903This chapter was published under patronage from Greenwave.
When Marrow had been offered a spot among the elite of the elite, he'd thought it had been the honor of a lifetime. Ever since he first joined the Academy, he knew he was there to prove something, something about himself, about the Faunus, about something bigger, and when the General presented him with an offer to be one of the first members of the Ace-Ops, Marrow had been happy to sign on. Even if it meant some… ethical compromises, Marrow knew it was worth it for the long term.
Specialists were in a legally-uncertain area. They were definitely in a politically-dubious one, and Marrow knew that people, especially people outside of Atlas, weren't inclined to look favorably on an even higher degree of organization of aura-equipped soldiers. Within the Ace-Ops, of course, nobody gave these fears a moment of recognition—it was all instantly dismissed as fearmongering or international paranoia. Of course, Marrow trusted General Ironwood—he wouldn't be an Ace-Op if he didn't!—but he could understand why people got worried that Atlas kept Huntsmen in their military ranks, and he really understood why even domestic voices spoke up against organizing them into an elite Task Force.
And as a Faunus member of that Task Force, he knew that Atlas sometimes, even with the best intentions, let their worst elements run a little too far. That there really could be more done to reign in the SDC's abuses, and no, he wasn't calling for them to nationalize the dust mines, and no, he wasn't siding with the White Fang, but there were real problems in Atlas! Problems that couldn't be solved with just making even more elite units!
Like, right now, the problem of coordinating with Huntsman Branwen and Commander Cordovin when both of them saw him as a lackey of General Ironwood. The former as a bad thing, and the latter…
"I fully intend to support anything the General thinks is necessary for this plan," Cordovin said, practically oozing sycophancy to a level that made Marrow uncomfortable and Branwen livid. "And recovering Ms. Schnee and Mr. Arc is well within-"
"Th-there's no need for that!" Marrow quickly cut in, "I… I believe it's for the best if we continue to escort the full party and not take any outwardly hostile actions against-"
"Oh?" Branwen cut in, an eyebrow raised and a look of contempt on his face, "And how's that going to further the General's agenda? You gonna just hope they blunder into whatever trap you've got planned up in-"
"Mister Branwen!" Cordovin snapped, making Marrow wince to see how she kept making things worse, "These allegations against the Atlesian military are both uncalled for and highly inaccurate! It borders on slander to imply that the Atlesian military would need its opponents to blunder into a trap!"
Oh gods.
"I have no doubt that General Ironwood has this situation entirely in hand," she continued, utterly oblivious to how much worse she was making the situation, "And he will see that Caroline Cordovin will not let him down. In light of that, I must ask what your role here is, Mister Branwen?"
Qrow snorted, the contempt he displayed mirroring much of Marrow felt, but he knew it wouldn't be productive. "Keeping you jackbooted thugs," he growled, "off the neck of an innocent-"
"Commander Cordovin," he cut in, "I can assure you, I have been authorized to oversee this group, and General Ironwood has no intention to delay or detain this group. We merely wish to see them delivered to Atlas in a direct-"
Qrow's fist slammed down on the table, "If you think I buy that, then you've got to think I'm stupider than this old bat."
Marrow just gave him a long, incredulous, I am trying to move this meeting forward for dust's sake look as he started to understand why Winter hated the Valean operative so much.
"All I meant was," Marrow said through gritted teeth, "the exact situation you and I discussed, Mr. Branwen, about us just escorting the kids to Atlas and ensuring their safety, is what I," he turned to Cordovin, "intend to do under the authority granted to me by Specialist Winter Schnee to carry out General Ironwood's agenda. And that means that we are ensuring that Mr. Arc and his… entourage are able to secure a flight from Argus into Atlas."
No one person in the room had much love for the other two, that was clear. But that meant Qrow and Cordovin couldn't bring each other to unite against him, and with Cordovin, he did have authority to pull, and with Qrow, he… had earned some fondness from being the only other real adult in the room. Or at least, he'd earned enough that Qrow seemed to pick up that arguing in circles for a few more hours wouldn't be going anywhere productive.
