Another chapter so soon! Inspiration hit me, I guess. I sincerely hope you all enjoy it!
So I don't know if you guys would be interested but I have a playlist on Spotify called 'Reborn of Grimm'. It's a growing playlist of songs that get me in the mood to write this specific story - or anything RWBY related. If you guys want to check that out while reading, cool; I just felt like sharing.
On a completely unrelated note, I watched the Volume 8 finale 'The Final Word'. And I don't mind telling you this: I cried. Tears escaped. And I think I was seriously in shock with everything that happened. I won't say anything here, for those few that haven't seen it yet, but I will say that RWBY keeps getting better and better. God, I love this fandom. Let me know how you guys liked the finale!
Don't forget to Review, Follow, and Favorite!
Chapter Four -
He had made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child, but two of those mistakes rose far beyond any of the others Ozpin had ever made. The first mistake had been telling Salem about his mission and the relics that the two Brother Gods had left on Remnant, thus causing the deaths of his daughters and a millennia-long war with the woman he used to love. The second… The second was the easily preventable death of Ruby Rose.
The girl had been one of a kind and Ozpin knew that it wasn't only because of her silver eyes gifted to her lineage by the Brother God of Light. Though young she may have been, Ruby Rose had been a prodigy of the highest order, a natural leader, and, most importantly, a good person. She had no ulterior motives to do good with no expectation for rewards by doing achievements; just the drive to help as many people as she could by becoming a Huntress. Those like Ruby are a rare breed. Even Ozpin, himself, had to admit that he no longer was only fighting for the people. He had been at war with Salem for too long, had lost too much, for him not to develop a grudge.
Maybe that was where he'd gone wrong. He had stopped seeing the people; only the larger picture and not the individual brushstrokes that the picture was made of. It was his folly that led to Ruby Rose's death and the guilt would stay with him for the rest of his days. It would be a long time before he would ever repeat that mistake and never at such a scale again. A bulk of the blame lied with Ozpin for the sins that all humans were susceptible to. His sin? Hubris. His mistake was believing that Beacon and the other Huntsmen Academies were prepared and untouchable. It had cost him and his students dearly.
Plans were scrapped, decisions had been made, and truths best kept from the general public were revealed to a special few. The consequences of Ruby Rose's death spread from Vale to all of Sanus and then Remnant. Precautions were upped and rules were stricter. Huntsmen were required to see a psychologist for trauma with Grimm and violent altercations with other Huntsmen. First year students were confined to the campuses of the Academies and second years were only allowed to leave with permission from a licensed Huntsmen. The Internship Program was halted and didn't resume; it's future uncertain as to whether it would continue at all.
The Red Rose Act of the Vytal Treaty was established nearly six months ago. The story of Ruby Rose spread and she became a Hero in all but name. A girl, two years ahead of the curve, sacrifices her life to save fifteen of her classmates against an Onslaught of Grimm the likes Beacon hadn't seen in decades, since before the Great War. It was a better story in place of a truth the rest of the world couldn't hear.
Ruby Rose had been murdered. By a human being. Speaking of which…
"Glynda," Ozpin called. From the corner of his eye, Ozpin saw that she had looked up from her tablet and saw the look of pity and sorrow that had crossed her face when she did. He knew what she was thinking; they had talked about it enough times. Ozpin had developed the habit of staring outside his window for hours on end. Thinking, wondering, mourning. Wishing. Praying. Not that he was ever answered though he never expected to be. They had left this world. It had never been more obvious to Ozpin than when the light known as Ruby Rose had been snuffed out.
"Your report?" Ozpin asked. She'd been stalling, Ozpin noticed as he took a sip of his coffee. While the mission hadn't been dangerous at first look, it was emotionally exhausting for all of those involved. Including Ozpin. After everything that had happened, with both Ruby's death, the Vytal Festival, and the attack on Vale, the last six months had been the most trying Ozpin could remember in recent years.
Ozpin could see Glynda take a deep breath and look straight ahead, a perfect representation of inner strength. She, like him, had been devastated by Ruby Rose's death. Glynda had known Ruby better than he did, admittedly. Teaching her had given Glynda a chance to see what Ozpin had: a talented prodigy in need of proper education and guidance. Then again, maybe Ozpin should have heeded Glynda's discomfort at allowing someone so young into his Academy. Ozpin couldn't say for certain whether he regretted enrolling Ruby Rose into Beacon but he regretted that her death happened at all. He'd always be left with a 'what-if'.
"As you know, we sent Teams RWBY and JNPR out with Qrow to Shade Academy to search for clues relating to the whereabouts of Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai, and Mercury Black," Glynda reported. Hearing this, Ozpin remembered fondly of _WBY's adamant refusal to pick a different name or teammate. They still held the name in honor of their fallen team leader, partner, and friend. Qrow had tried to talk to them, but he didn't have any ground to stand on seeing as he never joined another team after Summer Rose died. Team STRQ had done the same when Raven had disappeared.
"They were transported to Shade using one of Beacon's own Bullheads," Glynda continued. "They returned yesterday afternoon after three weeks but didn't find anything regarding Cinder Fall or her compatriots. However, they did note that a large pack of Grimm, Beowolves, were in the area that were behaving oddly."
Here, Ozpin frowned. It had been years since Salem had made anything new, whether that was a completely different species of Grimm or an evolved version of those she had already created. To hear that normal Grimm (how he hated saying that sentence) were acting differently worried him. Salem's age and anger had lent itself to her imachination, and through that, she had created horrible creatures. If she altered an existing Grimm, then it could completely turn the odds their Huntsmen had against an enemy they predicted to never change.
"Odd how?" Ozpin asked, turning away from the window to face Glynda fully and sipping his coffee while he did so.
"The teams had to attack first," Glynda stated bluntly. Ozpin blinked and then furrowed his brow as he slunk into his desk chair, contemplating the implications of such behavior. His hand tightened around the handle of his mug, mouth set in a hard line as the scenarios played in his head. If other packs and Grimm started acting this way, they might become even more unpredictable. Guards would be lax because of a false sense of security, settlements would be on constant edge, and traveling between Kingdoms would get even more dangerous than it already was. "According to both Qrow's and Ms. Schnee's reports, the pack was at least twenty strong and made up entirely of Alpha Beowolves."
"Hmm," Ozpin responded. "Not unusual. Though Alpha packs are rare, we see them all the time if the Grimm are old enough. Twenty, however - that is more worrying. Grimm may not kill each other out of turn but they do not congregate like what you're describing. Especially not the older, wiser Grimm. Those Grimm know that larger packs means a larger chance they would be wiped out. Not only that but Grimm have the instincts of the animals they parody, perverse though they are. It is why Goliaths can stay in a pack larger than ten and Beowolves get into fights if there are too many Alphas. A pack consisting of five or six Alpha Beowolves is rare. Twenty? Salem must have interfered with them in some way."
"There's more," Glynda said. She paused and Ozpin was surprised to find her visibly steeling herself. "Qrow's last report states that the Beowolves tried to ignore him and the teams, and when Qrow attacked, the Grimm had tried to retreat. A few escaped while they were dealing with the ones that fought back." Here, Glynda paused. "Qrow found this in one of the Alpha's ashes."
Ozpin's desk-screen lit up a second after Glynda swiped her own tablet. What he saw made him feel as though his heart had stopped and his breath left him. Held in a hand, presumably Qrow's, was a thin, ornate cross that had pinned Ruby Rose's cloak to her clothes. Ozpin let his head fall into his hands, mug forgotten as he tried to stave off the grief and guilt he felt at the sight of the cross.
