Author's note: And the plan is a go.
This chapter also includes something I've been waiting to introduce, and some new info on Sirena.
Also some things about semblances.
Late at night, Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang were sitting around a Seer. Ruby amplified Weiss' aura, while five Apathy wandered through the sewers of Argus to calm everyone down.
"So, how much do we tell them?" Ruby asked.
"What do you mean?" Blake asked.
"Jaune, Ren and Nora," Ruby answered and asked, "How much of Jinn's vision do we tell them?"
"Everything, I'd say," Yang answered.
"Why do you ask?" Weiss asked.
"It's just, I know how much Jaune loved Pyrrha," Ruby answered, "And if he knew that it was all for nothing, that Ozpin has no plan to stop Salem, that she can't be killed, I'm afraid he'll give up, or turn on Ozpin, or something like that."
"Come on, I'm sure it'll be fine," Yang said.
"But what if it doesn't?" Ruby asked and said, "Back in Mistral, I fused with Jaune a lot. We know each other better than anyone. And, I'm afraid that he'll fall into despair if he finds out that it was all for nothing. I have a pretty good idea of how he'll react, and there are many good outcomes, but realistically, and based on what we saw in the past, it doesn't look good."
"Wait a second," Yang said and asked, "Are you, of all people, saying that we should keep this a secret from them?"
"I don't know," Ruby answered and said, "I don't want to lose him. I know it's selfish, and goes against everything we've learned so far, but if he stopped being a huntsman, I would… I don't know what I'd do."
"But I do," Yang said, giving Ruby a gentle smile, "You would talk to him, help him through his grief and pain, and make sure he keeps doing what is right. He knows you better than anyone else, even me, so I know he knows how much you care about him. He won't hurt you."
"But what if he gets angry at Ozpin?" Ruby asked.
"Then I will help him work through that," Yang answered.
"And if he runs away?" Ruby asked.
"He'll come back," Blake answered.
"What if he -" Ruby said, but Weiss summoned an arm of an Arma Gigas to put its index finger on her lips.
"Ruby, listen," Weiss said, "This isn't like you. At all. You are a bright, warm and welcoming light in this endless, dark abyss our world has become. You fend off the darkness, and people come to you for help. They trust you. I mean, look." Weiss gestured around the room, and made her summoned arm disappear again.
"If I had anyone else as team leader," Blake said, "Weiss and I wouldn't even look at each other now. But because of you, I would risk my life to protect her, without hesitating for a second. That was you. Being your friend is more important to me than being mad at Weiss for something her family did. And I chose to be your friend. For your sake, I worked out my problems with Weiss."
"When I lost my arm," Yang said, "I felt like my life was over. Fighting is all my semblance is good for, and it became useless. But I had a reason to get up."
"You can be stubborn at times," Weiss said, "If you have an idea of how to fix a problem, no matter how dangerous everyone tells you it is, you'll do it anyway, because you believe in yourself and others. With everyone else, I would be worried, because their stubbornness causes them to lose sight of their original goal, and it becomes more about proving they're right than anything. Throughout history, there were numerous political parties with all sorts of ideas on how to run a kingdom. But when they got to a point where all opposition was either ignored or met with violence, that's when things fall apart. It's always like this. People in Atlas thought art was bad, so they told people not to make it. When noone wanted to listen, instead of arguing their point, they infiltrated the royal court and influenced the crown prince to accept their ideals. And if anyone tried to stop them, they had that person arrested and hanged. Thirty years later, war."
"Weiss?" Ruby asked, and she, Blake and Yang gave her confused looks.
"I was just getting there," Weiss answered, "What I was about to say, Ruby, is that you don't do that. When someone tells you your idea is bad, or that you're wrong, you let them be and do your thing anyway. You don't let anxiety, fear or hatred cloud your judgment. Anyone who really cares about you, who has seen you in action, and who actually knows what they're talking about, knows that. That's why you were chosen as our leader. And that's why, no matter what happens, when you say you have a plan to stop Salem, or even just slow her down, we will all follow you."
"Thanks, guys," Ruby said, turned to Weiss and said, "But Weiss, please don't hide any more history lessons in your motivational speeches."
"Sorry," Weiss said, "I'm not used to giving motivational speeches, to be honest."
