#or any of the times merc has put his arm on emerald

[emmysustrai]

#leaVE ME ALONE TO CRY #I MISS THEM #no one talk to me unless it's about them in this scene in particular #or any of the times merc has put his arm on emerald #they're just ... so cannon #can't believe the emercury show split them up without a call scene #i may hate everyone but I still love them

[groovegalaxxxy5]

Shut up and eat your breakfast bar, Mercury.

The next chapter of Folie Á Deux is juuust about ready for release so I thought I’d put up a little preview. I know this fic has been overdue for a proper update for ages, and I am sooo sorry to ALL my poor neglected fics, ugh. In my defense I honestly can't recall ever having written anything that required me to consider so many different moving parts. It's been taking me so much time just to organize the timeline for this one, plus I'm trying some new things with it too(like POV characters...7_7;;) which has been...interesting.  But it’s going! Pretty well, actually!!

Inane rambling aside, this is only a tiny little snippet of what turned out to be a pretty long chapter, but I really liked this scene in particular. Hopefully my readers will too!

Youcancuttheesexualtensionwithakniiiiiife//

 The next time Mercury wakes it’s to a familiar electronic melody ringing out from nearby and a very unfamiliar sensation of softness and warmth pressed along his entire left side.  Instinctively he refrains from any abrupt movements, instead carefully easing open granite colored eyes still slightly bleary with the last vestiges of sleep to surreptitiously take in his surroundings.  

When he does the young assassin finds his heart jumping up into his throat unbidden at the sight of soft green tresses rustling softly with the constant airflow provided by the aircraft’s ventilation system, practically right up against his cheek. A nice, clean sort of scent — citrusy and kind of sweet but not overpowering — tickles his nose and the dark-haired boy’s eyes narrow sharply in confusion when he realizes that the warm weight pressing into him is actually his partner slumped over onto his shoulder. A careful tilt of his head reveals Emerald’s peacefully sleeping face, half obscured by verdant forelocks, as her chest rises and falls softly with each breath.  There’s a slightly worn hardback nestled in her lap, the corner of one page lodged haphazardly between delicate mahogany fingertips, but he can’t move his head enough to get a good look at it without shifting the arm that she’s leaning on—she probably fell asleep reading again.

As the sound of the thief’s scroll alarm drones on, her brow creases and a small groan of irritation stirs slightly dry, full lips.  Mercury immediately closes his eyes again, forcefully willing his heartbeat and breathing pattern into submission before she properly awakens and he’s forced to deal with cranky, just-woke-up Emerald and pissy, ‘there’s awkward sexual tension all of a sudden and I don’t know how but this is YOUR FAULT, Mercury!’ Emerald.  

The assassin almost immediately regrets his decision.  With his eyes closed, the scent of the green-haired girl’s shampoo (Perfume? Body lotion???) and the slight tickling sensation of her hair against his cheek feels like it’s amplified about a hundred times with the shift of focus to the rest of his senses.  In response, Mercury desperately tries to preoccupy himself with thoughts of what food joints he’s going to hit up once they finally get back to civilization.

The City of Mistral’s underground may be a seething cesspool of corruption of crime, but it also has some of the best street food in the world—because even criminals have to eat.  Emerald will probably lose her shit when he introduces her to the food at his favorite—

‘—Dammit.’  

His brief internal struggle is interrupted by the feeling of the young woman in question stirring in earnest, apparently no longer able to ignore the insistent sound of her alarm.  There’s a rush of cool air against his shoulder as she finally lifts her head, followed by the feeling of her tensing up against him when she presumably recognizes the extremely awkward position that she managed to fall asleep in.  Mercury desperately suppresses the urge to steal a glance at whatever goofily mortified look he’s sure is probably crossing his partner’s face right now and instead directs all his available resources to maintaining the pretense that he’s still sound asleep.  The dark-haired boy is keenly aware that right now he’s losing out on some prime “let’s annoy Emerald” material (which undoubtedly would have come in handy later on when he inevitably grows bored of whatever tedious bullshit Cinder has them expending their energy on for the mission) but he’s even more curious as to how she’ll react to the situation if he just plays the whole thing off.

He can hear Emerald crankily jamming her finger into the screen of her scroll just before the alarm goes silent and then an aggravated little grunt—she’s never in a good mood right after she wakes up, but she sounds particularly agitated right now. After that things go suspiciously quiet, though he can still faintly feel the thief’s body warmth seeping into his side, and Mercury experiences a moment of confusion.  He can hear her breathing softly nearby, but she doesn’t seem to be moving.

‘What the-...Is she just...watching me sleep???’

It takes every ounce of training Mercury has to maintain his cover at that moment. He can practically feel the thief’s sharp, vermilion eyes roving over his face, and though he can’t actually see Emerald’s expression, her Aura feels strangely concentrated.  It feels like she’s scrutinizing him.  

‘Shit. She knows.’

A few more seconds of quiet and then the dark-haired boy suddenly feels his heart jump up into his throat again at the abrupt sensation of a single point of pressure digging softly into his cheek as Emerald leans in towards him.  Her face is definitely right next to his, so close he can feel her breath tickle his cheek.  She gently pokes him a couple more times then, seemingly testing to see just how soundly he’s sleeping.

“Just five more minutes,” the green-haired thief finally mumbles after a small sigh of defeat.  He can feel her words roll over his cheek in a gentle rush of warm air before she pulls away. And then, as an afterthought, “You really do look like shit, you know that? …’s what you get for not going to sleep at night like a normal human being….Stupid jerk.”

After that there’s the sound of Emerald shifting in her seat slightly and then the quiet rustling of pages turning.  Mercury somehow manages to maintain his composure, but he feels strangely unsettled after the weird encounter—his heart rate refuses to get under control after that despite his pointedly slow, steady breaths, to the point that he’s almost sure that the young woman sitting next to him will hear his pulse any moment now and catch on to the fact that he’s been faking it the whole time.

She doesn’t, however, and in what feels like mere moments Emerald is calling his name as she roughly nudges him awake—for real this time.

“Mercury. Mercury. Get up — we’re almost there.”

“Mn?” He feels like an absolute idiot pretending like he’s only just now waking up when he’s actually been extremely, painfully alert for the last several minutes.  This was such a stupid idea.

“We’re going to be landing soon—you need to wake up,” she repeats, giving him another nudge that’s just as insistent but a bit gentler this time, “Brothers…you really were tired—you slept the entire way. Usually you won’t shut the hell up.”

“Aww, sorry to leave you so bored and lonely for the whole flight, Em,” he says smoothly after a small yawn, offering her the best shit-eating grin he can muster at the moment, “Promise I’ll make it up to you later.”

“Just get ready to land,” comes the exasperated reply.  For the most part, Emerald sounds as dismissive as ever, but he can’t help but notice the slight waver in her voice.  The assassin feels his own mental composure recover just slightly at that particular realization—It’s actually something of a relief to know that he’s not the only one who’s feeling more than a bit out of sorts right now.  

Sufficiently satisfied that he’s not going to fall back asleep, the green-haired girl gets to her feet and steps over to where their luggage is located to begin rummaging around inside her bag until she produces a familiar looking small, rectangular package. As he watches the thief tear open the packaging to her rations, the dark-haired youth feels his own stomach start to burble a little bit, reminding him that they departed well before breakfast time this morning.

Mercury stands and gives his shoulders a good stretch before likewise raiding his own bag, and a few minutes later finds them sitting across from one another in front of their packs, both munching away on Atlesian military grade breakfast rations.    

“Where’s Cinder?” he asks casually, not because he actually cares but because he knows it’s one of the easiest ways to get her talking.

“Still on the upper deck. When I went up to check on her about an hour ago she was poring over maps of the city.”

“Mm. They’re really serious about making this a repeat of Beacon,” Mercury comments. Out of the corner of his eye he catches Emerald’s eyebrows quirk together uncomfortably for a split second at his observation, prompting the dark-haired boy to pause mid chew, gaze narrowing momentarily in frustration.

‘Aaand there it is. Brothers’ blood, Em…You’re really gonna make me do this aren’t you.’

“…You cool with that?” he ventures slowly, surreptitiously shifting his gaze so that he can properly observe her reaction.  

“I want whatever Cinder wants,” Emerald replies firmly, pinning him with an irritated side-glare.  He really has to give it to his partner—she’s an excellent liar.  Emerald’s tone sharpens a bit in response to his inquiry, but her voice is otherwise steady and her gaze doesn’t waver in the slightest when she pins him under it.  If it weren’t for the way her breath caught in her chest for just a split second when he first raised the question, he would have been inclined to believe her.

“Just asking,” he says dismissively, backing off from the topic with a disarming little shrug.

“…Fuck you, Merc,” the green-haired girl comments at last, after pointedly glaring up at him in silence for a moment, “Seriously.”

“Wow, Em,” he gasps, adopting a thoroughly scandalized expression, “I know I promised I’d make it up to you, but—”

“Shut up and eat your breakfast bar, Mercury!”

//ActuallyitreallyISMercury’sfaulteverytiiiime

I like that this excerpt gives absolutely NO hint as to where this chapter actually ends up lmaooo  Just a nice little innoculation of UST-filled banter and pre-romantic cuteness before shit goes completely sideways and upside down... 

#fanfic #rwby #emercury #emerald sustrai #mercury black

[bssaz97]

After knowing what Jaune (D Arc) did to Ironwood and his men do you think Cinder would try doing the same thing Jaune went through but it goes horribly wrong?

Jaune D’ Arc part 2

Weiss: Let me get this straight. After you were captured, they took you to Salem’s castle.

Jaune: Mm-Hmm.

Weiss: Where it was revealed to you that you are a descendants of one of Salem and Ozma’s once thought to be dead children.

Jaune: Yep.

Weiss: So because of that she tried to convince you to join her side and rule as her heir. But you said she could, and I quote-

Jaune/Weiss: “Go fuck herself and her batshit crazy ass cult!”

Jaune: Yes I did say all of that.

Qrow: But because she didn’t like that answer she had you transferred to Watts’ secured hideout laboratory.

Jaune: Ohhh yeah you should have seen the look on their faces. Especially Cindy, bitch was about to blow a gasket. But anyway, continue.

Qrow: Right...so after you were brought to the lab, where Watts tortured you behind Salem’s back and tried to pry information out of you about the rest of us.

Jaune: Damn. Right.

Ren: When all that failed, Arthur decided to do try another test which involved putting you in the tube that we found you in. Which was filled with...I’m sorry what did you call it?

Jaune: Red shit. But I’m also pretty much it was Grimm essence.

Weiss: And you survived that, how?

Jaune: I’m assuming my semblance.

Weiss/Qrow/Ren: Ah. Right.

Nora: But if you’re semblance saved you, why do you look like a scary boy Salem?

Jaune: Well while my semblance kept me alive. Didn’t really do much else to stop the effects of the red shit changing my body. Eventually my body and semblance was changed to the point where I could barely recognize myself. Also I now need to absorb the aura of others to fuel my own and my current mental health is pretty fucked if I do say so myself, but what else is new am I right?

Everyone: .....

Jaune: Ok joke didn’t work. Got it.

Ruby: Jaune.....Do you know if...this is permanent or not?

Jaune: Well. It’s supposed to be an almost exact same liquid from the pool that changed Salem to what she is now soooooo I’m gonna assume that this is not reversible.

Ruby: Oh...

Jaune: .....does it really bother you?

Ruby: What! No! Jaune, I’m happy to have you back alive! You have no idea how much everyone missed you, how I missed you. I just wanted to know if you are ok with these changes.

Jaune: .....no. But I don’t really have much choice in the matter anymore so I guess I’ll just have to live with it. But anyway that’s my story.

Qrow: Well kid, you’ve been through a helluva experience. Come on, let’s get going before anybody else gets here.

Jaune: That sounds great. How do we do that?

Ruby: We were able to get ahold of a Manta to get here. Now come on let’s get out of here. *Takes his hand but feels him not moving * Huh? Jaune?

Jaune: Actually.....I have a better idea.

He walks over to Ironwood’s unconscious body.

Jaune: Hey Jimmy how’s it going? You look great! Say I was wondering, do you mind if we borrow your ride? No you don’t mind. Great! You’re a pal! *Reaches into Ironwood’s coat and pulled out a keycard.*

Weiss: Jaune! What are you doing?!

Jaune: Getting us a new ride!

Time Skip; Elsewhere....

Salem: WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S GONE?!!!

Salem’s faction are all present in the War Room when Arthur had arrived to inform Salem of recent events. So naturally she was very displeased by the news.

Arthur: Uh, well...you see your grace, he didn’t actually escape rather he was.....recovered by the Rose child’s group. *Salem stood right in front of him*

Salem: Really? Very well then, for my next question I want to know as to WHY YOU LET THEM TAKE MY HEIR?!

Arthur: They caught me off guard you see! I was just doing my normal procedures-

Cinder: You mean dancing in your lab?

Arthur: My NORMAL procedures! And then suddenly the little ginger hell spawn bombed my facility.

Salem: And instead of securing my heir, ensuring that OUR ENEMIES do not get a hold of him.....what did you do?

Arthur: Um well.....you see.....I-

Mercury: Hid in his safe room like a bitch!

Emerald: MERC!

Salem: No! That’s quite alright young Sustrai, I believe that perfectly explains the behavior of our dear doctor here. *She stood up as her back faced the outside windows* So tell me Arthur, how are you going to make this up to me?

Arthur: *sweating* I can assure you my grace! I will retrieve the Arc, you see I installed a tracking device on his person after-! *Stops himself*

Salem: .....I’m sorry. What was that last part Arthur? *Side glances him*

Arthur: Well...forgive me your grace but I feel I should confess that.....I may have withheld some information about the Arc boy’s status at my facility.

Salem: Status...

Arthur: *Sweating profusely* He’s Fine! Really he’s just fine!.....for the most part. AH! *Magically pulled towards Salem, where she grabbed his shirt*

Salem: What did you do?

Arthur: N-Nothing life threatening! I think...

Salem: What did you do?

Arthur: I.....may have dabbled a little into..... Grimm Essence Research while he was at my facility.

Salem: .*Her eyes widened* ....what?

Arthur: But he’s fine! He survived the procedure perfectly. Honestly you should have seen the results, now he looks more like your descendant than ev-WAH! *Gets slammed into the front glass panel, causing multiple cracks to form*

Salem: Don’t you think that if I wanted him to be like me. I would have asked you to make so?

Arthur: You know I’m suddenly starting to realize that.

Salem: How much?

Arthur: W-What?

Salem: How much of the Grimm essence did you give him?

Arthur: uuuuuuuuuhhhh.

Salem: Arthur.....

Arthur: I put him in a tank of it.

Salem: YOU FOOL! *Throws him across the room, hitting the opposite wall*

Tyrian: Hehehehehehehe! Oh what fun we’re having today!

Emerald: Cinder, shouldn’t we try to stop her? I mean he is our only tech support.

Cinder: Shh! Not yet. I want to see how far she goes.

The negative aura surrounding the Grimm Queen seemed to emit off her person as she slowly walked towards Arthur. This caused him to scrabbles to steady himself on the wall, fear for his life very much on his mind.

Arthur: W-W-Wait! Your grace, I promise you we get him back!

Salem: It’s far too late for that Arthur. Even if you can track him down, you’ll never be able to recapture him. After all, if he’s anything like me now he’ll most likely try and succeed to kill you and anyone you send after him.

Arthur: Your Grace! I implore you, beg you to give me another chance. Have I ever failed you before!

Salem: .......You make a point. You’ve been faithful up until now, therefore I shall let you keep your life.

Arthur: *Sighs in relief* Thank you my grace...

Salem: But fail me again Arthur.....and I shall fill these very walls with your blood.

Arthur: ...I understand your grace.

Salem: Now go on then, it seems like you have some searching to do.....oh and take Tyrian and Cinder with you. Just to ensure you do not fail me again, right Arthur?

Arthur: Y-Yes your grace, we won’t fail! Come along Tyrian, Cinder.

The three followers and two subordinates of Salem make their way out of the room. Once they make it down the hall. They enter a second room where they can plan their operation.

Arthur: Alright everyone, since we all have our assignment from her Grace. I think it’s best we find out leads as to where the target is going.

Cinder: Before we do anything! Why don’t you show us exactly what you’ve been up to, do you have any record of the breakout?

Arthur: I do. But I must insist that we-

Cinder: You just claimed to have turned Jaune Arc into a replica of Salem, I think I speak for everyone here that I’m curious to know in what regard you meant.

Tyrian: I wouldn’t mind seeing for myself either of how the boy has been blessed by our goddess.~ I say role the tape!

Arthur: ‘Heavy Sigh’ Very well. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you...

Five Minutes Later....

Jaune: *in recording* What’s wrong Jimmy?! You were talking good shit a second ago! Why don’t you have one of your dead men give you a new arm?! I’m sure they gladly do it as they now have plenty to give.

Arthur at this point decided to pause the video as he’s sure everyone got the message. He turns to look at everyone and sees they have a variety of expressions. Cinder and Mercury have a pale expression of shock and fright on their faces, while Emerald had stopped watching halfway through the video to puke in the corner. Tyrian had a sickening gleeful expression as if he was watching a blockbuster movie. But that face dropped when the video ended.

Tyrian: Hey! Why did you stop it? It was getting to the good part!

Cinder: This.....is Jaune Arc?

Arthur: Unfortunately, yes.

Cinder: Watts.....BY THE GODS WHAT IN WORLD POSSESSED YOU TO CREATE THIS MONSTROSITY!!! AND WHY GIVE IT TO HIM OF ALL PEOPLE?!!!

Arthur: Look here! I don’t need anyone else here to tell me when I clearly have made a misjudgment!

Mercury: Doc this isn’t a misjudgment, this is a complete fuckin’ disaster! We already had one Salem on our backs, NOW WE GOT TWO OF EM!

Arthur: Look it’s not that bad!

Emerald: ‘Huff!’ Not that bad?! That.....THING turned a group of Atlesian specialists into burger meat! And you want US to go up against THAT! We’re going die!

Arthur: Don’t you think I’m already aware of that! I’m not even sure if sending a maiden will be enough to stop him! But I obviously cannot do this by myself!

Cinder: .....Then why don’t we even the odds.

Arthur/Mercury/Emerald: What?

Cinder: You were able to accomplish this process once. Couldn’t you do it again?

Emerald: Cinder. You’re not actually-?

Cinder: Power is power. And if I’m right that means if someone else had any similar abilities as him, they would be able to overpower him. Right?

Arthur: .....It’s possible. However I highly recommend that you don’t undergo such a procedure.

Cinder: And why not?! If you’re not confident in your own work than what’s to stop me from-

Arthur: I don’t doubt my work! It’s the person I’m concerned over.

Cinder: What?

Arthur: You see this isn’t the first time I’ve dabbled into this kind of research. It’s only the first success.

Cinder: You’ve done this before?

Arthur: Yes.....it’s been a pet project of mine for sometime. However, I rarely ever had any test subjects survive. Those that do.....well they are far from ever being human again.

Cinder: How?

Arthur: Well most that do undergo the procedure, turn out to be more Grimm-like than desirable. They become mindless beasts that slowly decay into nothing.

Everyone: .....

Mercury: Oum, how long have you been doing this for?!

Arthur: About three to four years give or take.

Cinder: If that’s the case. Why shouldn’t I undergo the procedure?

Arthur: Do you really think Salem would accept or be pleased that I turned her Fall Maiden into a mindless beast?

Cinder: If Someone by the likes of Jaune Arc could survive, then so can I!

Arthur: Absolutely not! I already have her eyes behind my back, do you want me to kill myself!

Cinder: I can take it by force if I have to! I have magic!

Arthur: You wouldn’t survive!

Cinder: AND WHY NOT?!

Arthur: Because you lack a sense of humanity!

Cinder: *confused* What?!

