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Language:
English
Series:
Part 4 of IMEBG AU
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Noj's Top Shelf
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Published:
2019-09-07
Updated:
2020-08-28
Words:
73,147
Chapters:
20/?
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569
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453
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90
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15,866

Panoply

Summary:

After an unbelievably good night, Team RWBY wake up to their first day as girlfriends.

But even with that exciting turn of events, the world is bigger than four girls in love. Pyrrha Nikos struggles with a challenge she could never win. A new leader sets the White Fang ablaze once more. Classes continue. And on the other side of the world, the preparations for the Vytal Festival continue, heedless of the great shadow circling high above the churning ocean to the east.

Remnant spins on. And though Team RWBY's bonds are strong, it will take more than strength of heart to face what's yet to come.

Notes:

This is a sequel to It Might Even Be Great! Highly recommend you read that first, and the two prequels before it if you like.

Chapter 1: Prologue: Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The man in white took a long drag off his cigar, and took in the woman sitting at the other end of the table.

He knew he should be shitting a brick right now. In any other circumstance, he probably would be. But honestly, with all the bullshit he'd had to put up with in the two years since dear, dear Cinder screwed the pooch and forced him to make a blind run for Mistral? This felt cathartic.

Once more, Roman Torchwick was playing for the winning team.

So he grinned, as he finally spoke. "I'm a little surprised y'know. Sure, I sent the invitation, but I really didn't expect someone of your… position to take the time to chat with some two-bit thug from Vale in some… dive of an inn in southern Anima. I'm honored."

"Fuck you," she said, easily. There was no emotion in it. No humor, no anger. Exasperation, if anything. "You said you wanted to deal, so quit your pathetic attempts at wit and get to the point."

With a wide grin, he pulled his briefcase from beneath the table. "It's simple, really," he said, and clicked the buckles open.

An oh, he did enjoy the way the woman's eyes blew wide, as the thing inside uncoiled. Flicked its tongue out through its teeth. Hissed gently as he ran his gloved hand over its head, brushing its scaly mask with affection that was one hundred percent fake.

"I'm here on Her behalf," he said.

"I can see that," the woman said, a startling lack of surprise in her voice. Her hand drifted towards her sword, a gesture which would have been imperceptible to someone even a little less familiar with sleight of hand. "But what does She want with me?"

There. For once, a real emotion. The faintest flicker of desperation. Of fear.

Roman could work with that.

"Quite simple really," he said, and shut the case again. The point had been made, after all; no sense in letting the wait staff know he had a tame Grimm on his person. "You're going to help us with… a little job. Just one little thing, and then we'll leave you alone and you can go back to pillaging and plundering, or whatever it is you rural bandit types get off to."

"The point, " she growled. Her hand went to her sword. Deliberately obvious this time.

He clicked his tongue. No sense of the art, this one.

"It's simple," he repeated. "You're going to help us with one, little, itty-bitty tiny thing, Raven."

He paused again, just to see the irritation in her face, and then—

"You're going to help us destroy the Kingdom of Mistral."

Notes:

Heyyyyy I'm BAAAAAACK

Welcome welcome welcome to round 2 are you ready I'm ready hoo ahh

Special thanks to FriendofYggdrasil for the beta!