Welcome to the next chapter of RWBY: Team DUSK before starting the story. Let's answer some reviews:
Guest: Yeah, I'm sure that was a major shock for the people not expecting it, which made it a great reveal. Of course, it is just building it up.
501awezome: Yes, we're proceeding with the harem of Team RWBY. Well, let's see if you win that bet.
altajir95: Yes, it has been revealed that Daniel is the Second Wolf and Adam is his older half-brother, which I'm sure people off-guard. Ozpin does push certain buttons in people though it is with the best of intentions, but took it a bit far when mentioning Richard.
The Pack
Despite the reveal from last night, tomorrow came as natural as ever, with the members of Team RWBY being up and about in their rooms. Among them, the team leader, Ruby Rose looked happier than usual as she kept kicking her legs back and forth. Each of them got up earlier than usual, dressed, and prepared to head out to breakfast, and then to classes.
"Ruby, seeing you happy is pretty common, but why are you smiling…more than usual?"
Weiss asked confused as she was in the process of doing her hair.
"Oh, I think that she's more love-struck than ever after Dani showed her all the stuff he had."
Yang replied smiling as she thought back to Ruby's excited look and giggles as Daniel gave a seminar about the things he created himself.
"Well, that explains it. Still surprised that Daniel could create all those inventions himself."
Blake pointed out, finding herself talking more to her team in this instance instead of having her attention aimed at a book.
"Either way, I'm still mad at myself."
Weiss stated, finishing setting her hair straight and sitting on her bed.
"For what? Not listening to Dani when he said he wanted to talk to you about his older brother."
Yang said, wondering if that was the case.
"Yes, I was so caught up in Daniel's confession that I didn't bother listening to what he had to say," Weiss replied, standing up and feeling almost exasperated with herself. "I didn't take his feelings into account."
"Well, what would you have done if Daniel told you about Adam?"
"I don't know, but anything would've been better than ignoring it. Most of my childhood was happy because of Daniel, and I thought I was done with it."
Blake and Yang could see that Weiss was being serious about this.
"Come on, Weiss is it that serious? I doubt that Dani feels the same way."
"Of course, he wouldn't," Weiss sighed, sitting back down. "It's hard being friends with and now having a boyfriend who is so unbelievably understanding that it almost makes you feel bad about yourself."
In that instance, the duo could see Weiss looking as if she were condemning herself for not listening to Daniel. However, the group could understand that having someone who understands almost all your issues could make someone feel complicated sometimes.
"So, Blake what kind of person was Dani's brother?"
Yang asked, turning over to Blake who was still sitting in the same position thinking about that one.
"Ah, you mean before Daniel made that face and made us try not to laugh."
"Heh, yeah."
Blake and Yang almost found themselves laughing after thinking about the face Daniel made as soon as there was a comparison between himself and his brother.
"Well when I first met Adam, he reminded me of how Daniel is sometimes. He never shied from mentioning his feelings about the discrimination against Faunus and wanting to do something about it. I learned so much from Adam about fighting and more than I ever thought," Blake spoke as she looked forward, and a sigh escaped from her mouth. "He talked about his family once, but he never mentioned names. He didn't talk about his dad, but he would talk more about his mother than anyone else."
"Heh, yeah, Dani is the same. If he says one thing about his mom, he'll keep speaking. But, kinda odd that the two of them don't mention their dad much," Yang stated, then found herself thinking about her situation, while the words from Daniel came back to her mind. "Well, considering what Dani told us, it might not be surprising to guess why their dad isn't mentioned much."
"Yeah."
Both the young women agreed with that, as Daniel ended up getting abandoned at the worst part of his life where he needed a parent. Even before that, the fact that he as a ten-year-old needed to take care of his father for three years just to be left behind left a bad taste in their mouths. It was admirable that Daniel could even find the strength to talk about the good things with his father.
"He did just leave Dani alone that entire time," Yang found herself in her thoughts as she stared at the ground and couldn't help remembering her childhood. "Dad did the same thing after Mom disappeared, I had to take care of Ruby myself, but Qrow did help too. I can't say that it wasn't hard on me for a while, but at least he recovered from it. I can understand Dani, but I can't imagine being doing it for all that time."
Weiss sighed and placed a hand on her face.
"I can't help wondering if the Schnee Dust Company is responsible for it too."
Weiss suddenly brought up, catching their attention.
"Come on, Weiss not everything that happens is connected to your family's business."
Yang stated, as she turned to her white-haired teammate, who raised her hand in the air.
"Seeing as the things that my father does seem to come back in my face, then it's a fair enough thought."
Weiss reasons then sighed.
"I was wrong about you the first time we met Weiss."
Blake suddenly stated, catching the heiress' attention.
"Huh, what do you mean about that?"
"The first time we met, I thought you'd be some spoiled girl who wouldn't know a single thing that her family's business caused."
"Well, you got the spoiled part right."
Yang stated added that detail.
"Hey!"
Weiss reacted as expected, causing Blake to smile and shake her head.
"I based everything on my experience as a Faunus. But, the more I got to know you, the more I started seeing that you are different from what I believed. I came here and hid who I was because I wanted people to get to know me for me, instead of what I am. I judged you because of your name instead of who Weiss Schnee was."
"Well, I'm guilty of the same bias. I got to know who you are. But then after hearing that you were a part of the White Fang, I started using my experience as an excuse. I feared finding out the person that I got to know wasn't who I thought they were."
Blake and Weiss had their heart-to-heart on the situation which divided them for the last three days. Seeing such a thing caused a smile to appear on Yang's face as she didn't know what to think about this situation when Blake revealed she was a part of the White Fang. But, she wanted to hear her partner's side of the story without making any judgments. And in the end, Team RWBY was back together and there was nothing that made Yang happier than to see that.
"Alright, then let's do it!"
Yang suddenly stood up, thrusting her fist into the air, smiling cheerfully.
"Eh, do whaaa…?!"
"Yang?!"
Weiss and Blake were surprised as they were immediately pulled to their feet without a warning. Both of them were well aware that the blonde was the physically strongest among their team, thus leaving them without much chance to resist. So, the two stood there, their boisterous partner and teammate had her hand on their shoulders.
"In situations like this, it's a custom to hug it out."
Yang pointed out as if stating the obvious.
"We could've done that without being manhandled like that."
Weiss stated, with Yang shrugging her shoulders.
"I had doubts that two of the most indifferent people on the team would do it."
Yang pointed out, something neither Weiss nor Blake could counter to some extent.
But, thinking about it neither of them could help smiling in that instance because of the antics of the foremost boisterous of the team. Both felt a large weight lifted off their shoulders due to what happened over the weekend, which felt like a relief. And so, without much convincing, the Schnee and Faunus wrapped their arms around one another in a warm and rare hug.
During this, Yang smiled at the two as they hugged but noticed something different in their room.
"Eh?"
"What?"
After Weiss and Blake finished their hug, the two turned to find Yang looking up into the air, causing them to look to see what confused their blonde roommate. And the two immediately realized that it came from the items floating around in their dorm room. It ranged from some of Blake's books, pillows, and what looked to be some figurines, but uniquely, there seemed to be some device attached to those items.
"These are so cool!"
The three older teens looked to find Ruby holding a small bag while noticing the items floating around.
"Those aren't toys you dolt! Why did Daniel even give you those?"
"Because I asked?"
Ruby replied innocently, holding one of Daniel's inventions, a Gravity Inverter.
It was, of course, an invention that had Gravity Dust in it, once attached would increase or decrease its general weight, making it light enough to float or heavy enough to be immobile. Once attached to something, it'll be difficult to remove without knowing how.
"And Dani being Dani cannot say no to that."
Yang stated, finding herself smiling at that.
"It's still surprising to imagine Daniel creating something like this."
