Chapter 5
"Lifting the Veil"
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Village of Patch, about one month ago
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"He better have a damn good explanation for this!"
Yang wasn't sure how to react to this change in her father as she sat at the kitchen table. She had seen Taiyang in various mental states before. While she was still young when it happened, she remembered how hard he took the news of Summer's death. Since then she had seen everything from depression, to worry, fear, happiness and disappointment. This however, was completely unexpected.
In her 18 years, Yang could not recall a single moment where her father was truly angry.
The morning had actually started off normal enough. Tai was making breakfast for his daughters. Meanwhile, Yang was upstairs starting to wake up. Through the frost covered window a bird had caught her eye. She couldn't quite tell if it was a crow or a raven, but she could have sworn it was watching her. It was actually unnerving. Yang couldn't put her finger on why, but deep down she knew something was off. She was eventually snapped back to reality once the bird flew off. It was at that point she became aware of Tai frantically searching the area around the house.
Ruby was gone.
Yang read the letter her sister left behind several times, but nothing made any kind of sense to her. She had the feeling that if she was paying full attention over the last few months, it would have been easy to understand. Every so often she'd catch bits about special powers, Cinder, a cover story dealing with Haven and the aftermath of Beacon. Instead, Yang spent those months in a clouded state between existing and living. Everything was just white noise to her. Perhaps it was because she thought she knew everything regarding what happened at Beacon? But now, she was certain that she only had the most basic grasp of things. Yang didn't like what that implied. Either she was so far gone that everything in that timeframe didn't matter, or she was being kept in the dark.
Or perhaps a combination of the two she thought.
The most confusing aspect of this was the fact that her father kept blaming Qrow. He originally left on a mission once Ruby recovered. Since then, he popped in from time to time, but never more than a day or two. Ozpin was one of the few friends her uncle had. With him missing, Qrow had taken it upon himself to become the new face of Beacon. That involved plenty of travel between the kingdoms. Yang figured this was due to the investigation that was quickly going nowhere. Qrow's most recent trip to Patch left him in town for only a few hours, then it was off to Atlas. She seemed to recall him speaking to her father and promising he'd be back today. There was something about a surprise, but she had no clue what that was supposed to mean. Surely the surprise couldn't have involved Ruby leaving home, could it?
As if it was on cue, there was a knock at the front door.
"It's open!" Tai shouted, as he placed his full attention on the door. Well this isn't going to be a warm welcome Yang thought bitterly, as her uncle stepped into their home. He was carrying a duffel bag with him and had a big smile on his face. Yet, before he could get a greeting out, Tai was already in his face shouting, "You son of a bitch!" All parties in the room, not named Taiyang Xiao Long, were taken aback by the uncharacteristic outburst. This even included Zwei, who had suddenly decided this was not the best place for a dog, and elected to leave the room. Despite everything, Qrow remained his usual, nonchalant self and just shrugged. "No arguments here. She has her moments." Qrow was about to add-on to that comment, when he noticed how deathly serious Tai was. Setting the bag down on a nearby couch, Qrow asked, "So what'd I do this time? I'm getting the sense this isn't about a bar tab." Tai was far from a joking mood however, as he thrust Ruby's letter into his hands. "I don't know. You read that and tell me." Qrow simply lifted an eyebrow out of curiosity as he turned his attention from Tai to the letter he now held:
Dad,
I really don't know how to begin. I suppose "I'm sorry" might be the best way to start.
I have to leave home. I'll likely be in Vale by the time you read this.
I've spoken with Uncle Qrow a couple of times in the last few months. From what he's told me, it sounds like things are getting really bad. It seems like no one is able to trust each other anymore. I can't sit here in Patch doing nothing. You and Mom always taught me to help others. It seems like the world needs help understanding what happened at Beacon. I also need to understand what happened. Cinder is still out there and I constantly worry that she's going to do this again. According to what I've heard, I might be the only one who can stop her. I need to know why she is doing this, and I also need to learn more about the powers I apparently have.
