#and Blake and Weiss have learned to scream to be heard

[lovingdabeessss]

Yang and ruby getting upset at their (non huntsman raised) teammates for fighting like it won’t get them attacked by the negative emotion monsters

[howlingday]

I was thinking of asking something else… but what if jaune DILF sings the sound of silence, just think about that super hot blonde with a deeper and more tired voice singing that song.

You can ask me whatever you like.

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

The bar was crowded tonight. Jaune was hoping his hobby would go unnoticed, but it looked like all four Kingdoms decided to come in tonight! Worst yet, among the patrons were seven familiar faces.

Seated at the same table were his best friends, though he doubted they had the best intentions. Especially with Yang, who already had her scroll out and ready. Of all the nights for him to go out for his hobby, it had to be the one where everyone else decided to go try some karaoke themselves.

Jaune liked karaoke. It was the only task where you could screw up and still have fun. But as he got more and more into it, he found his voice was getting better and better with it. He learned the perfect place to stand at a microphone to both prevent feedback and still be heard. He learned where his range was, and what songs he could and could not sing. His confidence went up, too, since his starting days of meekly holding back his voice at the screaming parts.

"So when are you going up?" Nora asked, dropping the toothpick she was balancing above her lips.

"I'll be going up as soon as they bring the book out." Jaune answered, stirring the ice in his soda.

"The book?" Oscar asked, before sipping from his glass.

"The song book." Yang answered, her arm over Blake's shoulders. The tinge of pink on her cheeks indicated just how much she had to drink. "Usually it's a binder, but it's always a list of what songs they do and don't have."

"Sorry, I didn't know." Oscar replied. "I didn't spend a lot of time off the farm."

"Until you ran away." Ruby pointed out.

"Well..." Oscar flushed as he scratched his head.

"Which song are you singing?" Ren asked.

"If they have it, I was going to sing The Cacophony of Quiet." Jaune answered.

"Which version?" Blake asked.

"The Shudder version." Jaune answered. "If they have it. It's the one I was always thinking about in the Ever After. Before I found the Paper Pleasers."

"That sounds... really sad." Weiss said. "I'm sorry you had to be stuck like that."

"You mean trapped for decades in the Ever After or having the same song playing on repeat in my head the whole time?" Jaune cracked a smirk.

"Can't it be both?" Weiss asked.

"ALRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN," the bar's booming speakers reverbed as the DJ spoke, "TONIGHT IS OUR SONG NIGHT, SO GO AHEAD AND SIGN UP WITH THE SONG YOU WANNA SING WITH YOUR NAME, AND WE'LL GET STARTED. THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT."

"Looks like that's my cue." Jaune said, standing up. "I'll be back."

"Maybe I should sing?" Nora asked as he walked away. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"You break the equipment?" Weiss offered. "Like the last time Our teams went to karaoke."

"Hey, it's their fault their cheapo sound stuff can't handle my rock star style!"

"Amen, sister!" Yang raised her glass, only for Blake to bring it back down.

"ALRIGHT, IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE OUR FIRST SINGER OF THE NIGHT. GIVE IT UP FOR RUSTY!"

The crew watched as Jaune took the stage. Yang snickered at his choice of pseudoname. The sad music began to play and the bar's mood dipped as his voice matched tone with the lead vocalist of Shudder.

As the music played and Jaune sang, Team RWBY noticed how much his voice matched the one in the Ever After. In a blink, they saw the Rusted Knight with his tired eyes and aged demeanor. Decades alone, waiting for his friends to come. The tone suddenly shifted to one of hope, uplifting like his long awaited reunion had finally come. As the music reached it's peak, Jaune's repeat of the lyrics sounded like a cry of frustration, synonymous with the tragedy they brought on Jaune in their recklessness and disregard for the life he made in the Ever After. By the time they reached the climax of the song, Jaune's voice dropped and he whimpered out the last words of the lyrics.

The entire bar erupted in a roar of applause. Jaune's emotional performance evoked such great passion that night, that everyone cheered, hooted, whistled, clapped, and overall shouted praises to the young man.

Everyone except for the four girls seated at his table, who shared a pained look amongst each other.

[palaceofpassion]

It wasn't Jaune's fault! Whitley was just too cute, and her the Schneeboi was talking snack and acting like a bratty little brother when he should be slobbering on a Arc Cock while dressed like the slutty little Femboy he was always meant to be. Good knews was him and Weiss were the same size clothe-wise.

Femboy Whitley!

Jaune couldn’t keep his laughter in as his friends scurried about, trying not to absolutely lose their shits.  Ever since Weiss’ little brother decided to show up, things had been... well kind of painful.  Jaune himself had kept his head out of it, choosing instead to keep low and avoid any sort of detection from the Schneeboi.  THough, that of course hadn’t stopped Jaune from eyeing him every now and again.  He WAS rather cute, reminded him of a slightly scrawnier Weiss, with a nice ass to boot.

Jaune felt comfortable in himself to admit such things of course, after all he’d trained both Oscar and Ren quite well over the last year and a half since everyone moved into the little group dorm they shared.  He smiled as the boy tried to flirt with Ruby, not like that would work.  The normally cheery girl made up an excuse, saying something about Yang calling her, and vanished in a puff of pedals.  

He tried to fight back a laugh when he tried to order BLAKE around of all people.  Weiss had to keep the feline faunus from ripping her brother a new one.  

Things had been rather easy for him, of course, though as the days went on his annoying slander started to get annoying.  And eventually, Weiss of all people had decided to come to him.  “Jaune...”

“Yes Snow Angel?”  

His lover blushed heavily, “Could you do me a huge favor?”  

“And what’s that?”  

“So you know that thing you did with Ren and Oscar?”  

“I do, Ruby and Nora are still a bit sore about that, though Pyrrha was quite happy.”

“COuld you uh...”  

She looked at her brother, and well it didn’t take much.  He’d thought about leaving things as is, but if Weiss was asking, “Okay.”  

He walked over to the boy, talking to the group, Yang getting ready to punch him if he kept on trying to flirt with Ruby.  The little femboy really didn’t know his place, now did he?  Since he’d first seen him, Jaune had thought he would look better with a cock in his mouth, soooo.

“Hey Whitley.”  

From his sitting position Whitley turned his attention to the dumbo that tried to call his name, “What do you want A-”  His voice went silent at the sound of smacking flesh.  His mouth hung open as his vision grew dark.  Hanging above him was the most grotesque slab of meat he’d ever been near.  The heavy scent practically suffocated him, the thick musk whisking through his nose and violating his thoughts.  The pitter patter of dripping liquid splashing against his forehead caught his attention, and the heavy overbearing feeling of it resting atop him did not sit well for him.  

He tried to push back and scream at the bloody neanderthal for even doing that, only to be silenced as Ruby suddenly rushed up to him, grabbed his jaw and held his mouth open.  Before he knew it his taste buds were assailed by the most repulsive flavors he’d ever tasted!  A tangy sour taste slathered his palate.  He tried to bite down initially, but the thing was so large that it spread his jaw too wide to provide ample force.  

“Oh wow!  I knew you’d look better with my dick in your mouth.”  

His violent struggles only proved to provide pleasure for the man currently throat fucking him.  “Oh yeah~  Keep saying whatever you’re saying, makes your throat all vibraty.”  

He felt fear as one of the various girls surrounding him grabbed the back of his head and pushed him down, forcing that thing all the way down his throat.  His vision grew dark as Jaune’s crotch pushed and blinded him.  He tried to lash out and push away only for someone else to grab his hands and put them behind him.  

Fear started to get the better of him as he heard Weiss talk, “Ooh, he really does look better this way.  I always did want a younger sister...”  

“Perfect~  He’ll look much better as a trap...”  

“Ugh, Jaune, just get it over with, I don’t want to remember what you did to Oscar.”

“haha... sorry Ruby.”  

He tried to struggle more, but the individuals around him made it harder and harder as they each took turns forcing his body to move on its own.  The taste of another man’s cock on his tongue painted his tastebuds horrendously.  He wanted to puke with every passing second, but he found it hard to resist.  Eventually he felt the cock in his mouth twitch, and before he knew it his belly was being filled with the man’s disgusting semen.  His stomach began to bloat only pulling away once the seed started to ooze through his nose and the gaps between his mouth and the dick.  

“Magnafsmdfg!”  

Eventually he pulled out, but before Whitley could spit it out, Weiss had suddenly closed his jaw shut.  “No no, you’ll learn to swallow~  The protein is good for you.”  

When it proved impossible for him to spit it out, he had to eventually swallow, Weiss’ fingers slowly guiding his throat as he began to take the seed downwards.  Tears burned his eyes as he felt his body grow weak, the girls finally letting him go once he opened his mouth.  “Good boy~”  They all gave him small little claps, something that felt absolutely demeaning.  

“Now then~  Weiss, dear?”  

“Dear?”

“Oh right!”  Weiss cheerfully shifted over to the man who had just violated him, placing a gentle kiss against his dick, “I’ve been with Jaune for a while now~  Most of us have.”  

His eyes scanned the room as all the residents there nodded.  “Di... did you...”

“Invite you on purpose?”  His sister feigned a pleasant smile,e ventually dropping the niceties.  “Of course I did, now then, Pyrrha?”  

“Got them!”  

Before he knew it, he was on the ground his head pushed down by who knows who, and his ass held right up.  He felt his penis dangling loosely as he tried to shit his hips out of their grasp.  His clothing had been forcefully stripped, in place he’d been put in a white gown belonging to Weiss, one that fit him suspiciously well.  “Le...let me go!  You Barbarians!”  Even as he cursed them out, he could still TASTE Jaune’s dick upon his lips.  

The repulsive flavor didn’t sit well with him, but… any other thoughts simply stopped when he felt something push between his cheeks.  “Perfect~  And I’m already all lubed up.”  

“Wh...what?!”  

He didn’t get a response before his ass began to burn, “Oh damn!  He has such a nice boipussy!”  

Tears seared his flesh as he buried his head into the carpet, the older boy’s hands grabbed his large buttocks, squeezing into his perfectly white flesh and marking him with bruises.  “S...s...stop!”  

He wanted it to end, but Jaune had other plans, his hips thrusted harder and faster.  The more that Whitley begged and pleaded the stronger those movements became.  Eventually he found himself buried into the floor, his little dick flopping and grinding against it as tiny spurts of semen ejected from within.  

“Aww~  He wanted to date me too!  Look how cute it is.” 

He could hear Ruby mocking him from the distance as Jaune continued to plowing him, the manly meat mangling his insides.  He couldn’t feel his guts anymore, disrupted and dislodged from their places.  He couldn’t even cry as his voice had gone hoarse, and his tears had dried up.  He simply layed there limply while they all took pictures and recorded the scene before them.  Jaune, had decided he was going to take and keep Whitley as his own, and as much as he wanted to fight back… the moment he felt the first rush of seed fill his insides from the back end, he knew that his life was over. 

When Jaune pulled out of Whitley’s gaping ass, thick streams of seed pulled, painting his white form even whiter as it dripped splashing onto the carpet beneath.  The extra spurts that erupted from Jaune’s still hard cock, slathered Whitley’s young femine back, coating him in a nice glaze.  “PHew~  Going to have a lot of fun training him.”  

He placed a gentle kiss against Weiss, “Thanks for the gift~”  

“Anytime~” 

[razorblade180-heated]

It’s December first

[Yeah, it’s smut]

Weiss lays down on the couch with four water bottles and coffee at her side. Her hair is messy and eyes are tired, yet her skin seems to be extra radiant.

Blake:Morning every-woah, Weiss?

Weiss:Hmm?

Blake:You okay?

Weiss:Fine, just taking a me day.

Blake:I’ve seen your me days. You shop on them, not look drained. What the hell happened, rough night?

Weiss:.....

xxxxx

Twelve hours earlier, Weiss sat on the edge of her bed. Her face was red, legs were fidgety, and heart was pounding as her eyes stared at a slow moving clock. Tick tock tick tock tick- ding! It was one minute past midnight. Right on que, Weiss could heard the sound of her door twist open slowly. She could only look at the floor as footsteps got closer and closer, until...they stopped. Weiss looked up to take in the sight of Jaune, shirtless and barley containing his erection in his pjs.

Weiss pressed her lips against him battled hardened stomach, resisting the urge to start where she really wanted. She slowly made her way down until she had no choice but to hook her thumbs around the waistband and free his thick length. It’s been an entire month since she’s seen it, far too long for her taste; but worth it for the night they were about to have.

Weiss kissed the base of the shaft and had no second thoughts about making Jaune groan by licking his heavy package that was going to be drained fully if she had anything to say about it. Her tongue swirled up and around Jaune’s violently twitching cock. Her right hand drifted in between her damp things and rubbed her folds through her ruined lace panties. Jaune’s hand quickly moved hers away from her aching core and he pushed Weiss onto her back; an action that only deepened her blush.

“I’m the only thing pleasing you tonight.” He rasped. His hands sent chills through her body and he gripped her slender thighs and peeled off her soaked panties to see her aching pussy drip with need. Jaune licked his lips and dove right in. He gave a long lick from her entrance to the top, stopping right on her clit to suckle on it.

Weiss’s hips jerk forward and her hand took hold of Jaune’s hair as he lapped up her arousal. Weiss could feel his tongue barely start dip into her before sliding back up, slurping her up hungrily. He tightened his grip on her legs to keep her still but her couldn’t stop moving. His mouth closed on Weiss’s folds one at a time. The shock made the girl let out a lustful scream scream from Jaune’s relentless sucking and licking of her pussy.

“Aaaaahhhh! Mmmmmph, Jaune! I want it!” She pleaded. The man actually released her body and propped himself over her as she caught her breath. His tip pressed at her womanhood and rubbed its along the folds, getting all nice and wet as they groaned. It was nights like these that made the heiress and knight say things only the bedroom could make them.

Jaune leaned down to Weiss’s ear and whispered, “Tonight, you’re just a hole for me.”

She never wanted him so much in her life. “Yes...”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, daddy.” Her face couldn’t get any redder. Weiss felt his tip slide lower down before spearing himself into her and start her pounding. “Aaaaahhh~ Aaaaa!” Jaune got on his knees and raised Weiss’s hips while she could only grip the sheets and take all of him. Her gown had bunched up to reveal her bouncing breasts. Jaune must’ve liked it, because Weiss felt him hit deeper inside of small frame to the point each thrust knocked against her cervix.

“Fuuuck! Ahh, you’re in...you’re in my fucking stomach!” Weiss bit down on her sheets to control her screaming. Jaune knew all of her buttons the same way she knew his. Weiss loved it roughed and he was going to keep this pace. Her lustful words and mewls made sure of that. There wasn’t a spot he wasn’t touching. He was too thick, too fucking big not to when he was hard like this. And Weiss gripped all of it, tightly.

There wasn’t a moment a second Weiss wasn’t trying to squeeze everything out of Jaune, and her slick walls made it all the easier for him to go as hard as he wanted. Both of them had started to sweat and Jaune hadn’t felt like this in over a month. The first round was always the shortest, but boy was there nothing else like it. “Is..mmmgh, is it safe?” He asked, huskily. Jaune took Weiss wrapping her legs around him as the go ahead sign, then finally erupted inside of her. Waves of his seed shot into her and made Weiss’s walls grip him to know end.

Jaune dropped her waist on the bed and the two stared intensely at each other with rising chests. Jaune leaned down and Weiss crashed her lips against his immediately while she took hold of his still fully erect length and slid it back inside. There will be no sleep tonight.

xxxx

Weiss:....It’s December first.

