"Okay, now I know this looks bad..." Qrow attempted to dial down the rising conflict, but from Roman's point of view, the only thing he did was fan the flames of conflict even hotter.

"Oh..." May actually whipped out the damn crossbow, which moments ago was a shortened staff sitting overtly across her back. Yep, she was pissed, and that fury mixed perfectly into her voice. "You bet it does. Start talking, right now."

"I, ah..." Qrow shot quick glances at each of them, and while the improper soldier did her usual thing of looking all angry and whatnot, Roman chose a more... appropriate response. For one, he decided to step back in, and thus take the reins from poor old Qrow, just to give the man a little room to breathe without a target on his chest. Qrow, in turn, smiled briefly, showing his relief.

Roman rolled his eyes; everything always came down to him, didn't it? Then again, he was the whole reason this nonsense was going down, so he supposed it was his responsibility in a way.

"Alright everyone." Clapping his hands together, Roman thus earned the line of sight from the now primed crossbow. Sheesh, needy girls are always the worst.

"Whatever bullshit you've got planned, drop it." May's voice held no room for argument. "Try anything and I won't even give you time to regret it."

Roman blinked, and then he sighed, looking far more annoyed than frightened. May growled, she freaking growled, like some sort of woodland creature. Wasn't she one of the Happy Huntresses, and not the horrified hunted? Sucking in a short breath, Roman raised his hands, still clasped, and pointed both index fingers towards her.

"You just asked us what was going on." He let his eyes display their lacking amusement. "So are you gonna let us talk, or are you just going to keep cutting us off?"

"Don't back sass me." She spat, staring at the silent trio for a brief few seconds. The inactivity must have reactivated the forgotten processors in her brain, because she actually made the sensible decision afterwards - much to Roman's personal relief. "Talk."

"Thank you." The cheeky crook had been so, so tempted to sing those thanks, but seeing as they wanted to deactivate the bomb that was May's current mood, he opted not to. Straightening himself anew, Roman chose to break into things with a simple repeat of Qrow's already accurate statement; hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. "Now, like our master negotiator stated a few seconds ago - you know, before you broke out the big guns - this isn't nearly as damning as it seems."

"Then tell me why." May narrowed her eyes. "Better yet: tell me how the hell you are out and on the move. Didn't Atlas catch you again?" Her vision hastily went to his two companions, and her scowl deepened; she had that mean girl look going well, he could say that much about her. "Or, just maybe, did the military choose to let you walk free willingly?"

"A little bit of yes." Roman rolled his wrist, taking on a thinking pose and eyeing her with a grin. "And a little bit of no."

"Care to explain?" May actively sounded just a wee bit less pissed with that one; sure, she looked like she'd rip his cherries off, but the little things meant they were making progress.

"You see, I like to think of myself as a man of taste." He spread his arms, patting one on Winter's shoulder, and one on Qrows. "I also believe I have a knack for picking out quality friends." He put on his award winning smile. "So do you believe, for even a second -" He then shoved both of them away. "That I'd give these do-gooder idiots the time of day for anything less than a tragedy?!"

May flinched for a fraction of a second, but not so extreme as to suggest a complete turnaround, so he assumed his point was at least tickling the empty expanse of her mind - even if it wasn't all there yet. Roman decided then to amp up the act, sighing and letting his shoulders drop. Shaking his head, he raised a hand towards her.

"Look, I'm not a fan of any of this either, and I sure as strawberry swirl don't care for Iron-britches and his miss-measured set of straps, but I don't have much of a choice here." He then clenched his hand, now pointing a solitary finger directly towards May, and dropping his brows to aid his hard expression. "And neither do you, Robyn, or any of your other little buddies whose names I can't be bothered to recite."

May watched him a little as he lowered his arm, breathing steadily before glaring again.

"That doesn't tell me anything." She then let out a soundless snort, scrunching her face almost mockingly. "Aside from the fact that you're scared."

Roman placed a few fingers against his forehead, rolling his head back and looking to the sky above. With an audibly longer sigh than before, he puffed, and dropped his face back down towards her.

"You really aren't making this easy, are you?"

