Chương 1927: 157
Chapter Text
"Penny. It's good to see you again… after your desertion…" Ironwood stated somewhat dryly, his image on the public CCT call screen still getting across his flat, deadpan expression even though the image quality wasn't exactly the best - winter storms in Atlas plus the burgeoning chill hitting Vale meant that signal strength was taking a bit of a hit internationally, though intra-Kingdom traffic was still largely alright. "I… do apologize for saying that you had more important things to do in Atlas. I know how important Miss Rose is to you, and while I don't approve of you stowing away on a cargo ship to Vale in order to be with her, I… recognize that I cannot stop you now. I will be arriving within two weeks for the redo of the Vytal Festival and the tournament itself, along with the Amity Colosseum- I can still set up a team for you to join for the duration of the Tournament, if you wish, but I've heard tell that the Vytal Festival Committee is relaxing its stance on five man teams this year, given the suddenness of everything."
"It's… thank you, for recognizing that I'm my own person," Penny stated, speaking slowly as she went over General Ironwood's words. She mulled them over as she tucked her hair behind her ear and chewed her lip, the comforting presence of Ruby at her side as she spoke with the General. "I would apologize for deserting, but my home now is with Ruby. I am grateful that you chose me to be the Protector of Mantle, but that position could not last- not with how you kept pushing for me to take more unnecessary combat upgrades for the sake of being tied ever closer to the military. And… I have heard that five man teams are being allowed to compete as entire units. Thank you for your offer, but I will remain where I belong, not fighting for another team."
"Yeah, Penny's right where she wants to be!" Ruby grinned, squeezing Penny with a side hug and squishing up closer so she could be in view of the camera- their cheeks pressing together as she grinned towards the view-screen in a manner that wasn't entirely positive, but wasn't really hostile either. "Team RWBYP, represent!"
"... We're still working with Professor Branwen to workshop a better team name," Penny cleared her throat, then looked to the side. "Though, I will admit… RWBYP has become a bit… stuck… as our official name. I do not even think I want another name for our team. I admit… it has grown on me."
"Aww, it's grown on me too, Penny! Team RWBYP, that's all we need! Even if that's not a color name!" Ruby cheered, hopping into Penny's lap with a cry of victory and completely ruining any chance the call had to be a professional affair given that she immediately started straddling Penny and nibbling at her neck with utter aplomb, completely fascinated with the way that Penny's hickies now actually glowed when she nibbled down instead of being unable to be marked at all. "Whoa… Green hickies… Penny when did you get these!?"
"They were a cosmetic choice I asked for when daddy helped me upgrade my body! I wanted to make sure that you could leave reminders on me, and since you enjoy kissing my neck and shoulders so much, it was the most logical choice!" Penny giggled, squirming a little at the sensation of Ruby kissing her neck and wiggling around slightly as she held on tight around Ruby's waist- she really wasn't quite used to it yet, the sensitivity of her new touch receptors, but it was an immensely pleasant sensation all the same and it made her feel all warm and tingly inside to the point that her Aura flared and mingled with Ruby's automatically in a display of scintillating colors that made rose petals in red and green flutter around them in a beautiful vortex.
"Ahem."
Oh right, they were- ah. Right.
Penny cleared her throat, sitting up about as straight as she could as she turned to face General Ironwood's call screen again. "Ah, apologies, sir!"
"No need. I'm glad that your team cohesion remains as good as ever, Penny. Miss Rose- I'm glad that you're well. And I apologize for how harsh I was to you in the past. I recognize now that you aren't a danger to others, and that you are… likely… the best part of Penny's life right now. I… Penny. If I were to extend an invitation for Team RWBYP to attend your third and fourth years in Atlas Academy, would you consider it? This is a time of great unrest and unease in Atlas, and I need assets on the ground to keep the situation between Atlas and Mantle stable- especially with the upcoming elections." Ironwood asked, bowing his head slightly as the light caught his stress lines- he certainly seemed like he'd been missing out on sleep, and the state of his facial hair seemed rather… unkempt, even despite his attempts to keep it in some kind of presentable form. That the normally completely clean shaven and utterly professional General was reduced to a disheveled, tense look where he looked like he'd been sleeping in his uniform was… concerning to both of them. "I won't say it's an order, not when Qrow stymies any attempts for me to call in teams from Beacon through official channels, but… things are tense, and I know I can trust you, and Team CMNE to handle things better than almost anyone else."
"I…" Penny paused, looking down at Ruby, who simply sat up and turned to face General Ironwood and the camera with a somewhat physically impossible twist of her spine. "Beloved?"
"I won't say no. But I want to make sure it's for the right reasons, sir. Cinder said the situation is getting tense because the military is pulling resources from the people of Mantle, and I don't want to be part of anything that means the people who need help the most aren't getting help. As long as you can promise that you won't be forcing the people to stay quiet through force… I'll bring it up with the rest of my team," Ruby intoned, staring at Ironwood's image with deadly eyes that blazed with silver, a swirl of incandescent gold coming from deep within as twin halves chased each other around her pupil like a hypnotic disk.
"I promise. Using force is the last thing on my mind right now- the people have their rights and their concerns are valid, but I promise that what the military is doing right now is a temporary solution. I just… need more time to prepare everyone for the worst," Ironwood answered, about as truthfully as Ruby could tell. She couldn't sense his emotions or really get a sense of if he was telling the truth or not… but it was probably as good as she was going to get for now. "I give you my word, Miss Rose."
"... Okay. Fine. Can I ask you one more thing, then?" Ruby asked, tilting her head slowly as she slipped back into Penny's embrace and shifted around a little so she was in a better position to hold a conversation with the General.
"... Of course. What do you need?"
"Can you bring Winter back down? I never got to meet her before everything went kaplowie cuz she was too busy watching the CCT Tower and stuff and I really wanna get to know Weiss' big sister better since she's so important to Weiss!" Ruby almost begged, asking with great enthusiasm and speaking almost faster than one could react as she leaned in close and gave the General her best puppy eyes.
"... Of course. Specialist Schnee is my right hand woman. She'll be forming part of my security detail- though, I'll be sure to give her enough time off to actually enjoy the festival with her family and your team." Ironwood nodded slowly, as if he wasn't entirely sure about the idea but was already doing it anyway so he couldn't really protest- just change a few things around so it'd look like he was more amenable than he really was. "If that's all? I have a meeting to get to in a few minutes."
"Yes, I think that is everything, General," Penny nodded, saluting casually in a way that wasn't one hundred percent Atlesian standard but was as close as she was going to get with Ruby straddling her again and nibbling at her neck like an adorable vampire instead of the werewolf she pretended to be. "We will let you get to your meeting now. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Penny, Miss Rose ."
And with that, General Ironwood cut the call, leaving both Ruby and Penny there sitting in the relative silence of the CCT's public call center, both of them saying nothing for a long moment.
Until…
"... You're right, Ruby. I don't think the General can be trusted anymore. Not entirely. I do not think his plans for Atlas are good for anyone there, even if he thinks they are…. What do we do?"
Ruby sighed, squeezing Penny close as their Auras melded together like liquid gold, the both of them taking comfort in each other as they sat there and commiserated for a moment.
"We do what we can to save as many people as possible. That's all we can do."
Penny nodded.
"Alright."
Notes:
Ironwood's not entirely off the deep end yet, but... it's kind of a long slow decline
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