15
Carmine waited outside in the crisp morning air, eye closed as the students changed into their combat outfits for her class. She loved her class, and not out of some sadistic inclination. No, she loved her class because it let her run. She loved running. There was just something that made life simple when she ran.
And she got to share it with her students whether they liked it or not.
Oh she was aware of how much they despised her. It was hard not to with the glares leveled at her so early in the morning. That was fine, she would rather they live and hate her than not have the skills to survive anyways. She still could see the sight of Beacon in ruins on the back of her eyelids, just one memory added to a long list of tragedies she had personally witnessed.
But even those memories weren't enough to get her down on that particular morning, she was still riding the high of meeting Jaune again. That bubbly, elated feeling in her stomach just wouldn't go away and she found herself smiling.
Slowly Carmine opened her eye to look at the students, the class was certainly a bit bigger than before with the transfers arriving for the Vytal Festival. Glynda had warned the staff about it earlier along with a reminder that the dance was coming up and that chaperone roles were being held open for volunteers. At the least she knew Oz and Glynda would be there along with Ironwood. She supposed she should go as well and made a mental note to sign up with the Deputy Headmistress.
Her eye roved over some of the new familiar faces she saw. Standing over by RWBY were Sun and Neptune along with what looked like the rest of their team. Team FNKI was off in the back, she'd have to tell Neon to put her roller blades away for this class.
Her good cheer died an ugly and violent death as her eye settled on a few familiar faces. Carmine wasn't expecting them but she really should have and it took every ounce of her willpower to plaster a now fake smile on her face and move on away from them.
Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald were there. Of course she spotted Neo in disguise but she'd come to terms with the mute girl, for the most part. She was lucky she had a few extra minutes to compose herself as the last few students filed out of the building. She set them on to doing a light warmup while her mind raced.
They had planned for this, she knew she had to avoid reacting but it was so very hard to resist the urge to cut the woman down immediately. All that suffering and pain she had caused, all with a damnable smile on her face. Mercury wasn't too much better, the sociopath he was. She wasn't sure what his story was and wasn't sure if she could bring herself to care. He had sided with Cinder.
Though maybe she should. Emerald had been taken in and manipulated by the woman, it was possible Black had been as well. At least the girl had been honest about turning her life around, such a shame it had been cut short by Callows. Perhaps they should give the two of them a chance, but given what she knew of Emerald Sustrai, the girl thought the sun shone out of Cinder's backside, at least for now.
Tearing her eye away from the team she forced it on to team JNPR where Nora and Pyrrha were looking bright eyed and bushy tailed next to their male teammates. That was to be expected, the two had taken to her training like fish to water, Pyrrha always did love pushing herself to her limits and seemed pleased that Carmine didn't show her any favor. She didn't show anyone any favors.
With the warmups out of the way, she started pushing them onto their runs, many had taken to pacing themselves and she saw that they didn't. The purpose of the exercise was to test your limits and they didn't have time for a marathon. Instead she ran with them, setting a brutal pace and threatening any that were slow enough that she might lap them. By the end of the half hour everyone was at least flushed and panting if not outright on the verge of collapse. With a bit of pride, she saw that no one had fallen to the ground. Every student was still walking.
Well except the new transfers.
Sun was on the ground spread eagle in the grass next to a suspiciously still Neptune. It did please her to see that among Cinder's team, Black was the only one still standing. Cinder's normally composed face was bright red and sweaty, the woman even shot her a glare that she returned with a vicious one of her own. Carmine had half an hour to process it and seeing the woman so disheveled helped her. It was the first step in her promise to end the woman, Emerald and Neo just happened to be caught in the crossfire. The poor mute girl was the worst of the bunch. Flexible she may have been but she was not as well trained in stamina as the others.
"Good work everyone." Carmine announced with a broad smile as she ignored Cinder, "Now for those of you experiencing this for your first time I wanted to let you know that this is what is in store for every session. Though this class is voluntary, especially for those of you from abroad. My goal is to get your fitness up to the level I approve of."
"But Prof." Sun croaked from his back, "We're already fit."
"Oh? She asked innocently, "Then how come I'm standing here and you're on the ground?" Sun grumbled but didn't refute her point as she turned to the rest of the class, "Go ahead and rest up for fifteen minutes. You all know the drill, wind down, don't stop. That means those of you on the ground need to get up and walk around slowly. If you don't, you'll regret it later."
A chorus of agreements rang out and she started strolling around the students, stopping by team JNPR, "Hey there JNPR."
"Hello Professor Rose." Pyrrha Nikos smiled politely.
"Good job Jaune." Carmine addressed their leader, "You're on your feet today. Nice improvement."
