3rd Person POV
Port's Class
"I think you were right," Sincline murmured as he and the rest of Team RWBY watched while Port droned on through another one of his lectures, Ruby seated to his right with Pyrrha at his left. "I'd definitely rather be fighting Grimm than doing... whatever this is." Honestly, he was certain that not even the Galra could come up with something as torturous as this.
"See, I tried to warn you," Ruby sighed, idly doodling on the edge of the paper as she glanced at him, her silver eyes meeting his momentarily before she turned back toward the ongoing lecture.
"Just try to look like you're paying attention," Yang advised, glancing at him before turning back to where she was toying with a pencil. "That or try to drown out Port's yammering some other way."
Nodding, Sincline glanced around the classroom and saw Jaune sliding over next to Weiss, who was staring at her scroll's clock. Oh boy... well, at least I'll have something to watch, Sincline thought and rested his elbows on his desk as he prepared for the inevitable. He wasn't disappointed.
"So, Weiss," Jaune began. "You know, uhh... I was thinking after this that... maybe we could go grab a bite to eat?"
Weiss remained silent, eyes locked on her scroll's clock.
"And... uh... you know, well, I've got two tickets to that new Spruce Willis movie if you want to make the trip to Vale," Jaune went on to Sincline's amazement. "I heard it's awesome!"
Shaking his head, Sincline glanced at Pyrrha, who was watching the exchange with a strange expression on her face. "What's he doing?"
"Still trying to get Weiss's attention," Pyrrha sighed, her face crestfallen as she rested her head on her hand, elbow on the table.
Sincline tilted his head. "And that's... bad?" he asked slowly, trying to make sure he was understanding her right.
"No, no!" Pyrrha corrected hurriedly, waving her hands. "It's just that... well... I...."
"You want it to be you," Sincline guessed. By the resulting look of shock on Pyrrha's face, he got it right.
Staring at Sincline for a long moment, Pyrrha silently berated herself. While he may seem oblivious at times to things she thought 'normal,' Sincline was far more observant than she gave him credit for.
"So... you like him?" Sincline asked, nodding down at Jaune as he tried, and failed, to get Weiss to respond.
"No!" Pyrrha replied hastily, her face burning red as she turned away from Sincline. "No, he's my friend. Just... my friend."
"Okay...?" If she likes him, why doesn't she just tell him? Sincline wondered. Deciding to add yet another file to his growing list, he turned back to Jaune and Weiss as the blond-haired Huntsman continued his attempts.
"Aaaaaand... then maybe after that we could study together?" Jaune offered. "I mean you're smart, and I'm, uh... you know...."
I don't think you should finish that sentence, Sincline thought. Thankfully, before Jaune could mess up so bad that Weiss would kill him, the bell rang, and the Heiress practically bolted to her feet.
"And then I..." Port trailed off. "Oh, uh... timed that one wrong, I guess. Well, the stunning conclusion to this story will have to wait! Until next time...."
"Wait, there's more?" Sincline groaned, slamming his head against the desk in despair. Maybe I should have stayed in the Field, he thought despairingly. Actually, that could work. I could just say my semblance malfunctioned, and I got stuck in the—no, that wouldn't work. I don't want to worry Ruby for no reason.
Giggling, Ruby patted him on the back as Yang did the same. "Don't worry," Blake assured, gathering her things as she stood as well. "You'll get through it."
"Weiss? Did you hear me?" Jaune asked as the Heiress got up.
"No. No. No. Yes," Weiss replied and walked off.
Groaning, Jaune slumped over his desk, Yang patting him on the back as she, the rest of Team JNPR, Ruby, Blake, and Sincline filed out. "One day."
Timeskip
"I thought that class would never end," Blake complained as she, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang finished their final weapon checks while preparing to head into town. Sincline just leaned against the base of his and Ruby's bunk, already dressed in his combat uniform.
"You're not the only one," Sincline agreed and shuddered. "I was starting to wish I was still trapped in the Field... and that's saying something."
"Alright, guys, today's the day!" Ruby cheered, jumping down from the top of her bunk and barely missing Sincline in the process. "The investigation begins!"
"I'm glad to see we're taking this so seriously," Weiss deadpanned, hands on her hips as she shook her head in disbelief.
"Hey, we've got a plan," Yang protested, elbow resting on her knee as she sat on her bunk. "That's... moderately serious."
Sincline tilted his head. "I'm not sure a 'moderately serious plan' is better than a 'plan,'" he pointed out.
"Well, it's better than nothing!" Yang shot back, and he held up his hands in surrender.
