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[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!
- Thread starter AndrewJTalon
- Start date
Rodrigus
Not too sore, are you?
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What is the reference for this one?
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
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Honestly? Not sure.
Glynda Timeline Omake: Keeping His Word
The Sleepless One
Has Standards
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Porting this over from SB. This is compatible with the Glynda timeline.
Keeping His Word
Glynda Goodwitch knew that Jaune Arc was dead. She knew it as soon as she saw the profound sadness on Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie's faces when they greeted her at Atlas Academy's landing pads. The feeling was only confirmed when she saw the despair in Ruby Rose's eyes when the normally energetic young woman took her aside to tell her what happened. It was a cold feeling that crept up from her stomach to ensnare her heart in icy thorns. She wasn't sure what it was just yet. Not quite grief, or sadness, or fury. But something that had elements of all three.
"I'm not sure how much anyone told you," Ruby began, her eyes averted. "But, w-we were... we were-"
The young woman's face crumpled and the tears she'd been holding back finally spilled free. "I-I'm so sorry Professor! I pr-promised I'd keep him safe and I failed you! I'm s-so-" Her sobs were muffled by Glynda's embrace.
The Professor had never been the maternal type but even she couldn't help but comfort the crying young woman. "Shhhh, Ms. Rose. It's not your fault. I should never have made you promise that. I knew exactly the kind of self-sacrificing fool that Jaune was. It's not your fault."
The girl cried for a while longer, and Glynda briefly felt resentment that she wasn't free to cry in the same way. It seemed that there were a lot of things that Glynda resented. The fact that she had been left with the mess of rebuilding Beacon after it had been reclaimed from the Grimm. The fact that Leo Lionheart turned out to be a traitor and James Ironwood had died and Theodore was still holed up in Shade and Qrow was useless, leaving her in charge of their little conspiracy by default. The fact that Oz, a man she had trusted implicitly for the majority of her life, had been lying to them about Salem and was now in the body of a child who could barely use his knowledge or powers. The fact that she had been forced to hide her relationship with the man she loved because of her station.
The fact that the love of her life was gone and she couldn't allow herself to break down into tears like she so desperately wanted to.
Ruby's sobbing subsided a few minutes later and Glynda offered her a handkerchief while using her Semblance to clean the front of her shirt. Jaune had always found it amazing that she had fine enough control over her Telekinesis to use it for cleaning clothes.
"T-thank you, Professor," Team RWBY's leader hiccuped, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have done more."
"I know you, Ruby Rose," Glynda intoned. "And you're likely taking on more blame than you deserve."
"It doesn't feel like it," the little reaper replied gloomily.
"In that case, tell me what happened," the older Huntress ordered. "And I will decide."
The tale that Ruby spun was harrowing, a desperate battle to save the Kingdom from the forces of Salem. How James had led the airfleet in a desperate defense against the invading Grimm in order to buy time for Mantle to be evacuated to Atlas. How Penny Polendina had suddenly become the new Winter Maiden, allowing them access to the Staff of Creation. How they used the Staff to create a portal network to ferry the citizens of Mantle directly to Atlas only to be ambushed by Cinder Fall and her followers. How the ensuing battle had pushed their teams to their limits, until it had just been the two Maidens standing, both on their last legs. How the Fall Maiden gained the upper hand and all had seemed lost.
How Jaune, her Jaune, broken and bleeding, had impaled Cinder with the shattered remains of Crocea Mors and taken her with him as he tumbled into the void.
As Ruby finished the story, Glynda found that she was right. Ruby couldn't possibly be responsible for the foolhardy decisions Jaune made, and she told the girl as much.
Ruby's eyes narrowed. "He saved our lives! That wasn't foolhardy at all!"
"Yes, he did," Glynda readily agreed. "That stupid, brave, fool of a man saved all of you because he would give his life in an instant for the people he loved."
Her mind flashed back to that day three years ago when he'd saved her life. When Jaune jumped in front of a blade for her. How, even missing an eye, he'd smiled up at her as she'd clutched him to her chest.
"Worth it," he'd whispered through a mouth full of blood.
She left the memory behind and refocused on the young Huntress before her. "Know this, Ruby Rose. Jaune did what he thought was right and there's nothing you could have done to stop him. Mourn him but do not dishonor his sacrifice by blaming yourself." Glynda's eyes stung with tears she'd never let fall but her voice held steady.
Ruby looked as though she'd break down once more but she rallied herself with admirable control and nodded to the Headmistress. "I-I will! I swear I will."
Glynda gave her a thin, brittle smile. "Good." She turned on her heel, ready to get back to work. The relief forces she'd brought weren't going to lead themselves and she'd be damned before she let General Schnee take command.
"Professor," the young Huntress called out. "I think you might need to-"
"Mourn? Believe me, Miss Rose, I am."
She left, ignoring the way her heart wanted to tear itself in two. Another memory arose, unbidden, of Jaune the night he'd left for Mistral. Of his scarred face and shining blue eye and crooked grin. Of the promise he'd made, to come back to her.
She smiled bitterly and murmured under her breath. "So much for an Arc always keeping his word."
Glynda Goodwitch was about to die.
She could feel the certainty in her bones, just as she could feel the fire of the venom racing through her veins. One hand pressed against the puncture wound in her side, the burning purple liquid oozing from it staining her blouse. The other hung over the shoulders of Ruby Rose as they fled through the cave complex where the Summer Maiden had been hiding.
"Professor, hold on!" The red-cloaked hubtress pleaded as she helped the older woman hobble along. "We're almost there! Just a bit further."
Glynda laughed, letting the hollow sound ring through the cavern. "I.. appreciate... the attempt... Miss Rose," she gasped, before taking a deep breath. "But we both know you're lying. Leave me. I've been poisoned. I'll only slow you down. Get the Maiden out of here."
"No! I won't leave you!" Ruby cried, her face, illuminated by the light from the holes in the cave's ceiling, twisted in anguish. "I won't let anyone else die for me!"
"Miss Rose... Ruby... please."
The girl... no, the young woman, her silver eyes shining with tears, continued to pull Glynda along, steadfastly refusing to leave her behind. "I made a promise! I won't let you die here!" They were almost at the cave entrance; she could hear the whine of the airship's flight systems powering up.
"Oh Ruby," Glynda murmured, raising her hand to caress the younger Huntress's cheek. The poison must have been getting to her, she'd never been the kind to show affection like that.
"Very inspiring, Ruby Rose!" A sibilant voice hissed from behind them and Glynda's heart sank. "Unfortunately, my Goddess would be incredibly displeased with me if I let the two of you go."
"Callows..." The Professor hissed. She didn't need to see the assassin to recognize that voice. "Ruby, you must leave."
"Ah ah ah," the scorpion Faunus chided, his voice moving closer. "I just said 'the two of you.' I'm afraid that-"
Glynda did not care.
"I'm sorry, Ruby," she whispered, and engaged her Semblance once more, powering through the burn of the venom. She grasped the young woman with her mind and, with a mighty exertion, threw her clear of the cave.
Without Ruby's support, Glynda fell to the stone floor with a heavy thump. She could have caught herself, but there was something more important she was using her Semblance for. Tendrils of psychic force wormed through the stone over the mouth of the cave and, with a flicker of thought, the Professor brought it all down.
Ruby's cry of despair upon realizing what Glynda had done tore at her heart.
The collapse of the cave mouth almost deafened her and the resulting dust cloud obscured everything and provoked a coughing fit. Her mouth tasted of iron. She was barely able to see the sunlight pouring through the cavern's skylights. Her vision was starting to dim.
And then something slammed into the puncture wound in her side, finally shattering her Aura and drawing a scream from her throat. Suddenly, she was able to see just fine, the pain and adrenaline driving all the fog away. Callows kicked her again and she just barely avoided vomiting from the agony. Curled up on the ground, she was too weak to defend herself from his attacks.
"Very noble, Professor." Tyrian drawled. "Sacrificing yourself for the greater good. But I'll just chase Rose down once you're dead. Really, I should just go after her right now. You don't have much time left."
Glynda took a ragged breath. And then another one. "You won't," she rasped. She had to keep him distracted, keep him focused here. Every second he wasted was another second Team RWBY and the Maiden could use to get away.
The psychopath tilted his head, curiosity flashing across his face. "I won't what? Find the little bitch and pluck out her eyes?"
A hot flash of fury spiked through her skull, providing some clarity. "You won't leave me to die just like that. You want to see me suffer."
Tyrian smiled. "True. Alas, the commandments of my Goddess take precedence." He raised one of his blade gauntlets. "Apologies, Professor. I don't have time for pleasure today."
Glynda refused to close her eyes, staring her death in its cruel, cruel face. So this was how it ended. Her eyes began to well up but she refused to let the tears fall. She hadn't cried at Jaune's death and she'd be damned if she cried at her own. Instead she smiled, and Tyrian paused.
"Not the most common expression I see on my victim's faces," he said, perplexed. "Got something to be happy about, Professor? Was life really that miserable?"
"You wouldn't understand," Glynda replied.
The assassin tilted his head, pondering the response, before realization illuminated his features. "Ahhh, I see. You have someone on the other side you're eager to see again. Someone you love. I understand."
She scoffed, the sound thin and scratchy. "You're already going to kill me. You don't need to lie to my face."
Tyrian grinned, wide and manic, and clasped his hands over his chest. "Oh, but I do understand! That person who you love, who occupies every corner of your heart, who you would die for, who you would kill for. I know exactly what that's like, Glynda Goodwitch. And, from the bottom of my heart, I hope you two are reunited." He raised his blade once more.
That was when the space behind Tyrian twisted and severed, forming a churning maelstrom of light. The psychopath whirled on his heel, guard raised and tail poised to confront this new threat. The strange and ethereal light collapsed inward into a flat oval, taking on a golden hue in the process. It looked like... a portal.
And out of this glowing portal stepped salvation. The figure was tall and broad-shouldered; a knight clad in rusty metal plate, broken blade and shield in hand. A single vibrant blue eye peered out of the darkened visor, alighting upon her.
Clearly, the venom had hallucinogenic properties because Glynda couldn't come up with a single better explanation for why she was looking at the godsdamned Rusted Knight of all things.
Tyrian seemed to be just as confused. "... I truly do not know how to respond to this."
"Don't worry about it," the armored figure replied, his deep voice echoing out from his helm. "You're not long for this world anyways."
"Oooh, confi-" That was as far as the assassin got before the Knight was upon him.
The ensuing battle was a testament to the skill of its combatants. Back and forth they fought across the cavern, tearing gouges into the floor and walls the just the wake of their attacks. The Rusted Knight kept up with Tyrian and seemed to even exceed him at times. Tyrian was fast, but the Knight was resilient, and more than willing to take a hit or two if it allowed him to land a devastating blow in return. The scorpion Faunus tried multiple times reach out and use his Semblance, but every time the attempt was thwarted by the Knight's careful deflections.
Despite her wounds and the poison, Glynda couldn't help but be absolutely entranced. She knew that Callows was a deadly fighter, one of the best in the world from how Qrow described him, but this Knight clearly matched, if not outmatched, the assassin. Something about his fighting style was oh so familiar. It held hallmarks of some basic sword styles she was familiar with, but refined and polished to near-perfection and deadliness. Like seeing an adorable puppy grow up to be a fearsome wolf.
At no point was the Knight ever on the back foot. At no point did he tire. She could see Callows growing short of breath and slowing down as the fight progressed. He may have been a deadly killer but the Rusted Knight was something else entirely. He took the measure of his opponent, found them wanting, and then, with the utmost care, destroyed them utterly.
The first thing that went was Tyrian's tail, as the Faunus overextended a strike. The Knight pinned the cybernetic limb under his shield arm, struck it twice, breaking the psychopath's aura. The third blow from the broken blade sliced through the metallic scorpion tail entirely, a shower of sparks and purple liquid spraying through the air.
Callows howled and spasmed in pain, leaving himself open for the Knight to take something else: the assassin's eyes. A slash from the broken blade across his face left a bloody ruin behind and only intensified the screaming. Screaming that cut off a moment later as the Knight buried his sword in Tyrian's throat.
It was breathtaking.
Oh, no, that was the poison.
Glynda gasped for air and the Knight was suddenly there. He, ever so gently, took her hand and warmth flowed into her body. She could feel the Knight's soul, his courage, his determination, as it wrapped around her own and bolstered it. Her Aura reformed and replenished, the puncture wound in her side closed, and the burning from the venom subsided.
But it wasn't any of those that left her speechless and stunned.
It was the love. The absolute, unending tide of love that this man, the Rusted Knight, felt for her. An incandescent light summoned from his soul for the express purpose of restoring her.
And in that moment, Glynda knew who was under that helmet. Of the one person who loved her so deeply and truly that he had, apparently, come back from the dead for her.
"Jaune." She whispered, wide green eyes staring into the single azure orb underneath that helm.
"Heya Glyn," the knight replied almost sheepishly, and Glynda could hear the familiar voice of her lover under the echo and gravel. "Sorry I'm late."
That was what he had to say!? He came back from the dead, killed a deranged assassin, saved her life and the first thing out of his mouth was 'Sorry, I'm late!?"
Well, she had known he was an idiot when she fell in love with him so she supposed it was her fault really.
Glynda flared her Semblance, telekinetically pulling herself to her feet. Her savior did the same and the Professor could see that he now towered over her. His shoulders were broader and his limbs thicker, as though he had finally finished growing.
She wasn't sure where to begin. Perhaps with the most pertinent part though.
"Take off your helmet," Glynda ordered, as the emotions within her began to churn. Fear, joy, anger, love, and disbelief went to war within her heart and the only thing she could do try to make sense of what was happening.
The Knight hesitated and icy fear began to win. "Glynda, I'm not so sure-"
"Please," she whispered, cutting him off. "I felt it when you healed me but none of this makes sense. Please Jaune, I need to see it with my own eyes."
"... Okay," he agreed, and began undoing the straps that kept the helmet secured to his head. "It's just... gonna be a bit of a shock."
"Why? What happ-" Glynda trailed off as the Knight's face was revealed.
It was another impossibility heaped on top of the pile. It was definitely Jaune, she was intimately familiar with his face, but changed. His long hair, tied in a warrior's wolf tail, was streaked with white, as was the full beard he now sported on his face. Age lines creased the skin around his mouth and visible eye and new scars crossed his face. A plain red cloth was tied over his missing eye but the other one, despite the weight she could clearly see behind it, shone as vibrantly as it had the day they had parted.
"How? Wha-what happened?" Glynda whispered, her initial shock fading.
Jaune swallowed, his gaze filling with pain and suddenly far away. "I fell. Out of this world and into another one. A place beyond time. I don't know how long I was there. I just knew, one day, that I mistook my own reflection for my father's." Tears began to flow from his remaining eye. "The world I found myself in was... insane. The normal rules of reality just didn't apply there. More than once I thought I was losing my mind. But then I remembered." His gaze refocused on her. "I made a promise. One I almost failed to keep too many times. And that kept me going, every time I though I was lost."
He reached out and took her hand. "I promised I'd come back to you." He smiled a soft smile and whispered, "I did it, Glyn. I made it." The tears flowed steadily and Glynda found that she was crying too.
