3: Scatterheart

"This is great!"

Ruby giggled, watching Nora root through the condiments.

"Always seeing the positive?" Ren observed. He reclined his seat as far back as it would go and crossed his arms behind his head.

Nora withdrew from the supply closet to make a face at Ren. "So what if this ship is lacking in the personnel department?" She waved a few bags of complimentary peanuts at him. "At least we can eat as much as we want. Plus, we can take any seat we want - which is why yours is bigger than the bed in your dorm room!"

"Softer, too," Ren sighed, closing his eyes. He sputtered as a flying pillow smacked him out of his complacency.

"And we can have more than one pillow, Ren! More than one!"

Taking the offending pillow and arranging it under his head, Ren hummed in contentment. "I guess you're right about that. Throw me a blanket while you're at it, will you?" This time he managed to catch the missile Nora lobbed at him before it hit. Shaking the blanket out, he snuggled into his seat and closed his eyes. "Wake me up when we get there."

Jaune frowned, still looking green around the gills despite the luxury surrounding them. "You guys aren't even a little bit disturbed by this?" He gestured at the first class cabin they'd relocated to.

In response, Ren snored loudly.

Nora emerged from the closet, dumping a small mountain of prepackaged snacks into her seat. Putting her hands on her hips, she frowned. "No, you're right, Jaune. I forgot about the beverages." Marching back to the closet, she dove right back in. "Anybody want anything?"

"No thanks!" Ruby called out. She eyed Jaune with some concern. "Maybe you could get Jaune some water, though." He burped wetly, and Ruby's eyes widened. "Or, uh, a couple of barf bags."

"Hold it in, Jaune," Nora called out. She leaned out of the closet to toss a bottle of water towards Ruby. "Take one for the team!"

Recovering somewhat, Jaune shot both of the girls as good of a glare as he could muster. While his motion sickness improved slightly over the years, nothing short of a miracle would ever really cure him of it. "Nora," he managed to say. "Don't steal all the alcohol."

"Don't worry!" Nora retreated with her spoils of war, still in the process of slipping as many small wine bottles as she could into her carry-on bag. "I left them a few."

Groaning, Jaune turned his attention to Ruby. "Am I really the only one worried here?"

Uncapping the water, Ruby handed it to him. "No, I'm freaking out too," she admitted quietly. "Where is everybody?" Her question echoed through the empty cabin.

When they'd signed up for the commercial transport to Vale, they'd received a strange look from the travel agent, followed by a three-page waiver they all had to sign. She hadn't bothered to read the fine print, but it was becoming increasingly clear just how unpopular their destination was. Apart from the captain and the four of them, there was no one else on board.

"Maybe it's just a slow time of year…"

"But then why would they send us over on such a huge ship?" Ruby stood up. "Look at the size of this thing!" Drawing her scythe, she let it unfold to its maximum length and swung it in a full rotation over her head to demonstrate. "Why bother with all this if we're the only ones riding?"

Jaune unbuckled his seatbelt with a look of regret. "Maybe we should ask."

"Who? The captain?" Sheathing Crescent Rose, Ruby followed Jaune down the aisle. She glanced at Nora, who waved them on, her cheeks stuffed. Ren continued to snore quietly, and Ruby shrugged.

Jaune stopped before the locked door signaling the entrance to the cockpit. "Since he's the only one here besides us, well, yeah." He knocked politely against the door and waited.

The light over the cabin flickered, and then with a hiss, the door slid open. Inside, a burly man leaned over the controls. He looked over his shoulder to greet them. "Yeah? Whadda ya want?"

Their pilot was huge and grizzled, and nothing like the well-kempt image of an airline pilot she'd expected to see. Several white streaks ran through his wild hair, and his stubble looked more like it was well on the way to a full-grown beard than a five-o'clock shadow. His slit pupils gave him away as a Faunus. Those same pupils were a little too widely dilated; that, and the strong scent coming off of his wrinkled clothing made Ruby suspect he was slightly drunk.

Jaune recovered from the shock first. "Uh, sir?"

"I don't got all day," the pilot growled. "Spit it out."

"Well, we were just wondering why there were no other passengers on the ship."

At this, the pilot turned around fully to take a good long look at Jaune. "Are you serious? You kids don't know much about Vale, do ya."

