- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Actually, I'm wondering if Oz is suspecting Wren of being Salems agent.
The Other Path [RWBY SI] [AHOIAC AU]
- Thread starter shadenight123
- Start date
- Location
- Finland
....Small problem with that; Adam doesn't really really care about the Faunus Opression, that's just his chosen method of grandizing himself.
I mean... to be fair, which is more likely?
There being a new player who somehow knows of the future, and his past, even though throughout his prolonged existence on Remnant after being given his Mission, the Gods have been as silent as a grave?
Or...
His cray-cray -possibly suicidal- ex-wife having a new pawn who's trying to do some information warfare, trying to bring his attention to some random thing, leaving his flank open to some other attack?
Xyshuryn
Not A Morning Person
- Location
- On the Shade Train
I surrender! *waves white flag*
- Location
- Belgium
Wait a minute, are Puppy Faunus the children of dog Faunus or an actual kind of Faunus? were Blake and Chez Kitten Faunus when they were children? So many questions, so few answers.
Last edited:
- Location
- Australia
He already had that conversation, they agreed to wait.
It just wasn't something we saw.
There are references in other chapters
Fragnostic
Cheshire
- Location
- Neko City
When they were children they were simply adorable.
Just look at young Blake:
Last edited:
- Location
- Belgium
But Kitten are adorable too....so was she a Faunus kitten ?
Chapter Fifty-Three
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Fifty-Three
There wasn't enough food to satiate our hunger. Yet the Beacon Academy's lunch ladies tried. It helped that we were one of the few groups that had finished their missions faster than others, and so we had a lot of food we could just eat without remorse.
By the time I got into the headmaster's lift and pushed the button to head up, I was at peace with myself and the world. Such peace was drastically undercut and burned into ashes when I came face to face with a figure from my darkest nightmares.
Said figure was smiling. Said figure wasn't supposed to smile like that, but she was, indeed, smiling.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mister Wren Shade," the voice was mellifluously on point. It was incredibly flat. If eyes were a mirror of the soul, then those icy eyes were mirroring the arctic tundra where my body would be hidden for all of eternity. "I will be acting as a liaison for General Ironwood," she said, as if that made it all the better. "And I would like to hear everything about the latest mission you undertook for Beacon Academy. Every. Single. Detail."
Headmaster Ozpin looked puzzled, if briefly. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing at first. "It is...nice to meet you?" I said, swallowing the nervousness down my throat. "I...I do not know your name?" I added next, trying my very best to act ignorant.
"Oh, you do not? I suppose you wouldn't. This is the first time we have met, after all. I am Specialist Winter Schnee, and I work directly under General Ironwood," her eyes were bottomless pits of judgment. "I have come here in a hurry over hearing the latest news about a White Fang base being crushed by a groups of student, led by an equally young other group of students," she smiled. Her smile was brittle. "I just had to congratulate the Team Leader of such a brave and foolish effort in person. With my sword-I mean, with my presence."
I nervously chuckled at that.
"Mister Shade," the Headmaster spoke in the end, "Would you like to give your report in person?"
I smiled. "Well," I said. "It was...an outstanding operation, headmaster. We had everything under control. From the moment I sent Gorm to scout ahead the day before you assigned the mission to-"
"So you willfully took the mission knowing it may lead you inside a White Fang base," Winter said. Her voice was flatness personified.
"Somebody else might have gotten it wrong," I answered. "We did stop a train filled with explosives from breaching into Vale and bringing the Grimm of Mountain Glenn behind it-"
"A train? Explosives? Mountain Glenn's Grimm?" Winter mouthed.
"Specialist Schnee," the Headmaster spoke gently, "Please, I would like to hear everything from the beginning too. Without interruptions, and without skipping over parts," he added amiably.
I granted him his wish. Yet, what was a wish for someone was a curse for someone else. I could see the light in Winter's eyes die bit by bit, replaced with the sheer knowledge that what we had done was equal parts foolishness and yet incredible bravery. Once I was done narrating, including such details as the explosive wagons, the Paladins, and the knowledge that we had to stop the train even with the Grimm horde hunting us, it became clear that this was the kind of mission where the payout would have to necessarily hit above the thirty percent mark.
Once I was finished, I coughed in my fist. "That is why I think Vacuo students should be allowed wine in their punch bowls, Headmaster. It's only fair."
A hint of a twitching corner-lip came from Ozpin's face, the man looking slightly amused by the nonchalance of my report.
Winter wasn't taking it well, but apparently she had gone for total shutdown rather than get angry or anything like that. I was relatively sure that she'd have kind words of encouragement and cheer once she was done rebooting the WINTER O.S, but until then, I just waited for the inevitable comment from the headmaster.
"Perhaps some concessions should be made," the Headmaster mused. "I am pleased to hear that there were no casualties on the teams. You had an incredible amount of responsibility placed on your shoulders, and you worked well under it," he clasped his fingers together. "Have you ever considered transferring with your team to Beacon?"
I chuckled, and then I shook my head. "My team would probably be ecstatic, but I'll have to put my feet down and say no, because it wouldn't do us much good," I shrugged. "We're already used to the desert. Vale's too mushy for us, and it would just make us rust."
"Madam Gale will be pleased to know that she has your loyalty," the Headmaster said before taking a sip from his white mug. "I will leave you to your well deserved day of rest, but there are lessons and homework to be done, so I would suggest not resting too much. We do have to send some grades back to Shade Academy-"
"We just pass based on the number of missions completed," I said with a shrug, "I think the papers sent over are just recycled and sold to get extra cash in?" I turned thoughtful. "Could be better not to write anything on the homework pages, see if we can get a cut of the profits."
The Headmaster chuckled at that.
He stopped chuckling when he realized I wasn't joking. He took another sip. "Perhaps I should see to some extra funding for Shade academy," he muttered under his breath. "If that is all, Mister Shade, you are free to go."