"I'm sorry it took so long-" He began and Glynda immediately cut him off with a growl.
"Don't you dare apologize!" She clutched his gauntleted hand tightly. "You made it back. That's all that matters."
"But-" this time, she silenced him with a kiss, soft and sweet. He tasted like iron and salt.
"You came back to me, Jaune Arc," she whispered when their lips parted, leaning her forehead against his. "You kept your word."
Keeping His Word
Glynda Goodwitch knew that Jaune Arc was dead. She knew it as soon as she saw the profound sadness on Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie's faces when they greeted her at Atlas Academy's landing pads. The feeling was only confirmed when she saw the despair in Ruby Rose's eyes when the normally energetic young woman took her aside to tell her what happened. It was a cold feeling that crept up from her stomach to ensnare her heart in icy thorns. She wasn't sure what it was just yet. Not quite grief, or sadness, or fury. But something that had elements of all three.
"I'm not sure how much anyone told you," Ruby began, her eyes averted. "But, w-we were... we were-"
The young woman's face crumpled and the tears she'd been holding back finally spilled free. "I-I'm so sorry Professor! I pr-promised I'd keep him safe and I failed you! I'm s-so-" Her sobs were muffled by Glynda's embrace.
The Professor had never been the maternal type but even she couldn't help but comfort the crying young woman. "Shhhh, Ms. Rose. It's not your fault. I should never have made you promise that. I knew exactly the kind of self-sacrificing fool that Jaune was. It's not your fault."
The girl cried for a while longer, and Glynda briefly felt resentment that she wasn't free to cry in the same way. It seemed that there were a lot of things that Glynda resented. The fact that she had been left with the mess of rebuilding Beacon after it had been reclaimed from the Grimm. The fact that Leo Lionheart turned out to be a traitor and James Ironwood had died and Theodore was still holed up in Shade and Qrow was useless, leaving her in charge of their little conspiracy by default. The fact that Oz, a man she had trusted implicitly for the majority of her life, had been lying to them about Salem and was now in the body of a child who could barely use his knowledge or powers. The fact that she had been forced to hide her relationship with the man she loved because of her station.
The fact that the love of her life was gone and she couldn't allow herself to break down into tears like she so desperately wanted to.
Ruby's sobbing subsided a few minutes later and Glynda offered her a handkerchief while using her Semblance to clean the front of her shirt. Jaune had always found it amazing that she had fine enough control over her Telekinesis to use it for cleaning clothes.
"T-thank you, Professor," Team RWBY's leader hiccuped, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have done more."
"I know you, Ruby Rose," Glynda intoned. "And you're likely taking on more blame than you deserve."
"It doesn't feel like it," the little reaper replied gloomily.
"In that case, tell me what happened," the older Huntress ordered. "And I will decide."
The tale that Ruby spun was harrowing, a desperate battle to save the Kingdom from the forces of Salem. How James had led the airfleet in a desperate defense against the invading Grimm in order to buy time for Mantle to be evacuated to Atlas. How Penny Polendina had suddenly become the new Winter Maiden, allowing them access to the Staff of Creation. How they used the Staff to create a portal network to ferry the citizens of Mantle directly to Atlas only to be ambushed by Cinder Fall and her followers. How the ensuing battle had pushed their teams to their limits, until it had just been the two Maidens standing, both on their last legs. How the Fall Maiden gained the upper hand and all had seemed lost.
How Jaune, her Jaune, broken and bleeding, had impaled Cinder with the shattered remains of Crocea Mors and taken her with him as he tumbled into the void.
As Ruby finished the story, Glynda found that she was right. Ruby couldn't possibly be responsible for the foolhardy decisions Jaune made, and she told the girl as much.
Ruby's eyes narrowed. "He saved our lives! That wasn't foolhardy at all!"
"Yes, he did," Glynda readily agreed. "That stupid, brave, fool of a man saved all of you because he would give his life in an instant for the people he loved."
Her mind flashed back to that day three years ago when he'd saved her life. When Jaune jumped in front of a blade for her. How, even missing an eye, he'd smiled up at her as she'd clutched him to her chest.
"Worth it," he'd whispered through a mouth full of blood.
She left the memory behind and refocused on the young Huntress before her. "Know this, Ruby Rose. Jaune did what he thought was right and there's nothing you could have done to stop him. Mourn him but do not dishonor his sacrifice by blaming yourself." Glynda's eyes stung with tears she'd never let fall but her voice held steady.
Ruby looked as though she'd break down once more but she rallied herself with admirable control and nodded to the Headmistress. "I-I will! I swear I will."
Glynda gave her a thin, brittle smile. "Good." She turned on her heel, ready to get back to work. The relief forces she'd brought weren't going to lead themselves and she'd be damned before she let General Schnee take command.
"Professor," the young Huntress called out. "I think you might need to-"
"Mourn? Believe me, Miss Rose, I am."
She left, ignoring the way her heart wanted to tear itself in two. Another memory arose, unbidden, of Jaune the night he'd left for Mistral. Of his scarred face and shining blue eye and crooked grin. Of the promise he'd made, to come back to her.
She smiled bitterly and murmured under her breath. "So much for an Arc always keeping his word."
Glynda Goodwitch was about to die.
She could feel the certainty in her bones, just as she could feel the fire of the venom racing through her veins. One hand pressed against the puncture wound in her side, the burning purple liquid oozing from it staining her blouse. The other hung over the shoulders of Ruby Rose as they fled through the cave complex where the Summer Maiden had been hiding.
"Professor, hold on!" The red-cloaked hubtress pleaded as she helped the older woman hobble along. "We're almost there! Just a bit further."
Glynda laughed, letting the hollow sound ring through the cavern. "I.. appreciate... the attempt... Miss Rose," she gasped, before taking a deep breath. "But we both know you're lying. Leave me. I've been poisoned. I'll only slow you down. Get the Maiden out of here."
"No! I won't leave you!" Ruby cried, her face, illuminated by the light from the holes in the cave's ceiling, twisted in anguish. "I won't let anyone else die for me!"
"Miss Rose... Ruby... please."
The girl... no, the young woman, her silver eyes shining with tears, continued to pull Glynda along, steadfastly refusing to leave her behind. "I made a promise! I won't let you die here!" They were almost at the cave entrance; she could hear the whine of the airship's flight systems powering up.
"Oh Ruby," Glynda murmured, raising her hand to caress the younger Huntress's cheek. The poison must have been getting to her, she'd never been the kind to show affection like that.
"Very inspiring, Ruby Rose!" A sibilant voice hissed from behind them and Glynda's heart sank. "Unfortunately, my Goddess would be incredibly displeased with me if I let the two of you go."
"Callows..." The Professor hissed. She didn't need to see the assassin to recognize that voice. "Ruby, you must leave."
"Ah ah ah," the scorpion Faunus chided, his voice moving closer. "I just said 'the two of you.' I'm afraid that-"
Glynda did not care.
"I'm sorry, Ruby," she whispered, and engaged her Semblance once more, powering through the burn of the venom. She grasped the young woman with her mind and, with a mighty exertion, threw her clear of the cave.
Without Ruby's support, Glynda fell to the stone floor with a heavy thump. She could have caught herself, but there was something more important she was using her Semblance for. Tendrils of psychic force wormed through the stone over the mouth of the cave and, with a flicker of thought, the Professor brought it all down.
Ruby's cry of despair upon realizing what Glynda had done tore at her heart.
The collapse of the cave mouth almost deafened her and the resulting dust cloud obscured everything and provoked a coughing fit. Her mouth tasted of iron. She was barely able to see the sunlight pouring through the cavern's skylights. Her vision was starting to dim.
And then something slammed into the puncture wound in her side, finally shattering her Aura and drawing a scream from her throat. Suddenly, she was able to see just fine, the pain and adrenaline driving all the fog away. Callows kicked her again and she just barely avoided vomiting from the agony. Curled up on the ground, she was too weak to defend herself from his attacks.
"Very noble, Professor." Tyrian drawled. "Sacrificing yourself for the greater good. But I'll just chase Rose down once you're dead. Really, I should just go after her right now. You don't have much time left."
Glynda took a ragged breath. And then another one. "You won't," she rasped. She had to keep him distracted, keep him focused here. Every second he wasted was another second Team RWBY and the Maiden could use to get away.
The psychopath tilted his head, curiosity flashing across his face. "I won't what? Find the little bitch and pluck out her eyes?"
A hot flash of fury spiked through her skull, providing some clarity. "You won't leave me to die just like that. You want to see me suffer."
Tyrian smiled. "True. Alas, the commandments of my Goddess take precedence." He raised one of his blade gauntlets. "Apologies, Professor. I don't have time for pleasure today."
Glynda refused to close her eyes, staring her death in its cruel, cruel face. So this was how it ended. Her eyes began to well up but she refused to let the tears fall. She hadn't cried at Jaune's death and she'd be damned if she cried at her own. Instead she smiled, and Tyrian paused.
"Not the most common expression I see on my victim's faces," he said, perplexed. "Got something to be happy about, Professor? Was life really that miserable?"
"You wouldn't understand," Glynda replied.
The assassin tilted his head, pondering the response, before realization illuminated his features. "Ahhh, I see. You have someone on the other side you're eager to see again. Someone you love. I understand."
She scoffed, the sound thin and scratchy. "You're already going to kill me. You don't need to lie to my face."
Tyrian grinned, wide and manic, and clasped his hands over his chest. "Oh, but I do understand! That person who you love, who occupies every corner of your heart, who you would die for, who you would kill for. I know exactly what that's like, Glynda Goodwitch. And, from the bottom of my heart, I hope you two are reunited." He raised his blade once more.
That was when the space behind Tyrian twisted and severed, forming a churning maelstrom of light. The psychopath whirled on his heel, guard raised and tail poised to confront this new threat. The strange and ethereal light collapsed inward into a flat oval, taking on a golden hue in the process. It looked like... a portal.
And out of this glowing portal stepped salvation. The figure was tall and broad-shouldered; a knight clad in rusty metal plate, broken blade and shield in hand. A single vibrant blue eye peered out of the darkened visor, alighting upon her.
Clearly, the venom had hallucinogenic properties because Glynda couldn't come up with a single better explanation for why she was looking at the godsdamned Rusted Knight of all things.
Tyrian seemed to be just as confused. "... I truly do not know how to respond to this."
"Don't worry about it," the armored figure replied, his deep voice echoing out from his helm. "You're not long for this world anyways."
"Oooh, confi-" That was as far as the assassin got before the Knight was upon him.
The ensuing battle was a testament to the skill of its combatants. Back and forth they fought across the cavern, tearing gouges into the floor and walls the just the wake of their attacks. The Rusted Knight kept up with Tyrian and seemed to even exceed him at times. Tyrian was fast, but the Knight was resilient, and more than willing to take a hit or two if it allowed him to land a devastating blow in return. The scorpion Faunus tried multiple times reach out and use his Semblance, but every time the attempt was thwarted by the Knight's careful deflections.
Despite her wounds and the poison, Glynda couldn't help but be absolutely entranced. She knew that Callows was a deadly fighter, one of the best in the world from how Qrow described him, but this Knight clearly matched, if not outmatched, the assassin. Something about his fighting style was oh so familiar. It held hallmarks of some basic sword styles she was familiar with, but refined and polished to near-perfection and deadliness. Like seeing an adorable puppy grow up to be a fearsome wolf.
At no point was the Knight ever on the back foot. At no point did he tire. She could see Callows growing short of breath and slowing down as the fight progressed. He may have been a deadly killer but the Rusted Knight was something else entirely. He took the measure of his opponent, found them wanting, and then, with the utmost care, destroyed them utterly.
The first thing that went was Tyrian's tail, as the Faunus overextended a strike. The Knight pinned the cybernetic limb under his shield arm, struck it twice, breaking the psychopath's aura. The third blow from the broken blade sliced through the metallic scorpion tail entirely, a shower of sparks and purple liquid spraying through the air.
Callows howled and spasmed in pain, leaving himself open for the Knight to take something else: the assassin's eyes. A slash from the broken blade across his face left a bloody ruin behind and only intensified the screaming. Screaming that cut off a moment later as the Knight buried his sword in Tyrian's throat.
It was breathtaking.
Oh, no, that was the poison.
Glynda gasped for air and the Knight was suddenly there. He, ever so gently, took her hand and warmth flowed into her body. She could feel the Knight's soul, his courage, his determination, as it wrapped around her own and bolstered it. Her Aura reformed and replenished, the puncture wound in her side closed, and the burning from the venom subsided.
But it wasn't any of those that left her speechless and stunned.
It was the love. The absolute, unending tide of love that this man, the Rusted Knight, felt for her. An incandescent light summoned from his soul for the express purpose of restoring her.
And in that moment, Glynda knew who was under that helmet. Of the one person who loved her so deeply and truly that he had, apparently, come back from the dead for her.
"Jaune." She whispered, wide green eyes staring into the single azure orb underneath that helm.
"Heya Glyn," the knight replied almost sheepishly, and Glynda could hear the familiar voice of her lover under the echo and gravel. "Sorry I'm late."
That was what he had to say!? He came back from the dead, killed a deranged assassin, saved her life and the first thing out of his mouth was 'Sorry, I'm late!?"
Well, she had known he was an idiot when she fell in love with him so she supposed it was her fault really.
Glynda flared her Semblance, telekinetically pulling herself to her feet. Her savior did the same and the Professor could see that he now towered over her. His shoulders were broader and his limbs thicker, as though he had finally finished growing.
She wasn't sure where to begin. Perhaps with the most pertinent part though.
"Take off your helmet," Glynda ordered, as the emotions within her began to churn. Fear, joy, anger, love, and disbelief went to war within her heart and the only thing she could do try to make sense of what was happening.
The Knight hesitated and icy fear began to win. "Glynda, I'm not so sure-"
"Please," she whispered, cutting him off. "I felt it when you healed me but none of this makes sense. Please Jaune, I need to see it with my own eyes."
"... Okay," he agreed, and began undoing the straps that kept the helmet secured to his head. "It's just... gonna be a bit of a shock."
"Why? What happ-" Glynda trailed off as the Knight's face was revealed.
It was another impossibility heaped on top of the pile. It was definitely Jaune, she was intimately familiar with his face, but changed. His long hair, tied in a warrior's wolf tail, was streaked with white, as was the full beard he now sported on his face. Age lines creased the skin around his mouth and visible eye and new scars crossed his face. A plain red cloth was tied over his missing eye but the other one, despite the weight she could clearly see behind it, shone as vibrantly as it had the day they had parted.
"How? Wha-what happened?" Glynda whispered, her initial shock fading.
Jaune swallowed, his gaze filling with pain and suddenly far away. "I fell. Out of this world and into another one. A place beyond time. I don't know how long I was there. I just knew, one day, that I mistook my own reflection for my father's." Tears began to flow from his remaining eye. "The world I found myself in was... insane. The normal rules of reality just didn't apply there. More than once I thought I was losing my mind. But then I remembered." His gaze refocused on her. "I made a promise. One I almost failed to keep too many times. And that kept me going, every time I though I was lost."
He reached out and took her hand. "I promised I'd come back to you." He smiled a soft smile and whispered, "I did it, Glyn. I made it." The tears flowed steadily and Glynda found that she was crying too.
