"Make no mistake, you are 'you,' regardless of the physical body."
Easy for him to say; he wasn't the one who had to contend with having a different ass after every death escape. But Neo supposed it wasn't right to back-sass the god serving her shots. Still, no matter how many she drank, she couldn't seem to get a kick. It took her eyeing the drink evilly before mister dark lord or whatever told her what was up.
"Those won't do anything for you, by the way." Pouring himself one, he toyed with the glass. "Here in our space, time does not traditionally pass, meaning most of your bodily functions are in stasis until we plop you back down in Remnant."
So she couldn't even enjoy a drink; figures it was too good to be true. Still, at least it tasted sweet.
"I'd be careful if I were you." And in came the man who lacked any sense of subtlety. Granted, at least the God Of Light's bluntness could be - supposedly - relied upon for more direct information. "While you cannot feel it now, your body will instantly take to it upon returning to the world you call home."
"Yeah, in like, an hour," Neo found it funny how traditionally sexy her thoughts echoed out, speaking for her and making her question if that's what her voice would have spoken if she hadn't been mute. This drew a grin from Wilem, who snorted and congratulated her.
"That a girl; enjoy your gifts to the fullest~"
Neo didn't need to look to tell Kobos wasn't quite in agreement, but at least he didn't complain anymore. Instead, he got down to business, right as she slowly drew back and finished off what she'd decided then would be her final shot; wasn't any fun if all she'd get was the sickness.
"This is a substantial amount to take in, I'm aware, but know that we are fundamentally on your side." For what it was worth, his claim came off as genuine. "We are not your enemies."
"Despite his usually infuriating sense of self-importance, my brother is right," Wilem added, a strange, but content and comforting look painted delicately across his mug. "Believe me when I say this: we've learned what happens when we rashly make choices to distance ourselves and play pissy."
Neo would have questioned what it was they'd even wanted her to do for them, because surely this wasn't just a friendly little chat with their favorite science project. They'd already revealed she was still kicking because her semblance was quirky, but what did they really earn from resurrecting her over and over again? Her body, anyway; not so much her soul. But as luck would have it, Kobos had that covered.
"You are an oddity... No, that's not right; such a label treats you as an exhibit. Rather, you are a gift: our path to, perhaps, finding Remnant's heart anew, and maybe even earning a place at her side again." He sounded so... solemn and ethereal, similar to the age old habit of regretful reminiscence. Kind of like Roman when he gets another stupid task dumped on his shoulders from Cindy.
"Speak for yourself," clapped Wilem, leaning on a hand with his elbow propped up by the bar's face. "I'm perfectly fine watching from afar. Let the mortals have their way."
"Their way is riddled with strife and ignorance," returned Kobos, slightly irritated and holding a fire behind his eye. "They'd sooner destroy themselves first. We've already seen one child lost: that of the realm itself. I'll not willingly allow the passing of another, not when we have a chance in Neo."
"Evolve or die," Wilem, unfettered by his older brother's attempt at emotional pandering, appeared to have a different outlook on things. "They will either learn from their mistakes, ensuring their continued survival, or they will forsake themselves and their futures all in a pursuit of worthless rivalries. Let's not forget who it was that dictated the critical nature of humanity's personal, uninfluenced growth." Kobos bit down, his lips scowling as he flinched. "After all, the punishment wrought for its breaking once before still shows its effects today, does it not?" Wilem cackled after, following up jovially. "My my. Breaking your own rules once to offer your hand is one thing; there really was no other option. But to do so again, and for significantly less critical reasoning? Rather blasphemous by your own account, is it not?"
"I am aware of my own shortcomings." Hauntingly, his voice vibrated throughout every fiber of her new body's being, and Neo thought for a second her bladder had given way. Holy fuck was that terrifying, and she couldn't grasp why. His voice never picked up in volume, and nor had his tone promised punishment. The only thing possibly able to argue in favor of the fear fingering her spine had to be his presence.
Kobos was, indeed, a god; that shock of spiritual terror proved it, because she'd finally noticed how it wasn't only her body that froze, but her semblance had unconsciously activated, which was why she could see her body sitting there, perfectly locked in place like a photo.
