It's not Thanksgiving for an English person, so yes, there's an update. If in doubt, they'll always be an update if my previous chapter gave a set date as when the chapter is, unless something happens to me that prevents me writing it. Not disparaging, obviously, just pointing out that Thanksgiving is a US holiday ;)

And yes, I wrote "Ozma" wrong last chapter. My bad.

Troll still trolling in reviews. Ignore him.

Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Kegi Springfield

Chapter 93

"You seem in a good mood."

"Am I?" Blake asked, smiling widely, almost manically. There was a skip in the usually cynical girl's step and she'd even spared a `good morning` for both Sun and Ilia, which had left Ruby wondering if Blake hadn't been kidnapped by Atlas and replaced with a really bad spy.

"Yes," Ruby said. "Yes, you are."

"Maybe I am," Blake giggled – giggled – and ladled some margarine onto her toast, biting into it with and humming happily. "It's a good day. The sun is shining-"

"It's raining."

"The birds are singing-"

"We're in the Grimmlands. Those are Nevermore."

"And Yang hasn't made any puns."

"Yang is in Atlas," Ruby pointed out. "As a prisoner, remember?"

"Oh, right. Yeah…"

Ruby waited for further explanation, but Blake simply smiled and started to hum a happy little tune. More than a little freaked out, Ruby pushed her seat over towards Sun, seeking some safety.

"Creepy, isn't it?" Sun whispered.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I think she's in a good mood…"

Ruby bit her lip. "Is it contagious?"

Blake, who had naturally overheard, scowled, finally returning to some modicum of her normal self. "I can hear you, you realise. Is it really so unbelievable that I would be in a good mood?"

"Yes!" Sun, Ilia and Ruby answered at the exact same time.

"You're all idiots…"

"Blake is pleased because Jaune's upheaval is helping the faunus," Ren explained, cutting in for their benefit. "Weiss and I just finished going over all the news reports this morning, and the news that Menagerie has formed a trade agreement with the Grimmlands has spread."

"And that's helping faunus?" Ruby asked. "I'd have thought it would give faunus hate groups even more fuel."

"Oh, it has," Blake interrupted, "But they would have hated faunus whatever happened, so it's not like they matter. Everyone else, though, is suddenly afraid to discriminate against faunus in case it angers Jaune. Vale has suddenly started to draft laws to prevent discrimination against faunus. Atlas isn't far behind."

Ruby frowned. "Wait, they're only writing those laws because they're afraid Jaune will attack them?"

"It's for bad reasons," Blake agreed, "But honestly, we'll take what we can get. As long as it's in law, people will have to try and follow it. It won't change everything immediately, but it's a step in the right direction."

"And all the Kingdoms needed was the fear of death," Sun said, sighing. "Sheesh, it feels like we're justifying what Adam and the White Fang used to do."

"Maybe Adam had the right idea," Blake said, though she quickly waved her hands when everyone turned to stare at her. "I didn't mean it like that! Not attacking or what he did, I'll be the first to say the White Fang went too far. But Adam was probably right early on, when he said the Kingdoms wouldn't budge unless someone forced them to. He wasn't always a psychopath."

"I suppose no one is born insane," Ren said philosophically. "As for the Kingdoms, it's a shame that fear is what drives them to improve, but we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Any news on what they think of us?" Ruby asked.

"The Kingdoms are conflicted, naturally. Atlas is frightened but hopeful. Jaune's decision to contact Ironwood first, while threatening, is being seen as a positive thing. If Atlas give in and release Yang as we expect, it looks good for all involved. Atlas gains renown for having dealt with the Grimmlands. Jaune benefits from being seen to honour deals, and Ironwood and the Council of Atlas come out looking like they averted a crisis. As for us specifically, some hate us, some approve, most are of split minds, cautiously optimistic but not really daring to hope that peace is possible."

