Yang was furious. She yelled for a while about upsetting Nora after the warning that she was touchy about her lost best friend then things were quiet and she was alone again. It had been nice chatting with Book on the way back but he quickly excused himself when Yang appeared with that 'gonna kill a little sister' look in her eyes.
Sky still wasn't answering her messages, not that she was surprised. He had new reasons to be mad at her and she was increasingly certain her team was just permanently broken. All she could do was be glad they were all on the same side.
She did her best to stay distracted with training. Normally Yang helped but it looked like just Mezza, Dove, and Ms. Goodwitch as sparring partners for a while. It was enough, though. She filled her days with fighting and left as little time for thinking as possible. She had to get strong enough to join the others outside the compound. She had to be able to go against Ozpin. She had to.
"My turn!" The words pulled her out of her daze and she found Crescent Beacon replaced with the training scythe again. Rose was standing across from her with an eager smile.
"What?" Ruby barely had a chance to register what was going on before the girl's hair was pulled back and she was moving forward. Her focus quickly returned by force as Rose darted, whirled, jumped and lashed out with incredible speed. Ruby had to tap in to her semblance to keep up but the challenge was exhilarating. By the end of the fight both had a few streaks of color but far less on Ruby than she had seen on the girls' other opponents.
Mezza knelt beside her daughter and pointed out the long streak angling across her stomach. "In a real fight she would have cut you in half. You have to be more careful."
"I want armor!" She stomped her foot. "When do I get armor?"
"It wouldn't make a difference in this case. That scythe can cut through most armor." She said firmly as she avoided answering the question. Ruby understood, she didn't want to have armor made both because the girl would outgrow it quickly and because it would make her status as a fighter all the more real.
"Don't worry." Ruby grinned, picking Rose up. "You'll get armor soon enough. Right now you're still growing fast and we can't afford to make really good stuff until you're big and strong. I'll help you make it when you're ready, okay?"
"Okay!" She said cheerfully, placated for the moment.
She had a shadow for the rest of the day as Rose wheedled lessons from her and challenged her to races. It was fun and it all helped her get back in shape so she gladly played along and let herself enjoy it.
By dinner time she was tired and the girl was practically asleep on her feet. Halfway through the meal she leaned against Ruby and fell asleep. When Dove came to get his daughter she reached out and clung to her neck, mumbling while trying to wake up. "Miss Rubyrose?"
"Yeah?" She smiled at the adorable, sleepy little face and the way she said her name as if it were one word.
"Knives're fun but I'm gonna learn all th' weapons…" She yawned, unable to keep her eyes open as she talked. "Can I learn scythe next?"
"Of course." She kissed Rose on the forehead and grinned at Dove. He chuckled and loosened her grip on Ruby so he could carry her home.
Once she was alone she sighed, sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. She really missed the cafeteria at Beacon, eating with her team and chatting with anyone willing to talk. Now she ate alone in a repurposed lab unless one of the few people she knew wanted to have their meal with her.
She jumped when a chair nearby scraped on the floor. Her eyes flew open as she sat up again and she let out a relieved breath. "Hello, Ms. Goodwitch."
"Glynda, please." She said with an amused smile that almost reached her eyes. "There is no need for formality around here."
"Alright." She said, forcing a smile.
"Is everything okay? While you are making excellent progress you have been distracted lately."
"Yeah… Sky's still mad at me. I know it shouldn't bother me as much as it does, I mean, he's got every right to be angry. I just wish I could think of some way to make it up to him. I know it's impossible and I made things worse when I tried to go talk to him…" She groaned and let her forehead hit the table, not bothering to sit up again. "Maybe being stuck around here with so few people to talk to is just getting to me. I have nothing to do but obsess over either really big problems or the drama in my own life."
"I understand." Glynda said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Things will change soon. After your match with Rose Bronzewing this afternoon I have no doubt you are ready to rejoin the others. If you are ready. There are a lot of expectations. Ms. Schnee thinks you should stand as the figurehead of the resistance. You are proof that it is possible to survive and return to fight, stronger than ever. I'm afraid she has given you quite a reputation and your sister has had a hand in encouraging that. While there are no lies being told it is possible they are building a higher pedestal than you will be comfortable with."
