Miracles of Ancient Wonder
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Chapter 2.7
~~~
Team RWBY took the long way back to their dorm at Weiss's insistence. She led the way through Beacon's halls, making sure that they passed through the main hallway which led to the professors' offices. They were getting very close to the point of intersection.
She glanced back at her teammates to check on how they were handling everything.
Blake was still eying her with suspicion, hardly a surprise. She was understandably testy about any negative comparison that was made to the Faunus; especially when it wound up being slightly similar to part of their argument earlier in the morning. But, that part of the speech would have been weaker without it.
She'd apologize and explain her reasoning when they had more time. Blake understood the value of rhetoric, even if she came from a different school of thought regarding its use.
Yang was also worried, but for different reasons. She had reacted much worse than expected and seemed to be waiting for a fight that Weiss had no intention of giving her. Weiss was skilled and near the top of their class in combat, but the gaps above her were very large and Yang contended for top of that ladder. She would prefer matching wits with Yang, if it came down to it. That would be as one sided as them fighting physically, but the result would be in Weiss's favor.
It would be trivially easy to tear into Yang. The girl didn't have issues, she had subscriptions.
Ruby had finally calmed down, thankfully. She'd been on edge during dinner for who-knows-what reason, though Weiss trusted it to be a good one. Ruby alternated between impeccable acuity and utter naivety within the span of a single sentence so often that Weiss hadn't been sure what to make of the girl at first. But she'd proven to be a very quick learner.
Weiss would've been shocked if Ruby had understood the value of leaving before anyone could respond with questions or accusations when they first met.
Not having to introduce and push that course of action was a very welcome surprise. Undermining Ruby's perceived authority and leadership over team RWBY would have been a necessary, if unpleasant, blow to her confidence that was best avoided whenever possible.
Though, Ruby's confidence problems reminded her of another issue she needed to handle. There was a middle manager in refinement facility sixteen that needed to be removed. He was a blight on morale and the resulting efficiency loss was higher than the disruption replacing him would cause. It would also be good opportunity to push for additional representation as well. Unfortunately, none of the Faunus at that facility had a enough experience for the role.
She pushed that line of thought to the side, planning in abstract, because her real targets had arrived. The next conversation would require all of her focus, especially because her teammates were present.
"Good evening Professor Goodwitch, Professor Port!" Weiss bowed her head to the Professors and curtsied slightly. "I apologize for the disturbance, but something needed to be done."
The Professors were tense, likely expecting a fight or at least an argument, though neither had their weapon drawn. They were the ones with real power here, but most students did not recognize that and would challenge them at any point they could. Receiving a straightforward apology threw them off guard. Unfortunately, it did the same to her team. All three of them failed to so much as nod or wave to their Professors.
"Good evening Miss Schnee." Professor Goodwitch spoke first. Her tone still held a completely justified edge of suspicion to it. "We heard about what was happening in the dining hall from Miss Scarlatina."
She stopped there and met Weiss's gaze. She'd been left to fill in the missing information. Normally, this would be an excellent interrogation technique, but Weiss had been counting on it happening. There was a reason that she sent someone out of the room before she began her speech.
Weiss nodded at Professor Goodwitch and slightly smiled. "I intervened when team CRDL was tormenting her. I don't know how many other Faunus they've mistreated, but..." She looked to Professor Port. "I felt like it was important to act as soon as I noticed the problem. 'To lead by example and show them the world that I want to live in.'" She quoted his own words from yesterday's class at him.
Professor Port briefly frowned and wiggled his moustache. It was another tactic to throw them off balance. So many students slept through his class or failed to take proper notes. Eventually, he nodded."An action befitting a true Huntress. But that was not all that we heard. Miss Scarlatina compared your state to the first time she saw a Grimm bearing down on her."
Weiss barely resisted flinching from how obvious he was being. He was directly comparing her to a Grimm! He should be better at this; from the way Professor Goodwitch tensed her fingers, she likely agreed. She also kept glancing at the rest of team RWBY, who were still stunned by the situation.
"I was…" Weiss briefly paused for effect, looking up and to the side as if she was searching for the right word. "Quite angry when I spoke to her." She paused for a longer period, only looking at Professor Port after a proper amount of time had passed and he was about to speak. "I've been told that my gaze is very intense before, but would never have thought it would have that sort of effect."
Blake reacted at the worst possible time, narrowing her eyes as soon as the words left her mouth. This tendency of hers made their debates much more interesting than they would've been if Weiss could embellish more, but it was a massive hindrance now.
Weiss cursed internally, but didn't miss a beat as she continued. "It may be due to my name. The Schnee are not known for good relations with many Faunus.
She might have suspected I would do something worse to her, instead of helping." She spoke with a resigned tone, but laced her words with feelings of understanding and coherence.
