RWBY Listens to The Soundtrack

Vol. 4, Intro

"So, are we gonna get started, or what?" Nora asked.

"We JUST got here." Weiss pointed out.

"Doesn't feel like that." Nora retorted. "It's like someone forgot something."

"I suppose the...anticipation can play with our perspectives." Pyrrha theorized.

"Ehhh, kinda?" Ruby shrugged. "...Anyways." And with a click, it began playing:

[Intro Start]

[Buildup]

Immediately the visuals flooded in...and it's lucky that Ruby had gotten the hang of knowing when to pause.

"Hey, look, the Orb!" Nora stated for the record as she'd defend later. "...And that. Also that."

"Are we certain it's the same one?" Ren questioned.

"Who cares, it just got eaten." Yang pointed to the screen.

"What THAT means I have no idea..." Blake muttered. There was a lot of that going around.

"I think it's different, and...yes, that is not a good sign." Ozpin agreed. "As visual metaphors go..."

"And...is that us?" Ruby questioned at the next visual. "I think that's our colors."

"It's a...good visual metaphor, I suppose." Weiss admitted.

"...This feels like the part where Nora complains about us not being the main characters." Jaune whispered to his...were they technically dating yet?

"...Perhaps it's gotten stale to her?" Pyrrha theorized.

"Thank the Gods for that..." Glynda would later deny having mumbled. Anything more that could be said was forestalled by what came next.

"...Okay, so, we broke the tower." Ruby analyzed. "...Uh, sorry about that." She looked to Ozpin.

"Is that...is that a Wyvern?" Weiss noted. "A Wyvern at..."

"Wait, aren't those things like, super rare?" Jaune asked.

"Not seen since before The Great War, no." Blake confirmed. "I'm more wondering about-"

"Why is it all grey?" Nora cut her off. It was what she was gonna say anyways, so Blake let it pass.

"Almost like it was...stone." Pyrrha muttered.

"Are we...assuming that it's literal?" Ren asked. Given yesterday, it seemed a fair question.

"How would that even happen?" Yang questioned.

Ozpin & Glynda looked at each other. Glynda then spoke up. "Well, if it IS literal and that IS stone, then...I believe it's Ms. Rose's eyes."

"...Uh, they do that?" Ruby asked.

"From what we understand, sometimes." Ozpin clarified. "It's...sadly a topic we know very little on, aside from stories, but there are commonalities."

"...Hah, awesome." Ruby stated in a subdued tone. Normally she'd be more excited, but...

"...The tower breaking." Weiss piped up, though clearly reluctantly. "If we're thinking of this in terms of "visual metaphors", then..."

"...It is possible that it's entirely literal." Ozpin somberly agreed. "Divide seemed as much a victory anthem as a threat, and..."

"...that WOULD "raise the stakes", if they managed to tear down the school itself & who knows how much else..." Blake finished. "If there's a Wyvern there, then..."

"...That bad, huh?" Nora rhetorically asked. Sure, they all knew that Salem probably won in Volume 3, but THIS level of destruction? They hadn't quite processed that.

Except for Ozpin.

"...About that Relic..." Jaune asked nervously.

"As I said, I've made THIS one more difficult than the others." Ozpin assured them. "Even if The Grimm were to swarm Beacon, it would take her quite some time to find it."

"Well, there's that I guess..." Yang muttered. And then...

"Wait, are we separating?" Ruby asked in a slight panic at the next part. "Why are we...?"

"...Well I'm...not certain I'd have a choice if things got that bad." Weiss admitted before hugging herself slightly. Ruby deployed tactical shoulder hug.

"Yeah, but the rest of us shouldn't, right? What happened to us?" Yang demanded.

"Those is all assuming it's literal, and..." Blake couldn't finish. She was already beginning to piece this together.

"...Well, I assume it will become more clear in time." Ozpin hoped. "In any event, if it's where you're going, then we should pay attention."

"...It seems Ms. Schnee is heading for Atlas-" Glynda began.

"Yes, that would add up..." Weiss muttered. Tactical Zwei deployed as well. "...Uh." Weiss realized before Glynda waved her off.

"-Ms. Xiao Long is staying in Vale, Ms. Belladonna is going to Menagerie, and-"

"We're following Ruby to Mistral!" Nora finished as the red orb came into focus.

"Wait, why am I going to Mistral?" Ruby questioned.

"I don't know. Why would you?" Ozpin rhetorically asked.

"Uh...maybe that's where Salem's going next?" Ruby theorized. "And...I found out something, so I'm trying to figure out what it is? I mean, do I-does she-know about her yet?"

"That does sound like you." Blake smiled slightly.

"The words haven't even started yet, how are-" Nora was cut off when the words did, indeed, start.

[It used to feel like a fairy tale]

"Yeah, then you showed up." Yang snarked.