I won't be alone. I've already spoken to Jaune. Ren and Nora are coming as well. Pyrrha's death hit all of them hard. Jaune feels like he could have done more. He constantly blames himself. The others also feel like they'd be able to do more good by helping get to the bottom of everything. I only wish I could have waited long enough for Yang to recover. I hoped the two of us could have gotten our team back together. However, there's no time. I've got a sense of dread deep down and I feel like if I don't act now it'll be too late.
Yang, don't blame yourself. I never did. You needed time, we just didn't have enough. It seems like you're starting to come around. I'm not going to ask you to do something you're not ready for, yet I do need your help. I need info and you seem to know people. See if you can learn anything about Cinder. If all goes well, I hope to be back home in a month or two. Once I'm back in Patch, we can compare notes and figure out our next move.
Take care of yourselves. I'm coming home. I promise.
-Ruby
PS: "Some assembly required?" Really? Even by your standards, that was pretty bad Yang.
Yang winced as Qrow read the last part of the letter. Ruby calling out that terrible joke had told Yang she really was awake the whole time. Why didn't Ruby speak with her? Yang wanted to roll back the clock and do her last encounter with her sister over again. Meanwhile, Qrow was just amused at that last bit. "Well, either Yang is getting a personality again or Ruby found a really nice bookshelf." Tai however, wasn't having Qrow's jokes. "No" he said firmly. "For once in your life, you're not deflecting a serious situation with humor. My youngest daughter is missing. She flat-out said in her letter that you've talked to her. Now you're talking to me. Where is she Qrow?" Tai was no longer yelling, however the anger and frustration in his voice was still there. Qrow was about to discuss the situation, but another voice made itself known.
"Fifty lien says that Rubes is heading to Mistral. Cinder and her team claimed to be from Haven. It's the only place that makes sense."
Both men turned their attention to Yang. "I'm an amputee, not deaf. I'm also far from stupid. I know my attitude the last few months would suggest otherwise, but I've caught bits and pieces of what you guys have discussed. This is the first day, in ages, I've got some sort of clarity." Motioning towards her lost limb with her head, Yang continued. "I feel this injury gives me the right to know the truth. I almost died at Beacon. It's bad enough that I can't trust my partner. Don't make me feel like I can't trust my family."
Yang was done saying her piece. Qrow looked like he was ready to spill the beans, but Tai wasn't having any of it. "You're not doing this Qrow!" he nearly screamed as he pointed sharply in his face. "Yang is not getting involved. The truth drove Raven insane. It got Summer killed. Now my youngest daughter is out there continuing her mother's work." Suddenly, Tai's attitude completely shifted, as he fell to his knees and completely broke down. Yang was taken aback by this. She knew how badly the death of her stepmother affected her father. However, this was on a completely different level. "Don't take her away from me Qrow" was all he could keep saying between sobs.
It was actually starting to scare Yang. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know now.
Qrow eventually managed to get Tai off the floor and on the couch. He was careful to move his bag before doing so and set it on the floor. Hearing a metallic clang told Yang that whatever was in there had some weight to it. In fact, she started to have her suspicions about what it might be. However, it was best to wait and let her father calm down first. After about five minutes, Tai had calmed down enough for Qrow to actually be able to talk to him. The mood in his voice was sombre as he spoke. "You know I have no intent to take your girls away Tai. But, you also know that we ourselves were all involved the moment Summer entered our lives. You know the truth behind everything. In the end, Ruby's destined to follow Summer. History is repeating. Ruby's team, like our own before hers, became involved once the Beacon initiation paired them all together. Granted, considering the current situation, the heiress and the moody one at least have a chance to get out. Pyrrha's teammates? They're going to wish they stayed home." Pausing for a moment, Qrow looked at his niece before turning his attention back to his friend. "Yet, I'm afraid Yang won't have that luxury her own partners are getting. Even if Yang wasn't on that team, her involvement would have been inevitable. We both know she wouldn't let her sister face this alone."
