Ruby got caught in the heavy foot traffic as soon as she got out of the car. Grimacing, she ducked her head and scanned for a way out. The temptation to use her Semblance was great, but she didn't trust not accidentally dragging a random person with her, not to mention the mess she would be leaving behind.

A gap appeared in the crowd. Ruby bolted for it, weaving between people – an elbow came out of nowhere, catching her under the ribs. Her Aura dulled the impact, yet somehow it still stole the air from her lungs. When she tried to take another breath, it got caught in her throat.

A blade flashed at the edge of her vision. Ruby jolted away, bumped into another person, and finally stumbled out of the mob. She spun, nearly tripping on her own ankles, and saw a pair of amber eyes leering at her amidst the sea of pedestrians.

Ruby blinked, and the eyes were gone. Shaking, she lowered her hand from her side. The pain wasn't there. She wasn't there.

"Weiss couldn't have found a better place to park?" Suddenly Blake was at her side, looking just as disheveled as her, and profoundly more irritated.

Ruby caught her breath and glanced down at her own hands. Good, she wasn't shaking anymore. "Well, it's a busy neighborhood! I don't think we had that many options."

"I guess I shouldn't be complaining. I still haven't gotten around to taking driving lessons." Blake's ears flicked in the direction of the road. "Cars."

"Mhmm. I just run everywhere."

Blake shifted her entire attention onto Ruby, her eyes narrowing. "Are you okay?"

Ruby feigned a smile. "Yeah, just some rude person bumped into me, that's all. I almost fell on my face! Did you see if Weiss and Pyrrha got out okay?"

Blake squinted at her for a moment longer before she turned around. "I think I saw them going this way."

They found their companions waiting at the bottom of the steps to the Valean World Council office. Weiss had a scowl on her face as she tried to smooth her coat and dress. Pyrrha, of course, didn't have a hair out of place.

"Oh good, you two didn't get stampeded to death," Weiss said. "My apologies for the inconvenience. Although really, you should blame whichever genius designed this nightmare of a city. This would never happen in Atlas."

"Maybe not in the neighborhoods you frequented," Blake said. Weiss only had time to look at her quizzically before she spoke again, "Are we still on time?"

"Penny texted me before we parked, she said she'd meet us inside." Ruby looked up at the building. "Man, I don't know why I was expecting it to be on fire or something. They fixed this place real quick, huh?"

"It's been a month, not to mention that the damage was fairly localized. I would be surprised if they hadn't fixed it yet," Weiss said. "Anyway, shall we go in?"

"If everyone's ready," Ruby said. "Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha, however, didn't seem to be listening.. She was staring at the sky, an odd glimmer in her eyes.

"Pyrrha?" Ruby poked her arm. "Remnant to Pyrrha, hello?"

Pyrrha blinked and looked at her. "I'm sorry. Were you saying something?"

"Just that we're all ready to go inside, if you're good with that," Ruby said. "Is there something wrong?"

She bit her tongue. Of course there was something wrong. How dumb did she have to be to ask something like that.

"Everything's fine, I was just caught up in my own thoughts." Pyrrha glanced up again, her gaze sweeping across the towering skyscrapers around them. "Do you smell that?"

"Doesn't smell like anything to me," Blake said after a second.

"The air is awful here. And these buildings…" Pyrrha's shoulders rose and fell. "I think I don't like cities anymore."

Ruby wished someone would speak up, but it seemed she wasn't the only one with no clue what to say to that. This wasn't the first time this happened. Around the time of the funeral and for the following couple weeks, Pyrrha had seemed entirely herself. Since then, though, there were times she would say something or look at Ruby a particular way, and Ruby could swear Amber was standing right there, in Pyrrha's flesh. It didn't happen often enough that Ruby was seriously concerned, but it was still disquieting.

The silence lasted for a moment more before Pyrrha – Pyrrha herself – turned her attention to her friends again. "Are we going, then?"

No sooner had they stepped inside the building that Ruby saw Penny standing across the lobby. She started to wave, but Penny was already coming their way, crossing the distance in a matter of seconds.

"Hey, Penny-" Ruby started to say, before she was captured in a tight hug and lifted off her feet.

"Hello, Ruby!" Penny spun her in a circle and squeezed even harder. Somehow, that didn't break any bones. She finally put Ruby down and grinned at her for a second, before she greeted the others. "And hello, friends!"

She went to Weiss and Blake, hugging them in turn – "It's nice to see you too, Penny," Weiss said, when she was able to breathe again – before she stopped before Pyrrha. That hug lasted a lot longer, and then she took a step back and grasped Pyrrha's hands.

"I'm very sorry I couldn't be there for the funeral, Pyrrha," Penny said. "I was told it was a lovely service, and that Jaune's hometown is beautiful. I would have liked to be there to see it for myself, but General Ironwood wouldn't allow it." She frowned. "Things have been very busy."

"Thank you, Penny, that's really sweet," Pyrrha said, smiling. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Jaune would understand."

"Yes, I'm sure things have been very busy." Weiss crossed her arms. "The General couldn't possibly have spared you a single day off."

Ruby didn't often share the same level of antipathy Weiss had for Ironwood. This was one of those rare times. "You're still good to go with what we talked about, right, Penny?"

Penny nodded, a sort of careful expression on her face, before she spoke again. "The General and Director Branwen are waiting in a private chamber upstairs. I was told to take you there," she said. "Oh, Ruby, I'm sorry! I completely forgot! I didn't hurt you when I hugged you just now, did I?"

"Oh, no, I'm completely fine," Ruby said. "It doesn't even hurt anymore."

"Understood," Penny said. "However, I'd still like to make it up to you, so allow me to support you on the way."

Ruby didn't very well get the chance to allow anything, as Penny immediately took her hand and started leading them to their destination. Ruby wasn't sure how holding hands was supposed to help her walk, but she didn't complain. Penny knew she was completely fine, obviously – she'd been there for the surgery, and though they hadn't seen each other since, they'd been texting every day. Not to mention Penny's innate ability to diagnose people's physical condition.

For some reason, that thought made Ruby's neck burn hot. She noticed Blake smirking at her as they walked, and suddenly she felt like she was standing inside a furnace. "W-what?"

"Nothing." Blake looked away, though her smile only widened.

"Don't mind her," Weiss interjected. "She has no romance in her own life, so her only option is to experience it vicariously through others."

Blake looked cross for a split second, before she shrugged. "Just the books isn't enough."

