A/N Drachen's Castle, part 1
Alt title: Dress up
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MoinLeute: People can get things wrong, it's actually the Mirror of Omniscience, but Desert misremembers the name.
Clumsyreader: hi
Dancing Leaf: GET AN ACCOUNT!
Please.
Samejake: You're welcome
Lord Of Oblivion: Because he's still figuring out magic in a very general sense.
FinalKingdomHearts: HERE IT IS!
RadChaos897: My favorite professor of yapinomics! How ya been? I'mma be on a Cyril binge for a bit.
To answer your concerns on Faunus, they have no culture in canon. Like, across the 9 volumes, and even going to Menagerie, we never get a sense of them being their own peoples. Just, people who are discriminated against and were enslaved and this has had NO impact on their culture/cultures.
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RWBY lore, breadth of an ocean, depth of a puddle.
TLDR, the cultures and tribes are 100% my own thing.
GideonBlackthorn: Oh! I know what Spy VS. Spy is. Just forgot because it's been a decade.
BunkerfreakHD: Here my friend, the update.
BlackRock Agent: Probably not.
killerqueen11103: you're welcome.
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-Date, Time-
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
(Text)
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-Beacon, SLBR Dorm, 11/21, 2pm-
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Cyril Leon POV
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I finish sharpening my axes and set them down on the window desk. Just as I do, I hear a groan behind me. Turning in my seat, I look over the back of my chair and spot Weiss at the wall desk, stacks of papers and documents in front of her. Head in her hands as she parses through the mountain of paper.
Blake and Ruby are out. Shopping and just spending time with each other. Ruby wanted to invite Yang because she's more sociable, but Blake put a hard stomp to that after recalling Yang's kitty comments. So uh, that's where they are.
"You alright?" I ask Weiss.
"Just, memorizing." She sighs.
Which means she's going through contracts and the people associated with them.
"You've been memorizing all day, and the day before." I point out.
"There's a lot to memorize." She says dismissively as she turns over the document in front of her and goes to another.
"Anything I can help with?" I ask as I stand up and walk over to her.
"Are you aware of the tariff's on various materials in trade goods along the Rhino's Sea?" She asks as she looks up to me with a patronizing smile.
"I, don't even know where that is." I admit sheepishly as I turn away from her gaze.
I feel her stare a hole into the side of my face as the silence stretches on.
"Then no." She finally says as she turns back to her papers.
I'm, starting to feel like I'm taking advantage of Weiss here. She's been running herself ragged with the trade agreements and handling of my devices and their applications.
Jacques gave me and her full autonomy of my devices development and all that comes with it.
Which includes the navigation of trade contracts. Which, in Remnant, can make or break a business and its product.
Most of Remnant is cut off from each other. Far more than what I'm used to in a society.
Most villages are autonomous and only loosely adhere to their kingdom's authority. The further from main roads and further from the main metropolis they are, the more autonomous and self governing they are. With some villages being remote enough to have their own dialects or writing systems even.
I learned that in my history studies!
Fuck off I can be proud of the small things.
"I think it's time you take a break." I tell her.
"What are you on about now?" She sighs in exasperation as she sets her paper down to glare up at me, ears lazily splayed to the side.
Well, not glare. Weiss just has a bad case of resting bitch face.
"You've been working too much." I say again, crossing my arms defiantly.
"Am not." She rolls her eyes. Dismissing me and going back to her papers.
'Time to play dirty.' I think to myself and move behind her and lean over to hug her.
"I don't think you realize." I say softly as I hold her from behind, tilting my head down to kiss her between her ears. "Just how much you do, you need a break."
"What have I said about touching me?" She glowers while shrinking into the hug.
"I can't help it." I chuckle, opening my arms to move them. Even as she tries to keep my arms wrapped over her shoulders.
I move my hands to her waist, and pick her up. Holding her in a princess carry. Her eyes wide and her face burning as she eeps in surprise.
"Th-this is very uncalled for and-Hrmmph!" I cut her off with a kiss.
"You." I say as I pull back. "Need to learn how to relax."
Her face gets even redder as I say that. And I swear I can hear her heart thud.
"Y-y-you're just trying to get me into your bed!" She accuses. Forcing a glare through her blush.
I mean, I am. But not like that.
"Can you blame me?" I ask as I set her down on my bed and crawl over her.
"I-I most certainly can and do." She says as she keeps her hands to her chest.
"If you could see what I see, you wouldn't be saying that." I grin down at her as her glare softens.
"And, just what would that be?" She asks as she looks away from me. Turning her head to the side as she crosses her arms.
"I see a gorgeous white haired beauty of the north." I say as I reach up and push some hair away from her red face. Indulging in her desire for valodation. "Adorable too. She's talented, generous, well spoken and smart."
"Tell me something I don't know." She rolls her eyes.
"She's sexy." Her blush deepens. "And has a voice that drives me wild. She's reliable and has this elegant air about her that just, demands my attention." She starts squirming under me. Rubbing her thighs together and shifting her hips.
