Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Penny Polendina was a woman on a mission. 

(Or, well, technical woman. A robot woman. That counts, right?)

But that didn’t matter, and Penny shook her head, jolting back to the task at hand. She stood on the highest building she could find in Vacuo, some sort of lighthouse tower for airships, looming over the rest of the city. The railing she was standing on now creaked under her weight, dilapidated and rusted. But it would do. 

She closed her eyes, HUD filling her senses. Concentrating, she reached through her mind and retrieved the file that had Ruby’s DNA on it, provided to her when she had gotten her Huntress license back in Atlas. 

That felt like ages ago. 

Scanning for matching DNA, the monitor in her mind went, sounding suspiciously like Rhubarbs voice. Penny rolled her eyes internally - she was going to have to talk to Rhubarb about changing her settings back to default later. 

Match found. 

Penny’s eyes jolted open, her metaphorical heart soaring out of her chest. There was a match. Ruby was here, in Vacuo, here right now! Penny hadn’t dared to hope for anything, considering the odds were fairly slim, but she had gotten a slight inkling team RWBY and team JNR would have made their way to the last safe bastion on Remnant. And what good luck that was, huh? 

Penny silently thanked the Gods for their kindness, before she took off into the air, following her internal map down the winding streets of Vacuo. People paid little mind to the streak of green in the air above them - Vacuo was a strange place after all, things like that happened pretty often - and Penny let the wind blow past her face, relishing her face finally being clear of strands of hair. She had to admit - she hadn’t been too keen on the haircut at first, but it certainly turned out to be more convenient. 

Her internal map stopped, and Penny landed on a sloped rooftop, taking in the sights. She had landed in a plaza of some sort, sequestered away in the main district. People loitered about the area, worn sandstone underneath their feet ringing out with the clacking of heels. The fountain in the center sputtered out brackish water, most likely having not been cleaned in a while. Lining the corners, vendors shouted out their goods and prices, waving signs to attract customers. 

But Penny wasn’t interested in all of that. No, instead, her gaze had zeroed in on a woman, standing in the middle of the crowd, draped in red and gray, hair cropped short, speaking to someone next to her and pointing at a brochure. 

Even with how much her appearance had changed, Ruby Rose still moved the exact same way. Penny would recognize those excessive hand motions anywhere. 

Unable to hold herself back, Penny leaped from the roof, tumbling into a flower bed below. “RUBY!!” She shouted, waving her hands. 

Ruby looked up from the flyer she was looking at, silver eyes twisted up in confusion. Her brow softened, though, when she looked to her left, and met Penny’s eyes. Her hands went limp, the brochure fluttering to the ground below. 

“...Penny?” Ruby murmured. 

Penny let out a cry of half-excitement, half-relief, shoving through the crowd towards her. Ruby’s breath stuttered, and she began to stagger forward to meet her in the middle, her teammates behind her confused as to what she was looking at. Penny cheered, waving her arms again, and Ruby’s pace picked up, breaking out into a sprint, face twisting into a smile as tears ran down her face. “PENNY!!” She screamed, boots scraping against the stone. 

They collided in the middle, the two of them tumbling down towards the ground in a heap. Ruby’s arms latched tight around Penny’s waist, so tight that Penny was sure that if she had lungs, she wouldn’t be able to breathe right now. Ruby’s face was wrinkled with tears and snot, running down her face, strands of black hair sticking up everywhere from the static coming off of Penny. She had a new scar over her eyebrow, which puckered up with the wrinkling of her brow. It was kind of cute. “P-P-Penny-” Ruby warbled, hugging her tighter. “I - What - how? How?!” She sobbed. 

“I don’t know,” Penny laughed breathlessly, sure that if she could, she’d be crying too. “I got lucky, I guess?” 

“Don’t SAY that!” Ruby exclaimed, punching Penny’s shoulder weakly. “You’re here, you’re - that’s not - I -” 

“I missed you too.” Penny murmured, which only made Ruby cry even harder. Penny wrapped her arms back around Ruby in response, burrowing her head in the crook of Ruby’s neck, and closed her eyes. 

She had found them. 

She was finally safe. 

Penny didn’t register everyone else's arms around her until her HUD flashed yellow in warning at an abnormal pressure around her chest. Nora’s arms were clasped tightly around her, squeezing so hard that Penny could feel the gears inside of her popping, and everyone else’s grips were fit to do the same. “Everyone, you’re crushing me.” Penny eked out. The rest of team RWBY and team JNR backed away, everyone’s faces in various states of shock and disbelief. 

“Penny, you’re-” Jaune choked up at the end of his sentence, unable to continue, and Blake took his hand to comfort him. “How?” He managed to warble out. 

“It’s a long story.” Penny replied, standing up. “I’m sorry it took me so long to contact you, I-” 

Penny stopped. Scanning the group, she could see everyone’s faces, all twisted up in shock and happiness, but a familiar face was missing, a tuft of brown hair absent from the group. She craned her neck to look behind them, wondering if he was simply hiding behind the others, but there was no one she recognized behind them. 

“...Where is Oscar?” Penny asked. 

Immediately, she realized that was the wrong thing to say. Everyone stiffened up, looking away, each of them looking some variation of sad, confused, or angry. Penny blinked, turning back to look at Ruby, who’s silver eyes were upturned in a quiet kind of grief. She recognized that expression - it was the same one Ruby wore when talking about Pyrrha. “Oh.” Penny realized, putting two and two together. “I’m sorry for your loss.” She said, taking Ruby’s hand. 

“No, it’s not that,” Ruby quickly replied, pulling her hand away, much to Penny’s surprise. “He’s fine, it’s just…” 

Weiss placed a hand on Ruby’s shoulder protectively, pulling her up. “You’re not the only one here with a long story.” She said, ice in her voice. “We’ll fill you in later.” 

“Y-yeah.” Ruby perked up at that, plastering her ‘leader face’ back on and turning to look at Penny again. “We - oh, we’ve gotta tell Qrow! Oh man, and Theodore too-”

“Headmaster Theodore.” Weiss corrected. 

“He’s technically not our superior anymore.” Yang butted in. “We’re out of school - or at least, some of us are.” She cast Ruby a teasing look, who flushed red, shoving her sister’s arm in response.

“Hey, I’ve essentially graduated!” Ruby laughed, dragging Penny forwards in the direction of Shade Academy. “Come on, we’ve gotta find Qrow!”

Qrow took Penny’s return as she expected him to - mildly surprised, internal confusion, and muted happiness. Together, the group walked into the dark sandstone halls of Shade Academy. A dark-skinned Huntress by the name of Sherri Tza introduced herself as the dean of student life, and Headmaster Theodore’s right-hand man (or woman, in her case) and took them up the elevator to his office. 

Ruby hadn’t stopped talking since they had met up, yammering on about everything she had seen in Vacuo, from a lantern festival, to something as minor as a food truck that served shrimp with ketchup (a food combo Penny would have found gross if she could eat) Apparently, they had only arrived in Vacuo about a week ago, which made Penny’s meetup with them even more lucky than it already was. If Penny was religious, she’d probably be on her hands and knees right now thanking the Gods, but considering what she had heard about them, she figured they probably weren’t worth it. Some other things had happened too, including the infamous Ali B and his gang The Forty Hands all getting apprehended by some unnamed vigilanties, which Penny was grateful for (she had enough on her plate to worry about smaller criminals, and it was comforting to know the people of Vacuo could take care of themselves) There had also been what appeared to have been a meteor strike nearby, which Penny bashfully reported was actually her when she fell from Atlas, which Yang and Nora found hilarious.

The elevator doors opened, cutting Ruby’s story about how they met Sherri short, and the group walked out. The hallway was small and cramped, lit by several weak yellow lamps. Dusty windows lined the walls, and Penny got the distinct sensation of being in some kind of abandoned church. 

Sherri knocked on the door at the end of the hall. “Enter.” A voice boomed from the inside. She opened the door, and the group all walked in. 

Theodore was both exactly what Penny expected and not what she had pictured at all. He was tall, evident even as he was sitting, with dark hair cropped short, sides almost completely shaved off. He was fairly built too, checkered vest straining against the sinews of his arms. A silver cape was draped over the mahogany chair behind him, and his hands were encased in red gloves, embroidered with Dust. His dark eyes were piercing, locking in on Penny as soon as she stepped in the room. Penny would have swallowed if she could, but she opted to look down at the floor instead, bracing herself for a very stern and no-nonsense interrogation. 

“Ah! You must be Penny!!”

Penny barely had time to react before her hand was crushed in a firm handshake, wires and gears creaking under the sheer force of Theodore’s grip. She blinked, confused, before he laughed loudly, voice booming across the hall. “I’ve heard so much about you from James! It’s nice to finally meet you!” 

Well. That certainly was… something. 

“How did you know I was here?” Penny asked, gingerly wrenching her hand away from Theodore’s grasp. 

“Oh, I didn’t.” Theodore laughed again, turning back to his seat. “I was under the impression you were dead. But I’m glad you ended up alive again!” 

“Anyways,” Qrow cut Theodore off, raising a calloused hand. “I’m fairly sure that Penny didn’t come here just for a friendly chat.” 

“Right.” She stepped forward, ignoring all the eyes on her, staring straight at Theodore. “...You were right, I was destroyed.” She began. “But a lot more happened after that.”

When she’s finished recounting her experiences in Atlas, the room’s atmosphere is tense. Theodore’s brow is lined, his hands folded under his chin. Ruby’s face is filled with shock, and the rest of the group seem to be the same way, save for Nora, who looked strangely… pensive. A bit uncharacteristic for her. 

“I can’t believe James would do such a thing.” Theodore said finally. 

“I can.” Qrow grumbled, the rest of the room turning to look at him. “You… you didn’t talk to him during those final days. He was inconsolable.” 

“But… all those people are stuck up there.” Weiss breathed, icy blue eyes filled with a mounting horror. “Winter’s stuck up there!”

“It sounds to me like she doesn’t mind all that much.” Ren pointed out. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Weiss snapped back. 

“I’m just saying that she seemed to be in full support of Ironwood.” He replied. 

“Winter wouldn’t do something like that, she’s just - she -” Weiss trailed off, tears filling her eyes. Blake put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, and Weiss leaned into it, burying her face in the crook of Blake’s shoulder. 

“What do we do?” Jaune asked. “We - we can’t just leave Atlas like that up there.” 

“He’s right.” Nora said, stepping forward. “If people are getting hurt up there, we have to stop it.”

“But how the hell are we going to get up to Atlas anyways?” Yang pointed out. “I doubt an airship would survive the launch.”

“Atlas aside, your mission shouldn’t change.” All eyes turned to Sherri, leaning against the door. “We recruited you to help defend Vacuo and Shade Academy until we found a more suitable holding place for the blueprints.” 

“Wait -” Penny cut her off, stepping forward. “What blueprints?” 

Jaune looked at Ruby, who looked at Qrow, who sighed, rubbing his temples. “Theo, can you pull up the schematics?” He asked. 

Theodore obliged, dimming the room and pressing a button under his desk. The floor beneath Penny hissed, HUD reading that something was coming out of the floor, and she took an involuntary step back, eyes widening. A small platform ascended from the hole below, worn pieces of blue paper lain out on it. Blueprints, Penny realized. 

“What are these?” She muttered, leaning in closer to look. 

“Maps for the catacombs underneath the city.” Theodore began. “Back when the city was first being created, the King of Vale and my great-great-grandfather worked together to create an elaborate system of tunnels that ran underneath and out of Vacuo in case of an emergency.” 

“If the Grimm overran the place during construction, the builders would have somewhere to go.” Qrow interjected, leaning against the desk. “Considering what happened to a lot of the other places that weren’t completed, I guess it seemed like a good idea to them at the time.” 

“But once the city was completed, they never filled it in.” Theodore continued, leaning forward in his chair. “We sealed it off for safe-keeping, but if the big one gets her hands on it-”

(“Who’s the big one?” Penny whispered to Ruby.)

(“Salem.” Ruby mouthed back.)

“-She could easily bypass our defenses, and completely destroy the city with minimal effort.” Theodore finished. “Not to mention, it exposes our biggest weakness - The Relic’s Vault.” The room went quiet at that, the implications of that sentence sinking in. A quick and inconspicuous route to the Vault would be devastating if Salem got her hands on it. “We’re filling in the tunnels as we speak, but there’s only so much we can get done in a short amount of time. At the pace we’re working at, the tunnels would take almost a year and a half to be completely blocked off.” 

“Ah.” Penny said. “That does sound like a problem.”

“I received a tip that Salem is moving to attack, most likely during the upcoming charity ball, where our defenses will be spread the thinnest.” Sherri interjected. 

“Which is why we should just cancel the event in the first place -” Weiss interrupted, in the tone of voice suggesting that they have had this discussion before. 

“-And if we did, we’d basically just be telling Salem that we know she’s here.” Theodore butted in. “I will not have her making me look weak. It doesn’t inspire good leadership.” 

“Besides, the party could be the perfect trap!” Ruby piped up, sticking her head out from behind Jaune. “If we know they’re coming, it should make it easier to catch them.” 

“...I hate this plan.” Weiss mumbled. Blake patted her shoulder in mock sympathy. 

“If you’re up for it, we could really use your help.” Ren interrupted, stepping forward. “It’s fine if you can’t, I know you have a lot of other things to worry about, but you’re a very strong fighter, and more than anything, we’d be happy to have you.” 

Penny blinked, turning to look at everyone else in the room, all eyes expectant. Swiveling to her left, she caught Ruby’s eyes, who smiled back at her warmly. A silent reassurance that no one would judge her if she said no. 

But who was Penny to turn down her best friend?

“I’ll do it.” Penny said. There was a nod of agreement throughout the entire room, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Yang pump her fist in celebration. “I-If that is alright.” 

“It’s more than alright!” Nora exclaimed, jumping on Penny to give her another gear-crushing hug. “It’s awesome, actually!”

“Welcome back Penny.” Blake laughed. 

Penny looked at the gazes of all of her friends - all of the people she had yearned and longed for when she was stuck up in Atlas - and smiled. 

It was good to be home. 

(But one gaze was absent, and she could feel it in the pits of her proverbial chest.) 

“I never thought Ironwood would go that far.” Weiss sighed, leaning back against the couch. After their meeting with Theodore and Sherri, the group had retired to a house they were renting, tucked between two shabby, run-down buildings. The house was dusty, and a lot less clean then the ones she had stayed in at Atlas, but it also felt more cozy. Much more real and lived in.

“I can.” Blake murmured, taking a sip of water. “He always had those kinds of tendencies.”

“But not THAT far!” Weiss exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “I mean - I didn’t agree with what he was doing, but I - I don’t know, I just thought he’d… he’d still have morals or something.” 

“No, he has morals.” Ren interjected. “The problem is that he’s got the wrong ones.” 

They continued discussing Atlas’s state of affairs, but Penny couldn’t get the question off of her mind. She had seen how the group had dodged it earlier, and knew they would probably continue to do so if she didn’t just ask outright. But Penny always felt weird about doing that, but at the same time, she just had to swallow her fear and -

“What happened to Oscar?” 

The room went dead silent. 

Penny turned back to face the team, dual gaze looking somewhat downcast. “...I asked earlier, and you said we’d talk about it later. But now it’s later, so I -”

“N-no, it’s fine.” Everyone seemed just as surprised as Penny was to see Ruby speak up, seemingly having aged ten years at the mention of her missing friend. “It’s just… a bit hard to talk about.”

“Yeah, not like he made it any easier on us.” Yang muttered. When Penny gave her a weird look at that strangely venomous comment directed towards someone she knew Yang considered as a friend, Yang sighed, leaning back against the couch. “He… he’s not the same person you knew.” She replied, closing her eyes. “He changed.” 

“What happened to him?” Penny repeated. 

Ruby took a deep breath, as if to steel herself, before beginning. “He… you remember when we split into groups at Atlas?” When Penny nodded, Ruby continued. “Well… after you left our group, a Grimm pulled our ship down. Turns out a bunch of Grimm were all tracking him across the city, and eventually he…” Ruby swallowed, blinking rapidly. “He ran into an ambush to get me out safely.” 

“Oh.” But something wasn’t right. “But you said he wasn’t…?” 

“He didn’t die.” Ren continued, seeing Ruby’s distressed state. “Salem captured him. We were under the impression that he had died, so the next time we saw him, we didn’t even recognize him.”

“His hair was white.” Ruby butted in, regaining her composure. “He looked a lot skinnier, and he had this mask over his face so we couldn’t see him.” 

“But why would he need that?” The answer dawned on Penny before anyone could answer, and her face fell. “...Oh.” 

“We still don’t know why he was fighting for Salem.” Nora continued. “It seemed like he was being controlled by her, but at the same time…” 

“Is he… still with Salem?” Penny asked.

“No.” Ruby replied. “He… we got him back, after a fight at Vale a few months back. I knocked his mask off and…” Ruby trails off, biting her knuckles. “His face was just… just covered in Grimm, Penny. It was like Cinder’s arm, but… but everywhere , and I-” 

Ruby’s breath hitches, overcome with emotion, hands dug into the fabric of the couch violently trembling. Yang sits down next to Ruby, putting an arm protectively around her shoulder, and Ruby inhales deeply, breath shaking, which Yang takes as her cue to pick up the story. “Ruby knocked some sense into him with her silver eyes,” She explains, rubbing comforting circles on Ruby’s back. “He was out for a bit, then woke up, and stayed with us for a few months. But after Cinder failed to get the Beacon relic, he just… got up and left.” 

“He left?” Penny exclaimed in disbelief, taken aback by the turn of events. “But why?” 

“That’s the thing, we don’t really know.” Blake butted in, stepping forward. “He left us a tiny note, and then just… radio silence.”

“Do you have the note?” Penny gingerly asked. Blake nodded, moving into the other room to grab it. While she was gone, Penny sat down next to Ruby, who seemed to have calmed down. “Are you okay?” She asked quietly. 

“I- no.” Ruby mumbled. “I’m sorry, I should be calmer about this, but it’s been almost three months and we don’t know where he went and I -” Penny placed her hand over Ruby’s trembling palm, and Ruby exhaled, steadying herself. “...I’m really worried.” Ruby breathed. “I just want to know if he’s okay.” 

Blake came back into the room, holding a small slip of torn paper. Penny picked it up, gingerly examining it. Her scanners indicated traces of Oscar’s DNA, dating back two months and twenty-six days, meaning the note was probably legitimate. Blinking her HUD away, Penny squinted, reading the jagged handwriting. 

Hi everyone,

I’m sorry this is so abrupt, but I’ve got to go get the rest of my team. Please don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay. You have your own mission, so don’t bother coming after me. Sorry. 

-Oscar P.

Penny blinked, mouth hanging slightly open. “That’s it?” She exclaimed incredulously, turning the paper over, looking for anything, any kind of addendum. “That’s all he wrote?” 

“Yeah.” Jaune muttered, folding up the note and sticking it in his back pocket. “And that’s the last we’ve heard from him.” 

“Who are the teammates he’s talking about? Aren’t you -” 

“Like he said, we don’t know.” Yang cut Penny off, standing and crossing her arms. “He went off a while ago, and we haven’t seen him since.” 

“Have you looked?” Penny asked, standing up. 

“We’ve tried - but he’s well and truly vanished.” Ren admitted. “Closest we got was some security footage of a boy who only sort of looked like him - and that was months ago.” 

“Oh.” Penny looked down at her black boots, a swooping sensation running through her. Oscar leaving with little to no fanfare was… troubling to say the least. But there was more troubling her than just that. Looking around the room, she could see everyone’s expressions, tight and withdrawn. But everyone all had a different look in their eyes, like there was something each of them wanted to say about the situation, but just… wouldn’t. 

Couldn’t. 

It would seem there was more to the situation than met the eye. 

Chapter Text

Penny settled into a routine so quickly it almost scared herself. 

Vacuo was preparing for any kind of attack, determined not to go the same route as Atlas and Mantle. Penny spent her days helping build up the wall outside the city, as well as making sure all defenses were in working order. The Huntsman stationed all around the city were gruff, but receptive, a nice breath of fresh air from the stifling conditions in Atlas. 

Speaking of Atlas, Theodore was in the process of attempting communications with the floating city. Since Vacuo’s CCT tower was still in commission, several technicians had begun attempting to broaden its range, making it so the radio waves could potentially reach out of the atmosphere. Penny, however, had advised against this. “I don’t think the General is going to reciprocate any aid you try to send to him,” She had pointed out. “He’s really determined to disconnect all of Atlas from the rest of Remnant.”

“It’s important we try anyway.” Theodore had replied. “If anyone can get through to him now, it’s me.” Qrow, who was standing in the corner of the room, rolled his eyes, to which Theodore had chuckled. “I’m not trying to make myself seem like the bigger man here, I genuinely believe I can. You might laugh, but out of all four headmasters, I was the only one who could actually get James to change his mind.” 

“Not even Ozpin?” Penny had asked. 

“Oh, definitely not Ozpin. Seriously, James treated every encounter with that guy like it was a contest of measuring d-” Qrow had cleared his throat loudly then, and Theodore had shut up. 

Now, Penny was flying over the parameter of Shade Academy, checking for any weak spots or gaps in their defenses. They had about two weeks until the Shade Charity Ball, when Salem could potentially strike. The trap had been set - now it was just up to Penny and her team to pull it off, assuming Salem’s minions even showed up at all. 

“Imagine if nothing actually happens at the ball,” Nora remarked as Penny landed on the observation deck she and Ren were stationed at. “All this stress for nothing - that’d actually be kinda funny.” 

“It’s good to be prepared just in case.” Ren countered. “And I’m actually willing to bet that they will show up. If I were in their shoes, this would seem like the perfect opening.” 

“All defenses are in place.” Penny began, landing on the deck with a loud clunk. “Turrets are operational, cameras are clear, and the motion sensors are detecting movement just fine.” 

“Well that’s good,” Nora started, sighing. “The last thing we need are technical difficulties.” She stood up straight, rolling her shoulders back. “I’m gonna get some food.” She said, “I think it’s brunch today, so you want me to grab you some waffles?” 

“That’s okay,” Ren replied, giving Nora a fond smile. “I’m not super hungry right now, so I’m just going to sit up here a bit longer.”

“In this heat?” Nora remarked, giving Ren an incredulous look. “You’re gonna fry like a hot potato.” 

“I’ll be fine.” Nora rolled her eyes at Ren’s reply, but smiled, elbowing him teasingly. She started down the stairs towards the mess hall, but not before waving at Penny again, who waved back. The two of them watched until Nora’s bright red hair disappeared from sight. Ren sighed, a fond smile on his face, before sitting down on the deck, crossing his legs. Penny opted to try and copy him, but found sitting criss-cross was a bit difficult due to her chunky rocket boots. 

She stared up into the clear blue sky, harsh sunlight flitting across her optics. She could see no clouds for miles around, the only things dotting the sky being several trade airships. She could hear the sound of the city below them, the busy streets and the clinking watermills, churning endlessly. It was certainly a new environment, maybe a bit dangerous, but Vacuo felt so alive. It was such a far cry off from the cold and empty streets of Atlas. 

She turned to look at Ren, who was staring off into the distance as well. His hair, pulled up into a bun away from his face, loosened in the wind, strands of flyaway hair framing his face. He looked… peaceful. It was probably the most at-ease Penny had ever seen Ren look. It was nice to see him so happy. She wondered what happened to him while she was gone. 

“How have you been?” Ren asked after a moment of peaceful silence. 

“I’m good.” Penny replied, allowing herself to lean back. “Vacuo is… strange, but it is nice.” 

“Probably a lot better than Atlas, right?” Ren pointed out. When Penny turned to look at him, he smiled again. “You seem relieved.” 

“That was… very astute of you.” Penny replied quietly. 

“Did the others not tell you about my Semblance?” 

“You can cloak emotions, right?” 

“Not just that anymore,” Ren leans back too, closing his eyes as if he’s focusing on something only he can see. “I can sense other people’s emotions now too.” 

“Oh - congratulations!” Penny remarked, smiling. “Semblance evolutions are always very exciting. I remember when Ruby’s Semblance evolved - she didn’t even notice it until I pointed it out.”

“Yeah, she told me about that afterwards,” Ren chuckled. “You’re pretty good at being ahead of the curve.” 

“Thank you.” Penny responded, and the two of them lapsed off into silence. Penny’s thoughts drifted back to the conversation she had back in their house, about Oscar. She had been meaning to ask the others about it, but she hadn’t ever found the time to, what with the preparations for the charity ball and all that. And besides, she got the sense that most of them didn’t really want to talk about it. 

But what would that solve if they all just ignored the problem? Penny knew that trying to wait out your own feelings really didn’t resolve anything, if Atlas was any indication of it - but would they get mad if she asked? Maybe the question was just off limits? 

“If you want to ask me something, you can.” Ren interrupted, Penny’s visual sensors bugging out in surprise. She flinched, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. It would seem that Ren’s Semblance evolution was stronger than she thought. “I won’t get mad if that’s what you’re worried about.” Ren continued, fixing Penny with a soft look. 

Penny puffed her cheeks out in thought, running through the calculations. If she did ask, there was a good chance Ren would get mad and tell her to stop being nosy - a good 56% probability, with the information she had available. However, even if Ren did decide to talk to her, the topic might bring him down and make him gloomy for the rest of the day, probability 33%. But then again, if she just didn’t say anything at all, he might get suspicious and think she’s being - 

“Honestly, I don’t have that much to say about him.” Ren interrupted. 

Penny looked up, mismatched eyes widening in confusion. “You mean… Oscar?” She asked quietly. 

“Yeah, I figured that’s what you were so nervous about asking.” Ren replied. 

Penny exhaled, leaning back on her hands, staring up at the sky. “I am… sorry for bringing it up.” She said quietly. “I know it is probably hard to talk about -” 

“Don’t be.” Ren interjected again, sighing and rolling his shoulders back. “We were going to have to talk about it eventually.” 

Penny turned away, twiddling her thumbs, unsure of what to say or where to start.

“What did… what did Yang mean when she said he was different?” Penny finally asked. 

Ren looked away, frowning. “He had… been through a lot.” He started. “I mean, of course he was going to be a bit shell-shocked. He had been trapped with Salem for a good four months, that’s probably not going to do anything good to your mental state. And of course, there were all the Grimm markings-” 

“What exactly did they look like?” Penny asked. 

“They were like… lines.” Ren recalled. “Jet black lines, criss-crossing all over his body - they almost looked like vines, or lash marks.”

Penny attempted to recreate the mental image of Oscar, covered in Grimm in her head. She found that she couldn’t, really, and she didn’t really want to. “Is the Grimm gone?” She asked quietly. 

“Ruby used her silver eyes and got rid of it when they fought at Vale.” Ren replied, leaning back as well. “Salem sent her forces to come and get the Relic, and then halfway into the fight they just left - and then Oscar exploded.” 

“...Metaphorically?” 

“Literally. I guess the Grimm made his magic go out of control - but you should have seen the Emerald Forest afterwards, it looked like a tornado had just touched down.” Penny shuddered, and Ren continued. “But as I was saying, he was just a lot more abrasive and prickly. He reminded me a bit of a hedgehog, curling up when it gets scared.” 

“I see.” Penny frowned, brow furrowing. “Did you talk to him?” 

“Not much.” Ren admitted. “We were never very close back when he was on the team, and when he came back, his abrasiveness, combined with my ability to see his emotions… he made me kind of uncomfortable, to say the least.” Ren exhaled, brushing flyaway hair out of his face. “I think he made all of us nervous - maybe that’s why he left. I imagine he must have felt kind of isolated.” 

“What were his emotions like?” Penny asked. 

Ren frowned, deep in thought, before straightening up. “There’s one specific moment I remember very clearly.” He began. 

Lie Ren found it very ironic that his Semblance had evolved so that he could see and feel everyone’s emotions, because he was the type of person to avoid big feelings at every possible convenience. 

Between the Nucklavee, his conflicting feelings of loyalty towards Ironwood’s plan, and anguish at the loss of Oscar and Penny - Penny, Penny again? How could they fail her like that a second time?! - he had certainly had a lot of conflicting emotions he needed to sort out, which he proceeded to not do for a good three months. 

That all changed, however, three weeks before Salem attacked Vale again. 

When Team RWBY and Team JNR had taken two different ships back to Vale, they had each separately encountered Salem’s forces. Ren’s group had fought Cinder, Tyrian, Hazel, and Watts, and from what he had been told, Mercury, Emerald, Neo, and some mysterious masked boy had run into Team RWBY. While battling midair, Ruby and the masked boy had fallen into the mines in the mountain ranges below them. Ruby had reportedly begged them to leave her behind - again, again, why is this becoming a pattern for them - leaving Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Qrow to get to Vale. 

When they had met up again, reuniting with the Beacon Staff-turned-Huntsmen, the immediate concern was to secure the Relic. Ruby’s whereabouts were an afterthought. 

Ren had snapped. 

“No one is replaceable!” He had shouted at a weary Glynda and a blindsided Port. “Ruby is a member of our team - we’re not just leaving her behind!” 

And then he could see it. 

Iridescent, dancing petals, swirling around the room like a hailstorm - and quiet, hushed murmuring, faint bitter aftertaste on the back of his tongue. 

He looked to Qrow - blue forget-me-nots swirling around him. His mouth tastes like wine. 

To Yang - spider lilies float like a halo over her head, burning heat like spice and anger in his mouth. 

To Nora - green dahlias mix with sakura pink, crinkled brow and lime juice giving away her worry. 

He looked down at himself. Red, red like roses, coat his hands, his feet, his tongue. 

Ruby had come back safe, of course. She hadn’t said anything about the mystery man, but Ren could tell by the chaotic swirl of color and taste that he wasn’t gone - and that she might know more than she was telling them. 

Ren hadn’t pressed, but when the massive swirling tornado of green and black magic loomed over him not even a few weeks later, he got the distinct feeling that he probably should have. 

And now Oscar was unconscious, kept alive on machines in the top floor of the house they were renting. The doctors said his body had been through extreme trauma, and needed time to rest. 

It had been two weeks since then. 

He still hadn’t woken up. 

His heart rate was abnormally slow. 

Would he-

“Lie, you’re doing the face again.” And Ren perked up to see Nora, sitting next to him at the dining table, pancakes lying in pieces on her plate. When he looked around the table, he could see everyone else doing the same, breakfast a simple and quiet affair. “It’s too early to be worrying so much, you’re gonna get wrinkles!” 

“I know.” Ren sighed, taking a bite of the pancakes Jaune had been nice enough to wake up early to make for the group. “It’s just been two weeks, and -”

Nora shoved a forkful of pancakes into his mouth, and Ren choked, eyes going wide. “Oh, no more of that talk,” Nora sing-songed, but there’s an undercurrent of tension in her voice. “Oscar’s gonna be fine.” 

“Morning.” Yang entered the dining hall, halfway through twisting on her prosthetic arm, and slumped down into a chair, yawning loudly. “Has anyone seen Ruby?” Yang asked, voice still crackly from sleep. 

“She was spending the night in Oscar’s room.” Blake replied quietly, staring at her plate. 

“I hope she knows that if she keeps sleeping in that chair in the corner, she’s gonna get a crick in her back.” Jaune joked, but it landed on deaf ears. “...Sorry, I’ll - I’ll get you a plate Yang.” 

“I’m… worried about her,” Weiss remarked, watching Jaune awkwardly fumble out of the room. “I mean, I get being concerned about him, but she’s going to give herself an ulcer one of these days.” 

“Or collapse from exhaustion, have you seen the bags under her eyes?” Blake interjected. 

“They’re not any worse than yours, babe.” Yang retorted. 

“...Fair enough.” 

Ren went back to eating his food, trying to calm himself down. “Here you go,” Jaune placed a plate of pancakes in front of Yang, who dug into them with no hesitation. “There’s no more left, so if you-” 

Ren tuned him out, trying to focus on something else. Underneath the cloying sweetness of his breakfast, he can taste the worry and anxiety of everyone at the table, everyone preoccupied with the mission to secure the Relic and their comatose teammate. The question of: ‘what if he never wakes up?’ is one that they all wanted to ask, but didn't. 

Warmth jerked him out of his stupor. Ren looked up to see Nora squeezing his hand. Ren managed a weak smile back, trying to mentally assure her he was gonna be okay, before he heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind him, and went back to eating his food. 

“You missed the pancakes Ruby!” Nora shouted over her shoulder towards the stairwell. “Maybe you should consider waking up on time so that -” She stopped, suddenly gasping, and Ren heard the tell-tale sound of glass shattering on the wooden floor. 

Ren turned to look. “Nora? Are you-” He stopped. 

