Fandom Distorted Mirror [IC]

[Gus Gungus]

By the second c'mon., Yang's face was almost entirely buried into the back of her knees, only her eyes visible to lever Qrow with a withering glower, her words almost enough to make it intimidating despite how very clearly she was trying to cover an absolutely horrified blush.

"Just because you're the twin I actually like doesn't mean I won't push you out that window old man. Can we focus up here?"

Unfortunately for his niece, her risk-taking and dumbass streaks were generous donations from both sides of her gene pool, not just the Xiao Long half.

"Just so long as you promise to stay focused up in there. You remember that story I told you and your sister at Beacon about being brought down by the length of a gal's skirt? Beginning to worry that may be a hereditary weakness."



As was her capacity for pushing her luck.

Yang let her head tilt back upwards to rest against the wall, her gaze guarded but thoughtful as she listened to Qrow talk.

"...Yea. I know its wouldn't be fair or even right to risk everyone if this was just to save one person. And I won't pretend helping Weiss isn't the reason I wanna go. But its not just that. This is a chance for us to finally do something besides running and hiding and trying to just stay one step ahead of being crushed. Its a chance to hit back for once."

She allowed herself a small smirk, and as tired as it looked their was a bit of the Xiao Long fierceness in her eyes as she continued

"Never been any good at passing those up, y'know? Even when it is risky, stupid, and borderline suicidal. Though hey-" She added, her tone finally lightening the slightest amount "-if you've got a more thorough plan kicking up in that bird brain to make any of those adjectives less accurate, I'd wanna just clarify that I'm just a risk taker and stupid, not suicidal"

"And I'm drunk. This'll be great. Now pick your sorry butt up off the floor you wrecked, drink that water and eat your soup before it goes cold," Qrow growled, sliding off the window to stand up, stretch his legs and pace back towards the center of the room with hands in pockets. His manner of giving pep talks had never necessarily been the most conventional, or even peppy; Came with the territory of growing up in a bandit compound.

But it was sincere, and apparently so were his intentions of doing this as he rummaged around in a few drawers looking for sundries and found something even better, coming out with two fistfuls of chess pieces. Wherever Yang was sitting by this point, he ambled over and dropped to one knee, splaying them out.

"Kay. So we got priority number one; Ozpin. Weiss. Ozwen. Whatever."

He held up the white king demonstratively, pinching it between thumb and forefinger before setting it down separate from the pile.

"Two Ravens."

He fished out both black rooks, likewise giving them their own space.

"Me. You. Ruby." The black bishop, knight, and queen all followed suit, having a pair of silver eyes in the mix being of particular import. The huntsman's brow creased in momentary contemplation, then he added the second knight and bishop to the group, respectively. "Maybe Nora and Penny. Much as I might hope we get a couple more takers, we can't expect anyone from this world to volunteer themselves for such a dicey play. 'Specially the maiden and her pals. This may be the best shot at Ozpin they're ever gonna get, but they might not all see it that way. I'm already picturing a few snarky insinuations from that Watts kid that all this is just you not being able to let go of Weiss. And that tacky broad who ran with Torchwick—been meaning to ask—why the hell is she even here? Does she actually plan on helping?"

He shook his head with a derisive snort, tossing a black pawn in with the rest only half-jokingly. If someone like her thought she could just piggyback off their blood, sweat and tears and get a free ride back to their own Remnant, she had another thing coming. Far as he was concerned, she could put in the work or get the hell out of here. Up to her.

"So we got us; some kinda suicide squad. Then we got Oz's pieces."

Two pale horses, a bishop, and both rooks were all arrayed in a loose circle around the white king representing Oz, a grim edge creeping into Qrow's bearing.

"If this all played out the way I'm imagining, I'd guess... the other you. Blake. This world's Ren probably still has a score to settle with me, and then there's those two beefy Shadow Fang goons from Weiss's office. What were their names again? Bebop and Rocksteady?"

He had to throttle a good snicker to himself at that, forcing himself to press on.

"Could be more, could be less. And then, of course—" He dumped the remainder of the black pawns into a miniature garrison around the circle of white, not bothering to arrange them out neatly. "—the Grimm. That's gonna be your sister's job. I know this place is getting to her, but her control over her silver eyes seems stronger than ever. Hopefully it's not asking too much."

There was a hint of worried shakiness in his exhale, but he quickly squashed it.

"So. First thing's first; we get the two relics the hell away from wherever we're staging this. Watts is somehow even more of a know-it-all pain in the ass than your team's W was at Beacon, but his brain makes him a pretty solid choice for that. Plus he's prolly sunk thousands of hours into capture the flag games. The frickin' dweeb."

He was just on fire with these burns today.

"The whole key to success here, though, is your mom and her double. Oz must know all about this world's Raven; her connection to his creepy Yang. Hell, if Ray was in any way as active a thorn in his side here as I was for Salem back home, it wouldn't surprise me if the whole reason he infested the Tribe as badly as he did..."

He trailed off, words ending in a disquieted huff. He just... really didn't want to think hard about the implications there. He'd been actively avoiding it for months, and he wasn't about to start now. Instead he took a swig from his flask.

"Was doing some digging during that fiasco in Atlas. Oz found the other you when she was pretty young; bout Ruby's age when she started at Beacon, I think. Before Blake, Weiss... even before the Red Masque, there was Dragon." He didn't look at Yang while he said that, tone of voice just a shade too neutral to be anything other than forced. "The thought of Raven opening a portal to her has gotta be something he's been prepared for all these years. Hell, I'm sure nothing would've made him happier. He'll be ready for it. But tonight... If he really is weak..."

There was a flurry as he reorganized the pieces, first isolating one of the white horses—Dragon—and placing the black rook next to it, signifying Raven's appearance via portal. Most of the remaining black pieces appeared alongside her, surrounding Dragon and prompting the other white pieces clustered around Oz to go join the fray, one by one. Her fellow knight, then the rooks, then the bishop. That left the white king alone, save for his loyal garrison of Grimm.

"...Oz is a chess player. Always has been. He knows the risk if a force moves against him while he's this vulnerable, and it's not one he's gonna be willing to take. So he'll send his pieces to take care of it, hunker down somewhere and assume he can cruise through this on autopilot. Except—"

The second black rook moved into position.

Beside Oz.

"—He doesn't know our Raven and him are bonded now. I doubt even Weiss knew. Honestly, not sure I even have a full picture of what the hell happened there myself, but I'll take it. You might've guessed by now, but this is where we come in."

The black queen, knight, and bishop—Ruby, Yang, and himself—all took up position around the rook. The queen moved first, sweeping through the Grimm pawns like a hurricane and eliminating them en masse, which left the other three with ample opportunity to converge on the white king, surrounding it. Only then did he finally glance back up at Yang, checking to see if she was still paying attention. And if she was drinking her soup.

"You catch my drift? Good plan or drunk plan? You got anything to add, feel free to shout it out."​

 

[MidwayLives]

The black queen, knight, and bishop—Ruby, Yang, and himself—all took up position around the rook. The queen moved first, sweeping through the Grimm pawns like a hurricane and eliminating them en masse, which left the other three with ample opportunity to converge on the white king, surrounding it. Only then did he finally glance back up at Yang, checking to see if she was still paying attention. And if she was drinking her soup.

"You catch my drift? Good plan or drunk plan? You got anything to add, feel free to shout it out."

"Can I shout too or is it more of an inside voice thing?"

A voice called out.

"Because if we're throwing out ideas..."

Boots clattered against the floorboards as Masque climbed her way in through the open window. Crescent Rose strapped to her back, her hood pulled up, and her stump all bandaged up.

"I got one or two."
​

 

[Gus Gungus]

"Can I shout too or is it more of an inside voice thing?"

A voice called out.

"Because if we're throwing out ideas..."

Boots clattered against the floorboards as Masque climbed her way in through the open window. Crescent Rose strapped to her back, her hood pulled up, and her stump all bandaged up.

"I got one or two."

​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Unfortunately for his niece, her risk-taking and dumbass streaks were generous donations from both sides of her gene pool, not just the Xiao Long half.

"Just so long as you promise to stay focused up in there. You remember that story I told you and your sister at Beacon about being brought down by the length of a gal's skirt? Beginning to worry that may be a hereditary weakness."

As was her capacity for pushing her luck.

She stared at him for a good few seconds after he winked before she shoved him straight out the window.

By the time he made it back inside, bird form or otherwise, Yang was already post scrambling to be back on her bed, tray resting against her lap and a spoonful of soup already in her mouth with a look that made it apparent that Ruby's old puppy dog eyes look clearly was a learned behavior rather than hereditary.

"So 'bout that plan, right?"

