Nex drew a deep breath as he closed his eyes. Oathkeeper rested on his lap, the golden blade humming, singing a song that no bard knew. A sliver of fire—half the width of a strand of hair—floated in the darkness of his mind. He moulded his aura around it as if he were building castles from sand, piece by piece, little by little.
Smaller. Part the flames.
Smaller. Part the embers.
Smaller. Part the motes.
Smaller. Deeper. Delve into the chaos between—
Static.
His semblance mewled, the flames hissing into nothingness. The heat, faded into cold.
"Crap." Nex blinked. The red sun over Tanis stung his sensitive eyes. "Again?"
"Ugh!" Raven scowled as she slashed at the trunk of a giant tree, leaving behind the twenty-seventh mark. "At your age, your mother could already draw lightning from flame. Create wind from water. Mould ice from—"
"Nex isn't his mother," Weiss said, crossing her arms. The town guards stood a distance behind her, always watching with their hawk-like gaze. "Maybe his talents lie somewhere else?"
"He stands at the pinnacle of a master dust mage—one of the rare few who ever reach it," Raven said. "Pray tell. Where else would his talents lay?"
To be fair, that was probably because of his semblance, and not because of any innate talent Raven assumed he had.
"Then maybe he's already had enough," Weiss said, "and there's no need for him to learn whatever it is you want him to learn."
Raven snorted. "He will learn, if your team has any hope of standing a chance against that lunatic."
"His semblance," Nex said, his eyes narrowing. "You parted it with your aura."
Which was exactly what he was doing to the fire. But still, maybe a gas mask could work as a substitute instead?
"What about a gas mask?" Weiss said. "It should be more practical than whatever this is, right?"
She just read his mind.
Raven laughed, sheathing her sword. "A gas mask? You sweet, sweet summer child." She shook her head. "No, of course not."
"Why not?" Weiss scowled.
"Because, heiress of Schnee," Raven said, "what would happen if that lunatic destroys your gas mask?"
"We'll be dead," Nex said. "All it takes is for him to get lucky."
And judging from how they had been unlucky lately, Raven had a point.
"An excellent deduction." Raven clapped. "You should go, heiress of Schnee. Unless you wish to learn as well."
"It's funny you should say that," Weiss said, kneeling beside him. The grass folded under her armoured skirt. "I wish to be taught as well."
"We'll see if you're pliable," Raven said, squinting at her. "Call forth a flame—the tiniest you can coax."
Weiss raised Myrtenaster—
"Without the aid of your focus," Raven said. "Lay it on your lap as my godson has with his."
Weiss put Myrtenaster down. "Fine."
Nex licked his lips. "Maybe she needs…"
Raven glared at him. "She relies on her glyphs and focus as if they were crutches to carry her through battle. You know this as well as I do, godson of mine."
Nex shrugged. To be fair, Weiss' first reaction to being disarmed was to go for her weapon. Plus he had never seen her mould dust without her glyphs or her rapier before.
Weiss frowned, glancing at him. "I can do this."
"Better that you do," Raven said. "We have no time to coddle anyone's weakness. Your two teammates will simply have to pray that one of you learns the technique necessary."
"Can't Blake learn whatever this is as well?" Weiss said.
"She is no dust mage," Raven said. "Now. Call forth a flame."
Weiss sucked in a breath, her teeth clattering as the fire scorched the grass black. It roared in front of her, blazing orange, about the size of a football.
Compared to the feather in front of him, it looked absolutely gigantic.
"That is the smallest you can muster?" Raven said, tapping her chin. Her eyes crinkled as she stared at the ball of fire.
"Well, I'm sure it's not about the size," Weiss said. She flushed, suddenly. "I, uh, meant that in the most academic way possible."
Nex chuckled, winking at her. "Sure you did."
Raven groaned. "This is precisely what happens when one favours tools over foundation and technique."
"I'll have you know that I'm ranked as the best dust mage among Beacon's huntresses," Weiss said. "That has to count for something."
Of course it did. Huntresses—if the studies were to be believed—had more finesse than huntsmen when it came to handling dust and aura. Or, at least, when the huntsmen in question were not freaky outliers like him.
"Now I'm curious. Did Goodwitch happen to test my godson as well?" Raven said. "Or did he simply wave his hand nonchalantly, finish the test in three seconds, then go back to sleeping on his desk?"
Nex scratched the back of his head, shrinking away from Weiss' blank stare. "I may or may not have been a little sleepy that time."
"I admit that there was something fishy about the results, Raven," Weiss said, sighing. "There's simply no way Nex could have scored lower than Jaune."
Nex grinned. "If there's a will, there's a way."
"A way to underperform deliberately then," Weiss said, pinching her nose. "Whatever. I've come to accept that the love of my life absolutely refuses to take pride in anything."
"I have a little bit of pride," Nex said. "Just not a lot of it."
"Is that so?" Weiss said, arching an eyebrow. "Name one good thing about yourself then."
"I…" Nex trailed off. "Can play the guitar?"
"Wonderfully," Weiss said, beaming.
"You're biased," Nex said, "and exaggerating."
"See my point?" Weiss said. "Complimenting you is like pouring water on a desert."
Raven chuckled, pacing around them. "To turn a desert green, one must start with a single drop of water." She drew her blade, cutting another mark into the tree. "And so, we must begin again. Call forth the flame. Then you must part it with your soul."
Nex shut his lids, the feather of fire hissing in his mind's eye. It fluttered in the darkness, radiating shafts of orange light.
Smaller. Part the flame.
Smaller. Part the embers.
Smaller. Part the motes—
The fire roared, the heat singeing his arm. His aura surged and bore the brunt of it. The sudden sunburst lit up the darkness, in a way that would have half-blinded him had his eyes been open.
Weiss yelped, what must have been another ball of fire hissing into existence. "I'm sorry."
Raven scoffed, the tree's bark thudding against her blade. "Is that apology directed towards him or me?"
Nex tuned out their banter, turning inwards to his soul. The feather winked at him, swaying amidst the ethereal winds of the cosmos. His semblance guided his aura as he dived into the fire. Molten darkness wrapped around him, singing heat through his bones.
Deeper. Part the flame.
Deeper. Part the embers.
Deeper. Part the motes.
Nex shuddered, adrift in the raw chaos. Tongues of flame whorled around him, lighting up the dark. His aura shied away. It swelled into a shield and—
Static.
The fire flickered out.
"Damn it," Nex said, taking in the amused glint in Raven's eyes. "Alright. What's going wrong?"
Weiss pursed her lips, her ball of fire hovering before her sweat-rimmed face. "At least you're going somewhere."
Raven parked a hand on her hip, leaning on her left leg. "Attitude, godson of mine. Attitude."
Nex rolled his eyes at the sky.
More cryptic talk from his godmother. Right.
"Attitude?" Weiss arched an eyebrow. "What am I doing wrong then?"
"The fundamentals," Raven said. "You're too much of a Schnee."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Weiss said, the scowl back on her lips.
"Your mother failed to part the flame as well," Raven said. "It was, of course, fortunate that she had someone more capable by her side."
"How did mom learn this technique?" Nex said.
