Bab 21: An Old Friend for Some
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So I lost the notebook where I had the Menagerie scenes and details plotted out. Remembering it all as best I can but I can not remember if Khali or Ilia were on Menagerie or not.
So, now they are.
Super sorry if that is a continuity error, but I can't remember and rereading the last few chapters didn't reveal it.
XxX----XxX----XxX
It took just past half an hour to explain to her dad everything they'd gone through, everything she knew about. From what had happened on the farm, to the Leviathan and its death, to the Relic and what it was… And to Ozpin, and what he was, as hard as that conversation was. No one said anything while she spoke, or even when she had to pause to sip at the warm tea and catch her breath. The Spartans simply kept their gazes turned outward, wary and ready. And Yang sat still, leaning her chair back on the legs and propping her feet up on the table, balancing precariously.
Her father's only answer was a level, hard stare and the occasional hum when she glanced nervously at him.
"And now," she finished quietly, "we're… Trying to set up an alliance. The Arbiter and his, uh… The UNSC, they're offering to help us. Help everyone, and that's why we're here. To help everyone we can."
"Mhm." The large man growled, easing back in his chair and running his long fingers through his beard pensively.
"D-Dad?" She tried after he spent a minute just… Sitting there, running his fingers through his hair and thinking, eyes glass and staring off into nothing. He blinked when she said his name, turning a look on her with one brow raised. "Are you… Okay?"
"Yes." He nodded, "Why wouldn't I be?
"You… Spaced out for a second, there." Yang explained quietly, leaning forward until her chair clicked back onto the floor quietly and giving the man a worried look, "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm sure. I'm just…" He paused, searching for the words for a moment before chuckling, "I'm processing everything, I guess. Khali?"
"Same here, dear. Just letting it all sink in and… And thinking about it." The older woman murmured, sitting on the chair beside Blake, her leg bouncing anxiously. After a moment she bent over the table, head in her hands as she groaned, "Sea and tides the gods are real… Like, actually really real."
"Yeah." Blake laughed, the sound short and harsh as her stomach churned uncomfortably. Scowling, she bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted copper and iron and pushed herself forward with a deep breath, "Yeah, they are, and holy shit I don't know how to even begin to handle that news. But… But right now, we have other things to deal with. Bigger things, that are more important right now."
"Mhm." Her father rumbled, hands working slowly in his beard as he surveyed the Spartans. "Aliens are real too, hm?"
"Do you need proof?" He asked quietly, moving on when the man's brows rose curiously, "I can have our ship AI, Roland, forward orbital images to their Scrolls for your perusal if that would-"
"That won't be necessary." He answered, cutting the Spartan off and smiling when Blake turned to him, brow furrowed in confusion. Smiling, he laid a hand on her shoulder and said, very simply, "If you say it's true, then I believe you, Blake. I trust you. You're a lot of things but you aren't a liar."
"But-"
"At least not about this." Yang cut in, before she could say anything. When Blake rounded on her the brawler grinned roguishly and leaned back, hands on the back of her head, "You in on the trust game too, Missus B?"
"For my daughter?" The woman looked up, eyes misty with tears but hard regardless. Smiling firmly, she nodded, "Always."
"Guys… You..." The feeling that overwhelmed her at the absolute trust they showed her was… Hard to explain, or process, and piled onto the whole 'gods are real' thing that had resurfaced almost painfully. Stuffing it down she heaved a breath and once again pushed herself through it, "Then, uh, what do we… Do, now?"
"That depends." Her father said, turning to the Spartans with hard eyes and his lips pressed into a thin, hard line. Quietly, the Chieftain of Menagerie stood and asked, lowly, "What do you need, Spartans?"
"Ammunition, to start."
"Do you use Dust?"
"No, we don't." Frederic said quickly, taking his Magnum off his waist and ejecting a round breezily. Pitching it at the Chieftain he explained while the Faunus looked it over, "But Roland can get you lists of what we need, and the manufacturing process. If you built a workshop, that should supply everything we would need."
"And what do we get out of it?"
"Orbital battery support." Frederic answered, explaining when her dad's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "We have a prototype light-MAC battery that can be wherever it's needed in minutes if we burn hard through the upper atmosphere. Or hard space. We'd be willing to use it, and the Black Sun's weapon complement besides, to support and protect Menagerie in exchange for your help."