Everyone stopped, all turning to stare at the stairwell. 

Oscar Pine stared back at them, shaggy uncut hair gray save for streaks of brown, skin puckered and scarred abnormally lightly, and eyes - blissfully clear hazel - bloodshot and exhausted. The t-shirt he was wearing, presumably stolen from Jaune, hung heavy over his skeletal frame, swallowing up his form. 

He looked like a ghost. 

Oscar’s tired eyes scanned the group before him, and he pursed his lips. “Was I… interrupting something -? I - I can go back upstairs if you guys want to finish.” 

Silence. No one seemed to know what to say. 

“...Oscar?” Jaune finally said, voice raspy. “Is that… really you?” 

Oscar blinked, as if surprised by the question. “...Yeah.” He mumbled. “Hi.” 

Nora shot up, a grin of relief spreading over her face, and she dashed over towards him, arms outstretched - 

-Oscar caught her by the shoulders, arms outstretched to keep distance between the two of them. Nora stopped short, blinking in surprise. Oscar’s expression went from cornered, to shameful in the span of half a second, and he pulled his hands away from her as if he had been burned. “S-Sorry-” He said, folding his arms over one another. “I - you um, just kind of surprised me, sorry.” 

“Oh.” Nora looked a bit put out by Oscar’s lukewarm response, before brightening up again. “Well, welcome back! How are you feeling?” 

“...Fine.” Oscar muttered, pushing shaggy bangs out of his face. “Kinda sore, I guess.” 

“That - that’s good!” Ren barely even needed to use his Semblance to know that Nora was floundering a bit, thrown off by Oscar’s sudden withdrawn attitude. He can see beside him that Weiss’s face was pulled up in something resembling second-hand embarrassment, and Jaune was looking away pointedly. “Do you want something to eat?” 

“...Is that okay?” 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Weiss remarked. Oscar glanced at her briefly, giving her a look Ren couldn't quite decipher, before ducking into the kitchen and out of sight. 

No one said anything for a few seconds, before Jaune turned towards Ren to whisper at him. “What was that interaction just now?” He hissed. 

“Painful.” Ren dryly replied, just as Nora slid back into her chair on his other side. 

“He seems so put out - I hope he’s okay.” Nora muttered. 

“The guy’s been through a lot, he probably just needs time to readjust,” Jaune pointed out. “Maybe we just give him some space -” 

“GUYS I GOTTA TELL YOU SOMETHING!!” A high-pitched shriek echoes down the stairwell, and Ruby shoots out from the dark hall, petals flying out behind her, bandage covering the wound Oscar had given her at Vale just above her eye. “I know it’s kinda sudden but-”

“We know Oscar’s awake.” Blake said dryly. 

Ruby blinked, silver eyes wide with confusion. “You - you do?” She asked. 

“He’s getting breakfast.” Ren interjected. 

Ruby blinked again, pursuing her lips. “O-oh!” She said, regaining her mojo. “Alright, that’s - that’s good!” 

“Where is he, anyways?” Weiss asked, with mild suspicion in her voice. “It should not take this long to pour a bowl of cereal.” 

“Look, maybe he doesn’t know where it is…” Ren tuned out the rest of Ruby’s conversation, standing up and moving towards the kitchen. He ducked down under the low door frame, emerging into the small, clean, and extremely white kitchen they had in their rental house, to be greeted with Oscar, sitting criss-cross on top of the marble counter, indiscriminately shoving Pumpkin Pete’s in his mouth. Ren blinked, taken aback. 

“Why are you… eating on the sink?” Ren finally asked when the silence was getting unbearable. 

“I figured you guys wanted to finish your breakfast in peace.” Oscar replied, uncharacteristically dryly. 

“You’re allowed to eat with us, you know.” Ren remarked

“It’d be kind of awkward. I can hear what you guys were just saying when I left, so I figured I’d just stay in here.” Oscar shrugged, hunching over his bowl. 

Ren, unsure of what to do, popped his lips awkwardly. “I’m sorry,” He started. “This was just kind of… sudden.” 

“It’s okay,” Oscar said quietly. But Ren could tell, even without his Semblance, that Oscar didn’t really mean what he said. “I get if you guys don’t trust me.” 

“That… wasn’t your fault.” Ren replied unevenly. “Salem did that to you. I know you wouldn’t have attacked us otherwise.” 

Oscar didn’t respond, instead opting to shovel spoonfuls of cereal in his mouth. Ren frowned, placing his dish in the sink, turning the faucet on to scrub away the syrup that was left behind. The whole atmosphere in the kitchen made him kind of uncomfortable, but what was really throwing him off was just how… deadpan Oscar sounded. Before, his voice had always had this nervous, but earnest tremor to it. It was always super easy to tell what he was thinking just by the tone of his voice. But now, the door that was Oscar, once wide open, had been shut in Ren’s face, leaving the stone wall that was now Oscar Pine in its place. 

It’s… sad. Ren’s sad. 

“Do you want some?” Ren was jerked out of his thoughts by Oscar sticking out the box of Pumpkin Pete’s in his face. “Because this is like, the best thing I’ve ever eaten right now.” 

“That’s probably because you haven’t ingested any solid food in the past two weeks.” Ren replied, pushing the box away. “And I just ate, so I’m alright.” 

Oscar didn’t respond to that, opting to pour another bowl of cereal into - did he put the cereal in after the milk? Who does that?! “Did Cinder end up getting the Relic?” Oscar asked after a moment. 

“No.” Ren replied. “When you had your… outburst-”

“When I exploded.” Oscar cut in dryly. 

“...Yeah, that,” Ren still wasn’t sure how to broach the topic, so he opts to try and speed through his explanation as quickly as possible. “Essentially, all of Salem’s forces had to retreat so they wouldn’t get caught in the blast.”

“Oh.” Oscar stared down at his bowl of cereal, before resuming eating. “Glad I was good for something, I guess.” 

Ren wasn’t sure how to respond to that statement - this entire conversation had been one off-putting comment after another, in fact. Ren had to wonder how Oscar’s feeling through all this, and he took a deep breath. “How are you feeling now?” He asked. 

“Sore.” 

“No, I meant emotionally.” 

Oscar fixed Ren a weird look then, one Ren can’t quite decipher. “...Fine?” Oscar responded apprehensively. “Why are you asking?” 

“I just want to know if you’re okay or not.” Ren finished. “We all do.” 

Oscar mumbled something into his cereal that sounded like ‘sure’, before straightening up. “I’m okay.” He said after a moment. “Just kind of tired.” 

Ren raised an eyebrow. Again, he didn’t need his Semblance to know Oscar was lying through his teeth. But when Oscar turned away, the silent cue for ‘please shut up I don’t want to talk right now’, Ren opted not to say anything else. 

…He could use his Semblance to try and figure out how Oscar was feeling. But maybe it would be better to ask? 

Ren looked up at Oscar, hunched over his food, and determidly not making eye contact. Yeah, I don’t think I’m gonna get much out of him. Ren thought. Semblance it is. 

Ren focused his mind, narrowing his eyes, drawing out the emotions he could feel radiating off the person next to him - 

The first thing he tasted was chalk. 

Chalk, then bile, then sour curds. Ren wrinkled his nose, tasting the feelings of bitterness and anger. But what was really telling were the flowers torrenting around his form. 

It was a gale of multicolored petals, red, green, and blue billowing around him and scattering on the floor. There was a muffled ringing in Ren’s ears, like the chiming of a dinner bell, and he noticed then, the flower petals were faded and black, like dead leaves in the winter. 

Fear. Anger. Bitterness and sadness and the overwhelming feeling of being alone - 

Ren blinked, Semblance fizzling out. He can already feel the start of a headache coming on, caused by when he overextended himself - but that couldn’t be right, this was just one person, this was the first time he’d used it that day. Oscar’s face betrayed nothing, still eating his breakfast, unbeknownst to Ren’s confusion. He noticed Ren staring at him, and looked awkwardly to the left. “You… need something?” Oscar asked.

“...You know you can talk to us, right?” Ren finally said after a minute of processing that. “If you’re feeling down or something.” 

Oscar gave Ren a fixed look, and this time, Ren can identify it perfectly. 

It’s bitterness. 

“I’ll pass.” Oscar said coldly. 

The rest of breakfast was spent in silence. 

“I never talked much to him after that.” Ren admitted, Penny watching his forlorn expression. “Ever since that encounter, something about him always just threw me.” 

“Has that… with your Semblance, has that ever happened before?” Penny tentatively asked. 

“Never.” Ren replied, gaze stormy. “I mean, I’ve felt intense emotions before, but never like that. Never so… dark.” Ren buried his head in his hands, tension seeping from his shoulders. “I should have talked to him more. I could see he was hurting, but I didn’t - I just didn’t know what to do.” 

Penny placed a hand softly on his shoulder, and Ren looked up, pink eyes haunted. “...Sometimes I feel like the Gods gave me the wrong Semblance.” Ren admitted. “Why give a power like this to someone who barely even understands themselves?” 

Penny wasn’t quite sure how to answer that, so she kept her hand on the small of his back. “...I don’t think it’s a bad thing.” Penny admitted. “You seem happier here than you ever were in Atlas.” 

“I’ve been figuring myself out.” Ren replied, sitting up. “Granted, Nora and Jaune have really been helping me - but it kind of feels like too little, too late.” He looked up, exhaling. “I have a responsibility to use my power,” Ren began. “And I wasted it.” 

“I don’t think you did.” Penny replied. “It’s your Semblance - you’re the one who gets to decide how to use it.” 

“But-”

“I would not ask you to be the sole person responsible for everyone’s happiness,” Penny interjected. “And I don’t think the others would either.” 

Ren looked away at that. Penny stood, watching the airships pass by, cutting through the blue sky like a sword to a cloth. 

“...You are a very strong person, Ren.” Penny said, sticking her hand out to pull him up. “And for what it is worth, I do not think it is too late.” 

Ren smiled weakly, taking her hand. “I hope so.” He muttered. “Gods, I hope so.”

Chapter Text

Since Penny didn’t need to eat anything, she didn’t really go into Shade’s dining hall all that much. So, as she stood in it now, she looked around the dark hall, made with palm wood and mortar bricks, familiarizing herself with the details. The dusty windows had intricate stained glass patterns on them, slightly faded from the sun, and the cobblestone floor beneath her feet echoed with every step she took. All around her, students milled about in the lines, grabbing their different meals. 

Penny briefly remembered the Beacon dining hall, with its large arched windows and brass chandeliers. She never went in there much either, but the few times she did, it was to hang out with Ruby and her friends. The few moments she had to just relax and truly be a normal girl. 

That ship had sailed. 

Penny scanned the room, looking back and forth for a familiar shock of ginger hair. It didn’t take her long to find Nora, at the tail end of the buffet line, piling waffles into a small takeout box. “Nora!” Penny shouted, waving her hands to get her attention. Nora noticed her immediately, perking up. The guy behind her cleared his throat and Nora gave him a pout, before shoving her to-go box closed, putting it in a paper bag, and sidling over to where Penny was standing. 

“Hey!” Nora exclaimed, a beaming smile across her face. “What brings you here? Last I checked, you didn’t need to eat.” 

“I wanted to come talk to you.” Penny replied, as the two of them began to make their way out of the dining hall. “I feel like with all the commotion, we have not really had a chance to catch up.” 

“That’s so true,” Nora swerved past a student, narrowly avoiding collision, before straightening back up. “Sorry I haven’t really talked to you, I’ve just been really busy with, you know,” Nora lowered her voice to a stage whisper, wiggling her thick eyebrows. “The secret mission?” 

“It is not that much of a secret we’re in charge of defenses,” Penny laughed, amused at Nora’s theatrics. “I have had several students and faculty ask me about it.” 

“Yeah, but they don’t know what it’s really for!” Nora replied, waggling her fingers, before almost dropping her bag of food, catching the drawstring handle with her pinky finger. “If the ball-goers knew they were being used as bait, they’d never show up-”

Penny clamped a hand over Nora’s mouth as several students passed by. She leveraged them a tight smile, ignoring their weird looks as they walked away. “...Sorry.” Nora mumbled when they were out of earshot. “Me and my big fat mouth.” 

“That would make two of us.” Penny laughed good-naturedly, as they exited the campus and onto the main road. “Are you going to go back to the helipad?” 

“Is Lie still there?” Nora asked. 

“No, I believe he was heading to Headmaster Theodore’s office.” Penny replied.

“I think it’s just Theodore now, actually.” 

“Considering we are still very young, and he’s letting us use his campus facilities, it feels strange to me to not call him by his formal title.” 

“We’re closer to employees than students, you know.” They rounded the corner, passing some shouting street vendors and ducking under some floating lanterns. 

“Qrow and Sherri Tza call him Headmaster.” 

“Well -” Their discussion is cut off by a car whizzing by, splashing dirty water all over Penny and Nora’s shirts. Penny blinked, still registering what happened, while Nora darted forward, shouting at the back of the car. “Watch where you’re driving, you jerkwad! Now my shirt’s ruined!”

“Maybe we should go back to the house to get these washed.” Penny remarked. 

Nora let out a heaving sigh, rolling her head back in frustration. “Yeah, I guess.” She pouted, as the two of them turned the other direction. “Good thing Yang isn’t here, she’d so laugh at me.”

“...It is a little bit funny.” 

“Shut up!” 

Penny watched her clothes spin in the dryer, the sound echoing all throughout the tiny washroom. Nora sat on top of the washing machine, anxiously tapping its surface. “...How long does it take for this thing to dry one shirt, anyways?” Nora grumbled. 

“The timer says the shirts have twenty minutes left.” Penny replied, pointing at the digital display on the side of the machine. 

“Uuugh-” Nora groaned, sliding off the top of the washer like a limp noodle. “This is seriously not how I thought I’d be spending my Thursday.” 

“It will not be much longer.” Penny remarked. Nora stuck her tongue out in response, and the two of them fell silent, Penny lost in thought. Her mind was still reeling from the information that Ren had shared with her about Oscar’s departure - but she had to wonder why he hadn’t bothered to share that with anyone else. Even with Ren’s trepidation aside, Penny felt like what he saw with his Semblance would have been an incredibly crucial thing to tell everyone else - but yet he didn’t. Perhaps he was attempting to keep Oscar’s privacy? It was a noble thought, but maybe not the best approach to this scenario. Penny has a very distinct memory of her father telling her when she was fresh out of Beacon and in the process of being rebuilt, that if you know someone who’s in significant emotional distress, it’s best to find a way to get them real help, even if they might be apprehensive. Penny knew that’s what happened to Ironwood - his emotions were left unchecked and unopposed, and he succumbed to his pride. And she really did not want the same for Oscar. 

“...What did you and Lie talk about?” Nora finally asked. 

“O-Oh!” Penny perked up at that, unsure of what to say. “We were just catching up.” 

Nora smirked, sitting up and pulling her legs close together so she was criss-cross on the washing room floor. “Did he mention me at all?” She teased. 

“Yes.” Penny replied flatly. “But they were all good things.” 

“Oh.” Nora’s face flushed slightly, before she regained her composure. “Well, he better have. Gods know I brag about him all the time to everyone else!”

Penny narrowed her eyes, something dawning on her. “Are you two… an item?” She asked tentatively. 

Nora went bright red at that, giggling and turning away. “Well, I - um - yeah, actually!” 

“Oh!” Penny instantly felt like an idiot for not realizing - first name basis, casual intimate touching, fond looks- it was the textbook definition of a new couple in their honeymoon period. Blake and Yang did that a lot too, now that she thought about it. And she saw Ruby giving her a lot of fond looks, and they held hands sometimes for comfort - were she and Ruby an item and Penny hadn’t even realized it? 

“...Penny?” Penny tuned her out, mentally running through the calculations. “Are you… okay?” Nora prodded. 

“...How do you tell if you are in a relationship with someone?” Penny asked.

Nora gave her a confused look, arching a thick eyebrow. “...Usually someone says you are?” She responded. “Why do you ask?” 

“I was wondering, since Ruby and I do a lot of the same things you and Ren do, if that would make us a couple.” 

Nora sputtered at that, a half-laugh, half-wheeze. “Wait - is this a serious question?” She gasped. 

“I think so.” 

Nora let out another guffaw, and Penny got the feeling she might be missing some crucial context. “Maybe you want to ask her then.” Nora replied, after her giggling fit had subsided. “I mean, I’m not exactly the romance guru out of our teams.” 

“Who would that be?” 

“...I dunno, Blake? She’s had like, seven exes at this point, and she and Yang are still going strong. She’s probably had the most experience out of all of us. Granted, I’m pretty sure a good chunk of her exes turned out to be terrorists, but that’s kind of par for the course at this point.” 

Penny was left wondering how much she missed while she was out of commission, and decided to change the subject. “How did you two end up getting together?” She asked. 

“Oh, it was really stupid.” Nora replied bashfully. “I kinda ended up confessing during Robin’s party - do you remember that?” 

“I try not to, but yes.” 

“Yeah, well, way, WAY after, while we were in Vale, he just kinda up and said he was in love with me, and we’ve been together ever since!”

“...That is it?” 

“I’m just as surprised as you are, honestly.” Nora remarked, leaning back. “We were in the middle of a patrol, and I shot a Beawolf, and I turned to him and was like ‘are you okay’? And then he just flat out says ‘I’m in love with you’ and that was that.” 

“Huh.” From her understanding, that was a bit of an unconventional way to do things, but if it worked for them, she can’t really complain. “You two seem quite happy.” 

“Yeah.” Nora replied, a wistful smile on her face. “I was a little annoyed he waited so long, but I’m kinda happy that’s how it ended up turning out. I didn’t really have the best grasp on myself without him for a long time, so I spent a lot of time figuring myself out in Vale.” 

“That was very mature of you.” 

“Thanks.” The two of them lapsed off into silence, before Nora turned back, brushing hair out of her face. “Well, on any note, things seem to be going a lot smoother now.” 

“Since Oscar left?” Penny asked, and instantly regretted it the moment she said it. Nora didn’t respond, carefree expression melting off her face like ice cream left in the sun. Penny’s eyes widened, and she tried to backpedal. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to imply it like that.” 

“No you’re fine.” Nora sighed, leaning back against the washer. “And you’re right. The atmosphere was a lot better after he was gone.” 

“That is… actually what Ren and I were talking about.” Penny admitted. “About what exactly happened.” 

“What’d he say?” Nora asked. 

“Not much. Just about how he could sense how Oscar was feeling.” She opted not to elaborate, since she got the feeling that Ren wanted to keep what he knew private. “...Are you upset that he left?” 

Nora opened her mouth, and then closed it, almost like she was buffering. “...Yeah.” She finally said. “I know a lot of the team will probably tell you otherwise, but I really miss him.” She looked down at the ground, blue eyes downcast. “He was going through a lot, and I feel like I let him down?” 

“Let him down… how?” Penny asked. 

Nora looked up, gaze wistful and far away. “I think - well, there was this one time…”

Nora Valkyrie liked to consider herself a very put together person. Not put-together in the sense of seeming competent or calm, moreso in the sense of knowing who she was, and what her deal was. 

Turns out, that hadn’t even been true. 

Atlas had been hard. Nora was still coming to terms with her feelings for Ren, and on top of that, she didn’t even have any time to think about it, what with the several terrorist plots and all. It all came to a head as Atlas fell, as she realized that without the boy she had grown up with by her side, she didn’t even know who she was. But then, as quick they had arrived, they were forced to leave, Atlas vanishing into the stars, leaving a Mantle overrun with Grimm behind. The team was forced to run to Vale to secure the Relic of Choice, as Huntsmen and Huntresses from the other kingdoms flooded in, trying to do damage control. 

She had heard the death toll was up in the tens of thousands down in Mantle. She really didn’t want to see the exact number. 

And yet, life went on. They made it to Vale, after a brief incident where Ruby got stuck in the mines, but she had turned out okay, so it was all good, right? 

(Later, as she stood on the plateau overlooking the Emerald Forest, a massive torrent of raging green magic on the horizon, Nora quickly realized that maybe she had missed a few crucial details.)

And now Oscar was back, which was good. (Kind of) Sure, he’d seemed kind of stilted and unsure, but being out for almost a month would probably do that to you. Nora was pretty sure that he’d be able to shake it off fairly quickly. 

She couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Days passed, and he just kept… skulking. Standing in the corner during group conversations, picking at the scars on his hands. Where he once walked down the halls with awkward, stumbling steps, easy to pick up from a ways away, now, he slinked. Nora often wouldn’t hear him coming up behind her until he had already passed. He barely spoke, never ate with them, and would spend most of his time either in his room or out of the house.

So the issue was more complex than initially thought, which, fine! Mind control was probably a lot to recover from, so he probably just needed time. However, she wasn’t quite sure about the whole ‘avoiding the team’ bit. It didn’t feel… healthy. 

“He probably just needs some space.” Ren said, taking a sip of his bottle of tea, as the two of them stood outside the Huntsman Deployment Center, where they spent most of their time between missions. 

“I get that part, but it’s like he’s avoiding us!” Nora exclaimed, leaning back against the wall. “It’s almost like he’s scared.” 

“He might be.” Ren replied evenly, eyes fixed on the horizon. Nora frowned - the way he said that felt rather… loaded. Maybe they had talked? 

“Right.” Feeling downcast, Nora turned away, unsure of where to really go from there. They stood in awkward silence for a few moments, Nora picking at her worn gloves, threads fraying. She hadn’t gotten new gear since they first got to Atlas, and her Huntress outfit was starting to get a little tattered. She made a mental note to get that checked later. It was about time for an upgrade anyways. 

“What concerns me is that we still don’t know anything about Salem,” Ren finally said after a moment of silence. “He’s got a lot of useful information, but he won’t share it.” 

“Yeah.” The topic of Salem’s plans had come up a few times while Oscar was in the room, with the insinuation that then would be the moment for him to speak up, but he never got the hint, always staring at the floor instead, arms crossed. “Maybe we should just ask him straight out?” 

“...I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ren confessed, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. 

Nora raised an eyebrow, confused. “What do you mean?” 

“Last time I talked to him, he kept giving me… weirdly cold answers.” Ren began, staring into his bottle of tea, swirling the liquid around. “Like he was upset.” 

“Well I don’t blame him,” Nora started. “Being stuck with Salem would certainly-” 

“No, not about that.” Ren interrupted, eyes distant and troubled. “Towards me - towards us.” 

That caused Nora to raise her eyebrows, now even more lost than ever. “...Why would he be mad at us?” She asked, because yeah, what reason would he have to be? Everything was fine up until he got kidnapped, Ozpin’s lies notwithstanding. Maybe it was something she said? 

“...When I read his emotions - and you can’t tell anyone this, this is a secret-” Nora nodded vigorously, and Ren continued. “It was… messy. There was a lot of fear... but even more anger - no, it was more like frustration.” 

“At what?” 

“That’s the thing, I don’t know. When I tried to ask him about it, he just dodged the question and then left the kitchen.” Ren sighed, leaning his head back. “And that’s the most I’ve heard him speak since.” 

“...Huh.” That certainly was a lot to process. It’s not like Nora was blind to the fact that he was going through a lot - that much was apparent - but the fact that she might have something to do with it made her uneasy. “So what should I do?” 

Ren looked down at the ground, refusing to meet her eyes. 

“...I don’t know.” 

They spent the rest of their break in silence, Ren having a ponderous look on his face. Nora exhaled making up her mind. 

If no one else was gonna do it, then it was time to approach the subject directly. 

When she got back, Nora couldn’t find Oscar anywhere. Assuming he was out, Nora decided to set up camp in the living room. From what she saw, Oscar never ate with them, so presumably, he was either going in after them, or sneaking in before. Either way, he was probably gonna be through that front door soon, and there’d be no avoiding the conversation then!

She suddenly heard the tell-tale sign of the fridge opening. Frowning, she stood up, walking towards the kitchen. The rest of JNR were the only people back, with everyone else still being out helping with the re-construction of Beacon - then again, Ruby had probably gotten home early. Nora sighed, turning the corner, yawning. “Ruby, if I see you touching my leftovers, I’m going to-”

Oscar stared back at her, eyes wide and mouth full, holding her leftover bowl of noodles. Nora blinked, arching her eyebrows. 

“...How’d you get in, I was right by the door?!” Nora exclaimed. 

Oscar swallowed, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “T-There’s a back door, you know.” He replied. “Sorry.” He added quietly. 

“Oh.” Well, Nora certainly looked like a clown now. “Jaune’s gonna start cooking pretty soon, why’d you steal my noodles?” She exclaimed incredulously. 

That must have been the wrong thing to say, because Oscar took a step back, almost defensively, eyes darting to her left - towards the door, Nora realized with a sinking heart.

Oh - he’s looking for potential escape routes. 

“N-Not that I’m upset -” She backtracked, internally smacking herself. If he was pissed, then getting snippy with him certainly wouldn’t help. “I was just kinda wondering why you weren’t eating with us?” The last bit of the sentence comes out in a voice crack, and Nora went red at that. Wow. This conversation was already going great. 

“...Didn’t want to spoil the fun.” Oscar admitted, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the door. 

“Why would you think that?” Nora exclaimed, almost offended. “You’re welcome anytime you like, you know.” 

“...Thanks.” 

“In fact… in fact, you should eat with us tonight!” Nora interjected, before she could even realize what she was saying. “Jaune’s making his world famous gumbo, you really don’t wanna miss it!” 

“With all the spice he puts in? I’ll pass.” Oscar joked, and for a second, he sounded like his old self, slight smile on his face. But then, his eyes darkened, and he looked away. “Besides, it’ll ruin the mood.” 

“What mood?” Nora asked, before rolling her eyes and taking a step closer. “Look, I don’t know what’s gotten into you that you feel the need to avoid us, but I promise, everyone will be delighted to see you at dinner.” 

Oscar’s brow furrowed, and he fixed Nora a look, one that she can’t quite decipher. Shuffling in place, his eyes return to scanning the room, before landing on the big red pot Jaune stored in the cupboard. “...Okay.” He mumbled. 

“Jeez, no need to look so serious,” Nora replied, trying to interject some pep into her voice. “I’m telling you, it's gonna be great!” She threw her arm around his shoulder affectionately, trying to mimic what Yang does to Ruby all the time, only for her arm to get thrown off violently, Oscar stumbling back a few steps. “...Whoops, sorry. Forgot you have a thing about that.” Nora remarked sheepishly. 

Oscar gave her the same look from earlier, but didn’t say anything, turning and ducking out of the room. The minute he was gone, Nora let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, leaning back against the countertop. Try as she might, she couldn’t muster up the same enthusiasm and cheer that she always had back in Haven and Atlas - at least, before Salem’s attack. But goddammit, she was gonna try her best to be fun and casual!

She was gonna make this the most normal dinner ever, because if Oscar felt comfortable, he might start to open up again, and maybe then things will finally go back to normal. 

Dinner comes. One by one, everyone entered the room, some weary from long days of Huntsman work, some lively from their days off or easy activities. If you’re Nora, you were a bit stiff from nerves. Oscar still hadn’t shown up yet, and if he didn’t, then Nora was going to personally search all of Vale until she found him, and give the guy the biggest talking-to of his life!

“Are you good?” Yang asked from across the table, setting her bowl of soup down and taking a seat. “You look like you’re about to do an interview.” 

“Huh? Oh - me?” Nora exclaimed, words tumbling out like vomit. “I’m fine, I’m fine! Don’t worry about it!” 

Yang gave her a look, arching an eyebrow, before turning away to talk to Ruby. Nora exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Crisis averted. 

“...I feel like there’s a surprise happening.” Yang leaned over and mock-whispered to Blake. 

“She’s always been really bad at that.” Blake whispered back, and they both giggled. 

“I can HEAR you, y’know!” Nora shouted across the table, causing the two to break out into peals of laughter. 

“Good grief,” All eyes turned to Qrow, standing at the doorway, Harbinger slung across his back. “How are you kids so loud even after work?” 

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby piped up, shooting out of her chair. “You’re back early!” 

“Glynda told me to take the evening off. Said she was sick of me complain’ about my back.” He walked towards the kitchen, rolling his neck back on his shoulders in an attempt to stretch them out. 

“Well, when you’re a geriatric old man, these things happen.” Yang joked, earning her a punch on the arm by Qrow. 

“Very original. Take it we’re having gumbo tonight?” He asked. 

“Yup! I made it myself!” Jaune interjected, puffing out his chest proudly. 

“I’ll have to pass then.” Qrow smirked. “Last time I ate your gumbo, I was on the toilet for like, an hour. I’mna get some noodles.” 

“Hey, it’s not my fault you people can’t handle spice!” Jaune exclaimed as Qrow walked away. “You guys have no culture!” 

Yang and Ruby burst into peals of laughter, and the tension from Nora’s shoulders eased a bit. The casual joking around, the laughter… this was good, this was a good atmosphere happening. Hopefully they could keep it up. 

“Hey!” Qrow’s yelling cut off Nora’s train of thought, and she leaned over to peer through the doorway, enough to see Qrow rummaging through the fridge. “Where’re the noodles from yesterday?” 

“I ate them.” 

All heads turn to see, sure enough, Oscar, standing awkwardly in the stairwell, stared back, looking very out of place. “...Sorry.” He mumbled. 

The room was silent for a minute, before Nora remembered her plan, and piped up. “Oh, it’s no problem!” She remarked, trying to sound casual. “The bowls are in the kitchen if you want some soup!”

“...Sure. Sorry for the intrusion.” As if he was deliberately trying to make the scene more awkward, Oscar practically sprinted for the kitchen, tension in the air so thick you could cut it with a knife. 

The minute he left, Weiss turned to look at Nora, eyebrow raised. “I’m guessing you’re the reason why he’s here?” She asked. 

“I just didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable, and, you know, since he’s the only one here who doesn’t eat dinner with us at the table-” 

“Please tell me you didn’t just force him to come.” 

“I didn’t.” Weiss arched both her eyebrows at that. “I didn’t!” Nora exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “I asked him!” 

Weiss sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Look Nora, I get you’re trying to help and all, but-” The conversation is cut off by Oscar reentering the room with a bowl in his hand, large glass of water in the other. Pink scars peek out from underneath his gloves, and Nora looked away, trying not to stare. Ever since Oscar woke up, he’d been taking to wearing a black turtleneck and long brown gloves, along with his signature baggy pants and work boots. Where it once felt practical, now felt like he was deliberately trying to hide as much skin as possible. 

Nora can’t really say she blamed him. After all, if she had scars like that, she’d probably do the same thing. 

The table was quiet, as everyone went back to eating silently, trading glances with each other every now and then. Nora caught Ren’s eye, and he gave her a silent look, as if to say ‘do you have any idea what’s going on?’ To that, Nora shrugged. 

“Jeez, it got really quiet in here-” Qrow shuffled back in, box of leftover takeout in his hands, but stopped when he saw the source of the change in atmosphere. “Oh, hey kid.” Qrow finally said after a moment. “Decided to grace us with your presence?” Nora shot Qrow a glare, as if to mentally will the words “shut up” into his mind, which, thankfully, he did. 

Oscar looked down at his bowl of soup, tired resignation on his face. “I - sorry, I’ve just been out.” 

“What have you been doing anyways?” Weiss remarked. 

“Walking around.” Oscar replied, jabbing a spoon into his soup, and shoving a crouton into his mouth. 

“But you’re gone, like, all day.” Blake interjected. 

“Vale’s a big city.” Oscar muttered defensively. 

The table went quiet after that, everyone going back to quietly eating. Nora exhaled, plans somewhat shot. Unsure of what exactly to say now, she poked at the bottom of her bowl with her spoon, silverware clinking against the china. Everyone else across the table seemed to follow suit, all in various stages of awkwardness. 

Thank the gods, Ruby got the hint. She turned to Yang, forcing her expression back into a smile. “So, how’d your mission go today?” She asked. 

“Oh - fine.” Yang replied, taking a bit of her soup. “Honestly, there’s not too much to talk about - just chasing some Grimm out of the Beacon construction site.” 

“They’re almost done rebuilding the dorms, from what I heard.” Nora piped up, eager to get the conversation moving along again. “We might even be able to see our old rooms!” 

“I’m sure they’ll be completely different.” Blake interjected. 

“Hey, I wonder if they found any of your old smutty novels in the -” That remark earned Yang a punch on the arm, Blake’s face flushing a bright red. Ruby and Nora burst into peals of laughter, and slowly, the atmosphere at the table began to lighten as the others joined in, save for Ren, who looked like he did not want to hear anything about Ninjas of Love ever again. 

