"Okay kid, we're clear now." I dropped my armor as we entered the open air. Sure, wearing the armor on its own took a small amount of energy, but it was ultimately miniscule in terms of what some might expect. It had been weird to wear it throughout our little chat with Robyn, but at least now I could drop it for the time being.
I couldn't see her, but I knew Neo was still at Roman's side, much like she'd been during the discussion a few minutes ago.
"Doesn't Neo ever get tired?" I questioned, and Roman smirked.
"Yeah, but it can't be helped. Besides, she's accustomed to shadowing one other person; it only ever causes stress when there are two or more she needs to cover; hence why you needed to bring up your armor again during the little trip back."
Suddenly swapping appearance seemingly at random would cause issues, and I was not willing to risk bringing about unnecessary questioning. The armor turned out to keep me a little warmer in the snow anyway, and secretly I kind of wished I'd have known that back while trekking to Argus.
Not having access to aura was tedious at best, but considering how the walk was only an hour back, I could live with it. Flesh and blood felt nice again, as opposed to the stuffy feeling of my plating. I could have taken the armor off for the chat with Robyn, but I'd rather not show that much trust yet, at least not until I determined where she really stood in the grand scheme of Atlas. Roman claimed she was unstable, but I'd rather see it in person; blind faith in a criminal rarely lead to favorable results - ironic coming from me really.
Then again, if she was working with Roman...
"So..." I began, turning my sights fully towards him. "Where does Robyn really stand in all of this. She can't just have it out for the general?"
"Going there already?" Roman sighed before turning away to look up at the flying city above. "Well, while the embargo does have her up in arms, I've started to suspect it's more to do with Jacques Schnee of all people. Man's running alongside the general and her, and despite being vastly hated by almost all the people of the cities, he's got plenty of money to burn."
"So you're proposing he'll use that wealth to buy votes?" It was the expected strategy of the rich, but even so it wasn't entirely a fool-proof plan. Getting the seat was one thing, having the skill to keep it was another. If this was anything similar to the days of Mobius, I suspected he'd need more than just money to keep his position.
"Ha!" Roman's laugh was curt an honest, to the point it almost felt natural. "He'd love that, but sadly for him - and luckily for everyone else - a vote cannot be bought. To win a seat you'd need the collective support of sixty percent of the voters, and that's only counting battles between two parties. With this being a three-way, he'd need to rack up a total greater than both Ironwood and Robyn combined."
"You don't believe that'll happen?" I knew the answer, but even so I wanted his opinion on the matter; he'd been here longer after all, and I could use the info.
"I'm not sure what the people outside of Atlas are claiming nowadays." Roman snapped his fingers, as if to make his point clear. "But the people here hate him as much as everywhere else. Heck, only the intentionally ignorant and bootlickers going after his power think otherwise. Man makes honest criminals like myself look bad, and he's following the law as far as anyone knows."
His tone walked a fine line between cheeky and firm. I narrowed my eyes though as the next of my questions rolled off my tongue.
"I'd be correct in assuming you and Neo aren't so foolish?"
"Of course." He whipped around, sauntering up to me before slapping a hand on my shoulder and leaning in. "Listen, kid, when you're as prosperous as him, you don't do so legit. Crime pays, pretty well too might I add, and with the skeletons he has in his closet..." His smirk edged over the cliffs of teasing. "I could have the streets in riot by sunset~"
"And yet you don't." I shot as he pulled away. "So why is that?"
"I earn nothing by airing his dirty laundry. Besides, he'll screw up eventually, and what's a better time to do so than dead center in a political race?"
"If he's kept it hidden for so long, what makes you sure he'll slip up now?"
Roman simply offered me a calm smile.
"Easy, Robyn hates his guts. You see, when she hates somebody, she'll do her damnedest to dig up whatever graves they've buried. Trust me, with all the cracks and cervices Jacques has lining his walls, it won't take her long to find it all."
"If she hates him." I clarified and crossed my arms, mulling the idea over. "She sounds more concerned with Ironwood right yet, far too much to bother with Jacques."
"Yes well, once the race is over, we'll see how quickly her sights remain on our favorite military dictator."
Dictator... I suppose we'll see how true that is, won't we Roman? A bit direct I'd admit, but a dictator? Honestly it sounded a little too harsh to be entirely accurate, and this was Roman to make the claims, so the idea was still up in the air. Right now however it mattered little, and the general would need to wait for a little longer. I started up anew as we got back on track.
