I saw MHA movie 4, pretty fun. I have thoughts to share on Tuesday.
Anyways, please enjoy this chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
"...and that's how we met Rex." Ben finished. "That's...that's just the lettuce in the middle of this 'story sandwich'."
"Story sandwich?" Blake repeated, making a face at the comparison.
"What, you never learn that in school?" Ben scoffed.
"Not that specific wording for it," Blake admitted.
"I'm still glad that you two got together," Max said with the proudest grin he could as he pointed between Ruby and Ben.
"It was only a matter of 'when' back then," Yang chuckled.
"Hey, they got together too!" Ben pointed at Yang and Blake. "Sure, you don't know Blake all that great, but you probably picked up on the vibe they had some spark of romance together."
Max shook his hand a bit. "Sort of."
"Only sort of?" Ben asked, only getting a nod from his grandpa, "Fine. But...it was after that that things kinda started to go south."
"The biggest thing was the Vytal Festival..." Ruby recounted.
"Where...I got this." Ben pulled down his shirt collar to reveal the wound on his chest. Max studied for a second, blinked, and stared back at Ben.
"...where's the person who did this so I can murder them?"
"I hate to say it but you, rather, the Knight worked with them. And...I kinda...helped," Emerald winced, ready for Max to ask for an explanation.
"You were more focused on me during Beacon," Weiss added.
"Still need a name," Max said.
"It was Cinder," Emerald answered.
"That sounds...familiar. One of Salem's subordinates, on the same level as Tyrian, right?"
"She...was Salem's Fall Maiden. She's also got the Summer Maiden in the form of Cass," Yang recounted, "She almost killed me, Ben, and Ruby. But then these two pulled a miracle and took her eye and arm."
"You wouldn't happen to have any stray memories of possibly working with Salem, would you?" Ruby asked.
"It all feels like a blur." Max admitted. "I blink once in the Null Void...and then I'm on the beach."
"Nothing about the attack on Beacon?" Ben asked.
"Now that, that's much more clear. It's only a few seconds...but someone actually managed to knock the helmet off. He must've been a student. Grey armor with a gold bird symbol on it, a mace."
"Cardin?!"
"Now that you mention it, he did mention an old guy underneath the hood..." Yang said.
Ben stared off into the distance.
"...Gonna need to sort of thank him, then," Ben muttered.
"Once we get back," Ruby sighed, "if we get back..."
"I haven't been able to find a good escape, minus the tree. And even then, we'd need someone to-" Max began.
"No. I'm not even gonna humor that idea. We're not sacrificing anyone," Ruby snapped.
"I...wasn't going to say that."
"O-oh." Ruby said, suddenly apologetic. "I...I'm sorry."
"Ruby, do you need a minu-" Yang began.
"N-no. I-I'm fine. Really. I just...I just don't want to make another choice like that."
"Another?" Max questioned.
"Atlas. She means Atlas," Weiss said solemnly.
Ruby looked saddened. "That...that one happened just before we came here. It's...why we're here." Ruby explained, "It's my fault."
"What happened?" Max asked. He knew there was no way Ruby was at fault, but he wanted to hear all the details.
"It was...it was Salem's third target, after Haven didn't work out like she wanted. She sent people to open the doors...and then she arrived with an army," Ben summarized.
"And we did something stupid." Ruby frowned. "Because of us, she got everything she wanted. And now I have this stupid voice in my head yelling at me for everything."
Ben paused upon hearing that.
"It's my fault. My face is now a part of the message that launched a million ships towards their death. The Collector was right and I hate that he was! I don't know how much time has passed out there...but I'm so scared that when we get back, there's gonna be nothing. Because of me." Ruby vented. "And don't try to sugarcoat it. Don't try to lessen the blow. It was all ME."
"...Ruby," Ben began, trying to reassure Ruby, but the red-hooded huntress wasn't accepting it. What she said though really concerned him. She had a voice in her head too? It wasn't just him? That set off more alarm bells than usual.
Max stood up, and took a deep breath. "In all my years of being a plumber, I struggled with the same issues you did. Am I really doing good? Is this helping the planet? Life has a crazy tendency to bring us moments that try to break us down, divide our team and question ourselves and our choices. Blaming yourself entirely is a heavy burden to bear."
"...how do you cope?" Ruby asked.
"I just...remember the future is never set in stone." Max explained. "It's a canvas waiting for us to paint it with our choices, both big and small. An endless white space, filled with infinite possibilities. Every action we take, every decision we make, it's like adding brushstrokes to that canvas. And yes, sometimes we make mistakes or face situations that make us doubt, but that doesn't define who we are. I cope by focusing on the journey, not just the destination."
"An empty canvas..." Ruby muttered to herself, looking down at her hands, but then she quickly changed the topic, "How...how far away are we from your home?"
"It's an acre across." Max said, starting to pack up. "We'll head over now."
"P-please..." Ruby said, helping him pack up and get ready, anything to take her mind off things.
Ben helped her back up and offered his hand.
"Do you, need this?" Ben asked, sounding worried.
Ruby looked down at her boyfriend's hand, the silver rose pendant resting in the middle of his palm.
"I...I think I do," Ruby answered before she hesitantly took the rose and clipped it back onto her belt. She looked down at it, seeing some of the light reflect off of it. Once upon a time, she would've looked to this with pride, with hope, but now her feelings about it were different. It carried a mother's promise, a promise to return, but it was a promise that wasn't kept. Maybe it was right where it belonged, then. She promised to save Atlas and Mantle, promised to be a Huntress worthy of her mother's legacy...but it seems she broke that one.
"Oh...I fell asleep again, didn't I?" Little yawned, "I'm sorry. Being so scared took a lot out of me."
Ben's eyes widened. "Awww, who's this?" He asked, looking at the tiny mouse.
"Oh! This...this is Little." Ruby said. "They're our guide."
"They're adorable!" Ben gasped. "Thanks for watching after Ruby."
"Awww, it's no big deal. She plucks cheese like no one's business!" Little grinned.
"...what?" Ben asked, thrown off guard.
"Cheese comes from the ground." Ruby quickly answered.
"I'm not gonna question how that works." Ben shook his head. "Sorry I didn't give back your medal earlier. But, Atlas and..."
"Didn't have time in all the chaos. I know. Not your fault," Ruby said with a small smile.
"It's...important to you?" Little asked.
"Very. It...it was my mom's."
Little paused at that. "What's a mom?"
"Someone very important." Ruby answered, reattaching the medal before looking back up at Ben, "You didn't just…jump off without a plan, right?"
"No, no. I just reasoned that a realm of creation couldn't destroy and took a risk." Ben explained. "I'd try coming back the way I came, but the Omnitrix has been on the fritz since I got here."
As they finished their little exchange, Max put the last of the bags on Gwendolyn's saddle, fastening the straps for the journey ahead. With a nod, Max hopped into the saddle.
"Everyone ready?" Max asked.
