Skit - A Good Listener (Oscar, Ozma)

Ozma: You know, for how long we've known each other, you aren't a very good listener.

Oscar: …

Ozma: Although… when you told that aunt of yours about me, you did a pretty good job. Maybe you aren't as bad at listening as I thought.

Oscar: …

Ozma: And you're ignoring me again. You're quite the enigma, aren't you boy?

It had been a month and a half since Ozma's voice first popped into Oscar's head. It had been one of the worst months of his life. He barely remembered the last time he had ever been so tired and angry, if he ever had been. His aunt would tease him about his height and his future career as a renowned author, but she was clearly worried about him.

One night, he was just poking at his dinner. His appetite had been on the decline. He loved his aunt's cooking, but no amount of good food could help him feel better after what he's had to deal with recently.

"Is it just you and your aunt, boy?" Ozma asked him.

"That's not my name."

Oscar had taken to just thinking his responses to Ozma, rather than speaking them. His screw up after that shopping trip served as a good lesson.

"...Oscar, are you happy? Now, could you answer my question?"

"Yeah, it's just us," Oscar said.

"She must be very dear to you, then."

"Where is this going?" He narrowed his eyes, and Oscar saw his aunt give him a look. She couldn't hear him, and that probably just made her think he was even more crazy.

"It would be a shame if something were to happen to her, right?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Oh, it isn't me. It's Salem. I've told you. She seeks the utter annihilation of all Remnant. That would include your aunt. Do you really want that?"

"I'm not falling for your dirty tricks!" Oscar thought. "Even if you're not just full of crap, someone else will deal with her. I don't see why it has to be my problem."

Despite his rebuke, the thought of his aunt's death terrified the boy. The two of them, just minding their own business some day, only for it all to end in a flash because of some overlord of the Grimm out there. Even if that were all true, he'd want to spend as much time as he could with her, not run off for some crazy errand a voice in his head told him to go on.

Ozma turned Oscar's love for his aunt into a weapon. Time and again, he'd tell him that his aunt wasn't long for the world, if Salem got her way. Oscar continued to ignore him, even if it did get harder and harder each time he heard it.

"I never would have thought you were so heartless, boy."

"I told you that wasn't my name!" Oscar said, lying in bed one day. "And you're calling me heartless? You're the one that's trying to derail my entire life!"

"Out of necessity. I've told you who I am. I am Salem's nemesis. It is my duty to stop her."

"Yeah, your duty. Not mine."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm in your head now. We're in this together. For me to do my duty, you need to move."

"And why should I?" Oscar grumbled. "Like I said, other people can deal with this."

"They'll need me to guide them. If you don't move, they'll be lost. There will be no hope for victory."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…"

"When the world ends, it will be your fault. Your hands will be stained with your beloved aunt's blood." Ozma had always just been a nuisance, but the tone of his voice now was menacing. It sent chills down Oscar's spine.

"What did you say…?"

"You heard me, boy. She's dear to you, isn't she? Why shouldn't you leave, if it means being able to keep her safe?"

"Just shut up!"

"I thought you wanted to leave your farm. You get to do that, and you won't have to live with the guilt of knowing your stood back and did nothing as your aunt's life ends."

"Just be quiet…"

"Very well," Ozma said. "I'll be quiet."

That was the last time Oscar heard Ozma's voice for weeks.

The only people who had been to Summer's grave were family. Even Weiss and Blake weren't around long enough for Ruby to introduce them. Ruby had a lot to regret lately, and missing that opportunity was just another one to add to the list. She sat by the grave for a while, her legs drawn to her chest, just staring at the ground.

"I'm sorry, mom. I guess I'm being pretty boring right now, huh? I've just… had a lot on my mind lately. I told you about it already. Dad and Uncle Qrow told us about Salem and everything. You must've known about her too.

"Weiss is gone. Blake is gone. Team RWBY is… we're done." Ruby looked out over the ocean. "I thought I could do the whole 'leader' thing but I really screwed up.

"Uncle Qrow was going to be going to Haven. Yang wanted to go. Everyone wanted to go. It'll only be a few more weeks until they leave. I said I'd go with them, but… I still don't know if it was the right thing to do. I'll probably just end up getting in the way…

"I feel bad about leaving dad here on Patch. He'll have Zwei though! I hope he won't miss us too much. I hope I won't miss him too much."

Ruby started at the ocean for a few minutes. Her eyes finally drifted to Summer's grave.

