The Grimm were gathering. Ruby didn't need to peek through the scope of Crescent Rose to figure that out. The line of black over the horizon was clear enough to the naked eye. Granted, everyone in Vale already knew that but this would be the first time that non-huntsmen would have seen it for themselves. Even if she did peek through said scope, she wasn't about to get the clearest viewpoints there. All she can make out from them is that they were moving among themselves as some portions of that line seemed thicker while others were thinner.

Stationed at the top of Vale's walls, Ruby cracked her fingers, annoyed at that one that just refused to sound. It was probably the cool breeze at this higher altitude. Yep. That was it. There totally wasn't anything else that was currently in her mind right now. Nope. Nothing at all.

"Ruby," Taiyang called.

Ruby screamed. She nearly dropped her beloved weapon. She held it tighter. It was a long drop and she wasn't about to let her baby go through any of that. Her father shook his head. He had a paper bag with him and Ruby managed to pick up a pleasant scent from it.

"Strawberry Chocolate-Chip Cookies," he said. "I know how much you like strawberries."

"Thanks dad." It didn't take long before Ruby vacuumed the bag empty. Her father didn't even get the chance to sit down before she finished.

"Nervous?"

"Who? Me? Nah. I'm a huntress now, dad. Why would I be nervous? I'm not nervous. Are you nervous? Cause I'm not. I eat Grimm for breakfast. I don't have a reason to be nervous…"

Ruby kept going on and on until she felt her throat dry. Her father had a bottle of water ready. Cookies were great but they certainly need a drink as accompaniment. Milk preferably but water is nice too.

"Better?"

"Better." Ruby could feel herself deflate. The tension she had was now gone.

Rather than continue speaking, Taiyang just let his daughter have her moment. While it felt like there was a torrent of thoughts rushing through her mind, nothing stuck around for long. As much as she would want to share it now, Ruby was drawing a blank.

Taiyang took this opportunity to sit next to his youngest daughter. "You know," he began. "It isn't a bad thing to be nervous. I think everyone feels that sometimes and I think that now, more than ever, would be the most acceptable thing to do."

"But should I?" Ruby asked. "Grimm are drawn to negativity, aren't they?"

"I think that is common knowledge, sweetie."

"It's also common knowledge that the Grimm didn't have a leader. Or that magic doesn't exist and that there are some super powered things that do… things."

Taiyang paused. "Okay, you got me there. But Grimm are still drawn to negativity. We've confirmed that much. They just… they just don't always act on it."

"Oh and I apparently have super powers?"

"Okay, I concede." Taiyang raised his hands. "Not everything we used to know is actually as applicable as we would have liked."

Ruby sighed. Not applicable as they would have liked indeed. She had been practicing her silver-eyed powers ever since learning of them but the most that she had ever accomplished was trying to push said eyes out of their eye sockets by staring too hard. Thank the Brothers that everyone else knew about that whenever she practiced. She can't even imagine the concerned looks Yang would give her when she was staring too hard at nothing.

"Didn't headmaster Ozpin had anything for stuff like this?" Ruby asked.

Taiyang shook his head. "The headmaster himself never quite understood them exactly. He had been looking for more silver-eyed warriors in an attempt to at least understand how they work. Maybe even come up with a guide. They're getting rarer and rarer."

Ruby could guess why. The reason for her apparent powers also painted a target on her back. She bit her lower lip. Was this why her mother had been targeted? Did she find some way to use it and Salem got to her? She didn't want to think that. She didn't want to imagine just what kind of end that her mother must have gone through.

Speaking of headmaster Ozpin, she still couldn't believe that Jaune and his team of all people were the ones that were sent after him. Sure it wasn't their main mission but she would have joined them anyway! If she could, she would have brought Yang and Blake with her too and Weiss as well.

I wonder how she's doing in Atlas? Ruby hasn't heard much from her partner. Messages through the CCT were still unlikely to be sent and though there was word that the repairs are going better and would open up again soon, it still feels days away.

"Hey don't beat yourself over it," Taiyang assured her. "So maybe you can't do it now. So long as you get to live long enough, maybe you'll find the answer later. Besides, rare doesn't mean extinct. Now go on and rest. Your sister didn't get much when you took over her shift."

Ruby stood and walked slowly away. She looked back to see a smiling Taiyang waving at her comfortingly. Her dad was strong. He would be fine. He managed to pick himself up after two marriages that didn't end well so he'll be fine.

She sighed relief when she managed to catch sight of a particular crow landing nearby. Yeah. They would be fine. What reason did she have to worry? She had been trained by them both. Ruby knew better than anyone, barring Yang maybe, just how tough her dad and uncle could be.

Getting down the walls was the difficult task. If Yang couldn't get any rest after walking down these stairs, then Ruby wouldn't do better given her semblance. While it had taken a minute or two before she managed to reach the bottom, it was still a short time when others would take ten if they had walked faster. She dreaded walking up.