"Anyway," Ruby said, sliding between them before either could continue the debate... which neither had been inclined to do. "Everyone remember their roles?"
"You, me, and Sincline will head to the CCT to check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies or inconsistencies," Weiss listed. "Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."
Sincline tilted his head. "CCT?"
"You'll see," Yang assured.
"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members," Blake said, getting everyone's attention. "If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."
"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale," Yang said, stretching. "Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard."
"Great!" Ruby said cheerfully. "We'll meet up tonight near Yang's position to go over what we found. Let's do this!"
"Yeah!"
Alerts flared across Sincline's HUD, and he whipped around, a pair of scimitars materializing as his team whirled to find a familiar blond-haired monkey Faunus hanging upside down from the windowsill by his tail.
"Sun?!" Blake exclaimed, and Sincline dispelled his scimitars, idly wondering how he didn't pick up Sun's presence. I should've paid more attention to my surroundings, the mech-turned-human berated silently.
"How did you get up there?" Yang asked, her voice snapping Sincline out of his thoughts.
"Aw, it's easy; I do it all the time," Sun replied, waving a hand dismissively.
"Say what/You do what?!" Sincline and Weiss asked/demanded, both of their eyes narrowing at the blond-haired Faunus, Weiss's hand edging toward her rapier as one of Sincline's scimitars began reforming.
"I climb trees all the time!" Sun corrected hastily.
Weiss's eyes narrowed, and Sincline's scimitar slowly dissolved, neither of their gazes leaving Sun as he flipped into the room and landed on his feet. "So, are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?" he asked.
"I'm not the only one who found that weird... right?" Sincline asked, glancing at Weiss.
She nodded. "If he tries anything, I want you to blast him through the window," she whispered. "Got it?"
"Right... what counts as him trying anything?" Sincline asked, and Weiss facepalmed, shaking her head.
"We... are going to investigate the situation," Blake replied in answer to Sun's question, her hands on her hips as her amber eyes narrowed. "As a team."
"Sorry, Sun," Ruby apologized. "We don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to."
"Pfft, that's dumb," Sun replied, waving a hand dismissively. "You should always get friends involved." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "That's why I brought Neptune."
"You what?"
Peeking out the window, Sincline and the rest of Team RWBY saw Neptune balancing precariously on the ledge outside, back flat against the wall.
Gulping, Neptune gave a hesitant wave. "Sup."
"How did you even get up here?" Ruby asked curiously, one hand gripping the side of the window frame as she leaned outside, Sincline doing the same.
"I have my ways," Neptune replied, trying to be cool... and failing. "Seriously though, can I come in?" he pleaded, glancing down at the ground below. "We're like... really high up right now."
Timeskip
"Alright," Ruby said, now that the seven of them were assembled in their dorm. "I'll go with Sincline and Weiss. Sun, you can go with Blake. And Neptune," she smiled, letting loose a devious grin worthy of the devil himself as she darted behind Neptune and pushed him toward her sister, the blue-haired Huntsman winking at Weiss as he passed. "You can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner. Everyone good?"
"Actually, Ruby, why don't you and Sincline go with Yang," Weiss suggested, causing everyone to face her as Ruby finished setting Neptune next to Yang. "After all, she is your sister."
Sincline tilted his head. "Then who would go with you?"
"Well... I suppose Neptune could come with me," Weiss offered, a light blush barely visible on her cheeks.
So, she's blushing... and she did that when Neptune flirted with her... does that mean... she likes him? Sincline wondered. He froze, eyes widening. Wait... if blushing means you like someone, does that mean I like Ruby?!
But that shocking revelation aside... he still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about Neptune.
"Pfft, Nah," Ruby snorted, waving a hand dismissively. At first, Sincline thought he spoke aloud... and then he realized that she was actually responding to Weiss and felt relieved. Wait, why am I relieved? the mech-turned-human wondered.
"But—But!" Weiss protested as Ruby grabbed her by the sleeve and dragged the complaining Heiress out of the dorm, leaving the rest behind.
Sincline sighed. "This day may be full of surprises, but at least it's not boring," he muttered. A flash of light, and he warped away after the two girls, the rift sealing shut behind him.
Timeskip
"Oh, Wow...." Ruby breathed, staring up at the CCT tower as she, Weiss, and Sincline made their way down the streets of Vale toward the base section of Beacon Tower, the same building Sincline recognized as the one he had walked into earlier to enter Ozpin's office. "I forgot how big the transmit tower looks up close!"