"I think it was great," Ruby said. They continued calming down the entire city, then went to bed three hours later.
~o~
The next morning, during breakfast, the group was discussing their next move. Ruby still felt a bit conflicted about what they had discussed the night before, but decided that it was worth a try. Jaune, Ren and Nora were her friends, and either way, she shouldn't keep secrets from them.
"Jaune…" Ruby said, not sure how to talk about the issue, mostly because Saphron and Terra were around as well.
"I know," Jaune said, and Ruby gasped.
"You do?" Ruby asked, "How?"
"We'll talk later," Ren said. They continued eating in silence, then Saphron went to bring Adrian to daycare, while Terra headed over to her job for the Atlesian military, to fix another issue with the towers.
~o~
Ruby's group was sitting in the living room, the ticking of the clock being the only sound in the room.
"So, how do you know about it?" Ruby finally asked, looking at Jaune.
"Pyrrha astral projected into your room," Jaune answered, "She wanted to make sure you were doing alright, and wanted to let me know if you need help. She overheard the whole thing, and told me about it."
"Jaune, I'm sorry," Ruby said, getting noticeably sad.
"I think it's best if we have some time for ourselves," Ren said, and he, Jaune and Nora left the house. The room fell silent again, and the door fell shut.
"What was that about?" Qrow asked.
"Last night, we discussed how much we tell them," Ruby answered, "I just hope Pyrrha also told them why I hesitated."
"I thought you were against keeping secrets," Qrow said, sounding somewhat disappointed in Ruby.
"I am," Ruby said, "But that doesn't mean I can't feel conflicted about it."
"So, what now?" Qrow asked.
"I… I don't know," Ruby answered, and let her head hang in defeat.
"We should probably focus on getting the relic out of the city," Blake said, "It'll be bad if it keeps luring Grimm here."
"I say we wait for Jaune and the others to come back," Yang said.
"I didn't say we should leave them here," Blake said.
"You didn't say we should wait for them, either," Yang said.
"Because I thought that was obvious," Blake said.
"Guys, stop it, please," Ruby called out and said, "We'll wait for them to sort their problems out, and if it takes a year. There is a military base in this city, so if there are any Grimm attacks, we'll have much better chances of fighting them off if we stay here. We can wait, train, and figure out what to do, while the military helps us keep the people of Argus safe."
"Are you seriously saying we should lure Grimm to a major city?" Yang asked.
"A city with a military base and eight kick-ass huntsmen," Ruby answered, "One of whom also happens to have silver eyes."
"You keep having the craziest ideas, kid," Qrow said.
"Just because they keep working," Ruby said.
"There are many differences between a genius and a crazy idea," Weiss said, "But the main one is that the genius idea works."
"And what if my semblance decides to ruin your plans?" Qrow asked.
"Last time I checked, it killed hundreds of Scavengers," Ruby answered, "Plus, they were trying to bring Apathy into the sewers of this city, so your semblance saved Argus from a threat none of us even knew about. We also got all this new cool stuff out of it, so I don't think your semblance will hurt us."
"I appreciate the effort," Qrow said, "But I've had this semblance my whole life, and I know it doesn't play favorites. It's going to screw you over sooner or later, and since it helped you so much, you'll be off that much worse once it turns on you."
"And we'll work through it," Ruby said, "Together."
"Thanks, kiddo," Qrow said with a smile. They then discussed their plans for the rest of the day, and Weiss, Blake and Yang helped Oscar train, while Maria and Ruby talked about the silver eyes. During the training, Oscar realized that his farmhand outfit not only impacted his movements, but also didn't fit with the rest of the group, who all looked like capable warriors, so he went shopping.
~o~
In the evening, Jaune, Ren and Nora came back, as did Oscar, who now wore a more fitting outfit, and the whole group continued training for the next five days. Ren got better at using his semblance, even being able to sense negative emotions over short distances. Nora managed to make a flashlight shine just by holding it, and got better at sensing electric fields. Oscar's new outfit consisted of an olive coat with shoulder pads and a belt, both in red, and a white shirt underneath. He also wore black trousers and red boots with orange toes. During the next two nights, Weiss kept the people of Argus calm with her Apathy, but made sure not to get too close to any hospitals, so that the doctors and nurses wouldn't neglect their patients. Jaune had decided against a gun, as he was proficient enough with the sword and shield to handle himself in most fights, and always had his friends as backup.
