Chapter 30: Chapter 30
"Come on Weiss." Ruby said scooting closer to her. "You should totally play!"
"There's no way I'm playing such a childish game like that."
Ren watched the two of them argue back and forth while Nora had already fallen asleep and was drooling on his shoulder. "Shouldn't we be taking this time to study Aero? We are in a library after all."
"Meh, it's fine. All work and no play isn't good for you right?"
"Anyone could play this childish game of yours!" Weiss argued. "Why I'm certain even as a novice I'd crush you!"
"FINE!"
"DOUBLE FINE!"
"What the?" When I had turned back, I saw team RWBY holding cards again. This time Weiss was playing as well, with a scowl on her face directed at Ruby. The card battle between the four of them lasted a long time. At first it was everyone for themselves, but Weiss, new to the game was easily overwhelmed. To counter this, she teamed up with Blake in order to even the odds against Ruby and Yang. This caused a long stalemate with none of the three sides getting a decisive victory. Eventually, Ruby allied with Yang and crushed the "Black and White Alliance" before they turned on each other after it fell.
"Alright! Victory!" Yang laughed pumping a fist into the air. "Let's see what you got Mr. Psychic."
"Oh..." Ruby groaned with her head face down on the table. "I was so close..."
"Alright Yang, give me your hand." I said reaching out.
"My hand?"
"Yeah uh, I mean, I need to hold your hand in order to connect with your winds of fate...or something like that."
"Wait a minute..." Weiss said suspiciously. "You didn't need to hold MY hand when you-"
"So! Shall we begin?" I interrupted, earning a scowl from the heiress. Yang nodded, extending her arm to mine without a complaint.
"What should I ask?" she thoughtfully tapped her finger against her chin. "Okay..."Yang's expression became a bit more serious. "Let's say I was looking for a certain someone..." the blonde said slowly, leaning towards me. "What would be your advice?" she asked.
Ruby stopped what she was doing, turning towards her sister with a complicated look. "Yang..."
"Oh boy..." Yang's talking about her mom, isn't she? Asking a tough question like this right off the bat. I sighed, unsure of how to respond.
"Do you...not know the answer to that Aero?"
"No, I...I can answer you. But...you're probably not gonna like what you hear."
The girl simply nodded. "I understand."
"My advice. My sincere advice would be...to stop looking. It sounds like a copout, I know. But I'm serious. The person you've been seeking definitely won't give you what you're looking for. And they don't want to be found right now."
Yang went silent, her brows furrowing before she covered her face with a hand. "Hah...I guess you are the real deal..." Ruby walked over to her, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder to console her. The others, however, moved on to a different topic.
"Aw...well alright. Oh hey! Who's gonna win the Vytal Festival Tournament?! Do you know the answer to that?!"
"Do you?!"
"Sorry, but I said ONE psychic reading. Besides, would you really want to know the answer? If I were to tell you you'd lose, I'm guessing you wouldn't feel very motivated to participate right?"
"I guess..." everyone else shared a collective sigh. "Let's just play another round, Jaune, you wanna join in?"
"Of course! I brought my 'Heroes of Olde" deck!"
Speaking of the tournament, I should begin preparations for the attack on Vale, but first...there was someone I needed to see...
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'This is it...'
Ever since I had come to this world I had faced many trials and challenges, but NONE would compare to what I would have to face today. In front of me stood a weathered blue door. One I wasn't very keen on entering. "Come on old boy, you can do this." Taking a deep breath, I mustered my courage and raised my hand, giving three firm knocks on the door. I could hear movement on the other side, with each step it slowly became louder and louder. A beady eye looked through the peephole for only a second before the door was viciously thrown open.
"AEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOO!"
'Shit!' I recoiled at the cry, trying to pull back, but by then, my fate was already sealed. My vision immediately went black as I felt my face tugged into something warm and soft. I heard a girlish squeal and was held like that for a while before the light finally returned, accompanied by the smiling face of a woman with denim colored hair.
"You're back! You're finally back! Oh shame on you." she lightly chided. "Keeping your mother waiting for so long. I missed you, my sweet baby!"
'I knew this was a bad idea...' "Uh yeah, sorry about that, I've been pretty busy lately."
"And I want you to tell me all about it! Come on! Get inside already." The woman wasted no time dragging me inside and sitting me down at a table. "Just a moment, I'll put on some leftovers to heat up while we talk. In the meantime here's some juice."
'Good grief, she's just like Aero's journal described her.' Iris Cairn. Aside from notes and observations on how to use his spear, Aero's journal also contained much of his personal life. As I watched her bustle around the kitchen, I couldn't help but get a warm feeling. The house was small but cozy, and this...this was mine. She treated me as if I truly belonged here.
"I want to hear everything!" Iris said, excitedly sitting next to me. "How are you doing? Have you made any friends? Are you eating properly? What about-"
"Please! Just...one at a time?"
