AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Rooster Teeth
Mercury rubbed his eyes. This had been a long night and was expected to get longer.
The pyre outside the village for the bandit bodies was still burning. He expected it would continue until quite far into the morning. Nearly everyone else was at the funeral for the residents. The only ones not being buried today were the Grass family and that was because their will had their final wishes. Theirs would be next week so their cousins could attend.
Medical help had finally arrived over five hours after they had first requested it. Some people had to be taken to licensed hospitals with full equipment. For the rest, a makeshift hospital had been set up in what used to be in the indoor market. Many of the Huntsmen that had escorted them had stayed.
As Mercury had discovered, healing was not one of his strong abilities. He could fix injuries to the point it was non-fatal and even make limbs usable. That was it; with the people he wasn't familiar with their aura anyway.
It also drained his aura incredibly. At one point, he wouldn't have been surprised if his scroll registered it in single digits. It was something he needed to experiment with more to learn his limits.
Talaria landed next to him in her Battle Form, as he was currently dubbing it. This had been the first time she had come close to the ground for more than ten seconds.
Other than being told that she had to be in her smaller form when inside the village boundaries, no one seemed to have a problem with her. This was likely due to her protecting many children from the bandits and not showing any aggressive signs to them.
That and everyone was just tired at the moment.
{Ruby?}
Mercury patted her snout. He wasn't surprised that Talaria was no longer calling Ruby a 'hatchling'. "Keep an eye on her. It's been a long time since humans hunted and Ruby would not have been a hunter but a nest protector."
Talaria cooed an agreement. She changed back to her smaller size, landed on his shoulder for a moment before finally taking off to find the now 'fletchling' or even full adult.
Mercury wanted to look after Ruby himself. However, his reasons for his current actions were twofold. One: an assassin was not the person Ruby needed to talk to right now. Two: the village needed to rebuild, with Ruby and Mercury having different skill sets and therefore different ways to help. Helping others was what Ruby did, so that was the best way he could help her.
Whenever Mercury looked at Ruby through Grimm vision, he saw that she was always busy and she was still very bright.
At the moment, Ruby was keeping the kids occupied by playing her guitar. This kept them safe, calm and out of the way while everyone else worked around them. They should be in bed, though Mercury didn't know why they weren't.
He could hear the guitar no matter where he was in the village. The music wasn't cheerful or quick. It was more soothing and almost haunting. Long deep notes in a slow melody.
The kids were much duller than Ruby.
Mercury blinked back to normal vision.
Why could he hear the guitar from this far away?
"Huntsman Crawford?"
Mercury threw the next metal bar onto the 'potentially useful' pile he had been working through in the remains of the town centre. He turned around.
"Jordan. I wasn't expecting you back yet. Any trouble?"
"No, none. The place was abandoned but you were right. There was a baby. Do you know if he has any family?"
Mercury shook his head. "I think it's the baby from Winding Willow Way; a destroyed village I passed through some months back. The family…" Mercury broke off, thinking that saying the word 'slaughtered' would not be a good idea. "Didn't make it."
"I…see. Thank you. Do you know anything else?"
"Afraid not. I don't even have a name. What's going to happen to him?"
"He'll be adopted, don't worry. Rosa…She just wanted to see if there was anyone better for him."
"Rosa…Doesn't she normally live in Higanbana?"
"She does. She planned to go back on a spare airship available."
Tell me about it. That lack of airship is why Ruby's still here.
Mercury idly wondered how the orphans would take Rosa taking a baby and not them, but then he suspected they weren't going to find out or were used to it.
"I don't think we're getting an airship for a while."
"Yeah, I know. I'm thinking about taking her part of the way in the car. I know someone heading that way."
"Right. Good luck."
"Thank you. I hope you and Miss Rose recover well."
Mercury was already recovered and suffered no mental strain, but he chose not to tell this man that. He wasn't wrong about Ruby anyway.
"I hope so too."
Jordan offered his hand. Mercury shook it. Then the man turned and walked away.
Once he was out of earshot, Mercury glanced around. He didn't see anyone else too close and it should be a while before he was interrupted again.
Probably not going to get more privacy.
Mercury sighed and pulled out his scroll. He only had one bar, but it was a bar he didn't have for most of the day. He found Tai's number and called.
"Mercury? Are you okay? Is something wrong?"
Maybe I should start ringing Tai for no reason other than to talk about nonsense.
"In order. Yes, yes and yes." Now how was Mercury supposed explain this to Tai? "Okay. Let me finish. I've seen bird Raven around Faymarsh since I got here. That's the reason I've stuck around so long. I…I made a mistake. I thought that she wouldn't do anything if Ruby or Yang were here. I was wrong. Ruby visited today and Raven chose to try to raid the village today." A second look confirmed there was still no one around. He even activated his bug sweeper, with a clear result. "I have reason to think that she may have killed someone. I haven't talked to her yet." Mercury hesitated. Tai waited. "I've finished."
"Where is Ruby now?" Tai's voice was heavy with emotion. Mercury wasn't sure which ones.
"She's keeping the kids calm with her guitar. She's kept herself busy helping. I'm going to send her home as soon as I can. I haven't told the other two or Qrow yet. He's next on my list."
"I'll call them. You keep an eye on Ruby."
"So you know, I haven't told Yang about Raven being here either."
"I see. Emerald?"
"Human trafficker from her past who was conveniently absent during the attack."
"I see." That was definitely anger. Tai took a deep breath. "Do you know when the last time Ruby slept was?"
"I assume last night. We haven't gone to bed yet."
"See what you can do."
"Tai…I'm not who she needs."
"She needs a big brother."
"Not one who doesn't see anything wrong in her actions, if I'm right. Not one that has such a dismissal of life. I killed more. I don't know how to help other than following her ideals in this situation."
"One who doesn't see her as a monster. If you're right."
Mercury blinked. "What? She would actually…?"
"She might."
"But…Why?"
"Because killing is wrong. For someone like Ruby, Yang and many others…It's a heavy weight on your conscience. Felix could explain this better to you if you need it."
That was not a conversation Silvertongue had had with Felix. The value of life and why killing isn't always the best solution; yes. He had accepted that much. However, they had never really discussed how most people would feel after killing someone, justified or not.
Tai hadn't commented on Mercury killing today either.
"I'll…see what I can do for now. I don't think Felix would appreciate it at the moment."
"I think he would like to talk to Silvertongue. More often than he does."
Mercury had had this talk before. It meant more now. "Shall I call him now or at a more sunlit time?"
"Let me call him first. You and Ruby get some sleep."
"Right. I'll call you later."
"Stay safe Eris."
Mercury hung up. He rubbed his eyes.
