The Darker Side of Life (Crossover RWBY/Persona)

"I wouldn't bee so eager if I were you," Cruccifix warned as she returned all her weapons to their proper places. She turned to stare at the way they had gone before fighting Corvou's Shadow with a grim expression on her features. Her thoughts sliding back to the similar figure she had seen within her own television back in the real world.

If my Shadow is as dangerous as I expect... I may have to fight her alone, She thought as her eyes narrowed. She stood there for a few moments before slowly breaking her gaze away from the point and looking at Pete. "You never know how powerful your darkest side can be."

Tama giggled lightly, "Cheer up Cruccifix! You have us!" She stuck her tongue out and began to walk towards the front door. "I'll see you all tomorrow then!" The clans member smiled happily as she rubbed her shoulder a bit more. Of course it hurt, but the pain was dieing down with time. "You sure you don't want me to take the big guy home. Its on the way to my home? I don't mind carrying him." The clans member teased.

"...........Honestly, I'd rather pass out in a gutter than be carried home by... Well, by anyone, really..." the drake muttered quietly with an awkward smirk, his tone rough as he rubbed his face a bit. Breathing inwards heavily, the man kept whatever inhalation drawn inwards within his lungs for a couple of moments before expelling it out in the form of a sigh. In a slightly weary way, he shrugged, directing his gaze to Peter. "...........Although, I assume that you're pretty much intent on the escort offer...? Nothing I say will change your mind...?"

"Damn straight it ain't, you good enough to walk to at least my front door or do you need help gettin' through the portal?" he asked genuinely helpfully...

Corvou shook his head before slowly and slightly straightening his figure a tad more. "I...may be on a downward decline right now, but I did say that I'd be fine for the next twenty-"

He paused, breathing quietly as he reeled his phone out and glanced down at it. No signal, but the screen still worked perfectly fine otherwise.

"-er...thirteen minutes... Huh..." Sighing, the man rubbed his face while settling the device back within his pocket. "I should be fine going through the portal and for part of the walk back through the city... Unless we don't get back to my place or your place in time, then we'll have some trouble... Shouldn't be a problem considering that the portal leading back is inside your house, and mine actually isn't that far away..."

Pete nodded and put his hand through the screen of the TV to let his allies through the portal "We'll meet up again whenever we have the time after Corvou's all better. None of you have to come, but you'd be missing out on something awesome and you'd be breaking my heart..." he said, going from the voice of a noble leader, to one of defeat, to one of reassurance to one of joking sadness...

"Heh...slow that emotional rollercoaster of yours down, there..." the drake muttered with a slight smirk. Inhaling deeply, he shook his head before slowly trekking over to the screen. Without much hesitation but some deal of effort, he slipped through the portal and sat down upon the floors of Pete's home once more to catch his breath. He did this off to the side, that way he wouldn't be blocking the ways of the others when then shifted the dimensions.

Cruccifix glanced at Peter before nodding silently and walking back through the screen. The bear would catch the slightest sound of a whisper on Cruc's lips as she slipped through the portal. "I'll be there," She had said, slipping through the portal, and without breaking stride slipped out of the house and vanished into the night. The action would be done with such stealth and speed that Corvou would most likely only catch a glimpse of her hair as the door closed firmly behind her form.

(I'm just gonna timeskip here because Tama and Purpose are a no show, so girls, if you come back and we're past the point you can jump in again, I'm sorry, but that's what you get -_-)

Pete stepped through the portal, keeping his other hand through the TV so the girls could follow him, as the girls came out and said their goodbyes, he turned to Corvou "So... Let's get you home..." he said before walking over to the front door and holding it open for his large friend "Women, children and injured first... By that logic, I should go out first, because to many people I'm still technically a child..... But you know what I mean... We've got no time for me to ramble!"

