Fandom Distorted Mirror [IC]

[Gus Gungus]

It couldn't be....The other Yang had told her that..

"is...is it really you...?"

Ruby's hand drifted away from the hilt of her sword and she raced towards the figure, kneeling down and scooping her up in a hug. Not too quick or harsh though, because she was honestly looking kinda old.

"Maria!! I'm so...soo glad to see you again! Everyone...*sniffle* Everyone told me you were dead and I thought so and and and-"

"Bwahahaha!!!!!"

The old crone's cackle was elated as she threw her arms wide and wrapped them around her (former :<) sister in scythe-wielding's frame in turn, an embrace that rivaled that of the other world's Yang in affection while coming from a far less confusing place of familiarity. The creature that had once been called Maria, as twisted and horrifying a demon as Ozpin had made of her, had always been kind to her for whatever reason, always sensed an affinity that went beyond just their shared eye color. Judging from that hug, not a single ounce of that fondness had vanished into the ether along with her youth, though she admittedly did seem a bit more brittle on the whole as she gave a soft huff when they broke it off and massaged her lower back.

"Well, these withered bones'a mine sure are a buzzkill, but it's a little rude calling me dead. Old frosty-panties sure came close, though! Honestly, some days I can't help but think maybe she shoulda finished the job! I'm old as hell! Bahahah!!!!"

She bucked wildly and flapped her arms like Ruby had just told the funniest joke in the world, howling with laughter. Until she suddenly wasn't.

"Nah... she's actually doing me a big favor, though. Right after she torched all those Grimm that awful man put in me was one of the first times in so long I could remember hearing myself THINK! And that STUD, Merlot... hell-O, poppa! Is he a silver fox, or what?! Ya see this new color I'm trying?" She pointed to her cheek, where the once-black veins running across her complexion that denoted Ozpin's influence now pulsed with a green liquid similar to what the professor had been working with in his lab. "He's been helping build me back up so I can get some of my old strength back again, and actually keep all my marbles this time! Don't get too attached to Old Lady Jenkins here, cuz pretty soon I'll be that sexy young thing you know and love with about 75% less crazy! Hah! Ruby, I..."

She clasped her hands together over her heart, and her smile was wistful and sincere as she let out a deeply contented sigh.

"...I'm so happy I got to meet you like this. Sorry if I'm a little different to how ya remember me, kiddo, but... I wasn't me when we met. Or... well, I was in there, deep down, but the things you-know-who did to me twisted me up so bad I barely knew what was going on anymore. Something was wrong with me, and he used it to make me... God, the things I've done... I can barely remember doing them, but I..."

The way she trailed off with a haunted look was in every sense the picture of an elder struggling against the inevitable decline of her own brain. After a few seconds, though, she snapped back to reality.

"...I can remember bits'n'pieces, though! YOU especially! It's still me in that respect, pinkie swear! Scythe Sisters for life yoooooooooo!" She threw up a gang sign, twirling her weapon-slash-walking stick around in her grip with expert dexterity for a 'woman' her apparent age. Something seemed to occur to her, and she tapped the side of her head with a grin. "Hey, wanna talk to any of the other girls?! Ever since Merlot started building me back up with grimm mass they started coming back, cept we can all actually hear each other speak now! Before it was like a million voices all screaming over each other at once, but now we're almost like a little family or somethin'. It's nice!"​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"The old lady, let's just say she retired. She whittles ducks now, same as my old man. Tell your boss the son of Marcus Black said so, that we're just as happy to help if he ever needs it, and he hopes that isn't any kind of a problem for him. If it is? I'll bet he knows where to find me, but I'll put it this way. I'm pretty much just a hired hand around here. Let's just say my friends are another breed."

 

[MidwayLives]

"Bwahahaha!!!!!"

The old crone's cackle was elated as she threw her arms wide and wrapped them around her (former :<) sister in scythe-wielding's frame in turn, an embrace that rivaled that of the other world's Yang in affection while coming from a far less confusing place of familiarity. The creature that had once been called Maria, as twisted and horrifying a demon as Ozpin had made of her, had always been kind to her for whatever reason, always sensed an affinity that went beyond just their shared eye color. Judging from that hug, not a single ounce of that fondness had vanished into the ether along with her youth, though she admittedly did seem a bit more brittle on the whole as she gave a soft huff when they broke it off and massaged her lower back.

"Well, these withered bones'a mine sure are a buzzkill, but it's a little rude calling me dead. Old frosty-panties sure came close, though! Honestly, I can't help but think maybe she shoulda finished the job! I'm old as hell! Bahahah!!!!"

She bucked wildly and flapped her arms like Ruby had just told the funniest joke in the world, howling with laughter. Until she suddenly wasn't.

In between the tears of relief and joy, Ruby couldn't help but snort at the mention of 'frosty panties'

"Pfff!! Hahahaha! Frosty panties!!!"

It was a good thing it was just the two of them in here, Ruby was so so happy to see Maria safe and sound, relatively speaking anyway. Being locked up in this scary dark room didn't seem like it was the funnest thing in the world.
​

"Nah... she's actually doing me a big favor, though. Right after she torched all those Grimm that awful man put in me was one of the first times in so long I could remember hearing myself THINK! And that STUD, Merlot... hell-O, poppa! Is he a silver fox, or what?! Ya see this new color I'm trying?"

"Hahaha, yeah, he's a real knock out of the park..."

'The mental park that is.....Zing, Ruby. The snarkiest thing you've ever said and nobody heard it.'

The smile never left but she clung to one word in particular.

'Awful'

It felt so strange to hear that after the Maria that Ruby had known all this time.

To her she was 'Daddy'

And now...he just wasn't anything but an evil.
​

"...I'm so happy I got to meet you like this. Sorry if I'm a little different to how ya remember, kiddo, but... I wasn't me when we met. Or... well, I was there, but what you-know-who did to me twisted me up so bad I barely knew what was going on anymore. Something was wrong with me, and he used it to make me... The things I've done... I can barely remember doing them, but I..."

Ruby didn't know what to say.

She'd never seen anything that she'd done as 'wrong.' It was all in service of the goals that laid before her, the future of what the world would become when her friend's dreams were achieved.

Did she have regrets? Sure.

But she wouldn't change anything that she'd done. Perhaps it was cold of her, a contrast from her friendly bubbly nature.

It's just how it was.

She reached out to place a hand onto Maria's shoulder and smiled warmly. "The things we've done, the things we've said, they've happened and we can't change that. But now that you're back in my life? I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." She snickered. "Not that you can't stand up for yourself! Even as an old lady, you're still awesome!"
​

The way she trailed off with a haunted look was in every sense the picture of an elder struggling against the inevitable decline of her own brain. After a few seconds, though, she snapped back to reality.

"...I can remember bits'n'pieces, though! YOU especially! It's still me in that respect, pinkie swear! Scythe Sisters for life yoooooooooo!" She threw up a gang sign, twirling her weapon-slash-walking stick around in her grip with expert dexterity for a 'woman' her apparent age. Something seemed to occur to her, and she tapped the side of her head with a grin

"Yeah!"

She returned the gesture in a much more flamboyant way.

Spoiler

Hey, wanna talk to any of the other girls?! Ever since Merlot started building me back up with grimm mass they started coming back, cept we can all actually hear each other speak now! Before it was like a million voices screaming over each other at once, but now we're like a family or somethin'. It's nice!"

'A family...'

"I'd be glad to, Maria. I wanna see how everyone of em is doing!"

Ruby sniffled and wiped at her eyes.

"This...This has been so great, Maria. You, me, Weiss...We can be just one big happy family.."

Actually, there was something Ruby wanted to share!

Leaning forward she told her scythe sister about how she'd smooched the Ice Queen.

"It's been really nice, Maria. It...almost feels too nice y'know?" Ruby stated as she planted her butt on the floor and pulled her knees in close. "Weiss never gave me the time of day before. I'd always worried it was because I wa some kind of freak, a weirdo that nobody would want to socialize with. Just my best friend's soldier to strike out and do as i was told. I got arrested after the Battle at Beacon and I sat in that cell for so long, Maria. I thought about things I'd never contemplated before." What those things were, she left up to imagination. "I whistled to keep myself calm, happy, and just to avoid getting too sad. Bad things have been happening to me ever since I got out of there." She blushed like an apple falling from it's tree on a summer day. "Meeting Weiss in person was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made..."



