Chapter 55
Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses looked very disturbed. General Ironwood, Qrow Branwen, Oscar Pine (Ozpin), and Winter Schnee looked rather grim. The eight sat on chairs in a briefing room as I stood in front of them, explaining what I'd figured out much earlier.
"You believe that Salem will wait for the people to destroy Atlas?" Robyn asked, a bit disturbed by what I had just told them.
"That's what it looks like," I said. "She could break the shields of the city with no way for us to stop it. She could attack Amity and isolate us from the rest of the world so she could pummel Atlas with the entirety of her army. Either of those she could do at the same time and take the relic at will. But she hasn't."
"He's right," Ozpin said. "Salem has all the time in the world. And her hate for all of us means that she'll want us to cause our own downfall. She blames me...and all of Remnant for her state of mind. It's all she can do ever since the gods left her to suffer."
"In reality, it's also bought us time to fight off her invasion - though I suppose none of it would matter if we end up having to fight off our own people first," General Ironwood said.
The room fell silent. "The gods say they regret it," I said, not intending to defend the immature deities, but saying it nonetheless. "And that they don't trust themselves to fix it. That's what they told me, anyway."
"I say it's them not caring enough again," Qrow grumbled as he leaned back in his seat. "And taking someone innocent to fix all their problems for them. Laziness incarnate, I say."
"Yeah," I said, much quieter as I remembered the conversation upon our arrival to Atlas. I heard Winter nudge Qrow and the sharp "Ow" that he gave off before he stumbled on his words. "Oh, uhh...sorry," he said.
"What's done is done. Nothing to do but push forward," I said, dismissing the apology. It wasn't needed, after all - no one in the room, or on the planet, was at fault. "How're Ruby and the others doing?"
"They haven't said a thing since they got back. Not one smile, not one joke," Qrow said, his face burrowing in concern - Winter's face doing the same as she likely thought about Weiss. "Whatever they saw down there...it was ugly."
"And we have another problem," Ironwood said as he stood up, walking . "The men that they rescued went missing this morning. Their armor was left on their infirmary beds, and we have been unable to locate them. We suspect that they may not be our men - simply disguised infiltrators."
"How many are gone?" I asked, a bit put off by the thought of enemies in Atlas at this moment. At least when it happened before, we knew who was here and what to expect. If Salem has new recruits - they'd be a complete unknown - almost impossible to figure out without seeing them.
"Five. And we found two men among the dead in the battle site. They are not from Atlas. We've been unable to locate our actual men as well," the General said. He pulled up pictures of their faces on his scroll, and I looked closely at them. They were pale, unkempt, and dead. But part of me made me wonder if I'd seen these faces before, when they were alive.
"I feel like...they're familiar," I muttered as I narrowed my eyes, examining that face the best I could. Remembering was difficult, and I wasn't very sure if I should know when or where I should remember these faces from.
"Whoever they are, they likely infiltrated the primary military complex of Atlas," Ironwood said. "I increased patrols and had full roll calls and verification checks taken on everyone in central command - and security is up 100%, but it is a big complex. The entire facility and its subsidiaries are undergoing constant searches, but there's been nothing yet."
"Still, we can't rule out any potential holes in your security. Who knows what they're capable of," Ozpin said. "You'll need specialists and any other huntsmen looking for these intruders. I volunteer."
"So do I. Risky business - infiltration can always go wrong. If they stayed hidden this long, then they're definitely more dangerous than we can expect. You think Salem's forces attacked that convoy only for the sake of slipping in these few guys?" Qrow asked as he sipped a mug of coffee. He'd been drinking more caffeine ever since he'd stopped drinking alcohol - though thankfully, it wasn't often.
"Indeed," General Ironwood explained, grimacing. "It appears she has some new pawns for her little game. And they're completely unknown. Dammit, we should've been more careful with the convoys. Too many going in and out means defenses and escorts are spread too thin."
"There's also Cinder to consider," Robyn said, stroking her chin. "Are you certain there's no chance of her getting in here? With so much happening, I imagine she'd blend right in with the people - chaotic as it is right now."
"Not with the shields still at full power. Though, with the issues with Jacques, they won't last much longer than a month and a half at most," the General remarked. That caught my attention.
"What about him?" I asked, curious about why Jacques Schnee was being involved.
"Jacques owns stockpiles of Dust that he had his company clear out from Mantle when the evacuation began. Tons and tons of it is just sitting in Schnee warehouses without being used. We estimate we can use those stockpiles to make enough hard-light Dust to keep the shields going continuously," General Ironwood said.
"If we had access to those stockpiles, we could manufacture more hard-light Dust - enough to keep the shields going for another few months. That doesn't seem like a long time - but we have a plan to deal with Salem in the works. And we need that Dust, and the time it'll buy us," Winter explained further.
"Plan? What plan?" I asked - having not heard of this before.
