Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mars Thorne smiled down upon the image of a young man with short, black hair and steel-gray eyes. By some miracle, the picture on his student ID was a good one, but that wasn't why he was smiling. This ID represented things going right for once. Yes, Cinder was out there, and Ozma was looming at Beacon, but nothing had derailed this moment, this victory. No criminals, no Grimm, and no twists of fate had violently wrecked his afternoon. He had passed the entrance exam and walked out of the Beacon as a student.

Well, he would be one starting next Saturday, the day before Initiation. 

The weather was pleasant as the late summer sun sank toward the horizon. Wearing a black-and-crimson cloak over a black suit with a crimson vest sans jacket was overkill, however Zippy's, the Xiao-Long family car, AC kept the temperature mild. 

His company was more… mixed. 

Ruby Rose, as always, was a delight to be around, and her excited chatter over Beacon, the place itself and their acceptance, lifted his spirit. Literally, thanks to their soul bond, her excitement flowed into his spirit, which he happily drank. His Multiverse twin was a head shorter than him with black hair tipped red and without the thin scar going down her left eye. She practically vibrated next to him in the backseat in a red and black dress with her own bright red cape, further tying the two of them together with similar colors. 

Yang Xiao-Long was on his other side, tossing quips and teases at both Ruby and himself. Only an inch shorter than he was, it was hard to tell the height advantage given her fuller figure. Where he and Ruby were wiry, she was thicker. Thicker arms, thicker legs, thicker… assets. All topped off with a mane of golden hair. Like Ruby, she was in her Huntress outfit, though it had to be a spare since it was clean, and she had showered since the rescue mission into the Wilds. Able to think clearly, it struck him how she and Ruby wore a major dark color with a secondary bright color. Instead of black and red, Yang wore brown boots over orange socks, brown jacket over a yellow t-shirt, and black short-shorts, exposing pale thighs. Being around her was fun and weird. Two-thirds of him acted like he was talking to his dead brother. The other third, the growing third, treated her like the woman she was.

They were great company. The other two, not so much.

The road required Taiyang Xiao-Long's attention. …most of the time. Every stop at a light, Mars could feel the father's blue-eyed gaze on him. Not a pleasant one. Mars had memories of the older broad-chested and broad-shouldered blonde being cheerful, a sunny disposition that outshined his tan and dark vest and shorts. However, whatever goodwill Mars had earned this week appeared to have died after he had been rescued from the Wilds. 

Probably because Ruby and Yang had been stuck out there for a day trying to rescue him. Outside of Scroll range. Essentially missing for a whole day. 

Mars couldn't blame the father from hovering over his daughters. 

But the hostility against Mars was unfair! He didn't want to be stuck in the Wilds for four whole days! He didn't ask anyone to risk their lives to save his, as grateful as he was. 

If anyone deserved Tai's ire, it was the woman in the seat next to him! 

Cheri Black was a short woman, shorter than even Ruby. She twitched in the seat as she fought sleep, her dark red pigtails jerking every now and then. Her green eyes blinked with exhaustion. Dressed in a black crop top and skirt with white frills, the appearance of youthful innocence was wholly false. Because Cheri Black was an illusion. Her real eyes and hair were pink-and-brown. For sweet, little Cheri was the disguise of the infamous criminal Neopolitan, who had tried to kill him several times. Ironically, he preferred the murder attempts to her new goal. 

Becoming a goddess.

A goal that screamed insanity in any other situation was, to his dismay, entirely possible, if untested. 

Because he couldn’t lie to save his life.

So far, that disaster was… contained. Cheri was receiving a steady drip of faith energy, Vitalis, but hadn’t figured out how to access it yet. He just needed to keep her ignorant. He needed to keep everyone ignorant of how to do that. Her, Cinder, Blake, and anyone else who had figured it out. Maybe I shoul-

Mars’ whole body went limp.

So unexpected, no one, not even Ruby's lightning reflexes, caught him as he fell forward, folding over.

It got weirder. 

Ruby, shocked, moved to help her Multiversal twin when she froze as Mars’ entire body shifted. Where a young man was, a middle-aged man took his place. In spite of the difference in years, Ruby recognized an older Mars’ face, helpfully mirroring the same shock as her Mars. Old Mars, as Ruby immediately dubbed him, wore a long, flowing set of crimson robes with these gold flourishes. Old Mars had long hair. Not just the combed waterfall washing down his shoulders, but a long, thin beard poked the car’s floor and accompanied by a pencil-thin mustache. She didn't know what was weirder: all that hair or the hat. It started with a thin cylinder attached to a rectangular board, kinda like a graduation hat. Except this hat had beads, two curtains of them on the front and back of the board. 

Ruby had just enough time to be shocked, to study, and to recover when her Mars returned back in place. 

He felt like he had just come out of a washing machine set to ludicrous speed. It was a struggle to push himself back up with the entire planet mimicking a tornado. He stared straight at the car floor. To do anything else invited vomiting. 

Translation side effect observed. 

“Blaglurack?” His stomach rumbled, and he rallied himself against it before it could throw up his first real meal in several days. 

It cost him the battered remains of his dexterity, leaving him toppled over. Or, he would have if Ruby and Yang hadn't reached down and lifted him. “What was that?” Yang demanded. 

“Something happened back there?” 

The nausea and dizziness receded, making it easier to think, to speak. “I dunno.” His head snapped toward the windows, eyes wide with alarm. “Di’ an'one see?” 

He relaxed as he saw the car in motion. The odds of anyone seeing… whatever that was was slim to none. “I think you're safe,” Yang echoed. “But what the heck just happened?”

“You turned old!” Ruby exclaimed. “And Mistralian!” 

The last touch of nausea slinked away. With a deep breath, he felt grounded. “The Contract called it a translation side effect.”

Ruby tilted her head as she furrowed her brow. “I don't get it.”

“Yeah,” Yang agreed. “Translate what?” 

“I'm not sure, but it sounds famili-ack!” His hands clutched his head as searing pain stabbed once and then vanished. 

“What now?” Yang asked, a drop of exasperation mixing in with the concern. 

He took a moment to breathe. Sim! What's going on? 

I told you to avoid talking to me directly. Check your memories. 

Check my memo-? No sooner did he think about it, did an entire scene's worth of memories play in his mental eye. 

At the end of the replay, he found Yang shaking his shoulder. “Mars! Talk to us! What's going on?” 

He blinked and focused on her. “I… I was summoned.” 

Ruby gasped and leaned in toward him, uncaring of personal space. “Really? Just now? Where did you go!?” 

He rubbed his temples. “A dimension between dimensions. I was offered a mission by the Ancient-of-Days.”

“You were offered a quest!?” Ruby excitedly squeaked. “Did you accept?” 

“I don't think so, Rubes. He's still here, after all.”

“Then why did he turn Mistralian?” 

He turned to her, frowning. “I don't know. But Yang is right. I turned it down.” He paused as the memories played out rapid-fire in his mind. “Because you said you would take care of it.” 

Ruby backed up, mouth agape. “Me!?” 

“Well, another you.” After a second, he added, “And another me. They had signed the Contract together and defeated the Brothers. During their battle, they became Faunus but with more traits. Lion Faunus with ears and a tail.” 

“That's so cool,” Ruby whispered before looking up at her hair, trying to imagine her own set of lion ears. 

“Uhhh, no offense Mars but a lion Faunus?” Yang pointed a thumb at herself. “If anyone, it's going to be me. I've had this talk with Goldie and Nats. We all agreed that Ruby would probably be a dog Faunus. Probably a corgi, like Zwei.” 

Ruby bristled, narrowing her eyes. “You're just saying that because I'm shorter than you!” 

“It was more about how cute and friendly you are.” 

“Lions are cute! And friendly!” 

His lips twitched as he leaned back in his seat to clear the line of fire. He wasn't sure how long this verbal detour would last, however he could spend some time to go over his new memories. In fact, the sibling argument was kind of relaxing in its domesticity. Better that than being weighed down by the fates of millions of lives. The other Ruby can handle it. She has a team, she won her battle better than I did. I don't need to worry about it. 

An ethereal feeling flooded into his soul. 

“What!” He snapped, breaking the argument. “Wa-!”

If you're physically close to Trivia for some reason when this delivers, let her know I appreciate her thinking of us positively. (From HT.)

The message from across the Multiverse landed in his soul and mind. In the same instant, another Suggestion, one that was repeating, rewarded him with a piece of raw and permanent power. 

On that note, for this and all future communications from the cosigners, have one of the Bonded be with you for support.

He barely acknowledged the recurring Suggestion. Instead, he weighed this new one. Normally, the conditional message would push him to complete it. In return, he would enjoy another power-up. HT, or Henry, had disabled the compulsion from his Suggestions, leaving Mars the freedom to complete or ignore it. Given how easy this one was, it was a no-brainer. 

He leaned forward and tapped the car seat. “Cheri.” 

Tired, green eyes slid up from the edge of the seat. Unlike him, she hadn't gotten a chance to sleep for a night. Too worried about being murdered in her sleep by Cinder. “What?” 

Cheri and he had a strange connection. Stuck out in the Wilds for half a week, they had been forced to work together to survive. Her muteness was a critical disadvantage, and he solved it with a bit of divine power. So long as he could see a part of her face, he could hear her thoughts. He hadn't told her he had done this at first. Which meant the first thing he had heard her ‘say’ was a casual plan to murder him in those caves. 

Things had gotten better between them. 

Kinda. 

“The Cosigners, well Henry, is happy that you think of them positively.” 

For completing another Suggestion, he received another kernel of power. Cheri quirked an eyebrow. “Well, they're easy to please. If all it takes is a few nice words, then how come,” her gaze jerked suspiciously toward the sky. “I mean, thank you, thank you, you’re welcome!” 

She twisted around in the seat hiding her face from his eyes.

To answer your questions about other Ruby: she is the only Ruby from her original dimension, I suspect; my understanding is that she is a near parallel version of you; she is originally female, but was almost forced into being a catgirl (ask Sim) due to cosigner shenanigans. (From HT.)

Communication Here: To add to this, as it pertains to the dimension I (The Goatherd) and Rose (the other Ruby) are technically a part of, while she was not forced to be a "catgirl", Rose was still turned into a Faunus; she had the choice to decide on the type, however (from, the Goatherd).

Mars blinked as he considered these things. He could only blame the Multiverse for how much had changed on this question since the last session. He had met this other Ruby, the other Crimson. Their chat had been brief. Yet, kind of reassuring. Other Ruby, or Rose as Goatherd called her, had been a lot like him. Just unluckier? He still didn’t understand this opponent called Threda who was somehow worse than the Brothers. Well, in their brief time, he had gotten along with Rose, even when she was talking like she was from a previous century. 

It is lucky she kept her gender across both dimensions, like me. The Contract could have rewritten either of us, if the Cosigners had picked it. They could have made me into a Faunus too. Would I have picked a Cat Faunus too? 

An excited gasp pulled him away from the intriguing what-if. His Ruby, er, the Ruby of this dimension stared at him with stars in her eyes. “Is it happening? Are you talking with the BoTDs?”

“The what?” 

“Beings of the Third Dimension,” Ruby proudly declared with an excited smile.  “You're talking with them, right?”

This wasn't the first time he had been in-session with the Cosigners with someone else physically next to him. It had freaked out Cheri and Blake. Yang had been curious and then bored. Ruby might be the only one who showed genuine excitement. The corner of his lip turned upward as her excitement sparked across their bond. Were they just naturally emotional people? “Yeah, another session has started.” 

Ruby squealed. “Tell me everything they say?” 

He chuckled. “Everything?” 

I know the other language that Yip uses is German, and I believe Merry switches around multiple languages. (From HT.)

A simple message without a task to complete, he repeated it for Ruby's sake. She vibrated in her seat. “Alien languages,” she breathed out. 

From the other side of Mars,” Yang leaned over. “Does it count as an alien language? They're not from outer space, but a different universe.” 

“It totally counts, they're not from our planet.” Ruby focused on Mars. “Ooo, ooo, ooo, can I hear some Jerman?” 

He leaned back and thought for a second. He couldn't remember any specific Jerman words. They'd only pop up every now and then. Contract, can you repeat the last Suggestion with Jerman? 

Apology accepted, and, ich könne give du power to help du, but my help will come in der form of mein gift und other miscellaneous insights: a clear insight, the Twenty-two Major Arcana is from a set of seventy-eight tarot cards used to purportedly gain insight into the past, present or future of an individual with the set divided into two categories: the Major Arcana, upright or reversed; and the Minor Arcana, ranging from Wands, Swords, Cups, and Pentacles of varying numbers. (Regards, from the soon-to-be-absent-for-several-of-your-months Yip from you trying to get us to not pair you with She of the Real World)

As of the end of the last suggestion session, we do not know where Cinder is. (From HT.)

The new message came right after the replay. He pursed his lips about the intel. He wasn't sure what the limits of what the Cosigner could perceive, but it was disappointing they didn't know where his newest attempted murderer went to. Thank you, Henry. Please let me know if you or any of the other Cosigners locate her. 

One situation addressed, he returned to Ruby’s request. “So, I’ll give my best shot at it. Um, ick cerna, er, du, power? Um, the Cosigner mixed in Valean standard with the Jerman. Um, mine-a?” 

He felt like he was butchering the language, but it didn’t matter to Ruby. She hung onto every mutilated word tripping out of his mouth. “So cool,” she whispered. Whatever embarrassment he felt just could not hold against her her sheer elation, overpowering it and practically forcing a smile onto his face. A small part of him wondered about this Arcana and how random that seemed to be, but his attention just couldn’t escape Ruby’s sunshine. “Do you know what it means?” 

“Ummm, not really?” He scratched his head. “It feels like Valean in the messages I get, but it’s more of a gut feeling than anything else.” 

“Shouldn’t they know you don’t understand their language?” Yang pointed out.

“Yeah, hasn’t stopped them.” He shrugged. It was hard to be annoyed right now. 

Meriadoc means Angel by errhandghost. (From HT.) 

“Oh! Well, sometimes they do explain what the other languages mean,” Mars amended. Thank you again, Henry. 

Henry was being unusually helpful today. Well, right now. Still left the morning mess with him, Angel, and Raven. A flash of frustration zipped by, only a flash though. Mars hadn’t forgotten how Henry had promised to use his ability to give Mars one of his old memories. Mars wasn’t eager for that promise to be fulfilled… yet. Just a little more downtime between Multiversal events to let him breathe would be nice.

Very, very nice. 

“What are they like?” Ruby chirped. 

His mind zipped through dozens and dozens of memories of interacting with the Cosigners. “...helpful, mostly. They definitely have things they want me to do, but they’re mostly respectful. Or, good intentioned. A couple of them are jerks, and sometimes the way they help cause… things to happen.” 

“Like bonding your soul to a bunch of women?” Yang muttered, too low for her dad to hear upfront. 

Mars coughed. “Um, yeah, things like that.”

“Oh,” Ruby said. “That’s good to know too, but I meant what do they look like? Do they have green skin? Big eyes? Oh, oh, do they have antennae?!” 

To my knowledge Remnites don't go to Heaven, Sim or Angel definitely know the right answer though. (From HT.)

He paused as he absorbed the abrupt change of tone. It was a question he had been concerned with. The timing was just jarring. Well, since I’m not supposed to talk to Sim, I’ll ask Angel over the weekend. …once that mess is all sorted out. 

“I’ve only seen one,” he started. “And that was just a recording of one, like an interdimensional hologram. Well, two,” he corrected, thinking of Sim. “Both of them looked like regular people.”

