A few days after initiation, Ozpin found that Violet was living up to expectations in more ways than one.
He watched her as she trained in the basement of Beacon Tower, working on her swordplay against practice robots and, while she would make mistakes sometimes, she otherwise had a natural grasp on the weapon. That wasn't mentioning her Maiden powers…
All Maidens gained an innate understanding of their magic when they received their powers, but they were still only beginners. Experience, skill, and a few other factors separated a new Maiden from a fully realized one. Any Maiden could have minute control of the weather, the elements, and raw magic, but it would take a fully realized one to bend the weather in a greater area, to create powerful twisters, to use skills that rivaled, and in some cases, exceeded his own grasp on magic.
Yet Violet seemed to have more control and endurance than other Maidens. She still had a lot to learn, but she could go a lot longer before needing to rest, and her weeks of using her powers for mundane tasks had actually done a lot to help her control on smaller uses of magic.
Her primary problem was more a lack of attendance; her record was… spotty. Some days she'd show up early or on time, others she'd show up late or not at all. She at least let him know when she wasn't going to show up, but still, it wasn't heartening. When she was there, she was talented and put her all into the training, so Ozpin was willing to overlook the tardiness, even if it meant she missed out on some training. She was still incredibly talented.
Although…
"HAH!" Violet exclaimed as she let out a burst of fire that sent the droids around her to the ground. She planted her sword in the ground, "MELTIIINNGG BLAST!" The ground heated up around her, melting the androids and destroying them.
Subtlety wasn't exactly her middle name.
He was slowly getting her to stop calling her attacks, but habits like that were hard to break. As she stood back up, panting heavily, Ozpin smiled from his place off to the side, hands on his cane in his usual pose, "Very good, Violet. I must say, your creativity with your powers exceeds that of a normal newly initiated Maiden."
She grinned at him and wiped some sweat from her brow, "Eh, it's not really that creative, I just take a bunch of moves I see or read in anime and manga and try to recreate them!"
Ozpin's smile remained, "Every Maiden has their own unique way of gaining control of their power, so don't put yourself down from drawing inspiration from fiction." He nodded, "One way or another, I must say, your view that you were not cut out for combat was clearly mistaken; you're a natural fighter."
Violet lightly blushed at the praise, "Thanks, Professor. I'm still not so sure about that myself. I'm nowhere near Grandpa, he's the one I compared myself to. If I'm not as good as him, then I'm not good enough."
Ozpin hummed, "It's no small wonder you felt the way you did, then. Greyson was an incredible Huntsman, and one with decades of experience; you were just starting out. You can't anticipate being able to move mountains in a single afternoon. You must start with small rocks."
She wasn't so sure, but she wasn't going to argue with him on it. Instead she just nodded, "Alright… So, what's next?"
"We're done for today," Ozpin explained, "You've pushed yourself hard, I can see that, and though your bounteous aura reserves and talent are good for your staying power, you still shouldn't push yourself too hard."
Violet huffed but didn't argue as she sheathed her sword on her back. She felt she could keep going, but who was she to argue with Ozpin? "Alright!" She smiled, "Back to my room."
Ozpin silently wished that she would venture out more, but he wasn't going to tell her what to do. It was her shut-in behaviors that made training her so much easier, and made her much less stressful than Amber. She had a simple, predictable routine. Wake up, play games, train, go back to her room, play games, watch anime, and sleep. Sometimes, at the dead of night, she would leave to go get food from the Dining Hall's kitchen. She didn't interact with the students, which was… a bit concerning, she needed to be more social if she was going to become a symbol of peace, but, well…
Ozpin was certain that things would work out, in the end.
/-/
Two weeks into the semester and Jaune was still wondering what ever happened to Violet.
He thought that maybe he'd ask Ozpin if she failed, but ultimately decided it'd be weird. He'd made new friends, and he was sure someone like her would make more as well! His primary concern lately had been trying to ask out Weiss, but failing every time, along with being bullied by Cardin. That last part was a pain in the neck, but Jaune could roll with the punches.
Not like he had many other options.
Teams JNPR and RWBY had taken to eating together. The teams both fought side by side, and that gave them some common ground to stand on. Between that, and how Ruby and him were friends, it was inevitable. Normally, their discussions were more aimless, Nora telling stories, the others listening but not really believing, maybe someone else pitching in, that sort of thing. However, this time, the conversation was more pointed, specifically, pointed at him.
Maybe in hindsight he shouldn't have been playing with his food forlornly if he wanted to not draw their concern, but he was honestly too tired and down on himself to really care. Pyrrha asked the first question, voice laced with clear concern, "Jaune, are you okay?"
Jaune nodded after returning to reality and looked at her and Ruby, "Huh? Yeah, yeah! I'm fine, no problem." He forced a smile, "Why?"
Ruby looked at him with concern as well, "It's just that you seem a little… not okay."
"Guys, really, I'm fine!" He took his index fingers and pulled his lips upward into a smile, "See? Totally fine." That didn't hide how tired he looked, and he knew that. It did nothing to assuage his friends' worries, and he knew that as well, but what else was he supposed to do? Go to them for help? He was an Arc, he could handle it!
Of course, Pyrrha wasn't going to just let it go, "Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school! It's only been a couple weeks, but dealing with that day after day, it's not something you should be going through!"
Jaune dismissively waved his hand, "Psshh, Cardin Winchester? Pft! Nah! He just likes to mess around, he's just… a prankster!"
Ruby shook her head, "He's a bully."
"Oh, please, name one time he bullied me!"
Pyrrha began to list them off, "Well, there was the time with the locker, the time with your books, the time with-"
"Okay, okay!" Jaune relented, "I see your point, but it's not like I'm the only one he picks on. He's mean to everyone!" He pointed to a poor innocent bunny girl, who was getting her ears pulled, "See? Awful!"
Ruby shook her head, "That doesn't mean you should just bear with it! We want to help you, Jaune."
Nora grinned, "Yeah! We'll break his legs!"