"I…"
"Could you explain, please?" Khali asked simply, "We don't know what any of that means."
"They have a big fuckin' gun up in space, 'round the planet." Yang explained flippantly, idly inspecting the fingers of her prosthetic. "I've seen it take out a Leviathan, one shot. Havin' them on your side is a pretty damn good deal if they're just asking you to help make bullets for them."
"We can try." Her father answered, "But industry isn't exactly our strong suit."
"It might not need to be." Blake said quietly, flicking an appraising gaze to each of her parents. "My team and the rest of… Everyone, I guess, they're headed to Atlas. To try and get their help, too. If they provided the factories they'd just need raw supplies to make what we need. Or… Or manpower."
"You mean to have our people working for Atlas…"
"I know what that means, Daddy." She snapped sharply, sighing and turning an apologetic smile on him when she caught the edge to her own words. More gently, she said, "I know, really. But… I don't know what else to do. Vale is chaos as far as I know, Mistral is still recovering from Lionheart's betrayal, and Vacuo is… Vacuo."
"Still." Her dad rumbled, "Atlas…"
"I'll liaise with Mistral." Khali volunteered immediately, "If we send them our fighters to keep the Grimm at bay, they'll recover that much quicker. And we might need their mines, depending on what your friends need, Blake."
"And if they come to the table, I'll speak to Atlas." The Chieftain promised, nodding firmly and then smiling when Blake did. "We'll get it sorted, one way or another. And hey, things can't be going that poorly for your friends up in Atlas, right?"
"Yeah," Blake smiled, "things should be going just fine."
XxX----XxX----XxX
The shuttle ride was short and quiet, if a bit cramped in the back of a shuttle not quite meant to fit quite as many as were being forced into it. No one said anything, and his companions all pressed around him protectively, pushing the Atlesian soldiers to the fore of the ship and watching them closely. Warily. As if they expected them to, at any moment, turn and inform them they were all under arrest. AS though they would be so foolish as to attempt an arrest in a shuttle, knowing how easily it could be brought down if they resisted.
Or rather, when they resisted.
The Atlesians for their part ignored them all, leaning against the hull to either side of the cockpit and waiting patiently to land and get to the next part of their day's duties. Their youngest, and the only Faunus among them from what he could discern, occasionally paid him looks that were one part curiosity and one part anxiety. He knew what the Arbiter was well enough to fear him, but he didn't show it in any real way. And, when Specialist Ebi noticed the looks and laid a hand on his shoulder, he stopped looking at him at all.
Not for the first time, he considered the discipline of the Atlesians and found himself impressed. And, after a moment, pitying them.
He'd seen the dark places such discipline could go, after all…
"Hey." He blinked and straightened at the voice, and the hand on his armored thigh. Turning slightly, he looked down on the smiling Rose as she asked, "Are you okay? You looked… You spaced out, for a minute there."
"I am well enough." He rumbled, smiling and plopping a hand on her head to ruffle her hair while she flailed to escape, slipping around Jaune and using him as a shield. Chuckling unsurely, the blonde held his hands up in mock surrender and Thel laughed, "Do not think that your friend will shield you, young one."
"He will!" She cried defiantly, sticking an arm around the blonde to point at the looming Arbiter. "He's loyal, and will protect me from the aggressive hair ruffling!"
"Maybe from me." The Arbiter laughed, paying a knowing glance to Ruby's uncle, stood behind her and wringing his hands with a wide grin. "But can he guard your rear as well, child?"
"My wha- Aaah!" She spasmed forward and into her blonde friend as her uncle descended on her, tickling up her side while he laughed and she squealed. After a moment, Nora muscled her way past Ren and Jaune both to join him, attacking her front while her uncle savaged her back. Finally, flailing, she dissolved into petals to escape, swarming around the lot of them to hide behind her partner, closer to the watching Atlesians, and call out, "I give, I give! You guys win!"
"Hey!" Their large, dark skinned pilot called out warningly, turning in her seat to roll a glare over all of them. And, of course, lingering on him. "No debris leaving transformative based Semblances while we're flying! Do you want to crash?!"
"Sorry!" Ruby, Qrow and Nora all called out at the same time, with not even the least bit of regret in their voices.