Ruby tilted her head with a thoughtful gaze. “Just normal people?”

“Ruby,” Yang chided. “Mars is an interdimensional being too.”

“Oh yeah.” Ruby gave him a once-over. “...but do you know if they all look like that?”

He smiled and shrugged. “I guess not. Still, that’s the best I can tell from my experiences. They call themselves normal people, too.” 

“How well do you know them?”

That one gave him pause as he felt his kneejerk response enter his head and felt… hollow. Although he had been dealing with the Cosigners ever since he could remember, what really did he know about them? “Not a lot, I think? I only know the names of a couple of them. Those are the ones I know the best, but I’ve never really asked about their lives.”

“You should!” Ruby declared. “It’s a chance to learn things! For science!”

He chuckled. “Science?”

You seem to have gotten a budget avatar that doesn't know common languages despite having the Ancient One's blessing; you should ask the Ancient One for a refund and an avatar that doesn't confuse Portuguese for Spanish.  (From HT.)

Uh… Sim? He knew he wasn’t supposed to be talking directly with the Avatar, but Henry had specifically called him out by name. Sooo…

Sim’s reply was brusque and annoyed. Ignore him. My job is to pass messages between dimensions, not to know all languages. 

But… isn’t knowing languages part of being a messenger? 

…no. I’m not omniscient, I just do the best I can. 

Mars considered it. Feels a bit weird that you’re in charge of it if you have an obvious weak point. 

I already told you that not knowing all languages can’t be held against me. Now, leave it and answer Ruby. 

Mars blinked and looked over at his twin who did seem to be waiting for something. “Um, sorry, did you just say something?” 

“Nope!” She popped the ‘p’ in the word with childlike glee. “Did you know it’s easy to tell when you’re getting a message from the Multiverse? You get this faraway look in your eyes. Like you’re staring straight into the Multiverse! What does it feel like?”

He opened his mouth before making a point to not mention Sim. “Usually, it’s like getting a call from a robot. Except that, it just sounds like a robot, but it’s people in your head. I get a warning feeling before it happens.” 

“What does that feel like?”

He almost said ‘ethereal’, but that felt vague. 

From what we saw so far at the point of the last session, Raven swung her blade at Angel out of anger, but I strongly believe he is fine. (From HT.) 

He froze. Next to him, Ruby’s good cheer skipped as she felt the panic briefly over their bond. “What’s wrong?”

“Just… a warning. Something bad might have happened?” 

“That can be a lot,” Yang replied, eyeing the front passenger seat. “Can you narrow it down?”

He didn’t want to. Angel’s resurrection was supposed to be a secret, until Goldana returned home. He also didn’t want to mention Raven either. That knot was complicated enough as it is. A glance at the car windows saw them moving through the city of Vale at a steady pace. That was bad, too many opportunities for anyone to look inside if he wanted to call upon his divine powers. Being mobile made it unlikely but not impossible. But Angel is back, and he’s much weaker than he used to be. If Raven attacked him… 

He grimaced before turning toward the sisters. “Hide me for a second, as best as you can. I need to check something.” He undid his seatbelt and slouched as much as he could in the seat.

“Woah, woah, woah!” Tai called out from the driver’s seat. “What are you doing?”

“I need to check something.” Ruby didn’t need another word as she grabbed the edge of her cloak and used it to block off her window. 

Yang frowned and pressed her body against her window. “Uh, you really want to go Crimson in the middle of the city?”

“I just need a second, and it’s important.” 

“It’s irresponsible,” Tai chided. 

Since I've made so many messages, have a free suggestion: take a deep breath. (From Henry.)

Mars grunted in acknowledgement. He swelled with a little more power as he drew a deep breath into his chest and a cross in the air. “I have to make sure someone is okay.” With the gesture, he became Crimson, including his skin color. If anyone spotted him, they would rightly suspect a divine figure was in the car. He had to move quickly.

Thankfully, he knew the general area where Angel should be. He reached out with his soul to the island of Patch. Although the island was well-populated, Angel's soul should be easier to find with how much it resonated with Mars’. 

It'd be easier if Mars could relax. Every second intensified the feeling of exposure. All it would take is one lucky look, and his secret return would spread like wildfire all over Remnant. His own religion would hound him for his blessings, his ‘wisdom’, and more. The world would beg him to fix everything, and he could only fail to do so. He needed… he needed to relax, to focus. Just like when he wielded his pyrokinesis. Another deep breath helped adjust his mood. 

THERE! 

Angel's soul was not too far from where Mars had last seen him. Mars could feel a hint of tranquility and, more importantly, healthy vitality radiating off of his brother-clone. Mars’ fingers slashed through the air as quickly as possible. His skin reverted to a paler pink. He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to the sisters. “Thank you.”

For once, Ruby's mood radiated worry. “Mom's okay, right?”

He nodded. “She's fine. A Cosigner was warning me about someone else, but he's fine. 

“He?” Yang prompted. 

For clarity sake, I (the Goatherd) am a single being a little ways removed from Yip (though we are quite similar in notable ways); I have taken to gender neutral terms, which seems to have caused some confusion that I apologize for (I will bring the matter up with Yip, so hang tight; from, the Goatherd).”

Gender what? He puzzled over that confusion for a moment before it got worse. Wait, what do you mean removed from Yip? I thought you were Yip? He'd be stuck waiting for an answer to this perplexing message. You are human, right? 

“He?’ Yang repeated. 

“Huh?” He focused on her and reoriented his mind. “Oh, I'll explain later.” Yang frowned. She never liked it when he hid things. “I'll explain tonight. It's just a little sensitive, right now.” 

She harrumphed. “You'd better. The last time you kept secrets, we all ended up in the Wilds.” She brandished a finger like a knife as she poked his chest. “Don't forget. I still get to deliver a penalty because you couldn't keep your pants on.” 

“WHAT!?” Tai's explosion hammered Mars’ ears and filled his heart with dread. 

Yang winced and had the decency to look apologetic. 

A screech ripped the air as Tai slammed the brakes, hurling the family car into a parking spot next to the boardwalk. Inertia hurled bodies forward as teenagers cried out. At least they had seatbelts. Cheri was a surprised rasp crashed into the dashboard. 

What are the odds that a parking spot was available right here, right now? The frustrated thought did little to shield him from the father's murderous glare as the older man twisted in his seat, resting a fist against the passenger’s chair. Gone completely unnoticed by the furious father was Cheri picking herself off the dash, sporting her own offended expression. 

“Dad!” Ruby cried out. “Nothing happened!” 

The light blush on her face gave the exact wrong impression. 

Tai was not reassured as his face became redder. 

So, you still remember the Ten Commandments? (Is that unconscious on your part, or can you relay them in order? From Merovée Charles Louis Pépin, Th.D.)

Not now, Merry!

The shorter message let him re-enter the current conversation, mid-rant. “-y daughters are not to be treated like-”

“DAD!” Yang cut off. “He didn’t do anything to us!” 

Mars noted that Cheri had formed a fist and was intently eyeing Tai’s unprotected side. 

“Then how do you know he was sleeping around?” 

“Hey…” Mars limply protested. It was just once!

Yang hesitated. Tai knew many things. He knew about the rescue mission, he knew Angel personally, and he knew Mars’ entire past. He did not know about the Bond System. Not that he or the sisters had purposely hidden it. Just that, it hadn't come up yet. 

And this moment felt like a really bad time to mention how the sisters’ souls were connected to Mars.

Of all people, it was Ruby who saved them. She pointed a finger directly at Cheri. “Because she was bragging about it!” 

Cheri dropped the charged fist as she assumed a relaxed sprawl in her seat. Fast too, all of it done in the two seconds before Tai turned his attention on her. “This is stupid. Why do I have to put up with you people? Mars, I blame you, and you will make up for this bullshit later.” 

He had no idea what she could demand of him. She was already exploiting his past divinity to try to become a goddess. Yet, she gave Tai a ‘so what’ shrug. Tai responded with an angry curl of his mouth. “Is that why she insisted on coming along? Well, I'm not heartless enough to kick her onto the street, especially after getting into Beacon-” Tai didn't notice Mars’ wince at that unhappy truth. “But you either stop with the dirty talk around my girls or you need to stay away from them.”

Cheri gave another shrug.

Honestly. Mars wholeheartedly supported option B. 

[INTENDED MESSAGE: RECIPIENT MARS THORNE]

Alright, no flip out, the Great War of 2077, shots in the dark with a machine gun; I'll do my best to allow you to achieve the goal of a long happy life with your (really not so) little group. (Mind you, since I lack a physical body, that's much harder than it normally would be. Stay safe, take a deep breath, and [ERROR 404] {NOOO!}.) (From Xor.)

A hate-filled and fiery ball of bitterness and despair poisoned his spirit. Muscles locked up as he was caught between the subconscious and sudden tempest versus the metaphysical restraint of ‘don't flip out’. He welcomed the controlling Suggestion against the emotional explosion. The second Suggestion prodded him to take a deep breath. Ruby whimpered, while Yang growled as they were hit by the bitter feedback. Even Cheri stiffened up front but pointedly did not turn around toward him. 

During the Suggestion, Tai had gotten the car back on the road, which was why he could only peek at the rearview mirror. “Everything alright back there?” 

Ruby's arms wrapped around Mars. “It's okay, you're okay,” she whispered into his ear. 

“It's under control, Dad,” Yang replied a second before her arms hugged him from the other side of Mars. 

He wished he could say his episode was shocking, but, while he couldn't consciously remember his past, his heart did. And his heart had deep scars. The only silver lining was that this wasn't his worst reaction. After all…

… He wasn't trying to kill anyone in a blind rage this time.

He rode the wave of misery as it crested and waned, taking a deep breath as the second part of the Suggestion pushed for. Much to his relief, both for himself and his guilt for inflicting this on the others, this particular agony was short-lived. Granted, he was ignoring the… trigger phrase, but it was a pleasant surprise when his emotions rolled toward relaxation after half a minute. He kept taking deep breaths to help his body come down from its tension.

“What was that about?” Yang inquired. 

With a deep sigh, he murmured, “Another part of my past haunting me.”

Yang sighed with him. “You have a lot of those.”

“Too many,” Ruby agreed, looking at him with open concern. 

Mars, Yip is a genius: they fooled Sim into linking this universe and the other's Ruby's universe by having Yip's parallel universe self, the Goatherd, send a suggestion to you from that universe. (From HT.)

Huh? With his spirit calming down, he had a moment to think about this message. Well, more like he was eager to pivot to something far less stressful to ponder. Though, he hadn’t answered an earlier message too. Focus. I don’t get it. The Contract transfers messages across the Multiverse, right, but I thought it was supposed to only be between two universes. Not three. …right? He hesitated and then poked the metaphysical bear. Right, Sim? 

…what Henry says is true. Yip is acting like a transmitter between your universe and the Ruby you met in the crossroads. 

Mars blinked. I, because she also signed the Contract? 

It is a different Contract, but it operates on similar principles to yours, and Yip is an active Cosigner there as well. So, yes. 

Mars’ active memory wasn’t even two weeks old. In that short of time, he had only a few established pillars of expectations to form his new life upon. One of those pillars crumbled as he considered the ramifications of being connected to… well, yet another Multiversal self. He never expected to connect with another one outside of the Ruby hugging him. Outside of the Cosigners, he had thought his interaction with the Multiverse was over. Those firm boundary lines blurred right in front of him. The earlier recruitment pitch in a different universe had been a one-off. Now? For all he knew, Yip or the other Cosigners could communicate between himself and countless other versions of himself.

He… really didn’t know how to feel about that. 

“All better?” Ruby asked. 

He looked down into her silver eyes, innocent of his newest existential headache. “...I think so?” 

She smiled. “Good.” She tilted her head as her smile grew larger. “Is it okay to ask what the Botds are saying now?”

He stared at her, thinking about what he just learned. 

I've never liked how folks throw around the words 'god' or 'goddess' speaking of someone who is only mighty in but one way; the likes of M- and Wizards may well be mighty, but there is only one Almighty—and thus, it is written:

"I am Being, and there is no other; besides Me, there is no God.

(I am Being, and there is no other; the One making light and readying darkness, making frith and readying woe, from Merovée Charles Louis Pépin, Th.D.) 

“I’m getting theological lessons,” Mars blurted. That reminded him of Merry’s previous question, the one he asked during Tai’s tirade. The Ten Commandments… they sound familiar, but I don’t remember any of them. 

“Theology?” Ruby repeated. “Botds have theology?”

“This one does,” He emphatically agreed. “He goes by the name of Merry. He’s been sending me theological lessons for… almost a week now.” 

“How many aliens do you know the name of?” Yang asked. 

“Some of them. Or, a couple of them use names when they send me messages. Not sure if they’re real or not, but it’s not like I can tell one way or another.” 

Ruby’s mood brightened back toward her earlier cheerful brilliance. “You're friends with them?” 

It was a simple and straightforward question. One that completely outflanked his mind. There had always been this distance between him and the Cosigners. Not just the metaphysical, but their power to push and test his will threw any normal relationship out the window. 

There's nothing normal about my relationship with the Bonders, another thought countered. Are none of them friends? 

…He didn't know.

Coco disliked him, Blake was distant, Suki was… something else, Velvet was a stranger, Cheri a danger, while Yang and Ruby were family… kinda. He couldn't claim an honest friendship among them. He felt the same way about the Cosigners. They were connected to him in a way no one else could be. Bond had saved his life, Henry had resurrected Angel, Merry had tied Mars to Cinder, while Yip, Kali, Xor and more encouraged, empowered, and helped him. 

“I… don't know.” He reached for some kind of answer, slipped, and repeated one of his doubts. “Hard to get friends when you can only talk with them with, uh, dimensional telegrams, you know?” 

Ruby smiled. “That just makes them interdimensional pen pals!” 

The answer was so simple and obvious that he felt like an idiot for not thinking it. 

I don't believe that the Bonds can reach a level of power that they would consider godly; at most that of a demi-god practically is the limit I imagine. (From Henry.)

If there was such a limit, that would be a blessing. 

Not that he believed in such a thing. The stream of Vitalis was admittedly low compared to what Angel used to harvest, but it wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. He had no reason to believe there were limits, not when he already viewed this path as a means to reclaim his past divine strength. My only real hope is to suppress it and let it die out naturally when I and the other Bonders die of old age. 

A morbid thought, but he moved away from it. He didn’t want Ruby asking about it. Even if it meant turning back to the thorny issue of his relationship with the Cosigners. “I… guess you have a point.”

Ruby beamed. 

Yang piped in with some concern. “It’s a bit weird, especially when they keep trying to make him do stuff.”

“But they don’t try to hurt him.” Ruby turned to him. “Right? They’re not mean.”

“Most aren’t,” he agreed. “There was one or two that tried to get me to do evil things, but I haven’t heard from them in a while. It’s mostly the ones who are trying to help me. Although, there’s nothing to stop new Cosigners coming in and restarting all of that.”

“Then just ask the nice Cosigners to stop the bad ones. And if you’re friends with all of the good ones, then they’d have to help you out.”

He stared at Ruby. …is it really that simple? I have been asking for help, and they’ve been trying. It’s just… I’ve just been kind of doing it on a case-by-case basis. Never thought of it as an on-going, permanent strategy for… well, for the rest of my life. But… it’s not a bad idea. 

Yang leaned forward to look straight at her sister. “Yeah, I have a question. Who are you and what have you done with my sister? Because my Ruby has a panic attack every time I introduce her to someone new at school or church.”

