Tales of the Molten Fox

It's been a month since the whole Atlas airship crashing and events around it. The cleanup crew finally finished getting it cleaned up after a long time. Seriously, I got little rest with the sounds coming from them! And they were far away!!

Other than that, Azu and the two kids settled down in a place that Aunt Axycia set up for them to stay. They now live between Beacon and the border of Vale. Auntie Axycia had to pull a lot of strings to do that and had to deal with Atlas and Ironwood, who had revealed his unawareness of what went on within walls of the ship.

Yang has been in touch with Azu but they were short and straight to the point as she was still a little awkward and hesitant to talk to him. I heard Ruby and Mavis did have some help with that for getting her sister to talk to her father.

Other than the events that happened, the school has been going on pretty smoothly and with the tournament getting ever so close, everyone was at the edge of excitement. Headmaster Ozpin allowed everyone have free time off school to either get ready for the tournament or simply relax. Though it didn’t help that right before the break Altas Ships flew overhead. My guess was that due to the mishap with the large airship crash, Altas was being extra cautious about things.

Another thing we had to look forward to… well mostly me that is, is Veterans Day. Where we are supposed to Honor those who've laid their lives during the Great War. I could never truly understand my own interest in that topic, from soldier diaries to old news clippings even. Hell, I've managed to make a scrapbook of them thanks to Professor Theodore's help. Speaking of which, during the month I've managed to learn a little more about his service in the Vale military back in his day, though he did keep it vague at times.

"You truly have an unnatural obsession with this." Mavis' voice brought me out of my thoughts as I was busy reading up on a book of various battles across the four kingdoms, the current one I read up on was the attack on Vale by the once mighty Mantle army… damn it~

“Is there something wrong with that?” I asked, pulling the book I had closer to me.

"People don't tend to take interests in a devastating war long since passed." She said to me as she floated about in the room, both Umbra and Amaram out and about while I hung around the dorm with Mavis. Honestly I expected her to go be with Yang but no~ the one time I could've benefited from her going and she doesn't!

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing…” I said before give it some thought. “Is it?” I asked her.

"Never said anything like that but I do wonder how this history is more interesting than the history lessons I gave you." Mavis said with an arched brow. I blinked at this, remembering that when I was a kid I’ve shown disinterest in history… and now I’m reading up history. I slowly hid behind the book as I didn’t have an answer. "Anywho, it's almost time for that meeting of yours with the professor." Mavis said, idly typing at her scroll. Honestly, if it weren't for the floating she'd look like an actual teenager. The meeting she was referring to was the one Theodore had given me after me asking for more insight on what it was like during the war.

“Right, thanks.” I said as I closed my book and put it down on my side desk before getting off my bed. “See you later then.” I said to Mavis before heading out of the dorm room. I was heading off towards Professor Theodore's classroom. On the way I soon noticed Two classmates walking down the same hallway. Those classmates were Indigo and Blake. “Hey!” I call out to them, who looked back to me.

"Oh! Hey Viri." Greeted Blake with a smile as Indigo waved idly, looking down at his scroll as he did this. “What are you doing?” Blake asked me.

“Going to Professor Theodore’s classroom, got some questions for him.” I told her.

“Really, well the both of us were heading that way as well.” Blake said to me. I smiled as the three of us heading together to the classroom. I looked over at Indigo who was staring at his scroll.

“Indigo? You okay there?” I asked him. “Find something cool?” Indigo blinked and looked at me.

"Well… kinda." He said to me before adding. "I found this online, it's trending all over the place right now." He said before showing me his scroll and- Oh my gods are those actual Great war era uniforms!

It was some kind of trailer to something and the video seemed to show cinematic shots of battles of different places, it was very well done and, well, awesome. “Whoa… this looks cool!” I said as it got to the end and I saw a close-up shot of a soldier who was looking at an old airship that was flying towards him. “Wait… is that Professor Theodore?” I asked as the soldier looked exactly like a younger version of the professor.

"Yeah, it is. Me and Blake were heading over to him to talk about this." Indigo said to me as I looked back down at his scroll. Wow… I would have not guessed that the professor would look really cool!

Before I could practically gush over what I saw and the fact that my professor looked like a badass in the video, we arrived at his classroom and when I peaked in, I saw that he had cleared up the training machines and his desk. After a few moments I gave the door a few knocks.