Ruby puffed out her cheeks, annoyed. "Excuse me! We went to school there! We fought the Grimm during the Battle of Beacon! I think we know plenty!"

A look of understanding crossed over the pilot's face. "I see. You're Huntsmen, huh. Well, that explains things."

Jaune frowned. "No, actually, it doesn't -" He cut off, eyes widening. "What the hell is that?"

Spinning around, the pilot let out a yell and dove for the controls. The transport went into a steep roll, sending Ruby and Jaune flying. From the surprised shouts behind them, it must have done the same to Nora and Ren.

Ruby regained her balance first and stared out the cockpit window. "Is that a Nevermore?"

"Aye," the pilot told her as he sent their ship into another steep dive to avoid it. He cursed. "Damn things are tough as hell to shake. Wish you kids hadn't distracted me."

Jaune, who'd managed to crawl into the co-pilot's seat, shakily strapped himself in. The shock of playing chicken with a Grimm was overriding his urge to vomit, at least. Ruby hung onto the back of his chair as the pilot wove their ship through the air like a man possessed.

"Wait, you've done this before?" Ruby managed to ask.

Eyes on the window, the burly man gave her a grim smile. "Yep. That's my job. Pilotin' to Vale pays real well, but it ain't got much goin' for it in the way of a retirement plan." He sent the transport into another barrel roll; the cursing from Nora and Ren grew louder.

"Guys! Are you alright?" Ruby caught onto Ren and hauled him into the cockpit, making space for him to hang on. Nora pushed herself in behind the captain, who swore; it was getting a little too crowded in the tiny cabin.

"What's going on?" Ren asked. "Are we being attacked?"

"Yes!" Ruby ducked instinctively as the Nevermore buzzed over the top of the transport, a little too close for comfort. "We need to do something -"

"You ain't gonna do nothin', girlie!" the pilot roared. "This is my ship, I'm the captain here! You take that thing down, five more are gonna come lookin' for it!" He mopped some sweat from his brow. "Ever since that damn dragon got stuck on top of the tower, this place has been a nightmare! Nobody in their right mind wants to come in."

"Then why this huge transport?" Jaune asked. His fingers were still clawing the armrests of his seat in a death grip. "Wouldn't a smaller one be easier to evade the Grimm in?"

"Can't go smaller because everyone's tryin' to leave, son." He jerked on the controls again, and Nora flew into the ceiling. When she landed, her eyes had that special glint in them that spelled trouble.

"This is stupid!" she yelled. "I say we get out there and blast that buzzard off our backs!" Magnhild, in its grenade launcher format, was already in her hand.

"Naw, we'll make it," the pilot told her. "Now shaddup." Reaching for his headset, he adjusted the microphone. "This is Ave Maria, contact Beacon approach."

The radio crackled. "Beacon approach. Ave Maria, turn left heading three two zero. Aim for Main Street Park, we'll clear the way."

"No can do," the pilot answered. "We got ourselves a Charlie Foxtrot out here. I'd say…" he leaned forward, craning his neck and scanning the darkness. " 'Bout two Nevermores and maybe a flock of Griffons below 'em. Ready or not, we're comin' in hot."

"That… doesn't sound good," Jaune said, his voice several pitches higher than normal.

The radio buzzed again. "Beacon approach to Ave Maria. We've deployed our Huntsmen. You're cleared to land wherever you can. Try to make it to the east side."

"Roger that." Throwing off his headphones, the captain eyed the four of them. "Better strap in."

Jaune sat up a little straighter. "I'm staying here. I think I can help." He glanced at the others. "You guys can, too. Turn your scrolls on, Rangers."

Nora's grin was frightening as she popped her scroll out of her pocket and hooked it onto her belt. "All right! Open up the hatch, pops, I've got a grenade with that Nevermore's name on it!" Hefting Magnhild, she sprinted out of the cabin.

"You kids must be outta your minds," the pilot said, though he did flip a switch on the dashboard. The sudden howl of wind blasting through the cabin was only slightly less loud than Nora's war cry.

"Ren, stay up here with me," Jaune said.

A look of understanding passed over Ren's face, followed by annoyance. "... there's nowhere for me to sit, Jaune."

"You snooze, you lose," Jaune answered with a smirk. "Ruby, you should get back there with Nora - hey, Ruby?"

