Author's Notes:
-Hello to my fellow RWBY fans. Before we begin this chapter, I have something to tell you. Remember when I told you we were done with Weiss until volume 5? And other characters from Atlas until volume 7? Well... I kinda lied (at least about Weiss, can't say anything else due to spoilers). Now before you harp on me, allow me to explain. Due to chronological inconsistencies in canon, it appears that part of Weiss's v5 arc (such as the Lancer Battle), occurs during the tail end of RNJR's v4 arc. Also, since Weiss ends up saved (partially?) by Yang, and our former brawler is still recovering, I have to work around this. Not to mention team JNPR-Ruby is still aboard the ship to Anima. And so are Qrow and Tyrian for that matter, albeit all parties are on different vessels. So naturally, I have some problems to fix to restore order. And so, I interrupt your regularly scheduled reading to bring you Weiss's v5 arc occurring early, plus some well needed time with Yang.
-Now, for those of you who might be wondering what I'm going to do with Weiss in the aftermath of the lancer fight with Yang off the battlefield, don't you worry your pretty little heads off. I've got a plan for how the aftermath will go. And hopefully the actual fight will be better than it was in canon.
-Also, I apologize for the long wait. Damn, over three weeks. (sigh) I got a lot going on right now.
Alright, now that that has been said, let's begin.
Weiss had found herself sitting on a crate aboard the ship. It had been numerous weeks since she had left Atlas city behind, and now her patience was starting to pay off. They had just reached the west edge of Mistral and passed over Vita only a day ago.
It's not much, but maybe Winter can help me... Somehow. She had always been there for me. Maybe she can get me some military-esque training to help me develop my skills as a future huntress. Maybe I could go to Haven Academy. Last I looked, they're still open... Even if they're not and/or Winter doesn't have the money to pay for it (or for some reason refuses), I also know that Argus is one of the many places in Mistral that has a huntsman testing center, where huntsman and huntresses can get their licenses without having to go to the academies. The bad thing is... is that I've heard the tests in these kinds of facilities are much harder than the end of fourth year tests taken at any academy. Perhaps she could help me prepare for one of those tests...
Standing up, she went through the hall to the cockpit where the pilot was.
"Hello there, Weiss." he greeted.
"Hello, Mr. Atar. I hate to sound like I am nagging, but how much farther is it to Argus?"
Fenix Atar answered, "We're in the home stretch now. No more stops are necessary. First things first, we need to cross over Lake Matsu and immediately take a north turn. Unfortunately, this will take us most of the day. But from there, it's smooth sailing all the way to Argus, which will be an additional one and a half to two days. Sorry for the long trip. Keeping us off the radar's been harder than I thought. Lots of air traffic around northern Anima."
Weiss stood in the back, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. "It's fine. I... just hope I haven't been a burden."
He simply chuckled at the idea. "You and your money are more than welcome on this ship, kid."
"Is that why you did this? For the money?" she asked in a semi-forlorn tone.
"There's a lot of reasons I do this." the pilot began. "The money, the thrill, helping out others from time to time. This is technically illegal last time I looked." He covered his mouth with his hand briefly. "Please don't say anything."
She stepped forward so that he could see her face. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I mean, you're keeping me hidden, so it's only fair that I return the favor."
"I appreciate that. The only one who knows about my illegal activity would be my boyfriend back home."
She looked at him quizzically. "Your boyfriend?"
"A guy named Kobalt Gange. Fourth year Atlas Academy student."
The former heiress blinked. "Wait, isn't he a member of team FNKI?"
"He sure is, along with Flynt Coal, Neon Katt and Ivori MacCarrick. All of them are expected to graduate at the end of the year."
She smiled to herself. "I remember facing the first two in the doubles round of the tournament with Yang. At first I couldn't even stand them, but after the duel was over, we each left with different perspectives and became friends of sorts. Ah, those were much better days..."
A moment of silence passed before Fenix asked, "So... why did you run away?"
"There's... a lot of reasons involved. For one thing, I still want to be a huntress, even with Beacon Academy shut down and my team of friends dissolved. Also, my dad hurt me. Physically and emotionally. He slapped me in the face after one outburst, and he's been controlling and emotionally abusive my entire life, if not longer."