"Now, about the mines..."
.
.
Sitting still was not a great feeling, but Oscar could accept this if it meant watching over Ruby. Strangely enough she was the only one aside from Maria to not immediately attack or accuse him - yes, they were mad at Ozpin, but it was still a little frightening.
Strangely enough, Ruby didn't look all that disturbed in her current state of sleep. Seeing the girl laid across her sister's lap made it all the stranger to compare. Yang was a tall - compared to most women he'd seen - and built figure; slender and blond with this rugged sense of charm and adventure. Ruby in contrast was short, sporting dark red hair that neared on black as it moved farther from the tips towards the roots. She was softer spoken and almost reclusive.
Apparently Ruby was the leader, but in all honesty Oscar had trouble seeing it at times. When she spoke up it was usually in response, and rarely did she seem to act first; only making decisions after the fact. Maybe it was just where he'd been so new to their group, but Oscar was a little confused as to why she didn't let one of the others lead.
Then he saw her fight with Adam.
She was deathly fast, and while he didn't see her most of the time he did catch how her priorities were based around what her team did. He'd seen bits and pieces of Ozpins memories, and while most were of older days, there were a few involving the young - but still older than him by two years - girl. It was short, but depicted a determined young woman slicing away at the Grimm around her, all the while relieving everyone else of their battles by striking out at any that drew near her friends.
It was so strange to see, especially the short adventure where she rode a massive looking Nevermore with Weiss; how Ruby convinced the girl was a mystery Oscar was almost afraid to ponder. The Ruby he saw over these past few days was... 'drab' in comparison.
He'd call it depressing really; where did the girl's spirit go?
Recollections of Ruby's past excitement and joy only added to the overall lifeless mood, and knowing the supposedly 'great evil' they faced was an immortal monster only added to the fear. Oscar may not have been a fully trained hunter, but even he could see the licks of terror picking at everyone else. Nobody knew what to really do, and at this point it was blatantly obvious they were just going with the flow, all in the vague hope that something would reveal itself; an answer to their problems.
"How are you holding up, young man?" Oscar turned his head, and saw Maria take a seat next to him on the small fallen log. The others sat close to Ruby, but Oscar himself felt that he'd only be in the way if he stuck too close, and so he found himself at a distance watching over the group.
Apparently he wasn't the only one now.
"I'm alright, just sitting here and thinking over everything."
"Hmm... and I don't suppose these are all bad thoughts?"
"No." He admitted, looking back to the others. "Most of it is just... thinking."
"Thinking huh?" Maria chuckled a little bit. "Vague, but I guess that explains it well enough."
"Sorry. With... well... with what's happened so far I'm a bit... confused, at the moment." Oscar tried to find the words to explain it, without coming off a a creep that was. "I've seen a bit more of Ozpin's memories, and in them I saw what Ruby was like as a student... I think."
"Oh, and what was she like?" Maria grinned as she crossed her arms. "Certainly it must be quite the change if thinking about it has you this aloof."
"She was happy." The boy knew his statement garnered a small perplexed face from the elderly woman, but he didn't really care how weird it made him look, as the contrast was a tragedy in his eyes. "She'd been so full of joy. Excited and driven... it was like watching a little kid learn how to ride a bike for the first time, or watching a friend finally get a date with their childhood crush..."
Oscar himself hadn't done or even witnessed both of those examples, but Ozpin had, and it was in these linked memories where he found himself agreeing with the man's feelings on the matter. He wasn't quite alright with his secrecy, but Oscar found himself more conflicted than outright against Ozpin. In many ways the man was acting off years of experience, so who was lowly little Oscar to challenge the immortal wizard? He brushed those ideas away, swept across the canvas of thought entirely for the time being; he'd been worried about Ruby, not about his stance on the immortal's ideals.
"I think I understand." Maria offered, providing a much appreciated reprieve to Oscar's inner turmoil - although she didn't know it. "The girl you saw was a chipper whippersnapper. The type to do her best and be proud of it; a real 'save the day' type of lady."
"Yeah..." Oscar had no idea what half of the jargon at the start meant, but he understood the meaning of it overall, and that was good enough. Oscar focused on Ruby's sleeping face in the distance, catching glances at her emotionless expression. "She'd take charge at times, but now she's..."
