Moonlight shines into a bed room, a kids bedroom full of colorful toys and books, along with a small bed. Suddenly the door opens and in walks Ash, with bags under his eyes, carrying his daughter, Cardinal.

  Cardinal is a 6 year old girl, with light blond hair and pale gold eyes, which are barley open. Ash ys Cardinal in her bed, and pulls the covers up. Cardinal lets out a yawn as Ash rubs her head with a smile.

  "Goodnight, Papa." Cardinal tiredly says as she closes her eyes.

  "Goodnight, Meine Sü?e." Ash stands up and heads for the door.

  He groans and puts a hand on his left side, as he reaches the door. He huffs in frustration and powers through the lingering pain. He quietly shuts the door and lets out a sigh, and looks at his metal left arm.

  "You still going out tonight?" A voice calls from the side.

  Ash looks to his right and sees his wife walking towards him. Glynda Goodwitch, they decided to not change st names, to hide the fact they are married. Since they both have a great deal of enemies in this world.

  Glynda appears to be a middle-aged woman that has very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes are bright green and she wears thin ovur gsses. She has dangling teal earrings that match the hanging pendant on her colr.

  She wears a white long-sleeved, pleated blouse that has a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that fre in pleats at the wrist. Her lower body is covered by a bck high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and bck fading into brown stockings.

  She wears bck boots with bronze heels and a cape that is purple inside and bck on the outside. The cut of the cape is stylized to end in fmes and arrows, with a row of diamond-shaped bronze beads on the back. Above this line of beads appears to be an emblem of a tiara that is her personal symbol.

  When not in use, The Disciplinarian appears to be colpsed and attached to the top of her right boot. At one point she also wears a golden wristwatch.

  Ash grabs his wife's hand and they interce fingers.

  "Yeah, I'll be back before sunrise." He brings Glynda's hand up to his cheek. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

  Glynda smiles. "I know you will. And if Cardinal needs anything, my grandparents are just down the hall."

  "I'll see you ter." They quickly kiss and Ash heads out.

  A few hours ter Ash is sitting at a table in Taiyang Xioa Long's house with Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck and Professor Peter Port.

  Taiyang is a man with blond hair that has two small strands sticking out from the top and blue eyes. His facial hair consists of a soul patch and small stubble along his jawline. On his right arm is a tattoo of his emblem, which resembles a heart. His hair was once a bright shade of gold, but in his older age, it has notably grayed somewhat - still blond, but far more subdued.

  He wears brown cargo shorts with a dark brown belt, bck shoes, a red bandana on his left arm and a brown leather vest over a tan dress shirt with the right sleeve cut off. For armor, he wears a metal spaulder, leather vambrace and a brown fingerless glove all on his right arm.

  In his younger days, he did not have his facial hair or his tattoo, he wore an orange bandana around his left arm rather than a red one and wore brown cargo pants rather than shorts.

  He possesses a rather muscur build, which compliments his close-quarters style of combat.

  Ash sips some some tea with a smile as Port is telling a story.

  "And, and, and then, in comes Qrow, wearing a skirt! I was just a TA, I-I didn't know what to do, so I just... I just left the room to ugh!"

  Ash chuckles as he gnces at Tai. "You did not!"

  Tai ughs as he nods. "We told him it was a kilt! He'd never worn a uniform before, so he didn't know!"

  Oobleck smiles and quickly sips his coffee. "That's is terrible! What is wrong with you?!"

  Tai holds up his hand in defense. "Hey! The girls all said he had nice legs! I did that jerk a favor! Besides, that's not even the best part! See, then we--"

  Port puts his right leg on the tabletop, cutting off Tai. "'Like what you see?'"

  Everyone ughs, Ash ughs so hard he starts coughing and he bangs his fist on the able. The others start ughing harder, even Port loses his bance and falls backwards onto the floor.

  There's even more ughter. Tai cps from mirth and Port joins in the hirity from the floor. Then a new giggle is heard from the doorway, the four teachers become alerted to Yang's presence in the doorway. Oobleck stands while Port gets up off the floor.

  "Oh, Uh, Miss Xiao Long!" Port greets. "Uh, please, join us."

  Yang enters while Oobleck ughs, a little embarrassed.

  "Oh, yes, yes, pull up a chair. Please, pull up a chair."

  "Just in time." Ash states as he sips on his tea.