"Not yet you-��
"We're going to be landing in just over a minute." The other, smaller pilot said quietly, cutting off the large woman and paying her a small look. Whatever was communicated through it she rolled her eyes and focused on her controls. While she did that he added, quietly, "I suggest you all brace, if you don't fly often. Landing can be rather jarring sometimes, and we would hate for someone to fall."
"Unless it was Thel…" He heard Nora grumbled quietly, slipping past him to plop into a seat beside her partner without another word.
If anyone heard her, they didn't say anything, and instead Specialist Ebi spoke up, "We'll be landing at a small secure holding bay near Atlas Academy, and heading straight to mee the General himself. Stick close, don't say anything, don't touch anything, and there won't be any trouble."
"That doesn't sound very promising…"
"It's a secure wing, Mister Arc." Ebi answered simply, still smiling that warm, fake smile with his hands on his hips. "It's mostly for classified projects and… Well, things that take a delicate touch. And also mostly kept secure by droids and Specialists. Both of which will arrest you if they see you without us."
"Or break you!" The large woman called over a shoulder, "Depends on who ya run into, really."
Specialist Ebi didn't say anything to counter that and instead simply smiled, "Just stick with us and everything will be fine. No worries."
"Well this is great." Qrow grumbled, "We're goin' in through the damn black door."
"Black door?" Ren asked, "What's that?"
"Slang for 'the place that people don't come back from' out in the Tribes of Mistral." The man explained, fishing out his flask and bouncing it in his palm. After a moment, though, he slipped it back into its place and he sighed, "Normally, you do not wanna come in through the black door in any kinda place."
Yet again, Ebi didn��t say anything to argue with the man, just turning back around and adding a parting, "Just stick with us and you'll be just fine."
Predictably, that filled them with very little confidence.
When they landed it wasn't at a proper, normal shuttle bay but was instead in a smaller, seemingly more private one sequestered inside a fortified looking complex of sorts on the edge of the floating city. Their landing pad was the middle one, landing on a slightly raised and very clearly marked pad. To either side were pads exactly like it, albeit empty of any actual shuttles. The bay itself was short, just large enough to admit them and no larger, bare of most infrastructure that would be needed to maintain them, and so he concluded that it was a private, secure drop off port instead of a waiting one.
The fact that there were only droids guarding the room, lined up in small pairs all along the walls and by the only doors out, did not lend him much confidence that he wanted to know what it was used for.
"This way, please." Ebi ordered over a shoulder, turning to lead them on with the same two that had stepped out with him on the Black Sun.
Once they were off the platform they heard a sudden, loud pneumatic hiss and turned. As they watched, the platform lifted up an inch and rotated slowly with the shuttle on top of it. Once it had turned around, the little craft lifted up and listed forward gently, curving up to vanish around the lip of the bay's entrance. Then, as the platform spun back around, great metal plating rolled down over the opening to seal the way.
"Okay, that's… Kinda cool." Ruby admitted once the bay had been sealed up and, thankfully, the cold air had been forced aside by the room's internal heating. "Like, automatic armored doors and rotating platforms for a secret entrance into a base? Super cool."
"I'll be sure to pass the compliments along." Ebi called out, smiling warmly and waving for them to follow him. "Remember, stick close."
"Yeah." Qrow growled, giving him a look and shrugging agitatedly, "You don't want Atlas to disappear you…"
"No, no I certainly do not." Thel rumbled, thinking back to his first days under his title, and the trip to the gas planet. Not for the first time he wondered if, had he known what it meant to disappear the Heret- Sesa 'Refumee, would things be different now? Would he be alive? Would the Covenant?
With a sigh, he shook the thoughts away and followed his companions. Dwelling now would do little…
XxX----XxX----XxX
"They took that all pretty well, everything considered." Kelly said to him as the Faunus split away to eat dinner together, and so the two parents could get to know the blonde brawler in, as they had put it, a 'non apocalyptic setting'. "The parents seem… Sturdy."
"We all read the dossier." Frederic grunted, "We know they're sturdy."
"Civil conflict and protests are a bit different to this.�� Linda offered smoothly, "I'm not saying they aren't tough, but…"
"It's different." Frederic agreed quietly, pacing away with his two fellow Spartans in tow.