What am I supposed to say?
First off was to wait until the kids had gone to bed. Ruby was focused on that and woudn't think on much else. He would head that way when he could no longer hear the guitar.
Had Tai been asleep? He didn't sound like he had been asleep.
Mercury put it out of his mind. Tai was not the only one he needed to talk to and, if he was heading back home and then Beacon for a bit, then he might not get another chance for a while. He was sure this talk should be had sooner rather than later.
Now where is he?
Dustin had proven to be tricky to find. While Mercury knew his colour in Grimm vision, everyone else was so bright that he couldn't see him. He had tried to keep a casual look out while helping to clean up, but had yet to see him.
I suspect that's an indirect effect of his Semblance. As he sees death and destruction most nights, he might be desensitised to it. Everyone else is so devastated, he is far more difficult to see.
This was a drawback to this vision that Mercury had not considered. His initial thoughts on uses for hostage situations and the like may need to be re-evaluated. He struggled to look for a dimmer individual because his focus automatically snapped to the much brighter.
There were no more Grimm coming for the moment though. Those that had been close enough had been destroyed and everyone's slightly calmer demeanour means that ones from farther away were no longer interested.
Mercury suspected that the village had avoided a severe Grimm attack solely due to good timing. Teams from all four academies had been sent on missions these past three weeks at least, so there were less Grimm in the area. His sisters being a prime example.
What is the actual range that a Grimm is drawn to?
Maybe with more communication outside the Kingdoms, there may be enough information to form theories on that. So far, Mercury understood is as 'the older and bigger the Grimm, the more negativity it takes but the more range it has'.
Unfortunate that that theory is based on second or third hand accounts.
It was surprising how little of Remnant its inhabitants actually understood.
His thought process was cut off by spotting the one person he wanted to see.
Moss Root College. Why there?
Dustin was sitting on one of the three surviving benches outside the building. His head was on his fists, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.
Mercury approached him. It was only when a shadow fell on him that Dustin looked up. He blinked up at Mercury. He remained quiet though.
Mercury gestured to the bench. "May I join you?"
"…Yeah. Sure."
There was a scroll balanced precariously on Dustin's other side. Mercury chose to ignore it for now, settling on the bench with him. He was careful to give him space and tried to appear as non-threatening as he could.
"You were right. It was Talaria."
Dustin frowned slightly. He took a moment to respond. "But she wasn't the threat."
"There was no way for you to know that. And to be fair, she was to them."
Mercury gave it a few seconds. Dustin didn't respond.
"How you holding up?"
"…Fine."
Mercury didn't belive that. He considered what to say. "About your Semblance or the raid?"
"…The raid. My Semblance…No change there."
Mercury hummed. It was meant as an acknowledgement. From the slight relaxation of Dustin, it seemed to work a little.
"I wonder. I saw a bandit a few times when I first got here but…I'm not sure I would have stayed if I wasn't so sure there would be an attack at some point. This particular tribe is somewhat known and they tend to avoid going after well-connected places. I think without your input, I may have thought they were just after gossip."
It wasn't an entire lie. He had not thought that Raven would wait as long as she did. He wasn't sure he wouldn't have left after a month or two without something more.
That made Dustin stiffen. "Are you trying to say it was useful?" That tone was tense and even a little angry.
This was shaky ground, Mercury could tell. But he had no reason to manipulate Dustin, so he chose to tell him the truth. "Of the variables I considered before deciding to stay for as long as necessary, it was one of the key ones. Not the only key one, but definitely one of them."
Qrow's Semblance was passive. He had no natural control over it, but it was worse when he was emotionally stressed.
If Dustin's was similar, maybe the future visions may be more positive if he could learn to view it more positively. It was a theory and Mercury doubted Dustin would appreciate hearing it. It would sound very callous and was none of Mercury's business.
Dustin was quiet for a while longer.
"If you only stayed for this attack, are you leaving?"
"Yeah. I'll be back in a few days but I won't be staying long. Probably only a day or two at most."
"I see." Dustin was coming to some sort of a decision.
"What's your plan?" In his time in Faymarsh, Mercury knew nothing about Dustin's family. He had been staying in rented places. He knew nothing about this teenager, unlike nearly everyone else in the village.
All Mercury knew was that Dustin wasn't a local and been at the village for about seven months. He had no idea if he had family or friends anywhere.
I do wonder what caused his aura to be unlocked in the first place. It obviously wasn't done at a combat school.
Dustin glanced at his scroll. "I…I think I'll finish this year at school and go from there."
Mercury considered. Making a decision of his own, he reached into his bag for a pen and paper. He ripped off a small strip, wrote a number and offered it to Dustin.
"My scroll number. Feel free to call or message anytime."
I had better not regret this.
Dustin stared long and hard at the paper. Finally, something shifted in his expression. He took the paper, folded it and kept it in his hand. "Thanks."
The conversation was over. Mercury could sense that. It was time to get back to work.
"If I don't see you again, good luck Dustin."
"Yeah. You too." His mind was clearly elsewhere. It was a generic answer to a farewell; he may not have heard him.
Mercury left him to his thoughts.
Time to get back to the physical aftermath. Where was I?
Most of the buildings that had been damaged were irretrievable. They would have to be re-built from scratch. Most of these structures had been village landmarks, not homes. The library/town centre was one of the ones beyond repair.
Few of the trinkets and art could be scavenged. Mercury had only learned today that none of those had been bought; all were local pieces. He had assumed some were purchased; he had seen a recreation in a museum in Vale. Apparently not.
Ruby was playing a lullaby.
After Mercury had gone through the town centre remains, he moved on to the restaurant. Unlike most of the targeted buildings, this one was still mainly in one piece. The windows would need replacing and the inside renovated, but otherwise manageable. As he understood it, this was a family business in its fourth generation.
Quite rare on Remnant from where I've been so far. But then, not many villages last this long.
Even if the failed raid hadn't destroyed this business, Mercury would surprised if it survived long enough for the eldest son to inherit.
Not my problem.
No one bothered Mercury as he worked through the building. He wasn't sure where the owners were. He hadn't seen them since the morning.
Ruby's music ended.
Mercury turned around and switched his vision. Ruby was very easy to see. To him, she was the brightest in the village; the brightest he had ever seen. The other ones were moving away. Ruby was talking to one of the surviving Huntsman.
After a moment's thought, Mercury began to walk that way. He had had enough for now. Even with his night vision, this was getting difficult without the owners' help. What he considered junk, they might consider an heirloom.
Once Ruby was left alone, he felt a tug on the bond. Ruby wanted his company.
If she feels this bad about her two justified deaths, how is she going to feel about my casual slaughter of one hundred and six? And that's not including the ones in their own camp.
