Author's Notes:
I do not own Library of Ruina or RWBY. These series belong to Project Moon and RoosterTeeth respectively.
I'm back! Sorry for the delay on the chapter; had to write an essay for college, but I managed to get this chapter done. So far, this is the longest chapter I've written and it's also one that I hesitated to write about. The story is getting more and more complicated to think about and I've been forgetting what I wrote in the past chapters. In advance, I apologize if I can't come up with a cohesive story as the plot continues. Anyways, disregarding all the negative stuff, I hope you enjoy the story.
Anyways, Volume 9's latest episode was really good. It was great to see who the Rusted Knight was and how... different he was. It really leaves a lot of room for speculation, but I'm hyped for the next episode.
Reviews:
VGBlackwing - Heh, it would be cool to watch the Abnos destroy the Grimm, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon. As for my favorite character in Limbus, it's got to be Ryoshu; she's just a mood sometimes. Gregor is also up there along with Rodion and Ishamael. Regarding the chances of a Limbus Company X RWBY Fanfic, it's... unlikely. Maybe they'll make an appearance in this fanfic if yall want them to.
TetSuoRai - BongBong is best. That is all.
Argorok - Angelina was planned to make an appearance when I first started writing, I just didn't know when to introduce her. Since we don't know much about Angelica, I'm gonna add some elements to add more characterization.
Orchidbunny - Regarding the nuggets, I was planning to add at least two assistants for each Patron, but realized that it would be a lot of characters. For now, I'm probably going to have at least 4 nuggets, BongBong and Dakota included. Moving on, Roland is one of my favorite characters, his backstory and personality are great, but it felt weird that he didn't get an E.G.O. of his own considering all the hardships he faced in the City. As for the Black Silence, he's still going to be the Black Silence as a testament to Angelica. Regarding Binah, I want to smash my head into a wall when I write her dialogue, it's hard for me to write sentences for a character that talks verbosely, acts cryptically, and looks down on people. I just don't have the kind of imagination to write like that.
Guest - Thanks for the 10/10, BongBong is best girl!
Plinc0 - BongBong is adorable, I can confirm. Also, I made Binah act nicer to BongBong than anyone else because I thought it would be funny since Binah is the hardest character to write while BongBong is the easiest.
MrSadLad - Thanks for the review, hope I don't disappoint you later on.
Edits:
3/22/23 - Fixed the story a bit to include that the City did have ice cream
–HOURS EARLIER–
–GUEST DORMS, BEACON ACADEMY–
After last night's dinner, Malkuth had to be carried by Gebura back to their guest room when the bronze librarian had gotten into a pancake-eating contest with the ginger-haired hammer wielder of Team JNPR. Needless to say, Nora won that contest after 57 pancakes. The rest of the people there with them didn't know how Roland and Ren were able to produce so many pancakes but were impressed nonetheless.
When they arrived at the hallway outside their guest rooms, Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch were waiting for them. Apparently, the Librarians were given additional supplies from the school once the headmaster realized that they didn't bring anything with them except for their clothing. To compensate for their oversight, each of them received a set of personalized sleeping clothes that somehow fit all of them, toothbrushes, and some towels. Additionally, they were given a total of 1000 Lien to spend on any additional items they required. After apologizing, the headmaster and professor left for the night.
The following morning, Tiphereth awoke to find her fellow Librarians sprawled out on their beds. Gebura, who was snoring loudly, lay on her back with one arm behind her head while the other scratched her stomach. Meanwhile, Malkuth was curled up in the fetal position, drool falling from her face onto the blanket wrapped tightly around her like a cocoon.
Tiphereth got out of bed and headed into the attached bathroom to freshen up. On the way, she noticed a bullhead out the window flying in the direction of the Emerald Forest, which she assumed was Roland and Yesod's ride back to the Library. The bathroom was a simple space consisting of a sink, a combined shower/bathtub, cabinets, a mirror, a counter, and a toilet. The majority of the room was white, except for the light-blue carpet in the center.
Approaching the sink, the yellow librarian turned on the faucet and splashed water onto her face. As she looked at her sleeping attire, she realized how well it suited her - the light and breathable yellow blouse and shorts made for a very comfortable sleep. After brushing her teeth, tidying up her loose hair, and changing into her regular librarian uniform, she left the bathroom to find Gebura and Malkuth just starting to wake up.
Malkuth wiped the drool from her face and looked around the room with bleary eyes. Her brown t-shirt and black shorts were revealed when the blanket fell as she sat up. She slowly greeted Tiphereth, "Morning Tiph." Having spent a few days sharing a room with Malkuth, Tiphereth knew that the bronze librarian was not a morning person; she woke up groggy and took an hour or so to fully wake up.
"Good morning, Malkuth," Tiphereth replied. Malkuth gave her a thumbs up before collapsing back into her bed, seemingly about to fall asleep again. Tiphereth sighed and turned her attention to Gebura, who was sitting up in bed.
Gebura let out a yawn and stretched her arms and body. She wore a red tank top and black sweatpants as her sleeping clothes, which showed off the many scars on her arms earned over her years as a fixer. After stretching, Gebura cracked her neck and greeted them, "Mornin'."
Tiphereth approached Gebura and asked, "So, what's on the agenda for today?" She moved closer so that the red fixer could braid her hair, as she had done many times before.
As Gebura carefully worked on Tiphereth's hair, she pondered what to do. "Hmm, not sure. Maybe just take it easy?" Gebura suggested, continuing with the braid. "That's probably what I'm going to do. You guys can do whatever you want." It took some time, but she finished the crown braid for Tiphereth, who thanked her as she moved away.
While Roland and Yesod returned to the Library, the three female Librarians at Beacon were left to do their own things. To be honest, Tiphereth couldn't understand why they had to stay at Beacon any longer than necessary. It seemed sufficient to receive the scrolls and learn from them. She was fascinated by the fact that so much information could be contained in a small piece of metal and plastic. Yesod had compared them to the radios that Corporations and Associations used, but more advanced.