"We just need your approval, Commander, for discreet transportation out of Argus," he continued, then decided to sweeten the deal a little, "And I'll be sure to mention your help in my report to the General."
In exploiting her cravenness, Marrow also got to show Qrow that he was exploiting that cravenness, and with both parties now onboard, Cordovin gave a small sigh, and then nodded her head.
"You'll get passage to Atlas," she conceded, "But I expect you to supervise these… miscreants closely, Specialist!"
Qrow glowered. "If you think I'll-"
"Thank you, Operative Cordovin," Marrow cut him off, "We'll be out of your hair as soon as we can take off."
Gathering outside the Atlesian base, Blake felt like she was of two minds at the moment. For the first, her experiences with the White Fang made her antsy around so many Atlesian guards, particularly from the way they showed deference towards Weiss—the power of Atlas was very much the power of the SDC. But on the other hand… for maybe the first time in her life, Blake was surrounded by human authorities who completely overlooked her.
The cultists were a sight to behold, and they apparently didn't mind being beholden. They'd met in front of the Cotta-Arc household where an extremely nervous and nearly trembling Terra choked out to Pyrrha that she was a big fan… and had nearly died when Pyrrha invited her to get a selfie. Whatever friction had come up last night at dinner seemed to be very much forgotten now that her wife had a family connection to Argus's hero. Something proven again and again in their procession to the base: Pyrrha was a magnet for attention, greeting people in the streets, promising to impress them in the Vytal, and signing things as they passed. Any attempt to be covert had been shot, but the cultists didn't seem to have a problem with that, especially not Nora or her uncle, who both just beamed with happiness as they strutted down the way.
But as they got closer to the base, attention increasingly shifted to the figure next to Pyrrha. Flanked on one side by the hometown hero and on the other by the heiress to one of the largest corporations in the world, Jaune did not particularly stand out. But there was an ironic angle where that made him even more noticeable. After all, he was the reason they were all here, the one who brought them all from Beacon and Haven and… elsewhere to join up in this procession.
"Are we… all going to Atlas?" she whispered to Yang, who looked to be wrestling with some heavy thoughts, probably related to her engagement. Talking it out might help… hard to believe that she, the White Fang deserter, wasn't the one with the biggest drama bomb looming over her thoughts. Also strange that literally every other member of her team was in some way in a relationship with Jaune and she was still single. Which shouldn't be grating at her this much, but…
Yang sighed. "I think SSSN might be going back to Haven… well, Beacon, for the Vytal now that they've got Sun back. But Mom and Uncle Qrow aren't leaving the group, Velvet's sticking around which means CFVY is, too, and the rest…" she glanced at Cinder, flanked by her lackeys, at Vernal, who looked like she was trying to hide how impressed she was by the big city, and the Atlesian Specialist… who, in spite of everything, had earned some of Blake's sympathies. A Faunus Specialist was a… thorny concept for Blake, but he was clearly in over his head as he jogged forward to speak with an Atlesian guard outside the gates.
"I think," Ruby whispered, sounding like she was wrestling with the same thoughts Yang was, and trying her best to stay on top of them, "there's the 12 of us from Beacon, four cultists, Vernal, Uncle Qrow, and my mom. So 19 of us?"
"And the Specialist," Yang said, gesturing to the man now clearly annoyed with some miscommunication between the guards and command. "So we're an even-"
"Wait," Blake cut in, "Four cultists? Tyrian's the only one who's a cultist, outside of Jaune's team, of course. But is Cinder…?"
Blake did not have a good read on Cinder, and that made her antsy. She'd flipped sides after the battle, and she was somehow part of the same organization Jaune's aunt was apparently in charge of, but she did not seem like she was a cultist, particularly from what she said before the battle. Emerald, looking uncharacteristically nervous as her eyes seemed to bounce back and forth between her boss and Jaune, seemed like she certainly wasn't in the same system Nora and Ren were. And Mercury just looked… well, he seemed perpetually annoyed by things ever since the battle, and Blake couldn't bring herself to not feel good about that. She might not actually know much about him, but she knew his type.
