Author's Notes
A note on last chapter:
I thought it was clearer when I wrote it, but I'm willing to admit that if literally everyone in the comments on both sites thought it was too confusing, I'm probably in the wrong here.
From the line 'There was one thing left to ask, though,' we go into Ruby's head. She's imaging what might happen if she were to point-blank ask Salem if she knows about Ozpin's secret mission for Ruby, something Ruby has suspected Salem might be more aware of than she initially let on. It's not a side effect of the beetle, but it is Ruby trying to be like the beetle - she's attempting to think it through first and imagine what might happen if she asks Salem before she actually asks.
At first, she envisions up the horrible ways it could go wrong (Salem is enraged and kills her, Salem doesn't flinch) but as Ruby continues on, her imagining become more frayed due to Ruby's stressed state of mind, and she starts dreaming up some weird stuff like make-up sex w*th Salem. She's been going a bit loopy for a while now, and it's beginning to bleed through, at least when it comes to Ruby's subconscious.
In the end, Ruby is too afraid of what might happen and can't bring herself to boldly ask, so she instead brings up some random nonsense about Tyrian to distract Salem and end their conversation out of cowardice.
So, to be clear, none of the first four outcomes (death, nonchalance, disbelief, say gex) actually happened. Only the last one, about Tyrian, did.
Happy rats, and don't do crime!
Chapter 27 – Ruby's Command
"Frappez plus fort!"
Tyrian slammed a fist into Crescent Rose. Despite blocking it, Ruby slid backwards, losing much of the ground she'd gained. Tyrian slapped his right hand into the back of his own left fist.
"Plus de force."
"I'm trying!" Ruby screamed back at him.
The hard part was simultaneously hitting harder and also being just as precise. It was easy to pull back with everything she had and swing the full force of her scythe down with the might of a Beringel, but she also needed to keep her senses sharp for stingers slinking in from behind, to plan out her next move after the slash, and to make sure her aim was both rigid (to avoid missing) and flexible (to track Tyrian if he dodged).
With Cinder back in Beacon, Ruby was forced to train with the people at her disposal in Evernight, meaning that it was Tyrian or no one. Hazel was recovered from his ordeal at Salem's hands, but he refused to have anything to do with Ruby. Salem wasn't ordering him to train her, and Ruby didn't want to rock the boat by asking, so that meant it was Tyrian or bust.
Sparring with the insane Faunus was an experience. Cinder might have been a ruthless fighter, but when Tyrian chose to get serious, it was a guaranteed loss for Ruby. Fortunately, he seemed to understand that her goal was to get better, not to get her butt kicked, and so he was giving her advice to ensure the former every time the latter happened.
"Utilisez vos cinq sens. Écoutez les sons! Ressentez l'air!"
The tail that Ruby hadn't even noticed snaking its way along the ground made a soft noise, and Ruby stepped on it to prevent its lethal stringer from striking at her ankles, but there was a sudden whoosh of air before Tyrian's leg struck her in the stomach. The momentary giveaway was not early enough for Ruby to react, and she had to take the hit.
Ruby knew better than to try something like punching Tyrian while he was in close for the kick. Up close and personal was his domain, and trying to strike at him with her fists would be the same as headbutting his fists. Instead, she let his momentum push her away – not far enough to snipe him, but far enough that she could use Crescent Rose and its full length as a melee weapon.
She decided that now was as good a time as any to deploy her new trick. Tyrian had taken a few glancing hits, while she herself was nearly in the red. If she didn't turn this spar around, it would just be another loss to add to the mountain.
And it still will be no matter what I do, but that doesn't matter. Tyrian's better than me, so winning is a pipe dream, but learning how to fight isn't. There's no place for pride when improvement is on the line.
Grabbing hold of Crescent with one hand, Ruby stuck it out as far as she could and ran to the side, maintaining a constant distance between Tyrian as she circled him. When he finally moved towards her, striking out with the speed of a coiled snake, Ruby applied the effects of her semblance to her center of mass and began to rapidly spin around like a ballerina performing a Pyrrhouette. Her outstretched scythe became a twirling instrument of doom as it carved through the air and struck Tyrian.
He took a solid hit, which was rare, but then caught himself just as Ruby had expected. A bullet from his guns hit her on the toe, and she fell down when she reflexively lifted her leg to massage her foot while still spinning around in her semblance.
Tyrian 45, Ruby 0.
