Cinder awoke in agony. She felt fire shoot through her nerves, and she groaned in pain as she felt…something fight within her. She knew what. The parasite, always at odds with the Maiden powers within her. Made worse, now that she had both halves to herself. Her undamaged eye forced itself open, and it was then that she learned she did not wake up on her own.
A Seer floated just to the side of her bed, and Cinder could very clearly make out her master's image. Salem was displeased. "Come." She ordered "The others are making their way to meet with me as we speak. There is something that demands attention." Salem was angry. Something must have happened, something drastic. Had Ozpin come back so soon? No, she would be far more furious if that were the case.
Cinder could not speak to give her reply, and so she simply nodded, hoping it didn't come across as disrespectful. Thankfully, Salem understood. As soon as she had nodded, her image disappeared, and the Seer floated away, no doubt returning to its patrol of the castle.
She groaned, as she struggled to sit up straight in her bed. What could possibly have happened to warrant a summons from Salem? She thought they sorted out any problems with her recovery yesterday.
She briefly considered summoning Mercury and Emerald, but decided against it. Salem had told her the others were on their way already, and no doubt that included the two of them. Besides, it would be a very bad idea to delay. Salem was a patient woman, but even she had limits. And if her curt summons was anything to go by, she had nearly reached them.
Rising from her bed, she hobbled to the door. Before leaving, Cinder gave herself a once-over in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, but that couldn't be helped on such short notice. She'd have to do her best to brush it with her hand on her way to the meeting.
Everything else seemed fine. She hadn't changed when she returned to her chambers yesterday, so there was no need to bother getting dressed. Still, Cinder frowned. She had to seem confident, professional. She may possess the powers of the Maiden, but she had no illusions that she was irreplaceable. She just had to make sure no one else realized that.
And she could not seem weak, not in front of them. It galled her that she had to carry on as she did, but she would not give Watts and the others any more ammunition than they already had.
Cinder sighed, as she left her room. She suspected today would be eventful.
Mercury and Emerald were absent. Her brow furrowed as she took her seat at the table. How many dozens of times had she stressed to them just how important it was to obey every one of Salem's orders without delay? Did they think they could take their sweet time coming to the meetings? Didn't they realize how this reflected on her? Fools!
No matter. Nothing could be done about it now. They would arrive when they would, and the two of them better have an excellent excuse for their tardiness, for their own sakes if nothing else.
Her eye flickered around the room as the rest of her cohorts took their seats at the table as well. Hazel acted as he always did: Patient, quietly keeping to himself until Salem arrived to brief them. Cinder wondered whether he felt the same confusion, the same nervousness she did. If so, he certainly did not show it.
Watts was quietly fuming, glaring at her. Cinder cocked her head to the side, before she noticed his hand. Several of the fingers on his right arm were broken, bent at unnatural angles. She had to stifle a laugh at his expense. He must have got his hand stuck in one of his machines. Serves him right, the bastard.
Tyrian had arrived soon after herself. He seemed…pleased with himself, far more so than usual. He had practically bounced over to his seat at the table, grinning to himself, and breaking into laughter when he noticed Watts. That made her even more nervous. If Tyrian was so happy, that generally meant someone had gotten themselves killed. And with the absence of Mercury and Emerald…
If those idiots provoked Tyrian, I will have their heads. Assuming he doesn't have them already. Couldn't they go a day without causing problems for her?
"Are you alright, Doctor Watts?" Tyrian asked suddenly. "Forgive my impertinence, but something seemed to have happened to your hand. I'd hate to see your work affected by such an unfortunate…accident."
Watts growled, and tore his eyes away from her to focus on the scorpion faunus. "Quit with your false sympathies. We can all see your delight at my misfortune, clear as day. And I'll have you know, this was no accident."
He glared at her once more, and she raised an eyebrow. What nonsense is he spewing now? Is he implying that I am somehow responsible? Just what she needed. More of Watts' pointless feuding. Didn't he have anything better to do?
"Ooooh!" Tyrian crooned. "How scandalous! Does one of our comrades have it out for our dear doctor?"
Watts slammed his good hand on the table. "Enough of your taunting! This is not some game, freak!" He pointed at her, hate blazing in his eyes. "She sent her lackeys to assault me, and destroy my equipment!"
CInder immediately shot out of her chair. She wanted to scream at the man, but couldn't find the strength in her voice.. She settled for growling at him, willing flames to come out of her eye. How dare he! This is taking it too far. It's madness. He can't seriously expect…Her thoughts trailed off and her eye narrowed as she began to realize just why Mercury and Emerald were nowhere to be found. They better pray that this is some trick of Watts, or they shall suffer.
