Stiofan Ua Binn
-----
A gut feeling told Stiofan something was amiss.
Ever since their meeting, he's kept a close eye on Blake, and everything seemed fine until Team RWBY's behaviour strayed from the usual during the class sessions they shared today.
Ruby's rampant playfulness was oddly calm, Yang's boredom morphed into an inability to sit still, and surprisingly, Blake did not once peek at her novels. However, the most shocking of all was Lady Weiss. She's always been the prime example of a proper student, yet as of today, she did nothing other than sigh at the clock and watch the hours tick by, forgoing her paper, pen, and apparently the importance of this academy and the education it provided.
To make matters worse, he caught wind of their whispers regarding the 'big plan' they had in store for today.
Stiofan picked a berry from the garden and examined it as if the answers to the conundrum were contained within before placing it in his basket.
What were they up to?
"Alright, that was easy," said Roderick. He ran his arm across his brow and joined his side. "Can't say the same for Cooper and Alex, though."
On the other side of the garden, Cooper struggled to carry several baskets of vegetables while Alexander waged war with the chickens in the coop.
Roderick compared their baskets of berries. "How are you holding up, Stiofan?"
"I, too, am finished." Stiofan picked the last remaining berries from his section. "Just merely ensuring none are left behind."
Trepidation whirled within his partner's golden eyes. "Aw, crap."
"Is something the matter?"
"I know that look." Roderick frowned. "You're thinking about something weird, aren't you?"
Stiofan's mouth parted. "How did you notice?"
"You're face." He feigned an expression of concentration. "You did this a lot last semester whenever Blake was around."
A swell of warmth pinched his cheeks. "Guilty as charged, I suppose."
"So," Roderick crossed his arms, "what's it this time?"
Stiofan relented and set down his basket. "It's Team RWBY. Have you noticed their behaviour of late?"
"Yeah, man." His brow furrowed. "They seemed really out of it."
Stiofan cupped his chin. "I must confirm the details of whatever it is that's making them act differently."
"Just can't help yourself, huh." Roderick sighed. "Why don't you leave it alone?"
"As you know," he said, "Lady Weiss comes first above all else, and if Team RWBY's antics put her in harm's way, I must be there to prevent it."
Stiofan didn't say it out loud, but for a fleeting instant, the idea of Blake running into danger planted a seed of worry in his chest, sharing the same weight as Lady Weiss herself.
Alexander barged out of the chicken coop in a clucking puff of feathers with a victorious basket of eggs.
"Oi!" Cooper slowly made his way to them while multiple baskets dangled on his arms and tail. "What are you two standing around for? Give a fella some help over here!"
Over Cooper's shoulder, the familiar splash of red, white, black, and yellow caught Stiofan's eye. They exited the armoury, armed to the teeth, yet rather than make way for the training hall, the four ladies followed the path leading to the dormitory with an eager bounce to their steps.
It was now or never.
"Apologies, Roderick," Stiofan pressed his basket into his partner's chest. "Hold this."
Roderick caught it, utterly perplexed. "Wait, why?"
"Also give my apologies to the others and Professor Peach." He hurried off. "Meet me in the dormitory once you're finished."
In the dorm room, Stiofan took it upon himself to perform light reconnaissance.
He pressed his back against the wall, and as intrusive as it might have been, monitoring their wellbeing with less than ideal methods was worth the temporary dismissal of morality.
Team RWBY's plan greeted his ears in its entirety, revolving around the investigation of Roman Torchwick and the White Fang.
His fears increased tenfold.
When Stiofan spoke with Blake the other day, he hoped to help ease her mind and rely more on those around her for support, but alas, his words may have been taken quite too literally, perhaps.
'If you were going to go hunting, Blake,' Stiofan thought and swallowed a bitter pill, 'you could've at least offered to invite me along, too.'
Suddenly, two new voices resonated in Team RWBY's room. One was Sun Wukong, and the other was vaguely familiar. However, the mystery was quickly solved once the name 'Neptune' was mentioned.
After being scolded for eavesdropping outside the window, Team RWBY begrudgingly allowed Sun and Neptune to participate in their plan.
Stiofan's teammates returned at that moment, and he passed on his knowledge.
"Why are we doing this again?" Cooper slipped into the desk. "They have serious rump kicking in their blood. What do they need of us?"
"We're just making sure they don't get in over their heads," Roderick said from the edge of his bed. "We'll just stick around, see what happens, and if anything goes wrong, we'll be there to bail them out. And I bet Alex wants to help out. Aren't I right, big guy?"
In bed with his eyes closed, Alexander grunted.
"See." Roderick gestured to Cooper. "Now that leaves you, man."
He lifted his hat and combed a hand through his black locks. "I guess there's no escaping you lot. Just be sure to save this handsome fella when he's in trouble, yeah?"