"Again, it was never entirely accurate, so..." Weiss reminded.

"Wait, is that..." Blake noted.

"Uh...." Ruby trailed off, staring at the screen.

[Now it seems we were]

"Yeah, it totally is!" Yang completed for her partner.

"Looking good, Rubles!" Nora exclaimed.

"...Huh, yeah. Guess I was never gonna wear this forever anyways." Ruby muttered, looking herself over. "...Is...am I older?"

"Kinda looks like it, yeah." Blake agreed.

"...How long has it BEEN?" Weiss questioned.

"It doesn't seem to have been terribly long." Ozpin theorized. "She's not THAT much older, I don't think."

"Still, some time HAS passed since...Beacon fell." Blake noted. "It's a common enough trope, so..."

"I suppose it COULD be useful in regards to long term strategies..." Glynda muttered.

"...Hey, do you think the rest of us-?" Nora was cut off.

[Just pretending]

"...We do." Ren confirmed.

"Can't let Ruby have ALL the fun, can we?" Nora asked rhetorically. "We look awesome! Plus, I, uh...like the long hair..." she muttered afterwards.

"So, do we think ALL of us got new looks?" Yang asked somewhat quietly. "Cause..." she trailed off as well, looking back at the screen

"It's...just us." Jaune finally muttered, saying what they'd all noticed. "There's...there's even a space where..."

"I..." Pyrrha honestly didn't know how to reply. Who would? "I don't..."

"...Yeah..." Ruby muttered in lieu of anything else.

"Why am I...how am I smiling, then?" Nora began to get a little angry. "I mean, why the HELL am I-she, whatever-how is she OKAY with that?"

"Well...I think I'd want you to." Pyrrha assured her. "Even if...even if I'm not there, I'd want you to keep moving forward."

"And I don't believe any of you have." Ozpin replied. "But as Ms. Nikos said, you're moving forward, even if you're...missing someone. I've had to become...accosted to that over my life."

"No one is replaceable." Ren agreed...before feeling the oddest sense of deja vu. It felt...early?

"...That armor..." Blake pointed to Prime Jaune's image. "It's..."

"..." Jaune said nothing, just reaching out to the screen.

"...I think it's lovely, don't worry." Pyrrha whispered to him.

"...Do you need a bit?" Ruby asked in concern. The rest of her Team & the Professors. "I mean, I know you said you got this, but..."

"-No one will begrudge you if you do." Glynda finished. Wow, she was being exceptionally nice these past...well, it had only been the span of a day so far.

Team JNPR looked at each other. It was...tempting, but... "We already knew we'd see this." Jaune stated. "I think we're good."

"We'll manage." Pyrrha confirmed. She nodded to her Team.

"Right then..." Ruby unpaused the video.

[We'd fix our world]

"SO, looks like we're helping Ruby out in doing whatever." Nora changed the subject...& it came rather naturally.

"Well, she is the "main character", after all." Ren reminded her with a hint of a grin. "It would make sense, if we're "secondary main characters", that we follow her."

"Hey, that's my thing!" Nora weakly protested. "Also, we're real, so we need an actual reason."

"Well, if...if it was something important, then...yeah." Jaune theorized. "It's not like we'd have anywhere else to go."

"...Guess not..." Nora mumbled to herself.

"Also, let's not get any more existential than we have to, please." Weiss requested.

[Then on our way to]

"So, wait, what's our Team Name?" Nora pointed out. "I mean, the fans would have come up with something, right?"

"By which you mean that you." Blake noted.

"Well YEAH, duh." Nora replied. Then she thought of what that might sound like given their declarations. "...Uh, Pyrrha, I-"

"Temporary Team Reassignments have been known to happen." Ozpin spoke up. "It doesn't devalue the existing Teams."

"...Right, yeah." Nora looked better at that. "ANYWAYS, I'm thinking JNRR. Think about it."

"That isn't a color, though, & given that we would be assisting Ruby in her quest, it only makes sense for her to be at the lead." Ren pointed out. "I believe a better name would be...RNJR."

"Yeah, but JNRR sounds better!" Nora protested. "And who said either of them are even in charge?"

"Perhaps. But Ranger is actually a color, & arguably more descriptive for what's going on-"

"What are the odds that their original selves had this exact argument?" Yang asked Blake as an aside.

"Pretty high." Jaune confirmed, Pyrrha nodding along.

"ANYWAYS. That aside, is...why are we focusing on that bird?" Weiss noted as the shot came to an end.

"I mean, it's probably Qrow or Raven." Nora seemed to have immediately moved on.

"That...would make sense, I suppose." Weiss admitted. "How is this my life now..." she muttered to herself.

[A happy ending]

"Hey Uncle Qrow!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Guess he's gonna be sticking around for a bit, huh?" Yang approved.

