New Remnant: Odyssey

by Ben10Extreme

Ruby Rose dreams of becoming the Demon Queen, in a more benevolent nature than one would expect from such a title. She begins her odyssey in a revitalized World of Remnant, alongside her beloved Jaune Arc and friends, as she gradually amasses the influence and power to realize her dream. Ruby's goal soon picks up speed when they encounter a ferocious Dragon...Cinder Fall.

7. Ruby's Graceful Grimm Grammy

This one took quite some time. Quite a bit of time. Currently my longest chapter so far, and it involves some rather important details on the future direction of Ruby Rose and her various conquests for her Empire-I mean, her adventures with her friends! Yes , that's what I meant. Totally what I meant.

Despite the length, I didn't do too badly this time for initial attempts, going over it with my beta. Had to adjust some things here, expand there, cut a few parts over there. Ya know, the works.

I'm not gonna waste too much time, so let's just get into it.

---

"We're almost got the entire gang back together. With a little bit extra, too." Ruby hummed as she was sitting idly by with Jaune nearby, lying against his shoulder. "Nora and Ren seem to be taking a bit longer than everyone else. Though they're still on the move either way. They should be fine when they get here."

"Hopefully without getting hurt on the way. I don't think I'd know what to do if they've run into some serious trouble on the way here and weren't able to get some crucial support on the way." Jaune shared her concerns as he was looking into his Scroll, keeping track of the status for Ren and Nora. "It shouldn't be too long, given how far away they were, but I can't help but worry about them too, Ruby."

"Yup. Though it's not going to help any or either of us to constantly worry about them when we can't do anything about it at the moment. We'll just have to trust that they'll be alright when they get here." Ruby hummed while pushing some hair away from her face. "Everyone else managed to get here safe and sound, so. I'm going to trust that those two aren't any different into hat regard. A little faith will go a long way for them."

So far, the Red Riding Hood Guild was nearly fully reunited. Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Pyrrha managed to make it home within good time. All that was left was Nora and Ren. They were likely to make it here at the same time, though there's a chance that circumstances might have them arriving separately. She wasn't sure which one it would be, but either way she had faith that they would arrive safely. She wondered what their derailed reactions to Cinder's presence would be, as well as her confirmation as another member. Would they be excited? Cautious? Disappointed? Curious? Some combination of those things and more? Ruby wasn't quite sure, and she kept running through several scenarios about how that might pan out.

Letting out a sigh, blowing a bit of her hair away from her face, she leaned back slightly as she gently grasped Jaune's hand, which he returned the favor. They both sat in silence for a little bit, as that was enough for them for the time being. Though to complete things, Ruby shifted around a bit until she placed herself up on Jaune's lap. In response, Jaune gently wrapped both arms around her in a hug and rested her chin around her head, while she placed both her hands on his own. Ruby sighed with a bit more contentment at this, feeling a bit of her worries lost like they were swept away by a coming windy breeze. It was a rather cozy feeling for the both of them, and they allowed themselves to bask in it for the time being, all of her worries forgotten for the moment. Of course, this didn't last all too long, once Ruby was able to gather a bit of her thoughts together. Clicking her boots together a bit, she hummed.

"Jaune, I think it's about time I visited Grandma." Ruby calmly suggested while lightly rubbing the top of his hand. Jaune was initially surprised at the idea, but kept calm as he gently hugged her.

"You miss her? It has been a while since you two have seen each other." Jaune recalled as he kept caressing Ruby's middle, as she leaned further against him, which resulted in him further wrapping his arms around her was it in his hug. "Feeling a bit homesick? You know ow you don't have to worry if you take some time to yourself. The rest of us see more than capable of looking after the Guild Hall while you're out."

"That's true, and I appreciate that about you all." Ruby smiled as she kicked her boots together again whole tilting her head. "Although I also wanna bring you with me, and a couple of friends. Penny and Oscar. Definitely Cinder."

Jaune was briefly puzzled by this, until it clicked immediately and he nodded with understanding. "That's right, she's new. She hasn't met her yet. This could be a perfect excuse to introduce them to one another." Jaune rubbed his chin as another wonder came to him. "Although, do you think that will..." He scoffed and shook his head. "Nah, it'll be fine. If that's what you want to do, then I say you go for it."

"I did think about it a lot. I think she'd be very interested in seeing Cinder with her own eyes." Ruby lightly lifted her head as she thought of the various reactions her grandmother would have to Cinder aside from curiosity. Though, something else was also on her mind.

There were also a few things she'd like to go over with her grandmother. Her eyes lowered as she thought about how things were progressing, especially since she's discovered that some enemies are actively hinting Cinder down. And they didn't seem like they were messing around. If she didn't navigate carefully, she could end up getting them into a fight they couldn't win or get out of. That was the last thing she needed to get everyone into. She wasn't about to let that line fade away in the back of her mind. She'll have to have Blake gather some information on those happenings if she could.

With their luck, they were likely to run into situations like that soon. If someone's actively hinting Cinder down, then it surely won't be the last time they'd get caught up in those situations. She'd need to plan accordingly and carefully. But would it be enough? She wasn't sure. But she had to find out. Every guild members well-being was her responsibility, so she needed to make sure that any threat to them can be reasonably dealt with.

...

Ruby sighed, laying in Jaune's arms and simply choosing to pin the topic for later, and she would attend to it. Being Guild Leader was rough. She chose it, and she's sticking to it no matter what. But it can sometimes be rough when one's gathering all these concerns in their minds. Constantly worrying about it wouldn't make finding solutions any easier.

Unbeknownst to them, Cinder was briefly watching them from behind a doorway. She had come to ask-demand, really-that Jaune would make her something to eat for the day, though she came across him spending quiet quality time to Ruby. Seeing them simply enjoy each other's company, laugh with each other, cuddle one another, and even lightly tease one another. Cinder watched all of this play out, her tail lightly dropping to the ground motionless, her golden eyes lacking their usual fire for the moment. She watched as Ruby adorably retaliated against Jaune for his teasing, without any actual anger behind it. And Jaune, who was laughing at her retaliation with no real malice in it.

Cinder slowly stepped back and stood behind the wall, her tail laying still on the ground as her hair overshadowing her eyes. She lightly raised her hand to place it over her beating heart, and her other hand over that one.

Cinder suddenly felt cold. Not unbearably cold where she'd be shivering all over in the middle of a blizzard, but a sudden unexpected cold akin to splashing cold water in someone's sleeping face in order to wake them up instantly. Nearly eradicating that same feeling was an intense flame of frustration attempting to burst forth, her teeth grinding together and briefly forming into fangs her tail beginning to pulse with a intense fiery desire to just rampage and burn everything to the ground until nothing was left but embers and ashes. Though before long she quashed those thoughts, the heat around her dying down rather quickly before she ended up doing something with it that wouldn't be productive. She shook her head and walked away from the room, leaving the two of them alone before they could notice her presence. Their scents were at peace with one another, calmly and even cheerily waving around one another without a care in the world.

She wasn't feeling very hungry anymore.

Ruby did send out a message to the present members to let them know she would be visiting her grandma, and the ones she invited could come with. Though obviously someone had to stay and watch over the Guild Hall while she was gone, and some politely declined coming so that they could do so. She intended to relax and visit her Grandma, and she would be well on her way.

Oscar, in the Guild library, had different concerns for the whole thing.

"You want me to do what?" Oscar muttered in surprise was he was currently speaking into his Scroll with his mentor, Opinion, having called him. And what said mentor had to say to him, he most certainly did not like to he went not even think about. Hey a part of him knew that something like this would come up eventually.

"Keep a close eye on 'her' while Cinder is there. One can never be too careful in scenarios like this, Oscar."

"But she's not-"

"Oscar. Please understand. There has to be some sort of surveillance on her whilst she's there. There is no telling what she might do if this goes in a direction we could possibly regret. I'm asking you to make sure things don't go that way, and to possibly step in, or report to me."

Oscar shook his head. "Even so! This doesn't feel right. I don't want to do something underhanded like this when Ruby's simply going to meet with family."

"You must always remember who this 'family member' of Ruby's USED to be, Oscar. And with Cinder walking into her domain, we absolutely cannot take that chance of leaving then together unwatched. Please understand. This important and necessary. Goodbye."

Oscar wasn't given a chance to protest further, for Ozpin hung up. He sighed as he sits down on a chair and rubbed his temples with slightly increased frustration. He truly hated it when his mentor pulled shady stuff like this, and he wanted no part of it at all. But he also knew that if he didn't do it, Ozpin would allow his paranoia to over take him, and he'd do something far more drastic. And he'd rather not trouble Ruby, Salem, or anyone like that. So he had no choice but to basically watch Cinder like a hawk, the entire time he was there.

"... This bites." Oscar grumbled into his hands.

"What bites? I do not sense you have been bitten anywhere, Oscar." He looked up and noticed Penny standing in front of him, her head filter to the side quizzically. He sighed and scratched his cheek.

"No, it's not that, Penny. I've just been given a rather...not great assignment. And I have to do it so that something even more troubling happens to try and do the job I wouldn't."

"Ooooh." Penny nodded as she seated herself next to him, patting his shoulder. "Well, maybe I can help you feel at essentials while doing this assignment? I'm here to help!"

Oscar wasn't exactly a fan of dragging Penny I to this, but he also didn't want to agonize over the rut he's been placed in until he slipped up and did something horribly wrong. Having someone watch over him while he's embarked on this troublesome mission might do him some good. "You know what, sure. I could use a bit of help on this."

"Hooray!" Penny cheered, as she pulled Oscar into a rather strong hug. He gasped slightly at it, before he chuckled and lightly hugged her back. But I wardly, despite having someone nearby to lighten the burden, it still felt like a chore to Oscar that he'd rather not do, but had to so that something even more bothersome happened.

This was going to be a long day.

---

"I hope she doesn't single me out this time..."

Oscar deadpans as he and Jaune was being lead along by Ruby, who had a bit more pep in her step than usual, humming cheerily. Penny was doing the same, both of then skipping side by side, rather at peace with themselves.

The road they walked down was adorned with various different assortments of flowers, each one managing to draw a bit of awe from them with how large some of the plant life was. There were several normal sized tulips that adorned the ground and calmly brought an air of fresh flair to the path being taken. Other times there were some moderately big daisies that only managed to reach about as high as Jaune height wise. Then there were the ridiculously large flowers, with the dandelions standing beautifully tall. The greenery was impressively serene, despite the darker shade of it all.

