#the jinxy peddler

[marcmarcmomarc]

Ruby telling this story in front of the whole Remnant Alliance, using Robyn’s Lie Detection to prove what she’s telling them is the truth, inspired by this post:

ROBYN: So what happened on the other side of the portals?

RUBY: Well, after I fell, I met a talking mouse I named Little, then we found Weiss and Blake captured by a whole village of talking mice whom we convinced to let them go, then we found Yang fighting a Jabberwalker while missing her arm, then we realized we were in our favorite childhood fairy tale, The Girl Who Fell Through the World.

OSCAR: That fairy tale actually happened?

RUBY: Then we went to the village in the Crimson Acre to bargain with the Jinxy Peddler for Yang’s arm.

EMERALD: You met the Jinxy Peddler?

VELVET: Was he cute?

WEISS: Yeah.

RUBY: And he was older than he was in the book. Anyway, toy soldiers won the arm, and we only got it back from them because Little tried stealing another “fine treasure”, exposing Jinxy’s treasures as fakes. The soldiers escorted us to the Crimson Castle, at first to arrest us for stealing Yang’s arm, or “royal property”, before I traded Penny’s sword, with a story of her being the greatest warrior to ever live.

REMNANT ALLIANCE:

RUBY: The occasion was the birthday of who we thought was the Red King, but turned out to be the Red Prince, who was more of a spoiled brat than Weiss was at Beacon.

YANG: (nudging Weiss) Heh-heh.

RUBY: Then we challenged him to a game of chess, where he shrunk the girls to the size of chess pawns, and when we beat him, he threw a tantrum and wanted us beheaded, and the Curious Cat rescued us.

NORA: The Curious Kitty?!

REN: Were they as chatty as the book made them out to be?

RUBY: Mm-hm. Not to mention easily distracted. Anyway, they took us to look for ingredients for a Growgurt Parfait in the Garden Acre, and we met a smoking caterpillar called Herb who drugged us into seeing our past selves via leaves from the Great Tree, which we all rejected, well, which the other girls rejected, I almost gave in, before the Cat stopped me, then got Herb swallowed by a hole in the ground.

TAI: You guys did drugs?

QROW: Whoa, whoa, don’t start drinking like me, girls.

RUBY: Anyway, the Cat led us to a market to keep looking for the Parfait ingredients. Along the way, they told us about Ascension, a process that occurs when an Afteran is no longer doing the assigned role that they are supposed to be, triggered by them losing their ways, wearing out, doubting themselves, or even just finishing their assigned tasks, upon which they are taken to the Great Tree and repurposed into someone or something else with a new identity, personality, and role. Their memories are erased in the process, but the heart barely ever forgets.

REMNANT ALLIANCE: Ooh.

RUBY: And then, the market was attacked by Jabberwalkers using Neopolitan’s Semblance. We had all of the ingredients for the Parfait, and the girls grew back to normal size just as we got assistance from the Rusted Knight riding his white rabbit.

WHITLEY: You know, Weiss had a crush on the Rusted Knight when she was a kid.

BLAKE: I think everyone had a crush on the Rusted Knight at some point.

RUBY: Well, things didn’t help when he turned out to be a grown-up Jaune with longer hair and a beard, who grabbed a fruit that sent him back in time twenty years right after he landed.

REMNANT ALLIANCE:

NORA: Oh, my Gods, Jaune.

JAUNE: I was stuck there isolated from other human contact, too.

YANG: Weiss certainly loved how mature he was.

RUBY: And the white rabbit was a jackalope Jaune named Juniper.

NORA: Aw, Jaune.

RUBY: Then Jaune told us his perspective on the Tree, that he believed it was death, that Alyx backstabbed her brother Lewis, the author of the fairy tale, who wrote the story the way he wished it had happened, and that the Cat couldn’t be trusted, then we got sent to a punderstorm, which creates a physical manifestation of a mental or emotional problem. Jaune, Weiss, and I were sent to metaphorical and literal crossroads, while Yang and Blake were sent to two broken, wooden, rickety bridges connected to a giant pillar they could only advance toward if they were honest about their feelings for each other. Yeah, Yang and Blake are girlfriends now.

