Epilogue | takes two to tango | 9,832 words
Post-Season 2. There will be spoilers to some degree.

BGM: I'll be Good - Jaymes Young.

. . .

Graduation, three days after.

Not all stories had tidy endings.

Least of all theirs.

It was something that Weiss said to them a long time ago, at the edge of Beacon's grounds overlooking the Vale city, with the late afternoon sun and remnants of destruction from the breach on their skin.

And how apt that phrase was. It really was just the first step of a long, hard road, wasn't it?

Ruby wondered if her mother thought the same when she graduated from Beacon.

A smile, true and big, broke out on her lips.

The snow crunched under her feet as she bent in front of the grave, a hand lifting to brush away the snow that covered the words engraved on the stone.

"Hey mom."

The soft wind greeted her back.

"Ruby Rose has graduated," she cheered to the cold air, "and became a huntress!"

She was finally what she dreamt of being. A real huntress. Four years of studying, training, fighting - and she had made it. She had made it. Then, she plopped down unceremoniously on the snow, cross-legged, her thick cloak taking away the bite of the cold ice.

Weiss, who had been as silent as a ghost two steps behind her, sighed at the unladylike action.

"Sit with me, Weiss?" Ruby patted at the red cloak that she spread out on the ground.

"I can stand, thank you." Even without seeing it, she could tell - her partner was scowling.

Ruby tilted her head backwards as she curled her hands below the knees for support, eyeing the other from upside down.

"Please?" she beseeched. "I wanna introduce you to mom."

The white-haired huntress just frowned, arms crossed. "And you can. As we are."

She honestly hadn't wanted to resort to this measure. But she would if it would get her what she wanted.

She pouted and made her eyes big. "Please? You promised we could do whatever I wanted today, and this is our last stop before we go to the port."

Weiss was the very picture of rueful irritation. "I know what you are doing."

Ah. Was she caught?

But then again, her friend had four years to learn all her tricks. Still, that didn't mean Weiss was immune to it. And if Ruby were to wager a bet, she'd say it was pretty far from it, especially given what she wanted in this particular scenario.

Her partner was ever polite, after all, especially to those Weiss felt deserving of respect. And she wouldn't do something on the contrary... like engage in an argument with her in front of her mother's grave.

"Weisssssss… please?"

Her partner resisted for a moment longer before scowling again, seemingly unwilling to scold her then and there. But the look in those blue eyes promised a lecture and retribution later.

"Move," ordered Weiss.

Ruby cheered and scooted to the side of the cape, making sure to pat down on her cloak again to cover as much snow as possible. It was certainly tricky, since she still actually had it clasped to her shoulders. But, they were both small in size, so it wasn't an impossible feat.

There was a moment of hesitation, then Weiss lifting Myrtenaster from where it was hooked, before the petite woman settled down on the cloth - and somehow still managed to do it in a very ladylike manner.

The rapier now rested on the snow within easy reach.

Their shoulders touched and their legs grazed each other, and Ruby paid it no heed. It wasn't the first time they were in close quarters, after all.

"Mom," she gestured, "this is Weiss, my partner. I wanted you to meet her. She's had my back for the last four years - and she's the best teammate I could ever have."

Weiss merely inclined her head regally. "Hello." A pause. "It's an honor to finally meet you."

Silver eyes cut to her partner. Her partner looked awkward, like she didn't quite know what to say.

That wouldn't do, hm? Now what could she do to fix that…

She took a moment to hatch a plan, flitting through ideas and discarding them as quickly upon assessing the pros and cons.

"Ruby..." Weiss had turned to watch her, seemingly full of hesitation now. "Are you alright? You're being really quiet."

Crap, how long had she been plotting?

Suddenly, blue eyes was narrowing suspiciously at her. Something on her face must have given her away. "What are you - "

Plan, execute!

She grabbed hold of Weiss suddenly, enclosing her in a tight hug that the other wouldn't be able to escape without harming her and turned to face the grave - and relishing the way her partner had squeaked in surprise.

"Wanna know how we met, mom?" Weiss had stiffened in her arms. "Let me tell you now, it was memorable and explosive introduction…"

"Ruby, I don't think -"

Said girl squeezed tighter until the white-haired woman huffed out a breath, the protest interrupted. Weiss knew her tricks by now, but hey, she had her own counterattacks too. And her partner had always fit easily in her arms, petite as she was.

"It was our first day at Beacon! I wasn't really looking at where I was walking, so I actually slammed right into Weiss here, who then gave me the scolding of my life - "

"Ruby!" Weiss looked and sounded truly flustered now, struggling to get out of the hug.

The banter between them filled the silence after - mostly her with her mischief, and Weiss with her objections and occasional corrections. But eventually there was amusement in mist blue eyes as stories were told, and Ruby who flushed when Weiss took revenge by teasing her right back.

The stories ranged - from their first meeting to their shaky start of a partnership, the Nevermore, then to how they worked out their differences, learning each other's histories, and eventually, a rock-solid friendship -

They really had come a long way from that first day they met, hadn't they?

Weiss, who had finally relented and relaxed, looked at the grave for a long moment before speaking.

"Your daughter has the makings of a great huntress," Weiss said, calm and respectful, "And I am honored - to have been given the chance to be her partner. She is good at what she does, and… I know that she will only prove to be so much more as she strives towards her dream."

Beside her, Ruby had gone red with embarrassment, something the older of them was pointedly ignoring. "Weiss…"

The white-haired woman coughed and stood, dusting off imaginary lint as she picked up the rapier. "Time to go, Ruby. We have a flight to catch."

A wave of sadness washed over her suddenly.

Weiss was finally returning to Atlas for good, to helm the SDC. For a few weeks leading up to their graduation, she had been going back and forth between Beacon and Atlas, and today… today would be the last time.

Team RWBY… RBY... would only be there for half the flight; mainly because of the hunters headquarters that they were supposed to report to for their first assignment right after graduation. But for the one member of team RWBY, concessions were willingly made.

A slender hand was offered to her. "Up."

She took it and allowed Weiss to pull her up, relishing in the faint warmth emitted by her partner.

Weiss moved to retract her hand after, but Ruby tightened her grip. The blue eyes that flickered back to her were questioning, but unguarded.