Not much was recovered from the battle site. All that was left was blood, ash, and broken chunks of stone (for which Ozpin attributed to Ruby's Silver Eyes). They were hours too late - something both Qrow and Specialist Winter Schnee felt extreme guilt for. Both Qrow and Specialist Schnee were the chosen Huntsmen for the first and second years, respectively. While it was true that Ozpin had made Qrow the Mentor for the first years because he was Ruby's uncle, it was more so he could help her sharpen any skills she may have let lax at Beacon and help the other three control situations that may not be in their favor or turn it to their advantage - something Qrow had more than enough experience with due to his Semblance.
Winter had been chosen for her efficiency in the battlefield. As a soldier in Atlas' Military, Winter was trained to make snap judgments and shift priorities at a moment's notice. It was something that James Ironwood had commended numerous times to Ozpin and had nothing but praise for. Ozpin had thought that Winter could have passed that on. She never had the chance. For their failure to take care of their charges, both she and Qrow were reprimanded by their respective Kingdoms. Qrow's Huntsmen license was suspended for seven months and his character had been torn apart by the press while they revealed things that should've stayed buried; Winter had been court-martialed and put on extra duty for the same amount of time Qrow had his license suspended. They also shared a punishment, however.
After Ruby's death, both Qrow and Winter were forced to go to therapy, both as individuals and as a duo. There should have been no reason for them to exhaust each other of Aura in a spar. Especially when their jobs demanded them at their best. Given that their… lack of affection for each other was well documented by multiple students when Qrow and the Specialist had shown up for the Internship, the Council of Vale and James both disagreed that it was just a 'friendly' spar. They were still going today; Qrow had begrudgingly admitted it had helped him with his trauma and unhealthy drinking. Along with his abnormal fury at Winter Schnee.
That the problem boiled down to a boy picking on a girl he likes made most of Ozpin's staff near bursting with rage.
"How-" Ozpin cut himself off and then searched for Qrow's contact on his desk-screen. Qrow picked up on the first ring, his voice scratchy and tired. "Qrow. I have a few questions. Would you be able to grab teams RWBY and JNPR and come to my office? I know you'd rather not but I'd like to hear some of the details from them."
"Yeah, Oz," Qrow said. "See you in a few." The line went dead.
Ozpin breathed a sigh, his heart heavier than it had been in decades. The implications of that cross being with that pack of Alpha Beowolves were less than welcoming. Ruby's silver eyes had done most of the work in getting rid of the Onslaught that had fifteen Huntsmen and Huntresses in training on the defensive but there were still packs of powerful Grimm roaming Remnant. RWBY, JNPR, and Qrow working in tandem with the other Kingdoms had done well with their search and destroy missions in the last few months that Ozpin was sure that these groups were few and far between. They never had confirmation that large groups such as those had been part of the Onslaught but Ruby's cross changed that.
Not only that but the sight of the cross would have stirred up emotions and memories that many were trying to come to terms with. For everyone involved and some more than others.
Glynda watched him as he straightened in his chair and waited patiently, hands once again wrapped around his mug and eyes closed. Glynda waited as well, standing off to the side as she started to swipe and poke her tablet. Ozpin, however, remained lost in thought. The last year and three months started a vicious chain, all of them traced back to the day Ruby Rose died.
The day Ruby Rose died, it was not by the machinations of Weiss Schnee or any of the fifteen.
The day Ruby Rose died, Pyrrha Nikos was found bound, gagged, and locked in a custodian closet on the top floor of the CCT.
The day Ruby Rose died, Weiss Schnee broke down crying in his office, convinced she had murdered her partner after her rapier had harmlessly sailed through a Grimm that wasn't there.
Salem had made her move and Ozpin had no counter. Ozpin had been playing the long game, patient and waiting, and Salem had taken a heady price for his hubris. Ozpin had been foolish to wait for the right time. He had lived lifetimes and yet he found himself lacking that day. And felt lacking everyday since.
Salem's and Cinder Fall's plan for the Vytal Festival may have been thwarted but several dozen were maimed, injured, and even killed during the attack. Mountain Glenn was now teeming with Grimm, attracted and born of the Wyvern that rested in pieces deep inside the caves. The Grimm had been trying to get into Beacon ever since, though the Huntsmen of Vale have protected the Kingdom well.
Now, with Cinder and her ilk in the wind, there was just the matter of discovering where the next attack was going to happen. Looking into the White Fang had yielded less results than expected. They had spread out after the Vytal Festival and had become more aggressive, though they'd focused that on settlements throughout Remnant. Like their failed attack during the Vytal Festival, the White Fang had incorporated Grimm in their attacks and used fear and intimidation to subjugate those who opposed them. If they didn't outright kill them, first.
Shade was the second Academy that Ozpin had sent RWBY, JNPR, and Qrow to - the first being Atlas. Ozpin planned to send the two teams and Qrow to Haven in the next month. Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai, and Mercury Black had posed as Haven students. When Ozpin had talked to Lionheart about this, the Mistral headmaster suspected of being hacked much like Beacon and James had been. It didn't sit well then and it didn't sit well now but Ozpin had let the other headmaster believe that Ozpin suspected nothing. With all that Ozpin and the others had to do, having Lionheart be less than cooperative and suspicious would only make their missions harder to accomplish.
The Spring Maiden was still missing. The Winter Maiden was in deep medical care in the heart of Atlas. As for the Summer Maiden… The less said about her, the better; life had been less than kind to her and she wanted nothing to do with Ozpin, not that he blamed her for the feeling. They had more than their fair share of bad blood between them.
The chime of the elevator brought Ozpin from his thoughts and he took a sip of his coffee as Qrow and the two teams filed into his office. He was glad his new elevator was large enough for everyone. Cinder had given him a reason to replace it after she eradicated it - with him inside. Ozpin took a critical look at the two teams and Huntsman that assembled before him.
Both Qrow's and Yang Xiao-Long's eyes were red though whether it was from crying, alcohol, or a late night, Ozpin couldn't be sure. Jaune Arc's arm was around Yang's shoulders, something he'd gotten more comfortable with the longer they dated. Pyrrha Nikos was staring at the ground while Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren held hands. Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna were holding onto each other as well, Weiss' hand clutched around the silver rose that once belonged to her partner. Each one had changed remarkably from when they first started Beacon; Ozpin just hated that the catalyst for that change wasn't a good one.
Ozpin stood as they came and walked to the front of his desk, Long Memory in his hand. Looking at his students, Ozpin felt his heart break and leaned into his cane to stop his body from collapsing in on itself. Ruby's death may have made them stronger but it tore from them that which they'll never again receive: innocence. Naive though it may have been, Ozpin had hoped that the teams RWBY and JNPR would be able to live out their childhoods at Beacon and come out as well rounded Huntsmen. Now, they were top tier, above even those considered older and wiser, but a vicious cost.
Now they stood in front of him, weary and worn but strong and near-unshakable. Qrow stood on Ozpin's far left, taking his place by Glynda as the students settled closer to the headmaster. Ozpin nearly sighed again at the way Yang maneuvered Jaune Arc between her and Qrow. Even after so much time, Yang and Qrow's relationship was still strained. If Ozpin had any idea how much trouble a birth certificate would be, he would have gotten rid of it like Qrow had asked years ago. But alas, the one reason Ozpin had to refuse Qrow's request was now gone, her grave stone next to her mother's.
"Professor Goodwitch just shared your reports with me," Ozpin told them. "For what it is worth: I'm sorry. Finding something of that nature is always exhausting."
All but Qrow stiffened. Jaune's arm tightened over Yang's shoulder while Blake gripped Weiss's hand more securely. Ozpin noticed that Yang's reaction was an almost guttural moan which was only matched by Pyrrha's reaction which was a near silent whimper as her eyes closed and she lowered her head. Besides Nora, tears gently falling, Yang and Pyrrha had the most heartbroken response of the two teams. Qrow, however, only looked away.
