Patch, Vale Coast
June 19th, 08:23 Hours

Yang couldn't begin to describe what she felt, there was no possible way. She felt the same thing when she lost her mother and again when she lost her second mother. She was beginning to slip back, and it was starting to show outwardly. Blake had even sacrificed being with her parents to spend extra time with her. Yang could sense her partner just staring at her from her secluded spot outside Yang's room. But after a while with working with Blake, the yellow-haired huntress had gotten good at spotting her partner when she hid.

Blake had a heart stricken look on her face; she was upset that Yang felt the way she did. Her father was worse; he even hit the bottle one night and nearly ate the business end of his own weapon. Qrow, being the caring uncle he was, had slipped in just before Tai could actually do it. Yang didn't know about that though, only Blake who walked in on the two just as Qrow stepped in. She made it pointedly clear the Yang was not to know about what her father wanted to do.

Qrow decided to forgo his Huntsman duties to look after his family and make sure they remain intact long enough for the cloud of depression to finally clear… if it ever would. Blake was doing the same, but for her partner. Weiss would be doing the same if it weren't for the fact her bastard of a father was keeping her at the house to make sure she doesn't slip into a depression. In reality, it was just to keep appearances.

Just the aspect of Weiss's father and her total lack of support from her mother who was also rumored to be abused by Mr. Schnee, made Blake's blood boil. She genuinely cared for the heiress, mainly because Weiss was one of the few that tolerated her as a Faunus and treated her like an actual person. The only others she knew treated her like that were a few others of their graduating class and the rest of her team.

Blake shut the door and sighed quietly. Yang had barely left her room, just sitting in bed wearing only her pajamas and staring out the window to the forest below. She scarcely ate, only really got up to take care of her hygiene – which was also lacking, to be honest – or to use the bathroom. Blake was sure that Yang hadn't even changed her clothes since they all got back after the months searching for Ruby in the ocean… or on the beaches where she could've washed up…

Blake's ears were folded back as she descended the stairs and saw Tai, in a similar state to his eldest daughter just staring at the TV which was off. Qrow stood in the kitchen, arms resting on the counter. He didn't take Ruby's loss to lightly either, Blake barely knew him but knew about his drinking problem. And judging by how he smelt with her Faunus senses, he reeked like he had drunk a lot more than he usually does. His blood alcohol level might be enough to actually start the lawnmower out back. Despite this, he still took his signature flask from where he kept it and downed a swig of whatever alcoholic contents were inside.

Blake's frown deepened "She still hasn't moved…" she told him. Qrow stopped drinking and sighed. "I figured…" was his only response.

"She was like this when her mother first disappeared," Qrow said after a short pause "She slipped into a similar state… she was too young to process the loss properly… But Ruby and Yang were close, closer than Yang was with her mother, and she's a lot older now, we can't just tell her everything will be alright and give an ice cream, that won't work now…"

Blake nodded and sat at the table, just staring at its wooden surface. She didn't know what to do, she hadn't dealt with this sort of thing before and was stuck with the knowledge that she couldn't help even if she tried. While Blake pondered on it more, Qrow made to take another swig from his flask before there was a knock at the front door. "I'll get it…" Blake said sadly, getting up and walking to the front door and opening it. When she opened the door, she was greeted by the familiar sight of a Vale special courier in uniform and letter bag slung over his shoulder.

She didn't even get to speak before the man handed her a plain white envelope, the only distinctive feature on its bland white surface being the symbol of an eye with a lightning bolt striking through the iris, something that did peak Blake's interest.

"Letter for you ma'am." Blake looked at him confused as she took it, looking down to try and ascertain where it came from "Um…. Who is this fr-" she didn't even finish her question for when she looked up the courier was gone, no trace he was also there… like he seemed to vanish into thin air.

Blake looked around, severally confused before looking back down at the letter. The whole situation just screamed bad news, her years of both huntsman training and being a member of the White Fang just sending up red flags in her head.

Deep down she knew she should've looked harder, pressed the courier for more answers about where the letter came from and who or what sent it to her. She blamed how distracted she was with Ruby's loss as well as the effects it had on her leader's family and the rest of the team. Her mind was so out of it that she just slipped.