And I'm drunk. This'll be great. Now pick your sorry butt up off the floor you wrecked, drink that water and eat your soup before it goes cold," Qrow growled, sliding off the window to stand up, stretch his legs and pace back towards the center of the room with hands in pockets. His manner of giving pep talks had never necessarily been the most conventional, or even peppy; Came with the territory of growing up in a bandit compound.

But it was sincere, and apparently so were his intentions of doing this as he rummaged around in a few drawers looking for sundries and found something even better, coming out with two fistfuls of chess pieces. Wherever Yang was sitting by this point, he ambled over and dropped to one knee, splaying them out.

"Kay. So we got priority number one; Ozpin. Weiss. Ozwen. Whatever."

He held up the white king demonstratively, pinching it between thumb and forefinger before setting it down separate from the pile.

"Two Ravens."

He fished out both black rooks, likewise giving them their own space.

"Me. You. Ruby." The black bishop, knight, and queen all followed suit, having a pair of silver eyes in the mix being of particular import. The huntsman's brow creased in momentary contemplation, then he added the second knight and bishop to the group, respectively. "Maybe Nora and Penny. Much as I might hope we get a couple more takers, we can't expect anyone from this world to volunteer themselves for such a dicey play. 'Specially the maiden and her pals. This may be the best shot at Ozpin they're ever gonna get, but they might not all see it that way. I'm already picturing a few snarky insinuations from that Watts kid that all this is just you not being able to let go of Weiss. And that tacky broad who ran with Torchwick—been meaning to ask—why the hell is she even here? Does she actually plan on helping?"

He shook his head with a derisive snort, tossing a black pawn in with the rest only half-jokingly. If someone like her thought she could just piggyback off their blood, sweat and tears and get a free ride back to their own Remnant, she had another thing coming. Far as he was concerned, she could put in the work or get the hell out of here. Up to her.

"So we got us; some kinda suicide squad. Then we got Oz's pieces."

Two pale horses, a bishop, and both rooks were all arrayed in a loose circle around the white king representing Oz, a grim edge creeping into Qrow's bearing.

"If this all played out the way I'm imagining, I'd guess... the other you. Blake. This world's Ren probably still has a score to settle with me, and then there's those two beefy Shadow Fang goons from Weiss's office. What were their names again? Bebop and Rocksteady?"

He had to throttle a good snicker to himself at that, forcing himself to press on.

"Could be more, could be less. And then, of course—" He dumped the remainder of the black pawns into a miniature garrison around the circle of white, not bothering to arrange them out neatly. "—the Grimm. That's gonna be your sister's job. I know this place is getting to her, but her control over her silver eyes seems stronger than ever. Hopefully it's not asking too much."

There was a hint of worried shakiness in his exhale, but he quickly squashed it.

"So. First thing's first; we get the two relics the hell away from wherever we're staging this. Watts is somehow even more of a know-it-all pain in the ass than your team's W was at Beacon, but his brain makes him a pretty solid choice for that. Plus he's prolly sunk thousands of hours into capture the flag games. The frickin' dweeb."

He was just on fire with these burns today.

"The whole key to success here, though, is your mom and her double. Oz must know all about this world's Raven; her connection to his creepy Yang. Hell, if Ray was in any way as active a thorn in his side here as I was for Salem back home, it wouldn't surprise me if the whole reason he infested the Tribe as badly as he did..."

He trailed off, words ending in a disquieted huff. He just... really didn't want to think hard about the implications there. He'd been actively avoiding it for months, and he wasn't about to start now. Instead he took a swig from his flask.

"Was doing some digging during that fiasco in Atlas. Oz found the other you when she was pretty young; bout Ruby's age when she started at Beacon, I think. Before Blake, Weiss... even before the Red Masque, there was Dragon." He didn't look at Yang while he said that, tone of voice just a shade too neutral to be anything other than forced. "The thought of Raven opening a portal to her has gotta be something he's been prepared for all these years. Hell, I'm sure nothing would've made him happier. He'll be ready for it. But tonight... If he really is weak..."

There was a flurry as he reorganized the pieces, first isolating one of the white horses—Dragon—and placing the black rook next to it, signifying Raven's appearance via portal. Most of the remaining black pieces appeared alongside her, surrounding Dragon and prompting the other white pieces clustered around Oz to go join the fray, one by one. Her fellow knight, then the rooks, then the bishop. That left the white king alone, save for his loyal garrison of Grimm.

"...Oz is a chess player. Always has been. He knows the risk if a force moves against him while he's this vulnerable, and it's not one he's gonna be willing to take. So he'll send his pieces to take care of it, hunker down somewhere and assume he can cruise through this on autopilot. Except—"

The second black rook moved into position.

Beside Oz.

"—He doesn't know our Raven and him are bonded now. I doubt even Weiss knew. Honestly, not sure I even have a full picture of what the hell happened there myself, but I'll take it. You might've guessed by now, but this is where we come in."

The black queen, knight, and bishop—Ruby, Yang, and himself—all took up position around the rook. The queen moved first, sweeping through the Grimm pawns like a hurricane and eliminating them en masse, which left the other three with ample opportunity to converge on the white king, surrounding it. Only then did he finally glance back up at Yang, checking to see if she was still paying attention. And if she was drinking her soup.

"You catch my drift? Good plan or drunk plan? You got anything to add, feel free to shout it out."

*sllluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp*

By the time Qrow made it all the way through his chess pantomime of the plan, Yang was all the way through the bowl, the spoon discarded in favor of just drinking the remainder straight from the source. The bowl clacked against the tray as she dropped it and slapped her hands onto her knees, her eyes staring at the pieces now scattered across the floor with the intensity of a grandmaster making her final move before giving checkmated or being checkmated.

"....I-"

"Can I shout too or is it more of an inside voice thing?"

A voice called out.

"Because if we're throwing out ideas..."

Boots clattered against the floorboards as Masque climbed her way in through the open window. Crescent Rose strapped to her back, her hood pulled up, and her stump all bandaged up.

"I got one or two."
​

"....Ruby?!" She exclaimed. She shot to her feet, only to yelp in concern as the tray went flying. She snatched the bowl out of the air, whirled, and snagged the drink with her other just before it tilted too far to be salvageable as the tray clattered to the floor. She stared at her other sister with a look of utter shock, before she swiftly downed the entire glass of oh gods that was way to strong to that with.

"Are-*Cough* are you ok? We didn't know where you went after we all ended up here!"

 

[Gus Gungus]

She stared at him for a good few seconds after he winked before she shoved him straight out the window.

By the time he made it back inside, bird form or otherwise, Yang was already post scrambling to be back on her bed, tray resting against her lap and a spoonful of soup already in her mouth with a look that made it apparent that Ruby's old puppy dog eyes look clearly was a learned behavior rather than hereditary.

"So 'bout that plan, right?"

Words were wasted on Qrow's part in this sequence of events. Instead, the following capture the full breadth of the tragedy:






"Man oh man, the talk I'm gonna have with Weiss. Know what? Maybe I'll even invite Blake to sit in, see if she's interested in what I know."

Maybe she thought he was bluffing. Maybe she didn't think her beloved uncle had it in him to hang that over a loved one's head for the rest of her natural life.

Or maybe she shouldn't have pushed him out a window.

"....Ruby?!" She exclaimed. She shot to her feet, only to yelp in concern as the tray went flying. She snatched the bowl out of the air, whirled, and snagged the drink with her other just before it tilted too far to be salvageable as the tray clattered to the floor. She stared at her other sister with a look of utter shock, before she swiftly downed the entire glass of oh gods that was way to strong to that with.

"Are-*Cough* are you ok? We didn't know where you went after we all ended up here!"

Yang may have resonated too strongly with her dad's fisticuff approach to ever wind up learning from Qrow to the same extent Ruby had, but their shared Branwen blood still meant they had unnervingly similar reactions to stuff sometimes.

One way in which their reaction in this particular instance differed was that one of the huntsman's hands immediately flipped his cloak aside to grip Harbinger roughly by the hilt, and Masque found a stern warning glare swiftly putting itself between Yang's shocked look and her as he addressed her in a threatening growl.

"That's close enough."

His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly with the words, as if cautioning this world's Ruby to think back to their conversation in Atlas. And think hard about whatever it was she meant to do here.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Can I shout too or is it more of an inside voice thing?"

A voice called out.

"Because if we're throwing out ideas..."

Boots clattered against the floorboards as Masque climbed her way in through the open window. Crescent Rose strapped to her back, her hood pulled up, and her stump all bandaged up.

"I got one or two."
​

"....Ruby?!" She exclaimed. She shot to her feet, only to yelp in concern as the tray went flying. She snatched the bowl out of the air, whirled, and snagged the drink with her other just before it tilted too far to be salvageable as the tray clattered to the floor. She stared at her other sister with a look of utter shock, before she swiftly downed the entire glass of oh gods that was way to strong to that with.