~o~
Late at night, when Ruby and her friends were sound asleep, two men sat down on the roof of the house on the other side of the road from Saphron and Terra's house. They both wore a black suit with red tie and an emblem resembling a black snake with three skeletal heads. One man had green eyes and shoulder-long blond hair, the other had dark blue eyes and short black hair. The man with the green eyes laid down and got his sniper rifle ready, aiming for the window of a room with four teenage girls in it. He aimed for the floor under the bed of one girl with black hair and silver eyes, loaded his special ammunition, and eased back on the trigger. His friend kept an eye out for danger. They had gotten a lot of money for this job, despite how simple it was. The brass bullet with reinforced carbon tip punched through the window, but disappeared in a dark red portal. Just as the portal closed, the man with dark blue eyes screamed in pain as the explosive round entered his right knee from the back. The explosion tore off his lower leg and set his clothing on fire. The sniper jumped up, but was grabbed by the hair and swung around. He slammed into the roof. His friend got kicked off the roof. The impact on the ground extinguished the flames and knocked him out. The sniper felt something slam into his stomach and was forced through the roof. The man and his unknown assailant were in a dimly lit attic, and he couldn't see anything. Something grabbed his face and slammed him into the floor. They both broke through the ceiling of a bathroom. When the man got up, he heard a woman screaming, and hot water hit him in the face.
"Sorry," another female voice said, and the man was forced out the bathroom door. He tried to dry his face and see his attacker, but took a bare heel to the face and tumbled down a flight of stone stairs. When the man came to a stop in the basement, he tried crawling away from whatever attacked him, but felt a chain, as cold as death itself, wrap around his left leg and pull him into the darkness.
~o~
Ruby looked at the glass shards in her team's room, while her team members stood frozen in place until she assessed the situation. She typed a few numbers into her scroll's calculator app and looked at her team.
"Just as I thought, a Hellrazer Mk. 2 round," Ruby said, "You can move now, but be careful where you step."
"Does that mean we're in danger?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, most likely," Ruby answered, "If this thing goes off, this whole house will burn down. And it seems to be a faulty one, so the slightest vibration can set it off."
"You're awfully calm about this," Weiss said.
"Freaking out won't help us," Ruby said.
"Besides," Yang said, "Ruby knows how to handle weapons and ammunition. Back at Signal, we once had a talent show. Instead of the usual, like ventriloquism or step dance, Ruby juggled live land mines. We… didn't have any more talent shows after that."
"Not my fault," Ruby said, "I didn't do anything dangerous."
"You dropped one," Yang said.
"That was on purpose," Ruby said, "Plus, I caught it with my foot, and then kicked it back up."
"Three people unlocked their force field semblances," Yang said.
"In five minutes," Ruby said, "And Qrow said that was a new record. I'm still waiting for my trophy."
"That is all very interesting," Weiss said and asked, "But, what do we do now?"
"I'll see if it is where it should be," Ruby answered, and went to look under her bed.
"And?" Blake asked after Ruby came back up.
"Don't worry," Ruby answered, "It's not here, so we're safe. Let's go and grab breakfast." Everyone left the room, and Blake stayed a little longer, looking at the hole in the window. After everyone else had left, she plucked the hole with her right index finger and left an earth-dust clone in her place.
~o~
After breakfast, Ruby explained what they had found, and that they were safe, and Saphron went to bring Adrian to daycare. Everyone else gathered in the living room.
"Any ideas what could have happened to that bullet?" Terra asked and said, "I really don't want something like that in my house."
"Yeah, noone wants a stray bullet in their house," Ruby said, "But as far as I know, it's not in here any more, so we're safe."
"I guess I'll go see if I can find anything," Nora said, "But first, let's watch TV to get our minds off of all this death and murder stuff for a bit." She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, and a news broadcast appeared on screen, showing the house just opposite the road of the Cotta-Arc house.
"Good morning, Argus," the newswoman said, "Last night, two amateur assassins were injured during a failed attempt on the life of someone who, for their own protection, will remain anonymous. The two men are currently being treated in the Argus General Hospital, with heavy police presence ensuring the safety of all involved." The news station showed pictures of two men, both heavily scarred and beaten. One was missing the lower portion of his right leg, and the other had a severely burned face. When she saw the pictures, Blake narrowed her eyes a bit, focusing on the men's uniforms. Terra gasped and covered her mouth with her left hand.