Blake asked, grabbing onto one of her books floating into the air, because of the device. After fiddling with them as Daniel demonstrated, the book fell hard on the ground, but much harder than expected from a book at its normal height.
"No kidding, meeting Dani for the first time and talking to him for five minutes at most, you never would guess he could be a nerd too. Well, a handsome nerd at that," Yang replied laughing. "And that handsome nerd is going to be doing some personal work for me"
"You're not going to stop anytime soon are you?"
Weiss asked, turning her eyes at her blonde teammate for that suggestive and intentional comment, who shook her head in response to it
"Nope. I call it likes I see it."
Yang replied happily.
"If things keep going like this, then what Alyssa and Sandra said might come true."
Blake found herself uttering as she got another book floating in the air, which she was in the process of reading. Removing the Gravity Inverter off of it, she opened the book and started finding the place she left off. All the times she saw the interactions between Daniel and their team, Blake noted more and more that their closeness with the Norden Heir was the best among their friend group. And for her—
"What was that Blake?"
"Nothing."
Blake replied, finding herself with her attention aimed at the book in her hands, but there was the faintest hint of red on her cheeks in thought.
"Either way, Weiss if you feel that strongly about what happened with Dani, then you could make it up to him."
Yang stated, staring at the Schnee Heiress, who seemed to think about that.
"What do you mean about that?"
Weiss curiously asked.
"Well, I think that Blake might be more knowledgeable about this with the books she reads," in that instance, said partner found herself hiding more behind her book in an attempt to hide her reddened cheeks. "But, a much more personal suggestion would be."
At that moment, Yang zipped beside Weiss and then started whispering something to her ears, which wasn't all that audible to Blake. But, there were certain phrases her Faunus ears caught, with Ruby seeming to free herself from playing with the Gravity Inverter and glanced at the conversation. And then Weiss' face started heating up, while her face was painted red and steam seemed to leak from the top of her head.
"….!"
Weiss covered her face with her hands from embarrassment, while Yang happily hummed, while she returned beside her partner.
"Uh, Weiss what did Yang tell you?"
Ruby asked, leaping off her bed and standing beside her partner.
Weiss shook her head as if she were denying mentioning what she heard, causing Ruby more confusion.
"Ah, helping those in love sure makes me feel good."
Yang stated, finding herself leaning forward as if satisfied.
"Yang, are you sure Weiss is prepared for that?"
"Oh, I almost forgot that you're able to hear better than us," Yang stated, almost sticking out her tongue, but it didn't amuse Blake, who seemed more focused on the question. "Since we're inside our room and know you're a Faunus, you can take it off. I think it's uncomfortable wearing a ribbon that covers your ears every day."
"Daniel said something similar to me."
"Yeah, that sounds like Dani."
"But, still are you sure that Weiss can be that bold."
"Well, she'll be taking baby steps into breaking free from her prim and proper upbringing. Plus, knowing our Dani he'll support her if she gets nervous. If not, then it'll be a good moment for them."
Yang replied, with Blake again surprised by her partner's attentiveness concerning things of this nature.
"Heh, you're a real good person Yang."
"I'm Yang Xiao Long, I can take down an entire club and assist my people in their time of need."
Yang stated, sounding proud of herself while pointing to herself.
"…."
In response to that Blake smiled and rolled her eyes.
Ruby started to poke Weiss, who wasn't registering what was happening to her. In her mind, the thoughts of what Yang whispered in her ear were rampaging throughout her mind.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"I got it!"
Ruby announced heading straight for the door, then found herself opening the door.
"Yo, Team RWBY."
It was Daniel, who was waving his hand at them, behind him it seemed as if the members of Team DUSK were all talking to the members of Team JNPR.
"Hello, Mister Wolf."
Ruby announced laughing cheerfully.
"Eh, Red Hood?"
Daniel replied, poking the younger girl's forehead.
"Heh."
Ruby laughed, but then Daniel turned to find that Weiss was hiding her face while noticing her face was red.
"Hm," Daniel thought for a second, then turned his attention to Yang. "Alright, what did you tell Weiss?"
"Why did you assume that little innocent ol' I would," in response to that, Daniel, Blake, and Ruby stared right at Yang with blank unconvincing looks, then started making a childish look. "You're all so mean. But, yeah, I gave our heiress some advice woman to woman."
"Alright, well, I have an idea that might work," Daniel stated, then found himself clearing his throat, and then started to act overly dramatic. "Oh my god, Weiss! Winter is coming, I think she's mad about how you've been performing!"
"Eh," that seemed to snap Weiss back to reality. "But, I haven't done anything wrong, Winter! I might not have been the leader, but all my grades have been perfect! And I've performed perfectly in combat class! Huh? Huh?"
Weiss turned her head around from place to place, almost as if she were looking for her where Winter was. Realizing Winter wasn't there and her boyfriend stood there instead she sighed.
"Please don't do that!"
"Well, you were stuck and wouldn't respond. Plus, it seems as if Winter is your trigger."
Daniel replied.
"…."
Weiss stared at Daniel pouting.
"Aw, don't look like that, Snow White."
Daniel stated, placing a hand on Weiss' head and pulling her into a faint hug, causing her to glance in another direction. She didn't want to admit it out loud in front of them, but hugging Daniel was one of the simpler things she loved.
"Please don't look all lovey-dovey in front of us. I think that you'll make Rubes jealous."
Yang said playfully.
"I'm not jealous."
"Aw, why not little sis?"
Yang curiously asked, leaning her head on her hand.
"Because Weiss and I will…hmm."
Immediately, Weiss covered Ruby's mouth, but that didn't stop the team leader from talking as if nothing was happening. Realizing that Ruby was pouting, Weiss kept holding her hand over her mouth to keep her partner from speaking.
"I told you last night, that doesn't happen…iyah!"
Weiss immediately snatched her hand back, almost as if it were infected.
"What?"
Blake asked.
"She licked my hand!"
Weiss replied, as Ruby childishly stuck out her tongue, causing Daniel to almost laugh at that.
"Wow, I didn't think my little sis would be kin…hmmhmm."
Like Weiss, Blake covered Yang's mouth but used a pillow, not her hand. It was a smart move because it wouldn't be above Yang's character to do the same thing, if not being where Ruby picked that up from.
"Alright, so, why don't we head off to breakfast? I mean, unless you want us to put on another show."
Daniel suggested pointing his thumb at the door.
At that, the four members of Team RWBY turned to the door, to find all the collective members of Team JNPR and DUSK peeking inside. After their presence was registered, the seven people there evacuated from that spot, then pretended as if neither of them were watching. Weiss looked almost embarrassed as she was caught in that childish act alongside her partner.
"So, who wants breakfast?"
Daniel asked, aiming his attention towards Team RWBY.
In response, Ruby and Yang immediately raised their hands simply playing alone, then Blake slightly raised her hand; and, Weiss found herself raising her hand to the point where it wasn't visible.
"Good enough, let's go."
Daniel stated, showing almost no reaction to that.
At that, the members of Team RWBY started heading out for their usual breakfast to start the morning before the start of classes.
"So, Blake, how have you been," Pyrrha was the first of Team JNPR to ask. "I don't mean to pry, but we kinda got a bit worried after we haven't seen you around Beacon over the weekend. Plus, Ruby and the others looked a little bit restless."
"Oh, I'm fine. It was just some personal business that made me want to be alone for some time. I'm sorry if I had ended up worrying you all."
Blake apologized, of course, neither of the members of Team JNPR would be aware of what their group had ended up getting involved in. Neither of their names would've been mentioned as being involved in stopping that Dust Robbery at the shipping port. More than that, neither knew Blake was a Faunus pretending to be Human. She thought about bringing it up at some point, but due to everything that was going on right now, it wasn't the right time.
Plus, what she said right then wasn't particularly a lie.