"Just moving along, as are we all." Maria finished for him, and he nodded. "I see what you mean; that girl's found herself in a bit of a pickle. So concerned with everyone. It's a shame really, her care and concern would be admirable, if it weren't bogged down with all the loathing she does."
"Loathing?" Oscar wouldn't exactly call it that, but Maria seemed to have a different opinion on the matter.
"Of course. Ruby there is so concerned about her ability to help, to the point she'll throw herself into a pit at even the slightest failure. While it's certainly better than shoving blame on everything else like her teammates seem to do, it still isn't good."
"Shoving blame..." Oscar's small bit of confusion grew. "Hold on, they don't shove blame."
Maria, in response, chuckled, and then laughed, although none but Oscar appeared to catch it.
"Really now? I suppose I haven't been around long enough to reasonably say, but what I can do is speak on what I've seen so far. Let's take your friends for instance..."
Oscar got a sinking feeling in his gut at the mentioning, yet he stayed silent as she continued.
"All of them lost their minds after the blue lady's story, and that rougher looking man and the blonde girl started a brawl with you."
"They were upset." Oscar defended curtly. "I don't exactly blame them from losing control; anyone would at that revelation."
"Yes, but they're not just anyone, now are they? They're hunters, and I'm not sure if you ever thought about it, but hunters are much more destructively capable than your average joe." Maria evened her voice, making it clear she wasn't trying to be antagonistic; could have fooled Oscar. "When people lose control, there's only so much damage they can reasonably do, but with a hunter that damage becomes dangerous. Back in my day hunters were held to higher levels of scrutiny because of this capability, and were assumed responsible for whatever decisions and actions they took." Maria paused, looking back to the others and offering a short sigh. "Instead what I find is a group of children, so caught up in doom and gloom that they don't know how to handle it."
"But this isn't something normal, and the 'doom and gloom' is completely warranted." Oscar relaxed a bit; he was getting worked up, and Maria actively wasn't trying to do harm. Unknown to the boy his voice dropped considerably. "We're facing the literal end of the world; can't we cut them a little slack at least?"
"Yes, we can, but that doesn't excuse their actions." Despite the harsh words, Maria sounded a little disappointed; frankly that just made it all feel worse. "First they learn of a common foe, and then they learn she can't be beaten so simply. What should be the catalyst for a united front in the face of danger instead spirals out into a temper tantrum, throwing blame everywhere as if it'll solve the problem. 'Who did this', 'who said that', and all the other wasted breath spewed out."
"They were upset at Ozpin not telling them what he was signing us up for, and I kind of feel the same." Oscar never asked for this, nobody asked for this, and yet here they were. Maria though... she seemed to have a different outlook.
"You're right, it wasn't fair, but this entire situation isn't fair either. I won't defend the man for making such a poor decision, but seeing as how everyone reacted... I can't say I stand against that decision either. From what it sounds like, Ozpin never really took responsibility, but the rest of the youngsters didn't either; two wrongs don't make a right." Maria's calm face then slipped into something unexpected; a smile. "But that Rose girl, she was different."
"How?" That last bit caught Oscar off guard, and reminded him they were talking about Ruby; a rather embarrassing lapse of focus that he'd never admit to anyone.
"While everyone was busy yelling and fighting with each other, she instead went to check on the only one not taking part in that silliness."
"V..." Oscar's focus was clearly set now, and Maria carried on.
"He wasn't acting like the rest, and in all my years I'd only ever seen a scant few who reacted in such a way. Claiming he was shocked into disbelief would be an understatement; the man's world had essentially crumbled around him."
"He didn't really seem all that different..." Oscar knew it was a poor excuse, but what else could he say? Being beat up didn't exactly offer much of a chance to respond or react to anything else.
"Most would say so, yes, but the young man on the train - while a bit silent - was a collected and rather fine gentleman. His face never changed a bit, but in it's lack of expression I could see just how disturbed he was." Maria paused to collect her thoughts. "People react in many ways to stress, but some of the most dangerous are capable of hiding those reactions. The fact our friend was able to conceal it so expertly tells us he's not only used to doing so, but it's concerningly common for him. Coupled with how it cracked a little when he swiped at the girl showed he wasn't able to fully control it. When the experts begin to falter, that's when you know it's bad."