“Professor Theodore?” I called out to him, hoping that I could get his attention. I pushed open the door, and what greeted was… an eerie silence, which was shattered by occasional explosions. Through the door looked to be a trench instead of the normal classroom, it looked… well… horrid. The trenches were muddy, that's the majority of it, the rest is debris everywhere. The Professor was sitting by the trench wall, as if waiting like a posted soldier. He soon noticed us.

"Oh, I didn't hear you walk in. Apologies, as of late I've been revisiting old sights." He said to us simply with a chuckle. "Well, come on, take a seat you three." He said to us and we were… well Indigo did so without any second thought while me and Blake weren't all to sure about this. Blake looked around at the place before gingerly took steps into the muddy fields.

"Oh come on, you seriously think it's real? This is all projection. It's fake." Indigo said to Blake and I before giving Blake a poke. "Don't tell you're afraid of getting a little dirty, kitty." He said to her with a laugh.

“Oh shut up you.” Blake said before she walked over to Indigo as I closed the door. As I did I turned and joined the three as a large explosion went off nearby that made me jump.

"I know why you're here Miss Warren but I'm curious as to why you're here Indigo." Theodore said to the man in question, who simply showed him the still image of his younger self. The professor chuckled at this. "Ah yes, that. Well, I was approached one day about a year back by some people, telling me that they wish to make an authentic game of the Great war for those newfangled games consoles of yours. Honestly, I figured why the hell not?" Theodore said to him.

"Huh… neat." Indigo said before Blake arched a brow at Indigo's response to this.

“I expected you to have more excitement than that Indigo.” Blake said to him with a nudge of her elbow.

"Hey! I can't help it." He said in defense… a weak one but it was still a defense. I rolled my eyes at this as I looked at the professor.

"Anyway, Miss Warren. Here are the promised notes, clippings and tactics during the defence. What you see before you was Vale's first defensive line against the Mantle naval invasion." The Professor said to me as another explosion ran close by. My head snapped over to the spot as I jumped a bit.

“Thanks.” I said as I looked back and took the notes. I heard Indigo chuckle a bit which earned him an elbow from Blake.

"It was a valiant effort on our part, despite our lack of proper readiness." The professor said just as the trenches came to life, soldiers donned in the Great War Era Vale uniforms, all waiting nervously and on edge. "Many that held this line have yet set foot in a proper battle." He added.

“Was this your first battle as well?” Blake asked him as a few more blasts went off. This got a laugh from the professor.

"No, not by a long shot. You see, this battle and the ones after this, are nearing the end of the war. At that point I had already seen what chaos is…" He said to her with a little smile before the night sky shifted into day, the explosions silenced and soon, a young Theodore poked his head up from the top of the trench, rifle in hand and a pair of binoculars in the other. "Now there's a handsome man if I do say so myself." He said jokingly. Blake looked at the younger version of Theodore then at Indigo, then do that two more times before saying.

“What the hell happened?” She asked jokingly.

"What?" Indigo asked Blake who laughed while Professor Theodore chuckled.

"Yes it is quite a shame, you not inheriting my dashing good looks." The Professor joked, which only got Indigo to groan and lay flat on the ground. After this little joking session, the professor went on to explain the events that transpired, which was helped by the change in scenery. I learned that it took a total of four days for the forces of Mantle to make its move and well… I felt sorry for the fallen soldiers that helped keep the line of Vale. "We were no match for their forces, their weapons and armor at the time were revolutionary." He said before we got to see young Theodore firing his handgun, dragging a heavily wounded soldier behind him but… it was for naught. When the soldier died of blood loss, the young Theodore looked disheartened but fought on before being shot through the shoulder. Instead of the expected shock, the young Theodore whipped his gaze and gun towards the man responsible and shot him dead before grasping his shoulder and running.

“Ow…” I said as I watched young Theodore run off. “How didn’t you fall down?” I asked the Professor as he rubbed his shoulder, the same one that his younger self got hit in.

"Ah well, I'm known to be quite a pain to keep down." He said to me with a chuckle as the scene soon changed to the outer limits of what looks to be an olden time version of Vale with young Theodore being attended by what appeared to be medics. "No it didn't hurt… but I wasn't one to be taken down so easily." Said the professor as the scene changed to that of an actual hellscape, the skies were blackened by the fog of war, gun fire was all that I could hear with the occasional barked orders and dying soldier.

"Oh lords…" was all I said as I saw all of this in front of me. Indigo and Blake kept silent as they watched all this unfold. The buildings around the area either demolished or on its last few legs… this… it's Vale.