"Even if I told you, you cannot follow in her path," Raven said. "You must forge your own, scion of Shade."
"Yep, sure, I need to be original," Nex said. "Some tips would be great through."
"You must learn to let go," Raven said, "to let the chaos consume you. Only then can you harness the power between."
Maybe she had a point. He needed to let go. To stop his aura and his semblance—and himself—from rearing their heads, shielding him from whatever posed even the slightest harm. Easier said than done, considering that he was who he was.
"Bah," Raven said. "You two are very much welcome to take a break."
"A break?" Weiss huffed. "But I thought we were in a hurry?"
"In a hurry to fail, perhaps," Raven said, licking her lips. "Surely your journey was exhausting. Given proper respite, you should be able to make some progress."
"You're right." Weiss sighed. "Will you be staying?"
"Is it not obvious?" Raven said. "My prey is here. That you are also here is nothing but a coincidence." She smiled at him—for some reason. "A happy one, perhaps. But a coincidence still."
"He isn't planning to live out in the wilds, if that's what you're going for," Weiss said.
Nex shrugged. "She's not a big fan of the whole mercenary lifestyle. Sorry."
"Very well," Raven said, waving for them to go. "Then I can offer you nothing but my temporary tutelage."
They strolled down the path, passing by the guards who watched them warily.
No. Not them. Her.
Nex followed their eyes and found them to be fixed on the woman beside him. They held their weapons, silent scowls on their faces.
Nex nudged his partner's hip. "Is it just me, or…"
Weiss breathed a soft sigh, whispering, "It's not just you."
Of course. Apparently, the SDC must have passed through Tanis before. On one of their recruitment drives, maybe. Out here, in some backwater town, who would even care? Certainly not when the four kingdoms—the big sharks in the ocean were the ones who benefited the most from it.
"You're not the SDC," Nex said, rubbing her back. "Whatever your father's done, I'm pretty sure you're not gonna do it yourself."
"Oh, Nex," Weiss said, shivering as she leaned against his arm. "I don't even know anymore. I mean look at me. I'm such a mess."
Nex glanced at the tears staining the corners of her eyes and the shaggy, uncombed locks hanging around her face. He smiled, saying, "You're still the prettiest woman in the world."
Weiss giggled, sniffling as she blew into her handkerchief. "Flatterer." She gave a big harrumph. "You're trying to distract me, aren't you?"
"Distract you from what?" Nex said.
"From the fact that I'm keeping secrets from you," Weiss said, "and you're mad at me because of it."
Nex grinned, planting a kiss on her temple. His thumb stroked her cheek, the taste of salt lapping on his lips. "Yep. I'm mad. I just don't know how to, well, get angry."
Without blades flying around, at least. His anger ran far too cold. Never let it be said Nexus Shade was a man of many words. No. He was a man of action, after all.
"You seemed pretty angry last time," Weiss said. "Did you know that your eyes turn red?"
Nex nodded. "Figures. Guess that's another thing I got from my sperm donor, huh?"
"You tried to beat up Qrow, didn't you?" Weiss said. "Please tell me you didn't try to kill him."
"I lost control," Nex said. "Promise it won't happen again."
Not on the mission at least. He was far too professional for that. Years as a young freelancer drilled that one virtue into his head.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," Weiss said. "You just demolished whatever bond he and Ruby shared."
"You want me to let him keep lying to her?" Nex said.
"No, no, of course not," Weiss said, squeezing his hand. "I'm just saying. Maybe there was a way to break it to her. Gently."
Nex snickered as they slipped back into the village, skirting the afternoon crowd. "I'm not exactly a master of being gentle."
"You seemed pretty gentle back in Atlas." Weiss smirked. "But maybe that's because I was the one on top?"
Nex growled and nuzzled her neck. She laughed, fingers curled around his palm as she pressed herself against him. Her weight carried them into an alley, the shadows of the bustling town concealing their forms. A puddle splashed under his boot, flies buzzing over a torn basket. The stench of refuse curled up his nose until it died on itself.
"Well," Weiss said, coughing. She smiled as she hooked her arm around his, propping her head on his shoulder. "I guess we better get a room."
"I think," Nex said, heat creeping up his neck, "I understand what that means now. Kinda."
"Oh?" Weiss poked his nose. "And it only took me riding you like a stallion? Are you really that dense, lover boy?"
"You know me." Nex smiled. "I'm the dense one."
Weiss hummed, her eyes curved into half-moons. "We'll have to be quiet."
"I know quiet," Nex whispered. "I'm a rogue, you know."
"Well, what does the rogue in you say?" Weiss said. "Where could the assassin be possibly hiding?"
Nex led her out of the alley, joining a stream of townsfolk balancing jugs of water on their heads. "My best guess is that the Resolutionists have a camp somewhere in the desert."
"The Resolutionists?" Weiss said.
"Faunus-killing cult I told you about," Nex said. "Weird that they have a scorpion on their payroll though."
"I don't think they care," Weiss said. "As long as he kills for them. Who knows how the criminally insane think?"
Nex chuckled. Awkwardly. He pointed at his chest. "Me?"
"You know I didn't mean it like that," Weiss said, frowning. "I'm sorry."
Nex shrugged. "Should we have a look around town?"
They spent about an hour just strolling through the beaten paths of Tanis. Fishermen stood by the beach, casting lines out into the dark waters. The sands rippled under their steps, the wind carrying the tang of the sea and the chill of the southern depths.
Ruby Rose and Blake Belladonna sat on a rock, staring at the waves as they crashed against it. The silver-eyed girl's cloak flapped, a steady breeze blowing at their forms. She had her face buried between her knees, her arms wrapped around them. Blake turned a page in her book, scowling as the wind flipped it back with a sharp thwip.
"You guys okay?" Nex said.
"Still alive," Blake said. "You two already went to the inn?"
"Nope," Nex said.
"We're a little bit busy learning a technique from Raven," Weiss said. "What do you think about her anyway?"
"I think she's alright," Blake said. "For a bandit."
Ruby chuckled softly. "At least she's honest."
Well, she had a point. Raven Branwen never did tell him exactly what she knew about the conspiracy brewing under their noses. But then again, he never took up her offer. Which was exactly what her terms were.
"She's transparent," Nex said. "She'll tell you what it is straight. Or not. But no bullshit."
Ruby hurled a stone at the waves, the water splashing as it bounced five times and sank. "I think I've had enough moping. Right, fearless leader?"
Nex shrugged, eyeing Ruby—her hunched shoulders and her swollen eyes. "Well, I've been moping for ten years. You've only been doing it for an afternoon."
"It's perfectly alright to be furious, you know," Weiss said. "I'm sure no one will fault you if you take some time for yourself. Just to process what you're feeling."
Ruby yawned into her palm, bouncing to her feet. "Nope. You need me. We're Team Snowbear, right?"
"We are," Weiss said. "But given what just happened…"
"I said I'm fine." Ruby grinned, rubbing her puffy eyes. "It's like Penny says. I'm combat-ready."
Right. Of course she was. Well, far be it from him to stop her from coping in what must have been the only way she knew how. Killing Grimm. Fighting the bad guys. Some hero she really was, huh?
