? Carmine figured he probably didn't like how he looked but she'd accept him no matter his appearance.

"Something on your mind," Joshua asked putting the scroll her father had given him back together.

Carmine took a breath in as she looked down at her feet. It was hard to talk about stuff like this. Being scared of Grimm wasn't something she could explain easily. "Why did you do it," she asked before realizing that her question was rather vague.

"Do what," was his reply and the one-eyed girl did her best not to let out an aggravated sigh. She may have been vague but Carmine knew that Joshua also knew what she was getting at.

Her one eye glanced back up towards him giving him a slight pout as she responded, "you know… Why did you help me?"

A small chuckle escaped the sitting man before he responded, "you mean during the Grimm attack? How was I supposed to let some girl get mauled to death by Grimm?"

"Okay…" Her voice was still small but she could feel the frustration build up. He was doing it again and it really annoyed her. "Why do you care so much?"

She watched Joshua as he set down the half-constructed scroll and let out a few clicking noises. The urge to smirk rose within her but she quickly pushed it down.

"I…" There was a pause as Joshua began and then stopped trying to find the right words. "Your father and you helped me when I needed it. I never leave my debts unpaid." Six's words were punctuated by his hand movements.

There was more he wanted to say she could tell. She often made the same hand motions when she was scared of saying something. Ones where she'd draw her hands closer to herself or try to cover her face discretely. Carmine remained silent and watched him expectantly.

At her look, Six sighed before continuing, "your father also reminds me of a friend I once had… Gone now but I have pleasant memories, and…" He paused again looking down at her doing his best to find the right words.

"You remind me of a younger me…" His words were nice to hear since he was finally telling her about himself. However, not to be rude, but Carmine hoped she didn't end up like Joshua.

A sigh escaped his lips as he sat back in his chair. Part of her didn't want to press her luck but there was a nagging part of her that had to know. There was a fear nestled in her heart that knowing his answer would help soothe.

"Thank you," she began as he gave her an odd look. "For saving me, and keeping your promise." Joshua sat silently simply nodding his head in response.

"I was scared, not because of the Grimm…" She hesitated trying to not show her discomfort at the subject but finding it impossible to as her hands clung together in front of her.

"I didn't want to lose Papa; I didn't want to lose you…" It was obvious that Joshua was getting uncomfortable as he began tapping the table and glancing at everything but her though the girl didn't notice. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up at him. "I don't want to lose anyone like Mama ever again."

It still felt fresh in her mind, the night her mother died. It hadn't been quiet and peaceful but painful and ugly. The Grimm that had killed her mother had filled her with a rage she couldn't control for a long time until she saw what it had done to Papa.

She had felt so weak when her mother had died and Carmine thought she had gotten over that but the attack a couple of days ago had brought it all back. The fear for not only her life but the ones she cared for. The fear that she was too weak to help anyone, even herself.

Her breathing had grown erratic as tears began rolling down her face. "P-Please don't die, not like her." Despite herself, Carmine was nearly bawling in front of Joshua now.

Carmine barely registered a sigh come from in front of her before she felt arms wrap around her. Her head met his shoulder and tears began running down Joshua's vest.

"I'm not going to, I'm invincible remember?" The red-haired girl did remember his words from just a few days ago. He had been so confident that she believed him at the time and he had kept his promise.

That thought slowly calmed the red-haired girl down her tears slowing but her hands still gripped him tightly. She let out a sniffle before replying, "I don't think you're really invincible… But thank you." The girl's hold on him slowly loosened as she calmed down.

Carmine said she didn't believe him but there was a part of her that did. He had faced the Grimm like no one else she'd seen and not only survived but beat them back. "Y-You're really strong," she said a slight tremor in her voice. Joshua, in turn, let out a soft chuckle.

"I guess," he replied patting her head before slowly moving away. The Courier lowered his head to be eye level with her before asking, "are you okay now?"

Carmine nodded her head wiping away a few stray tears. "Yeah… Can I ask you something?" Her question caused Six to raise his brow.