"I'll show you later, but it's currently under development. But right now, we have plenty of issues we need to work through before we can proceed with that plan," General Ironwood said. "What do you suggest?"
"Well...public issues...and Schnee," I mumbled as I cracked my knuckles. For the thirtieth time since I first came to Atlas, I wondered how General Ironwood could handle this much responsibility without relying on that cursed semblance of his. "Think we can mix those two objectives together? Kill two Nevermore with one bullet?"
"Assuming Jacques will even try and entertain the prospect," May said. Her arms were crossed and her legs were outstretched on the empty chair in front of her. "He's a greedy bastard who'll turn anything down if it means he gets less of something."
The room fell into silence before Winter spoke up. "The only thing my father loves more than wealth is good publicity. If we can figure out a way for him to publicly have to help, he'll have no chance but to comply," she said.
"That's an idea," General Ironwood said, crossing his arms. "We've had our requests for that Dust denied at every turn. The only other way we could get ahold of that Dust is to declare martial law and seize all assets essential to defense. And if we do that..."
"Then the public suffers more, and we'll likely fall to riots and public infighting sooner, before we ever get a chance to use that Dust," Robyn said. "Why don't we force his hand a bit?"
"How so?" I asked.
"We either need Jacques on our side, or we need him off," Robyn said. "Do we have any dirt on him?"
"Blackmail?" Ironwood asked, amused. "As appealing as that sounds, turning to those options opens up a whole can of worms when it comes to politics. Others will see right through us. And while we'll likely get the Dust - we'll fall even deeper in public opinion."
"Maybe if we still had those elections. But ever since the Grimm arrived, the Council is keeping out politics in favor of defense - for once," Robyn scoffed. "If we had that, we could probably force Jacques into doing something stupid - he always rattled about getting a seat on the Council. Especially since you have two of those seats."
General Ironwood rolled his eyes, and I couldn't help but smirk at the light jabbing the two had going on between them.
"Then we force it out of him in public," Fiona suggested - having not spoken up once during this meeting until now. "If we can goad him enough, we can make him say something that'll ruin his reputation. Mission accomplished, right?" Almost at once, she was aware of all the eyes on her - and the growing smiles on all our faces, none larger than the one on Winter's face.
"I-it was just a suggestion," Fiona whispered meekly, her face burning red as May and Joanna slapped her back and ruffled her hair. As she buried her face in her hands, Robyn jumped on that idea at once.
"Then we piss him off publicly. Easier said than done - he knows how to handle publicity," Robyn said. "But it's possible."
"So how does this work?" I asked.
"You leave that part to us," General Ironwood said, resting a hand on my shoulder. "For now, relax. Visit team RWBY. Only the Gods know how much they need a friend with them right now."
I frowned. How bad had it been out there? Complying with the General's suggestion, I walked out of the room, Qrow right behind me. The two of us were quiet - more or less deep in our own thoughts, at least until we reached the elevator.
"Hey, Qrow," I muttered. "What exactly happened?"
"I talked with the Ace-Ops after their report. It was bloody. Soldiers were dead left and right, overwhelming numbers of Grimm. Or well, what we thought were soldiers. Ruby...accidentally killed one of them," Qrow said quietly. I blanched in shock and horror at that statement.
"How..." I muttered.
"One of the Ursa had him pinned. Ruby killed it and tried to pull him out...but she ended up bisecting him. Guess she didn't know her own strength," Qrow snarked, but I knew better. His body language and tone of voice suggested a lot of worry. I didn't blame him - I was flooding with anxiety right now.
"What about Yang? Blake or Weiss?" I asked.
"Yang's with her right now. Clover had all four of them admitted through therapy with the General's permission. Counselors are talking to them right now, although…some are taking it better than others" Qrow said as he rubbed his forehead. "Dammit...this is all just a big mess..."
"Therapy does wonders. And knowing the girls, they'll bounce back," I said, attempting to reassure the somewhat old man. "They'll recover and get stronger, it's what they do."
"They're my nieces, of course they're strong, but I still worry." Qrow said, smiling a little. The door opened, and we stepped out. "Thanks, kid. Wanna go see them?"
"Maybe later...the last thing I wanna do is interrupt something they need. I'll see them when they have time," I said.
"Gotcha. Stay safe, kiddo," Qrow said, and he nudged my shoulder before walking off. I nodded silently before making my way down the hallway in the other direction. As I walked, I couldn't help but leave a few scroll texts for RWBY on silent.
"Let me know if you're alright. I'll come visit you if you wish."
After sending that message, I made my way to the dorms, where Emerald was waiting.
When I arrived at the room, I saw Emerald in sweatpants and a T-shirt, sitting on the bed. Next to Emerald was Liya and Penny, the three girls chatting like old friends at a slumber party. I was surprised to see Emerald enjoying herself with Liya and Penny - especially since she wasn't smiling around them the last time I recalled.
"Hey," I said as I closed the door behind me. "What're you talking about?"