Ruby sputtered. Did they really have to talk about romance when Penny was right there? And Pyrrha, especially Pyrrha. Didn't they realize how this sort of talk might upset her? Although, by the look on her face, Pyrrha seemed to be greatly enjoying this as well.

Great, she had no allies.

They went up a set of stairs and stopped before a door. Penny let go of Ruby's hand, and her embarrassment quickly evaporated as she watched her input a code on a pad on the wall.

Something cold festered in Ruby's stomach. She stumbled back and bumped into Pyrrha.

"Maybe you should take point on this," Ruby said, quiet as a mouse. "Maiden and all."

Pyrrha looked down at her for a moment before she set a hand on Ruby's back. "There's no reason you cannot do this."

The door opened, and Ruby had no choice but to muster her courage and do what she was supposed to do - lead.

The men were already inside, sitting around a low glass table. Qrow had his feet up on it, reclining back on a cushioned seat with Ozpin's cane across his lap. He gave a nod to Ruby and the others as they filled in.

Ironwood sat stiffly on a chair, staring intently at his own interlaced fingers. He was clean shaven, but he looked haggard, his skin pasty except for the dark bags around his eyes. Ruby tried not to stare at the few parts of his right arm that weren't covered, or the plate of metal on that side of his neck, or his exposed ankle, but that was easier said than done.

The door made a click as Penny closed it behind them. When everyone had sat down, Ironwood finally shifted his attention upwards. "You're late," he rumbled.

"Actually, I believe we're just on time," Weiss said. "Afternoon, Director."

"Miss Schnee." Qrow sat up properly. "You should have warned me you all were coming by car, I woulda gotten you a spot in the parking lot. Free of charge too, imagine that."

"Thank you, but we can make do by ourselves."

"I wouldn't have objected," Blake muttered.

"Let's cut the pleasantries," Ironwood said. "Penny, the item."

Penny grabbed a steel case in the corner of the room and brought it to the table. She input a code on the side of the case, and it opened to reveal another layer. Ironwood reached over and pressed his left hand to the top of the second layer, and it too opened. Penny reached in and brought out the Relic of Knowledge.

She set the lamp down on the table for everyone to see, then took the case away and returned to the door to guard it.

"So, what were you able to find out?" Qrow asked in a lazy drawl, like he already knew the answer.

Ironwood shook his head. "Nothing. I had a science team study the object for two weeks, and we learned nothing except that it is perpetually emitting a field of energy around it. As to what sort of energy that is, my people were unable to ascertain. Whatever the phenomenon is, it's completely unprecedented."

"Yeah, that's what we got too," Qrow said, bracing his arms behind his head.

"None of your scientists heard a voice while they were observing the Relic?" Weiss asked Ironwood. "Or maybe they touched it and received some manner of… impression, or feeling? Some piece of information they couldn't possibly have arrived at solely of their own ability."

"None of that," he replied. "For now this Relic appears to be, for all intents and purposes, nothing but a very old lamp."

"It is shiny, though," Blake noted.

Qrow looked at Ruby from across the table and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it was worth a try. Thanks for the help, General, we appreciate it," she said. "We'll be taking it from here."

Ironwood's shoulders tensed. He looked from her to Qrow. "They will be what?"

"They'll be taking the Relic home with them," Qrow answered matter-of-factly.

"We've already built a safe room just to hold it," Ruby said. "It'll be locked up twenty-four seven. Only people who will be allowed entry are members of the team. The Relic leaves the room for any reason, alarms ring, the whole house goes into lockdown. And a bunch of other safety measures. Weiss has the list, if you want."

"It's extensive," Weiss concurred.

"That is ridiculous," Ironwood said. "Atlas has the most advanced military on the planet. We've been able to defend ourselves against the Grimm leagues ahead of the other nations, and yet you believe you can guard the Relic better than we can? Better than Beacon?"

"In terms of manpower and resources? No way," Ruby said. "But if that were enough to stop Salem and the Grimm, we would never have been needed in the first place."

"She got to Leo, James," Qrow said. "All it takes is one person to bring the whole thing down."

Ironwood dismissed that with a gesture. "Lionheart was always a fool and a coward, let's not pretend otherwise."

"The point still stands. You can't vet every person who would come near the Relic – not against her," Qrow said. "Believe me, I have my own reservations about this. But I know this is the safest bet until we can figure out a better solution."

Ironwood scowled. Ruby could see his hand shaking – only the left one.

"I will continue to study the Relic on my own," Weiss said. "I'm not likely to make any meaningful progress, but if I can communicate with your team and Beacon's-"

"With all due respect, Miss Schnee, you're a child, not a scientist," Ironwood interrupted.

"She's more of a scientist than you are," Blake spat back. "And with all due respect, General, you had better watch how you speak to her. She's the one who advocated for maintaining relations with Atlas."

"It's for the benefit of everyone," Weiss said, hands stiff on her lap.

Ironwood looked around, and for a moment there was silence as they each endured his gaze individually, before he spoke again. "It would seem nothing short of ludicrous to me that I should be expected to trust you, when clearly, you consider me utterly untrustworthy."

Ruby held back a sigh. This was about how she expected the conversation to go, though she had hoped for the better.

"You're not getting it, Mr. General. We want to trust you," she said. "Beacon was always going to hand us the Relic as soon as they were done studying it. None of the other countries' representatives asked. We didn't have to let you keep it for two weeks. We did it as a courtesy."

That only seemed to incense the General more. "Why should you be the ones deciding this?"

"Because we've shown time and again that our mission is to protect Remnant and everyone in it, no matter the cost," Ruby said. "We risked our lives to keep the Relic out of Salem's hands. We – we even lost one of our own. Shouldn't that be enough to convince you?"

Ironwood's form rose and fell unevenly with the movement of his chest, his left side trembling erratically. His right side remained eerily still.

"I lost half my body," he said. "Is that not enough to convince you?"

Ruby stared at him, part of her wanting to back off and let him have things the way he wanted. To trust him despite everything. But misplaced trust was a blade in the gut.

"We're sorry about that, James," she said. "The Relic leaves with us."

Ironwood flitted to the Relic and Penny, a scowl so deep on his face. Ruby felt her whole body tense in anticipation, but she didn't move an inch. If she did something, it would only be because he forced her hand.

"We have nothing left to discuss, then." Ironwood stood up. "Penny, grab that case and let's go."

