Fandom Distorted Mirror

[MidwayLives]

Was randomly brainstorming while at work and I'm not doing much else plot-wise so I figured I'd take a stab at it.

We used to do this for our PJJ RPs and it was a lot of fun back then!~

~~~

RWBY: Distorted Mirror

Developed by Arc Sys Works

Comes out on the PS5/Steam with crossplay planned at a later date.

Final boss depends on your choice at the end of your character's respective arcade playthrough. Defeat Ozpin and deal with him for good/handle that in whatever way your character reasonably could. Defeat Weiss and take the maiden power for yourself if that's something your character desires. Weiss becomes playable after defeating her for the first time in arcade mode though there are obvious differences from her boss mode. Playable Weiss basically plays like Weiss from Blazblue Cross Tag with certain inputs bringing out elemental attacks. Ozpin is unplayable except through hacking and if he defeats himself in arcade mode, the game will hardcrash requiring a reset.

Sub bosses for both:

The Red Masque (Sophisticated) for Weiss. This version of the Ruby that we the audience know as 'The Red Masque' has distinct quirks that separate her from the 'base' version of Masque!Ruby. Such as the addition of elemental projectile attacks due to the dust crystals that can be implemented with her artificial arm. This Ruby is primarily a grappler and will seek to use her projectiles to whittle away at your health with chip damage before moving in to start laying in blows. Whereas the base version of the Masque is primarily a ranged fighter who mixes in her own Crescent Rose with throwing knives that are limited to three for each round. This version of the Red Masque also has a temporary buff that negates chip damage but it's only activated depending on if her special meter is full when she's taken down at the end of a round and it gives her a sliver of health back.

Blake Belladonna for Ozpin. Nothing too complicated here/is identical to her base self.

~~~

Now, it's late and so I probably won't get to everyone that I play but I did want to point out some characters of mine that(heh)would be exclusive to the game as it stands(mostly due to being dead by the time the RP takes place/only having been thought of in relation to this idea)

Exclusive 1: 'Shark'

Appearance: Long black overcoat with tears and cuts in the fabric here and there. Red sneakers in conjunction with bright blue jeans. Grey fingerless gloves cover their hands as they slip them into their pockets. Slicked back blue hair is hidden under a shark themed-helmet which covers the majority of Shark's head and gives them the appearance of having a Great White's eyes(....pitch black....some say like a doll's eyes...)and a blue scarf hides away their lower face and row of razor sharp teeth. It also works to hide away the gills on the faunus's neck.

Bio: 'Shark' is something of a mystery to those outside of the Shadow Fang. To those inside the terrorist organization advocating as a protector of faunus right's, they're something of a mix between creepy and offputting. Similar common ground with their comrade Fox(who they happen to get along with greatly!) It's a view not helped by their outright terrifying semblance: Come and See: If one is caught within Shark's (rather impressive I might add) AOE, they can single out an individual and begin the process of mentally torturing them by reading through their memories like an open book. The target will start to feel as though they're hallucinating another copy of themselves continually dragging them down/calling them out on past mistakes/bullying them(when in reality it's a construct conjured up by Shark's semblance and one that the faunus is speaking through)and generally wearing them down over a period of time so that they might be willing to give up information once Shark makes their presence known/agrees to call off the semblance in exchange for pertinent information. But in whatever free time they find to occupy themselves with, Shark can also use it to egg a target on into potentially harming themselves or others. Something to keep in mind as far as the semblance's limitations are that while the victim might think it's all in their head, the 'hallucination' is all too real...which means it can be destroyed-and as a matter of fact destroying it is in the only means in which to reveal the construct to others-and the construct itself is limited solely to Shark's own manipulative wiles as making physical contact would give away the semblance's weakness.

Destroying the construct doesn't harm Shark in any way but they would need some time before making another one.

What I set out to do with this character is basically imagine them as the 'mirror character' of this hypothetical game(think Charade from Soul Calibur or Mokujin from Tekken)which ties into the somewhat powerful sub ability of being able to see a victim's memories(and in gameplay terms copy their moves unless they're being fought as themselves and not as whoever they're mirror fighting)but in writing terms, the semblance's strength is the victim's fears and how well Shark can play on them given whatever they have to work with.

Gameplay: As mentioned above, Shark was imagined as the 'copy character' of this game(though on that same note it's also possible to pick Shark as themselves and not as whoever their semblance is impersonating)and so whenever they're picked, they'll be an exact 1x1 copy of whomever their opponent is. Right down to the supers and all. But as Shark as an individual, they're very much a keep away character using their harpoon/shotgun esque weapon: Mindscape, and if a player isn't careful they can end up pinned down halfway across the screen by a particularly petty Shark player. Owing to the fact that Shark primarily dislikes close quarters(their semblance is meant to help persuade people to off themselves not draw them to engage in fist fights)one of their inputs lets them lay down mines(limited to a certain number per round)across the arena floor that'll increase in damage output depending on how many are activated at a time. A seasoned player could lay down some that are just close enough that when your opponent is thrown back by one, before they can recover, they're landing back first onto another one. If an opponent gets close enough, Shark has a command grab where they pull down their scarf and bite at the opponent's throat.

~~~

Entrances:

As mentioned before Shark can 'imitate' the other characters so I'll be doing some samples of mirror matches with other characters. When this happens, Shark copies the opponents' 'intro' animation(think along the lines of MK11 where the characters have different entrances into the match like Scorpion shooting out his spear in one or appearing in a geyser of flame) On their own Shark has a couple:

-Shark drags themselves out of a puddle and bares their teeth before pulling their scarf up.
-Shark reloads their harpoon and growls as they look at the opponent
-Light glistens off the 'eyes' on Shark's helmet as they hop into the spotlight.

~~~

Intros:

Shark has different intros depending on if you're playing them or as a 'copy' of whoever their opponent is. I'll be doing as many samples as I can think of! Apologies in advance if it seems like I'm mischaracterizing at all! Feel free to do your own 'mirror match' quotes! It's all in good fun!

Shark!BDE Yang vs BDE Yang

Shark!BDE Yang: We should forgive Ruby. She's suffered enough hasn't she?
BDE Yang: I. Would. Rather. DIE than ever forgive that bitch!
Shark!BDE Yang: Aren't we just torturing ourselves at this point?

Shark!BDE Yang: We've left a trail of bodies in our wake.
BDE Yang: Yeah, no shit. If you ask any of em they'll say they were satisfied~
Shark!BDE Yang: ....Not what I meant

Shark!BDE Yang: Forget Ozpin! We can do this on our own!
BDE Yang: I'm doing just fine, thanks.
Shark!BDE Yang: You'll come to regret it...

BDE Yang: Screw off or die
Shark!BDE Yang: Is that any way to talk to yourself?
BDE Yang: Hah! You WISH you were me!~

Shark vs BDE Yang

Shark: You've got quite the bodycount...
BDE Yang: Yeah? I'm damn proud of it
Shark: I wonder if your victims would feel the same...

Shark: Any chance you'd repent?
BDE Yang: About as much of a chance as you shutting your fucking hole
Shark: Hehehe, so that's a no, huh?

Shark: The master has said you're to die.
BDE Yang: That so, huh? They couldn't have someone less fugly?
Shark: I think I'll enjoy this more than I should...

Shark!Blake vs Blake

Shark!Blake: We have to stop.
Blake: No. Not until the job's done.
Shark!Blake: Is this what Eve would have wanted?

Shark!Blake: Let's kill Sienna and take the place for ourselves!
Blake: I would never think that.
Shark!Blake: C'mon Blake, admit it. The thought's crossed our mind.~

Blake: Dispel your semblance or die, imposter
Shark!Blake: Sure you're not just losing it?
Blake: I can't. Not yet.

Blake: Is that you, traitor(Canon Neo)
Shark!Blake: No, just your sins coming home to roost
Blake: I'm not afraid of what I've done.

Shark vs Blake

Shark: Why are you following me???

Blake: You're a loose end that needs tying up.

Shark: But...But I've never betrayed the Shadow Fang!

Shark: Care for a little introspection, Blake?~

Blake: Keep away from my thoughts.

Shark: Think of it as a bonding experience!

Blake: What do you want, Shark?

Shark: I think Ozpin's left a leash around your neck...

Blake: My loyalties have never been in question!


Shark!Masque vs Masque

Shark!Masque: We don't need Weiss!

Masque: She's the only one willing to give me a chance!

Shark!Masque: ...And a one way ticket to a padded room.

Shark!Masque: Feeling a little scared, Ruby?

Masque: Who ARE you???

Shark!Masque!: Me? Why I'm you, silly!~

Shark!Masque: Ozpin, Weiss, they're both just using you...

Masque: What other choice do I have?

Shark!Masque: I'm glad you asked....

Masque: I don't like your ugly face.

Shark!Masque: But this is your-

Masque: I know what I said.


Shark: You're covered in sin

Masque: I regret what I've done.

Shark: That doesn't help those who're dead, does it?

Shark: Come to pay your debts?

Masque: You have no right to judge me!

Shark: That doesn't sound like what an innocent person would say!

Shark: You ruined your own sister's life...

Masque: I said I was sorry....

Shark: Oh? Is that all?

Masque: Blake never liked me....

Shark: What is this...common ground?

Masque: You too?!

Shark!Weiss vs Weiss

Shark!Weiss: We're turning into father.

Weiss: That's a lie and you know it.

Shark!Weiss: Are you really trying to fool yourself, Weiss?

Shark!Weiss: We can't do this.

Weiss: I believe I can and that's enough.

Shark!Weiss: But how much longer can you drag this out?

Weiss: I don't much care for the reflection.

Shark!Weiss: Aw, what's wrong? Scared to look in the mirror?

Weiss: No, annoyed I'll have to shatter this one.

Shark vs Weiss

Shark: Your family's committed sins on a scale reserved for monsters

Weiss: All of you terrorists sound the same...

Shark: Maybe because it's the truth....

Shark: Do your sins weigh you down?

Weiss: Not after a stiff drink, no.

Shark: You won't be able to drink this away....

Weiss: Another killer sent on a fool's errand.

Shark: I'll bite out your throat, Schnee!

Weiss: Yes, yes, of course you will.

Weiss: Stay away from Ruby.

Shark: Aw, afraid I'll push her over the edge?

Weiss: Afraid she'll kill you before I can.


Shark!Hound vs Hound

Shark!Hound: Surely we gotta have some kinda weakness?

Hound: Nah, I'm as elite as they come.

Shark!Hound: You don't gotta boast to yourself, y'know....

Shark!Hound: Are we really THAT obnoxious?

Hound: Folks call it obnoxious, I call it confidence.

Shark!Hound: Whatever works I guess

Shark!Hound: Care to test yourself...against yourself?

Hound: No imitation is gonna beat the original, sorry.

Shark!Hound: I think you'd be surprised...

Hound: Get out of my head, Shark.

Shark!Hound: Maybe this is just a drug induced hallucination-

Hound: I'm straight edge dude.


Shark vs Hound

Shark: You have a bad habit of underestimating your enemies...

Hound: I'm the best, forget about the rest. Kinda the philosophy I live by and it's gotten me this far.

Shark: Careful or it'll lead you to your grave....

Shark: You made a mistake not killing that reporter...

Hound: That doofus in the costume??? Seriously???

Shark: You never know.....

Hound: You really want this fight?

Shark: Sienna thinks it'd improve our teamwork...

Hound: ....Yeah....sure....let's go with that.

Shark: What do you want from me, Hound?

Hound: Eh, I was in the area and smelled 'creep' and found you! Funny that, huh?

Shark: Just as classy as always....


Shark vs Shark

Shark: They say they're sick of us!

Shark: Flipping the you know what??

Shark: Grabbing the you know who??


Shark: Am I experiencing a psychotic break?

Shark: No, idiot. It's a mirror match.

Shark: Oh, fair enough!


Shark: Now, this sounds like fun~

Shark: A battle in our own subconscuious!

Shark: Trauma-inflicted beatdown let's go!


Shark: Feeling a little guilty?

Shark: Everything I've done I've done for the cause.

Shark: Keep telling yourself that!


Roman!Shark vs Roman

Shark!Roman You know I'm a thief in the other world...

Roman: ....And kinda dead, yeah?

Shark!Roman: Oh, I got eaten up like nobody's business.

Shark!Roman: How are we even here right now??

Roman: Guess I'm just really lucky.

Shark!Roman: Lucky enough to defy death?

Shark!Roman: Neo would never go out with us

Roman: That's...fine with me.

Shark!Roman: Is it? You don't sound so sure...

Roman: Neo, is that you?

Shark!Roman: Nah, just a symptom of your mind fading as you die

Roman: Oh good, thought I was going crazy.

Roman: Hey, could you do me a favor?

Shark!Roman: What did you have in mind?

Roman: Well, see there's this other Neo....

Shark vs Roman

Shark: The dead walk among us!

Roman: ...The hell you talking about, dude?

Shark: Oh, guess you haven't gotten there yet. Better not spoil it~

Shark: People underestimate both of us.

Roman: They sure do, fishguy.

Shark: That's fish PERSON, human!


~~~

ok! I think that's enough for now lol. I'll make another post handling the other' exclusive' character and a couple of my other PCs in a bit! I had a lot of fun!



​

 

[MidwayLives]

Continuing on the line in regards to Shark's intros:

Shark!Tyrian vs Tyrian

Shark!Tyrian: Murderer...

Tyrian: That's not true at al!

Shark!Tyrian: No? Then where's Ichabod, Tyrian?

Tyrian: I don't like the way you look

Shark!Tyrian: Afraid of looking yourself in the face?

Tyrian: Afraid of what I've become...

Shark vs Tyrian

Shark: So you're the faunus I've heard so much about...

Tyrian: ...And yet here you are picking a fight with me

Shark: I never said they were good things!~

Tyrian: You fight like a coward

Shark: I fight to win, who gives a damn how it's done?

Tyrian: I do!

Tyrian: You're leaving right now.

Shark: Oh? What'll happen if I don't?

Tyrian: Ever been stabbed before?

Shark!IiIa vs IIia

Shark!IIia: Eve's dead because of us...

IIia: That...That's not true! Weiss killed her!

Shark!IIia: But who got wrapped up in Eve's life, IIia??

Shark!IiIa:I know your secret~

IIia: What are you talking about...

Shark!Iia: IIia and Eve sitting a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!~

Shark vs IIia

IIia: People like you make me sick

Shark: (mock hurt) Aw! Do I offend??

IIia: No. You disgust.

IIia: My memories and thoughts weren't supposed to be read!

Shark: Too bad for you. My semblance lets me read you like a book

IIia: I'll leave you with a memory you won't forget...

Shark(mocking Eve's voice): 'Help me, IIia! Help me!'

IIia: You'll pay for that...

Shark: Hehehehe, more than she did?

Shark!Eve vs Eve

Shark!Eve: We don't deserve a chance at happiness

Eve: Don't you think I know that?

Shark!Eve: Let's drive the point home.

Shark!Eve:Blake...IIia....we just can't win

Eve: I have to believe Blake will change...

Shark!Eve: Oh, you poor thing


Shark vs Eve

Shark: Eve?? I thought you were-

Eve: Dead?

Shark: Well, yeah, kinda.

Shark: The master wants to test your commitment

Eve: Sienna couldn't have sent someone worth my time?

Shark: GRRRR!(animation plays the same but they snarl in lieu of actual dialogue)

Eve: I thought I smelled something rotten

Shark: Nice to meet you too, Bull

Eve: It's not nice seeing you at all.


Shark!Tiger vs Tiger

Shark!Tiger: Even with all our strength...

Tiger:....We're powerless.

Shark!Tiger: Exactly

Shark!Tiger: I think you need to see the bigger picture

Tiger: Doesn't matter. Only the cause does

Shark!Tiger: Such short term thinking...

Tiger: I don't appreciate impersonations

Shark!Tiger: Not even when they're trying to help you?~

Tiger: No.


Shark vs Tiger

Shark: You're awfully quiet, Tiger

Tiger: It's just how I am. That's all

Shark:I wonder if you're hiding something...

Shark: You're all muscles...but why does that make you part of us?

Tiger: Because I murdered the last Tiger

Shark: Point taken

Tiger: You talk too much

Shark: (mock gasp) Here I thought people enjoyed my witty repartee

Tiger: I don't. That's enough.


Shark vs Fox

Shark: Seeing you makes my day

Fox: I'm relieved my friend, why don't we have a little play?

Shark: Hhehehe, what's a little violence between friends?~

Fox: I've heard you've been misbehaving my dear friend...

Shark: Fox...whatever Sienna told you...it's not true!

Fox: I'd hope not, I'd hate for you to meet a most...undignified end.

Shark: I'd love to pick your brain

Fox: Care for a bit of fun in the rain?

Shark: Oh! I do so enjoy our conversations!~


Shark!Magenta vs Magenta

Magenta: Oh dear...

Shark!Magenta: Has the diagnois scared you stiff?

Magenta: No, just the nerve that you'd impersonate a doctor.

Magenta: This is an encounter you won't want.

Shark!Magenta: Oh, who better to dissect than yourself?

Magenta: Is this fighting or therapy?

Shark!Magenta: The doctor's in...

Magenta: ...And out.

Shark!MagentaOA...

Shark vs Magenta

Shark: Bootlicking sychophant

Magenta: ...Meets the homicidal terrorist.

Shark: Introductions over, let's fight.

Magenta: Care to tell me where Blake Belladonna is?

Shark: Now, why would I tell you that?

Magenta: Hm, maybe I'll have to make my threat a bit more explicit.

~~~


EXCLUSIVE CHARACTER 2: Ichabod Crane

Appearance: Ichabod is dressed in typical Atlesian military garb but with something of his own unique take on it. A black overcoat sits atop and hides the normally shining white jacket that lay underneath. Symbolic of the ashes of the faunus that Ichabod killed during his time in the war. He wears white gloves and has a rugged face with glasses that hide away his eyes(anime style I guess?)and brown steel toed boots laced up to the nines. His hair is a soft grey and his eyes are a bright blue. The silver cane he walks with has his beloved wife's name carved into it(a detail you'd really only be able to pick up on if you looked closely at the model)

Bio: 'Ichabod Crane' as far as the story goes was made out to be in the RP as Tyrian and Trifa's employer/father figure in a way. He took both of them in at a young age to spare them from having to suffer certain indignities as a faunus youth. Trifa left to pursue her own path and Tyrian was forced to leave the fighting ring behind him after a rigged match nearly cost him his life and lead to his biological parents discovering what he'd been sneaking away from home to get mixed up in. It was around that time that Tyrian was being shipped off to Beacon as a way to keep him out of trouble. While understandably disappointed that he couldn't stay, Ichabod helped Tyrian create his weapons and wished him well on his road to become a huntsman.

It was the last time Tyrian would ever see him.

Having created the fighting ring as a way of trying to help disadvantaged faunu-mostly as a way to try and pay some recompense for his role in the war/out of wanting to honor his late wife who was a cat faunus-Ichabod's input was slowly taken over by greedy executives who didn't so much care for the fighters in the same way that Ichabod did for Trifa and Tyrian but seeing them simply as pawns to be used to rake in lien. But regardless of how much stake they owned in the organization, Ichabod still had some say so and so a plan was devised among the other stockholders. Give the White Fang a tip and if Ichabod were to be killed in any attacks that may have happened?

Well, it'd just be a tragedy....

Unfournately, the White Fang did attack and took no prisoners. It was only through Ichabod's intervention that his bodyguards(rumored to be his own children)were able to escape but he was not so lucky. As far as anyone knows, Ichabod Crane died that day and his organization burned to the ground around his corpse. ....Though it's rumored among those who lived nearby where the incident occurred that they never actually found Ichabod's body...


Gameplay: I pictured Ichabod as a big 'keep-away' type of character who picks you off/whittles you down from a distance. His semblance 'Burn' allows him to increase the heat on his person/or in a small AOE around him to the point he can scald flesh/boil tongues/and melt walls. It's a semblance that left him as a key part of interrogating faunus soldiers who held crucial information. As far as that goes gameplay wise, Ichabod can primarily fend off close quarters strikes with his cane and give himself a temporary buff/force the opponent back by increasing the heat around him. He can also leave 'heated spots' on parts of the arena that'll cause chip damage if stepped upon.

As far as supers go btw I forgot to add one for Shark: I'll have to edit that but Ichabod's is this:

'The Burning!': Ichabod knocks to the opponent to their knees with a swipe from his cane and as the opponent is about to scream out due to the ground being visibily heated up, Ichabod cups a hand over thier mouth and motions for them to 'shush' as their screams become more and more agonizing as the heat increases more and more until we cut to their POV and it's just flames. The move ends with Ichabod stepping back and the opponent completely engulfed in flames. He grabs them by the neck and throws them back(the flames fade away unless ti's a KO blow)

~~~

Entrances:

-The sound of a flame sprouting is heard and the camera pans to a flame on the tip of Ichabod's finger as he lights a cigarette.
-The camera focuses on Ichabod's boots and cane as he walks forward.
-The sound of meat sizzling and smoke coming from Ichabod's person as he adjusts his collar and leans on his cane.

~~~

Intros

Ichabod vs Eve

Eve: ...You? But you're...

Ichabod: Dead? I suppose you'd be right, lass.

Eve: But then that means...

Ichabod: Such a misguided youth. Wasted in life and death

Eve: I don't need to hear anything from you, monster

Ichabod: Not even the truth?

Ichabod: Tyrian's been looking for you...

Eve: That kid? Did the humans let him off his leash?

Ichabod: Hm....I suggest you take that back, my dear.

Eve: This can't be happening...I...

Ichabod: You what, dear?

Eve: I thought I killed you....right?


Ichabod vs Blake

Ichabod: I don't believe I've ever met anyone so deluded

Blake: I suppose you didn't pay enough attention to your 'students' then

Ichabod: Heh, fair enough young one.

Ichabod: I think you've hurt enough people.

Blake: I'll be damned before a monster like you judges me!

Ichabod: We can do that...

Blake: You forced faunus to fight for your own amusement

Ichabod: It wasn't supposed to be that way...

Blake: Save your excuses, dead man.

Ichabod: They're calling for you on the other side.

Blake: They'll have to wait. I'm not through living yet.

Ichabod: I'm afraid they're not keen on waiting, lassie.


Ichabod vs Hound

Ichabod: I can appreciate your youthful vigor

Hound: Doesn't mean jack shit coming from a war crimi9nal but thanks?

Ichabod: ...But your attitude could use some work.

Hound: uh, aren't you supposed to be dead?

Ichabod: I was. I guess I got better.

Hound: Mind if I send you back six feet under?

Hound: Sorry, hell's that way, asshole.

Ichabod: Didn't your mother ever teach you to respect your elders?

Hound: She taugght me to put guys like you in their place.


Ichabod vs Tyrian

Tyrian: Old man! I...

Ichabod: I've missed you, Tyrian.

Tyrian: I never thought this would be happening...

Ichabod: Why did you do it, Tyrian?

Tyrian: Wha-What are you talking about, old man?

Ichabod: You promised that you wouldn't kill me.

Ichabod: Tyrian, how about a spar for old time's sake?