Sighing, he turned and took a seat on the slight hill that stuck up a few dozen yards away from the manor. It was the kind that was built around big constructions, when dirt was shoved aside for the work and left there, and topped by a thick fence. Beyond it was housing, he knew from the flight in, and while the fence wouldn't do anything about defence it was decent for privacy and sound blocking.
Conveniently, there was also a huge open space between the manor's closest ground and where he'd gone.
"Sit down." He said quietly, "We're being watched."
"By?"
"Several people in the building and someone else that's been close since we finished briefing the Chieftain." He answered quietly, tagging the stretch of garden, shaded by a copse of trees, he'd spotted the movement in. "So sit and look relaxed."
"We could intercept them…" Kelly suggested, taking a seat beside him on the grass and pulling her shotgun around her to look it over idly.
"Not our problem." He said quietly, watching the faintest silhouette of a girl's face emerge in the shadows, darkened to a brown and green, splotchy mess that at least mostly matched the surrounding foliage. "There she is…"
"Ilia." Linda was the first to say her name even if Frederic was fairly confident they'd all recognized her at the same time, "From the dossier on Blake. Old friend of hers, Fang turncoat. Why's she watching us?"
"I don't-"
Suddenly, he felt the ground tremble and shot up as the dull, familiar whump of an explosion reached his ears, echoing around the city dully. He and his team were on their feet inside a moment, three sets of eyes tracking towards a column of smoke drifting high into the air along the coast. A quick check from the aerial maps confirmed it wasn't their Pelican, which put him slightly at ease. But… If not that, then what had exploded?
Quietly, he trailed his eyes down, to their observer.
In the wake of the explosion, she'd stepped out of the trees, a long rapier like weapon in her hand. Like them she was watching the smoke. Unlike them, she was shaking her head slowly and backing away as if in shock. A second explosion echoed dully from near to the first and she backed away another step, weapon trembling ever so slightly.
Then, she took off towards the manor.
"Orders?"
"Follow." He grunted, "Linda, find a vantage."
"Sir."
"Understood."
Together, he and Kelly took off towards the door the Faunus had vanished through while Linda took off on her own. As they ran he quietly drew his rifle and flicked the safety off, while another dull whump ripped through the coastal section of the settlement. He wasn't sure what was going on, but…
It sounded like the Chieftain could use a few Spartans on station.
XxX----XxX----XxX
After minutes of passing through empty halls devoid of anything but what swiftly became typical, heavy duty doors marked out by serial codes and the droids that guarded this area, they stepped through a wide door Ebi had to key open and into a less empt, and far more warmly lit to boot, hallway. Soldiers, in armor and in simpler cloth uniforms similar to what he'd seen in Argus, gave them space and eyed them curiously and fearfully - and in some cases, hatefully, even if he was certain the rank and file would not know what he was - as they passed through.
None of them said or did anything, though.
And so neither did they.
Finally, after minutes spent winding through the webwork of hallways, they were led down a small flight of stairs into a tall, circular room. Opposite their door was another set of stairs leading up while, to either side, hallways stretched off into backlighting that made seeing in difficult. High overhead, interestingly, was a skylight open to the air outside that showed a dazzlingly beautiful expanse of ruddy red sky. It was beautiful but, alas, also less important than those standing across from him, at the base of the other set of staircases.
There were four of them, standing in a loose circle and talking as they approached. One was Ironwood, obvious for his suit and stature. And the other was Winter, he could tell her from descriptions alone and her presence. She'd been described to him as Ironwood's closest aide, after all. The other two, one heavily armored enough to compare with the Spartan at his side and sporting an impressive cannon strapped to an equally impressive pack and the other a young Human girl with orange hair and a wide, ballooning skirt.
The former he couldn't place, but the latter seemed oddly… Familiar.
Then, as soon as they reached the halfway point of the room, the young girl turned and gave a look over her shoulder. Then, inside a heartbeat, her eyes widened and she spun on a heel, eyes wide and hands clapping excitedly. "Ruby! You're here!"
"I am… Who are-" Ruby paused and he saw her shoulders hitch as she pointed a long, thin finger at the other girl. "P-Penny?"
"You're… Alive?" Weiss murmured, the two of them both staggering forward on numb legs while their three Beacon companions exchanged shocked looks. "But… We saw you die, Penny!"