"Oh, our days at Beacon. Remember when you burned off most of your clothes when you first activated your semblance?" Liya asked. Emerald giggled, and I blushed in embarrassment.
"Did Nora tell?" I asked, attempting to hide my discomfort at that particular memory. Fainting right after did not do me any favors. Liya's cackle was the only answer I needed. "You're lucky I'm too nice to drop any dirt I have on you."
"What dirt?" Liya asked. I waved a hand at that, and she giggled.
"You never told me how much trouble you get into," Emerald said as she leaned back against the wall. "Parties, starting fights, abusing your semblance against little red?"
"Hey, she brought that on herself. Plus I turned her into a meteor - she wasn't complaining," I said, recalling the time I used my semblance on Ruby during that epic and terrifying food fight so long ago.
The four of us chatted around for a while, mostly about what happened in Beacon, before Liya and Penny volunteered to give us some privacy. When we finally had some time alone, I leapt at the chance to pin Emerald against the wall of the bunk and cuddle her on the blankets.
"I missed you," I whispered, relishing in the feeling of my girlfriend pressed against me.
"So did I," Emerald said, smiling as I planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "Sometimes I wish you weren't so busy."
"So do I," I said as she shifted her hips to lay on top of me. "Did you hear that team RWBY came back from their mission?"
"What about them?" Emerald asked. Thankfully, it wasn't such a hostile tone - but she did seem to be a little bit disinterested.
"They saw some pretty gruesome stuff," I said. "I'm worried about them."
"They'll get over it, one way or another," Emerald said as she shuffled in place on my lap, sighing tiredly . "I had to."
"Yeah, well...at least they have each other," I said, before kissing Emerald on the cheek again. "If you and I ever go through something traumatic, we'll have each other too."
"You'd better," Emerald said, and she bopped me lightly on the head. I fell silent after that, spending the next few hours lying in bed with Emerald. I held her as she yawned and drifted off to sleep, before I eventually fell asleep as well.
- elsewhere, hallways of Atlas Dormitory -
"Today was wonderful, Jaune." Pyrrha sighed in content, as the two made their way back to their dorm, Pyrrha still snuggled into Jaune's side with his arm wrapped around her.
"It really was, who knew that Atlas could still be so lively despite everything going on?" Jaune replied with a huge grin and a chuckle.
While they had been on other dates before, this was probably the first where both felt they could truly relax. The status of their relationship was old news to civilians and fans alike, so while they still got looks and the occasional picture, they were fortunately left alone. Pyrrha could let her hair down, and Jaune was free to treat her like a princess, even if she prefered carnival rides over fine dining.
"Do you smell that?" Pyrrha asked Jaune, as they made it to the hallway leading to their room.
The question broke Jaune from his musings, as he took a quick sniff of his own. The aroma that greeted him was somewhat familiar - and it took him a minute to figure out where he'd smelled it before: back in Mistral.
"Yeah, I do." Jaune answered, the smell reminding him of the times he and his team would spend cooking with each other, instead of going down to the cafeteria in Beacon. "You don't think-"
Pyrrha seemed to have had the same thought, giving a nod of her own before pulling Jaune along to their room, where the smell seemed to be originating from. "It seems Nora may have had some luck," she remarked.
Jaune agreed. It was clear to all of them that Ren hadn't been the same, the stress of everything probably getting to him. Jaune winced at how poorly he had honestly handled the situation. He was the team leader, it was his duty to help the man that was essentially his brother with anything that he needed. And yet he instead chose to let things play out.
It wasn't an excuse, but he knew he wouldn't have been able to get Ren to open up. All his efforts would have likely accomplished was Ren finally blowing up, which could have fractured his team beyond repair. But it wasn't fair to Nora. He knew it was eating her up inside. Him and Pyrrha seemingly distancing themselves as well to spend time with each other certainly didn't help matters.
"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, and Jaune looked to Pyrrha. Her facial expressions softened in understanding, and she smiled. "We'll make it up to them," Pyrrha said as she gave Jaune's arm a reassuring squeeze..
"I swear you're a mind reader," Jaune replied with a slight grin and shake of his head, but vowing to do so all the same.
"Merely a woman's intuition," Pyrrha replied, happy to see Jaune in a better mood. She understood how he felt about the situation, and how quick he could be to blame himself for everything. So it was her job to help uplift him in those moments, especially since she was partly to blame as well.
"Really? And here I thought it was because of how much you used to watch me back in school," Jaune quipped back, laughing at the embarrassed look Pyrrha suddenly gained.
"Just shows how much I loved you, even then." Pyrrha said, not wanting to be outdone. A smile gracing her face as Jaune sported a similar blush.
"I love you too."
The two reached their dorm room a second later. Being this close, there was no doubt about the smell coming from their room - which was a little odd now that Jaune thought about it, since while the room was bigger and better furnished than the standard barracks with a few desks, they didn't have a kitchen.