I turned thoughtful. "About...well, about the woman I saw, what was decided? Did you interrogate her?"
The Headmaster sighed. "Her team vouched that she had never left the ballroom, and as such the situation is delicate to say the least. I have made no mention of who may be involved, but as things stand she is merely being placed under a more strict surveillance."
"And about the program thing?" I asked. "Was the CCTS investigated?"
"Atlas has sent its finest engineer to check on the tower, yes," the Headmaster acquiesced. "Due to the sensitive nature of the work, they are keeping secrecy over it," he took another sip, "Though with Torchwick captured, we may find whom he is working for and perhaps acquire a confession from him."
I nodded. "Glad to have been of service. There wasn't, per chance, a money reward for his capture was there?"
"There is one, and I will make inquiries to have it split equally between all huntsmen involved in his capture," Ozpin added.
I smiled, "That will make my teammates incredibly happy. If there's nothing else-"
Before Winter could reboot, I had to get out of there.
"One last thing," the Headmaster said as I was about to leave. "You mentioned that somebody else might have gotten it wrong, so how could you know you would have done it right?"
I shrugged. "I didn't, but I knew that a first year team was interested in scouting the South-East. I had a choice, keep them from it, or let them do it. I decided to attempt to keep them away from greater danger, but you had other plans, judging by how you overruled the age restrictions and the safety regulations." I looked straight at him. "In Vacuo, we call those kind of missions Suicide Runs. The weak perish, and the strong get tougher." I shook my head. "Perhaps Beacon isn't that different from Shade, if you're willing to risk first years rather than fourth years. I mean, you do have more experienced huntsmen hanging around, I'd hope."
Ozpin smiled, "That we do," he acquiesced. "You may meet some of them during the Vytal tournament, after all."
I had no doubt about it.
However, judging by how it was a tournament without year restriction, and the final contestants were Mercuy and Yang, as well as Penny and Pyrrha, then unless the gods of chance hit us badly, we'd probably make the finals.
I always had the final ace in the hole.
"I would very much like to tour Beacon," Winter said suddenly, her operating system having finished rebooting.
Damn it, Ozpin.
"I have to g-"
Winter neared, and literally grabbed hold of me by the scruff of the neck. "You are hereby conscripted in showing me Beacon, Mister Shade, whom I have never met nor have had any previous encounters with."
I stammered something out that was a minuscule cry for help, but it fell on deaf ears.
Grown up, incredibly strong man I was, but I knew better than to fight against Winter's death grip of elder sister worry.
She dragged me out of the Headmaster's office, and as the elevator began to bring us back down to ground level, it was clear by the way she tapped her foot on the ground that she wasn't pleased, she wasn't pleased at all.
"You attempted contacting me precisely once before plunging into the utter chaos that was your mission, Wren," Winter hissed. "What made you think it was a brilliant idea to risk not just your life, but Weiss' too?"
"Trust me sister, I didn't want to risk hers," I grumbled. "But they literally wanted to throw themselves at that mission so hard, I could just be there for them, rather than attempt to block them from doing it. They'd have found a way to do what they wanted, Weiss can be especially determined when she puts her mind to it."
Winter had a small smile on her lips at the mention of Weiss. "How is she doing?"
"Combat wise, she's a sharp mirror," I mused. "Moment she gets hit, it's over. As long as she doesn't get hit, she's great at supporting her friends and ensuring Grimm and enemy get what's coming for them. Beacon-wise, I think she's found true friends to hang out with," I hummed. "I can say she's quite happy."
"How was your meeting wit her?" Winter asked next, even as the elevator reached the ground floor. "She never did mention how it went-"
The doors opened and we stepped into the main hallway before I could answer her, "So," I said, "This is the main hall just outside the headmaster's office," I said as I began the most guided of tours that Beacon had ever had.
I did wonder if I should mention the tackle-glomp at high speed during a lull or with Weiss present to achieve maximum teasing power.
Perhaps I'd do the latter.
It was a big brother's prerogative, and it also kept my mind off the problem that was Cinder's team still hanging around Beacon. I mean, from a simple point of view I could understand not trusting an eyewitness in a world that had people with semblances capable of illusions, but seriously-as I thought about how my life was truly hell, I couldn't help but grin every now and then.
The first battles of the tournament would soon come up, and nothing was better than a fight to get the blood pumping.
But first, came the most important thing of them all.
I had to check on team RWBY.
We were battle-hardened veterans that had fought in the deserts of Vacuo and knew not just what Grimm could do to unguarded caravans, but had faced off a few bandits ourselves.
They were just four young girls. I had little doubt they'd bounce back up, but even so...
I'd throw Chez at them.
Go, Chez, I choose you!
Use Cheshire Mad Tea Party, it's super-effective!
There wasn't enough food to satiate our hunger. Yet the Beacon Academy's lunch ladies tried. It helped that we were one of the few groups that had finished their missions faster than others, and so we had a lot of food we could just eat without remorse.
By the time I got into the headmaster's lift and pushed the button to head up, I was at peace with myself and the world. Such peace was drastically undercut and burned into ashes when I came face to face with a figure from my darkest nightmares.
Said figure was smiling. Said figure wasn't supposed to smile like that, but she was, indeed, smiling.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mister Wren Shade," the voice was mellifluously on point. It was incredibly flat. If eyes were a mirror of the soul, then those icy eyes were mirroring the arctic tundra where my body would be hidden for all of eternity. "I will be acting as a liaison for General Ironwood," she said, as if that made it all the better. "And I would like to hear everything about the latest mission you undertook for Beacon Academy. Every. Single. Detail."
Headmaster Ozpin looked puzzled, if briefly. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing at first. "It is...nice to meet you?" I said, swallowing the nervousness down my throat. "I...I do not know your name?" I added next, trying my very best to act ignorant.