Arthur: This procedure isn’t just about the physical capability of the recipient but the mental as well. You think it’s only a coincidence that someone like Jaune Arc survives solely for his semblance and genealogy to Salem?

Cinder: Oh you’ve got to be kidding? You’re telling me that the reason he survived and became this way is because of his humanity!

Arthur: .....As much as I despise the notion yes. Also they have to be a virgin.

Cinder: Watts, you damn well!

Arthur: Thought but didn’t want to assume. But I’m afraid I can’t allow you to undergo the procedure. You’re too important to the mission and we both know we shouldn’t give it to Tyrian. *Both look at the crazed scorpion licking his blades*

Cinder: Point taken.

Arthur: Yes, for this procedure we require someone who is.....expendable. *Looks at the two others in the room.*

Emerald: .....Why is he looking at us like that?

Mercury: Because we’re fucked.

End of Part 2.

Had fun writing this one and I hope you guys enjoyed!

#rwby #jaune arc #ruby rose #lie ren #nora valkyrie #weiss schnee #qrow brawnwen #arthur watts #salem #cinder fall #emerald sustrai #mercury black #tyrian callows #rwby lancaster #lancaster #dracula jaune #jaune d’ arc

[rwbyconversations]

Why Emerald and Mercury’s scene in Lost is one of the best scenes in all of RWBY

Lost is a really underappreciated episode in Volume 6. It tends to get overlooked because Dead End precedes it and that’s easily the weakest episode of the season, while right afterwards we get the three-parter of the Argus Battle and Adam’s return meant focus was shifted for a hot minute. But I adore this episode, nearly every second of it barring some choices at the end (barring Oscar getting shafted for development- again- and Ruby’s oddball speech of “we didn’t need adults this far” to Qrow), but it’s honestly one of the best episodes of the season in my eyes, and that falls down to one major scene- Emerald and Mercury’s conversation in the first third of the episode, which is one of my favorite scenes in all of RWBY.

I know when people think of character arcs involving Lost they tend to go for the obvious lure of the Pyrrha statue, which, to be fair, is a really solid character moment and I loved a lot about it- especially the small reference to the Volume 1 OP of Jaune looking at the statue, it’s framed with almost the exact same camera angle. But as someone who mains my two murder kids, I cannot stress how hyped up I was going into Lost. Finally, after years of being relegated to background fodder with their one big moment since Volume 3 being their humiliating appearance at Haven where Emerald took a literal dive and Merc was left holding an arm like a numbnuts, Lost was gonna give me the content I’d been waiting for.

The fact that Merc and Em were getting the thumbnail- something neither of them had been in since Volume 3- was something that made my goddamn day when the thumbnail went up on VRV

And ultimately, I think the scene delivered, and delivered with a gusto that makes me unironically call it one of the best scenes of the Volume, one of the best of the show, in fact- and today I’d like to explain why I love Emerald and Mercury’s scene in Volume 6 Chapter 9, Lost.

1) The establishing context, or: a quick breakdown of Merc and Em in V6C4 

Merc and Em had one scene earlier this volume, in Chapter 4, “So That’s How It Is.” It chronicles them and Hazel returning from Mistral several weeks after the Battle of Haven, Hazel having contacted Little Miss Malachite and gotten the heads up on where RWBY were going next. Spirits are low as they leave the ship, and an unexpected welcoming party in Tyrian doesn’t lift the mood. Emerald in particular lashes out at Tyrian when he mockingly notices Cinder’s absence, which just gives him all the motivation he needs to get up in Emerald’s personal space and mock her for her weakness. 

Fun fact, in the Volume 6 trailer, Tyrian creeping on Emerald happens in Salem’s conference room, presumably to throw people off the scene on when the scene would be happening. 

Tyrian proves to be as sharp as his dearly-departed stinger (now resting in Ruby’s cabinet of Maimed Body Parts), mocking Emerald in a delightfully chilling voice that “Cinder isn’t here to protect you anymore.” You know who is though? 

This asshole, that’s who. Mercury fucking Black, finally showing the spine he lost after Volume 3 and getting up in Tyrian’s grill to protect Emerald. He even got his eyebrows back just for the occasion! 

Never forget Volume 4 and Merc’s penciled-on eyebrows

It’s a short but sweet scene that sets up the duo’s dynamic well- they’ve really only got each other out in Evernight so even if they bicker... a lot... Merc and Em will watch each other’s backs because it’s that or deal with Tyrian, Watts and most importantly Salem alone. And that’s not a thought either of them truly want to consider. 

The rest of the Evernight scene in chapter 4 has some small but important moments for them- I especially love Mercury being the first person we see realizing Salem’s about to snap because of his abusive father. If anyone’s gonna know how to read the room and know to get out of dodge before the glass starts shattering, it’ll be him. How he just stands at attention, eyes locked forward when everyone else looks at Salem is also a nice subtle bit of character- eyes forward, since he was probably told not to move without permission. Emerald’s sheer terror for much of the debriefing is just a masterclass in animation- her eyes are these narrow pinpricks that can’t focus on a single spot, she cringes in anticipation of a slap when she rats out Cinder (gee it’s almost as if Cinder is her abuser who conditioned her or something why do people still ship them), how she flinches when Salem touches her shoulder and only relaxes when Salem moves on and reveals that Cinder’s alive. It’s all just great stuff for their characters that you get from looking at their body language. 

That’s all that we see of Mercury and Emerald until chapter 9, and unfortunately the last we see of them from there until the post-credits scene, but fortunately, this is a real doozy of a scene. 

2) The actual scene

We open with Merc and Em alone in a room, Emerald bitterly noting how much she hates being kept in the dark about Salem’s future plans. Mercury agrees, stopping some training to note that at least Cinder kept them up to speed, before resuming his combat. 

Mercury and Yang are two of the easier foils to compare and contrast to in the series, especially in the RWBY/CRME contrasts between Ruby/Cinder, Weiss/Emerald, Blake/Roman and later Adam and Yang/Mercury. Both are close range fights with firearms strapped to their limbs of choice, both have cybernetic limbs and as we learn later this episode, both had fathers with wildly differing views on their Semblances. But something else that connects them is that neither Mercury or Yang stay down for long when they get knocked out. Yang lost her arm and once she got back on her feet, she updated her fighting style to be more acrobatic and all-around, which paid off in dividends when she got to fight Adam and was able to move around his strikes. Similarly, the first time we see Mercury get some free time after Haven, he’s training... except he’s working on his fists, since he was overly reliant on his legs until now. I like this, it would have been easy to have Mercury just working on his legs or even just doing nothing but not only does it give the conversation a more lively feel, but it shows that Mercury is working on covering his weaknesses. And if there’s one thing Mercury hates, it’s leaving a weakness uncovered.

Your daily reminder that Yang vs Mercury is some of the best choreography in the show BTW

Emerald, seemingly out of boredom, decides to pry a bit and asks Mercury why he came with Cinder and Emerald in the Volume 3 flashback. I’ve seen some people criticize that Emerald is only asking this now, but given how when she tried to object to Cinder she got a slap for her troubles, I think it’s safe to say she decided it wasn’t worth Cinder’s wrath a second time for asking too many questions about Mercury. 

Mercury tries deflecting with a simple answer “Just made sense,” to which Emerald calls bullshit with one of the most deadpan-laden lines she’s ever uttered. “It ‘made sense.’” 

Mercury decides to keep up that path, trying to cover the question with his usual sarcasm and wit. It’s notable that his explanation gives nothing away that Emerald didn’t already know- Marcus trained Mercury to be an assassin, Mercury killed him and right afterwards, Cinder showed up. It’s almost clinical how, despite covering it with his usual wit, Mercury doesn’t let anything slip until Emerald gets under his skin by calling bullshit again, since to her that Mercury joined Cinder for as shallow a reason as “right place right time” is anathema to her- there has to be something in this for Mercury beyond just getting to fight. Mercury again deflects, giving Emerald knowledge she already knows- “Salem’s promised us everything. We win this thing, we’ll be top dogs in her new world.” Again, he’s only telling her what she already knows, and when he asks her what she gets out of this, Mercury manages to throw Emerald off the scent and tricks her into talking about herself- a topic Mercury enjoys because it means he’s not the one under the microscope. 

Something I adore and hate in equal measure is how musically when Emerald talks about Cinder, the score itself changes to a more whimsical version of Cinder’s theme- as if Emerald’s using her Semblance on the soundtrack itself to paint Cinder in a better light. 

Also something worth noting is the lighting symbolism for Emerald in the first part of this scene:

She starts in darkness, surrounded by light.

When Mercury gets a rise out of her, she walks out into the light to confront him, but Mercury moves into the darkness, a barrier separating them. But when Emerald begins talking about Cinder...

The camera pans to put Emerald back into darkness. This scene is loaded with this kind of symbolism on a lighting and musical level, the two dancing around the edges of light and dark, separated usually by the barriers that form from the overhead light.

Regardless, Mercury is perfectly fine to let Emerald prattle on about Cinder, right up until Emerald begins having a crisis of conscience. Not one based on how Cinder used her to stage a terrorist attack, no. Mercury butts in when Emerald’s crisis of conscience is based on how now that Cinder isn’t here, Emerald isn’t sure if they’re doing the right thing. And thus Mercury’s fandom finally got to see the scene they had been waiting years for: Mercury telling Emerald Cinder doesn’t care for them. Emerald gets angry, still caught up in the web of lies that Cinder spun around her, but Mercury doesn’t give a solitary shit about any of that and keeps saying things Emerald doesn’t want to hear- that Cinder never cared about Emerald, let alone either of them. 

I absolutely adore how the ever-present smirk on Mercury’s face just melts off while he’s trying to get Emerald to realize Cinder never cared for them- either because he’s done playing nice or because he’s trying to stress to Emerald that he’s not messing around, just this once.

Mercury’s mocking line to Emerald finally sets her off, and she charges him furiously, trying to beat him into shutting up. But it doesn’t work- of course it wouldn’t, Mercury is leagues above Emerald in skill even if she uses her weapons, going in without them is tantramount to suicide. This guy danced around Coco and Yatuhashi and gave Yang and Pyrrha good fights while deliberately throwing both fights. Beating Emerald would take less than a minute if he tried. But he doesn’t. Mercury never actually hits Emerald, focusing on just blocking her blows. It’s only when Mercury finally decides to stop giving Emerald information she already knows and actually give her some honest truth that he begins trying, and immediately Emerald is forced back. But even then, Mercury throws his kicks. Compared to the ones he threw in training they’re sluggish, easily predicted. He’s not trying to hurt Emerald, he’s just stressing his point. 

Literal chills went down my back when I heard that line the first time, Yuri killed it.

Mercury basically decides to throw his abuse in Emerald’s face, which I’ve seen some people deride and describe as Mercury basically playing the victim card, but I think this is perfectly in-character for him. Emerald’s locked in her cycle of abuse with Cinder, even though the bitch is on another continent and now is the perfect time for Emerald to break free, to get out before Cinder maims her like Marcus did Mercury... and she’s not. Taking. The chance. Of course Mercury would be pissed, of course he’d get heated for the first time- he’s basically watching Emerald squander one of the only chances she has to get out of this life before Cinder catches her again, and he (and the audience) know if Cinder gets her hands on Emerald again, that’ll be it; Emerald will be ride or die for Cinder all the way to the finish line due to her paternal/romantic love. If it takes Mercury being this most callous and blunt he’s ever been to finally get Emerald to see the truth or even just to make sure where she draws her battlelines, then he’ll do whatever it takes. 

As we get an orchestral reprise of I’m The One, Mercury finally gives us a new hint into his backstory- one of the most fucked up of all the cast according to Kerry- for the first time in three years. Marcus didn’t just beat Mercury senseless, didn’t just excuse it as training and potentially even cut off Mercury’s legs to refine him into a perfect killer- he stole Mercury’s Semblance with his own, seeing it as a crutch that Mercury relied on and holding it over his head with the promise of its return once Mercury got strong. To quote the normally Unirkable Merc himself, “So I got strong, but I never got it back!” 

Mercury forced himself to get on the level of titans like Pyrrha and Yang without having the safety net of a Semblance like they have- he got strong in spite of his father, not because of Marcus taking his power from him. But that power- that strength that lets him fight at a skill ceiling beyond what Marcus likely thought possible, destroyed this young child. It stole from Mercury, things that he can never get back- a literal piece of his soul was taken from him and the thrill of the fight is the only thing he’s ever found that can fill the hole. That confidence is earned because Mercury was defiled by his father and spat in the face of destiny, he chose to get back up and try and earn back what was rightfully his. And when he got the strength to kill his abuser and burn his house down, just to realize he couldn’t get that power back? In walked Cinder Fall, looking for another lost youth to corrupt and twist the worldview of- and here was one such youth, with all the corruption done complete with a neat little bow on top. 

All of this- all of this- goes without mentioning how not two volumes prior we had a different character go through an arc involving her Semblance and a father figure teaching her how to control it and not let it control her. 

I’m just saying guys if you still wanna live in denial over Yang and Merc’s foil status and how they’d be the coolest rivals in the show, door’s right there, I’m gonna be here eagerly awaiting their proper rematch (Fuck off and die Volume 5, you mountain of wasted potential). 

The kicker (pun not intended) is Mercury’s line at the end of the training with Emerald- “I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” he confidently declares, absolutely sure in himself. The whole dynamic of the scene has been Mercury and Emerald calling bullshit on each other’s excuses, with Mercury dominating once he got Emerald to play the Cinder card. But he gets so caught up in his rage over how he got defiled by Marcus, that he loses sight for a second and forgets that he’s lying to himself as much as Emerald- the difference is he’s gone thought he cycle before and seen it so he can see that Emerald’s in it, but he hasn’t yet realized he’s gotten caught in a different cycle and still can’t see the trees from the forest. Denial is a recurring trait in Mercury and Emerald, and one neither of them are ever truly free from (”Salem promised us everything,” like how Marcus promised you back your Semblance, Mercury?). Emerald attacking Mercury after he mocks her “crisis of identity” can almost be taken as her subconsciously agreeing with Merc that Cinder doesn’t care, but after all she’s done for Cinder, everyone she’s hurt and helped kill, the idea that it was all for less than nothing is something she’s got to run away from- the alternative is just too nightmarish.

Mercury “I’m right where I’m supposed to be” Black, ladies and gents. He’s feeling really confident in these scenes, can’t you tell?! 

And who sees this and realizes it, but none other than Tyrian fucking Callows of all people. And of all the people in Salem’s castle, who expected him to be an adept armchair psychologist? Tyrian is blunt, completely unforgiving in his assessment of Mercury and Emerald- they’re trapped in a cycle of violence, pain and misery, and they’re too afraid of what’s on the other side to ever leave it- what’s waiting for Mercury out in the world of Remnant? All he can do is kill, and now that he’s burned his bridges with Huntsmen society, all he’d wind up doing is assassination work like father like son. Granted, Tyrian being the one to break this down to them both is... ironic given how Tyrian himself is trapped in Salem’s web of devotion and has been for so long he couldn’t find his way out if he wanted to, but here he raises a valid point. 

After this the scene mostly moves away from Mercury and Emerald and becomes Tyrian informing them and the audience that Watts and Tyrian are going to Atlas to intercept RWBY, but before he leaves, Tyrian leaves some parting advice.

“Do what makes you happy children, please? I’m begging you.” 

Reading through the mile-wide lines, it’s obvious Tyrian wants them to run so he can hunt them down himself, even though he denies telling them they should leave earlier when Emerald asks point-blank if he’s telling them to go (of course he isn’t saying that, he wants them to come to the conclusion himself, no fun stalking prey when the hunt’s made easy for you after all). But the scene ends with a somewhat more optimistic note.

Emerald and Mercury, still unsure about a lot of things after this group therapy session, are still standing together, almost more unified than they were before now- no barriers of light and darkness separating the two now. And that should be something that terrifies anyone who crosses their paths, especially the guy who made a point to T-Bag Mercury and basically promise he’ll draw the straw on killing them if they stray out of line. 

3) Conclusion

Mercury and Emerald are my favorite characters in the show, and while that’s been a bit harder to maintain in the Dark Times of Volumes 4 and 5 where they got nothing to do, 6 reminded me and a lot of other people why they’re the characters to keep an eye on in future years. They have these wonderfully dark backstories that let them serve as haunting foils for two members of team RWBY each (Emerald and Ruby and Weiss, Mercury for Blake and Yang) that show how far things could have gone if the RWBY girls had been born with a bit less luck. On top of all that, I’m The One is just a killer of a song that excites with its spiteful air, its cockiness only accentuating how horrific these two have had it. 

Mercury and Emerald start the Mistral seasons separated by a barrier (the window) but after their conversation in Lost and time away from Cinder, the barrier’s gone. They’re closer than they were before. And Merc got his eyebrows back too, that’s a sign he started caring about Emerald! 

Their scene in Lost I feel encapsulates a lot of what keeps them together and what makes for one of RWBY’s best dynamics- they don’t really like each other a lot of the time, but they have each other’s back come hell or high water because they need each other like a lifeline. Mercury does, at least a little, genuinely care for Emerald; he goes about it in a dickish way but trying to recognize Cinder’s abusive behavior is one of the most noble things he’s done all show. And while Emerald did try to attack him, he goaded her into it and she was indignant with rage when Tyrian pinned Merc down. Everything about the scene just works for me, from the small musical cues (alongside the return of I’m The One and Cinder’s theme, I love how right before Emerald attacks Mercury, this beeping starts and then accelerates into this droning sound like a flatline, which really captures Emerald’s temper reaching fever pitch and then snapping, to the lighting symbolism (Merc and Em both begin the scene in darkness but come together in the light at the end after Tyrian leaves, alongside everything I said above) and of course, Katie Newville and Yuri Lowenthal both knocking it out of the park with a home run of a performance, alongside Josh Grelle being his usual self when Tyrian shows up. While it was overshadowed by Jaune’s scene with the Pyrrha statue, I’d be very comfortable marking Emerald and Mercury’s spotlight scene in Lost as not just a highlight of the season, but one of the best scenes of the entire show. Everything came together for this ambrosia of a scene, and I can only hope I sold how much it means to me and how much I appreciate the work that went into it on a technical, writing, animation, acting and musical level. 

Keep an eye on Merc and Em is all I’m saying, and if you’ve written them off in the past, I hope this convinced you to take another look at them and hope they get their due time to shine in future. 

Thank you for reading. 

#rwby #mercury black #emerald sustrai #Tyrian Callows #yang xiao long #salem #marcus black #taiyang xiao long #rwby analysis #yuri lowenthal #katie newville #rwby volume 6 chapter 4 #rwby volume 6 chapter 9 #josh grelle #rwby6 #so that's how it is #lost

[razorblade180]

Lasting Embers part27: Winding down

The fifth day of final family bonding is in full effect. Midday sun shines down on Tenzen’s back yard where him and both his parents currently are. Friday’s were usually days when they decided to use the grill so why change up the tradition now? Might as well go a bit grander than usual, which is exactly what they did.

Mercury:*flipping burgers* Thanks for the invitation you two. It’s nice to have a moment of peace.

Emerald:Not to mention good food. Constantly going around the world is fun and all but you do not always end up near good restaurants.

Nora:*wearing an apron* No problem you two. The food would be better if Ren was helping but as you can see.....

Tenzen:*fully powered and standing still*

Ren:*watching him*

Nora:He’s busy at the moment.

Emerald:I don’t mind the light show. It’s actually kinda pretty.

Orange and pink aura flow upward into the air as usual when his semblance is in use. The added effect of lightning of the same color crackles calmly around his body thanks to his close and once again his usual appearance has had a color swap. Nora honestly thinks the pink hair with an orange strip looks better on him. Not to mention his orange eyes.

Mercury:You know it might be a good idea to change your semblance name before you go to beacon and everyone sees it.

Tenzen:What’s wrong with Overflow? It’s literally what my aura is doing.