"You lost people too, didn't you? You must have. Seen people you wanted to protect lose their lives. You must have… failed them." Daring to suggest that Summer had failed hurt. It was irrational. Her mom couldn't have saved every single person she came across, could she? "Did it always hurt this much? Did it ever get easier after that first time? ...The first two times…"

Ruby had come out, hoping that speaking to her mom would help her feel better. It usually did; it wasn't nearly as effective this time. She fell silent, the mid-winter chill making goosebumps prickle her skin.

People in the stories Summer would read sometimes had gods. Some of them had beings so powerful that the people of their worlds would turn to them for guidance and aid. One of Ruby's favorites had even featured a pair of gods, though their abandoned mainkind. Ruby wasn't by any means religious. The only frame of reference she had for the concept of prayer was those old fairy tales. She wasn't even sure what god she would pray to. Yet, she still found herself silently begging something — anything — out there to give her strength; to make sure that Summer would be watching over her, when she left.

Ruby knew she couldn't stay outside forever, especially with the cold. After her prayer, she took her leave. Ruby couldn't remember the last time she felt as bad as she did in the weeks following the Fall of Vale, if she ever had. The cold, dreary whether of the winter wasn't going her mood any favors.

The town was largely empty on her walk. In the month since the Fall of Vale, most of the relocation had been completed. The only people out were the new arrivals, trying to get a better sense of the town's layout. Patch had a lot of woodlands, and some of it was going to be cleared to get wood for more housing. The military presence had thinned, but the queen and princess both being in town made it even harder to ignore them.

"Ruby!" Nora was waving at her from a local boutique, Yang, Ren, and Jaune behind her. "So, how was your talk?"

"It was… okay."

"Ready to shop till we drop?" Yang asked. "We need to get some new gear for the trip east, after all!"

"Mistral's usually not that bad, even in the winter," Nora said. "We probably don't need to bundle up too much."

"Atlas will be a different story," Ren said.

"Think we're headed there after Haven?" Nora asked.

"Well, it's either right up north, or Shade on the other side of the world," Ren responded.

"We'd have to go by Argus, then! I could introduce you to my sister!"

"Ooh!" Nora clasped her hands together. "That sounds fun!"

Jaune, however, slumped, eyes drifting towards the ground. "If we go to Argus… I could see Hestia again." Looking at his teammates he added, "Pyrrha's mom."

"We would love to meet her, if you'd introduce us," Ren told him.

"Of course. I'd want to visit anyway." He glanced at Yang and Ruby, then turned towards the store. Ruby's eyes darted to the ground. "We should get inside. We came here to shop, not talk out in the street."

The five of them went in and started browsing the boutique's wares. Ruby found her hand drifting to her neck time and again. Her cape had gotten her choked more times than she would've liked this past year. There were a few like it in stock, but she could do without the length.

There were some much shorter cloaks in the shade of red that she wanted. They reminded her a bit of what the queen wore, but without the fur lining. None of them had hoods, though. Was that a sacrifice she was willing to make? What if her head got cold? After she finally settled on one, she moved on.

"Ruby!" Yang just about tackled Ruby to the ground with her surprise hug. "So, how's the shop…ping?"

"W-what?"

"Why are you looking at pants?"

"What do you mean?"

"I thought you were all skirts, all the time." Yang ran her hand through Ruby's hair as well. "You haven't cut your hair in a while, either."

"Yeah… I just wanted to switch things up a bit, you know?"

"I think so…? Oh, what about these? Don't you think this black looks nice?"

As Yang showed off a pair of pants, Ruby could see a few things thrown over her shoulder. She had a pair of tan pants and a yellow and black riding jacket. Was she planning on taking Bumblebee?

"I just might have to take these… If they fit, anyway."

After doing some more looking, Yang and Ruby ran into Ren and Nora. The outfit Nora put together seemed like a natural evolution of what she wore at Beacon. The odd metal corset she was wearing had disappeared once they settled in Patch, and it didn't look like it was going to make a comeback. Ruby couldn't quite understand the red slip Nora was holding, though. It looked like a sleeve, but it wasn't attached to any sort of shirt.

Ren had put in a custom order not too long after they decided to go to Mistral. Being as small a town as it was, Patch didn't have much in the way of foreign attire. Ren wanted something from Mistral, closer to what he usually wore.