"Oh yes, that was quite unfortunate, to say the very least. I didn't even get to say goodbye!" The woman answered, taking one step and then propelling herself up and into the air by what looked distinctly like rockets in her boots. She landed with a dull thud and wasted little time wrapping her arms around Weiss and Ruby both, hefting them up in a bone crushing hug while they both wheezed and flailed weakly. Setting them down and smiling wider, she said, "Once my memory core was returned to Atlas my Father built me a brand new chassis and installed it."
"So you're… You?" Ruby asked, voice cracking, "I saw you die, but… You're okay?"
"I am mostly intact, yes!" The girl smiled, "Unfortunately, five point two three percent of my memory was lost. Corrupted by the power surges that occurred when I…" The girl trailed off and then frowned, hands balling into fists and then uncurling quickly, "All of my memories of you are intact, however. I saved them to my armored deep-drive!"
"In direct contradiction of protocol." Winter said as she stalked forward, flanked by the heavily armored soldier and with Ironwood just ahead of her. Stepping past him she laid a hand on her sister and tugged her aside, appraising her quickly, "You… Seem well."
"I am, Sister." Weiss seemed to pause, for a moment, before slipping into the older Schnee's grip and wrapping her arms around her. Predictably, and amusingly, Winter froze until Weiss murmured, "I missed you so much…"
"I… Missed you too." Winter smiled, returning the hug after a moment and sighing. "And damn you for disappearing like that, too, you… Dolt!"
"Heh." Ruby chuckled quietly, smiling softly and letting Penny hold her in her arms, her head leaning on the taller woman's chest comfortably. Penny, for her part, simply beamed a smile in every direction, more than happy with the arrangement. "I guess the Dolt runs in the family."
"Penny, Winter, you have duties to attend to." Ironwood cut in with a tired but nonetheless somewhat warm chuckle. The two straightened, gently pushing away their literal hangers on, and the man added, "See to them and you can take the next day off to reacquaint yourselves. Until then, I have business with Mister Arc, Miss Rose, the Spartan, and the Elite."
"Uh, why us, specifically?" Jaune asked, "We should all be there for this."
"Yeah!" Nora added forcefully, "We're not splitting up."
"I just wanted to let you get some rest while your leaders spoke with me." Ironwood said through a sigh as the two women left to see to their orders. "I had dorms and food set aside for the lot of you. The sooner you're registered in our system the sooner you don't have to be escorted, too."
"Still, I don't think we should-"
"I think that we should do as General Ironwood wishes." Thel finally said, turning a warm smile on his friends and explaining quietly, but surely so that they would not seek to argue with him, "This is his place, his Keep in a fashion, after all. It would do well to trust him and obey him while we are within it."
"But-"
"And if we want him to trust us in spite of the complications abounding," he added, before Ruby could argue, "we ought offer the barest scrap of our own. As with other matters no doubt to be discussed presently, I will trust your decisions on what to do. But I have offered my opinion on the matter."
"...Alright, then." Ruby sighed, "Guys, we'll catch up later. Me and Jaune-"
"Jaune and I." Weiss corrected automatically, adding a sheepish, "Sorry."
"...Jaune and I will talk to Ironwood and… Ya know, everyone else, and we'll catch up later." Ruby smiled, shoving her partner playfully towards the other duo that was leaving. "Get our dorms RWBY ready, and save me some sweets, 'kay?"
"They… Should already be ready."
"They might be." Ruby smiled, "But they aren't RWBY ready. S'a big difference, there."
"Alright then?"
"I'll make sure everything is suitably out of order." Weiss chuckled, rolling her eyes and turning to the other two in clear question.
"I don't think-"
"Jaune?" Ren interrupted, laying a hand on Nora's shoulder that had her calm down and lean into it, trusting her partner's opinion even if she didn't trust Ruby's or Thel's. After a long moment, the blonde just sighed and nodded, and Ren returned the gesture. "Come on, Nora. We'll see if they have pancake supplies in the kitchen, too."
"...Fine." She finally surrendered, "But only because I love your pancakes."
"Clover." Ironwood grunted, "Show them the way."
"Sir."
With the Ace Ops escorting them, they left, leaving him and the Humans alone together. When they were gone from view, the five of them remaining turned to Ironwood and his armored companion expectantly and Ruby took the fore, her Uncle standing behind her in an obvious show of support.