The blond could only nod, not trusting himself to talk as he rested his hands on his knees and breathed. She caught the brief flash of pride in Pyrrha's face and it brought a bittersweet memory to mind. The poor girl really was over the moon at Jaune. While she'd never quite seen what Nikos had seen, she at least respected her taste. Jaune was a good person, more than Pyrrha knew yet, and a very dependable friend.
Carmine had never seen him happy since the Fall of Beacon, that was for sure. Between blaming himself for Pyrrha's demise and his own weakness he'd become a driven but bitter person. Her Jaune had, though she still loved him dearly like all of her friends. Teasing the inside of her cheek she considered the young woman in front of her. She'd been so busy that she hadn't given much thought to Jaune's team but seeing her Jaune had brought back more memories than she'd thought possible.
Beacon wouldn't fall, so team JNPR should stay together but perhaps a nudge might help. After all, it was painful to watch the girl dance around her feelings like a puppy waiting for scraps at the table. A world renowned fighter like Pyrrha freaking Nikos shouldn't be such a docile person when she had a crush and the fact that Jaune was denser than lead made the situation all the worse.
"Miss Nikos, could I have a word while we take a break?" She asked surreptitiously.
"Of course Professor." Ah, ever reliable Pyrrha, too polite to refuse. Carmine wrapped a friendly arm around her shoulder and dragged her away from the group.
"I just wanted to ask how you're getting on with your team and all of that." She stated.
"Why me, though?" Pyrrha asked in confusion laced with suspicion.
"Oh you know." Carmine led her a distance away to one of the trees nearby, leaning against it to face the young woman, "Ruby's my younger sister, and your leader is her friend so…"
"Then why not talk to Jaune?" She shot down Carmine's reasoning.
"Because Ruby can handle her friend better than me."
"Then have I done something to stand out?" Pyrrha raised her eyebrow.
"Not really and that's the problem."
"Pardon?"
Carmine grinned wolfishly, "I'm saying that if you really wanna date Jaune you should just ask him out already."
"Excuse me?!" Pyrrha shouted, then covered her mouth, glancing around as her face burned red. Though the pair earned a few glares, nobody bothered to listen in to their conversation. They wouldn't dare risk punishment on top of the exercise they had just completed. Carmine had a reputation to uphold, after all.
"You're excused." She said, "But seriously. You should stand up for yourself and ask him out."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Professor." The redhead's eyes were wandering everywhere but forward, "This is highly inappropriate to discuss with my teacher."
"Oh come on, Cereal." Pyrrha started at the nickname, "It's just some girl talk. Besides, I have a vested interest in seeing your team happy. I'm rooting for you, you know?"
"You are?" The girl paused, meeting her gaze with her bright red face, "You think I have a chance?"
Carmine snorted, "Yeah. Jaune is just dense, so you have to be blunt and obvious with him. No hints or beating around the bush."
"But what if…" Pyrrha chewed her lip, "What he doesn't feel the same way? He's head over heels for Weiss."
"He thinks he is." Carmine amended with some insider information, "Not only does she not see him that way but his crush on her is pretty shallow. Just… Look, Pyr, Just ask Jaune to the dance. It's coming up, right?"
Pyrrha nodded to her.
"Excellent. Just ask him to the dance and see what happens. Hey, if things go well maybe even seal the night off with a kiss." Carmine mimed a kissing motion and Pyrrha 'eeped'.
"I have to go, Professor!" Carmine laughed as the red headed girl walked stiffly away, blushing from ear to ear.
Maybe if she just put the thought in her head things would move along a bit faster this way. At the very least Pyrrha might not make a move as long as she wasn't in a do or die situation. The poor girl needed a push.
Maybe she was meddling but she felt she could be forgiven. Pyrrha had died far too young, all of her friends had. The girl deserved a shot at happiness and so did Jaune. She would push them towards each other but the rest would have to be up to them. After all, Pyrrha would still end up a target.
She was going to become the Maiden. Sure Carmine could probably accept the power but she knew the power did not play well with her own, so they weren't sure she could even inherit it. She'd already had a chat with Oz about it. Not only was Amber slowly dying but the transfer process was relatively untested. Oz wasn't going to risk it. Pyrrha was a good candidate and if she had them all to look out for her she would be safe.
It was a shame Amber was dying but she couldn't really do anything about it.
Carmine paused as a thought struck her.
No way.
It was possible, maybe, that she could do something. Or rather not her but someone else. She needed to talk to Ozpin and Jaune, her Jaune, immediately.
-SY-
Carmine looked up and around the massive space she found herself in alongside Qrow and Ozpin. There were braziers lining large square columns that barely lit up the space, the light fading into the darkness that didn't allow her to even really see the ceiling. Far in front of her lay a large device like a set of human sized tubes with glass fronts. One of the two tubes was occupied, though from a distance she couldn't make much detail of the woman's face.