A white brow lifted in silent query.

"Remember what you promised me?" she asked, feeling a sudden need to double check. Maybe even triple check.

For the briefest of moment, Weiss seemed to soften, but then she was giving her a look of wry amusement and resigned irritation. "Would you like me to say it again?" Sarcasm.

Ruby squinted back at her. "You would do that...?"

"No." Weiss glared, seemingly affronted that she even asked. "But I know my promises. And I don't break them." A sniff. "Kindly do not insult me by insinuating I would forget what I said."

But her partner was also squeezing Ruby's hand back gently, and something in her eased back, satisfied at what wasn't said.

"Now let's go before we miss the flight. We've been out much longer than I expected us to be." A pause, and Weiss tugged her hand away, gesturing - if a bit awkwardly - at the grave. "I'll give you a minute."

With that, the white-haired huntress stepped back and turned to face the forest.

The sky was rapidly darkening into night, with the shattered moon bright and washing over them.

Ruby took the moment to look back at the grave again.

Bye, she said silently. I will come again, mom.

Then, with an exhale of misting breath, she turned and walked towards her waiting partner.

If she'd only known what would transpire in the very forest that they were walking in, setting into motion a path that she never dreamt of happening.

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i. Blake Belladonna.

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It took her exactly seventeen days after the attempted murder of one of her dearest friends to discover the person responsible for it.

.

The faunus stared at the black-haired man before her, hand gripping Gambol Shroud tightly.

She found the traitor. She had finally found him. After so long - after so much time pouring over evidence and reassessing the timeline - they - he -

Why was it him?

"Was it worth it?" she couldn't help but ask, trembling with fury.

A small smile curled on his lips. "Few things are ever worth it, Miss Belladonna."

"Did you even believe in what Weiss had been trying to do?"

The smile did vanish this time, and with it, a hint of disapproval that made Blake want to hiss and bristle appearing in its stead. "Of course I did. That's why I put forth my best effort to help her."

It was true - it was only with his support that Weiss managed to gain back control of SDC so quickly after the events that two years ago. Morale and trust had been low, and he had been very influential. With him publicly behind her, control was wrestled back quickly.

Without him - the company, the public - they would all have descended on Weiss like wolves.

That was why this had been so hard to swallow.

"You tried to kill her twice."

"Au contraire, Miss Belladonna. It was only once. I have never meant for her to die in the dust mines."

The implications of it sank in.

"You made sure the bomb went off before she arrived," the black-haired woman breathed out in disbelief and astonishment. It was all starting to make sense. No sane person would've allowed such a trivial error when it came to setting off a bomb.

He inclined his head.

"All those - " the faunus in the mines. The dead. "You - " All those lives. "Weiss trusted you!"

"It was a means to flush out the White Fang. I needed them to trust me."

She just stared in pure disbelief. "How could you - how could you even justify this?! Weiss would never have agreed to it! And you kidnapped Ruby to lure her out to that warehouse!"

"Ah, but she came out unscathed, did she not?"

"You bastard - "

"Do you not agree that her life - her visions - are worth all their lives? Do not forget, Miss Belladonna - what she does, dare to do - it is akin to backing a wild animal into a corner. Left alone, White Fang would cause unforeseeable damage."

The grip she had on Gambol Shroud tightened. "You sick son of a bitch."

This man had been double-crossing White Fang, playing spies on both ends. Cid Raines, who had been a mentor when she took up the position to protect Weiss, who taught her about the intricacies of diplomacy and unseen dangers, who was part of her friend's inner circle, part of the trusted board - a man whom she thought honorable, who believed in the same things Weiss did -

"What changed, then?" she hissed. "Why did you try to kill her? You could have wiped out hundreds of lives at the factory with that bomb in the car!"

Something like rueful amusement sketched itself onto his face. "Except she had chosen the most inopportune time to visit graves."

"Why?" She couldn't understand him. Despite the extreme methods, this man had helped her - helped Weiss. Then, like a flip of a switch, he backstabbed them. "Why do this at all if you really believed in her?"

"I lost." For a moment, he looked regretful. "And now I am a puppet. Be careful, Miss Belladonna. The White Fang… not all is what it seems with them. I hope you do realize Weiss is still an active target, even at this very moment, and not by me."

How could someone ever be such a damned walking contradiction?

The woman who was beside Blake had heard enough.

"We will take it from here."

Hell no. Blake wanted his head.

Pale blue eyes, lighter than even Weiss's, looked directly at her. If it wasn't for the fact this person had light pink hair, she could have easily passed as a Schnee. "You should return. It is best that you ensure the president of the SDC remains well protected."

There was a clear warning in those words - and in Cid's, despite how indirectly he said it.

Weiss.

She gritted her teeth at the reminder. Despite the fury that raged in her, she was - fortunately or unfortunately - still self-aware enough to remember that Weiss was more important than dealing with him. Slowly, she forced herself to loosen the grip she had on Gambol Shroud.

Cid, on the other hand, was eyeing the new person with interest. "Lieutenant Lightning Farron," he murmured, and it made Blake's ears prickle. She had forgotten that they knew each other. Fought by each other's sides once upon a time, even, because of a certain case involving Serah Farron.

The pink-haired woman lifted her blade, staring at the man with hard eyes. "We have you surrounded. Are you going to come willingly or do we have to do this the hard way?"

He smiled, a hand resting on the pommel of his sword.

"You have a death wish," Blake hissed, gripping her weapon tightly again.

With deliberate steps, Lightning moved to stand in front of her, eyes still on the man. "Go home, Belladonna. Tighten your security."

A finger tapped her shoulder lightly. "She's right. We will handle him."

She turned to meet the green eyes of a tall woman - taller than Yang - with hair a shade of grey so dark it was almost black.

Oerba Yun Fang.

"Go. And maybe think of an explanation of why you thought of confronting him alone, eh? You are lucky we were on the same tracks." Fang raised an eyebrow. "I don't think your family would be very happy with you about it. Bad habit, Blakey."

She was right. Ruby wouldn't be happy, but Blake had a feeling she'd understand why she did it. Weiss would be mad at her, yes, but also at… everything else.

Yang… Yang would be furious at her.