"Called it!" Nora was pleased at herself.

"He seems to be frowning AT the bird, though..." Blake noted.

"Also, it doesn't look like the terrain changed much, so is he just...watching you?" Weiss pointed out.

"That's...kinda weird, honestly." Jaune offered.

"I would assume he has his reasons." Ren defended.

"He does." Ozpin confirmed. Would those reasons actually come up, though, if he was now a fixture? ...That was going to be difficult if so.

[Then it turned out life]

"Oh hey Weiss!" Ruby once more exclaimed.

"Are you going to do that EVERY time?" Weiss asked her partner.

"We'll see." Ruby replied. "Anyways, I like your timeskip outfit!"

"It's alright I suppose, but..." Weiss then took note of something. "...Why did you phrase it like that?"

"Because she's always wanted to say something like that." Yang explained. "That or "Impossible! Our Dust Rounds are only making it stronger!", either way."

"Yaaaaang..." Ruby whined.

"...Right, well, that's...that's definitely...home." Weiss confirmed. The last word didn't feel right to her. "...Schnee Manor." Weiss amended. That was better.

"I've never seen it from the inside." Blake noted to keep the conversation going. "It looks..."

"...empty." Weiss finished. "Well, maybe that one window shot doesn't really explain it, but...it is."

[Was far less like]

"Oh ho, new people!" Nora changed the subject. "Who dat?"

"...That would be my brother Whitley & our butler, Klein." Weiss explained. "...Definitely back in Atlas. Makes sense, I suppose. He wouldn't..."

"Wouldn't what?" Ruby gently asked.

"...If something like what we think happened had happened, then my father would...want to keep me close by, being me back." Weiss explained. "Not out of ACTUAL concern of course, but..."

"You know, I'm certain that by this point you would be a legal adult." Ozpin pointed out. "All of you, save Ms. Rose, most likely."

"He's the richest man on Remnant. Something like THAT wouldn't stop him." Weiss bitterly remarked.

Ozpin sighed. "Indeed." 80 years on, Oz could conclude that Atlas had, in many vital areas, learned NOTHING from its predecessor state. Yet another mistake he'd made.

"...So, uh, what are they like?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, Klein's wonderful, he's...probably the only reason I'm able to function properly." Weiss admitted. "As for Whitley, I...don't know. Sometimes he's just like our father, sometimes he...well, he looks a little concerned there, right?" Weiss pointed at the screen.

"I guess kinda?" Yang tentatively agreed.

"But I don't know if I could trust that." Weiss concluded.

"Isn't he like, 13 or something?" Nora pointed out.

"Yes, well-" Weiss was once more cut off by the next bit.

[A bedtime]

"And in this corner, one of the biggest assholes in the world!" Yang announced in an overdramatic tone. "And he's...just as ugly up close, huh?"

"No kidding..." Nora mumbled.

"Mostly on the inside." Ruby agreed with a slightly sharp edge.

"...and General Ironwood." Blake pointed out. "In Jacques's office, I'm assuming."

"...Well, like I said, their jobs mean that..." Weiss defended.

"Indeed. Still..." Ozpin looked over his friend's original self. He wasn't in focus, but... "...he looks tired."

"I can't blame him. This time. Who knows what he'd do if this happened?" Glynda wondered. That was a difficult question, especially after his stint with the Vale Council.

[Story]

"Oh, you're...not doing great, huh?" Nora noticed.

"Given the past three soundtracks, why would you assume that I was?" Weiss retorted. "Yes, maybe that's overdramatic, but...now I'm BACK in that nightmare."

"Not yet you aren't." Blake assured her.

"And if he tries, then..." Yang pounded her fists together. "Well, point is we won't let him."

"...sorry about that, Weiss, but..." Nora trailed off, "...we're here to talk about this stuff, right? Speaking of, is that one of your Glyphs?"

"...I suppose. And yes, it is." Weiss confirmed. Was Nora saying that on purpose, then? She...didn't know how to feel. They could go over it later. "Hopefully I've made SOME progress by then..."

"You got this." Ruby assured her. Again, probably. They really WERE repeating themselves, huh?

[Than a tragedy]

"Oh hey Blake!" Ruby called out. "Why are you on a boat?"

"That's...a good question." Albeit, one Blake suspected she already knew the answer to.

"Nice shot there." Yang complimented. Usually stuff like that from Yang that made Blake feel better so why...

"Very...dynamic." Weiss agreed.

[With no big reveal of]

"Oh and I guess Sun's hanging out with you." Nora noted. "Where do you think CVFY is right now? Uh, then. Will be?"

"Or the rest of Team SSSN." Ren pointed out.

"Gods this is just gonna get confusing..." Jaune could tell already.

"You don't seem to be...entirely on board with that hug, I notice." Pyrrha added.