Mercury did not regret it and, if the situation happened again, he would still do the same thing. Although, after he saw the reaction of the bandits to the Guardian Form, he may have summoned it earlier. Something to keep in mind.
He didn't stick to the roads. There was no one around; he would happily phase the direct route to his destination until the final point.
What do I say?
Ruby carefully touched the rune on the guitar case. It shrunk into palm size. She picked it up and lowered it slowly into her bag.
She looked at him and tried to smile.
"Hey Ruby. Let's call it a night. Start over tomorrow."
Talaria chittered from her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek. Ruby raised a hand, absentmindedly petting her.
"…Yeah…"
Mercury reached out and slowly pulled her close, looking for any sign she wanted him at a distance. She stepped very close to him. She let him lead her through the streets without complaint.
There was no aura for him to read.
No aura, no aura. I don't see anything wrong, she's not limping not-…I can smell blood but that could be what's on her clothes. Her aura should have regenerated if it was shattered and using the rune meant she has some but…unless…it has and she's not projecting it at all…
That's…
Talaria flew ahead of them, choosing to keep a look out for danger while Mercury looked after Ruby.
There was no one at the desk of the inn. Mercury would sort that out tomorrow. For tonight, Ruby was staying with him.
Mercury gently pushed her into the room. "You can use the shower first." Maybe if Ruby didn't want to break down in front of Mercury, she could just do so there. If she did break down.
Ruby blinked. "Shower." She looked down at her clothes. "Shower. Right." Her fingers fiddled with the hood of her cloak. She lifted it over her head and offered it to Mercury. He took it. She turned towards the other door in the room.
"Ruby." He held out her bag. He knew she would have more clothes in there.
She accepted the bag without comment. The door shut behind her. Seven seconds later, the shower was running.
There was no blood on the cloak. It was hung on the coat rack.
Mercury sat down in the chair, letting out a long breath.
Talaria didn't settle in the nest on the bedside table. She stood on the desk.
"How is she?"
{Looks right. Smells wrong. Sad fletchling Ruby.}
"Yeah."
Mercury considered. Get changed into clothes for the following day or change into clothes more comfortable for sleeping? He wasn't sure how long he was going to stay in bed, but it was definitely going to have be longer than he normally did.
Either way, I'm sure there's blood in my hair at least so I do need a shower.
Putting the dilemma out of his mind, he turned his full attention to the little dragon. "Are you okay? No problems with your new form?"
Talaria chitted happily. {Power. Protected hatchlings. Enemy pack could not hurt me.}
"That's a relief to hear."
The shower was still going. That wasn't unusual.
Ozpin had given Talaria magic. They theorised that it would activate properly when someone in the pack was in trouble; that had been the point. However, none of her Packmates had been anywhere near her. She had been protecting a different pack's hatchlings.
Okay, hatchlings I spend a somewhat significant amount of time with and the lines were clearly drawn between which pack was friend and which was foe…
The bandit tribe had not been able to hurt her. Their weapons had been useless, both ranged and close combat.
The same amount of magic that Qrow, Raven and I have…Our size and shaped changed incredibly but hers is not too different in shape…so maybe that magic went to defending her instead?
He would have to think very carefully on how to test her limits. In battle with an enemy was a terrible time to learn if there was a significant weakness.
Stay with Ruby until she woke up or leave and help rebuild, as she would want?
What do I say to her?
It might be worth trying to find out which death bothered her more or if they were even. A callous, sadist murderer against an innocent kid and her family? How was there no comparison there? How was all life equal when their decisions were not?
Tai had and had not been helpful.
Mercury seriously considered calling Qrow.
But then, this tribe had been Qrow's family too once. They may be his family of choice, but Mercury had seen some people affected by attachments quite far into the past.
And I'm back to the fact this tribe raised a kid who they knew brought bad luck.
And that wasn't even getting into the topic of Raven herself.
It was probably best to wait until Tai had spoken to Qrow.
Now I'm passing the buck.
Mercury hated doing that.
The shower shut off.
Ruby was out quick. Her eyes were dull, shoulders down and stance was tired.
A few seconds passed. Ruby didn't say anything.
Talaria growled lowly. She flew over to her nest on the side cabinet. She lay down and stared at Ruby. Then snarled slightly.
Ruby frowned. She hadn't seen Talaria behave like this, so didn't know what she wanted.
"That's her telling you to go to bed," Mercury translated.
Talaria had moved on from using Atlesian code alone. Mercury had been able to determine which sounds meant what for certain words and events. She no longer spelt out words like 'Mother', 'hatchling', 'fletchling' or 'sleep'. With Ruby, she was being a little more obvious; that final snarl was almost a threat.
I would love to be able to understand Parseltongue.
Ruby's gaze went back to him. She blinked. "You're red."
Mercury stopped his instinctive response. That wouldn't help and would probably hurt. He took a moment to think. "Yeah, I need a shower too. Get comfy. I won't be long."
Ruby didn't move.
Talaria barked at her. Firm and authoritive. Mercury understood that as along the lines of 'Do what you're told, you idiot'. At least, that was normally the context when she made that sound to the kids after Mercury scolded them for doing something that was going to see them in hospital at best.
Which happens quite often, come to think of it.
That got Ruby moving. She was focused on Talaria and not the bed.
Mercury grabbed some clothes and slipped into the bathroom. Apparently, he had subconsciously chosen the more relaxed approach to tomorrow morning.
He kept the shower as short as he could. He would have preferred to skip it but Ruby would probably care if he had blood on him. He wanted her better, not compound the problem.
Ruby was at least in the bed when he returned to the room. She wasn't trying to sleep. She was on her back, staring at the ceiling.
Talaria's head popped over the side of her nest. Her grumble was so low, Ruby didn't hear it.
Mercury eyes flickered to her, then back to Ruby. Rather than head to the bed, he went for the chair by the desk.
"Not trying to sleep?"
He waited. Ruby didn't move or answer.
Hmm. Let's try something else.
"You know…You never told me what your plan was."
Ruby's head turned to him then. "Plan…?"
"Yeah. You said you had a plan that needed my information and money."
"Oh…That plan…"
Maybe this wasn't the right topic.
"I thought…I remembered what you said to Dr Oobleck back in Mountain Glenn."
Mercury tiled his head, thinking back. He hadn't thought Ruby was paying much attention at the time.
"And recently, I was thinking…A lot of people can kill Grimm and I wanted…want to do more."
Mercury chose not to point out that the number of Huntsmen and Huntresses was currently quite low. That was something that time would fix. Ruby had met an Omega Grimm, so there was no need to comment on that either. Maybe he should go deal with the known ones when he found the time. The ones he had seen at a casual glance had some pretty good money attached.
