Hamburgers.
You could grill, pan fry, deep fry, bake, steam and so much more with the general idea. In all forty-eight states of the Union, each state had its unique method of preparing them, in a way, that was the best metaphor to describe the citizens who lived there. Though all were different in their own way, across the vast states from sea to shining sea, all were still proud citizens of the Eagle Union.
E pluribus unum.
Out of many, one.
Those were the principles in which the Union were founded by, and though there were significant 'difficulties' during their relatively short history, that old mantra of liberty for all was something Weiss remembered very fondly. And here, away from the frozen tundras of Solitas, where she was able to sneak away from her hotel and freely deploy her hull, for just a moment, she could imagine herself back in the Union. On the roadside on Route 66, having stopped by a local diner for a quick bite, the music definitely helped, and the ice-cold Oxy-cola. She'd make a slushie out of it, but Ruby came by a bit too quickly for her to do that.
"Something wrong with your burger?" Weiss took a large bite out of her cheeseburger, she had to substitute the regular burger bun with a brioche instead here, the supermarket she bought her ingredients from sadly did not have a 'burger' bun.
"It's…greasy." Ruby poked and prodded at her burger, exactly the same as Weiss's.
"Yes, and? That's flavour right there, come on, take a bite!"
Reluctantly, the Ironblood Kansen lifted up her burger, and took a conservative bite, her eyes widening slightly just a second later. Her homemade barbecue sauce probably kicked in, causing Weiss to nod in satisfaction.
"I can see why your people are number one in fat-related medical issues."
Weiss fought the urge to roll her eyes, it wasn't that bad…they had healthy food too.
"At least our food has flavour, can't say the same about the Royal Navy. Did you know we used to cook for them during sorties? In turn, they'd share with us their alcohol rations, probably a myth, but I'd like to believe it's true."
The Eagle Union was a 'dry' navy, meaning that no alcohol could be issued to sailors on ships, the Royal Navy did not have that same rule. She distinctly remembered a destroyer named Laffey having to hide her stashes of booze, often labelling them as 'Torpedo Juice', fooling absolutely no one. But then again no Ensign was brave enough to tell off a Kansen for drinking, no matter how foolhardy or morally uptight they may have been. Come to think about it, what were they even thinking? Trying to ban alcohol for the entire nation? It was never going to have worked out.
"I can believe it, compliments to the chef." Ruby took another bite, this time a much more liberal one.
"Glad you like it, I tried to source things as close as I could, thankfully Eagle Union cheese was one of the things that get replaced in my hull, is it the same for you?"
"Bier is, and so are other canned items, sausages and the like."
Good to know that was at least consistent, she remembered chugging ten bottles of Oxy-cola the first time she managed to bring her hull out while on vacation in Vacuo, a young Weiss Schnee didn't know when she'd get the chance to savour the taste again. It was stupid how her hull had to be out for her to retrieve them, a Tommy gun and a .50 calibre machine gun? A-okay, but a simple cola? Nope, too complex, better take your hull out.
"You still have not answered my question."
Were all Ironblood Kansen like Ruby? Straight to the point and nothing else, it certainly didn't help their stereotypes. Weiss sighed as she put her half-finished burger down on her plate, taking a sip of cola before answering. She initially avoided it by rushing back into the kitchen and assembling their burgers, but now she had no more excuses, the prior conversation failed to distract Ruby from bringing it up again.
"Even in another world, must we, somehow in different lives, ask each other if we are still enemies? Do you really wish to continue the bloodshed?"
To her relief, Ruby shook her head immediately. "No, but that is why I must ask. Azur Lane and Crimson Axis were not on the best of terms to put it mildly, I have no desire to continue a meaningless war in this life, unless I am given reason to."
"And what would those reasons be?"
"I don't know. But I know they exist."
Weiss wanted to slam her head on the diner table, was she always this irritated? Maybe it was good that Hornet and Enterprise weren't here, otherwise they'd be seeing their beloved older sister acting like this.
"Are there any…others like us?"
"None, you're the first and only one I've met so far. Everyone else are been natives to this world, no signs of Wisdom Cubes either." Nor Sirens for that matter, but Ruby must have known that as well by now.