Ruby hummed. It sounded about right. Not everyone knew just how serious Jaune was about it, so trusting the Grimm was going to be hard. It was probably good that they hadn't all declared war instantly, though with Beacon in disrepair and Mistral suffering from the loss of many of its huntsmen due to Lionheart, no one could really afford to challenge the Grimm right now.

Kinda scary to think that if Ozpin had been right and they really were evil, we'd all be screwed right now, and there wouldn't be much any of us could do about it.

Not without random superpowers, magical artefacts or something along those lines…

The door to the chamber suddenly opened and Weiss stalked through, moving at a rapid pace with Jaune slowly walking behind. Everyone inside made to stand in alarm but calmed down when they realised that Jaune wasn't panicking.

"Ruby," Weiss snapped. "Get ready to go."

"Eh? Go where?"

"Beacon."

"Wha-? Why?"

"Vale wants to meet with representatives from the Grimmlands. Jaune can't go because he has to deal with Atlas, so we need someone who actually lives in Vale. It'll give more meaning to the whole thing."

"But I can't do speaking! I'm awkward. Send…" Ruby looked around frantically, trying to figure out who else was from Vale. Sun was from Vacuo, Ilia and Blake from Menagerie, Pyrrha from Mistral, Ren and Nora also from Mistral, Weiss from Atlas… "Why are none of you from Vale!? Why did any of you even attend Beacon!?"

"Important questions, I'm sure," Weiss said, ignoring them entirely. "I'd go, but I have ties to Atlas and the SDC, so I need to work with Jaune. You can take someone with you, but you-"

"Pyrrha!"

"But you have to do all the speaking," Weiss finished.

"B-But Weiss…"

"No buts, Ruby. World peace. Important stuff." Weiss tapped Ruby's nose with a finger. "Remember everything I've taught you."

"But you haven't taught me anything…"

Weiss' eyebrow twitched. "Jaune and I literally held a peace meeting with General Ironwood in front of you!"

Ruby blinked, "Oh. I was supposed to pay attention to that?"

Sun sniggered.

"Get suited and get on a Nevermore before I kill you," Weiss growled. "You'll be doing the meeting at Beacon both because it's neutral ground and because the Emerald Forest will stop random idiots trying to come and heckle you. Be honest, remember what we're working towards and ask Pyrrha for any help. She knows how to talk to the press." Weiss pushed some ornamental garments into Ruby's face, cutting off any protests she tried to make. "Oh, and remember that Miss Goodwitch is now the headmistress of Beacon and she's promised to accommodate you. Try not to cause any problems."

"But I'm me!" Ruby wailed. "I'll cause problems. It's inevitable!"

"We have faith in you," Jaune said.

"I don't! Don't have faith in me!"

It was the wrong thing to say. Ruby could see the moment Pyrrha took it the wrong way, took it as Ruby disparaging herself rather than giving basic facts. Pyrrha stood, stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder. Like the perfect partner she was, Pyrrha smiled and said, "Don't worry, Ruby. I'll help you."

"Ugh… Pyrrha…"

Damn it. Her partner was just too nice.

/-/

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Sun asked as they watched Pyrrha and Ruby leave.

"I was fine doing the same with Menagerie," Blake said. "I'm sure she'll be alright."

"Blake, you made a trade agreement with your mother. That is not nearly the same."

"I'd say it was more awkward," Blake argued, "More emotional, more difficult for the fact that we weren't just strangers, but family. It made things awkward."

"Blake, she had baked muffins ready for you when you arrived. The deal was hashed out before dinner even finished."

Blake's face flushed. "Because I'm a good negotiator."

"Right." Weiss rolled her eyes. "As much as I'm enjoying hearing about Blake's incredible negotiating skills, I'm sure Ruby will be fine. Terrible at the public speaking, but that's not the point. No one is going to be able to look at her and think `murderous Grimm out to kill us`. It's simply not possible. And the moment someone challenges her on that, Ruby will fight back. She's too honest to be able to lie, and everyone will realise that pretty quickly."