"I think...I think i wanna stay here with her.." ​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Ruby sniffled and wiped at her eyes.

"This...This has been so great, Maria. You, me, Weiss...We can be just one big happy family.."

Actually, there was something Ruby wanted to share!

Leaning forward she told her scythe sister about how she'd smooched the Ice Queen.

"It's been really nice, Maria. It...almost feels too nice y'know?" Ruby stated as she planted her butt on the floor and pulled her knees in close. "Weiss never gave me the time of day before. I'd always worried it was because I wa some kind of freak, a weirdo that nobody would want to socialize with. Just my best friend's soldier to strike out and do as i was told. I got arrested after the Battle at Beacon and I sat in that cell for so long, Maria. I thought about things I'd never contemplated before." What those things were, she left up to imagination. "I whistled to keep myself calm, happy, and just to avoid getting too sad. Bad things have been happening to me ever since I got out of there." She blushed like an apple falling from it's tree on a summer day. "Meeting Weiss in person was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made..."

"I think...I think i wanna stay here with her.."

"Eeeeeewwwwww!!!! You kissed heeeeeeerrrrrrr?!" A youthful voice whined when that was revealed, Maria going about as white as her complexion would allow as prosthetic eyes flared wide and both hands flew to her cheeks.



A few more cursory shifts in her vocal patterns had ensued, but Maria forwent delving into her alter egos too much as Ruby started to confide in her. Instead, the sound of her stick thumping against the metal floor echoed through the room as made her way over to sit on the foot of her bed, content to simply listen and hear the young warrior she had once borne such a strong resemblance to out.



"...Heh. Sounds like you've had an awful lot to think about lately, just like I have. Da- He left you sitting in jail for that long?"

Her tone and smile were as filled with mirth with ever, with the exception of that one verbal slip that had her lips pull briefly into a tight frown.

"...Listen, kiddo... I get the feeling you might not quite be ready to hear every single little piece of what I'm about to tell you right now. That's fine, I get it, we don't have to get into it too much; but I am gonna say it anyway 'cause I care about you and I'm a CRAZY OLD LADY! HEH HEH!"

She wiggled her arms, and the boisterous grin she cracked was, indeed, a little deranged. Her bearing, however, rapidly grew serious.

"...but that man is not who you think he is. I understand you love him, I understand you think he loves you back, and I know he's promised you everything you're doing will lead to a better and brighter future one day. It's all lies, Ruby. All of it. It might feel impossible to wrap your head around, but not a single word of what that man's filled your head with is true. Listen, I used to love him too; he filled my head with all sorts of things, and I didn't want any of it. He didn't 'make a better world' for me. My entire world, my entire life... he took all of it away from me. Ozpin is an engine of destruction, Masquey... that's all he wants. It's all he knows. Tomorrow isn't better the way he wants it; It's just gone."

She took a deep, heavy breath, her robotic facsimiles of eyes blinking shut.

"There was a time when I knew that, when I was a person... when I was a real girl like you. Then he found me, and I... He made me forget. The things he did to me..."

She shuddered, instantly pressing on before her thoughts could try to reach out for those recollections.

"...But he messed me up too bad. I became too unpredictable, and when he came across you he finally got his hands on a silver-eyed warrior who was unspoiled. So he acted like he took a shine to ya, told you all the things you wanted to hear... Truth is, kiddo? I think you know Ozpin doesn't want a better world, deep down. I think maybe you're just like me, that you forgot who you were supposed to be somewhere along the way. That you don't know who you are. And he used that. He made it feel like you did, and if you just kept doing what he told you it'd stay that way. And now..."

The reaper sighed, gnarled shoulders rising and falling with the motion.

"...If I had to guess, I'd say the ice queen likes fixing things. She's fixing me, and now she wants to fix you too. Maybe it's compulsive, maybe it's empathy, maybe she just has her own angle on it; I dunno. But here's my only real advice in all this, kiddo... You have to figure out what makes you happy. Not somebody else, be that Ozpin, Weiss... it has to be you. Look, I know it's scary being alone. Believe me, do I know."

She bonked herself on the side of the head with a wild grin, like she was trying to get a TV signal.

"But it's not the end of the world! And it's almost never forever. You're still young. You'll figure out who you want Ruby Rose to be. But you can't just hide that purty face behind some mask and throw yourself at the feet of whoever gives ya the most attention forever, sweetie. That's... that's just not the role you were supposed to play in the history of Remnant. Ruby Rose was supposed to be so much more than Ozpin's Red Masque... Just like I was supposed to be more than his Grimm Reaper."

Her voice was tinged with raw, genuine sadness, and out-of-place expression even on an old and withered version of the bubbly Maria.

"It's too late for me... he took everything that I was ever supposed to be away from me. It'd just... *snff*... It'd just break an old lady's heart if I saw the same thing happen to you, okay? So that's all I ask... just... discover Ruby Rose. Whoever that person turns out to be. Personally, I'm dyin' to find out! I'm feeling a little old to keep calling you Masqueykins all the time, haha!"

The laugh was genuine, but so was the single black tear that welled up and trickled from the corner of her goggles, there only for a split second before she wiped it away.

"Like I said, if you disagree with any of that I'd rather we not argue. I'm... a little tired, to be honest... I think I might lay down... But I love you, Ruby, and I never thought I'd have the chance to see you again. So I just wanted to give you some food for thought to chew on, before it... before it's too late. K?"

She flashed a hopeful grin, and spread her arms wide for a hug if the girl was so inclined.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Not for me, it isn't.

That was just one more reason she had to get over this condition as soon as possible, force herself to do so if needs be. This...this couldn't be allowed to be her new normal. Not for very long. Ilia looked about the truck in a very awkwardly charged manner, not sure how to take the heavy silence now in the ride. Or how to even attempt to break the silence. It lingered for a minute or two longer before the chameleon started to speak up. "So, you were sayin--"

"Yang." Raven herself finally spoke. "How...how are you?"​

Yang let out a long, low sigh at the question, her eyes visible in the rearview mirror with a dull glare pointed towards the road. What a hell of a question that was. She leaned against the door and shrugged.

"Oooh you know. Pretty standard stuff these days. Got felt up by my double, played go fish with Ruby's double, a few days ago had a nice chat with Weiss before she let me go, which in retrospect means I'm probably due for a Blake visit right about NOW!"

She suddenly whirled her eyes towards a shadowy corner of the overpass they were going under and pointed, glaring at it with all her might for a few seconds until she slowly lowered her hand. She'd get her. One of these days she'd get her. She huffed and settled back into her seat, her next words delivered in the same dull exasperation as the rest above. "Oh, and an hour or so before that I watched my mom's back get broken."

Her hands flexed on the steering wheel a few times before she growled and turned back towards her. "Why are you even out here? There is no way it's already safe for you to be moving around."

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Oooh you know. Pretty standard stuff these days. Got felt up by my double

It was fortuitous that she was not drinking anything in that moment, otherwise both Yang and Ilia and most of the dashboard would have ended up covered in it thanks to her spitting it out in surprise.

"Pardon me...

"...but what." There was a whole lot to unpack in THAT alone. There was other stuff to address, sure, but that? She couldn't just let that slide by as if it was something even remotely normal or natural.​

 

[MidwayLives]

"...Heh. Sounds like you've had an awful lot to think about lately, just like I have. Da- He left you sitting in jail for that long?"

Her tone and smile were as filled with mirth with ever, with the exception of that one verbal slip that had her lips pull briefly into a tight frown.

"...Listen, kiddo... I get the feeling you might not quite be ready to hear every single little piece of what I'm about to tell you right now. That's fine, I get it, we don't have to get into it too much; but I am gonna say it anyway 'cause I care about you and I'm a CRAZY OLD LADY! HEH HEH!"