Ruby nearly gasped in relief – but they weren't out of the fire yet. She met eyes with Penny and watched her turn to face the General. Penny opened her mouth to speak, only to close it a moment later. She picked up the case in the corner and bowed her head, sharply avoiding Ruby's gaze all of a sudden. General Ironwood took no notice of any of it.

The others started to shift in their seats. Ruby didn't wait a second more. "Actually, we didn't come here just for the Relic," she said, standing up. "Penny, didn't you have something you wanted to say?"

Ironwood stopped partway to the door, rounding suddenly on Penny, and she jumped. Qrow sat up on his chair, his gaze suddenly very sharp as he gave Ruby a warning look. She didn't mind him.

"I…" Penny stared at the case in her arms for a moment, her irises spinning, before she raised her chin to look at the General. "With your permission, Mister Ironwood, sir, I would like to join my friends in the Hunt."

Ironwood's response was immediate. "Absolutely not."

"She's just being polite, General," Weiss said. "She'd like your permission, but she doesn't need it."

"Yes, she does. She is under my service, and she is property of-"

"If you finish that sentence…" Blake said. "She's a person. She gets to choose."

"She was built to protect Atlas. What she wants has no bearing on it, she will do it."

Pyrrha stood up, speaking for the first time since she'd sat down. "Her name is Penny. Perchance you would find it wiser to listen to what she has to say, rather than direct your frustration at the rest of us."

Her voice seemed to linger in the air like the discharged electricity of a lightning bolt striking the earth. She stared at the General, calm.

Ironwood rolled his plated shoulder and looked at Penny. "Speak, then." He towered over her, staring down with all the intensity of a man who already knew he was defeated. Penny seemed really small all of sudden. Ruby feared she might lose her nerve again, and prepared to step in to help.

"I do not wish to leave your service, sir," Penny said, enunciating every word with the same clarity as always. "Not entirely, anyway." She put the case down at her feet and straightened her shoulders. "I will be joining the Hunt. That is my dearest wish, sir, and following my dearest wishes is my primary directive. However, I wouldn't be opposed to acting as your liaison to the team. In fact, if you would allow it, that would bring me great satisfaction. I still want to do good by you and Atlas, sir."

In an instant, Ironwood's fury seemed to evaporate, and now he looked only exhausted. "Do what you will. I cannot stop you," he said. "But I am done with you."

Without another word, he took the case and walked out of the room. The door made a final click as he shut it.

For a moment, nobody said anything. Penny stood inert, wide eyes staring forward. Ruby quickly moved to take her hand, but still Penny didn't move.

Of all people, it was Pyrrha who broke the silence. "Wow." She turned to look at the others. "What an asshole."

A moment of silence passed as everyone stared at her, stunned. Pyrrha blinked, seemingly realizing she'd just spoken her thoughts out loud, and a bashful smile came to her lips.

Penny giggled. "He can be difficult at times!"

"An understatement at multiple levels," Weiss muttered, before she stood up and smiled at Penny. "Well then, welcome to the team."

Penny's eyes lit up. "Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She blitzed around the room hugging everyone, even Qrow, who almost fell off his chair, so startled he was. She stopped at Ruby, once again hugging her so hard that for a moment she couldn't breathe. "Thank you, thank you! I couldn't have done this without your support!"

"H-hey, sure you could have. Anyway, that's what friends are for," Ruby said. "You didn't have to offer to be his liaison, by the way. You don't owe him anything. Or us."

"That's not exactly true."

Penny backed off and smiled at her. Ruby rubbed her neck, finding it burning again all of a sudden. At least Blake had the decency to not stare at her this time.

Pyrrha picked up the Relic off the table. She stared at it, her eyes seeming to turn a deeper shade of green for a moment, before she shook her head and looked up. "We should take this home at once."

"Right," Weiss said. "I expect traffic will have alleviated somewhat by now. We might all get back to the car in one piece, even."

"I would enjoy the experience of riding home with everyone, but I could fly instead and take someone with me, if anyone would like that," Penny said.

"I don't know, would anyone like that?" Blake asked, and blinked at Ruby.

Ruby groaned. "You guys go on ahead. I'll meet you outside."

She sat down as the others left the room, and turned to look at her uncle. Qrow stared at her, eyes slightly narrowed as he braced his arms atop a knee.

"I hope you know you could have told me you were planning on doing that."

"Sorry. But this was Penny's business, you know? Sorta personal," Ruby said. "Plus, I didn't want to get you in trouble with Ironwood."

"Oh, he already hates my guts, that ship has sailed. I could shine his shoes for him every morning and he'd find a reason to complain." Qrow shrugged. "Anyway, I appreciate the gesture. But you realize you burned down all bridges with that move of yours? And all for one girl."

"You think I made a mistake?"

Qrow stared at her for a moment, and though Ruby kept a straight face, she could feel the doubt settling in like a rock in her stomach.

"Nah," Qrow said, finally. "Everything starts with 'just one girl', yeah?"

Ruby smiled slightly. "That's pretty much how it goes, yup."

"This was the way it had to go, then. You made your choice, Jimmy made his. We'll see what tomorrow brings."

"Do you think there's a chance he'll change his mind?"

"I wouldn't put any money on it. Stubborn old men like us, we're difficult to have our minds changed," Qrow said. "But you never know." He bowed his head briefly, a bitter smile coming to his lips. By the time he met her eyes again, it was gone. "Don't you waste any more of your energy worrying about him. He's my problem to deal with. You've got more important stuff."

Ruby nodded. She wasn't planning on giving Ironwood any mind unless he gave her reason to.

"But I'm guessing you didn't stay behind just to have me validate your decisions," Qrow said.

Without thinking, Ruby put a hand on the side of her belly. Sometimes she could still feel the blade there, though truthfully she didn't remember much of how it had felt. The memory was hazy, and she wasn't very interested in remembering it any better.

"I just wanted to ask if you've had any luck finding Cinder," she said, mouth dry.

"No," Qrow said. "She's a ghost. But we haven't stopped searching."

Truthfully, Ruby didn't know what answer she'd been hoping for. Part of her was relieved, because once she knew wherever it was Cinder was hiding, there was no doubt what the next move would be. Then she'd get to the question that really mattered.

Why?

And that, she thought, was maybe a question left unanswered.

"Okay," Ruby said. "That's too bad, but thanks for keeping me in the loop,"

"I learn anything, you'll be the first to know," Qrow said. He looked her up and down, and Ruby took her hand off her belly. "You doing okay, kiddo?"