"Then how-"
"Did we manifest? I've asked this question myself for a long time…I suppose you have as well. Short answer? I have no idea, one day I was near the ocean, it was the first time I ever saw it, and…it happened. I suddenly 'knew' I was Yorktown, imagine the shock that would give to a six-year-old."
Weiss was no psychologist, but the implications of two sets of memories, who she was before knowing of Yorktown's own, had to have been life-changing. Whoever Weiss Schnee was destined to be before 'Yorktown' surfaced was now gone, but the version of herself right here and now would never go back, back to being ignorant about 'Yorktown'. Who knows? Maybe she would have aggressively pursued being the heir of the SDC, taken up a different life path, become a Huntress even, though that one was even less likely considering her family background. Most likely it would have been being prepared to take over the 'family' business like some corporate stooge.
"I was five when it happened. You had a much more…peaceful awakening than I. No matter, you really do not know anything? What is the last thing you remember from Yorktown's memories?"
She narrowed her eyes at Ruby, that part of her memories was the haziest part. There were memories that were clear as day, and others were hazy, like being in a wheat field with no sense of direction.
"My last one was…being at Port Honolulu, at Pearl, we were preparing for a mission, a big one, then it gets too hazy. I can't remember anything else."
Specifically, it was the last memory she had of both Enterprise and Hornet, as well as a bunch of other Kansen such as Midway and Alaska. It was a major operation, she surmised as such, but any details about it could not be remembered.
"Hm. I am the same, my last memory was at Kiel, also in the midst of a mission. Could it be…the reason why we are here?"
Weiss made a shrugging motion, in the near dozen years she has had to come to terms with her situation, finding out the reason why was not her primary concern. Though it did nag her at times, she couldn't afford to spend all of her time on it, could she?
"Maybe, maybe not. Chasing after ghosts of the past isn't a good way to spend our time on Remnant, is it? Don't you have your own mysteries in this life you want to uncover?"
Ruby made a motion to reach for the chain hanging from her neck, only to stop right before yanking the thing out.
"Nevermind. Though kin we may be, I still do not know you very well."
Fine by Weiss, she didn't expect Ruby to trust her right from the get-go. Hell, she didn't even expect her to show up today, it was only when her radar picked up her approach did she turn on the grill. Make no mistake, however, now that she was in Vale for a four-year undergraduate program, there was going to be plenty of time to meet. She was going to melt that Ironblood exterior in no time, with some good old-fashioned Eagle Union charm.
"Don't kick yourself over it, but we Kansen should stick together, so, whaddya say about being friends for now? If you ever need someone to talk to about the old world, you know who to call."
Holding up her scroll to emphasize the point, Ruby sighed once, before nodding to Weiss's delight.
"Come to think about it…we should have a drink-"
"I'm a minor." Well, technically Weiss Schnee was legally seventeen, but that didn't stop her at all.
"You're a Kansen, it doesn't apply."
"My family will find out. And also, you're already tipsy." Weiss didn't understand what she was talking about, until she looked at her reflection on the table, her face was a bit red, though only slightly. A distant memory of Yorktown saying some very odd things after a few drinks began to surface, was this why Enterprise always made sure someone looked after her during parties?
"You're craaazy, stop gaslighting me, you already fooled my sister Winter today…"
She went to pour more whiskey from her bottle, only to find that it was empty. When did it run out? Weiss swore there was more to it…
"I did not fool your sister, she chose to believe it, gullible as Specialists are…"
"Hey, didn't I help you out? We could make a great team…did you know in Huntsman academies they make you partner up? In Beacon the rule is to partner with the first person you make eye contact with, when you ran into me, wouldn't that mean we would be partners?"
Those were what former Beacon graduates said in various forums, she thought it was entirely a rumour until Winter confirmed it. At least it was more dramatic than how Atlas did it, some computerized algorithm to determine who would pair the best did not exactly endear her to the academy. No matter how many honeyed words the 'good' General gave to her older sister, it was the one thing she could never forgive.
Never.
"That is if I voluntarily joined Beacon in the first place. Though, eye contact? Really? I can see many issues arising from that alone, and they expect the same partners to remain the same for four years. Tradition it may be, but bad traditions should not be kept." Ruby pointed out indifferently, this was going to be a work in progress, wasn't it?
