It was just one thing after another for Ruby and her team, their crash landing had somehow worked and now there were grimm coming out of every crack in the street. What's more, there were civilians that were trying to escape as they were in the middle of Vale. That was going to be hard to do given the number of grimm that surrounded the area, some of them dangerous and others were extremely dangerous.
To make matters worse, it seemed like Ruby and her team as well as Doctor Oobleck were the only hunters in the vicinity, so it would be up to them to clear the place out. Ruby didn't doubt her abilities or her teammates, they might irritate her but they fight pretty well. She was a bit worried about Yang though since she seemed to be a bit beat up but she knew Yang was to stubborn to back down. Plus, they had Doctor Oobleck a licensed huntsman, everything would be fine, and her boss and friend were on their way.
"They're all lined up, let's knock em down." Ruby commanded as she charged, her team doing the same thing after rolling their eyes.
Ruby attacked a group of grimm that were circling her, using crescent rose in her dual pistol form so her shots could go multiple directions. While dodging grimm swipes one after another with her flexibility, Ruby's precision showed its face as she hit all the grimm in the head causing them to disintegrate. Weiss was able to take out a group of grimm as well as Blake, so did Yang but Yang did not think her strategy through as she was in the air and flying grimm were coming at her.
'Sigh, I have to do EVERYTHING around here.' Ruby thought annoyed as she put Crescent Rose in her sniper form.
Ruby was able to take care of the three grimm coming at Yang without harming her cousin, who was able to rebound and land on the ground with ease. As Ruby expected she didn't get a thank you from Yang just a glare and a huff before she went back to attacking. Ruby rolled her eyes in amusement, her cousin was so prideful and prone to anger that it would be awhile before she got over what upset her. It was fine with Ruby though, Yang's opinions no longer mattered to her.
The fight went on and Ruby was about to take down a giant snake grimm before Nora showed up and smacked it on the head with her hammer. Ruby shrugged, that was one way to take care of it she supposed and thankfully Nora didn't damage anything else, yet. The rest of team JNPR appeared and Pyrrha took charge, causing Jaune to pout to Ruby's amusement. The three trained fighters started kicking grimm ass while Jaune just stood there wondering what to do against a grimm and Ruby pinched her temples.
"Jaune, SWING THE SWORD!" Ruby said annoyed at the boy who yelped but then did as he was told.
Soon after the grimms head was off and Ruby nodded in approval before dashing off to take care of the other grimm. She knew that Jaune was the weakest of the fighters, but that sword could still get the job done if he didn't hesitate. There were more that joined the party, Sun Wukong and his dorky friend Neptune who started killing Grimm with style or whatever they called it. Team CFVY showed up with Professor Port and they were definitely a big help.
The most terrifying addition was Professor Goodwitch who when pissed off was more dangerous than any grimm imaginable. And like everyone thought, she was throwing grimm left and right with the force of a moving truck. She also fixed the wreckage in the street thanks to her semblance, so things were finally looking up for them. That was until more grimm starting appearing and everyone collectively groaned, here they go again.
"Gah there is no end to them!" Yang said angrily and Ruby was about to agree until she looked to the sky.
"No worries, we got this." Ruby said simply as she pointed to the sky.
Everyone around Ruby was confused until their eyes widened as they saw multiple airships coming into view. The ships opened and there were multiple Atlesian soldiers that were ready for battle, but one ship was fronted by three familiar women ready to fight. They led the way as they jumped down and started handling the grimm in the city. Mira was taking grimm out using her claws, while her bosses were using their staff and naginata respectively take care of the others.
"Are we late?" Mira asked Ruby with a wink.
"Just in time!" Ruby said with a smirk as she helped them.
While they did that, the others were astonished by what they were seeing Ruby and those other women do, her team especially. Were these the women that were in charge of Ruby's new unit? They were not at all what they expected, they looked to be even younger than Professor Goodwitch! Then there was the girl who they saw in the party picture with Ruby, Mirajane Strauss? She definitely was a great huntress in the making, tearing grimm to shreds with her claw weapons.
Weiss was the only one not taking in the sights of the three new huntresses who joined the fray, but instead looked at them with anger and scrutiny. It was hard enough to hear that her crush wanted Ruby to give him Mira's number, but seeing her in person was something Weiss didn't need at the moment. She hadn't seen her in years, but Mira was clearly taking good care of herself, the girl was so beautiful and had an amazing figure.
To say Weiss felt jealous was an understatement, but then she turned her attention to two women that were supposedly in charge of the Intelligence Unit Ruby and Mira were a part of. She had no idea who the woman in the Chinese outfit was, but the one with white hair seemed very familiar. The women were very skilled and it was amazing to see the black haired woman use her staff better than Sun Wukong did.
Everyone was taking out the grimm, but Ruby and the other three were doing most of the work. It was dying down until one grimm that was bigger than they had seen today showed up. Upon seeing this Ruby clenched her weapon tight, if they got rid of this grimm than the small remainder would be easy to take care of. Then Ruby widened her eyes as she realized she forgot something important, Roman Torchwick was still in that train, or God she hoped he was.