"Oh, you do not? I suppose you wouldn't. This is the first time we have met, after all. I am Specialist Winter Schnee, and I work directly under General Ironwood," her eyes were bottomless pits of judgment. "I have come here in a hurry over hearing the latest news about a White Fang base being crushed by a groups of student, led by an equally young other group of students," she smiled. Her smile was brittle. "I just had to congratulate the Team Leader of such a brave and foolish effort in person. With my sword-I mean, with my presence."
I nervously chuckled at that.
"Mister Shade," the Headmaster spoke in the end, "Would you like to give your report in person?"
I smiled. "Well," I said. "It was...an outstanding operation, headmaster. We had everything under control. From the moment I sent Gorm to scout ahead the day before you assigned the mission to-"
"So you willfully took the mission knowing it may lead you inside a White Fang base," Winter said. Her voice was flatness personified.
"Somebody else might have gotten it wrong," I answered. "We did stop a train filled with explosives from breaching into Vale and bringing the Grimm of Mountain Glenn behind it-"
"A train? Explosives? Mountain Glenn's Grimm?" Winter mouthed.
"Specialist Schnee," the Headmaster spoke gently, "Please, I would like to hear everything from the beginning too. Without interruptions, and without skipping over parts," he added amiably.
I granted him his wish. Yet, what was a wish for someone was a curse for someone else. I could see the light in Winter's eyes die bit by bit, replaced with the sheer knowledge that what we had done was equal parts foolishness and yet incredible bravery. Once I was done narrating, including such details as the explosive wagons, the Paladins, and the knowledge that we had to stop the train even with the Grimm horde hunting us, it became clear that this was the kind of mission where the payout would have to necessarily hit above the thirty percent mark.
Once I was finished, I coughed in my fist. "That is why I think Vacuo students should be allowed wine in their punch bowls, Headmaster. It's only fair."
A hint of a twitching corner-lip came from Ozpin's face, the man looking slightly amused by the nonchalance of my report.
Winter wasn't taking it well, but apparently she had gone for total shutdown rather than get angry or anything like that. I was relatively sure that she'd have kind words of encouragement and cheer once she was done rebooting the WINTER O.S, but until then, I just waited for the inevitable comment from the headmaster.
"Perhaps some concessions should be made," the Headmaster mused. "I am pleased to hear that there were no casualties on the teams. You had an incredible amount of responsibility placed on your shoulders, and you worked well under it," he clasped his fingers together. "Have you ever considered transferring with your team to Beacon?"
I chuckled, and then I shook my head. "My team would probably be ecstatic, but I'll have to put my feet down and say no, because it wouldn't do us much good," I shrugged. "We're already used to the desert. Vale's too mushy for us, and it would just make us rust."
"Madam Gale will be pleased to know that she has your loyalty," the Headmaster said before taking a sip from his white mug. "I will leave you to your well deserved day of rest, but there are lessons and homework to be done, so I would suggest not resting too much. We do have to send some grades back to Shade Academy-"
"We just pass based on the number of missions completed," I said with a shrug, "I think the papers sent over are just recycled and sold to get extra cash in?" I turned thoughtful. "Could be better not to write anything on the homework pages, see if we can get a cut of the profits."
The Headmaster chuckled at that.
He stopped chuckling when he realized I wasn't joking. He took another sip. "Perhaps I should see to some extra funding for Shade academy," he muttered under his breath. "If that is all, Mister Shade, you are free to go."
I turned thoughtful. "About...well, about the woman I saw, what was decided? Did you interrogate her?"
The Headmaster sighed. "Her team vouched that she had never left the ballroom, and as such the situation is delicate to say the least. I have made no mention of who may be involved, but as things stand she is merely being placed under a more strict surveillance."
"And about the program thing?" I asked. "Was the CCTS investigated?"
"Atlas has sent its finest engineer to check on the tower, yes," the Headmaster acquiesced. "Due to the sensitive nature of the work, they are keeping secrecy over it," he took another sip, "Though with Torchwick captured, we may find whom he is working for and perhaps acquire a confession from him."
I nodded. "Glad to have been of service. There wasn't, per chance, a money reward for his capture was there?"
"There is one, and I will make inquiries to have it split equally between all huntsmen involved in his capture," Ozpin added.
I smiled, "That will make my teammates incredibly happy. If there's nothing else-"
Before Winter could reboot, I had to get out of there.
"One last thing," the Headmaster said as I was about to leave. "You mentioned that somebody else might have gotten it wrong, so how could you know you would have done it right?"
I shrugged. "I didn't, but I knew that a first year team was interested in scouting the South-East. I had a choice, keep them from it, or let them do it. I decided to attempt to keep them away from greater danger, but you had other plans, judging by how you overruled the age restrictions and the safety regulations." I looked straight at him. "In Vacuo, we call those kind of missions Suicide Runs. The weak perish, and the strong get tougher." I shook my head. "Perhaps Beacon isn't that different from Shade, if you're willing to risk first years rather than fourth years. I mean, you do have more experienced huntsmen hanging around, I'd hope."
Ozpin smiled, "That we do," he acquiesced. "You may meet some of them during the Vytal tournament, after all."
I had no doubt about it.
However, judging by how it was a tournament without year restriction, and the final contestants were Mercuy and Yang, as well as Penny and Pyrrha, then unless the gods of chance hit us badly, we'd probably make the finals.
I always had the final ace in the hole.
"I would very much like to tour Beacon," Winter said suddenly, her operating system having finished rebooting.
Damn it, Ozpin.
"I have to g-"
Winter neared, and literally grabbed hold of me by the scruff of the neck. "You are hereby conscripted in showing me Beacon, Mister Shade, whom I have never met nor have had any previous encounters with."
I stammered something out that was a minuscule cry for help, but it fell on deaf ears.
