After the Fall

by E. C. Myers

  The only problem was he had half a Grimm snake hanging from his waist, and it wasn’t giving up without a fight. Fox couldn’t hold on forever.

  “Uh, Velvet?” Fox sent. “Help?”

  “I can’t get a clear shot from here,” Velvet said. “I’ll have to come down there.”

  “Never mind,” Fox sent. “How far is the drop?”

  “Don’t even think about it,” Velvet said. “I can’t see the bottom, so it must be a long way down.”

  Fox gritted his teeth. He yanked the blade on his left arm out of the rock face and then aimed his gun at the snake wrapped around his chest and legs. His right arm was on fire as he supported the weight of both him and the King Taijitu.

  He fired several rounds into the snake at point blank. The snake spasmed and squeezed tighter.

  That didn’t work as planned, Fox thought. The air was pushed out of his lungs and blood pounded in his head.

  He fired again, and slowly, incredibly slowly, the Grimm loosened its hold on him. The coil around him slipped free, and the snake fell, spitting and hissing all the way down. It was a long time before he heard a distant crash of impact.

  Fox swung his left arm back up and grabbed hold of a crevice in the rock wall. His shoulder joint popped and he felt a stab of pain, losing his grip.

  A hand grabbed his.

  “Got you,” Velvet said.

  “I told you not to climb down here,” Fox said.

  “Good thing I did it anyway.”

  Velvet tied a loop of rope around Fox and then scampered up the rock wall. That was the last time he would underestimate her.

  She pulled on the rope, helping him climb back up to the top of the abandoned quarry.

  “You okay?” Velvet asked.

  “Yeah, thanks to you. Hope there are no more Grimm like that out there,” Fox said, knowing that there were—and likely worse. King Taijitu were just faster than many other land-based Grimm, especially in a desert terrain. They were running out of time. The increasing frequency and strength of the mood bombs were gathering Grimm for another major attack.

  “How’s Edward?” Fox asked.

  “Awake,” Velvet said.

  Edward’s mind seemed stronger now, but it was still fuzzy around the edges.

  “What am I doing here?” Edward asked. His voice sounding smaller and more frail than it had back at Feldspar. “Velvet? I want to go home.”

  “We’re taking you there,” Velvet said.

  Fox and Velvet followed her and Edward’s tracks back to Feldspar, supporting the man between them. It would have been faster to carry him back, but she urged Fox to let him walk—he didn’t need to be embarrassed further. Fox had met very few people Edward’s age, especially in Vacuo, but when you got to be that old, you had earned a certain amount of respect, and sometimes your pride was all you had left. Edward could walk, and though he was freezing in his pajamas under a dusty old blanket, he deserved to return to Feldspar on his own two feet.

  “Someone’s coming,” Fox sent.

  “It’s Bertilak,” Velvet murmured.

  Edward stumbled and nearly fell. He grabbed on to their arms more tightly.

  “There you are!” Bertilak bellowed at Edward. “What are you playing at, old man?”

  “Easy,” Fox said, holding up a hand.

  “He’s all right,” Velvet said. “That’s the important thing, right?”

  “The important thing is not going off on your own without telling us,” Bertilak said. “Especially not into the damn desert in the middle of the damn night.”

  “I don’t think he did this on purpose,” Velvet said.

  “The hell he didn’t,” Bertilak said. “This is the third time he’s pulled a stunt like this.”

  “I’d run away from this ass, too,” Fox sent to Velvet.

  She giggled.

  “You find that funny, girl?” Bertilak asked.

  Velvet cleared her throat. “Sorry, I just swallowed some sand.”

  Fox hid a smile.

  Bertilak reached for Edward, but Edward pulled away. Fox caught him.

  “We’ve got him,” Velvet said.

  Bertilak was quiet for a long while. “Fine.” Then he stomped back toward Feldspar. It was even more childish considering how futile it is to stomp in sand.

  Fox wiped his brow. It was warming up out here in the waning dark, though dawn was still an hour away.

  “He’s a bit hotheaded,” Velvet said. “Something to keep an eye on.”

  “I’ll let you do that,” Fox sent.

  Velvet laughed.