Tyrian: You're on, old man!(overjoyed smile)

Ichabod: Still as eager as ever, I see....

~~~

Tyrian/Masque up next!!​

 

[MyrtenRose]

Me next, do me next!

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

NEOPOLITAN
(the cool one)



Intros:

-Skips onto the stage and does a twirl that ends in a bow with Hush resting over her shoulders, her tongue sticking out.

-Strolls onto the stage with an illusionary double of her opponent looking miserable in a jester's outfit doing a sad dance, before she swats it out of existence with Hush, wearing a devious grin and a glint in her eye.

Moveset:

Neo's playstyle is all about head-games. Her damage and health are relatively low, but she has multiple moves that involve her and semblance copies of herself, with which being which changing depending on the move's input. Additionally, Neo gets invuln frames with dodge animations against any attacks that hit a clone first, allowing her some devious opportunities to change who's turn it is mid combo if used correctly.

Victory animation:

-Neo opens hush and strolls over to the fallen enemy, and with a swing of her feet flops down to sit on their back with a noticeable thud. If its a newblood1988 character, she pats them on the head (:|)

-

1 Bar special: Buenos Dias

Counter special. Neo turns away from the opponent and opens her parasol with a yawn. If hit during the animation, she shatters, and the real Neo appears to step out from behind an invisible wall behind the opponent with Hush already mid windup for a powerful baseball swing to the back cheeks. Always wallbounces when it connects.

2 Bar special: Waltz of Glass

A low dash that covers most of the screen, where Neo draws Hush' blade with a slash if and when she reaches the opponent. If unblocked, she disappears and reappears with a flurry of slashes, only to land on the other side of the opponent and give them a friendly pat on the shoulder that knocks them prone.

3 bar special (technically four): Big Game Huntress

Unique in that using this special requires using one bar of special beforehand to load a hyper-dense dust round into Hush with a stylish flourish, leaving Neo vulnerable for a moment. the special itself moves incredibly fast whenever its used after loading, Neo twirling into a kneeling fire position as the magnets light up along her parasol's haft before unleashing the payload. The results depend on the input used the first time; one shoots a fire round for massive damage if it connects, one shoots a dust round that explodes well before contact for a screen covering blizzard, and lightning shoots a unblockable beam of damage. Each type can only be used once per a match.

Astral Finish: Hush

Counter astral. Neo blows a kiss. If hit during the animation, not only does she shatter, but so does the background stage, leaving pure black. The enemy looks around in confusion, before a small hit animation plays against their head; the hit makes the black shatter back into the normal background, and reveals Neo with Hush planted against the enemy's forehead and the haft already lit up. She gives them a friendly smile and pulls the trigger, and the victory screen plays over the ensuing explosion.

Secret Astral Finish: Giving In

Only useable against certain characters. Neo slashes across the screen with a trail of pink petals trailing her strike. If it connects, the screen suddenly blacks out with the sound of stage lights turning off as the music stops, before a spotlight comes on over the enemy as they stagger back to their feet from the hit. There's a barely visible slash across the stage before their neck sprays blood with a screech of violins as the lights turn back off. More blood sprays can be see in the dark, picking up in speed with the violins to match, before the spotlight turns back on with a blood drenched Neo sitting on top of the fallen foe's back with Hush's blade planted in it, her eyes a lifeless grey. She slowly stands off and rigidly trudges in a trail of red off stage as the screen displays 'VICTORY?'

Special intros:

Roman:

-Neo practically drags Roman onto the stage while he complains about training again, her eyes alight with an utter and obvious joy at being able to practice with her most important person in her life.

-Roman is chased on screen and comes to a screeching halt at the stage's edge, with neo strolling on stage behind him with an annoyed look as she holds up a book clearly labelled 'Homework' that she taps a few times before tossing it to the side

BDE Yang/Bandit Qrow/Vernal:

Neo walks onto stage and her eyes widen in sudden recognition. With a flash the stage suddenly morphs into the fiery ruins of Haven academy with a shadowy form slumped onto the ground above a pool of blood. The illusionary stage shatters, One Thing overtakes other background music choices, and Neo's sprite doesn't smile for the rest of the match

Mercury:

Neo walks onto stage with a grand bow as "TEAM MTEN'S BEST FIGHTER" appears in giant neon letters complete with arrows pointing at her right above her, before she snickers as it shatters and she enters her ready stance.

Cinder:

Neo is looking away when Cinder enters the stage, and reacts with obvious shock as she approaches and jumps to the other stage edge, flourishing Hush with a guarded and hurt frown

Yang:

Yang's standing in the middle of the stage, when a sudden airhorn noise is played with an animation right next to her, followed immediately by an obvious censoring bleep as Yang jerks away as Neo's invisibility shatters with her giggling. Yang's terror immediately shifts to an angry grin with a flash of red eyes as she smashes her fists together with sparks of flame, and a look of immediate regret crosses Neo's face as she readies up.​

 

[MidwayLives]

^Since it's getting close to Christmas time and this post is primarily gonna be centered around villians thought the song would get a little chuckle out of you guys.

I didn't mention it earlier as I wasn't really sure what you'd 'get' from defeating Ozpin(since he'd be like the Shao Khan of the game)

But I really had a blast writing up Shark and Ichabod so I figure I'd try to think up SOMETHING

Also thanks to Schnee Corp Lawyer for the 'victory animation' idea! Something I hadn't even considered lol

Shark:

-Mounts opponent and chews on them out of view of the camera and then 'grabs' the camera and tilts it upward as their other hand rips off their scarf. Revealing their gruesome maw slathered in flesh and blood.
-Shark swings their harpoon around before thrusting it at the 'camerman'
-Shark looks from side to side before diving into a sudden puddle of water

Ichabod:

-Drops his cane and sits down to catch his breath
-Picks up the 'cameraman' by the neck and glares at them as sizzling is heard
-The arena bursts into flames as Ichabod turns and walks away

Tyrian:

-He lashes out with his tail before seemingly stabbing the camera
-He jabs in the air with his gauntlets before leaping at the camera with a crazed look
-He beats his chest and screams

Masque:

Similiar to Shark in that one victory animation has her disappearing thanks to her semblance before reappearing clinging to the 4th wall with her teeth bared.
-She presses her palm against the ground and yells as icicles rip through the floor in slow mo
-She twirls Crescent Rose and slams the scythe into the floor in slow motion.

Grey:
-He disappears in the fog conjured by 'Ghostly Whispers'
-He kneels down to help the opponent up
-He wraps his arm around the downed opponent to take a selfie with them

Tiger:
-Tiger turns her back to the opponent and folds her arms
-Tiger looks down at the opponent and the camera is cracked as she seemingly stomps on their head
-Tiger holds the opponent like she held Hound

Neo(the better one):
-She slips Hush's blade back into the parasol
-She quietly scoffs and turns on her heel to walk away
-She stands over the opponent with a mad look in her eye with Hush ready to be plunged downward

~~~

Shark VS Ozpin

Shark: I wonder what kind of skeletons you have in your closet...

Ozpin: Far more than a mortal like you could ever comprehend.

Shark: Oooh, I love a challenge!~

Shark: So many memories...I...

Ozpin: Feeling a little overwhelmed?

Shark: Thinking how best to take you down

Shark: I should be your envoy to the Shadow Fang, not Blake!

Ozpin: ...Who are you?

Shark: You're about to find out.

~~~

Shark's ending if they defeat Ozpin:

"I stood victorious over the broken body of the leader of the Grimm. Growing up, I'd seen Grimm all of kinds. Those that walked the lands, soared in the skies, and ravaged the depths of the sea that I loved with all my heart. Truth be told I never hated the creatures. It was always...interesting seeing them wander around and the destruction they left in their wake. Stability always giving way to anarchy has always intrigued me. But never in any of my years did I think I'd be standing with knuckles bloodied over the man...no...the thing responsible for the deaths and suffering of so many, faunus and human alike. Due to 'Come and See', I'm aware that this won't be the last time this creature draws breath. But sharks are always drawn to the slightest drop of blood and Ozpin? I'll never forget your scent..."

Shark's ending if they defeat Weiss:

"I'd done it! I'd done what no other faunus before me had done! I'd managed to take down Weiss Schnee-maiden powers and all! But I couldn't kill her. If I did that who knows where those powers of hers would go? I had to neutralize her in a way that she'd never be a nuisance to the faunus ever again. On that same note....I WAS feeling a bit hungry.~ Her spirit so broken by her continued failures and through the use of my semblance, I'd singelhandely stopped the Schnees from ever hurting another faunus again. But...as the victory had time to settle on me, I realized something. I was far too talented to simply lower myself to serving a master. Blake, Sienna, they'd soon feel the cold depths of the ocean as I take my place as rightful leader of the Shadow Fang! Hehehehehe!"

~~~~

Shark!Raven vs Raven(anyone):

Shark!Raven: We're a terrible mother no matter which world we're from...

Raven: I've acknowledged I've made mistakes.

Shark!Raven: But what are you doing to correct them?

Shark!Raven: Your daughters hate you, hate US!

Raven: I can't change that now...I can only move forward

Shark!Raven: Haven't you done enough?

Raven: You have two seconds to stop the impersonation

Shark!Raven: Or else what, huh?

Raven: One.

Shark vs Raven

Shark: Huntsman, huntress, you're all the same to me.

Raven: Stay out of my way, fish

Shark: Hehehe! Afraid of a little shark bite?

Raven: A disgusting power for a disgusting individual.

Shark: Careful. You keep complimenting me and I might end up liking you~

Raven: I'll give you a burial at sea

Shark: You should hear the things your daughter says about you...

Raven: I have a good idea

Shark: Oh, you haven't heard the worst!~

~~~

I already detailed Masque's playstyle in my initial post so I'll just tend to some of her intros for now.

Masque vs Weiss

Masque: This is just a training session so...no maiden powers, right?

Weiss: Ruby, what's the point of training if I handicap myself?

Masque: It's just that....I'm scared.

Masque: Ozpin says you're planning to betray us...

Weiss: He's as intuitive as always.

Masque: YOU'LL STAY OR YOU'LL DIE!

Weiss: You're making a mistake, Ruby...

Masque: He's my best friend....I can't abandon him.

Weiss: All he'll do is lead you to your grave.

Weiss: I'm proud of the progress you've made, Ruby.

Masque: Really???

Weiss: Now let's see if you can keep it up.

Ruby: It's not my fault he got in my way!

Weiss: I distinctly remember telling you 'NO. GROWLING.'!

Ruby: Grr...Sorry!!!


Masque vs BDE Yang

Masque: Why don't we put this past us, huh?

BDE Yang: Are you serious?!

Ruby: Sheesh...I said I was sorry.

Masque: I don't want to fight anymore.

BDE Yang: That's great! It'll make beating your ass easier!

Masque: You were supposed to say 'me either, sis...'

Masque: You could learn a lot from the other Yang.

BDE Yang: I'm NOTHING LIKE THAT BITCH!

Masque: You could be...if you tried.

BDE Yang: Ready to come back or am I gonna have to take you kicking and screaming?

Masque: Just try it you do nothing bitch

BDE Yang: Brutal beatdown it is then!

BDE Yang: I don't buy your pious bullshit. Not for one second.

Masque: I've changed, Yang. For the better...

BDE Yang: WHY DO YOU GET A CHANCE AND I DON'T?!


Masque vs Blake

Masque: You never gave me the time of day.

Blake: ....

Masque: THERE! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!

~~~

More to come....later.​

 

[MidwayLives]

Came up with a character idea since I was brainstorming/musing over the 'in-between' period of Masque/Ruby leaving the bandit camp/striking out as the Red Masque and joining Ozpin. If she ever shows up, neat! If the opportunity never really arises then that's just as fine too/I'd chalk this up to a thought experiment if nothing else.

Spoiler: unmasked

Name:

Amarillo de Niebla

Canon
OC!

Powers/Abilities:
Due to primarily having lived among nature her entire life, Niebla has managed to nearly completely synchronize the use of her semblance with her everyday life. 'Wendigo' is the name of the semblance and for every drop of blood she consumes, she gains a sudden increase in adrenaline. Consider it something of a performance enhancer similar to Tiger's 'Endurance' semblance only instead of conjuring up the purple smoke which in turn fuels Tiger's bulking up, Niebla doesn't change as drastically as her fellow faunus does. Think of it more akin to a sudden adrenaline boost. It also ties into why she primarily prefers taking a distant approach at first with traps and the like. The quicker you're incapacitated is the sooner you're likely to shed a drop or two of blood for her to drink up or at least it'll open you up for her to close the distance and come in to personally finish the job.

Weapon:

As many bandits and Grimm who've wandered too close to the territory she calls home have found out, Niebla has many tools at her disposal. Moving from tree to tree, she watches from vantage points high among the branches as unsuspecting victims in the wings trigger traps she's set up: ranging from the crippling like thick branches attached to tripwires that'll lash out and strike kneecaps or the fatal like spike pits masked over with dirt and leaves. On her person, she tends to carry an assortment of throwing knives to harass enemies from a distance. As far as close quarters go, she has two weapons she typically relies on.

One is a spear named 'The Horror' and another is a short knife called 'The Peace'

Not having been fortunate enough to become a great huntsress like some others, Niebla's weapons aren't as 'technical' as say Crescent Rose or Harbinger. They're relatively simple in design without anything too flashy with Niebla infusing her aura into them to give them a little bit of extra 'oomph' when fighting against any wandering Grimm or more... 'human' enemies.

Bio/Motivation(what makes them different from canon):

Whatever there is to be gleamed about Niebla's life is only what she's been willing to reveal to outsiders she's grown to trust(namely Ruby Rose/The Masque). Having lost her parents to a Grimm attack at a young age and after finding that people were unable or unwilling to help her due to her nature as a faunus(sharpened canines similar to that of a wolf)she decided to go out on her own and fend for herself. Venturing out into the woods, the girl soon found it was easier said than done to start a life lacking in the common necessities that humanity as a whole has generally taken for granted. Sleep wasn't a luxury that could be afforded on most nights as Grimm of all shapes and sizes had a tendency to lurk around. In the wild there were no windows to shut to keep out cold winds or a roof over head to protect from the onslaught of rain. You didn't know when your next meal would come if it ever did.

Regardless, at her core and despite the hardships she'd faced, Niebla was a survivor.

Making her own weapons-simplistic as they were-and fashioning some more fitting attire for herself, she began to try and deal with the hand she'd been given and live. Some nights it wasn't easy and there were many a night where she simply went hungry. But as days turned into weeks and weeks turned into days, she began to grow more experienced. Any unfortunate soul who happened to be in her crosshairs was stalked and robbed of any supplies that Niebla didn't deem as extraneous. Overtime she even became better at killing Grimm though there were still some she preferred to hide from rather than fight. After a while it was starting to feel as though her life, wild as it was, was becoming almost routine in a way.

....Until a young woman with a metal arm and a red scythe came into her life.

Having left behind her family's tribe in order to strike out on her own, Ruby Rose better known as the notorious 'Red Masque' was working on making a name for herself. Thievery, robbing, you name it. The world was her oyster as far as she was concerned. It was only a matter of time before these two would come to blows.

Funnily enough, had Niebla been up for a dialogue at the start, Ruby would have gladly accepted. She enjoyed making friends!

Unfortunately, their first encounter was anything but friendly. Nearly avoiding being skewered from behind by a row of wooden stakes, Ruby and Niebla engaged in what could only have been seen as something of a cat and mouse game. With each one seeing themselves as the cat and the other as the mouse of course. The skirmish lasted only a half hour but for the two involved it felt like a week had passed. With Niebla imitating various animalistic cries in an attempt to intimidate Ruby and the bandit using her semblance to dodge Niebla's carefully laid out traps, the fight wasn't decided until the distance been closed between the two. Punches were exchanged, stabs were had, and it was only after a couple of shots from Crescent Rose breaking Niebla's aura that it was over. Niebla had expected Ruby to finish her off...or simply eat her...given how she'd understood things to work since living out here.

Instead, Ruby offered her a hand in friendship. The fight had been a great big misunderstanding after all.

Although there wasn't much Niebla could offer in terms of hospitality given that she was always on the move, she tried to keep in touch with the bandit/future acolyte of darkness/defector from decadence as best as she could. Up until Ruby met a certain man who went by the name of Ozpin. Wanting to greet her friend on what had happened/the best friend she'd made, she found nothing but a bloodstained mask and Niebla nowhere to be seen.

To this day, Ruby's kept the mask.

But as for Niebla herself? Ruby wonders if she's still out there...and if she'll ever see her again.

Weaknesses:

As mentioned before compared to some of the more fanciful weapons that 'RWBY' as a franchise has to offer, Niebla's weapons aren't particularly standout worthy which could lead to trouble when dealing with weapons like Ember Celicia or Myrenstar or anything else of the sort. Also for her semblance to work she requires drinking blood which can be quite the task depending on what opponent she's fighting.​

 

[MidwayLives]

(I had this mulling over in my head all day at work and was debating how to do it: Make my own separate 'writing' thread here on RPNation or even just type it up in Google Docs and then drop a link to it here. But I decided against the latter as I didn't necessarily want dozens of people looking at the doc(exaggeration of course, I'm just weird like that!) So I thought I'd take a stab and try to do it here-similar to how we'd basically post OOC stuff(like the fighting game idea and more)on the pjj threads for each individual RP that we did.

A Red Masque one-shot

~~~



"For fuck's sake....YANG! RUBY!"

Having heard her name called from across camp, the self-proclaimed 'bandit princess', Ruby Rose looked up from the pile of rather expensive looking merch that she and her sister had managed to nab from another bandit in camp. Necklaces, rings, watches, really vain stuff like that. Most of the stuff was too big to fit right on the child's body but she didn't care! The whole reason she'd talked Yang into doing this was so the two of them could have fun! Sadly, it seemed as though the jig was up. "Oh no! He noticed his stuff was missing! I'm sorry, Yang! I should have done a better job covering our tracks!" Ruby whimpered as she clung to her older sister. Who for her part hadn't seem as overly indulged in the mischief that Ruby had managed to convince her to partake in. Yang being the taller of the two children meant she could reach higher drawers/dressers. Running a hand through her hair, Yang nodded. "...It's okay, Ruby. Maybe if we just give the stuff back, he won't be as mad-"

"THERE YOU TWO ARE! MY SHIT-YOU...YOU STOLE THIS FROM MY TENT DIDN'T YOU?!" The bandit that was accusing the two thieves was nobody important. Had a big enough mouth but knew in his gut that getting too rough with the boss's only kid probably wouldn't have ended well. Still didn't mean they could just get away with trying to rob him blind. Thieves stealing from thieves, what was next??? Grabbing one of the necklaces and pulling it off Ruby's neck, the bandit knelt down and roughly grasped Ruby's wrist. "Ruby, Ruby, Ruby! You know you're the Boss's kid and we all love you and all that. But you know stealing from the tribe ain't right. I mean what would we have left if we all just ransacked eachother's sleeping bag? So, I'm gonna do the right thing and ask this once: did you do this? Or did someone else ask you to do it?"

Ruby's eyes widened and her bottom lip trembled.

"Well...I...I.."

"Ruby. Don't lie to me. Your dad wouldn't like to know you're going around lying, would he?"

"No...No but I..."

"Ruby! Tell me the truth! Did YOU do this or did someone else get you to steal my stuff?!"

"I did it."

Both Ruby and the grownup holding her arm turned towards Yang as she spoke up. "I...I talked Ruby into going to your tent to take your stuff, sir. I'm really sorry." The man let go of Ruby and scoffed as he rustled Ruby's hair. "Knew it wasn't you. No...It was the little shitbag that doesn't even belong here. What? It's not enough that we let you live with us after Raven dumped you off? You gotta go and steal from us? Worst of all, you were too much of a pussy to do it yourself! You had to get your little sister mixed up in this!" Grabbing a handful of Yang's hair, her fellow bandit reared back his hand and smacked Yang straight across the face.

*SMACK!*

"You think this shit's real funny, huh? Huh?? Well who's laughing now?? You little bitch! You stay here, eat our food, don't do a damn thing but you'll send your own flesh and blood to steal from us!" The beating continued and Ruby's blank expression slowly turned into that of a smile.

~~~Flashback over~~~

Ruby crawled along the ground with Crescent Rose shifted to it's rifle form. It was starting to get cold out and there was no way way she was going to survive the cold without stockpiling on food first. Only issue was that the former bandit princess wasn't exactly living it up luxury after leaving her tribe behind. The woods had become her home. Which meant having to hunt down some of her meals. Hunting was something that Ruby was by no means a stranger to. Survival of the fittest and all that. She needed meat and if she wanted it? Some animal would need to be stalked and taken down.

Most of the time it wasn't much of a task for Ruby. Just something she made sure to get done at some point in each week. The more food to stockpile on, the better off she'd be. Something just wasn't right though. It wasn't the wind or nerves or anything like that. Her mind just couldn't focus. Instead, it just felt far more interested in drudging up memories from the past. Lining up a shot on a deer in the distance, Ruby huffed and tried to steady herself.

~~flashback~~



Yang had gotten done with the chores she'd been tasked with. Mostly given by whatever bandit was feeling particularly lazy on any given day. Or just any that wanted to mess with the dumb new kid. She'd never actually BE one of them so why not have a little fun fucking with her? Practically begging and pleading for Yang to look at the night sky with her, the two laid next to eachother and Ruby reached out to gently grasp Yang's hand. The reception she'd been expecting was more along the lines of Yang returning the embrace and the two basking in the other's presence as the moonlight's glow washed over them. Instead, Yang pulled her hand back. Whether it was out of instinct or on purpose, Ruby wasn't sure and truthfully, she didn't know if Yang knew either. Feeling more than a little bit hurt by the act, Ruby popped the most poignant question in her mind.

'Do you not love me, Yang?'

Yang had been subjected to beatings, humiliations, and anything that Ruby thought of for her to do. Love was...a strong word.

Ruby's eyes narrowed and the teen reached out to firmly grasp Yang's forearm. "Say it. Save you love me, Yang."

It was then that Yang finally spoke. "Ruby, I...I do-"

"Okay. You still need to say it."

"But you KNOW that I already-"

Ruby grabbed a handful of Yang's hair and pulled as hard as she could. In an attempt to try and drag Yang down to her knees. "I think I'm being really nice here, Yang. I don't like pulling your hair but you're not being kind at all! You won't even say I LOVE you! We're SISTERS, Yang! We're supposed to love eachother! We! *kiss* SHOULD *kiss* LOVE *kisssss* EACHOTHER!"

Yang squirmed and whimpered.

"SAY IT! SAY IT! SAY THAT YOU LOVE MEEEEEEEEEEE!" Ruby whined as she continued to pull on her sister's hair.

"Okay! Okay! I love you, I love you, Ruby!"