Ruby nodded, before extending her hand. Ben happily took it.
And those voices felt really quiet right now.
"Alright then," Max nodded and got Gwendolyn moving, leading the group across the field and through the forest that surrounded it. This peace and quiet was something that they all sorely needed, really. Although while it was a blessing for some, for others it left them to stew in their own thoughts. For instance, while Weiss had mostly been keeping a brave face, her mind often drifted to her family. Her mother, Whitley, and Winter...they all probably thought she was dead. Winter no doubt blamed herself for failing to save her. Her mother...her poor mother, she hoped that the grief hadn't driven her to seek solace in a bottle. And Whitley? What could she say about Whitley? She'd never spent much time with him, almost like he was a stranger and yet he was her brother.
As for Emerald, she may have kept her demeanor calm for those around her but her emotions were practically dominated by anger and regret. The regret was focused on Charmcaster, on Hope. She thought she was in a proper relationship with her but now she was questioning it. Hope would hear the news from Cinder or Vilgax and they would color it, twist it to make it hurt. She could hear them in her head. "Emerald abandoned you, left you to drown in this fight. That's who you call your girlfriend?" They'd make her out as a thief...and she was, really. She'd stolen so much from Hope. Her affection, her knowledge, her magic, her trust.
As for the anger? That was saved for Mercury. The little nihilistic ass hat was the reason she was down here. This all started because of him! He was the reason she was missing a part of herself now. It might have been indirect, but his was the hand that set the dominoes in motion before they fell down and crushed her underneath them. She and Ben left him behind, but part of her was still worried what he'd do. What kind of chaos would a killer like him cause in an almost idyllic fairy tale land like this? If she ever ran into the bastard again, she wouldn't let him off the hook.
Any other time, she could imagine Hope being here, walking alongside her and trying to comfort her uneasy mind as best she could. But Hope wasn't here. Emerald had left her behind and now... Maybe she could talk to Hope, explain things to her, explain why she left. She was just praying that Salem hadn't stuck to her usual playbook. She'd seen how Cinder was treated upon her return and it was like nothing had changed. For the Fall Maiden, she was more than a little disobedient and Salem didn't tolerate her pawns going rogue. But instead of punishing Cinder, Salem admitted to a fault she knew wasn't even her's, promised the Fall Maiden something she always wanted, and wrapped the cabal's prodigal daughter around her finger once again. There was nothing to stop Salem from offering Hope something similar.
"I know what it feels like to be betrayed by one close to you," Emerald could imagine Salem saying, "Nothing ever truly soothes the pain, does it? She left you here, while she gets to escape her consequences. Lesser leaders would consider you complicit with her betrayal...but I'm no lesser leader. Emerald's faith may have been shaken. She must not believe that your world can be reclaimed. Allow me to prove her wrong."
The mere thought of it made Emerald ball her hand into a fist, the glass-like cracking of her gemstone skin echoing out and drawing Blake's attention. The feline Faunus had never really spoken with Emerald after she defected, nor had she ever really fought against her in full. Weiss, Min, and Kevin were more the "nemeses" in that department, but Blake could tell that Weiss was lost in her own thoughts. And without Kevin or Min here to try, it might be that Blake had to step up.
As the group trekked on, they eventually crossed over from one acre to another as the trees gave way to a barren and rocky mountain range. The bridge on their side was a simple, rather unimpressive wooden bridge with vines twisted and formed up into guard rails. The new acre's bridge was constructed of stone, various stalagmites jutting up at the sides as an improvised barrier against falling. Granted, everyone was already wary of falling given recent experiences. The group were less than ecstatic about going over to this new acre now, though. Pools and flows of lava seemed to dot the landscape, one or two of the pools opening up into lava-falls that spilled over the side of the acre itself and into the cloudy void below. Yang took a peek over the side to see if she could see where the lava landed, but even the light the liquid fire gave off was swallowed up by the clouds below, making her regret her curiosity.
The group continued to follow Max and Gwendolyn through this more inhospitable acre, which they learned was called the Vivacious Volcanos. The name had to be ironic, because no one felt very energetic, or vivacious, here. With the help of the Rusted Knight, they managed to make their way safely through the flaming acre. No doubt he'd been through here enough times to memorize a safe route. Emerald hadn't even been to this acre in the three years she'd been down here, so she didn't even know if the acre was inhabited.
While the group crossed over another bridge, this one the only way across a river of flowing lava, Ruby couldn't help but feel...off. She was at the back of the group, so no one noticed her turn around and look to the cliffs above. Maybe it was the smoke and ash messing with her vision, or maybe it was how exhausted she really felt, but she could swear she something, something familiar, eerily so. Perched up on one of those cliffs was the same tent she saw in the Garden's market, the one where she found Eunice's sword. She could even hear the ringing of the hammer striking the anvil, but when she turned back to the others, it seemed she was the only one to hear it. Was that tent even real, some Ever After trick the Cat never explained, or was it a trick of that stupid voice in her head? When she looked back to the tent, it was gone and the ringing had fallen silent.
Great, now I'm losing my mind even more, Ruby thought to herself. She actually expected to hear her venomous inner voices to make a return, this would be the perfect time for them to, but nothing happened. How mentally low did she have to be so she was expecting a voice in her head to insult her some more?
The trip through the volcanic mountain range was uneventful aside from that, no doubt thanks to Max's experience. In no time, the group reached another crossing point, another stony bridge that transitioned into a rather elegant marble bridge with stylized golden guard rails and accents. Across the bridge was another paradisiacal snapshot of a forest of pine trees, their needles an odd stark white, almost like the hue one would find in feathers. After they had crossed over, Weiss reached out and ran her fingers over the pine needles, finding them to be oddly soft as well.
"Is this...?" Weiss began.
"Swan Lake? Yep. Not far away from home now. Wasn't expecting so many visitors though, so might need to ask if you can stay in the other homes," Max said, leading the way through the snow white forest.
"What kind of Afterans are here? Giant swans?" Emerald asked.
"Not just giant swans. There are also giant geese which...can be a bloody nightmare sometimes," the Rusted Knight admitted, "Thought the normal ones back home were bad enough."
"As long as there aren't peacocks, we should be fine," Yang quipped, trying to lighten the mood a little.
"Wha-not in front of Emerald," Ben hissed.
"Not like you're afraid of them or anything, right?" Emerald asked.
When silence was the only answer she got, the Jaded Thief blinked a few times before sighing.
"How did we ever lose to you," the thief groaned.
Ruby knew the answer, but she kept it to herself. Or maybe the voice in her head had just convinced her this was true. But either way, the answer was luck, pure and simple. They didn't even know Salem was planning to strike Haven before they stumbled upon a mainframe left behind by Watts during the Knight's scheme to kidnap Ben's parents.