"Yeah, he's a good friend, but he struggles with-" Before Blake could say anything more, she was distracted by seeing a third, very familiar looking person right behind them.

Her breath hitched.

[The hero's glory]

"Hah, he got shoved." Nora laughed. "...So, uh, who are these people that are obviously related to you, Blake?"

"I...they're..." Blake couldn't bring herself to say anything. Sun was gone and...they were there. And they weren't...

"Chieften Ghira Belladonna of Menagerie." Ozpin explained. "And his wife, Kali."

"Wait, wait...I think I've heard that name in Oobleck's class." Weiss remembered. Possibly before then, but it's...not like she was paying much attention back then.

"Wait, you're THOSE Belladonnas?" Nora shouted in disbelief in Weiss's stead.

"I...assumed that it was a coincidence." Pyrrha stated. "It's not an uncommon last name, after all."

"Well it...isn't." Blake finally managed. "A coincidence, I mean."

"...So your dad's in charge of Menagerie?" Yang surmised.

"...And is the former leader of The White Fang." Glynda confirmed.

"Oh Gods, it's all fitting together..." Weiss groaned, hitting herself for not having noticed.

"So, wait, why haven't you mentioned this before?" Jaune felt like he was a couple steps behind, but at least he wasn't Sun.

"It's...I..." Blake muttered, not knowing where to begin. "...They should hate me."

"They do not appear to." Ren pointed out.

"Yeah, they look really happy to see you." Ruby agreed.

"I...I don't understand why." Blake admitted in a small voice. "After what I..."

"...Having met the Belladonnas on a couple occasions, before they retired of course, I'd have to say that, whatever it was, they doesn't hold it against you." Ozpin offered.

"But WHY? They have to know that I..." Blake sputtered in confusion.

"That's...what family's supposed to do." Ruby frowned slightly. "I mean, me & Yang, we forgave dad for shutting down a long time ago."

"Yeah, he...he got better." Yang agreed. "It's...yeah, he has a job, & he's better at it now, & he apologized, like a lot, &...we're cool."

"And you're doing better yourself." Weiss echoed. "Maybe that makes all the difference."

"But, I..." Blake pondered on that. Were they...could they possibly be right? She knew that they hated her, SHE hated her, but...the program hadn't lied yet. There she was, with her parents. Peacefully. Was it just a temporary thing, before they revealed that of course they hated her, or...

Or maybe it WAS true. Maybe they...a long time ago, before Sienna Khan, before HIM, they'd promised her that they loved her more than anything she could do wrong. She'd forgotten that, hadn't she? When did...oh. It all drew back to HIM, didn't it?

"...I should probably call them." Blake admitted to herself. "That's...probably why I'm there." Really, she thought as she looked at Yang, Weiss, & Ruby, given the absent or abusive status of members of her Team's families...she'd been squandering things, hadn't she?

"Take your time, Ms. Belladonna." Ozpin assured her. "The CCT is right there."

"In our universe, at least..." Glynda muttered.

"...Hey, your, uh..." Yang began. "...Your bow's gone. It's..."

"...Huh. Look at that." Blake noticed as well. "I guess I wouldn't really need it..."

"It's...a part of you either way, though." Yang argued. "I, um, I don't wanna..."

"...We'll just see where that goes." Blake decided. There WERE 5 more intros, after all.

"...Anyways, uh...why do you think she left?" Yang asked, somewhat nervously.

"I-" Lots of cutoffs today, huh? Blake saw herself looking to the side, & then it switched to...

[And it seems we]

"Oh, yeah, guess it's my turn." Yang noted. "Maybe we'll find out why I stayed behind..."

"It's...probably a good reason." Ruby assured her.

"It had goddamn better be..." Yang muttered, staring daggers at her future self.

"...Anyways, hi dad!" Ruby called out. "Looks alright, he & you are...wait.." she noticed something out of view. Something...concerning.

[Weren't prepared]

Now, however, it was in perfect view. A stump, tied up but plainly visible. No one said anything.

"..." Yang just stared at the paused image. Yeah, no, that was...exactly what it looked like, wasn't it?

"I..." she couldn't say anything else. What CAN you say? All she did was lift up her right arm. ...Huh, it felt...weird.

"Fuuuuuuck..." Nora muttered. Weiss couldn't help but agree.

"That would...certainly be a good reason, I think." Weiss offered.

"No one's just magically okay after something like that." Nora agreed.

"I...yeah, but..." Yang looked at her sister.

"It's okay." Ruby assured her between sniffles. "It's...you need time yourself, that's-"

"-That's not..." Yang tried to argue.

"Anyone would need time after...something like that." Ren emphasized.

"Yeah, but..." Yang didn't really know where she was going with this anymore.