"Ma'am, Mira and I can handle this and the rest of them. Roman Torchwick is still on that train passed out, you two go retrieve him! We can't lose him or else he might disappear!" Ruby said as her bosses widened their eyes.
"Very well, good luck you two!" Sindel said as she and Litchi went into the train rubble to get their suspect.
"Wanna try that new move we worked on?" Mira asked with a smirk and Ruby smirked back.
"Hell yeah, let's take out the trash!" Ruby exclaimed and the two friends got in position.
Mira's semblance allowed her to give herself a devil like appearance that came with a buff so to speak. It was perfect for her close combat attacks, but it was only strong while she was in that form so she had to use it carefully. She and Ruby dashed towards the grimm; Ruby used her semblance to slice all the smaller grimm around the larger one before propelling in the air. When she was above the snake grimm, Ruby put Crescent Rose in dual form and let the bullets fly.
Every single bullet hit the grimm and stunned it as Ruby used her electric bullets, and now it was Mira's turn. Mira used her speed and contacted the target, and by using her buffed strength she sliced at it with fury. The grimm was sliced to pieces but was still trying to hang on, until Ruby had landed on the ground and used her pistol to shot the Grimm's head while she wasn't even looking. After the display of badass-ness, Mira returned to normal and the grimm disintegrated.
"Well, if looks could kill, oh but they just did!" Mira said with a wink and Ruby smiled.
"Damn right!" Ruby said happily as the two high fived.
As the two celebrated, the WBY and the others could not believe what just happened. They were struggling with the grimm, but Ruby and this new girl had them handled like they were nothing. How is it that Ruby had met this girl a month ago and they were in perfect sync doing whatever that move was? It's like they had been doing that move for months! And this girl was clearly no slouch, it made them wonder how strong the other members of this new unit were.
Besides the WBY, Team JNPR was amazed at how good Ruby had become at fighting and that her fighting style was different now. You could just tell how confident she was as she barely hesitated in attacking and it seemed like her moves were thought out. They thought about the comments they made about Ruby and how stupid they sounded now. They said Ruby sucked at hand to hand, well that didn't seem to matter much did it?
"How did you two do that?" Blake asked as the WBY approached the duo.
"What that move we did? We came up with it during our training one day when we were in Atlas." Mira said nonchalantly as she twirled her white hair.
"What?! How could you two possibly manage to make a move like that when you were only there for two weeks?" Yang asked dumbfounded.
"It's easy when you're both professionals and easy to work with, hint-hint." Ruby said annoyed as Yang glared at her.
"Mira." Weiss acknowledged her old classmate with disdain.
"And good morrow to you princess." Mira retorted with the same tone and a roll of her eyes.
"Since we are asking questions, let me ask one since everything is fine now. Why did you all completely ignore the order I gave you? I told you I was going to be back and I was on the way back before you all completely messed everything up!" Ruby said angrily and her team looked just as angry.
"You're the one who left without saying anything, how were we supposed to know that you were on your way back?!" Blake asked angrily.
"That's what the note said didn't it?" Ruby asked irritated.
"We didn't think that you could handle it by yourself and it's your fault for not telling us of your plan! Who gave you the authority to do things on your own like that?!" Weiss asked angrily but was interrupted by a cold voice.
"That would be me." A cold and familiar voice said as three figures were approaching the group.
The WBY turned in a scared motion to see two women and a familiar man walking towards them. One had long white hair but it was more silky than Mira's and she was dressed in all black with a makeshift spear on her back. The other was dressed in all red and had Chinese design, she wore glasses with a staff attached to her hip. The man between them was the one behind all this Roman Torchwick, and he looked like he had been roughed up by the two women as he was in handcuffs.
"Ah Roman, did you have a nice nap?" Ruby asked with a smirk as Torchwick scoffed.
"Oh yes Red very funny, who are these ladies your new baby sitters?- YOW!" Roman yelped as Litchi extended her staff on his foot.
"Be silent you, you'll have plenty of time to talk when we are back in Atlas. Soldier, take him to the ship!" Litchi ordered.
"Yes ma'am!" The soldier complied and grabbed Roman.
"Oh, I can't wait, I hear Atlas is lovely this time of year! Hey watch the hat!" Roman grumbled as he was carried away.
"Now that that's over with, allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Special Agent Sindel Diamond, I lead the Intelligence Unit in Atlas and this is my second-in-command Agent Litchi Faye Ling. You are all Ruby's team correct, she's told me a lot about you and I have read your files." Sindel informed them as she narrowed her eyes and the WBY fidgeted under her glare.
"Whatever Ruby said about us it's not true!" Yang exclaimed and the two nodded, believing Ruby talked bad about them.