Watts. For once in her life, Ruby actually hoped he was stuck on Atlas when it fell. Watts was the man that started all of this. Watts was the same man who hacked into the election during Vilgax's attack and thrust Jacques into the Council seat. He was the same man who turned off the heating in Mantle, driving the people to riot, who tried to frame Ironwood for the killings Tyrian committed, who told Ironwood about their discovery of his contingencies, and the same evil man who implanted the virus in Penny and Eunice. Even though she'd never met the man in person, she already had some choice words in mind for him. For once, she didn't care what choices lead him down the path he found himself on. From what she understood, he was just an ass. An Atlesian scientist with some of the most advanced facilities and technology at his disposal and that wasn't enough for him? He wanted more? That greed was what led him to Salem. Maybe an inferiority complex drove him to be jealous of Pietro's work and be petty enough to create a virus that would force an innocent girl to destroy herself just so he could say he's better.
She knew that train of thought might not have been the best. Hell, she couldn't even blame the voice for putting this in her head! The damn thing had been quiet ever since Ben and her had reunited. This was all her. Maybe the voice had done more damage than she thought. Maybe that's why it was quiet, because it had already won. She didn't even realize it, but as she walked on in silence, her hand had absentmindedly hovered over the silver rose pendant and began to nervously stroke it. Both Yang and Ben each took notice of that tic and their concern grew. They needed to talk with Ruby when they got the chance. If not both of them then at least one of them should have a private talk where they wouldn't need to worry about anyone else listening.
Eventually, Max and Gwendolyn pushed aside some more of the white foliage and led the group to the shore of the first of many massive and mostly connected lakes. Waterfalls flowed down into some of the lakes from above, originating on floating islands that seemed to have been ripped right out of the ground. Weiss would've thought the sight amazing any other time, to see an island float without the use of gravity Dust. But today was the one day that wasn't going to happen. Instead, she quickly averted her gaze and tried to stop the memories of Atlas coming back. Blake was about to say something to Weiss, try and comfort, but the most unlikely member of the group stepped up instead.
"...Back at Beacon," Emerald spoke up, her gaze fixed on the floating island, "I wanted to...knock you down a few pegs. You had everything practically given to you on a silver platter since the day you were born, while me and Hope had to get by on the scraps we could scrounge up. But then three years of my life go by in a desert and...that gave me a lot of time to think. I just...I just wanted someone to blame. Who better than the 'shining example of Atlesian prosperity.'"
"What...what are you-?" Weiss asked.
"I'm apologizing. For what I said back then. I never did back when I first switched sides. Because now...you need someone who gets it. Losing a home isn't the same as never really having one but it's close. So...if you ever just wanna talk or just need to vent. I'm here too."
"Emerald...thank you. That offer goes both ways. I hope you realize that."
"Oh I know, Ice Queen. I know," Emerald smirked.
"No one's called me Ice Queen in ages," Weiss rolled her eyes.
"Yeah? Huh, alright. Guess I get to use it exclusively."
"No, you don't. Your name's not Kylie and even then she doesn't use it that often."
"Ok, ok."
Blake couldn't help but smile a bit. Some of their teammates were working through things at least. Her eyes then shifted over to the unusually silent Ruby and her ears drooped a little. She could only hope that Ruby's issues, whatever they may be, would be as easy to approach. A thin hope, maybe, but one she wanted to hold on to.
"Never forget seeing one of the floating islands for the first time," Max said.
"Without gravity Dust," Yang added.
"Guessing we're close to your home now?" Ben asked.
"My village, yes. Just along the shore, a bit further that way," Max answered, pointing down the expansive shoreline. Blake narrowed her eyes and could ever so slightly pick up on the silhouette of a settlement off on the horizon. With civilization in sight, they all followed the Rusted Knight and his noble steed towards the village.
When they arrived, Ruby and Yang were surprisingly reminded of home. It wasn't a big village, maybe 50 or 100 people here at most. The place just oozed that rustic charm one thinks of when Patch comes to mind. Each of the buildings was a log cabin, complete with various white furnishings. Some had white paint neatly applied to their roofs and doors, while others had chimes made of giant white feathers. A large chimney jutted towards the sky off the roof of one of the few buildings that actually had stone in it. Ben and most of the others thought it was actually a little surprising to find a blacksmith's forge here, but Ruby had a different reaction. She froze up on realizing what it was, expecting to hear the familiar ringing of a hammer, but, much to her relief, nothing sounded out. A dock was present with several fishing boats moored there, ready to bring in a catch at the right time.
As for the people of this acre, they were a short and stocky bunch, only coming up to about the knees of an average person. They were covered head to toe with a coat of the same soft white needles that adorned the pine trees in the forest that the Outcasts had just left behind. Stubby little tails lazily followed behind the Afterans as they went about their daily routines. It was hard to make out what they did and didn't have, their coats covering up a lot of features like they were sheep dogs. The only thing that everyone could really see were the Afterans' eyes.
"They're adorable," Weiss gasped.
"These are the Cygnets," Max introduced.
"Baby swans? Um, if you'll just excuse me for a minute," the heiress quickly brought out her Scroll and took a few pictures of the little Afterans.
"Oh! You're back!" one of the Cygnets cheered, quickly putting down a box and running up to Max, "And you brought guests! May I ask, what are you?"
Ruby felt herself mentally wince at the question. What are you, what are you? She was so sick and tired of hearing that question, even more so of seemingly not having an acceptable answer for it.
"Hey little guy. We're...the Outcasts. I'm Yang, this is Blake, Weiss, Ruby, Emerald-" Yang listed off.
"Jaded Thief," Emerald added.
"And Ben," Yang finished.
"What a coincidence! I am also Ben!" the Cygnet said proudly.
"...huh?"
"They uh," Max cleared his throat, "They didn't exactly have names so I uh...gave them...some."
"And the first name that popped into your head was mine?" Ben asked, "I mean...makes sense but-"
"The Rusted Knight is training me to be a hero! One day, I will Ascend and return as a mighty warrior to defend my village from the vile Jabberwalker and those accursed Giant Geese! Always wrecking our homes and stealing our catches of the day!" the Cygnet declared suddenly. That just made Ben freeze a bit. He watched the little Afteran act like he was fighting off the various villains of the acre with a sword only he could see. Max watched as all of the energy and happiness that Ben had in his eyes just get snuffed out, like someone blew out the proverbial flame. Atlas must've hit harder than he first thought.
"I...I'm sure you'll do great," Ben finally said. He could just imagine the cruel jabs returning right there to say something like "Better hero than you ever were," or something along those lines.
"Thank you, Ben Two!" the Cygnet Ben smiled, the act hidden by his thick coat.
"He's technically...ah, nevermind," Blake sighed.
"Ben, remember those extra sleeping rolls Magister had us work on together? I'm going to need a few of those. Our friends here are staying the night," Max said, hopping off Gwendolyn.
"Of course! Oh! Magister wanted me to tell you something too! The Wanderer's here again! He's staying at the inn for now!" Cygnet Ben remembered.
