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[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!
- Thread starter AndrewJTalon
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sandmanwake
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Obviously Ruby's just a beard for Whitley and Penny. Mankind was not yet ready to accept man on gynoid love no matter how sensational it was.
The Nikos by Sift Green
AndrewJTalon
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Before coming to Beacon Pyrrha had no idea she had a too polite smile. Her mother's agents had spent years teaching her how to put on the perfect face to show the world when dealing with people you couldn't expose your real feelings with like paparazzi or the bigwigs at high society galas. She had simply thought of that face as her showroom smile, she had no idea that smile didn't reach her eyes until people here at Beacon had gotten to know the real Pyrrha and told her.
At the moment the people who recognized her too polite smile for what it was consisted of her Jaune, their teammates Ren and Nora, their friends in Team RWBY, and had been joined by her son Xander. She suspected that if she had been allowed to spend real time with Arslan the warrior nun would have caught on quickly, but her mother had made sure that hadn't happed.
Her mother.
Her mother had made that smile. Spent hours with different specialists sculpting it until it met her standards and placed it on Pyrrha's face like she was a good little doll to parade before the world.
Pyrrha wasn't going to wear her mother's smile today, even though it was taking a conscious effort to keep it off her face.
The door to the meeting room closed and Pyrrha steeled her heart as she slowly turned to face Athena, a truly blank expression displayed on her face.
"Pyrrha?" Her mother wrung her hands together in an exaggerated manner. "How, how did this happen?"
"Professor Ozpin already explained that, weren't you paying attention?" Pyrrha crossed her arms as she deliberately frowned to keep that dam showroom smile off her face.
"That's not what I meant," Athena protested waving her hands about wildly like she was trying to clear the air of her miss-phrased question. "I mean what drew you to Jaune Arc? Why is he my future son-in-law?"
"Why shouldn't he be?" Pyrrha countered with a scowl. "He's the man who holds my heart."
"Your mother isn't challenging your decision to pursue him, Miss Pyrrha," Orestes interjected from his place by the door. His hands were casually resting in his pockets, but his shoulders were tense. "She's just curious."
Pyrrha considered Orestes for a moment. The man had lasted longer than any of the family's previous butlers and had actually argued in favor of letting her go to Beacon when her mother seemed hesitant. She supposed that gave him enough benefit of the doubt for her to let him stick his oar in this family discussion.
"If you must know I've felt an attraction to Jaune since Initiation here at Beacon," Pyrrha explained as she shifted the way she had her arms crossed. "I went out of my way to make sure he was my partner because he was the first person I met who didn't know who I was. I knew something real could happen between us without the expectations of fame coloring our interactions."
"You fell in love with a boy you literally just met!" Athena clutched at her heart as her eyes grew wide.
"That's a gross oversimplification of things!" Pyrrha forcefully objected. It wasn't hard to keep the frown on her face now. "I've spent almost every day of the last few semesters by his side while he's had no clue about my feelings for him. He's spent most of that time pursuing another girl, and while it was painful to watch it let me know exactly what kind of man he is. Weiss' situation is rather similar to mine but he was interested in her for her, not her wealth or name. He never saw a reason to hide his true nature from me, so I know he's nothing like my father."
"That's good, that's very good," Athena smiled wide. Too wide. Wooden even. Come to think of it, every expression Pyrrha had seen her mother make today was wooden, every motion overwrought and every vocalization dripping with drama.
"Stop playing games, Mother," Pyrrha warned as her arms fell to her sides and her hands clenched into fists.
"Beg pardon?" The confusion crossing Athena's visage was the most genuine thing the young spartan had seen on her face all day.
"You keep switching back and forth between being horrified by my situation and being completely supportive," Pyrrha's scowl deepened. "I admit this is different from the games you played back home but it's just as confusing. Why can't you just be genuine for once and let me know how you really feel? Give it to me straight instead of the smoke and mirrors you make me dance through?"
"I-I'm, I am being genuine," Athena objected.
"Oh please," Pyrrha rolled her eyes, "You put me through mind games twenty-four-seven after Dad hurt us. You expect me to believe you stopped today when you couldn't even greet me like a normal person?! Basara was able to be supportive and hug her daughter properly and treat this situation normally! You dove in wailing like this is some kind of soap opera instead of real life!"
Athena recoiled as if she had been slapped. "Pyrrha, my sweet, I'm not playing mind games with you. I'm just confused and out of my depth here."
"Part of me wants to believe that," Pyrrha chuckled ruefully as she started shaking from tightly bridled anger. "But I've been a prop and a doll for your drama far too long. I've tasted freedom here and I'm not going to let you take complete control of my life again."
Color began to drain from Athena's face. "If I was trying to have complete control over your life why would I let you come here to Beacon?"
"You almost didn't," Pyrrha hissed as she loomed forward. "Orestes had to talk you into it! Why you agreed, I don't know! Maybe you got bored of the old game! Maybe you wanted the challenge of pulling my strings from a distance! If I didn't have your number blocked I wouldn't have time for anything besides answering your calls so that's a real possibility. Or maybe you wanted the thrill of pulling me back in after I've had the chance to be free of you!"
"Oh gods," Athena whispered with all the horror of comprehension, "You actually hate me."
"MAYBE I DO!" Pyrrha howled as the metal legs of a side table suddenly bent into pretzels. "I had no idea how to value myself until Jaune Arc taught me how to be genuine! How to have a real smile instead of the plastic thing you slapped on my face! I didn't know how to have friends until Jaune and Ren and Nora taught me! Until Ruby shared her baking and Yang pulled me into girl talk and Blake shared her books! And WHY did I have to learn it from them? YOU KEPT THE ONE PERSON WHO COULD HAVE BEEN FRIENDS WITH ME AS FAR AWAY AS PROPRIETY PERMITTED! I SHOULD HAVE BEEN FRIENDS WITH ARSLAN! I SPENT ALL OF MY TEENAGE YEARS ALONE BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"I, I, I was trying to keep you safe," Athena trembled as she stumbled back to Orestes, who caught her before she could trip over herself. "I was trying to make you ready for anything before you went out into the world! I tried to have you live through every possibility as we role-played-"
"WELL YOU DID A TERRIBLE JOB!" Pyrrha screamed as a metal lamp attempted to become a Möbius strip. Her voice dropped low as she continued, "The Space-Time Continuum had to turn itself inside out before I was able to be honest with the man I love! And it gets worse. So much worse. In five of the eleven futures I never said anything and had to live watching the love of my life fall into the arms of another woman. In the other five where we're not married I only told him how I felt because I was charging into a battle that I was certain would kill me, and I was right." The horror that grew on Athena's face shouldn't have brought Pyrrha comfort, but it did. "And in the one, singular future where I marry the man of my dreams? I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing. So no Mother: nothing you did helped me. Everything you did crippled me. So yes, Mother, I think I might hate you."
Getting all of that out into the air was pleasing on a visceral level to a part of herself that she didn't realize she had until that moment. Breathing heavily Pyrrha began to gather herself for the second wind of her rage, but then Xander placed a placating hand on her shoulder.
"That's more than enough Mom," her son gently admonished. "You got what you needed off your chest. Any more and you'll say things you'll genuinely regret. Besides, you've completely demolished what was left of Granny's façade. We're dealing with the real her now."
The plea was enough to still the winds fanning the flames of anger. With her vision no longer clouded by rage she looked upon her mother again, and what she saw surprised her.
Athena stood there still supported by Orestes and it was clear she needed the support. It was like she had crumpled in on herself despite standing tall, tears slowly running down her cheeks while her eyes morosely looked into the distance. The last time Pyrrha had seen this face on her mother was a week before she kicked her husband out of the house; it was the only face of her mother that she knew for certain was completely real.
It was now difficult to hold on to her anger.
"Granny Athena hurt you because she was damaged," Xander went on now that he knew his mother was listening. "She legitimately thought Peleus was the most honest and trustworthy man she had ever met, and the realization he wasn't really screwed with her head. She didn't trust any of her old friends anymore so she only had her paranoia to lean on while she was trying to figure out how to raise you. She was trying to make you naturally suspicious so you would second guess any smooth talker that came your way, but we both know that's not what happened."
"Since you're calling Athena Granny," Orestes spoke up as he gently navigated Athena to a chair, "Is it safe to assume you're all on speaking terms in your future?"
"We are," Xander confirmed with a nod, "Though things were rough for a bit. When Mom and Dad got together Granny was convinced Dad was another Peleus so she was pretty hostile at first. Then Mom almost died in The Battle of Atlas and that threw Granny off enough for other people to get through to her. Grandma Isabel forced her to start seeing a therapist after that, and while it wasn't an overnight fix they were able to get Athena to stop acting twenty-four-seven. "
"And she stuck with Doctor Isabel's recommended therapist the whole time?"
"She did."
"I'd be interested in getting their contact information later."
"Acting twenty-four-seven?" Pyrrha asked as she allowed herself to sit in a chair across from Athena.
"It's easier," Athena managed to get out in a dull voice, "Easier than being me all the time. Most of the time I don't know what I would do. But I know what The Countess would do. I know what The Captain would do. I know what The Huntress and The Judge and The Smuggler and The Jester and The Scientist and The Priestess would do. But not me. Not usually."
Pyrrha pressed her lips into a fine line and rubbed her left arm with her right. She could remember times where she wasn't sure what she ought to be doing... but she knew what The Invincible Girl was supposed to be doing and fell back on that.
"I think I understand," Pyrrha sighed. "I'm not happy about it, but I understand." She fixed her mother with a look she hoped was neutral and extended her olive branch, "I might be willing to forgive my mother. My actual mother, not some character that happens to be a mother. Can you do that?"
"I don't know," Athena admitted, "I can try, but I don't know what that will be."
"Trying is a place to start," Xander reassured his Granny, "And if you have a place to start you can get it done as long as you're willing to work at it."
"Then I want to try," Athena wept.
Pyrrha exchanged a look with Xander, who helped her out of her chair and onto the meeting room's couch.
"Then let's try," Pyrrha offered figuring it was best to start while she knew for certain she was dealing with her mother's true face.
Athena stumbled from her chair to the couch, taking her seat between her daughter and grandson. The two of them allowed her to wrap her arms around them and she sobbed great big ugly tears as snot started running from her nose.
Orestes dutifully provided a handkerchief.
At the moment the people who recognized her too polite smile for what it was consisted of her Jaune, their teammates Ren and Nora, their friends in Team RWBY, and had been joined by her son Xander. She suspected that if she had been allowed to spend real time with Arslan the warrior nun would have caught on quickly, but her mother had made sure that hadn't happed.
Her mother.
Her mother had made that smile. Spent hours with different specialists sculpting it until it met her standards and placed it on Pyrrha's face like she was a good little doll to parade before the world.
Pyrrha wasn't going to wear her mother's smile today, even though it was taking a conscious effort to keep it off her face.
The door to the meeting room closed and Pyrrha steeled her heart as she slowly turned to face Athena, a truly blank expression displayed on her face.
"Pyrrha?" Her mother wrung her hands together in an exaggerated manner. "How, how did this happen?"
"Professor Ozpin already explained that, weren't you paying attention?" Pyrrha crossed her arms as she deliberately frowned to keep that dam showroom smile off her face.
"That's not what I meant," Athena protested waving her hands about wildly like she was trying to clear the air of her miss-phrased question. "I mean what drew you to Jaune Arc? Why is he my future son-in-law?"
"Why shouldn't he be?" Pyrrha countered with a scowl. "He's the man who holds my heart."
"Your mother isn't challenging your decision to pursue him, Miss Pyrrha," Orestes interjected from his place by the door. His hands were casually resting in his pockets, but his shoulders were tense. "She's just curious."
Pyrrha considered Orestes for a moment. The man had lasted longer than any of the family's previous butlers and had actually argued in favor of letting her go to Beacon when her mother seemed hesitant. She supposed that gave him enough benefit of the doubt for her to let him stick his oar in this family discussion.
"If you must know I've felt an attraction to Jaune since Initiation here at Beacon," Pyrrha explained as she shifted the way she had her arms crossed. "I went out of my way to make sure he was my partner because he was the first person I met who didn't know who I was. I knew something real could happen between us without the expectations of fame coloring our interactions."
"You fell in love with a boy you literally just met!" Athena clutched at her heart as her eyes grew wide.
"That's a gross oversimplification of things!" Pyrrha forcefully objected. It wasn't hard to keep the frown on her face now. "I've spent almost every day of the last few semesters by his side while he's had no clue about my feelings for him. He's spent most of that time pursuing another girl, and while it was painful to watch it let me know exactly what kind of man he is. Weiss' situation is rather similar to mine but he was interested in her for her, not her wealth or name. He never saw a reason to hide his true nature from me, so I know he's nothing like my father."
"That's good, that's very good," Athena smiled wide. Too wide. Wooden even. Come to think of it, every expression Pyrrha had seen her mother make today was wooden, every motion overwrought and every vocalization dripping with drama.
"Stop playing games, Mother," Pyrrha warned as her arms fell to her sides and her hands clenched into fists.
"Beg pardon?" The confusion crossing Athena's visage was the most genuine thing the young spartan had seen on her face all day.
"You keep switching back and forth between being horrified by my situation and being completely supportive," Pyrrha's scowl deepened. "I admit this is different from the games you played back home but it's just as confusing. Why can't you just be genuine for once and let me know how you really feel? Give it to me straight instead of the smoke and mirrors you make me dance through?"
"I-I'm, I am being genuine," Athena objected.