"So." Ruby started anxiously, "Who talks first? Do I talk first or do you talk first? I've, uh, never done this kinda thing before. I mean I have, I guess, kinda sorta. But, like, not to this extent so-"
"I think the best start is with an introduction." Ironwood said, smiling helpfully for the girl's benefit and then turning to him and his Spartan companion. "And an explanation for you two, as well. Specialist Adel, introduce yourself, as discussed."
"Yes, General." Quietly, the white and grey armored juggernaut reached up, taking his helmet in both hands and snapping it to the side gently. When he tugged it free Thel saw the Master Chief flinch, his shoulders going straight and helmet lifting just a hair. Resting the helmet on his hip with his hand on top of it the man slid into a comfortable attention stance, "Lieutenant Jorge Adel, Atlesian Special Forces. Formerly, United Nations Space Command specialist infantry, serial designation J-S-052-N5, stationed on Reach."
"Jorge…" The Demon's voice was barely more than a whisper, the step he took barely more than a particularly ordered stumble. After a breathless moment the man said, "John, United Nations Space Command special forces, serial designation J-S-0117-B1, ONI special rescue advisory assignment aboard the UNSC Black Sun. RD, Master Chief, Petty Officer."
"John…" Jorge rumbled, "Jó látni a családot. I thought I would never see anyone like me again."
"Nem gondoltam volna, hogy bárki m��s itt lehet a Reach-ből." The Demon said quietly, "You look older than I'd expect… And Adel?"
"Right, uh, that." The Spartan laughed, suddenly off put a bit and flushing embarrassedly. "Well, when I woke up in Vacuo, I, uh… Didn't think I could get home. Eventually met a lass, had a lass, but we can get into that later."
"Later." Chief nodded, "You enlisted with Atlas?"
"They saved me when I got here." He answered simply, paying the General an asking look. The officer nodded and Jorge turned back, explaining, "When I blew that Covvie ship, I woke up here, fallin' through the atmosphere. Don't know how I survived, but I braced and survived impact. Then the Grimm came, but an Atlas patrol pulled my ass outta the sand before they could get to me, a gazemberek."
"He explained everything that had happened to us." Ironwood filled in, turning a hard glare on Thel. While Jorge laid a hand on the sidearm on his thigh Ironwood added, coldly, ��Everything about your war… What your kind did to mine. Is probably still doing."
"Uh oh…" Ruby murmured as he stepped back, sliding in front of him and shooting the Master Chief a look. "Could you, uh, intervene before something happens?"
"It's a long story." The Demon said simply, "But I don't mind telling it to a Spar- To family."
"Just tell me this." Jorge grunted, "Is that split-lipped bastard a friendly? You vouch for him?"
"I do." John nodded, "And he is."
"...Fene egye meg." Jorge sighed, turning to Ironwood. "Then let's head into the office, if you don't mind, Sir. We have some briefing to get through, sounds like. But you," Jorge grunted, pointing a finger at Thel, "stay in front of me, until I hear it. I don't trust you."
"As you say, Spartan." He rumbled, stepping by his comrades and to the Spartan's side. To the general he said, "I believe you will need to open the door, though. If you don't mind."
Quietly, apprehensively, General Ironwood nodded and stepped by, leading the lot of them up the stairs and into a wide, spacious office.
XxX----XxX----XxX
My Beta : Uh oh…
Me : Giant ass reviews to respond to?
My Beta : Yep.
Me : Several of 'em? Probably can't answer it all satisfactorily?
My Beta : Yeeep.
Me : ...Bring it on.
XxX----XxX----XxX
Dasgun :
^-^
Qazse :
Oh I agree with you! Clover and co, however, do not.
Green the Ryno :
Nope! Just good ole autocratic loyalty!
Steelrain :
I dunno what character was the 'butt of a joke'... But the Ace Ops are actually pretty well certified badasses. I mean, they're also jackbooted thugs, total fascists, and walking demonstrations of authoritarianism. But they're tough, as long as they have the leg up.
Razmire :
^-^
G119 :
Yeah, working that out has been the best part of this story. Just… Getting the chemistry juuuuuust right.