Mercury:Yeah but is it cool? There’s other things you could call it to make it slightly cooler. Like Over Soul....

Nora:Limit Break!

Emerald:Soul Surge.....

Ren:Oooo that’s a good one.

Tenzen:Hey! I thought you were gonna be on my side?

Ren:It was just a thought. You ready to attempt your new move?

Tenzen:*shakes out his arms and legs* All right, let’s see if I’ve improved.

He takes a deep breath and puts his hands together. Slowly his aura stops flowing up and starts concentrating itself behind him. Everybody watches intently as it starts to take the shape of a silhouetted version of himself. It increases in a size a bit bigger than him and starts moving independently before fading away. Sweat drips down the poor boys face.

Ren:You got it to move and last longer this time.

Tenzen:*huff* Yeah but it isn’t near perfect yet. Man....*huff* I usually don’t have too much trouble with aura manipulation.

Ren:Nobody has ever done anything like you are right now. I’m learning new things just by watching you.

Mercury:Uhh what did I just see? It was almost like seeing monkey boy’s semblance but more intense.

Nora:Tenzen as exceptional aura control and can use it ways most people can’t thanks to his semblance. He’s moved it around freely in small ways like wrapping it around people for protection or to grab them. Now he’s actually trying to mold it into things.

Mercury:So you choose yourself?

Tenzen:It’s both the easiest and most complex thing I can think of right now. After that maybe I could get crazy with it.

Mercury:.....

Mercury:You gave yourself a Stand.....

Tenzen:Why would you say something like that..?

Emerald:As far as semblances go I think Tenzen might have the weirdest I’ve ever seen. I mean your aura seems boundless yet you still run out like everyone else.

Tenzen:I like to think of it sort of like a stamina bar. Let’s say my regular bar reaches up to 100% and my aura ranges in between that number and zero. My semblance breaks that cap and makes my aura amount 500%. Yeah it gives me way more to work with but instead of my semblance just eating away at my aura, it eats away at the bar itself. So when it’s all said and done, I can end up with a bar that can only hold 25%

Emerald:Sounds tricky; you’ll end up only being able to take minimum damage if that happens. Is that what happened in the woods?

Tenzen:Basically, I’m surprised what aura I had held up against me falling from the cliff. What makes things scarier is I knew even with Jaune around to use his semblance it wouldn’t help much. We’ve tested it before and it would restore the aura but not the bar; that only comes back with time.

Mercury:Yet despite all of that you rushed in to save everyone. Risky move but respectable.

Nora:Please don’t make that habit.....

Tenzen:Mmmm no promises. *smiles*

Nora:*grumbles* Why are you like me?

Ren:Alright, you seem like you still have more than enough power to attempt your other move.

Tenzen:*Grinning* Oh we’re way pass me “attempting” it. I was actually going to try it in training but then all the cult shenanigans happened.

Emerald:(Shenanigans, he makes it sound like it’s not the craziest thing in the world. Well....it kinda isn’t but still)

Once a again he takes a calming breath before bending his right arm and stares at his hand. Aura and lightning dust travel down to his palm until his hand is engulfed in it.

Tenzen:Done.....

Ren:How!? When did you- *smiles* it took me forever how to influence my aura with dust. You really are a genius at this stuff.

Tenzen:Well it helps I have the best teacher ever. *powers down*

Nora:Wow, I see how it is. Not like we spent countless nights together sparring and perfecting that together.

Tenzen:That’s because you’re the best mom ever. *hugs her* I love you!!!!!

Nora:I love you too my little ninja.

“You still go by little ninja?”

Everyone turns to see Yujin walking into the backyard. She has a white sack over her shoulder.

Yujin:Sup sherbet head.

Tenzen:First of all, that nickname can die. Second, why are you here?

Yujin:Want me to leave?

Tenzen:I didn’t say that at all. Just surprised is all.

Yujin:Home is a little.....lonely. I tell dad to spend time with Yang and sitting on my porch gets old. So I thought “why not go see Tenzen?”

Tenzen:*smirks* So you’re here for me?

Yujin:*red* Don’t make this weird.

Ren:Well obviously you are welcomed here anytime.

Mercury:Too bad you didn’t bring any food to this little cookout.

Yujin:*pulls chips out the bag* I know how Friday’s work around here.

Mercury:New favorite person right here. Besides Emerald of course.

Emerald:Nice save dork.

Yujin:I hate to ask but is there any chance I can inspect all of your weapons?

Tenzen:*squints* I know your game.....

Yujin:*nervous* Pfft what game?

Tenzen:Did you come here to socialize or get weapon ideas?

Yujin:.......Can’t it be both?

Tenzen:Will it?

Yujin:*grabs his arms* Let me tinker around with my weapon please? If I have one more emotional conversation I might fall apart. Do you want me to fall apart in your backyard? I’ve learned to cry really easily the pass five days. I’m holding back tears right now man!

Tenzen:......

Yujin:*tearing up*....

Tenzen:Oh you weren’t joking! Uhh fine, just-

Yujin:Thanks!

Just like that she emptied what was left in the bag to reveal a sketch pad and some intricate tools for salvaging whatever she can from her sword. By the time he looked back up at her she had her hair in a ponytail and glasses on.

Yujin:I already know where you guys keep all your weapons so....*darts off*

Emerald:How does she know that?

Tenzen:Don’t ask me. Maybe her real semblance is sniffing out weapons. At least she’s happy.

Nora:How has she been about all this? Her face looks kinda paler than usual. Also a bit thinner?

Tenzen:She actually looked worse a few days ago.Looks like things are getting a bit better but I’m worried it might not stick. After all, leaving day is soon. That’s gonna hard on her.

Nora:Don’t forget yourself....

Brief silence comes after that statement. All adults looking at him sadly as he just looks at the ground for a moment. The mood changes though when he raises his head with a smile.

Tenzen:I’ll be just fine! Sure I’ll miss all you guys but honestly school might keep me busy and you all will be back before I know it. I am looking at some of the most capable fighters in Remnant after all.

Mercury:*wraps arm around him and Emerald* Thanks kid, the cult won’t know what hit em!

Emerald:Hell yeah! *all three laughing*

Nora:*frowning at Ren*.....

Ren:I know. He’s not gonna talk about it though. I’ve tried everything.

Nora......!!! We’re not completely out of options yet. I gonna go check on Yujin.

Ren:Please don’t be pushy.

Nora:Mmmmm no promises. *smiles*

Inside Yujin was having a field day. Her house was nothing quite like there’s seeing how the entire building actually uses to house other people like an apartment studio. Now different floors have different functions. Their living room and kitchen were connected on the first floor since it was more than big enough. The spiral staircase upstairs led upstairs to a hallway with rooms for four people which she always found weird. Two of course were their rooms and at best a third round would occupy Merc and Em. Maybe the fourth room was for her or Jaune if they visited? She could not imagine sleeping under the same roof as Tenzen; especially with what happened recently. There was a final door upstairs that obviously was the restroom.

Nora:Hey Yujin can we have a minute to chat!?

Yujin:I’m on the dance floor!

Nora:*going upstairs* You know we do more than dance up here right?

Yujin:I know, but anytime Tenzen sends a video of him doing a routine it’s in here.

She was setting on the floor with her sketch pad. Different designs of everyone’s weapons over the years were set in front of her.

Nora:Woah, you found all of them.

Yujin:From Beacon days, the fall, Salem quest modifications, post Salem, etc. they are all so similar but different. I’m hoping one of these will spark an idea. Transforming weapons was never my finest skill set. Made too many moving parts or not enough to help. *Sketching*

Nora:Turning a sword into gauntlets sounds rough. Why not just make gauntlets with hidden blades.

Yujin:My sword skills depend on me being to do things like twirl it and hold it backhanded sometimes. Merging the two limits that. I need to find away to fluidly transition in between them. The way Ren’s blade retract in is giving me a few ideas but not much.

Nora:(I don’t think I’ve seen so many sketches for one weapon since Jaune tried to change his.)

Yujin:Maybe I should forget the gauntlets all together? Sigh, not like they’ve been useful.... *slumps shoulders*

Nora:....Are you-

Yujin:It’ll pass, don’t worry about me. *keeps sketching*

Nora:Yujin I have a favor to ask you.

Yujin:Sure thing Mrs.Valkyrie.

Nora:You know you can just call me Nora?

Yujin:I know, but I like saying your last name since it’s cool.

Nora:*smiles* I would say call me Auntie but that might be weird since you’re crushing on my son.

The pencil breaks as she accidentally put too much pressure on it. Why is she always getting caught off guard like this? It’s like the entire world is trying to make her deal with at least one emotional problem a day. Blood rushes to her face and her ears turn red as memories from two days ago surface.

Yujin:I....*mumbles* Tenzen is just a friend....

Nora:I wonder how many times I said that about Ren? Admitting it helps a lot you know? *smirking* I’m not saying go confront him about it; I realize how much of a flirt my wild child is. Personally I blame all his fans.

Yujin:I cannot tell you how many people I see wearing a shirt with his mask on it. “Nobody dances like TZ!” It’s like everyone goes a bit crazy for him and they don’t even know him.

Nora:His personality and energy are very infectious. A people pleaser like him knows how to keep spirits up. That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you.

Yujin:???

Nora:It might not be noticeable but Tenzen also has his hangs up like you.

Yujin:Really? He seems fine and calm about most things that happen. It honestly makes me a bit jealous seeing him handle stress so well.

Nora:He gets that from his father. Still he has them for sure. My son is just the type to put his problems on the back burner and prioritize everyone else. Problem is he never takes a moment to himself and faces them until it’s a bit late.

Yujin:Huh, I had no idea. Actually, the other day I did mention how much I admired how strong he was compared to me in situations and he was about to say something until he got cut off. Can’t say if it was about his problems but he did seem....sad.

Nora:Listen, I doubt he’ll tell anyone how he feels about everything going right now but I do know they’ll come out eventually when it’s too late. Can you just make sure to check in on him sometimes when we leave? I want him to have a person to talk to when he needs it.

Yujin:Oh of course! Can’t say I can really picture him needing my help much but I’ll be there.

Nora:*smiles* That’s a relief. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if he suffered in silence after we left. My heart wouldn’t take it.

Yujin:......Nora, you’re a good mom.

Nora:Yang is better, or at least in my opinion.

Yujin:Agree to disagree.

Nora:Not even going to entertain this conversation huh?

Yujin:Not in the slightest.

..........

Nora:.........It’s not really my place to pry but I hope you know she loves you and right now the things you’re doing are really hurting her-

Yujin:She’s hurt me my whole life!

The entire room echoes with that yell. Nora just stares calmly as the girls anger quickly vanishes as it came.

Yujin:Sorry I.....I didn’t mean to yell at you. That was wrong.

Nora:It happens. *grabs her hand*

Yujin:Why does it feel like people are taking sides? *trembling* The way everyone keeps praising her and just wants me forgive makes it feel like I’m wrong for acting this way. Everyone seems to be on her side while I’m just alone.

Nora:Trust me when I say nobody thinks you’re wrong for being upset. It’s just we know Yang and that she is doing everything she can and more for you. We want you to see that. Leaving you a second time is killing her but sometimes hard choices have to be made. Even if that choice feels wrong. You know about Pyrrha right?

Yujin:Of course, without her I might not even be here.

Nora: For a long time her sacrifice didn’t feel like the right call. Going off to a fight she couldn’t win felt like nothing but a waste; especially to Jaune. Looking back on it though we couldn’t have been more wrong. Pyrrha gave people precious time to keep evacuating and Ruby might not have found out about her powers without her help. That dragon certainly would’ve done more harm.

Yujin:.....

Nora:I’m not saying you have to forgive your mother right now. But I do hope that one day you can look back at all this and take some sort of pride from the fact that she’s doing it to protect everyone; including you most of all. By the way *smiles* I think the gauntlet part of your weapon is one of the coolest parts.

Yujin:Nora, can I ask you for something? It’s...*red* a bit strange. You’re not my mom but.....I mean I would like it if you-

Nora calmly pulls her into a hug. Allowing the girl to just rest into her embrace. Her heart rate starts to speed up and her breath a little heavy. She’s crying into Nora’s shirt heavily with no signs of stopping.

Yujin:How’d you know?

Nora:It’s all I ever wanted as a kid too.

Yujin:The worst part about this feeling is it won’t last. You’re leaving too.

Nora:*tightens hug*(You poor child. )

[Tai’s house]

Ruby:Downloading and uploading countless videos across different scrolls and onto a computer is one thing. Putting those files in chronological order, making sure they aren’t corrupted and then onto a scroll with enough space is an entirely different ball game. People who use computers for a living have my respect.

Jaune:You can take a break if you want. We still have two days left.

Ruby:*holds up scroll* I’m done. Do we have coffee?

Jaune:What!?

Ruby:Coffee, I’ve been up for a full day doing this. I would like-

Jaune:You finished with two days to spare? Ruby that’s-

Ruby:I know, “Ruby you’re so amazing!” I appreciate praise but right now I feel like I’m dreaming.

Jaune:Cream and five sugars?

Ruby:Black......

Jaune:*eyes widened*..........who are you?

Ruby:I need a drink that’s gonna slap me in the face. Plus I’m a grown woman.

Jaune:*hands her a mug* So all that’s left is the journal then.

Ruby:Don’t forget to wrap it all up. *sips*....... hey can you put-

Jaune:*hands her another mug* Cream and sugars in it?

Ruby:*red* You suck....

Jaune:You swallow.....

Ruby:But you still kiss me afterwards.*finger gun* damn where’s Yang when I need her? That was a good comeback.

Jaune:*points to the couch*

Yang:*passed out*Zzzzzzz

Ruby:Guess she needed a break too. I hope she can stay awake on look out when we leave. This stress might get to her.

Jaune:Both of you don’t talk much about what happened over the decade. Almost like you’re avoiding it.

Ruby:Not really, wasn’t much to say. Travel, hide, spy, kill, hunt, research.... It felt like a giant manhunt honestly. They were constantly looking for us while we looked for them. Only difference is they also had to spend time progressing their plans. We had some cool fights and close calls. More than I would like.

Jaune:You ready to go back?

Ruby:Ready as I’ll ever be. It’s wrong to say but I think of piece of me was relieved to learn the mission wasn’t over yet. Starting to move forward made me a bit anxious. Am I wrong for that?

Jaune:*shrugs* Consider this a chance to do the mission the right way. You’re the one who said that this time around it’s not about vengeance.

Ruby:That’s right; protecting others are serving justice. Just like it should be.

Yang:*waking up* I’ll drink to that. Someone poor me some cof-*handed a mug*

Jaune:It’s black coffee.

Yang:Is there any other way to drink it? *downs it admittedly*

Ruby:*shudders* That will always freak me out. Good news, the scroll is done. How’s the journal coming along.

Yang:Honestly I do not know anymore. I write but I keep wondering if any of it is actually any good. I’m worried she won’t even read it.

Jaune:She’ll read it. Maybe not in the beginning but she’ll definitely read it eventually.

Yang:I hope so. The other problem is how can anyone express everything they want to say to their kid with just one journal? There’s no time to make another one and everything I write in this one keeps reminding of more things I want to tell her. Before I know it I’m at end of a page and I still haven’t told her everything I think she should hear. *looks at it* Pouring out your emotions onto paper has been more frustrating than fighting Salem.

Jaune:Sigh, what’s with the women in this family struggling with emotions but excelling in combat. All three of you have that same exact problem which is surprising. Tai seems to be fine at sharing feelings and he’s the only DNA link you all share.

Yang:*grumbles*........

Ruby:I think you’ve been thinking of this journal wrong. It’s not meant to replace you or even say farewell. Think of it more as “see you later.” Because you will see her later Yang Xiao Long. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. So stop treating it like it’s the last thing you’ll ever do for her.

Jaune:She’s right. It’s not like you to prepare for the worst. You always plan for the best!

Yang:......

Jaune and Ruby: *smiling*........

Yang:Sigh, who am I to resist a double leader pep talk? *grabs it* better get back to work then.

[Menagerie,Oasis]

Adam:*packing* Jacquelyn can you hand me my flashlight?

Jacquelyn:Here you go. Finally packing for the trip?

Adam:Don’t wanna forget anything last minute. It counts as work but it has to be done.

Jacquelyn:Fair enough. I mean Jael has been packing for beacon for awhile too.

Adam:I’ve noticed, she’s packing like her spot is already guaranteed there.

Jacquelyn:You don’t think she is gonna pass the exam?

Adam:I do, I’m just glad she does too. I’d be concerned if she packed light.

Jacquelyn:It’s weird to think everyone is leaving so soon. Sienna’s missions for the shadows, your mission, Jael’s entrance and initiation exam. Things are going to get lonely around here.....

Adam:I’ve actually been thinking about that. *stands up* what do you say about going on another venture across the world when Jael gets in? You haven’t done that in years.

Jacquelyn:That’s an option. It wouldn’t feel right though. I’ve gotten used to having someone to talk to on those trips. *holds his hand* he was never much for conversation but he kept me company.

Adam:He also tried attacking you a few times.

Jacquelyn:Yeah but I could beat him with one hand tied behind my back; still can. *smirks*

Adam:Oh so you’re that confident.

Jacquelyn:You’re strong my love but face it, I’ve always been too much for you to handle. *rubs his face*

Adam:Sounds like a challenge I just might except. *grabs her waste*

Jacquelyn:Careful, I don’t accept challenges with rewards. I just might have you try to put another baby in me if you lose.

Adam:I’d do that win or lose regardless.

Jacquelyn:Who are you and what have you done with Adam?

Adam:I’m Jacquelyn Frost’s husband *leans closer* so in other words I’m the luckiest man alive.

Both of them start kissing and getting a bit handsy when-

Jael:*red* Ahem!!

Adam:......

Jacquelyn:*grinning* Hi sweetie!!!!

Jael:......Dinner is ready. *slowly walks away*

Sienna:*walks by with her ears covered* You two are gross.

Adam:*face palms* We forgot about the door and their hearing.

Sienna:Speak for yourself. They’re old enough to know to leave the house when this happens. *happily hugging him* I at least wanted to have one fun day out of the week. Don’t tell me I’m the only one who’s thought about it?

Adam:........

Adam:*red* Tomorrow.....

Jacquelyn:You here that you little wild flowers!?

Sienna and Jael:Unfortunately!!!!!

Adam:Let’s go eat dinner.

Jacquelyn:Kay!

#rwby #rwby lasting embers #yujin xiao long #lie tenzen #mercury black #emerald sustrai #nora valkyrie #lie ren #renora #yang xiao long #ruby rose #jaune arc #adam taurus #jacquelyn frost #jael frost #sienna frost #rwby lancaster #rwby dragonslayer #rwby jaded #emercury

[peacekeeper-xiv]

The Second Shard

Ikara had spent the night arguing, and then making up with Beta, but the next morning she was determined to contact as many people as she could think of that Lloire might want to fight. First at the top of the list was Helene. She just hoped the linkpearl frequency was still the same. Testing it out a bit she called over the pearl, "Helene, its Ikara... you there?"

There was silence on her hand for a few beats before the line came through crystal clear. In the distance came the heavy rumble of a giant waterfall along with the usual sound of her armor shifting against itself. "Ikara! Long time no see, yeah?"

Ikara breathed a sigh of relief that the linkpearl connected and was beaming on the other end, "Hey! I'm glad you didn't change linkpearls. It’s been too long! How are you?"

Steels slid into the sheath at her side and she let out a long exhale. "Ahh, ya know. Keepin' busy! Wouldn't change lines unless I lost it, yeah? Gotta keep up with people." She could hear Helene dusting off her gloves together. "Oh! Got married. That uh, yeah sorry I didn't invite ya. Was kinda sudden. But hey! You sound like you are doing well, yeah?"