"Banking on Ruby's inability to lie to prove our honesty," Jaune said. "I'm not sure if that's sneaky or the exact opposite." He ran a hand through his hair. "Either way, Miss Goodwitch was the one to get in contact with us and she swore they'd be protected. Most of the students in Beacon know her as a student, too, so they're more likely to take her side than not."

"Fair enough." Sun grinned. "So, that's Blake sorting out Menagerie, Weiss working on Atlas and Ruby sent to deal with Vale. Does that mean you're sending me to Vacuo?"

Jaune paused. "I didn't even think of Vacuo…"

"Yeah, no one ever does."

Weiss shrugged. "I just sort of thought they'd fall in line with whatever the other major kingdoms decided…"

"They probably will," Sun said. "Honestly, Vacuo doesn't do much on the global scene. Our main export is sand."

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Jaune said.

"No. I'm being serious. Our main export is sand. Sell it for playsets, glass-making and other stuff. I'm not even joking about that. We have to deal with Grimm attacks, but it's not like the other Kingdoms where we say the Grimm are stealing our territory. If the Grimm want to squat in vast expanses of empty desert, then feel free. Honestly, just offer to not attack and you'll probably have Vacuo on board. We're pretty chill."

"This explains so much about you," Blake groaned.

"Eh. Not everyone is born into literal or figurative royalty."

Jaune was about to argue but paused. He looked to himself, then Weiss and finally Blake.

"Huh. Touché…"

/-/

"You're making things increasingly difficult."

Jaune shot General Ironwood a questioning look. It was another meeting between them, this one called by Ironwood himself and this time at a neutral spot somewhere outside of Atlas, given by co-ordinates.

"How so? You asked for a meeting and I'm here. I'd have thought you'd appreciate me responding so quickly, General." It was a lesson from Weiss to only refer to Ironwood by rank, not to be rude or otherwise, but because it would help him not become too familiar with someone he was trying to negotiate with. He couldn't afford to see Ironwood as a person, or he'd empathise.

Empathy, it turned out, was a bad idea when you were trying to get something you wanted. Good for being a nice person, bad for negotiation, as Weiss put it.

"Need I explain? You've sent a delegation to Menagerie and brokered a trade agreement. I've heard from Vale that they will be hosting another delegation, while at the same time the SDC has been contracted to do limited mining in the Grimmlands."

Ah, so Weiss' plan had come through on that end. Nice.

Another lesson from Weiss, it wasn't what you knew but who you knew. Jaune never realised it, but a lot of his friends were pretty high up there. Blake with Menagerie, Weiss with the SDC. Jacques Schnee was not a great father from what Weiss had told them, but he was a good businessman. Provided with an opportunity to not only mine some of the richest dust deposits on Remnant, but to have a tentative agreement with the Grimm that might see his other dust mines granted amnesty from Grimm attacks?

Well, Weiss had said he would jump at the opportunity.

Ironically, Blake also felt it might be better for the faunus who worked there. Less threat meant less need for security, which meant more cash flow for the SDC, which could then trickle down to the workers. It wasn't just racism that prevented faunus working in the mines from being paid well, it was the costs involved in protecting such investments when the global supply of dust was running low and the remaining nodes were all in Grimm-infested territory.

"We've decided to enter the world in a more diplomatic way," Jaune said, spreading his hands wide. "It makes sense that we make contact with most of the other major players. Once our dust supplies build up, we won't be above trading with Atlas."

"And you didn't think that people might see you amassing dust as a negative thing?"

"The Grimmlands doesn't make use of dust bombs, missiles or anything like that, General. That would be how you do things."

Ironwood took the criticism well, which was to say he scowled but didn't snap back. Hard to when he'd been called out on sending a drone-controlled battleship to attack the Grimmlands and kidnap Yang, who still wasn't here.

"I hope this isn't another excuse for you to delay on our agreement, General."

"There is no agreement yet, Arc."

