Text
Loneliness
”It’s not so bad not being in a league that suits me.”
It was a personal mantra that she told herself every day, even if it did kind of hurt. Citrus was born as both a Rose and an Arc, two powerful family bloodlines that were well renowned on Remnant by now, thanks to the defeat of Salem. However, Citrus’ elder siblings Garnet and Blossom, have been shown to be marginally stronger and almost gifted...or actually gifted. Garnet had inherited a portion of Ruby’s Spring Maiden magic on top of Jaune’s hefty Aura with the addition of a strong Semblance, while Blossom was a Silver Eyed Warrior, the greatest of all destined to slay Grimm and be the heroes of humanity. While Citrus was...just normal.
Yep, no insane powers, no off-the-wall weapon that has multiple transformations, no fancy Semblance (other than the ability to talk to animals), she was a normal girl who wanted to be a Huntress, like everyone her generation. However she felt an odd lonesome feeling inside her, when her brother and sister went off to Signal for the first time, Citrus was alone at home with her aunt Yang, grandpa Qrow, uncle Tai, and aunt Raven. If that wasn’t enough her Semblance let her speak to the family dog Zwei and the five wolves Ruby adopted, Drei, Vier, Funf, Sechs, and Null. And yet...she still had this emptiness in her heart. Well unlucky for her it was about to intensify that feeling tenfold as she was about to head to Signal tomorrow, the day after her siblings and cousin graduate. Right now it was well into the evening, the sun setting on the horizon, rays of light beaming down on the Rose-Arc & Xiao Long-Branwen residence, Citrus leaning against the railing, teetering her weighted collapsible scythe, Soulful Reave, back and forth, her emerald green eyes staring off into space, tangerine curled hair catching the wind.
Jaune: Someone’s a little broody.
Citrus: Hmm?! Oh, hi dad!
Jaune: Is Qrow’s mysterious edginess rubbing off on you or am I just reading too much into this?
Citrus: Pffft, nooo dad, I’m fine, thank you. Just...thinking, deep contemplation about the future.....
Jaune: Excited you’re going to Signal tomorrow?
Citrus: Heheheee, not really...?
Jaune: Why not?
Citrus: *stops teetering her scythe* Dad, do you think I’m...special?
Jaune: The “daddy loves his special girl” kind of special or...
Citrus: The special that’s meant for amazing things, I don’t feel like I am.
Jaune: Woah woah woah, what brought this on?!
Citrus: Nothing, I’m...*sigh* Dad, compared to Garnet and Blossom, I’m so bland! I have nothing truly remarkable about m-* her shoulders are held as she faces her father*
Jaune: Citrus, tell me what’s going on, is everything okay?
Citrus: I don’t think so...have you ever had the feeling of overwhelming loneliness and that you’re far behind people close to you?
Jaune: More than you could fathom, sweetheart. But that was a long time ago, and with a little bit of time, and the love from those people around me, it eventually went away. Why, is it the fact that your brother and sister are way ahead of you getting to you?
Citrus: *tears form in her eyes* Y-yeah, a lot...
Jaune: Oh, sweety. *he brings his small daughter into a huge hug* Believe me when I say that feeling is completely normal, your mother and I had this lonely, by-our-selves spell when we first went to Beacon.
Citrus: I just feel so out of place. I hear about all these kids who were raised by amazing Huntsmen, their amazing transforming weapons, and their powerful Semblances, then there’s me. Swinging around a simple scythe and talking to animals, no Maiden or S.E.W. powers...
Jaune: Citrus, look at me. *his gaze is met by the distraught, teary-eyed face of his daughter* All these feelings, all these issues you’re feeling right now are completely normal for a thirteen year old to experience! Think it like, you’re still going through your “character arc,” which always starts just as you turn thirteen. You’ll get to that important “climax” of your story some day.
Citrus: *sniff* R-really...?
Jaune: I know so. Now let’s go inside, dinner’s almost ready!
Citrus: I’ll head in a second, gotta go put Soulful Reave back in in the shed.
