Zack POV
…
Well, this is a familiar feeling of warmth in the morning. Minus the part where I feel a bit squashed, and I don't mean Weiss hugging me from behind through my tails and all, but it feels like I'm being hugged on both sides. It takes little time to recall everything that happened the previous day, and…
"Ruby…" Those were the only words I could think of as more of my senses returned, and I smelled roses. I… made her my second girlfriend. Funny how things happen, huh? I once thought, back when my Earth memories found their way into this body, that I would focus on staying away from the conflict the main cast fights against Salem.
Was it insensitive of me to do that? Yeah. It was. But at the time, I was a nobody orphan fox Faunus child with nothing to offer the gang except maybe my foresight of the things to come.
But after some time? That plan swiftly went out the window when Ozma revealed himself to me as being in me and me being his incarnate instead of Oscar. Along with everything else that has happened, including the divinity war, my selection as the Chosen One by the Sisters of Twilight, and my gradual transformation into a Kitsune Faunus, here we are, all within a couple of months later. I wonder how past me would see me now loving not only Weiss but Ruby as well. I wonder what happened to Oscar. Perhaps once we're done with his war, assuming I live through it, I should pay him a visit.
Or perhaps not?
Perhaps it's best I leave him be with his peaceful life.
Taking in some air laced with Ruby's scent, I sluggishly open my eyes to see her hugging me deeply and even burying her face into my chest! In addition to having her arms wrapped around me close to my armpits, my arms were also around her. And while it's difficult to get an angle on her face, I think she's smiling… and it doesn't seem forced or like the other types of smiles she gives.
Instead, it's gentle.
Similarly to how Weiss gives to me when she's alone.
Unfortunately, as I begin to stir awake from my sleep, I realize how stuck I was. Before, with Weiss hugging me like a damn plush toy from behind, it was a bit tricky to move thanks to her Yang-like grip. But now? With Ruby hugging me from the front and in a much tighter embrace to the point I can't even move my legs because she's tangling hers into mine?
I'm literally at the mercy of my girlfriends. Not like that's a bad thing, to be honest. There's something comforting about being cuddled up like this. Though I still wish I had some space to move a bit. Man, the body cramps are going to suck.
It was also during this time that I felt Ozma waking up.
About time. I need to confront him about… yesterday. That I feel affection coming out of him towards Weiss. My Weiss. Talk about feeling a bit possessive over my girlfriend… And then… How long before he will feel the same about Ruby? If this is just the symptom of our merging bond of our souls, how long before it becomes almost impossible to tell which of us is which?
The very thought of it sends a wave of cold down my spine despite how warm and cuddly I am right now. "Morning, Ozma. We need to talk." I greeted him as bluntly as one can possibly be while being hugged tightly on both sides by my girlfriends. "This is a time-sensitive matter we have to discuss. And before you suggest we talk later because of my situation, don't. This needs to be addressed ASAP due to my failure to ask you yesterday with all the things that happened."
For a moment, I thought the old man ignored me completely, but I soon got a response when I felt his mind fully awakening in me. "Morning to you, Zack. And… What's wrong? I can feel the urgency within you." Ozma says, almost confused about why I am demanding his attention so early in the morning despite my current situation.
"Because yesterday, while you were talking to everyone, I felt a glimmer of warmth coming out of your emotions when you were referring to Weiss of your intentions to reveal the truth of Remnant to everyone." I bluntly state in my mind before Ruby's soft snores eased me a bit. "I don't have a full grasp on what's going on. But I think you're being influenced by my feelings for Weiss."
And a beat went by before I could feel Ozma's emotions going from confusion to shock and then to horror.
All within a second.
"… Oh. I see… That's bound to happen eventually." Ozma sounds resigned as he explains it. "I'm so sorry, Zack. I assume that you are aware that as our souls continue to merge with time, you absorb more of my memories with time. The same will happen in reverse. I will also absorb your memories, feelings included."
…
I am aware, Oz. But it never seems to portray that in the show I watched up to Volume Eight. Oscar just seems to become more like you. I know it will eventually be the case that we might reach the point that it will be difficult to tell us apart, but the idea is that you also gain my feelings and love. That's terrifying to me. "Iknow,w Oz. But… Is this how you blend in your previous incarnations who have family or friends?"
"Yes…" Ozma gave a very blunt answer, yet I still sense deep sorrow in them. "That is why it is easy to blend in with my… - their families. The fact I absorb every aspect of them is what grants me their memories and feelings. I'm so sorry, Zack. This is something I cannot control and is part of our merging process."
"Shit…" I mutter in my mind before a realization hits me. "Th-Then if the Brother's Contingency Plan actually triggers, and by that point our souls already merge into one, then…"
"Given that the Brothers devised this scheme to eliminate your body to strip the Sisters of Twilight of their champion and source of influence in Remnant, which stems from you. It is extremely likely that if that plan triggers, the cycle I endured will trigger again and transfer me to a new compatible host." Ozma adds to my utter dread. That's worse than I thought! That would mean we will be aware that we failed to stop this contingency and have to start all over again reconnecting each other with the gang.