“...and the craziest part is that she genuinely had that out on her shelf for anyone to pick up!” Yang finished, ignoring Blake’s squeaks of embarrassment. “Didn’t you read it, Weiss?” 

“Only a chapter - enough to know I’m never going to ask for your book recommendations.” Weiss confessed, tips of her ears bright red. 

“Oooh, what was even in there?” Nora asked, intrigued. “I never got to read it -” 

“Aaaand that’s officially the end of that conversation!” Ren interjected, placing a hand over Nora’s mouth. She retorted by sticking her tongue out, licking the palm of his hand, to which he recoiled away from, grimacing. “What are you, five?” 

“ANYWAYS,” Blake shouted over the din before anyone could say anything else. “Touring the new dorms sounds lovely. Do you know when they’ll be done?” 

“Not exactly,” Yang confessed, leaning back in her chair. “Glynda said it should be within the next few months, so-” 

“We’re not gonna be staying that long, right?” Weiss interjected. The rest of the table turned to look at her, and she shrugged, a little put off from everyone’s sudden attention. “I mean, it’s true. We’ve still got our mission and all that.” 

“Well, it’s not exactly like we’ve got any leads telling us where to go,” Qrow remarked. “Until we know what Salem’s next move is, we’re staying here. Speaking of which-” Qrow swiveled his head to look at Oscar, who froze, hunched over with a large mouthful of soup. “I think it’s probably time we talk about it.” 

Oscar swallowed, hazel eyes narrowing. “What do you mean?” He asked tentatively. 

“About what you know, kid.” Qrow replied. “About Salem.” 

“Qrow, this isn’t really the time-” Nora cut in, but Qrow ignored her, turning back to Oscar. 

“It’s been three weeks now.” He continued. “And I get taking time off, but we really need to know what to do next.” 

“What makes you think I know what to do?” Oscar mumbled into his bowl of soup, fist clenched around his spoon. 

“You were trapped with Salem for a while.” Weiss piped up before anyone can say anything else. “You probably heard a lot of important information-”

“Can we not do this right now?” Oscar snapped, throwing his hands up in frustration. “I just wanted a peaceful dinner.” 

A fist bangs on the table, followed by; “Well when will you talk about it?”

 All heads turned to see Ren stand up, eyes narrowed, an expression Nora hadn’t seen on him since - since Ruby’s incident in the mines. Oscar opened his mouth to say something, but Ren cut him off, plowing on. “You’ve been avoiding us since you woke up, and even then you hardly say more than three words -”

“Ren-” Nora placed a hand on his arm to try and get him to calm down, but Ren didn’t even react, shoving it off and continuing on his tirade. 

“-And I know it’s hard, I get it, but there are people who are suffering without us and -” 

“Ren-” Ruby cut in, leaning forward. “Now really isn’t-” 

“-The more time we spend not doing anything, that’s more potential victims Salem has, and we could avoid this if you would just talk to us- ”

“REN!” 

Jaune’s shout cuts through the room like a knife. Even Qrow, cool and unflappable, blinked in surprise. Ren’s face was red, as he met Jaune’s intense stare, breathing heavily. His fists clench and unclench, and Nora could almost see the turmoil going through his mind, until finally, he sat back down, staring at the table. 

Oscar didn’t look at him, still staring resolutely down at his bowl. The whole table was silent, as if holding its breath, until he set his fork down in frustration. “You know what? Fine.” He snapped, cutting through the quiet. “If that’s the only reason you invited me to this stupid dinner in the first place, fine.” 

“Oscar-” Nora said, heart sinking into the pits of her stomach, but he ignored her. 

“I don’t know anything.” Oscar continued. “I don’t remember anything, I didn’t get anything out of it, I’m sorry.” 

“...Nothing?” Blake interjected. “But-”

“No Blake, nothing! ” Oscar shouted, voice uncharacteristically rough. “The Grimm scrambled my brain, I can barely remember what day of the week it is, much less anything - anything she said to me.” 

“But - what about Oz?” Yang asked. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Oscar spat, voice trembling, “Because Ozpin’s gone.” 

Silence. 

No one at the table moved, taking in this new information. 

“Oz is… you mean like after we asked Jinn about him?” Qrow said after what felt like an eternity of dead silence. 

“No Qrow,” Oscar mumbled, any and all fight leaving his voice, shoulders slumping as if the weight of the past few months had just truly hit him. “He’s gone. He’s gone and he’s not coming back.”

“But-but that’s impossible!” Weiss interjected, annoyed tone laced with panic. “The only way Oz could have disappeared is if-”

“My soul was gone, which would only happen if I died, and as you can clearly see, that didn’t happen.” Oscar finished quickly. “I’m sorry, that’s really all I have.” 

No one said anything. No one can say anything. Oscar, taking in everyone’s shocked expressions, sighed, pushing his bowl away and standing up. “Thanks for dinner.” He said dryly, and walked up the stairs. 

After a moment, in which everyone digested this new information, Nora pulled her knees up to her chest. This night was a disaster, and it was all her fault. 

“So he’s like - gone for good?” Yang said, breaking the silence. “As in, never coming back?” 

“No way.” Blake said, but even she sounded unsure. “I’m sure he’s just - just locked away in Oscar’s head like before.” 

“He sounded pretty damn convinced.” Qrow mumbled, more to himself than Jaune, and stood, making a beeline for the back door to clear his head. 

“Forget that - Ren, what the hell was that?!” Jaune exclaimed, turning to face the man in question. “We were just trying to eat, why’d you go and get all… personal?” 

“...You’re right, it was a bad time to bring it up.” Ren mumbled, not meeting Jaune’s eyes. “But I’m not sorry about what I said.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Weiss retorted.

As Ren and Weiss started to shout at each other, their frustrations spread, arguments beginning to break out all across the table. Nora slumped further down into her seat, pressing herself against the back of it in hopes it would swallow her up. God, why had she thought this would be a good idea? Then again, she hadn’t realized just how mixed opinions were - she’d kind of assumed everyone felt the same way as her. Finally, having enough of the shouting, Nora stood, turning and running for the stairwell. The last thing she saw before she darted upstairs was Ren’s look, eyes softening, as if realizing what he’d just said. Nora didn’t stick around to find out. 

The upstairs hallway was dark, walls doing little to muffle the noise downstairs. Nora scanned the doors, still unfamiliar with the rental house’s layout, before landing on the door to Oscar’s room. She could see it was dark inside, and she inhaled, turning the doorknob and stepping inside. 

The room was your standard rental house fare - nondescript decorations, little in the way of accessories, and a muted peach color. There were a few shirts spilling out of the drawers, and, in the garbage can in the corner, Nora could see a few wadded up bandages sticking out. No Oscar, however. She was considering saying ‘screw it’ and checking the bathroom, when she heard a shuffling noise from under the bed. Confused, she looked down, only to see two sock-clad feet sticking out just a little bit from the side. 

Sighing, Nora walked over to the bed. “Oscar?” She asked. She could hear more shuffling underneath the bed, which she took to mean a yes. “You doing alright?” 

Silence. 

Nora dropped her shoulders, letting all the tension from this evening wash over her. She sat down, back against the bedpost, pulling her knees up to her chest, an action she hadn’t done in a long time. Not since she was a little kid. 

“...Sorry.” Oscar’s muffled voice echoes out from under the bed, taking Nora aback. 

“About what?” She asked. 

“Ruining dinner.” He replied. 

“You didn’t ruin anything,” Nora reassured him, but it sounded half-hearted, even to her. “We’re all just… a little stressed right now.” It sounded like a weak excuse even to her. 

He didn’t respond to that, letting the silence wash over the two of them until Nora felt like she was drowning in it. 

“I just wanted things to be like they were before, y’know?” Oscar didn’t answer, and Nora kept going. “Back at Haven - before it got attacked and we had to leave.” Still silent. “Things were easier back then.” 

“No they weren’t.” 

Oscar’s frank answer took Nora aback, and she looked straight ahead, not wanting to turn and meet his eyes. 

“...What’s that supposed to mean?” Nora asked. 

Oscar doesn’t answer. 

So they sit like that for a while. 

“That was the first and last meaningful conversation I got out of him.” Nora confessed as she pulled her shirt out of the dryer. “I tried to, mind you, but it was just like something - something just shut off in him. It was just a whole lot of ‘hello’s’ and ‘how are you’s’ and all that.” 

“Oh.” The story took Penny aback, as she stood awkwardly in the middle of the laundry room, not really sure of where to go from there. It was certainly a heavy story Nora had just dumped on her - but the remarks she had relayed about Haven stuck out the most. “...I wish I could have been with you during Haven.”

“What?” Nora looked up, a tight smile on her face. “Nah, you wouldn’t wanna do that. Honestly, it was super boring.” 

“Then why’d you say you missed it?” 

Nora didn’t respond, or meet her eyes, focused on folding her shirt. Penny didn’t repeat the question, but waited, tension lingering in the air. 

“...I guess cause I understood stuff back then?” 

Penny looked up, meeting Nora’s stormy blue eyes, downcast. “Like, I got everything. There were no… weird dynamics between any of us. We were all on the same page.” She leaned back against the dryer, pursing her chapped lips. “I miss it, y’know?”

Penny thought back to Winter, of all the missions they had done side by side. She thought back to their fight over Atlas’s grain fields, Penny seeing true fear in her eyes for the first time. She thought back to Ironwood, a man she had once regarded warmly, now staring at her with a gaze of steel. 

“...I understand.” 

Neither of them said anything after that. 

Chapter Text

As Penny flies back to Shade with her freshly pressed shirt, her mind whirls with the new information just given to her, CPU whirring so loudly that she’s pretty sure that other people could probably hear it.

It’s just… She’s having a hard time picturing Oscar of all people acting that way. Maybe Blake, from what she’s heard about how she handled the Fall of Beacon, or Jaune, as apparently he didn’t exactly have the most healthy coping mechanisms when Pyrra passed away. Heck, even maybe Ruby! 

But Oscar? The mental image just… doesn’t compute. 

Granted, her interactions with him were… limited. When the others became Huntsmen, he was the only one left out, so it’s not like they spent any missions together. Come to think of it, Penny barely remembered seeing him at all. She knew he was training at Atlas Academy with the General Ironwood, and she had seen him hanging out with some of team JNR every now and then, but that was it. It would seem the team’s newfound status as Huntsman - a status he lacked - had kept them apart. That had to be incredibly isolating - Penny would know. She thinks back to her time in Vale, how Ciel and Ironwood pulled her away from her friends at every available convenience, how her position as Atlas’s golden child acted more as a wall than a stepping stone to meet people. 

Perhaps she was thinking about it too much. 

Penny lands outside of the house they’re staying in, the sun sinking behind the walls that surrounded Vaccuo, and to her surprise, she’s not the only one in the yard. 

Ruby looks up at her, sitting on the stoop, her face breaking out into a smile. “Penny!” She exclaims, putting her scroll away. “I didn’t see you fly in!”

“I just got here.” Penny replies, sitting down next to her. “Did someone message you?”

Ruby’s smile melts away just as quickly as it had come. “It’s Theo.” She replies, sighing. “About the charity ball. He wants to meet us tommorow so we can look at the guest list - see if we find anyone suspicious on it.” 

“I see.” Penny isn’t quite sure what that would accomplish - their supposed intruder would most likely not be attending the ball, as it would be way too easy to be caught that way, but she supposes that it’s good to be safe. “When are we meeting?” She asks. 

“Tommorow at noon.” Ruby responds. “Sherri is gonna meet us there.” Penny still has no idea how to feel about Theodore’s secretary - the Huntress seemed reliable, but something about her stoic demenor just struck Penny as… off. 

(She was probably just being paranoid.)

“Hey Ruby, Jaune wanted to ask - oh, hi Penny!” The two of them turn to see Blake, who had just stuck her head out of the doorway. “What’s going on?” 

“Theodore wants to meet up about the guest list,” Penny responds. “He thinks our intruder may be on it.” 

“Huh.” Blake doesn’t give much of a reaction to that, turning back to Ruby. “Anyways, Jaune wanted to ask if you knew how to fix some of his hard-light bombs. They stopped working ever since a Beowulf stomped on them.” 

Ruby lets out a long-suffering breath, before turning back to Penny. “I’ll catch up with you later.” She reassures, darting past Blake. “Bye!”

The two of them watch Ruby go, before Blake sighs, rubbing her forehead. “I swear, one of these days she’s gonna wake up with gray hair.” She says, moving to sit down next to Penny. 

“She does seem a little… fraught.” Penny admits, stuck between being concerned for her friend and not wanting to bad-mouth her. “I worry she may be taking on too much at one time.” 

“She’s always been like this,” Blake admits. “It’s just… kind of gotten worse lately, I guess. ‘S been a weird few months.” 

“Agreed.” Penny says flatly, causing Blake to chuckle. The two of them lapse off into silence, Penny watching the hubbub of the streets below them. 

Sometimes it felt like the world was ending. But life went on anyways, and moments like these remind her of that. 

“Are you… okay?” Penny’s jerked out of her stupor, turning to see Blake, staring at her, concerned. 

“I’m fine.” Penny responds, smiling tightly. “It has just been a long day.”

“Do you get tired?” Penny snorts at Blake’s question, and the tentative look on her face. 

“While I don’t need to sleep, I still get mentally drained just like any other person. So, to answer your question, yes.” 

“Huh.” Blake turns away, staring out at the street as well. 

They sit there for a moment. 

“...Penny?” 

“Yeah?”

“...Do you ever feel like… like you’ve done something wrong, but you don’t know what it is?” 

Penny turns to look at Blake, who’s still looking away resolutely. “What do you mean by that?” She asks. 

“I mean - I dunno, I’ve just been having this nagging feeling the past few days, like I’ve - like I’ve messed up.” Blake admits, rubbing the back of her head. “And I don’t know why.”

Penny isn’t sure how to respond, shuffling awkwardly in place. “I have… never felt that way.” Penny admits. 

“Go figure.” Blake sighs, chin slouching forward. Penny fixes her with a look. 

“Is everything alright?”

“Would I be saying all this stuff if it was?”

“Fair point.” The two of them lapse off into silence, before Blake speaks up again. 

“You know how Yang and I started dating?” Penny nods, and Blake continues. “Well, lately, we’ve been having a… disagreement.” 

“About what?” Penny asks. 

“It’s - well, it’s kind of a long story.” Blake replies. 

“I have time.” Penny says, leaning forward. 

So Blake takes a deep breath, and begins. 

Yang has been, and always will be, an extraordinary person to Blake. 

She idolized her when they were in Beacon, looking back on it. Yang was everything Blake was not - confident, loud, spunky, and unfettered. 

At least, that’s how it had seemed at the time. When Yang confessed to her the story of her mother, and how she had almost died trying to get answers, Blake had been even more enamored by Yang’s ability to just… move on from that stuff. 

But a small part of her was bitter. How come she gets to move on? The voice in the back of her head grumbled. How come she gets to move past the horrible stuff that’s happened to her, while I’m still stuck? 

Then Beacon fell. Then Adam came. And the pedestal was shattered. 

Yang was fallible. Yang was mortal. Yang was, at the end of the day, just as vulnerable as Blake was. 

Lying next to Yang on the ground, the two of them slowly bleeding out while waiting for help to arrive, Blake can’t help but grab onto Yang’s hand tightly, almost begging her to get up, to shake it off like she always does. 

Yang doesn’t. So all Blake can do is apologize. 

“I’m sorry,” She sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”

And then she ran. 

Even now, almost two years later, Blake has to wonder if Yang has any bitterness about that. Blake knows that she did, back when they were traveling to Argus, but even with her insistence that the issue had been sorted out, the nagging voice in the back of her head refuses to believe it. That even after Yang confessed, told her all the feelings she’d been keeping pent up inside, that she still resents Blake for running. That one day, Blake will wake up, and Yang will be gone. 

And maybe it’d be what she deserved. 

So Blake tries not to rock the boat too much. She doesn’t object when Yang asks her to do something, tries to be as agreeable as possible. And sure, maybe it isn’t the healthiest option for her. Maybe sometimes, she thinks back to how she acted when she and Adam were together - and how maybe she hasn’t changed as much as she would like to think. 

She wonders if Yang’s noticed by now. She doesn’t ask. 

Everyone’s confused when Oscar comes back. No one quite knows how to deal with his change in behavior. 

But Blake takes one look at him and gets it. 

It’s almost like looking into a mirror of herself from two years ago. She can identify the resentment towards the people around her for being okay in the way he stands apart from everyone else. She can see the fear in his eyes, fear of your presence putting everyone in danger. Deep-seated sadness, the likes of which one never knows if they’ll recover from. 

Yang, however, doesn't get it. As a matter of fact, she almost seems irritated with him. 

Blake can recall a conversation they had during a mission. Yang had bemoaned the group’s lack of progress, as well as the aimlessness that plagued them. Blake agreed, for the most part, but then the conversation took an odd turn when Oscar was brought up. 

“It’s like he’s a different person,” Yang sighs, looking down at her arm. “And, I mean, I get why - but it still doesn’t explain why he’s refusing to tell us anything!”

“He just needs time, Yang.” Blake replies, kicking the remains of a wayward Grimm out from underneath her shoes. “Being back here is probably a big adjustment.” 

“I know, it’s just -” Yang exhales through gritted teeth, sitting down on a pile of rubble, the two of them being sent to clear out some debris from the Fall. “We can’t help him if he doesn’t talk to us.” 

“He’ll talk when he’s ready.” Blake says, sitting down next to Yang. “But I really don’t recommend pushing it. Trust me, from personal experience, it really just serves to make the person pissed off at you.” 

Yang leans back, closing her eyes. “I know,” She grumbles. “Doesn’t make it any easier.” 

Blake smiles tightly, and chooses to change the subject. “...I hear Jaune’s making his gumbo tonight.” 

“For real?” Yang perks up at that, eyes lighting up. “Sick - though, he’d better not skimp out on the spice.”

“Yang, it gave everyone indigestion last time.” 

“Because you people can’t handle your spice!”

“I can handle my spice fine! He just puts in an unreasonable amount.” Yang barks a laugh at that, punching Blake playfully in the shoulder, and the atmosphere goes back to normal. Somewhat. 

The dinner was a disaster. Scratch that - it couldn’t have gone worse if they’d been actively trying. 

While Yang had heeded Blake’s advice and tried not to push the subject of their next move onto Oscar, Ren had obviously not gotten the memo, leading to the massive bombshell being dropped of Ozpin being gone. 

After Oscar had stormed out, the room erupted into chaos, Jaune shouting at Ren, Weiss shouting at Jaune, and Ruby trying to get everyone under control. The cacophony of noise rings throughout Blake’s ears, and she feels her stomach churning at the onslaught of stimuli. Fearing a sensory overload, Blake quietly gets up from her seat and slides out the back door. 

The night was, thankfully, quiet. Blake breathes in the cold night air, the dusky desert scent flooding her senses, grounding her. Her headache begins to fade, as she slides down to sit on the porch, head resting against the wall. She closes her eyes. 

“Hey.” 

And opens them to see Yang, staring at her, concerned. 

“Hey,” Blake scoots over to make room for Yang, who sits down next to her. “Did it calm down in there?”

“No,” Yang sighs, frustration leaking into her tone. “Weiss and Ren won’t stop arguing, despite Ruby’s best efforts.”

“Oh.” Blake’s stomach drops. Knowing Ruby, she’s probably going to blame herself for this.

“...Anyways, I saw you slipped out, so I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Yang finishes, placing a warm hand over Blake’s cold and clammy ones. “You looked a bit queasy.” 

“Excessive noise is hard for me,” Blake admits, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “Having two pairs of ears and all.” 

“True, true.” Yang looks away, and Blake notices the barely concealed irritation in her gaze. She interlaces her fingers with Yang’s, and Blake turns to look at her, concerned.

“Are you okay?” She asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Yang says, but it sounds strained, sounds forced. “Don’t worry about me.” 

“...Yang-”

“This whole time!” Yang explodes, throwing her hands up into the air in irritation. “He knew this whole time Oz was gone, and he kept - kept stringing us along!” Eyes flaring orange, she balls up her fists, staring resolutely down at the ground, refusing to meet Blake’s eyes. “Here I was, thinking we’d finally gotten our heads on straight, and maybe, maybe, we actually could come up with - with like, a plan. I thought -” Blake takes Yang’s hand again, uncurling her fist, and rubs her thumb comfortingly across Yang’s palm. Yang’s eyes drop down, back to a brilliant purple, cheekbones flushing red like they always do when she’s upset. “...I thought we might finally get an idea of what we’re supposed to do.” She admits. 

Blake has two options. 

She could either;

A: Comfort Yang. Tell her it’s going to be okay, that they’ll think of something, that not all hope is lost. 

Or B: Say what she’s thinking. Be honest. 

Blake takes the middle road, phrasing her words carefully. “...I’m sorry.” She says, and she means it. She does. “But honestly, I think Oz would have been in the exact same boat as we are.”

“But he-” Yang’s voice hitches, and there’s genuine frustration in her voice. “He’s supposed to know what to do.” 

“Oh Yang,” Blake curls into Yang’s side, the blonde resolutely refusing to look at her as a few stray tears run down her cheeks. “I don’t think he’s known what to do for a long time.” 

Yang sniffs, furiously wiping at her face. “I - I’m sorry, I don’t know why, why I’m crying? I’m not sad, I’m just - frustrated.” 

Blake understands. Really, she does. 

“What happened after that?” 

Blake looks up, to see Penny staring at her, sure that her curiosity is written all over her face. “Did anyone talk to Oscar at all?” Penny asks. 

Blake shuffles awkwardly in place, brushing a loose strand of hair, untucked from her ponytail, behind her ear. “...It wasn’t for the lack of trying.” She finally mumbles, sounding almost penitent. “But after that, we barely saw him anymore.” 

“Oh.” Penny sits back at that, taking that in. It’s… upsetting, to say the least, about how things turned out. She’s not quite sure why she’s so invested in this. After all, she barely even knew Oscar, but Ruby had spoken very highly of him. Surely, that had to count for something. “Did… you speak to him at all?” Penny asks again. 

The phrasing of the question makes Blake’s ears stand up, because this time, Penny isn’t asking for the answer she gave the group, the one she gave everyone else. She’s asking if Blake had talked to him. What Blake thought of him. 

“I… did.” Blake finally says. Penny raises an eyebrow. “Just once, though. I never spoke with him alone after that.”

“Can you tell me about it?” Penny asks. 

“Why do you want to know so bad?” Blake retorts, and there’s something defensive in her voice. “And besides, it’s not like it matters anyways. He’s gone.” 

Penny doesn’t respond to that. Instead, she looks down, picking at the flaking paint of her metal boots. 

“...It seems to be making Ruby… very upset.” 

Blake looks up. Penny doesn’t. 

“...I do not want her to be upset, Blake.” Penny continues. “I want to help.”

Blake seems taken aback by that statement, and she looks away, into the horizon, somewhere Penny cannot follow. 

“...Okay.” Blake says after a moment. “But… please don’t tell anyone about this.” 

“I promise I will not.” Penny responds, and sticks out her pinky. Blake stares at her for a second, confused.

“What are you doing?” She asks. 

“A pinky promise.” Penny replies. “Nora taught me.”

Blake chuckles, reaching out her hand as well. “Of course,” She mutters. “Of course she did.”

Their pinkies interlace, and Blake begins her story. 

Blake hadn’t seen Oscar for two weeks after that. 

Come to think of it, she’s pretty sure no one had. No one talked about it, at least not directly. She had caught Jaune and Ren frantically whispering about it a few times when they thought no one could hear them. 

That’s the trouble with living with a Faunus. Four ears. Blake hears everything. 

And while she hadn’t seen Oscar, she had heard him. 

Dead hours of the morning, like clockwork, the quiet opening and closing of a door. A chair scraping against the floor. Footsteps, quiet, so quiet that the untrained ear wouldn’t be able to notice. The kind of steps you only get after having to hide from something for so long. 

Or someone. 

(Blake hears him cry, sometimes, at night. Her room’s right below his - she hates feeling helpless, but knows she wouldn’t know what to say even more.)

(Even after all this time, she still refuses to rock the boat.) 

(She hates that about herself.)

On a sunny Tuesday morning, while Blake is stretching in the living room, getting ready for her morning patrols, a glint of silver catches her eye. 

Turning, she finds its source - the umbrella holder. Blake frowns, brows furrowing, and goes to investigate. Pushing past a black umbrella and a spare dulled axe, Blake reaches for the source of the glinting - cool, cold silver. 

She pulls it out, staring at Long Memory’s dusty frame. 

The cane clearly hadn’t seen much use since Oscar gave it to Ruby all those months ago. The gears have a few specks of rust on them, the black paint coating the length of the cane chipping at the ends. It still looks regal, still looks commanding - only now, it’s a bit sad. A king, throwing his scepter away. 

Really drove home the fact that Oz was gone. 

“Good morning.” Blake turns to see Ruby enter the living room, hair still sticking out in all directions from what had to have been a very restless night of sleep. 

“H-hey.” Blake moves to hide the cane behind her back, but she’s too slow. The fog clears from Ruby’s eyes, as the peaceful expression on her face melts away like snow in the sun. Blake, knowing the jig is up, holds the cane out to Ruby. “I… found this in the umbrella holder.”

“Oh.” Ruby makes a movement, as if to take it from Blake’s hands, but stops herself, taking a step back. “I… I thought I gave it to him.” 

“Maybe he just misplaced it?” It’s too purposeful though, too meticulously shoved behind all of those umbrellas and weapons to be anything but intentional. Blake doesn’t want to say that, though. “I’ll go give it back. You know where he is?”

“I… no.” Ruby admits, looking down at the floor. “Maybe he’s near the construction site? That’s where a lot of the Huntsmen have been stationed lately.”

Blake has mixed feelings on the Beacon construction site. It brings back too many memories - both good and bad. 

“Okay.” Blake moves to open the door, before turning back to Ruby. “Thank you-”

But Ruby’s gone, already having left the room. 

Blake gets the sense Ruby doesn’t want to talk about him any more than she does. 

The Beacon construction site is just as grand as the school itself. 

Workers line up across rickety beams to pass wood and stone to each other. Several construction vehicles wheeze and groan, several tons of steel on their backs. A large crane looms over the site, trumping even Beacon Tower itself. 

Or, at least, what’s left of it. 

Blake steps over the caution tape, squinting to get a better look at the tower. She doesn’t see any remains of the massive Grimm that Ruby had petrified - a few claw marks on brick that hasn’t been torn down, a flash of white hair, but no -

Wait. White hair?

Blake squints, making sure she’s not seeing things. Because if her eyes aren’t playing tricks on her - 

-Then somehow, Oscar Pine had climbed to the top of Beacon Tower. 

“Gods.” Blake groans, realizing she’s gonna have to make the climb as well. 

Blake’s used to climbing things. Her catlike senses and Semblance lended themselves to it, in fact. However, no amount of experience can prepare her for the vertigo that comes with looking down from high up. 

Blake swallows, wind whipping around her face. She can see the top, hands clasping onto loose bricks for purchase - but she can’t help but look out over the remains of Beacon, the scorched buildings of Vale. 

And for a second, she’s back in Ozpin’s office, looking out over Beacon as it was - gleaming pillars of quartz and sparkling fountains. Students, running through the halls like ants in an ant farm. 

(Happy.)

“BLAKE?!”

Blake jolts, almost losing her grip. She looks up to see Oscar looking back down at her, eyes widened in shock. “When - I - how did you get up here?!” He shouts over the howling wind. 

“I climbed?” Blake retorts, gesturing to her dangling form. “A little help might be nice, though!”

Oscar sticks out his arm, and she grabs onto it. With a surprising amount of strength from someone so skinny, he hauls her up. Blake collapses onto the floor, silently thanking the gods for solid floors. 

“Are you insane?” Blake looks up, meeting Oscar’s hazel eyes, upturned in worry. “You could have fallen and gotten yourself killed!”

“I’m a good climber.” Blake replies flatly, gesturing to her ears. “Faunus, remember?”

Oscar exhales, sitting down on the floor next to her. “...Jeez,” He huffs, brushing gray hair out of his eyes. “Don’t scare me like that.” 

“You’re one to talk about scaring people.” Blake says before she can stop herself. Oscar gives her a look. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Oscar retorts. 

“You’ve been MIA for the past two weeks, no one knows where you keep running off to.” Oscar stiffens, and Blake mentally clamps a hand over her mouth. “S-Sorry,” She mutters, more to herself than anyone else. 

“You’re fine.” 

They lapse off into uncomfortable silence. Blake, after a moment, looks around the room, or rather, what’s left of it. The walls, save for the southernmost side, are completely gone, the giant metal gears scattered and bent, as if they’d been burned into those arched shapes. The floor had been swept clean of any debris, but there’s a massive scorch mark on the floor in the center of the room. 

Blake swallows. 

“...Is there any reason you came up here?” Blake perks up at that, turning back to look at Oscar. “I’m guessing you didn’t scale a twenty-story tower just for fun.” 

“Hey, I’ve done it before,” Blake lamely jokes. Nevertheless, Oscar still cracks a smile, which is a bit reassuring. Some of him is still in there somewhere. “Besides, the view is killer.” 

“...It is nice.” Oscar replies, looking off into the horizon, and the tension lightens a bit. 

After a few moments of silence, Blake finally gathers the courage to speak. “I… came to give you this.” She unclips Long Memory from her belt, and holds it out for Oscar to take. “I saw you left it in the umbrella holder, and I…” 

Blake trails off when she sees Oscar’s face. It’s a mix of melancholy, anger, and… disappointment? Actually, she isn’t quite sure what the emotion is, and finds herself wishing that Ren was here. 

“I… thanks, but it isn’t mine.” Oscar tentatively replies, pushing the cane back towards Blake. 

“What are you talking about?” Blake asks. “Of course it’s yours.”

“It’s Ozpin’s.” Oscar clarifies, a sharp edge to his voice, one that makes Blake flinch back instinctively, just a little bit. Oscar, noticing her knee-jerk reaction, softens a bit, looking away. “...Sorry.” He mumbles. 

“N-No, you’re fine!” Blake replies, in a sad attempt to reassure him. It doesn’t work, judging by how he seems to deflate even more with every word that comes out of her mouth. “I’m just… I’m just confused.”

Oscar opens his mouth, and then closes it. Thinks about it for a few seconds. Starts talking again. 

“I… it was never my weapon,” Oscar starts, and Blake can almost see the cracks, the little bits of the old Oscar seeping through the stone shell he wears like armor nowadays. “The only reason I got it was because of Oz. He - I never even really learned how to use it. It was all just kinda… muscle memory.”

Right. That… that had to have been weird. 

“And I-” Oscar continues, but stops, words catching in his throat. “Every time I use it, I get these little - little flashes,” And he accentuates the word with a hand gesture, fingers splaying out as if to mimic an explosion. A childish thing, really. “Flashes of memories that - even though he’s gone, they’re still there.” Blake nods in understanding, even if she doesn’t quite get it. “They’re never gonna go away.” Oscar adds quietly. 

Blake isn’t really sure how to respond to that. She wants to press - but again, Oscar feels like a short fuse these days, and Blake hates setting people off, so she doesn’t.

“...I’m sorry.” She says lamely. 

Oscar doesn’t respond. 

Blake picks up the cane, latching back onto her belt. “So… what are you gonna do about a weapon in the meantime?” She asks, wanting to change the subject. “You can’t just keep using the practice swords - they don’t even have Dust rounds.” 

“I got a new one made.” Oscar responds nonchalantly. 

“You what?” Blake exclaims, taken aback by this new piece of information. Weapons, after all, are extensions of a person - getting a new one was a big deal. At the very least, it’s an occasion one would probably share with their teammates. 

Oscar flinches back at her outburst, and this time, Blake actually does clamp a hand over her mouth. “I - Sorry, I-”

“It’s fine.” And this time, there’s an edge of bitterness to Oscar’s voice. “You don’t have to treat me like I’m made out of glass, Blake.”

“R-right.” Her question hangs unspoken in the air: then how am I supposed to treat you? 

“...I ordered it a few days ago.” Oscar says after an awkward moment of silence. “I’m actually supposed to pick it up today at noon.”

“Want me to come with you?” Blake asks before she can even think about it. 

Oscar stops, staring at her. “You… don’t mind?” He asks. 

“Why would I?” Blake asks. 

Oscar looks away. “...Well, if you want to, we should probably get going.” He says, standing up. 

Blake stands to. “Need help going down?” She asks. 

“I’ve got my own landing strategy,” Oscar replies, and this time, the smile is genuine. Blake smiles back, stretching her arms over her head. 

“Alrighty then.”

Blake’s strategy involved parkouring down the tower. 