Cinder herself didn't mind too much of it, simply following along. She couldn't help but wonder, as she recalled the reasoning and purpose behind this trip. Did Ruby's Grandmother really live this far out? Way far in the outskirts, far away from a majority of modern civilization?

"Friend Cinder, is something bothering you?" Penny asked as Ruby and Jaune kept heading forward. "You don't seem to be in high spirits."

"I'm rarely in high spirits. And your concerns are unwarranted." She scoffed with a raised nose, roughly slamming her tail against the ground to prove it.

"If you're sure." Oscar hummed while looking up towards her. "I'm just hoping you're, uh, adjusting well to the Guild and all. I don't want to assume too much about you, but you're probably not too used to sticking around in a single group for this long, huh? It's been close to a month and a half since you've joined, after all. Just making sure that you're not feeling too cramped or anything." Cinder looked towards him, causing a flinch out of Oscar, and he quickly turned away. "Just saying! It takes a while for people to adjust to new things and I was wondering if that's the case with you!"

Cinder rolled her eyes while keeping them forward. "There's no need to ponder such thing. I'm not bothered by being in the guild. I'm more concerned with the effort I'm putting into belonging here not being sufficient enough. But that concern won't persist for long, as the results I bring are beyond exceptional."

"I-I see."

"Well if that's so, then I'm glad. We want you to feel warm and cozy in your new home." Penny tilted her head while skipping next to them. "Whenever you find yourself in need of help or shoulder to support you, simply let us know. We will be there for you more matter what it takes!"

"You shouldn't make such dangerous promises. You'll end up looking like s fool when circumstances prevent you from following through on them." Cinder closed her eyes. "I make it a point to never make promises to myself that are beyond my power to keep. As superior as I am, that list is not too long. But it is there. Not making promises beyond my power to keep was one of the key things that helped me survive for so long on my own."

Penny blinked with finger on her chin. "Well, you survived for an extensive time on your own. But did you thrive?"

Cinder blinked, seemingly sincerely taken a back by the question. Though now that she was thinking about it, she turned her hear away while hugging her arms. "...Thriving during that time was never an option for me...I wasn't strong enough to grasp that possibility."

"Well, that's changing the longer you stick with us. So that possibility will come in time." Oscar nodded, and Penny happily agreed. Cinder huffed gruffly at that, but didn't say anything more about the subject.

"We're here, Cinder!" Ruby's excited exclaim brought everyone to focus, as Cinder looked ahead towards the location at hand. Cinder blinked.

"It's...a cottage?" Cinder wondered. While it did look rather nice and cozy for a cottage, even a little bit colorful, she was honestly expecting a bit more.

"Grandma prefers to live far away, where it's peaceful and quiet. She occasionally comes outside to check things out, but she's pretty insistent on choosing to live here." Ruby soon skipped up to the cottage with her hands cupping her mouth. "Graaaannnnndmaaaaa! Guess who's baaaaaaack!"

Did she seriously need to yell? Cinder grumbled, repressing a wince due to her sensitive hearing. And it does seem like the owner of the humble cottage heard the commotion as well, for the door suddenly opened, someone stepped out-

!

Cinder suddenly found herself gasping, her eyes widened slightly as her instincts went haywire. They screamed and roared at her, telling her that an unfathomable danger was nearby, and the source was right before her. She slowly looked up to look towards the source as they seemed to step out from the cottage, and got a proper look at 'Grandma'. The woman in question seemed to be wearing a pitch black and blood red gown, with a cut at the side to reveal her pale white leg. The sleeves along her arms felt a bit loose, sliding down as she eloquently lifted them. There was also a cut around her cleavage, revealing a very ample bust to go with her shapely figure, helped further by the fact that everything else about the gown seemed quite figure hugging. To give this much, this was a very beautiful woman.

Although the most striking detail to Cinder would be the woman's red irises and black scleras. Pairing that with everything else's Cinder slowly began to realize the sheer weight behind this heavy feeling she got from this woman.

Grimm.

There was something...otherworldly about her. She wasn't just exhibiting sheer power; it felt like she was power itself. Her presence felt so absolutely immense that Cinder nearly felt herself driven to her knees. This beings superiority could not be contested, even for an instant. Cinder wanted to curl up and hide away from this presence that seemed prepared to completely suppress her, but she stubbornly chose to stand her ground and see what would happen next. Whether she would regret it or not remained to be seen. But one thing was absolutely for certain, this was no ordinary person in the slightest.

What she was not expecting was for Ruby to throw her hands up high and happily exclaim: "GRAMMY!"

Like a switch, that oppressive atmosphere Cinder felt was suddenly gone as if it were never there, and the woman in front of them smiled serenely with her own hands raised in greeting. "Ruby-Dear!"

A flash of rose petals dashed towards the woman and the two of them embraced each other in a cuddly hug, with the elder happily picking Ruby up and spinning her around a few times during it. They both laughed giddily with each other whilst Cinder could only gawk and blink in confusion at the whole thing. Jaune, Oscar, and Penny looked own with rather peaceful smiles of their own, further signifying that Cinder was the odd woman out of the loop. Soon enough the elder set Ruby down while planting several kisses on her cheeks, sweetly cuddling her.

"I'm so grateful that you've called me ahead of time, letting me know that you were going to visit." The elder exclaimed while pulling from Ruby and kissing her forehead, then rubbing her cheek against hers with a blissful smile. "You've been quite a busy rose bush since you've assembled your cute little guild. I thought I wouldn't be seeing or hearing from you for much longer!"

"Sorry, Grandma! I didn't wanna keep you waiting, so I made some time off to come see you!" Ruby hopped back a bit and gestured to her company. "I brought some friends over! And my sweetheart!"

"Good day, Lady Salem!" Penny innocently cheered while waving.

"A good day to you too, Penny." Salem smiled and waved back.

"Hey there, Miss Salem." Jaune anxiously waved as well.

"H-Hi. Good to see you again." Oscar just as nervously waved to her.

"Ah yes. Jaune Arc and Oscar Pine." Salem smile turned into a mischievous smirk. "I'm VERY glad to see you two."

Oh no. Both of them simultaneously thought with dread, keeping their anxious smiles on their faces.

"Jaune, it seems you've continue to dutifully feed my granddaughter properly." Salem hummed as she lightly placed a hand in Ruby's shoulder while gesturing to her figure, nicely filled out and strong. "That's good. Very good. You shouldn't allow your female compatriots to be skinny. They'd have no energy and wouldn't be able to fight as well or for as long. I'd be quite irritated if you had slacked in this duty regarding my granddaughter of all people. She needs to eat plentiful if she's going to continue blooming beautifully." Jaune shivered fearfully under her seconds long glare, which immediately disappeared into another smile. "I do wish more women would come to accept this. So many of are far too skinny to be considered acceptable. They need a little more weight to them if they're going to walk around without their limbs cracking like twigs. Their muscles wouldn't be able to support their bones!"

"R-Right! You're absolutely right, ma'am!"

"Pah! Of course I am! Well and good for you to realize that, Jaune." Salem lightly rested a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby Dear, if he ever slacks off when it comes to feeding you, do tell me. It will call for immediate disciplinary action."

"D-D-Disciplinary? Of what kind?! Isn't that going a little far?!" Jaune nervously sweated under the mischievous glare of Salem's gaze, which seemed to be looking for an excuse to embark on said punishment the moment she's allowed the chance.

"Grammy, stop picking on him." Ruby lightly tugged on Salem's gown in exasperation, which left the latter shrugging as she heeded her wishes. "He's doing fantastically. All of the food he makes for me is delicious and tasty. So he's already passing whatever test you're trying to make for him, and then some." She pumped her fist with a wide smile. "That's what makes him so great!"

"Ruby..." Jaune smiled as he and Enjoy briefly held hands.

"... Hmph." Cinder briefly turned away from them with an annoyed pout.

Oh? What do we have here? Salem wondered curiously.

"Not his swordsmanship, not his shield skills, or his magic. Nope. Just in his culinary prowess. That probably warrants even more testing." Oscar snickers alongside Penny for a little bit, which caused Jaune to stare at him dryly.

"Oscar, I don't know why you're trying to throw me under the bus like that. You know I'm not just gonna take that lying down, and that I'll do everything in my power to drag you down with me. Right?" Oscar sweated slightly at the gaze, and briskly his behind the confused Penny. The exchange managed to get an amused laugh from Salem nonetheless.

During all this, Cinder looked at Jaune, quite surprised at how readily he flinched away and submitted. She's never seen him so afraid before. She could smell that he was quite nervous at accidentally angering this woman, trying to keep her appeased. He didn't seem to view her as an enemy considering the relationship Ruby has with her, but he seemed rather nervous at having her undivided attention for too long.

"And what about you, dear?"

Cinder felt her heart stuck in her throat as her vision in front of her was suddenly blocked, and she looked up in an opened mouth state of shock. Salem was suddenly right in front of her, looking down at her with a rather inquisitive gaze. When she's up close Cinder could see fully how statuesque she was. Her form emitted an atmosphere of grace and magnificence that couldn't be matched or argued against. She didn't even see her move. No blur, no movement, no shift. Nothing. Cinder didn't even blink. Salem was beside Ruby for one moment, and now she was in front of Cinder in another. In the span of less than a second. She didn't even change her posture or demeanor all that much, she just appeared.

There was a spark in her instinct that took this as a challenge, but a far, far louder one told her to not even think about it and push it I to the embers. There's no use in picking a fight that not only wasn't necessary, but she had absolutely zero chances of victory even if she did. She could feel it in her soul. It wouldn't even be close. Something about this woman, despite how close she was to her physically, seemed so far away that trying to pick a fight with her would have as much use as trying to pluck the moon out of the sky with a hand.

"Come now. Surely you're not in such a state of surprise that you can't introduce yourself." Salem's serene smile remained undaunted. Cinder found herself scurrying to regain her focus, clearing her throat and looking the woman in the eye.

"My name...is Cinder. Cinder Fall."

