In the days that followed, Ruby studied intensely in order to hone both her combat ability and her psychological intuition. While she considered her first session with Ironwood a success given how well he was responding, she knew helping him fully overcome his issues was by no means an easy task. If she was going to bring down Salem, she needed to toughen up and learn to apply more of her intelligence to the task. However, there was one issue with her strategy that needed to be addressed as quickly as possible.
Her teammates needed to cooperate with her, and leaving them in the dark wouldn't get her anywhere. This would be the day she told them the full truth.
"Ruby?" Blake noticed something amiss with her leader. "Is everything okay? You don't seem like yourself today."
"Wha-? It's… it's nothing, Blake," Ruby replied. "I just… I have something… important I need to talk to you about."
"Did you stay up too late last night?" Yang asked.
Ruby shook her head.
"Are you nervous about our first missions as licensed Huntresses?" Weiss guessed.
"No, it's not that, either. I just feel a little guilty, is all…"
Her teammates were left wondering why she could possibly feel guilty over anything because of how upbeat and optimistic she was, but after a brief rumination, Yang believed she had the answer.
"It's about your idea of those mock therapy sessions with General Ironwood, isn't it? Ruby, I know I made it clear that you're in over your head and that it won't solve any of our problems, but I want you to know we had some time to think and make sense of it, so you don't have to worry about us being upset about that."
"It's fine, Sis, although they're not 'mock' sessions. But that's not what I'm guilty about."
"Then tell us," Blake implored her. "Tell us what's bothering you and we might be able to help."
"You know what I said about all of the questions on the lamp being used up?"
"Ironwood doesn't exactly have our trust at the moment, so while lying to him does seem a little reckless, I admit it's perfectly natural to want to not tell him everything until he earns it."
"It's not even that I lied to him, Blake. I… I told him the truth. You're the ones I've been lying to."
The others were surprised by Ruby's confession, and an air of unnerving silence filled the air until…
"So let me get this straight," Yang said, "you're saying that you really used up the last question on the lamp, you kept that hidden from us for days on end, and you told Ironwood of all people before anyone else?!"
"Yang, I know it sounds bad, and thinking about it now it probably is, but… I thought I made the right choice."
"What happened to 'coming to the team first', Ruby?" Blake asked furiously. "Back when we were fighting the Fang and Torchwick, you said we needed to tell each other if something was wrong! And yet here you are taking huge risks like suggesting playing check-up and saying too much around Ironwood without even thinking about our opinions!"
"Well, I told Uncle Qrow first and I'm pretty sure it was Weiss who said that, but I know I was wrong to keep this from you, Blake. I'm sorry."
"Putting aside your secrecy," Weiss added, "how could you just waste one of the Relics we worked tirelessly to protect, you dolt?! And when did this happen?!"
"It was when we were trying to kill the Leviathan in Argus. It was about to eat me before I could freeze it, so I had no choice but to summon Jinn to give myself more time. And no, I didn't 'waste' the question; she gave me plenty of time to think it over."
"And what question would be worth sacrificing one of the Relics and rendering it useless?"
"I asked how I could beat Salem, and now I know how."
A look of sheer disbelief crept onto the faces of each member of the team.
"Beat Salem?" Yang was especially incredulous. "Salem?! Raven said she can't be stopped or reasoned with, and the lamp told us the same thing!"
"Oh, for crying out loud! Everyone seems to think 'destroy' and 'defeat' mean the same thing… And Raven told you? You're kidding, right, Yang?"
"It's true," Weiss explained. "Her tribe kidnapped me, and she told us about Salem for the first time before just letting us go."
Ruby could only give a dull, annoyed glare at her sister.
"You mean the same Raven who abandoned you when you were a baby, who you nearly got us killed trying to find when we were little, who got into cahoots with Cinder and the rest, and who tried to kill us at Haven?" she deadpanned. "You don't trust Oz or Ironwood because they're as morally gray as the old man's hair, and that's pretty reasonable, but you took the words of a neglectful, murderous, defeatist bird bandit at face value just because she's your biological mother? That doesn't seem fair, does it?"
"Well, I…" Yang tried to refute the argument. "She… They…"
"No, no," Blake conceded. "She's got a point."
