Several hours had passed since that Lancer attack, but the ship was nearing its first destination: Argus. Despite the immense damage that the ship sustained, it was still able to fly. It did so much more slowly than it would have, had it not been damaged, though. Aisufurawa really wasn't that far from Argus. Had either Ruby known that or possessed a map, they probably could have walked the rest of the trek.
Both Rubies made a conscious effort to be on the lookout for any more Lancers during the rest of the journey, just in case they showed up; Ruby with her eyes and the Reaper with its ability to sense Grimm. As a result, the two said nothing, communicating only with a silent language of finger movements and facial expressions that both could only vaguely understand. The pilot was the only one that was really vocal…though most of his words were over how "he needed a new ship" and how "he couldn't believe he went through all this for some old lady." He must have repeated those phrases at least three times over during the flight.
"Can't this thing go any faster?" the pilot asked, slamming his console with his fists. Both Rubies looked back at him with concern at the same time.
"Are…you okay?" Ruby asked. The pilot gave her an irritated look, which caused her to bare her teeth. She silently regretted asking him, and expected a vicious tirade. Instead, his voice was calm, though no less hostile.
"Just having a shitty morning is all," he responded, then went back to flying with another word.
"Oh…okay, yeah," Ruby muttered, looking away. She grew uncomfortable with the way he spoke and got out of her seat. "I mean, we did get attacked by Grimm and…your ship. Yeah, I get it."
The Reaper noticed her discomfort right away and tapped the metal floor of the ship where it sat. It was another wordless gesture: "You can sit with me if you want." Ruby instantly cheered up and accepted the invitation. After a brief moment where she grabbed the ceiling to keep her footing on the ruptured floor, she sat next to the Reaper.
"Ruby," it whispered, focusing its gaze back on the pilot.
"Yeah?"
"Something's off about him. Not 'totally crazy and full of hate like in that village' off, but…" it whispered, narrowing its eyes. Ruby's eyes, on the other hand, instantly widened. "It's smaller than what I felt from them," it whispered, pointing at one of the comatose villagers, "but there's something there."
"Well, he did say he was having a—" Ruby whispered back, stopping short of profanity. "'You know what' day."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. That feeling just wasn't there earlier, not even when we were fighting," the Reaper whispered, then went back to trying to sense any nearby Grimm. "Well, maybe it's just 'cuz we barely won against those Grimm."
"We're almost at Argus now," Ruby whispered back. "He'll be fine after a little fresh air."
"How do you think that Cordovin lady would react if she saw the ship?" the Reaper suddenly asked. Ruby paused for a moment; the question caught her off guard.
"Uh, I don't know. Why would you bring that up?" Ruby answered, squinting at the question.
"That's the place we…uh, you, fought her in that robot. You know, I can picture it right now," it whispered, pointing down at a plateau near Argus through a closed window it could see through, then gave a quiet imitation of Cordovin. "How dare you deface the glory of Atlas by letting your ship get attacked by Grimm! It's your fault they attacked it because your glory wasn't bright enough."
Ruby covered her mouth, trying to hold her laughter. Given Ruby's past experience with Cordovin, she knew the Reaper's imitation of her wasn't too far off. She could just imagine what she'd do if it was one of her ships that were damaged to the point that it was barely flying.
"Just for that, I'm going to make an example out of you 'cuz I got a big robot and I'm so small and have a really big mouth that doesn't know when to shut up," the Reaper whispered, imitating Cordovin while making silly faces and open claw gestures. After the Reaper said those last two words, Ruby couldn't hold her laughter anymore.
"Could you both keep it down?" the pilot said rudely. "I need to concentrate on landing this thing. What's left of it anyway."
"Uh…maybe we can get some help for Atlas while we're here?" Ruby added, cautiously trying not to make him lose his temper.
"Help?" he said incredulously. "It's a little late for that! You know what happened to Atlas!"
"I…what?" Ruby asked. "What…happened?"
"I thought you were there. That's what the old lady told me!"
"I was, but…the last thing I remember was fighting that Grimm invasion and…" Ruby explained, stopping short of telling him about Salem.
"That was days ago. It fell," the pilot explained. The last two words made Ruby's stomach turn. She was afraid to even ask him about the details.