That's going to be incredibly awkward and depressing as hell! And talk about screwing Remnant's chance of survival all because you're scared of a rival god taking back what's theirs… I wonder if the Brother Gods truly care for their creations or if they just see everyone as their pawns in their secret war against the Sisters of Twilight to keep them imprisoned.
"I wish I could do more to soothe your concerns, Zack."
"I know. This just sucks, man."
I softly answer back before I hear movement behind me, and Weiss's arms pull away from me and give me space to stretch my tails. "Ahh… much better…" I groan softly in my mind as I feel my tails get rid of the crushed feeling they had. Moreover, I suspect that they'll look a bit flattened from Weiss hugging me with them in the middle. Nothing a good brushing will fix.
Then, without saying a word, my ears shift as far back as they could before my Schnee girlfriend leans down slowly and kisses me on the cheek. "Morning." She whispers as a smile grows on my lips while I adjust my head so I can see her beauty with my eyes, with her hair down and loose.
Even though maybe they look a bit messy from my perspective, she doesn't need to know that at all. Weiss can get quite stingy when it comes to the condition of her hair, as I learned days back.
"Morning back at you, Weiss." I whisper back as she smiles at me before her eyes move on to Ruby, still clinging onto me asleep. Funny now that I think more of that. It reminds me of how my mother on Earth once shared with me that I would always cling onto her as a baby like a koala bear. Something Ruby's doing right at the moment.
"Still sleeping, I presume?" Weiss continues before I slowly nod my head before Ruby suddenly snuggles closer to me now that there's more space from Weiss waking up. In response, I just smile at my other girlfriend cuddling closer to my chest. Then, looking up at Weiss, I ask her.
"What time is it?"
And without hesitation she shifts off the bed before grabbing her scroll on the side table off my screen. "Six thirty in the morning, Zack." She confidently says it while I just nod my head. I should get her to wash up first since this room only has one toilet.
"Say, how about you go and wash up while I get Ruby awake? Today's still going to be a busy one, and we need to settle the other stuff here." And without hesitation I can hear Weiss walking off to grab her toiletries while she hums in agreement with my thoughts. It's a shame I can't admire her beauty more from this angle I'm stuck in.
"Was thinking the same thing. Do your best to get Ruby up. She can be a heavy sleeper if it gets too comfortable for her."
"Got it." I mutter before turning my full attention to my girlfriend, still asleep and clinging tightly to me. Frankly, I'm not sure how I am going to wake Ruby up. I know Weiss gets quite cranky if someone interrupts her beauty sleep. Speaking of my Schnee girlfriend, I heard her humming out of interest.
"Interesting, it appears that someone dropped by our room to have our uniforms washed and dried before sunrise." Wait, what? Did the employees of this hotel wash out our stuff? Thanks, I guess? It's creepy for them to drop by when we're asleep to take our clothes for washing. Then again, all of them were dirty from the Battle for Argus. Actually, I think I have an idea who could be responsible.
Celeste, my fellow Terran. I get that you're paying for everything, but this is a bit much, don't you think?
"Know anything about that?" Weiss asks me while I reply.
"Nope. Blind as you are, however, I have a suspect who I think is responsible for this. But you should get going before Ruby wakes up." I say before I hear my girlfriend humming as she walks off to wash up. Now, with Ruby locking me in place with her limbs, I did the only thing that I could do to wake her up.
I began to shift my body ever so slightly and nuzzle her hair with my nose, smelling the scent of rose from her hair. I think I can get used to this. Then again, Weiss always has this vanilla scent on her whenever she's close. Eventually it got the response I was hoping for! Sort of. First it started with no reactions from Ruby, but eventually she let out a soft moan as I continued nuzzling her while gently patting her back to not forcefully wake her up.
"Zwei… stop that…" She snores out. "I don't want to get up yet… so comfy…"
Goddamn, Ruby is so adorable like this.
I should also mention that I'm wearing that Hanfu I got from Sanctuary with a small hole at the back for my tails to stick out from, and it became my default clothing whenever I'm not wearing my Huntsman outfit. Something that, when I wore it as my pajamas, made Ruby go all over me because of the unique look it gives me. And I quote from Ruby's lips.
"You look so cool and, uh… handsome?"
…
Yeah, she needs to work on that, and it did make Weiss slightly jealous that she resorts to hugging all of my tails and basking in the fluffiness of them.
"Zweiii… stop nudging me… I don't wanna wake up." Ruby's sleepy ramblings made me smirk before I slightly intensified what I was doing, and in the midst of it, she adjusted herself, which freed one of my hands. And feeling a bit mischievous about how to wake my girlfriend up, I took the opportunity to go for her side, which, expectantly, snapped her awake!
"AHH! Wait! Yang! Don't touch me there!" Yang? Oh, she must have done that countless times to wake up Ruby if she refuses to leave the bed. What I certainly did not expect was for Ruby to throw me onto my back on our bed and straddle me as she fully wakes up with our faces literally an inch apart from one another.