"I guess..." The only thing Oscar really paid attention to was V snapping at Jinn, and even that got weird. This prompted a sudden recollection, and he interrupted the woman before she could speak. "Wait, the story from Jinn, V was in it!" Oscar wanted to slap himself upside the face. "I can't believe I forgot that!"
Maria smiled, and with a light nod she spoke.
"Finally catching on, good, but don't be too hard on yourself; with all that's happened it's understandable to forget a few things for a bit. Yes, our friend was in the story, at a time long, long ago."
"But that doesn't make sense... he's still so young."
"Perhaps Ozpin knew the answer, and you know what that means."
"I'll get it sooner or later." Oscar offered, and Maria smiled.
"Yes, but did you catch how he appeared in the moment lost to time?"
"I..." He paused, recalling both instances; one of the innocent boy, and the other...
A silent murderer.
"You've realised it too?" Maria threw out, and Oscar nodded in acceptance.
"It was almost the same look... no, it was the same look. But... what does it mean?"
"From what we saw, V fought in rage once before, a rage born of love, and now he's left in that seemingly same state. If I were a betting woman, I'd say V has left in an attempt to calm down."
"And how can you say that?" Oscar questioned, and Maria's answer was almost ghostly.
"The way he stared at the blood on his claw told me enough. He struck at Ruby, and while miniscule it seemed to hit him. He then directed his rage at Jinn before taking off. I may not be an expert, but I don't believe he was all that proud of harming her."
"Yeah, I guess..." Oscar was learning a lot today it seemed, to the point he was feeling pretty tired.
"Ruby means something to him, but moreover I believe all of you do. Ruby though, she coats herself in blame. Since V left she's been silent, and with her focus so heavily skewed I'm not sure she knows how to handle it all, which somewhat explains her collapse."
"She's tired." Oscar said, and Maria's smile grew.
"Yes, and while I'm certain there's more to it than only that, I believe she's finally hit her limit."
"Is there any way we can help her then?" Oscar asked, his face falling a little. "I mean, this makes it sound almost hopeless."
"Most truths make everything appear hopeless, but that's the funny thing about it, it sounds like a losing game, yet in those games the answer almost always finds its way when we need it most." Maria gave the boy a small pat on the back. "The best we can do is quietly support her; she needs to find peace on her own, otherwise it'll feel fake to her."
"Sounds kind of manipulative." Oscar pointed out, and Maria gave a feathery laugh.
"Most things do, but you can't help someone who isn't willing to help themselves; we're just nudging her towards the realization is all."
"Right." He still didn't quite agree, but he didn't have a better idea either, so he supposed it couldn't hurt to try.
The sounds of engines perked their ears, and caught the attention of everyone else too.
"Hey... hey that's Jaune!" Yang leap up, waving her arms wide. "Jaune, over here!"
Yes, it was Jaune, but it seemed he wasn't the only one coming. Oscar was able to see Ren, Nora, and even Pyrrha, all of which were seated comfortably in the metal wagon on the back. The guy pulled up, and with a look of shock beckoned them over.
"C'mon guys, hurry!" This naturally drew a bit of concern from the group, and Qrow was the first to openly question it; his voice sounded strained though.
"What's the rush?"
"There's a snowstorm coming." The boy informed, and Yang didn't take too kindly to that little fact.
"Again?!" She gave off a furious aura of exasperation, only to reel it in; not perfectly, but enough to keep from raising her voice any more. "Whatever, just hold on while we get Rubes aboard."
Oscar could hear Maria huff a little as she stood, giving a small stretch as she addressed him once more.
"I believe that's our que. We've been out in the cold long enough I say."
"Right."
It would be nice to finally have a place to properly rest.
.
.
Ruby wasn't sure what she was looking at, but seeing how wild it was she assumed this was once more a dream. Usually she wouldn't be able to tell she was dreaming until after the fact when she woke up; apparently this time was different.
The first thing she noticed out of everything was how warm she felt, and while she couldn't move or speak, her body did so of its own accord. She felt something warm press into her, and her head turned, gracing the young girl with an immense dose of both embarrassment, as well as longing.
There, lying beside her, was the woman she'd seen from Jinn's display. Her face was relatively young, but the similarities to her own mother made this not only uncomfortable, but also disheartening. In a way it felt like she was being teased by the dream; a second look at her mother. The older woman offered a concerned, yet tired look.
"Is something the matter?"