She surprised herself with the amount of respect she put into her voice. That same feeling gave her an impression that too much overt rudeness was going to end badly for her, and she should seek to avoid irritating what would mostly be the cause of those consequences. And as she was going through these thoughts she sincerely wondered just what this woman was about, and what in the world was Ruby's connection with her. She's calling such an impossibly powerful figure Grandma. And she sincerely and lovingly responded to it in kind, so it wasn't a one sided deal at all.

"My oh my, what a gorgeous and adorable thing you are." Salem coos as she sweetly cupped Cinder's cheeks, surprising her but she did nothing to contest it. "You have such s brilliant fire burning deep within your eyes. A bright and radiant, shining gold. They're beautiful."

Cinder blinked, slightly unsure of how to respond to that. "...Thank you?"

Salem smiles while lightly releasing her, stepping back a few feet while clasping her hands. "My dear, can I get some look at your other side? If you don't mind showing me." She curiously tilted her head in amusement when Cinder looked at her in confusion. "Come now. We both know what I mean. I speak regularly with my desert granddaughter when I'm able, and she's let me know about her latest addition. Sate a woman's curiosity, hm?"

Cinder briefly looked at Jaune and Ruby, who both quietly nodded. Sighing, Cinder turned back as she was enveloped in a spiral of flames. Salem looked up as she could see a dragoness with crimson scales appearing from the flames, and opening her golden eyes to look towards Salem. She let out a quiet breath of smoke before calmly herself and standing up straight and strong, the warm of her presence emitting quietly from her suddenly enlarged body. Her large and widespread wings flapped slightly before they slowly folded, and she stretched her paws, opening them and closing them. Ruby and Jaune gave her a bit of space as they split away on one side, while Penny and Oscar gathered on the other side. While Salem remained unmoved. Cinder grunted.

"Here I am." She declared with a rather deep and rumbling yet still feminine voice, resounding throughout the area.

Salem looked up towards the draconic Cinder, her eyes, which might have looked rather terrifying to a more average and unknowing person, lit up at her appearance. She placed her hands on her chin with a smile full of wonder. "My goodness, look at how magnificent you look, Cinder! Truly marvelous! You look positively beautiful!"

Cinder blinked, once again confused by a response she didn't expect.

"...What?"

"Such an impressive wingspan length! Great strength in those arms! Immense bound strength in those legs! Glorious red and black horns! Razor sharp, fierce claws! A corpulent and powerful underbelly!" Salem lightly clasped her hands. "Do pardon my excitement, but it's been so long since I've seen a dragon up close like this, such majestic and powerful creatures they are. I'm feeling a bit joyous at the experience, please forgive me."

"Well, majestic is certainly right." Jaune admitted, which had Cinder snap her eyes towards in honest surprise. "I mean, yeah. Now that you're not trying to kill me, I can kinda appreciate what you look like when you're not trying to be deadly in my direction. And honestly, your form is beautiful. Especially when you're relaxed. Though I gotta admit, there's something pretty amazing when you're fired up in your true form, too. Pretty amazing looking on both sides overall."

"Truly!" Ruby agreed with a raised hand.

"I...uh..." Cinder shook her head, before she stood straight again and scoffed. "I-I mean, of course I do! It's only sensible that you both recognize just how sublime I am. It should be rather obvious to you, but I can understand the need to actually voice it so that it sticks in your head better. So feel free to continue reminding yourself, and praise me more!" Cinder ended up cackling slightly with her head raised, so that he wouldn't be able to tell between her entire body letting off a gentle wave of heat, and the ever increasing heat coming up onto her cheeks. She really wouldn't know what to do if he manages to catch the slight difference in tint on her face after saying such things.

Unfortunately, someone did indeed notice.

Hm? Very curious. I wonder...? Salem wondered with raised eyebrow. Though after several thoughts ran through her head, she smiled and kept her observations to herself for the moment. "Well, aren't you filled right the brim with self-confidence? Then again, that's to be expected. Dragons of your particular type tend to be not just incarnations of power itself, but beings of indomitable pride due to their sheer destructive power and vast magic reserves. There aren't many supernatural forces there that can match them in either regard. They've been considered the apex predators of supernatural creatures for very reason. Even when many have tried to counter their sheer power with weapons, skills, and others to specifically defeat dragons, it was an impossibly strenuous affair when they were at their best. Their belief in their superiority was very well justified and proven time after time." She casually shrugged. "Of course, that goes into the assumption that all dragons think alike in every aspect. But that's far too simple, don't you agree?"

Cinder briefly took a second look at Salem, who's serene smile never left her face even while Cinder's was visibly shifting with surprise and questioning intent. "How do you know so much about dragons?"

"Why, I did what everyone else would do, and did studied!" Salem cheerily answered, which briefly got a twitchy eye out of Cinder. "Many of those dragons back in the day were rather temperamental and territorial. Speaking with them without setting off their tempers could be quite a risky task. But usually I'd be able to meet quite a docile one and we had rather uplifting conversations about the wonders of the world." Salem sighed pleasantly while placing a cheek in her palm. "I rather miss their magnificent presence in the world, their presence soaring through the skies in all of their mighty glory. It's been so very long since I've seen one in person, that seeing you is sparking up my memories of them. They're such beautiful creatures when you come down to it, and their collective departure was truly a disappointing yet understandable affair."

As Salem went on, Cinder slowly found herself shock and surprised more and more, and a creeping realization hit her when she understood s very crucial factor. Especially the part about her actually speaking with dragons long before her, and she didn't catch any hints of falsehood, either.

How long has Salem walked this world?

"But enough of all that. I'm getting off track. It's always pleasant to have interesting company around. Especially when my beloved granddaughter is among the visitors. Come in, come in, everyone." Salem gestured via claps as she settled back into her cottage, with Ruby and Penny happily joining her. Salem was rather quick to snuggle Ruby into a hug and nuzzle her cheek. "Ruby-Dear, tell me all about some of your more official ventures so far!"

"Well, we all found ourselves facing off with several kinds of beasts that tried to attack a town, but we managed to drive them off!"

"Is that so? You've certainly been a busy budding rose, haven't you? That's very good, to steady your initiative." Salem encouraged with a let of her head. Continuing, Ruby listed off her current official outings as a guild leader, one a free another, as she and the others made their way inside the cottage.

Cinder blinked at the retreating duo into the house, as she gradually returned to her human form, brushing herself off and turning towards Jaune. "This woman...is strange. A different sort of strange than you, Ruby, and the others."

"I honestly can't blame you for thinking that way..." Oscar lightly shook his head with a small smile, scratching the back of his head. "Well, let's head on inside, before she gets, uh, 'insistent'. Salem doesn't get guests often. Specifically guests that actually want to visit her and not...eh..." He felt his Scroll beginning to buzz, which he set it for. Seeing who was calling, he awkwardly shook his head and ignored it for now. "Er, forget it, going inside now." Cinder raised an eyebrow at Oscar hurrying along, but she discarded the thought for the time being and simply headed inside with him and Jaune in tow.

The entire time, she's wondering just what this 'Salem' was all about. And what else lied within her connection to Ruby.

---

The inside of Salem's cottage was...admittedly much cozier than expected. Not to mention it was MUCH larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. Because first of all, the kitchen was rather expansive and felt rather homely, with wooden cabinets, tables, cupboards, and chairs. It was similar in nature to the wooden rocking chair, porch, and table just outside of the house. Within the living room they all stepped into, one could see similarly stone walls, stone pillars, and a colorful pale blue rug with rose designs. A black sofa lays right beside a crackling fireplace, accompanied with several rows of candles throughout the room. Observing the seeming mix between a humble cottage and a wondrous castle. Because the interior was giving off the atmosphere of both, with a bit more emphasis on being a cozy cottage.

"And here you are welcomed into my lovely home!" Salem extended her hands arms upwards in a rather grandiose manner, briefly twirling around before coming to a stop. "I happened to have decorated based on all of the homes I've owned in the past. So you could say that my humble cottage has a little bit of everything. It sure has it's better advantages than simply having one home that can suit only one kind of atmosphere. Sometimes having a bit of everything helps, no?"

"...Right." Cinder noted blankly, her eyes shifting back over to the fireplace, and up towards several portraits that were sitting across the decorations. Notably, she came across one of Salem and a young girl that looked very similar to Ruby, wearing a white cloak rather than a red one, sitting contently on the former's lap and being cuddled to her generous bosom, the both of them looking content and cozy. And the next one to immediately catch her attention was one somewhere further, where she could see a toddler Ruby hugging Salem's ankle while the latter had a hand gently caressing the top of her head, both of their smiles bright and happy. Something about the vibe between each picture was very similar, yet held a certain distinct difference in how the images carried themselves.

Though she noticed a more obscure one hidden around the gathering of portraits. Cinder's curiosity got the better of her as she stepped up for a closer look, reaching towards it to pick it up for further examination. As she got closer, the detail became a bit clearer; it looked like it was a painted portrait of Salem herself, a man she's unfamiliar with, and four little g-

"Don't touch that."

Cinder actually yelped, her survival instinct kicking in instantly, and she immediately retreated away and clung next to what she felt safest around. She didn't really register that she had actually clung to Jaune so tightly that she actually managed to slightly crack his shoulders a bit, which got a pained yelp from him as well. He managed to heal it over easily enough, but it was sudden enough that he was caught greatly off-guard.

Salem was the one who spoke. And she didn't even raise her voice, yet somehow the sheer silent cold fury from her voice sent all of Cinder's senses screaming with terror and setting off a great desire to flee with great haste, but she couldn't remove herself from Jaune. The older woman stepped towards her, her eyes beginning to glow with soul crushing malevolence.

"Mind your hands. You do not have permission to-"

Salem stopped as she felt a hand gently latch onto hers. Her eyes widening-all of them that also began to grow all around her body, from her hands to her shoulders to her forehead, and even within her cloak-blinked and turned towards the one who tenderly grabbed her.

Ruby.

"Grandma. It's okay. She didn't know."

Ruby lightly placed her other hand on top of the one she grabbed and quietly, rubbed it in a calming and soothing manner, keeping eye contact with the eldritch being that she called 'Grandma' without so much as flinching, stuttering, or retreating away even a little. Salem lowered her eyes in realization and slight regret. With a soft sigh, Salem's eyes ceased glowing, as her sheer overwhelming malice vanished instantly. She turned towards Cinder, smoothing out her dress with a few pats, before starting over with an apologetic bow.

