Chapter 21

As Ruby and Penny approached town, they began to encounter people again. Reactions varied, some who had not seen Penny before gaped, several children hid when Penny waved to them, and what few were already familiar with her appearance remained indifferent. Penny sighed. "I wish I were more humanoid. Father worked hard to create my form, my facial features especially, but still, people are uncomfortable."

"I think you look beautiful." Ruby admired, hugging Penny's arm. The automaton smiled, squeezing Ruby's hand.

"Thank you Ruby, you are the second to say so, and the first who was not Father." Penny observed. "You too are beautiful."

"Thank you!" Ruby giggled. "I don't think anyone has told me that yet."

"Really?" Penny balked. "But you are far more beautiful than I!" She exclaimed, halting to face her companion. "Your skin is smooth and unblemished, your hair shimmers, and your eyes make me...make me feel very odd, to be quite honest. I could even describe them as alluring. How have you not been described as beautiful until now?" Penny wondered, genuinely confused.

Ruby considered the question, thinking on all her prior interactions. The word seemed on the tip of her tongue quite often, for when confronted with something wondrous in existence, it truly felt correct to describe it as such. But when she looked in the mirror it never quite seemed to apply. She felt different. "Perhaps I'm not beautiful. Perhaps there is another word for me, one that has not come to mind, something comfortable...I don't know, but I don't' mind. I am what I am, and that's fine by me." She ended with a smile.

Penny smiled back, before her brow furrowed. "Ruby, do you feel appreciated?" She asked, turning to continue walking.

"I do." Ruby answered, following along. "Pyrrha is always thanking me for my actions, great and small, Blake tutors me, and expresses pride in my progress, and even Glynda likes it when I tend to her gardens." They approached the waterfront, and began walking along the docks. "I don't really have much to offer, but they don't seem to mind." Penny came to a stop, and Ruby turned to face her. "I'm just a new part of their lives, and I try to make the most of that." She ended, smiling fondly.

Penny mirrored Ruby's smile, though not without a twinge of sadness. "You are very fortunate Ruby." She admired, releasing her hand and walking to the dock's edge, gazing toward the horizon. "General Ironwood is noble. Dutiful, and respectful. He does try to make me feel welcome, respected, and that is more than I can say for most." She bowed her head. "Father...is a good man, a great man...but to him, no matter how much he may deny it...I am both a great success, and his greatest failure." Penny knelt, staring at her reflection in the water. "When you look at your reflection, what do you see?" She questioned.

Ruby quirked her head, approaching to kneel beside her automated friend, and observe her own reflection in the rippling waters. "I look like myself." She observed, glancing at Penny's reflection.

"I don't." Penny murmured. "I lost my experiences, my memories of life with Father, but the one thing that stayed with me...was my face...so when I look at my reflection, I don't see myself." Her voice grew thick, and she laughed bitterly. "There are parts of me that know I should be able to cry, to breathe, to taste and smell and touch." She knelt back, holding her shaking robotic hands before her. "It came to me over time, the sensations of lost life, the deprivation of senses that I no longer have...these phantom sensations Father called them...echoes of an existence I have no memory of, but for my face." She shuddered, clenching her hands into fists, and laying them in her lap. "I apologize Ruby...I realize this is not a light hearted subject. I did not mean to burden you." She laughed hollowly. Penny saw, rather than felt her companion's hand wrap around one of her own.

"It's okay Penny." Ruby soothed, shuffling over to lean against her form. "I think sometimes people need to speak, but have no one they trust to listen. You can trust me to always listen, because you're my friend, and I care for you."

Penny laughed, genuinely this time. "Thank you Ruby. I just hate being a burden. I love helping people. I helped Father as much as I could but I could tell being around me made him sad, so I asked to help General Ironwood...and here I am...helping...but...I don't know Ruby. Now that I'm here, I just feel like...I don't think I belong with the Templars." She admitted in a whisper. "I don't feel appreciated. They look at me like any other automaton, a few say I'm their mascot, but I feel that trivializes my capabilities, well meaning though it may be. They don't take me seriously, when I have the same hopes and dreams they do. Or so I thought." She mused, looking out at the horizon once more.

"I take you seriously Penny." Ruby encouraged. "Maybe you need to find people who will appreciate you, like the Huntsman! Everyone loves Weiss for protecting them, she makes them feel safe."

Penny hummed, looking upward thoughtfully. "Do you really think I could be that? Looking the way I do?" She held her free hand up, the enameled steel glinting in the dull light.

"I-" Ruby started.

"E-excuse me." A timid voice came from behind. The pair turned to behold the young girl who had hugged Weiss - Bethany - her hands clasped nervously in front of her. "H-hi." She stammered.

"Hello there." Penny beamed, letting go of Ruby's hand so they could turn fully.

"Hello Bethany." Ruby greeted.

"I'm sorry, I didn't ask your name before." Bethany managed.

"That's okay, I'm Ruby." She said. "It's nice to meet you again."

Bethany smiled, looking to Penny. "Hi, w-who are you?"