For a moment, the pilot didn't know what to say. After a moment of silence, he gave his response. "Ouch. I'm... sorry to hear that."
"Between him, my mother sorrowfully drinking, and a younger brother who doesn't seem to truly care about me or anyone else, my older sister is the only one left I can trust. So I need to stop crying, pull myself together and move forward with my life. It's what Pyrrha would want me to do."
"And I hope you do so."
It was time for another therapy session with Madame Mallari. Yang wore her mechanical arm, and her father was right by her side. The two sat on the couch as Mallari took up a fold up chair with a pen and clipboard on her lap.
"So," Madame Mallari began. "I've been told via your father that you have been using your arm for at least a few days now. How would you say that you are adjusting to it?"
"It... definitely feels weird." the patient began. "After being without the arm for numerous months, it definitely took some time to get used to the feeling. Heck, I'm still adapting even. And Dad here can tell you, I broke at least five glasses in the last three days."
Taiyang told them, "I counted four. Is there one you forgot to tell me about?"
Yang explained, "It happened at three in the morning, after waking up from yet another nightmare. I'm surprised you didn't hear it."
The joke-cracking father blinked. "So am I."
"Remember to be patient with yourself." the Madame advised Yang. "It can take weeks or even months to adjust to having a mechanical limb as opposed to a biological one. This is especially true if you have been missing that said limb for four months or more."
"Five and a half months or so..." the blonde ex-brawler spoke, looking solemnly at her right arm.
"Well you've got help now, and that's what matters presently."
"I suppose you have a point. Hey, um, Dr. Mallari, can I be honest with you?"
Mallari smiled. "Absolutely. What's ailing you, child?"
"Well, as nice as it is to have something to replace the arm that I had lost all those months ago, part of me almost fears that my new arm will just... vanish one day. Like I'll wake up one morning and it'll be gone. I've tried some meditation, but the irrational fear still pervades my mind." Yang looked at her new right arm. "Does it get any better with time?"
"It should, within time. Hopefully the fear will fade." Mallari's smile faded. "However, this fear is not completely irrational either. If malicious people notice it, some crooks may try to steal your arm."
Yang faltered in her movement, jerking her right arm back to her, her metal fist enclosed and placed to her chest. "Do you... think I should continue sleeping with it?"
"That is up to you. If you sleep with it on, you're not very likely to damage it. However, there have been a few reports that sometimes the mechanical arm may slip off if not properly secured. Of course, there are measures that can be taken to prevent slippage. Overall, it likely wouldn't matter either way. However, it would be wise to keep it on if you are going to be traversing in dangerous areas." She raised an eyebrow. "Do you have plans to undertake any dangerous journeys anytime soon?"
The former fighter gave the doctor a small shrug. "I don't know. I've given thoughts as to trying to find my little sister, as well as finding my birth mom and getting answers from her. But even if/when I do fully recover, I know that I would have a long road ahead of me. That however, is an issue for another day. You mentioned that thieves might try to steal my arm. Do you think that I should try to hide it?"
"Depends on how you feel. Hiding a mechanical arm is much harder than hiding mechanical legs. If anything, it made little difference appearance wise for me. Not because I'm embarrassed or ashamed, but because long dresses like these were always part of my fashion. Consider the following; do you think that hiding the truth would be beneficial for you?"
Yang thought to herself in silence for a long moment. "Honestly, I'm not sure I would want to hide the truth. I would want to be more honest with those around me and arguably myself as well."
"That is a very understandable way of looking at it. Some people experience stress when trying to hide secrets, whether they are personal or belong to someone else. I'm not saying that it applies to you, but it is a common occurrence I have seen again and again in many of my patients and to a lesser extent, people in general. Some of these people try to avoid secret keeping whenever possible. Considering your previous bold, semi-showoff nature, it would make sense that you would not want to hide your mechanical limb from anyone."
"Do you... mind showing me your mechanical legs? Just for curiosity's sake?"
The doctor smiled. "Not at all."
Madame Mallari stood up from the couch and pulled up her lavender dress to show her legs. Her metal feet were molded in the same way a normal human foot was, but the legs themselves were simply long metal sticks, similar to those on a walking cane.