Ruby giggled and let go of Yang's hair. "See? That's all you had to say! I'm really sorry, Yang. I didn't mean to actually hurt you or anything.But sometimes it's just hard y'know? You've just gotta understand that love is something shared with people you care about and I care about you so much, Yang!"

~~~flashback over~~~

Ruby squirmed.

Something about that particular memory didn't sit right in her mind.

'What's this feeling in my chest? Do...I...Feel guilty about my time with Yang?' Ruby couldn't really understand why if that was the case. 'From the moment I first met Yang, I always seemed suspicious of her. She was just so nice to me. Up to that point nobody had ever been so nice without wanting something in return or being afraid of what would happen if they upset me. I didn't need to convince her to love me. She did so without question. So, why, why did I do the things I did? Was it out of a misguided sense to see if Yang was 'faking' her love for me? If she really desired to hurt me? Or maybe I just...wanted to do it? Who's to say?'

As Ruby's thoughts continued to wander, one thought in particular seemed determined to mess up her shot.

'Don't worry Yang, don't cry! It's only an arm! I've got another one! But now you can take care of me!! Hahaha!~'

A pain shot up through where her prosthetic was attached to her stump.

"Ugh!"

*BANG!*

The shot went wide and the deer fled further into the woods.

"...." Throwing Crescent Rose to the ground, Ruby watched the animal flee. Her stomach growled and she clutched at her waist. If she didn't catch the deer before the day was through, that'd be the third day in a row she'd gone without eating. The closest town would no doubt have food she could take without being seen thanks with her semblance. But if, fate forbid, she was caught she doubted she'd be treated particularly well. Just a starving masked young adult who smelled foul and armed with a most fierce looking weapon. But what had just happened?! Rubbing at the line where flesh met technology, Ruby sighed. Whenever she thought too much on her past, her stump always started to hurt like nobody's business.

It'd been like that ever since that grisly day.

Going to pick up her scythe from where she'd angrily tossed it, Ruby attached it to her back and reminisced a bit more.

'It was by this point that I could ask Yang for almost anything that I wanted. She knew what'd happen if she upset me. I'd make up a little white lie here or there and she'd be punished severely. If she didn't say she loved me and smooched me? Then I'd pull on her hair, push her, whatever came to mind. That day I'd wanted to go for a ride in my wagon. Maybe I was a bit too old for it but who cared? Yang pulled me around and around and I enjoyed the hell out of it. But at some point....I guess we'd gone too far and lost track of time. We could hear growling in the woods. I didn't think anything of it but I told Yang maybe we should go home. I didn't want her getting hurt. Who would do things with me then? Who would love me like she did?'

The pain in Ruby's stump intensified.

'Before we were clear of the woods, a Beowulf lunged out and knocked the two of us over. It stood over Yang with it's long gangly claws out, saliva dripping down it's teeth as it gnashed it's jaws at her. I pushed myself up after the wagon had fallen over on me and rushed forward. I was but just a child. Maybe a brave one, maybe a stupid one. All I was concerned about was keeping Yang safe. My eyes flashed and the Beowulf lunged...and I'd never forget the pain that followed. As the light began to fade, the Beowulf had been turned to stone but it'd managed to rip my arm clean off beforehand. I stood there as blood painted the grass red. Yang called out to me and I turned to face her with a big smile on my face.'

'I love you, Yang!'

'...Come to think of it. That was the last time I think Yang ever said it back....and meant it.'

The pain subsided as Ruby finally caught sight of the deer she'd lost. No more subtle tricks. Returning Crescent Rose to it's scythe form, Ruby spread her feet apart and stared down the animal through the bush. She'd get in close using her semblance and brain it with the tip of Crescent Rose. Then she could drag the rest back to the ramshackle 'home' she'd made out here and begin the process of skinning it and cooking it. With an animal this big she'd have meat for days! She parted some of the foliage with Crescent Rose's blade. She prepared to make her move when -

*SHUNK *



The deer fell over with a bad case of spear to head. It's legs gave out and it toppled onto it's side. Ruby's eyes narrowed behind the slits in her mask. What the hell had just happened?! She was the only one who was supposed to be living out here! Using her semblance to move over towards the corpse, she angrily moved to rip the spear free. As she approached though, she'd notice what appeared to be wires attached to the end of the spear. The wires twitched and bent as the spear was pulled free of the deer and moved back towards the trees. Coming from that same direction were a series of knives thrown Ruby's way.

Raising her prosthetic, Ruby deflected two of the knives. But as she went to move her arm again, she felt as though something were stuck. Looking at her forearm, she noticed one of the knives had gotten itself wedged in one of the joints on her arm. Which meant that whoever was attacking her was definitely no slouch. Dropping her scythe to the ground, Ruby moved to try and pull the knife free from her limb. Gears clicked and clacked and as Ruby continued to pull, she was unknowingly stepping further and further back to another trick by this unseen attacker. "...Gotcha!" She exclaimed as the knife was pulled free. By then, however, it was already too late.

Her aura warned her and Ruby yelped-

"Aaah!"

She'd activated a tripwire attached to a pully system that tightened a rope around Ruby's ankle and strung her upside down from a nearby tree. "Grrrr!!! Do you have any idea who you're messing with?! I'm a daughter of the leader of the Brawnen Tribe!" As Ruby went on about her less than illustrious pedigree, up in the trees, a figure clad in shadow by the leaves used the tip of their spear to nick their index finger causing a trail of blood to spill out. Lifting up their strange looking mask to let it drip into their mouth which housed rather wolf-like canines, they gulped it down without hesitation. A red glow appeared around their person and their biceps swelled a bit. Taking aim with their spear, they moved to hurl it right at their captive target.

This time as the spear cleared the treeline, Ruby sliced at the rope around her ankle. The knife cut clean through the material and Ruby fell flat on her back. With the spear only missing her by mere inches if not less. Embedding itself deep into the flesh of the tree, Ruby pushed herself up and looked around at the all encompassing forest. "Come out and fight me! You steal my dinner, attack me, string me up! You're just a coward! A big lame coward-" Something came bursting out of the trees and Ruby smirked. Raising her artificial arm, Ruby input a code on the hidden away keypard on her forearm and the palm of her hand began to light up. "Take this!" A blast engulfed the descending figure and set it ablaze. Ruby didn't like having to hurt or kill others without reason. But if they attacked her then all bets were off. Still, it seemed somewhat strange that her aura seemed almost nonexistant for someone so clearly skilled. As the figure hit the ground in a burning heap, Ruby strode closer and saw what the issue had been. It wasn't a person at all! it was a tightly bound wrapping of meat! "They'd waste perfectly good food just to trick me?! But...then where are they-"

That answer came in the form of a punch to Ruby's face that stumbled her. Before she could gather her barings, another punch came in. This time hitting her in the gut and fully turning the bandit princess to face her assailant who promptly moved to kick Ruby between the legs. Ruby cried out and fell back against a tree. "Ow! That's not fair you...you...bitch!" Getting a good look at her opponent, they looked relatively human-ish with a knife strapped to their waist and a small pouch(likely full of those stupid throwing knives)bundled there as well. Short brown hair flowed out behind a quite peculiar mask. Shifting up the mask to reveal their mouth, the attacker took a big chomp on their thumb, their canines dragging across it to leave a wide bloody gash which they then proceeded to lick.

"Ugh! That's disgusting!" Ruby said, clearly not a surveyor of anything improper or gross in anything her entire life.

"Urk!" Ruby croaked out as the mysterious attacker's muscles bulged and she elbowed Ruby against the tree. Leaves fell as Ruby was smashed over and over. But on what would have been the third slam, Ruby vanished using her semblance and could only watch in horror as the bark came flying off the tree and the figure seemed none the worse for wear. Aside from the bloody thumb of course. Pushing herself up to her feet with her aura shimmering, Ruby took off her mask and the hand on her prosthetic arm dropped onto the grass as a hidden blade extended from above where the wrist would be. "I don't know who...or what...you are...but I'll tell you this. You made a MISTAKE!" Bursting forward in a trail of rose petals, Ruby swung her blade to try and catch the masked fighter across the face with it. Only for steel to meet steel as they drew their knife and clashed it against Ruby's.

Sparks flew and it wasn't until Ruby lashed out with a kick to the stomach that the stalemate was broken. Running forward and not intending on letting this stranger get the better of her again, Ruby braved any throwing knives hurled her way. They pierced her leg and shoulder but she didn't care. Seeking to tackle her enemy to the ground, Ruby was quickly tossed off and the figure raised their knife to strike Ruby from the back. With her back facing the stranger who'd stolen her food and attacked her for seemingly no reason, Ruby put in the numbers and turned to blast her attacker point blank.

*VSSSSSSSHHHH*

"AGAHHHHHHH!!!!"

Was the first and only sound she'd heard the other person make the entire fight. They stood up on their own two feet as the beam bored into them. But eventually they gave way and the beam threw them through a nearby tree and left them rolling across the ground in a heap. Their mask falling by the wayside. As for the knife? When the beam died down and dimmed, Ruby noticed that the knife had been firmly wedged into the shoulder of her prosthetic. Not deep enough to break anything important but just enough to necessitate Ruby needing to remove the limb. A process she absolutely hated. Making her way over to where they'd fallen after she'd blasted them, they'd be found a few feet away, their aura dissipating and a burn mark on their shirt. In terms of apperance, they looked...just like a regular girl, probably not that much older than Ruby herself. Ruby stood over them.

She was still hungry.



Meat burned over the campfire that Ruby had made.

Sitting across from her was the weirdo who'd attacked her. Not bound up or anything(Ruby couldn't find any rope)

As they slowly started to come to, they could smell burning meat and immediately tried to jump up. In retaliation, that woman in the woods was cooking her alive! She had to get out of here! She had to-Oh. Looking blankly at Ruby taking a bite out of a chunk of meat she'd nabbed off the deer she'd been cooking, Ruby returned the stare. "What? You killed it, I beat you, so I get to cook it. That's only fair, right?" The stranger didn't seem to think so and quickly moved to grab her spear off the ground and point it threateningly at Ruby. "...Guess that wound doesn't hurt huh-"

"Ugh..." The spear dropped from their hands and they fell to a knee. "....Oooor it does. Guess it was just taking it's time." Noticing the strange woman trying to draw her own blood again, Ruby raised her prosthetic arm up. "Don't. I did some thinking and I'm betting that the reason you keep drinking your own blood is because it gives you some kinda boost. It's...your semblance or whatever. Well, if you want to stay here and breathing, you'll just sit right back down, okay?" The woman glared at Ruby, not knowing what she was talking about with words like semblance and the like. But that strange metal arm had left a burn mark on her stomach that still hadn't healed yet. "...Ok." They sat back down and grumbled.

"If you're looking for your mask and other stuff, it's behind the tree to your right. Didn't want to leave it right next to you....Incase y'know tried waking up and stabbing me to death or something." Ruby explained, seeming rather neutral to that scenario if anything. "Why?"

"Why what?" Ruby asked with another chomp of meat.

"Why not kill me?"

Ruby seemed confused by the question.

"Because we're gonna be friends."

"...What?"

Setting the meat down, Ruby began the long and painful process of removing her prosthetic from her stump. Certain things need to be flicked, unlatched, and no matter how methodical and gentle Ruby tried to be, there would always be sores from the metal digging into her flesh. Making a prosthetic with whatever scrap you could steal or scrounge up meant it didn't exactly meet up to safety standards most of the time. "I...Haven't always...lived out here in the woods. I used to live with a whole bunch of people. Too dysfunctional and wicked to exactly call a family I guess. I grew up and decided I wanted to do my own thing, unburdened by the shackles of others, so here I am. ...I guess even though you tried to kill me, I feel there's something connecting us."

"....We're nothing alike." The woman said and left it at that.

"...Okay. Want some food? I mean you're the one who caught it and everything."

That was all Ruby needed to say and the other woman dug in like she'd been starving.

After they'd finished the deer/Ruby saved some parts for later, Ruby worked to remove the knife from her prosthetic.

"So...What's your name?"

"Niebla. Amarillo de Niebla."

"I'm Ruby Rose. I'd say it's nice to meet you but..." She sheepishly chuckled. Niebla wasn't amused in the slightest.

"You're talking and treating me like we've been lifelong friends. I have no common ground with you and I would have killed you given the chance. Instead, you brought me to your camp, cooked me food, and are talking to me. It's pissing me off! What are you hoping to gain from this, human??"

"...Human? So you mean you're-"

"A faunus." Niebla snarled as she pulled back her gums to show off her canid-like fangs. "A wolf faunus. I've lived out here practically my whole life. I don't care to be your friend or anything like that." Getting up and rubbing at her wound, Niebla bared her teeth. "Next time won't go your way. My advice to you is this: kill me now or I'll kill you." Ruby's only response at first was to throw an oil soaked knife at Niebla's feet, having finally retrieved it from her arm. "I can't really say I understand all the issues you faunus face. I don't have the slightest clue how to improve things. But I don't like holding grudges. You tried to kill me, sure, but so what? If you and I can talk afterwards, what's to stop us from being friends? My camp is your camp. If you want to fight me? Then I'll just beat you again."

Wincing as she went about reattaching her arm, Ruby sighed.

"This forest is big enough for two people who're still finding their way."

The wolf rolled her eyes at the notion, a gesture hidden by her mask as she retrieved it.

"No. If I've learned anything growing up out here, it's that every day is a new challenge. You either adapt to meet it or you die. If you could barely beat me, then it's only a matter of time until a Grimm you can't handle roams through and kills you. That's the way of the woods. Go back home to your tribe. You'll live longer and suffer less." Niebla slung her spear over her shoulder and moved to head out. Ruby didn't stop her as she went, only exhaling in disappointment. What could have been the only friend she'd made out here had just walked away. As Ruby settled in for the night, she thought over the faunus's words.

....No. She could never go back home.

Whether it was guilt, a sickening sense of joy, or whatever else. That camp had become a stain that Ruby didn't care to ever revisit. Not if she could help it.

Her mood ruined, she turned over and fell asleep.

~~~


The encounter they'd shared wouldn't be the last.

Whether it was over food, resources, anything of that nature, Ruby and Niebla fought over it.

Their skirmishes usually ended with both sides bloodied but unable to secure a kill.

Ruby got a good chuckle out of it every time. Niebla just couldn't understand the way this human worked. It didn't seem to matter what got in her way, she'd always keep moving forward and find a way to survive, to cope, to deal with it. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't become somewhat fond of the fights they had. It was a great way to keep her skills sharp and her weapons even sharper. The only time they didn't fight were when they shared food at the other's respective camp or when they went to clean their clothes at one of the nearby rivers. Meeting Niebla there, Ruby gleefully made her way over. As they got the cleaning process started, Ruby decided to ask something that'd been bugging her for sometime.

"Niebla....Why did you decide to live out here?"

"Told you before, Rose. I've spent my whole life out here."

Ruby pulled her shirt up over her head and threw it to the ground. "Okay, but that doesn't answer the question! Where's your family...?"

"....Dead."

"....Oh...Oh, Niebla I didn't..."

Niebla held up a hand to signal for Ruby to be quiet and the bandit obliged.

"...My parents were good people. Probably too naïve, too optimistic. But they never complained about how humans treated us. 'Things will change in time' 'People will come to understand.' When we were shunned away from places, they never let it show that it bothered them. But I know that it did. One day while we were out taking a trip through these woods, we came across a Grimm and it..." Niebla's eyes closed. "...They were torn apart. Not even enough left to bury by the time the creature was done. I'd only managed to live because they caught his attention while I ran hoping they'd come join me. But they never did. When the Grimm finally wandered off, I went back and found what was left of them. With them gone, I didn't have any tethers holding me back to the world 'out there'. I've been living out here ever since. Surviving."

Ruby couldn't help but admire the struggles Niebla had gone through. The fact that she wasn't above dirty tactics in fights made so much more sense now. You couldn't play 'fair' out here in the wild. That kind of stuff would only get you killed. It's a lesson that Ruby still needed to work on. "What about you, Rose? You don't talk about your family much."

"...My family...? Well, most of em are a bunch of thugs. Just your run of the mill criminals who wouldn't survive if they hadn't been lucky enough to be born into the tribe. I have an aunt I barely see. My dad was-probably still is-in charge of the tribe. I'm sure he loved me....but he wasn't anything to write home about. All most people knew me as were 'the boss's kid' or 'hey ruby, what's your dad up to?' I'd usually say 'drinking, what else?' and get a couple of laughs, heh..." Ruby's face softened. "..Til my dad didn't think it was funny anymore." Soaking her shirt in the water, Ruby smiled as the fish scattered away. "....There was another girl I grew up with, she was kind of older, her name's Vernal. She was always pretty nice to me." Ruby's smile turned into something of a frown. "...Even if I could never tell if it was because of who my dad was or if we were genuinely friends."

"You mentioned a sister before, right?"

"...Yang. She's technically my cousin but my aunt dropped her off and never looked back. I...I wasn't the nicest to her. I bullied her, got her in trouble, did dangerous things that she got blamed for 'talking me into', whatever I could come up with. Part of me thinks I did it because I didn't trust how nice and kind she was. Another part thinks I did it because I had a crush on her."

"...On your cousin...er...sister?"

"I-It's wrong, I know. I know. Sometimes my mind doesn't work like I want."

Niebla shrugged. Wasn't really her place to judge on somebody else's life story.

"When I got old enough, I left camp and everyone there behind. I doubt I'll ever see em again and maybe that's for the best."

"Maybe."

Later on in the day, Ruby would have chalked it up to Niebla wanting to try and lighten the mood after all that depressing talk. Niebla for her part was just being honest. Leaning over and sniffing the bandit, Niebla recoiled. "Ugh, you smell absolutely wretched, Rose!" "W-What?!" Before Ruby could process the perceived insult or what Niebla was doing, she found herself tossed into the river's water head first. "BLAGH! Niebla?! What the HELL are you doing?!" Niebla hopped in after her, splashing Ruby in the process with cold water. "UGH!!! WHAT THE HELL?!" In that moment, the two simply enjoyed eachother's company. Being there for eachother when nobody else could be.

As the two gazed up at the sky, not unlike Ruby and Yang as kids, Niebla quipped.

"You know we both wear masks. But I was thinking on something. You wear red AND you wear a mask...."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"How about instead of Rose, you're...the 'Red Masque?'

"Niebla....I love it!"

The two shared a laugh and it felt as though as long as they were together? Nothing could stop them.

...At least not until a man by the name of Ozpin came into the Red Masque's life.

~~To be Continued~~​

 

[MidwayLives]

For the first time in her life, it'd felt as though Ruby had finally met someone she could be herself around. She didn't have to pretend to be anybody's precious little angel who could do no wrong or beg for help/whine until she was blue in the face that whatever problem she'd caused/likely talked Vernal or Yang into going along with had nothing to do with her. She just felt like a regular girl with no cares or worries. Food was plentiful with the two of them working together, any Grimm that passed by now and again could be dealt with, and truthfully? Ruby just enjoyed the company. Living on your own in a setting that could be unforgiving if you weren't prepared didn't exactly do wonders on your mood, even at the best of times.

It felt good to be with someone.

Sitting under the shade of a tree with Crescent Rose propped up against it's trunk, Ruby watched as Niebla went about her daily weapon inspection.

"You know, it's...interesting. Seeing weapons like yours."

Niebla paused for a second and chuckled. "You're impressed by a spear and knife? Doesn't yours turn into a gun?"

"O-Oh! I-I didn't mean anything by it, I just-"

"Masque. I get it. I was too young to really remember much of my life before I was stranded out here. I remember small stuff like what a bed is, a fireplace, blankets, etc. I've picked up bits and pieces from people who wander through here whether it's to explore or just them looking for a cheap thrill. Way I understand it a gun sounds a lot better than my weapons...But I made these with my own two hands from the wood of this forest. I don't need anything fancy like yours. I've gotten by just fine with these. If they break? Then I make new ones. If the blade grows dull? I sharpen it. Simple. But simple's good, it's fine, it's...pretty much home for me."

Ruby nodded.

"I...After I lost my arm..." She began while rubbing at the part of her prosthetic that hooked up onto her stump. Something she always did when the talk of her injury came up. Maybe it was a nervous tic or something. "I fashioned this arm using what I had lying around. I always had a knack for trying to do stuff like that. Putting small stuff together and seeing what clicked and what didn't. Helped a lot when I made Crescent Rose." Looking over her arm which looked rough by any estimate with wires exposed under the rusting paneling and a half-done coat of black paint, Ruby flexed her fingers. "It's not really much good. I have to take it off after a while...maybe two days is the max. Give my stump a little bit of time to heal from the metal digging into my skin. The fingers get stuck sometimes and if something gets in a joint, the whole arm freezes up until I can clear it. But it's helped keep me alive over the years so the complaints are worth it, I think."

Laying her spear down and pulling out her knife, Niebla went about looking over the blade. Seeing if it had any chip damage or looked worn out/dulled. "I wasn't sure at first and I'm still not really but that story of you losing your arm. The whole 'your eyes glowed' thing. You talked about it like it was normal....Is it? Can other people do that too?"

Ruby thought about it...and shrugged.

"I dunno. That's not me avoiding the question or anything...I just don't know. It's just something I've been able to do since I was young."

Niebla nodded back and continued working on her knife. Ruby would have been content to let the conversation fade into silence after that but then she remembered she hadn't shown Niebla something! Running over, Ruby raised her arm to show the underside of the prosthetic. "Almost forgot to show you this!" Carved into the arm was a small message Ruby had left. 'To my sister: I love you and I always will.' Or at least that's what it was meant to say, the 'writing' didn't look too great grammar-wise. Niebla just stared blankly. "...Niebla?"

"What?"

"...Did you see what I wrote?"

"...Masque. I don't know how to read..."

"....oh."

~~~



Niebla had finished up and the two were finally heading back to camp. A dreadful silence had fallen over the two after Niebla's sudden revelation back near the pond. "....I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Not much point in reading or writing when you're living out here..." Ruby admitted bashfully only for Niebla to sniffle. "Doesn't mean I never wanted to learn. Just never had anyone to teach me." The faunus looked down at the ground as the two walked side by side. "...It's like that for a lot of things." Feeling an overwhelming sense of sympathy and...guilt(but from what?)pouring over her, Ruby slowly reached out and placed a hand atop Niebla's left shoulder.

"...Would you like me to try and teach you how to read?"

"...You would?" Niebla's face shifted into a scowl. "...You're not mocking me, are you?"

"Nonono! I...Just don't like seeing you upset."

"Grrrr! I'm not upset! I'm not! Idiot! IDIOT!" Ruby stayed quiet and let Niebla call her every name she could think of until she'd gotten it out of her system. "....I'd like that a lot."

"Great! We can head into town later tonight!"

"...Town...?"

She could barely remember what her old home looked like...let alone a whole town...

As Niebla settled in to try and catch a quick nap before they headed out, Masque sat nearby to watch over her. One of them always stayed up while the other slept incase anyone else was around and tried stealing from them or if a bunch of Grimm-i.e too many for them to reasonably handle-came stomping through where they'd settled for the night. The latter was hopefully aided by the fact that the two tried to never sleep in the same spot twice. Every morning, they'd pack up what little they had and move to a different spot in the woods to try and throw any Grimm off their trail. It worked for the most part and Ruby had no complaints. But the feeling of guilt that'd panged her earlier still bugged her. Did it have anything to do with all those memories of Yang she'd experienced a while back?

In her heart even after all the years since she'd left home, Ruby still couldn't figure out 'why' she'd done what she did.

Was it in pursuit of a certain kind of sadistic joy? Or the erotic machinations of a twisted child? Or maybe she just never fully believed that anybody would be kind to her/love her unconditionally without there being some kind of reason for it. Yet she felt the guilt all the same. Looking down at Niebla's sleeping face, Ruby sighed. Maybe trying to help her would ease that feeling up even if just a bit. Time passed and Niebla awoke with Ruby sitting nearby, the mask having been removed from her face. "Great! You're awake! Now, when we go to town, there's this bookstore I think you'll love! It says it's got every book under the sun-"

"Why'd you take your mask off?"

"Huh? Oh! Right. Guess I just sorta never took it off all the way..." Ruby muttered, as she'd even only pushed her mask up just enough to eat/drink. She didn't even take it off when swimming in the river with Niebla. "Well, if we're going to town...I don't think people would like seeing a Grimm-styled mask, y'know?" Niebla nodded. Made sense to her. "...You should probably take your mask off too. We definitely don't want anyone mistaking you for a member of the White Fang."

"...White Fang?"

"Oh, they're um....well...they're faunus like you! But...they've done bad things. They say they're for faunus rights but..I can't really say if they're succeeding or not." Given that after losing her parents, a child like Niebla was just left to fend for herself in the hostile woods than find anyone willing to take her in, it didn't seem like they were doing all that great to Ruby, ignorant as she may have admittely been. Niebla had never heard of them before but the thought of a group of faunus fighting for their kind made her smile. Or it would have if it hadn't been for the whole 'bad things' statement. "I see..."

"...Yeah, so just leave the mask behind and we'll be in and out! If you take my hand, we'll get there even faster!"

In the midst of pulling her mask off, Niebla raised an eyebrow. "Faster? What do you mean-"

Ruby and Niebla disappeared as rose petals danced to the forest floor.

It took a bit but they'd arrived in the part of Vale where people didn't have to live off nature to survive. Actual buildings where people lived and took out mortgages to pay for! Stores where goods could be exchanged for lien! It was truthfully a bit hard for Niebla to cope with at first. Noticing her friend was starting to show signs of potentially hyperventailing, Ruby reached out and gently held onto her hand, running her index finger over the back of Niebla's hand. Noticing the gesture, Niebla took a deep breath and seemed to relax somewhat. "...Thanks." She whispered and Ruby merely smiled back as they walked together. Ignoring any stares directed their way, Ruby pushed open the door and held it open for Niebla. It seemed like the right thingto do! She'd seen a guy do it for a girl before and she laughed!

Niebla just wondered why Ruby was standing there holding the door open.

"...Niebla, you're supposed to walk in and say thanks..."

"Oh. Uh..." She walked on in. "Thanks."

Ruby sighed and let the door swing shut behind Niebla.

The owner of the shop noticed the two newcomers. One looked like she'd been run ragged with torn clothing and what appeared to be some kinda paint on her face? Weird. The other girl looked decent enough though the mechanical arm certainly caught his attention. Leaning over the counter and propping his elbows up, he began his spiel. "Hello! Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade where we have every book under the sun-" Ruby waved him off. "Thank you, yeah, we saw it on the sign outside."

"...okay *grumble*" Tukson returned back to doing whatever he'd been doing.

"Ooh! Here are some easy to read books, Niebla! 'A Farewell to Arms' and 'The Beast!' They sound really good-Oof!" The books fell to the floor which earned a resounding 'Hey!' from Tukson. "Sorry Mister I didn't-" Ruby was cut off mid-apology as the one she'd bumped into chuckled. "It's quite alright, my dear. Accidents happen all the time, huh?" Dressed in a simple longsleeved black shirt with matching jeans and a blue scarf wrapped around his mouth, the figure didn't seem at all bothered by Ruby's accidental bump. "If anything I should be the one apologizing." Kneeling down to pick up the books, the figure stood up and reached out to hold them towards Ruby to take. "Gee, you must be some kinda super reader, huh? Checking out two books today?"

"Oh, well actually...I'm trying to help my friend learn how to read." Ruby admitted in just a low enough tone that Niebla wouldn't pick up on. The stranger's eyes lit up almost as brightly as his slicked back blue hair. "That right?? Well, aren't you just a darling?" Reaching out to mess up Ruby's hair and make her giggle, the figure looked over his shoulder at what appeared to be two other guys in black suits and sunglasses. "Well, looks like I gotta get goin. Say, it was nice meeting you....?"

"Ruby! Ruby Rose!~"

"Right, right! Name's Dusk...but between you and me...?" Leaning in and jokingly cupping a hand near his mouth. "My friends call me Shark...or they would....if I had any! Hahahah!" The two shared a boisterous laugh together until one of the suited men coughed. "Right, right. Well, see ya around, kid. Hope your friend's learning goes well.~" With that 'Shark' moved to go rejoin the men. Ruby was close enough to hear that they didn't seem like friends of any kind.

'You waste our time by coming here and socializing with the locals.' 'Yeah, that isn't why The Boss kept only you alive, freakshow.'

"Relax. I got what we needed."

'Good. For you anyways.' One of the men threatened before bumping into Niebla on the way out. "Out of the way, kid." Unlike Shark who seemed to be putting up with the vitriol for whatever reason, Niebla didn't see a reason to and bit down on her lip with one of her fangs to draw blood. Noticing it, Ruby once more dropped the books-'please stop dropping the merchandise!'-and ran over to wipe at Niebla's lip with her sleeve before she could swallow any of it. "Stopitstopitstopit! Can't do that now, not here!" Niebla didn't seem to understand why going berserk out in public would onl end up being very very bad and shoved Ruby away. "They're not gonna get away with pushing me! Nobody does that, nobody!"

Realizing she was quickly losing control of the situation, Ruby grabbed the books under one arm and grabbed onto Niebla's arm with her other hand.

"Sorry!" She called to Tukson.

"Sorry for-"

The two were gone along with two of his books.

"Oh. For stealing from me. Okay."

~~~



Practically dragging her friend to a nearby alleyway(so as to avoid getting too close to 'Shark' and the men with him/avoiding the cops if Tukson called them), Ruby threw the books down and placed both hands on Niebla's shoulders. "Niebla, Niebla! You HAVE to calm down! This isn't like the woods! We can't act up here! They'll send people to hurt us if we do! I don't want to see you get hurt sos please, I'm asking you to just relax! They bumped into you, they were rude, but it's over now!"

Niebla growled and snarled and struggled against Ruby's grasp.

"Niebla. Please. Remember this isn't why we came here...We came so you could learn..."

That finally seemed to reach the faunus who took a couple of deep breaths. "...He's a faunus...When they were pushing him out the door...I saw gills on his neck. I don't like those men. I don't like them at all." Niebla huffed and it was clear she was on the verge of having an anger fueled meltdown if they didn't get away. "I know, I know. Let's...Let's just take these.." Ruby scooped up the books and gently held Niebla's hand. "Go back home, okay? We won't have to think about them anymore.." With that they were gone in another beautiful trail of rose petals scattering the cold concrete. It took some time and Ruby was tired from the back and forth but at least felt relieved she'd avoided what could have been a major catastrophe.

Niebla didn't feel any better.

Her entire chin was covered in dried blood and she was currently beating on a poor tree with her bare hands. Chunks of bark went flying with each respective blow. "Those men were bad! Bad! Bad!! BAD!!! GRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" The last blow tore a huge chunk out of the trunk and caught Rub'y attention. Although it wasn't a surprise to people like Weiss or Blake-before Masque left Ozpin's employ-how feral the girl could be, this was just another reason why she felt such a strong kinship with the wolf faunus. "...Niebla...If it'll make you feel any better...do you want to try reading?"

"Grrr...grrrr.....I....I do." The red glow around her person faded and she slumped against the tree. "...But Masque...no...Ruby...could you read it to me first? I think I remember my mom doing something like at one point...But I was so small it's all blurry now..." Ruby grabbed one of the books and smiled, relieved that her friend had finally calmed down. "I'd be glad to, Niebla.~" With that, Ruby went about reading and although she tried her best to hang on as night began to fall, Niebla fell asleep. Knowing that it was her turn to stand guard, Ruby was well within her rights to wake Niebla up. But after the mood her friend had just been in, Ruby didn't mind staying up a bit more. Closing the book and putting it with the rest of their supplies(food, makeshift medicine, etc), Ruby laid on her back and looked up at the sky.