But she had needed to be sure it was him who did it before anything else. If Blake was wrong, she would've needlessly caused grief for her team. She needed - needed - to hear it from him, because this betrayal would hurt Weiss.

Especially after she saw how Weiss edge back to how she had been after that damnable car bombing.

Blake exhaled again, slow and long, finally letting the death grip she had on Gambol Shroud go.

"Make sure he bleeds," she bit out at the other woman.

Fang snorted. "I'm sure he will, given what stance he's taking."

Good, she thought viciously.

With another deep breath, Blake turned, and left. She had security to plan.

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ii. Yang Xiao-Long.

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Four days had passed since, with Blake mostly making herself scarce while Ruby kept Weiss occupied - for as much as the white-haired woman would allow, anyway.

Which really wasn't much, considering. On top of matters with SDC - because there was damage control to perform now - the president herself had been quiet. That in itself wasn't unusual, no, but Yang would've preferred to actually see her seethe or even break something in rage.

But, no, Weiss was weary, quiet, and hurt.

It was quite literally the one combination she did not ever want to see coming from the ice queen. Or from any of her team.

And then there was Blake, the very heart of Yang's frustration.

The blonde itched to punch something.

Or to be specific, a problem that she could actually punch. That would be extremely easy. She was good at punching! One of the best at it, even.

But none of these were actually punchable. Yang didn't want to punch Blake.

No, what Yang really wanted to do was a permanent way to shake some sense into her - because if there was a competition of falling back into bad habits running, both Weiss and Blake would have been top contenders for the spot.

Such a way didn't exist however, so what she did upon entering Weiss's office was flop down on the three-seater couch by the corner. Then, grumbling none too quietly, she picked up a pillow, and pressed it over her own face to block out the entire world.

And though she couldn't see it, Weiss was rolling her eyes.

"Exactly how long," the very dry words came, "do you intend to sulk?"

"Blake's avoiding me," was her muffled response.

"Ah."

Yang moved the pillow a little, just to better peek at her white-haired friend leaning back in her own couch, gaze on the documents in her hands.

Every now and then when she dropped by the office, that was exactly the position she'd find Weiss in. A part of her wondered if it was because the other knew she had arrived.

"'Ah'?" she mimicked grumpily, now tossing the pillow up into the air and down. "That's all you've to say?"

Mist blue eyes cut to her at that.

"Is there something in particular you wanted from me?"

She squinted back at her. "Where's Ruby?" she asked instead.

"She had a Grimm-hunting mission scheduled."

"Huh. You telling me she didn't swap with someone else?" Yang had actually expected Ruby to feel quite torn about it. While it was Ruby's dream and desire to help protect people, there was still the matter of Weiss's current… status.

Said person gave her a pointed look. "She's a huntress. There are lives on the line."

This was Yang's inner-translation on that phrase: Ruby probably wanted to swap with another hunter because of everything involving Cid Raines, but Weiss had likely insisted for her to go instead. Better yet, there was a very high chance that this was the ice queen's way of reminding Ruby that she had her own life to live.

Yang quirked up a grin, now attempting to balance the pillow on a finger. "You're good for my sister, Weiss."

Weiss twitched, something indecipherable flashing past those eyes, but didn't comment. That in itself told Yang plenty, and not all of them good things.

But before she could say anything, the white-haired woman spoke again. "Blake has been busy."

The pillow slipped, dropping onto her stomach with a soft thump. "Busy?"

"Hm."

"...One day, on at least one conversation that we will have, you will not give me one-word answers, Weiss." Yang hadn't gave up on that yet. Very much still a work in progress. It was also one of Weiss's bad habits, one that had seemingly developed ever since she specifically had to spend time with Yang.

The barest of a smirk settled on Weiss's expression. Ooh, the girl was just challenging her right now.

Yang would show her one of these days, damn it.

"Blake's reworking security," Weiss said. "There are… some things that needed to be re-assessed."

"What things?"

"Procedures. Protocols." A pause. "People who were recommended by Cid when he worked for me, and before that, my father."

She may have felt a spark of rage at the reminder, but it was the weariness that flickered in Weiss's expression that made her eyes flash red for the barest of a moment. If Cid Raines was in front of them right now, she would've gutted him.

And why was Weiss being so mild over the entire fiasco?

"Am I waiting for a Weiss-style bomb to explode?" she asked bluntly.

Blue eyes blinked, startled by the strange query. "What?"

"I'm talking about you, ice queen."

"A what bomb?" Weiss looked perplexed for just another moment before realization sank in, and an icy glare was directed her way. "You are the rudest person I have ever had the displeasure of meeting, Yang Xiao-Long."

"And you're the iciest queen I've had the pleasure of setting fire on, ice queen." Get that? Eh? Eh?!

Weiss had a look of complete exasperation and annoyance on her face. "Your puns are still as terrible and crude as ever. Get out of my office, you brute."

She attempted to emulate a puppy Ruby. "You're kicking me out?"

The other just stared at her stonily, clearly unaffected. "Yes."

Damn. She failed.

"And for the record," Weiss said icily, "I'm angry too. But Cid is already dead. I have no time nor energy to waste on the dead."

That was a harsh statement. Harsh, but also clinically true.

Yang gave her a long, hard and assessing look.

The man who fought against one Lightning Farron and Oerba Yun Fang plus backup - choosing death over facing justice when everything had backed him to a corner. She couldn't understand his motivations at all, nor his reasons.

But some part of Weiss seemed to. And if nothing else… Weiss just looked a little sad. Worn. Resigned.

That was when realization set in.

"You are…" Surprise colored Yang's words. "You're mourning him." That was why Weiss didn't seem angry. It wasn't that she wasn't, it was because she was also sad and hurt by his death.

The look Weiss directed at her was indecipherable. "Cid Raines was a family friend."

Of course - he had worked for her father. For years. Then for Weiss. It was no wonder she trusted him. He had been with the Schnee family through a decade's war with White Fang, when friends and relatives were killed, before he broke that trust.

Yang didn't know Cid personally - just through an off-mention from Blake now and then - so she couldn't really relate.

But Weiss clearly did. And Blake did too, on some level - she could tell that the faunus had respected him.

The white-haired woman was exhaling. "You can do away with your expectations of a 'Weiss-style bomb' exploding. It's not coming, alright?"