REMNANT ALLIANCE:

NORA: See, Ren? I told you there was more going on!

KALI: Our baby girl found love?

TAI: With my sunny little dragon?

RAVEN: She really is your daughter, then, Tai.

RUBY: Then the Cat bailed on us after mistaking us for selfishly using them to get home, and once the storm passed, Jaune let us spend the night in his house in the Origami Acre, then he introduced us the next morning to a village of paper stars called the Paper Pleasers whose purpose was finished and kept trying to go to the Tree to gain a new purpose, but Jaune had been stopping them for as long as he knew them. Then Neo’s Jabberwalkers attacked, and while we were distracted, the Paper Pleasers finally managed to commit mass suicide via destroying the koi pond dam, then when the girls asked me to help comfort Jaune, I blew up at them for caring more about everyone else’s feelings or getting home, and taking my mental health for granted and ignoring my suffering…

REMNANT ALLIANCE:

WBY+J:

RUBY: …then I ran away, came across the Abandoned Acre, and entered a random mansion, where Neo had made clone illusions of Roman Torchwick, Penny, Pyrrha, Professor Lionheart, Clover, Professor Ozpin, and General Ironwood, and used them to physically and psychologically destroy me, and when the chaos was over, I didn’t want to be me anymore, not helped by Torchwick’s question: “Do you really think you can stand to watch more of your friends fall, or are you ready to admit the truth? That the world would just be better off without you?”

REMNANT ALLIANCE (passing tissues around):

RUBY: Then Neo offered me tea made from leaves from the Tree intended to wipe me from existence, then the Cat blasted her away, but then turned out to be evil and tried to possess me, then Neo fought them off and stomped Little to death, then I drank the tea, offing myself, and got swallowed by the Tree.

YANG: (tearing up) Oh, Rubes.

RUBY: Then I met a Blacksmith, who I also found at the market, or, rather, she found me, and then she presented me with a choice to either be someone else or myself. I saw my mom’s weapon and was treated to a vision of the night she left with Raven on another one of Ozpin’s secret missions and never came back.

TAI: (turns accusingly at…) Raven?

RAVEN: (sheepishly) Uh, surprise?

HARE: (to Ruby) Wait. What did you say your mother’s name was again?

RUBY: Summer.

HARE: (muttering) So, her uncle is Qrow, her father is Taiyang, and her sister’s mother is Raven. All are members of Team STRQ. Summer, Summer, Summer… (out loud) Summer Rose, the leader of Team STRQ, was your mother?

REMNANT ALLIANCE (walla): Summer?…Summer Rose?…The previous silver-eyed Huntress?…That’s Summer Rose’s daughter?

RUBY: Yeah. And then, I finally chose to be myself and grow into a better Huntress. And I. Came. Back, and helped the girls fight the evil Cat. And we won.

REMNANT ALLIANCE:

RUBY: And then Neo killed the Cat with the Jabberwalkers, who, by the way, are the only creatures to prevent Ascension if they eat Afterans. And, according to the girls, Neo was possessed by the Cat, and she chose to accept Torchwick’s death and undergo her own Ascension. Oh, and Little ascended, too, into who we called Somewhat, and succeeded Jaune as the protector of the Ever After. And then, we had made it to the Tree, and we walked through the door back home, landed inside the plane of the Tree met the Blacksmith again at her workshop, and when we noticed two statues of the Brother Gods, she told us their backstory. That the Ever After was overfilled with plants and dangerous wildlife in its primordial years, but the Brothers were created to clear it out. Then they created the Afterans as well as the different acres for them to live in. They designed new creations that would replace them in maintaining the Ever After. This was how the Cat was created. They later created the Jabberwalker as a form of destruction. However, the two disagreed on whether it disrupted the balance or not and began to wage war.