Blake:Understood. I will make you a hot meal.

Weiss:You’re beautiful.

Blake:Where’s the lucky boy?

In another room of the manor, Jaune was in the same state of blissful tiredness on a couch while Yang made him food.

Yang:What have you learned?

Jaune:Keep food ready for all nighters.

Yang:Yep! Or have a an awesome person like me make you a hardy steak!

Jaune:Yang, I hereby make you the second light of my life behind Weiss. Please do not tell your sister, my sisters, or Nora.

Yang:Haha, deal.

[rwbyvein]

Firen Lhain:  Chapter 810:  Taste of Freedom:  Part III/III

There was a knock on Neo's door and she jumped over, standing in front of it, unsure of what to do. There was another knock, louder than before. "Uh, Neo?" Jaune shouted. "Dinner time. I guess you're still getting used to everything, so, did you want me to bring it up to you?" Neo knocked on the door.

* * *

There was another knock on the door, and Neo moved over to the door without openening it. "Uh, Neo?" Jaune asked, "I got your food." A pregnant pause followed, "I guess I'll just leave it here." he said, and Neo nodded. "Just put your dishes outside when you're done." Neo once again nodded, not that he could see it.

* * *

Neo ate her food. Sure, it was the same food as before, but now that she was free, it seemed to taste better. Much better. She developed a wide smile.

* * *

Neo nervously opened the door. She looked through the crack and did not see anything. She opened the door enough to put the tray on the outside, and then quickly closed and locked it.

* * *

RWBY sat around the lounge. Blake laying on her front on a couch. Ruby sitting on the carpet. Weiss laying with her head in Yang's lap, trying and failing to not stare at the colossal bossom above her as Yang gently ran her fingers through her hair.

"We should do something for Neo!" Ruby exclaimed.

"We should let her settle in." Blake added.

"She's in pain." Yang said, "We should do something about it."

"Mayhap she does not wish for our aid." Weiss replied, reaching up to craddle Yang's face.

"She needs time to warm up to us." Blake stated, and then looked at Yang. "I know you love how we reached out to help you, but that's because you knew us. Neo doesn't."

"So!" Ruby exclaimed, and everyone looked at her as she stood up, "She needs to get to know us."

* * *

There was a knock on the door and Neo moved up to it. "Neo, it's me, Ruby! I just want to talk!" Neo stared at the door for who knows how long as she thought over how stupid that statement was. Neo opened the door and gave Ruby a death glare. "What did you want to talk about?" Neo stared at her for a solid minute before closing and locking the door again. "What did I say?" Ruby asked herself.

* * *

Neo layed on her bed staring at the ceiling. She had never had this much free time. She always had something she was trying to do, either survive, thrive, or plot her revenge. And here she was for the first time in her life without something to do. Her food was provided, her walls secure, her revenge deterred. The only thing she had to live for was herself, and this thought disturbed her.

* * *

Neo paced about her room, completely unsure of what to do.

* * *

Neo looked at her washroom, pondering a shower. How long had it been since she had been able to simply relax and enjoy a shower?

Back when she shared it, but even then there was always a chance that someone would barge in and need stabbing. She had both a secure door and a lack of her means of stabbing people. To be fair, taking away her way of stabbing people was probably a good idea.

Neo stepped up to her shower. She opened up the door and reached in to the tap. She turned it on and stepped back, nervously looking at the room behind her. She tested the water, and it had warmed up in seconds. Neo stepped back to the room, looking at the door. She reached for the key in her pocket, her fingers wrapping around it. She was safe here. She was secure here. Or at the least she had nothing left to lose. The only two things she cared about were hidden from her.

* * *

Neo nervously stripped in the bathroom, folding her clothes and putting them on the floor. She felt a nervous tinge in the back of her neck and quickly grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself. She then stepped out of the bathroom, looking around the room and then the door. She then stepped back into the bathroom, pulling the towel off and stepping into the water.

* * *

Neo quickly wrapped the towel around her dripping body and stepped out of the bathroom, once again looking at the door. She stepped back into the bathroom and then shower, drying herself off properly, this time.

* * *

There was a knock on her door. "I'm sorry!" Ruby shouted through it. "I have a couple questions, if you could?" Neo just stared at the door, "I mean, we want to make sure you have everything in there."

Neo unlocked the door and slowly opened it up, glaring at Ruby.

"Okay, yes, sorry, but like we said, we just moved in, and we wanted to make sure you have towels?" she asked. Neo looked at her a moment before nodding. "How about toilet paper?" Ruby asked. Neo glared at her before closing and locking the door. A few moments later the door opened. Neo nodded at her, before closing and locking the door again.

* * *

Ruby walked into the library and up to Weiss. "How did it go?" Weiss asked.

"She had toilet paper and towels!" Ruby exclaimed.

"I could have told you that." Aurora said, as she collected the cup from beside Weiss, and Ruby looked around nervously.

"She is not the most practically minded, but it is done from a perspective of caring, and as such should not be admonished."

"Uh, yeah?" Ruby asked

"I was not admonishing." Aurora stated, "Just wishing to be of service."

"We all know how she can be of service." Blake added without looking up from her book.

"Quiet, you." Weiss admonished her.

"Oh, don't worry." Ruby warmly said to Aurora, "You are REALLY helpful. Like, REALLY helpful. We wouldn't know what to do without you."

"Weiss might have to learn to cook." Blake said with a wide smile, causing Weiss to stand up. "Uh-oh, what's the Snow Angel going to do?!"

Weiss took a couple steps towards her, "I'll have you know that I'm HIS Snow Angel."

Blake put a bookmark in her book, "Then what you to me?"

Weiss paused, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, I got one!" Ruby exclaimed, and everyone looked at her. "She's a canary?"

"Perhaps you could elaborate?" Weiss asked.

"Because Blake ate the canary."

"I feel as if I'm missing something." Weiss curiously voiced.

"The cat who ate the canary." Blake stated. "I like it. From now on it's my nickname for you."

"Does linnet not cover this?" Weiss asked.

"No." Blake said with glee. "You're a canary."

"You certainly sing like a canary." Ruby added. "And you do get to call her sweetie."

"I do..." Weiss voiced.

"I need nicknames." Ruby stated.

"It's not like we were trying to exclude you." Weiss said to her.

"I know." Ruby pouted.

"Darling." Weiss said as she stepped up.

"Sweet words." Ruby replied, "Naught but sweet words. Did I use that right?"

Weiss developed a blush and stepped up towards her, kissing her on the cheek.

"When you look at Weiss?" Blake asked, and Ruby looked at Blake, before looking back at Weiss, "What you do think about?"

"Hmm." Ruby said, as she thought it over, "Weissy." This caused Weiss to let out a huff. "What, it does."

"It sounds warm when she says it." Blake said, "Weissy." she added.

"I still reserve the right to be gently perturbed." Weiss stated.

"Of course you do." Blake said with a cheshire grin.

"And Blake?" Aurora asked, and when they looked over they saw her looking at Ruby.

Ruby looked at Blake, concentrating for a moment, "Blakey."

Blake looked around nervously.

"The shoe is on the other paw." Weiss said to her with a smile, causing Blake to pout. Weiss then stepped forward to kiss Blake on the cheek.

"What's Yang up to?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, fighting with her mother." Weiss replied.

* * *

Yang's hair and eyes glew as she screamed, "You're a fucking bitch, you're going to..."

Raven turned into a raven to avoid her punch. The punch created a great shockwave that passed by, damaging the rocks beyond where Raven was standing. Raven reverted, hand on her hilt, looking at Yang. "And that's why you let Adam take your arm. It might not look like it, but Aura slashes only affected a very small area. You have to concentrate your Aura along the length, but in doing so, make yourself extremely vulnerable. You're counting that your target doesn't know that."

"What about blocking?" Jaune asked.

"It really depends on your Aura." Raven replied, "I wouldn't want to trust it. Any part of the Aura slash gets passed it, and your arm still gets cut off."

"I don't think I have much of a choice." Jaune stated.

"And he's got like a LOT of Aura." Yang added.

"Your Semblance is basically the same thing." Raven stated.

Taiyang appeared on a nearby rock. "I tried telling you as much."

Yang looked around nervously, but Jaune looked at him, "You tried to tell her that everything is wrong with her Semblance and fighting style."

A crow appeared on a nearby rock, reverting into Qrow, "That does sound like something you would say. And for the record, I can, I just choose not to."

"Care to tell us why?" Yang asked.

"It's too out of control." Qrow stated, "You put too much into a single attack. And this is from someone who's entire fighting style is putting too much into a single attack."

"It's not like I have a choice." Yang stated.

"No, you don't." Qrow stated and jumped down, "But you do get to choose WHEN you use it. Wear them down, and don't give them the knockout punch until you know it's going to hit. That's something we can practice."

Jaune drew his sword. "I kind of want to fight my... mother?.. in-law?" he asked.

"Yeah... yeah..." Yang grumbled. "You can fight Raven. I'll take Qrow. And dad can sit there thinking up more dad puns."

"Don't encourage him." Qrow stated.

"I don't know about you, but I find them charming." Raven stated.

"Mom?" Yang asked.

"I've heard from your father how you've taken after him with puns." Raven stated.

"Yeah-yeah." Yang replied.

[greenteaandtattoos]

Memories like Thorns: A Ruby Rose One-Shot

Ruby slung the red skirt and cape over the makeshift clothesline that she had made with some sticks she had found lying on the beach and rope she had stashed in her pockets after the incident with the Ace Ops and the Command Center in Atlas. 

The sand was warm beneath her bare feet, her boots drying nearby. Her belt, tights, corset, and forearm bracers were laid out on a rock. She hoped they would absorb the heat from the face of the rock and dry faster. She had used a sharp stone to tear off the long-sleeves of her dress and discarded them entirely. It was hot, and she didn’t want to suffer from heatstroke. Crescent Rose rested against a giant seashell. 

So, there she stood, in just her shorts and a now-sleeveless blouse. She sighed. 

How did it come to this? She remembered the cruel triumph on Cinder’s face as she loomed above her as Ruby clung to the leg of Neo, the girl who had been trying to kill her only moments ago. She remembered the screams of Blake and Penny. She remembered Blake’s grip on her as she attempted to rescue her. She remembered the feeling in her stomach as she and Blake fell after Cinder cut the ribbon on Gambol Shroud, sending them falling to their deaths. She remembered the feeling of free-falling, and then crashing into water, which she eventually discovered was the ocean of this world she could only assume was the afterlife. 

She had been lucky her father had taught Ruby and Yang how to swim at a young age. She had managed to swim to the surface of the ocean, spitting up salt water. Through her blurry and burning vision, she had seen the island not too far from where she had fallen, and had managed to swim to the surface. After lying in the sand for what felt like a couple of hours, she had managed to get to her feet and function properly. It was warm now, but who knows what it would get during the night, and she didn’t want to risk freezing. 

Not that I can die twice, she thought dryly. Gazing around, she finally took in her surroundings. The sand that made up the beach was tawny in color, and all around her were flourishing trees and colorful flowers. The giant seashell she had rested Crescent Rose against was just one of many that dotted the beach. A massive cliff loomed over her, and on top of that was a tree of gargantuan size, sporting rainbow foliage. Beyond that… she didn’t know, but she heard birdsong. 

“We should have asked for guardrails,” Ruby muttered to herself, mentally scolding herself for not thinking of everything like she had hoped. We made more than one foolish oversight, she thought, referring to how they had so easily forgotten that Penny wasn’t the only maiden in Atlas. 

Then, I wonder where the others are? Though she and Blake had lost hold on each other when they fell, she was fairly certain she should have fallen somewhat close to her. Yang… she had no idea. Weiss and Penny and Jaune, I hope they’re okay. Last she had seen, they were okay. 

Oscar. The thought of the former farmhand scorched through her mind, and she clutched her chest. She hadn’t been able to say goodbye to Oscar. 

All of a sudden, a horrifying thought entered her mind. Uncle Qrow. He doesn’t know what happened to us. When he does learn… Oh gods, he’s lost all of his family, now. The thought made her want to vomit and her knees weak. She stumbled and managed to catch herself on one of the branches she had used to make the makeshift clothesline. Her cape, still damp but warm from the sun, brushed against her cheek. She froze suddenly, a memory surfacing. 

The feel of velvet brushing against her face, a crimson swathe enveloping her, the warmth of familiar arms wrapped around her in a warm hug. Silver eyes flashed above her as her mother gazed at her, unending love swimming in them. She smiled widely as she clasped her arms around the child in a tight hug, bundling her in her cape. The warmth and the velvet were snug and the child couldn’t imagine leaving the warmth of her mother’s embrace. 

Ruby took a step back, her focus returning to the present. She stared at her own crimson clothes. She reached out to touch the cape that had been with her through thick and thin. She grasped it tightly, feeling the damp cloth wrap around her hand. 

Her mother’s hug before she left on her final mission was one of the only memories she had of her mother. Her final mission. She grit her teeth. Her final mission that led to her falling into Salem’s clutches. To be experimented on, to be subjected to horrors unfathomable. 

All so Salem could spit into Ozpin’s and the God of Light’s face, she thought bitterly. She could imagine the cruel glee that Salem must have felt when she discovered that she could turn the God of Light’s warriors into her own. Her hands trembled, out of anger or fear, she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. 

She remembered Oscar’s lament after they picked him up from the slums. “Every choice I made was the wrong one,” he had said forlornly. But it was her choices that had been wrong at every turn. It was her choice to lie to Ironwood, to waste time trying to put out a message with the naive assumption that help would come. Anger and regret surged through her forcing her to sit down. She criss-crossed her legs and stared up at her drying clothes. She wanted nothing more than to be lost in the red, like she was so long ago while in the embrace of her mother. 

When she was younger, she had tried very hard not to lie. After all, heroes in fairy tales didn’t lie. They were truthful and brave, and she wanted to be just like them. Of course, she had told little white lies here and there, like when she ate all the raw cookie dough that Yang had made to bake cookies. She remembered when she told her first big lie. 

It had been when she first got accepted into Signal Academy, and she chose her combat gear. When she returned home from shopping, decked in all red - and most notably - a red cape, the look on her family’s faces was unforgettable. Qrow - who had come over for a visit - and her father had looked at her with strange, twisted expressions, which in hindsight, she realized was because she looked so similar to her mother. 

Yang, on the other hand, had been so proud. “Copying Uncle Qrow, eh?” Yang had asked, in a knowing, teasing voice, jabbing her with her elbows. “The red suits you. Matches your hair.” 

The twisted expression had melted off Qrow’s face, replaced with immense pride. “You look good, kiddo. Everyone will know you’re my niece, all right,” he had crowed. Mischief glinted in his pinkish-red gaze as he added, “But don’t think I’ll go easy on you. No favoritism from me. Nope.” 

They had looked so happy, and Ruby hadn’t been able to remember the last time the whole family had been so happy, all together like that. Qrow and her father could rarely be in the same room without an argument breaking out, and Yang spent more time at school or hanging out with her school friends than at home. 

“Yeah!” Ruby had laughed with them. “I just wanted to look like my hero!” Qrow had puffed out his chest and stretched out an arm ruffling her hair. But deep down, she wasn’t laughing, because it wasn’t true. She hadn’t picked her outfit to look like Qrow. She had chosen the red-soled boots and the corset and the cape because when she thought back to her mother, all she could see was red. From pictures around the house, she knew her mother had a white cape, with a crimson interior. 