Ozpin knew that Pyrrha had blamed herself for Ruby's death. Though the doctor overseeing Pyrrha's and the other's therapy could not tell Ozpin what the two discussed, he did explain to Ozpin that Pyrrha felt extreme guilt for what happened to Ruby and the lives lost during the Vytal Festival. Pyrrha had been bested and that had led to someone taking her place on the expedition who caused Ruby's death. She'd taken the blame for it and used her guilt to fuel her determination - though it had taken her a few months to reach that point.
Ozpin stepped forward and put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, causing her to look up at him with tearful green eyes. "You did Ruby well," Ozpin told her. "You all did. It is more than likely that the Alpha pack you encountered was a part of the horde that attacked the Interns over a year ago."
"You mean the one that killed my sister," Yang corrected harshly, causing Jaune to flinch beside her.
"...Yes," Ozpin said softly. "As you know, Huntsmen and Huntresses have been tracking down the packs that split off from the horde that had taken one of our own but we were never sure if we were tracking down the right packs or if they were newly formed ones." Here, Ozpin took a hand off Pyrrha's shoulder and backed to the edge of his desk. "What you found with that Alpha pack cements that we're on the right track. And closer to wiping out a horde unseen for generations."
"And avenging Ruby," Yang added though her voice had taken on a smoother tone than previous and her face was nearly serene. Yang, like Pyrrha, had blamed herself for her sister's death. Yang felt she should have been there for Ruby and the one time she wasn't, she lost her sister. Unlike Pyrrha, however, Yang's anger had taken in place of Pyrrha's determination and she had made a point in saying that she didn't believe that it was only Cinder Fall and her associates that were the cause of Ruby's death. Thus, she had volunteered for every Search and Destroy mission she could, hoping to exterminate the Grimm that had taken her sister from her.
Taiyang Xiao-Long, the father of Yang and Ruby, had done the same weeks after he heard the news. More than a few Huntsmen and settlements were saved through his bravery and strength. His reputation was revitalized after he began taking jobs again, becoming one of the most requested Huntsmen for convoys and Search and Destroy missions. There was a time when he was reckless with his own wellbeing but it was resolved, so Ozpin was told, by Yang locking herself in a training arena with him.
"We weren't good enough," Jaune said quietly. Ozpin looked at him as he continued. "Ten or eleven of them still got away while we dealt with the others."
"They were Alpha Beowolves, Mr. Arc," Ozpin explained. "Full grown Huntsmen have trouble fighting against them; I hardly expect two teams of second years to dispatch them within minutes. Besides-" The headmaster gripped Long Memory tighter. "-these Alphas were old a long time before you met them."
"You mean they might have been Alphas when they attacked Ruby," Ren surmised. Ozpin nodded. Alphas were often hunted down as they were more dangerous than the Grimm Huntsmen normally dealt with.
"It doesn't matter what they are," Glynda cut in. "It's how many of them there are that concerns us."
"She's right," Qrow agreed. Ozpin watched as he crossed his arms, a glint of silver in his closed hand. "That many Alphas in a pack together is more than a little unusual. Grimm take at least two and a half decades to become Alphas. Not to mention that if they'd been that old a year ago, how'd they stay alive?"
"Well, they weren't really interested in people," Blake spoke up. "The Grimm we came across seemed to actively try to avoid being seen."
"They were headed North," Weiss interjected. Ozpin looked into her red-rimmed eyes and nodded for her to continue. "Even after we disoriented them and engaged all of them, most of the pack still broke off and continued North."
"I believe," Ren added, "the question is: What is so important North that Alpha Beowolves would ignore people for?"
"Salem." Ozpin looked to Qrow once again as the scythe-wielder glared at the ground. "Salem is the only thing that could be more important to a Grimm than killing people. You all saw the Grimm during the Vytal Festival - working with the White Fang. They wouldn't do that without Salem's influence."
"So these Grimm were… what? Salem's gophers?" Nora questioned.
"Possibly," Ozpin admitted. "We mustn't rule anything from the realm of possibility. Salem has created numerous Grimm and creatures beyond comprehension for reasons we can not fathom or understand."
"'Cause she's fucking crazy," Yang growled. Qrow let out a harsh laugh.
"Though I abhor your language, Ms. Xiao-Long," Glynda responded, "I do have to agree."
Ozpin cracked a smile though it was tinged with pain as he remembered the Salem he had fallen in love with. The young woman whose smile was enough to make his heart stutter. The powerful mage who refused to back down and only wanted to be left alone. 'Where had I gone wrong?' Ozpin bemoaned.
"In any case," Ozpin interjected as he shook away his melancholy, "your mission is completed and I believe your rest is more than well deserved. Go. Enjoy your weekend; do something to relax before school Monday. I hear a new 'CHILLED' movie was released here while you were Vacuo."
"Oh, I hate those movies!" Nora exclaimed. "They're so scary, and creepy, and gross! The last one was the worst of them!"
"Eh, I prefer the first," Jaune shrugged. "All the later ones were convoluted and unrealistic."
"Yes," Yang started sarcastically, "because a horror franchise based off a real Grimm needs to be more realistic."
Blake, Weiss, and Ren all cracked a smile while Pyrrha looked confused. "It is?" She asked, turning her green eyes to Yang and Juane. "I had never heard about that before."
"Indeed," Ozpin confirmed. "A rather nasty Grimm older and more experienced Huntsmen called Chills. They were originally a simple story passed down through the generations here in Vale before they became popularized for movies and other entertainment."
"Not that they're really portrayed correctly in movies, either," Qrow added. "Real Chills - well, they don't leave a mark. Not a physical one, at least. They don't talk unless they repeat the last word that the person they possessed spoke. The body they take doesn't last long either - a few minutes at the most."
"It doesn't make them any less disturbing, however," Glynda grumbled. Ozpin turned a sympathetic eye to her. Much of Glynda's past was a mystery, even to him, but he did know she had an encounter with a Chill Grimm when she was a child. It had not ended well. The blonde teacher held a grudge for Chill Grimm since then.
"At any rate," Ozpin cut in, "this conversation would be best suited outside of this office. So, go. Enjoy your weekend and I'll see you in class Monday."
Qrow stayed while the others said their goodbyes and left his office, chatting all the way to the elevator until they were cut off by the closed elevator doors. Breathing a deep sigh, Ozpin moved once again to his desk and grabbed his mug, taking a careful sip. The coffee was colder than it had been but the warmth it still provided prevented Ozpin from getting a fresh cup. Setting the mug back down, Ozpin looked to Qrow.
"Ask me what you want to ask me, Oz," Qrow told him. Ozpin sighed amusedly. Even after all the years they'd known each other, Qrow was still difficult as ever. Though he'd had more patience since he stopped drinking.
"How was she?" Ozpin asked. "Were there any more problems?"
"No," Qrow sighed, "but, then again, she wouldn't really tell us if there had been."
"She's not still keeping everything bottled up, is she?" Glynda questioned.
"Ms. Nikos is currently holding half of the Fall Maiden Power," Ozpin reminded Qrow. "Not only was that magic violently torn apart but we introduced Amber's Aura into the mix, as well. Pyrrha Nikos has already experienced pain, faltering magic, and an awareness of when her other half is nearby. We need to make it clear that she can come to us when those things happen."
"You're telling me," Qrow agreed. "The only reason we knew Cinder Fall was at Beacon in the first place was because Pyrrha could sense her! But she feels guilty and might even think the pain is her punishment."
"Guilty for what?" Glynda demanded. "Ruby Rose's death was not her fault and she had nothing to do with it! I thought you would have made that clear when you started taking RWBY and JNPR out on missions."