Feeling Grim nudge her sides, she suddenly remembered what she wanted to do at the end, the edges of her lips tugging upwards as she turned to look Ruby in the eyes.
"Hey…wanna go fly?"
Weiss didn't even give the younger girl any time to process what she said before dragging her out of the booth and the diner entirely. Drowning out her complaints with happy thoughts of finally being able to take to the skies once again, the door leading to her flight deck was slammed open, revealing a singular plane materialized and already waiting to take off.
"One, you are drunk, two, isn't that plane from the company infamously unreliable? I do not want the cockpit window to fly out suddenly while in the air." Ruby pointed out, the cool ocean breeze blowing at them without much effect.
"Counterpoint one, I can fly a squadron with my eyes closed, counterpoint two, it's only their civilian airliners, this is their Dauntless, if it's good enough for Enterprise, it's good enough for just the two of us! Come on, it fought bravely in the Pacific, I've never had anyone fly with me yet."
"Kansen are not meant to fly."
Weiss ignored Ruby's statement and began walking closer towards the plane. "Kaga of the Sakura Empire thought the same thing too, until Enterprise proved her wrong. Onwards!"
She may not have had the same battle prowess that Enterprise often displayed, but Yorktown held considerable sway among the Eagle Union ranks by her will alone, and morale mattered just as much as battle prowess or technological advantage. In one small leap, Weiss managed to climb up onto the wing of the plane, opening the canopy for the pilot and the back gunner. Twirling around on her heels, she spread both her arms out and waited for Ruby to respond.
"Typical Yankee."
"Stop being so sour, Kraut~" Two could play at that game. Despite the insult, however, Ruby finally budged from leaning on the control tower, making her way to the back gunner position.
"A quick flight only, I still have to go back home soon."
Better than she hoped, and besides, she only said to have a quick flight, not to have a 'pleasant' one. It wasn't every day that she got to make a Battleship experience what dive bombing felt like.
There was a glamorous idea of breaking the law, the romanticism of going against the strict rules that society was governed by, to maverick one's own way regardless of any consequences. That was why there were so many films about crime and the people who committed them, moreso on organized groups which spread their own ideas about their illicit profession in an attempt to get more fresh recruits into joining up with their lifestyle.
Neo, was not one of those idiots, no, she chose to enter that world, despite knowing what it was really like. Back when she still went by 'Trivia' and not 'Neopolitan' there may have been a time when she could have gone down another path if her parents had shown her just an inkling more of love and affection.
But, they were dead, and good riddance to those assholes. Who knew keeping a massive stockpile of dust anywhere near you was actually detrimental to health and safety?
That was exactly why she was currently situated at least half a kilometer away from the nearest stockpile of dust in the makeshift White Fang base they were residing (hiding) in. After being unceremoniously dropped off by Neo's second favourite person in the world, she and Roman realised they were in a tricky situation. They had no Dust, had their main safehouse raided by the coppers and were even more wanted than they originally were. As it turned out, stealing prototype military equipment was in fact, a very illegal thing to do, even more so than usual.
So they did what any good criminal knew, fall back to familiar lines. They eventually managed to get in contact with Tukson, some White Fang informant who was not too pleased to see them appear in his bookstore, but nonetheless directed them to a White Fang cell. That cell, somehow treating them as heroes by association with Hutten, took them in like war veterans returning home successfully. Apparently Hutten was now a legendary Hero in the Fang, with her successfully beating the Aura out of Winter Schnee and annihilating the Atlesian force sent after them being more than endearing to them. The fact that she had clearly visible horns and spider-like legs protruding out didn't help things, even though Faunus could only have one animal part, some already began calling her the Messiah or whatever.
Gee, wonder why…knowing her however, Neo would bet a year's supply of ice cream that Ruby had no idea she had that kind of status right now.
