Fandom Distorted Mirror [IC]

[Gus Gungus]

"Then take it.~"

"I will." 'Ruby' removed her fingers and seemed to cling to Masque's shoulders as the bandit tried to force herself back onto her feet. "Nobody's going to hurt me again..." Masque growled as Crescent Rose's blade unfurled. "Nobody...."

"Hehehe, that's right." Shifting their eyes to look towards Yang, all while leeches were falling from their makeshift 'hair', 'Ruby laughed.








A̷̛̛̛̪̻̣͔̖̫̤̭̳̱̳̲̱̭̟͙̩̝̲͓͕̮̿́̉̉͐͆̑͂͑͗̇͋͒͑̈́̈́͒̊̀̓͛̀̂̒̉̐̄̈̎̄̂͂̋̀̔̈́̈̿̐́̑͝͠͠͠͝ͅr̴̨̡̛̙̠̮̞͓͔̙̬͔͕͙̝̳̰̹̗̀͌̃́̅̏͗̿̈́͌̆̀̌̿ͅͅḙ̷̢̜̟̫̣̥̩̠̀͒̇̑̕͜͠n̸̨̢̨͎̻͙̲̳̖̮͕̺͓̦̱͉̟̳̹̪̣͓͍͓̘͙̻̘̫̯̜̈́̍̋̒̿̈́̉͆͂̿͋͐͐̂̀̆͊̉̈́̈̆̅͋̃́̍̂̀͋̆̎͌͘̕̕͘̚͠͝ͅ'̵̧̡̨̢̨̢̢̛̭͇̞͙͎̭̱̗̖̲̞̜͇̰̱͖̦̮̫͖͓̱̞͉̫̤̪͔̹̖͕̖͚̹̼̪̱̤̪̦̊͐̓̐̀̋͌͑̍̅́̋̌̀͂̐́́͐̽̄̚̚t̷̨̨̧̡͍̜̳̻͙̳͈̥̫̻̩̮̺͓̱̰͍͇̫̗̻̳͚͍͇̗̓͌͊̌̃́̔͆̇̏̓̉̀̅̈́͂̾̎͑̊͛̅́͊̏̊́̆̚̚͘͜͠ͅͅͅ ̶̢̧̧̛̛̤̱̞̖̤̰͇̯̩͇̞̹̗̹̤͓͕̙̲̤͔͚͎͚̖̪̑̉̎̀͑͑̆͐͌̒̄̀͛͑̏͂́͐̾̇͑̎͐́̄͊́͒̏̾̓̏͐̌̒̔͛̀̽̌͂̓̚͘͜͠͠͠͝͝y̵̛̹̗̟̩͚͇͕̭̹̜̓̔̋̑͊̈́̃̂̓̈́̈́̈́̀́̌́̈́̒͐̀̇̓͒̏͌̅̈́̅̀̈́̐̀͌͊̑̊̉̽̈̽͘̚̚̚̕̚͝͝͝͝͝͝͠o̵̡̨̧̹͚̼͈͇͍͎͖̤͉̹̪̤̘͕̽̈͐̀̆̏́̌́̓͐̅͊͊̅̅̈́̒̈́̌͗̔͊̌̓͌͂͑̓̎̃͌̌u̷̢̨̡̦̻̙̰̭̘̻̻͇̪̦̙̠̝̟̟̞̝̫̞͖̣̹̙̦̗͐̓̏͊͒̈̀͋̋̀̃͒͘̕͜͝ ̸̨̛̝͚͇̯̄̃͊́͊́̈́̊̆̎̓͐͗͛̽́̑̍̄̉̄̑̿̿͋̃̾͒̒͋̈́̂̽̍̂̉̒͊̇͛͝͝͝ģ̴̢̧͚̬̠̞̠̯͍͖͈̭̱̝̪̫͇̫̺̟̆͜͜ͅļ̸̢̨̬̠̱̞̜̞͓͇̩̭̻̩̰̥͔̥̰̱͇̮̯̣̳͖̺̎̋̒̈́̑̀̇̿͜͜͠ͅa̴̧̡̧̡̡̟͉̗͇̞̻̟̪̘̱̭̻̩͓̺̺͕͎͚̘̟͎̖̞̗̗̜̳̤̣͓̖̹̎͊̂͑̿͗̆͗̑̔̋̀͆̐̂̋̽̑̈́͐͗̎̽̈́̾́̐́́̑̏̂͋̔͊͋̌̽́͗́̏́͊͘̕̚͜͠͝͝ͅḑ̵̧̨̢̛̦̭̯̫͔̦̖̟̥͉͖̭͕̬̰̖̭̮̤̳̠̭̦͎̼͇̳̫͙͚̪̫̬͖͋́͑̆̂̽͑͛̓̌́̒̅̓͌̊͛̒͑̒̓̅̾́̊̒͗̏̅̚̕̕͜͜͜͜͝ ̸̧͙̖͓̬̟̹̞̩̥͓̟̣̈̐́͋͌̃͑̀̋̾̍̄̽̊͐͐̇́̒̀̒̆̿͂͋́͊͒̑̓͑͛̽́̅͘͜͝͝͠͠ỷ̷̧̡̢͓̭̰̖͚̙̺̗̻͓̝̤̠̱͕̪̹̟̪̣͓͍̺͚̣̺̹̰̘̙͜͜ͅͅô̷̡̡̳̤̘̱̮̿̓̒̈̈́̓̓̅̈̌̏͌̎̓́̑͌̐̂̎̽̉̃͋̿͒̾̌̀̆́̅̌͑̓́̚̕͘̚̚͘͜͝͝͝͝͝ų̷͖̟͉̺̮͔̝̬̦̮̹̲̹͓̗̞͚͙̖͎̤̩̼̹̟̀̈́̀͌͋̇̽̓̀̒͒̄͗̐ ̶̡̢̨̡̡̢͎͍̱̯̥̝͕͙̣̟͖̥̲͚̙̹̺͖̫̲̼̦͓͈͇͈͖͖͈̺̱̙̞̠̮̹̙̠̮̰̠̝̹͖͇̃̍̋͊͑͛̈́̀̀́́͠͝ͅb̴̢̨̛̛͎̜̤̘̳̦̱̖̩͍̂̃͂̒̅͒̄̎͐́̅̈́̈́̑͊̉̆̃̀̽̊̂͛͋̓̍̾̄̌͊̾̆̍̈́́̑̿͆̏̃͒͐̆̿̕̚͘̕͘͝͝͠͝͝͝r̸̛̫̺͙̳̫͈͕̍̄́̀̽̑̑́͂̐̇́͌̀̿́̊̅̎̔͌̈̃͗̏̏̾̌͋̅̓̑̉̔̈́̾̌̍͗͑͘͘̚̚̕̚͘̕͘̕͝͠͝͝ǫ̸̢̢̨̛̛̖̘͍̣̱̝̬͎̙̞̮̮̘̖͖̩͓̦̦̣̝͉̹̱̼͇̱̦̝̬͈͇͇̞̳̬̼̝͍͙̹̠̬̓̏̒̂̄̀͋̂̐̈́͐͊̓̊͌̀̌́͐́͒́̐̈̏̇̈̄̃̈̾͌̓̆̒̀̈̾͗̌̏͂̾̀̏̀͛̓̃̚̚̕̚̕͜͜͠͝ͅứ̴̡̺͓̠̖̫̪̯̬̘̻̖̲̘̳̰͍̎̅̽̋͌͊̋̒̃̎͑̒̌̈́̓̔͆͑͑̈̓́͋͑̾͑̅̚̚̕͝͝͝͝ǵ̶̡̼̲̥̣͚̱̫̮̯͊̒̂̆̊̊̃̔͋̍̂̒͑̏̿h̸̨̢̧̛̥̠̦̯̺̮͉̱̖̮͇̦̮̯̳̭̙̰̞̬̺͓̼̫̣̎̎͊͆̈́̅̍̌́̈͑̄̍̇͐̓̍̔͆̊̈̔͑͊̾̐̐̋̊̍͂͗͌̽̉̕̕̕͠͠͝͝͠͝ͅͅͅͅt̸̢̲̳͖͉̫̜͎̩̻̻̤̥̜͇̱̖̊̆͋͂̒̆̓͋̓͋̎̂̓͌̅̔̿̒͛́̑͆̈̈́͑̏̌͂͒̈́̒̌̓̊̏̆́͑̈́̾̆̈́̒̃͘͘͠͝͠͝͝ ̷̧̨̥̝̩͆̾̂͆͌̂̔̏̂͋͗͘ư̵̧̢̜̜̣̙̝̼̞̪̰̭͖̠̼͙͇̮̗̫̥̰̹̲̣̼̦̍͒̄͗͌̀̊͛̀̀̿̇̎̓̾͗͋̋̓̔̽͂̾̉͛̄̈́̀̏̑̓͗̽̓̈̍͊͗̌̀̒̆͋̏̆̈̚̚͘͘͝͠͝͝͝s̶̲̭͇̗̓̒̎̽̌̋͊́͐̈́̈̿͆̒͒͘͠ ̶̢̡̨̡̗̭̟͕͕͉̳̳̜̖̳̼̮̘͖̩̥͍̤͙͉̬͎͔̠̣̗̰͇̥͖̙̩͚̞͇̥̙̮͈͎̼̙̲̗͍̈́̉̐̅͌̅͆̋̍̆͘̚͘͜͜ţ̶̡̨̡̡̳͚̬̯̘͎̰̬̟̠̻͕̻̰̝̘̺̖̳̗͙͎͖̭̤̦̰̟̺̬̦͉̦̳̎͊̋͜͠ǫ̷̧̡̛̲̼̳̱̟̖͙̝͙͙̱̹̹̹͕̣̪̜̲̭̖͈̠̀̊̀͊͗̏͆̔̾͑̈́̀́̈́́̐̎̔̽̎͐̍̈́̈́̋̈́̔̈́̾̂͑͌̾̓̎̉̈́̓͋̓͂͊́̅͌͝͝͝͠ͅg̶̨͎͇̦̥̯̼͔̮̫̼̜̔̿̅͂͌͆͆̂̕͝ͅę̵̧̢̧̛͖̳̞̠͚̬͕̰̰̲͓̻̹̹̦̻͎̹̝͎͍͆̓̏̂͋̓͐̋̏̄̀̉́̑͌̈́̐͒͒̾̌̔͒͗͋̋̈́̎̓̿̆̒͊̀̃͊̒̿͌̿̋̈̓̃͐̐̔̐̅͘̕̕͠͝͝͝͠ͅt̶̛̛͓͓̪͚̭̦̖͕̯̳̙̭̯̻̎̓̃̑̎̎͛̆̇͗̏̌̏̑̅̉͘̚͝͠ḥ̵̢̡̭̖͇͍̫͈̖̝̮̗̣̭̰͕̯̞͕͎̮͖̻̠͎̻̜̭̬̦̩̙̼̺͚̣̹͔͙̯͔̺̖̬̲͉̥̬͌͛͗̉̋̃̇̈́́̒̄͊̅̈́̍̾̀̅̓̓̅͌̾̊̌̾̔̄͛̊̃͂̂͆̄̿́͂͛̋̇͐͌͛́̔͌̌̋̚̕͜͜͜͜͝͝͠͠ͅͅȩ̵̡̧̧̡̭̖̮̙͖͓̗͈̦͔̱͉͚̟̪͎̱̙̗̼̯̜͉͉͓̘̺̳͕̘͔̬͉͔͎̟̗͕̥͙̭̪͇̼̲̔͌͛̽̊̑̀̅́̔͛̐̈́͒̀̇́̅͑̾̇̈̑̈́̃́͂̓̽̓̏́̽͑̾̓͛͛̊̌̋͌̓̍͋̽͗͆̐͒͊͑̀̈́͘̕̚

"DOWN, puppy."