"You got it," Roderick said. "So, Stiofan, anything new?
"Ruby and Lady Weiss are heading to Beacon Tower to investigate SDC records at the CCT." Stiofan pressed an ear closer to the wall. "Blake and Sun are going to infiltrate a White Fang gathering facility. Yang and Neptune are heading to Vale to gather intelligence from an apparent friend who owns a club. Once finished, everyone will reconvene at Yang's location."
Roderick leaned onto his knees and found a keen interest in the carpet, grinning as if he could see something no one else could.
"We don't have to worry about Ruby and Weiss since they'll still be on campus—not exactly the most dangerous place in Vale, you know what I mean?" said the leader. "Next we have Blake and Sun. If those two are heading into White Fang territory," he directed a finger to Cooper, "we need extra stealth. You got this, man?"
"Aye." The Faunus tipped his hat. "No one can do it better than I can."
"Stiofan, you'll back him up."
Stiofan placed a fist over his chest. "Understood."
Roderick went over and tapped Alexander's arm. "We're following Yang and Neptune to the club."
Alexander groaned.
"I hear you, man." He cringed. "Don't worry, though. All we need to do is observe. No need to go into that danger zone unless things get messy. You cool with that?"
He sat up. "We can wait in my truck."
The smoky wisps of bewilderment diffused around the room.
"Say again." Roderick rubbed his ear. "Did you say 'truck?' "
Cooper chuckled and facepalmed. "You heard right, mate."
"As much as I would like to discuss more about Alexander's personal mode of transport," Stiofan paid heed to the door of Team RWBY open and shut, "we must make haste."
"Remember the plan, don't get caught, and if things change, let us know." Roderick jumped to his feet and took his jacket off the rack. "With that said, gear up and game on."
-----
Tannum "Cooper" Oakwood
-----
It's been two hours since they arrived in the city of Vale, and everything was fine and dandy until Blake and Sun glued themselves to some cafe next to the Town Square.
Cooper wasn't one to complain much, but how much longer were they going to have to wait?
"With the amount of pacing you're doing," Stiofan leaned against the parapet of the roof they were on, "it would be none too surprising should we be found."
"Can't help it." He plopped on his rump and watched the Atlesian event present their new line of androids below. "Thought we'd be at that White Fang meeting by now, but they've done nothing except chat over hot coffee so far."
"Tea."
"What was that, mate?"
Stiofan propped his arm on the parapet. "Blake prefers tea, black specifically."
After a second of letting that sink into his noggin, the naughtiest of feelings spilt Cooper's mouth apart.
"Let me guess." Cooper slid up and joined his side. "Are you a black tea fella as well?"
He glanced over, brow raised. "Green with a splash of lemon and honey."
"But it wouldn't hurt to indulge in something a tid bit stronger." He nudged him. "Right?"
Stiofan scoffed and shook his head. "It's nothing of that sort."
"Don't be shy." He winked. "You can tell this chap all about it."
"Like I said, it's—"
"Quite lovely."
Stiofan flinched.
Bingo.
"About the tea," Cooper leaned back and watched the rolling marshmallows in the sky, "are you going in for a sip or taking a full swig."
Stiofan sighed. "Unfortunately, it's too hot at the moment. Best to allow it to cool first unless I wish to burn more than just my tongue."
"You're right about that one, buddy ol pal. Ever try blowing on it first?"
"Recently, in fact." He pursed his lips. "There were some ripples and waves; I doubt it did much, though."
"No surprise there. You boiled the water too long."
"Indeed." Stiofan shrugged. "Reap what you sow, I suppose."
"Well, if you ask me," Cooper tapped his chin, "why not go for it?"
"And risk burning myself in the process?"
"Aye." He snapped his fingers. "Just like how I like my biscuits. What's there to worry about, anyways? You already spilled it on yourself once, so there's no way you can do any worse than that."
A new light flickered to life in those teal eyes.
"The spill from that day was a mistake easily remedied by accepting and cleaning the mess I've caused." Stiofan smiled at the amber glow of the horizon. "There is nothing to fear, for the worst has already passed. Now this future I see is my new cup of tea, and I must ensure it never spills again."
Cooper smirked. "Well, said."
Applause erupted from the crowd gathered for the presentation.
Ever since Atlas dropped in at Beacon's doorstep at the start of the semester, meaty soldiers, humongous airships, and high-tech mechs of all types followed, parading right into Vale.
Cooper whistled at the hologram of a robotic behemoth known as the Atlesian Paladin-290.
"That looks pretty neat," he said.
"Atlas can be very blunt when it comes to getting their point through," Stiofan said over the people slapping their flippers. "As you can see, they're also resourceful and understand how to use their assets very well."
Altas may have been in charge of security for the Vytal Festival and all, but this was going overboard. Heck, there were rumours that James Ironwood himself, Headmaster of Atlas Academy and General of the Atlesian Army, was already at Beacon.