Ruby heard him speaking, but was frozen in place. It wasn't the Grimm that congregating around the ship - the pilot had been right about the Griffons - but the sight of the city that struck her dumb. It was nothing like she remembered it; black fog covered what was left of the rubble of the city proper. The broken tower of Beacon Academy presided over the ruins, with the Grimm dragon still wrapped around the column like some sort of twisted sculpture.

The view was abruptly obscured by another Nevermore rushing towards the cockpit.

The captain swore heavily. "It's too fast, I can't dodge that one in all this traffic! Brace yourselves, we're gonna take a hit -"

"No, we won't," Jaune said, his eyes lighting. Several barriers sprang into place on both sides of the ship, forming a pulsating blue corridor that they flew through. Griffons smashed into the unexpected barriers right and left in flickering bursts of light. It might have been pretty if not for their bloodthirsty screams of frustration on the other side.

"You're a useful one, ain't ya," the captain said. "I got bad news, though." He nodded his head; the Nevermore originally targeting them had veered off after being blocked, and was now swooping towards the cockpit head-on. "Can ya deal with that one too?"

Jaune didn't answer him, sweating profusely. It was taking all his concentration just to block the smaller fiends, Ruby realized.

"Ren!" She grabbed onto Ren's sleeve and tugged it. "Jaune's locked down."

"Got it," Ren said, closing his eyes. His body faded, and moments later, the entire ship shivered alongside him, turning translucent.

The Nevermore cawed in confusion as it sailed right through them. Then Ren staggered, and everything solidified once more.

Nora let out a whoop as an explosion sounded behind them. Her voice crackled in over the scroll on Ruby's belt. "Got him right in the ass!"

"Ruby -" Ren said. His eyes rolled back and he slumped over; Ruby caught him with a grunt. "Ren's out," she yelled, receiving a distracted hum from Jaune in reply. "I'm going to Nora," she added, dragging Ren back to the passenger cabin and buckling him into the first chair she could reach.

"Hurry up or you're gonna miss the party, Ruby!" Nora's voice was punctuated by the thunder of Magnhild as she fired a few more rounds at their enemies.

In a swirl of petals, Ruby joined Nora at the tail end of the ship; she skidded to a stop and looked out over the dark city. Between the circling Griffons, she could see the spread of Huntsmen coming out; they were close enough to the ground that the explosions from their weapons and Semblances were clearly visible. Grimm began to drop like stones around the ship.

"I think that's our cue," Ruby said to Nora with a tight smile.

"There's one Nevermore left," Nora replied, matching her grin. "Let's see who can get it first!"

Jaune's voice crackled in over the scroll. "Just go already!" he yelled at them. Much more faintly, Ruby heard the captain yelling.

"- they - doin'? - girls - killed out there!"

"You've never really met Ruby or Nora, have you," Jaune answered him.

"We'll be doing the killing around here!" Nora yelled, kneeling and taking aim. "Ruby!"

Ruby leapt off of the ship; Magnhild thundered behind her, splattering a Griffon that swooped down to meet her. Drawing her scythe out, she unfolded it into rifle form and fired. It was kind of like playing an entry-level shooting game, Ruby thought to herself; there were so many Griffons it was really more a matter of clearing a path to the ground than aiming. Activating her Semblance, Ruby silently asked Crescent Rose not to jam.

Throwing herself into a spin as she fell, she mowed down the Griffons circling her. C'mon, c'mon. I'm making enough noise here, you've got to see this... She smiled as her target finally took notice and changed course. The Nevermore opened its massive mouth, aiming to swallow her whole.

"Here we go!" Ruby let Crescent Rose extend, transforming into her full length scythe. She whirled, knocking the Nevermore's beak away; her next rotation saw the business end of the scythe sinking a good way into the bird's fat neck and stopping her fall. Swinging her legs back and forth, she used the momentum to throw herself up onto the Nevermore's back, dragging the scythe through its flesh as she moved.

"This feels way too familiar to the last time I was here," she groused as she kneeled and put pressure on the wound, tearing it open a little further and forcing the bird closer to the ground. She pulled her weapon out with a wet tear, refolding it back into the rifle; then she stuck the barrel directly into the wound she'd just made, aiming her gun towards the top of its head from the inside of its own body. "Sweet dreams," she said, and began to fire continuously.