"Right as rain!" Ruby patted her knees and stood up. "I gotta go now. Shouldn't keep everyone waiting with the Relic."

"Right." Qrow stood up as well. "Well then, good seeing you again, Miss Rose."

He offered a hand, and Ruby shook it gingerly. "It was good seeing you too, Director Branwen."

Qrow stuffed his hands back in his pockets.

"Hell," he said, grinning painfully. "That's gonna take some getting used to."

Yang wiped the back of her neck with a towel. She sat down on the bench, watching the dummy in the middle of the training room sway back and forth. When it slowed to a halt, she dropped the towel beside her and reached down to rub behind her knees and ankles.

I think I've finally got the hang of this, she told herself. Or I'm starting to get there.

It was hard to convince herself she would ever get back to one hundred percent. Maybe she never would. She hopedonce she unlearned all the muscle memory associated with having a right arm, fighting wouldn't feel quite so awkward. That, and she hoped she'd stop knocking over so many glasses.

The door opened, and Ren poked his head inside. "Afternoon." He raised a hand in greeting. "Ruby and the others are back. Things worked out, they've got the Relic and Penny."

Yang smiled. "That's great!"

"Yes. Everyone's in the living room, I think they were talking about cake," Ren said. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, tell 'em I'll be there in a minute."

Ren left, leaving the door opened a fraction behind him. Even coming from the other side of the house, Yang heard the yells and the cheers. That was Nora, mostly. She had been very excited when they'd begun to talk about getting Penny to join the team – a new recruit, perfect for her and Ren to boss around!

Someone laughed loudly. Weiss, maybe? Yang rubbed the corner of her eyes.

Jeez, that's a lot of noise. And a whole lot of people.

Since when had she been scared of noise, or people? She was Yang Xiao freaking Long. That was where she thrived. Or where she used to thrive. Maybe what she was actually scared of was being around happy people. She didn't know how to do that anymore.

Raven had been right, after all. She'd left the dawn after the battle in Haven, once things had winded down and Ruby was in the clear, but not before she talked to Yang one last time.

"I'm not going to ask you to reconsider and come with me, because I know you won't," Raven had said. "I just hope-"

They had been standing outside, and Raven had looked at Yang's arm then, with a look in her eyes almost like she wished she could grow it back herself.

"I hope I'm wrong about everything. But that – that isn't over."

Then she had flown away, and that was the last Yang had seen of her mother.

She hadn't understood what Raven meant until the evening after, when she came out of the shower in the hotel they were staying at and looked in the mirror. Tyrian had been standing right there, looming over her shoulder, with that manic grin on his face. She screamed and fell backwards, but when she looked up there was no one else in the mirror. That was how Ruby found her.

Since then, every time Yang looked in the mirror, she expected to see Tyrian again, but he was never there. She would often stay up until the morning, staring at the ceiling, unable to close her eyes. It was odd, because she wasn't even sure she was afraid of him.

Tyrian's dead, the arm doesn't hurt anymore, and I kicked ass in Haven, was what she repeated to herself every time until she succumbed to sleep. And yet there were still days where she couldn't bring herself to come out of her room.

So yes, it wasn't over. And maybe it never would be.

"Yang? I thought you said you were coming."

Yang blinked and realized Ruby was standing right in front of her, the door of the training room wide open. Penny stood behind her, rocking on her feet as she waved at Yang.

"Oh hi. Sorry, I just got done training so I was still catching my breath," Yang said. "Also, I'm really sweaty."

Ruby stared at her for a moment before she accepted the excuse. "Yeah, you didn't need to say," she said, scrunching her nose.

"Hey, sweating is good, it means I'm doing something right," Yang said. "Hey, Penny! I heard you're one of us now. Congrats! And sorry about Nora."

"Oh, she was very welcoming! Though I suppose she could decrease the volume of her voice a smidge," Penny said. She stopped waving for a second, only to wave even harder. "And thank you! I am very excited to be your teammate."

"I can tell!" Yang picked up her towel to dry her face some more, before she got up and nodded. "Alright, I guess I've spaced out long enough. Did I hear something about cake?"

"Actually-" Ruby raised a finger- "you're gonna want to stay here. Penny and me came to show you something, and it's sorta private. Trust me, you're gonna thank us."

Yang sat back down, her eyebrows rising high up her forehead. "Okay… This is about to become either very weird, or very wholesome. Maybe both."

Penny handed Ruby a rectangular box, and Yang opened her mouth to say that, wow, this was about to get weird. The joke died on her tongue when Ruby opened the box and she saw what was inside.

"Ruby, what – what is that?"

"What does it look like?" Ruby brought the box a little closer. "It's your new arm."

Yang stared. It surely looked sleek. And – and sturdy. Fancy, even. Her throat felt very dry.

"I-I don't get it," she managed to get out, somehow. "How?"

"Remember when I asked to take your measurements?" Ruby asked.

"I thought it was because you were looking up how this stuff worked, that's all."

"Well, yeah, that's what I told you, but actually it was because Penny's dad needed to know them," Ruby said. "He's the one who built it!"

Yang looked at Penny. "Your dad?"

"He's a brilliant inventor! And this is very advanced tech. I could tell you the details, but they'd probably be lost on you," Penny said cheerfully. "He says it's his best work yet. Except for me, of course!"

She grinned widely, which only served to make Yang more flustered.

"This – this is really a-amazing and sweet, Penny, and I'm really thankful," she said, "but there's no way I can accept this."

Penny frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, for one, it looks way too expensive," Yang said. "There's no way I can ever pay him back."

"Yang! Pietro's not gonna ask you to pay him for it," Ruby said. "It's a gift!"

"Dad was very excited to make it for you. He already had a prototype in the works for eight months and sixteen days, but when I told him about your situation, he offered to put everything else on hold to finish it for you," Penny said, a tinge of sadness in her voice. "I think he would be very disappointed if he knew you didn't want it."

"Yang, I'm really sorry I lied to you. I didn't want to blindside you like this, it's just-" Ruby clasped her hands nervously. "You didn't want to see any doctors, and I wanted you to have the best thing, so…"

The best thing is gone. Yang looked at the prosthetic. Paying it back wasn't the real reason she was so averse to accepting it, she knew that much. The real reason was the same for why she hadn't been looking into getting something of her own accord. If only she knew what that was.