"I think Weiss sent me in for a reason and...I like to think the reason was to see you. So, don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

The darkness suddenly felt a lot less worrisome when you had someone to look to for support.

Thus, it was with a smile that Ruby waited to see what Maria had to say.

...Even if she already had a good idea.
​

"...but that man is not who you think he is. I understand you love him, I understand you think he loves you back, and I know he's promised you everything you're doing will lead to a better and brighter future one day. It's all lies, Ruby. All of it. It might feel impossible to wrap your head around, but not a single word of what that man's filled your head with is true. Listen, I used to love him too; he filled my head with all sorts of things, and I didn't want any of it. He didn't 'make a better world' for me. My entire world, my entire life... he took all of it away from me. Ozpin is an engine of destruction, Masquey... that's all he wants. It's all he knows. Tomorrow isn't better the way he wants it; It's just gone."

She took a deep, heavy breath, her robotic facsimiles of eyes blinking shut.

"There was a time when I knew that, when I was a person... when I was a real girl like you. Then he found me, and I... He made me forget. The things he did to me..."

She shuddered, instantly pressing on before her thoughts could try to reach out for those recollections.

Ruby just sat and listened.

Respect was something you had to fight tooth and nail for during her days among the bandits.

Maria had her respect and love from day one.

As she spoke, Ruby felt her heart starting to race. She'd been so excited to undergo the process that Maria had. To become her best friend's next major league enforcer. Nobody would compare to her, nobody would be superior to her. She was his and he loved her the most. It was their dream and it didn't matter who it was, they'd fight against anyone to see it through to the end.

Ruby never bothered to ask one pertinent question.

'What then?'

Once upon a time Maria had been a beautiful young woman, just like her, and as Ruby stared, the two images began to blend in her head.

And yet once Ozpin's 'modifications' had been removed? Ruby saw the truth that had apparently been boiling inside the Grimm Reaper all this time, just waiting to be unleashed.

That could have been her.

It might still be.
​

She shuddered, instantly pressing on before her thoughts could try to reach out for those recollections.

"...But he messed me up too bad. I became too unpredictable, and when he came across you he finally got his hands on a silver-eyed warrior who was unspoiled. So he acted like he took a shine to ya, told you all the things you wanted to hear... Truth is, kiddo? I think you know Ozpin doesn't want a better world, deep down. I think maybe you're just like me, that you forgot who you were supposed to be somewhere along the way. That you don't know who you are. And he used that. He made it feel like you did, and if you just kept doing what he told you it'd stay that way. And now..."

The reaper sighed, gnarled shoulders rising and falling with the motion.

Unspoiled?

That was one way of describing her Ruby supposed.

She'd been called every thing in the book by her Yang and the Red Masque by damn near everybody else.

Only...

Only the people who cared about her called her Ruby Rose.

When her Yang used her real name, she used it out of spite, hatred, mockery. Whatever caught her fancy at the time. Maybe if things had been different, there could have been love there but it'd been strangled in the crib before it could ever truly blossom into such a thing. Until she met Ozpin as the Red Masque, she'd nothing to her name beyond a trail of infamy and scars that littered her chest and stomach. She'd die eventually, probably in a gutter somewhere if some bounty hunter got too frustrated trying to bag her. People would probably still talk about the Red Masque sure, but nobody would care about Ruby Rose. She'd fade away into nothingness.

And after a time the Red Masque would follow.

Nature would take her body, Death would claim her soul, and history?

It'd leave her behind.

"*sniffle...*"
​

The reaper sighed, gnarled shoulders rising and falling with the motion.

"...If I had to guess, I'd say the ice queen likes fixing things. She's fixing me, and now she wants to fix you too. Maybe it's compulsive, maybe it's empathy, maybe she just has her own angle on it; I dunno. But here's my only real advice in all this, kiddo... You have to figure out what makes you happy. Not somebody else, be that Ozpin, Weiss... it has to be you. Look, I know it's scary being alone. Believe me, do I know."

She bonked herself on the side of the head with a wild grin, like she was trying to get a TV signal.

Ruby didn't say anything but nodded to show she understood.

She knew from the moment Weiss spared her that her ambitions lay far just beyond being a good Samaritan to the broken girl who'd smashed through her window. That was just the kind of person Weiss was. Always planning, always looking at the bigger picture, and yet she didn't care who got in her way, whom she'd have to put up with in order to see her dreams through to the end.

It was admirable, it was badass.

It was....just another figure she was already starting to grow attached to even after just one kiss.

Even if she did have the power, she didn't want to hurt Weiss. She didn't WANT to hurt anybody if she could truly help it. But she didn't want to be seen as just a jigsaw puzzle that Weiss had taken on out of curiosity if nothing else.

She wanted to be with Weiss.

Not for her.
​

"But it's not the end of the world! And it's almost never forever. You're still young. You'll figure out who you want Ruby Rose to be. But you can't just hide that purty face behind some mask and throw yourself at the feet of whoever gives ya the most attention forever, sweetie. That's... that's just not the role you were supposed to play in the history of Remnant. Ruby Rose was supposed to be so much more than Ozpin's Red Masque... Just like I was supposed to be more than his Grimm Reaper."

She'd been without the mask for so long.

The last one had been broken and abandoned during the battle of Beacon. She could still remember the two halves falling to the floor as she continued to struggle with her other.

She pulled her sword off her back and looked at her reflection in it's glistening blade.

"One of his newest followers made me this to help me escape. I've hung onto it ever since. I don't much like swords, not really my sorta thing. But after listening to you, I can see in it's reflection and..."

She smiled through the tears.

'"I'm not ugly.. I'm Ruby Rose."
​

Her voice was tinged with raw, genuine sadness, and out-of-place expression even on an old and withered version of the bubbly Maria.

"It's too late for me... he took everything that I was ever supposed to be away from me. It'd just... *snff*... It'd just break an old lady's heart if I saw the same thing happen to you, okay? So that's all I ask... just... discover Ruby Rose. Whoever that person turns out to be. Personally, I'm dyin' to find out! I'm feeling a little old to keep calling you Masqueykins all the time, haha!"

The sword clattered to the ground as Ruby practically jumped to her feet.

"Y-You're wrong! It's not too late! You said it yourself that-that Merlot guy! He can help you! You and me we'll be running around in Weiss's manor doing who knows what! We'll...we'll.." She raised her hand to her face, a wet mess of snot and tears as it was. "We'll be happy...You can still lead a good life and I'll be with you." She stomped her foot and looked down at the blade she'd dropped, it's blade bright enough to shine even through this seemingly eternal darkness. "When I got caught by the White Fang, their leader insulted Ozpin and I got...I got so mad, Maria. I lashed out like a wild animal. I didn't have anything but my hand and my trusty stump but I'd do anything to make her pay for what she'd said. She just didn't understand! Neither did Salem or any of her followers!"

She continued to sob, a few coughs here and there.

"But....After meeting the other world's Yang and seeing how nice she treats me. She doesn't see me as an animal barely holding itself together, a timebomb ready to go off, she trusted me, she talked to me, she believed I could do better, that I could be better. All without 'wanting' anything from me. She made me promise that I'd stay in Vale and wait for her to get back so she could see why Ozpin's so great. We still didn't get to have 'that' talk but I owe it to her, to you, and.."

She grabbed her sword and looked at the reflection one more time.

"To me."
​

"Like I said, if you disagree with any of that I'd rather we not argue. I'm... a little tired, to be honest... I think I might lay down... But I love you, Ruby, and I never thought I'd have the chance to see you again. So I just wanted to give you some food for thought to chew on, before it... before it's too late. K?"

She flashed a hopeful grin, and spread her arms wide for a hug if the girl was so inclined.

She slowly nodded her head.
​

She flashed a hopeful grin, and spread her arms wide for a hug if the girl was so inclined.

The hug couldn't have been accepted any harder.

She hugged Maria and wished it never had to end.

This was them.

Her real best friend.


​

 

[Gus Gungus]

"Hey. Hi. Sorry if I'm disturbing you, Miss Schnee. I wanted to see if you'd like to come back to the mess hall? Something real goofy is underway and maybe you'd enjoy the festivities of it. Everyone's taken to it for the morale booster it seems like, these kids are doing us good. But I don't want to gangpress you into doing something you don't want or anything! I understand if it's not your cup of tea or anything. See, I had the idea you'd be... a judge. The third judge to round out our daring reporter Grey and bearer of the truth Robyn!"

