Visitations
Arrivals, departures, and new games are afoot.
[Author's note: This story follows the story Plans, Most Secret, and is the second episode of a fanfic version of volume 6.]
Ruby knocked on the door of the little room in Haven Academy that Qrow was using as an office. "Ah, so here you are," she said as he gestured for her to enter. "You didn't show for dinner last night."
"I ... was busy," he said. "With ... important work. Uh, yeah, that's right, important ... stuff."
"Involving a certain overdressed pony?"
He stared at her. "Well, she's not always overdressed," he said. "And, hey, when did you start making comments like that?"
She gave a chuckle. "You, uncle, are shaved and sober, which I don't think I've ever seen before," she said. "It's almost as if you were trying to impress someone."
He grunted. "As if," he said. He turned to the relic, sitting on the desk. "And as for this hunk of junk ... well, for the Relic of Knowledge, it doesn't seem to know much. I wish Oz would pop in to show us how to turn it on or whatever you are supposed to do with it."
"Oscar says that Ozpin is recovering, and might not reappear for a while," said Ruby.
"It sort of murmurs, sometimes," said Qrow. "I've been asking it questions – which makes me feel pretty stupid, talking to a lamp – but it doesn't seem to have anything to say."
"Huh," said Ruby.
Indeed, the relic had started to murmur a little louder since she had entered the room.
"Why don't you give it a shot?" said Qrow.
"Me?"
"It seems to like you."
So Ruby leaned towards the relic and whispered a question. And then another. And then a third.
The murmuring continued, and then ceased. The light in the lamp dimmed.
Ruby leaned back in her chair. "Well, that was ... useful," she said.
"Er, what was?" said Qrow.
"The answers, of course. You heard, surely."
"Uh, Ruby, I didn't hear anything."
"Hmm," said Ruby. "I wonder why. Uncle, tell me something. Everything I have read about the relics indicates that bringing them together is a bad idea. That's why they were separated in the first place, decades ago. The way they might interact is not really understood."
"So you think that sending the relic to Atlas is unwise, if there is another relic there? General Bonehead has been very cagey about that in the past."
"Maybe. It's true that Atlas has the best protective technology and the strongest weapons, which I assume is what Ozpin was thinking about."
There was a knock on the door. Winter Schnee entered. She started when she saw Ruby.
Ruby noticed that Winter's hair was loose, not clipped back into its usual tight bun. The top button of her uniform was undone.
Winter looked at Qrow. "Mister Branwen," she said.
Qrow looked at Winter. "Officer Schnee," he said.
Ruby stood, chuckling again. "Well, time for me to go," she said.
"If you must," said Winter.
"I'll take this with me," she said, picking up the relic. "Maybe it will want to chat some more."
"And you can close the door on your way out," said Qrow.
It was the next day. Weiss, Blake and Ruby were watching porters carry Kali's collection of packages and boxes onto the ship that would take her and the other faunus back to Menagerie. Ghira was planning to contact the chapters of White Fang in Mistral and tell them that Adam Taurus' leadership was over; he would return to Menagerie later, to re-establish White Fang as an organisation for peaceful but determined political action.
"Tell me, Blake," said Weiss, looking at Kali's huge pile of stuff. "Is there anything in Mistral that your mother didn't buy?"
Blake sighed. "It's true, she's a hard woman to stop once she gets going with a scroll," she said.
Kali came over to them. "Everything is as we discussed," she said to Ruby. Ruby nodded.
"Eh?" said Weiss.
"Well, you know, lots of things to put on board, clothes and food and things," said Ruby. "It has been good to meet you, Kali, and thank you ... for everything."
"And I am pleased to see that my daughter has such good friends to rely on," said Kali. "But ... where is the other one?"
"Oh, somewhere around, no doubt," said Ruby.
Kali hugged each of them in turn.
"You know," she said to Blake, "that Sun really wants to be in love with you."
Blake nodded. "I know he does," she said. "But I'm not going to be in love with him. He's a good friend, but that's all he can ever be to me. I'm still trying to find a way to tell him that."
"Well, he's a decent fellow, so try to not hurt him," said Kali. She hugged Blake again.
Blake, Weiss and Ruby watched her board the ship, and it pulled away from the dock.
"Must be good to have a real mother," said Ruby.