"I...forgive me. I just...Cinder-Dear, please understand. I have very strong memories attached to that portrait, and I would rather that no one I don't know well be allowed to touch it." Salem shook her head again. "That's in no way an excuse, however. For a host to act that way to a welcomed guest is shameful. It won't happen again."

Cinder studied Salem for a moment, seeing that her regret was genuine. And after she was able to calm her nerves somewhat, she shook off whatever remained of her sudden terror, though didn't immediately make eye contact with the woman in front of her again. "...N-No. I accept some of the blame. I'm in someone else's territory, and acted without even knowing about any ground rules. Especially since I was willingly welcomed into it." Cinder lowered her eyes with a bit of a sigh of her own. "I probably should of asked first. I'm...not exactly used to being invited inside other people's homes. I'm rather used to being outside more than being inside any structure that isn't a cave or something similar."

"That's understandable. Though it would seem you managed to find some semblance of a home within my daughter's guild. Would that mean that you've become comfortable enough with them to stick around?" Salem wonders with clasped hands and a tilted head. "And I assume you've found a quite a few things during your stay that would properly persuade you to stand by that decision?"

"You could probably say that."

"Very well. I wish to sincerely make up for my outburst. I did not mean to scare you."

Cinder huffed, turning her head. "I'll admit that you 'surprised' me, but I was in no way scared. There isn't much capable of scaring me."

"You shouldn't tempt the power of fear, my dear. There are some fears that are simply instinct." Salem hummed with slightly mischievous eyes. "Besides, if you weren't somewhat frightened by that sudden outburst...well, why don't you recheck your current position?" Cinder wondered about this, then came to a slow realization that she hasn't quite released her tight grip on Jaune. Her eyes slowly widening, she immediately jumped off and retreated to the other side of the room, her wing raised to cover her face so Jaune wouldn't be able to see the visible redness building up on her face. Salem smiles knowingly at this, before she turns and continues walking. "Come along now. We'll introduce the other parts of the cottage while we're at it."

"House tour!" Ruby and Penny exclaimed with raised hands, before they proceed onto another room in the house while they were at it.. Oscar sighed as he scratched his head and followed the duo into another room, with Jaune also following close behind while rolling his shoulder to try and shrug off the slight pings of pain Cinder's hardened grip left behind.

As they progressed, Salem allowed them to pass her for a little bit, waiting for Cinder to pass her by. Once she was close enough, she leaned forward next to her ear. "Dear me. You've clung to Jaune rather tightly, didn't you? Your instinct, due to sheer distress in that instantaneous scary moment, was to immediately cling onto something that makes you feel safe. And he was the closest one near you. I wonder what that means?" Salem smiled as she watches Cinder briefly freeze up and have another shade of red take over both of her cheeks, and she attempted to play it off. Unfortunately all that came out at the moment was confused stuttering. "Oh, but don't mind my rambling. It probably means nothing, right? After all, for such a powerful and prideful dragon like your self, surely you don't need to cling to someone else to feel safe, right?"

"I-I... W-well...that's irrelevant!" Cinder shook her head and stomped her way past Salem while stubbornly ignoring and trying to will away the red on her face. Salem slowly smirked as she watched her speedy retreat. Oh yes, she's found another one to amuse herself through. Ruby truly did bring something wonderful to her dear Grandma indeed.

"And here we have Grandma's study!" Ruby gestured to the room's interior, which was also large and stone with walls lined with pillars and arched windows. They also appeared to menacingly resemble glowing red demonic eyes. One of the walls had four bookcases with books and a wooden door, with one of the other wall's being designated with a witch cauldron on one side, and a crystal ball on the other. The crystal ball was being held up by an extended Grimm hand.

If one wasn't immediately convinced that Salem's cottage was significantly bigger on the inside, then this would certainly confirm it. The entire room looked like it shouldn't even be able to fit within such a small and humble cottage, and yet here it stands, perfectly visible for the guests to see.

"This is where I go when I wish for some truly nice and quiet, quality reading time." Salem smiled as she lightly pushed up her reading glasses. "I also occasionally record certain things in my journal here, where I can properly focus solely on my thoughts. Be it in interesting observation I've made during the day..." She briefly cupped her cheeks with a sweet smile. "Or simply writing about how cute my granddaughter is! Such as right now!" Salem shifted next to Ruby and gave her a hug, nuzzling the top of her head and rubbing the underside of her chin, to her laughter. "Look at her! Isn't she adorable?"

Cinder simply stared. She...really likes to dote on Ruby, it seems.

"Crystal Ball, Crystal Ball!" Penny gathered around said mystical object, slowly gesturing her palms around it. "Might you to predict the next time duty calls? I wonder if it'll be in the middle of a squall!"

"Probably not." Oscar reasoned while shaking his head. "There are some thing that can't be predicted all...that..." Oscar slowly came to a stop as he realized Salem had snuck up on him as a shroud of shadows, and had placed her hands on his shoulders, smiling while gazing at him with glowing red eyes.

"Oscar, are you trying to insinuate that my precious Crystal Ball is...insufficient?"

"GAH!" Oscar's sudden jump mimic Cinder's; he immediately latched onto the closest thing to him for dear life.

And it managed to be Penny.

"Oh dear. Oscar, are you alright?" Penny asked with a tilted head as she lightly hugged him while patting the top of his head.

The height difference between the two, as well as how much her scampered, meant he had placed his head against her breasts without even thinking about it. Fortunately Penny, being the sweetheart that she is, is only concerned if he had hurt himself through the quick actions. Of course, the only damage Oscar took at the moment was his guard, for he let it down around Salem. Not the best idea. Regardless, he struggled between unfreezing and acknowledging what happened, or pulling away quickly and forgetting it completely. Middle of the road was the best he could hope for.

"Yeah, uh, I'm fine, Penny. Thanks." Oscar muttered as he pulled away while trying to keep his own face hidden as well.

"You two and all of your freckle glory." Ruby placed her hands in her hips, tilting her head knowingly. Before long, she lightly spun on a dime to face Salem. "Is there anything else, Grammy? There's still quite a bit left to show around, if ya want!"

"Oh, I think this should be all for now, Ruby-Dear." Salem waved off while petting the young woman's hair. "Well, maybe there is one small thing. Let's turn back to the Crystal Ball for a moment." Salem and Ruby both itched towards the mystical object in question, and it responded to a thought they both shared. The fogginess disappeared, and soon the image of a castle of sorts soon came into view. Salem smiled at the view. "Ah, Evernight Castle. I see it's still standing nice and tall since the last time I've been there. I'd hate to have to keep going back and forth to tidy up the place personally." She turned to Ruby. "It's waiting for you to occupy it, Ruby-Dear. Of course, I'm sure by the time you claim it, you'll be able to redecorate it a lot more creatively than I myself tried to."

"It looks good enough as it is, Grammy. But I think I can come up with one or two adjustments and additions with Penny's help." Ruby nodded as she stared out into the castle through the Crystal Ball. "That castle is going to be mine someday."

"Evernight Castle...?" Cinder wondered, and Ruby turned towards her with a hop. Cinder's jaw dropped as the realization slowly came to her. "Why would you want to own a castle like that, in such a place?!"

"There is no greater base of operations for the future Demon Queen." Salem hummed while tapping her chin. "Of course, I'm sure that Ruby wouldn't want to give up her current base after she's claimed the castle for herself. Perhaps I could assist with combining the two bases I to one that's rather aesthetically, well, Grimm. And magnificent." She rubbed her chin while turning to Ruby. "If we were to combine the two bases for operations, what would we call it?"

"Hmmm..." Ruby tapped her head as she tried to think of a name that would suit such a fusion of two bases, before her eyes lit up with a guess. "Ooh! How about 'The Rose Citadel'?!"

"Ruby's Keep?" Oscar offered.

"Crimson Stronghold?" Jaune also pointed out a suggestion.

"Petal Palace!" Penny cheered with a raised hand.

"Rosebush Castle." Salem joined in. As she was thinking, when Ruby claimed the land for herself, Salem considered shifting the entire castle's composition and turning it into something more plant like. An entire palace made of powerful plant life and various types and variations of roses. It sounded beautiful. She's definitely noting that idea down. It could potentially suit her precious granddaughter's aesthetic better than the crystal like appearance did for herself.

Cinder blinked as she realized everyone soon looked towards her for a suggestion. She awkwardly shuffled in place and rubbed her arm. "Uh...Fort...Thorn?"

At least she made an attempt.

Salem hummed at all of the suggestions, nodding and pondering over them. "The day you claim Evernight as your own hasn't come just yet, but it doesn't hurt to workshop some names in the meantime. Perhaps we can mix and match them up a bit." Salem clapped. "But that's for later, much later. Why don't we start by preparing for supper? Jaune, you're willing to assist with that, yes?"

"Of course."

"Wonderful!" Salem clasped her hands and gestured everyone to move along. "Let's all head to the kitchen so that me and Jaune can prepare something nice. It's sure to fill everyone up nicely." As they soon began moving along, Salem noticed Cinder walking ahead of Jaune. She looked in between the two with a bit of wondrous mischief, and briefly pulled up by Cinder's side. "Cinder-Dear, you've been eating rather well ever since you've joined up with my lovely granddaughter's guild, haven't you?"

"Have I been eating well? I would have to say yes. I've been eating a lot better, I feel."

"Very good. I'm always checking up on my dear Ruby and making sure she's eating, and Jaune feeds her appropriately. A growing young woman like her needs to eat her fill as much as possible." Salem smiled, holding a hand up to her mouth as said smile sneakily spread into a smirk. "You know, they say that the best way to someone's heart is through their stomach. Might you be feeling more affectionate for a certain someone who makes you food whenever you request it?"

Cinder blinked as she thought about that for a moment, before once again, her face turned bright red and she turned away from Salem, unable to keep her lips from quivering. "T-That's not-"

"For someone who's always had to struggle just to get a simple bite to eat, someone like that can become very precious to others very quickly, wouldn't you agree?" Salem cooed while placing her hands on her shoulders. "You're a dragon, and you have the dragon-sized hunger to match. Oh yes, having someone who will make food for you whenever you want? What a very fast and efficient way to earn someone's affection. Dear me, I wonder if you know a certain someone like that...?"

Cinder couldn't even manage a word out with how much she began to sputter and mutter, trying to hide her face in her hands as the elder relentlessly teased her. Her belly choosing to loudly grumble at that exact moment only condemned her further.