"…What do you want?"
"…I knew he would die."
Mercury stopped himself from reacting to that. It was an abrupt change in topic and definitely not what he expected.
"It didn't even occur to me to…I mean, I didn't try to talk to him. I knew it wouldn't work and I didn't even try. And I still couldn't save her."
Mercury had only seen the result. The bullet wound in the girl's head matched Crescent Rose. He would probably never know exactly what happened. The man had been cut from behind, so that matched.
Although, if Ruby didn't move the bodies, then the positioning is slightly odd. He hadn't moved after death; the blood states that. But maybe…
It didn't matter now.
"I couldn't save either of them. I didn't even try with him."
"…If you didn't kill him Ruby, there was a very good chance I would have. He would have needed incredible luck to get out of the village without me or any of the Grimm killing him. He was almost certainly dead. Just a matter of who or what did the deed."
It wasn't the reassurance she would want, but Mercury wanted her to understand the truth of the situation before she formed any ideas. If she was going to be traumatised by this, she was going to have the facts to recover from.
"…I know." Ruby's voice was quieter now. "Life's not a fairy tale, is it."
Depends on the version of the fairy tale. "No. Reality isn't fair to everyone. After what I saw, I am certain he wouldn't have stopped even if you did try."
Ruby's breathing was too slow. It wasn't even this pace when she slept.
"What were their names?"
"The little girl was called Cella. I don't know his name. I didn't plan on trying to find out and I wouldn't really know where to start." He had slaughtered nearly everyone who would and he didn't think Raven would be interested in telling him.
"So he wouldn't be remembered?"
"I highly doubt the people that know and survived care." Mercury didn't pretend to know how close the tribe members actually were, but he had no doubt that individual survival came first, especially when the collective tribe was dead.
"Everyone should be remembered."
Mercury again swallowed back his first response and then his second. After a moment considering his words, he couldn't really find any that didn't sound like a confrontation. So he remained quiet.
"You don't agree." It was flat; it wasn't a question.
"No." No point in lying about that.
Ruby didn't frown or really react to that. There was no change to her brightness in Grimm vision.
"You have your opinion and I have mine."
That had always been the case. Mercury thought about his response while making sure to answer a sensible second after Ruby's words.
"You can say one opinion is more common than another, but it is very difficult to say when one is completely wrong."
"Opinions are based on personal experience. I want to save people, not k-hurt them. You want to survive and it was the ones that survived that caused your pain."
"You can tell me that my opinion is uncommon Ruby, but in my life it's valid. You can say killing is always wrong as often as you want. I can't believe that. That's not my life."
"…I know."
"It shouldn't be yours-"
"Why? Because I grew up with a bed every night and never went peckish, never mind hungry? Always had Dad and Yang and even Uncle Qrow?"
Mercury re-thought exactly how to say what was he was originally going to before Ruby bluntly cut him off.
"Among other things. You grew up with morals. Until today…or yesterday…You were never really in a position required to make those decisions. I don't think a lot of people really know how they would react until they are in that position."
"And I killed a defenceless man."
"I think defenceless is a bit of a stretch." He had thought about removing his natural tint to the words, but then he thought Ruby would think he was just saying that if he didn't sound natural. "Would you have attacked a woman with the intent of ripping her soul out?"
"No." Immediate. Angry. "There's no circumstances that would have me do that. No matter how desperate or suicidal. I would rather die than do that."
That was not the thing to say there. Then again, she was angry but defensive. She never understood that and I don't think she ever wanted to understand. She was just willing to accept that we did that for reasons she had not experienced.
This was not the time for the blackmail debate either.
What do I say?
Killed. Not murdered.
"Ruby…I want to understand. What are you feeling? Towards him and Cella?"
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Thirty seconds.
One minute.
Ten minutes.
Half an hour.
Mercury accepted that Ruby wasn't going to say anything more.
Ruby curled around him as he laid down on the bed. Her aura felt…weird. There was no other word for it. He didn't focus on her as she wasn't focused on him. The casual contact was too weird to understand.
Mercury didn't plan on sleeping. He wasn't expecting a physical attack. However, if the girls still slept in the same bed to keep away nightmares, Ruby was almost certainly going to dream tonight.
Tonight was not the time to consider trying to wean off sleeping in groups to deal with said nightmares.
Talaria left her nest. She balanced on the coat rack by the door, ready for battle if needed. Mercury was looking after his Nestmate. Talaria would focus on external threats to the Pack.
Ruby closed her eyes. She slept.
/
Mercury had hung up a few seconds ago.
Tai took a deep breath.
Tonight wasn't supposed to go like this. This shouldn't have happened.
Raven…You disgusting-
Tai took another deep breath and let it out far more slowly.
His children were now safe. Others probably weren't.
"I have reason to think she may have killed someone."
Mercury's tone was very uncertain (uncharacteristic), but he seemed sure of his words.
Ruby had killed tonight.
This…was a part of reality Tai had hoped would never need happen to his kids. It may have been too late for Mercury and even Emerald, but he had hoped that Ruby and Yang could be spared. That all four of them could be.
A foolish hope in reality but all the same…
Qrow immediately. Yang and Emerald together.
Do I ring them tonight and wake them for this news or wait until later morning?
How long will Mercury and Ruby stay in Faymarsh for?
Tai pressed the call button.
He didn't know what exactly to say, which wasn't helped by the fact he didn't have any details. All he knew was that Mercury had definitely killed a lot of bandits and Ruby had almost certainly killed someone tonight.
The time zone difference between Patch and Vacuo meant that Qrow was awake at this point. He had long since learned to answer Tai's calls as soon as he could.
In this case, two rings.
"Hey Tai. Social call or problem?" This was normally how he answered his scroll and would affect where he had the conversation.
"Problem with the kids."
"Right. One sec." The background noise dimmed considerably. After a moment, there was a door closing. "Okay."
Tai put a great amount of effort into not crushing the scroll in his hand. "The reason why Mercury has been at Faymarsh so long was because he had seen Raven hanging around. She attacked yesterday."
"Shit. Any idea what happened? If Mercury called you, then he's fine, right?"
"Mercury's fine. It doesn't sound like Ruby is."
"Ruby? What was Ruby doing there? Wait today's date-"
"Ruby was the only one in Faymarsh. The other two are back safe at Beacon; Ozpin confirmed that." This was how Tai knew Ruby had stayed with Mercury for the day, as he hadn't heard from any of the girls for a few days. Ozpin had kept him up to date with their school field trips since Mountain Glenn. "Mercury said he thinks she may have killed someone. That seemed to be what was bothering him. I think he rang me mainly for advice with her."