"Whose side are you on, Blake?!"
"I'm not on anyone's side! I think Ruby did the wrong thing keeping this from us, but shouldn't we at least hear her out?"
"Thanks, Blake," Ruby showed her appreciation. "Now where was I going with this?"
"You said you knew how to defeat Salem," Weiss reminded her.
"If I tell you, will you promise not to be too upset with what I'm about to say?"
They all nodded, even a jealousy-ridden Yang.
"Okay, the lamp told me the only way to beat Salem was to become her."
That filled them with disbelieving horror.
"Before you jump to any insane conclusions, I don't mean falling into a pool of death, getting my skin bleached, or deciding to become a supervillain! I'm pretty sure it just means I have to start thinking like Salem. You know, trying to outwit her, denying her any more pawns-"
"What, you mean getting rid of the people on our side once we stop being useful to you?!" Yang assumed the worst.
"Not remotely what I meant! How can you say such a thing?! I'm trying to help rehabilitate people like Ironwood so Salem doesn't scoop them up in her grubby little mitts! And since she's treating this thing like a game, I might as well try to throw off her strategy and get her ticked off enough to slip up."
"And what if that fails? What if you just find yourself in danger?"
"This isn't about me being in danger from Salem, Sis. It's about me being the danger to her. A guy might get booed off a stage for making bad jokes, but I won't be him. I'll be the one who laughs! So to speak, anyway…"
"If you had all this planned out," Weiss asked, "if you were so sure this would work, why didn't you tell anyone else?"
"You'd think I was going too far. Worse, that I was just as bad as her. I'm… I'm worried beating her wouldn't be worth it if I became the villain of the story. If you don't want to do this, go ahead. Just don't get in my way."
Yang's expression softened upon hearing her sister admit she was afraid the team would hate her, and even a heart as fiery and full of rage as hers couldn't bring herself to be mad anymore. The others gave equally forgiving looks.
"Ruby," Blake spoke up, "I've admired you ever since we first met at Beacon. I still admire you now, and it's not because you're this flawless mastermind or unstoppable force of nature. It's because you give us hope and light, and you remind us every day just how strong we can be just by getting back up when all seems lost. You might've been a little off-kilter lately, but you're still the leader we came to respect more than anyone else, and we'll follow you to the end of the world if we have to. So if you say your plan can save everyone, we're in. Just tell us how we can help."
Later, Ruby was assigned to accompany her uncle, Penny, and Clover on a supply run towards the launch site for Amity Tower. While Qrow and the leader of the Ace-Ops occupied themselves with card games, she was bored by how bleak and featureless the tundra was, with only the occasional penguin as an interesting sight. She would've nodded off out of boredom if not for her devising scenarios in her head to try and work out the best way to continue her grand scheme. The uncertainty of it all was a powerful stimulant for her.
"Ruby!" Penny snapped her out of her thoughts. "I just wanted to say how excited I am to be working with you in a professional capacity. As friends!"
"Me too, Penny," she replied with a nervous laugh. "Me too…"
"Relationships are so interesting and varied, just like the one you have with General Ironwood!"
"Penny, we're just a doctor and her patient. That's different."
"Regardless, he seems to be responding well to your therapy so far. He's been a little more chipper than he was a couple of days ago!"
"From just one session? It's a little hard to believe…"
"Oh, but it's true! What's your secret, Dr. Rose?"
"Please don't call me that, Penny. I'm not even a qualified psychologist."
"But still…?"
Ruby hesitated for a moment.
"I don't know. I just don't know…"
"I feel like I wish I could do both the things I need to do and the things I want to do. Perhaps General Ironwood feels the same way. It's like he just needed someone to talk to like a normal person instead of as a soldier."
Penny's guess made sense to Ruby given her patient's habit of entrenching himself in his duties, which would give anyone very little time to unwind and recollect themselves. It was almost as if she was dealing with Blake's past obsession with bringing down the White Fang, albeit with higher stakes considering the level of power Ironwood held over Atlas and what that would mean if his anxiety was allowed to worsen.