Looking at the different mounted weapons, one could easily tell that they were recent additions. For one, the difference in hues and shades at the immediate surroundings of the outdated guns as opposed to the rest of the walls. Students of other prep schools and those that remained in Beacon could be found chatting amongst themselves. Volunteers from the civilian populace looked so small to them; they were small even to her despite their superior heights. It's a huntress thing.

There were a few tents and repurposed buildings meant to serve as a temporary home for those stationed here. While they could leave, Patch was an island. That place was empty of people having been evacuated here to Vale's cities.

Finding that their place of temporary residence empty, Ruby looked for Yang in the one place she knows that her older sister could be: the open space meant for training. True enough, there Yang was busy shadowboxing. Hey weren't those Ruby's headphones she was using? Never mind that, the blonde brawler was building up her own rhythm and maintaining it in a steady tempo. Her strikes lacked any power behind them; she was focusing more on her form.

Other huntsmen and huntresses were here as well. It seems like her sister wasn't the only who could rest. In an attempt to relax themselves, they opted to tire themselves out.

Yang stopped at the sight of her. She paused the music and looked away. Yep. Those were definitely her headphones.

"Hey Ruby," she said in-between pants. "Anything yet?"

Nearby huntsmen and huntresses heard that and paused. They would be disappointed when Ruby shook her head.

"Nope. Dad took over and Uncle Qrow is there with him."

Yang grabbed her bottle and wiped off the sweat. The odor was a familiar one to any huntsmen and huntresses. While it certainly is strong here despite the open space due to the number of huntsmen around, it was something everyone around was used to.

"Hey, where's Blake?" Ruby asked. "Haven't seen her on the way down."

"With Russel," Yang. "Did you know that he is actually a good hair-stylist?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. While she wasn't one to judge, there certainly were better-looking Mohawks than that their classmate had.

"I know." Her sister agreed. "I had that same reaction too. But apparently, he's pretty good. Even gave good recommendations. Does great trims to from what I hear."

"You're thinking of getting a trim?"

"I'll need to see proof first." Fair enough. Yang cares a lot about her hair and wouldn't risk it without seeing any evidence of that. Not like she would get that in this state. Yang needed to shower.

"Feeling tired yet?" Ruby asked.

"Yep." Yang popped the p. "These babies definitely needed a good workout before they tucker out."

The two half-sisters left the other huntsmen to their activities. Passing by nearby television displays, they managed to get a quick sight of news. Nothing new, mostly the same to keep the people happy and repel the Grimm with positivity.

They instead returned to their temporary place of residence. These were much closer to repurposed homes meant to house as many people as it can. For one, every bed here was a bunk bed which certainly was a bonus. However, the mattresses were rather thin in layers. If one were to move much on it, they could feel the bed frame. There was also one pillow each which didn't provide the best comfort. Ruby could definitely understand why anyone would have a hard time sleeping here. Good thing they brought their sleeping bags with them.

The views from the windows was lacking. All they could see were the walls of other, similar structures with the only difference being the placement of windows for some kind of privacy. Really, it was dull. It hadn't had much renovations since its repurpose. They were encouraged to actually decorate it as they pleased though which was nice.

Kitchens was practically non-existent here as there was an entirely separate section of it which reminded the two Rose-Xiao Long siblings of their time in Beacon, if Beacon's cafeteria were an outdoors one. That place was the best part as it had the most life to it.

Changing into her usual combat attire, Yang stepped out of that dreary place and, along with Ruby, made way past those kitchens and onto the more recreational area.

True to Yang's word, Russel was indeed found trimming people's hair. On the side, Blake can be seen admiring the rather pleasant bangs that Russel had given her. The ends of the faunus' hair was even curled neatly that made Yang whistle. Blake wasn't alone there either, there were a few who were sitting and clearly admiring the work he had done.

"Okay," she said. "I'm sold."

Ruby giggled. It wasn't the only thing that was being done here. There were crude paintings and impromptu concerns being held at different places in this open space. Different sorts of artistic expression could be found here; it was encouraged by everyone so to keep their spirits up. Some games were being played while others were being made.

None of it felt forced but much of it felt amateurish. Few of them were professionals and even less of them were actually satisfied with the end product. The musicians for example weren't the best vocalist and it shows whenever their voices cracked; it happened a fair amount of times, especially when a note was just a little too high.

The paintings fared better. While some appeared to be just a mish-mash of colors with no reason behind them, they were certainly pleasant enough to look at, at least. Others were crude drawings of whatever scenery that it was inspired from and some others that Ruby would actually consider putting down some lien for.

"Alright," Yang declared suddenly. "I'm up next!"

"Get in line." Russel only pointed to the others who were already impressed with Russel's work. So that's what they were sitting around for.