Using the scroll, Tiphereth delved into the biology of Remnant. In this world, Humans and Faunus were the dominant species, followed closely by the Creatures of Grimm. According to a scientific article by a previous Beacon professor, Humans and Faunus shared similar intelligence levels, were able to interbreed, and had similar biological structures except for the Faunus traits. Tiphereth found it illogical for humans to discriminate against their sister species out of fear, especially since the Faunus had aided humanity in the fight against Grimm in the past, only to be exploited and abused in return.
Tiphereth sighed as she thought, 'No matter the world, people will always find ways to exploit others.'
The Grimm, the third dominant species, were a headache for the Patron of Natural Sciences. As creatures of darkness and destruction, they were the antithesis of humanity. The war between Humans (including Faunus) and Grimm had been raging for centuries. While Team RWBY had visited the Library, their description of the Grimm had barely scratched the surface. Remnant scientists' research on the Grimm's biology was perplexing. The Grimm were creatures of darkness, didn't require food, water, or sleep, and were fueled only by negative emotions. When they died, they dissolved into ash and smoke, leaving no trace of their bodies. Their biology defied all logic, and the natural science librarian felt a bit peeved about how the people of Remnant could coexist with such creatures for centuries despite knowing so little about them.
As Tiphereth was lost in thought, she suddenly became aware of Malkuth slowly making her way to the bathroom. Soon after the door closed, one of the scrolls began to ring, playing a heavy metal song that only one person in the room seemed to enjoy. Gebura leaned over her bed to answer the device, revealing Professor Goodwitch's face on the screen. Fiddling with the device, Gebura pressed the green button that ended the music playing.
[Once the call connected, the professor cleared her throat and said, "Miss Gebura, I hope you had a good morning." The blonde professor was heard fiddling around with some papers, suggesting that she was in her office.]
Switching the audio to its speakers so Tiphereth could hear, Gebura responded. "It's been great. Just woke up, how's your mornin'?"
["It has been… eventful," she sighed before continuing. "Excuse my bluntness, but Professor Ozpin and I need your assistance."]
The red fixer raised an eyebrow. "What's the problem?"
["Due to the recent sightings of Usrai in the Forever Fall Forest, it is important that Beacon sends out huntsmen to clear out the area to prevent any wandering civilians from getting themselves killed," she said with clear frustration evident in her voice. "Unfortunately, most of our licensed huntsmen and higher year students are occupied with other tasks, which is why Ozpin has chosen you to accompany a first-year team on their mission to eliminate the Grimm."]
"That's fine. Got nothing to do anyways," Gebura replied. It was a fixer's job to do the dirty work; plus, how could she turn down the people that were feeding and sheltering them for the past 5-6 days? "Who's the team I'm going with?" She curiously asked.
["Team JNPR," she sighs again. "Seeing as their leader dangerously charged alone at an Ursa Major with low Aura, it would be a good lesson for him to rely on his teammates now that he has all of them. You will be shadowing them, monitoring their team work and helping when they need it."]
Professor Goodwitch would've sent Team CRDL, but the tensions between their leader and the rest of the team were high.
'Blonde kid's team?' Gebura thought about it. The kid finally graduated from being a killing virgin, claiming his first against a tough opponent; the red fixer respected that. Last night, she heard from Malkuth and the Nora girl that the blonde kid and red-haired girl were training on the roof. It was weird that they were training at night, but she didn't care all that much. "Alright, when's the job?" The red fixer questioned.
["An hour after classes are over," she responded. "Team JNPR will be informed an hour prior to the mission for preparation. Make sure to get some breakfast before you depart."]
"Got it. Cya later," Gebura replied, calmly ending the call. Her scroll buzzed with notifications, messages from the blonde professor containing combat information on Team JNPR, and the types of Grimm they would face in the Forever Fall Forest. Gebura, being her carefree self, planned to skim through the team's documents and evaluate the students herself. As for the Grimm? She had already killed a sloth of Ursai, so she wasn't all too worried about the Grimm.
At this point, Malkuth emerged from the bathroom in her usual librarian attire, looking a bit more cheerful. Tiphereth had already returned to her own scroll to research more information about Atlas after Gebura finished her conversation with the professor. Gebura left her scroll on the bed and turned to Malkuth, who spoke up.
"I heard Ms. Goodwitch's voice," Malkuth said. "What did she want?"
"She wanted me to babysit the blonde kid's team while they go kill bears," Gebura explained. Even though it was morning and they had just woken up, Gebura still had the urge to light a cigarette but decided against it. She would probably have one after getting some food. "You guys can go get breakfast. I'm going to use the bathroom now," the red fixer said as she got up.
The bronze librarian hummed in response, realizing that she and Tiphereth would be alone at Beacon. They had already explored most of the school's library, and the classrooms didn't interest them much as they weren't studying to become huntsmen or huntresses. Also, the variety of food Beacon had was staggering, but it didn't have the same feeling as when you purchase your own food. Malkuth suggested they go to Vale to escape their boredom.
"Hey, Tiph?" she called out for her attention. "Wanna go to Vale?"
Tiphereth put down her scroll and considered the offer before agreeing. "I don't see why not, but we should probably get permission from the headmaster or Professor Goodwitch first," she suggested. Malkuth's face brightened at the suggestion.
"Let's go ask them!" Malkuth declared as she rushed to the bathroom door and knocked. "Gebura! Tiph and I are planning to go to Vale. Do you need anything?"
"Nah," Gebura's muffled voice replied from behind the door. "Go have fun." With that, the bronze librarian's face gleamed in excitement. Tiphereth watched as Malkuth opened the room's door and gestured to her to follow. Sighing, the yellow librarian collapsed and pocketed her scroll, moving to follow the now-energetic librarian.
'Wait,' the red fixer thought before she heard the door close. 'Damn, should've told them to get me some cigs.' Screw it, she would get it some other time.
–HALLWAYS, BEACON ACADEMY–
After enduring a boring lecture from Professor Port, Ruby was quick to leave the classroom followed by her other three team members. The leader of Team RWBY was hastily walking toward their next class as the white member of the team called out to her.
"Ruby!" Weiss shouted at her. "Why are you walking so fast?"
The red huntress-in-training ran in place before replying enthusiastically, "I can't wait, Weiss! Ever since Roland pulled out that beautiful spear, I've been itching to see more." Her desire to inspect his weapons increased further when the black fixer impaled the Ursa yesterday. "If I wait any longer, I'll go crazy!" The girl in red seriously believed that if she got to her class faster, then her classes would go by faster.