"Are-*Cough* are you ok? We didn't know where you went after we all ended up here!"

Words were wasted on Qrow's part in this sequence of events. Instead, the following capture the full breadth of the tragedy:

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"Man oh man, the talk I'm gonna have with Weiss. Know what? Maybe I'll even invite Blake to sit in, see if she's interested in what I know."

Maybe she thought he was bluffing. Maybe she didn't think her beloved uncle had it in him to hang that over a loved one's head for the rest of her natural life.

Or maybe she shouldn't have pushed him out a window.




Yang may have resonated too strongly with her dad's fisticuff approach to ever wind up learning from Qrow to the same extent Ruby had, but their shared Branwen blood still meant they had unnervingly similar reactions to stuff sometimes.

One way in which their reaction in this particular instance differed was that one of the huntsman's hands immediately flipped his cloak aside to grip Harbinger roughly by the hilt, and Masque found a stern warning glare swiftly putting itself between Yang's shocked look and her as he addressed her in a threatening growl.

"That's close enough."

His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly with the words, as if cautioning this world's Ruby to think back to their conversation in Atlas. And think hard about whatever it was she meant to do here.​

It was thanks to a combination of things, namely Raven's mopey trek to the bar, Qrow picking up the slack, the loud echoing clatter of something hitting the floor, an alarmed yelp as something total betrayal went down and her near complete lack of interest in whatever Nora was talking Cinder's ear off about right now, but all those factors and more was enough justification for Ruby, it seemed. Something made clear as the fastest among them was gone from the common area in a burst of roses, practically flying into her and Yang's room with energy that could definitely have matched either of the actual fliers among the group in Cinder and Penny. Thankfully, unlike the latter, Yang's earlier freakout meant there wasn't much Ruby could do to damage the guy's property.

"Yang what was that I heard things that didn't sound good but also are you feeling better, what happened, was it Qrow's extra drink choice because I told him he shouldn't but he shot my objection down and no seriously are you alright--oh hey it's the other...me...." Her mouth ran as fast as her legs, but that trailed into an awkward silence when she noticed the Masque. "...how about you...I mean....y'know..."

Her eyes flickered to a specific arm. ".....did that....."​

 

[MidwayLives]

"....Ruby?!"

"Hi, Yang."

Masque said sweetly enough.
​

"Are-*Cough* are you ok? We didn't know where you went after we all ended up here!"

Masque spared the briefest of glances at her stump.

"Mm. There's...uh, a reason for that. After all the stuff that happened with Weiss...I couldn't shake the thought that I hadn't been of much good to her. I hated the fancy suits I had to wear, I hated not getting to act how I used to.." Masque sighed. "So...when it came time for us all to finally leave....I just kinda went off on my own without really looking back. I couldn't help Weiss, how could i help anyone else? Did that for a while but then I thought about it...and I couldn't just sit in an alleyway while you guys kept up the good fight. So....here I am."

But as far as being okay went...?

"Yeah, tell her just how peachy keen you are." The hallucination standing beside Masque teased, her arms folded across her chest.

"I'm okay, now at least. How are you...?"
​

One way in which their reaction in this particular instance differed was that one of the huntsman's hands immediately flipped his cloak aside to grip Harbinger roughly by the hilt, and Masque found a stern warning glare swiftly putting itself between Yang's shocked look and her as he addressed her in a threatening growl.

"That's close enough."

Masque's eyes narrowed and her hand immediately went to retrieve Crescent Rose from her back.

It felt weird to be threatened by someone who looked like your dad.

The same man who let his precious daughter pretty much do as she pleased.

"You'd really attack someone with a handicap, huh? Guess you weren't kidding back then..."

Masque waved her stump.
​

His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly with the words, as if cautioning this world's Ruby to think back to their conversation in Atlas. And think hard about whatever it was she meant to do here.

"I didn't come here to pick a fight. Least of all one I doubt I could win..." Masque sniffed. "....As I am right now anyway."

She didn't come any closer regardless.

"I'll admit that my curiosity got the better of me and I listened in for a bit or two before making my grand entrance. I...I just want to help."

​

Her eyes flickered to a specific arm. ".....did that....."

"Its fine now. It...It took a little bit of time. But I think its okay."


​

 

[MyrtenRose]

There was no denying the destruction of Mistral's CCT did serious damage to the spread of information. The global system, the ability of instantaneous communication across the world was brought down thanks to the efforts of dangerous people. But that didn't completely stop the flow of information, only greatly slowed it. Word of mouth still spread out from Mistral, from traveling smugglers, thieves and other criminals. Rumors spread like wildfire among them. The disappearance of such an infamously known figure in the shadowy side of Mistral did not go unnoticed.

Some talked of kidnapping. Others spoke in hushed whispers that she had been brutally killed in a power grab. That the woman's disappearance and the sudden emergence of uncertain figures filling in was more than simple coincidence. Even the most optimistic talk that Lil' Miss had simply decided she'd had enough and retired from the life was...worrisome. That did not sound like her. She still had quite a life ahead of her, after all, and beyond that...well, someone that entwined in the lifestyle never really quit. Not of their own will. Close proximity to their boss meant they heard all the talk.

They gave him the courtesy of asking to leave, but even if he had not agreed(which he did), they would have gone anyway. Their travel took them quite some time, but to be honest it passed like a blur from their perspective. How they spent their time then was a far cry from the posh luxury they had in Vale. It was decidedly more...intense. And not just from the inherent danger that came with such a journey, thanks to the growing abundance of grimm infesting the world.

And once they had arrived in the capital city of Mistral, it took somewhat longer than they expected to find who they sought. Those in charge were cracking down, and that meant certain elements of the city's populace predictably did their best to lie low. But there was still honor among thieves, and that counted for enough.

They entered the criminal hideout as one, dressed far differently than their norm. Black boots far more sensible for lengthy travel, dark grey pants and just as black shirts, all glimpsed under the simple hooded brown cloaks they wore. Not as nice as their usual, but much less likely to draw attention. The two glanced around the place with bright green eyes before settling on one figure in particular. They strode with purpose toward her, the slightly taller of the pair taking the lead.

The one in front didn't waste so much as a second, immediately speaking with an imperious tone. "They say you're someone people go to when they need to know things. We've heard rumors, you see, but there's no telling which of those were truthful, if any. We were hoping you would enlighten us. So tell me, what happened to Lil' Miss. Now." The other one didn't say anything, but it was clear that the focus was almost entirely centered on any answers.
​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"Man oh man, the talk I'm gonna have with Weiss. Know what? Maybe I'll even invite Blake to sit in, see if she's interested in what I know."

Maybe she thought he was bluffing. Maybe she didn't think her beloved uncle had it in him to hang that over a loved one's head for the rest of her natural life.

Or maybe she shouldn't have pushed him out a window.

Yang's eyes narrowed past her spoon before she popped it out of her mouth and brandished it at Qrow like it was a weapon in and of itself in this conversation taking place entirely before the rest of the conversation.

"What you think you know, birdboy! I know you don't actually know anything about what you're talking about because I don't know what you're talking about, and I'm me. Stick with what you do know, which is apparently some sort of plan."

Yang may have resonated too strongly with her dad's fisticuff approach to ever wind up learning from Qrow to the same extent Ruby had, but their shared Branwen blood still meant they had unnervingly similar reactions to stuff sometimes.

One way in which their reaction in this particular instance differed was that one of the huntsman's hands immediately flipped his cloak aside to grip Harbinger roughly by the hilt, and Masque found a stern warning glare swiftly putting itself between Yang's shocked look and her as he addressed her in a threatening growl.

"That's close enough."

His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly with the words, as if cautioning this world's Ruby to think back to their conversation in Atlas. And think hard about whatever it was she meant to do here.

It was thanks to a combination of things, namely Raven's mopey trek to the bar, Qrow picking up the slack, the loud echoing clatter of something hitting the floor, an alarmed yelp as something total betrayal went down and her near complete lack of interest in whatever Nora was talking Cinder's ear off about right now, but all those factors and more was enough justification for Ruby, it seemed. Something made clear as the fastest among them was gone from the common area in a burst of roses, practically flying into her and Yang's room with energy that could definitely have matched either of the actual fliers among the group in Cinder and Penny. Thankfully, unlike the latter, Yang's earlier freakout meant there wasn't much Ruby could do to damage the guy's property.

"Yang what was that I heard things that didn't sound good but also are you feeling better, what happened, was it Qrow's extra drink choice because I told him he shouldn't but he shot my objection down and no seriously are you alright--oh hey it's the other...me...." Her mouth ran as fast as her legs, but that trailed into an awkward silence when she noticed the Masque. "...how about you...I mean....y'know..."

