Chapter 15: Illusionist

The fire had long since burned itself out, and the ashes had been scattered over the cliff above the Emerald Forest. Per Glynda's orders, now was a time of rest and mourning. Yet, to Ruby's surprise, everyone seemed to be feeling a lot better than she had expected. They weren't happy, by any means, but the death of Cerberus had lifted a heavy load from everyone's shoulders. They had a fighting chance to survive now, and everyone knew it. Even Ruby, who witnessed the deaths of most of those around her in her vision, admitted that their odds were a lot better now than they were before.

It had been three days since the Battle for Beacon, and the cleanup effort was well underway. Rubble and broken windows were being moved to and fro all over campus; roofs were being repaired, buildings that were burned were being salvaged, and the remaining supplies were being organized and maintained more properly by Weiss and Natalie, the two having shared the mutual acquaintance of Luna before her death. Jaune was carrying crates of dust into storage while Pyrrha directed him along the way, Blake and Velvet were in the library pouring over maps of Vale, plotting out where the recon teams had seen Grimm, and team SMMR was practicing their specific skills.

In particular, Sun was practicing his flying skills via a realistic flight simulator, as dust was too scarce to waste on a needless Bullhead launch. Militia was actually in the nurse's office, learning how to administer first aid, and Roman was...

"Hey, Red!" he called as he approached Ruby, leaving Sun to fend for himself in the Bullhead's cockpit. His coat was open, revealing a tattered tank top underneath, and his hat was still missing; it appeared to have been destroyed during the battle.

Ruby sighed, displaying her displeasure of the mocking nickname, but inwardly, she secretly missed these exchanges. It felt like an eternity since she got to answer him as she always had. "My name's not Red, Roman," she stated flatly. Smiling, she looked up at him.

He chuckled softly. "I know, I know." His smile vanished briefly before he stepped beside Ruby, wrapping his right arm around her shoulders. "How are you, Red?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

She shrugged. "I'm fine, I suppose. Still a little tired after the other day, though."

"Killing a mythological Grimm will do that to someone, I'm sure." He lit a cigar and gave it a subtle puff, exhaling smoke slowly as he savored the flavor. "I'm starting to run low on these," he commented. "I really should hold off on them for a while."

"They're bad for you anyway," Ruby answered.

"Well," he answered methodically. "It's not likely to be one of these to kill me though, is it?"

"If my prediction about you holds true, you'll live to see the end of this. Or at least near to the end."

Roman shuddered, remembering what his fate was supposed to be; to live while Ruby bled to death in his arms. He forced the thought from his mind as he inhaled another puff of smoke from the cigar. "Still, it's a good flavor. Rough and harsh to the throat, but still a hint of sweetness to please the palate."

Ruby shook her head in disdain. Swiftly turning to face Roman, she flashed him a slight smile. "What are we supposed to do with you? Criminal mastermind turned savior of the world, yet he still can't kick such a nasty habit."

He laughed at her joke. "That's rich, coming from a young girl who also happens to like to smoke cigars."

Ruby frowned. "I never said I liked them. Don't you remember the coughing fit I went into after the first time?"

Roman laughed at the memory. He glanced at her with a smile. It seemed that now, as a friend and an ally, his debonair demeanor was actually kind of charming. "It's only been three months, but you've grown up quite a bit, haven't you, Red?"

"I had to," she answered. "I knew what harsh reality awaited us. I couldn't afford to be a little girl anymore."

"Well," he replied as he roughed up Ruby's hair with his right hand. "I hope one day you can return to being a carefree girl. This murderous vibe you give off doesn't suit the adorable girl who once thwarted my robberies."

She fought back a blush as she shoved Roman's hand away. "Knock it off, you creep. I'm still fifteen, you know."

He chuckled. "And I'm a former criminal turned responsible adult. Things change, Red."

Ruby stuck her tongue out at him. "That sounded creepy, Roman. Please stop calling me Red."