As they caught up to Ruby, Yang remarked, "It's just a spear, Rubes."
Ruby came to a halt and turned to face her sister, her expression serious and impassive. "Just a spear?" Her face twitched as she continued, "Do you not remember our conversation when we got to Beacon? Did you not see the way it glistened in the light? The intricate details on the vamplate showed how much care the weapon's maker put into it. The way he wielded it was a testament to its balance and lethality! I could easily imagine myself using it to defeat Grimm left and right." Memories of her beloved Crescent Rose came to mind. "Ah! No disrespect to my baby, but it's definitely not 'just a spear'." Before she continued to rant, a low grumbling sound came out from her. The three girls look at the red huntress-in-training who blushed a bright red and pulled her cloak over her head.
Because of the pancake-eating contest between Malkuth and Nora, Ruby stayed up longer than her body could take which led to a lack of sleep. She slept in which led to her entire team also sleeping in since it was Ruby's turn to wake everyone else up. This caused the team of girls to miss out on breakfast as their class was just about to start.
"It's alright Rubes, we'll get some food later," Yang said before a sudden idea occurred to her. "Hey, why don't we just skip class and go find him?" The heiress turned to the blonde member with a look of shock mixed with seriousness.
"Excuse me?!" Weiss exclaimed. "Skipping class? Xiao-Long, I can't believe…" Then she remembered who she was talking to. "Actually, I shouldn't be surprised coming from you," she disappointedly said.
Yang grinned at Weiss's realization. "Come on, Weiss-Cream, you gotta rebel a little sometimes."
Weiss, annoyed at the nickname, declined firmly, "I am the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company." She crossed her arms and held her head high, eyes closed. "I cannot let such misconduct tarnish my family's reputation." Opening her eyes, she shouted, "HEY! DON'T IGNORE ME!"
Living with Weiss had taught the girls one thing: always remember that she was a Schnee. While the rest of the team had become accustomed to Weiss' rants about her family's company, they simply walked away when she started with, "I am the heiress." To them, she was just Weiss. However, one of the girls was secretly bothered whenever the SDC was brought up, but the others were unaware of this.
As they made their way to their next class, Blake noticed the bustling hallways filled with students and staff. Despite not knowing their names, she recognized several faces that passed by her team multiple times throughout the semester. While her teammates talked amongst themselves, Blake used her Faunus senses to listen in on the various conversations happening around them. To her, it wasn't eavesdropping, just simply overhearing. Some talked about mundane things like homework and lunch, while others discussed relationships. This made Blake think about her own past, particularly her decision to leave her family for the White Fang, only to leave them too. Now, she was determined to make a difference and show that Faunus and Humans could coexist.
Suddenly, her focus shifted when she heard two familiar voices in the crowd. Blake scanned the area, and as the voices grew louder, she knew her team was about to encounter them. Since they were out of range for normal human hearing, Blake was the only one who could hear them clearly, so she focused all her attention on their conversation.
"Be sure to return before classes end," the headmaster said before continuing. "Your superior has agreed to something important and we would like to discuss it with the rest of your group. Please follow me to my office."
Blake recognized the voice immediately, but couldn't figure out why Professor Ozpin, Malkuth, and Tiphereth were in a random hallway. Her mind tried to piece together what was going on. 'Something important? What did Ms. Angela agree to?' The situation seemed suspicious, and it piqued her interest. As the team approached, the other girls noticed the headmaster and the two librarians.
As the two librarians were about to follow the headmaster, Ruby called out to them. "Professor Ozpin! Tiphereth! Malkuth!" The three of them turned around to see the entire team of girls staring back at them, Weiss looking a little mad and out of breath since she had to catch up to her team. "What brings you guys here?" Ruby continued.
"Ah, greetings Team RWBY," Ozpin acknowledged them with a smile before elaborating. "I like to make occasional rounds throughout the school. My office can become stuffy at times." In truth, he was avoiding the paperwork that came with being a headmaster, but he was keen on keeping that a secret.
Malkuth chimed in, "Hey girls, Tiph and I are heading to Vale to get some breakfast and find some things to do." Tiphereth acknowledged with a nod but didn't speak up.
Excitedly, Ruby asked, "That sounds like fun! But do you happen to know where Roland is?"
"He's off to our 'headquarters' but why do you ask?"
Ruby's enthusiasm deflated, but Yang intervened and explained, "Rubes wanted to see more of Roland's weapons," Yang explained, but a devious idea raced through her mind. "Say… where's Gebura?"
Ozpin informed them, "Due to an increase in Grimm activity in the Forever Fall Forest, Ms. Gebura is assisting Beacon in exterminating the Grimm in the area."
Yang seized the opportunity to persuade their headmaster, "Well, it wouldn't do for our dear special guests of Beacon to be wandering around Vale unsupervised, would you say professor?" The blonde brawler's team was looking at her in horror, she was really trying to sway their headmaster.
"Hmmm," Ozpin thought about it, before squinting his eyes at the young Xiao-Long. "Are you trying to sway your headmaster?"
A drop of sweat fell from Yang's head as she began to look a bit nervous. "M-Maybe? Is it working?" She was internally screaming at herself for saying that last part.
As most of the students in the hallway had already left for their classes, the hallway was silent. A few seconds of uncomfortable silence went by and Yang's nervous meter kept rising. Ozpin kept his glare on Yang, but lessened it and smiled.
"I suppose you have a point," he gave in. The girls, except for the two librarians, breathed a sigh of relief that Yang hadn't gotten into trouble. "Everyone needs to rely on each other once in a while."
The blonde brawler let out a huge breath and wiped the sweat off her head. "Geez Professor, I thought you–"
"But don't expect to get off scot-free. A fitting punishment would be detention with Professor Goodwitch. She'll be glad to have an assistant for the week." Their relief was short-lived as Yang's jaw dropped. Upon seeing this, the headmaster put on an amused smirk and continued. "I'll excuse Team RWBY from classes today, but you must return before curfew." Professor Goodwitch would scold him for this, but he would take it like a man. With that, the Headmaster of Beacon left the group of girls and two librarians.