'Who were those men? Why were they so rude....Who is Shark...?'

Eventually, morning came and Ruby was allowed to catch up on her sleep. When she came to, she saw a delightful sight. Niebla sitting with her legs crossed against the tree she'd punched the crap out of last night with a book in her lap. The look on her face showed she was certainly struggling but Ruby was glad to see her trying! "Niebla! I'm so proud of you-"

"Shutupshutup! Idiot!!! I'm trying to concreate!!"

"Concentrate! You mean concentrate-"

"GRRRRR!!!"



Chased away from the camp, Ruby took one of the books with her as she went. Give Niebla a little bit of time to cool off and she'd come back for breakfast. Looking down at the book, 'Farewll to Arms', Ruby frowned. Maybe it was a bit dumb to get this book. It was just a touch too advanced for a beginner like Niebla. On top of that maybe if Ruby brought it back and apologized then the two of them wouldn't have to possibly worry about the cops getting called on them whenever they wanted to go back to town. Making her way to the bookstore, Ruby noticed that the sign had been shifted to close. "Huh...? But they were open this time yesterday...Maybe he got sick..." Or maybe he was just feeling lazy and took the day off. Testing the door to see if it was locked or not, it...surprisingly wasn't.

That was pretty weird, right?

"...Huh. Um, mister bookstore guy? Are you here? I'm really really sorry about running off with your books the other day! I know it was wrong! I know it was really bad! But I brought-one-back! I know I took a second one but I can pay for it! Honest! I'd just need a bit of time to get the money!"

No response.

"Door's unlocked and no response..." Come to think of it, some of the books had been knocked to the floor. Maybe somebody rowdy had come in and the poor guy just decided to close up shop. Approaching the counter, Ruby let the book fall down upon with a loud thud. "Okay! I'm leaving the book here! ...Stay quiet if you're not here!" ....Okay! Well...if he wasn't here and the two of them were low(practically non-existent)on lien then maybe...Reaching over the counter to try and see if she could finagle the cash register with the blade in her arm, Ruby instead came face to face with a corpse. Riddled with bullet holes.

"Oh no..."

"Oh yeah."

Looking down in the puddle of blood pooling around Tukson's body, Ruby saw none other than another....her smiling back at her. Leaving the book and the body where they were, Ruby slowly turned around and came face to face with what looked like an exact doppelganger. "Hi...Ruby.~"

~~~To be Continued~~~​

 

[MidwayLives]

"Who ARE you?!" Ruby asked, immediately on edge at the sight of a dead body and now...what by all accounts appeared to be another her. The other Ruby looked from side to side before pointing to herself. "I mean....Kinda obvious isn't it, Ruby?" Balling her mechanical hand up into a fist, Ruby took a step forward and swung out nearly catching her doppelganger in the face. "Whoa, whoa!! I know we might be in shock but are you so loopy you'd actually try punching yourself???"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I mean-okay, okay. Ruby, me, listen listen. When people experience something that's absolutely traumatizing, they can experience a wide array of emotions. Fear, panic, shock and so on. When these feelings emerge your body reacts in different ways to try and cope with what you're currently struggling to comprehend and cope with. Aside from like whenever somebody would kick the bucket back at camp, we'd never seen anybody actually get murdered. Right?"

Ruby was quickly growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. Whether she was so far deep in shock that she was hallucinating another her, she couldn't exactly stop and verify. "I...I guess so. Butbutbut, who could have done this?! Why do this?! This guy was just a store owner!" Was the book industry more cutthroat than she'd originally thought. "Not exactly. Take another look, huh? I know it might be hard but if you're already so traumatized you're talking to yourself...why not go all the way?"

Ruby couldn't really argue with that kind of logic. Reluctantly turning back to peer over the counter, she took a closer look and saw what appeared to be claws poking out from under the guy's fingernails. Normal people didn't exactly walk around with claws which meant that the store owner had been a.... "Faunus..."

"Thaaaaaat's right. Now, maybe we're right, could have just been a random hit and run. But nothing looks out of place so clearly nothing was stolen. The paperwork he was looking is still sitting right there on his desk, hell, I think the ink hasn't even finished drying yet. So the kill probably in all likelihood wasn't for any monetary gain, small, large, or otherwise. Now...keeping in mind he's a faunus...what group do we know that's made up mostly of faunus?"

"....The White Fang. But...if he was a member then-"

"There's your answer right there: was. Maybe he decided to leave and turn over a new leaf. Kinda like us, huh? Heh. But somehow I doubt the White Fang would be so generous as to just let him go on his way. This looks like an execution. Blood for blood." The other Ruby paused and the 'real' one(as far as she knew anyway....if this was all just her going through shock)turned a little pale. That same feeling of guilt she'd been suffering with...for if not the past few days but months. It was popping up again at the worst possible time. Whoever this guy may have been or had been, if he was still keeping in touch with the White Fang at all or if she was just jumping to conclusions, she didn't know. But given how quick some of her peers back at camp were willing to 'pay' Yang back after Ruby pinned wrongdoings on her, the conclusion that somebody who had a beef with him or the White Fang in general went and took care of business. So to speak anyway.

"...Well...come to think of it...those guys that were the other day. Maybe-"

*knock knock*

Both of the Rubies looked towards the door. An older sounding voice-sounded as though it belonged to a man, probably mid-late fifties. "Mister Tukson? Is everything okay in there? We'd gotten a couple of noise complaints down at the station so figure I'd swing on by. Thought maybe a shelf fell over. If you need help getting it back up, I'd be more than happy to help!" The man called out but he didn't enter, likely unaware the door was unlocked. If Ruby wasn't panicking before, well, she definitely was now. "W-Who is that, what's he here for, what am I gonna do?? Oh no...oh nonono..." Before whenever things didn't seem like they were gonna go her way, she could always just...bully Yang to help her out or ask someone else to. But there wasn't anyone here but a corpse and...herself. Noticing how upset her counterpart was getting, the Ruby that was totally just a product of Ruby's currently emotionally shattered mind, reassured her.

"Hey, hey, shhh, shush. Don't be so loud. You heard what he said about complaints, right? Guy's probably a cop. If he walks in and sees us like this? Well, more like see YOU like this, I'm just a figment of your mental state." She freely admitted before continuing. "...But odds don't look good, Ruby. A stranger in this town with a scythe strapped to her back standing over a dead body? You'd probably be brought in for questioning...and before you know it, you're taking the rap for somebody else's crime."

"No!-"

The other Ruby wildly gestured once more for her to shush.

"Listen, we're gonna get through this okay. Just relax...Use your semblance to hide behind that bookshelf okay? Once the cop opens the door and walks in...we'll slip on out.

"But what about if I got caught on camera..???"

The other Ruby didn't answer. Just then the door started to creak open and the cop muttered aloud. "Huh? That's odd...Tukson usually always makes sure to lock the door when he's not here. Mister Tukson? Are you here?" Stepping into the store, the cop shut the door behind him. He didn't look like anything particularly special. Just a middle aged man with grey hair that poked out in tufts under his cap. With retirement on the horizon, he mostly kept to small house calls like this. Just check in and give a small warning here and there. Nothing too major for him at this point in his life. But...you didn't get to be a 20 year old veteran on the force without knowing when something felt off. The lights were off and Tukson was nowhere to be seen but the door had been left unlocked.

"...Mister Tukson?" The cop called out once more as he ventured further into the store. "Okay, he's gonna find the body, let's get out of here..." Ruby whispered as she looked towards the door and prepared to use her semblance to get out of here. She'd just have to worry about the whole camera thing later. Maybe they'd been damaged or something...if she got lucky. But the other Ruby didn't answer her. Instead having grabbed what appeared to be a rather hefty leatherbound encyclopedia off the shelf and slowly approached the cop from behind. Ruby couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was...was her hallucination actually physically holding something? If she was-logic figure that one out-why was she approaching the cop?! 'I thought the plan was to leave, let's go-"

The other Ruby didn't respond again. Standing right behind the cop, she raised the book.

Leaning over the counter, the cop's silver mustache nearly jumped off his face in horror. "What the hell?! Tukson!" The son of a bitch had been filled full of holes! Reaching for his scroll with one hand and going to grab his piece with the other, he began trying to speak into his scroll. "Officer Beige reporting in, we've got a-"

*THUMP*

Beige's scroll fell to the floor and his entire body shuddered.

"Hello? Hello? Beige? Beige are you there-"

The blow had stunned him and knocked his hat off. But as he turned to get a good look at whoever had just attacked him, he saw only Ruby cowering behind a shelf. "Freeze!" He coughed out as he raised his gun. "Put your hands up-"

*THUMP! THUMP!*"

The second strike caused him to drop the gun. The third strike caused his knees to give out.

*THUMP*

The fourth strike knocked him to the floor.

*THUMP THUMP*

The fifth strike caused his body to shake. The sixth-

"Stop it! Stop it!!" Ruby practically screamed as she watched with a growing sense of terror at seeing herself standing over the bloodied cop with an encyclopedia that looked-and indeed was-thick enough to cave in a skull. As blood dripped down the spine of the book and onto the back of the cop's shirt, the other Ruby let the book fall to the floor without a fuss. "You...You killed him! Why?! Why did you have to kill him?! Her eyes jumping from the cop downed on the floor to the other Ruby, the other her didn't seem at all perturbed by what had just happened. "...Ruby. What are you saying?"

"You're the one who killed him."

"W...What?"

"I mean...I guess we're just too farg one to realize it...but you were the one holding the book. There was just such a massive disconnect between what you did and the end result that your mind just...snapped. What turned out to be you bashing this guy's head in looked like somebody else doing it...Another you, maybe, but not YOU. 'My hands are clean! I didn't kill anybody' but...Ruby, the proof's right there..." Gesturing to the cop who let out a barely audible groan, 'Ruby' sighed. "Guess you were holding back a bit too much. Gotta finish the job, Ruby. Put the poor guy out of his misery." Ruby looked down at the poor man who was bleeding quite severely from blunt force trauma to the head. She wondered if he remembered who he was...what anything was....was he still self-aware? Taking small steps towards him, Ruby felt her breaths becoming more and more frequent. She fought with the best of em. Nobody pushed her around. While growing up with Yang, Ruby had made her sister's life a living hell.

...But actual cold-blooded murder?

The cop's tongue lulled out of his mouth, his hat having been knocked off to the side and his hair matted with bits of grey matter and blood. His eyes looked up to meet Ruby's who just couldn't meet his gaze. Would it have been more cruel to just let him pass on? It'd happen in a few moments surely. Or...should she cross the line that divided all men and take a life? Maybe everything going on was reality. She'd lost it after seeing Tukson's body and brained the cop without thinking about it. Was she really that emotionally/mentally weak? Had all her antics growing up among the tribe just been her way of coping with her innate fragility? Sniffling, she raised her prosthetic arm and closed the hand into a fist. "I'm...I'm so sorry..." She choked out between sobs.

*THUMP*

*thud*

The cop didn't move anymore or even twitch.

Now, there were two dead bodies and Ruby felt even worse. She'd crossed the ultimate line: she'd taken a life.

"You didn't have a choice-WE-didn't have a choice. He'd already seen your face. You would have been all over everybody's scroll feeds. It was either him or you and you know what they'd do to us in jail, Ruby? They'd lock us up and throw away the key. I doubt we'd ever even get parole. No...This was how it had to be. Us or them."

"....R-Right...*sob*"

"...But now, if they find this body? You'll be branded a cop killer...The police of Vale will hunt you down until they find you. Day, night, rain, snow. Doesn't matter. They'll find us, Ruby. They'll make us hurt. Which means..." She nudged the cop's body with her foot. "We've gotta make this disappear."

"What?? But how-"

"The river." The two said in unison.

Grabbing the legs of the cop, 'Ruby' gestured with her head towards Ruby's prosthetic.

"Grab the back of his suit. Use your metal hand. Won't leave any fingerprints that way. We gotta get out of here now...More are gonna show up after this guy didn't report back in." Not wanting to particularly look at the man she'd just murdered, Ruby weakly reached down and helped hoist the cop up by the back of his shirt. "Let's go.." With that the three vanished leaving Tukson's body alone with his books as the lights inside shined upon the encyclopedia which had it's corners caked in blood. Beside it was the blood stained cap that Officer Beige wore so proudly for all his years of service....

~~~



It'd taken a toll on Ruby's semblance to get all the way back to the outskirts of town but it was worth it.

The last thing Ruby needed right now was someone seeing her lugging a dead cop with a caved in skull around. Had Ruby been in not such a state of panic and not using her artificial arm(can't really feel anything through it)she might have noticed the weight distribution seemed equaled out. Almost as if there were actually two people holding it and not just one. ...But she couldn't piece together stuff like that right now. Dragging the cop through the woods, she made sure to ignore any animals that got in her way/seemed curious about the warm meat that Ruby was dragging around with her. On one hand, Ruby felt absolutely distraught. She'd not only given this man a savage death but now here she was pulling him along the ground amid the dirt and bugs like common trash.

"I'm sorry...so sorry...*sob*" She cried.

"Hey...don't be so hard on yourself, Ruby...Remember.."

"Us or them..."

They walked for what felt like an eternity until they reached the river. "Niebla must be off hunting. She's usually here by now..." Her not being here was probably for the best. How would she have explained any of this to her? 'Hi Niebla, I killed a man and experienced a psychotic break so bad I'm seeing and talking to another Ruby? What's that? I've gone completely insane? Well, you might be right!' Letting the body drop behind her, Ruby looked at the river, the waters crystal clear and full of life. ...Which made it feel all the worse that she was gonna dump a corpse in there. "...What do I do now?"

"Do what's right, send the body off, and forget. We've washed our hands of it."

"S-Shouldn't I say a couple of words-"

"What? 'Before I ship you off to eternal rest...oh wait...I don't know anything about you, cop I had to kill."

The other her was right. She was just trying to put this off. As tears started blurring her vision, she gripped onto the back of Beige's jacket and rolled him down into the riverbank. The water splashed over his cold pale face. As the river's water continued to flow, the two Rubies watched as Beige's body disappeared beneath the depths and flowed on down the way.

Once she was sure he was out of sight, Ruby fell to her knees and began to sob.

Mourning at the loss of an innocent life and more that'd fall to her in the years to come.

So deep was her sorrow, she hadn't noticed that the other Ruby had vanished...

~~~


It'd taken years for the downtrodden put-upon youth in Mistral to become the enigmatic figure known simply as 'The Boss' by all those who followed him.

Over the course of a decade, he'd managed to spread his influence across and through Mistral and it's people. Nothing went on or happened without him at least being aware of it. Such was the feeling of power. You either had it all or you had nothing. Nobody cared for the in between. But while in the future his reach would have been somewhat restricted to Mistral(after failed expeditions to Atlas continued to neglect to bare fruit)back in the day while he was still building up his criminal empire, the Bound Ashes had taken a trip or two to some of the other regions to try and 'spread the brand.' One such operation was offering protection to those who who may or may not have had ties to illicit activities involving faunus( fight clubs, drugs, prostitution, etc)

Which is where a man by the name of 'Dusk Dragmire' came into touch with the Bound Ashes and their Vale operations.

He didn't say what his business was or if 'Dusk Dragmire' was even his real name(he didn't carry any identification)But after a raid on a business suspected of trying to contact the White Fang in order to cut down the competition, he was left the only one alive and captured. Though, surprisingly enough, he didn't seem to mind his current condition too much. Sitting in a cell with just plain cuffs over his wrists, the man who'd identified himself as 'Shark' to Ruby the other day sat against the wall with a smile on his face. The thug assigned to watch over him didn't care for it much.

"You always wear that scarf. I've never seen you take it off...even to eat."

Shark paused his thoughts and chuckled.

"You know...they say a man's true character is defined by their actions, not by their appearance. Which is true in some manner of speaking, I'm sure. But you see I've never really subscribed to that kind of thinking. Somebody sees me walking down the street without my scarf on, they don't see a man like you or any of the dozens of others running around here. They see a monster, a blight put upon this earth. At first those kinds of thoughts hurt me. But then I took a good long look in the mirror and I realized something."

"...What's that?"

"They're right."

Thoroughly creeped out, the guard backed up his chair a bit from Shark's cell.

Only to bump right into another colleague who seemed a bit frazzled. His shirt wasn't buttoned up all the way, a coffee was in one hand, and his hair was a mess. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Aqua, the hell's going on with you man? You look like you've seen a ghost-"

"Where's Satin? I need to talk to him. Now!"

"H-He's giving a status report to The Boss...You'll have to wait to see him, Aqua. You know the Boss hates when his meetings are interrupted! But what the hell's the issue man?!"

"You know that storekeep guy we knocked off?" "Yeah?" "Well, apparently somebody went snooping around the place and offed a cop who came to investigate." The guard's eyes widened and he nearly fell out of his chair. The Bound Ashes liked to portray themselves as offering a helping hand to the community. Which meant that unless they outright refused to play ball, killing cops was a no-no. "Oh shitshitshit! Okay, okay, uhhh...give me a sip of that!" Grabbing the cup of coffee, the guard took a big swig. "Y-You go wait outside the meeting room for Satin and I'll uh...stand guard here!" Watching all the chaos starting to brew from within his cell, there was another reason why Shark always wore his scarf.

You could never see him smile.~

~~~



Satin Jeune was one of the few people in the organization that was allowed to have private meetings with the Boss. Always through an intermeditary of course. Whether it was the Boss's annoying right hand man: Aurora, or through a scroll call, or through a computer message. Satin was one of the Boss's Elite Guard and had been tasked with trying to keep things shipshape down in Vale. The group was taking a risk by trying to stretch their feelers all the way from Mistral to here but if it panned out? Then it would have been a gamble worth taking. But if it didn't? Then Satin would be the one who'd have to take the blame.

He supposed that was fair enough.

Not much is really known about Satin before he joined the gang. In the neighborhood where he grew up however, there were a series of murders and during the investigation Satin was looked at as one of the potential suspects. Whether or not he did it still remains unclear to this day but it was only due to the intervention of lawyers-on the Boss's tab-that saved Satin from a stint in jail. From that point on he worked hard to get to the current position he holds today. Closing the lid of his laptop once the Boss had signed off, Satin heard a loud rapping at his door. Pushing himself up from his seat, he made his way over to the door with something of a slouch.

Opening the door and stepping out whilst shutting it behind him, Satin looked down at one of his jittery subordinates. "Yeah?" Satin wasn't someone you could miss in a crowd. His semblance was extremely powerful: allowing him to manipulate blue flames. But due to not having much control over it as a youth it left his body horribly scarred and in monthly replacements of skin grafts here and there. Aqua didn't reply at first until Satin gave him a hard shove nearly causing the coffee to fall from his hands. "I said, yeah, idiot. What are you bothering me for?"

"O-Oh! S-Sorry Satin-sir! Sir...We looked over the camera footage from Tukson's store since we're still hacked into em and...well...It looks like somebody's sticking their nose in our business and making a mess out of things."

"Oh yeah? That right?"

"Y-Yes! They came into the store, saw the body, and.."

"Yeah? I'm listening."

"Killed a cop who came snooping around. Now the place is swarming with them. I know usually they tend to look the other way if it turns out the people we whack have got caughts with the White Fang but this is one of their own! If we don't do something it's gonna look like we whacked a cop, Satin! ....Sir."

Satin finally seemed to give something of a damn. "...Shit. Ugh, alright alright. Lemme sit down and show me the camera footage. Maybe it's one of those animal freaks trying to get the authorities to do a spin on us." Following in step with Aqua, Satin reached out to gently tap him on the shoulder. "By the by, uh...whatever your name is...."

"Y-Yes?"

"Don't call me sir."

"Got it..."

Arriving in the holding room which also happened to be where Shark was being kept, Satin look a seat and looked at the monitors set up at a desk in the center of the room. "I was just cycling through the footage to see if maybe anybody came by or how long it'd take for somebody to discover the body. When this kid comes walking in with a book...Dunno what she's saying but she peeks over the counter and sees the body, freaks out from the looks of it, and...starts talking to somebody. But I couldn't make out if it was somebody in one of the camera's blind spots or some kind of ear piece hidden beneath her hair maybe."

Satin clasped his hands together and propped his elbows on the desk. "Keep going."

"R-Right. We sped up the footage a bit and the girl hides behind a bookshelf. Cop walks in not too long after. Looks around and finds the body. But then that's where things get weird. The camera footage started to get fuzzy around here. The cop starts shaking like he's being hit, his hat falls off, and he falls to the ground. Girl comes back out, looks horrified, talks a bit more...and then presumably her and whoever she was with carry the body out and leave."

"..."

Satin looked at the last monitor which showed Ruby using her semblance to bolt out of the store.

"...None of the cameras were able to pick out whether or not someone else was there?" Not wanting to give Satin a 'wrong' answer, Aqua tried to readjust his hair and button up his suit. "W-Well...um...no. But we're sure that SOMEBODY else had to be there. Maybe it was some kind of invisible semblance or a telekinesis one?" As Aqua continued to talk, Satin looked over his shoulder at Shark's cell. "..Yeah." Getting up from his seat and standing face to face with the faunus, Satin folded his arms across his chest. "That footage on the monitor. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

"Me? Well, that'd be quite a feat wouldn't it? Killing a cop while I'm stuck in a cell. Do you think maybe I've got connections on the outside, hm?"

"No. But I think you've got a semblance that'd be perfect for something like this."

Satin couldn't see his mouth because of the scarf but by the way he saw the corners of Shark's face lift up, he knew the son of a bitch was smiling.

"Oh, my semblance is pretty useful. You guys have made it pretty clear it's the only reason why I'm still breathing. I managed to read through that shopkeeper's memories and deduce he used to be a member of the White Fang. Did you know that he was reading at an advanced level when he was only eight? It's simply remarkable isn't it?~" Shark chuckled. "...But I don't know if it's what you're looking for here, sorry. Guess you'll have quite the mess to explain to your boss, hm? Cops looking for the bastard...no, excuse me...bastards who killed one of their own after they've looked the other way on so many cases of the Ashes 'protecting' their clients. I wish you luck."

*vsssh*

Suddenly a blue flame appeared in the palm of Satin's left hand.

"Read in a book a couple years back. Can't remember the book or the exact details but...fish don't like the heat do they? No...It dries you guys out something fierce. You start struggling to breathe and then before you know it, you're gasping for air. Gasp, gasp, gasp. Clawing at nothing hoping you'll be able to make it back to the water. But you never do and you die an agonizing death."

If Shark was intimidated at all, it didn't seem to come out that way.

"I bet that cop felt the same way."

The flame grew brighter for a split second before Satin extinguished it and turned to walk away.

How was he gonna deal with this...? If the Boss found out that their plans in Mistral got screwed up over this while he was in charge...

"The river."

"...What? What'd you say?" Satin asked as he looked back at Shark.

"The river. I'm just saying that's likely where the body was dumped."

....Pausing for a moment or two and gesturing Aqua to pause the footage, Satin strode back to Shark's cell. "Go on."

"Weigh the body down and it'll sink. The fish and other wildlife will eat away it. If they don't finish before it starts decomposing then it'll eventually bloat and expel all kinds of noxious gases. Police dogs will be able to sniff it out in no time and that'll be bad news for you. Depending on how old the footage is, if you send a small team you might be able to fish it out of there before too many animals rip it apart. Maybe you'll find fingerprints or something. But wait too long and ooh, well, the Ashes might find themselves in a bit of trouble with the law...and your Boss wouldn't like the whole arrangement you've got going on here to be upset like that, would he?"

Satin paused...and looked over at Aqua.

"Go get Char and Blanche and get a small team together. Send em out to the woods and see if you can scrounge up the body. If we can get anything from it that'll help us identify our little friend in the footage is, we can try to salvage this before it gets out of hand." Aqua quickly nodded and ran so fast out of the room he nearly tripped over his own feet. Once it was just the two of them, Satin glared daggers at the captive faunus. "If it turns out that you're in anyway mixed up in all this. Whether it's from being in league with that kid or whoever else they've got with them and my men get ambushed down by that river? You won't need to worry about what the Boss thinks. You'll be history."

Shark simply smiled again.

"Only trying to help.~"

~~TO BE CONTINUED~~
​

 

[MidwayLives]

Although in the present age, the Hitman Team was facing one of the worst struggles since it's inception: two of it's members defeated by children and the rest openly considering fleeing from Mistral in general to try and escape the cruel hand of the Boss. Back in the day they were a force to be reckoned with and were often given the tasks to deal with threats that wouldn't just easily succumb to a simple drive by shooting or case of arson. Knowing that Shark likely had some kind of relation to the incident at hand, Satin also knew that he'd be the first to hear about and receive punishment accordingly if word of any trouble with the Vale police force got back to the Boss. Which meant sending out two of it's members to try and solve this mess before it got blown out of proportion/too big for Satin to handle.

Standing by the front entrance, Satin glanced over as Char and Blanche approached.

"Took you two long enough."

"Hey, is that anyway to talk to the guys who are gonna solve your little problem?" "Yeah, you hear that Char? Looks like being in charge ain't all it's cracked up to be, huh Satin?" The two chuckleheads teased but Satin wasn't in any mood to play and a trail of fire scorched the floor infront of them. "Jeez! Man, you can't take a fucking joke can ya??" Char barked only for Satin to flip him off. "Didn't call you two up here to have a laugh. I need whoever was in that footage captured. Don't care how you gotta do it. Just get it done."

"Find the kid in the hood with the scythe and bring em back here." "Sounds like a reasonable plan. I'll use 'Beyond the Years' and age em into a prune and drag em back." "...But hey, uh, Satin. What if they're too rowdy to bring back here? I mean we're the Hitman Team. Not the 'kidnap team'."