That roundabout sentence was as close to an assurance her friend would ever give, Yang could tell.

But it also proved just how far Weiss had come from that time. And while it was a testament to how Weiss had picked herself back up, to Weiss' strength, Yang had a feeling some part of it had to do with the presence of her sister. With Ruby.

Now what was it people said about what marriage meant… something about being able to lean on your own partner? That may not have been why or how the entire thing started, but, well. The way these two went on and on was telling enough.

Her lips itched to form a grin.

Yang raised her eyebrows instead and pointed an accusing finger for effect. "Did you just re-use my pun?"

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "Go away. Talk to Blake. And do have your issues resolved before the marriage. I will not have both my teammates sulking on the day."

Ah. The marriage. Due to happen in two weeks. All things considered, it was still on track despite the numerous incidents that occurred between then and now. That was also probably why Weiss's (and maybe Blake's?) schedule had been increasingly hectic lately.

Yang tried for a smile, and then flipped the pillow again. "But you just said she's busy?"

"Is there a question somewhere in there?" There was condescension in Weiss's dainty little sniff. "She makes time for you."

She paused, then grinned. "Good point."

Weiss pointed at the door.

"Go away, Yang."

She rolled her eyes, and stretched as she stood.

At least the matter of 'Weiss-style bomb' was something she could put to rest now, leaving just one other.

For a moment she contemplated on how to corner a certain faunus so that they would have a proper chat, then turned to leave the room.

Crowding Blake's space. That always worked.

.

Yang leaned against the doorway of the meeting room with folded arms and watched.

Blake was deep in discussion with Velvet by the large monitor fixed on the wall, gold eyes focused on the large map displayed, and information that was running down the screen, unceasing.

Velvet tapped at her tablet, highlighting a spot in Vale onscreen.

"This area is the last one being surveyed for the living conditions of the workers, as per the proposal set by Mister Raines."

The head of security just nodded. "Take a team and check it out."

"Of course." Velvet's eyes cut over to meet Yang's. Clearly, the faunus had noticed her the moment she had arrived. "Yang," the faunus greeted with a smile.

She offered a wave and a grin.

Beside the faunus, Blake had turned to look at her, too, seemingly unsurprised. But, and this Yang noted with a bit of frustration, she was also choosing to school her face into something unreadable.

Then, with a completely cheerful smile, Velvet said, "I'll leave you two to talk."

Yang stepped into the room, making way for the other - who patted her lightly on the shoulder - and the door shut behind them.

And now that they were alone, the smile vanished from her expression.

Silence reigned.

The blonde really couldn't deny that she was angry. Still angry, even. But she had a few days to cool down, and in that time she had started to put what pieces she had together.

Specifically, what made her partner think it was a good idea to act alone - especially when Cid Raines was a renowned hunter all on his own before he got elected to be a part of the council leading the hunters, and soon after moving on to work for Weiss's father.

And as far as she could tell… this probably started around the time the car exploded, didn't it?

But she still didn't know why.

"So," Yang leaned back against the wall, folding her arms again. "Are you going to tell me why you started falling back into bad habits?"

Blake visibly twitched at that. "I wasn't - that wasn't what I was doing."

Yang couldn't help the wry grin that formed. "Hate to say this, Blake, but you kind of were."

"I - " The faunus pressed her lips into a thin line, and looked back at the holographic screen. "I had it handled."

She growled. "The wrong way?"

No response.

Sometimes trying to get a real answer from Blake was like pulling teeth.

She crossed the room to her partner's side, instantly flicking the switch to turn off the monitor, and forced Blake to back against it as she stepped right into her personal space.

Emotions flickered in gold eyes, too fast for her to catch. "Yang - "

Yang braced her arms on either side of Blake's body. She stared down at her partner.

"Tell me why," she said as calmly as she could.

Blake's throat worked, but then she was looking away and somewhere past her arm, ears flattening in a turmoil of conflicted feelings.

...Damn it. Her partner looked like a guilty and distressed little kitten that just couldn't figure out how to make things right again, and it was working wonders in making Yang's anger subside. She liked kittens.

It was criminal, the way her partner could ease her fury without even realizing it.

The blonde really hoped she would never realize it, because it was a dangerous weapon for Blake to have. It should be fine, though… as long as Weiss never tattled. Because that cocky brat had noticed during their time in Beacon, and wasted no time in telling Yang so with a very amused and knowing look.

Whipped, the damned girl had mouthed to her with a smirk and in a moment of uncharacteristic mischief. Yang had been torn between incredulous laughter and slugging her.

With a sigh, the blonde lifted Blake's face with a finger under the chin to better look at her.

"Do you trust me?" she had to ask.

Blake's throat worked again. "You know I do." There was no hesitation in the response, and despite - despite! - the conflict warring in that gaze, she was gratified to find the honesty and vulnerability in there.

She felt herself soften at the admission. "Then talk to me, Blake."

"I..." Still the faunus hesitated.

Yang shifted, hand now moving to the side of Blake's neck, massaging away the tension that had built up there.

Blake relaxed. Marginally.

"Talk to me," the blonde repeated, thumbing over the cheek gently, keeping their gazes locked.

A long, long moment of silence.

Then, finally:

"...It felt like Adam all over again." Blake sounded so haunted, hands - like instinct - moving to grip at the lapels of Yang's leather jacket.

The blonde's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?" That bastard was already dead. "What does he have to do with this?"

And more importantly, Adam was a sore subject that Yang never felt inclined to bring up. Not just for Blake, but also for Weiss, and Ruby - her baby sister who had to be the one to put him down.

He had hurt all three of her teammates in very different ways, and thinking about him just made her want to seethe with rage.

"I trusted Cid," Blake looked down again, words hollow. "Weiss had understandable reasons to trust him, but I didn't. And I shouldn't have."

The grip on her jacket tightened. "He told me about wanting to send surveyors to the mines, to check on the faunus living there and I said okay and then…"

The pieces were clicking into place. Oh, no. No, no, no.

"My people died, Yang." The crushing guilt in that trembling voice. "I kept wondering just how someone could've planted a bomb there and - I thought I must have missed something and - " Blake broke off again.

Then her teeth clenched. "My people died because I trusted him."

She just stared.