After the Headmaster disappeared from sight, Yang faced the others with a look of dread and quietly muttered, "That was a mistake."
"Oh geez, you think?" Weiss sarcastically commented.
Ruby walked up to her sister and put a hand on her shoulder for reassurance. "Aw come on. I'm sure it can't be that bad!" The leader joked. When she jinxed herself when her sister didn't respond and promptly fell unconscious from shock and despair.
Judging based on the blonde brawler and her teammates' reaction, working as an assistant was somehow terrible. Sure their librarian assistants were sometimes uncooperative, but in the end, they were all in the same boat. Turning to the raven-haired member of the group, Malkuth wanted to know something, "Is it that bad?"
From what the Librarians saw, Professor Goodwitch was a strict yet caring teacher at Beacon. At one point during their stay, the blonde professor was grilling the Librarians for putting a child in danger by making them fight. It got a few laughs out of the Librarians when Tiphereth argued back saying "I'm not a kid!" The reaction on the professor's face was priceless when she was told that Tiphereth was mentally about 10 years older than her appearance says so. However, the argument died down when Roland pointed out the striking similarities between the two blondes: both had green eyes and short tempers; one looked like an older Tiphereth and the other a younger Glynda Goodwitch. Roland's joke earned him a punch and quickly lifted into the air without any protest.
"It's that bad," Blake dreadfully explained. "We heard that a student who got detention with her never came out the same."
Malkuth expressed concern for Yang and said, "Yikes, we better not get on her bad side then." Then she looked at the said girl who was being dragged by both Ruby and Weiss since she was in a comatose state. Sighing, she walked up to the three girls and offered a helping hand, "Let's just get her to your dorm room."
–10 MINUTES LATER–
–STUDENT DORMS, BEACON ACADEMY–
When the group of girls entered Team RWBY's dorm, they dropped the blonde brawler onto the floor and left her there to go change into their usual outfits. As Malkuth and Tiphereth were waiting for them to change, the former crouched next to Yang and tried to snap her out of it. Only for her to blankly stare at the bronze librarian and not respond. She was a bit worried, but an idea popped into her head. Malkuth turned to Tiphereth and asked something.
Malkuth had an idea and turned to Tiphereth for help. "Hey Tiph, want to help me do something?" she asked. Tiphereth raised an eyebrow and asked what Malkuth had in mind. Malkuth gestured for Tiphereth to come closer, and when she did, Malkuth suddenly whispered in Yang's ear, "Professor Goodwitch is here."
A loud voice caught the attention of the other members of Team RWBY as Yang suddenly woke up to see a blonde person with green eyes staring her down. With a startled yelp, she stammered, "AH I WASN'T SLEEPING, PROFESSOR!" Tiphereth gave her a blank stare as her mouth dropped a little in astonishment at how that worked. "Oh, it's just you," Yang nonchalantly said. Noticing her team changing clothes, she got the hint and moved to do the same.
"Wow, you found a way to wake Yang up," Blake said in a surprised tone. "She almost never wakes up to anything except that whistle." That damn whistle. Sighing, the raven-haired girl went back to change out of her student uniform.
"Whistle?" Since none of the girls answered the bronze librarian, Malkuth shrugged it off and looked around the room. It had been a few days since she had last visited, but not much had changed. However, something caught her eye: a book under one of the pillows on Blake's bed.
Curious, Malkuth walked over to inspect the book. It was titled "Ninjas of Love," and she immediately recognized it as the type of literature that Hod would have in her floor. Intrigued by anything related to ninjas, Malkuth picked up the book and flipped it open to a random page to see what it was about.
"I cannot keep pretending that I do not feel this way about you," Hana said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know it is forbidden, but I love you, Kuro."
Kuro's eyes widened in shock at her words. He had felt the same way about her for years but had never dared to voice his feelings. "Hana, you know the consequences of what we're doing. If our clan finds out, we will be executed."
"I know, but I cannot help how I feel," Hana replied, tears streaming down her face. "I would rather die than live without you."
Kuro took her into his arms, holding her tightly. "I love you too, Hana." Hana promptly fell along with Kuro onto the ground, pulling his face closer to hers. A moment of hesitation began as the two looked into each others' eyes, not taking them off one another, then at that moment, their lips touched.
From there, the rest of the page devolved into smut and she promptly returned it to its original spot. Blushing, she walked away from Blake's bed, but Tiphereth noticed her peculiar behavior and asked what was wrong.
"What's wrong Malkuth?"
"I wish to not speak about this anymore." Tiphereth raised an eyebrow but ultimately decided to drop the subject.
After a few minutes, Team RWBY emerged from their dorm room, fully dressed, and prepared for their trip to Vale. Malkuth and Tiphereth followed closely behind as they made their way to the docks. As they walked, they garnered attention from passing students and faculty members who were curious about their destination. Weiss, always eager to take charge, acted as chaperone and quickly dismissed the crowd.
–DOCKS, BEACON ACADEMY–
At the docks, Weiss conducted a final inventory check before they boarded the airship. Malkuth and Tiphereth also checked their belongings at this point. Weiss went through the list, "Wallets?"
"Check," the girls replied.
"Scrolls?"
"Yes," they answered in unison.
"Respect for me?" She wistfully mentioned, hoping they would say "yes."
However, Ruby was the only one to respond, "I do!" The others, Blake and Yang, looked off into the distance, pretending to not have heard her; Yang was even whistling a tune. The heiress gave them a stern look before huffing in indignation.
Finally, they entered the airship; looking around, there was nobody else except for them going to Vale. According to the schedule, the ride should only take almost an hour to reach Vale. Thankfully, the ride wouldn't be uneventful as the leader of the team of girls perked up.
"So, Tiphereth, Malkuth, what did you want to do when we get to Vale?"
The bronze librarian considered her options. "Maybe we'll get some breakfast first." Ruby's stomach growled at the prospect of food. "Then go check out the Vale City Library and visit some stores," she suggested to the team of girls.