Oh gods, she was rambling again.

"I'll stop now before I get out of hand."

"...Me?"



None of Winter's duties appeared to be very pressing at the moment, or she had simply already seen to everything the general assigned her. Whatever the case, she was simply... sitting against a wall when Fiona came across her, food tray set to one side and practically untouched. Her thoughts looked to be a thousand miles away from where her body was, and if the expression on her face a split second before she hardened it into her professional mask of courtesy when her solitude was disturbed was anything to judge by not many of them were good ones.

"May I ask why?"

She would've scolded children at the academy not so long ago for the sort of nonsense they were getting up to in there. It really just wasn't her cup of tea, but... everything was so different now...​

 

[Gus Gungus]

She hugged Maria and wished it never had to end.

This was them.

Her real best friend.

Maria held the hug until whatever point Ruby released it. Whenever she chose to leave the ailing woman to her recovery, Weiss was still standing there, posture extra as always and idly running her thumb across her fingernails to make sure they were all spotless.

"I'll take you back to see her whenever you like, provided you continue to act in a civilized manner. So no more growling."

Though her inflection was breezy, she did cock one sleek brow in curiosity.

"You two must've talked about all sorts of things. Anything particularly enlightening? Or about me? I do hope you're not the kind to kiss and tell."​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

It was fortuitous that she was not drinking anything in that moment, otherwise both Yang and Ilia and most of the dashboard would have ended up covered in it thanks to her spitting it out in surprise.

"Pardon me...

"...but what." There was a whole lot to unpack in THAT alone. There was other stuff to address, sure, but that? She couldn't just let that slide by as if it was something even remotely normal or natural.​

Yang huffed and let her head thump against the wheel.

"Look, I don't wanna talk about it." she muttered as she picked her head up "Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to talk about it when we get to the mine, so if we could just hold all questions till then so I can just say it all at once, that'd be great, okay? Its been a rough few days, and its going to be a rough FEW HOURS if this other car doesn't MOVE UP-"

She blinked a few times and then swiveled her head back towards Raven.

"...Hey. Can't we just use your semblance to get back to the mine?"

 

[MyrtenRose]

Yang huffed and let her head thump against the wheel.

"Look, I don't wanna talk about it." she muttered as she picked her head up "Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to talk about it when we get to the mine, so if we could just hold all questions till then so I can just say it all at once, that'd be great, okay? Its been a rough few days, and its going to be a rough FEW HOURS if this other car doesn't MOVE UP-"

She blinked a few times and then swiveled her head back towards Raven.

"...Hey. Can't we just use your semblance to get back to the mine?"

"Oh yes, I'm sure it's been a real rough few days for you. Talk time with Schnee, playing cards, hanging out with whoever this faunus is-" She waved a hand at Ilia. "-that sounds incredibly rough. That must have been so hard for you." She spat out with sarcastic bitterness. "It boggles the mind to think what lengths you must have gone to, so you could survive such hardship. If only there had been a pair of twins who'd intended to spare you all that suffering. Crying shame, huh? If only--" Raven fell silent and a hand rose to rub at her forehead. Going on like that wouldn't be...productive. She let out a soft sigh before pulling her hand away. At least she had a convenient topic shift.

"Nope. Don't got a bond with anybody there." She shook her head. "And to answer your earlier question...you told me once that just because I'm powerful, doesn't mean I'm strong. You...were right. Qrow was right too. And if I let this...condition...get the better of me, I wouldn't be either of those things. So I won't." ​

 

[MidwayLives]

"Tell you what, guy with obvious underworld affiliations. I could try to con you right now. You seem so polite, it prolly wouldn't even be that hard, since polite people are suckers and all. Instead I'm gonna be honest: we just run this place now. Miss Malachite doesn't matter."

The boy's face lit up in a welcome smile.

"Maybe it's not so with other folks who throw their weight around town, but honesty goes a long way with me. Thank you."
​

Mercury cleared his throat, leaning over the bartop on his elbows with a sly look at Aurora that complimented just how suddenly the son of an assassin seemed to appear beside him.

"Yup. We could've tried to lie to you, or bluff you, or whatever else our hired help just tried to cue us to do behind your back just now. Not gonna, though; sounds like a lot of effort we could avoid right here, right now. See, I'm sure your boss understands that the way Mistral's been going lately? Old scores get settled. The crooks who can't adapt? Well, they get muscled out. So tell him this, courtesy of us."

"I can't say I'd recommend either of those options myself. Lies always end up being found out and I don't like to call bluffs....but I'd also rather not be threatened. So, as with your friend, I appreciate the honesty you've been showing me. Change of pace from people who tend to cower when I tell them who I am. It's not the image I'd like to cultivate but one that resonates with certain people."

Aurora clasped his hands over his lap.

"Fortunately, you three, you don't seem like the kind of gutter snipes that're no better than dog shit under my shoe. The kind of folk that Mistral's people could do without. I like to think I'm polite, friendly, approachable, you name it, I do my best to be it. But.."



"Scum always get what they deserve."
​

There was nothing out-and-out threatening about the way he put a hand on Aurora's shoulder, but it definitely seemed like an act that was a little overly familiar for someone who'd been talking about shaving his head about two minutes ago.

Aurora didn't say anything about the hand but the way he seemed to inch away from Mercury's hand showed he didn't quite appreciate it.

Punches from a drunk that knocked his hat off and knocked him on his rear? Annoying but tolerable.

Getting punched in the face and earning a bloody nose? Painful and perhaps even frightening, but he dealt with it.

Touched when he hadn't shown he invited it? Wasn't gonna play ball.

He had an image to hold up to.

A kindhearted weakling who cared for the people.

But even sometimes bits and pieces of his beloved Boss slipped through the cracks...
​

"Miss Malachite's is under new management. We don't have any problem with the Ashes, or your boss, and whatever setup he had going here we'll be happy to keep going. But this is just the way things are now. We live in a flexible time, and I'm sure the guy you take orders from won't mind if a crew just that bit tougher, smarter, and better connected take the reigns of this particular operation going forward without turning the whole thing around on him. Right?"

"I've no problems with you three. First impressions do make a difference and so far I've not been bothered."

He rubbed at his nose.

"The fact that none of you have socked me in the face is kind of a plus too. Malachite was a plethora of information. When there were cracks that the Boss felt the Ashes would look too overbearing in pursuing themselves, we'd turn to her for assistance. Wasn't really much in the muscle department mind you. But I can tell you're not lacking in that..." He said as he eyed Mercury up and looked him up and down. With a playful gaze and nothing more. "I'd have to call him but I'm sure the Boss won't mind once I fill him in."
​

He tousled that hot pink hair, then rubbed his hand on his trousers.

"Keep your goddamn hands to yourself!!"

Aurora blinked as he caught himself and cleared his throat.

"Sorry, sorry! i usually don't go off the rails like that. Just...too many people have felt free to put their hands on me today. I'm all for positive interactions but such a thing as a personal space still exists."
​

"The old lady, let's just say she retired. She whittles ducks now, same as my old man. Tell your boss the son of Marcus Black said so, that we're just as happy to help if he ever needs it, and he hopes that isn't any kind of a problem for him. If it is? I'll bet he knows where to find me, but I'll put it this way. I'm pretty much just a hired hand around here. Let's just say my friends are another breed. If he has any kind of problem... we'll be stoked to make it up to him whatever way we can. Sound good?"

"...So you're really his son, huh?"

Retired....

Aurora may have accepted such lines but the Boss wouldn't have.

Still, he wouldn't complain either way. Malachite was useful but every now and again he grew idly concerned that she may have for the right price grew inquisitive into finding out his identity. If she hadn't been 'dealt with', he'd wager that she's where the Hitman Team would have gone first. Marcus was a mixed bag. A loss of such a good 'employee' was disappointing but if he ever chose to try to use his semblance against the family, it could have proved....disastrous.