Weiss glanced down and to the side of the Professors for a moment, letting a bit of guilt show. Before they had the chance to challenge her theory, she looked back up.
"I'll need to apologize to her as well. I didn't mean to scare her, but I meant every word that I said." And Blake reacted again. All Weiss could do was hope that the Professors hadn't figured out what this tic meant. It was a subtle movement in her eyes, but not so subtle that someone normal would miss it. "You don't need to worry about team CRDL, I only wounded their pride. Their Auras never broke."
The casual displays of what would otherwise be incredibly lethal violence were some of the hardest parts of Hunter culture for her to get used to. Truthfully, she still didn't know exactly where the line between a fight not being a problem and it going too far fell. However, the point where someone suffered bodily injury seemed like a good one to avoid crossing.
Earlier that week, she saw Professor Goodwitch break up a lover's spat that resulted in one of them getting punched through a wall and into her classroom. They got punished for disrupting class, for not endangering others or the incredible amounts of property damage it must've caused. Though, her ability to reconstruct any damage probably had a great deal to do with the leeway students were given for the later.
"Though, I will admit that the way that I accused those who sat by and watched may have been a bit harsh. Their inaction and avoidance of the issue was what made me so angry in the first place."
Ruby nodded in agreement at the same time as a glint of comprehension struck Yang's face. Some help in this matter would be incredible. Ruby… Ruby was a child adrift in shark infested waters. She likely didn't know what they were really talking about, but wouldn't do too much damage either way. Her earnestness about fighting the Anathema could be a huge boon, if it was capable of being directed properly.
Yang, on the other hand, understood the value of appearances and plausible deniability. Her nighttime escapades proved that fact. Even if the blond chose to act in a salacious and heedless manner, most of the time.
"Yeah, you really have a way with words." Yang chimed in, grimacing. "I couldn't help thinking about what Ruby would think of me ignoring her like that."
Both Professors narrowed their eyes at Weiss, their suspicion greater than before. She resisted the very strong urge to pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh.
Yang, you're not helping. Weiss grumbled internally. She gave the Professors an honestly nervous smile and folded her hands behind her back. As soon as her fingers were out of sight, she twirled them, crossing an X in the air.
"But, considering how often you and Blake do that stuff, I wasn't too surprised."
Yang stop helping! What wouldn't Weiss give for the ability to communicate telepathically right now? Truthfully, a large number of things were far more useful than that would be, but it would make this situation so much easier! Though, it was still salvageable.
Weiss waved a hand to the side to draw their attention back to her and met both Professors' eyes before speaking. There was an avenue which Yang inadvertently opened for her. "Blake and I have been debating current events and practicing how to form effective arguments.
Practice makes perfect, and many of our classmates may have never been exposed to such things in the past. Leaving them more vulnerable than otherwise expected."
Doing that again was a risk, she knew that. Drawing on any more of her Aura would leave her exposed. But, not doing it was not an option. Not with the stakes being both her and Blake's lives!
Thankfully, both Professors seemed to accept this argument. They relaxed their stances and moved back to neutral expressions. Weiss smiled as they glanced to each other, eyes meeting. Professor Goodwitch nodded slightly, then looked at Weiss.
Professor Port cleared his throat and looked right at her as well. "Miss Schnee. This weekend, I'm going on a blood-pumping, Grimm-trapping mission. It would be a fine experience for a young Huntress-in-training such as yourself."
It was an offer that wasn't truly an offer. Refusing him would be suspicious, so would accepting without any thought. Weiss moved her jaw back and forth while licking her lips, even though she already knew what she would ask for.
"That would be quite an experience and I would be honored to take part in it. But…" She paused for effect. "Could we call it extra credit? I'd thought that freshmen don't go on missions until their second semester."
Professor Port brought a hand up to stroke his moustache. He hmmed for a moment before snapping his fingers. "All yes, of course. Extra credit would definitely be in order."
Weiss smiled and nodded. The Professor's looked at each other again, then to each member of Team RWBY. They hesitated when they reached Blake. Hopefully, this would take some of the heat off of her.
"Hmm." Professor Port wiggled his moustache in thought, again. He suddenly stopped and laughed. "Glynda, what do you think about me taking over your meeting as well?"
She was as surprised as Weiss was. Both of their eyes went wide as they stared at him. Taking both of them on a mission like that? That made no sense at all! Why would he even consider it?
"I, umm." She recovered quickly with a sudden comprehension in her eyes. "Do you think you can keep watch over all of them?"
That was an interesting way of phrasing things; which made even less sense! Why would she ask about all of them? As far as Weiss knew, they were just looking into her and Blake right now. Also, why was she going along with this crazy idea? It was completely against standard procedure!
"I think it would be a good experience for all. You don't really know someone until you've hunted a great beast alongside them."
Professor Goodwitch scanned his face for a moment. "Very well. Miss Belladonna." Blake looked like a deer in headlights. "I do still wish to speak with you, but we can delay that until you return."