"Oh, sorry." She sat there for a moment, thinking.
"Looks like I'm gonna be here a while, might as well get comfy. Oh, grape juice, my favorite.'
"Is there a girl you've got a crush on?"
"SPPPTHH?!" *cough* *cough* I clutched my mouth sputtering, as Iris quickly brought out a handkerchief to wipe my dripping nose. After waiting a while to make sure I was alright, she looked at me with expectant eyes. 'This woman is trying to kill me...'
"So?"
"Well, I..."
"Yeeeees?" She continued, the smile on her face getting bigger.
Would Aero tell his mother about his crushes? He might actually talk about this stuff. I don't want to risk being wrong...guess I should just to be safe. "I...might have a girl I like...maybe?"
"What's she like?"
"Well...she's...nice." I answered vaguely, nervously rubbing the back of my head, hoping she'd move on to a different subject.
"Go on."
"She's...always got this bright and sunny disposition. She's fun, adventurous, and she's also got a really nice ra..."
"Ra?" Iris repeated confused.
"Ra...nge of skills." 'Shit, I almost went too far there...' "She's a good woman."
The mom smiled, leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed. "Aero." She opened her eyes giving a tender gaze. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that things are going so well." Iris sighed, setting down her cup. "But...I want you to promise me that you'll be careful. If anything were to happen to you, I couldn't possibly bear it..."
"I..." Could I do it? Could I look this woman in the eye and promise her that everything would be alright? That she didn't need to worry? I hadn't realized just how much was at stake here...that it's not just my life on the line. If I can't be a huntsman, if I'm not good enough, not only will I die, but I'll also be taking her son from her.
"I...promise. I'll be fine..."
At my words, Iris looked visibly comforted, the small creases under her eyes softening before wrapping me up in a hug. "Thank you." She said giving me a relieved smile. "Of course. I'm probably just being the worrywart as usual. The Aero I know isn't so worried about things like this."
"I-I should be getting back to Beacon." 'This was a mistake...' "Heh, I mean, you know how busy huntsman are in their training." 'I never should have come here...I need to be somewhere else. Anywhere else.'
Iris stood up, still wrapping me in a hug. "My big boy's out to save the world." she chuckled, giving me a light squeeze. "Alright, I'll let you go now. Come visit me again or I'll come and embarrass you in front of your friends." The woman said with a playful wink.
As I trudged through the living room, the house had somehow changed. The small cozy house had become unfamiliar...unwelcoming. I don't belong here, I'm not Aero, and I can't bring him back. The only thing I can do, is pretend he still exists...
***********************************
"From dust till dawn..." I stood outside the dust shop feeling a bit better after leaving the house. "Clever." Aero had about 3368 lien in his bank account. I'm wasn't really sure how much that is worth so I decided to get more just to be certain I'd have enough.
"Okay so...how much lien can I withdraw at once per se?"
"The maximum amount that you are allowed to withdraw is 55000 lien. However, we'll need your signature for a disclosure agreement. Each month the debt is not paid, the amount will slowly rise. Are these terms acceptable to you?"
After checking prices around a restaurant, One dollar seems to be around 11 lien? Maybe?
The dust building itself wasn't very big, a light gray one-story building with a small terrace on the roof with a few potted plants. One of the big glass windows was shattered but had been replaced by a clear tarp. As I entered the shop, the door taped a bell above it making a light ringing sound. "Is this a bad time?" The store was filled with long tubes filled with colorful dust in them, vials of all sorts with different bits of dust in them lay stacked on shelves arranged by color. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I had entered a candy shop.
"Ungh." A familiar old man looked up as I entered. He stopped wiping down the counter and waved to me, giving one of his classic grunts. Great...why does it feel like this guy is everywhere...
"Okay, so..." Walking to the counter, I peered down at the different types of crystals of different shapes and sizes. "Is there some sort of brochure or guide that goes with this process?"
The old man raised a brow at me and shook his head. 'Figures. I guess it makes sense that the only people who come here and the ones who actually know about dust.' "Are there any dust containers with labels on them?" This time the old man nodded and jerked his thumb to the back.
"Thanks." I gave a small wave and headed towards the back.
Okay, now is the absolute best time to stock up on dust. Roman and the White Fang have begun their plan to steal all of the dust in Vale. It won't be long before the price of dust will start to skyrocket due to the shortage. When that happens, I'll be able to sell the dust back for a much higher price. Maybe even more than ten times its original value. I'm gonna need as much money as possible. When Salem's forces attack, no one is going to be able to fight properly. Between trying to protect thousands of citizens as well as evacuate them, it's going to be utter chaos. Once I get enough lien, I can call ahead and rent as many airships as I need on the day of the attack. Crossing this off the list will definitely help...
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