"Hmph! You should see the one in Atlas," Weiss replied, rolling her eyes as the three made their way toward the entrance, their boots clicking against the smooth pavement.
"Wasn't that the first one?" Sincline asked, tilting his head as he pulled up a recording of one of his lessons with Weiss on his HUD.
"Correct," Weiss affirmed, giving him a nod. "Atlas developed the Cross Continental Transmit system to allow the Four Kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War."
That was the one between humans and the Faunus, Sincline recalled. Remembering what the girls had told him about how Faunus were treated... he could guess who won.
"Ooo, look at me," Ruby teased, adopting a posh accent as she placed her hands on her hips. "My name's Weiss; I know facts; I'm rich~"
Sincline snickered, and Ruby gave him a high-five, the trans-reality mech doing his best to return the gesture by recalling memories of how Ezor and Zethrid would often celebrate a win against the Paladins. That, and he had seen Yang and Ruby do it too, so he figured he was high-fiving correctly.
Rolling her eyes, Weiss cuffed them both over the backs of their heads. "Don't be pests," she chided. "The only reason we're here is because you like the tower so much, and Sincline hasn't been around Vale yet. We could have just as easily made a call from the library."
"I know, but it's so cooool!" Ruby whined, puffing her cheeks.
Sincline tilted his head. "Weiss, or the tower?" he asked. Weiss flashed him a glare, and he stepped back, holding up his hands in surrender while wondering what he did wrong.
"Anyway, I'm gonna take a picture," Ruby said, pulling out her scroll... only to fumble it. Falling through the air, the scroll bounced across the ground to land at someone's feet.
"Oh, you dropped this," an orange-haired girl said, picking up the scroll as her bright green eyes caught the light. A pink bow rested atop her head, and she wore a white old-fashioned styled off-the-shoulder blouse. She also sported a short gray pinafore dress with a golden trim above four light green stalagmite-styled strips that lined the lower half of the dress. Below that, she wore a pair of black, thigh-high leg pieces seemingly attached to black shoes with a single green stripe that ran down the sides. She also wore a silver backpack.
Ruby gasped, her silver eyes widening in recognition. "Penny?"
Sincline tilted his head. "You know her?" he asked curiously. There's something... off about her, he thought, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. A quick scan of her using his HUD, and his eyes widened. No way....
"It's a long story," Weiss sighed, her voice breaking Sincline out of his thoughts.
"Where have you been?" Ruby demanded. "We haven't seen you since that night at the docks." She just... disappeared, she thought. How? Why?
"S-sorry," Penny apologized, her voice catching briefly. "I think you're confused." Her arm jerked, and she tossed the scroll back to Ruby. "Uh... I've got to go!" With that, she ran off, quickly making her way down a set of stairs.
"What was that about?" Weiss asked, voicing Sincline's thoughts as he stared after the departing girl. She has an Aura... how? Then again, so do I, but still... this doesn't make sense.
"I don't know," Ruby replied, slipping her scroll back into her pocket. "But I'm going to find out. You go make your call; we'll meet up with you later. Come on, Sincline!" She raced off, dashing after Penny as Weiss and Sincline exchanged looks.
"So... see you?" Sincline offered.
"Just go after her, and, please, try to keep her out of trouble," Weiss sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
Sincline nodded and warped away, vanishing through a rift as he teleported after Ruby. A flash of light, and he reappeared beside her as she slid down the stair's railing after Penny.
"—have you been?" Ruby was saying, jumping off the railing and landing in a walk beside Penny. "It's been weeks!"
"There seems to be a misunderstanding," Penny replied and continued walking, her pace never changing.
"Are you sure you know her?" Sincline asked as he came up beside Ruby, his eyes narrowed at the retreating girl's back.
Ruby nodded and ran after Penny once more, sliding down a second railing in the process. Seeing her wobble as she neared the end, Sincline warped to the bottom of the stairs, catching Ruby in his arms as she slipped.
Blinking at the unexpected midair halt, Ruby looked up, and her eyes locked with Sincline's. A strange warmth bursting inside her chest, she blushed, looking away. "Th-thanks," she stuttered and quickly leapt out of his arms before dashing after Penny once more.
"Penny, please stop," she pleaded and grabbed the orange-haired girl's wrist.
Penny froze.
"Look," Ruby said gently. "I don't know what's wrong, but you have to listen to me. Those guys we fought at the docks... we think they're up to something big, something bad!"
"Aren't those often the same?" Sincline asked, tilting his head.