Opening the door they saw how Ren was able to achieve such a thing. He was currently kneeling in the middle of the room, in front of him was the small gas cooker they had picked up just before getting on the train so long ago, with the window slightly open to let some of the aroma drift out. Ren looked to be preparing some sort of stir fry at the moment if the wok and veggies Nora was handing him were any indication.
Speaking of Nora, after handing Ren the plate of chopped veggies, she went back to her chopping board placed on one of the tables they had in their room. There seemed to be more food than they needed, but Nora's renewed snacking clued Jaune into the fact Ren got more because he expected her to do so.
Nora was the first to notice the couple, pausing her work to give them a megawatt smile. "Hey you two! Ren's back, not that he ever left. How was your date? Ohhh you're going to have to give me all the spicy details Pyrrha!"
The couple eyed each other in amusement as their hyperactive teammate continued to bombard them for details about their date.
"And we kissed!"
The two immediately went back into what Nora was saying after her exclamation. Nora and Ren were both currently sporting scarlet blushes, but both seemed happy with the fact. Ren still sported a little bit of embarrassment while having a small grin on his face, while Nora's smile somehow got bigger.
Pyrrha gasped as she covered her mouth with both hands, before squealing and running up to Nora who squealed in turn, as the two hugged and jumped around. "Oh I'm so happy for you!" Pyrrha exclaimed.
"Took you long enough." Jaune said with amusement, as he closed their room door before joining Ren by the 'stove', leaving the two girls to their fun.
"You're the last person I want to hear that from Mr. Oblivious," Ren said in his usual deadpan, yet it sounded...lighter. Like a weight had lifted from his shoulders and his spirit was free. The smile also helped.
Jaune shared a laugh with him, knowing how true the statement was, and how long it would have taken him to notice if Markus hadn't talked to him earlier. "I'm glad you're back now. I don't know what I would do against these two without my brother in arms." Jaune said as he nudged Ren playfully.
"You make it sound like I was abandoning you to the Grimm. Or some monster just waiting to tear you to shreds," Ren quipped back.
In response, Jaune just gave Ren a deadpan look that just screamed 'you know it's true'. That did it for Ren, as he began to laugh in that casual way he always did, with Jaune joining him soon after.
"It is good to be together again, as a team." Ren said wistfully after catching his breath, before gaining a regretful look as he continued to prepare the food. "I'm sorry for the way I acted, it wasn't right. I was just…scared..."
"Please, if anyone has to apologize, it's me. I should've realized we needed to get together - especially with how rough everything's been lately," Jaune said with a sigh, and he fully believed it, but he didn't want to ruin the good mood that everyone had. So before Ren could reply with a counter argument or another apology, Jaune cut him off. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Ren frowned as he stopped himself. He knew what Jaune was trying to do, and any other time he probably would've carried on regardless. But one look at the two girl's currently giggling and talking in hushed whispers changed his mind. Things are good right now. Nora was the happiest he had seen her in a long time. Apologies could wait - making amends couldn't.
"Sure, mind handing me that bottle?" Ren asked. Jaune did so, and the two cooked in silence as Pyrrha and Nora kept giggling. "So...did you hear about team RWBY?"
"I did," Ren whispered as he opened the bottle and began to pour. "I can't even imagine what they saw down there."
"I know. Pyrrha and I were going to visit them in a bit. I figured they could use some friendly faces...and some people to talk to," Jaune said as he picked up a spoon. Ren leaned back, allowing Jaune to taste what was being cooked. "Could use some salt."
"Salt comes at the end," Ren said. "And...maybe I'll join you."
About an hour and a half later, after all of team JNPR finished eating in their room, Pyrrha, Jaune, Ren, and Nora all headed out to find team RWBY after they were finished cleaning up after themselves. Luckily, it was rather easy to find them - as General Ironwood had sent a collective message on their scrolls telling them where they were resting and receiving treatment.
When team JNPR arrived at the room, they were treated to a large recovery room of sorts - a relatively comfortable room with four rather nice looking beds, as well as four desks each with an empty tray on it. The walls were also colored a light beige, instead of the usual blue and white everyone was used to seeing in Atlas, like it was trying to distance itself from the rest of the military base. Ruby and Yang were sitting next to each other on one bed, while Weiss sat by the window in a chair. Blake lay in her own bed, most of her body concealed under the covers as she looked up at the ceiling.
The four seemed so unlike themselves - especially Ruby and Yang. Though they were talking to each other, they seemed so afraid - so depressed. Weiss was quiet - unresponsive to the door opening, and Blake looked to the door - only to see who had entered. "Oh. Hi," she said. Ruby and Yang stopped talking to each other and saw JNPR entering - Ruby managing a weak smile and a small wave at her friends.
Jaune came over and sat on the other side of Ruby. "Heya Crater Face," he said. "How're you holding up?" he asked, as Pyrrha came over to check on Weiss - Ren and Nora walking over to Blake's bed.