"The Wanderer?" Emerald asked.
"What the name implies. Very human-looking Afteran. Pretty old, has a mask over the lower part of his face," Max explained, "Personally...I don't trust him. He's got a rocky reputation. At best. Heard stories that he's both saved people from the Jabberwalker, for a price, and he's robbed people for whatever possession they have. I probably need to-"
"I'll handle him. Not the first bandit I've ever had to 'negotiate' with," Emerald said, "Where do you live?"
"West side of town. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it."
"That's...reassuring. I'll catch up with you guys after. Ok...Ben, where's the inn?"
"Follow me!" the small Afteran said proudly, turning and leading Emerald towards the village inn, letting Max take the remaining outcasts to his home.
Ben and Ruby were hit with a wave of nostalgia upon seeing Max's Ever After home. Aside from the addition of a little stable set aside for Gwendolyn, which the giant jackalope had happily moved over to for a rest, the Outcasts saw a perfect log cabin recreation of the Rust Bucket.
"Welcome to...heh, well, I'm torn between the Rust Bucket II and the Rust Hovel," Max said.
"Rust Hovel. Rust Bucket 2 and 3 are already taken," Ben smirked.
"Really? In honor of me then?"
"In honor of you."
"It's a house...designed after an RV?" Blake asked.
"Not just any RV, the same RV me and Ben met in! This is the Summer Road Trip RV!" Ruby beamed, a sense of fleeting, nostalgic joy sweeping over her mind.
"It's...rustic?" Weiss said, a bit unsure if the compliment landed.
"Thank you. Tried to capture that feeling," Max nodded.
Ruby walked around. "You built this all by yourself? This is impressive."
"The suit makes everything easier, mind you." Max knocked on the armor for emphasis. "Handy thing."
"Considering how many times the Knight could tank a hit from some of my best," Ben muttered, taking in the familiar layout of the old RV. It was incredibly accurate to the old Rust Bucket, down to where even the beds were placed. Obviously, there wasn't a driver's or passenger's seat at one end, but aside from that and a bit more space for a fireplace and a chimney, it really was just a wooden version of the beloved RV.
"Hey...remember that time we visited my Aunt Vera? And the trip turned into a weird copy of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers?'" Ben asked, hoping to get Ruby's mind onto something a bit more positive.
"And we both ended up stopping our first alien invasion together? How could I? I ended up taking down the big bad with a water gun and cursing them for serving me coffee as candy or...or something like that," Ruby answered, "What about the time we fought those...weird robot squids?"
"In the undersea hotel," Ben smirked.
"I...don't think you ever mentioned those adventures," Weiss pointed out.
"They were kind of the old first steps into the alien worlds. Not really worth mentioning."
"Were...these before or after the vampire clown?" Yang asked.
"Before. But he was specifically a joy vampire. Fed off laughter," Ruby corrected.
"Um, what's a vampire?" Little asked.
"Do you have mosquitoes down here? Or bats?" Ruby asked.
"Bats? Oh yeah! Plenty of those! They stop by for a nice mango salad every now and again," the small mouse nodded.
"Well imagine a bat, but they don't eat fruit. They driiiink blood."
"They what?! And you fought a bat that drinks joy?! That...that's despicable! They're an affront to the good name of bats everywhere!"
"Yeah, we just...just have a lot of stories. And we...we won, a lot of the time." Ben said.
Suddenly, he just sort of felt sad.
"I wouldn't mind hearing them," Little happily squeaked.
"...I dunno. A lot of them are...intense." Ben said.
"You can tell me! I can handle it! I might be a mouse but I'm braver than you think!" Little puffed up their chest, trying to make themselves look bigger, more courageous.
"Little, you fell asleep during the lore dump with the Cat." Yang joked. "I still have some of your drool on me-"
Yang was suddenly cut off by a sudden gust of wind rocking the house. Yang looked shocked as she looked out the window to see a storm approaching. Max grimaced.
"Looks like we got in at a good time," Max nodded.
"Why? Just a storm, right? Or is it a storm that rains, I don't know, frogs?" Weiss asked.
"If it did rain frogs, I could use that for some dishes," Max chuckled, "But no, it's something a little more...complicated. Nothing we need to worry about as long as we're indoors though. Once it passes, though, I have something of an idea."
Max moved over to one of the tables and brought out a map from his belt, the very same map he'd had when Alyx and Lewis washed ashore. He unfurled the parchment and let the Outcasts crowd around to look down at it. Compared to what he had by the time of Alyx and Lewis' arrival, this map might have been the single most detailed geographical guide to the Ever After in existence. Each acre was represented by a hexagon with a name written on it, official or a nickname, with various lines connecting it to other acres, the various bridges. Some names immediately caught their attention like the Hunters' Shores, the Timeless Dunes, the Crimson Kingdom, the Garden and even the Vivacious Volcanoes but there were some they didn't recognize.
"Does that...say 'Stinky Cheese?'" Weis questioned, just making sure she read that right.
"Yep. Good place to go if you want more variety than the Cheddar Spuds you find out on the Shores. Blue, brie, swiss, so on," Max explained.
"An origami acre?" Blake read off the map.
"Home to the Paper Pleasers. Good folk, if a little clumsy. And danger prone," Max said.
"The Cake Acre?" Yang and Little read off in sync.
"How many of these did you visit with the twins?" Ben asked.
"A few dozen. I think I might be the first person to properly map this place out." Max recalled.
"...it was a road trip," Ruby said, "You...you took them on an Ever After road trip."
"It was the only way I could have some semblance of normalcy." Max admitted.
Normalcy, Ruby thought to herself, what I wouldn't give for some of that myself...
"Wait...the Cake Acre," Weiss muttered, gears turning in her head.
"What? Your sweet tooth acting up again?" Yang elbowed the heiress.
"Do you think that's where Neo landed? It fits her vibes." Weiss suggested.
Ruby flinched. "Uh...yeah. Maybe."
"When the punderstorm passes and you all get some rest, I can take you there," Max said.
"Punderstorm?" Yang asked, "Seriously?"
"I...think I wanna save that for later." Ruby said. "I...I need some time to decompress."
Yang looked over at Ruby, and then at her teammates. "If...that's what you want, then okay! We'll go when you're ready."
"Just say the word," Blake nodded.
"...right..." Ruby sighed.
Ben scooted closer to Ruby. "We've been through a lot. A day of rest could help us recover mentally. I'm fine with it."
"It...yeah. Just...just a day though," Ruby said, "Should be fine after that."
"I'm fine with that. Maybe you kids can help me with some stuff around here tomorrow." Max suggested.
"I think that'll be perfect. It'll help...get our minds off things," Weiss agreed.
"Yeah..." Ruby sighed, taking a moment to lie down.
She looked up to the roof and just stared at it for a bit. If one were to look, it was like the light in her silver eyes had dulled a little.