"Compared to what human legs are supposed to look like, they're not very impressive. I didn't have the money to afford high-grade prosthetics at the time I purchased them, but they've kept me going for years with little problems, so who am I to complain?" She chuckled as she let down her dress and sat back down. "Count yourself lucky that the General of Atlas sent you this state of the art Atlas tech, free of charge, no questions asked."
The sunny little dragon blinked her eyes. "You do have a point. In the unlikely event that I ever go to Atlas, I should personally thank General Ironwood for doing this for me."
"You could send him a letter in the mail." Madame Mallari suggested. "If I were a betting woman, I'd wager that it would put a smile on his face."
"I could, although chances are it would never get to him. Messengers aren't exactly top-notch. Not to mention according to television news reports I've heard from the Vale News Network, 45% of Vale's messengers have died within the first two weeks of taking the job. Twenty percent of those dead messengers came from Patch."
"There is always a risk, but it wouldn't hurt to try at least." Taiyang suggested. "What do you have to lose?"
She looked at him, a little annoyed, but with a smile. "A few hundred Lien, give or take?"
"Hmm..." Taiyang briefly thought to himself. "Tell ya what, I'll give you three hundred Lien for a message to the General. If you want to use just that or chip in your own savings in hopes of getting a more competent messenger, you can do so. I'll even take it to the mailbox and/or find a messenger to personally deliver it at the post office. All you have to do is write the letter."
"Thank you. Normally I would pitch in some cash, but quite frankly, I'd rather save my earnings for something better. Something that would bring me comfort in these highly uncertain times."
"Probably a wise decision." Dr. Mallari commented. The hand-clock on the well read 4:55pm. "Well, our hour is almost up. Are there any last minute concerns you wanted to address?"
"There is one last thing. I'm still having a lot of nightmares. Is there any way to try and calm myself or prevent them from happening?"
"One of the most calming things I find to work for insomnia and stress is lavender tea, made by soaking the seeds in a pot of water for a long time. Do you have any lavender seeds?"
"Unfortunately we don't." Taiyang nodded. "Lavender is not something I use very often."
"You don't? Well, I'll have to bring some the next time I come over." She stood up. "I'd do it today, but I have another patient in Fiti waiting for me to arrive, and they're expecting me by seven."
Yang smiled. "Thank you, Mallari."
Which the doctor returned. "You're welcome. Remember to take care of yourself, firecracker."
With those departing words, Madame Mallari took her leave.
Yang breathed out, a faint smile on her face. "Things are slowly looking up. Looks like I have a letter to write." The two went to the kitchen as Yang asked, "Do you know where the pen and papers are?"
"I do." A moment later he gave her two blank white sheets and a black pen. "Here you are. I'll get an envelope and stamp going as you ponder your word choice."
As Taiyang went searching for the other supplies, the blonde brawler wondered what she should say.
I suppose a formal introduction is in order. she reminded herself.
Yang sat down at the dining room table and began to write...
Dear General Ironwood,
As the cargo ship flew over Lake Matsu, Weiss noticed to her right a series of landmasses floating in the bright blue, partly cloudy sky, with what appeared to be black crystals sticking out from the bottom of the rock formations. Startled and puzzled, she went into the pilot's cabin.
The doors opened and she asked, "Where are we?"
"Nowhere good." Fenix began. "Passing by some of Lake Matsu's floating islands. The gravity dust that forms in these things is giving us a little turbulence. Nothing I can't handle, but the islands sometimes hide some nasty Grimm. Hopefully, they won't notice us."
Here's hoping. Weiss silently prayed.
Unfortunately, those hopes were soon dashed. The buzzing sound and fluttering of wings was heard quite loudly. Weiss turned to her right and saw Lancers right beside them.
"I think they noticed. Move it!"
The Grimm began pursuit of Weiss' airship.
"Lancers, damned Lancers!" Fenix cursed. "Alright kid, buckle up, this gonna get-" He turned around to find he was speaking to empty air. "Huh?" She jumped down a hatch into the cargo hold, determined to stop the swarm. "What are you doing?!"
"I'm saving this ship, that's what I'm doing! You said you're carrying Dust, right?"
"Officially, no. Actually, yes." the pilot answered.