When Ruby asked after Jaune, Ren and Nora told the sisters that he headed to the local blacksmith. They made their purchases, then headed off to find him. Ruby didn't think that his armor was that badly damaged, but any sort of maintenance was better than none. They found him carrying a red chestplate along with Crocea Mors.

"Hey, you got it painted!" Nora observed.

"It just seemed right to me," he said. "You're all done with your shopping for the day?"

"For now, yeah. Want to head back for dinner?" Yang asked.

"I'm not going to turn down your dad's homemade cooking," Ren said.

Before they could leave, Ruby saw someone walking across the road. She was wearing a dignified white uniform, had well kept chestnut hair, perfect posture, and a sleeve billowing in the wind as she walked.

"It's the princess…" she breathed.

"Oh, crap, it is!" Yang exclaimed. She took a step forward then looked back at the others. "What're you guys waiting for? It isn't like she's a total stranger. Come on!" Then she started running across the street before anyone could stop her. They just went along with it and followed her. "Your Highness!"

"Hm? Oh, it's you lot. It's been quite some time, hasn't it?" She looked the group over thoughtfully. "Branwen's informed my sister of your intentions to make your way to Haven. Along with the… losses your teams have suffered lately. Arc, Valkyrie, Ren, you have my condolences."

"Thank you…" Jaune said.

"I was just on my way to see my sister, in truth. Come, join me."

"Are you sure? A bunch of kids like us?" Ruby asked.

"Children, not exactly. I see no issue with huntsmen and huntresses having a meeting with the queen, however." She started walking, and the five of them fell in behind her.

The group made their way to Patch's hospital. Being the hospital of a small coastal town like Patch, there weren't any especially fancy facilities. The queen was staying in a room just as perfectly ordinary as anyone else being treated there. Based on what Ruby had heard about the night of The Fall, she wouldn't have it any other way. Nurses were filing in and out of the room when they arrived. The queen was reclining in bed, watching television. A glass of water and a half eaten plate of food were on a bedside table, along with a Scroll.

"Whoa. You brought quite the party, eh?" asked Catherine.

"It only seemed appropriate, as we were acquainted," Meghan replied.

"Well, this is convenient. I'd like to thank you kids for everything you did. Just putting it out in the news is kind of generic, so I was hoping to let at least some people hear it from me in person."

"How're you feeling?" Yang asked. "With your leg, and all."

"Well, I'm alive, aren't I? That's enough for me. But things are going to be looking up real soon. Global comms are down, but snail mail still works. I've been talking to James and Neil."

"How are they?!" Ruby blurted out.

"Atlas is on high alert, so it sounds like they're pretty stressed. James is dealing with national security, and Neil is the crown's public face for the election. Primary season's kicked off since this all started."

"Even with everything that's been going on?" Nora asked. "I guess politics stops for nothing, huh?"

"You can say that again. With this being their first ever election, Mantle and Atlas both are real fired up. Robyn Hill's a woman that's sure to make waves, based on the letters I've gotten. By the way, Jacques Schnee's on the ballot. Since you're friends with his daughter, I thought you might like to know."

"The guy with the monopoly on the global Dust industry, huh? That has absolutely no chance of going downhill, I'm sure," Ren dryly said.

"You can say that again. Even with everything on their plates, they're still doing us a massive solid," Catherine said.

"James has arranged for some of the best of Atlas's minds to build high-tech prosthetics for my sister and I," Meghan said.

"I'm looking forward to walking again. Physical therapy, not so much…"

"That's great!" Ruby exclaimed. "I'm so happy to hear that, you two!"

"Shouldn't be that much longer until they're here, I think. You guys might even get to see them before you leave for Anima." The Scroll buzzed and Catherine picked it up. She frowned and sighed. "Yeah, I had a feeling that it was soon." She reached for something over the edge of her bed and held up what looked like a remote. She pressed a button on it, but it didn't make any noise or do anything to the television. "Sorry, folks, but I think we have to cut this talk a bit short."

"Well, if you have things to do, we'll get out of your hair." Yang started backing out of the room, the others quick to join her.

"...We're meeting with Adam Taurus," Princess Meghan stated.

"You're what?" Yang turned back, eyes fixed on the older woman.

"I've heard the name before…" Nora said. "Blake mentioned him after we made it to Patch, right?"

"He's the one that did this to me." Yang pointed at her scar. "Why would you be talking to that creep?"

"Because politics," Catherine said. "It's my duty to make sure the people of this kingdom are safe, and he wants to talk about that safety. Salem had her priorities, but I guess this is what Taurus wanted. Did you really have to tell them that, Meg?"