Emerald followed the Cygnet Ben through the village towards the inn that they'd set up for visitors. She couldn't help but be reminded of the Dune Dwellers and how the little feathered Afterans rushed to and fro, keeping busy.
"So, this Magister. He's your elder, right? Does he have any sort of...tradition or anything like that?" Emerald asked, wondering if she could make a comparison to the Astronomer.
"Well, nothing crazy. He does give out badges to those ready to Ascend! And we even hold an Ascension Party for those who are ready to move on! It's actually pretty rare though," Cygnet-Ben explained as he waddled ahead.
"Does...Ascension hurt?" Emerald asked, looking down at her hand.
"I wouldn't know! I wouldn't remember it, anyway." The Cygnet shrugged.
"Oh. That's...that's right. Your memories...you don't think that's weird? Losing those?" Emerald asked.
"Nope! Not weird at all! Why would we need the memories of a purpose we're no longer meant to fulfill?"
"Just curious." Emerald looked away. Ascension sounded so, so tempting, to do away with this old shell she was. To become something worth loving. To...start over with Hope, somehow.
She looked at her literally emerald hand and balled it into a fist. Maybe...maybe she'd do it. Not now obviously but maybe before the others left. The Tree was their best shot out, but also the source of Ascension. So maybe she could take the plunge right at the way home.
"Our knight doesn't fully understand Ascension either," Cygnet-Ben said, "But he hasn't tried to stop any of us when we know it's our time to be fixed or changed. Instead, he's part of the farewell. He spends so much time with us before we go, it's truly touching."
"When do you know when it's your time to...change?" Emerald asked.
"It's just a feeling." Cygnet-Ben hummed. "You just wake up, look at yourself, and start thinking 'am I really satisfied'?"
"Just...a feeling. Dissatisfaction," Emerald repeated.
"Am I doing enough? Could I do more? Could I be doing something different?' Those kinds of questions are just as, if not more important than 'What are you?'"
"...What am I?" Emerald asked, as they arrived at the inn.
"Yeah! Like that." The Cygnet smiled. "Anyways, he should be around here somewhere..."
"Shouldn't be that hard to find someone different from-" Emerald began.
"Oh! There he is! Back table!" Cygnet-Ben pointed out, cutting Emerald off. Sure enough, at the back of the inn with their feet perched up on the table and their chair leaning back against the wall, was a figure clad like an armored cowboy. She could see a rusted set of armor beneath a dark brown duster, their large hat tipped in such a way that their facial features were completely hidden.
"A knight, a thief, and a cowboy, all in one village. Sounds like the start of a joke. Stay here, I'll take care of 'em," Emerald sighed before walking over to him and knocking on the table, "Hey, gunslinger. You awake?"
The man did not respond to her.
"Hey. I'm talking to you. The old man wanted to check in on you, but he's busy." Emerald huffed.
"Leave me alone, brat," the gunslinger finally responded in a gruff voice, a hand moving to shoo away what he believed to be another Cygnet.
"Not that short, buddy," the thief crossed her arms over her chest, "Wake the hell up or I'm taking the hat."
The man slumped over further. "Try and take it, bitch."
"OH! Oh, so THAT'S how we're gonna be." Emerald said, exasperated by this man. "Okay! Okay. Jesus."
"Yeah...that's what I thought," the Wanderer scoffed.
"Oh, that wasn't me backing down," Emerald scoffed. Without giving him any time to try and stop her, she swiftly swiped the hat off the gunslinger's head and threw it into the air, just to taunt him a little more. She caught the hat on the way back and smirked.
"All talk, aren't-" Emerald began, freezing when she saw who was under the hat.
"Oh, fuck. It's you..." The man grumbled.
"Fuckin-! WHAT!?" Emerald yelled. "What the hell happened to you?! We just saw you yesterday!"
The man grimaced. "Yeah? Well, for me, that yesterday was a decade ago."
"No..." Emerald muttered.
"Yeah! Your witch-damned hourglass came back to haunt me instead, Em," a now much older Mercury fired back.
Mercury looked like a totally different person now. His face looked suntanned and his clothes consisted of a sweeping long, sleeveless, high-collared cape of black color, a simple, white shirt half-buttoned up, exposing the middle of his chest and upper abs, black pants and a myriad of tools and weapons on his person.
"That...you...n-no. No, you can't-" Emerald hissed.
"Deny it all you want. I'm here, trying to deal with your damned mess from ten years ago," Mercury huffed.
"My mess?! What do you mean my mess?! This all started because of YOU."
"Oh, but I'm not the person who turned tail and ran because 'oh no. I have a conscience now!" Mercury shot back, getting up from his seat and knocking it over.
"Oh, what!? I felt overwhelmed, and I ran! I'm sorry YOU'RE so desensitized, asshole!" Emerald cursed.
"DESENSITIZED!?" Mercury was offended that she'd even insinuate that. "I'M JUST AS FUCKED UP!"
"Really? I couldn't tell! How many psychotic moves have you pulled over this centuries long war? Oh, wait, I forgot! You didn't even know how long this war's actually been going on! You were busy being trained to be an assassin!" Emerald growled.
"By my drunken and abusive asshole of a father! You're actually lucky! You never even knew your parents did you?! You met your girlfriend when you were two homeless street rats trying to get power! Besides, you don't get to say how many 'psychotic' moves I've pulled! I remember what you did at Beacon! You tried to break the ice queen's mind like a little snowflake!"
The other Cygnets in the inn were just watching the argument take place, eyes darting back and forth between the two time-altered Remnantites. The owner of the establishment sighed and quickly began putting away the good glasses. They could tell this was one powder keg that was primed for detonation.
"I've never seen two people be so angry...do they have a history?" One Cygnet muttered.
"I think the Punderstorm would be nicer than this." Another said.
"I was wrong back then!" Emerald fired back.
"Were you? Or are you just saying that because now you're on their side? Gotta fit in, right? Gotta try and be a goody-goody even when it costs you your fucking girlfriend!" Mercury countered.
"OH! DON'T SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE ANYONE!" Emerald yelled.
And then the silence was deafening.
"...alright. Alright. Guess we're doing this then," Mercury muttered, after letting the silence hang in the air for a good few seconds. He then kicked out at Emerald and fired off a shotgun blast with some still stable air Dust, launching Emerald right out of the inn and back outside. The Wanderer that was Emerald's old teammate threw aside the table and launched himself after her with another Dust-enhanced shotgun blast.
Emerald side stepped his attack, sending him crashing to the floor. "You're slower." She noticed, pulling out her weapon. "Age catching up to you?"
"Haven't actually fired off a Dust shot in a bit. Usually just kick smart asses like you down into the dirt," Mercury hissed, "Nice to fire off Talaria again though. So I'll try not to embarrass you too much. What would Hope say if she saw?"
"You don't get to say her fucking name!" Emerald yelled, firing an arrow out. Mercury rolled out of the way, and flipped back to his feet. He rushed forward, launching a few dozen kicks at Emerald.