You're not helping! Cinder almost wanted to shout at her own stomach despite how ridiculous that would look, but her dignity was already in tatters by that point through words alone.

"Cinder-Dear, quick random question." Salem clapped with a smile. "Have you ever wondered what might happen if, oh I don't know, a knight and a dragon developed such a deep and nurturing bond? Imagine the amount of misadventures one could get up to. Such an unexpected and unconventional bond that would be!" Salem lightly tilted her head with a smile. "Would it not be a humorous sight to watch a dragon pick up a knight and cuddle them at their massive size? It would definitely make onlookers quite confused, wouldn't they?"

Cinder really wanted to know what Salem was going on about, as she suddenly imagined herself in her dragon form simply picking Jaune up and cuddling him to her chest as if he were a stuffed animal. And that sudden image was suddenly burned away forcefully as Cinder couldn't quite handle it, fiercely blushing with her hands on her cheeks and shaking her head rapidly.

"N-No! Such pointless images are useless to me! There's no value to be had from that!" Cinder insisted, before she thought more about it and turned away, curling a strand of hair around a finger with lowered eyes and a more subdued and curious expression. "W-Well, maybe if it were just for a moment or two, and if I softened my draconic self up a bit more for extra comfort...then perhaps-" She blinked and shook her head, slapping her hands onto her cheeks. "W-What am I saying?! It's nonsense! There's nothing! No gain at all!"

Salem chuckled. Try as she might to insinuate otherwise, Cinder was comically easy to read for a relic like herself. Not even like an open book, she currently doesn't even have a cover. Take her out of her comfort zone, and the serious facade she tries to maintain gives way to awkwardness and embarrassment. It honestly made her even more adorable.

Cinder sighed as she turned away, rubbing her arm. "Besides, knights and dragons have always been fated to be enemies...if that knight has already sworn his life to someone else...especially to a princess aspiring to be a powerful queen...what hope does a filthy dragon have against that...?"

There. Salem thought quietly. She had her curiosities, but this pretty much helped her understand a bit more of what's going on. "Hm. I don't quite know, dear. Knights slaying Dragons, Dragons killing Knights, Knights protecting Princesses, Dragons harassing Princesses. Just because that's how that kind of story is usually told, doesn't mean it always has to be that way."

" Even so..."

Salem smiles. "Do you know know what's incredibly rare, though? The Princess, the Knight, and the Dragon getting along and fighting alongside each other. All of them looking after each other. Throw a Wizard in for classic guidance and support from a friend, put them all on the same support group, and you've got the makings of a rather rare, fantastical and wondrous tale. I'd like to experience more stories like that."

Cinder blinked owlishly. "What are you trying to s-"

Cinder was not given a reprieve, for her stomach chose to protest being ignored by rumbling even louder, and for several more extended seconds than last time. Cinder was shocked out of her introspection, which was replaced with embarrassment. She held her hands over her midsection with a frustrated half glare that was mixed with a quivering pout. Salem chuckled st this.

"Well well, I think that's a sign that we should get going. Let's join the others and feed the beast residing in your belly." Salem ushered the blushing and grumbling Cinder along with a chuckle as the young woman further hid into herself. Cinder cursed herself and her roaring stomach that didn't stay quiet when she wanted it to.

A bit away from everyone else, Oscar his himself away, and tended to the buzzing of his Scroll. It was unfortunately who he expected.

"Oscar. You should know to notify me on the current standings when I call for you. It is prudent that you keep me updated on what's currently happening there."

"If you really need to know, Ruby is just enjoying quality time with her grandma. As she should be." Oscar muttered while turning his head to the side. "There's no trouble to be found here, just everyone hanging out and having fun. There's nothing sinister going on here."

"Even so, it's best that you keep me notified until further instructions. Things can easily change for the worst, the second you take your eyes off either Salem or Cinder."

Oscar palmed his face, and shook his head. "Look, Ozpin. I understand to an extent that you're worried. Really, I do. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to help you feel more at ease. But I'm spying on my friend and my best friend's grandmother, just because of something that you think might happen. I don't think that it will, and I don't think that doing this is going to help decrease it's chances."

Penny walked a bit past a doorway, before stepping back and lightly peeking at Oscar. A quick scan of his Scroll immediately confirmed to her that he was speaking with his teacher, Ozpin.

"We can never be too careful, Oscar. This is a necessary measure to ensure that nothing happens. It's for everyone's own good that we ensure that there is nothing malicious going on behind the scenes. Because if there is...well, I will have no choice but to intervene. To prevent a tragedy before it even has a chance to take form. And unfortunately, that might require doing something about Ruby as well, due to her own complicity, and we all know what that will spiral into. Her entire guild will be held accountable. Would you want that on your conscience?"

Oscar winced, and he sighed while lowering his head. "...No sir...I understand. I gotta go." He hung up, pocketing the Scroll as he sits down and put his face in his hands, needing a moment to calm himself down.

Throughout the exchange, Penny narrowed her eyes.

---

Supper time.

Ruby energetically helped prepare supper for everyone alongside Salem and June. The latter had no way if talking her out of it this time so she could kick back and relax. Oh no, she was going to help prepare supper alongside her grandmother as well as her sweetheart. There was no way that she wouldn't, not today. Of course, Salem was not going to deny her lovely granddaughter and her desire to help. And wouldn't one k ow it, Penny joined in too.

Magic and Science were amazing, especially when wielded in unison. It allows for such stunts such as meals needing hours to be prepared, to only need a few minutes, a single hour at the most. Place leading bakers and cooks like Salem and Jaune at the helm, and extraordinary foods could be made well prepared and very quickly. Even when they're rather simple at a glance, not complicated to make at all. For instance, something as simple as pot roast, didn't exactly sound amazing, but comforting and nice all the same. The sense of familiarity brings forth a sense of home, which is believed to be the goal behind preparing this kind of meal. Which certainly delighted Ruby.

Salem, being the caring and nurturing grandmother that she was, had kept tags on Ruby's growing appetite throughout the years. She has eaten ravenously even when she was a small pup, and she's only eaten more and more as she grew up, much like her mother. So of course, Salem was more than happy to cook and bake anything she wanted to eat, within reason. She had to keep stern in some cases, but she was more than happy to spoil her granddaughter whenever she felt able. Hence, she kept things simple for today, and together they made quite a sizable pot roast together.

Jaune was quite helpful in this regard. Cooked until nice and tender, beef broth used instead of water, carrots and potatoes added in as well. Further thickening the liquid with corn starch also helped quite a great deal. Whatever the case, it was certainly a success with Ruby, for she had already begun eating her share of pot roast in a rather wolfish manner, complete with twitching ears and a wagging tail. Salem couldn't help but coo and fawn over how adorable Ruby looked right now, even as she was eating. Her sweetheart cooking for her was already inviting enough for her to eat whatever dishes he gave her, but working alongside her grandmother? There was no way Ruby wasn't going to completely indulge herself and eat her fill. It was fulfilling to see her granddaughter eat in such a lively manner.

"And you're sure that Yang will be able to make it next time?" Salem had to ask, just for clarification.

"For sure. She couldn't quite make it today, but she's sure to do so next time." Ruby reassures while wiping her mouth a bit with a paw. Salem chuckled at her face. Eat like a lady, Ruby did not. She very much ate her food much like a wolf would. A werewolf of her stature was certainly not going to eat any cleaner. Then again, Cinder wasn't exactly eating like a lady either, they ate their food more like actual beasts would. Which means Salem didn't really have to worry about Ruby not eating quite enough, unless something actively comes to her urgent attention.

"Ah, it's quite unfortunate, but I'm looking forward to seeing her next time. There's quite a bit I'd like to catch up with her as well." Salem hummed while sipping a cup of ginger honey tea, content that Ruby and her friends were quite content with her and Jaune's cooking efforts at the head. Seeing Ruby and Cinder eat as gluttonously as they are was quite a sight to see, neither of them being very ladylike. Whilst chuckling at how they looked, reminding herself to tell them to clean up after themselves, she decided to delve into another aspect. "I must say, Cinder joining up with you, I consider a rather immense improvement of your forces, granddaughter. She's certainly going to be a boon for you all, and particularly herself, if you're all able to navigate this new path of yours properly."

"Does it help that she's already proven herself to be a hard worker?" Ruby hummed while taking a bit of a break from the meat to bite into some of the potatoes on the side, looking rather cheery while doing so. "Because she's really been putting her best paw forward to try to help us as well as the others. At least, in order to keep her much better life going strong!"

"She's absolutely amazing. Fighting alongside her can give a sense of reassurance. I know I can count on her." Jaune scratched his cheek "Despite the, well, rough start. Glad to have someone as strong, reliable, and hard-working like her around and on our side." Cinder simply continued munching on her share of pot roast, keeping her head down a little bit so he couldn't see her blush, though her tail began swaying happily from the praise being directed her way. Salem didn't miss this for a second.

"How wonderful for you to find a powerful ally. And an obstinate one at that." Salem tilted her head. "Dragons are considered among the strongest monsters in the supernatural world. Physical strength, immense. Magical energy, vast. Scales, incredibly durable. Their sheer raw power instills awe and fear within those that stand against them. Indeed, one such creature becoming your ally is an incredibly advantageous addition to your numbers. Standing up to one attacking you, particularly if they're hostile, could be considered quite a feat." Salem lowered her eyes. "And there is no forgetting her ability to take on a human disguise. Making her a weredragon of sorts. A beautiful one at that." Salem chuckled at Cinder holding up pretty well and pleasantly with all of the praise. "Would you agree that she's beautiful, Jaune?" And it was immediately shot out of the water.

Jaune lightly turned away, scratching his cheek. "Well...yeah. I think she's beautiful. Amazingly so."

Should he really be saying such things so honestly? Cinder muttered while keeping her head down and her reddening face getting harder to hide.

"Is that so? You consider her human form beautiful. What about her draconic appearance? It's much more corpulent and chubby in her dragon form, isn't she? How do you feel about that?"

Cinder almost bit out a growl at how she was being put on the spot with little to no chance of meaningful resistance or retaliation. Mostly because of Jaune's frustratingly honest answers.

"Well, of course she's pretty as a dragon, too. It's cool that she's not really ashamed of it either. She finds it empowering, actually. And that's pretty amazing for her to see it that way."