All she could remember of her mother was the warm embrace of arms hugged tightly around her, the feel of velvet on her face, and bright red. It had been like being embraced by rose petals. And so, when she saw the crimson cape hanging on the clothes hanger, nearly hidden by other capes of varying colors, she had picked it almost immediately. From there, she picked out the rest of her outfit based on the cape and complimentary colors. When she had put it on in the dressing room, it had felt so right. 

But she hadn’t wanted to ruin the moment, and so she lied. Guilt had squirmed in her stomach for days after. She had finally managed to dispel it after she convinced herself that by lying, she was keeping her family from feeling sad. She remembered quite vividly how her father got whenever she brought up her mother. He seemed to wither, and while pride and love glimmered in his eyes whenever he spoke of his former partner, his voice became hollow. 

Another lie, one that she kept to herself and told no one, was that she was jealous of Yang. She loved her sister more than anything, but sometimes jealousy burned hot in her stomach when she talked about their mother. Because Yang remembered her more than Ruby, and it made her feel emotions that she hated herself for feeling. 

It had been a new memory of her mother that had allowed her to activate her eyes against the Leviathan. She had been so excited about the new memory that she had told Yang. Yang had been so happy, and had gone on a long tangent about their mother in an attempt to jog some more memories out of Ruby. Ruby had once again felt the hot bubbles of jealousy in her stomach.

And when Salem had caused a new memory to surface, Ruby had never felt such despair in her life. She remembered the witch’s words, she had burned them into her mind. “Your mother said those words to me. She was wrong, too.” 

And then that attacked the Schnee Manor. She remembered the face of the Faunus that had been revealed to be the core of the Hound Grimm. Horrific scars and boils and patches of raw, exposed muscle covered his face and neck, and a strange white spider-web-like substance covered half of his face. Ruby could only assume that Salem had removed his eye on that side. His eye… She had noticed it right away, the dull flash of silver from his remaining eye. He had looked at her, his eye void of any emotion and yet full of an agony that he could not voice as he repeated the same sentence over and over. “Take. The Girl.”

The answer to the question she had asked for 15 years came to her in an instant. This was what had happened to her mother. This was why she never returned. When she had told Yang of her suspicion, for once, she did not feel any jealousy as Yang broke down. All she could feel was overwhelming sorrow and guilt as Yang attempted to comfort her because she knew. She knew why her mother had left her and her family to face Salem. 

It was because of her. Because she had inherited her mother’s eyes, and became a target that Salem would eventually come for. For once, she had cursed herself for the color of her eyes. She had previously thought of her eyes as a way to help people, but all they had done was sentence her mother, and indirectly, every silver-eyed warrior that came after her, to a fate worse than death. 

She shifted in the sand. A warm, moist wind blew through her hair. None of it mattered now. Because her eyes had failed her, and she had failed her friends, her family, and now she was here. She was dead. She took a deep breath of the salt-scented air. Her heart was rolling with emotions, but all she could do was sit there.

A new sound reached her ears, breaking the lull of birdsong. She instantly became alert. She quickly rose to her feet and snatched up Crescent Rose, brandishing it as her eyes scanned the treeline, where the noise had come from. 

A crack of a foot breaking a twig, the rustle of a body brushing against leaves. She tightened her grip on Crescent Rose. A thought suddenly came to her. Wait. I’m dead. Whatever is out there can’t kill me. 

The thought wasn’t very comforting, but she did relax her shoulders, keeping her eyes on the treeline, waiting for whatever creature was in there to emerge. Then she saw it, the flash of white, the gleam of silver in sunlight, and the furry black ears that twitched with each step.

Ruby lowered her scythe.

[laulink]

A.N : I’m still processing the events of today’s episode, and part of my coping mechanism is to imagine how our heroes would take the news. Twisted, I know, but I thought of it and wanted to share. Enjoy ?

    Jaune had been walking through that strange jungle for a good half an hour now. He had no idea where he was and no idea where he was going, but, somehow, the journey felt... almost comforting, in a way. It reminded him of his initiation in the Emerald Forest, though the trees were a bit different and he didn’t have a partner to help him this time. But he had found half of Crocea Mors upon landing and hoped his friends were nearby, so he wasn’t completely freaking out. Yet.

    A shuffling sound nearby had him pause, then approach the bushes cautiously, shield up, his half-sword raised in preparation of an attack. However, his guard relaxed when he spotted bright red fabric between the trees.

  “Ruby !”

    The younger girl’s head snapped toward him and her lips stretched into a bright smile. She ran toward him, arms open, and he had just enough time to put his sword and shield away before she engulfed him in a hug.

  “Jaune ! I’m so, so glad to see you ! Though, I guess I shouldn’t. Did you fall in the void too ?

- Yeah, the portals started disappearing and I wasn’t fast enough to reach the one leading to Vacuo. Though I didn’t expect anything like this when I fell. This place is so strange !” he exclaimed as he looked around him again.

  “Yes, and it doesn’t look like anything or anywhere I’ve been on Remnant. It’s probably a place out of our world, like the Vaults and the central location we were at. I just hope we can find a way to Vacuo from here.

- Maybe we should start by looking for the others. We’ll have a better chance of finding a solution if we’re together.

- Right. But before that, what happened to Crocea Mors ? It looked broken up from where I was earlier.

- Oh, yeah, it took a bad blow when I was fighting Cinder,” Jaune explained as he took his sword back out of its scabbard, then froze as he saw the blood on it.

    Ruby spotted the blood too and frowned.

  “What’s that ? Blood ? Did you manage to injure Cinder ? What happened ?”

    Jaune swallowed thickly. He knew he had to tell Ruby, but... he remembered how it felt, learning what happened to Pyrrha at Beacon. And Ruby had already gone through such a thing once. Getting Penny back had been a miracle, and he knew they wouldn’t get another : he didn’t dare imagine what it would do to Ruby to learn the news.

    But she was getting impatient and visibly more nervous by the second.

  “Jaune ? Who does that blood belong to ? What happened ?”

    He swallowed again. Opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

  “Ruby... Penny, she...”

    He saw her eyes widen. The fear and denial start filling them. 

  “We were fighting Cinder, and she got Penny. I- I tried to heal her, but Penny said Cinder couldn’t have the Staff and the power and she- she... Ruby, I’m- I’m sorry, she asked me, she wanted me to trust her, and there was no other way-”

    A scream like he had never heard before, raw and dripping with primal rage and pain, hit his ears as Ruby ran into him, pushing him to the ground, then following him to punch his face, his armour, his arms, everywhere she could reach him, still screaming, tears flowing from her eyes. He put up his arms to try and protect his face at least, calling out to her, but she couldn’t hear him, and she kept screaming her pain and hitting him as hard as she could. Jaune had no idea how much time passed like this, a minute or half an hour, until Ruby’s punches got weaker, less frequent, and sobs started mixing in with the screaming. Instinctively, he dropped his guard and extended his arms toward Ruby, gathering her up in a hug to try and soothe her. She fought back at first, but weakly still, and gave up after a few seconds, clinging to him, crying her heart out for the love she had lost again.

    Just as he started rubbing her back like his sisters used to do for him when he was little and upset, Jaune heard rapid footsteps approaching, multiple sets. A second later, Weiss, Blake and Yang all appeared in front of him, coming from different directions. 

  “Jaune ? Ruby ?” Blake asked, incredulous at the sight before her. Yang immadiately knelt down next to them and put her arms around Ruby, trying to let her baby sister know she was there, but Ruby didn’t seem to register any of it, still screaming and sobbing, her voice starting to sound hoarse. Weiss brought her hands to her face, tears gathering in her eyes, instantly understanding what was going on, and a sob escaped her as well at the sight of her leader, broken by her grief, reminding her of the friend she had just lost too and didn’t take the time to mourn. The sound caught Blake’s ear, who shifted her attention to Weiss. A second later, she had her arms around the Schnee girl who buried her face in Blake’s neck and let herself cry, to Blake’s dismay.

  “What’s going on ? What happened after we fell ?” Blake asks.

    Weiss’ cries worsened, but she still managed to let out a little :

  “Penny... She...”

    But just pronouncing her friend’s name had taken all of her control and she started sobbing even harder, clinging to Blake.

  “She’s not coming back this time.” Jaune finished for her, his voice wavering with his own sobs as his hold tightened on Ruby.

    Blake and Yang’s eyes widened, then screwed shut and their own tears started falling down their cheeks. They weeped and sobbed, hugging their friends close through their own moment of grief. But not one of them sounded as much like their heart had been torn out of their chest as Ruby did. And, for all any of them knew, that might well have been the case.

    Far, far away, among the heavy branches of an imposing tree, a girl with orange hair opened her green eyes in her new world for the first time. A voice coming from her left made her turn her head to stare in that direction.

  “Hello again ! I am glad you are awake. We have to get down from here, there are some people in the forest we should go talk to. And I’m sure you’d like to see them just as much as I do.”

[chaoslordjoe]

Bloodlines AU - Tiny Warmths Part 1

The cane clacked against the Schnee Manor's front door. Winter was welcomed by Klein who always showed her to the living room, knowing she needed a rest from the trip back home for the newest addition to the home.

"Long flight, dear?" Willow asked by the staircase, sniffing her coffee.

"More like a long sail, mother. We were inspected for hours by sea/air traffic control." Winter grumbled, walking over to the sofa.

"Yes, I heard about it from the news reports. You'd think they would recognize our snowflake by now."

"I'm not sure I want to test that theory." Before she could sit down, she was welcomed by a hug from her blue-haired brother-in-law.

"Good to see you Winter." 

Winter returned the hug best she could. "You as well, Neptune. How's fatherhood?"

Neptune could only sigh. "Exhausting so far. He's almost five months and I feel like I'm still getting used to all this."

"Weiss certainly wasn't kidding about how anxious you've been." She was handed a spot of tea. "Thank you, Klein." Then she turned back to the spearman. "Is my sister adjusting any better?"

“Surprisingly. But Nicky's been dealing with colic pain, so patience is a virtue she’s been having better than me. She's taken to this so much easier than I have."

Winter sipped at her tea. "It can't be easy with both you and her running businesses."

Neptune sat taking a cup of tea. "It's not, but we've adjusted and tried to settle into a routine. Even when she's at her busiest she refuses to hire nannies and will rock or breastfeed him while on a business call."

Winter tented her fingers. "It's funny. I never really considered how that works until seeing the photos she sent me while I was overseas."

"Pretty much no choice if he’s cranky.” Neptune answered. “He won't take a bottle from Klein. That’s how much he’s already making up his own mind.”

Klein aided Willow on her way to the recliner. "I believe the important part is that I'm trying, sir."

Neptune smiled at the butler. "You are. And we are so thankful for your help, Klein."

Willow sat back down. "He's less fussy when we get him on diaper duty. But clearly..." She grunted, sitting slowly onto the chair. "Clearly he's more in favor of his mom and dad right now."

"How are your back pains, mother?" Winter asked.

"Little stiff today.” Willow answered. “I'm only having one coffee cup for Nicky's sake, due to all the hustle and bustle of preparing for a visit before you arrived."

"Weiss is changing him right now." Neptune pointed out.

Winter exhaled. "Right. Meeting the nephew...How should I present myself?"

"Just be yourself." Neptune said plainly.

"You mean the military woman shtick minus the sternness." She asked.

“That sounds about right.” Weiss Schnee answered right behind her big sister.

Winter turned her head, seeing a joyful Weiss having just gotten off of work for the day with a bundle in her arms. Inside the blue blanket was Dominick Karl Schnee, cocooned and eyeing his mother fondly. Weiss bounced him in the blanket turning him around to face a new relative.

“Dominick, can you say ‘hi’ to your auntie?” His mom requested.

The future heir revealed his little face to Winter.

He weighed in at 8 pounds and 3 ounces in a handsome little bundle of his father’s bronzed skin, light blue eyes included. His mother’s alabaster hair was spiky but neatly groomed in time for being the up and coming prince of his family’s corporation. The baby stared through Winter, moving his tiny arm out and grabbing the edge of his snuggie.

The Specialist took the plunge by reaching out her hand with an adjustment from her cane to let him hold her bigger hand. “Um…Hello, Dominick. I’m your Aunt Winter.” She greeted after a heavy pause.

The baby reached out by placing both hands around Winter’s trigger finger.

She flinched from the sudden grapple. “Is this his way of reading people?”

“I think he’s trying to figure out who you are.” Neptune observed.

Weiss gave a big smile. “Would you like to hold him? You’ll be fine, just be sure to support his head.”

Winter reached out, gently taking her nephew and still appearing uncertain. Unfortunately the toddler disagreed. Who was this mysterious lady who looked almost nothing like mommy? 

Her grasp felt unwelcoming with baby Nick kicking up a fuss. Winter cringed looking up to her sister in a panic.

“Shh-shh-shh, it’s okay honey. Mommy’s here.” Weiss cooed. “Try rocking him a bit.”

She rocked him back and forth. Except this wasn’t the left-and-right direction. This was back and forth, on the couch where things had been static. The boy whimpered from the incorrect rocking, shielding his eyes and curling up.

Weiss frowned. “I'm sorry Winter, he's just not used to you yet" She took back her son, bouncing him again to soothe his cries.

Winter frowned next. “I would know having raised you.” She wanted to comment.

Dominick was suddenly calm being set back down on the couch by Weiss. He curiously eyed the living room around him when Weiss stood up stretching across from her kin. “I’m guessing you were hoping to ask how Neptune is adjusting, sister.”

“The thought crossed my mind back on the tarmac.” Winter replied with a nod.

Neptune could only sag his shoulders. "I'd like to say that I am but then I’d be fooling myself. Last night, Weiss was in a board meeting and I swore I could get Nicky to bed. I don't know what I did wrong but he screamed his head off for almost fifteen minutes until she came to bail me out."

“It was...Troubling.” Klein recalled while he handed his infant master a rattle and chewing ring.

Weiss nodded next. “Took me a little bit to calm him down, taking even longer to bring Neptune back into his usual bouncy self.” She squeezed her husband’s shoulder when he sank further at that recollection.

“I thought he didn’t like me. But can you blame me?” Neptune defended himself. “He always stops crying for you.” He groused.

“He just needs to take some time in getting to know you, dear.” Willow coaxed. “Klein could tell you a thing or two about that.”

The butler folded his arms with a sigh. “I take no joy in being the bearer of bad memories here. But mum is right, seeing as how...He was away at work,” Klein hissed, holding back his grumpy persona. “It took our snowdrops plenty of time to adjust to myself. Until one day they started speaking hand gestures asking where she was.”

“And how does that help Neptune?” Winter asked.

“I am saying is that there must be a moment for you and young Master Dominick to connect, just the two of you. Seems I got lost in translation there, sir.” Klein admitted to the blue-hair.

“Yeah, fair enough.” Nep conceded. “It's hard to settle a baby when there's so much commotion around the manor. And he's so attached to Weiss, that I thought we'd have that instant connection. He's my son but I guess it's just as hard on him as it is on me."

During his rant, Neptune saw Dominick following his dad’s words with a quizzical head tilt. “You like me, right little fella?” He wiggled his tan finger for him to see.

The baby took a moment to look upon his rattle. Then to the ring in his mouth. Take daddy’s hand, his 5-month-old instincts told him. Nick set the rattle down and grabbed Neptune’s finger with both hands, then babbled in an interested tone.

The intellectual laughed. “Yeah I’m your daddy. Can you say ‘daddy’?”

He cooed in D-sounds, but moving onto B-noises as he wasn’t opposed to learning new noises.