"Shush!" Ruby elbowed him in the side before turning back to Penny. "I need you to tell me what happened to you that night. Please... as a friend."
Okay, I really need to figure out what happened at these 'docks' that they keep talking about, Sincline thought. As strange as it seemed, it looked like everything was somehow connected to whatever happened there.
Hesitating once more, Penny tensed... then sighed. Looking around, she leaned toward Ruby and whispered, "It isn't safe to talk here."
"Okaaay..." Exchanging looks with Sincline, Ruby turned back to her orange-haired friend. "How about we go somewhere else?" she proposed, Sincline nodding in agreement.
Penny hesitated... then nodded. "Alright." She glanced around one more time before nervously following them as they headed down a side street. "I apologize for ignoring you, friend Ruby... It's just... I can't talk like this out in the open."
Ruby nodded. "It's okay," she assured, giving her a kind smile.
"Who's your friend?" Penny asked, turning her gaze to Sincline as the three of them turned a corner, heading down a sidewalk.
"My name's Sincline," the mech-turned-human introduced and held out a hand.
Penny blinked once, then smiled. "Salutations!" she replied happily and shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you!" As the two shook hands, Penny noticed how a strange energy signature, stronger than anything she had ever picked up before, seemed to run through Sincline's veins, much to her surprise. Is he... like me? she wondered.
"So... are you gonna tell us what happened to you at the docks?" Ruby asked curiously, breaking Penny out of her thoughts as the three of them turned down another side street.
Penny sighed. "I wish I could help you, friend Ruby," she apologized. "But I don't know anything about those men."
"Well, what happened to you that night?" Ruby tried. "We were all together, and then you just disappeared! Were you kidnapped?!"
"Oh, no! Nothing like that!" Penny said hurriedly.
"Then where did you go?" Sincline asked, tilting his head curiously.
"I've never been to another Kingdom before," Penny explained. "My father asked me not to venture out too far, but..." She trailed off, looking down at her boots.
"...you ventured out too far?" Sincline guessed.
Penny nodded. "You have to understand, my father loves me very much... he just worries a lot."
"Believe me, I know the feeling," Ruby replied, thinking back to Yang and her own father, a small, fond smile crossing her lips.
"The Sentries are just making some final adjustments."
"Prepare the Sincline ships and take off; load the comet into mine. We're leaving."
"You must replicate your father's work if we are to use this ship to enter the Quintessence Field."
"Your father, King Alfor, was a gifted alchemist whose unique ability allowed him to infuse the Voltron ore with Altean energy, granting it and the Paladins access to the Quintessence Field. Now you, Allura, possess that same gift."
Sincline flinched, his thoughts flashing back to the ones who had 'created' him. Lotor and Allura... they built me, built my ships... He looked down at his hands, remembering the first time he had gained feeling in them. If they created me... does that mean that they... that they're my parents?
He wasn't sure how he felt about that. On the one hand... no. There was no bright side. Allura despised everything he was and stood for: Lotor. The one who had betrayed the Paladins... the one who created a weapon capable of ending existence itself. They only cared about designing a ship. A weapon... not me. As far as they were concerned, I would have just been a gun for them to use and toss away. Still, deep inside... he knew that no matter how much he wished, he had no parents. They couldn't be his.
What about the Lions? he wondered. They were made out of the same ore, the same material, so did that mean that they—
"Murderer!"
"Traitor!"
Sincline flinched and felt something warm and wet slowly slide down his face. Curious, he reached up and pressed a finger against it before pulling it away. He was... crying? They hated me too... they left me in the field to die... they never cared about me either... no one did. But now... now he had people who did care about him. But someone who loved him?
"You didn't think to maybe call the engineers before you began building your inter-reality Quintessence Field magical Altean alchemy super ship?"
"—not let us know you were okay?" Ruby's voice asked, the sound breaking Sincline from his thoughts. Wiping his face, he looked up and saw that he had fallen behind by several paces, and that the two girls were roughly five meters ahead already.
"I..." Penny paused, and Sincline took the opportunity to catch up to the two of them, slowing down to match Ruby's pace. She glanced at him, a questioning look in her eyes, and he shook his head as Penny spoke up. "I was asked not to talk to you... or Weiss, or Blake, or Yang... anybody really."
"Was your dad that upset?" Ruby asked, surprised. I can't imagine Dad ever doing that to me... or Yang.
"No, it wasn't my father," Penny corrected hastily. Before she could reveal exactly who was responsible for her orders, all three heard a familiar voice echoing across the street.