"I'm sorry it took so long-" He began and Glynda immediately cut him off with a growl.
"Don't you dare apologize!" She clutched his gauntleted hand tightly. "You made it back. That's all that matters."
"But-" this time, she silenced him with a kiss, soft and sweet. He tasted like iron and salt.
"You came back to me, Jaune Arc," she whispered when their lips parted, leaning her forehead against his. "You kept your word."
Nightmare Awakenings
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2015
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- - -
Jaune stood in the middle of the Beacon Star-Maiden Courtyard. It was night, the stars and the broken moon shone high overhead. It was so bright it was like it was daytime. He looked around, seeing no one else around.
"Hello?" He called out. His voice echoed throughout the trees and marble pillars and fountains. No one answered, as he wandered through. "Hello? Anyone?"
"D-Dad..."
Jaune looked and gaped as he saw Julian lying on the ground. He ran over to him, and began doing the emergency medical checks his mother had drilled into him and his siblings. Julian looked up faintly, his eyes pale and glassy.
"Julian! Julian, hey! Are you okay? What happened?" Jaune asked.
Julian sniffled, and tears fell from his eyes. His hands desperately grabbed onto him, and his eyes were wide.
"Please... D-Dad... Don't erase me," he begged, "Please... I-I'm scared..."
Jaune felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned. His jaw dropped as he saw Xander staggering there, his very being fading in and out like a bad special effect from an old movie.
"Pl-Please Dad... She's loved you... Loved you for so long..."
"W-What about me?" Xia begged, now at his feet as she flickered like a bad lightbulb. She looked up into his eyes. "Please Daddy... It hurts...!"
The rest of his children appeared, all desperate. All crying. Theodore were glitching like a character in a buggy game. Ash and Ashley were burning away, like paper caught on fire. August fell over, clutching his stomach as he began to dissolve into dust.
Amethyst simply faded away, as Nicholas fell to his knees and pixels ran over his body. Petra was praying, crying for her mother, for him, for God to spare her. Leander and Lea sobbed as they sank into darkness. Dorothy wept as she melted, and looked up with a distorted face.
"Dad!"
"Daddy! Help us!"
"SAVE US DADDY! PLEASE!"
"Don't you love us, Dad?! PLEASE!"
"PLEASE CHOOSE!"
Jaune's hands went to the side of his head. He was hyperventilating as fear and horror and grief filled his entire being.
DO SOMETHING! His mind screamed. DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING!
"I-I can't!" Jaune shouted. "Who can I choose?! I don't want to lose you all! I-I can't just choose one! I CAN'T! I CAN'T!"
They all faded away. A terrible cold wind blew through the courtyard. Jaune fell to his knees, and sobbed.
"I can't... I couldn't...! I couldn't...!"
"J-Jaune..."
He looked up. He was in the ruins of Ozpins' office. Everything was on fire, wrecked. He spotted Pyrrha, bloodied, bruised, and on her knees. Arrows stuck out of her chest. Cinder stood in front of her, flames burning in her palm and a cruel smile on her face.
"J-Jaune... Please..." Pyrrha cried. "Please... Save me...!"
"PYRRHA!"
He couldn't move. WHY COULDN'T HE MOVE?!
The flames erupted from Cinder's hand, and Pyrrha screamed as she was consumed.
"NO! PYRRHA!" Jaune screamed.
"J-Jaune..." He looked around. May, Emerald, Arslan, and Glynda lay in the ruins, bloodied, dying. Again he couldn't move, he couldn't do anything...!
"Please..." Glynda rasped through a mouth full of blood. May faded away, tears rolling down her cheeks. Arslan was already dead, pierced by many arrows, her head bowed as through in prayer in her last moments. Emerald tried to speak, but a glass arrow from Cinder punched through her chest, and she went still. Jaune looked back at Cinder, who loomed over him like a giant.
"You could have stopped this," Cinder hissed, as her face melted and she transformed into some hideous Grimm-like abomination, "You could have stopped all of this...!"
"N-No! I don't even-!"
"JAUNE!"
He was older. His hair was cut short. His armor was different. He was standing on a bridge in a metal city-Atlas, he thought. He looked down, and gaped in horror. Penny lay there in pieces, a hand desperately reaching out to him.
"Jaune... Please..." She begged. "Please... You can end this... Please...!"
He lifted his sword up and brought it down on Penny. No matter how hard he resisted, his blade went right through her.
"NO! NO! STOP-NO!"
"JAUNE!"
He was old, and wore rusted armor. The land around him was a topsy-turvy kaleidoscope of color and madness. He turned and saw Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang sinking into oblivion. A horrifying cat monster loomed over them on one side, as a female figure, pale and white, stood on the other.
"JAUNE!" Ruby screamed. "HELP US! PLEASE! WHY AREN'T YOU HELPING US?!"
"SAVE US!" Weiss shrieked desperately.
"WHY CAN'T YOU EVER HELP?!" Blake roared. "WHY CAN'T YOU EVER SAVE ANYONE?!"
"JAUNE! DON'T ABANDON ME! PLEASE!" Yang bellowed.
He couldn't move... He couldn't move...!
"MOVE! MOVE, PLEASE!" Jaune screamed. "PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU! MOVE!"
His mother walked into view, his father alongside her.
"You couldn't save anyone, Jaune," Isabel Arc stated, "We told you: We were expecting you to come home. You should have listened."
"Now you've lost everything," Nick sighed, "Everyone is dead... Everyone is gone... Because you couldn't step up."
"You should have come home, Jaune," Isabel said, as RWBY's screams cut off, "You shouldn't have even tried."
"No... No... Please...!" Jaune wept. "PLEASE...!"
Cold water splashed over his face. Jaune woke up, his heart racing a mile a minute in his chest. gasping for breath.
"Friend Jaune?"
He looked over at Penny, standing there with a concerned look on her face. Ren held a bucket of water. Nora stood by him, another bucket ready to go.
"P-Penny... Penny, you okay?" He asked, reaching out to squeeze her wrist. Penny smiled.
"I am functioning at 100 percent capacity! ... As I am a perfectly normal human girl," she added quickly. Her concerned look returned. "Are you okay?"
Jaune couldn't meet the eyes of his friends.
"... I-I'm fine," he mumbled. "I'm fine... J-Just a nightmare."
"You're sure?" Nora asked. "You want to talk about it? It helps me to talk about! Like this one time, I dreamed I was fighting the King of the Potato People in a gingham dress and-"
"NO!" Jaune barked out harshly. Ren's eyesbrows rose, as Nora gasped. Penny blinked a few times. Jaune shook his head, and held his hands up apologetically.
"N-No... I'm sorry Nora. I just... I-I don't think I can talk about this. Not right now."
"... Okay," Nora said softly. The softest he'd ever heard her. He pushed himself onto his feet and reached out to squeeze her hand. He forced his face into a reassuring smile.
"It's okay... It's not your fault. I'm sorry," he said quietly.
Nora nodded slowly, but didn't meet his eyes.
"You are under a lot of stress," Ren observed softly. "You should go out. Clear your mind."
"Y-Yeah... Yeah... Thanks Ren," Jaune said with a more genuine smile. "I... I think I'll do just that."
- - -
Well that became a lot darker than I intended. But it just felt right.
Jaune stood in the middle of the Beacon Star-Maiden Courtyard. It was night, the stars and the broken moon shone high overhead. It was so bright it was like it was daytime. He looked around, seeing no one else around.
"Hello?" He called out. His voice echoed throughout the trees and marble pillars and fountains. No one answered, as he wandered through. "Hello? Anyone?"
"D-Dad..."
Jaune looked and gaped as he saw Julian lying on the ground. He ran over to him, and began doing the emergency medical checks his mother had drilled into him and his siblings. Julian looked up faintly, his eyes pale and glassy.
"Julian! Julian, hey! Are you okay? What happened?" Jaune asked.
Julian sniffled, and tears fell from his eyes. His hands desperately grabbed onto him, and his eyes were wide.
"Please... D-Dad... Don't erase me," he begged, "Please... I-I'm scared..."
Jaune felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned. His jaw dropped as he saw Xander staggering there, his very being fading in and out like a bad special effect from an old movie.
"Pl-Please Dad... She's loved you... Loved you for so long..."
"W-What about me?" Xia begged, now at his feet as she flickered like a bad lightbulb. She looked up into his eyes. "Please Daddy... It hurts...!"
The rest of his children appeared, all desperate. All crying. Theodore were glitching like a character in a buggy game. Ash and Ashley were burning away, like paper caught on fire. August fell over, clutching his stomach as he began to dissolve into dust.
Amethyst simply faded away, as Nicholas fell to his knees and pixels ran over his body. Petra was praying, crying for her mother, for him, for God to spare her. Leander and Lea sobbed as they sank into darkness. Dorothy wept as she melted, and looked up with a distorted face.
"Dad!"
"Daddy! Help us!"
"SAVE US DADDY! PLEASE!"
"Don't you love us, Dad?! PLEASE!"
"PLEASE CHOOSE!"
Jaune's hands went to the side of his head. He was hyperventilating as fear and horror and grief filled his entire being.
DO SOMETHING! His mind screamed. DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING!
"I-I can't!" Jaune shouted. "Who can I choose?! I don't want to lose you all! I-I can't just choose one! I CAN'T! I CAN'T!"
They all faded away. A terrible cold wind blew through the courtyard. Jaune fell to his knees, and sobbed.
"I can't... I couldn't...! I couldn't...!"
"J-Jaune..."
He looked up. He was in the ruins of Ozpins' office. Everything was on fire, wrecked. He spotted Pyrrha, bloodied, bruised, and on her knees. Arrows stuck out of her chest. Cinder stood in front of her, flames burning in her palm and a cruel smile on her face.
"J-Jaune... Please..." Pyrrha cried. "Please... Save me...!"
"PYRRHA!"
He couldn't move. WHY COULDN'T HE MOVE?!
The flames erupted from Cinder's hand, and Pyrrha screamed as she was consumed.
"NO! PYRRHA!" Jaune screamed.
"J-Jaune..." He looked around. May, Emerald, Arslan, and Glynda lay in the ruins, bloodied, dying. Again he couldn't move, he couldn't do anything...!
"Please..." Glynda rasped through a mouth full of blood. May faded away, tears rolling down her cheeks. Arslan was already dead, pierced by many arrows, her head bowed as through in prayer in her last moments. Emerald tried to speak, but a glass arrow from Cinder punched through her chest, and she went still. Jaune looked back at Cinder, who loomed over him like a giant.
"You could have stopped this," Cinder hissed, as her face melted and she transformed into some hideous Grimm-like abomination, "You could have stopped all of this...!"
"N-No! I don't even-!"
"JAUNE!"
He was older. His hair was cut short. His armor was different. He was standing on a bridge in a metal city-Atlas, he thought. He looked down, and gaped in horror. Penny lay there in pieces, a hand desperately reaching out to him.
"Jaune... Please..." She begged. "Please... You can end this... Please...!"
He lifted his sword up and brought it down on Penny. No matter how hard he resisted, his blade went right through her.
"NO! NO! STOP-NO!"
"JAUNE!"
He was old, and wore rusted armor. The land around him was a topsy-turvy kaleidoscope of color and madness. He turned and saw Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang sinking into oblivion. A horrifying cat monster loomed over them on one side, as a female figure, pale and white, stood on the other.
"JAUNE!" Ruby screamed. "HELP US! PLEASE! WHY AREN'T YOU HELPING US?!"
"SAVE US!" Weiss shrieked desperately.
"WHY CAN'T YOU EVER HELP?!" Blake roared. "WHY CAN'T YOU EVER SAVE ANYONE?!"
"JAUNE! DON'T ABANDON ME! PLEASE!" Yang bellowed.
He couldn't move... He couldn't move...!
"MOVE! MOVE, PLEASE!" Jaune screamed. "PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU! MOVE!"
His mother walked into view, his father alongside her.
"You couldn't save anyone, Jaune," Isabel Arc stated, "We told you: We were expecting you to come home. You should have listened."
"Now you've lost everything," Nick sighed, "Everyone is dead... Everyone is gone... Because you couldn't step up."
"You should have come home, Jaune," Isabel said, as RWBY's screams cut off, "You shouldn't have even tried."
"No... No... Please...!" Jaune wept. "PLEASE...!"
Cold water splashed over his face. Jaune woke up, his heart racing a mile a minute in his chest. gasping for breath.
"Friend Jaune?"
He looked over at Penny, standing there with a concerned look on her face. Ren held a bucket of water. Nora stood by him, another bucket ready to go.
"P-Penny... Penny, you okay?" He asked, reaching out to squeeze her wrist. Penny smiled.
"I am functioning at 100 percent capacity! ... As I am a perfectly normal human girl," she added quickly. Her concerned look returned. "Are you okay?"
Jaune couldn't meet the eyes of his friends.
"... I-I'm fine," he mumbled. "I'm fine... J-Just a nightmare."
"You're sure?" Nora asked. "You want to talk about it? It helps me to talk about! Like this one time, I dreamed I was fighting the King of the Potato People in a gingham dress and-"
"NO!" Jaune barked out harshly. Ren's eyesbrows rose, as Nora gasped. Penny blinked a few times. Jaune shook his head, and held his hands up apologetically.
"N-No... I'm sorry Nora. I just... I-I don't think I can talk about this. Not right now."
"... Okay," Nora said softly. The softest he'd ever heard her. He pushed himself onto his feet and reached out to squeeze her hand. He forced his face into a reassuring smile.
"It's okay... It's not your fault. I'm sorry," he said quietly.
Nora nodded slowly, but didn't meet his eyes.
"You are under a lot of stress," Ren observed softly. "You should go out. Clear your mind."
"Y-Yeah... Yeah... Thanks Ren," Jaune said with a more genuine smile. "I... I think I'll do just that."
- - -
Well that became a lot darker than I intended. But it just felt right.
RandomDragon
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2023
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- 955
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- 10,564
yup...rusted knight all right.
and also temporal shennanigans...kids, this is why time-travel should be utterly banned. Because this shit wrecks everything...honestly im just waiting for a pissed off Rusted Knight to come on down and dress down the kids for their reckless endangerment of *everything*.
and also temporal shennanigans...kids, this is why time-travel should be utterly banned. Because this shit wrecks everything...honestly im just waiting for a pissed off Rusted Knight to come on down and dress down the kids for their reckless endangerment of *everything*.
mgl1206
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- May 25, 2024
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- 1,864
Dreams were oddly specific, perhaps a bleed over effect from all the time travel.
ThunderBasilisk
Well Worn Bastion
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2020
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Honestly at this point im just waiting for papa Jaune to brute force his way to the past.
NightDranzer
Unrepentant MILF Lover
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2019
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Sunrise At Beacon's Old Cathedral...
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2015
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Dawn: the twilight hour where the light of the morning sun starts to drown out the stars and change the color of the sky but the sun itself has yet to crest the horizon. Back in Radian on the days where he was healthy enough to help out with the farm he got up around this time, so watching the sky get slowly brighter and brighter was comforting it a way. It harkened back to a simpler time of checking on the farm cats, letting the chickens out of the coop and breaking up bales of hay.