Salem hummed. "So essentially chubby and curvy..."

"... combined with cute and cuddly!" Ruby nodded readily. Salem smiled and pets the top of her head, praising her timing. Cinder meanwhile just kept shaking her head. She didn't know just how much praise and compliments she could handle before her body reacts in more ways she'd have little control over. Her tail already won't stop happily wagging despite outright ordering for it to stop.

"That being said, I'd like to move onto another topic, for the time being." Salem clasped her hands and looked towards Ruby. "Ruby Dearest. As you're the Guild Leader of your cute little group, wouldn't it be prudent to let Cinder here know one of your core objectives? To give her an idea of the direction you're heading towards once you've gotten your group back together?"

Ruby briefly stopped eating as her eyes twinkled with realization. "Oh, right! Cinder is our newest recruit and I've never told her what we were gonna do when we were all gathered up!" She chuckled and knocked her head while sticking out her tongue. "Whoops. I don't think I should leave her in the dark over something so important. But hey, this is a good opportunity! Grammy, you can help me explain it to her!"

Salem pretended to sigh and be exhausted by the idea. "Oh if I must. I suppose I have to assist. Oscar, Penny-Dear. I'll need your assistance for this. Might you aid me in providing visuals?"

Oscar finishes on the last of his potatoes before being called upon. Briefly looking both ways, he awkwardly nodded. "Uh, I guess I can help out with that. I don't have anything against it."

"I'll gladly help!" Penny nodded as she stood up, her eyes beginning to glow.

"Excellent, dear. Although, I'm a bit afraid they won't be able to see it properly where you're sitting. Do you mind standing behind Oscar?" Salem requested, watching Penny agree and remove herself from her seat so she could move over behind Oscar. "Good. Now step a little closer. Closer. Closer..." Salem kept requesting for Penny to step a few steps forward, until Oscar found himself surprised by Penny's sizable chest softly pressing against the back of his head, which for a rather red-faced response from him, as Penny herself remained innocently focused on her task. Salem smiled. "Perfect. Hold that position."

"Roger Roger!"

Why. Oscar's eyes expressed tiredly towards Salem, to which she could only respond by smirking mischievously. In any case, she turned towards the display that Penny pulled up, and adopted a slightly more serious demeanor.

"A small prelude before we get to the core subject." Salem clears her throat and takes a breath. "In the current progression of time, Remnant is divided into Four Age. The very beginning is, of course, the Genesis Age." Salem gestured, as the world of Remnant soon came upon digital display, via Penny's construction. "Magic was plentiful and powerful on Remnant in that age. The people have used it to combat threats such as the Creatures of Grimm in order to protect their homes. And gods walked its surface alongside them, giving them guidance and blessings. It was an era that proved itself to be Remnant's dawn." Salem sighed. "It's unfortunate that such an age was not meant to last."

The digital display of Remnant soon warped, and a massive purple wave soon covered its surface.

"An act of divine punishment, towards the mortals that allowed their arrogance to take hold of them, and took Remnant down a darker future. Magic was stripped from the world, and it's people were left with a significant advantage taken away, in their battles against the Grimm." She closed her eyes. "One person's groundless arrogance brought about the Barren Age, which lasted four thousand years. An age nearly completely devoid of magic."

Ruby moved to grab Salem's hand, looking up towards her. Salem returned the gaze, and gently. squeezed her granddaughter's hand, before returning attention to the display. Oscar and Penny helped progress the timeline on the display.

"Fortunately for Remnant at large, four immensely powerful beings helped bring an end to the Barren Age. They were considered the living embodiments of each of the four seasons. These beings were recognized as the Four Maidens."

Briefly the world of Remnant ignited to life again, but a dark and dreary cloud hung over it, an oppressive atmosphere pressing onto most of its inhabitants.

"Then here we are...the Dark Age. While Remnant has had their magic returned to it, numerous threats came about because of it. The sheer amount of suffering and strife that occurred during this difficult era surpassed both eras that came before it. The Grimm were at their most malevolent and ruthless, relentlessly decimating everything and everyone that wasn't themselves." Salem looked upwards as several figures soon manifested around Remnant. Cinder counted around sixteen of them. "These advanced Grimm, the supreme Grimm, have been referred to as 'Grimm Devils'. And they've headed the long and tumultuous Dark Ages for another four thousand years."

Grimm Devils. Cinder feels like she's vaguely heard of these terms before. Something was nagging at the back of her head once she heard the term, but she couldn't piece them together into something coherent. She just knows that something about the atmosphere around the words kicked something in the back of her mind, and she was trying to rattle it further to try and remember what it was.

"When it comes to the Grimm Hierarchy, Devils are supreme both in position and in power, not to mention their sheer malice. From Lesser Grimm, to Great Grimm, to High, to Alpha, and then Devil. Once a Grimm reaches an 'Alpha' stage, or sometimes back to 'High' which is rare, they might manage to attain true sentience on their own accord. Which makes things much worse." Oscar noted.

"They see humans, Faunus, and all other beings as inferior to themselves. They've tormented and killed by the thousands without a care, in order to fulfill their destructive desires." Penny muttered quietly.

"... But eventually, that long age of suffering came to an end. It brought forth many incredible figures." Salem continues, gesturing to the malevolent cloud over the entirety of Remnant beginning to fade away. "The ones leading this charge were known as the Four Grand High Witches. Of all the lodestars that made their debut during these trying times and managed to repel all the evils that tried to suppress them, these four stood out the most. The Grimm Devils retreated in to the shadows. And a New Age of Remnant was born. The Renascence Age."

"You could say that it's combining the current age with the Genesis Age, with the latter almost getting a second chance at prosperity." Oscar noted.

"And through that, Remnant has completed its revitalization. And from that moment on, newer and truer adventures, filled with infinite possibilities, have now become possible." Salem smiled as the display soon disappeared, as she and Ruby both clapped once. "A new wave of stories from a new era. A reborn, revitalized, rejuvenated Remnant. You couldn't possibly imagine my excitement when it's been confirmed that the darkest times were over!"

Cinder nodded slightly, though as she finished her food-having stacked seven plates and counting-she turned to Ruby. "Alright, so you've laid the groundwork. What's this objective you have that connects this all together?"

Ruby and Salem nodded to each other, then the former turned to Cinder as she clasped her hands. "Remember what I said? About how I desires to be the Demon Queen?"

"I do think 'Demon Empress' sounds more menacing and impressive." Salem put forth.

"Eh? You think so, Grammy?"

"Personal opinion. Choose whichever you like best, Ruby-Dear."

Ruby smiled and nodded, then turned back towards Cinder. "Anyway, I know I said that I wanted to be the new Demon Queen, but I never really, well, expressed clearly about how I wanted to do that, did I? It's not like I haven't been thinking about it." She shook her head. "Nope. I thought long and hard on this. And I may not have all the details hashed out yet, but thanks to everyone's efforts and ideas, I'm figuring out how I want to be what I see myself be coming, and what it means for how everyone sees me."

"...What did you come up with?" Cinder narrowed her eyes. Ruby nodded and for straight to the point.

"I'm gonna slay the Grimm Devils."

This briefly brought Cinder's mind to a halt. She blinked. "You're going to slay them?"

"Yup. All of them. Every last one. I'm gonna cut em' down." Ruby declared with a rather casual and cheery nod, which betrayed the gravity of her declaration. "It would be for the best, cutting them all down so they can't harm this world anymore. Getting rid of them all will make everyone believe that I've earned that title fair and square." Ruby folded her arms and looked to the side. "Out of everything and everyone that could get in my way, they're the biggest ones. So I'm gonna make them go away." Ruby lifted her head. "A slight part of the reason everyone has gone out in different areas was to gain some more experience and extra training in their own time. So that when they come back, all of us will be better prepared together. I didn't want to start hunting them down until after everyone was back together. I need everyone's strength in this, so I don't wanna get started until everyone's back are the guild."

Salam smiles wisely. "Don't let my granddaughter's free-spirited nature fool you; she's completely serious about this path she's chosen. And of course, I fully support her." Salem scoffed. "Those Devils make too much troublesome noise, anyhow. Remnant will be significantly better off when they're eliminated."

As Cinder was taking all of this in, and she was beginning to realize that her supposed leader had much greater ambitions than she initially thought, everyone made their way into the living room. Salem snapped her fingers as a glittery cloud former around the dirtier dishes and they placed themselves in the dishwasher, with Penny clapping as they began their cleaning in a rather speedy yet methodical manner. Salem ended up laughing at this.

"You children and your technology. Even in this age it finds new ways to impress me."

Cinder slowly turned towards Ruby. "So these Grimm Devils are in your way towards being recognized as a 'Demon Queen'. Is that why you're seeking to take them out?"

Ruby lightly pressed her fingers together. Jaune takes a seat in the couch in the living room, stretching his arms. Casually, Ruby makes her way over to him and sits comfortably on his lap, crossing one leg over the other and rubbing her chin as he lightly hugged her from behind, arms gently around her stomach. Cinder resisted the urge to pout at this, nearly turning away but pushing both urges down and crossing her arms. "Hmm...that's definitely a big reason. But not the only one. There's a few others. One of them is secret for now, though."

"Secret?"

"We can't tell you that part just yet. It's pretty big." Oscar admitted as he seated himself in a nearby chain, joined by Penny. "But trust us, we'll tell you at the first opportunity. There's a time and place for anything and everything. But this isn't the time for that answer to be known."

Cinder folded her arms with a huff. "Alright then. So what can you tell me?"

Ruby looked towards Cinder. "Grimm Devils...they enacted and planned out all sorts of tragedies and calamities throughout the years in order to harvest the large amount of negative emotions that would be born from those things. They don't see people as anything other than cattle to harvest negative emotions from in order to strengthen themselves. Because of this, for a little while, people were too afraid to feel negative emotions at all. They would try to restrain negative emotions at all costs in order to deny them that access to power."

Cinder hummed as she too sat down in a chair that Salem pushed forth and provided. "That does sound troublesome. But that would be the logical choice, wouldn't it? Denying them a source of power, no matter how it's done, is leader against such a menacing enemy."

"Just because it's logically correct doesn't mean it's morally right." Jaune shook his head. "Not to mention...restraining negative emotions makes everyone weaker. Not stronger. In a sense, that's playing into their hands."

"I don't follow."