Ruby squeezed her shoulder. "You don't have to take it if you're not ready, Yang. It can wait."

Yes! Thank you! Yang almost shouted, and that immediately gave her pause. Was she really that eager to take the first out offered to her?

She took a deep breath. "I guess there's no harm in trying it on for a bit."

"Yay!" Ruby smiled. "Okay. We'll help you out, it's not complicated at all, really."

Penny took the prosthetic out of the box and approached Yang. "Please raise your right arm and keep it steady. You shouldn't feel any pain, only some mild pressure at first."

Yang obeyed the instructions without a word, not really registering any of the process. The whole thing seemed to be happening to someone else.

Only when she felt a jolt on her stump did she snap back to wakefulness. She looked down, and there it was. Shiny black metal from the elbow down, a hand the exact same size of her left, five proportionate digits.

"Try moving your index finger," Penny said.

"What?" Yang furrowed her brow. "But it's not even – what…"

"Just try it, Yang," Ruby said, nodding encouragingly.

Yang narrowed her eyes at the hand. She wasn't even sure what she was supposed to do. She'd never had to think about-

Oh wow they were moving. The fingers were moving. Her fingers were moving. Her hand was closing, closing into a loose fist, and it was so natural that it felt almost wrong.

"Sensational! Your Aura responded to it! Oh, Dad will be overjoyed!" Penny exclaimed, hopping in place.

Yang looked at Ruby. "Am I losing my mind or did she just say this thing is responding to my Aura?"

"You're completely sane," Ruby said. "Well, mostly. You're still my sister." She grinned, her eyes shining. "If you're wondering how, Uncle Qrow might have slipped Pietro some Beacon research documents on Aura. But you didn't hear that from me."

She grasped Yang's new hand, and Yang nearly choked. It felt like she was holding Ruby's hand. But it couldn't be true. It just wasn't possible.

Penny was talking again, Ruby interjecting occasionally. Something about maintenance and stuff she had to be careful about. Yang didn't really hear any of it. She was too busy staring at the point where her hand met Ruby's, and the sensation of it.

"I-I'm sorry," Yang said when Penny finished speaking. "I don't think I got any of that. This is just- wild."

"That's okay. I can repeat this information to you at a later date," Penny said. "If you ever need immediate assistance, you can always come to me, or Ruby if I'm not available. I have explained everything to her thoroughly on three separate occasions."

"I think I got at least half of it down." Ruby knocked on her own head. "I'm really happy for you, Yang. Do you want to take it off now?"

"No, that's okay," Yang said, a little breathless. "I guess I can keep it on for a little longer. To get used to it."

"Great! Wanna go get cake now, before it's all gone?"

Yang looked down at her hand and flexed her fingers. Only her own face stared back in that shiny reflection. He's dead, the arm doesn't hurt anymore, and I kicked ass in Haven. Still, her stomach was in a knot of cold dread.

That didn't mean she needed to lie awake tonight.

"Actually…" Yang looked up at Penny. "Do you think your dad would mind it if I customized this a little?"

Blake brought another forkful of cake to her mouth and chewed on it, all the while staring at the Relic from up close. Secure in its holding pedestal, it seemed to be shining brighter than ever. Blake wasn't sure if it was the new environment, or if she was just imagining things.

"So, no one's been able to learn a single thing about this, hmm?" she asked, scraping her plastic plate for more frosting.

Behind her, Weiss shuffled a stack of papers on her desk. "It's a millennia-old magical object of indeterminate origin," she said. "No. No one has been able to learn a single thing about it."

Blake walked over to the desk. She licked her fork clean, then looked at Weiss' plate, left by the wayside with half a slice left on it. Weiss saw her looking and pushed it towards her.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out," Blake said.

Weiss looked up. "Are you?"

"It's what I told Ironwood." Blake picked up the plate and stabbed her fork into the cake. "You calling me a liar?"

"I thought you were embellishing. It was vital that we keep the Relic."

"Me, embellish? You wound me, Weiss." Blake turned back around. "I am the picture of honesty."

She returned to the Relic's pedestal and closed her eyes. She listened, but the only noise in the room was of Weiss' papers and the faint buzzing of the equipment around them. No whispers, and certainly no voices in her head.

"I do understand why he wanted the Relic so badly."

Weiss cleared her throat. "Do elaborate."

"He's scared, obviously. Think about it," Blake said. "From what we've been told, Salem is as old as recorded history. Older even, probably. She's waited patiently all this time, and now she's struck twice in just a few years. First in Vale, and now Haven. She must know there's no coming back from that."

"I suppose there is not," Weiss said. "Although, it would appear her ultimate objective was to take the Relic, and we foiled that."

"I think we both know she didn't hinge everything on just that," Blake said. "She's got more in store, we just have no clue about any of it. But if we could figure her plans out ahead of time…"

She glanced at the Relic, before she met eyes with Weiss from across the room.

"I don't know about you, Weiss, but I'm tired of always being on the backfoot. Tired of being backed into a corner every time," Blake said. "I don't want to lose anyone else."

"Neither do I." Weiss gazed at her papers, frustration flashing in her eyes for a second before she nodded solemnly. "I'll figure this out, I promise. We will figure this out."

Blake smiled. "Good," she said, and kept eating her cake.

The knock came on Weiss' door at the cusp of midnight. She'd meant to go to sleep an hour earlier, to rest her eyes and mind after hours of research, but first she'd decided to get done a little more of her… extracurricular reading. Just one issue, she'd told herself. That had been a mistake.

Another knock followed a few seconds later. The first one had been so faint, for a moment she thought she'd imagined it. This one was much clearer. Metal on wood, there was no mistaking the sound.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Weiss' heart jumped up her throat. There Yang stood, framed by the fluorescent lights of the hallway behind her. She stared, slowly raising her new prosthetic in greeting, before she suddenly stopped and waved with her other hand instead.

"You're still awake. Good," Yang said. Judging by the tone of her voice, Weiss suspected she wasn't all that pleased about it, actually. "You mind if I come in to talk for a minute?"

"Just a minute would seem a waste of time for us both," Weiss said. Maybe if she sounded poised enough, Yang wouldn't realize what a state she was in.

"You got me there," Yang said with a chuckle. She took a step inside and pointed at the door. "I'll, uh, keep this open."

Weiss nodded. The fact that Yang seemed just as nervous as her was some comfort. Not too much, though, because Weiss knew there was only one reason why Yang would be visiting her in her room after probably stalling for hours.