Cooper pushed up the brim of his cap. "Sounds like you know them well."
The First Guard tapped his vest. "The SDC has a close relationship with the Atlesian Army. They supply us with weapons and equipment, and in exchange, we give them Dust."
Sheesh. Talk about a deal. Anyone would give an arm or a leg for that.
"Of course, this means that military officials often visit the Schnee manor to discuss business." Stiofan frowned at what must have been an annoying memory. "I had both the pleasure and displeasure of meeting many of them during my apprenticeship. General Ironwood himself even once tried to recruit me into Atlas Academy."
Cooper whistled. "You must've been quite the talent if he of all people tried to tie you down."
"He instantly recognized my talents and my future potential." Stiofan let out a long breath. "And the Atlas Fest Tournament did me no favours either. If anything, my victory only motivated him to have me more."
Before Cooper could poke fun or make a quick quip, a dash of red and orange with hints of green whizzed past the side of the plaza in the street across from them.
It couldn't be. . .
"Oi," Cooper tapped his teammate and pointed, "is that Ruby and the strange gal we met a few weeks back?"
Stiofan checked. "Indeed, but why is Ruby with Penny? She's supposed to be with Lady Weiss at Beacon Tower."
"I got it, mate." Cooper opened his scroll and put their leader on speaker. "Hiya, Radek. I was wondering if you had some advice for us. We kinda ran into a problem."
"Yeah, man," Roderick said. "What's up?"
"Ruby separated from Lady Weiss and is currently with Penny," Stiofan said. "They're both in Vale."
"What do you think they're doing?"
"At the moment: fleeing." Cooper sighed at the armoured grunts abandoning their post at the presentation to chase them. "Don't know why, but they're about to get arrested by Atlesian soldiers. Should we bail them out?"
From the other side of the line, Roderick slapped what sounded like his face.
"Stiofan, you think you can handle Blake and Sun on your own?"
"I will try my best, partner."
"Alright, then. Cooper, break off and make sure they don't get arrested."
Cooper hung up and activated Merry Outlaw. "Be back in a jiffy, Stephen."
Stiofan offered a nod of luck. "Take care."
Cooper scurried alongside a row of rooftops, tailing the lot of them into an alleyway. He pressed a green switch on his bow's magazine, which ejected an arrow, and shot it between the grunts.
A gust of wind swirled them up in the air and flicked them out the alley like pesky bugs.
However, Ruby didn't realize they weren't being chased anymore and used her Semblance to carry Penny out of there in a flash, only to collapse into the middle of the street shortly after.
A delivery truck roared straight towards them. It honked and hit the brakes, but the momentum was far too eager to run them under the wheels.
Cooper shot another wind arrow with a quick flick.
The gust swept Ruby back onto the sidewalk, yet the same couldn't be said for Penny. Like a musclehead trying to lift an overloaded barbell, the wind struggled to get her up.
Penny covered herself as the rampaging hunk of metal rammed her down, and Cooper's stomach juices splashed up to his throat.
Ruby scrambled to her side. "Penny!"
Cooper hopped down and rushed over to them. "Is she alright?!"
An equally horrified, surprised, and bewildered mix of emotions cracked Ruby's face.
"Cooper?" A sudden burst of pink stained her cheeks. "I, uh, w-what in the world are you doing here?"
"Nevermind that." He kneeled and checked on Penny. "Darling, are you—"
The words stuck in his gob.
Penny stared back lifeless, dim green eyes blank and unblinking. The side of her face and her palms were torn, flesh dangling by thin flakes.
Did her Aura not work, or did she not activate it in time?
Cooper gagged and would've nearly lost his lunch if the oddity of her injuries didn't stick out like a sore thumb. There wasn't any wet red or that nasty pink stuff. Instead, something gray and lustrous replaced it.
It couldn't be. . .
Ruby fought the tears. "Oh, my god, Penny."
"Can you hear me?" Cooper shook the motionless gal a few times and shivered at how her hands were unnaturally cold and rock hard. "If you can, say something."
"I'm wonderful," she said. "Thank you for asking, Cooper, my friend."
Cooper yelped and jumped back as Penny nonchalantly got up and dusted her clothes.
'She gets hit by a truck and acts like it was a simple nudge?' he thought. 'What on Remnant is wrong with her?'
"Penny!" Ruby hugged her. "You're okay. . . I think?"
Penny glanced at them, at the murmuring people drawing ever closer, and at her skin torn palms. Her eyes widened, and she sprinted into another alley before they could ask questions.
Ruby and Cooper followed in pursuit.
"Please, tell me what is going on?!" Ruby said as they caught up to Penny at a dead end. "Why are you running? How come your face is like that?! Are you even okay?!"
Penny searched for any possible means of escape. "I-I can't!"