The ex-heiress opened a large container containing vials of powdered Dust and promptly loaded her weapon Myrtenaster with six of them.
"When I tell you, open the rear door!" she commanded.
"Better make it quick!"
The pilot made multiple evasive maneuvers, bobbing and weaving through the floating islands, but it was no use. The Lancers gained on the ship and begun shooting their stingers at it.
"Kid, we're cutting it close!" Fenix warned.
Weiss summoned a black glyph underneath her to keep herself stuck to the ship as she readied her sword in front of her. "Ready!"
The cargo doors opened and the battle began. Using a combination of glyphs and fire dust, she succeeded in eliminating one of the Grimm.
"Haha! Hold on!"
With the swings of her sword, she eliminated five more while the pilot continued to try and throw them off. She was knocked off balance when the cargo ship rocked and rattled violently.
"Ah! What was that?!" the ex-heiress cried in alarm.
The upper level of the cargo ship has Lancer stingers sticking in through the ceiling.
"We're hooked!" Outside the airship, two Lancers were firmly planted on top before the rest of the swarm gained on the cargo ship once more, with some of the Grimm flying alongside it. "I got an idea! Hold on! Literally!"
The pilot accelerated the ship toward one of the floating islands, waiting until the last possible moment before suddenly diving, using the remaining forward momentum to throw the Lancers on the ship off and into the side of the rock formation.
"Ha ha!"
Weiss looked at the area around her. "Can you find a pair of islands we can fit between?"
The cargo ship was turned and started traveling towards a pair of closely adjacent, interconnected islands.
Fenix smiled. "Kid, you are reading my mind!"
As the cargo ship narrowly avoided the close islands walls and the attacking Lancers, Weiss fired three fireballs from her glyphs to destroy an overhanging rock formation. The falling rocks killed the following Grimm, but also awakened an unseen Queen Lancer.
"Yeah! Great going, kid! We are in the clear!"
Immediately after Weiss exhaled in relief, a Lancer significantly larger than the rest suddenly appeared outside the cargo doors.
"Oh no... It's a Queen Lancer!" she exclaimed.
"What?!" The Queen Lancer attacked the ship. Weiss tried summoning an aura shield with her glyph, the white aura in front to take the blow, but it was no use. "Do something!" Fenix commanded.
Weiss used some of the Dust crates to explode against the creature, but it survived completely unscathed.
Damn it! Why isn't... Weiss began in her mind.
"I can see the shoreline! Gods, we're not gonna make it!" Fenix warned her.
No.. I am not dying like this! Not after all this effort to escape! Weiss silently thought.
Quickly regaining her composure, Weiss came up with a plan.
"I need you to go up and then head right back down at the right moment!"
The pilot pulled up the cargo ship and ascended further into the air.
"Wait, what?!"
From there, Weiss jumped out of the cargo hold and created a glyph to slow down her descent. She landed directly on top of the Queen Lancer, causing it to shriek in pain. The airship started going down as the Lancer tried to get Weiss off her back. She thrashed as the ice queen held on to the creature for dear life.
The pilot was shown with a highly worried expression upon his face.
Once Weiss grabbed the Grimm Lancer by the neck, she impaled her sword into her neck and sliced her head off. The Grimm dissolved and Weiss looked below at the descending ship as she prepared her landing strategy. With a few glyphs, she landed on top of the plane and went back into the cargo hold, only to find that the ship was coming down too fast.
Weiss tried to use her Semblance to slow the ship's trajectory down, but it wasn't enough. The ship continued to fall from the sky.
No! This isn't working! Weiss thought.
The glyphs soon dissolved as Weiss focused on her remaining aura into protecting herself from damage.
Is this how I'm going to die?! Can my aura protect me?
"Kid, if you survive and I don't, tell Kobalt what has become of me!" Fenix told her.
Oh man, I wish Ruby was here! Could her semblance save me from this?! Will I ever see my friends again?!
Before she could ponder the matter further, the bullhead hit the ground, shaking the ground upon crash-landing. Remaining dust crates exploded from agitation and blew up the plane. As places of the plane fell down, Weiss looked tattered as her aura flickered. She stuttered around and faintly saw the water of the lake before falling to the ground.
A vision of her friends entered her mind as Weiss's vision faded to black.