"Look, Roman." May stepped back, raising her weapon yet again, however unlike before it wasn't directly pointed to any vital organs; he assumed this was only temporary, and she'd take aim soon if he didn't give her what she wanted. "I really, really don't give a damn about what's got you so spooked. All I want are straight answers. One: are you working with Ironwood? And two: if you are, then why?" May finally took the aim she wanted all along, nodding her head to the side. "So do us both a favor and spill."

"Fine." Roman raised both hands halfway in a defensive gesture, half shrugging as well. "Fine. You want the whole truth, then you'll get the whole truth." He paused, putting on perhaps the most stoic mask he'd worn this entire encounter: not a trace of foolishness or deception, just pure unadulterated honesty. "I'm working with Ironwood, because if I don't, Cinder Fall, the bitch responsible for tearing Vale a new one, is going to do the same thing she'd done back then to both Atlas -" He glared, sparing not a strip of mercy as he spat out his final words on the matter. "And your precious baby Mantle."

They were given nothing at first, but soon May grinned, dropping a few short chuckles before speaking casually. "Can't say I'm all that surprised. Honestly, Robyn and the rest of us always had our suspicions about you, but it's nice to know for sure. Cinder huh?" Her aim was true, and thus, Roman had May's crosshairs centered right between his eyes, with a bolt primed and ready if he fucked up at any point. "But riddle me this: why should we believe this Cinder of yours will be capable of pulling the chaos she had during the Vytal Festival?"

"Because she organized the damn thing you peanut." Roman said through gritted teeth, letting his anger disperse into disappointment instead. "Come on, don't tell me you're that stupid, please. I deal with enough idiots as it is."

Hearing another click and seeing May step forward again was enough to shut Roman up, at least to give the agitated woman a chance to retort.

"Don't treat me like your average dumbass. I'm not talking about her capability to plan the fucking thing! I'm asking where she'll get the resources." With a huff, May dropped her bow again, just enough for them to see her eyes. "Last I checked, Cinder Fall is known Remnant wide for that stunt she pulled, so who the Dust do you think will give her even a sliver of a chance to do it again? Heck, I'm pretty sure you weren't even aware of the scope she was reaching for, and the White Fang are all but dead by this point. She has nothing - and no one - to turn to. Now, if she could get her hands on Vermillion again, then I could see a world where this would be worrying, but as for right now, I highly doubt your precious general will let his new puppet out of his sights."

Unbeknownst to her, May had indirectly proved his point, and so Roman let his tone lower just a bit as he latched on to the little fact he had over her.

"Vermillion wasn't responsible for any of the chaos Cinder drummed up back in Vale."

May's eyes stretched a smidgen, but narrowed again after. Not willing to miss his chance and have her somehow change the subject, Roman spoke up louder, clearing his voice of its previous aggression.

"Okay, now pay attention. I worked with Cinder, and so believe me when I say I knew most of what we were doing pretty darn well. Everything you've seen and heard about that kid, all of the negative press shown across the CCT, was all manufactured specifically with the purpose of making him look bad."

"What?" Her response came out more as a whisper, and yet despite the miniscule volume, Roman caught it on the tail end and answered.

"At first we thought he was one of the Fang, and he acted like it too, but once Beacon's headmaster showed up the kid turned coat without a word." Something he'd only found out a good while later. At first, he'd assumed Vermillion got captured, only to then have that idea run back when it was revealed the lad changed teams. Not that any of this mattered here.

"But the attack on Amity -"

"Was done by us." Roman accentuated, carefully carrying on with, "Vermillion was locked up in the general's favorite warship at the time, right in the block next to mine. The person you and all of Remnant saw that day was Neo. I'm fairly certain Robyn's told you lot about her semblance, yeah?"

He could see it now, the way May's eyes began to link together the dots, and so he added the finishing touch.

"Cinder never needed V, she only needed a distraction."

May, dropping her aim with wide eyes, backed up.

"The election..."

Roman nodded, which capped off his point. By now, both Qrow and Winter were thinking the same thoughts he'd unintentionally drawn up from under, and seeing as the general wasn't batshit crazy just yet had proved - at least to Roman himself - that the documents he'd found in the personal computer system that was headmaster Ironwood's desk were the telltale signs of the hothead at work. This whole schtick, including Robyn's lackey being sent along with Qrow and Winter, had Cinder written all over it.