He wondered if he should correct Ironwood, maybe demand `your majesty` instead, but that felt too pompous and antagonistic. He'd let it go. "There was an agreement that we would hold off on any aggressive actions while you considered whether to release her or not. I trust there have been considerations."

"There has. The Council has been meeting every day, extended sessions, but democracy can be a slow beast at times."

Jaune bit back his irritation. Slow was one way to put it, dragging their feet was another. If he didn't know better, he'd have said Atlas was calling his bluff, which would be all kinds of bad. If they did, what did he do? Attack, turn all the Kingdoms against him? Leaving Yang in their clutches wasn't an option.

Luckily, his silence was long enough to prove intimidating, even if he was panicking inside.

"We're not trying to stall," Ironwood said, and the two soldiers he'd brought with him looked increasingly nervous. "I'm doing all I can to push for a peaceful resolution, but people need to be convinced one at a time. Your fiancé is safe. Her father has even come to Atlas and is in contact with her,"

Uh-oh. He hadn't actually told Yang they were engaged, had he?

And he'd said she was with child which, while technically true, wasn't quite true in the way he might have implied it to the people at large, which would include Yang's dad.

Shiiit…

"Yang is going to kill you," Remy said helpfully.

"Shut up, Remy."

"He has not been harmed either," Ironwood said, apparently misreading his expression once more. "It is not in Atlas' interests to make an enemy of the Grimmlands at this time. We want channels to be opened between us. It is my utmost wish that conflict be avoided-"

"Then I would like to speak with your Council," Jaune said.

Ironwood looked like he'd swallowed not only a fish, but a whale. "I… I would rather that not occur…"

"You want open channels, don't you? And you say your Council is proving stubborn, no doubt because they do not know if they can trust me or not. I will meet with them. I will enter Atlas and meet with your Council."

"E-Enter Atlas…?" Ironwood choked.

"As your guest, I hope."

"Y-Yes, of course." Ironwood's relief was palpable. For a moment, anyway. "But no. No. No, no, no, no, no. This is a bad idea. Bad. Very bad."

"It's fine. I doubt anyone would attempt anything on my life considering what the repercussions would be."

Funnily enough, that didn't calm Ironwood any. "That's one of my concerns! If you're expecting rationality, then I'm afraid you're over-estimating humanity. We can be rational in a vacuum. You, if you don't mind me saying, are a hurricane."

"You complained that Menagerie, Vale and the SDC were getting more focus than Atlas. This could solve that problem."

"At the risk of exposing the Council to you…"

Jaune sighed. "I don't intend to harm them, General."

"You say that now, Arc. It won't last. I regularly feel the need to harm them. Regularly. If the Council was an entity with a Semblance, it would be the ability to inspire a murderous rage in the calmest of people. I've had important meetings on military budgeting interrupted by a proposal that we declare a national holiday for cheese!"

"Um-"

"For cheese! For crying out loud!" Ironwood ranted, for a moment forgetting where he was. "It's like they have no common sense. Or they spend it all on the campaign trail and turn into raving lunatics once they're in office. I'm trying to prevent Armageddon here, and the thought of introducing you to them makes me want to hide under a rock, curl up and die."

"Sir," one of the soldiers whispered. "Sir?"

"Then let me speak to a few of them, or we shall speak via video feed." Jaune held his ground. There wasn't much more time to wait, especially if there was a chance the Council would bring Yang up to speak with them.

Ruby was in Vale or would be soon. The whole world was balanced on a knife's edge. There was peace on one side, war on the other. He didn't want to stay on the knife but had to make sure they fell on the right side, otherwise everything would be ruined.

"It's me or one of my people," Jaune said, "And I don't think your Council will look well on me sending a subordinate." He offered a mental apology to his friends for that. "You're not the only one who wants peace, General. But as things are going, we're headed for war."

General Ironwood seemed to sober up immediately. His eyes were hard, his jaw firm. He knew, Jaune realised. This was a man who knew more than any other just how tense the situation was.