"Ruby Rose," Weiss said. "Don't you dare start doing that."
"Do what?" Ruby said.
"You're bottling it up inside you," Weiss said, "facing the world with a smile and a foot forward. But it doesn't work like that." She pushed her tussled locks away from her face. "Sooner or later, the castle of glass will come crashing down. And trust me. It will hurt."
"I'm already hurting," Ruby mumbled, wet hitching up the back of her nose. "Have you ever had someone close to you turn out to be different than who you thought he was?"
Nex chuckled, shifting on his heels.
Weiss shot him a glance and smiled. "Why, yes. Two of them in fact. One of them is standing right here and the other one's making an ass out of himself back home."
"I had a boyfriend," Blake said. "But we broke up. Too much crazy."
"Oh?" Weiss giggled. "Too crazy even for your refined tastes?"
Blake fixed her a deadpan stare. "Funny. Can we go back to giving each other the silent treatment?"
"Fine then." Weiss crossed her arms, raising her chin. "I guess I'll be keeping that book I borrowed. It won't ever leave my bag again, I swear."
"No." Blake leapt off the rock, landing in front of Weiss. "Give it back or I'll tell Nex—"
Weiss burned scarlet, covering Blake's mouth with her palm. "Don't even think about telling him, Blake Belladonna."
"Tell me what?" Nex said.
Weiss glowed even redder, letting go of Blake's mouth—and unveiling a smirk. "Nothing."
Huh. Was it something about Blake's book? Ninjas of Love if he remembered right. Maybe he really should go and buy himself a copy. Stop procrastinating on it and all.
In the end, they left the beach with neither Weiss nor Blake coughing up whatever it was that had his partner all hot and bothered. Instead, they wandered through town, keeping their eyes peeled for whatever clues the assassin—or assassins, no ruling that out yet—might have left behind.
The villagers—grieving families, really—led them to the places where the victims ended up mutilated. An alleyway, the beach, a shack. The only thing they had in common was that they were remote enough for their killers to have pulled a fast one. An invisible trail always led to somewhere outside town, far away. Too far, in fact, the wind and sand concealing the tracks.
"This is pointless," Blake said, resting an arm against the striped bark of a tree. "We're not gonna find the killer. Not like this."
"True," Weiss said. "But what if Nex uses his semblance?"
Nex shook his head. "I can't."
"Why not?" Ruby said.
"The desert," Nex said. "Tracks don't last long. Ergo, no data for my semblance to use."
"I guess we'll wait for nightfall," Weiss said, "then we'll try and deal with him if he shows up."
"We lost last time," Blake said.
Nex licked his lips. "We didn't have our real weapons."
"And I'm sure with Raven around," Weiss said, "the odds are going to be in our favour."
"What about Uncle Qrow?" Ruby muttered.
"He's probably drinking himself to death," Nex said. "In short, screw him."
Ruby said nothing in reply. And that revealed more than her words ever could.
A woman laughed, her head peeking out the window of a nearby tent. "You youngsters be passing through town?"
"Actually, we're here to solve your little problem," Weiss said. "We're the team Beacon sent."
"I see." The woman hummed. "Maybe lil' old me can be of help, eh?"
"Help?" Weiss said. "In what way?"
"Come inside," the woman said, her long, auburn mane—tied into a haphazard ponytail—swaying in the salted breeze. "Call me Inky."
"Inky," Blake said. "Weird name."
"Ha!" Inky said, parting the purple flaps of her tent. "What's odd is that you four be still standing outside, eh?"
Static.
Pareidolia squirmed as they stepped into her tent, the bite of something familiar stinging his brain. Magic. By now—after three dealings with Cinder—his semblance could already detect it. Somewhat. It was simply… odd. An undiscovered form of energy, perhaps. Chaotic. Incomprehensible. For now, at least.
The woman—Inky—and her tent reeked of magic, its owner seemingly putting no effort into hiding it. She possessed enough magic to dwarf the amount that clung to Cinder's skin. Magic enough to make Qrow's parlour trick look exactly that. A parlour trick. She had magic enough to—
Nex shuddered. If she pulled something, then not even his semblance could predict what would happen. He shuffled closer to Weiss, keeping his body in front of her. Just in case the woman meant them any harm and her invitation was a trap. He parked a hand on Oathkeeper, the tiny runes etched into the hilt glowing with tiny motes of white fire. It was a colour he had never seen before.
"That sword…" Inky said, her green eyes lingering on his.
She grinned, baring her yellowed teeth.
"What?" Nex said.
"Never mind," Inky said. "It be a simple reminder of a friend, eh? Me wonders what she's doing now." She chuckled. "Off on another adventure with her beloved, maybe. Oh, the poor guardian, stuck with the heroine for endless eternity…"
Weiss and Blake shot each other looks—looks that screamed okay, she's batshit crazy.
Nex licked his lips. "Ever heard of a scroll?"
"You youngsters and your love for technology," Inky said, sniffling. "In here, we be having none of that."
"With all due respect, madam," Weiss said, "but we really must be continuing our investigation."
"Patience, Mommy Schnee," Inky said.
Weiss' mouth hung ajar. "...pardon?"
"Kafass! My apologies!" Inky said, rubbing her palms together. "It be quite the slip of the tongue, eh?"
Weiss' eyebrows furrowed. "Perhaps you mistook me for my mother?"
"Your mother?" Inky squinted at her. "Nay. Your daughter mayhaps. We be besties, eh?" She laughed, the tip of her fingers splayed coyly on her sharp chin like a fan. "Why, I jest. I be slipping on tongues and faces all week. It be a funny thing, eh?"
Weiss chuckled, fidgeting with her skirt. "Yes. Funny. It's just a joke then."
Inky swept a sun-kissed arm crisscrossed with scars—old wounds that almost seemed to resemble some sort of map—at the row of candles on her desk. They banished the dark with wicks of white flame. A crystal ball sat in the middle, glinting atop crimson cloth. Stars twinkled on its dark, glossy surface.
No dust. She lit the candles up with no dust or aura at all. His semblance squirmed, more static climbing to the surface of his mind.
Was this what magic was? The ability to bend the world—to bend reality itself with nothing but a whim?
"Ha! Still got it," Inky said. "Now then. Shall we be divining your fortunes?"
"Fortune-telling." Blake rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"
"Not a fan of that?" Inky said. "Mayhaps I shall divine your essences—ahem, your auras instead?"
"What does that do?" Ruby said.
"Still fortune-telling," Blake said.
"Your auras are your souls made manifest," Inky said, shooting Blake the stink-eye, "and souls, my dear dusky pessimist, are what you are in the dark."
Nex nodded. "Alright. Sounds interesting. Divine away."
The only reason he was letting Inky do her thing was that she did not seem anything like Cinder. No real warning bells from his semblance, even. Only the usual squirming in the face of something it could not figure out. It was a chance—a calculated risk—to see more of magic in a relatively less dangerous environment. Although, undoubtedly, he was the only one on his team who knew that there even was a risk.
"Now then," Inky said. "Who be wanting to go first?"