But I'm growing. I last longer in every fight. Plus, it's not like the finish line is beating Tyrian. All I need to do is beat Raven…and Amber or the Summer maiden to do so.
Tyrian gave her a helping hand up, which Ruby gratefully accepted. Her foot was still stinging from that last shot.
"So, what did you think? How was the spinny-thing I did at the end?"
Tyrian paused to scratch at his chin for a second as he pondered her homemade attack. She was anxious for his opinion, but the logical part of her mind reminded him that he wouldn't take this long to think it over if all that was coming was a bland dismissal.
"Une bonne stratégie, mais vous repoussez vos adversaires. Essayez de l'appliquer lorsqu'ils sont coincés dans un coin."
Okay, so Ruby was mostly sure she got what he meant. If she was interpreting it correctly, he was advising her to only try this attack when opponents didn't have an obvious way to dodge it.
Her translation skills were also improving the more she spoke with Tyrian and figured out how he said what he said, and the best way to make them even better would be to see how close she was.
"You're saying I should only attack when they can't escape it? When they're cornered?"
Tyrian nodded. "Votre élan les pousse. S'ils sont acculés, vous pouvez marquer de nombreux coups rapides."
He spun one hand and struck it into the other multiple times.
Oh. He's saying that because I spin around so much, I can hit them again and again if they have no avenue for escape.
Tyrian nodded excitedly as he saw the lightbulb go off in Ruby's head. "Cette fille comprend."
Ruby nodded. "I so do. Thanks, pal."
To pass the time while her aura regenerated, Ruby had the Seers set up some targets in the corners of the room setting up the room's practice dummies, giving her a chance to work on her target practice. She never missed, but the reason that was so was because she kept her skills sharp.
Tyrian, on the other hand, took a break. His skills were so superb that he probably could fight entire huntsman teams in his sleep if he so wished. Sitting down, he spoke rapidly to a Seer, which apparently understood his request and came back moments later with a steaming cup of tea.
Blowing gently on the tea, Tyrian took a sip. His face tightened, and he put his fingers together to make an OK gesture. "Bon."
A little Seer approached Ruby as she knocked the dummies down one by one. Ruby ignored it until its tentacles started tugging at her waist.
"Sorry, buddy, but I don't like tea. If you have cocoa, though…nah, actually I shouldn't. We're gonna train, and if I eat or drink before I do, I usually spew."
"Ruby."
Ruby froze.
"S-Salem, I am so – er, your grace, I mean, I –"
Looking down at the calm face displayed on the Grimm, Ruby wisely decided to shut her mouth.
"Ruby. Meet me in the grand hall for dinner."
Tyrian sat up, placing his cup of tea down by his feet. "Hnn, s–"
"No. Just Ruby."
Before Ruby could ask what she meant, Salem's image vanished.
"Have a seat."
Ruby did. As much as she wanted to sit on one of the chairs to the side of the table so that she wasn't facing directly opposite Salem (which felt far too confrontational for a casual meeting with the boss), the only place setting was on the end. The Seers hadn't set out a banquet like usual when they convened, only a few small dishes of meat and vegetables.
This very clearly wasn't one of Salem's celebratory feasts, but a meeting. Salem had her elbows on the table and was resting her chin on her joined fingers as she casually watched Ruby pull out her chair.
Alarm bells were ringing in Ruby's head, but not the kind that said Salem was about to hurt her. These alarms were warning her that something big was coming, something like a test or a major assignment.
Did Cinder find the Fall maiden? Am I going to be…am I going to have to…is it time?
The hardness in Salem's eyes surprised Ruby and lent more credence to the theory that this was a serious occasion. Normal, she radiated an air of forgiveness and patient understanding – not a genuine one, but one meant to make Ruby feel trusting around her. It was a good act – one that made Salem feel like a parent or teacher with her best interests at heart, who was willing to overlook Ruby's mistakes – but it crumbled whenever Ruby looked at that Grimm skin and felt a revulsion drilled into her by a decade and a half of animosity with her monsters sharing her colorings.
"Lady Salem. How may I serve you?"
Salem didn't move from her position as Ruby found her seat, so Ruby refrained from eating. Her nerves started getting to her from how focused Salem seemed.
"Just beyond the city of Argus, there is a military encampment and laboratory operated by Atlas named the Ultramarine Production and Research Base. Within this facility can be found a rare Atlesian catalyst that Dr. Watts has identified as crucial. It has unique physical and chemical properties that will further a project of his. Only forty capsules of this substance exist in the world, and they are stored in the Ultramarine site. You will bring me all forty capsules of this catalysts."