"There's upside and downside," said Blake.
The three of them were silent for a while.
Then Weiss said: "So, we're just going to ignore the Goliath in the room, are we?"
"Guess so," said Ruby.
"Oh, shut up, both of you," said Blake.
Emerald was staring into the campfire.
"For what it is worth, that illusion of Salem was very powerful," said Hazel.
"Scariest thing I could think of," said Emerald.
Mercury grunted. He was making some repairs to one of his legs, which had been damaged in the fight. "They're a tough bunch, this Team RWBY," he said. "And now they are together again, the four of them. They are much stronger, much smarter than Cinder thought – "
"Do you think she's dead?" interrupted Emerald.
"Do you feel like you have Maiden powers?" said Hazel.
"Wh ... what?" said Emerald.
"Well, it is likely that you would have been the last young woman that Cinder would have thought of, in the event of her death," Hazel said. "So if you are not now a Maiden, it is likely that Cinder is still alive. But of course there are many possibilities between life and death."
Emerald considered. "I owe her everything," she said. "Everything. I don't want Maiden powers. I just ... want her back." A tear ran down her cheek.
Hazel glanced at the fourth member of the group. "You had one job to do," he said to him. "Just one. And you failed. Utterly. So ... why are you here?"
Mercury flexed his leg, testing it. "He is here," he said, "because he has nowhere else to go. Isn't that right, Mister Former Big-Shot Revolutionary?"
Immediately, Adam was on his feet, sword drawn.
"Oh, puh – leeze," said Mercury. "The bottom line is that we all failed. We were supposed to obtain the relic and destroy Haven Academy. Last time I looked, when we were beating our very hasty retreat, Haven was still standing and the relic was probably in the hands of the guys we were supposed to kill. The guys we wanted to kill."
"Salem is not going to be happy when we go back," said Emerald.
"You mean, if we go back," said Mercury. "Rainart, how is the portal gizmo?"
Hazel took a polished viridian stone from the bag at his belt. It had once glowed brightly but now the light was faint. "Only enough energy for one more jump," he said.
And the only place it could take them was Salem's castle.
"Not tonight," he said, replacing the stone. He lay down on the hard ground, pulled his coat around himself, and went to sleep.
Team RWBY was watching the airships from Atlas prepare for departure. Aside from Winter's ship, there were two gunships and a transport. Soldiers were loading a crate onto the transport.
Winter came over to them. "We are ready," she said. She looked at Ruby. "Ready," she said again.
Ruby nodded.
Winter looked around.
"I thought I should say goodbye," said Qrow, suddenly appearing. "So ... goodbye."
The two of them stared at each other. Then Winter removed the red brooch she always wore at her neck. She handed it to Qrow.
"Something to remember me by," she said.
"Like I was going to forget," said Qrow, taking the brooch. "And when I say goodbye, I mean ... for now."
Winter nodded. For a moment, it looked like she might smile ... but she didn't.
She shook the hands of Ruby, Yang and Blake. Then she shook Weiss' hand. They looked at each other.
Suddenly, Winter hugged her. "It seems that you are not my kid sister anymore," she said.
"And not a spoiled brat, either," said Weiss. "It's been ... a journey. And still a long way to go, I think."
"You'll get there," said Winter. She turned and headed for her airship. The soldiers got into the gunships and the four ships took off.
"Well, that was ... to tell the truth, I don't know what it was," said Blake.
"Ruby, did the relic say anything else to you?" said Qrow to Ruby.
"No, it seems to talk only when it wants to, which isn't very often," said Ruby. "Even if you're super-nice to it, and offer to give it a good polish. But at least now we have some clues to go on."
"Anyway, it looks like our day's work is done," said Yang. "Let's eat. There's a cafe I'd like to try. It has a speciality dish."
"What sort of speciality dish?" said Ruby.
"Tuna," said Yang.
"Uh, did you say ... tuna?" said Blake.
"Tuna," said Yang. "Tuna tuna tuna." She glanced at Blake, and smiled.
"Well then, let's go," said Weiss. "Would you like to join us, Qrow?"
"Er, maybe I'll catch you up," he said.
The four of them left, leaving Qrow staring at the brooch, in which was embedded a tiny flake of snow.
END (to be continued)