"That's horrible," Terra said and asked, "Who would want to kill people like you?"
"Trust me, a lot of people don't like me," Ruby answered.
"And for the right price, you can convince anyone to dislike someone," Qrow added.
"The doctors say these men are lucky if they survive," the newswoman said, "And from what little they were able to communicate, they didn't even see their attacker. The police is currently investigating whether this was the work of a licensed huntsman or a vigilante, as well as the possible target of the assault."
"Great," Qrow said, turned off the TV and said, "Now they'll come here asking questions."
"Don't worry," Weiss said, "I can handle an interview." Blake looked over to Weiss, then pulled out her scroll and took a quick note while everyone else was looking at Weiss.
"Well," Terra said, still a bit shocked, "At least you have a guardian angel."
"Not sure about the angel part," Qrow said, "But she's definitely a guardian." Terra gave Qrow a confused look. A few minutes later, the front door opened.
"I'm back," Saphron said, "And I brought another guest."
"Hello, everyone," Sirena said as she walked into the living room.
"Hey, Sirena," Ruby said. She didn't sound nearly as excited as Sirena had expected, mostly due to what she had just found out.
"I see you got my present," Sirena said and sat down next to Ruby.
"So, Sirena, why are you here?" Qrow asked.
"Multiple reasons," Sirena answered, "For one, I came to inform you that the city of Mistral is safe. The wall is lined with turrets, and Mithala's semblance will kill any Grimm that come close for the next fifty years. More turrets are also being placed along the railroad leading here, meaning that the trade between the kingdoms will become more secure, once Atlas gets over its stupid isolationist phase. And then there was the failed attempt on Ruby's life."
"What did I miss?" Saphron whispered, and sat down next to her wife. Terra leaned over to Saphron and told her what she had missed. Saphron covered her mouth with her right hand and looked at Sirena with a mix of shock and confusion.
"You do realize these men could die, right?" Ruby asked and said, "I thought we talked about this." She was pretty upset that Sirena didn't consider her views on killing when saving her life.
"Wrong," Sirena said, "I am well versed in all fields of biology, and made sure that neither of them sustained any fatal injuries. They will fully recover, gain prosthetic replacements for their lost limbs, and be on their way killing more innocents in a year or two."
"And, what were you doing at the daycare?" Saphron asked, looking at Sirena.
"Simple," Sirena answered, "I like children."
"There has to be another reason," Qrow said and asked, "What is it?"
"There is," Sirena said, "But, it is classified information." She gave Saphron and Terra a quick look and they both got up.
"Alright, I guess we'll give you some time, then," Saphron said and asked, "Half an hour sound good?"
"Yes, thank you," Sirena answered, and both Saphron and Terra left the house. Jaune felt a bit bad kicking his sister and her wife out of their own house, but they didn't seem to mind.
"So, why were you at the daycare?" Qrow asked, and everyone looked at Sirena.
"As you know," Sirena answered, "I am always striving to protect mankind from Grimm. In three months, the turrets will reach this city, and secure the trade routes between Mistral and Atlas."
"Why were you at the daycare?" Ruby asked.
"To aid mankind in its fight against the Grimm," Sirena answered, "There was a woman who, well, you can ask her yourself. She had problems achieving her dreams, so I offered to help her, using some of the semblances I have copied. Once that was done, I used another semblance, which allows me to share one of my abilities with another person, and gave her the strength to protect the weak from the darkness in time of need."
"You… gave her your silver eyes?" Ruby asked, and everyone gasped.
"Shared them, actually," Sirena answered, "She has all the abilities a silver-eyed warrior has, but she does not possess these powers herself. Her eyes are still purple, but in dire times, the light now within her will manifest. It will also show itself in her children. Ruby, I would like to ask you to look out for silver-eyed warriors in the future, gather them around you, and teach them to use their powers."
"Me? Why?" Ruby asked, "Can't you do it?"
"No, I cannot," Sirena answered, "I have my own kingdom to rule, and I must return to it eventually."
"Wait, you're leaving?" Ruby asked and got a bit sad.