"Cinder-Dear." Salem pitched in, as she too sat in her own chair, which was manifested in the form of a deformed and creepy Grimm hand that accommodated her nicely. "Holding back your negative emotions is the same as emotionally crippling yourself, no matter how others try to interpret it. Your negative emotions aren't there to hinder you, they're there to guide you."

Cinder blinked, genuinely confused. Ruby room over as she held a hand to the side, and Jaune gently took hold of it.

"Cinder. You can't live a full life only on positive emotions. You live a life through positive AND negative emotions. Taking the good along with the bad. Negative emotions help you grow strong, and to build up a better resilience against inspire action and gives us a release that positive emotions can't give. Our negative emotions are an important part of who we are. Cutting them away is the same as cutting away at half of your life." Ruby uttered with conviction and stepped yet passionate eyes, and Cinder found herself taken aback by it.

Penny placed her hands on her lap as she leaned forward. "Think about not being able to cry when something really sad happens but you can't express why you're sad and what you need to help you feel better. Or to not be all angry and mad when your friends are hurt, as if they don't matter to you at all. Or being scared when someone's desperately trying to cling to their life and you don't know if they're gonna make it! If you're unable to feel these things during these situations...if you can't react properly or appropriately to these things. ..did the events really mean anything to you? Without those very same emotions, your survival instincts, and your ability to thrive in the world, might very well be cut in half."

Cinder blinked at Penny's simple but to the point example, and found herself stunned to her core. "... I... I never thought about it that way..."

Salem lightly patted Cinder's shoulder. "People do not always understand their ability to turn negative emotions into a motivation towards achieving a positive result, or utilizing their vices in a way that they become virtues." She curiously tapped her chin. "The greedy might have an admirable worth ethic. The gluttonous might be using food as a way to cope. The ones lustful for power might want to use it to become capable of bringing better fulfillment to their lives. Imagine being unable to reap the benefits of these feelings when you need to. They're only self-destructive traits when you allow them to be at their worst."

Cinder briefly pondered, as it was slowly dawning upon her just why Ruby was so insistent on this aspect being a core element in her ambitions, and why it required her to eliminate the Grimm Devils. So long as they were around, more than anyone, they were most capable of taking people's negative emotions, as well as their vices, and manipulating them for their own ends.

"Cinder-Dear. I approve of my granddaughter actively seeking to cull these annoying fiends. Because so long as they're around, people are always going to be in danger of stagnating back to those times. Where they would have to sacrifice their ability to enjoy life, to be content with their life, just to ensure that they do not die. Our creativity risks vanishing back into the void. For this world, stagnation is death." Salem leaned forward with lowered eyes. "There was a time in my life where I felt completely hollow. But eventually, I managed to find contentment. I wouldn't want anyone to steal that away from me. So Cinder-Dear, allow me to ask. Are you happy with your life?"

Cinder...found herself unable to answer. Which she couldn't understand.

Her circumstances were significantly better than they were before. She's found herself a more complete shelter, tolerable company that she could somewhat get along with, having food prepared for her when she asked for it-even though, through her predatory dragon instinct, she did enjoy earning her food through hunting and dominating other creatures-and overall found herself getting used to liking going out and adventuring. By all accounts, she should be rather satisfied with the way things are, her life has greatly, vastly improved from what she was used to.

...So why? What was missing?

Why did she still feel so unsatisfied?

Salem calmly watched Cinder, while everyone else gazed st the women in concern. "Don't feel pressured to answer. Some people, even with entire lifetimes of triumphs and successes under their belts, still feel unsatisfied with their lives. Sometimes that missing component is obvious from the get go and reaching it is easy. But other times it's so miniscule that you never even notice it until you come across it by sheer chance." Salem lowered her eyes. "I was the same way. There was this hollowness in my heart that would not go away no matter what I did. It took so long to figure out what exactly would make me feel whole again. But then...a white rose bloomed in my garden, and from then on, the emptiness in my heart filled little by little."

"...How would I even know? That element that will give me fulfillment?" Cinder quietly asked Salem.

"I can't answer that for you. You've been through your share of hardships, and yet instead of giving in to them, your soul still burns radiantly. You're the only one who can answer why your soul holds onto that will of fire. Even with how unsatisfied and frustrated you are with life, you remain obstinate. Which I quite like in a person. So...I have a request for you." Salem placed a hand in her shoulder. "Once you've rediscovered your true self...I want you to come see me. Then, I will ask this question again, so we may see if your perspective has changed."

Cinder lightly nodded, though more out of confusion. "Why are you suggesting such things for me?"

Salem smiled. "You've piqued my wandering curiosity. Not much more to it than that, my dear." Salem slowly stood up and turned to Ruby. "Now then, granddaughter. Might I speak with you, Oscar, and Penny? A bit privately?"

"Okay, Grammy." Ruby nodded as she hopped to her feet. Oscar and Penny looked to each other, with the latter struggling as they each stood up and followed Salem into another room. A move which left Jaune and Cinder alone in the room, once they heard the sounds of s door closing.

Jaune turned towards Cinder, and she hated to an extent, how worried he looked. "...You're really not happy with your life?"

Cinder stayed silent at the question. A part of her wanted to reassure him somehow by giving him a somewhat positive answer, but she didn't want to lie to him. She wasn't feeling so weakened by this realization about herself that she would outright lie to him about it. Especially when he would no doubt see right through such an obvious thing. She still couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer, and thus chose silence despite her own frustration towards it, as that was a sign of weakness all of it's own. She clenched her fists and did her best to avoid eye contact with him, as something echoed in her head.

Abandon your hopes for happiness. You're not worthy of such a thing. You never will be.

Jaune soon stood up and headed towards her. Sighing, having expected this, she too stood up and turned towards him.

"Look, it's not something to be concerned over. This isn't going to hinder me for long. A minor setback at best. I'm superior to such a hurdle towards my focus. Surely I can-"

Cinder was silenced, as without warning, Jaune had reached out to her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and pulled her into a close hug. Arms snugly around hers, briefly ma aging to pin them to her sides before easing up for an embrace she could still somewhat move in. Stunned by how sudden it was, at first she could only stare idly with widened eyes as her mind attempted to properly, and most importantly, calmly, process what had just happened.

...

...Huh?

...

...HUH?

...

...HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH?!

The attempt failed miserably.

"W-w-w-w-w-what?! W-wait a minute! Hold on, hold on! W-What's the meaning of this?!" She stuttered and sputtered, her tail whipping into a frenzy, darting her eyes all over the room as she still desperately tried to process what had just happened and only descended further into confusion and panic.

He can't just go and do something like that out of the blue! What is he thinking?! WHY was he thinking it?! What even brought this on?!

She felt like steam was blowing out of her ears from now much heat was gathering in her face, and she was somewhat concerned she'd actually harm him with it on accident. Cinder summoned forth as much willpower as she could to not jump backwards in sheer shock and surprise, gasping slightly as her face felt like it was on fire from how brightly she was blushing, which might turn literal very quickly if she didn't rein herself in.

But Jaune wasn't deterred by such a thing. For as she did everything to keep her face as hidden as she possibly could, he was halfway lost in his own thoughts, still mostly focused on what he currently discovered.

"Look, I really don't know what your life was like before we all met you. And you probably still don't wanna talk about it, which is fine. I won't push for you to tell me. It's not my business." Jaune quietly said to her while keeping a gentle hold on her. "But what is my business, is your well-being in the here and now. You're not as bad as you think you are. You deserve to be happy with yourself."

...Do I?

Cinder didn't dare let that thought escape and turn verbal.

"You probably didn't have a lot of help back then. And I know how proud you are of your own strength, so you might not even want help that much. Don't get me wrong, your strength and power are amazing. You're definitely capable of handling yourself. But...even when you don't want my help, I'm going to come offer it anyway. Until you're able to be happy with yourself. Even beyond that." Jaune briefly rubbed her shoulder. Responding, her tail gradually calmed down and slowed to a methodical and gentle swaying. "If there's a path that'll allow you to feel happy with your own life, I'll help you find it. That's a promise."

A minute passed between the two of them. Then hesitantly, slowly, Cinder slid her arms around him, and hugged him in return. She lowered her eyes at this but didn't pull away.

"...A-As a superior creature, I'm more than capable of finding my own-p-path." Cinder attempted to speak confidently again, but she was so off balanced and stunned by the surprise hug that she couldn't quite regain that air of arrogance immediately. Thus, the attempt had her stuttering and looking all cute and pouty, instead of confident and composed while speaking clearly. "B-B-But...i-if you just so happen to watch my back and fend off troublesome nuisances as I'm searching for it...I suppose I can allow that."

"Heh. Glad you're being reasonable about it, I guess."

Cinder scoffed at this, but didn't break up their hug. She simply allows them to stand didn't within their embrace, her tightly holding onto him as if he'll slip away if she doesn't. Her tail gently beats against the ground in a pleasantly content manner, and she kept herself in his arms for a moment longer.

Meanwhile, with Salem and Ruby, the two of them were up in her study, and were gazing into the former's Crystal Ball again. The latter folded her arms slightly and had a slightly more serious look on her face. Salem hummed as she gazed into her Crystal Ball, narrowing her eyes for a moment, then nodded whole stepping away from it, the orb growing dim.

"It would seem that you've quite a ways ahead of you, dear granddaughter. And fret not. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren are on their way. They will certainly return to you all safely."

"Thank goodness for that. And thank you, Grammy." Ruby sighed while waving back and forth. "I still have complete faith in them, but I can't help but worry."

"You're acting as you should. Sincere concern about your friends is rather important, after all." Salem hummed as she lightly cupped Ruby's cheeks into her hands. "Oh Ruby-Dear. You're truly about to face some trials soon. The beginning of many. Know that I'll be sending best wishes from home."

Ruby smiled as she held her hands over Salem's pleasantly nodding as her wolf tail wagged side to side. "I really appreciate that. I'm gonna do my best. As soon as we're prepared, we're definitely gonna start cutting down those Grimm Devils! We're gonna go Devil Hunting!"

"Beautiful." Salem clapped her hands and turns to Oscar and Penny. "I implore the both of you to continue supporting Ruby as much as she asks of you. You play rather crucial roles in her rise to power, and that makes you even more valuable." Salem playfully knocked on her forehead. "Of course she would value you anyway because you're her close companions. Silly me!"