Man… Aura does make it easy for people of smaller sizes to compete against bigger ones.
…
Right. Neo is one clear example…
"Z-Zack?"
My dear girlfriend blurts out red cheeks with her eyes wide open. As a response, I just gave her a smirk of my own. "Morning, Ruby. Enjoy your rest?" What I failed to control was my tone, which was becoming increasingly teasing to her utter displeasure and horror.
"You- You…! S-Stap it!"
"Ow. Ow. Owww! Stop hitting me in the chest, Ruby!" I wince internally while Ruby leans back and begins smacking me again and again in the chest. Sure, they don't actually hurt, but it still knocks the air out of my lungs as she wails at me.
"Zack! H-Why did you do that! Did you know how ticklish I am?!" My girlfriend cries out as she continues smacking me in the chest until she eventually burns it all out. And then Ruby puts at me while still straddling me, mind you.
"Well… you can't deny that it worked at getting you awake, can you?" I smiled awkwardly before patting my chest. I think I got a bruise somewhere in there… "So besides that, how are you feeling?" However, instead of getting an answer from Ruby, she just continues pouting while on me. The next thing she proceeded to do after a beat of silence was to lie on me with her hands on my cheeks and thumbs brushing where the markings would have been on my face.
"Better, I think? I… I thought everything that happened was a dream, but…" Ruby then threw her arms around me and buried her face into me while I instinctively wrapped my arms slowly over her back. "It's not… all of this is real… you... You took me in..."
…
For the next few seconds, silence bathed Ruby and me, even though we're in a somewhat compromising position, but my guess is that she doesn't really know what she's doing, but… I won't lie… This is bringing up some… interesting thoughts in my mind. Damn puberty messing with my head for the second time…
Eventually, however, my girlfriend then adjusts herself while still straddling me before going for a kiss on the lips and… holds it there much longer than before. It was also during all of this that my ears picked up what sounded like a mew before Ruby let out a pleasured sigh. Something I also couldn't help but do the same as she held me still while on me.
All the while our hearts were almost in sync, which I wasn't aware was possible. It got even more hectic when I felt Ruby pushing her tongue into my mouth and intensifying her kiss. I could taste her… The worst part is that instincts drive me to do the same back at her with the same intensity, like we're trying to see who will win this!
Soon, and thank God for that, we had to break our kiss because both of us needed to breathe. It got heated with Ruby, giving me a mixture of confusion and lust about what happened between the two of us and what she just did. As if reality's rubbing it in my face, as soon as our lips parted, there was even a string of saliva connecting our lips before it split.
Was she trying to one-up Weiss since they are technically sharing me? I am not sure. What I am sure of is that that deep kiss had rendered the both of us red in the face. Worst of all, all of this was stirring up something with me that forced me to gently push her off me and cover my lower body with our blanket.
The worst feeling was that I could feel Ozma silently judging me in the back of my mind!
"Zack? What's wrong?" I heard Ruby's worry while I was staring at where my groin would be with my eyes twitching. Down, boy! Not right now! I can't believe this brief moment of passion is making my body do that! I know that I'm still undergoing puberty, and these urges are certainly not helping me!
"Zack?"
My girlfriend calls out to me again. Thankfully, before I have to respond to Ruby's concern, the doors to the toilet open and Weiss walks out of it fully dressed. However, as she turns the corner, my first girlfriend pauses upon seeing us and raises a single eyebrow our way. "Did something happen while I was there?"
"N-No! I'mgoingtousethetoiletfirstZackbye!" Ruby was a shade darker than she was before she sped off with her Semblance into the toilet after retrieving her clothes. And with the slam of the door, silence filled our room again; another awkward silence was left in its place. Letting out a sigh after that part of my body was no longer standing tall, I pushed myself off the bed while Weiss walked towards me.
"Do I want to know what happened between the two of you?" She rhetorically asks all the while the heat on my cheeks intensifies and my ears twitch in response. That kiss with Ruby was… sensual… and... a-and so hot… It certainly did not help me at all that her unintentionally rubbing that part of my body certainly did not help my growing desire.
I mean, the same thing happens with Weiss, but it's much easier to hide that because she takes it at a slower pace…
…
Okay… For someone who is supposed to be mature thanks to my life experience on Earth and Ozma's own memories blending in with mine. I'm still acting like a damn kid. I should be taking this more seriously, and yet, I fell to childish impulses!
Man, do I hate that I'm still growing up again for the second time? That's something I would love for it to pass as it has done before in the coming years so I can think clearly once more as I was before on Earth and not deal with such uncontrolled impulses I have!
…
Well… assuming I live past my expiry date and not lose myself to Ozma.
…
"Fuck you, Brother Gods, for this fate you have written into me."
I murmured in my mind before the bed I was on moved, and sooner than later, I felt Weiss hugging me, and I felt myself melting into her shoulder. "I can tell you're stressed out about something. Do me a favor and don't say anything. Just close your eyes and relax. Everything will be alright."