OSCAR: (scoffs) What else is new?

RUBY: The Blacksmith told us how balance isn’t supposed to be two opposing forces locked in battle; balance is an ecosystem, an organism, and a living thing, thus balance isn’t restored with force or manipulation, it’s restored naturally, requiring love and patience to see it through to the end. The Gods got to Remnant because the Ever After created a door to a “greater beyond” for the Gods, so they can leave and experiment in creating new worlds as much as they like.

NORA: (snickering) So the Tree basically said, “You think you have life sorted out? Then get out of my house”?

RUBY: Pretty much.

TEAM RWBY, JAUNE, AND REMNANT ALLIANCE:

YANG: (wiping a tear) Oh, my Gods, that’s such a hilarious way of looking at it. Thanks, Nora.

RUBY: Anyway, the Blacksmith told us that we have impacted the Ever After significantly; just like Somewhat, Alyx, and Lewis, and that the Cat caused a bad impact, and then she made us a portal in the desert on the outskirts of the city, and now you’re all caught up.

[13thalcoragent]

4KIDS: RUBY GIRLS! - Part 7

[natsu-tigre]

The Curious Case of the Cracked Clock

You know, what sticks out to me when it comes to questions of like "Hey, when did The Girl Who Fell From The Sky happen?", and "How long ago were Alyx and Lewis in the Ever After?", is how their answers have next to nothing to do with each other.

The Ever After is on a timeloop, because there's a tree with a clock on it anyone could just pluck the fruit from to rewind time, and we have no idea how many times this has happened, how long it should've gone before Jaune cracked the clock, the timescale before this latest loop is unknowable.

And how long it's been in the Ever After since Alyx's story…

What interests me is that Jaune looks the exact same age in the flashback from when Alyx and Lewis arrive as he does now, right down to the white streaks in his hair-

-Which are missing from his ever so slightly less than guaranteed to be completely factual 2D flashback on what happened in the fairy tale.

There's no other suggestion of time passing in the Ever After, the Red King is the Red Prince because of Ascension rather than anything related to age, the Herbalist getting rundown from overwork could have been the case by the time Alyx and Lewis showed up, nothing tells you time has had a tangible effect on anyone but Jaune.

Except.

Weiss: He's adorable!

Blake: And a lot older than I remember from the book...

Jinxy being older than the fairy tale depicts, which would be weird to assume is another lie of the story, since what would anyone gain from it being one?

So, Jaune got as old as he is before Alyx and Lewis arrived, and Jinxy got as old as he is after Alyx and Lewis arrived, and they're the only characters who signify time has happened at all in the Ever After. What's the connection?

…Hey, isn't it a funny coincidence that the clock fruit Jaune broke-

-is in the same jungle Jinxy scavenges for shit to sell off?

Almost as funny a coincidence as the Curious Cat's little quips towards Jaune, like:

"Jauuuune! Oho my, it has been an indeterminate amount of time hasn't it?”

"A lot of good that's gotten you after, oh, how many years?"

"I think ol' Jaune's maybe a few sandberries short of a picnic these days, wouldn't you say?"

What's especially provocative about the last bit is how the rest of the maze's reflections never actually show the person in their view, only still images of their regrets and loses (Jaune's were Penny and his old self, Weiss's was Atlas).

But only Jaune's transforms, to reveal the person he was before the Rusted Knight, as his perception of the world is questioned.

The only thing remotely similar to this...

...Is Ruby becoming Summer without noticing, which certainly rhymes, in the sense of her and Jaune trying to paper over their identity issues by trapping themselves in roles they don't know how not to fail, like they always have.

So, what does this all amount to?

I think Jaune spent a couple of years to a matter of months in the Ever After, and aged on this beach almost as fast as the scene transition took because he literally broke time, and Jaune has not a fucking clue because he sat on a beach alone, depressed, waiting for something that would take forever to happen because of his mistakes, and straight up got rusted and wrinkled while he wasn't paying attention.