"Oh please," Pyrrha rolled her eyes, "You put me through mind games twenty-four-seven after Dad hurt us. You expect me to believe you stopped today when you couldn't even greet me like a normal person?! Basara was able to be supportive and hug her daughter properly and treat this situation normally! You dove in wailing like this is some kind of soap opera instead of real life!"
Athena recoiled as if she had been slapped. "Pyrrha, my sweet, I'm not playing mind games with you. I'm just confused and out of my depth here."
"Part of me wants to believe that," Pyrrha chuckled ruefully as she started shaking from tightly bridled anger. "But I've been a prop and a doll for your drama far too long. I've tasted freedom here and I'm not going to let you take complete control of my life again."
Color began to drain from Athena's face. "If I was trying to have complete control over your life why would I let you come here to Beacon?"
"You almost didn't," Pyrrha hissed as she loomed forward. "Orestes had to talk you into it! Why you agreed, I don't know! Maybe you got bored of the old game! Maybe you wanted the challenge of pulling my strings from a distance! If I didn't have your number blocked I wouldn't have time for anything besides answering your calls so that's a real possibility. Or maybe you wanted the thrill of pulling me back in after I've had the chance to be free of you!"
"Oh gods," Athena whispered with all the horror of comprehension, "You actually hate me."
"MAYBE I DO!" Pyrrha howled as the metal legs of a side table suddenly bent into pretzels. "I had no idea how to value myself until Jaune Arc taught me how to be genuine! How to have a real smile instead of the plastic thing you slapped on my face! I didn't know how to have friends until Jaune and Ren and Nora taught me! Until Ruby shared her baking and Yang pulled me into girl talk and Blake shared her books! And WHY did I have to learn it from them? YOU KEPT THE ONE PERSON WHO COULD HAVE BEEN FRIENDS WITH ME AS FAR AWAY AS PROPRIETY PERMITTED! I SHOULD HAVE BEEN FRIENDS WITH ARSLAN! I SPENT ALL OF MY TEENAGE YEARS ALONE BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"I, I, I was trying to keep you safe," Athena trembled as she stumbled back to Orestes, who caught her before she could trip over herself. "I was trying to make you ready for anything before you went out into the world! I tried to have you live through every possibility as we role-played-"
"WELL YOU DID A TERRIBLE JOB!" Pyrrha screamed as a metal lamp attempted to become a Möbius strip. Her voice dropped low as she continued, "The Space-Time Continuum had to turn itself inside out before I was able to be honest with the man I love! And it gets worse. So much worse. In five of the eleven futures I never said anything and had to live watching the love of my life fall into the arms of another woman. In the other five where we're not married I only told him how I felt because I was charging into a battle that I was certain would kill me, and I was right." The horror that grew on Athena's face shouldn't have brought Pyrrha comfort, but it did. "And in the one, singular future where I marry the man of my dreams? I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing. So no Mother: nothing you did helped me. Everything you did crippled me. So yes, Mother, I think I might hate you."
Getting all of that out into the air was pleasing on a visceral level to a part of herself that she didn't realize she had until that moment. Breathing heavily Pyrrha began to gather herself for the second wind of her rage, but then Xander placed a placating hand on her shoulder.
"That's more than enough Mom," her son gently admonished. "You got what you needed off your chest. Any more and you'll say things you'll genuinely regret. Besides, you've completely demolished what was left of Granny's façade. We're dealing with the real her now."
The plea was enough to still the winds fanning the flames of anger. With her vision no longer clouded by rage she looked upon her mother again, and what she saw surprised her.
Athena stood there still supported by Orestes and it was clear she needed the support. It was like she had crumpled in on herself despite standing tall, tears slowly running down her cheeks while her eyes morosely looked into the distance. The last time Pyrrha had seen this face on her mother was a week before she kicked her husband out of the house; it was the only face of her mother that she knew for certain was completely real.
It was now difficult to hold on to her anger.
"Granny Athena hurt you because she was damaged," Xander went on now that he knew his mother was listening. "She legitimately thought Peleus was the most honest and trustworthy man she had ever met, and the realization he wasn't really screwed with her head. She didn't trust any of her old friends anymore so she only had her paranoia to lean on while she was trying to figure out how to raise you. She was trying to make you naturally suspicious so you would second guess any smooth talker that came your way, but we both know that's not what happened."
"Since you're calling Athena Granny," Orestes spoke up as he gently navigated Athena to a chair, "Is it safe to assume you're all on speaking terms in your future?"
"We are," Xander confirmed with a nod, "Though things were rough for a bit. When Mom and Dad got together Granny was convinced Dad was another Peleus so she was pretty hostile at first. Then Mom almost died in The Battle of Atlas and that threw Granny off enough for other people to get through to her. Grandma Isabel forced her to start seeing a therapist after that, and while it wasn't an overnight fix they were able to get Athena to stop acting twenty-four-seven. "
"And she stuck with Doctor Isabel's recommended therapist the whole time?"
"She did."
"I'd be interested in getting their contact information later."
"Acting twenty-four-seven?" Pyrrha asked as she allowed herself to sit in a chair across from Athena.
"It's easier," Athena managed to get out in a dull voice, "Easier than being me all the time. Most of the time I don't know what I would do. But I know what The Countess would do. I know what The Captain would do. I know what The Huntress and The Judge and The Smuggler and The Jester and The Scientist and The Priestess would do. But not me. Not usually."
Pyrrha pressed her lips into a fine line and rubbed her left arm with her right. She could remember times where she wasn't sure what she ought to be doing... but she knew what The Invincible Girl was supposed to be doing and fell back on that.
"I think I understand," Pyrrha sighed. "I'm not happy about it, but I understand." She fixed her mother with a look she hoped was neutral and extended her olive branch, "I might be willing to forgive my mother. My actual mother, not some character that happens to be a mother. Can you do that?"
"I don't know," Athena admitted, "I can try, but I don't know what that will be."
"Trying is a place to start," Xander reassured his Granny, "And if you have a place to start you can get it done as long as you're willing to work at it."
"Then I want to try," Athena wept.
Pyrrha exchanged a look with Xander, who helped her out of her chair and onto the meeting room's couch.
"Then let's try," Pyrrha offered figuring it was best to start while she knew for certain she was dealing with her mother's true face.
Athena stumbled from her chair to the couch, taking her seat between her daughter and grandson. The two of them allowed her to wrap her arms around them and she sobbed great big ugly tears as snot started running from her nose.
Orestes dutifully provided a handkerchief.
The Arcs Part 1
AndrewJTalon
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The Arcs Part 1
- - -
Isabel led the way into the conference room, Jaune, Emerald, Glynda, Dorothy, Amethyst, Ash and Ashley following. Nick had begged off, saying he would be back in a bit.
The second the door closed, Isabel rounded on her future grandchildren and locked onto Ash and Ashley.
"All right, sit down," she instructed, guiding them to the couch, "Let me see those scars."
The twins glanced at each other in a mixture of relief and some familiar exasperation, but they complied. Isabel examined their faces with a surgeon's eye, while Jaune, Emerald, Glynda, Amethyst, and Dorothy sat down across from them. Amethyst and Dorothy none-too-subtly pushed their mothers to sit on either side of Jaune, while taking up seats in chairs alongside. Jaune felt a bit nervous but did his best to hide it. Emerald flushed but nevertheless she stayed close to Jaune. Her precious daughter was living proof this man was someone she could trust completely.
She... She hadn't even had that with Cinder. So the temptation to be close with him was just too strong for the thief to resist.
Glynda, for her part, was keeping a bit more distance between her potential future husband and herself. Yet the disapproving frown on her face over Emerald's closeness was a bit stronger than she would have liked.
"Hmmm..." Isabel murmured, "Who healed you? It's very good work. The scarring will take more effort to fix but any underlying damage has been completely repaired."
"Dad," Ash and Ashley said, pointing over at Jaune. Isabel looked back in shock. Glynda and Emerald nodded. Jaune flushed and nodded as well.
"His Semblance, Aura Amp, lets him transfer his own Aura to another person," Dorothy reported, as though she was in class, "With nearly 100 percent efficiency."
"100 percent?!" Isabel gasped, nearly staggered. "The best modern healing dust can do is twenty percent efficiency!"
Ashley nodded, smiling with genuine pride in her eyes at her father.
"He can also enhance others' Semblances, evolve them to become much more powerful!"
"I can?!" Jaune gasped.
"He can?!" Glynda, Isabel, and Emerald asked in shock.
"How long does it last?" Glynda asked urgently.
"Around 24 hours, I think, depending on how much you do," Ash contributed, "Later on, he learned how to restore his own Aura and enhance everyone else's in range without having to touch them. Like an instant Aura and Semblance booster."
Isabel's eyes were shining with pride and amazement. Glynda rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"No wonder I could fix the airfield so quickly," she murmured. She looked at Jaune with some admiration. "That's quite the talent you have, Jaune-Mister Arc."
"No wonder we were able to defeat Salem," Emerald breathed in awe.
"I... Um... Thank you," Jaune said modestly, "But uh, we haven't done it yet so-"
"Ooooh!" Isabel hugged Jaune tightly with a beam. "I knew it! I knew it! You're going to be a shoe-in at Ambroise Pare University! I mean, before, you would have made the grade but this? You could be valedictorian! You could make the Deans' list-Screw it you WOULD be the Dean's List!"
Jaune felt the old argument rearing its head. He felt the old resentments beginning to rise. He clenched his fists and he gritted his teeth.
"Mom," he tried.
"Oh, and a fellowship at Arc-En-Ciel-Who would care if it looked like nepotism?!" Isabel babbled excitedly, "You can heal with a touch!"
"Mom."
"We could write your first paper together and-"
"MOM!" Jaune shouted, pushing Isabel away. He took a deep breath and did his best to ignore her hurt and confused look.
"I told you before," he said, "I'm not going to be a doctor! I've chosen my path!"
"But Jaune!" Isabel insisted, "Your Semblance-You could literally change the world!"
"I already HAVE changed the world!" Jaune growled. "In eleven futures! If I hadn't joined Beacon, I... For all we know, the world might have ended!"
"It absolutely would have," Dorothy stated, as Ash, Ashley, and Amethyst nodded.
Isabel gaped.
"But-Surely now that we know, you could quit! Your Semblance-!"
"His Semblance is why the world was saved, Nana," Ashley stated flatly, "And not just that: His leadership, his kindness. He turned our mom from serving the greatest source of evil in the world into a great hero who saved everything."
"S-Same in my timeline," Amethyst offered, a bit shyly.
"Same in all the timelines, Grandma," Dorothy added, shaking her head. She sighed. "Geez, I knew you were controlling but this is a bit much-"
"I am not controlling!" Isabel growled. "I just... I just want what's best for this family! For everyone! A lot of impossible and frankly insane things have happened and I'm just... I'm just trying to-"
"Isabel," Glynda said softly, "I know. But do you really think you can convince Jaune-Mister Arc-to turn his back on this situation? Would you turn your back on this situation if it was you in his place?"
"I..." Isabel looked back at her son, who stood resolutely. "I'm not asking that... I just... We know what the future holds. We know we win against this Salem person-"
"And what?" Jaune demanded. "I shouldn't fight her?"
"I... Well," Isabel stood awkwardly, "I mean, if we know, and we could build an alliance... Your father and I are a little out of practice but we could fight while you-"
"No!" Jaune growled. "I'm tired of this, Mom! Even with all of this, you're still treating me like a baby!"
Isabel scowled.
"Well what am I supposed to do, huh?!" She demanded. "Do you really think you have any control over the situation?! You're a father 13 times over with eleven potential brides! You're a key point in a temporal paradox and someone already tried to kill you! How else am I supposed to respond?!"
Emerald got up and took her place at Jaune's side. She scowled at her future mother-in-law.
"Maybe recognize he's a MAN and not a child?!" Emerald demanded. Isabel scowled back, not backing down.
"You barely know him! You just met him! I am his mother-!"
"And in the day or two I've really known him, I've seen the kind of man he is!" Emerald insisted. "I-I can see why I fell for him! Why I trust him! Why I would have children with him!"
She took the stunned Jaune's hand and squeezed it tightly.
"He's shown me more care and kindness than anyone I've even known before!" She insisted, "And you don't get to act like he's some idiot teenager father in over his head!"
"Emerald," Jaune murmured. Emerald blushed deeply, but the happy smile on Amethyst's face and the scowl on Isabel's hardened her resolve.
He actually appreciates me... It's all I've ever wanted... I refuse to back down!
"Auntie Em, it's okay," Ashley contributed, "Nana chills out eventually. She did for our mom, and you. And Uncle Mercury."
"Speaking of, we gotta get him to defect next," Ash said with a nod, "He taught us lock picking."
"Really? You too?" Amethyst asked in interest.
Isabel groaned.
"What kind of women do you marry in the future?!" Isabel demanded, exasperated. She turned and glared at Glynda, who coughed.
"Wonderful ones, even if some need more help than others," Jaune shot back defiantly. This made Emerald and Glynda both blush, while Dorothy, Amethyst, Ash and Ashely all grimaced.
Isabel scowled.
"I just... It's not easy to understand," she said quietly, "Or... Well..."
The door slammed open. Nick entered, his arms full of cakes and candies. He grinned.
"Hey! I'm back! Sorry, I didn't know what everyone would want so I got some of everything!" He dropped the pile of snacks onto the coffee table. "Now, first things first... Glynda?"
"Ah, yes Nick?" Glynda asked. He motioned for her to stand up. She did so... And he captured her in a gigantic bear hug. "Urk!"
"Welcome to the family, daughter-in-law!" Nick laughed. He dropped the blushing deputy headmistress, before he walked over to Emerald and caught her in a big hug as well. "And you too, daughter-in-law! Emerald, right?"
