5: Hunter

"Ruby, c'mon." Jaune sighed as his words fell on deaf ears. "Staring at him like that isn't going to change anything."

Ruby blinked and stepped away from the double-sided mirror. Meeting Torchwick again had been something of a shock; seeing him doing exactly the same things he'd been doing the last time they'd met had ignited a hot spark of anger within her. That spark had since cooled into a brittle lump of disappointment. Trapped on the other side of the mirror, he was still sullen and unrepentant as ever while Glynda questioned him, dashing any hope that he'd listened to her at all back then. It was like traveling into to the past, when she'd been powerless to alter Pyrrha's - or Beacon's - fate. "I can't believe he hasn't changed at all," she murmured with a twinge of disappointment. I guess we've all been stuck.

"I can," Nora huffed, smashing her face against the mirror with an angry scowl. "That guy is scum. He's worse than scum. He's- he's- sewer scum!"

Ren pulled Nora away before she could pound against the glass and crack it. "He may smell like it, but Torchwick isn't the one who killed Pyrrha." He frowned at Jaune. "Not that it excuses anything. He tried to kill you and Ruby, didn't he?"

"Like I'd let him," Jaune grumbled through gritted teeth. "What I want to know is why he was on that tower in the first place! And what'd that other girl do with Cinder? They were working together."

"Neo," Ruby said, chewing her thumbnail. She recalled the way he'd shouted his partner's name after being abandoned. It wasn't the same as before, when the two had been fighting her on the Atlesian airship. They'd been inseparable, seamlessly working together like the gears of a well-tuned clock, but now… "You know, I'm not so sure about that."

Jaune continued glaring through the glass, as if his hot gaze could burn answers out of Torchwick's head. "He must know something." He stepped back as Glynda broke off her interrogation and strode purposefully towards the door. It swung open and she swept in, the frown on her face fiercer than usual.

"Well," she said with a sniff, slamming the door behind her. "That was unproductive. I'm afraid Mr. Torchwick is being less than cooperative at the moment."

"Lemmie in there." Nora cracked her knuckles. "I'll make him talk."

"Nora!" Jaune said.

"While your enthusiasm is appreciated, that won't be necessary, Miss Valkyrie. Since Mr. Torchwick won't work with us, I'm left with no choice."

"Too bad," Nora crowed, her eyes flashing triumphantly. "I guess we'll just have to give him a taste of the hammer of justice right here-"

"He's to be extradited to Atlas."

"What?!"

Ren held Nora back as Jaune and Ruby rounded on Glynda, eyes wide.

"What do you mean extradited?" Jaune shouted. "I thought you were going to keep him here and squeeze him for information!"

"You're not executing him?" Nora screeched, louder than Jaune. "That man helped kill Pyrrha!"

"Nora!" Jaune commanded, silencing her protest.

Ruby sucked in her breath. Nora hates Torchwick so much she wants to see him dead? Is that how everyone on the old team JNPR feels?

A quick survey of her friends left her feeling uneasy. Only Nora was openly consumed with rage at Glynda's proclamation; Ren was as stoic as usual - at least, as much as he could be while struggling against Nora. It was Jaune whom she was having the most trouble reading. Though he'd silenced Nora, something about the tense set of his shoulders and the hard line of his mouth was at odds with his normal, gentle expression.

Am I really the only one who doesn't want to kill him?

"I'm sure you all feel strongly about Mr. Torchwick. Of course I understand your concerns," Glynda replied, her eyes straying briefly to the circlet clasped around Jaune's neck. "As great as your personal grievances may be, however, that man has a criminal record which extends well beyond Vale's authority." Pulling a file folder out from under her arm where it had been securely tucked, she handed it Jaune. "See for yourself."

Flipping through the folder, Jaune's eyes widened. "He's wanted by the Schnee Dust Company… and the White Fang? He pissed off both of them? How did he even manage that?"