Weiss folded her arms proudly. “See? He’s learning.”

Neptune picked the baby up, flashing a goofy grin and holding him proudly. “My boy!”

Nicky squealed happily and joined him in a laugh whilst reaching for his rattle. Nep bent over, handing the rattle to him and holding him to his chest during one of his evening bounces.

Winter gave the slightest hint of a smile at the bonding moment in front of her while going back to her sister. “Among the other things I’m learning to catch up on, the delivery must have given you hell.” She said.

Weiss held onto her own stomach underneath the lovely sweater.

“It was...An experience. A scary one, to be sure. But Neptune ensured I stayed in bed while I was recovering. Minus a few stitches, I’m as defiant as ever. Hopefully.” She blinked slowly while watching her son and hubby in the background.

“How bad was it?” Winter asked while snapping a picture of her nephew’s playtime.

“Klein said I was working too hard” She woefully began. “That’s what brought on the labor. However, Yang was kicking in the door and kept me calm just in time. When the contractions started, I was already aboard Yang’s Manta craft while Ruby and Neptune held onto me during our flight to the hospital.”

Winter patted her sister upon the back.

“Neptune was so panicked, and it took so long that I was wheeled in for an emergency C-section.”

“Did they go through with it?” Winter’s expression turned to that of fear. Hadn’t her sister been stabbed and nearly cut open enough times during the Salem war?

“No. But the labor was quite long.” Weiss finally answered. “While Neptune was panicking outside it was the sisters who were keeping me steady. Before they could break out the knife, Dominick was- -Ahem…” She rubbed her eyes with an itchy throat. “Apologies...Dominick was born safe and sound. So we agreed we were having only one.” Weiss sniffled.

Don’t get her wrong, it was a happy memory. But the pain was more than enough to warrant a single offspring and heir being held in her husband’s arms. Winter dried her bottom eyelid on sisterly muscle memory.

“I’m glad that he’s here.” Winter added. “Thankfully, you’re not feeling the way Blake is right now in her pregnancy.” She mentioned.

“Oh, what have you heard from her?” Weiss lightened up at hearing about her cat teammate.

Winter folded her arms. “Only that she’s feeling stir-crazy. Moving around is quite difficult for her right now. relying on Nora and Ren for their recipes in case of any strange appetites...Though Ruby has contributed some odd ideas."

“That makes Sun at her beck and call.” Weiss guessed.

“Yes, quite.” Winter answered. “You probably don’t want to know what cravings Ruby conjured up for her.”

“Somehow I’m not sure that’d help with Nicky’s colic deal.” Weiss mused, grinning at hearing a joyful squeal behind her with her husband’s starry-eyed reaction. “Oh, mother. You haven’t held him yet.” She offered.

“I bet he’s been looking forward to spending some quality time with his oma.” Willow beamed. She held out her aging arms to her son-in-law. Neptune handed baby Dominick over with the rattle included.

Willow took the rattle and handed it to her grandson, rocking him back and forth with the proudest smile she could bear at 57 years with how he’s already turning out.

“Are you happy to see your Auntie Winter yet, my Little Yeti?” She teased.

Nick cooed after a prompt nose boop from the matriarch.

“Little Yeti?” Winter questioned.

“It’s cute, but I prefer to call him Snowdrop or Nicky.” Weiss admitted, shrugging.

“Yeah, you’re gonna grow up into a big monster and give mommy and daddy the runaround huh?” Neptune baby talked to the...Well, baby.

“Please don’t jinx it, Neptune.” Weiss insisted.

The infant could only blink at his remark.

“He was awfully big for his age when he came into the world.” Willow answered, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “But it just proves his strength and how he didn’t mean to give his Muti such a hard time. No you didn’t!” She teased the little one next, giving him a raspberry earning another laugh.

Weiss gave a dreamy sigh. “Oh, don’t you worry just yet my little snow monster. We’ve got a lot more to figure out.” She earned a babble of agreement out of her son.

Winter got up. “And hopefully he...Mmgh.” Another grunt, she steadied herself with grasping the cane. “He won’t run too much when I’m on babysitting detail. I’ll be in my office.”

Her sister got up, taking her arm. “Here. Let me help.”

“I’m okay, Weiss. Really.” The specialist insisted with her cane wobbling at her sister’s touch.

“No you’re not.” She backtalked. But not before supporting her. “Is your leg acting up again?”

“...Yes. My painkiller prescription has been delayed ever since President Baum had cut back on Specialist healthcare in light of the frontline grunts. Not that I blame them.” Well, that hurt to mention the G.I.'s of Atlas in light of her own health problems sustained in the line of duty.

“Then you should be in bed.” Weiss demanded. Not as CEO, but as her sibling.

Winter nodded. “Good idea. Klein, could you please get my laptop?”

“Certainly, Winter.” The butler answered. “You do look like you need a leg pillow as well.”

“It wouldn’t hurt.” Winter answered with a small smile. “Mother, Neptune, will you be alright with Dominick?”

“Of course, dear.” The older mom told her.

“Yeah, we got him.” Neptune answered with another warm nod.

-------

A/N: Unfortunately, due to Tumblr having a frigging character limit, this must be posted in two parts. Until then, hope you enjoy the first part of this segment.

[princeofassassins]

Preventing the Second Fall of a Maiden - RWBY V8C13 Spoilers.

After Yang fell, soon Blake and Weiss followed after her. Penny was locked in a fight with Cinder and was feeling intense pain as her body started to decrease in vitality. She hadn't gotten use to this feeling but she understood the longer she fought, the worse her chances would be to defeat Cinder. But she had to try.

Meanwhile, Neopolitan's deft swordsmanship had managed to guide Ruby into a precarious position, and was well positioned to finish the fight. Penny noticed the danger and managed to slip past Cinder and dart to Ruby's side.

She put all her weight into a kick aimed at Neo to separate her from Ruby as much as possible. But Neo's form shattered to reveal about thirty meters away Neo standing alone, with her hands mockingly held open as if she had no idea what happened. Penny flew over the edge desperate to see if Ruby had already fallen. She could not see anything, just a void of black beyond the golden pathways of this realm.

Enraged she looked back and Cinder and then at Neo.

"You will pay for what you have done to my friends" she screamed as fire blazes around her eyes. Burning so hot they almost began to hurt but not anywhere as painful as what she felt.

Her vocal cords trembled, full of blind rage towards the duo. She must do this. Nothing mattered more, the screaming citizens, and what lay beyond seemed to all melt away.

"Hey Penny, have you noticed anything else you've lost?" Cinder inquired as she pulled out Staff of Creation from behind her back. "I snatched it off of you while you were distracted by something. "

Penny looked at the Staff and down to her it was located just moments ago. Cinder must have taken it while she was pursuing Neo's illusion, Penny realized.

She placed her fingers on the side of her head, how could she have let this happen. All her friends had fallen off the path to their presumed deaths and she hadn't been able to stop it. Now the even the relic was gone. She couldn't protect anything.

"Well if there isn't anything more you wish to give to me, Neopolitan and I will be taking our leave. We have gotten exactly what we wanted." Cinder said with a smirk, as she used her flames to descend towards Neo and evacuate towards the Atlas Portal.

Penny felt a strange blend of shock and anger! "Whaaaat? You think you can do all this and leave like nothing happened? Did not you come here for my power? I won't let you take the staff after all you've taken from me. "

Cinder and Neo continued to walk towards the portals. Penny was a whirlwind of negative emotions. She knew this was probably a trap to get her to follow but why did that matter. They were about to take the staff, her friends might have died and they were about to leave with even more. How could she just let herself be this useless. What was the point of having the Maiden powers if she had to let them walk away after all of the hurt they caused.

"PENNNNY. C'mon PENNY WE NEED TO GO." a familiar voice shouted from one of outside.

All of a sudden, thousands of shouting voices filled her head as she her surroundings returned to her. She had recognized Jaune, standing about one hundred feet away. How long had he been here, and how long had she been fighting for. The time all seemed to be meaningless between the start and end of the fight.

"JAUNE" Penny yelled as she closed the distance and joined Jaune on a path. "It's..... about.....Ruby...Team RWBY" she said slowly, as her breathing intensified. "Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang have all fallen. I do not know what happens but I could not save them."

Water droplets started to form around her eyes as she stated this. She crumpled towards the ground and looked down ashamed of her weakness.

"They took the Staff too" she said before taking a breath and pushing herself off from the ground. "But I am not done yet. I am the only one left who can stop them and we are almost out of time. Go to Vacuo."

Jaune remembered the last time he heard those words. When he was in Vale and Pyrrah had sent him off to fight Cinder alone. When he waited for hours and hours, helpless to do anything before learning what happened to her. If there was something more he could have done or said to stop her from going. He wasn't strong enough to stop her sacrifice the last time it happened.

"Penny you know it's just a trap, they want you to rush in headfirst and they'll tear you apart. You can't beat both of them!" Jaune said firmly to Penny, he said forcefully.

"What am I supposed to do. If I let them get away, they have everything. I can not let that happen." Penny said as the fires near eyes reignited, causing the tears to burn away as a strong wind emerged underneath her and slightly deafened the area around her.

"They don't have everything Penny. They dont have you." Jaune stated. "If we leave through the portal, we have allies and if they come through we can fight them together but I don't want you to become another Martyr. Please, Penny."

"But the others! I just....I can not...leave them behind and not..." Penny objected.

Jaune pleaded. " I know how it can feel to lose someone you care about, and I don't want them to get away either. But this isn't the end. We don't know what happened but you are still alive and you can still help us a lot and no matter what happens Remnant needs you Penny. Trust me!"

Penny found herself very conflicted, and wanted to stay and fight but ultimately decided to listen. Her eyes closed and her breathing shortened as she slowly levitated towards Jaune.

"You are right, I suppose. Ruby and the others would not want this. We...have to Go" Her tears drying up as she sniffled quietly trying to recompose herself for the others awaiting her in Vacuo

Jaune offered her with a handkerchief. "I'm sorry I can't be more help, I know this doesn't do a lot".

"Thank you for this" Penny quiety said. "I will be ready the next time. I won't let what happened be in vain"

"Now we should both go before they realize they can, make this place disappear by asking for anything to be made" Jaune hastily said as he jogged off to the exit. They both ran through the exit portal, unaware of what truly was happening to Team RWBY Below.

[heliosthegriffin]

Establishing Dominance

“Fearless Leader! I challenge you over leadership of team JNPR, accept or forever be a nerd!” Nora shouts at Jaune from on top of the lunch table, standing on his lunch, absolutely ruining Jaune’s nuggies.

Murmurs overtook the cafeteria at her proclamation, it was bold challenge indeed and one if ignored would permanently label Jaune as a nerd. Many people looked at Jaune as if he would bolt from the cafeteria in fear or as if he would crack immediately and surrender the title of leader to Nora so that he may not face her wrath, not that many would blame him, Nora hits hard. But to their surprise, Jaune merely smirked at her challenge, a new wave of murmurs rippling outward.

Jaune had been anticipating it for weeks that Nora would challenge him for leadership of team JNPR, so he wasn’t surprised she had finally did so. He wasn’t surprised she wanted to be Leader, it could be pretty fun at times and he saw how much she wanted to be Queen of the team , he was also pretty sure she wanted that crown he made of twigs, twine and, duct tape he wore in his spare time.

“Very well Nora, consider your challenge accepted.” Jaune said with a warm, smooth confidence.

Nora rocked back as if struck, not expecting this level of nonchalance from her friend and leader. Sure, she knew he would accept her challenge, he had far too much pride not too. But, for him to smile and welcome it? It threw her off guard.

A beaming smile came easily though, this just made it all more exciting.

“Very well, soon to be Fearful of me Leader, I will await in the Emerald forest for you, be there or be square!”

“Count on, it Nora.” Between the eyes of the blond and the ginger, one could swear they saw lightning hopping between them.

Ren signed tiredly, and Pyrrha looked torn between blushing at Jaune’s sudden confidence, and smiling warmly at Nora’s antics.

Yang was watching intently on the two, Ruby looked anxious, Weiss looked on wondering how her life became so insane, and Blake was already writing in her notebook.

The challenge was a serious matter, one he wasn’t letting it go without a fight, he worked really hard on the Crown of Juniper and he’d be damned if some upstart took it from him! ... And, he was the only one with leadership skills out of the four of them, he guessed. There was also the matter of Nora getting bored by afternoon and hand the reigns back over to him, but that would still be most of a day with Nora in charge of team JNPR, and while he may love that insane girl he did not want to clean up the mess after letting her lead.

What did surprise him was the fact she had waited long enough for him to find his semblance before challenging him, that was kind of her. Too, bad he was all out of mercy today. The Crown was his and his alone!

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Jaune and Nora stared at each other, standing twenty feet apart from each other in a dirt circle thirty feet in diameter. Surrounding them was a crowd of people who turned out to watch them.

Jaune stood tall and proudly with his hair moving in the faint breeze, with the way the sun hit his face he could have been confused for a warrior-prince of old. Though, it was to be noted, only thing covering his body was a baby blue robe.

Nora faced Jaune with her arms crossed somehow managing to look down on him despite nearly being a foot and half shorter. Her turquoise eyes glittering with mischief like a the old Trickster spirits of old. Interestingly enough, she too only wore a robe, hers a pretty cherry blossom pink.

Goodwitch, and Winter Schnee, stood facing the two juggernauts of personality that were her students.

“Strip!” The two yelled out unison.

With that the robes dropped, and the crowd went wild, as nothing could obscure their sight of the Nora and Jaunes naked bodies any longer.

Pyrrha, Velvet, Coco, Ruby, and so many others turned red in the face screaming in ecstasy. The level of excitement in the crowd could not be measured by mere words.

Ren was taking a nap in the dorm, Weiss was sleeping with him; White Lotus for life, Bitches!

Goodwitch and Winter then held up their hands silencing the crowd, and said together, “FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME!” Holding up a bottle of baby oil.

Goodwitch approached Jaune with a maniac look in her eyes and Winter Schnee did the same to Nora. Using their semblances they covered each and every inch of the two’s superhuman physiques! Making them glisten and glow in the sunlight, highlighting their beauty to a godly extent!

Many in the crowd could no longer take it and fainted on the spot, in fact so vast was the spell put on them, even those in Mistral, Atlas, and Vacuo trembled in ecstasy knowing something freaking hot was happening. Half the crowd then fainted, Pyrrha and Ruby were just one of the many casualties.

Winter and Glynda scurried quickly out of the arena to join the screaming masses as the Jaune and Nora began stretching, knowing their job done.

Nora rolled her shoulders, hopping in place. “Last chance to back out, Jaune. I won’t think any less of you.”

Jaune arched his back, his hands on his hips, stretching till he heard a gratifying pop. “Oh? Is that mercy from the queen, I hear? How rare. I’m afraid I have to refuse,” Jaunes eyes narrowed a Nora’s own. “A king never backs down.”

Nora’s smile could cut a man down. “Oh well, I tried.” And then she crushed two apple sized lightning dust crystals in her hands, lightning dancing across her body, eyes and hair which shot up like a middle finger to gravity, and she shivered in masochistic pleasure. “Oh yeah, that’s the stuff.” She cracks her neck. “When I win, I’m snorting that shit off your dick!”

Jaune stomps a foot down, a shock-wave sending dust flying away from him, as he squared up, his aura flaring as he amped up it up. “Don’t threaten me with a good time Nora, you’ll just make me fight harder~”

“Hehehe,” Then with a crack of thunder, the ground where Nora once stood crumpled, a series of foot prints broke the ground in a straight towards Jaune before Nora blurred into sight before Jaune throwing a right jab at his jaw!

