Man. This chapter did not want to be finished.
"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Blake asked.
Ruby jostled the backpack on her shoulder. "Yep! There isn't too much for me to bring home."
Of course, returning to Patch only one week into the semester didn't sit well with her; it wasn't enough time to cement a friendship with either her or her sister's partner. She invited them to come to Patch with her and Yang, but they declined. A shame, too – The discussions Ruby had with Blake regarding The Man with Two Souls were… enlightening, on account of her own history. Still, at least they came to the docks to see them off, a gesture Ruby was grateful for.
Blake smiled and nodded. "In any case, I hope the reunion with your dad goes well."
"Yeah. I mean, it should. He looked happy on the call." In her mind, Ruby knew she had nothing to fear. The pent up emotions of two years were released the night of the call. Tears of joy, cries of worry, curiosity she swore she would quench this weekend were shown in such abundance, Ruby questioned where he could have stored more. There was also his reaction to her changed flesh, how his eyes would always drift to hers, and concern he felt needn't be concealed.
Ruby's thoughts were interrupted by the gentle hum of Weiss, arms crossed behind her back as she gave what many would've mistaken as her signature glare. Yet the frown wasn't as pronounced and the brows were at an angle slight, not sharp. Yang called it her 'resting heiress face'. "As nice as it is to see you off, Blake and I need to research rare species of Grimm for Professor Port's project. It is due in only three months, and I will not tolerate a dismal grade."
"Aww, Thanks Weiss!" Ruby smiled. "I'll bring something back for you girls!"
Blake looked hesitant. "Thanks Ruby, but you don't need to-"
"Of course I do!" Before the argument could escalate, before another word escaped their lips, the roar of a horn was born. A ferry approached, small, flat, and dingy though it was. The paint, perhaps white when applied, was yellowed with the stains of time. Chips and dents and rust and plaque decorated the rest. Still, not only did Yang attest to it's safety, it was the cheapest transport from Patch and Vale. As the vessel grew closer, Ruby steeled her nerves and addressed her sister. "Ready to go big sis?"
Yang nodded before she turned towards Blake and Weiss, a smirk on her lips. "Don't burn down the place without us!"
"You're the one who played with the fire dust, you dolt!" Weiss shot back. "Did no one teach you how to handle it properly?!" Weiss's impotent rage amused everyone save herself; even Blake wore a smile. Soon the ferry docked and the sisters boarded. As it departed, Ruby and Yang waved to their partners, and kept at it until they were out of sight. Here Weiss and Blake turned to one another.
"Rare species of Grimm?" Blake asked, brow raised.
"What's wrong with that?" Weiss's eyes narrowed as she placed her fists upon her hips. "Though we learned of the common varieties, there are a few that are elusive enough for the professors to not bother with. I don't know about you, but I am not letting bad luck be the end of my huntress career." Partly due to what he might say in response.
"I just didn't think you were into that."
"There's much about me you don't know. Now, come one!" Weiss walked away from the shore, towards Beacon Academy and the library within.
"Let's see what our leader is hiding."
Over her many adventures, Ruby Rose had grown accustomed to the scent of seawater, a fact which baffled her. It wasn't like she spent that much time around the coast! Sure she swam deep beneath the waves to reach the statue of Boethiah, and Telvanni territory was sixty percent archipelago. And there was the time she fought the dreugh warlord in the bowls of Koal Cave, and also the Puzzle Canal where she nearly, willingly drowned...
The trip to Solstheim...
Her venture into the cave which brought her back.
'Uggh. Just thinking about it makes me miss the Ashlands. At least they-'
Ruby was broken out of her thoughts as a weight settled on her back. She twisted away; eyes wide, frantic, and aimed at her sister. Not a cliff racer or a kagouti or a dremora, nope! Just Yang. Though with the uncertain, worried, strained smile on her lips, she felt that was worse.
"Little jumpy there, sis." Yang ran fingers through her golden locks. "Er, are you okay?"
Ruby took a breathe or two to calm down. "It's fine Yang, I was... well, Morrowind had some nasty creatures, and when your surrounded by them at all times-"
"Oh. Ohhh..." Yang joined her sister by the ferry's rail, watching the waves as they passed by. "What kind of things did you have to deal with?"
"Well, there were…" Ruby trailed off and shook her head. "I'll tell you when we meet up with Dad. After all, he'll want to know too. So!" A clap of her hands. "How have you been since, you know..." While Ruby didn't mind sharing her adventures with Yang, there hasn't been too much of that compared to the inverse. Whenever she tried to press the issue, her sister would either deflect or freeze for a moment before she gave an answer. Thankfully, right now was more of the latter.
"Not much. Half the time Uncle Qrow wasn't off on some mission, he was off getting drunk. So nothing new there." Here Yang's eyes became distant. "And Dad... Dad just shut down. Again. Er, not like he stayed that way for long." She rushed to defend her father, though perhaps too fast. "It only took a couple months for him to get his butt back in gear, and it was all thanks to your's truly." Her thumb thrust toward her breast, the ghost of a smirk on her face.
While it was sad to hear, Ruby couldn't blame her father for falling into a slump. If she had a child and they just disappeared after her partner went on a mission and never came back, well, she wasn't sure how she'd react, just that it would be poor. Really, if anyone were to blame it was the sole Dunmer on this boat. Still, one subject remained unaddressed. "What about you?" Whatever confidence Yang built up shattered with the question; her smile weakened and wavered. When she did not respond for a few seconds, Ruby knew she blundered. "Oh. Er, nevermind," she turned towards the waves. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
The two sisters looked out at the ocean in awkward silence. The horizon stretched as far as Ruby could see as sky and sea complimented one another. She stared at the space where they met, and for a moment she thought she saw the island that held her for too long, if not as a prisoner, then as an unwanted guest. It was only the lack of one particular mountain, whose imposing stature towered over Ruby's dreams, and the sight of ships without sails which clued her in on what was before her.
She was back on Patch. She was finally home.
The ferry soon docked and the sisters walked down the ramp and into the thin morning crowds. Most were workers moving cargo, but there were a few people browsing the wares of various stalls, their haggling paused when the Dunmer passed, and they bore at her with intense, suffocating curiosity. Ruby ignored their stares, instead her eyes scanned too and fro for their target.
It wasn't long before her efforts bore fruit.
He stood by the entrance to the parking lot, tall, tan, and tattooed, a short but messy blonde mane atop his head. He wore a brown shirt with the right sleeve missing, a leather vest, and a pair of orange cargo pants. Tied to his left arm, right above the elbow, was a red bandanna. His right was adorned with a steel pauldron and black leather vambrace. On a whim, his eyes moved up and met Ruby's.
When blue met silver, a great change came over the man. His face, once brushed with worry and nervous energy, now carried relief and disbelief in equal measure. Posture that once feigned relaxation was now ramrod straight. Slowly, he reached out a hand, as though he doubted the image before him, as if his eyes could not be trusted. After two years, he could hardly be blamed for such skepticism.
Lucky for him, Ruby held none.
"DAAAAAD!" The rosy reaper rushed forth with a pulse of her semblance and tackled Taiyang Xiao-Long. Her warm embrace and the tears of joy which seeped into his shirt was all it took to break through to Tai, and he returned the gesture with twofold strength.