"Oh, there's no need to apologize. I was just wondering is all."
Pyrrha, as kindhearted and cordial as always wanted to ensure that Blake didn't have to apologize for anything. It made Blake feel glad she had friends like that, who were worried and thinking about her, although she would rather have them worried about her.
"See, I told you we didn't need to be worried about Blake."
Jaune said, finding himself tilting his head and smiling.
"Yeah yeah, but we're all friends. And besides, I think you were worried too."
Pyrrha stated, smiling and finding herself staring at Jaune with a smirk.
"Urgh, hahaha, yeah."
Jaune nervously laughed after getting caught like that.
"Well, if Blake was ever in trouble, then all you'll need to do is call us," Nora stated, smiling as cheerfully as usual, then made a manic smile. "And then we'll break all their legs!"
"Nora, what's with you and breaking people's legs?"
Alyssa asked, turning her attention to Nora.
[Oh no.]
Jaune, Ren, and Pyrrha uttered, almost worried about that answer.
"Well, you see…."
After that, Nora started going into a whole explanation about her and her whole thing about breaking legs, which made Alyssa regret asking that question. Hearing those words from Nora, caused the members of Teams RWBY and DUSK to look stupefied.
"I regret asking that question."
Alyssa uttered, glancing to the side with almost blank eyes.
"'"Our condolences."""
Jaune, Ren, and Pyrrha thought in their hands, as the two partners, asked the same question, but Nora's partner and childhood friend worried about the response. And as soon as that happened, the two came to regret asking that question. Among the three teams, Nora was the sole member of the friend group, happily and cheerfully walking to the cafeteria for breakfast.
As per usual, their group had their breakfast and talked about the usual although the one thing that brought the members of Team DUSK some discomfort was that after school and for the rest of the week their group was responsible for cleaning the cafeteria. And that fact alone made them all the more respectful and thankful for the staff responsible for cleaning up after the students.
During their combat class, Glynda stood in the arena holding her Scroll, her two students stood in front of one another, preparing for the match.
"Alright, are you two prepared?"
Glynda asked, staring at her students who would be fighting this time.
Standing in front of her were Daniel and Ren, both of whom were chosen for this match, as the former looked as casual as usual, whereas the latter looked calm and formal.
"I'm always ready."
Daniel replied, giving a thumbs up.
"Yes, Glynda."
Ren replied, bowing his head respectfully.
After that, she put up the display for their Aura Level, while stepping back from the arena, while their friends and teammates stood in the stands watching on.
"Well, I wonder who will win. Daniel is great in combat, but Ren isn't a slouch either."
Jaune wondered out loud.
"As Ren's teammate, I'd like to believe in him more. He isn't weak or unskilled by any means and won in the matches he's fought in, but we've seen how Daniel fights."
Pyrrha stated, recalling some of the fights that Daniel had been in.
"Ugh, don't remind me. I remember the last time that I took a kick from Daniel."
Jaune added, recalling when he took a kick from Daniel in a fight.
"Oh, what is that's Daniel's weakness," Nora stated, then placed her hands beside her mouth and announced with no shame. "Ren break Daniel's legs!"
"…oh, Nora."
Pyrrha shook her head at her teammates 'leg-breaking fascination'.
"…."
Ren shook his head while placing a hand on his face.
In response to that comment, Daniel turned to Nora, then momentarily raised his arms in the air right beside him, as if to ask: "What did I do?" And in response to that, Nora smiled cutely and shrugged her shoulders before sitting back down as if she cracked that.
"Can you even break Daniel's legs?"
Jaune asked.
"Stop talking about breaking Daniel's legs."
Weiss stated, hearing the entire conversation, more so Nora's declaration, almost acting protective.
"Jaune's right to ask that question, we've seen Daniel on what he calls 'Norden Leg Day'."
Alyssa brought up Norden Leg Day, where Daniel has done some leg training that seemed almost more rigorous compared to the other training he does.
"This is the same person whose mother is described as using Grimm to vent her frustrations and loves using her legs as much as her arms."
Sandra pointed out, recalling 'some' of the things Daniel mentioned about his mother.
'Well, let's just see how this fight goes.'
Hunter signed something that the others could understand. It did take some time, but the others in their friend group did learn some sign language, but it wasn't perfect. At the same time, it was ideal enough for them to understand what Hunter was saying most of the time.
"Alright, the match starts!"
Glynda announced as the lights dimmed in response to that signal as the light shined on those in the arena.
"Alright, let's give the audience a great show."
Daniel said, as he started jumping around without his feet leaving the ground that much, almost as if he were stretching and limbering himself up.
"Alright, but you're using your sword?"
Ren asked as Daniel hadn't gone to pick up Retribution.
"Hm, sometimes I fight with Retribution, sometimes I don't. Besides, I don't want to lose my edge in a bare-handed fight if I keep using it."
Daniel replied as Ren could understand that thought.
"Very well."
Ren replied, getting into a fighting stance with his hands looking relaxed, but prepared.
"Alright, then."
Daniel stated, getting into a fighting stance, but looked as casual as usual.
Instead of waiting to see who would make the first stance, the two steadily approached one another without their focus faltering. The students in the stands looked on in anticipation as it looked as if the fight would end with either one of them making the first move. Reaching a good distance for a close-quarters fight, the first to launch the first hit was Daniel, a straight lead punch without showing much of a sign of it.
"…."
Ren remained calm and blocked it by crossing his arms, with the impact knocking him back. But, then looked forward to note that Daniel wasn't done with the attacks, as he kept on the pressure with the punches aimed at him. Reacting to this, Ren found himself on the defensive, as he started using his arms to handle the attacks aimed at him. From the stands, all the students could see that the two were proficient in martial arts, but Ren seemed to favor a softer and more defensive one.
Daniel kept the pressure on as none of his attacks seemed to lose steam, but it looked as if Ren was starting to become overwhelmed. He aimed another straight punch at Ren, who looked prepared to block it but then immediately stopped at the half-point. It seemed to surprise his opponent for a moment, and then a moment of realization came as Daniel started shifting his body. He didn't even need to be someone who could predict the future to know what was his friend's/opponent's favorite finisher.
"Ugh."
Ren prepared himself, but still felt him a strong impact from the kick Daniel aimed right at his side. It was enough to send him reeling in another direction almost without much resistance.
"As usual, Daniel always loves to finish things with a kick."
Ren thought as he recalled the matches that Daniel had throughout the matches he has had since their first year at Beacon Academy. But, he immediately recovered from the impact, then slid on the ground and waved his arms forward as his green paired machine pistols from them, which Ren called StormFlower.
"Nice recovery," Daniel said, smiling without a single care in the world despite having guns pointed at him then he prepared to pull the trigger. "But, I think you forget one thing…."
As a series of green flashes came from StormFlower, Daniel leaped in the air avoiding the first volley of bullets, he's retrieved Aesir and Vanir from their holsters.
"I use guns too!"
Daniel announced as he started firing off two rounds from the paired pistols.
Ren moved to avoid them, rolling on the ground as Daniel landed on the ground, where the two started firing off their bullets at one another. StormFlower released more bullets than either Aesir or Vanir could, but their impact was more. For their different reasons, neither Daniel nor Ren wanted to take too many hits from their guns for no reason, causing them to run around and avoid bullets. But, Ren had one advantage that neither Aesir nor Vanir did, then proceeded to rush forward toward Daniel without hesitation after seeming to run out of ammo.
Another trait of StormFlower is the blades attached to them, which he then proceeded to swing around, without the slightest mistake. He swung the weapons without skipping a beat as their blades came inches from Daniel in the confrontation. As Ren swung the blades as Daniel, same as before with him, the silver-eyed young woman had no issue handling them. His arms or wrist, his opponent used them with as efficient skills as he did when it came to keeping the blades from hurting him.