Oscar’s, however, was to simply use the crane elevator. 

Blake is infuriated that she missed it on her way up, and Oscar teases her about it all the way to the blacksmith’s shop. It’s on that walk that Blake realizes something - that despite all her traveling with him, she had gotten her perception of Oscar all wrong. 

Behind the shyness and politeness, Oscar’s actually a pretty funny kid. Quick as a whip too, with both sarcasm, and reflexes. While they’re leaving the construction site, a roof tile comes loose and falls towards them, but Oscar yanks Blake out of the way at speeds Blake had no idea he was capable of reaching. 

She’s not sure how much of him has stayed the same, and how much of him was sanded away by his time with Salem. But either way, it’s Oscar all the way down now. She’s just gonna have to respect that. 

When they enter the blacksmith’s shop, the atmosphere has returned to normal. Oscar is in the middle of laughing at a funny story Blake had told about the time Sun hadn’t realized he was allergic to coconuts and paid dearly for it when they entered. However, the second the blacksmith clears his throat, Oscar’s expression melts from one of mirth to a guarded tension. Blake sees the way he tenses up, and places a hand on his shoulder. 

That was the wrong move, however, as Oscar jerks so violently, you’d think he’d have been shocked. Blake pulls her hand away as if she’d been burned. “I - sorry, I didn’t-”

“You’re fine,” Oscar says, a thin plastered smile on his face. “Just startled me, that’s all.” 

(His reaction definitely said otherwise.)

“Well, if you two are done being jumpy junebugs,” The blacksmith begins, an older, grizzled donkey Faunus. “What can I do for ya?” 

“R-Right.” Oscar straightens up, and steps forward. “I put in a request a few days ago - I just got a notification that it was ready for me?”

“...Oh, that’s right!” The blacksmith says, snapping his fingers in recognition. “You’re the fella that barged in late! Made me keep the shop open after hours, you know.” 

“S-sorry,” Oscar apologizes, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “But it was kind of an emergency.” 

“I can definitely see that,” The blacksmith says, long donkey ears flicking with mirth. “Wouldn’t want all that to happen again, would’ya?” He gestures to the scars on Oscar’s face, and Oscar goes red. 

Blake steps forward to defend Oscar, scowling at the blacksmith. “Hey, there’s no need to be rude.” She retorts. 

The blacksmith laughs her off, reaching under the table to pull something out. “Just a joke, missy.” He says. Blake opens her mouth to object further, but cuts herself off when she sees Oscar staring at her. He slowly shakes his head, and Blake backs off. 

“Here ya’ are!” The blacksmith slams a long case down on the countertop. “I tried to fit all your specifications in, but they were a little… contradictory. Better have a clearer head next time you ask me to make something, huh?” Oscar isn’t listening, as he opens the case. 

Inside, is a long, thin saber, a vivid shade of red, with small notches carved into it, almost like stripes running down the middle. The base is cylindrical, with golden accents and Dust cartridges circling the center. It almost resembled Myrtenaster, though the cartridges seemed to be designed to flip through rounds when reloading, rather than Myrtenaster’s circular barrel that rotated rounds in and out like a revolver. 

But the strangest thing is the bellguard. Where there would usually be a thin piece of metal curving forward to protect the wielder's knuckles, there’s instead, what looks to be a gear-shaped handle. 

It almost… it almost looks like the lever Lost Memory used to extend and retract.

The whole thing is a strange cross between Long Memory and the crystalline saber she had seen Oscar wielding back when he was brainwashed by Salem. She wonders if that was the intention, as Oscar picks it up out of the case. He presses the gear-like handle, and sure enough, the blade retracts, and he clips it onto his belt. 

“Wow,” Is all Blake can say. “That’s a really neat sword.”

“Thanks,” Oscar says, handing his lien over to the blacksmith. “I… I figured it was probably about time, anyways.” 

“It kinda reminds me of Weiss’s-”

“Any resemblance is purely coincidental.” Oscar says, and the line comes out too fast and his face is too red for it to be true. Blake snickers. 

“Whatever you say.”

Oscar flushes a strange shade of purple. She didn’t even know skin could get that color.

“What’re you gonna name it?” Blake asks when they’ve left the store, walking down the dilapidated streets of Vale. They turn a corner, passing an abandoned warehouse, and Blake shivers when she notices claw marks on the metal - no doubt from a Nevermore Grimm.

“...I haven’t decided yet.” Oscar admits, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Y’know - not great with names and all that.”

“Well, I’m sure everyone else can help you come up with something,” Blake responds. Oscar’s expression goes distant at that, and Blake’s just about to ask if he wants to talk, when -

“HELP!!”

A civilian comes barreling out of the alleyway, running towards them in desperation. “HELP!”

Blake catches the man by the shoulders, noticing the blood trickling down his forehead. “What’s wrong sir?” She asks, attempting to calm him down. 

“You - you’re Huntsmen, right?”

A growling sound cuts him off. 

All of them turn to see red eyes glowing in the dark alleyway, the growling getting louder and louder. 

A Beowulf. 

“Dammit.” Blake says under her breath. Taking down this thing wouldn’t be hard, but - “Sir, we can handle this. You need to go.” 

The man doesn’t think twice, dashing for the relative safety of the streets. Blake unsheathes Gamble Shroud, switching it to its gun form. “They’ve gotta fix the damn walls soon -” Then, it hits her like a ten-ton freight train. 

Oscar. He might still be recovering, he might not be ready to fight-

She looks over at Oscar, trying to see if he’s okay, opening her mouth to tell him to run -

But to her surprise, Oscar doesn’t look scared at all. In fact, his face has slid into an almost eerie calm. His movements are robotic, unsheathing his new sword, red tip dragging sparks across the ground. He looks at Blake, hazel eyes steely, and she nods back at him. 

The Grimm lunges first, claws swiping wildly through the air. They both roll out of the way, Blake kicking off the side of the wall and flipping over the Beowulf, firing several rounds into its back. It howls, swiveling around, and Oscar takes that oppertunity to slide under its legs, swiping several times at its stomach. The Beowulf lunges back, claws swiping the brick walls down. Blake lets herself melt into the shadows, seeing herself from the outside in, before reappearing outside the alley on the main street. Oscar follows behind her, before pushing the gear lever of his sword twice. The blade creaks, and the strange partitions of the sword begin to shift. 

It’s only when Oscar throws his arm back and the blade extends, no longer stiff but whistling through the air, that Blake realizes that the blade also has a whip function. 

The whip curls around the Beowulf’s front leg. Oscar tugs it forward, but the Beowulf tugs back, and Oscar is dragged back towards it. 

“Oscar!” Blake snaps back into action, slashing the Grimm’s face several times. It howls, giving Oscar enough time to retract his whip and stumble back. However, now it’s attention is solely on Blake. She dives under it, aiming for its stomach, but it rolls out of the way, before swiping at her. 

Blake slams into the brick wall behind her, her breath literally knocked out of her. She reaches for Gamble Shroud -

-A flash of green light interrupts her, as a beam of energy tears through the Grimm’s head. 

Blake stares at it, as the Beowulf’s corpse slowly slumps to the ground and begins to disintegrate. As its body sloughs away into nothing, she can make out the source of the light - Oscar, standing behind it, hand outstretched like he just threw something. 

He steps forward. “Hey, are you-”

And she sees it. 

Golden eyes meet red. Red, red and black. Because it’s back, back on his face, and she’s back at Beacon Tower, watching one of her closest friends hurl herself into a storm of green magic, to fight someone who would have killed all of them moments prior -

She sees Grimm. Grimm, all over his face. The enemy.

Blake draws Gamble Shroud, pointing it at the Grimm in front of her. Her finger twitches, she’s holding the trigger -

“Blake?” 

And she blinks. Oscar, eyes red and black, stares back at her, confused and scared. She looks down at her left arm, holding Gamble Shroud up to his throat. 

“I…” Blake stumbles back, unsure of what just happened. “I didn’t-”

“Why did…” Oscar trails off, eyes widening in horror as he looks to his right. Blake follows his gaze, to see their reflections in the glass of a broken window. His hands move to his face, ghosting over his eyes, his expression one of pure horror. 

“I-I’m sorry-” Blake manages to say, just as horrified as he is. “I didn’t mean to, I just-”

Oscar stumbles back, breathing shallow. “I-” He swallows. “I thought - I - Ruby fixed me! Didn’t she?!”

Blake doesn’t answer. She can’t answer. 

“...Didn’t she?”

He turns to look at her again, and this time, even despite knowing who he was and the day they had spent together - her hand still flies to the hilt of her sword when she sees his black eyes. 

Oscar’s face falls. She thinks she sees something inky and wet well up in his eyes. 

And he takes off without a word. 

Blake doesn’t chase after him. 

“I should have gone after him.” Blake admits, pulling her knees up to her chest and looking away from Penny. “I shouldn’t have freaked out like I did, I should have told him to stay - I should have done something. Anything. I was just - I had no idea what to do, Penny.”

Penny looks away, mind racing. “I thought… Ruby told me that she fixed him.” Penny says. 

“We all thought that too.” Blake replies. “And I… I didn’t want to make anyone more stressed then they already were -”

“So you didn’t tell anyone.” Penny finishes. Blake nods. 

“...Please don’t tell anyone about this,” She mumbles. “It’d probably just make things worse.”

“Do you think it’s affecting his behavior at all?” Penny asks. 

“It could be. It also could just be all him. I have no clue.” Blake replies, resting her chin on top of her knees. “I haven’t had a clue for a while.” 

Penny isn’t sure what to say to that. 

She’s never sure. 

“...Penny?”

“Yes?”

“Am I a bad person?”

Penny looks up to see Blake staring off into the horizon blankly. “I don’t feel like a good person these days.” She admits. “I haven’t for a while.” 

“I… I do not think you are a bad person, Blake.” Penny replies, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

“Then what am I?” Blake retorts, fists digging into her shins. 

“I…” Penny hesitates. How can she not? What a loaded question. 

She settles on the best answer she can come up with. 

“I think you are just a person.” 

Blake looks up, golden eyes red with unshed tears. 

“That… that’s such a Penny answer.” She laughs weakly. 

Penny laughs with her. The two of them sit there, giggling quietly, when the screen door opens. 

“Blake, we - oh, hello Penny.” The two of them look up to see a very disgruntled Weiss, face slightly red, standing at the doorway with her scroll in hand. “Get inside, we have news.”

“What… kind of news?” Penny asks. 

Weiss looks at her, face grim. 

“The family reunion kind, that’s what.”

Chapter Text

Everyone had gathered into Professor Theodore’s office that evening, tensions high with Weiss’s news. Theodore sits behind his desk, imposing as always, and Sherri Tza stands next to him, unflappable. Penny still isn’t sure how to feel about her.

None of them really knew what this entailed, least of all Penny, who’s interactions with Whitley Schnee started and ended at the passing mention of him through her sisters. Needless to say, the impression they’d given him was not the most positive. 

“Alright,” Theodore began, pulling up a holographic screen, displaying Whitley’s face, as well as the faces of three women below him. “We’ve profiled everyone on the gala guest list to see who’s likely to try and steal the blueprints, but since Mr. Schnee has decided to sign up fashionably late, we don’t have time for that.” He says, crossing his arms. “And considering that he’s your brother, we figured it’d be best to send you in and ask him a few questions about why he signed up and the guests he’s bringing. Weiss?” 

Weiss turns away at that, jaw clenched so tight that Penny can see the veins popping. Ruby, noticing Weiss’s apparent disapproval at that idea, steps in front of her. “Would it be alright if the rest of Team RWBY came with her?” She interjects. 

“I see no reason why not.” Sherri Tza replies cooly. “Theodore?”

Theodore nods his head in approval. Weiss smiles in thanks, and Ruby beams back, before turning back to face Theodore. “Is there anything else we should do?”

“A few things, actually.” Theodore replies, leaning back in his chair. “Mostly, the whereabouts of the Summer Maiden.” 

The room goes dead silent. 

“You… know where she is?” Jaune pipes up after a moment. 

“...Yes and no.” Theodore replies, looking somewhat put out. “We know she’s somewhere in the city, but due to being… a bit of a slippery individual, we haven’t been able to pin-point her location.” 

“We’re pretty sure she’s got in contact with a hacker,” Sherri Tza finishes. “Considering how her data keeps getting deleted from our systems, there’s really no other explanation. I’d suspect another ex-Beacon student like her, but I don’t know any that fit the bill”

“Wait - she went to Beacon?” Ruby exclaims, and Penny has to smile at the excitement in her voice. She never heard it these days, but every now and then, glimpses of the old Ruby, the Ruby she met at Beacon, would slip through the cracks. “Was she famous?”

“Hardly.” Sherri Tza cuts in. “She dropped out in her third year. I doubt you’d know her.” 

“Oh.” Ruby visibly deflates at that. 

“Hoping you’d find out she was another celebrity Huntsman?” Yang jokes, elbowing Ruby teasingly in the ribs. Ruby goes red at that, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

“I - maybe!” She sputters. “I mean, Maria was, so I… I dunno.”

At the mention of Maria, the bubble in the room bursts, everyone brought back down to earth with the thought of Maria, still held captive in Atlas. Penny’s mind drifts to the last thing Maria said to her before her escape - how, despite everything, she had kept her cool, and been able to reassure Penny and help her unlock her Maiden powers once again. 

“I… hope she’s okay.” Blake mumbles. 

“She’ll be fine. Maria’s tough.” Yang reassures, placing a comforting hand on Blake’s shoulder. “Besides, that’s all the more reason to get this gala stuff over with - once we know the Vault is secure, we can focus all our attention on contacting Atlas.”

“Yang is right.” Penny interjects. “We need to figure this out as soon as we can. And that includes finding the Summer Maiden.” She turns back towards Theordore and Sherri Tza, steel in her eyes. “Do you have a picture of her? I can try and run a visual scan.”

“We do - but it’s a bit outdated. This is at least five years old, and on top of that, we heard she got into a bad accident involving some lightning Dust - probably scarred her face at the very least. There’s no telling what she looks like now.” Theodore pulls up an image on the holographic screen, and enlarges it with a swift motion of his fingers. 

“Her name is Rasida Kijani,” Sherri Tza begins. “She attended Beacon about four or five years ago, and she was placed on team AMBR. From our best estimates, the Maiden powers were a recent acquisition, though we’re not sure who had it before her. Last we heard of her, she had dropped out of Beacon and moved to Vacuo, though none of our sources know why. She blinked off the map, and no one’s heard from her since.” 

Penny looks at the image in front of her. Staring back at her is a young woman, with dark brown skin, bright emerald eyes, lips painted a dark shade of green, and shaved hair that’s been bleached blonde. She’s lithe, clearly younger, dressed in orange and frozen mid-laugh next to three other girls. The one on the right of her has a blonde ponytail, next to her, a girl with dark wavy curls underneath a veil. To Rasida’s left, stands a very familiar looking girl with olive skin and a brown bob cut, dressed in gold and brown, with piercing golden eyes. Penny almost doesn’t recognize her in these photos - the scars that littered her face in the ones Ironwood had shown her are noticeably absent. But upon a closer examination, there’s no mistaking the person standing next to Rasida. 

“Is that…?” Jaune asks in disbelief. Theodore nods in confirmation. 

“Yes.” He responds. “Rasida was on the team of the previous Fall Maiden, Amber Almenara.”

The room falls silent, everyone staring at the picture in shock. 

“Wait - that’s the last Fall Maiden?!” Weiss exclaims in disbelief. “They were on the same team?”

“Is that how Rasida got the power? She learned about it from Amber and went looking for it?” Blake interjects, stepping forward, golden eyes narrowed.

“We’re not sure,” Sherri Tza replies, scooting around the table. “I’d have to assume so, but the only people who would really know are either dead or not with us right now.” 

Ruby turns to Weiss, and Penny can’t help but overhear her whisper; “Do you think he’d-”

“No,” Weiss whispers back, expression icy. “He only had a few of Oz’s memories. I doubt that would be one of them.” 

“If you two are done whispering,” Theodore interjects, cutting the two of them off. They immediately straighten up, Ruby flushing red in embarrassment. “I was gonna discuss our options. Polendina,” He points to Penny, who perks up as well. “You got a tracker function with those facial scanners?”

“Actually, I do!” Penny replies, smiling. “Rhubarb - she’s the woman who repaired me -  actually added a way to track where people are in a one hundred mile radius. If she’s in the city and I have her face and DNA registered, I should be able to find her.” 

(Penny almost misses the way Theodore’s face darkens slightly upon hearing Rhubarb’s name, and files that information away for later investigation.)

“Did she give you X-Ray vision too?!” Nora pipes up in excitement. Ren rolls his eyes, but she can see the curiosity on his face. 

“Not exactly - I do have new infrared scanners, so I can read heat signatures through the wall now!” Penny blinks, activating her infa-red scanners, glancing around the room. A small smidge of heat in the vent above Yang catches her eye, before it scampers away. “Professor Theodore, there are rats in your ceiling.” Penny points out. 

Theodore lets out a hearty chuckle, and even Sherri Tza cracks a smile. “I’ll get that checked later.” He replies, before pulling Rasida’s photo back up. “Now, can you check and see if she’s on your database?”

“I’m on it, sir!” Penny salutes. 

“...No need for the salute, kid.” Theodore chuckles uncomfortably. 

“Right. My apologies!” Penny turns back to Rasida’s photo, activating Rhubarb’s scanner. It takes in the details of Rasida’s face, her sharp nose, piercing green eyes, and her bleached blonde hair. Her scanners begin the process of running through all the faces she has registered in her data bank - no small feat, considering she has every single citizen of Atlas registered in there, as well as hundreds of international criminals and notable figures. And that’s not even including everyone she’s met. 

Rhubarb’s scanner buffers for a few seconds - makes sense, considering the amount of data it needed to go through - before it turns up with a flashing red ‘NO MATCHES FOUND’. Penny can’t help but be a bit disappointed, despite how likely this outcome was. 

“She does not match anyone I know,” Penny reports. “I am sorry, Professor.” 

“It’s fine. I was kinda expecting that anyways,” Theodore replies, before adding; “And just Theodore is fine.”

“Great, so we’re at a dead end.” Yang remarks, slumping against the wall. “How do we even know Salem hasn’t gotten to her already?”

Everyone turns away, deep in thought. Penny’s eyebrows furrow, as she ponders their options. It’s true, for all they know Rasida could be dead by now - but for some reason, Penny can just feel it in her gut that she’s alive. Call it a Maiden-sense, call it intuition - she just knows. 

Just then, an idea occurs to Penny. A stupid one, with a 43% probability of even panning out - but one that just might work. 

“If I may,” Penny says, stepping forward. “I have an idea.”

Everyone turns to look at her, before Jaune steps forward. “Well, we’re all ears.” He says. 

“Well…” Penny begins. “As I mentioned before, Rhubarb Stilk is the woman who repaired me. But, from what I know, she is also a hacker. Perhaps… she is the one that is sheltering Rasida?”

“That’s… a bit of a long shot.” Weiss interjects. “I mean, how many hackers do you think are in Vacuo anyways? This kingdom’s not exactly the most well regulated place on Remnant-” Theodore and Sherri Tza both send Weiss a simultaneous death glare, and she closes her mouth. 

“She’s got a point.” Ren replies. Nora kicks him in the leg, and he shuts up too.

“Okay… then why don’t we ask her to track down Rasida for us?” Ruby proposes. “I mean, if anyone can track down someone who’s gone missing, it would be someone like-”

“Small problem - that isn’t exactly legal.” Sherri Tza interjects, stepping forward. Tension falls over the group, so thick you could probably cut it with a knife. “So, I’m afraid we can’t let you do that.”

Theodore sighs, leaning back in his wooden chair. “Sher’s right.” He says. “I can’t in good conscience let a hacker loose under my watch, much less someone like Stilk. Who knows what shenanigans she’d get up to with no legal threat stopping her?”

“Do you… know Rhubarb?” Ren asks. 

“Let’s just say she’s been a pain in my ass for a long time, and leave it at that.” Theodore straightens up, folding his hands on the table. “So, for the time being, that idea is out.” 

Penny doesn’t miss the way Ruby’s silver eyes go steely, or how Yang’s fists ball up, but no one objects. After a moment, Theodore speaks up again. “The best thing we can do right now is just put a word out and keep searches going,” He says. “In the meantime, let’s get back to the pressing matters at hand.”

“My brother.” Weiss interjects flatly. 

“Yeah.” Theodore replies. “How soon do you think you can go see him?”

Weiss lets out a long suffering sigh. “...Now would probably work.” She grumbles.

“Now?!” Blake asks. 

“The sooner we can get this over with, the sooner I don’t have to think about Whitley’s stupid face anymore.” Weiss replies, and Penny is surprised by the amount of vitriol in her voice. “Come on, let’s go.” She turns on her heel, head held high as she struts out the room. Her face is icy, though, and Penny doesn’t miss the way her fists clench and unclench with every step. With a quick movement of her hand, she slams the door shut behind her, the sound echoing throughout the tiny room. 

“...I’ll go get the car then.” Yang says after a moment of silence. 

One by one, the group files out of the room. Penny turns back to look at the picture of Rasida again. Despite what her facial data bank has told her, she can’t help but feel like Rasida’s face is a little bit familiar to her. 

Strange. 

The Vacuo branch of the Schnee Dust company hadn’t seen much focus. The company had always been more focused on the other, more profitable kingdoms, places where Jaquces’s… viewpoints and behaviors were more easily overlooked by the general populace. However, ever since Atlas’s departure, as well as the company’s acquisition by Whitley Schnee, efforts in Vacuo had almost tripled. More and more storefronts had been opening across the kingdom, as well as a rebranding to try and make the company more palatable to the average Vacuian. How successful that effort had been - well, that’s up for debate. The point is, the headquarters of the SDC in Vacuo was now a hive of activity, people flitting in and out of the massive revolving doors marking the entrance to the towering building. 

Penny turns to look at Weiss. Her face is scrunched up with displeasure at the sight of the company's logo, situated right above the doors. Penny isn’t the only one to notice her mood, Ruby reaching out and placing a comforting hand on Weiss’s forearm. “...You okay?” She asks. 

Weiss sighs, tension bleeding from her shoulders. “...Let’s just get this over with.” She grumbles. 

Blake takes her hand. “We’ll be here for you.” She says.

“Yeah!” Yang adds. “Besides, we’ve dealt with your brother before. How bad can he be?” 

The inside of the building is just as stark and cold as the outside. The entryway can only be described as colossal, making Penny feel even smaller in comparison. White marble makes up the ceilings and walls, with pillars lining the hallways. Ornate lamps filled with glowing white Dust blast the hallway with an almost unnatural amount of light - it almost feels like a spotlight is being beamed down on them. 

The group can’t help but look around in awe, taken aback by the sheer size of the place. Weiss, ignoring all of this, struts forward to the receptionist at the front desk. “Excuse me, I’m here to see Whitley Schnee?” 

The receptionist doesn’t even look up, typing away at her computer. “Do you have an appointment?” She drawls. “Mr. Schnee won’t let anyone see him without an appointment.”

“I think he’ll make an exception.” Yang replies, as the four of them step forward. 

The receptionist sighs, still not looking up. “Ma’am, I’m afraid if you don’t have an appointment, there’s nothing I can…” Her dark brown eyes flit up to meet Weiss’s icy blue, and her sentence trails off, jaw dropping. “...Are you-”

“Weiss Schnee, former heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, professional Huntress, and Mr. Schnee’s older sister.” Weiss finishes, flashing the receptionist her Huntress license. “So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll let us up.” 

The receptionist swallows, hand moving over to press one of the comm buttons. “V-Vin, can you send down Elevator Three please?” She says into the mic. “Y-yes, the one to Mr. Schnee’s office… no, they have clearance. It seems his family is in town.” 

The turnstile in front of them opens up. Weiss steps through, and Penny moves to follow, but is blocked by two guards wearing sunglasses. “Only she gets to go.” One of them says, looking down at them.  

“We’re with her.” Blake retorts, crossing her arms. 

“You pose a security risk.” The other guard replies. 

“We’re Huntresses,” Yang butts in. “If anything, having us in there will be better for your security!”

The guards don’t move. Weiss, halfway to the elevator, turns around to see what the commotion is. “Are you even listening, you muscle-bound oafs?!” She snaps. 

(“Haven’t heard that one in a while.” Blake whispers. Yang giggles.)

The guards still don’t move, and Weiss storms over to where they are standing as the elevator behind her dings to signal its arrival. “Listen, I have half a mind to-”

“I’d rather you not harass my security personnel, sister.” 

The room goes deadly silent. Everyone turns, workers and business-people alike, standing at attention as if they were soldiers and the general had just entered in.

Whitley Schnee, a good few inches taller than the last time Penny had seen him, steps out of the elevator. He’s traded the simple formal-wear for something a bit more imposing, a blue suit-vest over a freshly-pressed white oxford, and a pair of navy-blue pinstriped pants. A long blue trenchcoat is draped over his shoulders, and shielding his face is a fedora, the same shade as his pants. Penny notes the pocket-watch chain hanging out of his breast-pocket, swinging with every step. Overall, he looks more business-like, more intimidating.

(Though, from a certain angle, Penny can’t help but notice the ways the clothing almost seemed to swallow his frame - almost like a child playing dress-up in a role he knew nothing about.)

“Let them pass.” Whitley says. He waves a gloved hand, and the two guards move out of the way of the turnstile. Penny looks back at the rest of the team, confused. When Ruby shrugs, she takes that as some kind of confirmation, and files through the gate, the other three following suit. 

Weiss stalks up to him, heels clacking on the floor, before they meet face to face. Despite the numerous inches Whitley has on Weiss, she has just as much of a presence as he does, if not more. They continue their staredown for a moment, before Weiss finally speaks up. 

“Whitley.” She says, with more than a hint of distaste. 

“Weiss.” He replies, in much the same fashion. 

(“Oh boy,” Yang mumbles. “Who’s ready for another episode of the Schnee Family Pissing Contest?” And now it’s Blake’s turn to snort.)

“I thought you hated the heat.” Weiss asks cooly. 

“It isn’t the worst thing in the world.” Whitley answers just as icily. 

“I figured you’d be having trouble with it though, considering what you’re wearing.” Weiss retorts. 

Whitley’s lip curls. “I could say the same to you, sister.”

(“...I like his outfit.” Ruby whispers.)

(“The hat’s too much.” Blake whispers back.)

(“I think I could rock that coat. ‘You think I could?” Yang asks.)

“If we’re all done making snide comments about my fashion sense, we should go up to my office,” Whitley remarks loudly. “Unless you came here just to chat?” He finishes, turning to look at Weiss. 

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Weiss snaps. Whitley’s face betrays no emotion as he turns to press the ‘up’ button. 

Penny grimaces at that interaction. She knew Whitley and Weiss weren’t on the best of terms, but she hadn’t expected it to be this bad. If anything, considering all that they’ve been through, Penny had thought it might have brought them to some kind of mutual understanding. 

She couldn’t have been more wrong. 

The atmosphere is downright uncomfortable in the elevator, as the door closes and it starts moving up. Penny notes how many floors there are - thirty-seven in total - and the button for the very top is lit up blue. They stand in the elevator in silence, nothing but the sound of whirring and milquetoast bossa-nova coming through crackly speakers. 

Yang sniffs.

Blake coughs into her arm. 

Ruby scratches a scab on her leg. 

Neither Weiss or Whitley look at each other, both opting to stare straight ahead. Penny looks at Ruby, who looks just as uncomfortable as she does. She turns to Yang, who just shrugs. At least she’s not alone in this. 

After what feels like an eternity, the elevator dings, coming to a shuddering stop. The doors open to reveal an absolutely massive office, ceilings high above them, walls made out of glass. The afternoon sunlight streams in, glaring brightly in Penny’s face, who winces in response. Whitley sits in the massive mahogany chair in front of the incredibly long table spread out vertically across the room, silhouetted by the harsh light, his entire face cast in shadow. 

“Now then,” He begins, folding his hands under his chin. “You and I both know you wouldn’t come to see me even if someone had a gun to your head, so I’m going to go ahead and assume you and your little peanut gallery need something?” 

Even with her more limited understanding of sarcasm and tone, Penny picks up on the condescension in Whitley’s voice immediately. 

(It reminds her of how Harriet used to talk to her.)

(Penny does not like this guy.)

“As if you did anything to reach out to me at all.” Weiss retorts, taking a seat on the very end of the table. “I haven’t heard from you at all.”

“And here I assumed you’d be happy about that.” Whitley remarks. 

“Can we get back on topic?” Ruby interjects, cutting the siblings’s bickering off. “We were actually sent here by Headmaster Theodore.” 

“Of Shade?” Whitley asks. 

“Uh, what other Headmasters named Theodore do you know?” Yang replies. Whitley fixes her a look. “I’m just sayin’.” Yang mutters, throwing her feet up on the table. 

“Put your feet down!” Weiss and Whitley both snap at the same time. They look at each other, and look away just as quickly, embarrassed. Yang obliges, put-off. 

“...Anyways,” Ruby continues after an awkward moment of silence. “We were here to ask you a few questions about the Shade Charity Ball.”

Whitley arches a white eyebrow in confusion, eyes narrowing. “...May I ask why?” He inquires. 

“Well, the standard protocol would be for everyone to go through a pre-screening before we allow them admittance,” Penny starts before Weiss can cut in. “But since you signed up so close to the day of the gala, we decided to just come straight to you.”

“Not to mention, you and Weiss know each other,” Yang finishes. “So we kinda figured it’d just be easier for everyone involved.”

Whitley turns to look at Weiss upon Yang’s remark, eyes narrowed into slits. “Is that just your roundabout way of saying you don’t trust me?” Whitley asks coldly. 

“Less so you, more so your… friends.” Weiss retorts, pulling out the file Theodore had given them. “I wouldn’t have thought twice about you going by yourself, but when I saw you had RSVP'd in the names of three other people… you’ll have to excuse me if that seems a little suspicious.”

“Is it not customary to invite friends along to these kinds of events?” Whitley counters, resting his chin in his palm. 

“Certainly not for someone of your social standing.” Weiss retorts. “I’ve never even heard of these people before.”

Weiss places the file down on the table, contents spilling out the top as it slides forward. Three pictures slide out of it, blurry candid photographs of three young women, with matching black hair and cold red eyes, getting into a black car in the middle of the Atlas streets. Penny’s well acquainted with these photos by now - apparently, they were all that Theodore could pull up from their database, along with their names. 

“Luisa, Adabelle, and Trianna Tauschung. You know, last I checked Tauschung isn’t a name I recognize,” Weiss remarks, pushing the folder towards Whitley. “At least, when it comes to the Dust industry.” 

“...They’re not from Dust families,” Whitley replies, face betraying no emotion. “They’re… personal friends of mine.” 

“I didn’t know you had those.” Weiss says, the sentence clearly intended to be a barb. 

It works, Whitley’s face going an unflattering shade of purple. He pushes the folder back in Weiss’s direction, scowling. “Contrary to what you think, I’m not unpleasant all the time.”

“Just to me, then.” Weiss retorts. 

“As if you’re any better,” Whitley scoffs. “You and I both know it runs in the family.” 

“No - just on your side.” Weiss snaps, and suddenly Penny gets the sinking feeling she really shouldn’t be listening to this. 

“And what side of the family is it that you’re referring to?” Whitley snaps back, eyes cold. 

“The criminal side of the family, that’s-”

Whitley slams his hands down on the table, causing everyone to jump, save for Weiss, who doesn’t even flinch. Whitley has stood up, coat having slipped off his shoulders and onto the floor. His face is cast in shadow from his hat, brim sliding down to cover his eyes. 

“Don’t,” Whitley starts, breath coming out unevenly. “Don’t you talk about our family as if you know anything about it.” 

Weiss’s fists ball up, and she stands too. Ruby reaches for her arm, but Weiss wrenches it away. “I think I know more about this family than you do,” She fires back. “And from where I’m standing, you just look like a miniature version of Father!”

“At least he was there,” Whitley hisses, and the venom in his voice is so palpable, Penny’s surprised he isn't spitting out acid with every word he says. “At least he didn’t run the minute he could, leaving me behind!”

“So what, it’s my fault you’re acting like this?!” Weiss exclaims. “It’s my fault that Jacques did this to you?”

“Weiss-” Blake tries to interject, but Weiss cuts her off with a stamp of her foot. 

