Would it seriously be too much to ask of the world for things to stop happening for five minutes?
Really, though, Ruby would love to have any sort of break from what feels like the constant stream of bad things that have been happening, seemingly no matter how hard they try or what they do. She wonders, idly, if this is how Qrow feels all the time. In just the past couple of hours alone, she hasn't been able to contact her sister, the broadcast had cut off early, she'd inherited the maiden powers from someone—hopefully not Penny, please—and now May has left for Mantle. And Nora still hasn't regained consciousness.
It's understandable that May wants to go back to Mantle when it's under attack, and Ruby doesn't begrudge her for it at all, but it still means splitting their small group up even further—and losing their only transportation, since May took the airship they'd stolen from the base with her. It's far from an ideal situation. But still, they've got other things to worry about, more urgent matters to attend to.
"Has there been any change with Nora?" Weiss asks, attempting to look hopeful as she sets down her armful of supplies. Ruby and Blake both shake their heads.
"No, she's still completely out," Ruby says quietly.
"We can try to patch her up a bit more with the stuff you found." Blake sighs. "But at this point, I think she needs to see a doctor."
"Right," Weiss replies, looking grim.
Ruby tries to lighten the mood a bit, smiling even though she feels anything but cheerful. "Are you sure that your family doesn't have a doctor hidden around here someplace, Weiss? This house is plenty big enough for something like that."
Weiss rolls her eyes in response, but her scathing response is cut off by a loud crash from outside the house. The three of them exchanged startled looks as they leap to their feet and hurry out of the room. Ruby's thoughts are swirling with panic as she hurries down the stairs.
What was that? Is the house under attack? Did Ironwood send someone after them, or is it Cinder or someone else working for Salem? Whoever it is, if they're here for a fight, none of them are really in great shape for that right now. Ruby's done her best to hide it and push through it, but she's still feels exhausted and drained from using her semblance like that earlier. And she knows that Weiss and Blake must be similarly tired.
There's an unfamiliar man waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Ruby and Blake brush past him and hurry outside, determined to check out the source of the crash in case they're in danger, but apparently Weiss recognizes him, since she stops to talk to him while the rest of her team keeps going. Weiss had seemed happy to see him, so whoever he is Ruby feels that it's safe to assume that he's not a threat. One less thing to worry about, at least.
As soon as they step outside into the courtyard, the source of the noise from earlier becomes obvious. Not far from the front door lies a massive crater, as if a large object had crashed outside the house. It was made recently enough that clouds of dust from the impact still fill the air nearby. What the—?
The two of them exchange confused glances before cautiously approaching the rim of the crater. Ruby is tense, expecting something to jump out at them at any second, her hand on her weapon at her side. At the slightest bit of movement, she's ready to whip out Crescent Rose.
But when they finally get close enough to see into the crater, Ruby's heart lurches for an entirely different reason. For a moment, she freezes completely in shock.
It's Penny, lying at the bottom of the crater and looking much the worse for wear than when they last saw her. There are burns and scrapes visible on her face, and her dress is stained with a green liquid that has a consistency that reminds Ruby of blood.
For a long, terrible moment, Ruby is worried that her friend is dead. She can't help but blame herself. She should have done more to protect her, she should have gone with her to the launch, anything to keep her safe. To make sure that she didn't lose her again right after she got her back.
And then, Penny moves, and Ruby feels like she can breathe again. She looks up at Ruby, and despite how battered her friend looks, she still manages to smile at her. "Ruby," she says quietly, voice just loud enough to carry up to where they're standing. "I'm sorry."
As soon as she finishes speaking, Penny collapses back to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, and the next thing Ruby knows, she's standing in the bottom of the crater next to Penny's limp form. She doesn't even remember activating her semblance. She's just unconscious, Ruby tells herself, not dead. Penny is still alive, she can feel it. She's injured, but that's okay, they'll get her patched up again.
Out of the corner of her eye, she can spot the same flickers of silver that she saw earlier, right after the broadcast cut off. Maiden flames, again. But she can't bring herself to care about that when Penny is hurt and needs her help. She grits her teeth as she attempts to gather her friend into her arms; Penny is a lot heavier than she looks. Above her, from the mouth of the crater, she can hear someone calling her name, but she ignores it in favor of trying to help Penny.
And then suddenly, her friend doesn't feel quite so heavy. Ruby looks down at her and notices that her feet are hovering a few inches off the ground. What the—? Oh, right, flying is one of the special things maidens can do. Not that Ruby really cares about that right now, but if it'll help her get Penny out of here and to safety faster, she's all for it.
Closing her eyes, she tries to concentrate on her goal—getting Penny out of the crater, and after a few moments she feels lighter, and opens her eyes to find herself slowly rising through the air. Weiss and Blake both gape at her as she lands in front of them, stumbling slightly as she takes Penny's full weight again.
"How did you—" Weiss begins to ask. Ruby hadn't realized that she was even there. She must have come outside while she was at the bottom of the crater, helping Penny.
Not that it really matters right now. "She needs help," Ruby announces, cutting Weiss off. "Help me get her inside."