Jaune looked for something to avert their attention, and found his lifeline in the discussion a couple other students were having.
"Hey, you hear the rumors?"
"What, about the Ghost of Beacon Tower? Aren't those just urban legends?"
"A friend of mine said he actually caught a glimpse of her! I'm telling you, I bet she's real. Some ghost girl that stalks Beacon, makes a mess of the kitchen, and then vanishes before morning comes."
Jaune quickly picked up on this, bringing it to the attention of the others, "Hey, have you guys heard that stuff about the Ghost of Beacon Tower?"
Both Ruby and Pyrrha looked like they wanted to brush off his attempt to divert the conversation, but Nora came to his rescue, "Yeah! I hear she died way back, just after the Great War! Ever since, she's been haunting the place."
Ren, holding a leek that he seemed prepared to chew on, commented, "Why would she mess up the kitchen, though? If ghosts did exist, they wouldn't need to eat."
Nora smirked and crossed her arms, as if she'd cracked the code, "Well, clearly she died of food poisoning, or maybe she was just poisoned, and so she takes her revenge every night!"
Weiss scoffed, "That's preposterous. Ghosts? We have semblances, Dust, and aura, sure, but ghosts? Purely fairytales."
"Oh yeah?" Nora placed her hands on the table and gave Weiss a challenging look, which she met with a mixture of apathy and annoyance, "If you're so sure, then why don't you stay at Beacon Tower overnight, huh? If you can make it the whole night, I'll… have Ren make you breakfast every day for a month?"
Ren looked surprised and confused while in the middle of chewing on his leek, "Whuh?" He managed through his full mouth.
Weiss' gaze flashed to trepidation and a tinge of fear for a moment before she turned her nose up, "Very well! If I lose, I'll treat both of our teams to the most expensive restaurant I can find! But that won't happen, because I'm going to win! A Schnee doesn't lose."
Yang pitched in, "This is a matter of honor! Team RWBY versus Team JNPR! Let's all stay at Beacon Tower, and whoever has a member that runs out first loses! Better, if anyone finds the ghost, then they win automatically, if they can show proof!"
Pyrrha smiled, "Well, that sounds fun, don't you think, Jaune?"
Jaune realized that this had gotten away from him very quickly. He hadn't exactly anticipated that this would turn into a bet, but he wasn't going to complain, "Uhm… Y-Yeah! We'll find that ghost, or at least make it the whole night!"
Blake and Ren both half-heartedly agreed, seemingly only due to the rest of their teams agreeing, and thus the plan was set. That night, the two teams would sneak their way into Beacon Tower and set up to stay the night there, with the bravest, or most perceptive, team claiming victory.
Of course, when the time came, both teams were prepared. They were already dressed in their night clothes (Jaune had, at Pyrrha's suggestion, switched to regular night clothes instead of his onesie), and brought sleeping bags, along with flashlights, snacks, their Scrolls, and water. All the things they'd need to survive the night!
It was dead silent outside of Beacon Tower as they made their entrance, through the area of Beacon Tower that would have led to the Headmaster's Office, or the other floors therein, rather than the side that hosted the CCT communications hub. They figured if it was anywhere, it'd be in that part of the tower, where the Headmaster's office was. Why? It just felt thematically appropriate, and there were carpets on the ground of that side as opposed to tiles, so it was more comfortable to sit on.
They sat together in a circle at first, their sleeping bags rolled out so they could sit on them comfortably. Yang made a suggestion, "Soo, anyone want to tell some ghost stories? I'll start!" She began without really asking anyone, "So, once, there was this pizzeria with animatronic mascots. They were very popular with the kids, until, one day… A kid got his head bit off! He became a ghost, and possessed the primary mascot! One by one, other kids died, and then-"
"Yang." Ruby began after swallowing some chips she had been eating, "Isn't this just the plot of Seven Nights at Sam's?"
The elder sister sputtered, "Pssh! No! Because, uhh… These ghosts took over the animatronics, and they… fought crime! By eating the bad guys!"
Jaune snickered, "How is that scary? Crime fighting animatronic robots sounds awesome!"
Ruby grinned, "That's kinda like scaled down Mecha, if you think about it hard enough!" That reminded her of two weeks ago, and the girl she'd talked to. She hummed and looked down, "Hey, Jaune? Do you think Violet's okay?"
"Huh?" Jaune began, taken a bit off-guard, "Yeah, I mean… I didn't see her at the launch pads, so maybe she wasn't able to attend Initiation for some reason?"
"I hope that's it…" Ruby frowned, "I know there were at least two other rounds of Initiation, but I didn't hear anyone by her name getting brought up. If she didn't go to Initiation, that's one thing, but if she did…"
The thought was like ice water down his back, Jaune shook his head, "Wh-What? No, no, don't think like that. Please, don't you think Professor Ozpin would have said something if someone died? Besides, she had a really good semblance, I don't think she'd go down that easily."
Weiss spoke up, "Moving away from that topic, how about another ghost story? Like The Grimm Child? The one about Geists?"
Surprisingly, Blake had something to say about that, "That story's always been popular, but it becomes a bit less scary when you realize that a single Geist wouldn't be strong enough to slaughter an entire town. Even a non-Huntsman guard could take care of one Geist."
Weiss huffed, "I always thought it was scary." She crossed her arms, "Whatever, do you have any ghost stories for us tonight, Blake?"
Blake shook her head, "I don't think ghost stories are the scariest kind of stories. Horror novels can be scary, and really thought provoking, taking an opportunity to exploit the reader's own lack of creativity to take them for a ride in a whole different world."
Yang snickered, "Okay, nerd. You want to tell us anything scary?"
Blake sighed, "Fine, well, there's this one tale that twists an older story, where a princess was born a vampire, and killed people, and the traditional villain of the story became the heroine, a woman who tried to save her kingdom. It all starts on one dark and stormy night…"
Blake began to retell the story of the vampire girl who an old woman tried to kill with an apple after the girl had killed her husband, the king. The story got very dark, going into great detail about the people the girl had killed, and Blake seemed really into it. She was unsure, at first, but once she got into it, she was a very good storyteller.
