Penny Polendina (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
in4apounding) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
route_10652016-02-08 08:40 pm
in4apounding) wrote in route_10652016-02-08 08:40 pm
Couldn't Stand Another Minute
Who: Penny Polendina in4apounding, Ruby Rose rosetotheoccasion, Weiss Schnee usedglaciate, and Yang Xiao Long yanginthere
Where: Violet City
When: Sunday 2/7, Evening
and Tuesday 2/9, Afternoon
Summary: A reunion of canonmates and discussion of some terrible things to come.
Rating: PG
Log:
[Penny bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, waiting outside the Violet City Pokémon Center, her Vulpix anxiously threading his way around her ankles. She hadn't realized quite how long three months without seeing anyone from home could be, but now Ruby and Weiss had both arrived at once. She almost felt guilty being as happy as she was, it sounded like they had been taken from some serious trouble.]
[But, they were both here now. And as long as no one knew how to get back, there was no harm in trying to make the best of things, right?]
in4apounding, Ruby Rose rosetotheoccasion, Weiss Schnee usedglaciate, and Yang Xiao Long yanginthereWhere: Violet City
When: Sunday 2/7, Evening
and Tuesday 2/9, Afternoon
Summary: A reunion of canonmates and discussion of some terrible things to come.
Rating: PG
Log:
[Penny bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, waiting outside the Violet City Pokémon Center, her Vulpix anxiously threading his way around her ankles. She hadn't realized quite how long three months without seeing anyone from home could be, but now Ruby and Weiss had both arrived at once. She almost felt guilty being as happy as she was, it sounded like they had been taken from some serious trouble.]
[But, they were both here now. And as long as no one knew how to get back, there was no harm in trying to make the best of things, right?]
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[But Weiss is slightly smiling, if sheepishly, and she manages a small laugh.]
It's good to see you, too.
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[Sorry girls, just bear with her for a bit. This isn't the first time Ruby's lost someone very dear to her, but it is the first time someone came back to her. She's probably not letting go anytime soon.]
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[The ground wasn't exactly comfortable, she had to admit. But if Ruby didn't want to let go-]
It's okay, I can stand for both of us! Hup-
[It's a little awkward, but she manages to get upright without letting go of Ruby. She's not sure what's wrong, exactly, but she's not going to question a BFF hug after three months.]
So- um. Before. You said there was a Grimm attack.
[She gives Ruby an extra squeeze.]
What happened?
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[Good, at least everyone is standing, for values of it. Weiss is about to say something else, but takes a moment to pause and collect her thoughts.]
Before we get into that, what's the last thing you remember, Penny?
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[Bluuuh, fine. Ruby at least untangles herself enough so that she can actually put her feet on the ground, but she's not letting go of Penny. Part of her is terrified that this is all just... some dream. Maybe it's Emerald messing with them again.
She wants to make sure this is all real. Because if it all disappears now... she's not sure if she'd be able to pick herself up again.]
It was... when we met outside the CCT, right?
[She doesn't mention what happened after. Even if the tournament's broadcast means that Weiss knows Penny is a robot... she still doesn't want to blab. She needs it to be brought up on Penny's terms.]
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[The best at keeping secrets, clearly.]
It wasn't long after I had to leave that I woke up in that woman's house.
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[She shrugs.]
I see. It's been a lot longer for me. The tournament had started, and then things went downhill fast.
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[Well. She's not sorry about going after Penny. But she does feel bad for leaving Weiss all on her own!]
Same here. Things... got really bad. [If she wasn't already hugging Penny, she'd be moving in to cling right about now.] Are you sure you want to know? I don't.... the last thing I wanna do is scare you, Penny.
[Ruby... will admit, she wants to know too. Sort of. She knows the end result, and that's all that matters, but she still doesn't know what happened out in the arena.]
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[Really kind of wants to ask for details on the tournament. Like a lot.]
[But there are more important things happening. Friend is upset again. Or still.]
...Honestly, the only thing that's scaring me right now is how you're acting, Ruby. I don't like seeing you hurt like this and not being able to help. What happened?
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[Weiss takes a deep breath, folding her arms in front of her chest.]
I don't think anyone thought twice about it when you were paired with Pyrrha Nikos in the singles round. I wasn't in the stadium myself, but I watched it on television, and...things went very, very badly.
Something - I don't know what it was - spooked Pyrrha enough that she used her Semblance at an incredibly high level...
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[... God, but that makes Ruby's stomach turn. She knew something - or someone - messed with Pyrrha's head, she knew the end result, but knowing how...
It doesn't make her angry at Pyrrha, not one bit. It just makes her angrier at Mercury, at Emerald...]