"I knew that Daniel would be a person hard to fight at close range with or without his sword. I honestly can't see myself winning this match. It's like fighting against Pyrrha."
Ren thought, rationalizing what would without a doubt be his eventual loss, but that didn't stop him. After getting into another stance with the right pistol, he fired off close-ranged rounds at Daniel. Due to the radius, he ended up taking those bullets as his Aura took the hit. Daniel moved backward as Ren seemed prepared to chase after him with that opportunity. At the same time, he stopped after noticing runes on the ground, getting his attention, while a question left his mouth.
"When did he…?"
Ren found himself wondering when Daniel used his Semblance to create these runes, as an explosion, nothing all too big was generated from them. As he rolled around on the ground to avoid them, he came up with a conclusion which was the most sound.
"Those bullets weren't misses."
Thinking back, Daniel fired off gunshots from the air before landing on the ground, which must have received an enchantment. After hitting the ground, they might've been transferred into the ground causing the explosion that happened moments ago.
"He planned all that?"
Ren was surprised that Daniel could make a plan ahead of time.
As one might have expected, some people wouldn't have guessed that Daniel was the kind of person who could make a plan ahead of time on the spot like that. But, Ren found himself getting out of his thoughts as Daniel was in the process of running at him. As his opponent was coming in closer and closer to him, Ren found himself with his mind calming down, almost becoming tranquil. It wasn't something that went unnoticed by Daniel, as he then started making some calming movements of his arms and body.
"…."
Ren looked prepared as he prepared for the next hit.
Daniel didn't disappoint, as he propelled himself forward, then brought down an axe kick aimed at Ren. And then the resulting response was Ren forming a localized Aura shield from his palms, blocking the kick. But, the kick he was blocking wasn't a normal one as a blue shockwave was produced. It was something that caught all of the students' attention as the impact from that collision became a spectacle neither of them could take their eyes as it wasn't something that either of them had seen before.
"Wow, what's that?!"
Jaune was surprised by what he witnessed.
From the stands, both he and the other students could see that Daniel's attack and Ren's shield clashed against each other. But, this wasn't common or at least shown among the students who've been sparring against one another thus far.
"That's so cool! I think Daniel did that once before!"
Ruby seemed excited too, recalling that one time during their camping trip, but caught just a glimpse of it. She and the members of Team RWBY and DUSK found themselves surprised about it too. At least one of them was surprised by that phenomenon.
"Heh, well, that's what happens when you train your Aura as much as your Semblance. If you learn to manipulate your Aura better than you do now, then you'll be able to do things you never thought possible."
Pyrrha replied laughingly faintly.
As the one who explained Aura to Jaune the first time they met, she was aware of its advanced applications as their main weapon against Grimm. Doing something like unlocking someone else's Aura wasn't exactly the thing that a normal person could do. Seeing the reactions from her students, Glynda felt glad that she chose Ren and Daniel for this sparring match. Daniel took a momentary glance at the Aura meter, noting that his opponent's Aura was much lower than his, which brought out another thought.
"Hm, Ren isn't half-assed at using Aura, but it went down like that. His demeanor went calmer than usual just a moment before forming that shield. I guess it's a Semblance."
Daniel thought as he was knocked back by his shockwave which seemed to almost bounce off the shield his opponent produced. But, it looked as if that did take a toll on Ren's Aura, before in a surprising move, Daniel found himself landing flat on his back with his hands and feet planted on the ground. However, that wasn't the end of it, as he immediately rotated himself around.
"Ah!"
Ren was surprised as Daniel immediately leg-swept him, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground, landing on his back. Just as he was about to get up he found Daniel immediately kneeling above him with his fist raised.
"…."
"You give?"
Daniel asked, turning his hand fist turned into an open hand.
"I give."
Ren replied, raising his hands in defeat, but found himself smiling.
He took Daniel's hand as his friend and former opponent helped him back to his feet without issues. After that, a round of applause came from the students watching the entire thing.
"That was awesome!"
"I didn't think that something like that was possible with Aura!"
Those were some of the cheers and things heard from the crowd, who was surprised by what the two could do by using their Auras alone. Most of them thought that their Semblances would be the end all be all, but Aura was as good as it if either of them could learn to do the same thing. Ren almost felt a little complicated to be receiving a lot of the attention right then and there.
"Yahoo! Win or lose, Ren is still the coolest," Nora announced out loud, not losing her cheerful demeanor despite her childhood friend losing the match. "We didn't get to Daniel's legs this time, but there's next time!"
[Ugh!]
A sound came from their friends, at the mention of that.
"Did I offend Nora?"
Daniel asked, turning his attention to Ren.
"No, I honestly think that it's because you're showing off your legs and Nora took that as a challenge."
"So, that means I deserve to have them broken?"
Daniel reasoned, staring at Ren blankly while pointing his finger at Nora.
"…."
In the few rare moments, Ren couldn't give any other response aside from shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah, that's about what I expected."
Daniel replied, tilting his head to the side.
"Truly, a superb match," Glynda approached their fighters, turning on the lights and messing around with her Scroll in her arms. "It was an amazing match. As I'm sure you've all witnessed Daniel and Ren showed off rather skillful Aura Manipulation. All of you should be capable of the same feats, with or without a Semblance, each of you can be strong with Aura, which is your first and greatest weapon. But, there's no need to rush things, you'll be here for the next four years and there are your teachers and upperclassmen who can aid you. Now, you two can return to your seats."
"Got it."
"Yes, ma'am."
Daniel and Ren agreed as the two started heading off in the direction of their seats.
The two of them began receiving praise from the other students who couldn't take them away from the match, which showed them something new.
"That was so awesome you two!"
Ruby was the first to tell them that, standing up from her seat and looking giddier.
"Thanks, always happy to give an amazing performance."
Daniel replied, finding himself looking proud about that.
"You do mean to show off, right?"
"That too."
Daniel replied to Yang's question with a smile and a thumbs-up.
"Didn't think that Aura could do all that."
Ruby pointed out leaning back in her chair.
"Yeah, it's more than a defensive cover," Daniel replied sitting in between Ruby and Weiss. "In my family, it's hammered in your head that without mastering your Aura, you can never truly master your Semblance. So, we're expected to learn more than the basics of Aura Manipulation before being allowed to use our Semblance."
"As expected from a family who trained warriors."
Weiss commented, not surprised about that.
"Oh, Daniel can you one day teach me to do that shooting Aura out like…hua wah?"
Ruby asked, mimicking the movement used as if she were in a comedic martial arts movie.
"You're so adorable that it almost makes me worry for you."
Sandra pointed out, crossing her arms.
"Don't mind, but I'm just letting you know, our family methods aren't the most…well, they get rough sometimes. A lot of it originates from when my family started as a through and through warrior tribe."
Daniel replied.
"I'm not afraid of that. Give me your best shot."
Ruby confidently replied.
"Don't say I didn't warn you later. But, I think that could wait until you're prepared for the kind of training," Daniel pointed out almost dousing Ruby's confident flame. "You might be a grade skipper, but you're still not ready for that training. I haven't even gone through half of some of the kind of training I heard about. But, lucky for you, my uncle once sought help from a Mistral Huntress for a family issue and she's the definition of a fully realized Huntress."
"Oh, is she one of those who helped you at Mistral? And a fully realized Huntress?"
Alyssa asked.
"Kinda, she's more or less a hermit. She mastered her Aura and Semblance. My uncle could only find her due to a unique set of circumstances. The only person who might know she is or lives the Haven Academy's Headmaster."
"Hm, a traveling and reclusive hermit? This woman wouldn't happen to be named Li Bai?"
Pyrrha asked, thinking about her after hearing the word: hermit.
"That's her. Did you meet her once?"
