𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖀𝖓𝖇𝖗𝖔𝖐𝖊𝖓

Preparations

My soul is called to thee, oh Flora of the moon... Dante stumbled. His eyes shot open. He was no longer in Beacon, and he was back in Central Yharnam. "H-Help... please..." The scared voice of a little girl filled his ears, and his brain coped by forcefully reminding him of his first failure.

"Yes okay, thank you very much mister hunter! I love you almost as much as mum and dad, and grandad!"

No... not again... NEVER again. Dante began to walk in a random direction, but the voice did not change in volume. His sanity had already begun to unravel.

"Dante..." He turned around and saw Ruby, coated in a fresh layer of blood and wearing the clothes of a Church Hunter. "Ruby...?" Upon closer inspection... oh Kos... "No..."

Ruby wore a lopsided, crazed smile. Her pupils were dilated and shattered as she raised Crescent Rose. She was a blood drunk. "Dante. I missed you. Hahahah..."  His hand instinctively went for his Burial Blade, which wasn't there.

Ruby swung.

--

Dante woke with a scream. He looked around in his room. Save for the crackling fireplace and the workshop covered with unfinished projects, and the Lone Messenger, there was no one there to hear him, which he was also glad for.

If his insanity wouldn't be the cause of his death, embarrassment would.

He began breathing slowly and deeply, as an old friend once suggested. It worked for the most part, but the dream remained as vivid as ever. "Of all the times I wanted previous dreams to be vivid, Kos damn it."

Dante groans as he sees the clock. Close to noon. "What day is it today...?" He gets up and heads out the door, not realizing that he has no shirt on. It was also just his luck that the first person he sees is Glynda, who gently reminds him while blushing, "You have no shirt on, Dante."

Dante looks down. "Oh. Thanks." He then runs back to his room and throws on a white shirt. He heads to the cafeteria to see if he could consolidate a few cups of coffee, and then a hand touches his shoulder. His brain entered fight mode, and he judo-flipped whoever it was that touched him.

"Ow..." It was Ruby. Dante realized his mistake immediately. "I am SO SORRY OH MY KOS RUBYAREYOUOKAY????" The worry was obvious. "Ow I'm okay I'm okay. You want to head out to town with us?"

"Us?"

"Yang. Me. Blake. Weiss. Team RWBY, you know?"

Dante nodded. "I'll catch up in a bit. Just gonna..." He then proceeds to down an entire tumbler of coffee. Dante's eyes narrowed for a few seconds and suddenly dilated as the caffeine-blood began to take effect. "Now THAT hits the spot. Where are we going, Miss Rose?"

Ruby laughs. "Come on. We're heading to Vale."

--

A/N: I am back. I apologize for the two-month break.

Vale was bustling with activity. Dante followed Team RWBY around as Weiss went on about something like 'festival' and 'cultures of the world'. Dante didn't care but he certainly wasn't that rude to make it obvious.

They came upon a Dust shop, wrapped up in yellow tape. The two detectives on-scene were at a loss for words. "What happened here?" Ruby asked. "Dust shop was robbed. Second one this week. It just... doesn't make a lick o'sense." Detective 1 gestures with his gun. "Who leaves that much Dust?"

"I don't know."

"You thinkin' it could be the, uh... White Fang?"

"Nah I'm thinking we don't get paid enough."