"What...fell?" Ruby asked, her lip trembling the whole time.
"Atlas! It fell! The city, the academy, the military…it's gone! All of it!" he ranted. Both Rubies reacted with the same eye-widening expression at the same time while he continued. "You think anyone in the military would have left Atlas for a second if there was still a fighting chance? No! The only thing I can do about that is let the commander in Argus know…and hope to god she doesn't snap like Ironwood did."
Both Rubies were completely silent. They couldn't believe what they had heard. Instantly, both felt enormous guilt over the events that happened. For Ruby, it was the fact that the city she tried so hard to save fell while she was gone and wondering if her team was even alive. For the Reaper, it was getting them both lost and wondering if they could have saved Atlas if it didn't screw up. They held the same ideal; they weren't allowed to be failures, or else their team would go down with them.
"Is…there…anyone left?" Ruby asked with a blank stare.
"How should I know? I said it was days ago."
Instantly, the Reaper felt a sorrow form in the deepest part of Ruby's heart that was never meant to fester there. Even after seeing so many people die last night or being exposed to Apathy, she didn't feel anything like this. It wasn't just fear or guilt, it was self-loathing. For quite possibly the first time in her life, there was honest-to-god self-loathing in the idealistic Huntress. An entire city fell because she failed. She failed to stop Salem. Such a perverse emotion for someone like her, but the very thought of having failed everyone she ever cared for was enough to make even her falter.
It knew that feeling all too well. Unlike her, the Reaper constantly wrestled with all manner of negative emotions and cruel urges from the very moment it opened its eyes, including self-loathing. In its example, it came from the suspicion that its very presence might have caused a bloodbath last night. If there was anything it could have done to help her, to take her festering sorrow from her, it would have. Emotional wounds didn't heal from Aura like most physical wounds, though. It was something that could only be mended by the spark of hope. Being tainted with the darkness that all Grimm possessed, it had no such spark to offer.
Without a word, it gently caressed the back of her hand; its claws curled into a fist to avoid cutting her flesh. A caring gesture; that was all it could give, but somehow it brought Ruby out of that blank stare. She looked back at the Reaper…no, not just "the Reaper." Not anymore. That wordless display of teamwork to exterminate the Lancer swarm proved that much. The only person that could share such an avid enthusiasm for weapons to consider that Ruby could become a gun herself was…herself. She looked upon the spitting image of herself, cursed with perpetual torment and tainted by the Grimm.
Yet in its constant misery, it remained loyal to the cause they shared. To be just like those heroes in the books; someone who fought for what was right and protected people who couldn't protect themselves. It knew it was a fake; a creation of Salem, but it did its best to help her regardless. To do so while never yielding to its destructive urges was an incredible display of willpower. She remembered what Jinn showed her about Salem. She, too, was cursed with the desire to destroy, and plagued Remnant for an uncountable length of time. This tainted duplicate of Ruby could have been the same. It would have been so easy, given how destructive its powers were.
But it wouldn't, because she wouldn't. Somehow, it found the will to keep going, to keep trying. It could be alienated, distrusted, and feared, but it would do what was right. It existed in a state without anything resembling hope, yet remained steadfast. It woke up one day to realize that its life was all a lie, but it chose to live it anyway for the sake of others. As depressing as this was, it was equally as inspiring. Its blackened soul was copied from her, and with it, a testament that she, too, could keep moving forward, whatever may come. If the worst did happen, she'd try to follow Grimm Ruby's example, just as it would follow hers.
"This is Argus Base. We've picked up your signal. Identify yourself. Over," a voice from the ship's radio said.
"This is Manta 3-8, from the Atlesian Base. I have two Huntresses and two survivors. Aisufurawa's been hit by the Grimm. Requesting immediate medical assistance. Over," the pilot responded.
"Copy that, 3-8. We'll clear you for landing."
"At least we didn't crash on the way here," Ruby said, trying to be positive. "Maybe it won't be so hard to get to Atlas this time."
The ship did eventually land…and tilt backwards where the tail end of the ship was, so the cockpit drifted up. When the ship powered down, the tail struck the landing pad with a loud bang. The pilot got up from his seat and gave both Rubies a long stare.