That was the first thing Ruby heard after Dragon's own Grimm appendage clamped down on her skull and spiked her headfirst back down on the altar, keeping her pinned there with the force of a vice and making sure she got a full view of the twitching, red-eyed stare that very clearly communicated the message that they were not doing this right now. Her other hand gripped Crescent Rose, having snatched it mid-transformation and likewise pinned it down with tip embedded in the floor.

The beast had returned, baring its fangs in the exact midpoint of a sneer and a snarl.

"Look, runt. I get it. The growing-in part's a trip. But you're on thin fucking ice around here, and the fact you're not all kindsa tortured right now tells me you pulling a Masque one more time pretty much means you're getting snuffed out like a bug."

She hadn't given the thing that emerged from the depths of the Grimm so much as a second of eye contact, simply refocused on the real Ruby with a fierce scowl.

"So howsabout maybe cooling your jets before you fuck up the second chance I begged him to give you?"​

 

[MidwayLives]

That was the first thing Ruby heard after Dragon's own Grimm appendage clamped down on her skull and spiked her headfirst back down on the altar, keeping her pinned there with the force of a vice and making sure she got a full view of the twitching, red-eyed stare that very clearly communicated the message that they were not doing this right now. Her other hand gripped Crescent Rose, having snatched it mid-transformation and likewise pinned it down with tip embedded in the floor.

Masque squirmed and kicked out with her feet against Yang’s stomach. For all the good that did.

“Let me go!! Let me go!!!!!”

Masque writhed and wriggled while ‘Ruby’ looked on bemused if anything else.


​

The beast had returned, baring its fangs in the exact midpoint of a sneer and a snarl.

"Look, runt. I get it. The growing-in part's a trip. But you're on thin fucking ice around here, and the fact you're not all kindsa tortured right now tells me you pulling a Masque one more time leads to you getting snuffed out like a bug."

In between her squirming and kicking, Masque growled as she locked her eyes onto Yang’s.

“News flash, Yang! I don’t care what anyone else on this stupid whale thinks of me! Not Blake, not your mom, not anyone! I only came back because I wanted to be with you! The others wanted to lock me up and you saw what Blake tried to do to me!! You’re all I have left!”

Trying her best to look over at Cinder, Masque thrashed around as much as Yang’s grip would allow. “If I was the one who had powers like her...You...You wouldn’t be able to stop me like this! Nobody would!”

‘Ruby’s’ eyes brightened like two dark crystals as they inched a slimy appendage towards Masque’s bandaged up stump.
​

She hadn't given the thing that emerged from the depths of the Grimm so much as a second of eye contact, simply refocused on the real Ruby with a fierce scowl.

"So howsabout maybe cooling your jets before you fuck up the second chance I begged him to give you?"

Masque briefly paused in the midst of her tantrum after hearing that.

“You begged him to spare me if I ever tried coming back?” Masque always believed that she DID love Yang. In her own way of course. Between this revelation and Yang begging Blake to spare her, Masque stopped kicking.

“Yang....I-“

‘Ruby’ however wasn’t much in the mood for indulging tender moments between siblings. Messed up as both individuals were. Gripping onto Masque’s stump, her eyes widened in terror as she tried pulling away from ‘Ruby.’

“We’re disappointed in you, Yang. Here we thought you would have understood but I guess they haven’t done a good enough job with you...” ‘They’ of course referring to the Grimm that made up the entirety of Yang’s own cursed limb. ‘Ruby’ it seemed preferred their hosts to be seen and not heard.

The bandages around Masque’s stump began to tear as black outlines poked through the rips in the fabric. The stump shook from side to side as as ‘Ruby’s attempt at a hand engulfed it entirely.

“Y-Yang?! What’s happeninggggg-“

The pain was so intense. It felt as though someone were driving a hot iron through her flesh. Masque arched her back and tried in vain to pull her stump free. After what amounted to a series of futile pulling, a claw ripped itself free of the biomass, sending leeches flying every which way. Masque exhaled repeatedly as she looked over and saw a jet black limb hanging over her stump like a fish that had hooks sunk into its flesh.

‘Ruby’ began to fall apart, their form losing its cohesion and a grin upon their face. For reasons known only to them, it seemed finally getting Masque’s arm to erupt in full had satisfied them for now.

‘Thank you so much for this opportunity...’



‘Ruby’’s voice faded away as a wet pile of leeches plopped onto the floor with a sickening *ssshlop* as the leeches scattered away into the dark corners of the room. With her neck still in Yang’s grasp, Masque overlooked her new arm.

“So...*pant* this is...*pant* what it’s like...”

Masque continued to give a once over. All while avoiding looking at Yang’s gaze. “...He managed to take over Weiss and the others want to put me in a cage. You’re the only one who cares....But you won’t even let me hug you...And I don’t want Blake ever touching me again...” Masque spoke despondently.


“So what do I have to lose?”

She turned her head and the arm extended towards Cinder’s unconscious body with the fingers extended to pierce right through warm flesh. But just as quickly as the momentum came, it stopped just as fast. The fingers inches away from Cinder’s chest and the entire arm itself trembling as it started to retract.

“....I won’t do it...You saved me. But...” Masque finally met Yang’s stare head on again. “Show me that you love me...please?” ​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

The tail swung out like a wrecking ball catching Neo across the face.

Watching as her aura faded away and Neo herself was flung far from Tyrian's person, the scorpion stayed hunched on all fours.

What could have possibly happened? What had broken her concentration?

Making his way over to where Neo lay, Tyrian looked down at her.

"Hey. Get up."

It didn't make any sense. Neo had objectively been beaten.

"Get up. It doesn't count if you were distracted."

Anybody else would have just let it go.

The stinger of Tyrian's tail hooked the front of Neo's shirt and scooped her up off her feet.

"I said get up. What did you do back there? That wasn't a win. That didn't even deserve to be called a win."

Tyrian clenched his hands up.

"You got completely distracted. What the hell could have-"


Neo was gently deposited back onto the ground.

Tyrian looked away from her and turned to face the source of the voice. His stinger swung hard enough against the floor to crack it.

A sign of pent up aggression? Or a display of pure shock?

"...Cinder?" ​

...yeah. Even at this distance, she flinched some at the speed at which that tail lashed out, the power behind it as the floor cracked beneath where it struck...Cinder gulped, the painful feeling in her stomach getting worse but doing her best to ignore it as she looked at them both. "Tyrian, Neo." She repeated. "Hey guys, I...I..." The teenager fell silent for a moment or two, rubbing nervously at her arm before she managed to continue. "It's me, yeah." Her face shifted into a small, hopeful smile, but still didn't move. Her golden eye flickered between them, trying to determine if or when it would be a good idea to go for the hug.

It was clear that Neopolitan wasn't listening to Tyrian after he picked her up, her head lolling a bit as she slowly came back to her senses; one side of her face was already bruising, and a bit of blood was dribbling down from the nostril on the same side, but despite whatever pain she might've been in when her eyes found the ability to focus again, they drifted right past them back to where she'd been looking. When Cinder actually spoke up and Tyrian put her down, her feet found the ground with just partial stumble, her eyes blank and her hands clasped together against her chest.



This was the first time they'd seen each other since the camp, and that's how Cinder was looking at them.

Did she not remember? What she said? How she'd never even looked at Neo herself? Had she just never realized how betrayed Neo felt in that moment? How furious she was, how far into the depths of despair she'd sunk?

...Had she not realized what Neo had been heading towards her for all those months ago? What would've happened if Mercury and Watts hadn't gotten in her way?

Just how much Neopolitan had wanted to kill her in that moment?

And there she was, just... smiling at her. Literally walking back into her life, either unaware of just how far Neo had fallen into the anger in those last minutes together, or accepting of it. Of how close she'd come to accepting the part inside of her that basked in the violence far more that a huntress should and pointing it at someone she'd called a friend.

She was stuck on the spot, her mouth slightly open, as if Neo herself had forgotten she couldn't speak.

"Hey!"

View attachment 871581

Guess their big moment was just gonna have to wait.

Mercury was stomping his way across the arena floor towards Tyrian with a dangerous look in his eye, having stood and vaulted the parapet the moment he saw the tail hit home. Whatever it was about seeing such excessive force in a spar seemed to have set him off in a major way, and while it wasn't certain what exactly his intentions were as soon as he reached the faunus his clenched fists and grit teeth gave a pretty good indication.

"What the hell's the matter with you, man?! She could've died. My old man taught me cheap shots aren't given, they're taken. Think that makes you big? Think you can just twist that into some kinda lesson?"

He stomped his heels once each with more purpose, the unmistakable sound of a magazine loading each chamber sounding off in response.

"I'll give you a lesson!"​

Then that happened, and how the rest of the last twenty seconds had gone finally caught up with her as Mercury's growl crossed over her, and her eyes shot even wider as she turned towards the two boys and frantically waved her hands to show that she was cognizant.

 

[MidwayLives]

"Hey!"

Guess their big moment was just gonna have to wait.