And at that moment I'm reminded that I have people who care for me… I won't have to carry this pain alone.
==================================================================
After some time for all three of them to wash up and pack their things to join the others at Jaune's sister's house for breakfast, even more teasing was involved. Blake was the first to notice the difference thanks to her nose and leaked again that she can smell Zack's scent all over Ruby. The same is also in reverse with Ruby's scent all over Zack, even though the fox Faunus also had Weiss's scent on him too.
It certainly did not help that the awkwardness between the two was so palpable that even the others dragged Weiss into it and pressured her on what happened between the two. Something the Schnee ex-heiress rebuttal shut down and argued that it was not her part to know why.
And even if she asks, Weiss doubts she's going to get answers with how embarrassed the two were with whatever had just happened while she was washing up in the toilet. Soon, after some more time to enjoy their time together with their friends, which includes little Adrian wanting to touch and play with Zack's tails, which the fox Faunus obliges.
This ultimately leads to a lot of cooing and photos being taken by Jaune's sister and Yang because, of course, she would. Of course, once Terra and Saphron depart outside the living room at everyone's request with little Adrian, Zack finally decides that it's time for Ozma to take the show and tell a story.
His story with Salem.
Thus, with Team RWBY, JNR, Qrow, Nerium, Calavera and Neo as his witnesses. Ozma tells his story. How he and Salem were once husband and wife. How was his first death at the hands of illness, and that plunged Salem into grief. How she sought the gods to bring him back to life. And when those attempts failed, she rebelled against them with the rest of humanity.
All that did was lead to the first humanity being wiped out while she was cursed with immortality as a punishment, and because of her desire for death, Salem jumps in the Grimm pool, but it did not kill her. Only changed her and tainted her with Grimm essence. It was then, during this time, that humanity returned from the ashes alongside the first Faunus appearing.
It was also during that time that the God of Light resurrected Ozma with a mission to guide humanity toward harmony and eventually face Salem as well as the four Relics. But as with Salem, Ozma was 'blessed' so that every death of his would reincarnate him into a host of similar mindsets. And he has been doing this for millennia, as much as he could remember.
However, at first Salem and Ozma reunited, and it was during this time they had four daughters and became living gods to humanity and Faunuskind because they retained the ability to use magic. Then tragedy struck; disagreements of humanity led to Ozma and Salem fighting. Salem even won but accidentally killed her daughters in the process.
Ozma's desperation throughout his lives led to him seeking the Relic of Knowledge to ask a simple question. How can he destroy Salem? Only to receive the answer that no. He cannot kill her.
He was fighting a hopeless war against his love.
"But I thought I was fighting a hopeless war after that day. Or at least until not too long ago." Ozma explains to everyone calmly, yet fear is laced in his tone as he continues. "Salem can be stopped, as Zack revealed through the Relic of Knowledge back in Mistral. I still cannot believe until now that she could be stopped. But not by my hands alone, and something I am still legitimately embarrassed about."
"Why? Why are you telling us this?" Ruby softly asked while she and the others were still processing, except Weiss. Because she already knew of Ozma's history since he told her days back. The thing is, Ruby should be mad at him; everyone should have been mad at Ozma for keeping this from them. That they'll originally be fighting in a winnable war. But at the same time, they're not mad at him.
Because Salem can be stopped for good.
If everyone learned months back that she could be beaten, it is likely that they will all lash out at him for this. Even more than that, he kept another damn secret again from everyone, and this infuriates Jaune, Yang mainly, as well as the others. But their rage was tempered because Ozma tried to come clean again.
"Because throughout my time with Zack as my incarnate, I have learned much from him and his constant persistence to 'come clean' with all of you those months ago. His insistence and reason for the matter is to maintain trust despite the possibility that his theory that Salem could be stopped is false. Though he never openly said it, he was terrified of the prospect as he risked it all and took a gamble if Salem could be stopped in front of most of you that day. Had it gone not in our favor. I fear for his well-being and mentality."
Ozma explains before taking a pause to catch his breath. "If it wasn't for him pestering me, I'd have kept this secret that Salem was immortal and cannot be killed from everyone to keep everyone's hope from collapsing. Something that I've done for centuries at this point, and I take no joy in hiding the horrible truth."
Silence permeates the living room with everyone all silent, and even Neo had stopped fooling around. It was also during this dead silence that Weiss voiced her thoughts in Ozma's favor.
"Everyone. I understand if you are furious about Ozma keeping all these secrets." She says as she glances at Ozma wearing her boyfriend's skin. "I was too that day he told me the truth. However, if we were to think this clearly, had Zack not shown to all of us that Salem can be stopped permanently, and we learned of this? I believe that we've lashed out harder."
"Weiss, how can we trust Ozpin after this? How many times had he kept secrets upon secrets from us when he could trust us with them? The fact that we had not learned that Salem is supposedly immortal until now, then how many had he led those under him under false hope?" Blake questions out, her ears twitching with a hint of erraticity.
"Too many to count."