"N-nothing." The voice came from her as opposed to the woman she saw. It was a little squeaky, but ultimately male. Not only did this perplex Ruby, but it also felt weird as heck. Her previous dreams focused on what looked to be the usual nightmares; terrible things that haunted her. This was different, and she was drawn in again as her sights began to blur, all the while she felt a warm liquid slide down her cheeks.
Arms wrapped around her, and Ruby had no trouble understanding she was being pulled towards the figure in an embrace.
"It's okay to tell me how you feel." The older woman coddled, and while it wasn't her own, Ruby shared in the emotions the small boy she inhabited felt. It didn't make sense, but the girl could almost say for certain she knew who's body this was, considering there was only one little boy who appeared in Jinn's tale.
"I-I'm okay..." His voice was cracking up, and Ruby herself was having a bit of trouble keeping it together herself. Not only was the child going through turmoil, but she herself was essentially being watched over by the loving eyes of her long deceased mother - how was she supposed to react?
The woman hugged the small boy tightly, her hands rubbing softly over his back.
"I won't tell anyone, I promise, so please, my little rosebud, tell me what troubles you." She continued to hold him caringly, and the little one continued to sob silently. Witnessing it all play out only hurt her worse, until the woman spoke once more. "Is it because of the Queen? Are you afraid to see her tomorrow?"
The child nodded, and before Ruby could even begin to think the woman spoke again.
"Why?" She moved hand from his back, and tipped his head up to meet her eyes; although the sight was still blurry to Ruby. "She's very excited to meet you, so why are you afraid?"
The boy kept his lips shut for a time, but the woman was patient. They laid there, staring at each other for a solid minute, and then the boy looked away again and rolled over.
"I'm not a good knight."
"You're not?" The woman retained her relaxed tone, only now there was a hint of amusement in it. "Strange... I was under the belief you were a wonderful knight."
"I'm not." The little kid's voice grew lower with each word, and Ruby's heart continued to sink. It was so stupid really, she'd been having trouble controlling her emotions, and yet they were going full throttle now, all from behind the eyes of a single crying child. "I can't fight right, I still can't move well in my armor..." He curled into himself tighter. "And I don't even know what to say when I see her. What if I say something bad, or do something wrong? W-what if she doesn't like me?"
A hand pulled him right back around, and the woman simply grinned; her soft voice so pleasant on the ears.
"Don't be silly now, you're more than ready." The look eased off into a carefree expression. "And don't worry about her not liking you either. I can tell you right now she'll love you."
"H-how would you know?" The small boy rose his voice a little, challenging the motherly figure who shared his bed. "S-she's a goddess, a-and we're just people. We can't ever know what they think."
"Do you really believe we can't?" The woman leaned up from the bed, her pale nightdress glimmering in the beam of moonlight raining in from the window to the right of the room. She looked so peaceful and proud, and Ruby couldn't quite tell what she was feeling at the sight. "Because I've spoke with her many times before, and you won't believe how easy it is to talk with them; to understand their feelings."
"R-really?" The barest hint of hope sparked from the back of his throat, and silently Ruby couldn't help but mentally cheer the boy on.
"Yep~" She popped the 'p', and with it the memories of her own mother - though few - rushed in, encompassing her heart in a warmth though long forgotten. "In a way she already sees herself as a sort of mother to everyone, so I have no doubts she'll love you too." The woman leaned down, and whispered into his ear; her voice carrying with it a playful tone. "Between you and me, I think she already sees herself as your grandmother."
"Grandmother?" His voice regained some of its life. "I've... never had a grandmother before..."
"It'll be fun, I promise." The older woman lied back down, and pulled the child over, settling him close to her chest. "So abandon those worries and let the dreams come easy. Vermillion Rose is a proud and powerful champion, and tomorrow he'll get to meet his loving goddess."
Ruby never got a chance to collect her feelings, as everything began to fade.
Author's note
...
Here we are once again, with another slower chapter.
Yeah, Roman had some fun this time, and with the current climate of Atlas bastardized V is a little closer to understanding the scenario he now finds himself in. We also got a bit of time with Oscar and Maria, two characters seemingly drawn into this conflict. A bit of back and forth, but ultimately a worthwhile growing experience for the young man, and a decent showing of the elderly woman's well earned wisdom.
Ruby though, she finds herself in a... strange situation. What does all of this mean? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.\
Catch you again next time.