Ikara blinked at the news and squealed happily on the other end of the line, "Oh my goodness!! I am so happy for you! I mean... you should have invited me... but Uh.. I have kind of been out in the burn for moons anyways, so it’s not like you could have reached me. Man... I really want to catch up, but you know how things go. I've got some good news and bad news, and I'm guessing you want the bad first."

Chance had been looking over the ledgers with the quartermaster and growling over some of the expenses when he looked over his shoulder as Helene went from a smile to her more serious expression. Work almost never made her wear that look, so he could safely bet it was something more personal. A heavy sigh left the wolf but he'd let her finish her call before pressing for details. Besides, there was still plenty he needed to work out on the books.

Helene Ashton had pressed her hand against her ear as if it would help make the call as crystal clear as possible. "Figured ya had some reason aside from catching up. Hit me with it. You need help? You okay?" Her footing shifted into a balanced stance out of habit.

Ikara laughed a little, "One of these days I am going to call just to shoot the shit... but really I always feel bad doing that. With the way folks I know are, they are likely to be in the middle of a battlefield." She sighed a little and considered, "Well, on the plus side I have good and bad news. Good news is me, I'm actually excellent, but we'll get to that. I don't even really know how to easily explain the bad. Its magey bullshit that Niisan... I mean Lloire, Lion... well shit... no wonder... too many names, Anyways, Lloire did some dumbass magic crap to himself. He is... okay, ish. It’s like his aether is a big old mirror and he put his fist through it, and now he has a bunch of different personalities and is intent on fighting all his friends to prove to himself they can protect themselves or some bullshit. So, he will likely try to find you and pick a fight with you with one of his... now many facets. I already fought one of them. They are entirely made up of his aether, but it didn't seem to physically hurt his real body when I kicked his aether butt."

Chance frowned. If her words weren't enough to put him on edge, her sudden statuesque nature certainly was. A low growl left his throat, rumbling enough to put the quartermaster on edge.

Helene Ashton had fallen silent and let her statuesque form scream for her. A deep breath was pulled, and she looked down to the ground. “Okay…ish?” Her lips pressed together, tensing her muscles through her neck. “Aye, aye I see. You’re okay though, yeah? He didn’t hurt ya too bad, did he? I’ll sock him one extra If he did. He would want me to.”

Ikara waited on the other end for Helene to say -something-, and when she finally did Ikara breathed a little easier. Helene was so used to weird shit from the Order, she just needed the important stuff to know how to win. "He is okay, I think. Its, like he only has a certain amount of control over it. I mean, looking at his aether is disturbing, and I offered to try to fix it, but I mean, I'm not sure I could have. I'm fine, promise! I won! I mean, I almost didn't, Niisan is a pain in the ass when it comes to his magical talents and now I have to figure out what the hell that last spell he used was, but no, I'm fine. I realized at the end of the fight that his .. facet is made of Aether.. and well, that is my specialty... manipulating aether.. so I just kinda... disrupted the whole facet. I may have had my eyebrows singed off though, but thats okay... they'll grow back."

Chance spun around at her last words looking furious. He wasn't fool enough to react without the full story, but this had begun to sound domestic and if Lloire had put his hands on Velestine, there was going to be blood.

Helene Ashton heard him shift behind her and she cast her bright emerald hues over her shoulder to him. It wasn't going to help the fire, she was 'Shield' more than 'Hells' in that moment. if protective had a facial expression, she was the poster child of it. Helene Ashton then muttered a bunch of incoherent colorful commentary low enough that only a word or two could be made out. Stubborn and Fool, respectively and clearly not meant for her Wolf.

The quartermaster had tried to regain Chance's attention, but with the look Helene wore, there was little chance of that. He simply growled a dismissal and the man gave a hurried salute before beating a hasty exit.

Helene Ashton noted the poor quartermaster and couldn't help her smirk. She continued the conversation, though. "Glad you are okay. Eyebrows or not, I’m bettin' you're still cute so don't worry about it, yeah? Said you didn't hurt him, right? Nothin' you did had any affect?"

The merc was now both angry and confused. He paced slowly back and forth, waiting for an explanation.

Ikara huffed a laugh, "Like I said, they'll grow back." Thinking on how to explain it she finally settled on an answer, "Well, the real Lloire, like his physical body collapsed. This ... second Lloire, appeared. It was entirely made of aether, but a physical thing. Like, if I cast spells at it, it bled, I burned its arm off. But the damage I did to the facet didn't appear on the real Lloire. I'm not a hundred percent sure what killing it would do to his main aether to be honest, but he claims that it should actual mend what’s wrong. Though, again, I don't know. I basically disrupted it and reshaped it into a staff instead so he could always still have access to that part of himself, without taking the risk of breaking it. I don't know how it would go in a physical fight to be honest. I know you -can- win, and you -can- hurt it, but these facets are how he sees those parts of himself, so they are a hard fight."

Helene Ashton cast her features up to the heavens and let out a hard exhale. "Aye, well, I can't shape aether or even cast any of it so I am gonna have to do it the old fashioned way an' hope. Thanks for the heads up, Ikara. You call Vele--no, wait, it's Lion. He wouldn't give ya that info. I'll call his girlfriend and give her a heads up, yeah?"

Chance was even more confused now, but his hackles went down ever so slightly. Her words about doing it the old fashioned way seemed to annoy him more though.

Ikara perked up a bit, "Oh! I did headbutt it in the face and crack his nose, so physical hits work. I um.. he mentioned this new girlfriend of his. I told him he didn't need to fight folks, he needed a therapist, he said he tried that and ended up dating her and that he'd introduce me later, but yea if you can get a hold of her all the better, cause I don't know how."

Helene Ashton then laughed. "Oh, aye, he is dating his therapist alright. Wait 'till ya meet this one, Ikara. He has tried so hard to run from her. Anyroad, once this is done, we should have dinner at Lion's place an' you can meet her and my Husband, yeah? He owes us after this."

Her 'Husband' huffed as the conversation seemed to derail and stopped pacing. Whatever the news was, obviously Helene didn't see it as terribly threatening.

Ikara laughed and had a big grin that could be heard in her tone, "That sounds like a really good plan. We'll make him cook for all of us as contrition for being a dummy and I can meet people. Just, I wanted to warn you cause I don't think he will go with a surprise attack, but I didn't want you to be unprepared. Also, tell your new Husband that I am asking very nicely for him to please not kill my big brother for being a dumbass. I would really appreciate it. I imagine anyone that you marry would be perfectly willing to put him in the ground for hurting you, so yea.. speaking of... so that good news.. something good to leave off on anyways, Beta proposed annnnd after I stared at him like he had grown a second head, I said yes. Sooo eventually I'll get to invite you to -my- wedding. Not anytime soon though. We aren't in a hurry."

Helene Ashton still was holding her balanced stance and tightened frame but given her armor, that wasn't showcased as easily. Her tone was still 'forced' in a way he may pick up on. Helene Ashton then turned some to look at Chance. Now he could see that it was on purpose. "Ayyy!!! 'Bout time!! Congrats girly, I will be there front row and center for your big day. We will talk more on that and get back to easy conversations soon, yeah? I should talk to Wolf before he pounces on me here. He's givin' me the look of death since this is one sided convo, yeah? Thanks for the warning, though. I'll update ya if he shows."

Chance was unsure who she was speaking with and took the tone at face value at first. He rose a brow as she continued though and shook his head at her 'look of death comment' but held his tongue since it was clear the conversation was wrapping up now.

Ikara giggled across the line, "Oh yea, I didn't realize he was there, oops! I should have. Yea we will catch up soon. Kick my brother's ass yea, but don't go killing him or he can't cook us all dinner. Go and I'll talk to you soon."

Helene Ashton gave a curt nod. "Aye, aye. Miss ya, kid. See you soon."

"Miss you too. See you."

With that, she took her hand down from the pearl and twitched her nose enough to shift her wrinkles about on her cheeks. “Oi..”

The merc crossed his arms, his expression not changing one ilm. "So... who needs to die, and who are we congratulating on something?"

Helene Ashton cleared her throat. “Ikara is Lloire’s little sister in the fact he ‘adopted’ her into his care. She’s the one that called. She’s marrying his ‘son’ Beta. So, there’s the good news, yeah?” She then shifted her footing to dig her heel in as if waiting for the heavy blow. “Lloire’s gone and gotten his aether all shattered or something into different manifestations of his personalities and is off fighting his friends to prove a point. Ikara fought him, burned off his arm and headbutt him and it hurt the ‘form’ of him, but not….his real form. It’s confusin’, yeah? Anyway he ended up burning off her eyebrows in the fight but otherwise, she’s fine. Not shockin’ to me as she is the strongest aether user I ever heard of. But, I’m not. I don’t even have any and he is likely headin’ this way at some point and likely lookin’ to take me on.”

Lloire Peace, sort of, stepped into the doorway and lifted his visor. "Not you, actually, Shield sister." The spear was drawn from his back and pointed at Chance. "Him. He's your other half... I would know that he can defend you as easily as you can defend him." Chance took a step to the side, not even having had an opportunity to ask about the insanity Helene had just explained. "Are you crazy?" The wolf asked angrily. "Who the hell are you to think we owe you some test of our might?" Lloire lowered the spear. "I am Warrenson. A son of Peace. Accept my challenge, or do not... I will accept a forfeit."

Helene Ashton had moved on instinct at hearing Lloire. Given the context of the call from Ikara, her immediate response was to pivot and put herself between her brother-in-arms and her husband. “Oi!” Auburn locks were tied back but had grown long enough now that they collected to the opposite shoulder with the fluidity of her motions. “Lion. Let’s just talk this out, yeah? What’s got you doin’ this anyway?”

Lloire Peace shook his head slightly. "Not Lion... He'll be here for you later. Warrenson." He frowned as he looked between them. "I was listening... did the girl not explain it properly?" The spear rose again at a movement from Chance and his brow rose. "I hope you are not without honor mercenary... Your wife has asked a question... Do not engage me before I have answered her." Chance sneered but stopped moving. "The hell, Hels... I say I just kick his ass and we can ask him what the hell his issue is after this part's been beaten and broken..."

Helene Ashton huffed and looked over her shoulder to Chance but not enough to take Lloire out of her peripherals. “Don’t kill Lloire. Not sure what these… aether things do to him if they die but don’t attack him directly.” She then set her sharp gaze on ‘Warrenson.’ “Where is he?”

Warrenson grinned at her words and motioned behind him, outside. "The vessel is quite fine. He's resting. He'd thought to come explain it all to you himself, but when I heard you speaking with the girl... well, no sense explaining what's already been said, is there?" He gave her a simple nod. "You can check on him if that's your desire." His spear arm stiffened. "But I would have an answer to my challenge first." Chance growled and moved to Helene's side, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Idiot's gone and gotten broken as fuck in the head... but I doubt that makes him less dangerous... Your call, wife... He's your brother... Shall I oblige the ass, and kick it?"

Helene Ashton had always been the type not to swing too far off into the emotional spectrum of life. When it came to those she cared for, she would shift into her ‘Shield’ persona that she earned the name for. But in that moment, the way he spoke about Lloire and challenged Chance, questioning his ability? Hells hath no fury. “The ‘vessel’?” Chance coming to her side and setting a hand to her pauldron was enough to let the fire out of her veins. Her glare upon the apparition was heated and steady, her palm resting tightly to the pommel of the steel at her side, but she flicked her gaze away to lock it to her Wolf’s own hues. “Fuck him up, yeah?” And oh, how she grinned.

Warrenson smiled at the answer he'd been given. He turned without another word and stepped outside. Chance put down pressure on the pauldron beneath his fingers and nodded as he moved around her. "I love it when you talk sexy like that." His own spear was shook at his side as he moved to follow the false-Lloire and swapped it between hands as though to loosen up his grip. When he was out in the sunlight there was a clear divide between the two. Chance, the golden wolf. Lloire, the silver Lion. "Any rules to this duel of ours, False Lloire?" The other glared at Chance. "You will address me as Warrenson, or Son of Peace. Do not trifle with me, mercenary..." The merc simply grinned. "Shouldn't let me get under your skin so easily False Lloire..."

Helene Ashton winked as he moved around her, but she wasn’t far behind. Stepping out with them, she noted their positions, armor, weapons, the field on with they would play, everything. Both arms crossed upon her chest as she then took the moment to look for her brother.

Warrenson lay unconscious on the ground behind 'Warrenson' near the water. From where Helene stood, he seemed hale and whole, though completely unmoving aside from the steady rise and fall of his chest. Warrenson took a moment to adjust his gauntlets and shook his head. "Outside of the fact that this battle is between you and I, no. No other conditions or handicaps." Chance rolled his shoulders, letting his neck crack several times before nodding. "Alright... Let's get on with this then. I win how?" Warrenson pulled down the visor on his helm and smirked. "Despite the requests of the ladies... You only win if I am completely defeated. Slay me and win... fail to do so and I win... proving you don't have what it takes..."

Helene Ashton tucked her tongue into the curve of her cheek as she listened to the rule set. But again, that grin showed on her features and made her freckles rise. “Never said he couldn’t put you in your place. I said he can’t touch my brother.” She pointed to Lloire by the water. “Far as I’m concerned, he can hand you your teeth one by one, yeah? But if my brother starts feelin’ the pain, I’m gonna take issue.”

Warrenson scoffed. "The vessel will remain whole. Do not worry." The spear was rose aloft and he spun it once before settling into a stance. "Ready yourself mercenary!" With that, the battle began in earnest. Warrenson struck first. He leapt into the air and came down, getting the jump on Chance with speed that the mercenary had not expected from a mage. It was a glancing blow, but it stung all the same. Especially that Lloire had drawn first blood. "Remind me again Hels, what all is this asshole trained in?"

Helene Ashton shifted her footing as Chance took the hit first, but she kept her features neutral for the moment. “…Everything.” Arms tightened upon her chest as she adjusted them to get comfortable. “He spent a lot of time with every weapon he could get his hands on.”

Warrenson took a step back, letting the weapon in his hand twist around to his side again, 'allowing' Chance a moment to recuperate from the attack. The mercenary frowned at his wife's answer. "Well that's just -great-... Fuckin' Gillionaires... too much damn time on their hands, not enough real work to do." Chance shifted his left shoulder again, adjusting his grip on his own spear. "Well, there's something to be said about specializing." He charged Lloire, forcing the Hyur to lift his lance defensively. The mercenary feinted though, slamming his own spear into the dirt and using it to launch dirt and sand up and into the other's eyes. Warrenson stumbled back wiping at his eyes angrily as Chance rushed forward with the followup attack.

Helene Ashton winced at Chance’s response to the information but smirked as Warrenson was faked out. Memories. “He an’ I have that whole ‘hero’ complex in common, yeah? I know my way ‘round a few weapons so I can be ready. Same for him.” Holding conversation as if Warrenson was nothing more than a trainee being tested, she kept it casual now and glanced around the area, but Wolf would know her best. Her footing gave away everything.

The wolf was many things... but a hero, was never among them. Prideful, conceitful, no. He was practical. His enemy was blinded. His enemy was agitated. Pride was a weakness to exploit. His spear found its mark. Between scales, center mass, he buried it so far into the other Hyur that even Helen could see the other end from her position. Warrenson gasped out as the weapon rammed through him, blood splattering Chance in the face as they were now but a breath apart. The merc remained stoic and calm. "Something wrong? Looks like you might've broken a few... vessels there..."

Helene Ashton unfolded her arms the minute she watched the spear tip explode out the back of Warrenson. Pride may have been his weakness, but the sin shown clear as day all over her form for the man who claimed her. A few steps carried her down the makeshift ramp as she looked from her Wolf, to her Brother laying by the water. Little care was given to their enemy in that moment as she was focused on the rise and fall of Lloire’s chest; looking for blood.

Lloire Peace, even now seemed the perfect picture of health. A unique look for him all things considered. Chance watched the enemy carefully as he pulled in ragged breaths and Helene passed. When she reached Lloire his eyes fell to her. "He alright?" He asked with concern tinting his voice.

"I... told... <coughs blood> you.... he was... fine." Chance's pupils immediately dilated as he turned his attention to the enemy whose free hand now gripped tightly to the others spear. Warrenson leaned back for a fraction of a heartbeat before he slammed his head forward, helm crashing into Chance's unprotected face, blood splattering all around it from the impact. Chance fell back, losing his grip on the spear as he stumbled back from the blow, holding his face. "You thought this..." He motioned to the spear jutting through him now, "...would kill me? You know NOTHING about me!"

Helene Ashton had lowered down into a crouch to check on Lloire’s pulse, his breathing, and set a hand over his chest where the spear had hit its mark. All clear. She let out a slow breath before touching his cheek briefly. That was cut short as she heard the collide behind her and quickly rose to look back on the fight. That glare leveled on Warrenson as Chance stumbled back and she took a few steps closer, keeping her hand off her sword so as not to provoke intent.

Warrenson ripped Chance's spear from his gut, now holding both his own and Chance's crimson stained weapon. He was quickly bleeding out now, but seemed in no hurry to fetch a healer nor to slow down. Instead, Chance's weapon was lifted over his head and directed at the merc. "You should have ended it... now your wife has to watch you die... Even if I fall... slaying you will prove the vessel's fears true... I will lay down my life to ensure that Peace survives!"

Helene Ashton dug her feet to the ground and launched herself forward with speed. Despite the armor, despite the weight of her shield, she moved as if neither had been upon her in that moment. Sunlight glinted off the broad surface as she ducked down, leapt, and planted her feet suddenly, swinging her arm wide with enough force behind it to hopefully send Warrenson careening into the pillar close by.

Warrenson hadn't expected the rules to be ignored. He went flying, staggering towards the pillar and crashing into it. Stunned, he collapsed to the ground, shaking his head. "Foul!" He cried and he and Chance forced themselves to their feet. "That was outside the rules! This was between he and I!"

Helene Ashton slowly pulled steel from its home at her hip, letting the song ring out for his ears. Emerald hues were locked dead to his features as she righted herself and rolled the shoulder of the arm that held tight to that shield. Her tone had dipped into a serious edge, yet she smirked. “Like you said…” The sword swung this way and that as she warmed up her hold. “…you know nothing about me, yeah? Lloire wouldn’t kill the man I loved nor would I allow him, to kill Lloire.” Her steps brought her between Chance and Warrenson once more. “Hero.” She shrugged.

Warrenson staggered to his feet. "Very well hero... when the vessel remains broken... we will be sure that he knows it was your interfe--" Before the last word could leave his lips his head jutted backwards with the impact of something slamming into his face. The body that had been Warrenson slid down the stone column until it then fell over to the side, an expertly thrown knife jutting from one of his eyes.

Helene Ashton widened her gaze as the man fell over with a new addition for his trouble. A step or two brought her closer but she didn’t let it keep her attention. Instead, she looked back to Chance.

The merc was wiping blood from his nose with one hand, the other still pointed in the direct of his throw. "Live through that, asshole..." Chance staggered a moment in place before the arm dropped to his side and he frowned. "Thanks, Hels..." He remarked, gratefully. Before she could respond though, the being that had called itself Warrenson began to break apart into the base blocks of aether it had been formed of. They lingered in the air for several heartbeats before then moving back to Lloire and coalescing around him. There was a soft glow there for several moments but soon it faded and Lloire seemed to become restless in his slumber.

Helene Ashton softened at the fact he was standing upright. “Never need to thank me. Wasn’t sure you’d have enough time to throw it.” She then turned back to watch the figure break apart. “We didn’t shake on the rules anyway. Lloire knows our shake.” Her own defenses were up as she continued to watch her brother until he moved. Helene exhaled. “Good. He’s comin’ to.” The sword and shield were tucked away as she approached Chance to check on him. “How’s the nose?”

Chance reached up, growled beforehand, and pushed it back into place, causing a bit more blood to rush. "I'll live." He commented as he tore at a sleeve and used it to stanch the bleeding. "Fucker's pretty tough to take down, even broken as shit like this... I see why you two get 'long..." He moved to her side as Lloire began to move more. "Should we get him inside?"