Ruby gave a side hug to Jaune gently, sighing as the blonde man patted her head. "I'm alright. So are the rest of us," she said. "It's just been...rough."
"I heard. Our mission was tough too," Jaune whispered. "Not that I'm trying to compare." He hastily added on.
"It's just...I don't know how we can handle it," Ruby whispered. "There's so much at stake - and it's like General Ironwood and all of Atlas is relying on us for change. And I'm scared we won't be able to save them. It'll be just like last time..."
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked as he peered up. Nora was squeezing Blake in a full body hug on the bed, while loudly expressing her worries - the cat Faunus appearing very uncomfortable with the position, but seemingly not having the energy to fight her off. Surprisingly, she didn't seem too bothered by the hug, only having her eyes closed and leaning into it. Perhaps she was too bothered to repel the hug. Perhaps she felt like she needed it.
"She looks so much like a grumpy cat right now," Jaune thought to himself. Judging by how Ruby and Yang were looking at them - it looked as if they were thinking the same. Nora took that as a sign to give more hugs, and she squeezed tighter - a desperate croak for oxygen coming out of Blake a second later.
Ren was standing patiently by Blake's bed, looking to Pyrrha - who had pulled another chair up next to Weiss and was sitting by her, a hand on her shoulder as she talked. Luckily, Weiss seemed to be reciprocating - calmly looking at the red haired huntress.
Yang spoke up, leaning on the other side of Ruby. "We never told you everything about what we saw, did we - everything that the relic showed us?" she said. "Atlas fell...and we couldn't do anything about it."
Jaune blinked, and Yang explained. She explained how Ozpin had unintentionally caused a schism with him and everyone else, and how Ruby had withheld information from General Ironwood. She talked about how Mantle was invaded and almost destroyed, and how General Ironwood turned on everyone else to abandon the rest of Remnant to keep the relics and the maiden safe from Salem, resulting in the people of both Mantle and Atlas being caught in the crossfire.
Yang talked about how the group had split up from indecision - and the eventual fall of Atlas and the disappearances of both team RWBY and Jaune. She mentioned Neo, but Jaune didn't pay much attention to that since Markus had personally ensured she and Roman were safe from Cinder's grasp long ago. When Yang completed her explanation, Jaune took a moment to digest all of this new information.
"So when…you guys and Markus were fighting in the infirmary?" Pyrrha hesitantly asked, the scene having made her very uncomfortable at the time. Weiss hunched over awkwardly, and Jaune knew the whole team was likely in on this.
"He found out we asked the question," Yang sighed tiredly, remembering how badly that conversation had ended.
She knew it was a bad idea, and yet she had let the others talk her into it because she wanted to know the truth for herself. "Wow, great going," Yang grumbled once again, likely many times after the aforementioned fight. "And after everything seemed to be going well for all of us, even me and Markus. Now he probably doesn't trust us. Who would blame anyone after seeing all that-"
"That was a dick move," Nora said from the bed, still on top of Blake, her hand's subtilty trying to reach for her animal ear's and pet them. Blake was quick to correct the foolish girl for assuming she could touch them, with her arm deftly escaping Nora's grasp and smacking the raised hand.
The silent room continued to watch while Nora rubbed her hand, her exclamation troubling more than a few. Ren, seeing that Nora was distracted now and wouldn't continue her train of thought, saw it would probably be up to him to do so for her - again.
"But not unreasonable," he began as every eye besides Nora's locked onto him. "I think we all had a right to know what our futures held. Yes, maybe you should have trusted him more, but we've also been told repeatedly how good men with good intentions and too much power end up going off the deep end."
"Markus isn't like that," Ruby spoke up, desperate to defend Markus - he deserved that from them, at least. "He's helped us so much, and we were stupid to doubt him..."
"I'm not saying he is," Ren tried to reassure her as Yang tensed up. "I'm saying that you had every right to be suspicious. You should have asked him first, yes, but what you did wasn't exactly all wrong. He'll understand and forgive you, he probably already has. You just need to talk with him."
"And here I thought I was the voice of reason. Well...was..." Weiss sighed after a moment of silence, remembering how quickly the boy was willing to forgive them for almost everything they've ever done during Beacon. Even if he couldn't do so right away - he still tried, unwilling to hold his grudge and fighting to overcome the trauma of Yang severing his arm.
Weiss looked down, her eyes dim as she remembered what Yang had told her back in Mistral. After the yelling between Yang and Markus that night, Yang had rushed to her teammates - quick to break down and confess everything she felt, and what Markus had told them. She remembered her disappointment in herself when she hoped Markus wouldn't still be sour over everything - it had been too much to hope for, after all.
"Don't feel so bad about it, I had to kick Renny's butt to make him see sense," Nora said with a smile, now sitting on the side of the bed, but still giving Blake's ears a determined look.
Ren blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"It just makes you wonder if we actually have what it takes." Ruby said in a small voice, as she hugged her knees and buried her face into them.