"Woo!" Ruby thrust an arm into the air while she cheered. "Adventure time for Team RWBY!"
Weiss, Blake, and Yang all turned to Ruby, stupefied.
Weiss could not think of a good reason why she would be excited about this. It just threw more variables into the equation. The entire team coming along made it that much easier to lose control of the situation and make a fatal mistake.
Unless... Did Ruby realize what they were talking about? Was that why she was so excited? Did she suspect one of them?
Ruby was naive, not stupid. Hidden behind her reckless energy and child-like love of simple things was a highly intelligent mind. Though it normally only showed itself when she spoke about technology or combat tactics.
Weiss searched Ruby's eyes for a hint of malice, but found nothing except for joy and a bit of worry. Weiss wondered,
What does she know that I don't? What level is she playing this at?
~~~
That night, the shattered moon glowed over top of Beacon's central tower.
Blake liked looking at the moon. It was the main source of light in the night sky when she was at camp outside of the Kingdoms. She never took part in the Anathema worship, but those who did described it as beautiful and soothing. She wouldn't go that far, but it was still nice because of how much it let her see.
She still felt the adrenaline coursing through her as she looked up the cliff face to the campus, away from the fallen Grimm.
Ruby had protested when she went out again, but she needed this. The morning was bad enough. Now she had tomorrow's mission to worry about too. Sleep had to come second to staying in control.
After a moment of listening, she focused her Aura in her legs and pushed off. One giant leap sent her up to the top of the cliff, landing at the edge of a small grove of trees. It was the type of leap that veteran Huntresses might be able to do if their Semblance aligned with it correctly.
This grove was a very popular spot for a lot of students for a number of reasons.
For Blake, it was because she could afford to practice moving like that here. This was one of the few locations on campus without any cameras watching it and people were rarely here late at night.
She landed on soft grass, in the shadow of a tree. While she hadn't heard anyone talking, she could tell from the smell alone that she wasn't alone tonight. The harsh mingling of hard liquor and sweat permeated the air.
Blake crept up to the nearest tree and peered around it. Two boys were passed out, leaning on a nearby building. A bottle of rum was on its side between them with a second, with an additional empty bottle next to it. She couldn't tell how much had spilled on the ground, but the boy's faces were bright red, even while they slept.
She let out the breath she'd been holding and stepped out into the light. She was far enough away from them that they might not have seen her even if they were awake. She'd need to be more careful when they got back. For now though, she needed some sleep.
"Blake," Yang's voice echoed from behind her, "We need to talk."
Blake pivoted in a quick circle, looking at all angles for Yang. She reflexively reached for her blade, though she didn't draw it. After a moment of searching, she found her target.
Yang was in her combat gear, standing on one of the branches with a stupid grin on her face. She wasn't even bothering to hide, just leaning on the tree. Blake frowned and let go of her weapon.
How did I miss her?
Yang hopped down, landing quietly on the grass.
A shiver ran down Blake's spine. Had Yang seen her jump? While she'd never been as vehement as Ruby or Weiss, Blake didn't know where Yang actually stood on a large number of very important topics.
For better or worse, Ruby wore her heart on her sleeve. Blake knew that she would never be able to be completely honest with her.
More confusingly, Weiss lied through her teeth whenever she ranted about the inherent evils of the Anathema, but Blake didn't know which part was a lie. Did she think they weren't evil, which would be strange, or just that the evil wasn't necessarily inherent? Until she knew which one it was, Blake couldn't talk to her either.
Yang deflected or ignored the question whenever it came up. But, she seemed like she agreed with Ruby, at least in broad strokes.
Blake needed to choose her words very carefully. The Professors already suspected her and if her own teammate gave her away, that would be it.
While she thought about what to say, they stared at each other's eyes. Yang shifted her expression a lot. Blake could tell this wasn't a conversation she could just walk away from when Yang was practically screaming
"Come on already. I'm not going away."
"There's nothing that we need to talk about." She tried anyway.
Yang crossed her arms and frowned. "I'm not my sister. You're not going to get rid of me that easily."
At least Blake's suspicion that Yang had been awake that night was confirmed.
"It's nothing that you need to be worried about. I…" Blake paused and chewed on her lower lip. She had an argument prepared for this, but checking her scroll would just look silly. If she could just get Yang to back off, it would be fine. "I just needed to get away from it all. To get ready for tomorrow."
Yang's frown deepened. "The mission tomorrow is why we need to talk."
She stepped forward and drummed her fingers on her arm. Blake wasn't going to get out of this by staying on the defensive. She took a moment to think about Yang, about what she cared about and what made her give up on things before. There was one giant target.
Blake closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again. Hopefully this wouldn't hurt her partner too much. "Why do you even care? You're around less than I am."