"He got to Ruby." Now, the faunus sounded furious. "He hurt Weiss. And people have died. All because I was careless around him."

"Blake - "

"Yang, I trusted him and he murdered hundreds of people! I trusted Adam and he murdered thousands! Don't you see that I was the common factor here?!"

Silence reigned.

Yang, for her part, stared half in disbelief and half in astonishment. This was what her partner had been carrying around for the last few days? For months since the explosion in the mines?

"Why didn't you tell me?" she breathed out, and there was something rushing through her blood right now. There was heat just brimming beneath her skin, waiting to be let out if Yang couldn't reign it in.

"I - " A shuddering breath. "You are - between all of us, you… you are the least damaged." Blake's voice cracked. "I needed you to stay that way, Yang."

And that was a truth that stung Yang deeply. Of all of them, she had been the least affected. The least hurt. Not that none of these hadn't affected her, but what she would just give to take any of their places in an instant.

Blake moved to grasp Yang's gloved hand that was still on her neck. "This here," the faunus said quietly, "this one was the worst that you had."

Her finger twitched involuntarily, knowing immediately what her partner was referring to.

That time when Myrtenaster had pierced right through her hand.

The black-haired woman was already moving to remove the fingerless glove, unbuckling the strap, placing Ember Celica on the table - and laying bare twin scars that were an inch in length on the front and back, and the small, flame-like burns borne of dust and aura.

Blake stared at the scar, tracing it with trembling fingers.

"If Cid… if he hurt you, too, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

The foolish girl.

Anger blazed in her now, true and bright - the majority of it was at this Cid Raines, but part of it was at her damned partner. She shifted them around without warning, lifting a startled Blake to seat her on the table.

Then she leaned in close, confining her partner with hands on the hips, and glared right into her eyes.

"None of these," she scowled, "are your fault. You are not responsible for these attacks." She could see Blake gearing to protest. "You didn't plan to do all these, did you?"

The faunus actually flinched at that. "No! I would never - "

"There is a difference," Yang cut in with a low voice, "between taking the blame for people dying or getting hurt, and for what you couldn't stop. And this, Blake?"

Yang just knew her next words would hurt her partner. But it needed to be said.

"This," she growled, "is you taking on something that's not yours to take. You cannot take the sin of one man and make it yours."

What happened to Ruby and Weiss wasn't on Blake. What happened to those lives wasn't something she perpetrated. Whatever that would happen to Yang wasn't on her either, and Blake just need to get that.

"But it's - "

"Does either Weiss or Ruby blame you for what happened? Do you think they blame you?"

Blake's throat worked to respond, fists tightening. Her voice cracked. "...They should."

Ah, there it was. "Then you do know that they don't."

Her partner looked ready to flee, eyes glistening, and it hurt Yang to see that.

She struggled to reign in her temper.

"Blake," she breathed in deeply, framed that face with both hands as gently as she could to better look at her. "I'm mad at you. I'm really mad at you. But you know that already."

The faunus swallowed. "Yes."

"So I am going to say this once only," Yang begun slowly, and as calmly as she could, "and you need to - you need to remember this. You need to understand this. Because the next time you pull this shit on me again, I swear to god, I will punch you. Do you understand me, Blake?"

A jerky nod.

It was the pain on Blake's face that made the simmering heat just beneath Yang's skin ebb away.

Yang exhaled slowly. "The choice to blame you or not is not for you to decide." She thumbed that cheek gently, brushing against moisture. "That's for Ruby and Weiss and I to decide. Not you. You cannot - cannot - choose for us, Blake. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Judging by the flicker of emotions in those gold eyes, the blonde could tell that Blake had not actually thought about it in that way. The faunus didn't think that she had been deciding for her team, or that she was forcing the choice onto them.

Yang could understand why, she really did. When you are so used to thinking about things a certain way, it would be hard to realize that there was another way of seeing it.

But Blake was finally - finally - reaching back out to her, trembling hands grasping at the lapels of Yang's jacket, eyes full of things unsaid.

With another long breath, Yang pulled her partner into her arms.

Blake didn't say anything yet, but her face pressed into the crook of Yang's neck, and she was nosing her way in as if trying to sink further into the blonde's protective hold.

And then there were the silent tears, and it made Yang squeeze tighter.

A number of things remained unresolved still, the blonde knew. There were still things they needed to talk about, chief among them Blake's habit of blaming herself for something she didn't do.

But that could wait.

That could wait, because Yang had a feeling that Blake was finally getting it, and seeing what needed to change. And, for now, it was enough that her partner had returned to her.

"Why did I have to fall in love with an idiot like you, Blake?" Yang whispered to her.

Blake strangled out a huff, seemingly torn between incredulous disbelief and pain and laughter at the sudden question.

"I don't know." The faunus's voice, muffled as it was, was raw. "You have a thing for broody people?"

Yang's lips twitched. Then she affected a long suffering sigh. "You're damn right I do."

That choked out another trembling laugh from her partner. "I love you too. You know that, right?"

Yang felt a smile form, and tightened her hold.

"'Course I do. Idiot."

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And the clock winds. Trying to instill brand new habits into Blake and remove bad ones would be like trying to bend steel with bare hands unenhanced by aura, but they would get there eventually.

Things weren't perfect, and they probably never would be.

Ain't anything wrong with that, though.

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iii. Weiss Schnee.

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And then... it was finally done.

Vows had been said, papers signed, the union celebrated, and the wedding had since come to a close.

It was quiet now, Weiss having retreated to her study as Ruby slept.

The clock ticked.

She leaned back against the chair, tired, running her left hand through white locks of hair to brush them away - only to pause when a glint caught her eye.

Weiss stared.

On the fourth finger of her left hand, a slim wedding band made of white gold had taken residence at a spot where it had been bare her entire life - with carvings of roses and her glyphs intertwined around it.

The jeweller, she mused with the critical eye of a Schnee, had done well to craft a pair of rings that suited Ruby and her. Sleek, clean and elegantly designed. Overly glamorous designs had never fit Weiss well despite all the wealth to her name, and gaudy ones would not have been suitable for a scythe wielder like Ruby.

It was almost weightless, the wedding band, but Weiss could still feel the imprint of it around her finger, cool and metallic, unfamiliar but not unwelcoming.