Blake, the curious cat faunus she was, was curious about the Librarians. From what she remembered from what the Librarians said before about the City: it was a dystopian society. Hell, the Librarians didn't even want to return back home. They might've had a few regrets back there, but they seem a bit content living in Remnant. With a pondering mind, Blake turned her gaze to the two librarians. "Malkuth? Tiphereth?" said Blake. The two turned to look at the girl. The cat faunus wanted to know something. "How did you become a Librarian?" She questioned.
Malkuth and Tiphereth were a bit confused about why she was asking this. The former talked first, "I thought we told you already; Angela created the Library and made us work for her."
"I know that, but…" The cat faunus paused. She had no right to ask this when she hadn't even told her team about her past. "Why did you join Lobotomy Corp.?" Blake knew about the horrors of Lobotomy Corporation and what they did there, but not why they were there.
"Curiosity killed the cat, y'know," Yang quipped. Blake flinched at the mention of "cat," but breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that her partner didn't suspect anything.
"But satisfaction brought it back," Tiphereth finished the quote. Malkuth realized that keeping the truth from the girls would only lead to trouble, so she decided to speak up.
"To me, the City was a place of despair and suffering. Everyone was just a means to an end, and I knew that I would end up like them one day. But then, a woman claimed that the despair and hatred in the City were like a disease that could be cured. Most people dismissed her as a fraud with an impossible dream, but her words stayed with me. Her calming voice took root in my heart; it made me feel like she was right. After graduating from my university, I joined Lobotomy Corp. in its early days when we were still testing Cognito. Back then, I wanted to make a difference and help change the City for the better." She reminisced about the old days. "The rest is history, something you girls probably know a bit by now," Malkuth finished with a sad smile. She would've told them more but didn't want to tell them more depressing stuff.
"And I wasn't a part of the City," Tiphereth surprisingly spoke up, causing the team of girls to turn to her. "I lived in the Outskirts outside the City with a boy the same age as me at the time. We were picked up by the same woman Malkuth was talking about and lived in the laboratory with them. It was an… experience," her tone turned bleak when she remembered the end of their stay. "He was curious and wanted to explore all sorts of things, and I only wanted him to be safe."
"What? Was he your boyfriend or something?" Yang, however, couldn't resist cracking a joke. Malkuth winced when she threw out a joke, turning to see Tiphereth's reaction.
But Ruby was quick to shut down the inappropriate joke, scolding her sister for assuming things. "That's not funny, Yang," she chided, her face turning red with embarrassment. Every time Ruby interacted with a boy, Yang would always tease her; even then, most of the boys that tried to be friends with Ruby were trying to get with Yang.
"He's dead."
The room fell silent as Tiphereth dropped the bombshell. Her expression was calm, but there was seething anger lurking beneath the surface. Malkuth expected her to explode with emotion, but Tiphereth surprised her by patiently waiting for Team RWBY's reactions, particularly Yang's, whose face paled at the yellow librarian's words.
"Oh…" Yang winced, realizing her mistake. The other girls were also visibly taken aback by the revelation.
"He volunteered to be a part of an experiment," the yellow librarian somberly spoke before sneering. "It went wrong... he was taken away from me. He was like a brother to me."
Ruby caught Tiphereth's attention with a shaky yet raised hand, trying to shift the focus away from her sister's inappropriate joke. Stuttering a little, she asked about the Outskirts, and Tiphereth sighed as she reluctantly began to explain. Malkuth and the other girls breathed a sigh of relief as the topic changed.
After a brief explanation, the girls expressed their shock and disgust at the harsh conditions Tiphereth had grown up in. Ruby wondered how she would have managed to survive in such a place, while Weiss pondered how children could cope with such living conditions. Blake felt a twinge of guilt for taking her parents for granted despite Tiphereth not having any. Meanwhile, Yang began to contemplate if Ruby died instead and regretted her previous jokes about Tiphereth's deceased surrogate brother.
–VALE–
The rest of the ride was silent after Tiphereth's depressing story. However, the silence was interrupted when the pilots of the airship announced their arrival in Vale. Tiphereth was the first to head for the exit, not even bothering to look back at the group. Malkuth gave the girls a concerned look before following Tiphereth. The other girls also looked at Yang, silently conveying their thoughts. Yang understood.
"I'll apologize," she said, scratching the back of her head. The rest of the team followed the two librarians out of the airship. Stepping off the ramp and onto the streets of Vale in the afternoon light, the huntresses-in-training marveled at the bustling city. It was different from Vale at night, with more people and businesses thriving. The Vytal Festival would soon take place in a few months so many people were traveling to prepare for the eventual celebration. They soon caught up with the two librarians waiting for them near the exit terminal of the docks, with Tiphereth appearing somewhat calmer after the walk.
As they approached, Malkuth turned to the group and declared, "First things first: breakfast." Her stomach growled loudly, prompting Ruby to giggle before her own stomach interrupted her with a growl of its own, leaving her red-faced with embarrassment.
Yang knew she needed to apologize, but didn't know how or when. Then she realized they were all hungry and an idea popped into her head. "I know a great place for breakfast," she suggested, leading the way.
Although the other girls may have thought Yang had forgotten about the incident on the airship, Ruby recognized the hesitancy in her voice. It was the same tone Yang used when trying to make amends with someone by offering something. The group followed Yang as she led them to a family-style diner called "The Mellow Orchard," owned by a former huntsman. The diner was the classic eggs, bacon, and pancakes breakfast, though Ruby apparently preferred cookies for every meal.
They were led to a booth table that could comfortably seat six people. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang settled on one side, while the other three sat opposite them. Once they had their menus, everyone placed their orders. Ruby, predictably, asked for chocolate chip cookies, Weiss opted for a salad with boiled eggs, Blake ordered a tuna omelet, and Yang went for a hefty country-fried steak with hashbrowns.
The two librarians were puzzled by some of the funny names on the menu. "What's a 'Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity'?" Malkuth pondered. "Or even a 'Moons Over My Hammy'?" They were grateful that some of the items on the menu had images to accompany them. Eventually, Malkuth settled on a classic BLT sandwich, while Tiphereth chose a bagel and coffee.
As they waited for their food to arrive, they sat in uncomfortable silence once again. Yang refrained from speaking, not wanting to make matters worse. The Librarians waited patiently for their food, observing the restaurant's surroundings. Although the diner wasn't packed, it exuded a cozy atmosphere, unlike the sterile white walls of the laboratory or the bookshelves of the Library.