"I'm Penny, Penny Polendina, it's a pleasure to meet you." She held out her hand, the smile remaining on her face even as Bethany flinched.

Eventually, glancing between Ruby and Penny, Bethany reached out to take the proffered limb, shaking it, an expression of excited awe creeping onto her face. "Wow...what are you?" She wondered, edging forward to look at Penny closer.

"I'm not much different from you, truth be told." Penny replied. "I had an accident, and I need this body to live. Isn't it interesting?"

"An accident?" Bethany worried. "Are you okay?"

Penny giggled. "Yes Bethany, I am okay now. Fit as a fiddle." She reassured. "In fact...I'm here to help protect you."

"You are?" Bethany smiled.

"Yes." Penny proudly declared. "I am."

It occurred to Weiss that she and Yang had not spent any time alone together since their confession. Sure, Yang had spent time with Weiss in her office as she came down from the blood high, but afterwards she had been in no mental condition to do more than agonize over her immature and shameful actions. But that was behind them now. Weiss was calm and clear headed, and they were alone. So Weiss stopped, grabbing Yang's collar to pull her down into a long and indulgent kiss.

"Wow, that came out of nowhere." Yang joked when Weiss released her. "Been saving that up for me?"

"Who else would I save it for?" Weiss wondered aloud.

"I dunno', you seemed to be pretty cozy with Ruby for a bit last night." Yang teased. Weiss groaned, rolling her eyes as she continued to walk along the path to her home, Yang chuckling as she followed, the crate of jars she carried jangling with every step. "Come on, you know you just wanna' mush her cute 'wittle face and cover it in kisses!"

"That would be neither proper nor welcomed." Weiss huffed.

"Oh really?" Yang smirked. "I think Ruby would love it."

Weiss scoffed, her house coming into sight. "Ruby would love a smile from a banshee, Yang. The girl has no filter for affection."

"Hey, I knew a lovely banshee." Yang protested. "If they take care of their teeth, they don't look half bad."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind should I ever encounter one that doesn't try to burst my eardrums." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"I find their songs soothing personally." Yang shrugged.

"Of course you do." Weiss laughed as they passed her garden. She would have to renew the wards again soon. Winter was not as adept with them as she was...it suddenly occurred to her how little magic she had performed in the past month, something she sorely needed to rectify, lest her ailing soul lose its familiarity.

"Something on your mind Snowball?" Yang asked.

Weiss held up her hand, flexing it, willing her soul to reach out, seeking the comfort of its familiar element. Gradually, an orb of whispery essence appeared in her palm, and she grinned. "I wasn't sure if my connection would be so instinctual. With the state of my soul I feared it would be diminished, that I would require retraining...it's a relief." She allowed the energy to dissipate, clenching her fist. Then, in an instant, she flung her hand outward, willing a fresh burst from her fingertips, shards of ice flying through the air to embed themselves in distant trees.

Yang laughed, setting down the crate. "Cute snowflakes." She commented, conjuring a ball of flame. "How's your embers?"

"Pathetic, unfocused, barely more than flickers." Weiss lamented. "I've never had the temperment for flame. Ice on the other hand…" She clawed her hand, willing essence to coat it once more, until it was gloved in the substance. Weiss found that in spite of her hatred of the cold, her essence never chilled her. "It just feels...natural...if that makes any sense." She looked to Yang, to find an understanding smile.

"You had a rough life, didn't you?" Yang assumed, not incorrectly.

Weiss' smile dipped, and she shook her head. "Ever since my mother's death, every day has been a new trial. Everything just...seemed to go steeper downhill." She brushed past Yang, picking up the crate as she went.

"What was she like?" Yang asked. Weiss faltered, standing in front of the door. "If you don't mind me asking."

"It's...okay Yang...it's just...it was so long ago, I was barely more than a baby." Weiss opened the door, and Yang followed her inside, shutting it behind them and slipping into the fireplace, blazing a steady warmth throughout the room as Weiss set the crate on the table and removed her cloak. She paused at the coat hook, running her fingers over the fur lining. "When you...entered my dream, you hummed something. What was it?"

"I did...oh yeah, I did." Yang responded. "It's an old one, the Hymn of Light they called it."

"Who was they?" Weiss questioned.

"You'd call them Fire Cultists, but really they were just...devout worshipers of light that didn't differentiate, because there is no difference really." Yang replied. "The sun is the source of all mortal light, and it's just a big magic ball of flame. Taiyang, my father, technically."

"Cultists...your father is technically the sun?!" Weiss balked. "I thought he was the Dragon God of Fire."

"The sun is his domain, a mortal manifestation of the Plains of Flame, his gift, his responsibility." Yang explained. "Wave next time you see it, maybe he's waving back." She chuckled. "And he is a dragon, when he wants to be...probably best not to mention them...especially being a former Templar and all."

Weiss winced. The extermination of the dragons was an old Templar tale. She had heard of it in sermons, in rousing speeches, propaganda...and once, in a distant memory, from her mother's own mouth, somber and reverent. Suddenly it hit her. "I think my mother was a Cultist. Or at least, was descended from them."