Her eyes flickered to a specific arm. ".....did that....."​

"Hi, Yang."

Masque said sweetly enough.


Masque spared the briefest of glances at her stump.

"Mm. There's...uh, a reason for that. After all the stuff that happened with Weiss...I couldn't shake the thought that I hadn't been of much good to her. I hated the fancy suits I had to wear, I hated not getting to act how I used to.." Masque sighed. "So...when it came time for us all to finally leave....I just kinda went off on my own without really looking back. I couldn't help Weiss, how could i help anyone else? Did that for a while but then I thought about it...and I couldn't just sit in an alleyway while you guys kept up the good fight. So....here I am."

But as far as being okay went...?

"Yeah, tell her just how peachy keen you are." The hallucination standing beside Masque teased, her arms folded across her chest.

"I'm okay, now at least. How are you...?"


Masque's eyes narrowed and her hand immediately went to retrieve Crescent Rose from her back.

It felt weird to be threatened by someone who looked like your dad.

The same man who let his precious daughter pretty much do as she pleased.

"You'd really attack someone with a handicap, huh? Guess you weren't kidding back then..."

Masque waved her stump.


"I didn't come here to pick a fight. Least of all one I doubt I could win..." Masque sniffed. "....As I am right now anyway."

She didn't come any closer regardless.

"I'll admit that my curiosity got the better of me and I listened in for a bit or two before making my grand entrance. I...I just want to help."



"Its fine now. It...It took a little bit of time. But I think its okay."


​

"Whoooooaaaaaakay, lets everyone calm down a bit? Same team here?" Yang harped with a sharp bite of worry to her voice as she gripped her uncle's shoulder with a slightly bemused frown. She gave (her) Ruby a wan, warm smile at her entrance, before she directed one that was far more thought out in its warmth towards Masque.

"Well, we're not exactly a fancy suit party here!"

Well.

"Ok actually our uncle's kind of wearing a suit and Penny's in a fancy dress and mister no mustache downstairs is also in dress clothes but its more a 'if you want to' kinda thing. I'm glad you're ok though! I was..."

Ruby's vision was blurry.

Mostly due to all the tears and such.

As something shot out towards her, Ruby could barely make out what it'd been before-

"AAGHHHHHHH!!! GET OFF MEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

She tried to claw at her stump and whatever it was she felt invading her body. Burrowing deeper and deeper. Her nails cracked as she scratched at the floor. Calling out for her aunt with tears in her eyes. "AUNT RAVEN!!! H-HELP ME!!!" But as Raven had her own issues, Ruby's screams turned to a different plea for help.

"YANG....YANG HELP ME!!!"

Ruby's breath was caught in her throat.

"Mommy.....*sob* Mommy, help me!"

Yang knew which Ruby it was making those sounds. Harsh as it sounded, her Ruby would've never broken like that. Her sister was too strong. She'd outgrown the need to be protected. At worst, she needed someone to watch her back as an equal, and at best, she was the one keeping Yang's feet on the ground these days whenever she existed anyways. But she'd gotten that way with help; from her dad, from their uncle, from their teachers, their teammates, their friends, and from Yang. She hadn't always been that way. There was a time, a long time ago, so long that it felt like a lifetime even to someone as young as Yang, that she would've called out to Yang like that when she was scared, when the nightmares got too bad, or some grimm she'd gotten overexcited about fighting and tried to take down herself proved to be too much.

Yang would always be there for her in those moments. Maybe this Ruby was something monstrous before, but she was trying to be better now, and it was clear she still needed someone at her side. It shouldn't have been the most important thing in the room. There were two relics that she needed to get if she ever wanted to get home to see Weiss and Blake again being literally tossed around in hails of gunfire. She'd never won a spar against Pyrrha back at Beacon, and a far more deadlier version of her former friend was trying to slit her throat. Weiss, the woman with the power of two maidens inside her, the girl who Yang had given up so much of herself to try and break her walls down and show that it was okay to let people in, was unconscious in a room of people who wanted her far, far worse than just dead.

All of that still mattered to her. Some of it so much that it hurt. But none of it mattered more than the fact that her little sister was crying.

None of which mattered to Pyrrha, who's friendly smirk cracked into a more tense, annoyed smile as Yang just stood there. "I'm sorry Miss Xiao Long, but am I boring you?"

"Yea."

"....worried." She finished quietly before she perked back up. "If you want to help though, well... We could use it! Right?" She said, jabbing a light elbow into Qrow's side. "Not like going up against the king, or, queen or whatever of darkness is the sorta fight we should be turning down help for, right?"

 

[Gus Gungus]

It was thanks to a combination of things, namely Raven's mopey trek to the bar, Qrow picking up the slack, the loud echoing clatter of something hitting the floor, an alarmed yelp as something total betrayal went down and her near complete lack of interest in whatever Nora was talking Cinder's ear off about right now, but all those factors and more was enough justification for Ruby, it seemed. Something made clear as the fastest among them was gone from the common area in a burst of roses, practically flying into her and Yang's room with energy that could definitely have matched either of the actual fliers among the group in Cinder and Penny. Thankfully, unlike the latter, Yang's earlier freakout meant there wasn't much Ruby could do to damage the guy's property.

"Yang what was that I heard things that didn't sound good but also are you feeling better, what happened, was it Qrow's extra drink choice because I told him he shouldn't but he shot my objection down and no seriously are you alright--oh hey it's the other...me...." Her mouth ran as fast as her legs, but that trailed into an awkward silence when she noticed the Masque. "...how about you...I mean....y'know..."

Her eyes flickered to a specific arm. ".....did that....."

Masque's eyes narrowed and her hand immediately went to retrieve Crescent Rose from her back.

It felt weird to be threatened by someone who looked like your dad.

The same man who let his precious daughter pretty much do as she pleased.

"You'd really attack someone with a handicap, huh? Guess you weren't kidding back then..."

Masque waved her stump.

"I didn't come here to pick a fight. Least of all one I doubt I could win..." Masque sniffed. "....As I am right now anyway."

She didn't come any closer regardless.

"I'll admit that my curiosity got the better of me and I listened in for a bit or two before making my grand entrance. I...I just want to help."

"Whoooooaaaaaakay, lets everyone calm down a bit? Same team here?" Yang harped with a sharp bite of worry to her voice as she gripped her uncle's shoulder with a slightly bemused frown. She gave (her) Ruby a wan, warm smile at her entrance, before she directed one that was far more thought out in its warmth towards Masque.

"Well, we're not exactly a fancy suit party here!"

Well.

"Ok actually our uncle's kind of wearing a suit and Penny's in a fancy dress and mister no mustache downstairs is also in dress clothes but its more a 'if you want to' kinda thing. I'm glad you're ok though! I was..."

"....worried." She finished quietly before she perked back up. "If you want to help though, well... We could use it! Right?" She said, jabbing a light elbow into Qrow's side. "Not like going up against the king, or, queen or whatever of darkness is the sorta fight we should be turning down help for, right?"

"Yang, stow it."

Qrow hadn't been lying when he said the years had made him a cynic. He liked to think he looked good for his age, but in all honesty with each refresh of the calendar his soul felt older and older, more tired than his body could ever hope to match. The fall of Beacon had kind of hit the gas pedal on that whole process, but it hadn't been without its upsides; getting to watch his nieces flourish into seasoned huntresses he'd want at his back for any mission in such a short timespan was one of the highlights of a life he—in the wake of certain revelations about Oz and the exact nature of the war he'd given his life to—was finding it increasingly harder to determine the purpose of. He wasn't blind. He knew they were so much more than the frightened kids he'd rescued from Grimm what felt like a lifetime ago. They didn't need his protection anymore.

With that in mind, it spoke to the precise nature of the feelings the sight of the Red Masque conjured in him that he was standing between them and her with the exact same shade of warding vigilance he faced down the Grimm with that day. An arm shot out to impede Yang's path when she tried to step up to a level with him, and the same motion saw Harbinger unsheathed and held aloft with gears gently turning and an unhesitating deftness that clarified just how much teeth he was willing to back his threat up with.

"You may not know what I know, but if you knew half the stuff I found out about her it'd turn your stomach. I know it must be getting real hard not to assume everyone else is wrong and you're right on every issue, always, but you need to listen to me this time. You need to let this one go. 'Cause you work this job a few years, you begin to understand people don't really change. Not people like her, at the least. They definitely don't do it overnight. If you think otherwise, then they're selling somethin' and you're the schmuck with the open wallet."

He grit his teeth in a scowl, and the fierceness that flashed in his scarlet eyes just then and the cold, unyielding sobriety settling over his tone revealed more than just a protective instinct. It was indicative of just how angry he was at a Ruby who could ever do the things this one had done, disgrace herself the way she had. How the trend of one crappy person ticking over into another in this world just had to trickle all the way down to these two, of all people, in his nieces. To the kids who inspired him to be a better man every day.