"Me!" Ruby said, grinning as she raised her hand. "I wanna go first!"
"Ah… Abracadabra…" Inky chanted, waving her hands over her crystal ball. "Your name, my dear?"
"Ruby Rose, ma'am," Ruby said. "Eheh."
Inky giggled, staring intensely through her crystal ball. "Winds of change… Flowing water… Drowned in the wellspring… Abandon not meaning…"
"Uh…" Ruby said. "What?"
Weiss arched an eyebrow. "In a more prosaic language, please?"
"Ruby Rose," Inky said. "Wind on the inside. Water on the outside. A simple soul, yearning for freedom. A strong heart. You will heal in time, just as you will heal others. Just as the water flows around us all, eh?"
Ruby twiddled her fingers. "Err… Thanks. I guess."
"Now I wanna hear my horoscope," Blake said.
"Hmmm…" Inky waved her arms over her crystal ball. "Name, my dear?"
"Blake Belladonna," Blake said.
"Abracadabra…" Inky chanted. "Dusk on the earth… Still in the dark…" She coughed. "Ah, bugger. Earth on the inside, darkness on the outside."
"What does that mean?" Blake said.
"You are grounded in your vision, my dear," Inky said, "and yet, you shroud yourself in darkness." She chuckled. "No path be more perilous than the one you walk with your eyes shut, eh?"
"My eyes are open," Blake said. "Literally."
"Yet you do not see what must be done," Inky said. "Oh! Or perhaps you see it. And you simply lack the will to follow through, eh?"
Blake's hold on her book tightened. "That's none of your business."
Inky laughed. "Oh, yes. Earth on the inside, dusk on the outside indeed." She pointed at Weiss with a crooked nail. "Now then. Shall we be divining your soul next, my dear?"
"My name is Weiss Schnee," Weiss said. "Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company and huntress-in-training. But I'm sure you already knew that."
Inky hummed, stroking her crystal ball. "Molten blaze… Ignite the impassioned… Cold as ice… Wreathed in compassion…" She giggled. "Oh, you are very, very interesting, my dear."
"How so?" Weiss said.
"Fire on the inside, ice on the outside," Inky said. "Passionate, driven, competitive… and if I may be so bold, romantic."
Inky winked.
Red tinged Weiss' cheeks.
Nex grinned. "Yep. She sure is."
"Yet she coats herself with ice," Inky said, "to save her flames for the ones she lets into her heart." She smiled. "You and I are very much alike, my dear. Except that I'm whole and both. Fire inside, fire outside." She snapped her fingers, white flames dancing on her palm. "Why, it be as if I'm a summer blossom, eh?"
"A summer blossom," Nex said, chuckling even as his semblance burst into static. That fire was not normal at all. "I don't see you sunbathing on the beach though."
"My wife's been out, eh?" Inky said, snuffing out the embers. "When she returns, I'll sunbathe as much as I want. We be on vacation, eh?"
Nex shrugged. "So, about my divination?"
"Hmmm…" Inky waved a hand over her crystal ball. "Name, my dear?"
"Nexus Shade," Nex said. "Everybody calls me Nex though."
"Blood of the slain… Tears of the abandoned…" Inky said. "Light on the inside, thunder on the outside." She giggled, stroking her crystal ball. "Pure light, bright light. Starry sight."
Nex scoffed. "Light? Pure? Me?"
Pheh. Nexus Shade was the opposite of it. He thrived in darkness. Hell, he even lived in it for the past decade of his life.
"Principled to a fault, a beacon to guide when all seems lost," Inky said. "Tell me. Have you ever broken a promise?"
Nex opened his mouth to say yes—
"No, he hasn't," Weiss said, fingering his hoodie-turned-scarf. "Not even if it's difficult to fulfil."
In hindsight, she was right.
A promise was a promise.
His words, not hers.
Still—
"I've broken over hundreds of laws," Nex said. "I'm probably the most selfish guy you'll ever meet. I'm not light or whatever."
For the life of him, there was no explaining why he was telling some crazy woman about himself. Maybe it was because he had gotten used to being more—gods forbid—honest and open with his life. Or maybe there was something else, some magical compulsion his semblance could not detect.
"But of course," Inky said, "just like my beloved, it be often the rogues who keep the light in their souls." She grinned. "For you see, Nexus Shade, it takes the brightest of lights to walk through darkness."
"Not if you can see in the dark," Nex said.
"Ah, you shield your light with thunder," Inky said. "Cynical, pragmatic, dispassionate—thunder always strikes where it must." She quirked her head towards Weiss. "Yet when it strikes, it lingers, never to strike again."
"Oh yes," Weiss said, heaving an exaggerated sigh. "As his fiance, I can confirm that he's never looked at any other woman the same way he looks at me."
Nex groaned as she pecked at his lips, draping her arms around him. "That hardly proves anything."
"When you first took up the sword," Inky said, "you must have had a reason. Do be telling us, eh?"
The answer was easy. He still remembered why he first took up the sword. Or rather, for whom.
"I wanted to help mom fight Grimm," Nex said. "She was the only huntress in Icecrown."
"Icecrown," Weiss said. "It's where you lived before you and your mother moved to Atlas, right?"
"Yep. Icecrown's a small, remote settlement," Nex said. "Hidden up the mountains of Solitas. Not exactly a place you just stumble into."
Inky stroked her chin. "You wielded the sword for a loved one. But now that she be gone, why do you fight still?"
"For her," Nex said, glancing down at his partner—who still had her arms around him.
"Now it be clear," Inky said, whistling a wistful tune. "All your life, you have fought for someone else."
"Not really," Nex said.
"Yet we are here," Inky said, waving at the dozens of paraphernalia cluttering her tent. "Why have you turned to the roguish arts?"
"I…" Nex licked his lips. "Mom made me promise to survive. No matter what."
Inky laughed, parking her slender hands on her waist. "Ha! Even your ideals are thrust upon you by someone else. It be quite enlightening, eh, Nexus Shade?"
Nex shuddered, his breath trapped in his chest. "I'm not a puppet."
Weiss frowned. "You're not. What Inky is saying is that you care about others more than you think you do."
"Well, there's probably a reason why you're the leader," Blake said.
"Yep," Ruby said.
"And being caring isn't a bad thing," Weiss said. "In fact, I find it quite… attractive."
Was it really?
Nex shrugged. Maybe they had a point. Positive. That was what Weiss said. Positive reinforcement. He needed to stop looking at it as a bad thing. And start accepting it as a part of himself.
"It be funny, eh?" Inky said. "How little of destiny we hold in our grasp." She turned away and draped a red cloth over her crystal ball. "Now then. If you'll excuse me. I be having some friends for dinner, eh?"
"Thank you," Weiss said, "for the divination or whatever it is you called it."
"Ah, it be a paltry pittance for a dear friend," Inky said, smiling. "One last piece of advice before you leave, Nexus Shade?"
Nex quirked an eyebrow. Did she really like his full name that much? "I'm listening."
"Remnant teeters upon the precipice of change," Inky said. "Vale. Vacuo. Mistral. Atlas. Menagerie."