"Then just kill them. I don't care."

With that Satin shoved past Char to go back to whatever he'd been doing.

"Tch, prick." Char grumbled before Blanche patted him on the shoulder. "Eh, don't let him get to you, Char. He's got a lot riding on this gig. Rumor has it they would have given him the chair if the Boss's lawyers hadn't saved his ass." "The chair?" "Yeah, y'know. They'd do the whole..." Blanche ran a finger across his neck. "Huh. I didn't know we still did that...'

"Whatever! Let's just get a move on! I'm ready!" With that, Blanche and Char and a group of gangsters made their way out to the outskirts...

~~~



Ruby had sat by the riverside for a while after dumping Beige's body.

It was though a part of her didn't want to accept the reality of what'd happened. But she knew in her heart of hearts that this all too real. She'd killed a man, an innocent man who was likely only trying to do the right thing, and she'd taken his life from him and then dumped him in a river like garbage. The tears had stopped buy Ruby's heart didn't feel any less heavy. Forcing herself to stand up, Ruby gave one last look to the river. "I'm sorry." Then she moved to start walking away. She'd stopped seeing the other Ruby which meant that her mind must have finally settled on what had happened. Which absolutely left her feeling disgusted. How could she ever be in a place to just...accept this?

Unfournately, for the role that Ruby may have played in this, the weight of what she'd done would never leave.

The first life she'd ever taken.

Certainly not the last.

As she walked through the woods, it didn't even feel as though she knew exactly where she was walking to. During her state of shock the other Ruby had said they'd washed their hands of all this now. Which meant that they were in the clear. Nature would take care of the evidence and they wouldn't have to worry about a thing. But for however true it might have been what was Ruby supposed to do? Just go back to camp and pretend as though nothing had happened? It was clear as day on her face that she was disturbed by today's events. Could she even begin trying to explain what happened to Niebla? She was the only friend that Ruby had right now. She couldn't risk losing her.

With each step the distance between her and the camp seemed to grow longer and longer.

A cool wind blew through causing the branches to rattle and the leaves to fall.

"I know..." She said softly but the wind continued to pick up.

"I said I know! I'm selfish, okay?! I want things to go back to normal! I'm done with all of this! I'm done!" Slumping against a nearby tree, Ruby wrapped her arms around her waist. "I'm...*sob*"

The wind settled down as Ruby gave in to her emotions and began crying anew. She'd already been dealing with strange feelings regarding her past back in the tribe and this only compounded her worries. She felt cold, angry, upset, and this time? She didn't even have herself to talk to. Little did Ruby know however that as she sat there crying, someone was watching her from a distance.

~~~


Char and Blanche walked through the woods with a decently sized number of grunts walking in step behind them.

"Gotta admit, this place is kind of a drag." Blanche mused as he swatted away gnats from his face. "Why couldn't they have dumped this guy's body somewhere else? Like not somewhere were I'm half as liable to step in animal shit than find what we're looking for?" Char wasn't at all bothered. In fact he seemed hyped up for whatever may come their way.

Blanche didn't buy it for a second.

"Char, listen....You don't gotta act tough in front of me or whatever. The other guys and I respect you just fine. You know Violet's a bitch but that's-"

"Hey." Char stopped walking and turned to look Blanche in, well, the eye.

"C-Char?"

"You got some kind of issue with me, Blanche? I'm not trying to impress you or anyone else. Violet can call me a coward or whatever all she wants. I know what you guys say when I'm not in the room. 'Oh I'm not fit to be on the team' 'Only reason you're not dead is your semblance' well that's a load of horseshit. Abyss wouldn't have sent me out to fuckin Vale if she didn't think I could handle whatever Satin asked us to do. So, keep your concern to yourself. I know what I am and that's NOT being a coward." His mood thoroughly ruined for the time being, Char shoved his partner and kept on walking. Blanche could only sigh and rub the back of his head. "Wasn't trying to mock you man..."

"Whatever."

The group eventually reached the river and Char rolled up his sleeves. "Alright, going off what Aqua told us, it's only been around an hour or so since the cop got himself killed. Which means the body's probably still floating around somewhere. Roll up your sleeves and wade in and see if you can find it." Char ordered but Blanche took one look at the water and shook his head. "Yeeeah, I'm not going in there." "Oh yeah? What? Chicken?"

"Char. Please."

"Bawk bawk, Blanche."

Blanche grumbled something under his breath-likely a curse-and stepped into the river as well and the search started.

It didn't take too long before one of the grunts found what they were looking for. "He...eugh...He really smells, Blanche sir...Think the body's pretty waterlogged at this point." Blanche waved it off, glad to be able to get out of this ice cold water now that he was freezing and his pants were soaked. "Alright, good, good. Drag it out of here and I'll see if my scroll can detect the murderer's DNA or something. Then we can wrap all of this up and I can go home and change." Stepping back onto dry land and groaning as his pants up to his knees were soaked, Char stepped out and looked away from his partner. Blanche noticed-got offended-and did the same.

All while their subordinates couldn't care less about their pissing match and grunted as they dragged the body up from the depths and brought it to shore. Beige's skin was a light blue and water poured out of the wound on the back of his head. It also appeared from tears in his side that some of the fish in the river had already begun the process of devouring his remains. "Okay, now let's get this cleared up.." Reaching for his scroll, Blanche started to move towards the body.

*crick*

Looking over in the direction of the trees, the gangsters reached for their weapons, pistols for Blanche and the others and Char's trusty sword: Riot Breaker. Standing amid the trees appeared to be none other than the suspected murderer herself. A blank smile rested upon her face. Blanche didn't know why she'd shown up or what her intentions were but since they didn't have any idea of what this kid could do, Blanche didn't aim his pistol at her. "Hey kid. No need to start a fight or anything. We're just here on business. You, uh, mind answering a few questions?" He took a slight step forward. "If you don't want to then that's fine, I-"

"-I suggest you do as he says. You'll find we can be very fucking persuasive."

"Char!" Blanche growled. "Look, what my friend is trying to say, it'd really be in your best interest in talking to us. The group we're with? They're kind of a big deal and what you did...Well it's gonna really make us look bad if we don't clear it up. So, c'mon back to town with us, answer a couple of questions and we can all go home, huh?" Blanche suggested and 'Ruby' giggled before holding out her prosthetic hand which seemed to be holding something. Doing his best to squint and look, Blanche looked mildly surprised. "...It's a rock?"

'Ruby' nodded and pulling back her arm, she whipped the rock forward.

*CRACK*

One of Blanche and Char's subordinates went down as the rock pelted him right in the face, caving in his nose in the process. As he fell down, the guy's eyes widened and his nose bent every which way before settling on a 'totally ajar' look as he collapsed onto his back. Taking advantage of the brief window of surprise, 'Ruby' raced forward and threw another punch. This time punching hard enough to break the poor schmuck's neck as it was bent to a severely wrong angle after the blow. He crumpled to the ground and as Char and Blanche tried to regain control of the situation, Blanche shouted. "Fuck! Shoot her! Shoot the little bitch!!" She'd come right out of the gates and killed two of their men without so much as a second's hesitation!

The shots hit her but strangely enough...no aura shimmered and the bullets sounded like they were hitting something solid rather than say...soft flesh.

Closing the distance with a couple of the Ashes, 'Ruby' lashed out with her bare hands, caving in skulls, breaking bones.

Blanche and Char were at something of a loss.

"Char, she's butcherin us!"

"I know, I know! I...Do you think this is some kinda semblance??"

"A semblance that lets you shrug off bullets..? Char, I didn't even see her aura shimmer..."

Grabbing onto Riot Breaker's hilt, Char pulled it free. He wasn't sure if this was some kind of freaky semblance or what but he didn't need the Null Zone for this. Blanche, Violet, all of em were wrong. He wasn't a goddamn coward. Dragging the blade's tip across the ground, he swung it upward to try and catch 'Ruby' across the chest, the blade humming with the chirping of electricity coursing along it's blade. "Take this!" Char's face quickly shifted from one that seemed assured victory was obtainable to one of horror as 'Ruby' grabbed Riot Breaker by the blade and seemed none the worse for wear. That same blank smile upon her face.

"Char! Activate the Null Zone!"

"I...I can't...ugh...She...She won't let go of my blade!"

What the hell was this kid?! He couldn't even budge the blade an inch! By all accounts one would reasonably assume that Char would have had the advantage against someone of the Masque's frame. But as his muscles bulged and he pulled and pulled, the blade was still firmly in her grasp. "This thing is pumping at least 20 volts and she's not even budging!" At something of a loss and on the verge of freaking out(as he usually tended to on missions when things didn't go his way)he moved to punch 'Ruby' in the face. Keeping one hand around the blade of Riot Breaker, she used the other to grab and stop Char's incoming fist...and bend it back.

"AAAAAH!"

"Char!" Blanche wasn't even in a good position to help. Char was in the way for his shots to be of much use...and this girl...or monster more like it was enduring the voltage from his sword like it was nothing more than a tickle. Rushing to the side of 'Ruby', Blanche called out to her to try and get her attention. "Hey! Over here, kid!" 'Ruby didn't pay him any mind and went to trying to choke Char out.

*BANG BANG BANG*

The shots hit 'Ruby' in the side but it didn't deter her one bit.

"...Damn it! What the hell are you?!" Thrusting his arm forward, a trail of mist shot out and overtook 'Ruby' who finally released her grip on Char and dropped him to the ground. Grabbing his sword from where it'd fallen, Char scrambled away to try and put some distance between the two of them. "*cough* *cough* Thanks...Blanche...I owe you one..." Blanche was grateful for his partner being safe but as 'Ruby' was shrouded in the mist conjured up by Blanche's semblance, he went through the process of reloading his pistol. "Don't thank me just yet..."

The mist floated around 'Ruby's person before suddenly she burst from the mist, not looking as though she'd aged at all, and racing off deeper into the woods with a grin on her face. Dissipating what remained of his mist, Blanche stomped his foot. "Fuck! If bullets don't work and my semblance doesn't do a thing to her, I don't know what we're gonna do. This has to be the work of a semblance which means...' Making his way over to where Char still sounded like he was hacking up a lung, Blanche holstered his pistol and grabbed his partner by the collar of his shirt. "I go easy on you because I'm an easygoin kinda guy, Char. It's how I've always lived my life. Babes, booze, drugs, that's what it's all about to me. I'm not trying to be the world's best killer, that shit's secondary to the life of pleasures I wanna indulge myself in. You can tell me til you're blue in the face about how much of a coward you aren't but the fact is that you choked and you got a dozen good men killed because of it. You're one of the best guys I know, everyone on the Hitman Team? We're like family, man! But this is the only warning I'm gonna give you. You're not out here by yourself with a chip on your shoulder and something to prove. You're here as part of the Familia. Our lives aren't forfeit to your ego. Got it?"

"...Got it."

"Good." Blanche let Char go and headed back to where their men were recovering from the onslaught they'd just endured. Many were dead, their skulls smashed, their necks broken, others had bled out as a result of internal bleeding and so on. The ones who remained were understandably afraid at what they were facing and what kind of mess they'd gotten themselves into. 'Is it some kinda freaky faunus?' 'Did you see the way it was tanking those shots? That's no man, woman, or animal. That's a monster.' and so on. Blanche didn't have time for that kinda nonsense. He had dates planned and time to kill that wasn't going to be wasted dillydallying here.

"HEY! I know what just happened was pretty crazy. Most of you have probably never gotten into serious semblance vs semblance fights. You probably just get by coasting on the fact that you're a member of the Bound Ashes. Which is fine and I totally get that. But as you can see by the countless number of dead friends at our feet, that's not gonna fly here. Whoever this chick in the red hood is, she doesn't care who you are or where you come from. She's gonna mess us up if we let her get the drop on us again. She ran off knowing we couldn't let this slide. That we couldn't just walk on home with our tail between our legs. What I'm saying is, we've gotta stick together and get this done. Or do you want to be the one who has to tell Satin that we just gave up and called it a day?"

Nobody answered.

"That's about what I figured, my friends. Now, four of you stay back and guard the bodies. I'll...I'll have to tell Satin we'll need some body bags when we get a chance to relax. The rest of you? Follow me and Char into the woods. We're not going home empty handed."

The remaining gangsters seemed hyped up by Blanche's exquisite rallying speech. Char for his part was equally as impressed.

"Wow, nice job man. Seriously."

Blanche shrugged. "I just ain't in the mood to be killed, Char. I got too much I still haven't done yet."

Off into the woods they went~

~~~


After a lengthy cry fest-full of snot running down from her nose and tears soaking her face-Ruby had fallen asleep behind a particularly thick oak tree. It'd been the first time she'd been able to sleep since this whole thing started. It'd also be the last bit of piece Ruby would have had before the course of her life changed completely.

"I think I saw her go behind that tree! Open fire!"

Ruby was startled awake by the sound of gunfire tearing apart the sides of the tree she'd been dozing behind. Falling to the ground and clutching at her head, Ruby couldn't even see back to acknowledge who was shooting at her because of how heavy the gunfire was. Bark was stripped off the tree and chunks of wood were sent flying every which way. Activating her semblance, Ruby tried to move through the middle of a row of trees to the left of the one currently being demolished by gunfire. "She's on the move again!" She heard another voice shout. Who were these people?! Police?! It was just like the other Ruby had told her! If they found out, they'd hunt her down til they either caught her or she died. Whichever came first. But how had they figured out where she'd gone so fast?! The camera footage might have given them a face to work with but it was almost as though they knew she was currently living in the woods!

She didn't want to hurt anymore people, let alone take another life, but at the rate they were shooting at her. It felt like they were taking a 'no prisoners' approach which meant Ruby had no other choice but to respond in kind. Slipping on her Grimm mask, Ruby drew Crescent Rose and shifting it to it's rifle form fired a couple of shots back.

"Us vs them...Us vs them..." Just like before...

"Oh, so her scythe turns into a gun! As if she wasn't enough of a pain already!" Char griped.

"Just activate the Null Zone so she can't get away!"

"On it!"

Char focused and a red glow appeared around his person before stretching out to encircle a good chunk of the current area. It meant that Blanche couldn't activate his semblance while within the AOE of Null Zone but it also meant that Ruby would have to choose between staying and fighting or focusing on running. Couldn't just have the cake and eat it too at this point. It'd certainly come as a shock to Ruby that her semblance had temporarily been turned off.

The other Ruby on the otherhand had a different plan in mind. Wisely staying out of the current range of the Null Zone once it'd been activated(clearly indicated by the red glow along the ground where it was active)she raced through the woods with decent sized bulletholes in her side. Yet there appeared to be no blood or any viscera of any kind coming from the wounds. There was certainly a fine sheen of blood along her fists where she'd murdered a number of Ashes. Once she reached a certain point, she knew that she'd gotten far enough that the sound of gunfire would muffle/hide what she was going to say to Ruby/Blanche and Char and she yelled at the top of her lungs.

"AAAAHHH!! NIEBLA!!! HELP ME!!! HELP!!!"

~~~

"Huh?"

Niebla had wondered where Ruby had raced off to this morning. She wasn't there when Niebla awoke and it was almost time for lunch. Where could her friend have wandered off to? She never spoke of any other places she'd visit in the town. Maybe she was grabbing more books to help Niebla with her reading? The thought brought a small smile to the faunus's face even as she scoffed at the idea. "Idiot.." But as 'Ruby's call for help reached her ears, Niebla immediately rose up from the hiding position she'd taken while stalking a deer. The original plan had been to follow the deer and get just close enough that she'd take it to the ground with her bare hands.

It fled into the deepest recesses of the woods but Niebla didn't care.

Her concern was focused towards her friend calling her name.

"Masque? MASQUE?!"

"OH GOD! NIEBLA! HELP MEEEEEEE!!"

"Masque! Hold on! I'-I'm coming!!" Biting into the side of her left hand hard enough to break the skin, Niebla took in the blood that started to seep out from the freshly opened wound. Lunch would have to wait. Masque was in danger and god have mercy on whoever got in Niebla's way. Sprinting as fast as her semblance-strengthened legs would allow her to go, the sounds of gunshots and yelling became more and more clear the closer Niebla got. Ruby's screams had quieted down some which only angered Niebla more. Who were they under attack from? Grimm? No. Grimm didn't need firearms. Bandits? Maybe those from Masque's tribe had come to try and take her back? Well, what if she didn't want to?

Or maybe it...it was people from that town.

Niebla's face hardened behind her mask. Happy as she was to learn how to read, Niebla didn't see it as worth the retribution of people who simply couldn't and wouldn't accept the lifestyle that Masque and her had chosen living out here. Tightening her grip around the shaft of 'The Horror', she continued running towards the sounds of battle. "Worry not, Masque, I'm coming to save you."

At the scene itself, Ruby was quickly realizing that she'd been surrounded. No matter which way she aimed and fired, she'd receive counter fire from six different directions. She didn'tk now who these guys were or what their problem was but she recognized the suits that some of the grunts wore. Looked like the exact same kind of clothes she'd seen the guys escorting Shark around wearing. What that meant exactly she didn't know. "It's becoming abundantly clear I can't win this firefight..." The only option as far as she could tell was try to use her semblance to put some distance between her and her attackers. Reverting her weapon back to it's original scythe form, Ruby strapped it to her back and went to move out from behind cover...and fell flat on her face. "What...What just happened?!" She tried again and had the same result. It didn't make any logical sense. Her aura was still intact so what was stopping her from using her semblance?!

"Aw, would you look at that?"

Ruby looked up at the shadow looming over her. Char grinned as he played with a cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth.

"Guess you can't use your semblance to avoid the consequences this time, huh? Well, tell you what...that's okay." He reached out and patted the frightened Ruby atop the head with a warm smile. "Because you won't be needing it where you're going." Ruby felt her entire world shift upside down after a sudden knee to the face rattled her aura and sent her flat on her back. Before she could properly recover, Char stepped forward and planted a boot firmly on her chest and drew Riot Breaker from it's scabbard. "Back there at the riverbank, a bunch of good men lost their lives because of you. Decent fellas just trying to make their way through life only for you to cut em down. It's sad, it really is."

"T-The river?? But I wasn't even at the river! I don't know what the hell you're talking about-AGAHHHH!!" Ruby shrieked as Char slammed the blade of Riot Breaker directly into the palm of Ruby's prosthetic hand. The electricity zapping her stump and by extension her. "That supposed to be a joke or something? You've got a lot of nerve still having the balls to do that given your...current position. Why if I wasn't such a gentleman as I fancy myself, I'd have carved you up like a holiday chicken." Ruby's prosthetic twitched and sparks shot out as Char continued to press the blade in. "AGAAAAAAAH!!! I-I TOLD YOU!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!!! I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU GUYS WERE AT THE RIVER!!!"

"It hurts to lie, y'know?"

Propping the sole of his boot against Ruby's throat, he started to press down. Even as her aura continued to flicker and shine beneath his foot. "I'll make sure there's barely any of you left to carry in a doggy bag by the time we're done here, you cocky little shitbag." Char cussed as Ruby continued to protest her innocence. Sadly it was to no avail. Char's mind had been made up. This kid had to go regardless of Satin's preference to bring her in alive. The goons who'd watched their friends and co-workers get butchered by what they had believed to be the real Ruby Rose cheered on the display of brutality. Blanche's reaction...was a bit more subdued. Despite his chosen profession, Blanche had sort of fallen into the hitman role. It just turned out to be something he had the skills for and his semblance wasn't much good for huntsman work. Grimm didn't exactly age like humans or animals after all. Add in the money and you had a pretty reasonable gig with little to no risk of harm to yourself.

But Char was different. He didn't care about the paychecks or any of the glitz and glamour bullshit that appealed to Blanche. Char was in this to make a statement to the world. To show that he wasn't just what his semblance allowed him to be. He could fight well enough on his own and didn't need to rely on muting other people's semblances to try and score a victory. Yet nobody on the Hitman Team besides Blanche(his partner and best friend) and Abyss(the leader)treated him with any respect at all. It hurt him everyday to wake up and get treated with some new insult or implication that he was just a filthy coward.

Raising his sword above his head, electricity chirped as he looked down at Ruby who stared back with pleading eyes.

'How did one trip to the bookstore turn into this?'

"DIE!"

Riot Breaker swung down.

Something burst from the bushes and batted aside Riot Breaker and as Char's eyes followed what just happened, they grew as wide as dinner plates at the fist on a collision course with his face. If it hadn't been for his aura, Char was 99% sure that punch would have outright broken his jaw if not knocked a couple of teeth loose. His sword fell to the ground and the humming died down as Char was thrown back and rolled across the ground.

"...Niebla.."

Niebla touched down onto the ground, blood dripping from her hand, and her muscular frame heaving up and down with furious breaths.

"I'm here now, Masque."

She cracked her knuckles, ready to go to work.
​

 

[MidwayLives]

Blanche was at his wit's end.

"How many people are living in these fuckin woods?! Char! Get up! GET UP!" He screamed but his partner didn't respond. It seemed that even with the Null Zone active, Niebla's punch had knocked more than a few screws loose. Speaking of which....Blanche's frustration only grew as the red glow in the area signifying the range of the Null Zone was beginning to flicker away signifying that either Char was dazed or knocked out. Which meant that...Ruby reappeared right in his face and headbutted him knocking the hitman on his back and firing off a couple of wild shots with his gun. None of which managed to hit their mark. "Char! Char I NEED you to wake up!"

Rising back up, Blanche looked around at his horrified subordinates.

"Guys listen up! For the first one who can wake Char up, I'll make sure you get a cut of the next check that the Hitman Team gets. Consider it a deal officially approved by the Familia I'll hold these two off for the time being..." Blanche ordered and soon enough some of the small time gangsters who'd been tasked with coming along to support Blanche and Char moved forward to try and stir Char from the slumber that Niebla's punch had sent him into. Rolling up his sleeves, Blanche readjusted his eyepatch and sighed. "You know it's a real shame. Having to fight two beautiful girls like yourselves. Why I bet that if we'd met under different circumstances, you'd be all over-urk!" Ruby had used her semblance to close the distance between Blanche and herself again, this time elbowing him in the gut while Niebla jumped up to knee him in the face.

"Not interested, jerk."

"GRRRRRR!!! GO TO HELL!!!!!!!"

Blanche coughed and groaned before his groans of pain quickly turned into cries of laughter. "Oof...That...Really smart, heh. Gonna be feeling that one in the morning for sure. But you see ladies I'm not all just hot air. I'm a member of the Bound Ashes's Hitman Team and you just made a big mistake getting this close." Gripping onto Niebla's leg and Ruby's elbow, they'd both see their aura flaring up as a silvery looking mist ebbed from Blanche's palms. "My semblance is one of the most terrifying of all. If my mist touches you it'll eat away at your aura and over time leave you as nothing more than a sniveling old invalid!"

Most people reacted with shock or fear. It was to be expected as aging was one of the scariest things Blanche had to deal with. To think there would come a day where he'd just be too old to turn on the charm with the ladies anymore. Which meant that it came as quite the shock that instead of being terrified, Niebla simply bared her fangs and screeched in his face. "RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAGRRRRRRRR!!"

*CHOMP*

"AGH!!! GET OFF ME!!"

Throwing Ruby to the ground, Blanche pressed his pistol against Niebla's stomach and fired.

*BANG BANG BANG*

The shots hit and her aura flared but her teeth weren't pulling an inch out of his hand. Reaching out and grabbing onto handfuls of Blanche's long flowing blonde locks, she began to pull and tear. "OW! GET THE HELL OFF ME!! CHAR! CHAAAAR! WAKE UP!!" Ruby sat up and was frozen in place by the sheer primal energy that Niebla was giving off as she dug her fangs in deep and then pulled. Tearing out a patch of skin in the process and then proceeding to wail on Blanche while wrapping her legs around his waist to steady herself. No matter how many bullets he fired, none seemed to be the magic number needed to break her aura. Seeing this wild looking chick burst out of the bushes maul Blanche, those who'd been tasked with waking up Char....simply turn and fled, screaming all the while.

'COWARDS! EVERY SINGLE OF YOU-COWARDS-OWWWWWWW!!"

Dropping the pistol to the ground, Blanche pressed the palm of his right hand against Niebla's forehead and attempted to push her back from him. Whatever kind of teeth she had they felt like knives digging into the flesh of his hand and it was driving him nuts with how much it hurt. "Get....off...ME!" He groaned as he continued to pour on mist from 'Beyond the Years' against her. Niebla's aura flared and brightened up like the morning sky and a couple of wrinkles appeared here and there, the process speeded up exceptionally by her proximity to Blanche. But with how feral she was acting, it didn't seem as though it was going to make a difference in time.

"Get...off..."

Niebla looked past the hand pressed against her head and quietly removed her fangs from Blanche's other hand. As blood stained her mouth, she let out a low rumble before grabbing Blanche on either side of his head and leaning in to bite him on the side of the face. "AAH-AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! CHAR!!!" Toppling over onto his back, Ruby was at something of a crossroads. Niebla had saved her from dying, sure, but she was mauling this guy as though she were a a wild animal or a...Grimm. "Niebla...Niebla!" Cupping her hands to her mouth. "NIebla! You have to stop! You're gonna kill him!"

Niebla didn't answer, she only snarled and held on tight as Blanche toppled over onto his back. "Get off...." He muttered weakly as Niebla continued to try and break through his aura to gnaw at his face.

*FWOOSH*

The red glow from earlier came back up and Niebla suddenly felt a sharp sensation of pain coming from her left hand. The hand she'd bitten into and left a rather nasty looking gash on in order to empower herself to save Ruby. Her body 's musculature status had returned to normal. Which meant it was real easy for Blanche to do this.