Aurora didn't feel threatened at all. He didn't have any reason to be.

"Sounds good to me, Mercury, Emerald and..." He frowned upon looking at Neo. He added less than helpfully but he mouthed a 'sorry' to her afterwards.

Rising to his feet, he started to head for the door.

"If the Ashes ever have need of you, I'll come find you, okay? Just...be careful. We're doing what we can to hold things together here but it's not a one man job."

He gave a wave and paused before he left

"Miss?" He called out hoping to get the bartender's attention. "You made a good drink and you're a fine person.~"

He stepped through the doors and didn't look back.

~~~



He'd gotten so sidetracked dillydallying in the bar he hadn't bought Vernal her things.

A bouqet, a couple of clothes he thought she might like, and he'd even give her some lien!

It....It felt really impersonal but after seeing the state she'd been in before he'd brought her to his home?

He felt somebody needed to pity her and why not him?

The bags were tucked under his arms and as he walked down the street, he hummed a little diddy under his breath.

Some people didn't like when he did that. One guy had even punched him on one occasion.

They never found the rest of that guy's body.

So he walked with a bit of pep in his step with little to worry about!~

Aside from the fact that Marcus Black's son was a thing. Who'd have though-



"Brrrrrrrriiiiing! Ringringringinrinrgring!! Ring ring ring ring!!"

He nearly dropped his bags as he grabbed the nearest scroll.

"Hello hello, Aurora here."

There was a beat.

"Aurora."

"B-Boss..."

"Why did you not report to me immediately after discovering Marcus Black had a son?"

"I-I got sidetracked..I think they killed Malachite...

"You spent precious moments we could have used planning a contingency to deal with this shopping for some nobody."

"As for Malachite, it doesn't matter. The way I look at it, they saved me the time and trouble it'd take to have done it myself at some point."

"...Sorry. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't. Return home and drop off that garbage and contact the Hitman Team."

"...Why them, Boss? I-If you don't mind me asking."

"Marcus Black never met me face to face. Nobody has. Except for you, Aurora."

There was another moment of silence.

"But I don't like loose ends. I want to see what his son can do and if he and hsi friends are worth a damn? Enlist them."

"....And if he isn't?"

"Then it won't matter. He'll be just another corpse. Like his old man."

Aurora nodded glumly and hung up.

"Huh...? Feel....cold...?"

"Um, Mr. Beige?"

"Hm?"

"That."

The child pointed to the melting ice cream cone that'd been pressed to the side of his head after he'd snatched it and kept on walking.

"Oh geez....I'm sorry, little one. Here..." Aurora reached for his wallet and fumbled it due to the bags he was carrying. "Oh, hey could you grab that for me...?"

"Oh...sure, Mr. Beige."

The kid reached over and grabbed the wallet and started to straight up walk off. He knew Beige was kind of a weirdo...but what a sap!

"H-Hey! Give that back!! I was gonna buy you a new ice cream you little jerk!!"

The kid giggled. "Hahaha, you snooze you lose-"

The bags hit the floor and the kid found himself lifted straight up into the air by the back of his t-shirt

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to steal from grown-ups? Or did she fuck up and raise a total fucking waste of oxygen??? Drop the wallet you little fucker."

The kid froze and struggled to thin kof a witty retort.

"Drop it. Now."

The wallet was dropped and the kid with it. Shaken up but not harmed.

"Get the fuck out of my sight."

The kid ran and Aurora picked up his wallet and his things.

Back to humming!~

Eventually he'd arrive back at his guesthouse with his bags at the ready. "FINALLY!" He dropped them onto his porch and let out a sigh of relief. Carrying those things had been so heavy!~ Opening the door he started to call out. "Hey! Um....You! Are you still here? I'm back!" ​

 

[MidwayLives]

Maria held the hug until whatever point Ruby released it. Whenever she chose to leave the ailing woman to her recovery, Weiss was still standing there, posture extra as always and idly running her thumb across her fingernails to make sure they were all spotless.

"I'll take you back to see her whenever you like, provided you continue to act in a civilized manner. So no more growling."

Ugh, was she still on about that?? Sometimes a growl just slips loose!!!

"No more growling. Got it."
​

Though her inflection was breezy, she did pop one sleek brow in curiosity.

"You two must have talked about all sorts of things. Anything particularly enlightening? Or about me? I do hope you're not the kind to kiss and tell."

"We..."

Ruby paused and was glad she'd wiped away her tears before he'd finally left Maria's side.



"Maria and I caught up like old friends. We talked about me, her, Ozpin..."

Ruby briefly glanced at Weiss.

"And you."

If to try and assuage any doubts or assumptions, Ruby held up her hand. "Nothing bad. If I wanted to vent I'd say something." And probably be promptly killed for it but Ruby preferred honesty. "No...Just....about how Ozpin isn't the person I'd idolized, the person I wanted him to be in my eyes."

She shrugged lightly before wanting to tack on something.

"So....where do we go from here?" ​

 

[MyrtenRose]

Eventually he'd arrive back at his guesthouse with his bags at the ready. "FINALLY!" He dropped them onto his porch and let out a sigh of relief. Carrying those things had been so heavy!~ Opening the door he started to call out. "Hey! Um....You! Are you still here? I'm back!"

Against all odds, inexplicably she was still here. Though there was no reply to his calling out, not so much as a whisper or the creaking of any floorboards signifying movement.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

If to try and assuage any doubts or assumptions, Ruby held up her hand. "Nothing bad. If I wanted to vent I'd say something." And probably be promptly killed for it but Ruby preferred honesty. "No...Just....about how Ozpin isn't the person I'd idolized, the person I wanted him to be in my eyes."

"Really?"

Ruby may have been given adequate cause to have at least one or two misgivings about the interest a Weiss who had never once before given her time of day suddenly seemed to take in her cross her mind. Honestly, had she voiced them aloud Weiss wouldn't even have dismissed them out of hand, treated them as anything less than valid, even if she would have made an immediate point of establishing the numerous distinctions between a cretin like Ozpin and her, in everything from their true intentions to the barbarism of their methods.

But there was something in Weiss's eyes when Ruby said those words, this early in the process, far earlier than even she had been in any way anticipating. Something she very much doubted the other girl would've ever observed in Ozpin when the man played the part of 'friend' towards her. There was approval there, yes; a satisfaction born of the Masque doing something the object of her affections had wanted or expected of her, that pride that made Ruby feel like she was right where she belonged. Yet there was more than that. Something that, for all her assertions that she could cast aside the irrational elements of her humanity when it came to the crucial decisions, Weiss could never hope to be bereft of to the same extent as a man that had walked Remnant for generations and been twisted by primordial darkness. There was genuine excitement there. Enthusiasm. A glimmer, even, of hope. Not hope that an ambition or expectation she had set for Ruby would be fulfilled; hope that the confused, twisted up girl who had spent so long pining for approval from the wrong people might have been beginning to see the light, far sooner than even Weiss would ever have guessed.

It seemed like another lifetime now, but there had been a time not so long ago when she knew what it was to crave that validation from somebody who was never truly going to give it, even if he let on that through complying with his expectations he eventually would. To try so hard to be everything he expected you to be, even though the reality was that standard was an ever-escalating series of shifted goalposts no living being was capable of achieving. Nothing would ever be good enough. You could never be perfect enough. Seeing what she took to be a glimmer of that same myth dispelling in someone else?

Weiss was happy for her.

"That's wonderful! She's deceptively wise the way she is now, isn't she?"

Weiss was also very pleased at the prospect of taking something else away from Ozpin, without a shadow of a doubt. Had she ever even the slightest interest in opening a line of communication with the wretch again, she was confident the earful of a lecture she'd have given him would have been an arrow that found its way past even all the ancient pomp and pomposity the man had shrouded himself with to indulge his own belief that he was the supreme being in Remnant and buried itself right in whatever was left of his shame. This was what happened when you ruled only through fear, through shows of power, through deceit—What grew wasn't true loyalty. Ozpin cared nothing for Ruby. Without even thinking about the ramifications, he had let her stew away in prison for weeks on end as he found ways to move his plans ahead without her, pawned her role as 'favored daughter' off onto Belladonna like she was as irrelevant as he truly considered her to be. Weiss imagined he had even been trying to make some form of lesson or punishment out of it. What an absolute tool. Ruby's soul had noticed it. Even if her mind was too confused to parse it fully, some part of her recognized the disparity between Ozpin's words toward her and his subsequent actions. She had an inkling that the Red Masque who emerged from prison seemed different somehow to the one who went in, and now she understood why; the cracks had formed, and even Weiss hardly beginning to take a hammer and chisel to them had exposed just how deep and numerous they were.

In simple terms, the man was a lousy boss. She could be cold, she could be ruthless, but very few people had ever made that claim about Weiss. And the ones who did were insane themselves, like Harriet.