It raised tension enough that, by the time she was finished, Weiss looked incredibly unsettled, "W-Well… Th-That was a good story."
Nora grinned, "That's super cool! It set the mood perfectly!" She stood up, "Now Team JNPR can go and find the ghost while Team RWBY sits here scared out of their wits!"
Of course, Team RWBY wasn't going to stand for that, so the group all rose, albeit reluctantly in some cases (Weiss primarily). They made their way to the elevator and headed up, first to the second floor. They knew that this side of Beacon Tower had old apartments and other rooms in them only used if they were really needed, so it seemed like a solid place to start.
The lights were off, which meant the group had to rely on their flashlights, shining lights around as they walked down the long hallway. There was an intersection ahead of them, going left or right. Along the way, they opened doors to long-abandoned rooms, finding them either empty or very dusty, shining their lights in them to see if they could find any trace of their ghost.
When they got to the intersection, Yang pointed at something on the right, "Hey, look."
While the others were looking, Pyrrha looked to the left. She caught a glimpse of… something. Something charcoal in color and humanoid in shape just as it disappeared behind a corner. It was so brief that she could have almost believed she was tricking herself, but it still made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, "G-Guys? I think I saw something."
That got the group's attention right back as she pointed to the left, "I don't know what it was, but…"
Weiss huffed as she stepped over, "Are you sure you're not just making it up to try and win the bet because you're scared?" She shook her head, "Pyrrha Nikos, I would have thought-" Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder, which caused her to scream and jump into Pyrrha's arms in an impromptu princess carry.
The group (sans Pyrrha) laughed at her misfortune as Yang wagged her offending index finger, "Weiss, let he who is without spook cast the first coward accusation." She grinned, "Anyway, I say we check it out."
Weiss blushed up a storm, and when Pyrrha looked at her with shock, soon the redhead joined her. Weiss jumped out of her arms and made an effort to look anywhere but at the taller girl, while Pyrrha just rubbed the back of her neck and smiled awkwardly as the group started to move.
They walked down the left path, but found nothing at the end. Nora frowned, "Awwh, it must have left. I guess it is a ghost! This floor's a bust. We should go up!"
The gang was in agreement, and so they departed from the second floor and made their way to the third, which was, much like the second floor, fairly large and full of different doors leading to different rooms, all of the ones they could see were dark as they started to step out of the elevator.
However, as they did, Weiss felt a tap on her shoulder. She sighed and said, "Yang, again? Really?" As she turned back towards the elevator, only to freeze up.
The semi-translucent charcoal colored girl was easily seven feet tall, wearing a tattered looking dress, with long hair and ghostly features. She waved at Weiss, who gasped, and caused everyone to look back and then gasp. The charcoal colored 'ghost' grinned and then looked as if she was preparing to pounce them.
The two teams of Huntsmen-in-Training screamed (even Ren and Blake), before fleeing down the hall. The ghost chased after them, with the groups splitting apart, either into pairs or individuals as the ghost chased them. Weiss ran into an empty room, only to have to immediately run out as the ghost appeared and chased after her, and strangely, it seemed this ghost could split itself into other, smaller, ghosts, as now there were several gremlin sized accomplices also chasing the students.
Into one set of doors, out and into the other, cross-crossing, stopping and changing directions, the two teams were trying everything they could to get away from the ghost, but it seemed like it was dead set on catching them! Jaune was terrified out of his mind, Pyrrha was grinning like this was the most fun she'd had in years, Weiss was whiter than usual, which was incredible! Ruby was so scared she forgot she had a speed semblance she could have used to get away from the spirit, it was utter pandemonium!
The sound of doors opening, slamming shut, being opened again, and repeating, added to the strange chorus of running and horrified yelps or (in some cases) outright screams.
At one point, Nora attempted to corner the ghost, but it just vanished from sight. Another time, Ren thought he might be able to calm the ghost, but his semblance didn't seem to have any real effect on it! Yang thought she might try cracking a joke to win it over, but that only seemed to make it more determined to chase her!
Weiss ran herself into a corner and almost got caught, frozen in terror, but Pyrrha managed to grab her wrist and drag her away! Ruby was having the time of her life, Jaune was scared out of his wits, and Blake was smiling brightly throughout all of this, just like Pyrrha, which the others thought was just as, if not more, scary than the ghost!
The chase was only broken when the group was finally able to reconverge in the hall, with Jaune asking, "What do we do?!"
Weiss, through labored breaths, responded, "We should run! You won the stupid bet! Let's just-"
Nora held up a finger and shushed her, "Wait a sec… do you guys hear that?"
The sound of a bouncy, very hype, pop-song was blasting, muffled by walls and a door. Under the door, they could see lights that were changing color with each beat, and the lyrics could be made out just barely, "Do, do doo~ Yeah yeah yeah yeah~"
Jaune had heard this before, so had Ruby. They shared a look, and Jaune asked, "Is that…?"
The song continued, "I wonder, are you ready to join us now? Hands in the air, we will show you how! Come and try, Carmell will be your guide! So come and move your hips, sing oh-wa-ah-ah!"
Ruby grinned, "Caramelldansen! It's been so long since I've heard this!" They weren't the only ones who noticed, it looked like Nora was about ready to start doing the dance, but Ren put a hand on her shoulder to stave her off for the moment.
Jaune walked over to the offending door and tried the knob, seeing that it was unlocked. The two teams gathered together, the ghost nowhere in sight now, and slowly, Jaune opened the door.
Inside the rather large bedroom, there was a queen sized bed, a dresser, shelves, all the usual stuff, but… the shelves were filled with anime figurines and box collections, there were posters on the walls of various anime characters, and the lights were, indeed, strobing between different colors, slowly enough that it wasn't harmful to the eyes, at the very least.
Laying sideways on the ground facing the door with her eyes closed and mouth slightly open next to the bed, rather than on the bed itself, was Violet, dressed in her usual black pajamas. She was surrounded by several cans of empty Dr. Spicy, and the occasional energy drink, 'ZFuel'.