"Ruby," he breathed out, "Thank the gods you're back." For a moment she stiffened in his arms, but it passed as soon as it came. Thus father and daughter, once estranged, now reunited, held one another and basked in each other's presence. The sounds of the dock faded away, muted by the miracle.
Taiyang heard a sniffle and saw his eldest dab at the corners of her eyes. With an outstretched arm, he invited Yang to join the hug. She accepted, and the embrace grew in size and warmth.
"I'm just so glad you're safe. Both of you." Tai pulled away to look his daughters in the eyes. Yang's smile, in spite of her tear tracks, was more vibrant than any he had seen in years. Her posture was lighter and more jovial, like it was before Ruby's disappearance. As for the girl of the hour, Taiyang was proud to say he still recognized her. In spite of what had changed, she was still his daughter.
Though speaking of said changes…
Tai shook his head. That was a conversation best held at home. "Now, I'm sure the two of you have a lot to tell me," Some more than most. "But I think I speak for everyone when I say there are better places to talk about it than than this old dock. I mean," he spread one arm out wide and gestured to the port, it's ships, and all on it. "Doesn't this place seem fishy?"
"Ugh."
"Pfft."
'Still got it.' Tai smirked at his daughter's reactions; Yang had her hand over her face, Ruby struggled to hold back a laugh. For a moment, he forgot about the demons of the past, the worries of the present, and the weight of the future. His daughters were here, hale and hearty. That was reason enough to celebrate.
Besides, It's not like the foundations of his world could be shaken again, right?
'Ugh.' Though she wished to make her frustrations audible, Weiss Schnee held too much respect for the library they were in to do so. She wanted to pull her hair out, yet knew doing so in public, or in private for that matter, was unladylike. Against her upbringing. Instead, the heiress pinched the bridge of her nose, though the act gave only a fraction of the needed relief.
'Three hours, now,' she thought. 'Today alone I searched for three hours. Andwhat do I have to show for it? Nothing.' Indeed, the investigation for even a clue about her leader's past was Weiss's greatest challenge yet. Slaying an Arma Gigas? She did that before she set foot in Beacon. Mastering Dust manipulation? She had the fundamentals down when she was twelve. Finding a scrap of usable information on a kid with lips looser than a drunkard's?
Somehow, that was beyond her abilities!
And what's worse, she thought she hit a goldmine! Yesterday, while team RWBY were gathered in their dorm, while Weiss studying while the sisters packed and planned, her leader let a few choice words slip through. Azura, Morrowind, Dagoth, Vvardenfell. All four carried the hallmarks of proper nouns. All four could be easily searched on the CCT net.
All four gave her nothing.
To be fair, Azura did bring up a few results. That the name was tied to several distinct people, none of whom proved relevant to her leader, was the problem. Some would have been dead before the girl was born, and one had made her thoughts on the faunus well known. For the rest of the terms, she might as well have closed her eyes and smashed the keyboard for all the good it did. 'No,' she corrected. 'Keyboard smashing would bring some level of catharsis.'
"I don't suppose you found anything, Blake?" Weiss asked, as if the sea of books splayed on their table and the girl's tired gaze didn't tell her already. The halfhearted glare sent her way only hammered in the notion. "Neither have I." She put her face in her hands and let loose a groan, muffled of course. "Just how much longer can this take?"
In truth, Blake did not know. Mostly because while Weiss worked hard, Blake was hardly working. Oh, sure, when Weiss first mentioned her intentions earlier this week, the thought of being discovered, outed, and sent packing from Beacon passed through the faunus's head. Yet when she calmed down and analyzed the situation, she realized the situation wasn't that drastic. Sure, if she exposed the secrets of her leader it would lead to her humiliation, possibly ruin her future, and make Blake a hypocrite.
Hence why she wasn't going to.
All she had done was skim through any book on subjects to be covered in class – Grimm studies, History, even Anthropology – as well as story which she swore was historically accurate. Every now and then Blake pointed Weiss to a different subject from which she could gleam some insights, in much the same way one could find a needle in a haystack. The faunus wasn't going to steer Weiss from her search – she was already suspicious of half their team, no need to throw herself onto the pyre – but to help the heiress would guarantee many sleepless nights.
That wasn't to say she wasn't curious about the – well, Ruby could hardly be called a faunus, now could she? The girl had multiple traits, none of which could be traced back to an animal. Sure, she said it was a medical condition, but Blake had seen her fair share of sickness. You don't spend a decade and some change protesting for racial equality without seeing something that should have been treated years ago. She had never seen anything like whatever Ruby had. Add the words that held no definition in Remnant's languages, and Blake wondered just how much of her leader's story was true.
She shook her head; it wasn't her place to judge. It wasn't her past to delve into. And it certainly wasn't the Schnee's, no matter the warped justifications she cooked up.
Speaking of...
"Why are we still doing this?" Weiss was torn from an article on isolated townships that said to have been destroyed by the Grimm. She looked at her teammate and motioned for her to continue. "We've gone through just about everything we could, and for what? Why do you insist we keep up at this? What do you have to gain?"
For a moment all was silent. Before Blake could determine if she made the worst mistake of her life or not, Weiss sighed. "This might sound odd to you, but it's for my own protection." A change overcame her; posture once like steel gave a little. Eyes that reflected the wrath of the blizzard softened, and it took a second for her to make contact. "It goes without saying the Schnee name is famous on Remnant. Our fortune, our status, our influence are no secret. Naturally there are those who envy us for out success." A scoff. "Some hope to marry into the family, and so send suitors to try and place their claim. Others are less patient; they try to deal with my father, unprepared for what he can and will do.
"But the worst of them aren't after lien or a hand in marriage. No, the worst are after our lives."
Blake felt her ears stiffen; she knew all to well what Weiss meant. "The White Fang, terrorists one and all. The sheer number of extended family and board members hunted down and slaughtered… Let's just say it made for a difficult childhood." She glared into Blake's eyes, her gaze hard once more. "I have been trained to keep an eye out for such things, and I cannot let an unknown like Ruby go unaddressed."
That wasn't the only reason, of course. Loathe as she was to admit it, the indignation she felt when upstaged by a child, was not something she could shake off. The image of a cold heiress took years to cultivate. It was something she had to cultivate, lest Whitley take the title. That Ruby could get under her skin, slip past the frigid moat she made for herself, only further chipped away her confidence.
"...You think she's with the White Fang."
Weiss nodded. "If she isn't a part of that pack of animals, they could simply be using her as an intermediary." Blake felt the rage build the minute the 'a-word' was dropped. She tried to restrain herself, oh how she tried; were she not alone with the heiress, or if Weiss's paranoia hadn't been made evident and directed towards the only two people who were on Blake's side, the latter would have laid down the law. Yet in spite of divine restraint, something did slip out.
"Look, I can tell you right now Ruby isn't a faunus. But -"
"I know," Weiss interrupted. "I've heard her stumbling around at night." And oh, did she tear into her for waking up the whole room. That moment where the child looked cowed was pure ecstasy. The memory would have been treasured for months to come, had her brute of a sister not come to her defense. "But whatever the case, she looks non-human. That is enough for the White Fang to swoop in and claim her as an agent, isn't it?"