That nostalgic comfort wasn't quite enough to clear his head of the tumultuous thoughts rolling around in the back of his mind, but the walkabout was a good distraction. Seeing so many places on school grounds in a literal new light was some pleasant visual stimulation, and Penny trailing behind him at a respectful distance kept triggering that primal 'someone's watching you' feeling that pulled him out of his darker musings when the 'new' sights weren't quite up to the task.
And so he went around the campus just going wherever his feet would take him with no real destination in mind. His feet carried him to a place he had only been once before; a collection of historic buildings that had been built centuries before Beacon became a Huntsman Academy, back when a king called these grounds home. At the top of a hill stood the oldest of these buildings: a large stone cathedral that had been remodeled and expanded upon multiple times through the ages.
The original building was constructed during the heyday of the First Emerald Dynasty as a place to worship The Brother Gods, but that changed during the accession of the Third Emerald Dynasty with the arrival of the merchant ship known as The Dawn Chaser: the ship traditionally believed to be the first vessel to circumnavigate the world, though some historians dispute this. The Dawn Chaser carried several missionaries seeking to spread the good news of the Table Breaker, and many members of the royal family believed the teachings of these missionaries. As a result the house of worship was remodeled into a Church of The Broken Table.
Thus began an unofficial tradition that every new dynasty would remodel or expand the church according to their own beliefs. While the church building remained a place to worship the Table Breaker for the vast majority of its' history this wasn't an unbroken span of time. The Sixth Jade Dynasty, founded by Juliana the Apostate, remodeled the building to worship The Brother Gods again. The Fourth Malachite Dynasty worshiped The God of Animals and rebuilt the church to reflect that. Yet in spite of a few radical departures like those most Vale's rulers revered the Table Breaker and simply expanded the once humble church into the cathedral that now stood before Jaune.
The present day cathedral was more tourist destination than house of worship in the modern era. Without a royal family living in Beacon there just weren't enough people continuously living in the immediate area to justify having a bishop and his family live there to host services every Sunday. Modern airbuses also made travel into the City of Vale extremely convenient so most believing students would opt to leave school grounds to attend church with any friends or family in the city. As a result the Beacon Cathedral only hosted worship services on incredibly special occasions, and was mostly visited by people touring school grounds.
Jaune had never been inside before; joining a tour group as a student had felt kind of silly to him and playing tourist in a church seemed kind of disrespectful if he was being honest. Yet even if the building was used more by tourists than believers it was still a place where troubled souls found solace. Jaune pushed open the doors and made his way inside.
No automatic lights turned on when he stepped in, and he couldn't find any switches beside the door. After fumbling around for a few moments he heard Penny following him in, and a few moments after that she was besides him.
"The light switches are further inside friend Jaune," Penny whispered in his ear. "By the doors the Bishop's family would have used to enter the main chapel."
"Huh, weird," Jaune muttered as he turned away from the wall and started to make his way further inside the building. Penny remained by the entrance standing guard.
It was slow going. The dim pre-sunrise light was barely piercing the thick and darkened glass of the cathedral's many windows, no doubt a side effect of the stained glass. Yet even in the darkness Jaune found the aisles that went between the pews and he made his way towards pulpit and altar. As he got closer to the front of the chapel he heard a whispered prayer to his right, and he looked to see two silhouettes sitting on a bench facing a stained glass window that's details were imperceptible in the dim light. Jaune turned and made his way to them since he recognized the whispering voice as Arslan's.
The quite prayer came to a close as Jaune drew near, and Arslan shifted to look over her shoulder in the darkness.
"Good morning?" Arslan greeted as she tried to identify him in the dark.
"Good morning," Jaune replied.
"Father?" Petra asked from her mother's side, "What are you doing here?"
"I needed to get my mind off things, so I took a walk," Jaune explained, "And I ended up here. Why are you here in the dark?"
"We're here for the stained glass window," Arslan explained as she and Petra scooted over on the bench, making room for Jaune to sit on Arslan's right. Jaune took them up on the implied invitation leaving a little bit of space between himself and his potential wife, who continued her explanation, "These older cathedrals were built with the expectation that people from beyond the city's walls would visit and spend most of the day in the cathedral, as it would be a once in a lifetime trip for many of them. Because of that each stained glass window is positioned to be backlit by the sun during different parts of the day, turning those daylong visits into a continuous story. This right here is the cathedrals's sunrise window. Petra wanted to see it since most of this cathedral was destroyed in Cinder's attack on the Vytal Festival, and this window was one of the few that was completely unsalvageable and needed to be outright replaced."
"Ohhh," Jaune hummed appreciatively, "So we're in the dark so we get the full effect of the sunrise lighting up the window!"
"Precisely!" Arslan confirmed.
Silence fell over them as they waited for the proper sunrise to begin. It wasn't that long of a wait, it had only been ten minutes till the sun poked out over the horizon when Jaune had entered the cathedral, so the silence didn't have time to become awkward.
The first true rays of morning's light illuminated the window.
It was a true work of art depicting the Table Breaker's resurrection: he stood in the air triumphantly over the two pieces of the stone table, his disciples gathered round rejoicing at his return to the mortal realm while the Winter Witch lay on the ground loosing her last breath. It was a scene Jaune had seen depicted dozens of times before, so all of the non-standard artistic choices stood out to him. The Table Breaker's image was familiar with his broad shoulders, wild hair and beard resembling a lion's mane and so on; yet there were other things about his depiction that were odd...
"...Does he have snake eyes?" Jaune noted the first oddity that stood out to him.
"Yes, and that's not all," Petra confirmed before pointing out the other oddities, "If you look closely at his neck you can see gills. You can't see his hands because the sleeves of his robes are actually bird wings, and his boots are actually cloven hooves."
"Why?" Jaune tilted his head with a small measure of confusion.
Arslan looked to Jaune and explained the reasoning, "While the scholarly consensus, both secular and religious, agree that the historical Table Breaker was a faunus it's still occasionally debated what kind of faunus he was. Tradition says lion, but people have made passionate cases for him being a different kind of faunus in the past. The creator of this window chose to incorporate the most popular alternatives into this piece; hence why the mane of a lion is accompanied by the gills of a fish, the eyes of a snake, the wings of a dove and the hooves of a sheep or goat."
"Huh, I've never heard about that before," Jaune admitted. "What kind of faunus do you think he really was?"
"With what little evidence exists? I'd say tradition is right about him being a lion faunus," Arslan opined. "Personally I'm glad the debate is currently dead; it distracts from the fact that his sacrifice was for all peoples, both human and faunus."
Jaune looked to Arslan and considered her for a moment. In all the hubbub of yesterday he never really got a chance to talk with her about herself like he had with the others. This seemed as good a time as any to ask her a few more personal questions.
"Why are you studying at Haven?" Jaune asked. Arslan quirked her eyebrow at him, which Jaune took as an invitation to elaborate, "I mean the sash of mastery you gave me shows you were excelling at the Temple's combat lessons, and the warrior monks trained by the Temple are on par with the Huntsmen trained by the Academies. So why stop studying at the temple?"
Arslan brought her hand to her chin in contemplation of her answer. After a moment of thought she began, "My reasons require context. Are you aware of the current state of the faith in Mistral?"
"No," Jaune admitted.
"A few centuries ago the majority of people living on the continent of Anima were members of the Church," Arslan explained. "Today? Outside of the Holy City and a handful of smaller settlements the faithful are currently a minority throughout Mistral. The exact reasons for this decline are hotly debated, but it's most commonly attributed to an atheistic shift in Mistral's academia that bled into the ruling and bureaucratic classes. For a little over a century the idea that mankind had outgrown the need for religion was quite fashionable. Then the Great War happened."
Arslan looked back to the stained glass window as she continued, "Man and Faunus slaughtered Man and Faunus, and the idea that mankind had outgrown anything was laughable. Mistral saw a resurgence of religion, but people did not return to the Church. During the war Church leaders in Mistral and Atlas criticized the conflict from day one, while Church leaders in Vale supported Vale's role in the war. After the war Atlas' leadership were willing to swallow their pride and admit the war was a mistake, while the leadership of Mistral sought a scapegoat to protect their injured pride."
Arslan sighed, "The scapegoat they chose was the Church, and as a result several factions within Mistral's government are actively hostile to the faith. Things got worse after the Faunus Rights Revolution: the Table Breaker was a faunus, and so the factions actively hostile to the Church gained the support of those actively hostile to faunus. That's most of what you need for context."
She returned her gaze to Jaune, "Mistral has several laws in place that make it difficult for anyone without a proper license to make a legal living as a huntsman. There are more laws in place designed to keep graduates of the Temple's combat courses from obtaining a proper license. By studying at Haven and Sanctum before it I'll be able to skip all the legal hoops I'd have to go through if I'd completed my studies at the Temple. That's half of my reason for stoping my studies at the Temple."
A small smile graced her face as she went on, "The other half has to do with my mother's acting career."
"How?" It was Jaune's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"My mother became a beloved household name in spite of the distaste modern Mistrali culture has for the Faith," Arslan elaborated. "She was able to use her star power to influence a few elections, kept some of the more radical Church haters out of public office. Watching her do that as a child was inspiring, and I wanted to do something similar when I grew up. But I'm no actress," Arslan flexed her left arm, "I'm a fighter. Fortunately one can obtain similar levels of fame in Mistral's tournament scene, and by going to Sanctum I was able to get admitted to the arena."
Having finished her explanation the chocolate skinned woman looked Jaune in the eyes and asked a question of her own, "Since I've come here I've attended Sunday services at each of Vale's historical chapels, which one do you normally go to and at what time? Or do you go to one of the more recently built chapels?"
"Well..." Jaune flushed with embarrassment, "I've actually been pretty bad at going to church since I've been away from home, so I don't really know when or where I'd go..."
Arslan looked apprehensive yet hopeful as she asked her next question, "Do you want to go to church with me and Petra today?"
Jaune looked around the cathedral in deep thought. If he was being honest with himself the sacred imagery was doing a lot to put him at ease, the dark thoughts seemed weaker with all the promises of salvation surrounding him. A sermon or two wouldn't hurt and could only help at this juncture.
"I think all of us could use a day at church," Jaune mused. He wasn't one-hundred percent certain what the other's believed, but if they wanted to go somewhere else he'd take them there. "You don't mind if we invite the others?"
Arslan shook her head, "Not at all. And if all of them agree to come I know where to take them."
"Good, good," Jaune sagged with relief before he pulled out his scroll and opened a group chat. "Let's try to aim for right after breakfast, get our day off on the right foot."
And so the two of them planed a Sunday excursion, which coincidentally caused all of them to miss the hullabaloo that would happen at Beacon's airfield by fifteen minutes...
That nostalgic comfort wasn't quite enough to clear his head of the tumultuous thoughts rolling around in the back of his mind, but the walkabout was a good distraction. Seeing so many places on school grounds in a literal new light was some pleasant visual stimulation, and Penny trailing behind him at a respectful distance kept triggering that primal 'someone's watching you' feeling that pulled him out of his darker musings when the 'new' sights weren't quite up to the task.
And so he went around the campus just going wherever his feet would take him with no real destination in mind. His feet carried him to a place he had only been once before; a collection of historic buildings that had been built centuries before Beacon became a Huntsman Academy, back when a king called these grounds home. At the top of a hill stood the oldest of these buildings: a large stone cathedral that had been remodeled and expanded upon multiple times through the ages.
The original building was constructed during the heyday of the First Emerald Dynasty as a place to worship The Brother Gods, but that changed during the accession of the Third Emerald Dynasty with the arrival of the merchant ship known as The Dawn Chaser: the ship traditionally believed to be the first vessel to circumnavigate the world, though some historians dispute this. The Dawn Chaser carried several missionaries seeking to spread the good news of the Table Breaker, and many members of the royal family believed the teachings of these missionaries. As a result the house of worship was remodeled into a Church of The Broken Table.
Thus began an unofficial tradition that every new dynasty would remodel or expand the church according to their own beliefs. While the church building remained a place to worship the Table Breaker for the vast majority of its' history this wasn't an unbroken span of time. The Sixth Jade Dynasty, founded by Juliana the Apostate, remodeled the building to worship The Brother Gods again. The Fourth Malachite Dynasty worshiped The God of Animals and rebuilt the church to reflect that. Yet in spite of a few radical departures like those most Vale's rulers revered the Table Breaker and simply expanded the once humble church into the cathedral that now stood before Jaune.
The present day cathedral was more tourist destination than house of worship in the modern era. Without a royal family living in Beacon there just weren't enough people continuously living in the immediate area to justify having a bishop and his family live there to host services every Sunday. Modern airbuses also made travel into the City of Vale extremely convenient so most believing students would opt to leave school grounds to attend church with any friends or family in the city. As a result the Beacon Cathedral only hosted worship services on incredibly special occasions, and was mostly visited by people touring school grounds.
Jaune had never been inside before; joining a tour group as a student had felt kind of silly to him and playing tourist in a church seemed kind of disrespectful if he was being honest. Yet even if the building was used more by tourists than believers it was still a place where troubled souls found solace. Jaune pushed open the doors and made his way inside.
No automatic lights turned on when he stepped in, and he couldn't find any switches beside the door. After fumbling around for a few moments he heard Penny following him in, and a few moments after that she was besides him.
"The light switches are further inside friend Jaune," Penny whispered in his ear. "By the doors the Bishop's family would have used to enter the main chapel."
"Huh, weird," Jaune muttered as he turned away from the wall and started to make his way further inside the building. Penny remained by the entrance standing guard.
It was slow going. The dim pre-sunrise light was barely piercing the thick and darkened glass of the cathedral's many windows, no doubt a side effect of the stained glass. Yet even in the darkness Jaune found the aisles that went between the pews and he made his way towards pulpit and altar. As he got closer to the front of the chapel he heard a whispered prayer to his right, and he looked to see two silhouettes sitting on a bench facing a stained glass window that's details were imperceptible in the dim light. Jaune turned and made his way to them since he recognized the whispering voice as Arslan's.
The quite prayer came to a close as Jaune drew near, and Arslan shifted to look over her shoulder in the darkness.
"Good morning?" Arslan greeted as she tried to identify him in the dark.
"Good morning," Jaune replied.
"Father?" Petra asked from her mother's side, "What are you doing here?"
"I needed to get my mind off things, so I took a walk," Jaune explained, "And I ended up here. Why are you here in the dark?"
"We're here for the stained glass window," Arslan explained as she and Petra scooted over on the bench, making room for Jaune to sit on Arslan's right. Jaune took them up on the implied invitation leaving a little bit of space between himself and his potential wife, who continued her explanation, "These older cathedrals were built with the expectation that people from beyond the city's walls would visit and spend most of the day in the cathedral, as it would be a once in a lifetime trip for many of them. Because of that each stained glass window is positioned to be backlit by the sun during different parts of the day, turning those daylong visits into a continuous story. This right here is the cathedrals's sunrise window. Petra wanted to see it since most of this cathedral was destroyed in Cinder's attack on the Vytal Festival, and this window was one of the few that was completely unsalvageable and needed to be outright replaced."
"Ohhh," Jaune hummed appreciatively, "So we're in the dark so we get the full effect of the sunrise lighting up the window!"