And how pissed off it made him that the pair whose watch it all happened on were both named Branwen.

"And this lady? Is NOT on our team."​

 

[MidwayLives]

"Ok actually our uncle's kind of wearing a suit and Penny's in a fancy dress and mister no mustache downstairs is also in dress clothes but its more a 'if you want to' kinda thing. I'm glad you're ok though! I was..."

"Your uncle, huh? The stench of booze was so thick I was having a hard time telling if it was my dad or not..."

Masque's eyes narrowed as she looked past Yang.
​

"....worried."

Masque smiled warmly again.
​

"You may not know what I know, but if you knew half the stuff I found out about her it'd turn your stomach. I know it must be getting real hard not to assume everyone else is wrong and you're right on every issue, always, but you need to listen to me this time. You need to let this one go. 'Cause you work this job a few years, you begin to understand people don't really change. Not people like her, at the least. They definitely don't do it overnight. If you think otherwise, then they're selling somethin' and you're the schmuck with the open wallet."

He grit his teeth in a scowl, and the fierceness that flashed in his scarlet eyes just then and the cold, unyielding sobriety settling over his tone revealed more than just a protective instinct. It was indicative of just how angry he was at a Ruby who could ever do the things this one had done, disgrace herself the way she had. How the trend of one crappy person ticking over into another in this world just had to trickle all the way down to these two, of all people, in his nieces. To the kids who inspired him to be a better man every day.

And how pissed off it made him that the pair whose watch it all happened on were both named Branwen.

"And this lady? Is NOT on our team."

Masque let Qrow speak uninterrupted.

The only signs that she didn't appreciate what he was saying was the slight twitching on her face.

Then she raised her shoulders and sighed.

"I didn't come here to fight. I came to help where and however I could."

She spread her feet apart. Her gloved hand tightened around Crescent's shaft.

"But there's something I didn't get to tell you last time we met."

She burst forward, a slight shove given to Yang in the process to knock her from the direct path of battle.

Scythe met scythe as Masque's hood fell back revealing the ragged and feral mess that lay behind it.

"I HATE that face.."

She reared back Crescent and went in for another swipe. It wasn't as easy as it would have been using both hands but Masque had spent most of her developing years without her right arm. Putting an arrogant asshole who looked like her dad in his place wasn't an opportunity she could afford to pass up just because she was down a measly arm.​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Masque let Qrow speak uninterrupted.

The only signs that she didn't appreciate what he was saying was the slight twitching on her face.

Then she raised her shoulders and sighed.

"I didn't come here to fight. I came to help where and however I could."

She spread her feet apart. Her gloved hand tightened around Crescent's shaft.

"But there's something I didn't get to tell you last time we met."

She burst forward, a slight shove given to Yang in the process to knock her from the direct path of battle.

Scythe met scythe as Masque's hood fell back revealing the ragged and feral mess that lay behind it.

"I HATE that face.."

She reared back Crescent and went in for another swipe. It wasn't as easy as it would have been using both hands but Masque had spent most of her developing years without her right arm. Putting an arrogant asshole who looked like her dad in his place wasn't an opportunity she could afford to pass up just because she was down a measly arm.

CLANG

Yang, ironically enough, had both Masque's shove and Qrow himself abruptly stepping backwards to bump her from the direct fray with his shoulder to contend with as Harbinger whirled around in his grip, mechanisms clicking and expanding as it spun back around into its miniaturized scythe form rather than full length or sword.



"Yeah?"

People seemed to be in the habit of underestimating this world's Ruby. Being an unstable, kind of pathetic mess didn't do her any favors on that front, but it still would've been a mistake to think she wasn't dangerous. Once you looked past the veneer of feral impulsiveness, the desperation and lack of discipline, she still swung Crescent Rose with the lethal efficiency of a world class killer. They were good moves.

There was just one problem, and it was one Masque found herself keenly aware of as his own scythe's blade trapped hers at an angle that left her without much leverage to pour on the offensive with. Of all this world's lousy, crappy, downright pernicious differences, one thing had remained the same.

He taught her those moves.

"Your mom sure seemed to like it."

He twirled on his back foot with far more grace than anyone remotely inebriated should've been able to invoke, balancing his weapon's haft on his elbows to swing it around his back and coming back around the other side with a stylish onslaught of blows that immediately put Ruby's one-armed stance on the defensive, like two relentless hurricanes battling in the moonlight.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Whoooooaaaaaakay, lets everyone calm down a bit? Same team here?" Yang harped with a sharp bite of worry to her voice as she gripped her uncle's shoulder with a slightly bemused frown. She gave (her) Ruby a wan, warm smile at her entrance, before she directed one that was far more thought out in its warmth towards Masque.

"Well, we're not exactly a fancy suit party here!"

Well.

"Ok actually our uncle's kind of wearing a suit and Penny's in a fancy dress and mister no mustache downstairs is also in dress clothes but its more a 'if you want to' kinda thing. I'm glad you're ok though! I was..."


"....worried." She finished quietly before she perked back up. "If you want to help though, well... We could use it! Right?" She said, jabbing a light elbow into Qrow's side. "Not like going up against the king, or, queen or whatever of darkness is the sorta fight we should be turning down help for, right?"

The smile was returned, but it didn't last very long with all the rest of the stuff that was said and went down. Whatever curious questions she might have had about the chess pieces and whatever was being discussed here went completely unasked.​

View attachment 841889

"Yang, stow it."

Qrow hadn't been lying when he said the years had made him a cynic. He liked to think he looked good for his age, but in all honesty with each refresh of the calendar his soul felt older and older, more tired than his body could ever hope to match. The fall of Beacon had kind of hit the gas pedal on that whole process, but it hadn't been without its upsides; getting to watch his nieces flourish into seasoned huntresses he'd want at his back for any mission in such a short timespan was one of the highlights of a life he—in the wake of certain revelations about Oz and the exact nature of the war he'd given his life to—was finding it increasingly harder to determine the purpose of. He wasn't blind. He knew they were so much more than the frightened kids he'd rescued from Grimm what felt like a lifetime ago. They didn't need his protection anymore.

With that in mind, it spoke to the precise nature of the feelings the sight of the Red Masque conjured in him that he was standing between them and her with the exact same shade of warding vigilance he faced down the Grimm with that day. An arm shot out to impede Yang's path when she tried to step up to a level with him, and the same motion saw Harbinger unsheathed and held aloft with gears gently turning and an unhesitating deftness that clarified just how much teeth he was willing to back his threat up with.

"You may not know what I know, but if you knew half the stuff I found out about her it'd turn your stomach. I know it must be getting real hard not to assume everyone else is wrong and you're right on every issue, always, but you need to listen to me this time. You need to let this one go. 'Cause you work this job a few years, you begin to understand people don't really change. Not people like her, at the least. They definitely don't do it overnight. If you think otherwise, then they're selling somethin' and you're the schmuck with the open wallet."

He grit his teeth in a scowl, and the fierceness that flashed in his scarlet eyes just then and the cold, unyielding sobriety settling over his tone revealed more than just a protective instinct. It was indicative of just how angry he was at a Ruby who could ever do the things this one had done, disgrace herself the way she had. How the trend of one crappy person ticking over into another in this world just had to trickle all the way down to these two, of all people, in his nieces. To the kids who inspired him to be a better man every day.

And how pissed off it made him that the pair whose watch it all happened on were both named Branwen.

"And this lady? Is NOT on our team."​

Masque let Qrow speak uninterrupted.

The only signs that she didn't appreciate what he was saying was the slight twitching on her face.

Then she raised her shoulders and sighed.

"I didn't come here to fight. I came to help where and however I could."

She spread her feet apart. Her gloved hand tightened around Crescent's shaft.

"But there's something I didn't get to tell you last time we met."

She burst forward, a slight shove given to Yang in the process to knock her from the direct path of battle.

Scythe met scythe as Masque's hood fell back revealing the ragged and feral mess that lay behind it.

"I HATE that face."

She reared back Crescent and went in for another swipe. It wasn't as easy as it would have been using both hands but Masque had spent most of her developing years without her right arm. Putting an arrogant asshole who looked like her dad in his place wasn't an opportunity she could afford to pass up just because she was down a measly arm.

"..." It wasn't like it was any great surprise that there was things about the past of a twisted, dark version of her that were terrible, but for Qrow to describe it with such disgust, to be so obviously angry standing there and looking at the Masque like that...it said a lot. She couldn't recall the last time her uncle had looked that pissed off about something. Her eyes flickered to her counterpart. Part of her thought knowing whatever it was Qrow knew would be necessary to know, so she would be operating with total clarity about the kind of person her villainous counterpart was here, but the rest? A much bigger part? She felt like she really really really REALLY didn't want to know. Not that there was much time to dwell on that.