It wasn't. Maybe at the start of their turn to more violent methods, but human members of the White Fang have dwindled as the group became more zealous. It was possible for them to have a human agent, but just looking different wasn't enough. Blake wanted to voice her disagreement, but what would a normal human girl like her know of the inner workings of a faunus organization?
"I'm surprised you didn't break into her stuff yet, given how fruitless this search has been so far." There was a bit more edge to Blake's response than she intended, but the offended look on the heiress's face was well worth any ire she would receive.
"How dare you!" The shout was followed by a shush, itself followed by a Weiss who looked mortified. "I am not going to just dig through her belongings! Not without more evidence of her wrongdoing," She continued in hushed tones. "Do you understand what the consequences would be? We'd be lucky to just get kicked out of Beacon. I-" She stopped herself, leaned back, closed her eyes, and breathed. When they opened once more, though the fury was still there, no longer did it burn like the inferno. Rather her gaze was as cold and hard as Solitas itself. "I will not risk my future in such a way."
"Sorry to imply otherwise." Blake wasn't. As Weiss went off, she leaned back. Her instincts told her to steer clear of the wrath before her. She buried her face into her book once more, closer than it was before.
Weiss copied her teammate and cracked open a copy of 'Volcanoes of Remnant,' hoping the tome would lead her somewhere. 'Ruby did mention an Ashlands from time to time, as well as a Red Mountain.' Weiss paused, her eyes stuck on the first sentence as her mind ground to a halt. 'Because anything that comes out of her mouth, that she is willing and happy to talk about, is clearly true.' Oh, how Weiss wished to slam her head into the desk.
Loathe as she was to admit it, her whole endeavor was shaping up to be a massive waste of time.
She knew she couldn't stay her path, yet to live with a potential threat, to sleep in the same room as a living reminder of her failure was unacceptable. Could she trust anything Ruby said over the past week? Had she no leads to truly go on? No, there was one avenue left, though the thought of pursuing dropped a weight in her stomach. The method Blake suggested was illegal, risky, and immoral. At least, on the surface.
With the sisters on Patch for the weekend, there was no one who would stop her. No one who could report her. The risk was manageable. Her conscious objected to the invasion of one's privacy, perhaps because it was something she always feared her father would do. Yet as the sword dangled above her she realized it was no more immoral than a few missions Winter had mentioned. At least, when her sister was allowed to mention them. And any illegality inherent to shifting through her leader's belongings would be a moot point when she found her lead.
Brothers above, was she honestly considering it?
Yet what alternative was there?
Blake was broken from her concentration when Weiss Schnee dragged her chair back . "Calling it a day?" Blake asked as the heiress placed the books back on the shelves.
"Hardly," Weiss's tone sounded wrong to Blake. It was as though Weiss faked a confidence usually authentic. "I've given it some thought and decided your solution had enough merit to warrant an attempt." It took Blake three seconds to process the statement; one to realize what Weiss said, one to realize what it implied, and one where her blood ran cold. She threw out the 'raid Ruby's stuff' plan as a joke! Yet Weiss Schnee took it to heart.
"Wait," Blake spoke, yet Weiss did not pause. "I wasn't – I mean, you had a point when you said the whole thing was too risky."
"Indeed I did," Weiss placed another book on the shelf. "I also realized the benefits far outweighed any inherent dangers or personal qualms. Besides," When the last book was shelved, she turned to Blake. "If it bears even a single fruit, it bears the seeds of future efforts. Now let's get going." She grabbed her bags and walked towards team RWBY's dorm, Blake stunned behind her. "The sooner we do this, the better."
For a moment longer Blake sat, mind blank and confused. When at last coherent thought returned, the stress on her back was relieved and she moved once again. She grabbed her things, followed the Schnee, and metaphorically hit herself for her idle suggestion.
'That could have gone better.'
So far, Ruby's return home could have gone better.
Not to say it was all bad! While Yang's words earlier worried the Dunmer, her mind was put at ease when she saw her father hadn't wasted away. The ride home was smooth, even if being in a car again left her a bit disoriented. Watching the trees pass by in blurs of green and brown was a sight she could not experience with her semblance. At least, not without the risk of a crash landing.
That said, there were some issues. One was small, fuzzy, and growled at Ruby.
"Okay. Easy Zwei." She backed away as the gray and white corgi tried to intimidate her. 'Try' was the keyword, since it was Zwei. Ruby couldn't think of a time when someone met him and ran away in terror. Squirrels maybe, but not people. Also, if needed, she knew several ways incapacitate without breaking a sweat. Granted, all of those would require harm to befall the family pet, but she knew she didn't need any of them. She hoped. 'Times like this, I really wish I trained more in Illusion Magic.'
Still, there was one more thing to try. She knelt down, palm held out, and waited. Zwei's growls quieted as he waddled over to sniff what was offered. His nose was cool, wet, and made Ruby giggle. Perhaps there was something in that cadence which stirred old memories. Perhaps he detected a familiar scent buried beneath the ashy aroma. In any case he jumped onto Ruby and proceeded to lick her with great fervor.
"Gah! Zwei, stop!" In spite of her protests, Ruby was glad Zwei recognized her. She ceased the canine's assault long enough to embrace him. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of her father and sister as they looked on in amusement. "What?" She asked. "I missed him too, you know."
"Heh. For a second I worried I'd have to get between the two of you." Taiyang walked into the kitchen. "I'm making some coffee. You girls want anything?"
"I'll take one!" said Yang. "What about you, Ruby?" She gave no response, eyes focused on Zwei. "Rubes? Hey, baby sis?"
"Hmm? Oh! I'll have some coffee too."
"Three cups then!" Yang shouted at her father before a question formed. "Wait, when did you start drinking coffee?"
"I didn't," Ruby replied. "But hey, no harm in trying something new." That, and she had no idea what her dad had to drink. Could be that coffee was all he had.
Yang looked at Ruby for a moment before her eyes grew more serious. "Alright, what's wrong?"
Ruby's expression didn't change. "What makes you think something's wrong?" Her words and tone were cautious, careful, and only pilled on suspicion after suspicion.
Yang crossed her arms. "This is the third time today I saw you space out. Once on the ferry, once in the car, and now here." She caught her tone, filled with more accusation than she wanted aimed at her sister, and softened her gaze. "Look, I won't force you to say anything. We can -"
"No." That got Yang's attention, and she looked at her younger sister. "You're right, there is something... not wrong, really, but just..." Ruby sighed, her spine slackened as Zwei perked his head. "When I told you about Vvardenfell, I may have left out a couple of details. I didn't lie!" She clarified before Yang could think otherwise. "Everything I said before is still true. It's just, well, a lot to cover and a lot to take in. Heck, I have trouble believing some parts, and I lived through it!" Ruby set Zwei down. He gave her a brief look before he trotted elsewhere. "I just can't seem to find the words, y'know?"
"If you're worried about sounding crazy, don't be." Taiyang leaned on the door frame with three mugs of steaming hot coffee in his hands. "I've seen my share of odd stuff over the course of my Huntsman career. Some even say it's a required part of the job! Whatever your story, I bet it won't surprise me in the least." As her father passed her a mug, Ruby couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She was about to admit to her family her role as an agent of divine prophecy. How does one do that without sounding crazy? Has anyone done so?! Maybe drinking caffeine wasn't the best choice.