Such an action to her weapon would make her brother, proverbially, lose his mind, but she took good care of her scythe, occasionally but primarily leaving it in the room she shared with her siblings, like they do with their weapons. Tomorrow would be the first step into this “character arc” of hers, and she would tackle it however she could!
-The next day-
Strolling down the halls of Signal wasn’t so bad, she was old enough to be by herself while her parents weren’t too far off. Ruby had gone with the many other parents of new students to a little meeting, confirming their classes and whatnot, meanwhile Citrus wandered around Signal, her orange cloak flowing as she strolled along, seeing big metal lockers to hold plenty of supplies, classrooms, a library, and the cafeteria. What she didn’t expect to come across was a large crowd of kids clamoring around a board with a myriad of papers on it. Among this crowd the youngest Rose-Arc saw the red-patched blonde hair of her sister.
Citrus: Blossom? *she called over the talkative graduates*
Blossom: Hey baby sis! You here on your intro tour? *the blonde side-stepped through the moderate sea of teens, a few of which turned heads to the younger teen*
Citrus: Yep, mom just went with the other parents to that meeting! What are you doing over here with everyone?
Blossom: Seeing who got their academic success title.
Citrus: You’re what?
“An awesome title for how well you did in your classes!” chimed a female student.
Citrus: Oh, cool!
Blossom: Wanna guess what I got?
Citrus: I...don’t know what they are.
Blossom: Oh, well come look.
Taking a closer look at the board, Citrus saw this hefty list of names that made her head spin. So many names, numbers, scores, classes.
Citrus: This makes my brain hurt...
Blossom: Same here, and could you help me find my name, I’ve been helping everyone here find their’s for a while n-
Citrus: You got Salutatorian, Garnet got Valedictorian, and Lea’s below both of you!
Blossom: I’M WHAT?!
The students: THEY’RE WHAT!?
“I’m what now???” came a familiar voice behind the girls and the crowd. They turned to find Garnet himself, in the midst of eating a roll of cookie dough from the cafeteria. Without thinking the students swarmed him, barging questions left and right; “How are you so smart,” or “Please teach me your ways,” and “You’re amazing Garnet!”
Garnet: Woah, slow down guys, I’m not that great honest! I just studied and practiced like anyone else would.
“But you got Valedictorian, dude!!!” exclaimed a male student with very punk-rock hair.
“That’s an achievement in and off itself!” cheered a preppy looking girl.
“You’re a freaking prodigy, bro!!!!” cried a sporty, muscular lad.
Garnet: Alright, listen up everyone, I’m gonna give you some life advice you all need to hear. Trying to be like me is impossible, and I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’m a prodigy. Yes I have powers of a Maiden inherited from my mother, yes I have a massive amount of Aura and strong Semblance to boot, yes I also have multiple weapons and am highly skilled in using all of them. However that doesn’t place me above the rest of you, nor should it make you all downplay yourselves! You all have your strengths and weaknesses, but you shouldn’t strive to become like me, because I’m not perfect. Imitation is the cheapest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay in greatness. Don’t strive to be me, strive be a better you, because their can only be one of us in the world! And if you do find someone like you later in life...*claps hands* Then I got nothing. *awkwardly smiles*
His audience applauded, but mostly laughed at the perplexing finish to his speech. His sisters had their own reactions, Blossom shaking her head and smiling in a way that conveyed a “The fact I’m related to you is astonishing” feel, Citrus on the other hand was captivated. “Strive to be a better you,” this phrase alone struck many chords in her, to the point that the lonely feeling of hers dissipated somewhat...
“Ohhh yawn-a-fuckin’-rama! That was the cheesiest shit I’ve ever heard, One Armed Arc!”
The students instinctively winced at the sound of the boastful and snarky voice. Collectively looking to the source, a tall girl with long burnt-orange hair and indigo eyes, clad in gray armor with a gold trim, a jet black waist cloth on the tool belt around her. Strapped to her back in a sheath was a morning star mace, the signature and feared weapon wielded by Signal Academy’s tyrant.