The Nevermore dropped like a stone, shrieking; just before they hit the ground, Ruby leapt off, planting one last solid kick into the bird's mangled head for an extra brutal landing. The Grimm's body exploded into smoke as it impacted; Ruby landed a few meters away from the crater she'd made. "Nora?"

"Hiiee-yah!" The remains of a Griffon landed on top where the Nevermore would have been, had its body not dissolved. Nora stood up, coughing and waving the smoke away from her face. She slung her hammer over one shoulder and pouted. "Damn it! You're always faster than me!"

"Look on the bright side - we both beat Ren and Jaune," Ruby said soothingly. "And you still have your wine and peanuts!"

"Ah, hah hah! You're right!" Shielding her eyes from the sudden blast of wind, Nora looked up. "And a special delivery too! We really should travel first class more often."

The transport lowered itself onto the square beside them, dented and badly battered. Moments later, Jaune raced out of the open hatch and doubled over, retching.

"Eww," Ruby said, gagging and deactivating her scroll. "Jaune, turn your scroll off before you toss your cookies next time!"

Wiping his mouth, Jaune stumbled towards them. "Sorry," he muttered. "Uh, I mean, good job, team… oh, screw it. I hate flying. Nora, go get Ren. And hand me one of those drinks while you're at it, too."

Nora whipped her hand to her forehead in a salute. "Anything to help our glorious leader foster the proper respect for alcohol!" she chirped, before scampering off towards the ship.

"Ugh," Jaune groaned, bending over and leaning on his knees.

Ruby tiptoed over and patted him on the back, making sure his armor was clean first. "There there. We don't even know how long we'll stay here, so you don't have to worry about the trip back just yet. Probably."

"Ugh," Jaune repeated miserably.

Their conversation trailed off as a familiar pair of heels came into sight. Ruby lifted her eyes to meet a very familiar and still very intimidating stare.

"You always did know how to make an entrance, Ms. Rose."

Ruby only realized she'd snapped to attention after Jaune joined her. She tried to relax her posture into something less incriminating than caught crash-landing a public transport into the middle of your city. "Hello ma'am. Nice to see you again?"

Glynda's face was impassive. Then, she raised her crop in a swift motion, stern as ever, and Ruby and Jaune cringed. The sound of screeching metal filled the air; the damaged hull of the transport was forcibly bent back into shape.

"Captain Graupe," Glynda said as their pilot exited the ship, Nora and Ren trailing behind him. "I trust everything is in order?"

"Fine as ever, Glynda," Graupe told her. "Ready to take on the next load whenever you are." He paused and looked over Ruby and Jaune. "You got yourself some professional help this time. These kids are good."

Glynda's mouth thinned, but she gave the captain a curt nod. "I'll send the next wave over immediately. Thank you for making the run, Captain." Her face was at odds with her words; she turned on her heel and stalked away from the ship.

Ruby exchanged a worried look with Jaune. Skipping after Glynda, she struggled to start a conversation with the intimidating woman. "So… how's it been going?"

Without turning or slowing, Glynda huffed. "I believe you have eyes, Ms. Rose. You'd do well to use them."

"Harsh," Jaune muttered under his breath.

Glynda stopped and whirled to face them. "The world is harsh, Mr. Arc. We do our best to survive." She turned to Ruby. "I suppose you're here because of that thing?" Whipping her riding crop out, she pointed towards Beacon's tower. When Ruby nodded, Glynda's expression turned fierce. "It's about time. Good that you brought him along," she added, her eyes flicking over Jaune.

Huh? Ruby checked behind her back to make sure Glynda wasn't talking to anyone else. "What? Who, me? And why's it good that Jaune came?"

For a brief moment, Glynda looked honestly confused. "Qrow didn't tell you?"

Averting her eyes, Ruby frowned. "I… don't see Uncle Qrow too much these days. He spends all his time looking for Ozpin."

A look of realization passed over Glynda's face. "That bastard," she snarled under her breath, rubbing her temples. Recovering her composure, she addressed Ruby. "How much do you know of what happened after the Battle of Beacon?"

Ruby hesitated. "I know the dragon… stopped." The words stuck in her throat. Qrow told her she'd stopped it, but Ruby was hesitant to admit it aloud. There'd been no repeat performances in the three years since, and she still had no idea how she'd even tapped into the power of the silver-eyed warriors in the first place.