Yet as her sister and father sat on the couch, as their expectant eyes bore into her own, she knew a delay would only make things worse. She took a sip of coffee to steel her nerves, and her face wrinkled.
"Not a fan?" Yang asked.
"A bit bitter," Ruby set down the mug, "You have any sugar?" Taiyang handed her a bowl of cubes, which Ruby happily shoveled into her drink. She spoke as she stirred. "You guys remember how I said I was stuck on an island far, far away from here? Like, really far away?" The pair nodded as Ruby scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah, I might've undersold the distance."
Taiyang gave a wry smile. "Ruby, the only way you could have undersold it is if you were on the moon."
"Or another world," her sister shot back. For a moment, there was only silence. Ruby sat on the floor as she waited for a response; a question, a declaration, any sort of notice. Meanwhile, the joking smiles of the other two slipped away. They were frozen in place, minds stuck in a loop of system errors. They were aware of what the Dunmer said, yet somehow they could not grasp the full meaning.
It was Taiyang who broke the silence with a quiet, fragile "What?"
"Vvardenfell, where I spent the last two years, isn't on Remnant." Ruby readjusted her shoulders, took another sip of the bitter brew, and gauged her family's reactions.
"...That would explain the magic." What else could Yang say? She believed her sister with all her heart. If the sorcery and the physical changes weren't evidence enough, well, it was hard for Yang to forget the day her sister disappeared. How she disappeared. But still! "So, you just woke up on the shore one day?"
Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Not exactly. See, Vvardenfell is just an island territory located in the providence of Morrowind, itself a part of the continent of Tamriel. I woke up in the middle of a place called the Imperial City, basically the capital of the Empire which covered all of Tamriel. After that, well..." She looked at her father and spoke, guilt in eyes and words in equal measure. "Please don't get mad."
"What did you do?" Normally, Taiyang would have said those words with a stern expression. Were his mind in a clearer state, he would have. Unfortunately, the bombshells dropped took up about seventy percent of his brainpower. He knew of the existence of magic from Ozpin, among other phenomenon most would dismiss as mere fantasy. That said, this was a little outside what he'd come to expect.
"Well, I ran into a guard, there was a misunderstanding, and I was kind of, sort of... arrested."
"What?!"
"I'm sorry!" At the very least, Taiyang snapped out of his funk. Still, it wasn't something any father wanted to hear, and if Yang's narrowed eyes were any indication, neither did she. For their little Rose to be sent to jail, and by the sounds of it through no fault of her own, why they almost wanted to march up to whomever did it and give them a piece of their mind, logistics of the commute be damned. Still, cooler heads prevailed. Maybe they thought a lecture would ruin the entire weekend, ruin the good mood brought about by Ruby's return. Perhaps they just saw her worried expression and choose not to push any further. Either way, they sat back down and urged her to proceed.
"Anyways, after that they tossed me in a cold, damp prison cell." Paternal and sisterly rage returned, albeit muted. " At the time, I still hoped this was all just a big misunderstanding. That you guys or Qrow or someone would walk in, clear things up, and take me home before the night was over. Heck, I didn't care how long I would've been grounded if it meant I'd sleep in an actual bed." She looked down into her cup of coffee, to her reflection staring back. "And then, through the tiny window in my cell, I saw an unshattered moon in the night sky. Two of them."
"...Oh. Oh, yeah," Yang stated. "Yeah, that would… that speaks for itself." Gods, she could not imagine what Ruby must've felt. Sure, her current tone, somewhat subdued as it was, reflected what it must've been. Still, the only way to know for sure was to ask, and though it pained Yang to admit, there were more important questions on her mind.
Her father beat her to the punch. "...Was this when you found out you weren't, you know-" Taiyang spun his wrist as he searched for the right word. "Well, that you changed?"
"You can say 'not human', Dad. But no, I didn't realize that until later." Another sip of coffee. "And before you ask, I don't know why it happened." Of course, she had a theory – well, more of a hunch – but 'divine intervention' was only half a step above 'I don't know'. "Anyways, I was soon shoved onto a boat with a couple other prisoners and shipped of to Morrowind."
"Okay. Good. That's fine," Taiyang grew more frantic and enraged with each word. "My youngest daughter was basically a trafficking victim. Yeah, that's fine! JUST FU-" When he saw his daughters look at him with worry, with traces of fear on their faces, he stopped himself, took a deep breath, and deflated.
"...If it helps, I did get my freedom the minute we docked." Ruby said. "I mean, the island was still under quarantine, but it was better than rotting in a stone cell." They decided to ignore how or why an island would be placed under quarantine, though neither had the best feelings on the matter. Taiyang from experience with some classified missions, Yang from raw intuition.
"Didn't you fight the undead and Creeps there?" Taiyang's neck snapped towards Yang at her question.
"Still better than a cell," Ruby said, and Taiyang nearly gave himself whiplash. "And I only said they looked like Creeps! They weren't Grimm!" She saw the disbelief her father wore, and guilt bubbled up. "Dad, If you need a moment-"
"No no. I'm good." Credit where it's due, he tired to compose himself. That his expression looked faker than a plastic politician was another matter. And hey, it wasn't like this was easy for anyone to take in; had Ruby tried to tell someone from Morrowind that she came from a world where magic was a myth and soulless beasts threatened civilization daily, they would have assumed she took a hit or twelve of skooma. Unless they were Yagrum Bagarn. Or Divayth Fyr. Maybe Vivec, but as a god he didn't count.
Thoughts for another time.
"So there I was, freed from prison and stuck on an island with only the clothes on my back, some coins in my pocket, and a package to deliver to one Caius Cosades. To make a long story short, after I delivered the package he had me go on a few missions. I couldn't really refuse for several reasons, like 'I needed the money' and stuff."
Both Tai and Yang's eyes narrowed. "What kind of missions?" Her father's tone was sharp and accusatory. If that man put his baby girl in danger – in any more danger than she already faced, not even the space between spaces would keep him safe.
"Mostly gathering information and research." Not a lie by any means, but if her father knew how many ancient ruins or infested crypts she scoured over these tasks, he would take it even worse than he already was. And if she got into what she did for the Fighter's Guild, or her personal expeditions spurred on by the rumor of some shiny, enchanted trinket, she worried he'd have a heart attack. "Caius wasn't just some random guy I happened to do stuff for. He was a Blade, an agent of the Emperor himself, and he was looking into a local prophecy. I know, I know. It sounds stupid. It would be like if a councilman dedicated his time to looking for the Infinite Man or something."
Taiyang choked on his coffee. "You okay there?" Yang asked, but the man waved her off. 'It just hit a little too close to home,' is what he wanted to say. What he could not say. Like hell his daughters were getting involved in that during their first year, regardless of what Ruby might have gone through. When Yang saw her father was alright, she turned to her sister. "You're right; that does sound kinda dumb." The Dunmer started to deflate. "Buuuuuttt, when magic is commonplace, I guess prophecies, genuine prophecies, aren't that far of a stretch." Yang leaned forward, gave a soft smile, and asked the question Ruby dreaded most. "So, what was it about?"