"Great." She grumbled.
"There will be a meeting between the officers of the resistance tomorrow afternoon. There is an advisor position available to you if you wish to accept it."
"I probably will. I'm not thrilled with being in the middle of everything but I can't just sit around, either. Just send someone to get me and I'll be there."
"Good. If it goes well you will be given a room on one of the apartment levels of the compound."
"If not?" Ruby prompted.
"I can't imagine it not going well but if it comes to that we will consider options then. There is little further benefit to keeping you apart. You've had time to catch up on events, mourn the past and prepare for the future. You have your strength back and can handle challenges from other fighters. There will likely be a lot of challenges, too. It is the primary form of entertainment for both those involved and the spectators."
She finally sat up and smiled. At least that would be fun, some new folks to spar with would be a great challenge. "Thanks, Glynda. I'm sure it will go well."
The next afternoon as she was finishing her lunch Book appeared in the doorway. "Ready for the meeting?"
"Sure." She smiled. "You're going to be there?"
"Yup. I'm a very important person, you know." He said matter-of-factly but there was a twitch at the corners of his lips that betrayed his difficulty in holding a straight face.
"Oh? Not the janitor, are you?" Ruby grinned and let him lead the way.
He laughed, shaking his head. "Nah, I just try to keep everyone happy. Not an easy job and I end up delegating a lot of work, but I am in charge of keeping up with the opinions and ideas of the average person around here. Not everyone can use a weapon, you know. Some just didn't want anything to do with Ozpin."
"I'm glad they have someone paying attention to that sort of thing." She smiled, he was laid back enough she was sure he got along with everyone. "Are people generally happy?"
"Well, claustrophobia can be an issue now and then, outings aren't really safe since there are a lot of Grimm topside. Mostly, yeah. People tend to be happy. Those who don't have the knowledge to help with the more skilled jobs keep busy with the gardens and maintenance. Most of the younger folks put forth the effort to learn either a useful trade or how to fight, though. There are some who are happy here and content to live out their lives within the compound but that's a minority. Most want to see Ozpin brought down and life go back to normal."
"At least people have the option of being content with their lives." She said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her words. When was the last time she had been truly content? She couldn't remember ever just being happy. There was always either excitement and impatience for the future or frustration with the direction life had taken.
"Contentment now leads to pain in the future." He shrugged. "As much as I like seeing people happy I wish more of them were willing to learn to fight. We've lost a lot of people over the years and there's a constant battle between children and their parents as the kids want to fight and the adults forbid them from weapons out of fear of losing them, too."
"Well, that's the history of life, isn't it?" She asked, her attention trailing as they passed through unfamiliar doors into new hallways and stepped on a larger elevator than the one she had used when seeking out Sky. It wasn't as nice and from the worn tracks on the floor she was certain this was mostly used by maintenance staff and delivery people in the past. She smiled when he pushed the button for the fourth floor and they jerked into motion. She had mostly seen the lower levels on the rare occasions she left the one floor they encouraged her to remain on. Most people didn't go below the tenth floor unless they worked on one of the lower levels and since she had been thirty eight floors down, she mostly saw the occasional researcher or medical aid checking on her.
"I suppose it is. Most of my family went with the rest of the faunus. Go with the flow and survive, right?" He shrugged. "Surviving isn't living and I wasn't about to give in just because it would be easier."
Ruby smiled, hoping the rest shared his view. It was going to be really hard to destroy the empire that had risen all across Remnant but they had no real choice. He was right - they would never really get to live if they went along with Ozpin.
When the elevator stopped he stepped out and led her to a conference room. Most of the chairs were already filled around a long oval table. At the head sat the grumpy but regal Weiss Schnee, at the far end was Yang. There were a few people she recognized but most she didn't. Book pulled out a seat near Yang for her and once she was seated, took his own closer to the middle. That left one empty seat near Ms. Schnee.