"Do you think it helped? What did you say?"
"I told him that she needed a big brother. Someone she could talk to without fear they thought she was a monster. His problem was that he thought an assassin was the wrong person to talk to. He's going to send her home as soon as he can."
There was heavy breathing on the other end of the line for a while.
Tai waited, trying to be patient.
"I'm coming home."
Tai strongly agreed with that. "I plan to ring Mercury tomorrow for more details. I talked him out of calling you tonight to deliver the news and told him to focus on Ruby."
"Right. Good. She needs him more."
Tai disagreed somewhat with that. Felix did need Silvertongue, but now over the scroll was not the time for that. Or the discussion on why Mercury would call Tai and not Qrow in this situation when he had gone to Qrow for nearly everything else.
"When will you be home?"
"I'll take the next ship so…about this time tomorrow."
"See you then. Take care."
"…Yeah. See you then."
Qrow hung up.
He didn't take that well. Not surprising.
That had been a hard call. The next one would be even worse.
Now or later?
Tai wanted to wait until they would be awake.
But Yang could sometimes stay in until past lunch…
Tai wanted to tell them together. He also wanted to tell them before Mercury called them. Tai didn't think he would, but he might message that they were heading back home and one answer leads to another.
The next thought was to tell them that Raven had visited, but not that Mercury suspected (or knew) Ruby had killed. Then again, if they didn't know and they made a poor comment…
Raven why did you-
Tai leaned back in the couch, staring at Yang's name.
They should be allowed to sleep.
His internal debate lasted for a few minutes, going back and forth.
Then he jolted.
An incoming call from Emerald.
What's wrong? There too…?
Tai let out a breath. He hit the button.
"Hi Emerald. Can't sleep?"
"It…Just a dream."
"Real or imaginary?" An event from a previous Maiden, her own life or other nightmares. Of his daughters, Tai had been most worried about Emerald. Until today.
"Real. It's one I have fairly often."
That wasn't good. "Want to talk about it?"
"No." Emerald hesitated. "Well yes but…No."
Tai guessed that she needed to hear someone else's voice and a distraction.
Even more, he didn't want to tell her.
A door opened the other end. Emerald was likely leaving her dorm.
Tai sighed. "Emerald, something happened in Faymarsh today. They're fine but heading home for a while."
There was quiet on the other end for a moment. Two moments.
Then there was cursing from Yang.
That was not what Tai wanted. "Emerald-"
"We want to hear more now. Not later. What happened? It must be bad if they're heading home."
"No."
"I have just woken Yang."
"I heard and I will have a word later. This isn't a conversation to have over the scroll."
Shuffling noises. "Fine," Yang replied. "We'll be back home tomor-today. Is this about the secret that Mercury is keeping about Faymarsh?"
Almost certainly. He did mention he hadn't told Yang.
"I think coming home is a good idea." They were coming from Beacon. Ruby and Mercury were coming from Faymarsh. They would have some time alone before Quicksilver arrived and Qrow would be even later.
"We saw them first thing this morning! Yesterday morning. What happened?"
"We'll talk later Yang. Physically, they're okay but Ruby's going to need some support." A lot of support.
Tai remembered the first man he killed very well. He had managed somewhat normally somehow the next day and even the day after but then…
Then I don't remember. I was never sure if it was the drink or I just don't remember.
Justified self-defence against a serial killer that had been interrupted.
Tai understood very well what Ruby was likely going through.
Emerald took the scroll back. "Was it-"
"It wasn't the one after you Emerald." Mercury wasn't sure where this man stood but his disappearing was convenient. "It was nothing to do with you."
"…Mercury told you about that?"
"This morning. Just enough to say why you weren't there."
"And me?" Yang asked, scathingly.
Tai made a note of that. He needed to have a long talk with Yang.
"He said nothing about you." That was a lie, but an easy one to make and an even easier one to see through. The moment Tai mentioned Raven, Yang would put the pieces together.
He would work through Yang's anger while waiting for Mercury and Ruby.
"Do you honestly expect us to go back to sleep?" Emerald. Something was off about her tone, but then she may have guessed from his tone what had happened.
"No but I expect you to try. This is going to be a long day."
"I see. Sorry to call Tai. Did I wake you?"
"No. I was up before Mercury called me. Feel free to call me anytime you need me."
"See you later Tai."
"Goodnight girls."
"Wait a-"
Tai assumed it was Emerald that hung up as Yang certainly didn't sound done. He considered calling back. None of them were going to get any sleep and they sounded very wound up. He could see them getting into an argument.
An argument that Emerald had deliberately cut him out off.
Do I call back?
It might be for the best-
Tai sighed.
He had no idea what Mercury had said to Emerald or what the discussion between Emerald and Yang now was about. If Emerald had guessed Raven or even another bandit tribe was involved then…
He opened the front door. Zwei, who had been on the couch up until a few moments ago, trotted over to join him.
A walk felt like a good idea.
Tai made sure to keep his scroll on him.
/
Emerald slowly lowered the scroll onto the bedside table.
Yang crossed her arms, glaring at her. "What gives?"
"I had that dream again."
"Krystal's death?" Yang was sympathetic there. It couldn't be easy to constantly re-live someone's death, especially from the victim's viewpoint.
And that it was Mercury's father that did it.
Emerald ignored her. There was no need to confirm it. "I called Qrow to talk. After a while, he told me Tai was still awake and to call him."
Yang considered. Emerald was going on this tangent for a reason. "Did Dad say anything else? Like what actually happened at Faymarsh?"
"No. Ruby's going to need support and Mercury's not. That suggests it was something emotional or humane. Mortem wasn't involved but it certainly sounded like someone else was."
Emerald had an idea.
Yang hated that she was always the last to know. Especially if this is connected to the reason Mercury did not want her in Faymarsh.
"And? So what?"
"I wonder where Raven is right now."
"What are you…?"
…
…
"What."
She could not be serious.
"You think…"
"Eris didn't want you at Faymarsh and he never said why. Something that has caused him to stick around for months later than he planned. Why?"
Surely Raven wouldn't…
Especially not with Ruby…
"No. If Eris thought Raven was there, he wouldn't have allowed Athena to visit either."
Mercury had told her his thoughts on Raven and she had no doubt he was being somewhat nicer because it was her daughter he was talking to.
Emerald considered that. She hummed slightly. "Thing is, I don't see any other reason why he wouldn't tell you."
"Well…He would…Um…What if…"
…
Damn it.
Yang couldn't either.
"There has to be something. He doesn't like Raven; he wouldn't risk Ruby." Raven wouldn't hurt Ruby.