She stared at them, her eyes blazing with emerald fire—though the flames vanished as soon as they came, his semblance writhing, banging against the walls of his skull.
"The song has been sung, the choir resplendent. The gods themselves be fearing the inevitable plummet into the abyss," Inky whispered. "Watch the skies, Nexus Shade… And when your moment comes, do not hesitate to leap. For it be only when you fall that you learn whether you can truly fly, eh?"
Huh. Nex scratched the back of his neck, his teammates shooting glances at him. Apparently, Inky's words made little sense to them too.
"I'll keep that in mind," Nex said. "Thanks."
They shuffled out of Inky's tent. The sun had already disappeared, replaced by hazy stars in the night sky. Still, that did not mean Tanis already retired for the evening. No. In fact, it seemed even livelier, with torch posts stabbed into packed sand and—
"What the hell are they doing?" Blake said.
A thick crowd of guardsmen gathered on the beach, brandishing spears against the villagers—villagers that were mostly faunus. They herded them out into the desert like cattle. The faunus bared their fangs and claws, but shrank away the moment the men thrust their spears towards them.
"I'm sorry!" the guardsman in armour said—probably the leader. "But you must understand! The killings won't stop as long as you're here!" He banged his spear against his shield. "This is for the safety of us all!"
"This is our home too!"
"You're supposed to protect us!"
"Damn you, human!"
The faunus retreated, clamouring, their belongings clutched to their chests as the guardsmen drove them out further into the desert.
"Oh no…" Ruby mumbled. "This is bad."
No shit, Ruby Rose.
Blake growled, her legs coiling into a sprint. "I'm not watching this."
"Neither am I." Weiss scowled. "Driving people away from their homes? It's simply barbaric."
They stormed off, streaking past the guardsmen and forming a half-circle around the faunus. Nex gripped his sword and shield, the gold glimmering in the dark. Glyphs tinkled behind him—Weiss ready to summon a barrier, should the crossbowmen fire their bolts.
"This is wrong!" Blake said, hissing. "We shouldn't let hardship divide us!"
"The next time that the killer takes a life," the leader of the guardsmen said, "can you guarantee that no one else will die?"
"No one else?" a faunus said—a wolf like him, her extra pair of ears bristling as she stepped forward. "Just what are we to you?"
"A danger to us all," the leader said, moonlight glinting on the tip of his spear. "The elders should have never let your accursed kind into our village!"
"Well, this is a surprise…"
A familiar voice. Carried by the desert breeze.
Shit.
"Who's there?!" a guardsman said, crossbow aimed at the tall dunes.
Nex strained his semblance, his extra pair of ears stiffening.
"All of them!" The assassin cackled. "In one place!"
There. A shadow stood atop a hill of sand, his cloak swaying in the wind. The scorpion's tail wagged behind him—like a dog seeing a pile of bones.
"Oh how my queen will delight when I offer her your souls!" the assassin said, steel flashing in the dark. "Scream for me!" He growled and leapt into the night. "It makes you even tastier!"
Chapter 60
Nex drew his swords, his aura surging as Hrunting sank into Vigilance. The musk of thunder filled his nose. He clashed with the assassin, blades quivering, eager, in his grip. Steel rang as the assassin cackled and parried his blows, moving as chaotic as ever. Gold glinted under the man's hood, like the colour of his eyes. But unlike his, only madness—and bloodlust—swirled within.
Nex grunted, watching as Hrunting and Vigilance failed to melt the assassin's arm blades off. Or even damage them. His semblance mewled. Whatever they were made of, it—
Nex cursed, blocking another rabid cut.
Magic. Enchanted. Or something.
Did everyone and their grandmother have it in this godsforsaken town?
Glyphs tinkled behind.
He swerved to the left, letting the assassin shatter the barrage of ice.
A meagre diversion.
But still, he had to make it count.
He had to.
They had to buy time while Ruby and Blake herded the panicking townsfolk back into the village—and got Raven or Qrow while they were at it.
Nex rushed at the assassin's back, deflecting the scorpion's tail with Hrunting and Vigilance. Oathkeeper buzzed, wreathed in lightning, as he slashed at the assassin's neck.
The assassin laughed, bending backwards with a grin on his face. "My! Vigilance! You've twisted her into a sword! How wonder—"
Nex stomped on the assassin's face, growling. His boot smashed against the man's nose, the bone caving under. It gave a particularly satisfying squelch.
"Argh!" the assassin shrieked, clutching his face as he skidded over the slippery sands.
Weiss smirked and swished her rapier, glyphs lighting up the night. Massive boulders slammed into the assassin. A hail of ice fell on his head, an array of pale blue glyphs spinning above him.
Nex grinned. He broke into a war dance, his blades a blur of gold and blue. Arcs of blazing thunder cut a swathe through the chilly air. They crashed into the assassin's form with a mighty boom.
Purple smoke erupted from the impact.
The poison ate at Weiss' glyphs like acid, melting them down into motes of light.
Shit.
The assassin cackled. His shadow trembled inside the smokescreen. It was spreading—rapidly, the sparse grass wilting under its touch.
Weiss scowled and whisked him away, arms wrapped around his chest and glyphs tinkling by their feet.
"Thanks," Nex said. "We should probably get out of here."
In the distance, by the village gates, the townsfolk shuffled towards Tanis. Dozens of tents stood tall on the sands. Raven's bandits gripped their swords and guns, the campfires they lit casting shadows on their grizzled faces. Their chieftain herself crested a dune, her mane billowing as she stared out into the desert. The red of her mask shimmered in the dark.
"Where's Qrow?" Nex said as he and Weiss stopped beside the rest of Team SSBR.
"He's…" Ruby mumbled, frowning. "Not here."
"He's passed out," Blake said. "Apparently, he emptied half the inn's stock."
Weiss scoffed. "How irresponsible."
Nex rolled his eyes. "What'd you expect? He's not exactly Winter."
Still, they had Raven and her merry band of thieves. Maybe they could overwhelm the assassin with numbers. Or failing that, scare him off.
The smoke began to fade, the desert wind blowing it further out. When the cloud disappeared completely, the assassin was gone. Nowhere to be found.
"Tricky," Raven said, clicking her tongue. "At the risk of stating the obvious, I very much doubt that he'll attempt a frontal assault again."
Nex nodded. "So we keep watch?"
"There's no point, godson of mine," Raven said. "When dawn breaks, we march into the desert. We'll ferret out Tyrian Callows and strike at the Resolutionists. Wherever they've holed themselves up this time."
Tyrian. Tyrian Callows. The name rang a bell in his head. Something about the man having a reputation in the underworld—among Remnant's scattered guilds of assassins. Callows operated alone, killing only for the highest bidder. Few things were known about him. One of them was that he had never failed to slay a mark before.
Nex licked his lips, eyeing Ruby and Blake as they talked to the mayor. "Mind telling me more about the Resolutionists?"
Ironwood's files revealed surprisingly little. The Resolutionists surfaced sometime after the Great War, though historians hypothesised that they existed long before the four kingdoms came into being. Bloodying their hands with faunus, believing that animal blood was sacred, the Resolutionists were obsessed with the God of Darkness. One of the supposed creators of their world, and also a prime candidate for worship. How much of it was true lay uncertain. Religion had never been a popular fad in Atlas.