"Not yet," Sirena answered, "And I will never stop to protect you." Ruby got a bit more sad, but knew that Sirena had to take care of her people.
"I just got an idea," Ruby said happily, "Sirena, you can swim to Atlas and open a portal to me, so my friends and I can get there in ten seconds flat."
"I'm sorry, you'll have to find your own way," Sirena said, "James and I have an agreement that my people stay out of Atlesian waters, and let his military protect the kingdom."
"I didn't know you and the General were on a first name basis," Weiss said.
"I simply refuse to acknowledge him as an authority figure," Sirena said, "At least until he proves he is worthy of the title he claimed."
"He was given the title for his services to the kingdom," Weiss said, "He got injured during a mission to take down a bandit camp, when he chased one of the bandits across a bridge and lightnings struck both ends at once."
"Let me guess," Sirena said and asked, "The bandits had previously attacked a village in eastern Vale, and were only caught because one of them stole military equipment, which they then tracked down. Correct?"
"How do you… know that?" Weiss asked, and slowly came to a dark realization.
"Niob told me his version of the story," Sirena answered, "The true version."
"Wait, Niob did this to James?" Qrow asked.
"No," Weiss answered, "The injuries were from the lightning strike."
"That's the official story," Qrow said, "But I've seen what that guy can do. I don't know if it's his semblance or highly advanced aura manipulation, but he can cause lightnings and fireballs to explode anywhere in his field of view just by pointing at the location."
"I think you're missing the important part," Sirena said, "James captured his family and friends, after they had been attacked by bandits and locked up for weeks, and not only was he rewarded for it, he also never faced any consequences for his actions. When you meet him, just try to make him admit he's wrong." Ruby turned to Sirena.
"Alright," Ruby said, then turned back to her friends and said, "Tomorrow, we'll go to the military base and ask the people in charge there to take us to Atlas. I need all the information I can get, so we can work out a strategy on how to convince them to help us." Ruby pulled out her scroll and started taking notes as her friends, mostly Jaune, Ren and Nora, told her about the base and the people working there.
~o~
Half an hour later, Sirena had used Glynda's semblance to fix the broken window, and after Saphron and Terra had come back, everyone was gathered in the living room again, and talking about various topics.
"I just realized something," Saphron said, looked at Jaune and asked, "Since you're training to become a huntsman, does that mean you unlocked your semblance?"
"Well, yes," Jaune answered and asked, "Why?"
"Don't know. Guess I just felt like asking," Saphron answered and asked, "So, what does it do?" Ruby looked around, noticed Sirena's content expression and gave her a stern look to make her contact her telepathically.
"I can amplify the aura of other people," Jaune answered, "It helps them use their semblance, or recharges their aura. You know, stuff like that."
"What is it?" Sirena asked telepathically.
"Sounds great," Saphron said.
"What are you doing?" Ruby asked telepathically.
"My turn," Nora exclaimed, drawing all the attention to herself, and said, "I can absorb electricity to increase my strength. Haven't found a limit to how much I can absorb yet, though. Ren, come on, tell them what you can do."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sirena answered telepathically.
"My semblance lets me mask negative emotions," Ren said, "Doing this makes me and any other targets invisible to Grimm, even if they look directly at us."
"You look like a plan of yours is working," Ruby said telepathically and asked, "What are you planning?"
"I just break them," Yang said, "No, seriously, my semblance lets me absorb kinetic energy, amplify it, and throw it at my enemy much stronger. I'm told it's a literal temper tantrum, but I've learned to control it. For the most part."
"I think it's your turn now," Sirena said telepathically. Ruby looked at her friends and noticed that they were all looking at her expectantly.
"You alright, sis?" Yang asked.
"What? Yeah, I'm fine," Ruby answered and said, "As for my semblance, well, it lets me burst into rose petals, and then I can move super fast. I usually use it to either rush in to save someone, or get out of danger and reposition myself on the battlefield. I also use it to get within slashing range of Grimm. But let's hear from Sirena." Ruby didn't like messing with Sirena's plans, whatever they might be, but she liked Sirena messing with her friends even less, and wanted to teach her a lesson on how quickly these things can backfire.