The Bear With Hands (Guest) :
I have a standard rotation I work through. Now, I work through it around doing commissioned works. So apologies, but delays will be… Severe in some cases. As I improve in my situation, and in my ability to work on my new schedule, chapters will come out more and more reliably.
The Woven Mantis :
My perspective is rather simple. Excluding those who consent otherwise - and THAT is a big problem on its own - anyone that agrees to take action without knowledge is being immorally used. Further, there are cases where Ozpin just doesn't bother offering a chance to consent in any way.
Sure, Oz has reasons for what he does.
That doesn't make it any less immoral, though. It just explains it. Enforcing population limits due to mass shortages that can't and won't be resolved would be EXPLAINED… But also immoral.
If you get my drift there.
Potterheads :
Glad to have impressed!
KPMH2001 :
Doozy incoming here but here we go~
And as always, total respect on offer, just responding from my standpoint. Also, lettered by order of paragraph you posted for convenience-
A)
What you say is rational and reasonable. Unfortunately, Humans - and Faunus, lel - aren't rational creatures. When stress runs high and everyone knows they could die at any moment, they look for ways to destress. They get desperate. Latch onto people, looking for fulfillment before they get themselves killed. Not having at least SOME characters doing that when they feel like it's down time, as in they aren't actively doing anything right then that would be more important, would… Rob them of their Humanity, in my opinion.
B)
The back and forth that happened on the ship is meant to be very clearly not clear. Chief had solid reasoning behind his decisions. So did James. So did Ruby. They all just did their best to get through the situation. No one was right, per se. Rather, they chose Ruby's path together and that made it right. Apologies if that's confusing at all.
C)
I would respond but… The bracelet's details are plot.
D)
You're right. Ironwood lost so much in Beacon's fall. The show demonstrates the scars of that well, and I am pantomiming his behaviors here. However, instead of Ironwood directing it outward with RWBY behind him, RWBY itself was the target from the onset. That is the change I made from canon in how he acts, to show it off.
F)
In RWBY - and this story - adults aren't idiots or anything of the sort. They're just fallible, like they should be. Some Adults, as you named a few and including others, are right often. Others aren't. It comes and goes, varies with what is happening. Everyone in this show, and my story, makes mistakes. Everyone is wrong sometimes, and everyone is right sometimes.
Cordovin is a great example of that. In my story the moment it came down to it, she gave her life doing what was right. She put her trust in people… And that trust got her killed, but also saved her city. Right and wrong. Human.
Also, most of the cast right now - excluding Oscar and very slightly Ruby herself - are adults. Don't view this story or the show as 'kids are always right, adults aren't.' Rather, it's adults pushing against each other's ideas until one is vindicated.
Long winded but hope that explains my approach and gives you food for thought!
Simply Christian :
Another doozie, I love it… Here we go~
A)
That was my point. Ironwood didn't do any checking into things. Knowing Beacon had been infiltrated, he just let this clearly anomalous thing go without so much as a word. A simple look into things would have shown Mercury not checking into a hospital to get treated, or the missing medical staff Cinder and co must have killed or robbed to get their uniforms and credentials - and, you know, the missing ambulance that would have been on record.
Ironwood didn't bother and that mistake is what Ruby used to make him pause. He didn't pause last time when they said something, and look what happened. So pause and vett it now, before you make that mistake again. Thus, the logic.
B)
Sorry for the wait!
C)
That is entirely interpretation and opinion. Marines, the most prolific ground force in the games at the least, are based on US Marines. In the US military, the word 'warrior' is used often. For instance, in some cases when a soldier is wounded they can be sent to what was once, if it isn't still, called 'Warrior Transition Units'.
Further, it is shown that early on the Spartans were educated on the ancient Greeks. And they were called Warriors, including the ones the Spartans take their name from. So, to my mind, being called 'warrior' wouldn't be an insult.
Meanwhile, if you call a Marine a 'Soldier' you might get decked. It's all just preference, tradition, and opinion. I'm just writing my own interpretations, and hope I've explained it well enough.
Also sorry, the whole 'Marine, Soldier, Airman' kinda thing is super interesting, thus the longer response.
D)
Humans are hypocrites! I am, Qrow is, and no offense but if we spent enough time I'm sure we'd catch you on something, too. S'just how we are. So yeah, Qrow was being a bit hypocritical there. But that's just him being Human.
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