“Because it’s not!” She continues. “Because, news flash Whitley! The only person who was poisoning our family was him. ”

“You-”

“Let me finish.” Weiss takes a step forward, towards Whitley, who takes a step back in return. “He’s the reason Winter and I left. He’s the reason Mother turned to drinking, and - and that she’s gone.” Weiss pauses to take a breath, chest heaving. “And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for how it turned out for you, and I’m sorry you were alone, but I am never going to be sorry for leaving and trying to find some sliver of happiness outside of him.” 

The room goes silent. You can hear a pin drop. 

Weiss and Whitley stare at each other for one second. Two seconds. Three. 

Then, finally, Whitley exhales, sliding down into his chair. “...You left me in Mantle.” He mutters after a moment. 

Weiss stops. 

“I had to fight my way out of the rubble of that godsforsaken city and you didn’t even come looking for me,” He continued. “Me or - me, or mom.” 

Weiss looks away. “...We all thought you had been killed in that Grimm’s attack too.” She finally says, sounding almost demure. “The only reason I knew you were alive was because my teammate Oscar told me.” 

Penny perks up at the mention of his name. Oscar? How is he involved in this?

Whitley doesn’t respond. 

“...I’m sorry.” Weiss says after a moment. “I really am.”

“...Get the fuck out of my office.” Is Whitley’s only response. 

Weiss obliges, standing up and pushing in her chair. The others follow suit, trailing out of the room one by one. Penny is the last to leave, turning back to look at Whitley. 

“...I am… I am sorry for your loss.” She manages to say. 

He looks up, and their eyes meet. Something resembling recognition and - guilt? Flickers across his face, before it goes back to cold neutrality. “I’ll have the Tauschungs sisters' papers on Theodore’s desk by this evening.” He says. 

Penny nods, exiting the room. The last thing she sees before the door swings shut behind her is Whitley’s cold face crumpling into pure exhaustion. 

Going down the elevator is almost just as awkward as going up. No one says anything, but all eyes are on Weiss as the buttons flicker to indicate where they are. Finally, after a moment, Weiss speaks up.

“I’m… sorry about all that.” She finally says. “That was a conversation we really ought to have had in private.”

“...It’s okay,” Ruby replies, taking Weiss’s hand comfortingly. “It sounded like… like you guys both needed that.”

“Him so more than me,” Weiss scoffs, but there’s a weakness to that statement. “It boggles my mind sometimes how he can even miss Father.”

“Everyone copes with these things differently.” Blake replies. “I… I still miss Adam sometimes.”

The elevator goes silent at that statement, and Penny’s mind wanders to Ironwood, of all people. 

Despite herself, she can’t help but miss Ironwood a lot. His rare laughs, his skill on and off the field, his practical advice, his rare moments of humanity. 

But every time she thinks of Ironwood, Penny’s mind flashes back to the last time she had seen him- his face twisted in rage behind the glass, her falling through Atlas’s shields, Winter reaching out in horror and anger. 

She wonders if Ironwood is doing alright. 

Penny blinks, shaking those thoughts out of her mind. She had to get back to the topic at hand. She thinks back to what Weiss had said - about how she learned that Whitley was still alive.

The question remained though. 

How did Oscar know about Whitley?

Back at the house, Ruby informs everyone of the current situation, though careful to omit details of the Schnee siblings’… confrontation. While everyone is gathered in the living room listening to this, Penny pulls Weiss out to the backyard, shutting the screen door quietly behind her. It’s a peaceful evening, dry desert breeze blowing pleasantly on Penny’s face. Weiss’s bangs flow in her eyes as she turns to face Penny, crossing her arms. 

“Do you need something?” Weiss asks. 

“Yes,” Penny starts. “I actually wanted to-”

“This is about Oscar, isn’t it?” 

Penny stops, halfway through her sentence. Weiss smirks as she moves to sit on the stoop, gesturing for Penny to sit next to her. “I had a feeling,” Weiss continues, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve heard you’ve been asking around about him lately.”

“I’m sorry,” Penny quickly says. “You do not have to say anything if you do not want to - I am just trying to understand-”

“You’re fine,” Weiss says dryly, but there’s a hint of a smile in her voice. “Unlike everyone else here, you’ll find I have no strong feelings on the matter.” 

“You… don’t?” Penny tentatively asks, sitting down next to Weiss. 

“Nope.” Weiss replies, resting her chin on her palms, elbows digging into her thighs. “He and I were never really close, before or after the incident. Before, we only ever really talked when Ruby was around, since he followed her around like a lost puppy,” Penny laughs a little at the description, and Weiss smiles, before plowing on. “And after… well, I barely ever saw him.”

“But… you said he told you about your brother?” Penny asks. 

Weiss nods. “He did.”

“Then… how did that go down?” Penny presses. 

Weiss chuckles, more to herself than anyone else. “You really want to get something from everyone here, huh?” 

Penny tugs on a curl awkwardly. “Everyone here talks about him differently,” She admits. “I guess I just want your point of view.”

Weiss sighs. 

“Fine. But I can’t promise it’s an interesting story.”

Weiss may be a bit… socially inexperienced compared to the rest of her friends, but she isn’t stupid. 

Ever since Blake came back from a routine patrol at Beacon’s construction site, she’s been… off. Something’s happened. Combine that with Oscar becoming even harder to pin down than usual, and - well. It doesn’t take a detective to figure out that something went down between the two of them. The tension in the room is so thick when they’re in the same room together - Weiss sometimes thinks she could cut it in half with Myrtenaster if she tried. And it wouldn’t even be hard. 

Weiss may not be good at dealing with a person’s emotions, but she is good at reading the atmosphere of a room. 

She’s had a whole lifetime to get good at it. 

If anyone else notices, no one says anything. Weiss understands - everyone else is busy dealing with their own conflicting thoughts on him as is - it makes sense that no one wants to deal with anyone else’s baggage. A bit of a cynical way of looking at it, but hey, that’s just how people deal with emotions. Always has been for her. 

At any rate, considering she’s the teammate who knows the least about Oscar, she feels uniquely qualified as an unbiased third party to go hunt him down and get him to talk. She’s already getting sick of the looks Nora keeps giving Ren whenever Oscar’s in the room. 

So, she checks the whole house. 

And then again. 

And then again. 

So, he’s out. Weiss figures. That’s fine. I have a feeling I know where he is. 

On the way to the Beacon construction site, Weiss runs through what she knows about Oscar in her head. Before The Incident, her knowledge mostly came from Ruby. She was much closer to him than Weiss was, and generally knew a lot more about him than Weiss did, despite the fact that Ruby somehow hadn’t picked up on the younger boy’s hopeless crush on her. Weiss had already had enough of Nora’s lovesickness at that point, as well as the sneaking suspicion Yang’s feelings for Blake weren’t all that platonic anymore, so watching Oscar follow Ruby around like a lovestruck puppy while she remained completely oblivious - you can kind of see why the idea didn’t exactly appeal to Weiss. Not to mention, his bouts of possession by a man she once looked up to… it was all a bit off-putting, to say the least. 

So, they remained casual acquaintances. And that was fine. Maybe she’d get to know him better in the future, but she was too busy being focused on whatever they were doing at that current time to bother with trying to socialize with someone at least five years her junior. 

And then - well, you know the rest. Oscar goes missing, he comes back, goes ballistic. Ruby saves him, he wakes up, and now he’s back. And he’s changed - alright, big deal. He’s quieter, warier, certainly more angry, especially in the past few weeks. If Weiss felt a bit unsure of how to interact with him before, she certainly did now. Which is precisely why she’s the perfect candidate to talk some sense into him. 

Entering the Beacon Construction Site, Weiss makes a beeline for Oz’s old tower. Considering how he used to house the tower’s previous resident in his head, it made the most sense. Maybe it held some sort of nostalgia for him, despite the fact that he never actually went there himself. 

However, passing through the newly renovated library cuts her search abruptly short. It would seem he had made her life a whole lot easier, despite the lights being off. White hair is quite easy to spot - Weiss would know. 

“You know, sulking here in the shadows isn’t going to do anything.” Weiss says. 

Oscar, who’s situated on top of one of the bookcases, nose-deep in a book, doesn’t say anything. It’s almost reminiscent of how Blake used to sit, back when they had first started at Beacon. It was only a year and a half ago, and yet, it felt like an eternity. 

“I know you can hear me.” Weiss says after Oscar doesn’t respond. 

After a moment, she hears him sigh, and the sound of a book shutting. “...Did Ruby send you?” He asks. 

“Contrary to what you think, I actually came here on my own accord,” Weiss replies, placing a hand on her hips. “And before you jump to any conclusions, yes, I was looking for you specifically.” 

“Well, you found me,” Oscar remarks, gesturing widely, and even in the shadows, Weiss can see his hazel eyes have narrowed with irritation. “So what do you want?”

“Can you come down here first? I can barely see you when you’re up there in the dark.” Weiss reaches for the light switch, flicking it a few times. The overhead lights don’t come on. “...I guess the power’s still out.” She says to no one in particular. 

“...I like it up here.” 

“You look like a vampire.”

“Fine.” The shadowy blob of white and gray slides down the side of the bookcase, and Oscar steps out of the shadows, hair unkempt, dark circles under his eyes. His face is crinkled up in an uncharacteristic scowl - well, not so uncharacteristic anymore - and he crosses his arms, scanning the room. “I’m down. What do you want?”

Whatever. Weiss will just cut to the chase. “Did something happen between you and Blake?” She asks. 

Oscar scowls, but his expression has more than a hint of defensiveness to it. “No,” He replies, much too quickly for it to be true. “And it’s none of your business anyways.” 

“You two have been acting really weird ever since she went on that patrol - not to mention Ruby told me she went out to go look for you in particular.” Weiss points out. “So you might as well tell me what’s going on.” 

Oscar shuffles in place, some of the indignance fading from his expression, replaced with a wiry anxiety. “Why are you even asking?” He finally mutters. “You barely even know me.” 

“Because this concerns one of my closest friends, who I hate seeing upset. I want to fix that.” Weiss admits.

Oscar doesn’t reply, kicking at a loose wooden floorboard. Weiss doesn’t move, continuing to stare at him, waiting for a response. 

“...I’m sorry?” He mumbles, sounding unsure of himself. 

“Why are you apologizing?” Weiss asks. 

Oscar shrugs. Weiss sighs. This is getting nowhere. 

“Fine then, don’t tell me.” Weiss says, rolling her shoulders back. “But from experience, teammates are supposed to talk to each other about what’s wrong.” 

Oscar doesn’t respond to that, eyes still firmly glued to the floor. Weiss stares at him, waiting for a response. 

And then - 

-He chuckles. 

A dry smile spreads across his face, lacking any real humor in it. “God, you sound just like him.” He mumbles. 

Weiss cocks an eyebrow, confused. “Like… who?” She asks. 

“Whitley.” Oscar responds plainly. 

Weiss’s heart stops. Suddenly, all she can hear is the blood pounding in her ears. The library seems to bend around those words, shadows swirling around her. 

“...He’s.. alive?” Weiss breathes. 

Oscar blinks, confused. “You… didn’t know?” He asks. 

Weiss grabs him by the shoulders, shaking him, heart in her throat because her brother is alive, Whitley is alive, he’s not stuck in Atlas, he’s not dead in Mantle, he’s alive, he’s alive, he’s- “No you dolt!!” Weiss exclaims, shaking Oscar back and forth. “I - you - how?!”

“Please-let-go-of-me-” Oscar manages to say between the shakes. Weiss, seeing his face starting to turn an unpleasant shade of green, releases him, taking a few steps back. 

“Where did you last see him?” She says, unsure of where to start, words tumbling out of her mouth like a waterfall. “I - is he alright? What did he - where is he?” 

“L-last I saw him, he was on the outskirts of Mantle, heading to Argus.” Oscar explains. “He had some blue crap on his face - I overheard him talking to someone - I couldn’t see clearly, but she had blue hair and a weapon.”

“May?” Weiss asks. 

“It might have been - I couldn’t tell. I turned the corner to capture him and then - well, he shot me right between the eyes.” Oscar taps on a particularly nasty scar on the bridge of his nose. “Would have killed me if not for - well, you know. Anyways, it all kinda went fuzzy after that - I think he said something to me? I’m not quite sure.” 

“...I see.” Weiss’s mind is racing. Whitley’s alive - is he with the Happy Huntresses? Is he in Argus still? The heir to the Schnee Dust Company returning would’ve made Vale news if he was here - but kingdom wide communications are still down, so-

Then, something occurs to Weiss. A small hole in this story. 

“...You said you didn’t remember anything.” Weiss remarks. 

Oscar freezes. 

“You said - you said you didn’t remember anything from when you were with Salem,” Weiss continues. “But you were in Mantle when you were -”

Oscar looks down at the ground, the realization crashing into Weiss. 

“...You lied.” She realizes. “At the dinner table - that was all a lie, wasn’t it?” 

“Not all of it-!” Oscar cuts in, before slapping a hand over his mouth, as if realizing what he just said. Weiss steps forward towards him, and he steps back, shrinking into himself. 

“Talk. Now. ” Weiss says icily. 

“O-Oz is - he is gone, I don’t hear him anymore, and I - I don’t remember a lot of it, really - just - it just-”

“Just what?”

“...It got - clearer? Yeah, c-clearer towards the end, I started - remembering more - more about me and my life and everything that had happened and - Weiss can you please for the love of god back up- ”

Weiss stops, realizing she had essentially backed him against a bookshelf. She exhales, letting her shoulders slump, her jaw unclench. She takes a step back, and Oscar lets out a breath, standing up a little straighter. They stare at each other for a few seconds, before it’s Weiss’s turn to look away, staring at the uneven floorboards. 

“...I’m sorry.” She says. “I didn’t mean to-”

“I-it’s fine. You’re fine.” Oscar mumbles, more to himself than anyone else. 

Weiss inhales. Exhales.

“I’m sorry Weiss,” Oscar says. “I’m- I’m just not ready to talk about it yet.” 

Weiss wants to get mad. Drag the truth out of him, demand answers for why he kept this secret, demand to know how much of him was aware of what he was doing when he fought Ruby -

Remember - neutral third party. That’s what you came here to do. 

Weiss Schnee is good at a lot of things. And one of those things is tampering down her emotions when she needs to. 

“Fine.” Weiss replies. “Then don’t.” Oscar swallows, catching Weiss’s icy glare. “And…” Weiss looks away, unsure of what exactly to say. “And thank you for telling me about my brother.”

“...No problem.” Oscar sticks out a gloved palm, as if to shake hands. 

Weiss doesn’t take it. 

“I never called him,” Weiss admits, leaning back against the screen door. Penny watches on, mind whirring from her story. “Whitley, I mean. The news broke a few weeks later that he was alive and in Vale and - and I never called him.”

“Why?” Penny asks. 

Weiss doesn’t answer at first, staring resolutely at the ground. “I was afraid,” She finally admits. “Afraid he would hate me for not looking.” 

“You thought he was dead,” Penny points out. “He was with your mother when she was killed - it only makes sense you’d assume the worst.” 

Neither of them say anything for a minute. The night air rushes by their faces. Penny isn’t sure what to say, really. She’s… never really been good at dealing with loss. 

“I got word of my mother’s death just - just minutes before Atlas left.” Weiss begins. “It was from one of the butlers.” The entire conversation, Weiss’s voice has stayed icily cold, but now, Penny can hear some emotion start to leak through. “No one had found Whitley - I had - I didn’t want to think he was alive. I didn’t want that false hope to get shattered when they found his body.” 

“Weiss.” Penny placed a hand on top of Weiss’s. Weiss looks up, eyes red. “It is not your fault.” Penny says. 

“I-”

“It is not your fault,” Penny repeats, squeezing Weiss’s hand even tighter. “Listen to me - it is not your fault that this happened. None of this is.” 

“Some of it is,” Weiss mutters. “I should have combed Mantle looking for him - instead I just - just ran off to Vale like some sort of coward-”

“Because you wanted to help your friends,” Penny finishes. “And because you wanted to help the world. Weiss, you could not have known.” Weiss leans into Penny, and she puts her arm around her shoulder. Weiss is shaking, just a little bit, and Penny pulls her closer. “You were doing the best you could do.”

Weiss nods, curling into Penny’s side. She doesn’t let a single tear fall, but Penny can see how wet her eyes are, how red her face is. Penny moves some loose hairs out of Weiss’s face, and she smiles weakly. Penny smiles back at her. 

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Weiss sits up, sniffling. “...I’m so tired of fighting with him.” Weiss admits quietly. “I just want us to be a family again.” 

Penny thinks back to Ironwood. How he used to be, versus how he was now. 

She can’t help but sympathize, at least a little bit. 

“Let’s go inside,” Penny says after a moment. “I think dinner is almost ready.”

“Yeah, let's,” Weiss laughs, a watery sound. “I hate the heat.” 

Chapter Text

Penny doesn’t sleep. She doesn’t really need to, being a robot that runs on sunlight and self-sustaining fuel. And while she was grateful for this fact, for the most part, it DID mean that nights were always a bit boring, considering everyone else was asleep. 

Usually, she’d take the time to decompress. Flip through the day's assignments, run diagnostic tests on her software, and clean the house. Sometimes, she’d fly out at night, soaring over the streets, feeling the wind blow past her face, almost cutting. It’s peaceful, seeing the people and places of Vacuo shrink into tiny dots below her. 

Tonight, however, was not one of those nights. 

It’s around midnight when Penny hears footsteps coming down the stairs. Unsure of who it could be, she sets down the book she’s in the middle of reading, The Prince’s Sword. She sticks her head out the living room, to see the entirety of Team RWBY staring back at her, fully dressed. 

“Penny, just who I was looking for!” Yang whisper-shouts. Penny arches an eyebrow, confused. 

“I thought you were all in bed.” She says. 

“We were having a bit of a team meeting,” Ruby explains, stepping forward. “It was actually about what you said yesterday.”  When Penny tilts her head in confusion, Ruby plows on. “The hacker lady?” She asks. “What was her name - Stewie… Rupert… no wait, it was -”

“Rhubarb.” Penny finishes. 

“Right, yeah! Anyways, we were actually gonna try and find her, see if we can get her help or something.” Ruby says. Penny scans the rest of the group, and they all nod in agreement. 

“...I was under the impression that Headm - that Theodore said we weren’t allowed to.” Penny says. 

“I mean… what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Yang posits slyly. “And besides, he strikes me as the type of guy who would turn a blind eye to this kind of stuff just as long as it got the job done.”

Penny shuffles awkwardly in place, pulling at the hem of her shirt. “I do not know about this,” She admits. “I cannot say I feel good going behind Theodore’s back.”

“If it means we can get the Relic and blueprints secured, then I think we should.” Blake says. “It’ll be for a good cause, so long as everything goes right.”

“And I take it you need my help because you don’t know where she is?” Penny asks. 

Ruby grabbed Penny’s hand, flashing her the biggest puppy eyes she could. “Pleeeeeeaaaase?” She whines. “You’d be doing us a huge favor!” 

Penny sighs. She can’t say no to that face. And if this really will help Vacuo, then she’s got no other choice.

“Alright, I will help.” She relents. Ruby fist-pumps in triumph, and Weiss sighs, rolling her eyes. 

“Don’t get too excited, you dolt. After all, there’s no guarantee that she’ll even WANT to help us.”

“Well, we’ve got Penny now. And surely she’ll want to help her.” Blake interjects. “I mean, they’re friends, right?”

Penny nods, the drive sitting heavy in her pocket.

The Gold Thread is even more inconspicuous at night, it’s glowing neon signs casting the surrounding streets in a technicolor blob of lights. Penny catches the rest of the team squinting, and she internally adjusts her eyesight to Dark Mode. There’s not too many people inside, from what Penny can see - a few people loitering outside, a few people hanging out inside. It was a Tuesday night, after all - not exactly prime bar-hopping hours. 

“I still can’t believe this is where she lives,” Weiss remarks, nose curled up in distaste. “It’s like she’s ASKING for the police to bust down her door.”

“Hey, you’d be surprised how often police don’t think to check bars,” Yang replies. “Trust me, I’d know.” 

Penny’s about to interject and ask what that’s about, but she’s cut off by Blake stepping forward, opening the doors to the inside. The rest warily follow, but Penny stops, keenly aware of the feeling of someone’s eyes on the back of her head. She turns, just in time to see a woman dressed in red duck back into the alleyway. Penny frowns. She almost looks familiar. 

Putting that out of her mind, she steps inside. 

The inside is, surprisingly, a lot more tasteful than the exterior. A good chunk of it was made out of glass, from the dance floor, to the countertops, all the way to the spiral staircase in the center of the room. The tables were sprinkled all around, with not much sense for where they were placed, and the lack of windows sealed off all natural light instantly, bathing the group in neon lights. 

Penny swallows. She can't help but get the distinct feeling that they were trapped. 

Nevertheless, she approaches the bartender, a burly woman with cropped black hair and olive skin. “Hello ma’am,” Penny says. “I’m here to see Rhubarb Stilk?” 

The woman gives Penny the once over, before her eyes flit to the rest of the team behind her. “...We don’t serve Huntresses here.” She snarls. “Get lost.” 

“Excuse me, she asked you a question?” Yang interjects, stepping forward and slamming a hand down on the countertop. “And announcing you don’t serve Huntresses is a bit suspicious, y’know.” 

“I just have very little respect for pigs, is all.” The woman spits back. 

Penny raises her eyebrows, aghast. She knows that Vacuo, especially the underbelly, is pretty anti establishment, but she’s never heard anyone just outright say it before. She imagines this woman turning down a furious Ironwood with the same tone, and she has to suppress a giggle from the mental image. 

Evidently she had failed, as the woman’s gaze flits back to Penny. “What’s so funny?” She asks. 

“Nothing, sorry. I just find ‘pigs’ to be a very funny turn of phrase.” Penny replies, trying to keep the smile out of her voice. “I’m from Atlas, and it’s certainly much more fitting for the Huntsman there than for my friends.” 

“And we’re not here on Huntress business anyways,” Blake finishes. “I promise, whatever happens here, stays in here. We’re just looking to find someone.”

The woman doesn’t look convinced, going back to polishing a glass with a cloth. “If you want drinks, then fine. But if you’re here for Rhubarb, you’re wasting your time.” 

“But Penny knows her!” Ruby interjects. “She saved her life!”

“That doesn’t make you two friends.” The woman replies icily, pointing a calloused finger at Penny. “Whatever she got out of fixing you, the deal’s been done. If you want to contact her, you’d best do it properly. Either that, or get the fuck out of my bar.” 

“Make us.” Yang growls. 

The bartender and Yang stare each other down for a good ten seconds, long enough for everyone’s hands to start moving towards their weapons. The other patrons notice it too, a hush falling across the room, people getting up and leaving, running from the ensuing fight.

Yang opens her mouth -

“Alright ladies, break it up!!”

All heads turn to see a small woman sliding down the stairs' banister, before dismounting with a smooth cartwheel and landing right in front of the team. Her face had less smudges than the last time Penny had seen her, and she had a pair of blue-light glasses on, but Penny would recognize those poofy space-buns and crooked nose anywhere. 

“Seriously, I leave to do work for TEN MINUTES, and you’ve already started a fight Mills.” Rhubarb says, a mirthful smile on her face. “That’s gotta be a new record.”

“I don’t think I need you to tell me how to run my bar, Rhu.” The bartender - Mills - replies grumpily. 

Rhubarb laughs, undeterred, and swings her legs up so that she’s sitting on the bar’s countertop. “Relax!” She exclaims, slapping Mills on the back. “They’re welcome to stay here if they want to.”

“If I recall correctly, it was your exact instructions that said you wanted to keep the authorities OUT of this place, was it not?” Mills replies through gritted teeth. 

“Nah, Penny’s chill,” Rhubarb replies, grabbing the glass Mills was polishing from her hands. “And I assume anyone else with her is too, right?”

That statement wasn’t just a question - it was a warning. Penny catches the darkness behind Rhubarb’s mismatched eyes, and looks away, feeling strangely cowed. “Y-yes ma’am.” Penny replies. 

“None of that ma’am shit, I ain’t that old yet.” Rhubarb sticks the glass under one of the taps, pouring herself a drink, before sliding off the countertop and properly turning to face the group. “Can I get you guys anything?”

“Strawberry Sunrise, no ice. And one of those little umbrella thingies.” Yang interjects before anyone can say anything else. 

“Sure can do.” Rhubarb shoots Mills a look, and she heads off to find the ingredients, grumbling quietly. Once Mills is gone, Rhubarb turns to the rest of the group, taking a sip of her drink. “So,” She begins. “I take it you’re not just here for the drinks, huh?”

“We wanted to ask for your help,” Ruby replies, meeting Rhubarb’s eyes with a determined glare. “See - and I know you don’t want to get involved in Huntress stuff, but it’s really important - not just to us, but to all of Vacuo.”

“Yeah, it always is, isn’t it?” Rhubarb sighs, sitting down at one of the unoccupied tables, the rest of the group following suit. “Always some big, world ending thing you’ve gotta solve.” She takes a sip of her drink, grimacing slightly, before she continues. “Gotta say, doesn’t that get tiring after a while? Just like, having one thing after another? I’d have thrown in the towel by now.” 

Penny, noticing the uncomfortable look on Ruby’s face, butts in. “We didn’t come here to chat,” She interjects. “We just came to ask you for something, and then we will be out of your hair.”

“Damn, I actually was enjoying talking to y’all.” Mills sets down Yang’s Strawberry Sunrise in front of her, little umbrella and everything. Yang flashes her a thumbs up, which is met with a middle finger in response. “Well, if that’s all you want, who you lookin’ for?”

Penny looks at Ruby, who nods back at her. Taking that as the green light, she pulls up the picture she had taken of Rasida, back in Theodore’s office. She passes the scroll to Rhubarb, who’s eyes narrow in response. “Her name is Rasida Kijani.” Penny says. “That’s who we’re looking for.” 

Rhubarb doesn’t say anything for a couple seconds, eyes taking in every detail of Rasida’s face. The group sits awkwardly in silence, waiting for a few seconds. 

Finally, Rhubarb passes the scroll back to Penny. “Interesting,” She says. “I’d ask why you’re looking for her, but something tells me you won’t spill.”

“We can’t,” Blake apologizes. “It’s classified.”

“Yeah, go figure.” Rhubarb downs the last of her drink and stands, stretching her arms behind her head. “Alright, I’ll bite.”

“Really?” Ruby exclaims, eyes lighting up. 

“Don’t get too excited yet, Rose.” Ruby’s face falls at the mention of her name, despite her not giving it. When Rhubarb notices her expression, she laughs. “Oh please, I don’t need to be a hacker to know who you are, you were on that broadcast.”

“R-right.” Ruby stutters. 

“So what’s the catch?” Yang interjects, standing up as well. “There always is with this kind of stuff.” 

“You catch on quick,” Rhubarb smirks, walking forward until she and Yang are face-to-face. “I’d ask how you knew, but from what one of my associates have told me, you’re pretty familiar with info brokers and clubs.” 

“So then you also know what exactly happens to establishments that don’t give me what I want.” Yang retorts. 

“Cocky, huh?” The two of them stare each other down for a good five seconds, before Rhubarb laughs, turning away. “Alright, I can work with that.” 

“...What is?” Penny asks, still not sure what’s going on. 

“Since I’m feeling generous tonight, I’m willing to make you a deal.” Rhubarb begins, tugging on her leather gloves. “I know y’all are Huntresses, and fighting is what you do best, so I’m willing to bet with you on your own terms - in your own language, so to speak. So,” She turns back around to face the five of them, jabbing her finger in Yang’s direction. “If you can beat me in a fight, I’ll help you.”

“A - a fight?” Blake exclaims. 

“Why?” Ruby asks. 

“How is that fair?” Weiss interjects. 

“Look,” Yang steps forward, shoving her hands in her pockets. “I’m not sure if you know exactly what you’re doing.”

“Oh, I do.” Rhubarb replies. “Trust me, I’m not as helpless as you'd think.”

“Rhubarb, Yang’s been to combat school,” Penny starts. “And she’s certainly-”

“No, I’m down.” Yang interrupts. “If Little-Miss-Hacker here wants to fight me, I’m game.” 

“Someone’s confident.” Rhubarb retorts. 

“I didn’t go through the two biggest Grimm attacks of the millennium just to get beat by someone under five foot four.” Yang retorts, and oh, this is pre-battle smack talk. Oh boy. This isn’t getting de-escalated anytime soon. Not to mention, Rhubarb still hasn’t answered the question of why she was asking Yang to fight in the first place. 

“We’ll see about that, hotshot.” Rhubarb turns on her heel to face the few patrons left in the bar. “EVERYONE OUT!” She shouts. “I’M HAVIN’ A BAR FIGHT WITH THIS CHICK OVER HERE, SO IF YOU DON’T WANT BROKEN GLASS IN YOUR EYE IN THE NEXT TEN SECONDS, YOU’D BEST BOOK IT!!” Sure enough, the rest of the bar’s occupants quickly file out in an almost practiced fashion. It would seem that stuff like this happened a fair amount around here. 

“You can’t keep closing my bar when it suits you, Rhu.” Mills remarks, as she heads into the backroom. “I’ve got a business to run.”

“Not like you were getting many customers tonight anyways.”

“You’re a menace.”

“You love me~” Rhubarb sing-songs. 

Mills flips her the bird, before ducking out. 

Rhubarb turns back to face Yang, who’s stretching her legs in preparation. “You ready to go?” Rhubarb asks. “Because I don’t have all night.”

Yang smirks, straightening up, and assuming a fighting stance. 

“This won’t take long.” 

Rhubarb takes off her glasses, placing them gently on the table. 

“We’ll see about that.” 

The two of them face each other, fists clenched. 

Penny isn’t sure who moves first. One second they’re squaring off, and the next, they’re on each other. Yang swings her right hook, only for Rhubarb to catch her arm and throw her over her shoulder. Yang rolls, skidding on the floor and launching herself back at Rhubarb with a concussive blast of Ember Celica. The rest of them, taking the hint, quickly start to back away from the fight. 

Yang swings again, only this time, Rhubarb blocks it, with a punch that mirrors Yang’s own. Yang looks up, to see Rhubarb staring back at her, eyes violet and crooked teeth gleaming in the low light. Yang blinks, confused, and that’s all the time Rhubarb needs for her to duck under Yang’s outstretched arm, delivering a roundhouse kick to the face. 

Yang stumbles back, aura sparking, hair flying wildly in her face. She looks back up, just in time to see Rhubarb, eyes having returned to normal, charging at her. Yang catches her by the shoulders, almost like how one grabs a bull by the horns, flinging her to the side. Rhubarb hits the ground rolling, and Yang shoots herself forward, swings, and catches Rhubarb’s leg, kicking upward and catching Yang in the jaw. Rhubarb spins in place on her shoulders, movement almost reminiscent of a break-dancer, legs kicking out before she hops back up. She sprints towards Yang, swinging her fists again - only now, it’s Yang’s turn to block and counter, using her robotic arm to block Rhubarb’s punch, and swing a sneaky blow towards Yang’s stomach. 

The blow never connects, however, blocked with Rhubarb’s forearm - a mirror of the move Yang had just done to block her. Yang looks back up, to see Rhubarb’s eyes have gone purple once again. She smiles deviously, trapping Yang’s forearm in between her two arms, and twisting. 

Yang spins with the force, before kicking off Rhubarb’s chest to get away from her. She lands on the glass floor, eyes wild, hair in front of her eyes. Rhubarb meets her smirk with one of her own, before gesturing at Yang, the universal ‘Come At Me’ sign. 

Yang obliges. She blasts forward once again, and Rhubarb’s eyes go purple, as she prepares to block Yang again, only for her to duck under her arm, going in for a kick. However, strangely, Rhubarb’s body looks almost like it’s yanked into position, matching Yang’s kick with one identical to her own. Yang follows it up with a punch, with Rhubarb also copies. 

What follows can really only be described as someone fighting their own reflection. Every blow, every kick, every punch Yang throws at Rhubarb, she meets it with an identical one. Fists collide with fists, kicks bounce off of each other, the two of them skirting around the glass dance floor in a perfect two-step tango of violence. Penny’s in awe, unable to tear her gaze away from the spectacle in front of her. She had seen Yang fight before, that was true, but not like this. Not since the Vytal Festival, at least - only now, she was more focused, far better, attacks calculated and clear-cut. This was Yang in her element - fighting for the hell of it. 

“...Holy shit.” Blake murmurs.

“I don’t understand,” Ruby says over the din. “Why do Rhubarb’s eyes keep changing color?”

“I - I do not know.” Penny replies. She’s at a loss as to what it could be. Maybe…

It’s Yang who finally breaks the stalemate, feinting a kick before landing a punch squarely in Rhubarb’s stomach. She stumbles back, spit flying from her mouth, Aura sparking a bright emerald green. Yang takes the opportunity and goes in for the finishing blow, Ember Celica firing up below her -

CRACK!