"Really?" Yang cheered. "That's awesome! Dad said they were really good people, holding sermons, performing rituals and all that good stuff. The people loved them...until the Templars cracked down on them." Yang wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Why can't they just live and let live?"

"Many reasons, all of them human." Weiss sighed, approaching the hearth to sit before it. Yang reached from the flames, taking Weiss' hand in her own. She smiled, bringing it to her lips, savoring the warmth, even as a shiver threatened to run down her spine. She braced herself. "My father despises all that is not human." She murmured. "All that is unnatural, is a threat. Demon summoning is forbidden, magic should be used only for healing, protection, binding and banishment. In his sect even battle mages are banned...apparently he used to be more understanding, if only a little, but mother's death saw him grow more vehement in his hatred, which complicated things when Winter's magical talent began to show."

Weiss sighed. "Winter was devout, and vengeful. She knew mother better than I ever could, and wanted nothing more than to exterminate anything unnatural that she encountered...but under our father she would never be allowed to flourish. She would be a healer, a respected one, but it would be little more than a political position. So she appealed to General Ironwood, who publicly inducted her into his sect before father could stop her, so she could train as a Specialist. Father was so angry, and for a while so was I. My sister had left me without a word of warning, just impending distance, and suddenly she was gone. My brother, Whitley, kept asking why Winter had left, why father was so angry, and I had no answers, not at first, and when I did hear from her it was only in letter form. She was sorry, she didn't know what else to do, she needed to avenge our mother, and this was the only way she saw before her."

Weiss smiled sadly. "Young as I was, I couldn't argue against that, so there I remained. For years I rarely saw her, exchanging letters in secret. Winter's life was so exciting, she learned so much, became so powerful, every letter was a new adventure...and then my talents manifested." Unclipping her purse, Weiss pulled forth several gold coins, which began to float in lazy circles above her palm. "Telekinesis is usually the first manifestation, in case you weren't aware, though almost anyone could learn with time and effort...those of us with natural affinity for casting tend to discover as much by accident."

Weiss grinned, chuckling. "Whitley frightened me in the manor library...one bookcase domino later and father had me under the tutelage of the Head Healer, just as Winter had once dreaded." She sighed, shaking her head. "Naturally I informed Winter as soon as possible." A wide grin broke out across her face. "She was so proud, and excited, but worried. What would I do with this power? She would never admit it, but she feared I would squander my potential. I had no intention of doing so, nor would I leave home. Instead I studied in secret.

"Winter provided me with guides, told me how she learned, the books she studied...I used to read them every moment I could, practice in my room. I mastered binding and banishment to appease my tutors, my healing was...passable, but it was combat that brought me joy...and that's how it all came apart. During a sparring session, I was taken off guard and in my panic...I nearly killed a girl, impaled her, with a spear of ice…"

"Oops." Yang interjected.

Weiss could not help but laugh. "Yes Yang, oops, though at the time it was more along the lines of 'oh my gods I killed a girl, I killed a girl and what happens now'...fortunately I did not kill her. She merely passed out from shock. Unfortunately, I had practiced forbidden offensive magic, tapped into foreign essence, and used it against a sworn sister, in attempted murder…" Weiss sighed.

Yang twitched, confused. "Attempted murder? It was an accident!"

"It was my word against the others, and I wasn't supposed to know how to weaponize my magic, let alone something so advanced, so practiced as an ice spear." Weiss continued. "A novice doesn't accidentally fling something so effective. Obviously I had practiced, which meant I had broken the tenants. I had willingly, and with malicious intent, studied offensive magic and actively practiced to the point where I could cause serious injury, so no, it didn't matter that it was accidental. The action was an admission of apostacism."

Weiss seethed, eyes filling with tears as the coins shuddered midair. "And when I was brought before my father...he…" She choked, the coins falling to the ground with a clatter. "H-he called me a disappointment, and had me locked in my room...I-I thought that was it, or I hoped, I didn't know what was going to happen next. For a week the only contact I had with the outside world were servants bringing me meals and taking my laundry...and then Winter, slipping into my room, ordering me to pack essentials. She said my life was in danger and we had to leave, so I scrambled, took everything of value, stuffed it into a bag and fled."

Weiss took a shuddering breath, swallowing, then with a tug, she pulled Yang from the fireplace, and huddled into her chest, shaking as Yang settled her arms around her. "Father had announced my violation of the tenants. I was to be put on trial, for attempted murder, and apostacism. It was just a formality...I would be found guilty...sentenced to...to perpetual house arrest, forced to wear a magic suppressing collar, that would kill me should I attempt to remove it...a-and...have my tongue cut out so that I couldn't utter curses against anyone...I...father and I had always been...distant...but...I-I never thought he'd...he...I just...h-how could his hatred corrupt him so deeply?" Weiss whimpered, hitching.

Yang ran her fingers through Weiss' hair, jaw squared, restraining herself from bursting into righteous flame. "Hatred is no excuse for such cruelty Weiss. A father should never condemn his child."