"I'm… There's a good reason for that." Yang lied, barely covering her flinch by clenching her teeth.
"Well what is it? You take a new person for a
bike ride every third day. Do you think we're stupid? We can see that you're avoiding us." The accusation wasn't entirely fair. Yang always came back smelling only of dirt, motor oil, and Dust. Blake knew what hadn't happened, despite appearances to the contrary. But, if it got Yang off of her back, she'd take it.
"I think that you, of all people, would understand why I'm doing that."
"Doing what? Avoiding making any sort of real connection with people?" Blake twisted the knife. The pain on Yang's face was obvious, so was the anger simmering behind it.
"Yeah, because Ice Queen counts as a real connection. How do you think she'll react to the real you?"
Blake ears strained against her bow and her blood ran cold. How did Yang know about that? On second thought, which of the things that she was hiding was Yang talking about? She couldn't see Weiss reacting well to any of them.
In the end it didn't really matter because she wasn't about to admit to hiding things. Yang was definitely hiding something though. Blake took a shot in the dark. "How will Ruby react to you?"
Yang's eyes flared red. "She's the reason why I-" She slammed her mouth shut, her teeth audibly clicking.
"You know what? Fine. If you're going to be like this, we'll do it the hard way." She uncrossed her arms and stomped towards Blake, her gauntlets deploying. "I meant what I said before Blake. You're one of the only people I can't beat if I go all out."
"If you care about fighting so much, then challenge one of the seniors to a duel." Blake back pedaled, keeping her distance. She'd definitely pushed too hard. Yang had never been this angry before.
"Stop
ignoring what I'm really saying." Yang's eyes blazed as she moved faster.
"Stop projecting your own issues onto-" Blake was cut off by her back hitting a tree. Her hand went to her weapon again, but she was too late.
Yang grinned savagely and surged forward. When she was two steps away, she reared up and stomped, practically kicking the ground. A wave of dirt rippled out from her foot. Blake fell onto the tree as the earth shifted underneath her. Yang stepped again and came in with a straight, not wasting any of her momentum.
The form was the same as her fight with Ren, but everything else about it was utterly inhuman.
Blake felt time slow as her partner's attack moved towards her. The air in front of her fist warped and spiraled to the sides in violent ribbons. Yang punched through the shock wave, tearing it to shreds as she moved closer.
Her hair blazed with a painful light. Its rays bounced off of her gauntlet, right into Blake's eyes. The flash left her seeing spots. It made her miss the second, stronger flash from Yang's off-hand. Everything was only light and darkness now, barely any color or texture. Yang was like a Grimm, faded red eyes on pitch black skin.
She could barely make out Yang's arm as white hot flames ran up it and ignited the fractured air. But she didn't need her eyes to know what was coming.
Blake tried to move, but knew that she wouldn't be fast enough. She was staring death in the face. Even a glancing blow would shatter her Aura and her body. She needed more than just speed, more than her Aura or her Semblance.
Blake reached deep inside of herself to a fragment of a memory she never wanted to relive.
She'd only done this once before, moved through an attack that would certainly destroy her. She needed to walk with certainty, to move without moving, to declare herself unassailable and force her way through any barriers in her path.
She pushed off the tree and moved forward. The heat from Yang's punch seared her face as it came closer and closer. She couldn't see it, but she didn't need to.
Blake stepped between moments.
She ended back to back with Yang. Blake spun around just in time to catch sight of the impact with the tree.
The black wood crackled and burned where Yang's knuckles connected. A web of fire spread through the valleys of the bark. A wave of force pulsed through the surface, making the bark ripple outward. At the same time, it twisted, tearing at the tree's flesh.
The tree exploded into hundreds of splinters, bright fragments turning into an incendiary whirlwind. Blake raised an arm to cover her eyes.
She was tapped out, her Aura broken and her body vulnerable. Any yet, most of the splinters bounced off of her skin as if it was still present.
A few large ones caught her in the arm, some more hit her head, but most of them failed to do anything. When she lowered her arm, there were a few tiny cuts. She focused on them and flexed. The wounds sealed themselves. A second thought stopped the blood running down her face from getting any worse.
The only real problem was the splinter that pierced her bow. Her hidden ear throbbed, but she could deal with that later.
Blake blinked color back into the world as Yang moved back to a neutral position. She slowly turned around. "I didn't say you were the only
student I couldn't beat."
Blake wiped the blood from her forehead before it fell into her eyes. Her eyes were locked on Yang's brow. Something was there now, shimmering in the darkness.
Yang was staring at her forehead as well. Blake laughed nervously. "Oh… That's what you… I didn't think… Umm... I guess we do have something to talk about."
That answered one of her questions, and explained a lot about why Yang was so nervous around Ruby, but opened up so many more.
Blake looked from the exploded tree to the, mercifully, still unconscious boys. "Follow me."