"Well, we'll find out soon enough."
What wouldn't he tell me? Why did he not want me at Faymarsh? What wouldn't he tell me? There must be something else.
Yang collapsed on the bed. Her thoughts were going around in circles and until she got answers to those two questions, she wasn't going to get anywhere.
It didn't help that these questions had been in her mind since their group call.
The silence dragged.
Yang eventually groaned.
"Do you really think Raven is involved?"
Emerald takes a moment to answer. "I hope not. I just…I can't think of anything else. That's honestly the only reason. I mean…he was upfront about Mortem. Why not just say why he didn't want you there? He said you would be safe, but not happy. So…"
That was the sticking point.
Mercury was very honest about his reasoning. They normally disagreed with said reasoning but it was his point of view. They didn't normally need to ask and he had always answered when they did (which normally resulted in them regret asking).
That was why this was so jarring.
"And Ruby? What do you think there?"
"…I don't know."
Hang on a sec…
"Em, do you think that Raven is on your mind because of the nightmare?"
She seemed to consider it. "Probably. But again, I can't think of another explanation. Though, would Raven be stupid enough to attack a village while the son of the man who killed her Spring Maiden was there?"
"So it wasn't Raven."
That shouldn't be a relief. After all, Raven was still raiding towns and killing people. It was still innocent and defenceless people dying. It was selfish to feel that, because it wasn't her brother and sister, that it was better.
But it was.
"We're supposed to be heading to Haven next month. Do you think it's better for Ruby to drop out now?"
Emerald sighed. "I don't know. I know I found it easier when I had something else to focus on. Let's see how she is before we make big decisions like that. Maybe the other stuff will be good for her."
The main issue was that Yang didn't really know how to help. This wasn't a monster she could smash or advice for romance. She knew that she had been of little help during the worst of Emerald's mental state after Mountain Glenn.
Hell…Even now she's suffering from nightmares we aren't. These ones we can't help her with.
Yang hadn't told Mercury that either.
And she had promised to.
She would mention it later when she saw him.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"You're getting this nightmare a lot."
"I can cope. But right now, I'm worried about Ruby."
"Yeah. Me too. But-"
"I'm not talking to you about it Yang."
"But-"
"It'll pass. It always does."
"And it'll come back."
"And I'll deal with it then."
Emerald could be very infuriating at times. Sometimes, Yang just felt like smacking someone's head against the wall, her own or otherwise.
"Well, I'm not going back to sleep. Fancy going for a trip around the place?"
Emerald thought about it. "Okay. Where?"
Anywhere would do. Neither of them were going back to sleep so they needed something to do. Yang knew that dwelling was a bad idea. Vale was out; she didn't want Emerald wandering around the city in the middle of the night while they were both this distracted.
"Let's see who else is up." There normally were students awake around Beacon at all times. Far fewer students were as innocent now as they were when Yang was in first year.
"George and Lily."
At any other time, Yang would expect a fight.
But this had become another rule after the kidnappings and death: outside hour wanderings were a peacetime. No fights allowed.
"Together?"
"No."
Yang nodded. "Shall we see if they want something?"
"Sure."
Lily was found by the courtyard statue. She didn't say what was bothering her and they did not ask. She was up for a distraction. George was at the airstrip. He offered a game of poker in his greeting. Lily didn't know how to play, so they settled with bridge.
Yang sucked at bridge and was only a little better at poker. She still won more than she lost. Only Emerald did consistently well.
She didn't seem bothered at all, Yang eventually noticed.
Once the airstrip was open, all four of them silently headed for three separate bullheads. Lily had to wait for one to refuel. Coco had returned from a weekend away somewhere. She nodded to them and headed back towards the school.
"Morning." The pilot's name was Sandi. She was a very morning person; unlike many of the other pilots working for Beacon.
Yang and Emerald didn't respond. That would be the reason Sandi didn't talk any further. She dropped them off by Patch pier, same as ever. The path was the same as ever.
Of course, Dad was up. He was moving around the kitchen.
It was only when he offered them mugs that Yang clicked he had been making hot chocolate. There was even whipped cream and marshmallows.
"Thank you." Emerald took a mouthful, licking off the moustache that resulted. "Have you heard from them?"
"Not this morning." Dad sighed. "It's…complicated."
"Complicated?"
Dad was quiet for a long moment. "It never should have happened." He gestured to the living room.
Yang led the way to the couch. Dad was badly shaken. She had seen that before. Back when Mom…
Emerald curled herself in the corner of the couch. It wasn't defensive though. It was more like she was cold.
Except she doesn't get cold anymore…
Yang settled next to her. She was fidgety and desperate to move around. Her fingers began to tap on the empty seat next to her.
Dad sat down on the chair nearby. He was still on edge.
"Dad?"
Emerald didn't say anything. She just took another sip, more careful now she had actually reached the boiling drink. Yang's was untouched.
"Faymarsh was attacked yesterday. By bandits."
No.
Yang froze.
Emerald frowned heavily. She plucked a marshmallow off the cream and nibbled on it. "Raven. Right?"
No.
"Yes." It was quiet, but firm. "Faymarsh is still standing and they're uninjured. But…"
Dad didn't need to finish.
Yang jerked to her feet. She began to pace. She needed to move; needed to do something. Needed to-
"Sit down Yang."
"Are you insane?! After what she did-!"
"Sit. Down."
Yang growled.
But after a lifetime of that tone, Yang knew better than to disobey. She sat down.
"Right now, that's not important."
"Dad-!"
"What's important right now is that Ruby has been deeply hurt by this. She doesn't need this right now and you don't need to get worked up on something you can't control."
"The hell I can't."
"Yang-"
"I had a right to know!"
"There's been snow in April."
Yang shut up. She turned her head sharply to glare at Emerald. Dad didn't interrupt.
How dare she-
"They had stopped in Oniyuri, a destroyed village they were not responsible for." Emerald picked off another marshmallow. She studied it very carefully. She was deliberately not looking at Yang. "Krystal was on guard duty that night. She was trying to knit a jumper for one of the kids. Jay. He was only about eight and had joined with his father, but had lost him since. She was struggling with the backstitch."
Yang's fists slowly uncurled.
"Raven approached her then. She offered her hand and Krystal handed it over. Said it wasn't one of her strengths. That she was much better with a blade than a needle."
Emerald dropped the marshmallow in the hot chocolate. Just watched it as it dissolved.
"Raven sat next to her. She said…'Needles are trickier to master. It takes more patience, skill and time we don't normally have. Tonight, we'll indulge.'"
Dad flinched.
Is that…what Raven's voice sounds like?
