"Holy shit." Yang muttered as she and her friends watched the video again. "She was out of Aura. How did she do that?"
"That's awful." Onyx looked visibly uncomfortable. "They were still people and she killed them like nothing. Blade in the dark my ass, she's just a murderer like them."
"Hey, lay off. They tried to kill Lady Hornet." Lettuce defended hotly, "The Kings broke my uncle's leg a month ago, you know that. They're awful people. They-"
"They still should have gone to jail, or work camps. Not being slaughtered like animals." Onyx argued from her place under the covers, her curly black hair falling into her face, forcing her to swipe it out of the way. "You can't be judge, jury, and executioner."
"It's how it works in the wild lands." Krystal pointed out, analyzing the video with her own Scroll. "Frontier justice is best justice."
"Well this is Vale. The Capitol. You can't just ignore the laws there." Onyx threw her hands up. "Since when were we letting vigilantes run around with zero consequences?"
"You were the one that was super pining for her last week." Yang laughed, her lilac eyes not leaving the Scroll in Lettuce's hands.
It was hard to see because all the lights shut off after a point, but something about that fighting style rubbed her the wrong way.
"You asked Lettuce to write a fanfic about you two before, didn't you?" Yang joked, but she didn't really process her friend's initially embarrassed response as she began to pull up the video on her own Scroll.
Like she felt as if she'd seen it before?
She wasn't sure. Maybe if the lights hadn't turned off she might have been able to confirm that vague sensation, but...
"-hadn't gone off the deep end and killed possibly over a hundred people in a single night then! That building in the video was packed! Think of the negativity and unrest that would cause! Grimm might try to attack the walls!"
Krystal typed at her Scroll, humming contemplatively at what she saw as she flipped her Scroll around.
"Well, looks like Grimm activity charts haven't gone up. If anything, it's dipped down slightly."
"What?!" Onyx squinted at Krystal's Scroll, her voice shrill. "No there's no way. Not with all that violence."
"I mean face it; all the people that the violence was inflicted on are dead. And most normal people are more glad the criminals are gone rather than being torn up over it, probably." Lettuce shrugged. "I know I am. Like I get it. Seeing a girl our age tear up a bunch of people doesn't feel great. And honestly I'm more scared about smaller time thugs trying to seize power right now and filling that power vacuum, but it does feel a bit safer knowing that they're gone. Things might get messy in Vale soon, though. More than Lady Hornet killing anyone, that's the real danger, probably."
Yang listened to her friends argue as she saw those green eyes glowing in the darkness. Her friends might not know enough to know that the owner of those eyes was likely a Faunus, but she did. Something about those eyes were haunting. And weirdly she felt her heart flutter in a traitorous way.
That was… she wasn't… she wasn't interested in girls like that… right? Also for The Green Hornet? That was like saying she was crushing on a character from one of Ruby's comics. That was absurd. Ludicrous. The Green Hornet was pretty, but she wasn't like Blake pretty-
Huh? Uh. Ahkpht.
Maybe she liked both boys and girls after all, like Onyx and Krystal? Not that she was going to go ask out Blake or anything, but… this was an awkward thought. Best put that away for later.
The corner of her screen flashed as Yang got a few notifications from her Chirper account as some people tagged her in something. Must have been more reposts of the same Hornet clip that had hijacked the VNN tonight.
"What the fuck?" Yang saw the same man that apparently sold out the Spiders tonight, taking a selfie with a blood soaked Green Hornet curled up as she slept like a cute muder cat on the corner of a couch. "That Torchwick guy's claiming he saved her. Weird. That King guy made it sound like he'd sold her out."
Yang supposed it wasn't impossible that he'd been lying to break The Hornet's morale, though. Sounded like the underhanded shit a two-bit villain might do.
"What?" Lettuce spat out her soda, spraying a bit of sugary liquid in the air.
Yang leaned back to dodge. She hadn't finally accepted a sleepover invitation (because Jaune came on a Thursday instead of a Friday for once) just to get her hair ruined!