Mercury was stomping his way across the arena floor towards Tyrian with a dangerous look in his eye, having stood and vaulted the parapet the moment he saw the tail hit home. Whatever it was about seeing such excessive force in a spar seemed to have set him off in a major way, and while it wasn't certain what exactly his intentions were as soon as he reached the faunus his clenched fists and grit teeth gave a pretty good indication.

Tyrian glanced over as Mercury started to approach him.

His stinger dragged itself across the cracked floor...
​

"What the hell's the matter with you, man?! She could've died. My old man taught me cheap shots aren't given, they're taken. Think that makes you big? Think you can just twist that into some kinda lesson?"

"Died?"

Tyrian narrowed his eyes.

It sounded like a load of bull. It was the same issue that Trifa had scolded Tyrian for. That he was taking things too seriously/getting too rough with Neo.

Tyrian had never taken a life before. Even during the fight with the bandits and Shadow Fang, when he'd shot those who attacked him...Well...He liked to believe they'd be able to recover.

Or not. The leader of one group mutilated his tail and the other had a member that killed someone close to him.

....The urge to want to kill anyone who got in your way hadn't always been as close to the forefront of Tyrian's mind as it was nowadays.

Spoiler: The Will to Kill?

The office was set up with a thick mahogany desk separating the two men both of whom were taking puffs of the cigars in hand. One might have said that the smoke was so thick in the room that you couldn't tell if it was a result of someone's semblance or the two smokeboxes in the room. Books of all kinds lined the shelves behind the man sitting at the desk with a picture of what appeared to be a younger version of that same man with a woman-likely around the same age-only with two cat like ears sticking out the top of her head. Reaching up to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, the man at the desk finally cut through the smoke and music playing over the speakers across the room.

His voice sounded like worn and used leather. Like it'd been through years of wear and tear but somehow kept on going. If one had to place an accent one might have found it akin to an Irish accent from our own little world. "You come into my office and stink up the place with your cheap cigars." The man spoke as he folded his arms across the top of his desk. "....What's the occasion for, Oblique?" The owner of said voice certainly looked he fit his voice. His face was aged with wrinkles here and there. As though he just had stopped taking care of himself and was willing to just let time do it's work on him. His hair was short and greyed with the faintest light tinge showing that in his younger years he'd been a bright headed blonde. His outfit didn't seem outwardly intimidating or impressive on it's own. Just looked well enough like this was a man with a bit of money to spend to dress comfortably. Staring across the desk through his clear round glasses, his eyes were as blue as the sky outside. Situated beside his chair was a relatively plain looking metal cane with what looked like a insulated cover pulled over it's length. All in all the man looked like a fellow one might see and stop to have a drink with or two.

Oblique....didn't quite give the same impression. Oblique was at least ten-fifteen years younger than the man he was sitting across from but an outsider viewer would have struggled to tell. Clearly balding with an affront to all common decency combover barely masking it, Oblique reached into the breastpocket of his black suit which given his rather girthy frame clearly seemed to have been picked a size too small. Pulling out a hankerchief, the man dabbed it at his forehead as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and cheeks red as they both were. "I bring a man a cigar and you give me, for free I might add, not appreciation but scorn. Y'know it's a wonder you got me and the other boys to even sign on to help fund this joint, Ichabod." Oblique gave a dismissive wave towards the room at large. "The music, your old pictures hanging on the mantle behind ya...Feels like I stepped back into the past and I dunno about you, Crane? But I'm a man of the present." Flicking some of his cigar's ashes onto the provided ashtray, he continued to wipe at his sweat. "Why else would I be in here unless it was to talk business?"

"Then talk. You're wasting precious oxygen otherwise and Oblique? With all due respect of course, a man of your...carriage. Could use all the air you can get." Ichabod chided, his distaste clear for not just Oblique but the other less than savory fellows who he'd reluctantly turned to in order to get his establishment off the ground. He and his boys had built the place to the ground up and although he retained majority ownership, men like Oblique weren't so easily turned away if there was potential for lien to be made. "Cute." Oblique responded. "Every faunus we sponsor/hire is ours to do with as we want, yeah? That's been the arrangement hasn't it?"

Ichabod gently flicked some of his ashes down.

"So long as they're treated fairly/paid adequately, whoever you sponsor is to follow your terms and at your discretion. You're free to dictate those said terms however you please. All that I'd ask is that after every fight, they're paid for an honest day's work."

Oblique sneered.

"What's an 'honest day's work' to these animals, Ichabod? The ones we recruit from the mines...what? They make enough to get a meal and bedding. Ain't that enough or are you suggestin we just give free handouts to any fleabag who walks through the doors looking for work?"

"You know I don't appreciate when you refer to them like that." Ichabod stated calmly. "Not one bit."

"Ah, right, forgot. You've been going soft on em. You want my opinion, Ichabod? I think you're getting too attached to that kid you've got under your wing. What's his name...? Tyler? Tyrike?-"

"Tyrian." Oblique dabbed away a touch more sweat than usual, muttering something about the AC being out. "Furthermore, my business with Tyrian is none of your concern. He's a champ in the wings and I can see the potential in him. He's a hard worker and a bright youth." Oblique rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. He's actually why I came to talk to you-"

"Was I not clear enough? Tyrian isn't your concern. If you or any else have an issue with how I'm running things-"

"It's about the..." Oblique looked from side to side. "White Fang."

Ichabod sat up straighter in his chair, his grey jacket not doing that great at hiding how broad his shoulders/frame were even in his older years. "....What about them?"

"....They ain't somethin that's just gonna up and go away, Ichabod. You should know that as well as any of us here. The others and I were just thinking that we need to cover our bases y'know what I mean? Any of these mutts could be a sympathizer and we don't know until we've already given them a truckload of lien and they use it to fund an attack on some village or town. That falls back on us and the authorities raid this place and there'll be lawsuits like crazy. Or what if they lead an attack here? These aren't just run of the mill thugs. These are zealots, Ichabod. They look at us running a...business here and they'll put us on the chopping block."

"Oblique, when you and the other members of the board agreed to help me fund the club, I assured you that there'd be no threat of harm coming to any of you. As far as the authorities are concerned this is a fair establishment where drinks are shared and merriment is had among all. I certainly wouldn't worry yourself about the White Fang-"

"Yeah, but are you 100% sure? Maybe that Tyrian kid's an informant, huh? Who's to say? The kid seems peachy keen even after he's had his teeth kicked in."

Oblique finally vocalized his contempt for the heat.

"For cryin out loud-Is your thermostat broken or somethin, Crane?? I feel like I'm in a sauna here..."

"I don't appreciate your insinuation, Oblique. I'd advise you to recant it. Immediately."

"Yeah? You gonna do somethin about it if I don't-"

Ichabod slowly moved towards his cane.

"...Alright, alright. Didn't mean anything by it. Sorry. I'm just sayin we should be thinkin about these goons as more than just 'fighters' you get what I'm saying? Sure, some of em are young like yours but if worse comes to worse I wanna feel completely secure while I'm tending to my business. That means getting my boys comfortable with the idea of doin what needs to be done. If a fight goes on for a little too long and the ref just so happens to miss a punch or two who's to say? Money exchanges hands here and there and incase those masked bastards try pokin their noses around here? Ours already got the taste of blood."

Ichabod didn't say anything.

"I know, I know, it'll be tough for some of em to swallow but they'll tough it out. Or else they get canned and where else are they gonna go? Back to the mines? Hahahaha! That's a laugh! You said it yourself, they'll do whatever their sponsor says if they get paid 'fairly' for it. So who's to say a little extra cash under the table to get some of their hands dirty is asking for too much?"

"....That's why you mentioned Tyrian."

Oblique could immediately see where this was going. "Okay, look, before you get pissed I wasn't suggesting-"

"Fights end when the opponent can't get up or surrenders. Murder doesn't enter the equation. Ever."

"Ichabod, Ichabod, c'mon, why use a dirty word like 'murder'? All I'm suggesting-"

"-That you turn my club into your training ground for your own personal mercenary squad. I can't tell you how to do business, Oblique. But I'll warn you now. If any of the fighters you're sponsoring so much as try to kill-" Oblique cut him off and started to rise up from his seat. "Yeah, yeah. Don't touch your golden boy. Whatever. You're making a mistake here, Crane. I would have thought someone with your reputation would have been a bit more cautious when it comes to these...these terrorists." Ichabod glanced over to a framed box of medals that were covered in cobwebs and dust.

"We're done. Leave my office, Oblique."

Oblique slammed his hand down atop the desk. "Fine! Have it your way, you old bastard! But don't come cryin to me once the White Fang's here and that scorpion kid can't muster up the guts to kill em!" It took a second or two but it finally became clear just why it'd been getting so steadily hot in the office. Pulling his hand away from the desk, Oblique's hand looked as though he'd placed it atop a hot stove and not a wooden desk. "Agh! You-You used your semblance on me!?"

"Get out. Now."

Dropping his cigar on the floor, Oblique grumbled some words nobody should repeat in polite company as he headed for the door. As he opened the door, he saw Tyrian standing beside the doorway. Nobody could have guessed how long he'd been standing there. Oblique didn't really care. Giving the kid a rough shove, he continued on his way while still clutching his hand. "Friggin animal..." Peeking his head in the room, Tyrian felt the heat starting to dissipate. "...Mister Ichabod?"

"Ah, Tyrian my boy! Come for another round of training?"

"Um...Y-Yeah. Would have come sooner but I got a bit distracted talking to Doc."

Ichabod waved it off. "Nonsense. You're young, my lad. You have all the time in the world." He reached for his cane and moved to stand up.

At the time Tyrian had never mentioned having listened in on the conversation. He'd known from the word go that Oblique only saw the fight club as an opportunity to use faunus labor as a means to an end for him. Getting them used to the idea of killing eachother just to save his own skin? Sickened him.

....But the thing that bothered Tyrian most was the unspoken question.

....Was he capable of murder?

~Funnily enough by the by, Oblique was the one who gave the White Fang a tip-off about the club. He didn't live long enough to see what happened to Ichabod. He'd already been killed by then.~

​

He stomped his heels once each with more purpose, the unmistakable sound of a magazine loading each chamber sounding off in response.

"I'll give you a lesson!"

"I think Neo can take a lot more than you or anyone else thinks she can. But if you wanna fight..."

Tyrian's stinger sent some bits and pieces of tile flying as he raised it back up.