"Precisely!" Arslan confirmed.
Silence fell over them as they waited for the proper sunrise to begin. It wasn't that long of a wait, it had only been ten minutes till the sun poked out over the horizon when Jaune had entered the cathedral, so the silence didn't have time to become awkward.
The first true rays of morning's light illuminated the window.
It was a true work of art depicting the Table Breaker's resurrection: he stood in the air triumphantly over the two pieces of the stone table, his disciples gathered round rejoicing at his return to the mortal realm while the Winter Witch lay on the ground loosing her last breath. It was a scene Jaune had seen depicted dozens of times before, so all of the non-standard artistic choices stood out to him. The Table Breaker's image was familiar with his broad shoulders, wild hair and beard resembling a lion's mane and so on; yet there were other things about his depiction that were odd...
"...Does he have snake eyes?" Jaune noted the first oddity that stood out to him.
"Yes, and that's not all," Petra confirmed before pointing out the other oddities, "If you look closely at his neck you can see gills. You can't see his hands because the sleeves of his robes are actually bird wings, and his boots are actually cloven hooves."
"Why?" Jaune tilted his head with a small measure of confusion.
Arslan looked to Jaune and explained the reasoning, "While the scholarly consensus, both secular and religious, agree that the historical Table Breaker was a faunus it's still occasionally debated what kind of faunus he was. Tradition says lion, but people have made passionate cases for him being a different kind of faunus in the past. The creator of this window chose to incorporate the most popular alternatives into this piece; hence why the mane of a lion is accompanied by the gills of a fish, the eyes of a snake, the wings of a dove and the hooves of a sheep or goat."
"Huh, I've never heard about that before," Jaune admitted. "What kind of faunus do you think he really was?"
"With what little evidence exists? I'd say tradition is right about him being a lion faunus," Arslan opined. "Personally I'm glad the debate is currently dead; it distracts from the fact that his sacrifice was for all peoples, both human and faunus."
Jaune looked to Arslan and considered her for a moment. In all the hubbub of yesterday he never really got a chance to talk with her about herself like he had with the others. This seemed as good a time as any to ask her a few more personal questions.
"Why are you studying at Haven?" Jaune asked. Arslan quirked her eyebrow at him, which Jaune took as an invitation to elaborate, "I mean the sash of mastery you gave me shows you were excelling at the Temple's combat lessons, and the warrior monks trained by the Temple are on par with the Huntsmen trained by the Academies. So why stop studying at the temple?"
Arslan brought her hand to her chin in contemplation of her answer. After a moment of thought she began, "My reasons require context. Are you aware of the current state of the faith in Mistral?"
"No," Jaune admitted.
"A few centuries ago the majority of people living on the continent of Anima were members of the Church," Arslan explained. "Today? Outside of the Holy City and a handful of smaller settlements the faithful are currently a minority throughout Mistral. The exact reasons for this decline are hotly debated, but it's most commonly attributed to an atheistic shift in Mistral's academia that bled into the ruling and bureaucratic classes. For a little over a century the idea that mankind had outgrown the need for religion was quite fashionable. Then the Great War happened."
Arslan looked back to the stained glass window as she continued, "Man and Faunus slaughtered Man and Faunus, and the idea that mankind had outgrown anything was laughable. Mistral saw a resurgence of religion, but people did not return to the Church. During the war Church leaders in Mistral and Atlas criticized the conflict from day one, while Church leaders in Vale supported Vale's role in the war. After the war Atlas' leadership were willing to swallow their pride and admit the war was a mistake, while the leadership of Mistral sought a scapegoat to protect their injured pride."
Arslan sighed, "The scapegoat they chose was the Church, and as a result several factions within Mistral's government are actively hostile to the faith. Things got worse after the Faunus Rights Revolution: the Table Breaker was a faunus, and so the factions actively hostile to the Church gained the support of those actively hostile to faunus. That's most of what you need for context."
She returned her gaze to Jaune, "Mistral has several laws in place that make it difficult for anyone without a proper license to make a legal living as a huntsman. There are more laws in place designed to keep graduates of the Temple's combat courses from obtaining a proper license. By studying at Haven and Sanctum before it I'll be able to skip all the legal hoops I'd have to go through if I'd completed my studies at the Temple. That's half of my reason for stoping my studies at the Temple."
A small smile graced her face as she went on, "The other half has to do with my mother's acting career."
"How?" It was Jaune's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"My mother became a beloved household name in spite of the distaste modern Mistrali culture has for the Faith," Arslan elaborated. "She was able to use her star power to influence a few elections, kept some of the more radical Church haters out of public office. Watching her do that as a child was inspiring, and I wanted to do something similar when I grew up. But I'm no actress," Arslan flexed her left arm, "I'm a fighter. Fortunately one can obtain similar levels of fame in Mistral's tournament scene, and by going to Sanctum I was able to get admitted to the arena."
Having finished her explanation the chocolate skinned woman looked Jaune in the eyes and asked a question of her own, "Since I've come here I've attended Sunday services at each of Vale's historical chapels, which one do you normally go to and at what time? Or do you go to one of the more recently built chapels?"
"Well..." Jaune flushed with embarrassment, "I've actually been pretty bad at going to church since I've been away from home, so I don't really know when or where I'd go..."
Arslan looked apprehensive yet hopeful as she asked her next question, "Do you want to go to church with me and Petra today?"
Jaune looked around the cathedral in deep thought. If he was being honest with himself the sacred imagery was doing a lot to put him at ease, the dark thoughts seemed weaker with all the promises of salvation surrounding him. A sermon or two wouldn't hurt and could only help at this juncture.
"I think all of us could use a day at church," Jaune mused. He wasn't one-hundred percent certain what the other's believed, but if they wanted to go somewhere else he'd take them there. "You don't mind if we invite the others?"
Arslan shook her head, "Not at all. And if all of them agree to come I know where to take them."
"Good, good," Jaune sagged with relief before he pulled out his scroll and opened a group chat. "Let's try to aim for right after breakfast, get our day off on the right foot."
And so the two of them planed a Sunday excursion, which coincidentally caused all of them to miss the hullabaloo that would happen at Beacon's airfield by fifteen minutes...
Phoenix Invictus
Not too sore, are you?
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Author flipped a coin and today it landed on fluff. Good stuff. TFTC.
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
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This story is now on Ao3 with the cowriter of this story, Sift Green, given the credit he is due!
RWBY: The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War! - Chapter 1 - AndrewJTalon, Sift_Green - RWBY [Archive of Our Own]
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
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TheFabulousCustodes
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ThunderBasilisk
Well Worn Bastion
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Stained glass windows are always a treat to see lit up
Glimpses into Another Time: Using Your Head
AndrewJTalon
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Glimpses into Another Time: Using Your Head
- - -
It was strange what came to mind in a time of crisis. Yang stared at the stump where her arm was. She lay battered and bruised on the floor, her heart pounding in her ears. Her assailant stood over her... And yet... All that filled her mind was a memory.
"GAH!"
Jaune's punch had been strong, fast, and on target-But Yang had caught it easily and twisted her hips. She sent him into a tumble, and he landed hard on his back on the workout mat.
"HUFF!"
Yang snickered a bit at the dazed look in her boyfriend's eyes. She reached out a hand to him, and he took it gratefully. She yanked him up to his feet, and smirked. He pouted a bit.
"That was a dirty trick," he sighed.
"Sure was, that's why it worked," Yang chuckled. Jaune sighed and ran a hand through his sweaty hair.
"Now now, don't give me that look," Yang admonished him gently, patting him on the shoulder. "Come on. Water break."
They walked over to the nearby benches, as other students trained around them. They sat down together, and Jaune sipped his water bottle while examining his Scroll. Yang drank deeply of her own water, then leaned over to check out what was on her boyfriend's screen.
"'Instruction Manual for the Type 47G Rocket Locker System?' Sounds riveting," Yang deadpanned.
"When you get stuck inside one of these things, you'll be grateful I looked these up," Jaune chuckled at her. He frowned in surprise. "Huh! Manual override in local network mode... And the motor's military grade but kept under tight limitations."
At Yang's look, Jaune smirked and shrugged.
"You knew I was a nerd when you asked me out."
"You asked me out," Yang teased back. Jaune sighed theatrically.
"We can't even decide on our personal history. Our kids are gonna be so confused."
Yang flushed deeply, and then playfully elbowed him.
"Gettin' awful cocky about our relationship, Stud. What makes you think I'll marry some guy who's too stubborn to learn from his mistakes?"
"I'm not THAT stubborn," Jaune protested. "What did I do wrong? I followed the kata just like we practiced-"
Yang nodded, and lightly slapped his shoulder.
"Yeah. That's why you lost. You played by the rules, Jaune. In a real fight? You have to fight hard. You have to fight dirty. You have to fight like your life is on the line... Because it just might be."
Jaune worked his jaw, and slowly nodded.
"I... Yeah... I know... I just... I just thought that we were in a friendly spar."
"We are," Yang said, "But..." She licked her lips thoughtfully.
"Look. You've been trained by Pyrrha. And she is a MONSTER, no doubt. But her style of combat doesn't work so well for you. She's very mobile, very fast, and controls the battlefield around her through her crazy ass stunts. You, Jaune, are less mobile. Meaning you gotta fight MEAN. You gotta be tricky. You're a tactical genius, after all: Why not use it?"
Jaune frowned deeply, contemplating her words. He shook his head.
"I thought that meant like, troop movements and so on," he admitted. Yang chuckled.
"Well, what are you? A General, or a Huntsman? You gotta keep your head in the right space, Jaune."
The recent Mount Glenn and Breach incident still weighed heavily on both their minds. Yang was still humiliated over how her fight went... And while
Jaune had taken charge and kept the Breach contained until reinforcements could come... When it came to his individual fighting, he had still struggled.
"Yeah," Jaune sighed, "I've... I've still got a lot to learn."
Recognizing one of her boyfriend's moods, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pushed her chest against him.
"Hey now. None of that beating yourself up BS," she warned, "Only I get to beat you up, understand?"
Jaune chuckled.
"Yeah..."
"But I mean it! Don't get down on yourself for not progressing according to some schedule in your head," Yang warned, "Just focus on winning the fight. And let yourself be NASTY."
Jaune hummed.
"Nasty, huh...?"
He slowly nodded.
"Let's go again," he said. Yang nodded, set down her water, and stood up with a stretch. It pleased her to see his eyes went up and down her body,
and she rewarded it with a grin.
"Come on, Stud. Let's give this another try."
They walked out onto the training mat. Yang faced him, and got into a fighting stance. He mirrored her.
"All right... Go," Yang ordered. Jaune lashed out with a few probing jabs, then closed the range. She chambered her arm for a punch, and threw it right past his ear. He dashed in... And kissed her right on the lips.
Her face turned red.
"You-!"
And her world went upside-down. She slammed into the mat, Jaune pinning her down. He shot her a cheeky grin.
"How's that, Sensei?" He asked.
Yang growled, her eyes burning red.
"I don't know if I'm gonna hurt you or kiss you..."
"Either way," Jaune teased, "Sounds like fun."
"Stupid," Yang muttered, as she pulled him into a kiss...
Stupid. STUPID. STUPID!
Aside from the shock, horror, and pain screaming through Yang Xiao-Long's arm... Or where her arm had been... Only that word was now in her thoughts. She fought back a whimper as she clutched her bleeding stump to her side. Adam Taurus, tall, dark, and menacing, loomed over her with a cold fury on his face. The study room was burning around them. People were running and screaming outside. Blood dripped from Adam's burning red katana as he just stared at her.
Did... Did she see a hint of amusement on his face? Did he find this funny?!
"This is what will happen to anyone who gets close to you, Blake," Adam stated harshly. Some meters away, Blake, bleeding from slashes across her stomach and leg, lay on the floor and looked up in desperation.
"No.... No, Adam, please! Please! I-I'll do anything you want, just-just spare her! Please!"
The Faunus swordsman's lips twitched. Yes... Yes, he was amused. He was a cat with two crippled mice before him, and he was going to play.
Adam held up his sword. Yang trembled, feeling a whimper escape her lips. A fear she hadn't felt since that time in the woods, with the little red wagon, Ruby, and the abandoned cabin filled her. Her body burned in pain, yet felt cold as ice. Blake tried to move, but one of her arms was broken, and her ribs didn't look like they were in much better shape.
"Yes. You will," Adam seethed. He lifted his sword to deliver the killing blow. Yang tried to make herself move, block, SOMETHING!
The terror on Blake's face made her self recriminations louder, harder.
STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!
She could see her own wide, scared eyes in the reflection of the red blade... Her thoughts went elsewhere.
Mom... Dad... Ruby... Uncle Qrow... Jaune-
Adam swung around and swung his blade to deflect a sword blow. Yang goggled up in disbelief at the blond swordsman now crossing blades with Adam.
"Jaune!" She gasped.
He, like everyone else, looked like hell. Covered in soot and sweat. Yet the snarl on his face, the determination in his eyes-Yang had rarely seen that on Jaune's face.
"Another of your human friends who will pay the price for your disobedience, my love," Adam sneered.
"Yeah? Fuck you too!" Jaune spat, as he engaged Adam in furious fencing. Their blades moved so fast and struck so hard, sparks flew off from every impact.
She watched in horror and fear as her boyfriend fought the revolutionary. He made use of every trick he had: He spat in Adam's eyes, he feinted injury to get in a few good hits... And trash talk.
"Great sword! Good to know you're compensating for something!" Jaune shouted back, barely parrying a blow from Adam, "The way Blake ran from you is proof of that much though!"
"SHUT UP YOU WORTHLESS APE!" Adam roared.
Yet all the gumption and determination in the world didn't change the simple facts... Jaune was a novice. And Adam was a killer.
Adam unleashed a Moonslice right at point black range. Jaune barely dropped underneath it, but his weapons caught the force of the Aura slash. Crocea Mors was sliced into pieces, and Jaune took a kick to his ribs that sent him flying into the far wall with a wet crack sound.
"HURK!"
Adam blurred, and grabbed Jaune by his throat. He lifted him up and slammed him against the wall, forming a crater in the wood and plaster.
"Now you die," Adam hissed. Jaune spat out some blood into Adam's mask. He seethed, holding up his katana. Something broke through the shock, and Yang lifted up her remaining arm.
"JAUNE!" She screamed. She pulled the trigger. Adam dropped Jaune and spun around, deflecting the rounds with his blade.
Despite the pain of his injuries... Jaune was smiling. He pulled out his Scroll, and hit a button.
"You first," Jaune hissed.
A rocket locker burst through the window, landing right in front of Adam. He turned in shock. He moved to slice the thing in half... When Blake mustered up enough energy to fire some rounds from Gambol Shroud. Again he deflected the shots... But missed Jaune staggering up and shoulder checking him into the locker. He slammed the door shut, and held up his Scroll to his mouth.
"Full throttle. Safeties off. Engage ballistic mode!"
The rocket locker's bottom seemed to explode as it shot up, blasting through the roof. Yang could see daylight overhead as the locker climbed for the heavens at well above any safe velocity. It streaked off, becoming nothing but an orange star. She lost track of it for a few moments, but out one of the large windows she spied it streaking for the ground. A large explosion went off in the distance, loud and strong enough to make the windows rattle.