"I see." Glynda resumed walking, beckoning them to follow her. "We should discuss this in the safety of the Huntsmen's Headquarters." She kept her eyes forward and her head held high. "Look around you, Ms. Rose. The dragon utterly destroyed Beacon Academy. Its body has acted as a continuous lure since then. As a result, the Grimm have besieged what's left of the city for the past three years."

They passed through a set of heavy gates manned by scores of armed guards; Ruby recognized more than a few of Junior's henchmen mixed between the expected law enforcement uniforms and the unique dress of their fellow Huntsmen. Likewise, there were just as many Faunus among the city's militia as humans. It looked like the remaining citizens of Vale didn't have much use for previous social stratifications; everyone worked together in an attempt to survive.

"This place sure has changed," Nora mumbled under her breath, eyeing the rolls of barbed wire. She sounded subdued.

"The Grimm are everywhere," Ren agreed; he still looked haggard, but it seemed less physical exhaustion and more a reaction to the noxious atmosphere blanketing the remains of the city. "I don't think I saw this many around even when we were in the Emerald Forest."

"Yes," Glynda said. "We have Huntsmen on rotation twenty four hours a day to hold the perimeter." Her shoulders bowed and her pace slowed. "It's getting… more difficult, as more and more people choose leave. We've been collapsing the perimeter block by block for months now." Her mouth twisted into a wry smile. "At this rate, Vale City will be nothing more than a memory by the end of the year."

Ruby observed the inhabitants of the makeshift settlement Glynda presided over. The civilians looked drained and hopeless; very little joy could be seen on any of the faces they passed. Even as she watched, a large contingent rushed past her, each hauling as many bags and suitcases as they could carry. Evacuees, Ruby noted; they were running in the direction of Captain Graupe's transport ship.

"I don't get it." Jaune looked upset. "Why are you trying so hard to hold onto a lost cause?"

"The Councilmen decided on their own that Vale City collapsed with the academy." Glynda directed them through the crowd and towards a squat building with the symbol of Beacon Academy mounted above the door. "They abandoned us, so we abandoned them." The look of fury splashed across her face told Ruby more than enough about Glynda's thoughts on the Council. "I took charge of what was left to protect the survivors, as well as wait for Ozpin's return. We still manage to conduct business in a civilized manner within these walls." No one made any comments as an explosion loud enough to be heard from their vantage point rocked one of the city walls.

Ruby stopped at the door to look back at the Academy's ruined tower. "This is all my fault," she said. "If I just could have … if it was just anywhere but there, then maybe the city -"

Glynda's harsh expression softened somewhat at the note of guilt in Ruby's voice. "That's not your concern, Ms. Rose. You did your best; no doubt the city would have been even worse off without your intervention."

That doesn't help much, Ruby thought.

Glynda led them into a small but comfortable room, and offered them water. She made no comment as Nora took a small, obviously alcoholic flask from her bag and doused the entire team's glasses with them. Ren slumped onto a couch, while Jaune seated himself at the table with a nervous twitch. Ruby slid into the seat next to him, but couldn't bring herself to reach for the snacks Glynda laid across the table. Her stomach was twisting into too many knots; it felt like Glynda was about to interrogate them.

Glynda crossed her arms. "After you scaled the tower, Ms. Rose… what did you see?"

"I told you -"

"No!" Glynda's voice cracked like a whip across Ruby's answer. "I meant what exactly did you see?"

Ruby felt the eyes of her teammates on her; her stomach dropped. "It's fuzzy…" she hedged, unwilling to share her panicked memories of Pyrrha's last moments with Team JNPR. Glynda waited expectantly, and Ruby forced herself to think. "I was already pretty stressed out when I got to the tower." She swallowed. "I just felt like I needed to do something. Weiss wouldn't let me go alone." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "She helped me scale the tower with her runes. But I w-wasn't fast enough." Stopping, Ruby noticed her hands trembling against the tabletop.

Jaune's hand covered her own, steadying her.

"When I got to the top, everything in Ozpin's office was already wrecked. Pyrrha… she… she was… she didn't have any aura left. She was already bleeding, and then Cinder - with her bow, she -" Ruby trailed off and touched her chest, where the arrow had pierced her friend. "She was still dying, and Cinder just… incinerated her. Touched her, and turned her into dust, just like a Grimm."