Jinxy got a hold of the busted clock fruit (because grabbing one fresh off the tree would've restarted the timeline all over again) and it made them a senior citizen some point afterwards, and the Cat has spent the majority of their relationship putting up with Jaune's time blindness, either unable to, or unwilling to bother with correcting his delusions (exposition is terribly boring after all).

TL;DR: Sorry gamers, Jaune is embroiled in agefaking discourse, Weiss will have to find another Dilf to be cringe thrist over.

[neonleon22]

A raccoon that steals things?

my brothers and I are so similar yet so different

[pilot-boi]

I shall attempt to comfort you by distracting you with a nonsensical question. Ahem: Jinxy/Herb. Yey or nay?

You know what

Yey

They’ve got that perfect Odd Couple vibe

Just a couple of old queens

They’ve got Staler and Waldorf energy

[warriordreamer95]

Jinxy The Peddler 2/2 *Requested by @steve7thsamurai​*

[masterweaverx]

So anyway, WBY is going to need Jinxy’s help in order to get Ruby back. And he’ll do it, too, as long as they pay the price:

Enough hope to fill a jar

The feeling of being loved

A simple hug

I mean, he is in the business of the immaterial, after all. And that all does seem to be something Ruby needs. And, well, three prices, three people...

[a-tale-as-old-as-taiyang]

Well it seems Blake's knowledge isn't going to help them book it to the end of the story. Meanwhile poor weiss is have a bad time that is fairy obvious to all. luckily they were still able to get Yang's arm back from the raccoonteur who stole it. I just hope Ruby can find more and that it doesn't cost more than a Penny.

[dresspheres]

44 Icons | Jinxy Peddler | RWBY

44 Icons for Jinxy Peddler from RWBY Volume 9.

Please like or reblog this post if you plan on using the icons.

Credit me if you edit them! Otherwise, credit’s very much appreciated.

Download Here.

Preview

[rwby-encrusted-blog]

Yang: This reminds me of the Time we learned about the decision making Framework of the Sugondeez.

Jaune: Who are the Sugondeez?

Yang: Sugondeez Nuts.

Jaune: GOD DAMN IT!

~~~~~

The Jinxy Peddler: It you want that, All I need is your greatest joke. I already have one in mind.

Yang: Oh? Which one?

Weiss: The one the gods hate the most...

Yang: But I was saving for the Grand Finale!

~~~~~

RK!Jaune: So you had to get stuff from Jinx? What'd it cost?

Yang: Well, the price wasn't too bad. For a moment I was worried he'd turn me into a Mind Goblin.

RK!Jaune: What's a Mind Goblin?

Yang: *Opens mouth to speak, no words come out*

RK!Jaune: Yang, What's a Mind Goblin? Help me out! I've never heard of one!

Yang: It's- It's a psychic-

RK!Jaune: I don't understand, like, Finish the thought, why would you open your mouth to answer if you can't articulate what's a Mind Goblin? Didi you run into one? Is there something I haven't seen yet?

Yang: *A Single tear running down her cheek* Yeah, Yeah it's something you haven't seen yet.

[sandyca5tle]

Saw plenty of people pointing out that in the scene with the Jinxy Peddler asking for enough hope to fill a jar, Little represented the 'little' amount of hope Ruby had left

I think they fill the jar Somewhat better now

[marcmarcmomarc]

RWBY Spanish dub

Supporting Characters from the Ever After

Little/Somewhat

EN: Luci Christian

LA: Ángelica Villa

Curious Cat

EN: Robbie Daymond

LA: Ángel Balam

Jabberwalker

EN: Richard Norman

LA: Víctor Hugo Aguilar

Jinxy

EN: Brendan Blaber

LA: Jaime López

Red Prince

EN: Michael Malconian

LA: Pascual Meza

Herbalist

EN: Christopher Guerrero

LA: César Filio

Blacksmith

EN: Kimlinh Tran

LA: Carmen Sarahí

Alyx

EN: Shara Kirby

LA: Julia Bilous

Betzabé Jara was the previous choice for the role of Little/Somewhat.