"Right, because self-blame is something that can be wiped away with a single conversation," Qrow shot back. "Pyrrha blames herself for being the 'in', in which Salem used to strike at her friend. A single conversation with me isn't going to get rid of that guilt boner she has going on for herself.
"The fact is," Qrow continued, "Salem thought that a four-time Mistral Tournament Champion was the weakest link to start her plans. That type of shit messes with a person. It completely destroyed anything resembling self-confidence for months! Shit like that isn't going to just vanish! You remember how she was, right, Oz?"
The sigh that came out of Ozpin's mouth then was full of resignation and every bit of sadness he was feeling at that moment. Just because he remembered how frail and soft she was two and a half weeks after Ruby Rose's death didn't mean he wanted to. Sitting in the chair across from him, on the other side of his desk, was a girl who had been bested and used to hurt someone she had cared about. Discarded and forced to live with the scenarios of what she could have done better, when Ozpin knew there was, in fact, nothing she could have done to stop Salem's plan.
Ozpin remembered as he, Glynda, and Qrow sat the devastated girl in a chair and explained what they wished from her. That the same forces that had taken a young girl from them had conspired to steal a source of magic from another. That she was the first in an incredibly small list to be considered a perfect candidate to try to salvage what they could and keep others alive. Ozpin remembered the hesitant girl who asked questions with a slight stutter, only to get stronger and clearer as Ozpin confided in her the secrets which he dared not speak of except for a special few.
Pyrrha accepted, but not after letting Ozpin know that she would not keep these secrets from her team or her sister team, RWBY. Ozpin didn't say a word to counter her decision; he had his circle, after all. Pyrrha was allowed hers.
"I remember," Ozpin confirmed. "And your point has been made, Qrow. Would you be willing to talk with Ms. Nikos again?"
"I can try, Oz," Qrow acquiesced. "She's going through a lot; they all are."
"We're aware," Glynda assured.
"Are you?" Qrow accused. "Those kids have the entire world resting on their shoulders while James sits in his ivory tower, playing with his puppets, and the other headmasters aren't doing shit. We are literally sending out children to do the missions of full grown, licensed Huntsmen!"
"We're doing the best we can under the circumstances, Qrow," Ozpin told him. "I would have liked those children to be kids for more than a semester and a half but Salem and her forces took that from our hand. Our only plays were to leave them blind and ignorant or sufficiently prepare them for the war they were going to get dragged into. Salem may have been patient but when she entered Vale and Beacon, she started a chain of events that could not, can not, be reversed or stopped.
"As much as I loathe to see any child out in the battlefield, all of them chose the life of Huntsmen and Huntresses to do exactly what we're asking of them: to fight the dark in order to preserve the light of Remnant." Ozpin heaved a sigh and swallowed a sip of his mug as he thought. "If we hadn't, I shudder to think what might have become of Beacon - or Vale. Yes, people were hurt, killed, but we are still standing and that is only because we trusted those children with the secrets we keep buried. They are more than capable, and you know it."
"Yeah, I do," the other man agreed. "That's what scares me; they shouldn't have to be."
"No, they shouldn't." A beat of silence passed before Ozpin straightened in his chair. "Go, Qrow. We have weeks until I wish to send you to Haven. Spend that time taking the edge off. Talk to Ms. Nikos, accompany your niece. Or does Specialist Schnee have time off?" The smug smile on Ozpin's face wasn't completely fake.
Qrow turned and walked away with nary a chuckle. "I'll be staying in Vale for the foreseeable future," he told them. "Maybe visit Tai in Patch; he should be back from his latest convoy job."
"Give him my wishes," Ozpin requested.
His only response was a half hearted wave Qrow threw over his shoulder.
"Oh. My. Brothers. That was fuckin' awesome!"
Ruby startled, jumping back as her hand instinctively reached for her sweetheart. When her hand closed around nothing, she was once again reminded that the weapon she so beloved had gone missing over a year ago. The dreams didn't count. Turning her attention to the voice, Ruby thought she might've gone slightly insane for imagining the woman in front of her. That thought was discarded when the girl continued talking.
"Like, seriously, it was," she insisted. "He was all, like, super angry and punchy, and you just kept walking him around in circles. And you took him down like it was nothing! How did you do that?!"
Ruby couldn't help but stare at the woman who assaulted her with questions, not able to blink through her surprise. The girl who stood with her was about two years older and two inches shorter. And though the thought of Ruby being taller than anyone was weird, the girl in front of her was weirder. The stranger's hair was dyed in strips. First white, then bright red, and followed by a toxic green that stretched around her ears, cut short to the scalp and a mohawk long enough to fall down the side of her face, past her ear - which was odd considering nothing about her hair seemed to match her brown skin. Her nose had a shiny stud piercing on the right nostril and Ruby could see a sliver of silver on her tongue when she talked.
Like most people in Vacuo, the woman was dressed in light browns and tans with as much skin showing as possible. Her shirt was cut off at the shoulders and midriff, showing her arms and stomach and her shorts looked like something Ruby would wear to bed if her pajamas were in the wash. This did not include the dusty combat boots and the brown threadbare scarf that looked like it had gone a few rounds with a pair of scissors. The stranger's outfit was already dusty and a trail of sweat beaded down her temple; belatedly, it suddenly occurred to Ruby that she wasn't hot. Or cold. Or sweaty.
'Huh,' Ruby acknowledged. It promptly fled her mind once the woman started speaking.
"Oh, where are my manners?" The woman asked rhetorically. She stood up straight, looking up into Ruby's eyes, and stuck her hand out. "I'm Korrina. Korrina Thyrn."
Ruby hesitated for a single moment. Nothing in Ruby screamed that this girl was a threat but the aroma from before kept Ruby's mouth from drying. Still, Ruby took the hand, trying not to put too much pressure into the handshake. Though it was brief, Ruby had seen what her grip had done to Braydon's father's neck; she didn't know how she was that strong now which was just another question she wouldn't have answered.
"Ruby," was the only reply she gave in response. Sarah had known exactly who she was after Ruby had said her full name and a little bit of background information. Seeing as Ruby had not figured out what she was going to do for her future in the last half hour since she left Sarah's, Ruby reckoned she shouldn't scream that she was back from the dead at the top of her lungs.
The handshake lasted a moment before Ruby took her hand back and Korrina was back to talking.
"Seriously, though," Korrina insisted, "that was amazing. People like him have been getting more and more obnoxious since the Vytal Festival. Makes no sense - they failed, after all. But I guess mass delusions are a thing for them."
"Yeah." Ruby stood there, feeling more awkward and shy than since she met Sarah. This girl wasn't as energetic as Ruby had once been before the Onslaught. To be honest, something about the new woman reminded Ruby of Coco Adel, an upperclassmen on team CFVY whose main characteristics were her fashionista lifestyle and the minigun weapon she mecha shifted into a purse. The two women, both Coco and this Korrina, had this sort of preppy feeling to them; maybe not the high-society vibe that Weiss had given off but there was a self-confidence that Ruby could almost taste.
"Can't believe that the guy had the nerve to do that in front of the school," Korrina continued. She suddenly turned to the guard still standing beside Ruby. "And why didn't you do anything to stop him?" She asked, heatedly. "A guy goes spouting off White Fang shit while attacking someone and you decided to wait? Why not arrest him?"
The guard sighed, like he'd been asked the question many times. His bronze hair was floppy and his skin was fair, a few inches taller than Ruby herself. His silver guard attire was simple; just a breastplate and greaves with a sword and sheath attached to his hip. His eyes were a bright blue and they were tinged with annoyance as he looked to Korrina.