Jaune staggered over to Yang, favoring his right side. He dropped down in front of her. Blake managed to limp her way over to join them. Yang looked up at Jaune in shock... And pride.
"Is... Is he dead?" Blake asked.
"If not... He'll wish he was," Jaune managed. He yanked his first aid kit out, wobbling even on his knees. "H-Hang on, Yang... Hang on..."
"Jaune," Yang hissed. Jaune shook his head. He placed his hands on her stump.
"It's okay," he said quietly, "We're all gonna get out of here... Nobody... Nobody gets... Left... Behind..."
His hands glowed white. Where Blake was holding onto him? His Aura burned like a small sun, and she gasped. Yang's pain and aches all vanished as her Aura returned to one hundred percent. She and Blake both stared in absolute disbelief as she held up her completely regenerated arm. All of Blake's injuries had vanished too.
Jaune stared in similar shock and amazement. He smiled dazedly.
"W-Wow... Didn't know... I could do that," he mumbled. "H-Hey... Pyrrha needs help at the tower with Cinder... She'll die if... Please go help her Yang, I-"
He slumped over into Yang's arms. She gasped.
"Jaune?! JAUNE?!" She checked him all over. "Oh God, is he-?!"
Blake shook her head.
"He's... His Aura's near zero," she assessed. "He's just exhausted... Was that his Semblance-?"
"Don't know, don't care," Yang stated. She got up. She found her... Her old arm (and wasn't that freaky?), and while trying to keep her lunch down, pulled Ember Celica off of it. She pulled it onto her new arm, and clenched her fists. She took a deep breath.
"Keep him safe," she ordered, "I'm gonna help Pyrrha."
"But you'll need-"
Yang gripped Blake's arms, and looked intently into her eyes.
"Keep. Him. Safe. Please," she begged.
Blake processed this for a moment, and then slowly nodded.
"I will."
Yang sighed, and held Jaune's face between her hands. She sniffled a bit. A small smile found its way to her lips at how peaceful he looked unconscious.
"I'll be back, Stud. I'll help Pyrrha, I promise," she murmured, planting a kiss on his lips before she rose. "Get anyone else who can fight heading my way!"
"Got it," Blake agreed.
Yang turned and ran for the tower, punching out an Ursa with no effort. She felt so energized, so alive...
Like every moment she spent with Jaune laughing, turned into power.
"Definitely telling our kids about this one," Yang said to herself, a warm smile on her face.
- - -
Just a quick omake from the Yang Timeline.
- - -
It was strange what came to mind in a time of crisis. Yang stared at the stump where her arm was. She lay battered and bruised on the floor, her heart pounding in her ears. Her assailant stood over her... And yet... All that filled her mind was a memory.
"GAH!"
Jaune's punch had been strong, fast, and on target-But Yang had caught it easily and twisted her hips. She sent him into a tumble, and he landed hard on his back on the workout mat.
"HUFF!"
Yang snickered a bit at the dazed look in her boyfriend's eyes. She reached out a hand to him, and he took it gratefully. She yanked him up to his feet, and smirked. He pouted a bit.
"That was a dirty trick," he sighed.
"Sure was, that's why it worked," Yang chuckled. Jaune sighed and ran a hand through his sweaty hair.
"Now now, don't give me that look," Yang admonished him gently, patting him on the shoulder. "Come on. Water break."
They walked over to the nearby benches, as other students trained around them. They sat down together, and Jaune sipped his water bottle while examining his Scroll. Yang drank deeply of her own water, then leaned over to check out what was on her boyfriend's screen.
"'Instruction Manual for the Type 47G Rocket Locker System?' Sounds riveting," Yang deadpanned.
"When you get stuck inside one of these things, you'll be grateful I looked these up," Jaune chuckled at her. He frowned in surprise. "Huh! Manual override in local network mode... And the motor's military grade but kept under tight limitations."
At Yang's look, Jaune smirked and shrugged.
"You knew I was a nerd when you asked me out."
"You asked me out," Yang teased back. Jaune sighed theatrically.
"We can't even decide on our personal history. Our kids are gonna be so confused."
Yang flushed deeply, and then playfully elbowed him.
"Gettin' awful cocky about our relationship, Stud. What makes you think I'll marry some guy who's too stubborn to learn from his mistakes?"
"I'm not THAT stubborn," Jaune protested. "What did I do wrong? I followed the kata just like we practiced-"
Yang nodded, and lightly slapped his shoulder.
"Yeah. That's why you lost. You played by the rules, Jaune. In a real fight? You have to fight hard. You have to fight dirty. You have to fight like your life is on the line... Because it just might be."
Jaune worked his jaw, and slowly nodded.
"I... Yeah... I know... I just... I just thought that we were in a friendly spar."
"We are," Yang said, "But..." She licked her lips thoughtfully.
"Look. You've been trained by Pyrrha. And she is a MONSTER, no doubt. But her style of combat doesn't work so well for you. She's very mobile, very fast, and controls the battlefield around her through her crazy ass stunts. You, Jaune, are less mobile. Meaning you gotta fight MEAN. You gotta be tricky. You're a tactical genius, after all: Why not use it?"
Jaune frowned deeply, contemplating her words. He shook his head.
"I thought that meant like, troop movements and so on," he admitted. Yang chuckled.
"Well, what are you? A General, or a Huntsman? You gotta keep your head in the right space, Jaune."
The recent Mount Glenn and Breach incident still weighed heavily on both their minds. Yang was still humiliated over how her fight went... And while
Jaune had taken charge and kept the Breach contained until reinforcements could come... When it came to his individual fighting, he had still struggled.
"Yeah," Jaune sighed, "I've... I've still got a lot to learn."
Recognizing one of her boyfriend's moods, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pushed her chest against him.
"Hey now. None of that beating yourself up BS," she warned, "Only I get to beat you up, understand?"
Jaune chuckled.
"Yeah..."
"But I mean it! Don't get down on yourself for not progressing according to some schedule in your head," Yang warned, "Just focus on winning the fight. And let yourself be NASTY."
Jaune hummed.
"Nasty, huh...?"
He slowly nodded.
"Let's go again," he said. Yang nodded, set down her water, and stood up with a stretch. It pleased her to see his eyes went up and down her body,
and she rewarded it with a grin.
"Come on, Stud. Let's give this another try."
They walked out onto the training mat. Yang faced him, and got into a fighting stance. He mirrored her.
"All right... Go," Yang ordered. Jaune lashed out with a few probing jabs, then closed the range. She chambered her arm for a punch, and threw it right past his ear. He dashed in... And kissed her right on the lips.
Her face turned red.
"You-!"
And her world went upside-down. She slammed into the mat, Jaune pinning her down. He shot her a cheeky grin.
"How's that, Sensei?" He asked.
Yang growled, her eyes burning red.
"I don't know if I'm gonna hurt you or kiss you..."
"Either way," Jaune teased, "Sounds like fun."
"Stupid," Yang muttered, as she pulled him into a kiss...
Stupid. STUPID. STUPID!
Aside from the shock, horror, and pain screaming through Yang Xiao-Long's arm... Or where her arm had been... Only that word was now in her thoughts. She fought back a whimper as she clutched her bleeding stump to her side. Adam Taurus, tall, dark, and menacing, loomed over her with a cold fury on his face. The study room was burning around them. People were running and screaming outside. Blood dripped from Adam's burning red katana as he just stared at her.
Did... Did she see a hint of amusement on his face? Did he find this funny?!
"This is what will happen to anyone who gets close to you, Blake," Adam stated harshly. Some meters away, Blake, bleeding from slashes across her stomach and leg, lay on the floor and looked up in desperation.
"No.... No, Adam, please! Please! I-I'll do anything you want, just-just spare her! Please!"
The Faunus swordsman's lips twitched. Yes... Yes, he was amused. He was a cat with two crippled mice before him, and he was going to play.
Adam held up his sword. Yang trembled, feeling a whimper escape her lips. A fear she hadn't felt since that time in the woods, with the little red wagon, Ruby, and the abandoned cabin filled her. Her body burned in pain, yet felt cold as ice. Blake tried to move, but one of her arms was broken, and her ribs didn't look like they were in much better shape.
"Yes. You will," Adam seethed. He lifted his sword to deliver the killing blow. Yang tried to make herself move, block, SOMETHING!
The terror on Blake's face made her self recriminations louder, harder.
STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!
She could see her own wide, scared eyes in the reflection of the red blade... Her thoughts went elsewhere.
Mom... Dad... Ruby... Uncle Qrow... Jaune-
Adam swung around and swung his blade to deflect a sword blow. Yang goggled up in disbelief at the blond swordsman now crossing blades with Adam.
"Jaune!" She gasped.
He, like everyone else, looked like hell. Covered in soot and sweat. Yet the snarl on his face, the determination in his eyes-Yang had rarely seen that on Jaune's face.
"Another of your human friends who will pay the price for your disobedience, my love," Adam sneered.
"Yeah? Fuck you too!" Jaune spat, as he engaged Adam in furious fencing. Their blades moved so fast and struck so hard, sparks flew off from every impact.
She watched in horror and fear as her boyfriend fought the revolutionary. He made use of every trick he had: He spat in Adam's eyes, he feinted injury to get in a few good hits... And trash talk.
"Great sword! Good to know you're compensating for something!" Jaune shouted back, barely parrying a blow from Adam, "The way Blake ran from you is proof of that much though!"
"SHUT UP YOU WORTHLESS APE!" Adam roared.
Yet all the gumption and determination in the world didn't change the simple facts... Jaune was a novice. And Adam was a killer.
Adam unleashed a Moonslice right at point black range. Jaune barely dropped underneath it, but his weapons caught the force of the Aura slash. Crocea Mors was sliced into pieces, and Jaune took a kick to his ribs that sent him flying into the far wall with a wet crack sound.
"HURK!"
Adam blurred, and grabbed Jaune by his throat. He lifted him up and slammed him against the wall, forming a crater in the wood and plaster.
"Now you die," Adam hissed. Jaune spat out some blood into Adam's mask. He seethed, holding up his katana. Something broke through the shock, and Yang lifted up her remaining arm.
"JAUNE!" She screamed. She pulled the trigger. Adam dropped Jaune and spun around, deflecting the rounds with his blade.
Despite the pain of his injuries... Jaune was smiling. He pulled out his Scroll, and hit a button.
"You first," Jaune hissed.
A rocket locker burst through the window, landing right in front of Adam. He turned in shock. He moved to slice the thing in half... When Blake mustered up enough energy to fire some rounds from Gambol Shroud. Again he deflected the shots... But missed Jaune staggering up and shoulder checking him into the locker. He slammed the door shut, and held up his Scroll to his mouth.
"Full throttle. Safeties off. Engage ballistic mode!"
The rocket locker's bottom seemed to explode as it shot up, blasting through the roof. Yang could see daylight overhead as the locker climbed for the heavens at well above any safe velocity. It streaked off, becoming nothing but an orange star. She lost track of it for a few moments, but out one of the large windows she spied it streaking for the ground. A large explosion went off in the distance, loud and strong enough to make the windows rattle.
Jaune staggered over to Yang, favoring his right side. He dropped down in front of her. Blake managed to limp her way over to join them. Yang looked up at Jaune in shock... And pride.
"Is... Is he dead?" Blake asked.
"If not... He'll wish he was," Jaune managed. He yanked his first aid kit out, wobbling even on his knees. "H-Hang on, Yang... Hang on..."
"Jaune," Yang hissed. Jaune shook his head. He placed his hands on her stump.
"It's okay," he said quietly, "We're all gonna get out of here... Nobody... Nobody gets... Left... Behind..."
His hands glowed white. Where Blake was holding onto him? His Aura burned like a small sun, and she gasped. Yang's pain and aches all vanished as her Aura returned to one hundred percent. She and Blake both stared in absolute disbelief as she held up her completely regenerated arm. All of Blake's injuries had vanished too.
Jaune stared in similar shock and amazement. He smiled dazedly.
"W-Wow... Didn't know... I could do that," he mumbled. "H-Hey... Pyrrha needs help at the tower with Cinder... She'll die if... Please go help her Yang, I-"
He slumped over into Yang's arms. She gasped.
"Jaune?! JAUNE?!" She checked him all over. "Oh God, is he-?!"
Blake shook her head.
"He's... His Aura's near zero," she assessed. "He's just exhausted... Was that his Semblance-?"
"Don't know, don't care," Yang stated. She got up. She found her... Her old arm (and wasn't that freaky?), and while trying to keep her lunch down, pulled Ember Celica off of it. She pulled it onto her new arm, and clenched her fists. She took a deep breath.
"Keep him safe," she ordered, "I'm gonna help Pyrrha."
"But you'll need-"
Yang gripped Blake's arms, and looked intently into her eyes.
"Keep. Him. Safe. Please," she begged.
Blake processed this for a moment, and then slowly nodded.
"I will."
Yang sighed, and held Jaune's face between her hands. She sniffled a bit. A small smile found its way to her lips at how peaceful he looked unconscious.
"I'll be back, Stud. I'll help Pyrrha, I promise," she murmured, planting a kiss on his lips before she rose. "Get anyone else who can fight heading my way!"
"Got it," Blake agreed.
Yang turned and ran for the tower, punching out an Ursa with no effort. She felt so energized, so alive...
Like every moment she spent with Jaune laughing, turned into power.
"Definitely telling our kids about this one," Yang said to herself, a warm smile on her face.
- - -
Just a quick omake from the Yang Timeline.
Last edited:
TheFabulousCustodes
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Yang - "Hey, Cereal Girl! Need a hand?"
*Cinder Drops Dead*
Yang - "My puns aren't that bad!"
AndrewJTalon
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But yes. Jaune did develop a bit differently in each timeline. He's still Jaune but the differences mean his fighting style, tactics and mindset are a bit different depending on how things went in each future.
Auntie Penny
The Sleepless One
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Because Penny deserves the world and more.
Auntie Penny
Jaune Arc sighed as he walked through the Elphaba Memorial Gardens, trailing behind Petra and Arslan with Penny trailing behind him a fair distance in turn. Despite the conversation they'd shared in the cathedral, he still felt rather... mopey.
That said, Jaune's moping felt entirely justified. Seriously, time travel, eleven potential wives, and their numerous children? It sounded like something out of a bad Mistrali cartoon. But the stakes were too high to not take this seriously. Clearly his subconscious felt the same way, judging from his nightmares. He glanced down at his hands and, for a brief moment, they were covered in rusty metal gauntlets once again. Jaune shook his head, clearing away the image. That part of the dream made no sense, compared to everything else. What was he, the Rusted-
"Hi dad!" Chirped a pair of voices behind him, cutting off his train of thought.
"Ah! Crap!' Jaune jumped in surprise, turning to see his twins by Blake peeking out at him from behind a hedge. "Don't do that!"
Leander and Leandra's grins told him they were unrepentant. The male twin raised his scroll to his mouth, "Found him! Told you he was in the Gardens!"
"Hang onto him. We'll meet you there," came Nicholas's voice over the speaker.
"Roger that, White Knight!" Leandra replied cheerily.
"And stop calling me that."
"No can do, White Knight!" The twins chimed in sync.