But there was more in the frigid blue eyes framing that smile than simply her own gratification. It was true that Weiss had never wanted anything to do with some deranged bandit, and in her time among Ozpin's good graces something like this simply wouldn't have been pragmatic. To fit in with the rest of those reprobates, to carve her place among them and be taken seriously, had necessitated putting herself further and further from her humanity than she ever had before, sealing whatever remained of her heart behind its densest and most numerous layers of stone and ice to date. Yang, sun-kissed brute that she was, was just the right blend of character traits to smash and melt some of those layers into pulp, even if Weiss was still dead set on her goals and cutthroat in her means of achieving them.

What Maria ascertained had been no less true. Weiss loved fixing the broken. It was the entire foundation of those goals; fixing the world she thought of as broken beyond repair before she came along, just like she always wished someone would have come along and fixed her childhood. Through sheer will and drive, she became that person herself. Her need to repair things was downright habitual. Her darling puppies. Yang's arm. Even Maria herself. The sight of something broken, quite frankly, was one that offended her.

And she could hardly ever recall seeing something more broken than the twisted, incoherent mess that was the bandit princess. Perhaps only her older sister passed her out, and some things... some things you just couldn't fix. Weiss would've had to acknowledge a very, very cruel irony in that if she knew the full picture, given her fondness for Yang and just who was responsible for breaking this world's iteration to begin with. Cruelty was a cycle that had only victims, and the unfortunate truth was that some of them slipped beyond reach. Some dogs were too feral to ever come back. It was sad, but it was just another miserable truth of the world she sought to abolish. Based off the preliminary pulse reading that had been this night, Weiss didn't think Ruby was quite there—But there was work to do.

Weiss had set herself a task, and she was going to take the most efficient steps towards achieving it.

She stepped closer, the smile on her face turning resolute, and held out a hand.

"Now? We go home. You said yourself you were looking for someplace to stay, and I trust you won't go evaporating into rose petals on me while you're awaiting your new arm at the very least."

There was a refined, sarcastic drawl to the way she said those words, but it wasn't the overly harsh kind. Simply like she thought the answer to Ruby's question had been obvious.

"And Ruby? I'd like to allow you to form your own impression of things, so I won't be speaking about Ozpin very much from here on in. You've most likely gathered, but suffice to say he and I are not friends anymore. I don't see why that has to mean you and I can't be, though. And truthfully? I don't think he's been a very good friend to you, either."

There was a tempered steel in the delivery she used for that last sentence, but she reigned it in immediately with a soft, defusing huff.

"I have my own vision for a better world, you know. I suppose it must conflict with whatever his looks like. Come on... I'd like to tell you all about it."

And unless the former Red Masque protested, she did.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Aurora clasped his hands over his lap.

"Fortunately, you three, you don't seem like the kind of gutter snipes that're no better than dog shit under my shoe. The kind of folk that Mistral's people could do without. I like to think I'm polite, friendly, approachable, you name it, I do my best to be it. But.."

"Scum always get what they deserve."

Whooooooaaaaaaaa. Where was this coming from? Had he misread this dude? He guessed it gelled a lot better with what he knew about the Bound Ashes, and it didn't take someone born into his kind of legacy to understand that appearances could be deceiving. Still... Mercury had decided to push it, decided to lay down the law the only way these types really respected. Everyone loved playing armchair criminal mastermind until their lies all caught up to them and they ended up underwater with their feet tied to cinderblocks. Not everyone could be Weiss Schnee, they frankly just straight up didn't have the knowledge to keep some kind of elaborate ruse going, and Mercury made the executive call to kick over the house of cards early on rather than let it build up and up until it was so intricate the inevitable collapse hurt all the worse.

In doing so, it looked like he had definitely flipped a switch. He figured this guy seemed way too nice.

"Keep your goddamn hands to yourself!!"

Aurora blinked as he caught himself and cleared his throat.

"Sorry, sorry! i usually don't go off the rails like that. Just...too many people have felt free to put their hands on me today. I'm all for positive interactions but such a thing as a personal space still exists."

What the hell was that bullcrap, though? Callows straight up just punched the dude in the face for no reason and got off scot free but he tried to do a whole thing and got shit on? Freaking lame. He was way scarier than Callows. He had killed two whole people, one of Remnant's best assassins and some scraggly bitch working for the living incarnation of evil. Mumble grumble he was the big bad man...

"If the Ashes ever have need of you, I'll come find you, okay? Just...be careful. We're doing what we can to hold things together here but it's not a one man job."

He gave a wave and paused before he left

"Miss?" He called out hoping to get the bartender's attention. "You made a good drink and you're a fine person.~"

He stepped through the doors and didn't look back.

Mercury watched the criminal rep go while still maintaining that guarded expression, tension only defusing once he left. When he was gone, though, it was impressive just how hard and fast that tension did defuse, as he turned back to the bartender and offered her a playful wink. He might've been rocking a little bit of a grungier look these days, but Beacon Academy's resident hearthrob was very much still in there.

"He's got that right. Hey girl, just thought I'd go ahead and take the liberty of ripping away that bandaid for ya. No need to thank me."

From where she was making her first active attempt at doing bar stuff (it didn't seem too hard), Emerald made an audible noise of disgust.

"What's your name, anyway?"​

 

[MidwayLives]

"That's wonderful! She's deceptively wise the way she is now, isn't she?"

Ruby giggled before smiling at Weiss, honestly very relieved that the councilwoman had been waiting for her out here like she said.

"Hehehe, she is. I....I think you really helped her, Weiss. I can't explain how happy it made me to see her."
​

"And Ruby? I'd like to allow you to form your own impression of things, so I won't be speaking about Ozpin very much from here on in. You've most likely gathered, but suffice to say he and I are not friends anymore. I don't see why that has to mean you and I can't be, though. And truthfully? I don't think he's been a very good friend to you, either."

The other Yang, Maria, and now Weiss?

They'd all told her the same thing.

She didn't need to be with Ozpin and his side if she didn't want to be. The road ahead of her could be whatever she desired and not the machinations or whims of someone else.
​

There was a tempered steel in the delivery she used for that last sentence, but she reigned it in immediately with a soft, defusing huff.

"I have my own vision for a better world, you know. I suppose it must conflict with whatever his looks like. Come on... I'd like to tell you all about it."

The hand was taken and Ruby smiled while looking deep into Weiss's eyes.

They were beautiful just like she'd said.

"I'm all ears~" ​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Oh yes, I'm sure it's been a real rough few days for you. Talk time with Schnee, playing cards, hanging out with whoever this faunus is-" She waved a hand at Ilia. "-that sounds incredibly rough. That must have been so hard for you." She spat out with sarcastic bitterness. "It boggles the mind to think what lengths you must have gone to, so you could survive such hardship. If only there had been a pair of twins who'd intended to spare you all that suffering. Crying shame, huh? If only--" Raven fell silent and a hand rose to rub at her forehead. Going on like that wouldn't be...productive. She let out a soft sigh before pulling her hand away. At least she had a convenient topic shift.

"Nope. Don't got a bond with anybody there." She shook her head. "And to answer your earlier question...you told me once that just because I'm powerful, doesn't mean I'm strong. You...were right. Qrow was right too. And if I let this...condition...get the better of me, I wouldn't be either of those things. So I won't." ​

"..." Yang let out a frustrated sigh as she rubbed the side of her head. "I...I didn't mean that I had it harder than you did or anything, just...."

...Yang Xiao Long liked to think that she didn't hate Raven Branwen. Her thoughts on the subject of her mom were too complicated to boil down to one word, but the closest would be pity, or frustration; because Raven had been given so much power. Her aura was strong, she was an amazing fighter, and she had the power of nature curled around her finger. She had the strength of will to lead a tribe of vicious criminals with enough loyalty to die for her if Vernal was anything to go by, and the brains to outwit Cinder Fall.

And did nothing with it.

She hid from the world and played no cops all robbers with a bunch of innocents, fought alongside Salem's lackeys to save her own skin in a battle that almost got Weiss killed, and once the relic was out of the vault she just ran away again. All of that power, all that will, and she hid and let her kid save the world for her. Even in this world, she was just trying to save her own skin. To get back home so she could find whatever hole she'd crawled into to hide from Salem and lay back down in it.

Except... she didn't look powerful now. It was one thing to see the mighty bandit queen Raven Branwen forced to tears because of Yang's words at the vault. No matter how much it hurt, she deserved that. But this was a different sort of weakness, one that had nothing to do with Raven's own shortcomings, and it was borne of Yang's own actions. It never would've happened if Yang had just listened to the twins. Did she regret her choice at the end of the day? No. She still didn't.