Helene Ashton scoffed. “Should’ve seen him with an axe, yeah? Downright frightening.” Once she was sure he was alright, she turned and looked to Lloire once more. “Aye. He is likely feelin’ like a truck hit him by now. Also, remind me never to take you on and mean it.” Once more, pride shown in her features as she smiled to him before moving over to where Lloire lay. “Oi, you ‘wake?”

Lloire Peace seemed as though he were working on regaining consciousness but wasn't there quite yet. Chance followed her and shrugged. "I'd hope our vows prevented that all the same..." He wasn't quite clear on the aether and magic aspects of all that had occurred. Warrenson had felt plenty real to him afterall. "Let's get him inside then. He moved to help her carry the Hyur inside. "Maybe he'll be able to tell us something helpful... I don't recommend we just let him go out and try to kill people."

Helene Ashton lowered down and scooped Lloire up under one arm, helping get him up to move. “I didn’t think he’d go as far as trying to outright kill you, yeah?” Concern etched at the corners of her features as she looked to Lloire and then Chance. “I can’t let him leave if he is heading out to kill his friends, yeah?”

Chance Ashton helped Helene with the weight of the Hyur and nodded. "Though, I'm gonna guess with all his magic and fuck all crazy, talkin' him outta it or keeping him pinned down are gonna be tough. But we gotta try, I guess. Maybe find out who is next at least."

Helene Ashton shook her head. “Aye, who knows what his magic can do now. But maybe he’ll talk. Startin’ to think I need to get everyone in the same room and help protect them.” As they entered the barracks, she pushed the door open with her foot and helped take Lloire inside. She then nodded to one of the beds. “There or the bench?”

Chance Ashton shrugged and motioned towards the closest bunk. "There's fine. Not like he's bleedin'. Benedict won't mind." A heavy sigh rattled from him. "I swear... this Lion better not be gunning to fight right away..."

Helene Ashton helped haul her brother to the bed and get him situated upon it. She then dusted off her hands and took a step back. “He said he would be comin’ for me later. Not sure what that meant but if Lion is ‘Lion’, like the nickname I gave him? It’s not goin’ to be a pretty fight, Chance. He is full blood berserk mode in that moment, yeah?”

Chance Ashton's brow furrowed as she explained. "Well, I see no reason I can't give you a hand with him. Doesn't seem these 'rules' of theirs mean shit." A groan alerted the couple to Lloire regaining consciousness and the Hyur reached up and rubbed his forehead gingerly. "Lion'll wait... He's not ready to fight. Wants the other sides to lose before he bothers to rouse..." He shook his head as his eyes adjusted to the light. "Well fought, both of you..."

Helene Ashton turned as Lloire came to. She waited for a beat to be sure he really was alright before slamming her gauntleted, mhigan fist into his gut to take the wind from him if possible. “That was for trying to kill Ikara. An’ you should be -real- fuckin’ apologetic for tryin’ to kill Chance because I am this close...” she pinched her fingers together for him “…to givin’ you a throttling.”

Lloire Peace took the hit with a loud "Umphh!" as she got her wish and the air was robbed from him. He took several moments to regain his breath and moved to a sitting position. "Yeah, I likely deserve that..." He said sheepishly as his other hand reached up to rub the back of his head idly. "I'm glad you're both okay..." He let out a sharp breath and shook his head. "You and Ikara both... Look, Hels, Chance... Let's say I go against this plan... and I decide I don't trust you all to win... Then what's gonna stop Shade or Lion from deciding to just surprise attack and kill the people I care about when they are in control. Right now there's an uneasy truce in my head. They all get a shot to prove they are the side that’s too dangerous to be part of me... that I can't have companions... If I go against that... They are just gonna take control when they damn well please and do what they want like they have been.”

Helene Ashton set her hands on her hips as she listened to the explanation and she was kind enough to at least do that. “Lion…no, droppin’ nicknames for now, Lloire! How is -killin- your companions any fuckin’ better, yeah? You an’ I both know that if you had killed Ikara, Chance, Me, or even Velestine, you would come out of it worse than before. Stop bein’ an’ idiot and let us help. You aren’t alone.”

Chance Ashton nodded, agreeing with Helene, for lack of a better option. This all sounded utterly insane to him. Lloire frowned. "Don't you understand Shield? This -is- me letting you help. This -is- me trusting you all. Maybe Ikara could fix my aether, but the underlying trauma would still be there. It'd shatter anew..." He frowned deeper. "They killed Claudettea... The Galreans know who Velestine is now... That says nothing about you or Ikara... add that to the fact that another one beside Balmora's taken an interest in me... do you really think they'll afford any of us the chance to put me through years of aethereal and psychological therapy? Do you think Shade would...? I trust you all to take out these shadows of mine... To prove to my subconscious that I really don't have to worry that I'll be the death of everyone -else- I hold dear. That not everyone is Aliya or Claudettea..."

Helene Ashton lofted her brows at the mention of Claudettea and her shoulders sunk a little. “I’m sorry ‘bout Claudettea, Lloire. I liked her.” A sigh. “Always have to mess with ya, don’t they?” She could have spit if she wanted to but sucked air through teeth instead. “Why not just gather all your companions and take out Balmora 2.0, yeah? Wouldn’t that prove we could handle it? The Warrior of Light doesn’t even work alone half the time and he has had his own shit to deal with.” A beat was given as she shifted her footing once more. “Look, I get it, yeah? But now that I know you are out tryin’ to -kill- us, I’m havin’ a hard time not packing up and following you.”

Chance Ashton nodded. "Or knock your ass out and go handle the Imperials ourselves, yea?" Lloire shook his head. "I was unconscious the last time I fought someone Chance... It wouldn't really do much good if I can manifest elsewhere..." He returned his attention to Helene. "I get your side... but if you tried, most of the shards would just refuse to fight and I'll stay... fragmented. Is this an elegant solution, even a wise or practical one... hell no. But it's better than slamming a dagger in my heart or turning myself over to the Garleans like I nearly did... so..." He huffed. "You're gonna have to trust me. And I have to trust all of you. And hopefully nobody gets killed in all this and I can be thoroughly proven wrong."

Helene Ashton turned and looked at Chance as if asking permission to beat the snot out of him in some respects. Though she didn’t move to do such, she stood there staring at her husband, taking his presence as a form of strength. She then looked to Lloire. “Couple things, yeah? You try to kill yourself again, and I will find someone to drag your ass back from the void. If anything, you fighting all of us should fuckin’ prove how loved you are by many even when you are as ‘broken’ as you are. Two, when you put yourself together again, you are marching your scrawny ass back here and planning an attack on that Garlean trash that messed with you, yeah? Three, you are makin’ everyone dinner.”

Chance Ashton nearly laughed as his Wife laid out her conditions and simply crossed his arms as though to show there was no arguing these conditions. Lloire listened and nodded, without a word. "You got it. When this is said and done... We'll put together a damned Company of Heroes and go bring the fucker to justice and then I'll hold a victory feast."

Helene Ashton stared at him for a few moments again and lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t think you’re comin’ out of this, do ya?”

Lloire stared up at her with a soft expression and shook his head. "On the contrary... I believe with all my heart that I will. I just need all of you to believe it too."

Helene Ashton wrinkled her nose as those freckles danced with the motion. “That was the fastest you ever agreed to somethin’ I said. So, you either must believe that you will, or you are staying positive so we will.” Both hands lifted to rub her temples then. “But I know you are too stubborn so I’m goin’ to trust ya on this one this time.”

Chance Ashton placed a hand on her shoulder and turned to Lloire. "My conditions now brother-in-law... Since this was my fight in theory... One... You don't have to stay here... you are too stubborn to do so... but you will rest before you go seeking anyone else out... Two... You tell us now who is next... Three... know that if my Wife comes back with even a single digit less than she has now... I'll carve from you anything she loses..." Lloire looked between the two and shook his head with a laugh. "I'll rest before the next fight, don't worry. I have to so my aether reabsorbs properly... I'm close to where my old friend Tyranie lives now... so she is likely next... Anything I take should be taken from me. I accept that... But I suspect she will do fine." He turned to Helene and smirked. "You really did need a Sword... He's exactly what I expected for you."

Helene Ashton glanced to Chance and smirked at his list. The last one made her look to Lloire with a grin. “Good. Glad ya agree, yeah?” His comment on ‘Sword’ made her roll her eyes. “Us stubborn types need someone that enables as well as puts us in check. He’s perfect at both.” Leaning down to get to eye level with him now, a mischievous hold took over her grin. “Sound familiar? How’s that Lion tamer of yours?”

Chance Ashton had to hold back from barking a laugh at her comments. Lloire however looked impassive at the taunting. "We'll have to see. You all have been through more of my..." Chance interrupted, "Insanity?" Lloire continued, "...life than she's had to so far, but she's seen enough to maybe have second thoughts by now. I'll let you know at the victory feast." The blue-haired Hyur made to stand. "I need to be on my way Shield, Sword. Thank you both... Continue to take care of one another..."

Helene Ashton took a step back to let him stand. “Let -her- make that choice this time, yeah? Since you’re keen on us proving ourselves.” She let it drop then and switched gears by coming in to wrap him up in a hug this time. Normally tensing at such a motion, she was rigid for a moment in the start, then settled, giving him one good squeeze. “I believe in you an’ all of us. I will see ya at dinner.” She then let go and stepped back like nothing happened, clearing her throat.

Lloire had been surprised by the hug but returned it with a smile before nodding at her and then Chance. "Aye. That's the plan." He stepped past them both, offering Chance another brief nod of respect before heading to the door. He paused as his hand wrapped around the handle. "Just make sure... you don't hold back when the time comes to face Lion, okay? You have to be at your best." With that, he was out the door and heading away.

Helene Ashton nodded to the comment. “I am back on training regimen first thing in the morning.” As he left, she gave a short wave and looked to Chance. “I’m going to need the best gear we can afford.” Despite her cockiness at the best of times, there was a small hint of fear in her gaze.

Chance Ashton took both of her shoulders into his hands and nodded. "Alright. We'll get it figured out." He smiled, his reluctant rare smile. "And you and I will spare between exercises. You'll be more than prepared for him."

Helene Ashton looked down between them and exhaled slowly from puffed cheeks. “It’s mostly the blows from the axe I’m worried about. He isn’t goin’ to tire in that state and that is how you get at that weapon. You tire the user.” She then looked back up at him and shifted her footing into a relaxed state. “But we’ve got time. First, let’s get ya to Benny so he can heal that nose, yeah?”

Chance Ashton nodded quietly. "Yea, let's go poke the bear." He smirked. "I think his new look will surprise you..." With that he took her hand into his and started for the door.

#ffxiv #ffxiv roleplay #ffxiv rp #lloire peace #chance ashton #helene ashton #warrenson #ikara esho

[rosebelladonna]

Purrloined Petals with Blake and Emerald moving Ruby’s apartment to get away from their abusive relationships, only for the three to fall in love

hey,,,,,Hey,,,,,,,,,,

im stuck at the laundromat rn so you get some FIC

~~~~

Ruby hadn't heard from Blake or Emerald since they graduated two years before her. She'd kept up with them through social media, occasionally seeing posts pop up from one or the other, and through mutual friends.

According to Weiss, Blake had gone to college and gotten together with an older guy. Last she'd heard, they were getting married. And Mercury'd said something about Emerald and some older woman living together. "Rumor has it," he'd said quietly, leaning in close, "it's Ms. Fall. Our AP English teacher, remember?" Ruby was shocked by the news but remembered more than Emerald blushing around Ms. Fall whenever she came near.

And that was over a year and a half ago. So she was quite surprised when both women answered her ad looking for a roommate. She considered it and remembered both of them being very organized in school and made a fast decision.

So now she was waiting for the pair to show up to begin the moving in process. She hadn't asked them why they were suddenly looking in apartment ads. There was a timid knock at the door and Ruby shot up from the couch, smashing her knee against her coffee table as she did so. She limped to the door and paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and messing with her hair. She pulled the door open and had to lean her head back to look her old friend in the eyes.

Blake looked different than Ruby remembered. Her hair was cut short and she had dark circles and she just looked...tired. Weak. She smiled at Ruby and opened her arms slightly.

"Ruby Rose," she said and her smile actually reached her eyes. Ruby stepped forward into the embrace.

"Blake Bella- T-Taurus?" she stumbled, unsure how to address her now. Blake tensed slightly.

"Belladonna. We divorced," she said, tone clipped. Ruby closed her eyes and swore silently at herself. She nodded once and stepped back, gesturing into the apartment.

"Well, welcome home," she said, forcing her voice to be as bubbly as possible. "I'd start the tour but we have another roommate who still needs to join us." Blake raised an eyebrow.

"Your ad said you were only looking for one roommate."

"Ah, yeah, well I wanted to keep one bedroom as a guest room, but when I saw your name and Em's name pop up I couldn't choose one over the other." She gently closed the door behind them and waved her hand towards the living room. "You can sit down for now if you'd like. Oh yeah, do you still like tea? Because Weiss got me this really excellent blend and while I'm still more of a coffee person I think it's delicious," she rambled. She heard Blake laugh quietly behind her and immediately felt her ears go red.

"Yes, I still like tea. I'd love a cup." Ruby relaxed a little and stood on her tiptoes to grab a mug from the cupboard.

"Dammit Yang," she grumbled as she stretched. Warmth touched her back and a pair of hands grabbed two mugs. Ruby froze as Blake pulled away, setting the cup on the counter. Her heart pounded and she tried to will her blush away.

"You're as short as ever," Blake said, breaking the awkward silence. This time Ruby's face stained red with anger.

"Rude!" she snapped. Blake laughed and put her hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry. I was talking to Weiss and she said you'd grown recently. I guess I sort of expected you to have gotten to Yang's height." Ruby took a deep breath.

"Anyway, tea. Would you fill the kettle for me, while I grab the box?" Blake nodded and moved off to do that. As Ruby pulled the box of tea out of the pantry, there was another knock on the door. "Would you grab another mug while I get the door?" she asked. She waited for Blake's nod before going to the door. She pulled it open and smiled brightly at Emerald and Mercury.

"Hey, Em! Hey, Merc! Didn't expect you, are you staying or just here to help her put her bags down?" Merc laughed.

"Hey, Red. Just helping with her bags," he said. Emerald smiled softly at her.

"Hey, Little Red," she said. Ruby beamed and ushered them inside.

"We're about to have tea, unless you'd rather have coffee, Em? So you're free to stick around for a bit, Merc."

"Tea's fine," Emerald said.

She stuck her head into the kitchen. "Make that two more mugs, Blake, Merc might be staying." Blake nodded and started making the tea.

Merc was flopped in her armchair, eyes shut. Emerald was perched on the arm and running her fingers through his hair. She smiled at Ruby when she walked back in. Ruby sat down on the couch and smiled back at her. "Blake will be out soon with the tea, I kind of feel bad for making her make it since it's my apartment, but I guess there's no helping it," she said.

"Oh, Blake is visiting?" Emerald asked. Ruby shook her head.

"No, she responded to my ad too! I figured since the apartment has three rooms, I could take on two roommates," Ruby explained. Blake stepped out of the kitchen, carrying the tea on Ruby's cutting board. She nodded at Emerald and sat down next to Ruby. Emerald nudged Mercury and handed him his mug.

"Ah, Ice Queen's special blend?" he asked. Ruby blinked in surprise.

"How did you know?" she asked. He laughed.

"She makes it every time we hang out. Well. When she hangs out with Neo and I tag along because I'm bored," he said. He lapsed into silence when he started sipping at the tea, humming happily. Ruby felt surprisingly comfortable in the silence while everyone drank their tea.

Mercury finished his first and stood up, stretching. He ruffled Ruby's hair. "Alright, I'm gonna head out. Gonna go home and nap. Call me later, Em!" The door clicked shut behind him and Ruby looked at Emerald and Blake.

"So, shall we do the grand tour?" she asked. They nodded at her, still quiet. Ruby pointed to the kitchen doorway. "Kitchen," to the living room, "Living room," she guided them into the hallway, "The door at the end is my room, these two doors along this wall are the other two rooms, this door here is the bathroom and the door next to it is the linen closet! You guys can of course choose which room you want, they're the same size. Weiss paid to have them furnished, but we can always get you different sheets and such later." Emerald pointed to the room closest to them.

"I want this one," she said. Ruby nodded.

"Blake? You okay with the other one?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I have to grab my things from my car," she said. Ruby nodded again.

"Do you need any help with that?" Blake shook her head.

"No, I'll leave most of it for tonight, I'll just get the couple boxes with my clothes." They moved back to the living room, where Em stooped to grab her bags and Blake left to go get her stuff. She watched both women disappear into their new rooms to start the unpacking process and wondered at her new sense of domesticity.

Things were about to get interesting for her, she could feel it.

~~~~

I wrote this entire thing to "Home" from the RWBY4 soundtrack so like. Enjoy the fluff!

#purrloined petals #.cj #my writing #ruby rose #blake belladonna #emerald sustrai #rwby #anonymous

[sergeant-morozov]

Through Death Itself (S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OC Fic)

The situation had gotten terribly bad, the radio communications officer Novikov hired two mercs to hunt down the sergeant and his visitor in Agroprom but the hunt had turned into hide and seek mission in the formerly flooded underground tunnels. Novikov was certain that the freedomer who was visiting had an artifact that could reverse any kind damage from the beholder and almost make the carrier immortal- or that's what he had heard from a merc. It got Novikov desperate for the artifact and even he was seeking the two in the tunnels.

Luka was again betrayed by his former friend, he lied to Novikov about the effects of said artifact and that Luka had the artifact he was so desperately searching for. He was running with Morozov to find another way out of the tunnels while avoiding the mercs. The tears made his eyes blurred from time to time which lead Morozov to pull the freedomer with him. The sergeant was in this because of Luka when he instinctively protected the love of his life from Novikov who pointed a gun at Luka in his office before the mercs even arrived.

Both of them stopped in a room where a bloodsucker had made a nest before the flooding, the rotting drowned corpse was still laying and decomposing in the corner of the room right next to an exit. Luka stopped on the elevated platform to take a breather and Morozov quickly noticed how he got left behind. "Come on, the exit is just few tunnels away- We can't stay here any longer!" Morozov tried to get Luka going but the freedomer was shaking and gasping for air. "I'll pass out if I continue running, please. You have your pistol?" But before Morozov could answer him a crackle came echoing from the exit they tried to reach, looking at the direction revealed a merc with an assault rifle with silencer attachment and a night vision scope. He spotted the two men and soon both were held on a gunpoint.

Novikov got to the room and the last person to enter was Danila, the lying bastard himself but he wasn't the point of focus. Novikov walked quickly over to the freedomer and placed his pistol against Luka's jaw while holding on to the freedomer's vest. "The artifact?! You have it- Don't even dare to lie to me!" The officer growled with a desperation in his sentence, Luka couldn't stop his tears or his trembling and the gun under his jaw definitely wasn't making the situation any better. "I- I don't know what you're talking about!" Luka thought it was the small glowy flower he was after but with Novikov being that aggressive, it could be a bigger piece of radiated scrap. Morozov was held still by a merc with the assault rifle's pipe against his spine, he wanted to jump and tear the officer into pieces but he had to get rid of the merc first. "Who told you about the fucking trash piece?!" Morozov yelled at Novikov but the enraged officer kicked down the freedomer to his knees and proceeded to harass the sergeant. He grabbed Morozov's undershirt's turtleneck and with a low growl that was almost a yell; "That trash piece is something you fucking gorilla wouldn't understand!" And with that Novikov grabbed onto Morozov's ballistic vest, yanked and pushed him down the platform near a set of breaking rusty stairs but it only got Luka's heart to stop as he heard Ilya yelp in pain and spotting a brown rusty metal railing pipe through his abdomen, right under the vest. The panicked scream of the freedomer echoed in the room before it faded into a cry. "Where's the fucking artifact?!" Novikov turned back to Luka who almost didn't hear the officer, his eyes were glued to his struggling fiancé with blood puddle forming slowly underneath his lower back, staining his clothes and armor. Luka snapped out and felt his chest corrode, emotional pain and distress changing into physical pain but most of it then fueled his defensive hate. "Ask the fucking merc behind you!" Luka's voice broke and the tears made it impossible to see properly, he was ready to bite off Novikov's throat if he got close enough but for some reason the officer started looking at Danila. "Don't look at me, I don't have it! If I had it, I'd trade it with you." Danila tried to defend himself but only heard Luka yell at him with his breaking voice; "You're a compulsive fucking liar! You've always been!" Luka tried intentionally to get the merc into deep trouble with the insane officer but only to make them forget about him and Morozov who was still consciously clinging to his life.