"I'm not gonna turn it down."
​

Then that happened, and how the rest of the last twenty seconds had gone finally caught up with her as Mercury's growl crossed over her, and her eyes shot even wider as she turned towards the two boys and frantically waved her hands to show that she was cognizant.

Before any blows could come to pass, Tyrian looked over in Neo's direction.

"See? She's a little banged up but she'll be fine. Isn't the first time I've fought with her. Won't be the last."

His tail lowered but didn't wrap itself around his waist.

"She's one of the toughest people I know..." The faunus muttered as he folded his arms across his chest.

It wasn't hyperbole or him just trying to kiss ass. Neo had managed to do what he couldn't. She'd faced down the serial killer/leader of the crime syndicate that'd kidnapped his friend. She'd even managed to land blows upon him. Tyrian had been lucky enough to swipe at his mask. The fact that he felt he understood her and vice versa was nice and made him feel closer to the mute than he'd been with anyone for a long time. But it didn't have any impact on what kind of a fighter she was. After each spar she only got more and more improved. Even better and watching her fight against him was like seeing poetry in motion. So fluent and so beautiful.

He was happy to fight her.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

It was clear that Neopolitan wasn't listening to Tyrian after he picked her up, her head lolling a bit as she slowly came back to her senses; one side of her face was already bruising, and a bit of blood was dribbling down from the nostril on the same side, but despite whatever pain she might've been in when her eyes found the ability to focus again, they drifted right past them back to where she'd been looking. When Cinder actually spoke up and Tyrian put her down, her feet found the ground with just partial stumble, her eyes blank and her hands clasped together against her chest.

Cinder did actually rush forward this time as the damage to Neo's face from that strike became more apparent. There was a lot, so much, that the maiden needed to say, to...give an apology for, and perhaps it was pretty risky, given how the last time they'd seen each other had gone. Emotions had run wild, tempers flared and there had been a good chance that she might have...well, Cinder hadn't forgotten any of it. But that concern was secondary. Neo was hurt. Not life-threateningly so, or at least the teenage maiden didn't think so, but still hurt. Even if their friendship never returned after what happened, the smaller girl still was at the very least, an ally.

That, and Cinder knew she could help.​

This really wasn't how she wanted to tip her hand on this. The four maidens, two of which she technically accounted for, could do so much more than fling firebolts and conjure blizzards with their hands. They were blessed with the gift of tapping into the same ancient magical energy Salem and Ozpin did, a power that quite literally came from the gods. The dependence on elemental techniques she'd observed in what little she'd been able to study of other maidens had baffled and frustrated her long before she ever became one; it was so... limited. That wasn't going to beat Ozpin. That wasn't perfection.

It wasn't enough for her. She had access to every resource, every archive, every transcription of every legend and fairy tale harkening to a time when all of mankind could use these gifts freely.

And most invaluably, she had Fria. Harsh as it may have been to remove the prior Winter Maiden's power without her consent, the woman wasn't the type to hold a grudge; it had only taken a little candid conversation for her to agree to pass on some of her more practical knowledge, and Weiss had spent her time hungrily applying her insight with the same diligence she did every other task. The fruits of that diligence were being brought to bear now as the blue and red lights streaming from under her eyelids intensified, and aura the same blue shade as hers flickered into formation around Yang's body before it reverted to her color and started flaring much, much brighter than usual, its healing benefits magnified as it was fueled by the application of external energy straight from the pages of storybooks. She'd managed to reign in her panic by now, urgency sharpening her mind and allowing her to grasp more steady breaths as she ignored the painful pangs in her chest.

"Icanfixthis. Icanfixthis. Icanfixthis-"

She had been told about some of what had happened, thanks to the ever talkative Valkyrie. About what Weiss had managed to do. And thanks to Weiss herself:​

Her hum was thoughtful as she spun elegantly in her chair to face the hardlight screens, and after a frenzied spree of swiping and a few keysmashes Cinder felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket.

"...I just transferred Atlas's entire archive of prior maidens and their training logs to your scroll. It's what I've been using. Have fun. Fria's notes on meditation were of particular help."

She had also been given access to an incredible resource, and though she'd only been able to skim through a few things and watch a couple more, nowhere near even half of the knowledge she'd been given, it was enough. The edge of Cinder's eye was already ablaze by the time she closed the distance between her and Neo, but there was no anger in it. Not at all. The flaring golden orange only illuminated and revealed the awkward mix of apologetic and hopeful in her eye. There was no hesitation, come what may if Neo was still as angry as then, but Cinder placed a hand on the girl's shoulder all the same.

"This might feel weird."

A deep breath followed as she focused, a portion of the ancient magic inherited from the gods devoted to supercharging Neo's aura. The fall maiden's own golden aura wrapped around Neo for a moment before it shifted to her natural shade, the act of healing reinforced by the strength of her magic to take care of those wounds.​

"Hey!"

View attachment 871581

Guess their big moment was just gonna have to wait.

Mercury was stomping his way across the arena floor towards Tyrian with a dangerous look in his eye, having stood and vaulted the parapet the moment he saw the tail hit home. Whatever it was about seeing such excessive force in a spar seemed to have set him off in a major way, and while it wasn't certain what exactly his intentions were as soon as he reached the faunus his clenched fists and grit teeth gave a pretty good indication.

"What the hell's the matter with you, man?! She could've died. My old man taught me cheap shots aren't given, they're taken. Think that makes you big? Think you can just twist that into some kinda lesson?"

He stomped his heels once each with more purpose, the unmistakable sound of a magazine loading each chamber sounding off in response.

"I'll give you a lesson!"​

"I think Neo can take a lot more than you or anyone else thinks she can. But if you wanna fight..."

Tyrian's stinger sent some bits and pieces of tile flying as he raised it back up.

"I'm not gonna turn it down."

"Yeah, can we please not do this? The first time we're all together in...in too long, can we please NOT HAVE THIS ESCALATE INTO A BIG FIGHT? PLEASE?!"

Her shouting was frustrated and pleading. She glanced over to Neo and then to Tyrian and then drifted to Mercury. "Can't we just...talk? There's...a lot I have to say. To apologize for. I know."

​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Then that happened, and how the rest of the last twenty seconds had gone finally caught up with her as Mercury's growl crossed over her, and her eyes shot even wider as she turned towards the two boys and frantically waved her hands to show that she was cognizant.

"I think Neo can take a lot more than you or anyone else thinks she can. But if you wanna fight..."

Tyrian's stinger sent some bits and pieces of tile flying as he raised it back up.

"I'm not gonna turn it down."

Mercury's hard-nosed sneer and dismissive snort made it apparent just how receptive the assassin-born was to that little number, and he blatantly ignored Neo's nonverbal attempt at action as readily as he did Cinder's much louder one as his combative stride carried him right up to Tyrian to at least deliver what in his mind was a well-earned shove.

"I know how much she can take, Callows. I remember 'cause unlike just about everyone else in the room right now I didn't melt down and ditch my team the second shit got bad. Seriously, though?" He turned sharply, voice taking a louder inflection to address the rest of the room as he incredulously lifted his hands to either side of him. "You guys are really gonna make me be the one to say it? Mercury's gotta be the one to go off-brand and nip this weird little thing brewing in the bud before Punch and Judy here hype each other all the way to the grave or the loony bin? Tch. Fine by me. I can make this fast. Hey, Tyrian old buddy?"

He locked eyes with the faunus once more, jabbing a finger in Neo's direction and speaking in a slow, clear, authoritative boom like he was making Tyrian run drills.

"She is not your therapy. And you?"

He whipped his glare over to Neo, where it held for a far briefer length of time but somehow sharpened the edge of frustration, aggrievement, and accusatory sullenness it carried threefold, despite its lessened volume.

"Girl, you are not a killer."

He pried his gaze off with a crowbar and turned, striding away with clouded eyes and three meager fingers flicked up in a token farewell.

"Look, I'm clocking out. You guys figure your shit out on your own. Sorry to cross the drama streams or whatever, but if anyone needs me I definitely won't be in the bar."​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Her eyes widened in brief surprise before they grew skeptical and narrowed again. "Even if that is true, that you're not really Oz right now...what does that change? You hate me with a passion, you've never made any secret of that. I disgust you, you just said so yourself. You think the world would be better off without me, I'm sure, and I'm not like Liadan. You could do it. Or just keep me here until I'm gone naturally. Or you could torture me for real just as easily as you can keep me from talking so...again, what are you playing at with this pretend to torture me crap?"

"All very compelling options," she shot back flatly in a voice like curdled milk, one eyebrow raised and sounding thoroughly unenthused at the prospect of extending this conversation. "Unfortunately for the both of us, you offer more value to my ruse alive. To say nothing of how Yang would react. So would you like to accomplish something of note for once in your life or should I just pencil you in under 'predictably uncooperative and holier-than-thou'?"
​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"All very compelling options," she shot back flatly in a voice like curdled milk, one eyebrow raised and sounding thoroughly unenthused at the prospect of extending this conversation. "Unfortunately for the both of us, you offer more value to my ruse alive. To say nothing of how Yang would react. So would you like to accomplish something of note for once in your life or should I just pencil you in under 'predictably uncooperative and holier-than-thou'?"
​

"Insulting with every breath, even when you want something. A shining example of cooperation, there. The Schnee way. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." She snapped back, though with the tone of voice used, it was pretty clear her heart wasn't in it. Raven let out a low sigh and shook her head in dismay, but nevertheless the next words out of her mouth expressed wary agreement. "I'm listening."​

 

[Gus Gungus]

“....I won’t do it...You saved me. But...” Masque finally met Yang’s stare head on again. “Show me that you love me...please?”

And that was exactly what Dragon did, provided Ruby counted the open palm catching her flush across the cheek at full force to send her spilling over the side of the altar facing away from Cinder as an expression of love. She blew on her fingers, making a show of shaking some feeling back into the offending hand in the wake of the impact as she almost lazily sauntered around the raised surface to cut her off.

"Okay so first off? I'mma just cut you off now before you spend any more time on this whole 'you're all my children now' routine," she taunted in conversational tones, flipping Ruby's abominable offshoot off continuously without so much as a glance in her direction as she strutted past. "Cause I've seen that movie, fucko. And a million—"

A boot stomped down hard on Masque's new claw a hair after Yang's shadow fell over her, red eyes flared with a wicked grin.

"—zillion—"

She used her heel to grind the Grimm hand further into the floor as an exclamation, both eyelids and bared teeth stretching wider with the motion.