...but it didn't mean she was happy with the results.

"...nevermind." She said quietly, and she lapsed into a sullen silence for the rest of the drive


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Yang peered past the light snow that had started drifting down as they approached the mine. "Wow. I can see why no one would think to look here, this place is a dump-"

She screamed at the top of her lungs as some crashed into the ground besides them like an artillery shell, and one hand roughly planted itself on Raven's chest to keep her from rattling around the backseat like loose change when Yang slammed on the break and twisted the wheel hard to turn away from the crater, sending them spinning a few times in the snow before the truck finally came to a halt. "W-why are they firing at us-"

"YANG XIAO LONG!!!"

Yang briefly saw a flash of orange in the crater, and then Penny's face was planted against her window with a huge smile.

"IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU ARE UNHARMED, FRIEND!"

"....Penny?" Yang eventually managed to squeak out once she was sure she wasn't about to have a heart attack.

 

[MyrtenRose]

“Ow.”

 

[Gus Gungus]

"YANG XIAO LONG!!!"

Yang briefly saw a flash of orange in the crater, and then Penny's face was planted against her window with a huge smile.

"IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU ARE UNHARMED, FRIEND!"

"....Penny?" Yang eventually managed to squeak out once she was sure she wasn't about to have a heart attack.

There was an equally scary (if not quite as high-impact) FWOOOOOOOOM as a whole ass Manticore suddenly touched down right next to them, rocking the entire van on its axis and burying the lot of them in a wave of snow. The most terrifying element of all, however, was easily the intensity of the face that suddenly appeared by Penny's at the window and rapped a metallic knuckle against it though not quite as scary as it would've been had Yang been taken from another couple of months along in her timestream. Apparently the resistance didn't have time to fuck around.

"Miss Xiao Long. It's heartening to see you safe. Has that arm been swept for devices?" Came his authoritative query, slightly muted by the pane of glass.



Winter sat astride the obedient Grimm summon James had dismounted from, a somewhat thoughtful squint to her eyes as she regarded Yang closely.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

Winter sat astride the obedient Grimm summon James had dismounted from, a somewhat thoughtful squint to her eyes as she regarded Yang closely

Ilia like most of the RWBY fandom couldn’t help but appreciate the godly look that was Winter Schnee with her hair down, holy lord did it feel like her heart couldn’t take it. Be still her poor gay heart. Oh god is it hot in here???

Perhaps that was just the family tension that had been lingering in the truck for some time now. Hopefully so! The atmosphere was so tense you could cut it with a knife!!​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Ilia like most of the RWBY fandom couldn’t help but appreciate the godly look that was Winter Schnee with her hair down, holy lord did it feel like her heart couldn’t take it. Be still her poor gay heart. Oh god is it hot in here???

Perhaps that was just the family tension that had been lingering in the truck for some time now. Hopefully so! The atmosphere was so tense you could cut it with a knife!!

"...?"

 

[MyrtenRose]

"...?"

OH NO SHE'S LOOKING AT ME ABORT ABORT

She hurriedly looked away, over to Ironwood and Penny.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

There was an equally scary (if not quite as high-impact) FWOOOOOOOOM as a whole ass Manticore suddenly touched down right next to them, rocking the entire van on its axis and burying the lot of them in a wave of snow. The most terrifying element of all, however, was easily the intensity of the face that suddenly appeared by Penny's at the window and rapped a metallic knuckle against it though not quite as scary as it would've been had Yang been taken from another couple of months along in her timestream. Apparently the resistance didn't have time to fuck around.

"Miss Xiao Long. It's heartening to see you safe. Has that arm been swept for devices?" Came his authoritative query, slightly muted by the pane of glass.

View attachment 719708

Winter sat astride the obedient Grimm summon James had dismounted from, a somewhat thoughtful squint to her eyes as she regarded Yang closely.​

Yang took a second to compose herself before she gave the general a cheerful smile in response as she rolled down the window and leaned out of it with the arm in question.

"Nope! But hey, its great to finally meet you sir, outside of the ten of the most violent seconds of my life." she answered, glancing over to meet Winter's own eyes with a level stare for a few moment before she knocked on her side of the door with a wry grin. "That's why I didn't just try to find you guys to start with, or call anyone from my own scroll because I don't know whether it had any tech wizardry nonsense hiding in it either. Now scoot so I can get out."

Penny obliged with a sidestep, and assuming Ironwood did as well she popped the truck door open and hopped out, only to immediately be crushed by a pair of android arms with enough force that Yang made a strangled sound of surprise as penny lifted her a few inches off the ground. "We were all so worried about you, Ruby and the Branwensespecially, but me too. Who knew what diabolical machinations you were subjected to while in Weiss clutches!?"

"Mostly... sarcasm... and bad wine..." Yang gurgled as she tried to break free. "But...about the whole.... arm thing-"

Penny's eyes suddenly lit up like bright green flashlights and scanned down the length of Yang's arm. "No bugs detected! Miss Yang Xiao Long is clear. Now, to your sister! She will be so glad to see you unharmed, I can't wait to relieve her of this point of stress!" She continued as she loosened her grip to get a more stable one around Yang's back

"Wait but what aboueeEEEET-"

Penny's thrusters kicked in before Yang got more than a syllable into that sentence, and the pair quite literally rocketed back towards the mine.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Wow. Weiss really giving you a whole lotta proof for that whole 'surveillance state' angle huh?" Yang drawled with a snort as she shifted gears and backed out of the space. "But alright then, lets go!"

And go they did

The boy's face lit up in a welcome smile.

"Maybe it's not so with other folks who throw their weight around town, but honesty goes a long way with me. Thank you."


View attachment 719405

"I can't say I'd recommend either of those options myself. Lies always end up being found out and I don't like to call bluffs....but I'd also rather not be threatened. So, as with your friend, I appreciate the honesty you've been showing me. Change of pace from people who tend to cower when I tell them who I am. It's not the image I'd like to cultivate but one that resonates with certain people."

Aurora clasped his hands over his lap.

"Fortunately, you three, you don't seem like the kind of gutter snipes that're no better than dog shit under my shoe. The kind of folk that Mistral's people could do without. I like to think I'm polite, friendly, approachable, you name it, I do my best to be it. But.."

View attachment 719408

"Scum always get what they deserve."


Aurora didn't say anything about the hand but the way he seemed to inch away from Mercury's hand showed he didn't quite appreciate it.

Punches from a drunk that knocked his hat off and knocked him on his rear? Annoying but tolerable.

Getting punched in the face and earning a bloody nose? Painful and perhaps even frightening, but he dealt with it.

Touched when he hadn't shown he invited it? Wasn't gonna play ball.

He had an image to hold up to.

A kindhearted weakling who cared for the people.

But even sometimes bits and pieces of his beloved Boss slipped through the cracks...

"I've no problems with you three. First impressions do make a difference and so far I've not been bothered."

He rubbed at his nose.

"The fact that none of you have socked me in the face is kind of a plus too. Malachite was a plethora of information. When there were cracks that the Boss felt the Ashes would look too overbearing in pursuing themselves, we'd turn to her for assistance. Wasn't really much in the muscle department mind you. But I can tell you're not lacking in that..." He said as he eyed Mercury up and looked him up and down. With a playful gaze and nothing more. "I'd have to call him but I'm sure the Boss won't mind once I fill him in."

"Keep your goddamn hands to yourself!!"

Aurora blinked as he caught himself and cleared his throat.

"Sorry, sorry! i usually don't go off the rails like that. Just...too many people have felt free to put their hands on me today. I'm all for positive interactions but such a thing as a personal space still exists."


"...So you're really his son, huh?"

Retired....

Aurora may have accepted such lines but the Boss wouldn't have.

Still, he wouldn't complain either way. Malachite was useful but every now and again he grew idly concerned that she may have for the right price grew inquisitive into finding out his identity. If she hadn't been 'dealt with', he'd wager that she's where the Hitman Team would have gone first. Marcus was a mixed bag. A loss of such a good 'employee' was disappointing but if he ever chose to try to use his semblance against the family, it could have proved....disastrous.

Aurora didn't feel threatened at all. He didn't have any reason to be.

"Sounds good to me, Mercury, Emerald and..." He frowned upon looking at Neo. He added less than helpfully but he mouthed a 'sorry' to her afterwards.

Rising to his feet, he started to head for the door.

"If the Ashes ever have need of you, I'll come find you, okay? Just...be careful. We're doing what we can to hold things together here but it's not a one man job."

He gave a wave and paused before he left

"Miss?" He called out hoping to get the bartender's attention. "You made a good drink and you're a fine person.~"

He stepped through the doors and didn't look back.