"You're just saying that to manipulate me." She turns her head and stares into my eyes. "Why should I believe what you're saying hmm? Give me one good reason."
"I don't have one." I answer immediately. Enjoying how that answer catches her off guard. "Because I am manipulating you. Because it seems to me, that the only way to get you to slow down and relax." I whisper as lower myself down, getting closer and closer to her face. "Is to make you. So, that's what I'm doing."
I'm about an inch from her face when she throws her arms around my neck and smashes our lips together. Pulling me down on top of her as she throws a leg around my waist and pulls me down.
"Pah!" She gasps for air as she separates from me. "Just do it, get it over with." She glares unconvincingly at me.
"No." I say, causing her breath to catch in her throat.
"W-what?" She asks softly. Face red and eyes wide.
"No." I say simply before kissing her cheek and flopping myself onto the bed beside her. Holding her tight in a hug as I make her the little spoon.
"B-but you, and, on top of, huh?" She babbles as she tries to understand what just happened. "How can you just-eep!" I hit the reset on her head.
"You need, to relax." I say as I give her headpats. "And if we start going at it, we won't be done until you damn near pass out."
She doesn't say anything as she presses back into me. Grabbing my arm that's around her waist and bringing it up to her neck to bury her face into my arm. Taking deep breaths as I feel her tail press against my waist.
"So, we're going to lay here and just enjoy the quiet. Alright?" I say as I feel her relax in my arms.
She nods her head against my arm. But still tries to push it as she wiggles her butt against me.
"If you're really that needy." I whisper. "We can always do something later. But you have to be a good girl first."
"Y-yes sir." She squeaks out in a shaky voice as I feel her tremble against me.
This feels a little wrong. But she needs this. We don't need her burning out on us.
And so, we lay here. Enjoying the soft covers and quiet of the room as I feel Weiss slip further away into dreamland. Turning around to face me as I hold her. And I follow her soon after.
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-30 minutes later-
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My eyes snap open as I feel something on my lips. Stopping myself from lashing out, I notice it's just Weiss kissing me.
She pulls back and opens her eyes. Her soft blush growing as she realizes I'm awake. However, rather than say anything. She just looks down and buries her head under my chin.
I chuckle and bring a hand up to rub her head. An act she appreciates as her tail slaps my thigh once, before she schools her reactions and forces it to be still. Before wiggling in closer to me. Throwing her leg over mine as she pushes herself against me as much as possible.
I sigh and pull her in, letting myself drift back to sleep.
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-1hr later-
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"We're back!" Ruby announces as she bursts through the door.
"Ah!" Weiss's eyes snap wide open as she pushes away from me and off the bed, landing on the floor with a thud. Taking the blanket with her.
I roll my eyes as I turn over an sit up on the side of the bed. And chuckle at the lump on the floor. With her tail being the only thing visible as she struggles under the fabric.
"Huh, you both still have your clothes." Blake says as she leans over to peer past Ruby. "That's a surprise."
"And just, what, is that, supposed to mean?" Weiss demands as she finally throws the blanket off and gets to her feet. Her back to me as she faces the two.
"You know exactly what it means." Blake rolls her eyes as she steps past Ruby.
"I can assure I do not!" Weiss hmphs and walks back towards the wall desk.
I stand up and stretch, groaning as I feel my muscles warm up.
One thing they never really get right about these settings? Super schools, boot camps, military crap in media in general. Is just how sore and tight your muscles end up getting. Like, I was in decent shape before and after my trip to Remnant. But the constant movement, and how extreme the movement gets, it's not something you can really prepare for.
"What'd you get for me?" I say as Ruby gets to her own part of the room and sets her bag down.
"Um, I didn't know you, uh, I uh." She starts rummaging through her bag for something.
"I was kidding, Ruby." I say as I head for the window desk. Getting started on my own homework that I put off until now.
Which, I really should stop doing. Beacon isn't like schools from earth. Aside from history and math, memorization is less important than critical thinking. So you can't just make a cheat sheet and hide it in your sleeve.
Not that I ever did that!
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Okay, but only for calculus.
"I got a pack of shishi!" She says and holds up a plastic baggy with what looks like white Greco Roman block designs on the top and bottom of the red bag. You know what I mean.
"A pack of what?" I ask as I sit down and turn to face her.
"Spiced meat, mostly beef or venison." Blake says as she lays down on her bed, and pulls her book out from under her pillow.
"It's disgusting." Weiss says as she goes back to reading her letters and documents.
"What's wrong with shishi?" Ruby asks as she holds the bag to her chest, giving puppy dog eyes to the white haired girl's back.
"Nothing." Weiss says as she flips her hair. "I just don't care for the dried variety. It's chewy and lacks any form of refinement."
"So, it's poor people food." I translate for her.
"That is not what I said." She snaps her head to me with an icy glare.
"Kinda sounded like it." Blake pipes up.
"I did-" Weiss starts.
"Weiss you did it!" Ruby shouts with an excited smile as she bounces on her heels.
We all look to the excitable girl. Obliviously happy as she grins at us.