Mars, I have an important warning: Arthur Watts, a former minion of Salem, has discovered revolutionary technology for Remnant by killing a minion of Roman that had technology from you and is heading to Vale to try to learn where it came from. (From Henry.)

He only briefly recognized the irony of getting help as he was thinking about establishing an official policy of asking for Cosigner-protection before his alarm shot up. “What!?” 

The sisters’ bickering came to an immediate end. “What is it?” Yang prodded. 

His head whirled toward the younger sister. “Ruby, is my Old World tech safe?” 

Caught off-guard by his intense, almost furious expression, she wavered. “I… think so?”

Jaw set, panic growing, he snapped his gaze to the rear rearview mirror. “Tai! Was there a break-in at your house?” 

Tai frowned as he regarded the younger man. “That’s Taiyang to you.” Mars winced at the barb. “And no. I was home most of the time you were gone. No one broke in.” 

Mars flipped through memories, trying to find a moment where he had been too careless with the Old World tech. 

“Mars, what's wrong?” 

He held up a finger at Yang. “Give me a second, I need to think.” 

Nothing immediately came up. He had always been careful to account for everything, either when traveling or storing it. He did stay at a sketchy hotel, so maybe something was swiped then? Who stole it again? A minion of Roman. 

His head snapped toward Cheri. 

Mars, my identity has split into two different entities: Henry and HT due to my difference in behavior and attitude in your universe and the other universe we've been talking about. (From Henry.)

“What?” He tried to wrap his mind around that. For a second before he switched to the pressing issue. “Cheri!” 

She didn't move. 

With a scowl, he undid his seatbelt and pushed up into the front half. Cheri stared out the car, hiding her face from him. “Cheri, did you steal something from me?” 

She ignored him. 

He lunged at her with an arm. Her hand snapped out, grabbing his wrist before twisting his arm until his arm threatened to break. He grunted, surprised by the violent escalation. On that same arm, his hand had a crimson mark of a fire, one of the few abilities he had gifted himself with Vitalis. 

Fire snarled around his wrist as he activated his pyrokinesis.

Pink Aura flashed around her hand a second before she let go. He extinguished the fire among the surprised and angry shouts from the other occupants. Her head jerked toward him before he could grab her. “All I took was a weird battery! That's all. Did it while you were fucking Cinder.” She swung her head away from him. 

“A battery?” He settled back into his seat as he thought about that answer. When he first arrived on Remnant, he went over all the gear he had. ‘Battery’ felt both right and wrong to him. If it was what he was thinking of, he had more in Ruby’s room. He didn't remember what those things did exactly, but his emotions bristled against a sense of danger. 

Yang's lilac eyes bounced between him and Cheri. “She took something from you?”

“Alien technology?” Ruby added. He nodded. “Did she take it from home?” 

“No, she took it when, when,” he stuttered as a light blush dusted his cheeks. “When I was distracted. Not your fault, Ruby.”

His self-censorship did a piss poor job of hiding the truth. The blush spread to her cheeks as she awkwardly looked out the window. On the other side of him, Yang leveled a flat stare. 

I, Henry, am more benevolent and kind, hoping to be a genuine friend of sorts to you, while my other counterpart, HT, is power-hungry and less moral than me.

…the Cosigners are human, right? Humans can’t split themselves into two beings.

“So,” Yang asked. “How bad is it that a battery got away?

That killed his flush. “There's been a murder.” 

Cheri whirled around in her seat. “Who!? NotRomanright? Hewasfinethismorn-”

Mars dropped his head as his mind struggled to parse out the runaway thoughts. He got the gist of it by picking out the name out of the bunch. “No, not him. I don't have the name of the victim.”

“What about the murderer?” Tai demanded. 

Taking care to not look Cheri in the face, Mars maneuvered his gaze up to the rearview mirror. “Arthur Watts.” 

Tai glanced at the mirror and met his gaze as his mouth thinned. “...I don’t know that name.”

“I don’t know anything about him besides his name,” Mars said.

“We need to stop him!” Ruby announced. 

“You,” Tai countered. “Only need to be worried about getting ready for Beacon next week. Leave this to the proper authorities. Mars, can you tell me anything about this crime? Where did it happen? Who was the victim?” 

“I don't know, the Cosigners didn't say. I only know that the victim was…” He glanced at Cheri. 

She cocked an eyebrow back at him. “You better be careful about what you say. Every Huntsman is just a cop with extra steps.” 

He focused on the mirror. Not that it helped. Tai had noticed how he trailed off and, with the current red light, was aiming quite the suspicious stare at Mars. He tried to come up with something, but he stumbled over thoughts as the silence dragged. Worse, he couldn't mention Watts’ background either. Not with the ladies here. 

He took too long. 

You shouldn't hear much from HT since he is more involved in the other universe, but do not trust him at all if he talks to you. (From Henry.)

And that is getting really confusing. 

“Mars.” Tai's voice was low and threatening. “You wouldn't be thinking of hiding anything important from me, would you?”

The funny part was, Tai didn't know about the several days where Mars had alternated between a reluctant vigilante and an even more reluctant professional criminal. Even funnier, everyone else in the car knew about that episode. Yang spoke up, “Dad, maybe-”

“Not now, honey, this is official business.”

Trapped, Mars cracked. He couldn't come up with a good lie or a way to weasel through. So, he opted for a phrase he knew would get Tai to back off. “Team STRQ.” 

Tai flinched, Yang's mood hardened, and Ruby's curiosity shot up. “You said-” 

“No one's dead,” Mars reassured. “But can we talk about this later? In private?” 

Another stop light let them lock gazes for a long, silent moment. Mars willed Tai to give him a break just this once. When the light turned green, Tai looked away. “...fine.” 

“No.” Mars grimaced, turning toward Yang. As feared, her face formed an angry scowl. “No, let's talk about it right now, with all of us here.” 

“We're not talking about this in front of a stranger,” Tai ordered. 

Mars winced as he could feel Yang's temper rising, but it was Ruby who protested, “Mars isn't a stranger!” 

“I'm talking about her.” Tai pointed at Cheri. 

Satisfied that Roman was safe and she was out of trouble, Cheri had gone back to slouching in the seat. She gave a little, sleepy wave to Ruby. Chastened, Ruby shrank in her seat. “Oh… that makes sense.” 

Yang did not share that meekness. She skewered Mars with a look of open betrayal, her eyes flashing red for a moment. “Excuses,” she spat. “We will have that talk.” 

Both Mars and Tai chose to retreat into silence. 

Hmm... suddenly I find myself with reason to intervene in the ongoings of your existence Crimson, not out of sound reasoning, but... any pretentiousness aside, I would like to suggest that you look into assisting Ruby (specifically) in gaining any useful additional ability on top of her semblance, like you did with your pyrokinesis. (I feel like she will need it the most out of everyone, especially if someone (Cinder or Neo) finds out that she has more Vitalis than the both of them combined. From Cell.) 

A brand-new Cosigner. 

And Cell's first move was a guilt trip. 

He grunted as he felt the compulsion press his spirit. His happy mood had taken a beating, and his body was getting sleepy in spite of the mid-afternoon sun, his rhythm still ruined by the Wilds. Worse, his will faltered. He had sworn to protect and ease the lives of Ruby and Yang. He could bless Ruby with a kinetic ability, one that didn't rely on Qi to fuel it. That would still be available if her Aura broke. 

His hand rose at the Suggestion's desire. His fingers drew down the air. They swung around to complete the cross.

Ruby's hand slipped around his fingers and held them in place. He shuddered as he endured until the compulsion petered out. He looked over at Ruby. She smiled at him with intensely curious eyes. “That was a close one! What did they want you to do?” 

His mouth spoke a second before a second thought could consider what he was about to say. “A Cosigner wanted me to give you another power.”

Her silver eyes went wide. “Another power?”

The second thought arrived: maybe we shouldn’t mention handing out power-ups aloud? Too late to take back what he said, he could only nod. 

She leaned in close to him as raw glee zapped across their bond. “Like a superhero? You could turn me into a superhero?” Her voice rose higher and higher, until it was a throbbing squeak. The stars in her eyes could rival the sun. 

“Hey!” Yang called out from the other side. “If you’re giving out superpowers, I call dibs!”

“Yang!” Ruby cried out, briefly sparing Mars from those gleaming eyes. “The Botds said I should get a superpower!”

 “You're only fifteen!” 

“Petra was in high school when she became Arachne! And she's just the best of the teenager superheroes! With a superpower, I could become,” she said before twisting in her seat. Gaze firmly toward the sky, she pressed fists against her hips. “The Huntress!” 

Up front, Cheri, a professional criminal, loudly snorted. 

“Laaaaame!” Yang added. Despite the loud complaint, he could feel her bitter frustration melting. 

“Sweetie.” Tai glanced at the mirror. “Any Huntress can choose to work with law enforcement.”

“I know, but this is different!” Ruby insisted. “Everyone can only get one Semblance that relies on Qi. Mars can give me a real superpower” she turned those excited eyes onto him. “You'll do it, right?” Her excitement was infectious. 

That was bad. He had to fight to not get swept up in her dreams. “Uhhhh.”

Mars, Raven is still mad with existential dread, please use whatever method you deem fit to tranquilize her so Angel can get to work on healing his ex and preventing her from murdering you. (From Bond.)

He blinked. Murder? I know she was upset, and Henry said she attacked Angel, but Angel's fine, and I haven't done anything to her. Why would she want to murder me? 

Since he had been given explicit choice of completing this Suggestion, he felt no compulsion. He considered for a few more seconds. The Cosigners had exaggerated things before. He'd make it a point to talk to Angel later about what had happened with Raven, and that was fine for now.

“I want to fly!” 

Ruby was quick to yank his attention. His lips twitched as her overwhelming eagerness  charged his own soul. “Fly?” 

Ruby nodded her head so hard, so fast, it looked like she was about to snap her neck. “All the greatest superheroes fly. It's practically a requirement to be in the big leagues!” 

“There aren't any leagues in reality, Ruby,” Yang deadpanned. 

“Yaaaaannnnggg!” Ruby whined. “Stop trying to crush my hopes and dreams!” 

“Ruby,” Tai chided. “The real problem is that vigilanteism is illegal. You can't become a Huntress from a jail cell.” 

Ruby flinched back as though physically struck. “But-but I'd be a superhero! Who would want to arrest me!?” 

Yang leveled a pointed stare at Mars. “Probably the same people who want to arrest that guy who rampaged through the gangs last week.” 

Mars panicked. He waved his hands below the mirror's perspective as he peeked at the driver. To his relief, Tai's eyes were on the road. 

I compel you to ponder about goats at least once when nothing requires your immediate attention (from, Yalini of Wool; formerly Yip).

“Goats?” Mars muttered. He felt the power-up, but without a compulsion. It was strange because he was sure Yip hadn't disabled compulsions on… his? Hers? Its? Suggestions. He didn't know where the compulsion went to, or how to make sense of Yip's previous Suggestion. 

Oh, and a name change on top of it all. 

“Goats?” Ruby repeated. “What about goats?” 

He shrugged. “One of the Cosigners wanted me to think about goats.”

Yang's face scrunched up as she puzzled over it. “Like, in general or…?” 

“Just… goats.”

Yang blinked. “Weirdly random.” 

“Is that one of the nice Cosigners?” Ruby asked.

“Yeah.” 

“Then, nothing wrong with it. Now!” She leaned forward with hungry eyes. “Please give me the ability to fly!” 

He really wanted to ask how much longer it'd take before they could arrive at the restaurant. Relief, of a kind, charged in from Yang. “Hey! If she's getting a superpower, I get one too! It's only fair!” 

“What kind of superpower would you get?” Ruby prodded. “Aren't you powerful enough already?” 

“Who wouldn't want to fly!” Yang countered. 

“Copycat!” 

“I didn't say what I would pick that one, only that everyone wants to fly.”

“Then what would you pick?” 

“Well first, I have to know what the limits are.” His moment in the eye of the storm ended when those lilac irises engulfed him. “So, what are the limits?” A sly smirk slid over her face. “If there aren't any, why stop at a superpower? How about godhood? I think I'd make a kickass goddess of fire and puns.” 

“Yang! That's heresy!”

Ruby's cry did not distract Yang's attention. He kept his face still. A panicked scream never escaped his mind.

But the damn bond announced it to her soul!

Her smirk froze. 

The name of the German tongue is spelled with a G, like that other word for a full rather than half-sibling. (This is since German and English—our name for what you call Vytal—are themselves sibling tongues.)

“Hey Ruby!” He announced, jerking his head toward her with enough force to pop it. “Did you know Jerman is spelled with a G?” 

“Eh?” She slightly tilted her head as puzzlement played out on her face. “Duh! How am I supposed to know that when you don't spell it? I mean, good to know, I guess, but you need to stop dodging the flying!” 

Yang said nothing. He could feel her gaze lancing into the back of his head as her mood switched from teasing to disbelief. By some miracle, Ruby hadn't noticed the mood change, In spite of having her own, weak bond to her sister. It wouldn't last forever unless he did something.  “What kind of flying?” He blurted out. 

“Huh?” Taken aback, Ruby blurted right back. “What kind of question is that? Just, whoosh!” She thrust both of her arms up against the car ceiling. 

“Well, there are several kinds.” He knew he was rambling. But Ruby was distracted, so he threw himself into it. “I fly by concentrating my pyrokinesis beneath my feet and forming essentially jet engines. Dana has wings, so there's that. And what are you talking about is kind of, just, ignoring gravity whenever you want.” 

“We're here!” Taiyang called out. He eyed Mars. “You done talking with… the others?” 

Mars paused, taking stock. “I'm not sure. Give me half a minute, and I should know.” 

Tai grunted. “Don't turn my daughter into a Faunus.” Both of his daughters gasped, and he threw out an explanation. “It'd be impossible to explain without announcing who Mars really is.”

Indignant replies withered before they could bloom. “Oh,” Ruby muttered. “But would that be such a bad thing?” 

“I don't know,” Yang said sarcastically. “Do you want to be surrounded by crowds and crowds of worshippers coming to see him? Or be buried by hordes of fans? Because the moment they connect us to Crimson, I'm betting you'll be more popular than the Saints.”

Ruby blanched and bit her lip. Yet, she didn't seem fully convinced. After a moment, it hit him that the last Suggestion was the last Suggestion for this session. He breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s over.”

“Good,” Tai called out before opening his car door. “Let’s eat.”

Chapter Text

Since cookies had yet to be displaced as Ruby's favorite food, it wasn't too surprising that the restaurant she picked was famous for its desserts. La Bella Sirena may be a pizzeria first, but it also boasted jumbo-sized desserts fresh from the oven.

Including platter-sized cookies. 

Talk of superpowers was tabled as everyone exited Zippy. Waiting for them on the sidewalk next to the restaurant were two familiar figures. Goldana Matisse smiled and waved at everyone. A mane of golden hair washed down her back and over her golden-feathered wings. She wore a blue flight suit with red lines accentuating her appearance, the blue matching her eyes. Natsuki Silas offered a more modest smile and a courtesy wave. One of her bunny ears flicked above her silver locks as she stared at Mars with one green and one purple eye, past the three claw scars across her face. The black catsuit and boots were as practical as Dana's flight suit but far less inspiring. 

Both of their smiles wavered. For Natsuki, it was when her mismatched eyes landed on Cheri. For Goldana, it was when she noted Yang. “Everything alright?” 