The merc who held Morozov back few minutes ago was unsure whether to protect his friend from the officer or wait until things resolve but flinched when the freedomer jumped down the platform and kneeled before the dying sergeant. "You sound like you're hiding something.. something that I need!" Novikov continued to point his pistol at Danila and the merc few meters away from the two panicked, he hit the officer with the butt of his rifle to stun him and dragged Danila out of the tunnel. "He has it, he has the stash coordinates!" Luka cried his lies which made the officer leave the two in order to find the merc. Morozov was holding onto the railing pipe, the pain from it was becoming more and more unbearable. He gave a smile to the freedomer before letting go of the pipe sticking out of him. "Almost like the way Saturn left, heh." With the chuckle he confused Luka, the freedomer held his hands on the sergeant's chest and on his left arm. "Saturn? You're not dying!" Luka looked in the dimming emerald green eyes, the blood puddle had gotten wider and he knew that there wasn't much he could do anymore. "I have a metal pipe sticking out of my stomach, I think that'll do it for me. Get out and leave." His voice getting lighter with occasional pained grunts but Luka wasn't even able to bear the idea of leaving Morozov to die and rot away in the tunnels. "No!- no no no! Fucking- please! I'll help you back into the base to get treated!" But the sergeant kept giving him a soft smile as if he was trying to insist it was all good and nothing to panic over. "I can't climb up the ladders to get to the surface. Come back for my body? Take my PDA, open a contact: Saturn and the last message is coordinates to a place where you can bury me. You could just leave, you have the ring on your finger." Morozov was tearing up from the sight of his partner crying, he dug his PDA from his pocket before giving it to the freedomer. He pulled off his left glove and took off the ring from his ring finger. "You keep it! I can't take it!" Luka weeped but the sergeant wouldn't listen to him, he saw Morozov take out his dog tag necklace and giving both of them to him. "Nobody will come here, I don't need the tags." Luka felt the sergeant gently grab his hand and with his thumb he rubbed his index finger's back and the knuckles of his index and middle finger. A roar of a mutant echoed in the room and made the freedomer panic, he'd have to make a selfish decision or die alongside with the sergeant but his dying love pulled him down close to his face for a last kiss. "Promise me you get out alive, the laundromat in Pripyat is the way out of the zone. Go!" Morozov spoke loudly his last sentence before the roaring got louder and closer, the mutant noises scared Luka but he promised to leave out of the zone. Maybe he promised that in the midst of flight but he'd have to prepare for the journey.

It took him months to get over the mourning, he had put the ring to hang from the tag necklace and to hide the silver shine he held them under his old, still fitting sunrise suit. Luka left Freedom only three days after the tunnel event, he hadn't retrieved his love's body but he couldn't think of going back there. The Rostok officials had forgotten about his face so he could safely get to the 100 Rads without anyone trying to arrest him for old crimes. "Hey, buddy. Are you awake?" Luka heard the bartender's voice in front of him and he lifted his head up. "Don't worry, I'll leave soon." But the bartender just laughed. "Nah, don't worry. I have drunks here from time to time passing out while still standing. Just thought you'd be one of them and I really don't want you to leave. Wouldn't it be unfriendly to fend off a customer?" The bartender's wide smile caught onto Luka's face and gave him a shy smile back. "Oh, are you waiting for someone?" The bartender had noticed something from him but Luka looked around if someone was coming up to him or if the officials had changed their minds about him. "No, friend. I saw the ring on your finger. Any lady waiting for you, eh?" Luka looked at the silver ring on his left ring finger and got the memo. "Oh, uh- yeah. In Zaton, I came here to meet some friends but I think they're still on their way to here." With the lie he got the bartender to smile at him again. "Ooh, a wedding coming up? Haven't heard about those in a long while, haha." But Luka stopped smiling, he really didn't wanna tear up from painful memories in front of the bartender. "Keep the tip, I'm all out tonight." Luka joked and gave the bartender a 100 rouble tip, he just wanted to get out of the situation and luckily the bartender didn't say anything than "thanks, buddy" before he left the bar.

He walked through the normal route out of the camp, even heard a duty soldier growl; "Get out of here, stalker." before reaching the checkpoint. He was thinking of asking a guide to lead him into Pripyat because it would be near impossible for him to get there alone. Luka pulled out his PDA but then saw the contact "Saturn". He had Morozov's PDA in his hands but since remembering the coordinates in the contact, Luka thought of visiting the place. If his dead love wanted to be buried there, he could at least kill his curiosity and go where the coordinates lead to, there had to be something important there. While walking down the road away from the camp and looking down onto the PDA screen, Luka bumped his shoulder against someone's arm. "Shit- sorry." Luka almost snapped at the person but when lifting his eyes off the device, he saw a tall loner with a big cloak over his shoulders. He had a hood on which shadowed his face from the light. "No need to apologize." The man's friendly soft voice was making Luka's heart tear and squirm in his chest, his eyes were flooded with tears and as soon as the taller stranger lowered his hood Luka wouldn't believe his eyes, his body was shaking uncontrollably. "I found you at last." Morozov opened his arms and Luka didn't hesitate to tackle him to the ground. "Easy, easy. I'm still recovering." But his laughs went to deaf ears as Luka was sobbing against his chest and his arms were locked around Ilya's sides. Luka thought he was having a crazy dream but the love of his life was back in the books of the living, back from the dead. "How are you not dead?!" Luka weeped happily but only felt Morozov holding him close. "The mutant roars? You still remember that snork? It brought a loner with it and the loner helped me to snap the pipe off and then I woke up in Agroprom's medical bay. I had lost a lot of blood and later heard that the loner donated some matching blood to me." Morozov kept patting Luka's back and felt the trembling get milder and milder with each pat. Luka couldn't believe anything but maybe he didn't even needed to, the situation was like a fever dream. "I couldn't find you without my PDA but I asked people if they've seen a person like you." Now he could hear Luka giggle and loosen up his arms, Morozov pushed Luka up to sit with him but as soon as they both faced each other, Luka locked him into a kiss. Morozov couldn't do anything but to surrender to the kiss, he had been craving and waiting for it for months now. "You left Duty?" Luka pulled away but kept holding onto his fiancé's hands, he could again feel Morozov rub his thumbs over his knuckles. "Yes, I heard Novikov was still in the faction and couldn't risk him coming after me or you again. Besides, fuck the paperwork and schedules, I wanna wake up with you whenever we feel like getting up." With that Morozov stood up from the ground and helped up his partner who again locked him into a hug. "Should we go somewhere? Maybe conquer a place for us to live in?" He smiled and Luka was almost shaking from excitement but their moment was cut short after hearing a shy voice. "Uh, I'm sorry to interrupt but is this yours?" The bartender was holding Luka's PDA that he forgot into the bar and Morozov took it, "Yeah, I recognize it to be his. Thanks a lot and sorry about it." But the bartender was just being happy for the two.

"Don't worry about it, it happens. I wish for the wedding to go well."

** (Notes; I'm not sure about the writings but since this is like 25% cannon I decided to post it.) **

#stalker oc #oc stuff #snorky fucking saves the day and Ghoul donates life juice lmao #I'm not sure about the writings but one thing in here is canon.. they get engaged and maybe even married

[heirsofremnant]

Emerald Sustrai-Black & Mercury Sustrai-Black

Upon leaving team WTCH, Mercury persuaded Emerald to leave as well despite her twisted feelings of obligation towards Cinder.

Running into RWBY&Co, Em and Merc divulge helpful information to the team. They stick with the group for a little while, having no where else to go and starving, where they end up indirectly helping out the team and civilians. This gains some good merit in Ruby’s and Ozpin/Ozcar’s eyes which aid in their future pardon of their war crimes.

Finding the life of hero’s unsutable for them, the pair leave. Bidding their goodbyes, they head off to Vacuo where the motto is “If you can survive here, then you’re welcome here.”

Still doing their best to lay low but not cause trouble, Emerald and Mercury take honest odd jobs to scrounge up some money for their dingy flat and food to fill a mini fridge that sits inside.

Emerald constantly struggles to so much as sass, smirk, or back talk to Mercury and cries every night for the first few months. She is hardly consolable, panicking about Salem finding them, or worse...Cinder. Even though she won’t admit it, she worries that Mercury will leave her, too.

As time passes, the two fall in love though neither is willing to confess until Mercury returns to the apartment one night bloody and bruised. He admits he’s taken up a new grunt job in some crime family that runs a good portion of Vacuo and got into a “scuffle” with another lower gang. Emerald loses her temper and hits him with the towel she’s been using to clean up his wounds, calling him every name in the book. In the end, he apologizes (kind of) and tells her that he’d never leave her right before he kisses her. 

It takes Emerald another three weeks before she comes clean about loving him as well, to which he just laughs loudly and admits that he knew. She refuses to talk to him for a whole week after that.

Once the war is over and their pardon is submitted, the young couple move into a nice two story home out in the sticks of Vacuo near by the bullet train that leads into the heart of the kingdom.

It isn’t long before Mercury blatantly asks Emerald to become his wife. He doesn’t do it the traditional way. Instead, he asks while waiting for dinner “Hey, wanna get married?”. She responds with “Took you long enough to ask. Yes.”.

They have a small ceremony that is attended by Merc’s boss and coworkers and a few other’s who have befriended them.

Mercury brings home Marshmallow (Marsh) the Great Pyrenees about a month after their wedding. Emerald isn’t thrilled.

It isn’t more than 4 months post wedding day that Emerald finds out she’s pregnant. Mercury is sent through a wall for it.

Emerald hates it and the thought of a child growing inside of her...at first. As she hits the middle of the 2nd trimester, she falls in love with her baby. Her attitude towards it changes completely and she begins reading and attending seminars all about being a good parent since she didn’t have any role models or parents. Mercury joins too for the same reason.

Both have panic attacks over being good parents. It’s an exhausting pregnancy just in that regard.

When Jet is born, Emerald and Mercury are horrified to see their sweet little boy is born deformed; missing most of his leg. They both internalize it and begin blaming themselves for it. For them, this is karma for their past.

Despite these feelings, as soon as Emerald holds him she begins instantly crying. She keeps him close as an overwhelmingly maternal love hits her square in the stomach.

Mercury takes a while to warm up to holding his child, afraid he will repeat his own father’s behavior. Emerald shoves Jet (”Jetty” by his parents) into his arms to grab laundry and when she returns he refuses to ever let their son go again.

Deciding to help his son have a better life than he did, Mercury works tirelessly to improve his current outdated legs so that he has a model to work off of for Jet when he comes of walking age. All his hours pay off, he develops a much smoother, lightweight and strong prosthetic that is not only for himself but his little boy.

Jet takes to walking like a duck to water and it scares Mercury to death.

Assassins/Mercenaries hear of the Blacks bringing new life into the world and are beginning to be paid for “Vengence”; Kill the child in return for mine being killed years ago. Not only does this fail every time, no one ever hears from these dark hunters ever again. These job requests begin to be denied as no one wishes to become dog food or whatever they must be doing with the bodies.

Emerald pines for another child (preferably a daughter) and tells Mercury they’re having at least one more child. They conceive and bring their daughter Lapis into the world 8 months later.

The two have “different” lessons apart from most parents, such as how to lie, putting them through training at a far earlier age (7 years old) and teaching them The School of the Seven Bells (aka how to pick pocket).

The two certainly have their own style of parenting (yelling and sass is a huge part of it), but they all love each other more than anything. Emerald and Mercury constantly support their children and will take down anyone who tries to mess with either Jet or Lapis.

Currently Mercury is a Mercenary for his crime family and a body guard on certain nights. He used to be a stay-at-home father allowing Emerald to make the majority of the income. Neither job is honest but even after their pardon both found working to be an issue. No one would hire them and they just continued to work in the lower crime underground. Enough to be a bit of a problem but not so much that they ruin Kingdoms or large clusters of lives.

They’re happily married and now spend time (sometimes reluctantly on Emeralds part) with the Wukongs and Belladonna’s.

#Emerald #Emerald Sustrai #Mercury #Mercury Black #Emercury #Emerald x Mercury #Jaded #Parents of Heirs #RWBY #My outfit design #my art #Not my characters #Heirs of Remnant #HoR #After the war

[phantomwarrior12]

And Then There Were Two

This one is for the RVB Angst War ( @rvbficwars ). I was prompted by the lovely @alphachurchiisms, thank you so much for this prompt! I enjoyed writing it! (Also, thank you for helping me figure out my ask box, I was noobing bad. XD) The prompt was: How did the mercenary trio break up? Put your own spin on it.

Summary: “He has a family, Felix. Let him go.” Isaac survives the fall from the Communication’s Tower and recalls their final mission with Mason.

The untold tale of the termination of the mercenary trio.

Warnings: Canon-style of swearing. Angst, cause that’s kinda the point.

Story will also be posted on AO3 under PhantomWarrior99.

Enjoy!

Saudade Masterlist

Part 2.5

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

It's a time he never wanted to remember, a time when everything was simpler, when he had a family, or, something resembling a family.

He could see the memories whenever he closed his eyes. Late night recon missions, witty exchanges over bottles of beer, even dinner with Mason and his family. A soft smile spread across Isaac's lips, quietly remembering Sam's first encounter with Mason's oldest daughter, Melody.

She couldn't have been more than three, an energetic, curious child who shared Mason's midnight black hair and her mother's emerald eyes. She'd wandered up to Sam, hoisting herself into his lap. Isaac would envision the look of discomfort on Sam's face, eyes widened in surprise, expression reduced to complete and utter confusion as the girl began the braid his hair.

He could remember Megan Wu's quiet chiding of the child and Mason's outburst of laughter. Sam had simply remained motionless, too stunned to react and unwilling to disrupt the child's efforts.

"Can I get you anything else?"

The sudden reappearance of the bartender thrust him from his thoughts. He slowly glanced up from his third bottle of beer, drained blue eyes dragging themselves away from the deep brown bottle to the concerned gaze above him.

He shook his head, struggling for balance as he fumbled for his wallet in his back pocket. His fingers clumsily slipping the bills out of the leather folds, lazily tossing them onto the bar, before snatching his drink up and heading towards the door.

"Uh, sir? You forgot your change--"

Isaac waved his hand dismissively over his shoulder as he stumbled out of the bar and started the short trek back to the abandoned apartment.

He was tired, so very tired of it all. The fighting, the nightmares, the bitter reminders that his best friend, the man he'd so cautiously named his brother, had betrayed him. Chorus had been a hell all its own, an agonizing reminder of the war he'd thought they'd left behind.

They. No, he was alone. Again. It wasn't they. It was him. It would always be him.

First, Mason had left. He could still hear Sam defending him, "Damn it, Felix, he has a family-"

"--and what about us? We're not good enough for him? We're not his family?"

"I don't expect you to understand. Just--let him go. His duty is to his wife and children."

He'd been wrong, of course. Mason had a responsibility. It wasn't just to Megan and his kids, it was to him and Sam too. Hadn't they been a family all their own before Mason met his wife?

First Mason, now Sam. Now--now he was all alone. Hell, hadn't been the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. 

He stumbled his way up the stairs, discarding the now-empty beer bottle into the lobby. He crashed through the aged door, shuffling along until he'd collapsed onto the worn mattress, until his heavy head met firm cushion, until his eyes drooped shut, begging sleep to overtake him.

Until his mind sent him back to that fateful day. Their final mission.

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

"Can we please just shoot him?"

"We don't get paid if he's dead, Felix." Sam returned shortly.

Isaac sagged against his seat, arms folded across his chest, irritation etched into his features.

"We're almost there anyway. It would be a waste of ammo at this point." Mason remarked, eyes drifting from the slim mercenary in the passenger seat back to the road.

"It'd be more satisfying." Isaac grumbled, scowling ahead.

"You're only saying that because he mocked you." Mason returned, a hint of humor gracing his tone as he turned into the police station.

"Unless you have a better idea to cover equipment costs, I suggest you keep your weapon pointed away from him." Sam supplied, climbing out of the car to retrieve their captive.

Isaac waved his hands sarcastically, mimicking his partner's comment with an eye roll. Mason smirked slightly, nudging his shoulder before climbing out of the car to assist Sam.

The process had been surprisingly quick. Their captive, a man convicted of multiple homicides, had been worth a large amount of money. It wasn’t until they reached the docking bay that the silence was broken.

"So, last mission was a unanimous success, huh?" Mason slung the massive duffle bag over his shoulder, avoiding their eyes, looking anywhere but his partners.

Sam nodded his silent agreement, checking the equipment in his bag, ensuring the weaponry was secured for travel.

"We'll find another one soon enough." Isaac returned, oblivious to Mason's hesitance, "I caught wind of a company looking for some mercs--something about a planet and alien technology--"

Mason slammed the trunk shut, catching the slim mercenary's attention, "You all right, Wu?"

His fingers tightened around the strap slung across his shoulder, eyes darting to Sam for help. The solemn expression etched into Sam's features mixed with a quiet nod provided little assurance, yet communicated just enough to urge him to speak. He redirected his gaze back to Isaac, "There's not going to be another job, Gates."

Isaac arched an eyebrow, arching an eyebrow, leaning against the door of the car, arms crossed expectantly across his chest, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm retiring. Megan's got another kid on the way, and--she needs me." Mason returned quietly, grey eyes darting to the cold cement beneath him.

Isaac's eyes darted to Sam, who met his gaze coolly, all emotion drained from his eyes, nothing more than a solemn stare. "You knew about this?"

"We've discussed it." Sam returned evenly, voice unflinching.

Isaac stiffened, surprise quickly replaced with rage, "And you didn't tell me. We're partners. We. Fucking. Communicate."

"Gates--Isaac, we didn't want to--" Mason began.

Isaac cut him off, "What the hell, Wu? How long ago was this decided?" His gaze flickered between his partners, his brothers, the only family he'd known in years.

Mason scratched the back of his head, eyes diverted to the cement, "A couple months--"

"A couple of months...that's fucking fantastic!" He paced away a few feet, turning suddenly to shatter the car window with a fury-induced blow, "Dammit!" He spun back to the face the two mercenaries, dismissing the dull throbbing in his hand, "We're partners. I don't care if it's minuscule details, we communicate! You're the one who taught us that, Wu, you said that partners communicate and what did you do? Oh, wait," Isaac allowed a callous laugh, cold, echoing in the quiet parking lot, "you communicated. You told Ortez over there, but not me. What? You don't trust me?"

"Gates--" Mason managed one word before Sam jumped in, thoroughly fed up. He stepped past Mason, hands gripping the v-neck of Isaacs dress shirt, tugging him close, "We didn't tell you because we knew this is how you would react. You're selfish. You're stubborn. We needed you to be willing to do your job, if you had known, you would have fought us the entire mission. We would have never caught that murderer because you wouldn't have wanted to let Siris go."

He shoved the stunned mercenary away, his back meeting the car after a few short, stumbling steps. "It was information that was on a need-to-know basis, and you didn't need to know until now." Sam's voice dropped, a sharp echo in the night.