"No, but our teacher knows her. They're friends and he once told us that all Huntsmen should follow her example. She's also a Faunus, a rare one too. But, when I asked what type, he said I'd have to meet her. And I won't bother asking Daniel, since he'll tease me about it."
"You're not wrong. She might be half-retired and older now, but she still could kick our asses," Daniel stated, agreeing with Pyrrha's comment, as the two shared a laugh. "I should also mention that she's blind."
"Yes, I heard that too. But, Mister Kheiron said she's an example Huntsmen should follow."
Pyrrha stated.
"Hm, Pyrrha said that I have a large amount of Aura. So, I guess that learning Aura Manipulation would be good for me. I mean, I don't have my Semblance yet either."
"Yeah, your use of Aura is pretty trash," Daniel stated, as Jaune almost felt himself laughing wryly at that. "But, if we're talking about the amount, then yours is properly higher than mine, the way you're using it is the issue."
"Huh, really you think mine is greater than yours."
"Eh, probably, I can't sense Auras yet. So, you'll have to ask Fox for that one. But, if you learn to manipulate it better then you'll see what you can do with it. Your sword and shield which are conduits for Aura will be far better depending on how you use it, while having better senses on the battlefield. And if you end up awakening to your Semblance, that'll end up being a major plus based on what it'll end up being. You might believe, but you have a good foundation for being an amazing Huntsman."
"…."
Jaune felt himself feeling confident after hearing that.
'Ever the confidence booster, Daniel."
Hunter signed as Daniel turned towards his partner.
"I speak the truth and facts, nothing more, nothing less."
Daniel stated.
"You also speak sarcasm and humor."
Sandra pointed out.
"That's also true."
Again, the group joined in a laugh together, enjoying the times they were all together like this. From there, the group found themselves watching the remaining matches which took up the rest of the class lessons until it was time for them to get prepared for the next one. All their classes started and ended with the usual business, a lot of them learning some new thing, or hearing the same thing but almost sounded as if it were reworded. Even after school, Team RWBY and DUSK were responsible for cleaning their respective areas as their punishment, which their group did with renewed appreciation.
And then after school, there was an important promise that Daniel found himself needing to keep. So, returning from receiving a toolkit he'd always kept in his room, then started heading to the location where the beautiful blonde was leading him. Both of them were still in Beacon Academy, and Yang was leading him over toward where Bumblebee was being kept.
"Alright, so let's go check on my baby."
Yang said, feeling happy as she was going to see Bumblebee.
"Well, aren't we a happy blonde?"
Daniel stated, wearing a smile as he walked beside her.
"Well, I got a free mechanic to ensure that Bumblebee is working at her best. So, I could say that's something to be happy about Dani."
Yang replied smiling, turning herself around for a moment to face Daniel.
"You're lucky that I'm a friend and that I'm the kind of person to return favors. With my talent, I could become a real high-paying mechanic."
"Ah, and here I thought I was getting a freebie for being a beauty with a good body."
"Oh, why stop there? Not adding in the blonde fact too?"
"Ah, but that sooo played out. Besides, it's too obvious."
"And I'm guessing the other thing you said wasn't obvious."
Daniel pointed out, having their typical back and forth with Yang.
"Hm, so is Dani admitting that he thinks that I'm a beauty," Yang teasingly asked, turning around as she kept on walking forward. "I do wonder what Weiss would think if she heard that. You do know how jealous she can get if she hears something like that."
"Um, well, if that does happen, then I guess I could blame you."
Daniel reasoned, causing Yang to gasp and turn around.
"Ah, you'd do such a thing to one of your friends. Oh, I could be so wrong about you. I thought you were the caring type."
Yang replied, sounding dramatic.
"Ah, though it pains me, there are sometimes when tough love is required."
Daniel replied as dramatic.
At that, the two shared a cheerful laugh between them, at the silliest actions between them, which kept on since their first meeting.
For some reason, the two of them felt almost like kindred spirits from the time they met, and it didn't take long for them to figure out the reason why. Yang felt a great kinship with Daniel, the reason being that the two of them for one reason or another had to become the "grown-up" in their family at an age when it would've been rough. All their interactions and jokes with one another made their friendship grow. They entered the garage inside Beacon Academy, where their student's licensed vehicles were. Of course, most of them were smaller vehicles, not actual cars, there were also some airships parked there.
"So, here we are?"
Yang announced standing in front of the room where Bumblebee was stored, then used her Scroll to open it.
Then it revealed Bumblebee stationed there and suspended off of the ground through the mechanisms it was attached to. After pressing the button, mechanisms made several hydraulic sounds as Bumblebee was placed in the middle of them, but was still hanging off the ground.
"Hm, so, let's see here."
Daniel said, opening up the toolkit, and causing various tools to be unveiled.
"Oh."
Yang couldn't help finding herself letting out a surprised sound as she noticed the number and variety of tools that were stored in the toolkit. She wasn't that into mechanic stuff, but she did learn a great deal about working with an assortment of tools for Bumblebee.
"First, let's turn her on."
"Oh, Dani, that's too perfect of an opening."
Yang thought, almost holding herself back from laughing.
"She's probably think that was too perfect of an opening."
Daniel thought as Yang revved up Bumblebee, causing him to get a far clearer sound of its Dust-powered engine which didn't sound bad. Most if not all vehicles on Remnant were powered using Combustion Dust, Bumblebee is one of those vehicles.
"Alright, ma'am. I want to inform you that this is a common procedure," Daniel stated, finding himself sounding as if he were a doctor instead of an acting mechanic. "So, I can promise that there won't be a single dent, scratch, or damage done to your precious child."
"Oh, Doctor Norden, that's so wonderful to hear. I just want my precious child to run for as long as she can."
Yang replied, playing along with this little doctor act.
Holding the correct tools in his hands, then started working on Bumblebee with the kind of skill and precision, that would make it seem as if there wouldn't be the slightest mistake. It was a basic check-up, but Daniel could tell that Yang was taking care of Bumblebee with what she learned.
"Hm, so, don't mind if we talk, right?"
"Not really. I can multitask," Daniel replied, not stopping his hands as Yang took a seat in the chair she pulled up. "I can guess that this has something to do with that other condition that you mentioned before."
"Good on you for remembering a promise to a young lady," Yang joked and teased, then leaned forward as she rested her chin on her head. "You know, I didn't know what to think when Blake left and never returned. I get that she was afraid of what we would think about her, because she's a Faunus and from the White Fang. I do get being afraid if something like that is revealed, but it made me feel as if…."
"As if Blake underestimated how much you guys bonded. And that even if she was revealed to be a Faunus or even a member of the White Fang, then you guys would've listened to her side."
Daniel replied, finishing with what he was working on in that instance.
"There are times when you being so insightful helps."
Yang said laughing.
"Yeah, same, because I know what to say and what not to say," Daniel stated, picking up another tool and starting to get to work. "But, that's likely the biggest part of it."
"What do you mean?"
Yang asked, leaning up a bit.
"Think about it, you guys, all of us aside from Hunter and Velvet, are the first Human friends that Blake ever had in her life. She spent most of her life around Faunus and experienced nothing but discrimination because of Humans. Her reason for not saying that she was a Faunus was that she wanted people to see her as Blake and not as a Faunus. And then she met you guys, of course, it was initially awkward, but you met, argued, fought together, and shared laughs. For her, those moments were the first time she didn't need to be worried about her status as a Faunus. And then…."
"We found out she was a Faunus."
"And she felt as if the place where she finally felt comfortable was going to fall apart."
Daniel stated as Yang found herself letting a breath escape from her mouth.
"I knew that somewhere in my head, but I couldn't get it out. But, talking to you always seems to make it easier to think about this stuff."
Yang stated, finding herself leaning up and let out a relieved sigh.
"I do my best," Daniel replied, finding himself checking up on the engine system. "So, was this that other condition you wanted for the promise?"