"Sorry Yang."
"Careful! Too much work goes into this hair!" Yang huffed.
Both she and Jaune put hours of effort into her perfect locks!
"You're way too defensive over your hair." Onyx teased, "I'm surprised you even came tonight. I thought your boyfriend was-"
"I-it's not like that!" Yang blushed angrily, feeling her hair flare from Burn. "I've said it a thousand times that he's like family!"
"Family that stops by every week to come brush your hair until you fall asleep? That you let touch your hair? You don't even let us do that."
"I… I… weren't we talking about The Hornet? Let's go back to that!"
"If we do that, we'll clearly just keep having an argument about it. Agree to disagree, right girls?" Krystal rolled lazily in her sleeping bag.
"Right!" Onyx and Lettuce both nodded, though they glared at each other a bit. "Huntresses stick together!"
"Word." Krystal grinned, "Now tell us more about your boyfriend, Yang."
"It's really not like that!" Yang defended hotly, her cheeks warm, "He's like a cousin! Don't make it weird! I've known him since we were six!"
"You won't share his name, get super quiet whenever you text him, smile like an idiot, and he's super busy with his own Huntsman training outside of Signal, but still takes a Bullhead to come see you once a week from wherever he lives?" Onyx sidled up to Yang's side, her Aura flush with the scent of blackberries and springtime sun. "Girl, that's sus. Spill."
"I-" Yang looked down at her phone as Ruby suddenly blew up her phone with messages, a slew of photos of a sketch of a prototype for a Sniper-Scythe, asking for her input. "Gimme a sec, my baby sis is nerding out over something. Time out."
Lettuce peeked over her shoulder with a whistle.
"Holy~. Ruby's really a little genius when it comes to weapons. I'm so jealous of your Ember Celicas. Third-Gen is sooooo much cooler."
Yang preened at her friend's compliment of her baby sister.
"Yeah she is. She's a bit of a nerd, but she's the best." Yang grinned. Even Jaune complimented her weapons work when Ruby had whipped up some upgrades for Ember Celicas. And he was probably the dumbest but also smartest person on Remnant. "Weird though. She's never even tried to learn to use a scythe like Uncle Qrow befo-"
"Ooh! Professor Branwen from Beacon? Your hot uncle?!"
"Gross, Krystal." Yang stuck out her tongue. "He's our dads' age."
"Still hot." Krystal quipped with a blush. "We don't all get mysterious boyfriends that woo us with hairbrushes, Yang. Let a girl dream."
Yang threw a pillow at her friend's face.
"EW, that's my uncle!"
Lettuce and Onyx suddenly gripped hard at her shoulders with squeals loud enough to hurt her eardrums, suddenly making her flinch.
"Ow! Girls, what the-"
"OmigoshOmigoshOmigosh!" Lettuce shook her hard as she sounded jealous. "Yang, you bitch!"
"How could you keep this from us! This isn't even fucking fair!" Onyx shook her from the other side.
Burn erupted as she shook off her friends.
"ENOUGH!" Her eyes flashed crimson as she shook her head to let her hair settle. "What's even your prob- dammit Rubes!"
Her Scroll flashed with the image of Jaune looking annoyed as her dad pulled at his cheeks as he sat in a seiza as Ruby snapped a selfie. Even though she'd totally done it wrong and only a single eye and the top of her head showed in the corner.
Dad's bullying Jaune again. Said the message. Hope the sleepover is fun!
"Yang, I swear if Jaune Arc is your boyfriend I'm going to lose it!" Lettuce sounded like she was going to swoon. "I've let you read my fanfics about him, you bitch!"
"Sleepovers are at Yang's house from this point onwards! Can we go now? Can he sign my Scroll?" Onyx begged as she gripped Yang's forearms. "Yang, you greedy bitch! Jaune Arc?!"