Ruby nodded, doing her best to commit the details to memory. Argus, Ultramarine, catalyst, forty capsules…
"I'll get right on it, your grace."
"See that you do. You may appropriate any resources or the aid of any within our organization. Dr. Watts will provide you the details."
Ruby nodded again. This…
"Um."
Salem raised an eyebrow.
"N-No, there's no problem, I just…um…"
"Phrase your question carefully, young Rose. I am in no mood for defiance."
"Ok. Yeah, it's just…this is basically just a normal mission. It's not that different from what I've done before. Hell, I've even gone up against Atlas before, back when I was with the White Fang. Why does it feel so…why does it feel like you're treating this one special?"
Salem stared at Ruby, then got up and left. The patient visage Ruby used to see was nowhere to be found, but it wasn't replaced by anger. No, it almost looked like she was challenging Ruby to do something – argue, protest, or object.
But why would I object? It's just stealing some capsules of chemicals or something.
Fear gripped Ruby's heart as she looked at this scenario and tried to place herself in the other party's shoes as she had so many times before.
Why would Salem expect Ruby to object? Because this mission was going to require her to do something she didn't want to do.
Will I have to kill innocent people? No, Salem's giving me free reign and allowing me to ask for help. Maybe the catalysts are going to be used for something evil? She said Watts wanted to apply them to his research – could he make them into weapons?
Ruby didn't know much about catalysts other than the basics of how they sped up chemical reactions, and she didn't even know anything about this particular type of catalyst other than that it was rare and well-guarded by Atlas.
It's probably going to be used for chemical weapons.
Crap. I really don't want to steal something for Salem if it'll make good people suffer, but what can I do? She's clearly got her eyes on me for this mission, so there's no way I could try to sabotage myself without compromising my real objective.
Ruby brought herself back to that day back in the settlement of Temeria to remind herself what it was all about. Raven, floating overhead, throwing down fireballs and instantly vaporizing men and women, human and Faunus, adult and child alike. Reliving that memory, while painful, always gave her a fresh rush of purpose. The most important thing in the world was taking that power from her hands and placing them back into Ozpin's.
And if that means I have to supply arms to an anarchist cult of Grimm-worshippers, so be it.
This was Ruby's first command, she belatedly realized upon meeting up with Watts. It hadn't dawned upon her from the extremely curt dinner with Salem, but when Watts responded to her the same way he did Salem (eyes down, tone even), it clicked. Missions like this were common, but Ruby had been given instructions, parameters, mentors, or other such guidelines to keep her on task. Now, she was cut loose with nearly unlimited control of how this went and how she chose to steal the thingies from the dudes.
Fortunately, Ruby had a pretty good idea how heists were supposed to go.
She was there, and Watts (after explaining to her the details like where the base was, what security features it had, what the catalysts looked like, and so on) was also on board, which meant they needed exactly nine more people. Ruby nodded – she could scrounge together that many minions.
"Yo, Tyrian."
The Faunus continued grinding his clawed gauntlets on the whetstone as Ruby approached him.
"I'm putting together a team. You in?"
He didn't even need to look up to answer. "Espèce de fils de pute, je suis partant."
The two gripped hands, muscles flexing as they shook.
She nodded; three down, eight to go.
"Yo, Hazel."
He glared down at her, likely unamused by her uninvited entrance into her room. "What?"
Sadly for Hazel, Ruby had been given the jurisdiction to press-gang any of her minions onto the heist team, so he had no grounds to kick her out.
"I'm putting together a team. You in?"
"You need my help?"
Ruby nodded. "I do."
"I assume this is for one of Salem's missions?" His forehead furrowed. "Very well. I shall endeavor to succor."
She frowned at that and folded her arms. "I'd rather you just helped me."
Hazel's head fell, and he covered his eyes with his meaty fingers.
"…I'll help," he said after about a minute's pause.
Excellent. Four down, seven to go.
Shit.
Hazel, Tyrian, and Watts were the only people in the castle. Where was Ruby going to find the rest of her eleven?
Shit! Fuck!
"Yo, Salem."
Salem glared at her.
"I'm putting together a team. You in?"
"Please stop bothering me, Ruby."
Ruby gave her a thumbs up and ignored the sweat pouring down her forehead. "Duly noted, ma'am."