The Jaded Thief dodged out of the way of each one, before she used her bow to catch Mercury's leg. She used the surprise hold to take away Mercury's balance and throw him over her shoulder, the thud of Mercury slamming against the dirt timed perfectly with a crash of thunder from the approaching storm. The thief was about to take a swing at the downed assassin like one would take a swing with a baseball bat. Mercury brought his foot up to block the swing, pushing Emerald back while also jumping back to his feet. Emerald growled in anger and separated her bow into her usual dual sickles, the move eliciting a small smirk from the assassin.
"I didn't think you had a good enough relationship with Cinder to emulate her," Mercury taunted.
"Oh, yeah, a bow is me trying to be like the damned pyromaniac who has a grudge against RUBY," Emerald fired back before rushing in to attack Mercury again. Her sickles cut through the air, forcing the older assassin to either dodge out of the way or parry the strike away with one of his kicks. He even forced one of the sickles to the side and used the opening to land a powerful roundhouse kick to Emerald's face. The sound of Talaria impact Emerald's cheek was like a rock striking a window, the strike making the Jaded Thief stagger to the side. The strike actually left a large spider web-like crack in Emerald's cheek, as if a rock had been thrown and bashed into a window. In a rather bold move, Mercury just grabbed Emerald's wrists and forced her to let go of Thief's Respite. Another kick from Talaria launched Emerald away, crashing into one of the stalls that the Cygnets manned to sell lumber. Mercury smirked and kicked away the dual weapons.
"Are you fucking done?" Mercury asked, "Or are we still gonna drag this out?"
Emerald got back to her feet, dusting the splinters off of her. By now, the storm was right above them, the thunderclaps and flashes of purple lightning illuminating the darkened sky.
"One lucky hit...and you think I'm done?!" Emerald yelled.
"Considering it was one thing that made you give up back in Atlas?" Mercury asked.
"It wasn't just one thing! I actually learned the truth and, unlike YOU, I actually give a shit about the world! I get it! Earth sucks sometimes! Wars fought for oil, people killed for greed and disasters caused for profit. Hell, if anyone should have that same nihilistic viewpoint as you, it's ME! I had nothing for the longest time! No parents, no home, no future. And then I found Hope and something changed!"
Mercury had to admit, he wasn't expecting his words from ten years ago to be thrown back at him here. Ben might've told her about that little argument the two of them had back in the dunes or it could've just been coincidence.
"And I never found anything. I've been stuck with Salem's crew ever since Cinder and Cass found me. They actually gave me the chance to have a purpose," Mercury countered.
"A purpose that involves toppling the only governments capable of standing up to an immortal witch with a death wish!" Emerald yelled, balling her hand into a fist. Growing tired of the talk, Emerald ran in and threw a right hook to Mercury's face, only for the assassin to parry the blow away. He threw his own jab to her gut after parrying her blow, his fist stinging after cracking against her gemstone skin. The two continued their duel of fisticuffs, not even noticing that none of the Cygnets were out now, all the doors and windows to their homes having been closed and shuttered. Eventually, the two just forgot to dodge and tanked each other's hits. Mercury punched Emerald in the face, followed up by the thief punching back. Back and forth, back and forth, punch after punch. The two eventually backed off, battered and bruised from the fight, or rather cracked and chipped in Emerald's case.
"Putting up...more of a fight here...than you did in Atlas," Mercury huffed.
"It's like you want me...to kill your sorry ass," Emerald hissed between breaths.
"Like you...can. Noticed you haven't...noticed you haven't used any of the magic Hope taught you. What's the matter? Forgot it all? Or are you just not using it?"
"Shut. UP," Emerald yelled, "Stop. Saying. Her Name."
"You're gonna have to make me, Em," Mercury taunted.
"Fine then..." Emerald growled. The duo of Salem's former agents both reared back their fists, ready to strike each other down, only for their bout to be interrupted by a flash of purple light.
Instead of the sound of their fists colliding or striking each other's faces, Emerald and Mercury were surprised to find themselves not even near each other anymore. Emerald was standing on a plate, almost like one you'd find on a baseball diamond. Mercury was standing on his own plate, just as confused and taking in the surroundings. Seems like they were trapped inside a colosseum of some kind, the sky and area beyond seemingly just roiling dark purple clouds. Green bolts of lightning cut through the oddly colored clouds, hinting in Mercury about exactly where they were. Emerald didn't care about the colosseum surroundings, instead focusing on the other two plates. Eerily familiar statues stood on each of the other positions, even where the pitcher would stand, but the closest one she almost recognized. She tried to move over to the statue, just to get a better look, but her plate moved with her. Not only that, but all the plates moved.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Mercury warned, "Stop moving!" Heeding Mercury's advice, Emerald stopped in her tracks, noticing all the plates stop moving as well.
"What...what even is this?" Emerald asked.
"You got lucky. You spent your three years in mostly the same acres. Timeless Dunes, Crimson Kingdom, places like that. You've never encountered a punderstorm, have you?"
"A punderstorm? You're making that up."
"Look at me and tell me I'm bullshitting you," Mercury deadpanned, "Look, this storm's a problem made manifest...and it looks like it's our problem."
"So what? We gotta say 'sorry for attacking you' and then we can go?" Emerald asked.
"Considering who's 'with' us...not that simple. The statue over by me's Cass," Mercury jabbed his thumb in the direction of the second statue. Sure enough, while the attire was a bit more knightley, consisting of armor and both hands resting atop a kite shield, the head and facial features were definitely Cass'. Emerald turned to the other statue and, even though the clothes were the more stereotypical wizard look, she knew who it was immediately.
"Hope. So...so it's us, Hope, Cass..."
"And I'm guessing either Salem or Cinder," Mercury sighed, "Figures...even when she's not damn here."
"So, how the hell do we get out of this?" Emerald demanded. "We fight to the death or something? I think I got a clear shot...I'll aim between your eyes."
"How are you gonna do that without your weapons?" Mercury pointed out, "Can't exactly leave the storm to go get 'em. Besides," Mercury raised his leg and kicked the air but no bullets flew from Talaria's barrel, "Wouldn't work."
"Are you serious!? So let's just wait for the damn storm to wear out." Emerald huffed.
"You ever been in a hurricane?" Mercury asked.
"Nnnnno? What does that-?"
"They can last a while. So if you're ok waiting for hours-"
"Yeah. I can handle doing nothing for a few hours. I don't like talking with you. I have never enjoyed a conversation we've had. Wanna know why? You're so damn cynical. I don't care about whatever the hell you went through. No person can be that dour." Emerald frowned.
"If we're lucky, it's only a few hours. If we're not, it's almost half a day," Mercury said.
"Good." Emerald huffed. And so, they stood there.
Doing nothing. Maybe they'd scan the area once over again, and their eyes would meet, before breaking away. Emerald was rightly pissed at him.
If it weren't for this storm, she'd keep beating him down.