Meanwhile, Yang was growing more confused with each passing moment. All this talk about destiny and teams being connected to their leader was starting to hurt her head. She still wasn't sure what any of this was truly about. However, she knew her uncle was right. If Ruby was involved, then for better or for worse she would be there for her. Eventually, Tai had calmed down enough and excused himself. He needed to lay down a bit and wrap his head around everything. It had been a rather eventful morning for the man. Sighing, Qrow now turned his attention to his niece. Picking up his bag, he walked over to the table and set it down. "Well, this is far from how I saw my morning going" he said with a nervous chuckle. Raising an eyebrow, Yang told her uncle, "Well, there's a part of me that doubts that. Taking everything into consideration, I'm guessing you knew Ruby would be leaving sooner or later. You just didn't expect it to be now." Qrow was in the kitchen and apparently looking for something. Eventually, he let out an annoyed grunt and settled for a coffee mug and a rather cutesy looking, cartoonish cup depicting a panda. "I've known your father for nearly 25 years. You'd think by now I'd remember he doesn't have shot glasses." Shaking her head, Yang said, "And I've known you for 18 years. I don't think now is the time to be attempting to change the subject."
By now, Qrow was back at the table. Reaching into his bag, he produced the first item he brought with him: a bottle of Vacuo Rum. Qrow proceeded to pour a small amount into the larger panda cup, and was about to push it towards Yang, but after thinking about it he pulled it back towards him and filled it. He then proceeded to pour the original, smaller amount of booze into the mug and pushed that towards Yang. Meanwhile, Yang just sat there confused and looking at the mug. "You can't be serious. You know I don't drink." Laughing, Qrow grabbed the panda cup as he sat and proceeded to down about half of it in one gulp. "Like hell you don't. Didn't you get busted making girly drinks for the rest of the dorm at Signal in your final year?" Blushing slightly, Yang attempted to defend her drink choice. "Hey! A Strawberry Sunrise is NOT a girly drink!" Nodding a bit, in a rather sarcastic manner, Qrow said, "I suppose you're right. Men do drink them." Qrow took another sip of his rum before adding, "Gay men." Groaning, Yang just shook her head as she grabbed the offered mug. "You are the absolute worst." While it was true that Yang was now legally old enough to drink, it was something she had yet to actually try. Even when she was going through a "juvenile delinquent" phase as her uncle called it, she still didn't overdo it or get totally smashed. Taking a small sip, Yang noted that it had a bit more of a burn than any of the cocktails she had previously tried. Despite that, she actually rather enjoyed it. With a smirk, Qrow said, "Much better than orange juice, créme de fraises and grenadine." Setting the mug down, it was now Yang's turn to laugh. "Sooooo, how do you know what goes in a Strawberry Sunrise?" she asked in a sing-song voice. Qrow choked on his drink for a moment. Setting it down, he told his niece in a mock questioning tone, "I went though a phase?"
The two of them laughed together for a moment. Yang suddenly stopped however. "You're doing it again. You're getting us off track." Finishing off his drink, Qrow set down the cup and reached back into the bag. "I swear it's not intentional. We've got quite a bit to discuss and you're going to have plenty of questions." This time, Qrow brought out a set of tools. "So what else have you got in there, Drunkle Qrow?" Yang asked. Normally, Qrow didn't care for his niece's nickname, but he was willing to let it slide. He wasn't sure what he had missed while he was gone, but whatever it was he was at least happy to see Yang slowly becoming her old self again. He could still hear an edge in her voice that she previously didn't carry, but at least he now knew she hadn't completely shut down. "The last item in this bag is going to change everything for you" Qrow told her, as he pulled it out.