*THUNK*

Grabbing his pistol from where he'd dropped it, Blanche cracked Niebla upside the head and knocked her off him. Looking down at the chunk of flesh that Niebla had torn out of his hand and the bloody swathe she'd left on his face, he looked over at his savior. "Char...You asshole...Took your sweet time.."

Planting his sword in the ground to keep from falling over, Char's body glowed with the same red energy that powered the Null Zone. "Guess everyone's left us behind, eh Blanche?"

"Guess..*pant*...so..."

"So...what do we do, now?"

Blanche mulled it over and as Ruby moved to Niebla's side to help her up, the duos looked at eachother. Both were injured and both had a lot at stake here. Ruby's life was on the line and Niebla was at risk of losing the only other person she'd talked to in years. For Char and Blanche this had been an opportunity to show Satin and by extension The Boss just how talented the members of the Hitman Team really were. Instead, all they'd ended up with was a lot of corpses and both sides mangled but nothing really gained. Realizing that continuing the fight would have only lead to the potential for more grievous wounds, Blanche held up his lighter. "How's about we call it a truce, huh?"

Ruby and Niebla looked at him as though he'd gained two heads.

"...Y'know, a truce. It means we both walk away from this. No more bullet wounds. No more trying to...uh...eat my face...jeez..."

Niebla spit a wad of blood at the ground.

"Why did you guys attack me...Who even are you guys??"

Char and Blanche looked as though they still couldn't believe Ruby was asking that. "You've seriously got the balls to ask us that? To our faces after you butchered so many of our boys? You're more messed up than I would have guessed, kid. You should have taken our advice and come with us quietly..." Char warned as he helped Blanche lean on his shoulder. "You've made an enemy out of the Bound Ashes today. Savor what time you've got with your friend." With that Char turned and started to walk off with Blanche in tow. Watching the two hired killers go, Niebla reached for 'The Horror' only for Ruby to quietly stop her. Niebla didn't have the full picture of what happened and neither did Ruby for the most part but the less involved Niebla was the better. She didn't know where these guys were getting the idea that she'd encountered them before/killed their men but the more Ruby thought on it, she could feel that overwhelming sense of guilt returning.

Had she killed and not even known it?

"Just...Just let them go..." She murmured.

"Grrrrr...but they tried to kill you! Kill US!"

"I know but please, Niebla. Please..."

Niebla looked down at Ruby and her hand trembled.

Eventually, she relented and turned to walk back to camp, presuming Ruby would be right behind her.

Ruby looked at the destruction her battle had caused. Trees had been torn to smithereens, the ground was absolutely littered with craters and blood. It was as though a war had crossed through here with the amount of firepower Char and Blanche's team had brought to try and dispose of Ruby. Having grown up with the family she did, Ruby knew a thing or two about threats and the one Char had given Niebla and her before he departed wasn't one to be taken lightly. They'd come back with even more men and guns and raze this entire forest to the ground if it meant getting back at the one who'd wronged them. Pulling up her hood, Ruby looked up at the sky, her eyes glistening.

'This...This is all my fault.'

She disappeared in a descent of rose petals that were floating in the direction Niebla had gone.

~~~


Things weren't any easier for Char and Blanche.

"Not...That I don't mind what you did back there but....Satin's gonna be pissed that we've come back with nothing. Turns out the kid behind whatever's going on here lives in the woods, killed a whole bunch of our men, we chased her and wasted a whole bunch of trees and dirt and got our asses kicked. Our boys ran off to god knows where and I nearly got my face torn off by some crazy chick who's ALSO living out here. Basically Satin, we've managed to accomplish jack and shit. I'd be surprised if he doesn't report how badly we messed up to Abyss."

"Or to the Boss."

Both men shuddered at the idea.

"L-Let's not say things we can't take back, eh? Worst case scenario, he tells Abyss and we get suspended from the team-"

'WHAT?!"

Blanche was dumped to the ground. "Ow! Char, you dick! What the hell's your problem?!" "My problem is that I ain't fuckin leaving the team unless it's in a casket! That position means too much to me to just let it go! Do you know how much I had to sacrifice to work towards getting a spot on the team?? I could have actually made something of my life that doesn't involve hurting people! I could have just wasted my days away as a security guard watching CRT monitors and stopping rowdy kids from breaking into malls. That wasn't how my life worked out for me, has it Blanche?! No! Y-You and every other fucking person in my life has always dumped on me! If I got kicked out of the Hitman Team I wouldn't be able to get a goddamn job washing CARS!"

The two men looked at eachother for a moment or two.

"Char. I'm sorry man, I didn't know how strongly you felt."

"About what, Blanche? The team or everything? I'm just tired of my feelings being considered an afterthought. You don't think I feel honored that Abyss selected him to be on the team? That out of all the people who strut their stuff, I was picked out from all of them? When I got the news I was absolutely ESTATIC! I could dance up the walls and drink a whole keg of Vale's finest liquor! So for you to just casually say that the worst that could happen is that we get fired, it hurts man! Look...how about this, alright? We tell Satin that the kid died. Something happened during the fight and they fell, hit their head, bled out before we could do anything."

Pushing himself back up, Blanche gave Char a shove of his own, though given the state Blanche was in the attempted shove nearly took both of them down.

'What the hell are you saying, Char? Like Satin's gonna believe that! I told you before we left the guy is a MURDERER. He's gonna know if you're blowing smoke up his ass or NOT!" Blanche kicked a pile of dirt off to the side. "Let's just man up and face the music: we fucked up and there's nothing we can do about it. We're gonna walk into that office and tell Satin that we messed up. Okay? Because even professionals make mistakes. Now, let's just get out of these fucking woods and go back to the warehouse! Because I'm pretty sure I stepped in deer shit about two miles back and I've got dirt all over my clothes and I nearly got my face CHEWED OFF!"

"....I'm sorry I yelled at ya, Blanche."

"Me too. We've been doing this for years, Char. Let's face the music together."

~~~~



Satin sat across from Blanche and Char who looked beat up to hell and back. Across from them of course was the faunus who hadn't spoken a single word still locked away in his little cell with his wrists bound by a pair of meager handcuffs. Judging by the sun setting, it's clear that the two had spent quite some time prostrating themselves before the leader of the Bound Ashes's Mistral's operations. Satin let them speak until they felt they'd said enough with his burned hands clasped together and his scarred elbows propped gently onto the table.

"...So, that's pretty much how it went."

"Yeah."

Satin looked to Char and then to Blanche.

"So, from all that you've told me, this strange kid not only massacred a good number of my men. Which-" He raised a finger to stop Blanche from interrupting. "Which is more than a bit alarming to hear given that you two told me up and down about how you'd handle this issue with little to no problems. So, keeping that in mind, you went in there with...I'll be reasonable and say 30 men. This kid doesn't maim, doesn't injure, kills 12 of them. Then this other kid who wasn't accounted for-probably the figure we couldn't see in the camera footage kills another four. The remaining fourteen ran off and haven't reported back in. That doesn't mean they're dead or anything of the sort but they didn't report back here which still means that's fresh bodies to help do work around here gone down the drain. With all of that said, all I've been able to garner from what you two have been telling me is that the reason this went as bad as it did is to sheer utter...incompetence."

"Now wait, hold on a sec-"

Blue flames hissed at the back of Satin's hands.

"Don't. Interrupt me again."

Char grumbled but otherwise stayed quiet.

"The Hitman Team are made up skilled individuals. I'm not saying I'm doubting that. What I am saying is that by the looks of it, you guys let your egos get out of control. You went in there armed with enough ammunition and dust you could have turned a good quarter of those woods into firewood. Instead even with all that you've been given and your semblance-" He gestured to Char. "This seems like it would have been a cinch...like you kept telling me it would be. Instead, you come back here, feed me bullshit, and say...what? That the kids just won't bother us again if we leave em alone? No reasoning as to why or anything against why I shouldn't go down there myself and torch the whole forest to the ground? Just your gut feeling."

The two didn't know what to say. Char opened his mouth to say something and put his hand on the table.

"Hands OFF the table."

"No."

"..."

"So there was a minor setback. The kid cost us a bit. But it's not like she's gonna come storming in here and taking revenge or anything! So what's the harm in just letting them be-"

The table burst into flames as Satin slammed his hand down on the table frightening both men.

"I TOLD you not to interrupt me again." Blanche was desperately struggling to find the words for an apology.

He wasn't fast enough.

*FWOOSH*

A ball of blue flame hit Char square in the chest knocking him from his chair and causing him to writhe in agony. Too unfocused to activate the Null Zone and spare himself the pain. Blanche knelt by his partner's side and immediately tried fanning away the flames but these flames fueled by Satin's semblance weren't so easily extinguished. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

"Char forgot his place. The Hitman Team may answer to Abyss in all other matters but when you're stationed here? You listen to me and me alone. If you don't like it then that's fine. You can take it up with the Boss if that suits you. But somehow I know in the depths of my heart that you two don't wanna do that. So consider this a free bit of friendly advice: don't backtalk me, don't piss me off, and do what I say." The flames spread along Satin's arms and his shoulders. "When I asked you two to deal with that kid, I didn't ask you to go down there and waste my men's lives and make asses of yourselves. You didn't even manage to retrieve the cop's body. You know what it's gonna look like to the cops if we don't get this handled? That we're starting to falter, we're weak. They play along because we pay em to look the other way. But if there ever comes a time where they feel they don't need us or our money? They'll fight to get rid of us and I'lll be the one who has to tell the Boss that. Not you two idiots."

Satin took a step closer.

"Now, let's say that DOES happen. The police DO investigate AND raid this place. We'll have to kill some more of them. There's no going back from that. We'll have made ourselves from partners into enemies and there won't be a place where the Bound Ashes can operate in Vale without police/huntsmen breathing down our necks. Somebody has to tell the Boss the bad news and do you know what'll happen to me after I tell him that? Well...here's a secret...it'll be twice as painful as what I'll do to you two before he gets here."

Waving his hand, the flame along Char's chest dissipated.

"Take him and get out of my sight. You two are not to leave the building under any circumstances. The less you two can screw this up the better."

Blanche called Satin every name in the book under his breath as he helped walk Char off.

The flames engulfing the table faded as well leaving a smoking burning husk in it's wake.

Slumping back into his seat, Satin ran a hand through his hair. What the hell was he supposed do to now? From his sources among the authorities, the police were understandably angered that one of their own had ended up a casualty of what appeared to be none other than an Ashes-affiliated hit. It'd only be a matter of time before they came here looking for an explanation and Satin doubted that 'we're working on it' would ease their anger. The idea of losing Vale because of the actions of a couple of freaks from the woods...and then having to deal with the Boss after? Almost made Satin wish he'd been convicted of the murders he may or may not have committed.

Almost.

"You know...I could help solve this little...problem of yours."

Satin looked up and saw Shark casually kicking his feet back and forth while sitting on his little bench.

"Yeah? Well I've had enough people suggesting they can solve this to me, alright? I'll just go down there and kill em myself."

"Ah, sounds simple enough but what'll you do if your fires spread too far? You'll do more than kill them. You'll grab everyone's attention. 'Why is the forest on fire' 'what's going on?' 'who could have done such a horrible thing' 'who-'

"ALRIGHT!" Satin snapped in a rare show of emotion. "...What the hell are you suggesting, fish?"

"I'm suggesting I could solve this little problem of yours overnight. All I'd ask for in return is that you let me walk around here as I please."

Satin snorted at the thought and casually strolled up to the bars.

"You sound pretty sure of yourself. What the hell are you gonna do?"

"I dunno? Why don't we just trust him and see?"

"Wha-" Satin turned and saw himself staring back at him.

Reaching between the bars to grab Shark by the neck, Satin pulled him up to his feet. "Are you doing this, freak? Turn it off, turn it off NOW!"

"Hehehe, alright."

The other 'Satin' vanished without a word.

"That was but a taste of my semblance: 'Come and See'. It allows me to purse through one's memories as easily as gaining access to a library. Then I can do with the information as I please. I've already done it to Miss Rose."

"Who?"

"The child you saw on the footage. I know everything about her. What her favorite food is, the name of her weapon, anything. But you can't just expect me to spill everything about my semblance can you? At least not without some reassurances." Satin didn't like any of this one bit. The idea of this animal getting anywhere near the planning stages when it came to dealing with Bound Ashes's business rattled him quite a bit. But as much as he was loathe to admit it, his semblance was good for explosive flashy fights. Not something that would have required a in and out approach. "...Alright, fine. But you're gonna be watched like a hawk. You got that?"

"Oh yes, I understand perfectly~"

​

 

[MidwayLives]

Niebla as far as she knew had managed to arrive in time to keep Masque from serious harm.

But in her heart she still felt something was wrong. She just didn't know what.

Leaning against a tree as Ruby bandaged up her hand, she looked off to the side as her face was lost in thought. "....Masque."

"What's up, Niebla?"

"...You've still never told me why those people were after you. They said that you'd killed some of their own."

"...You don't believe that do you? I-I mean it's all lies-"

"Is it?"

Ruby paused and stopped after completely covering Niebla's bite mark. "Yesterday you were gone for almost the entire morning. I wake up and find that you're nowhere to be found and I believe that you're simply doing more business in the 'Town'. So I go about doing what I usually do. Getting what we need to keep both of us safe. You come back later and act as if nothing's at all strange. We carry on as though it'd been just another normal day. But normal days don't bring people like those men. They came with enough power to destroy the forest...destroy my home and I'm left fighting a battle to protect the one person I have to care about and I don't even know WHY-"

Ruby snapped. A first since all this chaos had started. "If you're so stuck up on the 'reason' why they were here...why did you bother coming to save me in the first place?!" Regardless of Ruby's true feelings on what she'd done, she realized shortly after that her words had an effect on Niebla. The faunus looked absolutely crushed by the question as if it was one that need never be asked. Along the same lines of 'why do we need to breathe' 'do we need to drink water?' "Why did I save you? Because I love you. For the longest time all I had was myself and the woods. I completely lost myself in everything I had here. On nothing but survival. But you showed me that I can afford to make room for more in my life." The roaring fire set up near the two highlighted the book that Masque had still been trying to help Niebla read. "I...I can almost read the entire book. I trip up on the last couple of pages."

Niebla sniffled.

"So how dare you think you could ask me a question like that. I'm worried about you. I don't know what's going on!"

Masque pulled herself away from Niebla and stood up. "That's because NOTHING is going on! I don't know why those men said what they said! I'd never seen them before in my life! I had stuff I needed to do that's all! WHY do I nee to tell you every move I make?! We're two girls living and surviving in the woods! We're not some dream couple! I don't even think-"

She paused.

Niebla by this point had turned her expression into one of pain and sadness as she glared.

"Think what, Masque? What do you have to say to me?"

"...That I'm any good for you. I'm sorry, Niebla."

Niebla reached out to her but it was too late. Ruby was gone. Her red trail vanishing into the woods.

"Masque! RUBY! RUBY COME BACK!!!!"

"COME BACK!!!"

~~~



Ruby kept going and going until Niebla's screams were only an afterthought.

If she could have had her way, she wouldn't have stopped ever again.

Disengaging her semblance, Ruby skidded to a stop and wildly looked around. Even submerged in the depths of darkness, the forest was still alive. Insects chirped, birds hooted, and other animals scurried away for home. Ruby was jealous of them all. Able to go about life with the only consequences for them being for if they'd get a meal this day or if they'd die this day. Whether the people they 'cared' about were okay didn't matter at all. Animals simply didn't have feelings like humans did. The fight with Blanche and Char and then with Niebla had reminded Ruby of that very chilling fact: she'd always be human.

Gripping on either side of her head, Ruby looked up at the sky and screamed.

Once she was done, she fell to her knees. An emotional wreck by the events that'd plagued her life.

Which is why she needed a helping hand now more than ever.

"Feeling a little lost, Ruby?"

Looking up at the other her, Ruby whimpered.

"You're back..."

'Ruby' smiled but this one carried a more melancholy vibe with it.

"I'll always be here when you need me, Ruby. Never forget that, okay? You and me? We're like two peas in a pod, heh. No matter how long the years get or how much you grow, in the back of your head I'll be there. Watching until you need me again. That's a promise for sure." 'Ruby quipped before being completely wrapped up in a hug. Ruby didn't care or realize that she was actually touching what was supposed to be no more than a mental hallucination. "I-I don't know what to DO! Those men...They'll just come back again! With more guns and more bodies to throw at us until either they all end up dead or...Niebla ends up hurt."

"You really like her, huh?"

"Ever since I left home...it's always felt like I've been carrying this guilt around with me. I haven't been able to comprehend it until I met her. To meet someone that I didn't have to be suspicious of. That I didn't need to 'test' if her love was real through cruelty. We understood eachother and it was...nice. But I don't want her getting hurt for my mistakes. These 'Ashes' won't make a mistake next time. They'll hurt her to get to me if they have to. It's the kind of people they are."

"Ruby."

The two 'Rubies' looked into eachother's eyes.

"You know what you need to do. The longer you stay here the more danger you'll put Niebla in. Forget about Vale, forget about this town, forget about everything. Just take what you can and never look back. You're the one they want, not her. Once they realize you're gone and out of their hair, they'll never bother her again." Although it wasn't what she wanted to hear at all, Ruby knew it made the most sense. Before she'd met Ruby, it'd been way of Niebla's way of doing things. Never stay in one place for too long, always pack up the essentials and move to a different spot. Always keep moving forward. But neither of the girls had felt a need to ever leave the other. They'd become partners and on some level...closer than that.

"I know."

"Then stand up, brush yourself off, and go. Never look back, Ruby!"

Looking off into the distance, Ruby could hear Niebla's shouts getting closer and closer. It was now or never.

"Thank you."

Then she was gone. From the forest and Niebla's life.

Hearing the faunus approaching, 'Ruby' ripped a piece of fabric from her sleeve and let it descend to the ground. Then she too was gone with a grin on her face.

'Had you any idea what comes next, you wouldn't be thanking me, little Rose.~'

Practically smashing through the foilage in an attempt to catch up with Ruby, Niebla looked around and around. "Ruby! Ruby, answer me please! We can talk about this! We-" She heard a crunch and looking down and lifting up her foot, she saw what looked like a piece of Ruby's sleeve sitting over some twigs. Closing her hand into a fist over the fabric, Niebla could feel her heart threatening to leap out of her chest. For Ruby to have disappeared so suddenly and to leave a scrap of clothing behind like this, wherever she'd gone...It hadn't been without a struggle. Whoever those men were and whatever group they claimed to belong to, it didn't matter how many of them there were. If they'd taken Ruby from her, she'd make them pay. Make them pay in their own BLOOD!

"AROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

~~~


"It's done. You won't need to worry about them anymore."

"...What? Just like that? What exactly did you do?" Satin asked as he walked down the halls to his personal quarters with Shark(who also happened to be accompanied by a well dressed guard in a black suit and pistol) Shark's mouth was as always hidden by his blue scarf but the way the corners of his face turned upwards, one could tell he was smiling. "It's hard to explain but I'm sure that after tonight, you'll never hear from either of these two ever again."

"For your sake, you'd better be right."

While Shark and Satin conversed, Niebla was prepping for war. Sharpening her knives and leaving small but exploitable cuts on her arms and legs to pick at incase things got too hairy. The weapons those men who attacked them earlier were wielding had great power. Enough to turn a mighty oak into a pile of cinder. But she didn't care one bit. They could have thrown an entire army at her and she'd tear through as many as she could until she either killed them all or her body gave out. Once she was finished leaving bloody knicks on her body with 'The Horror', she looked around at her camp. When she rescued Ruby, there was no way they'd be able to stay here anymore. Which meant leaving nothing behind.

She destroyed the makeshift beds, burning the food they'd be leaving behind, etc.

Nothing that those bastards could get their hands on.

Bastards...another word she learned from Ruby.

Stepping over to the campfire, it illuminated the woman who was ready to go to war for the one she cared about.

Dirt was kicked over onto the flame, smothering it and putting it out.