"Oh I'm well aware, after all Ruby said that you three were dependable but after today I can clearly see she was wrong. Disobeying orders, trying to pry yourselves into a confidential investigation, and creating messes that could have serious consequences. That doesn't sound very dependable to me, and you are lucky that we showed up or things could have been worse. Do you not understand the situation that you all made today?" Sindel asked angrily and the WBY widened their eyes.
"She's right you know, we had everything under control when it came to this assignment and Ruby got us all the evidence we needed to stop Torchwick's plan in a controlled and less destructive manner. But then you all denied Ruby's wishes and made yourselves vulnerable targets as well as alerting them when all you had to do was standby. If Roman Torchwick had escaped we would not be able to find him again and our investigation would be ruined and innocents would suffer further. What would you feel if that happened? Would you still blame Ruby for doing her job?" Litchi asked with anger as the WBY flinched.
Admittedly, they probably could have handled the situation better, but it just made them so mad. They hated that Ruby was keeping secrets from them, no matter how they felt about each other they were a team right? So, what if she was a part of a unit, they should be in the know as well so that they could help. Maybe they just were not used to the new Ruby yet, as they one they knew would have immediately told them no matter what.
What really shocked them was that Ruby still went to bat for them after all the things they said about her and how she felt about them. It really let them know that she wasn't joking, she really was going about her job and life professionally. They felt bad that they screwed up her mission, but they also felt like she could have included them in it. Then again, the way this lady described how they were going to go about it did seem like the safer solution. Just then a voice spoke up.
"Special Agent Diamond and Agent Faye Ling, my name is Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck. Please, you must forgive me for this blunder on this mission as I was the one chaperoning them. We all saw the note that Miss Rose left but the three were adamant and I was afraid they would go on their own. Please accept my full apology for this mistake and the chance that we may have ruined your investigation." Oobleck stated as he bowed his head.
"Doctor Oobleck it's not your fault at all." Ruby said as she was sad for her teacher.
"Ruby is correct Doctor Oobleck, you made a judgment call because you knew they would probably go anyway. They are the ones who completely disregarded their team leader's request and here we are now." Sindel said simply and Weiss glared at her.
"Look we may have screwed up, but why shouldn't we be in the know if we are Ruby's team?!" Weiss asked indignantly.
"Because this is a private investigation that has escalated quickly and it just keeps going, the only ones in the know are the ones apart of this unit and General Ironwood. There are 7 other members of this unit besides Ruby, all who have teams of their own in their respective schools. All of their teams are fine with their teammates status in the unit and the fact that information is classified. So, what makes it different for you three?" Litchi asked as she glared at them.
The WBY flinched under the glare and wanted to respond but no words came out of either girl's mouth. There was nothing that they could say to that, if every other team was fine with it why couldn't they be? They did want to argue that those other teams weren't in the situation that team RWBY was, but then they would have to explain what caused that situation. If they did, they would not be in any better position with these two women, so they kept their mouths shut.
"That is what I thought, listen I will make something very clear. I am not sure what sort of problems you have with my detective, but they will NOT intervene in this investigation. Ruby is an important member of this unit, and she is trusted with valuable information, like the seven other members. That information is confidential and unless I allow it will not be shared with anyone outside of the unit. And if you try to pester her or due something to gain it yourself, I will put you in prison. And unlike in your head Miss Schnee, I do have the power to do that." Sindel said in a cold tone that caused the WBY to shiver.
"Y-you wouldn't dare! I'll tell Winter!" Weiss argued and both women chuckled.
"Oh sweetheart, she knows where my office is and that I will slam the door in her face." Sindel said amused as Weiss was about to retort but a voice broke them up.
"Now, now there is no need for this Special Agent Diamond. I will be sure to have a very serious talk with these three in my office when we are back at Beacon." Glynda Goodwitch said as she glared at the WBY who started sweating, they were so in for it now.
"I see, then I will leave it to you Professor Goodwitch. Now then, that's enough nonsense for one day, Ruby and Mira get on the ship we need to get back to Atlas to interrogate Torchwick. It's still early in the day so we will have plenty of time to find out what he knows and make a plan. Ruby you will probably be back at Beacon early tomorrow, you kept a change of clothes at the office, right?" Sindel asked her detectives.
"Yes ma'am!" Ruby said in confirmation.
"Good, let's go." Sindel said as the three other women walked towards the ship.
Ruby didn't even spare a glance at the glaring WBY or Nora Valkyrie as she followed her bosses and her friend onto the ship. This is what they were waiting for and they were one step closer to solving this case and making Vale and probably the world safe again. They could get answers out of Torchwick, Ruby was sure of it as he talked a big game but once he saw what they had on them, he was sure to want to best deal.
What Ruby really wanted to know how Torchwick got involved with terrorists like Cinder Fall and the White Fang. Both those groups wanted to do something to damage the world but Roman just wanted to make some cash. She wondered what in the world could convince him to join with such dangerous people, she also wondered where that ice cream haired henchwoman of hers was. It wouldn't matter as she couldn't infiltrate an Atlas prison, no matter how skilled she was. Ruby got on the ship and it was preparing to take off until the four women heard a scream.