Ozma softly admits with his eyes closed and his hands still on Long Memory. "You know, I really want to deck you in the face for this, Oz." Yang mutters as she folds her arms and leans back. Only for everyone to be surprised when Ozma agrees to that instantly without hesitation.
"And I would welcome it."
"WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! OZMA! That's my body you're giving her the permission to punch! And I say no to that, thank you!"
Completely unaware of Zack's panic inside his body, Yang blankly blinks at Ozma's approval to get punched in the face. "Okay… Remind me to punch you in the face when I feel like it." And expectantly, despite still recovering from the literal verbal bombshell dropped on her, Ruby calls her sister out.
"Yang!" She squawks out. "You can't just punch him! Zack will feel that too in there." And soon, the siblings began squabbling while Qrow was next to speak on the agenda after he took a long sip of his alcohol.
"You know, Oz, you sure know how to make things complicated, old man. I spent half my life silently wondering if we were even making a dent against Salem, and I guess, for a while, we weren't. Glad Zack forced your hand to spill the truth to us all. At least now, we're not fighting blind." He hums out before glaring at his boss after looking at his nieces. "Still, I'm pissed you kept this from everyone, including my nieces and your allies. You better not have any more secrets, or I swear to my soul I'll rip it out of you."
"An… Understandable choice you make." Ozma hums slowly. "I can't imagine Glynda or James taking this information well."
"Something you have to solve once we meet them again." Qrow deadpans before Jaune is next to voice himself, and he sounds understandably hurt.
"So, all those people… Pyrrha, everyone who died fighting, all of us… you let us walk into this fight against Salem blind, and if we didn't have Zack, we'd still be in the dark, wouldn't we?" He rhetorically mutters out while Ozma could only close his eyes with a nod. "This is very difficult for me to trust you. You manipulate everyone in Beacon, all of us, Pyrrha… I get why you do this now, but this hurts me more, and I want to be angry at you. But… I can't." Jaune sadly sighs and looks down before Ren and Nora pat him on the shoulders.
Then suddenly, Zack took back control of his body, which garnered everyone's attention.
"While I may not have the right words to say this, fear is something that can corrupt all intentions and perceptions. It affects everyone in different ways. Especially someone like Ozma who paid the price for telling the truth of Salem with countless betrayals in all incarnations he went through. Leonardo is just one of the more recent betrayals, when he sold him out and acted as a mole for Salem. While others… ran when the truth was revealed." Zack said with his ears sinking a bit while glancing at Yang.
"It certainly did not help that Ozma's tendency to tell half-truths made telling the actual truth more impactful in the negative way." The fox Faunus hums out. "But this is a lesson that I believe is best addressed now rather than later: that it is okay to be scared. But do not let it overtake you. And it is something I hope to do the same for General Ironwood when we get to Atlas."
"Atlas? Did something happen to the general?"
Blake spoke up as the fox Faunus nodded his head in confirmation. "While I have no intention of spoiling it now and will reveal more later, let's just say his paranoia becomes a major problem in the later volumes, I know."
"You're saying as if he will become a problem for us in the future." Ren hums, which Zack sighs.
"Trust me on this." The fox Faunus hums before acknowledging something. "If we don't do something, he will become a big one. Ironically enough, you guys make the same mistake as Ozma did, which I get, but oh my lord, did it make the situation worse…" And that earned Zack ludicrous looks from everyone. Including his girlfriends.
"Care to inform us about this?" Maria points with her cane at the fox Faunus. "Because I have no clue what you're talking about, and all I hear is just riddles and incomplete information. You're starting to act like that old man in you. And that's after listening to his whole story, which makes mine look like nothing in comparison! And that's saying something!"
…
"Why did we let her listen to this conversation again?" Nora whispers to Ren before she gets bonked on the head by Maria, while Qrow sighs in response.
"Well, she did help Ruby learn how to use her silver eyes…"
"And her experience is a boon, as well as her connections with someone in Atlas." Zack mutters, only for Maria to complain again.
"And there's another thing you say without any context. Perhaps you need a whacking on the head to set it straight, boy." She deadpans. Something that made Zack wince back a bit while his bodyguard, who was leaning against the wall near him, silently glared at the old Huntress.
"Anyway… I get this will take some time for everyone to process this, and… I get it if you don't trust Ozma as much as you used to do after today. It is understandable. But, even if you don't trust him, at least put yours on me. I haven't dissuaded any of you so far, and I don't intend to do it to those I consider my family." The fox Faunus explains before keeping Ozma's cane away, before Ruby just softly smiles at him.
"Zack. I'm hurt by Ozma now? That- that's what we're calling him now by his original name, I guess? Anyway, while it hurts, I think I get it. Maybe I should be madder at him for lying and hiding such a big secret from everyone. But… I think I still trust him. I still trust you, Zack. You haven't done that ever since you joined us. I am not sure what will happen after today between him and all of us, but we'll handle it together."
And just like that, she smiles at her boyfriend, who chuckles and responds by gently rubbing her hair with his hands. "Hey! Stop it!" Ruby's protests echo in the living room as chuckles of amusement follow soon after.