Grown up, incredibly strong man I was, but I knew better than to fight against Winter's death grip of elder sister worry.
She dragged me out of the Headmaster's office, and as the elevator began to bring us back down to ground level, it was clear by the way she tapped her foot on the ground that she wasn't pleased, she wasn't pleased at all.
"You attempted contacting me precisely once before plunging into the utter chaos that was your mission, Wren," Winter hissed. "What made you think it was a brilliant idea to risk not just your life, but Weiss' too?"
"Trust me sister, I didn't want to risk hers," I grumbled. "But they literally wanted to throw themselves at that mission so hard, I could just be there for them, rather than attempt to block them from doing it. They'd have found a way to do what they wanted, Weiss can be especially determined when she puts her mind to it."
Winter had a small smile on her lips at the mention of Weiss. "How is she doing?"
"Combat wise, she's a sharp mirror," I mused. "Moment she gets hit, it's over. As long as she doesn't get hit, she's great at supporting her friends and ensuring Grimm and enemy get what's coming for them. Beacon-wise, I think she's found true friends to hang out with," I hummed. "I can say she's quite happy."
"How was your meeting wit her?" Winter asked next, even as the elevator reached the ground floor. "She never did mention how it went-"
The doors opened and we stepped into the main hallway before I could answer her, "So," I said, "This is the main hall just outside the headmaster's office," I said as I began the most guided of tours that Beacon had ever had.
I did wonder if I should mention the tackle-glomp at high speed during a lull or with Weiss present to achieve maximum teasing power.
Perhaps I'd do the latter.
It was a big brother's prerogative, and it also kept my mind off the problem that was Cinder's team still hanging around Beacon. I mean, from a simple point of view I could understand not trusting an eyewitness in a world that had people with semblances capable of illusions, but seriously-as I thought about how my life was truly hell, I couldn't help but grin every now and then.
The first battles of the tournament would soon come up, and nothing was better than a fight to get the blood pumping.
But first, came the most important thing of them all.
I had to check on team RWBY.
We were battle-hardened veterans that had fought in the deserts of Vacuo and knew not just what Grimm could do to unguarded caravans, but had faced off a few bandits ourselves.
They were just four young girls. I had little doubt they'd bounce back up, but even so...
I'd throw Chez at them.
Go, Chez, I choose you!
Use Cheshire Mad Tea Party, it's super-effective!
- Location
- England
Did Ozpin get the letter? Is he playing some stupid "Let's toughen up the chosen few by pointing them at trouble" rubbish?
Silver W. King
King of Adventures
- Location
- The Nasuverse
I see Winter ascribes to the same school of subtly and sneakiness as Weiss. :lol
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I guess I won't sleep this night too...For all the good that sleeping gave me. Insomnia Ho!
Well I guess if there's a great frustration that I have in this fic so far, it's Ozpin and his literal death grip on canon's rails. It's half relatively reasonable (which makes it more frustrating), and half makes-me-want-to-punch-his-coffee-mug-to-his-face-just-to-see-teeth-fly.
Great Greedy Guts
Ceterum censeo Vigilam esse delendam.
Not entirely true, there were several others up there for the singles' matches, which were to be more than just one round. It's just that the Mercury v Yang fight stalled things out that day, and the next day ended with Pyrrha v Penny due to the assault taking place. The other 3-4 were probably upper years.
Though even making it to the singles' round is probably indicative of something all the same.
Fragnostic
Cheshire
- Location
- Neko City
This sounds very awkward...
"(...) led by another, equally young group of students"
Because Wren is the very model of a Modern Major Huntsman?
- Location
- Dreary ol' London Town
group of students not groups of student
This sentence is a bit awkward.
Would suggest "led by another, equally young, group of students"
That's a bit unfair of Winter! Wren's not only older and more experienced, he has a team that is also more experienced. That stacks up, especially compared to a group of first years.
Nevermind that it's experience in Vacuo as opposed to Vale
Wouldn't be surprised. Ruby has silver eyes after all. That's a sign of being The Chosen One or The Hero or similar titles.
Gotta give them xp to level them up
Fragnostic
Cheshire
- Location
- Neko City
- Location
- Texas, United States
I'm pretty sure that in defense of pancakekind, Nora's aura might be incapable of fully failing.
And it probably wouldn't help Wren's case much, just put it off to a future date, where Winter will extract further interest.
Chapter Fifty-Four
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Fifty-Four
Some people needed a little bit of chaos in their lives to be better. Others needed a lot less. Some needed action, others desired peace and tranquility. I was relatively sure that a tea party wasn't what team RWBY had in mind, but it was what they got.
I had a large top hat on, and sipped tea while looking utterly nonplussed by it all. There was an actual gazebo in the Beacon gardens we could use for such purposes, and the only reason we hadn't yet was that I hadn't told Chez. Desert tribes did so love their tea something fierce, and having a perfect place to drink it? It was priceless.
"This is incredibly strange," Weiss quipped from her chair, dimly realizing she was standing between Winter and I like some kind of little child that needed checking on by the older siblings. She had noticed, but she wasn't complaining. If anything she was tapping her feet against the ground from sheer excitement, a bright smile on her face as she didn't know where to look at, if right or left. She giddily did both, grinning brightly.
I reckoned that in her mind, the favorite members of her family gathered by her side would be the happiest she could ever get.
Gorm was quietly sipping tea, used to the inherent madness of the situation, by my other side. He said absolutely nothing as he ended up with a pocket watch hanging around his neck, courtesy of Zhelty -a family heirloom of some kind, to be treated as if it were the most precious of diamonds. He knew better than to ask why it was his duty to ensure proper time for the tea was to be followed, but there he was, taking care that the next batch would come out after a five minute and thirty-three second infusion, not a second more, or a second less.