"Wish I could," he grumbled as he glanced at the way Braydon's father left. "But seeing as no one had been hurt I couldn't intervene until it got physical. And the Red Rose Act only allows me to detain confirmed White Fang members; not the lunatics screaming their ideals."
Ruby blinked as the words 'Red Rose Act' echoed in her mind. 'She mentioned the Vytal Festival, too,' Ruby remembered. Was that a thing that happened? What was the Red Rose Act? Sarah hadn't told her about anything remotely related to that or the Festival.
To be fair though, Ruby really hadn't been up to any discussion about anything until that morning. Something to rectify when she met back up with Sarah. Maybe she needed to look it up. After a year and three months of being gone, Ruby was sure that there was plenty that she missed. The Vytal Festival and White Fang being the most important, though this Act thing sounded like it was related.
"That's just stupid," Korrina argued. "Anyone spouting off that White Fang crap should be looked into on principle. Any one that sympathizes with that group of murderers and terrorists have to be watched."
"There's literally nothing I can do," the guard said apologetically. "And even if we could detain every person that sounded like a White Fang, it would just make the other Faunus feel justified in joining that terrorist group."
"Justified my fucking ass," Korrina snorted, contempt rolling off of her in waves. "After what the White Fang did, I'm surprised no one is smart enough to call them out. Right?"
Ruby nearly jumped out of her skin when the other woman turned to her while bumping Ruby's arm with her elbow. The few gently falling red and black rose petals told Ruby that she jumped, though it only seemed that she shifted an inch or two away from Korrina. The woman looked surprised but Ruby tried to play it off like nothing had happened.
"...Right…" Ruby slowly whispered, unsure what to do in this situation. She was uninformed and in an environment that she had no knowledge of. She had no idea who these people were. And to be honest, Ruby honestly had no idea how to interact with anyone not named Sarah. Ruby didn't trust these people as far as she could throw them (though with her newfound strength and stamina, she probably could throw them a few feet). "Sure."
"I haven't seen you in Sierra," Korrina commented. "Are you new?"
"Yes," Ruby said, glancing at the guard. Were all the guards in the know about the coma girl? Even if they did, it wasn't like they knew Ruby was supposed to be dead, right? Sarah was the only one who knew that tidbit of info and it wasn't something that Ruby was planning on sharing to anyone. Sarah had promised that she wouldn't tell the authorities of Ruby's un-deadness and the guards did count as authorities, technically. "I'm just passing through."
"Passing through?" Korrina wondered. "Where you headed then?"
"Home."
It was the first thing that came to Ruby's mind. A destination Ruby so desperately wished to go. Home. Patch, Beacon - either; it didn't matter. Her family was somewhere in Vale, believing her to be dead and gone. Somewhere in Vale, the members of her family were living their lives without her and something in her soul longed to be with them again.
If only she knew she could trust them.
"Oh," Korrina said, somewhat startled by the heavy tone Ruby took. "Well, how long do you think you're staying?"
"Not entirely sure," Ruby replied honestly. "I was - uh - going to take in the sights before I went anywhere. I'm not in any rush."
Korrina made a gasping sound before reaching over and grabbing Ruby's hand. "I should totally show you around!" She said, her mouth stretched into an excited smile. "I know all about Sierra. You don't have anyone already giving you the tour, do you?"
"No - I mean, not really? I don't think so?" Ruby stuttered. She was technically right. Sarah hadn't offered to show her around Sierra and Ruby hadn't actually wanted to look around while she was trying to make sense of this new changed world she found herself in. Though now that the opportunity came up, Ruby wasn't sure if she should - or could - take it.
Korrina was new. Weird looking, sure, but nice in an exuberant way. But she was new and Ruby didn't know her. Ruby didn't trust her either. Most of the students at Beacon were people she didn't know but they still ostracized her because of a choice that wasn't hers. And though her newly found trust issues were with her team, uncle, and Weiss, especially. Ruby just wasn't sure that she could trust someone she didn't know. Not anymore.
But it was worth a try.
"Great!" Korrina replied. "Let's get going! It's going to take a while for us to get through all of Sierra."
A thought occurred to Ruby if she was going to try trusting someone she didn't know. "Do you think we can stop by the port first? I'm staying with my friend Sarah and I want to let her know where I'll be since I don't have a Scroll."
Korrina blinked at Ruby. "You don't have a Scroll," Korrina repeated dumbly. Something about her voice made Ruby uneasy - an inflection Ruby couldn't identify and her unease wasn't helped by the blank face that Korrina had put on. Ruby looked to the guard who was looking at her with something akin to surprise.
"... It broke?"
"Oh!" Korrina laughed. "That makes sense! I thought for a second that you were going to say you never got one! I guess that's just me being stupid!"
"Yeah… Totally silly of you…" Ruby was so confused. While Korrina was laughing like she'd just thought of some inside joke, the guard was looking at her in confusion until his eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak and Ruby panicked.
"So what do you say!" Ruby basically yelled over anything the guard would have said and Korrina's laughter. "I really need to tell Sarah where I'll be!"
"We can totally do that," Korrina replied, seemingly unfazed by Ruby's volume. "You said she was at the port? Why is she there?"
"She's a doctor," Ruby replied. Ruby absolutely refused to even look in the guard's direction, something that Ruby felt he picked up on as he didn't say a word. He looked a little uncomfortable, actually. "There was some kind of accident that happened down at the docks and she was called in."
"Hope no one's seriously hurt," Korrina said with a frown.
The guard huffed. "And on that note, I've got to get back to work," he said. "Thank you girls for making patrol a little less boring than usual." He turned to her with a nod. "Ruby. Thanks for the show. I hope you enjoy your stay."
Ruby could only glare at his retreating back as Korrina suddenly gasped and said, "I totally forgot! You didn't answer any of my questions! How did you lead him around like that? Was that rose petal thing your Semblance? You have your Aura unlocked? That's so cool!"
"I went to Combat School," Ruby answered, unsure which question she was answering. "They teach you to fight with and without Aura."
"You went to Combat School? That's so cool!" Korrina suddenly groaned. "I wish Sierra had a Combat School but the Vacuo Council says that Sierra isn't big enough. So if we want to go to Combat School, our parents have to send us to one of the bigger settlements. And no parent wants to have their kid away from them."
"I never had to go away from home," Ruby admitted. "Signal was a ten minute walk from my house."
"Lucky," Korrina grumbled. She almost immediately perked up and grabbed Ruby's hand. "C'mon. There's too much to show you to be wasting time standing around."
Four hours later saw Ruby and Korrina sitting across from each other at a bakery Korrina had said that Ruby would absolutely love. It was a nice place, though most of it was outside. The main bakery was kept in this nice, low to the ground building while all the wooden seats and tables were outside underneath a dark blue canopy. Ruby's shoes (really Sarah's) were a good fit though Ruby still vastly preferred her combat boots. Luckily, Ruby's Aura was getting rid of any soreness or pain that would have come with walking and standing for several hours. A fact that made Korrina playfully jealous.
Finding Sarah was easier than Ruby thought it was going to be. The docks and piers were on the southern side of the settlement and by far the easiest thing to get to in Sierra. The main road led straight to them while the other streets branched off from the large street. After telling Sarah where she would be for the foreseeable future (something which made Sarah smile encouragingly at Ruby), the first thing Korrina took Ruby to was a boutique so Ruby could actually dress like she lived in Vacuo. Apparently, it was too hot for black jeans and wearing white was just asking for a sandstorm to come to turn her shirt brown. Ruby didn't buy anything, obviously, but she told Korrina that she would make a note of anything she finds that catches her eye while telling the tri-colored hair girl that she was saving her funds for an emergency.
(Ruby thought it would be better not to mention that her funds were currently under the name of a dead person and more than likely repurposed back to her dad.)