"We couldn't hold them after the first line was gone, their war machines trampling us like ants." The Professor just as a Mantle soldier came to view, an odd looking piece of weaponry with a long bit of tubing… a flamethrower. Said soldier began to roast the trenches before being charged by the young Theodore who held the rifle from before, now fitted with a blade that now laid embedded inside the flamethrower user. Just as the young Theodore pulled out his blade, another Mantle soldier came charging with a bladed rifle of his own, leaving Theodore no time to dodge out of the way and… stop the blade by letting it stab through his hand before disarming the soldier and beating him to a pulp, though this didn't stop the same Mantle soldier from fighting back with equal ferocity, grabbing a nearby stone and striking it against the side of Theodore's face, getting the latter off of him. The man grabbed his bloodied blade before trying to stab Theodore once again only for the latter using his hands to stop him, the blade going through both hands, getting an enraged Theodore to yell in agony before pushing his hands, butting the man with the back of his knife.

As everything went on, I shifted uncomfortably. Sure this was interesting but, watching it happen is totally different than actually seeing it. I looked at Professor Theodore and back at the other two, seeing the elderly professor was basically unkillable from what I saw.

"If it weren't for the adrenaline, I would've been writhing in agony." The Professor said before young Theodore turned the tables by grabbing the knife and leaving it embedded against the Mantle soldier's head before shakingly getting up just before he was helped up by some friendlies.

“What happens next?” I asked him, making the professor turn his head to look at me.

"You want to see more?" He asked me, honestly surprised by my question. I guess it's reasonable, most people wouldn't want to see true horror. I didn’t say anything as the other two looked at me oddly for my question.

“Uhh… maybe I shouldn’t have asked that.” I said out loud. Indigo and Blake looked at one another before looking back at Theodore.

"I'm not disapproving of your curiosity, I welcome it in fact. Simply put, most people rather not see this part of history." He said to me before Indigo spoke.

"Yeah even I don't dwell so much on the big Vale battle." Indigo said to me, which only served to peak my interest more… I think I need to talk to Mavis about my weird sense of curiosity. Before the scene changed, I heard a buzz and an alarm before Professor brought out his scroll.

"Oh dear, I'm afraid that's all the time I have for now. I need to go get ready for the event." He said before standing up with the help of Indigo.

“Huh? Oh.” I said remembering that there was something called ‘The Veteran’s Walk’ which was as it sounds, the veteran’s of the war get to walk into the streets with floats and balloons. I stood up with Blake as Professor Theodore was now standing with Indigo and grabbing his scroll.

"Perhaps you should attend the event, you can more insight of your own from others like me." Theodore said to me with a smile before he looked at Indigo. "Come on, you remember your role in this." He said to Indigo before they both left, leaving me and Blake to ourselves as the room reverted back to the simple classroom.

“You know what they are on about?” I asked Blake who shook her head.

“No, Indigo didn’t say anything but I did figure he was up to something.” Blake said with a small frown.

“What? Other than be a shut in?” I asked which caused Blake to look at me funny.

“Shut in? What are you talking about?” She asked me, making me feel confused.

“You know, him always in his dorm, not really coming out and times where he came back from a game store…” I explained before Blake giggled a little and started to tell me what Indigo was actually doing.

An hour later…

A Video game reviewer. All this time I thought Indigo was just a shut in just to be told and shown that he was actually a video game reviewer. His reviews are blunt, straight to the point and full of dry humor that I can’t help but laugh at. Mostly at the parts that he actually make up insults.

I was back in my room now watching a bit of his other reviews and soon found that whenever a video game has a colon in the name, he reads it with a dry heaves which is a couple of games. Mavis was still in the room floating about while I laughed to myself, hearing Indigo go on about a generic action shooter so generic he decided to review it in limerick form.

“Lords, he’s funny.” I said with a giggle as the one video just ended. I looked up to see Mavis floating over head.

"What are you on about?" Mavis asked me with an arched brow just as I sat up and stretched my arms.

“Remember I thought Indigo was a shut in some time ago? Well turns out he does video game reviews. He’s really funny.” I answered her as I put my scroll down. If I held onto it I would find another video.

"Oh, he does?" Mavis said with an arched brow before chuckling. "Well that explains his interests in games though I don't quite see the appeal in them." Mavis said to me with a chuckle before she floated down and began to strip off her clothes, no doubt to change.

“Eh, people will like them and others won’t.” I said as I looked away from Mavis as she changed clothes. As this went on I thought back to the classroom and the point where somethings peaked my curiosity. “Hey Mavis, can I ask you a question?” I asked.

