Yang and Weiss got a call from Ruby to meet her on the rooftop. Yang shrugged and Weiss led her to the place her and Ruby had spent a good hour at the night of that infamous first day. Yang watched her casually stepped through the door, walk to the edge of the building, and sit down with her legs dangling over the side. Yang shrugged again and followed suit. They were sitting in silence for several minutes before they heard the door open behind them. There was Ruby, carrying a shopping bag and being followed by none other than Blake Belladonna.
The pair joined Weiss and Yang at the building's edge. Ruby reached into the shopping bag and pulled out a collection of brown ice cream pops. "They only had fudge left this late, I hope that's fine?"
"Sure, thanks!" Yang took hers, surprised.
"Thank you, Ruby," Weiss politely accepted hers.
Blake quietly took hers with only a nod.
They unwrapped the ice creams and took their first bites. After the silence became heavy, Ruby broke it. "Been a crazy weekend, huh?"
"Indeed," Weiss nodded. "I assume you were with Blake, correct? Where were you two?"
Ruby didn't answer herself, but turned to Blake and nudged her shoulder. Blake lowered her ice cream. "I wanted to prove to you that the White Fang weren't involved in those robberies," she explained to Weiss. "So Ruby and Sun, a friend from Haven, a faunus friend,helped me. We figured out where the thieves next target would be, and staked it out." Her head dropped, "but it turned out to be the Fang after all..."
Weiss was thoughtful. "I'm sorry to hear that, Blake. It must have been difficult to see."
Blake was surprised by Weiss's seeming acceptance. "Weiss, I want you to know I have nothing to do with the White Fang. I did, and it took longer than I want to admit to realize how they were being corrupted. But once I finally saw what I spent so long trying not to see, I left. That was a few weeks before Beacon, and in the time you've known me, I have never been their agent."
Weiss nodded. "I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you couldn't be who you are around me. Ruby reminded me that I left Atlas for a reason. I don't want to be what they want me to be."
"That's already leagues ahead of your father," Blake smiled.
Weiss returned the smile, "Thank you, Blake."
They took another few bites of their ice cream. Ruby decided it was her turn. "Since we're all sharing, I want to say something." Everyone faced her, waiting for her to continue. "I've told all of you about this, separately. But I want it out in the open."
"Is this about you leaving?" Weiss asked.
"I have no intention of staying at Beacon forever," Ruby confirmed. "My skill level isn't luck or prodigy. I've been in heavy training already, for three years. My teacher, Master Kairi… had to leave for a mission. I don't know how long it will take. I only came to Beacon because the alternative was sitting at home, doing nothing, getting rusty… the moment she comes back for me, I am leaving."
"What will happen to the team once you do?" Blake asked.
"That depends on Weiss," Ruby answered. "If I think she's grown enough to make a good leader, she'll take over team Ruby. If I don't, the job is yours."
"Wait, what about me?" Yang asked.
"I love ya, sis," Ruby eased in, "but can you really see yourself leading a team?"
Yang scrunched her face in thought. "Eh, you have a point," Yang accepted, taking another bite of her ice cream. The rest of the team followed suit, and silence settled over the group once again.
As they neared the end of their frozen treats, another thought plaguing Blake's mind surfaced. "We did a lot of good today. But, there's one thing I still don't understand."
"What's that, partner?" Yang coaxed for more.
"The White Fang we stopped… they were being led by a human," Blake informed Weiss and Yang.
"Seriously?" Yang voiced both their surprise.
"Yeah," Ruby nodded. "I managed to beat her, get her arrested… but she's not exactly the talkative type. I think she may have been Torchwick's partner, she reacted to his name."
Weiss hmmed. "Well, if we have them both, the robberies should stop, right?"
"What if the robberies continue without them?" Blake suggested. "We don't know it was just the two of them. No one we arrested was willing to confess their goals."
"You know what I think?" Yang stood and stretched, bare popsicle stick in hand. "I think stopping an international terrorist organization is a bit above our pay grade."
"Yang has a point," Weiss agreed. "We're still students. Even Ruby is waiting for her teacher so she can return to her own training."
"You're right..." Blake admitted. "It's just… sometimes it feels like no one else is doing enough."
"I know how you feel," Ruby rested her hand on Blake's shoulder. "But even if we could do anything, we need our rest too. It's time for bed, team."
"I second that," Yang yawned.
The four girls returned to their dorm for some well-deserved sleep.
When Ruby had let loose at the docks, she did so safe in the knowledge that those who saw either wouldn't know, wouldn't care, or wouldn't be believed. Unfortunately, she did forget one very important thing… security cameras. While her and her team were settling down for the night, Ozpin was carefully watching footage from the docks. He had reached the battle with Neopolitan, and what new information that showed certainly intrigued him.
The elevator opened. Glynda walked into the room, tablet in hand. "Ozpin, I wanted to speak to you about-" she spotted the recording. "What is that?"
"The recordings from the docks tonight," Ozpin told her.
"Ms. Rose again?" Glynda sighed. "Is there at least anything new?"
"There is," Ozpin scanned the timeline to the start of Neo and Ruby's fight. "Starting with this."
Glynda watched Ruby's weapon teleport to her hand from nearly ten feet away. "And that's only the start. She also displays a few new magic abilities," Ozpin forwarded the video to the end of the fight.
Glynda's eyes widened when Ruby healed herself. "My word..."
"Indeed," Ozpin nodded. "If she can heal not only herself, but others as well, that alone would make her the most powerful mage I have ever met. But perhaps even more interesting is this." He let the video play through to Neopolitan attempting to flee and how Ruby stopped her.
"'Stop'?," Glynda noticed, "what did Ruby do to her?"
"Ms. Rose appears to cast vocal spells," Ozpin informed her. "So I feel safe assuming, given the invocation, that she momentarily halted time. Localized entirely to Ms. Neopolitan."