Now, a logical person would assume she was passed out. However, the group of rattled and adrenaline fueled teenagers jumped to the least logical conclusion, and assumed they were staring at a corpse. So, naturally, they collectively screamed.
"AAAAAAH!"
Violet's eyes flew open as she scrambled, trying to sit up, "Huh?! Wha- I was just taking a nap, Qrow!" She grabbed her scroll and hit a button, turning off both the music and the strobe lights, "I- Oh." She looked at the assembled group and blinked a few times, "Hey. When'd you guys get here?"
Jaune and Ruby gaped at her and both exclaimed, "Violet?!"
This was followed by the others asking with surprise and curiosity, simultaneously, "Violet?"
Then, the charcoal colored specter appeared next to the Maiden, except this time Yuvi looked as she normally did, and caused Jaune and Ruby again to exclaim, "Yuvi?!"
The others added to the chorus, "Yuvi?" as Yuvi re-integrated into Violet.
Violet blinked a few times, "Jaune, Ruby?"
Finally, Nora cheered, "Nora!"
Silence fell over them all for a moment, before it finally seemed to click in Violet's head that there were eight people looking at her while she was in her pajamas, even if said pajamas weren't revealing at all, other than the fact that she didn't have the top two buttons of her top buttoned. She scrambled and grabbed her covers, pulling them down onto the ground over her, and again she asked, "Wh-What are you guys doing here?!"
Weiss stepped forward, the first to regain her wits, "We could ask you the same question. This is Beacon Tower, it's not meant to be an apartment complex… Not anymore, at least."
Violet frowned, her tail swishing against the ground, "I live here! What, do you think I'd just sneak my way into a place like this?" When Weiss didn't immediately respond, Violet squinted, "I'll have you know they asked me to come here."
Blake had the next question, "But… why? These rooms apparently haven't been used for decades, at least, why would they suddenly ask you to move in here now?"
It was a valid question, one that Violet realized she couldn't answer, "U-Uhm…" She already had trouble trying to talk when there were this many people looking at her, now she had to lie?! This was just too much!
Luckily for her, she didn't have to. Instead, Qrow's voice came from the hall, "Hey, hey, hey." He got the eight student's attention as he walked over, dressed in his usual outfit, "What are you eight doing here for?"
Ruby gasped, "Uncle Qrow!" She immediately lunged at him and grabbed onto his arm, "Did you miss me?!"
He smirked at her, "Nope." She slid off his arm as he asked, "Now, you guys mind answering my question?"
The eight suddenly grew sheepish, and Ren began to try to explain, "Uhm…"
Only for Nora to blurt out, "We were trying to see if the Ghost of Beacon Tower is real! Do either of you know about it?!"
Qrow blinked a few times, "Course I do, it's the Shut-In over there. Sometimes she sends Yuvi, that's the charcoal semblance girl there, out to get food for her when it's late and I'm sleepin' or nursin' a hangover. Now, if you guys are done, you should leave, get back to your dorms."
Yang snickered, "I guess Team JNPR was right, there really was a ghost in Beacon Tower, it just wasn't what we thought it was. Guess you're gonna have to pony up, Weiss."
Weiss facepalmed, "It wasn't even- I don't- Ugh, fine… It's my father's money anyway."
Slowly, most of the group began to leave, heading out to gather their stuff, their bet concluded much earlier than anticipated. Most of them, except for Ruby and Jaune, and Qrow began to say, "That includes you two-"
Before Violet said, "N-No, it's okay Qrow." She shifted nervously under her covers, "If they want to stay for a bit, they can."
Qrow paused for a moment before nodding, "Right. Then, I'm gonna make sure the rest of these kids actually leave before goin' back to bed." He yawned and walked off towards the elevator, "Seeya tomorrow."
Once he and the others were gone, Jaune and Ruby turned their attention to the girl. Violet had stood up in the intervening time, and fixed the buttons on her shirt, so she could at least toss the blankets back on her bed without feeling self-conscious, "Uhm… Hey?" She offered with an awkward smile, trying to maintain her fake higher-pitched voice.
Both team leaders walked into the room, pointedly ignoring the mess, and though in the back of their minds they both had known that Violet was most likely alive, the possibility that she hadn't been had been very real. They had only known her for an hour, max, but still, seeing that she was alive was a massive relief; after all, she was their second friend at Beacon.
Both of them hugged her, much to her shock, and her breath hitched. When was the last time she had been hugged? Two years ago, on a Sunday evening, when the weather was overcast and threatening rain, the day her Grandpa left. When was the last time she'd been hugged by someone who wasn't a family member?
Never, she realized numbly. Never.
Jaune admitted, "We were worried about you. We didn't see you at Initiation…"
Ruby added, "Or in class, or around campus. We thought that maybe you'd just decided to quit, but, a part of us also thought…"
To say this night had taken a sharp turn in tone was an understatement, for all three of them. Violet swallowed a lump in her throat, and her voice returned to its natural state, "You guys were…" Her voice grew hushed, "Worried about me?"
"Of course!" Ruby said as she and Jaune stepped back, giving Violet some space, "You're our second friend at Beacon! We were super sad at the idea that you weren't here."
Jaune grinned a bit awkwardly, "I mean, who am I supposed to talk about weeb stuff with? You're the best option!" He laughed awkwardly as well, clearly not used to being so earnest, "Sure, I've got my team, but… you and Ruby were my first friends here. That means something."
Violet smiled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck, "Well, uh… thanks. I'm here, just… living my best life!" She gestured around, "It's an improvement from my old place."
Ruby followed her gesture as she took in the room, "It looks super cool! You get to live here alone? Lucky!" She smiled, "I wish I could have my own dorm. Though, uh, it could do with less soda cans on the ground."
Violet blushed, "Ah… I'll get around to cleaning that later." She meant it when she said it, but she knew she probably wasn't going to actually do it.