Anyways, one thing led to being smuggled out of Vale in a livestock truck, gross, and here they were, back in the arms of their 'allies', licking their wounds. Well, she had a great time until being dropped off, as she made liberal use of Ruby's fully functional and classically decorated Spa in that ship of hers, which was also technically herself. Why couldn't she reflect a spa or anything like that? Not all Semblances were created equal after all…
So here she was, in the ruins of Mountain Glenn, with no plumbing, indoor heating, good scroll service, Grimm basically patrolling everywhere and did she mention that she was underground? It was to avoid reconnaissance flights from Atlesian forces, eager to avenge their tarnished reputation. Oh well, things could be worse, at least she wasn't on clean-up duty, when those tunnels were sealed they sure left behind a lot of mummified corpses in the trains.
Too many. Some she was sure were even childr-
*BZZT*
Desperate for anything to take her mind off that sight again, she immediately lunged for her scroll on a small crate beside her. If her hunch was correct…
Rubes: check this out
Rubes: [Image of her in a cockpit, high above the city of Vale]
Rubes: this could be us but you a wanted criminal
Neo blinked at the image that was sent to her, what was she even flying in? She may not have known about flying very much, but it didn't look like any airship she knew of.
Neo-Neopolity: what is this
Neo-Neopolity: Where ru
Rubes: in the sky
Neo-Neopolity: how do you even have scroll service?
Rubes: secret
Rubes: where ru then
Rubes: you're very wanted by the cops
Neo-Neopolity: secret~
When was she ever not wanted by the cops? Well, probably not to that extent but that was not relevant.
Rubes: is Roman with u?
Neo-Neopolity: Not rn. Why?
Rubes: Ask him when and where I can drop off the dust
Rubes: asshole left me on read when I asked
Neo was entirely unsurprised. They were in no state to be receiving new shipments of Dust, shit, barely even had enough space to hide their bullheads from aerial patrols. Roman was probably doing his best to stall Ruby, who he saw as their golden ticket out of this mess, even moreso now. Both in the sense of being able to complete their job and just straight up eliminating their employer. She was fine with either, but leaned a teensy bit more to the latter option.
Rubes: I can't hold this stuff forever
Rubes: Tell him go give me a reply soon or i dump the product into the sea
Rubes: Or I use it for target practice
Rubes: Either way I lose it so
Neo-Neopolity: he gonna be so mad
Rubes: I'll use him for target practice, I can see his stupid bowler hat from a mile away, literally
Neo-Neopolity: understandable, have a nice night
Rubes: Tell Roman to call me when he gets back
Rubes: hello
Rubes: I see that you've read my message
Before Neo could incriminate herself further, she quickly shut off her scroll. Just as she was about to lean back however, there was a small statured Fang grunt approaching her, walking so stiffly that he may as well have had a bat up his ass.
"M-Miss Neopolitan? Mister Torchwick has requested y-your presence."
Already? He probably fucked some other thing up again. Getting up, she brushed past the grunt and made her way back deeper into the camp, which was an old underground metro station for the settlement. The timid little grunt quickly followed her, barely managing to keep pace.
"I-is it true you and Hutten the liberator bested the Schnee together?!"
Neo stopped right in her tracks, then turned to the grunt with the best expression of confusion she could muster. Also, did she hear right? Hutten the liberator? She fought the urge to let Ruby know right this moment, instead making a mental note to record the reaction for herself later on.
"It's w-what we think high leader Taurus is visiting this camp for…"
Taurus? Neo looked ahead to the main area of their makeshift camp, noticing Roman and Adam Taurus arguing with each other next to shipments of Dust. Huh, Taurus himself was here? Come to think of it, they did meet each other before, albeit briefly as he was too busy preparing for another raid.
"A-are we right, ma'am?" Deciding to have a little fun before all the serious talk, Neo twirled around to face the Grunt directly, a perfect grin on her face. Pulling out her scroll, she typed out a simple message.
'What's your name?'
"T-Timothy ma'am!"
Little Timothy, then. He was not taller than Neo by much, which was an extreme rarity by Vale's standards. However, people like him had…other uses.
'Run along now, Timmy, report back to me and I'll tell Hutten about what a good little soldier for the cause you are.'
"I'll do anything for the liberator! Excuse me, ma'am!"