"Y-Yes sir?" Emerald managed, her cheeks much darker at the affection and power in Nick's hug. The tall man put her down and beamed. He turned to his grandchildren and held out his arms.
"Plenty more where that came from! Bring it in, then, snacks!" Nick cheered.
"Nick!" Isabel protested, even as the grandkids got up to embrace Nick, "The last thing we need is a bunch of junk food!"
"This is exactly the time for a bunch of junk food!" Nick insisted. He hugged Amethyst (who squealed happily and returned it), Dorothy (who giggled and kissed her grandpa's cheek) Ash (who tolerated it while trying to hide how pleased he was) and Ashley (who sighed in exasperation but patted Nick's head).
"And also," Nick continued, "Tell me all about this evil witch Salem!" He grinned and punched his fist into his other palm. "Do I get to punch her in the schnozz?"
"Nick!" Isabel groaned in exasperation.
"Okay, does Jaune get to punch her in the schnozz?"
"NICK!"
- - -
To be continued!
- - -
Isabel led the way into the conference room, Jaune, Emerald, Glynda, Dorothy, Amethyst, Ash and Ashley following. Nick had begged off, saying he would be back in a bit.
The second the door closed, Isabel rounded on her future grandchildren and locked onto Ash and Ashley.
"All right, sit down," she instructed, guiding them to the couch, "Let me see those scars."
The twins glanced at each other in a mixture of relief and some familiar exasperation, but they complied. Isabel examined their faces with a surgeon's eye, while Jaune, Emerald, Glynda, Amethyst, and Dorothy sat down across from them. Amethyst and Dorothy none-too-subtly pushed their mothers to sit on either side of Jaune, while taking up seats in chairs alongside. Jaune felt a bit nervous but did his best to hide it. Emerald flushed but nevertheless she stayed close to Jaune. Her precious daughter was living proof this man was someone she could trust completely.
She... She hadn't even had that with Cinder. So the temptation to be close with him was just too strong for the thief to resist.
Glynda, for her part, was keeping a bit more distance between her potential future husband and herself. Yet the disapproving frown on her face over Emerald's closeness was a bit stronger than she would have liked.
"Hmmm..." Isabel murmured, "Who healed you? It's very good work. The scarring will take more effort to fix but any underlying damage has been completely repaired."
"Dad," Ash and Ashley said, pointing over at Jaune. Isabel looked back in shock. Glynda and Emerald nodded. Jaune flushed and nodded as well.
"His Semblance, Aura Amp, lets him transfer his own Aura to another person," Dorothy reported, as though she was in class, "With nearly 100 percent efficiency."
"100 percent?!" Isabel gasped, nearly staggered. "The best modern healing dust can do is twenty percent efficiency!"
Ashley nodded, smiling with genuine pride in her eyes at her father.
"He can also enhance others' Semblances, evolve them to become much more powerful!"
"I can?!" Jaune gasped.
"He can?!" Glynda, Isabel, and Emerald asked in shock.
"How long does it last?" Glynda asked urgently.
"Around 24 hours, I think, depending on how much you do," Ash contributed, "Later on, he learned how to restore his own Aura and enhance everyone else's in range without having to touch them. Like an instant Aura and Semblance booster."
Isabel's eyes were shining with pride and amazement. Glynda rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"No wonder I could fix the airfield so quickly," she murmured. She looked at Jaune with some admiration. "That's quite the talent you have, Jaune-Mister Arc."
"No wonder we were able to defeat Salem," Emerald breathed in awe.
"I... Um... Thank you," Jaune said modestly, "But uh, we haven't done it yet so-"
"Ooooh!" Isabel hugged Jaune tightly with a beam. "I knew it! I knew it! You're going to be a shoe-in at Ambroise Pare University! I mean, before, you would have made the grade but this? You could be valedictorian! You could make the Deans' list-Screw it you WOULD be the Dean's List!"
Jaune felt the old argument rearing its head. He felt the old resentments beginning to rise. He clenched his fists and he gritted his teeth.
"Mom," he tried.
"Oh, and a fellowship at Arc-En-Ciel-Who would care if it looked like nepotism?!" Isabel babbled excitedly, "You can heal with a touch!"
"Mom."
"We could write your first paper together and-"
"MOM!" Jaune shouted, pushing Isabel away. He took a deep breath and did his best to ignore her hurt and confused look.
"I told you before," he said, "I'm not going to be a doctor! I've chosen my path!"
"But Jaune!" Isabel insisted, "Your Semblance-You could literally change the world!"
"I already HAVE changed the world!" Jaune growled. "In eleven futures! If I hadn't joined Beacon, I... For all we know, the world might have ended!"
"It absolutely would have," Dorothy stated, as Ash, Ashley, and Amethyst nodded.
Isabel gaped.
"But-Surely now that we know, you could quit! Your Semblance-!"
"His Semblance is why the world was saved, Nana," Ashley stated flatly, "And not just that: His leadership, his kindness. He turned our mom from serving the greatest source of evil in the world into a great hero who saved everything."
"S-Same in my timeline," Amethyst offered, a bit shyly.
"Same in all the timelines, Grandma," Dorothy added, shaking her head. She sighed. "Geez, I knew you were controlling but this is a bit much-"
"I am not controlling!" Isabel growled. "I just... I just want what's best for this family! For everyone! A lot of impossible and frankly insane things have happened and I'm just... I'm just trying to-"
"Isabel," Glynda said softly, "I know. But do you really think you can convince Jaune-Mister Arc-to turn his back on this situation? Would you turn your back on this situation if it was you in his place?"
"I..." Isabel looked back at her son, who stood resolutely. "I'm not asking that... I just... We know what the future holds. We know we win against this Salem person-"
"And what?" Jaune demanded. "I shouldn't fight her?"
"I... Well," Isabel stood awkwardly, "I mean, if we know, and we could build an alliance... Your father and I are a little out of practice but we could fight while you-"
"No!" Jaune growled. "I'm tired of this, Mom! Even with all of this, you're still treating me like a baby!"
Isabel scowled.
"Well what am I supposed to do, huh?!" She demanded. "Do you really think you have any control over the situation?! You're a father 13 times over with eleven potential brides! You're a key point in a temporal paradox and someone already tried to kill you! How else am I supposed to respond?!"
Emerald got up and took her place at Jaune's side. She scowled at her future mother-in-law.
"Maybe recognize he's a MAN and not a child?!" Emerald demanded. Isabel scowled back, not backing down.
"You barely know him! You just met him! I am his mother-!"
"And in the day or two I've really known him, I've seen the kind of man he is!" Emerald insisted. "I-I can see why I fell for him! Why I trust him! Why I would have children with him!"
She took the stunned Jaune's hand and squeezed it tightly.
"He's shown me more care and kindness than anyone I've even known before!" She insisted, "And you don't get to act like he's some idiot teenager father in over his head!"
"Emerald," Jaune murmured. Emerald blushed deeply, but the happy smile on Amethyst's face and the scowl on Isabel's hardened her resolve.
He actually appreciates me... It's all I've ever wanted... I refuse to back down!
"Auntie Em, it's okay," Ashley contributed, "Nana chills out eventually. She did for our mom, and you. And Uncle Mercury."
"Speaking of, we gotta get him to defect next," Ash said with a nod, "He taught us lock picking."
"Really? You too?" Amethyst asked in interest.
Isabel groaned.
"What kind of women do you marry in the future?!" Isabel demanded, exasperated. She turned and glared at Glynda, who coughed.
"Wonderful ones, even if some need more help than others," Jaune shot back defiantly. This made Emerald and Glynda both blush, while Dorothy, Amethyst, Ash and Ashely all grimaced.
Isabel scowled.
"I just... It's not easy to understand," she said quietly, "Or... Well..."
The door slammed open. Nick entered, his arms full of cakes and candies. He grinned.
"Hey! I'm back! Sorry, I didn't know what everyone would want so I got some of everything!" He dropped the pile of snacks onto the coffee table. "Now, first things first... Glynda?"
"Ah, yes Nick?" Glynda asked. He motioned for her to stand up. She did so... And he captured her in a gigantic bear hug. "Urk!"
"Welcome to the family, daughter-in-law!" Nick laughed. He dropped the blushing deputy headmistress, before he walked over to Emerald and caught her in a big hug as well. "And you too, daughter-in-law! Emerald, right?"
"Y-Yes sir?" Emerald managed, her cheeks much darker at the affection and power in Nick's hug. The tall man put her down and beamed. He turned to his grandchildren and held out his arms.
"Plenty more where that came from! Bring it in, then, snacks!" Nick cheered.
"Nick!" Isabel protested, even as the grandkids got up to embrace Nick, "The last thing we need is a bunch of junk food!"
"This is exactly the time for a bunch of junk food!" Nick insisted. He hugged Amethyst (who squealed happily and returned it), Dorothy (who giggled and kissed her grandpa's cheek) Ash (who tolerated it while trying to hide how pleased he was) and Ashley (who sighed in exasperation but patted Nick's head).
"And also," Nick continued, "Tell me all about this evil witch Salem!" He grinned and punched his fist into his other palm. "Do I get to punch her in the schnozz?"
"Nick!" Isabel groaned in exasperation.
"Okay, does Jaune get to punch her in the schnozz?"
"NICK!"
- - -
To be continued!
ThunderBasilisk
Well Worn Bastion
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This is absolutely something i could see happen in canon. Not this exact scenario but close enough. And damn Pyrrha must feel relieved after just dropping all that
ThunderBasilisk
Well Worn Bastion
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And a much needed talk with his mom. Jaune needed this. And kek his dad gave zero fucks about anything besides what was important.
Dragon Bob
Electrical Dragon
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- Dec 20, 2021
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I love Nick. Everyone else is panicking over the temporal issues and Nick is just accepting his many new daughter-in-laws. He goes for the immediate harem route.
Spreadsheet Which Should be Crossposted to Spacebattles
Gur40
Know what you're doing yet?
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| Ruby Timeline Mechanic Ruby Dr Jaune | Lost right hand to Tyrian | Son Julian uses Sniper-scythe. Semblance: Golden Petal Burst (Super Speed) | Age 16 of 10 kids | Dead - Roman | Salem: Petrified Ozma: Oscar | Crocea Mors Broken before Atlas reforged into new Right Hand | With him in the Ever After - Red Reaper | Pyrrha dead -daughter named Pyrrha |
| Weiss Timeline CEO Weiss House Husband Jaune | Scar over Left eye by Neo Mentally most damaged | Son Nicholas uses Sword and shield (Neo Crocea Mors) Semblance: Schnee Glyph Overdrive | Age 17 of 10 kids | Dead - Roman, Nick Arc, Saph, Terra, Adrian | Salem: Banished to the Mirror Dimension Ozma: Oscar | Crocea Mors Broken and reforged into Nicholas sword | Ever After Alone | Pyrrha dead -daughter named Pyrrha |
| Blake Timeline Teachers at Menagerie Huntsmen Academy | Scars by Adam | Twins Leandra and Leander uses Matching Ninjato-pistols and various ninja tools Semblance: Quantum Teleportation | Age 17 of 20 kids | Dead - Roman | Salem: Mirror Dimension Ozma: Oscar | Crocea Mors | Ever After Alone | Pyrrha dead -daughter named Pyrrha |
| Yang Timeline Combat Instructor Yang Dr. Jaune | Scars by Raven? | Daughter Xia uses Combat Gauntlets Semblance: Super | Age 17 of 10 kids | Dead - Roman | Salem: Magicless Ozma: Oscar | Crocea Mors sliced by Adam's moonslice | With him in the Ever After -Golden Dragon | Pyrrha dead -daughter named Pyrrha |
| May/Maia Timeline Queen & Royal Consort | Light Scar on neck by Assassin [Poison] | Son August uses Sniper-Monk's Spade Semblance: Aura Vision/Sight | Age 17 of ?? | Dead - Roman | Salem: Medical Coma Ozma: Oscar | Crocea Mors | Ever After Alone?? | Pyrrha dead -daughter named Pyrrha |
| Pyrrha Timeline House Husband Jaune | Eyes destroyed by Cinder get cyber eyes | Son Xander uses Roman-style shield and sword/spear/semi-auto rifle Semblance: Magnetism | Age 17 of 9 kids | Dead - Roman | Salem: Petrified Ozma: | Crocea Mors | Ever After Alone? | Pyrrha Alive duh |
| Arslan Timeline | Leg lost to Hound | Daughter Petra uses Short sword with chain Semblance: Pneuma | Age 17 of 13 kids | Dead - Roman | Salem: Ever After Ozma: | Crocea Mors | With him in the Ever After - Wise Lion | Pyrrha Alive |
| Winter Timeline General Schnee Tactician Jaune | Heart torn out by Cinder | Son Theodore Semblance: Schnee Glyph Evolution | Age 18 of 10 kids | Dead - Roman, Isabel, James | Salem: Magicless Ozma: | Crocea Mors | Ever After Alone? | Pyrrha Alive - dating Yang? |
| Glynda Timeline Head Mistress Glynda Medic Teacher and Staff Dr. Jaune | Eye lost to Cinder face scared | Daughter Dorothy Semblance: Touch Telekinesis Crush on Moses | Age 17 of 9 kids | Dead - James Leo | Salem: Magic Prison Ozma: Oscar | Crocea Mors broken battle of Atlas by Cinder | Locked in Rusted Knight age | Pyrrha Alive |
| Emerald Timeline | Burned by Cinder | Daughter Amethyst - Civilian locked out the loop | Age 17 of ?? | Amber lives?? | Salem: Mind Break Ozma: Ozpin | Crocea Mors | Ever After Alone?? | Pyrrha Alive |
| Cinder Timeline | Burned wrists/forearms by Cinder | Twins Ash and Ashley uses Dagger-machine pistols, anything else they can carry or grab Semblance: Aura Drain/Leech | Age 17 of 9 kids | Dead ?? | Salem: Mind Break Ozma: Ozpin | Crocea Mors | Ever After Alone?? | Pyrrha Alive |
Last edited:
Jailbird Blues by Sift Green
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
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"You're lucky I didn't lock you in an actual birdcage."