Isaac started to respond, "I wouldn't have--"

"Wouldn't have what? Wouldn't have pushed Siris to stay? Wouldn't have altered the events of this mission? Wouldn't have fought this?"

Isaac fell silent, eyes directed to the ground, unwilling to meet either man's gaze. Sam watched him sternly for a moment before turning to face Mason.

"Take the ship. Felix and I will find another means of transport." His voice was cold, if Mason didn't know any better, he'd dare suggest tired or resigned.

"You sure?" Mason's question sounded almost tentative, gaze flickering past Sam to Isaac's defeated form.

Sam gave a quiet nod of confirmation, "Go." He held out his hand, giving Mason's hand a solitary shake, a wordless goodbye.

Mason cast one final glance towards Isaac, managing a quiet phrase, "See you around, Gates."

He was met with only silence and a cold shoulder.

Isaac sunk to the ground, glaring at the cement silently as he listened to the retreating boots on pavement. He sat in silence as Sam turned to face him, snatching his bag from the backseat and tossing it to the lean mercenary on the ground.

"Grab your gear. We're leaving." Sam commented shortly, lugging his own bag onto his shoulders by the strap.

Isaac remained motionless, stiff as he fumbled with the strap of his back, silent fury burning in his chest.

"Felix." Sam's tone was sharp, unrelenting, stern. "Get up."

He swallowed the lump in his throat, jaw set as he lifted himself off the ground, slinging the bag across his shoulders, gaze focused on their old ship lifting off and shooting skyward.

"Let's go." Sam started towards another platform, expecting Isaac to follow. Isaac started after him, allowing a few feet of space between them. He waited until they'd secured another ship, until they'd loaded their gear inside, until Sam seated himself in the pilot's seat, until they were roaring out of the space port before he spoke.

"Don't ever do that again."

Isaac's sharp remark caught Sam's attention, he noted the quiet, yet aggravated tone. He arched a questioning eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"Don't ever hold information back. Next time it could get us killed. Next time--if you ever do it again, I'm out. You'll be on your own."

Sam stole a glance at his partner, the tension in his jaw, the solemn expression he knew was masking his rage, the way he stared straight ahead with a fury-laced glint in his eye.

Sam waited a moment before he spoke, "Understood."

"He shouldn't have left." Isaac murmured,  picking up the data pad, pulling up information about Charon Industries.

"Damn it, Felix, he has a family-"

"--and what about us? We're not good enough for him? We're not his family?"

"I don't expect you to understand. Just--let him go. His duty is to his wife and children." Sam settled back into his seat, hands carefully maneuvering the ship into slip space.

Isaac dared a glimpse of his partner, detecting the pain in his partner's eyes, the pain he no doubt took painstaking precautions to hide. He could never hide the emotion in his eyes, every other part of his body could be relaxed, but his eyes bled sheer agony.

After all their time together, Isaac could read him like a book, or, at least he thought he could.

After a long moment, Isaac turned back to his data pad, skimming over the information and gauging the profit.

He brushed aside the knot in his chest, the aching regret and forced his voice to its usual sarcastic, nonchalant tone before he spoke.

"So, how do you feel about genocide?"

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

Part 2.5

#isaac felix gates #felix mcscouty #felix #rvb felix #samuel 'locus' ortez #rvb locus #mason wu #mason siris wu #rvb #Red vs blue #rvb angst war #my fanfic #sam ortez #samuel locus ortez #samuel ortez #siris rvb #osiris rvb #phantom writes #felix series-saudade

[itsworn]

Top 100 From the Outside at the NSRA Nats

The 48th Annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals held at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky is plenty big enough to hold 10,000-plus street rods of every type of make, model, and build description one could imagine.

The Painless Performance Products sponsors the Top 100 program for Street Rodder at 10 events with a special addition at the NSRA Nats. Since the event is so large with so many potentially great cars and trucks there are two Top 100 selections. One is for the indoor cars at the various indoor exhibits while outside there is another Top 100.

What you are now going to see if you flip through the following pages will be the Top 100 for the outdoor section at this year’s Nats. SRM

Robert Hill, The Villages, FL / 1929 Ford Roadster

At first glance this car appears simple but upon closer inspection you’ll find torsion bars hidden in the frame rails and some extraordinary fabrication by Steve’s Auto Fabrication in Jamestown, IN. A stock ’53 flathead provides power to the rear Rally America wires wheels wrapped with Coker Excelsior tires. Custom Mocha Tan paint on the gennie body keeps things subtle while inside S&W gauges fill the Lobeck gauge cluster. The car captures postwar hot rodding perfectly.

Rick Giordano, St. Peters, MO / 1950 Ford Convertible

The shoebox Ford is clean and simple by design and so it doesn’t take heavy modifications to make a cool custom. Things like nosing, decking and shaving the door handles and Frenching the headlights and taillights complete the exterior. Under the hood a 350 Chevy provides power while Fatman Fabrications suspension and Billet Specialties wheels provide proper handling. Inside Vintage Air keeps things cool and the best part is this car was completely homebuilt.

Debra Vitte, Riverview, FL / 1957 Chevrolet Cameo

When it comes to classic haulers the Cameo is high on the list. The stylized bed was custom from the factory so it remains basically stock. Debra enjoys plenty of power in the form of a 502 Ramjet motor and a Hurst-shifted five-speed Tremec tranny mounted in the TCI chassis. Wilwood brakes slow things down, Vintage Air keeps things cool and U.S. Mags provide the rolling stock. The Emerald Green PPG paint combines with tan leather for a classic look. Doug Kenny gets credit for doing the bulk of the work on the truck.

Mike Ricotta, Denton, MD / 1933 Chevrolet 3W Coupe

Here’s a winning combination. Start with a super rare Mercury series Chevrolet coupe (the small series); chop the top, then lay down a set of hot licks over PPG Envirobase black for real hot rod flavor. Suspension is all early Ford style with a Super Bell dropped axle up front and a Winters Quick Change rear out back with Pete & Jakes shocks on all four corners. Real Wheels continue the traditional theme while under the hood a 4.71 blower forces air through the 383 stroker motor. The East Coast Hot Rod Garage handled the build.

Jerry Campbell, Wilmington, DE / 1932 Ford Roadster

This is the latest in a string of traditional hot rods for Jerry Campbell. When he’s not busy pinstriping he builds his own hot rods. The highboy carries a European flavor with British Racing Green covering the heavily louvered body with Oxblood leather on the inside. Power comes from an Edelbrock fed 327 with double hump heads hooked to a Lokar shifted 350-Turbo transmission. The dropped front axle and brakes are from SoCal with Pete & Jakes shocks. Wheel Smith wheels are wrapped with Coker Excelsior rubber to complete this oh-so-traditional hot rod.

Bob Kuehn, Stanton, NE / 1954 Mercury Convertible

Bob Kuehn’s first car was a 1954 Mercury convertible and he simply stayed with his first love. After restoring a couple other ’54 Mercs he decided it was time for a hot rod. To that end he planted a Ford 5.0 Coyote with a 4R70W tranny. The body remains completely stock covered in PPG black while inside brown leather is a serious upgrade from original. Classic Instruments monitor the Coyote and when the top goes up the Vintage Air goes on. Front suspension is from Heidts while a nine-inch Ford rear spins the Billet Specialties wheels.

Vic LaBantschnig, Fenton, MO / 1955 Chevrolet Nomad

When Chevrolet decided to build a custom station wagon they knocked it out of the park with the ’55 Nomad. Enhancing a Nomad is as simple as taking the original PPG Glacier Blue paint and mixing a little more blue metallic for a better than original look. Then put the car on a Morrison chassis for that perfect stance and handling. Under the hood a FAST Englese EFI feeds the LS3 motor in traditional fashion. 17-inch ET Sebring wheels complete the restyling effort by Carnock Creations in Des Moines, Iowa.

Bill Sherman, Peru, IL / 1961 Pontiac Ventura

The early sixties brought with it the fantastic “bubble top” design and no one did it better than Pontiac. We love this car because there are extensive improvements but it takes a real car guy to see them. It all starts with a complete custom fabricated chassis with QA1 shocks and tubular control arms. Rear suspension employs a second set of QA1coil overs and power comes from a 389 punched out to 406 inches with a factory four-speed mixing the gears. The rare Dawn Firemist paint is the factory color and the trademark tri-color interior completes the package.

Carl & Jeanne Booth, Rochester, MI / 1932 Ford Roadster

A great formula is keep it clean and simple looking. Starting with a vintage Downs body it was covered with Henry Ford’s “Any color you want as long as its black” PPG paint. While the motor may look traditional it is really a modern LS3 topped with a FAST Englese EFI induction. The chrome front suspension is from Pete and Jakes while Wilwood provides the stopping power. Inside tans seats carry traditional rolled and pleated fabric inserts. Classic Instruments monitor the motor and Wheel Vintique steelies are wrapped with Coker Excelsior tires.

Red & Deb Stauffer, Mount Dora, FL / 1932 Ford Victoria

There are traditional hot rods and there are historical hot rods, this Deuce Vicky falls under the historical banner. First hot rodded in the forties this Vicky has a long and storied past. When long time hot rodder Red Stauffer discovered the car he continued the heritage with a vintage build. From the genuine Ardun flatmotor to the real knock-off magnesium Halibrand wheels there is nothing new on this car. Kinmont front brakes mount to an early dropped axle with stock ’32 shocks still in service. Coker Excelsior rubber carries the traditional look, while inside black tuck and roll and a ’36 Ford dash continue the theme. It’s a great hot rod with a long race history.

The post Top 100 From the Outside at the NSRA Nats appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[nezzfiction]

ENMY Chapter 83 - Life’s A Gamble

Chapter Synopsis:  Salem’s war on Vacuo continues, while Team ENMY tackle some issues of their own within the city. 

Series Synopsis: Team RWBY is disbanded, and Yang must find herself new allies. For her, that might very well be yesterday’s enemies. Joining up with the likes of Emerald, Mercury, and Neo, the four will comprise Team Enemy(ENMY).

Links to read the series: Ao3 or FF.net

Or hit the jump below

.

Life’s a Gamble

.

Alea Iacta Est.

.

.

Yang’s body spasmed uncontrollably.

The bedrest her arm was tied to, threatened to break off from the violent bucking of her body.

“Neo…! Neo…!” she grunted repeatedly.

Her pleasure senses dialed higher with the blindfold on. Every little touch, every little run of Neo’s fingers across her skin, amplified over what felt like a hundredfold. Yang twisted and squirmed with ecstasy. Her toes curled into their bedsheets.

She would have leapt off the mattress, if Neo hadn’t been holding her down so firmly.

“I’m close…!” she moaned, breathless.

In response, her wife dug deeper between her thighs.

Neo’s irises blared red.  Their Auras, as well as their souls, infused—becoming more entwined with each passing peak. The surge of gratification granted Yang a greater and greater high until…

“NEO! I’M CU—!!!”

Just then, the sound of a door being kicked open interrupted everything.

“Okay, you kinky lovebirds. Emergency meeting. We gotta hoof it to Temujin’s ASAP.”

“EM?!”

Yang felt one side of her blindfold lift up, and saw Emerald grinning down with a sadistic smirk.

“Did you finish?”

*Sigh* “…You totally timed that on purpose,” Yang accused.

“Nah. It’s not like I could hear you through the walls or anything. Now, up and at ‘em!”

The green-haired girl then, picked up a few of the trace underwear littering the floor and tossed them on Yang and Neo’s heads.

“Just two more minutes?”

Emerald whipped her gun out and pulled the trigger once. The shot cut the rope holding up Yang’s hand.

“Fine…”

Without another word, Emerald left the room.

Although Yang was clearly annoyed, Neo on the other hand, looked delighted at the little bit of torture. The petite girl playfully leaned next to her wife’s ear and gnawed on it sharply, before whispering with sweet seduction—

“tiL ToNighT.”

Neo then, got off and began to change. With extreme reluctance, Yang followed suit. When they were dressed, the two joined Emerald and Mercury outside.

“…? What’s eating you?” Mercury asked, while they started to walk.

“Not Neo,” Yang answered with an unsatisfied grunt. “So, what’s going on? Salem done getting ready to kill us?

“Nope. It’s actually good news for once,” Emerald answered. “Temujin’s finally in the last round of negotiations with Cinder and the ice queen. They put a rush order on the treaty when we told them the world was ending. Now, we just gotta be there for some formalities.”

“Do we really have to be there?

“Yeah, as if-boredom-could-kill-we’d-all-be-pushing-daisies as it is, we do. Once we’re done, you two can go back to having your kinky little S&M sesh. But for now, work.”

“Y’know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a little bit jealous, Em.”

“Yes. Everything you guys are doing, I want to do a million times over with Cinder,” Emerald let out a frustrated growl. “But the only way I even get to see her, is through some stupid ass meeting about some political mumbo garbo.”

“Did not mean to step on that landmine…”

“Like, can the world just take a hint? Just let us wrap this shit up, so we can head back to Atlas, so me and Cinder can FUCK! GOD!”

Our leader’s mind finally snapped like a popsicle stick.

“Right?” Yang side-mouthed to Neo.

“I mean, am I right? Merc! Back me up on this!”

Emerald turned to her partner expectantly to find him walking along with a complicated sway.

“Merc?”

“…Yeah. We needa fuck Cinder,” he mumbled absentmindedly.

“What’s with you? I don’t expect you to be happy-go-lucky or anything, but we did finally get to ice the last of your asshole family. You’re not gonna tell me you don’t feel satisfied with that?”

“That’s not it. Of course, I’m glad Jupiter probably has maggots treating his scrambled entrails like a smorgasbord.”

“Nasty.”

“I just,” he paused. “With the stuff that’s happened, and the wedding, I think…”

“…Yeeeessss?”

“I think I’m ready to talk about my dad.”

A hushed silence fell over them, as the other three stopped walking.

“Well, can’t say I saw that coming,” Emerald said, before pulling out a diary from her back pocket. “I was planning on giving this to you later, but now’s a good as time as any.”

Mercury took it and flipped through some of the pages.

“This is…”

“Your dad’s diary. We’re ready to talk whenever, Merc. Glad I didn’t have to be the one to push the issue.”

“Did you read it?”

“’Course, I read it.”

“Right. Don’t know why I expected you to lie about that.”

Emerald ruffled Mercury’s quaff.

“Silly butt face. You don’t have secrets.”

Following her lead, Yang gave him a friendly shoulder bump, while Neo booped his nose.

Mercury spent a few seconds fixing his hair and trying to stifle the happiness he felt.

After a few quiet breaths, the young man moved to join the rest of his team.

.

X  X X  X  X

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“I see. It seems despite word we’ve received on our end, Salem appears to have complete control of the situation,” Argent commented.

At the private keep, where the highest authorities of Vale once gathered, only a few choice officers of the Mistral-Vale Alliance now met. They were Prime Minister Argent, King Straw, and General Saru of the Armada. A sparse three occupied the circular conference room intended to hold at least a hundred.

And in the middle, a projection of a young girl and a short boy finished conveying the current events of Salem’s war with Vacuo.

“The Witch and I continue to add more Grimm to our cause,” Bean explained. “Host has tripled in size since initial battle. Time of next significant siege attempt, approaching.”

“Hm,” Argent scratched his silver beard in thought. “And I am correct to assume Salem’s position on our deployment has remained unchanged?”

“Affirmative. Currently, the Witch would like the Alliance to remain on standby. Building resources towards second campaign against Atlas would be my suspected intentions.”

“Or Salem simply wishes us mere mortals to stay out of her way.”

“That is…”

“No, it is fine, Bean. Let Blake know that our forces stay at the ready.”

“…I will, Prime Minister.”

“Take great care, Bean.”

The small boy paused. “I do not understand your meaning.”

“My apprehensions of our sinister overlord are no secret. Which is why, if you ever have need for our assistance, no matter how small, do not hesitate to ask.”

“…”

“Inna,” Argent addressed the hologram next to Bean. “I will trust your judgment. If you perceive the slightest hint the Witch is about to make either of you a sacrificial pawn—”

“I’ll get ma’ self and this little rascal off this rock, and back to Vale.”

“Repercussions be damned. We fight for the peace of Remnant, not Salem.”

“I hear that, Prime Minister. Copied loud and clear.”

“Good. Please keep us posted of the situation.”

“Roger. Inna and Bean, signing off.”

With a two-fingered salute, the holographic image of the two cut out, leaving the officers of the Alliance to themselves.

“So!” Straw clapped his hands, and rubbed them in business-like fashion. “I suppose we can count our blessings Salem has failed to call on our participation for this battle. The plan continues to proceed smoothly, albeit; not without its minor hiccups. It is just as Raven foretold.”

“Our part in this war is over,” General Saru added. “Salem will soon accumulate enough Grimm to make the Alliance obsolete. And when that moment passes…”

“Endgame,” Argent muttered with a finality. “Have we received word from Raven, yet?”

“You mean, since her impromptu departure for Vacuo?” Straw needled. “None.”

“That may pose a problem.”

“Not everything can go perfectly according to plan, Minister. This ‘Alliance’ was a desperate gamble from the very outset. We can only act as true gamblers do, and commit to our bet, as it were.”

“Indeed,” Argent nodded solemnly.

The older man’s callused fingers tapped the wood of his armrest.

Straw is right in more ways than one.

All that is left for us to do is to collect the remaining chips we can before the table is set—and the final die is cast.

Argent took out his scroll to check for messages again. The screen indicated no communications from Raven for the hundredth time.

What are you doing, Raven?

Is Temujin such a rogue element that you personally had to go to Vacuo?

…

Or is there something else?

Another secret you’re keeping from everyone?

Argent sank deeper into his chair.

A gamble.

Straw’s description felt too true and too simple for Argent’s liking.

I suppose that is our nature.

No matter what precautions we take, nor the measures we can spend years putting into place,

For us Children of Remnant,

Life may amount to nothing more than a simple gamble in the end.

.

X  X X  X  X

.

“Hoh hoh, quite the predicament we find ourselves in,” Temujin gave a low chuckle.

With the sealings of an alliance between Atlas and Vacuo finalized, the two nations discuss the imminent threat approaching their world. This discussion included an overview of Remnant’s origins, the immortals, and the emergency restart mechanism already set mid-motion by the Tree of Balance.

“You don’t sound very worried,” Cinder’s hologram crackled.

“The world is always one step away from imminent self-destruction. If it isn’t this Tree thing, it’s the Grimm, or another war, or the other Kingdoms. This is simply the next problem. If I worried over every single time Remnant tried to off itself, I’d die of stress! Hahaha!”

“Is that so?”

Cinder didn’t believe Temujin for a second.

No, the old woman had some premature idea. It must be related to the Rakis siblings. What else is this woman hiding?

“Are there any more subjects which need addressing?” the Black Queen carried on, despite her misgivings.

“None that I can think of. When can we expect Atlas to honor their word?”

“The Atlesian Fleet has been undergoing deployment arrangements the second the treaty was signed,” Weiss spoke at Cinder’s side. “Atlas reinforcements will arrive as soon as possible.”

“How soon is soon, White Queen?”

“Very soon.”

“How can I be so sure this is no empty-handed promise? I can picture my people dying, and Atlas waiting until the last second to save them. And then, with our strength diminished, simply take the Kingdom the S.D.C. has coveted for so long.”

“Wha-?! Of course, not! Firstly, the S.D.C. no longer operates in such a—!”

Cinder raised her hand to interrupt her fellow regent.

“The thought crossed my mind, but the Kingdom of Atlas stands to benefit more from a relationship of mutual partnership than subservience. After all,” the Black Queen grinned. “Trust is a more important commodity now more than ever for us Children of Remnant.”