"We have other resources," Watts said to Ruby upon her exit of Salem's throne room. "Our queen has authorized the use of any and all forces under our sway. You need not limit yourself to the inhabitants of the Evernight Castle."
"Who?" Ruby asked succinctly.
Tyrian smiled warmly, patting Ruby's shoulder. "Premièrement, le Grimm."
"Oh, yeah, I guess. I just didn't think that…well, I kind of assume we don't want this tied to Salem." Ruby walked started walking, hoping that as she went through the castle, some ideas might come to her. "She didn't explicitly say it, but it seems kind of implied. Ya know, given that she's hidden herself from humanity and the Faunus since the dawn of time."
"Quite so," Watts said, brushing his mustache and offering a dismissive look towards Tyrian. "Babbling insanity of a feckless cretin aside, I was thinking of Cinder."
"She's busy," Ruby said immediately. "I spoke to her this morning. She followed my advice about buying a staff and is working on that. Finding Amber takes precedence."
"The four of us is surely enough," Hazel said. "Further reinforcements seem –"
"We're doing a heist," Ruby said, nipping his insubordination in the bud before it grew any further and led to something crazy like a union. "We need eleven people."
"Son équipe?"
Ruby blinked at Tyrian.
"Emerald and Marcus, I believe," Hazel grunted.
"Oh, you're talking about her team. And it's Mercury, B-T-W." Ruby shook her head. However, before she could dismiss the idea, she paused.
They probably could fake something. Lionheart's on our side, and he's the main guy in Haven. Argus might be Atlas-owned and Atlas-operated, but if he made some excuse about them needing to briefly come home, it would be close enough to…
"That's three more," Ruby said. "Oh, and Lionheart himself. That makes eight."
"If we're bringing in outsiders," Hazel said sternly, "then perhaps we may as well recruit some Grimm. There is a beast from legends of old that resides on the continent of Anima that is said to be –"
"Great!" Ruby said. "I'll give it a scroll call after reaching out to Cinder."
That was nine. With only two more, Ruby was starting to feel optimistic about reaching her goal of eleven. Maybe Cinder could get Roman…? Nah, that wouldn't work. This was supposed to be Ruby's mission. She could call in help, but if she asked for the thief's aid and expertise, it would just be him telling Ruby what to do. She had to plan this one to impress Salem and prove herself.
As she rounded a corner of the hallway with her entourage in tow, Ruby bumped into none other than Salem's hound. It twitched ever so slightly upon the collision, but it remained seated.
Ruby patted its head with a smile. "Well hey there, boy. You came just in time. I'm putting together a team. Up for some Mistrilian walkies?"
The hound did not respond.
"Ugh," Ruby groaned. Shaking her head, she decided to take a page out of Salem's book. "Follow. Hold. Obey."
"Follow."
Welp, just one more now. Ruby held out her arm and bade the Scarab within to emerge.
"Grubbie, I can't think of anyone else, so you're gonna be the last one on the squad. I'm putting together a team. You in?"
Grubbie went back into her arm.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Coming Soon: Ruby's Eleven Part 1
Dramatis Personae – Heist Perps
1) Ruby – the mastermind
2) Watts – tech support
3) Tyrian – getaway driver
4) Hazel – the muscle
5) Emerald – master of disguise
6) Mercury – straight man
7) Neopolitan – also master of disguise
8) Lionheart – inside man
9) The Nuckelavee – getaway vehicle
10) The Hound – special operations
11) Grubbie – Grubbie
And now, a tip from Ruby:
Ruby's Tip #389 – Is your ice cream too cold to scoop after coming out of the freezer? Leave it out when you leave for work for a perfectly temperate treat when you get back home!
Ruby's Tip #843 – Instead of throwing away a banana peel into the trash can, put it in the recycling bin. Remember kids, we only have one Remnant, and it's up to us to take care of her.
Ruby's Note – Also, be sure to compost your aluminum soda cans.
Author's Notes
Ruby's Eleven (Parts 1-3) were part of my original draft before I started writing the fic itself for Origin Story. However, after starting and discovering this fic's somber tone (esp. set by the first three chapters) I nearly deleted them entirely because I felt like they couldn't possibly match. However, Ruby's tips broke that ice, immediately turning from Qrow's death into a comedy in a heel-faced turn so sharp it's whiplash could kill Gwen Stacy, so the Rat's Nest is gonna get a little treat tonight. Er, in three nights.
Happy rats, and don't do crime!