Yang's mood had been lingering in quiet ‘disbelief’. “Hm? Uh, yeah, just a lot going on, you know?” 

Mars breathed a sigh of relief. If I can just convince her it was nothing, maybe I can contain it. His head twitched to the side, barely resisting the urge to look over his shoulder. The soul bonds didn't just convey powerful emotions but also gave both sides a directional knowledge of where the other was. He knew that less than a city block away, a certain cat Faunus was nearing. Why she was trying to sneak toward them, he wasn't sure. She was someone else he really needed to have a private talk with. If only she hadn't already realized it. 

“Is something wrong, Yang?” 

Both Yang and Mars flinched at Goldana's innocent question. Which only made them stand out more. Yang threw on a big grin. “Oh, you know, just thinking about, uh, certain things that gets the ol’ noggin worked up. You know what I'm talking about, right, Rubes?” 

“Huh?” Ruby's face brightened. “Oh yeah! Mars is gonn-”

“Girls!” Taiyang barked. “Some conversations are supposed to be private. Let's just go inside and start eating.” 

Mars didn't know if he was relieved or doomed. On the one hand, there was a small chance Yang hadn't caught his slip, and her friends were definitely on the wrong trail. On the other hand, they definitely were going to find out that he was thinking about giving out powers. Why does all of this keep slipping out? 

For now, he had a reprieve as the celebratory party entered the pizzeria. The hearty smell of cooked meat and greasy bread welcomed him into the eatery. Late afternoon on a Friday equaled a packed house as children howled and laughed, parents maintained what discipline they could, and teenagers breaking wallets as they fought for slices. The restaurant decked itself in red, green, and white checkerboards as floor tiles, as table tops, and in advertisements. The walls featured a sea-green color and nautical décor. Just inside the doors, a statue of a fish Faunus woman curled her fingers invitingly with one hand, while the other held out a plastic pizza. Overall, the place was filled with life and cheesiness. 

The romp–filled innocence of this place lit a smile on his face. 

Taiyang swapped words with a waitress before they followed her to one of the larger tables. The path turned into a low-key obstacle course as Mars had to dodge running kids and runaway pranks. After ducking beneath a flying meatball, he arrived at the table. By his side, Cheri munched on a breadstick. 

“Where'd you get that?” 

She jabbed a lazy thumb over her shoulder. “Back there, somewhere. You should sit down, so the fight can start.” 

“Huh?” He absentmindedly reached out for the back of a chair. “A figh-?”

“Nats, no!” 

Taiyang had walked around the table to make it easier for everyone else to sit down. That simple and straightforward generosity wasn't shared. To his left, Natsuki gripped the next chair with Yang pointing at her. Natsuki's exotic eyes looked upon her friend with faux innocence, a rabbit ear twitching toward him. “Is there a problem, Yang?” 

Yang scowled. “No Semblances at the table!” 

Natsuki was unrepentant. “You can't prove I was going to use my Semblance,” she declared in a perfectly neutral voice.

“Uh-huh, no one's falling for it.” Yang pried off Natsuki's hand from the chair. “I'll sit next to him.”

Natsuki crossed her arms. “You got to ride with him. It's only fair.”

On the other side, Ruby and Goldana awkwardly stared at each other. “Ummm,” Goldana ventured. “Were you going to sit there?”

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, you know, I figured, and we were talking about something before…”

“Was it important?” Goldana pressed. 

“Girls!” Taiyang called out. “How about you sit with your old man, huh? This will be our last week together before you two go off to Beacon.” 

Both of his daughters looked at him before glancing at Mars. That didn't improve Taiyang's mood. At all. Ever helpful, Cheri sauntered up to Taiyang and sarcastically patted his shoulder, loudly chewing the breadstick. “There, there, old man. Just accept you've been traded out, and move on and do… whatever old people do. Whine and die?” 

Mars flinched at that callous barb. Taiyang may have not heard it, but Cheri's body language was all too easy to read. He glared down. “Shouldn’t you be sitting next to him? And where'd you get that breadstick?” 

“Dad,” Yang punched back. “We've lived with you our whole lives. You can go one meal without us.” 

Mars didn't need a soul bond to see how that hit harder than Yang intended. The older man wilted. “I just did,” he muttered morosely. 

Everyone (except Cheri) winced. Mars twice as much as he was jolted by Yang’s and Ruby’s spike of guilt. Goldana abandoned her polite dispute with Ruby as she hurried over to Taiyang. She patted his other arm. Unlike Cheri, the gesture was warm and affectionate. She smiled warmly at him. “I'll sit with you, Uncle Tai.” 

That lifted his spirits a bit as he tried to smile back. Yang crossed her arms as she caved with a sigh. “Alright, fine, I’ll sit with you, Dad. But someone else needs to sit next to Mars to keep Nats at bay.”

“I resent that.”

“Dad.” Ruby fiddled with her fingers, head tilted down, peering at him through her bangs. “Is it okay if I still sit with Mars? We are here to celebrate both of us getting into Beacon, right? It’d only make sense for us to sit together. And I’ll make sure we spend extra time during the Ascension Festival.”

The flat look Taiyang shot Mars suggested otherwise. Yet, the father crossed his arms and caved with a sigh. “Alright, Ruby.”  Ruby brightened with a relieved smile. He looked down at Cheri. “You should sit next to your boyfriend.”

“More like my ticket to power, old man.” Cheri shrugged and skipped over to Yang, who kept an annoyed Natsuki at bay. 

Mars frowned at her, but all of that was forgotten when the waitress next to the table cheerfully announced, “So, would y’all like some drinks?” 

Embarrassment dealt a hand to everyone, except Cheri, as they were forcibly reminded that they were in a very public setting. To the waitress’ credit, she maintained a warm smile as Taiyang coughed. “What do you have?”

Drink orders followed as they all settled in chairs. Cheri and Ruby flanked Mars, while Yang and Goldana sat next to Taiyang. Natsuki’s mood soured as she had to sit between Yang and Cheri. Mars was the next to order. “Water, please.” 

Ruby tilted her head. “Not a fan of soda?”

He glanced over the beverage list. “I, uh, don’t know what they are.”

“Oh! Right, then you should try what I’m getting.” She leaned over and tapped on his menu. “A fruit punch sarsi! It’s so tasty.”

“And has enough sugar to cause a small heart attack,” Yang quipped. 

“Yang!” Ruby whined. “We’re celebrating!” 

A conspiratorial grin sneaked onto the older sister’s face. “Don’t blame me if your sugar crash ends with you waking up to a new moustache.” 

Ruby pointed a finger. “You swore you’d never do that again! I’m not nine anymore! I’m about to become a real Huntress!” 

The restaurant started to quiet down as families finished their meals, the zenith of the dinner rush fading away. Mars paused as he felt one of the Bonders approach the restaurant. It was a slow, measured approach at odds with her intense feelings of anxiety and bewilderment with flashes of indignation. As a level one bond, it didn't compare to Ruby’s ongoing enthusiasm, more like a persistent itch. But why is she approaching now?

Mars was distracted with a poke against his arm. He looked over to see Cheri pointing at the menu. “Tell her I want a root beer.” Command delivered, Cheri swung her tired face away from him. 

He looked up to see the waitress patiently waiting. “I’ll try the fruit punch sarsi, and she’ll have a root beer.”

Ruby instantly broke off from her bickering to smile at him. “You won’t regret it, it’s my favorite drink! I’m sure you’ll love it.”

“Will he?” Eyes swung over to Natsuki who’s mismatched irises studied him intently. “We all know his relation to you Ruby, but he isn’t you. He might hate it.”

Ruby gasped, wounded. “That’s not true. Don’t most twins have the same likes and dislikes?”

“Some do,” Taiyang piped in, though he was a bit delicate about it. “But some twins turn out to be complete opposites, despite looking exactly like each other.”

Yang stared at her father very intently.

“He wields a scythe, just like me,” Ruby countered, ignoring her sister’s mood.

“His affinity for fire is more like Yang, though,” Goldana’s calm voice added. 

“He wears red and black like me!” Ruby declared.

Natsuki glared at Cheri. “He has girl trouble like Yang has boy trouble.”

That shook Yang from her intense thoughts. “I. Do. Not!” Yang barked.

Taiyang’s head swiveled straight at her. His voice was deep, low, and thick with danger. “Is there something I should know, sweetie?”

“Nats is overly exaggerating!” Yang protested. “I’ve only kissed a few guys, that’s all.” 

“A few?” Taiyang’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you only had two boyfriends at Signal?”

Mars tried to evade this conversation by studying the menu thoroughly. It’d be easier if he knew what any of these pizzas tasted like. His installed knowledge also didn’t tell him what a calzone was. But, no matter how closely he read the options, his ears couldn’t help but hear what was going on around him. 

Ruby was content to let her sister fend for herself as she continued to debate Natsuki. “He has a speed Semblance like me.”

“He does,” Natsuki admitted. “But as Dana points out, it leaves fire behind instead of rose petals. Since Semblances are a deep reflection of the soul, that alone should prove he’s not going to have all of the same tastes as you.” 

Ruby crossed her arms and huffed. “Well, we’ll see about that! Mars!” He looked up over the menu, wary of being dragged in, even as curious as he was about the discussion. “You like pineapple-and-pepperoni pizza, right?” 

Natsuki scrunched up her face. “It's a bad pizza.”

Ruby pressed forward. “We’ll have the same order, and you’ll see that he’ll like everything I do, and that’ll prove it!”

“People can like the same things,” Natsuki countered. “The question is if he’ll like it in the same way. He should sample as many different flavors as he can. Then we’ll see the truth of the matter.”

“Fine!” Another brandished finger. “I accept your challenge!”

“It’s not a challenge, Ruby, just a little science experiment.”

The waitress returned and passed out drinks. Pizza orders were handed back. Taiyang, Yang, and Goldana agreed to split up a deep-dish meat lover’s pizza. Ruby dutifully asked for a pan pineapple-and-pepperoni for herself and Mars. More out of a sense of duty, Mars turned to Cheri to ‘hear’ her order. Only to find the woman resting her head in her hand. She drooped, eyes closed, and only a twitch saved her from face-planting into the table. A small, vindictive smile died on his lips when her Aura shimmered. If she falls asleep, her Semblance cuts out, and everyone in this restaurant will see a professional criminal eating with us! 

His poke was quick and harder than necessary. Her face snapped toward him in blunt annoyance. “I'm awake! Keep your hands to yourself until I tell you otherwise!” 

“What pizza do you want?” 

Her tired glare lasted a few seconds, her thoughts ranting about payback before a mischievous smirk took over. “Get me anchovies.” 

She swung her face away from him before he could ask for more details. She was up to something, but he wasn't in a mood to press the issue. 

“Supreme, please,” Natsuki said. 

“She wants anchovies,” Mars announced. 

“Anchovies?” Ruby repeated, blinking. “What's that?” 

“Fish.” Taiyang eyed Cheri, expression of curious suspicion. 

“Anything else?” The waitress checked. 

Taiyang watched Cheri for another second before shaking his head. “No, we're good, thank you.” 

A yawn interrupted his thoughts. Cheri might be more exhausted, but he wasn't too far behind. “Hang in there, Mars,” Yang called out. “It's straight home after this.”

“Yep!” Ruby popped. “We'll have a nice, soft bed waiting for you in the guest room.” 

Mars smiled, but he doubted it. There was a big surprise waiting for them on Patch. Taiyang grunted. “Maybe he should sleep on the couch.”

Both daughters scowled at him. “Dad,” Yang chided. “This is the exact reason we have a guest room.” 

He grunted again. “Then make sure your bedroom door is locked every night until he moves into Beacon.” 

“DAD!” Both cried out. 

For his part, Mars looked away and did everything he could to distract himself from the current conversation.

…which turned out to be a lot easier when he realized a Bonder had entered the restaurant. And was in the men's restroom no less. Since all of the Bonders were female, that meant… 

“I have to go to the bathroom,” he declared before making his escape. Not that it was much of an escape considering the situation he was moving towards. The bathroom was decently-sized for the restaurant, three urinals and three stalls, and matched the nautical theme. A couple of small, arm-sized vents for A/C and heating. No windows or other points of exit. By some miracle, the place was empty.

Following his soul bond, he marched over to the last stall against the wall, footsteps echoing off the tile. No sooner had he stepped in front of the stall did the door swing open before two pale hands snapped out and yanked him in. Amber eyes burned into him. Not Cinder's, but Blake Belladonna's. None of his relationships could be called normal, but his and Blake's was a different flavor of complicated. Angel had befriended her mother, Kali. Mars had hoped to start a similar friendship with Blake, but it hadn't worked out. The two may have looked very similar, same eyes, night-silk hair, same cat ears, and even a similar affinity for black-and-white clothing. 

Yet, that was where the similarities ended. Blake wore her hair long, a bow to hide her Faunus trait, and modern clothing that showed plenty of skin. Kali preferred her hair short, traditional robes, gold earrings to emphasize her feline ears, and dressed modestly. Their personalities were opposite. Kali was warm, friendly, and mischievous versus Blake's cool, wary, and curious. Most of all was how well they handled the spiritual, the supernatural. Kali had taken it all in stride, becoming Angel's high priestess. Blake had flailed and had walked away from him. 

Only to somehow be roped into rescuing him from the Wilds. 

“Blake,” he whispered after she shoved the stall door close behind him. “What are you doing here?” 

“Are you making a pantheon?” She demanded, her gaze a little intimidating given the hint of mania. 

His tongue tripped over itself before he managed a mangled, “What?” 

She scowled. “Are you creating a pantheon?” 

“Blake, when I said we'd talk later, I didn't mean in the Men's restroom!” 

“Just answer the question,” she hissed. 

She wasn't angry. Her mood kept bouncing between anxiety, confusion, panic, and fear. But not anger. “Blake,” he said as gently as he could. “You need to calm do-”

Her hands slammed down on his shoulders before her fingers dug into his shoulders. One eye twitching, she said, just as gently, “Answer. The. Question.” 

Okay, now she was angry. Deciding that she might have needed a treat to be lured closer to sanity, he answered, “No, I have no intention of creating a pantheon. I’m going to keep it under wraps and just let it die quietly with me of old age.”

The ‘anger’ traded places with ‘relief’ as her amber eyes softened. Her grip on his shoulders slackened. For the first time since this…kidnapping? Encounter, she didn’t have a manic look in her eye. That lasted all of a moment before ‘suspicion’ stabbed at him. “Then why did you make Neo a Bonder!?” 

He gritted his teeth as rage punched him in the gut. He may not go on a murderous rampage anymore, but he was far from healed on that touchy subject. He forced a deep breath into his lungs. Then another. Worse, his emotional spike hadn’t gone unnoticed. ‘Concern’ signaled him from Ruby and Yang. Natsuki swung toward ‘suspicious’ herself. 

His breathing and mood was halfway back to normal when the bathroom door opened. Several rowdy teenagers sauntered in, babbling loudly about whatever. He glanced toward the noise and then back at Blake, a whole new kind of stress afflicting him. Blake looked back at him, her bow twitching, the reality of the embarrassing situation she’d forced both of them into finally dawning on her. “This is just like…” she muttered, cheeks flaring, before trailing off. Instead, she stepped back and up onto the toilet, placing a single finger over her lips. 

Stall doors thundered as one teenager clomped into one. Something poked at the back of his mind. Something he felt like he had forgotten. It didn’t help that he could sense more confusion coming from the other Bonders. Natsuki was moving away from the table and toward the bathrooms. At least she’d respect bathroom boundaries, right!? 