Those were the words that greeted Raven as her faculties returned to her. The words set off an alarm in her head and she tried to jump up into a combat stance only to find that her body didn't move more than a quarter of an inch. For a moment Raven almost succumbed to a blind panic from waking up tied and bound in a strange room with someone she considered a sworn enemy. Almost. The Spring Maiden deliberately bit the side of her cheek with just enough force to bring focus as the calculated pain derailed her spiraling thoughts. With her panic averted Raven was able to take proper stock of her situation.
She was no longer in her usual attire. Instead she was garbed in a prison jumpsuit with a neon-orange color that she found quite tacky. Her wrists and ankles were cuffed to X shaped beams jutting out from a narrow slab on an adjustable fulcrum allowing it to hold a person in a standing position or have them lying down like a bed. At the present moment it was holding her in a standing position in the center of the cell that allowed her to see the hardlight wall that served as the bars of the cell she was in, as well as the man who was currently standing in the cell with her.
"Ozpin," Raven hissed out as she struggled against the cuffs. The memories of the battle leading up to her capture flashed through her head, and embarrassed anger flushed through her system as she came to terms with being caught. That lead to something important she needed to get out of the way: "I don't care about whatever deal you have cooked up. I'm not working for you ever again."
"What makes you think I'm here for a deal?" Ozpin quirked an eyebrow at her.
"You can't keep me here," Raven reasoned. "Not for long anyways. Once I've recovered enough to use my powers I'll tear out of this place and you'll never see me again. Since you haven't killed me you're clearly here to give me some feel good speech about forgiveness and doing the right thing for the good of all mankind hopping to appeal to my better nature. Well let me save us both some time and say the answer is no."
Ozpin adjusted his glasses and frowned in disappointment. "Over a decade with the powers of a Maiden and you still don't know what you're doing with them."
What. That seeming non sequitur wasn't what Raven expected, so she actually opened her ears as Ozpin continued.
"If you knew what you were doing you would have noticed what the cuffs are currently doing to you." The old wizard explained.
Alarmed by that statement Raven looked to the cuff on her right wrist and strained against it again. Now that Ozpin had brought it to her attention she could feel it. The cuffs were actively sapping away at her aura and her magic, pulling them away from her body just as fast as they could regenerate. The Spring Maiden tried to flair her aura and magic to overwhelm the draining effect, but the cuffs adjusted to the greater flow far too quickly for that brief flair up to work.
"The cuffs will keep your aura levels and the amount of magic you have on hand low enough that you're basically a regular civilian right now. You'll be staying here for as long as is necessary."
"Magic can't be destroyed," Raven objected as she stopped straining against her bonds. "It can only be defused. Sooner or later this area will be too saturated with my magic for you to keep me locked up like this."
"Normally you'd be right," Ozpin allowed with a tired sigh. "Unfortunately I have a comatose Fall Maiden a few floors down who's soaking up all of the ambient magic in the area in an effort to plug the hole in her soul. You're being drained directly into her life support system. The good news is that every hour you're connected to the system adds another week we'll be able to keep Amber alive. If this was my only method of keeping you here I'd be able to keep you in this room for as long as Amber needs life support; which might not be as long as you'd think since some new information has come to light that might help us heal her. However, I've done more than cuff you."
"What do you mean you've done more than cuff me?" Raven asked as dread started pooling in her stomach.
"I've placed four sigils on your back," the reincarnating wizard explained as he began to circle her. "The first disrupts your ability to use your semblance. The second disrupts your ability to turn into a bird. The third disrupts your ability to manipulate magic. The fourth? That one will straight up kill you if it's tampered with incorrectly."
Raven frowned as she processed this information. The fourth sigil obviously served as a deterrent for messing with the other three, meaning it was possible to mess with them. The fact that he was telling her about it meant it was possible for her to mess with the sigils in her current state and he wanted her to know that doing so was too risky. She needed to know more about them.
"These sigils sound like useful tools," She probed with a taunting tone. "Is there a reason you never used them against the Black Queen?"
"You put the world's best lock in front of the world's best lock-picker and it's only a matter of time before the lock-picker unlocks it." Ozpin explained as he returned to standing in front of her. "They're useless against someone who knows how to use magic like a master artist's finest paintbrush. Against a wayward Maiden who wields her magic like an amateur with a paint roller? They'll serve their purpose well."
"I'm no amateur!" Raven objected with a snarl as she strained against her cuffs again.
"I really wish you weren't," Ozpin's eyes held genuine remorse, "Things would have been significantly different if you had bothered learning the subtler half of the esoteric arts. Thought that's a problem most of the Maidens have had: too few of you think like wizards and end up wielding your magic like an elemental beat-stick."
Raven rolled her eyes at The Wizard's commiserating. If he didn't think she could figure the sigils out fine, she'd let him think that. She just needed a way to figure out which sigil to avoid before she started experimenting... which was a taller order than she liked but if she had time she'd do it. This lead to an important question: how much time did she have to work with?
"So you'll use me as a battery to keep your Fall Maiden alive. Then what?" Raven asked in a nonchalant manner. "You keep me locked up, come down every once in a while to parade regrets and might have beens before going on and on about how it's not to late for me, I can change and be a good girl again. Maybe bring other people I've been close with for visits to try and wear me down. It's not going to work Ozpin. I'm never going to be a pawn in your war again."
Ozpin sighed once again before pulling out his scroll and opening it up to show an official looking document, "Raven Branwen, The Branwen Tribe of Bandits are considered hostis humani generis and as their leader you have no legal protection under any Kingdom's laws. You will be tried in a manner your captors deem fit, and from that trial a sentence will be determined and then carried out in the manner your captors deem appropriate. As an Outlaw in the truest sense of the term you will be offered no legal council, nor any chance to appeal the results of the trial. Dura lex sed lex."
"Are you planing on killing me?" That was a bit surprising, but she was well prepared for that possibility. Raven began to chuckle, "Well you can't kill me. My last thoughts determine who the next Spring Maiden is. There are plenty of girls in the Branwen Tribe young enough to become the next Maiden, and I've actually been training one of them to take my place should the worst happen. And if you think your agents can take her on before she comes into her own... well their are plenty of criminal organizations in Mistral that would love to have a young recruit gain real magic. And if that isn't enough for you to take me seriously... Well, I've discovered the identities of the girls Salem's trained to become her dark maidens."
Ozpin rose an eyebrow at this, and she could tell she had his attention.
"And I don't just mean the girl that crippled Amber," Raven went on. "I know who she's planning to send after Fria, who she's planning to send to Vacuo for the Summer Maiden, who she's planning to send after me." There it was; her trump card on the table. A nasty grin split across her face, "You kill me and you'll just be hand delivering a Maiden to the Black Queen, and she'll make them far too dangerous for you to get that power back."
"DON'T think about Summer," Ozpin replied, and Raven's mind immediately went to her old team leader in spite of her efforts to stop it. Thoughts of Summer Rose naturally dovetailed into thoughts of Summer's flesh and blood, Ruby Rose, as well as the girl Raven left for Summer and Tai to raise, Yang. From the smile on the wizard's face Raven knew that Oz could tell where her thoughts had just gone. "I did that without any magic Raven. Want to know what I could do with magic?"
Ozpin waved his hand about in a series of arcane gestures that slowly formed a sphere of emerald energy that hung in the air in front of him. With each wave of his hands that sphere became flatter and flatter until it was the dimensions of an old compact disk used by older computers and music players. Satisfied with his creation the wizard plucked the disk out of the air before giving one last look over before a grim frown took over his face. He stepped forward disk in his right hand while his left grasped Raven's face, holding it in place as he pressed the disk against her forehead. She could feel it sliding into her head between the two hemispheres of her brain where it settled in and wove itself into her neurons.
"Let's see who you should be thinking about, hmm?" Ozpin began in a voice that held no pleasure with what he had done. "Perhaps Velvet? She has one of the most promising semblances I've seen in years. She could put the Maiden's power to great use." He spun his hands around and the image of a brown haired rabbit faunus filled Raven's mind. "On the other hand she wouldn't think like a wizard and would mostly use the power to make melee weapons. Hmm... Maybe one of the Schnee sisters? Their semblances are pseudo-magic so the learning curve would be in their favor." The two Atlesian women now dominated Raven's thoughts. "Though both of them have a tendency to get close in a fight when they don't have to, and I don't see ether of them breaking that bad habit... Wait... The sniper! May!" A dusky skinned girl that seemed like a bit of a wallflower stood at the forefront of Raven's mind. "Yes, she'll do nicely. She appreciates the benefits of keeping her distance and her mother has another pseudo-magic semblance. She can learn how to think like a wizard from her! Now I just need to get her opinion on the matter, I can always change it if she says no."
Ozpin dropped his hands, and Raven's thoughts were her own again. Dread pooled in her stomach once more; she had thought her trump card made her unkillable by anyone affiliated with Oz, but the man himself had just gotten rid of it like it was nothing. For the first time since she became the Spring Maiden the possibility she might get sentenced to death for her crimes as a bandit became tangible.
"You can't be serious," Raven objected, "You'd rather have that untested slip of a girl instead of a seasoned warrior as your Spring Maiden? That's ridiculous! You can't-"
"Ten Thousand." Ozpin interrupted with a growl.
"What?"
"The estimated combined population of all the towns, villages, hamlets and other settlements destroyed by the Branwen Tribe since you became their leader is around ten thousand, and that's the low end estimate," Ozpin elaborated as he began to aggressively tap his staff against the floor, his voice becoming more and more stern with each tap. "To be frank there are only three reasons you're alive right now. The first is that you're currently helping to keep Amber alive. The second is that I'm not going to foist the powers of the Spring Maiden on someone who doesn't want it if I can help it. The third is that your family needs closure, and killing you right here and now would rob them of that."
Raven gawked.
"The trial will decide your fate. It will serve to bring closure as well," Ozpin turned to leave. "I hope your ready to face your family: because I can't think of a better jury than them."
The hardlight wall split open for a second and then closed after the wizard passed through. Raven was left alone with her thoughts.
A trial. Ozpin would stand as judge no doubt and he would honor any verdict from the jury. A jury that would contain her own family. The best possibly outcome for her required her to cross bridges she burnt years ago...
...Brothers of Light and Darkness, Raven thought with wide eyes, I might actually die here!
No! It wouldn't be in any of their natures to leave her in a lurch like that! She'd live.
Right?
Those were the words that greeted Raven as her faculties returned to her. The words set off an alarm in her head and she tried to jump up into a combat stance only to find that her body didn't move more than a quarter of an inch. For a moment Raven almost succumbed to a blind panic from waking up tied and bound in a strange room with someone she considered a sworn enemy. Almost. The Spring Maiden deliberately bit the side of her cheek with just enough force to bring focus as the calculated pain derailed her spiraling thoughts. With her panic averted Raven was able to take proper stock of her situation.
She was no longer in her usual attire. Instead she was garbed in a prison jumpsuit with a neon-orange color that she found quite tacky. Her wrists and ankles were cuffed to X shaped beams jutting out from a narrow slab on an adjustable fulcrum allowing it to hold a person in a standing position or have them lying down like a bed. At the present moment it was holding her in a standing position in the center of the cell that allowed her to see the hardlight wall that served as the bars of the cell she was in, as well as the man who was currently standing in the cell with her.
"Ozpin," Raven hissed out as she struggled against the cuffs. The memories of the battle leading up to her capture flashed through her head, and embarrassed anger flushed through her system as she came to terms with being caught. That lead to something important she needed to get out of the way: "I don't care about whatever deal you have cooked up. I'm not working for you ever again."
"What makes you think I'm here for a deal?" Ozpin quirked an eyebrow at her.
"You can't keep me here," Raven reasoned. "Not for long anyways. Once I've recovered enough to use my powers I'll tear out of this place and you'll never see me again. Since you haven't killed me you're clearly here to give me some feel good speech about forgiveness and doing the right thing for the good of all mankind hopping to appeal to my better nature. Well let me save us both some time and say the answer is no."
Ozpin adjusted his glasses and frowned in disappointment. "Over a decade with the powers of a Maiden and you still don't know what you're doing with them."
What. That seeming non sequitur wasn't what Raven expected, so she actually opened her ears as Ozpin continued.
"If you knew what you were doing you would have noticed what the cuffs are currently doing to you." The old wizard explained.
Alarmed by that statement Raven looked to the cuff on her right wrist and strained against it again. Now that Ozpin had brought it to her attention she could feel it. The cuffs were actively sapping away at her aura and her magic, pulling them away from her body just as fast as they could regenerate. The Spring Maiden tried to flair her aura and magic to overwhelm the draining effect, but the cuffs adjusted to the greater flow far too quickly for that brief flair up to work.
"The cuffs will keep your aura levels and the amount of magic you have on hand low enough that you're basically a regular civilian right now. You'll be staying here for as long as is necessary."
"Magic can't be destroyed," Raven objected as she stopped straining against her bonds. "It can only be defused. Sooner or later this area will be too saturated with my magic for you to keep me locked up like this."