Yang stumbles back, holding her nose, hissing in pain. Penny can see blood dripping from between her fingers, before her Aura flashes yellow and clots it. 

Rhubarb stands, twirling a round object on a string in her hands. Penny’s eyes narrow, as her vision zooms in, trying to get a better look at -

“Hold up,” Yang exclaims, straightening up. “Is your weapon a - a yo-yo?!”

“Got a problem with that?” Rhubarb retorts. 

Yang considers it for a second, then shakes her head. 

“Nah. I fought a guy who used a trumpet once.”

There’s a blast of energy, this time, coming from Rhubarb’s yo-yo, some kind of jet propulsion spurting out the back of it. It swings with top speed, slamming into the ground in front of Yang, who rolls out of the way just in time. Rhubarb twirls it again with yet another concussive blast, and Penny has to note the cracks left in the ground by her last swing. Whatever that yo-yo was made of, it was heavier than it looked. 

Yang ducks under the next swing, aiming a kick at Rhubarb’s legs, who counters it with another identical kick of her own. She retracts the yo-yo back towards her, and Yang backs off, forced to stay at a distance. The yo-yo was preventing her from getting as close as she’d like, and any hits she could get in, Rhubarb could just counter perfectly. As if reading her mind, Rhubarb shoots her yo-yo out again, forcing Yang on the defensive. The wire of her yo-yo catches Yang’s wrist, and yanks her forward, until the two of them are face -to-face. 

But Yang isn’t deterred. 

No she’s… 

Smirking.

“Nice going, moron.” She growls. 

And her hair catches aflame.

The arm that was caught in the yo-yo’s wire makes a popping sound, and her prosthetic shoots itself out of her socket. Rhubarb stumbles backwards from the force, and that’s all the time Yang needs to get in. Rhubarb’s eyes flash purple, but it’s just a second too late, as Yang’s leg SLAMS into Rhubarb’s stomach with the force of a two-ton truck. Rhubarb gags, audibly, and is sent flying across the room, before slamming into the bar, glasses shattering along with her Aura. 

Yang lands on the floor, heaving for breath, but triumphant. The five of them all look out on Rhubarb, slumped over in a pile of broken glass. Rhubarb’s eyes open, darting around, and for a split second, Penny thinks she’s gonna start attacking again -

-But instead, Rhubarb laughs, a full bodied sound, albeit a little bit pained. “You - you got me there!” She chortles, standing up and wiping the blood off of her face. “Gonna be real with you, I didn’t see that coming - nice job!”

Penny goes to help Rhubarb up, slinging one arm over her shoulder, while the others go to help Yang. Penny can feel the outline of Rhubarb’s scroll in her pocket, if she could just-

“Are you okay?” Ruby asks, handing her sister her prosthetic.

“Nothing that a good night’s sleep and my Aura can’t fix,” Yang laughs good-naturedly. “I think I got a bit carried away there though. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, that was one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen.” Blake replies, before realizing what she’s just said.

“BLAKE!!” Weiss shouts, face red. 

“Sorry! I - It just came out!”

“Alright, enough with the flirting,” Rhubarb says, as Penny sets her down in one of the chairs that’s still upright. “Can someone get me that blue bottle of vodka up on the shelf?” She points to Penny’s left, and she goes and grabs the bottle, handing it to Rhubarb, who doesn’t even bother to pour herself a glass - just pops off the cork and starts drinking, before finishing with a full-body shudder. “Eugh,” She says, wiping her mouth. “Nasty stuff, but great for recovering Aura. Want some?” She asks Yang, holding the bottle out to her. 

Yang looks down at the bottle, then back up at Rhubarb. “...I’m good, thanks.” 

Rhubarb shrugs, taking another swig. “Eh, don’t blame ya. Vodka ain’t exactly known for its taste.”

“So,” Weiss starts up before they can get off topic again. “We win. Will you help us find Rasida?” 

“Deal’s a deal,” Rhubarb replies, setting the bottle down. “I’ll see what I can do.” 

“Do you know anything about her?” Ruby asks. 

“I know she used to go to Beacon, one of her teammates went missing a few years back, and the other two are up in Atlas at the moment. She moved to Vacuo, and then vanished off the grid.” 

She’s lying.

“We know that part,” Weiss interrupts. “Th - An associate of ours theorized that a hacker was keeping her safe.”

“A hacker, huh?” Rhubarb scans the group, taking in all their stares. “I take it you think it’s me?” 

“...I wasn’t gonna say that, but yeah.” Yang admits. 

Rhubarb snorts, taking another swig of vodka, before pushing it away. “That’s enough of that stuff,” She mutters, before turning back to face the group. “Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not the only hacker in Vacuo - just the best.”

“And you’re humble too.” Blake mutters. Yang giggles. 

Rhubarb ignores that statement, walking back over to the table. “I’ll try and see what I can dig up in the meantime, but between you and me, if there’s another hacker involved, this might take a while.”

“How long?” Penny asks. 

Rhubarb shrugs. “A month, give or take.”

“A month?!” The Charity Ball was only a few days away! They didn’t even have a week, much less a month!

“Sorry man, but that’s just how it goes.” Rhubarb shrugs. 

“I thought you said you were the best hacker in Vacuo?” Weiss challenges. 

Rhubarb levels Weiss a glare. “I’m a hacker, not a miracle worker.” She retorts. 

Penny’s getting the sense that they might be pushing their luck, so she decides to change the subject. “Why did you even want to fight Yang in the first place?” She asks. 

“Yeah, I was wondering that myself.” Yang interjects.

Rhubarb looks away at that, picking at a scab on her elbow. Everyone waits for her with baited breath, anticipating an answer.

“...Seemed fun.” She says after a moment of silence.

The whole table stares at her. 

“...Fun?” Yang exclaims. “You mean you nearly got my nose broken again for FUN?!”

Rhubarb shrugs. “Yeah, pretty much.” 

Yang stares at her, absolutely dumbfounded, for one second. Two seconds. 

Then, she breaks out into a grin. “Y’know what, I’ve kinda gotta respect that,” She laughs, sticking out her hand. Rhubarb takes it, and they shake on it. “Good fight. You’re a lot better than I thought you’d be.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Rhubarb replies. “I figured you were just bragging without the chops to back it up. Y’know - like most Huntresses.” 

“Excuse me?”

“Anyways,” Rhubarb stands, stretching her arms out like a cat in a sunbeam. “As fun as it’s been, I’m beat. I’ll text y’all if I find anything on this Rasida chick.” 

Yang nods, and the rest of the group stands. “Well, it was nice to meet yo-”

“Wait.”

All eyes turn, to see Ruby, eyes a bit frantic. She hastily looks down at the ground, as if ashamed of what she was about to ask. “Can I - I have another person I’m looking for.”

Rhubarb raises a scarred eyebrow. “...Go on.” She replies. 

Ruby bites her lip, shuffling in place. 

“Can you… does the name Oscar Pine ring a bell?” 

Penny’s eyebrows jump up to her hairline, and she can almost feel the temperature in the room drop ten degrees. Everyone else in the group seems to be just as put off by this request as Penny is. Yang, in particular, has a look of disgust written all over her face, crooked nose wrinkling in distaste. 

Rhubarb seems just as caught off guard as the rest of them. “...Look, you can’t just add stuff onto a deal that’s already been sealed, kid-”

“I know, I’m just-” Ruby’s breath catches in her throat, and she looks away. “...He’s a friend of mine and he just left without saying anything and we haven’t heard from him since and - and I’m worried about him.”

Rhubarb tilts her head, as if considering her options. 

“...Maybe he doesn’t want you to find him.” She finally says.

Ruby looks up. 

“Alright, that’s enough of that.” Rhubarb kicks the bar door open, the cool night breeze wafting in. “I appreciate the company, but I’ve really gotta go now.”

“But-” Seeing the stone look on Rhubarb’s face, Ruby’s pleas died in her throat. Dejectedly, she walks out the front door, the others following behind her. 

Penny stops on her way out, looking back at Rhubarb. “...Are you going to be okay?” She asks. 

Rhubarb smiles. “I’m always fine, Polendina. Don’t worry about me.” And with that, the door swings shut behind her. 

Penny’s metaphorical stomach churns with guilt. 

“Well, that wasn’t a complete loss,” Blake says, forcing some pep back into her voice. “At the very least, we now have somewhere to start with Rasida.”

“You sure you’re okay Yang?” Weiss asks. “Your face looks all scrunched.”

“H-Huh?” Yang jerks back to reality, as if lost in thought. “Oh, yeah, I’m good. Been through way worse. Remember when I got punched through that concrete pillar?”

“As if I could, you bring it up, like, every other day.” Weiss snarks, and some semblance of warmth starts to seep back into the atmosphere. Team RWBY starts making their way back to Yang’s beat-up car, and Penny follows lamely behind, not even paying attention- 

-Because a notification has shown up on her HUD. 

“You four can take the car back home - I’ll fly.” Penny pipes up. 

“O-Oh,” Ruby responds. “Are you sure? I think there’s enough room-”

“I prefer flying.” Penny curtly replies. 

“...Well alright then.” Ruby climbs into the car, ignoring the argument Yang and Weiss are having about who gets shotgun. “I’ll see you back at the house!”

“Bye.” And with that, Penny’s off, the streets below her fading into neon colored pinpricks of light as she ascends. The sight, which normally filled her with comfort, did little to quell her sickening guilt. 

Penny felt bad about bugging Rhubarb’s phone. Really, she did. But after everything that happened, she just… couldn’t bring herself to trust her. Even after she had gone out of her way to repair her when she fell from Atlas. 

And she can’t help but feel nauseated when her suspicions are confirmed. 

It’s a chat log, one on Rhubarb’s phone, going off like crazy. Penny lands on a rooftop, pulling it up on her HUD.

The Crack Team ™

haxor: we’ve got trouble

shortking: what’s up?

legslegs: and whats w/ the username

haxor: the fuzz is onto yall

haxor: specifically ur old teammates @shortking

girlswhosaybruh: oh shit

iscreamyouscream: oh yeah i think i saw them when we got ali b arrested right?

haxor: hey 

haxor: is the kid even there?

girlswhosaybruh: hes not exactly 

girlswhosaybruh: taking the news well

shortking: yeah np fucking shit im not takimg this well

shortking: thet are the last peo[le i want to see ever and i swear to the gods above if i eber 

shortking: jst

shortking: 1 sec

Then, her comm starts to buzz. 

Penny jumps, pretty sure she would’ve just had a heart attack if she had a heart, only to realize it’s not her comm that’s ringing, it’s Rhubarb’s. 

It clicks. Rhubarb has picked up. 

“Yo.” Rhubarb says, and Penny can almost see her answering this, feet up on the counter. “You good?”

There’s silence on the other end. 

“...Kid?”

“I’m here.” And oh. That’s unmistakably him. 

“You okay?”

“I -” A shaky exhale. “No. Sorry.”

“You’re fine.” A shifting sound. “You wanna like… I dunno… talk about it?”

A quiet laugh. “You don’t seem like the type of person who’s good at that kind of stuff.”

“Yeah, full stop, I’m not, sorry. But I mean, I can try.” 

“...I just - it’s been rocky with-”

“Wait.”

Rhubarb’s voice shifting from softer and compassionate to something more flinty stops Penny’s gears in place. 

“...What is it?”

A pause. Penny waits for a response, because there’s no way she’s already caught on, right?

“There’s someone else on this line.” 

Shit. 

Penny hangs up. 

She leans back on the railing she’s supporting herself on, thoughts racing a mile a second, because she had blown it, she had blown the whole operation, she -

Her comm rings again. 

This time, it’s actually hers. 

Penny doesn’t recognize the number. Nevertheless, she picks up. 

“...Hello-”

“That was a real dick move, you know that?” 

Penny flinches away from Rhubarb’s tone, shame creeping across her whole body. “...I know.” She mumbles. 

“No, I don’t think you do. I agree to help you and your friends - I put MY TRUST in your hands to not turn me in, and this is what you do. I hope you understand how categorically shitty that is.” 

“I know.”

“And I don’t think I need to tell you that it’s also categorically shitty to snoop on private conversations like that, right?”

“I know.”

“I just -” A dragged out exhale. Penny’s stomach churns. She holds in a hiccup.

“...How did you know it was me?” She asks. 

“I’m not an idiot. I felt you stick that tiny drive into my scroll when you were helping me back to the table.” Penny buries her head in her hands, because of course she did. You’d have to be braindead not to. “I was gonna remove it immediately and just never speak of it again, but I got so caught up in letting my -  letting some of my other clients know that the situation had changed and - well, you were listening in, I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you what happened next.”

“I’m sorry.” Penny says quietly. “You just weren’t being honest.” 

“I’m a HACKER!!” And the actual anger that Penny had never heard in Rhubarb’s voice before shocks her, and she can’t help but flinch. “It’s - it’s my fucking job, Penny!”

“And it’s my job to help people!!” Penny yells back, taking herself by surprise. “And if you were going to put Vacuo in jeopardy by withholding information -”

“Yeah, you’re a real fucking saint Polendina.” Rhubarb snarls. “Good job.”

The line goes quiet for a minute. 

“...I’m sorry.” Penny mumbles. “I just… I just can’t let a kingdom die again.”

Rhubarb doesn’t say anything. 

“Not again.” 

An exhale on the other end. 

“If you really want Vacuo to be safe, you’ll let them do what they’re planning on doing.”

Penny perks up at that. 

“It’s a fucking stupid plan, I’ll give them that, but it’s got a much higher chance of succeeding than just hiding the blueprints away in Shade. Cause she’ll get to them eventually.”

Right. Rhubarb knows about the Gala. Of course she does. 

“I’ll keep my end of the deal,” Rhubarb continues. “But just - just think about what I’ve said, okay? I put a lot of faith in these crazy kids, and I’m not gonna let it go to waste.”

And it’s honesty in her voice. Genuine, raw honesty. It’s the first time she’s ever heard Rhubarb anywhere close to vulnerable - there’s more to the story here. More than she knows, and she’s not gonna press. 

“...Fine.” Penny mumbles. 

“Good. Then let’s… let’s just pretend this conversation never happened.”

She’s hung up before Penny can say anything else.

Chapter Text

It takes all of Penny’s willpower to not just blurt out what Rhubarb told her right then and there. 

Breakfast is a subdued affair. Team RWBY are still exhausted from the previous night’s events, with Yang and Ruby noticeably absent, so Penny is left to relay to the group what they had learned. If Atlas had taught them anything, it’s that keeping secrets from each other would only cause fracturing in the long run. 

(And yet here she was, doing it anyway.)

Ren’s the first to speak up after Penny finishes talking, pushing his omelet aside. “At the very least,” He begins. “If the gala goes off without a hitch, then we’ll still have something to look into.”

“But what if Rhubarb can’t find anything?” Nora asks, echoing what they’re all thinking. 

“Well… we don’t know that for sure, so let’s try and have a little faith in her.” Jaune replies. 

Penny looks away, shame boiling inside of her. It seemed like a lead to everyone else, but to Penny, it already feels like a dead end. After all, even if Rhubarb finds something, there’s no guarantee that she’ll even be honest about it. It’s not like she was before when it came to the gala.

As the others continue talking, Penny takes the opportunity and slips out of the room before anyone can say anything to her. She catches Ren looking at her funny, but he doesn’t make any moves to stop her. 

She wonders if he knows she’s hiding something. 

She hopes not. 

As she’s walking upstairs, however, another conversation comes into earshot. Penny stalls, standing outside the ajar door to Ruby’s room. It’s Ruby and Yang, arguing in quiet voices. 

Penny knows she shouldn’t eavesdrop. It’s improper, not to mention an invasion of privacy. She can almost hear her dad’s chastising voice in her head. 

But she can’t help herself, turning her auditory processors up to 85 percent. 

“...ll I’m saying is that it’s a waste of time,” Penny can hear Yang say, and there’s a sharper edge to her tone. She can almost picture the look on her face, hard and irritated. “He’s made his choice, and we have more important things to focus on-”

“I know that, but-” Ruby’s voice hitches on the last word, and Penny’s heart breaks, just a little bit. “Aren’t you worried? At all?” 

“...Why would I be worried about a guy who wants nothing to do with us?”

“But what if he knows something? Something about the Maidens, or Atlas, or-”

“Even if he did, he’s not gonna tell us.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he’s an asshole, Ruby!” Yang’s voice takes on a more brittle tone, something that isn’t quite anger, but isn’t quite sadness either leaking into her voice. ”Because he sucks, and he wants someone to be mad at, and he’s picked us.”

 There’s a pause, and Penny can hear Ruby’s shaky breathing, before the sound of rustling fabric accompanies footsteps, presumably Yang sitting down. “...I’m sorry Rubes,” She says gently. “I know you… I know you cared about him a lot.”

“...I miss him,” Ruby mumbles. “I wish he’d come back, but he won’t, and it’s my fault.”

“Ruby, you have to stop,” Yang pauses, and there’s another shifting sound - a hug, perhaps. “Just - it’s not all on you all the time, you know?”

A pause. Ruby sniffles. 

“...You can’t keep chasing after him because you feel bad, or want to fix him, or whatever,” Yang continues. “He has to want to come back. You can’t make him.”

Another pause. 

“...I’m sorry,” Ruby mumbles. 

“What for?”

“Being a bad leader.”

“Ruby, no.” Another shifting sound. “You’re not a bad leader.”

“Yes I am.”

“No you’re not.”

“Yes I am!” Penny hears feet hit the ground, presumably Ruby standing up. “Every single decision I’ve made up until this point has been the wrong one - I - Atlas, Ironwood, Ozpin, Oscar, Rhubarb, and - and now I -”

“But you didn’t know what would happen! None of us did!” Yang stands as well, boots clacking against the floor. “Ruby, you’re not invincible. You’re not a paragon, you - you did the best you could with what you had.”

“And I failed.”

“You didn’t fail.” Another step. “It’s… it’s just a work in progress.” 

There’s silence for a few moments. Penny peeks through the crack in the door, to see Yang and Ruby hugging, Ruby’s face buried in Yang’s shoulder, trembling with silent sobs. 

Penny looks away. She shouldn’t be here for this. 

Ruby says something else, but it’s cut off by the sounds of Penny’s scroll buzzing at the WORST possible time. Penny jolts, panic rushing through her as Ruby and Yang look up. The two of them turn to the door, and Penny darts down the hall, ducking behind the wall. 

Yang sticks her head out, looking around. “Hello?” She shouts into the dark. When no one responds, she sighs. “...I swear, I just heard a scroll go off.” She mumbles. Penny doesn’t move, worried that any sound will give away her position. Yang’s head turns to look down the hall towards where Penny is hiding, and for a split second, Penny thinks Yang can see her. 

But then she turns back towards Ruby’s room, and Penny releases a metaphorical breath. 

“-ually… it might have been mine,” Penny tunes back in just in time to hear the back half of whatever Ruby had just said. “Sherri Tza just messaged me.” 

“Weird, I thought your scroll was on silent,” Yang mumbles. “What’d she say?”

Ruby pauses, before answering, as if unsure of how to say it. 

“...There’s been a blackout at Shade.”

“How long did it last?” Is the first thing Penny asks Theodore when they all get to Shade Academy. The lights are on now, as if nothing had happened - but Penny can see the strained faces of the students, the way Huntsman and Huntresses are darting in and out frenetically. Theodore’s face is tight, taunt with anxiety, and even the normally unflappable Sherri Tza looks tense. 

“Approximately two minutes and seventeen seconds,” Sherri Tza replies as they make their way inside. Everyone is on edge, Penny especially so - she has a good idea about who’s behind this. She forces herself to swallow a hiccup, and presses on. 

“Was it a problem with the power supply?” Weiss asks. “A Dust shortage?” 

“No, Dust isn’t the problem,” Theodore grumbles, ducking past a frazzled looking teacher, talking loudly on her scroll. “Your brother’s ‘generous contributions’ to our school have made sure of that.” 

“We’re still checking the actual generators and lines,” Sherri Tza continues, as the group files up the cramped spiral staircase to Theodore’s office. “But so far, our reports show no anomalies. All systems are operational, all generators are functioning at one hundred percent - as far as we can tell, it’s business as usual.” 

Qrow frowns, red eyes narrowing. “So, what you’re saying is-”

“It’s a software issue.” Theodore finishes, as they ascend the last stair and turn down a sandstone hallway. “The computer systems running our power supply were compromised.” 

“At least, that’s our theory.” Sherri Tza interjects, opening the door to Thedore’s office and letting them all file in. “We’re still not done with our initial scan of the power supply. For all we know, this could just be a false alarm.”

“But so close to the gala? I highly doubt it’s just a coincidence.” Theodore snaps. Sherri Tza’s face remains still, but the slight vein pulsing in her jaw suggests otherwise. It’s the first time Penny’s seen the two of them disagree on anything before. It takes her back to Ironwood and Winter’s debates in Atlas - not a comparison Penny wants to make. 

“You’re saying that the blackout was the result of someone trying to… to hack into Shade?” Blake pipes up. 

“We’re not saying that it is what happened, we’re saying that it’s a possibility.” Sherri Tza replies before Theodore can say anything. “I don’t want you to think that this is grounds for a code red.” 

“On the contrary, I think it is.” Theodore interjects. “If it were just one thing on its own, I’d be willing to write it off. But with the gala so soon, I can’t just wave it away.” Theodore turns away, looking out the window, brows furrowed. “No - this was sabotage.”

“But - who would try and do something like that?” Nora asks. 

“Watts.” Qrow growls. All eyes turn to look at him. “He has to be behind this.” 

“You might be jumping to conclusions a little bit,” Blake points out. 

“Remember, he’s the guy who rigged the elections. Who hacked into Beacon. Who compromised Penny,” Yang pipes up. “If they want the blueprints to get to the Vault, it makes sense that they’d get him to disable our security.”

“So… that’s what this was?” Jaune asks. “Is the security down?” 

“No,” Theodore pulls up a holographic screen, showing countless streams of footage, all from different security cameras all across the school. “We still have access to it. But I’m also not going to pretend that this doesn’t make any electronic security measures a lot less reliable than before.” 

“Then… then we get more Huntsman.” Ruby finishes. “The more people are on campus when the gala happens, the better chance we have to catch Salem’s forces in our trap.”

“The only issue is that they might be anticipating that,” Ren remarks. “We’d have to be stupid to not have any defense measures in place for this, and Salem knows that.” 

“So what, this is like, a double trap?” Nora asks. “They’re trapping our trap for them?”

“It most certainly seems that way.” Theodore replies, leaning back in his chair, releasing the tension in his broad shoulders. “And even if it isn’t, we could always use more hands on deck. I’ll contact the local Huntsman and Huntresses to see if any would be available on such short notice.”

“I know some people who could help you,” Blake pipes up. “I’m friends with the members of Team SSSN, and we can definitely trust them with this.” 

“Alright then, I’ll send them a message.” Theodore waves his large hand, and Sherri Tza gets to work typing a message for them in her scroll. “Any other Huntsman you can personally vouch for?”

“...That’s kinda it.” Blake admits, rubbing the back of her head. “I mean, maybe Illia if she’s around - but I’m pretty sure she went back to Menagerie before we came here.”

“Considering her past history with the White Fang, she probably wouldn’t pass muster anyways.” Sherri Tza remarks. Blake bristles at that, but Yang grabs her hand, as if to say; it isn’t worth it. Blake looks away, but her golden eyes stay slitted with anger.

Penny never met Illia. But she imagines if Blake is willing to recommend her, she has to be an honorable person. 

More honorable than she is, anyways. 

Penny’s mind turns to Oscar, the last time she had seen him, sitting in the cockpit of an Atlas escape pod as Penny prepared to fly to Amity. His face, round and whole and flooded with tension. At the time, Penny had just assumed it was because of everything that was going on around them. But now, thinking back to the hushed whispering she had heard after he had blown open the door to save her - how Ozpin had blown open the door to save her - her heart sinks. There was more going on, more than she was aware of. 

He has his reasons. Penny knows it. She just needs to figure out what they are. 

And to do that, she’s going to have to talk to -

“Yang!” The blonde in question turned to face Penny, lagging behind as the rest of the group exited Theodore’s office. “I need to talk to you.” 

Yang blinks, lavender eyes wide with confusion. “...Sure,” Penny turns left, away from everyone else, and Yang follows. “What’s up?”

Penny waits until she’s absolutely sure they’re out of earshot, then turns to face Yang, stopping in the middle of the hallway. “I need you to tell me what happened with you and Oscar.” She says. 

Yang’s eyebrows shoot up to her hairline, and she crosses her arms. “...Why?” She asks, immediately on the defensive.

“Because…” Penny swallows a hiccup, and then continues. “Because I need to know what happened between you and him.”

Yang’s eyes narrow. “Yeah, I heard you were doing that,” She retorts. “Why me, though?”

“Because you seem to dislike him the most.” 

The hallway falls silent at that. Penny refuses to break Yang’s stare, knowing that if she could, she’d be sweating up a storm. But she can’t back down, not here, not when she still needs to find out why Oscar left and came to Vacuo. 

Why he might be involved in the gala. 

Yang is the first to relent, finally breaking the staredown and looking out one of the hallways' massive arched windows. “...You’re right.” She says, sitting down on the sill. “He and I never got along when he came back.”

Penny quietly moves to sit opposite her, unsure of how to approach the topic. “Do you… do you know why?” She asks. 

Yang sighs, running a hand through her hair. “I - I don’t know.” She mumbles. 

Penny doesn’t believe that for a second. “Really?”

“Yeah, I really don’t -” Yang’s eyes flare red, leaning forward, before she catches herself, exhaling. She leans back against the wall, defeated. “...I don’t know what I did to make him…”

“Make him what?”

“Make him SCARED of me!” Yang exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air. “Out of everyone in - out of everyone, he - I hated the way he looked at me. I hated - I don’t even know what I did to make him - like that!” Yang tugs on her blonde ponytail, frustrated. “It pissed me off, how he lied to us for so long, and then tried to play the victim. And when I finally called him out on it, the bastard broke my nose, and-”

“He WHAT?!” Penny shouts. 

Yang stares at her, dumbfounded. “...No one told you?” She asks. 

“No I -” Penny stares at Yang’s nose, slightly crooked in a way it hadn’t been before. “I had just assumed it was from a fight.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about that.” Yang pulls her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. 

Penny feels… well, out of her depth. She’s not good at reassuring people like Blake was, or understanding like Ren, and she most certainly couldn’t inspire people like Ruby did. 

Really, all she can do is listen. 

So she takes Yang’s hand, in a way Penny hopes comes off as reassuring. Yang looks up, eyes widening. 

“Can you -” No, that isn’t right. “...Do you want to talk about it?” 

Yang scoffs. “What, the fight?”

“Yes.” 

When Yang realizes that Penny’s being serious, she pulls her hand away, returning to the position she had been in before. “...I don’t think you want to hear it, though,” Yang mutters. “‘S not my proudest moment.” 

“That is okay.” Penny looks out the window, following Yang’s gaze over the Vacuo skyline. “...I think we all have moments we… we are not proud of.”

Like how I am not telling you the truth right now. 

Yang sighs, letting her head fall back. “...Fine.” She says. “But just so you know, I - neither of us were thinking clearly when it happened. It’s not something I’d do now.”

“I understand.” Penny places a hand on Yang’s shoulder. “Whenever you are ready.”

Yang takes a deep breath, and begins. 

Yang was never quite sure what to make of Oscar. Mostly because whenever she looked at him, she just saw Ozpin. 

The way he walked. The way he fought. Even down to the little hand gestures he did - it was exactly the same as her late Headmaster. Yang’s always had a good memory for that kind of stuff, and it - well, it unnerved her, to say the least. Granted, she never really trusted the headmaster either, from the moment he stepped out on stage - no, even before that, when he let Ruby into Beacon without even explaining why. At the time, she had been so stoked that Ruby was coming with her that she hadn’t thought about it all that much, but there had always been this little seed of doubt in her mind. Of course, in retrospect, she could chalk a good chunk of it up to the whole ‘magic immortal wizard’ thing, but even that did little to assuage her nerves. 

From day one, she had been on-guard with Ozpin, when she made him explain the reasons why he’d given Qrow and Raven the magic that could turn them into birds. Once she heard that it hadn’t been forced onto them, she felt a little better - but again, never enough to make her trust him. 

Oscar, however, was innocent in all of this - at least, that’s what she told herself. And the way Oscar lurked during team meetings always made her a little irritated too. She wanted to grab him by the shoulders, shake him a little, and yell: YOU CAN JOIN IN IF YOU WANT! IT’S OKAY! At the time, she wasn’t really irritated at him, more so in his lack of confidence. 

But again - he was innocent in all of this. 

Then Argus happened. And suddenly, he wasn’t so innocent anymore. Those little lurking habits, what she had thought was just shyness, took on a whole new light. Had he known? This whole time, had he known the terrible truth about Salem and Ozpin? Why hadn’t he spoken up sooner if he knew Ozpin was hiding something? Why now? Why in the middle of their trip, why not back in Mistral? 

What else was he hiding? 

How much of his actions had been Oscar’s, and how much had been Ozpin’s? 

Yang knew that she could’ve stopped Qrow from punching Oscar. She knew she could’ve broken up the fight between him and Jaune. 

She didn’t, though. 

Oscar probably knew that too. 

When Oscar got taken, Yang, underneath all the guilt and grief  - and she’d never tell this to anyone - felt a strange sense of relief. She felt awful for feeling that way, of course, but… but for a split second - there it was. 

She was happy Ozpin wasn’t around to lie to them anymore. 

Seeing him in the Emerald Forest, face dripping with black ichor and brandishing a sword, Yang almost wonders if this was a punishment for her. As if Oscar knew, had reached into her head and picked out all the awful, horrible thoughts she had about him. Every strike, every slash, a cry of you let this happen, you’re happy about this, you wished me to be gone and then I was. You could have saved me but you didn’t. 

When Ruby goes into the storm, Yang’s sure that only one of them will come back. 

But both of them do. 

And just for a second, for a horrifying, terrible split second, Yang wishes he wasn’t.

When Ozpin’s gone, it should be a relief. 

It isn’t. 

Because now these feelings of hers - frustration, anger, grief - have nowhere to go. No one to direct them to. Despite everything, she’s upset Ozpin is gone - at the very least, the slimy bastard had a plan. 

And she’s not proud of it - but she turns to Oscar. 

She sees him, sees the ways he darts around the house, how he refuses to interact with anyone, his sentences clipped and curt. The way he talks to Ruby, quiet and cold, the way that she’d come into Yang’s room at night and cry, scared and full of grief for her friend. When she tearfully recounts her encounter with Oscar in the mines, Yang wraps her in a massive hug, as if to shield her from the burdens she’d been carrying for so long. She knows it’s not enough, and she pictures punching Oscar in the face for it. For almost killing her baby sister twice now.

But most of all, she sees the way he looks at her, the glimmers of fear in his eyes. 

She’s used to people being intimidated by her, sure - but never scared. Never afraid. 

He knows, he has to, she was so obvious about it- 

(And maybe, just a little bit, Yang sees herself, just after Beacon. Unkempt. Depressed. Self-pitying.)

(She’s never liked looking at herself for too long.)

So she tries to ignore him - ignore the weird tension permeating the house they’re staying in. Forces herself to stay peppy, stay upbeat, stay cheerful. It works, at least in part. She tries to keep the morale up, but she just can’t quite convince herself of it. Days go by, Yang taking on as many Huntress missions across Vale as possible just to keep herself busy. She doesn’t want to think about it. 

However - it all comes to a head one day during a team mission. 

“Alright everyone,” Jaune says, standing in front of the holographic mission board pulled up on the netscreen in the living room. The rest of the team sits on the couch before him, with Qrow leaning against it and Oscar standing further back. Yang makes brief eye contact with him, before looking away. “Today’s mission is gonna require all of us.” He taps the screen, pulling up the image of a familiar-looking ruin. “Mountain Glenn, as you know, has had a consistent Grimm problem for as long as any of us can remember.” The image switches to the ruins being overrun with Grimm. “But ever since the Fall of Beacon, it’s gotten a lot worse.” 

“We know, Jaune.” Weiss remarks. “You don’t need to remind us.” 

That gets a snicker out of Nora, as Jaune reddens, quickly swiping to the next image. “S-Sorry!” He exclaims. 

(“At least he’s not using the note cards anymore,” Blake whispers to Yang, who snorts.) 

