Ruby sat upon the edge of her bed in her usual rose-patterned pajamas, her uncovered toes just barely brushing against the floor as she hunched over. The girl stared furiously down at the floorboards, the only sound in the room the occasional echoes of creaking wood elsewhere in the house. Though she hadn't bothered to check the bedside clock, she knew it had probably been hours, and she knew that she likely wasn't going to get any sleep before morning.
The sound of approaching footsteps did nothing to break Ruby out of her mood, nor did the squeaking of the bedroom door as it opened. A familiar, weary sigh echoed throughout the room before the weight of another girl caused the mattress to sink, bringing Ruby down with it.
"…this really sucks."
"I know," Nora agreed as she shook her head. "Everything about this sucks. Still, you need to get some sleep before we head out tomorrow. You're our leader, you know."
"Pff," Ruby replied with a roll of her eyes.
"Stop that," Nora chided as she placed a palm upon Ruby's thigh. "Maybe Ozpin's gone, maybe he's not… but the three of us are following you, no matter what. Whatever you decide, we'll stick with you."
Ruby heaved a sigh and shook her head.
"…thanks. I'm just… things are complicated, right now. I'll get over it…"
"Yeah," Nora replied as she patted Ruby's leg before flopping backward and folding her hands behind her head. "I don't blame you. Wanna talk? Finally? Third time's the charm, they say."
"I don't… like talking about my feelings," Ruby said quietly before lapsing into silence for a long while. Nora remained in place, content to give the other girl time to think. "But… it's getting kinda hard to keep it in while staying sane."
"…we've noticed," Nora admitted. "Ren and I were just talking about it, actually."
"…how'd that all go?" Ruby asked as she turned to face her friend. "Did Sage take his shift watching him?"
"Yeah," Nora answered. "Oscar's been asleep for the past two hours or so, so it's not so much guard duty as babysitting… but I see what you're doing. Don't change the subject."
"Fine, fine," Ruby grumbled. "It's really just… it's about Beacon."
"Beacon was tough for all of us, Ruby," Nora consoled as she sat back up. "You haven't really said much about it, but we get it. We all lost a l-"
"No," Ruby interrupted as she shook her head. "It's not… like that. It's that Beacon was… indestructible in my mind. It was the ultimate goal for so long, and I felt so safe and happy there, and then it was just… gone. Everything else that's happened, all of the little defeats we've had, I could always bounce back from and face the next day with a smile. But with Beacon? It's… different. There's no bouncing back, and it doesn't really fade."
"…so it makes everything else feel hopeless?" Nora asked, wringing her hands.
"…yeah. Yeah, that's about right," Ruby admitted. "And now that we've either lost, or are losing Ozpin, after finding out that he's not as infallible as we thought? Not only does it feel like losing is a definite possibility, it feels like we might've already lost this entire thing."
"Ruby…" Nora tried, only to fail to find additional words.
"Now do you see why I don't bring it up?" Ruby asked with a hint of aggression in her tone. "Beacon fell. We saved Haven, but only barely managed it. Both times, I personally failed, even though Ozpin thinks I'm 'our greatest weapon', apparently. We're about to run headfirst into Beacon again, and seeing it in whatever state it's in now is going to hurt. A lot. Using that weapon isn't easy to begin with, and it's almost impossible when I'm stressed out."
"Yeah," Nora agreed. "Yeah, it will hurt a lot. Still, though, we have to do it. We have to talk to Professor Goodwitch and come up with a definite plan moving forward, especially since we can't rely on Ozpin. Ren and I have some ideas, but… I don't know."
"Care to share?" Ruby asked.
Nora took a deep breath and began to fidget nervously upon the bed.
"Ren and I… depending on what state Beacon is in, and depending on what Goodwitch is doing… we're thinking it might be best to just… stay," Nora explained slowly. "Stay, defend, and rebuild. Going back and forth and trying to break into Atlas isn't going to help anyone by the time we get there and figure it out, and if Raven's already gone by the time we reach Beacon… 'somewhere in Vacuo' isn't exactly a realistic goal for a search. We're tired, and there might be an opportunity to do good right here. That's got to be worth something, right?"
"What about Jaune?" Ruby asked immediately.
It was Nora's turn to avoid her friend's eyes, though her stiffened posture told Ruby everything she needed to know.
"…I know it sounds bad," Nora said carefully, "but… we haven't been able to help him, at all. We've tried. You've tried, and you saw what he was like on the way to Haven. I think the fact that the two of us were so close to Pyrrha might be holding him back from healing when he's around Ren and I. He might be better off without us."
"Honestly, I was with you until that," Ruby replied as she stood up into a stretch. "You're right about everything, except that last part. Maybe he does need time, or maybe he just needs new people for a while, but he's not 'better off' without you and Ren. That's the kind of thing he'd say, about you two being better off without him. Don't go down that road."
"Sorry," Nora mumbled as she scooched up the bed to flop her head back upon the waiting pillow.
"Don't be," Ruby asserted. "We're all just… messed up right now. But your idea isn't a bad one. I would just feel terrible if we end up giving up on trying to reconnect with the others. That would mean Blake, Neptune, and Uncle Qrow can't get back to the Atlas crew, either…"
"That's why I said 'depending on what Professor Goodwitch is doing'," Nora reminded. "Maybe she has access to aircraft, or maybe we can rig a budget-CCT system in a few weeks or something. There's got to be a way. No battle is hopeless, Ruby."