Humberto Vélez was the previous choice for the role of Herb.

Elsa Covián was the previous choice for the role of the Blacksmith.

[neopoliitan]

Merry Nondescript Winter Meme Holiday from RWBY FNDM artists

we did this in 4 days but we don't think you can tell

twt credits under the cut:

Ruby Rose - @Kaleidoarms

Weiss Schnee - @tozsta

Blake Belladonna - @MewMewPurin

Yang Xiao Long - @madhighlows

Jaune Arc - @BackupBastian

Nora Valkyrie - @Leux_21NSFW 🔞

Pyrrha Nikos - @Mikururun

Lie Ren - @Hiru3152

Qrow Branwen - @Ashbowling_art

Oscar Pine - @mmcmystery

Penny Polendina - @sytokun 🔞

Sun Wukong - @Mikururun

Ozpin - @Kaleidoarms

James Ironwood - @BackupBastian

Winter Schnee - @Eryx45__

Marrow Amin - @Squira130

Harriet Bree - @BackupBastian

Maria Calavera - @fillmargarin

Salem - @Hiru3152

Cinder Fall - @Kaleidoarms

Emerald Sustrai - @JumJamz

Mercury Black - @levilagann

NeoCat - @zachmorganart

Jacques Schnee - @jindianjun000

Kali Belladonna - @BackupBastian

Adam Taurus - @Darakoispellire

Ilia Amitola - @Kaleidoarms

Velvet Scarlatina - @ilazaaraf

Little - @Hiru3152

Somewhat - @Ashbowling_art

Jinxy Peddler - @TheRyaccoon

Curious Cat - @Kaleidoarms

Zwei - @madhighlows

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

Ruby: Yang! Can I shoot your arm?

Yang: What?

Ruby: Can I shoot your arm!? Like how you did it at the Jinxy Peddler auction!

Yang: Oh! Sure, Rubes! Here. (detaches arm and hands it to Ruby) Now, it’s gonna kick hard, so make sure you hold it tight. The external firing trigger is right there.

Ruby: (squealing excitedly) Okay! Okay. So, hold it tight, brace myself, aaaaaaand...GO-

Arm fires suddenly and launches her backwards thirty feet.

Yang: Ouph! That’s gonna bruise tomorrow.

[lovehateotp]

So I've been going back and listening to some of the more recent RWBY songs now that it's RWBY season again. And I couldn't help but notice a lot of the lyrics from 'Trust love' seem to be quite relevant to Volume 9. I remember watching Volume 7 and thinking the opening didn't really vibe with the tone of the Volume. I think it is really much more relevant to Volume 9. I'll get into some examples below.

You're holding out for some romantic life

Maybe you’ll wake up in a world of charm

Oh, but what's here can set you free

(I think this is referring to them waking up in the Ever After. The second line may also be eluding to Ruby's identity this volume. We've seen Ruby already giving away her family insignia, and evaluating who she really is.)

You don’t have to dream

Your life’s a masterpiece

If you just believe

Then all you see is all you need

(I think this could be referring to WBY being confident in claiming their identities as huntresses. As well, I think it could also be referring to Ruby's development, in terms of her having this idealised "dream" of what being a huntress would be. I think Ruby will have some realizations this Volume for sure.)

Right now your hopes are shattered

Just pointless ever after

But in time you’ll find through love

Your power just shines

( I feel like this is a reference to how Ruby is feeling this Volume, especially when the with RWBY's interactions with the Jinxy Peddler. I think as well, Ruby will realise that she needs to lean on her teammates for support just as much as they need her. Ngl I think Ruby's mental breakdown is coming, and I hope WBY just scoop her up and let her cry out all her repressed emotions.)

When you don’t know where to turn to

And you’re sure all hope is gone

(Again, there are so many references to Ruby being lost and not having any hope left. Hope was Ruby's defining trait after all for so long. I think this also is a reference to the lyrics from Inside where someone says "I'm not lost".)