Before long, the quartet were inconvenienced by a roadblock on the trail. While Clover had Penny act as a lookout for any unpleasant tricks, he, Ruby, and Qrow all went out to confront the party blocking their path, hoping for a more diplomatic solution.
"Robyn!" Clover greeted one of the Huntresses. "If it isn't Mantle's hometown hero. Is there a reason you're blocking an official military transport?"
"Clover, I'm so glad you're here," she replied with biting sarcasm. "Maybe you could help me understand why this truck that's supposed to be taking materials to fix Mantle's outer wall is on its way to a frozen wasteland? Are you lost?"
As the pair continued to try one-upping each other, with Clover trying to negotiate his way past the barricade and Robyn interrogating him on Ironwood's business with the Amity Tower, Ruby looked on in chagrin. They were supposed to be on the same side, weren't they?
"Without the supplies on those trucks, we can't fix the wall," Robyn explained. "If you're not sending them to Mantle, we at least deserve to know why. If you tell me and it's for a damn good reason, I might even find it in me to forgive you and forget this ever happened."
"I'm going to have to pass on that," Clover refused.
"How 'bout you, pipsqueak? Five o' clock shadow? Either of you wanna tell me why Mantle's being put at risk for Ironwood's pet project?"
Ruby took a few seconds to weigh her options, trying to work out the best way she could possibly resolve the situation. She could sense a sinister feeling in the frigid air, with Robyn's behavior raising more than a few red flags. So was she right to be suspicious? But then again, she heard Clover call the woman "Mantle's hometown hero", and despite her skepticism, Ruby saw that the description fit due to how she carried herself as an assertive leader.
With the right choice of words, Robyn could become a reliable ally to her cause. Still, saying too much too quickly would jeopardize her new objective and, given her conflict with Clover and his and the Ace-Ops's loyalty to Ironwood, likely shatter his trust in her.
"I understand how concerned you are for your people," Ruby began, "but our business with Amity is bigger than Mantle and Atlas combined. Much bigger."
"Ruby, don't!" Qrow scolded her under his breath.
"I'd listen to your uncle," Clover suggested. "We can't let our guard down around Robyn, let alone trust her."
Ruby wasn't having it.
"Shut up, Clover," she hissed. "It's rude to interrupt when someone's not done talking."
"And what could be more important than ensuring that the people of Mantle are alive and well?" Robyn asked, disbelieving. "What's more important than protecting the people who need it most and fighting to improve their lives?"
"I can't tell you everything without betraying General Ironwood's trust, but I'll try to clue you in as much as possible. I'd need to wait for his approval before I'm ready to say more than I will."
Robyn burst out laughing.
"Trust?! I'm sorry, did I hear you say trust? I just… I've never heard someone say they can temper that heart of steel so arrogantly before!"
"Well, I, uh… I am his therapist."
"You're funny, pipsqueak! But I'd really, really appreciate it if you stopped dancing around the issue and just told me the truth."
She grasped Ruby's hand.
"I am telling the truth. And my name is Ruby Rose."
Robyn's ridicule turned into surprise when her Aura turned green.
"You're… you're serious. A flustered novice like you, with a bit of a chip on her shoulder, at only twelve years old, and you managed to find work as a therapist in a world where no one can afford a therapist?"
"I'm seventeen. And I know a lot of people who need professional help."
"Right… Three words: Amity. Explain. Now."
"This might be a little hard to believe, but there's a great evil whose influence spans the globe, and it's dead set on our destruction. For a long time, it's had the upper hand, and it's forcing the general to keep grasping at straws to beat it back. The Dust embargo, the higher surveillance, it's all him being desperate to stop this thing. As his therapist, I'm trying my best to keep him on the straight and narrow."
"And what does this have to do with Mantle?"
"If we don't work together to stop that evil, everyone loses. Everyone dies. That tower is vital to stopping all this. If not for the world, then at least for Mantle."
"Now let us pass," Clover demanded. "If you want to help Mantle, you can do it as a Councilwoman. If you get elected, that is."
At that moment, Ruby wanted to tell Clover to screw himself for his passive aggression. Then she saw Robyn smiling.
"Where's the fun in that?"
Another disappointment. Another person who treated this war like a game. Another person who didn't care who got hurt as long as it pushed their agenda. The thought of that made Ruby's blood boil far hotter than even Yang's.