That's right: there was no time here, and so her abandoned body had nothing to contend with.
Pausing her physical form, though, seemed to tell Kobos just what kind of influence his speech had on her, and he sighed, offering up an apology.
"Forgive me; sometimes I forget how mortals process the ire of powers greater than them."
"You could've just said sorry like a normal person," Wilem said with a flat look, shaking his head dismissively. "Forget it; you've been busy trying to understand why Remnant has grown beyond our power. I, on the other hand, quite enjoy watching the little lives scattering her surface do their best to conjure reasons to keep on living."
"Is it really living when they're not even capable of choice?" Cold again, but not pants-pissing. Kobos ended up hitting the nail on the head, earning a muffled agreement from his brother.
"No... I guess it's not," this quickly turned around, however. "But don't pretend this is born of some sudden reveal of mercy within your heart; you're just mopey that Remnant no longer wants us there."
A long, stagnant silence befell the trio, and after feeling awkward for long enough, Neo attempted to change the subject with the hopes of both ending it, and going on her merry way; make no mistake, she felt uneasy about meddling gods, but there was little more she could earn from sticking around.
"What about Ruby?" Getting their attention simply amounted to mentioning the name. "She can see me when I'm outside of fate's reach. What's her job?"
"Her role is... complicated."
"What he means to say is that we don't know." Wilem, as usual, played translator for the supposed master of order. "We didn't even know she could do that until you had your little chat with her."
That made sense... hold on.
"Were you two watching me?"
"All the time." Her heart stopped, until Kobos came in to restart it.
"Not all the time. We took glances following every use of your semblance. The only reason we caught your friend is because she questioned you immediately afterwards."
Okay, so that wasn't so bad.
"We popped back in after that whenever we thought you'd be most active," Wilem sprinkled in. "On the plus side, it was fun watching that spicy leader of yours accidentally forge deeper bonds between you and your new girlfriend."
He must have been referring to Cinder, and on that point he was correct. Really, if it weren't for her intervention, Neo wasn't sure she'd be as deeply buried in Ruby's good graces as she currently was. Unfortunately, she knew it wouldn't last forever; the train itself had just killed her, and Neo doubted suddenly popping back up would make things any better.
Besides, she'd just left her body before it got blasted, meaning Ruby was currently stuck on autopilot. Suddenly having control restored when Roman's partner popped back into reality pretty much guaranteed an awkward conversation later on - if Ruby didn't question her then and there.
Neo offered an accepting, albeit annoyed and silent sigh; she didn't need to speak all the time, and this mental voice stuff was getting tiresome. Strangely, it took a solid minute of awkward waiting for Wilem to point out what should have been obvious.
"I think she's ready to go home."
"Hmm?" Kobos turned his focus on her fully. "Are you?"
Neo responded by raising an eyebrow, rolling her wrist to say "get on with the show."
"Very well." Her body hence began to float up, and things got all twisty in the sight department. Through this, his voice gained a layer of static, like he was losing signal. "We'll talk again later, but for now: return from whence you came."
"Really had to show off, didn't you?"
At least Wilem's wit made returning entertaining.
.
.
You know, watching as your body and voice did your usual thing without a care in the world was kind of relaxing.
Granted, Ruby really wished she could do the fighting herself; she was missing out on the action and heroism.
Just what are you doing? She wondered to herself.
Knowing Mint to be the reason behind her odd lapses in control made them easier to accept, and even funny in a way; she'd always get the chance afterwards to ask her friend why she popped out of her body. But with control gone this long, she had to wonder if Mint was doing some more spying, like she had during their initial meeting. Secretly spying, while weird, kind of fit Mint like a glove; a super sassy, secret agent kind of glove. Did secret agents wear gloves? Ruby guessed it didn't matter, more or less focusing instead on the length of this control-less experience.
Mint had never been out for this long before... and it was kinda annoying.