"Get off my ship," he said, still visibly irritated. "I got paperwork to look forward to before we hit what's left of Atlas in another ship. Come back tonight. Gods know that's how long it takes to get the ball rolling here."
Ruby was about to protest, since she wanted nothing more than to get back to Atlas and her friends. However, there was still the matter of her arm; the one that Grimm Ruby burned all the way to the bone by mistake. Now that medical assistance was available, she needed to have it tended to before anything else. Besides, she wanted an excuse to get away from that grouchy man anyway. She got up off the floor and left through one of the side doors, giving the pilot an awkward stare the whole time, only to stop when she noticed Grimm Ruby didn't get up.
"Are you coming? Maybe a little fresh air will calm everyone down," Ruby suggested. It did get up, but only to discreetly communicate with Ruby.
"Ruby? You know those Grimm were drawn to the ship because of me, right?" it whispered, making sure that the pilot wasn't in earshot. "It had to be me. I'm…a little scared about what might happen if I'm walking around a city."
"Well, maybe," Ruby said with reluctance. "But Argus does have a military defending it…and 'you know who' will defend the people whether anyone likes it or not. And…you'd have to leave this ship anyway because we're flying to Atlas in another one…and they're probably gonna want to have this one repaired without you sitting in it."
After a pause, Grimm Ruby shrugged and nodded. If there was any place that it shouldn't have to worry about collateral damage through fighting, it was a well-defended city. From the moment the ship landed, a whole team of medical personnel was already lying in wait for the two survivors. At the very least, this proved that Argus wasn't affected by the chaos in Atlas. The two disembarked, leaving the pilot and the personnel to do their jobs.
"Hey, I gotta go with them and…you know," Ruby said, glancing at the medical staff taking the two survivors. "See if they can fix my arm."
"Oh…uh, yeah," Grimm Ruby responded, still feeling guilty about the injury. "That makes sense."
"Yeah. I'm not sure how long it's to take. I never had an injury that my Aura couldn't fix. Are you gonna be fine by yourself?"
"Yeah," Grimm Ruby said, scratching its head. "Why wouldn't I?"
"You just…sounded so depressed this morning. I didn't know if I should leave you without someone to talk to."
"It's fine. It's my fault you need to get your arm fixed anyway. I'll just…wait right here until we leave."
"Are you sure? You could walk around town for a while. See the sights?" Ruby said in a hopeful tone.
"It's fine. I'm…kinda used to waiting. I don't sleep, so I do a lot of waiting at night."
Having heard Grimm Ruby's response, Ruby felt bad for having to leave it, if only temporarily. It didn't have anyone else to talk to or associate with, but she couldn't just leave her arm untended. It could get an infection.
So Grimm Ruby waited…for hours until the sun crossed over the horizon. It leaned on one of the dark corners of the base, away from everyone and everything. In a way, this isolation felt a bit like the first day of Beacon from the original Ruby's memories. Back then, it felt awkward to even talk to people, and the original one was human. This Ruby didn't even have that much going for it. When Ruby finally came back from the medical bay, Grimm Ruby noted the bandages around her arm.
"How'd it go?" it asked.
"A little weird," Ruby answered, scratching her head. "You know how cuts and bruises heal over time?"
"Yeah."
"Well, the flesh around my arm won't," Ruby said, caressing her bandaged arm. "The nurses there said they never seen anything like it. None of their machines and medicines could fix it. Something about how Aura boosts the body's natural healing, but stopped at my arm…and then some big words I can't pronounce. All they could do is put some anesthetic to block the pain, so they could sew it up. It should be fine as long as I don't pick at it because it's probably gonna be sore…for the rest of my life."
"I…I'm—" Grimm Ruby said, looking down.
"I know. It was an accident. You don't have to keep apologizing," Ruby assured, then noticed that she didn't need to go looking for her Grimm self. "Wait, did you seriously just stand around and wait the whole time?"
"Yeah. I didn't want people freaking out because…well, you know."
"Come on," Ruby said with a huff. "You need to take your mind off that stuff. Remember what that pilot said? He thought it was just cosplay."
