It felt like someone was beating a drum in her skull, when Ruby cracked open her eyes. She tried to sit up if it wasn't for the arm that weighed her down. She looked to her side and saw the familiar mess of black hair.

He made a little groan, "Hey Rubes." he eyes widened "Ruby! You're awake?"

She giggled, "I'm going to be disappointed if the afterlife is a hospital room."

She could hear footsteps running and the door to the tiny room flew open. Nora looked ecstatic, Ren sighed in relief. It was good to have Team RORN [roan] in one room. Oscar helped her sit up and was holding a glass for her to drink. "You did it Ruby, Salem's dead."

When Ruby finished drinking she leaned heavily against Oscar, "She was still standing when I passed out, what happened?"

Nora held up a finger, "When your eyes raved, it wiped out the Grimm ick in her."

Ren, "Without the pure force of destruction, and I guess living as long as she did. She found the meaning of life."

Oscar, "And so she passed."

Ruby nuzzled her boyfriend, "Ozpin?"

"I think I still have all his memories, but he's gone." Oscar looked a tad uncomfortable.

"You're no longer our cute boy Oz!" Nora pinched his cheek, painfully.

Gently removing Nora's hand, Ren lightly admonished, "Nora, like Ruby he's 20, he hasn't been a boy for a bit."

Ruby cupped her boyfriend's cheek, "It must be lonely." she blushed "I won't mind the privacy though."

Oscar chuckled, "I will not miss his humming whenever we-"

Ren, "We're still here."

Nora grabbed Ren by the front of the shirt, revealing on her wrist a pink lotus blossom soul mark. "Lets go Ren, we can talk about going back to Haven and finally taking our specialist exams then."

When the pair was gone, Ruby sighed, "I see a lot of metallurgy books in my future."

"And Dust explosions." Oscar hugged her tighter.

"At least they will be scented." She nestled her cheek into Oscar's chest.

XXX

When team JYBN [Jelly Bean] visited Ruby didn't expect the blonde who'd throw themselves on her and start crying to be Jaune. His teammate and her older sister did expect that. Blake pulled him back by the neck of his shirt, he had the appearance of a sad kitten for a second.

Yang chuckled as she sat next to her sister, "Jaune knows you're made of sterner stuff."

Blake offered, "We were all terrified when you fell after you used your eyes, Salem was still there." She was still held Jaune by the collar, you could see the start of her yellow flaming heart soul mark on her tricep.

Ruby sighed, "I wished I accepted Ozpin's offer at Beacon. I would have been stronger-"

Yang 'gently' punched her sister's shoulder, "Your team joined us when we got to Haven. With you four we had better armor, Dust, and weapons."

After gesturing to Yang, Blake continued, "Gambol Shroud broke after our fight with Adam. Who knows what would have happened in our next fights if you didn't fix it."

Jaune, "You were exactly where you needed to be."

Qrow leaned against the door frame, "Awe kids you don't need Group Dad anymore."

XX A Year Later XX

Team RORN Is thrilled to invite you to the company launch of:

Roan Industries. Customizable Equipment for Hunters.

Ruby Rose Weapon Specialist

Oscar Pine Armor Specialist

Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren Dust Specialists.

Nora squealed, waving the invite in front of Ruby her hands covering the date, which was months away.

The bubbly woman giggled, "I still don't understand why I have to be first."

Oscar rolled his eyes, "Again you are the famous one."

Ren, "Nora and I only helped from afar."

Nora, "I mean the only reason we helped was because you and Oscar-Oz got wrapped up in your sister's team JYBN [JellyBean] mission to defeat Salem."

Oscar, "Ruby, I'm just glad you came to Haven to become a weapons specialist. It would have been lonely to be the only 15 year old there."

Ruby laughed, "I've no business being a huntress. I'm glad you made me a small scythe for your final exam."

Oscar, "I'm relieved they accept it as I am an Armor guy."

Ren, "You also had videos JYBN's armor"

Nora, "Oh I love that video of Jaune getting thrown against a rock over and over again." the ginger snorted in her laughter as she pulled out her scroll to watch the video again.

Ruby, "He was unharmed!"

Oscar in a mixture of amused and stressed, "He was trained for that kind of fighting, we weren't. It was so reckless of us." he rubbed his temples.

Nora, "You and Ruby didn't have a choice. And I know we're a team of gearheads, but we weren't going to let you go to fight the end of the world."

Ren, "At least not without us."

Ruby, "Now we own a business! Nora we need to buy dresses." Ruby pouted she hated shopping for anything that wasn't mechanical.

Nora groaned this was going to be the worst. "Can't I just borrow something from Yang."

Ruby, "Not after the last thing you did to her outfit."

Ren grimaced at the memory, "It was disgusting."

Oscar, "I could make you two some combat outfits." Oscar blushed, "Ruby you'd look cute in a combat skirt." He turned to Nora, "For you maybe a pink and blue vest and-"

Nora waved her hand, "No thanks Oscar. I'll suffer the store, besides I think my soul mate here should get to see me dressed to the nines." she swept Ren's hair away showing off the hammer with a lighting mark image on his collarbone.

Ruby nervously rubbed her legs together. Her own bond seemed to hum a promise soon.

XXX

Ruby woke the next morning to a mostly naked Oscar with a sketching pad.