"Normally you'd be right," Ozpin allowed with a tired sigh. "Unfortunately I have a comatose Fall Maiden a few floors down who's soaking up all of the ambient magic in the area in an effort to plug the hole in her soul. You're being drained directly into her life support system. The good news is that every hour you're connected to the system adds another week we'll be able to keep Amber alive. If this was my only method of keeping you here I'd be able to keep you in this room for as long as Amber needs life support; which might not be as long as you'd think since some new information has come to light that might help us heal her. However, I've done more than cuff you."
"What do you mean you've done more than cuff me?" Raven asked as dread started pooling in her stomach.
"I've placed four sigils on your back," the reincarnating wizard explained as he began to circle her. "The first disrupts your ability to use your semblance. The second disrupts your ability to turn into a bird. The third disrupts your ability to manipulate magic. The fourth? That one will straight up kill you if it's tampered with incorrectly."
Raven frowned as she processed this information. The fourth sigil obviously served as a deterrent for messing with the other three, meaning it was possible to mess with them. The fact that he was telling her about it meant it was possible for her to mess with the sigils in her current state and he wanted her to know that doing so was too risky. She needed to know more about them.
"These sigils sound like useful tools," She probed with a taunting tone. "Is there a reason you never used them against the Black Queen?"
"You put the world's best lock in front of the world's best lock-picker and it's only a matter of time before the lock-picker unlocks it." Ozpin explained as he returned to standing in front of her. "They're useless against someone who knows how to use magic like a master artist's finest paintbrush. Against a wayward Maiden who wields her magic like an amateur with a paint roller? They'll serve their purpose well."
"I'm no amateur!" Raven objected with a snarl as she strained against her cuffs again.
"I really wish you weren't," Ozpin's eyes held genuine remorse, "Things would have been significantly different if you had bothered learning the subtler half of the esoteric arts. Thought that's a problem most of the Maidens have had: too few of you think like wizards and end up wielding your magic like an elemental beat-stick."
Raven rolled her eyes at The Wizard's commiserating. If he didn't think she could figure the sigils out fine, she'd let him think that. She just needed a way to figure out which sigil to avoid before she started experimenting... which was a taller order than she liked but if she had time she'd do it. This lead to an important question: how much time did she have to work with?
"So you'll use me as a battery to keep your Fall Maiden alive. Then what?" Raven asked in a nonchalant manner. "You keep me locked up, come down every once in a while to parade regrets and might have beens before going on and on about how it's not to late for me, I can change and be a good girl again. Maybe bring other people I've been close with for visits to try and wear me down. It's not going to work Ozpin. I'm never going to be a pawn in your war again."
Ozpin sighed once again before pulling out his scroll and opening it up to show an official looking document, "Raven Branwen, The Branwen Tribe of Bandits are considered hostis humani generis and as their leader you have no legal protection under any Kingdom's laws. You will be tried in a manner your captors deem fit, and from that trial a sentence will be determined and then carried out in the manner your captors deem appropriate. As an Outlaw in the truest sense of the term you will be offered no legal council, nor any chance to appeal the results of the trial. Dura lex sed lex."
"Are you planing on killing me?" That was a bit surprising, but she was well prepared for that possibility. Raven began to chuckle, "Well you can't kill me. My last thoughts determine who the next Spring Maiden is. There are plenty of girls in the Branwen Tribe young enough to become the next Maiden, and I've actually been training one of them to take my place should the worst happen. And if you think your agents can take her on before she comes into her own... well their are plenty of criminal organizations in Mistral that would love to have a young recruit gain real magic. And if that isn't enough for you to take me seriously... Well, I've discovered the identities of the girls Salem's trained to become her dark maidens."
Ozpin rose an eyebrow at this, and she could tell she had his attention.
"And I don't just mean the girl that crippled Amber," Raven went on. "I know who she's planning to send after Fria, who she's planning to send to Vacuo for the Summer Maiden, who she's planning to send after me." There it was; her trump card on the table. A nasty grin split across her face, "You kill me and you'll just be hand delivering a Maiden to the Black Queen, and she'll make them far too dangerous for you to get that power back."
"DON'T think about Summer," Ozpin replied, and Raven's mind immediately went to her old team leader in spite of her efforts to stop it. Thoughts of Summer Rose naturally dovetailed into thoughts of Summer's flesh and blood, Ruby Rose, as well as the girl Raven left for Summer and Tai to raise, Yang. From the smile on the wizard's face Raven knew that Oz could tell where her thoughts had just gone. "I did that without any magic Raven. Want to know what I could do with magic?"
Ozpin waved his hand about in a series of arcane gestures that slowly formed a sphere of emerald energy that hung in the air in front of him. With each wave of his hands that sphere became flatter and flatter until it was the dimensions of an old compact disk used by older computers and music players. Satisfied with his creation the wizard plucked the disk out of the air before giving one last look over before a grim frown took over his face. He stepped forward disk in his right hand while his left grasped Raven's face, holding it in place as he pressed the disk against her forehead. She could feel it sliding into her head between the two hemispheres of her brain where it settled in and wove itself into her neurons.
"Let's see who you should be thinking about, hmm?" Ozpin began in a voice that held no pleasure with what he had done. "Perhaps Velvet? She has one of the most promising semblances I've seen in years. She could put the Maiden's power to great use." He spun his hands around and the image of a brown haired rabbit faunus filled Raven's mind. "On the other hand she wouldn't think like a wizard and would mostly use the power to make melee weapons. Hmm... Maybe one of the Schnee sisters? Their semblances are pseudo-magic so the learning curve would be in their favor." The two Atlesian women now dominated Raven's thoughts. "Though both of them have a tendency to get close in a fight when they don't have to, and I don't see ether of them breaking that bad habit... Wait... The sniper! May!" A dusky skinned girl that seemed like a bit of a wallflower stood at the forefront of Raven's mind. "Yes, she'll do nicely. She appreciates the benefits of keeping her distance and her mother has another pseudo-magic semblance. She can learn how to think like a wizard from her! Now I just need to get her opinion on the matter, I can always change it if she says no."
Ozpin dropped his hands, and Raven's thoughts were her own again. Dread pooled in her stomach once more; she had thought her trump card made her unkillable by anyone affiliated with Oz, but the man himself had just gotten rid of it like it was nothing. For the first time since she became the Spring Maiden the possibility she might get sentenced to death for her crimes as a bandit became tangible.
"You can't be serious," Raven objected, "You'd rather have that untested slip of a girl instead of a seasoned warrior as your Spring Maiden? That's ridiculous! You can't-"
"Ten Thousand." Ozpin interrupted with a growl.
"What?"
"The estimated combined population of all the towns, villages, hamlets and other settlements destroyed by the Branwen Tribe since you became their leader is around ten thousand, and that's the low end estimate," Ozpin elaborated as he began to aggressively tap his staff against the floor, his voice becoming more and more stern with each tap. "To be frank there are only three reasons you're alive right now. The first is that you're currently helping to keep Amber alive. The second is that I'm not going to foist the powers of the Spring Maiden on someone who doesn't want it if I can help it. The third is that your family needs closure, and killing you right here and now would rob them of that."
Raven gawked.
"The trial will decide your fate. It will serve to bring closure as well," Ozpin turned to leave. "I hope your ready to face your family: because I can't think of a better jury than them."
The hardlight wall split open for a second and then closed after the wizard passed through. Raven was left alone with her thoughts.
A trial. Ozpin would stand as judge no doubt and he would honor any verdict from the jury. A jury that would contain her own family. The best possibly outcome for her required her to cross bridges she burnt years ago...
...Brothers of Light and Darkness, Raven thought with wide eyes, I might actually die here!
No! It wouldn't be in any of their natures to leave her in a lurch like that! She'd live.
Right?
Kiyan Tribe
Know what you're doing yet?
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2022
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- 1,645
Just kill her. She is a cheap copy of Esdeath and Akame anyway. Talks like Esdeath about "Strong lives, weak dies" but is the biggest coward unlike Esdeath and has whole Akame's red and black theme but not even as powerful and brace as her.
Yeah, she is just a bully that only knows how to make innocent villagers suffer. So, kill her.
axel4340
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2021
- Messages
- 470
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- 5,997
good. fuck raven (not literally); in a death world where the functional devil has set monsters against humanity, she decides its a smart idea to go around raping/pillaging random towns as an asshole nihilist bandit.
The Arcs Part 2
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
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- Apr 24, 2015
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- 2,753
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- 85,242
The Arcs Part 2
Sift Green
- - -
The group divided the snacks and drinks and ate quietly for a while. Nick polished off several cakes in quick succession and guzzled a two-liter of soda. Isabel ate her fill too, then looked for another conversation topic. Something less awkward, perhaps.
"So," she began, looking at Ash and Ashley, "Where is your mother?"
Ash and Ashley winced. Emerald narrowed her eyes and wrapped an arm around Amythest protectively, while Jaune sighed and Glynda and Dorothy grumbled. Her son spoke first.
"She's a terrorist serving Salem, Mom," Jaune said, "We don't know where she is."
Isabel grimaced but her eyes were sympathetic to her son and the twins.
"I see. I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Well, that won't do!" Nick boomed, after finishing another two-liter, "It's not fair to the rest of your wives if she's not included!"
"She tried to murder my daughter and I," Emerald gritted out.
"In most timelines, she destroys Vale and kills millions of people," Dorothy pointed out. She looked apologetically at the twins. "I get that you want to exist but-"
"But nothing!" Ash growled. He shook his head, and reached up to touch his scar. "Look... I know she was pure evil in your timelines. I know all the bad things she did in our timeline. We're fully aware of the bad things she's done here!"
"Seriously," Ashley added, touching her own scar, "But that doesn't change the fact that where we come from? She's our mom. She helped save the world. She loves our Dad. She-She tucked us in at night, read us stories, cooked our meals, kissed our..." She touched her scar again, "Injuries..."
"And we're sorry for what she tried to do, Auntie Em," Ash said, turning to the pensive green-haired girl, "And Amethyst... But please. She... She's got good in her. We know she does. To you, she's evil incarnate. To us? She's our mom. We love her. And in our timeline, she loves Dad, and Uncle Mercury, and Aunt Ruby, and... And you, too."
Emerald grimaced, and tightened her hold on her daughter. Amethyst winced again but held on tightly.
Nick and Isabel took this in thoughtfully. It was Nick who turned to his son first, his expression unusually grave.
"Jaune? What are your intentions regarding this Cinder?"
Jaune slowly stood up. He took a deep breath.
"Dad... You're the one who taught me no one was beyond redemption," he stated, "You're the one who told me all about your past."
Isabel instinctively reached out to hold her husband's hand. His expression didn't change, but he squeezed hers back as Jaune continued.
"How you were an orphan, a thief. How you got in too deep with bad people and were beaten and left for dead in a river," Jaune went on, and Emerald in particular winced, "How if Grandpa George hadn't found you and saved you, you would have died. Or if you'd lived, you'd have just kept getting worse and worse."
He sucked in a deep breath.
"Based on what the twins and Emerald have told me... Cinder just needed one person, just one, in her life to... To care about her. To help her. To-To help her not be evil. Grandpa George was that for you. You and Mom taught me to be that person for others. So... So I'm going to try to help her. To save her. Not just for our kids, but for her as well."
Isabel stared intently at her son. Nick glanced at his wife briefly, then back at Jaune. Isabel spoke first.
"It's going to be very dangerous, Jaune," she said softly. Glynda nodded.
"Exceedingly," Glynda emphasized.
Jaune slowly nodded back, his fists clenched.
"I know... But I have to try."
Silence fell. Dorothy sniffled a little, and Glynda turned to rest a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
Ash and Ashley stared at Jaune with emotional smiles, though Ashley tried to cover hers up with her hand. Emerald gazed up at Jaune in awe (with a slight blush on her cheeks) while Amethyst softly blew her nose into a handkerchief.
Nick smiled in pride. Isabel sighed. She looked at her husband, and Nick shrugged.
"He had to grow up sometime," Nick murmured. Isabel nodded. She got up, walked to her son, and hugged him tightly.
"Then... We'll help you with her, and the rest," she said quietly, "I promise."
"Mom?" Jaune gasped. Isabel grimaced for a moment and shook her head.
"I'm... Still not happy about this, but... If you're going to do this, we will do all we can to make sure you do it right," she said quietly.
Jaune's face slowly lit up. He hugged his mother tightly. Nick got up and hugged them both.
"We thought you weren't strong enough to do this, Jaune," Nick murmured, "I'm very glad to be wrong... And sorry we thought that of you. Can you forgive us?"
Jaune beamed, and hugged his father back.
"Always."
Emerald's eyes were shining. Glynda discreetly used her Semblance to wipe her own eyes though Dorothy's knowing look made clear it hadn't worked. Ash and Ashley got up and Nick pulled them into the hug as well.
"Aw... Hugs are nice," Nick said cheerfully. He beamed.
"Of course, it can't be all about one girl!" He boomed. "You've got eleven, Jaune! You need to be fair to all of them if you're going to have a harem!"
"D-Dad!" Jaune managed, "I-I don't have a harem-!"
"You basically do," Ashley deadpanned.
"Well not on purpose!" Jaune sputtered.
Isabel turned her glare onto Glynda.
"Speaking of," she growled, "How exactly did you end up with my son in the future, hm?"
"Er," Glynda Goodwitch blushed.
"She didn't do anything with him until he was legal, Grandma!" Dorothy rose to her mother's defense.
"That barely helps!" Isabel growled.
The doors slammed open. Nora entered, wearing a chef's hat. She scowled at the pile of snack wrappers on the table.
"HEY! Who got all these snacks?!" Nora demanded.
"Me!" Nick said, holding up his hand. Nora's scowl deepened.