"Ugh."
Leander cut the call and stowed his scroll away while his sister skipped over to her father who gave her a wary look. The Faunus twins had a particular talent for getting into trouble, from what Jaune had gleaned. Leandra smiled up at him cheekily.
"I think out of all my potential kids, you two worry me the most," Jaune told them honestly.
"Hey!" They objected in unison.
"He's not wrong," Petra intoned, walking back up the path with her mother and most of the other kids in tow. "We're all magnets for trouble but you two go out of your way to find it."
Leander buffed his nails on his shirt while Leandra preened. "It's a gift." They replied in tandem.
"Ugh." Nicholas rolled his eyes.
Jaune cleared his throat. "Any particular reason everyone was looking for me?"
"We were just ensuring none of our mothers had cornered you," August replied, before glancing askance at Arslan.
The warrior-nun narrowed her eyes at the implied accusation. "Have you a problem with my actions thus far, Prince August?"
The tall man sighed, "No, by all accounts you've been conducting yourself well, Breaker Altan."
"And I would have stepped in if she hadn't been!" Called out a chipper voice.
""Auntie Penny!"" Came the answering cry from the small horde of potential children.
The redhead tilted her head in confusion at the unfamiliar form of address before she was suddenly mobbed by a group of complete strangers. She blinked in surprise at the swarm of teenagers hugging her. "Oh, this is nice!"
"Kids! Get off of Penny, you'll crush her!" Jaune shouted, chasing after them.
Julian snorted, "Pfft, as if! Auntie Penny is the strongest!"
"Yeah! She could totally bench press all of us with one hand!" Xia agreed.
Theodore, one of the only children to not be hugging the gynoid, cleared his throat. "In my future, Auntie Penny is largely regarded as the deadliest combatant in the world due to a combination of factors. While she is currently not in the same league as her older counterpart, she is still more than capable of defeating any of us. Save for possibly Xander."
Xander, also standing to the side, coughed and looked sheepish, "I've sparred with her before. I've never won then. I might be able to eke out a win right now."
"Well, there you go."
Jaune sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Should you really be sharing that where anybody can hear?"
Theodore flushed, "No, probably not."
"Not to worry, Friend Jaune," Penny interjected from inside the hug pile. "There is nobody in earshot who was not already aware of the situation."
Jaune sighed again, "Well that's a relief."
Nicholas wriggled out of the group hug, straightening his coat before turning to his father. "We intend to support the ground rules the Headmaster established, hence our attempt to monitor your location. With Auntie Penny here though, fairness is all but assured."
"I'm glad you have such a high opinion of me, Acquaintance Nicholas!" Came Penny's muffled voice once again. "Especially since I know very little about all of you!"
The Schnee Scion gave an embarrassed smile, "Well, you're very important to us. I've learned a lot from you."
Julian dematerialized and rematerialized next to his half-brother. "Yeah! You're the coolest, Auntie Penny! You and mom always have the best stories!"
Theodore spoke up, "You've been a mentor and a confidant my entire life."
"You're great at helping me cool off when I get too fired up!" Xia added, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.
"My skills both on and off of the battlefield have benefitted from your tutelage," Xander declared.
August smiled from the sidelines, "You've been a welcome presence in the Royal Palace since I was a child."
Petra nodded in agreement beside him, "Everyone at our monastery has learned something from your visits."
"You create the best nail art!" Amethyst chimed in, letting go of Penny.
The faunus twins appeared behind the embrace. "You always get us out of trouble."
"We don't have nightmares when you're around," Ash said while Ashley nodded in agreement, both twins stepping away.
"And you give the warmest hugs!" Dorothy said with a smile, the last to let go of the redhead.
For a moment, Penny was frozen, eyes dilated and glowing as they scanned across the teenagers smiling at her, before she looked to the ground. "I- I don't know what to say."
She looked back up, her face twisting between expressions of profound joy and sadness. "I've n-never experienced anything like this before. I'm SO happy that I'm important to so many people but I'm SO sad that I haven't actually experienced any of that yet and I can't process these emotions and I feel like I could burst and-"
"Hey!" Jaune rushed over to the panicking girl, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay, it's okay, just let it out." He shifted to rubbing gentle circles on her back, absently noting that she was a lot firmer than expected.
"What should I let out?" Penny asked, confusion adding itself to the maelstrom of emotions inside of her.
"Uh, I just meant you should cry to express your emotions. I always feel a bit better after a good cry."
"Oh." The redhead looked apologetic. "I am sorry, Friend Jaune, but I am unable to cry."
Jaune gave her a reassuring smile, "That's fine. Maybe try screaming instead? That's pretty cathartic."
The resulting wave of noise that emerged from Penny's mouth knocked him off his feet.
"Oh! That is much better!" She exclaimed, before noticing Jaune's predicament. "Ah! I am so sorry, Friend Jaune! I did not mean to harm you!" She cried as she helped him back to his feet.
"N-no worries, Penny." Jaune reassured her, as his Aura fixed the ringing in his ears. "I've taken worse hits!"
"We're so sorry, Auntie Penny!" Julian said as he rushed over. "We shouldn't have overwhelmed you. We were just so happy to see you."
Penny smiled warmly at the younger boy. "Thank you, Friend Julian. The emotional distress was a new and strange experience for me but it was worth it to know that I have so many people who care about me."
"You're much better at handling complex emotional calculations in the future," Nicholas said as he approached. "Your father had been working on software updates in that vein from the moment you came online."
Penny clapped her hands, eyes glowing bright green. "Oh, that sounds sensational!"
"Wait a second," Jaune said, Nicholas's words finally twigging something in his brain. "Penny... are you a robot?"
There was a moment of silence before Xander broke it. "Mother was right, you are impossibly dense."
Auntie Penny
Jaune Arc sighed as he walked through the Elphaba Memorial Gardens, trailing behind Petra and Arslan with Penny trailing behind him a fair distance in turn. Despite the conversation they'd shared in the cathedral, he still felt rather... mopey.
That said, Jaune's moping felt entirely justified. Seriously, time travel, eleven potential wives, and their numerous children? It sounded like something out of a bad Mistrali cartoon. But the stakes were too high to not take this seriously. Clearly his subconscious felt the same way, judging from his nightmares. He glanced down at his hands and, for a brief moment, they were covered in rusty metal gauntlets once again. Jaune shook his head, clearing away the image. That part of the dream made no sense, compared to everything else. What was he, the Rusted-
"Hi dad!" Chirped a pair of voices behind him, cutting off his train of thought.
"Ah! Crap!' Jaune jumped in surprise, turning to see his twins by Blake peeking out at him from behind a hedge. "Don't do that!"
Leander and Leandra's grins told him they were unrepentant. The male twin raised his scroll to his mouth, "Found him! Told you he was in the Gardens!"
"Hang onto him. We'll meet you there," came Nicholas's voice over the speaker.
"Roger that, White Knight!" Leandra replied cheerily.
"And stop calling me that."
"No can do, White Knight!" The twins chimed in sync.
"Ugh."
Leander cut the call and stowed his scroll away while his sister skipped over to her father who gave her a wary look. The Faunus twins had a particular talent for getting into trouble, from what Jaune had gleaned. Leandra smiled up at him cheekily.
"I think out of all my potential kids, you two worry me the most," Jaune told them honestly.
"Hey!" They objected in unison.
"He's not wrong," Petra intoned, walking back up the path with her mother and most of the other kids in tow. "We're all magnets for trouble but you two go out of your way to find it."
Leander buffed his nails on his shirt while Leandra preened. "It's a gift." They replied in tandem.
"Ugh." Nicholas rolled his eyes.
Jaune cleared his throat. "Any particular reason everyone was looking for me?"
"We were just ensuring none of our mothers had cornered you," August replied, before glancing askance at Arslan.
The warrior-nun narrowed her eyes at the implied accusation. "Have you a problem with my actions thus far, Prince August?"
The tall man sighed, "No, by all accounts you've been conducting yourself well, Breaker Altan."
"And I would have stepped in if she hadn't been!" Called out a chipper voice.
""Auntie Penny!"" Came the answering cry from the small horde of potential children.
The redhead tilted her head in confusion at the unfamiliar form of address before she was suddenly mobbed by a group of complete strangers. She blinked in surprise at the swarm of teenagers hugging her. "Oh, this is nice!"
"Kids! Get off of Penny, you'll crush her!" Jaune shouted, chasing after them.
Julian snorted, "Pfft, as if! Auntie Penny is the strongest!"
"Yeah! She could totally bench press all of us with one hand!" Xia agreed.
Theodore, one of the only children to not be hugging the gynoid, cleared his throat. "In my future, Auntie Penny is largely regarded as the deadliest combatant in the world due to a combination of factors. While she is currently not in the same league as her older counterpart, she is still more than capable of defeating any of us. Save for possibly Xander."
Xander, also standing to the side, coughed and looked sheepish, "I've sparred with her before. I've never won then. I might be able to eke out a win right now."
"Well, there you go."
Jaune sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Should you really be sharing that where anybody can hear?"
Theodore flushed, "No, probably not."
"Not to worry, Friend Jaune," Penny interjected from inside the hug pile. "There is nobody in earshot who was not already aware of the situation."
Jaune sighed again, "Well that's a relief."
Nicholas wriggled out of the group hug, straightening his coat before turning to his father. "We intend to support the ground rules the Headmaster established, hence our attempt to monitor your location. With Auntie Penny here though, fairness is all but assured."
"I'm glad you have such a high opinion of me, Acquaintance Nicholas!" Came Penny's muffled voice once again. "Especially since I know very little about all of you!"
The Schnee Scion gave an embarrassed smile, "Well, you're very important to us. I've learned a lot from you."
Julian dematerialized and rematerialized next to his half-brother. "Yeah! You're the coolest, Auntie Penny! You and mom always have the best stories!"
Theodore spoke up, "You've been a mentor and a confidant my entire life."
"You're great at helping me cool off when I get too fired up!" Xia added, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.
"My skills both on and off of the battlefield have benefitted from your tutelage," Xander declared.
August smiled from the sidelines, "You've been a welcome presence in the Royal Palace since I was a child."
Petra nodded in agreement beside him, "Everyone at our monastery has learned something from your visits."
"You create the best nail art!" Amethyst chimed in, letting go of Penny.
The faunus twins appeared behind the embrace. "You always get us out of trouble."
"We don't have nightmares when you're around," Ash said while Ashley nodded in agreement, both twins stepping away.
"And you give the warmest hugs!" Dorothy said with a smile, the last to let go of the redhead.
For a moment, Penny was frozen, eyes dilated and glowing as they scanned across the teenagers smiling at her, before she looked to the ground. "I- I don't know what to say."
She looked back up, her face twisting between expressions of profound joy and sadness. "I've n-never experienced anything like this before. I'm SO happy that I'm important to so many people but I'm SO sad that I haven't actually experienced any of that yet and I can't process these emotions and I feel like I could burst and-"
"Hey!" Jaune rushed over to the panicking girl, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay, it's okay, just let it out." He shifted to rubbing gentle circles on her back, absently noting that she was a lot firmer than expected.
"What should I let out?" Penny asked, confusion adding itself to the maelstrom of emotions inside of her.
"Uh, I just meant you should cry to express your emotions. I always feel a bit better after a good cry."
"Oh." The redhead looked apologetic. "I am sorry, Friend Jaune, but I am unable to cry."
Jaune gave her a reassuring smile, "That's fine. Maybe try screaming instead? That's pretty cathartic."
The resulting wave of noise that emerged from Penny's mouth knocked him off his feet.
"Oh! That is much better!" She exclaimed, before noticing Jaune's predicament. "Ah! I am so sorry, Friend Jaune! I did not mean to harm you!" She cried as she helped him back to his feet.
"N-no worries, Penny." Jaune reassured her, as his Aura fixed the ringing in his ears. "I've taken worse hits!"
"We're so sorry, Auntie Penny!" Julian said as he rushed over. "We shouldn't have overwhelmed you. We were just so happy to see you."
Penny smiled warmly at the younger boy. "Thank you, Friend Julian. The emotional distress was a new and strange experience for me but it was worth it to know that I have so many people who care about me."
"You're much better at handling complex emotional calculations in the future," Nicholas said as he approached. "Your father had been working on software updates in that vein from the moment you came online."
Penny clapped her hands, eyes glowing bright green. "Oh, that sounds sensational!"
"Wait a second," Jaune said, Nicholas's words finally twigging something in his brain. "Penny... are you a robot?"
There was a moment of silence before Xander broke it. "Mother was right, you are impossibly dense."
ThunderBasilisk
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Pfft he just fucking yeeted Adam into space! And god thats a sappy Penny meeting. She would be a great aunt though.
TheFabulousCustodes
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Isn't it supposed to be the other way round?
RandomDragon
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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It's Blake, she needs therapy and allot of reprogramming that the white fang did to her in her teenage years.
TheFabulousCustodes
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Blakes argument is that cats are better than rabbits, but the way its worded argues the opposite.
Frankie626
Know what you're doing yet?
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I like this, but I think you got it on the wrong forum
AndrewJTalon
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It is, thanks. I hate posting on my phone. It's in the correct thread now.
Trilonias
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Ok, so after reading the latest 2 chapters, one of which is not here yet... I just wanted to remember which parents know about the time travel vs those who don't.
Nick, Isabel and Arjun(?) do not.
Emerald and Cinder didn't have any to call. Same with Glynda.
Willow and Klein do not know, but Jacques knows even less.
Qrow and Tai DO, along with Arslan's parents, whom I can't bother to remember at the moment. It may be on this page even!
Raven is in the same boat as Jacques.
Kali and Ghira do not, I think. Nor did it matter to them...
Pyrra's mom... uh, does not.
And ditto with Jaune's sisters, who I can't help but think not all think the same.
I'm pretty sure the twins would be all 'Nice, bro!'
And of course, I can't help but think of their reaction to finding out...
"You're his kid? Like in the comics he reads? I know Jaune always wanted to be a hero like in his comics, but to actually succeed even in the most outlandish plotlines? Damn, bro, but when you set out to prove us wrong, you REALLY set the bar. Not like he does anything else outlandish though, right? ...Right? Oh, man, now I wanna hear all the stories!"
Nick, Isabel and Arjun(?) do not.
Emerald and Cinder didn't have any to call. Same with Glynda.
Willow and Klein do not know, but Jacques knows even less.
Qrow and Tai DO, along with Arslan's parents, whom I can't bother to remember at the moment. It may be on this page even!
Raven is in the same boat as Jacques.
Kali and Ghira do not, I think. Nor did it matter to them...
Pyrra's mom... uh, does not.
And ditto with Jaune's sisters, who I can't help but think not all think the same.
I'm pretty sure the twins would be all 'Nice, bro!'
And of course, I can't help but think of their reaction to finding out...
"You're his kid? Like in the comics he reads? I know Jaune always wanted to be a hero like in his comics, but to actually succeed even in the most outlandish plotlines? Damn, bro, but when you set out to prove us wrong, you REALLY set the bar. Not like he does anything else outlandish though, right? ...Right? Oh, man, now I wanna hear all the stories!"