"Ruby…" Yang said, but couldn't refute her little sister. She'd probably been having doubts the longest, and she wasn't up to giving any motivational speeches anytime soon.
"Of course we do," Jaune said, wrapping his arm tighter against his friend. "If any has what it takes to stop Salem it's you-"
"I killed him."
"...What?" Jaune asked dumbfounded at what Ruby had just said.
Ruby hugged her knees tighter and started sniffling, tears gathering in her eyes as the memory came to the forefront of her mind again. "It's all my fault…he could have survived if I was quicker, if I didn't rush, if someone stronger was there," she continued - her voice shaky.
"Ruby none of it was your fault," Yang tried to reassure her. "The therapist said-"
"Screw the therapist," Ruby cut Yang off, lifting her head from her knees and pointing an accusing finger at her. "You didn't like her either!"
Yang winced at the reminder. She wasn't really bothered by the mission, they had done what they could and as a huntress she was bound to see death and failure soon enough.
Blake was the same, having seen her fair share of death in the White Fang. She was probably desensitized at this point, even though she always hated seeing it, this mission leaving a bad taste in her mouth.
Weiss was a little worse off. She had expected it like Yang, sure, but she hadn't been overly prepared for such a situation. The fall of Beacon Academy being a wake up call to their reality.
Ruby however took it the hardest. She still held tightly onto her dreams of being a hero, even after so long. To be seemingly responsible for the death of someone, broke all that she had stood for.
Yang knew this, so when the therapist had wanted her to sit down and talk to her, she had been…stubborn. She had been more worried about Ruby than herself, wanting to ensure that she was okay and that she got the help instead of her. Hearing this, that damned therapist started asking why she felt so responsible for Ruby, trying to psychoanalyze everything she said, about why she would refuse help and wanted to make sure Ruby was okay instead, about why she felt the need to take care of her, to 'baby' her.
That had been enough to push Yang over the edge, after all the stress she had been through in the short amount of time and the worry she held for Ruby, her shouting could be heard from down the hall. She hadn't hurt anyone, but she had been escorted out and brought back here, where she waited for the rest of her team.
"I don't," Yang ground out. "But that doesn't mean what they said to you wasn't true."
"It was an unfortunate accident," Weiss said as she stood up from her seat and made her way to Ruby, kneeling down to be roughly eye level with her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "It could have happened to any of us who went for him. We all could have been a little faster, a little stronger. So we'll just have to train harder, to make sure this never happens again right?"
The dam broke as Ruby fully cried now, but not before launching herself at Weiss and holding her in a vice, swiftly wetting her shoulder.
Weiss would ahve usually been disgusted at the action and would probably reprimand the girl for dirtying her clothing with harmful bacteria. But she knew that wasn't what her partner needed, so she instead returned the crying girl's hug and softly stroked her hair and rubbed her back.
"She has a point though," Blake softly said to the other's once Ruby had stopped crying, Weiss putting her into bed once she saw that she was asleep. Weiss listened to Blake but didn't move from her partner's side, watching over her while she rested.
"What do you mean?" Jaune was the one to ask, having been wearing troubled frown on his face after watching his friend breakdown like she did.
"We were first years. We're stronger now, but we can't say we compare to the best of the best, who seem to be struggling just as much. Never mind the fact that things just seem to be getting worse," Blake said.
"You think someone would be better suited? Do you feel as if you should hand over responsibility to them?" Pyrrha asked from the chair she still sat in. Her words weren't accusatory or demeaning, she genuinely wanted to know what Blake was trying to say.
"No, it's just,-" Blake sighed as she rubbed her forehead, before collapsing back onto her bed, her eyes and expression showing nothing but exhaustion. "When did we all decide that this was what we were all going to do? Was it destiny? Fate? And why us? We've had two chances now and we're still not getting it right…"
Nobody refuted what Blake said. They all held doubts about them supposedly being this world's saviors, especially with how bad things kept going. And true, they had never come together and formally said that this is what they wanted, it all just kind of...happened.
One point stood out however.
"Well, if no one else will, who will?"
Everyone's focus was now on their resident knight. "If we don't take up this responsibility then who will? Who will save Remnant?" Jaune continued to ask as he looked at all the residents. "No one here will judge you for leaving, deciding that you would rather try to live a peaceful life somewhere far away from all the problems until we win or lose. But I'm staying, my whole life I've wanted to be a hero like my ancestors before me." Jaune said as he looked everyone in the eye, before a crooked smile spread across his face.
"What better hero is there than the one who saved the world?"
The room was filled with Nora's enthusiastic clapping, but not much else as everyone continued to stare at Jaune. Some loving, some in exasperation and others in contemplation.
"Come on guys don't leave me hanging..." Jaune said as he blushed nervously. Everyone was still just looking at him! Say something already!