"Renny and me were making breakfast for everyone and you go and spoil everyone's appetite?!" She demanded. She paused and checked her watch.
"Well, guess it's brunch now, but still! You're a jerk, Jaune's Dad!"
"Nora!" Jaune admonished. Nick stared intently at Nora.
"You're Nora Valkyrie then? Jaune's written me about you a lot," he said, "You see my son like a brother right?"
Nora, for once, looked genuinely confused (but also touched).
"Yeah? So what?"
Nick beamed and held out his arms.
"Welcome to the family, sweetie!"
Nora gaped... Then squealed as she leaped into Nick's arms.
"YAY! Can I call you Daddy?"
"Sure can!"
"WOOHOO!" Nora cheered. "NOW I HAVE SOMEONE TO GIVE ME AWAY AT MY WEDDING TO RENNY!"
"NICK!" Isabel hissed, grabbing his bicep and squeezing painfully. Nick pouted.
"Aw, come on Izzy! Look at her! She's so adorable!" He held Nora up to his wife. Nora sniffled with large, shiny eyes. "Can't we adopt her? Please? Please?"
"I..." At everyone's stares. Isabel cleared her throat. "We will discuss this later... After brunch."
"YAY!" Nora cheered again, hugging Isabel, "I GOT A MOM AND DAD! BEST DAY EVER!"
Isabel sighed, but smiled gently and patted the orange-haired girl's head affectionately.
Jaune snickered. Ash and Ashley smirked. Amethyst giggled, as did Dorothy, while Emerald and Glynda stared in confusion.
"Um... Is this how your parents are normally?" Emerald asked.
Jaune nodded.
"Pretty much."
"And so much is explained," Glynda sighed quietly.
"You're part of the family too~," Dorothy said in a sing-song voice. Glynda flushed.
"Quiet."
"Just saying~!"
- - -
Sift Green
- - -
The group divided the snacks and drinks and ate quietly for a while. Nick polished off several cakes in quick succession and guzzled a two-liter of soda. Isabel ate her fill too, then looked for another conversation topic. Something less awkward, perhaps.
"So," she began, looking at Ash and Ashley, "Where is your mother?"
Ash and Ashley winced. Emerald narrowed her eyes and wrapped an arm around Amythest protectively, while Jaune sighed and Glynda and Dorothy grumbled. Her son spoke first.
"She's a terrorist serving Salem, Mom," Jaune said, "We don't know where she is."
Isabel grimaced but her eyes were sympathetic to her son and the twins.
"I see. I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Well, that won't do!" Nick boomed, after finishing another two-liter, "It's not fair to the rest of your wives if she's not included!"
"She tried to murder my daughter and I," Emerald gritted out.
"In most timelines, she destroys Vale and kills millions of people," Dorothy pointed out. She looked apologetically at the twins. "I get that you want to exist but-"
"But nothing!" Ash growled. He shook his head, and reached up to touch his scar. "Look... I know she was pure evil in your timelines. I know all the bad things she did in our timeline. We're fully aware of the bad things she's done here!"
"Seriously," Ashley added, touching her own scar, "But that doesn't change the fact that where we come from? She's our mom. She helped save the world. She loves our Dad. She-She tucked us in at night, read us stories, cooked our meals, kissed our..." She touched her scar again, "Injuries..."
"And we're sorry for what she tried to do, Auntie Em," Ash said, turning to the pensive green-haired girl, "And Amethyst... But please. She... She's got good in her. We know she does. To you, she's evil incarnate. To us? She's our mom. We love her. And in our timeline, she loves Dad, and Uncle Mercury, and Aunt Ruby, and... And you, too."
Emerald grimaced, and tightened her hold on her daughter. Amethyst winced again but held on tightly.
Nick and Isabel took this in thoughtfully. It was Nick who turned to his son first, his expression unusually grave.
"Jaune? What are your intentions regarding this Cinder?"
Jaune slowly stood up. He took a deep breath.
"Dad... You're the one who taught me no one was beyond redemption," he stated, "You're the one who told me all about your past."
Isabel instinctively reached out to hold her husband's hand. His expression didn't change, but he squeezed hers back as Jaune continued.
"How you were an orphan, a thief. How you got in too deep with bad people and were beaten and left for dead in a river," Jaune went on, and Emerald in particular winced, "How if Grandpa George hadn't found you and saved you, you would have died. Or if you'd lived, you'd have just kept getting worse and worse."
He sucked in a deep breath.
"Based on what the twins and Emerald have told me... Cinder just needed one person, just one, in her life to... To care about her. To help her. To-To help her not be evil. Grandpa George was that for you. You and Mom taught me to be that person for others. So... So I'm going to try to help her. To save her. Not just for our kids, but for her as well."
Isabel stared intently at her son. Nick glanced at his wife briefly, then back at Jaune. Isabel spoke first.
"It's going to be very dangerous, Jaune," she said softly. Glynda nodded.
"Exceedingly," Glynda emphasized.
Jaune slowly nodded back, his fists clenched.
"I know... But I have to try."
Silence fell. Dorothy sniffled a little, and Glynda turned to rest a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
Ash and Ashley stared at Jaune with emotional smiles, though Ashley tried to cover hers up with her hand. Emerald gazed up at Jaune in awe (with a slight blush on her cheeks) while Amethyst softly blew her nose into a handkerchief.
Nick smiled in pride. Isabel sighed. She looked at her husband, and Nick shrugged.
"He had to grow up sometime," Nick murmured. Isabel nodded. She got up, walked to her son, and hugged him tightly.
"Then... We'll help you with her, and the rest," she said quietly, "I promise."
"Mom?" Jaune gasped. Isabel grimaced for a moment and shook her head.
"I'm... Still not happy about this, but... If you're going to do this, we will do all we can to make sure you do it right," she said quietly.
Jaune's face slowly lit up. He hugged his mother tightly. Nick got up and hugged them both.
"We thought you weren't strong enough to do this, Jaune," Nick murmured, "I'm very glad to be wrong... And sorry we thought that of you. Can you forgive us?"
Jaune beamed, and hugged his father back.
"Always."
Emerald's eyes were shining. Glynda discreetly used her Semblance to wipe her own eyes though Dorothy's knowing look made clear it hadn't worked. Ash and Ashley got up and Nick pulled them into the hug as well.
"Aw... Hugs are nice," Nick said cheerfully. He beamed.
"Of course, it can't be all about one girl!" He boomed. "You've got eleven, Jaune! You need to be fair to all of them if you're going to have a harem!"
"D-Dad!" Jaune managed, "I-I don't have a harem-!"
"You basically do," Ashley deadpanned.
"Well not on purpose!" Jaune sputtered.
Isabel turned her glare onto Glynda.
"Speaking of," she growled, "How exactly did you end up with my son in the future, hm?"
"Er," Glynda Goodwitch blushed.
"She didn't do anything with him until he was legal, Grandma!" Dorothy rose to her mother's defense.
"That barely helps!" Isabel growled.
The doors slammed open. Nora entered, wearing a chef's hat. She scowled at the pile of snack wrappers on the table.
"HEY! Who got all these snacks?!" Nora demanded.
"Me!" Nick said, holding up his hand. Nora's scowl deepened.
"Renny and me were making breakfast for everyone and you go and spoil everyone's appetite?!" She demanded. She paused and checked her watch.
"Well, guess it's brunch now, but still! You're a jerk, Jaune's Dad!"
"Nora!" Jaune admonished. Nick stared intently at Nora.
"You're Nora Valkyrie then? Jaune's written me about you a lot," he said, "You see my son like a brother right?"
Nora, for once, looked genuinely confused (but also touched).
"Yeah? So what?"
Nick beamed and held out his arms.
"Welcome to the family, sweetie!"
Nora gaped... Then squealed as she leaped into Nick's arms.
"YAY! Can I call you Daddy?"
"Sure can!"
"WOOHOO!" Nora cheered. "NOW I HAVE SOMEONE TO GIVE ME AWAY AT MY WEDDING TO RENNY!"
"NICK!" Isabel hissed, grabbing his bicep and squeezing painfully. Nick pouted.
"Aw, come on Izzy! Look at her! She's so adorable!" He held Nora up to his wife. Nora sniffled with large, shiny eyes. "Can't we adopt her? Please? Please?"
"I..." At everyone's stares. Isabel cleared her throat. "We will discuss this later... After brunch."
"YAY!" Nora cheered again, hugging Isabel, "I GOT A MOM AND DAD! BEST DAY EVER!"
Isabel sighed, but smiled gently and patted the orange-haired girl's head affectionately.
Jaune snickered. Ash and Ashley smirked. Amethyst giggled, as did Dorothy, while Emerald and Glynda stared in confusion.
"Um... Is this how your parents are normally?" Emerald asked.
Jaune nodded.
"Pretty much."
"And so much is explained," Glynda sighed quietly.
"You're part of the family too~," Dorothy said in a sing-song voice. Glynda flushed.
"Quiet."
"Just saying~!"
- - -
Kiyan Tribe
Know what you're doing yet?
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2022
- Messages
- 204
- Likes received
- 1,645
Man, Nora always makes me smile, no matter how much shitty day I am having.
ThunderBasilisk
Well Worn Bastion
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2020
- Messages
- 11,205
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- 103,611
Honestly you cant feel sorry for Raven at all. Dumb bitch had it coming.
Kek Nick holding Nora up like a stray cat asking her to be adopted is funny.
Kek Nick holding Nora up like a stray cat asking her to be adopted is funny.
Fencer
Weaponized Randomness
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2015
- Messages
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- 4,646
Girl knows what she wants in life and she knows how to grab onto a good thing with both hands and never let go.
Dragon Bob
Electrical Dragon
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2021
- Messages
- 77
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- 845
Both hands? Nora grabs what she wants like koala. Full body grapple.
Ardrianian
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2020
- Messages
- 314
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- 3,877
Omake: Nick Arc's Semblance
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2015
- Messages
- 2,753
- Likes received
- 85,242
- - -
Nick: "So! What's your Semblance, kids?"
Amethyst: "Um... I just got my Aura Unlocked so I don't know. Sorry."
Dorothy: "Touch Telekinesis! So I can fly and lift gigantic things!"
Nick: "SWEET! I also love to lift gigantic things!"
Ash: "Our Semblance is kind of like yours, Grandpa!"
Nick: "Eh? You're also Awesome?"
Ashley: "Yeah, but more specifically, Grandma figured it out in the future! Because it's a little like ours!"
Ash: "We can Drain Aura from anyone. Grandpa does it too, but the area of effect is MUCH wider and he draws a lot less."
Ashley: "But on the plus side, he draws it from EVERYTHING. The air, the water, the ground."
Isabel: "Huh! No wonder it was so hard to pin down! I thought it was a passive regeneration Semblance. He's just gathering Aura from all around himself all the time?"
Ash: "Pretty much!"
Isabel: "That also explains why he never runs out of Aura. Well, almost never."
Nick: "Yeah, that fight with the Hydra and that jackass who overthrew Pandu really took it out of me!"
Isabel: exasperated "You were in a coma for a week after each!"
Nick: "Like I said, it really took it out of me!" He grinned "Still! This is great! Now that I know what it is, I can learn how to use it and get..."
He poses.
Nick: "A SUPER MODE!"
Jaune: excited "A super mode?!"
Nora: also excited "A super mode?!"
Isabel: exasperated "Not the super mode again..."
Nick: "Come on Izzy! Stupid Taiyang has a super mode! Qrow can turn into a bird! Raven's got magical super mode! Why can't I have a Super Mode where I have glowing hair and burning eyes and maybe my sword turns into flames?!"
Isabel: "Because it's absurd and you don't need it?!"
Jaune: "I have to agree with Dad, Mom. Super mode sounds pretty cool."
Nora: "THE COOLEST!"
Ashley: "Oh! So if you want to learn how to use the Super mode, you just-"
Nick: "NO! WAIT! DON'T SPOIL ME!"
Ash: "Eh?"
Nick: "I just want to know if I can do it. If you tell me how that takes all the fun out of it!" He nods "I'll figure it out myself... Probably just before I nearly die! That's how I figured out my coolest attacks before-!"
Isabel punches him.
Isabel: "LIKE HELL!" huffs "Just... Teach your grandfather the super mode, please?"
Nick: "But Izzzyyyyy-!"
Isabel: "NO BUTS!"
Nick: "Hmph... I hope your wives are more fun than mine, Jaune."
Jaune: "Um..."
Many female eyes are on him. He manages to stay standing.
Jaune: "... I'm sure they are."
Ashley: "He learned well."
Ash: "Such a quick learner."
Nora: "So, do I get a super mode?!"
Dorothy: "Well, as it turns out-"
Jaune and Isabel: "NOOOO!"
Nick: "So! What's your Semblance, kids?"
Amethyst: "Um... I just got my Aura Unlocked so I don't know. Sorry."
Dorothy: "Touch Telekinesis! So I can fly and lift gigantic things!"
Nick: "SWEET! I also love to lift gigantic things!"
Ash: "Our Semblance is kind of like yours, Grandpa!"
Nick: "Eh? You're also Awesome?"
Ashley: "Yeah, but more specifically, Grandma figured it out in the future! Because it's a little like ours!"
Ash: "We can Drain Aura from anyone. Grandpa does it too, but the area of effect is MUCH wider and he draws a lot less."
Ashley: "But on the plus side, he draws it from EVERYTHING. The air, the water, the ground."
Isabel: "Huh! No wonder it was so hard to pin down! I thought it was a passive regeneration Semblance. He's just gathering Aura from all around himself all the time?"
Ash: "Pretty much!"
Isabel: "That also explains why he never runs out of Aura. Well, almost never."