"The AK-130 has been a standard security model of Remnant for several years..."
Turning the corner, the three of them found a hologram of Ironwood standing before a crowd on a raised platform in the center of a park-like area. Behind him stood six, dark-gray humanoid robots with red highlights on certain parts of their bodies. Their 'faces' had a lower jaw but were otherwise covered with a smooth, bright-red surface and no facial features. And, behind the six drones, loomed two massive rectangular crates parallel to the crowd standing before the platform.
"And they have done a fine job," 'Ironwood' continued. "Wouldn't you agree?" As one, the six Atlesian Drones bowed, earning a round of applause from the crowd.
"I guess the idea of Drones are universal," Sincline commented, recalling the Galran Sentries that had helped develop his ships. Heh, looks like the Galra aren't the only ones with good tech, he thought.
"But..." 'Ironwood' continued after a long pause. "The Kingdom of Atlas is a kingdom of innovation! And fine? Well, that's just not good enough, is it?"
The sides of the crates facing the crowd opened with a hiss of steam, revealing six more Drones. These had more slender, humanoid appearances than the AK-130s and were clad in white armor with black robotic workings visible underneath. A blue light glowed over their visors, and each one had a rifle slung diagonally across its back.
"Presenting the Atlesian Knight 200!" 'Ironwood' proclaimed as the new bots kicked the old ones to the ground and stepped over them. "Smarter, sleeker, and admittedly... a little less scary," 'Ironwood' said as the robots struck various poses. "These models will become active later this year. But they won't be alone. Now... the Atlesian Military has always supported the idea of removing men from the dangers of the battlefield. However... there are still many situations that undoubtedly require a human touch."
"Um, Ruby? Sincline?" Penny asked, eyeing the scene nervously.
"So, our Kingdom's greatest minds, in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company, are proud to introduce... The Atlesian Paladin-290!" Ironwood's hologram vanished, and a large mech about 18 or 20 feet tall appeared in his place. Equipped with two arm-mounted cannons and what looked like rear-mounted ten-tube rocket launchers beside twin-barreled anti-personnel automatic cannons, the Atlesian Paladin loomed over the crowd.
Upon hearing the name, Sincline froze, a gush of memories flashing through his mind. Paladin...
"Where's the comet? Is it in that ship?"
"No, it can't be! He's already made a ship from the comet's ore?"
"Oh, this is bad."
"More like horrible."
Sincline shook his head, dispelling the memories as Ironwood's voice continued its speech. "Now, given new developments, we couldn't have them here for you today. But these mechanized battle suits will be seen defending the borders of our Kingdoms within the year."
"Whoa..." Ruby breathed, eyes wide as she gazed at the battle mech in awe.
"Guys, maybe we should go somewhere else," Penny suggested nervously, shifting from foot-to-foot.
Sincline glanced at her, confused. "Why?' he asked. "What—" A flicker of movement caught his attention, and he followed her gaze to the crowd. There, he spotted two soldiers dressed in a white-gray armor that covered their upper torsos shoving their way through the throng of Faunus and humans alike. Their helmets covered their faces almost entirely, barring their mouths. Their pants were black, and each had a handgun strapped to their hip, swords in collapsed mode on their lower backs, and rifles slung over their shoulders, red markings adorning one and blue markings adorning the other.
(A/N) Just have the one on the left with red markings instead of blue
Atlesian Soldiers? he wondered, taking a step back. What do they want with... oh, of course. "Uh, guys?" he asked, causing Ruby's attention to snap to him. "We've got company."
A blur of motion, and Penny was already dashing off, much to Ruby's confusion. "Penny? Wait, where are you—" Sincline grabbed her hand and pointed it toward the oncoming soldiers. "Oh. That... run!" Tightening her grip on Sincline's hand, she raced after Penny, the mech-turned-human right beside her.
"Down here! She went this way!" one of the soldiers shouted as Sincline and Ruby raced after Penny across a street, Sincline using his grip on Ruby's hand to throw her ahead and out of the way as he vaulted over a car.
As the two soldiers stumbled, dodging out of the way to avoid being hit by traffic, Ruby drew her scythe as she landed in a roll. Coming up running, she aimed her scythe and fired, the recoil launching her after the orange-haired girl.
Landing on ground, Sincline spotted a pile of crates held up by a platform on the side of the alley. Hope this works. A flash of purple energy, and his armor formed around him. He rocketed forward, his tail flashed, and the sharp energy blade at the tip cut through the platform's supports with ease. Just as expected, the crates fell into the soldier's path, slowing them down.