"Well, maybe we can help." Jaune suggested, "Not tonight, it's really late, but tomorrow's Saturday, so we can come over and hang out, clean the place up, maybe get Ruby to watch some anime."
Ruby gasped, "That sounds great! What do you say, Violet?"
Now, Violet was not the kind of person to make 'plans', nor did she even feel particularly great about deviating from her usual schedule of mindlessly playing games and watching stuff when she wasn't training, and Saturdays were her day off as well, but… it wasn't like she didn't want to hang out with them. She was just a creature of habit, and she needed to rise above that nature, at least once. So she nodded, "Uhm… sounds good. Though, you guys really don't need to help me clean, I can get it done."
Jaune waved his hand dismissively, "Hey, don't worry about it, it's nothing new to me. I have seven sisters back home, and some of them can get really messy. This place is incredibly tame by comparison." He paused, before remembering his earlier question, "That reminds me… why are you here? Aren't you on a team?"
"Huh…" Ruby scratched her cheek, "Yeah, if you're here, then you're a student, right?" The idea of her being a student made sense to Ruby, but everything else about this situation seemed to shatter that assumption.
Violet grew nervous, "Uhm…" She didn't want to lie, and maybe she didn't have to, but she also couldn't tell them the truth, "Ah… Eh… W-Well, I can't really talk about it… It's not my place to say anything. Ozpin is really the only person who can talk about it, and I'm not sure he'd tell you." She was quick to add, "Y-You really shouldn't worry about it, though, it's nothing major. I'm just another story, you know? Nothing special."
In spite of her mystical powers, she did earnestly believe that.
"Awh, don't say that, Violet." Ruby smiled, "Everyone's got a story worth telling, you just have to figure out what kind you want it to be!" Her scroll vibrated and she checked it, "Oh, that's Yang. I should get back, it's pretty late."
She started to leave, and Violet was left standing there awkwardly with Jaune, who cleared his throat, "U-Uhm, yeah, I should leave too." He had to get enough sleep, because now, other than asking Weiss out again, he was going to be coming up here later, "I'll see you tomorrow!" He waved and left, shutting the door behind him.
Violet stood there for a moment, until Yuvi separated and looked at her, she shrugged in confusion, "I don't get it either, why're they so interested in me?" She shook her head, "Guess there's no point in thinking about it right now…"
Yuvi retreated back into Violet as the girl herself at least made a small effort to fix her sheets before crawling into bed and getting on her scroll with the full intent of reading fanfiction until she was tired enough to sleep.
/-/
As expected, Violet didn't fall asleep until it was around five AM.
That was actually a fairly good time for her when she didn't have anything she needed to worry about doing, it meant she could wake up in the early afternoon and get right back to her usual stuff, and night was closer. She had always been a bit of a night owl… night raccoon? She wasn't sure.
She had time to wake up, go through her morning routine, and then change into a plain black T-shirt, red pajama bottoms, socks, and shoes. Once she was dressed, she grabbed a soda from the minifridge she'd obtained, and started to drink it down.
She'd only just finished it when there was a knock at her door and Ruby's voice came from the other side, "Hey, Violet, it's Ruby and Jaune! Can we come in?"
Violet called out, "Yeah!" As she threw out the can, instead of just dropping it on the ground. She hadn't expected them to enter with Ruby carrying a large trash bag. In response to this, Violet blinked, "It's… not that bad, is it?"
Jaune smiled sheepishly, "It's kinda bad." Violet's face fell, and so he quickly added, "N-Not as bad as some though! It could be worse! You could have clothes all over the place."
"Oh… Yeah." Violet laughed nervously, remembering how Qrow had insisted she at least keep her discarded clothes in the closet, where they were piled high, "Could be worse."
Violet helped the other two as they set about grabbing soda cans, as all the while Ruby talked excitedly about how classes had been going so far. She seemed incredibly into it, and Violet was a little jealous, but when she remembered that classes would mean she'd need to keep a good sleep schedule and do homework, she decided that she was perfectly happy focusing on learning stuff directly from the 'source', so to speak.
With the three of them there, it really didn't take that long to clean everything up, and as they were wrapping up, Jaune suggested, "I think today'd be a good opportunity to get Ruby to watch some anime. Any ideas what, Violet?"
Violet hummed as she stuck another can in the trash bag, "Well, there's always the entry level stuff, like Kamaboko. That might be just the kind of thing Ruby'd like. It's got ninjas, Jutsu, fights, all that stuff. It's super long, but I've been re-watching it using this cut someone on the internet made that really trimmed off a lot of the useless filler. It's perfect for a newbie!"
Ruby gasped, "That sounds amazing! Yeah, let's watch that!" She seemed giddy at the idea, not that Jaune or Violet were surprised, Ruby seemed the type of girl to be really into shonen.
So, the plan was set: once the three had gathered up and disposed of the cans (with Violet making a note to ask Qrow for a bigger trash can so she can avoid the temptation to just toss the cans on the ground), they gathered around Violet's monitors. Violet pulled her chair out of the way and sat down on it while Jaune and Ruby sat on her bed. Luckily, her monitors were large enough for comfortable viewing.
Once the show was on, time began to melt away, lost to the story of a boy with another inside his soul, something Violet felt, with some amusement, wasn't terribly different in concept to what she went through.
Except she was pretty sure the Kyuubi and Yuvi were two very different things, and the Maiden Soul was no beast. 'Kyuubi, Yuvi, heh. Kyuvi?' Violet amused herself with the pun while the first season played out.
During all of this, all three of them offered some commentary on things that happened as they went. Ruby felt terrible for the protagonist's life being so bad, Jaune noted that he admired the boy's determination, and Violet was just pointing out cool little facts relating to the episode as they continued.
Eventually it started getting dark outside, although none of them noticed due to Violet's black out curtains. Jaune only noticed when he checked the time on his scroll, and when he did he blinked a few times and then tapped Ruby on the shoulder before showing it to her.