"As you can all see," Weiss began once the whispered conversations around her fell silent. "Ruby Rose has recovered and chosen to join us. For her benefit I will introduce everyone before we get down to business. I am, of course, the president. My vice president is Blake Belladonna."
Ruby smiled at the faunus beside her, pretty black cat ears poked out from her hair but the woman seemed a little less than friendly so she refocused on what Weiss was saying.
"Our secretary is Kara Long and our treasurer could not be here today but I hear you already know Sky Lark. Dr. Cansado is our chief of labs," She indicated an old man who seemed to have fallen asleep while sipping his coffee and she quickly moved on. "The chief of military is Jaune Arc, and the chief of personnel is Book Leder. We maintain a few advisors though these positions will rotate as needed. Currently we have Glynda Goodwitch, Yang Xiao Long, Pyrrha Nikos and, if you choose to accept the seat after the meeting, you."
"Nice to meet you all." She said nervously, wishing she had her team with her. Yang wasn't even acknowledging her so there was no support there. Most of them either nodded a greeting or smiled. Yang, Weiss and Blake seemed the only ones who didn't really care to try being friendly.
"So, shall we continue?" Weiss said tersely.
Ruby had a bit of trouble keeping focused during the meeting since it was mostly just each person relating any changes or updates worth mentioning since the last meeting. Most of it was boring and had nothing to do with anything she understood. The closest it got to excitement was when they woke Dr. Cansado and he loudly informed everyone that Ruby had made enough progress that he suggested they invite her to the next meeting. Even Blake smiled as she pointed. Much of the tension seemed to leave the room after the laughter died down. It seemed everyone was pretty stressed out and that offered at least a temporary release.
She wondered why she had never seen the doctor among those who had looked in on her. Though she remembered hearing his name she hadn't seen him once. Was the staff that big?
After the meeting Book took her around to meet some of them on a more informal level. The first one he dragged her over to was Jaune Arc. The blonde man smiled and she realized he was a lot younger than she thought at first, possibly even near her age. "I'm glad you got your strength back, Ruby. I've been looking forward to sparring with you but haven't had the time to go see you."
"That's alright. I haven't really been the best of company lately." She said as cheerfully as she could.
"That's not what I've heard from Rose Bronzewing." He laughed. "She informed me that you would probably be taking my place a few days ago."
"Seriously?" She felt her cheeks burning. "I'm so sorry, I have no idea where she came up with that! I really have no intention of…"
"I know. Don't worry, I've dealt with enough kids to know that all it meant was you impressed her with your skill. I heard you held up pretty well against her, too. The girl is practically a force of nature so that says something. I'm hoping we can deal with this before she's old enough to get involved but if it drags on that long I may have to feel pity for Ozpin's forces."
"If I have any say in it, she'll be playing under the sun by her next birthday." Ruby said firmly.
"Good. I want to see you fight against a few of the others before I include you in future plans. We need all the help we can get but without decent strategy it does no good."
"I'm ready to fight whenever you want." She grinned.
"I'll send the location tomorrow and we'll get a few challengers lined up." He nodded, glancing over her shoulder. "If you'll excuse me there are a few things I need to get yelled at about."
She turned, confused, saw him heading for her fuming sister and considered going in to back him up. When Yang had that look it usually ended with her opponent backing down or hurting bad. Book shook his head and drew her across the room to Kara Long.
"Alright, Ruby, if you need to talk to Blake or Weiss, this is who you talk to first. She'll arrange a meeting whether official or 'by chance'. I advise you chat with Blake first when possible. She's very reasonable and about the only one who can talk sense into Weiss."
"It's such an honor to meet you." Kara smiled, shaking Ruby's hand. "Of course I can help you get in touch with anyone who is otherwise difficult to find. Most people other than those here would be easy to contact on your own, though. There are a few council members who stay too busy to answer every call."
"Like Sky?" She asked, feeling that weight settling over her heart again.