"Nice job!" Ruby called, flashing him a smile. Sheathing Crescent Rose, she jumped at a wall, kicked off, and wrapped her arms around Penny's waist. "Come on, this way!" Gritting her teeth, Ruby shot off in a blur of Rose petals, yanking Penny after her as Sincline followed in the sky above, easily keeping pace.
Something's wrong, Sincline thought, slitted eyes of energy narrowing as he saw Ruby falter midair. He's never seen Ruby falter while using her semblance, so why—
Just then, Ruby fell out of the air, and she and Penny crashed into the ground, the young Rose rolling across the pavement... and into the street.
"Ruby!" A burst of energy tore through the air, and he surged forward as a truck barreled toward Ruby.
Groaning and rubbing her head, Ruby looked up... and her eyes widened as she saw the massive vehicle bearing down on her.
"No!" Sincline slammed into her and tackled her out of the way, his armor dissolving milliseconds before their bodies connected. At the same time, Penny stepped between them and the truck and held out her hands, stopping it cold as asphalt erupted into the air.
Hitting the ground hard, Sincline rolled to absorb the impact, arms wrapped protectively around Ruby, as they slammed into the sidewalk. Sincline gritted his teeth, his Aura flaring to absorb the damage as they rolled across the ground, ending with Sincline flat on his back with Ruby on top of him.
Shaking his head, Sincline looked up, and his eyes met Ruby's. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, acutely aware of her body pressed against his, her lips inches from his own.
Ruby nodded, her face redder than her cape as she realized just what 'position' she and Sincline were in, her arms to either side of his head with her legs straddling his chest. Dang it, Blake, the young Rose cursed silently. Why did you have to leave those books out? "I... uh... thanks," she whispered and quickly bolted to her feet as he did the same, neither meeting the other's gaze.
What was that? Sincline wondered, his thoughts flashing back to the events moments prior. Those feelings, emotions... what had happened? He had only intended to save her, not... end up like that.
I can't believe he saved me... again, Ruby thought silently, her face reddening as she remembered the feeling of Sincline's arms around her... and that's when her eyes widened. "Penny!"
The two whirled, and they stared at the sight of Penny standing before the truck, unharmed, the front of the vehicle dented like Nora had taken her hammer to it.
"Are you okay?" Penny asked. The driver nodded, his hands shaking as he tried and failed to let go of the steering wheel. Satisfied that he was uninjured, Penny stepped back, and both Hunters saw the glint of metal on her palms.
Meeting their gazes and glancing down at her hands, Penny's eyes widened in realization as a crowd began forming around the crash site. She took a step back... and whirled, dashing away and pushing past Ruby and Sincline in the process.
"Penny, come back!" Ruby shouted, and the young Huntress dashed after her friend, Sincline close behind.
Timeskip
"Penny, please!" Ruby begged as she and Sincline skidded to a stop opposite Penny after the orange-haired girl had stopped in an alley. "What's going on?! Why are you running? How did... how did you do that?!"
"I-I can't!" Penny cried, stepping back. She was almost hysterical, her body shaking nervously. "Everything's fine! I don't—I won't want to talk about it!"
She's terrified, Sincline realized, meeting the panicked girl's eyes with his own. She's scared of what we'll think. "Hey, hey, it's alright," he said gently, raising his hands calmingly as he gestured for Ruby to back up. "We're not gonna hurt you." He wasn't sure what he was doing; he was going entirely off instinct... but it was working. She was calming down.
"Penny, just talk to us," Ruby encouraged gently, following Sincline's lead. "Just tell us what's wrong; we can help."
"N-no, no, no, you wouldn't understand!" Penny cried, taking a step back and turning away. Her body was tensed, ready to bolt... and Sincline knew it.
"We would," Sincline said gently, nodding toward her hands as Penny clenched her fists, trying to keep them from seeing what was on her palms. "Trust us... and if you won't trust me... trust Ruby. You know her. You can talk to her. Just tell her what's wrong."
He stepped back next to Ruby, and they exchanged glances, the meaning clear: it was up to her now. "It's okay, Penny," she assured. "You can tell us... it'll be alright."
Penny hesitated, glancing from one Hunter to the next. "You're my friends... right?" she asked. "You both promise you're my friends?"
Ruby nodded, Sincline doing the same, the motions identical. "We promise."
"Okay..." Penny stepped back, her gaze flicking from one to the next... and opened her hands, revealing smooth metal beneath her torn skin. "Ruby.... Sincline... the truth is... I'm not a real girl."