However, the raven-haired member of Team RWBY snapped her out of her thoughts. "I've got another question if you don't mind me asking," she said. Malkuth nodded, giving her the go-ahead. "Your names. Do you have any other names besides those?" Even though they were from a different world, their names didn't sound normal.
The bronze librarian chuckled. "My name isn't really Malkuth," she admitted, surprising the girls. "None of our names are our real names."
Ruby remembered when the Librarians introduced themselves. "Is that why Roland's name isn't Keter?" she asked.
Malkuth nodded in response, explaining, "That's right. Roland wasn't an employee of Lobotomy Corp. He came to us when Angela created the Library." The red leader beamed with joy, proud of her deduction skills.
Weiss disregarded her partner's small celebration and turned her attention to Malkuth. "So, what were your actual names?" she inquired. Weiss was intrigued to learn the real names of the Librarians, particularly since some of them were peculiar and difficult to pronounce in casual conversation.
Malkuth hesitated for a moment before responding, "Elijah." She didn't think she would have to say that name ever again.
Tiphereth spoke in a monotone voice, "Lisa."
After revealing their true names, Malkuth went on to share the names of the other Librarians. Ruby and Yang found it amusing how straightforward their names were compared to their Sephirot names. Blake, being the book enthusiast she was, observed how all of their real names had connections to gods and religions from the past. Weiss, on the other hand, remained unimpressed by their true identities.
Yang was hesitant to ask, but she did it anyway. "Why don't you guys use your real names?" she inquired.
Malkuth pondered for a moment before responding, "There are two reasons. First, we got used to our new names. And second, I don't think I am Elijah anymore. That person died a long time ago. We're just a collection of memories of our original selves. But that's just my opinion. You would have to ask everyone else about that." She compared their situation to the Ship of Theseus paradox - were they still the same people if they had the memories but different bodies?
To Team RWBY, that was a weird thing to say. "I think you can be both Malkuth and Elijah," Ruby chimed in before realizing something. "Wait... If you are now Malkuth and you have Elijah's memories, then wouldn't that mean…" Ruby leaned forward, her eyes shining with excitement. "That means you have twice the amount of memories as anyone else!" she exclaimed.
Malkuth smiled and shook her head. "I'm not sure it works like that," she said with a chuckle.
As if on cue, the waitress arrived with their breakfast on a cart. The group began to eat and share stories. Yang discreetly motioned for the waitress to come closer and whispered something in her ear, catching the attention of the Librarians, but not the rest of Team RWBY. A few seconds of whispering and nodding from the waitress told them that the blonde brawler was planning something, but the two librarians dismissed it.
During breakfast, the group exchanged stories about their adventures. Team RWBY shared tales about their recent exploits, including how Yang had supposedly destroyed a bar before coming to Beacon, a claim that raised some eyebrows. The Librarians, on the other hand, told stories about the Abnormalities they had encountered in both the Library and Lobotomy Corp, such as the floating skull, You're Bald, and those green fairies. Ruby expressed her fascination with fairies and how she had always wanted to see one as a child. Tiphereth was about to drop that their fairies ate people but Yang teased her first, saying she was still a child, causing Ruby to pout and stuff a cookie in her mouth.
While Weiss and Blake remained mostly quiet during breakfast, they shared some details about their lives. Weiss spoke about Atlas and the Librarians compared it to the Nests of the City. Blake, on the other hand, withheld the fact that she was a Faunus and instead made up some half-truths about her origins.
Once they finished breakfast, Malkuth patted her stomach. "Woo, that was a great sandwich!" She claimed. Yang desperately had to hold Ruby back from ordering more cookies and Blake fidgeted as she wanted more tuna on her omelet.
"I concur," Weiss spoke. "The salad here was exquisite." If the heiress thought it was good, then the food must be great.
The group of girls walked up to the front to pay for their meal. Weiss grabbed her wallet to pay for the meal as she believed that the richest person would pay for her group much like how her father would host many parties and pay for the entire thing, however, the heiress saw Malkuth had already taken out some lien.
"Excuse me, Ms. Malkuth," Weiss spoke with a polite yet demanding tone. "I believe it is rude for our guests of Beacon to pay for their own meal." It would make her feel like her team was tarnishing Beacon's name.
Malkuth responded with the same tone, "Don't get me wrong Weiss, I am merely treating you guys since you were 'assigned' to be with us today." It felt wrong to have young girls pay for them.
Their little argument of deciding who should pay was interrupted by the person manning the register. She coughed to get their attention, "If I may say so, your meal has already been paid for." Huh? Malkuth and Weiss stopped arguing to process what the employee said.
"That blonde girl with the lilac eyes paid for it." She said so gesturing toward said girl.
All eyes turned to the blonde brawler which prompted Yang to explain herself. "Well, first of all, I want to apologize to Tiphereth for making that inappropriate joke. So…" She took in a deep breath, turning to the blonde librarian. "Sorry for being a jackass."
Tiphereth looked at Yang with a glare. After a little bit of time, she lessened her gaze. "Hmph, I'll accept that apology for now," despite the crass language, Tiphereth huffed in spite. "Don't make this a common occurrence." Yang sighed in relief that she was 'forgiven,' but realized that she was going to suffer financially because of their meals.
–A FEW HOURS LATER–
Beacon's curfew was about to start in a few hours so the group of girls decided to return as they completed their goals. Malkuth's initial plan to visit Vale City Library turned out to be a bust when they discovered that the place had been closed for the day due to a recent break-in. That apparently hit close to home for the Librarians who looked a little annoyed about books being stolen. A little bit of probing around told them that the books stolen were about random things like Valean cuisine, history, Grimm, Faunus, and Dust. They were all dull subjects that they all knew already, albeit it was a bit concerning that such basic stuff was getting stolen.
Disregarding the city's library, the rest of the trip to the stores went as one might expect. The first shop Malkuth planned to go to was a clothing store. She wanted to see what kind of fashion trends differed between Remnant and the City. Who knew that trying to get a new outfit with a Schnee took forever? Weiss was very judgmental in clothing and it didn't help that Yang also joined in on the criticism. Even though there were a lot of critiques, it was also fun to try on new clothing.