Grimm Ruby made no further attempt to argue, mostly out of trusting its human self about matters of hope. It was true. He didn't believe he was face to face with a sentient Grimm that whole time. Even so, it went out of its way to avoid even greeting anyone else. It was still hesitant to interact with anybody if it didn't have to, plus it didn't want to be the cause of conflict if the Argus military found out a Grimm had "infiltrated" the city.
Leaving the military base, the first thing they noticed was the fenced gate that led to Argus proper…and the two Atlesian soldiers that stood next to it. They wore identical Atlesian uniforms with tall caps and visors pulled down to cover their eyes. These soldiers were known by the locals as the "Nubuck Guards" and Ruby once had the misfortune of crossing paths with these peculiar men the first time she and her team traveled in Argus.
"Approach!" both guards said in unison. Both Rubies looked briefly at each other, silently asking the other one to say something, but neither gave them a response. They immediately regretted stepping out of that ship now, but it was too late to go back. They would just look more suspicious if they ran. Despite Ruby's past history here, the guards stood completely stiff with their arms behind their backs. Just like last time, they acted more like robots than people.
"Uh…hi," Ruby awkward said, approaching them slowly. "Remember me? I, uh…about what happened…last time I…uh, wanted to travel to Atlas. I mean, my team and I…"
"Deceived us with your treachery!" one guard said.
"Stole from us with your deceit!" the other one said.
"Uh…yeah. I'm sorry. We were desperate and—"
"Your heinous crime has officially been pardoned!" the first guard interrupted.
"From the generosity of Special operative!" the second guard said.
"Caroline Cordovin!" both said in unison.
"Oh! That's…great," Ruby said, giving a fake smile with her teeth showing. "Actually, we need another one now. Don't worry, we're being escorted. Official Atlas business and all that stuff. Heheh."
"We've received the reports: The Mistral-Atlas border is open to you and your sister!" the first guard said.
Both Rubies' eyes widened briefly with shock.
"Please!" the second guard said.
"Have a good day!" the first guard said.
Ruby looked behind her to see the base they were about to leave…and the city of Argus they were about to enter.
"You know we're not leaving for another couple of—"
"A good day!" both guard exclaimed in unison. Ruby glanced at Grimm Ruby, who glanced back and twirled its index claw across the side of its head in a circle. Wanting desperately to avoid saying another word to the guards, both Rubies walked past the gate to Argus.
"So they were—" Ruby said after walking out of the guards' earshot.
"Still super weird?" Grimm Ruby finished.
"Uh, yeah."
Both Rubies shared a moment of laughter. Even with the stress of not knowing if their team was still alive, it was nice not having to worry about threats like starvation, isolation, or fatigue for a change. For the remaining time it would take for the Argus military to "get the ball rolling", the two could try to relax in something resembling typical life.
"So…sisters," Grimm Ruby said with a smile. "That's what they called us."
"Yeah," Ruby said a bit awkwardly, but returning the smile. "Hey, at least it's better than evil clone."
"Or scary monster."
"Or scary monster," Ruby reiterated with a nod. "So…whatcha wanna do first?"
"Huh? Oh? Uh, I…I don't know," Grimm Ruby said, holding its claws behind its back. "I was just kinda following your lead."
"Aw, come on," Ruby said with a smile. "I know it's hard for you to relax because you got those Grimm urges, but this is your chance to really be a person. You just gotta break out of your shell."
"What the—" Grimm Ruby complained. "I don't need to break out of my shell! That's absolutely…you sound just like Yang!"
Both Rubies stared at shock at one another again. Now Ruby's real sister came into the conversation, and she glanced down to the ground with worry.
"Sorry, I know you're worried about her and—" Grimm Ruby muttered.
"It's okay. I mean, we really are kinda like twin sisters, right?" Ruby said with an awkward laugh.
"Yeah. I guess," Grimm Ruby said, giving the same awkward laugh. "Hey, that means Yang's my sister, too."
"Yeah. I guess it does. What do you know, I got two sisters now."
Both Rubies shared one more awkward laugh together. It lasted a little longer than the others, but Grimm Ruby quickly cringed.
"Wait, doesn't that make Salem like another mom?" it asked.
"Well…that's…oooohhhh," Ruby said, giving the same cringe. "Yeah, let's just stick with 'we're the same person.' I mean, it's not like I wouldn't like you like a sister, I just—"
"Yeah, it's just too weird what with us being in war with my creator and stuff."