"What, did I do?" Weiss asks tentatively. Sounding equal parts confused, and scared of the possible answer.
"You got Blake and Cyril to agree on something." Ruby says happily.
…
"I wish I knew how you see the world." Weiss sighs as she turns back around to her documents.
"Um, with my eyes?" Ruby says.
Bang.
Weiss just let her head hit the desk.
Me and Blake look to each other. And just shrug.
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-Beacon, 11/23, 11am-
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"So, who should I invite as my extras?" I ask Weiss as we walk down the halls.
"You're allowed three additional companions, clearly Lord Brand intended for you to extend the invitation to your team." Weiss says as she walks beside me.
"Personally? I wouldn't invite Blake or Ruby." I answer honestly.
Weiss side eyes me curiously. Raising a brow at me in question.
"Ruby would be horribly uncomfortable in such a setting." I begin to explain, earning a soft nod from Weiss. "And do you want Blake near Atlesian nobility?"
Weiss's wince tells me she knows exactly what I mean. Blake and humans already go together like gas and flame. Add into the mix the fact that they're human supremacist.
Someone might actually get shot.
"Well, it might not be that bad actually." Weiss says with a thoughtful look.
"What do you mean?" Now it's my turn to give a confused look.
"Well, the Brand house is old. Almost as old as the Schnee house." She explains as we turn the corner. Passing Dorian and Nyx.
"Cyril, Weiss." Dorian gives a curt salute.
"Cheat'n cunt." The shorter fish faunus flips me both birds as she passes us, even walking backwards to keep it up.
"Ignore her!" Dorian calls back as they turn the corner. "It just means she likes you!"
"Piss off, doormat!" I hear the aussie accented girl say before hearing a soft ah! From Dorian.
"Rude." Weiss huffs.
"Eh, I've heard worse." I shrug, recalling my father and his bootcamp like ways.
Fun fact! Not every branch's drill instructor's will yell at you. The air force for example, they'll dress you down. They discourage yelling because their main thing is communication. So they get, creative.
"I'll take your word for it." Weiss rolls her eyes. "Where was I?"
"Brand house, old family." I remind her.
"Right, thank you." She says and continues. "The Schnee family is arguably the oldest family in Atlas, with our roots dating to the very first settlers of Mantle. The Brand family, sort of appeared with the first kings of Mantle. They were always close advisors to the king. Then they were chief orchestrators in the monarchy's downfall and the establishment of the council system. Now they're accountable for the vast majority of medical technologies in Atlas and much of the world. They're currently one of the SDC's largest collaborators."
"And how does this attribute to it being a good choice to take Blake?" I ask with a raised brow.
"I never said Blake was a good choice." Weiss scoffs. "Just that it might not be as problematic. Lord Brand has his paramours, as do most Atlesian nobility. There's of course his wife, Lady Brand. And of the two of his paramours, one of them, Mira, is a faunus."
"I still don't get it." I shrug.
With what little I know of Atlesian nobility and their past. It seems like having harems of women, faunus included, would be the norm. Sex slaves were a thing. And they did exist, remnant is not shy about that in its history books. And paramours are kinda like a harem in the traditional sense. As in, they insured that if something happened to the wife, there's a woman to birth an heir and-
Okay now I get it. A faunus as a paramour, would still result in a faunus child.
"It was a huge scandal." Weiss says. "Still is in most circles. Drachen has been referred to by some, rather unsavory titles due to keeping company with a faunus. So no one would dare say anything to Blake or Ruby at the Sun's Rise Soiree."
"You mean say anything to their face." I say as we reach our room and Weiss uses her I.D. to unlock the door.
I found out they lock themselves after ten seconds.
"Ruby has assured me she's heard worse from her family." Weiss says matter of factly.
"She's heard worse, in jest." I counter. "And again, it's not Ruby I'm worried so much about as it is Blake."
"Blake will just have to suck it up." Weiss says as she heads for her vanity and I head for my nightstand to get a few books I need for my history studies with Velvet after lunch.
"You mean like you do." I comment under my breath.
I look over my shoulder to see Weiss stock still at my words. Just staring blankly into the mirror of her vanity. Taking a deep breath, she gets into her makeup and reapplies her eyeshadow.
"Weiss-" I start.
"I fail to see how that's relevant." She snaps the cap of her eyeshadow with a frown and looks to me. "I shall speak to Blake and inform her of how she is to act."
"What if she doesn't want to-"
"She's going." Weiss glares as she interrupts me again.
I'm starting to get upset with how she keeps interrupting me. And I'm starting to take an issue with how Weiss is handling this.
"Why?" I ask as I cross my arms and lean back against my nightstand.
"Because if they don't and people were made aware they were intended to show, that would raise questions of competency." Weiss explains as though it were obvious.
"Whose competency?" I ask, utterly confused as to how that would be assumed.
"The team's." She gestures her arms around the room. "Not showing would project an air of either arrogance, or incompetency to attend. So they're going. Besides, I already have their dresses and a fitting scheduled for tomorrow."