"Thank you, Ruby," Sirena said, "My semblance is called Retaliation. However, due to a genetic anomaly, which causes me to have poison glands under the skin on my back, it was turned into Intoxication. So now, instead of reflecting melee damage I take back onto my enemy, the enemy gets poisoned if they make contact with me, unless they have an aura to protect them. I can turn it on and off at will, and it doesn't require much focus to keep active. While it is active, anything that comes in contact with my aura gets poisoned, even if it's a friend of mine. It first activated when I went to fight aquatic Grimm, after I realized that my role as guardian was more important than my status as, back then, crown princess of Soraklia."
"That was pretty detailed," Saphron said, "And pretty interesting."
"Thank you," Sirena said, opened a telepathic channel with Ruby and said, "And thank you, as well."
"What for?" Ruby asked telepathically.
"I wanted to talk about my semblance," Sirena answered telepathically, "What's wrong about that?"
"If you have a plan, I can help you," Ruby answered telepathically.
"Alright," Sirena said telepathically, "I'll explain tonight." Sirena closed the telepathic channel again and the group kept talking for a bit. Maria explained her semblance, Preflexes, and then they all went back to their normal activities, mostly different kinds of training, though Sirena left to take care of something else for a few minutes.
"I'm back," Sirena said as she entered the house again, less than five minutes after leaving. She went into the kitchen, where Saphron was preparing dinner, and made sure noone else was nearby.
"That was fast," Saphron said and asked, "And, everything taken care of?"
"Yes," Sirena answered and said, "Here." She handed Saphron a golden bracelet with a diamond the size of a hazel nut set in it, with intricate engravings vaguely resembling traditional Vacuo jewelry.
"What… is that?" Saphron asked.
"A piece from my personal treasure chamber," Sirena answered, "I don't need it, and I want to thank you for letting us all stay here, even after you learned what kind of problems some of us bring."
"Your personal treasure chamber?" Saphron asked, and tilted her head a little.
"I am the queen of a deep sea kingdom," Sirena answered, "All that sinks to the ocean's bottom belongs to me."
"Well, it looks beautiful," Saphron said, "But, I couldn't accept this. It must've cost quite a lot."
"Please, I insist," Sirena said, "As I said, I have no use for it, and my people are taught to never let something go unused. And who knows, maybe you will find use for it later."
"I still don't know," Saphron said, "It seems a bit excessive for me, to be honest."
"I think it would fit you just nicely," Sirena said, took Saphron's left arm and put the bracelet on her. Saphron looked at the new accessory a little, turning her wrist to really get a good look at it from different angles.
"You're right," Saphron said, "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Sirena said. She then left again to take another look around town, and see how things were going, but came back in the evening.
~o~
In the evening, Ruby entered her soul core, talked to Emerald a bit, and then walked over to Sirena's soul core to have a chat with her. As the massive castle came into view, Ruby noticed a new path, with Sirena escorting Maria along it. They all gathered in the castle, finding a room to have their little meeting.
"This is pretty interesting," Maria said.
"Indeed it is," Sirena said, turned to Ruby and said, "I hope it is alright that I invited her as well."
"It is," Ruby said and asked, "So, what is your plan?"
"Before that," Sirena said, "I must admit that this particular plan was hatched rapidly, and may be prone to mishaps, as I may have overlooked some variables."
"Don't worry, we'll help out any way we can," Ruby said and asked, "Right, Maria?"
"Of course," Maria answered, "As long as this plan helps the people, that is."
"It certainly does," Sirena said.
"So, what is this plan about?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, why did you hurry so much?" Maria asked.
"Because I had to," Sirena answered, "After the explosion that killed the Scavengers, I realized that it also killed most of the city's sewer rats. These rats were covered in parasites, which survived due to the rats' fur protecting them."
"But now, they need a new host," Maria said.
"Exactly," Sirena said, "This will mean that there will be more parasites feeding on the humans and faunus living here, and if they carry any diseases, we could get an outbreak." Ruby gasped.
"That's terrible," Ruby said and asked, "So, your plan prevents that?"
"Not quite," Sirena answered, "Initially, I had intended to prevent such an outbreak, but we are running out of time, and making it easier to handle is the more viable option as of right now. That is why I wanted to talk about my semblance."
"How is that related?" Ruby asked.
"One of my copied semblances helps me learn about people," Sirena answered, "If someone learns something about me, as long as they know my name or appearance, I know it. It is the passive side of this semblance. The active side tells me something equal about the other person. For example, if someone were to learn my location, and they knew my name, I would know that someone had learned something about me, and then I could use this semblance to learn their name and location."