"It's okay, Yang." Pyrrha assured her. "No one blames you." Indeed, everyone looked at her with sympathy...though Blake seemed to be feeling something else as well.

"...Blake, what are...?" Yang began.

"I...I don't know." Blake admitted. "I just..."

"An-and besides, you still got dad." Ruby refocused the conversation. "And he's...spinning, what's-"

[For a game that]

"Uh, why do you have a clone?" Nora tried to lighten the mood. "I want a clone."

"Looks kinda evil, though." Ruby also wanted to lighten the mood. Her Scroll then buzzed.

"'Yeah I think it's just a metaphor or something, just move on.'"

Shrugging, they did so. Aaaaaand...

[Wasn't fair]

"...So, I guess he's the one that did it." Yang's eyes had turned red, but to be honest she wasn't the most confident, either.

"I mean, he does have a sword..." Ruby agreed. "It's...Blake, what are you-?"

Everyone turned around. Blake was gripping her holo-chair...& yet clearly wanted to be anywhere else right then.

"...Blake, do you...?" Weiss began.

"I...I don't...I can't..." Blake was beginning to tear up. Shadows surrounded her, her Semblance clearly acting out & wanting to be used.

"Are you trying to run?" Yang asked in disbelief, anger...& clear sorrow.

"I...I HAVE to, I-" Blake shouted back. "It's...this was, I can't let him..."

"Okay, everyone pause for a sec." Ruby demanded. "Blake. What's going on?"

"..." Blake said nothing. Yang started to glare a bit. The others just looked in concern.

"...I think I know why I left." Blake admitted. "Because Yang lost her arm because of-"

"Because of Adam Taurus. Not you." Ozpin spoke up. "Don't blame yourself for the actions of others."

"But he wouldn't have gone after her if it wasn't for me! I...this was a mistake, I shouldn't..." Blake continued to panic.

"...And, what, you think leaving m-us-behind was gonna magically fix it?" Yang demanded.

"I could stop him from hurting you more! In fact, here, I can stop him before he does!" Blake rationalized...though clearly didn't fully believe.

"And you think leaving WOULDN'T hurt me?" Yang shouted back, clearly angry at this point. "Especially after...I mean, what kind of...?"

"It's...it's my first instinct. To keep you safe from him...and from me. If you weren't all here I'd be gone by now!" Blake admitted. "Because that's what I DO. I get people hurt, even when I'm trying to help. It's better if you DO hate me. I'm just...toxic."

"No." Ruby firmly declared. "No you're not. Don't EVER call yourself that. Team Leader Order."

"...I just don't want you to get hurt because of me." Blake muttered, calming down a touch.

"We all knew the risks when we signed up." Weiss pointed out. "Besides, it hasn't even happened."

"But it WILL, he..." Blake finally fully broke down at that. With her head in her hands, she became incoherent. "I'm sorry..." she muttered. "I'm sorry."

Yang calmed down a little at that. Not completely, but to the point where she could recognize where this was coming from.

"...Look, Blake, didn't we talk about this?" Yang pointed out. "You're not alone. You have us. Me. And don't think for a second that I'd regret it if it meant helping you."

"...But, you..." Blake was in disbelief.

"That asshole wants to come at me, come at ALL of us, he can fucking try." Yang declared. "But we're not gonna leave you. We...after yesterday especially, we're not gonna..." In truth, Yang didn't entirely know what to say either.

"Do you think I haven't thought about how my father could hurt all of you if he wanted to?" Weiss rhetorically asked. "But...that would just be giving him what he wants. Isolating me again."

"He's not worth it." Nora added, thinking of her mother. "People like them, they...they try to blame YOU for what THEY do, and it's all nonsense."

"That's not gonna help anyone." Jaune agreed. "You can't just...just run. I know it's...it seems easier, but..."

"You don't have to face him alone. Especially not in our universe." Pyrrha assured her. "We're all here for you."

"We came here to learn how to fight monsters." Ren added. "If he insists on being one of them..."

"You're worth it, Ms. Belladonna." Glynda wasn't trained in this area, that was more Peach's thing, but she could recognize the signs.

"What they said. All of it. You got that?" Ruby ordered.

"Blake." She looked up, & saw Yang. Her eyes were purple again. She was holding out her arms in...was she actually...? Yang nodded, & that was all Blake needed to throw herself around her partner & cry on her shoulder. Ruby & Weiss joined the hug as well...Weiss not even hesitating.

It took a few more minutes to calm down, but eventually Blake & Yang got to the point where they could. "I'm...sorry about that." Blake stated. "I just..."

"...Do you know why I set up the partner system, Ms. Belladonna?" Ozpin asked. "Because no one can handle everything alone." Hypocrite, much? Not now, whoever he'd inherited that from. "That's why, I believe, the show is named for the Team rather than Ms. Rose herself. There's no shame in needing help, despite what he may have told you."