"That look in your eyes says you've done some research," Raven said. "Very clever. But still, my terms haven't changed."
"I'll spend the summer with you," Nex said. "As long you continue training me and Weiss."
Raven arched an eyebrow. "Treating your godmother as if she were a summer getaway, oh godson of mine?"
Weiss crossed her arms. "Well, you wanted my fiance to have a taste of your lifestyle. He's offering you a compromise. A perfectly reasonable one."
"And should I choose to accept this compromise," Raven said, "will you accompany him as well, heiress of Schnee?"
Weiss scoffed. "Of course. Who else will stop you from sinking your claws into him?"
Raven chuckled. "We Branwens offer nothing but freedom. You are free to come and go as you wish, at your own peril. The world is a very dangerous place after all."
"I wonder why," Weiss said, looking straight at Raven.
"I wonder that too." Raven smirked. "Is this very same danger not your company's lifeblood?"
"Hmph." Weiss folded her arms. "At least the SDC is helping."
"Help. Don't help," Raven said. "Eventually, it all circles back to you."
"There are some things more important than ourselves," Weiss said. "I don't think someone like you would understand that though."
"You cannot comprehend the depths of what I understand, heiress of Schnee," Raven said. "The fact that you are so eager to be Ozpin's newest puppet only proves my words. Is that not right, godson of mine?"
Weiss scowled and turned away, her chin raised.
Nex bit the inside of his lip. "I don't even know what Ozpin wants with her."
Raven's smile grew predatory—like a huntress staring down her prey. "Oh? She hasn't told you?"
Nex shook his head.
"I suspected as much," Raven said, glancing at Weiss. "Shall I enlighten him?"
"You're bluffing," Weiss said, her eyes snapping to Raven. "Ozpin wouldn't trust someone like you."
"The feeling is mutual," Raven said. "Still, if you believe that Ozpin trusts anyone, then you are sorely mistaken."
Nex laid a hand on Weiss' hip. "Come on. Let's go find some grub."
"You're welcome to join us," Raven said, gesturing at her people—the ones gathered around a giant campfire, laughing and drinking.
Nex took a deep breath, the crisp scent of fish and booze thick in the air.
Weiss turned her nose up. "No, thank you. We prefer a more private setting."
"Of course, of course," Raven said, laughing as she waved them away. "Far be it from me to stop you lovebirds from waltzing to the song of courtship."
They slipped back into the village, following the torch posts and the sandstone paths to the inn. What passed for a wooden sign hung outside the three-storey building—all of it made of sand except the doors and the windows draped with brown cloth. Moonlight cast its glow upon the signboard, baring the words: The Hanged Scoundrel.
"Quaint," Weiss said. "I suppose this is what you'd call… gallows humour?"
Nex snorted, grinning as he snatched her into a tight hug. Her scent rode into his nose. Vanilla lathered with the sea. She giggled and hugged him back, arms wrapped tight around his shoulders. The sound of her quiet laughter chimed in his extra pair of ears like bells in the wind.
"You know what," Weiss said, pulling away so she could look into his eyes, "Vacuo doesn't seem so bad after all."
"Nope. It's not," Nex said. "It's only hot during the day. And even then, it isn't that hot—"
Weiss pecked his lips, smiling. "No, silly. I meant that when we're together, I feel like we can accomplish anything."
Still, Raven and Inky's words came to mind—a careless whisper nagging at the back of his head.
Nex sighed. "I don't hear you being honest with me though."
"That's…" Weiss trailed off. Her lips tightened.
Nex shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets, striding towards the inn. He pawed at the door and ghosted inside. The innkeeper was a frail-looking woman in her sixties, hunched behind the well-worn counter. A mural of a hooded rogue being hanged—noose around his neck and all—sat above the fireplace.
Fitting. Whoever thought up the inn's name must have stumbled into it first.
Weiss tailed his flank. He waded past the tables filled with men guzzling their fears away, tended to by women in baggy blouses and plaid hems. None of them were faunus. Idle chatter filled the inn. Sometimes interesting. Sometimes not.
Inky sat by a dimly lit corner, plucking at a lute and singing a song—one that barely passed for a ballad.
"Ain't no grave is gonna hold me down! When I hear the trumpets sound, I'm gonna get right out of the ground!" Inky sang, her voice shattering on the high notes. She grinned as the men cheered around her, drops of gold—coin and drink—glinting in the air. "Love's my resurrection, love's my trumpet sound! Love's my weapon! I'm gonna take the titans down! Ain't no graaaaaaave!"
Nex chuckled as Weiss visibly cringed. He glanced at Qrow, the huntsman lying slumped on one of the tables, a half-full mug of thick, red beer cradled in his fist. He scoffed, tearing his eyes away. Good riddance.
"Hello there," the innkeeper said as they reached the counter, her voice raspy. "What you folks be wanting?"
They got a room for the night—with a reliable lock—plus a meal and, thankfully, a hot bath.
Nex sighed as he splattered his face with steaming water, sand and grit washing down the drain. He cleansed himself using the soaps Weiss packed for them. She had been kind enough to let him go first while she wriggled out of her armour.
Apparently, taking the thing off was hell. But still, the important thing was that it offered her protection. Aura had a tendency to be weaker around the vitals—for some reason. Some spiritual mumbo jumbo that he was far too tired to remember.
Nex yawned, washing away the soap. He ran his fingers through his sandy hair. "Have to get this all washed off…"
The door creaked open, whimsy candlelight flitting through the crack.
"Weiss?" Nex said.
"I wanted to join you," Weiss whispered, peeking inside. "May I?"
She strolled into the washroom, garbed in nothing but a pink towel.
Nex shrugged. "Sure." He grinned as she shut the door. "I'm just about to get done anyway. You can, uh…"
Weiss let the towel fall. She raised her calf, plucking it out of its descent with her toes. Admittedly, the sight of her feet putting the towel on the rack, legs akimbo like a ballerina, made his blood rush to his groin and his eyes to places they had never dared wander before.
She giggled, rested her hands on his shoulders, and twirled him around.
"Quit staring, lover boy," Weiss said, splashing the soap off his back. "It's making me incredibly self-conscious."
Nex gulped as she pressed against him, the hairs on her skin tingling. Her warmth wrapped around his neck like a scarf in Atlas. "Why would it make you self-conscious?"
"I know my physique isn't as impressive as Winter's," Weiss said. "Or Blake's. Or even Ruby's."
Nex licked his lips. "Out of all of them, you're the only one who has my heart."
"Oh?" Weiss said, gasping. "You have a heart under all that edge and mystery, Mr Shade?"
Nex slid his fingers over hers, their hands entwined on her thigh. "Maybe I do. Maybe I don't."
If he did, then it was hard to find.
Weiss huffed. "I've decided."
"Decided what?" Nex said.
"I'm gonna tell you," Weiss said. "If Ozpin has a problem with that, then he can forget about me helping him."
"I'd rather you didn't help him at all," Nex said. "It's too dangerous."