"—other fucked up things that'd bust your tiny lil newborn brain besides. So fucking spare me, okay? You're like a mediocre acid trip at worst."

She flicked a leech off her shoulder and laughed, the harsh, grating cackle of a hyena that perfectly complimented the vainglorious hair toss she gave, easily ruffling her much lighter mane out behind her.



"Aww, don't you get it, little sister? You almost made a big mistake and I wouldn't let you. You tried to ditch me again so I hauled your bony ass back. I mean, shit, do I really need to say it? I'm the only reason you ain't dead right now!" Her grin was smug and her pride a rare shade of glowing as she thumbed to her own chest, opposite wrist curled against her hip. "Soon as you went running off to Schnee with your pants around your ankles you were on a timer, and this bad bitch turned back the clock. Now you don't even catch a punishment for it? Wow. That's... kinda almost bullshit."

Though her voice was a songbird's lilt and the smugness endured, her eyes flicked back in a roll in the midst of it. If it had been her she totally would've already been tortured.

"Looks like all you gotta do's kiss some ass, keep your head down and get used to being the lowest rung on the ladder for a while. Other than that, you're gold. Which part of all that exactly is the one where I don't 'love' you enough, you fucking dingus?" She deflected the notion with an airy flap of the hand, brows scrunched. It was like she was almost affronted. "Not my fault you sucked all the love outta me like a parasite. 'Scuse me if the nipple tastes dry."​

 

[MidwayLives]

"—other fucked up things that'd bust your tiny lil newborn brain besides. So fucking spare me, okay? You're like a mediocre acid trip at worst.

Both Ruby and 'Ruby's screams sounded out in unison as the claws scraped against the floor.

"Owwwwww!!!! Get off! Get offffffff!!!"
​

"Aww, don't you get it, little sister? You almost made a big mistake and I wouldn't let you. You tried to ditch me again so I brought you back. I mean, shit, should I be the one to say it? I'm the only reason you ain't dead right now! Soon as you ran off to Schnee with your pants around your ankles you were on a timer, and this bitch turned back the clock." Her grin was smug and her pride a rare shade of glowing as she thumbed to her own chest, opposite wrist curled against her hip. "Now you didn't even get punished for it? Wow. That's... kinda almost bullshit."

Masque grumbled.

"You don't seem happy I'm back..."

She narrowed her eyes.

"....if i had two more ears poking out of my head, you'd be kissing the ground I walk on..." She mumbled under her breath.
​

"Looks like all you gotta do's kiss some ass, keep your head down and get used to being the lowest rung on the ladder for a while. Other than that, you're gold. Which part of all that exactly is the one where I don't 'love' you enough, you fucking dingus?"

"Grrrrr!!!" Masque pulled against her pinned arm at the idea of having to suck up to the others. It'd been bad enough to have to swear loyalty to him wearing Weiss like a suit. The very same person who'd fought so hard against him and his plans. Of course, the only other alternative there had been to refuse and either die or be left captive for no one to come get her.

That scared her more than her anger fueled her.

"That wasn't WHY I came back! I don't WANT to be anybody's dog anymore!!!"

Yang hadn't mentioned it but with her powers, Blake clearly stood higher than Masque did both on the power and loyalty chain.

Which absolutely infuriated her. Masque had never fought with Blake before-not even during the office scuffle(everyone had seemed to have lost track of Belladonna during all that chaos actually)but she would have been confident that they all stood on the same footing. Not so much now what what with the sister stealing/healing and almost killing.

"If this is all I've got waiting for me then I don't know why you bothered stopping Blake!" She put her feet against Yang's stomach and weakly tried to push her older sister back. It didn't quite work. "I hate this place! I hate this stupid whale! If you weren't here I wouldn't have come back!"

The angry growling and petulant kicking continued for a few moments more. Then it suddenly stopped.

Masque looked away but said nothing.​

 

[MidwayLives]

gotta be the one to go off-brand and nip this weird little thing brewing in the bud before Punch and Judy here hype each other all the way to the grave or the loony bin? Tch. Fine by me. I can make this fast. Hey, Tyrian old buddy?"

He locked eyes with the faunus once more, jabbing a finger in Neo's direction and speaking in a slow, clear, authoritative boom like he was making Tyrian run drills.

The stinger slowly curved as Mercury continued...
​

"She is not your therapy.

...Then the stinger stopped altogether, freezing in place.

"...That's not...This isn't-"

That wasn't why he was doing this. He enjoyed his time with Neo. She was becoming a better fighter with every spar. The two of them understood eachother better than anyone else was willing to give them a chance to.

....Right?
​

He whipped his glare over to Neo, where it held for a far briefer length of time but somehow sharpened the edge of frustration, aggrievement, and accusatory sullenness it carried threefold, despite its lessened volume.

"Girl, you are not a killer."

He pried his gaze off with a crowbar and turned, striding away with clouded eyes and three meager fingers flicked up in a token farewell.

"Look, I'm clocking out. You guys figure your shit out on your own. Sorry to cross the drama streams or whatever, but if anyone needs me I definitely won't be in the bar."

Tyrian's arms fell to his side. His composure having completely been shattered.

Trifa had voiced her complaints about it back when the two of them were investigating Mistral/how rough Tyrian was being with people he was leery of.

She'd even just called him out during this very spar for going too far.

Was he influencing Neo? Changing her?

....No, no that couldn't have been it. The two of them were just improving eachother. Helping the other out.

That's all this was.

That's...That's all it could be.

"Mercury...I..."

But whatever it was Tyrian wished he could say to bring Mercury back, it utterly escaped him.

The leader of what remained of Team MTEN left and Tyrian's tail wrapped itself around his waist.
​

Her shouting was frustrated and pleading. She glanced over to Neo and then to Tyrian and then drifted to Mercury. "Can't we just...talk? There's...a lot I have to say. To apologize for. I know."

The faunus glanced over in Cinder's direction.

He started to approach but didn't say a word.

Once he drew close enough...

He scooped up the young maiden in a hug.

"...Sorry."

Watching from the wall, Char and Blanche were at something of a loss.

"Should we introduce ourselves or...?"

"Nah, nah. Give it a bit more time. Things seem kinda tense."

"Hey. How come you couldn't tell that was gonna happen?" Blanche asked as he gave Trifa a nudge to which the faunus shoved him back. "My semblance is a danger sense, not an awkward sense." She snapped back before leaning back against the wall. 'Besides, this seems like somethin those three are gonna have to settle amongst themselves. They don't need us sticking our noses in.'​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Masque grumbled.

"You don't seem happy I'm back..."

She narrowed her eyes.

"....if i had two more ears poking out of my head, you'd be kissing the ground I walk on..." She mumbled under her breath.

"Hey, sis?" Came Yang's voice, sweet as honey. "If you're thinking about doing that adorable thing where you show up right when something's finally going good for me to completely and everlastingly fuck me over, friendly word of advice?"

Her heel came away, and in its place Dragon snatched the corrupted wrist like it was a snake whose jaws she was keeping at bay and hiked Ruby into the air, letting her dangle at eye level with a view to the stare that had very swiftly turned menacing.

"Don't."

"Grrrrr!!!" Masque pulled against her pinned arm at the idea of having to suck up to the others. It'd been bad enough to have to swear loyalty to him wearing Weiss like a suit. The very same person who'd fought so hard against him and his plans. Of course, the only other alternative there had been to refuse and either die or be left captive for no one to come get her.

That scared her more than her anger fueled her.

"That wasn't WHY I came back! I don't WANT to be anybody's dog anymore!!!"

Yang hadn't mentioned it but with her powers, Blake clearly stood higher than Masque did both on the power and loyalty chain.

Which absolutely infuriated her. Masque had never fought with Blake before-not even during the office scuffle(everyone had seemed to have lost track of Belladonna during all that chaos actually)but she would have been confident that they all stood on the same footing. Not so much now what what with the sister stealing/healing and almost killing.

"If this is all I've got waiting for me then I don't know why you bothered stopping Blake!" She put her feet against Yang's stomach and weakly tried to push her older sister back. It didn't quite work. "I hate this place! I hate this stupid whale! If you weren't here I wouldn't have come back!"

The angry growling and petulant kicking continued for a few moments more. Then it suddenly stopped.

Masque looked away but said nothing.

The miniature tantrum saw her blink and pull back, a flicker of reflexive ambivalence falling over her expression like a shadow at noon. Then she dropped her with a limp thud, crossing her arms in a rebellious slouch and rolling her eyes with a glimmer of what could've almost, in the right light, after a certain degree of squinting resembled a knowing elder sibling's sympathy. If far more mocking and acerbic. She drifted backwards, scooching herself up onto the altar to sit there with that same deeply pitying—if moderately vindicated—look.



"Ooohhhhh, I get it. Someone got used to having her steak cooked medium-rare for her and now she thinks she's too good for this place, right? Gimme a fucking break. Didn't mind being ice queen's pet so much when it looked like she might fuck you, didja? Didja? Huh?"

Each query prompted a slightly more irritating prod of the finger into Ruby's midriff, before she retracted her stretched Grimm arm back to fold over the other one again with a 'what-can-ya-do' shrug.

"You do know your odds of that actually went up, right? Schnee would never sully herself with the thought of chicks like you or me, but even Oz gets bored. Don't bet on it whenever I'm available, though. Guy has got a thing about blondes."

Her eyeroll's accompanying snort carried a wry edge, then succumbed to another fraught, restive silence before Dragon started kicking her heels together with the barest touch of apprehension. There was a short pause before she spoke again, gaze blankly resting on Masque's back as she chewed her lip.

"Listen, Ruby, you have got to let go of this big Schnee-sponsored idea that you actually deserve better than this. This, all this, is exactly what we deserve. This is just... where people like us end up." Her voice halted, and though it was quickly swallowed for a few moments her lips traced a desperate frown. "Plus it's not like you ever complained a day about this place before that shit at the motel. I'm fucking sorry, okay? Is that it? Are those the magic words to make you stop pretending you're just gonna walk away from me again? Fine. What-the fuck-ever. I shouldn't have said that stuff and I have zero valid reasons to hate you for anything in my entire life."



There was an undeniable current of sarcasm to her words, but it was offset by how she delivered them. Whether Masque was still giving her the cold shoulder or not, Yang's words had slowly inched their way towards fervent in their conviction, the eyes clinging to Ruby's back rapidly draining of their angry vermilion to a much softer shade.