Watts pressed on. "Her little attack dogs accosted me while I was preparing to depart for Haven, on Salem's orders. They stole the Bullhead, along with at least half of my equipment, and mutilated my hand before they left! I demand an explanation! I demand punishment!"
Tyrian cackled as he finished, slapping a hand to the table, and nearly falling out of his seat. "My, oh my. Poor Doctor Watts. I knew today would be good, but I could never have known it would be this entertaining."
"I'm so glad my suffering, and Cinder's betrayal, is a source of amusement to you." Watts sneered.
Her hands curled into fists. He dared to sit there and whine about his injuries, slandering her all the while? She had suffered for Salem's cause! She was burned and scarred from Beacon, and he thought he had any right to speak? What had he accomplished? Mutilated, he says. I'll show him mutilated.
Cinder raised her arm, gathering her power to channel through her, but a voice cut through, stopping her in her tracks. "Sit down, children. Behave." Cinder did so without question, not daring to disobey. All the others turned their heads to the last arrival. Salem had come at last.
"Arthur," She spoke. "You would do well not to throw around such accusations without merit."
"Of course, my queen." He bowed his head. "Only, if I may, it was not without merit."
Salem nodded. "I have been made aware of the events of last night. I am very curious to know how they came to pass myself, rest assured." She strode gracefully and took her seat at the head of the table. Cinder's mind raced at her words. What happened last night? Have I been betrayed? Surely Salem won't be fooled by whatever scheme is going on.
"Now that we are all gathered together," Cinder winced. That meant Mercury and Emerald weren't in the castle. Could Watts have been telling the truth, skewed as it was? "I think it best to get everyone up to speed. Last night, Mercury and Emerald fled the castle, stealing the Bullhead and injuring Watts in the process. Cinder," Salem turned to her, and she withered under her eyes. "I realize you can't exactly defend yourself as you are now, so simply nod or shake your head. Was this on your orders?"
She shook her head fiercely. At least she was getting some chance to respond.
"Do you know why they would have left?" Salem asked
She shook her head. Emerald was too devoted to her, and Mercury wouldn't care enough to bother. Salem had confirmed it, but she still couldn't believe those idiots would actually run away. Did they think they would escape punishment? Cinder would hunt them down, and make them pay for this humiliation. That is, if she survived this meeting.
"And you have no notion of where they could have gone, or why they would have left?" Cinder shook her head once again. Salem nodded to herself, as if she had expected her answers. She likely had.
"The matter is settled, then. Mercury and Emerald have betrayed us, going behind Cinder's back. They are worthless to us now. If you come across them, kill them, don't bother trying to reason with them. There's no sense inviting traitors back into our ranks." Cinder let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. I'm safe. For now, I'm safe.
"My queen!" Watts blurted. "Forgive me, but you can't truly believe Cinder, can you? Those two wouldn't so much as sneeze if it went against her orders. She has to have been responsible!"
Salem narrowed her eyes. "Do you doubt me, Arthur?" Watts winced. "Of course not, my queen, I simply-" Salem cut him off. "I have lived a very long life, do not presume to know more than you do. Admittedly, I believed Cinder had a better hold on our two little runaways than it seems she did, but I assure you, Cinder had no knowledge of this betrayal." Salem's eyes drifted over to her. "After all, I believe we had sorted out the issue of disobedience yesterday. She knows better than to lie to me."
Watts simply bowed his head and muttered. "As you say."
Tyrian burst into laughter as Watts was cowed. "My, so quick to give in, doctor? But you were so certain Cinder was behind your misfortune!" His laughter died down to a snicker. "Nonsense, of course. They left of their own accord. Miss Sustrai in particular was quite confused that I wouldn't tell Cinder."
"You WHAT!" Watts roared, standing to his feet. Salem glared at him, and he backed off.
"Tyrian," She began coldly. "Do you mean to say that you were aware of our runaways intentions?"
"But of course, my queen!" Tyrian sounded offended. "No whispers of treachery pass in this castle that I don't hear about. I strive to ensure your plans are seen through to their end without interruption."
"Then why was I not informed of traitors in our midst?" Salem scolded. "Why did you permit them to leave?"