"TRAITOR!" A voice yelled and the members of the intelligence unit turned to look.
It was a member of the White Fang, she looked to be a chameleon faunus with brown hair that was in a pony tail. More importantly, she was yelling at someone, Ruby's teammate Blake Belladonna. Blake looked at the girl with wide eyes, Ruby could tell that they knew each other and she had a pretty good guess how. Weiss and Yang went beside her and the other students there went to back Blake.
"You'll pay for your betrayal!" The faunus said as she escaped from the guards and ran towards Blake, only to stop at a bullet being shot in front of her.
Blake and the others looked at who shot at the ground to see Ruby Rose with her gun out and a pissed off expression in her face. The chameleon Faunus looked terrified; it seemed like a bounty hunter was in front of her. The ones that knew her were equally shocked, especially her teammates, they had never seen the look of pure fury that was on Ruby's face. It really did seem like the sweet girl who loved cookies was gone and this was the new one.
"That's quite enough, who the hell are you?" Ruby asked her gun still pointed at the Faunus who was grabbed by the soldiers.
"Ma'am, there were no other survivors from the White Fang in that train crash, just her." He informed Ruby as everyone looked shocked.
No one else from the White Fang survived, just this girl? They all knew the White Fang were crazy but they had to have known how dangerous this was. Were they really so hellbent on getting the world's attention and payback just to die in the process? It was scary to Ruby, she wondered if Blake was the same way when she was in the group. Speaking of, Ruby knew that thanks to the chameleon girl's outburst, Blake's secret was going to be exposed. Knowing she had to do something, she looked to her boss.
"What do you think? Let the Vale police take her or take her with us to Atlas alongside Torchwick?" Ruby asked Sindel.
"We're taking her with us, she might shine some light on our suspect." Sindel commanded and Ruby nodded.
"Bring her on here." Ruby told the soldier and he complied.
Ruby and Mira put the struggling girl in the cockpit where Roman was, making jokes as usual. Ruby rolled her eyes, she couldn't wait to see Roman's face when they got to the prison and he saw his friends. As the ship went into the sky, both the WBY and Team JNPR watched with shock still on their faces. Honestly, had Ruby really changed that much? Some of them still hoped that it was just an act to get on their nerves after she heard them that night, but apparently not.
It really did seem like there was truth behind Ruby's words, she wasn't just trying to act tough. She really was being a professional, it spoke through her actions. Still, it was hard to see and believe how a sweet girl who loved cookies turned into that, especially for the WBY. They were still angry at Ruby for keeping secrets, but they couldn't help but marvel at her skill as well as that Mira girl's. Their attention was taken by their professor who glared at them.
"My office, NOW!" Glynda Goodwitch said with a thunderous voice as the WBY gulped, they were so in for it now.
IN ATLAS
Ruby woke up to the sound of the bullhead landing, she and Mira took naps because they had a lack of sleep from the night before. Sindel and Litchi chuckled, they might have been their detectives, but the girls were still children. After moving the two prisoners to the transport, they rode to the Atlas maximum security prison. Roman Torchwick was getting on their nerves with his constant jokes and insults, but they would wipe the smirk off his face.
Speaking of Roman, he wasn't scared in the slightest or worried about his current predicament. Things were all going to plan, he wasn't going to be here long. He may not have liked Cinder or those brats be he did trust them to get him out of here and go into phase 2 of the plan. What really freaked him out though was Red, it was like she was a completely different person. Usually, she was just an annoying brat who ruined his plans with that equal as annoying team of hers.
Now though, it was like she didn't even need her team and she was skilled enough to take care of things on her own. It still frightened him how easily she took out that huge White Fang grunt and how intimidating she was when interrogating him. Just what happened to Red in these past few months? And who were these women with her? Roman felt like she was going to become an even greater pain in his ass but it wouldn't matter in the end.
They got to the Maximum-Security Prison, Sindel swiped her ID in the reader and the guards let them inside. In this prison held some of the most dangerous criminals the world had ever seen, but Ruby and the other women had their weapons so they weren't intimidated in the slightest. In fact, they were just annoyed as most of the male prisoners were catcalling them. They paid them no attention though as they got in the elevator and went up.
The top level had rarely been used, as it was for criminals that the Atlas higher ups like Ironwood considered too dangerous to be included with other prisoners. It negated all aura so semblances would be useless and as of last night three prisoners took the vacancy. And in a few moments two would be joining them, since the cells had cameras in them Sindel and Litchi hoped they would secretly spill some info. Roman Torchwick's insufferable comments broke the silence.
"My this place could use a good makeover, do the cells come with Wi-Fi?-" Torchwick began to snark until the doors opened and his eyes were as wide as a fish.
This had to be a joke, right? There is no way that he was seeing what he was seeing. Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai were all in cells and looking at him with wide eyes. This couldn't be happening; their plan was going so well and they were going to complete it. Now it seemed to all be in shambles as they were in a maximum security prison in the most technological place in the world. What really put the icing on the cake was General Ironwood standing in the middle, with that victorious smirk on his face.