"Now can we please just drop it? What is it gonna take?"​

 

[MidwayLives]

"Hey, sis?" Came Yang's voice, sweet as honey. "If you're thinking about doing that adorable thing where you show up right when something's finally going good for me to completely and everlastingly fuck me over, friendly word of advice?"

Her heel came away, and in its place Dragon snatched the corrupted wrist like it was a snake whose jaws she was keeping at bay and hiked Ruby into the air, letting her dangle at eye level with a view to the stare that had very swiftly turned menacing.

Masque only let out a small yelp as she was picked up.

Her silver eyes met Yang's red ones.

"Yang, I-"
​

"Don't."

Masque glared.



"okay..."


She hated Blake for threatening her like that. For hurting her like that. She was jealous of the gap between them. How Blake had been able to be there for her sister in ways that Ruby simply couldn't be. To the point that she'd been willing to outright murder Cinder in order to stand on the same footing as the faunus.

But....Yang was all she had here.

If her own sister turned her away...? What was the point?

....Of being?
​

"Ooohhhhh, I get it. Someone got used to having her steak cooked medium-rare for her and now she thinks she's too good for this place, right? Gimme a fucking break. Didn't mind being ice queen's pet so much when it looked like she might fuck you, didja? Didja? Huh?"

Masque still didn't say anything .

'Ruby' coiled up close to her head almost as if it were whispering something to her.
​

Each query prompted a slightly more irritating prod of the finger into Ruby's midriff, before she retracted her stretched Grimm arm back to fold over the other one again with a 'what-can-ya-do' shrug.

"You do know that's actually more likely now, right? Even Oz gets bored. Don't bet on it whenever I'm available, though. Guy has got a thing about blondes."

The gesture might have made Ruby burst out into giggles back in the day.

This day it didn't....do much of anything. Ruby didn't even squirm.​

"Listen, Ruby, you have got to let go of this big Schnee-sponsored idea that you actually deserve better than this. This, all this, is exactly what we deserve. This is just... where people like us end up." Her voice halted, and though it was quickly swallowed for a few moments her lips traced a desperate frown. "Plus it's not like you ever complained a day about this place before that shit at the motel. I'm fucking sorry, okay? Is that it? Are those the magic words to make you stop pretending you're just gonna walk away from me again? Fine. What-the fuck-ever. I shouldn't have said that stuff and I have zero valid reasons to hate you for anything in my entire life."

Yang said her piece and there was a resounding silence.

'Ruby' didn't even so much as giggle again.



"I'm sorry, Yang."

Masque murmured as she finally sat up and looked over at her sister.

"....I'm sorry for leaving you."

There was a flutter of rose petals and Yang would have felt both arms of Ruby's embrace around her waist as Ruby looked up at her, sniffling.

"....I won't do it again. I was....I was wrong. You were right. About everything." Masque said the next piece so quietly one would have had to really pay attention to hear it. "I made their Cinder promise that she wouldn't kill you. When one side wants to lock me up and everyone here hates me...." *sniffle* "....Can't be too picky I guess..." The wording she'd chosen almost made Ruby want to laugh. She'd 'made' Cinder promise? It hadn't even been so much a promise. With her life literally hanging in the maiden's hands, Masque begged, pleaded that if things came down to it, Cinder at the very least wouldn't do more than necessary against her sister. She couldn't speak of or think of what the others would do in the long term.

....If her or Yang lived to see a 'long-term.'

"Weiss....She took me in, was nice to me but...she wasn't perfect. I heard her sometimes. She thought I was just someone to fix. A..." The wording almost seemed a touch more stinging given what Yang had just said. "...Pet project. She...She probably would have had me put away too. Somewhere I'd be alone. Somewhere I'd never see you again."

Masque laid her head against Yang's chest for a second or two and Yang could have heard what almost sounded like a dismissive growl coming from 'Ruby'

"I just want the two of us to be happy, Yang. Why are we doing this....? What if someone just....ends us?"

....Maybe people like them deserved it. Like they deserved to be here aboard this stupid whale.
​

There was an undeniable current of sarcasm to her words, but it was offset by how she delivered them. Whether Masque was still giving her the cold shoulder or not, Yang's words had slowly inched their way towards fervent, the eyes clinging to Ruby's back rapidly draining of their angry vermilion to a much softer shade.

"Now can we please just drop it? What is it gonna take?"

Masque stepped back and 'Ruby' gently grasped Yang's own Grimm arm.

Ruby's eyes were misty with spent tears and her nose twitched with the sniffles.

But her smile was a far cry from the petulant anger she'd been spewing just moments ago.

"Don't look that sad again....?"

Masque laughed, a poor attempt to clear the tension.

"....I love you, Yang. I love you more than anything else in this world. I really really do. You kept Blake and Oz from killing me, you could have hurt me dozens of times over the years. But...you've just wanted me by your side and I get that now. I...I won't leave you again. If being friendly with Blake..." Masque grit her teeth and the smile seemed to grow a bit tensed. 'Ruby even growled a bit.' "....Makes you happy....just...don't let her hurt me again...."

Masque's human arm remained where it was around her sister's waist as 'Ruby' stayed in contact with from where it'd spawned from.

"....But....even if just for tonight...c-can you...Love me like you love all those other girls?"


"Please, Yang..."​

 

[Gus Gungus]

There were a lot of potential ways Dragon could've taken that, and quite frankly most of them were violent. She had stiffened up and gone deathly still the moment Ruby's arms wrapped around her, hands gripping her shoulders and hanging on the decision of whether to peel her off or try scramble back, mouth equally torn between a gasp and a snarl as her eyes shot wide and intensified straight back to warding red. Masque probably knew enough by this point to brace for pain.

It never came. Yang tried. She really did. But it had been a long day, various particulars of which had seen the Grimm passenger that regulated, spiked, and filtered her emotional state in accordance to its whims and desires temporarily recede in influence. The forgotten oil vein of warmth Blake inadvertently struck in her efforts to save the Dragon, volatile and potent enough to form a geyser that was yet to ebb, had created a rare opportunity for the many veils and curtains imposed over her identity through the years to ever-so-slightly lift; dark clouds of fury and spite and resentment parting for the first time in as long as she could recall, letting glimmers of the sun through. And weirdly enough, confronted by one of the foremost sources of her terrible, boundless rage, whatever remained of the person beneath didn't feel all that violent. She was just... just...

Tired.

Kinda hungry, maybe.

That ghost of a person was the only reason Ruby didn't get hit, clawed, gouged, bit or headbutted. Instead she just listened, words she had once wanted to hear more than any others digested with little more than a tight frown and a contemplative chewing of her inner cheek as her arms slowly fell to her sides, and while there was so much more to unpack there than she would ever have the energy or knowledge to even attempt there were two parts that stood out.

"I just want the two of us to be happy, Yang."

"Don't look that sad again....?"

"You were the only one who was ever happy, Ruby. I always looked like this."

In the end it wasn't a roar, taunt, or violent act that answered Masque. Just words. Tired, resigned, defeated words, aimed more towards the fingers she was idly plucking of hangnails as a buffer than their intended recipient.

Spoken by one who'd long, long since accepted the reality that this and breaking stuff were all she was ever gonna be good for.

"So if I screw you, you'll stay." It wasn't a question, the toneless voice she spoke in one of absolute surety, but she wanted the confirmation anyway. She didn't even know why. "If I don't, no promises. That's what you're saying, right? I mean, I think you know I don't want to. I want it super clear on both sides what it is that's happening. So if that is what you're saying, be real nice if for once in our entire lives you skip the whole rigmarole and just fucking say it."

She blew a dry, vaguely amused jet of air out her nostrils, still picking at her fingernails and apparently completely blase about this whole affair. Anything to avoid meeting those big dumb silver eyes that hurt so much, in a capacity entirely separate from their ability to cleanse her with holy fire.

"Also, 'love you like I loved those other girls'? God, porn ruined you."​

 

[MidwayLives]

"You were the only one who was ever happy, Ruby. I always looked like this."

Ruby frowned.

She had enough self-awareness to know that she obviously played a part in why Yang felt that way.

"....maybe that can change."

Was all she said.

She clung to her sister and sniffled as she continued to rest her head against Yang's chest.

She felt safe. A feeling she couldn't say she'd felt since....since they were kids.​

"So if I screw you, you'll stay." It wasn't a question, the toneless voice she spoke in one of absolute surety, but she wanted the confirmation anyway. She didn't even know why. "If I don't, no promises. That's what you're saying, right? I mean, I think you know I don't want to. I want it super clear on both sides what it is that's happening. So if that is what you're saying, be real nice if for once in our entire lives you skip the whole rigmarole and just fucking say it."

This time it was Masque who couldn't bring herself to look at Yang.

The confirmation of what she wanted.

What she'd sought for all those years. Knowing it was something out of her reach. That it was....it was wrong.

It was so low neither party could hear it but 'Ruby' giggled.

Whatever it'd whispered to Ruby had apparently worked.

"....yes."

Ruby confirmed.

".....I want you, Yang."
​

She blew a dry, vaguely amused jet of air out her nostrils, still picking at her fingernails and apparently completely blase about this whole affair. Anything to avoid meeting those big dumb silver eyes that hurt so much, in a capacity entirely separate from their ability to cleanse her with holy fire.

"Also, 'love you like I loved those other girls'? God, porn ruined you."

-That completely took the wind out of Masque's sails and the younger girl coughed as her face went awash with red.

"That-No-I-...I didn't...."

She shook her head from side to side.

Her eyes tried to meet Yang's as she leaned in with her eyes closing as she moved closer.

She intended to kiss Yang all while continuing to embrace her sister.

'I love you, Yang. So....so much.'​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Cinder reached out and briefly touched Neo's shoulder, but no healing touch came, for two reasons;

Spoiler: Glynda's Maiden Techniques Summer Classes

Glynda gently tapped her crop against the screen, where Neo's bruises were as she paused. "Can anyone explain why this wouldn't work the way Miss Fall intended?

Blake raised her hand, getting a short nod from Glynda that prompted her to speak.

"Maiden healing is a new technique developed by Weiss, and isn't something as simple as Jaune Arc's aura amplification. It requires medical grade knowledge of how to fix the body in question, and uses a combination of the elements and much smaller aura flares in specific points to help connective tissue form as necessary. Its the sort of thing that requires both knowledge and practice, and the magic is impossible in the first place if you're not very calm or can induce a sort of meditative state."