The room was deathly silent; Jaune's grip was painful now. Ruby tore herself away from the memory and tried to recall what happened next.

"I couldn't believe it. I just screamed. My ears wouldn't stop ringing." She winced, rubbing her temple with her free hand. "I remember Cinder turning on me. I think I surprised her. But everything turned white… and then I woke up in Patch." Ruby looked up. "That's really all I remember."

Glynda broke the silence. "Your uncle brought you down from that tower. You and your sister were evacuated to Patch immediately for medical treatment. Whatever you did up there stopped the dragon's rampage and completely obliterated the lesser Grimm invading the city." She tapped her riding crop against her hip. "It was the dragon, you see. That creature had the capacity to create new Grimm."

That sparked a reaction in the group. "What?" Jaune spoke up first. "How's that even possible? I thought the Grimm -"

"The theory that Grimm are corrupted wildlife was discarded long ago, Mr. Arc." Glynda crossed her arms and paced. "Before, we'd only speculated on their origins. Now, we know. They do not reproduce. They are made. Nightmares given form in the physical world."

An uncomfortable pause followed Glynda's declaration. If the Grimm didn't follow the typical birth and gestation cycle of other living creatures, then there was no known limit as to how many might appear in the world.

Glynda, oblivious to the discomfort registering on everyone but Nora's face, pressed on. "After you left, we tried to deal with the remains of the dragon. It's frozen, but not dead; as long as the body remains here, we can't truly reclaim Beacon." She levelled a significant look towards Ruby. "We've been hindered in our efforts by the barrier you left, Ms. Rose."

Ruby blinked. "Barrier? What barrier?"

"Isn't that was why you came here with your team? Mr. Arc is your resident expert on barriers, after all. Once you lower your own around the tower, we'll be able to reach that damned dragon and end its existence once and for all."

Ruby sat back, speechless. I made a barrier?

"What the heck is Glynda talking about?" Nora whispered to Jaune. "I thought we didn't have a plan other than to come here and smash up some Grimm!"

Jaune shushed her, but not before Glynda overheard the question.

"You mean you didn't come to lower the barrier?" Her tone was glacial.

Jaune leapt to her defense. "Listen, Miss-uh... missus Goodwitch, we didn't know any of that. We just came here looking for some answers." He shot a careful glance at Ruby. "I don't think Ruby even knew this barrier existed before now, so I'm not sure how we can help you."

Glynda clutched her crop so tightly for a moment Ruby feared it would snap. "I have been holding this city for three years, Mr. Arc! Three years! We cannot leave, not until Ozpin returns! He has a plan, and that dragon is interfering with it!" Her voice rose steadily; it was beginning to border on hysteria. "This stalemate has gone on for long enough! Lives are hanging in the balance!"

Jaune's face went white, then red. "Plan? Ozpin has a plan?" He stood up so quickly that his chair over with a noisy clatter. "He had a plan for Pyrrha too, and look where it got her!"

Glynda recoiled as if slapped, then began to reply in a cutting tone. Nora leapt out of her seat and joined the argument, her cheeks twin spots of anger. Ren leapt off of the couch to hold her back. Ruby sat there, watching them, but buzzing of her headache growing louder. It's too noisy. I can't think! She put her hands over her ears and stood up.

"Stop! Stop arguing!" Her shriek brought the room to silence. Lowering her hands and clearing her throat, she worried the edge of her worn stockings. "Jaune, it's okay. This… this is what I came here to do, I think. I need to go back there and see it again." She faced Glynda. "If I can figure out how to get rid of this barrier you say I put up, then I'll do it."

Glynda's fierce expression eased slightly; Ruby wondered just how much pressure the witch had placed herself under. Strange, she'd always seen Glynda as a professional; it never even occurred to her that the woman could lose her composure. The falsity of the illusion was only too apparent now: Glynda's face was flushed, and her hair was coming loose of from its perfect coif after her shouting match with Jaune. How fragile she is. Glynda's hanging on by the edge of her fingernails, just like the rest of us.

Jaune looked at Ruby. "So we're going to the tower, then."

"Not all of you," Glynda interrupted, pushing up her glasses up and adjusting her hair. "As you may have noticed, the city is overrun with Grimm. It's all we can do to keep our settlement safe at the moment." A weary look of resignation passed over her face. "Doubtless that our argument just now did nothing to improve that situation."