Inhaling deeply, a low, loose mutter would manage to slip its way from the reptilian's lips before he lifted himself up and began trekking over. Sliding either hand of his into his pockets, he gave a slight nod of thanks before slowly stepping outside. "Yeah, yeah... Again, slow your roll, there... I...honestly think I'll be fine... It's not like I'm injured, anyways...just...extremely tired..." he spoke back, wearing a weak yet amused grin at the other's display.

It would fade after a moment or so, and he gave another murmur while reeling one of his hands out and brushing it through his hair, gazing further into the district where the larger houses were located.

"...My place is up there..." he managed to eventually say, pointing over the more...well, fancier part of the area, located closer to the coastal area. Maybe about ten to fifteen minutes away by walking. "Not too far away, but... Y'know, you won't know we're there 'til we can actually hear the water sliding against the shoreline..."

Pete nodded as e followed him outside "Gotcha!"

(Small timeskip)

After a few minutes of being uncharacteristicly silent, Pete finally spoke up ".....Hey Corvou?.... Why'd you want to be a huntsman?.... Sorry for bringing that up out'f the blue, but.... You know, Persona, social links, heart to heart, blah-de-blah. Seriously though.... Why? Is it a family thing? Did you just want the power? Did you just want to protect people?... I'm curious..." he said, trying to bring about what in the game would be counted as a "Rank up"....

Corvou chuckled quietly while shrugging, eying the student by his flank as they walked along. "Let me guess... 'Social Link go~?'" he suggested somewhat sarcastically yet lightly all the same, aiming to make a certain parody reference. Sighing after doing so, he slipped either hand of his into his pockets wall falling silent for a moment, muttering to himself as be began pondering upon the subject.

"Well, let's see... I suppose that it would be a combination of all of the things that you have just stated, actually..." Pausing for a moment, the man gave a low breath and tilted his head down a bit, causing his silver-eyed gaze to lock onto the passing, shaded greys of the cement beneath him as he continued forward. "At first, it was a family thing all of the way. When I was young, my siblings and I were told stories about when our parents were an active duo of a Huntsman and Huntress. They worked the mercenary life, but was associated with a rather well-known group that was sort of an 'elite' force, for lack of better term... Safe to say that such an elite group received top lien when the job was finished, so...that's how they were able to spoil my siblings and I when we were all younger... ...But, that's the core thing that drove us all to want to be Huntsmen and Huntresses like them. Not only did such a life seem amazing, but we all also wanted to follow in their footsteps to make them proud." 

For a moment, a slight, yet pained smile would actually be seen upon the Faunus's lips as he laughed, though it faded away after little time.

"So...we all enrolled at the according Academies that we could at our own ages. When my elder two siblings graduated from Beacon, my parents decided to take us all out on a little vacation trip as a reward for them. They all died on the airship travel to where we were supposed to be when the aircraft crashed, and I was stuck in a coma for two years. After finding out that I was left alone, I...guess that that little realization made me want to strive even further and harder to achieve my goal. Although I was devastated beyond belief, having been orphaned in one quick, fell swoop, I still wanted to make my family - all of them, including my siblings - proud. ...There's also that whole Band of Evolution thing that I found out about that emphasized the 'fight and train to protect others' factor, alongside the reasoning for sheer power, that you helped me out with a while back, but... All of the details for that story are gonna be saved for another day..."

"Oh...... Well.... Shit...... That really sucks, man.... Biggest understatement I've ever made... I guess since you told me yours, I should tell you mine... Although it's basically a more boring version of yours, my parents were hunters, dad trained me since birth with his sword, they died trying to protect a town from a cave full of Nevermore when I was ten, mom was decapitated, dad finished the job, carried her headless corpse back to town and then fell into a coma, then he woke up in a hospital here in Vale three days later and then died in front of me and his two best friends... And now, whenever I try to talk about them, people always just say "Never heard of'em"... Dad always said that you die twice, once when you're killed and second when people forget you.... And now I feel like I'm the only one who does remember..." he said sadly, sighing deeply "I kept training by myself for seven years, I wanted to be a hunter to keep their legacy going, I guess..." he said, looking at the ground as they walked, then looked to Corvou "But I guess it's not really about them or the family name anymore... It's more about proving myself at this point... To my team... To the world... To myself... I just want to be in a place my dad would be proud of... A place I'll be remembered long after I die... A place people will respect me for what I do, rather than hate me for what I can't..."