  All of Feldspar was awake by the time they returned with Edward. Carmine, Gus, Coco, and Yatsuhashi hurried over as soon as Bertilak, Velvet, and Fox arrived.

  “I found him!” Bertilak said cheerfully.

  Fox felt Velvet stiffen, but she didn’t correct the Huntsman.

  “Grandpa!” Gus cried. Edward brushed off Velvet’s and Fox’s helping hands and embraced the boy.

  “Gus, I’m sorry, my boy!” Edward said.

  “He seems okay now,” Fox sent to Velvet. “Think he was pretending to be in worse shape than he is?”

  “I think he’s pretending not to be,” Velvet sent. “He’s trying to be strong for Gus.”

  “What were you guys doing out there on your own?” Coco asked.

  “We had it under control,” Fox sent.

  “Well?” Coco said. “Someone say something.”

  “Coco?” Fox sent. “Velvet?” he tried.

  Neither of them reacted. Then Fox realized he couldn’t sense their minds, either, or anyone else’s.

  “That’s strange,” Fox said in a shaky voice. “My Semblance isn’t working.”

  “You’re probably drained from the fight,” Velvet said. “We both are.”

  “What fight?” Yatsuhashi asked. “Are you all right, Velvet?”

  “What’s going on here? Carmine and Bertilak woke up the village to help search for Edward, but you two were out taking him for a walk?” Coco said.

  “We were worried,” Carmine said. “The desert is no place for an old man.”

  “Which is why it’s an interesting choice to take him there,” Fox said. Everyone looked at him. “Oh, did I say that out loud? I meant to use my inside voice.”

  “Edward wants to cross the desert, so that’s where we’re taking him,” Bertilak said. “And I’m tired of you young punks acting like you know better than us. We’ve been Huntsmen for a long time, ever since you kids were in diapers.”

  “Hey, I’m not that old,” Carmine said.

  “There’s something weird going on with those two,” Fox sent. He sighed when no one reacted. His Semblance was still on the fritz. It often weakened after extensive use, after pushing himself in battle. All he needed was some sleep and food. And a shower, but he wasn’t likely to get that until they got back to Shade Academy.

  “I’m just saying, we have a lot of experience. And I’d be happy to show this brat just how little he knows about fighting and survival in Vacuo. I don’t think he’s got what it takes to be a real Huntsman. None of you do.”

  “Oh, really?” Coco said.

  “Please stop this! I’m just glad my grandfather is back,” Gus said.

  “No thanks to Bertilak,” Fox said. “Isn’t it your job to keep Edward and Gus safe?”

  “We’re being spread a little bit thin here, trying to keep over a hundred people alive,” Bertilak said. “But you’re right. It’s time we got back to basics. We’ll take the Caspians out of here in the morning.”

  “No,” Edward said. “We’re staying with these people.”

  “He just gets this way sometimes. He wanders off,” Gus said.

  “This won’t happen again,” Edward said.

  “That kind of behavior gets you killed, one way or another. Especially in Vacuo. He would have frozen to death or been killed by a King Taijitu if we hadn’t been there. If he keeps it up, one day he’s not coming back,” Fox said.
<
br />   Silence fell over the group, abruptly broken by Gus bursting into tears.

  “He’s not wrong,” Bertilak said. Fox heard a slap and then Bertilak said, “Ow!”

  “Fox,” Velvet said softly. “That wasn’t very nice.”

  Fox folded his arms. “Nice gets you killed out here. Nice doesn’t belong in the desert. These two don’t belong in Vacuo.” He gestured at Gus and Edward.

  “Neither do we,” Velvet said, but so softly Fox thought only he heard it. Then she had knelt beside Gus to pat his shoulder comfortingly.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “We’ll help keep you safe. We’ll get to the bottom of this before there’s another attack.”

  “I didn’t mean to upset you, Gus,” Fox said. “But you did need to hear that.”

  “I’m sorry,” Gus sobbed.

  “Nothing to be sorry about,” Coco said. “Just try to keep better track of your grandfather.”

  “No.” Gus sucked up snot. “I mean … I’m to blame for this.”

  “Blame for what?” Velvet asked gently.

  “Everything,” Gus said. “The Grimm attacks. The evacuations. The mood bombs. It’s all my fault.”