It was a clear indicator that she was Ruby's in name.

Ruby's.

She wasn't quite sure what to think of that.

In all honesty, Weiss still wasn't sure what made this happen, or how they even got to this point.

The very idea of it was insane.

Yet…

Here she was, tied to Ruby in a way many would consider sacred and holy and precious - and left in a haze of strange apprehension, confusion, and wry amusement.

It made her wonder what the future would hold for them.

With a deep breath, she closed her eyes. She curled her hands together, pressing them against her lips like a silent prayer.

A glyph, pure and white, formed to life on the floor past her work table.

Come.

She breathed in again, and poured more of her aura into it.

Come to me.

She thought of another pair of eyes whose color was a shade of her own blue, of white hair and a stern gaze, of a sharp mouth, of hands that protected her -

A bright flash of light pierced through the closed lids of her eyes, and she was suddenly drained of strength.

Slowly, she loosened her white-knuckled fists, and leaned back against the chair.

For a long moment, despite knowing what it was that stood in front of her now, she did not open her eyes. Because if she did - once she did - what could she say? What would she even do?

Her hands gripped the armrests tightly.

What could she ever say to the person whose life was sacrificed for her own?

The room felt strangely silent, despite the soft, unnatural wind circulating around the study - the only non-visual indication that her glyph was glowing gently on the floor.

With another deep breath, she opened her eyes.

A slender figure stood in front of her, above the rotating glyph, dressed in pristine white dress shirt and pants, an easy hand resting on the pommel of a rapier, while the other was behind her back.

Winter Schnee looked strong and dignified, with shoulders straight and chin up, face without emotion. There was a layer of soft white light over her, making Winter look so real and alive and ethereal that Weiss felt her eyes go strangely hot.

The memory was still so fresh, despite the fact it had been two years.

How this person had curled Weiss's shaking hand around the Dust gun with a firm hold, and then pressed both their fingers to the trigger without hesitation -

What could she say to her sister who bled in her arms after, who whispered gentle words as Weiss frantically tried to stem the flow of blood leaking from her stomach, heedless of the cold, unmoving eyes that watched them from a distance?

What could Weiss ever say to this person who knowingly let herself die only to return as a summon, where she would stay by her side?

And what excuse did Weiss Schnee have for never having summoned her even once, except for this very moment?

She breathed in again, the faintest of tremors running past her from head to toe.

Then she spoke.

"Do you know that I'm still angry at you, Winter?" Her words were calm, too calm.

Winter remained emotionless, looking at her wordlessly.

She just stared back.

"Why did you choose for me to live when you could have lived?"

A familiar pain was stirring again, blanketing her with raw grief.

"Why did you let me live?"

But there were no answers; just her summon staring at her in the silent room, face wiped clean of anything that would give anything away.

There would never be answers.

Weiss's eyes shut, unwilling to look at her sister any longer, and she pressed a shaking hand to her own face. She could feel moisture, and it made her grit her teeth.

Dust. Dust, dust, dust. This wasn't going the way she wanted at all. She breathed in deeply again, willing herself to calm down.

A minute passed, so did the second, and after - Weiss really didn't know how long - an indeterminate amount of time, her composure finally returned. She opened her eyes to stare at the other again, forcing her arm down by steepling her fingers together into a tight ball.

"Forgive me." A quiet murmur. "That's not what I intended to say."

Her summon said nothing.

"I - " her voice cracked, and she stopped. She took another deep breath. "I will never forget what you have done for me. You will be remembered, Winter."

She was irritating herself with the way she was behaving, all shaking tenor and redundant words. What had she been thinking? She wasn't ready for - for this. She was not ready.

Her fingers tightened, pressed close, until she could feel the sculptured engraving of roses on the cool wedding ring brushing against her skin.

Weiss looked down at it. When her grip loosened and she started to twist the band around as if trying to make it fit properly, it was an unconscious action on her part.

What, she wondered then, would Ruby say about this?

Probably something incredibly dorky, with shining eyes and a dropped jaw. And the word that would inevitably annoy her - cool.

There was absolutely nothing cool about this, regardless of what Ruby may have to say about it.

She huffed, feeling some of the tension ease away from her shoulders despite herself. Her partner always did have that effect on her, making her torn between irritation and affection. Worse now, Ruby had that effect on her even when she wasn't actually there, and Weiss didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

With another exhale, she looked up, and back at her summons.

"I will honor your sacrifice." Weiss said finally, as quiet as a ghost and like an oath. "And I will honor you by keeping my promise."

Her sister just stared at her wordlessly.

A faint, wistful smile curled on Weiss's lips despite herself. "Say hello to mother and father for me, alright, Winter?"

Winter Schnee closed her eyes, still saying nothing, body transforming into tiny flakes of snow, fading into nothing as they touched the floor.

It was beautiful. Her sister didn't have to disappear this way, of course - she could've cut off the flow of her aura to the glyph, and the summons would simply disappear without a trace.

But Winter deserved to go in a manner befitting of her.

"... Ich werde dich vermissen. Auf Wiedersehen."

German was an old language that felt strange on her tongue - she was proficient at it, but it had been a long time since she had spoken it.

She supposed it was only right to use it now, where only a Schnee could understand it. After all… it was a language native to her family. A heritage. And a Schnee could never forget where her roots came from.

When the soft white glow from the glyph finally disappeared, Weiss let loose a slow, long exhale and leaned further against the chair, feeling drained.

She was alone again.

...No.

That was a lie.

Despite her best efforts, there was one person who were never far from her thoughts. One person whom she had grown more attached to than she ever thought possible. So much so that, even when the person wasn't physically present, she could still feel the presence beneath her skin, in her blood down to the bones - lingering and faint and intimate, and so very permanently there.

Permanent…

It was permanent, was it not?

There was no turning back now, not since that moment with Ruby in the hospital room, when she had been - when she had finally given in. It was reckless. It was dangerous. It was driven by emotion.

But she had been too exhausted to continue fighting.

She stared at the wedding band on her finger again for a long moment. And then - in the privacy of her study, she brought the cool ring to her lips, and kissed it gently.

Perhaps it was pointless to have even tried resisting it.

After all… Ruby Rose was the one person she had let all the way in.