Moses' Day Begins
AndrewJTalon
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The smell of food welcomed Moses back to the waking world. With bleary eyes he sat up in his bed and pushed himself back so he was resting against the headboard. As his groggy eyes gained focus he could see the source of the smells that woke him: he could see his father, the wizard Oz, pushing a food cart laden with breakfast fixings up to the bedside.
"Oh good, you're already awake," Ozpin greeted. Not in Valean, but in a language that had died before the dawn of the current race of man. He placed a little breakfast in bed table across Moses' lap before asking, "How are you holding up? You feeling any better?"
"Headache's still there," Moses admitted in the same tongue, "But it's not as bad as yesterday. I should be fine."
"Good, good," Ozpin nodded as he placed a plate stacked with frosted cinnamon rolls in front of Moses with a side plate of scrambled eggs and a tall glass of apple juice. "There's a lot that needs to get done today. I'd like your help. Do you feel like you're up to it?"
"Yeah, the headache's small enough for me to ignore it at this point," Moses replied before shoveling a forkful of egg into his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and then asked, "Since we're talking in Antediluvian I'm guessing I let slip that you're my dad at some point."
"As you were falling asleep," Ozpin confirmed. "I take it you didn't mean to do that?"
"I didn't," Moses took a bite of a cinnamon roll, chewed and swallowed before continuing. "The timeline's already in a weird place and I was worried letting you know more about the future could make it worse. But since this is breakfast instead of dinner I'm guessing I slept to tomorrow and you've been able to learn stuff about the future from my friends, so my worrying is probably pointless." Another forkful of eggs, washed down by the apple juice. "What all do you know?"
"Theodore shared several details about the immediate future, mostly about Salem and Cinder's plans for the Vytal Festival and what Dr. Watts did in his timeline." Ozpin revealed, "I also got several bits and pieces from the others when they didn't know I could hear them. They all mention Salem at some point and talked about her as if she was a dealt-with problem." Ozpin's voice grew hopeful, "Did I understand them correctly?"
Moses knit his brow in concentration as he chewed on another hunk of cinnamon roll and sorted through the memories of eleven different lifetimes, and by the time he swallowed he had dredged up an answer.
"In about half of the futures you all found some kind of method to work around Salem's immortality leading to a permeant solution," Moses explained as he shoveled more eggs onto his fork. Chewing, swallowing, continuing, "In Julian and Xander's timelines Salem's a statue in the center of Mom's garden. At the start of each week you check the magic wards on her to make sure she stays petrified, and the two of you read stories to her at sunrise and sunset on the off chance she's still conscious and can hear things." Another bite of cinnamon roll. Washing it down with apple juice. "In August's timeline Salem's kept in a medically induced coma in Radian's hospital. Dr. Arc is confident she'll never wake up on her own." More eggs. "In Dorothy's timeline you and Mom designed a prison that could contain her and had Ambrosius build it. Baiting her inside ended up being the most complicated part." Cinnamon roll again. "The details of Petra's timeline aren't as clear, but it involved dragging Salem to a place beyond the world and shoving her inside a tree."
Moses shoved the last of the eggs into his mouth and savored the taste for a bit before continuing. "In the rest of the timelines Salem suffered such a vicious defeat that it will take her centuries to recover, if not a full millennia. In Amethyst's timeline, as well as Ash and Ashley's, Salem's mind was shattered and she's little more than a feral beast wandering the Darklands." He got started on his last cinnamon roll. "In Theodore and Xia's timelines you found a way to separate her from her magic and scattered it across the world, and that reduced her ability to control the Grimm so much that she's only a minor threat lurking in the shadows." He finished his glass of apple juice. "In Nicholas, Leander and Leandra's timelines Salem got trapped in a mirror dimension that greatly limits her ability to interact with the regular world. Under normal circumstances you can only get in and out of that mirror dimension when the stars are right, meaning she should be stuck in there for the next five-hundred years so long as nobody with real magic performs the rituals that could let her out."
"I see..." Ozpin mused as he took the empty dishes away from Moses and took the breakfast in bed tray off his lap, placing them back on the food cart. As he went through the motions of cleaning up from the meal the old wizard's mind raced with the possibilities his temporally displaced son had just presented. The mechanics of Salem's defeats were still a mystery but having clear end goals to work towards was good enough for now, he could always work out the details on the way. He just needed to pick one...
...Petrification had worked in two timelines, and he could already visualize all the steps necessary to make it work... Most of those were steps Summer had taken on a night where everything went wrong. So he was hesitant on the petrification front. He didn't know what the tree beyond the world could be, so he couldn't plan around that. A medically induced coma seemed like a solid idea but getting Salem into one would be a massive undertaking, so that would be a back burner idea for now.
Having Ambrosius build a prison for Salem was something he had considered before, but the limitations of the spirit's power meant the design needed to be perfect. Salem would be able to escape anything less than perfect after all, and she'd escape with the relic of creation within easy reach. He wasn't confident in his own ability to craft a perfect prison, but if a genius like Weena was providing input then maybe, just maybe, it could be done.
That did bring up an important question though, and so Ozpin asked; "What did your mother see in me? I mean she always seemed more interested in her research than relationships."
"There are two reasons for that," Moses began. "First she wanted to marry an intellectual equal; second she decided to put dating on hold until she got her doctorate. Both of those decisions contributed to her current status as a bachelorette: by the time she earned her degree all the good men who could keep up with her were already married, and all the guys who were still single either had egos the size of the sun or weren't interested in a relationship."
Moses stretched and got out of the bed, "When mom first met you she was ready to snatch you up before she put you in the 'not interested in a relationship' category. The way she described it you were basically her ideal man but you were giving off these 'widower in mourning' vibes that made her hesitate and back off."
"I suppose that's fair," Ozpin allowed. And it made sense now that Moses had spelled it out: while he hadn't actively sought out romantic companionship after his separation from Salem there were times where his curse would place his spirit within a man already in a relationship, and the curse didn't always cause those relationships to fall apart. The memories of dozens of good women he had loved and lost over the long march of history raced through his mind. He was indeed a widower in mourning, almost a hundred times over. Which of course lead to the next question:
"So what changed?" Ozpin wondered aloud, "Why was I willing to try again?"
"Jaune Arc's the reason," Moses answered. His father gave him an inquisitive look, so Moses explained, "Things were looking pretty bleak for a bit, and through those darkest hours you had a front row seat to Mr. and Mrs. Arc's developing relationship. Seeing them draw strength from each other made trying again seem worth it, so you asked mom out at their wedding." A wry smile crossed Moses' face, "The fact that mom's immortal probably helped though."
Ozpin mulled over that explanation and the more he thought about it the more it felt right. Weena acted uninterested because he had been uninterested, but the future changed the world in ways that improved his outlook on life and so he became interested. And if he was being honest with himself he was kind of interested now...
...It was time to put his best foot forward then.
"Well, since we're on the subject of your mother I spent most of my afternoon yesterday setting up a lab space for her," Ozpin told Moses. "I was planning on giving it a look over before she gets here today. Would you be up to joining me to work on the finishing touches?"
"Yeah, I think I can manage that," Moses replied.
And so the two of them moved to leave infirmary but before they could get very far Ozpin's scroll dinged from a text message.
"What is it?" Moses asked as his father pulled out his scroll.
"Apparently Glynda's going to church this morning," Ozpin replied as he scrutinized his deputy's involved message, "And that means I'll have to greet everyone who's coming in today." He looked to the clock on the wall, and compared it to the ETA's of the approaching airships. "We should have time to go over your mother's lab before they get here so long as we're mindful of the clock, so let's not waste any time."
And so the two left the infirmary with a schedule to keep...
...Unfortunately a string of unrelated circumstances meant that all of the approaching airships were well ahead of schedule, meaning Ozpin would arrive at Beacon's airfield three minutes too late to do anything about the hullabaloo that was going to go down...
"Oh good, you're already awake," Ozpin greeted. Not in Valean, but in a language that had died before the dawn of the current race of man. He placed a little breakfast in bed table across Moses' lap before asking, "How are you holding up? You feeling any better?"
"Headache's still there," Moses admitted in the same tongue, "But it's not as bad as yesterday. I should be fine."
"Good, good," Ozpin nodded as he placed a plate stacked with frosted cinnamon rolls in front of Moses with a side plate of scrambled eggs and a tall glass of apple juice. "There's a lot that needs to get done today. I'd like your help. Do you feel like you're up to it?"
"Yeah, the headache's small enough for me to ignore it at this point," Moses replied before shoveling a forkful of egg into his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and then asked, "Since we're talking in Antediluvian I'm guessing I let slip that you're my dad at some point."
"As you were falling asleep," Ozpin confirmed. "I take it you didn't mean to do that?"
"I didn't," Moses took a bite of a cinnamon roll, chewed and swallowed before continuing. "The timeline's already in a weird place and I was worried letting you know more about the future could make it worse. But since this is breakfast instead of dinner I'm guessing I slept to tomorrow and you've been able to learn stuff about the future from my friends, so my worrying is probably pointless." Another forkful of eggs, washed down by the apple juice. "What all do you know?"
"Theodore shared several details about the immediate future, mostly about Salem and Cinder's plans for the Vytal Festival and what Dr. Watts did in his timeline." Ozpin revealed, "I also got several bits and pieces from the others when they didn't know I could hear them. They all mention Salem at some point and talked about her as if she was a dealt-with problem." Ozpin's voice grew hopeful, "Did I understand them correctly?"
Moses knit his brow in concentration as he chewed on another hunk of cinnamon roll and sorted through the memories of eleven different lifetimes, and by the time he swallowed he had dredged up an answer.
"In about half of the futures you all found some kind of method to work around Salem's immortality leading to a permeant solution," Moses explained as he shoveled more eggs onto his fork. Chewing, swallowing, continuing, "In Julian and Xander's timelines Salem's a statue in the center of Mom's garden. At the start of each week you check the magic wards on her to make sure she stays petrified, and the two of you read stories to her at sunrise and sunset on the off chance she's still conscious and can hear things." Another bite of cinnamon roll. Washing it down with apple juice. "In August's timeline Salem's kept in a medically induced coma in Radian's hospital. Dr. Arc is confident she'll never wake up on her own." More eggs. "In Dorothy's timeline you and Mom designed a prison that could contain her and had Ambrosius build it. Baiting her inside ended up being the most complicated part." Cinnamon roll again. "The details of Petra's timeline aren't as clear, but it involved dragging Salem to a place beyond the world and shoving her inside a tree."
Moses shoved the last of the eggs into his mouth and savored the taste for a bit before continuing. "In the rest of the timelines Salem suffered such a vicious defeat that it will take her centuries to recover, if not a full millennia. In Amethyst's timeline, as well as Ash and Ashley's, Salem's mind was shattered and she's little more than a feral beast wandering the Darklands." He got started on his last cinnamon roll. "In Theodore and Xia's timelines you found a way to separate her from her magic and scattered it across the world, and that reduced her ability to control the Grimm so much that she's only a minor threat lurking in the shadows." He finished his glass of apple juice. "In Nicholas, Leander and Leandra's timelines Salem got trapped in a mirror dimension that greatly limits her ability to interact with the regular world. Under normal circumstances you can only get in and out of that mirror dimension when the stars are right, meaning she should be stuck in there for the next five-hundred years so long as nobody with real magic performs the rituals that could let her out."
"I see..." Ozpin mused as he took the empty dishes away from Moses and took the breakfast in bed tray off his lap, placing them back on the food cart. As he went through the motions of cleaning up from the meal the old wizard's mind raced with the possibilities his temporally displaced son had just presented. The mechanics of Salem's defeats were still a mystery but having clear end goals to work towards was good enough for now, he could always work out the details on the way. He just needed to pick one...
...Petrification had worked in two timelines, and he could already visualize all the steps necessary to make it work... Most of those were steps Summer had taken on a night where everything went wrong. So he was hesitant on the petrification front. He didn't know what the tree beyond the world could be, so he couldn't plan around that. A medically induced coma seemed like a solid idea but getting Salem into one would be a massive undertaking, so that would be a back burner idea for now.
Having Ambrosius build a prison for Salem was something he had considered before, but the limitations of the spirit's power meant the design needed to be perfect. Salem would be able to escape anything less than perfect after all, and she'd escape with the relic of creation within easy reach. He wasn't confident in his own ability to craft a perfect prison, but if a genius like Weena was providing input then maybe, just maybe, it could be done.
That did bring up an important question though, and so Ozpin asked; "What did your mother see in me? I mean she always seemed more interested in her research than relationships."
"There are two reasons for that," Moses began. "First she wanted to marry an intellectual equal; second she decided to put dating on hold until she got her doctorate. Both of those decisions contributed to her current status as a bachelorette: by the time she earned her degree all the good men who could keep up with her were already married, and all the guys who were still single either had egos the size of the sun or weren't interested in a relationship."
Moses stretched and got out of the bed, "When mom first met you she was ready to snatch you up before she put you in the 'not interested in a relationship' category. The way she described it you were basically her ideal man but you were giving off these 'widower in mourning' vibes that made her hesitate and back off."
"I suppose that's fair," Ozpin allowed. And it made sense now that Moses had spelled it out: while he hadn't actively sought out romantic companionship after his separation from Salem there were times where his curse would place his spirit within a man already in a relationship, and the curse didn't always cause those relationships to fall apart. The memories of dozens of good women he had loved and lost over the long march of history raced through his mind. He was indeed a widower in mourning, almost a hundred times over. Which of course lead to the next question:
"So what changed?" Ozpin wondered aloud, "Why was I willing to try again?"
"Jaune Arc's the reason," Moses answered. His father gave him an inquisitive look, so Moses explained, "Things were looking pretty bleak for a bit, and through those darkest hours you had a front row seat to Mr. and Mrs. Arc's developing relationship. Seeing them draw strength from each other made trying again seem worth it, so you asked mom out at their wedding." A wry smile crossed Moses' face, "The fact that mom's immortal probably helped though."
Ozpin mulled over that explanation and the more he thought about it the more it felt right. Weena acted uninterested because he had been uninterested, but the future changed the world in ways that improved his outlook on life and so he became interested. And if he was being honest with himself he was kind of interested now...
...It was time to put his best foot forward then.
"Well, since we're on the subject of your mother I spent most of my afternoon yesterday setting up a lab space for her," Ozpin told Moses. "I was planning on giving it a look over before she gets here today. Would you be up to joining me to work on the finishing touches?"
"Yeah, I think I can manage that," Moses replied.
And so the two of them moved to leave infirmary but before they could get very far Ozpin's scroll dinged from a text message.
"What is it?" Moses asked as his father pulled out his scroll.
"Apparently Glynda's going to church this morning," Ozpin replied as he scrutinized his deputy's involved message, "And that means I'll have to greet everyone who's coming in today." He looked to the clock on the wall, and compared it to the ETA's of the approaching airships. "We should have time to go over your mother's lab before they get here so long as we're mindful of the clock, so let's not waste any time."
And so the two left the infirmary with a schedule to keep...
...Unfortunately a string of unrelated circumstances meant that all of the approaching airships were well ahead of schedule, meaning Ozpin would arrive at Beacon's airfield three minutes too late to do anything about the hullabaloo that was going to go down...
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abyssmal_kismet
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Time War II: Parent Trap