Her eyes widened not just at the look of the Masque's face or her declaration of hate for her uncle's face, but the fact that she was attacking as well. She did feel very sorry for her doppelganger, there was no doubt about that. But that only went so far.​

CLANG

Yang, ironically enough, had both Masque's shove and Qrow himself abruptly stepping backwards to bump her from the direct fray with his shoulder to contend with as Harbinger whirled around in his grip, mechanisms clicking and expanding as it spun back around into its miniaturized scythe form rather than full length or sword.

View attachment 841972

"Yeah?"

People seemed to be in the habit of underestimating this world's Ruby. Being an unstable, kind of pathetic mess didn't do her any favors on that front, but it still would've been a mistake to think she wasn't dangerous. Once you looked past the veneer of feral impulsiveness, the desperation and lack of discipline, she still swung Crescent Rose with the lethal efficiency of a world class killer. They were good moves.

There was just one problem, and it was one Masque found herself keenly aware of as his own scythe's blade trapped hers at an angle that left her without much leverage to pour on the offensive with. Of all this world's lousy, crappy, downright pernicious differences, one thing had remained the same.

He taught her those moves.

"Your mom sure seemed to like it."

He twirled on his back foot with far more grace than anyone remotely inebriated should've been able to invoke, balancing his weapon's haft on his elbows to swing it around his back and coming back around the other side with a stylish onslaught of blows that immediately put Ruby's one-armed stance on the defensive, like two relentless hurricanes battling in the moonlight.​

Ruby didn't stay out of it and simply watch as Qrow went on the offensive. She may have not wanted a fight here and now, but that didn't change the fact that a her that had once thought attacking Beacon was the right thing to do was now threatening to hurt her uncle. In the moment, that made it pretty clear what to do here. Her own Crescent was drawn off her back. Qrow may not have needed any help, not with his opponent being down an arm and her having been trained by a version of him, but he had it anyway. When the assault forced the Masque's scythe back, Ruby stepped in with sudden speed, her Crescent's blade hooking against her double's and she pulled, intending to use that inherently weaker grip, any unbalancing from Qrow's assault and plain old bad luck to just wrench the weapon out of her feral grip and let it slide along the floor before it could be used any further. A boot planted upon the weapon if or when it worked, and she kept her sniper scythe at the ready just in case as she cleared her throat.

"Enough!" Ruby glared at her other self, any amount of sorry hidden behind her obvious irritation. "Yes, you're right, you didn't come here to fight. Because you don't want that fight. Trust me. Even if my uncle wasn't enough, even if you managed to hold out and even somehow got him on the ropes-" Her voice made it pretty obvious how slim she thought the chances of that were. "-there's a whole bunch of people really close by who would be all over you before you could act on any of your hatred. That's not a fight you want." Ruby bluntly pointed out. Her expression didn't change, but her voice did soften some as she waited.

"So please don't force it to happen. Stand down." ​

 

[MidwayLives]

There was just one problem, and it was one Masque found herself keenly aware of as his own scythe's blade trapped hers at an angle that left her without much leverage to pour on the offensive with. Of all this world's lousy, crappy, downright pernicious differences, one thing had remained the same.

He taught her those moves.

"Your mom sure seemed to like it."

"........."

Masque grit her teeth and snarled.
​

He twirled on his back foot with far more grace than anyone remotely inebriated should've been able to invoke, balancing his weapon's haft on his elbows to swing it around his back and coming back around the other side with a stylish onslaught of blows that immediately put Ruby's one-armed stance on the defensive, like two relentless hurricanes battling in the moonlight.

Masque swung Crescent to meet every single strike even as she was forced back.

No hints of wasted movement.

She couldn't afford any. It'd taken years of training and improving her upper body strength to be able to wield Crescent as effectively as she did-even while she was down an arm.- But whether it was snarling and biting at a literal werewolf or trying to fist fight her physically superior sister, Masque had gotten herself in fights that at the end of the day, she just couldn't win the way she wanted to: by acting like the animal she believed/wished herself to be. Oh how she wished she could just return to the woods and forget.

But that wasn't facing reality.

This was.

*BANG*

A shot from Crescent fired off to try and break off Qrow's seemingly endless barrage.

"I didn't get to talk to her...much...my mom." Masque muttered.

Her grip tightened on Crescent.

"But, even so, someone with your face....IS THE LAST PERSON I WANT TO HEAR TALK ABOUT HER!"

She went to try and go back on the offensive-
​

When the assault forced the Masque's scythe back, Ruby stepped in with sudden speed, her Crescent's blade hooking against her double's and she pulled, intending to use that weaker grip, that unbalancing from Qrow's assault and plain old bad luck to just wrench the weapon out of her feral grip and let it slide along the floor before it could be used any further. A boot planted upon the weapon if or when it work

She stomped her foot down and swung Crescent's blade downwards.

*SHUNK*

Metal met metal as Masque looked over at her counterpart, a shocked expression drawing over her face.

"Let go..."

Masque bared her teeth.

"I SAID LET GO!"

She moved to pull her Crescent free but at that moment Masque knew something for a certainty.

She despised her father's semblance.

Crescent clattered to the ground and Masque looked over at it, a mixture of a hurt and angered expression crawling across her features.
​

"Yes, you're right, you didn't come here to fight. Because you don't want that fight. Trust me. Even if my uncle wasn't enough, even if you managed to hold out and even somehow got him on the ropes-" Her voice made it pretty obvious how slim she thought the chances of that were. "-there's a whole bunch of people really close by who would be all over you before you could act on any of your hatred. That's not a fight you want." Ruby bluntly pointed out. Her expression didn't change, but her voice did soften some as she waited.

"I don't care."

Whether it be screaming her lungs out at Eve Taurus even when she was down an arm/bound to a pillar or pulling out the wires on her prosthetic with her teeth.

Masque didn't tend to care what the 'odds' looked like.
​

"So please don't force it to happen. Stand down."

"I came here....to help....and I'm being asked to stand down?"

She balled her hand up into a fist.

She'd fight everyone in this building if she had to. She didn't care one bit about that.

Sparing the briefest of glances over at Yang though, Masque relented.
​

"....worried." She finished quietly before she perked back up.

"..."

She didn't say anything.

The idea of surrendering just wasn't something that ever sat right with her.

Still, ...she couldn't bare to cause this Yang anymore grief.

She lowered her hand.​

 

[MyrtenRose]

Metal met metal as Masque looked over at her counterpart, a shocked expression drawing over her face.

"Let go..."

Masque bared her teeth.

"I SAID LET GO!"

She moved to pull her Crescent free but at that moment Masque knew something for a certainty.

She despised her father's semblance.

Crescent clattered to the ground and Masque looked over at it, a mixture of a hurt and angered expression crawling across her features.

As she had figured, the sounds of the battle, the gunshot, the noise of that scythe clattering to the ground...she could already hear the sounds of the footsteps in the background, some of the others once again rushing towards this very room. But Ruby wasn't really focused on them. No, her attention rested almost entirely upon her counterpart for now. It...stung to see her own face staring back at her and twisted up into such a wild, hateful snarl. It really did. That much briefly showed on her face before shifting into a more neutral look.​

"I don't care."

Whether it be screaming her lungs out at Eve Taurus even when she was down an arm/bound to a pillar or pulling out the wires on her prosthetic with her teeth.

Masque didn't tend to care what the 'odds' looked like.

"I came here....to help....and I'm being asked to stand down?" She balled her hand up into a fist. She'd fight everyone in this building if she had to. She didn't care one bit about that. Sparing the briefest of glances over at Yang though, Masque relented.

"..." She didn't say anything. The idea of surrendering just wasn't something that ever sat right with her. Still, ...she couldn't bare to cause this Yang anymore grief.

She lowered her hand.​

It wasn't pointing out how poor her chances in a fight that got Masque to stand down. As the angry woman herself commented, she didn't care in the slightest bit about that. She would have been just fine screaming and snarling and fighting with all of them no matter what. It wasn't Ruby asking Masque to not continue this that got her to stop, either. It was only a look at Yang that had Masque relent. A look that made Ruby feeling pretty uneasy and uncomfortable. Maybe the reasoning behind it was more...unselfish and good-hearted...but Ruby didn't feel real sure about that. Between how the Masque had acted here, the sheer rage that had been provoked in her uncle by what the woman had done in the past...and the pure burning hatred that existed between this world's Yang and the Masque, something that she had personally seen back in the office? There had to be a reason for her uncle's rage and the hate between two people who should never have hated each other at all. Whatever that reason was, Ruby didn't know. She could only currently guess, and what she imagined...