Now it was time to go.

~~~


In the woods Niebla was a master of setting up traps and the like to confuse and terrify her opponents and prey. Force them along paths where she'd confront them and then finally finish them off. It was this kind of skillset that Niebla learned and worked hard to improve over the course of her years living in relative seclusion. The same level of subtly was not present during her trip to the city to find those responsible for taking Ruby from her. It'd taken some asking around but she'd finally found it. The warehouse that the Bound Ashes were renting out to use as their base of operations for Vale affairs. Two guards were stationed outside the door.

"Did you hear the story about what happened in the woods?"

"That the kid in the hood managed to kill twelve of us? Or...?"

"Nonono, I mean the girl who tried to chew Blanche's face off! Can you imagine that?!"

"She was probably one of those animals or something. Like that guy with the scarf. Still dunno why Satin lets him walk around."

Animal...? Scarf...

Niebla thought back to the guy she'd seen at the bookstore. Slicked back blue hair, blue jeans, and a matching scarf to hide away his face. He hadn't said anything about it from what little Niebla had been able to hear between Ruby and himself but Niebla had seen his gills. He was a faunus of that there was no doubt. To hear these humans talk about her kind in such a disrespectful light ontop of what they'd already done to her and Ruby. Stomping her foot forward, she retrieved 'The Horror' from her back and as a red glow similar to Char's Null Zone appeared around her person, her biceps flexed as she hurled the spear forward.

The poor guy never saw it coming. His aura was completely punched through as the tip of 'The Horror' cascaded through his chest, gliding along his internal organs, before punching it's way out the back and straight into the door. "H-Holy shit!!" His partner exclaimed as he turned and saw Niebla approaching, her mask obscuring her face and the murderous intent in her eyes. "Stay back! STAY BACK!"

*BANG*

The shot hit and Niebla's aura shimmered.

But she didn't stop or move back an inch.

Retrieving a couple of throwing knives from her pouch, she began flicking them forward. One landed in the knee, another hit the man's hand causing him to drop his gun and the last two sent him stumbling back as they'd been tossed in up to the hilt in his chest. Standing with his back against the literal wall and beside his partner who was pinned to the door, he reached out to Niebla. "P-Please *cough* don't kill me-" Niebla reached forward as well...but moved past his outstretched hand and instead twisted one of the knives in his chest before ripping it free and as the man opened his mouth to scream, she plunged it back in.

Pulling 'The Horror' back out, the spear slipped through what remained of the guard's innards as easily as one would ride down a water slide. Letting the body fall where it may, Niebla clenched and unlclenched her free hand before spreading her feet apart and throwing a good punch at the door. On the inside, while the others may not have heard the spear coming through part of the door, they definitely heard the gunshot and as they began to crowd the hallway with weapons drawn, they heard the thunderous crash as part of the door began to splinter after Niebla's punch. Then another one came and the door's structural integrity was becoming more and more compromised. Raising her left foot and thrusting it forward, the door collapsed in of itself, the two halves falling to the floor as Niebla stepped in.

"It's that girl from the woods..." 'She looks just how Blanche described her..." "But...I thought they killed her!"

Niebla's shoulders rise and fell and as she took another step.

They opened fire on her like she was target practice. Her aura flared and shined as bright as any star. But she didn't take a single step back and instead lowered herself and sprinted forward, drawing 'The Peace' and driving it into the leg of the first grunt she got close to. As he screamed, she drag it down a couple of inches before ripping it free and socking him in the throat. As another one lined up for a shot on her, she grabbed the one she'd just attacked's gun and whipped it across the hallway. Catching that other gangster in the head, she pounced upon him. Gripping him by the tie of his suit, she thrust in and out with 'The Peace' multiple times until the front of her outfit was stained bright red. "Crazy bitch!" A stray shot managed to clip Niebla in the face, cracking her mask and tearing a bit away revealing one of her eyes. Glaring at the man who'd shot her in the face, he could feel the absolute utter contempt she had for everyone in this hallway.

"F-Fire!"

More shots rang out and Niebla used the man she'd rapidly stabbed to tank the incoming shots. The shots tore through his auraless body as she strode forward, the bullets that made their way through his torso hitting her as well. Once he'd been sufficiently 'used up', she dropped the body and leaped for whoever was closest, punching them hard enough in the face to throw them back into the small gathering that was forming at the end of the hall. Sheathing 'The Peace', Niebla bounded into the crowd who ended up hitting each other more often than her given their fright and her proximity to all of them. Bones were broken, extremities were bitten to the point of being torn off, people were stabbed. By the time the clash in the hallway came to a bloody undignified end, Niebla was covered in blood, her hair was a matted mess, the red glow around her had become more prominent and the ones she hadn't killed lay on the ground groaning in agony.

Grabbing one of the unfortunate survivors by the neck, Niebla grabbed a discarded gun and pressed it against his face.

"Ruby. Rose. Where is she?"

"Wha-What I don't..."

"RUBY! ROSE!!!!"

"I-I don't know who you're talking about!!! Please, don't shoot me!"

Niebla dropped him to the ground and it appeared as though she was going to concede to him. She wouldn't shoot him. Pressing her foot against his chest, she raised the pistol above her head and brought it down. Over and over again. Until he stopped moving. Then she flung the firearm against the wall and moved on. She didn't care who she had to fight, who she had to kill, they weren't going to keep Ruby from her.

Having heard all the noise, Satin for the second time today lost his cool. "What the FUCK is going on??" Turning on Shark with flames practically bursting from his person, the faunus held up his hands. "I thought you said you handled this?! She's in here butchering my men!!" "I...I swear I didn't know she-" "If you lead her here I swear to god I'll-"

"Satin! Sir!"

Taking a step back before Shark could see if Satin would follow through on his threat, the scarred gangster tried to calm himself. "What."

"T-That girl who burst in here...W-We think she's a faunus, Satin! The cameras caught a bit of her face and it looks like she has...wolf teeth."

Satin paused and looked over his shoulder at Shark.

"W-Well, now I can explain-"

*FWOOSH*

Shark was knocked against the wall by a fireball. His gills opened up and closed as his body didn't exactly gel with the abrupt change in temperature, aura or no. "So, that's how it was all along, huh? You were helping out another one of your filthy kind. What? Was the plan to have her spring you out of here? I knew I never should have trusted an animal like you. You're all the same. Keep an eye on the cameras and don't let him wander out of your sight. I'll deal with him when I get back." Satin ordered Shark's guard who quickly nodded and scooped up the faunus by the collar and dragged him over to stand beside him as he watched the cameras. "I'm going out there to put an end to this. This has become a farce and I'm not gonna see the Bound Ashes driven out of Vale over something like this. You see any signs of reinforcements or the cops? Say something over the intercom." With that Satin disappeared out into the hallway to hunt down Niebla and bring an end to this headache.

As he attempted to relax his breathing after the blast he'd just taken, Shark focused on one monitor in particular. If he'd understood the layout of the building, Niebla was heading in the direction of the storage room. Likely where they kept all their wares from weapons to narcotics that they'd import from other regions. Shark didn't know where Ruby Rose/The Red Masque had run off to but if Niebla truly believed she was here...

For the most part after seeing the wolf faunus covered in blood strolling down the halls, most Ashes were skipping the whole 'stand you ground and fight her' and getting right to the 'running away in terror.' Didn't matter to her. Less humans she had to kill. As she came to a crossroads with the left hallway leading to the stock room where they kept the lien they gathered through their 'businesses', and the right leading to the Storage Center. Nobody she'd fought had been willing to give her any useful information. 'Where would you keep prisoners?' 'Where was Ruby Rose?' etc etc.

"Having fun?"

Niebla grabbed at her spear and moved to turn-

*FWOOSH*

A gout of blue flames washed over her and sent her rocketing towards the wall. Her aura flared and her breathing hitched but she didn't cry out. Her semblance being the only thing standing between her and the same agony that had befallen Shark and Char. Looking up and seeing Satin at the end of the hall, she grimaced. If this was a human it was the first one who's darkness on the outside matched his inside. Skin grafts littered his body from his chest to his arms and even under his eyes. He also seemed to forgoes the whole professional look that she'd seen the other humans take. Wearing just a pair of black jeans and strapped up boots with a dark blue jacket that draped over his shoulders, his blue eyes bore a hole into the faunus. "I dunno why you're here and it doesn't matter. Not anymore. You and your friend in the hood are done causing problems for me. I'm ending this right now." Manifesting another fireball in the palm of his left hand, he prepared to throw it before Niebla hopped onto all fours...and raced down the right hall. With a semblance like that she'd only be wasting valuable time before her semblance gave out against the power he could bring to bare with his.

Satin was more than a little annoyed.

"All that murder and stomping around and you run? Well...I guess it's not too surprising." He was one of the Boss's Elites for a reason. Waving his left arm to the side, a large stream of flame streaked across the wall and down the path that Niebla had gone. Running on all fours may have given more ammunition to people like Satin who referred to faunus as 'mere animals' but it felt comfortable to her. Something she could always do to feel like she was back home in the woods. The flame nipped at her heels and she grit her teeth. Even with her semblance acting as an adrenaline booster/enhancer, the intense heat still found a way through, hurting her all the same. As she continued to bound down the hall, she took her shot and leaped for the door to the storage room. Crashing into a pile of cleaning equipment(to clean up all the blood she'd spilled, hah), she quickly scrambled to her feet and smashed her fist into the door button. The flames drew closer and closer before coming to a stop as the steel door came slamming down.

Reaching for his scroll, Satin calmly spoke into it.

"Men. I've cornered the intruder into the storage room. Report down here immediately."

Stepping close enough the door that he could reach out and touch it, he began the process of simply melting a hole through the door. There was no other exit from within the storage room. Which meant that Niebla was simply running on borrowed time until Satin burned a hole through and the rest of the men arrived. Picking herself up, Niebla glanced around the room. There were all kinds of weapons...drugs...and whatever else that the Bound Ashes could tap into market-wise. "Ruby...? RUBY!" But no matter how loud she screamed.

There was to be no answer back.

Slowly pulling 'The Horror' from where it was strapped to her back, Niebla suddenly got an idea. If this was how it was going to end with her unable to save Ruby like she'd hoped...and desired to. Then the last act she could perform was to deny these monsters the use of all this stuff in here. On the otherside of the door, Satin could hear a most unfortunate sound. Boxes of drugs being broken and spilled out and equipment worth thousands of lien being broken/thrown around. "Huh..??? Hey, knock it off in there! Stop it! STOP IT!!!" But Niebla didn't stop it. Swinging her spear with all the accuracy of a baseball bat, she sent guns that looked like they'd be worth a pretty penny on the black market against the wall, breaking certain parts or outright smashing the equipment to pieces. If they'd deny her the one she wanted the most, she'd do the same to them.

"Satin! She's wrecking everything she can get her hands on!! By the time you get in there, there might not be anything left to salvage!" The guard watching Shark screamed over the intercom. Something that Satin was well aware of. "I know that!" The last vindictive act of a cornered animal. Lashing out in the vain attempt to do some damage before you go. It pissed him off. On her side, Niebla could see part of the door starting to melt away revealing hints of Satin standing on the otherside as Char and Blanche were among those racing down to the storage room. "Can't believe she came all the way here..." "...For what though, Blanche? Revenge?" "If the amount of bodies we passed on our way here says anything, Char? She's not here for just plain ol revenge. She's here to make every single person in this building pay."

Shark watched all this go on with muted interest...At least until he saw that a majority of those standing guard near the Stock Room were heading to join Satin. "Ah well, it's been fun but...I suppose it's time I took my leave of this place once and for all..." While the guard was distracted trying to keep up with the destruction that Niebla was wrecking in the storage room, he didn't notice Shark reaching towards him until the cuffs were already wrapped around his neck. The chair was knocked over in the process and the guard tried to grab onto anything, Shark's face, his gills, his scarf. The last one he managed to pull off as the scarf fluttered to the floor. As a low rumble flowed upwards from Shark's throat, he opened his mouth, threw back his head and-

*CHOMP*

The guard gurgled and writhed in Shark's grasp before ultimately going limp. Letting the body fall to the ground, Shark reached down and grabbed his scarf from where it'd fallen. Using his forearm to wipe off his mouth, it was revealed that the top of his arm was covered in blood and bits of flesh. Wrapping the scarf around his mouth, Shark scoffed. "Too long to wait for a good meal."

Niebla had wrecked as much as she could. The storage room was in absolute shambles because of her, costing the Bound Ashes likely thousands if not millions worth in damages and destroyed equipment and merchandise. The door was nearly breached and knowing that with someone like Satin leading the charge, she'd gone as far as she could. Holding out her spear, she waited for the door to open and for her end to come.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. " Niebla sniffled. "I couldn't save you."


"...But you did, Niebla. From the day we met."

"Ruby?!-"

Niebla turned her head and saw none other than Ruby Rose, the Red Masque hersefl, standing among the wreckage. "I'd been waiting for you, Niebla. I knew that you'd never leave me." So caught off guard by Ruby's sudden appearance, 'The Horror' dropped from Niebla's hand as she approached 'Ruby' and reached out to her. 'Ruby' did the same. Moving to push up the faunus's mask, 'Ruby' smiled. "I know this isn't the best time but...I've always wanted to tell you this before it was too late, Niebla. I...."

"Love you."

The door was finally breached. Having burned a hole clean through, what remained of the door slid up after being thoroughly mangled. Leaving Satin, Char, Blanche and the others watching on confusion as their intruder appeared to be...talking to herself? "What the..." "Hell..." Not particularly caring about what had caused this reaction, Satin could only see the piles upon piles of merchandise that he would have to take the blame for. "Char! Activate your semblance NOW!" Not wanting a repeat of what had happened earlier during their meeting, Char's aura flared and a red glow covered the entireity of the storage room. Niebla's own red glow vanished and her muscles returned to normal.

As for 'Ruby', only Niebla was able to see the truth of what lay behind 'Come and See'

'Ruby's entire appearance began to melt off, clothes and all, leaving what only appeared to be some kind of wooden construct in her place, humanoid in stature and with the design of a human skeleton, it too faded away. Niebla only realized in the last few seconds that she'd been tricked. Ruby hadn't been here at all and this was just the work of a semblance. Turning to face Satin and his men, he lowered his hand.

"Fire."

*BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG*

Shots tore through Niebla like a knife through butter. One took out her right knee, another blew two fingers off her left hand. The others rocked against her aura causing her to stumble back and finally give into the pain that she'd been surpressing the entire time with her semblance. "AGAAHHHHHAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Afte rthe last gun had fired, she toppled over, blood starting to pool around her as her aura flickered like the dimmest of lights. She could barely even find the words to describe the amount of pain she was in. The bits of hot lead still within her body. Blanche couldn't look but Char could. Regardless of how he may have almost admired Niebla's willingness to face unbeatable odds, she'd killed too many of his comrades for him to feel too much sympathy.

Stepping into the room, Satin huffed. "All this stuff in here...It cots more than someone like you could EVER comprehend and you just...destroyed it all on a whim. Why were you here? WHY DID YOU COME HERE?!" Given the amount of pain she was in, it was understandable that to Niebla, Satin could have been screaming right against the side of her face and she wouldn't have been able to focus. Instead, she could only think back to what that fake Ruby had said before her semblance was turned off.

"I...."

"Huh?"

"....Love you too.."

"Gh....AGH!"

A kick to the head sent everything spiraling towards darkness for Niebla.

~~~



In the immediate aftermath of Niebla's rampage across the Ashes's base, an emergency report was made to The Boss.

He....was not pleased with what had happened down in Vale. Operations were to wind down and Satin was to immediately report back to Mistral to face punishment for his failure to keep things stable. With the numbers of deaths caused by Shark's homunculus posing as Ruby and Niebla's own massacre ontop of the destroyed equipment, Vale was quickly becoming a bloody sore that needed to be patched up and scarred over. While the Boss didn't use the language of 'abandoning' the region specifically, that was the general feeling among those stationed there who had two options. Stay here and try to keep a smaller presence but massive downsizing was needed or report back to Mistral. Most chose to say in Vale not wanting to face the Boss's wrath.

Someone had also broken into the stock room and stole over a million lien but Satin didn't inform the Boss of that. After finding the guard he'd left with Shark, missing a large chunk of flesh from his neck, he pieced together who was behind it. "...Damn faunus..." Using the proper term for the first time, Satin sighed. Ever since he'd picked up Shark nothing had gone right and through the faunuss' machinations whether Satin fully understood it or not, he'd managed to nearly cripple the organization's operations in Vale and then...wandered off with their money.

He would need to get going to Mistral tomorrow and had already sent Char and Blanche to go ahead of him.

There was business he still needed to wrap up here. Walking alongside Aqua-that nervous monitor operator from waaay earlier-Satin carried Niebla's body over his shoulder. Heading to the river where things had gone wrong for both sides, Satin dropped the body to the ground. "Start dragging her in, Aqua. I don't got time to waste around here." Aqua nodded and went to do so only to scream as he approached the wolf. "What the hell's the matter with you-" "S-Sir, look!"

"Goddamn..."

Despite all odds, Niebla was standing up. Blood gushed from where two of her fingers had been shot off and her left knee wasn't looking so hot. In the darkness it wasn't even apparent or not if she was up of her own volition or if her body was acting on it's own. "You're one persistent pain in my ass...but...let's see how persistent you are after this." Holding out his hand, a stream of flame hit Niebla square in the chest, burning away at her shirt and marking the center of her chest. "Agh...ghh....AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!! A-AAAAHHHHHHH!!!" The faunus cried out but nobody was coming to save her. Digging in her heels as Satin's flame pushed her closer and closer to the riverbank...Satin extinguished the flame. "That's enough." Blood ran down Niebla's shirt and onto the sandy bank as a gruesome burn was left on Niebla's chest. Her mask fell from her head and as she started to wobble back and forth, she took one last bit of energy to bare her teeth at Satin...and then she fell into the river, disappearing beneath the stream.

"...Let's get out of here. We're done in Vale."

"Y-You mean I'm coming with you, sir?!"

"Yeah. But, Aqua you remember what I told you?"

"No..."

"Don't call me, sir."

Once the two were gone, Niebla continued floating further and further down to the bottom of the river. The cool water felt refreshing against the skin that Satin had outright deformed with the intense heat from his fire. But her body was too weak to even consider trying to swim back up. She was just...tired. It just felt as if though she could close her eyes and rest for a bit...

*splash*

She couldn't make the figure out too well but somebody had leaped into the water. As they drew closer, she could make out the absolutely horrifying row of razor sharp teeth lined up in their mouth. Wrapping their arms around Niebla's waist, the figure swam her back up to the surface. Once they breached, they gently laid her out on the grass and stood up. Only when they started speaking did Niebla place who it was. "Looks like he gave you quite the parting gift, huh? Afraid I can't do much for burns but..."

"You....the....one...from the store..."

Kneeling down, the figure couldn't help but laugh. "Yep. That's me. I told your friend that she could call me Dusk...But between one faunus to another? You can call me Shark." Standing back up and moving to where he had a briefcase presumably stacked to the brim with stolen lien and his t-shirt, Shark went about buttoning his shirt back on. "Apologies for taking so long but after having felt that fire firsthand...welll...you can probably understand why I waited, right?" Grabbing his briefcase once he'd finished, Shark looked over his shoulder at Niebla. "By the by, good luck finding your friend. I'm sure she's out there...waiting for you...." Giving a sly little snicker, Shark waved before walking off to who knew where. The man was a mystery.

She was too weak to call him out but that last line had cinched it. He was the one behind that fake Ruby. He'd used her for his own gain. He'd managed to get free from those humans and even steal from them as well. Were she not at death's door, she would have attacked him right then and there but somethings needed to be put on hold. The way he'd worded it...made it sound like there was hope that Ruby was still out there. Gripping the dirt hard enough to get some under her fingernails, Niebla began the long and arduous process of dragging herself away from the riverbank.

"I don't.....care *cough cough* how long it takes....or where I have to go....I'll find you, Ruby...."



~~Some years later~~

By this point in time, Ruby had become fully immersed in the Red Masque identity. She believed herself to be the best friend to the leader of the Grimm, the master of darkness himself. It wasn't often that she thought about her time back in Vale and the 'before then' as the memories it dredged up were often far too painful to deal with. One day however while not on a task, Masque took some time to visit the river that her and someone she...loved very much...used to sit at. The river's waters were still healthy and animals continued to flock to it.

That alone would have been enough to make her smile.

But as she drew closer, she felt her boot press against something. Glancing down, she noticed what appeared to be some kind of object that'd been in that spot for so long, the grass had started growing through it. Using her scythe to cut it free, she looked it over. It looked like some kind of....mask.

"....Niebla."

Holding the remains of the mask close to her chest, Masque whimpered softly.