The stall door, the only thing standing between him and Blake and discovery, swung inward.

Oh right, neither he or Blake had locked it, had they?

Mind blank with panic, Mars’ body reacted automatically. He palm-struck the door back the other way. A bang of pounded metal with a slight screech heralded the door swinging back into the teen, who grunted. “Dude, what the hell!?” 

In a voice that totally didn’t have a shrill note, Mars howled, “Occupied!”

“Dude! Lock the door next time! Unless you’re one of those freaks who’s into that sort of thing.”

The insult bounced off of Mars. His time was better spent swinging his head back toward Blake and glaring at her. She had the courtesy to look abashed as her amber eyes focused on tracking the guys instead of acknowledging his silent accusation. At his silence, the teens dropped a few more insults before returning their attention to themselves, mostly about what they were going to do after eating. Mars crooked his finger at Blake. Still not looking at him, she shook her head. He mimed cat ears above his head before pointing at his throat and miming lowering the volume. She hesitated before bending towards him.

Positioning his mouth next to her bow, he said in the fewest decibels possible, “We’ll talk later. How did you even get in here?”

He turned his ear toward her. She forced him to wait half a minute before she finally whispered back, “I got lucky. Place was busy enough for me to slip in among the crowd without anyone noticing.”

“That won’t work twice. Restaurant’s clearing out.” He paused as he looked worriedly toward the bathroom door. “Natsuki is waiting outside.”

She grimaced. He wasn’t sure how well the Bonders knew each other from the rescue mission, but Blake at least understood that Natsuki liked to stick her nose into things and could be very stubborn about it. Heck, he didn’t know how long until either Ruby or Yang ventured over to make sure he was okay. He certainly wasn’t radiating ‘okay’! It’d be one thing if someone interrupted him in the bathroom. Annoying but fine. It was another thing entirely being caught in a stall with a girl. After the trouble he was in over Cheri and Cinder, he did not need to dig himself deeper into that hole. 

He tried to think of a plan to get them both out. It didn’t look good. The bathroom had no windows, no vents wide enough. He could exit just fine, but if anyone noticed Blake leaving…

That was when his attention shot toward the bathroom door. A fourth pair of shoes sauntered in, right as the teens were headed out. He cringed, knowing that the odds had decided his fate. Then realized this may be an opportunity in disguise. He took another deep breath, shoved down his sense of embarrassment, and stared at the door. The bathroom door closed as the new visitor stepped straight toward the stalls. 

And stopped right in front of theirs. 

Mars sighed and rolled his eyes, dropping his hand from pushing against the stall door. He winced when he realized he had left a hand indentation against it. Need to work on my Aura control. 

“What are you doing!?” Blake whispered in panic. 

The stall door was knocked open.

On the other side was a tall man in cowboy boots and hat with a pair of skinny jeans and an unbuttoned denim shirt. No chest hair, Mars immediately noticed, in spite of the ponytail of blonde hair. A strangled gasp escaped Blake’s lips. Mars fought off the sense of embarrassment, parrying with a greater sense of annoyance. 

The cowboy smirked. Blake was spared from the sarcastic whip of a woman’s voice, complete with a Western Valean twang. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” 

Ignoring his reddening face (okay, maybe his annoyance wasn't working that well), Mars replied, “Cheri.” 

Cheri snorted, eyes blinking from blue to green irises. “Mind explaining what you two were up to?” 

“Later, can you put an illusion over her and get her out?” He braced himself.

Cheri curled her head with a grin fit for a wolf eyeing its favorite treat. More disconcertingly, she had kept his gaze and had managed to keep her thoughts from ‘saying’ anything until she was ready. She was getting better at it, despite how tired she was. Or maybe it was because she was more than excited to have him at her mercy. “Favors aren’t free, Mars.”

“We’ll negotiate later. How long before they send Tai to come and check up on me? You’ll get nothing.”

Cowboy Cheri tsked. “Fine, you might as well skedaddle first, so I can collect on this here bounty. And I will collect, Mars.” 

“We’ll talk later, Blake,” he promised before hurrying out of the stall. 

Ruby was halfway between the table and the bathrooms. His swift exit put pause to Ruby, while Natsuki, leaning against the wall between the Men’s and Women’s restrooms, locked onto him. Her bunny ears pointed straight at him as she casually raised an eyebrow. “Something happened in there?” 

Oh.

Yeah.

Should have thought of a cover story before going back in public.

Fate granted him a smidgen of mercy when he noticed the waitress approaching the table with hands full of pizza. More than a smidgen. How long ago had they ordered? Well, whatever. “Food time!” He declared and hurried back to the table. He was becoming well-practiced at ignoring pointed looks stabbing his back. 

He did his best to not react when he sensed Blake and Cheri exit the bathroom. None of the other Bonders could sense each other, except Ruby and Yang, to each other. It was yet another thing he needed to address when he had a moment with them. For now, he listened as best as he could if Natsuki reacted to them leaving. 

“Mars?” Ruby ventured, tilting her head to one side as she watched his eager walk back to the table. “Everything okay?”

“Yep!” His cheeks were still red, weren’t they? Nothing he could do but plow forward. “Let’s eat!”

Behind him, Natsuki finally started coming back to the table. Her mood had yet to shift away from ‘suspicion’. But he could feel Cheri and Blake nearing the entrance. Cheri was ‘amused’, while Blake was ‘anxious’. 

“Mars!” Yang called out. “What happened in there?” 

“Later,” he chirped. “Food now.” 

Yang simmered, but it was Taiyang who got the next jab in. “Where's your girlfriend?” 

Mars twitched and fought to at least not look annoyed. His already-red cheeks couldn't give off any fake romantic impressions, at least. “Being herself.” Then couldn't resist trying to throw her under the bus. “We don't need to wait for her.” 

“No, no.” Mars didn't need a soul bond to sense the hint of vindicativeness in Taiyang's voice. “We should wait for her. It's only proper. You need to bless the food too, don't you?” 

Of all people to throw his complicated relationship with religion into his face, Mars hadn’t expected Taiyang to be that man. A part of Mars, the part that acted like Taiyang was a parent, both rolled over and cowered before the older man's displeasure. The rest of him was more puzzled than anything else. Taiyang hadn't seemed that religious, either as an older man with Mars or as a younger man with Angel. Stumbling, he nodded and mumbled, “Sure.” 

Goldana suffered from no such trepidation as she beamed at him. “We're quite blessed to have you pray for us.” 

Taiyang's expression muddled as he regarded his ‘niece’. Out of everyone here, Goldana was the most devout. Her mother, Reina, had been a dedicated believer of Manavism. More so than anyone knew. Though they would all learn tonight. Right here and now, Mars was left feeling weird and uncomfortable. He had never liked being worshipped in the first place. Having his niece, by blood, engage in it left him feeling so very awkward. 

Also didn't help that she didn't know her lineage yet. 

Not for long though. 

He nodded to her and took his seat. The smell of fish blasted him. He studied his pizza. He never had one before, but it didn't seem right that it smelled like fish when it took up so little of the cheesy surface. 

“Well, since she's not here.” Natsuki sat down next to him, one eye on his unclaimed hand. 

“Hey! What'd we say about that!” Yang protested. 

“I haven't done anything.” 

As that argument continued between blatant denial and energetic indignation, Mars took a moment to compare the pizzas. The anchovy pizza was the simplest with its single topping. Ruby’s was the next step-up as yellow rings of pineapple dotted among the red pepperonis. Natsuki’s supreme laid claim to the most colorful with various reds, greens, and even black olives spanning the spectrum. Yang and company’s meat-lovers, however, was the densest pizza. Only hints of cheese could be spotted among the flood of meat. He recognized ham, beef, and pepperoni, but the rest he wasn’t sure of. Oh and, for some reason, Taiyang pulled the dish as far away as he could from the anchovy pizza. Mars wanted to taste them all and couldn’t help but wonder why his old world, Adamah, didn’t seem to have pizza.

He could taste the fruit punch sarsi though. It was a red, fizzling drink. He picked up the cup, and Ruby was instantly on him. He glanced at her, half-amused, before taking a draught. His sleepiness, which had been trying to make a return after the bathroom incident, was routed before the sugary avalanche. His eyes popped out as the drink kicked him into higher gear. He barely tasted the advertised fruitiness. 

“It's great, right?” Ruby chirped. 

He looked at the sarsi in his hand. “It's addicting,” he agreed before taking a longer pull. 

“Yes!” Ruby pointed at Natsuki. “Point to me!” 

It went unheard. Yang and Natsuki’s battle ended abruptly. Cheri reappeared behind the chair. With a yawn, she tipped Natsuki out of it with a swift kick to the chair’s legs. The bunny Faunus, distracted by her argument, yelped and crashed onto the floor. Cheri, with all of the nonchalance of a lazy cat, spun the chair around to take her seat back. 

Yang snickered as Natsuki surged to her feet. A glare had minimal effect on Cheri, who deigned to glance Natsuki’s way before smirking at Mars. “Go ahead,” she thought as she pushed the fish-laden pizza toward Mars. “Have a slice.” 

On his other side, Ruby frowned at Cheri. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“Nats,” Taiyang called out as he unhappily eyed Cheri. “Go ahead and take a seat. Let’s pray and eat.”

Natsuki grumbled something under her breath as she returned to her seat. Yang wasn’t nearly as quiet when she muttered, “That’s what you get.”

“Mars.” Taiyang waved a hand in his direction. “Go ahead and bless the food.”

Right, there went whatever sense of comfort he had been trying to rebuild. He only knew one real prayer, and that was given to him by Merry for praying to the Ancient-of-Days. Yet, everyone was looking at him expectantly. Bond, was the cult really necessary? 

It was an idle thought since he knew Manavism had, in fact, bought Remnant the precious time to survive the God of Darkness’ wrath before Mars had returned to kill him. Doing his best to suppress his own unease, he clasped his hands in front of him. Not for the first time did he miss his omniscience. Angel had made an explicit point to make no other prayers than the one to fuel victory against the Brothers Grimm, preferring to let people make up any other prayers as they wanted. If Mars could, he would have happily borrowed something that had been created during the twenty-year gap. 

Bereft of a cheat, he stumbled forward. “Ancient-of-Days,” he began because there wasn’t a chance he was going to pray to himself. “Please bless this food. …um, thank you that we’re all here to enjoy it. And, uh, may you continue to watch over us. …amen.”

Yeah, he was doing his best to not show how much he was cringing on the inside. Cracking his eyes open, he saw a mixture of reactions to his abortion of a prayer. Ruby was the most positive as she offered a small smile for him. Yang and Taiyang both shot him masks of profound confoundment. Goldana tried to smile at him, but it was a mangled, confused thing. Natsuki wore a blank face. Yet, it was Cheri who moved things along as she prodded the fish pizza to him. For once, he took advantage of her religious apathy as he snagged a slice.

The anchovies’ smell of the sea was unapologetic and unrelenting. Yet, it was a reassuring smell. He didn’t like being the first one to eat, but he could blame Cheri for that. He bit deeply into the fresh food. Salt waved over his tongue, obliterating the other flavors. That was probably a bad thing. Mars couldn’t bring himself to care. The taste tickled something deep in his mind. It was… comforting. Familiar. 

It felt like being home. 

So focused was he on tasting the pizza, he only now noticed the curious looks watching him. Oh, and one of angry betrayal. Cheri’s jaw hung open. “You like that crap?!” 

“Yeah,” he said before taking another bite. 

“What is wrong with you?! How can anyone like that crap? The fish ruins the smell, and the salt kills the taste! It’s the worst pizza there is!” 

He shrugged. “It’s… nostalgic.”

“Ooo, ooo, ooo!” Ruby passed him a slice of her pineapple pizza. “Then you’ll love this!”

He hadn’t finished his slice, but that didn’t stop him from putting it down and picking up the offered slice. He took a whiff and smelled… fish. Huh. Cheri might have a point about the smell. But that can’t ruin the taste, right? 

He took a big bite, making sure he got half of a pineapple slice in. He came to three quick conclusions. One, the fish smell was affecting the taste, meaning Taiyang had accurately done his best to protect the meat pizza from being affected. Two, what flavor which slipped around the fish, the pineapple added this sweet tang, while the pepperoni offered a hint of spiced meat. Three, Ruby wasn’t going to like his answer. Just to be safe, he took two more bites, trying very hard to ignore Ruby’s innocent eagerness for his judgement.

Swallowing the third bite, he thought about taking a fourth bite to buy him a little more time. Alas, someone else’s innocence cut him off. “You seem to like it,” Goldana said, hands full with her meat lover’s slice. 

“Really?” Ruby chirped, smile growing wider and more victorious. 

…just bite the bullet. With a sigh, he put the last quarter of a slice down. “...I don’t like it.”

Ruby rocked back in her seat, mouth agape. Yang snorted before bursting out laughing, cheese, meat, and sauce dripping out of her mouth. Taiyang looked oddly pleased. Goldana's attention split between comforting Ruby and chiding Yang. Cheri sulked next to him, her ploy ruined. 

Somehow, in spite of the din, Mars heard Ruby whisper with eyes wide and full of betrayal, “How could you?” 

He threw up his hands. “I didn't say it was bad, just that I didn't like it!” 

Yang's guffaws hacked into coughs as something slipped down the wrong pipe. Taiyang thumped her back as that side of the table descended into chaos, Goldana pulled away from Ruby. Who pointed at the unfinished slice. “But you ate so much of it!” 

He held his hands up in a defensive shield that was completely useless against the emotions flowing through their bond. “I was making sure! I didn't want to make a call with just one bite!” 

“What's wrong with it!?” 

“Nothing! I'm just not a fan of how sweet it tastes!” 

She stared at him like he was an idiot. “That's why it's the best pizza!” 

Harangued, he looked around for an escape. Yang was snickering as she calmed down. Goldana returned to her seat. Taiyang had the biggest grin on his face. Natsuki, who had watched the madness with utter placidity, met his gaze. 

Then slid a slice of her pizza toward him on a spare plate.

He winced at the sudden lance of suspicion, courtesy of Ruby. As if that wasn't enough, his head itched where she delivered a silver-toned stare. For a second, he really considered pushing the plate back and resigning himself to eating another pineapple-poisoned slice to make his twin happy. 

But he really did want to try the other flavors, damnit! 

Doing his best to ignore Ruby’s growing indignation, he pulled the slice of… what was it called again? Premium? Well, whatever it was called, it had a lot on it. Pepperoni, which he was quickly recognizing as the standard topping, only had one representative on this slice. Ham, black olives, and even a mushroom sat in the cheese. Green and red pieces remained unidentified. No truth better uncovered than taking a bite. A burst of flavors hit his tongue as he munched. The olives struck first, a weaker combination of salt and tart compared to the anchovies. Almost more frustrating than pleasing with its poor copy. Then the rest hit. 

His chewing slowed. He did like pepperoni, the ham was inoffensive, but the rest… He eyed the slice and pushed for a second bite. Given just how many different ingredients there were, it was impossible to get the same flavor balance twice. Even if he didn't like pineapple, he couldn't complain about the simplicity of the duo. But this pizza? 

A courtesy third bite only solidified his opinion. He pushed the rest away, shaking his head. “Don't like the mushrooms and whatever the greens are.” 

“Hear, hear!” Yang seconded. “The only thing that belongs on pizza is meat! Right, Dad, Goldie?” Goldana offered a polite smile, while Taiyang grunted. 