Jaune however felt more than saw her, as his aura dangled a spider thin thread of awareness of where Nora was coming. Tilting his head to the side avoiding the jab, and then bringing up his left arm to block her left cross.

He put up his guard as she had him on the defensive, as Nora sent a avalanche of jabs to prod his defense. He felt her tiny, dense hands hit his aura clad arms like a automatic shotgun! Each blow sending him inching ever so slightly back.

But, his defense held, no matter the number of punches she could send, she couldn’t break his defense yet! So he waits and watched for her to over extend.

Nora felt a flash of danger in her aura sense, and jumped back over ten feet just as Jaune nearly grabbed her wrist, a move that would have left her at the mercy of his superior reach.

Jaune saw his chance and rushed Nora, sending his own valley of jabs, but keeping the superior range of his arms in account to send punches that put him a much lower risk than she was by staying out of her reach.

Nora chose to block the first set of jabs, and instantly regretted it, as Jaune may have been much slower than Nora sending out maybe one punch per five of her own, his superior range, mass, and aura amplification let him hit almost five times harder than her! Each of his hands glowing with primordial light, each hit releasing a shock wave of sheer force, each punch feeling like a artillery shell from an Atlas Warship, and they only grew harder to endure as she could feel Jaune’s aura amping higher and higher.

Nora made a tactical decison to keep herself in the fight, and let one punch hit her downward into the chest, just as she leaned back and jumped! She was launched across the arena, but that’s what she wanted, to get space.

She wiped out across the dirt, but soon regained control, and clawed her hands into the dirt and pulled herself into a crouch. She focused her electric power and her semblance, shifting her allocation of power from strength to speed, stamina, and reflexes. She just couldn’t hit hard enough to fight Jaune on equal ground without Magnihild, but weapons weren’t allowed in Leadership Challenges, but she could definitely out speed him and possibly, out last him, and if nothing else leverage her superior fighting experience to win.

Jaune felt more than saw her change in stance, as a gust of wind hit him and with it what felt like a thousand hits to his solar plexus. A gasp was forced out him, as his amped up danger sense could no longer keep track of Nora. He re-speced near instantly and put his perception into defense, he couldn’t keep track of Nora and defend against at the same time. He crouched and guarded letting her hit like a lightning.

But, so what if she was lightning? He’d be the earth that grounded her!

He could feel her chipping away at his aura, even as he amped its regeneration. He smiled with pride, but knew he couldn’t play defensive forever. She’d wear him down.

Nora hit him with everything she had, making sure to hit consecutively in the same spot so he’d really feel it. But, it didn’t feel like she was making a real dent in his reserves. Then she saw it, a slight tremble in his left calf.

She lunged forward and kick his tree trunk of leg a dozen-dozen times, then it went flying like she wanted. Jaune’s body leaving the earth, she smirked, didn’t matter how good your defense was, if you’re in the air you’re at gravity's mercy, and gravity is a bitch.

Nora got behind him and put her power into strength again and let him have it. Throwing him up sky high, Jaune disappearing like a twinkling star. That wasn’t the end of it thought, and Nora shattered the ground following him up.

Jaune never knew the Emerald forest was so pretty from a couple thousand feet up, but you learn something knew everyday. But, what he did know is that Nora would follow up that assault with something gruesome. So he re-amped his awareness, by twice, by tens times, by hundreds times, by a thousand! Then he felt it that the spider thread awareness widening into an almost prescience level of knowledge as he knew not saw where Nora was coming from.

He could laugh, that it was her throwing him up here that gave him the chance to actually track her. He followed the threads of awareness, and looked above as Nora tried to hit him with a spinning double axe kick to his head.

He caught her by the feet the moment gravity renewed her hold on the two, he gave her a wink, and as they fell he spun her by the feet faster and faster till he let her go, sending her down with a air shattering shock wave.

Nora hit the ground like a ginger meteor and she crumpled prone the last vestiges of semblance going out, her hair falling down, and a shock wave knocking over unfortunate watchers.

They wouldn’t get a chance to get back up soon, as Jaune landed on Nora with a shockwave as Jaune mounted her stomach, a hand cocked back.

“Still want to fight to be leader?” Jaune asked smiling, a glowing hand cocked.

“Nope!” Nora said cheerfully. “Maybe later~, but, that was the most fun I’ve had since I got here!”

“That’s great Nora!” Jaune said getting up. “Now is there anybody else that wants to fight me for leadership of team JNPR?”

“Yeah, I do!” Yang yelled out, striping out of her clothes, showing off two double DD’s.

“Me too!” Coco said stripping in tandem.

“Oh, whys that?” Jaune asks.

“Well you can’t strip naked, and fight, then leave! We came here to watch y’all fuck! Now you’re going to leave us blue balled! Oh, hell no!” Yang says, while Coco nods.

“Then come get some!” Jaune said still naked and glistening!

AN: I had fun writing this. The original idea was Jaune and Nora getting oiled up and a wrestling, but it somehow turned into this.

[wu-sisyphus-gang]

Motion Sickness Chapter 68

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It was one of those old crush dreams. And I could tell it was a dream. It had Weiss in it and she was wearing her old Beacon era outfit so I knew it was fake. That it wasn't real. It put the dream in that odd category of semi-lucid.

I was dealing with the Boarbatusk in Ports's old classroom. I was using my old sword. I felt small as I fought it.

"Save that kid!" Weiss shouted down at me. It was disorientating like she was shouting through molasses. "Jaune, save him."

I turned away from where she was alone in the seats calling to me. There was this kid down in the pit with me. I couldn't make out his face. It was that kind of dream. Colors blurred and I slew the professor's Boarbatusk.

Instead of dissolving into ash it turned into a matted mess of worms and centipedes. They overran the kid who called out something as a centipede slid over his wrists and locked tight.

I took a step forward but my legs got wrapped up by one of the Grimm worms. It wrapped over my flesh and the slime it left behind stung me.

A centipede wrapped around both my wrists and locked tight. It looked at me. It made a smug, Grimm face at me.

I tried to scream as the bugs ran over my body.

I woke up trying to scream but it only came out as a meek groan. I couldn't move and my wrists and legs still burned where the bugs had touched me.

I was awake enough to know what I was going through. Sleep paralysis, they called it. I drooled on myself a little and couldn't shut my mouth as I lay in the cot they'd stuck me in.

I waited and eventually I was able to move again. I sat up. An orderly came by in the hospital. They had to check on us every thirty minutes just in case one of us tried to commit suicide. That was the kind of ward I was stuck in. It seriously sucked.

I stood up, tired of being watched from the doorway when the nurses came by. They hadn't taken my armor or my huntsman clothes. That told me that they wanted me comfortable. Just so long as I wasn't dangerous.

I was still dangerous. I had my gods damn semblance. Nothing could take that from me.

I striped the clothes off and hung it all next to the sink as I stepped into the in suite shower and washed myself down. I felt fucking disgusting and my dream had left me shaking. My wrists and legs burned still.

Sleep didn't even hit the same anymore.

I couldn't trust it. I couldn't trust in my mind while I rested. I wasn't allowed to rest. It fucking sucked. Plus they took my weed from me and I hadn't had the chance to talk to a doctor who could prescribe something real for me.

All I had was reality. Cold and sober even in the hot shower. At least Neo could bust me out anytime I wanted, basically. They'd taken my scroll too so I couldn't call her but she'd be around. I might just take her up on it, too.

They had me locked in this place. This hospital had us under watch from the doorways at all times even through the night so my rest wouldn't have been restful even if I didn't have the nightmares.

I scrubbed at my eyes hard and thought about the people I was doing this for. Ruby. Weiss. Yang. Blake. My old friends. I had to give this a try otherwise I was a coward. Otherwise I wanted to be sick.

I picked at the inside of my ear as I stood in the shower. I could feel things crawling around beneath my skin. The shower water pounded against the ground and with it came the whispering sound of Mother's voice.

“Come to me… lend me your strength…”

I shuddered.

“I have a favor to ask you, child. Run. Run away.”

I wanted to slam my head into the shower tile wall. I hosed myself off with the little soaps they'd provided me and tried to relax as best as I could. It wasn't working so great. I wanted to hurt myself. I wanted to smoke. I wanted to die. I wanted to see my friends.

My feelings were all bottled and mixed up into a hue of utter nothingness.

It was still fairly late and I was sure I wouldn't get any more sleep tonight. Nothing good would happen to my thoughts if I did. That was when she got me. While I was sleeping I was vulnerable to her.

I was so fucking unsafe and had been for a long time. A month or more. Ever since that day I'd murdered my own friends nothing had gone my way. The things I'd learned about myself only dragged me down.

I hated it. I hated being alive. For the thousandth time I cursed Merlot who'd doomed me to this existence without a care in the world. My creator… I would make him pay. He would suffer for bringing me into this world and dooming me to be tortured so. I could feel her fingers on the surface of my mind.

They were surgical and touched me so gently but they were there, digging deep into my thoughts like tentacles. It would feel so good to give in to them. It could be everything I ever wanted.

"Mr. Arc? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I called out to the nurse outside of the bathroom. "I'm the same as I've always been," I whispered in a quieter tone.

I could get through this. I was a hunter damnit. That meant something to me.

Does it?

The voice questioning me was my own. And it had a good point. All my dreams about being a hunter were fake. It was as fake as my name. It was given to me by an alien goddess.

She was working her way into me. She was breaking me down. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep it up. It felt like water against a rock. Eventually it would erode. Except the rock was my mind. It was my psyche pit against hers.

"Can I get you anything Mr. Arc?"

"Something to help me relax and sleep?" I asked back.

"Just a moment." The male nurse walked away. He came back and placed a pill on a counter. "It's Clonazepam, just let it dissolve under your tongue. It should help with anxiety and sleep."

"Thanks," I breathed.

I stepped out of the shower and dried off. I savored the rough feel of the towel against my skin. The cloth was low quality and boy it felt good. I took the pill and let it dissolve under my tongue. It was incredibly sweet to the taste. I swallowed.

I immediately felt a little more relaxed but it was a bit more relaxed about being mind raped. There was only so much the drugs could do, surely. I was in it for real and I was in deep.

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"So tell me about what brings you in here Mr. Arc." My counselor was a woman. Middling height with brown hair and green eyes. She looked trustworthy. A strong jaw and high cheek bones made her classically good looking, too. She was maybe fifty, maybe a bit older. She didn’t have the good looks of a hunter, though.

Dr. Caulbaugh was her name. And after a short introduction I was supposed to share with her my deepest darkest secrets. It was necessary for this thing to work.

"The general didn't tell you anything?" I asked. We were locked alone in a room. If I so chose I could rip her in half. Probably not a good sign that I was thinking like that. But I was.

"No, he didn't. It's up to you what you share with me. But the more honest you can be the better we can make things for you." She smiled at me and picked a pen at the corner of her mouth. An actual pen as opposed to a data pad.

"And you work with hunters?" I asked.

"Primarily. My background is in trauma victims. The overlap, I think, would surprise you."

“Not really.” As far as trauma went hunters had to be up there. Between killing people and watching their friends die day in and day out there was a lot of trauma to be had. I maybe knew a thing or two about that. I nodded and flushed out my half cape in the chair. I swept it behind me."That's why you lot let me keep my armor and clothes."

"Hunters are more comfortable in their wear. And armor isn't exactly a threat." She smiled again, trying to disarm me. That's the real reason she let me keep my cloak, armor, and clothes. That's the real reason I wasn't in a gown.

I kept nodding anyway.  

"Please, tell me about yourself, Mr. Arc."

"My father was a test tube and my 'mother,'" I gave the word quotation marks. "Was an incubator. I was created in a laboratory by a scientist named Merlot from the genetic material of a woman named Salem. My other mother."

"You're serious?" Her jaw dropped a little. It shouldn't have been outside the range of possibility. Especially in a technophilic place like Atlas.

I nodded again.

"Okay." She started writing.

"I'm biologically twenty but I'm chronological three or four."

"Oh my gods." She swore a little. She seemed a little shocked. I had been too, though. So there was that.

"Yeah. I joined Beacon academy when I was 'seventeen.' I was there when the academy went down. My partner was killed in the action. Her name was Pyrrha."

"Okay." She murmured scrawling at her clipboard.

"I killed for the first time maybe nine months after that. I just ripped this bandit in half."

"How many people have you killed?"

"I've lost count. Maybe a hundred. Maybe more," I confessed. "A lot of people."

"Okay. Alright." She kept writing frantically. "You're very young to have such a high body count."

"You've met other four year olds with a higher body count than me?" I laughed.

"N-no."  She mumbled. She picked the pen at the corner of her mouth. A nervous habit, maybe.

"Sorry. Bad joke."

"No, please go on."

"I was there when Haven was attacked. A month ago or so. Not sure if you heard about it."

"I hadn't…"

"I'm sure some details are classified. But while I was there my Mother, Salem took control over my mind. She made me kill two of my friends."

"You mean, like with a semblance?"

"Kinda," I shrugged. "I bet details about my Mother are classified above top secret. I'm sure I can't share much with you."

"That's alright."

"And ever since then I've had tactile, visual, and auditory hallucinations. I hear her voice. I see shadows. I feel bugs crawling around in my face and in my eyes."

"I see. I see. Then what happened after Haven?"

"I found my 'father's' laboratory. That's where I learned the truth about me. I had fake memories, you see. Then I came here."

"From Mistral?"

"I snuck into the country. Report me."

"I'm not going to report you."

"I was so worried you would," I said facetiously. "So what do you think, doc? Do I have PTSD?"

"Almost certainly," she was still writing very quickly. "Mr. Arc you have quite the tale to tell."

"Do I make your list of top ten weirdest patients or what?"

"You just might." She laughed. "Have you ever tried to take your own life?"

"Just after I killed my friends at Haven I tried to kill myself."

"What happened?"

"Couldn't focus. My aura wouldn't let me." I squeezed a fist as I recalled the memory. I inhaled deeply and tried to relax like I was about to try it again now.

"I see. I want to run through some mood scales with you. Is that alright?"

"Sure." I shrugged. I had no idea what those were.

"Now I want you to tell me if you've experienced these things over the past month. If you've experienced it all of the days, most of the days, half of the days, a few of the days, or none of the days."

"Shoot."

"Feeling down, depressed or hopeless?" She asked.

"All of the days."

"Feeling like a failure, like you've let yourself down?" She went on.

"All of the days. My father classified me as a failure of an experiment, even."

"Feeling like you'd be better off dead or having thoughts of hurting yourself?" She was unrelenting.

"All of the days."

"Poor appetite or the reverse, over eating?"

"A few of the days."

"Poor sleep or the opposite, getting too much sleep?"

"All of the days."

"Which one?"

"I have nightmares from Mother. I can't sleep. I'm even afraid of sleeping. She gets me while I sleep."

She wrote notes on her clipboard. "How have you been sleeping since you arrived?"

"Poorly."

"Okay, I'll prescribe you something for that. Next scale. Moving too slow, to the point someone would have noticed or the opposite, being more fidgety than usual?"

"None of the days."

"Fear or worrying about a great many subjects?"

"All of the days."

"Well Mr. Arc…"

"What? Never had a mind controlled patient before?"

"I can't say that I have. It seems to me you don't believe I'll be able to treat you."

"That's because I'm not actually crazy. I have someone else in my head."