"Did you have to tell them about Schnee? They're acquainted with Belladonna, and Xiao Long met him in combat."

"It isn't too late to back out, or something?" Nora asked. "I mean, what the White Fang did in Beacon… it was horrible!"

"It was," Catherine sighed. "A small part of me could understand the White Fang, but now? That was terrorism, plain and simple. I don't plan to just bow down and do whatever he demands, but I have to at least hear the man out. Especially when he's basically holding my people hostage during such trying times. I just hope none of you kids don't have to deal with any of this in the future. Politics is just one huge mess."

The five of them left the hospital, Yang's mood thoroughly soured. Ruby couldn't even begin to comprehend the sorts of things that were going through the queen's mind. She couldn't help but worry about Neil up in Atlas, either. Everyone needed time to recuperate and decompress, but for people like them, it seemed life simply didn't allow them that luxury. Governance wasn't a job that came with vacations, especially after disasters like this.

If not for Nora, the walk back home would've been nothing but somber silence. It was her pure excitement about Taiyang's cooking that helped to keep the mood light enough, until they were settled and back in the cabin.

Cinder looked down at her new black hand. It felt alien. Though, considering the fact that it was Grimm, she supposed it was. She could feel that her Aura didn't protect it, not in the slightest. It was nice to have a left arm again, and its surprising elasticity would be very useful.

Salem oversaw Cinder's physical therapy, and when she judged that Cinder had recovered, she tasked her with returning to Beacon to finish what she was started. Silver, Rapunzel, Emerald, and Mercury went with her. Mercury was able to teleport them as far as the entrance to Beacon Tower.

"Alright, so…" Mercury peered down the elevator shaft. "How do we get down there?"

"Silver, bossman, think you can give us a lift?" Rapunzel asked.

"Please don't call me that." He mimicked Ruby's Semblance, carrying all of them down to the bottom of the shaft. Most of the Vault had collapsed.

"So, where's the door?" Emerald asked.

"It's got to be somewhere in here, but what do we do with all this crap?" Mercury added.

"I'll handle it."

Cinder started using her magic to blast away the rubble. They needed to conserve their Aura for what came next. It took quite some time, and an awful lot of dust inhalation from all of the blasted rubble, to finally find the massive door that they had come to find. Cinder walked up to it and lifted her hand to it, hesitating for a moment before touching it. It was covered in panels that reminded Cinder vaguely of flower petals. At her touch, they began to fold into each other, like an eastern folding fan.

When all of the panels were retracted, the group was presented with a stark snowfield. In the center of the Vault's interior, atop a snowy mound, was a long, thin spire. Slowly rotating above it was a crown decorated with glittering green jewels. They all walked in but, surprisingly, it wasn't cold.

"Okay…" Rapunzel said. "Where's the big baddie Salem said we'd have to deal with?"

"It's somewhere here. We know that much." Silver drew his saber. "Look alive, everyone. Jump into action immediately if Cinder looks like she's in danger."

As Cinder walked forward, she heard the others cocking the guns within their weapons. She stepped onto the mound and took hold of the crown. So this was the Relic of Choice. It was a pretty looking crown. Cinder lifted it above her head, hesitating for a second. Then, closing her eyes, she set it atop her head.

Nothing happened.

"Um, Cinder?" Emerald asked. "Do you think that's for the be-"

"Are you really going to destroy the world for her?"

"So, you say you didn't attack Violet. Will you help us save Argus, then?"

"Do you think… I could be a part of your life again?"

"Cinder, come with us! She doesn't love you like you think she does!"

"Please… kill me… and free her from this everlasting nightmare…"

Five scenes flashed in Cinder's head. A dark haired woman she had never seen before in some underground cavern. Ruby, Jaune, and some little girl in a city, people screaming all around them. Her sister, Anais, alive and well, a faint scar across her neck, smiling wide with eyes full of tears. Emerald, hand outstretched, with Mercury behind her, somewhere in a snowstorm, a pleading look on her face. Lastly, bloodied and cradled in Cinder's arms was-

"Silver…"

She turned to him, her mind racing at a million miles a minute. Her vision got blurry as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Cinder?" He took a step forward. "Cinder, what's wro-"

The mound Cinder was standing on began to stir. It suddenly rose out of the ground. Cinder flew off, using her newfound wind magic to compose herself.