Chez was standing by the other side of the table, her grin bright as she had an arm around Blake, who was holding her arms tightly against her own sides and looked ready to bolt, only being rendered virtually immobile by my teammate's sheer desire to keep her close.
Zhelty was drinking the milk meant for the tea, exchanging looks with Ruby that was apparently doing the same. Yang was chuckling by herself by Ruby's side, enjoying her tea like a normal person would.
"So," I said, breaking the peaceful air that had surrounded the table. "Anyone want to talk about the last mission? Anything you want to look over, review? Any remarks? First years go first, then it will the turn of us seniors to tell you what we thought about it."
There was silence. The ticking of the pocket watch in Gorm's hand notified the passage of time, but the silence was, by itself, telling enough.
"They died," Blake said. "Those faunus-they died," she grimaced. "They were our enemies, but-"
"But they didn't deserve to die in such a way," Chez spoke softly. "I get it," she added. "You know what's one sad thing of being a huntsman in Vacuo?" she said next, "Is that sometimes you encounter bandit tribes. They're humans, or faunus, sometimes nomad tribes that have had poor trades in the past-and they turn to violence, to hurting other tribes, to get what they want in order to survive. They steal food, animals, if they're really evil they steal people's water and leave them to die in the desert-" she sighed. "But sometimes, they defeat a tribe, kill most of the people and take the new blood in. To make them stronger."
She sighed louder. "And then the huntsmen come, and they have to bring them to justice, but they can't. The tribe's made of dozens, and dozens of men and women, both equally capable of fighting. Then there are the children-how do you bring them to justice when it's the middle of the desert? If you kill the fighters, then when the Grimm come, who's going to protect everyone else? And if you defeat them, and try to escort them as prisoners-maybe during the night they'll kill you, and leave with your stuff too."
She shook her head. "So some huntsmen say that it's on them. They chose their life. They chose to inflict pain and misery on others. So they don't get a chance. They die. Once all fighters are killed, the children and the elderly are escorted while in chains to the nearest settlement, where they are set free." She grimaced. "But nobody wants a bandit's child in their tribe, because it's bad blood, and nobody wants an old person without family, because it's just weight. So they die."
"That's horrifying," Blake whispered, aghast.
"It's the rule of the desert," Chez answered simply, "But it makes things easy, because then-you don't get any tribes that become bandit tribes. There are bandits, yes, but it's just some people. Of course, nomad tribes all have a bit of a bad rep because in the desert, no one can hear you scream," she smiled as she said that, "So it's not like you can know whether the people you are traveling with are going to poison your food and then steal your stuff or not, but most don't. It's too much of a hassle...and too much of a serious consequence if they're discovered."
"And you want to go back to such a Kingdom, Wren?" Winter asked, her voice barely hiding the wavering in her tone.
"It has a charming simplicity," I said with a faint shrug. "It makes things easier. In Vacuo, in the desert, you die only if you bring it upon yourself. If you're prepared, if you're just, if you do the right things-the chances drop considerably. I'm not saying it wasn't a tragedy what happened to those faunus, but they weren't forced at gun point to be there, they chose it. They were willing to let a train carrying explosives and filled with Paladins head into the city of Vale. They weren't going to protest. They were going to use the Grimm, and the Atlas prototypes, to execute the people within the city."
"Wren, I was getting to that," Chez stuck her tongue out at me. "So you don't have to feel bad," she said, patting Blake's shoulder. "There were lots of reasons you couldn't save them, none of them were your fault, and it's no use crying over it or going all dark and stuff, I mean, I know black is a fashion statement, but you could use with some color!" she grinned teasingly, "Some white, for example!"
A second later, Blake belatedly realized there were a pair of neatly drawn milk mustache on her face. The frothy, cappuccino-stile mustache.
Chez' right hand had gone invisible, and had begun reappearing just as the mustache did too.
Blake spluttered and blew the white bubbles away.
I took another sip of my tea. "Other questions?"
"You lifted a train wagon," Yang said. "How."
I grinned. "I shouldn't be telling you this, since there's the Vytal tournament coming up, but I do so enjoy challenges, and I'd be teaching Weiss about it anyway." I turned thoughtful. "Maybe something small would be better."
"Did you call me, Wren?" Zhelty asked, and I opened my mouth before closing it. No. I would not.
"You must have misheard," I said amiably. Yang snickered at that, a hand covering her mouth. "As I was saying," a Schnee Glyph appeared in mid-air, flawless and shining brightly as the midday sun. My hand went through, and then it sunk into my flesh. The Beowolf arm on the other hand was a pristine white, and as I closed and opened it, the claw opened my command. Then I sighed, and the Schnee Symbol pulsed through my arm, returning it to its normal human form. "Conjuring Glyphs, Summoning Defeated Enemies, and finally...wearing them for their strengths."
I smiled as I said that. "And you keep your strength, adding atop of it that of the defeated foe. So I simply transformed into an Alpha Beowolf and flung the wagon away."
"That's so cool," Ruby said, eyes sparkling. "You need to learn how to do that, Weiss!"
"It wouldn't suit her style," I mused, "But if she wants to learn it, I won't say not to teaching her about it. Though Summoning should come first. Any other questions connected to the mission, though?"
"Oh! Oh! I have a question!" Ruby raised a hand, and as I gave her a nod, she smiled before asking, "How did you know where to go? You went ahead and found their base in only one day!" as she asked that towards Gorm, he stiffened, and then he turned his head one hundred and eighty degrees before emitting a simple hooting noise.
"I just tracked them," Gorm said, "I knew the general area, and I wasn't afraid of going at night. I am the sharpest in the team-"
"Are you saying we're stupid, or just blind?" Zhelty asked, "Because I'll have you know, it's not funny to make fun of someone's inability to see stuff right in front of them."
"It was a Deathstalker's golden pincer in the middle of the frigging desert during the middle of the day," I grumbled, a hand to my face.