The group's next stop was a Dust store that the librarians hadn't seen during their previous visit to Vale. As luck would have it, the store was none other than "From Dust Till Dawn," the same one where Ruby had fought against Roman Torchwick. The shopkeeper informed them that the only losses from the robbery were a medium-sized Fire Dust crystal and the window that Ruby had broken during her fight with Torchwick.
At first, Ruby thought that the shopkeeper was asking her to compensate for the window, but he instead expressed his gratitude for her role in stopping Torchwick from stealing his Dust. As a thank you, the shopkeeper offered to sell them some of the Dust crystals at a discounted price. Tiphereth, eager to get her hands on some Dust for research purposes and to present to the rest of the librarians back at the Library, used her share of the funds to purchase a multitude of Dust crystals.
When they were going to the docks, Ruby spotted something that made her scream in glee. The others turned to see a cart with an ice cream logo on top. Weiss and Blake sighed when they saw Ruby run toward the vendor, Yang chuckled as she followed her sister. As for the Librarians, Malkuth recalled eating some ice cream back in the City. She never had many chances to eat the frozen dessert due to its high price and she was busy trying to graduate. The other librarian, however, was confused.
"What's ice cream?" Tiphereth confusingly asked. This apparently reached the ears of the leader of Team RWBY who stopped in her tracks, turning slowly to face the yellow librarian with a shocked expression.
The rest of the group also followed suit, turning to face Tiphereth who was perplexed. Yang spoke up first, sounding baffled. "Wait, you don't know what ice cream is?"
Tiphereth was confused, but still kept a straight face. "No. I don't."
Ruby, who loved ice cream as much as strawberries and cookies, replied, "It's ice cream! Everyone knows what ice cream is."
"I grew up in the Outskirts. How would I know what it is?" Tiphereth countered.
"It's a cold treat that is sweet," Weiss simply explained. "Mainly made of milk from cows." The process of making ice cream was more complicated than that, but the heiress was too surprised to give a more complex explanation.
Yang couldn't resist a joke. "Looks like Weiss-Cream knows how to make ice cream," she chuckled, earning a groan from Ruby and a glare from Weiss.
"Is it expensive here?" The bronze librarian asked with a sigh as she thought about the City's ice cream. Once again, the team of girls' faces turned to shock.
"'Expensive?'" Blake asked.
By now, Malkuth was feeling the culture shock. It really cemented the fact that the Librarians were now in a different world. "Uh, the City didn't have a lot of animals for food. Only the Head was allowed to farm animals, they would sell them to the other districts for profit," she explained.
"Did you guys not eat any meat?" Yang questioned.
"Oh, we have… meat," Malkuth trailed off. The Librarians had told the group of girls that people of the City were murderers and monsters but hadn't told them about the cannibalism that was commonplace in the City. Wanting to spare them from the horror, Malkuth came up with an excuse. "Only the wealthy people were allowed to eat more meat than others," she said, which wasn't entirely false. The meat just happened to be human instead of chicken or beef.
Ruby expressed her distaste. "I don't think I want to visit your world anymore," she said. Weiss and Yang agreed, but Blake had a hunch that Malkuth was hiding something but didn't voice her suspicions.
Wanting to switch topics, the blonde brawler spoke up, "Well, now you guys get to try ice cream." Malkuth forced out a small chuckle as Tiphereth looked up ice cream on her scroll to see more details.
As they approached, the ice cream vendor recognized Ruby from her childhood visits with her father and had already prepared her favorite flavor, strawberry shortcake, when she spotted Ruby approaching. Weiss opted for her favorite, blueberry frozen yogurt, while Blake chose macha and Yang went for salted caramel. Malkuth chose to get some rocky road and Tiphereth, who had never tasted ice cream before, decided to start with a simpler flavor, choosing vanilla.
As expected, Tiphereth was quickly won over by the delicious frozen treats. With each lick, she savored the cold, smooth texture and the sweet flavors melting in her mouth. Her expressions of delight were a clear indication of her enjoyment, and the rest of the group couldn't help but feel happy seeing Tiphereth, who had grown up in the Outskirts of the City, indulging in something as simple yet joyful as ice cream.
–A WHILE LATER–
Currently, the time was around 5:00 P.M. and they were at the docks waiting for the last airship back to Beacon. With bags of clothes held in their hands and containers filled with Dust, the two librarians were prepared to leave. Tiphereth noticed the sky starting to darken as the sun started to set and the shattered moon barely rising over the horizon in the distance.
As the giant airship's ramp extended fully to the docking bay, the group of girls proceeded to board the passenger cabin. Since they were carrying a lot of bags, Malkuth and Tiphereth claimed some seats and placed their luggage on them as well. Team RWBY began to talk amongst themselves, talking about what they probably missed in class and what Team JNPR was doing.
Their little talk reminded Malkuth about what Roland, Yesod, and Gebura were doing right now. The latter was assisting Beacon in exterminating the Grimm at the Forever Fall Forest and the former two were en route to the Library but they hadn't heard from them in a while. Deciding to check on them, the bronze librarian sent a text to Yesod on her scroll.
[Malkuth: Heya Yesod :) ]
[Yesod: Greetings Malkuth.]
[Malkuth: Did you get to the Library?]
[Yesod: No.]
[Yesod: We will approximately arrive in 15 minutes. Did you need anything else?]
'So formal,' she mentally mused. 'Would it kill him to be casual?' Feeling the airship rise into the sky, she typed out a question.
[Malkuth: How're you two doing?]
[Yesod is typing…]
A few seconds went by and nothing happened. 'Huh, he stopped typing,'
[Yesod: I am doing well, but I cannot say the same for Roland.]
"What?" She unconsciously spoke, garnering the attention of Tiphereth. Concerned, Malkuth shared the message with Tiphereth, who read it with a furrowed brow. Malkuth quickly asked for more information
[Malkuth: What happened?]
[Yesod: Nothing too serious I can assure you. He seems distant ever since we landed in the Emerald Forest.]
Malkuth looked at Tiphereth who was also reading the message. "What do you think happened?" It relieved them that their black-suited co-worker was somewhat alright, but it still concerned them.