"What's the matter Roman? No more jokes? Shame they were growing on me." Ruby taunted with a smirk.
"Good work intelligence unit, you continue to impress me day by day. Mr. Torchwick, we have been waiting for you, it seems the gang is almost all here! Oh, it seems we have another guest, who might you be?" Ironwood asked eyeing the chameleon faunus.
"Screw you!" The girl spat as James just looked amused.
"We haven't been able to get a name just yet, but she was the only survivor of the White Fang from that train crash earlier. Probably knows a lot about their plans if that had gone the way they wanted." Mira said victoriously.
"I don't disagree Detective Strauss, let's bring her in for interrogation first seeing as though we may not need the rest to find out what we want. Mr. Torchwick we will give you a few minutes to get comfortable in your new home." General Ironwood taunted as one of the guards threw him in the cell.
"Oh my, it seems orange is none of your colors, what a shame." Ruby taunted the four prisons who sent death glares to the redhead.
"This isn't over!" Mercury yelled but they all laughed.
"That's what people say when it's over!" Mira taunted with a wink as they all got on the elevator, leaving the prisoners to their misery.
The four sat in their secluded cells in silence for a few minutes, all of them angry at the events that had transpired over the last 48 hours. Their plan had gone so smoothly and it really looked like it was going to go off without a hitch, but it had just blown up in their face. Cinder was the most furious, as it looked like she wasn't going to get her hands on the maiden power, something she desperately wanted. Roman was furious as well, seeing as though his escape plan was in the cell next to him.
"OK, what the fuck happened?!" Roman asked with total rage.
"We got figured out." Mercury said bitterly and Roman rolled his eyes.
"No shit dumbass, I meant how?!" Roman asked angrily and Emerald glared at him.
"Your friend Dexter DeShawn, he totally screwed us over!" Emerald seethed and Roman widened his eyes.
"Wh-what does he have to do with this? He's dead and I was watching over him the whole time we were in business. He didn't rat to anyone and he didn't have any shady deals, I made sure of it." Torchwick argued but was shot down when he saw Cinder's face filled with rage.
"None of that matters you idiot! Dexter DeShawn was recording all our plans and conversations the whole time he was working with us! He had technology planted in his nervous system, and thanks to you and that emo the Atlas soldiers found his body and extracted all the information! Ruby had been watching us for weeks and we didn't even notice! And now we are screwed!" Cinder yelled with rage and Roman looked gob smacked.
Torchwick couldn't believe it, they had to be messing with him, right? He had heard all of the talk about fixers like Dexter DeShawn getting technology implanted in their nervous system, but that was just a rumor, wasn't it? It's what they said so that people wouldn't even think about crossing them, Roman never thought that it was true. That's why he didn't worry about DeShawn and was just using him for data and some extra muscle.
However, as Roman saw the looks on his accomplices faces, he knew that they were telling the truth. For the first time in a while, Roman felt scared as he wondered what his future was going to be. If Ironwood had the information DeShawn had stored, then he likely wouldn't need Roman or the other three for anything else. Maybe just some small details, if they were worth that is. Hell, he may just keep them in these cells forever.
"Sigh…what do they know?" Roman asked defeated.
"At first they only knew that we were working together and that we had a plan, but they are starting to piece things together more and more. We got caught at the dance last night, Ruby and this other detective stopped Cinder from implanting the virus into the tower's mainframe. Mercury and I were just dancing and next thing we know a bunch of Atlesian soldiers burst through the door with their guns drawn. Ruby and that other guy were pushing Cinder in handcuffs, and then Ironwood looked at us with that victorious smirk on his face, he knew everything." Emerald said sadly.
"What the hell happened to Red anyway? Since when was she a detective? I mean I barely even recognized her, she used to be just some annoying kid and now she has the skill and aura of a bounty hunter! And what is this unit even about?" Roman asked frustrated and Cinder groaned.
"We aren't sure, even we hadn't seen her much in the past few months, we saw her team a lot but not her. We're just as surprised as you are with her new appearance and her new skills, clearly she has gotten stronger. As for this unit we are not sure either, but we know those two women seem to be in charge of it. And the unit doesn't have actual soldiers, they are students like Ruby who are extremely skilled. We don't know how many there are, but we know that it's Ruby, the boy she was with last night and the white-haired girl you just saw." Cinder informed him and Mercury spoke up.
"Torchwick, how did you get caught? And what did that girl mean we she said that faunus was the only survivor from the train crash? What train crash?" Mercury asked and Roman put his face in his cuffed hands.
"Like always, Red and her just an annoying team found us in the southeast region at our hideout. In an effort to make a great escape, I initiated the plan for the train cars a bit early. None of it mattered though as Red and her team, mostly Red, were able to take out the White Fang and the mechs they brought. And I don't know how they did it, but other huntsman showed up and took care of the grimm the exploding train cars brought." Roman said irritated.