"Look out, Rubes!" yelled Yang, and Ruby watched as her body whipped about in a flurry of rose petals, avoiding the lashing of the beowolf and re-emerging a short step away. Slashing down violently, Crescent Rose beheaded the beast, and she felt a small grin being tossed to her sister.
"Thanks!" it called back, proceeding to continue on with their defense of the city.
A part of her wanted to applaud, really; apparently, she was doing a good job - minus a few hiccups here and there - and so Ruby figured she deserved a little praise at least. Sadly, the praise she offered to her would-be self kind of fell into the shadows as the minutes stretched on. Growing ever frustrated, Ruby was about ready to begin silently cursing out her friend with hard words such as 'douche' and 'jerk' until, all of a sudden, she was standing smack dab back in place, idling like a weirdo in the middle of a battlefield.
Thankfully she wasn't the only weirdo, as in the center of the battlefield and before the hole which the grimm continued to spill from, a blinding light radiated with a deep, ear deafening explosion. Following this, because things weren't wacky enough, that woman from before popped into place, landing gracefully on her heels...
Her open-toed, black-strapped heels; the kind Ruby remembered seeing in Yang's closet once back home.
Actually, she looked nothing like fifteen minutes ago; that dress was more for someone ready to party at the midsummer ball as opposed to running an explosive train. Still, the way she walked up to the closest White Fang guy with a sassy sway proceeded to literally backhand him into a nearby wall had Ruby feeling things; mostly awe and excitement.
The absolute chaos born from that simple act left nearly everyone in a daze, except those fighting the grimm, who spared a mild glance at best before continuing to survive the onslaught.
"Wait! What are you-?" Boom, a fist to the gut, followed by a high spinning heel across the back of his head.
"Bwa!?" Another poor sod had his family jewels - as Uncle Qrow would say - knocked up into his throat, and dropped not a second later.
"You can't-!?" Really, if these guys would just stop talking and get back to fighting, they might stand a chance; at this point, Roman's partner was racking up the points. Although, strangely, she didn't seem happy about it. There was a noticeable curl to her lips, unnaturally drawn downward, not so much in anger or disappointment, but almost... empty.
"Ha!" Screamed a larger man, running an oversized glaive through her stomach. The sight of so much leaking blood trailing down her tummy had Ruby going white a moment, and as the man ripped back, about to shout his victory, Neo... jittered?
Ruby's eyes went wide, for her semblance's top speed had granted her heightened reaction times, which aided in seeing just what really went down. Her spirit ejected itself from her body, and Ruby felt the loss of control completely until the ghost dashed back in, her wounds healed at the touch. Not a drop of blood anywhere following that, and this time, the mere emptiness had been swapped out for what Ruby liked to call a serial killer's gaze.
Completely wordless, and showing nothing but an apathetic look so cold Ruby could feel her corneas freezing over. Neo took two solid steps up to the stun-locked man, yanked his weapon from his hands, and painted a heavy, horizontal stroke across his chest. This single move obliterated his aura, and even turned him right around. He had just enough time to raise his head up to look out at everyone else before the blade ripped right through the core of his chest, cracking the pavement below as it traveled at a diagonally downward angle, and pinning him to the road. It was his turn to jitter a few final seconds, before the loss of blood and shock knocked him out.
He wouldn't be waking up ever again; Ruby didn't need to be as old as her classmates to recognise that.
W-what am I looking at?
Ruby wanted to say things ended there, but there was one final detail that derailed the whole fiasco. Despite the fact she could leave her body like a certain new friend, and despite the fact she'd just murdered a man in cold blood in the middle of a street, the one thing Ruby found so unsettling above all else had to be the glossiness to her eyes, and the slight smudging of eyeliner just now starting to drip when they locked eyes.
"M-Mint?" Ruby mouthed the name, not daring to add volume in fear of everyone else catching on. Nobody knew the semblance aspect other than her - or, they didn't understand it well enough to recognise it on sight.
Roman's partner… Mint... Mint knew, and her eyes widened one last time before she took two almost broken steps back, only to then turn around and book it for the nearest alcove. Rocketing into the darkness of the alleyway before her kill, and leaving behind a frozen over Ruby, who didn't know what to think about anything afterwards.