"You just did~" She answered back with a laugh.

“Oh haha, very funny.” I said with a roll of my eyes before moving on. “Anyway… I have to ask because earlier today when I was in Professor Theodores classroom I got to see hologram images of the Great war, in detail mind you, but instead of getting grossed or shocked, I became more curious the more I watched… is that normal?” I asked.

"Well, that just means you have a unique sense of curiosity. That isn't bad, it's good to be different from others." She said to me before dressing up in something… modest? Wait what? Mavis wore a white t-shirt and some jeans which hugged her curves but other than that it was… modest.

“Wow… you look… good.” I said to her.

"Thanks, you should get ready too. The Veteran's walk is just in an hour and we still have to catch a ride to Vale." She said to me while I blinked. Why did we need a ride? She can just snap her fingers and we'd be there.

“Wait, can’t you just snap your fingers and teleport over there in an instant?” I asked, getting out of bed to find some clothes to wear. Mavis looked at me with a slight frown.

"Just because I have unlimited power doesn't I'm going to ferry you around, if I do I'm going to start charging you." She said to me with her arms crossed.

“Sorry sorry…” I said as I pulled my shirt off of me and rummage around my dresser. Did I do laundry last? “Hey did I do laundry last? I don’t remember.” I asked Mavis as I opened another drawer.

"Yes, you did." Mavis said to me, putting on some shoes to match her outfit. I nodded at this right before finding what I was looking for and slipped on a new shirt with a design of a flaming fox with multiple tails on it. I turned back and showed the shirt to Mavis.

“Does this look good?” I asked her. She nodded with a smile before some flames crawled from underneath the floor before reforming a very happy Amber. I smiled at this before kneeling down and giving Amber some pets. “Hey girl, you seem more happy than normal.” I said with a smile. Amber nuzzled into the affection and waggled her tail, I arched a brow as I haven't ever seen her this happy before.

"Oh my, seems she enjoyed her time with Oni." Mavis said as she walked up to Amber. "What do you say girl? Managed to get that cute Beowolf?" Mavis asked Amber. Amber answers with a happy bark as her tail was wagging happily and Mavis smile grew bigger.

“I guess that’s a yes.” I said with a laugh. After showering Amber with affection, which was a lot, Mavis and I headed to the Bullhead station, where we managed to catch up with the rest of the team waiting as well as Team RWBY.

“Hey!” Ruby greeted us with a smile on her face as the others saw us. Everyone got up from where they were sitting and Yang gave Mavis a kiss on the lips.

“Hey baby.” Yang greeted softly to Mavis.

"Hey back." Mavis greeted with a giggle before Yang sat back down before Mavis sat on Yang's lap. I rolled my eyes at the two before looking back at the rest of Team RWBY as well as Amaram and Umbra, who both did the same as me.

“Hey guys.” I greeted the two as Umbra waved and pulled one of her earbuds out of her ears.

“Hey Viri.” Amaram greeted me as she had a small bokay of flowers in her hands. “Seems you’re going to go see the walk as well?”

“Yeah, kinda got a interest in the Great war history.” I said to her which Umbra snorted a bit.

“Really? And all those books about Vale history didn’t clue us in?” She asked with a laugh. This got a laugh from me as we all waited for the Bullhead to come by.

The ride was relatively short but I did spend it chatting with Ruby, having seen the latest in weapon modding through a subscription magazine I get every month, which she signed me up for. When we landed on Vale Station, we were quick to hop off and head out into the streets, passing by some shops from either clothing or dust… Though Mavis did stop to window shop at a few of the clothing stores. One of the stores she window shop Yang looked over and saw her looking at a somewhat skimpy bikini… and Yang’s face went red. Mavis saw Yang's beet red face and dopey smile before humming and smirking.

"Perhaps I should buy it." I heard Mavis mutter while the other went on ahead. I stayed behind as Yang went even more red than before.

“Careful, I think you’ll overheat her.” I said to Mavis before getting a giggle from her.

"Oh but I'm sure she'll be happy overall." Mavis said before heading inside the shop to no doubt buy the bikini in question while I looked over at Yang. She seemed to be nervous about something.

“Hey, you’ll get use to her wearing skimpy outfits… trust me you do.” I said to Yang as she looked at me oddly.

“Huh? No it’s not…” Yang didn’t finish as she looked back at the store, again looking nervous. I arched a brow at this, wondering what’s up.