Just as she pushed his hand off her head, Zack audibly chuckled. "Hey now, I did promise to give you treatment equal to Weiss, right? I never mention what kind you will get." The fox Faunus laughs even louder when Ruby pouts at him with her cheeks slightly red. Even Weiss, who was beside him, was smiling at the whole scene unfolding.
"Besides that, how about we all go and meet with Celeste at her hotel and attend that performance she's doing?"
"Hell yeah! Zacky! I wanna see it with Renny and you guys. Who's with me?"
Nora, of course, was the first to express her excitement, as Ren quickly followed in after her. "Agreed with her. It would be a new experience to see. We've never been to a performance before." He hums with a small smile as voices of agreement go out throughout the living room.
"You youngers and your grand shows. Fine, fine. I'll come too." Maria sighs as she reaches for her cane. "It better not be just a cacophony of noises. My ears won't take it well…" And while Zack's bodyguard had remained silent the entire time, Nerium eventually spoke her mind rather casually while brushing her hair to the side.
"While I am unfamiliar with how you outsiders do your arts and music beyond the wooden instruments and chantings we commonly use, it should be an interesting sight to witness how Atlesian culture differs for the first time… Despite their discriminatory dispositions to Faunuses."
"Well… Even if you have no interest, I bet you'll still come just because it is your duty to watch me, Nerium." Zack mutters out before getting a nod and honest reply.
"Correct."
…
"Well… Let's go, guys!" And with that, the gang began cleaning up while Jaune left to fetch his sister and her wife and son. And it was during all that Zack realized something. He'd forgotten to tell the others that they met an amnesiac Adam while at Sanctuary!
Oh well.
He'll just have to tell them later.
==================================================================
Hours pass, and things move quickly. As it turns out, Celeste had booked them a VIP spot for the gang, and it had quite the view in the stadium where she is to perform. Something that most of the gang were thankful for, except for a small few of them who bore curious doubts on why she did it. And when brought up by her childhood friend, she simply says, in her words.
"There's no shame in having help from people in high places, is there?"
Something that Zack couldn't help but acknowledge. After all, most of Ozma's lieutenants are in high-power positions, such as Ironwood as both General of the Atlesian Military and Headmaster of Atlas Academy. He did use his power and influence to have Team RWBY, JNR, and Oscar become fully realized Huntsmen, alongside seeing to it that their gear was upgraded as well.
Another thing is that Celeste's performance is flooded with people to the point that there aren't enough seats for everyone. This comes as a shock to many of the organizers since the Battle for Argus, which ended in a victory, had only happened the day before. It appears that Celeste's insistence on making her last performance here free due to the fight the previous day had a bigger effect than anyone had expected.
With that, her performance for the city begins while Zack relaxes with Weiss to his right and Ruby to his left, and everyone else watches from above or beside them. All of them bring snacks and drinks with them as Celeste leads the play from below with her fellow musicians with her. With flutes, violins, pianos, and other musical instruments, a performance that wouldn't be improper in an orchestra is introduced for the crowd to hear.
While some are clearly Remnant in origin, there were several plays that shook the audience because they sound so different, and yet, the passion is there. All except for Zack, who internally realized that Celeste is literally playing various famous pieces from Beethoven, Mozart, and many other musicians! And at one point, she was going all out with her flute solo before the rest of the band came in and created a final crescendo that ends with people applauding her performance.
While it is not what they're used to, everyone enjoyed the performance, from Qrow to Ruby to Nora to Maria to Neo to Zack. Even Nerium seemed impressed and voiced her thoughts that perhaps such instruments could be integrated within the Arakan clan's musical culture in the future. It's a hope, but it surely will spur new works of art.
Above all, the fox Faunus went through a bit of a nostalgia streak, which Weiss noticed since she had experience with this sort of performance back in Atlas. "Zack, you've been quiet for some time now, ever since Celeste played that work. Is there something about it?" She asks softly while her Faunus boyfriend blinks back into reality and nods his head with a soft smile.
"I'm good. Just enjoying the moment with everyone. I've never been to one myself, but Ozma has, and… it's nostalgic listening to all these orchestras like how I listened to them back on Earth to help me focus while studying…" He explains before using his claw to pierce one popcorn from Ruby's bag, much to her protests, and munches on it.
"Hey… Why did you have to take it from my bag? Weiss has one!" The little rose points out while Zack just smirks at her before laying one of his fluffy tails on her lap to comfort his girlfriend. All the while, Weiss subtly shifts her bag of popcorn away from her boyfriend.
"Because I prefer buttered popcorn to salted, which is what Weiss is having, Rubes." He explains before feeling Yang sitting behind him, resting her arm on his head with a teasing grin.
"Barely even a full day since you two got together, and you're already teasing my little sis. I don't know if I'm impressed by how fast you're moving or annoyed by it. Whatever I feel, this is so cute to see you acting all lovey-dovey!" She whispers before Zack brushes her arm off his head while his ears flicker from being pressed on. All the while, Ruby squawks with her face deep red again.