It only made that look the Masque directed at her Yang seem even more uncomfortable and concerning. Masque didn't seem to be motivated by doing good for the sake of doing good, or her own self-preservation, given how she would have fought everybody in this building without a care. No, it just had something to do with her sister. In the words of one pretty fun video game: That was sus.

But Ruby didn't know quite what to say about it, and could only stare at the Masque in apprehensive silence. That was about when Cinder and Nora rushed into the room ahead of anyone else that followed, both with their own weapons at the ready. "The heck is happening?" "What's going on now???" The pair asked practically simultaneously. Ruby didn't answer, still just watching her other self.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Yang watched the sudden explosion of violence with a completely distraught look, uncharacteristically frozen to the spot in indecision. She deflated in relief when both sides stood down, but it only lasted for a brief moment before shook both her hands in Masque's direction.

"Attacking my uncle just because he looks like your dad is not how you help. Okay? Just... everyone calm down."

She pressed a knuckle to her forehead as she closed her eyes with a frustrated intake of breath, before she pointed at Nora and Cinder without opening her eyes.

"Can you two stay with this Ruby while I talk with my uncle at this Ruby?" She asked, pointing at the masque and her sister in turn.

 

[MyrtenRose]

Yang watched the sudden explosion of violence with a completely distraught look, uncharacteristically frozen to the spot in indecision. She deflated in relief when both sides stood down, but it only lasted for a brief moment before shook both her hands in Masque's direction.

"Attacking my uncle just because he looks like your dad is not how you help. Okay? Just... everyone calm down."

She pressed a knuckle to her forehead as she closed her eyes with a frustrated intake of breath, before she pointed at Nora and Cinder without opening her eyes.

"Can you two stay with this Ruby while I talk with my uncle at this Ruby?" She asked, pointing at the masque and her sister in turn.

"Oh." "Oh."

Well that explained the gunshot and the fighting, but once the immediate concern was somewhat addressed and after her gaze flickered between all the people involved, that single golden eye settled on Masque. While Nora relaxed a little bit, Cinder did not. Her stare at the Masque was far from a pleasant one. Earlier, with all the chaos of everything that seemed to come so so often, and among the group...it did not seem the right time to bring up what she wanted to bring up. But things now were relatively peaceful, and there was the opportunity to get the scumbag alone now. Or well, almost completely alone. For half a second, the maiden glanced at Nora before looking back at Yang. "Yeah, yeah. Okay." Cinder agreed. Nora quickly followed after with a nod and a friendly salute.

"You got it, cap'n!"

Magnhild got slung onto her back and Nora reached out to grab the Masque by the collar. "Come on, creepy. Let's give them some space, huh?" The ginger bruiser commented as she dragged the woman out.

The teenage maiden took one last look at everyone in the room and nodded before she strode after. "Hey, we can take her to my room!" Cinder half suggested, half demanded. "Works for me." Nora shrugged. After the pair and their sorta but not really hostage stepped in there, Nora just more or less threw the Masque onto the bed. "So hey, I know you're faster than me, probably both of us, but don't try anything funny. You won't like what'll happen after, but I will." Nora grinned, mustering up most of her wild energy and pouring it into the borderline mad smile.

Cinder, for her part, only glared at the Masque for a tense several seconds. Only after did she open her mouth. "You." She spat with barely hidden disgust, irritation and perhaps even hatred. "Why are you still here, bothering us? Bothering me?! Why can't you just FUCK. OFF?!?!"

"Was trying to destroy Beacon and Vale not enough for you?! WHY did you even try to do that? You tried to destroy the one place I really thought of as home, and you think, what, your help would be welcomed with open arms because what, you lost one yourself? Thanks to you and the sort of people you stood beside, like Pyrrha douchebag Nikos, I lost one of my damn eyes! You may not have swung the blade yourself, but don't think for a second that makes you any less responsible. Yet here you are, after everything you've done! Who even knows how many skeletons are buried in your closet? I certainly don't. And yet you came crawling out of who knows where you ran off to, so you could stick with us like an annoying fly because, why? You think you deserve forgiveness? You think we need your help? Do you think we even WANT your help? HUH?! Maybe you should just use all your speed to run back to wherever you were in Vacuo before coming here!"

"...................."

Spoiler: Internal mood

 

[MidwayLives]

Magnhild got slung onto her back and Nora reached out to grab the Masque by the collar. "Come on, creepy. Let's give them some space, huh?" The ginger bruiser commented as she dragged the woman out.

The teenage maiden took one last look at everyone in the room and nodded before she strode after. "Hey, we can take her to my room!" Cinder half suggested, half demanded. "Works for me." Nora shrugged. After the pair and their sorta but not really hostage stepped in there, Nora just more or less threw the Masque onto the bed. "So hey, I know you're faster than me, probably both of us, but don't try anything funny. You won't like what'll happen after, but I will." Nora grinned, mustering up most of her wild energy and pouring it into the borderline mad smile.

Masque squirmed and snarled as Nora dragged her away.

Once she was thrown onto the bed, she bared her teeth and growled again.

"I don't need to run from you."
​

Cinder, for her part, only glared at the Masque for a tense several seconds. Only after did she open her mouth. "You." She spat with barely hidden disgust, irritation and perhaps even hatred. "Why are you still here, bothering us? Bothering me?! Why can't you just FUCK. OFF?!?!"

Masque seemed genuinely bewildered as Cinder started screaming at her.

She could barely restrain the cracks of a smile poking through.

"....Is it really that hard to believe that I just want to help? From the bottom of my heart?"
​

"Was trying to destroy Beacon and Vale not enough for you?! WHY did you even try to do that? You tried to destroy the one place I really thought of as home, and you think, what, your help would be welcomed with open arms because what, you lost one yourself? Thanks to you and the sort of people you stood beside, like Pyrrha douchebag Nikos, I lost one of my damn eyes! You may not have swung the blade yourself, but don't think for a second that makes you any less responsible. Yet here you are, after everything you've done! Who even knows how many skeletons are buried in your closet? I certainly don't. And yet you came crawling out of who knows where you ran off to, so you could stick with us like an annoying fly because, why? You think you deserve forgiveness? You think we need your help? Do you think we even WANT your help? HUH?! Maybe you should just use all your speed to run back to wherever you were in Vacuo before coming here!"

Masque sat up on the bed and propped her feet on the floor.

She looked Cinder in the face and tilted her head.

"I met the other you. I think it was the other you anyway."

Masque pondered aloud.

"She was older and she came to me when I was in jail. She gave me what i needed to get out."

Masque didn't take her eyes off Kid!Cinder

"....But you know what the weird thing is? She gave me the same look you're giving me now. You're both....so angry. I don't know why she was."

Masque scoffed.

"Guess the eye isn't the only thing you two have in common, huh?"
​

 

[MyrtenRose]

Masque squirmed and snarled as Nora dragged her away.

Once she was thrown onto the bed, she bared her teeth and growled again.

"I don't need to run from you."

‘Whatever you say’ is what Nora would have responded with but she was still too busy being silently taken aback by Cinder’s rage.​

Masque seemed genuinely bewildered as Cinder started screaming at her.

She could barely restrain the cracks of a smile poking through.

"....Is it really that hard to believe that I just want to help? From the bottom of my heart?"

“Yes.” Cinder answered bluntly and immediately.

She shook her head. “I mean, I haven’t even seen any actual repentance from you. For all I know this is just more bullshit, just like you were pretending with Pyrrha and the rest when you infiltrated our school. More playing us for fools. Like, hey, tell me something. Honestly. Do you know how many people died that night? Do you know any of their names?? Do you even fucking care???”​

Masque sat up on the bed and propped her feet on the floor.

She looked Cinder in the face and tilted her head.

"I met the other you. I think it was the other you anyway."

Masque pondered aloud.

"She was older and she came to me when I was in jail. She gave me what i needed to get out."

Masque didn't take her eyes off Kid!Cinder

"....But you know what the weird thing is? She gave me the same look you're giving me now. You're both....so angry. I don't know why she was."

Masque scoffed.

"Guess the eye isn't the only thing you two have in common, huh?"

“........”

“Don’t you fucking dare compare me t-to...You hardly freaking know me!”​

 

[MidwayLives]

She shook her head. “I mean, I haven’t even seen any actual repentance from you. For all I know this is just more bullshit, just like you were pretending with Pyrrha and the rest when you infiltrated our school. More playing us for fools. Like, hey, tell me something. Honestly. Do you know how many people died that night? Do you know any of their names?? Do you even fucking care???”

"At the time? No. I didn't."

Masque said it quietly and plainly as that.

"I thought what I was doing was right. That if I did this, it'd help usher in the plans Ozpin had for this world. A world I could live and be happy in. The students, the soldiers who died. All people who stood in the way of achieving that dream."

Her shoulders slumped.