“You okay?” I asked her as Yang continue to stare onwards.

“Yes… no… maybe… I don’t know.” Yang answered as she scratched the back of her head. “I… I want to get more… serious in the relationship but…” Yang looked over at me with a worried look. “What if I fuck it up? What if I ruin this? This has been one of the best things that ever happened to me and if I mess it up then I’ll…”

I saw Yang starting to panic a bit which I put my hand on her shoulder. “Hey, calm down. If you want to take things more seriously, then maybe talk to Mavis about it. I believe she would love to… move on to better things with you.” I said. Yang looked at me, taking calming breaths before she smiled.

"Thanks…" She said to me quietly just before Mavis walked out with a bag in her hand.

"Hey girls, did I miss anything?" Mavis asked with a giggle before she greeted Yang with a kiss.

“Me?” Yang asked with a smile as she gave Mavis a few more kisses. “I bet you missed me?" She asked jokingly before Mavis spoke.

"Maybe~" Mavis said before she wrapped an arm around Yang's before we began to walk towards the area where the event is being held. Soon we catched up with the others as there was now a large number of people standing to watch the walk happen.

As it started we all started to see some veterans come walking down the street, each of them in some old yet well kept Vale army uniforms. Some walked down the street while some of them were pushed in wheelchairs as some gave the crowd some waves. As this went on we even saw an old tank come forward as well the crew that went with it. It was the same for those that were in the air force as a truck was pulling an old propellor plane as well for the ones that were part of the artillery as another truck pulled some artillery guns. I had a big smile on my face as I watched all of this going on.

“Whoa check out the cannon!” Ruby said with a bigger smile on her face as she saw the artillery cannons move on by. Yang chuckled at this as Amaram turned to Umbra.

“Did this happen in Atlas? The Walk I mean.” She asked her teammate.

“Kinda, it’s a bit different but mostly the same.” Umbra answered. Soon the cheering crowd went silent, which got us confused before we saw what came next. Walking forward I saw Professor Theodore, wearing the same uniform as I saw him wear in the hologram, and behind him was a number of other people but they were shadow like. It was like the shadows of old soldiers came back to do that walk.

“Are those… the people that were lost in the war?” Blake asked out loud. The crowd that gathered on the sidewalks kept silent, giving the fallen a moment of silence as they walked by. The Professor continue walking with one of his pant legs rolled up to show that his leg was actually an old prosthetic and he had his cane with him to walk.

As he walked through the street I caught a glimpse of someone in the crowd and shocked to see it was my aunt wearing a robe over her head. She watched Theodore walk down the street with a sad look in her eyes and soon hanging her head a bit.

"I do hope this gave the answer of the battle's outcome." Mavis said to me with a hand on my shoulder. So… he was the only one left?

“Yeah… yeah it kinda does.” I said to her before leaning a bit closer to her. “Also… I think I see aunt Axycia in the crowd on the other side of the street.” I informed her. She hummed at this with a nod before the walk continued on.

After the walk there was a small fair going on so everyone could get to talk to the veterans. I got some more info about the war from them as well, which made them wonder if I was doing to for a report for school.

It was an interesting experience, learning from different point of views about what it was like in the war. I held my notebook, now filled with the words by the other veterans. I have enough material to write my own book! Hehe.

After doing all that, I decided to search for Aunt Axycia, curious to know why she would be here. I didn't think she'd care about others. After a few minutes of looking I soon found her somewhat hiding behind some stands. I arch a brow at this, not really sure why she’s here.

"Doing some spying?" Asked Mavis' voice and my immediate reaction could've been better honestly. I let out a yelp in surprise and I turned to face her.

“You know I hate it when you simply appeared behind me!” I said which got a laugh from Mavis.

"But your reaction makes it all the more better to do it." She said with a laugh before soon calming down and noticed Axycia. "So what are you doing? Spying on my sister? I didn't know you roll that way." She said to me.

“Ugh, ew.” I said with a frown. “I think you’re joking but… ew.” She chuckled at this before waiting for an answer to her actual question. “Just to let you know I saw her watching the part with Professor Theodore in it and saw her look sad.”

"Oh? Have you figured out as to why?" She asked me as if she… Wait a minute! She knows!

“You know?!” I asked in shock as she smiled at me.

"Maybe~ but I ain't telling." She said with a poke of my nose and a knowing smile. I pouted a bit at her as we looked over at Axycia who was looking like she was spying on something or someone. I turned my head a bit and saw that it was… Theodore?