Neither Ruby really wanted to add anything to this conversation. It got too awkward. Their conversations usually do. They just stopped and aimlessly walked along the streets of Argus for the next hour. Along the way, Grimm Ruby caught the glances and stares of nearly everyone they crossed paths with. There were plenty of whispers and murmurs to go around about Grimm Ruby's appearance. Some believe it was some kind of cosplay and compared it to the Grimm. Others believe that it was some kind of statement against the kingdoms, like how the White Fang used to wear masks in the Grimm's likeness before its dissolution. And there were a small few that actually believe that it was, in fact, a Grimm walking among them. Those few would typically be rebuked by those that could think more rationally, however.
Each time Grimm Ruby passed by one of these people, it turned away in an attempt to avoid eye contact. The fear it felt in Aisufurawa was still fresh in its mind. At the very least, however, there was no festering negativity from those it passed by. Just the occasional angry or lonely thought, and those could easily have been caused by a typical bad day.
"I guess this isn't so bad," Grimm Ruby said. "It's a nice day outside."
"Hey, you're starting to sound more positive already," Ruby said cheerfully, then pointed at one of the shops across from them. It was a bakery. "Hey! Let's get something sweet."
"Oh! That's, uh," Grimm Ruby said, then squinted. "Wait. I don't have any money…or a wallet…or pockets to put one in."
"It's cool. I'll buy for us both."
"Really?" Grimm Ruby asked, trying to hide its delight. "I mean, you don't have to, but if you want to."
Ruby dragged her Grimm self with her in the bakery. Once again, the latter got some strange looks from those inside, but they didn't seem all that fearful.
"Oooh! They got a Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie!" Ruby exclaimed, her eyes turning into stars. "Ah! A Double Decker Cheesecake! And…and—"
"Chocolate covered strawberries," both Rubies said in a trance. The cashier gave them both an incredulous stare; not one of fear toward Grimm Ruby, but a cringe worthy one given to children already high on sugar before they even took a bite of their first sweet.
The forty-two and a half seconds it took for the cashier to actually give them their precious sweets with a different kind of torture than the feeling of keeping destructive urges contained, but one that Ruby could truly emphasize with. When the bags of chocolate covered strawberries were finally presented, Ruby snatched the bag with lightning speed. She ran out the door with Grimm Ruby walking slowly behind. The cashier shook her head at the scene.
"Mmmm!" Ruby squealed, then handed one of the strawberries to Grimm Ruby. "You gotta try these!"
It wasted no time putting one in its mouth, only for pieces of the strawberry to fall to the ground. In the short time it existed, Grimm Ruby never actually needed to consume anything, so it never got used to using its fangs like teeth. They were jagged and made to bite off someone's face, not enjoy a strawberry. Trying to use them like human teeth was a little awkward, but it got the hang of it after the second try. Only…there was something off about the strawberry.
"Uh, Ruby," Grimm Ruby said. "Do you taste anything?"
"Yrah," Ruby said, stuffing several strawberries in her mouth. "Dere lish-is!"
Grimm Ruby impaled another strawberry with its claw and slid it in its mouth. Just like the last one, there was no flavor. No taste. It was about to bring the issue up to Ruby, but put the pieces together quickly. It wasn't the strawberries that were lacking in flavor, it was Grimm Ruby's mouth.
"Err," Ruby said, then swallowed what was in her mouth. "What's wrong?"
"I can't taste them," Grimm Ruby said in disappointment. "Salem built me to be a weapon. I guess working taste buds aren't one of my added features."
"Oh," Ruby said, showing sympathy. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Grimm Ruby said, giving an envious smile. "I appreciate what you tried to do for me. Thanks."
Despite missing that wonderful aspect of humanity that is the sense of taste, it actually felt like a person instead of a monster, if only for a little while. To think that the Grimm wanted nothing more than to destroy this innocence; even the destructive urges buried beneath its consciousness were no exception. If anything, having a soul copied in it certainly gave Grimm Ruby a different perspective from its kin. It enjoyed this moment for all it was worth, for once it was over, it was back to the sadness and tragedy of this cruel war.