"Even more reason to actually see it! The thing was shining like a fucking beacon of light, screaming 'Do Not Camp Near Me' and where did you decide to camp? You have three guesses, but if you take more than one I'm beating you for your stupidity-" Zhelty grumbled back.
"We suffered no casualties nor wounds," I said.
"Speak for yourself! The thing basically pursued us for an hour before we remembered we were huntsmen and could fight it!" Zhelty retorted hotly. "I lost my favorite water bottle that day! It still had a bit of the label on with a panda image on it!"
"I am sorry about the panda bottle, but I paid you back with-" I took a deep breath, shook my head, and then returned to the matter at hand. "Any other questions?"
"When we were on the train," Yang said. "Pursued by the Grimm and everything-and I heard the brakes," she swallowed. "That was the most terrifying thing I could ever feel."
I looked at her, and she made a weak smile. "I mean, I get it-we're huntresses, but that was the time I understood what it meant. There might be a mission, one mission-from which we're not going to come back from because we're going to have to pull a lever to save a Kingdom from the Grimm." She shuddered. "If-If there hadn't been air ducts, if there hadn't been a way out..." she looked at me. "Would you have still pulled that lever?"
I sighed. I looked at the gazebo's roof.
"Yes and no," I said. "I would have pulled it, but not for Vale, or Atlas, or Vacuo or Mistral or Menagerie or any other settlement or kingdom," I chuckled. "I would have pulled it for myself. If I had been there, alone, I would have pulled it without hesitation, without a shred of doubt. But I wasn't there alone, and no matter what-I would never put on the shoulders of other people the weight of my own sacrifice. But that's me. And that's what Desert Responsibility is all about anyway. Do what you want with your life, but remember you don't get to spend that of your teammates, or that of other people because your selfishness or your justice should only ever affect you."
"Unless they want to spend it," Chez mused.
"Even if they want to, deny them," I acquiesced.
"And if you deny them, get prepared to get kicked in the teeth and have them do it all the same," Zhelty said knowingly.
"Are all after-mission tea parties this dark?" Blake asked.
"They wouldn't be, if you wore white," Chez said with a bright grin. "But it's a nice way to get some needed sarcasm out in the open. We vent in a lot of different ways. You should read some of the stuff Wren writes when he thinks no one's watching!"
I narrowed my eyes. "Chez."
Chez smiled.
"You write, big brother?" Weiss asked, the question so innocently asked that I couldn't help but look away. "What do you write about?"
"Stuff," I answered. "Chez, answer that question and I will punish you in ways you cannot even imagine."
"Oh, that sounds kinky," Chez retorted with a sardonic smile. "Well, normally he writes-"
"I never remember, do you add cream to tea, or can you mix two different brews together?" I asked, nonchalantly grabbing with my hand two different kettles.
Chez stopped talking, her eyes wide. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Try me," I hissed back.
"But it's tea!" Chez cried out. "What has it ever done to you!? Cruel monster without a heart!"
"I'll tell you a secret, Chez," I whispered, my voice barely a murmur. "I prefer my water mixed with lemon juice."
Chez was aghast, her eyes wide, her mouth open, her ears up and trembling. "Monster."
"My heart is made of ice and lemonade," I retorted, "Fight me."
A sudden chuckle soon turned into a vicarious bout of laughter from my side.
I turned, only to realize that Weiss had turned towards her side too, and she was as shocked as I was.
Winter was laughing. She was laughing loudly, a hand attempting, and failing, to cover her mouth.
Within moments everyone was laughing too, the laughter contagious enough.
"Is this the right time to tell you that the tea's overboiled by at least four minutes?" Gorm pointed out, and Chez' cry soon echoed, as she removed the kettles from the portable dust-powered heaters with as much hurry as she could.
"You had one job, Gorm!" she yelled at him, "one job!"
Gorm smiled at that, and then threw the pocket watch into Zhelty's hands. "Up to you to count, Zhelty," he said as Zhelty deftly caught the watch and then began to look at the time passing by.
Happiness is never everlasting, however...
...for every party must end, when the doomsday clock strikes midnight.
Some people needed a little bit of chaos in their lives to be better. Others needed a lot less. Some needed action, others desired peace and tranquility. I was relatively sure that a tea party wasn't what team RWBY had in mind, but it was what they got.
I had a large top hat on, and sipped tea while looking utterly nonplussed by it all. There was an actual gazebo in the Beacon gardens we could use for such purposes, and the only reason we hadn't yet was that I hadn't told Chez. Desert tribes did so love their tea something fierce, and having a perfect place to drink it? It was priceless.
"This is incredibly strange," Weiss quipped from her chair, dimly realizing she was standing between Winter and I like some kind of little child that needed checking on by the older siblings. She had noticed, but she wasn't complaining. If anything she was tapping her feet against the ground from sheer excitement, a bright smile on her face as she didn't know where to look at, if right or left. She giddily did both, grinning brightly.
I reckoned that in her mind, the favorite members of her family gathered by her side would be the happiest she could ever get.
Gorm was quietly sipping tea, used to the inherent madness of the situation, by my other side. He said absolutely nothing as he ended up with a pocket watch hanging around his neck, courtesy of Zhelty -a family heirloom of some kind, to be treated as if it were the most precious of diamonds. He knew better than to ask why it was his duty to ensure proper time for the tea was to be followed, but there he was, taking care that the next batch would come out after a five minute and thirty-three second infusion, not a second more, or a second less.
Chez was standing by the other side of the table, her grin bright as she had an arm around Blake, who was holding her arms tightly against her own sides and looked ready to bolt, only being rendered virtually immobile by my teammate's sheer desire to keep her close.
Zhelty was drinking the milk meant for the tea, exchanging looks with Ruby that was apparently doing the same. Yang was chuckling by herself by Ruby's side, enjoying her tea like a normal person would.