Tyrian's face fell, only now realizing his master's displeasure. Cinder hid a smile. And now, the blame lies at his feet, not mine. Oh Tyrian. You will suffer for letting them go. Cinder had no doubt he already was. She had no clue why he thought it would be a good idea to let them flee, but she knew that any displeasure to Salem was practically a sin in his eyes.
"I-I thought it best, mistress." Tyrian stammered, tears threatening to spill. Cinder resisted rolling her eyes. How foolish could he be? "There's no use in having traitors serving under you. I thought by letting them lea-"
"Do not insult me by pretending this was for my sake." Salem warned. "You could have killed them. Or dragged them to me screaming, so that they may plead their case."
"I didn't see the harm, mistress!" He cried out. "There was no way they could possibly disrupt your plans! They are insignificant in the grand scheme of things, worthless. By letting them go, I had hoped…I had hoped..." Tyrian was shaking, now.
"You had hoped that by allowing them to leave, they might offer an interesting game for you. I know what you want, Tyrian."
"I want to serve you, mistress! I only want to serve!" He begged.
Salem ignored him. "You want chaos. Disorder. Destruction. I had promised you all of those things, everything you wanted, and more. And yet, you went behind my back on the off chance those two might entertain you. I thought you more reliable than that, Tyrian."
He threw himself to the floor, crawling towards Salem. "Please, mistress, it was a mistake, I see that now! I beg you, give me the chance to fix it. I shall bring them back, dead, alive, whatever you want, just please let me fix it!"
"No." She answered. "There is no point. As you said, they are insignificant. Not worth the effort it would be to hunt them down. That goes for the rest of you as well." She said, looking around the table. "If you cross their paths, kill them on sight, but do not go out of your way to hunt them down. We have more important things to focus on." She kept her eyes on Cinder, until finally she nodded.
"Tyrian, you are to hunt down Ruby Rose, and bring her back, alive. The spring maiden shall have to wait. Do not search for the traitors. And do not fail me, Tyrian."
"Of course not, mistress." He leapt to his feet, desperation replaced with purpose now that he had a chance to redeem himself in Salem's eyes. "I will depart at once. I will return successful, I swear it!"
Cinder ignored the fool as he ran out of the room. Forbidden from hunting Mercury and Emerald down? Salem continued with the meeting, speaking with Watts and Hazel about their roles in the weeks to come. Watts in particular seemed displeased at Salem's order, but he didn't speak out again.
No, She thought. Perhaps I will have to hide my tracks, or perhaps I will get lucky, and come across them naturally, but I refuse to let them humiliate me freely. They will suffer for their betrayal. Cinder forced herself to breathe. In time. All in good time. For now, she would heal, recover her strength, and master the maiden's powers.
Then, Haven will fall. And sooner or later, her vengeance would come. Against Rose, against those traitors, against all of them!
And she would emerge victorious.
"My back is sore." Emerald complained. They had been in the air nonstop for nearly two days now. They took turns piloting the Bullhead occasionally, but for the most part Mercury flew. She'd been sleeping in the built in bunk, something she was very much regretting at the moment.
"I should have slept in the co-pilot's seat." She continued. "At least it has cushions."
Mercury shrugged. "Then sleep in the chair. Not like I'm gonna stop you."
She rolled her eyes. "That's not the point, Mercury."
He scrunched up his face in confusion. "Then what is the point?"
Emerald bit her lip. The truth was she was just trying to goad him into a conversation, and so far her success has been…limited. She could almost laugh. She'd been trying to get him to shut up for the better part of a year, and now she was the one trying to speak to him.
Still, she had to bite the bullet. There was a lot to discuss, and they'd put it off long enough. "What are we going to do?" She almost wished she could take it back, but it was probably for the best that she had blurted it out. At least now it was out in the open.
Mercury frowned. "The hell do you mean? We're getting as far away from Evernight as we can." Ugh. Wasn't he supposed to be the more direct one? Yet here he was, dodging her questions.
"We've been flying for two days, Mercury, and that won't last forever. We need to figure out where we're going, and what we want to do. Now that we're on our own, we seriously need to think before we act." Cinder would be furious, but hopefully she would understand. But they couldn't just go traipsing around Remnant as they pleased, or they were going to draw the wrong sort of attention, fast.
"Hey, I think before I act!" Mercury complained.
"Oh yeah? We just ditched the most powerful woman on the planet, on a complete whim." She was yelling now. "We have no allies, we're wanted by probably every government on Remnant, and we have no clue what we're going to do! Please tell me how that constitutes "Thinking", before "Acting", Mercury.