“Anyways,” Jaune continues over their whispering. “Glynda thinks some of the Grimm have been using Mountain Glenn’s abandoned mines to get into the city of Vale. So, we’ve been instructed to go in there and block off any entrances or exits, as well as clear out any Grimm infestations.”

Yang notices Ruby’s face tense. Mountain Glenn never held any good memories for any of them, but it had to be especially hard for Ruby, what with her getting trapped in the mines with one of Salem’s enforcers. 

With Oscar, Yang’s brain supplies. She was stuck down there with him. 

Yang looks over her shoulder, to see Oscar pointedly looking away, eyes cast down towards the ground, fists clenching and unclenching. 

“...e’re going in groups of two,” Yang tunes back in just in time to hear the end of Jaune’s sentence, and she turns back around to face him. “I think for now, the best thing to do would be to put our heavy hitters in charge of clearing out the mines, and our more aerial fighters in the city proper, so we can catch any Grimm that slip past.” 

“Blake and I can take the city,” Weiss says before anyone else says anything. “She’s fast, and my Semblance makes it a lot easier to catch any stragglers.” 

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.” Jaune replies. 

“Blake, you’re abandoning me?” Yang whispers in mock-despair, leaning against Blake’s shoulder, as if pretending to swoon. “I’m hurt. Wounded, even.”

“Oh relax, you big drama queen,” Blake quietly retorts, but Yang can hear the smile in her voice. “You can survive one mission without me.”

“I shan't,” Yang laments, full flopping onto Blake’s lap. “I shall die of cute cat-girl deprivation before that!”

“Yang!” Blake laughs, face going red, before the two of them burst out into fits of giggling. 

“Ahem?” The two of them look up to see the rest of the team staring at them. “Can you two stop flirting during team meetings for like, five minutes?” Weiss snarks. 

“Sad because you’re chronically bitchless, Schnee?” Yang jokes. Weiss punches her in the shoulder in response, and Nora snorts.

“ANYWAYS,” Qrow loudly interjects, cutting through their conversation. “If you girls are done over there, Jaune still needs to divide everyone up into groups.” 

“Thank you Qrow,” Jaune says. “Anyways, Qrow, you’ll be on lookout, as per usual. Ren and Nora, you’ll be in the city team with Blake and Weiss,”

“Oh, thank god,” Nora mutters. “I’m claustrophobic, and if I had to go down into those tunnels, I was gonna scream.” 

“Ruby and I can take the upper tunnels, and Yang and Oscar can take the lower levels.”

Yang stops. She looks over her shoulder again, to see Oscar staring back at her, just as surprised as she is. She opens her mouth, ready to request a switch -

“Okay, so that’s everyone, right?” Ruby cuts Yang off before she can say anything. “Then let's head out before the morning air traffic starts.”

Everyone expresses various noises of agreement, before making their way out of the room. Yang, still stuck in place, blinks, registering what just happened. 

She turns to Ruby, about to say something, but Ruby beats her to it, leaning down to whisper. “Can you please just do this for today?” Ruby murmurs. “I know you guys haven’t been on the best of terms, but I think it’ll be good for you.” 

“...Why can’t I be on the city team?” Yang hisses. “Isn’t it, like, a bad idea to put the guy with the grenades down in a mine?”

“Yang,” Ruby pleads, and Yang sighs. 

“...Fine.” She mutters, standing up. “Just this once.”

Ruby smiles, and for once it’s not strained. Yang has to sigh, knowing how hard this mission has to be for her. 

She can do it. If only to make Ruby’s life easier, she would do this mission. 

She never should have gone on this mission. 

The instant they had gotten to Mountain Glenn, the teams had split off. Ruby and Jaune had only been with Yang for a few minutes, before they parted ways and headed towards the top half of the mines. 

Which now left only Yang and Oscar. Alone. In a suffocating dark tunnel. 

Great. Awesome! Team bonding time, let's go! Because an abandoned Dust mine is the perfect place to get to know each other better. 

Oscar isn’t making it any better, either. He’s walking in front of her, holding his flashlight out in front of him, illuminating the way. He’s also not saying anything, which is making this so much easier for Yang. 

Yang opens her mouth, and then closes it. She’s always been terrible in awkward situations. More of a ‘punch first, talk later’ kind of guy. This is the exact opposite of what she needs. 

Okay. Well. No point in dragging out the silence longer than it has to be. 

“Soo…” Yang starts. “Nice couple of days we’ve had, huh?” 

No response.

Yang swallows. “...Yooooou ever been to Vale before this?” She continues. “My dad used to take Ruby and I here during our school breaks. It used to be way nicer.” 

Dead silence. Oscar doesn’t even so much as flinch. 

Yang can feel annoyance flaring in her gut, but she pushes it down. It used to be so much easier to talk to this guy, so why - “I’ve… actually been to Mountain Glenn once!” She says. “It was for a school assignment. Got to stop a train and a criminal organization, which was cool.”

Nothing. 

Yang sighs. “Look, I’m just trying to lighten the mood a bit here.” She says. “So could you, like, at least give me something to work with?”

Oscar doesn’t stop, but his shoulders tense up a little bit. Yang scowls. This is going nowhere. 

“Fine, so you’re not talking. Whatever.” Yang kicks a pebble, watching it ricochet off the wall. “Be that way.” 

“I’m not being any ‘way’.” Oscar still doesn’t turn around when he says that, but Yang can hear the cold bite in his voice. “I’m just trying to focus.” 

“No, you’re being avoidant,” Yang retorts, before adding on an; “as always,” under her breath.

Evidently, not quiet enough. “What do you mean, ‘as always’?” Oscar snaps. 

Ok fine. They’re doing this now. “You’ve been like this since you got back,” Yang remarks. “You’ve just been sulky and silent and ignoring everyone when they try to talk to you.”

Oscar doesn’t reply to that, speeding up just slightly. Yang, undeterred, fast-walks to catch up with him. 

“If something’s wrong, we’re not gonna know if you don’t tell us,” Yang continues. “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re making it really unpleasant in the house. Everyone’s been kinda on edge, and it’s because of you.”

Oscar stops, back still facing her. Yang stops too, crossing her arms. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Oscar mumbles. “Especially not with you.”  

Yang’s stomach sinks. He knows. 

She takes a step forward. “What’s that supposed to mean?” She exclaims. 

Oscar starts walking again. “Forget it.” 

“No, I’m not letting you drop this,” Yang counters, catching up with him. “What do you mean, with me?”

“I said forget it, Yang.”

Yang stops. Fists clenching, teeth grinding. She’s been here before, she’s been told this before, she’s angry, she’s on the edge, she needs to watch herself, she -

“You know what I think?” Yang says before she can ever think about it. 

Oscar stops. Still not turning around. 

“I think you just want to be angry at us.” Yang spits. “I think you wanna be angry and miserable and spiteful towards us all the time, because it’s easier to blame us than yourself.”

It feels good to say. It’s horrible, but it does. 

Oscar’s fists clench. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He growls.  

“No, I think I do, actually.” Yang takes a step forward, and then another. “And I’ve gotta say, I’m kinda sick of watching you mope around the house and feel sorry for yourself.”

“I’m just trying to - I’m trying to recover.”

“From what, almost killing my sister?” Yang exclaims. “Twice?!”

“I-I didn’t mean to!” Oscar shouts back. “I wasn’t - I wasn’t thinking clearly then! Salem had-”

“Then why didn’t you fight it?” Yang spits. “Why didn’t you fight her? Did you even try?!”

“Of course I did!!” Oscar snaps, wrapping his arms around himself. “Do you think I wanted - I didn’t know what I was doing! I - I was barely even present during-”

“Then how did you know it was Ruby when you were in the mines?”

Oscar stops. Yang breathes shakily, a sick sense of triumph blooming in her chest. “...So you do remember,” She says. 

“That - that’s different,” Oscar stammers. “I just -”

“So which is it, huh?” Yang presses. “Do you remember or not? How much of you was really under Salem’s control?”

Oscar doesn’t reply, looking downward. A flash of anger rises in Yang at his defeated posture, because how dare he look like that, how dare he try and play the victim when he’s been lying about what he knows the whole time-

“Did you even fight the Grimm they put in you at all?”

“I tried, Yang!”

“Did you?” She steps forward. “Because I don’t think you did.” It’s poison, her words are poison and she can’t stop speaking-

“I-”

“You know what I think?”

“Yang.”

“I think you’re just trying to avoid taking accountability for being a lying little hypocrite for once in your fucking li-”

Yang’s cut off with a fist to the face. 

“It was kind of a blur after that.” Yang explains, pulling her knees up to her chest. Penny sits opposite her in the windowsill, mind whirring from everything Yang had told her. “We got into a fight - it wasn’t pretty. There was a lot of - a lot of kicking and pushing. I’m pretty sure he yanked a good chunk of my hair out, and I know for a fact that I bit his arm at one point.”

“...What happened after that?” Penny asks quietly, not sure if she wants to know the answer.

Yang sighs. “...Ren heard it on the comms,” She starts. “He had thought that Oscar and I had encountered some kind of Grimm at first, but then Blake realized we were fighting.” She runs her hand through her curly blonde hair, eyes hollow. “They all came down to try and break it up - I remember they had to pull us apart.”

“Did… what did Oscar say?” 

Yang barely even registers someone pulling them away, legs and arms flailing. In the dim light of the tunnel, she can see someone holding Oscar back, grabbing him by his arms as he tries to pull away. He’s staring straight at her, and Yang snarls, tasting copper in her mouth, and the second she gets free she’s going to let this shithead have it for everything he put them through, going to make him regret ever hurting her friends and lying -

“YANG!” It’s Blake, and that’s what snaps Yang out of it. She turns to look at her girlfriend, hair disheveled, face a bloody mess, aura already sparking over to fix it. “What happened?!” Ruby and Weiss also stand behind her, holding her back. The realization of what she had just done washes over her, shame flooding her entire being. 

Jaune, Ren and Nora are standing opposite her, holding Oscar back. They seem to be struggling a little bit, but then Oscar looks up and -

“YOU DON’T - GET - TO SAY THAT!!” Oscar shouts, eyes tinted red, something dark running down his face. “You don’t know - ANYTHING - about me!”

“OSCAR!!” 

Everyone freezes, all eyes turning to Qrow, who stares back at the group in disbelief. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” He shouts. 

Oscar’s face falls, eyes fading back to green. The mines go silent, the reality of the situation setting in. 

Oscar swallows. In the low light, Yang thinks she can see his eyes well up. “I -” His voice drops to a whisper. “I was just -”

But he doesn’t have an excuse. 

And neither does Yang. 

“Come on,” Qrow snaps, turning back around. “We’re going home.”

“I was stupid,” Yang mutters, burying her face in her hands. “So stupid.” 

Penny has no idea what to say. She’s always known Yang to be an upbeat, easy-going person. That image had started to crack a little in Atlas, sure, but in Vacuo, she had been nothing but the picture of cheerfulness. The idea that Yang could say something like that? Be - be vindictive like that?

It scares her. 

“I thought I had been getting better,” Yang mumbles. “Better about letting my temper get the better of me - but I just couldn’t stop myself.” She leans her head back against the wall, violet eyes wet. “No wonder he was scared of me.”

“Yang-” Penny reaches out a hand to comfort her, but Yang swats it away. 

“Don’t.” Yang snaps. “Just - don’t.”

Penny steps back, unsure of what to say. She looks down at her hands for a moment, looks back up at Yang’s scarred and calloused palm. Her battered and dented mechanical palm.

“...What would you do… if he came back?” Penny finally asks. 

Yang shifts in place, shoulders hunched. “...I don’t know,” She murmurs. “Part of me wants to apologize, but…”

Penny arches a thick eyebrow. “...But what?” She probes. 

“...But I don’t think I’d mean it. Not really.” Yang finishes, exhaling. “I mean - I’d apologize for getting into a fist-fight with him, obviously - and he started it, by the way -” Yang’s voice raises with emotion, and she stops herself, closing her eyes and recomposing. “...But I’m not sorry about what I said. Maybe just… maybe just how I said it.”

Penny scoots over to her left to sit next to Yang. “So you… you really think he knew it was Ruby when he attacked her?”

“...Maybe,” Yang admits. “But I don’t know, because he never told us anything! And now - and now I never fucking will.” 

Yang leans her head against Penny’s shoulder, form visibly sagging with exhaustion. Penny lets her, still unsure of what to make of all this new information. The two of them sit on the windowsill, as the afternoon light streams in, bathing them in yellow and white. 

“...I hate that I feel like I can’t trust anyone anymore.” Yang admits. “I hate that I’m always assuming the worst of people.” 

“How did that start?”

“Same reason as all the other stupid fucking issues in my life,” Yang laughs bitterly. “My mo- my birth mother.” 

“...Raven Branwen?” It was strange to hear Yang actually bring her up. She knew bits and pieces of the story, that she had abandoned her family when Yang was very little, that Yang had been looking for Raven her entire life, that Raven and the previous Spring Maiden had worked under Cinder for a little while, before betraying her. “What does she have to do with this?”

“She - okay, this is gonna sound really stupid,” Yang starts. “But when I was looking for Ruby after she left Vale, I went to go find Raven instead of her, since I had a better idea of where to look, and she could just take me to Qrow who was with Ruby anyways.” When Penny nods, Yang takes it as a sign to continue. “She - she told me to question everything I was told. From Qrow, from Oz, from - from everyone.” Yang scoots away from Penny, moving to lean against the wall. “And it’s stupid, taking that advice from a hypocrite like her, but I just - I just haven’t managed to get those words out of my head.”

Yang’s hand is shaking. Penny watches as she clenches it once, twice, to get it to stop. 

But something about what Yang has just said to Penny… something sticks out to her. “Yang,” Penny starts. “...What did you mean by hypocrite?” She asks. “Is it because she helped Salem’s forces get into Haven?”

Yang doesn’t answer, but Penny watches as the pulse-tracker on the right-hand side of her vision begins to speed up. “Or…” Penny says, realization dawning on her. “...Or is it something else?”

Yang doesn’t answer for a full sixty-five seconds, leg bouncing rapidly on the floor. Penny waits patiently, unmoving as Yang’s mind races. She can take as long as she needs - whatever will help her feel better. Penny can sit here all day if need be. 

Yang opens her mouth once, as if to say something, and then closes it. She inhales, but nothing comes out. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, she turns back to Penny. “Do-” She stops, seemingly unsure of how to word what she wanted to say. “Do you ever - have you ever kept a secret, even though you know you really shouldn’t?”

Penny thinks back to Rhubarb. The instructions she had been given. Who she heard on the other end of the line. 

“...I have.” Penny admits. 

Yang inhales shakily. “...I haven’t told anyone this,” She admits. “Not even - not even Ruby.” 

“I am listening.” Penny replies. 

Yang looks from side to side, before turning back to Penny. “About my - about Raven - when I was at Haven, I-”

“Yang!!” 

Both of them jolt, turning to see Blake running down the hall. “You better come quick - Sun’s here!”

“Oh shit, really?” And it’s almost scary how quickly Yang shifts from quiet uncertainty to boisterous and cheerful. “Where is he?”

“He’s in the entrance hall. The rest of Team SSSN is supposed to be arriving later tonight, but I think they had work to do.” Penny reaches a hand out to get Yang’s attention, but she’s already drifted away from her, slinging an arm around Blake’s shoulder as they walk down towards the stairs. 

“Excited to see the ex?” Yang jokes. 

“W-we never even dated!” Blake sputters, flushing bright red. 

“Oh, but I seem to recall the way you talked about him at Beac-” Blake elbows Yang in the ribs goodnaturedly, and Yang lets out an exaggerated ‘oof’ sound. 

“That was a long time ago,” Blake laughs. “Trust me, having to spend every day with the guy in Menagerie got me over that real fast.” Quick as a flash, she kisses Yang on the cheek, causing the taller girl to freeze. “And besides,” Blake coyly finishes. “You’re much more my type.”

“What, cause I have boobs?”

“YANG!!”

“I’m just sayin’!” Blake and her start down the hall, giggling all the way, hand in hand, Yang’s mood seemingly forgotten. 

Penny is left standing there by herself, hearing their footsteps move further and further away. She can hear the birds chirping outside. There’s the whirring sound of an airship in the distance. 

“...You did not get to finish!” Penny shouts after her, words echoing throughout the stone halls. 

As expected, there is no response. 

Chapter Text

Penny never got to formally meet Sun Wukong back when she was at Beacon. They had crossed paths a fair amount of times, sure, but never really had gotten the chance to have an actual conversation. Needless to say, finally getting to be properly introduced to the man is honestly really cool. When he shakes her hand, it’s with a firm grip, and if she were not made of metal, it’d probably have hurt quite a bit. He has the infectious enthusiasm of a golden retriever, and it’s almost enough to make Penny forget about everything Yang had just told her. 

Almost. 

As the group walks back to the house for dinner, Penny lags behind, unable to shake that uneasy feeling that had plagued her ever since she finished her conversation with Yang. With each new thing she learned about Oscar, the more and more she wants to try and track him down. The more she wants to find out who he really is - the scared boy or the furious monster. 

“...round six or so, and I can definitely help you guys whip something up before then!” Penny snaps back to reality just in time to catch the tail end of Sun’s sentence - something about dinner plans. “Nothing too spicy though, Nep can’t really handle it.”

“Nep?” Blake asks, arching a thin eyebrow. 

“Neptune.” Sun clarifies, coughing into his fist. “The, uh, nickname just kinda popped up recently.” 

Blake and Yang exchange The Look, the one that Penny can’t really decipher, other than it meant trouble. Ruby, quick on the uptake, pulls Yang aside and whispers something to her that Penny can’t quite make out. Whatever it is, it makes Yang’s grin grow even wider. 

“Oh boy,” Penny turns to see Jaune, having sped up to walk beside her. “That smile never means good things.”

“I am confused.” Penny admits. “What is she so happy about?”

Jaune awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “...Let’s just say that I think she found some new fodder to tease Sun with.” He answers. 

“I see.” Penny turns away, mind still buzzing with questions and thoughts. Despite the positive atmosphere, she just can’t find it in herself to share that sentiment, dwarfed by her concern for Oscar and the gala. 

Her morose attitude, however, is not lost on Jaune, who begins to slow down so the two of them are walking a bit further behind everyone else. “Hey, are you okay?” Jaune asks. 

Penny considers not saying anything, but decides against it. She can’t lie her way out of a paper bag, after all - her hiccups give her away. “Is it true that Oscar and Yang got into a fight?” She asks bluntly. 

Jaune arches a thick eyebrow. “I - uh, yeah, it is. Why do you ask?”

“Yang just told me about it,” Penny replies. “Actually, I have been asking everyone here about Oscar for the past few days.”

“So I’ve heard,” Jaune responds, kicking a pebble down the cracked sidewalk. “Any reason why?” 

“I…” Penny stumbles on her words - something she hardly ever did until recently. “I want to find him.” 

Jaune stops. The rest of the group turn the corner, and disappear down the street. 

“...Find him?” He repeats. 

“Yes.” Penny answers. 

Jaune inhales. Exhales. Inhales again. “I - ok, look Penny,” He starts. “Oscar left because he didn’t want to be found.” 

Penny blinks, confused. “What do you mean?” She asks. 

Jaune looks down at the ground, eyes hooded and tired, and suddenly, it clicks. 

“If Oscar told you something, and then made you swear to keep it a secret, I understand.” Penny begins. “But…” Against her will, her mind flashes back to Winter, ragged and furious, aura sparkling blue over the Atlas skyline. “From what I have heard, it sounds like he was a very sad person. And I want to help him.” 

Jaune sighs, pursing his lips. “That’s what Ruby said to me.” He says. 

Penny stops. 

“...What?” Jaune doesn’t say anything, but begins to walk across the road, towards a plaza with a fountain in the center. Penny follows him silently, unsure of where to start or what that even meant. Had Ruby done the same thing she did? How much did she know in all of this?

“When Oscar left,” Jaune begins, and he moves to sit down on a nearby bench. Penny follows suit, worn wooden planks creaking slightly under her metal frame. “Ruby… didn’t take it very well. She was looking all over for him, asking all of us if there was anything that we knew. She even called his Aunt,” Jaune laughs, but there’s no humor to it. “She hasn’t heard from him since before he left for Haven. Apparently he just left a note for her and vanished.”

“It would seem that is a common theme for him.” Penny responds, which makes Jaune crack a smile, if only for a moment. 

“She… she keeps beating herself up over it,” Jaune starts, and there’s a hard edge to his voice that wasn’t there before. “She keeps treating the situation like it’s entirely her fault and that she has to ‘go save him’ or whatever.”

“And what did you say to her?” Penny asks. 

Jaune sighs, leaning back on the bench. “Same thing I’m gonna tell you - it’s not your job to fix him.”

Penny blinks. “I… I was not trying to fix him.” She responds. 

“Were you?” Jaune replies. 

“Really,” Penny continues. “I just… wanted to understand him.” 

Jaune doesn’t respond to that, simply closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. “I think that was our mistake,” Jaune says after what feels like an eternity. “All of us wanted him to go back to how he used to be without considering if he wanted to or not.”

“Jaune,” Penny starts. “What did he tell you?” 

Jaune sighs. 

Jaune, more than anyone else, thought he understood Oscar. They had a lot in common - being the inexperienced newcomers, lacking a Semblance for a really long time, not being sure where they stood with their peers. Unsure of where their place in the group was. 

He thinks about that time when he had snapped at Oscar a lot. He runs the exchange over and over at night, sometimes, when he can’t fall asleep. He often wonders about where Oscar really went during the day he was missing. He had told them that he had gone to get gear for Atlas, but Jaune wasn’t stupid. That doesn’t take all day. 

Oscar had completely brushed off his apology back then. Jaune still wonders why. 

Because, from what he could glean, everything that came out of his mouth right after that was a complete lie. 

Jaune should have confronted him about that sooner, before everything had gone off the rails the way it did. Give him a real apology, let him know that he really was part of the team - that Jaune never hated him. Hell, let the guy know that he actually thought he was pretty cool. But he kept putting it off in Atlas, always concerned with the next Huntsman mission, always focused on his work. He’d been leaving Oscar further and further behind - they all had. 

And by the time one of them bothered to look back, he was gone. 

Jaune never wants to see that look on Oscar’s face again. 

In the gloom of that abandoned mine, he could just barely make out the blood dripping down his face, looking black in the lowlight, eyes scrunched up with an emotion that sat in the strange middle ground between anger and fear. There’s a darkness in his voice too, a guttural and black quality to it.

(Jaune knows that look. He knows that tone of voice.)

(“Standing there with that DAMN SMILE ON YOUR FACE!!”)

Everyone else tries to get Oscar and Yang to reconcile. They do not. No one’s really sure what to do about the predicament, so they decide to bring it up to Vale’s Huntsman council, who revoke his probationary Huntsman license. Oscar doesn’t even so much as react when Qrow tells him the news, simply forks over the badge and walks away. 

They see him even less after that. Jaune goes days without seeing him, only catching the barest glimpses of white hair out of the corner of his eye once in a blue moon. He has to assume that Oscar’s out during the day, probably at night too. Despite that, he’s on edge, constantly expecting him to walk through the door or pop out behind a corner. He imagines it’s fairly similar to what living in a haunted house would feel like.

When he asks of Oscar’s whereabouts, Blake had mentioned rather timidly that she knew he liked hanging around Beacon Tower sometimes. 

When Jaune goes to check it, he’s not there. 

“Everyone, get out of here!” Civilians rush past Jaune as he directs them through the barricade at the end of the street, pounding feet and screaming voices echoing in his ears. Despite how strangely peaceful the past week had been, some Grimm had still managed to slip through Vale’s defenses. They snarl at him, and Jaune’s stomach drops. 

A Deathstalker, two Ursas, and three Beowulfs. Just what I need. 

Jaune opens his scroll and activates the comms. “We’ve got trouble on Kiirorenga street,” Jaune shouts over the din. “Some Grimm got past the walls. Calling for backup!”

“They really need to hurry up and finish those,” Nora remarks from the other end. “We’re busy dealing with a Nevermore just outside the walls. Do you think you can handle it on your own?”

Jaune looks up at the slowly advancing Grimm. The last civilian hops through the makeshift barricade he’s set up, Hard-Light Dust activating behind her. 

Jaune exhales. All clear. 

“I’m fine right now, but get over here ASAP,” He replies. “Jaune out.”

He unsheathes his sword and shield, shifting into a fighting stance. The Grimm stare at him, as if daring him to make another movement. Jaune bangs on his shield once, twice, three times, taking a step forward. “Come and get it!!” He yells. 

They do. 

Jaune dodges the first swipe from one of the Ursas, rolling under its stomach and heading straight for the Deathstalker. He vaults up onto one of the Beowulfs, before bouncing off of its back and hurtling his shield forward like a discus, directly towards the Deathstalker’s stinger. It strikes true, slicing through the appendage like a knife through hot butter. The stinger falls, lodging itself into the Deathstalker’s exoskeleton, and Jaune follows through by slamming the broad side of his sword down on the top of the stinger, like a hammer hitting a nail. The Deathstalker lets out an ear-bleeding screech, before dissolving into black smoke. 

Jaune has no time to celebrate, however, as another one of the Ursas slams into his side with a devastating headbutt, sending him flying into the brick wall. Jaune wheezes, wind knocked out of him, barely managing to get up in time to dodge one of the Beowulf’s claws. Rolling under it, he swipes up at the monster’s stomach, sword jabbing right through its midsection. As it dissolves, Jaune hurdles his shield once again, slamming into the skull of an Ursa and killing it too. 

Jaune catches his shield as it hurdles back towards him watching the remaining Grimm snarl. He exhales, breath shaky, feeling sweat bead down his neck. He’s not really one for fighting alone, having tailored his combat style to acting more as support for the stronger fighters around him. Still, he doesn’t have much of a choice now - he has to kill these things before they kill him. 

They begin to advance, claws scrabbling across the pavement - 

-A jolt of brown flashes by Jaune, and he jumps back just in time for Oscar to bury his brand new sword into the Ursa’s gut. 

Oscar yanks it out just as quickly, spraying ash everywhere, whirling the blade behind him and slashing across the other Ursa’s chest, which crumbles to dust as well. Jaune stares, frozen, as Oscar hits the pavement running, expression almost robotic. His fighting style is fast - faster than Jaune’s ever seen him fight, a strange fusion between Oscar and Ozpin’s movements. And his footstance - it’s also familiar, but Jaune can’t quite place where he’s seen it before. His mind flashes back to the Vytal Festival, but the train of thought leaves him before it can really go anywhere.

The two other Grimm waste no time, lunging for Oscar. He rolls under the first one, propelling himself off the wall, but the second one manages to catch his arm in its jaw. Oscar barely even reacts, opting to jab his sword into its eye. The creature lets out a loud bellow, releasing Oscar and scampering further down the alleyway. The other starts to run after it, but Jaune, whose body has finally caught up to his brain, chucks one of his shield grenades to block its escape path. The Beowulf runs straight into it, and Jaune finishes it off with a precise stab through the heart. 

As the Grimm fades to ash, Jaune turns back around to say something, say anything -

-He’s interrupted, however, by Oscar vaulting over his shield, and running down the alleyway after the rogue Grimm. 

“W-Wait!” Jaune exclaims. “Come back!”

But it’s too late. He’s vanished into the darkness. 

Jaune’s comm pings, and he absentmindedly opens it. “Jaune, is your area secure?” Nora says. 

“...Yeah,” Jaune replies. “All clear on my end. I’ll meet up with you as soon as I can.” 

He’s tempted to run after Oscar - but he’s got a city to protect. 

By the time all the Grimm are disposed of, the sun is peeking over the horizon. Thankfully, no other Grimm were reported save for the ones Jaune fought, which is a little odd - normally when there are big Grimm herds outside city limits, at least a few dozen manage to sneak their way in. 

(Maybe some other Huntsman had taken care of it.)

(Maybe one Huntsman in particular -)

Jaune attempts to put that thought out of his mind, as he and his team hike back towards Vale. Team RWBY are just ahead of them, uncharacteristically quiet. Jaune lets himself lag behind a little bit, before whispering to Ren and Nora. 

“Do you know what’s up with them?” Jaune whispers. 

Nora shrugs. “I dunno. They’ve been like that all night.” 

Jaune looks back up at the group in front of him, and sure enough, Everyone seems to be in various states of thought, Ruby in particular. Her arms are crossed, as if she’s trying to make herself look as small as possible, and the bags under her eyes look so dark, it’s almost starting to resemble some kind of emo eyeshadow. 

“...Ruby hasn’t been looking too good lately.” Jaune remarks. 

“She’s been stressed out of her mind since Oscar woke up.” Ren remarks. Jaune turns to look at him, his magenta eyes gleaming slightly from the telltale usage of his Semblance. “I think she feels like he’s her problem to solve.” 

“That’s not -” Jaune sighs. The hard edge to Ren’s tone is enough to discourage him from telling anyone what happened today in the alley. They’ve got enough going on as it is - adding on Oscar running around killing Grimm without a license would just add more fuel to the fire, and he’s not going to be responsible for Ruby’s complete and total mental breakdown. He’ll handle it on his own. 

“...Oscar?” Jaune pokes his head through the doorway, being met with complete silence. “Are you in there?” When he predictably gets no response, he takes that as a sign, and enters. 

Oscar’s room is almost depressingly empty. The walls are barren, the desks have nothing on them, and if the bed wasn’t made and the trashcan wasn’t full, you’d never be able to tell that someone lives here. Jaune opens his drawers and pokes through them, but there’s nothing of note save for a whole lot of wrinkled shirts. Jaune wrinkles his nose. Weiss would probably get an ulcer just looking at this. 

The only thing of any real note is that the window is open, a slight breeze blowing across his face. Jaune assumes that's how Oscar’s been getting in and out of the house undetected - the room is on the second floor, so the drop wouldn’t really hurt if you landed right. 

He’s about to call it quits and get started on dinner, when his eye lands on the trashcan next to Oscar’s bed. Looking closer, he can see that it’s mostly food wrappings and litter, but a small scrap of faded white cloth on the top of the heap is what catches his attemption. He takes it out - it’s a cloth bandage, the kind that Oscar used to wear around his neck all of the time. But the strangest thing about it is what’s on it. 

The underside of the bandage is stained with black, as if someone had attempted to mop up a puddle of ink they had spilled. Jaune frowns, looking closer. It’s almost too dark to be ink, and he runs his thumb across the stain in confusion. Maybe it was oil of some kind? 

“Jaune?!” Blake calls from downstairs. “Do you still want help with cooking?” 

“O-oh - sure!” Jaune shouts back, dropping the bandage back into the trash can and turning to leave.

When he gets to the kitchen, Blake is waiting for him, an apron tied over her casual clothes. She smiles, but her face falls when he gets closer. “What happened to your thumb?” She asks. 

“My thumb?” Jaune looks down at his hand, only to be greeted with a bright red rash having spread over his left thumb when he hadn’t noticed. “What the-” He turns his hand over, looking for any more injuries, but his hand is free of any marks. It’s painful looking - surely Jaune would have noticed this earlier, right? 

“Looks like a burn.” Blake remarks. “You want me to get you some cream for it?” 

“N-no, that’s ok. I can just heal it.” Jaune lets his Aura spark to life, the familiar soothing waves of his Semblance washing over him. 

“Did that happen earlier?” Blake asks. 

(Something had happened - he had touched the black stuff on the bandage.)

“...You know, I’m not sure.” Jaune replies. “I don’t remember any of the Grimm getting me in the hand.” 

“Huh.” Blake remarks, before turning away to start boiling the pasta. “Maybe you just mishandled your sword again or something.” 

“Oh come on, I haven’t done that since Beacon!” Jaune exclaims incredulously. Blake giggles, and for a second, things seem back to normal. 

But Jaune’s stomach plummets once again when he turns his hand over to see that the burn hasn’t healed at all. 

Oscar’s room is quiet at night, somehow even quieter than the rest of the house. Jaune sits on the edge of Oscar’s bed, absentmindedly looking at his scroll. After earlier, he had made up his mind to try and ask Oscar about his burn. But when he hadn’t been able to track the boy down anywhere, he had resolved to simply sit and wait for him to show up. 

Small problem - waiting was really boring. 

Like, really, really boring. 

Jaune already knew he wasn’t cut out for stealth missions - his bright yellow hair and clumsy demeanor wasn’t exactly conducive to subtly - but even if he was, he still wouldn’t do it if it involved this much waiting. Jaune bounces his knee nervously, annoyance beginning to bubble in his gut. Had Oscar just skipped town completely? Was he just sleeping out on the streets or something? Maybe someone else had gotten to him, maybe he had-

Jaune’s interrupted by the sound of the window opening. 