"Watch the ears, Yang. But I just find Ruby so adorable and irresistible to tease… And… I suppose this would technically count as a date, I think? Just bigger and with friends and acquaintances along for the ride." Zack couldn't help but let out a mischievous giggle while Ruby pouted after letting out a hey. Furthermore, JNR was also smiling at the scene below them, as were Saphron and Terra, just enjoying the show with little Adrian admiring the symphony.
"We seriously need to organize a proper date between the three of us in the future… I couldn't stand the idea of Miss Xiao Long peeking at our matters all the time…"
Weiss mutters out while Yang protests. "Hey now, Weiss! How could I not take advantage of how warm and cuddly you're getting over Zack here, and I still want to know all the details if you catch what I mean…" She gave another teasing grin while Weiss's cheeks exploded into red right before Blake pulled her back with her smile on her lips.
"Alright, that's enough of that, Yang. You can continue that later." The cat Faunus shakes her head in amusement. As much as she won't say it in the open, this is way more entertaining than those books she read. Moving on from that, just as it appears that Celeste's performance was over, she drops a metaphorical bomb on everyone!
The show's not over yet! In fact, this is just the first part!
"Thank you for appreciating the cadenza, everyone! However, the performance is not done yet! There is another after an hour's break for now, and it will be unorthodox from what you know of my performance; thus, I encourage you to take an hour's break to wash up and restock on treats before we begin again. Additionally, the second part will be more intense and loud compared to the norm; therefore, if you do not wish to attend it, this will be the end of the show, and thank you for coming! As for everyone else, I'll see you later in an hour's time, and my Faunus audience, please ensure you all have ear blockers with you for the next part of this show!"
"Huh… What do you think she might be showing next, guys?" Nora wanders out with a tilt of her head while Yang leans back for Jaune to leave because he needs to use the bathroom. The same can be said for Zack, Ruby, and Qrow. As for Maria, she chose to depart since loud sounds and her old age don't mix very well, which is understandable. And so do Saphron, Terra, and their son Adrian, since none of them think that they should expose their child to something loud at his age.
"Whatever it is, it must be incredible if she's warning everyone that the next part will be loud." Ruby's sister says with a smile while her partner pulls out four earplugs from her pocket.
"That explains why they gave us that earlier. I thought it was for earlier, but now that I think about it, it wasn't that loud." The cat Faunus utters. "Still, nice of her to give us a warning, and she's not like the others from Atlas, huh?"
"Well, Zack did mention to me that she was originally from his village, but her family moved to Atlas before it was destroyed…" Weiss chimes in softly. "I suppose that's why she's different from the others; she did not fully grow up in the environment I was raised in."
"Hm… That explains why she's not like those guys." Ren hums before Nora suddenly gasps in utter horror with her eyes wide on her popcorn bag.
"RENNY! WE ARE OUT OF POPCORN!" She yells, standing on her feet while also dragging her not-boyfriend up. "Come! It needs to be filled again!" And as if not even bothering to fight Nora's death grip on his shirt, Ren just accepts it as she drags him away while the others blink at the sight.
"Yeah… We are running out of snacks, and I think it won't be enough for the next hour or two. We might as well buy more, eh?" Yang grins while Weiss rolls her eyes.
"And ruin your lunch?"
"Lunch is for losers. Right, Blake?" She then asks while smiling at her partner, who just blankly stares at her.
"I'd prefer we just buy lunch instead…" The cat Faunus mutters softly.
…
"Ugh… Fine. You're no fun…" Yang could only sigh while Weiss hid a smirk behind her, drinking some water as they all stood up to get food for themselves and the others.
After an hour of bathroom breaks and more food, the gang returns to their seats, and it does not take long before Celeste walks back on stage, except this time she's dressed differently from earlier. Now, instead of something that you would expect from Atlas, she dresses in an outfit that, to Zack, looks straight out of Cyberpunk.
With her hair tied up, she wears a metallic white, short, glossy jacket and a tight black crop top that shows off her midriff, and both have trimmings of neon purple and teal on them. Moreover, Celeste also wears black jean shorts with white fluff at the end high on the thigh, and they are so short that it would make most Atlesians gawk in dismay. Still, that wasn't all, as Celeste's lower half dressing is asymmetrical.
Her left leg is covered by high, tight purple leggings that reach all the way up to her shorts and have almost stylized writing of her name on them in white. While her right leg is mostly bare except for what looks like a piece of white knee guard over it with dark straps circling the leg. To top it off, lastly, Celeste wears black high-top boots that blend the look of sneakers and combat boots and have neon purple on them as well.
"Talk about going all in, Celeste…" Zack mutters, eyes blinking, as he puts on his earplugs on his… four ears. Seriously, why are some Faunuses born with two pairs of ears? He really needs to ask the Sisters of Twilight why they thought it was a good idea for some of his species to have four ears… It's very weird. "Why does this remind me of K-pop?"
"Kay… Pop? What's that?"