"We might need a better name for this…" Ruby said, "Um… like, 'people who work for Jaune' and 'Jaune's friends,' something like that?"
"You think Ren isn't Jaune's friend?" Yang asked, mock-scandalized by the implications, making Ruby turn red.
"I- I mean, I'm Jaune's friend, a-and-" she suddenly turned even redder at the implication, "I mean, I'm not a cultist, a-and I'm not his… fi- fia-"
"Fiancee," Blake finished for her Team Leader before she started hyperventilating, "But yeah…" she nodded at Yang, "This was a lot easier when it was just the twelve of us…"
"Coco has never made anything easier and you know it," Yang snorted, only for a sudden "Hell yeah!" from behind reminding them that CFVY was right behind them.
"Here's how I see it," Coco said as she came forward, dragging Velvet and Fox both up with her, Yatsuhashi evidently being compelled to sprint forward as well, "I'm thinking we have to start thinking strategically, regarding which girls are definitely in Jaune's harem and which girls can still be-"
Yang rolled her eyes, "Just cause I'm trying to get out of my mom's insane marriage scheme doesn't mean I'm on the market for you."
"I'm just saying," Coco said, looping her arms around both Yang and Blake's shoulders, "Once we get to Atlas, Jaune, Weiss, and his cult can go try and figure out the legal issues while the rest of us can go check out the sauna and get to really know each other…"
"Coco, I can't believe you!" Blake mock-gasped, "Don't you know that Yang is intended to be wed!"
The three of them had a laugh at that, though Yang's felt… a little more forced than Blake hoped. It was weird that she was the one looking out for Yang and not the other way round, but opening up with Weiss had felt… good. And maybe helping out Yang would help her feel good as well. Make her feel less like she was still running away from the White Fang and more like she'd found a place here in this… whatever they were.
It suddenly dawned on Blake that she really had to be careful or she might end up falling backwards into joining a cult. And going from the White Fang to worshiping Jaune… once was misfortune, twice was carelessness.
Shaking off that thought, she grinned over at her partner. "You know, it's gonna be crazy trying to go back to normal after this. We go and get you divorced and then, what, we go back to compete in the Vytal?"
Yang shook her head. "When we get back," she said, a little humor creeping into her voice, "I am going to be so boring. No crazy hijinks or schemes, just regular, ordinary student behavior. Get my GPA up-"
"Get a girlfriend," Coco interrupted, only for Yang to laugh and shove her back.
"Okay everyone!" the voice of the Specialist cut through their playful banter, "As a gesture of good will from the Atlesian military, I've been able to secure a flight into Atlas…" he seemed to pause for… applause or some acknowledgement of his hard work that he was clearly not about to get. A little chagrined, he continued, "But… there's been an… unexpected change in plans and so we'll be split into two different aircraft, rather than the-"
"What're you pulling here?" Vernal cut in, the bandit's keen eyes for deceit and utter lack of social grace making her perfect for stopping the Specialist. Blake immediately pegged that nothing good could come from splitting the group up—not only was it obviously a trap, it was also the sort of thing that would unbalance the already fraught stalemate that the group now had. And not just on romance—though Blake was undeniably enjoying that aspect—but in terms of the politics and agendas at play.
At the same time… she didn't think this was the Specialist's doing. Especially from the look on his face as the bandit girl, and now Yang's uncle as well, got up in his face. He looked not only embarrassed, but pissed, like this had been sprung on him and he was left being the mouthpiece for this.
"It's nothing- look, it's just a capacity issue with what aircraft were ready, so-"
"I, and my daughters, will accompany Jaune," Mrs. Rose announced, eyes narrowing at Pyrrha.
"I'll lead the other plane!" an excited Tyrian cut in, "I can absolutely fly a-"
"Please!" Ren quietly, yet insistently, interrupted, pulling his uncle back, "You cannot fly a Bullhead with passengers, you don't know how."