Ruby took long sip of her drink; did the room get colder all of a sudden, or was her back just damp with sweat? Still, she pressed on. "Basically, the ancient Dark Elf hero and general Nerevar would reincarnate-" Tai flinched, though neither daughter noticed. "-unite everyone on Vvardenfell, and cast out some great evils from Morrowind. At least, that's the short version. I still have my notes, if you want the details." In spite of her offer, there were certain details Ruby wasn't keen to share, such as the verses which held more than a touch of xenophobia. Yet that wasn't really her choice, was it?
By now, Tai and Yang were on the edges of their seats. Neither had reason to doubt Ruby, and would readily admit they wanted, needed to know more. Whether out of concern for the youngest in the family or selfish curiosity, neither wanted to answer. "So about this Newevar guy," Yang started. "What can you tell us about him?"
"His name was Nerevar,. Er, I mean the dead guy was Nerevar, not the reincarnate." Ruby didn't know how Yang got it wrong; she usually had no problem with names. And did she ask about the existence of an old hero? Shouldn't the reincarnate be more interest... oh. "Haha. Very funny, Yang." A pause. "Ha."
Yang closed her eyes, grinned, and shrugged. "I'm here all weekend." she ignored the glare from her sister and a laugh from her father. "But for real, did this reborn Nerevar guy-"
"'Nerevarine' is the correct term."
"- this Nerevarine guy, this whole prophecy, actually happen while you were there?" And there was the million Lien question; how much was Ruby involved in this madness? If her conflicted frown spoke true, however much she was involved, whatever way she contributed, wasn't pleasant.
"...Yeah." The sheer exhaustion in that one word did not paint a happy picture. Before either Yang or Taiyang could ask, Ruby looked into her mug and continued. "Believe it or not, the Emperor had an idea on who the Nerevarine was before this whole mess started. I don't know all of his story, but I do know he had good reason to pay attention to prophecies and stuff. It may have come from a backwater island half buried in volcanic ash, passed down orally by a handful of nomadic tribes, and actively decried as heresy by the local Temple. It also foretold the end of the world should it not be fulfilled.
"The prophecy said the Nerevarine would be 'born on a certain day to uncertain parents,' which included about... half of all orphans. That is if you took the prophecy literally, which as a rule is kind of dumb. And ol' Uriel wasn't dumb, not by a long shot.
"So when he read the report of some Dark Elf girl wandering the streets, who didn't exist in any records before that day, the very 'certain day' of the prophecy who spoke names and words never uttered before on Tamriel, such as the names of her dad and uncle, he figured she could have been it. And since she was locked up in the Imperial City's prison at the time, he took a chance and sent her on next boat to Morrowind." When Ruby finished, there was only silence. Even Zwei's rhythmic panting stopped. She gave them a moment before she looked up.
There was confusion a moment prior, as seen in traces still present on their faces. Yang had more, mixed with disbelief at a claim which sounded too fantastic to be true. Ruby couldn't argue, but when you fly, walk on water, and shoot lightning without dust, fantastic becomes relative. At least she took it better than her father, mouth agape and eyes widened in horror.
"Ruby," he stated in a tone slow and serious. "Explain. Now."
"This was a mistake."
Weiss Schnee was not one to back down at a little 'discomfort' or for things being 'too hard', to blazes with the opinions of others. The scar over her eye was proof enough of that. And sure, Blake gave her the idea, but it was her choice to go through with it, her plan set in motion. Her ally merely provided the inspiration.
This just made her cold feet all the more humiliating.
'Get it together, Weiss,' she thought, clenched fists and deep breaths to drown her trepidation. She stood in their dorm, stood right in front of the dresser of one Ruby Rose. 'Yes, you're looking through her stuff. Yes, technically, that is a crime. But if she's hiding something that could spell my death, then there is no other choice. If I cannot find something useful here, I won't find it anywhere.' With her path set, Weiss tried to open one of Ruby's drawers, but came across her first obstacle.
"It's locked."
"Huh." Blake leaned over Weiss's shoulder. "I didn't think they had locks." She squinted her eyes. "Actually, where is it?"
Now that Blake mentioned it, the dresser was the same as her own, therefore it should possess no locks. She would know, she spent half an hour looking for one. Either Weiss Schnee's dresser was deficient, Ruby stumbled upon a feature Weiss was unaware of, or this dresser was tampered with.
After a minute's investigation, Weiss moved up to the next drawer and found much the same. It was the top drawer which finally gave way, yet all she saw within were copies of the Beacon Uniform. She slammed it shut, and flopped face first into her bed.
Seeing the Ice Queen steamed up almost made Blake chuckle. Schadenfreude, what a wonderful thing. Not so high and mighty without faunus to exploit, are you? She drank deep from this cup of satisfaction, for she knew her help would be requested soon enough. Blake scanned the surface of the dresser. Textbooks, papers, pens, and pencils littered the top, though not much else. As a runaway from the White Fang, where permanent housing was a pipe dream, Blake was the last person who should complain, but even she brought her own library to Beacon with her.
A glint on the floor, beneath the edge of the dresser caught her eye. She knelt down and saw a dagger laid beside dust bunnies and a pen. Given her leader's obsession for weaponry and the arsenal she brought to Beacon, Blake was not surprised one so small was lost in the shuffle. The blade jutting from beneath the dresser was a trip to the infirmary waiting to happen, though, so Blake grabbed it to move it out of the way.
When she pricked her thumb on the blade, she felt the shock of a lifetime.
"GAH!" Blake's scream rang in Weiss's ears, yet she only sprung into action a second later when she crashed into the beds behind her. The books which held up the second mattress wiggled and shifted, their stability lost. Just as they were about to fall away, right before Blake was to be crushed into a fine red paste, a spinning, intricately designed circle appeared from the aether to hold them up. She scuttled away from the debris before the glyph faded and they crashed to the floor. Blake turned to the heiress, who wore that scowl all of team RWBY were familiar with. Though the panic held in those blue eyes was new.
"What just happened?" Weiss swore, there better be a good reason her teammate was nearly buried under an avalanche of furniture and literature.
"Sorry. The knife must've been laced with Lightning Dust or something."
"What knife?" Blake pointed at the dresser – no, beneath the dresser. A quick walk over revealed said knife, which Weiss carefully pulled out.
The dagger itself was brutal, primitive, yet still carried a weight of power. The blade and pommel were made of yellowed bone, with black veins crawling down. The hilt was simple green leather wrapped well and as long as the blade. Held in the fading sun it carried a golden gleam. In spite of it's rugged design, it wasn't lacking in beauty.
What it did lack, as Weiss felt with her aura, was any sort of Dust.
"It must have been static electricity." Weiss turned the knife in her hands, while Blake looked livid.
"That wasn't static."
"Well, it clearly wasn't Dust!" She held the weapon out. "Look at the blade. Lightning dust, when infused in a blade, has a rich yellow color. Deep yellow, not the pale ghost you see here." Weiss appreciated the opportunity to recite facts. Facts made the situation logical, more concrete, more quantifiable.
Unfortunately for her, Blake had facts of her own. "Oh," she took a step towards the heiress. "And I just flung myself backwards and nearly died on purpose." There was an edge to her voice, the kind where one word spoken out of turn would spell disaster. Fortunately for Weiss, she had experience enough from dealing with her father.