Her partner scowled. "You went along with me, remember? Look, even you managed to see how things were gonna go with Cinder by the end back there. We needed to leave, and soon. Sure, I may not have had much of a plan at the time, but I got us out, didn't I? We're still breathing, aren't we?" She huffed, and his tone softened. "Em, you have to realize we can't go back, right? We're a little bit past the point of no return by now."
"I know that!" She snapped. "Just…I know we kinda got caught up in the moment, but that's why I'm bringing it up now. We need some sort of plan, at least for the time being. How did you think this was gonna go, back when you offered to take me with you?"
Once again, her partner simply shrugged. "I figured I'd make it up as we went along. See where the road takes us." He leaned forward, peering out of the aircraft. He frowned "Metaphorically speaking."
"Seriously? That's it? That's the best you had?" Emerald couldn't believe this.
"Hey, I never claimed I had anything better. I never have. I didn't choose to follow Cinder because I was some true believer in her cause, or because I felt indebted to her. I went with her because there wasn't anything else for me. Seriously, what other options did I have? Die on a mountain, and let my dad win? Screw that. Cinder gave me something to do, and I tagged along because I didn't have any reason not to. That's all it ever was."
"So what, you'll just follow the first person to come along and tell you what to do?" Emerald snorted.
"Bit hypocritical coming from you, don't you think?" Emerald froze, before looking away. "But who cares? All that's over and done with, for now. You said we needed a plan, right? You have something in mind?"
Emerald was silent for a moment. "I want-I want a home." Emerald winced. She sounded like a child. "I was an orphan when Cinder found me, a thief living on the streets. I want somewhere I can come back to at the end of the day where I don't have to worry about being robbed or stabbed in my sleep. I want to eat warm food whenever I feel like it. I want to be safe. And happy." I wanted a family. I wanted to not have to be alone.
"Emerald…" Mercury sighed. She waited for him to break out into a fit of laughter, or start mocking her, or do any one of a thousand things to make her regret opening up. He didn't do any of that.
"You know that'll never happen, right?" He wasn't rubbing it in her face, or trying to humiliate her. It sounded like he was just…pointing out the facts.
"After Beacon, any chance of either of us getting a shot at a normal life flew out the window. Hell, let's be honest, even before that we never stood a chance. We got screwed, Em, both of us. Right from the very start. Things like "Normal" and "Happy" were never in the cards for people like us."
"I know." She said glumly. "I never thought they were. I just…I thought Cinder could give me something close to that."
"Yeah, well, you thought wrong didn't you?" He said bitterly.
Emerald crossed her arms, looking away. Asshole. I already know I made a mistake, you don't need to keep rubbing it in.
He sighed. "Look, I didn't…You said we need a game plan, right? How bout we start by picking somewhere to go, at least for now?"
"Okay…" She answered slowly.
"So, let's brainstorm." He said. "Vale's out, obviously. Too hot at the moment. After Beacon, we're right under Cinder for most wanted, I'm sure. Besides, too many Grimm."
"Atlas is out too, then." Emerald said, getting back into the conversation. "Too much security. We'd be arrested before we reached mantle, and I don't want to find out what our sentence would be." She paused to think. Where could they go? "What about Mistral?" She finally asked.
Mercury considered it, before shaking his head. "Nah. Wouldn't work out."
Emerald frowned. "Why not?" It seemed like a good idea to her. "MIstral has a thriving criminal underground, and you said it yourself, normal isn't in the cards for people like us. Why not take advantage of the one thing we're good at?"
"Because Haven was the next stage of Cinder's plan, remember?" He reminded her. "Lionhearts already in Salem's pocket. And that same criminal underground you wanna get ourselves into works against us as much as it does for us. They'd sell us out in a heartbeat."
She sighed. "Mistral's out then. Vacuo? It's out of the way, could be a good place to lie low."
"It's too out of the way, that's the problem." He said. "Too much desert, and unless you're holding out on me, I don't think either of us are equipped to survive out there for very long, especially not with the supplies that we have."
Emerald threw her hands up. "Well, we have to go somewhere!"
Mercury thought for a moment. "I do have an idea, actually."
"Well let's hear it!" Honestly, she'd settle for anything so long as they had something.
"Argus," He finally said.
"Argus?" She questioned. Was he serious? "So let me get this straight. You don't want to go to Mistral, or Atlas, but the one place on Remnant that is under the jurisdiction of TWO kingdoms at once, is somehow ok?"