"..." Blake just stared on silently. Then she spoke up. "Why am I still letting him...?"

"It's not exactly something that can be helped." Weiss responded.

"There's no shame in that, either." Ren added, looking at Nora.

"But he WANTS you to feel alone. That's...that's how they work, remember?" Weiss rhetorically asked.

"I think...the show wouldn't be named after all of us if it did. Any of it." Ruby concluded.

"...Right." Blake agreed. She glanced out the window. Even in the daylight she could still probably hide herself...but maybe she didn't have to. Maybe that would just be...justifying him. Or maybe not. "I'm...my instincts are still telling me to run, but...you're right. All of you. I guess I...wouldn't listen on Remnant Prime because of what happened, but...I won't do that. Not here."

"...Promise?" Ruby asked, the others looking on with similar expressions.

Blake looked right at Yang. "...Promise. It'll be hard, but..."

"But you have us to help out." Yang finished.

"...Yeah. Yeah." Blake agreed. She could tell that Yang was still a little hurt...but didn't she come here to try to fix her mistakes? On a large scale it was unrealistic to expect to do so on her own, but here... "I'm sorry about that. I think we should just...see where it goes."

"...Okay." Yang weakly smiled, before learning on Blake, who finally smiled herself at that.

"...That was a lot for Part ONE of the goddamn intro, huh?" Nora asked. So it was. "...So who are those guys at the end there?"

"I...don't know their names, but I think I remember them from when I was a kid." Blake still wasn't smiling, but it was a start. "They're White Fang, I think, though whether they follow Sienna or Adam is anyone's guess." She was starting to separate the two in her mind. That was...interesting.

"I mean, them right after...him, that's not a good sign, is it?" Ruby asked.

"I'll look into them regardless." Glynda stated, pulling up Ironwood's files. "If they're in the intro they're probably at least somewhat important."

"Oh yeah, smart move." Nora praised. "There's gonna be a LOT of new people, probably. Speaking of, Ruby, hit the thing!"

"I'm the Team Leader here, not you..." Ruby half-jokingly muttered. But she did, & finally, they moved forward. ...In this case just continuing the intro, mind, but...

[Do we just]

"Yeah, see, like this guy." Nora pointed at the screen. "Uh...who is that?"

"Hazel Rainart." Ozpin narrowed his eyes. "A man from my past-relatively recent past, I should say-and one not to be taken lightly."

"So...what can he do?" Weiss asked.

"Aside from being a skilled fighter, his Semblance allows him to block out pain. Using that, he can inject large amounts of Dust into his body, to directly weaponize it."

"That's...who in their right minds...?"

"Someone blind & deluded." Glynda stated, knowing the story-she was there, after all.

"So, what's he doing here?" Jaune asked, though he had the feeling that he already knew.

"I'm...kinda getting a bad guy vibe out of this." Ruby theorized. She was by no means an expert, but...

"That would...make too much sense, unfortunately." Ozpin confirmed. It WAS the most likely outcome. And the next shot...

[Go home?]

"Okay yeah, bad guy shots." Ruby agreed with herself.

"Is...is that Cinder? What happened to her eye?" Jaune questioned

"Oh, is it not working out like you'd have hoped?" Weiss taunted, looking at the expression

"...I have theories." Ozpin stated, looking over at Pyrrha.

"...Well, we'll see I guess." Nora finished.

[Can we follow]

"Okay, so who's this?" Nora got the ball rolling.

"I...don't actually know." Ozpin admitted. He felt like he maybe should, but...

"They look...kinda creepy." Ruby shuddered slightly. "I mean, REALLY creepy."

"Do NOT wanna get into a fight with them." Jaune agreed.

"I'm not certain we'd have a choice in the matter." Ren realistically stated.

"Yes, this...does seem to be building up in a certain way..." Weiss noted, dreading the top.

[Through?]

"And this one?" Blake questioned.

"He looks...vaguely familiar." Glynda looked up from the pad.

"Looks Atlesian, too." Nora added. "I mean, in the expression at least." Whatever THAT story was, the rest knew that they wouldn't be getting it any time soon.

"I...wish I could dispute that." Weiss frowned. "I mean, the mustache alone..." she muttered to herself.

"Looks like a total prick either way." Yang offered.

"Yes, I...believe that I may have seen this one before, at least on reports." Ozpin agreed. "I can't offer up a name, though."

"...So, it's a bunch of guys who don't give us good vibes all climbing up." Ruby noted. "Which means..."

[When all hope is gone]

"...oh Gods, what is that?" Ruby instantly asked, recoiling slightly.

"That...is Salem." Ozpin solemnly declared.

"She's so...pale." Yang had nothing better to say at the spur of the moment here.

"I suppose it fits the Grimm theme." Blake granted with utmost reluctance.