"It's alright," said Cooper. He approached her slowly and signaled Ruby to do the same. "You can tell us."
"Everything is fine." She hiccupped. "I-I don't want to talk about it!" She hiccuped again.
Ruby smiled the best she could. "Penny, you can tell us what's wrong. We can help you."
"Don't worry, darling." Cooper checked behind to see if anyone followed. "We're on your side."
"No, no, no," she covered herself, "you wouldn't understand."
"Let us try." Ruby reached out. "You can trust us."
"You're both my friends, right?" Penny snatched both their wrists and reeled them close enough to see her camera shutter like pupils. "You promise you're my friends?"
Ruby nodded. "I promise."
"Aye." Cooper took a deep breath and prepared for the worst. "Say the word."
As if they dosed her with some kind of drug, Penny relaxed.
"Ruby, Cooper." She opened up and gave them a good view of her injuries. "I'm not a real girl."
The revelation knocked the air from Cooper's lungs.
Ruby gulped. "I-I don't understand."
"Most girls are born," Penny awkwardly shrugged and flexed her fingers, "but I was made. I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura." Her ray of happiness suddenly fizzled out. "I'm not a real girl."
Dozens of rapid fire questions rifled into Cooper's brain.
A synthetic that could generate Aura? That's not possible. Only living things with souls are able to produce that, and last time he's checked, machines didn't have those.
Ruby pushed Penny's hands closer to her metallic chest. "Of course, you are. You think just because you got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts make you any less real than me or Cooper?"
"I don't, um. . ." Penny bit her lip and leaned closer to Ruby's oddly composed expression. "You're taking this extraordinarily well."
Cooper agreed. It was gobsmacking how calm she was about this.
"Ruby," he nudged her with his elbow, "why couldn't you have been this calm the other night."
She ignored him, but the amount of red worming up her neck and to her ears was good enough for him.
"You're not like those robots we saw back there." Ruby let loose a little laugh. "You got a heart and a soul. I can feel it."
Penny's mouth fell wide open, and unrestrained joy drooled out.
"Oh, Ruby," she snatched and shook her side to side, "you're the bestest friend anyone can have!"
Those glowing green eyes locked onto him.
Cooper stepped back, arms raised. "Easy now—"
She snagged his scarf and jerked him into her embrace right beside Ruby. "You too, Cooper, my friend!"
"I can see why your father would want to protect such a delicate flower," Ruby said against her solid bust.
"Oh, he's very sweet." The robot let them go. "My father's the one who built me. I'm sure you would just love him!"
Whoever this brilliant father was, Cooper had to meet him and his invention of miracles.
"Wow," Ruby examined her, "he built you all by himself?"
"Well almost. He had a little help from Mister Ironwood."
"The General?" she said. "Wait is that why the soldiers are after you?"
"They like to protect me too."
"Pfft. They don't think you can protect yourself?"
"They're not sure I'm ready yet." Penny swayed and kicked the ground. "One day it'll be my job to save the world. But I still have a lot left to learn. That's why my father let me come to the Vytal Festival." She watched the sky, fingers clasped behind her. "I want to see what it's like in the rest of the world and test myself in the tournament."
"Penny, what are you talking about?" she said, head tilted. "Save the world from what? We're in a time of peace."
Penny frowned and touched her chin. "That's not what Mister Ironwood said."
Penny was built for a reason, and General Ironwood must've gone to great lengths to make it happen. Obviously, not for fun or to revolutionize the entire robot industry.
She was a weapon.
Something as huge as this doesn't go unnoticed, and the fact articles of her existence weren't currently spamming the kingdoms means her existence was under lock and key. The world may be sunshine and rainbows, but it was only because of people working in the shadows who make the things that go bump in the night stop bumping.
Cooper shivered at the chill racing along his tail.
"Check down there!" said an angered voice down the alley.
Penny gasped and picked Ruby up over her head like a ball. "You both have to hide!"
Despite her complaints, she was promptly stuffed into a dumpster.
"It's okay, Ruby." Penny held the lid open enough for Ruby to stick her head out. "They're not bad people. I just don't want to get you in trouble. Just promise me you won't tell anyone my secret."
"I promise," Ruby said.
Penny shifted her eyes to him.
The importance of a hidden truth was something Cooper knew all too well.
Despite living more honestly nowadays, his past life as a big, bad thief weighed just as heavy as the hidden nuts and bolts inside of Penny.
If his secret were ever exposed, the trust he's built up until this point would crumble, and the merry bands of mates he gathered up so far would turn their backs on him, leaving his tail with more problems than it could handle.
Nobody could know who he really was, especially not Team RWBY.
"Count your lucky stars." Cooper tipped his cap. "No one will hear a peep from me."
Penny beamed.
Not longer after Ruby ducked inside and Cooper activated his Semblance, Penny led away the soldiers, leaving them in the clear.