"Sorry," Jaune said sheepishly. His gaze sharpened and he elbowed Nora.

"Yeah, what he said," Nora agreed, though she lacked the same sincerity.

A muscle in Glynda's cheek jumped, before she spoke again. "My point is that it's too risky to send such a large, emotional team out." She met Nora's glare. "You'll be cut down."

Nora pulled out Magnhild and hefted it over her shoulder. "Not if we're the ones holding the lawnmower."

"Such bravado." Glynda crossed her arms. "This is exactly why I can't allow all of you to go. That sort of bloodlust is going to whip the Grimm into a frenzy. It will be terrible for both you and my city." She sighed. "The tower is the point of highest concentration of Grimm. They gather there, seeking to rejoin with the dragon. At least that's what I've theorized. We could perhaps break through with a strong team of Huntsmen, but at the moment we need every last Huntsman we can find to defend the city and guard the transport."

"You've got civilians working the gates," Ren noted. "Aren't you worried they'll be hurt?"

Glynda looked uncomfortable. "I've been... waking auras in the more dedicated civilians willing to act as a militia."

Surprised silence settled around the room. Everyone knew waking auras in untrained adults could be dangerous; their Semblances tended to manifest suddenly and uncontrollably, as they lacked the training and flexibility of childhood. Even the appearance of Jaune's own Semblance had been an unexpected and uncomfortable surprise in Haven; there'd been more accidents than Ruby cared to remember when his barriers started popping up everywhere around him. It had taken him months to learn how to bring it under conscious control.

"You can see the desperate situation I'm in right now. I am sorry, but we can't spare the manpower to guide you there. In fact, we could use your help defending the city instead." Hesitating, Glynda looked at Ruby. "What you'll need, Ms. Rose, is stealth, not a show of force. Perhaps if Qrow were here..."

Ruby's head shot up. "I'm not waiting for my uncle to show up and hold my hand."

Glynda's brows furrowed. "I'm afraid you have no choice. I cannot accompany you personally, and your team simply isn't skilled enough to risk -"

"I'll go with her," Jaune declared. He'd come to see the tower too; Ruby knew there was no way he'd let himself be left behind. "Ren and Nora will stay here and help guard the city, while Ruby and I sneak in and see what we can do about that barrier. You said it, right? I'm the resident expert."

"That isn't your call, Mr. Arc," Glynda snapped. She gestured to Ruby. "You are the leader of Team RNJR, aren't you? This is your decision, Ms. Rose."

Ruby smiled faintly. "Team RNJR follows its captain." She nodded at Jaune, ignoring Glynda's obvious surprise. "We'll go right now."

Glynda was even more surprised at that declaration. "Are you certain? You've just arrived, and the landing of the transport has already stirred the Grimm up more than usual. It will be especially difficult -"

"If they're busy attacking the transport, they'll be less busy looking for us," Jaune reasoned. He looked at Ren and Nora. "Can you guys help them out? We need you to make the distraction over here big."

"I get to make things go boom?" Nora asked, her eyes lighting up. Ren groaned.

"Yes, you get to go boom, Nora. Don't hold back."

Nora's fierce yell made everyone wince.

"Well… if we're going to do this, let's do it," Ruby told them. Before I change my mind.

As they filed out of the conference room to prepare for battle, Glynda held back. Ruby hesitated, waiting for the woman to catch up.

"You've changed," Glynda told her. "All of you. You've grown quite a bit. I suppose I was too used to thinking of you as students of the academy." She smiled faintly. "Ozpin would be proud of the fine young Huntsmen you've turned out to be."

Ruby scrunched her brows together and stared hard at the floor. "Ozpin can tell me that himself when he gets back. But for now…" She stared at Jaune's back. "We're not doing this for him. This time, it's for us."

Notes:

A "Charlie Foxtrot" is a clusterfuck in aviator slang.

When Jaune says "Turn your scrolls on" he's telling Team RNJR to fight with their cell phones in conference call mode, so the team can still communicate even if they get separated. I couldn't find a way to insert that explanation into the chapter without it seeming contrived, but I wasn't sure it would be immediately obvious to the reader either.

Graupe is actually a slang term for a color (Grey + Taupe).