"Wait." Yang stopped in the middle of the room. "Is that The Undefeatable Hyper-Boy I see in your dainty hands?"

She pointed, and Weiss realized she was so flustered, she'd forgotten to hide the stupid book. Although perhaps that was a blessing in disguise. The distraction was more than welcome.

"Correct. I have a whole collection to go through," Weiss said. "I did make a promise, if you'll recall."

"Yup, and no one can say you don't keep your word." Yang said. "Still, never thought I'd catch you reading comic books. How do you like 'em?"

"Oh, they're all terrible. This title, especially, is irredeemably awful," Weiss said. "The plotlines make absolutely no sense. The lead writer changes with a frequency that is frankly mind-boggling. It doesn't help that so far none of them have been particularly decent to start it, and they're constantly trampling over each other's work, whether it be by ignoring continuity or outright altering it. And the art – oh, the art. It's certainly colorful, and let's leave it at that. And that's all I have to say about this so-called book."

Her rant finished, Weiss took a deep breath. Yang grinned. "So what I'm getting from this is you're enjoying it."

"Yes, I am." Weiss sighed. "I can certainly see why Jaune liked it so much. There is a certain charm to it."

Weiss found herself smiling, though it was a bittersweet feeling. She sat up with her back against the headboard and drew in her legs, making space on the bed. Yang stared at the bed for a second, as if it were radioactive, before she sat down on the edge.

"How have you been doing?" Yang asked, rubbing at the joints of her prosthetic. "We haven't talked much these past few weeks."

It would have been more accurate to say that they hadn't talked at all, though Weiss wasn't keen to correct Yang on that. "It's been okay. Some days are harder than others," she said. "At first I tried to keep it to myself, you know. Especially around Pyrrha. She's obviously hurting more than any of us, and I didn't want to give the wrong impression."

"Uh-huh," Yang said. "I don't wanna be insensitive, Weiss, I get it, but that's silly for so many reasons."

"Well, yes, I realized that, which is why I stopped," Weiss said. "Jaune's gone. Pretending that that doesn't affect me isn't going to help anyone, least of all myself. Besides, he deserves better."

"That's damn right. We gotta respect Noodle Boy's memory," Yang said. "Besides, we all know which blonde you have a thing for, and it wasn't him."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bowed her head, suddenly bashful. She lowered her hand back to her lap. The light caught on the yellow-and-black metal.

"I like what you did with it," Weiss said.

"You really think so?" Yang bit her lip. "I was afraid it was going to look tacky."

"No, it suits you nicely," Weiss said. "How tough has it been, readjusting?"

"Less tough than you'd think. It surprises me, sometimes, how natural it feels." Yang turned her wrist and flexed her hand open and closed. "It's almost like the real thing."

"It is the real thing, Yang. It's a part of you, like anything else."

"Sure, a part of me that I can take off anytime I want, and that I've gotta calibrate with a screwdriver every once in a while."

"A screwdriver?"

"I don't know. It's more complicated than that." Yang sighed. "It's more complicated in general."

Weiss let that stand. Far be it for her to argue with Yang. She could try to comfort and support her to the best of her ability, but in the end the only person who knew what Yang was going through was Yang.

A silence descended upon the room. Weiss closed her book and put it down on her nightstand. Yang shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the bed.

"So, are we going to keep skirting around the elephant in the room, or…?"

"I don't know, Yang," Weiss said. "You're the one who invited yourself into my bedroom to talk. Why should I take the initiative?"

"Because!" Yang rolled her eyes and groaned. "Why've you gotta be so sharp and sensible all the time?"

"Because it works greatly in my favor on occasion. An occasion such as right now."

Yang pursed her lips, falling silent, and Weiss contemplated if she might have to lead the conversation regardless. She couldn't figure out how to even start, though, which derailed that idea entirely. If only she weren't so flustered.

"I didn't forget what you said to me before," Yang said, not meeting her eyes. "Before the whole Haven debacle, I mean."

Weiss's neck suddenly itched. She swallowed dry and nodded. "Okay."

"It was really sweet. I mean, I kinda already knew that you liked me, but it was still nice to hear." Yang's brow furrowed. "Well, actually you didn't say you liked me, you said you were in love with me."

The itching spread from Weiss' neck down to her arms and under her shirt, like ants crawling all over her. Weiss clasped her hands to stop herself from scratching at it. "Right. I can see now how that wording might have been a tad strong. I apologize."

"What? No, don't be sorry. It just kinda stunned me a bit, you know, but it's completely fine." Yang paused. "Unless you didn't mean it? Which, that's also completely fine!"

Weiss opened and closed her mouth. Perhaps she ought to accept the out Yang was offering her – it was a perfectly reasonable lie, and she didn't want to scare her off. At the same time…

"No. I meant exactly what I said."

Immediately in response, Yang exhaled. "Okay! Good to know," she said. "Well, I don't know about in love, but I do really, really like you too."

Yang finally looked at her then, and Weiss almost squealed and jumped off the bed. Instead she focused all her energy on keeping her composure, and moved to sit beside Yang, their shoulders almost touching.

"I'm okay with that," Weiss said, a little lacking for air. "We can start with that."

Yang smiled for just a fraction of a second, before it vanished in a frown and she turned to stare at her lap again.

Weiss' shoulders fell. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's not like that." Yang brought up her knee and rested her chin on it. "You didn't forget all that terrible stuff I said to you, right? Because I sure haven't."

"Well, yes, I remember," Weiss said hesitantly. "But I'm not holding that against you. You only pushed me away because you were in pain. Besides, it's not like you were entirely wrong about me. I was being a tad overbearing, and – and I might have been using you to feel better about myself."

Yang's expression hardened, but rather than storm out of the room, she took Weiss' hand and stared her in the eyes. "But were you actually, or do you just think that because I put that idea in your head?"

"I… I can't be sure."

"Yes, you can. Because I am," Yang said. "You've been really wonderful to me, Weiss, and I bet all our friends would say the same thing. I don't want you to think about yourself like that. I'm really, really sorry I made you doubt yourself."

That's not the stuff I want you to remember, Jaune had told her. She'd been holding his hand when he said it. She'd meant to take that to heart, but that was easier said than done.

"I forgive you." Weiss squeezed Yang's hand. "But I am afraid of hurting you. I have a track record of being a terrible person to anyone stupid enough to try to get close to me."