The last time she'd seen the vault was with Oscar, shortly before the evacuation of Vale to Vacuo. Carmine had never laid eyes on the device nor its occupant, who she had only heard about from Jaune. It was a creepy thing, as they approached it, beeping out occasionally to indicate its life preserve functions were in fact functioning.
Through the glass she could see the marred visage of Amber lying unconscious in the tube. What looked like burns formed an almost web-like pattern on the left side of her face, her chest, slowly rising and falling, being the only sign she was still alive. She felt a pang of sympathy for the poor woman who looked to be close to her age.
"Amber only had the Fall Maiden's power for a few years before she was attacked." Ozpin filled in, as if reading her mind, "We are lucky that Qrow found evidence of them tracking her and was able to intervene in time to save her life."
"Not lucky enough to keep her from ending up like this." Qrow added, kicking at the floor with a sour expression on his face.
"Relax Uncle Qrow, I'm sure she'd thank you if we can end up saving her life." She placed a hand on his arm, patting it and he looked away.
A red and black portal swirled into life, swelling to disgorge a blond man with a lagomorphic mask attached to his belt. Qrow tried not to look irritated but somewhat failed at that, much to her amusement.
"It's a pleasure to meet with you, Mr Arc, and I thank you for entertaining this idea." Ozpin stepped forward with his hand extended to greet Jaune.
Jaune sighed, shaking Ozpin's hand, "Yeah. Though I will warn you I can't guarantee anything."
"That is more than fine." Ozpin replied and there was a hint of grim desperation in his voice, "I am grateful for even the slimmest chance of saving Amber. What of Miss Branwen?"
"Raven is staying in Vale." Jaune replied, "I don't think it's a good idea for me to be seen in Beacon and she doesn't want to see either of you."
"I see." Ozpin accepted though Qrow flinched at the words, "Very well then. Shall we begin?"
With a nod he turned to the woman in the tube, pausing to take her in. Carmine thought she knew why, the last time Jaune had seen Amber, she had died and Pyrrha not long afterwards. It probably brought back bad memories.
Ozpin moved over to the console nextled between the tubes, typing in some commands to open the pod, the door swinging upwards with a hiss of pneumatics. Amber's skin was plaid and she was starting to look gaunt. Carefully, Jaune put his hand on her arm, channeling his semblance. Carmine watched as the familiar white glow of his aura formed a corona, came out of his hand, turning into an orange color and spreading into Amber.
Both Qrow and Ozpin watched on in silence, her uncle's expression one of near awe. He'd been doubtful when she had explained Jaune's abilities to them. Ozpin, on the other hand, had been cautiously optimistic, believing it worth a shot.
Qrow was probably still upset about Jaune and Raven teaming up. He'd been rather vocal when she'd pulled them all into a meeting to tell them about the fact she'd met her friend and that he'd also somehow ended up in the past with her. The immortal was rather accepting of the news, though if you had one impossibility on hand, a second one wasn't much of a jump.
Minutes passed in silence as the three of them watched Jaune amplify Amber's aura. The goal was to amplify her aura enough that it might bring her out of the coma and away from death's door. It was teanse as they watched the orange aura infuse the woman, spreading across her body and sinking into it. She'd seen it many time but it was always a comforting glow.
The silence was broken by Jaune gasping as his aura flickered and almost failed. He pulled his hand away, staring at the dying woman. She half expected her to gasp in air, or for her eyes to flicker open. Instead the minutes ticked by as they watched and nothing happened.
"I've done what I can." Jaune slowly said, "But there's this…. Hole in her soul. I can feel it like a drain, siphoning away her aura. Like something was ripped out of her. My semblance can extend her life but unless we can patch up that hole, she will die."
"Then it's simple." Carmine stated matter of factly, "We kill Cinder."
-SY-
Doctor Charles Greene waited with baited breath as the massive box was wheeled into the room. It was set gently down with a hefty thud, the wooden crate easily over five feet tall and three wide and deep. The excitement was palpable, he could still remember his shock when the photos had come across his scroll of a team of huntsmen that had found the thing. Greene was extremely thankful the team had an eye for history and had recognized its potential value, sending the photos back to Mistral where they had found their way back to him.
He and his assistant worked to pry the front off the crate exposing it's contents for him to inspect. The photos really hadn't done the object any justice as it took his breath away. Sitting nestled within was the most detailed stone statue he'd ever seen.
"Wow." His assistant, Margaret, whispered, "She's gorgeous, in a terrifying way."
Yes, she had a point. The statue itself was different from others, the depiction being of a snarling, angry woman garbed in some kind of dress or robe.
"Are you sure it's authentic?" Margaret asked, "It looks…. New."
"It does." Doctor Greene agreed, "But it was found near the ruins of Orthrus, which is Grimm-infested. There's no reason for any kind of prank or deceit."