  Yang hoists herself backward up onto the kitchen counter, beside where her father stands. Port and Oobleck sit back down.

  "So, what are you doing here?" Yang asks the three others in her house.

  Oobleck responds with a smile. "Despite popur belief, teachers do have a life outside the cssroom."

  Port motions to Ash. "Professor Ash and Professor Goodwitch are working 'round clock to restore Beacon to its former glory! But, Mistral wasn't built in a day. And we all need rest from time to time."

  "It's one hell of a work load." Ash mumbles as he rubs his face.

  Tai then speaks up. "Now look, let's not worry about that right now. So, there we were, standing in the auditorium, looking at Qrow, wearing a skirt. Then Oz tells everyone, 'It's time to work on our nding strategy!'"

  "Oh, no..." Ash snickers.

  "The Branwen twins have always been... interesting, to say the least." Oobleck states.

  "A pain in my ass more like." Ash rolls his eyes.

  "That sur didn't stop young Tai." Port points out.

  "Hey, come on, man, she's right here." Tai motions to Yang.

  "Oh, please! She's a mature young woman! If she can handle combat, she can handle a few jabs at her old man!"

  "That's not the issue, Pete! And besides, she's still a teenager!"

  Yang gets annoyed. "'She' is also in the room, and can be directly spoken to. And I think I've been through enough to be considered an adult at this point."

  Tai sighs. "Adult or not, you've still got a long way to go before you're ready for the real world."

  Yang gets angry. "Oh my gosh! Does every father figure have the same three condescending phrases?"

  "Yeah!" Tai and Yang get close as they gre at each other. "But we only use them when we mean it!"

  Port, Ash and Oobleck look at each other as feather and daughter argue, a touch uncomfortable. Oobleck takes a sip from his mug, and Port pulls at his colr, while Ash messes with a few screws on his metal arm.

  "Is that so?" Yang questions her father.

  Tai crosses his arms as he straightens up. "As a matter of fact, it is so! If you honestly think that you're ready to go out there on your own, ha, well I guess you lost some brain cells along with that arm."

  Yang gasps and pulls back from her father's face while a stunned Port leans forward and Oobleck's mouth drops open and his gsses slip down. Ash nearly drops his mug of tea as he blinks a few times. There's a comedic beat before the mug slips out of Oobleck's hand to safely nd on the table. All four stare at Taiyang for a few seconds.

  "You... jerk!"

  Yang pyfully punches Taiyang, and the father and daughter ugh together.

  Oobleck then whispers. "Are we finally talking about the Goliath in the room?"

  Tai and Yang look at each other and then ugh. Relieved ughter comes from the three other teachers.

  "Oh, Miss Xiao L-" Port then corrects himself. "Yang, if you don't mind me asking, why haven't you tried on the arm yet?"

  "Oh, yes, yes!" Oobleck agrees. "A piece of Ats technology given out like that is rare indeed. Not to mention the effort it took to deliver it here. It seems a great many people want to see you returned to normal."

  Ash nods with Oobleck. "And I made sure they got you the test prototype, it's even better then mine. So, it does worry me you haven't put it on."

  "I'm... scared." Yang admits and her father tales a sideways step closer to her. "Everyone keeps talking about me getting back to normal. And I appreciate it, but... this is normal now." She motions to her missing arm.

  Oobleck, Ash and Port exchange sad, knowing gnces.

  "It just taking me a while to get used to it." Yang admits.

  "Well, normal is what you make of it." Tai says.

  "What is that supposed to mean?" Yang gets a little angry. "Do you want me to just pretend like nothing happened? I lost a part of me. A piece of me is gone. And it's never coming back."

  "You're right. It's not coming back. But that doesn't have to stop you from becoming who you wanna be. You're Yang Xiao Long, my sunny little dragon." Tai puts his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You can do whatever you put your mind to. So whenever you're ready to stop moping, and get back out there. I'll be there for you."

  "I... I..."

  Port then speaks up. "Fear is like any other emotion. It comes and goes. It's all in how you handle it. Why, even I find myself wrestling with that emotion from time to time."

  Yang raises an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Really? You?"

  Oobleck then whispers to Yang. "He's afraid of mice."

  Port pounds the table. "They bring only disease and famine!"

  Yang ughs while Port rants about the creepiness of mice. Taiyang watches her.