"Very well. If you meet me again here tomorrow, I will accompany you into Atlas. You can bring two others with you, but I will beg if I have to, please do not allow the Council's words to affect your decisions towards Atlas. There are over a hundred thousand people who live here. They do not deserve their fates to be decided by so few."

"I can promise you that, Ironwood. I only want Yang returned to me."

/-/

It was just Beacon. They were returning to Beacon. She knew Beacon. She'd lived at Beacon. Beacon was cool. Beacon was familiar. There was absolutely no need to freak out about Beacon. No need at all. Not like she was riding a Nevermore or anything to a huntsman academy, or that she'd been publicly seen consorting with the Crown Prince of the Grimm.

Ha. No. That would be crazy.

Like, absolutely crazy.

"Ruby, are you okay?" Pyrrha asked.

"If I said yes, would you believe me? Because you shouldn't."

"You'll do fine, Ruby." Pyrrha had adapted to flying by Nevermore rather easily, which was more than could be said for her. Yes, Ruby liked to run and leap at great speeds, which was kind of like flying, but the constant up and down motion of the Nevermore had taken a toll on her stomach.

Somehow, it didn't surprise her that Pyrrha had no problems. She didn't buy into the immortal girl hype, which she knew Pyrrha appreciated, but there was no denying her partner was slightly more awesome than her in every single way.

Heck, Pyrrha could probably use a scythe better than she could…

It was hard to be angry, though, because Pyrrha was just so darn nice.

"You need to remember that everyone there is going to be shouting questions at you, but you shouldn't try to answer or hear all of them. Be calm and look for people who have their hands in the air. Ask them to speak and request silence from the others. They'll all soon realise the best way to get answers is to wait politely."

"Am I talking to the media or a poorly-trained dog?"

Pyrrha paused for a moment. "The two are not dissimilar…"

Oh God…

"If it helps you stay calm, imagine everyone naked."

Ruby's cheeks flushed. "HOW WOULD THAT HELP ME STAY CALM!?"

"I… have no idea, actually. It didn't work with me on Jaune, I can say that much. It's just advice I was given. Try looking over their heads instead. Pretend they're not there and you're just talking to one person at a time."

"Okay. Okay." Ruby took several deep breaths. She could see Beacon approaching, which meant the breaths picked up until she was almost hyperventilating. Pyrrha reached over to steady her.

It didn't help that she felt ridiculous, dressed as she was in some weird, red and black almost-military style outfit. She now had a pair of thigh-high black boots that her leggings tucked into, skirt over the top. Her corset had been replaced with a more regimental-looking thing in black-red, with Salem's emblem, a sideways eye, on the front. Ruby was grateful that she still had her cape on over the top of it all, and Pyrrha assured her she looked smart and important, but she felt silly.

"Stop panicking," Pyrrha said. "You look great, like an important dignitary."

"I am an important dignitary," Ruby groaned. "That's the problem."

"We're coming in to land." Pyrrha shifted on the back of her Nevermore as it slowed its flight, turning into a slow glide. There was a large procession below, but a clear space off to the side, clearly cordoned off for them to land in. It was one of the training fields outside.

Even from so great a distance, Ruby noticed the flashes of light. Probably cameras.

"Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm," she whispered like a mantra.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Her brain helpfully replied.

Weiss was going to get something horrible put in her bed for this, Ruby decided. Maybe a Seer, complete with tentacles. And oh God, when had she started to act like it was completely normal to play pranks with murderous creatures of destruction?

My life is ruined…

They landed a few minutes later. The actual landing was a blur and Ruby kept her eyes on the grass, dismounting and refusing to look at anyone or anything. She patted the Nevermore's side to thank it for the ride and took a moment to delight in the way it nuzzled its beak against the palm of her hand. Then took another moment to think of how many she'd killed in her time and feel conflicted.

Perfect. Ideal. Ruby almost slapped herself in the forehead.