"So even that plan was foiled?!" Cinder asked with rage.
"Unfortunately, yes. Is there any sort of leverage that we have with these people?" Roman asked hopeful and Emerald sighed.
"The only thing that we know that they don't is the identity of Dexter DeShawn's killer, but I'm not sure how much longer that will be the case. The brought that Faunus girl up and not you for a reason." Emerald sad sadly and everyone looked defeated.
They were screwed, there was no way around it. They had very little leverage with these people and they knew soon they wouldn't have leverage at all. Even if that chameleon faunus didn't tell them anything, they knew it was only as matter of time before Adam Taurus did something stupid and put himself on the map. And thanks to Ruby, Atlas would likely be on the lookout for Neopolitan, so that ruled out that escape. It really seemed like the criminals were going to be there for a while.
BEACON ACADEMY, GLYNDA GOODWITCH'S OFFICE
Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long were nervously standing in front of a very irritated Professor Goodwitch. They knew that they were about to be yelled at, but could she really blame them and not Ruby? Ruby was the one who was keeping secrets, said all that crap about them and was purposely distancing herself from them. They said they were sorry, so why were they still being treated like the bad guys? They all gave their attention to their professor when she started speaking.
"You know I am very disappointed in you three, I thought that the talk we had was going to make things better but so clearly not. As if it wasn't bad enough that you all said all that garbage about Miss Rose, ignored her to the point that you didn't even realize her growth and change, and now you interfere with her work? Honestly, what is the problem that all of you have with Ruby to act this way towards her? Were the tears you shed in this office just fake?" Glynda asked angrily and the girls flinched.
"Look, we are sorry for trying to get information about a serious investigation but it's Ruby's fault! She shouldn't have been keeping secrets from us, aren't we a team? We could've helped her!" Blake argued but was shot down by Glynda's glare.
"So let me get this straight, seven other teams were fine with not being involved in this but you all felt like you should have been? Involved in something that even Professor Ozpin and I didn't know about? How entitled are you three?!" Glynda asked in frustration.
The WBY widened their eyes before looking down, understanding their professor's point. It was true now that they heard it, they were acting entitled but they were just so used to Ruby telling them everything. Now that she was keeping secrets, the girls didn't like it one bit especially since they felt like their leader should tell them things. And they were already investigating Torchwick and the White Fang, so couldn't they have helped. Though maybe the way Blake had acted before prevented Ruby from doing that.
"Listen Professor Goodwitch we shouldn't have interfered but all of us were angry and to answer your question those tears were real! We were sad during those two weeks when Ruby was gone and we couldn't wait until she got home so we could apologize! And she ignored all of our texts throughout those two weeks and when she came back, she refused our apology! She even said hurtful things about us and called me an Ice Bitch! So, excuse us if we were tired of being disrespected." Weiss said angrily but Glynda did not flinch.
"I will speak to her about the language used, but it doesn't surprise me. An explosion of anger like that only comes when said anger has been kept in for so long, just like it was for Ruby. Also, you all may have said sorry with your mouths, but you haven't shown it with your actions. That's what Ruby believes and quite frankly I agree with her." Glynda said and the WBY looked hurt and confused.
"What do you mean by that?" Yang asked.
"I mean that you all did say you were sorry, but your actions lately have made those apologies seem invalid. Professor Ozpin and I called Ruby up here yesterday to discuss the events of the previous night and I took the liberty to ask how things have been going between you guys. She told me that she received no words of thanks or congratulations from you on stopping those villains. Instead, she was met with anger about her keeping a critical investigation a secret and also the fact that she is in a relationship. I hear that it's her fault that you aren't in one Miss Schnee? Let me ask an important question, in what world is Ruby having a personal life more dangerous than terrorists at this school?!" Glynda asked in frustration.
Weiss and Blake were about to respond but bit their lips as they knew Professor Goodwitch had a point. The more they thought about it the more they felt foolish, they really were more worried about Ruby having a boyfriend than her stopping terrorists? They wanted to smack themselves in the face, they might have been angry at Ruby, but they should have at least thanked her. The third member of team RWBY didn't see it that way though…
"OK fine we should have at least congratulated Ruby and thanked her for what she was able to do. Still, we aren't in the wrong! Ruby had then nerve to go out with some guy that none of us have even met! She's only sixteen, she isn't ready to start dating yet!" Yang said angrily and her teammates nodded.
"I wasn't aware there was a starting age for dating, nor was I aware that someone needs another person's approval for it. So let me get this straight, there is a recording of you all begging for Ruby to stay out of your personal lives but you all think you have a say in hers? What kind of sense does that even make?" Glynda asked annoyed as her student glared at her.
"The difference is that we are older, and she is too young to date! It doesn't matter what we said about her, I am her big sister and I am supposed to look after her! And she does something so irresponsible like this!" Yang growled and Glynda rolled her eyes.