*flick*

"Correct," Glynda began "But you were able to use the technique yourself not long ago. What was the difference there?"

*flick*

"I already possess a sufficiently close to medical grade knowledge of the body, its important in my line of work. As for the calm, its not something I can achieve myself. Even after the danger had passed and all I was doing was trying to save a severed limb rather than a life, I was unable to heal without the Dragon's parasite siphoning off the excess emotions from me."

*flick*

"Wait, then why was Weiss able to do it when I blew up?" Asked Yang from the back of the class, feet on the desk "Or when she got shot in the leg in the middle of the bloodiest fight since Haven?"

*flick

"Because she's a sociopath" Intoned Watts from his seat next to hers.

*flick*

"Hey-!"

*flick*

"No, no he's right." Glynda agreed with a nod. "So what does that mean for this situation, Miss Belladonna?"

*flick

"The Fall maiden has a similar temperment to me. Anger and passion flow easily through her, and aren't easily quelled. She may not be as beholden to it as I am, and may be able to grasp this technique where I could not, but after not even a full day with which to have used the materials Weiss gave her to study-"

"-in addition to having to do some serious biology homework-" Watts added, more than a little snidely amused

"-its unlikely she could use such an advan- *flick* ONE MORE TIME YOU LITTLE- *flick* ......One. More. Time. See what happens."

Neo stared primly at the Shadow Fang member who was turned in her chair to face her, by this point in the middle of a veritable pile of paper balls that had been flicked at the back of her head throughout this little aside. She made it a point to maintain that eye contact as she slowly crumpled up another sheet of notebook paper, held it to the desk with one finger, and flicked it straight into Blake's forehead and instant before the entire classrom exploded with fire

The other reason was that the moment CInder's hand brushed Neo's shoulder, her focused returned entirely to the return maiden as she let out a distressed, muddled intake of breath and instantly slapped the hand away, her breathing coming heavy as she backpedaled. By the time Cinder get her bearings after being swept up into Tyrian's arms, Neo was nowhere to be seen, though Watts' eyes were tracking something that had apparently just left through the same door Mercury had before they settled back on his former teammates, his own gaze far more ambivalent after seeing Tyrian again.

"Callows. I see you've still managed to reach new heights of 'concerning low self control.'" He said, his hand finally removing itself from his revolver's handle after it had shot there when he'd been seemingly threatening Neo.

 

[MyrtenRose]

Cinder reached out and briefly touched Neo's shoulder, but no healing touch came, for two reasons;

Spoiler: Glynda's Maiden Techniques Summer Classes

Glynda gently tapped her crop against the screen, where Neo's bruises were as she paused. "Can anyone explain why this wouldn't work the way Miss Fall intended?

Blake raised her hand, getting a short nod from Glynda that prompted her to speak.

"Maiden healing is a new technique developed by Weiss, and isn't something as simple as Jaune Arc's aura amplification. It requires medical grade knowledge of how to fix the body in question, and uses a combination of the elements and much smaller aura flares in specific points to help connective tissue form as necessary. Its the sort of thing that requires both knowledge and practice, and the magic is impossible in the first place if you're not very calm or can induce a sort of meditative state."

*flick*

"Correct," Glynda began "But you were able to use the technique yourself not long ago. What was the difference there?"

*flick*

"I already possess a sufficiently close to medical grade knowledge of the body, its important in my line of work. As for the calm, its not something I can achieve myself. Even after the danger had passed and all I was doing was trying to save a severed limb rather than a life, I was unable to heal without the Dragon's parasite siphoning off the excess emotions from me."

*flick*

"Wait, then why was Weiss able to do it when I blew up?" Asked Yang from the back of the class, feet on the desk "Or when she got shot in the leg in the middle of the bloodiest fight since Haven?"

*flick

"Because she's a sociopath" Intoned Watts from his seat next to hers.

*flick*

"Hey-!"

*flick*

"No, no he's right." Glynda agreed with a nod. "So what does that mean for this situation, Miss Belladonna?"

*flick

"The Fall maiden has a similar temperment to me. Anger and passion flow easily through her, and aren't easily quelled. She may not be as beholden to it as I am, and may be able to grasp this technique where I could not, but after not even a full day with which to have used the materials Weiss gave her to study-"

"-in addition to having to do some serious biology homework-" Watts added, more than a little snidely amused

"-its unlikely she could use such an advan- *flick* ONE MORE TIME YOU LITTLE- *flick* ......One. More. Time. See what happens."

Neo stared primly at the Shadow Fang member who was turned in her chair to face her, by this point in the middle of a veritable pile of paper balls that had been flicked at the back of her head throughout this little aside. She made it a point to maintain that eye contact as she slowly crumpled up another sheet of notebook paper, held it to the desk with one finger, and flicked it straight into Blake's forehead and instant before the entire classroom exploded with fire

The other reason was that the moment CInder's hand brushed Neo's shoulder, her focused returned entirely to the return maiden as she let out a distressed, muddled intake of breath and instantly slapped the hand away, her breathing coming heavy as she backpedaled. By the time Cinder get her bearings after being swept up into Tyrian's arms, Neo was nowhere to be seen, though Watts' eyes were tracking something that had apparently just left through the same door Mercury had before they settled back on his former teammates, his own gaze far more ambivalent after seeing Tyrian again.

"Callows. I see you've still managed to reach new heights of 'concerning low self control.'" He said, his hand finally removing itself from his revolver's handle after it had shot there when he'd been seemingly threatening Neo.

"N-Neo, no, wait--hnh." Cinder grunted as she got pulled into that hug, and by the time the words had faded away, Neo was already gone. She could only glance over the scorpion faunus's shoulder in the direction of the exit where they'd gone.

Emerald had ran off in an anxious hurry, Mercury had stormed away in frustration and now Neo as well...but it felt more like she was still the one leaving them behind. Again. The one who had let them all down...and Roman too. Before she could really say all that she felt she needed to say to all of them. They'd lost a teammate and still came after her, traveling for days to get to her and she'd repaid them like...that. The teenager sighed with guilt. She would have to track them all down in this place, she knew it. But first...

She shut her eye for a second, letting herself relax in Tyrian's embrace and getting some of the tension to melt away. Her eye slid back open and her expression had shifted into a small smile, returning the hug as best she could. "Hey, Ty." She muttered softly. "I'm..." A memory pushed its way to the forefront of her thoughts.​

"CINDER!!!!"

Tyrian turned and sprinted in the direction he'd heard the maiden flying off in. What'd started off as a desperate sprint turned into a feral charge on all fours. Tears blowing away in the wind as he ran. The calls for his young teammate's name growing hoarser and raspier as he strained his throat.

"CINDER!!!! COME BACK!!!! COME-"

"...I'm back."

"I'm...sorry. Sorry it took me so long, and that I was stupid enough to leave in the first place. I thought that--no. It doesn't really matter what I thought. I was wrong. I just want you to know that I'll never make a mistake like that again. No matter what. I promise." She tightened the hug even more, and not even Arthur's biting sarcasm was enough to dispel the joy she felt being hugged by a friend she hadn't seen in far too long. She did, however, give Watts a brief fierce side-eye. Though she couldn't exactly disagree with his point, Tyrian had been a little unhinged for as long as she'd known him, but now was definitely not the time for that. Their team was coming back together, after all. Cinder released her hold and stepped back, her smile brightening.

"So, how have you been? What have you been up to?"​

 

[Gus Gungus]

This time it was Masque who couldn't bring herself to look at Yang.

The confirmation of what she wanted.

What she'd sought for all those years. Knowing it was something out of her reach. That it was....it was wrong.

It was so low neither party could hear it but 'Ruby' giggled.

Whatever it'd whispered to Ruby had apparently worked.

"....yes."

Ruby confirmed.

".....I want you, Yang."

-That completely took the wind out of Masque's sails and the younger girl coughed as her face went awash with red.

"That-No-I-...I didn't...."

She shook her head from side to side.

Her eyes tried to meet Yang's as she leaned in with her eyes closing as she moved closer.

She intended to kiss Yang all while continuing to embrace her sister.

'I love you, Yang. So....so much.'

Dragon's heart dropped like a stone so sharply it wasn't outside the realms of possibility for Ruby to have heard it, though in all honesty her response had been about as unexpected as your average sunset. Still, the crystallization of it had her palm grow clammy and her breath hitch at the back of her throat, pupils dilating as she tried to will her heart rate down and bared her teeth in a snarl as she saw her sole remaining birth hand start to quake.

No.

Fuck no. This wasn't her. She couldn't be this person again, this weak, desperate, soft little curly-haired bimbo. Wasn't going to be. She had become more than poor, pathetic little Ruby, so much more, been reborn in endless shadow and drawn deep into the True Master's loving embrace. She wasn't Yang anymore. She was the monster that had hatched from Yang's corpse, erupted from her pathetic, trembling form in a raging inferno; Like a phoenix.

No. A dragon.

She couldn't. She could never go back to this.

And even so, no matter how far into the darkness Yang Xiao Long disappeared...

Spoiler

...she could never escape those eyes, either.

If she was being honest, ever since her and Blake's meet cute from hell she'd been feeling... weird. Not bad, just like a fog lifted from her mind, or at least most of it. With the grimm's voice silenced and Ozpin's no more than a fading echo she was thinking clearer than she had in a long, long time, and... she hadn't been sure what to do with that. How to feel.

So stupid. How could she have forgotten?

She didn't wanna feel anything.

It was just so much. Everything was wrong; With people, with the universe, with her. Not even a masochist could bear pain like that.

A second after her eyes shot wide open she screwed them shut, and with a resolute grimace focused all her newfound agency and clarity of thought into one single, coalescing impulse:

I need you.

Unconditional release.

W̷e̶ ̶w̴i̴l̵l̷ ̶a̵l̷w̶a̸y̵s̶ ̸b̷e̵ ̶h̶e̵r̸e̸.̵

The response was immediate, eldritch gurgling from the black corners of her mind she could no longer feel, and the numbness swarmed outward to envelop her, softening the harsh, glaring strokes of reality until she could stand to look at them. Her eyes flickered back open, and as she grabbed hold of Ruby's arms to rip them loose of her waist the pupils leering down at the Masque with a feverish grin were as blood-red, vicious and taunting as they'd ever been, a perfect match for the deliriously pitched giggle she gave.

"So, meat. How ya want me?"

---



Later.

"She loves me."

THUD

"She loves me not."