Glynda straightened up and looked over the headmaster. He continued to stare intently at the screen, pouring over every piece of new information. Glynda sighed, "Ozpin, Ms. Rose has already been at Beacon for nearly an entire semester."
"And?" Ozpin bade her continue.
"Nothing has happened," Glynda pointed out. "No one has attacked her. Whatever secrets she's keeping haven't reared an ugly head. Watching recordings will only tell you so much. I think you should talk to Ruby."
"We must still be careful," Ozpin reminded her. "Amber is still in critical condition in the vault. Whoever stole her power will most likely come for the other half. What do you think that kind of person will do to get her hands on Ruby's power?"
"Even more reason to bring her in!" Glynda insisted. "And If she is really so powerful, she could help us! If we trust her with our secrets, perhaps she will trust us with hers?"
"It's not so simple, Glynda," Ozpin insisted.
"Yes, Ozpin, it is. The issue here is that You are uncomfortable not having an upper hand," Glynda argued. "Finally, you are confronted with something you do not understand, and you refuse to move forward until you do. But how much do you think you'll learn watching recordings with no audio?"
"And what if Ms. Rose is an enemy?" Ozpin asked.
"You said it yourself," Glynda countered, "she wouldn't be walking Beacon freely if you believed she were."
Ozpin brought his hands together in front of his face, elbows on his desk. "Perhaps you are right. But what if Ms. Rose turns us down? We keep secrets to keep people safe. What if she does as well? Most people are not aware of our little 'brotherhood'. What if we are just as unaware that she is a part of something bigger, something higher?"
"We won't know until we ask," was Glynda's only answer.
"I need more time, Glynda..." Ozpin admitted feebly. "I am sorry. But I must know more."
Glynda's face was hard, but her eyes were sympathetic. "Don't take too long. We don't know when our Maiden thief will next attack. Whether we aim to protect Ruby, or ask for her help, we should do so before the situation becomes dire."
Mercury and Emerald were in the room when Cinder received the news that Neopolitan had been arrested as well. It very quickly became not a safe place to be. Cinder wasn't used to her carefully laid plans falling apart, and now two of her subordinates were imprisoned. She was slinging furious words and fireballs in equal measure.
"Well, Neo can bust out easily, and from inside she'll probably find Torchwick," Emerald assured.
"If that little creature has any sense, that is exactly what she will do!" Cinder shouted.
Emerald and Mercury were chased out of the room by another fireball. The ringleader was alone in her office, and refocused on the object of her fury. Yes Neopolitan was arrested, but as Emerald pointed out that was nothing, perhaps even beneficial after a time. What really ticked Cinder off was who arrested Neopolitan. She stared at the image on the computer, a still of the dock's security camera feed. Proving the same girl that captured Torchwick had interfered yet again. And her strange magic…
"Who is she!?"
Power pulsed into Cinder's fist as she brought it down onto the table. Her rage was momentarily forgotten as she examined said fist. Instead of flame and embers, a strange black and purple smoke ebbed out from her hand. "What was that? Another Maiden power, one I'm not familiar with?"
A loud noise like rushing wind filled the room. Cinder felt a presence enter her office, and she didn't hesitate to sling fire at the possible threat. The fireball hit the wall next to the intruder, an incredibly thin individual wearing an oversized black coat. The person let out a shrill scream and collapsed, curling up on the ground.
Cinder didn't hesitate step right up to the newcomer with another fireball in hand. "How did you get in here?"
"Stop attacking me! Why are you attacking me!?" the figure cried.
"How did you get in here!?" Cinder asked again.
"You called me here!" the figure claimed. "You called me here and then you attacked me and I don't know how to deal with that!"
"I called you here?" Cinder raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"Your darkness," the figure answered as though it was obvious. They finally stood, their arms crossing across their stomach."I was trying to follow my darkness, and then I felt yours. So here I am."
"My darkness?" Cinder scoffed. "What does that even mean?"
"You don't know?" Cinder couldn't tell if the figure was curious or confused, not while their face was still shrouded by that hood. "But you have so much of it…"
"So much darkness?" Cinder shook her head, still in disbelief. "Start making sense!"
The cloaked figure reeled again. "Why are you still threatening me!? I told you I don't know how to deal with that!"
Cinder rolled her eyes and turned away. "You're just insane, aren't you..."
"The Key Bearer..."
Cinder turned back around. Even with that hood, she could tell her uninvited guest was facing her computer. The screen displaying an image of the strange and frustrating young girl. "Wait… do you know something about that annoyance?"
"I know that if you fight her, you won't win," the figure stated. All of a sudden, their voice carried far more confidence than it had at any point in the previous conversation.
That didn't deter Cinder, who summoned her fireball back and aimed her hand right at them. "The power I wield is one of the strongest in all of Remnant."
The same black and purple smoke Cinder had earlier began rising out of her unwanted companion's back, shoulders and arms. They casually reached out and closed their fist around Cinder's fireball, extinguishing it with no damage to themselves. Cinder's eyes shot wide and she took an unconscious step back. "How…"
The dark figure brought their left hand around their front to grip their right bicep. "Believe me or not, you will not win. Not unless you nurture your darkness..." They left with that last remark, seemingly swallowed by a black and purple portal that produced that same brief, high-wind noise from before.
Cinder stared at the spot they vanished from. Skepticism tempted her, but wasn't an open mind what brought her this far? The drive to investigate those old stories that led her to discovering the Maidens were real? The willingness to believe Atlas was building soul-transfer technology that lead her to stealing that gloved-device she used to steal half of the Fall Maiden's soul? Perhaps, then, allowing herself to believe her guest wasn't entirely crazy could lead to a power even greater…
"Darkness, you say..."