"We would do it even if you didn't ask us to. But, uh, yeah! We definitely will!" Oscar nodded while holding a thumbs up, hearing his Scroll beginning to buzz again. He sighed tiredly. "Excuse me for a moment..." He stepped out of the room, managing to get a little bit far away, before he once again answered his Scroll in order to address his mentor. "If you want to know, everything is going smoothly. Nothing's out of the ordinary, we're just relaxing."

"Has Salem shown a strong interest in Cinder, by any chance? Were you able to designate where such an interest might lead?"

"Well-" Oscar began, only to feel two hands around him and take the Scroll right out of his own. His eyes widened as he recognized the hands near instantly. "W-What?! Penny, what are you-"

"Mr. Ozpin, I would just like to say, that I do understand that you are trying to do your job and wishing to ease your caution." Penny tilted her head while gazing into the Scroll. "But this is supposed to be our relaxation day, and you are causing Oscar's stress levels to rise with your requests for him. Your requests to have him keep a close eye on Salem and Cinder to gauge their intentions. I can also assure you that neither of them have malevolent intentions."

"Miss Polendina, please understand, I-"

"Understand this, sir. I was not done speaking." Penny declared strongly yet politely, causing Oscar to gaze at her in shock. "This is supposed to be a relaxing day, and Oscar has been stressed nearly the entire time because of you and your subtle threats towards our Guild if he does not ease your fears, no matter how reasonable they are. I am sorry, but I am going to request that you not call him anymore today. I will be blocking your signal for forty-eight hours. Also please do not approach the Guild Hall during that time. You will be turned away."

Ozpin seemed stunned by this, and one could hear Glynda muttering in approval in the background.

"I understand your intentions and why they manifest, Mr. Ozpin. But your means may require reevaluation and improvement, lest you cause the very disasters you are trying to prevent. Placing this kind of pressure on Oscar is unfair to him, and I will not just stand by and watch him collapse from the weight you're placing on him. He is your student. Not your chess piece."

There was silence on the other line for a moment. "...I...can see your perspective, Miss Polendina..."

"Treat him like a mentor actually should treat their student, or I will have to consider you a hazard to his mental and emotional wellbeing, and protect him from you. That is all. I am disconnecting your call now...bye-bye!" Penny waved, before ending the call and blocking Ozpin's contact, before handing the Scroll back to the shocked Oscar.

"P-Penny, why did you do that?"

Penny smoked at him, patting his head. "This is supposed to be a day off. We can't have your teacher burdening you with all these doom and gloom feelings, so I put a stop to it for today. I hope you don't mind."

Oscar blinked, then scratched his head with a smile. "No, it's fine. I just hope he won't be too upset when we meet up again." He nodded. "Besides, you're right. If we're going to keep on helping Ruby, we all need to be at our best. I appreciate you for doing this for me."

"You're welcome!"

As the two of them reassured each other, Salem could he sees the exchange from where she stood, and softly smiled to herself. Her darling rose, her beloved and adorable successor, had nothing to worry about.

Her granddaughter was in good and reliable hands.

---

Soon enough, it was time for the gang to leave.

It was too soon in Ruby's opinion, though Cinder would like to leave as soon as she could, admittedly so she could go back to the guild and eat some more. Jaune looked rather tired with her at this, but had promised to make her something as soon as he was able to. Ruby, for her part, smiled as Salem handed a sealed pack with a smiley face on it, personally drawn by her.

"Now then, I've give you lunch prepared by me personally. I sure hope it'll ride you over by the time you return home. Which shouldn't be too long, but I find it best to not chance my granddaughters hunger." Salem smiled as she gingerly pets the top of her head and caressed the sides of her face. "The last of your guild will be arriving soon. When that happens, and afterwards you make your very first conquest over the enemies you've personally targeted, please come see me, so we can celebrate your first big step forward in your path to success."

"Okay, Grammy!" Ruby raised her hand cheerily, nodding along. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll fill you in on everything as soon as I'm able. Not gonna leave you hanging when it comes to telling a tale! Not me!"

"I would surely hope not! Hearing about your ventures tend to be a highlight of my day whenever you bring them up, so I hope you manage to do something truly wonderful." Salem gently grasped Ruby's hands into her own with an encouraging smile. "You must remember, my dear. You have plenty of people who are willing to support you every step of the way. Which brings me great joy and relief, for I know that you'll never be alone on your path to greatness." Salem lowered her eyes. "And so long as you take care of them as much as they take care of you, none of you shall ever falter for long. Your combined strength shall always be renewed and revitalized."

Ruby nodded as they both embraced each other in a cuddly hug, nuzzling each other's cheeks. "Definitely, Grammy. I'll definitely need my friends help on all this, so I won't ever let them suffer when they need help, because I know they'd definitely help me." They both pulled away as they were still grasping hands to an extent. "The next visit won't take as long next time. Promise!"

"I certainly hope so. I would be quite sad to have to eat all of these wonderful strawberries all by myself, with no one to share them with." Salem smirked as Ruby gasped and pouted at her.

"Hey! I already said I would be back soon! Leave the strawberries out of this!"

Salem hummed at her granddaughter's outburst, before she calmly turned towards Cinder. "Cinder-Dear, allow me to fill you in on something, regarding how you conduct yourself. A bit of a perspective, so to speak." Cinder blinked, but nodded to show she was listening. "Channeling your desires towards a certain outcome, will help improve your acceptance of them into how you live your life." She raised a finger. "For instance! Sadism on its own isn't something that compromises one's morality, it simply gives them unusual appetites. As such, finding socially acceptable outlets for these aspects will further improve upon one's freedom to indulge in them, without harming anyone they don't wish to harm."

Cinder pondered the train of thought, as Salem provided her a different perspective to how Cinder conducted herself, and she nodded in understanding. "Yes, that makes sense."

Salem's smile slowly turned sinister. "And of course, given how dangerous this quirky new world of ours can be...I don't think you're in danger of running out of outlets for these unusual appetites. Look at me for instance. There's nothing wrong with being unusual. So rest assured, Cinder. You have plenty of chances and opportunities to indulge yourself, especially with your new lifestyle that brings those opportunities to you." Cinder's eyes sparked to life at this, and her tail wagged at the thought of it all.

What the hell are you teaching her...? Jaune thought while palming his face.

"Penny-Dear, you keep supporting Ruby however you can."

"You can count on me!" Penny raised her hand with a salute and a smile.

"And Oscar?" Salem patted the young man's shoulder with a bright smile. "I know about what your pitiful excuse for a mentor tried to pull. Be a dear and be sure to give Ozpin my contempt."

"...That's fair." Oscar tiredly conceded.

"Don't worry. It's not you, it's him."

"Alright, Grammy! We're off!" Ruby beamed as she waved to her grandmother, followed by her friends. Salem gently waved back to them with a content smile. Cinder looked back towards her, and thought about what she had requested of her.

Once you've rediscovered your true self...I want you to come see me. Then, I will ask this question again, so we may see if your perspective has changed.

What did she mean by that? Does she mean that Cinder doesn't really know herself yet? She couldn't figure out the woman at all. But she decided she'd try to honor that request, if she could figure out how. But for now?

The day for her ended the opposite as it began. For now, at least for today, right here and now, she felt content. Content and warm.

As Salem waved to the gang for their departure, she placed her hands down and clasped them. "...Now then."

She slowly turned her head to the side, as multiple Grimm hands pulled something out from the darkness. And from it, there seemed to be a ghoul struggling in its grasp. And behind that leading ghoul, were about a dozen other ghouls, all entangled in Grimm hands.

"What shall I do with you lot? I do dislike unwelcome trespassers on my property, especially when they man to do harm. They have a tendency to ruin my hard worked gardens." Salem tapped her cheek. "Even more so since you had intentions on harming my granddaughter and her friends while they were trying to enjoy their day off. While I'd rather Ruby enjoy her adventures and fight her own battles without my interference, it's an entirely different matter if some rabble tries to cause a ruckus at my own home." She smiled. "Fortunately, I know just how to deal with unwanted rats."

Salem snapped her fingers. A swirling mass of smoke rose up from the darkness, as well as a red glyph forming from the ground, until it took the form of a giant serpent Grimm. The intruders gasped as they were swiftly coiled up by the beast, and it opened its jaws over then menacingly, eyes glowing. Desperately, one of them managed to pry a Grimm hand off of their mouths and pleaded:

"S-Stop! We won't target your granddaughter anymore! We won't trespass here ever again! Please, just spare us!"

Salem blinked, as if she was just asked a rather confusing question. She quizzically tilted her head...as her eyes lowered halfway and glowed a sinister red, yet retained an almost bored and unimpressed expression.

"...Pitiful."

Their hopes for mercy thoroughly crushed, Salem hummed peacefully as she sits in her rocking chair on her porch and pulled up a book for her to read, rocking back and forth as she was casually indifferent to the sounds of her summoned serpent Grimm devouring the trespassers that dared to interrupt her granddaughter's visit, the nerve of them. They should have thought twice about trespassing in the Wicked Witch's Woods. The home of the preceding and semi-retired Demon Empress.

Ruby Rose's loving Grammy Grimm. The strongest, scariest, sweetest Grandma on Remnant.

As their panicked and desperate screaming grew more muffled in the background, all that was on her mind was what she would make for supper for her granddaughter's next visit.

...Perhaps I'll make some strawberry jam cake for dessert...

---

Here she is. A full chapter with Salem. And what do we get?!

... Perhaps Remnant's oldest troll.

Also she's a Grandma extraordinaire to her beloved Ruby. And she's found her new favorite subject of relentless teasing and trolling. Poor Cinder doesn't realize she's been volunteered. Even more unfortunate that she teases her over her growing feelings for Jaune. And even more unfortunately for her, my beta found those parts to be amongst his favorites.

Salem will not relinquish her licence to tease and troll. She's got more than enough to help her get away with it.

She still doesn't like Ozpin, tho. And what he tried to pull through Oscar is one of the reasons why. Good thing Penny firmly put a stop to that.

Anyway, we know a bit more about what Ruby is setting out to do, once the Guild is completely back together. Grimm Devils, the supreme personifications of the absolute worst and most vile of Grimm. Once everyone's rounded up, they're gonna go devil slaying, and it's gonna be an epic time.

This was a lovely little breather. The adventures shall continue next time!