“Hmph. Cinder Fall,” Temujin spat, and spared a glance towards Team ENMY. More specifically, Emerald. “It seems your reputation matches the truth. Here’s hoping your tin cans at least make decent cannon fodder for our Kingdom!”

“Wha?!”

Weiss gasped again, but Cinder only let out a polite laugh.

“Well, then. If that concludes matters, my fellow Queen and I have the rest of our army to ready.”

“Your fleet has four days to get here, or Vacuo will sever this alliance.”

“Eight is the earliest they can arrive, and eight will be how long you will have to wait.”

“Six.”

“Six, it is.”

Even though the two communicated from separate continents, over the expanse of a whole body of ocean, the tenuous storm kicked up between them was no lesser had they been in the same room.

After a prolonged staring contest, Cinder gracefully diverted her attention to Team ENMY.

“I expect my ambassadors to carry on with their duties as previously instructed. They will remain at Vacuo’s honorary disposal, at least until our Fleet arrives.”

“If,” they heard Temujin scoff.

“If and when, they arrive. Do you understand?”

“We understand,” Emerald answered for her team.

“Be at ease. It is only an estimation, but our Fleet should arrive on the 25th at 17:00 hours.”

“…Understood.”

Cinder bade Team ENMY a subtle nod, before turning to Temujin once more.

“I think this will be the beginning of a supremely beneficial friendship.”

“Time will tell. The Queens should visit Vacuo one day. I can promise a warm welcome.”

“I can only pray such a time will arrive sooner than we expect.”

And with that, the transmission ended.

Team ENMY was making their way from the throne room, when Emerald established a hallucinated link with her teammates.

“You guys got that, right?” her voice resounded in their heads.

“Ease. 25. 17,” Yang replied. “Emergency channel: EZ 25-17.”

Neo didn’t show any signs, but she was quickly identifying the spies stalking them.

Two on the right.

She watched two figures trailing along what were supposed to be their team’s blindspots.

“I’ve got two more on our left,” Yang added. A slight pink reflected in her irises.

“How do you wanna ditch the escort detail? I doubt we can outrun them,” Mercury advised.

Emerald gave a mental shake of her head.

“They also know about my Semblance, so I can’t hallucinate them that easy. Besides, I need some quality time. We’ll run Plan H.”

“Wait, I don’t think I telepathically heard you right,” Yang’s voice chimed in. “Did you just say, ‘Plan H’?”

“Soft H. Like, lowercase h. Plan h.”

“Right. Well, you do remember the h in Plan h stands for hostile, right?”

Emerald telepathically shrugged.

“We got an official alliance with Vacuo and a favor Temujin owes us. I’d say we’ve earned some good grace that she’ll let this little bit slide.”

“How sure are you?”

“If all else fails, just play the ’newly-wedded goddaughter’ card.”

“Geez. It’s not even a minute after the treaty was signed.”

“Which makes it the perfect time to take advantage.”

Yang, Neo, and Mercury stopped walking and dropped back, while Emerald made a sudden dash towards one of the hall’s windows. Another second later, and she was gone.

“You sure you can do this?” Mercury asked Yang, paying careful attention to the empty sleeve of her right arm. “You can go ahead and join Em.”

“Nah, I got this,” she waved with a relaxed confidence. “’Sides, I got a new thing I wanna try out.”

As soon as Temujin’s spies made to chase Emerald, the remaining teammates of ENMY moved to cover their leader’s escape. A triple concert of simultaneous kicks rang out against the attempting pursuers, knocking them into the afternoon light.

“Is there a reason Team ENMY is showing sudden hostilities against palace guards?” a deep voice loomed from just around the corner.

A large, muscle-bound man strode into view with a strong purposed gait. The blue rings blemishing his skin pulsed with Aura. A thick air of intimidation leaked immediately from his simple entrance.

“Well, if it isn’t General Nai,” Yang snickered. “You know, my dad told me you’re the best martial artist in Remnant. Maybe, possibly, ever in history.”

“And yet, you show no signs of backing down.”

“Are you kidding? Why would I ever pass up an opportunity to fight someone so fun?”

“’Fun’, you say?”

“Oh, yeah. General Nai: one of only four to ever earn a Khan’s title during Vacuo’s war for independence.”

With a playful wink, one of Yang’s irises went from red to fiery pink. She extended her left arm, and beckoned him forward.

“C’mon. Show me what the ‘Fist of Vacuo’ is all about.”

.

X  X X  X  X

.

Emerald made her rounds, making sure there was no tail.

One jump, ahead of the hitman~

One hit, ahead of the flock~♪

I think, I’ll take a stroll around the block~

She sung to herself quietly, while stealthily navigating through the streets.

Eventually, the girl reached her destination. It was one of the few places within the city she could find any real measure of privacy.

“Hey, Brig,” she greeted the blacksmith. “Any of Temujin’s goons hiding in the back?”

Brigid let out a sigh, before pointing the wrench she was holding to the inventory room. Emerald dropped a number of high-quality Dust crystals on the workbench nearby as a bribe.

Once she shut the door behind her, she then, immediately barricaded it with whatever furniture and tools were available.

Won’t hold for long.

Emerald worked her scroll, punching in the code to the emergency channel. Once connected, the images of Weiss and Cinder appeared. Apparently, they had been waiting since the meeting was adjourned.

“Are you alone?” Cinder asked.

“As alone as can be.”

“The others?” Weiss asked.

“Buying me time. Don’t worry, the scene won’t be big.”

“Scene?!”

“Won’t be big. Is this thing on?”

“Hah-hah,” Weiss huffed.

“On to the subject at hand,” Cinder called them to order. “I require an impartial assessment. Temujin is an unknown variable to say the least.”

“Emphasis on ‘least’,” Emerald snarked.

“How much can we trust her?”

“Not at all,” the answer came immediately.

“……That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.”

“But I think we can trust she hates Salem. And nothing’s more trust inspiring that a common enemy—or common hate for some crazy bitch that wants to bring about the apocalypse and rule the world.”

“That much is true.”

“She’s got her secrets and her own motives. Wouldn’t surprise me if she had half a dozen schemes cooking backstage. But I don’t think she’ll try to screw us over.” She paused. “For now.”

“I see.” Cinder glanced briefly to Weiss, who nodded. “That will do for the moment. On to other matters of concern.”

Emerald gulped.

“The utilization of the Bridge Project. Explain yourself.”

Cinder was referring to the ability Yang activated in order to bring herself and Emerald back to Vacuo through the traversal of the Never Realm.

“Mercury and Neo were in trouble. I take full responsibility for ordering Yang to use it.”

“Hmph. As if we would believe such an obvious lie. You and Yang share equal parts of the blame, but punishments can wait until later. What possible fallout can we expect?”

“Honestly, Temujin probably thinks Yang learned that trick from Raven. She’s smart, but she won’t think it’s anything more than that. And I doubt the Rakis siblings know the full story of what it can do either.”

“And the more pressing point?”

“Yeah,” Emerald bowed her head slightly. “Yang activated it in front of Blake, which basically means she did it in front of Salem.”

“That’s a concern,” Weiss weighed in. “I doubt she understands the significance behind what Yang did either, however…”

“It does not change the fact an integral part of our strategy has been exposed,” Cinder finished the thought. “We cannot discount the chance Salem will look more deeply into the matter. Hopefully her war with Vacuo will occupy most of her attention.”

“From this point forward, you must do everything to keep Project Bridge a secret. Even if another similar situation arises, you should avoid using the ability again, or Salem might get suspicious.”

“Sure thing, ice queen,” Emerald muttered.

“This is serious.”

The tone of Cinder’s warning made the green-haired girl stiffen.

“I understand. It won’t happen again.”

“Good.”

“…”

“Hm?”

“……I miss you terribly.”

Emerald blinked a few times, before registering the words Cinder just said.

“Really?” she couldn’t help but question.

“Of course. Do you think I meant it as a light remark?”

“No, no. Just… I miss you too.”

Emerald’s chest tightened so hard, she thought her blood might stop circulating. She would be the first to admit their relationship had its complications—especially with Raven involved. But hearing Cinder not only confirm her affections, but admit she felt the same way, brought a strange, unbridled happiness to Emerald.

“I want to see you so bad,” she choked.

“Soon.”

“How soon?”

“Very soon, I promise.”

Emerald held the scroll close and kissed the screen.

…

“Um,” Weiss’s voice crackled awkwardly. “Should I go?”

Just then, something heavy slammed against the door of the room.

“Take care,” Cinder said with a tender tone. “Try not to get into too much trouble.”

“I’ll try, but I don’t know. Someone might have to bail me out,” Emerald chuckled.

“If such a time comes, I suppose it will be one more reason to make my visit to Vacuo that much earlier.”

“I love you.”

“And I you.”

The door burst open, and at the same time, the communication cut out.

After the dust settled, and there were no longer flying pieces of debris, Emerald’s pursuers stepped into the backroom. One in particular, scowled with crossed arms.

“Done with your phone call?”

“No! You guys ruined a perfectly good moment! Now I know how Yang felt earlier.”

“’Scuse me?” Ilia offset her brow.

“Nothing. So, what happens now?”

“We execute you……is what I want to say, but Temujin said to just arrest you.”

“Yay~”

.

X  X X  X  X

.

Nai’s Semblance was Poison.

It coated every inch of his skin and was fatal on contact, if he so choosed. One single touch, one slight brush, and it would’ve been over for any opponent. Not the strongest of warriors or the most talented of healers would be able to undo its lethality if Nai concentrated the dose.

Still, as if to spit in the face of the threat it presented, Yang ducked and weaved between Nai’s blows without flinching.

Her unblinking eyes fixated on his. A pink reflection of himself danced in the irises of the girl that was only shoulder high. An unnerving nature lent itself to Yang’s movements—made her aware, too aware of Nai’s next attacks.

It was almost as if she knew the larger fighter’s incoming sequence of techniques before he himself did.

What is this girl?

What in the world does she see?

…

Perhaps, capturing her uninjured is impossible.

Yang side-stepped back and forth. Nai’s combo missed by a narrow margin, before the fiery-headed girl slipped in close. A hard left hook staggered the man, and made him retreat some spaces.

No, it is impossible without injury.

Nai’s posture visibly changed. His center of gravity lowered and his rings oozed a dark-sea hue. A sharpness honed in the air around him.

Yang took notice, and steadied her breathing. Her confident smile didn’t diminish in the least. In fact, a growing excitement seemed to exude the golden boxer.

She beckoned him forth again with her single hand.

Nai didn’t fall for such blatant taunts, but he did answer the challenge.

A forceful charge exploded from the balls of his bare feet. Despite his stature, there was no questioning his agility. A gust of wind propelled from a mere feint.

Nai didn’t know if Yang had any way of looking into the future, like the Rakis siblings did. If so, the feint would prove an empty effort. But he needed to gauge his opponent’s abilities.

His lead hand drew back, and he saw Yang standing her ground, unfazed.

It is possible she possesses some form of Precognition.

Very well.

What I do does not change.

As Nai ripped one of the most vicious fists in his arsenal, he momentarily had a vision of Precognition of his own.

A body-weighted counter landed across his chin. His left punch met nothing but air. Yang sported a malicious smile, while her knuckles shattered skin and bone.

But the prophecy never came.

…

Nai’s punch stopped just short of Yang’s nose. The girl no longer wore an expression of enjoyment, but refrain.

Before Nai could question her, Yang raised her only arm in surrender. Behind, he could see Neo and Mercury doing the same.

It wasn’t two seconds after Emerald was brought into the building, did she give the telepathic order for her team to stand down.

“Sorry,” Yang winked her iris back to its usual red.

“Rain check.”

.

X  X X  X  X

.

In an extremely large oasis, Raven made her way through the brush.

The land she walked was more akin to a jungle than anything else. Only the scenery around Shade Academy could have matched the terrain’s lusciousness. But then, the plant life around Shade was also green. In comparison, every blade of grass, every sheet of leaf, every branch of bark, was painted a jet black in this oasis.

And in the jungle’s cover, burning pupils stalked Raven’s footsteps.

She passed the monstrous Grimm without paying any mind. Many of which, were A-Class and higher.

She could feel their presence, as if they were pressing against her skin. Their snarls released an odor she could smell, as if they were breathing right in front of her nostrils. The disturbing noises they made could be heard, like they were scraping the inside of her eardrums.

Eventually, Raven made her way to a cave hidden behind a waterfall.

Named criminals and infamous warriors occupied the makeshift living space. They glared threateningly at the woman. Many of whom, knew her by reputation. Others, more personal than they would have liked with a few scars to remember her by.

As she continued to pass through the den of deadliest dangers, the woman finally came upon a couple of “friendly” faces.

“Bean, Inna. You two look well.”

“Are ya lookin’ fer Blake?” the cowgirl asked.

“Yes.”

Inna tipped her hat down one of the labyrinth’s pathways, and Raven descended further into the dark.

The caverns extended deeper and deeper into the earth. None of the desert’s air made it into this place, where the atmosphere was cool and moist. The echoing drips of water let Raven know there was an underground reservoir at the end of her stroll.

In the faint dark, she passed Adam leaning against the wall. The young man’s arm was in a sling and seemed to be suffering some second-degree burns.

Raven didn’t offer any greetings, and had to fight down the urge to laugh before she passed.

“Blake?”

In the middle of an underground pool, Raven saw Blake standing in its waters. Luminescent plant-life at the base providing the only source of light.

The swordswoman circled the rim to the young Faunus’s front, half-expecting to see the presence of Salem.

…

But to her surprise, a familiar smile met her in return.

“Raven, you’re here.”

“Yeah, Blake. I’m here.”

The cat Faunus waded to the edge where the other stood.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“So am I,” Raven crouched down. “So am I.”

She scratched Blake’s ears briefly, before petting her head.  Her hands went to the towel nearby, which she used to wrap around Blake, as the girl came out of the water.

While Blake put on her clothes, Raven took notice of the great scratches carved along the walls. There were some pulverized boulders and dried stains of blood. She could easily imagine the girl venting herself on the surroundings.

“Where’s Salem?” Raven asked.

“I…don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I’d be skeptical too. Is it really me? Or is it Salem pretending to be me?”

“So, which is it?”

“I don’t think I can even tell anymore, to be honest,” Blake rubbed her arm uncomfortably. “I think it’s just me right now.”

“How do you know?”

“After… after what happened in Vacuo, I was upset. I was so upset, and angry, and sad.” The girl shook her head in dismay. “Salem kept trying to get into my head, after I blocked her out… after I saw Yang carry Neo away.”

“I see.”

“She kept telling me it should’ve been me Yang should’ve saved. She kept saying I was the one meant to be with Yang—and that it was me who she should have married.”

“…”

“But that isn’t true.”

“…”

“After what I did, I realized I was becoming the monster I was trying to protect her from. When did it become me, Raven? When did it all go so wrong?”

Raven approached, and braced Blake from behind.

“I wish I was there. I wish I could’ve seen it.”

“Seen what?” Raven asked.

“I wish I could’ve seen Yang get married. I don’t deserve it, but I just wish—”

“No more wishes for you, I think.”

The sound of the icy-chilled voice made Blake and Raven step back with their guard up.

“Seeing as you’re not quite ready for the task yet, I deemed it necessary to see this war through its completion—personally.”

The figure of Salem crept from the shadows, and it felt like the dull glow of the cavern grew significantly dimmer in her presence.

“You two have been proving rather disappointing as of late. It’s a shame really, but no matter. I fully intend to see our ambitions through.”

A dense darkness billowed from her. A darkness that surged her consciousness through all the Grimm roaming Vacuo.

“It’s time I wrote the last chapters of this story myself.”

.

X  X X  X  X

.

In the dank prison cell of the Hanging Gardens, Mercury sat on the ground without his legs.

His attention rested solely in the diary in front of him. Every page he finished, he violently flipped to the next one. No concern at all was paid to situation he found himself in.

“…ffffFFFFFUUUUUUUUCCCKKK!!!”

“Seriously, Em?” Yang asked, while cuddling with Neo on the only cot.

“How long do they plan on keeping us here?! Hey! Guard! How long are we gonna be here?! Hey!”

“Dude.”

“What? They’ve held us here forever!”

“It’s been an hour.”

“……Oh.”

“You really haven’t noticed?”

“No.” Emerald replied. “Man, I do not do well in prison.”

“I’ll say.”

“Can’t you guys just bust us out of here?!”

“Well, yeah. But you don’t want us to actually break out, do you?”

“No! I just wanted to say it. Careful. I might ask you to seriously do it in an hour, but under no circumstances are you to do it.”

“It might happen just so I can get you to stop yelling.”

“Freakin—I can pick this lock! I could so pick this lock!” she shook the metal bars. “This might be the flimsiest jail cell in the whole city, and Temujin specifically put us in it. She’s good at torture.”

“My mom was a prostitute.”

Emerald turned around slowly, while Neo and Yang sat up from the bed.

“My mom was a prostitute,” Mercury repeated.

He dangled the diary, and let the pages fan through.

“Doesn’t mention a name, a hospital—I was probably just born in that stupid house. Nothing. She’s an anonymous. One of I don’t know how many! I probably have like millions of step siblings out there!”

“I dunno about millions. Maybe, thousands?” Emerald brought up, before being jabbed in the arm by Yang. “Ow!”

“My dad is such a FUCKING asshole! My mom’s probably not any better!”

“Probably not.”

“I don’t even wanna find her anymore!”

“Easier that way.”

“Why even bother?!”

“Why even.”

“Is that weird? Is it weird, I don’t give a damn about finding my own mom? Or that I wanna just leave all this crap behind and forget it?”

“Oh, Merc.” Emerald walked over and slumped down beside her partner. “Take it from a gal who shot her own parents.”

“You mean cuckoos pretending to be her parents.”

“Potato, potahto.”

“No one says potahto.”

“Parents…are a waste of time.”

“Not true,” Yang interrupted briefly. “But go on.”

“Besides,” Emerald continued. “I’m your mom. So, don’t worry about this stuff, dummy.”

“Wow…” Mercury wowed.

“And Neo’s your sister. Yang is your sister too.”

“Wait, why are my sisters married?”

“Is that the part you’re gonna focus on?”

“It’s definitely the part that stands out.”

“Look, I’m gonna tell you what you already know, but you think you don’t know for sure.” Emerald took the diary out of Mercury’s hands, and tossed it to Yang. “Your family isn’t some sociopath cult of assassins. They weren’t your abusive dad or whoever your mom was. They’re this girl, and that girl, and me!” she pointed to Neo, Yang, and then, herself.

“We give a damn about you. Maybe even two damns. So, you do what you wanna do, and we’re with you. You wanna cry, Yang is totally the type to cry with you. Bleeding heart.”

“Hey!”

“You wanna search for your mom? I’ll help you find her. You wanna freakin’ stab some people cause you’re angry? Neo will go with you.”

YEAH!

“That’s all I’m gonna say. So, what’s it gonna be?”

“I wanna burn my old house,” Mercury answered immediately.

…

…

“When we get back to Atlas, I want all of us to burn my house down. I want to burn the Black Family’s estate down to the ground. I want to burn EVERYTHING!”

…

…

Yang set the diary she was holding on fire with her Semblance and threw it on the ground.

“YEAHH!!!” she roared, which prompted the rest of Team ENMY to roar.

““YEAHHH!!!””

The four looked to be in the throes of absolute lunacy while screaming around a small burning fire.

And it was in this situation which Temujin, Minerva, Nai, and Raven arrived to.

“…Them?” Minerva asked skeptically. “These four are the ones we are entrusting to save Vacuo?”

“Remnant…actually,” Raven sighed.

“The next generation—I like their spirit,” Nai nodded appraisingly.

“HAHAHA! Tis only fitting the ones with a gambler’s chance in hell to overturn a predetermined fate is a bunch of crazy idiots!” Temujin cackled. “Ah…”

“Shit.”

#rwby #yang xiao long #emerald sustrai #neopolitan #mercury black #enmy