(House reference can be found: here. Don't care if it's a Minecraft-based image, man; it actually fits the type of house I'd imagined Corvou to have for a while now- complete with the underwater rooms.)

"Can't quite say I'm surprised, to be honest... With the way that a lot of people seem to treat you and whatnot, I suppose that wanting to prove yourself is pretty much a given..." Corvou agreed while nodding. His speech was a bit less fractured than earlier as he temporarily regained his breath, though it would all be naught by the time he reached his own room inside the sanctity of his house. That aside, however, he seemed to take a short pause as if thinking about something to himself, and eventually gave a quiet, apologetic laugh while glancing at Peter from the corner of his eye. "Er...aha, and also, I'm sorry about Bai. It must be Hell to be stuck on a team with him, but he's actually a really nice guy when you get to know him. ...You just need to talk to him enough to show that you actually acknowledge and respect his existence..."

After speaking this, the reptilian sighed quietly while turning the corner around the final street that would be encountered before he met his own. It was a subtle, downward slope down to the coastline, but his house was only the second one on the left side nearest to where they were standing. He pointed over at it. "...Aaaaand...that's my place, right there," he said while beginning to walk across the street. Reeling his keys out, he approached one of the several entrances that would be located on the uppermost levels of the house, unlocking it and stepping in. "You can come in for a little bit, if you want... Hell, or even stay the night. I really don't care either way..."

Pete looked at Corvou's place and shook his head "Nah, I'm cool, I gotta get home, make sure that the portal in my TV doesn't go both ways for shadows... I don't think it will, but if I find a Bambino eating my junk food, then we'll know to be careful making new portals.... And we'll have to find a way to close them behind us..." he said before walking off "Message me if you feel better, I know that in the games it could take a day to the rest of the month, so... Bye!" he said before running back home as quickly as he could...

In a dismissive manner, Corvou held a hand up and waved Peter off as he began rushing off. "Yep... Will do, and I promise you that it won't take that long..." he called out before shutting and locking the door that he had used as his entryway. Not too long after doing so, he brushed a hand through his hair while glancing down at his attire, muttering in a slightly disapproved way while noticing the tears and holes that it had acquired from the battle earlier. He sighed. It was hard to find these coats, dammit... Maybe I should just custom tailor all of my clothes from now on...

Rubbing his face, the drake looked over at one of the couches in the living room nearby, shaking his head while walking over it. It didn't take long before he found himself comfortably lounged across it, with his head supported by one armrest and his feet draped over the opposing one.

...I'll worry about that later, though... would be the last thought to cross his mind before he quickly drifted off into a slumber.

(Timeskip, that night)

Pete looked out the raining window "I thought it wasn't supposed to rain tonight.... Good thing I don't need much sleep for some reason... I should really get that checked out by... Someo-I'm rambing to myself, there are more important things to do!" he said before looking at the grandfather clock, it said it was 11:55 "Now or never..." he said before looking to the TV and waiting a few minutes, the clock struck midnight and the TV came to life, Peter's Shadow was on the other side, looking at him with a glare of distaste "Hey there, Shadsy, how'd you think of my team today?" "......I have no idea how you survived......... But I promise you this.......... I have no plans to become your weapon.... I have no will to become one...." Pete was confused by these words "Well.... You don't have a choice, do you?...." "....I suppose not...." The Shadow said before the TV faded back to static ".......Weird......." Pete said bluntly before going up the stairs to his room "Oh well, I'll get him eventually!" he said cheerfully...

(Timeskip, the next day, afternoon)

After a usual day of school, Peter was sitting on his couch looking at the Grandfather clock, it read 5:24. "I wonder if any of them will be here... I trust that Corvou will, but.... I'm rambling again, just be patient..." he said before looking towards his front door....