Or would that just prove she hadn't changed?
"...are there any OTHER ways to get ourselves out of this?" Emerald asked.
"Wish there were. Damn things are never that straight forward. A maze of pathways is the simplest since you 'find yourself at a crossroads,'" Mercury rolled his eyes at that last part.
"That's fuckin' stupid. Why?"
"Hell if I know." Mercury huffed. "This shit never gets easier."
"Speaking from experience?" Emerald crossed her arms, "I'm sure plenty of people have had problems with you."
As soon as she said that, the statue of Hope cracked a little.
Emerald looked back at the statue. "What the hell? Why'd it crack?"
"How should I know!?" Mercury cursed. "Never been in here with anyone else."
"Well that's just great," Emerald rubbed her eyes and groaned, "And you said hours?"
"To half a day," Mercury nodded.
"Ok, forget what I said before. I don't think I can take being in here with you that long."
"Yeah, no one can. Why do you think I'm always keeping my distance?" Mercury rolled his eyes.
And the statue of Cass cracked.
"The hell?" Emerald muttered. She looked down to the plate she was standing on, then to the other statues. When she moved, only the outer plates actually moved. The central statue just turned.
"...start moving," Emerald suggested.
Mercury slowly took a step forward. "So, what, we open up and we get closer to the center? Not like the storm is gonna wear out."
"No...no it's not that..." Emerald guessed, "I don't think we need to open up. We think we have to work together and replace the center statue. We need to cut Salem out."
"Oh, great..." Mercury huffed. "It's pointless. We can't beat her. You either stand in her way and die, or stand with her and live a bit longer. It's stupid!"
The Cass statue continued to crack from every word Mercury said.
"And I think we need to do it without breaking them," Emerald added, "But why is your's Cass? Makes sense why mine's Hope but..."
"I...I tolerate her," Mercury scoffed.
Emerald raised an eyebrow. "Really. You?"
"She's...she's fine. I respect her tact nature. If this all goes to shit, and we damn well know Cinder might have to be put down with her...condition..." Mercury trailed off at that last word before bringing his point back, "I'd follow Cass wherever. Okay?"
"That is the most 'you' way of saying 'friend' I've ever heard," Emerald sighed.
"Shut up..." Mercury grumbled. "Not like I'll really have a choice. I know you and Hope won't deal with me. And since you're in this 'reformation' arc, I dunno if the Outcasts would be fond to have ME."
"On three, we both move towards our statue. One...two...three," Emerald counted off before slowly moving towards the mage statue. Mercury rolled his eyes and started moving towards the Cass statue. Just like before the outer plates started to move in sync and the middle statue began to turn.
"You said they wouldn't be fond of you?" Emerald asked.
"Considering everything? Yeah. Let's see...I helped kidnap Ruby's dad, stopped her from saving Penny during the Festival, ambushed Rook and almost killed him, the Battle of Haven...do I need to keep going?" Mercury asked.
"Then why did they accept me? I stole a magical amulet and almost caused an apocalypse to get power when they were ten, almost broke Weiss' mind, fought Kevin and Min during Haven."
"You're a girl. You're scared. You're redeemable." Mercury said. "You have regret. I don't."
"I'm a girl? The hell's that got to do with anything?" Emerald asked. At first, she didn't notice this, her focus being on Mercury's comment, but then she saw that the middle statue could move, only when the other statues were at specific points though.
"You ever notice that the group tends to favor girls more than anything? Not exactly a male dominated team." Mercury frowned. "And they're clearly more driven by emotions, which I'm fresh out of."
"...that is so simple minded and sexist, I swear-"
"I mean, literally everything backs me up. If they were driven by their heads and not their hearts, they probably would've sided with Ironwood back in Atlas. But they didn't, because they're all bleeding hearts. You are too. But me? I had all that emotion beaten out of me early..."
"And you think they'd hate you because of that."
"No." Mercury admitted. "...I'm afraid of what I'll become because of them."
"Why? From what I hear, Kevin wasn't exactly a good guy when he first met Ruby and Ben. Now look at him. What's there to be scared of?" Emerald asked.
"I'm scared because...I don't want to reopen some wounds. Okay?" Mercury admitted. More and more chunks broke down.
"You...remember how we went to Ledgerdomain, right? To get the charm for Zs'skayr?" Emerald asked.
"Yeah. And how Charmcaster was too scared to go in. It's her home or something and it got taken over. There's some trauma there, I get that-"
"More than 'just some.' Before...before Addwaitya came to power, Hope's dad ruled Ledgerdomain. And that monster killed him. Going back there without the goal of taking Addwaitya down, without prep, it was...it was like all her trauma came back to her at once."
"Yeah? Well, she has you to force that on you. If I talk about my bullshit, I'll get looked at like I'm a monster." Mercury frowned.
"One, she doesn't force it on me. No one forces it on anyone. There's a reason people call friends part of a support system. Two, people won't see you as a monster if you explain it all. Will they wince a little bit at the implications? Probably. Your dad was..."
"An drunken asshat," Mercury suggested.
"So even if they don't forgive...they'll at least understand. And if they understand..."
"No, no. It isn't about him. This is about how I felt killing him." Mercury said.
"You enjoyed it. Didn't you?" Emerald guessed.
"I loved it. I loved every fucking second of it. I'd do it again if I could. Over and over and over again..."
"He was an abuser and his death meant you didn't have to suffer anymore."
"Yeah. I know. And no one's gonna empathize with someone like that. I am a mess, Em. Even if I didn't kill my dad, even if I didn't go through the abuse, I was always gonna be a fucking outcast."
"And they, a group called the Outcasts, wouldn't accept an outcast?" Emerald asked as she stopped moving, signaling Mercury to stop too. A track appeared, leading from the pitcher position to the rest of the tracks the plates followed.
"Yes. I know one of them partook in genocide. I know one of them is a demon from another realm. I know the other one is some...robot guy-"
"Yeah, I don't get him either." Emerald admitted.
"But I don't see myself ...running with them. I'm a puzzle piece that never fits into any place."
"Then make your own. Before I stumbled onto you, one of the Cygnets told me about Ascension, about how it was just a series of questions. 'Am I doing enough? Could I do more? Could I be doing something different?' I've been mulling over taking the choice for myself...get a fresh start with Hope."
"Don't tell me you're considering that bullshit."
"What? Why?" Emerald asked.
"Ascension is death, Emerald. You kill yourself, and it takes the bits and pieces that you liked and shove them into a new vessel. Why do you think I look the same?"
"Well obviously you never Ascended. But...what if we're wrong? What if we're thinking about it the wrong way? That's how it works for them but what about us?" Emerald asked. She started backtracking, the plates moving in reverse until she was on the track that led to the middle of the diamond.
"I don't know. I don't trust it. I don't trust a lot about this place." Mercury said. "That's just survival."