Then came a knock on the door, and it jerked her out of contemplation. How long had she sat there, just thinking and remembering?

"Weiss?" Speak of the devil. It was Ruby.

The door opened.

"What are you doing?" her partner was staring at her now, looking concerned, inquisitive and softened by sleep.

The white-haired woman shook her head and slid out of the chair. "Nothing of importance." A pause. "Did I wake you?"

Ruby hesitated, then shrugged - an odd action, if Weiss had anything to say about it. She wondered if she needed to address it.

Ruby was still speaking, though, so she decided to leave it be for the moment. "When someone you have been hugging all night is suddenly missing from your arms, you'd notice too." Silver eyes cut to the clock by the side. "It's been two hours."

Two hours? That long?

She hadn't planned to be away for so long - she must have really been that lost in her thoughts.

"...I was comfy too, you know." Ruby gave her a crooked grin. "And I like being comfy."

Weiss stubbornly ignored the faint heat she could feel on her neck, walking around the table towards the other. "It's late - or early, actually. Go back to bed, Ruby."

The younger huntress responded by framing Weiss's face with gentle hands, silver eyes bright and searching and not all that sleepy anymore.

"Are you okay?" A quiet, warm question.

She couldn't help the smile that formed despite herself. "Yes." And it was true. She was okay.

Ruby searched for a moment longer - something Weiss didn't actually mind for once.

Then, seemingly satisfied, the other laced their hands together.

"Come back to bed with me," Ruby murmured.

She squeezed back lightly, and did.

The door closed behind them, leaving one last drop of snow floating by the book case.

That, too, faded completely into nothing as it touched the floor.

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iv. Ruby Rose.

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Her hand remained frozen on the door knob.

She heard it.

Those words, raw, crushed and heart-wrenching, echoing through the door.

"Why did you let me live?"

It made her go stock still.

A part of her wanted to slam the door open and shake her partner and demand answers because how could she ever say that? The way Weiss had phrased it - it - that -

It hurt.

Her partner had wanted to die.

She had known, of course - oh how she had - and so did Blake and Yang. But they all had doggedly made sure Weiss hadn't withered away. There was no other choice to make - Weiss was theirs (hers), and theirs to care for.

But to actually hear it… to actually hear that desire, so deep-rooted and real, chilled her to the bones.

The grip she had on the doorknob tightened.

No, she forced herself to remember. Weiss was better. And still improving, even now. She was finally - finally - learning to live, and Ruby refused to endanger that by letting her reckless side take over.

It had taken her a long time to understand when was a time to act and when wasn't - and she knew better now. She knew better.

There were the tell-tale signs of summoning glyphs even without having to see it. Ruby could feel some sort of unnatural energy in the air, cool and almost windy. And she was familiar with this one, having watched and felt it many times over their time at Beacon.

Ruby couldn't intrude on this, not this intensely private moment.

The white-haired woman had never talked about her time in captivity, and Ruby never asked. However, that Weiss had summoned her sister - it was so telling in what happened then.

Steeling herself, she took in a deep breath, removed her white-knuckled fist from the door knob, and sat against the wall next to the door. Arms curled around knees, and silver eyes closed.

And she waited.

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The air changed.

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For a long moment after Ruby stood up, she rested her forehead against the cool wooden door, one hand fisting on the knob again. It was completely silent on the other side, and she both dreaded and wanted to know what the other was thinking about now.

If nothing else, despite that she couldn't begin to guess as to what Weiss might be thinking - there was, at the very least, one thing she was sure about.

She trusted Weiss. She trusted Weiss to do right for herself, for Ruby, and for their team.

They had come too far to let a moment of vulnerability destroy them, and deep down Ruby knew that this moment with Winter Schnee had everything to do with Weiss wanting to make things right.

But Ruby was still only human - she had seen Weiss at her worst, and it had hurt her deeply. That sort of pain, that haunting fear, it wouldn't go away so easily.

So, with a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

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"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

Weiss looked wistful and breathtaking all at once, and the first thing Ruby wanted to do was pull her into a tight, tight hug.

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The problem wasn't that Ruby had questions.

The problem, truthfully, was that she already knew the answers.

And not all of them were good answers. Some she understood but didn't like anyway. Some had hurt Weiss. Some had hurt Ruby, too. And many of them simply haunted Weiss Schnee for who she was, and there was nothing Ruby could do about those.

So when Weiss didn't offer any resistance, she lead them back to their room, pressed her against the door, and nudged their lips together.

This she could do.

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"How long were you waiting outside my study?"

It was a simple and direct question.

Weiss, in those moments after sex, was idyllic if not seemingly ethereal.

Especially when the sky was a dusky grey, casting some sort of shadow over her partner that made her seem all that more unreal.

Her chin was propped up on an open palm. Soft white hair was loose and flowed down her back and pale skin not covered by the blanket, spreading across the sheet. And those blue eyes that looked down at where Ruby lounged were so clear, and yet, still unfathomable.

She blinked up at her.

"...You knew?"

A white brow arched up.

"It wasn't hard to guess."

"You aren't mad?"

"Should I be?"

"...No?"

"Is that a question, or an answer?" There was a hint of amusement in those quiet words.

This felt strangely familiar. It was like that night all over again, when Weiss had pulled her out of the nightmare's grip.

"Both?" she answered a little hopefully. "I didn't want to intrude, so I waited..." she trailed off. And you wanted to be alone.

"Hmm."

It was times like these when Weiss was incredibly hard to read. It made her nervous.

"So… are you mad?"

A split second silence.

"No." A pause. "I shouldn't have left you alone, when it's our wedding night."

It was one part apology, one part acceptance, and one part justification. Perhaps that was why Weiss didn't ask if Ruby had heard anything while she was at the study.

Ruby couldn't help the crooked grin that form on her lips at that. "I told you. You matter to me, not the marriage. And besides..." Faint mischief now colored her tone. "It's not like we haven't had sex before today."

Weiss did flush at that, glaring at her. "You are incorrigible."

In the days after that moment in the hospital, things had gone down hard and fast between the two of them. Ruby had stopped being patient, and Weiss no longer had her foot on the brakes.