It took until the ping of her scroll to awaken the catatonic leader of the infamous Team RWBY, who saw that the message came from Mint. Swallowing hard, Ruby took her chance and opened it, reading the solitary line.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want any of this."
.
.
"Well..." Mercury followed up his comment with a whistle. "That was new."
"Shut it," Emerald demanded, scowling to herself as they left the scene behind.
The assault on Vale was a bust - thanks in no small part to Team RWBY having the greatest luck imaginable. Weren't out-of-kingdom missions exclusive to seniors in this place? Not only that, but the fact Neo popped up out of the blue and began slaughtering the White Fang only added to the already bonkers situation. And what was that look? Did the twerp find Neo's... whatever the dust that outfit was as hot? Speaking of Neo, she took one look at the shell-shocked kid and booked it; why?
None of this added up at all. Didn't Neo get caught up in the blast?
"Think Roman was lying?" Mercury teased, to which Emerald scoffed.
"With the threat of Cinder's wrath on his ass? Not a chance." Besides, Roman had spent the past fifteen minutes of warfare frantically searching for his partner. He said - during their little faux clash a moment before - that he wasn't worried about her. Well, he sure looked worried, but who was she to say?
"Come on," Mercury bugged, pulling at her shoulder. "Let's go bag Torchwick and finish this up."
Silently agreeing, mostly because she'd rather do her thinking alone, Emerald took off with her partner and cornered Roman against a crumbled building front. The sudden explosive entrance had torn up the surrounding area decently well, leading to a lot of eyes focused on either huddling the citizens away from danger, or battling the accompanying grimm and terrorists. As such, a couple of newbie students not being assaulted by the grimm in particular was barely noticeable, and their scuffles with the White Fang in the meantime meant that the pair got out scot-free and looked like noble heroes; just as the rest of Beacon's joining students did.
"S'up Torchwick?" Mercury blared, diving in with a solid kick which the man blocked. "Not so much fun now that you're out of options, is it?"
The theatrics would keep the wandering eyes of nosy viewers at bay, placating their ears at the same time.
"Honestly, I blame them," Roman rattled off, taking Emerald's side-kick to his ribs relatively well. Coughing faintly, he dropped to a knee, and his cane was kicked away by Merc who gave him a little pat on the arm. Sticking to the script near-perfectly, Roman scoffed for show and muttered, "It's what I get for working with animals."
"Riiiight," Emerald herself said, picking him up off the pavement and arm-stronging him over to the nearest collective of soldiers. By now the battle had subsided, and with the grimm wiped out on the clean-up end, nearly all excess White Fang members stood either dead or in cuffs. All the while, a very disgruntled vice-principal Glynda Goodwitch picked up the pieces of the city and linked them together again; filling up the leak that was the public park this side of Vale and preventing further grimm spill. "Well, you can think about that from the confines of a cell."
Emerald, fittingly, handed him off to a pair of soldiers, who crudely walked him up into the little airship they had. Seems they wanted him somewhere else - in maximum security captivity amiss General Ironwood of Atlas's own personal battleship - and so let him ride within a carrier separate to the one used to move the surviving White Fang off to casual prison.
For their troubles, the pair were verbally rewarded for their do-gooder behavior.
"Good work, kids." And said reward passed through the swift lips of, would you know it, Qrow Branwen. "Snagging Torchwick ain't easy; you've done everyone here a favor."
"Heh," Mercury just had to brag. "He wasn't so tough."
Emerald could only sigh.
Author's note
…
Neo's back, Ruby knows, and Emerald and Mercury stick to the script.
Sorry for the late upload - in terms of Tuesday uploads that is. I've been busy working on an original short story, which I'll mention once its available. Unfortunately, I have to use full and proper grammar in that one, so it has been eating up my time.
On a positive note, some of that better grammar might bleed into this by mistake, including the faster pacing - as if you needed more of that.
I'm cutting the note here now, as I don't have much more to really add. I guess the brothers' moment was pretty neat.
Until next time.