"Not intentionally," She spoke with care. "The whole thing, coupled with the irritation of today's search, could have resulted in heightened sensitivity." Did Weiss word it well enough? Blake's stare was stern, her glare bored deep into the back of Weiss's skull, and she feared it would burst out the other side.
"Check your scroll."
"...What?"
"My aura levels. Pull out your scroll and check them."
"This is ridiculous!" Weiss threw her hands in the air. "There's no way that did any damage. Even the weakest, most untrained of auras would have held."
"Then there's no harm in checking," Blake said, arms crossed face unamused. "Unless you're scared you would be proven wrong." That sent the heiress over the edge.
"How dare you!" The assault on her ears was almost worth the reaction on Weiss's face.
"Well then," She took a step back and gestured towards Weiss's pocket. The Schnee glared at Blake for a moment. Before she could end this farce and check her own scroll – knowing Weiss, she'd find something wrong with the result – the heiress reached down and grabbed her own. The minute Weiss's eyes glanced at the aura meters she did a double take. Rage melted into confusion and froze into disbelief. Slowly and with great care, as though too sudden a movement would change the screen, Weiss Schnee turned her scroll to Blake.
Upon it was a bar, above which was Blake's stoic visage. The bar itself was green and mostly full. Mostly.
"H-how?" Weiss stammered, and Blake couldn't blame her. She supposed she could have milked some satisfaction from Weiss's reaction, though any joy was undercut by what the knife implied. The lost look retreated from Weiss's eyes as an icy focus took hold. "I – We need to look into this further. I'll take a trip to the library, maybe speak to Doctor Oobleck on the matter. You just... just look around and try to find something else." Before Blake could foist any complaints, the door shut. She was alone with her thoughts yet again.
Truly, did a worse punishment exist?
Still, with newfound privacy Blake let loose a breath and collapsed onto a bed. It was true she started this quest with no intention to succeed. Now with the dagger added to the equation Blake wondered if inaction was the best course. The electricity which flowed through was worrisome, yet not the course of her current thoughts. For Blake had seen fury, condescension, and exhaustion in Weiss's face.
Until now, she had never shown fear.
"Who are you, Ruby Rose?"
Taiyang did not expect this.
Of course, what did he expect? Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy called him out of the blue to tell him his daughter made it through initiation. Both of his daughters, including the one who'd been gone for two years. Who Ozpin claimed used magic. Who had been transformed into something not quite human but certainly not faunus.
Needless to say, Tai had his doubts. He was no stranger to the fantastic, the magical, the borderline divine, but this seemed both too odd and too good to be true. And yet, that was why he didn't dismiss it outright. Ozpin hadn't the cruelty to bring up a man's lost little girl just to tear down his hopes with a reveal of the truth. Furthermore he had centuries of experience to craft a more convincing tale than this. If Ozpin wanted, Tai wouldn't have felt any suspicion. Still, 'trust but verify' the old saying went, and he did the latter next night. A quick scroll call he made to Yang, though to be honest he doubted it would bear any fruit.
And then Ruby walked into view.
The rest of the call was lost in a haze of catharsis. Nestled between the tears and disbelief, Ruby promised to come home to explain everything. To her credit, she tried to explain what she could right then and there, but emotions were high and she was caught unprepared. What Taiyang could make out was indecipherable, a series of cryptic words that he knew possessed a meaning he didn't.
He wondered if the utter confusion was better.
The three sat at the kitchen table. His daughters faced one another while he faced the wall. Taiyang glanced to his right to see Yang absently twirl a lock of hair around her finger. Her face bore confusion and bafflement more than anything else, and Taiyang couldn't blame her. Were it not for his own experiences he would have been the same way. Still, for as much as impatience burned within, there was a brain beneath her golden mane. The scope of everything told tonight would hit her like a sack of bricks in due time, and Tai would not envy her when it did.
In contrast, Ruby looked resigned, with eye lids that started to sag. He supposed of everyone at this table, she had the best idea of how they would react. How long did this night, this moment weight on her mind? How long did she fret about what to tell them or how to word it? Whatever the answer, she looked like she wanted to answer their questions and go to bed.
Tai couldn't blame her; he was about ready to call it in himself. The father felt many things at once; relief at Ruby's return was the strongest, and he'd throw himself back into his therapist's office if it wasn't. Yet if he said there wasn't this undercurrent of parental worry and paternal rage brought on by the sheer scope of what his youngest had gone through, it would have been a lie.
And oh, what things she did.
"So, in short," Yang's hand left her hair as she grabbed her mug, coffee long since drained. "You are some guy's reincarnation."
"Nerevar was more than 'some guy'," Ruby defended. "He was a general and hero to the Chimer of the First Era."
"But you're his reincarnation?" Taiyang asked.
"Yep," Ruby said, popping the 'p'. To be honest, he always feared something like this would happen. Still, so long as she hadn't heard any voices of long dead elves, she should be fine.
"And as his reincarnation, you had to…"
"Kill a god?" Taiyang groaned and pinched his brow. "Uhh, did I say something wrong?"
"No, sweetie." His voice strained beneath the weight of 'what the hell' he had to deal with. "Just coming to terms with it." On the one hand... Tai didn't know which hand to start with! Did he focus on the inherent dangers of deicide? Did his train of though start with the necessity of what Ruby did? How it was ultimately a net positive for these elves? Or was it hijacked by the realization she was practically forced into it by another god? One with more legitimacy, apparently. Maybe. What the hell was a Daedra?
At least he wasn't alone in this mad house; Yang looked like she had as hard of a time reconciling the slayer of gods with the devourer of cookies. "Dagoth Ur. That was his name, right?" Ruby nodded. "Right, so to kill him you had to gather a bunch of ancient relics and break some fancy rock."
Ruby started to nod, but vertical movement soon inverted. "Nooot really. I mean, I had to gather a bunch of armor and weapons to have a leg to stand on. Better safe than sorry, after all." Only she gave a few weak chuckles. No one else laughed. "Okay bad time ANYWAY! I only needed the three Tools of Kagrenac to destroy the Heart of Lorkhan, which was not a rock!"
"C'mon, was it really an actual hea-" When Yang realized she was speaking to a human turned elf who could levitate, shoot fire, and Brothers know what else, she received an abrupt answer. "Oh my god, it was a real heart."
"Yep! The Heart of Lorkhan, trickster and creator god in one." No one spoke up afterwards, so Ruby continued. "It was still beating when I got there, by the way."
"...How?"
Ruby could only shrug at her sister's question. "Gods are weird."
"And during all this, to get from port to prophecy-"
"Pfft!" Yang quickly silenced herself. "Sorry, just thought of one of our professors in that role. His name is Port."
Tai stared at his eldest for a moment. His face said he was unamused. His face lied. "I know. He taught when I was still a student." The worst part was he could really see it; the blowhard wielding Blowhard as he traipsed through the ash. His boasts and bragging bringing entire armies to their knees and entire towns to sleep. Heck, for all Tai knew his old professor could have partook in a genuine prophecy like his daughter. He just wouldn't know with all the hot air the old windbag spewed.