"What?" Yang shrugged. "Can't give special treatment to a fair lady?"

"I can." Russel nodded. "Do you know anyone?"

What followed was a predictable outcome. Russel face-flat on the floor, causing much laughter from everyone around them. He had his aura active that whole time. He knew what he was getting into and took it anyway.

"Worth it," he said, muffled on the ground.

Rather than be offended, Yang actually laughed along and pulled Russel back up and actually waited her turn. He was extra careful with hers and even had some level of respect for Yang's haircare routine.

"Surprised that something like this is actually really smooth." He was impressed with each stroke of Yang's hair.

"Thank you." Yang visibly beamed. "I try."

Ruby turned to go sit next to the other member of their team while Russel and Yang are on their way of becoming the best of friends in hairstyling and grooming.

"Like the new hair," Ruby said.

"Thanks," Blake replied. "Turned out better than I thought it would."

Blake wasn't wearing her bow here. Not only would it get in the way of styling but it was also a decision that Ruby, as the team leader and friend, couldn't be more proud of.

The refreshing breeze made this place the best part. The scent of water coming from the nearby streams certainly made that even better. Not enough for a fun swim but it was more for an immediate water supply. It made it appear like it was a camping trip much less an old barracks in need of cleaning.

Nope. Still nothing. Ruby had thought that maybe it had something to do with emotion and maybe by feeling something, she would be able to bring out even a hint of her powers. It didn't work. Maybe it needed some extreme emotions? She could be pretty extreme. Just have her and Yang duke it out in a fighting game and one could never say that Ruby Rose wasn't extremely emotional. Whether that is extremely euphoric or extremely distraught depends on the outcome of the match.

"Hey." Blake noticed the slight slump that her team leader was in. "No need to rush. If it doesn't come soon, you're still a huntress."

"Do it the old fashion way, huh?" Ruby returned. Blake had a point there. She still had her baby with her and if she can't bring out her super cool silver-eyed laser beams then she could always just reap them like she was sowing in fields ready for harvest. Yeah, she could always do that.

Suddenly, a huntsman, probably in-training judging from the age, came running. "News report," he said in-between pants. "The CCT is back online. But you guys won't believe who is speaking."

A sense of worry filled the members of team RWBY and the lone member of CRDL. The only upside to this is that Yang's hair was done. It was good though Ruby couldn't pinpoint exactly where.

A crowd of people were already gathered around the televisions that team RWBY, along with some others, had to resort to their scrolls to get any sort of coverage. What they had seen had shocked everyone else but failed to do so for them. After all, they already knew who that Grimm-skinned woman on the other side of the screen was.

"Hello, Remnant," Salem spoke. She sat on her throne but did not do so regally. If anything, she appeared rather casual about it as if it didn't matter at all what she was seen as. Then again, when you're a humanoid Grimm and revealing yourself to the world for the first time, you didn't really need to try hard. "Or rather, the peoples of Remnant. A pleasure to finally meet your acquaintance. I am Salem, Queen of the Grimm."

"She's so casual about it," Yang whispered. "What does she want?"

"I'll keep this brief," Salem said in a way that reminded team RWBY of the headmaster. "For many years, your kind has been fighting against mine. While you have certainly proved your worth, you have been nothing more to me than a mere nuisance at best."

Team RWBY, along with Russel, had to separate themselves from the group. Everyone was speaking over themselves or shushing one another as they tried to listen to Salem's words.

"However," Salem continued. "It has gotten a little dull as of late and most of you, I'm sure, have noticed that my Grimm have been moving away from your precious kingdoms. Of course, they have gathered again as you can probably already tell. See I have a simple proposition, one that would most definitely be appealing to your kind."

Team RWBY, and Russel, looked at one another. Each of them already knew of this. Each of them had been informed of this. Ruby, in particular, had been training her silver-eyed powers for this. While that had yet to bear fruit, she still had time to practice. Only, that time had gotten tremendously short.

Yang's fists tightened and relaxed. Blake's ear stiffened like she had worn her bow again. Russel might have been intimidating if he was gripping anything other than the water spray bottle that he had. The other huntsmen and huntresses continued to talk amongst themselves in loud whispers.

"One last, final battle." Salem shifted from her position with her elbows on her knees. Her fingers were intertwined. "Or rather, one more war between our kind. A war greater than what you people had called the Great War. A true War to End all Wars."

The earth beneath them began to rumble. It wasn't an earthquake that was causing this. As birds flew away overhead, everyone who bothered to look up the walls could see the figures stationed there frantically moving about. No voices can be heard for they were too far. Even if they weren't, none would be heard over that rumbling like drums. Drums that sounded in the distance.

The Grimm were coming.

AN: Small thing but with how often Ruby is associated with chocolate, I was surprised to learn about her preferences of strawberries.