"Fun?" she said, livid. "You said it yourself. The people of Mantle are suffering. They're gripped with poverty and poor living standards. And while it's perfectly fine to be upset over that, is it really any excuse to be a jerk all in the name of 'fun'?"
"Ruby…" Qrow was unsettled by his niece's behavior, but he couldn't get another word in as the drama continued.
"I'm not the one working for an arrogant blowhard who'd sooner push his own allies away than admit to his own failings and work for the benefit of anyone but himself."
"You're supposed to be the 'hometown hero' from what I've heard, but you sure don't act like one," Ruby noted. "We're not here for any trouble, and yet here you are planning an ambush to threaten us because you're not getting your way!"
Robyn's eyes widened in alarm.
"Oh yeah, I knew you weren't planning on settling this without a fight, but I thought I'd try talking things out to give you a chance to reconsider. Again, we're not enemies. So call off whoever you've got approaching the truck and clear the path, and we'll leave you alone. Okay?"
Then Penny flew into the fray with her swords at the ready.
"Dr. Rose was asking you politely, Robyn Hill," she said. "Please do as she says, order your Huntresses to show themselves, and let us through. I believe the appropriate expression would be 'Doctor's orders'."
Begrudgingly, Robyn had Joanna and May emerge from their cover before the remaining Huntress, Fiona, opened the gate to allow the party of four through with no further conflict.
"Ruby, what the hell was that about?!" Clover demanded to know once they entered the transport. "I had the situation under control, and you stupidly tried to antagonize a team of Huntresses who wouldn't hesitate to use violence if they felt it was necessary! Don't you realize the potential consequences your short temper would have on tensions between the two Kingdoms?!"
"I wouldn't exactly call that 'under control', Clover," Qrow refuted. "This Robyn character was already in a scrappy mood, and my niece was trying to calm things down before our supply run would've devolved into a violent mess!"
"Well, he's right about one thing," Ruby mused, "I might've let my emotions get to my head a little too much. I don't understand… Why can't we all just work together?"
"Still, I think you made excellent points, Ruby," Penny offered her support. "I'm also surprised you knew the other Huntresses were approaching the truck. How did you do it?"
"It's just simple body language, Penny. I've been doing some research so I could better help General Ironwood, and I could just tell Robyn was planning something based on where she kept looking and her posture."
"Speaking of Robyn Hill, are you sure she can be trusted based on her confrontational demeanor? "
"That's what I want to find out, and for now I'm leaning towards a yes with an asterisk. I told her everything she needed to hear, but not enough to take a side. I just hope the general can bear it…"
At Ironwood's office, he waited for his second therapy session with Ruby. The first one was satisfactory for an amateur, he had to admit, but he was left with more questions than answers when she ended the session before he could ask more. How would Ruby be able to save the world from Salem? And more pressingly, how would she salvage his soul?
The knock shook him from his thoughts.
"Hi, James; it's me," her voice announced in the speaker, a bit more awkward this time. "I think we have a lot to talk about from last time."
As he let his therapist in, he could see that she was a little different in terms of appearance. Her posture was indeed a little more similar to the Ruby he met in Beacon, but more strikingly, he could tell that her cape was faintly losing its red color around the edges, and the white gradient was especially noticeable on her skirt as well.
"So, how've you been holding up?"
"I've been thinking about something you told me days ago when your first visit ended. You told me Salem could be defeated. How?"
"The lamp told me that Salem is completely impossible to kill."
She noticed her patient tense up.
"But that doesn't mean she couldn't be beaten some other way, so don't worry. She's been playing this long, twisted game with Oz for hundreds of years, so like anyone playing a game… she could forfeit. And to make her forfeit, I'll need to keep our friends close and our enemies apart, in a sense."
"Well… that's a relief. Otherwise, I've started to feel slightly better. Almost like a weight from my Semblance and what I've signed into law has been lifted from my shoulders."
"…Can you remind me what your Semblance does again?"
"It allows me to follow through on tough decisions without any pesky emotions getting in the way. It's served me well throughout my time in the military."
"Come to think of it, that doesn't sound like a Semblance at all."