"Huh...you know, I never pictured her with that kind of hair, but it really fits." Nora noted.

"Old Mistralian, I believe. Popular among the Royal Family." Ren exposited. "Though, given the time scale, whether or not she was influenced by them or they were influenced by her is..." he began contemplating that.

"I...believe it may be best to save that line of questioning for later." Pyrrha suggested.

"And the others..." Weiss began.

"Yes, Salem would have more direct servants." Ozpin confirmed. "I suppose these are them."

"And we don't even know who the two at the top are. Great." Jaune grumbled. Huh, still upset about not seeing Pyrrha, most likely.

"We will soon enough." Glynda told him. She was still looking through the files, trying to find matches. In any event...

[There is one thing]

"Okay, we get it, she's scary enough, we don't need a close up." Nora requested.

"The point being...malice." Blake surmised. "A declaration, like her song was."

"Yeah, well, here's ours." Ruby glared back.

"Hell yeah." Yang added in support.

[We can do!]

"So, the Evil Queen and her minions stand assembled. And their little wolves too!" Nora dramatically declared. "Well, some of them."

"Hey yeah, where are Emerald or Mercury, or..." Ruby trailed off. Was that the right term? Another thing to ask Weiss later.

"As I said, these are her DIRECT minions." Ozpin explained. "Ms. Sustrai, Mr. Black, Roman Torchwick, & any others are...lower on the totem pole, as it were."

"You know, that'd be a pretty cool shot if they weren't real, awful people." Jaune offered.

"I...notice we haven't been talking about the lyrics much." Pyrrha pointed out.

"Look, we just woke up, okay?" Yang defended.

"There'll be time at the end." Blake added. "I guess the visuals are more...intense this time."

"I didn't even imagine that that was possible, but I really should have..." Weiss mumbled.

[Let's Just Live!
Day by day]

"Yeah, speaking of, dark song that has a happy message, we know how this goes and AM I FIGHTING THE CREEPY ONE?" Ruby suddenly shouted.

"Yes, I suppose with Beacon gone &, if we're correct, your eyes being used, would finally draw her direct attention." Ozpin theorized. "I am...so sorry, Ms. Rose."

"I mean...you didn't do it." Ruby pointed out.

"He got you here ahead of time while Salem's clearly making her move, though." Yang glared at her Professor.

"And that's taught her what she needs to avoid being caught off-guard." Weiss defended.

"Still, there's a difference between fighting street goons & terrorists, & one of Salem's inner circle." Glynda warned. "She recruits her minions for their skill in a particular area."

"In this case, stabbing people." Blake dryly observed, judging from the weapons.

"...Where even are they?" Jaune asked as aside. "It looks...abandoned."

"...It is." Ren quickly explained. "Let's move on." They did, but Nora grabbed her...whatever they were right now's arm in worry.

[And not be conquered by our sorrows]

Blake had, inevitably, flinched at that. After a moment, she spoke up. "...Yeah, easier said than done. Even if that's not literal, it..."

Cue tactical glomp. Again. In Ruby's mind, there was a distinct lack of those so far, & with things...calmer, well why not?

"God, what a fucking asshole..." Nora muttered.

[The past can't hold us down
We must break free]

"It is kinda I May Fall, isn't it?" Weiss agreed. "And...a lot of focus on my glyphs. Does that mean...then how do I do that?"

"They don't always match, but perhaps in this case the lyrics hold the key." Ozpin suggested.

That...wasn't actually a bad suggestion, based on what she remembered being told about her Semblance. ...Still, like Blake, she knew that she still didn't know how. Perhaps...well, it'd probably come up anyways. Sooner rather than later...

[Inside we're torn apart]

"I mean, yeah, but there's nothing like tearing out THEIR hearts to make it a little better." Nora offered. "Look at Team JNRR go..."

"Yeah, uh, I actually agree with Ren, RNJR sounds better." Ruby stated.

"Oh you WOULD say that, wouldn't you?" Nora couldn't quite keep the smile off as she tried to look indignant.

"I, also, believe that RNJR is a more appropriate name." Ozpin stated.

"Not you too, Oz!" Nora despaired. "What has this world come to?"

"This argument is ridiculous." Weiss scoffed.

"Yeah, but I think we kind of need it." Blake replied after shaking her head in amusement.

[But time will mend our hearts]

"Didn't Die say that it won't?" Jaune pointed out. "I mean, I'm glad that we're ignoring it, but..."

"I suppose it's all a matter of...whether or not you let it." Blake theorized. "Some people just...can't let go, & let it twist them into...well, selfish monsters, I guess."

"Sadly true..." Ozpin reminisced. What was all of this, he thought, if not her selfishness taken to its logical extreme?

"So, uh, anything else about that?" Ruby attempted to pivot the conversation.