"Never gonna happen," he stated calmly as he turned to make his way back to the Bullhead where he left Sun. "Get some rest, Red. We've still got work ahead of us."

She nodded, smiling gently as he walked away. "You big jerk," she whispered. She turned and made her way to Ozpin's...or rather, to Glynda's office. "I think everyone's ready to begin planning ahead."

The war room was silent as the grave. The last time every team leader was in here at once was when the comet first appeared. Back then, everyone was loud and talkative, trying to understand what was going one. Now, they sat silently and awaited to hear their new orders, prepared to give their lives should the need arise. Their numbers had diminished since then, and quite a few team leaders were lost forever: Cardin and Luna just two to be named.

Ruby stood in front of the team leaders, ready to begin. Glynda, Oobleck, and Port sat at the front table in view of everyone, waiting for Ruby to begin. She cleared her throat and began speaking. "As many of you are well aware by this point, we are in the midst of a dust shortage. We've a better chance of surviving this in this timeline than in my premonition, but without dust that chance gets shot to hell. In my premonition, we worked in tandem with the Schnee Dust Corporation to salvage as much dust from the mine, Machtstaub, as we possibly could. We failed, which resulted in the death of Weiss Schnee."

"But not this time," she said flatly. "We are not going to contact the Schnee Dust Corporation because there is no reason too. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and right now permission to raid a mine is something we just don't have time to wait on. We believe that the Grimm will leave Beacon alone for the remainder of the comet's stay, and well beyond. As such, we of Team RWBY propose that we take a group of teams and orchestrate a massive salvage operation on Machtstaub, and any other mines in the area, of any and all traces of dust."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Juane asked from the crowd of team leaders.

Ruby nodded. "Each operation will have two groups: Recovery and Destruction. The one team will be the Recovery group, and they are responsible for claiming as much dust as possible, while the Destruction teams will distract and eliminate any possible Grimm in the area. I believe that we should have three Destruction teams per one Recovery team."

"How many mines are we going to hit?" Roman asked. They were in his realm of expertise now. This, to him, was going to be the biggest dust heist he would ever take part in.

"At least the one, but we have two others marked on this map," Ruby stuck a map to the wall behind her. "Machtstaub, the Schnee Quarry, and the Vale Dust Mine."

"Who's going to be doing what?" asked Velvet.

"That will be up to all of you. However, my team mates are already demanding to take part. As such, Team RWBY will be the Recovery unit for the Machtstaub operation. The rest of you will participate purely on a volunteer basis."

Roman cleared his throat. "Team SMMR will act as transportation for the Machtstaub operation."

"Team JNPR will serve as Destruction for the Machtstaub operation." Jaune chimed.

"Team VLVT will act as Destruction for Machstaub," Velvet echoed.

"Team CRDL will act as Destruction for Machtstaub as well," announced Sky.

For the next few minutes, almost every team leader volunteered to take part in one of the three operations. After thirty minutes of organizing, Glynda dismissed the meeting, instructing all participating teams to prepare themselves for the coming mission. Ruby felt encouraged by the turn out for volunteers. She felt true hope for the first time in weeks, and wasn't a false illusion. This time, things would be different.

Song: The Illusionist-Scar Symmetry

Author's Note

I am so sorry for taking so long. I've been so busy with work, that by the time I get home I'm too tired to do anything. I hadn't even had the energy to mow my grass until yesterday! I hate that this chapter is so short, but that's what happens when I only write a little at a time over a month. I need to write immediately after an idea hits me, or it turns into something like this chapter. I'm sure I had more in mind for it, I just can't remember. All the same, next chapter should come a little bit faster (fingers crossed), and it should be longer. Like, an actual normal chapter length.

Fun Fact: I'm in love with RWBY Volume 2 so far. But, then again, who isn't?

Again, i'm terribly sorry for taking so long on such a meager chapter. I'll make it up to you!

Till next time!