“Why is she spying on Professor Theodore?” I asked Mavis who looked over as well.

"You'll just have to find out yourself." She said to be before quickly adding. "Shove!" She exclaimed, pushing me forwards suddenly. I stumbled forward a bit which got a lot of attention from everyone around me. My face went red when I did this and I tried to recover some of my dignity. I looked over and saw that my aunt didn’t seem to notice me as she was too busy with her own thing.

I took a deep breath and casted a glare back at Mavis, seeing her laughing before giving me a wave. I huffed at this before making my way over to Auntie. As I got closer, I began to hear some of Auntie's mutterings.

“He’s much older now… I shouldn’t have left… gods I shouldn’t have left him.” I heard her mutter to herself sorrowfully. I was confused by this as I walked up behind her, getting my own conformation that she was indeed looking at Theodore.

I arch a brow at this and wondered… does aunty have a thing for Theodore? I heard aunty sighed at this before pushing back and turning around before seeing me. The two of us stared at each other for a few moments, her eyes widen at me before she started to slowly to turn away from me, almost like she’s going to walk away.

"Uhh… hi auntie." I said with an awkward wave with an equally as awkward smile.

“Hi dear… enjoying the fair?” She asked, looking a bit nervous about this.

“Yeah… are you?” I asked back with an arched brow, getting her to fidget a bit in place. This was so unlike her.

“Yes I’m enjoying it.” She answered as she fidget a bit more.

“I see… why were you hiding a few stands away then?” I asked her, crossing my arms a bit. She began to fumble about with her words before managing to utter.

“That’s… I could ask the same to you.” Axycia retorted at me.

“I’m wondering why my aunt is being a creep.” I answered her which made her twitch a bit.

"She really hit a nerve there huh?" Asked the voice of Mavis beside me, which made me jump and turn to her, seeing her with a slushie in hand before taking a sip of it.

“I...you… uhh…” Aunty seemed to be fumbling with her words at this, her face was completely red with embarrassment.

"Oh come on sis, this is so unlike you. You're never like this." She said before appear beside Auntie and saying. "So what's got my baby sis so worked up?" She asked her.

“Oh don’t call me that, you’re a millennia or so older than me.” Aunty said as she cross her arms.

"Yeah so?" Mavis asked back, slurping at her slushie nonchalantly. "You're still younger than me, so you're still my baby sister. You can't outrun that!" Exclaimed Mavis as she poked Auntie. "And as your big sister, I'm telling you to talk about your problem with Theodore." She added on which caught Axycia by surprise. "Beeteedubs, I kinda figured it that out on account already knowing." Mavis said to Axycia to which she shifted uncomfortably at this.

“I… I don’t have a problem with him…” She muttered to herself. “I just…” she didn’t finish as she looked down to the ground sadly.

"Sister, I can see the regret in your eyes and it's eating you up inside. It isn't healthy to keep it bottled up… let us help you by letting us know." Mavis said to Auntie, her slushie vanishing as she spoke while I stood back and awaited proper explanation. I knew if I'd butt in now it wouldn't lead me anywhere. Aunty looked up at us and then as Mavis and hung her head.

“Theodore and I… well, we were once a couple.” She said to us. While this came to a surprise for me, Mavis shook her head lightly at this.

"But you weren't… were you?" Asked Mavis, to which Axycia took a deep breath.

“I was… I looked different at the time. I was a… young faunus woman at the time.” She said to us while Mavis snapped her fingers, getting the whole world around us to stop fully. She stopped time. Holy shit… this is pretty cool!

"Ah yes, your attempt of reconnaissance of the populace at the time for your growing company." Mavis said as she simply sat on the air. "That plan caught a bit of a snag didn't it." She said to Axycia.

“I thought I could blend in more if I was a nobody.” She said to Mavis as she soon sighed sadly and added. “I didn’t think he would see me.” Mavis smiled a little at this and chuckled.

"That just means he has a sharp eye for a human." Mavis said with a little chuckle, which actually got one out of Auntie as well. "But… how did it feel? When you both gazed at each other's eyes?" Asked Mavis… is this suddenly a therapy session? Axycia muttered something before sighing.

“I… I honestly thought the world just stop for a few moments.” Aunty said to her. “And not in the normal way we do it.” Mavis chuckled at this before looking over at the frozen Professor.

"And what about when he was drafted into battle during the war?" Mavis asked Axycia simply, looking back at her now silent sister.