Or maybe he was just a night owl.  

Oscar climbs over the frame, with the speed and silence that can only be obtained from having done this a million times. He shuts it quietly behind him, turning, only to freeze when he catches sight of Jaune. 

“H-hey.” Jaune starts. “We’ve gotta talk.” 

Oscar crosses his arms, eyes darting frantically from left to right. “I - look, if this is about earlier, I don’t want to hear it.” He mutters. 

“Your license got revoked Oscar, you know you can’t be running around on the streets like that!” Jaune begins. “You could get-”

“I don’t wanna hear this right now.” Oscar attempts to shove past Jaune, heading for the door, but Jaune stops him, grabbing him by the wrist. Oscar freezes - like, genuinely, truly freezes. 

“Oscar.” Jaune says, in what he hopes is a stern tone. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I’m not just going to sit around and watch you run yourself into the ground like this.”

Oscar yanks his arm from Jaune’s grasp, face scrunched up in fury. “Fine, then go ahead!” He snaps, jabbing a finger into Jaune’s chest. “If you want to yell at me, fine, I don’t care! But just stop pretending like you give a shit!”

Jaune freezes, the venom in Oscar’s tone taking him aback. He’d say that it’s a foreign tone for Oscar - but the last few weeks have proven otherwise. Jaune’s about to retort, but something stops him. 

Oscar’s arm is still bandaged. 

“...Is that from the other day?” Jaune asks. 

Oscar’s eyes go wide, and he instantly rips his arm away, rolling the sleeves of his sweater back up. “That’s none of your business.” He mumbles, but it sounds less angry and more… scared. 

Jaune frowns. “Shouldn’t your aura have healed that by now?” He asks. 

“I told you, it’s none of your business, so if you could just-”

“I can heal it, you know.” 

Oscar freezes. 

“Do you want me to?” Jaune asks, stepping forward. “It looks kinda painful.” 

“I - you - no, it’s fine.” Oscar mumbles, turning away. 

Jaune frowns. He knows that tone of voice - it was the same one Ren had when he was refusing to talk about his feelings. The same one Jaune had after Pyhrra died. 

“Please, if you would just-”

“Just leave me alone!!” Oscar shouts, whirling back around to face Jaune. Jaune flinches, stumbling back, and Oscar shrinks into himself, realizing what he just did. 

Jaune’s about to retaliate, anger rising in his gut because Oscar’s really starting to get on his last nerve, because why won’t he just accept Jaune’s help - 

-But he stops, something catching his eye. 

The bandage scrap from earlier is sticking out of the trashcan, fluttering slightly from the draft being let in. The black stain is still there, and Jaune looks back down at his thumb, strange burn still present. He looks back up at the bandage, then at Oscar’s bandaged arm. 

It’s the same bandage. 

“With practice, our Aura can be our shield. Everybody has one, even animals.” 

“What about monsters?”

“The monsters we fight lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm, the manifestation of animosity.”

“...Oscar?” Jaune asks, a horrible realization beginning to dawn on him. 

He turns. Oscar stands there, petrified and small. As if he realized that Jaune knew too. 

“Can I see your arm?”

Oscar backs up further, shrinking further in on himself. “...N-no.” He mutters. 

“Oscar-”

“I SAID NO!!”

Jaune stops. Stares. 

And this time, he really looks at the boy in front of him.

Oscar stares back at him, trembling, fingers clenched protectively around his arm. Scars all across his body. Hair gone gray. Face scrunched up in some last-ditch attempt to retain any sense of control he had over the situation. 

He looks like a scared child. 

Jaune turns back to the garbage can, and picks up the bandage. Once again, he turns it over, staring at the black stain. He goes to rub his index finger against it-

“Don’t!!” 

Oscar snatches the cloth from his grasp before Jaune can even say anything. Jaune turns, watching him stuff it into his pocket. “...Why?” Jaune asks.

“...Aura can’t heal it.” Oscar mumbles. 

Jaune looks down at the strange burn on his thumb, letting his Semblance wash over it again, to no avail. He looks back up at Oscar, who’s standing in front of him, head down, ashamed. 

Jaune knows. He knows what’s wrong now.

“...Ruby…” He begins, before stopping and taking a deep breath. “She - her eyes… they didn’t fix you, did they?” Jaune asks. 

Oscar doesn’t move. He still won’t look at Jaune. 

“Oscar.” Oscar remains silent. “Oscar.” Jaune says again, steel in his tone. Oscar looks up. “Show me your arm.” 

Oscar doesn’t move for a second. Two seconds. 

Then, he pulls the sleeve of his sweater back, revealing the bandages underneath. He slowly begins to unravel them, and Jaune watches as the cloth falls away, revealing what he already suspected. 

A pair of large puncture wounds stare back at him, resembling a massive bite, no doubt from the Grimm that attacked Vale. 

But what really sickens Jaune isn’t the wound. 

No, it’s the fact that the wound is black. 

Black ooze drips from the wound, thick like oil, flecks of red shining in the light. It almost seems to have a mind of its own, seeming to slowly ripple across the wounded flesh, small strands spreading down Oscar’s arm. While the liquid has mostly coagulated, it’s still a bit watery, and Jaune watches as a thick drop slowly runs down Oscar’s arm, before dripping onto the floor with a slight sizzling sound. 

Jaune’s mind flashes back to the river of Grimm that sprouted from the ground back in Atlas. 

The Grimm that ran all across Oscar’s face when they found him again. 

Jaune’s going to throw up.

“I - what - how long?” Jaune manages to stutter out. 

Oscar doesn’t answer, turning away to quickly wrap the bandages back around his arm. “It… doesn’t hurt.” He mumbles. “The smaller injuries harden and then flake off eventually.”

Jaune swallows his nausea, and takes a step forward, holding his hands out, semblance washing over them. “Do you want me to…?”

“No, it’s not gonna do anything. Don’t waste your energy.” Oscar replies, pulling his sleeve back down. 

“Oh.”

They stand in awkward silence for a moment. Jaune isn’t quite sure what to think - it certainly explains a lot of Oscar’s actions recently - having the very embodiment of negativity’s essence flowing through your veins would probably be enough to make anybody a bit snippy.

“Do you… have any aura anymore?” Jaune manages to mumble.

Oscar looks down at the carpet. “No.” He replies. “I think… I think she did it to get rid of Ozpin. So he can’t merge through Auras anymore.”

“...I see.” It’s a sound theory - it certainly explains why Salem would give a power like this to someone who’s working with her worst enemy. Still, Jaune’s kind of in disbelief - Ozpin was the one constant throughout this entire crazy journey, and now he’s just… gone. 

“...Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Jaune finally asks. 

Oscar looks up at him, a confused kind of hurt on his face. “Why would I?” He finally replies. “You’d all just think I would try and hurt you again.” 

Jaune looks down the floor, unsure of how to respond to that. “...No we wouldn’t.” He retorts weakly. 

“Yes you would!” Oscar runs a hand through his white hair, breath coming out in short, quick gasps as he backs against the wall. “It’s not like you haven’t - I - what reason would any of you possibly have to trust me after everything that’s happened?!” He exclaims, before sliding down to the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest. 

“...What reason would I have to trust any of you?” He whispers. 

Something clicks in Jaune’s head.

“Is this about Argus?”

Oscar stops. Turns to look at Jaune. Jaune looks back at him, the cold realization probably written all over his face. 

“N-No.” Oscar stutters. However, one look from Jaune sends Oscar turning away, wrapping his arms around himself. “I - it’s… not just that.” He mumbles. It probably sounds weak even to him. 

Jaune steps forward and crouches down so that they’re eye level, trying to close the distance between them in more ways than one. “I - I know it wasn’t a good apology,” Jaune replies, stumbling all over his words. “But I really did mean it, I-”

“Jaune,” Oscar interjects. “Just stop.” 

Jaune shuts up. 

“...It’s not - it isn’t just that,” Oscar repeats, more to himself than to Jaune. “It’s a lot of stuff, actually.” 

Jaune isn’t sure what to say to that.

But then again, maybe he’s not supposed to say anything at all.

Maybe he should just listen.

So, takes a deep breath, and folds his legs so that he’s sitting across from Oscar.

“So why don’t you tell me, then?” Jaune asks. 

Oscar doesn’t answer for a moment, still rooted to the spot. His face flickers through a whole range of emotions - anger, then fear, and then finally - resignment. 

“...I thought we were a team.” Oscar finally manages to say. “I thought - when I first met you and your friends, that’s all I wanted to be.”

“But… but we were.” Jaune replies. 

Oscar doesn't reply for a second. Then -

“...Do you remember the day Weiss and Yang met up with us in Mistral?” Oscar asks. 

Jaune frowns, unsure of why exactly Oscar’s bringing this up. “...Yeah, why?” He replies. 

“...I remember first meeting Weiss and Yang, and I was - I dunno, really intimidated by them. You all just seemed so… untouchable. “ He takes a deep breath, nervously twiddling his thumbs. “And that night - I remember I was really excited to eat with you all - to be at the same level as you all. And then…” Oscar swallows. “Gods, this is so stupid.” He mumbles. 

“No it’s not.” Jaune encourages. “Keep going.” 

“...Qrow told me that it - that it’d be better if the team just had some time to themselves.” Oscar finishes. 

Jaune’s heart sinks. 

It’s such a small sentence - but with those few words, everything clicks into place. 

He wants to throttle Qrow. 

“And I kept telling myself that it was a one time thing, but it just kept happening -” Oscar’s voice breaks, and suddenly, he looks fourteen again, the decades worth of fear and anger he’d gained in the last few months just melting away. “In Atlas, when you all had your license party - you all kept going on missions and didn’t even bother letting me know - I would wait for days-” Oscar clenches his fist, furiously rubbing at his eyes. “For a message. For any kind of sign that you - that I was wanted.” He finishes, breath shuddering. “But the longer Ozpin was gone the - the more I got left behind.”

Jaune doesn’t know what to say. 

“I kept hoping, kept praying to any gods who would listen that one of you would come and save me when I got captured,” Oscar continues, venom leaking into his voice. “But I knew. Deep down, I knew that no one was coming to help me.”

“Oscar, that’s not true -” Jaune reaches a hand out, but Oscar swats it away. 

“THEN WHERE WERE YOU?!” 

They both freeze, Oscar’s scream echoing throughout the quiet house. Oscar’s eyes widen, as if he’s realized what he’s done, and quickly pulls his hand back. “I- I’m sorry, that was out of line -”

“No, it’s… it’s okay.” Jaune says. “It’s okay to be mad.”

“...It is?”

“Yeah.” 

They sit in silence for a moment. 

“I hate being like this,” Oscar mumbles. “I hate being so - I didn’t used to be so angry.” 

“I know.” Jaune says, and he means it. There’s a look on Oscar’s face that he recognizes - the same face he’d see reflecting back at himself whenever Phyrra’s training videos finished, and he was left alone in the desolate woods of Mistral. 

“...I just want to go home.” 

Jaune puts a hand on Oscar’s shoulder. This time, he doesn’t push him away. 

They stay that way for a long time. 

“...Then maybe you should.” 

Oscar looks up. 

“What?”

“Go home,” Jaune finishes. “If you think that’d be best for you.”

“I - I can’t just leave.” Oscar sputters. “Not after -”

“Yes, you can.” Jaune interrupts. “Oscar, Oz isn’t keeping you here anymore. You’re your own person. And - and if you think that going home is what’s best for you, then - then I think you should go for it.” 

Oscar stares at Jaune as if he’s just sprouted a second head. “I… what will everyone here think?” He asks. 

“Does it matter?” Jaune asks. 

Oscar opens his mouth. Closes it. 

“I don’t like seeing you like this,” Jaune confesses. “I… I just want you to be okay.”

“....Jaune?”

“Uh-huh?”

“I don’t know if I can do that.” 

Jaune stares up at the ceiling. 

“You have to try.” 

When Jaune’s finished speaking, the sun is almost down, the fountain in front of them casting a wide shadow. The others are long gone by now, having walked back to the house. Penny isn’t sure of what to say - with each new account, she has less and less of an idea of who Oscar even is. Of who exactly she’s even looking for. 

“And you didn’t tell anyone any of this?” Penny finally asks. 

“It wasn’t mine to tell.” Jaune replies. “Besides, if I betrayed Oscar like that, he’d never trust us again.”

Penny looks down at the ground, mind racing. All this time, everyone thought Oscar had some kind of a grand reason to be doing this, some kind of hidden motive - when he was just upset. 

When he just felt alone and lashed out because of it. 

“...I feel so stupid.” Penny says. 

“You’re preaching to the choir.” Jaune sardonically replies. 

A thought crosses her mind. There’s still one more person Penny hasn’t asked about this - the person who knew Oscar the best. The person who wanted him back more than anything.

The person who might be able to give her a definitive answer as to who Oscar really was. 

After a moment, Penny stands. 

“Where are you going?” Jaune asks, watching Penny as she walks away. 

Penny turns back, steel in her tone. 

“I need to go talk to Ruby.” 

Chapter Text

Penny’s nervous. 

Granted, she’s been nervous asking questions before. Every single time, she’s afraid that she’s going to overstep a boundary, going to speak out of turn. 

But now? Now she’s so nervous that she thinks she might short-circuit. 

Ruby is Penny’s friend. Dare she say, Ruby is her best friend. And out of everyone, Ruby seemed to be the most affected by what had happened with Oscar. It made sense - Ruby had been the closest to him, after all. And Penny’s seen the way Ruby looks these days - tired, distant, and stressed. She certainly doesn’t want to add to that mounting pressure. 

But she needs to know what happened. She’s held off long enough.

“Penny!” Yang’s voice jerks Penny out of her stupor, realizing that she had been awkwardly standing in the entryway. The rental house’s kitchen is full of activity, Ren hovers around the stove, while Nora and Weiss loudly argue about the amount of spice to put in the dish. Sun and Blake stand off to the side, laughing with each other, and Ruby’s talking with her uncle. Penny catches Ruby’s eye, and she waves, looking more lighthearted than Penny had seen her look in a while. Penny’s non-existent heart sinks - she doesn’t want to ruin the mood. “Oh, Jaune’s with you?” Jaune slips in behind Penny, closing the door behind them. “Where’d you guys run off to?” Yang asks. 

“We were just catching up,” Jaune replies before Penny can verbally face-plant by trying to lie. “Is the rest of SSSN here yet?”

“No, Nep and the boys are still out debriefing from a mission,” Sun pipes up. “But they should be done in like an hour or so.” 

“Also, is it cool if Illia comes over too?” Blake interjects. 

“Oh, we’re inviting all the exes over now?” Yang teases, throwing a shoulder around Blake. 

“You don’t need to phrase it like that!” The Faunus giggles, face red. “I never even dated any of them. And besides, you make me sound like… like a…”

“A floozy?” Weiss finishes helpfully from across the room. 

“Yeah, exactly!” 

“Wait, I’m confused-” All heads turn to Jaune, who’s started helping Ren with the cooking. “Who’s the other ex besides Illia?”

The kitchen is silent.

“There’s no helping you, dude.” Nora deadpans, placing a hand on Jaune’s shoulder in mock-sympathy. 

The whole kitchen bursts into fake laughter, leaving a very confused Jaune to sputter in indignation. “I - I’m serious, guys!” He exclaims, face turning beet-red. “Who are we talking about?”

“Well, glad to know I wasn’t too obvious when I was a teenager.” Sun replies, bursting into full on cackles when Jaune’s mouth goes agape at that revelation. 

Penny tunes out the ensuing racket, turning to look at Ruby again, who’s folded over, laughing heartily. Her silver eyes glitter when they’re all crinkled up like that, Penny notices, and distantly, she wishes she could make Ruby smile like that all the time. 

The phantom sensation of a squeezing in her chest flares up, taking Penny aback. She pushes it down, and begins her approach. 

“...Ruby?” Ruby turns when Penny taps her shoulder, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. 

“I - oh, hey Penny!” Ruby replies. “What’s up?” Her smile fades when she sees the look on Penny’s face, silver eyes darkening out of concern. “...Are you okay?”

“I am fine,” Penny starts quietly, unsure of how to phrase what she was going to ask. “But I… wanted to speak with you about something.” 

“I… I mean yeah, sure, I can do that.” She glances back at her friends, all enjoying themselves in the kitchen. “But… are you sure it can’t wait until later?” 

“I am sure.” Penny replies, and she is. She knows for a fact that if she doesn’t do this now, Ruby’s never going to want to talk. 

Ruby, as if sensing her resolve, exhales, mood visibly darkening. “...Okay.” She mumbles, stepping away from the crowd. “Did you want to go somewhere else?”

“Upstairs is fine.” Penny responds. Ruby nods, ducking through the entryway. 

After a moment, Penny quietly follows. 

“Okay,” Ruby says, as she shuts the door to her room behind her. She moves to sit down on her bed, and motions for Penny to follow. “What did you want to talk about?” 

Penny shuffles awkwardly in place, suddenly having second thoughts, because Ruby is her best friend, she doesn’t want to upset her, maybe this was a mistake - 

Ruby takes her hand, a mirror of the gesture she did all the way back in that dingy alleyway in Vale. Penny startles, looking up, green and red eyes meeting silver. 

Ruby stares back at her, eyes upturned in concern. “Hey,” She starts. “Whatever’s on your mind, you can say it. I promise, I’m not gonna get mad.”

She can’t promise that. “...Are you sure?” Penny mumbles. 

“Of course!” Ruby replies, a bit of her old spark returning to her face. “We’re friends. Whatever it is, I’ll listen.” 

Penny looks down, eyes flitting over the point of contact between her and Ruby. There’s a lump in her throat, despite that being impossible. She just needs to ask the question. She just needs to -

“...Do you promise?” 

Ruby tilts her head in confusion. “Promise what?” She asks. 

“...Promise that you will not get upset.” Penny replies. “B-Because I do not want to put any more pressure on you than what is already there.”

Ruby blinks, before letting out a laugh that sounds fake, even to her. “I - Penny, I promise you don’t need to worry about me,” She says. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Ruby, I see the way you walk and look these days,” Penny interjects. “You carry a heaviness with you that you did not before.”

“That’s - it’s a tough situation we’re in, everyone’s -”

“I know that.” Penny interrupts before Ruby can keep babbling. “I know it is hard. But you… you have been handling it alone, and it concerns me.” Ruby’s mouth opens, just a little, but Penny cuts her off again. “I understand you don’t want the people around you to worry, but I - but I worry when you act like this.” She blurts out. 

“...I worry about you a lot.” Penny finishes, looking down at the ground. 

Ruby doesn’t respond for a second. Two seconds. 

Penny looks back up, to see Ruby’s eyes glimmering with unshed tears. She sniffles, and Penny suddenly wants to run back to Rhubarb and force the woman to decommission her forever. “I - oh, I am sorry-” Penny apologizes, pulling away from Ruby. “I did not mean to - I should not have said anything. I will go.”

Penny stands up to flee, but Ruby grabs her by the wrist. Penny freezes. 

“No - no, wait,” Ruby’s voice shakes a little, and Penny can hear the tears she’s holding back in her voice. “You’re okay.”

Penny still doesn’t turn around. She doesn’t want to look at her. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I just…” Ruby trails off, letting go of Penny’s wrist. “...I guess I just wasn’t expecting to hear that.”

“Has no one ever… told you that before?” Penny asks. 

Ruby doesn’t answer. It’s all the response Penny needs. 

Penny turns back around, and sits back down on the bed next to Ruby. She’s not crying - her eyes are wet, and she’s sniffling, but no actual tears are running down her face. Penny can’t decide if that’s better or worse. 

“...I’m sorry,” Ruby mumbles. “For worrying you.”

“Do not apologize,” Penny scrambles to say. “You - I - I may have overstepped.”

“Nonono, you didn’t do anything wrong!” Ruby exclaims, taking Penny’s hand. I just - I…” She looks down at the bed, wiping her eyes. “...I’m doing it again, aren’t I,” Ruby lets out a warbling laugh. “S-sorry. I guess I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”

And maybe Penny’s starting to sound like a broken record, but -

“...Do you want to talk to me about it?”

Ruby looks up at her. Blinks twice. 

“I… about what?” She asks. 

“Anything, Ruby.” Penny responds, clutching her hand tighter. “Anything.”

Ruby’s lip curls. Her hand shakes, but she does not move. Penny doesn’t even think she breathes for a moment.

“...I miss him.” She finally confesses, deathly quiet like some deep dark secret that’s never seen the light of day. “He probably hates me and I miss him so much.”

Penny knows who she’s talking about. 

“I - I miss everybody!” Ruby continues. “I missed you, I miss P-Pyrrha, I miss Maria, Pietro, my dad-” Her voice hitches on that, and Penny grabs her other hand. Ruby refuses to meet her eyes, but continues talking. “...I feel like I never get to say goodbye.”

“I…” Penny understands, to a certain extent. She misses them too. She had never experienced loss in her life, and now, she’s lost more people in half a year than most people will in a lifetime. Her whole kingdom. Her father. The people she once considered friends. 

“...And I miss him most of all.” Ruby finishes. “The way people talk about him, it’s like he - it’s like he is dead, but he’s not.” She reaches for a tissue box, and blows her nose. Loudly. It sounds like an elephant, and Penny can’t help but giggle. Ruby giggles back weakly. “...At least… at least you’re here.” Ruby mutters. “At least you came back.”

Penny’s metaphorical heart squeezes. 

“I will always come back, Ruby.” She says, and cups Ruby’s face, silver eyes meeting mismatched red and green. “Always.” 

And she means it. 

Hell or high water, she really, really means it. 

They stay like that for a while. Penny holding Ruby’s face, Ruby leaning into the touch and letting those quiet tears slip down her face. They sit, just existing with one another. Once upon a time, it was all Penny wanted. Maybe, deep down, it still is. 

“...I abandoned him, Penny.” Ruby whispers. “Over and over again.”

And Penny would like to say that isn’t true, but she wasn’t around to validate the truth of that statement or not. 

She knows now that Ruby stood in front of Ironwood and lied for him. She remembers that. 

“...Tell me about him.” Penny says. 

Ruby looks up at her. “I never got to know him as he was back in Atlas, and I certainly did not know him as he was back in Vale,” She continues. “I have been asking everyone about him recently.”

“I heard,” Ruby sniffles, sitting up straight. “Why?”

Penny purses her lips. “I…” She thinks back to why she started this in the first place - everyone’s faces, eyes holding a completely different story when his name was brought up, Penny standing on the outside, staring straight in. Each story paints another piece of the puzzle. 

A puzzle of a complicated boy. One that Ruby knew the best. One that Penny wishes she had gotten to know better. 

“...I wanted to know more about who he was.” Penny finally says. “I…” She doesn’t want to say she ‘gets it’, because the circumstances are fairly unique. She knows ostracization for things you can't control, but Oscar’s choices had a fair amount to do with it as well. After all, Penny’s not even sure how much of a hand he had in his decision to side with Salem, be it some form of mind control, or something more sinister. 

But beneath it all, behind every story, there was unsurety. Unsurety, and fear. And Penny can relate to that most of all. 

“I want to understand him,” Penny finally says. “I want to understand everyone - even him.”

Ruby stares at her for a second. Two seconds. 

Finally, she lets out a small laugh. “...I should’ve guessed,” She says. “You were always the best of us.”

And with that, Ruby begins. 

All the way from the beginning. She starts with how they met, a quiet boy knocking on her door. She tells of how they trained together, of how Ruby would talk him out of his bouts of intense fear. How he seemed to look up to her, and how Ruby didn’t know what to do with that. Of how, the longer he was there, the less and less it was him talking and the more and more it was Ozpin. Ozpin, who would never share anything. Ozpin, who held things close to the chest. How he began to do the same. Of how he began to drift further and further away from the group once Ozpin was gone, some great crack that widened and widened and kept on widening no matter the apology. 

Of sacrifice. 

Ozpin tricked her. Ozpin placed the cane into Ruby’s hand. Ozpin shoved her back into the ship. Ozpin had learned to play the role of his other half, much as he had done the same for Ozpin.

Of how, at the last second, his eyes flashed yellow as the Grimm descended. 

Of how he looked up in fear as he realized what exactly had just happened. 

Ruby talks, and talks, and talks some more, even until her throat is raw. Every interaction, every small conversation, anything she can remember - those moments, she’s run over in her head a thousand times by now. 

But truthfully, only one story stands out to Penny in particular. 

Ruby hates this. 

She’s been sleeping in the room the doctors are keeping him in since they brought him in two weeks ago. Hooked up to all those wires and machines, he looks frail, and pitifully small. Puckered, veiny scars run all across his body, lining his gaunt face. His hair, once a dark shade of mahogany, is now a stark white, strands of brown peppered throughout. He looks like he’s aged ten years in the span of three months. 

It’s better than the alternative. Ruby remembers how he looked in the Emerald Forest, black lines of grimm criss-crossing across his face, red eyes bulging out of his sockets. Face contorted with rage. Rage directed at her. 

“Use… it…”

How at the end of it all, he had grabbed her face as he lay on the ground. 

“...eyes…”

She wouldn’t, of course. It would’ve hurt him. 

“...I’ll make you.”

She has scars now, on the sides of her temples where Oscar had shocked her into using her eyes again. It had gotten rid of the Grimm, but now, as he lays unconscious in the stupid rental home they’re staying in for the time being, Ruby wonders if it may have killed him too. 

She hates that she almost understands why he did it. 

When she wakes up, the bed is empty. 

Ruby jolts up, the room pitch black in the dead of night, only light coming from the balcony window. She looks around, but there’s no sign of him. 

Panic rising in her gut, she turns towards the door - 

Only to see someone standing on the railing of the balcony. 

A slight wind blows past her face as she steps outside, stone cool against her feet. The house is on a hill, and she can see all of Vale laid out before them, construction sites and destroyed buildings strewn across the land. A kingdom, slowly rebuilding. 

Silhouetted against it, is a boy. 

His white hair blows in the wind. His arms are practically sticks, stretched out against the eastern sky. He’s turned away from her, face turned upwards, staring at the shattered moon. 

It’s picturesque. Morbidly so. 

“...Oscar?”

He turns. 

Eyes that sandy hazel. 

Face lined. 

Tired. 

“...Ruby?” His voice is quiet, so quiet, hoarse from disuse. She almost wants to cry, because it’s him. It’s her Oscar. Not the one from the woods. 

She reaches her hand out towards him. Her skin almost looks white in the moonlight. 

And all she can muster is a quiet; “...Hey.” 

Oscar stares back at her, as if she’s just grown a second head. 

Ruby doesn’t put her hand down. They’re both acutely aware that he’s standing on the railing, and it’s a pretty high drop. 

“...Come down?” Ruby asks quietly. 

Oscar doesn’t stop staring at her, like he’s seeing her for the first time. Face unreadable, she turns to look at the moon again, before turning back around, and taking her hand, fingers skeletal in her own. 

She pulls him down. They both pretend she doesn’t breathe a sigh of relief. 

“You’re… awake,” Ruby says, quiet awe in her voice. “Are you - I -” She’s at a bit of a loss for words here. “How are you feeling?” Is what she finally settles on. 

“...Sore.” Oscar replies curtly. “A bit tired. I-” His hand trembles, and he staggers forward. Ruby catches him, and she almost recoils at just how little he weighs. “S-Sorry,” He mumbles, as Ruby moves to sit both of them down against the wall. 

“You’re okay!” Ruby says, forcing some enthusiasm into her voice. “I just -” Her voice cracks, and she swallows. “...I’m just so happy to see you.”

And she means it. 

She does. 

Really. 

Oscar’s eyes flit to the scar over her eyebrow, before moving to the newer ones on both sides of her temples. His face goes pale, and skeletal fingers reach out to touch them. 

And she hates herself for flinching.

Oscar pulls back, eyes flashing betrayal for a slight second, before turning away. “...I’m sorry.” She finally mumbles, after an awkward moment of silence. 

“N-no, it’s okay!” Ruby repeats. “You didn’t do anything wrong-”

“I hurt you.” Oscar says plainly. “I - you - oh gods, I -” He stares down at his hands, his legs, as if he’s only just now registering the scarring running across his whole body. “What - I -” He pulls his knees up to his chest, burying his face in shame. “What have I done?”

“I-It’s okay!” Ruby quickly says, waving her hands nervously. “I’m fine, you didn’t mean to do any of that, right? Salem made you do it, so it’s - you’re okay!”

“I hurt you!” And the sound Oscar makes is so pathetic and broken, it almost makes Ruby recoil. “I - you, and everyone, and I - I wasn’t - she didn’t-”

“Hey,” Ruby places a hand on his shoulder before he can say anything else. It’s a mirror image of them back in the mines. “You didn’t mean it. It’s okay.”

And that’s the truth, isn’t it? Salem, being as great and terrible as she is, forced a young boy into working for her. Brainwashed him so that he couldn’t remember anything else. 

(Because that has to be it. That has to be all it is.)

Oscar doesn’t respond. He’s not crying, per say, but his shoulders are shaking as if he is. Ruby wraps her arm around him, and holds him for a moment, as the horror and terror of the past three months washes over them. 

And so they sit. 

“...Why did you come out here?” Oscar finally whispers when his shaking has calmed down. 

“...I didn’t want you to be alone.” Ruby responds, because she’s not quite sure herself. “I’ve done that enough already.” It’s a sorry sight, him alone in that massive bed, hooked up to all those tubes and machines, watching his pulse beep by, slowly, steadily, unchangingly. “Friends don’t leave each other alone.”

And for some reason - that’s the sentence that changes things. 

Ruby watches as Oscar’s face morphs from scared and confused, to angry, and then finally - resignation. 

“...Are we… still friends?” Oscar asks.

And there’s an unspoken question behind that. One of forgiveness. 

Looking back, Oscar was probably trying to tell her something. That maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t who she thought he was. That maybe he wasn’t that scared, innocent boy standing in the doorway anymore, no matter how much she insisted that he was and that nothing had changed. 

Because deep down, she didn’t want him to change. 

“...Of course.” She says, and it sounds pathetic, even to her.

“...I’m a coward,” Ruby says. “He was trying to tell me something, and I kept insisting that it wasn’t important.”

“You think he was… trying to tell you that he did all of that… willingly?” Penny asks, and the words sound terrible, even to her. 

“I don’t know,” Ruby replies, pulling her knees to her chest. “I hoped not. I still do. But maybe the unwillingness to acknowledge his… mistake was what drove him away.” 

Autonomy. 

Perhaps that’s what this was about. 

Perhaps Oscar, in some strange, botched need for self-determination, had wanted them to call him out on what he did. Him, and no one else. That way, at least it would be his own actions he was being punished for. 

But to him, even at the very end of it all, they refused to call his actions his own. 

Poor, sweet, helpless little Oscar, always the victim of someone else’s game. Nevermind his own actions. Nevermind his own thoughts on the matter.

A picture is starting to be painted. One that Penny is starting to recognize. 

Ruby stares up at her, silver eyes wide, scar above her brow crinkling. “Did I… do the wrong thing?” She says, in a small voice that Penny hasn’t heard since Beacon. 

Penny takes her hand. “...Even if you did,” She says, staring straight at her. “You can always make it better. You aren’t perfect, Ruby.” Ruby looks away, and Penny cups Ruby’s face again to turn it back to her own. “You’re not.” 

“I don’t want to be perfect,” Ruby mumbles. “I just want to be better.”

“And you are,” Penny replies, determination in her voice. “Maybe you did not know then, but you do now. Maybe you messed up, but now you have the opportunity to make things right.”

Ruby stares at her, eyes wide. Penny meets them with equal force.

“We do not want you to be perfect, Ruby.” She says. “...We love you just the way you are.”

Ruby’s eyes well. 

Penny swallows. “...I love you, just the way you are.”

And that’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Ruby breaks, something in her eyes cracking, as the dam bursts and she just sobs, collapsing into Penny’s shoulders and just letting all the emotions happen. Penny holds her, resting her chin on Ruby’s head, and for some reason, her mind flashes back to the last time her father had held her like this, when she had just been rebuilt after Beacon. 

The task to protect people is the worst curse you could place on a person. Ruby and her both carry it anyways. 

And now, she stands on the roof of their house in Vacuo. Penny can hear the party happening inside, but that’s irrelevant. Ruby’s with them now too, having cleaned herself up after her cry. It was long overdue, Penny thinks. It’s times like these that she wishes she could cry. It seems rather cleansing. 

But that’s irrelevant. Penny turns her attention towards the eastern horizon, staring down at the great city of Vacuo. 

She’s got a boy to find. 

She’s got a lot of questions for him. 

So she activates Rhubarb’s scanners.