"I don't think you're crazy Mr. Arc. That's not what PTSD is. I'm going to get you started on some of our atypical antipsychotics. They'll help stabilize your mood and you should notice the effects immediately."

"Which one?"

"It's called Asenapine. Have you heard of it?" She asked.

"No." I shook my head. I hadn't heard of any of the medications. I was no expert. My brain was in this woman's hands. I had to just trust her.

"Well it should help stabilize you. I want to run a genetics test on you to see which medications you'll respond best to in the meantime."

"I'm willing to bet my genetics are classified."

"Because of your origin?"

"Yeah. Because of my creation."

"Well I'll see about getting through on those. In the meantime I'm keeping you on Clonazepam and Asenapine."

"And you think that'll help?"

"Well it's not an exact science but we should be able to find a medication combination that works for you," she returned.

"We'll see, doc. I'm told you're who I should talk to about being released. About getting my weapon back, too."

"You hunters are all about getting your weapons. You're not ready to leave here, Mr. Arc. I'm putting you in for a three day hold."

"Three days?"

"Three days minimum. It's my professional opinion that you need serious help. You don't need a weapon in your hands right now."

"I could be doing real serious good. I could be saving lives."

"You could also be taking them."

"That's the job. That's what hunters are for. Let alone what I am for. I was made to kill people. I think. I’m not sure."

"You mentioned your friends. What were their names?"

"Ren and Nora." She looked over her board at me, looking deadly serious.

"Unless you want there to be more like that you'll remain calm and go through the therapies I recommend."

"Very well."

"You still seem doubtful. That sort of obstinacy is counter productive to your treatment. A large part of it is your belief."

"I'm being mind controlled. There's no cure for that. And the things I am? Where I came from? That shit's permanent."

"This mind control event is where your psychosis started? It's why you resorted to marijuana?"

"Maybe. There might have been psychosis before.."

"Then let us help you Mr. Arc. This isn't forever. You'll be back out in the field. It's my firm belief that your stay here is temporary. Have faith in the treatments. I think we can make some serious progress with your psychosis."

"I agreed to this in the first place."

"Then have faith. You're not doomed, Mr. Arc."

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-WG

[howlingday]

my cat died and i'm sad, but when I'm sad i like to read about other people overcoming their own depression, you wanna write a story about jaune learning to function and be a hero while depressed?

Time to step up...

Jaune felt heavy. His entire body was like lead. He looked to the time and saw it was ten in the morning, much later than his usual six o' clock wake up. He groaned as he lifted his body out of bed. "Another day..."

Jaune's team and and their friends had already had breakfast and cleaned up the table. Ruby was reading a comic on the couch while Nora sat in front of her to write in her notebook. Yang was playing a video game on her scroll at the table, while Blake watched over her shoulder. In the kitchen, Ren was preparing for lunch, with Weiss as his assistant. He must have said, "Mornin'," a hundred times before reaching into the cupboard and grabbing a package of toaster pastries.

He sat at the table, and everyone gabbed around him. A cacophony of different conversations happening all at once. He managed to eat through half of his breakfast before deciding he was done. He returned to the kitchen, where he packaged it into a sandwich bag for later. On his way back to his room, he saw it was his turn to patrol tonight. He sighed and made his way back up.

"Hey, Jaune." He stopped midway and saw Yang standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Are you okay?"

He wasn't. Everything ached, and he felt like it was all his fault. Her arm, the Fall, Pyrrha's death, and the increase of Grimm activity around them all since. It might have been selfish of him just to put all the blame on his shoulders like this, but if anyone deserved the blame right now, it was him. But then his friends would worry, and they would pity him, like they always did before. "I'm fine."

He retreated upstairs before Yang could follow-up, leaving them all for the rest of the day. Yang sighed and turned back to her friends. They all stopped what they were doing and had their eyes on Yang and the stairs.

"I tried." Yang shrugged. "I really did."

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Nora asked. "Jaune's usually a sad guy sometimes, I know, but he's been a lot mopier lately."

"He might still be adjusting to the change of scenery." Ren offered, peeking out of the kitchen. "He's been through a lot, with not a lot of time to really heal from it."

"So he's healing?" Ruby asked.

"No, he's not." Yang sighed. "He's... Well, he's not hurting, but he's not healing either. It's like when I lost my arm. I had a lot on my mind, and not a lot to do about it."

"He knows we're here to help him, right?" Weiss asked. "Like we've always been?"

"He knows we're here," Blake said, "but he doesn't know if we can help him. Jaune probably feels like if there's a problem with him, only he can fix it."

"But he's not fixing it, is he?" Ruby asked.

Yang shook her head. "Best he's doing, Ruby, is putting it off until later."

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

Jaune patrolled through the street for what felt like the millionth time that night. He checked his scroll, and only two hours had passed since he began. The street-lights blared blindingly over his head as lights in homes came on for dinner. He had his early to compensate for missing it later.

Nothing happened in this town, and he was grateful for it. Better peace and quiet than chaos and screaming. He sighed at that with a smile as he soldiered on. Time to start his million and first patrol around these streets.

Everything was calm and eerie until the gentle silence was broken a few hours later. He heard a rustling from a bush and moved closer to investigate, hand on his sword. A child fell through, wearing a blue shirt and cargo shorts. Not long after, a boy fell on top of him, wearing a red shirt.

"What are you kids doing out here?" Jaune asked, removing his hand from his sword, only to ball it into a fist. He should have started with, 'Are you okay?', and be more sympathetic.

"We were playing out in the woods, but we lost track of time." The red boy said. "We were just getting home now."

"Are there any more of you in there?"

"Nuh-uh." The blue one answered. "Midoriya should be at home by now."

"Mm." Jaune nodded. "And what are your names?"

"I'm Rotfeld," the boy in red answered, "and this is Azulan. We were playing outside the barrier when we saw red eyes in the darkness."

"Well, you're all very lucky to have made it, but you better go home fast. I need to report this."

"We will!" The blue dragged the red as they fled from Jaune. "Thank you, Mister Huntsman!"

Jaune smiled at that. It felt good to to be treated with respect like that. His thoughts then turned sour as he realized his mistake of not asking to escort them home. He was such a worthless huntsman, not even able to follow the simplest rules. Why was he so dumb? So stupid?! So worthless?!

After a deep breath, he checked his scroll, noticing he missed a call. Opening it, he answered. "Jaune."

"Hey, it's Yang." The blonde on the other side spoke. "We just got a call about a missing kid. Can you look into it?"

"I just ran into some kids, and they should all be at home by now." Jaune replied. "They were a boy in a red shirt, and a blue shirt."

"What about green?" Yang asked. "The parents said their son was wearing a green shirt today."

"When did they call about this?" Jaune asked, his blood running cold.

"A few minutes ago." Yang answered. "Their son's name is-"

"Midoriya." Jaune looked to where the boys came from.

"Yeah, but how did you-"

"Yang, go to every house and make sure everyone is at home. I need you to pull secondary for now."

"Uh, sure, but why?"

"Because I need to investigate outside town right now. Midoriya could be in trouble out in the woods."

"Alright." Yang nodded. "Need any backup?"

Jaune looked around where he was. He saw house with a flickering streetlamp and an anti-White Fang sign. He nodded.

"Give me an hour." Jaune replied. "If I don't answer, I went out from by the house with the flickering streetlamp and an anti-White Fang sign out front."

"Got it. And Jaune?" He looked to her. "Be safe." He nodded, and pushed through the bushes. On the other side, he found a hole in the fence that led out to the woods.

"Alright, Jaune." He breathed to himself. "Time to be a hero."

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

Midoriya shivered under the old, fallen tree he took shelter in. He got into an argument with Rot and Azu, but what it was about, he couldn't remember. Just like he couldn't remember the way home, since Rot led them all out here. Everything was trees and shadows. Countless pairs of golden eyes peered through the darkness, making him feel weak and vulnerable.

A crack in the darkness hitched his breath. He covered his mouth and hid against the tree. Fiery red eyes hovered off in the distance, ringing around a shadowy form that patrolled the night enshrouded forest. It vanished behind a tree, and Midoriya breathed easier.

He wanted to go home. He wanted his mom, and his dad, and his friends. He was sorry for trying to play the hero with his friends when it was Azu's turn. He was sorry for arguing with Rot because he was being unfair. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go home! "I wanna go home!"

Wood creaked as the log above him was lifted, snapped, and tossed aside under the baleful glow of red light. Above him, shadows lengthened into tentacles from around it's gnashing teeth.

Midoriya screamed and ran as far as he could from the monster, but he was tripped up as it grabbed his ankle and pulled it towards him. He dug his fingers into the ground, screaming "No! No! No! Help! Please, help me! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

A horrible screech came from where the monster was and Midoriya felt himself lifted into the air, then set down on his feet. He blinked through his tears and saw a shining light on the belt of a hero.

"Are you okay?" The hero asked. "Can you move?"

"Uh-huh!" Midoriya answered.

"Good." He nodded, sheathing his sword and crouching. "I'm gonna get you home, okay?"

"Okay." He then picked Midoriya up, and ran, holding the boy close to him. Midoriya had never seen a huntsman so close before. He moved faster than anything he ever saw, and took tree branches to the face without wincing once. Midoriya was looking at a true hero.

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

Jaune Arc was a true idiot. He ran into the dark woods, alone. He wandered around because he forgot to ask questions to those kids. He only found the boy just as he was in danger, only just now turning on the flashlight. He turned his back on the monster to ensure the boy was safe- actually, no. That was actually the better move. But running blindly through the forest and hitting every tree branch on the way? Pure idiocy.

He made it to the hole, and set the boy down. The creature was somewhere out there, hunting him. If it followed the tree branches, it would be right on him. As he helped the boy through, he asked, "Is there anything weird about this Grimm?"

"Um, well, it has red eyes, and black skin," as all Grimm do, but Jaune was patient, "and tentacles around teeth," okay, getting closer, "and I think it can teleport."

"Teleport?" Jaune asked. "Like in the comics?"

"Uh-huh." Midoriya nodded. "I saw it from far away, but then it disappeared behind a tree. All of a sudden, it was right on top of me!"

"Okay, I think I got it." Jaune nodded. "Run straight home and tell your mom. If you see a pretty lady with blonde hair and a leather jacket, she'll help you. Also, can you tell her 'time's up' for me?"

"S-Sure." The boy crawled through the hole, and Jaune was left alone in the dark. Again.

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. As he walked forward, the only sounds he heard was the soft crunch under his feet, and the low screech of his sword leaving his shield. He stopped for a moment and listened.

Nothing. Not a hoot, nor a scratch, nor a click. The forest was silent, as though waiting with baited breath for the next move between Jaune and this Grimm. He opened his eyes, and saw only moonlight filtered through the trees. For a moment, he felt fear creep into his heart.

Red eyes blazed through the umbran shroud, and Jaune stalked forward to face his mysterious foe. He made certain he was heard, making his presence known to the tentacled abomination before him. The red fires were extinguished, and Jaune was alone in the darkness once more. Huntsman became hunted once again.

Turning on his heel, he thrust his blade forward, finding purchase in the shrieking mass of shadows and tentacles, the latter finding purchase in his legs. Jaune felt so stupid for letting his guard down like this, and felt the pain as his ramifications as it's teeth, flat and human-like at they were, chopped into his aura, flaring pain throughout his body. His sword stuck in the beast's body, all that was left was his shield.

He stretched his arm out and placed it into the mouth of the monster. Teeth slammed together, only to crack at the suddenly sturdy piece of metal wedged between. His leg freed once more, Jaune found solid ground and was able to reclaim his sword. Holding his sword tightly in his fist, he crouched below and began to stab with wild abandon above, as screeching red eyes bled black ash and smoke onto the huntsman.

Jaune didn't stop as the beast fell before him. He continued to stab, and piece, and cut, and slice until he was cutting soiled ground. Panting, he looked up to see Yang leaning against the tree.

"You good?" She asked.

"I'm..." Jaune began, but after this night of self-loathing, and a constant mistakes, and pain, and anger, and fear, he thought better. "I've been better."

[lucky-jiku]

OKAY I’M NOT OKAY.

RoosterTeeth why...

Why did you do this to me?

Spoilers below the cut.

The start of this episode was very expected. I realized that it would have to pick up right where it left off from E13. 

I can’t be the only one who expected Cinder betraying Neo and her lying to Salem, right? Because I already knew that this was going to happen the moment Neo decided to trust her. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to RWBY + Jaune and Neo in the next season.

Also can someone please explain where NORA is? Because the only thing we can assume is that she went through the portal to Vacuo, but I didn’t see her there with Ren, Oscar, and Emerald. Maybe she did and is just somewhere else? idfk I just hope she’s okay.

EDIT: Because I’m stupid... I just re-watched it with my roommates and saw Nora banging on the portal. So she’s good, but definitely might think that Jaune and the others are dead because they didn’t make it through.

BUT ON THE NOTE OF BEING OKAY...

I am horribly wounded at what happened with Penny. I had the feeling she would die because of the death flags that were placed upon her (after her getting her real body and shit like that). 

But having Jaune help her most definitely did not help Jaune. Gods I can only imagine what it’ll be like to tell Ruby that Penny is gone.... I will cry even more. I did actually cry during this episode... something that happens a lot with RWBY so it seems.

Also speaking of deaths, my gods... Vine sacrificing himself tore me apart... and seeing how it tore Harriet apart made it worse. I’m happy that Marrow, Harriet, and Elm survived. But, Vine deserved to live just as much as everyone else... poor man. His sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Also can we assume that Watts is dead too? Based on what happened at the end with him being trapped and not being able to break the glass, he’ll eventually burn to death or suffocate. And even if he is able to find a way out, there’s no telling how long he’d last since Atlas fell. With that being said, can we also assume Ironwood is dead? We didn’t see him escape the falling city and, with the water flooding in, I doubt he had time to get out. He’d likely drown trying.

CRWBY literally was like “you want trauma, we’ll give you trauma” and decided to kill like... 5 characters (Hazel, Penny, Watts, Vine, and Ironwood... am I missing an--- WAIT I forgot Jacques.... oh that’s right nobody cares and everyone is happy he died, right? lolololol)

That sudden realization that we have no clue what happened to Pietro and Maria. Granted, I think most of us assumed the worst and assumed they both perished when Amity fell. But, who knows...? They could have both survived. At least that’s the hope. 

Also, Cinder said something along the lines of “And that’s... checkmate” before she left with Salem. Very much a reference to the opening sequence with Ironwood being on a chess board.

Speaking of the opening, I was wrong in my predictions that the order for the fall would match. It was only slightly off (with Ruby falling before Weiss). But, the post-credits scene with Crescent Rose stuck in the sand(?) is very much a mirror of what we saw in the opening with it stuck in the ground. I wonder what that place is btw. It looks interesting and kinda funky.... I like it but I’m also concerned about it.

Alright.... now that we’ve got my episode thoughts and raging out of the way, lemme get to the shit that made me fucking cry:

- Penny’s death... Obviously I have an attachment to our sweet angel and seeing her suffer like she did this episode made me want to scream. I had my hands over my mouth the entire time because I was so worried and I didn’t want to scream. When she interacted with Winter to give the Maiden powers to her, I burst into tears. Especially with the line that Penny stated: “I’ll be part of you”. That’s a direct reference to what Winter told Penny when she received the powers initially from Fria (if not being a direct re-quote... I can’t remember if it is or isn’t right now).