Cinder only needed a distraction. Despite being his own words, Roman found it haunting how easily everything fell into place to make that description accurate, and his voice carried with it that fear, as he too had caught on to just what was really going on. He eyed May, and Winter, and Qrow, before spitting out the shared reasoning they'd all come to.

"And we're giving her one."

.

.

"So, you believe yourself capable of the impossible?"

Monolith, despite asking, appeared to already know what Ruby would say.

"I've done it before, hundreds upon hundreds of times." Although, it would be a lie to say she could remember even half of them. It seemed as though every waking moment had her challenged with an indomitable task, and then she hunkered down and did it.

"I'm curious then." Monolith melted away into the mist, leaving only traces of curiosity in her parting words. "I'd enjoy being shown that impossibility. Perhaps I may... force it from you?"

"You want to see it so badly?" Ruby asked, shifting her weapon back into its shrunken form. Now unarmed - in terms of physical weaponry, that was - she called out into the fog. "I'll warn you, I don't know how this next one will go."

"That makes it even better." The echoes came from every which way, and Ruby chose to ignore them all. She began her trek with a few steps forward towards the circular table, laying her hand along the polished wood as she came upon it, and seeing the crackles of shadow along her skin as she traced its surface with her free hand.

So much destruction gathered inside her, and yet it brought with it a sublime queasiness to her stomach. In a way, it was similar to having a headache, only then for you to realize it wasn't so much a problem with your skull, and instead a twitching in your gut. But she couldn't just puke her problems away, not this time. The darkness was here to stay, at least until all was said and done.

Now, as for that impossible task... Ruby had nothing.

Well, that wasn't quite accurate. She had ideas, but none of them were viable given her current situation. Damaging The Embracer looked to be the way forward, but Monolith had drawn the bark covered tendrils back underground, and Ruby could safely assume her adversary wouldn't be bringing them back without reason. There was also the destructive scent now coating her every pore, which would soon twist the somewhat "free" creature into an image more resembling its lesser brethren.

"Well... I'm waiting." Apparently, Monolith didn't have much patience.

Ruby ran through several scenarios in her head, one of which involved booting it back to the ship and getting a hold of the sword of destruction. With it, she'd at the very least be able to cut the tree down with a single slice. However, while tempting, that idea wouldn't prove realistic in practice. Monolith wasn't just going to let her get away like that, and it might potentially see the use of the sword as cheating.

Strangely, the thought of the sword dug up a small... quirk that Ruby had noticed before the fight began.

"Are you sure?" Ruby really didn't need to ask, but she was more or less using the extra time gained from her useless droning to run a few theories through her head on the idea dancing along her line of thought.

"Had the desire been so flimsy, I'd not have asked." Two wonderfully sharp-clawed fingers constructed themselves from the surrounding fog, trailing across Ruby's cheek. Letting her shoulders drop, Ruby took in a deep sigh, both internally and out.

"Very well. Just remember, you asked for this." The fingers vanished, no doubt a sign from their master for her to go through with whatever miracle she had in her pockets. But you see, the funny thing about miracles is that they're not usually kept in the pockets of ordinary people.

They are, instead, within the hands of the divines.

"Jinn~" And while she may not have been a god, Ruby knew one such individual who just so happened to be the next best thing. Monolith had made the mistake of showing it possessed the lamp of knowledge: the final relic Ruby had yet to obtain, and who's acquisition would signal the final stage of her journey.

"Her?" Monolith asked from the smoke, which began to condensed in a thickness akin to that of a blizzard. "What use is there in calling for -"

The creature paused... no, paused wasn't quite right, it was more like it had been cut off completely. Ruby was about to pull out her scythe again when she heard what sounded like... choking? Monolith had, upon showing the lamp to her, burrowed it within its chest. While Ruby wasn't sure if this meant Jinn's home was split within the fog itself, or merely stationed somewhere nearby, she assumed Monolith would be hard pressed to split with her only playable token.