  “My fault! I’m so sorry, Weiss!” Ruby Rose trailed behind Weiss Schnee in the ballroom, holding a napkin and an empty glass. “I’ll get your dress cleaned.”

  Oh no, Coco thought. This is a crime.

  Red fruit punch, the prior contents of Ruby’s glass, was all over Weiss’s white dress. She looked like she had a mortal wound in her side.

  “Do you know how much this dress cost?” Weiss whirled around to face the pest who was following her.

  Ruby stopped short. “I don’t know. Maybe … twenty Lien?”

  Coco snorted, but the other girls didn’t notice.

  “Twenty Lien?! Where do you shop?” Weiss folded her arms.

  “I made this myself.” Ruby looked down at her black-and-red dress and corset. “You can’t find a cape like this in a thrift shop.”

  Coco definitely liked the girl’s ensemble. She only really trusted people who knew how to dress, which wasn’t as much about what was fashionable or expensive but finding the outfit that suited them. And, of course, it had to function well and look damn good while fighting. Check, check, and check.

  “I certainly don’t go to thrift shops,” Weiss snapped. “And it was a rhetorical question. They were all rhetorical questions, because I don’t really care about anything you have to say. Listen, don’t worry about it. I just want to go back to my room and get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

  “Our room,” Ruby reminded her. “We’re roomies now, remember?” She punched a fist in the air. “Team RWBY!”

  Weiss sighed. “For a brief, blissful moment, I had forgotten. See you later, Ruby. Don’t wake me when you come in. Even better, don’t come in.” Weiss turned sharply on her heel and stalked off.

  Ruby stared after her sadly. Then she noticed Coco watching her.

  “Oh, hey. Did you, uh, see all that?” Ruby asked.

  “Nice moves back there, kid,” Coco said.

  Ruby held up her glass. “I’m so clumsy sometimes. And by ‘sometimes,’ I mean all the time.”

  “I didn’t mean spilling the drink. That was hilarious, though. I mean, an honest mistake.” Coco tilted her head after Weiss. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. I doubt it’s the only dress Ms. Schnee owns. And I can guarantee she was overcharged for that one.”

  “I’ve only ever seen her wear the one dress, though,” Ruby said. “It’s probably her favorite, at least.”

  “Or she has a closet full of the same combat skirts,” Coco said. “You always need backups. I’m Coco Adel, by the way.” Coco strode toward Ruby and held out her hand. Ruby glanced at her full hands and tossed the napkin and glass behind her back. She winced when the glass shattered and then laughed nervously. She awkwardly shook Coco’s hand.

  “I’m Ruby Rose,” Ruby said.

  “I know. The whole school knows about Beacon Academy’s hotshot new team. Team RWBY. RWBY and Ruby. I bet that’s gonna get confusing.”

  “Which is your team?” Ruby squinted at Coco.

  “Team CFVY,” Coco said. “Last year’s hotshot new team.”

  Ruby’s silver eyes widened. “You’re Team CFVY!”

  “Our reputation precedes us yet again,” Coco said. “Let me get you a new drink, and some unsolicited advice, from one leader to another.”

  The two of them walked back to the refreshments and Coco poured Ruby another glass of punch. She tossed in a cocktail umbrella and gave it a little spin.

  “A tiny umbrella! It’s so cute,” Ruby said.

  “I thought you’d like it. And the cup is plastic. Please don’t spill it on me. This is my favorite outfit, and I’d fly into a murderous rage if anything ruined it.” Coco smiled sweetly.

  “I … can’t tell if you’re joking or not,” Ruby said uncertainly.

  “Good,” Coco said. “Listen, we were all impressed by your moves out there in the forest, Ruby. Kind of a rough start, but they all are, am I right?”

  “Oh … that was nothing.” Ruby slurped her punch noisily.

  “Taking down a Nevermore isn’t nothing. Especially putting on a show like that for everyone,” Coco said.

  “Putting on a show?” Ruby looked surprised. “What do you mean?”

  “The way you toyed with the Grimm instead of going for the quick kill. Mugging for the camera.”

  “You can kill them quickly?” Ruby asked.