Korrina then proceeded to take Ruby down street after street and into shop after shop. Bookstores, Dust stores, antique stores, boutiques, and every little store under the sun. The store owners were nice enough but Ruby found herself ready to hide back in her room when their eyes lingered on her scars for a moment too long. They never said anything and neither had Korrina, and for that Ruby was grateful. The two talked, though Ruby made sure to not go into any specific details about her life.
Noon came and went which led the two to where they were: Ruby eating a double fudge cookie with a glass of milk by her side and Korrina happily picking apart a small cake and popping the pieces into her mouth.
"How is it?" Korrina asked as Ruby took her first bite of the cookie.
"Delicious," Ruby moaned through her cookie. The last time she had a cookie was weeks before the Internship even began, before Mt. Glenn, actually. It was one of those small, cheap, cafeteria cookies but it was given to her by Yang as a reward for actually wearing the lady stilts to the dance instead of wearing her combat boots.
"See! I told you that you'd like it," Korrina gloated. "I told you!"
Ruby laughed lightly. "Yeah, yeah. Gloat all you want but you can't take the credit. The simple fact is, is that I'm a sugar nut."
"Oh, really?" Korrina asked. "All right then. Question one: hot chocolate?"
"It's more about the marshmallows," Ruby responded solemnly, though her silver eyes laughed like they hadn't since she woke up.
"Sour Dust?" Korrina continued with a quirk of her eyebrow.
Ruby scrunched her lips together and made a noise that came from her throat. "Oh, Oum! It's like I'm sucking on a lemon but it tastes so good! Why is life cruel?"
"Brownies or cookies?" Came the next question.
"You dare make me choose?" Ruby cried without hesitation.
"Donuts?" Korrina fired off, just as fast as Ruby.
"Only if it comes with chocolate and sprinkles," was Ruby's definitive answer.
"How do you take your ice cream?"
"Cookies and cream and cake."
"Cake?"
Ruby raised an eyebrow.
"You don't have ice cream and cake?"
"No, no! I do!"
"Good," Ruby reaffirmed. "You'd be a monster otherwise."
"What kind of cake?"
"Is there any other kind than chocolate?"
"What about coffee?"
"Cream and five sugars."
Korrina blinked, her mouth halfway open and Ruby couldn't help the smug smile that overtook her face. One could think what they wanted but it was an undisputed fact that Ruby could overload on sugar and live forever. That this peon dare challenge Ruby's addiction to sugar was an affront to everything holy in Remnant.
"Wow."
"Yep."
Korrina put a hand on Ruby's. "I think you have a problem."
Ruby blinked before she did the most natural thing in the world to her: she snorted. "Pft," Ruby cackled, waving a hand. "Nah."
"You are utterly adorable," Korrina laughed. "Hurry up and eat; I want to show you one more store before I gotta go."
"Where are you going?" Ruby asked.
"I, unfortunately, have work tonight and I still need to grab some groceries for home," Korrina told her with a sigh. "That's why I want to show you this one last shop; I work there. The owner - Flint Verdant - is a real nice guy but he keeps his shop open twenty-four/seven for any Huntsmen that come through Sierra. I'm on the night shift this week."
"That's too bad," Ruby said with a quirk of her lips. "I liked hanging out with you."
"Oh we're totally doing this again," Korrina stated. "I just found a girl that is smoking, mysterious, and adorable; no way Oum's name am I saying goodbye for good."
Ruby was sure that her entire face exploded from the amount of blood that simultaneously rushed upwards. Her eyes went wide and down the plate on the table. Was she being serious? Ruby? Smoking? Mysterious? That just wasn't her.
The adorable part was more believable because that was all Ruby had ever been. She was the childish younger sister of the bombshell that was Yang Xiao-Long. Ruby had never been sexy (or smoking, for that matter) and puberty was never on her side. Ruby had always been slight and lithe, but never buxom or shapely. The words that described Yang had never, ever been applied to Ruby and Ruby never imagined they would be.
Ruby glanced up at Korrina only to find that the older girl was already smirking at her. Though her blush hadn't abated a slight bit, Ruby found herself smiling back at Korrina before she turned away and cleared her throat.
"So," Ruby started with a cough, "what's this store you work at?"
Korrina raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word about Ruby's blatant subject change. Instead, the tri-colored hair girl answered with her own question. "You said you went to Combat School, right?"
"Yeah," Ruby nodded.
"Well, the store I work at is specially catered to aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses," Korrina revealed. "We've got everything from Dust to machinery for weapon modification to clothing. It's one of the reasons we are open twenty-four/seven; in case any Huntsmen come through Sierra in need of repairs or supplies. We're not as expansice as, say, the Schnee Dust Company but we're well enough off with the business we get. Even do long distance orders for the customers that have heard of us."
"That's so cool!" Ruby gushed. "It's like an all-purpose Huntsmen store!"
"Yeah," Korrina chuckled. "We're a regular Huntsmen-R-Us."
"So what's the shop's name?" Ruby asked, pulling apart another chunk of her cookie and popping it into her mouth.
"Verdant's Weapon Repair, Clothing, and Dust," Korrina replied dutifully. "The Best Place for Weapons of Destruction."
Ruby blinked and furrowed her brow. "That doesn't…"
"I know," Korrina sympathized, "it doesn't click, like, at all - but Flint doesn't really care. He says that real Huntsmen don't care for showbiz. Flint's not a business guy; he put together his shop because he's a retired Huntsman and he hated how there was never a reliable shop that didn't just cater to the showy, inexperienced Huntsmen."
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked. She had never seen that in Vale or Patch. Dust Till Dawn was one of Ruby's favorite Dust stores. Though it mainly sold the many types of Dust that existed, it also sold her favorite sniper cartridges and hosted the hottest new issues of magazines Ruby had been following since she first became invested in weapons. Patch had similar shops spread throughout the island though Ruby was only familiar with the Dust store that was part of Signal - a sort of side store that students could buy extra ammunition and catalogues from.
"Well," Korrina dragged, obviously thinking about what she had to say next, "Atlas has their military which sort of supplies all of their Huntsmen, right?" Ruby nodded along. "The rest of Remnant doesn't have anything like that. Huntsmen and Huntresses in the other Kingdoms have to rely on shops that each specialize in different things. One shop might only sell Dust while another helps with clothing and another gives a place for repairs. And not all of these shops are reliable. Schnee Dust has a monopoly on a lot of Dust shops and many of the ones out of their control are being bought up. Their prices for Dust though are higher for people outside of the Atlas military to make up for any of the lien they might be missing out on because of their deals with Ironwood - the General of Atlas.
"Not to mention the other shops are so spread thin that they hardly make a difference to Huntsmen," Korrina explained. "Sure, Huntsmen and Huntresses are helped out a lot by the Academies that graduated them but the Graduated aren't their priority anymore. They can't support the demand that Huntsmen are creating simply by being Huntsmen. Every graduate that comes out of an Academy, besides Atlas, are independent contractors that live off the jobs they take. Besides a very few special cases, they provide their own equipment and use their own materials to make their own repairs. Wear and tear on their weapons are inevitable, and with how repair shops being so few and far between the Kingdoms, Huntsmen are wasting time and a lot of money going from shop to shop to shop trying to find what they need."
Ruby frowned, having never thought about it. Signal had supplied the materials she needed to create her Crescent Rose and Uncle Qrow had always brought the more exotic Dust she needed for her special ammo builds - like her Gravity Dust Mod that made her sweetheart have faster momentum than if she only used her Semblance. She had never questioned where he had gotten it even though she had learned at Signal that Gravity Dust didn't occur naturally in Vale.