"I don't know." The blonde librarian thought about it for a second before sighing. "Knowing Roland, he's probably thinking about his past or something similar to that." They'd been working together for the past few months and it was safe to say that she knew Roland's character already.
"I just hope that he's alright," Malkuth hummed in acknowledgment, before staring out the window of the airship. Life in the City has not been so kind to their dear black fixer; they learned that the hard way when he took down almost half the floors by himself. Considering that Roland hid his emotions behind that sarcastic personality, if they wanted to know what was wrong, they would have to pressure him to speak. For now, all they could do was hope for the best.
—SOME RANDOM BAR, VALE—
A shot glass slammed into the table, and although not shattering, it caused a loud sound. The only patron of the bar was Qrow who was drinking his life away like usual. Things were moving too fast for the drunken huntsman; the sudden appearance of the Library, the attack on Amber, Ruby's acceptance into Beacon, and the painful bruise on his head from that damn bird - it was all too much.
He rubbed the part where it pecked at. He would buy something to help remedy it, but he thought about his talk with Ozpin when he got to Beacon some hours ago.
After being informed of their alliance with the Library, the Headmaster of Beacon prepared a few documents with the Librarians' faces on them. With half of the Librarians staying at Beacon for the time being, Ozpin needed every ally he could get in the fight against the Queen. The attack on Amber had proven that she was on the move, and it was time for them to act. Now was the time to officiate them into their secret brotherhood, starting with fabricating fake identities for the Librarians.
"Damn Oz," he grunted. "Making me do all the dirty work by myself." Since Ozpin liked to keep a small team, it meant that the members of the said team had to pull a lot of weight. Specifically, Qrow ran surveillance, reconnaissance, assassinations, and generally other types of work that involved one-man teams. It also didn't help that he didn't like working with others due to his Semblance and the fact that all his 'co-workers' were hardasses. The drunk huntsman just wished that there was someone else that could help alleviate some of the burdens.
The bartender, who was an elderly man, gave him a look that told him that he drank too much. Qrow, still a bit cognizant, nodded as he dropped some lien on the counter and proceeded to walk out the door. As he stepped outside, the sky had grown darker and people were starting to thin out. However, he noticed a crimson mist seeping out from an alleyway.
He let out a deep sigh and calmly waited for the figure to emerge from the red portal. The person had long black hair and piercing crimson eyes, dressed in a black and red top with a pleated skirt and mid-thigh boots, accessorized with a red obi sash and tasset on her waist. Her limbs were protected by vambraces and armor plating, and she wielded a large single-edged ōdachi in her right hand, which she quickly sheathed.
"Raven, what do you want?" he spoke with annoyance. Of all the times, she had to show up when he was exhausted and drunk.
"Can't a girl catch up with her family?" she replied.
"They can, but family doesn't abandon each other," he sneered.
Despite looking hurt, she retorted, "You abandoned the family and the tribe, Qrow. They raised us, and we owe it to them."
Qrow gave her a weary stare. "I'm too tired and buzzed to argue with you right now. Just tell me what you want and leave."
Raven glared at him in response, attempting to intimidate him. However, she soon closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "What are those creatures?" she asked.
"'Creatures?' You're gonna have to be a bit more descriptive than that," Qrow replied.
"Those things from that tower," she said as her eye twitched in annoyance. "They aren't human; they're something else." Multiple scenes played out in her mind, including the one where the red-clad woman defeated Yang in a single blow and the black-clad figure taking on a team of trainee huntresses without any Aura.
Musing to himself, Qrow thought, 'Typical Raven.' He slipped his hands into his pockets and considered her words. It seemed she had been keeping tabs on them for some time now. He didn't know when exactly, but he could tell that she was aware that they knew and was attempting to extract information from him. He snapped out of his thoughts when his twin sister spoke up again.
"So I'll ask again. What is Ozpin planning?" she snarled, her tone seething with contempt for the headmaster.
"Really? You believe this is Ozpin's doing?" Qrow pinched the bridge of his nose, dumbfounded by his sister's animosity toward the headmaster. "Listen, sis, this is beyond our control. Even Oz himself doesn't know what's going on. The Librarians aren't that much of a threat, they're going to fight with us. Another ally to help us," he spoke trying to convince her. A desperate thought popped into his head, and he was not afraid to voice it. "Raven, please, you should come back; we need you. The only way to beat her is by working together."
If his words had an effect on her, she did not show it. Quickly, she turned around and unsheathed her ōdachi; a red blade slashed the air causing a portal to emerge from the slash. Walking toward it, she turned around to face her brother. "That man is a manipulative puppet master, always pulling the strings behind the scenes. He's been playing his little games for far too long, and people keep getting hurt," she spoke. "I'm not gonna let myself be sacrificed for a losing war, even if you got new friends." As she finished, Raven entered through her portal.
Once it closed, Qrow raised his head as he looked into the darkened sky. However, he felt something bump into him and turned to see a random person sprinting away from him. The drunk huntsman patted his pockets, finding out that his wallet was gone. "Man… this sucks," he commented as he began to run after the thief.
Author's Notes:
Well, this chapter was another filler chapter where nothing special happened in my opinion; at least Team RWBY got to hear more about the Librarians and the Librarians got to try some ice cream. When I was researching the Librarians, I realized that most of their favorite foods are vegan, so I made the connection that there aren't a lot of animals left in the City. There are some animals because Roland likes to eat HamHamPangPang's toasted sandwiches which has ham in them. As for the ice cream, I took inspiration from Patron_Librarian_of_Magic's "Library of Kamihama" on AO3, you should check that out, it's really good. Right now, I'm having fun making connections between the two series. I really do think that Tiphereth is the kid version of Professor Goodwitch and how Raven looks like Xiao. I would make more examples, but I don't want to spoil interactions between those characters yet.
For the next chapter, I'll attempt to do something that will advance the plot, but don't hold that to me. I'm gonna take my time developing the story as it goes. Since the amount of time for chapter releases keeps ramping up, don't expect a chapter to appear within the next two weeks, but Spring Break is around the corner so I might focus on Chapter 11 during the break.
Anyways, thanks for reading! If there were any grammar mistakes or a bit of information wrong, please correct me on it.