"Well, I am known to act pretty stupid from time to time, especially around certain people." Yang snickered. "And you do scare me a bit, but only when you're busy with something and I come in and distract you and you glare at me that way – which is actually kinda hot, to be honest."

Weiss frowned. Was that why Yang insisted on distracting her so often? That had been on purpose?

They were getting off topic.

"A friend told me recently that I have commitment issues," Yang said, tousling her own hair. "And, you know, at first I didn't believe her, but I think she had a point. I didn't push you away just because I was in pain. That was barely a reason why, actually."

"Oh?"

"I'm scared too," Yang said. "Becoming close with someone means running the risk that they'll just leave you someday. It feels pretty inevitable. Maybe it'll be your fault, maybe it'll be something completely outside your control. Either way, it's just safer to keep things as they are."

"Yang, I would never do that to you," Weiss said. "You know that, right?"

"I know you mean that, and I want to believe you, but it's not that simple," Yang said. "We can't make promises like that to each other. People hurt each other all the time. And not everybody gets a happy ending."

Weiss looked away, biting her lip. This was it, then. Her heart ached at the thought, but she recognized it was for the best. The safest, most logical conclusion to this mad fantasy she had entertained.

She tried to pull her hand free, but Yang's fingers tightened around her. Weiss turned her head and found Yang staring at her, a burgeoning red smoldering in the depths of her eyes. "Yang?"

"I don't want to be scared, Weiss. I want to take that risk with you," Yang said, steady and strong. "If we fall, we get back up together. We help each other climb. What do you say?"

Weiss' heart fluttered. "That sounds reasonable to me."

"Reasonable." Yang smiled. "Would it be reasonable for me to kiss you now?"

Weiss wasn't sure what she said in response. Before she knew it, it was happening, and it was different than she had imagined – but better. It was clumsy. Their noses bumped at first, before Yang chuckled and readjusted. Weiss reclined back, and it was a little precarious because Yang held her with just one hand. Weiss had to guide the other to her lower back as well, and the contact felt cool and firm and she never wanted to not feel it again.

When they parted, Weiss couldn't stop smiling, which she found rather vexing. "You taste like honey," her mouth spoke for her, and that was something past vexing.

"Thanks," Yang said above her, her cheeks crimson. "You taste like everything nice."

"How wonderfully non-specific." Weiss drew back, sucking on her teeth. "I think it's time you closed that door."

"And left, yeah?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "Let's not go too fast, Snowflake."

"Of course. But I'd like you to stay, just a little longer." Forever, please and thank you. "Maybe just until I finish that issue?" She nodded at the comic book, left forgotten on the nightstand.

Yang pretended to think for a second. "Only if you read it to me."

"There are dinosaurs rampaging through the city, and Doctor Nefarious is building a giant laser to destroy the moon. Also, the protagonist is a testosterone-filled idiot who can't do anything right and yet attracts all the girls," Weiss said. "I don't think it'll be very romantic."

"Sure it'll be." Yang pecked her on the lips and stood up. "It's your voice."

Weiss watched her go to close the door, making herself comfortable on the bed and grabbing the book in the meanwhile. The door clicked shut and Yang turned around, their eyes locking as she walked back to the bed. An electric current seemed to pass between them.

This was, as far as Weiss was concerned, perfect.

Pyrrha decided to grow azaleas today. Azaleas for Ozpin, and marigolds for Amber. The former was an educated guess – the marigolds, she all but knew, would be appreciated.

It had been a month since she'd started doing this, and the two stone markers by the side of the house were already ringed by twin flowerbeds of all shapes and colors. It had occurred to her in the early days how odd it was that she could nurse to life any flower she desired, regardless of the soil, climate and season its species normally required. It was a small gift compared to all the other wonders she inherited, yet it was her favorite.

The flowers still needed care, though. She had discovered that when some of the first flowers started to wilt two weeks ago. This was why she came here every morning, to tend them back to health, and grow them new companions.

And to give me another reason to stay.

The grass rustled behind her.

"Good morning, Ruby," she said. "You're up early today."

Ruby stopped beside her a second later, a look of surprise on her face. Maybe Pyrrha should have given her a chance to announce herself first.

"Uh, hi," Ruby said. "Good morning to you too."

"It's a beautiful day. Maybe a bit chilly." Pyrrha turned her wrist, and the budding azaleas atop Ozpin's grave blossomed and mingled amidst their sisters. "Did you need me?"

"Not really. Weiss is busy and nobody else is up, so." Ruby shrugged. "I thought I'd find you here."

"You were correct."

Pyrrha turned her attention to Amber's grave next. One of the daphnes she had sprouted for Amber last week was starting to lose its luster. She ran her fingers along its stem, and the violet shades turned vibrant again.

She had grown many daphnes for Amber.

"These are really pretty, Pyrrha," Ruby said.

"Thank you. I'm really proud of them."

"Is it a lot of work?"

"Not at all. It's very relaxing, actually. I wish you could try it." Pyrrha chuckled. "Only without the rest of the baggage that comes with it, of course."

"Yeah, that sounds like a lot of responsibility. No thanks." Ruby joined her hands behind her back, shifting from one foot to the other. "I don't know if I should be asking this, but, Ozpin and Amber aren't really gone, right?"

"They're not."

"So… Why the flowers?"

Pyrrha had thought about that before. "Flowers are for the living," she said. "More so than for the dead, I think."

She examined the flowerbeds for a minute longer, but it seemed there was no more work to be done this morning. Pyrrha rose to her feet.

"Thank you for not using me as leverage yesterday, by the way," she said.

Ruby blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

"In the meeting with Ironwood," Pyrrha clarified. "I thought that was why you asked me to come with you. The Maiden has safeguarded the Relic of Knowledge for centuries, so it follows that I should keep it, yes?"

"Oh, that's smart. I hadn't really thought about that, to be honest," Ruby said. "I only wanted you there because you're one of us, you know?"

Pyrrha didn't know why she was so caught off-guard. That should have been obvious.

"I know." She smiled. "Let's go back inside, shall we? I haven't had breakfast yet."

As they walked back to the house, Pyrrha couldn't help but notice how quiet Ruby was. This wasn't so unusual as of late – it wasn't unusual of any of them, especially when Pyrrha was around, unfortunately – yet Pyrrha still worried.

"Is something bothering you, Ruby?"

"No, I'm just…" Ruby sighed. "Pyrrha, do you think I know what I'm doing?"