She turns back around to face her mirror and rummage around her vanity.
"Well, what if I said I wasn't going?" I ask as I make my way over to her.
"You're going." Weiss says plainly.
"In case you forgot, I'm the one with the invite." I say as I stand behind her.
"And in case you forgot." She stands up and faces me, looking up with a glare as her face gains a little color. "You only got that invite because of my connections and my assistance with getting your technology a patent. So the least you could do is acquiesce some of your time and effort into something for me."
"If it were just me, then I'd be fine with that." I say calmly. "My issue, is that you don't seem to be taking into account how Ruby and Blake might feel at such an event that they are under no obligation to be at."
"We're a team." Weiss stresses, leaning forward and poking my chest. "We're obligated to support each other."
"We're also obligated to communicate." I counter. "And we're also obligated to take each other's considerations into account when making decisions. And not just deciding for each other. Or would you rather I start making promises on your behalf?" I finish, making her eyes widen slightly. Before she steels her gaze, but gains a redder face.
"I, see your point." She says and turns back around to her vanity. Before turning back around. "Please move."
"Not before you tell me what my point was." I say as I stand my ground.
"Really?" She asks with a flat stare. "Are you truly so childish as to block my way just to receive verbal reassurance?"
"I can get it in other ways." I raise a brow. Earning a massive blush from her as I lean in. "You're very cute when you're feisty."
"F-fei-fem, y-you absolute cad!" She puts her hands on my chest to push me back, but I grab her wrists and move them aside. Leaning in for a kiss.
The kiss lasts a few seconds as Weiss puts up no resistance. And in fact leans into it so much that I have to be the one to pull back.
"Well?" I ask the blushing, snowy faunus.
"I-I'm sorry." She mutters softly. Her body trembling against mine.
"For?" I ask as I let go of her wrists and move them up her arms and down to her waist.
"F-for b-being inconsiderate." She whines out. "C-cyril, stop, w-we have class."
"Class can wait a little bit." I lean in and kiss her cheek.
"B-but we need to, Cyril please, not now." She shudders.
And that's the second no. When it comes to Weiss, yes means you should've already known the answer. No means, maybe. If she doesn't say no a second time, it's a yes. The second no means no.
"Alright, if that's what you want." I say as I pull back, enjoying her beet red face and splayed back ears.
"Y-you're abhorrent." She gives a weak glare. "H-How would you feel if I just assaulted you whenever I feel like?"
"I'd make sure you enjoyed every second of it." I grin, holding back a laugh at how wide her eyes get.
"You're disgusting!" She shouts and pushes me off of her. Stomping off out the door and presumably to Botany and Wilderness Survival.
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Maybe I went too far?
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-Lunch-
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Weiss Schnee POV
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I set my tray down next to Blake. Not wanting to deal with any distractions from the other half of the team. Not after nearly getting assaulted by Cyril in our own room.
"Um, Weiss?" Ruby speaks up timidly.
"Yes Ruby?" I ask simply.
"Is, everything okay?" She asks as Cyril sets his own tray down.
I glare at his selection of food. A burger, slice of pizza, cup of apple juice and a small side salad.
Anytime we're allowed additional portions, he always goes for the most fattening. Why can't he ever accept a fruit bowl, or an oat bar?
"I'm fine, why do you ask?" I answer her.
"Because you look ready to kill someone." My partner answers. Earning a look from me. "I just figured it had something to do with Cyril."
"Hey!"
"Why do you say that?" I ask, genuinely curious as to what tipped her off.
'Oh lord, if it's a human thing again.' I groan as I prepare to do damage control for whatever Blake might say.
"Because anything that happens in this team, either has to do with me or him." She nods at Cyril. "And I think I'd know if something involved me."
"You'd be surprised." Ruby says. "Things happen that involve me all the time and I don't realize."
That's not surprising.
"You know Blake, I'm surprised." Cyril says with a smile.
"Spirit's above." She pinches the bridge of her nose. Opening her eyes to glare at the only human at the table. "Do I want to know?"
Cyril grins stupidly while Ruby steals his slice of pizza.
"I was just congratulating you on your growth as a person." He says, oblivious to the fact Ruby is now munching on his food.
I don't know why I'm not saying anything. Perhaps I just want him to feel annoyed. To see him get angry as revenge for his incessant provocations.
"Piss off." Blake says. "Back to the point, what'd you do to upset Weiss?"
"I think it's more about what I didn't do." Cyril says as he looks to me with a devious grin as Ruby sneakily puts the crust back on his tray.
"I don't need to know." Blake says quickly.
"There's nothing to know." I side eye my partner.
"That's what he just said." Ruby interjects.
"The Sun's Rise Soiree, do you two want to go or not?" I change the subject.
"Yes!" Ruby shoots up, propping herself up on her arms and leaning over the table. "I've always wanted to visit the Brand estate in Vale!"
"Wait, really?" Me and Cyril say at the same time. Surprised at Ruby's enthusiasm.