"Pretty much." He admitted. "Think about it: Argus has a military force from Atlas, but it's comparatively small. Enough to keep out the worst of Mistral's organized crime, but not enough to police it like Atlas. And because it's under the jurisdiction of two different kingdoms, I'm willing to bet that makes it a headache trying to figure out how to properly run the city while working together, even more so with the CCT down. That makes it easier for us to lie low. And it's out of the way enough that there's a chance we might not be recognized. Not a great chance, but it's there."
Emerald was surprised. "That's…not a terrible argument." Guess even a broken clock is right twice a day. "Is that it then? We're going to Argus?"
"Unless you have any last minute suggestions?"
She shook her head.
"In that case, you better get some shuteye. We're in for a long flight, and I am not going to be the only one to fly this thing. I need some sleep too, but I can go a little longer."
Emerald nodded, made to unbuckle herself, then thought better of it. "Think I'll sleep here. Hopefully my back won't wanna kill me when I wake up."
"Suit yourself." He shrugged.
She closed her eyes, and did her best to settle in. At least we're not aimlessly wandering around anymore. We have a plan. She knew it wouldn't last though. After all, they still needed to figure out what they'd do once they reached Argus.
Still, as she drifted off into sleep, she managed to find comfort in one thing, at least.
That there was a we. That it wasn't just her, surrounded by enemies. She didn't think she would have been able to leave on her own, and she was glad she didn't have to, not that she'd ever admit it.
She just hoped it would last.
Mercury rolled his eyes, as his partner began snoring. Yeah, he was gonna be flying this thing for a while, huh?
Well, he supposed it didn't really matter. He honestly didn't mind. At least flying gave him some peace and quiet now that Emerald was finally asleep, and it gave him time to think about everything that had gone on the last few days,
Time he desperately needed. Ever since fleeing Evernight, all he had focused on was getting as far away as he could, as fast as possible, not putting any stock into what came next. Emerald was right about that, they should have had a plan much earlier than this.
I didn't have to remind her she was an idiot for trusting Cinder. He thought. That's not exactly breaking news. All he had accomplished was pissing her off, and nearly forcing the conversation to an end.
Mercury frowned. He wouldn't normally think twice about pointing out her mistakes, relishing in humiliating her. Ever since Beacon, he'd been taking her side more often than not. Even when he was insulting her, he had mainly just been trying to get her to see sense. Why? What changed?
He didn't know, and he didn't understand why he didn't know, which pissed him off to no end. Mercury shook his head. It didn't really matter, now. Whatever the reason was back then, he had a hell of a good one right now. It was pretty much the two of them against the world. They really didn't have any other choice than to stick it out with each other.
Like that'll last, He scoffed. Emerald was a smart girl, for all the hell he gave her. And sooner or later she'll come to realize that she'd be better off cutting ties with him. He wasn't exactly well suited for the whole "partners" thing.
Still, he let himself think, maybe. Maybe that won't happen. Maybe they'd be able to lie low long enough for everything to blow over, and they can find some way to actually live a proper life. Maybe not a good life, but something better than what they had.
And maybe you'll stop pretending you don't know why you helped her, or why you don't want her to leave, a voice spoke up. Mercury furrowed his brow, and tried focusing on his course. On the Bullhead, and its many controls. On the landscape they passed as they flew. Anything to shut himself up.
And as he did, old memories crept up unbidden. Of waiting in the dark, listening for footsteps. The stench of alcohol and dried blood, and an old, familiar pain. A pain he recognized a bit too well in Emerald, not long after Beacon.
"Listen up! Right now, we have before us a chance to do what we were trained to do: Defeat the enemies of mankind! Ok, so maybe things have been kind of boring since we left patch, but that ends now! The days of the town of-" Ruby briefly stopped her grand speech, whipping her head around to quietly ask the local town official a question. "What's this place called again?"
"Ah, well, the name of our village is-" He began.
"You heard the poor man! The days of this town's torment by the evil Nevermore of the woods ends now!" The townsman, for his part, seemed amused at being interrupted. Ruby jumped up on a table, one hand on her hip, and the other outstretched to the sky. "Who's with me?"
Jaune Arc and Lie Ren shared a look, before Ren spoke up. "Ruby, we were already with you."
Ruby deflated. "Aww, guys, you're supposed to say "We are!" In unison, then raise your weapons into the air triumphantly!." She whined. "I was trying to motivate you!"
Nora came up from behind, lifting both Jaune and Ren on her shoulders. "WE ARE!" She declared.