"Ruby Rose," a familiar voice said, clipped as always. "Pyrrha Nikos. Welcome to Beacon, or I suppose it should be welcome back to Beacon."

Of all the people…

Miss Goodwitch was exactly how Ruby remembered her in her nightmares, tall, imposing, cool but also cold and unwilling to sign autographs. She had somehow become even more imposing in their absence and she had her crop in hand. To Ruby's knowledge she'd never hit anyone with it, nor did she imagine the woman ever would.

But it was still a crop, and Miss Goodwitch was still a very frightening woman.

"Glynda Goodwitch." Ruby said. It took a monumental force of effort to call her that, as opposed to, say, squeaking that it wasn't her fault and don't give her a detention. Because at the end of the day if `it` was shacking up with Jaune and the Grimm, then she probably did deserve a detention or two.

Pyrrha, noticing Ruby's silence, stepped in, "Thank you for inviting us here, Glynda. The Crown Prince, Jaune Salem Arc, wished to attend in person, but is regretfully busy in Atlas. He sent us in his place."

"Understandable," Glynda said, nodding once. "We are all aware of the circumstances, so rest assured there is no offence taken. We've prepared a room for the two of you, with a little more space than what you would have been used to before."

"We appreciate it."

"Of your mounts, however…"

Ruby stepped in nervously. "They will be able to roost in the Emerald Forest. We can summon them if needed."

Sort of, anyway. It was something Weiss had told her to keep a secret, but each of them actually had a Seer stored in their backpacks, which would act as interims between them and the Grimm. If they needed the Nevermore or – gods forbid – help, then they could be used to draw Grimm to them. Ruby did her best to ignore the fact that she was a schoolgirl with a backpack that contained a miniature tentacle monster, and any associations between that image and any comics she might definitely not have read in her time.

"That is acceptable," Glynda said. She had to raise her voice to be heard over the whispers of the audience. They were in no way quiet but were thankfully held back by a line of older students, one two of which Ruby recognised. Even Mercury was there, now in a Beacon uniform. "Members of the Council will not be arriving until tomorrow as they wished to give you time to acclimatise and collect yourselves. We've little idea how tiring a flight from the Grimmlands must be. You're welcome to food, although we would ask you not to travel into Vale at this time. More to avoid panic than from any lack of trust. I hope you understand."

"We do," Ruby said, nodding quickly. She didn't fancy wandering through Vale dressed like this either. "And thanks. We could use a quick rest."

Putting off those speeches as long as she could. Oh yeah…

The crowd of onlookers began to shout out questions as Glynda motioned for them to follow and led them aside. Ruby recalled Pyrrha's lecture, but since she had made to follow the headmistress, Ruby did as well, leaving the reporters unsatisfied.

"We've prepared the auditorium for a press conference if you wish to give one," Glynda said. "We can arrange that as early as tomorrow morning, before the Council arrives."

Wish to give one? Wish was such a strong word.

"It would be appreciated," Pyrrha said before Ruby could deny it. Ruby wilted but didn't argue. She was supposed to be the face of the Grimmlands now, after all. She had to be in control, strong but approachable. She couldn't let people with cameras frighten her off.

"Any time in the morning," Ruby said, trying to sound imperious. "Though… maybe after breakfast."

Glynda looked at her as if she'd said the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course... I'll see it done. Do you wish any limits to be put in place? Numbers, type or format?"

Not knowing what most of that meant, Ruby shook her head. "No. We'll be fine."

Pyrrha looked alarmed, which immediately meant Ruby felt alarmed. Uh-oh. What had she done? Ugh. Too late to go back now, especially when Miss Goodwitch was nodding. "Very well, I'll see it done. Welcome back to Beacon and thank you for agreeing to come. Beacon may be a neutral party in this endeavour, but it's our hope – and mine personally – that this meeting ends with a strengthening of ties between Vale and the Grimmlands."