~~~



He'd gotten so sidetracked dillydallying in the bar he hadn't bought Vernal her things.

A bouqet, a couple of clothes he thought she might like, and he'd even give her some lien!

It....It felt really impersonal but after seeing the state she'd been in before he'd brought her to his home?

He felt somebody needed to pity her and why not him?

The bags were tucked under his arms and as he walked down the street, he hummed a little diddy under his breath.

Some people didn't like when he did that. One guy had even punched him on one occasion.

They never found the rest of that guy's body.

So he walked with a bit of pep in his step with little to worry about!~

Aside from the fact that Marcus Black's son was a thing. Who'd have though-

View attachment 719419

"Brrrrrrrriiiiing! Ringringringinrinrgring!! Ring ring ring ring!!"

He nearly dropped his bags as he grabbed the nearest scroll.

"Hello hello, Aurora here."

There was a beat.

"Aurora."

"B-Boss..."

"Why did you not report to me immediately after discovering Marcus Black had a son?"

"I-I got sidetracked..I think they killed Malachite...

"You spent precious moments we could have used planning a contingency to deal with this shopping for some nobody."

"As for Malachite, it doesn't matter. The way I look at it, they saved me the time and trouble it'd take to have done it myself at some point."

"...Sorry. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't. Return home and drop off that garbage and contact the Hitman Team."

"...Why them, Boss? I-If you don't mind me asking."

"Marcus Black never met me face to face. Nobody has. Except for you, Aurora."

There was another moment of silence.

"But I don't like loose ends. I want to see what his son can do and if he and hsi friends are worth a damn? Enlist them."

"....And if he isn't?"

"Then it won't matter. He'll be just another corpse. Like his old man."

Aurora nodded glumly and hung up.

"Huh...? Feel....cold...?"

"Um, Mr. Beige?"

"Hm?"

"That."

The child pointed to the melting ice cream cone that'd been pressed to the side of his head after he'd snatched it and kept on walking.

"Oh geez....I'm sorry, little one. Here..." Aurora reached for his wallet and fumbled it due to the bags he was carrying. "Oh, hey could you grab that for me...?"

"Oh...sure, Mr. Beige."

The kid reached over and grabbed the wallet and started to straight up walk off. He knew Beige was kind of a weirdo...but what a sap!

"H-Hey! Give that back!! I was gonna buy you a new ice cream you little jerk!!"

The kid giggled. "Hahaha, you snooze you lose-"

The bags hit the floor and the kid found himself lifted straight up into the air by the back of his t-shirt

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to steal from grown-ups? Or did she fuck up and raise a total fucking waste of oxygen??? Drop the wallet you little fucker."

The kid froze and struggled to thin kof a witty retort.

"Drop it. Now."

The wallet was dropped and the kid with it. Shaken up but not harmed.

"Get the fuck out of my sight."

The kid ran and Aurora picked up his wallet and his things.

Back to humming!~

Eventually he'd arrive back at his guesthouse with his bags at the ready. "FINALLY!" He dropped them onto his porch and let out a sigh of relief. Carrying those things had been so heavy!~ Opening the door he started to call out. "Hey! Um....You! Are you still here? I'm back!" ​

Whooooooaaaaaaaa. Where was this coming from? Had he misread this dude? He guessed it gelled a lot better with what he knew about the Bound Ashes, and it didn't take someone born into his kind of legacy to understand that appearances could be deceiving. Still... Mercury had decided to push it, decided to lay down the law the only way these types really respected. Everyone loved playing armchair criminal mastermind until their lies all caught up to them and they ended up underwater with their feet tied to cinderblocks. Not everyone could be Weiss Schnee, they frankly just straight up didn't have the knowledge to keep some kind of elaborate ruse going, and Mercury made the executive call to kick over the house of cards early on rather than let it build up and up until it was so intricate the inevitable collapse hurt all the worse.

In doing so, it looked like he had definitely flipped a switch. He figured this guy seemed way too nice.

What the hell was that bullcrap, though? Callows straight up just punched the dude in the face for no reason and got off scot free but he tried to do a whole thing and got shit on? Freaking lame. He was way scarier than Callows. He had killed two whole people, one of Remnant's best assassins and some scraggly bitch working for the living incarnation of evil. Mumble grumble he was the big bad man...




Mercury watched the criminal rep go while still maintaining that guarded expression, tension only defusing once he left. When he was gone, though, it was impressive just how hard and fast that tension did defuse, as he turned back to the bartender and offered her a playful wink. He might've been rocking a little bit of a grungier look these days, but Beacon Academy's resident hearthrob was very much still in there.

"He's got that right. Hey girl, just thought I'd go ahead and take the liberty of ripping away that bandaid for ya. No need to thank me."

From where she was making her first active attempt at doing bar stuff (it didn't seem too hard), Emerald made an audible noise of disgust.

"What's your name, anyway?"​

Neo chewed through her breakfast as she let Merc and Em do the talking and Aurora do the answering, her eyes bouncing between the three as their conversation continued. Her curiosity was slowly sated as the talked; Torchwick may have been the mouth, but Neo had always been the eyes, and she'd always been a better judge of character than anyone ever assumed she was. She gave Aurora a polite smile back and a wave when he looked to her, and spun her stool slowly to watch him go before returning to her food to sort her thoughts once he was gone.

1. He seemed to be someone of importance in a group called the Burning ashes, who were obviously some kind of criminal group. This made the second part easy to believe...
2. The whole softboi act was just that; an act. Or at least it was only a part of what made this Aurora guy tick. He was quick to snap and there was something... off about his word choice at times.
3. Their doubles had been pretending to be this Miss Malachite lady after presumably killing her. Which meant...
4. This whole operation was under their thumb now because their doubles had gone... somewhere, because these people were probably afraid of EMN killing them too.

She frowned as she gently swirled her orange juice glass, staring off into space just past the bar as the bartender gave a low, frustrated huff.

"...Ma'ams, sir. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but what the hell? " She asked as she rubbed the side of her head. "I do not understand, truly. Why spend a month pretending to be the Miss then just tell the biggest name in town she's dead? Hell, he's one of the people you bamboozled a few weeks past! The hell was the point? And... its Callie. Callie Jane." She answered with a gruff frown in the face of Mercury's boyish charm, already flustered by her life falling to shambles around her.