While Blake would have loved to hear more about Ren and Nora's fascinating childhood, her attention was very much focused on Pyrrha, Cinder, and Summer, the three of them looking for any sign of weakness in the other. But then Pyrrha glanced to Jaune, and it was one of those… looks that made her-
Okay, Team RWBY was ride-or-die for Weiss, and Blake had pledged her loyalty already, but auuuuuugh, those two were so- so romantic it was tearing her in half! It wasn't just that Pyrrha literally worshiped Jaune—that was honestly a big minus for their relationship—it was that she, in spite of the sacred obligations swirling around the two of them, clearly had such deep and personal feelings for him, and her self sacrifice was just so- so-
It was better than Ninjas of Love! She would kill to see this get made into a book!
Especially with the meaningful look exchanged between Jaune and Pyrrha, the both of them nodding before Jaune spoke up, "I'll go with Mrs. Rose, Team RWBY, and Pyrrha. So there's two-"
"I'm sticking with the kid," Mr. Branwen growled, "especially cause I don't trust our Atlesian-"
"Watch it…" Weiss murmured, her eyes narrowing.
Mr. Branwen gave a defeated shrug. "Okay, but I'm sticking with the Specialist, and I know he expects to be the kid's pilot, so that's nine. Everyone else, on the second craft."
Vernal moved to object, but realized that the cult wasn't going to speak out against a solution that both Pyrrha and Jaune were okay with, so she sighed and glanced towards the group of cultists and assassins she now found herself surrounded by.
"Alright," she groaned, "just promise me the brunette in the beret won't try to sit next to me."
"No promises, babe," Coco chuckled, but from the way Velvet glanced to Yatsuhashi, it seemed to Blake that a certain Team Leader was going to have her flirtation reigned in.
The Manta was an impressive craft, a thought Weiss was trying to focus on rather than any of the other matters currently swirling about in her brain. It was cutting-edge technology, with a sleek and efficient design that spoke to the values Weiss had grown up with in Atlas. A year ago, and everything about it would look right, that everything was in its proper place, that efficiency reigned, but now… it felt cold. And impersonal. And isolating. Feelings that Weiss had been struggling with ever since she left Atlas and now… she was coming back.
At least, she was with her team. Ruby and Blake and Yang, girls she knew she could trust, even across all this. Yes, two of them were "engaged" to her boyfriend, but the both of them… they'd made it clear that they weren't part of their mom's insane scheme. And Blake had become an essential confidant ever since they'd arrived in Mistral. Jaune was here, her boyfriend who still put her first even as he'd… become something like a god. His cultists weren't with him… but with one exception.
Weiss… didn't know what she felt about Pyrrha, but… she'd cut a deal with her and Velvet, and even as circumstances changed, she knew she would never break a contract. And Pyrrha seemed to be the same way, stridently opposed to Jaune being forced into a marriage, though Weiss suspected that had a lot more to do with Jaune's own opposition than anything to do with their agreement that Pyrrha would help keep the other girls off her man.
Everyone beyond Pyrrha was either someone Weiss strongly disliked (Ruby's mother) or someone she more-or-less didn't notice, like Specialist… Amin, she thought his name was, and Ruby's uncle. Nothing against either of them, it was just… she'd been dealing with a lot.
She really wished she was sitting next to Jaune. For reasons of expediency, three-quarters of RWBY couldn't be seated next to him without either Weiss or Mrs. Rose's objection, so Blake was sitting next to Jaune and clearly unsure about it. Something about her gave Weiss an uncomfortable feeling, "It's always the ones you least expect!" but she didn't feel proud about it. That wasn't her voice, that was the prejudice she had grown up with, still being chipped away by every experience she had with Blake, showing her that Blake was her real friend and that she had nothing to worry about between her and her boyfriend.
But there were-
"Hold on…" she heard the voice of Ruby's uncle cut in before he pointed at the window, "That's… what the hell is that?"