“I… I was afraid… I knew it was going to be a big war and all that but… I was afraid that he wouldn’t come back.” Axycia said to her. “I would watch TV readings and see the fallen soldiers names, hoping that he wouldn't be in it.” Mavis sighed at this with a nod before finally saying.

"But then you saw it… after the Battle of Vale." Mavis said to Axycia who soon sat down on the ground, her breathing becoming shaky.

“My… my heart sank… I thought he was gone… I just… I didn’t want it to be true… but… everything hurt.” Axycia said as tears started to fall. Mavis floated over to Auntie and gave her a hug.

"The pain you felt that day, the sadness… I felt it too." She said to her before quickly saying. "You left soon after the news of the battle but he was still alive and you know why? Because he wanted to see you when he came back." Mavis said to Axycia, which actually caught her by surprise.

“He did!?!” She asked in surprise before looking down at the ground. “And… and I left… I just disappeared from Vale…” She said to herself mostly.

"It isn't too late you know…" Mavis whispered to her sister calmly with a smile. "That man you loved is still there, no matter how long has passed." She added.

“I… I would love that but…” She sniffled a bit before continuing. “He wouldn’t recognize me.”

"Then let me help you with that." Mavis said, floating up and snapping her fingers, causing Aunties' body to glow brightly before it began to change. When the light dimmed Axycia looked like an Owl Faunus. Her eyes were a brown colour as her hair was the same colour. Her ears were the same as Umbras as they were somewhat feathered but I also saw some feathers in her hair, going from brown to blue colours in a cute pattern. Axycia looked at herself after this before looking at Mavis.

“You want me to go to him like this?” She asked her.

"Not just that… tell him." Mavis said back to Auntie, leaving her surprised while Mavis smiled. "You deserve happiness, sister. You will never be able to achieve it if you never try." Mavis added while I was busy neatly stacking things up. I made a house of oranges!

Axycia stood up from her sitting position before giving Mavis a big hug. “Thank you…” She said to her.

"What are sister's for?" Mavis asked her with a smile before saying. "Now go, we'll be back here." Mavis said to her while Axycia took a deep breath.

Axycia (Olive) PoV

Time was still frozen as I slowly made my way over to him. “I can do this… I can do this…” I said to myself over and over again as I drew near, waiting for my sister to make time move forward again. “I can do this… I can do this… I…” I stopped when I was about a few feet away. “Can’t do this, this was a bad idea, no I should go back and say no… I can’t, I can’t!” I said as I turned away from him. As I turned away, Mavis was the first thing that greeted my gaze.

"Yes you can, sister. I know you can, all you have to do is suck it up and take a leap." She said to me as she soon turned me around to face Theodore. "Now go!" She exclaimed and soon added. "And I won't be resuming time just yet." She said to me before pushing forward. I stumbled forward before I was again a few feet away from him. I gulped a bit before looking back at my sister and Viri who are watching on. Mavis and Viri both gave me thumbs up before a voice spoke out.

"Oh dear… have I gone off the deep end already?" Asked the man that once stood frozen behind me. My body froze at this before slowly looking back at said man, who now was able to look around at the place. Everyone around us was still frozen so… that means the two of us are able to move around. "Hmm… peculiar…" He added, poking at a frozen bird with his cane before I shifted a bit, my shuffling practically echoing and catching his attention. "Oh, someone else… is…" He spoke as he turned to look at me, his eyes widening. As our eyes met, my heart almost came out of my chest. I let out a nervous laugh as my legs were trembling.

“H-Hi…” I squeaked at him, my voice failing me to hid my nervously.

"O-Olive?" He asked, no doubt wanting to be sure that what he saw was true. I shifted uncomfortably as my words were jumbled in my mouth, I just simply nodded, eyes darting to him and then away. "You… you look as a beautiful as I remember you." He said to me with an awestruck tone.

“And you… look older.” I said to him before adding. “I-I’m sorry…” I hung my head down as I couldn’t meet his face.

"For what?" He asked me quietly, moving a little closer to me as he spoke.

“I… disappeared…” I said to him, tears welling up in my eyes. “I thought you died… the final battle… they said your name and…” I couldn’t finished as my tears started to fall.

"Ah… that." He said quietly before soon adding. "Despite what may think… I never blamed you for leaving. After all, the news of the loss of lives here in Vale…" He added before sighing. "Though… I had hoped I could find you, so I can show you that I was alive and well… for the most part anyway." He said, looking down at his prosthetic leg.