Yang frowned at the lack of support, but it didn't remove the faint pout on Natsuki's face. The tip of her bunny ears curled forward. “Supreme offers the greatest variety and healthiness you can get out of a pizza. And the greens are peppers.”  

Yang rolled her lilac eyes.  “You don't eat a pizza to be healthy.” She punctuated her assessment with a hearty bite filled with cheese, meat, and bread, chewing loudly. 

“Yang, mouth closed,” Goldana chided.

“The mushrooms taste like dirt,” Ruby added.

“Yeah, they do,” Mars agreed. 

Far from making her happy, Ruby balked in greater offense. “Wait, we're the same on that, but you still don't like pineapple!?” 

“I can't help it, Ruby!” 

“A pizza doesn't have to be just grease and calories,” Natsuki moped 

“Pizza is for celebrating!” Yang declared before offering a slice to Mars. “Here! Taste a real pizza!” 

Her good cheer had acted as a good counterweight to Ruby’s stormy reactions. For that alone, Mars was more than willing to get a taste of the table's final pizza. He accepted with a quiet ‘thank you’ before tasting it. Once again, Ruby's stare stabbed into the side of his head, maybe more intense this time. Worse, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Natsuki judging him. When did eating become a competition? 

It made it harder to focus on just enjoying the food. One thing that was definitely different was how thick it was. It was almost a cake with how much dough it used. A second bite followed. Then a third as was becoming his habit. At which point, Yang's patience wore out. “Well?” 

He studied the remains. And couldn't deny he wanted to finish it. 

If only there wouldn't be consequences for voicing a positive ruling. He looked down at the anchovy pizza that was going completely ignored by Cheri. She was busier trying not to nod off. In an act of cowardice, he declared, “Could use anchovy.”

His equivocation did not save him. 

Yang threw her hands up. “Oh come on, just admit that you liked it better than Ruby’s!”

“You wouldn't taste anything else with anchovies on it,” Taiyang hammered. 

“How is all that meat better than my pineapple!” Ruby demanded. 

Mars, who had stared down the Brothers Grimm in battle, shrank in his seat beneath the verbal and emotional barrage. Beside him, Cheri snickered at his plight. Goldana, bless her, stepped in. “He can't help what pizza he likes.” 

“Not now, Goldie,” Yang shot back. “I'm not losing this one.” 

Cheri shoved another slice of anchovy Mars’ way, and he accepted the poor excuse to not say anything. The sisters continued to bicker their way through supper. Mars kept one ear on the conversation in case it swung back his way. The sibling fight moved from his tastes to the virtues of their respective pizzas to school lunches to that one-time crush Ruby had on Billy in the third grade (for some reason, Ruby shot Mars a blush-filled look of mortification) before Ruby retaliated by spilling that one time Yang tried to smoke a cigarette behind Signal. That quickly summoned Taiyang back into the conversation as Yang scrambled for excuses. It was silly. It was stupid. 

It was endearingly domestic. 

Now that he was freed from the firing line, Mars enjoyed the back-and-forth. No matter how heated it sounded, there was no real bite. Just typical banter between loving sisters. Free from the weight of survival, of disasters, and of death. All while somehow eating their pizzas between salvos. He wasn't just amused by the display, he reveled in it. It felt like… it felt like something he once knew, a long time ago. Its absence leaving a hole he didn't know he had, until it was filled. 

Only one interruption happened right at the end of the course. A loud slap snapped through the air. Mars looked to his left to see Natsuki pulling her hand back as she glared at Cheri, who wore a satisfied smirk. “Ha!” Yang gloated. “Serves you right!” 

Natsuki scowled at her friend, but it was Ruby who got in the next word. Surveying the empty plates and crumbs, she announced, “It's dessert time!” 

It was more than enough to summon the waitress. A finger prodded Mars’ side. Cheri sent him an emphatic look before dropping her head. “I want ice-cream, Neapolitan.” 

“Ne-what?”

“Four chocolate chip platters!” Ruby vibrated in her seat as she dreamed of the incoming sugary goodness. 

Taiyang lifted an eyebrow. “Four?” 

“Uh-huh!” Ruby pointed to herself. “One for me.” Her finger moved to Mars. “One for him. And the other two for everyone else to split.” 

“Ruby?” Yang glanced at Mars. “You sure he's going to eat one all by himself? What if he doesn't like cookies?” 

If Ruby’s reaction to his dislike of pineapple pizza had been dramatic, this one took the cake as pure and utter disbelief bludgeoned him across the soul bond. “That's impossible,” Ruby simply declared, her physical reaction in complete contrast with her emotional one. “Everyone loves cookies. Mars, you know what a cookie tastes like, right?” 

…did he? It was one of those things he couldn't be sure, until he tasted one. Maybe he had a cookie on Adamah, maybe he hadn't. Which meant all he could do was shrug. 

Stars shined in those silver gems. “I'm so jealous! You get to experience tasting cookies for the first time!”

He smiled, never mentioning how full he felt. After three days of starvation, eating three times in one day was quite the switch. I'll eat half, maybe a third, share the rest. 

Another insistent poke.

“Oh, Cheri wants ice-cream.” 

For the first time ever, Ruby sent the older woman a look full of judgement. “Why would anyone want ice-cream when you can have a giant cookie?” 

So long as he didn't look, he could claim ignorance. Didn't matter if he thought he sensed her tense up. Didn't matter if the soul bond labeled her as ‘cranky’. Didn't matter if he felt a finger poking his arm. 

He lived in blissful denial. A denial that triggered a confused look from the waitress when Cheri punched him in the side. “Think she wanted a flavor called…” He choked. He couldn't remember the exact name. Only its closest equivalent. Hiding his hands under the table, he braced himself. “A… neo-politan?”

His hands clenched tightly into fists and shook from the sheer anger he channeled into them. He had managed to get through the first syllable before his voice sunk into a deep growl. At least it didn't sound half as angry as he was. His clenched teeth bared to the waitress probably didn't do him any favors. Natsuki’s panic hit him first and drew the corner of his eye to her very still and very tense posture, bunny ears ramrod straight. Next to her, Yang stared at him like he was an idiot. All of which, he felt, was undeserved! All he had done was tried to mention a flavor. It wasn't his fault he couldn't remember exactly what the name was. Beside him, Cheri's mood flipped to ‘amused’.

“I think you meant Neapolitan, sir,” the waitress offered with a strained smile. “You're in luck. We don't have it by itself, but we have the flavors and can just add them together.” 

“Thank you,” he grunted. Ruby reached over and patted his hand. Taiyang looked around, noticing the strange reactions and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The waitress hurried away, leaving the table to sit in awkward silence. 

When Cheri poked his shoulder, Mars made the mistake of checking. “Tell her ice cream is the best dessert ever,” she said, pointing at Ruby. 

Still quelling the last vestiges of his subconscious anger, he rolled his eyes, turning away from her. Right into Ruby’s curious stare. “What about me?”

A wiser man would have kept his mouth shut. Half-angry, Mars answered, “She says ice cream is better than cookies.” 

“WHAT!?” Ruby's silver eyes blazed with holy fire. Her anger caught him off-guard with how genuine it was. 

Across the table, Yang groaned and dropped her head into her palm. “Oh boy, here we go.” 

Ruby thrusted a dramatic finger against Cheri. “How could you be so stupid!? There's nothing better in the whole, wide world than a fresh, melting chocolate chip cookie!”

Cheri slammed a fist against the table before matching finger for finger. She stuck out a tongue in obvious disgust. “How dare you! Cookies can't possibly compare to the sugary bliss that is ice-cream! You're the idiot!” 

“Why would anyone choose ice-cream over cookies?” Ruby tapped a temple. “If you eat too much, it gives you a headache! That's the opposite of what a dessert is supposed to do!” 

Cheri fanned her tongue. “Cookies can burn your tongue!” She held up both hands before ‘breaking’ a cookie and chomping on a hard cookie. “And they can be so crunchy! What kind of dessert is crunchy!?” 

“Bad cookies don't count!” 

Cheri's hand swept the table. “I agree, cookies don't count at all.” 

Ruby paused, not sure how to read that last gesture. Mars had been doing his best to not do anything since he was receiving angry vibes from both sides. His hands ached from how hard he clenched them under the table, Aura notwithstanding. Ruby’s confusion granted him a reprieve, a chance for things to cool down. 

Instead, anger kicked open his mouth. “She says that all cookies are bad.” 

The second he said it, he cursed himself. I don't even know if I like cookies or not! 

Too late. Ruby fumed with renewed indignation. She didn't bottle it for long before launching a tirade. This time, he closed his eyes and kept his tongue firmly between his teeth, a dull guillotine ready to stop more fuel from spilling out of his mouth. Even without his input, the argument continued with gusto for the next few minutes. Across the table, he could hear some kind of muttered conversation among the three blondes. Mars only picked up bits and pieces. Something about hands? 

He jerked when he felt two hands slide over his shoulders. “Here,” Natsuki whispered into his ear. “You look tense.” 

Before he could say anything, she started to rub his shoulders. She managed to get through four seconds before she was noticed. “Nats!” Yang barked. “Get your hands off of him!” 

“I'm just helping him relax. You can feel his tension, right?”

He twitched. That was uncomfortably close to a public announcement of the soul bonds. 

“We're almost done eating! You can wait until later!” 

Natsuki did not stop rubbing. “I'm only helping.” 

“Hi guys!” The waitress reluctantly greeted. “Dessert's ready!” 

“Nats! Back to your chair!” 

The hands slowly slipped off of him. He had mixed feelings about that, surprisingly. It had been a break from the dessert fight, but Natsuki really shouldn't be encouraged. A hot plate with a pizza-sized cookie landed in front of him. The scent of chocolate and sugar wafted up into his nose, and he breathed deep in the delicious smell, and did far more than that impromptu massage to fix his mood. Okay, she might be right this time. 

In front of Cheri, a bowl of strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate ice-cream arrived. It was a flip. Gone was her fury, replaced by utter delight as she lunged for the offered spoon. She let out a little cry of happiness that sounded adorable, a sound he struggled to reconcile with the woman who had attempted to murder him earlier this week. The exact same cry escaped Ruby’s mouth as she cooed over her giant cookie. It was honestly disorienting to feel the complete reversal from anger to joy coming across two separate bonds. 

Taiyang coughed before throwing a big, fond smile to his youngest. “Alright, since we only have seconds, I just wanna say, well done, Ruby. I'm so proud that you were able to get into Beacon at your age!” 

A different flavor of joy bloomed within Ruby’s soul. “Awww thanks, Dad.”

Yang flashed a thumbs-up and grin. “Great going, sis!”

“It's an amazing achievement,” Goldana said, a golden wing patting Ruby’s shoulder. 

“Well done,” Natsuki added. 

Ruby positively glowed under all the praise. It felt weird to say anything since he'd been only around for half a week. Still, he said, “Great job!” 

She beamed at him. “And congratulations to you for getting into Beacon!” 

“Sliding in at the last minute!” Yang agreed. 

“I'm sure you'll do great things,” Goldana declared, which hit weird. 

Natsuki nodded to him. “Congratulations.”

Taiyang grunted. “Live up to the ideal,” which sounded vaguely threatening…

Mars couldn’t deny the bittersweet emotions rolling around within him. His mind understood Taiyang wasn't his parent, but his heart couldn't help but feel disappointed at the cool treatment. At the same time, he heartily drank from the support, emotional and spiritual, from the others. In the end, the strongest bonds, Ruby and Yang, outweighed his reaction to Taiyang. He smiled at everyone before bowing his head. “Thank you all.”

And then Cheri shoved a spoonful of ice-cream into his mouth. 

He almost coughed it up if it weren't for her clamping his mouth closed with her other hand. His mouth slid toward freezing temperatures. He reverted to instinct and bit down into the cream. It was the wrong move. His gums howled at the ice. Any thought of tasting what was supposed to be a treat froze over as he tried to jerk away from Cheri. 

But the crazy criminal activated her Aura to keep him in place!

“Hey!” Ruby protested. “He's supposed to taste the cookies first!” 

Yang's hands curled into fists. “Let him go!”

Cheri put her spoon down before pulling a lower eyelid down and sticking her tongue out. “You snooze, you lose! Now he'll know forever that ice-cream is the best dessert! I wi-” 

He didn't hear the rest because he closed his eyes and swallowed the icy mass. His throat didn't appreciate that and retaliated as nerves stabbed back. He grimaced in pain as he opened his mouth from the sugary assault.

Only for it to happen again.

“Here! This will make you feel better!”

Before he could say a word, Ruby shoved a hot slice of cookie straight into his mouth. The abrupt shift of temperature did not help. At all. What it also was was a much more solid chunk of food. He choked on it, and Ruby didn't force the issue. Instead, she was very focused on her current rant, leaving her hand shoving the slice into his jaws while she glared at Cheri. 

“Your trickery hasn't worked! Now he knows the heavenly taste of cookies forevermore! Begone with your foul-”

“Rubes!” Yang shouted through a half-snort. “I don't think you're helping your case.” 

“Eh?” Ruby looked over at him. Saw and heard him gargling on the cookie. And proceeded to flush with embarrassment, pulling her hand away. “I'm sorry!” 

Mars coughed up the mangled, half-chewed slice onto his place. His fist thumped against his chest as lungs and throat tried their best to clear air passageways. The sound of Taiyang's unapologetic laughter did less to help. Yang suppressing snickers was worse. Goldana looked appalled at how he was being treated. Natsuki looked at him, looked at her slice of cookie, and then back to him with a considerating gleam in her mismatched eyes. 

Cheri's priorities, as always, were in the right place. “Say that ice-cream is better.” 

“Let me taste and figure it out myself!” He rasped. 

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Ruby repeated. 

Natsuki tried to subtly slide her chair back to stand up. Yang's hand caught her by the wrist. “Nuh-uh, you're not going anywhere.”

Mars mirrored the motion. His catch was Cheri's wrist as she tried to force another spoonful of ice-cream down his throat. “If you want me to like the ice-cream, let me do it!” 

Cheri sniffed. “Fine, but you're trying mine first. Not that poor excuse of a-”

“This event is really about me and Ru-”

“I'm calling in my favor.” 

He stared at her. “...really? I mean, really?” 

“The bathroom is such a nasty place to have sex. It's filthy, which is why I guess it takes a really kinky sort to be into it, like you and that ca-” 

“Fine!” He sighed, fighting against a blush. “I'll try yours first.”

“Mars!” Ruby exclaimed, voice full of betrayal. “How could you!?” 

“I'll try the cookie next,” was his exasperated declaration. 

Yang studied him. “Did she promise you a ‘good time’ if you tried the ice-cream first?”

“NO! She didn't!” His protest was quickly discarded as she focused on his glowing cheeks. He turned away, thrusting an open hand toward Cheri. 

“For the record, I'm not that easy. Were it not the price to become a goddess, I'd never give you a second look. You-” 

He decided to skip the incoming analysis of his looks (which may or may not be degrading) and focused on the spoon in his hand. Apparently, this infamous ice-cream flavor was composed of three colors: white, brown, and pink. He knew white and brown were vanilla and chocolate, but wasn't sure about the pink. Just get it over with. 

Wary of the cold, he took a careful bite. The pink immediately revealed itself to be strawberry. It was an okay flavor on its own, yet it was weaker than the combination of vanilla and chocolate, dragging the trio down. Slurping down the cream, he thought it was… okay. Not good, not bad. Just okay. Probably better without the strawberry. 

She's going to kick me, isn't she? 