"They didn't talk any more for the rest of the night. Raven showed her how it was done with the jumper Krystal was working on. Krystal started a new one. She finished that on her own. She showed it to Raven. 'Perfect for the wilderness we conquer'."
Yang swallowed.
Emerald's eyes met Yang's. They were stern. "Get it out of your system Yang. I'll stall them for as long as is reasonable, but this isn't about you. If you're going to pick your link with Raven over your sister's wellbeing, stay away from us until Ruby's up for it."
With that, she swallowed her drink in a few gulps and headed out the front door.
Yang's eyes didn't follow her.
She didn't dare look at Dad either.
"…That…was Raven's voice. I don't know if you remember it."
Yang didn't. "That was uncalled for."
Dad smiled softly. "Yes. It was."
"Is that…the Raven you remember?"
"It sounds very much like her."
…
Yang had tried to get over Raven. Her mother had left her; so what? She didn't need need Raven, didn't need…
It was easier to say the words. It was easier to let go when Raven was just a figure out there, somewhere where Yang would never see.
When Emerald brought up the idea that Raven could have been a mother…
"I'm trying."
"I know. Maybe…I should have told you sooner. Then you wouldn't be holding onto this for so long."
Would I? I always needed to know where I was from. Who I was. It wasn't about being enough or not being there. It was about knowing who I was.
That's not so easy to let go.
"I wasn't expecting them back so soon."
Yang blinked. When had Dad stood up? She mindlessly followed his gaze-
Emerald, Mercury and Ruby were heading to the treehouse.
Oh crap.
Yang had thought she had hours to moan at herself and curse how life wasn't fair.
Apparently not.
/
Mercury hadn't left her side. A constant presence.
Ruby wasn't comforted by it. She wasn't irritated by it. He was just…there.
After he said his goodbyes to those he needed to, he had summoned his Guardian Form. Ruby had climbed on mindlessly. She hadn't even noticed that it had taken on red colours or was so fast.
All she knew was that she was home.
"Hi Quicksilver."
"Hey Emerald," Mercury smiled. "You know, I'm beginning to wonder how much we owe Ozpin in fuel."
"I'm sure it's more than we can possibly afford. Then again, I'm not sure how much he actually paid Qrow in money so maybe it balances out. Besides, I'm quite sure other teams would owe as much as us. At least we live local."
"Blake."
"Exactly. She even missed classes. I could name three others in our year alone."
Ruby jolted as Mercury nudged her arm slightly. "What do you think? Fancy missing a few classes?"
Their conversation stabbed her as if she just heard it. She shook her head sharply. "No. I…I need to be back at Beacon. Soon."
"Need to?" Mercury's tone was difficult to understand. "Why?"
"I…"
Stench of copper-Blood-
Now. I need to start now.
"My plan. I…We would need to talk to people; to hear them out."
Emery exchanged a glance. They looked back at Ruby.
"Nope, not getting it," Mercury announced, sounding happy.
"Plan?" Emerald asked.
"Yeah but…I'll need a lot of help." Ruby started walking. "Come on. I'll tell you."
She didn't need to look back. Emery had exchanged a glance and had followed her.
Climbing was easy. They had picked this tree because they were sure it was strong. It could support a treehouse and them easily.
But when she pulled herself up onto the platform…
Cella?
Cella. Covered in blood. Lying there. Lifeless. Rug of red. Just like-
Something sharply poked her side.
"Ruby?"
Mercury.
That was the second or third time he had said her name. It was that tone.
But when she looked back, Cella was gone.
As if she had never been there.
"Sorry." She carefully stepped into the room. Avoided that area.
Emery obviously didn't know. Still, by chance, they settled against the opposite wall. There was just enough space that there was no overlap.
"So this plan…" Emerald started slowly. She wasn't sure how to continue.
"Is it an objective or a goal?" Mercury asked. Emerald glanced at him. She must have used her Semblance because he responded with an eye roll.
Ruby fiddled with her bag. "Bit of both. The goal is obvious but…the objectives are complicated."
Where is it?
It was a big binder. Why couldn't she find it?
"Err, Ruby? Out of magical curiosity or wherever Dust falls…How much stuff do you have in there?"
Oh. Mercury did say that the more things were in the bag, the harder they were to find. Ruby shifted a few more things. She was sure she hadn't taken it out.
"Umm…A lot."
"Can I count it later?"
"Sure." He liked studying these Runes from a more scientific viewpoint. She could help.
Now where is it?
It was behind the toolbox.
The issue with these bags wasn't the contents or the weight. It was always getting the larger items in and out.
Mercury blinked as the binder hit the floor. "That looks more like a project than a plan."
"That too." Ruby put her bag aside and pushed the binder towards them.
"How step by step is it?"
"Have a look."
Their looks were that borderline curiosity and suspicion. It was normally the look that they sported when they suspected she had a prank planned.
Emerald was the one who reached for it. She opened it randomly. It fell open on the smallest map of Remnant. She unfolded it and had a look.
"The CCTS towers and the boosters we put up and their ranges." Ruby had forgotten to add descriptions. "I was going to ask where the others were. You know, that other teams put up."
"Okay." Emerald was still confused.
Mercury was still curious. The suspicion was gone.
The next paper Emerald picked up was just a list of twenty names, though there were a lot of scribbles around them. Ruby opened her mouth to explain but before she could, Mercury spoke up.
"Orphanages. Though a little out of date. Fernside and Lamental Town have merged and I think these two are now one."
Another piece of paper and more names. This time, Emerald recognised them.
"Some of these were in your class at Signal. And others were in Yang's class, but didn't go to Beacon."
"And these were students at Beacon and the other Combat schools." Mercury scanned the list again. "But they dropped out. And since when does Hadrian work in the bar?"
Ruby swallowed. "His father was Henry Sundry…who-"
"Ah. I know. He died. So his son needed a job to support his family."
Died. So much death.
"Exactly. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but…"
"I'm still not seeing the plan here Ruby."
Ruby pulled the binder back. "Well…I want to help them. I mean, so many people have dreams they can't achieve. I want to help that. Like Team Oasis."
"Oasis?"
Emerald stilled. "After you left Beacon Merc. They're a team of second years that Theodore offered a scholarship to after they snuck into the Vytal Festival last time."
"Yeah," Ruby nodded. "It's just…On your travels Mercury, how many kids were in a position to choose what they want to do? How many have parents to look after them? How many have to look after themselves?"
Mercury folded his arms. "Are those rhetorical questions?"
"…Do you know?"
Emerald glanced at him.
"The kids that grew up with a life like yours were in the minority."