"And since Saphron and Terra know your semblance," Ruby said and asked, "You know theirs, right?"
"Exactly," Sirena answered, "That is why I went into so much detail, too."
"You want them to use their semblances?" Ruby asked, "Why?"
"Because they can help this city," Sirena answered, "They won't be able to prevent the spread of disease, but they can help deal with the aftermath."
"But, how did you know Saphron would ask Jaune about his semblance?" Ruby asked.
"Suggestion," Sirena answered, "It is another semblance of mine. I can send short impulsive ideas into people's heads if they're close enough. If the person is in a stressful situation, or likes the idea, they'll carry it out as if it were their own. Saphron cares about her brother, and wants to take an interest in his life, so she was very open to the idea of asking about his semblance. And the rest played out naturally."
"So, are you going to tell Saphron about her semblance?" Ruby asked.
"No, that wouldn't work," Sirena answered.
"Why not?" Ruby asked.
"Because of how semblances work," Maria answered, "Unlocking ones semblance is a moment of personal discovery. Telling someone their semblance creates barriers that are very difficult to break down, which can make it impossible for the person to use their semblance."
"I see," Ruby said.
"And that is why I need your help with this," Sirena said, looking at Ruby.
"Mine? Why?" Ruby asked.
"I need you to enter Saphron and Terra's dreams," Sirena answered, "After you leave, I will stay for a few days and use Suggestion to make Saphron miss Jaune, so you can use her sadness as anchor for your soul when astral projecting."
"I don't know," Ruby said, "On one hand, I don't want her to be sad, but on the other, if a disease breaks out, Grimm will come." Ruby thought about it for a moment.
"I understand," Sirena said, "This is a difficult choice for you, and if you don't feel like doing it, we can just forget it."
"Alright, I'll do it," Ruby said, not really having paid attention to what Sirena said, and asked, "What do I need to know?"
"Thank you," Sirena said and answered, "Saphron's semblance lets her infuse an object with her aura, creating a battery of sorts that anyone can use to recharge their own aura, as long as they have it with them. She can also deny certain people or groups of people access, or limit access to specific individuals. The amount of aura she can store in an object depends on its size and material, with more valuable materials being better suited to hold large amounts of aura."
"That sounds useful," Ruby said and asked, "What about Terra?"
"It certainly is," Sirena said and answered, "She can infuse clay or similar substances with her aura, turning them into her minions. They're immune to damage, thanks to her aura, but have to be infused as she is molding them, or else it won't work. There is no limit to how many she can have active at a time, but making them drains her aura. Also, the damage immunity only applies to regular clay sculptures, and any other material almost as malleable as normal clay."
"Alright," Ruby said and asked, "How can I make them unlock their semblances?"
"It is actually similar for both," Sirena answered and explained, "Saphron's semblance reflects how she always wants to be there for her loved ones. I suggest making her share a heart-felt farewell with her brother. Terra's semblance reflects her wish to make sure others are never alone. I recommend having a neighbor call her at work because Adrian cries so loud, and placing a block of clay on the table to make her form a little friend for him."
"I think I can do that," Ruby said.
"I am certain you can," Sirena said.
"Me too," Maria said and asked, "But, what made you agree to help in the first place?"
"Well, I want to help people," Ruby answered, "And the Grimm will come anyway. So, the best I can do is help prepare the people living here." They kept talking for a bit longer, then Ruby and Maria went back to their respective soul cores and fell asleep properly.
Author's note: Yeah, those assassins have no idea what hit them. They just know that it hurt.
Sirena isn't exactly known for excessive displays of gratitude, but rather for accepting any act of kindness as normal behavior of people interacting with her, but she is also known to be weird sometimes. Plus, the bracelet wasn't really expensive. Also, she isn't trying to make Ruby change her opinion on killing, because she knows that that won't work. She is just stating the obvious.
The bracelet is the most well preserved out of 3 in the entire world, so Saphron could theoretically buy the entire military base with it if she sold it. It can hold enough aura to fully recharge Jaune's aura 3 times.
This is the first chapter where the team's resident silver-eyed warriors come together in secret to discuss their plans for the future.