Without meeting her gaze, he offered the spoon back before reaching for a slice of his cookie pie. His dodge was not accepted. The second she took her spoon back, her other hand grasped his chin and pulled his face towards her. “Tell them ice-cream is the best dessert.” 

He closed his eyes to spare himself from the rapid threats. “It's okay.” Her tightening grip signaled her growing displeasure. “It's just okay! It's tasty, but that's the best I can say.” 

Her grip relaxed. He cracked open an eye. To see her fake green eyes bore into him. “You stupid bastard, just lie next time. Whatever, just say that cookies are worse.” 

He reached up and pulled at her wrist. She let him pull her hand off. He really needed those Aura lessons. He was undoubtedly physically stronger, however Aura was such a cheat over biology. He turned away from her and finally grabbed that cookie slice.

“You guys don't look like a healthy couple,” Taiyang said. 

Because we're not! 

Mars grunted before taking a big bite. It took him a second to forget about Taiyang's comment and just focus on tasting the cookie. Right away, it was a step up. A little cooler and a little more bracing meant he enjoyed the heat instead of being ambushed by it. The sugary mix of dough and melted chocolate was a delightful combination, the chocolate peaking while the dough grounded it. He released a happy sigh. It substituted for any words of approval. 

In the same moment, Cheri punched his side as Ruby squealed victoriously. “I told you they were the best!” 

He wasn't sure about that, but taking another bite pleased her and rewarded him with a full blast of competitive joy across their bond. It went some way to making up for the earlier debacle. He started to relax. Maybe now he could just enjoy the rest of his me-

He jerked his head back, dodging a spoon charging straight for his head. It was currently filled with strawberry ice-cream. “Oh come on!”

Needless to say, Cheri was unrepentant. “If you're too stupid to realize perfection that is neapolitan, maybe you can be less stupid if you realize one flavor of ice-cream is still miles better than those stupid cookies!” 

“Cheri, is this really necessary!?”

She aimed the spoon like a lance, his mouth the targeting ring. “It's not over until you try the flavors by themselves!” 

“Just give up! You've lost!” Ruby announced.

Far from discouraging Cheri, her mood slammed hard into stubbornness enough that Mars could feel it. Knowing that she wouldn't give up, especially now, Mars chose the path of least resistance. “I don't like strawberry.”

“Of course you don't like the best flavor,” she groused as she shoved the spoon into her mouth. 

For some reason, it clicked only now that there wasn't a second spoon. This entire time, they'd been sharing the same spoon. He felt like… shouldn't that mean something? With anyone else, he might have thought it would be an intimate gesture, but Cheri's complete nonchalance undermined the notion. 

“Mars! You shouldn't let her just roll over you,” Ruby whined.

“I don't know,” Yang piped up as she chewed her cookie. “Can't complain about a dinner and a show.”

Taiyang opened his mouth, paused, and swallowed. “Don’t talk and chew at the same time.”

Mars swore that Natsuki was taking mental notes, the way she eyed him. “More ice-cream won't hurt me, Ruby.” 

Ruby grumbled something, while Cheri offered a spoonful of chocolate. “Second best flavor! You better like this one.” 

Ignoring the threat, he accepted the bite. He did like chocolate, but without the cookie dough to balance it out, it was rather one note. On the plus side, it was better without the strawberry holding it back. “Better.” 

Cheri waited a beat. Which was not thought-free, so he heard her mind race on. “That better not be the only thing he's going to say. I better hear him say, “WOW, this is the second-best dessert ever! I was an idiot to ever-’, right, he can hear my thoughts. Say more, idiot!” 

The really weird part was that her imitation of his voice was flawless. Can she do that with any voice? Glad it's obvious that I'm only hearing her mind. “It's not better than chocolate chip cookies.” 

Ruby pumped a fist, cookie crumbs dropping off of her cheeks. “That's right!” 

Cheri's grip tightened on the spoon to the point he was shocked the plastic didn't break. Instead she jammed it back into her bowl, digging out a spoonful of vanilla. Not silently, but with many ranting thoughts. Why did dessert have to be such a serious thing? She almost stabbed his eye with the spoon. “Here, it's boring, like you. Maybe this will make you see the truth.”  

“You really know how to butter me up,” Mars sniped back before leaning forward and nomming. 

“But she didn't say anything,” Taiyang pointed out from the sidelines. 

Mars had the convenient excuse of a full mouth and ignored Taiyang. Contrary to Cheri's analysis, vanilla had a good taste. In fact, the more he tasted it, the more it rose in favor. “It is better than chocolate, pretty good.”

He was about to add ‘almost as good as the cookie’ when he felt the pang of anxious suspicion from Ruby. It was his only warning before she shouted, “You need a reminder!” 

He turned his head her way as he pushed back in his chair. Unfortunately, she was faster than he was. In hindsight, he should have kept his mouth firmly shut. The piece of cookie shoved into his mouth was smaller, at least. The apologetic, anxious smile she offered to appease his glare did not succeed in its mission. 

What he didn't expect was for Cheri to shove another helping of vanilla ice-cream into his mouth. By this point, the ice-cream was melting, sparing him from another freeze as he wrestled with both desserts in his mouth. 

He paused. 

He slowly chewed a few more times before releasing a happy moan. The problem with the ice-cream was that no matter how tasty the flavor became, it was always one-note compared to the chocolate chip cookie. But adding them together?

The cookie melded with the ice-cream and elevated both as he reveled in a level of dessert heretofore unmatched. The moment he swallowed, he declared, “Delicious!” 

That did not satisfy either Ruby or Cheri, who watched him with all of the zeal of a puma stalking its prey. “You mean the cookie, right?”

“You better say it's the ice-cream!” 

“Both,” he clarified. “Both of them combined equal to the best dessert!”

Both of their faces scrunched up. “You need to say it's mostly because of the ice-cream.” 

“Well, is it because the cookie is doing most of the tasty?”

“No,” he insisted. “It's only the best with both of them combined. So, in a way, you both win! Isn't that great?” 

For the first time, Ruby and Cheri looked at each other. 

“You thinking what I'm thinking?” 

They looked at him with mirroring expressions. 

“NO!”

Chapter Text

Mars blinked as he almost tripped out of the car. The sea’s perfume caressed him and invited him to yield to sleep's call. He’d already been slowing down at supper. The sugar crash had kicked him down another flight of wakefulness. He didn't need the sea's soothing presence to push him all the way down. 

I compel you to ponder about goats at least once when nothing requires your immediate attention (from, Yalini of Wool; formerly Yip).

He jerked as his tired mind rolled over for the Suggestion's compulsion. He grew a little stronger as he imagined a goat trying to swim. Are they any good at it? 

Cheri interrupted the compelled thoughts by grabbing his chin and jerking him toward her. Her eyes struggled to stay open as she glared at him. “Listen up, I'm not leaving town. I'm staying to make sure Roman is alright. I wonder if I can get him to buy me some more ice-cream as gratitude that I-,” she shook her head before shoving a finger into his face. “Anyway! Not coming to the rinky-dink island! You! Stay out of trouble. No running either, or I'll hunt you down, cut off all your limbs, and keep you in my basement. Got it?” 

He wondered how serious that threat was. He leaned more toward ‘deadly’ than ‘hyperbole’. “You know I'm going to attend Beacon.”

“No running from me! I'm not losing my one chance at godhood!” 

Need to figure out something to put a stop to that. Later, after sleep. 

“The first thing I'm going to do as a goddess is make an infinite bucket of neapolitan ice-cream. Then, I'm going to resurrect my Father, rub it into his face that I'm a goddess, and then kill him again.” 

He blinked, shock rousing him for a moment. “You did what?” 

Her eyes focused back on him before narrowing. “Never mind that. Remember, no running, no trouble.” 

It was weird. Cheri went silent before she turned around and walked off. An illusion, his tired mind pieced together. The soul bond let him look toward where her real body was. She was headed away but in a different direction. Looking that way didn't let him hear anything, no doubt her back pointed at him.

“Where's she going?” 

He looked over to see Ruby glancing between the fake Cheri and himself. Her expression was simple curiosity, yet her mood was ‘victorious’. Was she holding a grudge from the dessert debate? “She's going to stay in the city.”

“Good riddance,” Natsuki muttered as she ambled over to him.

His head lazily swung around to her. She wasn't trying to grab anything… yet. Her arms were crossed as she watched the illusionary Cheri step behind a corner of a boat. The docks here, despite the later hour, were pretty active. Fishermen transferred their catches onto land, speedboats came and went as older folk retired and younger adults headed out for fun, and the ferries between the mainland and Patch swapped back and forth. The four of them stood next to a filling ferry as Taiyang came back after paying their fare. Yang drove back toward them, not with Zippy, but riding a yellow-and-black motorcycle. 

“That’s Bumblebee. She's obsessed with it,” Ruby declared. 

“A combination of a graduation gift and her entire bank account,” Goldana clarified. “Technically, she's not supposed to take any Huntsmen jobs until after she's in Beacon, but sometimes people have a small Grimm problem that doesn't need a full-fledged Huntsman to take care of it. Pays way better than manual labor.” 

Mars watched as the blonde pair drove their vehicles onto their nautical transport. Yang's motorcycle had apparently been waiting in a parking lot when she had joined Cinder's search party. Seeing her expertly maneuver the bike inflicted… feelings on him. 

Painful ones. 

A hand took his. He looked down to see it was Ruby, not Natsuki, who held him. Her smile was softer, encouraging. “Remembering things?” She ventured. 

He hesitated before nodding. He didn't like burdening people with his past. “Yeah.” His voice a little rougher, a little more awake.

“We're here for you,” Ruby promised.

“And if you need help with the remembering part…” 

Ah, now Natsuki made her move as she claimed his other hand. “Suki,” Goldana chided. “We're about to board.” 

Natsuki looked Mars dead in the eye and without a hint of humor ordered, “Drag me.” 

He sighed. “I'd rather not be accused of kidnapping.” 

Ruby giggled next to him. 

“Come on kids!” Taiyang hollered. “Time to go home!” 

Mars chose to slip his hand out of Natsuki's before she could activate her Semblance. Although it was dusk, Mars was surprised by how equal the crowds were between those who had come to the city and those returning to the island. He yawned. “Shouldn’t most people be heading for home?” 

“It's the weekend and the end of the semester,” Goldana explained. “A lot of people will want to enjoy the city, especially before the Ascension Festival.” 

“It gets really busy during the festival,” Ruby chipped in. “Most of the villages come in to celebrate.” 

“Except they're already here as refugees,” Natsuki pointed out. 

“Why are you talking about the refugees?” Yang asked as they all reunited. 

Goldana gestured to the departing crowd. “Just explaining why so many people are heading into the city.” 

Yang gazed fondly at Vale. “Yeah. If it weren't after our own little adventure, I'd definitely be partying with everyone. I bet there's a graduation party happening somewhere with our class, right now.” 

Taiyang coughed. “Yeah, well, there's something to be said for spending quality time with family.” 

Yang rolled her eyes. Goldana smiled, “I'm sure Mom will appreciate having all of us safe at home.” 

At the mention of Reina, Mars stiffened. He was so tired, he'd actually forgotten what, er, who was waiting for them in Patch. It didn't go unnoticed. Before Ruby could say something, the ferry lurched as it pulled away from the dock. It was a long, flat rectangle of a vessel, half-filled with cars and people. The only raised structure was the bridge, a blocky structure of weathered metal reaching skyward. All in all, it was a surprisingly small vessel for a channel crossing. There were a few benches bolted in parallel with the ship’s railing, but that was it for comfort. In spite of its frugality, he couldn’t muster any concerns about it. The sea was calm and the skies clear this evening. Thinking about the sea reminded him of its lulling rocking motion, his feet instinctively matching it. Reina and Angel weren’t here yet, he had a little time before then. 

He yawned as he relaxed. And found himself being led to one of the benches by Ruby. “Here.” 

With a gentle nudge, she pushed him down onto the metal seat. It may not have been built for comfort, but he had survived three days in a cave. It was practically velvet cushion compared to the rock that had been his forced bed. His eyes blinked more heavily, his breathing slowing. 

I compel you to ponder about goats at least once when nothing requires your immediate attention (from, Yalini of Wool; formerly Yip). 

The Suggestion pulled him back a step toward wakefulness with an annoyed grunt. Goats, why is it always goats, Yal? I’ve never thought about goats this much in my life before you. Already, he sank back toward slumber. The threat of goats bayed at him from the side. I’ll count goats then. One goat, two goat, three goat, four… goat, fi..ve…

The last thing he remembered feeling was his head resting against silk hair and warm skin. 

Yang frowned as Mars’ head drooped onto Ruby’s shoulder. He'd have a huge crick in his neck when he woke up, but that wasn't what bothered her. She had questions. So many questions! He had spent hours this morning explaining so much of what he'd been up to, and already he had another full slate of things he was hiding from them! 

Especially that one terrifying question bouncing around in her mind…

“They look so much alike,” Goldana murmured next to Yang. 

Ruby smiled up at them before wiggling a little bit to get more uncomfortable. That was perhaps the biggest difference between the two. Ruby smiled easy and often. Mars smiled little without help. Hell, the first time Yang had met him, he'd broken down crying. He just had so much baggage he carried around. Worse than me. I hope Ruby doesn't turn out like him. She sighed. “Yeah.” 

“Girls,” Dad said, keeping his voice down. Though not without a jealous glance toward Mars. “Let’s give them some space.” 

Since she couldn't bring herself to disturb Mars’ nap, Yang let herself drift toward Dad. Maybe if they spent the trip together, he'd finally ease up on Mars. She stepped his way. 

Only to see Natsuki tiptoeing toward Mars. 

…Yang did love her friend, but, man, whenever Nats latched onto a case, her tunnel vision could get so annoying! Natsuki noticed how everyone noticed her, staring back with a weak attempt at innocence. She gave up after a few seconds. “I won't wake him up.” 

Yang rolled her eyes. Nats’ Semblance did work on the sleeping, so she wouldn't prod Mars until he woke back up. “Fine. C'mon Goldie.” 

The pair of golden-haired friends followed after Taiyang a short distance away toward the ferry’s bow. Ruby watched Natsuki sit down on the other side of Mars. The Faunus snaked a hand and gently laid it down on one of his. Her Semblance didn't have any special effects when it activated. All it did was allow her to view the memories of anyone or anything she touched. Last time, she had used it to view the divine battle Crimson and the Brothers Grimm, especially the part where he had created the Faunus. It was quite the experience to witness the birth of your species. 

This time, though, Natsuki was going to return to the primary objective of her investigation: Mars’ past on his home planet. She had managed to find the moment he had crossed dimensions.

What about ten minutes before that point? 

Her Semblance activated, and the past welcomed her. 

Natsuki blinked as she stood in a realm of pure light. All across her vision, there was nothing but an endless expanse that stretched out to eternity and back again. It wasn't the first time she had seen this expanse, but her mind struggled with the alien environment. However, she found an anchor.

In front of her were two figures. 

To the left was Mars. Much of him was obscured by a weather-worn, black cloak as he kowtowed, a dark-gray helmet resting against what passed for the horizontal plane as his head was low. Her Semblance allowed her almost unlimited reach into the past. The downside was that she saw everything in grayscale, like those old movies. This was also the upgrade. Thanks to using her Semblance several days straight to find Mars, it had evolved so she could hear sound. 

There was no sign of his ponytail she had seen in an earlier memory. In this moment, his black tresses were cut short. Only his arms extended out from underneath the cloak. Two dark-gray vambraces wrapped above a black bodysuit. Yet, only one hand of flesh and blood splayed against the ‘floor’. The other hand, the mechanical one, was missing. Just a stub capped with a metallic disc. 