"Damn!" she cried.

"There it is, then!" Rapunzel cried. "Why did it have to be so damn big?"

By the time the ice golem was fully out of the ground, it towered over the five of them. Just looking at it, Cinder guessed that it was ten feet tall at the shortest. The needle she was here for was wedged into its back, and it was obvious that it wasn't going to sit still and just let her pull it.

"So, what do we do?" Emerald asked.

"This being is clearly some sort of magical entity. I doubt destroying its head would blind it. Emerald, Rapunzel, look for an opening and hold its legs. Cinder, you and I will topple it. Mercury, it's up to you to make that opening."

"Right!"

The golem brought its hand down onto the four of them. Silver, Rapunzel, and Emerald rolled out of the way. Mercury warped above the golem and kicked it in the face. It swatted at him, but he was already gone.

Mercury focused on hitting the golem's upper body to keep it focused there. Emerald ran around it to one side and swung her weapons at it, wrapping its chains around one of the legs. Rapunzel ran to the other side of it and swung at its free leg with one of her hands. An ethereal purple vine, covered in thorns, shot from her palm, wrapping around the other leg.

Rapunzel's Thorns were enough to attract the golem's attention, and it was obvious that they weren't going to hold their ground for long. Silver and Cinder didn't have much time, so they jumped into action as soon as the conditions were ideal. The two of them went for its legs. Cinder summoned Midnight, superheating its blades with her Semblance, and Silver copied hers to do the same with his own saber. They both used more of their Aura to increase the strength of the Cinder's Semblance and swung.

Steam erupted from its legs as the two cleaved through its knees. It crashed into the ground and fell forward. Rapunzel simply dispelled her Thorns, and Mercury teleported Emerald out, her weapon's chains clattering to the ground when they reappeared. The golem used its arms to prop itself up, seemingly not that bothered by what had happened to its legs. It balanced on one arm, sweeping at the group as they took in what had happened.

"Of course it's just using its arms…!" Silver groaned. "Fine, then. I'm leaving it to you four!" He sheathed his saber and whipped the golem with replicated Thorns. The golem swept at him with a hand. Silver outstretched his own, and as soon as they made contact, the golem's entire arm melted into water and crashed into the snow. Silver's Aura flickered and shattered. He jumped back as it fell, stumbling a bit.

Emerald, Mercury, and Rapunzel blasted away at the golem, now flailing, while Cinder used her magic and Semblance to wear away at it. With most of its limbs gone, it couldn't do anything to resist as they destroyed it. When it finally stilled, the chunk of ice that remained with the needle stuck in it appeared to fuse to the ground.

Once they were all settled, Emerald stormed over to Cinder and practically ripped the crown off of her head.

"I don't know what happened when you put that thing on, but it clearly wasn't good," she said. "I'm keeping this away from you."

"Yeah… that's probably for the best."

Cinder turned to the needle and approached it, now that its guardian had been defeated. She took hold of it, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She thought about the Fall of Vale; all of the people who had been hurt or died; everyone the world over who'd been the victim of violence and injustice; everything she had heard about what drew her companions to Salem; her own life in Atlas.

Then she began to pull.

In death, let us all be freed from this cursed existence, she thought.

Once the needle was out of the mound, it disappeared. Rather, it felt like it shot up into the sky. The bright light that shot straight upward coupled with its sudden absence from Cinder's hands made her think that, at least.

"That's it…" she whispered. "We're done here."

"One down, two to go," Rapunzel stated. "Guess it's time to head home, then. Merc, ready to bring us back?"

"Yeah, I got it!"

Mercury helped Silver up and the others huddled around them. He thought of Evernight Castle on Mors, so, so far away. He'd probably collapsed as soon as they touched down. They had to get back somehow, though. He warped them all back.

Skit - Guardians (Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Silver, Rapunzel)

Rapunzel: So that was a Guardian, huh?

Mercury: If not for the fact that all five of us were there, we'd have been screwed.

Emerald: That's one hell of an understatement! If Rapunzel wasn't there, there wouldn't have been any way for me to stop that Golem so you could take out its legs.

Mercury: I might've been able to do something, but then there goes the distraction.

Silver: Yes, yes, it was a collaborative effort and we were all indispensable. The mission is done, so there's no need to dwell on how we might have died if something was done differently.

Cinder: Yeah… he's right.

Emerald: I wonder what the others are going to be like. I'd be fine just not fighting another one of those…