When the day you waited for won’t come

And dark won’t yield to dawn

Trust love

And open up your eyes

Trust love

The truth is there but sometimes in disguise

(Probably reading too much into it, but I feel as though this could be eluding to all the people in the Ever After who have "ascended", particularly that blacksmith that Ruby saw.)

The way’s uncertain but we’re together

(I think as well, RWBY are kind of lost in the Ever After, but it's true they are together. )

Moving toward the light

When we trust in love

And open up our eyes

If you could only open up a door

Spread your wings and fly away from here

(I saw this in another post, but there have been many references to butterfly's and wings around in relation to Ruby. I feel as though as well, the wings and caccoon symbolise being reborn/ascending, I'm a little worried that Ruby will somehow ascend.)

Write yourself into a fairy tale

All your problems would just disappear

(Again, I read another post that mentioned Jaune the "Rusted knight" somehow knowing that RWBY would fall, and telling Alyix to write her journey as a fairytale. As we have seen, Jaune seems to have been down in the Ever After for a long time, so I believe this could be a possibility.)

And still you’re counting on a second sight

To somehow wrest you from the way of harm

When what you need to do is see

 (I'm probably reading too far into this, but second sight apparently means clairvoyance or precognition. I'm worried that RWBY may too heavily be relying on what they know about the Ever After from Alix. I'm wondering, something must have gone wrong, I am suspicious about the curious cat.)

All you have to be

Is here in reality

Leave your fantasy

You’ll find the key

To victory

(Again I think this is directed at Ruby. I think it's saying she didn't need to live up to her ideals and vision of being a huntress, in fact her idealistic nature is possibly what has been holding her back. I think it's suggesting that Ruby needs to accept the reality of the situation and not try to be more than she is capable of. She can only do her best, and as well she has such a high burden on herself to be the best leader and look out for everyone. We forget sometimes that this girl is 2 years younger than WBY.)

I know the dark’s returning

And the fires of hate are burning

But the lies can’t hide what’s true

When love’s alive

(Not me hoping that a good portion of the references to love in this song are in reference to the Bee's. Please give us the kiss @ CRWBY. It is long overdue 💛🖤)

There’s not a miracle

That’s gonna show you how

The secret to your life

Is here and now

Look inside

End your search and be alive

It’s time

To rise

To realize

To open up your eyes

(Again I'm hoping that this is referring to Ruby having her own "ascending" (without actually ascending please don't hurt my girl.)

Trust love

(I think the overwhelming message of this song rings true. Blake, Yang and Weiss have all had their time being supported by each other and Ruby, the three of them know they can lean on each other and need each other's support. Evidenced by the little snippet of Whiterose we got in Chapter 5, Ruby supporting Weiss even though she is a mess mentally at the moment. I think Ruby needs to allow her team members to love her and support her like she's done for them all this time. She needs to let down her walls and be vulnerable with them, and tell them she's not okay. As well, thinking back to Volume 6 and Ruby's training with her silver eyes. Her focusing in on the love and true bond she has with her team will hopefully give her what she needs, as well as before accepting her identity as no longer being based on her ideals and fairytales, but on reality, and that it's okay to struggle and be sad, because what's happened is awful, but she has her team to support her through it, and she will learn it's okay and good even to lean on others once in a while. Oh especially because she doesn't have Crescent Rose!!! It's almost forcing her to trust her team to keep her safe and win the battles while she is on the sidelines (like in the chess game and in Ep.5 with the Jabberwalker). Anyway, rant over, I'm just really excited thanks for listening :)

[pilot-boi]

Twins AU

So with this being bonded by Aura thing that twins share, imagine during V9 Yang is hit with a tidal wave of pain and everyone panics because they have no idea what’s happening

It all makes sense when they find Jaune

It was twenty years worth of experience being shared with Yang in a fraction of a second, all of it avalanching down onto her because Jaune went back in time and it’s all catching up to her now

Imagine how horrified she is to see her brother, *her twin,* suddenly so many years older than her

When Yang first lands in the Ever After, she is in agony

White hot and blinding, it’s like a tidal wave of emotions and pain sweep over her, bowling her over. It feels like her arm is being cut off all over again, like her mind is breaking, like she’s blinking and a life age of anguish and sorrow is passing by.