"As for clothing," Korrina continued, "those shops may as well go out of business. What do your Combat Schools tell you about Aura?"
"Aura?" Ruby asked. "We were told that Aura was a manifestation of our souls. That our souls have a natural energy that we can use to both shield ourselves and attack in the form of Semblances. Why?"
"The so-called 'manifestation of our souls' are a lot more complicated than just a sword and a shield," Korrina told her. "From what I can understand, Aura acts as a sort of force field that absorbs attacks, right?" Ruby nodded.
"They still hurt," Ruby confirmed, "but they aren't nearly as deadly as they would be if we didn't have them."
"Right. Well, does it protect your clothes?" Korrina asked.
Ruby was about to answer ('Obviously,' she thought) before she stopped, her mouth half open. She thought back to the Onslaught, Mt. Glenn, and even the fight with the Torchwick Mech. At first, it seemed like Aura would of course cover clothes because Aura covered the person in their own Aura. Her clothes and hood had never been damaged when she was in Combat Class and the only time she could remember even consciously focussing on her clothing was for when she brought her hood into her fighting style. And her clothes had been damaged early into her… into the Onslaught.
"Sort of, right?" Korrina asked and Ruby could only nod in response. "How Flint explained it, it was a matter of priority. Once your Aura is unlocked, you're trained to help heal small wounds and use your Semblance, but Flint said that it was more than that. Aura is passive, like breathing or a heartbeat. Always on; completely and utterly autonomous unless you think about it. But unlike heartbeats and breathing, you have more control of how you can apply your Aura."
"And where does clothing come in?" Ruby asked.
Korrina smirked. "Aura is a manifestation to your soul but Aura is deeply connected with your body. Flint explained that Aura abides by your instincts. In less threatening situations, your Aura relaxes to envelope your clothing but at the cost of extra using extra Aura for protection. He says that it happens naturally after Huntsmen are trained to protect their clothes at Combat Schools. However, once your life is threatened in a way you can't relax from, your instincts immediately retract your Aura to just your skin and leave your clothes unprotected."
"Wouldn't clothing stores get more business?" Ruby asked. "If all that's true, Huntsmen would still have to replace their clothing."
"True," Korrina conceded with a nod. "But how many Huntsmen do you think would be truly overwhelmed by a few Grimm? How many trained Huntsmen would truly be out of their depths and fighting for their lives? How many would truly be afraid for their lives over one of the things they're licensed to kill?"
Qrow and her dad flashed through her mind. Qrow, who had disappeared on vague missions for months at a time, and her dad, who had always seemed calm and confident in the face of danger. Or even Ozpin or Professor Goodwitch. During the Mt. Glenn Invasion, Professor Goodwitch had stalked through Vale, simply swiping at Grimm with her riding crop and sending them through buildings and other Grimm. While RWBY had been fighting as hard as they could against the numerous and various Grimm, those like Glynda Goodwitch had simply viewed them as obstacles.
Before Beacon, Ruby had fought a horde of Beowolves but she'd been fighting hordes like those since she was twelve. Qrow had taken her on expeditions around Patch to fight Grimm and had only gotten involved when she truly needed help. By the time that horde came while she was leaving her mom's gravestone, she had years of experience taking out Grimm, both individually and in packs. The Onslaught was different. There were so many Grimm and so many varieties, and all of them were focussed on her.
"Not many," Ruby admitted.
"If any," Korrina said. "Not to mention, Dust Weavers always have their own supply of Dust and a more than liberal use of clothing-"
"Which means they get it from somewhere else it doesn't cost them or is cheaper than an outside source," Ruby finished with a sigh. Korrina nodded. "So because Aura can be used to protect a person's clothes except when they're especially in trouble, people don't have a use for clothes that are designed for fighting." No wonder Qrow wore a button down to fights.
"Wow," Korrina said, blinking. "Smoking, mysterious, adorable, and now a genius to boot. You don't have a tragic backstory but an indomitable will to do good by the people, do you? Because I don't think I can handle you getting any more perfect."
"Oh!" Ruby jumped. "Nope! Nope, nope, not me! Nothing at all special about the girl in front of you, no siree."
Rolling her eyes, Korrina stood. "Well that's a shame. Now hurry up and finish, I want to show you the store before I really have to go."
Korrina simply blinked as Ruby stood; the cookie suddenly inhaled by Ruby's sugar-addicted gullet.
Flint Verdant was a man who Ruby thought resembled Glynda Goodwitch a lot. Not in looks, no. He was an older man, possibly her uncle's age or a little older, with vibrant mint green hair shortened on the sides and swept to the back of his head. His green eyes were dark and hard, much like Ruby's when she looked into the mirror that morning. He didn't wear glasses, either, so there was that.
Ruby especially appreciated that he didn't even blink when he looked at her scars for the first time. It might have had to do with his own scar that started at his hairline and traveled along where his sideburns would be and down his jaw to his neck. It might have also been why Korrina hadn't said a word about Ruby's scars; she was used to Flint's.
Flint was nice but he had a no-nonsense vibe going about him that greatly resembled Glynda Goodwitch's. Though Ruby thought that if she started a food fight in his shop, he just might attack her. And there was no Ozpin-esque figure to stop him from enacting his revenge on her. A shame. One thing Ruby got from him was a tinge of loneliness, a faint citrus flavor in the back of her throat.
Verdant's Weapon Repair, Dust, and Clothing was impressive, in Ruby's opinion. The double doors at the front of the shop opened up in between two windows on either side hosting a mannequin wearing clothes obviously made for fighting. In front of the double doors was a large centerpiece that showed off the many types of Dust and ammo rounds with the cash register next to it. Dust dispensers lined the walls and the back half of the store was filled with mannequins on pedestals presenting the different types of clothing Flint sold. Catalogues and magazines took up small, waist high bookshelves underneath the Dust dispensers. Behind the clothing mannequins were two doorways that led to the heavy machinery required to make and repair weapons.
Sadly, Ruby couldn't stay long and neither could Korrina, who wanted to get at least some shut eye before her shift, but Ruby did manage to meet Korrina's co-worker, Jett. He was nice. Older than both Ruby and Korrina and a terrible flirt. He reminded Ruby of Jaune, a little bit. Then Ruby and Korrina left Flint's Weapon Repair, Dust, and Clothing only to split ways at the intersection with a promise to meet up at two the next afternoon to hang out for a few hours.
All in all, it was a good day.
Now, Ruby was searching for answers to some of the questions she'd had when that guard and Korrina first started talking to her. Laying on her borrowed bed, Ruby's eyes furrowed in concern as the first thing she searched came with a blaring headline:
"Failed Attack on Vytal and Beacon!"
"One week ago today, during the 40th Vytal Festival," it read, "the Tournament took a dark turn as several unknown figures stopped a match in its tracks and took over the broadcast. In collaboration with the Faunus terrorist group, the White Fang, these mysterious persons unleashed several dozen Grimm using bullheads. What would have surely been a massacre was prevented by Mistral Champion and Beacon Academy student, Pyrrha Nikos as she fended off several of the Grimm to expose the ones behind this dastardly plot: Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai, and previously hurt Mercury Black.
"According to officials, Mercury Black had not, in fact, been wounded in an unsportsman-like move by Yang Xiao-Long, Beacon student and sister of deceased hero, Ruby Rose. While Ms. Xiao-Long had received severe backlash from her apparent attack on the downed opponent just a day previously, officials of the Atlas military have confirmed that Mercury Black did not appear to any medical professional and simply disappeared!"
Ruby narrowed her eyes. Why go through all that trouble of framing Yang if they were just going to unleash Grimm everywhere? There seemed to be a few extra steps that didn't need to be there.