She... it was an accident, I don't blame her, but she... [If it was possible, Ruby's hold on Penny gets even tighter.] I didn't see it, I was checking out something that was wrong, but when I managed to get back, you....
[To her credit, Ruby doesn't start crying again, but she can't stop her voice from cracking.]
You were in pieces...
[She can't say it. She still can't say "you were dead".]
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[For a second, that's all Penny hears. She'd wanted to test herself in the tournament; a chance to fight the four-time Mistral Regional Champion was all she could have hoped for.]
[But Weiss and Ruby keep talking, and Penny's expression slowly falls as they do.]
Her Semblance? I don't-
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...Oh.
[For a moment, it's all she can say; her grip on Ruby slacking as her stomach drops, playing through the scenario being presented to her.]
Oh. That- ...oh.
[She suddenly stiffens, color draining from her face.]
But that means-! Everyone would have seen-
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[Weiss' voice cracks a little, despite herself.]
- she looked horrified. She looked like she would have given anything to take back what she'd done. It doesn't matter that you are - were? - an android, it matters that she didn't want to hurt you. Not like that.
I wish I could say that things got better after that, but I don't want to lie to you.
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[And then they woke up here. And the rest is history.]
I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Penny...! I knew something bad was up, I knew it, but I couldn't... I was too late...!
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[And then a wave of Grimm, drawn by fear and anger and confusion. Her fault. Or so close it didn't make a difference, someone had used her, used Pyrrha to attack Vale. Turned her into a weapon against innocent people.]
Why would-
[Penny draws a shaky breath, swallowing back tears. Ruby's crying again, and now she knows exactly why.]
Ruby, it's-
[Nothing about this is okay.]
It'll be- it's not your fault. It'll be okay! I'm- I know my father and Mister Ironwood will be able to- they can fix everything, I know it!
[And she tries, but fails, to stop the choking hiccup that follows.]
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...even though Ironwood told us we didn't have to. He said running was okay. That's ridiculous, of course. We weren't going anywhere. We wouldn't have, not for anything.
That's when it gets blurry for me.
[She's not exactly one to give hugs, but both Penny and Ruby look like they need it. Weiss puts her arms around both of them.]
I'm so sorry...
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We'll find a way to stop who did this. Mercury, Emerald too... with all the Beacon students, and all the people who came for the Vytal Festival, there's no way we won't be able to drive the Grimm back.
[At least... she hopes.]
And I promise, I'll do everything I can to fix you, Penny. I don't care what General Ironwood says. I'm gunna help.
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[She's not sure how long it is before she manages to speak again, but it feels like an eternity.]
I'm sorry, I- I'm sorry you had to see- maybe if I hadn't-
[Hadn't tried to be something she wasn't, hadn't entered the tournament, hadn't let anyone get close enough that she could hurt them like this-]
[She buries her face into Ruby's shoulder.]
...I don't want you to get hurt because of me. Either of you.
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Penny, you did absolutely nothing wrong. Don't blame yourself for a second. Nothing that you did makes you responsible for what happened. It wasn't your fault.
[She sighs, her voice becoming a bit softer.]
You don't have to worry about that, at least as far as I'm concerned.
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Weiss is right! You're like... the person least-responsible for all of this. You just... you just wanted to have fun. To get out in the world. Why would anyone blame you for wanting to do that?
[If anyone did ever try and take issue with that, they could meet the business end of Ruby's fist, hmph.]
No worries here, either. [While it's true that she's hurting a lot over what happened, the last thing she was gunna do is blame Penny for that.] You didn't hurt us. It was Mercury, Emerald, and whoever else they were working with that's the problem. You didn't do anything.
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[Ruby please do not punch the head of Atlas' military.]...Thank you.
[When she manages to say it, it comes quietly, with a sniffle.]
...who are Mercury and Emerald?
[Besides "not good people," anyway. Penny lifts her head, looking at Ruby and Weiss.]
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Then Mercury fought Yang in the singles round, and that jerk - those jerks - messed with Yang's head. She would never hit someone when they're down, not normally, but whatever they did to her pushed her to do it.
She got disqualified from the tournament. That's really when things started to get bad...
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But when things started going wrong, when I left before your match with Pyrrha... Mercury stopped me from doing anything. He stalled me.
[If anything, Ruby sounds more confused than upset. She's not used to such a personal betrayal, and for it to happen with people who she considered good friends...
It hurts. Really bad.]
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[She doesn't actually know Yang much, beyond Ruby's descriptions, but she seemed so nice...]
They let you think they were friends?
[Her grip on Ruby tightens for a second, looking angry for the first time since this conversation started.]
[That's it, she's breaking their legs.]Why would anyone do that?!
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