Ruby sighed and gently laid Crescent Rose to rest against the dusty old bar. Uncle Qrow had disappeared to do Uncle Qrow things and the rest of the group was scattered over the house, unsettled and unsure of what to do. Apart from Maria Calavera that was. The old lady had nerves of steel and was reading some old books by the fireplace as if they hadn't accidentally stumbled upon desiccated bodies not too long ago.

Ruby sighed again and her mind wandered back to the lamp, to Jinn and what she had revealed.

It was a lot to take in. Not one moment had been easy to understand or even contemptible. It had just been…a lot. It left her drained and tired too, so she struggled to really process things.

The shadow war between Ozpin, or was it Ozma now? Either way, the discreet war in the shadows had actually been waging for millennia, and at times during that unfathomably long time it had been a more direct, confrontational war. Now she, her friends, her family, everyone she knew, were part of an ongoing, eternal, never-ending war between an old man and his crazy ex-wife who wants to destroy the entire world just because she wants to die. Or does she want to conquer and rule it? That hadn't really been clarified.

Hadn't it? Ruby rubbed her eyes and yawned. The long walk through the cold, snow covered woods had been exhausting and now she was positively shattered. Coming down from the adrenaline high of a fight with the Grimm on a moving train followed by part of said train crashing had been tiring. Learning her whole life, the life of her uncle, her team, her friends and possibly even her mother, was just another cycle, another blink in the eye moment of two immortals battling one another was exhausting.

Walking through cold, wet snow that made her bones chilly and her clothes icy? That had been soul-breaking. Part of her was surprised she didn't break down and ask Uncle Qrow or Yang to give her a piggyback.

Or was it Drunkle Qrow now? It was all he seemed to be doing since everything had been revealed. Normally Ruby wouldn't much care, what her uncle did was what her uncle did after all. It wasn't her business. But the group needed everyone to be in tip top condition if they were to make it to Argus to link up with Jaune and Ren and Nora.

Ruby sighed a little and slumped forward, head resting comfortingly in her …was Jaune. Why did that have to be so complicated? She cared about Yang. She cared about Qrow. She cared about Weiss and Blake and Nora and Ren and Oscar. She also cared about Jaune, but for some reason, some ickle-wickle reason, it had to be different.

It had to be that she liked seeing him smile. She liked just seeing his face in general. She liked the way he smelled, the way he laughed, the way he made her laugh, the way he fought, the way he listened, the way he smiled, the way he led, the way he learned, the way he taught, had she mentioned the way he smiled?

She had it bad. Why did she have to have it bad?

If there was one thing she had definitely taken away from Jinn's revelations, it was that having it bad was worse than she thought.

What if she joined Salem? What if she became Salem? Or something like that? What if something happened to Jaune, and she just became an edgelord who did whatever edgelord's do?

She didn't want that. But she didn't want to not be with Jaune. But she was too scared he'd say no to ask him out and be with him. So she wasn't going to be with him. Even if she wanted to. Very. very much.

If her life was one of Blake's trashy romance novels, some angels or fairy godmother would come down from fairy godmother-land and give her something, like advice or a wish or glass shoes. Unfortunately, her life wasn't the main protagonist of Blake's trashy romance novels, so instead she would have to make a hard decision.

Risk for a biscuit and a hubby-to-be or don't and just hope for the best?

Ruby growled and raised her head before slumping back into her folded arms. She had wanted to do something more dramatic, but couldn't find the energy to do it. She was just tired. No other word to describe it. At least, one she could think of or have the energy to think of.

She closed her eyes, feeling herself doze off for a few moments, before the shrivelled husks of Brunswick Farm's former inhabitants flashed before her eyes and she jerked up, eyes wide and breathing heavy.

Ruby shook her head, as if to deny what she had seen, and rubbed her eyes, slumping again to let out another soft sigh. In times like these, everything just seemed…hopeless.

Her hands moved like they were on instinct. She didn't even realise what she was doing until her hand was holding the carefully folded photo in one hand. Ruby blinked before she gently moved the edges of the laminated photo, staring silently as her mom's smiling face came into view.

Before she had left Patch, she had decided to take one of her photos of her mom with her. For good luck partially, and also for when moments like these came around she could remember what she fought for.

But even now, the warm smile of Summer Rose struggled to dispel the tired chill that had descended over her like a wet, oppressive blanket. If her mom had died on a mission to stop Salem, then her death would've been in vain. Just like everyone else Ozpin had used over who knows how long. Just like her death might be…

Her eyes narrowed. Enough was enough. A Rose didn't quit, and if Salem couldn't be killed or defeated in some way, then she'd make one.

It was like that age old question. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

'Well.' Ruby thought to herself as she strapped Crescent Rose to her wait and strode confidently towards the living room, where everyone else was starting to congregate with depressed looks and slumped postures. 'It's time to find out.'

A/N: Next update on 10/02/23!