"Let me see that." Plucking the folder out of Jaune's hands, Ruby scanned through it quickly. Roman Torchwick… aged 26… charged with assault, fraud, racketeering, extortion, property damage, grand larceny, arms trafficking… "Wow, this is a pretty long list," she mumbled. "I can sort of see why they want him so badly." Her finger lingered over the last charge, and she swallowed. Steeling herself, she looked up. "But that's still no reason to just send him away like that. Even if he is a murderer... if we send him to Atlas, we won't be any better."

"Oh, so they're going to kill him there?" Nora shook off Ren, brightening. "Well in that case…"

"Ruby's right," Jaune said, surprising her. "They don't want justice, they just want revenge."

I'm not the only one! She brightened, only to have her hopes dashed by Jaune's next words.

"If Atlas gets ahold of him, they'll execute him before we can get any kind of information out of him. We can't let them have him before we find out more about what happened to Cinder."

Well… no matter what his reason is, at least Jaune doesn't want to see Torchwick killed either.

"Can't?" Glynda's eyes thinned into slits. "You speak as though you have a choice in the matter, Mr. Arc. That decision is not yours to make. I've already contacted General Ironwood. He'll be arriving in two days' time."

"But-"

As the rest of the team argued with Glynda, Ruby brought her attention back to Torchwick's dossier. Glynda hadn't been entirely unsuccessful; though Torchwick was shut up tighter than a clam about whatever his purpose on the tower had been, she had managed to glean some information about his whereabouts and activities beforehand.

Looks like he was a drifter… From what she could gather, Torchwick had spent the bulk of the past three years bouncing from continent to continent in an attempt to evade both the authorities and the White Fang. Her brow furrowed. The world had been going crazy ever since Vale was destroyed and the dust shortages started. That couldn't have been easy… or comfortable.

Looking up from the file, Ruby studied Torchwick through the mirror. He was slouched as far back in his chair as he could manage despite being chained to the table by his hands. His head lolled back and his visible eye sported a half-lidded look of utter boredom. After glancing back at her teammates, who were still arguing, she quietly slipped into the interrogation room, leaning against the shut door both to hide his file behind her back and prevent anyone outside from spotting her and yanking her out of the room.

"Ugggh," he groaned as he heard her enter. "Haven't you had enough ye-" His eye rolled down and locked on her. "Oh look, it's Red. Come to gloat at your victory?"

"Nobody won up there, but…" She clenched her teeth, thinking of the things she'd read between the lines in Glynda's analytical summary of Torchwick's life after Vale. "I do think you lost."

He tilted his head towards her and sneered, his expression cold. "So what? Are you here to say 'I told you so' ? Aww, I didn't think you had it in you."

She forced herself not to respond to his jibes. "You couldn't manage to find a place to call home for three years," she said instead. "So when your partner showed up, you must have been relieved."

The mocking look on Torchwick's face froze for a split second, before igniting into burning anger. "Don't talk about her like you know anything," he growled.

"But I do know something," she replied, meeting his glare. "I fought both of you twice. I saw how it was three years ago, when you thought I killed her. You cared. You, the world's greatest professional narcissist."

He lunged against the table but was stopped short by his rattling chains. "Shut up," he warned her softly.

"You cared… but she didn't. Not this time. I saw it, too." She lowered her voice. "I saw her eyes."

Torchwick sank back into his chair, his expression smoothing back into studied boredom. "You must not have said anything to the others or that witch would still be grilling me. Why?"

"Because I want answers too," she blurted out, before stopping herself. Damn it! I'm supposed to be in charge! "Stop doing that! I'm asking the questions here!" she hissed, to which he smirked. "I want to know how Cinder called that dragon to Beacon, and why she did it!"

"And you're telling me this because you expect me to help?" he drawled. "You know, I really like that fantasy world you live in. I'm a little envious sometimes."

"Don't you want to know what happened to Neo?" she tried again. "You still care about her. I know it!"