Blossom: Carly Winchester...
Citrus: ...
Garnet: And why are you here?
Carly: No reason, except I just heard a one-armed loser spouting some bullshit and being humble. Face it, you could be running this school! And yet you choose to be weak, lumping yourselves with these peons who could get their asses reamed by you.
Blossom: Garnet isn’t weak!
Carly: Aww look, little Ms. Self-loathing wants to act all big and tough! Why don’t you can it and go cry on the roof like you always do.
Citrus: *grits teeth and clenches her fists*
Garnet: What I do doesn’t make me weak Carly, I-
Carly: OH FUCKING SPARE ME! Hearing your high and mighty “holier-than-thou” bullshit makes me sick, you have the powers of a damn GOD and look where you are!
Citrus: ...hat’s it to y... *mumbles*
Carly: Hmm what’s that Shorty, got some shit to say? If you don’t then butt the fuck out, the adults are tal-
Citrus: WHAT’S IT TO YOU!? All you ever do is hurt and scare people, that’s not power, that’s being a jerk!
Carly: You-!
Citrus, standing in front of Carly now: My big brother is more of a Hunter and leader than you could ever hope to be! All you are is a bully, a coward, and an absolute BITCH!!!
Everyone present gasped, Garnet and Blossom were shocked into silence. Calling Carly a bitch was something else entirely, but hearing it from Citrus, someone who had never sworn in her life?! Surely they must’ve been dreaming, right??? Obviously they weren’t, for Carly had looked around incredulous, thinking she had heard the orangenette right.
Carly: The fuck did you just say to me you little shit...?!
Citrus: You heard me, you’re nothing but a BI-!
Carly: SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!
The warrior girl screamed in tandem with swinging her mace directly down onto the smaller girl. The motion happened at such a speed, all that was seen was a shiny, gray blur kicking up dust and debris when it landed.
Garnet/Blossom: CITRUS!!!
The youngest Rose-Arc braced for the impact beforehand...but it never came. Instead when she opened her eyes, she was in a dust cloud, embraced by her cousin, Lea Xiao Long-Schnee, her giant gauntlets blocking the crushing blow.
Lea: Might I ask why the hell you are attacking my cousin, Carly? *she said in a low tone, pushing the warrior girl back a good few feet*
Carly: Mind telling me why your brat isn’t on her child leash?!
Lea: *eyes turning lilac, blue fire adorning her hair* I think Citrus is going to be the least of your worries right now...
Citrus stepped back, knowing full well what was coming next. Garnet walked past her but not before looking at his baby sister.
Garnet: Might wanna go get mom and the principal, this courtyards about to become a war zone. *he winked*
Carly targeted him first, her mace colliding with the boy’s head and sending him staggering. He regained his footing, readying his own gauntlets as Lea pounced on Carly, throwing her into one of the support columns in the courtyard, Garnet running up and landing jab after jab upon Carly. Blossom held Citrus’ hand as they ran off to find their mother before the situation got worse, as they ran they heard the unmistakable sound of the Maiden powers flaring from their brother and cousin.
Blossom: We’ll leave it to them to kick Carly’s butt.
Citrus: ...
Blossom: You okay?
Citrus: Yeah yeah, just thinking.
Blossom: You narrowly avoiding getting brained by an amazon brute???
Citrus: Well...besides that, but what Garnet said earlier.
Blossom: Oh that.
Citrus: It stuck with me, and...and I think it should solve all my problems.
Blossom: ...if you say so!
Seems her father was right, today was when her character arc would begin, and now she would walk through it with her head held high!
#rwby#ruby rose#jaune arc#rwby lancaster#garnet rose-arc#blossom rose-arc#citrus rose-arc#voila! my final lancaster kid has received her story!#hope you guys enjoy the absolute jerk that is carly winchester#don't know if I'll make her a recurring oc since I don't have anyone I ship with cardin lol
24 notes
·
View notes