"Of course! Wood's Island Castle is one of the oldest buildings in all of Vale." She says with virtual stars in her eyes. "It's survived seven wars and two eras changes! It was built before Vale even got its name!"
I lean back a bit as Ruby punctuates each sentence by leaning forward a bit more. To the point that I end up leaning back to avoid a, rather public display of affection.
"Didn't take you for someone so, historically inclined." I say as I put a finger to her forehead and push her back. Giving myself breathing room.
"I'm not." She admits, still smiling jubilantly. "But there are some things that are just so cool! Like the fact that the only building older than the Wood's Island Castle is the Valean Royal Archives. And nobody outside of the council is allowed in there."
She means older in Vale. Mistral's capital palace is older than Mantle. Though it's been renovated so many times that it's a hotly debated topic on whether it counts as the oldest building or not.
"It does seem interesting." Blake admits. "And not something to pass up on."
"Blake?" I ask, looking to my partner curiously. "You're aware that this is an Atlesian party."
"I'll stay quiet." Blake says.
"Why does it being Atlesian matter?" Ruby asks innocently.
"Because Atlesians are racist." Blake answers.
"Blake you think everyone's racist." Cyril counters, not wholly incorrect. Before turning to Ruby. "It's because Atlesian nobility tends to be more blatantly racist and accepting of bigotry."
"I hate you." Blake says with a glare, and Cyril does that weird hand motion with his middle finger. "I don't know what that means."
"It means go fuck yourself." He says with a smile.
'Why would one come up with a hand signal for something so unimportant?' I can't help but wonder.
"I don't believe you." Blake says plainly.
"Not my problem." Cyril says as he grabs his pizza crust. Pausing, he looks down to see his missing food. "What the hell?"
He looks over to the guilty Ruby. Who just shrugs innocently. Not fooled by her, he smiles at her, and reaches a hand out to caress her cheek.
'Why is he so, so, so degenerate!?' I can't help but wonder. 'And so open with his perversions!'
You don't see Jaune and Pyrrha doing such things so openly. Or any of Velvet's team.
Cyril wipes a thumb over Ruby's lips, and then brings it up to show the tomato sauce she still had on her face. Proving my initial assumptions right, in that he wasn't falling for her innocence act.
"Th-that proves nothing." Ruby lies. "Maybe that was from my own food!"
"Ruby, you're eating grilled cheese and oatmeal." Cyril points out.
"Uuhhh……" Ruby lets out, before petalling away.
"Get back here you food thief!" Cyril gives chase.
"Sharing is caring!" Ruby shouts as she runs out the cafeteria doors.
"Then let me show you how much I care!" He shouts as he follows. The rest of his sentence being cut off as he exits the cafeteria.
Everyone watches as Cyril gives chase. Following Ruby through the courtyard and into the main building.
Krrr
I look over to see Blake taking Cyril's salad and apple juice. And I give a judgement filled stare as she starts digging into his food.
"What?" She asks shamelessly. "He clearly wasn't that hungry."
I let my face fall into my hand as I mentally prepare for the apology speech I'll no doubt have to give to Lord Brand for my teammate's behavior.
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-2hrs later, Library
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"Have a good day, Velvet." I wave off the upperclassman as I stand up and start collecting the material. "I'll turn the books in."
"You sure? It's no problem for me." She asks.
"Nah, I gotta return a few of these anyway." I tell her as I pile up the five books in my arms.
"Alright." She nonetheless relents. "I'll see you in three days!"
"See ya then." I nod and make my way over to the librarian's desk. Setting the books down and going through the process of turning them all back in.
"Boo!"
"Fucking hell!" I jump around at the grinning Ruby. "For fuck's sake, Ruby." I pant as I hold a hand to my chest. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
The hooded girl only manages to chuckle and snort at my expense. Covering her mouth to try and hide her grin as her shoulders tremble.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up you little gremlin." I roll my eyes and go back to signing my books back in. Giving the librarian a flat stare as she herself is biting her lips in an attempt not to laugh.
"I needed your attention." She says through her chuckles.
"And a heart attack was the first thing you came up with?" I ask dryly as I sign the last book back in.
"No, but it was the funnest." She says cheerfully as she hugs my arm to her chest. "I wanna spend time with you. We haven't had a moment to our selves in a bit." She tucks her chin down and blushes.
"Didn't we just, no that was two weeks ago." I think back to the last time we had sex. And outside of that, we haven't really had a private moment.
We've spent time together, but it was mostly with the team or with Weiss or Blake present.
"N-not like that." She says in a hushed voice as she starts tugging me along.
I can tell she's taking me to the comic corner. So I preempt her by picking her up in a princess carry.
"Hmm!" She squeaks, before giggling as I carry her to the corner of the library. Setting her down on a bean bag where she sits up crisscrossing her legs. Beaming happily up at me as I grab a few comics.
Setting a few down in front of her, I sit down next to her. Where she shifts and leans over to rest on my chest as we read X-Ray and Vav vol. 14, Mogar and the Magic Milk.
"Ooh." Ruby coos as she looks at the volume. "I'm surprised they actually have this one."
"Why?" I ask curiously.