'But this conversation wasn't about him,' Tai thought as he turned to the actual subject. "Anyways, to fulfill the prophecy, you had to do a bunch of other stuff in between." Ruby nodded, a small hum from her throat. "Stuff like delivery," A nod. "Exploration of ruins." A nod. "Fighting wildlife." A nod, but her smile flickered. "Fighting bandits." Nod. "looting their camps." Ruby's nod was more hesitant. "Wizards, too." The same nod as before. "...Killing."
It was here there was a pause before a single nod was give. Ruby's was smile all but gone, replaced with a mask of neutrality, of resignation.
This was what Tai was worried about. This was the thought which nibbled at the base of his brain, which latched on and just wouldn't. Let. Go. All this time he thought Yang was the reckless one; he knew about the club incident right before the start of the semester, after all. Well apparently it was small potatoes compared to what his youngest got caught up to. Pretty active for someone who was thought dead. A part of him wanted to lecture her, to point out how she risked life and limb to fulfill the prophecy. Another part realized she hadn't that much choice in the matter, and a third was more concerned with the last little nugget of info Ruby gave.
His youngest daughter, Ruby Rose, had killed.
She killed before she qualified to become a Huntress in training. She took her first life at a younger age than him.
That quenched any fire in his belly.
"Oh, Ruby." To his shame, it was Yang who first consoled the silver eyed girl. She approached her side, looked to see if it was okay, and gave her a big hug. For a moment Ruby froze, before she gave one in return. It was a little half-hearted, partly thanks to the vice grip Yang had her in, but it was still a hug. "It's gonna be okay, baby sis," She said. "It's gonna be okay."
"I know," Ruby said matter of factly, thought she did look at her sister in confusion. "You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would."
"...Look, I won't pretend I'm not a little mad. Not at you!" She hastily added that last part. "Just in general. It might've been something drilled into my head since Signal, maybe even earlier," she spared a look at her father. "That doesn't mean it isn't awful when it happens. Still, you didn't kill them for the thrill of it."
"What? NO!"
"Easy, Rubes." Yang's hands were held up, palm out. "That wasn't a question. Point is, it was a crap hand all around. I'm just happy you're okay." A pause passed and brought with it realization. "Er, you are okay, right?"
"Yang, I'm fine." The tone Ruby took would have been adorable were they not talking about her taking lives. "I've gotten over it."
"...You don't just get over it." Tai didn't want to interrupt his daughters, but he couldn't let this thought fester. He just couldn't. "At least, you shouldn't."
It seemed Ruby caught on to what he implied, if her narrowed eyes were any indication. "I'm not numb to it or anything. I just… I just made peace with it." As she said that, a look crossed her face, one Tai was quite familiar with. How often did he have that same look as he said the same thing?
"Still, it would be best to see a therapist." He noticed his daughter's eyes widen. Did she take offense to that? "I'm not going to force you; that would be counterproductive. Still, something like that leaves a mark, even if you can't see it. Besides, it's standard procedure at Beacon to get a few sessions, just to see how you're doing. Last thing anyone needs is for a Huntress to break down from the stress." Or for a Huntsman to loose himself in mourning. Perhaps he should give his own a call.
Ruby didn't like it, if her conflicted expression spoke true. Still, conflicted meant at least subconscious consideration. When she gave him a single nod, he gave a soft smile in return. "It'll be awkward, but it'll be worth it." His smile faded. "It was for me." That if nothing else mollified his daughters. He walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a third cup. Unwise, perhaps, but he felt there was so much more. "So, any other world shattering revelations? Are you now able to read minds?"
"Nope! Nope nope nope!" That was a definitive denial if he ever heard one. "Can't do that, swear on Azura!"
"Did you become religious?" Yang brought a good point. "You did mention that Azura lady at Beacon, and with as much fear some give to the Brother Gods."
"Eeehhhh, not really?" When it was obvious that cleared nothing up, Ruby continued. "It's more just general caution and habit. She was the one who set the prophecy in motion, and I am technically kind of sort of her champion. Besides, when she gets angry… well, remember how I said the Dunmer used to be the Chimer?"
That painted a vivid enough picture for Tai. "I thought you said it was because those Tribunal guys broke their promise?"
"And whose name do you think the promise was made on?"
…
Well, what do you know? Yet another existential threat for Tai to worry about! Two immortal ladies who could end him at their leisure! And this one he couldn't punch.
"Oh," Yang summarized perfectly. "Well, here's hoping she gives us some leniency since, you know, you are her champion."
"Eh, best play it safe for now. There is some metaphysical stuff that keeps Daedra from going crazy on Nirn? Here though? Nothing to stop her from, I don't know, making you bald."
"Please don't say stuff like that," Yang begged and paled. Tai laughed as much as the situation allowed, though speaking of champions chosen by the gods-
"What's next? Are you immortal as well?" He took a long drink from his coffee, during which the contents of his mug was all he could see, all he could smell.
All he could hear.
He jerked his mug away from his face, not even giving himself the time to swallow. Yang stared at Ruby with mouth agape. Ruby? Ruby just stood awkward with her hands clasped behind her back, a hesitant smile on her face.
"Hehe. Surprise?"
And on that night, Tai nearly drowned.
"I really wish i could be of more help, Ms. Schnee." Weiss bit back the frustration, much as it begged for release. To scream at the unfairness and lack of progress she had made on this day. It wasn't supposed to be hard, just try to figure out methods of generating a charge without dust. She didn't expect to get her answer tonight - Brothers knew the work she did just to get this far - but she expected at least one lead.
Sure showed what she knew.
Books on science told only of theories. 'Modern Engineering. Volume 5' brought up technologies that were too impractical for small arms, and don't get her started on the history section! As if she'd deign to entertain the maidens as an answer.
'I don't think I've ever shut a book that fast in my life.' She stormed down the halls, hoping against hope the answer to all her problems would come to her right then and there. Oh, but what did she have to complain? It's not like everything so far was just a winding path of inanity and useless info!
She stopped in her tracks. Breathe in. Breathe out. 'You are Weiss Schnee,' she thought. 'You know better than to give into your temper.' Breathe in. Breathe out. When the burning rage subsided, she pulled out the knife once more. Primitive, yet powerful. It was hard to believe such a small thing could cause such trouble.
'Perhaps today hasn't been completely fruitless,' Weiss thought as she turned it in her hand. 'If nothing else, this is undeniable proof that Ruby Rose cannot, will not be trusted. That this knife breaks all laws of physics is evidence enough of something behind the scenes. But what? What else has Ruby hidden from us? Who could have given her this?'
First thought to come to mind was the White Fang, but it was stamped out on arrival. For as much grief as they've given her family, for all the pain they caused, dustless electricity seems a bit beyond them. Couldn't be her father; he would have hired someone with a modicum of class or a more believable story. Her foot tapped faster and faster as her thoughts raced, until the mounting rage shattered her concentration.
'Does it even matter? She lied to us, hid behind secrets and shadows, snuck her way into the Headmaster's good graces and lucked out with her sister on the same team. The next step needs to wait until tomorrow.' Her mind made up, her course decided, she continued her walk back to her dorm.
She slammed open the door, startled Blake, and stomped over to her bed. "No luck?" Blake asked, yet she already knew the answer.