The fox Faunus's second girlfriend perks up and asks first as he finishes putting on his earplugs. "Well… how do I say this?" He audibly hums while rubbing his cheek gently with his claw. However, before he could explain, Celeste grabs everyone's attention in the most eye-catching way with her voice ringing out throughout the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to all who chose to remain here after last hour's performance, and I will say that you are all in for a show! Now sit back and relax, or don't, and stand on your feet because the upcoming moment will be METAL!" Enthusiasm was written all over her face, and with a grin brimming with pure excitement, she pointed at one of her fellow musicians and yelled out.
"Now hit it!"
Planting her mic back down onto its stand, Celeste quickly catches an electric guitar thrown at her and begins the concert by letting it rip! Drums begin to beat, electric guitars begin to rip the atmosphere, and synthesizers begin to bar every tune, and the crowd was silent from sheer surprise before erupting into crazed cheers at how.
"Bloody hell, woman! Throwing in classical music was one thing; now you're introducing heavy metal too? This sounds like you took inspiration from Doom! Except with a Remnant twist on it!" Zack blinks while yelling in his mind. His ears twitching from the beats in the air. Yet, it did not wipe the slight feral grin on his lips, which exposed a bit of his fangs. "Now that really gets the blood flowing…"
"This is… very… different from everything I've heard through the eras… This feels… Aggressive and energizing, strangely enough for the latter. Yet, you clearly know what this is. I suppose this is one example you people listen to over there?" Ozma's voice whispers in the Fox Faunus's mind, which makes him nod.
"You could say that, Oz. This is only just one subgenre of it. We can get quite creative with music, and it appears that Iris intends to lend some musical and cultural influences from our world here." Zack hums softly before the music suddenly loses its power for a second while Celeste begins humming a lullaby into the microphone with the rest of the band seemingly adjusting to her tune.
"La la la~ La la la~ Haaaha~ Laa la la… Haa la la~ Laa la la la… Lala la laaa!~"
The band picks up as the anticipation grows by the second before Celeste raises her voice louder and louder before the melody rises as high as before she begins solo riffing with her guitar as the crowd loses their minds! Various woos and cheers echo in the air all the while she continues solo riffing, and once she is done, the band takes over and the concert resumes.
"That's so amazing!" As expected, Yang was the first to voice her utter joy at it while also throwing her fist into the air and banging her head into the beat. "She really can bring down the heat, and this makes me want to go out and punch a Grimm in the face!"
"Yeah! I don't know what Celeste is playing, but it sounds so cool!" Ruby is visibly vibrating from sheer excitement on the spot, while Blake is simply bobbing her head to the beat, but not like Yang. For added hilarity, if one were to pay attention, her cat ears are bouncing to the beat.
"RENNY! THIS IS SO COOL!" And Nora's jumping on the spot while Jaune winces back a bit when his teammate nearly hits him in the face. Still, it was clear that he too was having fun with this new type of music he had never heard before from the smile on his face. In fact, his cheeks were also slightly red for some reason.
Whatever it may be, Celeste and her band suddenly transition into a new music as she begins singing out the lyrics for it slowly to the beat. "Shine bright, the ever-flaring fire! Outright internalize the dire! Through all broken sight! Despite the torment inside! Untamed the glory on my mind!" And just like that, she begins revving her guitar louder again as the crowd goes wild once more.
Even though everyone's clearly enjoying it, including Qrow, Neo and Nerium, Weiss looks like she's about to have a heart attack from the loudness of everything, something which Zack notices and gently takes her hand into his. Which is swiftly responded to by the ex-heiress gripping onto it rather tightly, and the fox Faunus resorts to lending one of his tails to his girlfriend to hug. And it works wonders as she wraps his tail with arms close to her body and lets out a sigh.
"Are you good there?"
He softly asks his girlfriend and gets a response after she buries her face into his tail, which would have made Yang coo at the scene if the concert did not distract her. "I am." Weiss answers upon pulling her face away from all that fluff and breathing in. "I am simply not used to such… energy Miss Schmitt has decided to bestow on everyone today. No offense, but all of it is overwhelming to my senses." She asks while still clinging onto one of Zack's tails.
"I wouldn't worry about that." The fox Faunus says as he shifts his body closer and his head to his left, which Weiss immediately knows what he is trying to do, and she leans her head on his shoulder while clutching onto his hand. "As you said, you're not used to it thanks to your background. Just relax and calm your mind. Well, as much as one can in the middle of such an intense concert."
Despite the blaring and deafening noises of people cheering, Weiss just giggles at her boyfriend. "You're such a dolt at times, you know that?" She affectionately mutters, and way before Zack could retort, she continues. "But you are my dolt. And that will never change." Just like that, the ex-heiress gently brings her head up and kisses him on the cheek.
"Yeah… I suppose I am…" Zack mutters before he nuzzles his cheek against her, and the two continue watching the concert. Enjoying not just the show, but the comfort of one another. After all, there is still a war to be fought over and time to remain ahead of. But for now, the two will enjoy their peace together and bask in the joy of everyone.