It was exactly what Yang suspected: sitting in front of her was a prosthetic arm. Yang had seen a few up close following her injury. She was far from an expert on them, but as far as she could tell there was something different about this one. It was something Yang desperately needed, but it was also something she dreaded. She wasn't looking forward to heading back to Vale for surgery to attach it. As that thought crossed her mind however, she remembered the tools her uncle pulled out. Seeming to sense what she was about to ask, Qrow explained just what was going on. "I called in a ton of favors once it was clear you weren't getting an arm anytime soon. Turns out you're a prime candidate for this one. It's a brand new prototype designed for people who have less severe limb injuries. You're going to be the first user outside of testing." Yang was a bit skeptical once she heard the words less severe. In her mind, losing half her arm was pretty damn severe. "Define less severe for me" she said. "Right now, I'm having a bit of trouble wrapping my head around that." Nodding, Qrow simply pointed at her elbow. "Well you've got part of your arm left." He then pointed at her shoulder. "Had you lost the whole thing, that would have required a far more invasive surgery. I'm sure you remember seeing Ironwood in the hospital." Yang hadn't really spoken to the man, but she did remember meeting the general shortly after waking up. The extent of his injuries from a mission that had went very sour, wasn't really public knowledge. Qrow thought it would be a good idea to bring him in to meet with Yang. Looking back she knew the two of them meant well, but the gesture completely backfired. For the first few days after the meeting, Yang could only envision her right half being totally artificial. It wasn't until she saw a far more normal prosthetic that she calmed down.
Meanwhile, Qrow continued telling her about the arm. "Anyway, I'm not great with the science behind it. What I do know is that all prosthetics, prior to this one, required some sort of surgery. Either it would be grafted onto what was left, or in the case of Ironwood even more would need to be cut away before they could add it in." The thought of doctors needing to cut off more of her body make Yang shudder. "This arm is brand new tech. Rather than grafting and bonding tissue to metal, it uses electrical impulses to interact with the remaining nerves where the damage occurred." Yang was actually impressed, but then a thought occurred to her. Smirking, she said "They made you memorize all that, didn't they?" Qrow just poured himself more rum as he confirmed it. "Yep. I have no idea what the hell I just said. All I know is that Doctor Polendina assured me it works." The name caught Yang off guard. "Polendina?" she asked. "Would that make him...." Qrow nodded as he sipped more booze. "Yeah. He's the guy that built your friend. Penny apparently would never stop talking to him about Ruby. Once he heard you were injured and that you were her sister, he put his team to work right away on this thing. Ruby must have left some impression on that girl, as well as the old man, if he was willing to jump right on this project. In fact, he's also got a combat design for you in the works. It's just going to take more time. Apparently, adding a shot gauntlet, into an arm made for a hand to hand fighter is extremely complex." Hearing that got Yang far more excited than she had been in some time. Despite that, she managed to keep her composure.
"Anyway, enough talk. Let's get this thing on you." Nodding, Yang went to remove the bandages on her arm. Meanwhile, Qrow had the prosthetic in his hands and helped Yang ease her arm into it. Yang quickly noticed that it didn't fit the way she imagined it would. That's when Qrow reached around the back towards a spot near her elbow. "Got to flip the switch so to speak. They said this part might sting." Yang couldn't see what he was doing, but she definitely felt it when the opening closed around her arm and hit her with an electrical shock. Once the inital discomfort from getting shocked faded, she attempted to move her new arm.
Nothing.
Before she could ask, Qrow already had a very small screwdriver in his hand. He inserted it into a well hidden hole, then with a small twist, had a small panel on the wrist open. He then used the screwdriver to flip what Yang assumed was a power switch, before then using it on a nearby screw. "Ok. It's a prototype and at its core, it's still basic. You're not going to feel anything, so I'll need you to act as if you're moving your fingers. I know that may be easier said than done, but you've got to try to do that." Yang knew exactly what he was referring to: the occasional, odd sensation that her missing limb was there and working. Right now she wasn't getting that sensation, so Yang hoped she was doing it right. As she did this, Qrow used the screwdriver to slowly turn a screw in the arm.