Ruby whooped, shooting back into the air. "See? She gets it! Go team, go!" Nora marched off in the direction of the woods, carrying her teammates on her shoulder, chanting all the way.
The old man offered a smile. "Good luck, young huntress. I cannot thank you enough for agreeing to help us."
She waved a hand dismissively. "Pshh, this is nothing. We're professionals. Anyways, just don't let anyone wander out of town for a few hours, okay? I don't want anyone to get hurt."
He nodded, taking one last look at her teammates marching off, and left her on her own.
Ruby sighed, and began walking after her teammates. It's still weird to think of them as that. Weiss, and Yang, and Blake were her teammates. And Pyrrha was theirs. Except Yang was hurt, Weiss was in Atlas, and Blake was gone. And Pyrrha…
I'm not being fair to them. This is probably just as hard for them as it was for her. At least she knew her teammates were still safe, for the most part. It was hard for all of them to get used to this. Ruby smiled. But we're doing pretty good.
All of them were still reeling from Beacon, but the longer they traveled together, the smoother things became. They were falling back into their old ways, joking around poking fun at one another. That was good. It meant things were getting better.
It was definitely weird, at first. She had asked if they would come, and she made it clear they shouldn't feel like they had to, but they agreed anyway. All of them were still grieving, and none of them were used to the absence of their teammates. She couldn't even begin to count how many times she had called Ren Blake, or Jaune Yang.
Or how many times one of them called her, Pyrrha.
"Hey, you alright?" Ruby looked up. Jaune must have managed to escape from Nora, and wait for her to catch up.
"Me? Oh yeah, I'm doing fine. Nothing to worry about. Hey, I think the Nevermore nest is somewhere up here." Ruby tried to walk away, but Jaune pulled her back by her hood.
"Gah! My cape!" Ruby gasped, flailing her arms around her.. "You betray me, in my hour of need?"
Jaune chuckled at her expense, before frowning. "I'm being serious, Ruby. You seem kinda…out of it."
Ruby bit her lip. "I just…am I doing a good job?"
"At what?" Jaune asked.
She waved her arms around. "At this! I don't know, all of it. Leading you guys, I guess. That's what I mean." She held her arm. "I feel like I'm not doing enough. I was only sort of joking when I said I was trying to motivate you."
"Ruby, we chose to follow you, remember?" Jaune reminded her. "Look…none of us are really…we all took Beacon hard. It's a little fresher in your mind, because you were unconscious, but for us it's been really rough trying to deal with the fallout. So, we…might need a little time to get back to normal."
He straightened up, continuing. "I think we all do, to be honest, yourself included. And even then, things won't be the same. Yeah, right now things are kinda weird, but trust me, It's a lot better than it was. I was constantly arguing with Nora and Ren before you woke up, trying to convince them to help me look for Cinder."
Jaune smiled. "They didn't want to charge out looking for a needle in a haystack, when we had no idea where to even begin. Which, in hindsight, was a really good idea. Then, you reached out to us, and gave us an actual plan, a purpose."
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me Ruby, you're doing a great job. Definitely better than I could have. I know this is rich, coming from me, but you should really have a bit more faith in yourself"
Ruby giggled. "Thanks, Jaune."
"Hey, what are friends for? We're the leaders, after all, we should be the ones watching each other's backs" He nodded over to Nora and Ren in the distance. "Now come on, let's catch up before Nora decides she wants a Nevermore for a pet. Or a weapon."
Ruby smiled as Jaune ran off. I don't know how long this will last, or how far we'll get. But these are my friends, and right now, they're my team, as well.
And, as she ran past Jaune, nearly tumbling into Ren and Nora, one more thought crossed her mind. And I'll keep this team together this time. For as long as it takes, we'll stay together.
Poor Tyrian, he really didn't think it would be a problem letting them go. Oh well, he'll just have to make sure he doesn't fail Salem again…
As for our main duo, off to Argus! Whatever awaits them there, I wonder?
Chapter 7 is finished, and it's looking like I can consistently put out a chapter a week, given the circumstances I mentioned last chapter. Thankfully, I don't think this will last anywhere near as long as initially thought, hopefully only another week or two. Maybe I can start making more headway once things go back to normal.
You know, I really wish I could do more with these things, I love reading AN's but I can't really go too in depth because of spoilers. Oh well, I'm sure I'll figure something out. This is a learning process after all.
Thank you for reading and please, leave a comment or a review! I'd love to know what you think!
And remember, I crosspost on Ao3!
Next Chapter: Tuesday, March 12th