Everyone quickly looked to where he was pointing where Weiss saw… a truly massive… robot! She'd read about the Colossus, about the cutting-edge defense it provided for Argus—at considerable expense, as her father griped after the SDC failed to secure the contract for building it—but seeing it in person was… something else.
"Ah," the Specialist laughed, "Yeah, that's the Colossus, it's a-"
"It's clearly not on patrol!" Mr. Branwen barked, "Those weapons are-"
"You're being paranoid," the Specialist, what's-his-name, interrupted, "I have Caroline's guarantee of safe passage out of Argus, it's just a show of-"
As soon as he said that, though, the Colossus raised an arm… and fired at the Bullhead flying alongside them. It evaded—Weiss had heard Cinder confidently announce that she would be piloting, and she seemed to be a good one—but there was still the fact that Atlas was shooting at them.
"Cordovin! This is Specialist Amin!" their pilot barked into the radio, "This is not necessary, nor is it in Atlas's best interests to-"
"Specialist Amin, return that ship to the airfield at once!" that awful woman's voice crackled through the speaker, "Jaune Arc is a highly valuable individual whose capture will ensure my- will ensure Atlas's political future, and these cultists are nothing more than common criminals!"
"You don't understand!" he snapped back, the limits of his patience more than passed, "This is not necessary! Commander Cordovin, what you are trying to do is highly- it's insane and if you can't-"
"You do not have authority over me, Specialist Amin," the radio crackled back, "Bring the Manta back, now, as we eliminate the other craft."
"Goddess Salem…" Pyrrha's voice cut in, drawing Weiss's attention to where she was kneeling, eyes closed and hands outstretched in prayer, "I have seen the gifts you have given me. All I have comes from you, and I only have my gratitude to offer in return, but… please… give me more. You have given me the strength to protect the ones I love, but please… give me the strength I need to succeed, in your name, today. Let it come to pass, my Goddess."
With that, she rose from where she was kneeling, her eyes slowly opening to reveal how they shone, like emeralds, with determined purpose. She nodded to Jaune, and he nodded back.
"I don't know if I can win," she said, "but I will ensure your safety."
"Pyrrha," he whispered back, her tone making it clear that there would be no questioning her decision as Jaune commanded, "defeat that machine."
A golden light suddenly exploded around Pyrrha like a- like a halo, almost making Weiss stumble backwards in surprise to see it. Her eyes opened, shining like the most brilliant gemstones as her lips curled into a smile and Weiss realized she was so frozen in awe, she'd forgotten to breathe. Without a word, Pyrrha headed towards the door, unlatched the safety, making the emergency lights suddenly bathe the craft in red, and opened the door.
The wind howled as the Manta and Bullhead both engaged in evasive maneuvers, another shot from the Colossus exploding just above them. But Pyrrha stood, crimson hair whipping in the wind, utterly unperturbed until she saw her chance and leapt from the ship.
Weiss gasped, but before her eyes even realized what she was seeing, Pyrrha had landed on the Bullhead's landing skis, her arm holding on tight to the side as it suddenly whipped backwards to go head to head with the gigantic mech.
"She's going to… going to fight the Colossus," Weiss realized she'd just said out loud.
"Then we should get going!" the Specialist cried.
"No!" Jaune commanded, and even without his Semblance, Weiss could hear so much authority in his voice that, even without his Semblance, she knew he wasn't about to be disobeyed. "We all make it to Atlas. Together."
"I think her odds are pretty good," Blake chimed in, "I watched her take on an entire Special Forces team and, well… yeah."
Weiss raised an eyebrow at her teammate. "Watching? Weren't you supposed to be fighting, too?"
Blake shrugged. "Ehhh…" she replied, "Wasn't really sure what I was supposed to be doing there."
Weiss rolled her eyes, but didn't press the matter. Not when her gaze was drawn to where Pyrrha now held on to the side of the Bullhead. Her red hair, untied from its familiar ponytail, now streamed behind her like a crimson banner as she extended her hand, making Weiss's heart skip a beat and her face suddenly feel very warm to see her looking so… majestic as she faced down such a massive weapon.