She gasped and stood up, "Oh Gods, it's getting really late! Jaune and I need to get back to our dorms, or else our teams will get really upset. Uhm…" She scratched her cheek and smiled, "Thanks for showing me that show, Violet, I wanna watch it again with you two soon! Though I won't be able to tomorrow, I'm gonna have to spend all day studying and doing homework."
Violet smiled back awkwardly, "Oh, don't worry about it Ruby! Kamaboko might not be my all time favorite, that's Kami go Kago, but it's still a great place to start. You guys can come around whenever!"
Jaune made a suggestion, "Let's trade our scroll details, so we can keep up." He and Ruby already shared theirs, so it was just Violet giving her info to the two of them, and once it was done, the two bade farewell and left.
Once they were gone, Violet couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied. Today had been different, very different, from what she was used to. She actually got to 'hang out' with people, and showed someone a show she liked, with someone else who had a genuine interest in it. Yes, an oddity indeed, and yet…
She found that she liked it.
/-/
A few days passed, and while the others didn't come over in that time period due to school, they had kept up via text. Violet, in the meantime, tried to keep up with her training during the week.
'Tried' being the operative word.
There were a couple days when she didn't, although Ozpin was understanding. The first one was just a result of oversleeping: with how new all of this still was, it was understandable that she would miss the mark some days.
The second was not a result of that, however.
The second day, it was raining outside, and Violet, as much as she knew she should go to training, and as much as she wanted to, just… couldn't. Her mind was in a different place as she laid on top of her bed, staring at her ceiling. She was already dressed in her combat gear, minus her sword of course.
Perhaps this was strange. No, it most certainly was, she knew that. She wanted to get up and leave, but she found herself sapped of motivation and will. Days like this came and went—they weren't infrequent, and while she had been spared them for the most part at the start of all of this, now that it was routine, it was back.
This not mentioning that her mind was back in her old apartment, and her old life. Did she miss being a lone hikkiNEET? No. Did she miss not having any responsibility? Yes.
Did she miss Citron Greyson Merino?
Every day. Every single day.
She could still see him at the door on that night. She could picture it clearly.
He had been turned away, facing the rain. He had worn a light green cape over his armor, and his white hair had been cropped short. He turned towards her, his face still strong, though his features were marred by crows feet and the ruggedness of age. He smiled at her, told her he'd be back, and then he left.
Violet had always felt that, though he closed the door without any force, it was heavier than ever before that night. Maybe it was her instincts telling her that he wouldn't be coming back.
Did he know that?
She wanted to believe that he didn't, but the way he left that day felt different from normal. Maybe it was a mission he knew he'd likely never come back from, but what was it? She didn't know, and she'd likely never know.
'Grandpa… How am I supposed to live up to you when I can't even bring myself to get out of bed some days? You were always so strong…'
She wished she could go back.
She wanted to stop time and rewind it back so she could tell him not to go on that mission. She wished she could have gone back to, if nothing else, see him in person again, instead of just as a picture on the wall.
He was the first person to show her kindness, the first person to treat her as a person, and the first person to ever truly love her. He was her grandpa, and blood didn't matter, he adopted her, and from that day forward, she might as well have been his own blood. She wished she had been, because her life would have been so different. Maybe she'd actually feel comfortable initiating physical contact with people, or any number of other things.
She was only pulled out of her plodding dark thoughts by a knock at her door, Qrow's voice coming from the other side. His voice sounded a mixture of inquisitive and slurred as he asked, "Violet, you up?"
"Yeah." She responded, still staring at the ceiling, "Come in."
Qrow opened the door, and he looked as if he was about to say something, but then once he laid eyes on her his words died in his mouth. Violet wore a look that wasn't so much sad as it was downtrodden and defeated, forlorn and wistful. He knew that look. Taiyang wore that look when Summer went missing; Yang and Ruby would as well, on occasion, but far less frequently. He had come to scold her for not attending her training, but that idea slipped from his hands.
He thinned his lips as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him, "You're not feeling that great, are ya, kiddo?" He leaned against the door, "Don't try to deny it, I've seen that look more times than I can count."
Violet frowned and looked down at her lap, "Yeah, uhh… I just… couldn't get out of bed today, that's really it."
Qrow hummed, "You thinkin' about your old life?" She nodded, so he continued, "And your old man?" Again, she nodded. She wasn't at all surprised that he knew about Greyson, no doubt Ozpin had told him. He sighed and looked at the ground, "Losing people is tough; losin' your only parent has gotta be even worse. I'm not gonna ask you to tell me what happened, kid, but I am gonna ask what you're plannin' on doing, from here on out. Not just relating to the Maiden stuff, but… in general. What're you gonna do with your life?"
That was a question Violet hadn't considered, "The same as always, I guess. Play games, watch anime, that sorta stuff." She shrugged, "I don't need much to be happy with my life, and if all I need to do is stay here at Beacon, then… I guess this is just where I'll stay."
"There's gotta be more than that…" Qrow began as he pushed off the door and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed, "I'm sure you've got your own reasons for not wanting to go outside so much, but, while we want to keep you here, and in Vale, for now, eventually you'll have to start going further afield."
Violet frowned, "Why's that? As long as I'm here, keeping the power safe, then why should I worry about that? Amber went afield, and she died. I can feel it in my soul." She placed a hand over her heart, "It's… difficult to explain, but… I feel a tinge of her regret. Her wish that she had been smarter."
"Yeah…" Qrow tossed around a few ideas of what to say in his head. His mind had been swimming before, but he wasn't plastered yet, just a bit buzzed. He could shake this off. He eventually found what he wanted to say, "Amber wasn't ready to go that far afield alone. She hadn't fully realized her powers, or even gotten close to it. She got those powers and thought she was ready to take on the world, but…" He took a deep breath, "Kid, there's something that you need to reconcile with. You're not just a normal girl anymore."
He waved his hand, as if dismissing what she hadn't said yet, "I know, I know. You know that, but do you really know that? Kid—No, Violet. You've got power only rivaled by four other people on Remnant, and Oz ain't the spring chicken he used to be. The Maiden Soul contains a piece of every Fall Maiden that's come before you, and each one had their own life they lived, their own legacy they claimed."