"Gods this again, age is a number Miss Xiao Long it does not define everything as I hoped you would. Ruby is a very pretty girl, so it is natural that boys are attracted to her and her getting in a relationship is part of life. She does need to check with you like you are her parent or parole officer. They also seem to get along quite well so what exactly is the problem?" Glynda asked.
"The problem is we know nothing about this guy!" Yang said angrily.
"But Ruby does, and she is the one in the relationship. And this is just a guess, but I am assuming that Ruby has known none of the boys that you date. Am I right about that? Or do you go through the same process you want her to go through?" Glynda asked and Yang glared at her.
The answer was obvious with that glare, but Yang would never admit it publicly. It was true, Ruby had barely known the boys that Yang dated. The only thing she knew was that they never lasted very long and there would always be a new one. With Ruby though, Yang felt like it was different because she was the older sister. She had every right to know who her little sister was hanging around, no matter how grown-up Ruby had seemed.
"That glare tells me all I need to know, honestly Miss Xiao Long when are you going to think with your brain instead of your fists? If you did then-" Glynda began to lecture only to be interrupted by a scream.
"SHUT UP!" Yang yelled with venom as her teammates looked at her in shock.
"Excuse me?" Glynda said coldy as her eyes narrowed.
"You don't get it! None of you get it…" Yang said softly as she ran out the room, slamming the door shut.
The three remaining huntresses stared at the door in shock at the girls outburst, they had never seen that side of her. Weiss and Blake felt for their friend, they knew she was angry at Ruby keeping secrets and having a boyfriend but they never thought it was this bad. Glynda felt a little bad for being so harsh on the girl but she had enough of this tomfoolery with the WBY. It had to be said to get them to see what they have been doing and that it is wrong.
"Any other outbursts?" Glynda asked in a welcoming tone.
Weiss and Blake looked at each other, understanding that their teacher was inviting them to vent their frustrations. Maybe that is what needed to happen, for them to truly express their anger and learn how to move on from it. It might also help them release some of the guilt they felt inside for starting the whole thing between them and their team leader. Ruby let out her frustrations and felt better, why wouldn't it work for them? Having it settled, Weiss started speaking.
"Look, I get it ok? I am not a good friend, especially to Ruby and these past few weeks have made me realize it. It's true what she said, nothing that she does is ever good enough for me and I do like being harsh to her and treating her like a child. I just don't like feeling inferior to someone, especially to a girl who is younger than me and got moved ahead two years, as well as obtaining the leadership position. What's worse is that she is so carefree, she doesn't seem to take it as serious as I do.
So yes, her attitude and antics made me angry to the point that when Yang suggested we all go out without her I immediately accepted. It was just nice to get a break from Ruby, I didn't think that anything bad was going to happen! I thought that she was just used to all of us leaving that it was going to become routine and she would just find something else to do. I didn't care about her feelings toward the matter, I just brushed it off as her being immature.
I never expected a change like this to come! I never expected Ruby to become so cold to us and not care about anything that we say! She doesn't talk to us anymore; we never know anything that is going on with her. Also, she managed to become so skilled in the months we ignored that she managed to get a role in an Atlas Intelligence Unit over everyone else in Beacon? How am I supposed to react to that knowing all the hard work I have put in? Why must everything be about her?!
And to make matters worse she gains this incredible figure and physique that make her look like a super model? Then she leaves for Atlas without telling us and comes back being in a relationship? I've waited forever for Neptune to ask me out, and Ruby can get a date by having this handsome guy take a good look at her? I'm sick of being inferior and I'm sick of all the good things happening to Ruby and for her to act like they aren't that big a deal!" Weiss vented.
Glynda and Blake looked at the frustrated girl, now having a better understanding of why she was always so critical of Ruby. Both thought it was a bit foolish but then again, the two did have very different personalities. And it was true, Ruby never was one to brag or even cheer about her accomplishments, they just came with the job for her. Hell, if it wasn't for the attack at the dance her team would never have even known she had a boyfriend. Glynda was about to retort but the Schnee Heiress spoke again.
"Having said that, I know what I am really angry about and that is me. I promised Ruby that I would be a better teammate and that I would believe in her ability as a leader. Yet that promise lasted all but a week and a half and I was back to my old ways. It's why part of me doesn't blame her for not accepting our apology when she came back. How is she supposed to know that we won't go back to our old ways if she accepts our apology.
I haven't been a good teammate either, just look at that finishing move that she and Mira did earlier. Ruby and I don't have that good of chemistry and we are partners! And she has tried to make our teamwork better but my knack for perfection has hindered it. Look, I know that I need to get better and I need to treat her better but it's not going to come all at once! Especially if I'm called an Ice Bitch, even though I know I deserve it. Why can't Ruby just give us a chance?!" Weiss asked sadly.
She had to admit, she felt better after pouring her heart out and she understood her foolishness as of late. Blaming Ruby for not telling them about the investigation? That was her job, they had no business of knowing as they were not apart of the intelligence unit. Getting angry with her about having a boyfriend? It was none of their business who Ruby was dating and if they were on better terms she would have told them. It really made Weiss facepalm, who could blame Ruby after all they had done?