"I wouldn't know what else to call it."
"Well, I'm no expert, but I doubt your actual Semblance has developed yet. This sounds more like a psychological defense mechanism against your feelings of doubt and stress. Whatever it is, I don't think it's very healthy."
"What makes you say that, Ruby?"
"James, I know we're faced with monsters that can sense negative emotions, but trust me when I say that repressing them just makes everything worse inside. Sooner or later, they'll have nowhere to go but out. Explosively out. Out in the way that makes you do things you might regret. So, from my experiences, the best way to deal with them is to just… let them happen, I guess."
Ironwood was baffled by her logic.
"Isn't the point of these sessions that I don't have these negative thoughts?"
"It's a bit counterproductive, I admit, but it's quite effective. Just try to change what you can, but keep in mind that you can't change everything. And instead of closing off your emotions, try to accept them and understand that they'll pass if you allow them to. At least, that's what I think."
The general looked like he was lost in thought, as if he was looking back at the choices he made not as a stone-cold soldier, but through the more emotional lens Ruby was offering him. What looked like shame crept onto his face.
"Ruby, when you first came forward with the idea of therapy, I said that my reputation was a small price for security, but the truth is I'm afraid that the reality of my more… controversial decisions… it'll destroy me."
"I'm gonna say it upfront: I don't know a thing about politics, and I don't know what it's like to be hated by the people I'm trying to protect. But as your therapist, I think there's still time to make things right and start building bridges and earn the people's trust. To tell the truth, I tried something like that with Robyn Hill…"
"What do you mean?"
"She and a band of Huntresses held us over on a supply run, and don't be mad, but when she demanded to know about Amity, I tried to reason with her. I told her just enough to try to get on her good side, but I held off from telling her anything too confidential because I thought you wouldn't take it well."
"What made you decide to do that? You could have left it to Clover to resolve the conflict."
"Resolve it or sweep it under the rug? Robyn could be a valuable ally if we play our cards right, and just letting the feud between Atlas and Mantle fester won't solve anyone's problems. Like I said, it's our enemies who need to be kept apart, not the good people in the kingdoms."
"I'll see what I can do on my end and try to work something out with the Council. And as for Robyn, your approach with her has merit, so I trust you to keep it up since I strongly doubt she'd listen to me."
"Great! Since we've pretty much spent all the time we need, we should probably turn in for the evening. Have a good night, James."
Ironwood just smiled as she left his office again. How could he not when he knew she was a living bundle of joy underneath the façade of professionalism she built up? The process was slow and gradual, but he could feel his hope continuing to grow as her infectiously optimistic words replayed in his mind. Could it be that for the first time in forever, if for a mere moment, he was even truly… happy?
Whatever it was, he had to hand it to Dr. Rose, she was a damned good therapist.
As Ruby kept preparing for the days ahead, her hand-to-hand combat and psychological intuition continuing to improve and her Semblance evolving with enough practice and study, she began to notice the beginnings of the fallout of her sessions with General Ironwood.
While he didn't show it too much, there were moments where she swore she saw her patient's smile. On the news, she watched as Jacques Schnee peddled his lies about being "forced" to lay off the workers of his nonessential business operations, all in a blatant attempt to discredit Ironwood. Fortunately, the general used his power in the Council to lift the Dust embargo and withdraw most of his troops from Mantle, which rendered Jacques's efforts fruitless, destroying his already-suffering popularity and slowly restoring the public's faith in Ironwood.
Soon, the election night arrived, and the political battle of Hill vs. Schnee was at its most intense. Robyn had a near-unanimous voter base due to the collective distaste for her opponent, and although the bad blood between the Happy Huntresses and Ironwood's forces still ran furiously, for the moment she was tolerated, even praised as a potential representative of Mantle in the Council.
Ruby was present at the polls along with Nora and Ren while Blake and Yang went out with Team FNKI and Weiss, Jaune, and Oscar all went to watch a movie. Despite her initial excitement, she was soon bored out of her mind as her companions started arguing with each other. She tried to find solace with Penny and Marrow, only for him to start arguing with Robyn.
"Oh, the pipsqueak is back," Robyn said as she noticed the Silver-Eyed Warrior in the room.