"Remember how I said Mogar was removed at one point because he was a stereotype of Faunus?" She asks, looking up at me.
"Yeah, you said it was mostly the Bull'ack that he was based on." I answer, earning a grin from her. Before I reach over and pull her hood back. "Better." I grin.
"Mrrmmmm!" She turns around and buries her head in my chest. Kicking her feet on the bean bag before pushing up on her hands to pout at me. "Anyway! He also had Kahn tattoos, which was insensitive because he dressed and acted like a Bull'ack and just made him look stereotypically faunus. Anyway! This volume was, notably bad."
"Oh." I say as I move to get up. "I can put it back." Only for Ruby to put more of her weight on my chest and push me back down.
"Are you kidding?" She huffs. "I wanna see what all the hype was about! It was recalled when I was eight and I never got ahold of it. This has to be good."
"Alright." I say uncertainly.
'I swear, if this turns out to be like Song of The South.' I think to myself as I open it up.
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"Wow." Ruby says as she pushes on me and sits up straight.
"Yeah." I say as I close the book.
It, it was bad. And I mean banned episodes of Loony Tunes bad.
Mogar had to ask X-Ray and Vav for help tracking down a magic cow. Nothing bad there, right?
The cow was a faunus. And at no point was it ever addressed that she was a person. To the point that X-Ray and Vav were surprised to find her. And Mogar just said.
'I said a cow, she's a cow.'
Yeah.
Oh, and the reason Mogar needed her? I, I wish I was making this up. But it was because his hidden village, Billi clan appropriation, was suffering declining birth rates. And her milk was supposedly suppose to help.
Not her milk, it's still a kids comic. No, any cow she milked produced a magic milk that, through thinly veiled terms, induced heat in faunus women.
"How, did that get approved?" I ask.
"The editors were on drugs?" Ruby suggests seriously with a straight face.
"Pfft!" I choke on my own spit, not expecting those words out of Ruby's mouth.
"You know, seeing that, I wonder why the Bull'ack petitioned to have him brought back." Ruby ponders while I struggle to keep my voice down.
"Where the rest of the early comics that bad?" I ask
"No." She says simply. "I mean, some minor slurs here and there but, nothing obscene." She shrugs.
"I would argue that slurs in a children's comic, counts as obscene." I counter.
"Eh." She shrugs. "Nothing they won't hear growing up."
That, catches me off guard. I was under the impression that aside from Atlas and a few jerks, the world was mostly accepting of faunus. But Ruby's casual acceptance of being referred to as anything, demeaning, has me questioning that.
"What are some things you've been called?" I ask cautiously. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Mutt, bitch, animal, pet, mongrel, flea ridden pest." Ruby lists off. "Um, those are the only ones I think are faunus specific."
"Jeez, Ruby." I say, now seeing her in a new light.
Blake and Weiss too. Mostly Weiss.
Vale is one of the more accepting of kingdoms. Atlas being the least.
"Eh." She shrugs. "Most of it was when I was little."
"That's worse." I say, and Ruby responds by crawling into my lap and kissing me. "Um, Ruby?"
"It's sweet that you care." She says with a soft smile. "But I don't want to talk about this."
"That's, alright." I relent easily enough. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable.
"Good." She smiles and leans in for a kiss.
Only to go for my neck.
"Ruby!" I hiss as I move a hand to her head and try to push her back. "What have I said about hickeys?!"
"Just one!" She demands as she holds on tighter.
"I will slap you like a mosquito if you keep acting like one!" I threaten.
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-SLBR Dorms, 6pm-
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"Okay!" Ruby says as she steps out of the bathroom with Weiss. "Let's get this party started!"
"Holy crap." Blake chuckles as I stare. "You were being serious about that?"
Weiss, is in Ruby's night clothes. Baggy cloth pj pants and a black tank top that's a little baggy on her.
Ruby, is in Weiss's icy blue nightgown, the hem not quite reaching as low on her legs as it does with Weiss.
"I think it works for me." Ruby gives a smile as Weiss pouts.
Weiss snaps her head to me. Fixing a glare at me as I smile at her discomfort.
"Not… a word." She says dangerously.
"How about several." I grin, causing Weiss to extend a hand behind her towards Ruby's bed. A glyph appearing behind one of the two plushies, launching it at me.
"Mpph!" I rock back onto my bed as I get nailed in the face.
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"So, again why do they need to recite their own personal pledges?" Weiss asks from my lap as we watch Huntress Jasmine.
"I already told you." Ruby groans into the floor next to us. Laying belly down on the ground. "It's how they access their magic forms."
"But to use such an inconvenient method to-"
"I didn't write the show Weiss!" Ruby exclaims, throwing her hands out in front of her. "I just watch it, same as you are right now."
I'm just enjoying the moment. With a cute girl in my lap, and a decent view right next to me.
Weiss's nightgown rides up on Ruby's butt. Giving a good view of her black panties and round ass.