"I don't believe it," Weiss replied as she gathered her night clothes. "I wasted two hours and failed to find any information on a knife." Reaching into her pocket, she set the object on her dresser. "Still, at the very least we know she's hiding something. If we're prudent in our questions, she'll provide the rest of the evidence for us." Then, perhaps, Weiss can sleep safe and sound with her out of the way. "For now, we should go about our days like nothing had happened." Before Blake could respond, the heiress closed the bathroom door.
Alone once again, Blake tried to get back into her book. When things were bad, be it back in the White Fang or before, inked parchment always made things better, allowed her an escape from reality. Yet try as she might, she could not. The heiress's words stuck with her.
Blake wasn't going to sit there and say Weiss was right in her efforts. She wasn't going to say she was in the right, either. But the end if the day, what the faunus did or didn't do was a matter of survival. Plus, the odds of an actual conspiracy unfolding behind the scenes was such an unlikely prospect, Blake felt there was no risk in letting the Schnee burn herself out.
Wasn't there a saying about black cats and bad luck?
She shook her head. So Ruby was hiding something. What, Blake didn't know. Yes, the knife was a surprise, but it wasn't a sign of anything malicious or delicate. Was it? Whatever Ruby hid was no concern of Blake's. What was concerning was how Weiss, upon finding her first clue, was reignited in her efforts. All Blake had to do was keep Weiss away from her past and the Schnee could do whatever she pleased.
Soon the bathroom door opened again; Weiss stepped out, Blake stepped in. Wearing a sky blue gown and with her hair down, Weiss laid in bed to rest her head.
Her eyes flung open, the peace of mind shattered by a thunderous boom. The first thing she saw was a sky of gray clouds. Or rather one giant cloud, it filled the sky that much.
Some grainy substance was beneath her, covering her feet and hands. One of the latter she brought before her face, coated as it was with the stuff. Some parts were lighter, some grains darker, yet all felt soft and dry in her hand.
Slowly she rose to her feet, and though she gained a broader perspective, all she saw was more of the silty substance for miles. It was only broken up on occasion by a rock here or plant there, with a few hills and valleys for texture. As the clouds above crept towards the horizon, they gained a faint red tint to them, holding both the warmth of hearth and blood.
Feet dragged across the wastes, carried by a will not her own. Each step kicked up particulate matter, every breath choked her with smoke and stone and fumes. Every second that passed revealed only more expanses of gray, though they were broken up still by boulders, barrows, and bones.
The last one clenched her throat; the beasts that lay on the ground, massive and insectile, most certainly died out here. Would that be her fate? For the wind to strip away her flesh? For her bones to lay bleached and buried? She noticed how dry her throat was, and hoped to find a pond, a pool, a puddle even.
Still she trudged on, the edges of her vision blurred as the minutes ticked by. The weight of her exhaustion was no longer upon her shoulders. Instead, it dragged behind her, like a boulder welded to a chain wrapped around her very being. Every step forward came with more difficulty, like she was walking through water or sludge. No, it was more like every cell of hers was being pulled back, as though her body were five paces behind her and growing ever distant.
It was then the monotony of the scenery shattered with the rising of the land. Over the horizon, a shape took form. Large, dark, and pointed, she could tell it was a mountain. When she saw the smoke rise from the peak, she knew her assessment was only half right.
A volcano.
Perhaps it was to be expected; the dust and debris carried a smokey scent, and something needed to make it all. That did not take her by surprise.
What did snuck up on her, hiding in plain sight, facing her.
By now the strain had rendered all before her a meaningless smudge, made dark at the corners. She could not approach the figure, the pull from before halting her in her tracks. It took every ounce of will to stay where she was. Yet whatever faced her was clearly human, standing on two legs as it was.
She tried to make out her face, tried to take one step closer, but her muscles were locked and the clicking of clockwork drowned her focus as a chill like metal seeped beneath her skin.
The last thing she could see before being pulled back into the aether, before blindness took over, she would never recollect. Save that whatever it was, it was bone white.
Ruby awoke with a start, air trapped in her lungs as she lurched upright. For a moment she could not breathe, and her eyes stung as the dry air hit them. When at last she could swallow scratching clumps, when she saw she was no longer beneath the shadow of Red Mountain, only then did her heart slow. Still, though she wasn't there, she wasn't in her dorm either. She scanned the walls with their burgundy wallpaper, gazed at Yang's golden locks as she snored beside her, took notice of the imposing and rather cool Grimm figures on the shelf-
She blinked. Right. This was her room. Her bedroom, back home. Back in Patch.
To see it again after so long was an uncanny experience. When she arrived at her Dad's house, it was the first room she went into. That everything was like it was before she left, down to the clothes she swore she would put in the laundry when she got back... Her dad said she couldn't find the time to clean it, what with Signal and Yang and everything. Ruby suspected otherwise.
A glance out the window revealed the shattered moon, a sight she thought would be comforting. A sight she wanted to take comfort in. She was crammed in the Imperial prison, soul and heart exhausted and a million questions alight in her mind when she first laid eyes upon Masser and Secunda. Alone, changed, and trapped, it was the sight of those twin satellites which made her weep.
While in Vvardenfell, every night she slept under and open sky and saw the moons, the feeling would reemerge. A sign she did not belong. Ruby knew not when those feelings faded, but now home safe, it was the shattered body's turn to look wrong. Hurt.
Perhaps the tales of Lorkhan transcended Tamriel.
She brought her knees to her chin and wrapped her hands around her legs, still shaken by the dream. When she was younger, she remembered, if vaguely, the awful nightmares she used to have. Whatever spooks a toddler's mind conjured paled next to the Dreamer's Plague. That they were an invitation only added to the horror. She thought they were over, dying with he who weaved them.
If the figure in white was who she thought it was-
Ruby flung off the covers, grabbed her cloak and clothes, and walked out the bedroom door. There was only one person she could talk with to ease her mind, and now's as good a time as any.
It wasn't hard to sneak out of the house. Ruby was a bit nervous around the couch her father crashed on, but she made it past him without issue, and made it out the backdoor no problem. She didn't even wake Zwei!
Rustled grass and the gentle pound of boot on dirt were the metronome to which her journey was set. Birdsong and crickets, punctuated by a ribbit from a frog, her audience. Sometimes she would spot faint lights dancing above the ground. Fireflies. She remembered nights spent out in the backyard with Yang, her Dad, and her Uncle Qrow, catching them in her hands and watching them buzz and glow.
As she drank deeply of the crisp night air, she promised herself to make up for time lost.
Ruby's trip down memory lane continued as the path opened to a clearing. Surrounded by sky and grass, the cliff held a wondrous and gorgeous view of the forests of Patch. This late at night, with the stars dancing above, the horizon was picturesque. Normally, Ruby came here while the sun was out; less chance of running into Grimm and a greater chance to spot them if she did.
But she didn't come here in the dead of night to sight see. At the far end of the plateau, well hidden by Grass and shadow, stood two grave markers. Ruby didn't a double take; off the left was a small gravestone, upon which was etched 'Ruby Rose.' Beneath that was scratched 'Thy leaves o'er the bed.' A discussion for another time. For now, there was someone else she had to speak with.
Her eyes turned to a stone seen a hundred times before, and in a soft, sad tone, she spoke.
"Hey Mom."