One thing was certain though: Jinn, by this point in time, should have at least one question available, and Ruby was planning to discover Monolith's crucial flaw using it.

The choking kept up for several seconds, and the misty snow of smoke and ash crumbs soon condensed into a colorless flood. Holding her breath out of sheer habit, Ruby slammed the blade of Crescent Rose into the floor, tightening her grip as the black water flooding the area and soaking her garb began to pull into a river. The water flooded the room briefly before swirling ahead towards the center of the room. She was dropped quickly enough, soggy and sporting ink-stained skin which she assumed would leave as her body dried off. The water had gathered in the center of the room in one big floating blob just above the centerpiece.

Its wriggling was more than a little concerningly.

But it seemed the sight wasn't meant to last, and the unstable structure condensed further into a solid point, freezing, and exploding outwards in an array of golden sparkles. The shiny dust covered the entire room, brightening the scene and chasing away the abandoned shadows with their splendor. Said beauty shot up a couple steps as a pale, luminescent body floated carelessly within the air. Ruby offered up nothing more than a tired smile, and Jinn, both bare of dress save sparse accessories of gold, returned the gesture.

"It's been some time, Miss Rose." Lifting up one leg, she crossed it over the other, and Ruby chose to take in the warmth her body radiated, as well as enjoying the view. Jinn had been more than just a sight for sore eyes, but before she could ask, the spirit spoke again, calling on her question. "All three are within reach, however I'd recommend not requesting assistance with the creature you were facing. I believe you already know why."

"I do." Ruby was expected to carry out a miracle, but the credit for that act of blind divinity belonged instead to Monolith. However, Ruby found herself a tad curious, and so chose to sacrifice one of the three; not like she'd be needing them all. "But I'd appreciate knowing how it was she fell."

"Very well." Jinn placed a hand over her chest. "By absorbing my lamp, Monolith, as you call her, had effectively taken the gamble that I'd never see the light of day while within her. Upon being called, however, I emerged from inside its very body while it was scattered asunder via its physical expansion. Ironically, had Monolith decided to remain whole, I'd merely have put a dent in it while breaking free, but the expansion weakened its shell, and so my light served instead to eradicate, rather than injure."

"I see." Ruby almost wanted to laugh. Monolith had spread itself so thin that Jinn's mere appearance produced enough heat to burn away the web it spun, which otherwise would have required a greater flame.

Well, Monolith had asked for a miracle, and it got one.

A bit of a strange way for one so incredibly powerful to go out, but at the very least it could claim not to have fallen to the hands of a mere Human... if Ruby even classified as such anymore. There was no shoving the darkness back inside, meaning she needed to put the final phase of the plan into motion. Looking up again, she noticed something strange with The Embracer. Seeing as it had been connected to Monolith, Ruby assumed it would have withered away immediately upon its master's death, but that wasn't quite the case.

Rather than ask about why this was, Ruby just assumed it would die in time, because it sure as heck wasn't around in the future.

Facing Jinn again, Ruby began anew. Being so close to her goal was drawing up a few… concerns.

"Jinn... I have to ask. Will any of what I've done matter?"

The spirit handed out a pity stricken gaze.

"You know I cannot say the future."

"I'm not asking about the future." Ruby corrected, letting her tone shift into something smooth. Within her eyes rested the tired flicker of a dying flame. This wasn't Ruby Rose, the final caretaker of the newest attempt, who was speaking. This was Ruby Rose, the failure who just wanted everything to end, that asked. "I want to know your personal view on this."

Seeing as this was about the spirit herself, Ruby knew it wouldn't count as a question. Jinn lowered herself, shrinking even, as she approached and floated closer to Ruby. Letting her feet touch the ground, the spectral woman took careless steps towards the weathered old warrior. But it was Jinn who'd walked with more years, and no matter how old Ruby got, she knew she'd never accumulate the same level of wisdom that Jinn forever claimed ownership of.

The phantom took both her hands, and spoke.

"I believe everything you do with matter; more than either of us can ever know."

It felt good to be validated by someone, even if it came from one who she could never really relate to. Jinn was always kind and careful with her words, even when delivering the worst news imaginable. And yet, despite this, she was a slave to any who proposed their questions, being forced to tell truths regardless of whether the effects wrought from that knowledge would be positive or negative.