"Nex…" Weiss said. "He needs me to become a Maiden."
A Maiden. So that was Ozpin's play. No doubt he needed one on his side, to match Cinder Fall. But still. Who—or what—exactly was the headmaster fighting? Who was the one acting behind Cinder Fall? What the hell were they even fighting over—something so important that they had to obscure history with literal fairy tales?
"You know, Maidens," Weiss said, rubbing his taut shoulders. "Like the ones from the fairy tales."
"I know," Nex said. "Magic's real. Fairy tales are real. How's he gonna turn you into one?"
"The Fall Maiden was mortally injured and doesn't have much time left," Weiss said. "He has this machine which can transfer her soul into me."
"Transfer her soul into you?" Nex said. "Are you nuts? Do you even know what's gonna happen?"
"I'll gain what's left of her aura," Weiss said, "and half of her magic."
"Who's got the other half then?" Nex asked, though he already had the beginnings of an answer.
"The one who tried to kill the Fall Maiden," Weiss said. "Ozpin doesn't know exactly who."
"He doesn't," Nex said, grinning. "But I do."
"You do?" Weiss said, her voice coloured with both surprise and wonder.
"Well, I have a theory," Nex said. "Say, you get to be a Maiden. What's the catch?"
"The catch is that I have to master her magic," Weiss said. "The headmaster says that the Fall Maiden embodies the storm. Admittedly, thunder isn't my area of expertise."
Nex chuckled. "Nope. It's mine."
In hindsight, Inky was probably not as insane as he thought she was.
"Will you stay with me?" Weiss said. "No matter what my decision will be?"
Nex hummed. "This soul transfer. Are there any side effects?"
Weiss laid her chin on his shoulder, her hair brushing his cheek. "I don't know. I really don't know. But, well, Ozpin promised that the procedure is safe."
Nex chewed on the corner of his lip, washing the last of the soap off him. "That's bullshit."
"I wouldn't phrase it that way," Weiss said. "But yes."
"There's hundreds of other huntresses in Beacon," Nex said.
Weiss scrubbed herself clean, her vanilla shampoo teasing his nose. "I'm apparently the only one who meets the requirements."
"Requirements?" Nex said.
"To become a Maiden, one needs to have a strong affinity for dust," Weiss said. "To be the Fall Maiden is to be someone who forges her own path. Someone who fights for her choices. Sounding familiar yet?"
"I dunno," Nex said. "You probably just described every rebellious teenager ever."
Weiss snickered. "Not every rebellious teenager can do this."
A pure white glyph spun in front of them, its tinkle bouncing between the sandstone walls.
"Point," Nex said as the glyph faded.
Weiss wrapped her arms around him, winking. "I can't help but notice you haven't answered my question."
Nex twisted in her grasp. He held her by her waist, her skin flush against his. "What do you think? You're mine."
"I'm yours," Weiss said, scarlet creeping up her neck. "Oh yes, I'm yours…" She sang, her breath warm on his chin. "So take me."
Nex smirked and claimed her wet lips. She trembled under his touch as he shoved her against the wall, his hand snaking past her waist and copping a squeeze. The fire in her soul blazed exultant, her skin unbearably hot. Almost like she was ready to explode.
"Oh? What's this?" Weiss said. She gyrated against him below, taking him between her toned thighs and sending jolts of pleasure up his stomach. "Is this for me?"
Nex thumbed the scar over her eye, smiling. "What did I do to deserve you?"
"Shhhh…" Weiss said. She knelt before him, giggling, peering into his eyes as she flicked her tongue out. "Shut up and enjoy this, lover boy."
They left their room an hour later, the immature mature fun they had putting grins on their faces. Weiss limped as she walked, clutching his arm. Nex chuckled and let her lean against him, the wobbling of her legs hastening their steps down the stairs. They almost crashed into the grimy chandelier—which hung a little too low for Atlesian standards.
"You be like cougars in heat," the innkeeper said, smiling wryly at them.
Weiss had a healthy glow on her cheeks as he helped her onto a seat by the counter. "We weren't that loud, were we?"
"I have very good ears," the innkeeper said, pointing at the strands of black fur poking out of them—almost invisible in the dark. "This one be hearing a lot."
Nex steepled his hands, reaching into his sleeves. He dropped a few royal sovereigns—Vacuo's native currency—on the counter. The shimmering gold coins found themselves in the woman's bowl. A worthy investment, if he learned anything from his days as a child wandering the world.
"You heard nothing," Nex said, sitting beside Weiss. "Not all that glitters is gold."
"Not all is made by the artificers of old," the innkeeper said, chuckling. "It be odd that an Atlesian knows the creed."
Weiss' eyes darted between them, her eyebrows furrowing.
Nex shrugged. "Not really an Atlesian. You know how it goes."
"Ah," the innkeeper said, glancing at his extra pair of ears. "You'll be having your food now, yes?"
"Please," Weiss said, smiling. She rested her hands on her lap. "We're positively famished."
The innkeeper scoffed and placed a platter of meat and cheese on their table, along with two large mugs of soft, amber-coloured beer.
Weiss arched an eyebrow. "We didn't ask for drinks, did we?"
Nex chuckled and nudged her foot. "It's water. They just put some alcohol in it so it doesn't go bad."
"That be right," the innkeeper said. "You should listen to your man while you're here."
"Hmph." Weiss took a sip of the beer, her cheeks scrunching up. "It's palatable, at least."
Nex grabbed the other mug, clinking it against hers. He brought it to his lips and forced the cool vinegar down his throat. It burned in his stomach. Like it always did whenever he went hiking in the frontier.
"Hey, guys," Ruby said as she and Blake joined them, sitting across. "Did you get us a room?
"We decided to stay in a separate one," Weiss said. "The rooms here aren't spacious enough for us."
"She just wants to bang her boyfriend," Blake said.
"Excuse me." Weiss smirked. "But aren't you the one who kept telling us to get a room?"
Nex laughed. "Well, she's got you there."
Blake rolled her eyes. She stood up and went to get the innkeeper's attention, asking for some grub. Thirty minutes passed, the four of them gobbling up dinner. Apparently, Ruby was used to the ale—a staple in Patch's pubs. Blake, on the other hand, shrugged and told them that it was the only thing people could drink in Menagerie.
"How was your life like?" Weiss said. "In Menagerie, I mean."
"Not easy," Blake said. "We had to deal with pirates, Grimm, and thunderstorms. Sometimes, the crops don't grow right so we have to ration the food." She chugged half of her beer down, managing a smile. "Well, it's better than here on the mainland. For us faunus. It's life."
"What about the faunus from earlier?" Weiss said. "I can't imagine they want to go back."
"They begged Raven to take them in," Blake said.
"And?" Weiss said.
"She said yes," Ruby muttered. "That's how she gets more people."
Admittedly, it was clever of her. Let the scorned and the outcasts join her tribe. Thrust spears and swords into their hands. Fill their hearts and watch them renew the cycle once again. It was practically the way of the world.
"Hey…" Qrow slurred, grabbing another mug from the innkeeper. "What'd I miss?"
"You getting your ass drunk," Nex said, "that's what you missed."