Not long after Pete finished his sentence a spectacularly dressed assassin would come sauntering in through the doorway.

In a dress.

A bright pink dress. Complete with little frills on the hem of the sleeves and bottom of the dress itself. She would wander in with a none-too-friendly look on her face, with a certain Nightmare trailing behind her with a happy smile on her face. Cruccifix would stop in the doorway and turn around to face Lucy, rage radiating out of every viable pore on the assassin's body as she repressed the urge to stab the smaller girl.

"Why the hell did you insist that I wear something so impractical to an occasion like this?" Cruccifix growled, more embarrassed than concerned about the practicality of a dress in battle. Lucy merely giggled before smiling as she replied.

"Because you're always so tense! I figured a bit of feminism would've helped you relax!" The Nightmare responded gleefully, causing Cruccifix to wonder if Mizu didn't have a hand in this, and then adding onto her train of thought with:
I hope she gets hit in the head. That way we get the cold, silent one back.

Lucy would blink once at Cruc's wilting glare before glancing around her to look at Pete. The small girl's eyes would glitter for a few moments before she shook her head fervently and walked up to him. "How are you doing, Kohai?" She would ask, prompting one to remark on how she was still wearing her trademark attire. The biggest difference being the spectral purple twin lances on her back that were made of the Nightmare's own aura.

Pete was speechless at Cruc entering in a dress, giving her a long silence before a small laugh escaped his lips... Then a bigger laugh... "Pft..... HahahahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Oh my god, Cruc, you both pull that look off great, and don't pull it off at all, I never thought that I would seriously say that to someone! Hahahahahaha" he said before waving to Lucy "H-Hey Senpai! Haha-how are ya? Oh man, was the dress your idea? You're a real fashionista, y'know, you could make some serious money off of this." he said half-jokingly before taking a few deep breaths and calming down "So.... Senpai..... I assume you know why Cruc brought you here.... I also assume that the dress your only condition to agreeing..."

Around the relative time following the two's arrival, Corvou would be muttering to himself while making his way back down the street. A hand of his brushed through his hair and rubbed at his scalp while the remaining held his phone, with its screen activated and tilted up a tad so he could see it. His thumb tapped along the screen as he sent the message that he was returning to Peter's house- as was requested. Once it was finished and sent, he slipped the device back into his pocket before casting his gaze directly at the path before him.

Soon enough, he would find his way to the bear's front door, giving a quick knock before turning the knob and opening the door. "My apologies for sending you the message a little bit late," he called while beginning to step in. "I was well on my way here when I remembered to-..."

Of course, the very first thing that the drake seemed to catch sight of when he looked within was Cruccifix.
...Poor, pink-clad Cruccifix.

Although he could very well imagine the awkwardness and internal fury that she was feeling by being within her attire, Corvou couldn't help but make a horrible attempt at suppressing a laugh. The failure resulted in a quiet snort and an awkward, suppressed smile as he stood in the doorway for a moment or so.

"...Oh, my."

"Say a word and I will fillet you like a fish," Cruccfix threatened, revealing a hand of four very sharp kunai in her right hand, and a fishing knife in the other.

Despite the threat that he received, Corvou still found it difficult to wipe the smirk from his face. "G-Gomenasai... I'm sorry..." he apologized with a somewhat broken tone while attempting to wave the situation off and walking in a bit more. Taking a deep breath, he would finally stop some ways in the room after shutting the front door within his midst.

He breathed in deeply.

"...So. We're going back in?"

Pete nodded before looking at Lucy "Eeyup! Senpai, do you know what's going on? Did Cruc tell you much?"

"Hai. She informed me on the way here." Lucy responded with a small nod.

"Okay, cool, then this shouldn't be surprising." he said before putting his hand through the tv, opening the portal for Lucy "You wanna go first or should Corvou? He's the only one who already has a Persona, so... Maybe he should go first... Y'know what? Nevermind, Corvou, you go first..." he said before taking his hand out and moving back so Corvou could enter...