- Jaune’s reaction to what happened with Penny... Obviously our boy Jaune has been through a shit ton of trauma in the past five volumes. He loved Pyrrha dearly and lost her to Cinder. Now he had to help someone die.... and he saw Penny as a very close friend. Obviously the trauma from having no other choice but to “kill” her is going to weigh heavy on his mind. In fact, he might be the one who has to tell Ruby and that’s going to be even more heartbreaking. Jaune has had some serious character development and I cannot wait to see what is in store for him in V9.

- Winter’s reaction to Weiss falling + how she reacted around her family... Winter has really been a stoic character since we first met her. I was happy to see her finally gain a more “human” side (citing that she said she was the machine/robot this episode) and let her emotions out. Seeing her break after her sister fell caused me to break as well. She and Blake both turned that sadness into rage and determination, but Winter had a better handle on it because she realized what she had to do was important. She probably also thinks that Weiss is dead (since she has no idea what exists down there or if anything at all does exist down there). Adding on to that, when she saw her family (Willow and Whitley + Klein) was heartbreaking. She will have to tell them eventually and when she does, I’m sure Willow will be broken even more.

- Qrow’s reaction... You couldn’t hear what he was saying when he heard something in his earpiece, but you could tell what he was told by his reaction. And just by reading his lips, you could tell he was calling out for Ruby and possibly Yang (it was hard to tell, but I would assume he was saying Yang’s name as the second thing he said). He’s already distraught by Clover’s death last volume. Now he’s saddened by Vine’s sacrifice. And now he’s thinking that both of his nieces have died. The poor man has suffered enough. Please just let him heal, CRWBY. We need him to be happy. :(  

Edit because I forgot this part for a second. Fuck my mind lmao:

- Harriet’s agony and Elm’s pleading when Vine made up his mind.... between Harriet’s agonized screaming and Elm’s basically begging her friend not to sacrifice his life, I had so many emotions. I wanted to cry and I did. I felt so bad for those two. They had to deal with the loss of Clover and now they’ve got to deal with the loss of Vine. It’s heartbreaking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welp... hiatus time and then onward to V9. Any predictions y’all? I know it’s early, but I feel like now’s a great time to start theorizing and formulating what could possibly be thrown our way... But, as we learned with this volume, CRWBY is willing to throw anything at us... and I mean anything.

[willownoir1112]

Hello you beautiful people of Tumblr! Wyn here with day two of White Rose Week! I am humbled by the wonderful response my day one submission received, and I hope everyone continues to enjoy as we continue onward!

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Rules

No one, not even a Goddess, can ever predict a zombie apocalypse. But, to a well organized, if overly sugared mind, even a plague of brain eating former people can be survived. And if said mind is kept in check by an equally overly caffeinated, blueberry and cute dog adoring brain, well, even an attack by creatures even the Grimm fear due to not being immune may in fact be survivable.

"Listen up!" Ruby Rose roars as she looks about at the gathered survivors of Beacon Academy, which had been hit hard by the initial wave of the undead. They have all gathered inside the auditorium, which has been turned into a small fortress by the group of survivors in their desperation and fear. "My beautiful white wolf and I have been planning for this since second year, and we've come up with some rules that everyone needs to follow if we're going to survive this."

"Rules?!" Cardin Winchester cries out in terror as he sits next to a boarbatusk that is actually trembling in fear. "What good are rules against things that won't die?!"

Weiss Schnee sighs as she looks at him with sympathy for his obviously missing brain, thus making him a hundred percent safe from the rampaging hordes. "Because if we follow this list of simple rules, we will keep ourselves and others safe, you ignoramus. Or do all of you want to end up like Jaune?" She points out.

Every single head, whether it belongs to a Grimm, a human, or a faunus shakes vigorously. The blonde in question having made the mistake of approaching what they all believed to be a sick little girl. To their horror, they all watched in an odd detached fascination as the child proceeded to knock him down and start feasting on his face, while his screams turned into something that was simply not human. 

Then the rest of the zombie hordes descended upon them, which is how they all found themselves inside Beacon's auditorium, which was the closest shelter they could safely reach.

"Any other questions?" Ruby calls out, once again getting vigorous headshakes as well as murmured responses in the negative. "Ok, good! Now, let's get started!" She declares as she turns towards a salvaged chalkboard from an otherwise empty storage room and begins to write vigorously. "Rule number one, Cardio! To escape a pursuing zombie you'll need to out-run it, and that means being in good shape!"

"Welp, I'm doomed!" Automne Ombre from team TAPE declares sullenly, his leader, Tyra, nodding in agreement.

"Rennie, I promise Yang and I will take turns carrying you!" Nora Valkyrie declares as she hugs her best friend, who has a look of acceptance for his fate on his face.

Weiss shakes her head. "Ren, you and several others will need to work on your endurance. Or get very good at climbing trees and buildings."

"Arrrr. Roo, ruff ruff." A beowolf barks out next.

"He wants to point out that several Griffons have been turned as well." The Hound declares calmly from where it sits next to Weiss's twin sister Willow, her new Master.

"It was a pleasure to know you all." Ren deadpans seriously as he untangles himself from Nora. But to everyone's surprise, he suddenly strides to Emerald Sustrai and sweeps her off her feet and into a deep kiss.

"Now that's a kiss!" Ruby declares, while Weiss holds up a sign with a number nine on it. Blake holds up an eight, and Yang enthusiastically waves a ten over her head.

"Ahem, can we continue?" Professor Goodwitch calls out, even as she keeps staring nervously at the scroll held in hands threatening to shatter the device if they hold it much more tightly. "Please, Mina. Please answer me." She mutters.

"Fair enough. Ruby, rule number two please?"

"Number does! Double Tap! When in doubt, don't get stingy with your bullets!" The Reaper declares enthusiastically as she brandishes her Crescent Rose above her head.

"As we have all learned now, most zombies won't die from just one hit unless it's a shot to the head, and it will instead get up in very little time - and will then bite you." Weiss continues as the rabbit faunus fawns over her beloved weapon. "The most effective way to prevent this is to take a second shot or a follow up hit to their head which will stop them from attacking again, and surely one more shot can't do too much harm! For this to work, you will need at least two shots in your weapon at all times so you can double tap without having to worry about reloading in time."

You usually won't get that time!" Ruby singsongs before she returns to hugging her sweetheart.

"Luckily, the second shot should be easier as the first shot should take the zombie to the floor and temporarily prevent the zombie from moving." The white wolf finishes before Gibbs slapping her girlfriend. "Stop that, dolt!"

"And just what are you going to do, Weiss?" Blake calls out as she sits next to Ilia, who is staring in fascination at the full sized Drake that has managed to squeeze into the auditorium with them.

"I'm the first tap!" Ruby declares menacingly.

"And I'm the second, Kitten." Weiss follows up coldly.

"I'm convinced." Yang declares firmly as she sits next to Nora, who is watching in surprise as Ren continues to make out with a still surprised Emerald. "So what's the next rule, sis?"

"Limber Up!" She declares enthusiastically. "Before going into a zombie-infested area, you'll need to prepare for the impending running by limbering up."

Cinder Fall, who is sitting next to a shell shocked Pyrrha, holds up her hand. "Hold up! This one doesn't make much sense!"

Dr. Ara Ebony stands while nodding. "I hate to inform you of this, but despite the common notion that stretching prior to exercise reduces the chance of injury, or prepares you for a run, most modern studies point to muscle and tendon stretching exercises prior to engaging in heavy cardio actually reducing performance and increasing the likelihood of muscle, joint, and connective tissue injury." She explains calmly, getting a groan from the Reaper.

"I told you that was a ridiculous rule, Dolt." Weiss adds in agreement.

"Fine! Forget that one!" She sighs as she looks around. "Then let's go with the Buddy System!" She declares as her grin returns. "You can't always look in front of you and behind you at the same time."

"Even though the common zombie has so far proven themselves to be slow they can still surround you and trap you in a corner, so with the help of a buddy you have a better chance of clearing and keeping an area safe." The white wolf explains as she smiles. "There is also another great reason to follow this rule which would be in case you get an injury the assistance of another person can be perfect for this situation."

Velvet stands and looks around. "And, if you don't want to be with people, It's easier using a handgun to your head." 

"We have plenty of them stashed in our dorm room!" Coco adds with a cocky smirk.

"How about sharing some then?!" Cardin cries out. "I don't even own a squirt gun!"

"Apologize to my sister, and we'll talk." Sasha Scarlatina, who is in her first year growls out, her own girlfriend Sarah Arc next to her and already counting her ammo.

To everyone's complete and total surprise, the young man walks to the rabbit faunus and falls to his knees in front of her. "I'm sorry." He declares loudly enough to be heard by everyone present. "I'm an asshole, and I honestly don't deserve a single bit of kindness anyone would show me, but I'm not ready to die."

"Apology… accepted." Velvet whispers, getting a nod from Ruby and Coco both. "Admitting you're an ass is the first step."

"Let us continue." The white wolf looks at her dolt, who nods as she steps forward.

"Don't be a hero." Ruby declares sadly, while looking at the sealed off doors to the auditorium. "It's possibly the most important rule of all. Don't risk your own life just to make yourself look good."

"When taking risks in our new reality, there is always the possibility that you might get eaten alive by zombies. This isn't a risk you want to be taking so rather than trying to go for the "bad boy or bad girl look", Yang." 

"Hey! Not during all this crap!" The Brawler calls back.

"Just simply take a step back and keep yourself safe. Unfortunately, you won't make yourself look too impressive if a zombie is currently biting into your arm. However, remember that there are certain circumstances where perhaps this rule should be ignored, so that maybe you save someone who makes staying alive worth it, or making sure that you will still have a partner to back you up later - as they might be responsible for saving your life later. Always follow this rule... except when you shouldn't." Weiss stops and smiles at Ruby, who grins back at her.

"I'd definitely break it for you, Snowflake!"

"I know you would, my dolt."

"Blargh!" Nora pantomimes gagging, getting scattered laughter from the gathered survivors. 

"Miss Rose, may I add one last rule?" Headmaster Ozpin, who has silently sat next to a shocked into silence Celestia Peach this whole time, calls out.

"Well sure, Headmaster!" Ruby replies while she looks at the instructor with some concern. "And is Professor Peach ok?"

"She will be fine once she gets the image of Jaune being eaten alive out of her head." He replies as he stands and joins them at the podium. Clearing his throat, he takes a sip of coffee before beginning. "Enjoy the little things. As well as surviving all the zombies which obviously will soon be dominating our world, you'll also need to maintain a happy and sane state of mind by keeping positive."

Glynda nods as she joins him, a rare smile on her face as her daughter Silentia sleeps in her arms. "With the constant stress of staying alive with little time to put down your gun and rest, it's important that whenever you do get the time, you spend it on entertaining yourself. Of course, soon it will not be easy to entertain yourself in any extravagant way such as playing games, playing sports or watching trivid. So instead it's best to enjoy the little things that come your way whether that be having fun with another survivor, enjoying a luxury you come across, lying back and forgetting about all the problems in the world or even just destroying a whole bunch of little things. Without enjoying the little things, it's all too easy for you to lose sanity and peace of mind from the constant stress and pains of staying alive."

"We… We really can survive this, can't we?" Velvet murmurs quietly, getting nods from everyone present.

"We sure can, Velvet!" Ruby declares enthusiastically as she loads a fresh magazine into her weapon. "I'm gonna go set up on the roof and clean out the crowd. Maybe we can make it to the cafeteria before we get too hungry."

"I'll come spot for you, Ruby." Blake volunteers as she stands, a nervous Ilia whining as she clings to the panther's hand. "Stay with Weiss, ok?" She asks quietly, getting a nod in response.

"The rest of us need to prepare to reach the cafeteria. We can use tables to barricade the doors and whatnot." Weiss adds as they begin to busy themselves. But one thought runs through all their minds as Weiss gets them prepared and Ruby and several others begin to snipe the undead hordes...

When happened to them to convince them to prepare all these rules?

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-Two Years Ago, November 1st-

Weiss Schnee has regrets. Serious, unadulterated, never ending regrets. After attending her girlfriend's seventeenth birthday party, then going trick or treating (which was fun no matter how much she denied it), the two of them settled down to watch Dr. Merlot's Halloween Scare-a-Minute zombie movie marathon. 

Under normal circumstances, the white wolf and her red rabbit would have laughed their way through the rediculous, often borderline idiotic movies, but this year? Oh no, this year Dr. Merlot upped the horror and gore factors to eleven, then unleashed them on the pair of overly sugared and caffeinated, overly sleep deprived young faunus women, with devastating results.

Daybreak found the two of them huddling in Ruby's old treehouse in abject terror as they clutched their weapons in hands that have gone numb from the pressure. Neither of them dare to sleep, for fear of an undead horror reaching them and eating their precious overly agitated, far past rational thinking brains. 

"Ruby?"

"Yeah Weiss?"

"We need a plan." The white wolf points out as she stares at the trap door to the treehouse, which is currently blocked by a pillar of ice created by her when they fled to the safety of the small hide away in the trees.

"A plan?" The rabbit faunus asks nervously, her finger still on Crescent Rose's trigger and terror in her eyes. Her foot long ears are still twitching and swiveling as she strains all four ears to hear the unmistakable noise of a person's skull being cracked open like an egg to create a zombie feast. "Snowflake, it might be too late for a plan."

"Rules then. Rules we can use to stay alive during the hell of the zombie apocalypse." The white wolf declares as she struggles to both hold her weapon as well as keep her eyes open. "Like a rule about a buddy system."

"You're definitely my apocalypse buddy, Snowflake." Ruby declares as one long ear flops down, the Reaper no longer having the energy to keep it held up in the air. "What about cardio?"

"That is important too." Weiss admits with a yawn as her finger slips off of Myrtenaster's trigger. "And perhaps one about double tapping?"

"Uh huh." Ruby replies sleepily as her other ear falls next, her weapon starting to slowly lower itself to the floor. "And stretching. Don't forget stretching…"

"That's a stupid rule…" The white wolf declares with a yawn as her head slowly makes contact with her taller girlfriend's shoulder. "Think we're forgetting one…"

"It's ok…" The red rabbit admits as her head lowers to sit on her girlfriend's. "We'll think of more later…

[rwbyvein]

Firen Lhain: Chapter 707: Briar Patch:  Part I/III

Watts looked into the Seer. "Guess what I discovered today?"

"Get to it." Salem harshly said to him.

"Our favourite Huntsmen are going to pay the good General a visit." Watts stated.

"And how did you learn this?" Salem asked.

"Oh, simply because Atlas' new security measures require complete passenger manifests." Watts stated, "At least when ships are approaching the city itself."

"Are you sure about this?" Salem asked.

"Of course I can't be sure," Watts stated, "but the passenger manifest does list them all. And given their recent nuptuals, they probably aren't going to be doing too much deception for at least a couple weeks."

"Who got married?" Salem asked, and Watts smiled as he leaned over his foldered hands.

"It was in my report, but if you want it in person, all of them, really."

"What?" Salem asked.

Watts sat back in his chair, "It's not officially recognized, of course, but it is recognized by two of the five seats on the Atlas council."

"How do you know this, then?" Salem asked.

"It seems Cinder's little boy did something useful." Watts stated, "He tracked down the jeweller who made them. Anyways, since Hazel is still en route, and Tyrian is still learning to use the prosthetic, there's really only one person we can use." With this, Salem sighed. "What?," Watts asked, "I thought you had such faith in her?"

"I invested in her as much as I do anyone else." Salem stated, "I just don't like being part of her failures."