"So," I said, breaking the peaceful air that had surrounded the table. "Anyone want to talk about the last mission? Anything you want to look over, review? Any remarks? First years go first, then it will the turn of us seniors to tell you what we thought about it."
There was silence. The ticking of the pocket watch in Gorm's hand notified the passage of time, but the silence was, by itself, telling enough.
"They died," Blake said. "Those faunus-they died," she grimaced. "They were our enemies, but-"
"But they didn't deserve to die in such a way," Chez spoke softly. "I get it," she added. "You know what's one sad thing of being a huntsman in Vacuo?" she said next, "Is that sometimes you encounter bandit tribes. They're humans, or faunus, sometimes nomad tribes that have had poor trades in the past-and they turn to violence, to hurting other tribes, to get what they want in order to survive. They steal food, animals, if they're really evil they steal people's water and leave them to die in the desert-" she sighed. "But sometimes, they defeat a tribe, kill most of the people and take the new blood in. To make them stronger."
She sighed louder. "And then the huntsmen come, and they have to bring them to justice, but they can't. The tribe's made of dozens, and dozens of men and women, both equally capable of fighting. Then there are the children-how do you bring them to justice when it's the middle of the desert? If you kill the fighters, then when the Grimm come, who's going to protect everyone else? And if you defeat them, and try to escort them as prisoners-maybe during the night they'll kill you, and leave with your stuff too."
She shook her head. "So some huntsmen say that it's on them. They chose their life. They chose to inflict pain and misery on others. So they don't get a chance. They die. Once all fighters are killed, the children and the elderly are escorted while in chains to the nearest settlement, where they are set free." She grimaced. "But nobody wants a bandit's child in their tribe, because it's bad blood, and nobody wants an old person without family, because it's just weight. So they die."
"That's horrifying," Blake whispered, aghast.
"It's the rule of the desert," Chez answered simply, "But it makes things easy, because then-you don't get any tribes that become bandit tribes. There are bandits, yes, but it's just some people. Of course, nomad tribes all have a bit of a bad rep because in the desert, no one can hear you scream," she smiled as she said that, "So it's not like you can know whether the people you are traveling with are going to poison your food and then steal your stuff or not, but most don't. It's too much of a hassle...and too much of a serious consequence if they're discovered."
"And you want to go back to such a Kingdom, Wren?" Winter asked, her voice barely hiding the wavering in her tone.
"It has a charming simplicity," I said with a faint shrug. "It makes things easier. In Vacuo, in the desert, you die only if you bring it upon yourself. If you're prepared, if you're just, if you do the right things-the chances drop considerably. I'm not saying it wasn't a tragedy what happened to those faunus, but they weren't forced at gun point to be there, they chose it. They were willing to let a train carrying explosives and filled with Paladins head into the city of Vale. They weren't going to protest. They were going to use the Grimm, and the Atlas prototypes, to execute the people within the city."
"Wren, I was getting to that," Chez stuck her tongue out at me. "So you don't have to feel bad," she said, patting Blake's shoulder. "There were lots of reasons you couldn't save them, none of them were your fault, and it's no use crying over it or going all dark and stuff, I mean, I know black is a fashion statement, but you could use with some color!" she grinned teasingly, "Some white, for example!"
A second later, Blake belatedly realized there were a pair of neatly drawn milk mustache on her face. The frothy, cappuccino-stile mustache.
Chez' right hand had gone invisible, and had begun reappearing just as the mustache did too.
Blake spluttered and blew the white bubbles away.
I took another sip of my tea. "Other questions?"
"You lifted a train wagon," Yang said. "How."
I grinned. "I shouldn't be telling you this, since there's the Vytal tournament coming up, but I do so enjoy challenges, and I'd be teaching Weiss about it anyway." I turned thoughtful. "Maybe something small would be better."
"Did you call me, Wren?" Zhelty asked, and I opened my mouth before closing it. No. I would not.
"You must have misheard," I said amiably. Yang snickered at that, a hand covering her mouth. "As I was saying," a Schnee Glyph appeared in mid-air, flawless and shining brightly as the midday sun. My hand went through, and then it sunk into my flesh. The Beowolf arm on the other hand was a pristine white, and as I closed and opened it, the claw opened my command. Then I sighed, and the Schnee Symbol pulsed through my arm, returning it to its normal human form. "Conjuring Glyphs, Summoning Defeated Enemies, and finally...wearing them for their strengths."
I smiled as I said that. "And you keep your strength, adding atop of it that of the defeated foe. So I simply transformed into an Alpha Beowolf and flung the wagon away."
"That's so cool," Ruby said, eyes sparkling. "You need to learn how to do that, Weiss!"
"It wouldn't suit her style," I mused, "But if she wants to learn it, I won't say not to teaching her about it. Though Summoning should come first. Any other questions connected to the mission, though?"
"Oh! Oh! I have a question!" Ruby raised a hand, and as I gave her a nod, she smiled before asking, "How did you know where to go? You went ahead and found their base in only one day!" as she asked that towards Gorm, he stiffened, and then he turned his head one hundred and eighty degrees before emitting a simple hooting noise.
"I just tracked them," Gorm said, "I knew the general area, and I wasn't afraid of going at night. I am the sharpest in the team-"
"Are you saying we're stupid, or just blind?" Zhelty asked, "Because I'll have you know, it's not funny to make fun of someone's inability to see stuff right in front of them."
"It was a Deathstalker's golden pincer in the middle of the frigging desert during the middle of the day," I grumbled, a hand to my face.
"Even more reason to actually see it! The thing was shining like a fucking beacon of light, screaming 'Do Not Camp Near Me' and where did you decide to camp? You have three guesses, but if you take more than one I'm beating you for your stupidity-" Zhelty grumbled back.