Nick: "Yeah, that fight with the Hydra and that jackass who overthrew Pandu really took it out of me!"
Isabel: exasperated "You were in a coma for a week after each!"
Nick: "Like I said, it really took it out of me!" He grinned "Still! This is great! Now that I know what it is, I can learn how to use it and get..."
He poses.
Nick: "A SUPER MODE!"
Jaune: excited "A super mode?!"
Nora: also excited "A super mode?!"
Isabel: exasperated "Not the super mode again..."
Nick: "Come on Izzy! Stupid Taiyang has a super mode! Qrow can turn into a bird! Raven's got magical super mode! Why can't I have a Super Mode where I have glowing hair and burning eyes and maybe my sword turns into flames?!"
Isabel: "Because it's absurd and you don't need it?!"
Jaune: "I have to agree with Dad, Mom. Super mode sounds pretty cool."
Nora: "THE COOLEST!"
Ashley: "Oh! So if you want to learn how to use the Super mode, you just-"
Nick: "NO! WAIT! DON'T SPOIL ME!"
Ash: "Eh?"
Nick: "I just want to know if I can do it. If you tell me how that takes all the fun out of it!" He nods "I'll figure it out myself... Probably just before I nearly die! That's how I figured out my coolest attacks before-!"
Isabel punches him.
Isabel: "LIKE HELL!" huffs "Just... Teach your grandfather the super mode, please?"
Nick: "But Izzzyyyyy-!"
Isabel: "NO BUTS!"
Nick: "Hmph... I hope your wives are more fun than mine, Jaune."
Jaune: "Um..."
Many female eyes are on him. He manages to stay standing.
Jaune: "... I'm sure they are."
Ashley: "He learned well."
Ash: "Such a quick learner."
Nora: "So, do I get a super mode?!"
Dorothy: "Well, as it turns out-"
Jaune and Isabel: "NOOOO!"
otoshi17Good
Lurker
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That's rookie numbers, I read the original in SB which had 1 Million, increase them to 50k to 100k she has been operating for 16 years or so. if every few months (3 months) she attacks a town with an avg of 500 people of all tows, it would mean at least 32k have died from her clan... if not more.
Man remenant justice sucks ass.
Frakir's brother
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Cinder has a shitty backstory and this has the premise redemption is possible. I get that the flow of the story is that she's going to be redeemed, but to balance out pragmatism and forgiveness maybe just offering her one chance is most IC.
Muramasa
Know what you're doing yet?
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You do understand that this is nonsense, right? Based on what was shown in season 4, we can conclude that the tribe is very small, and the only fighters there are Raven herself and Vernal. Their maximum is to plunder small korovans and pillage settlements destroyed by Grimm. There can be no talk of any full-fledged raids on settlements.
Gur40
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I agree, i think after beacon fell Raven started burning settlements though cause they wiped out the town Jaune used to visit and Qrow called Raven out so he keeps an eye on her and if she were to go full slaughter while Ozpin was around she'd be dead. 10,000 to 30, 000 dead over 16 years does make since though
Cinder Fall
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
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Cinder Fall
- - -
"Based on what the twins and Emerald have told me... Cinder just needed one person, just one, in her life to... To care about her. To help her. To-To help her not be evil. Grandpa George was that for you. You and Mom taught me to be that person for others. So... So I'm going to try to help her. To save her. Not just for our kids, but for her as well."
Cinder Fall was not often found sitting on her bed, her Scroll the sole source of attention, in total darkness. It was something for melodramatic teenagers or lost souls.
She had... She had stopped being lost a long time ago.
"It's going to be very dangerous, Jaune," said a kindly sounding woman's voice.
"Exceedingly," Glynda Goodwitch added.
Cinder could hear Jaune take a deep breath.
"I know... But I have to try."
She heard a creak outside the door. She summoned the power of the Fall Maiden, using telekinesis to rip the door open and seize whoever was eavesdropping. He yelped as she yanked him inside with her power. She slammed the door shut and formed a glass knife to hold to his throat.
"H-Hey! Easy! It's just me!" Mercury Black sputtered. Cinder didn't pull the knife back, instead glaring in pure hatred down at him.
"How much did you-?!"
"Let's just say enough, huh?" Mercury shot back with a scowl. Cinder gritted her teeth. First Emerald, now Mercury?
Emerald... Emerald had been safe out of her devotion. A devotion she dropped in an instant for her brat. Mercury she'd kept in line out of fear, but now he was... He was...!
Mercury stared at her. He sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils and looked her right in the eyes.
"Look, Cinder... You're down enough followers, right? Just let me say my piece. Then you can kill me."
Cinder's jaw dropped. Cynicism, snark, those were things she expected. Mercury sounding... Tired like this.
"Are you the shortstack brat playing a bad joke?" She demanded. Mercury rolled his eyes.
"You could feel up my chest if you really don't trust me-OW!"
She'd dug the knife in against his throat as a warning. He held up his hands.
"That enough proof?" He asked flatly.
Cinder pulled the knife away. She backed off, stepping onto the floor with a scowl. Mercury sat up, rubbing his throat even as his Aura flared to life to heal him.
"Speak then," Cinder spat contemptuously. Mercury slowly shook his head.
"You've been treating me like a dog since the day we met. Go fetch, roll over, play dead-"
"That's all you are to me," Cinder seethed, "All Emerald was-"
"All Arc is?" Mercury shot back. Cinder grit her teeth furiously, fire flaring to life in her palms. Mercury for once was not cowed. He still met her eyes, calm and unwavering.
It was one of the most terrifying sights she'd ever seen in her life.
"He... It changes nothing-I'm just gathering intel-!"
"You're crying, Cinder," Mercury pointed out softly, "And for once? You're being a shitty liar."
Cinder narrowed her eyes. She flared her flames white hot, trying to intimidate him. And while he hesitated for a moment, Mercury's gaze didn't waver.
"We have a way out, Cinder," Mercury said quietly.
"It's one possible timeline out of eleven!" Cinder seethed. "In most of those I die-!"
"But in one of those, you live. I live. Emerald lives," Mercury insisted. "Salem's gone! We're not her slaves anymore-"
"I'm not her slave!" Cinder snarled, unleashing a fire blast over his head. He didn't even flinch.
It hit her like a Goliath Grimm: He wasn't afraid of her anymore.
"Cinder," Mercury said quietly, "I've been listening in too. Your kids... They love you. They love me. They love Em. We're free... Maybe we're even happy. I-I don't know what that feels like. What that's like... But maybe we have a chance to experience it. Maybe we can have that."
He leaned forward just a little. Cinder was the one to flinch away this time.
"In one future timeline-" She protested.
"Isn't one enough?" Mercury demanded.
"It doesn't matter-!"
"You wouldn't be so damn worked up if it didn't!" Mercury shot back. "Those are your kids... And you care about them. Despite everything, you do. Don't lie to me, Cinder."
Cinder trembled a little. Mercury sucked in a breath.
"... So what do you want to do, Cinder?" He asked softly. "What do you really want? What we've been doing? Or a happy ending?"
Cinder's lips trembled.
"... I-"
Her Scroll went off. Both Mercury and Cinder started. She recovered first, and pulled out her Scroll. She paled at the caller ID... But answered anyway.
"Y-Yes, Mother?"
"Cinder," Salem spoke, "I've learned that things have become more complicated at Beacon. Some formidable fighters have appeared, and they have Raven Branwen with them. She appears to have Maiden Powers."
Cinder felt ice fall into the pit of her stomach as she looked over the datasheets Salem sent to her.
"... All of them?" She whispered.
"It would seem this Jaune Arc is better connected than we thought," Salem said smoothly, "I'm going to have to rethink many things. In any event, I don't expect you to take on all these powerful fighters on your own. You've failed me enough already."
Cinder winced. Salem didn't seem to notice as she continued.
"So I'm sending you some back up. A few mercenaries who are interested in the former members of Teams STRQ and AARN. Lionheart found them."
"Lionheart?" Cinder asked, her nose wrinkled in distaste. Salem nodded.
"I expect his treachery to be discovered soon. I'm making use of him before his expiration date."
Salem smiled dangerously.
"And I'm sending along another Maiden Candidate."
Cinder shook her head rapidly.
"Th-There's no need-I can handle-"
"I was a mother too once, Cinder," Salem said, soft and deadly, "Your thoughts and feelings betray you. You will bring me Jaune Arc. And you will cut out this weakness if it becomes necessary. Is that understood?"
A terrible silence fell. Cinder slowly nodded.
"... Yes Mother."
"Good... Be sure to give them all the information you have gathered. If you perform well enough, I might just let you get the rest of your power. Do not fail me again."
The transmission cut off.
Cinder bowed her head. The flames died away, leaving them in darkness. Only then did she looked up into Mercury's face.
She hesitated, before she spoke in a low, sad tone:
"People like us don't get happy endings."
Mercury slowly nodded, holding in a sigh.
"... All right," he murmured.
Cinder turned away.
"Talk to Roman, see what he can do for our guests," she ordered.
His face like stone, Mercury turned and walked out the door. It shut tightly behind him, leaving Cinder alone in the dark.
- - -
- - -
"Based on what the twins and Emerald have told me... Cinder just needed one person, just one, in her life to... To care about her. To help her. To-To help her not be evil. Grandpa George was that for you. You and Mom taught me to be that person for others. So... So I'm going to try to help her. To save her. Not just for our kids, but for her as well."
Cinder Fall was not often found sitting on her bed, her Scroll the sole source of attention, in total darkness. It was something for melodramatic teenagers or lost souls.
She had... She had stopped being lost a long time ago.
"It's going to be very dangerous, Jaune," said a kindly sounding woman's voice.
"Exceedingly," Glynda Goodwitch added.
Cinder could hear Jaune take a deep breath.
"I know... But I have to try."
She heard a creak outside the door. She summoned the power of the Fall Maiden, using telekinesis to rip the door open and seize whoever was eavesdropping. He yelped as she yanked him inside with her power. She slammed the door shut and formed a glass knife to hold to his throat.
"H-Hey! Easy! It's just me!" Mercury Black sputtered. Cinder didn't pull the knife back, instead glaring in pure hatred down at him.
"How much did you-?!"
"Let's just say enough, huh?" Mercury shot back with a scowl. Cinder gritted her teeth. First Emerald, now Mercury?
Emerald... Emerald had been safe out of her devotion. A devotion she dropped in an instant for her brat. Mercury she'd kept in line out of fear, but now he was... He was...!
Mercury stared at her. He sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils and looked her right in the eyes.
"Look, Cinder... You're down enough followers, right? Just let me say my piece. Then you can kill me."
Cinder's jaw dropped. Cynicism, snark, those were things she expected. Mercury sounding... Tired like this.
"Are you the shortstack brat playing a bad joke?" She demanded. Mercury rolled his eyes.
"You could feel up my chest if you really don't trust me-OW!"
She'd dug the knife in against his throat as a warning. He held up his hands.
"That enough proof?" He asked flatly.
Cinder pulled the knife away. She backed off, stepping onto the floor with a scowl. Mercury sat up, rubbing his throat even as his Aura flared to life to heal him.
"Speak then," Cinder spat contemptuously. Mercury slowly shook his head.
"You've been treating me like a dog since the day we met. Go fetch, roll over, play dead-"
"That's all you are to me," Cinder seethed, "All Emerald was-"
"All Arc is?" Mercury shot back. Cinder grit her teeth furiously, fire flaring to life in her palms. Mercury for once was not cowed. He still met her eyes, calm and unwavering.
It was one of the most terrifying sights she'd ever seen in her life.
"He... It changes nothing-I'm just gathering intel-!"
"You're crying, Cinder," Mercury pointed out softly, "And for once? You're being a shitty liar."
Cinder narrowed her eyes. She flared her flames white hot, trying to intimidate him. And while he hesitated for a moment, Mercury's gaze didn't waver.
"We have a way out, Cinder," Mercury said quietly.
"It's one possible timeline out of eleven!" Cinder seethed. "In most of those I die-!"
"But in one of those, you live. I live. Emerald lives," Mercury insisted. "Salem's gone! We're not her slaves anymore-"
"I'm not her slave!" Cinder snarled, unleashing a fire blast over his head. He didn't even flinch.
It hit her like a Goliath Grimm: He wasn't afraid of her anymore.
"Cinder," Mercury said quietly, "I've been listening in too. Your kids... They love you. They love me. They love Em. We're free... Maybe we're even happy. I-I don't know what that feels like. What that's like... But maybe we have a chance to experience it. Maybe we can have that."
He leaned forward just a little. Cinder was the one to flinch away this time.
"In one future timeline-" She protested.
"Isn't one enough?" Mercury demanded.
"It doesn't matter-!"
"You wouldn't be so damn worked up if it didn't!" Mercury shot back. "Those are your kids... And you care about them. Despite everything, you do. Don't lie to me, Cinder."
Cinder trembled a little. Mercury sucked in a breath.
"... So what do you want to do, Cinder?" He asked softly. "What do you really want? What we've been doing? Or a happy ending?"
Cinder's lips trembled.
"... I-"
Her Scroll went off. Both Mercury and Cinder started. She recovered first, and pulled out her Scroll. She paled at the caller ID... But answered anyway.
"Y-Yes, Mother?"
"Cinder," Salem spoke, "I've learned that things have become more complicated at Beacon. Some formidable fighters have appeared, and they have Raven Branwen with them. She appears to have Maiden Powers."
Cinder felt ice fall into the pit of her stomach as she looked over the datasheets Salem sent to her.
"... All of them?" She whispered.
"It would seem this Jaune Arc is better connected than we thought," Salem said smoothly, "I'm going to have to rethink many things. In any event, I don't expect you to take on all these powerful fighters on your own. You've failed me enough already."