He looked down before looking her in the eyes as she looked at him, soaking in his words. He continued, "You've got the power to one day drown a whole village just as soon as save it, one day, you'll be strong enough to fight the biggest, toughest, meanest Grimm around, and hardly break a sweat. When you cry, the sky will cry too, and when you're happy, the clouds will part. People might call you a goddess some day, if they learn of that, but you're still just a girl.
"This power a' yours… Sure, you could stay here, never venture out, play it safe, but… Is that what you really want? It's time you looked inside yourself and started asking the real questions, who are you, just a shut-in? The Maiden of Choice? A hero? Something else? What do you, whoever 'you' is, want?"
…She hadn't thought about it that way before.
Admittedly, getting magic and then being told about it maybe should have made her think about it, but she'd never really let it entirely sink in. The gravity of the power she'd been given was very large, the abilities she had… They weren't just a semblance, or Dust. It's magic, and when taken out of a fairy tale and placed into reality, she couldn't help but wonder, would she really be doing good by just staying inside?
She spent all day watching and dreaming of heroes, when in reality, she realized, she'd been given the means to become one herself. She could chase her dream, and grab it, but what did that mean, really? To follow in Greyson's footsteps? Violet didn't have a high opinion of herself, her powers were meant to help people, and just because she had great power didn't mean that she herself was anything exemplary.
That self-doubt wasn't going to go away in a day. She'd had it for a very, very long time, and she was, admittedly, scared to imagine what life would be like without it. Without the sadness and the isolation, without the security of her routine. This life that she'd been thrust into was only just now really beginning to settle into her mind as being what it was, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.
…She was going to need time to think.
Violet thinned her lips as she looked away, breaking eye contact, "I… I need to think." The feeling was setting into her now, and she wasn't sure she liked it.
Qrow nodded and stood up, "I'll let Oz know you're doing some thinking." He started for the door, "Take all the time you need, kid. I'll bring something up for you from the Dining Hall in a minute."
"Qrow?" She asked softly, causing him to look back at her. She remained looking down, but still she muttered, "Thank you."
In spite of himself, Qrow smiled, "Don't mention it, Pipsqueak." He turned back to the door, walked out, and left Violet to her own devices.
She laid back on the bed, but now her thoughts were very different.
Above her appeared a ring of elemental and magical orbs. They spun in the air as she watched them, and she couldn't help but contemplate how such a small ability was something only four other people could do.
She clenched her hand into a fist, and the orbs joined together into one multicolored ball, which she brought down as she opened her palm again, letting it float above it for a moment. She blew some air on it, as if she were sending out the seeds of a dandelion.
The magic scattered harmlessly in front of her, briefly obscuring her vision, yet when it cleared, she found she wasn't alone in the room.
There was a woman standing there, an ethereal orange glow surrounding her. She had dark skin, brown eyes, neck-length brown hair, and wore what could best be described as traveler's garb: a blouse, travel pants, boots, a green cloak, and gloves.
Violet knew who she was, even if she'd never really met her before. She muttered the girl's name, "Amber."
Amber nodded, "Hello, Violet Merino." She smiled slightly, "I've been waiting for a good opportunity to speak to you. The Maiden Soul and yours are one and the same now, true, but us, the spirits of the past, can't apparate whenever we please."
"Uhm…" Violet began, sitting up, "You're… here? When I was told you're part of me now, I didn't think I'd ever actually see you."
"Don't worry, it's not going to become habitual. We only appear when you need us." She stepped closer and extended out her hand, "Take my hand."
Now, Violet was fairly certain that one shouldn't take the hand of a random phantom, but considering this one was a part of her soul, she'd make an exception. She held out her hand and took Amber's, and as she stood, the scenery around her seemed to melt away and shift.
Soon, she was standing in a forest with autumnal leaves and a strange sense of serenity to it. It reminded her of what she'd seen of Forever Fall online, but she doubted Forever Fall would feel like this. She looked around, and a realization came to her, "Is this…?"
"Your soul?" Amber responded, letting go of Violet's hand, "Yes. Although, only one part of it. The part that is Fall. There is more…" She gestured down the path they were on, and Violet could see it. As if the forest suddenly stopped, and gave way to… her bedroom back home?
The lights were off, and the room was still, as if waiting for her return. She sighed softly, "You know… I once said to a friend of mine online that I'd have liked there to be an endless fall. Fall was always when Grandpa would make sure to avoid taking any missions: something about the 'slow season.' After he left… I guess part of me still wanted it, just… for a different reason." She looked up at the trees, and watched as some leaves fell.
One slowly drifted down to her, and she held out her palm, letting it rest there as it came to a stop, "Except… I always told myself that an endless, forever, fall would mean he'd come back, because of the slow season. Now?" She frowned softly, "I don't really know what I want anymore."
Amber smiled, "In a situation like yours, I'd be more surprised if you didn't err, you've been shouldered with a great responsibility, after all. Being bade to stay where you are may soften the blow, but you still have these powers, and you know the current circumstances won't last forever."
Violet stared at the leaf in her hand, and then a gust of wind picked it up and sent it forward. The leaf danced in the wind, and in a blink, the leaf was gone. In its place was a young maiden, with light brown hair that was barely neck-length, burnt orange irises, the color of fall, and fair skin. She wore a long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a brown short cape that tied around her neck and stopped at the small of her back. She wore a long, dark-brown skirt, matching stockings, and boots.
Violet had never once met the woman before, much like Amber. Yet, just like Amber, she knew who she was, "Fall."
"Yes." The girl responded, walking over, "Is it not beautiful? Not just this place, but the world outside of it. My sister once told the old wizard such, how there's so much to love about this world."
"Maybe." Violet responded, looking away from the taller girl, "There's also a lot of evil, a lot to hate. Not even just on the level of villains trying to take the powers of Maidens for themselves, but… There are everyday people, who don't want to destroy the world, who are still spiteful and evil."