She had no time to consider this mystery. 

The other figure wouldn’t let her.

It… was a man. At least, Natsuki had the impression of a man. It, he, stood in front of Mars, wearing robes so white it made the rest of this strange place seem shadowed in comparison. It was a struggle to make out details. Where his hands were, his stance. The man had something on his head, but Natsuki couldn’t make it out. 

The man’s face radiated blinding light. 

She couldn’t see any specific facial features, just impressions of contours. Utter terror at even trying to make anything out filled her. Ridiculous, she whispered in her mind. This is the past. There’s nothing to fear. Nothing can touch or interact with you. 

The man… turned his head toward her.

Natsuki froze. The terror threatened to become outright hysteria as an impossibility stared right at her. No, NO! He's not looming, looking! At you! He just happened to look this way back then! That's all there is to it! Why can I tell where he's looking without seeing his eyes!? 

Then a second impossibility crashed into her. 

“Don't be afraid.” 

Natsuki remembered hearing Crimson’s voice during his final confrontation with the God of Darkness. It had been but two sentences, but he had delivered them to the entire population of Remnant. He had summoned all of their souls to witness his victory in a show of power. A power that had thrummed in his simple words. It had resonated through both sets of her ears all the way into her core. Greater than even the strongest thunder and deeper than the earth. She had believed that nothing would ever compare to it. 

This voice, right here and now, rendered Crimson’s divine voice into nothing more than a weak whisper. 

She fell to her knees. A third impossibility dropped onto her shoulders when the man stepped forward, and she couldn’t bear the light anymore. Her head dropped down. She could hear him walk toward her, his steps quiet.

“Young lady, your curiosity is understandable, but this memory is not yours to view. The time isn't right. Please, do not seek this memory again, until it is offered. Do you understand?”

Natsuki shakily nodded her head. To do anything else…

It was unthinkable.

Her entire body trembled. It took all of her effort to not collapse entirely. 

“Good. A gift for your obedience.”

She gasped when she felt a finger tap her head, preceding a click in her soul. 

“Good-bye, young lady.”

She yelped when a flash blinded her.

After a moment, she blinked her eyes clear.

The man was gone. 

She was sitting next to Mars, though her hands were in her lap. Her body hadn't stopped shivering. 

“Nats?” Ruby whispered. 

Natsuki surged to her feet. The straightforward action nearly slipped away from her as she almost fell forward, her shaking foot hitting the deck in the middle of a swell. “I,” she swallowed, reminding herself that Mars was still asleep. Softer, she said, “I need to go for a walk.” 

She didn't wait for Ruby's response before she scurried away. Not toward the bow where everyone else was, but toward the rear of the ferry. She didn't want to be around anyone right now. She kept one hand on the railing as she retreated. Nothing about her was steady as her breaths came in soft pants. 

She… she wasn't sure how she felt. Insignificant? No, that didn't feel right. She had watched the entire divine battle and had certainly felt awe at moments, however she had never been overwhelmed by the presence of these divine beings. 

Which… that term seemed so unqualified to what she just witnessed. She reached the end of the ferry. The glowing skyline of Vale City greeted her. No more than ten minutes had passed since the ferry had departed. It had taken half of an hour to see the entire divine war from Crimson’s perspective. Thirty seconds with… that… man had left her cowering before a being truly worth calling a god. 

“The Ancient-of-Days,” she murmured to herself. 

The god her god prayed to. The dinner prayer had been… less-than-impressive, objectively speaking. Yet, she was happy to just be around Mars, no matter how awkward he could get. She didn't question his prayer to the Ancient. The Winged Testament had mentioned a fourth, more powerful All-Creator god, but that was it. A mention. Sure, it was a big debate among the scholars, but most Manavists didn't spare a passing thought to this mysterious god.

Natsuki would never be able to do that again. 

Her hands gripped the steel railing as she watched the city recede into the distance. It kind of counted as stopping her hands from shaking. I need to think of this logically. Analyze and adapt. Just like an investigation. 

The familiar routine calmed her mind. She thought back to the brief encounter. Light. The Ancient either preferred or simply exuded light greater than the Sun. But no heat to his light. It was blinding, yet not truly harming. Should I be thinking in terms of physicality? It's all supposed to be mental projection. 

A fixed projection of the past. The Ancient obviously did not need, or care to, obey the rules of her Semblance. How was he aware of what was happening within a memory enough to alter it? The past Mars hadn't reacted at all to the interruption of the memory either. The implications… weighed on her. Her hands relaxed from the tight hold on the rail. Perfect awareness? Temporal control? Neither the Brothers or Crimson could affect the past. There’s never been a recorded instance of a time travel Semblance either. Not true travel. Mine is just observation. 

What other details were there? Robes. He liked to wear robes. As a common outfit, only Vacuo and Mistral used them. The Ancient's style mirrored more the Vacuan tradition than Mistralian. Does the Ancient spend a lot of time in deserts? Do deserts bother him? She wasn't as sure of this train of thought. Thinking of the Ancient dwelling… well, anywhere seemed wrong, somehow. Still, she had to work with what she had. 

If he was wearing robes, she corrected. For all she knew, that had been how her mind interpreted what he was wearing. A being who had complete knowledge of all temporal events he had, did, and was going to experience… well, who knew what else he was capable of? 

“The Contract,” she blurted to herself. The binding agreement that had turned Mars into a god… ish being. That bound his soul to the Cosigners. Every bit of power the Contract was capable of, the Ancient could do and give to others. The power to destroy a planet, to resurrect life, to harness the very power of faith. Everything the Ancient could do on top of his temporal powers. 

It was… so much. 

What else? His voice. It radiated power. Radiated a lot of power. Yet, she really didn't have a way to categorize divine power. Mars was weaker as a mortal and explained he could use faith to power himself to some degree. However, those were such broad classes that it really didn't narrow things down. She thought more about how the Ancient spoke. Beneath the terrifying strength, he had sounded… soft? He had given his command, but the tone wasn't as harsh, now that she could think it over without the shock factor. More like a father giving a stern warning than a dictator delivering a deadly command.

She was running out of things to analyze. Thinking about the warning led her to remember the tap. It had been a gentle gesture as much as it surprised her. It had also felt like a normal finger. The Ancient-of-Days may radiate power, yet he acted with far more delicacy than expected. That included the way he walked. He did not thunder with every step. Just walked normally… on nonexistent ground. Again, she wondered how much of her senses she could trust. That only returned her to the same conclusion: it was all she had to go off on. 

Although, there was one way to test what had happened had, in fact, happened. He had given her a gift, hadn't he? He had touched her soul. He had upgraded her Semblance, supposedly. She glanced back toward Mars. She could give it a try. Although she had spent more time than expected out here, they weren't at Patch yet. 

I just have to avoid that memory again. Wait, he gave me this gift because I was being obedient. Or, since he has mastery of time, does that mean he knows I never test that boundary line? Her mind twitched as it considered the temporal puzzle. Paradox? She shook her head. Her Semblance may have been time-related, but she felt so hopelessly out of her depth when considering what the Ancient could do. One thing was certain. 

She would avoid his memory. 

Artificial lights guided her back to the others. It may have been unusually warm for September, but the Sun still set earlier and earlier. Peering toward the bow, she could see the lights of Patch's lone port approaching. She wouldn't have that much time to see if her Semblance had evolved. 

No one had moved, leaving only Ruby to watch her return. “Are you okay?” She whispered.

“I'm fine.” Natsuki sat back down on the bench. 

“You sure? You seemed a littl-”

Natsuki held Mars’ hand. “I'll explain later, Ruby.”

It was tricky, trying to guess how long that memory was. She had no idea how long this meeting between Mars and the Ancient had gone on. All she could do was guess. On her first attempt, she found herself back in the spiritual realm. Mars was on his feet. No sign of the Ancient-of-Days. Either she had guessed exactly right, or there was something guiding her away from accidentally opening that memory. In any case, she confirmed the truth as she looked upon Mars. He was no longer obscured by various shades of black and white. The dark-gray of his armor revealed itself as crimson. The Ancient's gift had proven itself true. 

Mars stared at his raised hand. 

It was on fire.

It was a blinding fire of pure white. Although it surrounded his lone hand, she couldn’t help but notice that he showed no pain, not even a flicker of alarm. His lone steel-colored eye seemed almost curious as the fire danced in that orb. Her mind began categorizing all of the differences between the two Mars she knew. This close, she could see the tear stains running trails down his pale face. A half-scythe rested in its holster on one thigh, wet with new blood. The wrist computer was a dulled shade of green, glowing with bright-green text. The other thigh featured a fresh wound, a deep cut across it. There was even blood drying over it. It didn’t seem to affect his ability to stand. 

The fire expanded down his arm. He showed no signs of discomfort as he watched the fire wash over his limb. Only a mild and exhausted curiosity shone out of his lone eye. As the bright fire traveled over him, it stretched itself and thinned its light, letting her see through the fire to the man sinking beneath it. Only the fire around his lifted hand was too bright for her to see through. Everywhere else, the fire wrapped around him.

Once the fire had covered his entire form, it was then it began to consume. The wrist computer was first. The metal evaporated like dry ice. She stared hard as the outer plating vanished, exposing the circuitry beneath. After a day of studying electronics, some parts looked familiar to her amateur knowledge, others might as well be alien tech. 

Once the device disintegrated, the cloak was next. Starting from its bottom edge, it burned into nothingness, climbing upward. When the cloak disappeared into ashes, the boots followed. They were hefty things, thick and mud-stained. Tactical boots without a doubt, they melted away as though candles, leaving woolen socks behind. The armor, composed of some material she couldn’t identify, followed suit. She recognized scratches, burn spots, and even bullet marks. This armor had survived a war. It evaporated without resistance. The tactical belt and pouches succumbed next. The disintegration reached up and claimed the helmet, freeing his hair from its weight. The fire ate from bottom to top.

The outerwear gone, the fire turned its attention to the inner layer. The socks and the bodysuit disappeared in rapid succession, leaving him standing in his underwear and his eyepatch. Normally, she wasn't above admiring his muscled body. This past self wasn't as sculpted as his current, post-divine body, yet it possessed a lean hardness she could appreciate. 

Emphasis on could.

She couldn't escape that lone eye. He watched as the fire burned away all of the layers with nothing more than vague interest. The longer she studied him, the more she saw this… pain haunting him. It killed any of her amorous interest in his nudity. She couldn’t stop herself from focusing on his face as the last of his clothes died. The eyepatch faded away, and she stared into a dark and empty socket. 

The fire continued to feast. No longer on clothes but upon his hair as every single thread burned away. Not from his head alone. His eyebrows were next, then his chest, his arms, and all the rest. In seconds, he was bald in every sense of the term. 

He took a deep breath as his eye closed before releasing it all in a sigh. 

The fire brightened more and more, until her eyes couldn’t handle it. It stabbed through her closed eyelids. Only when she threw her hands up in front of her face did she find a modicum of relief. The brilliance lasted a few seconds before coming to an abrupt end. When she opened her eyes, it was to a human-sized bonfire but the flames were crimson with the exception of a single tongue of brilliant firelight. She couldn’t see Mars within. The bonfire grew larger and larger, and she walked backwards to stay out of the fire’s reach. 

Not because she was scared, mind you. She just wanted to be able to see the fire in its entire size and scope. To make sure she didn’t miss a detail. 

The fire stopped growing. A moment passed. A great wing stretched out of the flames. The feathers, the skin, all of it was the same crimson. The fire shrank. A second wing stretched out the other way. Out of the dwindling fire, a new form emerged. An eagle’s head with a mighty beak stretched out. Its neck bore more feathers, until it transitioned to fur. 

A griffin, but unlike any Grimm, stood where Mars had been as the last of the crimson fire disappeared into its body. The lone bright fire surrounded its right paw. The griffin shook its body and stretched itself. It was a strange motion. The cat half stretched like a cat, while the eagle half broadened itself as much as it could. Once done, its beak opened in a cry. 

It then dragged the glowing fire across the ‘floor’ of the spiritual dimension. The line was crimson instead of pure white, but it cut all the same. When the last of the white fire expended itself, the red line opened into a glowing circle. The griffin, Crimson, hopped up and caught itself in the air as its mighty wings beat against an immaterial air. 

With one more swing, it launched itself upward, only to dive into the red portal. 

Although she couldn’t fly, Natsuki was bound to the memory and found herself teleported with Crimson. On the other side of the portal was the same spiritual dimension. Except a great, serpentine dragon of light was on the other side. Crimson bared claws as he crashed into the dragon. Claws dug into the skin of light as the dragon roared its pain. 

The start of the divine war, Natsuki noted. She had seen this memory before. “Pause.” 

The two gods froze, mid-violence. 

She didn't need to see this again. She had seen a lot, but at any moment, she'd be yanked back to the present. She had already wasted way too much time recovering from her very unexpected meeting with the Ancient-of-Days. Again, she wasn't sure how far she needed to go backwards to avoid the off-limits memory. Perhaps thirty minutes will suffice. 

With an act of will, the scene changed as she sought an earlier memory. Like before, even a guess saw her miss any hint of the Ancient-of-Days. It was getting harder to call it good coincidence. In this memory, Mars stood in the middle of a hallway, eye closed and arms crossed. He was back in his full combat gear. No sign of the spiritual plane. This hallway used different architecture compared to anything on Remnant, but it was at least built with human hands of steel and metal. In spite of herself, she relaxed a little. 

Mars wasn't alone. 

Standing next to him were three people and a suit of mechanical armor. The first person wa- 

“Nats.” 

Natsuki blinked and found herself staring at Yang's knowing look and holding Natsuki’s hand. “Alright, that better be enough to get out of your system because that's it for tonight.” 

Next to her, she heard Ruby say, “Mars, time to wake up.” 

He mumbled something before yawning. The boat was steady as it finished docking procedures, crowned when the vehicle gate swung down. The sound of engines activating reverberated through the air as eager drivers prepped to move. 

Taiyang waved from his driver’s seat. “We'll drop you off at your house, Nats,” he called out as teenagers migrated back toward the vehicle. “Goldie, you good to fly home or do you want to ride up top?” 

Goldana glanced back toward Mars, then to the top of Zippy. “I'l-” The musical clink of glass grabbed her attention. She opened her Scroll and read the holographic screen. “Uncle Tai, Mom wants us all to come over.” 

Natsuki's experience with her soul bond was a… tease. Yes, that was a good word. She had a habit of ignoring the emotional states of those around her, but here was a connection that kept her up-to-date on his emotions without her having to do anything. Useful. 

But also a constant source of mini-mysteries. Mars could feel emotions so intently, that it often piqued her curiosity about what was happening. Then there was that one time… Anyway, this was one of those moments. Judging by her friends’ reactions, she wasn't the only one who felt the surge of tension from him. Physically, he straightened out of his seatime nap. 

No less reliable way to get Yang's suspicion going. True to form, she narrowed her eyes at Mars. It was a pity. Yang normally evoked a happy-go-lucky persona, quick to smile and joke. However, secrets were her weakness, and Mars just kept tripping over it. 

Only Taiyang and Dana were ignorant of the newfound tension. “All of us, Nats included?” 

“No, I think she means us four and Mars.”

…Natsuki wasn't a jealous Faunus, so she wasn't angry she was being left out.

Just intensely curious. 

“Alright, we'll drop Natsuki off and then we'll all swing by your place, Goldie.”