The Huntsmen had donated the statue out of deference to history, so he didn't suspect them of foul play. No, this statue was a mystery he was salivating at tackling. An utterly pristine piece found near ancient ruins that dated back over five hundred years ago. However, as he examined the piece, he shook his head. The carving style did not match any of the art that came from Orthrus. In fact it reminded him of another depiction and her pulled up the files on his scroll, flicking through them until he settled on one in particular.
"What do you think Margaret?" He held the scroll near the statues face so that she could compare the picture to the piece.
"Hmmm." She hummed as she narrowed her eyes, "I think it could be a match. But that statue was found in Vale and dated back over two-thousand years ago. How could one end up near Orthrus?"
The picture he had pulled up was one of a statue from a kingdom built and toppled long ago. Records they could find indicated the woman was revered as a god-queen, though her name was lost to time. It was a rather famous mystery in his field. Although the woman in front of him appeared angry he could see the similarities in jaw structure and brow shape, a rather unusual trait for those of this region. Perhaps Orthrus had found it and carried it away? It might be evidence of ancient kingdoms perform their own brand of archeology or anthropology.
He needed more opinions and he knew just who to go to. There was an expert in Vale who was rather renowned in the field, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck. If anyone could share insight it would be him.
"Let's remove it from the crate and get some good photographs." Grabbing the crowbar he set to work removing the wooden trestle it was in. It was the work of a good half hour to carefully extricate the statue but once he was done it stood majestically in the center of the room and he pointed some lighting at it in order to take high definition photographs. By the time they were done with the meticulous work he had dozens of shots that he loaded onto a small card and handed to Margaret.
"Here you go, Margaret." She accepted the card, "I want you to send those files to Dr. Oobleck in Vale. He should be residing in Beacon. I'd also like you to attach my communications info so that we can correspond."
The younger woman left with the storage card, leaving him to observe the statue in it's entirety. The craftsmanship really was of another world. He leaned in to examine the 'clothing' which was an extremely thin cape-like attachment that hung from her shoulders. The technology to carve it didn't even exist in the modern era, much less five-hundred or more years ago.
"You are going to turn this field on it's head." He murmured half to himself before noticing something, a crack running along the arm from wrist to shoulder, "What?! How did this happen? This wasn't in the photos!"
It must have happened in transit, those buffoons. Didn't they know what the word 'fragile' meant? He turned to his work table, searching for something to secure the statue in the hopes of finding something with which to bind and secure it from further damage. He'd be having stern words with the courier company that delivered it.
A loud crack echoed from behind him and her heard a thrud as a part of the stone his the floor, whirling around he saw the arm in pieces, the statue wobbling back and forth. With a cry he leapt forward to catch the unbalanced statue but was far too late to stop it from toppling. It was with a sickening crash that it fell, shattering into several large pieces. The head rolled away from the torso and he felt his heart shatter with it.
It was too late. Potentially the discovery of a lifetime ruined before his eyes. Greene would go down as the fool who let it be destroyed. He almost didn't notice when the pieces started glowing a soft golden light. To his utter shock the pieces began to move, the stone disintegrating and morphing into one congealed mass.
The figure resolved into a feminine figure and then even further into a woman, the same woman from the statue but starkly naked. She stretched her arms elegantly above her head, cracking her neck as if waking from some kind of nap.
Salem regarded her surroundings carefully, her eyes settling on the human on his knees before her. He was speechless and unassuming, trembling on the floor. Humans cowering before her was no new sight so she paid it no mind, instead taking in the room with it's bright lights and wide space. There were various statues and other ancient looking artifacts around on the desks or standing by themselves near walls.
The man's eyes were bugged out, his mouth opening and closing but no sound came out and he pointed at her rather rudely. Salem stuck her hand out, content to summon the Grimm arms to suitably impress upon him the situation he was in but no circle appeared and no black appendages stretched forth to seize the man.
It was then that she noted something rather strange. The first was the lack of clothes on her body, the cool air of the room making her shiver, while the second, and more important in her mind, was her arm. Oh it was there, of course it was, but the problem was it's color. It wasn't the stark white color she had grown used to but a pale pinkish color, its original color. Looking down she noticed that her entire body was the same.
"Mirror." Salem whispered, before glaring and snarling at the sniveling man, "MIRROR!"
He was shocked into action, pulling out his scroll and switching on the camera the front facing lens displaying a picture of the one holding it and he gave it to her with trembling hands. Salem snatched it away and gazed into it, eyes widening at what she saw.
Staring back at her was the appearance of a youthful woman with pale blond hair and bright blue eyes.
A/N: And here you have one of the final big surprises that maybe you saw coming, maybe you didn't. See it would be far too convenient for Ruby and Jaune to have been transported into the past. No, everyone in that fight was.