"Please don't ever call me that again," Ruby replied with a slight growl.
"Oh, my mistake. I meant to say Dr. Rose."
Very funny, Penny, she thought. If the Protector of Mantle wasn't so sweet and innocent, and if she hadn't been destroyed during the Beacon incident, Ruby would have felt like strangling her right then and there.
"Of course, it's not like you're a real doctor, but it's still cute seeing you try."
"Hey! Show a little respect!" Marrow scolded Robyn before turning his gaze to Ruby. "Now scram, kid. We have a job to do."
Ruby reluctantly complied but tried to stick close to Penny to avoid the mania of her friends' squabbling. Her discomfort was only worsened when she saw the low turnout of Jacques's votes somehow climb dramatically as the countdown began, and it turned into outright horror when she saw a metallic stinger poking out among the crowd. This wasn't an election, she realized, it was a massacre.
"Penny! Marrow!" Ruby called silently, yet urgently. "Get everyone out of the building! Now!"
"But we're not under atta-" Marrow replied obliviously before she yelled back.
"JUST DO IT! THEY'RE NOT SAFE IN HERE!"
Penny obeyed without hesitation and began ushering people out of the auditorium while Marrow followed suit, unsure of what caused Ruby to become so spooked. While they began the evacuation to the crowd's protests, the lights suddenly shut down and the sounds of people screaming and blood splattering everywhere filled the room. A few people managed to escape by the time the carnage began, but Ruby knew her friends could only defend so many at once. She had to help however she could.
Desperate to save everyone and worried for her friends, Ruby found herself unleashing a massive blast of light from her eyes, causing everything to fade into white as she heard the screaming beginning to fade and the assailant hissing in pain as he started to retreat. She was baffled by what happened, especially since to her knowledge, there weren't any Grimm in the area.
When the power returned, the room was filled with the dead, the dying, the traumatized, and the announcement that Jacques Schnee, not Robyn Hill, was to be the newest member of the Council. Even worse, Fiona was badly wounded in the scuffle and the unhappy, disoriented crowd started pointing fingers at Penny, clearly blaming her for the slaughter.
"Penny," Robyn let out with contempt. "Protector of Mantle, my ass…"
"Robyn, listen to me!" Ruby tried to reason with her. "Penny was trying to protect the people in the crowd when the lights went out! She's innocent!"
"Then explain how this could've happened, pipsqueak! Because nothing else could just cut the power and slaughter dozens as quickly as Ironwood's murder machine!"
Then Ruby noticed the purple discoloration of Fiona's slowly-necrotizing injuries, a familiar sight that immediately caused her to make sense of the situation.
"Scorpion venom… this is Tyrian's work! Those people need an antivenom as soon as possible or they'll die in a matter of hours! So stop playing 'whodunnit' and start helping! Please…"
As Robyn conceded to Ruby's point and Penny tried to protest her innocence, Ruby felt a myriad of emotions while she scanned the room. Terror over the bloodshed, confusion over the sudden activation of her powers, and guilt for not having done more to help all plagued her mind. But the strongest among them?
Disgust.
Disgust towards Jacques Schnee for celebrating his clearly-rigged victory without care for the innocent people who were just killed. Disgust towards the crowd for their idiocy in accusing Penny in spite of the obvious. Disgust towards herself for murdering said innocents by letting Tyrian get away in Oniyuri. Her only reprieve came from the fact that the rushed nature of the attack made him sloppy enough for at least some of his victims to be saved if they received an antidote in time.
"Nora, Ren, stay here and keep the crowd safe," Ruby told her friends before whipping out her scythe. "I'm gonna stop Tyrian and get that antivenom."
"By yourself?!" Ren objected. "He nearly killed us all before Qrow intervened!"
"Ren's right!" Nora agreed. "You could use the backup."
"But if you come with me," Ruby shut them down, "who's gonna stop the others from going for each other's throats?"
Without a solid answer, the pair started their new objective of maintaining order in the building, shocked that Ruby would bring her weapon to the event as they watched her rush outside to try to resolve the situation herself where the old Ruby would have thought to let the grown-ups handle everything.
The fate of these people depended upon the success of her bug hunt.