"Holy shit." Krystal had crawled over, eyes wide. "I thought he was dating Weiss Schnee or Pyrrha Nikkos! Or both! Yang, you sly-"
"Gahhhhhhh!"
Emerald rubbed the ointment into her master's cheek as he sighed in sleepily, laying his head on her lap.
He'd come with the shroud of victory and contentment on his shoulders, though there were tinges of regret. Even though it was ever so faint, there was yet the scent of blood, almost imperceptible unless one knew how to search for it.
She wished her master trusted her more to know the details, but he had just given her a tired laugh and informed her that he'd been making a few apologies for his actions.
As if he owed anyone for his actions. Whatever her master did was for the good of as many people he could reach. He was a Devil, naturally. Still he was, truly, the kindest Devil of them all.
For he even saved her, as undeserving as she'd been, an orphan thief that had stolen from him, had even made him suffer severe bodily discomfort. Had run from his grace and yet still required his salvation.
It filled her with shame that she could never wash away, though she would give him all of her in return.
Judging from her master's lack of shame at dressing in women's clothes as a result of his numerous sisters, he likely was The Green Hornet that had wiped the criminal leaders of Vale in a single night. The Hero that had shaken off the influence of the Spiders on the most progressive Kingdom (next to Menagerie, of course) on Remnant.
She'd never forgotten the fact he'd claimed that he fought gangs regularly, all those years ago when she'd first met him. She knew he spirited off to Vale regularly. Her suspicions were now only finally confirmed.
Her master sometimes omitted details, but he had never once lied to her.
Emerald knew she was still not strong enough, yet. And even once she was, her Master, the Devil of Kindness he was, would never bring himself to truly risk her. He loved too much. Cared for all of his friends endlessly.
Emerald made sure that her master was sleeping before she spoke.
"I am your blade, my master. One day I too shall stand by your side in all things. This I swear. I am not merely sworn to carry your burdens. It is what I desire, most of all."
Emerald leaned down, betraying her master's trust, unable to resist her Sinner's Heart for this one moment of weakness.
Her lips grazed his forehead, feather-light.
"Please wait for me. I shall follow you until my last breath. That is my Garnet Oath."
"Oz, we need to get him to a fucking therapist." Qrow spat, taking the cup of bourbon from him, a large cube of ice within. "He can't be allowed to do something like this again."
"I agree that he needs to be watched more closely." Ozpin agreed, pouring a glass for himself. "But young Jaune handled it perfect-"
"Oz, NO!" Qrow slammed his glass on the table, "He's fucking thirteen man! We can't condone this behavior! He coulda fucking died!"
"In a single night, Qrow. He pushed out an invading force as well as cut a root of corruption from within. Almost down to the base, crowning a new king to restabilize what was shaken, ensuring that all the darkness that remains is within acceptable limits. Even with the cross-dressing, this is merely the beginning of his legend, old friend."
"Don't fucking give me that! He's not some storybook hero, Oz! He's my fucking nephew!"
"...Summer once showed me the first time she'd seen him compose a verse. They see you as small and helpless. They see you as just a child. Surprise when they find a Warrior will soon run wild." Ozpin couldn't meet Qrow's eyes.
He did agree that young Jaune was too young to be asked to carry such a burden. But he was The Fool. The Last Magus, the final Hero of Remnant.
It was necessary to let his Arcana grow.
Or Remnant would lose its final, only hope.
The Fool must become The World. Or everything would be doomed forevermore.
"Young Jaune is blessed."
"Cursed you mean."
"It is only a curse if the recipient does not desire it."
Ozpin reeled as Qrow leaned over his desk, striking him across the cheek with a clenched fist. His own glass fell to the side shattering on the ground.
"...I owe you that and more. But Juniper clearly is also preparing Jaune for the future. Both he and Jaune are clearly blessed, or cursed, with a sense for prophecy."