Ruby nodded slowly. "Lots of people at Beacon…They were affected by…what happened. The kidnappings. Most didn't have any more support than the school and their teams could provide. People outside the schools had even less support. That's who I can help. Who I want to help."
"Because most Huntsmen focus on the Grimm."
"And they need to, if we hadn't then…Even your Guardian Form would have struggled. And that Omega Beowolf may have been close enough to…"
They didn't say anything.
Ruby kept her eyes on the binder. She took a deep breath and continued.
"I want to set up a support group of sorts. I'll help anyone but I'm really hoping for the ones who have no one else. A bed to sleep in and food in their bellies at least. If they need a job, I can put in a good word. Last time I visited Tukson's, he was looking for an assistant. I know Jagoda's brother wants a long-term lifestyle job and loved books, so sent him that way. I visited him last week. He's talking about buying a bookshop when he's old enough and settling down."
"Like the company Harry was planning?"
Harry.
Harry…
"Sort of. With more communication around Remnant…How about a Guild sort of thing? Remnant doesn't have one, but it would be a good way for Huntsmen to…coordinate better."
Mercury hummed, leaning back. "That's a fair point. The only reason that Faymarsh will recover is because of its links to Atlas. The Huntsmen there are the ones that didn't join their army."
It's not fair that I can do whatever I dream because I happen to be born luckier. Sometimes, a helping hand is all that's needed.
"That sounds more like a goal than a plan."
Emerald glared at him again. Ruby got the impression that if it was Yang, there would be a violent hit involved.
"I know. I've spoken to Weiss a lot about this. And other students. It's about creating opportunities. For instance, Weiss wants to employ a lot more Faunus at the Schnee Dust Company when she takes charge. Properly." Ruby didn't understand what Weiss had meant by that. "But in order to do that, they need to have the same education or combat skill or some significant reason to hire them. She called it…um…Positive…positive…"
"Positive discrimination?" Emerald guessed.
"Yes. That. What's that?"
There was a moment of quiet as Emerald thought about how to phrase it. "Okay, in this example, you have a job opening. You decide you don't want a Faunus, so you automatically remove all of them from your list. That's negative discrimination. Positive discrimination is the opposite. You hire someone because they're a Faunus, not because they're suited for the job. That's what Weiss is trying to avoid. She wants her selection process to be fair and that they hire the best person for the job, regardless of who they are."
"Or like Harry only hiring muggleborns and halfbloods over purebloods."
"Exactly. I think it's going to be a while before he has that problem though."
Ruby had understood there was a massive problem with blood in Harry's world. She had seen that discrimination for herself and she thought that if racial slurs were getting thrown around at school, then the adult life was probably far worse.
She hadn't really seen it on Remnant. But then, she still hadn't seen much of Remnant and not very much of the behind-the-scenes stuff.
She had been a mudblood or a squib. Here she was a human.
"One idea was that someone wants a career in music but needs a teacher. Or they don't know what they want so they can talk to a lot of people about their jobs. A career talk sort of thing. At the very least, maybe somewhere they can go if they don't have anywhere."
Earth was very different from Remnant. There was a lot more choice. Without Grimm, the world had been able to advance so far and so many roles and niches had been made. If communication was more established and travel was more common…
That was the way the future was heading.
What I did to Cella won't happen again. What I did to that man…This should stop both. As best I can.
I can't-
With Mercury and Uncle Qrow dealing with the big problems across Remnant, Ruby could focus on the way of life for the civilian. Yang was happy to travel and help out wherever she could go but she wasn't one for commitments.
Smacking everything in your way was easy. Actually helping people…Dealing with the aftermath like they had been doing this morning…
Grimm are easy. People are hard.
"Would this have helped you?"
Ruby risked looking at them.
Mercury gave her a soft smile. "Marcus would not have allowed it. However…It would have interested me the day Cinder hired me, had she not shown up. You should get ready for a lot of suspicion and distrust."
"A lifetime of putting up with people like us," Emerald agreed. "It's not going to be easy. Actually, it's going to be very frustrating and thankless."
"I know. But that's what I want."
"I call it masochistic," Mercury stated.
Ruby smiled. "Maybe for you, it would be. But not for me." Help others who couldn't help themselves. That was why she existed.
Not…
She did not want to kill. Would not kill again.
But-
"You're still missing a lot of steps and objectives in your plan."
"It's a work in progress. Some of the steps will only crop up when they do. But I think that it's off to a good start in some of the ways that are important."
Mercury relaxed his arms and gave her a long look. Ruby wasn't sure she liked that look.
Emerald shook her head slightly. "I…may have found it useful. Maybe I would have ended up in a bookshop instead of a Huntress. But not anymore. That's not what I want from life anymore."
Ruby tilted her head. "What do you want from life?"
"Not sure. But not that."
"Well…Maybe this will still help. But I'm going to need a lot of help."
Mercury answered fairly quickly. "Well, I think that Remnant has some way to go before bank interest and stock market is an established thing. You can have most of my money. It's not like I'll need much of it."
Emerald was a little slower. "I'll help as much as I can, but honestly? It's not likely to be long-term. I'm sorry Ruby."
"That's fine," Ruby shrugged. She thought she shrugged. "As you said, this is something that only a few would want to do. I'm sure I'll meet them soon, if I don't already know them."
Emery were more likely to meet the kids that Ruby wanted to help. That had been the experience of their life so far. They had the same home and Beacon school experience.
But somehow their lifestyles were still very different.
"So what's your plan for tomorrow?" Yang. How long had she been hanging around, out of view?
"We have classes tomorrow. And I promised I would play guitar for someone who wants to audition for the singing competition at the Haven Vytal Festival this year. And I'm supposed to be helping in the hand-to-hand combat club." Which still didn't have a catchier name.
"That's…a lot to do."
"Some people like the company of others Mercury," Yang replied. She focused on Ruby. "Sure that's what you want? We can stay home a bit if you like."
"I don't mind if we stay a bit but I'm happy to get back to Beacon. I can do more there."
"…Okey dokey. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a history essay due this week."
Tuesday. It was due Tuesday.
Yang has said she had already done it.
Maybe she had or maybe she hadn't.
The point was that they were heading back into the world tomorrow.
Although…
"Mercury? Can we use your Guardian Form to get back to Beacon tomorrow? Please?"
Mercury tilted his head. "Sure. But why?"
"Because…A lot of the airships will be in use tonight. It's only another month or two before we start heading to Haven. Some of the other students need it more."
"Uh huh. Any other reason?"
Because I want to savour being home for a little longer, especially when I'm not sure when we will all be together again. Especially after what happened at the last Festival. This is what I'm fighting for; so others get a chance to experience this.
Cella…and him…
"Yes."
None of them asked further.