  "And don't even get me started on their tails! So hairless, and simply unnatrual!"

  Ash shakes his head. "Port, there are no mice around here, well right now."

  A little tter Yang is heading backup stairs, when Ash suddenly calls out to her.

  "Yang..."

  She looks back and sees Ash at the bottom of the steps, looking up to her.

  "If you need someone to talk to about you, situation." Ash takes his metal arm off, and holds it out to her. "I could give you a hand."

  Yang snickers. "Thanks, Professor Ash."

  Ash smiles and nods as he puts his arm back on. "Look, I..." He sighs. "I've been through a lot of life changing situations. So, if you really need someone to talk to, please don't hesitate to call me. I'll pick up the phone anytime. I'd hate to see one of my best students, just throw everything away."

  "I'll be sure to call if I need to."

  "Have a good night, Yang." Ash heads outside as Yang heads back into her room.

  "Goodnight." She calls out as she enters her room/

  Yang gnces over to the white metal arm resting on the nightstand beside her bed. She stares at it for a few moments, but then moves to the window when she hears the front door open followed by the voice of her father and teachers. She decides to stand out of sight beside the window and listen.

  "Thanks for having us over, Tai." Port says.

  "Anytime, you're always welcome." Tai responds.

  "It may be a while before we return." Oobleck states. "There is still much work to be done at the school."

  Ash then speaks up. "Have you heard from Miss Rose at all, I'm worried."

  Yang looks out the window, down at the four teachers. Tai shakes his head as he responds.

  "Not yet."

  "Have you thought about going after her?" Oobleck asks. "Trying to bring her home?"

  Tai sighs. "I've got to... look after some things."

  As Tau gnces towards Yang's bedroom window, she moves out of sigh again and squeezes her right upper arm, looking dejected.

  .

  .

  .

  The ccking of train rails echo as the setting sun barely peeks a room. A hand sms onto a table and grabs it roughly. Pink hunches over the table as sweat falls down her brown.

  She breaths heavily and ragged. She grunts in pain as her legs buckle. She sms her hand on the table as she lets out a breathless cry of pain. She reaches out her left organic hand and grabs onto a vial of purple liquid with small dust crystal shimmering in it.

  She sms the canister into a socket on her right shoulder, and the liquid travels through the tubs on her arms and legs. Soon her breathing returns to normal, the pain enveloping her body soon disappears.

  She growls in anger as she stays hunched over the table, sweat dripping down her brow.

  "You seem worse for wear." A new voice calls out, making Pink tense.

  She gnces towards the window, and sees Raven standing there, a red portal behind her closes. Raven gres down at pink as she sets a hand on the handle of her sword.

  "You..." Pink grunts as she turns to her, her metal hand grabbing onto the handle of the knife on her hip.

  Raven takes a few steps towards Pink. "I would kill you if it wasn't for the deal we had. I genuinely want you dead, and I haven't been this angry in a long time."

  "The hell did I do to you, bitch?"

  "You killed Byzan, why?"

  "If I can't have him, no one can." Pink smirks at Raven. "What, did you haven feelings for my cat, I should've eliminated you!"

  Pink disappears in a pink heart cloud and appears behind Raven, her knife ready to stab the older women. But a blood red sword is suddenly at her neck before she could even dare move.

  Pink grits her teeth as she gres at Raven, and Raven gres back. The two remain in silent for several seconds before Raven speaks up.

  "When this is all over, you're head will be on a pike, outside my camp."

  "And I'll bath in your blood after I gut you."

  Raven pushes Pink away, she sms against the wall and grunts. Raven sshes the air behind her, creating a red portal. She starts walking through it, before gncing back at Pink.

  "You and your friends will all die, if its not by my hands, it will be by the kids."

  Raven disappears through the portal and it closes. Pink picks herself up, smming a hand on the wall in anger.

  "Think she can just throw me around, huh?!" Pink gives a dark chuckle. "How would she feel if I could her young child's pretty little head off?"

  .

  .

  .

  The morning sun shines down at Tai as he waters his flower bed. Yang comes out, wearing the robotic arm. She uses it automatically to shade her eyes from the sun, and then looks down at the metal hand interestedly, moving the fingers around. Taiyang stands.

  "Okay." Tai starts. "Let's get started."

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  04-22-2025

  2530 words