"I don't give a shit abo-"
"IN THE FIRST YEAR OF JAUNE ARC'S TIME AT BEACON VALE FALLS!" Ozpin roared, knowing it was wildly out of character for him to be so empassioned. But once he had been the Prophet King of Vale. This was his Kingdom too. "THE BOY IS DOING ALL HE CAN TO PREVENT THIS NIGHTMARE! TO BRING US ALL HOPE! TO MUFFLE HIS LIGHT IS TO DOOM US ALL, QROW!"
Qrow roared with anger, throwing his glass across the room, shattering it against the wall.
"So what?! We twiddle our fucking thumbs?! Pray that Jaune Arc saves us all?! We're the fucking adults here, we can't just stand there and watch him shoulder it all! That ain't RIGHT!"
"You're right. It's not. That is why we prepare, Qrow. My friend. We too are doing everything we can. In two more years with the Vytal Festival in Mistral every CCT Tower will be fully updated with young Jaune's code, protecting it from further incursion. In four, the Vytal Festival shall come to Vale, the prophecy will be fought! With every last breath! Atlas will come, not with an army of robots, but with men. Project PENNI shall see the light of day. We will deny Salem, deny calamity, we will deny the end of days!"
Ozpin met his close friend's eyes.
"Qrow. You have trusted this foolish old man thus far. Can you not trust me for a short while longer?"
Qrow grit his teeth.
The flash of his Scroll interrupted the silence.
"...fucking Jaune. Ruby says he just told her she'll be best with a scythe."
"...prophecy."
"...FUCK! FUCK FUCK FUCK!" Qrow roared slamming his fist into the table, cracking the surface with his strength. "It wasn't supposed to be like this! He fucking needs her too, doesn't he?! Fuck! Goddamned Silver Eyes!"
"...I am sorry, Qrow." Ozpin couldn't bring himself to lie now. "I truly am. But we both knew young Ruby likely was not fated for any other path."
"...fuck the gods. Fuck the shitty fucking Brother Gods!"
"Yes." Ozpin sighed, defeatedly. "The gods are cruel. That I know better than anyone."
Tired, feeling older, yet younger than he'd ever been, he poured another set of drinks.
The two men drank in somber silence, only the sounds of a tapping Scroll echoing deep into the night.
"Ruby. Ruby wake up."
"Blreugh?"
Groggily, she heard a familiar laugh as kisses peppered her forehead.
"Mooooooommmm." Ruby groaned as mom Summer showered her with affection, unable to shake the smile forming on her cheeks. "Morning."
"Good morning my little rose." Her mom laughed, "Your prototype's parts are ready."
Ruby's eyes snapped open as she leapt to her feet in a shower of rose petals, tripping over her cloak.
It was once one of her mom's, but she'd given it to hers, so it was Ruby's now.
"Wha-"
A strong hand grabbed the scruff of her cloak, skillfully grabbing the flannel pajamas underneath.
"Breakfast first, young lady. Jaune's lending you one of his fabric-whatchamacallits for a week or so. You'll have plenty of time to work on it. Your Uncle Qrow will be here in the afternoon to teach you the basics."
"Ooh ooh! Did Jaune make breakfast too?"
Her mom's pretty face twisted into a pout.
"Is your mommy's breakfast not good enough, little rose?"
"No! Not like that mommy. I was just kinda hoping bro would stay over and watch me train a bit!" Ruby threw out her arms toward her mom, being pulled into a warm hug. Her mommy's Aura was soothing warm peppermint tea, a gentle brush of fingers against her hair. "Mommy's breakfasts are the best!"
"Mmmmm." Ruby grinned as she could still hear mommy Summer pout, "I feel like you're just saying that."
"Jaune's food is yummy, but mommy's cooking is yummy too!"
"Alright, you little flatterer. Let's go downstairs, no running, no Semblance, ok?"
"Okaaaay!"
Ruby didn't run down the stairs. She power walked.
Quickly she inhaled a plate of scrambled eggs with cheese, slices of toast with peanut butter, and garlic zucchini noodles with a tall glass of milk. A cookie was granted for dessert since she ate all her vegetables.