  It had taken the combined efforts of her, Blake, Weiss, and Yang to kill the giant flying Grimm that had attacked them among the ruins during their initiation. It had probably been luck as much as skill, and it was just a matter of circumstance that Ruby had dealt the killing blow, severing the Nevermore’s head with her scythe, Crescent Rose. And she certainly hadn’t been worried about making it look good while she did it—she was just trying to survive.

  “If you have the right weapon.” Coco patted her handbag. And the right Semblance, she thought. “I do like your scythe, though.”

  “Thanks. Hold on, you were watching our initiation?” Ruby asked.

  “The whole school was. Every moment,” Coco said. “And you should remember that, because your team is also going to be watching you all the time, following your example. Following your orders. As good as you are, Ruby, you have to try to be even better—for them. You can’t show weakness. You can’t be weak, because they’re depending on you to keep them safe.”

  “I don’t know if I can be that for them,” Ruby said. “Maybe Professor Ozpin had an off day, mixed up his files or drank too much coffee or something.”

  “There’s no such thing as too much coffee,” Coco said.

  Ruby laughed. “CFVY and coffee. I bet that gets confusing, huh?”

  “Not really,” Coco said. She didn’t mention that Professor Ozpin only drank hot chocolate.

  “Okay.” Ruby tried to drink her punch, realized her glass was empty, and then occupied herself pouring another. At this rate, she was going to have to hit the bathroom soon.

  “The headmaster knows what he’s doing. Everyone here is on the right team, with the right role, for the right reason. It just takes a little while to figure out how you fit in, and what those reasons are,” Coco said.

  “Well, it still seems completely random to me,” Ruby said.

  “Professor Ozpin told me something once,” Coco said. “When I asked him if I was supposed to be leading Team CFVY.” She recalled his words as she repeated them for Ruby, a moment she would never forget.

  “He said, The world is chaotic. We try to assert order on it, try to make sense of it. We organized into four kingdoms, four schools … teams of four. But what if the only way to fight the chaos is to give in to it? All your planning, all your preparation, can be undone in a moment of bad luck. Or a split second in which you make the wrong decision, or miss your mark just so.

  “Thus, I believe that w
e need to embrace randomness as well, try to harness it and turn it to our advantage. We have to plan for the unexpected, prepare ourselves for situations we never could have anticipated or trained for. You and I are having this conversation because of a lifetime of choices and seemingly unrelated occurrences that nonetheless shaped who we are and led us here.

  “The fact that two people met by chance and fell in love and had a daughter named Coco Adele is remarkable, don’t you think? I do. Make no mistake, there is a higher power guiding our actions. Call it Fate. Call it Destiny. Call it the gods. Or maybe it’s simply the randomness of existence. Whatever it is, I have to trust that we are here for a reason, and while my methods might be unorthodox, they haven’t failed me yet.”

  Ruby took a breath. “Deep,” she said. “I feel like I should have been writing that down.”

  “When Professor Ozpin talks to you, it’s important to take note. Something tells me he’ll be talking to Team RWBY a lot.”

  “If we’re supposed to be a team, shouldn’t we actually want to spend time with one another?” Ruby said. Weiss had gone back to their room. Yang was probably partying with her Signal friends somewhere. And she could almost guarantee Blake was curled up with a book. Ruby suddenly felt lost and alone.

  “It takes time to become a team,” Coco said. “But when it clicks, there’s nothing like it. And nothing will be able to stop you.”

  Ruby grinned. “You have any more advice for me, Coco?”

  Coco took off her glasses. “Number one. Stop apologizing all the time for minor stuff.”

  “Sorry!” Ruby covered her mouth.

  “Save it for when you really screw up.” Coco sighed and looked down. “Number two. Don’t screw up. If you fail, you fail your team and the people you’re trying to protect. Failure is not an option.” She put her glasses back on. “Three. It never hurts to fight with a little style. Have some fun with it. Being a Huntress is the best feeling in the world.”

  “Have fun,” Ruby said. “Got it!”

  “That’s the only part of my advice you remember?” Coco asked.

  “Don’t be sorry, and don’t fail!”

  “You got it. If there’s ever anything you need, feel free to ask,” Coco said.

  “Thank you,” Ruby said. “I only have one question so far.”