Weiss had seen Pyrrha in many different lights since their first encounter at Beacon. A peerless athlete who'd make a natural partner. A fellow celebrity who might understand Weiss's own loneliness. A woman of… loose morals who was bizarrely interested in her partner. A bodyguard. A cultist. A romantic rival.
But right now, Weiss saw the Invincible Girl in all her glory, and it was… it was hard not to feel a sense of total awe at the sight of her. A black haze seemed to shimmer around her hand, and as Weiss's vision shifted to the Colossus, it too seemed to have a similar haze as it suddenly froze.
"How… how much stronger is Pyrrha's Semblance," she heard Ruby ask, "when powered up by your Semblance?"
"I… don't know?" Jaune admitted, "But I think-"
"Holy shit!" Yang interrupted.
And with good reason: Pyrrha crooked her fingers upwards… and so did the Colossus. Slowly, very slowly, but Weiss could clearly see it. The steel behemoth wasn't just frozen in place, Pyrrha was picking it up. The water churned beneath it as, inch by inch, Pyrrha began to hoist it.
"She can't- can't possibly…" Blake echoed, "It's too…"
"Pyrrha can do anything," Ruby exhaled in amazement… among other emotions. Not that Weiss could blame her. Not when Pyrrha was looking so… majestic in her power.
But… on the other hand, Weiss wasn't so sure she agreed. She could see the strain lining Pyrrha's face, her gesture indicating she was trying to push the Colossus over, but to no effect. It was just too heavy for her!
"She can," Jaune agreed, putting a reassuring hand on Weiss's shoulder as he whispered, "You can do it, Pyr…"
Weiss could see the way Pyrrha's jaw clenched, the taut cords of her muscular arms straining against the invisible weight of thousands of tons of steel. Weiss suddenly felt a little bit… strange as she watched the awe-inspiring sight of the Invincible Girl unveil how strong she truly was. She realized Jaune's hand was on her shoulder and she instinctively pulled herself closer to him, a mixture of uncertainty and… undeniable excitement as-
As Pyrrha's eyes opened, a flash of emerald as she opened her jaw to bellow a war cry inaudible over the roar of the airships, but Weiss knew Jaune's name was within it. Her hand clenched, and in a horrible shriek of steel and surf, she pushed the Colossus over and the war machine toppled into the ocean, sending seawater soaring into the air!
A cheer went up, from Weiss or Jaune or everyone at once, she didn't know, but she immediately hugged Jaune as tightly as she could as Weiss realized she'd been holding her breath for much longer than she realized. Pressing her forehead against Jaune's chest as Ruby babbled to no one in particular a series of numbers and equations for how much magnetic force Pyrrha must have used there and Yang was forced to admit that even she couldn't achieve something like that… Weiss felt a wave of relief that she hadn't really felt since she'd discovered Jaune was okay.
"Hope that splashdown didn't create a tidal wave on Argus," Blake dryly commented, somewhat ruining the moment.
And then Ruby's uncle made it worse. "That's… that's not the only thing to be worried about," he said, an uncharacteristic hint of nervousness entering his voice.
"Oh no…"
Their celebration died as soon as it was interrupted by the pilot's words, and Weiss looked up to see… oh gods-
"What… what is that?" Jaune nervously asked, not trying to hide his ignorance. But even he knew that something that could make the ocean in front of them swell like that had to be truly massive… and couldn't possibly be good.
"Leviathan," Mr. Branwen said, as the water broke open and the massive black head of the enormous Grimm surfaced.
Weiss shook her head. "All this negativity…" she mused, "Cordovin's betrayal, the city's panic at seeing the Colossus defeated…"
"I don't… don't know if Pyrrha can beat that…" Ruby whispered.
"Can… anyone?" Jaune asked, his eyes darting to the ruined war machine that had likely been the best shot of protecting Argus against a creature that seemed to still be rising from the ocean! Why- why had they used it to try and shoot down a single aircraft? What was- what was wrong with Cordovin?