The silence persisted, before the tense atmosphere broke with sighs from everyone. "Well I'm in." Yang said with a shrug, though she hid a smile. "I did become a huntress for the excitement after all, and what's more exciting than stopping an apocalypse."
Even if she didn't want any of the excitement, she knew what Ruby's response would be, so she followed her and everyone else to the ends of the world to keep them safe.
"Well," Blake said, joining soon after. "There's no way any racists can deny equality if a Faunus saves them. I'm in."
"I'll follow you anywhere you go Jaune," Pyrrha said with a dazzling smile.
"Yeah, fearless leader! You ain't getting rid of me or Renny!" Nora proclaimed loudly, before she was shushed by everyone, not wanting to wake up Ruby.
"Well I did want to give the SDC a better reputation," Weiss said with a sigh, before giving a smile of her own. "I'm in. I suppose we were never out - but now, for sure I can say that we're all certain."
Jaune sighed, relieved that his words had worked. "Great. I'm glad we can all still do this. Together," he said, and RWBY smiled back in agreement.
- one week later -
It'd been a while since RWBY had come back from their mission. RWBY and I had talked for a while, and their mood got better. JNPR visited often as well, and I was glad to see that despite everything that happened - we were all as close as ever. Well...as close as we could possibly be.
Now General Ironwood and I stood at the elevator as it lowered into an unknown level. While the riots were still a problem, Robyn's Happy Huntresses and the Ace-Ops had been working in public to improve relations, with public events being held and more work being offered to those who needed it.
"You said you had a plan?" I asked as the hum of the elevator lowering provided a quiet yet distracting ambience.
"Indeed. You said that the Grimm whale - you called it Monstra, I believe - was defeated by Ozpin unleashing the power he kept in his cane. Several centuries worth of kinetic energy, to be precise," the general said. "That got me thinking."
"Uh oh, what is it?" I asked. Upon the General's questioning gaze falling upon me, I coughed. "I mean, it sounds like you're planning some weapon of mass destruction here," I explained. "Which isn't too good an idea - especially since...well...floating rock with a floating city."
"I see," General Ironwood said, exhaling softly before turning, looking back to the front. "Don't worry, what I have in mind is much safer...yet still as destructive," he said. I blinked in surprise and mild concern at that line as the elevator stopped. When the door opened, I was greeted to a very surprising view.
The elevator opened to a large balcony that overlooked an enormous hollow area, where four Atlesian Aerial Battleships were docked, with crews working on the external hull with the help of elevators, small hovering platforms, and catwalks. However, these battleships were different. Their sleek and long noses were replaced by what appeared to be absolutely massive cannons, long enough to make up for the lack of the noses of the ships.
"What is this?" I asked, a bit in awe as I looked up at what were basically UNSC style MAC cannons on Atlesian warships. What else had the General been up to?
"What are these for?" I asked.
"To protect Atlas from the Grimm. These cannons will utilize two kinds of ammunition - high explosive against Monstra and its escorts, and shrapnel style warheads to use against the swarms of Nevermore and Griffin. They'll be the ultimate form of anti-air artillery. The team's naming it Project Titan," the General said.
"Appropriate," I muttered. "But these won't fare too well with the other kingdoms."
"I'm aware. We plan on converting these weapons as defensive installations once this conflict is over. Or...if Atlas survives," the General said. Shaking his head, he gestured for me to follow along. "We're making changes to our ground forces as well. We're converting our armored ground vehicles into proper infantry fighting vehicles, and we're recommissioning our older Atlesian Knight models."
"I thought you scrapped them in favor of the 200," I said.
"We were. But the process is slow and expensive, and we do have a lot of 130s," General Ironwood said. "They'll join our reserve forces."
"Do you really think Salem will get her forces on Atlas?" I asked. "You're buffing a lot of your ground troops. What about air support?"
"Manta production is at an all time high, with proper authorization - especially with the ungodly amounts of Grimm slowly closing in," General Ironwood said. "The knights will be cannon fodder - so to speak. To protect our troops and the people as we deploy the best of our best."
"And the railguns?" I asked.
"Ready to snipe out any Grimm that gets close," General Ironwood said before sighing. "Is this too much? Sometimes I worry that my semblance is taking over...that I'll end up going overboard and turn into a dictator before Salem gets the chance to destroy Atlas herself."
"I don't think so," I said as I crossed my arms. "Salem brought everything she owns and more. As dumb as this is going to sound, paranoia is going to help - because you're responsible for all of Atlas, Mantle, the relic, and the Maiden. But remember that you aren't alone in all this."
The general sighed. "I know that. But plans never come together seamlessly. A lot of time ends up wasted as pointless arguments and falling back to politics," he said. "I don't know if we can save everyone in time."
I patted his shoulder reassuringly. "You just have to have faith," I said. As weird as it was, that seemed to be enough to assuage the General's worries. "Come on, any other things you have planned?"