She wasn't Yang, Ruby knew veggies could be delicious. Jaune had taught her to not leave food on her plate!
She quickly zipped over to the workshop mommy Summer had daddy set up in the backyard as Zwei barked and chased at her heels. He leapt up to try to nip at Drei on her hip, but Ruby booped his snoot when he tried.
Jaune had left her one of his fancy Multi-Fabricators before he left last night, and she'd already learned how to use one after having asked nicely (pestered) him about it before.
It was how Ruby had gotten to build up and test the Third-Gen version of Ember Celicas for Yang. She'd doodled up a rough draft of it a few months ago, sending a photo of it to Jaune as she'd been… well.
Ok, so she'd just been fishing for compliments after feeling depressed over how she was struggling in combat class.
Ruby was garbage at hand to hand, sucked with a sword, was eh with spears. She could handle a gun accurately, but a Huntress needed to be able to engage in melee to fight Grimm.
…and she was awful at melee.
Jaune had told her that her design was genius.
He'd even come personally to help her put it together.
She'd felt so happy then. It had even shaken her out of her funk to try harder in her lessons. Still though… she had struggled, even with her newfound confidence.
But last night Jaune had finally put it together that she'd do well with a scythe!
So Ruby stayed up putting together a rough design (she'd make it better later) of a Second-Gen type mockup Sniper-Scythe, plugged the design into Jaune's machine and let it run overnight.
Quickly she put together the weapon, disassembling the old Hecate sniper in the attic that her daddy didn't use anymore with his (grudging) permission and began putting it all together.
It was a rough, first draft, so some of it didn't fit super cleanly, but it was meant to be a test weapon.
Some might argue that it was better to practice with a mundane First-Gen type weapon to get a feel for anything, but Ruby liked weapon design.
Plus any Huntress weapon she'd use down the line would have a gun built into it, so if she didn't get used to extra weight into it now, it would just be a problem down the line anyways.
Balance, on the other hand, was always something that she was going to have to fine tune. So that being a bit off at the moment was fine as long as she got it close enough for now.
At least she'd held (kind of) Drunkle Qrow's Harbinger before so she had some idea of where the weapon balance should be.
That was good.
"Huwahhhh. Hiyaaaa." Ruby made some Mistralian Kung Fu sounds as she swung the scythe (it was a little heavy) around.
She found herself grinning.
This felt right.
Ruby had always been ok with spears, especially after Jaune had given her some tips, his arms wrapped around hers as she enjoyed the feeling of her adoptive brother's Aura.
Feeling snug in his arms was always the best part.
Some of the motions translated really well. But her spear thrusts had always been kinda messy, even if she'd been good at swinging it around.
But even if in the right hands a spear could still be a good slashing weapon, its primary function had been thrusts, and she was definitely bad at it.
But a scythe was slashing and pulling. And all the pulling could be done with the gun.
Ruby whooped as she swung her scythe into a wooden pole with a straw mat wrapped around it, pulling the trigger mechanism, feeling the scythe pull back and tear through it.
"This is totally awesome!"
Ruby would have to learn the Recoil Tech that most Huntsmen and Huntresses could do, but once she learned it, she'd be the best Huntress ever!
Roman sipped at a glass of fine wine.
Nothing like the taste of victory.
And with Junior being elevated to the head of the Xiong Clan which now worked for him and the rest of the remaining Underground currently undergoing reform, Roman didn't have to do a thing.
Rather if he got off his ass right now he'd create more problems than he could solve. He had to let some more heat die off.
He had even got off a Scroll call with Lil Miss Malachite where he'd gotten to gloat at her.
As much as she wanted to call him out on Cap's bullshit, she was forced to concede under the aftermath of what had occurred.
Doubly funny was how she'd pretty much abandoned her daughters to make a clean break, not knowing that they were in earshot but out of sight.
They weren't too surprised, but had definitely been upset. And the brats he used to have to look after now worked for him. That was weird, but the irony was still delicious.