There was something so utterly bizarre about that, that Ruby spoke without thinking, "Never thought you'd say that, huh?"

Pyrrha cringed.

Miss Goodwitch, however, smiled.

"No. No, I didn't."

/-/

"They're so normal…"

"Not how I'd put it sometimes," Nicholas said, watching the young boy with the old soul carefully. "They're on their best behaviour right now, especially with what they think is a human guest here. Other times, they can flit from arguing and fighting among one another to pulling pranks on their uncles or Cinder. They can be petty, childish, argumentative and that's not even counting how loud they can be when they're in bad moods. They can be vicious."

Ozma laughed hoarsely. "As I said, perfectly normal…"

"Heh. I guess they are."

Ozma's hands clenched and unclenched. They weren't at all like his and Salem's, at least not in appearance, but there was something childlike about them that was almost identical. Not for the first time, he felt the pang for what had been lost.

"They don't recognise me," he said.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "Should they?"

"I don't know. It wouldn't have surprised me if they did."

"Salem and I decided it wouldn't be a good idea," Nicholas said, letting out a little sigh. "Knowing their mother once had a husband, or what happened thousands of years ago. Mistakes like that exist in the past, and there's no telling if we'd make them again. Not for her, but also not for you."

"I wish it were so easy, Nicholas."

"I didn't say it was easy. She used to have nightmares, you know. Probably had for hundreds or thousands of years. She was never impervious to what happened. But it was a different time, or so it seems from what she told me. Humanity had all but been exterminated and those that remained were helpless."

"She wanted us to rule as Gods," Ozma whispered.

"Like I said, a different time. Maybe she saw how helpless they were and thought it the only option. Maybe she was just angry and acting selfish. Either way, it's a mistake of the past. It happened, terrible things happened, and a tragedy took place."

Ozma's eyes closed. "You don't have to tell me that, Nicholas."

"Probably not, but if it helps keep my family safe, I'll do what I have to. Tell me, Ozma. You speak of mistakes. What do you think your biggest mistake really is? Was it falling in love with Salem? Was it staying with her and encouraging her to think of herself as a goddess?"

"I will never regret falling in love. I'll never regret our children. I regret leaving her, but only because of what it led to. But as for my mistake? Well, that comes in the aftermath. A moment of grief where I was cut adrift, and she was, also. A moment where both of us were hurting. The moment called for action, and I…? I did nothing." Ozma clenched his teeth. "I roamed, lost and confused, while the world brought itself back to life around me. Later, I took steps to help humanity survive and prosper, but for that critical moment where things might have been saved, I let grief overwhelm me. I ignored my problems, pretended that if I did not acknowledge them, they would go away." He laughed. "Like so many things in life, they rarely do."

Nicholas nodded glumly, "Tell me about it. If I'd spoken out about how my own parents treated me, my sister might still be alive. We're like animals in a way, always taking the easy path through the forest even if it's a trap set by a hunter."

"An interesting metaphor."

"That's all it is," Nicholas said, shrugging. "But my sister is dead, and you suffered the consequences of your mistakes. Do you know what I think your big mistake is, though?"

"Leaving her?" Ozma asked.

"No. No one should stay in a marriage they no longer feel. Sure, it could have been handled better, but don't ask me how to handle a divorce like that. I've no idea." The scandalised look on Nicholas' face won a reluctant chuckle from Ozma. "I think your biggest mistake is playing the Gods' game."

"Their game…?" Ozma frowned. "How so?"

"The Gods cursed both you and Salem with immortality, albeit in different ways. They punished her for being a grieving woman, and you for… nothing. You were already dead for crying out loud. Add onto that, they wipe out most of humanity, cripple what's left, leave monsters all over the place and the God of Darkness even leaves a swamp of pure evil that warps Salem into something inhuman, and despite all of this, they act like you should want to gather the Relics to bring them back so they can judge you. As if humanity should want to be judged."