Cinder winced. Salem didn't seem to notice as she continued.
"So I'm sending you some back up. A few mercenaries who are interested in the former members of Teams STRQ and AARN. Lionheart found them."
"Lionheart?" Cinder asked, her nose wrinkled in distaste. Salem nodded.
"I expect his treachery to be discovered soon. I'm making use of him before his expiration date."
Salem smiled dangerously.
"And I'm sending along another Maiden Candidate."
Cinder shook her head rapidly.
"Th-There's no need-I can handle-"
"I was a mother too once, Cinder," Salem said, soft and deadly, "Your thoughts and feelings betray you. You will bring me Jaune Arc. And you will cut out this weakness if it becomes necessary. Is that understood?"
A terrible silence fell. Cinder slowly nodded.
"... Yes Mother."
"Good... Be sure to give them all the information you have gathered. If you perform well enough, I might just let you get the rest of your power. Do not fail me again."
The transmission cut off.
Cinder bowed her head. The flames died away, leaving them in darkness. Only then did she looked up into Mercury's face.
She hesitated, before she spoke in a low, sad tone:
"People like us don't get happy endings."
Mercury slowly nodded, holding in a sigh.
"... All right," he murmured.
Cinder turned away.
"Talk to Roman, see what he can do for our guests," she ordered.
His face like stone, Mercury turned and walked out the door. It shut tightly behind him, leaving Cinder alone in the dark.
- - -
ThunderBasilisk
Well Worn Bastion
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- Mar 23, 2020
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- 103,611
The fact Salem can say that proves just how far shes fallen. And just how stupid shes become.
Glimpses Into Another Time: Happy Endings
FinalFormer
Know what you're doing yet?
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Cross-posted from the Spacebattles Thread.
Glimpses Into Another Time: Happy Endings
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Radian, Gallia, Vale. 2 Years After The Defeat Of Salem.
In her bedroom, Emerald Sustrai stared at a locket that was gifted to her by the woman she once called 'mistress', debating whether or not to discard it. It was beautiful, but it held too many bad memories.
"'Us'? There is no 'Us', Emerald. There has never been an 'Us'. There will neve be an 'Us'."
Hearing those words from her mistress stung. That party at Beacon was the day Emerald learned how Cinder really felt about her. The woman she worshipped like a goddess saw her as nothing more than a pet. In hindsight, it should've been obvious, now that Emerald had given it some thought. Cinder had made so many false promises, stringing her along like she was some hopless, lovesick girl...
Ok, maybe she was, but it still hurt to be treated like that.
Emerald left the party to wallow in her sorrow, to curl up into a ball and push down her emotions. But fate decided not to kick while she was down that day, because she was followed by a certain blonde knight.
"Um, hey," Jaune Arc let his presence be known, albeit in his awkward way. "I.. heard what Cinder said. I'm sorry."
"I don't need your pity." Emerald spat. She knew he had a problem with taking 'no' for an answer, so she hoped her attitude would be enough to get him to fuck off.
"You're right. You don't," Jaune then sat down next to her. Was he seriously this dense!? "But you do need a friend."
It was at that moment Emerald's heart latched onto Jaune. At first, she used him as a life preserver. His kindness was healing that void Cinder left, putting her broken heart back together piece by piece. But soon, the need for comfort blossomed into something more. Emerald had fallen in love with Jaune. And he had fallen for her. But that love wouldn't go unnoticed. Cinder had given Emerald a choice: Kill the boy and redeem herself or die along with him.
Emerald made her choice when she told Ozpin what Cinder and Salem had planned for the Vytal Festival. It had taken quite a bit of convincing, but her Scroll had everything she needed to earn his trust. With the attack on the Vytal Festival was successfully thwarted. But it wouldn't stop there, knowing that Haven Academy was her next target, Ruby and team JNPR went on a journey to Mistral to stop Cinder. Naturally, Emerald went with them. And it was there that Emerald had her final confrontation with Cinder.
Knock Knock
Emerald turned, snapping herself back to the present. She's more than a little nervous today.
How could she not? It was her wedding day.
"Come in." She invited the person who knocked into the room. The door opened, revealing her soon-to-be Mother-in-law, Isabel Arc.
"I knew you'd look amazing." Isabel beamed. She had given Emerald her mother's wedding dress. She had hoped to see one of her daughters wearing it, but they all bought ones of their own and Tangy made it explicitly clear she wasn't settling down any time soon.
"You think so?" Emerald smiled.
"Of course I do," Isabel walked up to her. "You're going to knock Jaune's socks off. If he's anything like his father, his jaw is gonna fall completely off when he sees you!"
"Yeah, but he always does," Emerald says dryly. "But I appreciate the visualization." She turned back to the desk, the locket stared back at her. Almost like it was mocking her. This didn't go unnoticed by Isabel.
"That looks lovely. Why don't you put it on?" Isabel suggested.
"I'm... I don't...," Emerald struggled. She wanted to talk to someone about this, but she didn't want to say anything that she couldn't take back. Isabel had always treated her like a daughter, so who better to have a peptalk than her? "Isabel, can I ask you a question?"
"What's on your mind?" Isabel raised an eyebrow.
"Well," Emerald looked at the locket once more. "I've been wondering if... If I deserve this. All of this. A happy ending."
Isabel knew about Emerald's past. Everyone in Jaune's family did. She, along with a few of her son's friends, were apprehensive of their relationship at first. But as time went on, Emerald had proven her love for Jaune was true. But there was one person that lingered in the back of the thief's mind.
"Is this about Cinder?" Isabel asked.
Emerald winced. Cinder's last words have been haunting her for the last few weeks, causing her to worry when the other shoe will drop.
"People like us don't get happy endings, Emerald."
Cinder had sounded so sure of this, even as she died. But every day with Jaune had proven her wrong. So why was she thinking about it now? She found that locket at the bottom of her jewelry box. It brought up a few emotions along with it.
"Whatever it is, I don't think it really matters," Isabel said, her tone warm. She poured a glass of water for Emerald and herself. "To dwell on the past is to deny yourself of the future. I'm sure whatever Cinder said to you was only said to scare you. To make sure you always see her whenever you look over your shoulder."
Isabel words filled Emerald with relief. She really was the mother she never had. She took a sip of water and a smile formed on her face. "You're right. Maybe I'm just stressed out. All the planning, all the messages from Weiss, the pregnancy te--." Emerald immediately covered her mouth. Dammit! They were supposed to announce this at the reception!
The sound of glass shattering on the floor startled her. Isabel's mouth was in a perfect O shape.
"P-P-Pregnancy test?" She uttered, a wide smile was forming on the Arc matriarch's face. Tears stared to fall down her cheeks. She looked like her entire body was vibrating with joy. She ran over to the former thief and held in a (surprisingly) tight bear hug. "I can't believe it! Does this mean I'm--!"
"Yes! But when we tell everyone, act surprised!" Emerald said struggling in her hold. She just noticed that time. She was gonna be late for her own wedding and she'll be damned if she's gonna let Mercury hold it over her for the rest of her life. "Mrs. Arc, we have to go!"
Isabel let her daughter-in-law go and gave her one final once over. "Yes! Yes, you're right! Can't think about spoiling my grandkids just yet if my son isn't married! Now, let's go get you married!"
Isabel grabbed Emerald's arm and dragged her out of her room. Emerald began to laugh at her Mother-in-law's switch in demeanor.
With every step she took, Emerald started to imagine the life she and Jaune would make, free from Cinder's shadow. Whatever future they will make together will be made with their own two hands.
Besides, what's the worst that could happen?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Wanted to take my time with this one.
In the Cinder omake, she was talking to Nick, so I thought Emerald should talk to Isabel. Hope you guys enjoy.
Glimpses Into Another Time: Happy Endings
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Radian, Gallia, Vale. 2 Years After The Defeat Of Salem.
In her bedroom, Emerald Sustrai stared at a locket that was gifted to her by the woman she once called 'mistress', debating whether or not to discard it. It was beautiful, but it held too many bad memories.
"'Us'? There is no 'Us', Emerald. There has never been an 'Us'. There will neve be an 'Us'."
Hearing those words from her mistress stung. That party at Beacon was the day Emerald learned how Cinder really felt about her. The woman she worshipped like a goddess saw her as nothing more than a pet. In hindsight, it should've been obvious, now that Emerald had given it some thought. Cinder had made so many false promises, stringing her along like she was some hopless, lovesick girl...
Ok, maybe she was, but it still hurt to be treated like that.
Emerald left the party to wallow in her sorrow, to curl up into a ball and push down her emotions. But fate decided not to kick while she was down that day, because she was followed by a certain blonde knight.
"Um, hey," Jaune Arc let his presence be known, albeit in his awkward way. "I.. heard what Cinder said. I'm sorry."
"I don't need your pity." Emerald spat. She knew he had a problem with taking 'no' for an answer, so she hoped her attitude would be enough to get him to fuck off.
"You're right. You don't," Jaune then sat down next to her. Was he seriously this dense!? "But you do need a friend."
It was at that moment Emerald's heart latched onto Jaune. At first, she used him as a life preserver. His kindness was healing that void Cinder left, putting her broken heart back together piece by piece. But soon, the need for comfort blossomed into something more. Emerald had fallen in love with Jaune. And he had fallen for her. But that love wouldn't go unnoticed. Cinder had given Emerald a choice: Kill the boy and redeem herself or die along with him.
Emerald made her choice when she told Ozpin what Cinder and Salem had planned for the Vytal Festival. It had taken quite a bit of convincing, but her Scroll had everything she needed to earn his trust. With the attack on the Vytal Festival was successfully thwarted. But it wouldn't stop there, knowing that Haven Academy was her next target, Ruby and team JNPR went on a journey to Mistral to stop Cinder. Naturally, Emerald went with them. And it was there that Emerald had her final confrontation with Cinder.
Knock Knock
Emerald turned, snapping herself back to the present. She's more than a little nervous today.
How could she not? It was her wedding day.
"Come in." She invited the person who knocked into the room. The door opened, revealing her soon-to-be Mother-in-law, Isabel Arc.
"I knew you'd look amazing." Isabel beamed. She had given Emerald her mother's wedding dress. She had hoped to see one of her daughters wearing it, but they all bought ones of their own and Tangy made it explicitly clear she wasn't settling down any time soon.
"You think so?" Emerald smiled.
"Of course I do," Isabel walked up to her. "You're going to knock Jaune's socks off. If he's anything like his father, his jaw is gonna fall completely off when he sees you!"
"Yeah, but he always does," Emerald says dryly. "But I appreciate the visualization." She turned back to the desk, the locket stared back at her. Almost like it was mocking her. This didn't go unnoticed by Isabel.
"That looks lovely. Why don't you put it on?" Isabel suggested.
"I'm... I don't...," Emerald struggled. She wanted to talk to someone about this, but she didn't want to say anything that she couldn't take back. Isabel had always treated her like a daughter, so who better to have a peptalk than her? "Isabel, can I ask you a question?"
"What's on your mind?" Isabel raised an eyebrow.
"Well," Emerald looked at the locket once more. "I've been wondering if... If I deserve this. All of this. A happy ending."
Isabel knew about Emerald's past. Everyone in Jaune's family did. She, along with a few of her son's friends, were apprehensive of their relationship at first. But as time went on, Emerald had proven her love for Jaune was true. But there was one person that lingered in the back of the thief's mind.
"Is this about Cinder?" Isabel asked.
Emerald winced. Cinder's last words have been haunting her for the last few weeks, causing her to worry when the other shoe will drop.
"People like us don't get happy endings, Emerald."
Cinder had sounded so sure of this, even as she died. But every day with Jaune had proven her wrong. So why was she thinking about it now? She found that locket at the bottom of her jewelry box. It brought up a few emotions along with it.
"Whatever it is, I don't think it really matters," Isabel said, her tone warm. She poured a glass of water for Emerald and herself. "To dwell on the past is to deny yourself of the future. I'm sure whatever Cinder said to you was only said to scare you. To make sure you always see her whenever you look over your shoulder."
Isabel words filled Emerald with relief. She really was the mother she never had. She took a sip of water and a smile formed on her face. "You're right. Maybe I'm just stressed out. All the planning, all the messages from Weiss, the pregnancy te--." Emerald immediately covered her mouth. Dammit! They were supposed to announce this at the reception!
The sound of glass shattering on the floor startled her. Isabel's mouth was in a perfect O shape.
"P-P-Pregnancy test?" She uttered, a wide smile was forming on the Arc matriarch's face. Tears stared to fall down her cheeks. She looked like her entire body was vibrating with joy. She ran over to the former thief and held in a (surprisingly) tight bear hug. "I can't believe it! Does this mean I'm--!"
"Yes! But when we tell everyone, act surprised!" Emerald said struggling in her hold. She just noticed that time. She was gonna be late for her own wedding and she'll be damned if she's gonna let Mercury hold it over her for the rest of her life. "Mrs. Arc, we have to go!"
Isabel let her daughter-in-law go and gave her one final once over. "Yes! Yes, you're right! Can't think about spoiling my grandkids just yet if my son isn't married! Now, let's go get you married!"
Isabel grabbed Emerald's arm and dragged her out of her room. Emerald began to laugh at her Mother-in-law's switch in demeanor.
With every step she took, Emerald started to imagine the life she and Jaune would make, free from Cinder's shadow. Whatever future they will make together will be made with their own two hands.
Besides, what's the worst that could happen?
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Wanted to take my time with this one.
In the Cinder omake, she was talking to Nick, so I thought Emerald should talk to Isabel. Hope you guys enjoy.