"Hm, it was part of it. But, it wasn't the main thing."
Yang replied as she started stretching her limbs.
"So, what was the main thing?"
"It's about our favorite Daniel Norden, aka the Second Wolf."
Yang replied, as Daniel started listening more to the conversation and momentarily stopped.
"Alright, so what did our favorite blonde want to talk about?"
Daniel asked, brushing his hands together.
"The first time we met, I thought that you were some cool guy from Atlas, who Weiss happens to have had a crush on," Yang pointed out, finding herself laughing at that. "But, then you started seeming more like this big mystery no one could understand. To be honest, that's kind of one of your attractive traits."
"Well, that's good to know, I guess."
Daniel replied as Yang teased him.
"I'll be honest, I didn't think that all this stuff would happen after enrolling into Beacon Academy. I thought that I would enroll, enter a team, show off how badass I am, and then graduate, then explore the world as a Huntress. I then find that my little sister enrolled two years earlier, a teammate who's heiress of the most influential family, and my partner was a member of the White Fang. Well, I guess that I got what I asked for because I wanted to have an adventure," Yang laughed, noting the irony behind that. "The people that we met here became some of my closest friends. And with you, I found someone that I could relate to. It's a little different, but I know what it feels to lose someone you love and feel as if you were alone at times."
Daniel could hear where Yang was coming from with the conversation, considering he heard that she and Ruby lost their mother, Summer Rose. But, for the oldest sister, Yang discovered that the person she thought of and loved as her mother was her stepmother, who left shortly after her birth. So, discovering something like that would have been a major shock for a young Yang and not knowing the reason why.
"So, I wanted to let you know that if you wanted someone to talk to, then I'm always free."
"Thanks, Yang. But, you should know that offer is mutual. If you ever want to talk about anything, then I'm always free," Daniel stated, wearing a smile. "I know what it feels like to have no one to talk to sometimes and feel as if no one can understand what you're going through. Or feeling as if you could handle it yourself. Plus, if you don't I'll just keep bothering you about it until you either try punching me or coming clean."
"Pft, what the hell?"
Yang couldn't stop herself from laughing at that comment.
It was the first time that she'd heard something like that from anyone, bothering someone to the point of risking them trying to punch you. No sane person would ever attempt to make that kind of deal, especially with someone who could knock out an Ursa with their punches. But, that was another charming point of Daniel's, he was someone who could do and say things that make someone feel better while sounding completely irregular.
"Well, I'm almost finished with Bumblebee here. So, let's shake on it."
Daniel suggested, holding out his hands.
"Hah, why don't we wait until you clean your hands?"
Yang suggested.
As she pointed out, there was some oil on Daniel's hands from when he started doing his work on Bumblebee. But, at the mention of that he started making a mischievous smile.
"Uh, Dani what's with that smile?"
"Oh come on, it's customary to have a handshake or hug after talking about that."
"We'll do that after you clean your hands."
"But, then the moment will pass."
Yang started nervously laughing as Daniel approached her with his dirty hands, causing her to inch further from him to not get herself dirty. She then bolted as soon as it seemed as if he planned on going against her request nonetheless, causing them to run around the garage laughing.
"Come on, Dani don't touch me with those dirty hands!"
"Don't be afraid of a little oil from me working on your motorcycle!"
"I don't want to get dirty!"
"It's just a little touch!"
"Hahaha, noooo!"
Daniel and Yang were laughing despite running around, with one chasing after the other one with oiled hands for a couple of minutes. It did result in him catching up to her in the end, managing to touch her cheeks, then after both of them rolled around for a bit, it covered a lot more of her face and arms, the same for Daniel. Despite that, the two couldn't stop themselves from laughing no matter how ridiculous it looked. Afterward, the two decided to finish the rest of Bumblebee's check-up, which the owner tested out and found it was performing better than usual. Returning to their dorm rooms, they had to explain the reason why they were so dirty before taking a shower.
Afterward, Daniel would receive a message on his Scroll, which would surprise him and result in him needing to leave to respond immediately. But, this meeting was also a good opportunity for the members of Team RWBY and DUSK.
Telling them about the message, both the teams decided to follow Daniel's lead without questioning it much and also noticing that he wouldn't suggest something overly dangerous. So, the two teams headed into the deeper part of Vale's Commercial District, a location which Yang was familiar with. After walking there, the seven people could already see a multitude of nightclubs with people entering them.
"So, Daniel, you said that there was someone who you knew from Mistral here?"
Alyssa was the first to ask.
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting them to set up shop in Vale. Plus, knowing them, one, in particular, then there's a big reason for it," Daniel replied, not knowing what to expect. "You don't need to be on the defense around them, well, some of you might need to avoid contact with one of them. Not that she's violent, but more or less she almost doesn't consider personal space with certain people. Well, that's pretty much everyone here, aside from Ruby."
"Why us, in particular."
"And why not me?"
"Well, let's just say, she swings for both teams and has a varied preference. And she has boundaries that she won't cross. I can't say for another three or four years for her and everyone else here. At most, she'll tease you."
""Ah.""
Alyssa and Yang, and even everyone else seemed to catch onto that.
"What does that mean?"
"You don't need to know."
Weiss pointed out, responding to Ruby's question, as she got what that meant herself.
"And why are we going to meet these people?"
Sandra decided to ask.
"Because the one thing that they excel at among the people I know is getting information and connections to the close connections to the group I'm close to. I doubt they'll get much on what's happening in Vale because they're just opening shop."
Daniel replied.
"Ah, I see."
Sandra replied, getting the reasoning behind that.
"Well, I can't wait to see what this place is like. I've been meaning to find a new club, the last place I went to didn't turn out so well."
Yang stated.
"Does this have something to do with that one club that I found you at?"
Ruby asked, tilting her head to the side.
She was out looking for the new addition of a weapon's magazine and comics when she started hearing a commotion from the distance. After getting there she found out that Yang demolished an entire club.
"Yeah, the music was good though. I didn't get my Strawberry Sunrise though."
"That place wouldn't happen to have been called Junior's, with a guy too old for that name and two twin bodyguards."
Daniel asked, turning around to face Yang.
"That's the place. Why did you go there before?"
Yang asked back.
"It was the first place that I went because I had to bring the payment for my guardian's dept, then found out that the place was trashed. After meeting a particular blonde, I noticed that the damage looked familiar."
"Ah, thinking back those twins were too tough."
"Yeah, not surprising, those twins' mother happens to be one of the most dangerous women and crime bosses inside of Mistral. Didn't know until I heard their last names, though?"
"So, Yang ended up beating a crime boss' daughter. You don't think that she'll react to that."
Blake asked, knowing those kinds of situations, but Yang didn't seem that worried.
"You don't need to be worried, either the twins didn't tell her or she'll see it as an experience for them. Besides, I doubt Junior would be quick to say that her daughters got beat up. Plus, I heard that she had to take a back step from taking any further influence in Vale."
"And you met their mother how?"
Weiss curiously asked, wondering how Daniel met someone referred to as one of the most dangerous women and crime bosses in Mistral.
"Minor disagreement involving an issue with someone from her staff. And I let him off with a punishment."
"Punishment?"
"Something that would've made Nora proud."
[Ugh.]
Daniel didn't need to elaborate further than that, knowing full well what would make Nora proud.
Not much time passed until Daniel led them to their intended location, it seemed to have been a nightclub still in the process of being built. And the name was the—Red Thread. Despite not being knowledgeable about nightclubs and all other things of that nature, the group couldn't help admitting that the location was appealing. Yang could tell that this place was leagues above Junior's nightclub, something that could attract the attention of anyone.
"Let's go."
Daniel said as he continued walking forward.
Some guards were standing around to keep people from entering and interfering with the construction, which was almost done. One more night, and then the club would be operational, and the people there were aware that the competitors might do something. But, these guards didn't look to be amateurs and rather young, much younger than Daniel and the others.