"Hilarious, kid," Qrow said, chugging down a mug. "Ever consider improv?"
Nex took a sip of his beer. "The assassin tried to kill some more people. We fended him off. No thanks to you, by the way."
Qrow grimaced and finished off his drink, asking for another one. "Well, that's good."
"That's good?" Weiss said, glaring at Qrow. Her palm smacked against the table. "That's all you have to say?"
"I ain't got nothing," Qrow said, bringing his second mug to his lips. He belched. "'Ta say to 'ya, ice queen."
Ruby frowned and poked the remains of her food with a knife. "Uncle Qrow. Can you tell us what really happened? With mom?"
Qrow winced and drank half of his second mug—all in one go. "Nope. Can't. Shorry."
Ruby stared at her sweetened bread, her knife tapping the steel of her plate. "Fine then."
Qrow skulked back to his table. He held two tall mugs of ale like a champion. "Shee 'ya four tomorrow. I'm just gonna... rest my eyes."
The huntsman sank into his seat, his head joining the pints littering his table.
"Well…" Ruby nibbled on her dessert. Though with the way her teeth moved, she was gnawing more on her lips. "What's Raven teaching you?"
"A technique exclusive to dust mages," Weiss said. "It's what we need to counter the assassin's semblance."
"Tyrian," Nex said. "He has a name."
Blake's eyes narrowed, the amber glinting in the dark.
"I didn't know that you were on a first-name basis," Weiss said. "Is he a friend of yours too?"
Nex shook his head. "Trust me. I wouldn't even know that he's the Tyrian if Raven didn't spill."
Assassins were supposed to be quiet. Disciplined. A blade to be unsheathed only at the right moment. Admittedly, he expected someone of Tyrian's reputed calibre to embody those qualities. But apparently, he was wrong.
"What do you mean?" Weiss said. "What's so special about him?"
"Tyrian's made a name for himself in the underworld, an assassin that always gets the job done," Nex said. "He mainly operates here. In Vacuo. Where offing your competition is textbook politics."
"Quaint," Weiss muttered. "I take back everything I said."
Well, Vacuo's succession wars were particularly bloody. Brothers and sisters stabbing each other in the back. Hundreds of families with supposed ties to the throne engaged in hostility behind closed doors. Scheming in the shadows. Poison in the dark. All of it just to plop their ass on a wooden chair.
Before a century of war ended, and Ozpin engineered the huntsmen academies some fifty years ago, going from being the young, brilliant tactician of the last king of Vale to being the wizened headmaster of a school for the next generation of warriors. Vacuo's game of succession stilled into silence afterwards, its players held checkmate by the influence—both martial and political—Shade Academy had in its grasp.
Sometimes, Nexus Shade half-wondered if his family name meant anything more—like his partner's did.
But then again, it hardly mattered.
Right?
Weiss flashed him a smile as she caught him staring at her. She drank the last of her beer, her cheeks stained red. "Nexus Shade. Shade. Hmmm. Is being a Vacuan prince another one of your closely guarded secrets?"
"Ohhhh…" Ruby giggled, her cheeks flushed pink—despite her claims of being accustomed to the swill they were drinking.
"Prince Nex does have a nice ring to it," Blake said, half-smirking, half-smiling. "Isn't that right, your majesty?"
Nex rolled his eyes. "Mom was a bard from Mistral. A wandering minstrel. Not exactly princess material."
"Ha! You'd be surprised at how many wanderers be secret princesses, eh?" Inky bounced onto their table, the wood creaking as she sat on the edge. "What if I be telling you I myself be princess of a kingdom?"
Nex chuckled. Of course she was. A princess hanging in a seedy pub in the middle of nowhere.
"Right," Blake said, keeping her mug away from Inky. "Sure."
"'Ye of such little faith, my dear dusky pessimist." Inky grinned.
"Not that you're unwelcome," Weiss said, "but aren't you supposed to be having some friends for dinner?"
"Oh, dinner?" Inky said. "Why, we be done. How time flies when you be having fun, eh?" She nudged Weiss' arm. "Eh?"
Weiss reddened, her eyes darting to his. "You're right. We did have a little bit of fun. But just a little."
No, actually. Nex let out a soft snort. They probably spent an hour in the bath.
"Ah, yes, it be the dance between fire and light." Inky winked. "I be understanding completely, eh?"
"Speaking of which…" Weiss said. "You mentioned having a wife."
"Indeed." Inky tapped her lute. "She be teaching me how to play this unholy thing."
"I didn't see her when you were, ahem," Weiss said, staring pointedly at Inky, "singing and playing."
"She be there, lurking in the shadows," Inky said. "Do you not see?"
Nex squinted, his semblance tingling. A hooded woman sat by Inky's pulled-out chair, one slender leg crossed over the other. Her eyes—the colour of opals—shimmered like jewels under the sea. She smiled at him, a lock of ginger falling on her freckled cheek. A tooth curled over the edge of her thin, glossy lips.
"Now you see my dearly beloved," Inky said. "Ah, it be just us rogues clinging to the dark, eh?"
Nex chuckled. "Naturally."
Although, the woman's skill in concealing herself must have been extraordinary, with the darkness clinging to her like a cloak of shadows. Doubtful he—or even Blake—could do the same. He was more keen on ferreting out threats. Not the other way around.
"Well." Inky hopped to her feet. "If you be needing me, I be here 'til our vacation ends, eh?"
"Wait," Weiss said. "You're not from around here?"
"Ah, no." Inky shook her head. "As I said, we be on vacation, eh?"
"What's with the accent?" Blake said.
"Why, something be wrong with me accent, my dear dusky pessimist?" Inky said, smirking.
Blake shrugged. "Nothing."
Inky waddled off to her beloved, leaving the four to wrap up their meal. They went back to their rooms after they did. Or in Ruby and Blake's case, got a key from the shady innkeeper.
"So…" Weiss shut the door behind them with a click. "What are we gonna do if I get pregnant?"
Nex quirked an eyebrow, kicking off his boots. He glanced at his half-opened pack. "We have ten boxes of condoms."
Weiss twirled a lock of her hair, smiling. "You know that's not what I meant."
Nex chuckled. He slipped out of his shirt, chucking it somewhere near the foot of their bed—a cause for Weiss to shoot him a playful glare before he said, "Not gonna lie. I'd panic."
It was one thing to bask in each other, deepening their bond. It was another entirely to bring new life into their world.
"I would too, admittedly," Weiss said, lying down on their bed. She scooted over and gave him plenty of space.
"We're not ready," Nex said. He wrapped an arm around her, holding her back against his chest. He draped a thin blanket over them. "Especially not with the White Fang, Ozpin, and this Maiden business."
"Uhuh," Weiss said, curling up in his embrace. "But I really do want kids someday."
Nex grinned. "Someday. When the world's a better place." And when they were better people.
He yawned and shut his eyes, sinking into her soft warmth.
"I promise," Nex said.
"You better keep that promise, lover boy." Weiss giggled.
"Don't worry," Nex whispered, drifting into the darkness. "I will."
And he would.
There were worse promises to keep, after all.