"We suffered no casualties nor wounds," I said.
"Speak for yourself! The thing basically pursued us for an hour before we remembered we were huntsmen and could fight it!" Zhelty retorted hotly. "I lost my favorite water bottle that day! It still had a bit of the label on with a panda image on it!"
"I am sorry about the panda bottle, but I paid you back with-" I took a deep breath, shook my head, and then returned to the matter at hand. "Any other questions?"
"When we were on the train," Yang said. "Pursued by the Grimm and everything-and I heard the brakes," she swallowed. "That was the most terrifying thing I could ever feel."
I looked at her, and she made a weak smile. "I mean, I get it-we're huntresses, but that was the time I understood what it meant. There might be a mission, one mission-from which we're not going to come back from because we're going to have to pull a lever to save a Kingdom from the Grimm." She shuddered. "If-If there hadn't been air ducts, if there hadn't been a way out..." she looked at me. "Would you have still pulled that lever?"
I sighed. I looked at the gazebo's roof.
"Yes and no," I said. "I would have pulled it, but not for Vale, or Atlas, or Vacuo or Mistral or Menagerie or any other settlement or kingdom," I chuckled. "I would have pulled it for myself. If I had been there, alone, I would have pulled it without hesitation, without a shred of doubt. But I wasn't there alone, and no matter what-I would never put on the shoulders of other people the weight of my own sacrifice. But that's me. And that's what Desert Responsibility is all about anyway. Do what you want with your life, but remember you don't get to spend that of your teammates, or that of other people because your selfishness or your justice should only ever affect you."
"Unless they want to spend it," Chez mused.
"Even if they want to, deny them," I acquiesced.
"And if you deny them, get prepared to get kicked in the teeth and have them do it all the same," Zhelty said knowingly.
"Are all after-mission tea parties this dark?" Blake asked.
"They wouldn't be, if you wore white," Chez said with a bright grin. "But it's a nice way to get some needed sarcasm out in the open. We vent in a lot of different ways. You should read some of the stuff Wren writes when he thinks no one's watching!"
I narrowed my eyes. "Chez."
Chez smiled.
"You write, big brother?" Weiss asked, the question so innocently asked that I couldn't help but look away. "What do you write about?"
"Stuff," I answered. "Chez, answer that question and I will punish you in ways you cannot even imagine."
"Oh, that sounds kinky," Chez retorted with a sardonic smile. "Well, normally he writes-"
"I never remember, do you add cream to tea, or can you mix two different brews together?" I asked, nonchalantly grabbing with my hand two different kettles.
Chez stopped talking, her eyes wide. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Try me," I hissed back.
"But it's tea!" Chez cried out. "What has it ever done to you!? Cruel monster without a heart!"
"I'll tell you a secret, Chez," I whispered, my voice barely a murmur. "I prefer my water mixed with lemon juice."
Chez was aghast, her eyes wide, her mouth open, her ears up and trembling. "Monster."
"My heart is made of ice and lemonade," I retorted, "Fight me."
A sudden chuckle soon turned into a vicarious bout of laughter from my side.
I turned, only to realize that Weiss had turned towards her side too, and she was as shocked as I was.
Winter was laughing. She was laughing loudly, a hand attempting, and failing, to cover her mouth.
Within moments everyone was laughing too, the laughter contagious enough.
"Is this the right time to tell you that the tea's overboiled by at least four minutes?" Gorm pointed out, and Chez' cry soon echoed, as she removed the kettles from the portable dust-powered heaters with as much hurry as she could.
"You had one job, Gorm!" she yelled at him, "one job!"
Gorm smiled at that, and then threw the pocket watch into Zhelty's hands. "Up to you to count, Zhelty," he said as Zhelty deftly caught the watch and then began to look at the time passing by.
Happiness is never everlasting, however...
...for every party must end, when the doomsday clock strikes midnight.
The notable difference.
Coffee is bitter and so Wren hardened his heart and bitterly followed Jacque, ignoring Weiss, because he drank bitter coffee.
Lemonade has sugar in it and so Wren sweetly wished Weiss and got went to Vacuo.
Hence why Lemonade is superior to Coffee
And clearly Cold Coffee is superior to Hot Coffee
Coffee is bitter and so Wren hardened his heart and bitterly followed Jacque, ignoring Weiss, because he drank bitter coffee.
Lemonade has sugar in it and so Wren sweetly wished Weiss and got went to Vacuo.
Hence why Lemonade is superior to Coffee
And clearly Cold Coffee is superior to Hot Coffee
So an observation on Chez's character: she doesn't actually really want to jump Wren's bones and have her kittens (Helmsman, evasive maneuvers!)
Rather she observes what kind of action would get the liveliest reaction from the people she likes, just short of them going violent or closed-off. She thrives on those strong emotional reactions and the attention she gets from them. And I guess she keeps hitting tropes and stereotypes around Wren to show that those aren't necessarily bad? And she sees Blake's introversion as a challenge, and keeps prodding the other cat faunus to coax her out of her shell? (the last isn't always good, some people just want to be left alone to deal with their shit at their pace y'know )
Rather she observes what kind of action would get the liveliest reaction from the people she likes, just short of them going violent or closed-off. She thrives on those strong emotional reactions and the attention she gets from them. And I guess she keeps hitting tropes and stereotypes around Wren to show that those aren't necessarily bad? And she sees Blake's introversion as a challenge, and keeps prodding the other cat faunus to coax her out of her shell? (the last isn't always good, some people just want to be left alone to deal with their shit at their pace y'know )
Dezron
In the Omnissiah we trust !
- Location
- Poland
Interesting ...
Let's make him drink Energy Drink !!!
Worst case we get male version of Nora.
- Location
- Finland
Oh wow, the Schnees are bad actors.
Actually, according to some stuff on the TV Tropes, it's hot chocolate.