"Don't worry about him, he's just having a bit of a personal crisis." Book said quietly. "Old habits die hard but some need to end up dead and buried. Try not to let it get to you, okay?"
She nodded and Kara gave her a sympathetic smile before slipping away to talk to Blake.
Next was the doctor. Book didn't have a chance to say anything before the old man started talking. "So sorry I haven't been 'round to see you yet, my dear. I've monitored your progress, of course, but there has been so much going on I simply haven't had the time."
"The doctor here is in charge of both the medical and scientific labs. He spends more time with paperwork and supervisors than actually getting involved in anything." Book said with an apologetic smile. "I've been petitioning for a vacation for him but Ms. Schnee just looks at me like I'm insane and Blake isn't having her usual luck convincing her to change her mind."
"Oh, there's no need to go to the trouble, my boy." The doctor said with a forced smile. Ruby wanted to hug the poor man. How could Weiss not see he was practically dead on his feet? The guy needed a break! "I must get back to my office, though. I'm already late for another meeting."
"Alright, doc. Don't forget to get some sleep, huh?" Book called after him, loud enough for the president to hear.
Most of the group had cleared out so Book guided her back toward the elevator. "So, think you can put up with that group?"
"Will I ever understand what they're talking about?"
"Yeah." He laughed. "It makes more sense if you're getting the weekly updates. That had to be like picking up a book and reading from the middle."
"A bit, yeah." She agreed. "So… why is Yang not the one in charge of the military? She's a great fighter and I know she's studied a lot of strategies."
"True. She was considered at first but really she's the 'front line' kind of person and nothing will change that. She wants to be in the middle of the action and that can be dangerous for the leader. Jaune is a strong fighter but more than that he has studied everything he could get hold of about war and strategy. He cares about the fighters under his command and usually has multiple contingency plans in case something falls through. He welcomes ideas and in reality, he shares his position with Pyrrha Nikos. They've been working together since they started at Beacon. Most people wonder if they aren't secretly married."
"Are they?" She prompted, curious.
He shrugged. "If they are, they hide their relationship well. It doesn't interfere with their work or prevent him from putting Pyrrha on the front lines with Yang."
"She must be good, then."
"One of the best." He agreed, holding the door open once they reached her floor. "Well, everything went well so you'll be moving to the fifteenth floor tomorrow."
"Sounds like it will be a busy day."
"You have no idea." Book laughed. "Get some sleep."
"Thanks." She smiled and stepped off the elevator, heading to her lonely room for the last time.
Ruby stopped short as she got close. Sitting against the wall across from her door was Sky. He looked up when he heard her steps. There was no more anger hiding his pain. Before she could think it through, she ran forward and hugged him.
"I'm so sorry, Sky… I didn't mean to hurt you like that."
"I know." He said softly, hugging her just as tightly. "I didn't handle it very well. It was just too much all at once. I'm sorry I took it out on you. I really am glad you're back."
"Me, too." She smiled, pulling away once he loosened his grip. "Will you apologize to Nora for me? I feel terrible for upsetting her… it's great that you have someone looking out for you like that, though. I hate that I messed things up. I bet we could have been friends."
"Your point was not made in the best way but it was a good point." He sighed. "She'll forgive you. It's what she does. I've never seen her hold a real grudge against anyone but Ozpin. Don't worry too much about it… but you might try that cookie tactic of yours. It will work a lot better on her than it did on us."
"Thanks, Sky." She grinned, hugging him again. "I've really missed you."
"I missed you, too." He chuckled. "Better get home, though. Nora will be worried."
"I'm starting to think I'll always be the odd one out." She laughed. "Everyone else is married."
His smile faded a bit and she realized how sad that sounded. Sky mussed her hair. "Don't worry about it. Just a matter of time."
"Thanks." She forced a laugh and he headed for the elevator.
Once he was gone she went in to her room and dropped onto the hospital bed she would be glad to say goodbye to, stared at the ceiling and let the loneliness war with her hope for the future.