"Is that not more reason to do right by the world?" Fall offered, placing a gentle hand on Violet's shoulder, "It's so easy to be mean, to be bad, to be selfish. It's so much harder to be nice, to be good, to be selfless. The power you have, however, is the power to do good easily."
"That doesn't make it easier to want to do good." Violet shook her head, "Great power comes with great responsibility, but… neither of those things mean one is automatically quicker to be pleasant. This power could be used for evil, in the wrong hands…" She looked at her own.
Amber walked over to the other side and placed her hand on Violet's other shoulder, "But you are not the wrong hands. The woman who killed me… She is the one who would have done evil, and with power meant for good, she'd set the world ablaze, but not you."
Violet frowned, "She doesn't have the power to do anything like that anymore, I'm sure she could be taken out by a Huntsman like Qrow. If she had a way to try and take your power, isn't that more reason for me to stay in my room and avoid her? Let the professionals take care of it."
Fall giggled softly, "Perhaps. Perhaps you don't need to do anything, perhaps the world is safe enough now that the power of the Maidens is out of her hands, but tell me, if she could try to take that power from Amber, what's stopping her from trying to take it from one of the souls that started with my sisters? Fall is safe, but Winter, Spring, and Summer are still out there, and doubtless they are targets as well."
Amber continued, "We're not suggesting that you leave and go to find them, that's foolishness. We're suggesting that you keep in mind that just because the world is safe right now, that doesn't mean it will always be safe. If the time comes when it is on the precipice, then…"
"I have a duty to protect it." Violet sighed softly, "I guess so. That tells me what to do as a Maiden, but not as a girl, as a person." She looked up at the treetops, "But I guess that's for me to find out, isn't it?"
Fall nodded, though Violet couldn't see it, "Each of us had these powers and still tried to find our own way as people. Some succeeded, others didn't. Inevitably, Violet Merino, you too will have to find out who you are, but it doesn't have to be on your own."
Violet looked forward, and afterimages of the friends she had only made recently appeared, walking to and fro, looking at the trees. She saw Qrow, too, leaning against one tree, and Ozpin with his hands on his cane as he looked up at the sky. Amber continued, "You have people who care about you now. Friends, mentors, potentially more, in time. You might not have known them long, but they'll still be willing to help you, to look out for you. I know they will. My mistake was not making any friends, never having anyone watching my back… I plead with you to not make the same mistake."
"I… I'll try not to." The idea of having friends was both comforting and a little scary. She had Jaune and Ruby, true, but more? It was a big change, to have physical friends, and not just internet ones.
"We're not suggesting you go out and try to save the world, or even go out and be a hero right now." Fall cautioned, "You're still new to all of this. You need time to train, time to grow, time to become the person you want to be. Then, and only then, will you be truly ready to step out into the wider world and become what you must, the Maiden of Choice."
"Right…" Violet couldn't help but smile softly, "...I'm still going to watch anime and play games for the most part. That's just my lifestyle, who I am. If I have to take a break to save the world, so be it, but… I'll never stop doing what I love."
Both Amber and Fall giggled, before Amber said, "As you will, Violet. You're a strange one, but…" The leaves began to flurry, picked up by the wind, growing in number as they began to overtake Violet's vision.
The last thing she heard Amber say was, "Perhaps that's for the best."
When it all settled, she was back in her room, sitting on her bed.
The spirits of Fall gave her a lot to think on.
The Maiden Fire ringed her eyes, and Violet created a small flame in the palm of her right hand, before it gave way to a small outcropping of ice, that in turn became a ball of water. The water turned to a ball of stone, before being crushed into itself by gravity. Finally, the ball melted away into an orb of pure magic, glowing a rainbow of colors. Violet still had a lot of problems, and she was far from saying she was a hero, she didn't think that title was something she deserved. A shut-in turbo hikiNEET? A hero? Hah!
Still…
"Grinding at level seventeen?" Violet hummed with a smile as she closed her hand on the ball of magic, quenching it, "Yeah… I can do that. At least I'm not level forty or something like that…" Not that one couldn't grind at that level, but it was bound to be slower. She took a deep breath and exhaled as the fire ringing her eyes like a mask quenched itself, her mind was swarming with things to think about, questions to ask and answer, dreams long buried brought back to the surface. Yet, for the moment, one thing above all others was on her mind…
"I better not have missed the new Jojo episode because of all of this."
/-/
Elsewhere in the city of Vale, in one of the ritzier, older, clubs in the city, Roman Torchwick sat in a VIP booth.
Next to him was his second, Neopolitan, a small smirk present on her face as it usually was, and across from them was none other than Cinder Fall, who looked incredibly annoyed at the other two.
Roman chewed his cigar before chuckling, "So, let me get this straight. That 'great power' you were talking about… You don't even have it?"
Cinder growled, "It got away from me. Temporarily. I will have it sooner rather than later."
"And you've come to us about this… why? Just to tell us those Dust heists were a waste of our time?" Roman smirked, "I gotta admit, Cinder, without these 'god-like powers' you were talking about on our first meeting, you're about as scary as a puppy. Why should I listen to you about any of this?"
"Shut up!" Cinder slammed her hand on the table and stood up, only to freeze when the sound of dozens of guns being drawn and aimed at her filled the club. It seemed like just about everyone was armed, and completely ready to gun her down. She growled and sat back down as Torchwick waved for the others to lower their weapons. She calmed herself down with a sip of wine before continuing, "You've been promised great riches, and I won't go back on my word. My employer has the possibility to make you the most powerful man in Vale, but before we can take that step, there's something else I need you to do. Think of it as… another job."
She leaned forward, "You've got eyes and ears in all corners of the city, nothing happens without you hearing about it, except for in that damned academy. I need you to put those resources to work. I need you to find Fall. We don't know who she is, but the power I've mentioned and the way it manifests should be enough to identify her."
"And when we do?" Roman asked, taking his cigar out of his mouth and blowing some smoke in the air.
Cinder smirked, "Simple…
"I need you to capture her, by any means necessary."