"Of course," Pyrrha said. "Why would I think otherwise?"

"Well, I – I completely lost it back in Haven. You were right there when it happened. I saw Cinder and I forgot everything else," Ruby said. "I know I shouldn't be thinking this way, but maybe if I had kept my cool, things wouldn't have turned out so bad. Maybe – maybe Jaune wouldn't be dead."

Ruby flinched and looked away from Pyrrha, as if she'd said something really wrong.

"Maybe," Pyrrha said. "Or maybe Cinder would have taken the Relic and things today would be that much worse. We can't know for sure. What I do know is that despite any mistakes you may have made, I still believe in you - and I hope you still believe in yourself."

Ruby nodded. "Thanks, Pyrrha. That helps."

They entered the house and arrived at the living room, still empty at this early hour. Blake would be up soon, and Ren too, waking Nora along with him. Yang would follow not long after. Pyrrha didn't know enough about Penny's sleeping habitats – in fact, she wasn't even sure if Penny slept at all.

The house was busier nowadays, and yet in many ways it felt emptier. Pyrrha wished she could shake off that feeling. Most of Jaune's belongings were still in their room – her room only, now. Everyday she promised today was the day she'd start packing them up, and everyday she didn't follow up on it.

"I've been wondering, and it's okay if you don't wanna talk about it, but," Ruby said, a slight frown creasing her forehead, "did Jaune know what he was doing when he killed Tyrian? Like, did he know he was freeing Ozpin and letting you be the Maiden and stuff?"

Pyrrha contemplated that for a moment. "I didn't get to ask. But no, I don't think he knew," Pyrrha said. "It wouldn't have changed anything if he had."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Ruby said, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "I'll see what we have in the kitchen. You got any preferences?"

"I'll have whatever, thank you," Pyrrha said, and made to sit down on the couch to wait. "Ruby, wait."

Ruby stopped and turned before she left the room, a concerned look on her face. "Yeah?"

Pyrrha clasped her hands over her lap. "Nevermind. It's not important."

"No, come on," Ruby said. "You can ask me anything, it's okay."

Pyrrha hesitated. Funny, that being vulnerable still came so hard to her sometimes.

"I guess you and Yang would be the only ones with prior experience," Pyrrha said. "I just wanted to ask if… if it ever gets any easier."

Ruby bowed her head, her eyes narrowing somewhat as she stared at the floor between her feet, and said nothing for quite a while. Pyrrha almost told her to forget the question. There was enough grief going on without her adding to it.

"I don't know about it getting easier. I don't think that's how it works," Ruby said, lifting her eyes to look at Pyrrha. "I guess at some point, you start sort of… not forgetting, but you go a day without thinking about them. Then a week, maybe a whole month. Until something happens that reminds you of them and it's like you just lost them all over again. It's sad, but I guess it's better than completely forgetting them, right?"

"Yes. That is better," Pyrrha said. "Thank you, Ruby."

"No problem. Just remember that you're not alone, okay? We're all in this together," Ruby said. "And now, uh, breakfast!"

She held up two thumbs and walked backwards out of the room, smiling from ear to ear. Alone in the living room, Pyrrha sat down and leaned back her head.

What Ruby had said earlier reminded her of what she was supposed to be doing. Ozpin – or rather Oz, whatever new form he had taken now – was somewhere out there, and she knew she was supposed to find him. But she couldn't do that, no more than she could bring herself to pack up Jaune's belongings.

I am a woman stranded at sea, and the currents are pulling me in so many directions. These people are all that anchors me, Pyrrha thought. If I leave them, I will forget them, and come undone.

"So, turns out we haven't restocked yet this week, and all we have left is this crappy cereal," Ruby said, returning with two bowls in hand as well as a carton of milk. "I mean, I don't think it's crappy, but I know you don't like it much. Sorry."

Pyrrha grinned. "I think I'll survive it."

Ruby set the bowls down on the table and sat down beside Pyrrha. She had just finished opening the milk when a jolt passed through Pyrrha. She craned her neck and sat up, shoulders stiff. Ruby turned to look at her, but before she could ask what was going on, footsteps came down the hallway and Weiss ran into the room.

"Ruby, you need to come with me right now," Weiss said, catching her breath. "Pyrrha, wake up everyone."

Ruby jumped to her feet. "Woah, wait, what's going on?"

"It's the Relic." Weiss looked at Ruby, eyes all wide. "It just spoke."

"What do you mean it just spoke?" Ruby asked as they walked inside the Relic Room. "Did you do something to it?"

"I didn't do anything, I was just reading a paper-" Weiss nodded towards her desk- "when I heard the voice in my head."

"Well, what did it say?"

"It just said hello."

"And? Did you say anything back?"

"I didn't. I came to get you right away."

They stopped in the middle of the room. Ruby stared at the Relic on its pedestal. Something felt different about it. It was just like the first time she had seen it – almost like it was part of her, and she was part of it.

"Do you feel that too?" Ruby asked, almost scared to hear the answer.

"I don't know what it is," Weiss said, "but yes, I think I do."

Ruby sighed in relief. "Okay. I'm not crazy, then." She eyed the Relic warily. "Should I talk to it? It's not gonna swallow me up or anything crazy?"

Weiss gestured impotently and nodded. Gathering her courage, Ruby slowly walked towards the Relic, reaching out with her hand. The others were entering the room hastily behind her, all asking questions. Weiss was quick to shush them.

Ruby touched the lamp.

"Hi?"

For a second, there was silence. Then a woman's voice replied clearly in her head, "Hello."

Ruby looked over her shoulder. By the startled look on everyone's faces, she guessed they could hear as well.

"Uh, nice to meet you finally," she said. "I'm Ruby."

The voice chuckled. "I know."

"Oh right. I guess you would." Ruby bit her lip. "Are you the Relic of Knowledge?"

"I am the spirit that resides within it," the voice replied. "Ask me a question, any question at all, and I shall answer it. So, Ruby Rose – what will it be?"

Ruby bowed her head. There were so many things she needed to know. One question sprang to mind immediately – though that quickly led her into another thought. Her mother had taught her manners, despite what Weiss always said.

"Let's start simple." Ruby looked up at the Relic. "What's your name?"

THE HUNT WILL RETURN

And that's a wrap on The Hunt 2! Or, a semi-wrap. We've still got a few post-credits scenes to go, which I will be uploading in a few days, as well as my thoughts on the overall story. See you then!

-Zeroan