Torchwick's face turned ugly. "Listen, sweetheart. Your happy little life might be filled with sunshine and rainbows, but reality doesn't work that way. That bitch double-crossed me. As far as I'm concerned, she can rot in whatever hell the Grimm took her to."

"You're the one who's deluded," Ruby shot back. "Cinder's destroyed everything she's touched. Don't you care about what happened to Neo? Don't you need to know?"

The last question was more an admittance of her own desperation, rather than an attempt to convince Torchwick to assist her. Still, her shout seemed to shock him into silence.

It also had the unfortunate side-effect of drawing the attention of people on the other side of the glass. Reaching behind her back, she clutched the handle of the door to keep it shut. The knob rattled in her hand.

Torchwick raised an eyebrow.

"I know you want to rescue her. If you help us, we might be able to help you," she grunted, struggling against the door.

"I already told you: I only help myself."

"You won't be helping anyone once Atlas gets their hands on you," Ruby said, and a muscle in Torchwick's jaw spasmed, but he kept his silence. "Will you at least consider-" She was cut short as the door slammed open; the file she'd kept hidden flew to the floor, papers flying everywhere.

"Wait! I was just trying to-"

"That is enough, Ms. Rose!" Glynda roared, her eyes flashing. "Come with me this instant!"

Sighing, Ruby spared one last look at Torchwick. He didn't see her, however; his eyes were glued to the floor. An old, blurry picture lay there; it seemed to be of Torchwick and Neo.

With an angry huff, Glynda whipped out her wand and waved it, gathering the spilled papers back into the folder and levitating it into her outstretched hand. She grabbed Ruby next, hauling her out of the interrogation room.

"Ruby! What were you doing?"

"I- I just wanted some answers," she admitted.

"That was an unacceptable breach of protocol, Ms. Rose!" Glynda's sharp eyes looked her over. "... Did you get any?"

Ruby blinked. "Only that he might help us if we give him some time."

They all looked back into the interrogation room; Torchwick was now hunched over the table, resting his forehead against his palms.

Glynda sighed. "Two days, Ms. Rose. I'm sorry, but that's all I can give you. After that, he'll be Atlas' problem, not ours."

Ruby's shoulders slumped. "I wanted to become a Huntsman to help other people, not kill them. Handing over Torchwick is wrong and you know it."

"Hard times call for hard choices, Ms. Rose." Glynda crossed her arms. "Mr. Torchwick made his choices, and now he'll have to deal with the consequences of them. As we all do. Now, if you'll excuse me?" She stared at them expectantly, not moving.

"C'mon," Jaune finally said, leading the team out of the room.

"I don't see why you tried to talk to him," Nora said as they made their way back towards the makeshift barracks where Glynda was housing them. "It's not like that bastard would ever help us with anything. He exists just to make our lives miserable!"

"But he knows something. I'm sure of it," Ruby insisted. "I have a gut feeling about this!"

"Are you sure you aren't just hungry?" Jaune asked, earning him a slap on the shoulder.

"How can you joke at a time like this? Torchwick's our only connection to find out where Neo took Cinder! It's got to be tied in to Ozpin's disappearance!"

"We can't be sure of that. And you have to think of this from Vale's perspective, too," Jaune said. "The city is barely hanging on as it is. If Glynda gives Torchwick to Atlas, they'll probably receive some support from Atlas in return. A place like this can't afford to run low on Dust. It's a fair trade."

Ruby recoiled from Jaune's argument. It was the most logical answer, but… "Is that what you really think? That a person's life is worth some Dust? How are we any better than him, then?"

Jaune looked away, uncomfortable; Nora leapt to his defense.

"You're comparing apples and oranges," she said. "We're human, but he's scum. That man helped kill Pyrrha. Who knows who else he's killed? He doesn't get to be judged by the same standards as the rest of us." She turned and looked at Ruby, for once serious. "We have two days to beat whatever information he has out of him. I'll volunteer to do the beating."

"I agree with Ruby," Ren cut in suddenly. "We need to work with Torchwick rather than torture him. Nothing can be achieved by seeking revenge. If Ruby's right, he may have the information we need to serve a greater good."

"Guys, guys! Calm down, we're not torturing anybody." He stared at Nora until her pout subsided. "I'm not saying we shouldn't keep talking to Torchwick. I want to know what happened to Cinder too." His hand strayed to the circlet. "But we have to think of the bigger picture. Pyrrha wouldn't have wanted Beacon to fall. We have two days, then we have to let him go. That's the best we can do." He looked at her. "I'm sorry, Ruby." Then he left for their quarters.

Nora stomped up to her, a frown stamped on her face. "Why are you trying so hard to save that guy? He's done the worst to you personally."

Ruby bit her lip and carefully checked that Magenhild was nowhere in sight. "I don't like what we're doing. You can't sacrifice someone to save other people! It's just wrong."

Nora puffed out her cheeks. "Fine. Think what you want, then. You're the one who's wrong!" She stormed off after Jaune, upset.

"She just doesn't like it when teammates fight," Ren said. He'd remained silent through most of the exchange. "Give it a day or two, she'll calm down."

"A day or two will be too late," Ruby muttered. Then she glanced at Ren. "What about you? You haven't said much so far."

Ren shifted his weight uncomfortably. "I don't like fighting with my teammates either."

"Oh," she said, feeling miserable.

"... but I agree with you," he added.

"Then why didn't you say anything?!" Ruby exploded. "If we'd both spoken up, then maybe-"

"I already told you, I don't like fighting with my friends." Ren sighed. "Besides, there's no point to this argument anyway. We have to follow Glynda's wishes. She's the one allowing us to stay here despite all the trouble. We can't repay that kindness by rebelling against her."

She lowered her head, struggling to contain her discontent. "... Why don't you go ahead, Ren? Tell the others I'm getting something to eat."

He paused, concern flashing through his eyes. "Will you be coming back soon?"

Ruby did her best to smile back. "In a little bit. I just need some time to think."

His gaze lingered on her for a few moments before he nodded slowly. "See you later, then."

She watched him leave, then let out a long breath.

"Yeah, later."

.x.x.x.

Finding the Bullhead wasn't difficult. Before the academy was destroyed, Beacon had managed a whole fleet of them, mostly for transporting students to field tests. The hanger hosting the remains of fleet had been long-since abandoned. Most of the viable airships had already been used to evacuate. Only a few emergency vehicles - which no one had the time or inclination to use, it seemed - were left behind. She'd chosen this particular Bullhead because it stood closest to the open hangar doors; it was covered in a layer of dirt and spots of rust speckled its surface where it had been exposed to the elements for far too long.

"How am I going make this thing fly?" Ruby wondered as she stared at the imposing cockpit. She could see a large yoke, which she guessed would be used to steer the ship, obscuring a complicated-looking dashboard. "How do you even start it?" she wondered, scanning the myriad of instruments on the panel. Two unusually large buttons next to an important-looking lever caught her attention. That must be it. But what about the rest? Her eyes glazed over as she tried to take in the many gauges and indicators spread before her. Shaking herself, she shrugged, thinking of all the video games she'd played with Jaune. "It kind of looks the same as a controller… with a lot more buttons." Sighing, she ran a nervous hand through her hair. "How hard can it be, anyway? I'll figure it out as I go."

Squelching her uneasiness, she exited the ship and made her way quietly to the edge of the building to sneak a glance across the abandoned airfield. The broken moon was hidden behind heavy clouds, making it nearly impossible to see.

Activating her Semblance, she raced across the field, faster than the eye could follow. Screeching to a stop near the side of the detention center, she caught her breath and tried to calm her pounding heart. Her bag and cloth-wrapped scythe dug into her sides uncomfortably. She's packed a few meals and a first aid kit - mostly because she wasn't confident Torchwick would come with her peacefully.

I can't let them kill him like a sacrificial lamb for some Dust. She clenched her teeth and reached for the cloth wrapping around her scythe. "Let's do this."

"Let's not," a voice said as a hand reached out, catching hers and folding the cloth back over her scythe.

Ruby caught herself before she could attack the figure that emerged from the shadows beside her.

"Ren?!"

"Shh!" He lifted a finger to his lips, looking around nervously. Then he glared at her. "I thought you said you were coming back."

"I was!" She lowered her voice at his impatient look. "Eventually." Then she squinted at him. "Are you going to try to stop me?"

Ren remained motionless for a second, then shook his head. "No. But you don't have to break in. There's an easier way." He gestured for her to follow, and Ruby automatically took a step after him before freezing.

"Hey," she whispered. "Why are you helping me?"

Ren paused and looked over his shoulder, the lone strip of magenta in his hair flashing against the darkness. "... Because it's the right thing to do."

A tiny smile stole across her face as a warm flutter of gratitude washed through her. I… I wasn't the only outsider after all.

Ren's answering smile was faint, but when he moved close enough to her to grab her shoulder, she could see how serious he was. He'd always been good at reading people, and he gave her a light squeeze. "Even if you disagree with the others sometimes, you're still a part of Team RNJR. You always will be."

She nodded wobbly, then took a breath and steeled herself.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," she whispered back.

And with that, his eyes glowed as he pulled them through the wall.

They crossed the halls quickly once they were inside the building; though it was late at night, Glynda wasn't foolish enough to leave Torchwick unguarded. Of course, no one was expecting him to make an escape attempt through the walls.

Moving as quietly as possible, they slipped behind several guards. Glynda really wasn't taking any chances, keeping Torchwick locked down in one of the central cells. It wasn't hard to find him, being that he was the only inmate in the entire city.

They stumbled into the tiny room, and for once Ruby was glad Glynda had chosen to keep Torchwick in her highest-security solitary confinement cell. Ren released her immediately, probably trying to conserve his energy for their return trip. Their sudden appearance took Torchwick by surprise; he'd been resting on the cot in the cell, spinning his hat between his hands with a distracted look in his eye.

Torchwick was up in a flash; apparently three years on the lam hadn't done his reflexes any harm. He held his hat out as though it was a weapon, before tilting his head in confusion.

"You again?" Then he laughed - a sharp, harsh sound. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Everything, according to your file," Ruby shot back, moving her hand towards her scythe. "But we're here to get you out."

Sighing, Torchwick spun the hat on his finger once, before planting it firmly on his head. "I was afraid you'd say that. Well, come on." He lifted his chin and swung it in Ren's direction haughtily. "I haven't got all evening, you know."

"Are you really sure you want to rescue him?" Ren asked, unfazed by Torchwick's contempt.

"Oh, a rescue. Is that what this is?" Torchwick sneered. "More like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, isn't it?"

"Hey! It's me or Atlas! Make your choice right now!" Ruby hissed, eying the door as if it would fly open at any moment. "Would you seriously rather die than help me? Even you can't be that low!"

"You'd be surprised," he muttered. Then he gave Ren a judgmental once-over. "Get your lackey here to fetch me my cane and I'll do anything you say." His ingratiating smile oozed grease.

Ren didn't rise to the bait, instead looking at Ruby. "You'll be better off if he has a weapon. But do you trust him?"

She snorted. "Would you?" Then she signed. "You better get it anyway. I beat him before; I can do it again if he tries anything."

Ren nodded curtly, then turned and walked through the wall.

"Now that is a useful Semblance," Torchwick observed. Then he crossed his arms and smirked at Ruby. "So what's your plan? Bust us out of jail, and then what? Don't tell me you were thinking of hiding in the city. This place is one big happy summer camp full of Goodwitch goons. Trust me, I know."

"We're flying out of here."

There was a momentary flash of intrigue in his eyes. "Clever. But who said I'll come with you? I like the scenery around here. Brings back so many fond memories." He grinned at her, all teeth.

"I'm here to rescue you," she said, exasperated. "Don't you ever get tired of fighting all the time?"

His grin dropped, but his sharp look remained trained on her with laser focus. "That's called life, Red. You get tired of it? You end up taking a dirt nap."

The tense silence that stretched between them was broken by Ren's reappearance; he was holding Torchwick's cane. "Glynda doesn't take any chances. I think they'll be changing the guards soon. Ruby?"

"Ah ah ah, I'll take that," Torchwick said, holding his hand out.

Ruby nodded at Ren minutely, and with a sigh, he handed it back to Torchwick, who twirled it around with a mocking grin.

"Ladies, gentlemen? Shall we?"

"Is he always this much of an ass?" Ren asked as he grabbed her hand, placing it on his shoulder.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Let's get out of here."

"Don't let go of me," Ren continued, placing Torchwick's hand on his free shoulder. "Unless you want to get stuck halfway through the wall," he added with a cold smile.

Ruby shivered. Ren almost never smiled. "Creepy."

Torchwick flashed his usual confident smirk, but she noticed his fingers digging deeply into Ren's shirt and hid her snicker.

"Here we go," Ren said, and phased out. They slipped through the walls, tiptoeing their way behind the guards.

One, Ruby counted in her head. Two… just one more wall to go.

Ren passed through the outer wall successfully, but Ruby heard a shout as she followed him through. They landed safely on the outside, but she didn't give them a chance to catch their breaths.

"I think they saw us! We have to move!" She took off towards the airfield, confident that the two men would be following.

A shout rose up behind them, and several floodlights flickered to life, scattering the darkness with their blinding white light.

"There they are!" she heard someone yell, and Torchwick cursed behind her.

"It's that hanger over there!" Ruby shouted, no longer trying to be subtle. "You two go ahead, I'll-"

"No," Ren shouted, drawing Stormflower and turning to face the guards who were pouring out of the prison. "You need to keep an eye on Torchwick! I'll hold them off."

"Ren!"

He turned to look at her, a wry grin on his face. She could see he was tired; he'd been using his Semblance excessively. "I wasn't planning on coming with you anyway," he said. Then he looked over her shoulder. "I think Torchwick is planning on leaving without you."

Ruby didn't bother turning around, surprised by the sudden sendoff. "I- Thank you. I mean I... Tell them I'm sorry. Especially Jaune," she said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Ren gave her a short nod, then another of his rare smiles - not the creepy one this time - and waved her off. "Time to go, Ruby."

"Yeah," she said. She turned away from him, blinking away her tears, and spotted Torchwick entering the hangar. The sound of gunfire and metal clashing reached her ears, but she forced herself not to look back.

"Oh no you don't," she said instead, activating her Semblance. Leaving a cascade of rose petals behind her, she raced towards the airship, catching up just as Torchwick disappeared inside the Bullhead she'd prepared for their escape. "Hey!" she yelled, indignant.

"Well, can't say it's been a pleasure, but thank you," he called out from the cockpit, still fiddling with the controls. The twin engines roared to life, and the ship began to rise into the air. He looked over his shoulder and gave her a smug wave. "Until next time, Red." The hatch began to close and she saw him carefully nudging the ship's yoke, one hand on the throttle. There was a metallic whirr as the engines rotated into place, then an ear-splitting whine which transformed into a dull roar. The Bullhead eased out of the hangar, picking up speed as it went.

Narrowing her eyes, Ruby whipped out the Crescent Rose. "Oh no you don't," she breathed, taking a running start towards the ship. Flipping into a cartwheel, she fired her rifle at the ground, using the violent recoil to launch herself straight into the air. Throwing herself into a spin, she extended the scythe and hooked it into the Bullhead's still-closing hatch, jamming it open. She heard Torchwick curse roundly from inside, but he was too busy avoiding something below to pay her any attention.

Ugh… I feel seasick, Ruby thought as the Bullhead jerked back and forth. Smatters of gunfire rose in her ears, and she was certain she felt a few bullets whiz through her skirt. It was all she could do to hang on as the ship careened through the air like a drunken whale.

The Bullhead came to a sudden stop, and she finally spotted what had Torchwick sweating. Glynda stood below them; even from that distance, Ruby could almost see the flames springing out of the witch's eyes. She raised her wand, and Ruby screamed, remembering the last time she'd witnessed Glynda facing off against a Bullhead.

"Open up! Let me in, you creep!" The ship rose rapidly into the air, the ground rolling away in a dizzying arc. Ruby tightened her grip on the Crescent Rose and shouted again through the whistling wind. "I saved your life!"

She grit her teeth against the air pressure, the fast winds whipping her hair into stinging lashes against her cheeks. Just as she began to wonder what it would take to get Torchwick to at least fly low enough to let her jump off, she heard the sound of metal groaning.

The hatch was opening! Changing her grip on the scythe, Ruby swung herself inside as soon as the crack was big enough for her to shimmy inside. She barely had time to retract her blade before being thrown against the back wall of the aircraft as Torchwick veered away from another of Glynda's attacks.

"Persistent bitch," she heard him mutter under his breath as the ship shook violently once more.

Gasping for breath, Ruby flung herself towards the cockpit, grabbing onto the copilot's seat and shooting Torchwick a baleful glare. He didn't spare her a glance, focusing on the ground below him instead.

"You couldn't have possibly stolen one with a gun turret, could you?" he said by way of greeting, sarcasm heavy in his voice.

"If I did, you might have shot someone," she snapped as she sat and belted herself in.

"That would be the point!" he yelled, nudging the airship into another steep dive and narrowly avoiding one last swarm of deadly ice shards. He slammed the throttle forward and the Bullhead raced away from the city of Vale.

It was only when they'd cleared both the city limits and the stray flocks of Grimm guarding the border than Ruby let herself sag into the chair, exhausted. She blinked, then looked at Torchwick, who was still focused on the steering them safely through the air.

"Where'd you learn to fly like that? Are you a pilot?"

His visible eye rolled towards her, before returning to the window before them. "None of your business."

He fell silent, and she watched him quietly, drawing her brows together. He obviously knew what he was doing, occasionally reaching out to flick a switch or check a reading on the instruments, which looked more like a multi-colored switchboard than anything else to her.

A thought struck her, and she sat up, alarmed. "Where are you taking us?"

"Now she asks?" After flicking a small red button next to the throttle, Torchwick turned and gave her another incredulous look. "There's a sucker born every day, I guess…" he muttered to himself.

"Hey!" she shouted, simmering with indignation. "I saved-"

"Yes, yes," he cut her off. "You saved my life, again, and I'm ever so thankful, blah, blah blah. Can we skip the groveling and cut right to the chase here? Having you dangle that over my head is getting old fast."

"All I want are some answers! Why do you have to be a jerk about every little thing?"

"You want answers? Well, you'll get them soon enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Whatever he was about to say - and from the look on his face, it wouldn't have been pleasant - was disrupted by the shrill sound of her scroll going off. Digging hastily through her pouch, she brought it out and then winced.

"Jaune," she whispered, rejecting the call with a feeling of regret. A moment later her phone blared again. "Uh-oh, it's Glynda this time."

"Oh, for the love of- Give me that!" Torchwick snarled, snatching the scroll out of her hand. He answered the call, holding the scroll before him.

"Ms. Rose! What do you think- TORCHWICK!" Glynda's screech pierced the air, and Ruby cringed.

"Well, hello, honey. I missed you so much too! Unfortunately, I had an appointment to keep with your favorite girl scout, so you'll need to take a raincheck on our date." He winked at her. "Better luck next time, Goodie-Two-Shoes." Without bothering to end the call, he dropped the scroll and crushed it under the heel of his boot.

Ruby squeaked. "My scroll!" Then she growled at Torchwick. "Did you know how much that cost me? It was the latest model, too!"

"Did you actually want them to track us? How stupid are you? Wait, don't answer that." Torchwick closed his eyes briefly. "You might give me an even bigger migraine."

Ruby sulked. So I forgot about that little detail! It's not like he had to destroy it. "I could've just turned it off."

"But this way was so much more fun," Torchwick replied. He wasn't looking at her again, so Ruby used the opportunity to trap him under her best stink-eye.

"We're going to Exsul," he told her, unprompted.

She froze. "What was that? I thought I heard you say something silly like we were going to Exsul, which can't possibly be right because that's A WHOLE CONTINENT AWAY!"

"You heard right," Torchwick said with a resigned look. "Exsul. The Grimm continent." Then he turned and looked at Ruby, and the depreciating grin on his face wasn't directed at her for once. "Where else would they be?" He turned back to the controls, his fake smile dropping.

Ruby swallowed and tried not to hyperventilate. "No one's ever gone to Exsul without an army of Huntsmen to back them up. At least, gone and come back."

"Believe me, I'd rather have Atlas' entire army sail in there than do this myself." He chuckled. "Not that it's an option for someone like me. Or you either now," he added slyly. "So, can I interest you in a life of crime?"

"Seeing as how lucrative it's been for you lately, I think I'll pass," she snapped.

"Pity, because you're stuck with me for now. Let's learn to get along, shall we?"

Ruby squeezed her eyes shut, counting backwards. After the third try, she managed to rein in her temper enough to answer him somewhat civilly. "When did you nominate yourself the leader of this expedition? I'm the one who rescued you! I'm in charge here!"

"In charge? Listen, sweetheart, this isn't some academy where you can pull rank on me. The real world doesn't work like that. It's obvious who should be calling the shots here. See, I'm the brains, and you're… the pawn." He laughed too loudly at his own joke for her liking.

"Whatever. You'll change your tune the next time a Grimm threatens you." She exhaled shakily. "There'll be a lot of those where we're going, you know."

Torchwick's shoulders shook; he seemed to be struggling with something. Finally, he wheezed and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "So you're just going to go along with me, no questions asked?"

"Huh?" What's he talking about now?

"You don't even know if we're going in the right direction!" he spat, exasperated. "You're trapped in this ship with your worst enemy, completely at my mercy-"

"You know, I've beaten you every time we fought," she reminded him.

"Beaten me? You never beat me, kid. I always managed to get away."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Because of your friends. I don't know if you've noticed, but you seem to be running a little low on those right now."

Torchwick's fingers spasmed around the yoke, but Ruby didn't feel the satisfaction she was expecting from her verbal strike. Cutting him down with words isn't as fun as I thought it'd be. Looking down at her fingernails, she picked at them uncomfortably.

"... Sorry. That was a low blow."

"You can't even land an insult without feeling bad about it?" Torchwick glanced at her, his expression contemptuous. "Let me give you a little advice, kid. The world is a shitty place. If you keep acting like some kind of doormat, don't be surprised when you get stepped on."

This guy… how is he even human?! She clenched her hands into fists. "I'm not a doormat! And I don't think knowing how to insult people is a necessary life skill, okay?!"

Torchwick groaned. "How the hell did you manage to survive for this long?"

Ruby chose her words carefully. "How did you?"

That got him to finally shut up, at least.

Notes

I want to thank two thoughtful reviewers who made me to think about why I dropped this story and also why I enjoyed writing it in the first place. You guys are directly responsible its continuation. Give yourselves a pat on the back. :)

I barely remember much about this series and don't have plans to rewatch it (I've only seen until S3). I did do a little research on S4 and S5 and noticed that Yang got a cyborg arm and Team RNJR is a canon thing now, though, so that was… gratifying, I guess? But you can still firmly consider this an Alternate Universe from S3 onwards.

I also want to thank the fine folks in the Small Fandom FF Authors Discord channel for beta-ing, particularly PizzaSteve for help with the aeronautical stuff!