Ruby climbed into bed next to Nora and settled beneath the covers before staring up at the ceiling. Neither girl moved as they laid atop the mattress quietly, though they both knew that the other was still awake.
"…I've been thinking," Ruby started as she wrinkled her nose, "if my eyes are such a huge asset and a deadly weapon against Salem and her grimm… why didn't Ozpin explain them to me when we met? The first thing he ever said to me was about my eyes, but he just… didn't even bother explaining what they meant. After what Ren said tonight about Ozpin knowing that this is all futile and unwinnable… it adds up, doesn't it? What if he didn't tell me because he knows it doesn't even matter? What if we can't beat Salem?"
Nora swallowed hard before rolling over onto her side, suddenly feeling sick. She said nothing for the rest of the night as she stared at the wall of Ruby's bedroom, her head throbbing.
"That's rough," Neptune offered as he made his way down the upper hallway of The Notched Blade with Blake at his side. "You're alright now, though?"
"You could say that, sure," Blake replied with a noncommittal shrug. "At least I didn't get my ass kicked as badly as I did against Amaya. I'll get back into focus soon. My mind's just been all over the place lately, and it's wearing me down. You're handling all of this surprisingly well…"
"Maybe I am, but I still know that feeling," Neptune agreed as the pair stopped outside of Blake's door. "I'm only just now really getting up to speed with all of the deeper stuff involving Salem, so I've been spared a lot of the tension and anxiety up until now. My strategy is just putting it off to the side and focusing on… other things as much as I can."
"Other things, huh?" Blake asked as she unlocked her door and gave her friend a wry smirk. "Let me guess- two of them? Usually barely contained by a strategically ripped t-shirt?"
Neptune shifted and frowned while bringing up a nervous hand to scratch at the back of his head.
"…not cool, Blake. She's way out of my league, way older, and I think about more than just that!"
"…she's got like five, maybe six years on us at most," Blake deadpanned. "As for the rest… you never know. Sun felt the same way about me, you know, but I basically melted into his arms once we decided to make it official. You're a good guy, Neptune. Have a little confidence."
Neptune forced a weak smile as he watched Blake step into her borrowed bedroom.
"Yeah… maybe. I dunno. You turning in?"
"Not just yet," Blake replied as she casually tossed Gambol Shroud onto her mattress. "I could use a shower, and then I'll probably read for a bit."
"Cool," Neptune offered. "I'll swing by with your nightly text later, then. See you in a bit?"
"I hope so," Blake replied. "Thanks again. I owe you."
"Just… doing what I can," Neptune said with a wide smile as he watched the door close. His fragile grin quickly faded to an anxious grimace as he hastily walked toward his own room and unlocked the door. "Fuck me…"
"Maybe later. I'm here on business."
Neptune jumped in response to the unexpected voice and dropped his keys unceremoniously to the floor in a heap. The boy's heart leapt into his throat as he caught sight of Amaya sitting casually atop his mattress, one hand planted firmly into the blankets as she leaned to the side with her legs out in the opposite direction. Oddly enough, the woman's hookswords were leaned up against the side of the bed, and she had some sort of odd, metallic gauntlets with talons on each finger upon her hands.
"I… wh-…" Neptune stammered, before swiftly bending to retrieve his keys from the floor while clearing his throat. "U-uh, what kind of business, Amaya? How long have you been in here…?"
"Not that long," she answered with a shrug. "I could feel you coming… with my semblance, I mean. Are you tired?"
Neptune's mind raced with possibility as he looked between Amaya, her weapons, and her chest, before immediately darting his eyes back to the hookswords as Blake's teasing words echoed through his thoughts.
"Tired? Like… I-I mean, I'm not that tired. I could do things, if you wanted to do something? Do you need help doing something?"
"…do you remember when I told you not to try so hard?" Amaya asked as she quirked a brow. "Relax. I wouldn't have come here if you didn't strike me as having some potential. Take your small victories and use them to build yourself up."
Neptune nodded and puffed out his chest a bit, though her words only caused his nerves to worsen.
"Right. What do you need help with?"
"…better," Amaya praised as she slipped off the bed. "Kali wants an area not far from the mansion searched and cleared. Sightings of nocturnal grimm are pretty common out among the trees, and given that I'm part bat, I'm wide awake. That being said, I'd be bored heading out there on my own, and I'd like to see what you can do with that polearm of yours. Are you in?"
Neptune simply stared as he watched Amaya take up her hookswords and give them a quick whirl while looking at him expectantly.
"…o-oh! I… yeah, of course! I'm not really that tired. I'd love to."
"Good," Amaya replied as she gave Neptune a smirk. "It'll give us a bit of time to talk alone and get to know each other better. That, and I'll get a feel for where you're at, in terms of combat…"
"Well… I'll do my best not to disappoint," Neptune said as he unholstered his collapsed glaive from the back of his belt.
"I expect nothing less," Amaya warned as she walked past the boy and entered into the hall. "Let's go and make this a night to remember…"
Author's Note:
A setup chapter, but a necessary one. More soon.
-RD