"Hey, no one is allowed here."
One of them turned around after noticing that Daniel and the others were approaching them.
"Look, I already said…."
"Oh, so does that mean I should leave?"
Daniel asked, causing the guard to look forward and notice him standing there.
"…," there was a faint pause from the guard before a wide smile and waved his hand, losing the tough atmosphere he'd maintained. "Oh, Daniel! How have you been you little jerk?!"
"Eh, I know you're not calling me the jerk, Steven."
Daniel and Steven seemed to start acting friendly around one another with the older male attempting to ruffle his hair, showcasing their familiarity.
"Well, if you're here to see them, then they're inside," Steven noted, then turned around to notice his friends and team standing there. "Oh, are these your friends and teammates?"
"Yeah, this is my partner, Hunter, Sandra, and her partner, Alyssa. And these are my friends, Ruby, her partner, Weiss, Blake, and her partner, Yang."
"Well, it's nice to meet you all. If you're friends with Daniel, then you're close to us too. You can all go in."
Steven stated, letting them pass, then started going about his guarding business again.
Inside Ruby and the others could see that it was better than it looked on the outside, there were all the things that a nightclub needed, ranging from a bar, sound system, strobe lights, etc., and there was even another floor. Around there was still a lot of people finishing the rest of the renovations and construction, but it already seemed almost complete.
"Wow, I can't wait to come here when it's done."
Yang stated.
"Same, though I don't think that we're old enough for this place."
Alyssa added.
"As long as you're Dani Wani's friend, then I wouldn't mind some VIP treatment."
Everyone was surprised at that new voice, then immediately turned around to find a woman who looked to be in her twenties standing there without making her presence known. It was a surprise for Blake and Sandra, both of whom had experience in those kinds of situations.
"Dani Wani?"
Yang seemed almost on the brink of bursting out laughing.
"I specifically told you to never call me that, Fate."
Daniel replied.
"Oh come on, it's an adorable nickname."
Fate reasoned.
Standing in front of them was a light blue-haired, mixed with red, deep blue eyes, her hair looked long yet groomed not kept tied at all. She was dressed in fashionable attire for a mature woman, wearing a smile and placing a hand right on her hip as she tilted her head at Daniel.
"Y-Yeah, i-it sure it."
Alyssa and the others seemed on the tipping point of laughing, causing Daniel to sigh.
"Well, I can see that Dani Wani made some good friends. But, since people are still working, let's talk in our office."
Fate stated, causing him to groan.
After that Fate started leading the entire group towards her office, which was in another spot hidden on the first floor of the Red Thread.
The inside of the office was luxurious enough to impress Weiss and the others; after being urged to, each of them sat down in the chairs and gave their names. After which, Fate went to the fridge inside of the office, then handed each of them a soda, oddly it was something their group would drink. Once that was done, Fate took a seat behind her desk and opened up the can in her hand.
"Well, didn't think that I'd be meeting Daniel's friends too. Since he brought you here with him, I'm guessing that you're aware of our adorable little Wolf Junior."
"Told you to never call me that either."
Daniel stated, finding himself drinking from the soda in hand.
"Yes, Daniel told us about the fact that he's the Second Wolf. And the fact that he was involved in some business inside of Mistral," Weiss stated. "But, how you connected with that?"
"Ah, an ever so inquisitive response from Weiss Schnee herself," Fate replied, drinking from her can surprising them. "I wouldn't be so good at doing what I do if I didn't know about some big names, like the Schnee Family. If you want I can say the name of your parents and siblings."
"No that's fine."
"Also me and my sisters happen to be from Atlas too, and attended the academy too for a time before leaving during our second year."
"Huh, you attended Atlas Academy, but left after the second year, why?"
"Got bored and left. Besides, those uniforms are bleh."
"Ugh, tell me about it. It was one of the reasons that I decided to come…. W-wait, don't distract me like that?"
Immediately, Weiss found herself getting into the conversation with Fate, almost as if she was getting caught in the older woman's flow.
"Wasn't trying to, just talking with Dani Wani's girlfriend."
Fate stated, finding herself laughing as she stirred her drink, but surprised them as there wasn't the slightest hint of a sign about them dating.
"H-How did you know that?!"
Weiss asked, flustered about that fact being revealed.
"Oh, a woman has her secrets. But, I'll let Dani Wani reveal that I…."
"…used her Semblance," Daniel finished, leaning forward as he stared at Fate. "And please don't use the other part of your Semblance on anyone here."
"Oh, I wouldn't do that to our adorable leader's beloved brother."
"What does your Semblance have to do with knowing whether or not Daniel and Weiss were dating? Can you read minds or something?"
Sandra asked.
"Well, see this can here," Fate asked, as she let go of her can, which was suspended in the air, seemingly by her finger. "My Semblance, Weaver, lets me produce invisible strings that I could use to do things like attaching to things and then control them. I thought that it was just that when I was in Atlas, but then I started learning more and more about what I could do using them. So, this brings me to another question. Has anyone ever read the Red Thread of Fate?"
"Uh no, what kinda of book is that?"
Ruby asked.
"…."
In response to hearing that name, Blake flinched and then seemed to focus on drinking her soda instead of focusing on the conversation. She read the 'Red Thread of Fate' and it was the same as the other books which she read and it was a little bit 'saucier' than most.
"Oh, don't worry your sweet innocent head," Fate stated. "Well, I can see the 'threads' that bind people together as a color. The most lovey and passionate is red, which is rather clear as I look at Dani Wani and Miss Schnee. I don't think that I've ever seen such a deep red thread."
As Fate stated, she could see a red 'thread' that linked Daniel and Weiss, causing the heiress to flush at that comment.
"I can see that the innocent silver-eyed girl and the bodacious fiery blonde are sisters based on the clear green thread that links them together," As Fate stated, a green thread linked Ruby and Yang, which signified their relationship. "This ability does come in handy in our kind of business."
"It also seems kinda intrusive."
Alyssa stated.
"I know, my sisters and Hel told me the same thing told me the same thing," Fate stated, then leaned forward just as the two opened. "And speaking us. Hey, looks who's here."
As Fate said that, both her sisters, in a surprising twist greatly resembled their oldest sister.
The first to enter the room looked calm and serious, with the same shade of hair as Fate, but hers was shorter and tied into a ponytail, dressed in rather functional attire. Behind her, there seemed to be two collapsed blades attached to a magnetic strip on her belt. The second enter looked more cheery yet impassive, with the shortest hair and dressed in casual attire, with what looked to be a wrist-mounted shield on her right wrist.
"Ah, hey, Daniel."
"Aw, Dani you look as handsome as usual."
Both of them announced respectively.
"And you two are about the same as usual, Faith and Fortune."
Daniel replied, introducing the two other sisters.
'Triples.'
Hunter signed.
"Fate, Faith, Fortune."
Blake stated, finding the naming between them a little too on the nose.
"That's right, we're all triples. I'm the oldest, Fate."
"I'm the second oldest, Faith."
"And I'm the youngest, Fortune~"
[The Norn Sisters.]
All three sisters announced, almost as if it was rehearsed.
"Alright, that seemed too much."
Sandra pointed out.
"That's the Norn Sisters, you won't find any other group of triplets like them anymore."
Daniel stated, never getting tired of the bond between the sisters.
"Aw, Dani is such a cutie."
Fortune stated, getting behind Daniel and wrapping her arms around him, almost as if she were cuddling an animal. As soon as that was done she started walking towards her oldest sister.
"Didn't think that Daniel would bring his friends with him. I'm guessing they're aware of his side activities."
Faith stated.
"Yeah, came to the decision that they shouldn't be as in the dark as I initially intended. After getting here, I planned on getting into a team and then going back and forth doing what I needed to do. But, this seemed easier."