"Did Salem tell you that series of events? We were not without fault, Nicholas. Humanity's greed led them to rebel against the Gods…"

"People are flawed. You, me, Salem… Does that give them the right to punish everyone? We don't lock up a criminal's family if one member commits a crime. We don't execute entire families to deal with one person."

"Then the Gods are flawed also," Ozma said. "Should we not judge them by the same merit?"

"Sure. But that doesn't change my point. I'm not saying the Gods weren't in some way justified, or at least felt they were. My question is: why would we want them back if this is what they're like? Why would we want to be `judged` by them?"

Ozma considered the question. Why indeed. Certainly, he had kept the Relics apart to prevent it, but only because he knew that while Salem still lived, humanity would be judged poorly and wiped out. What fairness was there in humanity being wiped out for his and Salem's sins? What fairness was there in the Gods decreeing them `failures` when the Gods had all but created them and their world? For failures to exist, it required someone to have failed.

He did not believe it was he who had failed, nor, really, had it been Salem.

"Remnant has pulled itself out of the dark ages without the Gods' aid. It's created cities, Kingdoms, art, culture and more. We have lovers, poets, philosophers and people living their lives. If you were going to judge that, Ozma. How would you rate it?"

"Remnant has done well," he said immediately, for it had, considering its dark past. "But the Gods would not agree."

"Screw those so-called Gods," Nicholas snapped. He looked to his daughters, his children, and Ozma saw the love on the man's face, the simple adoration. "If this is failure, then I'd rather be the biggest failure on the planet than successful by their definition."

Ozma turned to follow his attention, watching as one of Salem's children, Jade he believed, panicked in the kitchen, running around wildly as smoke billowed from the oven. One of the others, a far younger child with curly hair, calmly stepped forward to deal with it. She was swiftly blasted aside by an overreacting sibling who charged forward with a fire extinguisher. The kitchen soon became a mess, and Nicholas let out a long sigh.

"Yes," Ozma said, smiling. "Perhaps you are right."

"My son wants peace between humans and Grimm. I'm proof it can happen."

"Salem once wished for us to repopulate Remnant, but with our children as the dominant species." Ozma tried to keep any suspicion from his voice. "Can you assure me that is not the case here?"

"Like I said, different time, different decision. Most of humanity was wiped out back then. I can't promise our line won't be powerful, but I think eight kids is about as many as Salem and I can manage. Even if each of mine had eight more, it would take thousands of years for them to outnumber people. Besides, isn't worrying about a species being `bred out` one of the justifications people use for discriminating against faunus?"

"It is," Ozma said. "Your children, your line, might face that same discrimination."

"I can only hope they won't or prepare them for it. I can't predict the future, Ozma. None of us can. Give humanity a little credit, though. They've made it this far. Not perfectly, I'll admit, but they managed to come back from the brink of extinction on their own. I think they can handle the future without us, especially if it's a future where Grimm and humans can live in peace."

A future without his interference? Without him having to worry about it?

It sounded perfect.

As I said, I got Ozma's name wrong last chapter as Ozmar – my bad. I won't go back and change it because I'm kind of busy, but just rest assured I'll be calling him Ozma in future. My thoughts on Gods, etc, is not atheism or anything similar, it's a direct reference to Remnant's Gods, not any worshipped in our world. Not discounting the work they did, etc, but the idea that humanity should `want` to summon them back and be judged after all they did is a little out there.

Feels like the Gods got angry, fucked off and left all their people to suffer with a snide little comment of "You're all failures, but tell you what, if you do well, you can call us back so that WE can reap the benefit of all your hard work. But if we think you're still shit, we'll kill you. Get it? Great. Now, I bet you can't wait to collect those Relics and summon us. Huh? Huh!?"

Uh… How about nooo?

Honestly, that's one of the biggest things that could disappoint me, if RWBY ended with them bringing the Gods back and then being happy about it. I feel like Remnant should be content to stay its own world, its own people, etc…

Next Chapter: 29th November

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur