12: Stonemilker

Why does everything hurt?

Ruby's eyes fluttered open. She was lying against something soft… a bed, she realized with a jolt, and that noise was the gentle beeping of a monitor keeping pace with her heart. She blinked a few times and the blurriness surrounding her resolved itself into a hospital room, dimly lit from a small window.

"Where-" she croaked, then stopped and swallowed.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Ms. Rose." Footsteps sounded, and Glynda's tall figure came into view.

Ruby's brain kicked back into action, the cobwebs draping her mind clearing rapidly. "Vale? I'm in Vale?"

"You were suffering from a severe concussion," Glynda said. "I'll have to ask that you refrain from activating your aura for the time being and allow this injury to heal naturally." A glass of water with a long straw was offered, and Ruby leaned up, wincing, to sip from it.

"Thanks," she murmured, the ache in her parched throat slowly fading. Her fingers twitched restlessly against the blanket; if she was in Vale, didn't that mean Roman was, too? She glanced at Glynda, trying to glean some clues from the other woman's body language.

"I wouldn't be so hasty just yet," Glynda replied, regarding her critically. "Let's cut to the chase. What is your relationship with Mr. Torchwick?"

So he's here. Her heart dropped. "What happened to Ro-uhh, Torchwick?"

Glynda's brow furrowed. "Are you two an item?"

Ruby closed her eyes and laughed a little helplessly. "No. Why does everyone think that?"

"Because that man turned himself in to ensure your safety. This is Torchwick," she added for emphasis.

He's not who you think he is, she wanted to protest. Things aren't that simple between us. I killed his girlfriend. He might actually want to kill me now for real. She opened her mouth a few times, then closed it when she realized nothing she could say would sound like anything but the ravings of a dangerously infatuated teenager. "I… saved his life a couple of times," she finally settled on. "He probably thinks of this as payback."

"At the expense of his own life?" Glynda scoffed.

He'd get away somehow. It seemed wiser to keep her thoughts to herself, though.

"You don't understand what-" She cut herself off and reached for her elbows, almost feeling the sharp whisper of the wind blades that had once formed there. I killed someone. "... What I did to him."

"Then make me understand, Ms. Rose, because up until now I've failed to." Glynda sounded irritated. "To the surprise of no one, Mr. Torchwick refused to cooperate with myself or General Ironwood during our questioning. Why did you help him escape? Where did you two go? What happened to him? What happened to you?"

Ruby's hands flew to her cheeks. "I changed again, didn't I?" She probed her face with her fingertips, feeling the roughened texture of her skin with dismay.

"Again?" Glynda asked sharply.

But what did it matter if it happened again? Never mind how old she looked, she felt ancient, and it had nothing to do with her Semblance. I killed Neo. Her hands dropped away from her face, and she looked up at Glynda, feeling lost. "How do you do it?"

"I'm not quite sure-"

"How do you keep holding on when you've lost everything you believed in?" Part of her wondered if she was asking for Roman's sake or her own.

Glynda looked taken aback by the question. "You're not speaking of your glorious youth, are you?" she asked hopefully. When Ruby's stare didn't falter, she sagged and sat down on the edge of Ruby's bed. "Ozpin was correct, you really do have a talent for disarming your opponents," she said wearily. "I'm almost afraid to ask what brings about this question."

Ruby looked down and picked at the threadbare blanket covering her lap. "I didn't want anyone to have to die anymore. Not after mom," she said quietly. "That's why... why I wanted to be a Huntress."

Glynda's back straightened. "While I know the death of Ms. Polendina and Ms. Nikos affected you greatly, that was still no reason to free Mr. Torchwick-"

"I'm like him now." She felt something hot burning behind her eyes, and knew they were just tears. Still, they felt like drops of fire as they emerged, scalding a path of shame down her cheeks. "I killed someone. I'm a murderer, too." She couldn't bring herself to wipe them away. "Life in Remnant shouldn't be this cheap."

"Oh my dear," Glynda said after a quiet moment. "You're still just a child inside of that shell, aren't you?" She reached out for Ruby, who leaned into her embrace. Glynda's palm tapped a soothing rhythm against her back.

"Does this ever get any easier?" Ruby sniffled.

"No," admitted Glynda. "But it's up to you to make your choice now: Pick up your weapon and continue to fight, or leave it and the life of a Huntsman behind. You will never hurt anyone again if you do the latter. But neither will you be able to truly protect them." She gave Ruby a tiny squeeze. "I'm afraid that stain will always remain with your soul, but it's how you choose to handle this wound that separates people such as yourself from the likes of Mr. Torchwick."

"No one told me it'd be like this." She felt like a broken bottle that had been hastily glued back together, barely hiding her jagged edges. Neo's black tears haunted her. "I'm so sorry."

"I understand this is difficult for you to process, but…" Glynda pushed her away gently, but firmly. "You need to tell me what happened. It's the only way I can help you."

Sucking in her breath, Ruby straightened and swiped her eyes dry, trying to bring herself under control. "Has… Jaune said anything yet?"

"Mr. Arc gave me a rough idea of the side-effects of your Semblance," Glynda replied. "That in no way explains why you aged so rapidly in the past week, however. The only mitigating factor would be Mr. Torchwick's presence, and as trying as he is on one's patience, I hardly think it would affect you that greatly." She leveled Ruby with her wall-shattering stare. "Why did you help him escape?"

"Because it was the right thing to do," Ruby said stubbornly. "It's still wrong of you to pack Roman off to Atlas to die. Besides, once you get to know him, he's not as bad as you think."

"Ms. Rose… while I understand being held in captivity in close quarters can produce very stressful situations, we do have counsellors available to-"

Ruby threw up her arms in frustration. "I'm seriously not in love with him! All we did is talk!" She scowled. "It's something people end up doing when they take an unexpected field trip to the Grimm continent. You sound just like Salem right now."

Glynda's mouth snapped shut with an audible click. "Salem? You know of Salem?"

Ruby's indignation sputtered out. "Umm… not before this trip we didn't. Neither of us knew about her, honestly. Roman and I kind of met her in person when we got there. It's a long story..."

Sighing, Glynda removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Then, carefully placing them back on, she settled against Ruby's bed and crossed her arms. "Well then. You'd best begin telling it."

.x.x.x.

"...don't dawdle along the way, and please don't talk to strangers! The woods are dangerous…"

Ruby yawned, blinking the sleep from her eyes and focusing on the familiar voice droning in the background. "Jaune?"

Jaune closed the book he was reading with a snap and looked up at her with a smile. "You're awake!"

"Almost," she said, stifling another yawn as she sat up. "They won't let me use my aura to heal, so it's hard waking up. I feel so tired all the time-" She stopped when Jaune threw himself at her, enveloping her in a crushing hug.

"Ah- you're not mad at me?" she managed to choke out, surprised, before returning his hug.

"Mad? We were afraid you were going to die!" Jaune released her, studying her face with concern. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, well…" Taking a deep breath, Ruby prepared to repeat the story she'd told to Glynda. "You guys knew how I felt about sending Roman to Atlas, so I decided I'd have to-"

"Wait, so he's Roman now? Why'd you push yourself so hard for Torchwick, of all people?!"

"Push hard? I just stayed true to myself!"

"No!" Jaune groaned, then reached over to grab something off of the small table next to her bed. "I know what Glynda said. I want to know what happened!"

Ruby found herself staring into a pair of silver eyes as Jaune shoved the small, hand-held mirror into her face. She was startled when she realized they were her own.

"Talk to me, Ruby."

She couldn't answer him, too shocked by the appearance of her own face. I knew it was different, but this… She ran a finger down the strands of white hair framing her face. "I look older than my dad…"

"How'd you end up doing that to yourself? Did Torchwick have something to do with it?" Jaune's eyes flashed dangerously. "Did he hurt you?"

That struck too close to home, and Ruby pushed the mirror down before she could see her own expression. I'm the one who hurt him. "Not the way you think. And… I don't know. I don't know a lot of things. I think I have more questions now than when I set out," she admitted.

Jaune sighed heavily. "Fine, let's backtrack and start small: how did you manage to become buddies with Torchwick?"

"Are you going to keep on doing that? Should I start calling you Arc now?" she shot back, annoyed. "He's a friend. You can use his name, you know."

"He's not my friend," Jaune muttered, crossing his arms. "But fine. How'd you get Roman to like you? The last time I saw you two together he wanted to beat off your face."

"That was all you," she pointed out, feeling defensive. "But, uh, I don't really know. We just talked, I guess? And I saved his life a few times because he kind of sucks at fighting Grimm."

"That's because he spends all his time fighting people," Jaune countered. "People like you."

"... Yeah, you're right," she admitted. Then her mouth quirked, trying to suppress her grin. "Though it was kind of awesome to be better than him at something all that time."

"I don't know if I'd count it as being better when you ended up looking like that," he replied, killing her good mood.

"Fine. At first, he was as bad as you'd expect him to be. Except… he wasn't, not really. I thought it was my duty to protect him from the Grimm, because he seemed pretty out of it most of the time. I figured it was because he was so worried about Neo."

She glanced over Jaune's shoulder to make sure the door to the room was shut, before leaning towards him and beckoning him in. "I didn't tell this to Glynda," she whispered, "But…" She hesitated. Is it really okay to tell this to someone else? She looked at Jaune, who was waiting expectantly.

I believe in Jaune. "Don't tell anyone else about this either. Especially not Ren and Nora!" she hissed.

Jaune's face took on a solemn cast as he nodded. "It must be important, so alright. Whatever you say stays between you and me." He held up his hand, and Ruby fist-bumped him in an unspoken promise.

"It wasn't that Roman was bad at fighting… it's more like, he was preoccupied. I found out later it was from the other Grimm. When he got eaten by that Griffon three years ago, something happened to him… probably the same thing that happened to Neo. They were changed."

Jaune's eyes grew round. "But Glynda said Neo turned into a Grimm! Do you mean to say Torchwick is also a-"

"Shh!" Ruby looked towards the door, nervous. "Keep it down! And no! He's not a Grimm! I think I cut him out of the Griffon before it could get that far. But it was like he was poisoned or something."

"That's a big something to keep from Glynda!" Jaune shout-whispered at her. "Don't you think she should know that minor detail?"

"She'd execute him twice if she knew! Haven't you seen what she's been doing in Vale all this time?!"

Jaune buried his face in his hands. "Fine, okay, alright. Roman isn't a Grimm, he was just poisoned by them, and… it made him less of an ass. Huh," he trailed off thoughtfully, lifting his head. "So you mean his original personality was even worse than a Grimm's? Makes sense."

Ruby socked him in the arm, relishing his yelp. "Let me finish my story before you start snarking!" She inhaled deeply. "I think they were taking over his mind the closer we got to Salem. It's probably the reason we weren't really attacked all that much on our way into Exsul. You could say he was protecting us without even knowing it."

"That's a stretch."

"Still," she shrugged. "It was harder getting out than going in, that's for sure. And it wasn't exactly a free ride. They were destroying his mind! He had enough of himself left near the end to know that he didn't want to die that way."

She picked at the blankets. "It just didn't seem right. Not even for someone like him. Being forced to watch yourself turn into a Grimm would be a fate worse than death for anyone, wouldn't it?"

I have to believe that. Please.

Stuffing her conscience back into its drawer in her mind, she slammed it shut and forced herself to continue. "I guess by that point I could feel his desperation, so I was able to use my eyes to stop it and freeze those voices in his mind. Kind of the same way I stopped the dragon on the tower. But Roman told me that even with that, he'd never be cured. He'll always be…"

"... Part Grimm," Jaune finished for her. "Isn't that all the more reason to tell Glynda and let her handle this? She's the real adult here."

"I think I earned a say in this," Ruby replied, holding up a lock of her white hair. "The whole reason he allowed me to follow him to Exsul is because he wanted what we all do. A home, people he could call real friends, a happy life… and a human soul. All the things we Huntsmen fight for, he wanted them too. It just took him a while to realize it because of what he's been through."

"I still think you're dreaming half of this stuff up. I mean Tor- Roman's the one who loves making other people suffer."

That's because he was suffering too! She opened her mouth, then closed it. No. Even if it's Jaune, telling him any more isn't my place. It was Roman's life, and intensely personal information at that. She knew he wouldn't appreciate it; he'd probably be upset that she'd told Jaune this much already. "Things aren't as simple as they seem. It's just… He's starting to realize he was wrong." She shut her eyes. "If watching him turning into a Grimm was one of the most horrible things I've ever seen, then watching him learn how to be a person again was one of the most beautiful."

She felt Neo's last breath whisper across her cheek like a cool kiss. "He gives me hope." Shuddering, she opened her eyes. "I think he's paying for all those mistakes he made in the past. As long as he holds onto his humanity, I don't think he'll ever really stop."

Jaune said nothing, simply looking at her intently, as if trying to read her mind. Finally he leaned back. "... You mean it, don't you? You want to help him because you like him, not because it's the right thing to do."

A sudden, wild urge to fling her arms around Jaune raced through her. This, she thought, surprised, and gratified. I hadn't realized how much I missed this.

"Whoa, hey, sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!" Jaune was panicking, holding up his hands and looking guilty. "Glynda said you were touchy about that! I meant you like him as a friend! A friend!"

She choked back a laugh and gave into her desire, drawing Jaune into a bear hug despite his surprise. Someone who supports you. Someone who'll believe in you, even if they think you're wrong. Friends who accept you without any doubt or hesitation. "Thank you," she whispered into his shoulder.

It only took him a moment to recover and return the embrace. "It's gonna be okay, Ruby. We'll find a way to fix this. Your body, Roman's sentence, Vale's Grimm problem… heck, maybe even that freaky Salem lady! We'll manage it somehow."

"Yeah," she said, releasing him. As they shared a smile, she was struck with a sudden thought. "Is that why Roman brought me back here?"

"Huh? You think he wants us to beat Salem for him?"

"No! I mean yes, but that's not what I was talking about," she amended. "Am I his Jaune?"

Jaune blinked. "Now you really lost me. Also, that sounds really, really wrong. Don't say things like that in public, haven't you seen the way Torchwick dresses himself?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Vomit Boy. I meant maybe it's no wonder people keep on thinking I'm his girlfriend."

"Well, he did practically agree to die to save your life, so it's not that much of a stretch-"

"I'm his only friend," she clarified. "We have to change that." She smiled brightly at Jaune and put on her best pleading expression.

"Oh no. Don't make that face at me! It's wrong when you look that old!"

She slapped him on the shoulder. "Who said just you? Let's bring Team RNJR in on this!"

That got Jaune to sober up unexpectedly. "Ruby… you know, if we don't find a way to fix you, there won't be a Team RNJR when we get back to Mistral. You look older than some of the teachers at the academy now."

"Oh, right…" She deflated. "Well, on the bright side, maybe I could use my new look to shock Yang right out of her depression!"

"You shouldn't joke about that!" His chair scraped loudly as he jumped out of it. "If it's anything like the other times, you won't go back! You're stuck at the age you threw yourself into!" Composing himself, he returned to his seat. "How did it happen?"

Jaune the mother hen was back, and there was no wriggling out of it this time. Chastised, Ruby picked at her fingernails, carefully avoiding his glare. "Glynda thinks it was in part because I used my Semblance to heal myself, instead of waiting for my aura to do it."

"You can do that?" He shook his head. "No, I mean, what? Why?! Were you in that much of a hurry? I'm always telling you to slow down!"

"For your information, yes, I was!" She shifted restlessly, annoyed because he was right. "Ribs take a while! And I broke mine at least twice. The Grimm on Exsul weren't exactly about to sit around politely and wait for me to finish healing, you know?" The look on Jaune's face told her that he probably didn't need to know that she was pretty sure it was more than just her ribs the second time around. "That's why she won't let me even aura-heal like normal anymore. She says we don't know what'll happen."

"Ruby… if she won't let you use your aura-"

"We don't know that it's permanent!" she interrupted. "I'm stopping just for now, to be safe. Besides, it might have been a bunch of other things too! Like not eating real food for most of the time, or my body not being able to handle all these different powers at once. There could still be lots of reasons!"

"Ruby…" Jaune didn't look so good, and Ruby refused to process his expression.

"No! Glynda said it was my choice to decide if I wanted to pick up my weapon and fight or run away from this. And I'll never run away! You can't stop me from being a Huntress."

"Even if you run yourself into the ground? So which should it be then? Ruby the Huntress? Ruby the Silver-Eyed Warrior? Ruby the Fall Maiden?" He was shouting now, his face slowly turning red as his seat scraped back once more and he shot to his feet. "You're taking on too much again! Why do you always do that? You're going to kill yourself!"

"I'm going to change this world or die trying, just like my mother did!" she shouted back.

Their tense stare-down was rudely interrupted by the sound of the door flying off of its hinges. Jaune must have locked it - not that it would've stopped Nora, who stood in the doorframe, chest heaving.

"IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT DYING, I'LL KILL YOU!" she screamed.

"I told you we should wait for them to finish first," Ren mumbled from behind her, looking embarrassed.

Ignoring him, Nora stormed past Jaune, shoving him aside, and scooped Ruby into a bone-crushing hug. Almost literally.

"Injured person!" she wheezed, flailing against Nora's vice-like grip.

"Oh right, sorry," Nora muttered, releasing her. She plopped down on the side of Ruby's bed, green eyes wide and worried. "I'm a power hugger."

"That's why I love you," Ruby reassured her.

"Really?" Nora said in a tiny voice, and with a start Ruby realized that she wasn't acting as boisterous as usual. "Because I thought that was why you left… After our fight," she explained, looking crestfallen. "It was me who drove you off, wasn't it? I came on too strong about Torchwick." She picked up steam and began to speak more quickly. "I'll never fight with you again as long as you promise never to run away again, okay? Because what happened was all my fault and I'm so sorry and I didn't mean to make you do that to yourself and I really wanna murder Torchwick and OHMYGOD I didn't mean that see I'd really just nail him in the balls so please don't get mad and leave us again-"

"Nora-" Ruby tried to cut in between the other girl's verbal diarrhea. "That really wasn't- I- No no, this isn't about that skirt you borrowed that got ripped- Nora, please-!"

"It was my fault." Ren spoke up, putting his hand on Nora's trembling shoulder and ending the cascade of apologies spilling from her mouth. "So stop it now." He looked at Ruby. "I wouldn't have helped you escape if I'd known this would happen."

"Don't say that," Ruby said stubbornly, feeling her throat close up as she watched her two teammates trying to out-blame each other for her own mistakes. "You guys are the reason I hung on… because I knew I had something to come back for. I'm the one who should be sorry. Team RNJR is like my family. It was mean of me to leave without letting you know."

"Okay, this isn't a competition to see who can score the most points in the blame game." Jaune crossed his arms and used his leader voice to address them. "Nora, Ren, knock it off. Ruby can make her own decisions and own up to them. No one should feel guilty about it." He stared Ruby down. "No one."

"Is that your way of apologizing to me?" Ruby asked him, raising a brow.

"I'll respect your decisions. Don't expect me to be happy about the bad ones, but…" His stern scowl eased. "You're the Fall Maiden now. That's everything Pyrrha was trying to be. She wouldn't want that power to be lost or forgotten, either - she'd want to use it to fight Grimm. So in a way, it's like you're carrying a piece of her inside of you now… and I can't think of anyone better to have it."

"This feels like a team hug moment!" Nora shouted, grabbing Ruby in one arm and Ren in the other and pulling them in. "Get over here Jaune!"

"Yes ma'am," he replied, piling on as the team shared their reunion.

"You guys are the best," Ruby whispered, basking in the comfort of her friends.

They drew apart reluctantly.

Nora sat back against the bed and reached out to run her fingers through Ruby's long, mismatched hair. "So what happens next? Besides a haircut, I mean. Sorry, but that looks awful on you, Ruby."

"I might have an answer to that question, as soon as someone tells me what happened to this door." Glynda stepped in around the door, that familiar look of disapproval on her face.

"Heh heh!" Nora laughed. "Can't you just fix it?"

Glynda flashed a contemptuous look at Nora and then stared down Ren, who hunched his shoulders up and leaned away from her. "And couldn't you just use your Semblance on your rambunctious little friend next time? Or do you reserve that honor for lawbreaking alone, young man?"

"We'll pay for that!" Ruby cut in, hyper-aware of Glynda's especially sour mood.

"What's up with her?" Jaune mouthed nervously, and Ruby shrugged, clueless.

Glynda sighed. "I brought a visitor for you, Ms. Rose. I thought you might be interested in something he had to say." Scowling, she stepped aside and allowed the man behind her to step into the crowded room.

"It's good to see you again, Ruby!" General Ironwood smiled at her broadly, charming and professional.

This is the man who wants to kill Roman. Ruby shrunk away from his outstretched hand, and Ironwood looked confused. After a moment, he withdrew the proffered handshake awkwardly.

He turned towards Glynda. "Did you say something to her?"

Glynda only snorted and crossed her arms.

He cleared his throat, then turned back to Ruby with the same charming smile that turned her stomach. "Well, although I'm not sure how I may have offended you, it's nonetheless a pleasure to meet such a remarkable young woman once again."

"How you offended me? You're going to execute Roman Torchwick!"

Ironwood's smile dropped. "And here I was hoping that was only Glynda's imagination," he muttered. "Ruby, you have to understand this: Roman Torchwick is not a good man."

"He told me what happened in Atlas," Ruby said defiantly. "I know all about it. I wonder, though. Did you ever ask him, Headmaster? Did you ever really give any of your students a choice?"

The look in Ironwood's eye was steely. "He told you his version of the story, did he? Then you should know how that man killed two of his fellow students in cold blood. Someone like him deserves no second chances!"

"You helped break up that team by forcing every single one of them to choose between freedom and survival! Is that how things really work around Atlas?"

Ironwood's nostrils flared. "Atlas Academy prides itself on the rule of law and order. Roman Torchwick consistently mocked those rules! It was our mistake to give him chance after chance to conform and improve. Instead, he used the skills we taught him for his own self-interest. In all of his years, he's shown no signs of remorse or given any indication that he deserves redemption!"

"You'd be surprised," Ruby muttered sullenly, turning away from him.

"Well then. You'll be happy to hear that Mr. Torchwick has earned himself a stay of execution," Glynda said. "Oh, pardon me for stealing your thunder, James."

"It's inconsequential. You know how I still feel about that decision. I was hoping I could convince Ruby of the folly of it. She's more than enough, after all."

"Excuse me here, but what decision?" Jaune cut in, looking confused. "What's going on?"

"Because of the events Ms. Rose and Mr. Torchwick experienced in Exsul, Mr. Torchwick will no longer be extradited to Atlas," Glynda replied. "Instead, we have a mission for them."

Mission? Ruby gaped. "You're sending me on a mission? Like this? You told me not to use my aura!"

"With any luck, it won't be a combat mission," Glynda replied. "But if you want to keep your friend alive, I'm afraid it's not optional. I had a difficult enough time convincing James here that his presence was even necessary."

I knew she was really good on the inside! Ruby couldn't stop the huge smile from spreading across her face; Glynda flushed slightly and looked away, embarrassed.

Jaune stepped between them, blocking Ruby's view with his back. "Just a minute here! Ruby's not going anywhere without the rest of Team RNJR!" Nora pumped her fist in agreement while Ren finally met Glynda's eyes with a steely glare of his own.

"That's fine. In fact, I think that would be better," Ironwood said. "The rest of you could help Ruby here by keeping an eye on that Torchwick. Make sure he doesn't step out of line… and use whatever measures you deem necessary to keep him in his place."

Ruby's sudden joy at Roman's escape from Atlas dimmed. "Wait, this is a mission from Atlas?"

"Not exactly," Glynda hissed, and the barely restrained fury that always seemed to be simmering beneath her calm veneer broke through and made an appearance. "Although it seems General Ironwood has been hiding something from the rest of us after all."

A brief look of guilt passed over Ironwood's face, before his jaw clenched and his brow lowered. "Glynda. We never meant it to be a slight-"

"Save it, James!" she fired back at him, looking angrier than she did when Ruby stole the Bullhead. Even Jaune stepped back as the two Huntsmen squared off at the end of the room.

"Do you know what I went through to hold this city together?" Glynda roared at Ironwood, pointing her finger at him as though it was her wand. It might have been; Ruby wasn't sure if Glynda needed a weapon to practice her telekinesis. In fact, the glass of water on her nightstand was starting to vibrate ominously, which couldn't be good.

"All this time, everything I sacrificed, the things I had to do-!"

The way her voice quivered caught Ruby's attention. Through the anger, she could see Glynda's cutting pain; they weren't empty words she was throwing at Ironwood. The haunted look in her eye that went beyond fury was all too familiar.

What happens to people when they're forced to turn their backs on everything they'd wanted to believe in? Roman happens.

Glynda caught sight of Ruby and bit off her tirade, though she obviously had more to say. "We'll continue this later. You can count on it," she promised Ironwood darkly.

Ironwood swallowed. Clearing his throat, he folded his hands behind his back and turned towards Ruby, doing his best to ignore Glynda's death glare. "As I was saying... Since you both made contact with Salem, we couldn't overlook this opportunity. Somehow the two of you managed to infiltrate her hideout and witness her current physical state. You also had direct contact with the previous Fall Maiden, and even managed to collect her powers. We need to capitalize on this development."

Ruby nodded slowly in agreement, but froze when she saw Jaune's fist clench.

"Ruby isn't some commodity you need to capitalize," he said lowly. "I remember what happened the last time you bastards thought you could get your hands on the Fall Maiden's powers. Pyrrha died! Do you think we're just gonna sit back and watch this time while you try it with Ruby now?"

"Jaune," Ruby said, reaching out and catching his arm. "It's fine. I want to help. I didn't ask for this power, and I'm not sure I really want it."

Jaune turned and looked at her, his eyes fierce. "No! You're not going to let him stick you in one of Atlas's machines to suck your aura and your powers out! I won't let you!"

Ironwood looked surprised. "How much did you know-"

"She's not doing it!" Jaune yelled. "I told Ozpin it was a bad idea back then, and it still is now!"

"That option would only be our last resort," Ironwood countered. "Actually, we happen to think Ruby would make an excellent candidate to host the Fall Maiden's powers… given that we could correct the situation with her physical body."

Ruby felt a headache brewing behind her eyes, and not just from her concussion. "Wait a minute here. Why isn't anyone asking me anything about this?" She pulled Jaune out of the way and glared at Ironwood. "What aren't you telling us? I thought the Maiden's powers weren't meant to be controlled. It sounds a little wrong to try and manipulate destiny like that. And what do you mean by we anyway?"

Glynda growled lowly before regaining her composure. "He means Ozpin, Ms. Rose. That bastard has been working with Ozpin from the shadows for the last three years."

"What?!" Nora screamed. Ren's eyes were wide, and Jaune stepped back, almost falling on top of her when he hit the edge of the bed.

Ruby caught his back with her hand. She took a moment to carefully tape down the surprise, relief, joy, and undeniable disappointment that threatened to overwhelm her. Then she gently pushed Jaune into the chair next to her bed. Once she was sure he was safely seated, she looked up at Ironwood.

"Ozpin's alive."

Ironwood tilted his head towards her in a tiny gesture of acknowledgement.

"But he abandoned Vale."

"He never left Vale," Ironwood admitted, and somehow, that was worse. She glanced at Glynda, whose jaw was clenched tightly shut.

Ruby shut her eyes. "So our mission is to see Ozpin?"

"Yes. He was badly injured in the Battle of Beacon and had been convalescing at a hidden base we established in the southern region of the continent for this entire time. He has no official contact with Atlas, but I've had a hand in assisting with his recovery. We do have the most advanced medical system in the world, after all."

Ruby's eyes drifted towards the right side of Ironwood's body. He rarely exposed himself in anything other than Atlas' formal dress uniform, but everyone knew the rumors about his cyborg body. "... Is he okay?" she asked in a small voice. Whether or not he'd sacrificed Vale - and Glynda - willingly when he went into hiding, Ozpin was still something of a mentor to her.

"He could be better." Ironwood's poker face gave away nothing. "Still, I think you need to see him. This is too important to ignore."

Sighing, Ruby looked at her teammates. "Well, guys?"

Jaune ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. This is what we came here for, isn't it? But…" He still looked worried. "You're the Fall Maiden now. And you're injured. I don't like it. And I don't like what he did to Vale. He could've said something to Glynda, at least."

Glynda kept her eyes lowered to the floor, staring fiercely at it as though it would spit up Ozpin himself if she waited long enough.

"We came here to find answers," Ren said. "We can't just pack up and go back to Mistral without them. And what about Ruby?"

"Nothing's gonna happen to Ruby!" Nora declared, swinging her arm around Ruby's shoulders and pulling her close. "Because I don't care if it's a Grimm, or Torchwick, or Ozpin himself! If anyone tries to hurt Ruby, we're gonna kick their asses! Right guys?"

Jaune grinned at Nora's enthusiasm. The look he turned on her was serious despite his smile, though. "Well, what do you think? It's your call, Ruby. We'll have your back no matter what you decide."

Ruby leaned back against her pillow, exhausted by the conversation. She looked out the window towards the dreary sky; Vale never seemed to see a sunny day anymore since the battle three years ago.

Salem said I was a pawn… that we were all Ozpin's pawns.

Part of her was beginning to wonder how much of Salem's speech had been malicious lies designed to rile her up… and how much of it was close to the actual truth. She rubbed a hand across her forehead, her head pounding. When did everything get so complicated?

"Are you okay?" There was a furrow between Ren's normally expressionless eyebrows.

"Just a little tired," she said, giving her team a reassuring smile. "Probably because my body's older now."

"You feel older," Ren agreed, and Nora released Ruby to lean over and smack him on the arm. "Oww!"

"Ren, you jerk! You're not supposed to say that to a girl!"

"I didn't mean her face!" Ren grumbled. "It feels like Ruby grew up a little."

"It's okay, Nora. He's right… I am older now." She closed her eyes and tried to settle her thoughts. "I killed a person. I've been trying to justify it all day, but in the end… I did it for myself. I killed Neo because of my own wants and needs. Maybe people really are motivated by their greed, just like Salem said."

Ironwood started. "You shouldn't believe anything that creature says, Ruby. She's a master manipulator."

"And you aren't?" She laughed quietly at the expression that crossed his face. "Don't take it personally, sir. So what if people are greedy? Maybe the real question is whether we can turn all that greed into doing good things, even if it is just enlightened self-interest." She closed her eyes. "I thought I had all the answers before. That knowing the right thing to do was easy, that you just had to be brave enough to go for it. Roman's the one who showed me things are never really that simple. I want to see Ozpin. I want to know why he ran away. I want to know what he's planning, and I want to stop Salem." Opening her eyes, she met Ironwood's gaze. "So I'll go on your mission." She reached out and grabbed Jaune's hand, giving it a squeeze. "We all will... but only if Roman comes with us. He's been burned by your good intentions before… and I think we're gonna need his experience."

Ironwood frowned at her. "I think that decision is a mistake."

Glynda looked up from the floor. "That's because you're an idiot, James. Ms. Rose… get some rest. I can see you're exhausted." She smiled at Ruby. "I assure you, I'll do everything in my power to keep Mr. Torchwick safe and sound in the interim. Your team can leave whenever you feel ready." Her smile turned brittle. "Be sure to send Ozpin my regards when you see him." Then she straightened and her lips turned down into a fierce scowl. "Everyone. Out, now."

"Ruby… are you gonna be alright?" Jaune lingered by her bedside as the others began to file out of the room.

"Will any of us be?" she asked wearily. "I guess we'll find out as we go."

Notes

The bedtime story Jaune is reading to Ruby is "Little Red Riding Hood" of course.