After what felt like the longest minute of her life, the artificial hand finally came to life. Yang wanted to scream out in joy, but it was just as her uncle said. She had movement and a working arm again, but she felt nothing. It led to an odd mix of sadness and happiness for Yang. She was recovering, but she knew things couldn't ever be the same.
Qrow could see the mix of emotions on her face. "Hey, this one is temporary" he told her. "I can't tell you how long it'll be, but I can tell you that you'll likely have the permanent one before the hospital even lines you up for their own, subpar arm." Shutting the access panel, Qrow handed her the screwdriver. "Don't lose that. You'll need that to hit the power switch and to calibrate it. Now pay attention. This will apply to your permanent replacement as well. The power source is self charging. They last for about three to five years before it needs to be fully replaced. Set the arm to standby and remove it if you don't anticipate needing it. That hidden button on the back of the elbow will allow you to remove the arm. Hold it in for about ten seconds and it'll pop right off. Overuse will leave the power source temporarily drained. If that happens, you'll need at least 24 hours for it to be recharged."
While she was still down about the lack of feeling and sensation, Yang was still quite impressed. Atlas definitely lived up to its reputation as the world leader in robotics and prosthetics. Since this was apparently an advanced prototype, there was one question at the back of Yang's mind. As she continued to move the hand and test her arm, Yang said, "Let's say that hypothetically speaking, I get into trouble. Is this arm suitable for combat?" Qrow raised an eyebrow at the question. They hadn't even reached the subjects they needed to talk about. Yet, he could sense that Yang was itching to get back into the fight so she could help Ruby.
The problem was she wasn't ready.
"Ideally? No. For your fighting style I'd avoid hand to hand combat. It's advanced enough to allow you to go through the motions and practice, but if you get into a full on brawl I can't promise that it won't be damaged." Yang frowned. She was about to say something, but she then remembered her uncle's exact words. "You said hand to hand. What about melee?" Yang then wished she didn't ask, because she could see Qrow get a bit excited over this. Like her younger sister, he was a weapon nut. "Oh, you have so many options Yang!" he said in a very uncharacteristic voice. "The shell of the arm that protects the inner workings is a brand new design. Polycarbonate coated in a thin layer of Maraging Steel. It has some heat resistance and will resist fractures. Unlike a basic prosthetic, it will stand up in melee combat. In a pinch, I suppose you could punch someone in the face really hard. But it's like I said. I wouldn't recommend it." Yang couldn't help laughing at the excitability he was showing. "Why do I get the feeling that you thought of this thing as a weapon, just so you could remember all that?" Qrow's smirk told her that he was guilty as charged. While she preferred her fists, she could use some basic weapons in a pinch. She just needed to figure out what she'd be using.
Yang felt she had enough time to test the prosthetic. Now it was time for a real test. Eyeing the bottle of rum, Yang made a motion to pick it up. She managed to get it about two inches off the table before she shattered it. With a sheepish grin, Yang simply said, "Oops!" Qrow was far less amused, but he wasn't angry. "Oh, don't worry Yang. Vacuo Rum doesn't run about 700 lien a bottle" he said sarcastically. Yang nearly fell over at the revelation of just how expensive her uncle's favorite drink was.
As the two of them cleaned up the glass shards and spilled booze, Yang turned the attention back to a more serious subject. "Ok. We've got the arm out of the way. Now we've got to move on to the elephant in the room. What exactly is going on with Ruby?" Sitting back down, Qrow looked completely serious now, despite having half a bottle of rum in him. "Honestly? I don't even know where to begin. It's going to take at least a couple of hours to go over everything. Possibly longer." Yang was about to let him have it over stalling again, but she could see it in his eyes. Whatever he was about to tell her, it was extremely serious. She could almost see the years of hardship in them as he asked her a question.
"When you were a kid, did Tai ever tell you the story of the Four Maidens?"
Broken World, Broken Souls (RWBY)
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