Before, the White Fang grunts barely tolerated her and Roman's presence, y'know, being the human scum and all that. Neo could get used to this newfound respect, and all of it was due to piggybacking off of Hutten's misunderstanding. The Fang Commanders weren't even trying to fight those ideas, any cause needed heroes, and Hutten just so happened to be one, whether she knew it or not.
The brief fun time over, and she reflected her way to Roman's side, appearing in a brief flash right behind him.
SHING
"Who?"
Only to find Taurus's blade only an inch from her throat. So this was the skill of the infamous bull…she wanted to fight him.
"NEO! Gave me a heart attack there…also, you mind sheathing that razorblade of yours? Not so good for business, pointing that at your business partners."
Roman had his own weapon ready to fire, the grunts around Taurus tensely standing around, but making no move to draw their own weapons. With a grunt, the infamous leader slowly sheathed his blade.
"I do not like surprises."
"Yeah, I'd imagine, with your partner taking off with the front of the train and everything. Whoops, too soon?"
Evidently so, judging by him gripping his hilt even tighter.
"The Dust from that train will be added to the stockpile here. You do not need to worry about witnesses." Goody, more work to do…
"But even that will not be enough to replenish the stocks of what we once had. Other safehouses have been targeted relentlessly, we will be undergoing a lockdown."
"Ugh! Again?! Do you know how much that disrupted things the last time that happened?! Do you want me to get this done or not? I'm sure Cinder wouldn't like your progress right now either, right? "
The reminder that both had a metaphorical fire underneath their feet caused Taurus to grit his teeth. Clearly he was not an all too willing collaborator with her either.
"Irrelevant. Hutten is not with you."
And there it was, the real reason he came here. Why else would Adam Taurus visit a random camp in the middle of nowhere? No, he'd seen the video as well, kind of difficult to not have seen it with all the news playing it these past few days.
"What's that got to do with anything?" Roman was not playing around either, not when his golden ticket was on the line. Whatever he'd choose, Neo would stick by him, as she always had.
Surprisingly, he huffed in response. Didn't Ruby mention running into him before?
"The last time we met, she told me that she had no desire to fight in our cause. I called her a fence-sitter. What she did on the docks was not what a fence sitter would do."
"Let's just say she's a temp worker, a really good temp worker. I'm gonna dash your dreams right now, she's still a freelancer, we just happened to have business that day."
"Business that included fighting Winter Schnee, and winning? Then evading an Atlesian cruiser, headed by a vice-admiral? Do not take me for a fool."
But that was what happened-
"All a coincidence, you know how our line of work is, the chaos is an inevitable part of it."
"Hm. Fine, play at your games. Tell her that I wish to meet."
Neo couldn't help but snicker, ask to meet her? Even if the four maidens from legend came together, Ruby still wouldn't meet with them unless forced to.
"You serious? There is no way she'll even accept meeting you-"
"Then I will find her."
She instantly narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to start the fight, but alas, it never came. As he walked away, he gave off a few more cryptic words.
"She has involved herself with the Fang, and as such, it is only fitting for the leader to vet the new initiate."
A few moments later, after he walked deeper into the cave, and away from vision, she and Roman shared a look together.
"We should warn her, right?"
Neo gave him a deadpan stare with her heterochromatic eyes.
You think?!
AN:
The SBD Dauntless, from the Douglas Aircraft Company, which later merged with with McDonnel, which finally merged with Boeing was a famous U.S. Dive Bomber in the Pacific. This is for anyone who didn't get the reliability joke.
Neapolitan's real name is Trivia Vanille, and even has a whole backstory now…revealed in a spin-off prequel book. Yay, very fun, not at all annoying to comb through…
Just in case anyone asks, regarding the 'personalities' of Ruby and Weiss in this story, I am aiming for similarity, yet not a complete copy. While they do retain a large portion of their inherited Kansen's personality, I have made it so that there are still significant enough differences in who they currently are. Otherwise why don't I just literally put the same Kansen in Remnant? You may already notice this with Ruby, in comparison to Ulrich, she is a lot more 'mellowed' out, and for Weiss, anyone living in the Schnee manor for most of their life would have their personalities altered. Though that same Eagle Union spirit and bubbly Elder Sister energy is still there, albeit sometimes overshadowed by her current circumstances at the current stage of this fic.
Be civil in the comments below.