"Ms. Nikos, along with her team and sister team, RWBY, took point in the evacuation and extermination of the Grimm among the students and participants of the Vytal Festival. Team RWBY fought against the White Fang and Grimm in order to stop the greater plot unfolding one on the Atlas Airships. Roman Torchwick, apprehended just a few weeks earlier for the Mount Glenn Invasion, was freed in the confusion and turned the Atlesian Knights against their own soldiers.
"The CCT was also targeted, along with Beacon Academy, but Ms. Nikos, along with her team lead by Jaune Arc, managed to stop the mastermind behind the attack, Cinder Fall. While the security surveillance was damaged in the attack, enough was recovered to show that Cinder Fall had the intention of killing Headmaster Ozpin using a mixture of Dust Weaving and her Semblance. It was only by the timely intervention of Ms. Nikos and Mr. Arc that Headmaster Ozpin, in his own words, was able to fend off the attack long enough for Cinder Fall to retreat.
"Though Roman Torchwick, Cinder Fall, and her compatriots disappeared after the failed attack, many of those involved - almost all being the White Fang - were apprehended and taken into custody to stand trial. Blake Belladonna, daughter to the current Chieftain of Menagerie, Ghira Belladonna (who founded the Whtie Fang but retired the title to current leader Sienna Khan), had this to say during the press conference just yesterday called by Headmaster Ozpin.
"'What these Faunus did is despicable,' she says. 'Adam Taurus has turned the White Fang into something unrecognizable. It has become a perversion of what we as Faunus wanted to strive for, for generations. By doing the bidding of a woman like Cinder Fall, not only has he shown that he has no interest in the betterment of the Faunus people, he has demonstrated that he doesn't care who he has to hurt to get what he perceives as vengeance.'
'Though only spoken a day ago, these powerful words have already had an effect on the Faunus Community around the globe. White Fang members have walked into police stations peacefully surrendering while other Faunus have publicly outcried the actions of the White Fang. The Kingdom's Councils have begun discussing adding another amendment to the Red Rose Act to arrest all those confirmed to be part of the White Fang terrorist organization unless they surrender themselves peacefully.'
Ruby blinked at the information, idly scrolling through the recommended stories. It was a lot to take in at once. Blake was royalty. Pyrrha and Jaune saved Ozpin. Cinder Fall, that - admittedly hot - girl from Haven was a bad guy, most likely the one Ruby fought during the dance. Roman Torchwick duped Ironwood. Yang had been framed for brutality-
Okay, did it make her a bad sister if that one was more than a little believable? Seriously, Yang had destroyed a club and sent the owner flying through his own window before they'd gone to Beacon. Ruby had no delusions that her sister wasn't violent and wouldn't be surprised if the police showed up with an arrest warrant. Luckily everyone she's ever beat down had Aura, so they'd gotten back up. If Yang had tried that on a person with locked Aura? It wouldn't have been pretty.
Ruby was content to keep scrolling, maybe check out this Red Rose Act, when an article title caught her attention: The Many Lies of Qrow Branwen by Clayton Gray.
"Qrow Branwen is not an internationally known name, however, he is one that everyone has become acquainted with in recent weeks. Qrow Branwen is a Huntsmen that had been asked to mentor the four Freshmen Interns at Beacon Academy. More notably, Branwen is the uncle of Yang Xiao-Long and Ruby Rose. Ruby Rose, of course, gave her life for fifteen of her classmates against a gathering of Grimm that hadn't been seen since before the Great War.
"But is that all to Qrow Branwen. We at Real Vale News have searched far and wide for as much information as we can regarding the mysterious Huntsmen and have numerous, shocking things to report which will call into question the morality of Qrow Branwen.
"Very little is known about the Xiao-Long/Rose household besides the basics available to everyone: Yang Xiao-Long and Ruby Rose were raised as sisters under the care of Taiyang Xiao-Long and Summer Rose (deceased). Though a retired Huntsman, Taiyang taught at Signal along with Qrow Branwen who taught Ruby Rose how to wield her signature weapon, the sniper-scythe, Crescent Rose, which is still missing to this day. When Yang Xiao-Long was seventeen, she applied for Beacon Academy and was accepted while Ruby Rose stopped a robbery by Roman Torchwick and suitably impressed Headmaster Ozpin enough to grant her an early acceptance into the prestigious academy.
"But was it just an impressive display that allowed Ruby Rose into Beacon Academy? Was Yang Xiao-Long, known party girl and brawler, a good enough student to pass Beacon's many rigorous tests? It may or may not be the case as Qrow Branwen has reportedly been good friends with Headmaster Ozpin for years - since his early years being taught under the Headmaster. Can one really say they were accepted under their own merits with a man like Qrow Branwen talking in the ear of the Headmaster?
"Why would Qrow Branwen care if Yang Xiao-Long was accepted into Beacon you ask? Simple. Including being the child of Qrow Branwen's partner from their time together on Team STRQ, Yang Xiao-Long is also his niece, daughter of Qrow Branwen's sister.
"Raven Branwen, twin to Qrow, entered Beacon with Qrow and formed Team STRQ with Taiyang Xiao-Long and Summer Rose. After graduating, Raven and Taiyang were married only for a year before Raven mysteriously disappeared and was never seen again. Yang Xiao-Long being family would be more than enough for Qrow to ensure her entrance into Beacon Academy.
"As for Ruby Rose, she was already Qrow Branwen's protege. He had taught her how to fight with her weapon, Crescent Rose, and that alone would be more than enough to cast suspicion on Ruby Rose's entrance to Beacon, but there is more. It has come to my attention that not only were Qrow Branwen on a team with Summer Rose, but in a relationship also! Now that wouldn't mean anything if we at Real Vale News hadn't just recently discovered Ruby Rose's birth certificate pronouncing Qrow Branwen as the father!
"With as many lies the Xiao-Long/Rose household has, can they bear the weight of any more? I will continue to dig and continue to update you, my loyal readers! This has been Real Vale News."
A sudden burst of red and black broke down the door to the bathroom, Ruby suddenly materializing in front of the toilet and wrenched the lid off only to toss it to the side as she emptied her stomach's contents into the bowl. Acid filled her mouth as the chocolate taste of her own anger::despair::grief flooded the back of her throat. Her grip cracked the porcelain as her hands tried to find any purchase to anchor herself. Her scars burned and her head pounded as tears ran down her cheeks while confusion warred with the absolute RAGE that erupted from the bottom of every organ she had.
A breath was taken and she lashed out, kicking the lid she'd tossed to the side flying through the open doorway and embedding it into the wall above the bed. More black and red swirled upwards before Ruby was gripping the sink, staring at her own reflection, desperate to prove the article wrong. Desperate not to have another facet of her life, her world, ripped from her in a week. To prove her whole life hadn't just been a lie.
She couldn't.
Because at that moment, her white scleras were black and her silver eyes had a blood red ring surrounding them.
That's a chapter! Whooo! Ten thousand plus words! It came out a lot quicker than I thought it would and I hope you enjoy it. Review if you like; I appreciate the comments and feedback I get. If you have any critiques that you would like to bring up, please do, and if I can answer any questions, I'd love to.
I hope you guys liked that meta joke that I threw in there. I've always hated how some authors make their characters super fucking perfect and infallable. It's never seemed real for me. My Ruby is going to have several moral compromising dilemmas that redefine her along with severe anger issues and an existential crisis or two. Oh, yeah, fun times all around. And I'm a sucker for those 'Qrow is Ruby's Dad tropes'. I know, not canon, but this is fanfiction.
Next time on 'Reap and Sow': The White Fang makes a move, Ruby unleashes her fury, and Ruby decides what to do with her future.
Hopefully I can put out the next chapter soon!
-Scribble.