Weiss keeps wiggling in my lap. Grinding right on my boner, and I'm fairly certain that if Blake wasn't right there on her bed, laying sideways and watching the monitor with us, Weiss would've turned this into a threesome.
Not that I'd object.
"Blake, you agree that it's-"
"I'm just enjoying the show." Blake cuts her off.
"Really?" I ask curiously as I look up from Ruby's butt to Blake's face.
"It's a decent show and handles its dynamics and social issues well." She shrugs.
"Huh." I hum as I look back to the monitor. Deciding to actually pay attention to the show.
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Blake Belladonna POV
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'He's actually paying attention now.' I think to myself. 'Maybe I should've said I was trying to sleep.'
My secondary, allows me to tell where people's attention is. Be it on me, on an object, on someone's butt or their crotch.
Cyril started staring at Ruby's rear the moment she laid down. And Weiss's attention has been switching between the monitor, the conversations she keeps trying to start, and the lap she's sat in.
I'm just curious to see if the rumors Indigo spread around are true. I mean, I live with them, but it's not like I was here with them when they fuck.
…
'Wonder if he's as rough as they said.' I privately wonder as I notice his attention straying.
Looking over, I notice Weiss wiggling in his lap again.
She clearly has no complaints. Though she comes off more as the type to dominate in bed. So, kind of surprised to hear that she was the one begging.
At least according to Dew.
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I pull out my scroll and send a text to Sun.
(U up?)
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…
Damn it.
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-Next Day, 11/24 Vale City, Coeur Seams-
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Cyril Leon POV
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"This seems a bit, flashy." I say as I turn to the side, looking at myself in the mirror.
It's a vibrant darker blue suit. But, the labels, collar and cuffs have snowy, ice like patterns in silver thread. Being perfectly symmetrical and shiny. The hems of my pants have the same silver icy patterns. And my shoes are white with blue soles and shoelaces. And I have a white leather belt with a shiny belt buckle.
"It's supposed to be." Weiss says as the seamstress works on a stitch in my side. "You're a bachelor."
"And that means?" I ask as I hold my arms out.
"You're of marrying age and have yet to be married." She says plainly.
"I know what a bachelor is." I say as I raise my right arm. "What I mean is, what does that have to do with this?"
"In Atlas, it is customary for men of higher status to announce their availability through flashier clothing." She says.
"Aren't I dating you and Ruby?" I ask her.
"Yes!" Ruby says from the booth to my right where she's being fitted.
"He was being rhetorical!" Blake shouts from the other booth to my left.
"If you showed up with us and had a dull or muted outfit, it would announce that you had already set your choice in stone." Weiss says. "Basically, you'd be saying that you already proposed to someone, and since that someone would be expected to be with you."
It'd be like announcing that I proposed to someone on my team. And I'd look like an idiot if it came out that I simply wasn't aware of the cultural inplications.
"I get it. Though that begs the question, what about women?" I ask as I look to her, more muted dress.
"What do you mean?" Weiss asks as she crosses her arms.
I think I just have a thing for the bratty types. Because Ruby's gremliness and Weiss's huffiness, are both just positives for me.
"I recall the social we went to." I start to say, earning a small groan from her. "And for one, almost none of the girls had flashy outfits."
"And why were you checking out other women!?" Ruby yells.
"Ruby if we have to do this I will play dirty." I call back, not willing to deal with both of my girlfriends at once while I can only see one of them.
"And what is-"
"Book." I cut her off.
"-is, is a little window shopping going to hurt? It's not like you're actively doing anything so, um, I'll just stop talking." She butts out.
"As I was saying, one, that Brown guy-" I say, mentally wincing at how that sounds.
"Braun." Weiss corrects.
"Same thing." I brush off the interruption. "Actually, he was wearing a rather dull suit as well."
"Because he's engaged." Weiss says. "And he was the host. It would be in poor taste for him to wear something brightly colored."
"Wait, I was wearing-" I start to say.
"Cyril, everyone there could tell you were wearing a rental." Weiss stops me from finishing my sentence as she leans to one side. "So it really didn't matter, especially since you weren't even on the guest list. Just my last minute plus one."
"And it matters now?" I ask with a raised brow.
"Yes because unlike last time, you're personally invited." Weiss stresses. "Hence the suit."
"Okay but you never answered my question." I put us back on track. "Why don't the women wear flashy clothes like the men?"
"Because it's seen as, promiscuous for a woman to wear such ornamentation." Weiss explains. "For women, the clothing should be about intricate and subtle design. Wearing flashy clothes is tantamount to announcing that she has nothing to offer aside from her body."
I'd say that makes no sense. But earth had, and has, some weird traditions that make no sense.
"You know, that explains a bit." I concede as I recall how muted all of Weiss's clothes are. Yet most of them have subtle details that you'd have to be up close to see. Like the snowflake designs on the hems of her combat dress. "But wait, if that's the case then why do you have bright red on the inside of your dress's jacket top?"
Looking curiously over to her in question. She snaps her head to the side with a blush. Not looking me in the eye.
"Someone's naughty~" I tease.
"I'm going to check on Ruby." Weiss hurriedly stomps out.