"Aren't you tired of drawing me naked?" She stretched and yawned.

He tossed the paper and pencil aside and crawled back in bed with her. "Well there are more interesting things to do with a Rose."

She hummed appreciatively. Her fingers traced the black hand etched onto his ribs, "I wish you could just steal me now."

Oscar buried his face in her neck, "We've talked about this Ruby. I can't swipe you from a soul mate you haven't met." His fingers traced the orange Jack O Lantern picture on her inner thigh. "Besides you should try. Anything we could have pales in comparison to a true soulmate."

She pulled him on top of her, "Nope."

XXX

Neo looked at her twin slightly worriedly, a customizing weapons company seemed like small potatoes. He was unusually adamant, Torchwick was cautious and rarely dove into opportunities before determining what exactly are the risks. A team that fought Salem and was connected to a team that gave them such a headache 6 years ago...that was too risky.

Roman puffed his cigar, "Don't give me that look. This is a big deal. That stunt we pulled years ago with the White Fang, wrecked the weapons manufacturing here. It is finally recovering, with the most famous nerd team to graduate Haven's dork Academy."

Neo signed, -But what can we steal?-

He tapped her temple, "Ideas. Schematics."

Neo shrugged, -Can I get some of that pancake smelling lighting Dust?-

"Sure, weird way to kill people. But to each their own." He pulled out his cigar and lit it.

-I heard they are selling like hot cakes-

"Take your pun shit and leave" He blew a large amount of smoke at his sister and she flipped him off.

He was going to need to dye his hair, orange was too bright for doing reconnaissance. He couldn't shake a feeling that he was finally going to see why he was so driven to set up in Vale ages ago.

XXX

Ruby suffered in crowds and a panic slowly rose in her during the launch. Journalists rapidly fired questions at her, asking about Salem. The weapons she made for Team JYBN [Jelly Bean] Jaune, her sister, and Blake. How did the famous huntsmen, her uncle, Qrow Branwen like his new Harbinger Crescent? Or 'HC' as the scruffy old man affectionately called it. Why Vale? Why not Mistral where she and RORN met and went to school together? What was wrong with Atlas, after all their technology was the best.

Not to mention potential clients who would endless speak about the weapons they like to use or how. Ruby loved these conversations, one on one, over a cup of coffee. With all these bodies and voices around it was hard to appreciate anyone's mechanical extensions of themselves.

Finally their administrator, her loyal shield against crowds, whispered in her ear. "Ruby go catch your breath."

The blonde intercepted a man who was talking about shotguns and axes. A really fun idea.

Ruby whispered, "Thanks Jaune."

She grabbed a napkin and hid out on the balcony, it was too cold for most people to venture out. She sat on a small bench and drew idly as he could hear chatter inside and the occasional booming voice from Nora.

A man bursted the door open, he sped toward the balcony loosening his tie and hooking his cane on his arm. Ruby gave a surprised yelp.

His emerald eyes shot to her, seemingly surprised she was there. He forced a blush and ran his hand over his black slicked back hair. "I'm sorry I didn't realize anyone else would be out here." He noticed she dropped her napkin and there was some ink on it. He bent over to pick it up so see it was a quick sketch of a man's silhouette. He was running holding a hat and cane. Torchwick was a little disappointed that it wasn't something more technical. Handing it back over their fingers brushed and they both gasped.

Ruby's legs clenched, she felt the soft twinge of power awakening in her mark. The man's hand flew to his chest feeling the same. The napkin fluttered to the ground, almost forgotten.

"Um I'm Ruby Rose. Hi." She studied his face his eyes emerald and predatory, almost like a cat.

"Ro-Remus Lucern."

She smiled, "That's a nice roman name. Remus means master builder and Lucern I believe means light from a torch."

"Oh?" he looked her over. She was dressed like a huntress with a long dark red skirt with black trim, a black corset, with a red cloak. She was fair like snow and her hair was black with red edges. "It's good to know Red."

She smiled, "Nicknames already?"

He shrugged and sat next to her. He rubbed his chest, dammit he had no interest in weakening himself with a soulmate. What he had now was a very convenient excuse to be around the specialists.

A tan man with freckles poke his head out onto the balcony, "Hey Rubes..Oh geez it's cold out here." He pulled Ruby up into standing and rubbed her arms. "General Ironwood is here."

Ruby choked out a laugh, "Oh I'm sure Jimmy will have a few choice words for me. Did he aim his gun at you yet Oscar?"

"He stopped doing that when you showed me how to jam his gun." Oscar looked to 'Remus'

Ruby had forgotten her soul mate for the moment and she started to pat at her skirts. And then looked helplessly at Oscar. "Um do you know where my business cards are?"

He chuckled and opened a zipper on her belt pulling out a card. Ruby snatched it, writing on it quickly. Handing the card to Remus, "I guess call me?"

Taking the card he couldn't help but notice Oscar's jaw clenched. Roman, feeling annoyed at the intimacy between the two, gracefully rose while holding her hand. Looking down into her moon infused eyes, his soul mark fluttered in excitement. Of all the fantastic things he had stolen over the years, Roman Torchwick found something truly lovely.

"Count on it Red." He brushed her knuckles against his lips, noting how quickly she snatched her hand away and looked to the other man.

He could have sworn Oscar growled at him.

Roman thought Oh I will fucking rob this man blind.