And the cherry to top it all off was the fact that the weird burn on his wrist that had reminded him that he couldn't betray Cap or suffer that Geas or whatever that threatened to burn him alive was healing up nicely now that the ordeal was over.
He knew better than to fuck with Cap at this point, but she really didn't want much, so this was a good trade for now. All he'd have to do was keep track of the upstarts that didn't listen to his new rules and send their details her way so that she could keep having her fun while bolstering his rep.
Even better was that inadvertently it had seared away the tattoo on his wrist. Both the evil smiling pumpkin and the Spider mark underneath was gone, though a path of new, pink flesh grew in its place, old inked skin peeling like parchment.
It wasn't the tattoo removal he'd have chosen, given the option, but it was freeing.
"Trouble at the docks cleared up." Melanie reported, dressed in the same white dinner dress she'd worn when she'd ambushed him… had it already been two and a half weeks ago now? "The boys will be dumping any forbidden contraband in the sewers and taking territory."
Roman just lazily raised a hand to his ear with a smirk.
Melanie flushed in a half-angry, half-nervous way.
"...sir." She added a bit weakly.
"Eh, good enough." He chuckled. "Altsus. You don't have to look so scared, Brat Two. I don't bite."
"I'm less scared of you, more of your fucking blades."
"Blade. Singular. She made a friend on her own." Roman shrugged. "Even I don't really know what her fucking deal in this all is."
In all honesty, as willing as Cap was to let the world believe he was in charge of her and could be trusted enough, Mint fucking terrified him. He wasn't going to be so dumb as to take credit for her loyalties.
Melanie looked at him in surprise.
"...you let your blade make a friend? The Hornet? If she gave her loyalties to another there was no way you'd survive the aftermath."
"I'm not here to make the same mistakes my old man or your old lady made. I'm looking to the future." Roman lied. "Look where that got them. The beaten path has clear limits. I might as well try something different. I want to be more than what they leave behind."
"...huh."
"What?"
"If I'd known this Roman earlier, I wonder if things might have ended up a little differently."
As fucking if. 'This Roman' was just the bullshit he and Cap engineered so they could both have what they wanted.
"Why bother with what ifs? Live in the now and look to the future. That's the only way to live if you really want something." Roman 'sagely' advised, taking another sip of fine wine. "Get stuck on the what ifs and you'll never gain anything, just a load of regrets."
White Brat looked contemplative, mulling over his bullshit before nodding with a small smile.
"Alright. I'll give that a shot, boss." She smiled a bit more brightly than he'd seen her do before. "It's… good to meet the real Roman. You were insufferable before."
"Oh I'll be plenty insufferable now, Brat Two." Roman grinned, "I've got zero intention on being a perfect boss to ya."
"You were insufferable before because you were all bark and no bite, boss." Melanie rolled her eyes at him. "That's why Mil and I gave you so much shit."
"I'm pretty sure you're both planning on being a pain in my ass even now."
"Mmmmm. Maybe."
"Maybe, Boss." Roman corrected.
He didn't like the way Brat Two was smiling at him, like she thought she was a grown ass woman that had found an interesting man.
She was still two years too early for him to even consider a woman.
Fucking brats.
Still, Roman found himself smiling back anyways. This was… oddly nostalgic.
"Now where the hell is Brat One? I was supposed to have dinner picked up half an hour ago."
"I think she's trying to cook it herself to try to earn some extra favor. The Hornet was fucking terrifying."
"The hell? I want dinner, not to get food poisoning. Just get the guy that used to cook steaks at The Honeybee on retainer. Actually no, that's an order. He made a hell of a Prime Rib that you wasted. I've been dreaming about that steak for ages."
Melanie scowled.
"You really are insufferable. Don't you know a thing about understanding a woman's delicate heart?"
"I'll tell you all about it once I see a woman in front of me."
"You're the worst, Roman!" Melanie spat as she stomped off.
"Don't you forget it, sweetheart!"