She brought the said letter back inside and into the kitchen, just staring at it the whole time. She thought that maybe opening the message would help, it was all she could do at the moment, she wasn't about to up and leave to go track down one man who was probably long gone. "Who was it?" Qrow asked as she re-entered the kitchen.

"A very strange Courier from the Vale service… he just gave me this," she held up the letter and shook it a bit "Then up and disappeared before I could ask him anything… I thought for a moment that I should track him down and press him for answers, but I didn't want to just… leave… not when Yang is like this…" She was completely honest, no sense in lying. Heck, maybe it was Weiss sneaking out a letter under her father's nose, and she just didn't want to be caught? But then why the strange symbol?

Feeling that she wasn't going to get much more from the outside of the envelope, she just opened it and pulled out the letter. It was a mostly blank page, only the same icon at the top middle and a short message in the direct center that made Blake's eyes go full and drop the page.

Qrow took notice "What is it Blake?" he asked while taking a step closer and picking up the paper, taking a look at its contents. He had a similar, albeit less shocked, look on his face as he clutched the paper in his hand.

What the note read was simple and had the address for the Bullhead port on the island and time as well as a message meant for more than their party. The same message that was being sent by letter to the lovely heiress of the Schnee Dust Company.

Schnee Family Estate, Atlas
June 19th, 08:24 Hours

Weiss felt awful, in more ways than one. For one, she felt utterly horrible she couldn't be there for her partner's sister; a person whose life was virtually destroyed when Ruby fell out of that Bullhead during the storm. And the other, she was severely depressed.

Nobody knew this, not even Ruby herself, but Weiss had a massive crush on the loveable dork who was most likely lying under the ocean in a permanent rest. When Ruby flew out of the Bullhead, a part of Weiss's brain had a short and shut down. Her rational mind, the one she spent building up for years under her father's gaze, put a façade almost immediately after and she shut the world out. When her father ordered her to stay, she didn't argue, when the press came knocking to ask questions about Ruby's death, she barely answered.

That's another matter altogether, the press and journalist that got wind of Ruby's death. Being under the scrutiny of the media, every single decent journalist knew that she and Ruby were partners. Word spread through hearsay and rumors, and soon they found their way to her front door looking for answers. Even now, months after her death, they are still trying to get her to answer questions or to give a valid statement as opposed to half-truths and vague answers.

Her family – well the ones in her family that cared – tried to get through to her from a very long time, but her mind put up a wall that nothing could tear down with any semblance of ease. She was like Yang… except instead of losing her sister, who General Ironwood was gracious enough to offer leave when news spread to them, she suffered the loss of a love. That type of heartbreak did things to a person. Tai Yang was one of them, having lost two. They're the type of people that had thoughts of joining their loved ones in the afterlife.

As dignified and first class as Weiss was, that did not stop these same thoughts from surfacing, and so she sat at her vanity in her room, her weapon gathering dust in the corner while she wrote yet another note to her family explaining everything she was going through and why she was making the decision. Only it would even get to be finished like the many others before it when she crumpled the paper up in a fit of frustration and tossed it in the overflowing trash bin off to the side.

While she was able to keep up her façade for the most part, especially in public – God forbid what her father would say if she broke down in the presence of the media, there were times that her true feelings came out.

And she cried.

She sobbed and wailed, not afraid that anyone would hear her, often crying herself to sleep at night because she lost one of the only things in this world that she cared about more than anything. The one thing she cared about more than her family name, her money, and not to mention that the one thing cared back. Ruby cared so much about Weiss.

She couldn't count how many times Ruby stopped what she was doing to listen to what Weiss had to say, to be there for her when nobody else would or could be. It's one of the reasons that Weiss fell in love with Ruby, to begin with. Not only that she was cute, but her dorkiness and shining opportunism were also like a light in the darkness of this world.

Weiss continued to sob and cry, throwing all of her decorum out the window with the façade she wore, right now Weiss wished she could grab hold of her quirky red-clad dork and everything would be better, but she couldn't no matter how much she so desperately needed it. She was so engrossed with planting her face in her arms against the hardwood of the vanity she didn't notice her butler and close friend Klein poke his head in.

"Madam Weiss? Are you alright?" Klein asked.

"*Sniff* Yes Klein…" Weiss re-composed herself and faced one of her only true friends, even if he wasn't in her age group. "Was there something Father needed?"

Surprising to Weiss, Klein shook his head, that's really the only thing Klein would intentionally walk in without being called. More to her surprise he produced a letter, one that looked rather bland and uninteresting, only a company logo from some company called Olympic Industries. She recognized the name, a small time company which doesn't publicize itself, but still, attends events her father invites them to.

She took the letter and opened it. Inside were a lengthy legal document and a summons to someplace in vale about a legal case she had never heard of yet somehow she had her name all over it. It was for anonymous testifying against the defendant involved with whatever case it was, the details were vague, almost as if the case itself was made up.

"Who gave you this Klein?" Weiss asked, a lingering amount of her emotions from before edging into her voice.

"It was a courier from the local service, ma'am. He didn't say much before taking off. He looked like he was in a hurry." Weiss was confused. It was multiple documents stabled together, and when she flipped over the first page to continue reading a small business card fell out with a symbol of an eye with lightning striking through the eye on the one side.

She picked up the card and flipped it over; gasping quietly when she read what was on the back. "What is it madam Weiss?" Klein asked concerned. Weiss shook her head "I-it's nothing, please… can you leave me for a second?" She asked hurriedly. Klein was skeptical; however, he didn't ask about it further and took his leave, letting Weiss be with the card and the documents.

The reason Weiss was so shocked at what she read was that deep down her heart leaped into her chest and was beating so fast she felt like it was about to burst out of her ribs. She sat back on her bed, hands shaking and eyes full of tears. Some dripped onto the card. But these were not tears of heartbroken sadness, but tears of quiet elation.

On the back of the card was a short explanation for the legal documents, a way to get her away from her father without rising to many questions and to make sure he would decide to follow. Next, it had the address of a private Airport outside of Atlas owned by Olympic Industries and a time she should show up. Followed by this was a message. The message was short and to the point, and it filled Weiss's heart with more hope than she could ever imagine.

'We found Ruby. She's alive.'

Unknown Location, Altis
June 21st, Unknown time

Pain.

It was the first thing Ruby felt upon finally waking up from the coma. She felt like her body went a few rounds as her sister's punching bag. Or rather the multiple punching bags that her brawler of a sister actually goes through in one session. She groans and tried to move, finding that even opening her eyes took a considerable amount of effort. She could feel her body wrapped nearly head to toe in bandages, one of her arms also in a splint.

It didn't take some excellent observation to tell she was in a hospital of sorts, but none of the equipment in the room was stuff she was familiar with. She should know, during her time in Beacon she had her fair share of visits to the school nurse office which in actuality was a hospital on school grounds. Kind of a necessity when you school several thousand student warriors.

Alien-like technology aside, she looked around the room some, a part of her trying to figure out exactly where she was. To the side was Crescent Rose in even better condition than she had it in (which was hard to do because of all the moving parts), the sniper scythe in its folded mode sitting inside a particularly special looking carry case of sorts. Next, to that, we're here clothes, also in perfect condition; her cloak was even hanging nicely on a coat rack using a hanger. It looked dry cleaned as well.

The room was pretty much the same as she remembered from the time she spent at Beacon's hospital. The smell of the sterile air and bleached white floors, the single hospital bed surrounded by equipment, bland furniture and a fake plant to make it feel comfortable. Yep, it was definitely the type of hospital room she remembered. Except with the strange, unknown equipment. Except for one thing, the ASD, or Aura Stabilization Device

She was hooked up to that, an IV and EKG which was the standard for a patient under care, and dressed in a hospital gown to cover her modesty. As she was checking to see what exactly was bandaged - a civilized way of saying she was checking herself out - when a female nurse in mint colored scrubs walked in with a clipboard. Ruby looked up from looking down her gown as saw the surprised look on the nurse's face. Before Ruby could utter even a hello, the nurse stepped back out and shut the door.

She could hear the nurse speaking to someone on the other side, and after a moment a man dressed in what she could only describe as some form of militaristic uniform peaked his head in and shut the door again. There were more talking, and the man opened the door again holding a file, his weapon slung over his shoulder. He wasn't alone; a man dressed in similar, green digital camouflage equipment stepped in behind him as well as the nurse.

The nurse stepped to the side and began to examine the equipment, not even making eye contact with Ruby who was staring at her the whole time. "Um… hello." the red reaper offered, her voice sounding tired because of her state.

"Hello Miss Rose, if I'm to be assuming correctly." the greeting didn't come from the nurse who she addressed, but the soldier with the file "Do you recognize me?"

She took a good look at the man, examining his strange body armor and unique camo pattern as well as the features on his face. Finally, it clicked.

"Y… you're the one who... helped me after I fell."

He nodded "Yes… how are you feeling?"

"Still sore I'll admit..." Ruby said with a look of brief pain on her face.

Cole nodded "That's ok, now that you're awake, we can start a morphine drip which should help. I'm actually glad you woke up today, from what I heard before coming in your family and friends have just arrived. Would you like to see them?"

Despite being in the state she was, Ruby still managed to nod vigorously when Cole asked her the question, and Cole turned to the other soldier he walked in with "See miss Rose's visitors in… and contact Zeus to report her status as well as the arrival of the said guest." The soldier nodded "Yes Sergeant, I'll get Boon to contact Zeus and immediately make my way to the visitor lounge." Tom saluted his new superior, which to this day was still strange to do, and walked out without another word to say, relaying the contact order to Boon who stood on the other side of the door.

Cole then stepped out with a polite farewell, and the nurse spoke up, asking Ruby various medical questions such as allergies, and if she had previous injuries, they could accidentally agitate. Ruby answered each one happily; all giddied up when she learned her family was already here to see her. Although the red themed Huntress did have to wonder, how long was she out… and where exactly was she. She still couldn't figure that out even though she had been to each of the Four Kingdoms and the tribes of Menagerie.

To answer her questions she did have the nurse, but once she was finished working and Ruby asked her, she quickly left through the door where ruby could hear talking for a moment and then the sound of… some sort of static filled voice she couldn't even understand through the door. The whole exchange and the odd behavior by the nurse, since she entered the room actually, peaked the red themed girl's curiosity, mainly since all she asked was where she was.

The nurse treated her like… an alien, keeping her at arm's length almost. Usually, nurses try and connect with their patients to make them feel more comfortable, but this one didn't, she acted more like a cold professional than a kind nurse working in a standard hospital. Kind to think of it, why were the soldiers even here?

Sure Cole did help her, but he would've had to have returned to duty, not wait by her side with his team. Maybe they were actually huntsmen? No, individual huntsmen or even teams don't use uniforms and similar equipment, they were defiantly apart of some mercenary or military faction. Everything didn't sit right with Ruby despite the fact they were helping her.

It made her feel uncomfortable.

Suddenly Cole walked back in with the nurse with a neutral expression on his face "You said you would like to know where you are?" he asked her, his tone conveying some subtle worry. The worry was not out of fear for telling her, however, but because he probably knew what she was feeling and felt some compassion towards her, it didn't help all too much with Ruby's current feelings. Nevertheless, she answered his question with a nod.

"Alright. You've been cleared to know anyway by my superior. Miss Rose, you fell from – at least – a half thousand feet up to a town on the south end of a large, 260-kilometer island known as Altis. It is the largest of three in a small grouping in the south sea which has been hidden away from the public eye for generations." By this point, Ruby was already in disbelief. However, Cole wasn't finished "We live in secret because of one thing. We aren't originally from this world, we come from one known as Earth, and our leader and his armed forces, of which I am part of, have been keeping it safe since we arrived. You are literally staring into the face of an alien life Ruby…"

To say Ruby was dumbfounded would be like saying Russians don't like their vodka. Her facial expression was one of total awestruck shock, mouth agape, and eyes bulging out of her head to the point where the nurse actually got worried they might fall out. There was no possible way that he was telling the truth. Certainly, he wasn't, and it was just a cover-up or an elaborate ruse made up to hide their actual location. Time as a huntress has taught her several cues that a person has when they're lying so unless this man was a stone-faced god at poker faces or he was, in fact, telling her the full truth.

Ruby refused to believe it, her mind couldn't comprehend the fact she was on an island that's been under the noses of every kingdom on the planet. The sole fact that nobody else had found it – or so she guessed – was another astoundingly impossible thing, especially if they've been here as long as Cole said they been. "H-how… w-wha… I don't understand, how is this even possible, how has nobody found you?" the rational part of her mind needed an explanation to this before the irrational area of her brain had a meltdown and she lost it.

"Actually you are not the first person to stumble upon our little slice of heaven, many have come before you, and a few have even applied for asylum. It's all handled through what we call the Tourist Department, they handle all our cases involving people from the mainland ending up here. Right now they're prepping a backstory so when you do eventually leave you'll have a cover." Ruby gave him a confused look. "Oh right, I forgot to say you can't tell anyone else you know about this island's existence, it would endanger countless lives here and abroad."

"Wait, so I can't tell anyone?" was Ruby's immediate response to Cole, the latter of whom nodding affirmative. "But… why? What about telling people could put you in danger?" and this actually made the other party looked stumped, Cole had no real idea, he was a soldier and was paid to follow orders, not question authority.

But if he had to guess "The beasts that plague the mainland. They are not a threat here for the do not exist on our soil. If other people caught wind of this place, there is the chance that many would attempt to flock here to live. Overpopulation would lead to disaster and may even attract the creatures in the long run." Cole said.

"Grimm" Ruby suddenly said.

"Come again?"

"They're called Grimm… and I can see why it would be an issue for you… if it means keeping others safe, your secret is safe with me." Ruby said with a small smile which Cole returned in kind.

Just then there was a knock at the door, and the soldier that Cole sent to retrieve Ruby's friends and family stepped in followed by a young woman whose golden locks could never be mistaken by those who knew her, mainly because she never cuts the extremely long hair. She was clad in the orange tank top and a yellow jacket with jeans, having literally thrown that on and leaving the minute she read that message they received a couple days prior. She was none other than Yang, and the look of anxious anticipation on her face spoke volumes about how she felt.

The second that yang laid eyes on Ruby, that look was gone and a shocked gasped filled the room. Being smart, Cole stepped out of her way, as did Tom, as Yang all but lunged through the rest of the door and by Ruby's side. She wrapped her in a bear hug that was most defiantly not good for her condition as Ruby kept repeating 'ow' over and over again for its duration in a small squeaky tone. The only time that Yang let up was to give ruby a sisterly kiss on the cheek before hugging her again as if letting go of her would mean losing her again.

"You're alive…" Yang whispered.

Ruby, still in pain from the hug, smiled anyways and hugged her older sister back, all while the Nurse watched on with a disapproving look, one she turned on Cole who was just letting it happen. "It's not like you're trying to stop it," Cole said quietly to her. The nurse rolled her eyes and addressed Yang "Ma'am, I have to ask you to release the patient as some of her bones are still fragile from the accident." she said. Yang pulled back some and looked at the nurse with a blank before nodding with a small smile and turning back to Ruby.

Weiss and Blake had entered with Yang and were of course by her side, Weiss being bold enough to hold Ruby's hand with happy tears in her eyes while Blake stood off to Weiss's side. Behind them, by Cole were Tai and Qrow who remained a polite distance away so that the team could be reunited. That and Qrow was keeping his stepbrother in line because he would've acted just like Yang just did if he let him off the leash, and trust me one Xiao Long was enough for Ruby to handle at the moment. Didn't stop Tai from waving happily at his daughter when she made eye contact though.

His work done, Cole then stepped out of the room so they could all catch up. The family and the rest of the team were already told about the whole alien island thing when they arrived the day prior, so he didn't need to repeat himself. All he needed was to return to his station outside the door with Tom and Boon who were already out there, weapons at the ready and prepared to take out any threats that may come their way. But what were the odds of that? They're currently a mile below the surface in the mountainous regions of Altis. Nobody knew they were there, a blessing as Zeus had yet to disclose exactly why he was giving this one girl special treatment and wanted to keep it that way… for now at least.