"Indeed. Ozpin actually suggested something new. Defensive traps to delay Grimm advances. They're basically the launch pads Beacon uses for its yearly initiation," General Ironwood said, and he explained the concept of the trap - basically metal tiles installed in the ground designed to fire pulses of dense Gravity Dust in the air when triggered via pressure plate. They'd tear apart Grimm that stepped on them, or sent them flying backwards.
I held back the comment that Ozpin had basically just ripped off the Claymore from the Kingdom Hearts game series, and just nodded as the military General continued to explain his plans and strategies.
When we returned to his office, Robyn Hill was waiting for us, holding her scroll. "So, we got some decent news about Jacques. He agreed to host a fundraiser for raising public spirits," she said, though there was an air of distaste as she said this. I didn't blame her. "So we'll have our chance to publicly 'request' more Dust. Though, he'll find some way to keep us from asking."
Groaning, I rubbed my eyes. "I hate politics," I said, utterly exhausted at the thought of having to go to some pretentious rich person's party again. "It just sounds like he'll say something like 'businesses will need that Dust to survive' while pretending that we don't need it. Literally everyone will die if we don't get that Dust."
"I get what you mean. But if we want him to agree, we need to play by the rules of business. And that means playing nice," General Ironwood said. "He'll likely be tough to crack when it comes to dirty secrets, especially since most of the business practices he likely does will be shielded by colorful words and all sorts of distractions."
"It means a little espionage," Robyn said. "I suppose it's our best option. Any suggestions?"
"I have one. But I have to do it alone," I said, as Robyn and General Ironwood looked at me in curiosity. "Can you get me in that fundraiser party?"
"Way ahead of you, kid," Robyn remarked as she brought up her scroll, turning it on and bringing up a list. "One of his many demands was that his daughters - both of them - attend. And they can bring two others. General Ironwood and Clover are Winter's additions. And Weiss requested to bring you along."
I grinned. "That makes things easier," I said. "Though, I guess I should go and see her."
"That's a good idea," General Ironwood said. "The event is in two days - and I suppose you'll remember etiquette when it comes to the...esteemed and their expectations."
"I doubt it'll matter much with these anyways. Everyone's just gonna glare at me," I said, pointing at my caracal ears. Robyn snorted while the General sighed. "See you around?"
They gave their respective goodbyes as I made my way to the dorms. When I arrived, I heard the girls inside, talking with each other. When I knocked on the door - the talking went away, and the door opened. Blake had opened the door, looking up at me. "Hi," she said, both sounding somewhat happy yet exhausted at the same time.
"Hi," I said back as I examined her. Blake had her hair tied up in a neat ponytail, her bangs on the side of her face remaining the same while her cat ears looked nicely groomed. Yang had her hair as messy as ever, and I finally got a good look at Ruby. Her hair had grown out quite a bit, only by a few inches, and her bangs were styled like in Volume 7 and 8 - and soon to be Volume 9. They were all wearing Atlas sweatpants and T-shirts, and I quickly looked to the girl I needed to talk with. "So...Weiss, got a minute?"
I saw that Weiss had her hair down, looking like a silky smooth waterfall halfway down her back and shoulders. When we left the room, Weiss closed the door behind her. "What's up?" she asked - and I smiled at her somewhat laid back nature. Casual Weiss was always nice to see.
"You know that fundraiser thing your dad's holding?" I asked. "Do you know why it's being held?"
"General Ironwood said it had to do with asking for more Dust," Weiss said, her facial features contorting in disgust at the mention of her father. "Even with the kingdom on the verge of war and the Grimm on our doorstep, my father can only think about himself and his company..."
"That's kind of why I wanted to talk. Do you know of any dirt we can get on your dad? Everyone knows he won't agree to donate any Dust - and he'll charge exorbitant amounts to sell the Dust just to piss off Ironwood," I said. "Your dad would cut costs to make as much Lien as possible when it comes to mining Dust - do you know if anything he did was illegal or just terrible?"
"My father never showed me much of the specifics when it came to mines and actual extraction sites," Weiss admitted. "He only taught me how to be a...people person, and how to negotiate and haggle. Nothing I knew was illegal - but now I know there has to be." Her face fell from disgust to depression, and I realized I'd brought up a sour topic of her childhood.
"I'm sorry, I know this is hard," I admitted.
"Don't worry, I know this is something I'll have to deal with sooner or later," Weiss said. "Two days is some time to prepare. And plan - don't worry, I'll help, it's the least I can do after everything my father's done."
"Weiss, you don't need to hold yourself responsible for your piece of shit dad," I said. "Your life is your own, nothing will change that."
Weiss smiled shyly, before coughing and shaking her head. "What else did you need to talk about?" she asked. It was clear that I was helping her - and that this topic was likely too close for her comfort.
"Well, it's something I think you'll like," I said, smiling. "Other than trying to take down your dad - how would you like to make him publicly miserable?"
Weiss's smile turned rather mischievous at that. "Oh? Do tell..."