To Ruby, the marriage was merely a formality, a means of legalising things. It meant little to her, because the things that Weiss meant to her could never be described by what was on a piece of paper.

So did Ruby care about the marriage?

She did, of course - it was the very start of what brought them together after all. But perhaps this was better way to put it: It wasn't really at the top of her list of concerns.

And it was a sentiment that Weiss agreed with, she could tell. The marriage was important to the white-haired woman, but for very different reasons, and many of them political.

Political…

That just reminded her of things that happened since. Some mysteries had been resolved - and Ruby had seen how Weiss was affected when Blake told them about Cid Raines and what role he had played.

It wasn't pretty. That Weiss had never trusted easily to begin with just made it worse. In fact, much of what it did was make Ruby want to dig a deeper hole to bury Cid in, though not before she let her sister slam a fist into his face, and Blake to empty Gambol Shroud's magazine into him.

And there were still many things unresolved, White Fang being the foremost of them all, up and including who could have pulled the strings of a powerful man like Cid Raines.

A gentle tap on Ruby's cheek pulled her out of her thoughts.

"You look angry," her partner murmured, chin still resting on the palm, head slightly tilted at her, the words half simple observance and half a question.

In the darkness, the wedding ring on Weiss's finger glinted faintly.

This was another strange thing between them. When Weiss was angry, she wasn't. And when Ruby was angry - despite it not being frequent scenario - Weiss wasn't. Why was that the case?

The white-haired woman huffed out a chuckle at that. "You are a dolt, Ruby."

...Had she said that aloud?

"Dunce."

Despite herself, she pouted. "That's never getting old, is it?"

"When you ask strange questions like that?" Amusement glimmered in mist blue eyes. Another teasing tap on her cheek. "No."

And for a moment it was like seeing a younger, less burdened Weiss Schnee.

She relished those moments, and if that meant being called a dolt or dunce, she could live with that.

Not that everything was fine or perfect, but they had each other, they had Yang and Blake, they had friends and family they could depend on… and they were all still well and alive and breathing.

Ruby knew that not everything would turn out the way she want. That would be unrealistic, and she was no longer that naive, innocent fifteen year old who had so much to learn.

That was fine too, though.

Ruby's hand reached out to curl around Weiss's slender waist, tugging the other down to rest on her again.

Her partner offered no resistance. But just for a moment, when white hair tickled her face, Weiss paused.

"At some point," Weiss said softly, fingers lingering gently on Ruby's cheek, "we are going to have to talk about a child. Among other things."

But not today. They had time, after all.

"Okay," she agreed easily.

Something like rueful amusement and irritation crossed Weiss's expression. "You need to stop saying yes to everything I say so freely, Ruby."

Her eyes crinkled with humor. "But I don't wanna say no."

"I know. That's why I said that. You..." There was a brief silence, sadness that flickered in those blue eyes, and quiet words. "You give me too much."

She wanted to give her everything.

"Then you are an idiot," her partner replied. She had spoken that aloud too, apparently.

Weiss was also looking impossibly soft, with the most tender expression Ruby had ever seen. "But I guess that's okay too."

"Uh huh… why's that?" her hands moved; found purchase on a bare back. Weiss's fingers was still brushing against her cheek gently.

There was the barest of a smile.

"I told you before. I'm yours. And you are mine."

Ah.

That was true, too.

And that was that, she supposed.

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Fin.

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A/N - Wow. It's done. For a while I didn't think I'd actually finish this… that's how bad I usually am with long fics.

The translation for the German dialogue: "I'll miss you. Goodbye."

(Know that German isn't my native language though, so I'll apologize beforehand if I wrote that wrong.)

I hope the way this epilogue was structured worked the way I wanted it to? I also hope I did Yang right - as usual, she was the hardest to write, and took the longest. Ruby was another, in part because of the overlapping scene. I didn't want to make it… feel like a repeat? Kinda.

That said, for a while now I had been vaguely hinting on a crossover to FF13 - not that this was intended to be a major plot device, mind. I just generally prefer using existing characters as opposed to creating one if I really have to put OCs in, and the honors had gone to the cast of FF13.

Now on Atypical… I've seen stories with plot that had run off-course - and it's something Atypical was dangerously close to. Especially with the bomb in the car scene. It felt vital (to me) to have that scene, because Weiss is someone you really need to push hard and far to finally see her let go.

But, such an event meant having to introduce the whys and hows and all the other things. They are important enough to warrant some detailing, but I didn't want to move the focus overly much because that's not what Atypical is about. More importantly, when Weiss is ready - and she is - that's when this story is winding down to a closure.

There are, of course, numerous other items that remain open-ended. The future child, Blake's habits, the Weiss-stabbed-Yang-part that everyone seems entirely too curious about, war, et cetera… Those questions are likely better answered in a potential sequel or prequel.

As far as immediate plans go, I probably should take a look at Cobblestone again - fix up stuff if need to given how I've Winter portrayed now. And maybe clean up on previous chapters of Atypical for consistency, with some issues already flagged and in need of fixing.

For longer term plans… a little break, maybe further exploration in the universe of Atypical. I'd also like to hear what you might want to read about, to that end. It would give me an idea of what direction I should try focusing on.

If you got through that long ramble, here's a couple final things.

I've had a few messages asking if this was really the end, and to not end Atypical - it really makes me happy that the fic was enjoyed to such degree. And sad, too, because I've really enjoyed writing this. But, I hope you can see why I felt that it was time to bring Atypical to a closure.

A big thank you to birdhymns for beta-ing this epilogue, and for helping me poke and prod at Yang! She's been a great help in pinning Yang down, whose scene(s) I struggled with the longest.

And lastly… thank you all, for reading, and also for reviewing.

Towards the end, feedback on the fic had increased a fair bit, and that was... I actually wasn't expecting them. So it was really a big surprise for me. I'm sorry I never got around to responding personally to some of you - but please know that I read and received all your feedback. You've all been very encouraging, and that was really what helped me push this to completion. So thank you.

I'll be around. You're also always welcome to bother me at tumblr, too. End the day with a Yang, eh?

Ciao.

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Series Title: The long, hard road.

Stage 1, Cobblestone: Completed 4 February 2015.
Stage 2, Atypical: Completed 20 March 2016.
Stage 3: Coming soon?!

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