After returning to Ozpin's side later, she didn't make any mention of what she'd found. But she'd always keep it in her quarters as a reminder of what could have been. The love she'd given up to save her. A love that continues even to this day in Vacuo....

~~~The End~~~
​

 

[MidwayLives]

STILL not over Birthright's ending

Method actor (most character-driven PC): yANG

Up is down (best take on a flipped character): Weiss

Down is also up (best take on a canon character stuck in bizarro world): Penny

Accidental comedian (character who's funniest without trying): Blake passing out and surprising Weiss

Purposeful comedian (character who’s funniest when trying): Not sure...? Hasnt really been too many funny moments lol

Bazinga (character who just isn’t funny): BDE Yang

The dreaded (most intimidating antagonist WHO ISN'T OZPIN BECAUSE HE'S JUST THE DEFAULT AND IT ISNT FAIR): Carneilian

Strong second (most intimidating antagonist also not ozpin): Blake or BDE Yang

Wait what (most intimidating protagonist): Ector(wish he got to do MORE)

Brainiac (most intelligent): Gwen

Honorary straight man award (for continuing to suffer in silence): Liza

Biggest troll (I got lazy): Weiss following through on her threat(and also helped cement her as an antagonist the heroes have to 'deal' with')

Can’t look away (for the most bewitching character): Penny

Don’t get attached (most badass character): Blake

Yangst (most emo/generally sad):Blake

This is the part where you die cry (Saddest individual scene): Penny realizing Ironwood has betrayed them

Socially stunted (biggest jerk who isn't’ an antagonist): Watts

The Sustrai (most redeemable antagonist): Nobody really lol

Grimm Reaper (for the truest embodiment of a huntress/huntsman): Yang

Looks like a cinnamon roll (and is): Penny

Looks they'd kill you (and would): Blake

Looks like a cinnamon roll (but would kill you): Weiss

Looks like they'd kill you (is a cinnamon roll): Good Neo(?)

Sin-namon roll: still BDE Yang



-combat awards-

Are you not entertained? (Best fight you participated in): Masque vs BDE Yang: Just a bunch of pent up anger and feelings t on both sides lol

Ringside seats (favorite fight you didn't participate in): Gwen vs Ironwood

Oum standard of excellence award (character who's combat best hits that RWBY style vibe): Pyrrha

David vs Goliath (most mismatched matchup): Gwen vs Ironwood

The Monty (character with most stylishly awesome combat): Yang

Red like roses (most badass moment): Yang oneshotting Tiger in a 'Goku vs Recoome' fashion. Tiger's semblance works by generating 'smoke'(the purple miasama that flows around her)that helps 'pump' up her muscles and being unable to contain it is detrimental to her semblance. So when Yang punched her hard enough, the smoke poured out and she basically turned into a beanpole.

Red like roses pt II (best use of music in a post): Blumenkranz

Semblantastic! (best use of a semblance): Pyrrha using her semblance to bring herself up after getting knocked down an elevator shaft

UST (most romantic tension between currently not shipped people): BDE Yang and Blake

Fleet master (most likely to end this story with a harem): BDE Yang

A strong second 2 (most likely to end this story with a harem and not named BDE Yang): Good Neo if my PCs keep rustling her hair

Belladonna’s choice (for whichever of blake’s paramours currently has the best shot): BDE Yang. Get cucked SF!IIia wherever you are.

Casanova (for the biggest romantic): Yang

She’s not into you bro (for the pc who can’t take a hint): Tiger

Brotp: Kid Cinder and Penny

Bad Blood (Best rivalry): Blake and Weiss

-writing awards-

Best GM: Gus

Bad wolf (most hype ongoing plot thread): I wanna know what Fox is up to....We haven't seen them in a while.

The Ironwood Award (best character development): Blake

Salem’s yo mama (for the best insult, diss or put-down): BDE Yang eating a punch to the face and then breaking Masque's nose while calling her a dipshit.

Team BWNY (brawny?) (favorite SCL character to write): Blake or Penny

Team CIRV (serv?) (favorite MR character to read): Gwen then Kid Cinder

Team TRRN (terrain?) ( favorite TNB character to write); Tiger is someone I've had a lot of fun with/happy she's been as well recieved as she has. She was originally intended just to be a brute who wouldn't get much development(funnily enough she sees herself in a similar light)but over the course of the story we've seen her take on things even if she doesn't openly share them. She's someone who doesn't personally care for the more depraved things Blake gets up to but it's also not her place to stop it either. She'll just do the one thing she's ever been any good at ever since she was a kid: fight. Masque is my second runner because she's just such a case of 'regret of your past sins driving you mad' For the longest time she couldn't understand why she felt the way she did about what she did to her Yang as kids. But after losing the only friend/possible lover she may have ever had and believing her to probably be dead...while getting set on the path to murder and death that'd eventually catch Ozpin's eye, she's got a lot of emotional baggage to deal with. Hope to someday explore that more with Niebla in Vacuo and Shark popping up whenever and wherever it's appropriate.

Team MEQW (meow) (favorite GG character to read): Weiss

Team HGE (huge) (favorite Ind char to read): Ector​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Method actor (most character-driven PC): Weiss

Up is down (best take on a flipped character): Cinder

Down is also up (best take on a canon character stuck in bizarro world): Qrow

Accidental comedian (character who's funniest without trying): Weiss being so offended at being called annoying made me laugh

Purposeful comedian (character who’s funniest when trying): BDE Yang in a 'man that was so mean lol' way

Bazinga (character who just isn’t funny): Blake

The dreaded (most intimidating antagonist WHO ISN'T OZPIN BECAUSE HE'S JUST THE DEFAULT AND IT ISNT FAIR): Carneilian

Strong second (most intimidating antagonist also not ozpin): Ironwood

Wait what (most intimidating protagonist): I don't necessarily consider ector a protagonist else he'd go here, but the answer is Qrow

Brainiac (most intelligent): Merlot

Honorary straight man award (for continuing to suffer in silence): Jacqeus Schnee the summon

Biggest troll (I got lazy): BDE Yang

Can’t look away (for the most bewitching character): Weiss

Don’t get attached (most badass character): prooooooooobs Carny in an antagonist sense?

Yangst (most emo/generally sad):The Schneesters

This is the part where you die cry (Saddest individual scene): Weiss Thanos'ing winter

Socially stunted (biggest jerk who isn't’ an antagonist): Gwen

The Sustrai (most redeemable antagonist): what do you mean nobody Weiss is literally halfway through a redemption arc?

Grimm Reaper (for the truest embodiment of a huntress/huntsman): Cinder

Looks like a cinnamon roll (and is): Also Cinder

Looks they'd kill you (and would): Raven 1

Looks like a cinnamon roll (but would kill you): Yea Weiss fits

Looks like they'd kill you (is a cinnamon roll): Realistically this is just the Cookie award. if a certain amount of screentime is required to anwer tho then tock

Sin-namon roll: Masque



-combat awards-

Are you not entertained? (Best fight you participated in): Pyrrha vs Yang was fun to write but in terms of fights that weren't just myself I actually didn't write one in that clusterfuck so Nevermore mk2 wins again sorry myrtenrose :|

Ringside seats (favorite fight you didn't participate in): Dragon Ball RWBY (maiden on maiden violence)

Oum standard of excellence award (character who's combat best hits that RWBY style vibe): BDE Yang

David vs Goliath (most mismatched matchup): Masque vs BDE in an MMA smackdown

The Monty (character with most stylishly awesome combat): Weiss

Red like roses (most badass moment): 'lol bye maiden!Cinder'

Red like roses pt II (best use of music in a post): Wings hit me so good I think I actually tripped up handling the scene lmfao.

Semblantastic! (best use of a semblance): Worst-Mom to the rescue


~Relationship awards~

UST (most romantic tension between currently not shipped people): Masque x the overwhelming desire to get laid

Fleet master (most likely to end this story with a harem): Nah just regular Yang no bde needed : |

A strong second 2 (most likely to end this story with a harem and not named BDE Yang): woulda been Eve but she's a corpse now so I'mma say...... Cinder

Belladonna’s choice (for whichever of blake’s paramours currently has the best shot):

Casanova (for the biggest romantic): Weiss. Yea I bet you think its you Snowflake but thats not how you SHOW IT- Anyway Neo wins this for somehow maintaining course on playing hard to get from an uninterested and grieving officer of the law

She’s not into you bro (for the pc who can’t take a hint): See above

Brotp: Merlweiss

Bad Blood (Best rivalry): Blake and Weiss

-writing awards-

Best GM: Gus

Bad wolf (most hype ongoing plot thread): What happens when Weiss and Ozpin end up in the same room?

The Ironwood Award (best character development): Weiss

Salem’s yo mama (for the best insult, diss or put-down): Weiss telling Watts to keep the change

Team BWNY (brawny?) (favorite SCL character to write): YYYyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaang

Team CIRV (serv?) (favorite MR character to read): Cinder and the Ravens

Team TRRN (terrain?) ( favorite TNB character to write); Tiger

Team MEQW (meow) (favorite GG character to read): Weiss

Team HGE (huge) (favorite Ind char to read backlogs while you long for his return): Hazel

 

[MyrtenRose]

Method actor (most character-driven PC): Weiss

Up is down (best take on a flipped character): Yang

Down is also up (best take on a canon character stuck in bizarro world): Other Yang

Accidental comedian (character who's funniest without trying): Weiss being so offended at being called annoying made me laugh, yeah same

Purposeful comedian (character who’s funniest when trying): Grey, the poor dude

Bazinga (character who just isn’t funny): Ironwood

The dreaded (most intimidating antagonist WHO ISN'T OZPIN BECAUSE HE'S JUST THE DEFAULT AND IT ISNT FAIR): Carnelian

Strong second (most intimidating antagonist also not ozpin): Blake

Wait what (most intimidating protagonist): Yang

Brainiac (most intelligent): Watts or Merlot or Weiss

Honorary straight man award (for continuing to suffer in silence): Bear

Biggest troll (I got lazy): BDE Yang

Can’t look away (for the most bewitching character): Penny

Don’t get attached (most badass character): Weiss 'slam Cinder into the abyss' Schnee

Yangst (most emo/generally sad): The Schneesters

This is the part where you die cry (Saddest individual scene): Weiss Thanos'ing winter

Socially stunted (biggest jerk who isn't’ an antagonist): Watts

The Sustrai (most redeemable antagonist): None here as of now, yes

Grimm Reaper (for the truest embodiment of a huntress/huntsman): Penny

Looks like a cinnamon roll (and is): Also Penny

Looks they'd kill you (and would): Blake

Looks like a cinnamon roll (but would kill you): Masque sometimes

Looks like they'd kill you (is a cinnamon roll): Sure, Cookie

Sin-namon roll: Masque or her cousin Yang



-combat awards-

Are you not entertained? (Best fight you participated in): Dragon Ball RWBY maiden brawl(Watts and Pennys included) : |

Ringside seats (favorite fight you didn't participate in): ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Oum standard of excellence award (character who's combat best hits that RWBY style vibe): Pyrrha Nikooooos

David vs Goliath (most mismatched matchup): Masque and grimm Yang yeah. Shout out to Carnelian, he's an incredible threat but getting jumped by all those plus bad luck, that's no bueno.

The Monty (character with most stylishly awesome combat): Weiss

Red like roses (most badass moment): Cinder Fell, courtesy of Weiss

Red like roses pt II (best use of music in a post): Wings!!!

Semblantastic! (best use of a semblance): One of the Yangs?


~Relationship awards~

UST (most romantic tension between currently not shipped people): Masque x the overwhelming desire to get laid

Fleet master (most likely to end this story with a harem): Hmmmmmmmmmm

A strong second 2 (most likely to end this story with a harem and not named BDE Yang): Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Belladonna’s choice (for whichever of blake’s paramours currently has the best shot): The less cool and nice Ilia

Casanova (for the biggest romantic): Masque/Neo/Thirsty Newblood

She’s not into you bro (for the pc who can’t take a hint): MASQUE

Brotp: they haven't been seen in ??? but it still Merc and Em forever

Bad Blood (Best rivalry): Blake and Weiss

-writing awards-

Best GM: Gus

Bad wolf (most hype ongoing plot thread): What happens when Weiss and Ozpin end up in the same room?

The Ironwood Award (best character development): Weiss

Salem’s yo mama (for the best insult, diss or put-down): calling Weiss annoying and the reaction

Team BWNY (brawny?) (favorite SCL character to read): Blakeeeeeeeee

Team CIRV (serv?) (favorite MR character to write): clearly not Ruby I guess Cinder

Team TRRN (terrain?) ( favorite TNB character to read); Grey

Team MEQW (meow) (favorite GG character to read): Weiss

Team HGE (huge) (favorite Ind char to read backlogs while you long for his return): The Rainarts equally​

 

[Gus Gungus]

Method actor (most character-driven PC): Yangsty

Up is down (best take on a flipped character): Trifa totes

Down is also up (best take on a canon character stuck in bizarro world): cRaven

Accidental comedian (character who's funniest without trying): Penny although not lately

Purposeful comedian (character who’s funniest when trying): Grey

Bazinga (character who just isn’t funny): Blake

The dreaded (most intimidating antagonist): Ozpin

Strong second (most intimidating antagonist also not ozpin): Since Blake must be stricken from these categories with immediate effect else we don't know what we're talking about uhhh... Fox?

Wait what (most intimidating protagonist): Yangry

Brainiac (most intelligent): Watts

Honorary straight man award (for continuing to suffer in silence): Tiger

Biggest troll (I got lazy): Gwen

Can’t look away (for the most bewitching character): Blake

Don’t get attached (most badass character): Tiger

Yangst (most emo/generally sad): Masque

This is the part where you die cry (Saddest individual scene): Shit man ruining the end of atlas I guess :|

Socially stunted (biggest jerk who isn't’ an antagonist): Neo recently did a highly antagonistic thing but seems to be squarely with the core group now so

The Sustrai (most redeemable antagonist): Yea sorry there's nobody even Weiss agrees she deserves what's coming to her :||

Grimm Reaper (for the truest embodiment of a huntress/huntsman): Yangwen

Looks like a cinnamon roll (and is): Cinder

Looks they'd kill you (and would): Blake

Looks like a cinnamon roll (but would kill you): Pyrrha

Looks like they'd kill you (is a cinnamon roll): Grey

Sin-namon roll: Masque



-combat awards-

Are you not entertained? (Best fight you participated in): Welp the only potential successor to nevermore 2 ever was butchered by me sorry zach :| Gwen and Ironwood was almost more an emotional battle than physical but still good

Ringside seats (favorite fight you didn't participate in): Yang and pyrrha

Oum standard of excellence award (character who's combat best hits that RWBY style vibe): Actual Yang

David vs Goliath (most mismatched matchup): Masque trying fisticuffs with those particular fists was a pretty inevitable bad time

The Monty (character with most stylishly awesome combat): Weiss

Red like roses (most badass moment): Idk if anyone has drawn attention to the fact that yang beat up like half the room

Red like roses pt II (best use of music in a post): Someone dropped war at the most appropriate moment pretty sure

Semblantastic! (best use of a semblance): Yay bRaven


~Relationship awards~

UST (most romantic tension between currently not shipped people): Neo be sending those vibes Gwen's way and getting NOWT returned

Fleet master (most likely to end this story with a harem): I was gonna say literally only BDE yang would want one but hey there's a convenient solution to one of her more vanilla self's problems : |

A strong second 2 (most likely to end this story with a harem and not named BDE Yang): Instead of second place can I just give Masque like, the opposite of this award

Belladonna’s choice (for whichever of blake’s paramours currently has the best shot): I keep a precise ranking but it's confidential sorry

Casanova (for the biggest romantic): Can we just consider for a moment that this 'Yang' person has been nothing but sweet and intimate and practically insistent on dangling from my person since the moment I STOLE HER from her FAMILY??? I am not to blame here!!! I was lonely and taken advantage of by some philandering vixen!!!! And suggesting otherwise has several problematic connotations based around the inherent captor-captive power imbalance and of course the fact that I'm several years her senior and-

She’s not into you bro (for the pc who can’t take a hint): Masque

Brotp: Bandit Branwens

Bad Blood (Best rivalry): Gwen and Ironwood

-writing awards-

Best GM: Zach

Bad wolf (most hype ongoing plot thread): I... I don't know...

The Ironwood Award (best character development): Hey Gwen had a big surge during that whole shitshow back there

Salem’s yo mama (for the best insult, diss or put-down): When you call someone annoying there's just not really a lot they can say back is there

Team BWNY (brawny?) (favorite SCL character to read): Honestly maybe the sole deciding factor is that I'm a Yang stan but it does feel like she's come home from the fog a bit

Team CIRV (serv?) (favorite MR character to read): Prob still Ravens but I was digging Gwen there

Team TRRN (terrain?) ( favorite TNB character to read); Tigger's still just elite

Team MEQW (meow) (favorite GG character to write): GOD imagine actually ENJOYING this

Team HGE (huge) (favorite Ind char to read backlogs while you long for his return): ​

 

[MyrtenRose]

 

[Gus Gungus]

Carnelian

BDE

Weiss

Ironwood

Eve

Mercury

Emerald

Qrow

Winter

Cobalt

Cookie

Barmaid

 

[MyrtenRose]

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

too many eyes 9/10

 

[MyrtenRose]

 

[Gus Gungus]

Guess what it's been four months and while the flow of time may never recover from the damage i've inflicted it I feel like some of the happenings in the time since were significant so

Method actor (most character-driven PC): There are still strong cases to be made for my usual suspects here but think it finally gotta go to Neo this round cuz JESUS

Up is down (best take on a flipped character): Blake. Also I am quite interested to hear what flipped raven has to say all things considered even if dragon's enjoying letting her squirm with that for a bit

Down is also up (best take on a canon character stuck in bizarro world): Raven and neo will always deserve to be in the conversation for this even if ultimately my yang bias 2 strong

Accidental comedian (character who's funniest without trying): I never know if the lack of intent is supposed to be on the pc or the player or what but I feel like lupin doesn't know he's the comic relief? Also canon blake was unintentionally funny for predator pouncing bae's disappointing bird mother out of the sky in her one appearance and cinder telling tyrian his whole ass motivation for splitting off on his own sucks was top flight

Purposeful comedian (character who’s funniest when trying): Alternatively lupin knows exactly what he is and may in fact be some sort of genius. char and blanche continue to be vigorously relatable. I don't know if watts is ever actually going for laughs or if he just enjoys being a bitch and at this point i'm too afraid to ask

Bazinga (character who just isn’t funny): Blake

The dreaded (most intimidating antagonist who isn't Ozpin): WELP since last round Ozpin died, Ozma's taking a timeout and Ozwen is just a masquerade currently so.... Summer

Strong second (other most intimidating antagonist): All shall know the name morgiana and feel fear

Wait what (most intimidating protagonist): Tyrian, or Neo if she counts at this point

Brainiac (most intelligent): Penny can do math in her head watts AND gwen can't so what does that say

Honorary straight man award (for continuing to suffer in silence): Neo brings a dark meaning to this award but otherwise blake or ren lead by miles

Biggest troll (I got lazy): Watts

Can’t look away (for the most bewitching character): Shopkeep's giant cousin, Innkeep or not even kidding but lupin with his growing leorio vibes lmfao

Don’t get attached (most badass character): Only one person can in future claim to have nuked one satan's tiddies and kamehameha'd another's

Yangst (most emo/generally sad): Neo...

This is the part where you die cry (Saddest individual scene): Neo...... there are actually a few honorable mentions here yang inheriting the maiden powers, blake forcing dragon to give the pain back, raven's 'i know' and of all things cinder's reaction to emerald rebuffing her all made me go ow from varying angles

Socially stunted (biggest jerk who isn't’ an antagonist): The other neo finally fits here now

The Sustrai (most redeemable antagonist): It's not necessarily likely to happen but while ostensibly having requested it blake was about as responsible for what she became as bucky barnes in the end

Grimm Reaper (for the truest embodiment of a huntress/huntsman): Cinder

Looks like a cinnamon roll (and is): Also Cinder

Looks they'd kill you (and would): Tyrian

Looks like a cinnamon roll (but would kill you): Neo thinks this is her but she playin

Looks like they'd kill you (is a cinnamon roll): Have char and blanche even ever actually killed anyone or are they just mistral's bulk and skull

Sin-namon roll: Masque



-combat awards-

Are you not entertained? (Best fight you participated in): Badbees vs raven, nora, neo and penny was genuinely quite cool tbh

Ringside seats (favorite fight you didn't participate in): Neo vs the Boss was dope

Oum standard of excellence award (character who's combat best hits that RWBY style vibe): Neo

David vs Goliath (most mismatched matchup): Whenever masque attacks dragon anywhere but her emotional fragility

The Monty (character with most stylishly awesome combat): Blake

Red like roses (most badass moment): ozwen essentially caught a family style variation of ironwood's vol 8 beatdown

Red like roses pt II (best use of music in a post): I was preparing to trawl back for this but it's actually just objectively the hxh outro even just for the entire rp lmfao

Semblantastic! (best use of a semblance): Oz just got taken off the board thanks to raven's so


~Relationship awards~

UST (most romantic tension between currently not shipped people): Watts and mercury was the real freezerburn all along

Fleet master (most likely to end this story with a harem): If blake wants one dragon's down

A strong second 2 (most likely to end this story with a harem and not named BDE Yang): If other blake wants one dragon's also down

Belladonna’s choice (for whichever of blake’s paramours currently has the best shot): Stand back sluts endgame has arrived

Casanova (for the biggest romantic): Masque :|

She’s not into you bro (for the pc who can’t take a hint): hmmmmmmmmm

Brotp: Tyrian and neo's new schtick has potential here

Bad Blood (Best rivalry): Blake and Weiss

-writing awards-

Bad wolf (most hype ongoing plot thread): the next one

The Ironwood Award (best character development): Neo

Salem’s yo mama (for the best insult, diss or put-down): Watts' resting bitch face

Team BWNY (brawny?) (favorite SCL character to read): ugh fuck off with this question honestly

Team CIRV (serv?) (favorite MR character to read): Ravens or cinder

Team TRRN (terrain?) ( favorite TNB character to read); Neo or tiger

Team MEQW (meow) (favorite GG character to write): I've actually really enjoyed writing all of them lately, think vol 8 gave me sad yang pangs and I got too into writing dragon for a while but its outta my system i thinks

Team HGE (huge) (favorite Ind char to read backlogs while you long for his return):

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Method actor (most character-driven PC): We've seen Weissy at the peak of arrogance and the absolute bottom of despair at this point and they've all felt like the same cahracter

Up is down (best take on a flipped character): Cinderre

Down is also up (best take on a canon character stuck in bizarro world): Totally recency bias but I'm actually giving Neo this one

Accidental comedian (character who's funniest without trying): Canon Cinder in the group chat biggest comedian out there

Purposeful comedian (character who’s funniest when trying): The consistency with which Merc and Em make me cackle is alarming, though the other dynamic one player duo of char and blanche are also up there

Bazinga (character who just isn’t funny): It really is Blake

The dreaded (most intimidating antagonist who isn't Ozpin): Lefty

Strong second (other most intimidating antagonist): masque just for all the wrong reasons

Wait what (most intimidating protagonist): cNeo was way too into the whole eye gouging for me to call her a protag yet so Tyrian.

Brainiac (most intelligent): No see whats can do math and has some basic emotional intelligence : |

Honorary straight man award (for continuing to suffer in silence): Ren hun you're really goin through it in a way no one else is

Biggest troll (I got lazy): Uncle Qrow. Yes this is a character specific response

Can’t look away (for the most bewitching character): Dragon but in the way watching one of those super slomo videos of a car crash test is

Don’t get attached (most badass character): Only one person can in future claim to have nuked one satan's tiddies and kamehameha'd another's

Yangst (most emo/generally sad): Neo...

This is the part where you die cry (Saddest individual scene): I was not ready for the backdraft of Cinder's scream bringing the entire Vacuo underground on top of Neo's totally 100% accidental fall

Socially stunted (biggest jerk who isn't’ an antagonist): Protag? no. Antag? not that either so Neo can go here

The Sustrai (most redeemable antagonist): There's really only a character specific answer I can give this even if there's no way in hell its actually gonna happen lmfao

Grimm Reaper (for the truest embodiment of a huntress/huntsman): Cinderre

Looks like a cinnamon roll (and is): Also Cinderre

Looks they'd kill you (and would): Nah Tyrian wouldn't go for the deathblow, masque however looks like a feral murder gremlin and as is oft forgot has a longstanding bodycount pre rp

Looks like a cinnamon roll (but would kill you): Remember when Ilia decided she'd been stabbed by blake enough and went straight for the killshot? Pepperidge farm remembers

Looks like they'd kill you (is a cinnamon roll): Tyrian

Sin-namon roll: I feel like the RP's only actual hooker has to win this award at least once



-combat awards-

Are you not entertained? (Best fight you participated in): Yang vs Satan. Honorable mention to me vs myrtenrose in PM

Ringside seats (favorite fight you didn't participate in): lord of heaven above I think I've been in every single fight scene help me

Oum standard of excellence award (character who's combat best hits that RWBY style vibe): Nora pilots exactly like Nora in the show does

David vs Goliath (most mismatched matchup): An Actual Literal Honest to Goodness Bird vs. The Deadliest Housecat on Remnant

The Monty (character with most stylishly awesome combat): Qrow's always a delight to read

Red like roses (most badass moment): 'Too soft'

Red like roses pt II (best use of music in a post): There are objectively better answers that aren't cheating but since its late for now I will say I was very proud of creditsing that scene lol and just edit a real answer in in the morning

Semblantastic! (best use of a semblance): Yea Raven MvP'd hard here


~Relationship awards~

UST (most romantic tension between currently not shipped people): The extremely unresolved three way tension between Neo, Gravity, and high plaes

Fleet master (most likely to end this story with a harem): If dragon wants in-

A strong second 2 (most likely to end this story with a harem and not named BDE Yang): I think this answer is actually Ilia

Belladonna’s choice (for whichever of blake’s paramours currently has the best shot): :Blek:

Casanova (for the biggest romantic): Holding in a hatred so vile that it literally starts to kill you is like, so romantic

She’s not into you bro (for the pc who can’t take a hint):

MASQUE

Brotp: Forever and always Merc and Em

Bad Blood (Best rivalry): Blake and Weiss aye, though there are a few I'm looking forward to seeing develop more

-writing awards-

Bad wolf (most hype ongoing plot thread): the one after the next one

The Ironwood Award (best character development): I think if we take the long road look at this one I'd say Cinderre

Salem’s yo mama (for the best insult, diss or put-down): Emerald's internal reasoning for giving Watts the pouty face

Team BWNY (brawny?) (favorite SCL character to write ): ever and always does it waffle and waver but three stand currently at the top, with Blake Yang and Neo desperately trying to shove each other off the platform

Team CIRV (serv?) (favorite MR character to read): Cinder

Team TRRN (terrain?) ( favorite TNB character to read); Neo

Team MEQW (meow) (favorite GG character to write): Dragon (though Qrow is literally always primed to take this spot

Team HGE (huge) (favorite Ind char to read backlogs while you long for his return): Red the squirrel, spartan slayer

 

[MidwayLives]

Up is down (best take on a flipped character): Good Neo

Down is also up (best take on a canon character stuck in bizarro world): Penny

Accidental comedian (character who's funniest without trying): Penny

Purposeful comedian (character who’s funniest when trying): Merc and Em

Bazinga (character who just isn’t funny): Blake or Dragon

The dreaded (most intimidating antagonist who isn't Ozpin): Lefty and Rightie

Strong second (other most intimidating antagonist): Blake

Wait what (most intimidating protagonist): Good Neo

Brainiac (most intelligent): Hmm....

Honorary straight man award (for continuing to suffer in silence): Good Neo : )

Biggest troll (I got lazy): Qrow

Can’t look away (for the most bewitching character): Good Neo

Don’t get attached (most badass character): Good Yang

Yangst (most emo/generally sad): Neo...

This is the part where you die cry (Saddest individual scene): "NEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

Socially stunted (biggest jerk who isn't’ an antagonist): Watts....? I can't nominate myself this time....

The Sustrai (most redeemable antagonist): :reby: well....

but no in all seriousness everyone except weiss deserves some form of comeuppance.

Grimm Reaper (for the truest embodiment of a huntress/huntsman): kid cinder

Looks like a cinnamon roll (and is): kid cinder

Looks they'd kill you (and would): emerald

Looks like a cinnamon roll (but would kill you): canon IIia

Looks like they'd kill you (is a cinnamon roll): Good Neo

Sin-namon roll: Dragon after her most recent lay....



-combat awards-

Are you not entertained? (Best fight you participated in): The Boss vs Neo. Having his entire decade long operation of appeasing his personalities while running a criminal organization uprooted by one tiny pinkhaired little girl.

Ringside seats (favorite fight you didn't participate in): Blake vs Lefty

Oum standard of excellence award (character who's combat best hits that RWBY style vibe): Good Yang

David vs Goliath (most mismatched matchup): I know i said i wouldn't nominate myself but masque(covered in wounds and bleeding)wanting to fight blake.

The Monty (character with most stylishly awesome combat): Evil Blake

Red like roses (most badass moment): 'Fine' *kicks Masque in the head after mutilating her only arm*

Red like roses pt II (best use of music in a post): idk

Semblantastic! (best use of a semblance): Raven saved us soooo


~Relationship awards~

UST (most romantic tension between currently not shipped people): not sure???

Fleet master (most likely to end this story with a harem): :reby: well i'd LIKE one-

A strong second 2 (most likely to end this story with a harem and not named BDE Yang): Evil Blake

Belladonna’s choice (for whichever of blake’s paramours currently has the best shot): :reby:

Casanova (for the biggest romantic): Evil Blake to Dragon i guess

She’s not into you bro (for the pc who can’t take a hint):



Brotp: Forever and always Merc and Em

Bad Blood (Best rivalry): Blake and Lefty

-writing awards-

Bad wolf (most hype ongoing plot thread): the one after the next one

The Ironwood Award (best character development): Kid Cinder or Good Neo

Salem’s yo mama (for the best insult, diss or put-down): Merc telling that beating up on Good Neo isn't his therapy

(favorite SCL character to read: Good Neo

Team CIRV (serv?) (favorite MR character to read): Kid Cinder

Team TRRN (terrain?) ( favorite TNB character to write): Masque

Team MEQW (meow) (favorite GG character to write): Dragon

Team HGE (huge) (favorite Ind char to read backlogs while you long for his return): Hazel

 

[MyrtenRose]

Method actor (most character-driven PC):

"You know, this is a tough call but I'm really feeling for my friend Neo here, she's been on one tough journey."

Up is down (best take on a flipped character):

"I really don't want to say it, for many reasons(see eyes for one) but I figure Weiss has earned this distinction, yeah."

Down is also up (best take on a canon character stuck in bizarro world):

"I mean, come on, who else but my sis? Yang rocks!"

Accidental comedian (character who's funniest without trying):

"Do not go spreading this around or I will cut you...but yes, Blake grabbing me like that was hilarious. If I'd witnessed it happen to Qrow instead, I know I would have been rolling on the floor laughing. Poor kitty gets this award."

Purposeful comedian (character who’s funniest when trying):

"This is a no brainer! Our reunion was them goofing around with us and within like 5 minutes they tried to pull another fast one on us with some fake dead in the pool crap! Merc and Em earned this."

Bazinga (character who just isn’t funny):

"Yeah, Shadow Fang Blake. For so many reasons. Maybe somebody should give her a book of jokes."

The dreaded (most intimidating antagonist who isn't Ozpin):

"Blake also gets this, but unlike the foolish above, I appreciate her for this. She has well proven her worth."

Strong second (other most intimidating antagonist):

"To use a famous quote: Well, mark me down as scared and horny! Not really at the second part but maaaaaan I brought Dragon to pain-town as best I could but she still wouldn't go down."

Wait what (most intimidating protagonist):

"Imagine this on my tombstone - my daughter blasted male/non-binary(?) Satan and will soon punch female Satan in the tits."

Brainiac (most intelligent):

"Unlike Penny, I actually do scientific and engineering and even IT work, and unlike my other competition..."

Brainiac (most intelligent): No see whats can do math and has some basic emotional intelligence : |

"...I can spell."

Honorary straight man award (for continuing to suffer in silence):

"OH GOD NEO AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Biggest troll (I got lazy):

"Qrow, chief troll-in-charge. Or was until he made the brilliant choice of putting me in charge."

Can’t look away (for the most bewitching character):

"I am loathe to give any credit to the insolent woman, but my eye is drawn to Weiss and how long she thinks she can maintain this facade."

Don’t get attached (most badass character):

"In the span of like...two days? A day??? Couple hours??? Weiss took care of the evil douchey me, dealt major blows to the Shadow Fang, killed the devil and then locked him away mentally when he took her over. Talk about badass!"

Yangst (most emo/generally sad):

"Nevermind that the pic has a smile, Neo/Emerald/Mercury whaaaaat the FUCK???!"

This is the part where you die cry (Saddest individual scene):

"Oh god, three times in a row of me talking but y'all know the scene!!!"

Socially stunted (biggest jerk who isn't’ an antagonist):

"Our Neo. No doubt in my mind."

The Sustrai (most redeemable antagonist):

"I hold out hope for the man who taught me."

Grimm Reaper (for the truest embodiment of a huntress/huntsman):

"My sister / my daughter."


Looks like a cinnamon roll (and is):

"PENNY!"

Looks they'd kill you (and would):

"Gotta admit, I was lowkey worried standing next to Masque by those portals, still not quite sure how she views me now..."

Looks like a cinnamon roll (but would kill you):

"Sienna. How you doin' bae?"

Looks like they'd kill you (is a cinnamon roll):

"My man with the stupid plans, Tyrian!!!"

Sin-namon roll:

"Also his girlfriend's a hooker, that has to be an auto-win."



-combat awards-

Are you not entertained? (Best fight you participated in):

"BMBLB against me and some of the squad was one heck of a battle."

Ringside seats (favorite fight you didn't participate in):

"Uh, for lack of any real options as far as they can tell, they sent me in to inform you all that they picked Neo taking on the Boss."

Oum standard of excellence award (character who's combat best hits that RWBY style vibe):

"If people can cling to Nevermore MK2 for so long, then I gotta stand by her and say Eve still rocked this category. And other things. God, still so mad she died."

David vs Goliath (most mismatched matchup):

"Why did Masque have to get into that fight, my god..."

The Monty (character with most stylishly awesome combat):

"I still don't like her for the car thing, but Blake has style."

Red like roses (most badass moment):

"Yang leading the charge for a family beatdown."

Red like roses pt II (best use of music in a post):

"It has gotten used so many times according to my records, but I never once tired of Blumenkranz. My boss has great taste in music."

Semblantastic! (best use of a semblance):

"I'm still feeling the damage from what Weiss inflicted upon me."


~Relationship awards~

UST (most romantic tension between currently not shipped people):

"Art and Merc, I see you ther--"

"Let me cut in here, honorable mention and shout out to Snake apparently thirsting over me? Sorry I missed it but hey, still got eyes on your queen."

Fleet master (most likely to end this story with a harem):

"Yang, so I suppose that's a win for her but I still think that sounds gross."

A strong second 2 (most likely to end this story with a harem and not named BDE Yang):

"Dragon would probably really want one and meh, the rule up there doesn't count now, nobody calls her that anymore."

Belladonna’s choice (for whichever of blake’s paramours currently has the best shot):

"She's still with the other me, as far as I know."

Casanova (for the biggest romantic):

"Masque wishes so, and I'll be honest, it kind of disturbs even me."

She’s not into you bro (for the pc who can’t take a hint):

"She truly can't."

Brotp:

"Mercury and Emerald are still masters in their craft, though they may have challengers in Tyrian and Neo if that develops like I hope it does. It would do them good."

Bad Blood (Best rivalry):

"Blake and Weiss, no question. Their hatred puts even my grudge with Ruby to shame."

-writing awards-

Bad wolf (most hype ongoing plot thread):

"Who...is...Morgiana?"

The Ironwood Award (best character development):

"Neo that was so painful but so loved and oh god I want to hug you a million times."

Salem’s yo mama (for the best insult, diss or put-down):

"If I could, I'd have Watts giving that face(you know the one) framed all over my house."

Team BWNY (brawny?) (favorite SCL character to read):

"My fellow bruiser in arms, Yang!"

Team CIRV (serv?) (favorite MR character to write):

"Much surprise, such wow."

Team TRRN (terrain?) ( favorite TNB character to read);

"The big Tiger lady, hehe!"

Team MEQW (meow) (favorite GG character to read):

"Weiss just has such a way with words. Still a total bitch though."

Team HGE (huge) (favorite Ind char to read backlogs while you long for his return):

"Big Green is sorely missed. #DadFriend"​