I chuckle a bit, calming myself down quickly so as not to inconvenience the seamstress.
"Hey, how much does this cost?" I look down and ask the woman.
"Don't worry about it!" Weiss speaks up from the other booth before the lady can answer.
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Bonus
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Arthur Watts POV
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"Do you the recordings, Penny?" I ask the automaton.
"Affirmative!" She salutes. "Uploading now!"
I raise my right arm and check my Mobile Personal Databank User Interface. I'm still work shopping the name. But the important part is that it is capable of performing all the same tasks as a CCT terminal, and is merely the size of a sleeve.
"Well done, Penny." I grin as I see the upload complete.
"No problem!" She nods. "Though, if I may ask, for what purpose do you intend to use the recordings for?"
So inquisitive. Though, one of her main functions is the accumulation of knowledge, so it's to be expected. And it's not as though I dislike the conversation she brings. It is rather difficult to find one who is capable of speaking on the same level as me.
"It's quite simple, my dear." I say as I start parsing through the observations made on Sir Leon. "I intend to narrow down his home village."
"How so?" She asks. "I fail to see how parsing through the idiosyncrasies of his person would allow you to determine his geological origins."
"Perhaps not exactly." I concur. "But by cross referencing his mannerisms with what we know of his tales and various records on the outlying areas, we can narrow down his general origins."
A potato, battery. And it lasted for HOURS! Using nothing but wires, a nail, and a piece of copper.
The level of security and safety a society would require in order to branch their sciences into such, flagrant areas as to discover that a potato can be used to power a lightbulb is incomprehensible. Their technology must've been extremely ahead of its time.
Which is why I must find his home village. For whatever technology it has left.
And to find what could possibly wipe such a society out.
"What can you inform me of him, anything that stands out?" I ask as the information is compiled and reduced to necessary and pertinent information using an auto sort system based on preset pararmeters.
"He never saw a Grimm before roughly three months ago, his father figure was in a military establishment, he likely lived near a warm water river port, he comes from a monogamous society similar in marriage value to traditional Billi culture, he never saw a faunus before three months ago, he is dating two of his team members and is known to be rather prolific in sexual exploits-"
"Avoid mentioning his, sexual exploits." I move my eyes from the screen to gaze at her. "Unless there is something particularly, unusual, I'd rather not know."
"Acknowledged!" She nods. "He does not seem to speak in any notable dialect. Being very accent neutral in the truest sense."
"Nothing? No, Vacuoan similes, Mistralian rolls, Menagerian colloquialisms or Valean drawls?" I ask with a raised brow.
He spoke with a rather refined, if curt, Atlesian inflect. Though he could be a natural at social mimicry and merely copied how we were speaking to him.
"Nope!" Penny shakes her head. "Though he does tend to at times resemble his partner's mid Valean dialect."
"Heavy in contractions." I clarify. Earning a nod.
That does narrow it down some.
A warm water river port, so somewhere that has a river to the sea. And is likely on the west, or north western coast of Sanus. Otherwise he'd have certainly seen faunus before.
'Coupled with the fact he's now dating two faunus means he's likely a xenophile.' I think as I build a larger picture of him.
"Relatively isolated, warm water river port that leads to the sea." I start muttering out loud as the UI I'm using pops up something that wholly contradicts me.
(Familiar and proficient with Ylvtan board games)
"How?" I ask allowed.
The Ylvta have a score of board games. Most are rather, niche however. As such they don't see much popularity outside their ships and ports.
But that would place him on the south eastern coast of Sanus! Where the faunus population is significantly higher.
It's not possible, for a score of reasons. The biggest one being that, well, that area's topography and agricultural history.
Namely that, well…
THEY DON'T GROW POTATOS!
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A/N
For anyone wondering, the Air Force comment is personal experience.
Best one I heard from my squad leader was when we were doing blackbox retrieval exercises at, I almost doxxed myself there, anyway! Near the Mississippi river. One guy, Hammer, (This is how he got the name) was given the compass to keep us coordinated.
We wound up at the river. My squad leader asked him and the guy using the black box locator what the hell they were doing.
Hammer, said he was following the compass. We of course all turn to him, and listen as he tells us he thought the compass was leading us to the black box.
At this point, our squad leader says. "Son, if I commissioned a knife as sharp as you, they'd give me a hammer."
That's how he got the name Hammer.
FYI, 9 times out of ten, when you hear a soldier being referred to by nickname. It's because they did something dumb.
Other times? It's a defining feature or it's something that's just memorable. Even if they did something badass, they'll get a dumb nickname.
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Also, Weiss having bright red on her white and pale blue outfit is seen as a minor thing, but still a point of attention. She's drawing attention to her chest and calves, (the inside of her boots are red)
Yes, it is 100% an attention and rebellion thing on her part.
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More comments! I want them all! Every one of them! Especially speculation, I love speculative comments.
Fuel me my NOOBIANS!
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Find me in my channel, newb's-grotto, on the discord.
Link to the discord: discord .gg/DarkWolfShiro