"Well, THAT'S a cool team shot." Yang complimented. "Even if Jaune's at the front."

"Team JNRR..." Nora whispered.

"Even Professor Ozpin prefers RNJR, Nora." Ren couldn't stop from smiling.

[Move Onward Not There Yet
So Let's Just Live!]

"Alright, Team RWBY's back together, ready to take on the world!" Ruby cheered.

"I'm...not sure how literal that last shot was." Blake admitted. "The things that this "set up", they usually...take a while to recover from."

"Aw, c'mon Blake..." Ruby complained.

"Given the overall "pace" we've seen so far, & what these issues are, it's...sadly not impossible." Weiss reluctantly stated.

"Yeah, and about that stuff..." Yang began. "That was...something."

"That felt REALLY long, did anyone else feel like that?" Nora questioned.

"I suppose we DID pause a lot, but it felt like there was a lot more to go over." Pyrrha defended.

Ruby's Scroll buzzed. "'The prologue is over, kids. The real show starts now.'"

"...Okay, that thing's kinda getting creepy." Jaune declared, before amending. "CreepIER."

"Regardless, I feel as though with this we should be better prepared for the...specifics." Ren added. "Of what will happen, rather than what already has. I'm not certain we were properly prepared."

"I think you've all been handling this rather well, all things considered." Ozpin assured them. "You can't ever truly be prepared for such things, I've found. Well, at least not without this magic multiverse box giving us a look into the future. In that respect, we CAN properly prepare."

"Speaking of which, I've managed to identify Salem's other minions." Glynda declared, pulling up her datapad. One one side were the snaps from the intro, & on the other was a mugshot & a professional looking photo. "The...disturbing looking one is Tyrian Callows, a serial killer, & the...affronted one is Arthur Watts, a scientist & doctor. Both of whom are supposed to be dead."

"The perfect cover..." Nora ruminated.

"Indeed. The names aren't wholly unfamiliar, I admit, but I wouldn't have thought to connect them without this." Ozpin explained.

"Wait, you knew who they were?" Blake quickly asked.

"In passing." Glynda elaborated. "Reading over a couple reports."

"The important thing is what they can do." Weiss refocused. "Professor Goodwitch? ...if you wouldn't mind, I mean."

"I don't." Glynda confirmed. "Watts wasn't much of a fighter. He has his Aura unlocked, but never found his Semblance. Never cared to, apparently. ...Yes he's DEFINITELY an upper class Atlesian. What's important is his skill with technology. Many of the systems Atlas & to a lesser degree all of Remnant run on he's had experience with, if not outright helped design."

"Yes, someone like that would most certainly be useful to her in this digital age." Ozpin ruminated. "And Callows?"

"His Semblance isn't truly understood, but his ability to poison using his tail is clear enough." Glynda pointed to an attached photo displaying that. "And it's also evident that he has other skills to compensate in case that fails. The Hunstman who took him in, Finn Pickerel, was the top of his class at Haven, but from all accounts he had an immense amount of difficulty taking him in...& unlike Callows, his body WAS found."

"...So, an assassin." Blake surmised, remembering his weapons. "And a...disturbingly enthusiastic one at that. ...Have you identified the two with...?"

"Corsac & Fennec Albain, Sienna Khan's personal emissaries to Menagerie." Glynda explained. "Though given the intro & what I know of Sienna Khan, I have to wonder where their loyalties TRULY lie."

"Right, that...does make sense, I guess." Blake didn't remember them all that well, didn't even know their names until just now & never actually spoke to them, but it seemed to fit.

"And Hazel's the big tough guy who PROBABLY has blood poisoning, & we know the others." Nora concluded.

"Alright, that was...yeah. Okay." Yang declared. "Useful, but..."

"...Definitely long. And awkward" Blake finished. She could tell that things were still a bit awkward with Yang, but she could make it right. She hoped.

"So, uh, did we notice anything else?" Ruby asked.

"...Well, neither of us were there this time." Glynda noted. "In my case that's likely because I'm trying to keep Beacon-or whatever may remain of it-under control. As for Ozpin..."

"..Well, I'd like to think I would be more proactive." Ozpin stated. "But I suppose I would be rather...indisposed if I was dead at the time. It would certainly be one of her goals, to get me out of the way for a time. And from a storytelling perspective, it may be the most beneficial to show the process...first hand, as it were."

"Right, immortal wizard..." Nora mumbled, still not quite getting the hang of the idea.

"Also, there was...something grammatically off about the lyrical formatting at the end." Weiss noted. "It's not BAD, but it's definitely noticeable. And it'll definitely repeat at the end of the song, so..."

"Right, right, onto....Let's Just Live!" Ruby declared.

~~~~~~

Welcome to Vol. 4, where the only song I liked is Qrow's.