And then it’s over

Yang lays under the canopy of an unfamiliar forest. Her vision is blurry and her limbs are tingling. She wonders distantly if this is how Blake feels when she uses her Semblance, all sort of detached from her body

She can’t place it, but it feels like something inside of her is wrong

Not like something bad happened (although it did) but like something vital inside of her is missing. Something is just… not right, like the whole world is off kilter somehow

Is this what being dead feels like?

Blinding pain and then just feeling not quite all there for the rest of eternity?

She’s shaken out of her musings very abruptly when a raccoon riding a wagon of garbage all but gleefully grabs her prosthetic and runs away

Things happen very quickly after that

She doesn’t catch the raccoon, but she IS accosted by a giant monster that isn’t a Grimm. She doesn’t beat the monster, but she DOES get found by the rest of her team. They don’t know how to get home, but they DO realize they’re in a fairy tale

The Girl Who Fell Through The World, with all of its quirky and charismatic characters

Yang gets her arm back from the Jinxy Peddler. She helps her team battle the Red Prince-formerly-King. The Curious Cat rescues them and pesters them with questions

The Herbalist is a new face, one not mentioned in the story. Yang finally verbalizes what it turns out she knew all along. She doesn’t have to be symmetrical, or whole, or easy to understand. She is a Huntress

She doesn’t have to be whole. When her smoke-self asks if she wants that, Yang can’t help but think of her twin up in Vacuo. Gods, what he must be going through

Feeling her get hurt destroyed him enough, but he must think she’s dead

Maybe that’s why she feels so off, so not-right. Because the other half of her soul is in another dimension

While they travel to the market, Yang mentions the pain she felt when she landed

Blake postulates that it was caused by her lack of Aura, but Weiss’s Aura broke as well, and she didn’t feel anything. Ruby, as taciturn as she’s been, suggests that maybe her prosthetic didn’t like the journey through dimensions, but Yang didn’t have any pain when first entering the Crossroads

Yang wonders aloud whether Jaune was hurt during the time she was falling, and their bond amplified it somehow. The Curious Cat blinks up at her when she mentions him, and smiles knowingly

She doesn’t know what to make of that

Until very suddenly she does

The market is attacked. Neo sends copies of the Jabberwalker to wreck mayhem. And finally, the last missing character from the story appears: The Rusted Knight

He drives the Jabberwalker away and seems to freeze at the sight of them. Yang isn’t surprised, according to the story he’s supposed to be the only competent fighter in the whole place. When copies of the monster appear, he doesn’t try to fight, prioritizing getting them to safety while the Cat covers their escape

The Knight leads them to the top floor of the market while it burns behind them. They follow his gestures into a room inside a giant flower, where his steed is waiting

Blake is pretty much vibrating with excitement next to her. It’s no secret the Knight is her favourite character

“You did good, Juniper,” the Knight says, his voice echoey from behind his helmet. The jackalope’s name tugs at Yang, reminding her of their sister team, of her absent brother. Gods she wishes he was here

Then the Knight takes off his helmet

Long blonde hair, streaked with white and tied back by an achingly familiar piece of red cloth, falls onto his back.

He turns. “Team RWBY,” he says, sounding relieved, sounding exhausted, and Yang can feel her teammates freeze beside her, she can hear them all gasp in horror.

For her part she can’t move, can’t breath, can’t take her eyes off his face.

The same face that stares back every time she looks in the mirror. His sad blue eyes creased with smile lines, with age, with decades of pain. Twenty years older than he should be, twenty years older than her

Dear gods… what happened to her brother?

“You finally made it.”