But not everyone was in a panic.
"Well, the cultists might be flashy," Mr. Branwen chuckled, "but they ain't the only ones with tricks up their sleeves…"
He glanced towards Ruby's mother, and in spite of the extremely mixed feelings Weiss had about her, seeing her casually crack her neck, left, then right, as she limbered up for a fight… was a little reassuring. Even if Weiss had no idea what she might think she could do against a Leviathan, it was clear that both Mrs. Rose and Mr. Branwen looked confident about their odds.
"Ruby, I want you to watch closely," she instructed, "and I want the rest of you to see why silver eyes should not perish from this world…"
Interlacing her fingers, she lazily stretched her arms as she stepped up to the door as Mr. Branwen signaled the pilot to put it square with the Leviathan. Weiss shrank back into Jaune's arms as she felt her boyfriend do his best not to tremble, but… that creature had teeth that were bigger than they were! It could swallow them in a gulp, and they were facing it down?
"Mom…" Yang whispered, her ability to hide her own anxiety rapidly dwindling.
But Mrs. Rose just smiled. "Oh, honey," she replied, "My silver eyes are powered by emotion, and right now…" Oh, she was not about to- "I'm picturing my little girls finally getting married."
Giant whale-lizard-monster or not, Weiss was going to sock that bi-
But before Weiss could clock Ruby and Yang's mom in the back of the head, there was a flash of white light that bathed the whole ship in a blinding glow. Weiss felt like she was almost knocked backwards by the force of it, but the Leviathan…
It had opened its mouth to no-doubt emit a eardrum-shattering roar, but as the light hit it, it froze like the Colossus under Pyrrha's Semblance. But unlike the Colossus, the color seemed to fade away as- as the Grimm seemed to turn into stone? Was that the power of the- could Ruby do that? Weiss glanced at her partner, staring wide-eyed as a monster the size of a building was petrified by Mrs. Rose's gaze.
"MY DAUGHTERS HAVE A HUSBAND!" Mrs. Rose suddenly squealed in glee as the sheer ebullience of her joy—as aggravating as it was, which Weiss made sure to protectively squeeze Jaune in response—seemed to pulse outward, and with it, the stone form of the Leviathan shattered. Bits of stone rained down into the ocean as the creature was utterly unmade before their eyes. A Grimm the size of a skyscraper simply… blasted apart by one woman.
Was this what… what Silver Eyes could do?
But with her victory, Mrs. Rose grabbed the Manta's door and slammed it shut. She gave a sideways glance at Mr. Branwen as she returned to her seat and asked, "Think the Grimm Reaper could have done that?"
"You don't have to make everything a competition," he grumbled, the meaning lost on Weiss.
But she didn't miss how Mrs. Rose than turned to give Jaune a look, one of such supreme self-confidence that Weiss had to remind herself to hold on to her boyfriend tighter to, in turn, remind Mrs. Rose that, superpowers or not, some girls just got their first and thus, had dibs.
Though… she glanced out the window to see the Bullhead, currently opening its side door to let Pyrrha in. One of her romantic rivals fought off a city-scale superweapon with a wave of her hand, another was apparently born with superpowers that could do the same to an equally massive Grimm, and then there was… her. Poor little rich girl, running home to her family's lawyers to make sure she had… dibs on a boy. She glanced at Jaune, trying to force a hopeful smile and keep him unaware of her turbulent thoughts, but when she was in a love… quadrangle between herself, Pyrrha, a Silver Eyed Warrior, and the nephew of the Queen of the Grimm, what was she doing there?
She suddenly felt a squeeze, her eyes darting back to Jaune's.
"It'll be okay," he whispered, his voice low enough that Mrs. Rose couldn't overhear, "Don't forget: you're still my girl. No matter what."
And, as Jaune gave her another squeeze, Weiss found that that felt… really nice. Just really, really nice. And that… for now, that would be enough.
Thanks to Renarde for feedback on this work, and thanks to Greenwave for their patronage in sponsoring it!