THUD

"Loves me."

THUD

"Not. Paaahahahaha!"



From the hysterical laughter one might've guessed Dragon was in a room with the world's greatest comedian performing his best set and not completely alone in a hallway, slowly walking with torso dragging against the wall she was repeatedly slamming her head into, fully intent on continuing until her aura broke. Maybe even beyond. Hell, maybe this time she just wouldn't stop! Maybe she'd just keep going til she turned this pretty little face into pretty, bony, toothy mush!

Eh. The night was young.​

 

[MidwayLives]

Dragon's heart dropped like a stone so sharply it wasn't outside the realms of possibility for Ruby to have heard it, though in all honesty her response had been about as unexpected as your average sunset. Still, the crystallization of it had her palm grow clammy and her breath hitch at the back of her throat, pupils dilating as she tried to will her heart rate down and bared her teeth in a snarl as she saw her sole remaining birth hand start to quake.

No.

One of Ruby's eyes flicked open as she drew closer.

"...Yang?"
​

W̷e̶ ̶w̴i̴l̵l̷ ̶a̵l̷w̶a̸y̵s̶ ̸b̷e̵ ̶h̶e̵r̸e̸.̵

The response was immediate, eldritch gurgling from the black corners of her mind she could no longer feel, and the numbness swarmed outward to envelop her, softening the harsh, glaring strokes of reality until she could stand to look at them. Her eyes flickered back open, and as she grabbed hold of Ruby's arms to rip them loose of her waist the pupils leering down at the Masque with a feverish grin were as blood-red, vicious and taunting as they'd ever been, a perfect match for the deliriously pitched giggle she gave.

"So, meat. How ya want me?"

Ruby's eyes lit up.

A mixture of lust and....fear.

One can guess which one ended up winning out.

​

Later.

In the room they'd decided to use lay only one of the two. Her clothes lay scattered around the floor with tears in them and Crescent Rose was left resting against the wall.

Draped in the blankets that masked her lower half-though that was only due to placement, Ruby didn't care about being seen in the nude. Her upper half was left exposed with an absolute sea of scars pocketing and lining all across her chest and brightening up her pale skin.

With all her eagerness, it still ended up being more than she'd expected. Too much for her actually.

First time for everything she supposed.

Too out of it to hear her sister's casual head-bashing stroll and too stirred to fully fall asleep, she ran 'Ruby' over the spot where Yang had been as though her sibling was still there.

"Mm.....love you yang...."

Through all the turmoil and suffering, she'd finally got what she wanted.



Right...?​

 

[MidwayLives]

"N-Neo, no, wait--hnh." Cinder grunted as she got pulled into that hug, and by the time the words had faded away, Neo was already gone. She could only glance over the scorpion faunus's shoulder in the direction of the exit where they'd gone.

Emerald had ran off in an anxious hurry, Mercury had stormed away in frustration and now Neo as well...but it felt more like she was still the one leaving them behind. Again. The one who had let them all down...and Roman too. Before she could really say all that she felt she needed to say to all of them. They'd lost a teammate and still came after her, traveling for days to get to her and she'd repaid them like...that. The teenager sighed with guilt. She would have to track them all down in this place, she knew it. But first...

She shut her eye for a second, letting herself relax in Tyrian's embrace and getting some of the tension to melt away. Her eye slid back open and her expression had shifted into a small smile, returning the hug as best she could. "Hey, Ty." She muttered softly. "I'm..." A memory pushed its way to the forefront of her thoughts.

Tyrian didn't know what to say or do. In situations that required comforting he'd in the past left that kind of stuff up to Hazel.

Nowadays that wasn't really an option anymore.

So he just kept it simple.

"Hey."

He gently ran his hand down Cinder's back and held his former teammate close.
​

"...I'm back."

"I'm...sorry. Sorry it took me so long, and that I was stupid enough to leave in the first place. I thought that--no. It doesn't really matter what I thought. I was wrong. I just want you to know that I'll never make a mistake like that again. No matter what. I promise." She tightened the hug even more, and not even Arthur's biting sarcasm was enough to dispel the joy she felt being hugged by a friend she hadn't seen in far too long. She did, however, give Watts a brief fierce side-eye. Though she couldn't exactly disagree with his point, Tyrian had been a little unhinged for as long as she'd known him, but now was definitely not the time for that. Their team was coming back together, after all. Cinder released her hold and stepped back, her smile brightening.

"....."

Tyrian let the hug run it's course and took a step back.

"....Look. I..."

Tyrian looked away from Cinder.

"...I was wrong too. I shouldn't have left either. I just couldn't handle everything and I bolted."

There was the slightest bit of a pause before he spoke again.

"...But what's done is done. That's all."
​

"Callows. I see you've still managed to reach new heights of 'concerning low self control.'" He said, his hand finally removing itself from his revolver's handle after it had shot there when he'd been seemingly threatening Neo.

Tyrian's hands balled up into fists and he almost snarled.

....But then he forced himself to relax. To just let it go.

He failed.

"Criticize, criticize, criticize...Seems that's the flavor of the month. Y'know for someone who doesn't even talk, Neo's the only one who hasn't gotten on me about something in the last ten minutes!" He yelled before glancing back at Cinder and exhaling. "....My control's just fine."

Trifa didn't chime in.
​

"So, how have you been? What have you been up to?"

"What you saw when you walked in here? Been training with Neo every other day or so. The two of us are helping eachother grow, improve, get stronger. Better."

Short sweet and to the point. But the longer he spoke, he felt a pit growing in his stomach. Better to pull the bandage off now.

"Cinder....I'm glad to see you all again. But....Mercury was right. I ran. If this...this whole thing is about the team getting back together...well..." Tyrian didn't finish his sentence nor could he meet Cinder's stare anymore.

"....I can't." ​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"What you saw when you walked in here? Been training with Neo every other day or so. The two of us are helping each other grow, improve, get stronger. Better."

Short sweet and to the point. But the longer he spoke, he felt a pit growing in his stomach. Better to pull the bandage off now.

"Cinder....I'm glad to see you all again. But....Mercury was right. I ran. If this...this whole thing is about the team getting back together...well..." Tyrian didn't finish his sentence nor could he meet Cinder's stare anymore.

"....I can't."

"Really? That's great, nice to hear you two are doing that." The work of a partner...one that Neo lost, that part Cinder left unsaid. As for the rest: "Nonsense! Yeah, okay, you might have ran, but so did I. We made mistakes but if we work to make up for those mistakes, if we own up to them and do what we can to make things right, it...doesn't have to be a stain on our lives forever, right?" She had to believe that was true. "I mean, the hell you can't! Look around, I'm pretty sure you're already doing it. You've been here with Neo, and Mercury, and Emerald. You've stuck together after reuniting, just like I have with Captain Killjoy over here." She thumbed over at Arthur. "More than that too, you picked up some others along the way, looks like. Same way I connected with Penny and the other Ruby and Nora and others." The teenager looked over in Trifa's direction complete with a wave of the hand hello before leaning over in a conspiratorial fashion towards Tyrian.

"She is with you, yeah?"​

 

[MidwayLives]

"Really? That's great, nice to hear you two are doing that."

Tyrian let that comment rest where it did.

Any further explaining he felt would be treading on the understanding that Neo and he had formed.

He was a lot of things: a teenager struggling with mental issues/feelings of revenge/etc.

But somethings were to be kept between certain people.
​

"Nonsense! Yeah, okay, you might have ran, but so did I. We made mistakes but if we work to make up for those mistakes, if we own up to them and do what we can to make things right, it...doesn't have to be a stain on our lives forever, right?" She had to believe that was true.

"Cinder, it's not just that. I'm not..."
​

"She is not your therapy.

"Callows. I see you've still managed to reach new heights of 'concerning low self control.'" He said, his hand finally removing itself from his revolver's handle after it had shot there when he'd been seemingly threatening Neo.

She knew that he got it; More than Mercury and Emerald, or maybe they just didn't want to get it; This was the first time they'd had an audience, but this wasn't the first time her and Tyrian had sparred over the last few months. They both had reasons, and neither of them had taken the time to discuss with the other, but they both understood each other perfectly.

They needed to get stronger.

You didn't get that way going up against an opponent that was taking it easy.

​

"More than that too, you picked up some others along the way, looks like. Same way I connected with Penny and the other Ruby and Nora and others." The teenager looked over in Trifa's direction complete with a wave of the hand hello before leaning over in a conspiratorial fashion towards Tyrian.

Well, there was a welcome(?) interruption at least.

Trifa happily waved back with a friendly smile on her face.

Tyrian just groaned in response.

"That's...Trifa."
​

"She is with you, yeah?"

Tyrian nodded.

"....She's a childhood friend. Met up with her after I ran and she built me my prosthetic. She helps around in Vale and.." Mmm, no really wasn't a tasteful way to put it to a kid was there? "....She's very friendly with...certain *cough* people."

Tyrian pointed towards Char and Blanche as well. "Those guys are hitmen that Neo beat up and they...Just kinda decided to tag along."

"She did not 'beat me up'." Blanche snapped. "Wasn't even the one who fought the kid."

"Yeah, that was me." ​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"....She's a childhood friend. Met up with her after I ran and she built me my prosthetic. She helps around in Vale and.." Mmm, no really wasn't a tasteful way to put it to a kid was there? "....She's very friendly with...certain *cough* people."

She gasped. “Your girlfriend’s a prostitute?!”​

 

[MidwayLives]

She gasped. “Your girlfriend’s a prostitute?!”

Trifa burst out laughing.

Tyrian....didn't.

"She's not my-she isn't-She's just my friend!"

He didn't deny the other charge though.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

"—totally obsessed, like she's some big bad executioner now and she can just kill her issues away and that's what moving on is. Pft. She has no idea, dude. No idea."

Mercury shook his head, readily accepting his beer as it was slid across the countertop his elbows were propped against and instantly bringing it to his lips for a swig. The network of caves and tunnels was home to exactly one bar, a dingey speakeasy built across a number of rickety bridges interconnecting throughout the main tavern; its main use being illicit meetings and the like. They served house ale, spirits and occasionally information, and currently Mercury sought a very specific sort.

He lowered his drink, breathing a satisfied exhale as he gulped the bubbly amber down and turning to affix his current drinking buddy and most valued source of life advice with a seriously vexed stare marred by his seriously foamy mustache.

"Lupin, you're old. You got your whole life behind you. What am I supposed to do with a chick like that, man?"​