"In the end it was a dozen dead bodies for nothing."
​

“Don’t you fucking dare compare me t-to...You hardly freaking know me!”

"I guess you're right."

Masque hummed a little bit.

"But...I'm just curious. What's going to stop you from turning out like the other you? You've got the power, that same vibe of anger gestating within you. You wouldn't need to listen to Ozpin or Salem. You could lead your own path." Masque rose to her feet. "You could live free and do what you wanted whenever you wanted. That's what I did before I met Ozpin. Lived out in the woods like an animal. I was happy then."

Even met someone she missed to this day.

"....But maybe I'm just wasting my breath. You're....you're just a kid."​

 

[MyrtenRose]

"At the time? No. I didn't."

Masque said it quietly and plainly as that.

"That's what I thought." Cinder growled, less than interested in hearing about the Masque's excuses or justifications.​

"I guess you're right."

Masque hummed a little bit.

"But...I'm just curious. What's going to stop you from turning out like the other you? You've got the power, that same vibe of anger gestating within you. You wouldn't need to listen to Ozpin or Salem. You could lead your own path." Masque rose to her feet. "You could live free and do what you wanted whenever you wanted. That's what I did before I met Ozpin. Lived out in the woods like an animal. I was happy then."

Even met someone she missed to this day.

"....But maybe I'm just wasting my breath. You're....you're just a kid."

"...S-SHUT UP! SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"

Those fierce snarled words were proof enough that what the Masque had just said had gotten to her, but they were soon joined by more proof. That being Cinder's fist, covered by blue fire, smashing into the woman's jaw. That single punch was all she managed to get before she was restrained by Nora who stepped in, but even in the bruiser's grip Cinder thrashed about. "Let me go! You heard what the bitch said! She deserves it! Let GO!" She yelled, using her semblance to burn the ginger a bit. That was sufficient to get Nora's grip weakened and the maiden forced her way free, lunging at Masque again, intent on tackling her to the floor. In truth, though she would probably not admit it out loud to anyone, that was a real fear Cinder carried. That she and her older, grimmified counterpart were not so different. They both had wild tempers, yes. More than that, she knew that the other Cinder was motivated by power, the need to get stronger...that burning desire to take the maiden power of anybody the monster could get her hands on. That same desire to get stronger was one that she herself had acted on back when...back at the camp all that time ago.

She regretted it more than words could ever convey but that didn't change that it had happened. That more than anything was what made those words sting so badly. And it was why she sounded more than a little distraught, desperate to believe her own words...

"I'm not like her, you hear me! I won't turn out anything like her and I won't be like you either!" ​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Yang watched the two drag masque off with an apprehensive but totally encouraging grin, giving the other Ruby a small wave before she disappeared around the corner.

She was sure that was gonna work out fine. Nora was there! She was basically an adult.

She let out a huff and crossed her arms, unable to keep her tone from being defensive right off the back as she glanced between Ruby and Qrow.

"...We can't just leave her here guys. You said it yourself; she's dangerous. Like, really dangerous if she can kick even half as much butt as my sister. and she's also obviously.... not well." She said with a glance to the side that she didn't return her eyes from as she continued.

"...Its not like with Blake or with Weiss. She's got issues. She needs help. If that means taking her with us, when she's clearly willing to throw down with team evil if I- if the dragon was willing to do what she did to her, then I think we should" she said firmly as she finally turned her glare back to Qrow

 

[Gus Gungus]

Yang watched the two drag masque off with an apprehensive but totally encouraging grin, giving the other Ruby a small wave before she disappeared around the corner.

She was sure that was gonna work out fine. Nora was there! She was basically an adult.

She let out a huff and crossed her arms, unable to keep her tone from being defensive right off the back as she glanced between Ruby and Qrow.

"...We can't just leave her here guys. You said it yourself; she's dangerous. Like, really dangerous if she can kick even half as much butt as my sister. and she's also obviously.... not well." She said with a glance to the side that she didn't return her eyes from as she continued.

"...Its not like with Blake or with Weiss. She's got issues. She needs help. If that means taking her with us, when she's clearly willing to throw down with team evil if I- if the dragon was willing to do what she did to her, then I think we should" she said firmly as she finally turned her glare back to Qrow

"Then send. Her. To jail?????" Qrow grunted with slow enunciation like it was the most obvious thing in the world, having exhausted his patience at some point during her say. "She has trust issues, she needs help blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda. We don't talk this way about Tyrian Callows or Hazel Reinhart or Cinder, Yang, back home. Can you imagine if we did? Can you imagine if everyone who ever fought Salem wore a great big bleeding heart on their sleeve then held it out at her little clubhouse members for a shake 'cause we just feel so bad about their crappy lives? Me and mosta the people I know'd be dead. The kingdoms would've fallen decades ago. C'mon, kid. Start thinking like a huntress here."

He stuck his hands in his pockets, posture slouched to one side.

"It's not about her problems or her tragic upbringing or how lonely she is or whatever else. It's her. We cannot trust her. You can't, and whatever threat she 'might' pose that you think you can handle, you're lowballing it. She's a maniac and a murderer who's hurt countless people without a second thought and, frankly, cards on the table here, I'd much rather you and Ruby spent as little time around her as possible. I'm supposed to be lookin' out for you two. If I don't think you can handle something, it needs saying. And you..."

He huffed, stress and weariness pinching his own brow long before his fingers did.

"...You can't handle this. Neither one of you can. Hell, I wouldn't trust some of the best and most experienced huntsmen I know to be able to deal with this crap. What, one semester at Beacon and a few months in bed and you're ready to run the gauntlet, Yang? Gonna work your way through Ozpin's crew, the worst of the worst, one by one, disarming everybody with hugs and card games?" He shook his head. "Nah. Like hell am I gonna watch you screw yourself over like that. If not physically, then emotionally, firecracker. You have no idea what you're up against on this one. You have no idea what sorta sicko you'd be reaching out to. We don't need the risk, and you don't need the lifelong mental trauma. Remind me again the part of this that's supposed to be a good idea????"​

 

[MyrtenRose]

“Yang, I...agree with Uncle Qrow.” It wasn’t the easiest thing to admit. Not because she didn’t have trust in him, she absolutely did. He was a beloved family member, and that wasn’t going to change. No, it was her conflicted feelings about...herself, technically. The other her. The Masque. There was sympathy there, and concern, and a lot of other things, but as much as she agreed that Masque needed help, she just...didn’t agree that keeping her here was the way to go about it.

“If we’re going to be fighting against Ozpin and the rest, I don’t think we should do it with her by our side. It is about trust, and I don’t...I’m not sure we should try to trust her. Not any more than we should with our Tyrian or our Hazel or our Cinder. She may say she wants to fight Ozpin now, but we don’t know for certain if that is true or what reasons she has for doing so if it is true. And yeah, we do have other people with us who’ve proven to be...less than trustworthy. They’ve made pretty awful decisions. But I don’t think any of them have ever called the monstrous grimm master a friend.” Ruby sighed.

“But the Masque did. For whatever reason, she considered him that. That might be changed now, but someone who once considered him that...” She shook her head. “I think she’d be more a problem than a help to us. She needs help, sure, but that doesn’t have to mean from us.”​

 

[MidwayLives]

"That's what I thought." Cinder growled, less than interested in hearing about the Masque's excuses or justifications.

Masque scoffed.

"Say what you want. Believe what you want, kid."
​

"...S-SHUT UP! SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"

Those fierce snarled words were proof enough that what the Masque had just said had gotten to her, but they were soon joined by more proof. That being Cinder's fist, covered by blue fire, smashing into the woman's jaw. That single punch was all she managed to get before she was restrained by Nora who stepped in, but even in the bruiser's grip Cinder thrashed about. "Let me go! You heard what the bitch said! She deserves it! Let GO!" She yelled, using her semblance to burn the ginger

The punch connected and Masque howled

In....laughter?

"Hahahahah!"

Her aura flared as embers licked at her cheek.

"There it is! There's that anger bubbling over!"
​

She regretted it more than words could ever convey but that didn't change that it had happened. That more than anything was what made those words sting so badly. And it was why she sounded more than a little distraught, desperate to believe her own words...

"I'm not like her, you hear me! I won't turn out anything like her and I won't be like you either!"

Masque didn't seem to resist as she was bowled over.

Instead she only raised her hand to grip Cinder's shoulder and lean in.

"Good."

Masque fell back to the floor.

"You wanna know what I heard just now? Behind the anger, the yelling?"

Masque's eyes widened and she held her arm off to the side.

"Conviction. You really do believe in what you're saying. Hang onto that for all it's worth!"

Masque vanished in a trail of rose petals and reared back up, flicking a thumb over where she'd been punched. A grin across her face.

"....Not a bad punch either."​