"But you do know, don't you?" Ruby pulled away, wearing a smile as soft as fleece. "I've been watching, and listening, and every time I ask, you always say you cannot tell anyone the future. And yet, when I talk of it, you have these little twitches here and there. You can never tell what it holds, but you can see into it."

"Yes." Jinn released an unnecessary breath. "You believe in that idea completely, and so I may mention it without bother." Her body began to rise again, growing to its original size. "Do you seek answers as to why?"

"No." Ruby didn't need to confirm it. She knew it was her fault somehow, and so she'd not waste a question. Instead, she had something else on her mind. Looking over her body yet again, she turned to Jinn and made good on that second question. "Tell me, have I accumulated enough darkness for the finale?"

Jinn smiled, and honestly, that little act was more than enough. Nevertheless, the spirit spoke.

"Your body cannot take much more destruction without completely deteriorating. The darkness within you now is all you're capable of carrying. With that as it is, the binding may commence."

"Then we've reached the end of the road."

Ruby never thought it would come: the day she took her last charge. Looking up and eyeing Jinn, Ruby saw her not as a tool, but as a friend, and spoke truthfully as she contemplated what came next.

"Strange... I know I'll see you again when this is all over, but for me, it'll seem like the very first time."

"You've worked out how things will go." Jinn was praising her, but she couldn't exactly enjoy it much, not with what she understood.

"Of course." Ruby took a moment to relax and think, slinging her eyes to the shattered moon between the broken halves of The Embracer. "I could only keep my memories because of the constant failures. In each of those, I always see the end of things, and get a chance to start over. This will be the first time where I'll actually die, and when I do, my soul will be reborn naturally back into the world, over a thousand years in the future where it belongs. I'll get to see first hand the fruits of my labor… but I won't recognise any of it."

With silence following afterwards, Jinn began to dissipate back into the lamp, leaving behind one final say.

"Then be sure to embrace that future, regardless of what it may bring."

Ruby lifted her hands, taking hold of the lamp with both, and staring into her reflection along its glass. The best she could do was smile, all the while trying to rationalize the positive aspects of things to come, like she used to do all the time when she was young.

I will. I'll cherish it, and everything it gives me.

Ruby pulled the lamp in, hugging it tight. While it was frightful to finally come face to face with the death she'd denied herself, she couldn't help but be a little bit excited as her mind went to work letting her know just what would come.

I'll get to see them all again. Yang, Dad, Uncle Qrow, Weiss, Blake, Oscar...

Tightening her arms around the lamp, she dropped to the ground, kneeling as she clutched the final source of required power with clenched eyes and a hard jaw.

Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren. Everyone... I'll get to see everyone again. We won't fail, I... I won't let us. Things will be different, I swear!

And thus her eyes shot open, large and glistening, with her body now unstable and shaking as she recalled one specific difference: a change they'd never had before.

And Vermillion...

As her heart began to constrict, Ruby did nothing to quell the waterworks falling peacefully across her cheeks.

You'll be there too. I... I won't remember, but...

Standing, Ruby released the tight grasp of the lamp, instead looking gently at her reflection once more.

I'll still love you.

She didn't know how, or why, but Ruby believed in that love with every fiber of her being.

Even if I can't recall who you are, I know I'll love you.

Ruby pulled the lamp in for one final hug, not so much towards the object itself or Jinn. This sensitive little squeeze was granted to the one who'd never be able to receive it in person.

I'll always love you, my sweet, innocent little baby boy. Even if she can't remember, mother will always cherish you, no matter who you chose to be.

Author's note

…

Not exactly the craziest ending to a big bad, but I got tired of just having Ruby 'silver eyes' it away. Note to any Grimm out there: don't go swallowing relics, because you won't survive their activation.

Future Ruby's ready to put an end to things on her end, all the while Qrow, Winter, and Roman all come to an understanding - might be a little late on their end, but what could they do? With a distraction at play, who's to say Cinder isn't already in motion. Watts surely has a plan, but when has Cinder ever cared?

Or maybe, Cinder's just following orders.

Until next time.