"All she has to do is knock the airship down." Watts stated. "Then we can have some local hoodlums kidnap any survivors."

"And if it's not real?" Salem asked.

"Then we lose Cinder." Watts said, and non-chalantly shrugged.

"You really hate her, don't you?" Salem asked.

"I feel she is... overvalued." Watts stated, "Simply that."

* * *

Taj turned back from the cockpit to the back of the airship, "We've got a mayday. Considering you're such great saviours and all, I figured you might want to help."

"What's happening?" Ruby asked.

"Grimm." Taj stated.

"What kind of Grimm?" Ruby asked.

"The usual Grimm mayday." Taj said, and paused, listening to his headset. "Black, screeching, horrifying, but not anything specific."

"Let's go." Jaune said.

"We need to save them!" Ruby shouted.

* * *

Taj looked back from the cockpit. "We're approaching the coordinates, but all I see is a forest. Could I get someone to help me spot?"

Aurora stood up and smoothed out her skirt, "I would be happy to spot for you."

"Why is she with us, anyways?" Nora whispered to Ren.

"Because I have shopping to do." Aurora said with a smile, and then stepped into the cockpit, sitting down on the co-pilot's seat.

"What would do you in the military?" Yang asked.

"Look for a flare or coloured smoke." Taj stated, "But when civies send maydays, they tend to not have flares ready. I advise you all to get ready to jump."

"I see a lot of movement." Aurora stated, "Black movement. I cannot make out anything specific."

"It was a ship that sent the mayday," Taj stated,

"Is that smoke?" Aurora asked.

"Target spotted," Taj stated, "you guys ready to jump."

Jaune looked between everyone, and they all seemed eager to jump. "Go!" Jaune shouted, and the side doors started to open up "We don't know what we are facing, so don't stray too far, and button back around, and Ilia, hide as much as you can." Ilia nervously looked down, while everyone else looked eager. "Nora." Jaune said. Nora saluted and jumped out of the airship and stood on her hammer to launch herself into the air.

"One minute!" Taj shouted.

"Weiss." Jaune stated, and she blew a kiss as she elegantly fell out of the airship. She used repeated Glyphs to give her altitude as she used her feathers to control her flight.

"30 seconds!" Taj shouted, and Jaune blew Ruby a kiss. Ruby blushed and went to hide in her hood before she realized what he wanted, and fell back out of the airship, Petal Bursting to the trees below them.

Nora landed hard with her hammer in a cluster of Grimm about her size. A giant pink explosion launched them in all directions, clearing a landing zone. Some of them started to recover, but Weiss darted to and fro, striking any who seemed to recover. She saluted with her rapier and used her Glyphs to launch herself into the air again as the Petal Burst landed. Ruby spun her scythe around, killing any of the standing Grimm. Yang flew fist-first into a much larget Grimm, leading to a powerful shockwave and fire dust explosion. Blake and Ren landed in nearby trees to overlook the area. Next landed Jaune, with Ilia in his arms. He quickly put her down..

"What do we have?" Jaune asked, and a horrifying cacophony erupted in the woods, as if a thousand Grimm were screaming at the same time. Which was entirely possible. Jaune stood stoically. He couldn't move, but he could recognize the Grimm they were fighting, Babel. Large Baboon-like Grimm that made the terrifying cry they were hearing.

Ruby was knocked back, but turned around, landing on all fours. Blake and Ren clutched to the trees they were perched on. Yang leaned forward to take the onslaught. Weiss had faced worse from her parents, but her reaction harkened back to those dark days, to become as meek and vacant as possible.

Jaune leaned into Ilia, "Stay close." he said to her. She turned to leave, but he grabbed her by the arm, "I mean it." He turned and looked around, still barely moving because of the noise, a noise that was not going to end any time soon. The forest seemed to be swamped with them. He took one step forward, and then another. Ruby turned around, and dashed in the direction he was moving.

Yang slammed the ground, and her hair and eyes began to glow with a burning rage. If she going to constantly be made to feel pain, she was going to make sure to share as much of it as she could.

Blake and Ren jumped down to join the rest, and the crowd started to move together. Weiss snapped out of her fugue and moved to join the others. Jaune looked towards the rising black smoke, and then back to Ilia, whom was standing still. He tried to shout, but the noise was easily drowned out, and she was still lost in her reverie. A burst of rose petals flew around. Ruby reverted just long enough to pick Ilia up and Petal Burst her over to Jaune. He again tried to shout at her, but she still seemed lost. He backhanded her to bring her back as an explosion could be heard behind him. He turned around to see Yang raging ahead as Ruby's scythe cleaved five smaller Babels in twain. Weiss was using her Semblance to impale a number of them with ice shards. Jaune loomed over her and she turned to see him pointing at Yang. She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek and turned to follow Yang. Jaune turned around to see Ilia, and he emphatically pointed at her and then at his back. It took her a moment to catch on before nodding. He felt like he was going to have to put a leash on her, or at least glance over his shoulder every few moments.

Blake and Ren were moving down to strike before moving up into the trees over and over again. The Babels started to swing their way up the trees, but the two were never there when they arrived. Ilia lashed out with Thunder Lash behind her, striking and stunning a number Babels. Jaune turned around, drawing his sword and shield. He stepped forward and paused as the pressure from the screaming stopped him. She breathed in deep to dispel it and charged forward as the Babels started to recover. He struck down several, Ilia thrusting her Thunder Lash at anything that tried to get behind him.

Yang's path of destruction was certainly doing a toll on the Grimm. At first Weiss would simply fly in an out as an outrider, but Yang was straying further and further from their goal. Everything she did to try get and get Yang's attention completely failed. She eventually sighed, tapped her foot on the ground. She created a Glyph below Yang that launched her where they should be headed. Yang struck the ground, creating a large eruption. Her head turned around to find out who had done that to her. Not finding it, she found plenty of Grimm, and decided to take her anger out on them. Despite her rage, her movements seemed to slow. Weiss launched herself back towards Jaune. In the air she used her Glyph to attack numerous Babels that were swarming Jaune and Ilia. Jaune put away Black Prince as Weiss landed in front of him. She tried to speak to him, but quickly realized the folly of it in the cacophony. She covered her mouth in a moment of embarssment before it occured to her. She tried to stick her chest out and adopt Yang's typically wide stance, before quickly turning dark blue. She looked up to see Jaune noddeing. After a surprised look Weiss then did her best to seem fatigued.

Jaune then turned to Nora, gleefully smashing one Babel away after another with her hammer. Jaune tried to call at her, but then bowed his head in shame. Weiss used her Semblance to launch snowballs near Nora, causing her to look over curiously. Jaune then pointed at Yang. Nora saluted, stood on her hammer, and as she launched herself the pink explosion knocked back any approaching Grimm.

Nora landed with a pink explosion in front of Yang, she smiled ferociously at Nora. Jaune smiled back as Yang dove at her fist first. Nora didn't flinch as Yang struck an approaching Babel from behind her. Nora tried to say something, and then thought better of her. She looked curious for a moment before leaning in to kiss Yang on the cheek.

Yang's eyes and hair ceased glowing, and she looked around, trying to figure out where she was. Nora pointed past her, and they could see the silhouette of Jaune's antlers through the woods. She then pointed to the black smoke billowing up. Yang nodded her head, and the two began fighting towards the smoke. Soon enough Blake landed beside them, appearing and disappearing from the conflict. Soon after Weiss arrived. The groups fought their way towards the black smoke until they were joined once again. The cacophony was less than half of what it was before, and their thoughts were returning to them. The sounds of battle could be barely heard as the Grimm were reduced further and further. They almost reached their goal when Jaune looked up, seeing a fireball falling down on them. He leapt into the air and brought his shield up against it, pumping as much of his Aura into it as he could. He fell down to the ground and his Aura flickered before vanishing, and tried his best to stand back up.

* * *

A second fireball appeared above them. A burst of rose petals blew up. Ruby reverted at the last second, and using her left hand clutched the broach that held her cape in place. It flashed a bright green light and Ruby howled. The shockwave struck the fireball, the two forces fighting each other, leading to a planar explosion that was 40 yards from one side to the other. At her apogee she looked over to the the rising smoke and saw no wreckage, but fire and Cinder, along with Emerald and Mercury.

[bionic-penis]

Here it is! Before we get into it I'd just like to say that I sent this all in discord and so i dont use the most academic language and i also had to cut out some bits where I was speaking/replying to friends :)

Okay so maybe Yang and Blake are just good friends, I can see that, but the storyline and all their major character events are so intertwined that it wouldnt make sense not to make them a couple

Spoilers for literally everything

But in my defense its been seven years

Anyway Yang and Blake's stories dont start getting seriously interconnected until around volume 3, but we do see them being closer to eachother than the rest of team rwby (save for Yang and Ruby but they're sisters so it doesnt count)

When Blake is stressed out over the White Fang in Volume 2, it takes Yang to snap her out of it

Also a lot of people have mentioned this but I'm gonna say it again for those who havent heard it but colours and weapons matter in rwby. They're a key element in the show

ahem

Colours play a big part in the design and storytelling aspect and rwby and its no coincidence that Yang eyes are purple and Blakes are yellow, which are eachothers like signature colours outside of Blakes black

But even more than that is weapons

As we learn from Ruby in the first Volume, a lot of students make their own weapons and, as it is constantly reiterated, weapons are an extension of the self in RWBY. They're not just a tool to be tossed around

In the show we see little instances of people interacting with and using other peoples weapons. There's that one scene where Ruby uses one of Penny's swords to defend Pyrrah, but that was out of necessity. however, over and over again we see Yang interacting with Blake's weapon, Gambol Shroud

As someones mentioned before, an entire moveset of theirs is dependent on it

So it's clear that these two characters are incredibly close

Moving on from that point, Id like to analyze the incidents thst occur in volume 3 and following events that further Yang and Blakes connection

In volume 3 after Yang "breaks" Mercurys leg due to Emeralds illusion, she sits in the dorm room surrounded by her teammates, yet the scene singles out Yang and Blake. When Yang asked if they (her team) believed her, Ruby and Weiss are ready to say yes, but Blake hesitates. Yang and Blake then share a moment where Blake explains that shes trusted people before who turned out to be cruel. She asks Yang to look her in the eyes and tell her that she (Yang) is telling the truth. Yang does so and Blake believes her this level of affirmation from one another is so unlike the rest of Team RWBY and even Team JNPR

Ofc in the dorm scene the person Blake is talking about is Adam, her abusive and possessive ex. Obviously your relationship with an abusive person effects any and all interactions/relationships, regardless of their extent, but I think it bears mentioning

Continuing on in the events of volume 3 when Beacon is being attacked and Blake is confronted by Adam, he has her pinned down and says something along the lines of "I am going to destroy everything that you love". Unfortunately this is when Yang happens to stumble into the scene. Horror is prominent on Blakes face. Yang sees Adam over Blake and yells at him before charging forward, which is when Adam cuts her arm off. It's a very emotional scene imo. Blake then uses her semblance to get her and Yang to safety

So let's analyze this

Adam specifically singled Yang out

Ofc yang was the only one there at the time but Adam didnt say "starting with your little teammates" he said "starting with her". Ofc this could just be me cherrypicking but I think that word choice has meaning

Regardless, this is an intense moment for Yang and Blake that really welds their stories together, romantic or not

In volume 4 Yang and Blake take a break from one another-- Jk but theyre separated. After the events at Beacon, and especially after what happened to Yang, Blake runs. And we get to see both women dealing with this and trying to come to terms with it. Yang is bitter. She's angry that Blake, specifically, left her. And Blake feels like she had to run away to keep everyone, specifically Yang, safe

In Volume 5 we dont get much interaction at all between Yang and Blake aside from the same feelings represented in Volume 4, but these are put on the back burner for Blakes White Fang arc

However these feelings take a forward play in Yangs mind and she even voices these feelings to Weiss and Ruby

I take a deep breath

Volume 6, Blake and Yang are together again but tensions are high. They have to learn how to be together again. When Blake and Yang finally have alone time in the shed, Blake expresses how she won't leave, which comforts Yang. However, Blake continues on to say how she will protect Yang to which Yang gets mad and the moment is ruined.

Despite this, Yang and Blake are still going strong and trying to make things work by being there and supporting each other

Yang and Blake's arc for Volume 6 reaches its peak in the fight against Adam. In this fight we see both women fighting the actual source of their trauma. One thing id like to note about this fight is that Blake starts it alone but is joined by Yang, who tells her to catch her breath. This fight is the first major fight Blake and Yang have fought together in a long time. And its amazing. During the fight, Adam screams at Yang in anger and jealousy, asking "WHAT DOES SHE SEE IN YOU?" And saying that she (Blake) cant protect Yang to which Blake replies "I'm not protecting her. And she's not protecting me." MIRRORING the conversation in the shed

the fight ends with Yang and Blake stabbing Adam through with Gambol Shroud, killing him

Now theres some little things id like to point out with this fight, aside from the amazing chemistry between Blake and Yang and the awesome choreography

Its during this fight that we learn about Adams semblance (magic power basically), which is that any hit he absorbs with his sword, he can return with greater force. This is a corruption of Yang's semblance, where any hit she takes herself she can return with greater force

Now why do I think this is significant? Because rwby is all about symbolism. I think Adam's semblance was specifically chosen to mirror Yangs. Adam doesnt have to deal with pain, he just deflects it, which is how his relationship with Blake plays out. She tries to let him off easy, she tells him to leave her alone, but he just can't take the hint, just like he can't take a hit. However, Yang does take the hits. Yang takes them all and it makes her stronger. She empathizes with Blake and works with her. Adam doesnt have to deal with the pain his actions cause because he doesnt care. This reflects Yangs extremely empathetic personality. Yang knows what consequences her actions can have. She can take the pain

Another thing id like to point out is Adam's behaviour during the fight. He lashes out as Yang for getting in between Blake and him, blaming her for his flaws. He targets her just like in Volume 3. I think this was done purposefully

Another thing is Yang runs Bumblebee off the cliff to help Blake! Her bike! I think this is important bc yang loved her bike. It was part of her brand for the longest time. Perhaps running it off the cliff in the fight vs Adam is a nod to growing by letting things go? Idk I just feel like its an important beat

In Volume 7 we see Yang and Blake working together more regularly again with even a few flustered glances (maybe). Marrow even mentions that they never pair up with anyone else to which they respond with a cool fight scene this feels like the extent of their interaction since Volume 7 focuses more on ruby

Volume 8 isnt finished but there is one line that I think is important which is when Yang asked Jaune if "she'll think bad of me if we fail?" To which Jaune responds "Ruby's your sister" and Yang says "yeah... Ruby..." LIKE EXCUSE ME?

[I take some time to riff with my friends and partner before continuing]

ANOTHER THING

Adam BREAKS Gambol Shroud during their fight, mirroring how Yang, once again, works with Blake and Gambol Shroud. This is yet another example of Adam being violent and abusive towards Blake where Yang is sympathetic and kind. Theyre set up to be narrative opposites

Even though both Adam and Yang are both hot heads, utilize a similar semblance, and both have a deep connection with Blake, they are not the same bc Yang trusts and appreciates Blake while Adam does not

Also Adam and Yang both share the same sentiment of "Blake left me" but whereas Adam lashes out at Blake, Yang is mostly frustrated. Unlike Yang, Adam never attempts to work it out with Blake, which is where the two differ greatly. Yang is willing to listen whilst Adam is not

TLDR: uh give me Bmblb content right now Roosterteeth or I will suck the marrow from ur bones