"Do you feel better?" Glynda asked calmly.
"I do, I really do." Weiss admitted and Glynda smiled a little.
"That's good, your turn Miss Belladonna." Glynda motioned to Blake who took a deep breath.
Admittedly, Blake was hesitant about venting to her teammate and her teacher because of the private person she was. But after seeing how much better Weiss felt after letting everything out, Blake knew that she had to do it as well. Especially because there was a lot of guilt that she was carrying ever since she found out that Ruby had heard them that night. They had to resolve this issue with Ruby, and this was the first step in doing it.
"I know that Ruby is angry with us and to be honest I don't blame her. I mean all of her friends neglecting her week after week and then talking bad about her across the hall? Not even thinking that she could be listening on the other side of the door? Every time I think about that I feel sick to my stomach. And what Weiss said is the same for me, I didn't think anything of it! I just thought that since Ruby was younger and not as mature she would be a burden to us and it would be nice to get a break from her.
But of course, she's Ruby and she has to prove everyone wrong. She matured in the time that we neglected her to the point that we can't even recognize her. Then she goes to Atlas to join a unit and immediately makes friends, they even invite her out. We saw a picture of her and her new friends, all of them are gorgeous and the girls are older than her, but they don't even care about her age. All they care about is that she is Ruby and that's what matters the most.
It gave me the harsh reality that Ruby is mature and she can make friends, it's just easier to do it with people who are as friendly as she is. It's more difficult when she has to deal with Big Mean Cat Lady or Ice Queen or the overprotective sister. All this time we had been saying that we needed a break from Ruby, when it's really her that needed a break from us. So, when she doesn't talk to us and is just on the phone with her new friends, I don't blame her.
We did the same thing to her for weeks, what's so different for her? It just makes me sad because whenever she is texting her friends or her boyfriend, it's the only time I see her smile. We treated Ruby like a nuisance instead of a team leader and a friend and came back to bite us. Now she has new friends that like her for her, and we are just her team who she has to work with for school. It makes me mad because we could have been those friends for her, but we took things too far.
I think I am also angry because I wanted this change of Ruby to be a fake. When we apologized, I really felt that she was going to accept our apology and things would go back to normal. She would go back to being the happy girl who loved weapons and cookies, but that didn't happen. She was becoming a new person when we neglected her and going to Atlas made it permanent. Now she looks more grown up, she has way more style and even her voice sounds more mature.
I feel bad for trying to get information out of that secret investigation, I just wanted Ruby to trust us a little even if it was against the rules. And I feel stupid for being angry that she was in a relationship, that's none of our business and if the rest of us were in one we would scream at Ruby for trying to pry. I know that we screwed up and I know that Ruby is distancing herself from us, but like Weiss I want to have the chance for things to go back to normal." Blake finished as she exhaled, feeling better.
Glynda was pleased at the girls' statements, they finally realized what they did was wrong and that Ruby's actions were mostly justified. Now it seemed that they really were willing to do anything that would get on Ruby's good side, no matter the cost. She had a feeling that Yang Xiao Long wouldn't be as cooperative right now, but maybe with some time she would see past herself and focus on restoring Team RWBY's relationship.
"Girls, if you really want things to go back to what they were then you need to give Ruby space. Forcing your way clearly has not worked and her wounds are going to take time to heal. Nothing will happen if you keep them open, time is needed and I am not sure how long it will take. But I am sure that Ruby will notice your effort." Glynda said with a smile as they nodded before she dismissed them.
Meanwhile, Yang had stormed back to her room, completely furious with what Professor Goodwitch had said. How dare she say that Yang had no business who Ruby was dating? She was the big sister, she was supposed to know everyone who Ruby hung out with! That's how it always worked in the past and it wasn't going to stop now. It didn't matter how mad Ruby was at her, that didn't change the fact that she did something reckless. Her rage calmed after her scroll buzzed and saw a message from her dad.
"Do you mind taking the bullhead to Patch? Your uncle and I need to talk to you about something, just you." The message read and Yang widened her eyes.
What could her dad and Uncle Qrow want to talk with her about and not Ruby as well? Then she put two and two together and realized it must be about the Ruby situation. She really hoped that Professor Goodwitch hadn't called her dad about her outburst, that would be so annoying. Still she could use this opportunity to let them know about Ruby and her new boyfriend, confident that her Dad and Uncle would take her side. With that said she went to the airship field, not knowing the shocking truth that was going to come.
AUTHOR NOTES:
Sweet Jesus I am back and with a long chapter for you guys. This was a pain to write and it took a long time but here it is! Also RWBY isn't cancelled! I can't wait for Season 9 and I hope that we get some STRQ backstory in it. A lot happened in this chapter, Roman was captured as well as a chameleon faunus, any guesses who that could be? Also Yang is too stubborn to let Ruby have a boyfriend and Weiss and Blake vented their frustrations and saw their faults. What will happen next? See you next time!