"Shoot for it," he said sitting back down in his chair before getting comfortable.

The one-eyed girl glanced away from him before saying, "how did you get so strong?"

There was a short silence as Joshua closed his eyes and thought for a few moments. "By struggling, by surviving. I've had to fight my entire life and if I ever gave up, for even a second, I wouldn't be here." His response was slightly melancholy and she didn't understand why; what she did understand is that she felt sorry for him. It was obvious his life had been a rough one.

"I… I want to be strong," she said staring him in the eyes. "I want to be strong so no one I care about will ever be hurt again." There was a shine to her eyes, a certain determination to protect the ones she cared for. She knew that not all the townspeople liked her but she'd do whatever it took to protect the ones that did.

A sigh escaped Joshua's lips again before he responded, "it's not about wanting to be strong. It's about the reason why you want to be strong. You have to understand yourself first before you can truly be strong enough to protect people." He tapped the side of his head before continuing, "because there are different kinds of strength and you have to know which one you really want."

Joshua shrugged his shoulders before looking towards the door. "I think the best kind of strength is strength of the mind. That ability to always keep going, to never stop, to have that unbreakable will." His words were distant as he seemed to be thinking about something.

"But most importantly," he began before turning back to face her, "the true lesson of strength is to turn away from strength that is not your own." There was a cold tone in his voice now that sent shivers down her spine.

Carmine took in his words and processed them. It made sense, she had to know what she truly wanted. The girl closed her eyes and did her best to think hard on it. She wanted to protect Richter and Joshua but why? Carmine knew she cared for them and that should be enough but there was something more than that, something she couldn't quite grasp.

She moved a hand to her face and wiped away the last of her tears blaming her inability to understand why she wanted to grow stronger on her jumbled mind. Carmine needed time to calm down and really think about it. It was then that she felt his eyes gazing on her and she began feeling self-conscious.

"I'll think on it," she said turning and heading for the door. Carmine stopped for a moment to say, "thank you," before leaving.

Six took a long glance at the door before standing up and closing the door behind her.

Carmine had several spots she liked to go to when she wanted to think. All of them were out of town and away from the prying eyes of its residents.

The current one she was sitting in was a small bed of flowers. It wasn't particularly large, only big enough to fit her and maybe a few other people, but it had significant meaning to her because of the type of flower it was made of.

White chrysanthemum wasn't native to this area and she wasn't sure if her father or her mother had cultivated this small bed of flowers. The girl doubted any of the other residents cared that much and there was no way it had sprung up on its own.

But that wasn't what was important to her right now as her arm wrapped around her knees drawing them closer to her chest. Thoughts on Joshua's words ran through her mind as her free hand brushed along the many small petals of one of the flowers. Why did she care so much to have the strength to protect those around her?

The obvious answer was that they were her friends and family and while that was a part of it there was more to it. At the time Six asked, she wasn't sure, but thinking on it now made it clearer.

Carmine didn't know if it was the calm mood, that she wasn't as emotional, or the fact that the flowers around her were her mother's favorite but she was pretty sure she knew why.

Deep down there was a part of her that had never moved on from her mother dying. Even now she was just barely old enough to understand what her mother dying really meant. Tears welled up in her eyes again as she sat there thinking.

Her mother had died right in front of her and she had been powerless to stop it; she had been utterly useless. Carmine refused to be that useless again, to repeat that trauma, and only after recent events did she realize this. The fear that sprung up when the Grimm attacked had caused these thoughts to resurface.

The girl wiped away her tears before slowly standing up and taking a long breath in. She was older now, she could handle the big girl stuff, and she had to for her father. She was all he had now and Carmine had to remain strong for him.

Those feelings of inadequacy and uselessness would be squashed today because she wouldn't sit idly by for someone else to save her next time. She had a plan now. She'd get strong and she knew just the person to help her get there.

Carmine took a few steps back towards her home before glancing back at the flowers. Maybe she'd take Joshua here after he helped her get stronger.