“Had I known you were still okay… I would’ve came back but… I was too ashamed of myself.” I said to him, sniffling a bit. “I just… I’m sorry Theodore.”

"Don't be… just seeing you again was all I ever wanted." He said to me, caressing my tears away. I finally looked back at him, seeing his smiling face as he looked at me, it both made me happy and sad. I stepped forward and gave him a hug, shaking as I cried. After a long while, I calmed down enough for him to speak

"So… eighty or so years and you don't look a day over twenty, whatever miracle product you have I wouldn't mind having." Theodore said with a chuckle as he pulled back from the hug. I again let out a nervous laugh.

“Yeah uhh, about that.” I didn’t want to keep this from him any longer and with my sister approval I just… explained who I was. It took some time so we sat down so I could talk to him and explain who I was. He listened to every I spoke, even gave me time to muster up the courage to continue. By the end of it, he was silent for a solid minute. That minute was like an eternity for me as I was starting the sweat bullets from the wait alone. That's when he let out a laugh… huh?

"All this time I had though I had fallen for an angel… never have I ever imagined that she wasn't an angel, but an actual Goddess!" He said with a laugh before soon calming his laughter into chuckles. I smiled at him for this and chuckled as well.

“Yeah… you did have a sharp eye.” I said to him. I smiled at him before that smile drooped a bit. “I saw that you had a family, your grandson is Indigo?” I asked him even though I already knew it was true.

"Ah yes and yes I have. I met her about a decade later… you would've actually liked her." He said to me, regarding the woman he met after me. "She was reckless and dangerous, just as you were to be quite honest." Theodore said to me.

“Really now?” I asked with a little chuckle. “I guess you were happy with her then.” He smiled and nodded before saying.

"I was but… then she wanted to know about you, she knew about my decade long search but nothing of you." He said to me before chuckling. "Gods Bless that woman, she told me that if I ever found you… she would be glad to see me happy with you." He said to me, which surprised me.

“She must’ve been something else huh.” I said to him with a smile.

"Yeah… She was." He said before letting out a sigh. "You know… with what you've told me, it makes me wonder why is it you fell for a mortal like me?" He asked me, looking at me with a little smile.

“I don’t know.” I simply said to him before adding with a smile. “I just did.” This got a laugh from him as I leaned against him with a smile on my face. “I’m just… happy that you’re not mad at me for disappearing. I always was afraid that you would curse my name when you see me again.” I said in a small voice. This got a chuckle from him.

"You know I wasn't one to be mad at you." Theodore said but his voice sounded… younger. I hummed a bit as he said that before saying.

“I would’ve understood why if you were but… guess that you’re not one to just get angry with someone.” I said, thinking that his voice change was me hearing things. I soon noticed Mavis and Viri from the corner of my eyes, seeing Mavis do some motions with her hand before noticing my gaze and giving me a thumbs up.

"Perhaps we can make up for lost time?" Theodore asked me, chuckling as he had embraced me with one arm. I blinked a little before looking up at him and seeing… Theodore was now younger, the same age that I saw him before. I blinked again before gave it some thought and then I started to laugh a little.

“Maybe we should.” I said as I leaned against him happily.

"But… on one condition." He said to me, which got me to look up at him questioningly. "No disguises this time, I want to get to know the real you." He said to me. I arched a brow at this before adding.

“If I do, you would probably know who I really am.” I said with a little laugh. He rolled his eyes at me but smiled anyway.

"Come on." He said to me with a little laugh. I gave him a shrug before I let out my breath as I shifted back to my normal form… except for my ears, I didn’t get my normal fox ears but have some feathered ears as I had with Olive, only they were black and gray in colour. I looked over and arched a brow.

“Well?” I asked him. He smiled and stood up, using his cane to do so.

"Beautiful." He said to me with a smile. There was a little shock in me when he said that before I smiled at him before standing up with him.

“I try my best.” I said with a giggle. He smiled at me and offered his hand to me which I happily took into my own and when I did, time began to unfreeze itself. No one seemed to notice us, well not yet at least. "You going to be upset when people find out that you're walking with a CEO?" I asked Theodore with a mischievous smile.

"Hun, I've had my fair share in the spotlight." He said to me with a laugh before we began walking down the crowded streets, no clear destination in mind but who gives a damn right now.

As we walked I noticed we walked by Mavis and Viri, the latter apologizing to some man about oranges. I smiled at my sister and mouthed the words 'thank you.' She gave me a wave and a thumbs up before me and Theodore continued on.