"Ok, let's just...agree to disagree for now," Emerald said, walking to the middle of the diamond, "Don't want to give this damn storm another reason to keep us stuck in here."
"Listen. I'm destined to be a wanderer. Someone who follows, never leads. Just stays in the back, fucks off and dies alone." Mercury scoffed.
"But you don't need to be. So, how about we do our 'Ascension?' Just a fresh start," Emerald said, holding out her hand.
"...I don't know if I can take that risk." Mercury said, refusing it.
"I don't mean literal Ascension if that's what you're concerned with. I just mean we start over. As...normal people, not agents of Salem. Just people," Emerald explained, "So. I'm Emerald. And you are?"
"...Mercury." Mercury sighed, finally reaching out to shake her hand.
"Nice to meet you," Emerald said, taking hold of her teammate's hand and shaking it. The clouds, the colosseum, the statues, they all began to glow with a bright purple light. Even Emerald started to glow, her gem-like body shining from within and refracting. When the light died down, Emerald found herself back in the middle of the village, freed from the storm's strange pocket dimension, but she was alone. Mercury was...gone. She sighed, but her lips curled into a sad smile. She'd made some progress. And then she looked down at her hand, seeing that it was...normal. She gasped, bringing her hands up to her face and instead of feeling the hard texture of emeralds, she felt actual skin.
"I...I'm back to normal?" Emerald muttered, "I'm back to normal!"
Emerald's clothes were a bit tattered and ruined, but still. She was normal! She turned to show Mercury the seemingly miraculous change.
But Mercury was gone.
Something told her though, deep down, that she'd see him again before this little journey was over. She put a hand over her chest, right where the hole had been before. She could feel it was gone, physically anyway. It wouldn't really be filled in until she got back and found Hope. Composing herself, she dashed over to Max's home. He was right, it was very hard to miss.
To say Emerald's sudden reappearance and non-messed up body wasn't a shock was an understatement. "So, it was...your semblance?" Ben asked.
"Apparently, yeah. It must've been overclocked ever since I touched the hourglass. I've...I've been lying to myself for three years," Emerald realized.
"...Jesus Christ." Yang muttered. "You need therapy."
Ruby frowned. "Yeah, um...not healthy to do that."
"How did your Aura not run out?" Blake asked.
"I have...no idea. And you're right, I probably do need a professional. Here's hoping Vacuo's got some good ones," Emerald answered.
"It's good that you got that in order..." Ben huffed. "We're taking tomorrow to ourselves. Just for some mental health."
"That's...honestly a good idea, after what we've all been through. And if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find the nearest bed and sleep for the rest of the day. And no, you can't convince me otherwise," Emerald said, making her way over to the nearest bedroom and just dropped right into bed.
"Ruby? I think you'll want to see this," Max suddenly called out.
Ruby looked curiously over at Max, seeing him carry a box in his arms.
"This landed a few days ago. I was shocked when I saw it, didn't understand why it was here, but...it told me you might be coming soon." Max explained.
"What...?" Ruby stepped closer to the box. Max flipped the locks open on the front of the box and opened it up. The red-hooded huntress looked in and was actually surprised to see the compact carrying form of Crescent Rose. She should've been happy, seeing her beloved weapon again, but something...something just felt off. While she did take the box in her hands, it was more like she was on autopilot. Her ears were ringing and, if anyone was saying anything, congratulating her on getting her weapon back, the words were drowned out and muffled. She just stared at the compact scythe for a few moments before someone put a hand on her shoulder and snapped her out of her trance.
"Ruby?" Ben asked.
Ruby blinked a few times and shook her head, trying to put on her brave face again.
"Sorry, just...I didn't...I didn't think I'd see it again. Thank you," Ruby said as earnestly as she could.
"Of course. What's the old Hunter saying? A weapon is an extension of the soul? Wouldn't do to have you without it, eh?" Max said. He turned to look outside and, even though the punderstorm had passed, the storm clouds had still darkened the sky. Even without them, he could tell it was getting late.
"Alright, getting late. Get some rest, all of you. Be back in a minute, gotta go check on Gwendolyn real quick," Max said, walking out of the Rust Hovel to go check up on his jackalope mount.
Ruby looked down at the weapon in the box, her expression turning sullen for a moment, before she closed the lid.
Neo and Roman stood in front of the now ruined and abandoned Garden, the former's Jabberwalker-Ultimate hybrids standing at attention as Neo walked through the empty streets of the market. She was looking around at each of the abandoned stalls and she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. How many people did her Jawbreakers hurt in the chase? She brought a hand to the side of her head as she was suddenly struck by an odd headache, like someone just hit her brain with a hammer. She didn't see it, but her eyes flickered between her usual pink and brown dual colorations and a familiar shade of cyan with white pupils. The flickering cyan took hold again before her usual eye color returned.
Wait...what was she worried about? These fairy tale characters? A bunch of random extras that Alyx didn't even bother writing about? They weren't even footnotes in the story, so why should she care?
"Well, goes without saying, but I think these Jawbreakers of yours are a bit better than the Xiong guys we used to hire," Roman said as he picked up one of the few remaining apples on a stall that seemed to be selling them. He brushed it off on his coat before taking it, nodding a little a bit as he found it tasting like a sweet roll.
You're comparing a bunch of street punks to aliens, Neo signed.
"I mean...fair. But there is still one problem here. We know Red was here...but we don't know where she went after."
If the Jawbreakers found her once, they can find her again.
A jar tipped over and shattered against the ground, catching the Jawbreakers', Roman's, and Neo's attention. The self-proclaimed Duchess used her Semblance to blend in with her environment and snuck up to the stall the jar fell off of. At first, she thought it was just precariously placed, until she saw a purple and cyan tail that seemed to fade from one color to the next.
You... Neo eyed the tail. I feel like I've seen you before.
"Have you? Interesting...I've never seen you!" The Curious Cat said.
What are you?
"Me? Why, I'm simply a cat most curious! And, judging by your exquisite fashion sense, am I right to assume you are the Duchess of Desserts?" the Cat asked.
Among other titles.
"Well, it is a singular pleasure to meet royalty! Truly, it is! Especially when you're undoubtedly better than that bothersome little Prince. Though, right now, I would suggest taking cover. There are Jabbers about."
You don't need to worry about them. They're -my- guards. And please, call them Jawbreakers.
"Jawbreakers? Oh, how frighteningly charming they are. You're from the Cakre, aren't you? Fits with your naming scheme..." The Cat hummed, floating around one of the Jawbreakers. "I've never seen a Jabberwalker like this."
You can call them custom jobs. I made them to hunt down someone who wronged me, who lied to me, Neo explained.
"Someone who lied, eh?" Curious Cat sighed. "I can relate...that girl lied to me, and now the red hood did too."
Red hood?
"Yes, yes. She acted so sweet too. Just goes to show how gullible I can be."
...that's who I'm looking for. The girl with the red hood.
The Cat smirked. "What a funny coincidence that is..."