Daniel replied.
"Well, I guess that means Helen won that bet because she said that your adorable little brother wouldn't be able to keep up with the lone wolf act. Ah, you guys would love the cute interactions between Daniel and Helen, it's one of the cutest things ever. Besides, I think that the 'older sister' would want to meet her little brother's girlfriend," at the mention of that Weiss again blushed. "Oh, but you'll need to be careful around Vi. If you meet her for the first time, you never could guess that she could be the doting type. Speaking of which…."
Fate seemed to reach into her drawer, then tossed something to Daniel, who caught it without issue. Looking at it, he could see that it was a bunch of macaroons in a bag.
"She wanted to give her little brother his favorite snack."
"Oh, I love these," Daniel happily said, staring at the bag of different colored snacks. "I'll be eating these later. So, why are the ever so popular and famous club owners opening up a club in Vale too?"
"Hm, well with the opening of the Vytal Festival here, I thought that it'd be a great chance to roll in some business," a calm tone came from Fate, and then it turned into a knowing smile. "Plus, it seems as if certain people are going to be causing some trouble in Vale too. So, it seemed like a good chance to gather some important information. But, I have no doubts that some assort group of first-years are aware of that too."
[…!]
Mentioning that it looked as if Fate was well aware that their group got involved with the White Fang, which was a hint of information that the police never revealed. Her eyes and smile further hinted to that being the case, making them wonder how she found that out.
"Well, that aside, it seemed like a good chance as our group's favorite future Huntsman was here too," Fate stated, shrugging her shoulders. "For business, information, and friends, three of our favorite reasons to go from place to place. You see, we're part of a group back in Mistral, which Hel started up when she alone and met Vi called The Pack."
"The Pack?"
Yang asked.
"Yeah, Helen wanted to make a group that could survive even in Lower Mistral, becoming more of a third faction, aside from the Huntsmen and Criminals. So, we deal with the things that the council and Huntsman overlook. And thus, our group soon started shaking up the underworld," Fate explained. "And she wanted to form this group because she wanted a close-knit family, who would be there for one another…and to replace what she lost. Besides, Hel does a good job acting as the 'alpha', there isn't a single person in the group who doesn't respect her. And look, someone who calls themselves the Wolf adores her."
At Fate's genuine comment, Team RWBY and DUSK found themselves, noticing that she and it looked as if her sisters held their leader in high regard.
"Well, we just wanted to call Daniel here, because we wanted to see him again. And if he needs anything then our door is always open."
Faith stated giving a cool smile.
"Oh, and don't forget to come whenever you want to party. It might not seem like something for young teens, but we offer a wide variety of non-alcoholic drinks and can attest that nothing bad ever happens in our clubs. Drugs are also a big no-go for us."
Fortune reasoned.
"Well, if that's everything, then we'll be going. Kinda got in trouble after that small incident with the peer and don't want to attract more attention yet. So…."
Daniel and the others looked prepared to go, but Fate held out her hand.
"Oh before you go, Chrysos wanted me to give you something. A new medicine patented and tested," Fate said, going into her drawer and retrieving a pill bottle. "He said that you might need it."
"Alright, what did that eccentric weirdo make this time?"
Daniel asked, as Fate tossed the bottle towards him, but before he could catch it Yang intervened and caught it.
"Oh, let's see what this is," Yang asked, looking at the description, and then her cheeks immediately turned red, then handed it back to Daniel. "Well, I think I'll return this."
"Jeez, what did he make that was so…," Daniel asked, then read the description and made a sour face. "I'm hurting him the next time I see him."
During this, the other members of Team DUSK and RWBY leaned in and managed to get a look at the description and came as Yang, their faces turned red. Each of them read the description, then pretended as if it didn't exist.
"Uh, what a contracept…?"
Ruby was preparing to ask that question, then Weiss covered her mouth, not wanting to hear it said out loud.
"I have more if you want any. You wouldn't be surprised by the number of people taking the plunge without considering the consequences. I hope they prove useful."
Fate stated, wearing a smile as she teased them.
[Well, we'll be going!]
So, from that the members of Team RWBY (Ruby after being dragged by Weiss) and DUSK almost cartoonishly zipped outside the office. After that, the three sisters shared a laugh at the reaction between the eight of them to receiving contraceptives.
"Oh, Daniel is so fun to tease sometimes. It's hard sometimes considering that he's so mature sometimes," Fate stated smiling. "I do love his friends, a lot of them have their nice little quirks and personalities which makes them likable. I can tell that Hel and Vi would be happy to hear their younger brother is having fun at Beacon Academy instead of worrying about his older brother and other things."
"So, sis, did you look at their other 'threads' too?"
Faith asked, placing her hand on her hit.
"Oh, what would make you think your loving and respectful sister would peep into someone's relationships?"
Fate asked, sounding innocent.
"Because you're our loving and respectful sister."
Fortune replied, smiling at her.
"Oh well, if I must, about as what you'd expect. In their teams, their 'threads' were nothing that says they were just pretending to be close friends. And no signs of that 'thread' breaking. The familial bond between those two sisters is as strong as ours. Friendship and unconditional as strong as anyone in our group."
Fate replied, leaning back in her seat.
"And about their love life."
"Well, I saw the slightest red 'thread' for that Sandra girl, but none for the other two."
"And about the other three in the second team."
"Oh, aside from the heiress, those three likes Daniel. I don't think I would need to use my Semblance to tell that," Fate replied, as the three shared a faint laugh. "I do think that Faunus girl has a hidden kink she reacted when I mentioned the 'The Red Thread of Fate'. Oh, it's always the quiet ones."
"I do wish them the best. I think that Daniel does need some friends and love in his life all things considered."
Faith stated, showing some genuine concern for Daniel.
"Well, we should get our club up and running."
Fate stated, getting from her chair.
"You don't think Daniel should know that Helen wanted us to support him if he needed us."
"He probably thought about that, Helen is a protective sister herself. Besides, the two of them have that in common as she wants to settle the score with the person who destroyed her family."
Fate stated, replying to Fortune's comment, as the three continued preparations for their club.
A/N: Well, this is the end of the next chapter of RWBY – Team DUSK, it was another chill chapter with not much going on but another day at Beacon Academy, while still under punishment. Starting here was the heart-to-heart between Team RWBY, with Ruby playing around with one of Daniel's creations and Yang giving Weiss some advice, which turned her face as bright as an apple. Also, Nora being Nora is all about breaking legs. Inside Glynda's class, there was a match between Daniel and Ren. I think people felt like this, but there hasn't been any moment from him after the time he fought King Taijitu.
Also, there was never a decent explanation or mention of Aura Manipulation in canon, aside from the activation of it and learning to maintain their coating subconsciously. The most information or hints came from interviews and Q&A sessions, despite being their main offense or defense against Grimm, which is what I wanted to show in the Daniel vs. Ren match, seeing as they have strong Aura control.
Aside from that, Daniel and Yang had their heart-to-heart as he tended to Bumblebee, with the two of them going through similar situations, and ended with them having their usual moment of hilarity.
Near the end, Daniel introduced Ruby and the others to the Norn Sisters: Fate, Faith, and Fortune, who are a part of the same group started by Helen, the Pack. And that group will be mentioned and involved with their team more in the future. But, in the end, it seemed as if Daniel received quite the surprise from those three sisters.
Again, if anyone knows about Norse mythology, then you know that the Norns are the "Sisters of Fate", who weaves the threads of fate, measure them, and cut them. And we've seen that the oldest sister can weave threads and see the 'threads' that bind people together.
I wanted to remind the readers that in the RWBY Timeline, or what I could measure and figure out from there, this is the end of Volume 1. Before the start of Volume 2, it was mentioned their group had their semester break after completing the first semester at Beacon.